Past Life (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"past life" |"past lives"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- Hyderabad, November 17, 1972:

Prabhupāda: That is not correct. Kṛṣṇa... As we have got distinction between the body and the soul, Kṛṣṇa has no such distinction. Kṛṣṇa is completely soul. And if we think that Kṛṣṇa is like us, that is forbidden. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ, tanu, mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because Kṛṣṇa comes before us just like a human being, if we think that "He's also like me," then we are ass. Kṛṣṇa does not change His dress. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could not say that "Millions and millions of years ago I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god." Because..., because we change our dress, we forget what I was, what you were, in your past life. Because you have changed the dress... (break)

Question: What is the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness society?

Prabhupāda: Always thinking of Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa says. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). These four principles. Always think of Kṛṣṇa, become Kṛṣṇa's devotee, worship Kṛṣṇa and offer your respect, obeisances to Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are doing that. Nothing more, nothing less. These four principles.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

That is another thing. Just like in my last life, what was my body, I do not remember. So forgetfulness is our nature. Because I forget something, that does not mean that things did not take place. No. In my childhood I did so many things. I do not remember. But my father (and) mother, who have seen my childhood, they remember. So forgetting does not mean that things did not take place. Similarly, death means I have forgotten what was I was in the past life. That is called death. Otherwise I, as spirit soul, I have no death. Suppose I change my dress. In my boyhood I was in a different dress. In my youthhood I was in a different dress. In my old age, or as a sannyāsī. I am in a different dress. So dress may change. That does not mean the owner of the dress is dead or gone. No.

This simple thing, transmigration of the soul, is explained. And individual. All of us individual. There is no question of mixing together. Everyone of us, individual. God is individual, we are also individual. That we have explained yesterday. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Only difference is that God does not change His body; I change My body. That is also in this material world. When I shall go to the spiritual world, there is no more change of body. Eternal. As Kṛṣṇa has got His eternal body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), form, eternal blissful of knowledge, similarly, when we go back to home, back to Godhead, we get also similar body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). That is the difference.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

And the soul is permanent. He, it has no change; it will never be nonexistent. Kṛṣṇa is explaining. When Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, you, Me, and all these kings and soldiers assembled here, it is not that we did not exist in the past," so what is that? That means we are not this body. This body was not existing in the past in my past life, or duration of life. But as I am soul, I am existing now, I did exist in the past, and I will exist in the future. That is sat. Therefore, spirit has no such change.

Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung, sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa te kāraṇa lagilā mora karma-bandha-phāṅsa. Karma-bandha-phāṅsa means entangled. Sometimes we have got experience, that threads, they become entangled. It is very difficult to find out where the beginning is. Sometimes spoiled. So, on account of our attachment to this material body, we are becoming entangled. Sat-saṅga chāḍi' kainu asate vilāsa. This meeting, as we are holding, this is called sat-saṅga. Sat-saṅga because here there is no other business, talking all nonsense, some material things.

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Yes. Another thing to be noted here, that why we forget? We living entities, why we forget? It is a fact that from my past life I have transmigrated to this body. Now I cannot say in my my past life what was my body. This is my nature because I change my body. Just like you can remember some years, say, twenty years, twenty-five years. Or suppose I am now seventy-three years old. I can remember some accident when I was only three years old, that, because it is in this life. But I cannot remember what I was in my past life.

That means if you change your body, then you forget. But Kṛṣṇa remembers. That means Kṛṣṇa does not change His body. That is another argument. Kṛṣṇa remembers means He... And it is said... You will find in the Bhagavad-gītā. He says, tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham: "I appear. I appear as I am," ātma-māyayā, "by My own internal energy." Just like I appear or any living entity appears in this material world.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Although you are a great warrior, parantapa..." Parantapa means one who can get, one who can give trouble to the enemies. Paraṁ tapati. "So although you are a very great warrior, a great personality, but you cannot know this. You cannot know this. That is the difference between you and Me."

That is the difference between God and the living entity. We had our past life, because dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), we have changed our body. And we shall change this body also. after annihilation of this body.... Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Old garments, old cloth, when it is too old, unuseable, then we give it up. We accept another new cloth. Similarly, when this body becomes unuseable, then we change our body. We get another new body. This is the way of transmigration of the soul. This is a fact.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

How we can understand? Śāstra-cakṣusā. You have to see through the śāstra. Otherwise, we have no eyes to see past, present, future.

Just like the astrology. Astrology, by calculation through the śāstra, astrological calculation can say what you were in your past life and what you will become in your next life. There is an astrological system. They can say like that. So through the śāstra, by right calculation, we can understand.

So what is that? The total is that ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ. Those who are situation in the modes of goodness, brahminical qualification.... Satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). If we remain perfectly a brāhmaṇa, truthful, clean, satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamaḥ, sense-controlling mind-controlling, satyaṁ śaucaṁ śamo damas titikṣā, tolerance: ārjava, simplicity; jñānam, full knowledge; vijñānam, application of knowledge in life; vijñānam, āstikyam, full knowledge of the Absolute Truth; āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42), if we remain in this qualification, brahminical qualification, this is called sattva-sthā, situated in the sattva-guṇa. The rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa cannot conquer. In that situation you'll be elevated to the higher planets. This is śāstra says.

Lecture on BG 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

So in the present stage, our conditioned stage, there is no comparison with Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of becoming Kṛṣṇa. The rascal foolish persons, they claim that they have become Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. This is the defect, that we forget. They ask so many the incarnation of God, about his past life. They cannot speak.

So this is the qualification of God. He knows past, present and future. And those who are false God, they cannot say. That is not possible. This is the test. They are claiming, falsely claiming. But God means, He knows. His body does not change. Past.... He knows past, present, future means His body does not change.

Why He does not change? That is described in the śāstra. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Vigrahaḥ means body, form. This transcendental form is made of sac-cid-ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. Sat means eternal, eternity. Oṁ tat sat. So sat, cit. Cit means full of knowledge. Full of knowledge here, tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. This is called cit. He knows everything, past, present and future. Sat, cit, and ānanda. You see Kṛṣṇa's form here, ānanda. He's enjoying. This is real Kṛṣṇa's form. He is always enjoying. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said. He's ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, real form...

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

My appearance and disappearances, I remember everything, past, present, future, everything. Na tvaṁ vettha parantapa, but you do not." Now, we cannot remember what was, what I was in my past life. Neither I know what I am going to be in the next life. But there is. I was in the past, I am in the present, and I shall remain in the future. That is my position.

In the Second Chapter, it is said by Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Arjuna, both you and Me and all these kings and soldiers who are assembled here, do not think that they did not exist in the past, or they will cease to exist in the future. They existed in the past as individuals, and they are existing at present as individuals, and they will exist in the future also as individuals." This is clearly stated in the Bhagavad-gītā in the Second Chapter. The difference between God and living entity is this, that God knows past, present, future, and I or you do not know past, present and future. That is the difference.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:

Still in the mass of people of India, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness is still existing, it is not yet lost.

And they believe in the next birth, next life, past life, they believe in God, in Kṛṣṇa. They're satisfied with that position, but the modern leaders they do not like it. They want to make them intoxicated so that they can work like an ass for the morsel of food. But this is not the problem. The real problem is here, stated, that you should stop the disease of birth and death. That is real problem. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are finding fault with so many things. But really we should find fault with this process of repetition of birth and death. People are now being educated in this way that there is no more life. You have got this life and you enjoy the senses as far as possible.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

We worship leadership—why? Because we want something from that leadership. Just like in India during the independence movement, so many people took part in the Congress movement, and later on, they became all ministers and high officers although they had no position in India's past life. So it is possible that if we worship other demigods, we can get some temporary relief from our distress, but if you take to Kṛṣṇa, then the relief is permanent, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), we can give up this body and go directly to the spiritual kingdom to be associated with Kṛṣṇa.

Now, here Kṛṣṇa says, kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha: "People are deluded for temporary relief, and therefore they go to worship demigods." They get some immediate relief. That is their profit. But kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karma-jā. If you want some temporary relief, then you can worship this or that. But if you want really the ultimate relief... And that is the goal of human life, ultimate... Everyone is trying to get out of miseries. The whole struggle, either in the material field or in the spiritual field, the whole struggle is to get out of some misery.

Lecture on BG 4.14-19 -- New York, August 3, 1966:

He cannot work. He can apply his brain in something else. So so long we are... These bodies are made according to the different status of our work we have done in our past life. And next body is being prepared according to the work which we are doing now. But here Kṛṣṇa says that as soon as one can understand the transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa's activities, he becomes free from the reaction of activities.

Now, here is the question, that because we are now preparing ourself to have our spiritual body or spiritual life developed, and being freed from this material existence, therefore our duty should be such so that we may not be entangled again into this material body. That can be made possible if we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. If we study Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, what are His transcendental activities, how His energies are acting in this material world or spiritual world, all this... It is a great science.

Kṛṣṇa is a great science. So if we study Kṛṣṇa science with great attention, then the result will be that we shall be free from the reaction of our activities.

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

Now here Kṛṣṇa says, api ced asi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpa-kṛttamaḥ. If, if a person is the most sinful, the, and the, I mean, the supermost sinful man, but if he gets this knowledge, this knowledge of Kṛṣṇa science, then he can cross over this ocean of ignorance very easily. That means it does not matter what was our past life. Either... Any Vedic literature, especially Bhagavad-gītā... Bhagavad-gītā does not take into account what was you in the past life. That doesn't matter. Because we are in ignorance, we might have done so many things in ignorance, which is not approved, which is not virtuous. That is quite possible. Every one of us, we are subjected. Because due to ignorance, we do so many things, so nobody can say that "I am free from any sinful activities." Nobody can say. So that doesn't matter. But if we get, if we can learn the science of Kṛṣṇa, then, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says, api ced asi pāpebhyaḥ sarvebhyaḥ pāpa-kṛttamaḥ: "Even one is the most sinful man, but if he gets the Kṛṣṇa science, he is free. He is free, and he can go. He can cross over the material ocean of ignorance very easily."

