Vyaktāvyakta means some portion is manifested and some portion is not manifested. And we get information from Bhagavad-gītā that the spiritual nature is beyond this manifested and nonmanifested cosmic situation. So Kṛṣṇa says, the supreme authority says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). If somebody cultivates Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he can go there. It is not difficult; simply you have to change your mode of life. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious means to be pure in the original spiritual existence. We are pure as Brahman, as spirit soul, but because we have contaminated these material modes of nature, our consciousness is now different. So on account of different consciousness, there are three classes of men. One class of men is very intelligent; one class of men, very passionate; and one class of men, fools and rascals. So in order to understand your promotion to the spiritual world, you have to become first-class man. First-class man means brāhmaṇa. A brāhmaṇa means he is truthful, he is self-controlled, he is simple, he is tolerant... In this way there are nine qualification to become first-class man. And to become first-class man, the preliminary qualification is that you should not become sinful.
Passionate (Lect. Conv. & Letters)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Even though he is very learned, sattva śamo damas titikṣā śuci, all these good qualities are there. But if he does not try to be, go further ahead, how to become immortal, so this type of fine entanglement is also entanglement. And those who are passionate, they are thinking, "I am so rich, I am so powerful, I have got so many nice business, bank balance, I have got my big family, nice wife." These are passion conception of life. So they are certainly bound up. And those who are ignorant, means one does not know what is the value of life, lying down anywhere, lazy, sleeping, unclean, do not know the value of life, they are in ignorance. They are very firmly bound up.
So liberation means the more you are enlightened the value of life, the more, then you become liberated. The more you become liberated, the more you are advanced in your spiritual knowledge, sat, sat, sat-saṅga.
Those who are in the modes of goodness, they want to do some good work in the material estimation. And those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance, they do work, bad work, passionate work, work in ignorance. But those who are going to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no need, either this good work or bad work.
Why? Now, either you enjoy the reaction of good work or bad work, your material bondage is there. Suppose by bad work I am born... Because, according to work, there are different position of life. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhir edhamāna-madaḥ pumān (SB 1.8.26). By good work we get good heritage, birth in a very good place, in a high family, in rich family, aristocratic family.
That is the first prescription. Therefore this bhakti-yoga system, the sacred place is this temple. You live here, it is nirguṇa, it is transcendental. The Vedic injunction is that the city is the place of passion. And the forest is the place of goodness. And the temple is transcendental. If you live in a city or a town, that is a passionate place. And if you don't want to live in a passionate place, you go to a forest. That is place of goodness. But a temple, a God's temple, is above this passion and goodness. Therefore temple is the only secluded place for this age. You cannot go in a secluded place in a forest. It is impossible. And if you make a show of yoga practice in a so-called class and indulge in all kinds of nonsense things, that is not yoga practice. Here is the prescription how to practice yoga. Go on.
Devotee: "Therefore, in the Bṛhan-Nāradīya Purāṇa it is said that in the Kali-yuga, the present yuga or age, when people in general are short-living, slow in spiritual realization, and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is to chant the holy name of the Lord.
Now, by attainment of that perfect stage of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then the upaiti śānta-rajasam. We are agitated due to the passion, modes of passion. Now, by practice of this yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this passionate hankering will be stopped. Passionate hankering..., śānta-rajasaṁ brahma-bhūtam akalmaṣam. Then you become ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am the soul. I am not this body." Akalmaṣam. Without any deviation, without any mistake, we shall be firmly situated in our transcendental position. Thank you very much. Any questions?
In the animal or in the vegetable kingdom, in the human society, you will find these three types of men.
Take our human society. Some of them are very good men, very truthful, very honest, very learned, and knows what is God. You find such men also. And you will find also very much passionate. And you will find also men like cats and dogs, no knowledge, blind. So there are three types of men. Why? Because there are three qualities or modes of material nature: goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, you mix up these three qualities with another three varieties of qualities. Just like the painter, they mix up different colors. The original color is blue, yellow and red. Now, you mix up these colors. You can... Hundreds and thousands of colors you can make. It requires expert handling. Similarly, originally these three qualities, goodness, passion and ignorance. Now, three into three equal to nine, and nine into nine equal to eighty-one.
Here it also said, vikārāṁś ca guṇāṁś caiva viddhi prakṛti-sambhavān. We have become servant of the three guṇas, three qualities of this material world. Somebody is very proud of becoming good, goodness, like brāhmaṇa quality. That is good. In the material world that is first-class quality. The second-class quality, passionate, very active. All people are very active for enjoyment, passionate. And some people are in ignorance. They do not know what is goodness and what is passion. They can simply waste their time by laziness and sleeping. Sleeping. So actually we are all sleeping because we do not know what is the aim of life. At night we sleep. We forget that "what is my duty, what is my business, what I have to do." Everything we forget.
Similarly, so long we are in ignorance, that is our sleeping stage. Therefore the Vedic mantra is uttiṣṭhata jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata. "Now you have got this human form of life. Do not sleep like animals, cats and dogs.
Just like you become sometimes angry, so you show some symptoms. That symptom is within you, but it is manifested sometimes. Sometimes it is not manifested. But the propensity, the quality of your becoming angry, is there eternally. It is not that it is created. Anything... Sometimes you become passionate. To become passionate is there, it is not a new thing, but it sometimes appears, sometimes disappears.
Similarly, this material world... This is also prakṛti of Kṛṣṇa. The fact is that it is sometimes manifest, sometimes not manifest. Just like the cloud. Cloud is a fact, but sometimes it is manifest; sometimes it is not manifested. When it is not manifest, you cannot say, "Cloud is false." No. It is a fact, but the nature is sometimes manifest, sometimes not manifest. So here Kṛṣṇa says, prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. They are eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and the living entities are eternal, and the prakṛtis are also eternal. They are not false.
Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ. Those who are in the modes of goodness, sattva-guṇa... Just like brāhmaṇas. They'll be promoted to the higher planetary system. Madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. Those who are passionate, they will remain within this material... Everything is material. This middle portion of the material... And adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasika eating, tāmasika sleeping... Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. So adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: "They go down." That means they'll have to accept the body of animal, or lower than that, or in the lower planetary system. Everything is there. Adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). Deva-vratāḥ, those who are attached to worship the demigods, they'll go to the particular planet where Indra, Candra, Lord Śiva or Brahmā, like that.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered all kinds of facilities. "Prahlāda, you have suffered for Me so much. Now you take whatever you like." Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear Lord, it is not a good proposal. Because I am born of a father, passionate father. Generally, I am passionate, and You are so exalted, You can give me anything. So I shall be inclined to ask You again. Just like my father had so many opulences. So kindly do not induce me in that way. I am not a merchant that because I have rendered some service unto You, I expect some return. No. Sa vai vaṇik. It is not business with You. I am your eternal servant." Oh, just see. This is pure devotee. Ahaitukī. No reason. "It is my duty." That is occupational duty. "It is my eternal occupation to serve You." These are the highest ideas of pure devotion. Ahaituky apratihatā. Then "You are poor man. How you can serve Me?" No. "You are illiterate.
Mukunda: If a good man, who is passed through the states of being ignorant and passionate and he's really a good man, is walking down the street, let's say, in Delhi or Istanbul or any place, any city. And he sees a very young man beating up on a very old man just for no reason at all. He's just beating up, beating him to death. And the old man is calling out for help and there's a few people standing around. And as he approaches, he, he begins to get stirred by this scene. And being a good man he feels the whip on this other human being's back. Now, as a good man, should he not take sides on the two people quarreling and accept it and just walk on, even though he feels something welling up in him, or should he give way to what would be a passionate desire and try to interrupt and stop this injustice, so to speak?
Prabhupāda: The whole idea is that action, either in ignorance or passion or goodness... We have discussed that point. That doesn't matter. But action should be done from the spiritual consciousness platform. That's all. Then you transcend the reaction. Just like, for example, Arjuna. Arjuna's fighting... This fighting is on the modes of passion, passion. Now, when the, that work of passion, if he does... Now, Arjuna was thinking not to fight, not to fight, because he thought that "Fighting with my brothers, with my relatives, is not good."
Pradyumna: "The effect of devotional service becomes manifest by complete elimination of these effects of passion and ignorance. The devotee is fixed at once in the mode of goodness, and he makes further progress to rise up to the position of vasudeva, or the state of unmixed sattva, or śuddha-sattva state. In this śuddha-sattva state only can one always see Kṛṣṇa state, eye to eye, by dint of pure affection for the Lord. A devotee is always in the mode of unalloyed goodness; therefore he harms no one. But the nondevotee, however educated he may be, is always harmful. A devotee is neither foolish nor passionate. The harmful, foolish, and passionate cannot be devotees of..."
Prabhupāda: The... It is said, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. Snake. Some snakes are decorated with jewel on the hood. So this materialist, however qualified he may be, just like jewel on the head. The śāstra says, "Do you think that a snake coming to you with a jewel on head is not dangerous or ferocious?" He's as dangerous, as ferocious, as the serpent without jewel. Similarly, any materialistic person, however educated he may be, so-called educated, he is simply a snake, dangerous. That's all. He has no qualification. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. One cannot have good qualities unless one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Prabhupāda: The... It is said, maṇinā bhūṣitaḥ sarpaḥ kim asau na bhayaṅkaraḥ. Snake. Some snakes are decorated with jewel on the hood. So this materialist, however qualified he may be, just like jewel on the head. The śāstra says, "Do you think that a snake coming to you with a jewel on head is not dangerous or ferocious?" He's as dangerous, as ferocious, as the serpent without jewel. Similarly, any materialistic person, however educated he may be, so-called educated, he is simply a snake, dangerous. That's all. He has no qualification. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. One cannot have good qualities unless one is advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Read.
Pradyumna: "The harmful, foolish and passionate cannot be devotees of the Lord, however they may advertise themselves as devotees by outward dress. A devotee is always qualified with all the good qualities of God. Quantitatively, such qualifications may be different, but qualitatively, both of them are one and the same."
Prabhupāda: Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja, his son, when he was offered a benediction by the Lord, "My dear Prahlāda, you have undergone severe penances, suffering for My sake. Now you can take any benediction from Me, whatever you like." First of all he said, "My dear Lord, I am not a businessman that I serve You for getting some profit. I am born of a father-rajo-guṇa, passion—so naturally my body is made of the modes of passion. And You are so powerful You can give me anything I want. So if You allure me in that way, I think You should not do that. I may be allured, because my body is passionate." So Narasiṁhadeva became very happy, "Yes, here is a true devotee." A true devotee does not make any exchange business, "God, I have rendered You so much service. You give me something." People generally, they want, "I have become a devotee, I have done so much. So God must give me something as I desire. If He does not give, then I do not care for such a God."
That is brahminical qualification. Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). And passion means strong desire to enjoy this material world. Generally, the kings, the politicians, they are very much passionate to encroach upon other's property, other nations, like that. And ignorance means they are neither passionate nor good. "All right, let me eat something and sleep." That's all. That is ignorance. They are satisfied if they get good opportunity for sleeping. That's all. That is ignorance.
So these three qualities are there within this material world. And one has to transcend these three qualities. And that can be done... Anyone can do that. Kṛṣṇa does not say that only the person who is in goodness, who has the brahminical platform, he can be engaged. Actually, he can be engaged, not in the passion.
