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Not know what is God (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"cannot know what he is or what the Lord is" |"not know what is god" |"not know what is the supreme personality of godhead"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

"Perhaps Kṛṣṇa was a leader of an aborigine, and He has been accepted as God." So we cannot study Kṛṣṇa in that way, from the fools and rascals. We have to know Kṛṣṇa from authorities. Just like Vyāsadeva is explaining what is Kṛṣṇa. First of all let us understand what is Kṛṣṇa, then we enter into the other information of Kṛṣṇa. Just like if you want to know somebody, you have to acquaint himself with that particular person. Then gradually you can understand that "This man is of this position, his financial strength is like this, his influence is like this, like that, like that." So many things you will understand. First of all sambandha.

So anyone who does not know what is God, and what is my relationship... Relationship later on. First of all at least we must know what is God. Then we can speak something about God. If I do not know what is God, then we can speak something about God. If I do not know what is God, then how you can explain, how you can understand about Him? So that is the defect. Actually you search out all process of understanding God. Generally religion means the process of understanding God. That is religion. Religion without God is just like Hamlet without Hamlet. Playwright, Hamlet. Religion cannot be without God. The so-called religion, that is cheating. That is, it will be explained in the next verse, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Any kind of religion which is going on under the name of religion, but the system has no information of God, that is cheating religion. Cheating religion. Because religion means the laws of God. But if you do not know what is God, then how you can know His laws? If you do not know the king, how you can understand the king's laws, even though you try to understand?

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 17, 1971:

"These Europeans, they are coming from low-grade family. How we can accept them as brāhmaṇas?" No. Vaiṣṇave jāti-buddhiḥ. When one has taken the Vaiṣṇava initiation and properly discharging duties, he should be not be considered belonging to such caste. A spiritual master should not be counted amongst ordinary human beings. Similarly, this Deity, although we know that we have made it from stone, He's not stone. He is stone to the stone-hearted. If one is stone-hearted, then Kṛṣṇa will stand as stone forever. But if one is soften-hearted by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then he'll talk with Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is always present.

Therefore it is said here... Any religion which does not teach about God, which does not know what is God, that is cheating religion. That's all. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). Cheating, religion. And the Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has said, pṛthivīte yāhā kichu dharma-nāme cale, bhagavat prahe tāhāṅ paripūrṇa chale. "In the all over the world, what is going on..." It is a strong criticism. In the name of religion, the Bhāgavata says, "They're all cheating." That's all. Because they have no idea what is God. Neither in their principles there is service of God, there is dedication to God. Simply official in the so-called religion. Therefore Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura said, "These are all cheating religions." Religion means when one accepts some religion, he must know, "What is God, what I am, what is my relationship with God, what are the laws of God, how I am to act." So many things you have to learn. That is religion. Simply stamping myself with some rubber stamp that "I belong to this religion, I belong to that religion," that will not help. That is cheating. You are cheating yourself.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:

Where is the problem of overpopulation? They are not starving. Unless you go and capture them and kill them, they are not dying. You see from the birds, animals—nobody dies of starvation. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa is there. He is supplying food for everyone. So where...? There is no question of starvation. Then why rivalry? Rivalry means "I want to enjoy more sense gratification" That is rivalry. Otherwise, there is no question of rivalry. Everything is there, complete. Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). God's creation is perfect. There cannot be any imperfectness. Even there is overpopulation, God will supply food. Don't bother. But because we have no faith in God, because we have forgotten God, we do not know what is God, therefore we have created the economic problem. Otherwise there is no problem. You can see how they are jolly, they are walking. So by nature's study we have to learn. If we don't go to the Vedic knowledge, we can see that "Where is the problem in the lower animals?" There is no problem. They are confident. The problems for lower animal is there when they are in the city, but if they live natural life, there is no problem.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

Just like if you want to be a mathematician, so you may pass from any university, Calcutta University or Delhi University or London University—any university. Mathematics two plus two equal to four everywhere. It is not that in Calcutta University two plus two equal to five, and in London University two plus equal to three. No. Everywhere two plus two equal to five, four. Similarly, dharma means obedience to the laws of God. That is dharma. Either you become Christian or Hindu or Muslim, whether you accept God as the supreme authority and whether you abide by the laws of God, then you are dharmic. Otherwise, it is cheating. If there is no conception of God, if one does not know what is God and what is the order of God, then that type of religion is cheating religion and that kind of religion is completely thrown out from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore Vṛndāvana Dāsa Ṭhākura said, pṛthivīte āche yata..., pṛthivīte yahā kichu dharma nāme cale. Cale means it is passing on in the name of religion but it is not religion. Because religion without conception of God, what is the meaning of that religion? If that is religion, that is not parā dharma. That is aparā dharma. Aparā dharma. Just like sometimes we take deśa-dharma. Samāja-dharma, gṛha-dharma, and so many things.

Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Los Angeles, August 16, 1972:

"A materialistic person, because he does not know what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa, he sees matter. But a spiritually advanced, Kṛṣṇa conscious person, he does not see matter." Just like an atheist will come, they will see this Deity, stone, a stone statue. But a spiritually advanced, he will see that Kṛṣṇa is here personally. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He saw Jagannātha, immediately fainted, "Here is My Kṛṣṇa."

So the material vision means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Otherwise there is no material, because everything is coming from Kṛṣṇa, either material energy or spiritual energy. They are coming from the same source, so in the higher spiritual understanding, the spiritual platform, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. So don't imitate, but there is possibility. So long we are on the material platform, on the platform of forgetfulness, our business should be how to satisfy the Supreme. How to satisfy,(?) you do whatever you like, not whatever you like, within the institution. Varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ, it must be organized. If your aim is simply to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, then your life is perfect.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:
That is not possible. He has to work.