Lecture on BG 4.34-38 -- New York, August 17, 1966:

Never mind, either wood or any dirty things, whatever you will, it will turn into ashes. Similarly, if we get this Kṛṣṇa science, if we understand this Kṛṣṇa science, then all our reactions of sinful activities, what we might have done in our past life, that will be all burned into ashes. Burnt into ashes."

yathaidhāṁsi samiddho 'gnir

bhasmasāt kurute 'rjuna

jñānāgniḥ sarva-karmāṇi

bhasmasāt kurute tathā

Bhasmasāt means "turns into ashes."

na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ

pavitram iha vidyate

tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ

kālenātmani vindati

(BG 4.38)

Therefore knowledge, we must seek knowledge. And the perfection of knowledge, as we have several times explained in this meeting, the perfection of knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all. As in the Seventh Chapter you'll find, that, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Now, after culturing many, many births knowledge, one comes to Kṛṣṇa and he understands, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa is everything, all causes of causes.

Lecture on BG 6.32-40 -- New York, September 14, 1966:

Now, here it is said that ayatiḥ śraddhayopetaḥ. Somebody is attracted that "I shall make my life successful by a spiritual process, the yoga system or jñāna system or bhakti system." Without inclination... Because this inclination also does not come ordinarily... That also requires good asset in the past life, this inclination for spiritual advancement. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Out of millions of men, few only try for making perfection of the human life. And yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). And those who are trying for perfection, out of them a few only can understand what is God. So God understanding is not so easy.

So therefore he said, Arjuna said, that ayatiḥ śraddhayopetaḥ: "One has got some faith for spiritual advancement of life," yogāc calita-mānasaḥ, "but some way or other, he finishes halfway and then falls down from the process." Aprāpya yoga-saṁsiddhim: "He could not achieve the perfection." Kāṁ gatiṁ kṛṣṇa gacchati: "Then what happens to him?" Because half finished... Just like a person was studying for medical certificate or medical qualification, and out of six years, he simply performed two years. Oh, neither he is a doctor, neither he is a clerk. He is useless. He becomes useless.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

So one who is learned scholar, it is to be understood that it is due to his past deeds. One who is rich man, it is to be understood that it is due to his pious acts in his last life. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And one who is very beautiful, either male or female, it is to be understood that this is the result of his or her pious work in the past lives.

So here it is said that śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo... Śucīnām means pious family. Pious family means brāhmaṇas. They are śuci. Śuci means always pure. Śuci means... A brāhmaṇa, means a cultured brāhmaṇa, they are always pure. Their habits, their behavior—everything is pure. That is called śucīnām. That is a greater facility. And śrīmatām, rich, rich family. So the yoga-bhraṣṭa, after living for many, many days in the higher planets where pious people have entered, then, when he again comes to this earth, he gets birth in a, either in a brāhmaṇa family, śucīnām, or in a great, rich, mercantile family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatā... Śrīmatām is generally meant: a rich mercantile family. Just like you have got in your country Rockefeller family, Ford family. There are many. In India also there are Birla family, Bamar(?) family.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

So they degrade.

So in the pious family or in the rich family, there is chance of degradation. But one who takes his birth in a family of yogis, devotees, oh, he has got better chance for cultivating the same spiritual culture from which in his past life he had fallen. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, etad dhi durlabhataram: "This is very rare, that a man gets his birth, a parent, a yogi." This is very rare. But He recommends, I mean, He eulogizes this sort of family that... What is the facility of this family? Now, Lord says, tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam: (BG 6.43) "In his previous birth, in his previous body, whatever he cultured, now he begins to remember." He begins to remember. I may tell you that those who have taken this society, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, very seriously, they are not ordinary persons. They must have had such culture in their previous life. Now they are again trying to revive that thing.

It is said, according to Bhagavad-gītā, tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam (BG 6.43). Because that asset is there.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

That should be our determination. Paurva-dehikam. "When I have come to this point, it must be understood that I had some asset in my previous life. So Kṛṣṇa is giving me chance to make further progress. Now, in my past life I could not finish the job some way or other, but that doesn't matter. Now this life I shall not allow to miss this opportunity." That should be our determination as soon as we begin some spiritual culture. Tatra taṁ buddhi-saṁyogaṁ labhate paurva-dehikam (BG 6.43). Paurva-dehikam means according to the past life, he begins, he tries.

You gentlemen, boys, who come here—that is an urge from within, that you want. This urge is due to your past, previous, spiritual culture. This should be understood if we believe Bhagavad-gītā. So we should not make any more fall down. We should finish this business in this life so that, according to Bhagavad-gītā, as it is said, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9)

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

Devotee: You mentioned that the gopas, Kṛṣṇa's friends, are playing with Him and they are said to have done very much pious deeds in their past lives. I understand that they are eternal associates...

Prabhupāda: No, some of them are eternal associates, some of them are promoted to that eternal association. Suppose if you go and become an associate, playmate of Kṛṣṇa. So your position also becomes, now, eternal. If simply the eternal associates of Kṛṣṇa can play with Him, not others, then what is the meaning of your becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious? You can become also. How? By pious deeds of many, many lives. You can also become promoted to that position. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Actually in the bhauma Vṛndāvana in this material world, the Vṛndāvana, mostly the associates of Kṛṣṇa are these conditioned living entities who are promoted to that Kṛṣṇa conscious perfectional stage. They are first of all allowed to see Kṛṣṇa in the planet where Kṛṣṇa's pastimes is going on.

Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:

Because there is great propaganda to curb down by your leaders. They are naturally inclined. Anyone who takes birth in India, it is to be supposed that in this past life, he was spiritual. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra (CC Adi 9.41). There is great opportunity for persons who are born in India for spiritual advancement. Unfortunately by force, by propaganda, we are suppressing them. That is the cause. We are suppressing them. Otherwise still we get experience. We hold these Hare Kṛṣṇa Festival in Calcutta, Bombay, and other places. Here also. Many thousands of people are coming. Because at heart there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but, by external forces, they are being suppressed. That is going on. It is not natural. It is unnatural. Natural is every Indian is Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is natural. By artificial means they are being suppressed. This is the misfortune of the present day of India. (break) ...can be done? In the educational system no Bhagavad-gītā. Just see. How much unfortunate... One Indian girl in Berkeley University, she asked me, "Swamiji, what is God?" Just see. She's Indian, where God takes birth, Rāmacandra, Kṛṣṇa, and she is now materially advanced. Now she is asking what is God. This is our position. The land where God come, from that land a advanced student is asking: "What is God?" This is our advancement. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.11-13 -- Bombay, April 5, 1971:

They are controlled directly of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore they have no fear. The Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who surrenders unto Me, I take charge of him." He says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). Even if his past life was sinful, still, because Kṛṣṇa takes charge of such devotee, immediately he becomes freed from all contamination. And the guidance is there by Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He says... Here it is stated clearly. Kṛṣṇa says that "Everyone is entangled by the three modes of material nature, but anyone who has surrendered unto Me, he is free from this influence."

Now, the next question is, if... Everyone is trying to become freed from the contamination of material nature, mukti. That is called mukti. Great sages, great saintly persons, simply to get out of the clutches of this material nature, they undertake severe penances and austerity. Then, if it is so simple that simply by surrendering unto the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa one becomes immediately liberated from the clutches of māyā, why, then, people do not take to this process? This question may be raised. They do not believe. They say, "Oh, this is too much.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

You go on putting everything. It makes into, turns it into ashes. Similarly, this fire of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as soon as it is begun, then all our reactions of sinful activities in our past life... Mind that. Our suffering is due to sinful activities. And sinful activities are due to our ignorance. Ignorance. Sinful activities are done by persons who do not know what is what. Just like a child. A child does not know what is the result of catching fire. Because he is ignorant. But as soon as the child catches fire, his hand becomes burned immediately. The fire does not allow any concession for the child. It will act as fire. Similarly, we do not know how this material world is going on, what are the laws, who is the controller, how it is being controlled. Due to our ignorance, we act in some way, but nature is so stringent that it will never excuse you, either you do it knowingly or unknowingly. Just the same example: the child does not know that the fire will burn, but if the child catches the fire, the fire will not excuse because it is child. Therefore ignorance is the cause of suffering.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

No. Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva: never mind what is. He may be European, he may be American, he may be śūdra, he may be whatever. That is past. That is his past life. Now, when one has become kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, really Kṛṣṇa conscious, he comes to the transcendental position. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. Any devotee, any devotee, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Any devotee who has unflinching faith on guru and Kṛṣṇa, such devotee, yasya deva parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau, such person, bhakti-yogi. Bhakti-yoga, you cannot... Without accepting guru there is no possibility of understanding bhakti-yoga. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim, niṣkiñcanānāṁ pāda-rajo-'bhiṣekam. Unless one touches the lotus feet of niṣkiñcana vaiṣṇava, there is no question of bhakti-yoga. That is not possible. Naiṣāṁ matis tāvad urukramāṅghrim (SB 7.5.32). Urukramāṅghrim means Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet. One cannot be attached unless he takes the dust of a niṣkiñcana vaiṣṇava. This is first.

Lecture on BG 10.8 -- New York, January 7, 1967:

Kṛṣṇa says, api cet su-durācāraḥ. Even though you find in some devotees some bad behavior, not standard, but because he is a devotee, he is constantly engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore he is sādhu. Even though he has got some bad habits due to his past life, it doesn't matter. Because this will stop. Because he has taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all nonsense habit will stop. The switch is off. As soon as one comes to Kṛṣṇa, the switch which impelled one to bad habits, that becomes off immediately. So just like there is heat, heating, heater, electric heater. If you make the switch off, it still remains hot, but gradually, the temperature comes down and it becomes cool.

