So this material civilization is like fever. We should not increase it. Neither we should decrease it to such an extent that we shall die. Just like fever. Fever, 105, 107 degrees, 106 degree, five degree, reduce it. Reduce, reduce, reduce. But it must stay at hundred, not hundred, 98 degrees. If you reduce 98 degree, 97, that is also not good. Similarly, our program is not to increase to the death point, neither to decrease it to the death point. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya. We don't say, "Don't eat." Eat, but don't eat more or don't eat less. That is our program. We don't say don't eat. We don't prohibit anything. We don't say, "No sex life." Yes. We don't say no. Yes, sex life, married sex life, regulated sex life.
Not good (Lectures, SB)
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.1.4 -- London, August 27, 1973:
Arjuna was a fighter, expert in killing. So he was considering, "Why shall I kill my own family members? Better stop." But Kṛṣṇa encouraged him, that "You must kill." So that is yajña. Kṛṣṇa... Under the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was engaged in killing art, but that is yajña, because it is for Kṛṣṇa, not for himself. For himself he was denying to fight. But when he agreed to fight and kill on account of Kṛṣṇa, it is called yajña. This secret people do not know. They think that killing is very... Killing is very bad, that's all right. Killing, why killing? Even if you give charity, if you become munificent, merciful, that is also not good unless you do it for Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:
So the ladies and gentlemen who are present here, kindly take this instruction of the śāstra. Then you become situated in the transcendental, first-class system of religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā (SB 1.2.6). Ahaituki. But don't chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with any motive. That is not good. Even if you chant with motive, that will take little time to become pure devotee, but better without any motive. As a matter of duty, you chant regularly. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then there will be no hindrances. You'll make progress without any hindrances. Ahaituky apratihatā. And then you'll be pleased.
Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:
We can sit down, family members, and we can read from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, and hear and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Very easy thing. That we want to introduce every home. That is our only request, that in whichever position you are, it doesn't matter. You simply begin this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and reading of Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Don't try to be ustad in interpreting. That is very dangerous. Ustadi is not good. Simply try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Bhagavān says, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). "My dear Arjuna, there is no more superior authority than Me." You accept it. That's all. You haven't got to interpret foolishly. No, then you are gone. Then you become condemned.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:
We should not waste it for nothing. Modern..., modern method of civilization is to develop economic development, to live very comfortably. That's all right. Do it. Everyone do his own business. But you don't forget Kṛṣṇa. That is not good. The point is, our real business is to understand Kṛṣṇa. But people do not try to understand Kṛṣṇa; they simply try for economic development. Their first business should be to understand Kṛṣṇa. Other business should be secondary. So at the present moment, it is very difficult task.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:
Just like chili—to become hot—the characteristic of chili. We test in the market when we go to purchase chili, we test how strong it is hot. If it is not very strong in its hottiness, then we reject. "No, no, it is not good chili." Chili must be very hot. That is characteristic, that is dharma. Sugar must be very sweet. That is characteristic, that is dharma. Sa vai puṁsām paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). So at the present moment, being entrapped by the material nature, we have accepted different types of dharmas. That is artificial. That is artificial. "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Buddhist," "I am this," "I am that." These are all in relationship with this body. Accidentally if I am born in a Hindu family, or Muslim family, or Christian family, I identify myself, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian." But real identification is, as I have already explained to you, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am Brahman.
Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:
Indian man (2): I have not said that education is ridiculous. I said that one who has got good education from a teacher...
Prabhupāda: So he cannot act ridiculously. If he acts ridiculously, then he has not good education.
Indian man (2): So if I have well understood...
Prabhupāda: You have not well understood. You say a person who has got education, still, he acts ridiculously. That means you have no knowledge what is education.
Indian man (2): I shall explain myself well, but if you wish to be...
Prabhupāda: So if you cannot explain yourself, how can I continue to hear you?
Indian man (2): If you have got one minute more patience I will explain how.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. If you speak ridiculously, how can I hear you? You say that one man has got education and he acts ridiculously. This is... Your statement is ridiculous.
Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:
It is not good for us. We may gratify our senses while we are living, but when we quit this body, we are completely under the grip of material nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). And when you are on the clutches of prakṛti, you cannot dictate that "Give me this kind of body." That will be decided by superior authority, daiva netreṇa, karmaṇā daiva ne. These are the scientific knowledge, but unfortunately, there is no culture of this scientific knowledge.
Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:
So Ṛṣabhadeva says, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaye (SB 5.5.4). Simply we have got this... This bodily concept of life means the senses. Indriyāṇi parā... The senses are very prominent. So simply for sense gratification we are acting so much sinfully that we are becoming implicated. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti na sādhu manye: (SB 5.5.4) "This is not good." Why? "Now, yata ātmanaḥ, the soul," ayam, ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ, "the ātmā, the soul, has accepted this body on account of this vikarma, on account of this vikarma." Therefore people should be instructed to be expert in sukarma, sukṛti, sukṛti. That sukṛti is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sukṛti. They should be instructed.
Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Hyderabad, April 23, 1974:
So this is not... Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says, "This is not good business, My dear boys, because you have got this body on account of this hard labor and planning in your last life." Yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada: "Again you want to have another body to suffer in? What is this intelligence? You are already suffering. You have got all one type of body which means suffering, by your past activities.
Lecture on SB 1.2.17 -- San Francisco, March 25, 1967:
The whole idea is that action, either in ignorance or passion or goodness... We have discussed that point. That doesn't matter. But action should be done from the spiritual consciousness platform. That's all. Then you transcend the reaction. Just like, for example, Arjuna. Arjuna's fighting... This fighting is on the modes of passion, passion. Now, when the, that work of passion, if he does... Now, Arjuna was thinking not to fight, not to fight, because he thought that "Fighting with my brothers, with my relatives, is not good."
Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:
It will give the pulp, but not so very easily. But if you rub it in the horizontal way, it will give very easily. So the, if one regularly reads the other chapters and reads Kṛṣṇa, that will be very nice. Not only "Simply I'm interested to Kṛṣṇa book in the thirty-fifth..., from twenty-ninth chapter to thirty-fifth chapter." That is not good. People generally read those chapters. That is not good.
Lecture on SB 1.3.30 -- Los Angeles, October 5, 1972:
We get the information from the śāstra, although we cannot see it with our material eyes. Śāstra says that every living entity is one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair. Śāstra says. Everyone has seen the tip of the hair, but he has no idea how to divide it into ten thousand parts. Keśāgra-śata-bhāgasya śatadhā kalpitasya ca (CC Madhya 19.140). Keśāgra. Agra. Agra means tip, keśa means hair. So you just imagine only that you see the top, tip of the hair, and divide it into ten thousand parts. That one part is the form of the living entity. (aside:) Who is extending the...? This is not good.
Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:
If you want to have very palatable dishes, then you require ghee. Without ghee, you cannot make. Either sweetball or kacuris, srngara,(?) so many nice things. So we require sweetball. So... And in India, of course, they wanted palatable dishes, but not otherwise it is made of ghee. But too much eating of these palatable dishes is not good. That makes our senses very strong. So we should not take much of it, but we can take something of kṛṣṇa-prasādam and satisfy ourself. So he says that, Cārvāka Muni, ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet: "Beg, borrow or steal. Get some money and eat, as much as possible, ghee." You see? This is modern civilization. "Any way, bring money and satisfy your senses. That's all. Finish business."
Lecture on SB 1.5.14 -- New Vrindaban, June 18, 1969:
Sva-bhavata eva raktasya ragina puruṣasya dharma-kṛte, dharmārtham anuśāsas tataḥ mahān vyatikramaḥ(?): "So this is not good for you. It is most abominable." Kutaḥ iti utaḥ yasyeti vākyataḥ ayaṁ mukhya dharma: "Because they will accept it as authority, and they will think this is religion." They will not make further progress. They will stick to that principle. So therefore it is abominable. Yatasya kāma karmādi anyayena tattva-jñānena kriyamānāya(?). Tattva-jñānena. When they'll be advised higher truth... Just like those who are addicted to killing process under the shadow of religious rights, if they are said that "You don't kill. This is not good.
Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:
"One who is addicted to such hateful habits..." Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti, adho gacchanti. Adho gacchanti means either they go down planetary system or down living conditions just like animals. Just like animals. They are jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ. They can lie down anywhere. They can eat anything. They have no sense that "This is not good. I am doing this." They have no sense. Just like tree. We go sometimes in the jungle. A tree is standing for several thousands of years, but it has no sense, "Oh, I am standing like this, alone?" These are the births of jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti.
Lecture on SB 1.5.24 -- Vrndavana, August 5, 1975:
So although he was a child, he was a boy, but by the association of exalted devotees he also became very sober. Sober. Śuśrūṣamāṇe munayaḥ alpa-bhāṣiṇi. And he was not talking very much. Too much talking unnecessarily is against spiritual advancement of life. Therefore, sometimes those who are very, very talkative, they are ordered by their spiritual master that "You keep silence." Maunī. Maunī-bābā. Somebody, they practice to become always silent. You'll find some of the sādhus, the mendicants, they also keep silence. But they sometimes make this, that, this... And way (?) "onnnnh." That is not good. Silence means don't talk nonsense. Whenever you speak, you speak about Kṛṣṇa. That is real silence. The... "Make a vow that 'I shall not speak anything except topics of Kṛṣṇa.' " That is real silence. Not that to become silent. To become silent... Mind will work. Better chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear. There is no question of becoming silent.
Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:
Sat means eternal, cit means knowledge, and ānanda. So these three things are required. Simply eternity is not good. There must be knowledge and ānanda. So this monist theory, Advaitavāda, eternity, that may be achieved. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa, by severe penances and austerities, they can be attained. But patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. That is the statement of Bhāgavata. They again fall down. Why? Anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. They could not get the information of the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Without taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa, they fall down again. Patanty adhaḥ. Again.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:
One kind of experience by hearing: "If you do this, then the result will be this." That is hearing. And one kind of experience by directly seeing. So the thief has both. He has seen that a thief has been punished, and he knows by hearing from the lawbooks or from religious books that stealing is not good. But still he commits repeatedly, again and again stealing. Why? Because he has no knowledge. Therefore knowledge is essential. That knowledge can be revived. This is kṛṣṇa-kīrtana.
Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:
We are thinking we are very independent, we can do any nonsense, whatever we like. Who cares for...? But that is not good, because we are not independent. We are completely under the grip of material nature. Simply as a crazy man we declare independence. That is not a very good idea. We must know what are the anarthas and how we shall get out of it.
Lecture on SB 1.7.13-14 -- Vrndavana, September 12, 1976:
I shall see you and you will be solidified just like iron." So he was going naked and Kṛṣṇa saw. So He asked him, "Where you are going?" "I am going to see my mother." "How is that? You are going naked? At least you have some langota(?). This is not good." So he took the instruction of Kṛṣṇa and covered the private part with a langota. And when Gāndhārī saw, she saw that he was not fully naked, so she regretted, "O my dear son, I asked you to come before me naked. Why you have got this...?" "No, Kṛṣṇa advised." Then she began to smile, that "My attempt is failure."
Lecture on SB 1.7.15 -- Vrndavana, September 13, 1976:
So he prepared very nice preparation and offered to Sanātana Gosvāmī prasādam. So Sanātana Gosvāmī astonishingly inquired that "Where you got all these nice things in this forest?" So he told the whole story, that "In the morning I desired, and in just a few hour, time, little time, one very beautiful girl came and offered this ingredients." So after hearing the description of the beautiful girl, Sanātana Gosvāmī could understand that she was Rādhārāṇī. So immediately he chastised Rūpa Gosvāmī, that "You have taken service from Rādhārāṇī. This is not good. We are trying to give service to Rādhārāṇī, and you have taken service from Rādhārāṇī."
Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:
Arjuna is mahājana. He is mahājana. He's directly Kṛṣṇa's friend. He knows what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore he submitted that, "Kṛṣṇa, it is perplexity. I do not like to fight, and You are asking me repeatedly to fight. So it is very awkward position. I cannot understand." Kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "I have been infected with kārpaṇya-doṣa, and (I'm) kṣatriya, I am in the battlefield. It is my duty to fight, but I am declining." That is kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ. "My nature, svabhāva, is to fight, but I am avoiding this. So therefore my position is not good, I can understand. Therefore śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). I accept You as my spiritual master. You... I am surrendered, prapannam. You kindly instruct, śādhi mām." This is beginning of Bhagavad-gītā.
Lecture on SB 1.7.40 -- Vrndavana, October 1, 1976:
So long you're on the platform of jñāna or karma... There are different stages. Karma is the lowest stage, and jñāna is higher. Koṭi-karma-niṣṭha-madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, out of many millions of karmīs, one jñānī is good, śreṣṭha. And out of millions of jñānīs... Simply jñāna, theoretical knowledge, is not good. It must be practical. Jñāna, the result of jñāna is to become liberated, mukti. Simply I am very jñānī and I am doing all nonsense, this is not jñāna. He must be liberated from material attachment. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). This is the stage of perfection of jñāna. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has nothing to do with the material world.
Lecture on SB 1.7.41-42 -- Vrndavana, October 2, 1976:
So Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches from this point, that you are dāsa. Give up this idea that you are independent master, or one with God, or so many rascal ideas. That is not good. It begins with this point. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches that jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches from the point when Bhagavad-gītā ends. Bhagavad-gītā says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is the relationship.
Lecture on SB 1.7.45-46 -- Vrndavana, October 5, 1976:
Pradyumna: "He (Droṇācārya) is certainly still existing, being represented by his son. His wife Kṛpī did not undergo a satī with him because she had a son. O most fortunate one who knows the principles of religion, it is not good for you to cause grief to glorious family members who are always respectable and worshipful."
Prabhupāda:
- sa eṣa bhagavān droṇaḥ
- prajā-rūpeṇa vartate
- tasyātmano 'rdhaṁ patny āste
- nānvagād vīrasūḥ kṛpī
- (SB 1.7.45)
- tad dharmajña mahā-bhāga
- bhavadbhir gauravaṁ kulam
- vṛjinaṁ nārhati prāptuṁ
- pūjyaṁ vandyam abhīkṣṇaśaḥ
- (SB 1.7.46)
So, in continuation of the Pāṇḍavas' position in relationship with Droṇācārya, the guru, so many things are being explained by Draupadī. So she is not ordinary woman. She knows everything of the religious principles, and therefore she is teaching the assembly of respectable, learned persons how the spiritual master should be respected. Droṇa is also, I mean to say, qualified as bhagavān. Bhagavān Droṇa. Anyone who is extraordinarily powerful, he is addressed sometimes as bhagavān. Nārada Muni is also sometimes addressed as bhagavān. Lord Śiva is also sometimes addressed as bhagavān. We have explained the different features of bhagavān many times. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). So the Supreme Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:
Everyone has got some talent. So that talent should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. And if you think that "No, I shall chant simply," all right, you chant. But don't sleep in the name of chanting. That... Don't cheat. That cheating is not good. If you think that you can chant like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you simply chant. We shall supply you food. There is no anxiety. But don't try to cheat. You must be engaged. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). Of course, if we can chant twenty-four hours, that is very good. But that is not possible. We are not so highly elevated. We must do something for Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.8.44 -- Los Angeles, May 6, 1973:
You can talk of Kṛṣṇa about His pastimes when He's killing the Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Bakāsura. Both are the same. Some of the rascals, they decide that to talk of Kṛṣṇa about His embracing the gopīs is very good, and the talk of Kṛṣṇa killing Pūtanā or other demons, that is not good. That is rascaldom. Anything about Kṛṣṇa, you talk, vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. Just like in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam there are so many descriptions, so many other things, but because it is in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, so each word of Bhāgavatam is valued. Each word of Bhagavad-gītā is valued. Because there is relation.
Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:
One of our Godbrother, big Godbrother, he took sannyāsa. So his son was crying, and he was also crying. Then, if you have got affection for your family, society, then why you are taking sannyāsa? That is prākṛtena. We should not be carried away by this material affection, no. That is not good. You must do your duty. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā, that "Arjuna, you are being carried away by your material affection, and you are hesitating to execute your duty. This is not good." Anārya-juṣṭam: "This is befitting for the anārya, non-Āryan." Non-Āryan means not civilized, and Āryan means civilized. This is the distinction. Now people are very much fond of calling themselves as civilized, Āryan, belonging to the Āryan family.
Lecture on SB 1.8.51 -- Los Angeles, May 13, 1973:
Nobody cares whether the daughter is married or not. But that is not good. Another difficulty is that everywhere, all over the world, the female population is greater than, on the average, than male population. So if each and every woman has to be married, then there is no sufficient number of male population. Therefore, according to Vedic rituals, those who are higher caste, just like the kṣatriyas or the brāhmaṇas, especially, others also, polygamy is allowed. Polygamy is allowed.
Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- Mayapura, June 19, 1973:
Everything is spoiled. As much as in a family, if the housewife is not good, contaminated, then there is no good life in the family. In Western countries especially, and in this country also, nowadays, there is no peace between husband and wife, and there is no, practically, no family life. In Western countries there is divorce. Here also the divorce law is introduced. And no family is happy. Gṛhiṇī doṣe gṛhastha naṣṭa. So king must be very pious.
Lecture on SB Excerpt -- New York, March 7, 1975:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi': "This māyā, this illusion, you want to get relief from this illusion. So I have brought medicine for you." Enechi auṣadhi. Auṣadhi means medicine. "Enechi I have brought," Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro, "to, just to drive away this māyā." What is that? Hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi'. Māgi': "You voluntarily take it." He doesn't force. That is not good. It is not force. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means on behalf of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are canvassing from door to door, "My dear sir, you are very intelligent, but you are suffering always. Take this medicine. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Thank you very much.
Lecture on SB 1.15.30 -- Los Angeles, December 8, 1973:
One man has stolen, and he's arrested and he's going to the police custody. So everyone has seen, and he has heard also that the government says that if you steal, you'll be punished. In the Bible or in any other religious scripture it is said that stealing is not good. So he has heard it, and he has seen it that a man who has stolen, he is going to jail. So these two things are experienced: hearing and seeing. In spite of all his experience, why does he steal? Because he has no good association. He knows that stealing is bad; otherwise why he steals at night? Nobody can see. He knows he is doing some bad thing. But why he cannot give up that bad thing? Because he's not associating with good person. That is it.
Lecture on SB 1.15.31 -- Los Angeles, December 9, 1973:
Kṛṣṇa does not say that. Kṛṣṇa says, dehāntaram, tathā dehā... You have to change your body. You have to change your body. Tathā dehā... As you are changing constantly our body, this fact. Similarly, if when this body is no more useful, then you're transferred to another body. That's very simple to understand. Suppose you are living in a room, if it is not good then we change another body. But that does not mean "I'm finished." But these foolish people, the so-called scientists, so-called advanced philosopher, they do not understand this simple. And still they are very much proud of their education.
Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:
One may be intoxicated. When he comes to his senses that "This is not good," then he is godly. That is the difference. But the demon cannot understand that. They continue. Just like our devotees. They are all godly. Because they had some bad habits, it doesn't matter. But they have given up. That is difference between the demons and the devotees. A devotee understands what is what and he does according to the direction of God. Therefore he is demigod. And the demons, they will never agree. That is the difference.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
One should be thoroughly learned what is God and teach others how to trust Him. That is brāhmaṇa. Simply slogan, "We Trust In God," and all rascals and fools, that is not good. Now we should take up this point, that "You write, 'In God We trust.' What is God? Do you know what is God?" Ask the President Nixon rascal. He will not be able to. Then who will know? If the president does not know, how the people will know? Yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhaḥ lokas tad anuvartate (BG 3.21). Śreṣṭha, the chief man, the leader Just like I am leading this society, so what I shall do, naturally it will be followed: "Prabhupāda does it." So that is applicable everywhere.
Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:
You can understand by thinking, feeling, willing, mind is there. But you do not see the mind. Oh, why you are so much proud, "Can you show me"? You cannot see your mind, you cannot see the sky, and you want to see God with your these eyes. Just see how foolish they are! You cannot see even a gross thing and subtle things, and the finer, finer, finer than all subtle things... Mind, then intelligence. Simply not mind. When we think, feel or will, there is intelligence behind that, and if the intelligence is not good, simply you will think of nonsense.
Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973:
An animal is going, is taken to the slaughterhouse. He knows that "I have no means. I have to suffer," I mean to say, "be slaughtered." He has no means. But for human society, this kind of ignorance is not good, to submit to the laws of nature against my principles. I do not die. The laws of nature is forcing me to die. I do not wish to be old man. The laws of nature forcing me to become old man. So this can be avoided. And for avoiding this problem, this human form of life is there. But they do not care. They are thinking, "advancing." What advancing? Advancing means this body... Now you have got nice, beautiful American body, but by your work, if you are going to accept next life dog's life, then what is the benefit of your activities? Because there is no guarantee that you will again get the American body.
Lecture on SB 1.16.1 -- Los Angeles, December 29, 1973:
Now United Nations means three thousand flags, three thousand nations. So that is not democracy, or that is not good ruling. The best ruling is monarchy, and monarch means he must be a perfectly trained-up person by the best brāhmaṇas. That is perfect government. Not that this democracy, some rascals and fools they are voting another rascal and fool, and by hook and crook he comes to the post. He does not like to give it up, and makes things very miserable. This kind of government... Now your Senate is proposing, "Let us pray to God how we can get good government."
Lecture on SB 1.16.2 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1973:
Mahārāja Veṇa, he was upstart. He was born of a low-class mother, so he become so upstart that in his boyhood he was playing with friends, and if there was some quarrel, he would kill such friend. So his father became so disgusted, tried to reform him in so many ways, but he could not be reformed. The father, Mahārāja Aṅga, he left the kingdom all of a sudden, being disgusted. Then the brāhmaṇas asked the king that "You are not ruling very nicely. You have stopped all religious functions. This is not good for the people, neither for you." They first of all tried to pacify him by nice instruction. But the king said, "You brāhmaṇas, you do not know me very well. I am God" and this and that. Then he was killed by the brāhmaṇas. You know that Jāmadagnya, Paraśurāma, when he saw that the kings were not responsible, he killed the whole kṣatriya family for twenty-one times. So that was the government. If the brāhmaṇas would see that the kṣatriyas, the kings were not ruling properly according to the Vedic principle, sometimes they would kill the king.
Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:
We want to eat something. We must eat, to keep this body fit. Then we must sleep also after eating. Not always. Not in this assembly, but after eating, you can sleep. (laughter) There is sleeping place, but not here. That is not good. So eating, sleeping. Then, after eating, after sleeping, everyone knows—the sex becomes agitated. Then mating. Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, "How to protect myself?" Because the whole world is full of enemies. This is material world. So everyone is struggling hard, "How to protect myself?" So these four principles are animal principles.
Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Hawaii, January 15, 1974:
Udvāha means marriage, taking the charge of the girl. The boy takes charge of the young girl from the custody of her father. This is marriage. Woman, according to Vedic civilization, they are not recommended freedom. They should be taken care just like children are taken care of. You cannot give independence to the children. That is not possible. Then it is not good for them. Similarly, woman also should be taken care of. They should not be given freedom. That is not good for them. They should be protected by the father in childhood, by the husband in youthhood, and by the grown-up children in old age. Three stages. But in this age, women are trying to take independence of father, husband or children. That is not good. That is described in the śāstra.
Lecture on SB 1.16.23 -- Hawaii, January 19, 1974:
Just the Western people, they are materially advanced. They possess... They do not possess, but their energy is utilized for converting things from one shape to another, that much, the energy being wasted. It is good credit for you, materially, that you have so nice cars, nice skyscraper buildings, and so many nice things you have created. That is good credit—good credit materially. Spiritually, it is not good credit. Spiritually, it is waste of energy, waste of energy. Because however nicely you have made all these material facilities, amenities, you cannot stay here.
Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Hawaii, January 20, 1974:
In the Bhagavad-gītā you find this verse, nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Do you remember, any one of you, this verse from the Bhagavad-gītā? Eh? But you don't read. So I am writing all these books simply for selling, not for reading. This is not good. And if somebody asks you, "You are so much eager to sell your books. Do you read your books?" Then what you will say? "No, sir, we don't read. We sell only. Our Guru Mahārāja writes, and we sell." That is not good business. You must read. Why I am writing so many books? Not a single moment waste.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
Devotee must rise early in the morning, by four o'clock. By five o'clock, he must finish his bathing and other things. Then he takes to chanting and so many... Twenty-four hours' business must be there. So sleeping is not good. The Gosvāmīs used to sleep only two hours. I also write at night book, and I also sleep, not more then three hours. But I take sometimes little, sleep more. Not like... I don't imitate the Gosvāmīs. That try to avoid. And avoid sleeping means if we eat less, then we'll avoid. Eating, sleeping. After eating, there is sleeping. So if we eat more, then more sleeping.
Lecture on SB 1.16.35 -- Hawaii, January 28, 1974:
So this material life means within the jurisdiction of māyā, and she's always punishing us. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva māyā tare (indistinct). Because we have tried to forget Kṛṣṇa, that is not good for us. That is also explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,
- ya eṣāṁ puruṣaṁ sākṣād
- ātma-prabhavam īśvaram
- avajānanti na bhajanty
- sthānād bhraṣṭāḥ patanty adhaḥ
I'll give you practical example. Just like this finger is part and parcel of my body, your body, but if it becomes diseased, then it cannot act as my finger. It becomes a source of pains only. Then sometime doctor advises, physician, or the surgeon, that "Unless you cut off this finger, the whole hand will be faulty," and you have to cut off to save the other fingers. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.
Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:
If the spiritual master does not know what is actually to be done, what is actually not to be done, and he acts against the rules and regulations of the śāstra, then such spiritual master may be given up. But so long you do not find the spiritual master is doing against the principles of śāstra or guru, then if you give up the company of spiritual master, that is not good for you. That is your downfall. First of all, you must take sufficient time to study the movements of a spiritual master.
Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:
Mahārāja Parīkṣit, parīkṣin nāma rājarṣiḥ. In those days all the kings were like saintly person. They are not ordinary person. Why saintly person required? Because saintly person means he knows what is actually good and what is not good. The actually good of human life is that he's engaged in developing devotional service. That is actually good. In another place of this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is stated, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Paro dharmaḥ. Para means superior, transcendental, or which is para and apara. Para and apara. These words are used.
Lecture on SB 1.16.36 -- Tokyo, January 30, 1974:
Just like in religious system, in any religious system, the killing of animal there is. In every religious system, there is. But why there is this killing of a living entity? It is not good. But why in the religious system there is permission for killing animal? So that is explained. The explanation is, that a person who is a staunch meat-eater, he cannot give up meat-eating, so... At the same time he wants to be religious. This is the position. For such person it is enjoined, just like in Vedic system, "All right, if you want to eat meat, at the same time you want to become religious, then you worship Goddess Kālī. You cannot worship Viṣṇu."
Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:
"O my dear king, you are very fortunate. Your question about Kṛṣṇa is welcome." Varīyān. Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ: "You are inquiring about Kṛṣṇa. So this very question is very important." Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa: (SB 2.1.1) "And this is not good for you only; it is good for all the human society because you have questioned and I shall reply." So Kṛṣṇa questions and answers are so important that in future these questions and answers will be discussed in the human society. Actually it is being done so now. We are discussing the same incidents. And he said, ātmavit-sammataḥ puṁsām: "And this question is so authorized that ātmavit, those who are interested in self-realization, they have got their approval, 'Yes. This is nice question.' " Ātmavit-sammataḥ. Sammata means approved. It is not bogus question. It is approved.
Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:
As soon as one is practiced to control the urges of the senses, then he becomes a gosvāmī. That is the first definition of gosvāmī. Etān vegān yo viṣaheta dhīraḥ. Being forced by the urges of these six senses... And there are so many people. They are being criminally charged, police inquiries, and still, they are gosvāmīs. So this is not good. Gosvāmī should be very ideal. We have given title "Gosvāmī." So you must be very ideal. Ideal is there—six Gosvāmīs.
Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:
Everyone is controlled. But we are rebelled, "No, I don't want to. I don't want to be controlled." But you will be controlled. Just like in a state, if you don't want to be controlled by the state laws, the state will force you into the prison house to be controlled. This is our position. You cannot be free. Therefore freedom is not good for us. Just like the small child. If the child is given freedom, he will simply create havoc. So it is not to be given freedom, must be controlled. Similarly, all living entities, being child of God, we must voluntarily put ourself to be controlled by God. That is perfection of life. Don't try to be falsely free. That is not possible. Just like the mother. She will never give freedom to the child, because that is not good for him. It should not be.
Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:
Suppose somebody is cashier in our institution. He's getting a thousands of dollars in his custody. So he cannot distribute without being sanctioned. That is not good. So he must take the superior sanction, that "Shall I give him?" Similarly, all these demigods, they cannot give you anything directly. With the permission of the Supreme Personality of Godhead ... Mayaiva vihitān hi tān. That benefit which they derive from the demigod, that is ordained by Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says. When the demigod appeals to Kṛṣṇa that "This person is hankering after this thing, and he's worshiping me," so just to keep the position of the demigod, Kṛṣṇa says "All right, give him." Because the demigods are servant of Kṛṣṇa. So one has approached the servant of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 2.3.1-4 -- Los Angeles, May 24, 1972:
Generally, people do not go to worship Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, because you cannot ask from Kṛṣṇa anything which is not good for you. Suppose you pray to Kṛṣṇa on the seaside, "Kṛṣṇa, give me a good fish. I want to catch." Kṛṣṇa will never fulfill your desire. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because Kṛṣṇa will not give you facility for possessing anything which will ultimately cause your falldown. Kṛṣṇa knows that "If he catches a fish, then he will have to become a fish again to be caught by the same fish. So why shall I give the facility?" So therefore our policy is not to ask anything from Kṛṣṇa. He knows what is good for me; simply I have to surrender unto Him. That's all. Why shall I bother Him, "Give me this, give me that, give me that"? Na dhanaṁ na janam.
Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:
So if one wants to finish this business, accepting... And accepting a material body means to become subjected to the laws of material nature. You get a material body, and if you want that "I shall not die," it is impossible. It is not good. Then you must die. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You get a material body and again you give it up, and again you get it. This is going on.
Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:
So we should know, whenever there is sanction in the śāstra for meat-eating, for sex intercourse, or for drinking, it is not for encouraging; it is for prohibiting, restricting. So the next question should (be), "Why it is restricted?" Restricted means so long you'll be addicted to this habit, you'll have to accept a body. So one who cannot stop it immediately, he's restricted. "All right, you want to do it. All right. Go to this demigod." That is the list. If you want this, all right, go to this demigod." Means somehow or other, this lusty person is being brought before a demigod to understand that this is not good. This is implicating. Therefore it is said akāma. If you become completely free from all material desires, or if you want that position, then come to Kṛṣṇa. No other demigod. If you actually want freedom from this material bondage, then Kṛṣṇa...
Lecture on SB 2.3.25 -- Los Angeles, June 23, 1972:
In the middle, there were some questions, intelligent questions, by Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Question is also required. If you simply hear, do not understand, just like dumb stone, that's not good. You should hear attentively, and as soon as there is some difficulty, you should question. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that you should understand... First of all surrender. Praṇipāta. Tad viddhi praṇipātena. Praṇipātena means you must find out an able teacher, where you can surrender. So nobody wants to surrender, but if he sees that there is a greater personality than him, he surrenders.
Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1972:
Jñāna means knowledge. Or the jñānīs, they also want to be become one with the Supreme. And karma. Karma means karmīs, those who want to enjoy. So one should be uncovered, to covered by this jñāna, by karma or by any material desires. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167). Simply favorably serving Kṛṣṇa. Favorably, not unfavorably. Consciousness favorably. Just like Kaṁsa. Kaṁsa was also Kṛṣṇa conscious, but he was simply planning how to kill Kṛṣṇa. That kind of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not good. Of course, Kṛṣṇa is so kind, so any way one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he gets the benefit, at least, of liberation. Just like Kaṁsa was liberated. Although he was unfavorably Kṛṣṇa conscious, but he was thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Hiraṇyakaśipu, he was also thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 2.9.9 -- Tokyo, April 25, 1972, Informal Class in Room:
All over Europe. When Dr. Ghosh, who is my friend, he came to see me in Allahabad? One doctor? So he is friend. He told me that when he was student, Colonel (indistinct), one big professor, medicine, he was lecturing. He was Englishman. He said that "In our country, seventy to eighty percent of the student community, they are suffering from syphilitic attack." So in our country, in India, if one is attacked with syphilis, then he is taken as very abominable. His character is not good, it is understood. So he said, "Horrible," Dr. Ghosh, because he was Indian student. So Colonel (indistinct) replied, "Why you are saying horrible? In your country ninety percent people are attacked malaria. So there, syphilis. So as a medical practitioner why you take this disease as bad or that disease as good? Your business is to see that there should be no disease.
Lecture on SB 2.9.9 -- Tokyo, April 25, 1972, Informal Class in Room:
Even if you have no food, you cannot encroach upon other's right unless you are sanctioned. Therefore according to Vedic system, the meat-eater is given chance by sacrificing an animal before some demigod. Not free slaughterhouse. No. That you cannot do. Undergoing that process, someday he will come to his senses that "Meat-eating and killing of animal is not good." Because there are so many mantras. If you understand mantras, the mantra, when a goat is sacrificed before Goddess Kālī, before the goat being cut by his throat, the priest says that "Because you are sacrificing your life before Goddess Kālī, next life you are going to have human form of body for your, this sacrifice." Otherwise you have to undergo the process.
Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:
In the material world you cannot be without any anxiety. That is not possible. Asad-grahāt. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was asked by his father, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned from your teachers? Will you explain to me," so Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately replied, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt: (SB 7.5.5) "Yes, I have learned the best thing is that these materialistic persons, who have accepted the asad-vastu..." Sat and asat. Sad gama asato mā: "Don't keep yourself in the asat; go to the sat." Oṁ tat sat. That is the Vedic injunction. So... Material world means asad-vastu. Asad-vastu means not good or which will not stay. Asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means not existing. So in the material world nothing will exist. It exists for some time, temporary. The Māyāvādī philosopher says that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. We Vaiṣṇavas, we do not say mithyā, because God, or the Supreme Brahman, is truth, so there can be anything untruth from the truth. That is not possible.
Lecture on SB 3.25.4 -- Bombay, November 4, 1974:
Just like any machine—we have got experience—just like sometimes our typewriter machine or this dictaphone does not work. So if we go to the proper person, who knows the work, he immediately tightens one screw or changes something; it works. The process we must know. So if I go to a pān-wala for repairing my machine, that will be not good. He does not know the process. He may know to..., how to make pān, biḍi; but doesn't matter, he does not know how to repair a machine.
Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:
So śāstra says, "This is not good." Here also, Devahūti says that bhūmann asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt. Asad-indriya-tarṣ... Actually, these senses are not real senses. It is covered. Just like my, this body, covered with this shirt, or this cloth. It is not my real body. Although you see the shirt has got a hand, that hand is not real hand. The real hand is within the shirt. Similarly, our real body is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehe. Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the real body, or the spiritual body of the soul, is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. And the body is changing. Kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. It is sometimes child, sometimes youth, sometimes a young man, sometimes old man. And then vanishes. It is... There are six changes.
