Nothing to do (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"nothing to do"

Notes from the compiler: VedaBase query:"nothing to do" not "nothing to do with"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Edinburgh, July 17, 1972:

The answer is given there, that "Your inquiry..." Kṛṣṇa comes for reestablishing the principles of religion. Religion means the order set by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is religion: "You do like this." Just like king's..., king orders, or the government orders, "Do like this." Do's and does not. Do not's. Do's and do not's. So that is dharma. If you follow the do's and do not's given by Kṛṣṇa, that is religion. You cannot manufacture religion. That is bogus.

So munayaḥ sādhu pṛṣṭo 'haṁ bhavadbhir loka-maṅgalam (SB 1.2.5). "These questions..." Just like our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same: it is simply questioning about Kṛṣṇa and hearing the answer. It is loka-maṅgalam. Anywhere this vibration will go on, there will be all auspicity. Loka-maṅgalam. Kṛṣṇa-sampraśno yenātmā suprasīdati. Another feature is Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive; therefore, talks about Him is also attractive. In our Kṛṣṇa book there are so many topics about Kṛṣṇa, janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9), about His birth, about His transference from real father's house to another foster father, then the attack by the demons upon Kṛṣṇa, Kaṁsa. All these activities, if we simply study and hear the kṛṣṇa-sampraśnaḥ, then we are liberated. Without any doubt, our liberation is guaranteed. Simply by hearing about Kṛṣṇa.

Kṛṣṇa therefore comes, so many activities. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa says that He has nothing to do. What He has to do? But still, He's killing so many demons, He's giving protection (to) so many devotees. Because He has come to reestablish what is religious principles. So by His personal activities He establishes. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. He's ātmārāma, Kṛṣṇa. He is self-satisfied; He has nothing to do. But to teach us He comes. In this way we should live. From the very beginning of His childhood. Read the purport.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

If he says, "Yes," then it is confirmed. The inner things, how the pulse is beating, and the symptoms are confirmed, then the medicine is ready. Immediately take the medicine. Where is (indistinct).

Formerly every brāhmaṇa used to learn these two sciences, Āyur-veda and Jyotir-veda. Jyotir-veda means astronomy..., astrology not astronomy. Because any other, the less intelligent than brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, the śūdras, they would need the brāhmaṇas for health and future. Everyone is very inquisitive to learn what is future, what is going to happen next, and everyone is concerned with the health. So brāhmaṇas, they would simply advise about health and the future, so that is their profession and people give them eatables, cloth, so they have nothing to do for working outside. Anyway this is a long story. So this body is a bag of the three elements, yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). (baby cries) That baby. So Bhāgavata says yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, I am not this body. This is a vehicle. Just like we ride on a car, drive car, so I am not this car. Similarly, this is a yantra, car, mechanical car. Kṛṣṇa or God has given me this car, I wanted it. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). "My dear Arjuna, the Lord as Paramātmā is sitting in everyone's heart," bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61), "and He is giving chance to the living entity to travel, to wander," sarva-bhūtāni, "all over the universe." Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, riding on a car, driving a car given by the material nature. So actual our position is that I am soul, I have been given a nice car—it is not a nice car but as soon as we get a car, however rotten it may be, we think that it is very nice, (laughter) and identify with that car. "I have got this car, I have got that car." One forgets if one drives a very costly car, he forgets himself that he is a poor man. He thinks that "I am this car." This is identification.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

So sometimes people say that bhakti, devotional service is for less intelligent class of men. No. It is the one who has become highly intelligent, he can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante (BG 7.19), after many, many births of cultivation of knowledge... Everyone is cultivating knowledge but when his ultimate goal of knowledge is achieved, that is to understand Kṛṣṇa, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19), one who understands. That is the ultimate goal of knowledge. So here is also the same thing explained, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Dharma, every human...

First of all, dharma is meant for the human society. The animal society, they have no, nothing to do about religion, neither they know what is religion, what is this body, what is soul. It is not their business. Dharma is the business of the human society. Therefore in any human society, there is a kind of dharma, religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christian religion, or Hindu religion, or Buddha religion, or Muhammadam religion, some sort of religious propensities are there. Because without this propensity, dharma, religious, he is not a man, he is animal, because animal has no sense of religion. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samāna, anyone who has no religion, it doesn't matter what kind of religion he has got, but he must have some religion. Without religion he is animal. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

They do not care for practicing yoga to show some magical feats. Neither they require it. Neither they want it. Because devotee's position is āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām adarśanān marma-hatāṁ karotu vā (CC Antya 20.47). "Whatever You like, You can do." That's all. He has no desire.

Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Aśānta means where they can get peace? They have to work for it. The karmīs, they have to work for it. The jñānīs, they have to cultivate for that. The yogis, they have to practice. But bhakta has nothing to do. Therefore it is first class. Without doing anything, he will show magic. This is the first class... Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is first class. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you have got unflinching faith in the Supreme, Adhokṣaja... Adhokṣaja means beyond the perception of the senses. Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra. Our knowledge, our activities they are sensual. I can jump, but jumping requires two legs, sense organs. So adhokṣaja means you cannot realize the Supreme by sensual activities. That is not possible. Therefore His name is Adhokṣaja. Adhah-kṛta akṣajaṁ jñānaṁ yatra tattvataḥ.

So one has to become... If one becomes a devotee, ahaituky apratihatā, such devotional service can never be checked. It is not conditional. "If I am very learned, then I can read Vedānta philosophy, then I can understand what is the Absolute Truth." So that is checked. "If I am not very nice Sanskrit scholar, then I, I cannot become a Vedantist." That is conditional. But bhakti is not conditional. Not that because you are not a Vedantist, not that because you are a very not rich man... Not that. Bhakti is unconditional. Ahaituky apratihatā. They're... Just like class of men, they say, "First of all, let us enjoy this world.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

I mean to say, leisure, go out of the city, and try to forget all our hard labor throughout the week. But on Monday, again we have to come back. This is going on. Nobody actually... Because a living entity by nature, being part and parcel of God, he wants also enjoy life without work. That is his tendency. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs, with Rādhārāṇī. But He's not working. He hasn't got to work. We don't hear from Bhāgavatam, any Vedic literature, that Kṛṣṇa has a great factory, and He has to go office at ten o'clock, and then bring money, and then enjoy with Rādhārāṇī. No. (laughter) We don't want that such kind of rascal God. (laughter) We want God who hasn't got to work anything. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic information. God has nothing to do.

Then what kind of God He is? He is simply for enjoyment. One European gentleman went to Calcutta. He saw many temples, and when he came to our temple, he saw the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. He went to other temples also, Kālī's. So he remarked, "Here is God." His remark was that "I saw in other temples, they are working. The Goddess Kālī is working. But here, He's enjoying." So God, that description is there in the Vedānta-sūtra, ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

Although He's cause of everything, but he hasn't got to work. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is Vedic information. In the Upaniṣad you'll find, He has nothing to do.

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate

na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate

We do not find anyone equal to Him or greater than Him. That is God. God is great. "Great" means nobody should be greater than Him. And God says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no other superior authority than Me." Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8): "I am the origin of everything." So other demigods like Lord Śiva, Lord Brahmā, even Lord Viṣṇu, mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate—everyone emanates from Him. And from them emanate so many things. Just like Brahmā, so many creatures have come out. But the original, ādyam, anādi... Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. Govinda is the original person.

So He hasn't got to do anything. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has no duty. He hasn't got to go to office, fifty miles off, with a motorcar, running at seventy miles speed, and there is some accident, finished. He hasn't got to do like that, although He runs quicker than anyone.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

So when he manufactures a nice closet, who, to whom it will belong? It will belong to the man who has supplied you all these things. Similarly, you may be changing the form of the material elements, but you are not proprietor. The proprietor is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we understand this philosophy, that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa..." That is the fact. And if you do not understand that, that is māyā. Māyā means not fact, mā-yā.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is educating people in this way, that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer. You have seen Kṛṣṇa's picture. He is always enjoying. He is not working. That is Kṛṣṇa. God... In the Vedas the definition of God is given, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "God has nothing to do." He is enjoyer. Where He will do? He will not work. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tasya sama adhikaś ca dṛśyat: "Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him." That is God. Nowadays so many gods coming from India... So God is one. Na tasya sama adhikaś ca. Nobody can be equal to Him; nobody can be greater than Him. That is God.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇam...

(Bs. 5.1)

Parama, controller... Īśvara means controller. So here in the material world we find that I am controller; I am controlled by somebody else. Then that controller is controlled by somebody else. So controller over controller over controller over... When you come to the point when the controller is there but no more controller upon him, that is God. That is God. If I am controlled by a dentist—a god has become affected with tooth trouble and goes to the...

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Delhi, November 16, 1973:

The Supreme Absolute Truth, He has nothing to do. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. Everything is being done by His potencies. Just like a big man, a big business man, or a big, the president of the state, he personally does not do anything. But his energies, his secretaries and others, they do everything. He simply signs or gives sanction. So this is the fact. God has nothing to do. Everything is being done very nicely by His energies. Just like the sunshine or the sun planet is one of the energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the whole material world is being conducted very nicely by the sunshine... This is scientific. Due to the sunshine all the planets, they are rotating in their prescribed orbit and nobody is colliding with one another. Everything is going nicely, sunshine. Due to sunshine, the seasonal changes are taking place, and the varieties of trees, plants are growing. Everything is going on. The moon is also working under sunshine. And due to the moon, there are waves in the sea. There are changes of the ebb tide and low tide. So one energy of the sunshine is doing so much things.