Similarly, if you have got faith and if you try to engage yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness with association of devotees, not alone... Alone is not possible. Therefore we have established this International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Society is required. Sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Just to give opportunity to persons who have got little faith to develop that faith into Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Bombay, December 30, 1972:

Actually there is no enjoyment. It is simply suffering. So that is going on. Yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. We are becoming bound up. We have got this body according to the karma of my past life, and again I am creating another series of karma. I'll have to accept another body and finish that karma. Again I'm creating another karma. This is going on.

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma

yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti

na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam

asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ

(SB 5.5.4)

This is the instruction given by Ṛṣabhadeva to his sons. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. All these living entities, they have become mad, mad. We can see very easily. Whole world, wherever we... Big, big cities. They are working just like madmen. So many cars, so many flyways, so many under-subways and always busy. But kurute vikarma. They are not working very nicely. Vikarma. Karma vikarma akarma.

Lecture on BG 13.22 -- Bombay, October 20, 1973:

Therefore śāstra says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ: (SB 1.5.18) "You should try for that thing which you did not receive in your past lives." Past life, by our pious activities or impious activities, we have got a different type of body, here or in higher planetary system. That's all right. But that is not solution of my problem. The real problem is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So we should try, we should save time and utilize it, how to get out of this janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is the whole Vedic civilization.

Therefore it is said, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. If you are intelligent, then you should try, you should engage your life, how to get out of this cycle of birth and death. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have to purify our existence so that we can revive our original position of eternal life, blissful life, full of knowledge. That is our requirement.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, sometimes we try to meditate on Kṛṣṇa, when we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, sinful memory from our past life is coming. How is this to be understood that Kṛṣṇa says, "From Me the memory comes."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Memory comes to remind you that you were in this condition, in this condition. Whether you are to continue this condition or to make improvement, that is up to you. So if you take instruction from the Vedas then you'll understand that these conditions of life are not very pleasing. So we have to make progress in a different way. (question asked in French)

Prabhupāda: Explain? What is his question?

Devotee: The question: how does our love for Kṛṣṇa somehow or other get transformed into lust?

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

And you can see how these boys and girls, those who are coming from Western countries, although they had many misgivings in their past life, now they are pure. Only (on) account of chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. This is... They are now developing the daivī sampat. Daivī sampat means the characteristics by which they can make very easy progress for liberation and spiritual realization. That is called daivī sampat. As soon as one becomes a devotee, this daivī sampat automatically becomes manifested. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). As soon as one develops his original dormant love of God, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all the good qualities becomes manifest. Because the good qualities are already there. This is the process. People are trying to make people very honest. But how they can be honest? Unless there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is very difficult to become honest. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ. Mahad-guṇāḥ, good qualities, good characteristics, good behavior, moral qualities, cannot be developed if one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is not possible. If people are simply paid to be Kṛṣṇa conscious, then the state will save so much expense.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

Why there should be thieves? If the society is based on religion, why there should be thieves? Why there should be rogues? There cannot be. Because they're not trained. The same boys and girls, European boys, American boys and girls... Just think of your past life and now this life. Why there is difference? Because it is based on religion. Based on religion. Therefore religion, then economic development. Dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Ātma-dharma or bhāgavata-dharma. Ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet. The śāstra says to protect yourself, that is a... What is called? In English there is a proverb: "Self-preservation is the first law of nature"? What is that? So self means soul. Your soul may not fall down. That is your first business. Ātmā, ātmā means soul, mind, and the body. So we have taken body. Everyone is prepared... Now people are not even anxious how to protect this body. They violate so many laws of eating, sleeping, mating, and become diseased. Even they do not know how to protect this body, what to speak of the mind and the soul. They're so rascal. Ātmānaṁ sarvato rakṣet tato dharmaṁ tato dhanam.(?)

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 11, 1973:

Everyone in this material world, we are suffering the sinful reaction of our past life or this life. That is a fact. But Kṛṣṇa says that "I can give you protection from all reaction of sinful life if you surrender unto Me."

So to become free from sinful life, there is only simple method: if you surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is the beginning of bhakti. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Bhakti life begins when you fully surrender unto the lotus feet of God. That is the bhakti life. So here it is said that it does not matter whether you are a Hindu or Muslim or Christian or Buddhist. It doesn't matter. Your system of religion is first class if you can develop your general love for Kṛṣṇa or God, Adhokṣaja. That is the test. You may advertise yourself or I may advertise myself, "I am a great religious person," but the test is how much you have learned to love God, how much you have advanced in that process.

So here in this verse it is said that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Then what will be my profit? Suppose I simply love God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

The māyā has given this vehicle, this body, and we are put into this. And Kṛṣṇa, or Īśvara, or the Paramātmā, is also within this body. So as you wanted in your past life, Kṛṣṇa has given you through the agency of māyā a type of body, and you are moving according to your desire. This is called karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). Therefore we have to understand this subtle knowledge.

But in the modern educational system, there is no such thing, although the Bhagavad-gītā is there and it is the property of India, at least... Because it was spoken, the science of Bhagavad-gītā... It was spoken long, long ago—that is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā—in the sun planet.

imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ

proktavān aham avyayam

vivasvān manave prāha

manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt

(BG 4.1)

Everything is there. How important this Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are not manufacturing anything by our fertile brain. No. We don't create anything. We simply repeat, but we try to explain for modern understanding. That's all. Otherwise there is no question of manufacturing.

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

Janma, to get birth in nice family, rich family, aiśvarya, janma aiśvarya. Nice family means opulent, rich, riches, aiśvarya. Janma aiśvarya śruta, and learning, education also. This is also... Not that everyone is becoming very learned. But one who was pious in his past life or in this life, they can be benefited, nice education also. And śrī, and beauty. These are the results of pious activities. And just the opposite is due to impious activities: no riches, no beauty, no knowledge, no good family.

So pious and impious activities, this is going on. Generally, people understand dharma by these. But here Bhāgavata says, "No. Dharma, religious principles, should be executed to nullify..." Hy āpavargyasya. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya na arthāya upakalpate. "Not for material benefit." Material benefit... Either you become poor or rich, you have to undergo the tribulations of this material existence. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid death. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid hard working. Because you are rich man, you cannot avoid fearfulness. So the same thing is for the poor man. He's also working hard. It may be that he's not getting more money; you are getting more money. But getting more money, you have to work like ass and dog.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9-10 -- Delhi, November 14, 1973:

If one man knows or..., that "I was king in my previous life. Now I have become a poor cobbler" or something like..., then he will become mad. So therefore he forgets. Death means forget. Because the living entity does not die. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). There is no death. Death means forgetting everything of my past life. That's all. Just like we forget. At night, when we dream, we accept another body, and we forget this body. And in the daytime we forget the night dream body and accept this body. We have got daily experience. So death means forgetting the past life. Otherwise, there was past life. That's a fact. But as we forget daily night body in the daytime and day body at nighttime, so similarly, we are changing our body according to the infection of the quality or material nature, and we are entangled in this material world. Although we are part an parcel of Kṛṣṇa, God, or we ar sons of God, but unfortunately, we have come in contact of this material modes of nature. This is going on.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes. Kṛṣṇa is the father of everyone. He canvasses, "My dear children, why you are rotting in this material world? Come back."

Lecture on SB 1.2.14-16 -- San Francisco, March 24, 1967:

So this is the benefit of being Kṛṣṇa conscious, that whatever we are acting in our past life, and according to that we have got this body... Either impious or pious, whatever you have done, that's all right. Don't think that because we are doing some pious activities we shall be out of the bondage of fruitive activity. No. That is also not possible. I have several times explained that if we do pious activity, then the result will be that we shall be able to get our birth in a very nice family, aristocratic family, rich family, pious family, big family. These are the results. Janma. Or janma aiśvarya. Janma means high birth. A very rich man, born in a rich family or high family, that means automatically he becomes a rich man. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26), or somebody becomes very highly or great learned man, śruta. And śrī; śrī means beauty. Or one becomes very beautiful. So these things are obtained by righteous activities. And similarly by acting impious activities we become very ugly, we become fool, we are born in a very low family or animal family and we become very poor. These are the results of different activities.

Lecture on SB 1.2.15 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1972:

So here it is the same thing. Yad-anudhyāsinā yuktāḥ karma-granthi-nibandhanam. Nibandhanam. It is tightly interknotted, our karma-granthi. We had some types of activities in our past lives, and we have got this body. Everyone. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapattaye (SB 3.31.1). The different types of body, 8,400,000 species of life, different types of body. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi, 900,000 species in the water. In this way, planets, creepers, serpents, insects, birds, beasts, then human form. This is the process of evolution. So each body is a concession by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart. You want to do something. Just like for doing something you must have particular type of instrument, similarly, the body means particular type of instrument. So you desire to do something, Kṛṣṇa gives you a particular type with the senses, and you act. This is the change of body. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. Daiva-netreṇa, by superior examination it is settled up that "This man or this beast is dying..." Of course, for lower than animals, they have got natural process of evolution. But when you come to the human form of body, you have got responsibility. Now you can make your next life better than this or lower than this.

Lecture on SB 1.2.31 -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

That's all right. Let them... Jñānam and apohanaṁ ca. Knowledge and forgetfulness, both are there. Both are coming from Kṛṣṇa. Knowledge...Suppose I wanted to enjoy something in my past life. So Kṛṣṇa has given me a type of body so that I can enjoy, and He gives me reminder also: "Now you wanted to enjoy like this. You have got this opportunity. You do it." This is the proof. You'll find even a, what is called, the cub, born of an animal, the dog, cats and dogs, they find out where is the mother's breast. The human child also, they also try to find out where is the mother's breast. Because they, they explain it as intuition. But we don't say it is intuition. Or even if you call "intuition," wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from Paramātmā. He's giving that "You find out. Here you'll find your mother's breast, and here is your food. Here is your food." Therefore even just after birth, the kitty, or a small child, finds out where is the food. This is the explanation of intuition.

