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Material existence (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"material existence"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

So in this Bhagavad-gītā... We may survey what is this Bhagavad-gītā. This Bhagavad-gītā is meant for delivering persons, persons from the nescience of this material existence. Every man is in difficulty in so many ways, as Arjuna also was in difficulty in the matter of fighting the battle of Kurukṣetra. And as such he surrendered unto Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and therefore this Bhagavad-gītā was spoken. Similarly, not only Arjuna but every one of us is always full of anxieties due to our, this material existence. Asad-grahāt. It is... Our existence is in the environment or atmosphere of nonexistence. But actually, we are not nonexistent. Our existence is eternal, but some way or other we are put into this asat. Asat means which does not exist.

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

The moon planet, of course, is the nearest planet, but even we approach the highest planet, which is called Brahmaloka, there also we have the same miseries of material life, I mean to say, the miseries of birth, death, old age, and diseases. No planets in the material universe is free from the four principles of material existence. The Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). The living entities are traveling from one planet to another. It is not that we can simply go to other planets by the mechanical arrangement of the sputnik. Anyone who desires to go to other planet, there is process. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). If anyone wants to go to any other planet, say, moon planet, we need not try to go by the sputnik.

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

Therefore we have to meet them in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, and if required, we have to kill them and execute the order of Kṛṣṇa. This is our position. If we are thinking that "In this material existence I shall be safe, assisted by my society, friendship, love, country, and politics and sociology," "No, no, sir, it is not possible." It is not possible. You have to take care of yourself. Your so-called society, friendship, love, country, nation, and this, never will be able to help you. Because you are under the clutches of māyā. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

What is that? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Simple. Simple. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni (CC Antya 20.12). You are suffering in this material world, dāvāgni, now, forest fire. This material world is forest fire. But they are so ignorant, they cannot understand that "We are burning in the blazing fire of this material existence. Our attempt should be how to get out of it." But there is no such knowledge. Just like animals. The animals are suffering. They are being taken to the slaughterhouse. There is no, I mean, strength of protesting. They are being slaughtered. So we are being also being slaughtered by the laws of nature. We are also being slaughtered. So we do not know how to make progress. That is slaughtering.

Lecture on BG 1.37-39 -- London, July 27, 1973:

Everything is adjusted because it is transcendental. So there is no other way. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is so merciful that from the śāstras he has selected this process of saṅkīrtana movement: ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). The human life is meant for extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. But we are not in regulative principles. We have lost everything, our sanātana-kula-dharma, everything. Under the circumstances, Caitanya Mahāprabhu gives us the greatest facility according to śāstra. That is the boon of this age: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Simply by chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, everyone becomes free from all contamination of this age, mukta-saṅgaḥ, paraṁ vrajet. And he becomes so purified that he becomes fit to go back to home, back to Godhead. So this opportunity, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should not miss.

Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:

You see? But he thinks that "If I am educated, if I become a doctor or if I become a lawyer or if I become an engineer, I will be happy." Happy. That is the ultimate aim. "I will get a good job, government job. I'll be happy." So happiness is the end of every, I mean to say, pursuance. So... But these mitigation of sufferings, they are temporary. Real suffering, real suffering is due to our, this material existence, these three kinds of suffering. So when one is conscious about his suffering and he wants to make a solution of this suffering, then there is necessary of a spiritual master. Now, if you want to make a solution of your sufferings, and you want to consult a person, now what sort of person you must meet who can end your all sufferings? That selection must be there. If you want to purchase a jewel, diamond, and very valuable thing, and if you go to a grocer's shop... Such kind of ignorance—you must be cheated. You must be cheated. At least you must approach to a jewelry shop.

Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

Na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād. This is the position of material existence. We are sometimes in difficulty. Not sometimes. Always, we are in difficulty, but we call it sometimes, because to get over the difficulty, we make some attempt, and that attempt—making is taken as happiness. Actually there is no happiness. But sometimes, with the hope that: "By this attempt, I shall become happy in future,"... As the so-called scientists are dreaming: In future, we shall become without death." So many, they are dreaming. But those who are sane persons, they say: "Trust no future, however pleasant."

Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

Real happiness, atyantikam, the supreme happiness, is not enjoyed by the senses. Atīndriya, surpassing, transcendental to the senses. That is real happiness. But we have taken happiness as sense enjoyment. So by sense enjoyment, nobody can become happy. Because we are in the material existence. And our senses are false senses. Real senses—spiritual senses. So we have to awaken our spiritual consciousness. Then by spiritual senses we can enjoy. Sukham atyantikaṁ yat atīndriya (BG 6.21). Surpassing these senses. Surpassing these senses means... These senses are, means covering. Just like I am this body. Actually I'm not this body. I'm spirit soul. But this is the covering of my real body, spiritual body. Similarly, spiritual body has spiritual senses. Not that nirākāra. Why nirākāra? It is a common-sense affair. Just like if you have got a hand, a or two, one or two hands, you have got two hands. Therefore when the hand is covered by some cloth, the cloth also gets a hand.

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

And so far present is concerned, we are all individual. You know. So where is the possibility of losing individuality? Become imperson? No. There is no possibility. This voidism, impersonalism, they are artificial ways of negating the perplexing variegatedness of this material existence. That is the negative side only. That is not a positive side. A positive side is that, as Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). "After giving up this material tabernacle, one comes to Me." Just like after leaving this room, you have to enter another room. You cannot say that "After leaving this room, I shall live in the sky." Similarly, after leaving this body, if you go to Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual kingdom, your individuality will be there, but you'll have that spiritual body. When there is spiritual body there is no perplexities. Just like your body is different from the body of the aquatics. The aquatics, they have no disturbance in the water because their body is made like that. They can live there peacefully.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Edinburgh, July 16, 1972:

Anything which is material, it has got a date of birth and it has got a date of annihilation. And in the via media there is growth, their existence. So this body, not only this body, even this material world, it has got a date or creation, and it will be annihilated. This is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It comes into manifestation once, and again it is destroyed. This is material existence. When you go back to home, back to Godhead, you haven't got to accept this material body. Your spiritual body is already there within this material body. And in that spiritual body you shall exist along with God. That is the highest perfection of life.

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

Mukti means liberation. Mukti means... Now we are in egoistic condition in this material body. Now, mukti means when we shall be liberated from the material existence and we shall get our spiritual life, proper. That is called mukti. Just like a person is suffering from disease, fever. Now, when he, he's out of feverish attack, he's called mukta. Rogya-mukta. Rogya-mukta means he's free from the disease. Similarly, mukti means because we are now encumbered with this material body, as soon as we become free from this material conception of life, that is called mukti. That is called brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20). Generally, Dr. Mishra is teaching this, that you, what you think of your, what I am, I am not this body. That is the whole process of his teaching. So we have already discussed.

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

Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as he is liberated... Just like a man freed from the attack of fever or any disease, when he's recovered, he finds himself happy: "Oh, now my disease is now gone. I am happy." Similarly, as soon as we come to the spiritual understanding of our existence, then our life will be joyful. That is a sign. Whether a man is freed from this material existence, mukti... Mukti can be achieved even in this life. Mukti. Mukti. It is, it is, it is a question of conviction. Now we are convinced firmly that "I am this material body. And as soon as... I gave you the other day the example of Socrates. He was convinced that "I am not this body." So he was offered poison. He gladly took it, that "What is that? I shall take it!" Because he was mukta-puruṣa. It is... He is liberated soul. "Never mind. You want to kill me. Kill me. I don't mind. All right." So this liberation. This is liberation.

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

Prabhupāda: No. Demigods, they are just like delegated officers for maintaining this material existence. Just like sun. Sun is a demigod. Sun. The moon. The moon is a demigod.

Woman: And what about the masters who are working...?

Prabhupāda: Eh? Eh?

Woman: The masters who are working the...?

Prabhupāda: Master is the Lord.

Woman: Yeah, but there are different masters, or higher degrees that you were calling. You were mentioning before. The sound(?) of different degrees who are working on planets...?

Prabhupāda: Yes, different degree. Just like everyone is servant of the Lord.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

Just like if you are thrown into the ocean, however expert swimmer you may be, that is not your comfortable life. You have to swim all along, otherwise immediately drown. Similarly, as soon as you get yourself in this material world, you have to struggle for existence. You have to. If you want to stop this struggle for existence, then you must get out of this material existence. That is the problem of life. Anādi karama-phale, pori' bhavārṇava-jale, toribāre nā dekhi upāy. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches us, ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau: "My dear Lord, Nanda-tanuja, son of Nanda Mahārāja, Kṛṣṇa, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I am now fallen in this material ocean." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau. Viṣame: "Very ferocious danger, ocean of this material existence, I am fallen.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

So everything is like that. But this dream, these gross and subtle dreams, are simply reflections. Just like what is dream? The whole day, what I think, the dreaming is a reflection, reflection. My father was doing cloth business. So sometimes he, in dreaming he was quoting price: "This is the price." So similarly it is all dreaming. This material existence, made of these five gross elements and three subtle elements, they're exactly like dream. Smara nityam aniyatām.(?) Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, smara nityam aniyatām. This anitya, temporary... Dreaming is always temporary.