Similarly, everyone has to work. Therefore there must be systematic work so that whole society may develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ideal or the goal of life. Without program working... Just like I was hearing that in Japan they are very much, the people have very much liking for working, but, by law, they are being prohibited, "Don't work." So this civilization has been created that they do not know anything more. They are not taught that working is not our main business. Our main business is, as it is stated, hari-toṣaṇam. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). We have to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Or God, whatever you say. But they do not know what is God.

So "There is no God. There is no life." These things are being taught throughout the whole world. You... Cāṇakya... What is...? That Cārvāka theory. Cārvāka theory is that,

ṛṇaṁ kṛtvā ghṛtaṁ pibet
yāvaj jīvet sukhaṁ jīvet
and
bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya
kutaḥ punar āgamano bhavet

Bhasmī-bhūtasya dehasya. In India, according to Vedic system, the body is burned after death. They are not so foolish to stock and occupy millions of square yards. No. "Body is finished; just burn it," finish.

Lecture on SB 1.2.14 -- Los Angeles, August 17, 1972:

Therefore in the next verse it is said, tasmād bhārata... Tasmād ekena manasā bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ, śrotavyaḥ. How you can satisfy God if you do not know God, if you manufacture God? Śrotavya, hear about God, what is God. Don't become nonsense, accept a rascal as God. There is meaning of God, what is God. Not a dog is God. Śrotavya. Śrotavya and kīrtitavyaś ca. And spread that knowledge. Just like you are hearing about God. Now you have to spread it. Kīrtitavyaś ca. Not that "Oh, I have known God. That's all right. Let me be satisfied." No, you must preach. That is another business. Because people are ignorant. They do not know what is God; they are manufacturing God. They're accepting some rascal as God. So what is real God, you must preach. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca, dhyeyaḥ. And you should always think of God; then you will get intelligence. If you think of something else, for sense gratification, then it will not be done. Formally, for simply a show, that "I am devotee"—no. Dhyeya. Always thinking of God, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Dhyeyaḥ pūjyaś ca, and offering worship, just like we have got this in the temple. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is dhyeya; and pūjyaś ca, and offering worship to the Lord.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

It is not decreased. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by practice, one comes to the point of giving up all these unwanted things. Chidyante, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. I have several times explained to you that this knot of the heart is the sex desire. Puṁsaḥ striyā mithunī-bhāvam. Sex desire, mithunī-bhāvam etam. Tayor hṛdaya-granthim. And when they're actually united, that knot becomes more and more tight. But if one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then gradually, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ, that knot, sex desire... That is the test whether one's sex desire has diminished. That is the test. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiḥ. Bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ. We are now in hazy conclusion, what is our position. We do not know. We do not know what is God, what I am, what is our relationship. Everyone is speculating. There are, therefore, there are so many parties. The jñānī party, the yogi party, the karmī party. Generally... and within each and every party there are hundreds and thousands of parties. So when one actually becomes free from the knot, or the knot is cut off, the attachment for material desires is cut off, at that time, he can understand what is his position, what is his position.

Therefore two things must go on in parallel lines. One side, a person should cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness and, another side, he should try to give up all the unwanted things. That will help him. You cannot continue both the things. Just like when a person is diseased, he's given medicine. At the same time, he has to act, not to take this, not to take that. That is the way of treatment. Not that whatever you like, you can eat; whatever you like, you can do, at the same time you become spiritually advanced. This is all nonsense.

Lecture on SB 1.3.16 and Initiation -- Los Angeles, September 21, 1972:

So yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇa devāya tasmai namaḥ.(?) The mantra, there is mantra, that yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ. One cannot understand the antam, the ultimate end of the Supreme... Yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ. Viduḥ means "does not know." Surāsura-gaṇa. Sura. Sura means demigods, theists. Those who are believer in God, they are called sura, and just the opposite-asura. Asura does not believe in the existence of God. He thinks he is God. That is asura. Āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said āsuri. Āsuri, this word has come from this āsura. Adjective. Asura is nominative. So from āsura, it becomes āsuri. Āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ. Those who are atheists, they do not surrender. They do not like the idea of God or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they do not know what is God or what is the ultimate end, who is the original cause. They do not know. Even the theists, they also do not know. They know Kṛṣṇa, but it is impossible to understand what is the limit of Kṛṣṇa's energies, just like we were discussing this morning.

Lecture on SB 1.5.35 -- Vrndavana, August 16, 1974:

So first of all we must know what is bhagavat, or Hari, then we may try to satisfy Him. Unfortunately, we do not know what is God. Where is the question of satisfying Him? This is the... At the present moment, vague idea, what is God; practically no idea. What is their God? "God is good." They... Sometimes they say, "God is great," but what is that God, how great He is, how He is good, nobody knows. So where is the question of hari-toṣaṇam? If I do not know... Somebody says that "You go and satisfy Mr. such and such, Mr. John." So I do not know who is Mr. John, where does he live, what does he do, then how can I satisfy him? This is the position.

So hari-toṣaṇam or bhagavat-paritoṣaṇam can be possible when we actually know what is God. Otherwise there is no question. So, so far we are concerned, Kṛṣṇa conscious devotees, we know who is God. Therefore this business is possible by us, not by others. We know what is God. We have no vague idea. We know who is God, where does He live, what does He do, His name, address, His father's name—everything we know. Therefore we can satisfy. We are competent to satisfy because we know exactly who is God. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). How do you know that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Yes, by history, by authority, by His action, everything complete. We know historical, from historical point of view, Kṛṣṇa is there in the Mahābhārata. Mahābhārata means "The history of great India." Mahā means great. So greater India. Greater India, this is history. Itihāsa. Itihāsa means history. So there is Kṛṣṇa, in the itihāsa, in the history.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:

So because you do not know what is God, so our life is void. But here Kṛṣṇa is personally coming, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is that glāni? Dharmasya glāniḥ. That you are very dharmika, so-called dharmika, but you have no understanding what is God—that is nonsense. That is not dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the order of God. That if you do not know God, if you manufacture your God, "God has no head, no mouth, no nose, no nothing, no, no, no, ultimately zero..." Ultimately zero. So there are two kinds of dangerous person. One person is atheist, agnostic. And another person is Māyāvādī, impersonalist. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādī. Therefore these two things are mentioned: Māyāvādī, "God means has no head, no leg," and śūnyavādī, "There is no God." So the person who says "There is no God," he's gentleman, because he does not believe. But the person who takes the shelter of Vedas and professes that "I am vaidika, I am vedāntī," and refuses the form of God, he's more dangerous.

