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My Guru Maharaja used to say that this world is not a fit place for a gentleman

Expressions researched:
"This is not the place for a gentleman to live" |"This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman" |"This place is not fit for any gentleman's living" |"no place for a gentleman" |"not a fit place for a gentleman" |"not a place for a gentleman" |"this world is not a fit place for gentleman"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

One who takes to spiritual culture, for them, this place is unfit. Unfit. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This place is not fit for any gentleman's living."
Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

This material world is supposed that every step there is danger. Just see. What we are doing? Innocent, culturing some spiritual process, and there are so many complaints. Just see. We are not stealing. We are not, I mean to say, making propaganda for some political purpose, nothing. Innocent thing we are doing. But still, somebody comes forward and puts some dangerous position. You see? So this is such a place. Lord Jesus Christ, his only fault was that he was preaching God's message. He was crucified. You see? So these things are... This place is like that. Even if you are innocent, still, you'll be put into danger. Therefore this place should be avoided. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām: "Every step there is danger."

So one who takes to spiritual culture, for them, this place is unfit. Unfit. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This place is not fit for any gentleman's living." (chuckles) He was to say like that, "This place is unfit for any gentleman's living."

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Kali-yuga, people are suffering. They're all fallens, all meat-eaters, all drunkards, all fifth-grade, sixth-grade men. They are puffed-up, but actually they are fifth-, sixth-and tenth-grade men, not even gentlemen. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "No gentleman can live here. The society is so polluted."
Lecture on SB 1.5.23 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

So Kali-yuga, people are suffering. They're all fallens, all meat-eaters, all drunkards, all fifth-grade, sixth-grade men. They are puffed-up, but actually they are fifth-, sixth-and tenth-grade men, not even gentlemen. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "No gentleman can live here. The society is so polluted." And... But the, there is opportunity of serving Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because the society is so fallen, therefore there is good opportunity to serve Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's incarnation is to reclaim these fallen souls. So you have got the opportunity to serve Śrī Caitan..., to please Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu because He wanted the fallen souls to be delivered. Kṛṣṇa also wanted. Yadā yadā hi glānir bhavati bhārata, dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. Kṛṣṇa comes... This is... God's business is going on like that. He's very anxious to reclaim all these rascals, rotting in this material world. Kṛṣṇa is always anxious. He comes Himself. He comes as devotee. He comes..., sends His bona fide servant, bona fide son.

They cannot tolerate that his friend or his brother is very much, I mean to say, advancing either material or spiritual. They cannot tolerate. This is the society. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This is not the place for a gentleman to live," because surrounded by envious persons, especially to the devotees. Especially when a man becomes devoted to the Lord, he creates... He does not create, but the atmosphere is such—many enemies.
Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:

There is no use to become envious of a devotee because a devotee, a pure devotee, will always be protected by these Viṣṇudūtas as they have protected Ajamila. Parebhyo. Parebhyo, Śrīdhāra Swamijī's gives śatru, enemies. In this world, although a devotee is ajāta-śatru, he does not do anything which will create enemy, but the nature of the world is that they will become envious. Any person, he has done no wrong to you, but he is making progress—his friends and his neighbors will be envious: "Oh, this man is becoming so successful." So the nature of this world is envious, enviousness. Therefore, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the beginning it is said, nirmatsarāṇāṁ satām. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām: (SB 1.1.2) "This is understandable by persons who are freed from this quality of enviousness." Here is a quality in the material world. Anyone who is here, he will be envious of his... Para utkarṣa asahanam. They cannot tolerate that his friend or his brother is very much, I mean to say, advancing either material or spiritual. They cannot tolerate. This is the society. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This is not the place for a gentleman to live," because surrounded by envious persons, especially to the devotees. Especially when a man becomes devoted to the Lord, he creates... He does not create, but the atmosphere is such—many enemies.

Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman."
Lecture on SB 7.9.15 -- Mayapur, February 22, 1976:

This material world is very, very fierceful to the devotees. They are very, very much afraid of. This is the difference. Materialistic persons, they are thinking, "This world is very pleasing. We are enjoying. Eat, drink, be merry and enjoy." But the devotees, they think, "It is very, very fierceful. How soon we shall get out of it?" My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "This material world is not fit for living for any gentleman." He used to say. "No gentleman can live here." So these things are not understood by the nondevotees, how much pinching this material world is. Duḥkhāla... Kṛṣṇa says it is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). That is the difference between the devotee and nondevotee. The duḥkhālayam, they are trying to adjust how to make it sukhālayam. That is not possible.

So unless one becomes detestful of this material world, it is to be understood that he has not yet entered in the spiritual understanding. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). This is the test of bhakti. If one has entered the domain of devotional service, this material world will be not at all tasteful for him. Virakti. No more.

General Lectures

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda has stated that this is no place for a gentleman. In the material world everyone is, just as we are observing... I was visiting the Kṛṣṇa consciousness farm in British Columbia, and on the road we were passing large herds of beef cows. We were discussing that the farmer thinks of these cows not as spirit souls but as commodities. He simply puts them in a field to eat, and when they get big enough, kills them and takes the money for his enjoyment.
Subha Vilasa Home Engagement -- Toronto, June 19, 1976:

So within human society... This is also stated in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye: (BG 7.3) "Out of many thousands of men, one may endeavor for perfection. And of many such perfected men, hardly one knows Me in truth." So the material world is a very dangerous place. The living beings within the material world are kṣatram. They do not know the purpose of life. They are simply interested in their own advancement, somehow or other. So they engage in all kinds of destructive activities which cause harm to themselves and to others. So this is the condition of the material world. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Prabhupāda has stated that this is no place for a gentleman. In the material world everyone is, just as we are observing... I was visiting the Kṛṣṇa consciousness farm in British Columbia, and on the road we were passing large herds of beef cows. We were discussing that the farmer thinks of these cows not as spirit souls but as commodities. He simply puts them in a field to eat, and when they get big enough, kills them and takes the money for his enjoyment. He doesn't see that these are living entities, spirit souls. So this activity of the human beings, killing the cows, helpless cows by the thousands daily, is causing the..., or is an indication that there is no merciful quality in the human beings. They are simply interested in their own aggrandizement and welfare. If they don't surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that is the only alternative.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Sense gratification. This is called nāstika-vāda. Very dangerous. And that is going on all over the world. How a gentleman can live in that society? Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say, "This is not a place for a gentleman." Formerly, therefore, they used to go away from the society, go in the forest, to give up this bad association. Live alone. Therefore our temples should be very carefully managed. It may not become again another pandemonium.
Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: Civilization means to push the man forward for perfection. That is civilization.

Hari-śauri: Development.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Society and economic condition, everything should be so arranged that this human child should be gradually pushed for perfection of life, go back home, back to Godhead. This is civilization. And modern civilization is "Don't care for what is going to happen. So long you live, eat, drink, be merry, enjoy," that's all. Sense gratification. This is called nāstika-vāda. Very dangerous. And that is going on all over the world. How a gentleman can live in that society?

Hari-śauri: They can't. Gradually people...

Prabhupāda: Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say, "This is not a place for a gentleman." Formerly, therefore, they used to go away from the society, go in the forest, to give up this bad association. Live alone.

Hari-śauri: Practically speaking, that's what we've done. By your establishing these temples, it's given us someplace to go where we can get out of Kali-yuga.

Prabhupāda: Therefore our temples should be very carefully managed. It may not become again another pandemonium.

Harikeśa: Pan-demon. Pan-demon-ium.

Hari-śauri: Says that in the dictionary.

Harikeśa: Place of demons.