Lecture on SB 3.25.12 -- Bombay, November 12, 1974:
We require to eat something for maintaining the body. But not that we shall be accustomed to eat very palatable things. No. That is not good. Bhāla nā khāibe āra bhāla nā paribe. Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised His disciples, "Never eat very palatable foodstuff. Never talk these village talks." Ordinary novel, literature, newspaper, He forbade. Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper. You may be surprised that "How is that, in modern age, especially these Europeans and Americans, they do not take any interest in newspaper?" In their country, if one does not get newspaper, it is horrible. It is horrible.
Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:
So this class of men, they are not interested. They will suffer this material existence continually, one after another, one of chapter, one of chapter... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), one life. And if he gets one life very opulent, that is, then he doesn't care for what is next life. "Let me drink and enjoy. Eat, drink, and be merry and en..." This is going on all over the world. But śāstra says, "No, no, no, no. It is not good. You are doing mistake. You are doing mistake." Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). You have become mad and you are engaged in doing all forbidden things which you should not do. You are doing that.
Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:
So śāstra says, "No, no, this is not good. This is not good." Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). But they have no brain. This body is temporary, but it is full of suffering, although it is temporary. One can say, "This body is temporary. So what do I care for...?" But it is painful. We have to suffer.
Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:
These are not good things. Asādhu ayam. Na sādhu manye. These, this is not good for human being. Why it is not good? Because according to your karma you'll get another next life, another next body, and you'll have to suffer. Again you have to suffer. You are already suffering. You may be very rich man, but does it mean that you'll not be diseased, because you are rich man? No. This is suffering. You may be very rich man, very, I mean to say, influential man, prime minister... Even Jawaharlal Nehru-last time he became paralyzed. So you cannot avoid these things.
Lecture on SB 3.25.23 -- Bombay, November 23, 1974:
We have got our kingdom. We are well established. So You are going away to Dvārakā? No, no, no, this is not good. Better we may again go to that suffering so that we can remember You always." So the devotee sometimes welcomes suffering because that is an opportunity of remembering Kṛṣṇa very constantly. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam (SB 10.14.8). So when a devotee suffers, he thinks that "It is due to my past misdeeds. So I am suffering not very much, a very little, on account of Kṛṣṇa's grace. So it doesn't matter." So after all, it is, everything, in the mind, suffering and enjoying. So a devotee's mind is trained up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore he does not care for suffering. That is the difference between a devotee and nondevotee.
Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:
Although he's respected as Kṛṣṇa, still, kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya; He does not claim that "I've become Kṛṣṇa." No. He's very dear to Kṛṣṇa. Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya. Priya. Priya means dear. Why he's so dear? Because he preaches the master's message. Therefore he's pure. If he preaches his own message, manufactured, then he's not good; he's deceit. That now there are so many rascal, they say like that, that "Kṛṣṇa was Bhagavān. That is past now. He's dead and gone. Now I am Kṛṣṇa." There are many rascals they say like that. But these rascals are accepted by other rascals. God is never dead. God... How He can get...? Even the ordinary living being, he's not dead. Na jāyate na mriyate. Even we, living entities, never die or never born. How the Supreme Lord can be dead or born? That is not the fact.
Lecture on SB 3.26.2 -- Bombay, December 14, 1974:
Just like here, we are puruṣa. This birth I am puruṣa, next birth I may become stri or prakṛti. If I am too much fond of woman, and at the time of death, if I think of woman, then I get a woman's body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajanty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Therefore too much attachment for woman is not good, because, or too much attachment for anything in this material world, that is doomed. Therefore, here it is said, hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam. Hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam, my attachment, my heart attraction is so strong, it is like granthi, knot. So ātma-darśanam means hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam, opening the knot. Hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam, that is ātma-darśanam. When I become free from all attachment of this material world, that is called hṛdaya-granthi-bhedanam.
Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:
So śāstra says... It is the statement of Ṛṣabhadeva. He says, na sādhu manye: "No, no. It is not good." Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam. Ātmanaḥ, the soul. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). The ātmā is covered by this material body, although it is temporary. Sometimes it is for ten years or sometimes twenty years, sometimes hundred years, sometimes millions of years, but it is limited. Either you get the body of Lord Brahmā or the body of the poor ant, they are all temporary. It will be finished.
Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:
Nirvāṇa means "Finish this colorful life. Become zero." He said zero, śūnyavādi. But actually, we cannot be zero. Because we are eternal, how we can be zero? We have to enter another colorful life. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. Simply if you make zero, that is not... That is little better, that you understand that this colorful life of material existence is not good. But what is your positive engagement? Unless you are positively engaged in another superior colorful life, you cannot give up this base colorful life.
Lecture on SB 3.26.28 -- Bombay, January 5, 1975:
You are a kṣatriya. Your duty is to fight, and you are trying to refrain from the fight? You have become so ignorant? Oh, this is not good." Then, when Arjuna understood that he was not in the right point, declining the fight, kārpaṇya-doṣa upahata-svabhāvaḥ, kārpaṇya-doṣa. "I am not doing my duty. I can understand. All right. But I am perplexed. Therefore I become Your student." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam: (BG 2.7) "I surrender unto You as śiṣya, as Your disciple. Now correct me." And he was, when he was corrected, the same Arjuna said, "Yes." Kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Yes, I will fight."
Lecture on SB 3.26.30 -- Bombay, January 7, 1975:
There is a very famous Bhāgavata reader in Bombay. He is a pakka avaiṣṇava. But he is going on, and he is infusing poison—means those who are hearing him, they will never be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa. They will never be able. It is so poisonous. Therefore Sanātana Gosvāmī says, avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "Avaiṣṇava, who is not Vaiṣṇava, who is not devotee, if he speaks about Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, nonsense..." He will speak nonsense. So it is not good. Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ hari-kathāmṛtam, śravaṇaṁ na kartavyam: "You should never hear." On principle you should avoid hearing from such rascals. This is the injunction of Sanātana Gosvāmī. "Why? He is speaking Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why one should not hear? Bhagavad-gītā is very nice." That's all right. He gives the example, sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. Milk... Everyone knows milk is very good food. But if it is touched by the lip of a serpent, then it is finished. Then it is finished. He will die. If you take such milk, then your destiny is to death.
Lecture on SB 4.14.14 -- November 16, 1971, Delhi:
Drinking is not good. Nobody supports. But when a drunkard is persistent to drink, the government gives him some concession, "All right, this man will die without drinking. All right. You can take your liquor from that shop, licensed shop, and you can purchase under such a condition, 'You do not do this, do not do this,' " there are so many regulations. But there is no such restriction for eating rice or dahl, because that is not bad. The bad thing... Just like slaughterhouse. Slaughterhouse is not open to the public. It is done in a secret place so that people may not see. It is ghastly. So anything bad, that is licensed, licensed. Just like sex life. Sex life is also not very good thing. Therefore, the license is marriage. If you want to enjoy sex life, all right, take this license, marriage, not beyond that. Then you will be criminal.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Tittenhurst, London, September 12, 1969:
The saintly person, the spiritual master, and the śāstra corroborate if they are abiding one another. Yes. If spiritual master says something which is not in śāstra or scripture, that is not good. Of course, sometimes we do not..., we cannot understand, but that is the principle. Similarly, a saintly person also, a mahātmā also, cannot disregard the regulative principles of śāstra. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya: "A person who gives up obedience to the ruling of the scriptures," vartate kāma-kārataḥ, "and he acts in his own way, by his whims," na siddhiṁ sāvāpnoti, "he cannot attain perfection." These are the versions of Bhagavad-gītā. Na siddhiṁ sāvāp..., na sukham: "And at the same time, he cannot be happy."
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Delhi, November 28, 1975:
These informations are there, but you are not considering that. We are going on to establish ourself very tightly in this material world, but Kṛṣṇa says that you will not be allowed to live. These things are to be considered. Therefore they have been described as pramattaḥ. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). They are acting sinfully or they are committing so many sinful activities, and they are becoming entangled for another's body, who is the resultant action of our sinful activities. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says that na sādhu manye: "This is not good that you are wasting your time simply for sense gratification and you do not know that you have got a next life."
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:
Everyone is subjected to some kind of disease. So we do not take account. So here Ṛṣabhadeva is stressing on this point. "My dear boys, do not spoil your life living like cats and dogs." Do not. This is not meant for this life. This human form of life is meant for different purposes. Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. That we should always remember, that this human form of body is obtained after many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Bahu sambhavante. Bahu sambhava. Sambhava means birth and death, birth and death. So we should not forget this. Everyone should be very serious. That is civilization. Not that to remain for sense gratification like cats and dogs fighting. This is not good.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:
If you simply take little trouble to understand Kṛṣṇa... That tapasya required: to read Kṛṣṇa's instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Because that tapasya, if you take little painful... It is not painful. It is very pleasing. But we avoid it. We think it is painful. "Ah! Who is going to read books? We are meant for selling books, not for reading books." This is not good. We should read also. That is tapasya. Saddhaya. That is tapasya. Don't think that simply our books are meant for selling. No. It is meant for reading also. If we read regularly, at least two hours, three hours, that is tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). To understand spiritual position, my spiritual position, Kṛṣṇa's spiritual... (aside:) Stop that. (child making noise) So that is tapasya.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness means whatever is received through the mercy of God, we should be satisfied. That's all. Therefore we prescribe that our students should be married. Because that is a problem. Sex life is a problem. So this marriage in every society, either Hindu society or Christian society or Muhammadan, marriage is done under religious rituals. That means one should be satisfied. "Oh, God has sent me this man as my husband." And the man should think that "God has sent me this woman, this nice woman as my wife. Let us live peacefully." But if I want, "Oh, this wife is not good. That girl is nice," "This man is not good. That man is good," then the whole thing is spoiled. Whole thing is spoiled. Because these demands are there, sense gratification. On the basis of sense gratification, "I don't like this girl. I like that girl." "I don't like this boy. I like that boy."
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:
Devotee (2): "...makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
Prabhupāda: Yes. You become automatically healthy, wealthy and wise. Yes. But here you are accustomed to sleep up to twelve o'clock. (laughs) No. That is not good. Yes?
Devotee (2): Can we chant a little while "Kṛṣṇa"?
Prabhupāda: Yes, certainly. This chanting is nice program. Now chant. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:
Jyotirmayī: She says she thinks that we are a little exploiting God...
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Jyotirmayī: Exploiting God.
Yogeśvara: Exploiting God, she thinks...
Prabhupāda: No, you should not approach for exploiting God. That is not good. But even if you go to God to exploit Him, that is also good. (laughter) Stop, stop. Because after all you are approaching God. Even with the purpose of exploitation, that is not good, but because you are reaching God that is very good. Just like in Christian religion we know that the prayer is "God, give us our daily bread." So God is supplying bread to everyone. It doesn't require to ask Him. But, he, because he is going to the church, and praying to the God, he is very good.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- Bombay, March 25, 1977:
The fruit you can take as prasādam. Prasāde sarve-duḥkhānāṁ hānir asyopajāyate. When you take as prasādam, then you are not bound up. But if you enjoy it as your fruitive result, then you have to suffer or enjoy. That is not good.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
So Raghunātha Dāsa Gosvāmī was entrusted for training to Svarūpa Dāmodara. He asked Svarūpa Dāmodara, "We don't receive any invitation from Raghunātha nowadays, what is that?" "No, he has refused his father's money. He doesn't take. These men have gone back." Then Caitanya Mahāprabhu went, "Oh, that's very nice. He became a mendicant by taking help from home, it is not good. He has refused, that is very nice. But how he is eating nowadays?" "Now he is standing on the staircase at Jagannātha Temple. When the priests go home, they give him some contribution of the foodstuff. He is maintained."
Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
Coming to the point of nil, no more eating. No more sleeping, no more sex life, no more defense. This is perfection. Who will accept this? (laughter). Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva says nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, to collect for eating, sleeping and mating, whole day and night working, this is not good. Then what is good? Tapaḥ. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed (SB 5.5.1). Sattvam means your existence has to be purified. Our existence, this existence is not purified, therefore we have got this material body. Now what is the decitement (?). Let us have this material, we are enjoying very nicely. What is this bad? But these rascals, they have no idea that we can avoid the, I mean to say, miserable condition of this body.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:
Guest (2): Swami, I'm going to work to formulate this question. I don't know if I can speak it clearly. Now it's true that a soul must evolve through perhaps many lifetimes in order to reach the point at which he is ready to attempt renunciation. Right?