So we must know that whatever we possess, whatever we are seeing, these are all dream, temporary. Therefore if we become engrossed with the temporary things, so-called socialism, nationalism, family-ism or this-ism, that-ism, and waste our time, without cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then that is called śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply wasting our time, creating another body.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Mexico, February 15, 1975:

"By chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra your heart will be cleansed, and as soon as your heart is cleansed, you can feel everything in its proper order." So when the heart is cleansed we can understand our real position and how we are suffering and how to take steps against this suffering. This is called bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam, extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. In this verse it is mentioned again, dhīra. Dhīra means very sober. In the beginning Kṛṣṇa said, dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīra means one who is sober. He is not bewildered. So dhīra means that although there is cause of disturbance, one is not disturbed. Although there is cigarette, but I should promise, "I shall not smoke." Although there is facility for illicit sex, I'll not do it. That is called dhīra. Dhīra means the cause of agitation or disturbance is present there, but one is not disturbed.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

The whole human life is meant for purification. Yasmāt śuddhyet sattvam. Sattvam. Sattvam means existence. Śuddhyet. Śuddhyet means becomes purified. Just like a diseased man, contaminated by some disease. The medical treatment means he has to be purified from the contamination. Similarly, we are impure in this material existence, by contamination of the three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa—goodness, passion and ignorance. So even if we are contaminated by the quality of goodness of this material world, that is also contaminated. That is also cause of our entanglement. Goodness... A brāhmaṇa, if he thinks that "Now I have brahminical qualifications, I am now educated, I am very cleansed, I am very controlled"—these things are brāhmaṇa qualification—"I know what is what," jñānaṁ vijñānam, but he does not try for becoming immortal, then that kind of thinking is also bondage, that "I am this, I am that."

Lecture on BG 2.17 -- London, August 23, 1973:

They do not know. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The life, the aim of life is to realize God. This is human life. But they are so much embarrassed with this uncontrollable senses that they are going to the darkest region of material existence. Adānta-gobhiḥ. Adānta means uncontrolled. They cannot control the senses. They have become so unfortunate that simple thing, little effort, little austerity, to control the senses. The yoga process means to control the senses. Yoga does not mean that you show some magic. The magic, magician also can show magic. We have seen one magician, he created immediately so much coins—tung tung tung tung. Next moment it is all finished. So the life, they're missing the aim of life. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayaḥ. Why? Manda-bhāgyāḥ. They are unfortunate. So you take it for granted.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

Everything is there, Kṛṣṇa is always with you. If you want to go back to home, back to Godhead, then Kṛṣṇa is ready to give you all instruction. "Yes, yena mām upayānti te." He gives instruction, "Yes, you do like this. Then you will finished, your, this material business, and after giving up this body, you'll come to Me." But if you want to continue this material existence, then vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22), you have to accept one body; and when it is no more usable, then you have to give up this body and accept another body. This is continuation of material existence. But if you want to end it, if you are actually disgusted with this kind of business, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), take birth once, again die, again take. But we are so shameless and so rubbish that we are not very much disgusted with this business. We want to continue, and therefore Kṛṣṇa is also ready: "All right, you continue." That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, yantrārūḍhāni māyayā.

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Los Angeles, December 6, 1968:

"I am material product." I am coming to this point. Those who are thinking that "I am a material product," they're completely in darkness of māyā. Yayā, manute anarthaṁ tat-kṛtaṁ ca abhipadyate. And identifying himself with this body, they are acting in bodily consciousness and increasing their problems of life and conditional life in material existence. Horrible condition. Therefore Vyāsadeva says, anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). Anartha, this anartha, this misconception of life, if you want to discard this misconception of life, that "I am this body," and you act according to that consciousness and suffer... This is your disease.

Now if you want to get out of this disease, then sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. You just try to be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sākṣāt. Lokasyājānata. The rascal people, they do not know it. Therefore vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Therefore vidvān. Vidvān means this learned scholar, Vyāsadeva, he prepared the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

They think like that. "Let me appeal to the Supreme Person so that my distress may be mitigated." So aim is ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. We are also cultivating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Our aim is also the same. Duḥkha-nivṛtti. Kṛṣṇa says janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We keep always in view that in this material existence there are four kinds of miserable condition, primarily. To stop this. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Everyone's aim is duḥkha-nivṛtti. It may be presented in a different way. So the Buddha philosophy is also duḥkha-nivṛtti, stop pains.

Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12), we are, by nature, we want blissfulness. But we do not know how to become actually happy and blissful. That is ignorance. In the material world, they also want to enjoy, everyone.

Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966:

His enjoyment is forbidden. Therefore, in our diseased condition of this bodily conception of life, if we increase our so-called enjoyment, enjoyment of the body, oh, then we shall be more and more entangled in this conditional life of material existence. If you really want freedom from this material existence and miseries of material existence, then we must minimize the bodily enjoyment. We must minimize. Just like a diseased man is given some liquid food. He is forbidden... He is forbidden to take any food because any food will aggravate his disease, but still, because he has to exist, he is given some glucose water, some barley water, some fruit juice, little. Just... It is also psychological. The patient may think also that "I am eating something. I am eating, not I am starving. I am eating." That is also psychological effect. At the same time, this light food, fruit juice or glucose water, that is easily digested, so there is no harm.

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

And to be very beautiful, that is also result of good work. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And bad work is just opposite. Now, good work or bad work, now, when you take your birth in a good family, when you are very much educated, very much beautiful, but still, you have to accept the, I mean to say, triple miseries of material existence. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot, he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease. Similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life.

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

Therefore He is called paraṁ dhāma. Paraṁ dhāma means "everything resting on You." Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram (BG 10.12). Pavitram. Pavitram means uncontaminated. Because we, although we are Brahman, now we are contaminated by this material body. But the Lord has no contaminated body of this material existence. We have already noted, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda... Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ means His body is full—full of bliss, full of knowledge, and it is eternal. That is completely distinct from this body. So when there is description of the Lord that He is formless, He is formless means He is not of this form. He has got a sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), a different element. Therefore He's called pavitra. And paramaṁ bhavān: "You are the Supreme Original."

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Sense objects. And the only method to get out of this puzzle of material existence is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious."

Prabhupāda: It is learned from Vedic literature that... Of course, they are showing us, Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā. They were also sometimes attracted by sense objects. Just like Lord Brahmā, his daughter Sarasvatī... Sarasvatī is considered to be the most perfect form of beauty, womanly beauty, Sarasvatī. So Lord Brahmā became enchanted by the beauty of his daughter just to show us the example that even personalities like Lord Brahmā sometimes become enchanted. This māyā is so strong. He forgot that "She's my daughter." Then to penance this, Brahmā had to quit the body.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

That is the needs of my body. They are not the needs of my self as I am, spirit soul.

Now, if I want to get rid of this bodily encagement or the threefold miseries of material existence, then I must put myself under treatment. Just like a diseased man goes to a physician for treatment to get out of, get relief from the sufferings of the disease, similarly, our material existence consisting of threefold miseries and birth, death, old age, and diseases... If we are actually conscious for our happiness, we must make a permanent solution of these miseries. That is the mission of human life. So for making that mission fulfilled, we have got developed consciousness than the animals. That developed consciousness should not be misused only for the animal propensities of life. That is the whole thing.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

We may agree or not agree; we have to undergo. In prison life you cannot deny. The state agents are there. He prescribes some work; you must do it. If you say, "No, I cannot do it. I am not accustomed to do it, no." Then you'll be again more punished.

Similarly, this is our prison life. This material existence is our prison life. And prakṛti, nature, is the forceful agent. She is always enforcing us to do, to act. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). So this is going on. Now, if you want to get rid of this imprisonment, then you should begin this karma-yoga, karma plus yoga. Yoga means in connection with the Supreme. That connection with the Supreme begins with this formula, yajña, sacrifice.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

The whole resources of material nature, they are under your control for making proper use. You can live comfortably. You can eat comfortably. You can live peacefully without any creating animosities or quarrel with your neighbors and prosecute your spiritual life so that you get rid of this material existence. That is the whole program of material nature. But misusing our developed consciousness, we are trying to misuse the resources of material nature in a different way for aggravating the sense gratification. That is the whole mistake. So Kṛṣṇa says that "Whatever mistakes you have done, I don't mind. But you act in this way." Yajñārthe: "You work."

Suppose you have misused your developed consciousness in so many ways and you are now entrapped. Suppose you have started a very complicated industry.

Lecture on BG 3.13-16 -- New York, May 23, 1966:

Why should we not do it? There is no difficulty. There is no question of difficulty. Rather, it is a thing of pleasure, ānanda. The whole thing is ānanda. Ānanda means pleasure. Enjoyment. Spiritual life does not mean that void of enjoyment, no. It is full of enjoyment. We are seeking after enjoyment, but that enjoyment is hampered by our material existence. We do not know. We are trying to squeezing out the senses and trying to have material pleasure. This is nonsense because we do not know what is spiritual life. Spiritual life means unlimited, unlimited pleasure.

There is a verse describing about Rāma. Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare, we chant. Now, what is the meaning of Rāma? That is described.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

And another meaning of yajña is sacrifice. So that sacrifice is how to do.