So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energies are working so nicely that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Svabhāva, natural. Just like a rose flower is coming into existence, very nicely painted, very nicely colored, very nicely flavored. So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it.

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Calcutta, September 27, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa-bhakta, he does not desire anything. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta says, "I don't mind I am born lowborn." No, because he'll chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Lowborn or highborn, he has nothing to do. If one is engaged in devotional service, it doesn't matter whether he's lowborn and highborn. As soon as he takes to devotional service, he becomes above lowborn and highborn. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). He's in the Brahman platform.

So in this way, as they are stated in the śāstra, if you follow, then it is step by step. First beginning is śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (SB 1.2.17). Try to hear Kṛṣṇa's message. That is Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. You hear it. You understand it. What is the difficulty? Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ. Don't misinterpret. Hear it as it is. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Hear it and execute it. Where is the difficulty? But we shall not agree to, we shall not hear. We shall not act according to the instruction given. And that is our misfortune. Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says, etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavan mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ: "You are so merciful that in this age You have incarnated, You have descended in Your name." Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktiḥ. And in the name there is all potencies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). There are multipotencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All the potencies are there in the holy name of the Lord. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ. Deśa-kāla-pātra. There is no distinction. Anywhere, either in England or in Vṛndāvana or in Calcutta, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Niyamitaḥ smaraṇe. No kālākāla-vicāra, that "This is aśuddha-kāla, this is śuddha-kāla." Anytime. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31).

Lecture on SB 1.3.1-3 -- San Francisco, March 28, 1968:

Upendra: "Material nature has no power to create without the power of the puruṣa as much as a prakṛti or woman cannot produce any child without the connection of a puruṣa. The puruṣa impregnates and the prakṛti delivers. We should not expect milk from the fleshy bags in the neck of the goat although they look like breastly nipples. Similarly we should not expect any creative power from the material ingredients. We must believe in the power of the puruṣa who impregnates the prakṛti or nature. And because the Lord wished for lying down in meditation the material energy created innumerable universes also at once and in each of them the Lord lay Himself down, and thus all the planets and the different paraphernalia was created at once by the will of the Lord. The Lord has unlimited potencies and as such He can perform as He likes in perfect planning although personally He has nothing to do and no body is greater or equal to Him."

Prabhupāda: In the Bible also it is said, "God said 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." That means God is the origin of creation. Yes. Go on.

Upendra: "That is the verdict of Veda." Text 3. Translation: "It is conceived that all the universal planetary system are situated on the extensive bodily features of the puruṣa but He has nothing to do with the created material ingredients."

Prabhupāda: This is universal form of the Lord, virāṭ-puruṣa. Here is also. This is more or less imaginary. But virāṭ-puruṣa... Just like Arjuna was shown the virāṭ-puruṣa, universal form. That is not eternal. That was causal or temporary; for the time being it was shown to Arjuna.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-8 -- New Vrindaban, May 23, 1969:

Rockefeller or somebody like that. He thinks something to do, business. Simply he orders his secretary, "This should be done," it is done. Without his personal effort, immediately done. Because why? Because he has got superior energy or power. In the material world... Material world means this monetary strength he has got. So simply by his desire, the secretary arranges everything and everything is nicely done. But he is sitting in his room. If it is possible for a person who is little materially rich, just imagine how much it is possible by God, the Supreme. Simply by willing, everything will be done. He hasn't got to do anything. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Veda also.

So He has nothing to do. So who is that God? That Kṛṣṇa. He has nothing to do. He is simply enjoying, playing His flute, and Rādhārāṇī is serving. Oh, He is not taking a sword and fighting. Why He should fight? He hasn't got to fight. Then one can say, "Then why He was in the battlefield?" Yes, battlefield He was. He was not to fight there. He was to see the fun, how the fight is going on. He was to give instruction. He was to give, deliver this Bhagavad-gītā. He was not fighting. That is God. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He's instructing Arjuna, His friend, that "You fight." By His simple will everything would have been done, fighting would have been finished. He says that nimitta-mātraṁ bhava savyasācin. "I have already planned it. If you don't fight, don't think that these persons who have assembled here, they will go back home. They are already finished. That plan is already made. Simply you take the credit, that you are Kṛṣṇa's friend, you have won the battle. That's all. I am giving you this chance of taking the credit." This is God. God hasn't got (chuckling) to labor and meditate and push nose, and he becomes God. No. God is God. Simply by His will, God. Everything is God. So this bluffing, that by meditation one can become, by silent, becoming silent, one become God, this condition... God is not under any condition. Why God should be under condition?

So therefore it is said, manasaiva viśvaṁ sṛjati.

Lecture on SB 1.5.11 -- New Vrindaban, June 10, 1969:

It is serving the government. But it is bad for the criminals. Similarly, this māyā, the external energy, the māyā, it is bad for those who are godless, who are rascals. For them, māyā is there. Otherwise, for devotee, there is no influence of māyā.

Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find that māyā is strong only, it is very difficult to surpass the laws of nature, for whom? Who is not surrendered soul to Kṛṣṇa. Māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām... If you are not criminal, what business you have got with the police department? Nothing. Let the police department remain. You have nothing to do. Neither police department has any jurisdiction to come and disturb you. No. You live peacefully, lawfully. There is no... Similarly, if we do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious while we have got this opportunity, this human form of life, we can understand what is Kṛṣṇa, and if we willfully do not take to this consciousness, then the māyā will act. Therefore... Just like a person knows that "I am committing these sinful activities. I'll be arrested by the police and maybe I'll be hanged. I'll have to give my life." He knows it, but he does it. That means willfully he's killing. He is making suicide. Similarly, if we know that "So long we do not become Kṛṣṇa conscious, the māyā will punish me in so many ways," knowing, if I do not take care, that means I am committing suicide.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

Because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, then what is my duty? To serve Kṛṣṇa. There is no other duty. Any other duty I manufacture, that is illusion. That is māyā, any duty I manufacture. So under illusion, I am manufacturing duties. This is called conditional life. So Vyāsadeva is advised that akhila-bandha-muktaye:"People are under illusion, 'I' and 'mine.' So, just try to get them liberated from this illusion." This is Vaiṣṇava's duty. Just like Nārada is advising Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva is advising his disciple Madhvācārya. He is advising his disciple. This is Vaiṣṇavism. They are not concerned for personal self. Akhila-bandha-muktaye: "Just try to liberate all these conditioned souls." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. For himself... He was son of God. He had nothing to do. God consciousness, he was. He's perfectly... He knows everything. But why he was crucified? Because he wanted to work for others. That is Vaiṣṇavism.

Lord Caitanya advises, therefore, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). Kṛṣṇa consciousness means whomever you meet... Suppose I practice some yoga practice. Suppose I become perfect. So that I make for myself. For myself. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice... Just like Vyāsadeva is advised, "For others, just..." Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). So Nārada advises that "You do this." What is that? Urukramasya. Each word is meaningful. Urukrama. Uru means uncommon. Uru. Uru means great. And krama. Krama means activities. So who is Urukrama? Urukrama is Kṛṣṇa, God. His activities are uncommon. Just see. This Pacific Ocean is just like in a cup. And it is floating in the sky. Is it not? We see: "Oh, it is vast ocean." But what is the position of this? This vast ocean is in a cup, and it is floating in the sky. That's all. Just see. This is called urukrama. This is God's activity. Can you float a cup of water in the sky? Is it possible? Let any scientist come and make any arrangement. They have discovered all this gravity of... What is called? Gravitation. So many things they have discovered. But let them fly a cup of water in the sky. Is it possible? Is there any scientist?

Lecture on SB 1.7.9 Excerpt -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1976:

That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). One who is ātmārāma, brahma-bhūtaḥ, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am not this material body, no more I have to do anything for this material body. Ātmārāma. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). People are anxious, especially the karmīs, how to maintain this body, but when one comes to the conclusion that "I am not this body," naturally his interest for maintaining the body, diminishes. Practically, it becomes nil. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **, you will find from the behavior of the Gosvāmīs, they practically conquered over the necessities of this body. But that does not mean he has to cease all activities. The Māyāvāda philosophy, they say that when one becomes brahma-bhūtaḥ, ātmārāma, he has nothing to do any more. No. The śāstra does not say that. Śāstra says that when you become ātmārāma, or brahma-bhūtaḥ, your material anxieties, material activities, they become stopped. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), prasannātmā, he has nothing to do.

Lecture on SB 1.7.34-35 -- Vrndavana, September 28, 1976:

That requires kṣatriya. Not these cāmāra, bhangis, and śūdras voted and become the president and minister. That will not be successful. That is not possible. There must be trained-up kṣatriyas, then there will be good government. Trained.