That is also false identification. And somebody is thinking, "I can do this. I can do that. I am so powerful. Who is equal to me?" Passion. That is also māyā's dictation. And somebody is lazy, sleeping, does not understand anything—tamo-guṇa. That is also tri-guṇātmakam, within this tri-dhāma. So within this material world, either the good man or the passionate man or the ignorant man, there may be some differences, guṇogata(?), but actually every one of them is entangled by māyā.
So to come to the spiritual platform, as it is said in the next verse, anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6), then you have to take bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means directly contact the Supreme Lord, adhokṣaja. And that has been described in many places, the process how to be in contact with the Adhokṣaja. That is called dharma. In every country, in every human society there is a conception of dharma, or religion. So what is the purpose?
Ignorance and passion. In this stage one cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God. Ajñā. Rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ (SB 1.2.19). As we have discussed in Bhagavad, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ, those who are infected with the two kinds of material modes, means rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, they are simply busy, kāma and lobha. They are busy only... Those who are passionate, they are simply busy for sense gratification, and those who are in ignorance, in darkness, they have no eyes to see.
So these two classes of men... Mostly people are infected with these two kinds of modes of material nature. Rajas-tamas. The whole world. At the present moment, especially, mostly ignorance, and some of them are passionate. That passionate tendency is engaging them for so many industries and very, very strong work, ugra-karma. Ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means very strong...? What is, should be the English word? Ugra... Ugra, just like chili, pungent. There are many things.
They are busy only... Those who are passionate, they are simply busy for sense gratification, and those who are in ignorance, in darkness, they have no eyes to see.
So these two classes of men... Mostly people are infected with these two kinds of modes of material nature. Rajas-tamas. The whole world. At the present moment, especially, mostly ignorance, and some of them are passionate. That passionate tendency is engaging them for so many industries and very, very strong work, ugra-karma. Ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means very strong...? What is, should be the English word? Ugra... Ugra, just like chili, pungent. There are many things. They are very strong in taste. So ugra-karma, these... Just like they are building hundred-and-fifty-story building. People can live comfortably in a small cottage or one-storied house or little more. But no, they're increasing. Their passionate activities are increasing. Just like in your country, in New York, now there is hundred-and-four-storied building, or more than that. Some building?
Then it will be all right. I have repeatedly said... Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa. Why we have opened this society? I could have initiated, and let him remain at his home. No. The society required. So by association we become good or bad. If you associate with goodness, then you acquire goodness quality, and if you associate with bad, passionate, ignorant, then you get that quality. So according to that quality...
This Yadu-vaṁśa, they were Kṛṣṇa's descendants. Just like when a king comes, he comes with his associates. So when Kṛṣṇa appeared, He had to marry so many wives because it was a stage to show Kṛṣṇa's supreme authority, supremacy. So the demigods came down also from different planets to help Kṛṣṇa. So these demigods became Kṛṣṇa's family. Some of the woman denizens, they became Kṛṣṇa's wife, and some of them became their sons. In this way, a huge family of Kṛṣṇa, Yadu dynasty.
Devotee: (leads chanting, etc.)
- kā vā saheta virahaṁ puruṣottamasya
- premāvaloka-rucira-smita-valgu-jalpaiḥ
- sthairyaṁ samānam aharan madhu-māninīnāṁ
- romotsavo mama yad-aṅghri-viṭaṅkitāyāḥ
- (SB 1.16.35)
Translation: "Who can, therefore, tolerate the pangs of separation from that Supreme Personality of Godhead? He could conquer the gravity and passionate wrath of His sweethearts like Satyabhāmā and others by His sweet smile of love, pleasing glance and hearty appeals. When he traversed my (the earth's) surface, I would be immersed in the dust of His lotus feet and thus would be sumptuously covered with grass, which appeared like hairs standing on me out of pleasure."
Prabhupāda: Kā vā saheta virahaṁ puruṣottamasya. Puruṣottama. Puruṣa and prakṛti, there are two words. Prakṛti means "enjoyed" or "the energy," and puruṣa means "the enjoyer" and, or "the powerful." So we are prakṛti, we living entities, we are prakṛti. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: prakṛteḥ hi me parām vidhi, apareyam itas tu prakṛti me.
This is called sattva-guṇa. So if you cultivate sattva-guṇa, then you are elevated to the higher planetary system. Why there are so many planets? The moon planet, the sun planet, so brilliant planets—why there are? There are also different places for different kinds of living creature. There is hetu. There is cause. And similarly, rajo-guṇa, passionate...
So madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. So there is hetu. Hetu means cause. Not without cause. Nobody has taken birth in this material world without any cause. And according to the cause, the particular type of body is built up. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). A big science there is. Unfortunately there is no education for this science. Maybe in future they will take interest. As we are publishing the books and going to the universities and to the professors, there may be. There is possibility now. Otherwise these rascals did not know what is this science.
Nitāi: "The material energy springs up from the mahat-tattva, which evolved from the Lord's own energy. The material ego is endowed predominantly with active power of three kinds—good, passionate and ignorant. From these three types of material ego the mind, the senses of perception, and the organs of action, and the gross elements evolve."
Prabhupāda:
- mahat-tattvād vikurvāṇād
- bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt
- kriyā-śaktir ahaṅkāras
- tri-vidhaḥ samapadyata
- vaikārikas taijasaś ca
- tāmasaś ca yato bhavaḥ
- manasaś cendriyāṇāṁ ca
- bhūtānāṁ mahatām api
- (SB 3.26.23-24)
So the process of creation, how, one after another, it takes place, that is described here. So the total energy, mahat-tattva, by interaction, the begins... The moving, the pushing, begins from the bhagavad-vīryatā. Bhagavad-vīrya-sambhavāt. Vīrya means energy. We understand vīrya sometimes—the semina. It is something like that; not exactly the material semina, but potency or energy, spiritual energy. That is the beginning of creation.