That we have been discussing for the last three or four days, that yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ. Our whole trouble of life, this material existence, it is, according to Vedic literature, this is our condemned life, material, because I am put into a different atmosphere, this body, which I am not. The body is matter, and I am spirit soul. So I have been put into uncomfortable position by this material contact.

So the human life is developed consciousness. So he has to learn it, and he can get rid of this material existence by the process which is prescribed in authoritative scriptures like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Vedic literatures. So the first process Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is advises, that... Not only He advises. It is advised in all the Vedas, that "You should sacrifice, perform sacrifices."

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

That is the first step. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). If you are actually conscious of being not this body, actually when, then your all material miseries are at once removed. As soon as you come to the real point of understanding that "I am not this body," then the whole misunderstanding of material existence, bhava-mahā-dāvāgni... Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni means... Each and every word is very carefully selected in Sanskrit, and they have got immense meaning, full of meaning. Now, this, why this bhava-mahā-dāvāgni, this very word, I will try to explain. Bhava. Bhava means the situation in which we have to take repeated birth and we accept repeated death. That is called bhava. And that is a kind of mahā-dāvāgni. Mahā means great, and dāvāgni means forest fire. Forest fire. Forest fire, have you seen, any of you? Here you have got many forests, but I don't think you have seen any forest fire. I have seen.

Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:

Then sure and certain you go back to Kṛṣṇa. This practice has to be done. Because unless we practice while we are strong and stout and our consciousness is right thinking. So instead of wasting time in so many things for sense gratification, if we go on concentrating on Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that means we are making a solution of all the miseries of our material existence. That is the process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes and He presents Himself just like ordinary man acting. Why? Just like here in the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is present in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. Oh, He had no necessity of presenting Himself in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra. But it is for us because we are very much anxious to know where battle is going on, where fighting is going on, where detective is working, where murder is committed. All these literatures attract us very much.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

The human life is meant for realizing, self-realization. If any civilization, that is checking people's progress in the matter of self-realization, that is the most virulent type of violence because people are being checked from the natural advancement of life. This human life is the point when one has to end all the miseries of material existence. That is the aim of human life. If people are not educated to that light, if people are misled in other ways, that is the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means the greatest violence committed to the population. And according to the scripture, they are called ātma-han. Ātma-han means suicidal, suiciding.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

Now, the living soul who is seated in such a favorable condition, if he does not cross over the material ocean, then he is making suicide. He is making suicide. Sa eva ātma-han. So we have to take advantage. We have to take advantage of this favorable condition to end this miserable material existence. And if anyone does not take the advantage, then he is committing suicide. That is the version of Bhāgavata. Or... Either he is personally committing suicide or any civilization which is checking this process, that is also violent, the most virulent type of violence, because people are misled. So this is the idea of the scriptures, that human life should be utilized only for spiritual self-realization.

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Therefore the human form of life is a chance for the living entity to escape the entanglement of material existence. In the human form of life one can conquer the enemy, lust, by culture of Kṛṣṇa consciousness under able guidance."

Thirty-nine: "Thus a man's pure consciousness is covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire (BG 3.39)."

Forty: "The senses, the mind and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust, which veils the real knowledge of the living entity and bewilders him (BG 3.40)."

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is very important. "The senses, the mind, and the intelligence are the sitting places of this lust." If somebody is lusty, and if one has to search out where that enemy, lust, is there, so Kṛṣṇa is giving you direct information, "Here is your enemy." Where? Senses, mind, intelligence—there is lust. So if you can understand, "Here is the enemy," and if you try to drive out the enemy, you take precaution.

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Forty-three: "Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind, and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self, and thus, by spiritual strength, conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust (BG 3.43)."

Purport: "This third chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā is conclusively directed to Kṛṣṇa consciousness through knowing oneself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without considering impersonal voidness as the ultimate end. In the material existence of life, one is certainly influenced by propensities of lust and desire for dominating the resources of material nature. Such desire for overlording and sense gratification are the greatest enemies of the conditioned soul, but by the..."

Prabhupāda: Generally, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are struggling day and night. Why? Now, to have overlordship of this material nature. This is material activities.

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "One may not give up work and prescribed duties all of a sudden, but by factually developing one's Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can be situated in a transcendental position, without being influenced by the material senses and the mind, by steady intelligence directed towards one's pure identity. This is the sum total of this chapter. In the immature stage of material existence, philosophical speculation and artificial attempts to control the senses by the so-called practice of yogic postures can never help a man toward spiritual life. He must be trained in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by higher intelligence."

Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports to the Third Chapter of the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā in the matter of karma-yoga, or the acting of one's prescribed duty in Kṛṣṇa consciousness."

Prabhupāda: Thank you. Any questions? Yes?

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

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).

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

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.

Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke... The Bhāgavata, the Bhāgavata gives us direction that "A person who has accepted this material body, which is composed of three elements..." Three elements means earth, water and fire, which is, in Ayurvedic language it is called kapha-pitta-vāyu.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Now we should not consider that because the difference between God and the living entities, that our different appearance and disappearance is different. Just like in this life I may be an Indian, you may be an American. But next life, we do not know what body we are going to get next life. Because in the material existence the body and the soul is different. But in the spiritual existence... Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's body and Kṛṣṇa is nondifferent because it is completely spiritual. Our body, in the present condition... When we are free from this material condition, we also get. That is explained in the Bhagavad... mad-bhāva upaja(?). Mad-bhāva means "exactly like My body." When one is liberated from material conditions, then he also gets exactly the same sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

We have got so many miseries. And then adhidaivika. Daivika means miseries offered by the supernatural power. Just like there is earthquake, famine, pestilence, war. So we are always... There are three headings of miseries, and we are, either we are suffering either from the three all, or at least one. There must be. This is the nature of our life in this material existence. But we are trying to make a solution of it. That is our struggle for existence. But that solution cannot be made by our teeny brain. That solution can be made only when we take to the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.

Therefore the Lord comes Himself just to convince us that "This is not your real life. This material existence, you are suffering. Why you should suffer? You are My sons." Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he also told that "I am the son of God." He's happy. So everyone, you can become similarly happy as soon as you are reinstated in your position.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

Similarly, because we are now in contact with material designation, so our services atti..., service attitude is not lost. That is there. But it is being rendered in a different way. So we have to clear out the pure water out of all designations, and...

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna, he was under the impression of this material existence. Therefore he refused to render service to the Lord. Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted that he should fight. He refused, "No, I am not going to fight." But when he understood his position by, by the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, he agreed, "Yes, I shall fight." So this is spiritual...

Now, so far the employment is concerned, so here, here the employer and employee, both are serving and both are thinking that "I am the master." That is māyā.

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

To know the Absolute Truth is not possible by our present senses. That is also another fact. Because at the present moment we have got materially affected... Not material senses. Our sense are originally spiritual, but it is covered by material contamination. Therefore the process is to purify, to purify the coverings of our material existence. And that is also recommended—simply by service attitude. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). The whole thing depends on our surrendering process and engage ourselves in the service of the Lord. Then gradually, the Lord reveals to the devotee. That is the process.

So what is the birth of the Lord? There is no question of birth of the Lord or of the living entities. This subject matter we have already discussed in the last meeting, that the Lord and the living entities, both are eternal. There is no question of birth and death.

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

This is very good identification. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness we address our contemporaries as "prabhu." Prabhu means master. And the real idea is that "You are my master, I am your servant." Just the opposite number. Here, in the material world, everyone wants to place himself as the master. "I am your master, you are my servant." That is the mentality of material existence. And the spiritual existence means "I am the servant, you are the master." Just see. Just the opposite number.

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

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

"One who comes to Me," mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), nāpnuvanti. "One who comes back to Me, goes back to home, goes back to Godhead, he never comes back again to this miserable conditional life of materialistic status."

Mām upetya tu kaunteya duḥkhālayam... And this material existence is duḥkhālayam, it is a place of misery. This is māyā. We are living in this condition, conditional life of material existence, which is full of miseries, but by the spell of māyā, illusion, we are thinking, we are planning that we are happy. This is called māyā. Māyā means... I have several times explained what is meant by māyā. Māyā means "what is not." I am thinking I am making progress, I am thinking that I am happy, I am thinking I am civilized, I am advanced. But the māyā means this thinking, in the positive way, is no. No, you are not advanced. You are not civilized. You are not actually wise because you do not know what you are. You are thinking that you are this body.

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

Simply understanding. You have got enough time. You are all young men, young girls. Please try to understand the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and your life will be perfect. So perfect that after leaving this body, tyaktvā deham, this body, punar janma naiti, no more birth in this miserable condition of material existence. Then what is the result? Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), "He comes to Me." So it is very easy to finish all the problems of life within this short period of our life. Simply to understand Kṛṣṇa. Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

And there are persons who are atmosphere of fear: "Oh, again we have got to..., a personal life?" They are afraid of personal life. They want to make impersonal everything. That is called bhaya. And the first, second... And the third is krodha. They do not believe in any philosophy. "Let us commit suicide. Let us annihilate all this material existence." So we have to surpass. We have to surpass these three stage of attachment and fearfulness and krodha, and anger. When he is disgusted with this life, he commits suicide. That is called krodha, by anger. So we have to surpass all these stages. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ: "After surpassing these three stages of life," vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10), "one who is constantly conscious of Me," man-mayā, and mām upāśritāḥ, "and accepting the shelter of My protection," mām upāśritāḥ, bahavo jñāna-tapasā, "there were many sages who by culture of knowledge and penance," bahavo jñāna pūtā, "purified by that process," mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ, "they attained My superior nature, My superior nature."