They should be trained means they should be advised by the brāhmaṇas. Therefore four divisions required. The brāhmaṇas have no interest or they have no time. Even a brāhmaṇa is made king... It is not his business. He may do it for some time, temporarily. Just like Viśvāmitra also did. But it is not his business. The brāhmaṇa should give advice to the ministers or the legislators. They should be all qualified brāhmaṇas, not paid man. Paid man has nothing to do... Even during the time of Mahārāja Candragupta, emperor, he had a brāhmaṇa minister, prime minister, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. He was not taking a single farthing as salary. When once explanation was called for from Cāṇakya Paṇḍita by Candragupta, immediately he resigned. "You cannot call any explanation. Then I resign." And he was living in a cottage, not that palatial building. He was living in a cottage. That was the system. Brāhmaṇa lived very humbly. He was not poor. Not that they are poor men. They were so rich that when Viśvāmitra approached Mahārāja Daśaratha, immediately he vacated his seat and welcomed, "Sir, sit down here." So respectful. This is Vedic culture. The brāhmaṇas would not accept any comfort, but the kṣatriyas would be very, very glad to give all comforts to the brāhmaṇas. In our śāstra, brāhmaṇa-bhojana, it is recommended that brāhmaṇas should be invited to take prasāda. Now they have manufactured daridra-bhojana or daridra-nārāyaṇa-bhojana. They have made daridra-nārāyaṇa. But that is not Vedic culture. Vedic culture is to find out qualified brāhmaṇa, sages, sannyāsīs. They would refuse, but still they'll fall down, "Please come, take some prasāda." This is Vedic culture. Brāhmaṇa's position is very, very exalted. Now, since after the battle of Kurukṣetra, they have become brahma-bandhus. The example is here, brahma-bandhu.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- Mayapura, September 30, 1974:

You cannot dictate that "I shall become like that." No, that is not possible. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa.

So we are forced to come here and suffer or enjoy the fruits of our last karma. That is one thing. But Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Kṛṣṇa does not come, being forced by nature or for His karma. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa says that He also works, karma, to show example, but He is not affected by the result of the karma. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma... Neither He has got any desire to work for something to gain something. He is full. Why He should try for gaining...? We work something. We work to gain something, to make some profit. But Kṛṣṇa hasn't got to do any profit. He is self-sufficient. Whatever He wants, immediately present. Omnipotent, omniscient. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do like that. Therefore why does He come? He has got a different mission. What is that? Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. He says, "I come for this purpose, to rescue the sādhus, the devotees, and to cut down the demons." Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8).

So vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, this is not main business. For killing the demons, one cyclone wind is sufficient. If Kṛṣṇa orders Varuṇa that "You make a heavy cyclone in this quarter," hundreds and thousands of demons will be killed within a second. So this is not the purpose, for... He does not come for killing. But because killing business is another business, when He comes to protect the devotees, so He automatically, there are some demons: "Kill them also." Just like you go somewhere. Now, your not business to purchase something, but when you see, "Oh, it is nice. It is cheap price. All right, purchase it." So you did not go to a friend's place to make some business, but when you see, sometimes you do that. Similarly, it is not Kṛṣṇa's business. That, Kṛṣṇa has got many, many agents. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44).

Lecture on SB 1.8.22 -- Los Angeles, April 14, 1973:

And the process we are distributing by the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu to everyone, without any charge. The process is chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately you understand Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you see the lotus flower, if you hear this verse... This Sanskrit verse is meant for understanding ourself. It is not for simply selling our books. Every one of you... We are repeating this verse again and again so that you are expected to chant these mantras. Not that the book is kept... "I'm very learned scholar." What kind of learned scholar? "If I find the book, then I can speak." That is not scholarship. You must chant.

Therefore we are teaching in our Dallas children simply to learn Sanskrit. We have nothing to do anything else. They are not going to be technologists, or servant of everyone. No. We want some generation who can preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So if they learn simply English and Sanskrit, they will be able to read this book, and that is sufficient. We don't want anything. All informations are there. Throughout the whole world, whatever knowledge is there, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, everything is there. There is literature, there is poetry, there is philosophy, there is religion, there is love of Godhead, there is astronomy. Everything is there. Śrīmad-bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇam. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. If one simply reads this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, his education is the topmost. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhiḥ. There is something topmost, ultimate. So for education, vidyā, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. If one studies Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, he is well versed in every subject matter.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

That is not... One can understand. The bird enters into the green tree does not mean the bird has lost his existence. His individuality is still there. Similarly, when we merge, even in Brahman effulgence, we do not lose our individuality. Although it appears that we have lost our identity, individuality, but actually that is not the fact. And because it is not fact, therefore our another quality is ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt: (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12) we want ānanda.

As Kṛṣṇa is ānandamaya... We see Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in pastimes, either with the cowherd boys or with the gopīs or with His father, mother, or in the fight of battlefield, Kurukṣetra, or in killing some demon. But His pastimes are always there. He's never inactive. He's never inactive. There it is said, viśvātmann ajasya akartuḥ. He has nothing to do, but still He is acting. Akartuḥ. Akartuḥ means He has nothing to do. Here, so far we are concerned, we have to do something in the material world. We are destined. Śarīra-yātrāpi ca te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that "If you do not work, you cannot maintain even your body. You have to work." You see therefore all living entities... At night, millions and trillions of living entities, they come, fly and work. The work has no meaning. The work is death. Still, they are working. So what to speak of others? The birds, the sparrows, they are working, from here to there, here... And we are also working. So that is the nature of material existence.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Akartuḥ. He has nothing to do. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). He has not... But He comes as a human being just to teach us how to work, how to work. That He explains in the Bhagavad-gītā, how to work and be happy. But not to work, Kṛṣṇa has never... And neither this place is like that, that you will not work, and everything will come automatically. Things are coming automatically, but you have to pick up the things by working. That is the nature. Just like you have got gold mine under your feet. So you have to take it by working, by digging. You cannot say, "Now I have got the gold mine. Now sit down tightly." No. That is not material nature. But Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic instruction. That is akartuḥ. He has nothing to do. Why He has nothing to do? Now, because He has got many energies. Just like nowadays, by electronics, one man is sitting... We have seen the pilot. He's sitting in his place. He's simply pushing on the button, and the whole, big gigantic 747 is flying in the sky. We see the pilot is sitting there. He's doing nothing, but he's doing everything. But the electronic arrangement is so perfect. But sitting in one place he is working the big gigantic machine. As it is possible for a small material man, how much it is possible for Kṛṣṇa. Although He does not do anything, still, He's viśvātman: He is controlling the whole universe, viśvātman. He's the vital force, viśvāt... This is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Mayapura, October 10, 1974:

So if we simply understand Kṛṣṇa, as explained in the śāstras, sādhu-śāstra, or saintly persons, devotees, if we try to understand, then we become liberated. Janma karma me divyam (BG 4.9). As it is said, janma karma ca viśvātmann ajasya akartur ātmanaḥ, viḍambanam. Viḍambanam. They are all bewildering, bewildering. Therefore, if one understands properly, then the result is that he becomes liberated. That means he gets full knowledge. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Then he understands that Kṛṣṇa is everything. He's the origin of everything. Viśvātman. This is to be understood. He's the vital force of the whole universe. The whole universe is moving not automatically, but under the guidance and superintendency of Kṛṣṇa. Mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Kṛṣṇa says, "Under My superintendence" So Kṛṣṇa is active, but He has nothing to do. This is acintya, inconceivable. He is very active because He is supervising the whole activities of the universe, but still, He has nothing to do. That is Kṛṣṇa. We have to understand that. Paśyaty acakṣuḥ. "He is seeing, but acakṣuḥ. Acakṣuḥ means... You may say, "Not seeing." Acakṣuḥ. He does not place His eyesight, but still, He's seeing. How it is? Now, He can see from any part of His body. Just like I close my eyes—I cannot see you. My seeing activities stop. But because, although I am, I have closed my eyes, but my hands are there. So Kṛṣṇa can see by hands, by nails. That is Kṛṣṇa. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti paśyanti... This very word is used, paśyanti. The limbs of the body of Kṛṣṇa, any part, He can see. Although He may close His eyes, but because other parts of the body are open, therefore He can see. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti.

Lecture on SB 1.8.32 -- Mayapura, October 12, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. He is the Supreme. Why He shall have some thing to do? Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇam... This is the definition in the Vedas: "God has nothing to do. He is self-sufficient. Neither He has got any aspiration." Just like we are thinking of purchasing this land, that land. Why Kṛṣṇa will think like that? Because every land is belonging to Him. So He has nothing to purchase. Everything is there. So why He comes? That is the same way, as Kṛṣṇa says personally. He comes for paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). He wants to give protection to the devotees, to glorify the devotees. That is His business. Otherwise He has no business. He has nothing to do. Just like a devotee has nothing to do except serving Kṛṣṇa, except to see Kṛṣṇa is pleased, similarly, Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do, but He wants to glorify His devotee. This is reciprocation. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). If you... If you dedicate your life for glorifying the Supreme Lord, the Lord is also ready. His business is to glorify you. Otherwise, He has no business.

Therefore here it is said that priyasya, yadoḥ priyasya. King Yadu became very dear to Kṛṣṇa by rendering service. Priyasya. The... As Kṛṣṇa is very dear to the devotee, similarly, devotees are also very, very dear to Kṛṣṇa. There is another verse, sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya. Sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya: "If one is engaged at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he becomes very, very dear." Sva-pāda-mūlaṁ bhajataḥ priyasya. Bhajataḥ, one who is simply engaged for rendering service to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa—he has no other business—he becomes priya.