Dhīra, one who is cool-headed. Not a passionate(?), crazy fellow, but cool-headed. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. He can understand that as one passes through different bodies, baby's to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old age, similarly, this body, when it will be no more existing, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the body may be destroyed, but the soul will continue to exist. This is the Vedic principle of knowledge. This is called spiritual knowledge. Spiritual knowledge does not mean anything else. To understand the spiritual, constitutional position of the living entity, that is called spiritual. And at the present moment, by constitution, my position is that I never die or I never take birth. But because I have accepted this material body, therefore I have to change. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our garments. I am putting on this garment. When it is old or not usable, I give it up. I accept another coat or shirt. Similarly, we have got coat and shirt over our position as soul.
We are working under the control of material nature, and we are infecting, contaminating different modes of material nature. Just like a person who has contaminated the smallpox infection, he must suffer from smallpox. That is medical science. Similarly, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya (BG 13.22). There are three material modes of nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. So if you associate with goodness, then your next body becomes manifest in the modes of goodness, just like highly intelligent class of men or the brāhmaṇa. If you infect the modes of passion, then you become passionate; you get passionate body. And ignorance also.
They simply eat grains. And the lions, they eat only meat and flesh. So... But still, in spite the lion's eating flesh, he has got only one sex appetite, once in a year. But the vegetarian, the pigeon, although eating grains, oh, at least hundred times daily. You see? So it is not that the vegetarians are less passionate than the animal-eaters or flesh-eaters. Nature's codes are different. It can be controlled. But human consciousness, this control is, I mean to say, practiced from the brahmacārī life. Because the... Unless we control our sex life, there is very little possibility of advancing in spiritual consciousness.
Because spiritual perfection means to stop the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. That is real spiritual perfection. Stopping. Stopping the soul, the spirit soul, transmigrating. This process is going on. Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151).
So when one becomes vipaścit, viveki... Vipaścit means enlightened. These, my activities under the influence of different modes of material nature, this is waste of time. Even if I become a brāhmaṇa, that is also waste of time, and what to speak of if I become a kṣatriya, passionate. Passionate... This vaiśya, this mercantile class of men, they are passionate and ignorance mixture. They are very active: "I am very running, I am very busy," but running here and there in ignorance. Just like you will see the monkey. Monkey is always very busy, but what is the meaning of his business? He is in ignorance. As soon as a monkey comes... You have so such disturbance. In India, as soon as a monkey comes, everyone wants to drive him away. Because he has come to become business and to make some loss. That's all. That is his business. Wherever he sits, he will move like this.
Devotee always thinks very humble, meek. This is the presentation of Prahlāda Mahārāja, that "I am born of a father..." Because they belonged to the atheistic family, demonic family, ugra-jāteḥ. Ugra-jāteḥ means they are not very sober; always passionate. Ugra-jāteḥ, always passionate. Passionate means always hankering after sense gratification. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "I am born of a father so greatly passionate. How I can satisfy the Lord, where great personalities and sages and demigods have failed?" He is presenting himself so humbly. But he's intelligent. Without becoming intelligent, nobody can worship God. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura. Catur means very intelligent. Unless one is first-class intelligent, he cannot worship God. It is not possible. Foolish person cannot worship God.
Although these great personalities have presented their prayers in so nice selected verses and they are transcendental vibration, still, they could not pacify the Lord. And kiṁ toṣṭum arhati sa me harir ugra-jāteḥ: "Then how it is possible for me, because I am born of a father who was most passionate. So my body is most abominable. I have got this body from the abominable father. How can I please Lord when they have failed?" This is Vaiṣṇava. He's not proud. He's not proud. Because the Brahmā, Lakṣmī, and all the demigods and saintly persons have requested him, "My dear Prahlāda, you try." That means he is greater than all the persons present there; otherwise how they could request him? Just like if in an assembly, if somebody is requested, "Please, you lead us," that means that person, that leader, is the greatest of all. So Prahlāda is accepted as the greatest personality than Brahmā, than the demigods, than the yogis. But this is the humbleness, meek.
This is... In Bible also, it is said the humble and meek can enter into the kingdom of God. So out of his humbleness, meekness, he's expressing, he's presenting himself that "These great personalities, they failed to pacify the Lord. How it is possible for me, who has got this body born of a passionate father?" This is very beautiful.
So Vaiṣṇava, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has taught us that how we shall preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't be disheartened because the police is obstructing, because the people are complaining. They will do that. Just like... Why this police and public? This poor, innocent boy, five years old, because he was chanting, his father became his enemy. His father, what to speak of others. So it is such a thing. In any... You try to trace out the history of the world, you'll find always persons who are for Kṛṣṇa or God, they have been persecuted. Lord Jesus Christ was crucified, Haridāsa Ṭhākura was caned in twenty-two market places, Prahlāda Mahārāja was tortured by his father. So there may be such things. Of course, Kṛṣṇa will protect us. So don't be afraid.
This is goodness. These prohibitions are there. Why? Just to keep you in goodness. In every religion... Now, in the Ten Commandments also, I see that "Thou shall not kill." The same thing is there, but people are not obeying. That is a different thing. No religious person... Nobody can be religious unless he is situated in the modes of goodness. A passionate person or a person in ignorance, they cannot be elevated to the religious platform. Religious platform means in goodness. Then you can understand. On the platform of goodness, you can understand the All-good. If you are in ignorance platform, if you are in the passionate platform, how you can understand the All-good? That is not possible. So one has to keep himself in goodness, and that goodness means one should follow the prohibitions. Either you follow the Ten Commandments or these four commandments, the same thing. That means you have to keep yourself in goodness.
