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Merchant (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.6-7 -- London, July 11, 1973:

When Duryodhana declined to spare even a portion of land holding the sūcyagra, the point of a needle... he refused that "I cannot spare even so much land which can hold the point of a needle." Then the war was declared. There is no question of settlement. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa requested that "These five Pāṇḍavas, they are kṣatriyas. They cannot become merchant or brāhmaṇa. Brāhmaṇa's profession is paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigrahaḥ. Brāhmaṇa can take charity from others. A sannyāsī can take charity from others. Not a kṣatriya or a gṛhastha. No. That is not allowed. "So they are kṣatriyas; they cannot take the professions of a brāhmaṇa, neither they can take the profession of a mercantile man, business man. They must have some land so that rule over, take taxation.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are trying link up our connection with the supreme controller. We do not wish to become the controller. We want to be controlled—but by the supreme controller, not by others. That is our proposition. Just like generally, one who is in service, he hankers after government service. Because it is natural conclusion that "If I have to serve somebody, why a petty merchant? Why not take government service?" So that is our proposition, that we have to serve. We cannot do but serve. Any one of us. That is our constitutional position. Any one of us, we are sitting here, we are servant. Every one of us is servant. So our proposition is that you are servant in any case. Why not become servant of God? That is our proposition. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. We are servant of our senses, kāma-krodha-moha-mātsarya, all these. By, dictated by our lusty desires, we do anything which is abominable. Teṣāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

Prabhupāda: That you can understand. What is the relation between big and small? The big is the master, and the small is the servant, that's all. If somebody is big, big merchant, big factory owner, you go to serve him. So that relation is very clear, that the master..., the big is the master, and the small is the servant. Therefore our business is to serve God. We are serving, but we are now serving dog. We are taking care of dog, not of God. This is our position. Because we are meant for service, so instead of giving service to God, we are giving service to dog. Therefore we are unhappy.

Hṛdayānanda: (break) (translating) After taking birth again, how does one continue his spiritual progress? They have two questions. And also when one is feeling very weak, fallen, how can he get going spiritually?

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

No. Kṛṣṇa says, "Just like foolish people, they work being too much attached for their sense gratification, similarly, those who are learned, those who are advanced in spiritual knowledge, they also may work similarly, but not for the purpose of sense gratification."

How it is possible? Just like a merchant, a mercantile man, he is doing some business and working very hard day and night to accumulate some money, similarly, a devotee of the Lord also can earn money in the same spirit, working day and night. Superficially it will appear just like this man and that man. There is no difference. They are working the same day and night for earning some money. But the devotee or the man who is established in relationship with God, his expenditure will be different. His expenditure will be not for sense gratification. For advancement of God consciousness. That is the ideal man. There is no harm. If you work, very, very much attached to your business or anyone, that doesn't matter.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

"One can understand Me by devotion," bhaktyā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Tattvataḥ means in truth. You can imagine something of God, but that is not truth. Just like, for example, somebody very big, very rich. So you can imagine this man is so big, so big merchant, he has got so much money. Imagination, by discussion amongst your friends, but that is not perfect knowledge. But somehow or other, if you make friendship with that big man, and if he tells you that "My position is like this," then you understand very easily. You cannot speculate. By speculating, you cannot understand God. That is not possible. He's so great, our speculating power is very poor.

In Sanskrit there is a logical conclusion, Dr. Frog. A frog within the well. You know, well, a three-feet circumference, and there is a frog. Another frog friend comes and informs the frog in the well, "My dear friend, today I have seen a very big span of water, Pacific Ocean." So the frog in the well, he considers that Pacific Ocean may be four feet. "My water is three feet, so Pacific Ocean may be four feet."

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

So we have to cooperate. It doesn't matter. One is very intelligent. One is less intelligent. One is less intelligent. The four classes are there. The most intelligent class is the head, brain. And the next intelligent class, the administrator, government. The next intelligent class, the industrialists, merchants. The next intelligent class is the worker. All of them are required. But at the present moment, there is only this mercantile industrialist and worker. There is no brain. How to conduct society? How to become perfect human society, how to fulfill the mission of human society, for these things, there is no brain.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is creating some brain of the human society. Brāhmaṇa. And this brain. Brāhmaṇa's business is... Brāhmaṇa, this word, very word comes,

namo brahmaṇya-devāya
go-brāhmaṇa-hitāya ca
jagad-dhitāya kṛṣṇāya
govindāya namo namaḥ

So brāhmaṇa means one who knows God. That is brāhmaṇa. And keeping in view God, they teaches others to become God conscious.

Lecture on BG 5.3-7 -- New York, August 26, 1966:

Then he renounced his family life and joined Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and became a mendicant. Now, of course, nowadays people are not so much fond of mendicant. But formerly, any householder, they would go to some sage, some saintly person, and offer some service, "Sir, what can I serve for you." Oh, that was the system. So one big merchant. He belonged to Sindhi, Sindh Province, which is now in Pakistan. He approached Rūpa Gosvāmī and offered that "Swamiji, I want to make some service. Please give me direction. How can I serve you?" So he was a very big man. So Rūpa Gosvāmī asked him that "Yes, if you have got money, then engage it in the service of Kṛṣṇa according to your position." So he built a very nice temple. That temple... If you go sometimes to India, that is a very remarkable temple.