Lecture on SB 1.3.9 -- Los Angeles, September 15, 1972:

They underwent severe penances just like Dhruva Mahārāja. But in this age it is not possible. But at least observe these short penances, little penances, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and make your life successful. What is the difficulty? But we are not still prepared. And still we do not take it very seriously, because our past life is so sinful that even coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are being disturbed. Our sinful activities are so strong that even coming to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness we are falling down, again falling down. So be careful, be cautious, and execute your duty as Kṛṣṇa conscious people. You will be happy.

Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:

So we are trying to give that body. Not a fish body, cat's body, dog's body. That we have experienced, past life. We have got this life now to make discretion, to make choice, what kind of body we are going to get next. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. Not that to give away with the waves of this time. Māyār bośe jāccho bhese' Khāccho hābuḍubu bhāi. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura therefore sings that "Don't be carried away by the waves of māyā. Now you have got intelligence. You try to understand that you are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa and do the needful. Then get out of this māyā's webs." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, giving the right information, that "If you do not want to be carried away by the waves of this māyā, material nature, then take to this consciousness so that at the time of your death you will change this body to Kṛṣṇa planet, Kṛṣṇa, Goloka Vṛndāvana." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says. Kṛṣṇa is not making lying propaganda. He has no business. He is giving you information, that if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, janma karma me divyam, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa—how He is acting, why He has come, why He has appeared, why He has given us the Bhagavad-gītā, what lessons He is giving—in this way, if you simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tat..., in truth, not whimsically, not sentimentally, with sound philosophy, knowledge, argument, you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you get tyaktvā deham... Then after giving up this body, undoubtedly you go back to Kṛṣṇa, go back to home back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.3.30 -- Los Angeles, October 5, 1972:

As soon as this form is finished, I will have to take another form. That form may not be exactly like this. So this is the formula for everyone. But for Kṛṣṇa, He has no material form. He has got spiritual form. Therefore His form is eternal. We do not remember our past lives, incidences, because the form has changed. But Kṛṣṇa remembers because His form does not change. The evidence is the Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says... When He was questioned by Arjuna, "How can I believe that You spoke this philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā 400,000,000's of years ago to the sun-god?" So Kṛṣṇa says that "Yes, you were also present there, because you are My constant companion. But you have forgotten; I remember."

So we do not forget things so long the form continues. But when the form changes, we forget. Every night we have got this experience. Our form is lying on the bed, but I am dreaming in a different form. I am flying in the sky and forgetting that my real form is lying on the bed. You forget. We forget that "I am American" or "I am the son of such and such gentleman," or... Everything forgotten.

Lecture on SB 1.4.25 -- Montreal, June 20, 1968:

He talked like this. He talked like this." Just like record, tape record. Just see. Even some hundred years before, the memory was so sharp. Just like tape recorder, it is recorded. This is mechanical. But by nature we have got such nice brain. Just like we remember so many things of our past life. That is recorded. Actually it is recorded. Everything is recorded. How you are getting this television? Because it is recorded in the atmosphere. It is being simply transferred. Everything is recorded. But we have deteriorated in our even physical condition that we cannot produce the recorded version. So we are making ourself dull, duller, dullest. Just like Sir George Bernard Shaw, he also stated that "You are what you eat." So by eating process, we are making our brain dull. So there is need of nice eating, nice talking, nice thinking, nice behavior.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

The devotee, pure devotee, if they are put into difficulty they take it, "Oh, it is Kṛṣṇa's grace. It is Kṛṣṇa's grace." Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam. They take it in this way, "Kṛṣṇa, I was to suffer hundred times more than this due to my bad activities in my past life, but You are giving me a little out of it. So it is Your grace." So devotee never takes any...

Therefore nārāyaṇa-paraḥ sarve na kutaścana bibhyati: (SB 6.17.28) "One who has become nārāyaṇa-paraḥ, Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's never afraid of any condition of life." Bhagavad-gītā also, Kṛṣṇa says, yasmin sthito na duḥkhena vicālyate: "If one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he's never disturbed." Guruṇāpi duḥkhena: (Bg. 6.20-23) "If he's put in the severest type of difficulty, he's never..." Just see the Pāṇḍavas. That is the effect of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore Nārada is trying to convince Vyāsadeva that "You preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Whatever you have so..., so far written books, they have been useless. Now you write something, by reading which, one will become immediately Kṛṣṇa conscious." Sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate.

Lecture on SB 1.5.18 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1969:

Just like so many boys and girls come to our association just like somebody forcing him, forcing him, "You just remain in this association." That is Kṛṣṇa's grace. That means in their past life they had been Kṛṣṇa conscious. Some way or other, it was not being fulfilled. Now again the chance is being given. That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, that yatate ca tato bhūyaḥ saṁsiddhau. The percentage up to which he finished in his last birth, that is not lost. That is there, fifty percent or forty percent, thirty percent, whatever one executed in the last birth. Now next, this birth, unwillingly or by force, by Kṛṣṇa's force, he'll have to accept again Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Just like Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. I think I have several times spoken about Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. So Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, he raised himself in his previous life to the bhāva-bhakti. Bhāva-bhakti means always feeling for Kṛṣṇa. That is the prior stage of loving Kṛṣṇa, bhāva-bhakti. So he, in his previous life he was raised, but somehow or other, he fell down. But it is assured, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate: (BG 6.41) "

Lecture on SB 1.5.23 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

One thing is that when you are liberated... Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). You become an associate of Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu. Then you can remember your past lives. Remember your past lives. Just like you can remember your dreams, "I was dreaming like that." So this is all dream. Our, this life, at the present moment, because this body is false, so whatever we are acting, it is just like dream. Just like in dream at night we also work. So this is gross dream and that is subtle dream. But real life is spiritual life. But we foolish people, we are taking this life as permanent life, permanent settlement. It is not permanent settlement. Here is..., Nārada Muni's saying, ahaṁ purā atīta-bhave abhavam. Atīta-bhave. This nature... Just like everything material... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It appears for some time like bubbles in the ocean, few seconds. Again finished. The whole cosmic manifestation in which we are millions and millions of years, it is just like a bubble in the ocean. It is just like a bubble.

Lecture on SB 1.8.45 -- Los Angeles, May 7, 1973:

They have been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as sukṛtina. Sukṛtina means background is pious. Just like you are all. You have come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on account of their, of your very nice background. In your past life you must have cultivated Kṛṣṇa consciousness, advanced, but it was not complete. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa has given the chance again: "Now come to this platform and make your life successful." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). Yoga-bhraṣṭa. Those who could not fulfill or finish the Kṛṣṇa consciousness business completely, they're given another chance, another chance. What is that chance? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. Śucīnām means very pure family, brāhmaṇa family, Vaiṣṇava family. Just like these children. They have taken birth now in the Vaiṣṇava family. Father is Vaiṣṇava, mother is Vaiṣṇava. And they are taken care of. So very exalted life. From the very beginning of life, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they are dancing, they are taking prasādam. The atmosphere is so congenial for spiritual life. They are getting chance.

Lecture on SB 1.8.49 -- Mayapura, October 29, 1974:

They are calculated like that. And generally, a devotee is completely relieved from all karma-phala. So ordinarily, we are indebted to so many persons, not only bāla, dvija, gopa, but ṛṣi, and the devatās. We have to take care of it. But if we become fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, sarvātmanā ye śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyaṁ gato mukundam. Not any other demigods. Mukundam. Mukundam means... Muk means liberation. So one who gives liberation. Gato mukundaṁ parihṛtya kartam. So one who takes full shelter of Mukunda, Kṛṣṇa, then He's freed from all this indebtedness to so many persons.

So this is our duty, to surrender fully to Kṛṣṇa and be saved from the reaction of so many sinful activities in our past life.

Lecture on SB 1.8.52 -- Los Angeles, May 14, 1973:

Otherwise, if he is not hanged, then next life, next time, he will be put into difficulty. Next time he will have to become animal. He will be slaughtered. These laws they do not know. Why these animals are being slaughtered? There is some nature's law. They were murderer or slaughterer in their past life as human being. Now they have assumed, they have accepted a body to be slaughtered by the laws of nature. When an animal is slaughtered in sacrifice, there is mantra. The mantra is that... The animal slaughter in sacrifice is recommended for the animal-eaters, not for all. Those who are... To restrict.

In the Vedas there is recommendation that animals can be sacrificed in yajña. So that is also another meaning. The verse is loke vyavāyāmiṣa-madya-sevā nityā hi jantor na hi tatra codanā. In this material world every living entity has got natural propensity for sex life, meat-eating and intoxication. There is already propensities. You haven't got to teach. Nobody teaches in the school how to enjoy sex life.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-2 -- New York, April 19, 1973:

That will depend on your work, and nature will offer you a certain type of body, you'll have to accept. Of course you will forget. That is the concession given by nature. Just like we do not remember what we had been in our past life. If I remember that suppose I was a king in my past life, now I have become a dog, then how much suffering it will be. Therefore by nature's law one forgets. And death means this forgetfulness. Death means this forgetfulness.

So this is a great science. People do not know it. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific, authorized, so our business is to enlighten people as far as possible, and at the same time we must remain enlightened. We may not be again covered by the darkness of māyā. That we should be... That you can keep yourself very fit not to be covered by the māyā. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). If you very strictly adhere to the principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then māyā will not be able to touch you. That is the only remedy. Otherwise māyā is always looking after the opportunity, loophole, how she can capture you again. But if you remain strictly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, māyā will not be able to do anything.