So ugra-jāteḥ means demonic family, passionate. Ugra. There are three qualities within this material world. Therefore it is said guṇa-mayī. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī (BG 7.14). Guṇa-mayī means three guṇas, three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. So our mind is jumping. Everyone knows the nature of the mind, sometimes accepting one thing, again rejecting it, saṅkalpa-vikalpa. This is the quality of the mind or nature of the mind. Sometimes the mind is jumping over sattva-guṇa, sometimes on the rajo-guṇa, and sometime on the tamo-guṇa. In this way we are getting different types of mentality. In this way, at the time of death the mentality which is just at the moment of leaving this body will carry me to a different body of sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. This is the way of transmigration of the soul. Therefore we have to train up the mind until we get the another body.
So here is the sign. Prahlāda Mahārāja is so qualified that immediately Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva put His hand on the head: "My dear child, you have suffered so much. Now be pacified." This is Prahlāda Mahārāja's position—immediately accepted by the Lord. But he's thinking, "I am so lowborn in the family of passionate family." Ugra-jāteḥ. He's not proud that "Now Nṛsiṁha-deva has touched my head. Ah. Who is like me? I am the greatest personality." This is not Vaiṣṇava. Sanātana Gosvāmī when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he presented himself, nīca jāti nīca karma nīca saṅgī: "I am born of very low grade family, and my duties are also very low grade, and my association are also very low grade." So Sanātana Gosvāmī was born in a very respectable brāhmaṇa family, but because he accepted the service of Muhammadan king, actually he lost his all brahminical culture. He did not lose, but superficially it appeared because he was mixing with the Muhammadans, eating with them, sitting with them, talking with them.
Just like there are three qualities. Someone may be in the quality of goodness, someone may be in the quality of passion, someone may be in the quality of darkness, or ignorance. But Kṛṣṇa, or God, is transcendental to all qualities, because He's Supreme Spirit. We are also transcendental to all qualities, but at the present circumstances we are under the clutches of this qualitative existence. Somebody is very good man, somebody is very passionate man, somebody is ignorant fool. These are all qualitative representation of this material world. But as soon as you come to the platform of God, you transcend all the qualities. All the qualities. There is no such distinction, "good man," "bad man," "this man" or "that man." In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated,
- māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi
- bhakti yogena yaḥ sevate
- sa guṇān samatītyaitān
- brahma-bhūyāya kalpate
- (BG 14.26)
Anyone who is engaged in unalloyed devotional service to the Lord, without any reservation—avyabhicāriṇi, not adulterated, simply pure love of Godhead, ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanam (CC Madhya 19.167), favorably—how God will be pleased. With this feeling, if one is engaged in devotional service, māṁ ca vyabhicāriṇi bhakti yogena yaḥ sevate... If anyone is engaged in that way, then what is his position? Sa guṇān samatītyaitān (BG 14.26). There are three qualities of the material nature, namely goodness, passion and ignorance. He at once transcends.
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
So if I am associating with sattva-guṇa, then next life, I'll get a sattva-guṇa body. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā. (BG 14.18) Sattva-guṇa body means higher standard of life. So similarly, if I am associating with the modes of passion, then I'll get a body, next life, passionate. If I am associating with ignorance, tamo-guṇa, jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Tāmasāḥ. Tama-vṛtti. The jaghanya, the lowest. There are so many varieties of life. So those who are associating with tamo-guṇa, drinking, flesh eating, smoking, illicit sex, gambling... These are the association of tamo-guṇa. Yatra pāpāś catur-vidhā. Where there are four kinds of sinful activities. So intoxication is sinful activities. That is tamo-guṇa. Associating with tamo-guṇa. So jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. Those who are associating with tamo-guṇa, their vṛtti, their habits, are very abominable. Jaghanya. Therefore adho gacchanti. They go downwards.
What honor he'll take? This material honor. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was offered benediction by Lord Nṛsiṁha-deva, "You take any kind of benediction." So Prahlāda Mahārāja replied, "My dear Lord, I am born of a father, passionate, and I am always greedy about material opulence, naturally, because my father was like that. So You are offering benediction. I can ask from you any kind of material opulence. I know that. But, what I shall do all these material opulences. I've seen my father was so strong materially, that when he was angry even the demigods trembled. He was so powerful. Now everything is finished within a second by You. So what is the value of this material opulence? Why shall I ask you all these nonsense. Kindly engage me, kindly engage me in the service of Your servant, that I want." This is devotion.
Similarly Bhagavad-gītā you'll find who is under the spell of the modes of ma..., uh, yes, goodness. If he's very sober, intelligent, can understand things as they are, they are to be understood in the modes of goodness. Those who are very much passionate, simply wants to enjoy sense enjoyment, they are in the modes of passion. And those who are lazy, very fond of sleeping, nidrālasya, he's to be understood in the modes of ignorance. These are the symptoms. And according to the modes, they act. Therefore bhakti is not prohibited to either of them. Either in goodness or passion or ignorance—it doesn't matter. Anyone can take to devotional service, sādhana-bhakti, provided he agrees to be guided by the direction of the spiritual master. Bhakti is transcendental. It doesn't matter whether one is in goodness, passion or ignorance. Anyone can take.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Whole day they are busy: "Where there is stool? Where there is stool?" And they become fatty also, very, by eating stool. And as soon as they become fatty... Not fatty. Even the hogs in the cub state, they're very much passionate, sense gratification. Perhaps you have seen. So to work very hard and get some means of sense gratification and live like hogs without any discrimination of eating and sleeping and mating, that is called hog life. The hog has no discrimination. By nature, there are examples. One who has no discrimination in the matter of eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. Just like hog. They have no discrimination. Mother or sister or what is to be eaten, there is no discrimination. Anything they can eat, anything they can do, or any female they can mate, never mind. That is hog's life.