Prabhupāda: No. Renunciation, that depends on your understanding. If you understand that "This thing is not good," you can renounce it immediately.
Guest (2): Then in order to reach the level at which you can understand that...
Prabhupāda: No, no. There is no question. It is no question of understanding. If you understand in a minute... That depends on the student to understand. Something, "This is bad; this is good." Now if you understand it properly, that "This is not good, bad," so you can renounce it immediately. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). So that depends on your capacity to understand what is good, what is bad. If you think that this material existence, repeated birth and death and changing this body, is not good, then you can immediately renounce and you can prepare yourself for spiritual life. But if you think that "Oh, it doesn't matter I am repeating my birth and death. It is good," then you cannot renounce.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:
Jñāna. That is called knowledge. But it is a fact that sex life is not good because there are so many inebrieties. Just like modern civilization, they prescribe contraceptive method. Why? Why? Unless there is some bad result of sex life, why they are prescribing this medicine? Why? If it is good, then why the medicine counteractive? Therefore it is to be accepted it is not good. By reason. Why there are contraceptive methods? Let everyone enjoy sex life and let the result be there. Why contraceptive method? Therefore it is not good.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:
Guest (3): It's against the reproduction of human species.
Prabhupāda: That means that is not good. You think that is not good therefore. Therefore this process is not good. If the result is not good, then process is not good.
Guest (3): Well, if everybody remained celibate,
Prabhupāda: That you can voluntarily do. That is brahmacārī. That is restraint. That is mahātmā. That is recommended in Vedic life, that you can have sex life only for children. That's all. Therefore sex life without any desire of children is not good. Yes.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:
First thing is... Suppose a man is too much sexually addicted. If he hears that "This is impediment to my spiritual advancement," if he hears repeatedly, then he thinks of his weakness, that "This should not have been done, but I am so weak." So with this knowledge he can advance. You see. At least, he must know that "This is not good for my spiritual advancement." Then it will be... Then Kṛṣṇa, or God, will help him. There is an English proverb, "One who helps himself, God helps." Yes. God's help will come. So there is no question of despair. Anyone can begin, and the simple beginning is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:
In India, there is no question of divorce. So nobody takes very serious care when there is fight between husband and wife. So there also: "I'm going to immediately leave you, going to kill you..." and so many things. But after an hour, everything is finished. No more quarrel. Dāmpatya kalahe caiva prabhāte megha-garjane. And in the morning, if you see big cloud assembly and thundering sound, but you rest assured. There will be no rain in the morning. So these things are bahvārambhe laghu kriyā. Ārambha, beginning is very gorgeous. But end is nothing. So that is not good, bahvārambhe laghu kriyā.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:
So simply for sense gratification, you are prepared to commit so many criminal activities, and you are passing on as civilization. Therefore it is said, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Āpṛṇoti. Na sādhu manye, Ṛṣabhadeva says: "O My dear boys, it is not very good." Na sādhu manye. Sādhu means honest work, nice sādhu means saintly person or good. It is not good. Why it is not good? I am enjoying, enjoying. Enjoying means palate, very nice. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). You do not know that you have got this material body.
Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:
Whatever little duration of life you have got... That is stated here: nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti na sādhu manye (SB 5.5.4). In this way, to waste time, is not at all good. Na sādhu manye. Why it is not good? Yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: Because we have got this miserable condition of life, this body... This is due to our past action. Now if you create again the same action, then you'll have to accept another body. Then your, this miserable condition of life will continue. Will continue. Just finish it.
Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:
If you don't get Kṛṣṇa, then there is no other way. There is no other alternative. The only alternative is mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). You get one body and again you die, again get another body. This will go on. Therefore we should not Na sādhu manye. Ṛṣabhadeva, boys, said, "This is not good." Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4).
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:
So in the previous verse Ṛṣabhadeva has said that this madness after sense gratification, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute, and doing all kinds of sinful activities, this is not good. And actually we can see... (aside:) No, I daily say that during talking you should not cut, cut. So one may argue, especially those who are atheists, that "Suppose we get a material body and little miserable. What is the wrong there? It will be finished. Then there will be no more pains and pleasures." That is the Buddhist theory, that the body is combination of matter, and there is pains and pleasures, so make this body zero. Then there will be no more pains and pleasures, and you will have to accept another body. And so long you shall continue to accept one body after another, the miserable condition of material existence will continue. Therefore in the beginning it was said that "This body, human body, is not to be misused simply for sense gratification like the dogs and hogs." That was the beginning.
Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:
Unless you are qualified... Everyone is ambitious, but does it mean by becoming ambitious, one can become very rich man or very respectable man? That is not possible. One must qualify himself. So these are futile attempts. You have to act according to the... But they do not believe that there is higher authority, there is judgment and everything. They think that it is blind: "Whatever we like, we can do." That is not good. Parābhavaḥ. This is called defeat. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata.
Lecture on SB 5.5.7 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1976:
Self-interest... Just like this finger, pick up some nice cake, rasagullā, but if the fingers think that, "We have got it, we shall use it," all the fingers together, it will be spoiled. But if the fingers think that, "Give it to the stomach," then it will be everyone's interest. As soon as the rasagullā goes to the stomach the energy is distributed not only to these fingers of right hand, but left hand fingers also. This law they do not know. This law they do not know. Therefore it is yadā na paśyanti, paśyaty ayathā guṇehām. Everyone is trying communally, nationally, individually, for his or their interest, so that is not good svārthe pramattaḥ. They do not know what is real self-interest.
Lecture on SB 5.5.8 -- Vrndavana, October 30, 1976:
When you are married in India, there is some band party, and the bride, bridegroom is decorated like king, and he is on the horseback and is taken. But one who knows, he says that "This rascal is becoming more rascal." (Hindi) So therefore to check him, not to become a (Hindi), gadā, ass, the first education is brahmacārī—don't enter. Don't enter this puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. That is education, that is called brahmacārī. Warning that "It is not good. Better remain brahmacārī," brahmecaratiti brahmacārī. "Remain with Brahman, celibacy. You will be happy." But... That is the first education, brahmacārī. Then one, if he is unable to remain brahmacārī, "All right, take wife, regulated, gṛhastha." Don't remain cats and dogs. That is not human civilization. First of all, education is, "Don't unite. Remain brahmacārī." But if you are not able, "All right, take a wife like a gentleman and live like a gentleman." Ekonari brahmacārī, that is also... If one is satisfied with one woman, then he is also brahmacārī. He is not vyabhicārī.
Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976:
If you have become more than your guru, then "Overcoming guru, I shall get Kṛṣṇa's prasāda, Kṛṣṇa's favor, I have learnt more, guru mara vidyā," that is also not good. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo yasya **. This is the injunction of the ācārya, Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura. He has described very nicely vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru nandana (BG 2.41). The order of guru should be the life and soul of the disciple, without caring for his personal salvation. This is the qualification of śiṣya. Śiṣyas te 'ham śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), fully surrendered. And guru's duty is to guide them, guide him how to overcome this cycle of birth of death.
Lecture on SB 5.5.18 -- Vrndavana, November 6, 1976:
The gopīs are trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the cowherd boys are satisfying, trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, mother Yaśodā is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja is trying to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. The whole center is how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That oneness is required. Not that I become one with Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) when they do not agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, then they come back in this material world, again they begin to serve the society, to serve the country, to serve the daridra-nārāyaṇa, to serve this, that, that, that, that. So āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ, even they go to the Brahman effulgence, because they do not agree to serve Kṛṣṇa, anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ they again come back to serve the society, friendship, and daridra-nārāyaṇa, so on, so on, so on. So this is the Bhāgavata's instruction: one should not begin (to) become a guru, or to cheat the disciple, showing him wrong path. That is not good. That is instructed by Ṛṣabhādeva.
Lecture on SB 5.5.28 -- Vrndavana, November 15, 1976:
The king should be ideal, as here it is, paramahaṁsa. Mahānubhāvaḥ. So, and the prajā should be also strictly following varṇāśrama dharma. Then this world will be happy. Otherwise it is not possible. Not one sided. "The king is not good. Dethrone him. Kill him," and some rascals and fools in the name of democracy, they occupy the seat. What benefit will be there? The whole thing has to be changed, the prajās and the king. The advantage of democracy is there. By votes you can elect somebody as president. One has to follow the principle, monarch, one man on the head of the government. It may be a monarch or it may be a president—it doesn't matter—but there must be one chief executive officer on the head.
Lecture on SB 5.5.31 -- Vrndavana, November 18, 1976:
We are suffering. Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva said—we have already studied that—na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśa-da āsa dehaḥ. The mode of life which we are leading, it is not good. It is foolishness that we simply wasting our life like the animals—āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca—and for maithuna and sense gratification we are doing everything like a madman. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya apṛṇoti (SB 5.5.4). Only for sense gratification we are acting like madmen. So Ṛṣabhadeva said... We have already... Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam: "This is not good behavior."
Lecture on SB 5.5.32 -- Vrndavana, November 19, 1976:
It is not possible because we are already so weak. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). This is our position. We are very unfortunate. Every one of us, we are very bad, mandāḥ, bad habits. So it is not possible to imitate Ṛṣabhadeva or Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Don't imitate but try to follow. Anusaraṇa. Anukaraṇa is not good. Anukaraṇa means false imitation. That is called anukaraṇa. And anusaraṇa means to follow. Try to follow as far as possible.
Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:
"Without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they are working so hard day and night like asses and pigs and dogs." They are very much anxious for this, "How to stop this foolish person from this unnecessary trouble?" Unnecessary trouble. That Ṛṣabhādeva has already instructed us in the beginning, that "Don't spoil your life working so hard like hogs and dogs. No, this is not good." Na sādhu manye. "This is not good." But they are thinking... Now it is advertised that "Work hard. Work hard." And the people have come to the stage of pulling thela and rickshaw, and still, they have to work hard. This is the position. Because they do not know what is..., how to become ātmārāma. That is the difficulty.
Lecture on SB 5.6.1 -- Vrndavana, November 23, 1976:
So in this way, if we remain entrapped in the laws of material nature, then it is not good. Na sādhu manye yata atmāno yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This practice we should give up. Mano-dharma. Mental concoction. We should immediately accept Kṛṣṇa's instruction and be situated in atmā-dharma.
Lecture on SB 5.6.2 -- Vrndavana, November 24, 1976:
We should not be sentimentally very much anxious—"Please give me sannyāsa, give me sannyāsa"—and then fall down and go to hell. That is not good. That is not good. If one is able to strictly follow the sannyāsa rules and regulation, he should take. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa has said that sannyāsa, real sannyāsa, means one who does not take any remuneration for his service to Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ sa sannyāsī (BG 6.1). "It is my duty. I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. To serve Kṛṣṇa is my duty."
Lecture on SB 5.6.6 -- Vrndavana, November 28, 1976:
So our request is that you have taken to this vairāgya-vidyā. So vairāgya-vidyā, we do not say that you starve, don't eat anything, don't sleep at all. No. It should be regulated. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārtham upayuñjataḥ. Don't be attached to eating, sleeping. That is not good. But you must eat, you must sleep as little as possible, and try to conquer over it. My mind dictating, "Sleep seventeen hours." No. That is tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Why shall you sleep more than four hours or five hours, or utmost six hours? That's all, not more than that. That is vairāgya-vidyā. We have to learn it. That is devotional service.
Lecture on SB 5.6.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1976:
Unfortunately, there is no kṣatriya, there is no brāhmaṇa, there is no control of the caṇḍālas, and the whole world is in chaotic condition. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt. Because the caṇḍālas are majority and we are very minority. But still little portion of good thing is still good, and large amount of bad thing, that is bad. That is not good.
Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:
When there is duty, that is another thing. But not whimsically. We cannot kill. Therefore Lord Jesus Christ ordered, "Thou shall not kill." This is the order. "Thou shall not kill." But we are violating the order. We are killing so many animals. So this is not good. On the plea that "Lord Christ sometimes took some fish somewhere; therefore we will have to maintain a big slaughterhouse," this is not very good logic.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:
Just like a man falls diseased. He's habituated to some certain habits, and he falls diseased on account of that. He knows that "I committed this mistake in respect of my healthy condition, so I'm now punished by this disease. He knows and he has suffered, but why he commits again? This is the question. Why he commits again? So Parīkṣit Mahārāja says that dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyaṁ yat pāpaṁ jānann apy ātmano 'hitaṁ (SB 6.1.9). A person knows that this is not good for him. For example a thief. A thief knows that stealing is not good. It is against law, and against our revealed scriptures also. No religious book or scriptures will say that "You go on stealing." No. Neither the state laws also allows stealing. A man knows. And suppose he's stolen in the past and he was punished or he sees that one who has stolen property, he is arrested by the police and he's being taken into custody.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Nellore, January 5, 1976:
The practical example is, when you go to the airport there is security checking. So all gentlemen, whoever he may be—sometimes they excuse me—but they are checked thoroughly. So the authorities check everyone means that everyone is dishonest. So what is the value of this education if everyone is criminal and dishonest? So Parīkṣit Mahārāja is intelligent devotee. He therefore protested against this so-called atonement. Therefore he describes like this, dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṁ yat pāpaṁ janānn apy ātmano 'hitam (SB 6.1.9). Everyone knows that "I am stealing; it is not good for me," but even though he is put into the jail as prāyaścitta, again he comes back and does the same thing.
Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:
One hears, also practically sees. So dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṁ yat pāpam (SB 6.1.9), that if one commits some sinful activities, and other sees it, and he also sees it, and he has heard it from scripture, still, janānn apy ātmano 'hitam. Ātmano, he knows that "This is not good for me." Ātmanā, ātmanā means for the soul. The soul is suffering, and he sees practically that "This is not good for me." "Me" means I am as soul. Because I have to travel or transmigrate in so many species of life, he knows. So he has heard it from the scripture, he's seeing that there is suffering. But karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ: still, he commits the same sin, vivaśaḥ. Vivaśaḥ means just like somebody is forcing him to do it. Something forced. A thief has committed theft and he has gone to a prisonhouse. He's suffering, and he's thinking that "Next time I shall not do like this. This is very troublesome." But as soon as he comes out, again he commits the same thing.
Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:
Just like sometimes the Christians do. They go to the church, make some atonement, and again does the same thing next week, and again goes to the church, again atonement. This is not good. If you make atonement for your sinful activities by some process—just like we are prescribing this process, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa—surely your sinful reaction is nullified. But don't commit it again. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He delivered Jagāi-Mādhāi. They were very sinful. Sinful means they were born in a respectable brāhmaṇa family, but by bad association they became drunkard, woman-hunter, cheater, and plunderer, like that. That is sinful.
Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- Los Angeles, June 21, 1975:
A temporary sense gratification. They are acting so sinfully. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye: "This is not good." Why? Yata ātmano 'yam: "Because you have got already this material body, this temporary body." So "That's all right. I have got this temporary body. It will be finished." No. Asann api kleśada: "Although it is temporary, so long you will possess this material body, you will have to suffer so many suffering, threefold miseries." So they don't care for it because illiterate. Not illiterate—ignorant. Literary knowledge is not sufficient.
Lecture on SB 6.1.9 -- Los Angeles, June 22, 1975:
So dṛṣṭa means our eyes are working, and we see that a criminal is arrested and he is punished. And śruta means knowledge-gathering. Just like you gather knowledge from book. So we have got two senses—not two senses, but ten senses: five senses, knowledge gathering, and five senses, directing, knowledge, working senses. So dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyām means by two senses, two kinds of senses: knowledge-gathering senses and working senses. We have experience by two kinds of senses. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja says that a person, means a sinful person, he is getting experience from the both kinds of senses, dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyām, and by that experience he knows that "This is not good. This is a sinful act."
Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971:
Nobody can say that "I do not know that is sinful activities." Who does not know that stealing is sinful, committing murder is sinful, or so many other things? So Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquires that dṛṣṭa-śrutābhyāṁ yat pāpaṁ jānann apy ātmano 'hitam (SB 6.1.9). "And he knows that 'It is not good for me; if I steal I'll be arrested, I'll be punished, I'll be put into jail. That is not a very comfortable life.' He knows that." Karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ. "But he commits again and again, vivaśaḥ, as if forced by something, forced by something." Karoti bhūyo vivaśaḥ prāyaścittam atho katham (SB 6.1.9).
Lecture on SB 6.1.10 -- Honolulu, May 11, 1976:
Everyone knows "This is not good," but he is punished. Again he does that. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja said, "What is the use of this atonement?" He further explains in this verse that kvacin nivartate abhadrāt. Abhadra means unclean, wrong things. Bhadra means right thing. Bhadra and abhadra. In India bhadra means gentleman and abhadra means uncivilized man. So sometimes he does like gentlemen and sometimes like foolish rascal. Kvacin nivartate 'bhadrāt kvacic carati tat punaḥ (SB 6.1.10). After coming from the prison house, jail, he decides, "No more I shall commit. I shall now become gentleman."
Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:
When there are varṇa-saṅkara the whole world becomes hell. This is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So the life of austerity begins from the life of celibacy, brahmacarya. So brahmacarya, the descriptions are given here, how you can execute brahmacārī life. You cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life. There are eight types of different regulation to stop sex life. But these things are very difficult in this age. Therefore we have simply summarized that don't have sex life beyond the married life. That is not good.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
Actually, we are reponsible. So for the next life we must be responsible. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). This is the life junction. If you like, you can go to the higher planetary system, you can go to the pitṛ-lokas, or lower down in the hellish lokas, or you can go to Kṛṣṇa also. That information we have got from the śāstra. So the human life means responsible life, not extravagance, "Whatever I like, I do like cats and dogs." That is not good. And in another place Ṛṣabhadeva has said also..., several times we have repeated, na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam, kleśada āsa dehaḥ. This world is going on not now. So long the material world is there, the living entities are after sense enjoyment like a madman. This is the position.
Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:
So Ṛṣabhadeva says, na sādhu manye: "This is not good." "Why it is not good? I am enjoying life." No, you are not enjoying. Because you have got this material body, there is no question of enjoyment. It is simply suffering. And you are thinking it is enjoyment. That is illusion. That is māyā. You are accepting something which is not.
Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- New York, July 27, 1971:
Regulation cannot be executed without control. Therefore yamena niyamena vā. These are the process. If you want to elevate... Our topics began... The people are suffering. Although one knows that "This is not good, what I am doing," he has heard, he has seen also the effect of it... The same example: A man who has stolen some property, he's arrested. And he knew it, that "If I steal, I'll be punished." But he has done it, the same thing. He knew it. He heard it from the police courts, that stealing is not good. He knew it. He heard it from authorities. Still he has done it. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja's question is, "What is this atonement?" If he, although knowing and hearing, completely in knowledge, still he's forced to do something, to steal, or to something criminal, what then is the use of putting him into the jail and atonement? He'll come again and again do the same thing.
Lecture on SB 6.1.14 -- Bombay, November 10, 1970:
Guest: No, no, I... (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: Yes. One difficulty is that we go to some saintly person, we hear and we challenge whether the saintly person corroborated my idea. If he does not, then he's not good.
Guest: That is not...
Prabhupāda: If it is against my conviction, "Oh, he is not good."
Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Denver, June 29, 1975:
Sometimes they go to the higher planetary system. So yānti deva-vratā devān pitṛn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25). So as you work, you get the desired result. But at the last line, Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino'pi yānti mām: "If you work or if you worship Me, then you come to Me." Then where is the difference between going to Kṛṣṇa and keeping within this material world? The difference is ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). In this material world even if you go to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, still, there is birth, death, old age and disease. Or you have to return back again. Just like these people are going to the moon planet and again coming back here. So this kind of going and coming back here is not good. Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). If you go to such planet wherefrom you haven't got to come back again to this material world, that is highest perfection. That is Kṛṣṇaloka.
Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Denver, July 1, 1975:
We shall be careful to follow the rules and regulation. And another complaint I was hearing that we are not taking prasādam, especially the gṛhasthas. No. That is not good. You should take prasādam. Kṛṣṇa baṛo doyāmoy, koribāre jihwā jay, swa-prasād-anna dilo bhāi, sei annāmṛta pāo, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa gāo, preme ḍāko caitanya-nitāi. Kṛṣṇa baṛo doyā... Our tongue is the greatest enemy. Tā 'ra madhye jihwā ati, lobhamoy sudurmati. The tongue is the greatest enemy, and if you can control the tongue, then you can control all the senses. Otherwise tongue will dictate, "Give me this kind of food, give me this kind of food."
Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Denver, July 1, 1975:
So in our other branches, all the devotees, they take together prasādam. That is nice. Why one should be not liking to take prasādam in the temple? What is the fault? No, this is not good. We should... Everyone should take prasādam. You see still if you go to Jagannātha Purī. Even outsiders who go there, they do not cook. Strictly, they do not cook. They purchase prasādam. And if you go there, one thousand men—because there are pilgrims, they are coming, there is no—you will get immediately ready prasādam, purchased from the the market, the Jagannātha Purī, still. And there is no such thing as infection. I am taking your prasādam remnants.
Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Honolulu, May 21, 1976:
Only guṇa is not good. Guṇa and karma. Karma means some act. Suppose you are initiated as a brāhmaṇa. That is not finish, that "Now I am initiated. I have got sacred thread. I can do all nonsense thing." No. You must act as a brāhmaṇa. Then you are brāhmaṇa. You always remember that. They are criticizing in India that I am giving a brāhmaṇa's position to these mlecchas and yavanas. You should be very careful so that we may not be subjected to criticism. If there are so many foreign brāhmaṇas in India and I am making brāhmaṇa in the Western countries, if they are still fallen, then what is this attempt? My attempt is futile.
Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Honolulu, May 24, 1976:
The priestly order, they think that "As others make some money by working hard, by professional or by doing some business or working, so we shall also earn some money by showing the church or temple or the mosque." They have taken it like that. Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the reason. Because those who are in charge of the religious department, the brāhmaṇas, those who are in charge of religion, the priestly order or the maulanis (?) or the brāhmaṇas, they're the same order, their duty is to keep people enlightened in the real mission of life. That is their duty. But if they're also doing the same thing, sense gratification, how long they can cheat others? Therefore people have lost faith in religion. This is the reason. But that is not good.
Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Philadelphia, July 13, 1975:
Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān. Kṛṣṇa says, "Ācārya means I am." Nāvamanyeta karhicit: "Do not try to neglect." Na martya-buddhyāsūyeta: "Do not consider ācārya, spiritual master, as ordinary human being and become envious." These things are warned. Ācāryaṁ māṁ vijānīyān nāvamanyeta karhicit, na martya-buddhyāsūyeta (SB 11.17.27). Familiarity breeds contempt. That is not good. Similarly... Because by the mercy of ācārya, by the mercy of guru, you will get Kṛṣṇa. You sing that, kṛṣṇa-prāpti jāhā hoite, what is that? Kṛṣṇa-prāpti jāhā hoite.
Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Philadelphia, July 14, 1975:
When you ply your boat, if the breeze is favorable, pushing on, that is another advantage, good boat and good breeze. And guru-karṇadhāram: "And the captain, steering man, is guru." He is giving instruction, "Row like this. Turn this way, that way." He is turning everything. So we have got this opportunity. If the boat is very nice, the captain is very nice, the breeze is very favorable, and even accepting or getting this nice boat, favorable, if we do not cross over the sea of ignorance, of material existence, then we are committing suicide. Sa ātma-hā. You get all the opportunities, and still you remain in this material world, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease? Is that very good intelligence? No. That is not good.