Lecture on SB 2.1.3 -- Delhi, November 6, 1973:

He said. How does He remember? That means He does not change His body. We, we forget because just like in our last, past birth... Now I can remember not all, but some of my incidences of my life I remember. But I do not remember anything of my past life. Death means forgetting about the past life. So because I have changed my body, I have forgotten. But anyone who does not change his body, he does not forget. And that is the proof that Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's body is not ordinary body. Anyone who thinks Kṛṣṇa as one of us, He is a mūḍha. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). Because He comes just like a human being, we consider that He is also a human being.

So it is a great science. Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired about Kṛṣṇa, and Śukadeva Gosvāmī is describing, and he immediately said, varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ: (SB 2.1.1) "Your question is very glorified." Yad loka-hitam: "It will be..." Varīyān eṣa te praśnaḥ kṛto loka-hitaṁ nṛpa.

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

So after death, what is the proposal? That they do not know. And practically we are experiencing that although I am changing body, I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man, now I am old man, so there was past and future in every stage. Similarly, in this stage as I am remembering my past life... I can remember, you can remember... I was a child, I was a boy, I was a young man. I was doing like this. Everything I remember. Even if I forget, I had my past life and again I expect my future life. Past, present and future. Why the future should be zero? We have experienced so long, both past, present and future. Why in this old age I shall be future-less, void? There is no life after death? That is the foolishness. That we are not preparing.

Those who are not preparing, they are engaged in various topics.

Lecture on SB 2.2.5 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: Prabhupāda? When the soul transmigrates from one body to another, the consciousness of that gross body, does the person retain some of the consciousness of his past lives with that transmigration?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Consciousness is a constant companion of the soul. The consciousness means there is soul. Just like this body. I am speaking, I am talking or I am feeling, this consciousness. I am conscious. Why? Because I, the soul, is present. So consciousness is the symptom of the presence of the soul. Therefore when the soul transmigrates the consciousness is also there in another body. But this consciousness, if I take God consciousness, then I go to God. And if I take dog consciousness, I go to dog. That's all. The consciousness is there. Therefore we have to purify our consciousness. Instead of dog consciousness we have to make it God consciousness. That will be our perfection of life. Otherwise, the consciousness which you carry at the time of your death, you get a similar body. There are 8,400,000 species of life, and we may think of in a varied way.

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1972:

Not only in human society... Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe, in very rich family and very pure family. Śucīnām means pure, brāhmaṇa. So in India still, if one is born in a very nice, rich and pure family, he is considered to be very pious in his past life. That's a fact. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). These four things, janma, high grade birth; aiśvarya, riches. Janmaiśvarya... śruta, education; and śrī, means beauty.

These four things are obtained by pious activities in one's past life. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja had all these assets. That means in his previous life he was also a great devotee. So now, in this life, he's bereft of everything. After executing spiritual life so strenuously, life after life, in this life we see that he's bereft of his kingdom, he's going to die within seven days, and he had to leave his beautiful wife, children, home, kingdom, his animals. Everything we keep, there is affection. It is not that animals are meant for killing. They are also treated like children. (aside:) Don't move your leg like that. So anything you associate, you get affection. That's a fact. Therefore here it is stated, rājye cāvikale nityaṁ virūḍhāṁ mamatāṁ jahau.

Lecture on SB 2.9.1 -- Tokyo, April 20, 1972:

I am thinking, "I am a responsible leader, I am this, I am that." But as soon as this body is finished, oh, these are (indistinct) gone.

Sarva-haraś cāham. The death means... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am death. I take it away, all, everything. Gone." Now just think of our past life. Suppose I was a king or something like that. From Bhṛgu-saṁhitā it was ascertained. They said—I do not know—that I was a big physician in my last life, very spotless character, no sins, like that. He explained me. So it may be. But actually I have no remembrance that I was a physician. So what do we know? I might have been a very big physician, influential physician, having a good practice, but where is all...? All gone. So this situation, our contact with matter, is just like dream. Actually we are not fallen. Therefore, because we are not fallen, at any moment we can revive our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as we understand that, "I have nothing to do with. I am simply Kṛṣṇa's servant. Eternal servant. That's all," immediately he becomes liberated. Exactly like that: as soon as you... Sometimes we do that. When the fearful dreaming becomes too much intolerable, we break the dream. We break the dream when it becomes intolerable.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa never dies. The evidence of death is... Just like in our past life we had some body and we died. We have got another body. Kṛṣṇa does not die means He does not change His body. Sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). If He would have died, then He could not recollect in His mind the incident which happened millions of years ago. He says, vivasvān, proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvān manave prāha. When Arjuna inquired that "You say that You instructed this Bhagavad-gītā, this science, to Vivasvān long, long, millions of years ago. How can I believe it?" Therefore He said, "I remember it. You don't remember. Therefore I do not die. You die." This is it. One who can remember, he does not die. Just like I... So long I can remember of my childhood activities, boyhood activities, I have not died. Is it not? Although the body is gone. This is the evidence that Kṛṣṇa does not die. Try to understand this point. Death means forgetting everything. That is death. But if you can remember, that is not death. It is clear?

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1970:

You see? He may be enjoying very nicely in this life, but he is not preparing for the next life. This life is preparation for the next life. The modern civilization does not know that every living entity is eternal; he is changing simply different phases of life. So if one is ignorant how he is changing his different phases of life, what is his next life, what he was in the past life... How one can know? One can know, śāstra-cakṣuṣāt. One can know from the scriptures, from the authorized books, as you know so many things. How you know that the moon planet or sun planet or this planet or that planet have got so many things, this or that? It is from the books. You have never gone to the moon planet, but you learn it from the books, authorized books. Simply you have to consult authorized books, you get learned yourself.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

This kind of sympathy is no good. People are taking sympathy. A man suffering from certain disease or certain miserable condition. They want to ameliorate it. This kind of sympathy is not sanctioned. He should suffer so that the reaction of his sinful activities in the past life should be diminished. If he does not suffer, then he will have to suffer more, continue, because he is condemned to suffer so much. If you minimize it now, that does not mean he will not suffer. He will suffer next life. Just like a man is imprisoned, and if your friend or relative is imprisoned, by somehow or other you get him released by hook and crook, so when you are again captured you are again severely punished, both the men. Is it not the law? So how can you give relief to the suffering person who is condemned? If in your state law a man suffering in the prison and if you feel sympathy or you may try to give him release and get him out by some hook and crook means, then both of you will be punished. Is it not? So how can you avoid the punishment by God's law?

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- London, August 3, 1971:

Yes. We are propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement just to make everyone Kṛṣṇa conscious. Never mind what is his past background. If one takes to this process, he becomes purified. That is our propaganda. We are not taking account of his past deeds. In the Kali-yuga everyone's past deeds is not very happy. Therefore we don't consider about the past deeds. We simply request that you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And Kṛṣṇa also says that,

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣ...

(BG 18.66)

It might be I was very sinful in my past life, but when I surrender to Kṛṣṇa He gives me shelter and I am free. That is our proposal. We don't consider about the past deeds. Everyone may be sinful in his past deeds. That doesn't matter. But if he takes to Kṛṣṇa's shelter as Kṛṣṇa says, then Kṛṣṇa will give us protection. That is our propaganda.

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, July 23, 1975:

Sometimes foolish people challenge that "Who has seen? Who has seen?" Sometimes they argue, Christian philosophers, that "If I am suffering the resultant action of my past life, then where is the witness that I have done something wrong in my past life? Where is the witness?" So to them this is the answer, that God has created so many witnesses. The first witness is sūrya, the sun. How you can go away from the sunlight? Anywhere you go... We are in this room. Because it is daytime, the sunlight is there. Sūryaḥ agniḥ. Agniḥ means fire. We have to touch with fire in so many ways. The factories are working fire, the electric powerhouse, the electricity, the oven, the kitchen, fire. So agniḥ..., sūryaḥ agniḥ kham ākāśa, sky. Where you can escape sky? Within the room there is sky; outside, the sky; up, the sky; down, the sky. Everywhere is sky. Sūryaḥ agniḥ khaṁ marud, air. Where is no air? Every place there is air. Devaḥ. Devaḥ means the Supreme Lord. What is that devaḥ?

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1976:

In the Christian religion they do not believe karma, that I did something in my past life. "Where is the evidence that I did something; therefore I am suffering?" They take the analogy: just like a criminal in the court is convinced when there is sufficient witness, not that I have complained against you, and you go to the court, you are punished. No. My charges against you should be corroborated by sufficient witness. So the Christian religionists, they do not believe in the next birth, transmigration of the soul, something like that. So they do not believe also in the fruitive activities' resultant action of our past life. This very word "witness"... It is my personal experience. I was student in the Scottish Churches College, and we had to attend half an hour Bible class. So Dr. W.S. Urquhart, he was teaching, Reverend W.S. Urquhart. He said, I remember, that "Where is the evidence? The Hindus believe in the karma, but where is the evidence that I did it?"

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Dallas, July 29, 1975:

Just like a pig. It is very much fond of eating stool. So if you want to ask, "Why this animal is fond of eating stool?"... So dharma adharma jñāpaka, because in the past life this living entity practiced tamo-guṇa, no discrimination of eating... Tamo-guṇa means no discrimination. Eating... We have got four businesses in this life, so long we have got this material body: āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, eating, sleeping and sex and defense. These are primary business of the body. So why there are different types of eating, different types of sleeping? Why different types of mating, sex intercourse, and different types of defense? It is due to different qualities of the nature. A dog is happy sleeping on the street. A man does not want to sleep on the street. He wants to sleep in a nice apartment. Why this difference of...? According to guṇa. A dog enjoys sex life on the street without any shame, but a man has got some social convention. So he does not do so. But now they are coming, improving, that "There is no harm if there is sex on the street. Why we should have apartment?"