There are four sampradāyas of great devotees of Lord: one from Brahmā, one from Śiva, and one from Lakṣmī, and one from the Kumāras. So Lord Śiva, although he is in charge of the department of the modes of ignorance, but he is not ignorant. You should not mistake that. Similarly, Brahmā is also in charge of this passionate department, creative initiation. This, whatever we are creating, the creative incentive, that is from Brahmā, passion. And ignorance, they neither create... They simply destroy. And Viṣṇu, He has taken the charge of maintenance, because without God nobody can maintain us. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "One personality, one eternal personality, He maintains all other plural eternities." We are also eternities, but we are maintained by Viṣṇu. Even Brahmā is also maintained by Viṣṇu, and Śiva is also maintained by Viṣṇu. So these are three qualitative incarnations: Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.
General Lectures
Similarly, our coming in contact of this material world means we come in contact of the three qualities of matter: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So if you come in contact with sattva-guṇa, then your position ms very clear, just like sunshine, prakāśa. And if you are in rajo-guṇa, then you are very passionate. And if you are in tamo-guṇa, then you are in darkness. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that in whatever quality or modes of nature you are in, if you simply chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, all of you come to this transcendental position of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the advantage of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It doesn't matter in what modes of nature and quality you are now existing. If you simply take to this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you, if not immediately, but gradually you'll be assured to come to the Kṛṣṇa conscious platform. That is our program.
Philosophy Discussions
Śyāmasundara: Well, perhaps his ethical man would not make that decision. Perhaps his ethical man would make the decision to protect the cow also. Because the idea is that through a passionate, feeling, awareness inside that one will come to the right decisions, that, that...
Prabhupāda: But he has no standard of right decision. What is the standard of right decision?
Śyāmasundara: His... It's... It's not so much... His motto is not so much "Know thyself" as to "Choose thyself." He's not so much saying that what you...
Prabhupāda: So how you can make your choice if you do not know yourself? You make your choice, "This is good, this is bad." So this choice is made when you know yourself. So this is my interpretation. I have interest in this; therefore it is good. That, so without knowing yourself, how you can make this choice? How you can make your decision?
your decision?
Śyāmasundara: He says that you will know yourself when you begin choosing yourself. And when you begin making choices and examining them, you find the right choice for you, and you will begin to know yourself. That this passionate, inner awareness when one becomes engaged in life, in doing things actively, and making decisions...
Prabhupāda: So this choice, when you know yourself, so how you can know yourself unless you go to somebody who knows things as they are? Just like people know that "I am this body." But this kind of knowing is animal knowing. This kind of knowing, that "I am this body," yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). If one understands that "I am this body," then he is no better than an ass. The animals, the ass, the ass also thinks, "I am this body," and you also think that you are body, then what is the difference between you and the ass? And what is the value of the philosophy of an ass if you are in the bodily concept of life?
Prabhupāda: How you make such choice, that is the point. Whimsically.
Śyāmasundara: No. He says this choice is made through inward, subjective, passionate search, and it will come out.
Prabhupāda: So that inward, subjective, just like these Bowery bums—what is called?
Devotees: Bowery bums.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So they have made decision as soon as they get some money, purchase one bottle whiskey and drink it, and lie down.
Śyāmasundara: Then he would say there is no decision being made there. There is no commitment to any ethical decision there. That is just sense gratification. He says the next higher level above unrestricted sense gratification is to take up a cause, a good cause, and determine...
Prabhupāda: So how he'll make it a good cause? The good cause is relative. You think something good cause, I think something good cause, so what is really good cause? Who will, who will decide that this is good cause?
Prabhupāda: All they know is the relative truth.
Śyāmasundara: Their idea is that passion, (indistinct) passion is truth.
Devotee: Sense activity. If my impulse is passionate nature.
Prabhupāda: But passion is working differently. Unless... Passion is all right, activity, but if you do not know the goal, then you are misled.
Devotee: This philosophy has been adopted by the hippies.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee: The mode of passion is truth.
Prabhupāda: Passion is truth, that's all right. But the passion means activities.
Hayagrīva: "...perhaps even doing so out of the realization that something remains to be completed. In my case it must have been primarily a passionate urge toward understanding which brought about my birth, for that is the strongest element in my nature."
Prabhupāda: Yes. So that understanding, I do not know whether he has fulfilled. That understanding is Kṛṣṇa. That is explained, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). That understanding is full, complete, when he comes to the point of understanding Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as he understands Kṛṣṇa, his life is successful. His, this journey, material journey, stops. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is full understanding. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). When he understands Kṛṣṇa in complete... And Kṛṣṇa is giving lesson how he, one can understand Kṛṣṇa completely. Asaṁśayaṁ samagram māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Kṛṣṇa says, "Now hear how you can understand Me in complete, without any doubt." That He begins in the Seventh Chapter. So if we understand Kṛṣṇa in complete, without any doubt, then our next birth is in the spiritual world. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the version of Bhāgavata. So we have got this opportunity, at least those who have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to understand Kṛṣṇa completely, without any doubt. Then our life is successful.
Prabhupāda: Yes, perverted, perverted. His position is to serve, but... He is serving his senses, but he's thinking that "I am enjoying." This is called māyā. Actually, he is serving his senses. Just see, to enjoy, to make money, how much they are working hard, day and night. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham (SB 7.9.45). They are working so hard, but because there is hope that "I shall become millionaire," he is thinking happy. Actually, he is working very hard. More than an animal. More than an animal. Animals, they work hard, but as soon as they get some food they are satisfied. But human being is not satis He will eat only that four capatis, but he is not satisfied. That is the nature's. The Bhāgavata says that human being is so passionate that he works hard, very hard, and he thinks that "I am happy." He thinks, "I am happy."