Lecture on SB 1.8.34 -- Mayapur, October 14, 1974:

This is called faith. Unless you have got faith, you cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Ādau śraddhā. Śraddhā: "Yes, Kṛṣṇa can make anything possible." That faith we must maintain. That is the basic... That has been explained by Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī, what is faith. "Faith means complete conviction." Śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya (Cc. Madhya 22.62). That is faith. Viśvāsa. If I say something and if you believe cent percent, that is called faith. That is called faith. Not that "It may be," or... No. So śraddhā-śabde viśvāsa. Viśvāsa means faith. How? What kind of faith? Sudṛḍha niścaya, firm faith, without any doubt. Niścaya. And what is that faith? Kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya. If one is surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, then his all duty is done, finished. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. As Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do—He has got so much potency that things are done very automatically—similarly, if you faith, have faith in Kṛṣṇa-kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma—then everything will be done automatically. Kṛṣṇa will do for him. What is the difficulty there?

So this big, big lump of matter, earthly planet, they are actually not heavy, but it becomes heavier when there are demons. Demons means material activities. If there is spiritual activity, it remains very light. And if there is too much material activity and materialistic persons, it become heavier and troublesome. So such time became possible, and therefore the earthly planet went to Brahmā to appeal to Viṣṇu to take His incarnation. So somebody says that bhārāvatāra..., tāraṇāya, avatāraṇāya, to diminish the burden, burden... Just like a bad son is a burden of the father. This has been explained by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that a stupid son... Ko 'rthaḥ putreṇa jātena yo na vidvān na bhaktimān: "What is the use of getting a son who is neither learned nor a devotee? Useless." Ko 'rthaḥ putreṇa jātena: "Such kind of son, what is the use?" The son who is not a devotee... Two things are required: the son should be a devotee or a learned. Without being learned, nobody can become devotee.

Lecture on SB 1.8.38 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1973:

Therefore it is the duty of everyone to use the senses for Kṛṣṇa. Just like the property of somebody should be used for him, not for others. I have given this example many times. Perhaps you may remember. Suppose here is the assembly and there is one hundred dollar note is there, fallen from somebody's pocket. So if I take or you take the hundred dollar note and put your in the pocket: "Here is a hundred dollar note," then you are a thief, because that hundred dollar note does not belong to you. You are taking it without his information. That means you are a thief. This is called bhoga, enjoyment. And another is tyāga. One thinks, "Oh, why shall I touch it? Somebody's... Let it remain there. I have no, nothing to do." This is called tyāga, giving up. So the hundred dollar note is the same. One is trying to enjoy it, and one is trying to give it up: "I don't care for it." So both of them are fools, bhogī and tyāgī. Bhogī means the karmīs. The karmīs, those who are working very hard, utilizing... The scientists are utilizing the resources, material resources. That means all are making policy how to steal that note. That is their policy, the karmīs. And another, while he was unable to steal, he says, "Oh, grapes are sour. There is no need of..." That is tyāgī.

Lecture on SB 1.10.11-12 -- Mayapura, June 25, 1973:

Then you become a cat and dog in next life. Then what is your economic development? But they do not know that there is life after death. We have to prepare for the next life. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Then according to my karma, by superior inspection, I'll get next birth. And in the Bhagavad-gītā it is plainly spoken: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says, "Simply try to understand My janma. I take birth." Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. He's aja. Every one of us aja. Na jāyate na mriyate. We don't take birth, don't die, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa must be aja.

So Kṛṣṇa takes birth. That is Janmāṣṭamī. So if anyone tries to understand why the Aja, the Unborn, takes birth, janma karma... And God, Kṛṣṇa, who has nothing to do... That is the Vedic information. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Why He has to do? Actually He hasn't got to do anything. He has to enjoy only. Just like we see the Deity Kṛṣṇa is not working in the factory as a factory manager. He's enjoying the company of Rādhārāṇī. We have to work. If we enjoy with our so-called Rādhārāṇī, then we'll starve to death. We have to work. But God is not like that. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the informations from Vedas, Upaniṣads, that He has nothing to do. Yes. That is real God. If God has to work, God has to do something, then what kind of God He is? Here, the so-called imitation Gods, even a rich man, he does not do anything. And why God will work? Therefore God comes... He's aja, unborn. He comes, janma, karma, He works also. Just like Kṛṣṇa. He worked ordinary cowherd's boy. He worked as ordinary politician. He worked as ordinary philosopher, left the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā and so many other instructions, sublime instructions.

Lecture on SB 1.15.36 -- Los Angeles, December 14, 1973:

The is description of the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Person. Because it is said, tasya. Tasya means He's a person. So what kind of person? Like me? Whole day working, for money? No. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vid... He has nothing to do. See here. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do. Simply He is enjoying, playing on flute and enjoying with Rādhārāṇī. That's all. He hasn't got to go to office, to the factory. (laughter) He hasn't got. He is simply to enjoy. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). And we also take, imitate that enjoyment. We also want to mix, young boys and girls, dance together. Because we imitate Kṛṣṇa. The same thing is there. With gopīs Kṛṣṇa is dancing. Here also we are dancing, in nightclub, and this club, that club. But that will not give you satisfaction, because it is imitation. If you want real dancing, come to Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

That is Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, that we are trying to take the misled people from illusion to the reality. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they see that there is no more any pleasure in this dancing. "Make it zero. Forget it." No. We don't say that. We say that this dancing is there in the original conception in the Absolute Truth. That is... The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Whatever you are experiencing, wherefrom it has come? It has come from the Absolute. That is the Absolute idea. But here, in the relative world, it is pervertedly reflected, and because it is not reality, therefore you are confused, baffled. So our proposition is come to the reality. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The same dancing... Just like here is a picture, Kṛṣṇa is dancing with the gopīs. We also like, anybody of us here. Even in old age they are dancing with young girls. In Paris there is club.

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

And how can you deny that Kṛṣṇa is not God? First of all you have to know what is God. God means the Supreme. That is the dictionary word, "Supreme Being." So Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Being. Here we see a rich man, he enjoys, and his assistants, his managers, his secretaries, they work. They bring money from business, from factory, and the proprietor enjoys. This is a crude example. Similarly, here is God. He is in the enjoying spirit. He is not going to the office to manage his factory. No. He doesn't go. He simply enjoys. That is the injunction of the Vedas: na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca... Definition of God, what is God.

What is God, the idea is given in the Vedas, Upaniṣad, na tasya kāryam. First thing is that He has nothing to do personally. That is first qualification of God. If He has to do something personally, then He is not God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate: "Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him." This is definition of God. Any subject matter... Suppose opulence, riches. So nobody can be richer than God or nobody can be equal with God. This is greatness. "God is great." How He is great? That is defined every..., particularly. He is great because nobody equally rich with Him. Nobody is richer than Him. That is God. Everybody is poorer than Him. Therefore na tat-samaḥ. Sama means equal, and adhika means greater. How God can be great? If somebody is greater than Him, how God is great? If somebody is equal to Him, then how He is great? Just see how the definition is given perfectly. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Because He is great, why He should work? All the subordinates will work. We are all subordinate. Therefore we shall work for God. But we have made our formula, that "God shall work for me." "God, give us our daily bread. We have nothing to do. Simply give us our bread." What is this? But the Vaiṣṇava idea is that "Without giving bread to God, God will die." Yaśodā-māyi is thinking, "If I do not give Kṛṣṇa to eat something nice, Kṛṣṇa will become lean and thin." That is love of Godhead, how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to serve God.

Lecture on SB 1.16.5 -- Los Angeles, January 2, 1974:

Why the plane...? You are flying very nicely, huh? There is no turmoil, no noise in the sky. Go nicely. No. Similarly, in the ship also, you travel for many days. So it will be disturbing. People are searching after when we shall land in some place. So living entity by nature, he wants association. Artificially he wants to... Just like some of, some of the devotees, they like that "Now we shall go in a solitary place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is a different position. It is not possible for the ordinary man. So going to the Brahman effulgence, simply realizing that "I am a spirit soul, I have nothing to do," that will not be beneficial. You will again come down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). If you do not get shelter, simply to remain in the impersonal Brahman effulgence will not make you happy. Artificially, you can stay there for some time; otherwise, you will again fall down in this material world for varieties of enjoyment.

Because that impersonalist, impersonal person, those who are attached to impersonal philosophy, they do not care to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They say, "It is māyā. To become impersonal is perfection." So they cannot remain imper..., in the impersonal feature for very long time because nature... We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. The only fault is that we have tried to imitate Kṛṣṇa here in this material world. Otherwise, that instinct is there. Just like Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs and Rādhārāṇī. Now, because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, that instinct must be in me also, in minute quantity. But that must be in me.

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Los Angeles, July 14, 1974:

So, so this is our process, to depend on Kṛṣṇa. Depend does not mean I shall remain idle. Depend means to work according to the direction of the śāstra. Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, tinete kariyā aikya. Depend does not mean, "Now let me sleep, and Kṛṣṇa will do everything. Depend on Kṛṣṇa." No, not like that. Kṛṣṇa never advised Arjuna that "You sleep on this chariot. (laughter) I'll..." Hare Kṛṣṇa. He never said that. He said, "You must have to fight." Yudhyasva mām anusmara (BG 8.7). "Fighting you have to do. But you always think of Me." This is the success. Not that depend on Kṛṣṇa means, "I have not to, nothing to do."