So in this way, money is not bad. Ev... Nothing is bad. Anything created by God, nothing is bad. But if it is employed in the service of the Lord... Otherwise, it is bad.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

Just like if you want to do some business, if you, if you want to increase the volume of business, you have to associate with business..., businessmen of the same line. Just like there are different mercantile associations, sharebroker's association, grain merchant association, oil ship merchant association. So to increase the volume of business, one has to associate with the similar persons. So if you want to increase your faith in Kṛṣṇa, then you have to associate with Kṛṣṇa bhaktas. Associate. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15).

This sādhu means kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Without becoming kṛṣṇa-bhakta, according to Bhagavad-gītā, nobody can become a sādhu. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). Who? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). He's sādhu.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

And those who are in the modes of goodness, they are brāhmaṇa. Name may be another thing. You may say, "Oh, this person, this man is very intelligent, very moralist." That means he is a brāhmaṇa. Or "This man is very good administrator." That means he is kṣatriya. "Oh, this man is very good industrialist, merchant." That means he is vaiśya. "This man cannot do anything." He is śūdra.

So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ: "By these three qualities, everywhere, all over the universe..." You must know whenever Kṛṣṇa says something, it is nothing limited. Universally true, He says. When He says sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4), He claims to be father of all living entities. Even the animals, even the aquatics, even the trees, plants, worms, birds, beasts, this human being, that human being—all He claims. He's the father of everyone. So similarly, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitaṁ sarva-jagat: "The whole world is," I mean to say, "illusioned or covered by these reactions of these three qualities." And we are under the spell of that illusion; therefore we cannot understand what is God, what is God.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:

Whatever we are seeing, they are simply expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Just like a big merchant, a big industrialist, he has got big, big factories. So these factories, he, one can say that this is Mr. Birla's factory or Mr. such and such gentleman's factory, Tata's factory. But still, although the factory belongs to Tata, the factory is running on by the energy of Tata, but you cannot find, if you want to see where is Tata here, Mr. Tata, that you cannot see. Tata is seen sitting in his room and is pulling button and everything is going on. Similarly, goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūto (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa in His place, He is with Rādhārāṇī. He is enjoying playing on His flute. Why He has to do anything? Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). This is Vedic injunction. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. If we can see ordinary, a Mr. Tata or Mr. Birla, has nothing to do, everything is being done by his energy, so how great energy has got the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just we can imagine.

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

And after fifty years they will dismantle this building and prepare another kind of building. That will be... At that time further material advancement will be there. So this is going on, gatāgatam. Gatāgatam means, what is called, stereotyped. Everyone is going. The exact Hindi word is variyagasan(?). They call variyagasan. Variyagasan means that the goats, the goats, the goat merchant, they are taking to the slaughterhouse, and they are going hither and thither. But if one goat enters the door, all the variyas, they will enter. You see? So because one has entered... But nobody will consider that he has entered the slaughterhouse. No. "One has entered; therefore let us enter all." This is advancement. "Oh, one has entered; therefore I must enter also. I do not care where I am entering. That I do not know." So this is going on, gatāgatam.

Gatāgatam kāma-kāmā labhante. Kāma-kāmāḥ means sense gratification. Sense gratification. But transcendentalists, they have understood that "This sense gratification process will not help me." This is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- Rome, May 26, 1974:

Nitāi:

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

"O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth—woman, vaiśyas merchants, as well as śūdras, workers—can approach the supreme destination."

Prabhupāda: So the supreme destination, back to Godhead, back to home, is for everyone. It is not that God... God means for everyone. God does not say, "Only the brāhmaṇa class of men, please come here. Others all rejected." No. He is inviting everyone. Even the lowest of the lowest, low-born, pāpa-yonayaḥ, women, śūdra, or vaiśyas, everyone.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:

Therefore, distinction between animal and human being, that he must have some dharma. Dharma. And on religious principles, artha, economic development. Actually, if people become religious, then the economic development... Economic... You require some money to maintain yourself. So they will never be dishonest. Dishonest. In India still there are merchants, they would not take profit more than twenty-five percent, highest. There is no question of black market. "Now, I purchased this for one dollar. Oh, I am getting demand. I must charge five hundred times." No. That is irreligious. There are... Everything there is prescribed, that you cannot take more than this profit. So there was no black market, because people were religious.

Therefore if civilization is based on religious life, it doesn't matter what religion he belongs to, he is elevated. Any religion. And therefore I ask the Christians that Lord Christ says that "Thou shall not kill," why you are killing? They give some vague explanation. But actually a real Christian is as good as a real Hindu, as a real Muslim—if he follows. No religion is bad.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:

Now you take whatever you like." Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear Lord, it is not a good proposal. Because I am born of a father, passionate father. Generally, I am passionate, and You are so exalted, You can give me anything. So I shall be inclined to ask You again. Just like my father had so many opulences. So kindly do not induce me in that way. I am not a merchant that because I have rendered some service unto You, I expect some return. No. Sa vai vaṇik. It is not business with You. I am your eternal servant." Oh, just see. This is pure devotee. Ahaitukī. No reason. "It is my duty." That is occupational duty. "It is my eternal occupation to serve You." These are the highest ideas of pure devotion. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then "You are poor man. How you can serve Me?" No. "You are illiterate. You have no education. How can you serve Me? You cannot understand Vedānta philosophy. How you can know Me? How you can serve Me? You are poor man. You are poor man, you are woman, or you are śūdra." No. Apratihatā. Whatever you may be, either you are poor man or rich man or black man or white man or woman or man, it doesn't matter.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

So we are making little our teeny effort, how to make people happy. Our only business is to make people happy. We have no other desire. We don't say that "You give us some money in exchange of your Kṛṣṇa consciousness." No. That is not our business. We are not merchants. We are spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness free of charge. We are engaged servant of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will provide us. Kṛṣṇa will provide us. Kṛṣṇa says, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham, teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānām (BG 9.22). Those who are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, they have no problem. There is no problem because Kṛṣṇa is their protector. So one must have... Now you will be surprised to know that our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, our monthly cost is eight lakhs of rupees, all over the world. But Kṛṣṇa is providing us. We have got simple a few books and we are selling. You will be surprised. We are selling 30-to 40,000 rupees per day. So we have no problem. Because we believe. If I serve to a ordinary man, he gives some salary. He gives some food.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:

We see so many big, big temple in South India, in other places also, especially South India. It is not possible—in Vṛndāvana also—it is not possible at the present moment to construct such huge, expensive temple. But actually they were done by rich kings, rich mercantile people. That Madana-mohana temple was constructed by Sindhi merchant. He approached Sanātana Goswāmī. Sanātana Goswāmī was sitting underneath the tree, and his Madana-mohana was hanging in the tree. He had no place, no temple, no cloth. Madana-mohana was asking Sanātana Goswāmī that "Sanātana, you are giving Me dried bread, without even salt. How can I eat?" So Sanātana Goswāmī replied, "Sir, I cannot go to ask for salt. Whatever I've got, I offer You. I cannot help." This was their talks. So one salt merchant came, Sindhi salt merchant, he was passing from Vṛndāvana to Delhi side, and he offered his service, and Sanātana Goswāmī asked him to construct the temple of Madana-mohana. That temple is still existing, Madana-mohana's temple. So this is the proper use. If you have got some money, don't use it for constructing a big skyscraper building.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

So our duty is as, I mean to say, indicated by Nārada Muni. Our only duty is how to achieve full Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Other things, there is no need of trying. Actually, I have seen that in India... Everywhere the same case. A person without any education, even without any, practically illiterate... I have seen so many merchants, he cannot sign even his name. In Calcutta I've seen practically a Marwari, merchant. He, he cannot... He has deposited money in the bank. Simply he can sign his own name with great difficulty. So he's canvassing, "Will you kindly write here..." That means the check to be paid to the gentleman, he cannot write. He's asking somebody's help, "You write the name of the person whom I can pay." And he'll simply sign. If he writes something wrong, he'll have to accept. If he writes his own name... (laughter) So that man is earning millions of dollars. You see? And I have seen also very educated medical man, England-returned, M.R.C.P I am speaking from my practical experience. So he goes to a hospital, big doctor, but I have seen in his house.

Lecture on SB 1.7.38-39 -- Vrndavana, September 30, 1976:

So we are discussing the point, "Who requires a guru?" If you are actually serious about understanding the spiritual subject matter, brahma-jijñāsā... Not this market value. If you are interested about brahma-jijñāsā... Just like the merchant association, they inquire, "What is the value of this share? What is the value of this commodity? What is the val...?" No. Not that kind of inquiries. But śreya-uttamam. Jijñāsuḥ śreya-uttamam. There are two kinds of objective: śreya and preya. Preya means immediately sense gratification. Just like a child. Child wants to play because it gives him immediately some sense gratification, satisfaction. He does not like to go to a school or to study or to take lesson. He does not like. That is actually preya (śreya). Preya... That is śreya, future benefit. So the parents, the guardians, engage him for future benefit. "You must take education. Otherwise, in future you'll suffer without education." So this is called śreya.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18-19 -- Bombay, April 9, 1971:

If you can create something by jugglery... Suppose I am sitting here. I make like this and immediately I produce something, golden pot. Oh, immediately thousands of people will come: "Oh, here is God. Here is God. Because he has produced a cup, golden cup which is worth, say, two thousand rupees, therefore he has become God." There are many persons, merchants, they are producing two thousand rupees every moment. Then why he is not God? But the foolish people, they have no sense. They are captivated by these juggleries, yoga-siddhi.

So yoga-siddhi, jugglery, yoga-siddhi magic, captivates foolish persons. So they want yoga-siddhi. If some foolish persons gather, then he gets sense enjoyment. That is another type of sense enjoyment. So therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. They are not paramahaṁsas. Paramahaṁsa... Here it is stated that bhakti-yoga-vidhānārtham. Tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ munīnām amalātmanām (SB 1.8.20). Amalātmanām means when there is no more dirty things. The karmīs, they have got dirty things, sense enjoyment.