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Their body is made just suitable for the water. So you have to qualify yourself. That is... Just like, in the spiritual sky they can live only spiritual body, and material body cannot live there. Material body is not allowed there. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are too much passionate, they are meant to live in this planet. This planetary system, status. There are many other planets like this world. So they are allowed to live here. Here all living entities, they are very much passionate. And adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ. And there are other planets, they are dark, dark planets, below this earthly planet. And the animals, they are in darkness. Although they're on this park, but they do not know where they are, darkness. Their knowledge is not developed. This is the result of the modes of ignorance. And those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they are neither in darkness, nor in passion, nor in goodness. They are transcendental.
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: The whole world is full of conditioned living entities. They're conditioned. Conditioned means under the control of the material nature. Guṇaiḥ karmāṇi. There are different types of conditioned souls. Some of them are good conditioned soul, some of them are passionate conditioned soul, some of them are rascal conditioned soul. So good conditioned soul means that, er, "(indistinct) that I have become very much learned, I have studied so many books, so now I am perfect." There is little goodness, because he has studied, he, he has labored, but still he's conditioned soul, because he has no perfect vision. Vimukta-māninaḥ. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam they have been described as vimukta-māninaḥ, that "I have become now liberated, māninaḥ." Self-complacent, thinking that "I have become now liberated. Now I become Nārāyaṇa, God." These Māyāvādī sannyāsīs, they address among themselves as namaḥ nārāyaṇa.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Cheating is mixed up passion and ignorance. Just like one man cheats other. That means he wants to obtain something. He's passionate. But he commits some murder. He does not know that "I'll have to suffer for it." So it is a mixture of passion and ignorance.
Bob: And what about when somebody helps another person?
Prabhupāda: That is goodness.
Bob: Why is that goodness? What intelligence is that? I mean, is,... This represents knowledge of what? You said that goodness is when you have knowledge, intelligence.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Bob: So helping another person...
Prabhupāda: That means he's ignorant, you're trying to enlighten him.
Bob: So giving intelligence...
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is goodness.
Bob: What about just giving assistance, like you give...?
Prabhupāda: That is also goodness.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Downwards means fall down, upwards means getting promotion, and middle means we remain where we are now. That is... Indication is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā: (BG 14.18) "Those who are cultivating the modes of goodness, they are promoted to the higher planetary system." And madhye tiṣṭhanti rājasāḥ. "Those who are passionate or under the modes of passion, they remain in the middle planetary system." And jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthā adho gacchanti tāmasāḥ: "And those (whose) character is very abominable, they go down." And beyond this, there is another nature. That is called spiritual nature, which is beyond this material universe. There, we understand, that is eternal. This material nature is not eternal. It is manifested or created, and again it is dissolved or annihilated. But beyond this material nature, there is another nature. There are also innumerable planets. They are known as Vaikuṇṭha planets or Vṛndāvana planets.
Prabhupāda: Whatever he may be, he is ācārya. So you... Then Kṛṣṇa is also passionate. Kṛṣṇa is also passionate. Kṛṣṇa danced with so many gopīs; therefore He is passionate. They... These things are to be seen in this way, that "Such exalted person, he sometimes become passionate, so how much we shall be careful." This is the instruction. Then we petty things, petty persons, how much we shall be careful. It is not that "Ācārya has become passionate, therefore I shall become passionate. I am strict followers of ācārya." These rascals say.
Harisauri: So Lord Brahma's being attracted to his daughter, that is just as an example...
Prabhupāda: So why you discuss this? Therefore you shall be attracted with your daughter, mother? Do you think so, like that?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Since the all-perfect persons are inhabitants of the transcendental abode, they do not derive any pleasure there." Purport. "Crows and swans are not birds of the same feather because of their different mental attitudes. The fruitive workers or passionate men are compared to the crows, whereas the all-perfect saintly persons are compared to the swans. Crows take pleasure in a place where garbage is thrown out, just as the passionate fruitive workers take pleasure in wine and women and places for gross sense pleasure. The swans do not take pleasure in the places where crows are assembled for conferences and meetings. They are instead seen in the atmosphere of natural scenic beauty, where there are transparent reservoirs of water nicely decorated with stems of lotus flowers in variegated colors of natural beauty. That is the difference between the two classes of birds.
Prabhupāda: So all the qualities are working, mixed up practically. But prominently like this. Here you cannot have any quality completely of that quality. Other qualities are there, but prominently that particular... Just like demigods. They also become sometimes passionate, sometimes ignorant. So in this material world it is very difficult to find out pure modes of nature in anything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Sometimes some quality prominent, sometimes some quality is prominent. So the best thing is to become transcendental to all these qualities. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). That is devotional service. Śuddha-sattva, completely pure goodness. That is wanted.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That is not the direction that we were thinking. We were thinking that we could give some specific examples. We understand that the modes of nature are mixed, but even then... Now let's take birds. A bird like swan likes to be very clean habit, likes to live in a nice environment like lotus and clean water, but on the other hand birds like eagle, very passionate, wants to...
Prabhupāda: Crow.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Crow is rather very ignorant and wants to be very dirty, whereas...
Prabhupāda: So what you will do by such study?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: By this...
Prabhupāda: Generalize the divisions, that's all. But none of the divisions are spiritual. Our aim is to come to the spiritual platform. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. Not that to increase goodness and keep a less quantity passion and ignorance. Be completely free from all the three qualities, that is required.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: The question is, now we want to argue that how is it possible, now you are claiming that life is coming from molecules? If you claim like that, then how is it possible that in the same species, let's say in the birds, that these qualities are spreading? Some birds we see behave like a little influenced by the modes of goodness, though it is mixed. Like swan, we are taking that example. But some are like eagle, very passionate, wants to kill small birds as their food, and on the other hand, birds like crows, they like just to be completely ignorant, or they like to survive in a dirty environment. Why? Is this possible just from the concept of molecular evolution? It's completely, it's failing. They have no explanation along those terms. So we thought to bring up these points, it will be very clear that this evolution is completely wrong. So we want to use that...