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

This is a verse in Sanskrit spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Fourth Chapter, verse number ten. Vīta-rāga means "freed from attachment." Bhaya means fearfulness, and krodha means anger. So being freed from these material qualities... In the material existence, at the present moment, we are very much attached to the material enjoyment. That is called rāga. And if we cannot fulfill our desires, then there is krodha, anger. And accompanied by krodha and attachment, there is always a tendency of fearfulness. So Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa means... When I speak Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa means the all-attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead. So man-mayā, when one becomes attached to God, giving up the attachment of this material sense pleasure, when one becomes... Attachment must be there, either this way or that way. If we do not become attached to the Supreme Being, then we must be attached to this material enjoyment.

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

Our all activities are there—how to stop this miserable condition of the body, which is impossible to stop. So if we simply become affected by the miserable condition... The miserable condition in the material world must be there. You cannot stop this miserable condition of material existence. It will come and go away. It will simply disturb you. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). One has to be detached from this coming and going, miserable condition of material existence. And how it is possible? That is also said, man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ. "One has to be absorbed in My thought and has to take My shelter." The jñāna means knowledge. Knowledge means one must know that "I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God. Somehow or other, I have been entangled in this material body."

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

What is that unhappiness? It is ending in four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). To take birth and again to die, and so long we live we must suffer from some disease, and we must become old. Plain truth.

Therefore intelligent persons must be aware of the miserable condition of this material existence and try to get out of it. Is there any doubt? Eh? This is the fact. So our only business is how to get out of this material existence. That is our only business, not that how we can adjust things here and become happy. That is called karmī, fools. It is a fact that so long you'll be here in this material world, however you may try to adjust things to become happy, it will be never possible. It will be never possible. They are trying to be materially happy in the western world. They do not know actually what is happiness, but material happiness means sex life. So sex life they are every day enjoying. And still, they go to the naked dance to see if there is happiness.

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

And if there is knowledge and if there is tapasya, penance, then pūtā, purified. You become purified. Therefore it is said, bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ. Then you come back to home, back to Godhead. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for teaching how one can be detached from this material existence and voluntarily accepting some so-called, I mean to say, sufferings. We should be steady. But actually, there is no suffering. It is simply imagination.

Just like there are many meat-eaters. We do not eat meat. What is our suffering? It is simply imagination. If you ask the meat-eater that "Don't eat meat," he'll think, "Oh, it is horrible." He'll say horrible. Yes, actually they say. Even big, big man.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

What is that death? Death means separation of two energies: the material energy and the spiritual energy. That is death. The supreme spiritual energy and the atomic part of it, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ... (BG 15.7). Just you have experience in this atomic age, the minute quantity of atomic material existence, similarly, there is spiritual atomic existence. Now, this spiritual atomic existence...

The other day I explained and several times that atom is also described in the Padma-Purāṇa, Vedic literature. And what is the form of that spiritual energy, I mean to say atom, spiritual atom? It is ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair. You have got experience up to the upper portion of the hair. It is just a little point. Now divide it into ten thousand parts, and that one part is yourself, spiritual atom. This is our position. And that spiritual energy is so powerful that we, from that one ten-thousandth part of the upper portion of the hair... It is not manufactured.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

Merging means just like aeroplane. Aeroplane is flying in the air, in the sky. When it goes too far, it becomes too small, you say, "It has merged into the sky." But it has got, even in that position, it has got its separate existence. Just like a bird, a parrot, enters a tree. The tree is also green, and the bird is also green. When it enters the tree, you see no separate existence of the bird, but it has got a separate existence. Similarly, either you are in material existence or in spiritual existence you are already merged, but you have got your separate existence. Is it clear? Thank you.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Bombay, April 1, 1974:

So yogis, they are not interested with material enjoyment because material enjoyment is temporary. So ramante yogino 'nante. Everyone is seeking after happiness, blissful life. But those who are less intelligent, mūḍha, they are satisfied with temporary so-called happiness of material existence. But yogis are not like that. Yogis are interested in the permanent happiness. Ramante yogino 'nante, not ante.

Antavanta ime dehāḥ. Anta means this body. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ: (2.18) "But within the body, the proprietor of the body is nitya." So nityo nityānām. If I am nitya, eternal, then I should be interested in eternal happiness. But the eternal happiness is not possible to enjoy by this body. Therefore it is said, ramante yoginaḥ anante. So ananta-ramaṇa, that is the description of Rāma. Rāma means ananta-ānanda, unlimited happiness. Iti rāma-padenāsau paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate (CC Madhya 9.29).

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Because they want immediate relief from the miseries of this world. They do not want a permanent solution of all miseries. Kṛṣṇa, if we accept the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then in this very life we can make a solution of all the miseries of material existence.

But instead of following the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, we accept leadership which is also indirectly the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, but it is misrepresented because on account of contamination of this material nature. Material nature is inferior or lower nature. Constitutionally, we are following the leadership, but we want immediate, temporary relief for our miseries. We do not want permanent solution of all miseries. That is the defect of our life. But here is a chance. If we follow the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then we make a solution of the whole miseries.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

Just like in our country, recently, within one year, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he's also shifted away, Shastri is also shifted away. In your country, the President Kennedy is also shifted away. We do not take into account that after shifting this position, again we are going to enter into the miserable life of material existence. If we do not make a solution in present life, then we are again going to enter.

Suppose in this life I am elected to be the president of this great state, United States of America, and if my next life I become an ordinary citizen or even an animal... There is no guarantee what I shall become in my next life. That depends on my work because the whole body is given by the material nature. It is not made according to my order supply. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You are given a chance to act here, but according to your act, it will be judged, what you are going to have in your next life. That is your problem.

Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:

If I am full of anxiety, how can I make progress in spiritual realization? It is not possible. Therefore it is the duty of the state, duty of the father, duty of the teacher, duty of the spiritual master to give chance to the small children to develop in such a way that he becomes fully realized spiritual soul at the end and so that his miserable life in the material existence is over. That is the responsibility.

In Bhāgavata you will see that Ṛṣabhadeva says that "One should not become the spiritual master, one should not become the father, one should not become the mother, one should not become the husband—who cannot give relief from these miseries of material existence". It is the husband's duty also. Because the wife is under the protection of the husband, he has got so much responsibility.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

We don't want to discuss that. But the effect of sense enjoyment is suffering. Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. Illicit sex or legal sex, it is followed by so many miserable conditions. That, everyone, we can understand. Simply we have to become sober. Then we'll understand this material existence is not at all good, not at all.

Then, as human being, as we are trying to solve our problems... The real problem we have to solve. And why we are in material condition and miserable condition? Because we have got this material body. This is the problem, real problem. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary. It will not exist forever. But so long it will exist, it will give trouble. This is a fact. So long we'll continue in this material body, you'll have to suffer.

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

Then, transcending the material nature, then he becomes zero? No. That is the real nature. Now, the philosophy which preaches that "After our liberation, after nirvāṇa of this material existence, there is zero," oh, that is very dangerous theory because we are not attracted by zero. That is our nature, living entity. Now, suppose I am suffering from some disease and there are so many ailments, and if some doctor comes: "Oh, let me finish your ailments by killing you," oh, will you agree? You'll say, "No, no, better let me suffer from the disease. I don't want to be killed." Is it not? Will you agree? Suppose you have got too much suffering, miseries of life, and I suggest, "All right, let me cut your throat and kill you, and everything will be finished." "Oh, no, no, no, I'm not agreeable to that." That is the sane man's statement. "Oh, I am not going to be killed for ending my miseries." That is the nature.

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

So a man who is after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are not after these wonderful things. Because they know it perfectly well that "All this display will not save me." What is that? If I get anything I desire? That may be something wonderful for you, but how do I benefit. Oh, what I want here? I want simply to get myself, get free from these miseries of material existence. That can be done only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not by playing all these wonderful...

So one who is serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these wonderful things, they do not captivate. You see? For them, two cents worth. Two cents. Suppose you can fly in the air. What is that? A rich man pay something to the aeroplane and, say, hundred dollars. He can fly from one place to another. Modern science, modern, has made everything cheap. So don't be after this perfection, material perfection. Any kind of material perfection will not solve our real problem.

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

Lord Caitanya prays, "My Lord, Jagadīśvara..." Jagadīśvara means the Lord of the Universe. "I pray unto You. I don't want any wealthy condition. I don't want any wealth." Na dhanam. Dhanam means wealth. Na janam. "I don't want any number of followers." Here, in this material existence, we aspire after money, after followers and after woman. That is... These are our desires. And Lord Caitanya says that, "I don't want wealth. I don't want any number of followers, neither I want any beautiful wife." Then what is the use of your coming to God? Oh, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "I simply pray that birth af... I do not think that in this very birth I will be liberated. Even there is my birth, I don't mind. But let me have Your unconditional service. That's all."