Lecture on SB 1.8.26 -- Mayapura, October 6, 1974:

They have spent lots of money for temple. That was the Oriental civilization. Even the Muhammadans, they would construct very costly mosque, but they would live in huts. That was the intention. One... When... Whenever one is a little bit rich, he'll find out how to spend it for Kṛṣṇa, not for his sense gratification. Just like this Madana-mohana temple was constructed by a big merchant. He approached Sanātana Gosvāmī: "Sir, what can I do for you? I want to serve you." So Sanātana Gosvāmī said, "My Madana-mohana... I am living underneath the tree, and my Madana-mohana is hanging. So if you can, you can construct a temple for Madana-mohana." Similarly, Mahārāja Mansingh approached Rūpa Gosvāmī. They never constructed big, big temple for their own living purpose, but Kṛṣṇa's purpose. That is the way. For Kṛṣṇa, we must have everything very gorgeous and first class, but not for me. That is akiñcana. Personally we should not possess anything, simply for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1 -- Los Angeles, May 19, 1972:

Such nice beautiful body, you American boys and girls-nice country, good facilities, no poverty—everything is very nicely given to you. But, if in spite of all these facilities, if you don't take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you are kṛpaṇa, miser. "Miser" means one who has got money, but he cannot utilize it. He is miser. And one who knows how to utilize money... There are many merchants. They get a few thousands of dollars from their father, but due to intelligence he increases to millions of dollars. That is intelligence. And miser, or foolishness, is that "I get some money from my father, but I spend it for nothing." So this human form of life is specially meant for becoming brāhmaṇa.

We are therefore creating brāhmaṇas. We are not creating śūdras. Śūdras are already there. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. Anyone born is a śūdra. Śūdra means who has no knowledge, ignorant. He is called śūdra. Paricaryātmakaṁ kāryaṁ śūdra-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). Śūdra is not intelligent. He cannot do anything nice, thoughtful. "Ehh, get some work, get some few dollars daily. Eat and sleep."

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:

Others may not... Śrī means beauty. In the Durgā-pūjā, Devī-pūjā, they ask... After offering Mother Durgā all sorts of paraphernalia, then they puṣpāñjali, they pray favor, dhanaṁ dehi rūpaṁ dehi balaṁ dehi. Dehi dehi. Dehi means "give me." After pūjā... Therefore it is called pūjā. Pūjā, just like in business circle, if you want to take some business from a big merchant, so you satisfy him, flatter him, and sometimes invite him in hotel and give him nice dinner.

In this way, after he is satisfied, "Sir, if you kindly give me this contract." (laughter) "Or if you give me this post." The ultimate aim is his post and contract, not to satisfy the person. No. He's spending some money for his own sense gratification. Similarly, all these pūjās... The demigod pūjā, that is for his sense gratification. That's all. Kṛṣṇa, therefore, condemns this: kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānā yajante anya-devatāḥ (BG 7.20). This very kāma. These words, kāma, kāmas, kāma, kāma. So Kṛṣṇa also says.

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

A kṣatriya who alone can fight with another thousand kṣatriyas, he's called mahā-ratha. So it does not mean to become bhāgavata means, to become devotee, one has to stop all other activities. No. Here it is called, mahā-ratha. Mahā-ratha means a great commander. So a great commander can also become bhāgavata, a great merchant can also become bhāgavata, and a great brāhmaṇa, learned scholar, he can also become bhāgavata. There is no restriction. Not that simply one who is Vedantist, who is a very learned scholar, he can become bhāgavata. No. The social system was so nice that everyone could become bhāgavata. The brāhmaṇa could become bhāgavata, a kṣatriya could become bhāgavata, a vaiśya could become bhāgavata, or a śūdra could also become bhāgavata. Striyaḥ śūdrās tathā vaiśyāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says personally, "Never mind whether he's woman or a śūdra or a vaiśya, te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, "all of them can go back to home, back to Godhead."

Lecture on SB 2.3.15 -- Los Angeles, June 1, 1972:

"In the Bhagavad-gītā (6.41) it is stated that even a person who has failed in the proper discharge of yoga practice is given a chance to take birth in the house of devout brāhmaṇas or in the houses of rich men like kṣatriya kings or rich merchants. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was more than that because he was a great devotee of the Lord since his previous birth, and as such he took his birth in an imperial family of the Kurus, and especially that of the Pāṇḍavas. So from the very beginning of his childhood he had the chance of knowing intimately the devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa in his own family. The Pāṇḍavas, all being devotees of the Lord, certainly venerated family Deities in the royal palace for worship. Children who appear in such families fortunately..."

Prabhupāda: People still, in India, those who are rich men, they have got their family temple Deities. One temple is there in Kanpur. The family members, they are very rich. The rule is that if the family members do not come in the temple to offer obeisances to the Deity, they'll be fined. The mother, the head of the family... Mother is still living. She has imposed this law, that "Any of my children or grandchildren, if he or she does not visit the temple, then according to this rule, this fine should be realized from them."