Lecture on SB 1.7.23 -- Vrndavana, September 20, 1976:

Then it will reveal. The whole thing is revelation. It is not by experience, by scholarship. No: revelation. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante. One who has surrendered proportionately, God reveals. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11).

So there is no difficulty to understand what is God. Here is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord-directly. I do not know why people are searching after God, why they do not know what is God. Just see. That means mūḍha. Although God is here, still, he'll not accept. That is mūḍha, narādhama. And why he's mūḍha? Because narādhama. He does not take the process. He wants to manufacture something. Don't do that. Here Arjuna is mahājana, he's Kṛṣṇa's friend, he's always with Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa recognizes him. Not that because one is always with Kṛṣṇa, therefore he knows Kṛṣṇa. No. That is not possible. Just like I have given this example many times, that I am sitting here, and the bug is also sitting here. That does not mean we are very confidential. No. Bug is different visions (business?), and my business different. And bug's business is biting. That kind of association will not help. Association means to develop love for the person. That is association.

Lecture on SB 1.8.19 -- Chicago, July 5, 1974 :

"I am this body," then this kind of thought is there in the dogs and cats also. He is also thinking "I am this body." So, this modern civilization is big dog civilization, that's all. That is not human civilization. Human civilization means that he must be interested to know Kṛṣṇa and God. That is human civilization.

So, māyā-javanikācchannam ajñādhokṣajam avyayam. Avyayam means imperishable. Avyayam na lakṣyase, they cannot see. Na lakṣyase, observed, cannot be observed by them, na lakṣyase. Mūḍha, again the same word is used, mūḍha. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā. This word is used. One who does not know what is God, and what is his relationship with God, he is a mūḍha. In so many places, there are so many śāstras you will find this word mūḍha. Here it is said, na lakṣyase mūḍha. Mūḍha-dṛśa, whose sense perception is just like blind man. A blind man is given a elephant, an elephant. Now, "Mr. Blind Man, just understand what is this." So, he is blind, he simply, I mean to say, moves his hand over the leg. "Sir, it is a column. It is a big column." So blind man, he cannot see; he thought that elephant is big column. So anyone who is speculating about God, he is the blind man studying the elephant, like that. Or the frog in the well studying Atlantic Ocean. What he will understand? Suppose a frog is informed "Mr. Frog, Dr. Frog, (laughter) I have seen a big, vast mass of water." "What is that?" "Atlantic Ocean." "How big is it?" "Very, very big." Maybe, he is in the three-feet well. "Four feet?" "No, no, very, very big." "Five feet?" "No, very big." "Six feet?" (laughter) How he will understand the Atlantic Ocean? He can simply imagine, maybe three-feet, four-feet, five-feet well. But beyond all feet, that he cannot understand. Because of mūḍha-dṛśa, the direct perception, and he is a rascal.

Lecture on SB 1.8.28 -- Mayapura, October 8, 1974:

They are all godless rascals. Therefore there is misunderstanding. Otherwise, if everyone is God conscious, if everyone knows that God is present everywhere, "Whatever I do, He will see. He'll see as sunshine. He'll see as moonshine. He'll see as water..." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya. No... Who can avoid water? Who can avoid sunshine? Who can avoid moonshine? Nobody can. So God says, "These things are I am." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi śaśi-sūryayoḥ (BG 7.8). So how you can avoid God's vigilance? Then how you can commit sinful... They do not believe in-godlessness. They do not believe in existence of God. They have been taught like that, and they do not know what is God.

This is the misfortune of the present civilization. Present godless civilization... Therefore they have created simply chaotic situation all over the world. Therefore the movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is very, very important and essential. Those who are sober, they are understanding it. Just like in Australia, the priestly class, they understood that this movement is trying to (?) people to see towards God, back to Godhead. You have advanced in civilization by so-called material advancement, scientific..., but what you have done? You have created simply chaos. Therefore we say... Our magazine is named Back to Godhead. "Now you have finished your business—now see back to Godhead." Just like if you do not see the sun, if you keep the sun backside, then you'll simply see a long shadow of your body, black shadow. That's all. But if you turn towards the sun, you'll not see the black shadow; you'll see all light. Simply you have to turn. So we have named this Back to Godhead very scientifically. You see towards God; then everything is light. "Where there is God, there is no nescience."

Lecture on SB 1.10.2 -- Mayapura, June 17, 1973:

So here it is said that prīta-manā īśvaraḥ. Īśvaro prīta-manā babhūva, "Īśvara became pleased." Īśvara is always pleased. He is never displeased. But when He sees that people are devotees, people are acting as part and parcel of Him, He is more pleased. That is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). How God is pleased, that you can understand by discharging devotional service. Whether God is pleased or not pleased, how you can understand? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). You cannot understand what is God, what is Kṛṣṇa. Generally, all people, they do not know what is God. And what to speak of understanding whether God is pleased or not pleased. They do not know what is God. This is the position of the world. They do not know what is God, neither there is any education to understand, although the human life is meant for understanding God. That is human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The animal life, their inquiries are... In the morning... Just like birds, they chirp, "Where we have to go now to find out our food? Where we shall eat today? Where we shall go?" That is their questions and answers. Similarly, we also, human beings, we go to the share market, "What is the value? What is the price of this commodity? What is the price of that commodity? " For eating purpose. Not these questions. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The human life should be engaged in inquiring about Brahman. "What is the Absolute Truth? What is my position in relationship with the Absolute Truth? What is my duty towards the Absolute Truth? What is my ultimate aim of life?" These questions must be discussed. Perhaps these questions are being discussed by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and no other movement. They do not know. The Māyāvādīs, they deny the existence of God. They become themselves God.