So everything is there. Here it is said that surārcitaṁ kiṁ hṛtam amba saubhagam. All opulences are there. I have already explained. Anything fortune... There are mines. There are petrol. There are water. Everything is there. But as soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa, then the time will take away everything. Yes. It will not allow. Time will not allow to enjoy. Then there will be strife, there will be misunderstanding. Just like the petrol is there in, within this earth, but because we do not know how to use them, therefore there is scarcity of petrol. Petrol is there. We do not know how to use Kṛṣṇa's property. We are trying to use everything as my own. But factually it is not. Factually it is everything Kṛṣṇa's. So if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious, every one of us, there is no scarcity, no want. Because the things are there already. There is no question of scarcity. But because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, there is scarcity. It is very clear. We have forgotten that this petrol belongs to Kṛṣṇa. Then it is all right. This land belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But the Arabians are thinking, "This land belongs to us." Therefore there is difficulty.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:

"What I have to do now?" Because intelligent person knows that "I am going to leave this body."

I am speaking... Parīkṣit Mahārāja is talking with Śukadeva Gosvāmī at the point of death. He was given notice that "Within seven days you'll be bitten by a snake and you'll die." This was a curse by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he was ready. He was not afraid. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). He could retaliate. He was a great devotee. He could counteract the cursing of the brāhmaṇa boy, but he did not do so. Because he was cursed, the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam came. He was perplexed what to do, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī appeared there, and everyone accepted the verdict of Śukadeva Gosvāmī, "Mahārāja, you are a great devotee. So I shall quote from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and you hear only. That's all. You have nothing to do. Simply you hear."

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

These are the nine different processes of devotional service. So generally, we are expected to execute all the nine different processes. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam about Viṣṇu, not for any other demigods. No, Viṣṇu. The Māyāvādīs, they take it that "We can hear of any demigod, of anyone," because they are Nirākāravādī. So "You can imagine anyone and hear about him." But śāstra does not say. Śāstra does not say that you can hear about anybody. No. Śāstra says, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, about Viṣṇu.

Lecture on SB 2.3.17 -- Los Angeles, June 12, 1972:

The proof is the Bhagavad-gītā. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ: (BG 4.9) "Anyone who understands about My birth and appearance..." Lord does not take birth. Aja. Aja means who never takes birth. Ever-existing. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san, sambhavāmi yuge yuge. So aja, one who does not take birth, but still we see that Kṛṣṇa is taking birth. We are observing the birth anniversary of Lord Kṛṣṇa. So therefore what is the mystery? He does not take birth. Still, we are observing the birth anniversary of Kṛṣṇa, Janmāṣṭamī. So this is to be understood, tattvataḥ, in truth. Yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, Veda says that na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. "The Supreme Lord God has nothing to do." Why He shall do? So... And again, we see that Kṛṣṇa, since the day of His appearance at His maternal uncle's prison till His going back to His own home, He was always active.

Active means especially in killing the demons. But such demons could be killed without the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If there is little earthquake, millions of demons can be killed. It is not very difficult job. If the Pacific Ocean overfloods this city, millions of people can be killed. If there is a war, millions of people can be killed. If there is epidemic, millions of men can be killed. So killing the demons, for that purpose He does not come, Kṛṣṇa. Rather, Kṛṣṇa's many agents, they can kill such demons without any difficulty. But He comes, paritrāṇāya sādhūnām. (BG 4.8) Just like Lord Nṛsiṁha appeared not to kill the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. He could be killed otherwise. But He appeared for Prahlāda. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was being so much teased and so much tortured. He could not tolerate it. So he wanted to show His devotee that "I shall kill your torturer before you." That is the purpose. So He did not appear for killing Hiraṇyakaśipu. He appeared to give encouragement to Prahlāda Mahārāja.

Lecture on SB 2.8.7 -- Los Angeles, February 10, 1975:

So that is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and ordinary living being. Kṛṣṇa remembers everything, knows everything. Vedāhaṁ samatītāni: (BG 7.26) "I know everything." That is Kṛṣṇa. But we do not know. That is the difference. Kṛṣṇa is not impersonal. He's also a person, but He is not a person like us, like you, like me. His personality is supreme. Nobody is greater than Him. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. These are the Vedic information. He's individual, but He has nothing to do. He's such individual. Just like Kṛṣṇa is here. The whole world is going on under Kṛṣṇa's direction, but He has nothing to do. He's enjoying with Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. That is Kṛṣṇa's position. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). He has to create one universe or destroy one universe—He hasn't to take any attention. He's engaged in His pleasure—Kṛṣṇa, the reservoir of pleasure. His pleasure is never disturbed by all these activities. He's so perfect. Just like in our society, we are not perfect. Still, you boys and girls, you love me. Whatever I say, immediately done. So if an ordinary person like me, he can do things without his personal endeavor, how far..., how Kṛṣṇa is great, that na tat-samaḥ, there is nobody equal to Him. How great He is, how powerful He is, you can just imagine. If the ordinary person can have some power that he hasn't got to do anything personally—simply by his desire everything is done—so why not Kṛṣṇa also? Where is the difficulty?

In the Bible I think it is said, "God said, 'Let there be creation,' and there was creation." Is it not? So that is Kṛṣṇa. He simple desires, "Let there be creation," and immediately everything is ready. That is Kṛṣṇa. How it is being done? Automatically? No automatically. It is done regularly, as you do. Hetunā: there is cause. But the original cause is Kṛṣṇa's desire. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on SB 2.9.2 -- Melbourne, April 4, 1972:

There is a verse, etad īśanam īśasya. Just like Kṛṣṇa comes as a human being in this material world, but He is not affected with any of the qualities of the material world. That is therefore called nirguṇa. Nirguṇa means the material qualities cannot touch you. Similarly, a devotee of Kṛṣṇa also, when he is in service of Kṛṣṇa, he is also nirguṇa. The material qualities cannot touch him. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). He immediately becomes transcendental to all the material qualities. But that does not mean I cannot act in the material quality. Kṛṣṇa is working just like ordinary prince. He was born of a king, in the royal family. But He has nothing to do. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti (BG 4.14). Kṛṣṇa is not affected. Dhari māccha nāce pāni. There is a Bengali proverb that "You go to catch fish, but don't touch the water." You see? If you are clever, if you have that rod to catch fish, take out the fish, but don't touch the water. Similarly, for our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we have to go in so many places. They are all materialistic, but we cannot become materialistic. We will take some service from a person for Kṛṣṇa's service. So we'll do some good to him, but we don't accept his quality. That should be our position. So in this way we should know that bahu-rūpa ivābhāti. Ivābhāti. Iva means "just like." Ābhāti, "appears." Actually these are temporary. Bahu-rūpa iva Māyayā bahu-rūpayā ramamāṇo guṇeṣv asyā. Guṇeṣu, in the quality, asyā, of māyā. Eh?

Lecture on SB 2.9.3 -- Melbourne, April 5, 1972:

"I am Brahman, I am Brahman." Suppose you are rich man. So if you simply think, "I am rich man, I am rich man, I am rich man," will that give you pleasure? You must act like a rich man. If I am rich man, I must have a very nice motor car, I must have very nice society, friendship, love, buildings. Then that will give me pleasure. And if I have got millions of dollars bank balance and if I think, "Oh, I am so rich man, I am so rich man, I am so rich man." That will not give you pleasure. Is it not practical? Try to understand. Will any rich man, if he thinks simply that "I am rich man, I am rich man," will he be happy in that way? Rather, a poor man who has got variegated life, he is happy.

Even Kṛṣṇa, who is the Supreme Lord, who has nothing to do, He also sometimes thinks that "I must fight with somebody. I must play. I must become subordinate to somebody." Therefore He comes. He becomes subordinate to Nanda-Yaśodā. That is pleasure. He becomes chastised. He fights with the demon. Some of the demons, they are devotees. Just like if I want to take massage, I find out my masseur from my devotees, with all strength. You see? I cannot go outside. Similarly, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). The fighting spirit is there in Kṛṣṇa also. So when He wants to fight, in the Vaikuṇṭha there is no possibility of fight. Nobody will be able to fight. Nobody will agree to fight. So there is no fighting. Fighting means must be inimical propensity. Unless you think "I am your enemy," and I think "you are my enemy," the fighting is not going on. If I think, "I am fighting with my friend," it will be false fighting. Fighting must be between two strong enemies. Therefore sometimes Jaya Vijaya come. The question is that why the living entity falls down? It is not falls down. Just like Jaya Vijaya came just to satisfy his master. His master desired fighting, so some of His servant went to the material world and became great enemy like Hiraṇyakaśipu. Rāvaṇa. For killing Rāvaṇa, Rāma is coming. Well, Rāvaṇa could not be killed without Rāma. If Rāma desired, millions of Rāvaṇas could be killed in one second. And why He is coming to, personally to fight with him? Just to satisfy a pleasure pastime, that "I shall fight." That is variety.