Lecture on SB 6.1.34-39 -- Surat, December 19, 1970:
So people... What is the meaning of this preaching? Why we are taking interest in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Because the people in general, they are interested in preyaḥ, for their sense gratification, immediate sense gratification. But that is not good for them. Bhāgavata says, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti: (SB 5.5.4) "Simply for sense gratification, they are committing so many sinful activities. It is like, just like madman." A madman does not know what he is doing. Similarly, the materialistic persons, they are so much engrossed and become maddened to commit everything simply for sense gratification. Indriya-prīti. So Ṛṣabhadeva says, "It is not good. It is very risky life."
Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- San Francisco, July 20, 1975:
So who is to be punished? (laughter) Yes. Kathaṁ svid dhriyate daṇḍaḥ. So the judge must know who is to be punished. That is judgment. Kathaṁ svid dhriyate daṇḍaḥ sthānam. Deśa-kāla-pātra: according to time, according to circumstances, according to the subject, everything scrutinizingly judged, not whimsically. Nowadays it is the time for emergency. Anyone can be punished without any judgment. But this is not good position.
Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- Los Angeles, June 5, 1976:
According to Vedic civilization, evidence, is śruti, Vedas. If you say something and if you give evidence, proof from the Vedic literature, then it is perfect. No such nonsense things: "I believe," "We believe," "Perhaps," "Maybe." No. Such foolish things are not accepted. Then everyone will say something. There are thousands and millions of people, everyone will imagine something and say something. Then where is the correct thing? This is not good. Veda-pramāṇam. That will be described in the next verse. Veda-praṇihito dharmo. Veda-praṇihito. What is explained in the Veda, that is dharma. You cannot manufacture dharma. If it is mentioned in the Vedas, what is dharma, what is adharma, then it is acceptable.
Lecture on SB 6.1.46 -- San Diego, July 27, 1975:
By nature's way, here is a tree, five thousand years. So is that kind of living is very profitable, to stand up five thousand years in a forest? So any variety of life within this material world is not good, either you are demigod or tree or this or that. That is education. That is education. So one should understand that any varieties of life, either as demigod or dog, here the life is troublesome. The demigods even, they are put into so many dangers. Many times they approach God. So here you will be always in danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). It is futile to attempt to make this material world dangerless. That is not possible.
Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975:
So we shall be very much cautious so that we do not forget our responsibility. Naṣṭa-janma-smṛtiḥ, it is not good. Naṣṭa-janma. We must be responsible that "We have got this birth," labdhvā su-durlabhaṁ bahu-sambhavānte, "after many, many births, after much suffering in so many species of life, one after another, one after an..." And unfortunately, the people are so dull-headed, they do not care for it. But this is the most important subject matter of life. So those who are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they should take charge, that "These rascals are suffering. Let them have some idea about Kṛṣṇa." That is wanted. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So I am very glad that you are seriously interested, and Kṛṣṇa is pleased upon you. And that you are sincerely trying, I can understand from these tulasī plants. Yes. This is the practical demonstration.
Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:
Real meaning of yoga means controlling the senses. So because everyone is ajita-ṣaḍ-varga-ajita means not conquered—so those who are too much addicted in the bodily concept of life, for them this haṭha-yoga is prescribed. The purpose is to control the senses, not that to reduce fat or something else. No. Real purpose is yoga indriya-saṁyamaḥ because unless we control the senses, we remain in ignorance, blind, and go on. Ajita-ṣaḍ-vargo necchan. Necchan. Na icchan. If we do not try, then even though I do not want to do something, even I... On the cigarette package there is, that "It is not good for health." So I do not like that my health should be ruined, but necchan, I am compelled to smoke. This is our position. It is written, warning there. Government has written.
Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:
We see so many places in airplane, "No smoking. No smoking." But the rascal will not stop that... Nobody can smoke, but allowed, "Now you can smoke." They say also. First of all write, "No smoking," then, as soon as the plane is running, they say, "Now you can smoke." So this is going on. This is education. This is education. And blind, simply blind rascals. I always say that, the strong word, rascal, because blind, ajñaḥ, anicchan. They hear that smoking is not good, "determined," but as soon as the cigarette packet is there, "Give me a cigarette." Necchan. This is called tapasya, that you have to beat your mind with shoes at least twice. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "When you get up, your first business is to beat the mind with shoes. And when you go to bed, you have to beat the mind with broomstick." (laughter) Then you will be able to control the mind.
Lecture on SB 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975:
If you become envious to other living entities and if you become friend of particular living entity, that is not good qualification. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. Sarva-bhūtaḥ-suhṛt sādhu. He is sādhu. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. These are the qualification of a sādhu. Suhṛdaḥ sarva-bhūtānām. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Everything is described in the Vedic literature, all description.
Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:
Actually there is risk. But this consciousness beats him, but he cannot control. This is the position. He cannot control. He knows everything, but still, he steals. The same thing happened here. Here it is said, na śaśāka samādhātum. He was a brāhmaṇa, learned brāhmaṇa. He knew that "I am being agitated by these sex desires. It is not good. It is not good." Yathā-śrutam. Śruta. Śruta means Vedic knowledge. He had sufficient education in Vedic knowledge. Yathā-śrutam and yāvat sattvam, as far he could control... Stambhayann ātmanā ātmānam.
Lecture on SB 6.1.66 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1975:
A sinful man cannot earn money honestly. Just like a thief: because he has adopted the means of earning money by sinful activities, he cannot take to honest work. He can work, but he is accustomed to steal. He knows that "This work is not good." If he is arrested, he will be punished. He has seen that one thief arrested and punished, and he has heard also that if one steals, he will be punished. And he has heard also from the śāstra, either law book or Vedic literature, that "Stealing is not good. It is punishable." But still, he does it. That means a sinful man cannot restrain himself from sinful activity. He has to do it. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo asya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Unless you give up the particular situation with the modes of nature, it is not possible for him to restrain himself from committing sinful activities.
Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu's bhāgavata-dharma, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta's author, Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, says, therefore, that caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. Vicāra means you just try to understand the gift of Lord Caitanya by logic, vicāra. Don't follow blindly. Following blindly something, that is not good. That will not stay. But one should take everything with logic. But the servants of God, they put everything in logic. Caitanyera dayāra kathā karaha vicāra. If you study the Caitanya's philosophy with logic and argument... Don't go by sentiment.
Lecture on SB 6.2.13 -- Vrndavana, September 15, 1975:
Don't become immediately paramahaṁsa—no tilaka, no kunti and no bead bag. This is not good. Sāṅketya. So that others may understand, "Here is a Vaiṣṇava. Here is a Kṛṣṇa devotee..." And if he is simple, he'll chant, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." This chance should be given. Therefore it is necessary, how people can utter. That chanting may save him from the greatest danger. Therefore it is said, sāṅketyaṁ pārihāsyam. If somebody jokes... Sometimes they do that. "Hare Kṛṣṇa" means he is not seriously chanting, but he is trying to joke the other party who is engaged in chanting. And that is also good, pārihāsya.
Lecture on SB 6.2.17 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1975:
Even if I do not want to do it. Just like a man accustomed to steal, he is dictated from within, "Don't steal." Otherwise why he goes at night to steal? He knows that "This is not good." He does not steal openly. Secretly, without any knowledge. Because he knows that "What I am going to do is not good." That's a fact. Therefore sometimes it is called black. So he is forced to do it.
Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:
Just like there are many fools who try to imitate Kṛṣṇa for performing the rāsa-līlā with women. But they cannot imitate Kṛṣṇa for killing Pūtanā, Aghāsura, Bakāsura, or lifting the Govardhana. That they do not follow. That is very difficult for them. The rascals, they take easily. (aside:) So you can go and lie down. Why you are sitting? This is not good. You don't have sufficient sleep from ten to four? Is not sufficient? Why you do like this? Whole day and night, whenever you sit down. What is this? Every one of you more or less.
Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:
One who is not a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he's not a good man. But our duty is preach. Because the world is full of no-good men, therefore we have to preach. Otherwise what is the use of preaching? Therefore we should not be envious, although a man is not good man. That is the time. Samadṛśaḥ. Just like Gosvāmīs. Kṛṣṇotkīrtana-gāna-nartana-parau premāmṛtāmbho-nidhī dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. Dhīra. Dhīra means sober, and adhīra means rascals. So dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. They are priya, dear, both the rascals and good men because they were distributing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on SB 7.5.1, Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 12, 1973:
At that time the wife of Hiraṇyakaśipu was pregnant, and Prahlāda Mahārāja was there. So because the woman was pregnant, the demigods were taking her away. On the way, Nārada Mahāmuni met the demigods, Indra. So he inquired, "What you are doing? You are dragging a woman? Oh, this is not good." So they explained that "We have nothing to do with this woman. Because within the womb of this woman there is a son of Hiraṇyakaśipu—he is also demon—therefore, as soon as she gives birth to the child, we shall kill him. This is our program." Nārada Muni said, "No. This child is not demon.
Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:
People have become mad, pramattaḥ, and doing all sinful activities. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. Vikarma means sinful activities. And why they are doing so? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti: "Simply for sense gratification." There is no higher aim, only sense gratification. The śāstra says, na sādhu ayam: "This is not good." Why? Because on account of our sinful activities we have already got this painful, miserable, conditioned life, this body, and if we still go on like that, then again we shall get such body and suffering. This is sense. This is jñāna. Every one of us, we are trying to be happy without any suffering. That is the aim of life. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12).
Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Vrndavana, December 5, 1975:
Animals are restricted. They can commit one kind of sinful life. That, the human being, because he is very intelligence, he commits unlimited duration of sinful life. That is another danger. So one who commits this sinful life in Vṛndāvana, remember, he has to become next life cats and dogs. There, as you see, there are many dogs, hogs. But still, Vṛndāvana-dhāma is so powerful that next life he will get salvation, even if he has become dogs and hogs. But that is not good. Why should we act in such a way that in Vṛndāvana-dhāma we shall commit sinful life and become a cats and dog? Jaya jaya vṛndāvanavāsī yata jana. We should be careful. We should be careful, especially in dhāma, dhāmāparādha.
Lecture on SB 7.6.4 -- Vrndavana, December 5, 1975:
So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "Don't waste your time for improving your bodily comforts. That is not good. It is simply waste of time." Tat prāyaso na kartavyo yata āyur vyayaḥ param. This life, human form of life, param, the supreme life... In the material existence the human form of life is supreme. Even the demigods, they desire that "If I can again go to Bhāratavarṣa and get a human life."
Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:
Even what to eat, where to sleep, there is no such consideration. Simply engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is only business. Of course, we cannot do that in the neophyte stage, but actually that is the only purpose. Unfortunately, the modern civilization has discovered so many artificial ways of life that it is very, very difficult to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness business. So therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says that simply for sense gratification, if we waste our time, that is not good. Tat prayāso na kartavyo—don't waste your time for increasing the scope of sense gratification. That is not at all required. Tat-prāyaso na kartavyo yata āyur-vyayaḥ param. Āyur means duration of life. Simply wasted.
Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:
In our temple in New York, in the beginning when I was having classes in the morning at seven o'clock, still people from here and there they would come and protest and go to the police because we were disturbing their sleep. Yes. They want to sleep as much possible hours. I think that is very great gain in the Western country, to sleep. So to sleep means simply waste of time. You must know it. Either I sleep five hours, six hours, ten hours, twelve hours, it is simply waste of time. The valuable life which you have got, immediately so many hours minus. Sleep is not good. Sleep, if we can do without sleep, that is perfection. Not that "Let me enjoy sleep twelve hours, fourteen hours, whole life."
Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:
So how it is spiritual, that we have to understand through the teachings of Rūpa Gosvāmī, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Nectar of Devotion. Without reading all these books, Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, Bhagavad-gītā, if we jump over Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to understand Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, that is not good, and therefore it is not effective. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau... The Gosvāmīs... You'll find in The Nectar of Devotion. So many Vedic literatures are quoted. So that is required, śāstra-vidhi. Then we'll be fixed up. Vidhi-bhakti is very important, then rāga-bhakti, then prema-bhakti. So we should not imitate prema-bhakti without going through vidhi-bhakti. This is vidhi-bhakti.