Lecture on SB 1.15.39 -- Los Angeles, December 17, 1973:

Yes. We have referred to the politicians, because king means he is also politician. As soon as we speak of king, he is in politics. So these are the example. Although he was also great politician, he had to fight in the Battle of Kurukṣetra, he had to adopt diplomacy, everything, but not that he would forget his real duty. This is perfect civilization, that one should not forget the real duty. The real duty is to fulfill the mission of the human life. The mission of human life is to understand God. And God is there, you cannot deny, God is there. But we do not know what is God, what is our relationship with Him. That we do not know. Just like in your country, the currency notes are advertised, "In God We Trust." But if we ask anybody that "This is the slogan of your state. What do you know about God?" nobody can reply. They will say, "It is something like this, something like that." But no... Everything vague idea. Nobody knows what is God, neither he knows how to trust in God. That is instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā: what is God and how to trust in Him. This is the subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā. But the people do not know. They simply have the slogan, "In God We Trust." Nobody knows what is God.

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

So the beginning is to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Anything about Kṛṣṇa. But first thing we want to hear... If we want to know Kṛṣṇa, naturally we are inclined, "What is Kṛṣṇa? What is Kṛṣṇa?" Just like our Kṛṣṇa book is now selling. Because the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there, so people are, I mean to say, eager to know, "What this Kṛṣṇa is?" Naturally they want to purchase some Kṛṣṇa books. Actually, that is the first business. Just like we are speaking about, "In God We Trust," this slogan of the American people or American government. So naturally, people should be inquisitive to know actually what is God, scientifically. We say, "In God We Trust," but we do not know what is God. Then where is the question of trust? Suppose if you, if somebody, friends, say that "You can trust the Bank of America." But if he does not know what is Bank of America, then how he can trust? How he can deposit his money? So that is the difficulty. This is simply slogan. Otherwise, everyone should have been inquisitive, "What this government has made this slogan, 'In God We Trust'?" What is God? Nobody knows. Then where is the question of trust? Therefore it has become everything humbug.

But if you are serious to know about God, there is science, there is teacher, everything is there. God Himself is there within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So actually, if you are serious to know God, so God is within himself. He can understand, "Now this living entity is serious to know about Me." So He will help you, immediately.

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

So we have to practice. This is bhakti-yoga. First of all we have to engage the mind. Mind. And as soon as you engage the mind in hearing about Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will help you in cleansing the mind. That is the opinion given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Because everything... We cannot understand about God, or we cannot see God, or we do not know what is God, because there are so many dirty things on the mind. Otherwise, as soon as the mind is clear, devoid of all dirty things, you can see. You can understand what is God; you can see God every moment. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilo... (Bs. 5.38). So there is no difficulty. God is here, Kṛṣṇa. But one's mind is not clear. He cannot see God. He sees a statue of stone. He sees a statue of stone. And whose mind is clear, like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He sees Jagannātha, immediately fainted. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Actually, that is the fact. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is omnipresent. That is God's qualification: omnipresent, He is present everywhere. So why not present in the temple? He is present here. But we have no eyes to see. Because our mind is not clean.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

Now everything has become business. Formerly a brāhmaṇa, he'll start a school. Brāhmaṇa is paṭhana pāṭhana. His business is to become learned himself and to distribute his knowledge, education, to everyone free. This is brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa, and the opposite word is kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. A miser, he has got money, but he does not spend. He keeps it only. And brāhmaṇa means he has got knowledge and he distributes for others' benefit. That is brāhmaṇa. Therefore we are making every one of our disciples brāhmaṇa, not that he should simply know himself what is God. No. He must distribute the knowledge also. Go from town to town, village to village, and try to convince these rascals what is God. They simply write, "In God We Trust," but they do not know what is God or how to trust, nothing. Now let them know it scientifically. Here is the movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. What is this movement? To know God. Of course, we cannot know God perfectly. God is so unlimited. Still, as far as possible, we can know, as God speaks Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

So if the president knows what is God, how to trust Him... Why shall I trust unless I know you properly? It is natural. If somebody says, "Trust this man," so my next question, "I must first of all know this man; then I shall trust." Similarly, if you do not know what is God, what is the meaning of your trust? It is all childish, slogan. Therefore the condition is so deteriorated. Everywhere, not only here, they have no knowledge of God. We can challenge anyone, any so-called scientist, philosopher, politician, big, big men. They know only wine, women, meat-eating. That's all. This much their knowledge. But who knows God? Nobody. Ultimately, the rascal says, "I am God." Failing to know God, he become himself God.

So here is very nicely explained, how from that one... Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "This prakṛti," means nature, "will be wound up, again come to Me within." Just like the spider. The spider makes a cobweb. From the saliva from him, he can work—he knows how to work on it—and again he can wound it up. That is practical example. Similarly, the material nature... Here is the point of creation. The energy is conserved. Energy is never lost, avyaya. But this prakṛti, this material nature, is not eternal. It is temporary. The same example, the spider. The spider, suppose it is eternal, but the cobweb made by the spider, that is not eternal. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is created and again wound up.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

If you go on speculating, without taking care of the mother, without asking from your mother, if you simply want to know by your research scholarship, "Who is my father?" you will never know it. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet.

Therefore things which are beyond your speculation, don't try to argue. Don't be foolish. Don't be rascal. How you can? Because it is beyond your conception. There is no question of it. By argument, by speculation, by logic, you cannot understand what is soul, what is God. That is not possible. Acintyāḥ khalu ye bhāvā na tāṁs tarkeṇa yojayet. Don't waste your time. So similarly, you do not know what is God by speculation. That is not possible. And religion means the science of God. Religion means the science of God. So how religion, you can understand that this is proper religion? Because you do not know God, neither it is possible to speculate on God, then how I shall accept religion? Just try to understand. Religion means the science of God. It is not a sentiment; it is science. So if you want to know that science... Therefore Vedic injunction is, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "In order to know that science knowledge, you must approach guru." That is practical. Even for material science, you go to school, college, to learn from the authority. How you can learn about God, about soul, without approaching a proper person who knows it?