So these are all due to different infection of the guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means shameless, tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa means lusty desire.

Lecture on SB 6.1.47 -- Dallas, July 29, 1975:

There are still astrological calculation in India called Bṛghu-saṁhitā. If you consult Bṛghu-saṁhitā, immediately they will give you your past, present and future. Immediately they will give. The astrology science is so perfect. What you were in the past life, what you are at the present and what you are going to be, these three things they can be known.

vartamānaḥ anyayoḥ kālaḥ

guṇābhijñāpako yathā

evaṁ janmānyayor etad

dharmādharma-nidarśanam

So we have to follow the principle of religion; otherwise we are misguided. Just like a child has to be sent to school to understand, to become learned scholar. It is compulsory, not that I may send my child to school or if I like, I don't send. No. It is compulsory. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic injunction. If you want to be learned fully, especially if you want to learn the transcendental science, gurum eva abhigacchet: "One must go to a guru."

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975:

He does not know why he has become mad. He forgets. And by his activities, what is going to happen next, he does not know. Madman.

So this civilization, modern civilization, is just like madman civilization. They have no knowledge of past life, neither they are interested in the future life. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And fully engaged in sinful activities because they have no knowledge of the past life. Just like a dog. Why he has become dog, that he does not know and what he is going to have next? So a dog might have been in his past life the prime minister, but when he gets the dog's life, he forgets. That is also another influence of māyā. Prakṣepātmikā-śakti, āvaraṇātmikā-śakti. Māyā has got two potencies. If somebody for his past sinful activities has become a dog, and if he remembers that "I was prime minister; now I have become dog," it will be impossible for him to live. Therefore māyā covers his knowledge. Mṛtyu. Mṛtyu means forgetting everything. That is called mṛtyu. So that we have got experience every day and night. When at night we dream in a separate atmosphere, separate life, we forget about this body, that "I am lying down. My body is lying down in a very nice apartment, very nice bedding." No.

Lecture on SB 6.1.49 -- Detroit, June 15, 1976:

That's a fact. Now you are suffering on account of this body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). And still you are doing something which will cause to accept another material body. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And you are suffering because you indulged in your past life sense gratification, and you have got this body according to karma, and again, if you are engaged in sense gratification, do not try to elevate yourself from this platform of sense gratification, then you'll again suffer. You'll get, by nature's way, you'll get another body according to the desire. According to the mentality you create at the time of death, nature will supply you another body. And as soon as you get another body, your suffering begins. Your suffering immediately begins, even from the womb of the mother. As soon as the body is developed, the suffering is there. To remain in that compact bag and for so many months, hands and legs all tied up, cannot move. And nowadays there is risk of being killed also. There is so much suffering from the beginning of my body in the mother's womb.

Lecture on SB 6.1.50 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975:

So naṣṭa-jan... I do not know. I do not know means I cannot remember what I did in my past life and what is going to happen in the next life, in ignorance, tamasā. Ajñas tamasā upāste. This is tamo-guṇa. The present life as it is, we try to enjoy—that's all—without caring for the next life, or without understanding what was my past life. But human being should be intelligent enough that "Why...? I am enjoying or I am suffering. The other person, he is differently enjoying or suffering differently. Why the differences are there?" This is intelligence. Why not one kind of enjoyment? Why not everyone millionaire? Why not everyone pauper, or poor? There are varieties. So they do not consider it. They are so fool, they... They should, that "Why I am put into this condition? Why he is put into another condition? Why the other is put in another condition?" That is called tamasā. They do not care to know also. Tamasā. Tamase ca.

Lecture on SB 6.1.52 -- Detroit, August 5, 1975:

The worms have body. All living entity, anyone who has come into this material world, under different body or different dress, they are suffering in this material world. Therefore the śāstra is meant for the human being so that he can understand his awkward position. So everywhere this is advised, ayaṁ deha: "You had many other bodies in your past lives' evolution. Now, this body," ayaṁ deha, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke, "one who has got this human form of body," nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujām (SB 5.5.1), "don't engage yourself for simply for eating, sleeping, in very hard labor." Just like at the present moment huge, big, big industries, karma It is called ugra-karma. Ugra-karma means ferocious activities. Anyone who has gone into the factories, it is ferocious activities, unnecessarily economic development. So this is kaṣṭān, so much laboring. Even the animals, they do not undergo so much laboring. And a human being is engaged in so much laboring? Kaṣṭān kāmān. And what for, laboring, working? Now, kāmān, to sense gratify, that's all. This is the highest state.

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

"Now who will take him." In the meantime the Nārāyaṇa-dutas challenged the Yamadūtas that "Do you know the principles of religion?" And so they were explaining.

Now, these Yamadūtas explained about the past life of Ajāmila. His past life is described in this way, ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ: "This man, Ajāmila, was formerly, was a very learned scholar, brāhmaṇa." Śruta. Śruta means Vedic knowledge, and sampannaḥ means accomplished. So ayaṁ hi śruta-sampannaḥ śīla-vṛtta-guṇālayaḥ. "And very well behaved, properly situated in his position," dhṛta-vrata, "and avowedly following the regulative principles." So he was learned, he was well-behaved, and he was avowedly, strictly following the regulative principles. Mṛduḥ. Mṛdu means very gentle. Dāntaḥ: he had control over his senses. Satya-vāṅ: he was very truthful. Mantra vit śuciḥ: and he knew all the Vedic mantras and he was very clean. Then gurv-agny-atithi-vṛddhānām. Guru, spiritual master; agni, sacrificial fire; vṛddhā, aged person; and atithi... Atithi means guest without invitation.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:

Guest (3): Swami, one more question. If you have misused the energy of the past and go on with the results of your misuse, are you still responsible for those forms?

Prabhupāda: As you had misused your independence in your past life or in past, similarly, you can immediately, properly use your independence. Do you follow? You... Somehow or other, you misused your independence. Similarly, immediately, if you use your independence properly, then the result of that misuse of independence is corrected. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Because the conditioned souls here in this material world, they have all misused their independence... Anyone, beginning from the highest planet down, beginning from Brahmā down to the small ant, everyone has misused his independence. This conditional life, this material body, is due to that. Therefore our reactions of that misuse is going on life after life. Now, Kṛṣṇa says that "If you surrender immediately, then I take charge of you." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just give up all your other engagements. Just surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi: "I shall give you protection from all reaction of your misuse of independence."

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

Mālatī: When they go back to Godhead, some people can remember their past lives.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Mālatī: In the mind.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Mālatī: I thought the mind was left behind.

Prabhupāda: No. Actually mind carries you to the next body. So mind goes with you. The material mind, material ego, material intelligence become nil when you are completely liberated. But at that time your spiritual mind acts. It is not very difficult to understand. Somebody is acting under the impression... Just like one of our students, he was acting under the impression that he is Frenchman and doing something subversive, and now he is thinking that "I am Kṛṣṇa's." (chuckles) He has stopped all those nonsense. (break) When he was thinking that he's a Frenchman, that mind was there. And now he's thinking that "I am Kṛṣṇa's," the mind is there.

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

Mālatī: I don't understand how materialistic people, if they have material minds, they can remember their past lives.

Prabhupāda: Material mind has to be treated by spiritual medicine, then the material mind will be spiritual. Just the same example, that a man has got some bowel disturbance by drinking excessive milk, and the physician gives him another milk preparation, curd, and he is cured. Similarly, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just to treat the mind by Kṛṣṇa engagement. Then he becomes freed from material contamination. And actually it is happening. Those who are taking to this treatment, they are experiencing how it is happening. The door is closed? Why? Open.

Lecture on SB 7.9.32 -- Mayapur, March 10, 1976:

He's not affected. This is the position of Kṛṣṇa. He's always transcendental. Na me karma-phale spṛhā. Na māṁ limpanti karma... Karmāṇi. Yes. Na māṁ karmāṇi limpanti na me karma-phale spṛhā (BG 4.14). This is position. We are here under the pressure of karma-phala. By the result of our past lives' fruitive activities we have got this body, material body. That is also not our real body. That is the body of the prison house, just like when a criminal is put into the prison house, he is given a different dress. In hospital, in prison house, when a man is there, his original dress is taken away. It is kept. When he's released from the hospital or jail, the same dress is again returned. Otherwise his present dress is taken and a separate dress is given. Similarly, we have got our spiritual body, not that we are zero, as the Māyāvādī thinks. We are not zero. We have got our spiritual body but very, very small. Very small. The measurement is given: one ten-thousandth part of the tip of the hair, very minute. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. The Supreme Lord is great. "God is great." He's greater than the greatest, and He is smaller than the smallest. He is... The living entity is even smaller than the atom, but it has got a body. It is not that without body. We cannot imagine. Just like sometimes we see at night some microbic ant, very small, almost like full stop, but it is moving very nicely here and there.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:

That is your nature: you forget. So you do not remember even the incidences of this life. How you can remember the incidents of your past life? Because you are forgetful. You are so imperfect that you forget after two hours everything. That is your nature. That does not mean that you had, you did not do anything. And, besides that, the... You remember or not remember. Suppose your guardian remembers, "My dear child, when you were a small baby, you did it." But you remember no... Similarly Kṛṣṇa is there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). Anumantā upadraṣṭā. He knows everything. You may forget. But Kṛṣṇa knows. "You wanted this thing. All right. Take it. You worked for this. Now I give you the opportunity. You take this. You wanted to eat everything and anything, without any discrimination. All right. Now you become a hog." That is Kṛṣṇa's favor. "And if you wanted Me..."

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 4, 1972:

Pradyumna: (reading): ...from page number two. " 'Relief from Material Distress.' In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that one should surrender unto Him, giving up all other engagements. The Lord also gives His word there that He will protect such surrendered souls from the reaction of all sinful activities. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that the distresses from sinful activities are due both to the sins themselves and to sins committed in our past lives."