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

That should be the standard of prayer. The more we shall have wonderful things in the material world, the more we shall be entangled. We are just trying to get free from this entanglement and go back to Kṛṣṇa, where going I'll have no more to come back in this miserable world. That should be the aim and object of life.

Suppose if I decided, or anyone of you have decided, that "I shall leave this place, New York. I have no fascination for this city." Then anything you offer him, "Oh, I give you such-and-such thing. You remain here for such-and-su..." No. He doesn't care for anything. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. He has got some information, some other place. He has decided to go there. So he has no, I mean to say, anxiety or desire for anything. So our desire should be—that is perfect desire—that we must leave this body. We must leave this material existence. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Unless you understand this fact, that this material existence is... (end—incomplete)

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

And next body is being prepared according to the work which we are doing now. But here Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one can understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's activities, he becomes free from the reaction of activities.

Now, here is the question, that because we are now preparing ourself to have our spiritual body or spiritual life developed, and being freed from this material existence, therefore our duty should be such so that we may not be entangled again into this material body. That can be made possible if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we study Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, what are His transcendental activities, how His energies are acting in this material world or spiritual world, all this... It is a great science.

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

That problem can be solved when you are Kṛṣṇa conscious so that by Kṛṣṇa conscious, when you leave this body, you will no more have to come to this material world and accept this material body or suffer and enjoy thereof. That is the point. The point is very difficult for common man, but this is the point. This is the point. I have to avoid this material existence altogether. That is the point. It is... It is not the question of improving my material condition. That is not the solution. If I...

Just like in a prison house, if you want to improve your condition, you become a very good prisoner, and the government gives you A-class status. There are three classes of status in prison life. Some are suffering the prison life in the A-class status. Some of them are suffering in the B-class status. There are also classes. Just like when some political leader is put into prison, they are given A-class status. But a sane man, a sane man should not be satisfied by becoming an A-class prisoner, A-class prisoner.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

Everything is necessary, but whole... Our position is that, so far our material existence is concerned, that there are so many things that... But one thing, or the four things, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, that we are under the entanglement of repeated birth, death, diseases and old age, these four things does not depend on war or peace. Suppose there is no war. Can you get free from diseases? Suppose there is no war. Can you get free from death? Suppose there is no war. Can you become, remain a young man all the time? No. Your problem is these four things. You have to solve that thing. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Bhagavad-gītā says that this war or no war, that is no question. So long the human society will be there, there will be sometimes fighting, sometimes peace, sometimes... That is another thing.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

What is that material consciousness? That "It is mine. It is for my sense gratification. That is material consciousness." And if you keep yourself always intact that everything is for Kṛṣṇa, then there is no cloud. The cloud is material. Actually there is no material existence. Just like cloud appears in the sky. It remains temporary for a few day or few hours and again disappears. We do not know where that cloud has gone.

Similarly, material consciousness is the covering of the spirit soul. So as soon as this covering is taken away the bright sunshine is there, the cloud. As soon as the cloud is gone the bright sunshine is there. Then everything is sunshine, light. Similarly, as soon as this consciousness, material consciousness that everything belongs for my satisfaction, sense gratification, that is material. And if you are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that is spiritual. The things does not change. Simply the consciousness changes.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Prabhupāda: Simply the cloud changes. It appears and disappears. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). So if you keep yourself always in bright sunshine. Just like if you go above the cloud as you have experience by plane journey that you go above the cloud and there you will find simply sunshine, no more cloud, no more cloud. So just keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and this cloud of material existence will disappear or you will be above, even you can see them, that will not affect you. This is the process. Go on.

Devotee: "This material feature can be removed at once by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Wherein the offering for the cause of Kṛṣṇa consciousness the consuming agent of such an offering or contribution, the process of consumption, the contributor, and the result of such activities are all combined together Brahman or the Absolute Truth.

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966:

And what is the sacrifice? Sacrifice means yajñārthe karma. Just at the present moment our conception is that I am the proprietor of everything. Actually, I am not the proprietor. The Īśopaniṣad says that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "The Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, or Kṛṣṇa, He is the proprietor." But deluded by the illusory energy of the material existence, we are thinking that "I am the proprietor." Therefore in the scriptures, in Vedic scriptures, sacrifice is recommended. Sacrifice means you give voluntarily. You give voluntarily. Because we have been so much attached to this material proprietorship, that... And without that attachment, there is no possibility of our becoming free from this material entanglement. But that attachment is very difficult to give up. Therefore sacrifice has been recommended, that "You sacrifice."

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

So here it is clearly stated, śraddhāvān labhate jñānam: "Those who are faithful, they can make progress in this knowledge of spiritual advancement." Tat-paraḥ saṁyatendriyaḥ.

And faith, how we become faithful? Now, saṁyata indriya. You have to control the senses. The whole thing is: our material existence is here because we want to gratify senses. That is the whole disease. So this faith of spiritual advancement can be, I mean to say, enhanced when we agree; at the same time, saṁyata indriya. Just like if you are taking treatment of a physician, you have faith, "All right." But the physician says, "Don't do this," and if you do this, then what kind of faith you have got? Physician, when he treats some patient, he prescribes something, "don't do this" and "do this," some "do-nots," some "do." Now, if I say, "My dear physician, I have got all faith in you. Very good. But I cannot follow your instruction. You say, 'Do not.' I do it," oh, how you can? How you are faithful? How you are faithful?

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

The example is that you'll be captured by the mouth of a cat but when the cat captures with its mouth its kitties, they feel very good pleasure. And when he captures a rat, oh, it finished. Similarly, everyone will be captured by the laws of nature, but a devotee will be carried with great care to Vaikuṇṭha and others will be thrown again into this material existence. But people will say, "Oh, your devotee is also dying and the nondevotee is dying," just like the foolish man. The cat is capturing in the mouth both the kitty and the rat. They are not same thing. Apparently it seems that the same thing but it is not the same thing.

Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "Just after finishing this body he does not come again to this material world. He goes directly to Me." So there must be death either of the devotee or of the nondevotee. But those who are devotees, constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they will be carried to Vaikuṇṭha and others will come back to accept any form of body.

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

Now, Kṛṣṇa says, kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ. Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ, one who is able to reduce the reaction of all sinful life. We must know it that this material existence, either in any form, they are all reactions of our sinful life. That we must know. So in any condition, it does not matter that a highly advanced person, educated, learned, rich, or beautiful, or anyone—more or less, according to degree, they are all enjoying or suffering the reaction of their past karma. And, more or less, all the world, they are considered to be sinful. So kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ. Kṣīṇa-kalmaṣāḥ means those who are trying to reduce the reaction of sinful activities. How? By practicing that sense control. Sense control. Practicing sense control. Just like a diseased person. By controlling... By controlling according to the prescription of the doctor, by controlling himself he becomes reduced in the sufferings of the disease. The fever diminishes from 105 degrees to 102, then 100, then 99, then 98—he is cured. Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We haven't got to increase the temperature.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

And to have a spiritual form just like Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, that is another spiritual perfection. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy.

And nirvāṇa, nirvāṇa, the Buddha philosophy is just above the material conditional life but on the margin of spiritual existence. That is... Nirvāṇa means void of material existence. Nirvāṇa, this impersonal conception is also nirvāṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that this impersonal philosophy is another phase of the void philosophy. Veda... Covered void philosophy. Impersonalism is covered void philosophy. They are all the same. Śaṅkara's philosophy of impersonalism and Lord Buddha's philosophy void is almost the same. Real life, real spiritual life is this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Vaiṣṇava philosophy, to associate with the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. Just like we are sitting here face to face. We are talking, you are hearing. You can have this perfection.

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

This finger is part and parcel of your body, but if it is separated, amputated, it has no value. But so long it is joined with this body, it's value is millions of dollars or more than that. If there is any disease you can spend any amount to cure. Similarly we at the present moment in the conditioned state of material existence, we are separated from God. Therefore we are so much reluctant to speak of God, to understand about God, our relationship with God. We think it is simply waste of time. In this meeting, everyone knows, this temple, Kṛṣṇa consciousness temple, is speaking of God. Or any church. People are not very much interested. They think it is a kind of, what is called, recreation, in the name of spiritual advancement, otherwise it is simply waste of time. Better this time could be used for earning some money. Or enjoying in a club or in a restaurant, sense enjoyment.

Lecture on BG 6.2-5 -- Los Angeles, February 14, 1969:

Then it is perfection. Otherwise if you don't train your senses to act nicely it will again fall down to the nonsense activities. So we have to give engagement to the senses to act for Kṛṣṇa. Then there is no chance of fall down. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Go on.

Devotee: "In material existence, one is subjected to the influence of the mind and the senses. In fact, the pure soul is entangled in the material world because of the mind's ego which desires to lord it over material nature. Therefore the mind should be trained so that it will not be attracted by the glitter of material nature. In this way the conditioned soul may be saved. One should not degrade oneself by attraction to sense objects. The more one is attracted by sense objects, the more one becomes entangled in material existence. The best way to disentangle oneself is always to engage the mind in Kṛṣṇa's service. The Sanskrit word hi in this verse is used for emphasizing this point, i.e., that one must do this.