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Visiting the temple of a devotee and looking at the profusely decorated forms of the Lord well dressed in a well-decorated, sanctified temple naturally infuse the mundane mind with spiritual inspiration. People should visit holy places like Vṛndāvana where such temples and worship of the Deity are specifically maintained. Formerly all rich men like kings and rich merchants constructed such temples under the direction of expert devotees of the Lord, like the six Gosvāmīs, and it is the duty of the common man to take advantage of these temples and festivals observed in the holy places of pilgrimage by following in the footsteps of great devotees (anuvraja). One should not visit all these sanctified pilgrimage places and temples with sightseeing in mind, but one must go to such temples and sanctified places immortalized by the transcendental pastimes of the Lord and be guided by proper men who know the science. This is called anuvraja. Anu means to follow. It is therefore best to follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master, even in visiting temples and the holy places of pilgrimage.

Lecture on SB 2.9.14 -- Melbourne, April 13, 1972:

And vaiśya means those who know visampati, the economic problem. And śūdra means laborer. So each word has got meaning. So everyone has got his particular type of occupation, either as intelligent class of men, or as the administrator class of men, or as vaiśyas, traders, or merchants, or as a laborer. Everyone has got.

So Nārada Muni advised, tyaktvā sva-dharmam: "You give up all these occupational duties according to the modes of nature. Tyaktvā. You take immediately shelter of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, as Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). Sarva-dharmān means all kinds of this dharma: brāhmaṇa's dharma, or the kṣatriya's dharma, or the... Give up all this. Then? Mām ekaṁ śaraṇam. So Nārada also says that same thing. That is the characteristic of devotee. What the Lord says, the devotee will say. He will not make any addition, alteration, and amalgamate and comment. No. He will say the same thing.

Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Los Angeles, November 10, 1968:

So the kṣatriyas, they are in every human society, the administrator class, politicians, diplomats. Next vaiśya, mercantile class. That is not to be explained. In your country there are so many mercantile class. And śūdras. Śūdra means neither intelligent nor administrator nor merchant. General laborer. Give them something, they'll work. They have no intelligence. So they are called śūdras.

So these four divisions there are. And... This is... So far our material necessities are concerned, there is need of intelligent class of men to guide, there is need of administrators or martial class of men, there is need of mercantile class of men, and there is need of laborer class of men. So these four divisions... And next, culture. Culture means brahmacārī. First, student life. He's educated in the value of life. They are called brahmacārī. They're not allowed to mix with women. Just like nowadays, the schools and colleges, the boys and girls freely mix. The brahmacārī is not allowed to mix with girls and boys. That is restriction, brahmacārī.

Lecture on SB 3.25.32 -- Bombay, December 2, 1974:

When Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura was in Vṛndāvana he voluntarily plucked out his eyes. Because he was very much fond of seeing beauty of woman, so he thought, "These eyes are my enemies." So he personally plucked out his eyes. When he was going to Vṛndāvana, still he became attracted by a woman, and therefore... That woman, of course, was a very rich merchant's wife. So she told her husband that "This man is coming after me. What to do?" So that merchant received him. "Oh, he's saintly person. All right, you serve him." So Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura came to his senses. He said, "Mother, you give me the pins of your hair. So I am so much after the beauty of woman, so let me pluck out the eyes." So he made voluntarily blind. So he could not see, but still, Kṛṣṇa was coming in Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa is always in Vṛndāvana. So He was supplying milk. So divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ, he practically realized through bhakti. Therefore he wrote by his personal experience, bhaktis tvayi sthiratarā bhagavan yadi syād daivena naḥ phalati divya-kiśora-mūrtiḥ.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

They are present, but He knows it well, these karmīs, jñānīs, yogis, they cannot understand Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore He said to His devotee and friend, bhakto 'si, priyo 'si. So in order to understand Bhagavad-gītā, one has to come to this position to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. It is a business between Bhagavān and bhakta. Just like, if you go to the market place, if some merchant is talking with some broker or somebody about business, he is talking about that business, that is concluded. Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by Bhagavān, and it is heard by the bhakta. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā there is no other business than bhakti. There is no other business. Karma, jñāna, yoga. They are described, but with the aim to culminate in bhakti. Just like karma. Kṛṣṇa said, yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi yat tapasyasi kuruṣva tat mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27), "Give it to Me." This is bhakti. So far jñānīs are concerned, Kṛṣṇa concludes bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Jñānīs, after many, many births, cultivation of knowledge, when he actually begins to become a bhakta, then his perfection is there.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:

And about him it is said that tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. He gave up such exalted post as minister of the government, chief minister in the government. And tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. As a minister his association was with very big, big men, maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means very, very big leaders. Actually big merchant, big businessman, big industrialist, big politician, they used to visit him. So he gave of up this company. Sadā tuccha-vat: "Eh, what is this nonsense? What is the use of meeting all these men?" Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā succha-vat. And what they became? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Here is the Gosvāmīs' photo. You can see how they have become mendicant. A small loincloth, one waterpot only, that's all, finished, no possession. So why? Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśadau karuṇayā. They wanted to show their mercy to the suffering humanity. So in this way they adopted change of life. That is Vaiṣṇava. Vaiṣṇava personally has no demand for life, no unhappiness.