Lecture on SB 1.15.45 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1973:

That Kali-yuga has begun just after the Battle of Kurukṣetra. So we have passed only 5,000 years of this Kali-yuga. There are still balance, 427,000's of years, still balance.

So the Kali's friends... Just like a man is known by his company. So Kali-yuga is the age of irreligion. Therefore, quarrel and fighting. Quarrel and fighting, communal fighting. Unnecessarily they will form a community, a group, all rascals, another group, another group of rascals, and they will fight unnecessarily. Just like this nationalism. This is simply group of rascals. That's all. Why rascal? Because irreligious, therefore rascal. So "Big, big, men, big, big scientist, big, big... Still, they are rascal?' Yes. Still, they are rascal. Why? Because irreligious. They do not know what is God. Therefore they are rascal. This is the only test. "Whether you know God?" "No, sir." "Then you are rascal." That's all. No more test. One test is sufficient: "Whether you know God?" Because this human life is meant for knowing God. This temple is meant for human being, not for the cats and dogs. So if you (do not) know God, then you are a rascal. You are exactly like the cats and dogs. That's all. This is the verdict. Now you can fight. "Why you are calling me cats and dogs?" But this is the... We are talking, following Kṛṣṇa, the great authority. But what Kṛṣṇa says, that is right. If you scrutinize by your logic, argument, philosophy, science, you will find that Kṛṣṇa is perfectly right. Therefore we accept Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.16.12 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1974:

It doesn't matter what religion you profess. It doesn't matter. But you must learn how to obey the Supreme Lord. That is religion. Religion does not mean that you stamp some stereotype religion, "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Buddhist," and then fight. That is not religion. That is fanaticism. Religion means how one has become devoted to God. That is religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). You claim to be religious, or you claim to be Hindu or Christian or Buddhist. That's all right. But do you know what is God? Oh, everyone silent. Everyone, all nonsense rascals, silent. He does not know what is God. And what is his religion? If you do not know what is God, a vague idea, that is not religion. You must know what is God. Just like to become American citizen, it requires to know something of the history of America. So if American citizen, if you ask him, "What you are?" "Now I am American." "Who is your president?" "I do not know." What is this nonsense, American? Would you like to hear from him that "I do not know who is president"? Similarly, a human being professing some certain type of religion, but you ask him, "What is God?" Religion must be in relationship with God, any religion. But ask him, "What is God?"

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

Dharma means to understand God, our relationship with God, and how to work in that relation. That is dharma. Sambandha, prayojana. Sambandha, abhidheya, prayojana. Caitanya Mahāprabhu prescribes this. The whole Vedic civilization is based on this, that you must know what is your relationship with God. It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Buddhist. A civilized man must have some religious process. That is all over the world. Now we are giving up. We are giving up. Everyone is giving up. Therefore dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ... When we give up the religious principle... Religious principle means to abide by the law of God. That is religion. But we do not know what is God and what is His order. We forget it. So at the present moment, dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ, it is a civilization of cats and dogs, not human beings, because they have given up dharma.

But the śāstra says that this human life is meant for understanding God, nothing else. Other things are already arranged. You are harassed by the problems of eating, sleeping, mating, but there is no such question. Eating arrangement is there. Even the birds and bees, they are confident. They have no office-going, they are not lawyers, engineers, politicians, to earn their bread, but the bread is ready for them. Even for the beast, birds, so they are confident. So this is not problem. Real problem is to understand God. And what will the benefit by understanding God? Then the problem of your birth, death, old age and disease will be solved. That is the real problem. We are undergoing repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. These problems can be solved simply by understanding what is God. This is the solution.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20-21 -- Los Angeles, June 17, 1972:

So bile batorukrama-vikramān ye. Urukrama. Urukrama means Kṛṣṇa. Krama means activities. Uru means great. So urukrama-vikramān. Vikramān means chivalrous activities, very brave activities. So one who does not hear about the brave activities of Kṛṣṇa, they are satisfied with teeny activities of this material world... We give credit to an ordinary man to become a God. How? Now, meditation. Now, what are his wonderful activities? Simply by meditation he becomes God? This is the foolishness. God must be acting very wonderfully. Otherwise, how he's God. If he is just like ordinary man, and because he has got a big beard, he becomes God? How foolishness it is. They do not know what is God because they have not heard about God, how powerful He is, how brave activities He does. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He was seven years old, He lifted a great hill, Govardhana Hill. Giridhārī. And He kept it on His finger for seven days. That is God. Kṛṣṇa, when He was householder, He married sixteen thousand wives.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20-21 -- Los Angeles, June 17, 1972:

So such a powerful demon was killed by Rāmacandra. And He approached his kingdom on a stone bridge. And the stones were floating on the water. Where is the law of gravitation? The law of gravitation, the so-called scientists' imagination, does not act when Urukrama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, acts. He wanted, "There should be no law of gravitation. Let the stones float on the water." This is called urukrama.

So we accept Lord Rāmacandra as God, Lord Kṛṣṇa as God, not these petty dogs and cats. We have no business with these petty dogs and cats. All rascals, they are declaring, "I am God." No. Therefore, these rascals, who do not know what is God, you have to inject within their earholes the message of God. That is your business. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means... These rascals, dogs, hogs, camels and asses, who have no information of God, and therefore their earholes are compared like the snake holes, bile... So you have got very responsible task, to inject within their ear the chivalrous activities of God. Otherwise, their earholes remain as snake holes. As I explained yesterday, in the snake holes, nobody goes there. Nobody puts their hands or legs. Similarly, if these earholes remains empty, without aural reception of the great activities of the Lord, it is as good as the snake holes.