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

Devotee: "Yoga practice is not meant for attaining any kind of material facility. It is to enable the cessation of all material existence."

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

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

Devotee: "Cessation of material existence does not mean entering into an existence of void, which is only a myth."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So cessation of material existence does not mean void. Because I am not void. I am spirit soul. If I was void, how my development of this body has taken place? I am not void. I am the seed. Just like you sow a seed on the ground, it grows into large tree or plant. Similarly the seed is given by the father in the womb of the mother and it grows like a tree. And this body is that. Where is voidness? Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4). In the Fourteenth Chapter you'll see that originally the seed was given by Kṛṣṇa in the womb of this material nature and so many living entities are coming out. You cannot argue against it because actually the generation is the same process as in our practical life we see the father gives the seed in the womb of the mother and the mother, I mean to say, nourishes the child to grow body. So there is no question of void. If the seed would have been void, how this nice body has developed?

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

Prabhupāda: So we have to become very intelligent to understand what is the problem of life, how we should use this valuable human form of life. Unfortunately this education is practically nil all over the world.

Devotee: "There is no void anywhere in the creation of the Lord. Rather the cessation of material existence enables one to enter into the spiritual sky, the abode of the Lord. The abode of the Lord is also clearly described in the Bhagavad-gītā as that place where there is no need of sun or moon nor electricity."

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

Devotee: "Therefore a person working in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfect yogi because his mind is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa's activities. In the Vedas also we learn, 'One can overcome the path of birth and death only by understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead.' In other words, the perfection of the yoga system is the attainment of freedom from material existence and not some magical jugglery or gymnastic feat to befool innocent people."

Prabhupāda: Thank you, that's all.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

This material body is the source of all miseries. Actually the spirit soul has no misery. Just like normal condition of a living entity is healthy life. Disease takes place by certain contamination infection. Disease is not our life. Similarly the present position of material existence is a diseased condition of the soul. And what is that disease? The disease is this body? Because this body is not meant for me, it is not my body. Just like your dress. You are not the dress. But we are differently dressed here. Somebody red color, somebody white color, somebody yellow color. But that color, I am not this color. Similarly this body, I am white man, black man, Indian, American or this, Hindu, Muslim, Christian. This is not my position. This is all diseased condition. Diseased condition. You are trying to get out of the disease.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

And advertisement? "Oh, he has gone with sputnik seven hundred miles up." But what you do? What is your occupation? Sense gratification, that's all. That is animal. So people are not considering how they're implicated with this bodily concept of life.

So one should first of all know that our miserable condition of material existence is due to this body. At the same time this body is not permanent. Supposing I identify everything with this body—family, society, country, this, that, so many things. But how long? It is not permanent. Asat. Asat means it will not exist. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Simply troublesome. Not permanent and simply giving trouble. That is intelligence. How to get out of this body. People come, says that "I am not in peace. I am in trouble. My mind is not peace." But when the medicine is offered, he does not accept. You see? He wants something palatable, what he has understood, that's all.

Lecture on BG 6.30-34 -- Los Angeles, February 19, 1969:

Prabhupāda: There is no difference. A yogi is in samādhi, trance, with the Viṣṇu form, and a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, there is no difference. Go on.

Viṣṇujana: "The yogi in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even though he may be engaged in various activities while in material existence, remains always situated in Kṛṣṇa. A devotee of the Lord always acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is automatically liberated."

Prabhupāda: That we'll find in this Bhagavad-gītā in the Twelfth Chapter, that one who is:

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

What is that? There is famine, there is struggle. Why don't you do something so that people will not be anymore in famine, any more in distress. There will be no more scarcity of water. That is required. So these are the problems and so however we may solve all these problems, the problem of material existence, birth, death, old age and disease, that cannot be stopped, either you become Brahmā or something like that. That is not possible. That is possible only by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

He's placed and he's killed, again he's placed in another womb of mother, again he is killed. In this way, he does not see even the light. You see. So to become in the womb of the mother and to again accept death, to accept old age, accept disease, is not a very good business. If you are rich man, you have to accept all these troubles of material existence, or if you are poor man... It doesn't matter. Anyone who comes into this material world in this material body, he has to take all these troubles. It may be that you are American, the richest nation in the world. That does not mean there is no disease, there is no old age, there is no birth and there is no death. So the intelligent person is he who can make a solution of these problems. He's intelligent. Others who are making patchwork, patching, trying to make a solution of the problems of material life, although they are unable... It is not possible.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

If you want to make a solution of material existence by the material way, it is not possible. That is also clearly stated. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This material nature which is accepted, claimed by Kṛṣṇa as "My energy," mama māyā... This is also another energy of Kṛṣṇa. Everything will be explained in the Seventh Chapter. So it is very difficult to get out of this energy. Practically we are seeing what we are. Our efforts are very tiny to conquer over the laws of the material nature. It is simply waste of time. You cannot become happy by conquering over the material nature.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

Because the demons and the rascals, they are simply trying to avoid God. So if somebody teaches, "Oh, why you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa? This 'me' means you, I, I, you. That's all," "Oh, that's nice, very nice."

The demonic nature is that. "I am God. I am everything." So we have to become very cautious, you see, because my material existence means I have got the tinge of demonic nature. And as soon as I get some impetus from another demon, I become again demon. Again I become demon. And then out of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has distinctly forbidden: māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa: (CC Madhya 6.169) "If you hear the commentary of the impersonalist demons, then your whole thing is spoiled. Your life is spoiled." Go on. Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Sarva-nāśa means you lose everything. And because we do not explain demonic explanation, that "I am God, you are God," people do not like.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, March 12, 1970:

Your work is different from the China. But next time, when you change your body to something else, your work changes. In this body you are human being. Next time, if you become a dog or a demigod, then your work changes. So we are changing our work according to the change of the body. Therefore work is not eternal. So our whole material existence is due to different kinds of work. So if we make the work also eternal, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness activities. Then we come to the eternal. But in the material existence our work is not eternal. We have understood that "I am not this body." Theoretically. If not practically, theoretically because we have heard from Bhagavad-gītā that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) "As the soul is changing the body every moment..." And I am not this body. The body is changing.

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

Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Our misunderstanding is due to dirty things within our hearts. So first benefit of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra will be that all the dirty things within your hearts will be cleansed. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ. And immediately you'll be relieved from the blazing fire of this material existence. This material existence is compared with a blazing forest fire. Forest fire means... Nobody goes to set fire in the forest, but it takes places automatically. Similarly, in this material world, however peacefully you want to live, without God consciousness, you cannot live peacefully. It is not possible. Forget it. Therefore, if you think of Kṛṣṇa or God always, immediately you'll be free from the conflagration of the blazing fire of this material existence. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanaṁ. And as soon as this blazing fire of material existence is extinguished, immediately you come to the platform of blissfulness.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

So in this age, Kali-yuga, to kill the demons means to stop their demonic activities by the astra, kīrtana, hari-saṅkīrtana, which is spread by His associates. Nityānanda Prabhu, Advaita Prabhu, Śrīvāsādi Gaura-bhakta-vṛnda, they are going door to door, country to country, city to city, and saving the demons from being implicated more and more in material existence. Therefore this is the astra. Astra means the killing. Real purpose... The living entity is eternal. How he can be killed? Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So to kill means to kill his demonic nature. Otherwise how he can be killed? Ya imam... There is a verse that anyone who knows that the living entity is never killed and... A living entity does not kill anyone; neither a living entity is ever killed. One who knows this, he knows. So that is the position. So killing does not mean that killing the living entity. That is not possible. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. Killing means to kill his demonic activities. Stop. Killing means stop acting.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

Otherwise there is no death. Na jāyate na mriyate vā. There is no death, no birth, of the soul. But just like the dress, the coat, may be old and you throw away, that means you are not annihilated. Your coat is annihilated, shirt is... Similarly, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After being destruction of this body, you are not destroyed. You live, but in the material existence you accept another material body. That means you continue the process of birth and death. But if you understand Kṛṣṇa, if you become fit to enter into the society of Kṛṣṇa, then you get only that spiritual body, no more material body. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), "He comes to Me." That is your eternal life.

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

That we can understand very easily. Just like your coat and shirt cannot have hands and legs without you having your hands and legs; similarly, this material body which is considered as dress means it has developed on the personal body of the spiritual form. This is called saviśeṣa-vāda.