Lecture on SB 7.6.10 -- Vrndavana, December 12, 1975:
Knowledge is gathered by hearing and by seeing. Hm? In Hindi it is called 'dekha śuna'-dekhavyair śunavyair, that "Have you seen or heard it?" That is experience. So thief knows he has heard it from lawbooks that stealing is not good, and from religious scripture also, that "It is sinful. Do not commit theft. Do not become criminal." But still he does, at the risk of ad At night he goes in the house of rich man and risk his life. Especially in Western countries, there is fire gun, and trespassers, even without permission, if anyone enters anyone's house, he can kill him. Is it not the law in your country? Trespassing? So there is risk of life, but he has entered the house for stealing. And why stealing? The family affection. That is the impetus for economic development. The Professor Marshall, the economist, he has given the definition, that "Wherefrom the economic development begins? By family affection."
Lecture on SB 7.6.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 29, 1976:
This philosophy can solve all the problems of the world. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. Whatever is given to you, you enjoy, what is allotted to you. Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Do not touch other's property. But we violate this law, therefore we suffer. So it is stated here, pretya iha, if we (indistinct) death. Unfortunately, the modern civilization is keeping people in so darkness that they have no idea that there is a life after death. Just like animal, "Let us enjoy, beg, borrow, steal and enjoy." No. That is not good. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "No it is not good." Prahlāda Mahārāja... Everyone will say, those who are in knowledge. Yato ātmano ayam, kleśada. You can do whatever you like, but you'll get a body which may be more troublesome than the present body. In the present body we have got so many troubles, adhyātmika, adhidaivika, and if we do not work properly, then we shall get another body, more troublesome. More troublesome.
Lecture on SB 7.6.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 29, 1976:
So a gṛhastha, of course, required to accumulate some money because he's living with family, but so far brahmacārī, vānaprastha and sannyāsī is concerned, they should not keep any money. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so strict that his personal servant, one day he was taking after eating a little, what is called, myrobalum (indistinct), haritaki. So one day he was giving myrobalum (indistinct) and Caitanya Mahāprabhu inquired, "Where you got this myrobalum (indistinct)?" So he said, "I kept it from yesterday." "Oh, you are stocking?" He immediately criticized him. "You are stocking? This is not good." So this principle... Of course, even if we do not stock, don't think that we'll starve. Kṛṣṇa has provided. But we should be depending on Kṛṣṇa. There is no anxiety. Actually, there is no anxiety. We have experienced this. I was alone for many years, but not a single day I was starving. No. There was food.
Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):
Who are karmīs? Karmīs means those who are after sense gratification. They will work hard day and night like any animal and, when they get some result, they engage all the profits in sense gratification. That is called karmī. And jñānī means those who are still not in actual Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but they are trying to understand that this life is not good. This hard life, this working day and night simply for sense gratification, oh, it is not good. They are trying something else. So generally they come to enjoy mental speculation. Just like the karmīs, they are trying to satisfy their senses, similarly, the jñānīs, they want to satisfy their mind. Their mind It is a little more elevated. But still, they are on the material platform because these senses and mind and intelligence, up to intelligence, that is all matter.
Lecture on SB 7.9.7 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1977:
So we should not try to imitate Prahlāda Mahārāja. That is not good. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. I have already explained yesterday. Prahlāda Mahārāja is one of the mahājanas, authorized persons, authorized devotee. We should try to follow him. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. So śrutayo vibhinnāḥ,
- tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
- nāsau munir yasya matam na bhinnam
- dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ
- mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ
- (CC Madhya 17.186)
You cannot understand God by logic and arguments. It will never settle up. There are so many Māyāvādīs, they are going on perpetually: "What is God?" Neti neti: "This is not, this is not, this is not. What is Brahman?" So by that process you'll never be able to understand what is God. Jñāne prayāse udapāsya namanta eva. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has accepted this formula. By knowledge, by your erudite scholarship, if you want to understand, you may be very high standard scholar, but that is not your qualification to understand God. That is not qualification.
Lecture on SB 7.9.8 -- Hawaii, March 21, 1969:
So anger has got some utilization, not that I should not be angry. I should use my anger on some particular occasion. It is not that I cut off anger. That is... To become impotent is not good, but you have got full potency, but you can have sex life when it is required. To become impotent is not required. You should be fully potent but not misuse it. That is required. Similarly, there is no misuse by God or His devotee. Otherwise, there is no question of..., that the devotee or God should not be angry, but they know how to use it. That is the difference.
Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Montreal, July 6, 1968:
So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "All these qualifications are not good assessment for approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead." He is nullifying. Do not think that because you have got good education or scientific knowledge, then you can understand what is God. That is not possible. Just like the other day we were, I was reading one magazine. In the Bible it is said that God said "Let there be creation," and there was creation. Similarly, in the Bhagavad-gītā also, we understand that Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca: (BG 7.4) "These eight gross and subtle material elements, they are My differentiated energy."
Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:
The present society is just like animals. They have no faith, what to speak of this faith or that faith. That is the position. They are simply after sense enjoyment. That's all. Don't you see? The Pope says that it is not good, it is not God's law, that you should use contraceptive method. But they are so mad after sense enjoyment, they say, "Oh, we don't care for your instruction." Just see how much they have lost their faith. So at the present moment it is very difficult position, no faith at all. (break) ...have no good qualification.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Mayapur, February 18, 1976:
You know the story of that brāhmaṇa. He had no means to offer anything to Kṛṣṇa. He was so poor. But he wanted to offer something, but he thought that "I am so poor. I cannot offer anything." So one day he heard from the Bhāgavata speech that one can offer Him within mind also. So he took it seriously, and from that day he was offering Kṛṣṇa so many nice foodstuffs, collecting water from different rivers and keeping the water in golden jugs, and bathing Kṛṣṇa and offering... This was... He was always thinking. And one day he prepared sweet rice and offered Kṛṣṇa, and he wanted to see whether rice is..., because sweet rice, very hot, is not good. Sweet rice, the more it is cooler, then it is tasteful. But milk, if you take cool, that is not tasteful. Milk you have to take hot, but not the sweet rice. So he wanted to test whether it is too hot. So his finger burned, and then his meditation broke. He saw there is no rice but finger is burned. In this way the brāhmaṇa was immediately taken to Vaikuṇṭha.
Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Mayapur, February 19, 1976:
So Prahlāda Mahārāja decided, tasmād ahaṁ vigata-viklava īśvarasya sarvātmanā. Real thing is with heart and soul everything. No reservation. Just like Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa everything, whatever he has got. He says, manasa deha geha, yo kichu mora: "Whatever I have got, no reservation." So what I have got in this material... He said, "I have got this body, material body, lump of matter, and I have got my wife, simply changing from this platform to that platform." Because my business is saṅkalpa-vikalpa. We accept something—"It is very good"—and next time we reject it—"No, it is not good." This is mind's business. So Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, "I have got this lump of body." I am... We are very much proud of possessing, but what we have got? We have got this body and the mind. And with the mind we have created so many things—"This is my house. This is my wife. This is my children."
Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Montreal, August 21, 1968:
We are bent upon doing all nonsense, and we want to get it supported by religious cover. Just like recently, the Christian world, they wanted support from the Pope of contraceptive method. That contraceptive method is condemned, but they want to be supported by the religious head. "If you don't support, then you are not good man. And if you support my nonsense, then you are very good man." Just like that Maharishi came here, and he supported that "Whatever nonsense you like, you do. You simply pay me thirty-five dollars and I give you one mantra, and within six months you become God."
Lecture on SB 7.9.23 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1976:
So Prahlāda Mahārāja is realizing that anything, material possession, it has no value. It may have some value, temporary, but there is risk also. For some temporary enjoyment, there is so many risk. The enjoyment... The highest enjoyment in the material world is sex. So for some temporary happiness we may enjoy sex, but there are many, what is called, after results. That is not very happy. Yan-maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukham hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). After result is very bad. Either illicit sex or legal sex, the after result is not good. There are so many aftereffects. Even if you live... Of course, that is the Vedic training, that dharmāviruddha-kāmaḥ, sex life not against Vedic injunction. Vedic injunction is that "Do not waste your semina unnecessarily. Only you have sex life for begetting nice children, good population," that much order.
Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976:
Unless one is situated as pure Vaiṣṇava in his dealing, in his behavior, inside and outside, he should not become a preacher because it will not be effective, neither one should hear from such person. But people in general, they can not understand, but those who are preaching, they must be very sincere, the same way. Rūpa-raghunātha pade, haibe ākuti. They should read the literatures, the instruction, just like Upadeśāmṛta, The Nectar of Instruction. We should follow, strictly follow. Then pṛthivīṁ sa śiṣyāt. Then you'll be able to preach and make disciples all over the world. This is the injunction. That is called gosvāmī. Don't be cheap preacher, cheap guru. No, no. That is not good. It is not possible.
Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:
So this kāmāturam, this lusty desire, is not good. Either you do it legally or illegally, the result is śokaḥ. That we must understand. Unforunately, although the result ..., everyone knows practical experience, that nobody has become happy by these sex affairs. There is a Urdu word, they say durlika-lugdu, yo khāyā abhipastāyā yo na khāyā abhipastāyā.(?) The meaning is "There is a lugdu"—you know lugdu, of course—"lugdu which is known as durlikalugdu. So this durlikalugdu is so dangerous, one who has eaten it, he's also lamenting, and one who has not eaten it, he's also lamenting." (laughter) Durlika lugdu ya khāyā abhipastāyā ya na khāyā abhipastāyā. So this man and woman connection is durlikalugdu. One who has married, he's also lamenting, and who is not married, he's also lamenting. So this is the thing. The śāstra also says... Not only... Any experienced man will say like that, that "Both ways, it is simply lamentation."
Lecture on SB 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:
Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious to see that you have become a bhakta. Then your problem is solved. Because we are sons of Kṛṣṇa—ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4)—He's suffering more in one sense because we are suffering. Just like your son is on the bed suffering from some disease. The father and mother feels more pain than the son, if the father and mother is affectionate. So Kṛṣṇa is so affectionate; therefore He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). When we forget Kṛṣṇa, then He comes to convince us that "This is not good. You are trying to satisfy your senses. It will never end. Simply you'll be complicated from one body to another for satisfying senses, sometimes eating stool also. That is satisfaction of the senses. So this business will never make you happy. Better just surrender unto Me, and what I say, you do. Just begin your service. Surrender. Give Me something eatable." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). This is the beginning. The Deity worship is the beginning of devotional service.
Lecture on SB 7.9.41 -- Mayapura, March 19, 1976:
Prabhupāda: That throughout the whole week he'll commit all sinful activities, and on Sunday he'll simply agree, or what is called?
Devotee: Confess.
Prabhupāda: That "I have committed, yes. I have committed these sins," and give some fine. This process is not good. We should not do that, confession, "Yes, sir, I am..." I think in your country there was a movement, Moral Rearmament. Their process was that "You commit sinful activities, but you confess. Then it will be neutralized." That was their formula. But I don't think it was successful. It could not be successful. That is not possible. Process is that "By my karma I have become sinful. Now I have got the remedial measure, chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, but I shall not commit again." Then he's successful. Then it is successful, immediately. Nāmnād balād... But we should not take advantage of this.
Lecture on SB 7.12.6 -- Bombay, April 17, 1976:
We shall be very, very cautious about eating. And dakṣaḥ. Dakṣaḥ means active, not lazy, sleeping. This is not good. Nidrāhāra-vihāra. Everyone has to conquer over sleeping, so that is called dakṣaḥ. And dakṣaḥ means expert. Whatever business is entrusted to him, he does it very nicely, dakṣa. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he had no interest in material things. His father's estate was very big, and he was not interested. But at a time when there was a political situation, he tackled it very nicely. This is the example of dakṣa.
| Page Title: | Not good (Lectures, SB) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Gopinath |
| Created: | 30 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=167, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 167 |