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

Because we are all here criminals. Criminal means we have come here within this material world with a purpose to enjoy to the fullest extent. Don't you see? Anywhere you go, people are struggling so hard because the idea is that "I shall be greater than him" or "I shall be very great." "I shall be minister," "I shall be president," "I shall be big merchant," "I shall be very big leader." "How I can be bigger?" When he fails everything, then he thinks, "Now I shall become God." This is going on. So up to the understanding to become God is materialism. All endeavors up to the point of becoming God is materialism. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You cannot be happy by all these religious systems." Religious system, there are two kinds of religious systems. Some of them are pravṛtti-mārga, increasing the path of enjoyment, sense enjoyment. That dictates that "You come to the heavenly planet. You'll have ten thousands of years duration of life and very beautiful women to enjoy. Very nice garden, and drinking soma-rasa." So this is called pravṛtti-mārga.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- San Francisco, July 20, 1975:

Then daṇḍyāḥ kiṁ kāriṇaḥ sarve. Kāriṇaḥ means fruitive actors, those who are working for getting some profit. So sometimes with getting profit we make some undesirable activities which is called black market. So that is punishable. There are system... Of course, I cannot quote from where, but it is the system that a merchant, highest profit he can take for exchanging—not more than twenty-five percent. That is the highest. If one merchant takes more than twenty-five percent profit, then he is punishable. This was the system. So the kāriṇaḥ... So we are all workers. So somebody is working for his personal profit, and somebody is working for the profit of Kṛṣṇa. It appears almost similar. A ordinary man is selling some newspaper, and our man selling the magazine. It looks the similar thing, but it is not similar; it is different. Therefore, if a newspaper seller creates some disturbance on the street, the police can punish, but when one is selling Back to Godhead, he is not punishable. (laughter) This is the difference.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

That is called siddha. And yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). This is called tattva-jijñāsā. So tattva-jijñāsā is meant for the siddhas, not for the fools and rascals. They cannot. They are inquiring, ke apa haya. (Hindi?) You find in the market, big, big merchants, they have got exchange in Calcutta, Bombay. The inquiry is ke apa haya. So not that inquiry. Ke apa haya, share cut ke apa haya, cao ke apa haya, dal ke apa haya.(?) Not That is not tattva-jijñāsā. Tattva-jijñāsā means "What is Brahman?" That is tattva-jijñāsā, because Vedas indicates that "Try to understand ahaṁ brahmāsmi, 'You are Brahman.' " Tat tvam asi. So 'ham. So this is the Vedic injunction.

So the Vedic injunction, tattva-jijñāsā, that is the first aphorism in the Vedānta-sūtra. Athāto brahma-jijñāsāḥ: "The human form of life is meant for inquiring about the Absolute Truth." Therefore Bhāgavata explains, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. That is the explanation of Brahma-sutra. Therefore you will find at the end of each chapter of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-purāṇe brahma-sutra-bhasye.

Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:

That I repeatedly say, that one who is not a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, it is, Bhagavad-gītā is not a subject matter for their study, what to speak of commenting upon it? He has no business to comment on Bhagavad-gītā because it is not their subject matter. This should be very distinctly understood. There is a Bengali parable, ādhāra vyapari yahāre khabola (?). Ādhāra vyapari, a merchant dealing in ginger, so he is taking information, "What about the shipping one..., just like one cartload or one ship full of ginger?" So ādhāre vyapari means he has not very large quantity to sell. Ginger is taken, very little quantity. So ginger merchant, if he has got stock, say, one bag, it will take months together to sell it. And if he thinks that "I will stock hundreds of bags," it is useless for him. That is not his subject. But one who sells rice or wheat, that is in great demand. That he can stock and talk of large shipment. Similarly, those who are already engrossed in material qualities, the science of God is not their subject matter at all. So that is the test. Just like who shall be the guru?

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- New Vrindaban, June 26, 1976:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.) "Money is so dear that one conceives of money as being sweeter than honey. Therefore, who can give up the desire to accumulate money, especially in household life? Thieves, professional servants (soldiers) and merchants try to acquire money even by risking their very dear lives."

Prabhupāda:

ko nv artha-tṛṣṇāṁ visṛjet
prāṇebhyo 'pi ya īpsitaḥ
yaṁ krīṇāty asubhiḥ preṣṭhais
taskaraḥ sevako vaṇik
(SB 7.6.10)

So, the beginning of instruction was kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This material world, beginning, those who are not trained up, their beginning is hankering after union for sex. And puṁsāṁ striya mithuni-bhāvam, this is the material world, attraction, and when they are united the attraction increases, we have already discussed. In this way our attraction for material wealth, ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair (SB 5.5.8). In this way material possessions, material facilities, we increase. Modern civilization is that. They are simply increasing material wants.

Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- New Vrindaban, June 26, 1976:

There is dog, so many, but he risks his life for money. Taskaraḥ. Taskaraḥ means thieves, burglars, they risk their life. And sevaka. Sevaka, as soon as we become servant of some materialistic person, he'll extract, as much as possible, service in the factory. That is also very risky. We are not happy, sevaka. And vaṇik. Vaṇik means merchants. Sa vai vaṇik. They also risk their life. In European colonization, how much they risked life. When the Americans came here, how much they risked their life. So because you require money, we have to risk our life in so many ways. So the best thing is that we have to minimize our wants. We should be satisfied with the yāvad artha-prayojana, as little as possible. Not that we shall starve. That is not recommended. But don't increase.