Lecture on SB 2.9.16 -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

He's very much inclined to favor the devotees. This is guṇa. Here the masters are trying to take more service from the servant. That's all. Their aim is that "I will pay him less; I will take service from him more." This is material. But in the spiritual world, simply becoming servant... Of course, he hasn't got to do anything. Because God is complete, what He will have to do there? He doesn't require anyone's service. If He is complete, He is not depending on my service. He is complete. Still there are so many millions of servants there. They are eager to serve.

So simply by that attitude... These things are described, that there is not a single dust in the Vaikuṇṭha world. Everything is clean, but still, they are trying to sweep, make it clean, the stairway. This is service attitude. Actually, as Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do—He is complete—similarly, His servants there, they also have nothing to do. Everything is nice. There is no question of sweeping or cleansing or cooking. These things are not required. But still, they are ready to serve. And Kṛṣṇa, or Nārāyaṇa, is very favorably looking upon them. Abhimukham. Dṛg... What is that? Dṛk?

Lecture on SB 2.9.16 -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

He can kill you. This is going on. This is the sense of service here in this world. Try to understand. Practically it is all bogus. But I give service because I am lusty; I am hungry; I want to satisfy my senses. Therefore I pose myself: "Oh, I will give you service. I will become prime minister, and I will give you so much service." He will canvass. But as soon as he goes to the post of prime minister, he will do nothing. You cannot see, if you want to see him. While taking votes he will come to your door, "Please give me vote." And when he is in the prime minister post, if you want to see him, "Oh, the prime minister is preoccupied. You cannot see him." So on the whole, simply sense gratification in the name of service.

Here in the Vaikuṇṭha the service is not like that. There is nothing to do, and still, the servants are ready, always ready. They are simply waiting for the order. So master is self-sufficient. He hasn't got to order anybody. This is the there.(?) And here, just the opposite. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. So we are serving most abominably. Sometimes we do things which I should not have done. But still, because I want money, because I want to gratify my senses, I give service. Even very sinful service I give. But still, neither I am satisfied, neither the master is satisfied. This is the position. Everyone is trying to give, the politicians or any. Just I have given the example: Gandhi throughout the whole life gave service, but there were some persons who were not satisfied. It is not possible. Therefore the sensible man should consider that "What is the use of this service?"

Lecture on SB 3.25.3 -- Bombay, November 3, 1974:

We are also Kṛṣṇa's form, but we are vibhinnāṁśa. And svāṁśa and vibhinnāṁśa. The viṣṇu-tattva is bhagavat-tattva, ādi-puruṣam, personal expansion, and we are energy expansion. We are also energy. Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5). So jīva, prakṛti expansion. Parā-prakṛti expansion. So Kṛṣṇa is always svacchandātmā. He has no anxiety. Svacchandātmā ātma-māyayā. Yad yad vidhatte bhagavān svacchandātmā. Whatever... Even if He's killing a demon, there is no anxiety. That is Kṛṣṇa. Even if He's killing, He has no anxiety. Svacchandātmā. That is also, I mean to say, confirmed in the Vedic language. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). So He has nothing to do personally. His energies act. Then try to understand why Bhagavān is attributed with the word svacchandātmā. Because...

Just like a big man. He wants to do something. He simply says to his secretary, "This thing must be done." He does everything. And he is quite confident that "I have told my secretary, and it will be done." So secretary is a person's śakti, energy. Similarly, if an ordinary man within this world has so much energies or secretaries to act, so just imagine, although Kṛṣṇa is Jagadīśvara, He's managing the whole universe... He's managing. There is brain. The foolish men, they say there is no brain. No, there is brain. But we do not know who is the brain. That is our foolishness. But if we take information from the śāstra, we can understand what is that brain. That brain is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on SB 3.25.38 -- Bombay, December 7, 1974:

And the servant is pleased so long you are paying. But in the spiritual world there is no such thing. If I cannot serve under certain condition, then master is pleased. And the servant also—the master does not pay—he is also pleased. That is called oneness, Absolute. That is... This example is here. There are so many students in this institution. We are not paying anything, but they will do everything for me. This is spiritual relationship. That paṇḍita Jawaharlal Nehru, when he was in London, his father gave him, the Motilal Nehru, three hundred rupees for keeping a servant. Then once he went to London, so he saw that the servant is not there. The paṇḍita says, "Where is your servant?" He says, "What is the use of servant? I have no, nothing to do. I do it personally." "No, no. I wanted that an Englishman should be your servant." So he has to pay for it. This is an example. I have got hundreds and thousands of servants who I haven't got to pay. This is spiritual relationship. This is spiritual relationship. They are serving not for being paid. What I have got? I am poor Indian. What can I pay? But the servant is out of love, spiritual love. And I am also teaching them without any salary. This is spiritual. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya (Īśo Invocation). Everything is full.

Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974:

Durgā is the material energy, and she has got immense power. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktiḥ. She is controlling this creation or this whole universe, sṛṣṭi, and sthiti, its maintenance, and pralaya. Three things she is controlling. She is so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni bibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). The durgā-śakti, material energy, she is so powerful, but it is working chāyeva, just like shadow. Shadow has no independent capacity; it is dependent on the substance. Substance and shadow. So Kṛṣṇa is the substance, and the power derived from Kṛṣṇa, partially exhibited by the durgā-śakti. In the Upaniṣad also it is said, na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate. Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of God, He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaḥ. Nobody is equal to Him. Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcit: (BG 7.7) "There is nothing superior than Me, the Supreme." In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also it is said, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi (SB 1.1.1). That is the Supreme Truth.

So all the śāstras will say that Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He has got different expansions unlimited. Although Kṛṣṇa is one, but He can expand Himself into many, many millions. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam. And each rūpam is acting in some universe. Just like at this time, here, you find darkness in Bombay, but the sun is present in all his different phases all over the world. Sun rises in the morning at, say, seven o'clock. So this seven o'clock to next seven o'clock, in the evening seven o'clock, you will find, if you immediately take information, somewhere it is seven o'clock, somewhere it is twelve o'clock, somewhere it is six o'clock, somewhere it is... All the time formula of the sun is present, although we are seeing there is no sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is present throughout the whole universe in some feature. In one universe you will find Kṛṣṇa is taking birth, Janmāṣṭamī. In some universe you will see Kṛṣṇa is playing with the cowherd boys. Somewhere... In this way. Therefore it is called nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means the janmāṣṭamī-līlā is going on permanently somewhere or other. Therefore it is called līlayā, yadṛcchayā.

Lecture on SB 3.26.18 -- Bombay, December 27, 1974:

Because he is doing independently, he must enjoy or suffer the activities. That is going on. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. He has to give different types of body. Suppose I want to eat everything—never mind how much nonsense and nuisance it is. There are so many men, they eat everything. So he has to be offered the body of a pig, no discrimination, even stool accepted. So who is giving this body? Daiva-netreṇa, by superior observation. Kṛṣṇa is seeing that "This living entity wants a body so that he can eat anything up to stool." So He has to judge; He has to give. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1).

So we are getting different types of body according to the... Kṛṣṇa does not give directly, but He is the Supreme Lord. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. This is the Vedic information. He has nothing to do. Simply His order is sufficient. That is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā:

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati

bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni

yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

(BG 18.61)

So Kṛṣṇa orders only māyā that "Give this living entity a body like a demigod, or a dog, or a pig, or a tree." So there are 8,400,000 varieties of body. He has to manage all these. How He is managing? Is He managing personally? No. He is managing through His potency, ātma-māyayā. Here it is said, ātma-māyayā. Samanvety eṣa sattvānāṁ bhagavān ātma-māyayā. Māyā means energy, energy, tricks. This is called māyā. So everything is being done by His potency.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says directly, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). So bhakti process is śravaṇam beginning. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). So we have to hear these subject matters described in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then we will understand how Kṛṣṇa is conducting this phenomenal world. That you have to learn by hearing. Why this Bhāgavatam is there? For... Yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyaḥ. The Vaiṣṇava will enjoy, will learn from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam how Kṛṣṇa is working in everything. That will enlighten the devotee that how Kṛṣṇa is great, by His different energies how He is working in every field of activities. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He is present here, Kṛṣṇa. He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Everything is ready. Either automatically or in order to accept service from the devotee, He is assuming that "I am dependent on you. If you dress Me, then I can be dressed." But actually that is not the fact. He is dressing Himself by giving you intelligence. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. Those who are desirous to serve Him, then Kṛṣṇa gives him intelligence how to serve Him. He does not depend on your service. He's quite self-sufficient. But He assumes that "I am a statue of stone. I cannot dress Myself. Please dress Me." This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy, to give you chance. He does not depend on you. Na tasya kār... There are many energies. Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by many, many goddess of fortune.

Lecture on SB 3.26.42 -- Bombay, January 17, 1975:

Just like earth, water, fire, air, they are bhautika. But they are not mixing together. The original, I mean to say, manipulator is Kṛṣṇa. Just like we have got experience, I have given just now experience, that oil is there. Suppose oil is acid, and soda is called alkali. The acid is there, alkali is there, but when a person comes, mix it proportionately, it becomes another product: soap. Similarly, everything is being manufactured like that, but how it is done? That is the expert handling of the Supreme Lord. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). He has got multi-energies, subtle laws, and He is working. But still, He has nothing to do Himself. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Although He is handling... He is doing everything. Otherwise how it is possible? We have got experience. There is oil, and there is alkali, or soda, but they are not mixing together. For mixing together, you require another, living energy. Otherwise, automatically, there cannot be soap. The soap factory is there, but the manufacturer is also there.