Bile batorukrama-vikramān ye na śṛṇvataḥ. They have decided, "There is no God. God is dead. God has no personality. He's zero." Therefore they have no opportunity to hear about God.

Lecture on SB 2.9.11-15 -- Tokyo, April 28, 1972:

Anyway, forty thousands of years. So who is going to live for forty thousand years to see and go and see and come back? They cannot go even to the moon planet, theorizing. How they can go? But this is fact. If you have got power, you go and see. But they cannot go a few miles, and they are proud that "We have known everything. We know everything." This is their foolishness. Our knowledge is so imperfect; still, we are proud of our knowledge: "Oh, I have known everything. I know everything. I am God. I am God." So, and foolish like that... Just like a foolish child, he is declaring himself, "I am God," and there are so many followers: "Oh, he is God, he is God." That's it. They do not know what is God. At least we know what is God in this sense, that our God, when... Actually He is God. Therefore, at the age of seven years, He lifted a big mountain on the finger. So we accept this God. When He was young man He married sixteen thousand wives. These are the unique instances. And why shall I accept a cheap God who cannot provide even one wife? We are not... Because he cannot provide it, he does not marry. So this kind of God we don't accept.

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

These classes of men... As soon as you'll find somebody godless, he does not know what is God, what is meaning of God, or he does not surrender to God... He does not know what is God—where is the question of surrender? Then we have got a test tube, statement of Kṛṣṇa. Then what class of man he is? If he does not believe in God, if he does not know what is God, what is our relationship with God, then what class of man he is? So we have got this test tube of Bhagavad-gītā. What is that? Duṣkṛtinaḥ. Always engaged in sinful activities. Therefore he does not know. Duṣkṛtinaḥ. And what other qualification? Mūḍha, ass, rascal. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Narādhama means the lowest of the mankind. Why lowest? Now, because the human life is meant for understanding God and he does not know. Therefore he is lowest of the mankind, narādhama. Why it is so? There are so many university degrees-M.A., Ph.D., D.A.C., and so on, so on, delete.(?) Still, he does not know? Still, he's mūḍha? The Bhagavad-gītā says, "Yes." Māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ: (BG 7.15) "The knowledge he has achieved, that has been taken away by māyā." He's superficially simply degree holder. His actual knowledge is taken away. So therefore māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Why this has happened? Āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. Because he defies, "What is God? I am God. You are all God. Why you are searching God? There are so many Gods loitering in the street. Take care of them."

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

Generally, all these people in this material world, lokasya, they are blind by the darkness of ignorance. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Therefore Kapiladeva comes. When they become dark, when they become blind out of ignorance—"There is no God," "I cannot see God"—then God comes, "Here I am. See. See My feature. I am a person. I am a flute-player. I am... I enjoy in Vṛndāvana. Why don't you see Me?" That is called yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7).

So God comes, God explains Himself. He leaves behind Him His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā. Still... He says, "You try to see Me like this, see Me like that," raso 'ham apsu kaunteya prabhāsmi... (BG 7.8). Still, if we do not know what is God, then what kind of man I am? Just imagine. A mūḍha. That's all. So try to see God through the instructions of Devahūti and Kapiladeva. Your life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 3.25.13 -- Bombay, November 13, 1974:

Therefore here it is said, bhagavān uvāca. If we take instruction from Bhaga... Why we are reading Bhagavad-gītā? That is very common practice. Because it is perfect. There is no mistake, there is no illusion, there is no cheating, there is no imperfection of the senses. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything—past, present and future." Māṁ ca veda na kaścana: "But nobody understands Me." That is our position. God knows everything. Kṛṣṇa knows everything. But we do not know what is God. That is our position. We do not know. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Īśvara, God, Kṛṣṇa, is situated in everyone's heart. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: (BG 15.15) "I am entered in everyone's heart." Everyone's heart—not only the human being, but also animals or anything. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi (Bs. 5.35) **. He is within the atom. Therefore because He is within me, within you, and within everything, He knows everything. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vedāhaṁ samatītāni (BG 7.26). He knows everything. So because He knows everything, therefore we have to take lesson from Bhagavān. What Bhagavān says, if we take, that is perfect knowledge.

Lecture on SB 3.25.24 -- Bombay, November 24, 1974:

God is not so cheap. You can accept... Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). God has got multi-energies. One of the energies is Durgā, not that she is all in all, no. There are many millions of Durgās, many millions of Śivas, because there are many millions of universes. Just like many millions of police force, similarly, these demigods, there are many, many millions. But God is one. God is not million. Of course, He can expand in million forms; that is different thing. Svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa.

So this devotee offers respect to the demigods as the assistant or energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not as the supreme power. That is the difference. And one who does not know what is God, they take these demigods as supreme. They are less intelligent. So therefore a devotees offer respect to the demigods, but he knows that Supreme Lord is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Therefore, mayy ananyena bhāvena bhaktiṁ kurvanti ye dṛḍhām. Dṛḍha-vrata. Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ, Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:

"My dear Dhanañjaya, My dear Arjuna, there is nobody superior to Me." So just like some heating agent. You have got several heating agent. You have got heater in your apartment, oven in your apartment. There are so many different varieties of heater. But the heat of the sun cannot be compared with any other heat. You cannot say that "Because I have got little heat, I have become sun." (laughs) This is ludicrous; it is not possible. So those who are claiming that "I am God," "Everyone is God," they are simply, what can I say? Less intelligent persons. (laughter) They have no conception what is God. They do not know what is God. This claim that "I am God," that means he has no idea what is God. Therefore he is falsely claiming. You may have minute quantity of God's quality, but that does not mean you are God. Just like the same example. You may have a minute quantity of the total heat of the sun, but that does not mean you are sun. So qualitatively we are one, everyone has got some temperature, 98 degrees. But not that a million degree. That is not possible. Why the million? If you rise your temperature to 107 degrees, then finished your life. These are practical.