So the material existence, external feature of the Lord, is the, are these eight elements, namely bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). They are subtle forms. Ahaṅkāra, egotism, mind and intelligence. They are also material. They are not spiritual. One who thinks that mental speculation is spiritual speculation, that is wrong. Here from Bhagavad-gītā we understand the mind is also subtle form of matter, and actually that is so. Because we get another body after death according to the mental situation at the time of death. The mind, intelligence, the subtle body... Just like at night our subtle body, mind, intelligence works, and we think that we have got a separate body and have gone somewhere else from our house, from our room.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

Therefore it is not a sound of this material world; it is a sound of the spiritual world. Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, rati nā janmilo kene tāy. "I am not attracted to this." This is the lamentation of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, a Vaiṣṇava. Saṁsāra-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale. "In this material existence, this eating, sleeping, mating and defending, with this business, always my heart is burning." Saṁsāra-biṣānale, dibā-niśi hiyā jvale, juṛāite nā kainu upāya. "I did not make any means to get out of this." Golokera prema-dhana. Therefore indirectly he is giving hint that human life is meant for worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

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

Because in Vṛndāvana Kṛṣṇa appeared Himself as the cowherd boy, son of Mahārāja Nanda. So Lord Caitanya is teaching us, ayi nanda-tanuja: "Oh, the beloved son of Mahārāja Nanda." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām. "I am Your eternal servant. Now, somehow or other, I am fallen into this material existence." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau, the great ocean of material existence. Don't you see the biggest, outer space? It is... What to speak of ocean. We cannot compare with even ocean. So many millions of oceans can be pushed in this space, of material space. So patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpayā, "By Your causeless mercy," kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya. Paṅkaja. Paṅkaja means a lotus flower. A lotus flower, you'll find some dust, saffron. So the devotee is praying that "As in the lotus flower there are so many dusts, You kindly accept me as one of the particles of that dust."

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

Those who are in devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, they are not interested in any planets of this material world. Why? Because they know. In any planet you can, you can raise yourself, you can elevate yourself, you can go there, but the four principles of material existence are there. What is that? Birth, death, disease and old age. Any planet you go. Your duration of life may be very, very longer than this earth, but death is there. Death is there. But those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or those who are otherwise, those who are not interested in this material life... Material life means birth, death, disease and old age, and spiritual life means relief from these botherations—no more birth, no more death, no more ignorance, no more misery.

Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

We cannot understand by our mental speculation what is God. We have to hear, and we have to accept. Otherwise there is no way to understand what is God. So God says that "Because you are not envious, therefore, I speak to you about the most confidential part of knowledge." Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. Vijñāna-sahitam means this knowledge is not theoretical, but it is scientific. Whatever knowledge we get from Bhagavad-gītā, we should not think that it is sentimentalism or fanaticism. No. They're all vijñānam, science. Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ yaj jñātvā: "If you become well versed in this confidential part of knowledge, then the result will be mokṣyase aśubhāt." Aśubhāt. Aśubha means inauspicious. Our stage of life, our existence in this material world, is aśubha, inauspicious, always miserable. Mokṣyase: "You shall be liberated from this miserable life of material existence if you understand this knowledge."

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

And if you learn this knowledge, if you actually assimilate this knowledge—yaj jñātvā mokṣyase aśubhāt—then you become liberated from this inauspicious life, aśubham. Śubha mean auspicious, and aśubha inauspicious. So our, this material existence is inauspicious because we are full of ignorance, full of miserable condition, and this body is perfect. Our existence, body, should have been like Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa is the original father, the son's body is as good as the father's body. But when we learn from the śāstra that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), His form is eternal, full of bliss and knowledge, and when we compare our, this body, material body, it is neither eternal, neither full of knowledge, neither full of bliss.

Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

As we have got our spiritual presence within this body, similarly, this universe is also containing the God's representative as Paramātmā, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. That information we get. Due to His presence, the material existence is there. Just due to my presence, the body is existing, and as soon as I am out of this body, the body will go to hell, similarly, this material manifestation is due to the presence of God. Otherwise there is no such existence. So sometimes He manifests, and sometimes He does not. This is going on. Sarva-bhūtāni kaunteya prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām: "Similarly, I wound up. It goes to Me again." Kalpa-kṣaye punas tāni kalpādau visṛjāmy aham. Then, after certain intervals, when there is again kalpa... Each creation is called a kalpa.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

"Our these material engagements, they are simply waste of time." He can attain perfection knowledge. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktāya (SB 1.2.12). Unless there is perfection of knowledge, jñāna, there cannot be vairāgya. And unless there is vairāgya, unless you become detestful of this material existence, there is no question of liberation. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktāya.

So this jñāna and vairāgya can be achieved simply by becoming a devotee of Vāsudeva. That is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Āśu vairāgya, very soon. Just like these boys, these American, these European boys, they are young men. Now they have taken sannyāsa and dedicated their life for service of Kṛṣṇa. They are vairāgya.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended therefore, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). If you want to see, the to stop this blazing fire of material existence, then you have to spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement all over the world. And the practical effect, you can see, what is already done, how they have become. Our limit, there are limitation, we cannot accept anyone and everyone as disciple. Unless he agrees tacitly to give up some preliminary principles. Just like illicit sex life. Anyone who comes to me to become my disciple, the first condition is no illicit sex life, no intoxication, up to drinking or smoking or even drinking tea and coffee and chewing pan. These are also intoxicants. So one cannot take all these things. No intoxication. No illicit sex. Unless you have got connection with woman by marriage tie, there cannot be any sex life.

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So to become purified, one must be purified of this material existence. Then he can understand what is God. Then he can serve God. With these material senses it is not possible to serve God. That is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). These indriyas, the present indriyas, contaminated by material existence... You cannot understand by simply hearing about God. Therefore you have to purify yourself. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). This is the definition given by Nārada Muni, how one can become a devotee, how one can be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord. This is the formula. What is that? Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, first condition: One has to give up all designation. "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am śūdra," "I am this," "I am that." These are all designations of the body, but we are not this body.

Lecture on BG 9.20-22 -- New York, December 6, 1966:

So those who are serious about, that "I do not want any more..." But we have become callous. We don't think that "What is miseries of...?" But those who are actually in knowledge, those who want to live, those who want to have perfect knowledge, those who want to have blissful life, they understand that "This material existence, either this Svargaloka or the heavenly planet or this planet or that, will never give me happiness. I will have to... As Kṛṣṇa informs herein, that yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6), I will have to enter the kingdom of God, spiritual planet, where going I will have not to return back again to accept this material body."

That seriousness, one who has taken that serious attitude, they can actually perform this Kṛṣṇa consciousness very nicely. But those who are still under the impression that "Material advancement will make me happy," they are still under the spell of illusion. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).

Lecture on BG 9.23-24 -- New York, December 10, 1966:

So worship of the Supreme Lord and worship of other demigods, that is being discussed in this verse by Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Actually, there is no need of worshiping any demigod beside the Supreme. But in the lower stage... Just like the other day we have discussed. Because we cannot immediately give up our concept of material existence and material happiness and material distress—we take into consideration very seriously, without any spiritual life, or without any idea of spiritual existence—therefore sometimes recommended in the Vedic literature that "For this purpose you can worship this demigod." Just the, just like the other day I gave you the example that those who are diseased, they are recommended to worship the sun-god.

Lecture on BG 9.29-32 -- New York, December 20, 1966:

This is destruction. Destruction of my real life is materialism.

So here Kṛṣṇa says, kaunteya pratijānīhi: "Please declare in the world that anyone who has taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will never be destroyed. He will never go back again to that material life of sense gratification and pull on this material existence full of miseries. He will be taken out. He will be taken out sooner or later. As he has taken to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will be never destroyed." Our destruction is... You always remember: our destruction means material existence is the destruction of our spiritual existence. Because destroyed does not mean that as spiritual being, I will be nowhere, no. This is my position, nowhere. I do not know. Just like I am being kicked like a football. I have no place. You have seen football playing. The football has no place. As soon as comes, somebody's feet, he kicks. He goes to another body.

Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:

Just like you have to cross a great ocean. Now, if you want to cross Atlantic Ocean from New York to England, then you must have a very nice ship and a good captain and the atmosphere very favorable. Then it is very easy to cross. So that example is given in a Sanskrit verse, nṛ-deham ādyaṁ su-labhaṁ su-kalpam. Now, to cross this ocean of material existence... This is ocean. It is compared with ocean. Bhava-sāgara. Sāgara means ocean. So to cross this ocean you have got very nice ship. What is that? Nṛ-deham. This human form of life. Nṛ-deham ādyam. It is very nice ship. And su-labhaṁ su-labhaṁ su-durlabham. Su-labham means this kind of ship you cannot get always. It is an opportunity.

This is an opportunity because we do not know what is going to happen in my next life. There is no guarantee that in next life you are going to take your birth in America or in human form of life. There is no guarantee. Therefore, so long you have got this opportunity, you must fully utilize it. Nṛ-deham ādyam su-labhaṁ su-durlabham.

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

I must take it. So bodily concept of life means satisfying these gross material senses. That is bodily concept of life. But gradually, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by training ourself, how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then our business will be how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa.

Now we are satisfying our senses. That is bodily concept of material existence. And when we train ourself how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, oh, then, that is our perfection of life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The process is there. Either you satisfy your senses or you satisfy the proprietor of the senses. Kṛṣṇa is called Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīka. Hṛṣīka means "the senses." And Kṛṣṇa is called Hṛṣīkeśa. Senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me 'cyuta (BG 1.21). Hṛṣīkeśa. Tvayā hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣṭitena.(?) So Hṛṣīkeśa. So bhakti means hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Now hṛṣīka means indriya. At the present moment, we are satisfying the senses. For the sense only.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

You might have seen. So there is no difference between the bodily construction. Everyone has got heart and everything, complete. But according to the desire and karma we are getting different types of body.