So we have to understand in that way, that so many varieties, natural varieties, are coming out not automatically. The blind scientists, they say they are coming automatically. That is not very good sense. Nothing can come automatically. Matter cannot come together automatically. There is some machine or handling. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva. He is doing that, and still, He is doing nothing. That is... Just like if I have to make soap, I have to do it or I can ask my servant to do it. I can give instruction to my assistant, servant, that "Do like this." So anyway, the background is myself. The background is neither the servant nor the ingredients. There is another example: the potter's wheel. Potter's wheel is producing earthen pots. So what is the cause?

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Boston, May 4, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Of course, the real meaning of swami is one who has got control over his senses. It does not mean that by wearing a different colored garments one becomes master of senses. Neither it does mean that one, a man in gentleman's dress with hat and coat, he cannot control his senses. Dress has nothing to do. But according to the Vedic system... Just like there is a particular uniform that this class of men, who have renounced this world, his robe or garment should be like this. That is simply... Just like policeman has got a particular type of uniform, but that does not mean that... That may be imitated even by a thief. So that is not very important thing, to dress. You can become a swami even with your this hats and coats. That doesn't matter. Yes.

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 2.59). 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 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971:

Yena śarīra-bandhaḥ. People are working very hard, day and night. Karmātmakam. Karmātmakam means that "I shall work and make profit and enjoy." That is called karmātmakam, fruitive activities. Everyone is working for some profit. So in this way, according to different karma, or according to different association. Everyone is engaged in different karma, or activities. Just like disease. Disease means different type of contamination. This is disease. Doctors, they have got different..., they have to treat different types of diseases by different types of medicine. Why? Because the patient has contaminated a different type of infection.

So actually, spirit soul has nothing to do for livelihood. They are working so hard. That is māyā. Because everyone is working for economic development, this is māyā. Just like the newspaper reporter asked me, "the crisis." They created a situation that ultimately it has come to a crisis. The big, big oil tankers are now standing without any work, and they're feeling scarcity. Actually, we haven't got to work for our livelihood. There are 8,400,000 species of living entities. Out of that, only 400,000 species of life are human form. Other 8,000,000, they are bird, beast, trees, insect, aquatics, so many varieties. So they have no economic problem. The bird, beast, aquatic, they have no economic problem. They have sufficient... Our material necessities are to eat, to sleep, to have sex life, and to have protection from danger.

Lecture on SB 5.5.34 -- Vrndavana, November 21, 1976:

"What shall I do?" Just like Sanātana Gosvāmī, when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he asked this question, that "By Your grace I am now released from my responsible activities." He was a minister of Nawab Hussain Shah, so he had many responsible activities, but he resigned from the post. And when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu he asked, "Now, by Your grace, I am now relieved from all material activities. Now kindly tell me what shall I do." So doing, it is not stopped. The Māyāvāda philosophy means stop doing. Jagat mithyā: there is no more activities. That cannot stay. That is artificial. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tathā patanty adhaḥ (SB 10.2.32). If you give up this world as material—you have nothing to do—then you'll fall down again. Patanty adhaḥ. This is the śāstra injunction. So therefore our Gosvāmīs, under the śāstra..., that "Engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa activities; otherwise you will fall down." Īhā yasya harer dāsye karmaṇā manasā vacā.

So here is Ṛṣabhadeva giving example. So far the body is concerned, it has nothing to do with the spiritual activities. The body is as good as that of the animals, the crows and the cows, birds, beasts. He is showing the same now, that so far body is concerned, it is the same thing. But when you come to the spiritual platform, that is... This is negation or equation with the material body. But real activities are ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ bhaktir uttama. Simply be ready to work for Kṛṣṇa, sad-dharma-pṛcchāt, as Sanātana Gosvāmī exemplified. He came to Caitanya Maha Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. He was minister. His business was with the big, big men, maṇḍala-pati.

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Chicago, July 5, 1975:

Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). This is truth. Then what is the cause of this truth? This is the... This is the... Neti, neti. So when you come to Kṛṣṇa, so above Him there is no more truth. Kṛṣṇa has no cause, but He is the cause of everything, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ, anādiḥ (Bs. 5.1). He has no... People ask generally that "Everything has cause. What is the cause of Kṛṣṇa?" The answer is anādi: "He has no cause." That is God. Anādir ādiḥ: "He is the cause of everyone." Anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

So if our mind is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa, then naturally the senses will be controlled. If we fix up our mind that we shall not do anything, dṛḍha-vratāḥ... Bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ. This is determination, that "I shall have nothing to do without Kṛṣṇa." Then you are first-class yogi—dvija, brāhmaṇa, everything. Everything. So this is..., these are the qualification of not dvija... Dvija is primary qualification of becoming a brāhmaṇa. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. By saṁskāra, by the reformatory process, one is initiated—that is called dvija, dvitīya-janma. The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitīya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadācāra... Sadācāra means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the... These are called sadācāra. These are brahminical qualification.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- Los Angeles, June 3, 1976:

That is transcendental. Just like gopīs are going to Kṛṣṇa at dead of night, at midnight. And how they're going? Kṛṣṇa is playing the flute, and gopīs are running, giving up all their engagement in the family. Somebody was lying with her husband, somebody was engaged in the kitchen, somebody was taking care of the children, so on, so on. But they left everything and went to Kṛṣṇa. This is transcendental. When we go to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, giving up everything, that is transcendental platform. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).

So this word is a very important word, vāsudevokta-kāriṇaḥ. A devotee has nothing to do anything more except to execute the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is transcendental platform. They do not know what is transcendental plat... Transcendental meditation means to think of Kṛṣṇa always. That is transcendental meditation. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā:

yoginām api sarveṣāṁ

mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā

śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ

sa me yuktatamo mataḥ

(BG 6.47)

Who is the first-class yogi? Kṛṣṇa says, "That person who is always thinking of Me Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. There are many varieties of yogis, but this person, who is thinking of Me, he has no more to think any other thing." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: within the core of the heart, he's thinking of Kṛṣṇa. This is the ideal transcendental meditation, meditation. It has become a medicine now. (laughter) To become fatty, to have more power for sex, it is not meditation, but medicine. So this is wanted. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47).

Lecture on SB 6.1.43 -- Los Angeles, July 24, 1975:

That's all right. But here a clock machine is there. It can produce other clock. But your clock cannot do that. That is the difference. Here God-made machine is so nice and perfect that He creates one male and one female, and unlimited machine is coming out, so much so that you, being disgusted, you kill some of the machine. And they are trying to manufacture another machine in the laboratory, in the test tube. What is the credit there? Millions of machine are coming out without your test tube. But they want to take credit.

So anyway, this is a machine, and the machine is given by God. Bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā (BG 18.61). God has nothing to do. He simply orders His maidservant, this material nature. The material nature is God's maidservant, lower-grade maidservant. He has got many maidservants, Lakṣmīs. They are all goddess of fortune. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam (Bs. 5.29). He has got so many. The gopīs are maidservants. The Lakṣmīs are maidservant. You will find this description in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa book, that all the queens of Kṛṣṇa they were discussing with Draupadī, female talk. Draupadī was asking, "How you were married?" So they were narrating the incidence, how (s)he was married to Kṛṣṇa. But the conclusion is there: every queen was speaking, "In this way, I have been maidservant of Kṛṣṇa." Nobody says that "I have become queen," although they were queen. They were also coming from royal family, very good family. Kṛṣṇa had to conquer such queen by fighting. They're not ordinary wife. But still, they say that "In this way I have become maidservant." So everyone is maidservant. We are also maidservant, prakṛti. Prakṛti means female. Jīva-bhūtāḥ, yayedaṁ dhāryate, itas tu prakṛti viddhi me parāḥ. Kṛṣṇa says First of all the material energy, prakṛti...