Prabhupāda: There is no question of evolution. It is already there. This is a wrong theory. The monkey is there, the man is there. The soul is going from monkey to man. It is not the evolution. Just like you have got apartment, ten rupees, five rupees, twenty rupees, thirty rupees, like that. Now, as you pay, "Come on, here." There is no question of evolution. It is already there. Jantur dehopapattaye. These dehas, these bodies, are already there. So immediately it develops a particular type of desire, "Yes, come here, sit down." First class, second class, third class, fourth class is already there. As you pay, "Yes, come here." It is not evolving; it is already there. He is transferred from one apartment to another. This has to be convinced. We don't find that monkey's body became a human body.
Prabhupāda: So the general division in the higher planetary system is the devatās, beginning from sun, moon and other planetary systems, they are in modes of goodness prominent. Less, below that, bhūr bhuvaḥ, they are passionate, and below that, they are ignorant.
Devotee: Do the number of demigods have something to do with the number of species, like there are thirty-three million demigods?
Prabhupāda: There are thirty-three million. Thirty crores. There are also divisions, Gandharvas, Apsarās.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Do they belong to these species? They are also included in these eight million four hundred? These Gandharvas?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: But why? Because this intellect, highest or lowest, that is in relationship with the body. But it is beyond the body. It is not... sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). It is beyond the three guṇas. The body is of the material guṇas—sattva, rajas, tamas. One man is good man, one man is passionate, one is foolish. Guṇa. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo'sya. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi bhuṅkte prakṛti-jān guṇān (BG 13.22)? Find out this. Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi. Everything is explained. Bhagavad-gītā.
Guest: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is matchless. We are reading and re-reading, and every time we find much more, you see? Terrific. And you have put the simplest method—"as it is" as you say. Why complicate, tinker this... That is why... You know we can be safely called intellectuals. But you know we are tired of it. Tired. We cannot find anything. Neti neti vicāra te patra patra... Impossible. Then what do you get out of the life? The joy, rasa (Bengali) And that is the main substance. To get it you cannot get neti neti (Bengali)...
Prabhupāda: Puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho hi (BG 13.22). Puruṣaḥ. Why you cannot find this verse? What you are.
Prabhupāda: No marriage, girl's friend, boy's friend, and then illegitimate... So many things. They should be exposed. And there is no harm exposing, in truth. Simply by manufacturing, constructing a big, high skyscraper building, does it mean he is civilized? It is passionate work. They can take credit of a good mistri, just like so many mistris, they construct. I cannot do. Does it mean I am less than him? I could not construct this temple. I have to call some low class, a builder and company, they constructed. Does it meant he is higher in intelligence than me? They are giving credit, "Oh, now they have constructed skyscraper building. They have constructed motorcar, horseless carriage." They are taking credit on this. But this is not civilization. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has given the formula of civilization, three words: matṛvat para dāreṣu. Where is that civilization?
Prabhupāda: So explain the situation to them.
Mahāṁśa: What happened a couple of times before over here was that some devotees became very passionate, mistreated a few village people here, these laborers. At that time many of the village people, from the villages, they came and they were protesting and they made a big scene about it. One of them was Caraṇāravinda, who created a very...
Prabhupāda: No, Caraṇāravinda is eccentric.
Devotee: Too much.
Mahāṁśa: And then there was Advaitācārya also. So there was very delicate situation because these people... It may be a very little thing, you know, little thing, which does not need much propaganda or anything like that, but the village people made it very big and all the village people came...
Prabhupāda: Naturally they do that.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No... (Hindi) Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etām.
Guest (1): māyām etāṁ taranti te. (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. But he'll not do that.
Guest (1): Because he has succumbed to the passionate, passions.
Prabhupāda: But if he takes Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then everything is all right immediately.
Guest (1): That is the disease.
Prabhupāda: (aside:) Prasāda. Mam eva ye prapadyante māyām.
Prabhupāda: Hm... That is worth.
Rāmeśvara: Now, one thing... (break) ...because he's very passionate, because he takes intoxicants, so he wants to control that money. He made a plan that if the whole money is given to San Diego he will match it gradually. So now I've already given seventy thousand dollars to San Diego. So maybe we can...
Prabhupāda: So I'll tell him that they don't bother. He is doing nice.
Rāmeśvara: But we can suggest to him that "We have already given seventy thousand. So now you match that. Then, when we give more, you can match that."
Prabhupāda: No, he's a good boy. You can talk with him. All right. Take rest.
Correspondence
1969 Correspondence
Your next question: In regard to Kardama Muni, how can a pure devotee become passionate for any amount of agitation? That is not passion. One should not be impotent also. One should have full potency, to beget children, but such sex life should be under his full control. Passion is a different thing. Passion makes one blind. And a devotee is full controller; that is the difference. The example is given of the tortoise; as soon as he likes he discloses his senses, and when he likes he pulls them within. That is the position of a pure devotee. He can wind up the senses, whenever he likes and he can exhibit the senses whenever he likes. On the whole, the senses are under his control. He is not under the control of the senses as are the ordinary persons.
1973 Correspondence
Industrialization means to bring the people more and more away from God consciousness. The laborer, the worker in the factory, all of them are sudras, and the capitalist of the industry they are vaisyas, so the whole population is now composed of vaisyas and Sudras, which means the quality of passion and ignorance is now prominent. A passionate person or ignorant person cannot understand the Powerful, only those who are in Goodness or mixed Goodness and passion they can understand the powerful. so there is a necessity of changing the ignorant persons into persons with real knowledge. Therefore these people should be turned to become God conscious, that is our programme. Anyone from any group, either sudra, vaisya, or any group lower than the sudra, we are taking them and making them intelligent and giving them a chance to understand the supreme power.
| Page Title: | Passionate (Lect. Conv. & Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 25 of Jun, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=45, Con=15, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 62 |