This is called material existence. So long we shall desire to enjoy this material world, God will give us facility to possess a similar body so that we can satisfy our desires. Therefore He is situated, witness. Anumantā upadraṣṭā. He is overseer. And without His sanction you cannot act, we cannot act. Therefore His name is anumantā; He gives sanction: "All right, you want to do it? Do it as you like."

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

The first principle of acquiring knowledge is described here: amānitvam. Amānitvam. Amānitvam means that we are very much proud of our material existence. That pride must be given up. That is the first principle of knowledge. Athoktaṁ kṣetrād vibhinnatvena jñeyaṁ kṣetrajña-dvayaṁ vistareṇa nirūpayiṣyan taj-jñāna-sādhanāny amānitvādini viṁśatim aha pañcābhiḥ.(?) Now, the body and the soul. Now, the body is analyzed. It is composition of twenty-four elements. Now, how to understand the soul as he is? We are now in the position of material consciousness, and we have to develop into spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. What are the stages? That are being described. That means this is the general way of acquiring real knowledge of the soul and the body.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

Just like amānitvam, to give up the pride of one's existential, material existential condition, amānitvam. Amānitvam means... Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī: sva-sat-kāraṇāpekṣatvam. Sva-sat-kāraṇa apekṣatvam, adambhitvam dharmikatvam. First thing is that to deny the material existence, that "I am not this matter." So this is not ordinary thing, that "I am not matter." But Lord Caitanya says that this realization that "I am not matter" will be very easily realized if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa sincerely. He says that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). If we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, the immediate, first installment of profit will be the understanding that ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam.

I am identifying myself as belonging to this material world. This is misunderstanding. Actually, I don't belong to this material world. The whole concept of my material life is based on this misunderstanding that "I am matter. I am this body."

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

All persons who are not interested in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all such persons have been described as mūḍhas, rascals. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Narādhamāḥ. He has chastised and used very strong words. Ajasram andha-yoniṣu: "I push them into the darkest region of material existence." Actually that is happening. People without God consciousness, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, gradually becoming entrapped in ignorance.

The such important life, human form of life. Nobody is interested to know about the philosophy of life, value of life. They have become so frivolous. In this evening, everyone is engaged in childish activities, but nobody is interested in the real problem of life. The real problem of life is stated, na bhūyaḥ abhijāyate. And big, big leaders... Ask them what is the real problem of life. They do not know.

Lecture on BG 13.35 -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

This is the meaning of ye yathā māṁ prapadyant (BG 4.11)e. "As you desire, I give you. If you want a body to serve Me, you'll get a Vaiṣṇava body, and you will be able to serve Kṛṣṇa." And if you want to serve cats and dogs, then you get a cats and dogs body.

Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). Guṇa means... According to the guṇa, you make your desire, That is contamination. And as there is contamination, as there is similar disease, similarly, as we desire similar body, we can get by the order of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gives order because we want it. Kṛṣṇa does not force you to enter into the dog's body or hog's body or demigod's body or human being's body, but as we create situation by desire, Kṛṣṇa gives us the facility to possess such body, and we work on, and we reap another result. This is called material existence. Thank you very much.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974:

And, up to the Thirteenth Chapter, we have seen that devotional service to the Supreme Lord is the best way. Now, the basic principle of devotional service is detachment from material activities and attachment to the transcendental service of the Lord. The process of breaking attachment to the material world is discussed in the beginning of this chapter. The root of this material existence grows upward. This means that it begins from the total material substance, from the topmost planet of the universe. From there, the whole universe is expanded, with so many branches, representing the various planetary systems. The fruits represent the results of the living entities' activities, namely, religion, economic development, sense gratification and liberation.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974:

In other words, the tree of this material world is only a reflection of the real tree of the spiritual world. This reflection of the spiritual world is situated on desire, just as the tree's reflection is situated on water. Desire is the cause of things' being situated in this reflected material light. One who wants to get out of this material existence must know this tree thoroughly through analytical study. Then he can cut off his relationship with it.

This tree, being the reflection of the real tree, is an exact replica. Everything is there in the spiritual world. The impersonalists take Brahmā to be the root of this material tree, and from the root, according to sāṅkhya philosophy, come prakṛti, puruṣa, then the three guṇas, then the five gross elements (pañca-mahābhūta), then the ten senses (daśendriya), mind, etc. In this way they divide up the whole material world.

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

These daivī sampad characteristics should be encouraged to make one liberated, vimokṣāya. Just like these boys and girls have become liberated from all bad habits. Daivī sampad vimokṣāya. Daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā. And if you develop demonic qualities, then you become more and more entangled in this material existence. It is very risky. We are thinking that "Let me enjoy this life to my best capacity," as the atheist class of people think, but they do not know how much risk they are taking. If I develop my characteristics like cats and dogs, then my next life is becoming bound up in the body of cats and dogs. But they do not know the science. How the transmigration of the soul is evolving in 8,400,000 species of life, the modern science they do not know. They do not know, but there is, there is law.

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

These things have been stated. So because Arjuna is Kṛṣṇa's very intimate and dear friend, immediately He says... As soon as He says that daivī sampad vimokṣāya nibandhāyāsurī matā (BG 16.5). Āsurī matā. This asurika fighting or asurika qualities, this is the cause of being entangled in this material existence. So Arjuna may be thinking that "I am fighting. I am also in asurika sampat." So Kṛṣṇa (is) immediately encouraging him, mā śucaḥ. Mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto 'si bhārata: "Don't think that you are in the asurika sampat." Why? He was fighting, he was killing. Why Kṛṣṇa says that "You are in the daivī sampat"? The thing is that he is fighting not for himself; he is fighting for Kṛṣṇa. That is the secret. He was fighting for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Vāna: from vana, vāna, "one who has gone to the forest," vānaprastha. So then, when he is prepared, he should take sannyāsa. The whole institution is meant for sattva, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ. So one has to purify his existentional life; otherwise, if he does not purify his existence, then he has to transmigrate from one body to another, and that is material existence. That is material existence. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. One has to transmigrate from lower species of life, aquatic life, to trees; from trees to insect; insect to birds; birds to beasts; and from beasts, that is evolution. That evolution is not Darwin's evolution. That evolution, it is called janmānta vāda. The soul is going from one body to another, not that the body is transforming. The Darwin's theory is that the body is transforming. No. Body cannot transform. Body can take the shape according to the desire of the soul, or according to the effects, resultant action, of one's karma.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Because without becoming devatā he'll be entangled. He'll be entangled. He'll have to. He has to continue this four process of birth, death, disease, and old age. That he has to. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that daivī sampad vimokṣāya. If you want to get rid of this troublesome material existence, threefold miserable condition of material existence, then you have to develop daivī sampat. That can be developed. It is not that stereotype, one who is condemned, he cannot be raised. No. Anyone can be raised. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted Jagāi and Mādhāi. They fell down. They're born..., they are born in brāhmaṇa family, nice family, but due to bad association they became drunkard, they became woman-hunters, meat-eating, gambling, so many, all these good qualities. At the present moment, in the human society, without these they are not civilized. They must have a club. What is this club?

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

Self-realization means to understand his real constitutional position, what I am. Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī approached Śrīla Gaurasundara, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He asked, ke āmi: "Who I am?" Ke āmi... Ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya: "What is my constitutional position? Why I am suffering the three-fold miseries of this material existence?" This is the enquiry. Everyone is suffering. Somebody is in ignorance. Although he is suffering, he is thinking that he is very well. This is called māyā. Māyā means you are accepting something which is not. This is called māyā. Mā yā: "What you are accepting, that is false." This is called māyā. So we are accepting, "I am this body," "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am black," "I am white," "I am thin," "I am fat." So this is māyā. So when we give up this māyā conception of life, that is mukti. You may remain in the same body, but if you are not under māyā, bodily concept of life, that is called mukti, liberation.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Tokyo, January 28, 1975:

Just after coming back from the jail they died.

This is the world. It is going on. It is simply full of suffering. Simply we are after this phantasmagoria, that our running after something which is actually not fact. It is illusion. So this is the life in the material world. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to save the person from this illusory life of material existence. Let them come to Kṛṣṇa and go back to home, back to Kṛṣṇa. This is our movement. The greatest beneficial movement. We don't want to keep these people in ignorance. They are in illusion, ignorance. So our business is to enlighten him. Kota nidrā jāo māyā-piśācīra: "You are sleeping. Get up, take this opportunity and be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Go back to home. Give up this nonsense place, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), full of miseries, cheating." This is our movement. The people do not understand. But our predecessor's order is that if you can save even one man, that is fulfillment of your mission.

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

When one has attained this stage, then he can execute devotional service. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). So to become a bhakta is the highest position, highest perfection of life, beyond this material existence. That is possible. Kṛṣṇa says

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

Everyone is eligible to go back home, back to Godhead. So this movement is to execute this Kṛṣṇa's mission. He wants it. Why He says, māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ? Pāpa-yonayaḥ means suffering. Here in this material world either you are in pāpa-yoni or ucca-yoni, there is suffering. So Kṛṣṇa is... Kiṁ punar brāhmaṇāḥ puṇyā bhaktā rājarṣayas tathā (BG 9.33).

Page Title:Material existence (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Mayapur, RupaManjari
Created:05 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=118, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:118