Lecture on SB 5.5.28 -- Vrndavana, November 15, 1976:

Don't associate with nondevotee. If you want to make progress, don't associate. Associate does not mean to talk with a nondevotee is association. No. That we have to do. As gentlemen, as devotee, we can. But not intimately. Associate means dadāti pratigṛhṇāti bhuṅkte bhojayate caiva, guhyam ākhyāti pṛcchati ca. These are intimate relationship, dealing: giving something to your friend, accepting something from your friend, feeding your friend, accept food from him, and disclose your mind to your friend, and understand his mind. Ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti-lakṣaṇam. So with devotee we should deal in six ways, ṣaḍ-vidhaṁ prīti. Īśvare prema tad-adhīneṣu maitrī. This is friendly behavior. And kṛpa bāliśeṣu. Those who are innocent, does not know what is God or what is our relationship with Him, but they are not atheist—they do not know—to such persons, kṛpa, daya. Īṣvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu. And there is a class, dviṣat, sura-dviṣat, simply atheist. As soon as they hear the name of God, Kṛṣṇa, they become angry. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. Innocent child, five years old, Prahlāda Mahārāja, because he learned from Nārada Muni even from the womb of his mother how to become a devotee and from the birth he was a devotee and his father did not like, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Not only he did not like, he was prepared to kill his child in so many ways. That is atheism. Atheists are so much averse, sura-dviṣat. They are envious. So to such person the madhyama-adhikārī cannot preach because it is useless waste of time. If one is innocent but not envious we can preach there. That will be, I mean to say, fruitful. If we go to atheist and you go on speaking, he will never accept it. So don't waste your time in that way. That is nāma-aparādha. But because we have not so much power that we can convert an atheist to become theist or devotee of God That requires special power.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

So do you think a machine works without an operator? Do you think? Is there any evidence? Now, this is a machine, photography, a wonderful machine. It is taking the picture, and it will move. But there is an operator. Where is the machine which is working without operator? Can you give any example, "Here is a machine which is working without operator"? So how do you think that the nature machine is working without the supreme operator, God's instruction. How do you think it? This is not very reasonable. We have to judge. There are different evidences. One of the evidence is hypothesis. That hypothesis is that "Because we see that no machine works without operator, therefore we should conclude it, even though we do not know what is God, what is the nature, we must conclude it that the nature is working under some supreme operator. That is God." It is not necessary to see the operator, but we can guess that there must be operator. So human life is meant for finding out who is there to operate. That is human life. Otherwise it cats' and dogs' life. They are eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing. That's all. That is not human life. You must find out who is the operator. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is called, in Sanskrit word, "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about the supreme operator." Now, that supreme operator, Kṛṣṇa, is so kind. He is giving evidence in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Now here I am. Under My direction the prakṛti, the nature, material nature, is working." So you accept. Then your business is done. And Kṛṣṇa give evidences how He is controlling the nature. When Kṛṣṇa was seven years old, He lifted one big mountain on His finger. That means the Our understanding is that there is law of gravitation. By law of gravitation, such a big mountain, it cannot stay in one man's finger. That is our calculation. But He did it. That means He counteracted the law of gravitation. That is God. So if you believe this, then you know God immediately. There is no difficulty. Just like if the child is warned, "My dear child, do not touch fire. It will burn you." So if the child accepts, then he gets the perfect knowledge immediately. If the child does not accept, he wants to make experiment, then he will burn his finger.

Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:

That is the experience. Just like if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. And without eating, how you will feel satisfaction? So if you follow spiritual movement, then you will understand God. That is the result. And if you think that you are following some spiritual movement but you do not know what is God, that means you are following some bogus thing. That is the test. It hasn't got to be certified. You can know. Just like if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. You haven't got to take certificate from others. Do you think I am eating? You can say. If you understand fully God, then that is spiritual movement. If you do not understand, then you must know that you are following some bogus movement. This is the test.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Sydney, February 17, 1973:

And this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a fight against this civilization, this wrong civilization. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness... the people are being denied their privilege. The human life is meant for getting out of this ignorance of life. But people are being put into ignorance, and their human life is being spoiled. So therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the greatest welfare activity to the human society. Those who are intelligent enough, they should try to understand it and help it as much as possible. Otherwise it is very risky civilization. People are kept into ignorance. He does not know what is the value of life. He does not know what he is. He does not know what is God. He does not know what is life. He does not know what he is going to become next life. He's completely in darkness. Therefore Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. So long he does not inquire that "What I am? What is my necessity? Why I am suffering?" Unless one comes to this position of inquisitiveness, whatever he is doing, it is all defeat for him. It is all defeat for him because he does not know what is his position. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just to giving him the chance to understand himself, and it is very easy, it is very easy.

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Chicago, July 7, 1975:

Therefore he comes: yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). That dharmasya glāniḥ means... Dharma means religious. Glāni means pollution. What is that? We are manufacturing so many rascal type of religion. This is dharmasya glāniḥ. But real religion is as Kṛṣṇa says. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is religion. Religion means the order of Kṛṣṇa. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). You cannot manufacture religion. Religion means you carry out the order of God. That is religion. That is religion. So you do not know what is God, what is the order of God, or even if you know, you do not carry out—then what is the meaning of your religion? It has no meaning. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam directly takes it, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra paramaḥ nirmatsarāṇāṁ vāstavaṁ vastu vedyam atra.

So this Bhāgavata religion is not a cheating religion. This is real religion. Don't be carried away by cheating type of religion; you do not understand what is the value of life, what is the goal of life, how we can revive our eternal life. These things are to be known, and then your life, human life, is successful. And that chance is present before you in this form of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Take advantage of it and be happy.

Lecture on SB 6.1.40 -- San Francisco, July 21, 1975:

What is that religion there? Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi: "The Supreme Truth, the Absolute Truth, we are accepting." This is religion.