Lecture on SB 6.1.45 -- Laguna Beach, July 26, 1975:

The supreme master is Kṛṣṇa. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the master of the whole creation. I am the enjoyer." He is the master. Caitanya-caritāmṛta also said, ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvara means controller or master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa āra saba bhṛtya: "Except Kṛṣṇa, they are, any big or small living entity, they are all servants, except Kṛṣṇa." You will therefore see: Kṛṣṇa is not serving anybody. He is simply enjoying. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka... Others like us, they first of all work very hard, and then enjoys. Kṛṣṇa never works. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate. Still, He enjoys. That is Kṛṣṇa. Na tasya... This is the Vedic information. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāranaṁ ca vidyate: "God, Kṛṣṇa, He has nothing to do." You see, therefore, Kṛṣṇa always dancing with the gopīs and playing with the cowherd boys. And when He feels fatigue, He lies down on the Yamunā and immediately His friends come. Somebody fans Him; somebody gives massage. Therefore He is the master. Anywhere He goes, He is master. Ekala īśvara kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). The supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa. "Then who is controller?" No, there is no controller of Him. That is Kṛṣṇa. Here we are director of such and such, president of United States, but I am not supreme controller. As soon as the public wants, immediately pulls me down. That we do not understand, that we are posing ourself as master controller, but I am controlled by somebody else. So he is not controller. Here we will find a controller to some extent, but he is controlled by another controller. So Kṛṣṇa means He is controller, but nobody is there to control Him. That is Kṛṣṇa; that is God. This is the science of understanding. God means He is controller of everything, but He has no controller.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:

So yes, these material things, they are energies. That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca, bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). The petrol is also another form of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Any energy. There are many millions of energies. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Kṛṣṇa has nothing to do because everything is being done by His energy. Although He is the ultimate source of everything, but He is doing everything by His energy. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svabhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. And it appears that it is being automatically done. Not. It is not automatically done. It is done by Kṛṣṇa's energy. So this material energy is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. It is not a different energy. Kṛṣṇa says, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ. Now, this petrol is liquid thing, so āpa. It is a kind of liquid thing, āpa, so it is Kṛṣṇa's energies. So our Vaiṣṇava philosophy is that Kṛṣṇa's energies should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So everything can be utilized for service of Kṛṣṇa. So when you use this petrol for Kṛṣṇa's, spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if we can use one thousand or one hundred thousand motor cars using petrol for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the proper utilization of petrol. (applause)

Lecture on SB 7.6.7 -- Vrndavana, December 9, 1975:

It is not so easy to understand the loving affairs of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. It is meant for the most advanced spiritually. That is not ordinary thing. Not only the loving affairs of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī, but everything... They are not material. They are all spiritual. It has nothing to do.

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. Just like we rise early in the morning, perform maṅgala-ārati, all regulative principles, then wash the temple, dishes, and then dress the Deities, then again ārati, then class. In this way, according to... Because we have no natural..., we have not awakened yet our natural love for Kṛṣṇa, so it requires practice, practicing this vidhi-bhakti, compulsory. Vidhi-bhakti means the injunction of the śāstras and the order of spiritual master, one has to follow. Not whimsically we can do anything. Vidhi-bhakti is required. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ na sa siddhi... Na siddhim... (BG 16.23). What is that?

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

So this is our position. And what is God's position? That is described in the Vedic literature, in Bhagavad-gītā: asamordhva. Asamaurdhva means nobody is superior, nobody is equal. Two things. If you somebody, if you find somebody who has no competitor, equal, and who has no superior, then He is God. The definition of God can be given in two words: one who has no superior and has no equal. Asamaurdhva. This is the Vedic version. In the Upaniṣads, it is said, na tasya sama adhikasya dṛśyate. Nobody is found equal to Him or greater than Him. Na tasya sama adhikasya dṛśyate. Parasya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). And His energies are manifested in so many ways. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. And He has nothing to do. Everyone... Take any important man. Take your president. Just like the president of United States of America, he is considered to be the supreme man in the States, but as soon as there was some disturbance in Central Europe, immediately he had to call meetings of his Cabinet and to consider how to deal with the situation. So he has to do something always. If he does not do anything, then he's no more the supreme man. But in the Vedic literature we find, na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. That is superiority. If he has to do something, then he's not supreme. He cannot be. He's acting.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

You'll be interested to know that one European gentleman, he went to Calcutta, and he visited several temples in Calcutta. And he visited our temple also. Our temple is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Just the picture, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. So he went to the temple of Goddess Kālī. He saw the Goddess Kālī's very ferocious feature, and he (she) has got one, what is called, chopper in her hand, and it is, she's chopping the heads of the demons, and she has the garland of the heads of the demons, and engaged in fighting. So he's supposed to be intelligent man. He said that "I find in this temple there is God." "Why? Why you conclude like that?" "That in every temple I saw, that the god, deity, is doing something. But here I see the God is enjoying. He has nothing to do." Very nice conclusion. This is Vedic conclusion. Why, if he's God...? Nowadays the nonsense are becoming God by meditation. But does it mean by meditation one can become God? Do you think a dog meditates and becomes God? This is all nonsense. (shouting:) God is God! Always God! Just like Kṛṣṇa. He's God in the lap of His mother. The Putānā, the demonic woman, came to poison the child. She came in a very beautiful girl's dress and asked Yaśodā, "Oh, Yaśodāmayī, you have got very nice baby. Will you kindly give me? I can offer my breast." Yaśodāmayī was very simple village woman. "Oh, yes, you can take my child." But her intention was, she smeared poison on her breast, as soon as Kṛṣṇa will suck, then the child will die. So this is the demonic spirit. They want to kill Kṛṣṇa always. That's all. "God is dead." They want to see how Kṛṣṇa can be killed, how Kṛṣṇa is dead. That is their business. "There is no God" or "God is impersonal" or "God is dead" or... So many things. That means they want to see there is no God. Or to kill God. Kaṁsa, always thinking, "As soon as Kṛṣṇa will take His birth, I'll take the baby and kill." But God is always God.

Lecture on SB 7.9.12 -- Montreal, August 18, 1968:

Everything finished. And she appeared, oh, a great giantlike demon. You know the story, Putānā.

So this God, this child God in the lap of His mother, He's God. He did not become God by meditation, by penance, or by austerity or by following the rules and regulations. Why? He's substantially God. The God's manifestation is always there. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. If anyone has to do something to become God, he's a dog. He's not God. Immediately. Immediately understand. If somebody advertises that by meditation he has become God, by worshiping such and such deity he has become God, immediately take that he is dog. Because the Vedic definition says, na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Why God has to do something to become God? If you manufacture something gold, that is chemical gold, that is not gold. Gold is natural. Similarly, God is natural. In the womb of His mother He is God, in the lap of His mother He is God, while He's playing with His boyfriends as cowherds boy He's God, while He's dancing with His girlfriends He's God, while He's fighting in Kurukṣetra He's God, while He's marrying He's God, while He's speaking He's God. That is God. To understand God there is no difficulty. If you try to understand Kṛṣṇa, then God is there.

Therefore Brahmā recommends, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā Himself that mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat asti kiñcid dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "My dear Arjuna, Dhanañjaya, oh, there is no better object than Me." Kiñcid asti. Nothing. Many places. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ: (BG 10.8) "I am the origin, I am the fountainhead of everything." "Everything" means He's the fountainhead of Lord Śiva, He's fountainhead, the origin of Viṣṇu, He's the origin of Brahma, He's the origin of Lord Śiva, and what to speak of other demigods, and what to speak of other living creatures. Mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ: (BG 15.7)

Lecture on SB 7.9.31 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1976:

This material creation is done by Mahā-Viṣṇu. Mahā-Viṣṇu. The original Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Original God—īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1)—He is simply playing on flute and enjoying the company of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. He has nothing to do. And how things are taking place? Creation, He's the creator? By expansion, svāṁśa. From Kṛṣṇa the expansion is Balarāma; from Balarāma the expansion is Saṅkarṣaṇa, then Aniruddha, Pradyumna, like that, then Nārāyaṇa, then again Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, dvitīya-catur-vyūha. From this Saṅkarṣaṇa, Mahā-Viṣṇu. Therefore Mahā-Viṣṇu is described, kalā-viśeṣaḥ. Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ, sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo (Bs. 5.48). This Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whom, by His breathing only, millions and trillions of universes are coming, and each universe there is a Brahmā, jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ. Just like in this universe there is one Brahmā. He creates again so many demigods, animals, human beings in each universe. Again we create so many also. Each of us, although we are very insignificant, still in the history we find one man begets hundreds of children.

Lecture on SB 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976:

That is called mauna. Don't talk any more. Better remain silent. This is recommendation by Prahlāda Mahārāja. And vrata also compulsory. It is meant for persons who are desiring to be liberated.

Here it is said, āpavarga. Āpavarga. Āpa. Ā-pavarga. Ā means just the opposite, ā, "not." And pavarga, pavarga I have several times explained to you. Pa means pariśrama, laboring, working very hard. This material world, everyone is working very hard-man, animal, bird, beasts, everyone. It is meant for that, just opposite of the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no question of working, what to speak of hard working. There is no question. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. This is the definition of God: na tasya karyam kāraṇam ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. You see. Kṛṣṇa is simply enjoying. He has nothing to do. He hasn't got to go to the market. We are servants. We go to the market and prepare food for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's simply playing on His flute. And if you, with devotion, offer Him food, He will eat. He has nothing to go. So similarly, those who are servants of Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world, they also haven't got to do anything, what to speak of hard work. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Everything automatically is there. We haven't got that idea; therefore sometimes people accuse that I am poisoning so many young men; they are doing nothing. We are practicing that prema, that we haven't got to do anything; still, it will come, everything. That is real practice. We haven't got to do business, we haven't got to go to the office, but still, things will come. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate.

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

There is no more necessity of undergoing austerities, and everything is free. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). If you have got Kṛṣṇa, there is no need of tapasya. You are free. And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And if you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of your becoming so much religious, austere sannyāsī and yogi? The whole nonsense. All nonsense. Yadi... Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā... There is no meaning of tapasya if you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. And if you can see Kṛṣṇa, there is no meaning of tapasya. That is... Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. Antar-bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nāntar-bahir yadi haris tapasā... If you can see Kṛṣṇa always, outside and inside, then you have nothing to do, tapasya. Enjoy life by seeing Kṛṣṇa always. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "I don't want anything. Please allow me to see You continually."