Prabhupāda: Now, "Relief from Material Distress." There are two kinds of activities, pious activities and impious activities. Generally we understand by performing impious activities, we suffer, and by performing pious activities, we enjoy. But actually, in the material world there is no enjoyment. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains that dvaite bhadrābhadra sakali samāna. In the material world, in the world of dualities, either we think "This is pious" or either we think "This is impious," they are practically on the same platform. We take it as pleasure. Just like several times I have explained, people here in this material world, they are working very hard all day and night. And, when they gain some material profit, after working so hard, they think that "This is profit. This is happiness." Actually, where is the happiness? If one is working very hard, where is the happiness?

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

Pradyumna: "In this way there is a chain of sinful activities and their concomitant distresses, and the conditioned soul is suffering life after life due to these sins. He is suffering in the present life the results of sinful activities from his past life, and he is meanwhile creating further suffering for his future life. Mature sinful activities are exhibited if one is suffering from some chronic disease, if one is suffering from some legal implication, or if one is born in a low and degraded family, or if one is uneducated or very ugly."

Prabhupāda: Hmmm. So the soul is within this body, encaged. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Due to ignorance, he is committing... Say, for, in our eating process, we are eating so many things out of ignorance which we should not eat, and creating the sinful reaction. Nānā yoni bhraman kare, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says things which are not eatables, we eat, and we circumambulate various types of body. Nānā yoni bhraman kare, kadarya bhakṣaṇa kare. Just like the hog is eating stool, kadarya, a very abominable thing, but it is eating. Similarly, many other forms of body. You are eating very abominable things on account of your particular type of body, and this is due to ignorance.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

Once we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we should stop the pillars of sinful activities. Whatever we did in our past life, that is excused, but if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and if we go on with our sinful activities, that will not help us. Just like the same fire: you take the fuel and add to the fire, it will burn into ashes. But, at the same time, if you pour some water also, then it will be useless. Similarly, our past sinful activities, that can be burned into ashes provided we don't add any more. Don't take it: "Now it will burn into ashes. So go on, this business and that business." No. That business means pouring water into the fire. It will not burn. Go on.

Pradyumna: "Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī quotes another verse from the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Thirty-third Chapter, 6th verse, in which Devahūti addresses her son, Kapiladeva, and says, 'My dear Lord, there are nine different kinds of devotional service, beginning from hearing and chanting.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.125 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

I do not find. Will you please let me know how I can find out?" So the astrologer... Astrologer, a perfect astrologer is called sarvajña. Sarvajña means he knows past, present and future. A real astrologer means he will tell you about your past life and he will tell you about your present life and your future life also. There is a system of astrology in India which is called Bhṛgu-saṁhitā. Any man will go, and if the expert in Bhṛgu-saṁhitā science, he will at once tell you what you were in your past life, how you are acting in this present life, and what is your next life. Therefore, perfection of astrology is in the Bhrgu-saṁhitā, and they is called sarvajña. In old Indian system, as soon as child is born, an expert astrologer will be called forth and there will be ceremony, jāta-karma, just after the birth. Just like, before giving birth to the child, there was some ceremony which is called garbhādhāna ceremony, and between the birth-giving ceremony and the child is born, there are two other ceremonies, sadhavakan (?). So after the birth of the child, the astrologer is called forth and he begins to tell about the future of the boy.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.13-49 -- New York, January 4, 1967:

This is Kṛṣṇa's day's business. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī has written a very nice verse, that these boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, in their past lives they had accumulated heaps of pious activities. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Sākaṁ vijahruḥ. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. Now, Śukadeva Gosvāmī is writing. These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are playing with whom? They are playing with the Supreme Absolute Truth, who is considered as impersonal by the great sages. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma... Brahma-sukha. Brahma, transcendental Brahman realization. The reservoir of Brahman realization is here, Kṛṣṇa. So these boys who are playing with this Kṛṣṇa, He is the reservoir of that Brahman realization. Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. Dāsyaṁ gatānām, those who have accepted the Supreme Lord as master, that means devotees, for them this Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Lord. For the impersonalists He is Supreme Brahman, and for the personalists He is Supreme Lord.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

So there is a great need of this movement, and we are spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and this is practical, very easy, and just suitable for this age. It doesn't consider how much you are qualified. It doesn't consider. Whatever your past life may be, you simply come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa with your tongue—God has given you a tongue—and taste Kṛṣṇa prasāda, Love Feast, and make your life successful. Very easy process. So this is our program. So invite anyone to join this movement, and you'll be benefited. And you will see practically. It is pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that this process of self-realization is directly perceivable. Directly perceivable. Pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. Just like when you eat, you can understand that you are eating, you can understand that your hunger is being satisfied, you can understand that you are getting strength. So you haven't got to take certificate. You can yourself understand it is so nice thing. Pratyakṣāvagamam. Pratyakṣa means directly, avagamam.

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

Madhudviṣa: "Number six: Committing sin on the strength of chanting."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now this initiation, from this day your account, past life, all sinful activities, is now what is called, adjusted. Closed. It is finished. Now because by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa you can finish your sinful activities' reaction, that does not mean that you will repeat: "Oh, I shall commit sinful activities and I shall chant. It will be adjusted. The balance will be nil." No. Not like that. Don't commit that. Whatever is done is done. No more. Now there should be pure life. No illicit sex life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating. Finished now. It is not that "Oh, I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Let me go to the hotel and take some meat." No. Then it will be a great sin. Don't do that. Then the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will not fructify if you commit offense. Next?

Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:

This initiation also. Initiation means the first beginning, how to become purified. This is initiation. Because this devotional service means the process of purification. Now every one of you, individually you can understand how you are becoming purified from your past life. That is practical. Yes. How you are becoming purified. So this initiation means the beginning of purificatory process. And the purificatory process, what is that? This mantra, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ. Anyone who always remembers, or whenever he remembers, if not always, as soon as he remembers, puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ, he becomes immediately purified internally and externally.

So those who are going to be initiated today, they should remember that... Not only they—all of us should remember. It is not that we have passed all examination. No. Māyā is very strong. Any moment she can catch up. (chuckles) As soon as... Just like a virulent type of disease, as soon as there is little negligence, there is relapse immediately, typhoid. So the doctors take very much precautionary steps in the, what is called, convalescent stage of cure because there is chance of relapse.

Initiation Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

The same process is here also. This initiation means that you should, everyone should remember that whatever sinful activities one might have done in his past life, that is now account closed. Debit and credit closed. Now, from this day, no more sinful activities. What are those sinful activities? That is simple. We have mentioned. You should take it note. No illicit sex life. Beyond marriage, there is no sex life. No intoxication. Even drinking tea, coffee, they are also intoxication-cigarette smoking. No intoxication. No meat-eating. Simple. Only Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Whatever... If you remain in the temple you will get Kṛṣṇa prasādam, and if not, outside you prepare your capati, dahl, offer to Kṛṣṇa and take. Don't take anything except Kṛṣṇa prasāda. The third... And no gambling or unnecessary sporting. People are wasting time. So many sportings they have invented-sporting balls, this ball, that ball. You see? Human life is very short. We do not know when we shall die. Before that, we must prepare ourself for the next life. Next life means directly going back to Kṛṣṇa, highest perfection.

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 20, 1968:

So anyone who has conquered over this darkness, he is called guḍākeśa. So Arjuna did it. He knew, by the grace of Kṛṣṇa; therefore his another name is Guḍākeśa. Everyone is in darkness. Ask him, "What what you were in your past life? What you are going to become in your next life? Why you have come here?" "Why you have become American?" "Why you have become Indian?" "Why you are white?" "Why you are black?" "Why you are suffering?" "Why you are enjoying?" So many "whys." Ask them. They will not be able to answer. Therefore they are in darkness. So anyone who knows all these things, he is out of darkness. So try to be like Arjuna, to become out of darkness. That is the Vedic injunction. Tamasi mā jyotir gamaḥ: "Don't remain in darkness. Just try to go to the light." This is light. Just like it is very commonsense affair that I, the soul, is eternal. I am changing my body from the very inception in the womb of my mother. And because I am changing this body, therefore I am nowhere? I am gone forever?

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

So I do not know whether I cultivated knowledge in my past life, but if it is a fact that this is the result of many, many births' cultivation of knowledge, why not surrender immediately and become the most learned wise man? Take the opportunity. One has to become very intelligent. Just like if one man is earning, say, ten hundred millions of dollars by depositing little, little, in the bank, so if somebody offers, "All right, you take immediately ten hundred thousands of dollars immediately," so who will refuse it? So if it is a fact that one comes to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness after many, many births... So, little intelligence required, that "Why not take it immediately? Even I did not cultivate knowledge in my past life, let me take immediately." So this opportunity is offered. Take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no tax. There is no loss. But everything is gained. Try it. At least, make an experiment for week or for fortnight and see. It is not difficult. Simply we must be willing. That's all. Because every one of us are independent. Not fully, little. So we can use our independence, we can misuse our independence. So here is the offering.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

So Jagāi-Mādhāi is the specimen sample of this population, and Lord Caitanya delivered them simply by this Hare Kṛṣṇa. So this chanting process, Hare Kṛṣṇa, will actually deliver all these fallen souls without any failure. It is not bogus propaganda. Anyone who will take to this chanting process, whatever, you don't consider about his past life. He will become saintly. He will become a pure Kṛṣṇa conscious person. So pāpī-tāpī yata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo, ta 'ra sākṣī jagāi-mādhāi. The evidence is Jagāi-Mādhāi.

Then he says, hā hā... When he has come to the senses, that "I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa," then he surrenders. This process, the chanting process, will purify our heart, our burning heart, and one will come to the understanding that "I am eternal servitor of the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa." Then, as soon as he comes to this understanding, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19), "After many, many births when one person becomes actually wise, a man of wisdom, jñānavān'—jñānavān means wise man—then what does he do? "He surrenders unto Me," Kṛṣṇa says. Why? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19).