So the Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is God, accepted in the Vedas. That is... Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). From Vedic knowledge, you get all knowledge. So if you don't accept Kṛṣṇa as God, that is also your mistake. You do not know God, but here Kṛṣṇa presents Himself as God, and He is accepted by authorities. So you have to accept. If you say that "I don't accept Kṛṣṇa," then you have to present somebody else if you know God. And if you say that "I do not know what is God," then you have to accept Kṛṣṇa. Because you do not know. Here the authority says, "Kṛṣṇa is God." So you have to accept that. You cannot deny it. So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kṛṣṇa means Nārāyaṇa. Therefore it is said, vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt. Therefore knowledge or religion means what is ordained, what is described by the words of Kṛṣṇa, Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.2.2 -- Vrndavana, September 6, 1975:

You are brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha... Varnāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.

But what is the aim of life? Aim of life is to satisfy the Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu. But they do not know it. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). At least at the present moment, nobody knows that he has to satisfy the Supreme Lord. That is the aim of life. He does not know. He does not know even what is God. Just like animal. The animal does not know what is God. They are making research what is God, the theosophists, the theologists, making research. God is canvassing, "Here I am." Kṛṣṇa, He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmi (BG 4.7). When these rascals forget what is God, He comes. And still, they are making research. He is acting as God; He is instructing as God; He is accepted by the ācāryas as God; still, these rascals are searching out God. This is their position. Why you are searching out? Here is God. God says, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaṁ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8), aham ādir hi devānāṁ maharṣīṇāṁ sa saptasaḥ (Bg 10.2). And still you are searching God? That is the folly. Even God comes before you, and if you are demon, then you cannot understand what is God.

Lecture on SB 7.5.1, Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 12, 1973:

What I am? Why I am suffering in this material world? Is there a solution?" This is the business of human form of life, not to imitate the animals, how to eat nicely, how to live nicely, how to have sexual intercourse nicely and how to defend. These are animal propensities. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narānām. The animals are also doing the same business, whole day and night. Therefore Bhāgavata says, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye: (SB 5.5.1) "This human form of life is not meant for to work so hard like hogs and dogs simply for sense gratification." The aim is only sense gratification. In the modern civilization they have no other aim. They do not know "What is God, what is my relationship with God, what is the ultimate goal of life, how shall I work in this material world?" These questions are rejected. It is very abominable condition of the human society. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important to enlivening the whole human society to his real position, constitutional position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

"This Prahlāda has got tendency to become a devotee," so they were very careful. But Prahlāda Mahārāja, what he did do, as soon as there is tiffin hours, all the teachers gone, he would immediately call all the class friends and stand up on the bench and speak on bhagavad-bhakti. Perhaps you have seen that picture. That teaching is there. If there is time we shall..., how he was teaching his class friend to become devotee. Just like our boys going on the street try to teach all others how to learn devotional service. This is our business. Prahlāda Mahārāja is our ācārya, former ācārya. So following his footsteps, we have to do that. Everyone did that, preaching. Preaching is required. People are in ignorance. They do not know what is God, what is his relationship with God. Therefore preaching is necessary. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was doing that. Therefore the teacher said that naisargikīyaṁ matir asya rājan niyaccha manyum: "Don't be unnecessarily angry upon us. We did not teach him. By nature he is like that."

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

This kaniṣṭha-adhikārī should be fully engaged in these things, then he becomes gradually, I mean to say, elevated in the madhyama-adhikārī.

In the madhyama-adhikārī he can see four things. What is that? Four things means, first of all the Supreme Lord, īśvara, the controller, he can see. He can see means he understands, he appreciates, he can conceive, "Yes, the Supreme Lord is there". There is no more theoretical. So īśvara, and tad-adhīneṣu, and persons who have become devotee, he can understand, "Here is a devotee." Īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu. Bāliśa means he knows imperson. They do not know what is God, what is to be done, they are called bāliśa. Just like children, arbhakaḥ, bāliśa. And then dviṣāt, envious. Just like you have experienced so many rascals, as soon as they hear of God, immediately they become agitated. They are called dviṣāt, envious, demons. So four things, God, His devotees, and the innocent person, and the demonic atheist. He can see, madhyama-adhikārī. And then he behaves with these four classes of men differently. What is that? Prema, for Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, how to increase love. That is first business, prema. And those who are devotees, to make friendship with them maitrī. Those who are higher than him, he should offer very respectful obeisances, those who are equal, treat them with nicely, and those who are lower then instruct them, bāliśeṣu. Those who are innocent, how to raise him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is preaching. And dviṣatsu, upekṣaḥ, those who are atheist, don't associate with them. Don't associate with them. That is the madhyama-adhikārī.

Lecture on SB 7.9.5 -- Mayapur, February 12, 1976:

Take any one of them and you'll be benefited. This is arcana-mārga. There are many foolish person, they make propaganda, "There is no need of going to the temple." That is another rascaldom. Because if you come to the temple, you get so many facilities to make advance in spiritual life. This is our mission. We are opening, spending so much money for opening gorgeous temple. It is not new thing. This is very, very old, coming by paramparā system. There are many thousands of temples in India, very old, five thousand, three thousand years old. Why? The ācāryas wanted to give facility to the common man to enter into spiritual life. That is the idea.

It is not childish. Rather the so-called meditation is childish. You cannot, if you do not know what is God, how you can meditate upon Him? Meditation means, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yogino. The yogis perform meditation. Why? To concentrate their mind on the Viṣṇu form. You'll find some picture that everyone is depicted with the Viṣṇu form in the core of the heart. That is real yoga. Indriya-samyamaḥ. Real yoga means indriya-samyamaḥ. Our senses are so much disturbed, agitated always. So if you can control your sensory organs to your, employ them in the matter of understanding God, yoga indriya-samyamaḥ.

Page Title:Not know what is God (Lectures, SB)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:22 of Dec, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=43, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:43