So here in New Vrindaban we are trying to establish an ideal life—plain living and advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real business. People, they do not know that Kṛṣṇa consciousness business is essential, imperative.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

They surrender to the saintly person for some material benefit. "Give me aṣibha (?) benediction." "What benediction?" "I have got ten thousand rupees, make it one lakh by your benediction." So these kind of devotees have been described by Prahlāda Mahārāja as vaṇik, vaṇīya, mercantile. Therefore merchant people, they want to invest two rupees and make, want to make profit ten rupees. So offering Kṛṣṇa little flower and fruit, they want to get some horses and elephant, you see, or very big estate. This is not devotion.

Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Our position is eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa's position is eternal master. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the enjoyer. He is the proprietor. That is eternally, He is master, and we are eternally servant. If you keep this position, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So mahā-bhāgavata, they know always, they never forget this position, and those who are fallen souls, conditioned souls, they do not know it, so they have to be raised to that stage. That stage, how? So he is also nitya-siddha. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12-13 -- Montreal, August 20, 1968:

Suppose I am a poor man, and if a rich man says, "Swamijī, whatever millions of dollars you want, you can ask from me," then I shall put my claim, a big, very big amount: "Oh, here is a great opportunity." But Prahlāda Mahārāja refused. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My dear Lord, it is my duty to render service unto You not in exchange of something, gain. Oh, I am not a merchant that I am doing this." Vanig-vṛtti. So the Lord was very satisfied. That is the way of pure devotion. That was taught by Lord Caitanya. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "My dear Lord, I do not ask from You any amount of wealth," na dhanaṁ na janam, "neither any number of followers." Because every one of us, we want to be the richest man in the world, the greatest leader of the world, and to have a very beautiful wife... This is our heart's desire in the material world, to control over a vast mass of people—I want to be prime minister, president, or political leader, Hitler or Gandhi, like that—and to amass vast amount of wealth. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No, no, no. I don't want all these things." This is prayer.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968:

Dhruva Mahārāja said, "My dear Lord..." Here also you'll see. It was in the previous... When Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered to take benediction from the Lord, he refused. He said that, "My Lord, I am not a merchant that I am Your devotee for some material gain." This will be explained. So a devotee who is in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is satisfied with that consciousness only. Ahaitukī. He has no other reason, "Oh, I am trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious because I want such and such thing." He has no demand. Simply that consciousness is sufficient. It is so pleasing. It is so satisfying that yasmin sthite, if one is actually situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then guruṇāpi duhkhena na vicālyate. Just see the Prahlāda Mahārāja. He is... So devastating incidences are taking place, when all the demigods have become afraid and his father is killed and very ghastly appearance and the lion form incarnation of the Lord is groaning. But he is not afraid. He's not at all afraid. Yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duhkhena na vicālyate (Bg. 6.20-23).

Lecture on SB 7.9.55 -- Vrndavana, April 10, 1976:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja was not deluded by any kinds of material profits. Evaṁ pralobhyamāno 'pi. Kṛṣṇa, Nṛsiṁha-deva said, "Prahlāda, you take. Whatever benediction you want, you take." So he said, "Sir, I am your servant. I am not a merchant that in exchange of something I will have to give You service. No. Please do not delude me." Just see what kind of servant he is. Evaṁ pralobhyamāno 'pi varair loka-pralo... Ekāntitvād. "What is the reason?" The reason is that determination of Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "We shall simply serve Kṛṣṇa. We shall not accept anything but Kṛṣṇa." This is ekāntitvād. "My... I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). "I shall simply serve. I shall give everything, whatever I have got." Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora, arpilūn tuwā pade, nanda-kiśora. What we have got, nonsense? Everything Kṛṣṇa's. But still, He has given us something. What is that? This body, this mind. This body for sense enjoyment and the mind for speculation. So body, mind.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

When actually one comes in the platform of devotional service, for him, there is no problem. The whole world is disturbed, agitated with so many problems, but for a devotee, there is no problem. Viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. And they are trying, the whole world is trying to become very big man. Somebody's trying to be very big merchant or big industrialist, or minister, or this or that, and others, they are trying to occupy the post of Indra, Candra, devata. That is competition, going on. As soon as there is some competition, even persons, demigods, like Indra, Candra, they become disturbed, and they try to stop it. But a devotee has no such concern. He's not disturbed. Because he's engaged in the service of the Lord, he feels so much happy that he has no disturbance. Viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. Neither he is anxious to occupy any very big post. Because for a devotee, vidhi-mahendrādiś ca kīṭāyate. He knows that "What is this position? Say, for some years, ten years, twenty years, fifty years, hundred years, millions years." It is limited.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101 -- Washington, D.C., July 6, 1976:

Therefore he says, "I know it is not a very easy thing. I was minister, I was in a very good position." Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. He was minister. Naturally, his associate were very, very exalted persons. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati, maṇḍala-pati, big, big leaders, big, big merchants, big, big industrialists or something like that, very, very big men. They are called maṇḍala-pati. One who has control over many people, he is called maṇḍala-pati. So who will have control unless he is a very big man? So about these Gosvāmīs it is said, tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. They gave up such position, exalted position, tucchavat, "Eh. Insignificant. What is this?" There is no meaning of this. He was not madman, but he gave up. He understood that these exalted posts... They are hankering after, they are trying to capture the big, big post, materialistic persons, laboring so hard, spending so much money. And he already possessed that position, and out of his own, or the inspiration by Kṛṣṇa, he resigned it.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