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa has given us many nice places. People can live very comfortably. There will be no scarcity. Cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness very seriously. That is wanted. Therefore in this old age I am struggling so much to see that things are going on nicely. So far I have seen, it is going on nice. But maybe the management is lacking. It may be the māyā is very strong. So be careful. All, you are all old students, and try to organize more and more solidly. The children should be taken, you can give lectures to the mothers, that children should be taken care of. They are future hopes. Child is the father of man. They say that we escape. What we are escaping? We have got all types of social society. There is gṛhastha, there is sannyāsī, there is brahmacārī. Whichever position is suitable, you accept and keep yourself sincere, that's all. Unnatural there is nothing. Is there anything unnatural? And if they think that we're prohibiting this meat-eating, this is unnatural, that we cannot. That is not unnatural, that is natural.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

As I told you last time, in the Western countries, so long I am in the temple, I am safe. And as soon as I go out of the temple, it is hell.
Conversations -- June 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: Human activity should be guided toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then it is human. Otherwise it is animal. Take minimum demand, be happy, and make progress. That is the platform of progress. Very little... (too faint) The same shape, (too faint) they are improving to make straighter, topless, bottomless, in this way and that way, miniskirt. They are arranging. The thing is the same, but they want to change the taste in different way. No knowledge. That means (too faint). Sex, you require under... You'll get it between husband and wife. There is no difficulty. What is the use of that? Daily pregnancy, daily... Three days divorce. Actually I saw in Chicago, within three weeks, three divorce.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In our temple?

Prabhupāda: No, no, some public...

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No, that... And even the fact that they got married is more than most people do nowadays. They don't even get married.

Prabhupāda: There is no marriage. And in Bhāgavata says, "There will be no more marriage. Agreement."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Sex agreement.

Śatadhanya: And in Switzerland, in the schools, they teach small children, "You should have sex at early age." They teach in school.

Prabhupāda: Switzerland.

Śatadhanya: Switzerland, yeah. They say they are the most liberal.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Therefore it's easy to see why your Guru Mahārāja said that this world is not a fit place for a gentleman.

Prabhupāda: As I told you last time, in the Western countries, so long I am in the temple, I am safe. And as soon as I go out of the temple, it is hell. And implica..., as they are attached. How they are doing?

Correspondence

1967 Correspondence

In future be very cautious and abide by the orders of Krishna. If you abide by the orders of Krishna, He can give you thing that you may need. Be cheerful and chant Hare Krishna without any lamentation. As I have told you several times that my Guru maharaj used to say that this world is not a fit place for gentleman.
Letter to Brahmananda, Satsvarupa, Rayarama, Gargamuni, Rupanuga, Donald -- San Francisco 28 March, 1967:

I have received your letter of the 24th March 1967 and previous to this I received one copy of the letter addressed to M/s. Willium Alfred White Inc. I have replied Mr. Goldsmith's letter also giving him the whole history of the cheating business. It is understood that Mr. Goldsmith says the hope of getting back the money is very slim. Under the circumstances there is no need of pushing good money for the bad. $6000.00 has already become bad money and therefore no more good money should be spent after this. Forget the chapter. Take it for granted that Krishna has taken away this money from you for your deliberate foolishness. In future be very cautious and abide by the orders of Krishna. If you abide by the orders of Krishna, He can give you thing that you may need. Be cheerful and chant Hare Krishna without any lamentation. As I have told you several times that my Guru maharaj used to say that this world is not a fit place for gentleman. His version is corroborated by the following verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam. It is said like:

Yasya asti bhagavati akincana bhakti
Sarvai gunais tatra samasate sura
Harav abhaktasya kuto mahat guna
Manorathena asato dhavato bahi.

"A person who is not in Krishna consciousness has no good qualifications. However so called gentleman one may be or academically educated he may be he is hovering over the mental plane and therefore he must commit nuisance being influenced by the external energy. A person who has however unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead has all the good qualifications of the demigods." In other words you should not keep your trust on so called gentlemen of the world however nicely dressed he may be. In the matter of discharging our mission of Krishna consciousness we have to meet so many so called gentlemen but we must be very cautious for dealing with them as we are cautious in dealing with serpents.

Page Title:My Guru Maharaja used to say that this world is not a fit place for a gentleman
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Labangalatika
Created:29 of Aug, 2009
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=5, Con=2, Let=1
No. of Quotes:8