Without being Kṛṣṇa conscious, what service they are giving to their parents? Mostly they are separated. But, as Prahlāda Mahārāja was a great devotee and his father was a great nondevotee, so much so that his father was killed by Nṛsiṁha-deva, but Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was ordered by the Lord to take some benediction, he said that "I am not a merchant, Sir, that by giving You some service I'll take some return. Please excuse me." Nṛsiṁha-deva was very much satisfied: "Here is a pure devotee." But the same pure devotee requested the Lord, "My Lord, my father was atheist, and he has committed so many offenses, so I beg that my father may be liberated." And Nṛsiṁha-deva said, "Your father is already liberated because you are the, his son. In spite of all his offenses, he is liberated, because you are his son. Not only your father, but your father's father, his father up to seven generations, they are all liberated." So if Vaiṣṇava appears in a family, he liberates not only his father, but his father, his father, his father, his father, in that way. But that is the best service to the family, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 7, 1968:

Aryans means those who are advanced. Non-Aryans means those who are not ad... This is the Sanskrit meaning, ārya. And śūdras... Aryans are divided into four castes. The most intelligent class is called brāhmaṇa, and the less than the brāhmaṇas means those who are administrators, politicians, they are kṣatriyas. And next to them the mercantile class, traders, merchants, industrialists, less than the administrative class. And less than that, the śūdras. Śūdras means worker, laborer. So this system is not new. It is everywhere. Wherever there is human society, these four classes of men are there. Sometimes I am questioned why there is caste system in India. Well, this caste system is there. It is by nature. Bhagavad-gītā says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ: (BG 4.13) "The four classes of men are there. That is My law." How they are four classes? Guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ. Guṇa means quality, and karma means work. If you have got very nice quality, intelligence, brahminical qualities... Brahminical qualities means if you speak truth, you are very clean and you are self-controlled, your mind is in equilibrium, you are tolerant, and so many qual.

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Everything is required in the social body. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So this scientific social system, a class, intelligent class of men, should be the head of the society. And the fighting class or the martial class of men, they should be the administrators. And the productive class, merchants and industrialists, they should be the belly of the society. And the laborer class, they should be the legs of the society. This is the idea we get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So if we try to follow the already perfect statements in the śāstras, and if we apply in the, our practical life, then the whole human society will be perfect. Otherwise, if we do not follow the instruction which is perfect, already there in the śāstras—we manufacture or concoction—the social order will never be perfect and there will be always a confusion. And that is going on. I have seen. I have traveled all over the world, especially in America. They're the richest country, but there is a confusion now. The younger section, they do not like to live like their father or grandfather.

Lecture at Bharata Chamber of Commerce 'Culture and Business' -- Calcutta, January 30, 1973:

One must find out the perfection of his business. That is culture. Culture and business means you may do whatever business you are doing, according to your division, or according to your capacity or according to your qualification. You may be a, a merchant, you may be a professional man, you may be legal adviser, medical man. Whatever you may, it doesn't matter. But if you want perfection in your business, then you must try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is culture. Otherwise you are simply wasting your time. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthe karma. Yajña. Yajña means Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. For Him you have to work. Yajñārthe karma. Anyatra karma-bandhana. Otherwise you become bound up by the acts, by the reaction of your activities. Karma-bandhana. And so long you are in the bondage of karma, you have to transmigrate from one body to another.

Philosophy Discussions

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

He does not know that... He is already Brahman, but he thinks that "I am the Supreme Brahman. I am moving the sun. I am moving the..." Meditating. He is moving the sun. He is moving... Just another imitate. That is the last snare of māyā. Māyā is giving him allurement that "You become a minister, you become secretary, you become a big merchant, you become a Birla. You..." "Become become become." (S)he is always dictating, and he is working under the dictation of māyā. The last dictation is, "Then you have failed all these things. Better you become God." (laughter) So he thinks, "I am God." And māyā is still kicking. As soon as God gets some toothache, he'll have to, another... So he goes... "After all, what kind of God you are? You come here for toothache cure." This is another man.

Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte:

Hayagrīva: He felt that more..., even more than the vaiśya, the merchant, or the kṣatriya, the administrator, that the man who will usher in positivism will be the working man, or the śūdra. He says, "The occupation of working men are evidently far more conducive to philosophical views than those of the middle classes, since they are not so absorbing as to prevent continuous thought even during the hours of labor." In other words, when a man is working he can think of philosophical issues because he doesn't have to use his mind, oh, like a merchant or a kṣatriya.

Prabhupāda: He, he, he has used this word kṣatriya, brāhmaṇa...?

Hayagrīva: Oh, no. I'm using this.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Hayagrīva: He says..., he's speaking of the working man.

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Hayagrīva: In this he is a..., he influenced Marx considerably in his belief in the worth of the working man.

Page Title:Merchant (Lectures)
Compiler:Rishab, RupaManjari, Mayapur
Created:23 of Dec, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=48, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:48