Lecture -- Los Angeles, November 13, 1968:

First the energy is addressed, Harā, Hare, then Kṛṣṇa. So here also, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura prays, "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, You are now present before me with Your internal potency, Your pleasure potency, Rādhārāṇī. So I am surrendering unto You." Hā hā prabhu nanda-sutā. "Don't neglect me because I am so sinful, my past life is so black. Don't neglect me. Please accept me. Don't kick me away. I surrender unto You." This is the purport of this song.

So this instruction should be taken by all of us. The purificatory process is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as our heart is purified, we completely become convinced that "The Lord is Supreme. I am His eternal servant. I have forgotten this. Servant, my servitorship is there, but instead of serving the Lord, I am serving my senses. That's all. I have never become the master. I am not master of my sense; I am the servant of my senses. That is my position." So why not becoming the servant of the Supreme instead of serving on the servant of the senses? You cannot become master. Actually, you become master of the senses when you are actually servant of Kṛṣṇa; otherwise it is not possible. There are two words, gosvāmī and go-dāsa. Persons who are servant of their senses, they are called materialistic go-dāsa, and persons who are master of the senses, they are called gosvāmī. Gosvāmī.

Lecture (Day after Lord Rama's Appearance Day) -- Los Angeles, April 16, 1970:

When you took your birth from the mother's womb you were a small child. But perhaps you may remember your childhood activities. The consciousness is the same, but the body has changed. The body has changed. If you have got sharp memory you can remember so many things of your past life, and that means the consciousness is the same but body is changing. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

Asmin dehe, in this body, there is one thing which is the proprietor of the body. And that proprietor of the body, due to the presence of the proprietor of the body, the body is changing from childhood to boyhood, from boyhood to youthhood, from youthhood to old age. And when it is too old, when it is not useful any more, you have to change another body, that is called death.

Lecture -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

In other Purāṇas also it is stated, pāpa-kṣayaś ca bhavati smaratāṁ tam ahar-niśam. "Anyone who is always absorbed in Your thought, no material scene can effect him, cannot touch him." Pāpa-kṣayam. "And if he has any sinful activities in his past life, that also becomes nullified." Pāpa-kṣayam. Pāpa-kṣayaṁ bhavati smaratāṁ tam ahar-niśam. "Anyone who is always..." Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā: "One who is always thinking of Me within himself, he is first-class yogi." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ (BG 6.47). There is no need of speculating. Simply this easy process, thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. All big, big yogis, there may be, but a person who is always absorbed in thought of Kṛṣṇa within himself, he is greater than all such big, big yogis. Greater than the greatest yogi. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā. Mad-gata means his life is so molded that he cannot stay without thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-gata. He has become absorbed.

Lecture Excerpt -- London, August 13, 1971:

So indirectly we know that "This is my body." "Indirectly" means we have heard, but we have no direct knowledge. But Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme, the original of everything, He knows everything. Anvaya-vyatirekābhyām, indirectly and directly. Kṛṣṇa knows. I do not know how my body is working, but Kṛṣṇa knows. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata (BG 13.3). Kṣetra-jña... He is real, Supersoul. There is a Supersoul who is in knowledge of everything. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam. Full knowledge. I have no full knowledge of my body, but He has got full knowledge. I forget. What I did in the morning, early in the morning at four o'clock, if you ask me, I'll have to remember, "Yes, what I was doing?" We are so forgetful. Similarly, how we can remember of our past life? We are so forgetful.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 13, 1971:

That knowledge is lacking in the modern civilization. We are interested in nationalism. That is very good. But we do not know what nationalism was in my past life and what nationalism will be there in my next life. That we do not. Therefore, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that interest should be to the lotus feet of Lord Viṣṇu as it is indicated, directed by the Vedas, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam. Unfortunately, somehow or other we have forgotten that interest. That is explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, anādi bahir-mukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli gela ataeva māyā tāra golay badhila(?). We do not know when we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, our self-interest. And because we have forgotten Kṛṣṇa, therefore māyā, the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, has caught up us. Ataeva māyā tāra golay badhila(?).

Pandal Lecture -- November 14, 1971, Delhi:

Practical. There was (indistinct), she was organizing all the children to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But they began something else, so she said, "No, I am not going to this school." So śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sañjāyate (BG 6.41). This child must be executing devotional service in her past life. Therefore, she has got the opportunity, a Vaiṣṇava father and Vaiṣṇavī mother. And from the very beginning of her life she is becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is advising his friends, "My dear friends." The friends were replying, "Now we are children, we shall play. Why you are asking us the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa consciousness? This is the business of the old men." "No," Prahlāda Mahārāja said. "No, it is not the business of the old men. You should learn it from the very childhood." Kaumāram. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). The first thing is that human life is for cultivating dharma, religion. The other day I explained that dharma and religion is not the exactly synonymous. Dharma means which you cannot leave. Dharma, the example I gave the other day, just like sugar cannot give up the quality of sweetness.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritāḥ: (BG 9.11) "The rascals, they think, because I am just like a human being, they think I am another human being." He is not human being; He is the Supreme Person. And when He said that "I remember," this is also another proof, that "I spoke to the sun-god millions of years ago." Because He remembers, that means He does not change His body. Just like we can remember of this body so many things, so long as..., but we do not remember what I was in the past life because the body has changed. And Kṛṣṇa remembers because His body has not changed. He is in the same body.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Learned something, has become free; just like Nārada is giving history of his past life to Vyāsadeva. You have not read it, conversation between Nārada and Vyāsadeva? He knows perfectly well that I was a maidservant's son and in this way I have become free. That is freedom. Anyone knows. As soon as he comes to spiritual consciousness, he knows, "Oh, I was this in abominable condition, now I am decent(?) position. (indistinct).

Śyāmasundara: So it's in the... Is it good if someone comes to the material world and then they leave? I mean is the fact that they should come here...

Prabhupāda: It is not good. Then where is the question of taking him back to Godhead? It is not good. But if someone falls down somehow or other... But not that those who are coming with a mission, they are fallen down. When the governor goes to the prison house to inspect, it does not mean he's also prisoner. If the prisoners think, "Oh, the governor has come here, therefore he's also one of us." That is not. Therefore it is forbidden, guruṣu nara-matir, you never should think of guru as ordinary man. Guruṣu nara-matir, vaiṣṇave jāti buddhiḥ, arcye śilā-dhīr, if you think that is stone, "Ah, we are worshiping stone," these are forbidden.

Philosophy Discussion on Hegel:

Prabhupāda: From the origin.

Śyāmasundara: From our past lives?

Prabhupāda: From the origin, yes.

Devotee: (indistinct) one of the chapters of the Bhāgavatam, Śrīla Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: That is, that is, I have explained in Bhagavad-gītā that a yogī remembers in due course, past activities, and again he begins. Where he left it, from that point again he begins. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yogo bhraṣṭo sañjāyate (BG 6.41). He is given the chance.

Kīrtanānanda: So all ideas can be traced back to the original substance which is Kṛṣṇa.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo (BG 10.8). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Everything from Me." Therefore if you get Kṛṣṇa, then you get all the substance. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3).

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Hayagrīva: ...into a new body... If that's the case, isn't it possible for the mind to actually remember its past lives?

Prabhupāda: Sometimes he remembers. There are many instances, just like Bhārata Mahārāja. He got the body of an animal, but by the grace of Kṛṣṇa that he remembered everything of his past life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanam, "That I am." Bhārata Mahārāja's remembrance, it is due to Kṛṣṇa's mercy. He was a devotee, but he neglected his devotional service on account for being too much attached to a small deer. So at the time of death he was thinking of the deer, he got the body of a deer. But Kṛṣṇa, out of His great mercy, He reminded him that "You are in such a position now. You have become a deer. So don't forget Me, My service." So he did that. He was always staying with devotees, that "By my fault I have got this body, so let me remain in this life with the devotees." So next life he took birth in a nice brāhmaṇa's family, but due to his past experience, that "I fell down," he remained just like a dull brain, not associating with anyone, that "I cannot fall again."

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

They do not know that "What happiness I am creating?" (indistinct) Just at the end of my life (indistinct). As soon as I close my eyes and I go away from this body, all these things that I have created will be finished. I cannot remember, you cannot remember what was in your past life. But you are eternal, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). So suppose I was a king in my last life, I was another Birla, or Birla's servant, (indistinct). Suppose I was Jawaharlal Nehru, or Gandhi. So what benefit I am deriving now? Who is respecting me as Gandhi or Jawaharlal Nehru? (indistinct) Even I do not know that my photograph or statue is being worshiped. I do not know that. Such foolish persons. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato. Simply for illusory happiness you have created gigantic show of civilization and advancement of material life. Māyā-sukhāya. Everything will (indistinct) as soon as there is death." That's all. Simply wait for death and then finished. That's all. Finished. He cannot say that "Let me enjoy." Actually, one of my friends in Allahabad, he was dying at the age of fifty-four.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: Forgetfulness means loss of memory. I can't remember what happened when I was four or five years old.

Prabhupāda: You might explain in your past life you had so many fearful incidents even, but you are not afraid of now. Why should you try to forget? There is no use of forgetting. Even if I remember I am not afraid, rather I thank Kṛṣṇa, that "Kṛṣṇa, you are so kind that You have saved me from so many misgivings. Now (indistinct) I am pure (indistinct)." So one should not be frightened by these past incidents. He rather (indistinct) afraid of all these things... (indistinct)

Śyāmasundara: What he is talking about is the natural instinct of people to forget painful experiences.

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) forget. Just like you were in the womb of your mother. It was a very painful situation. But you have forgotten. That is natural.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

That is clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that the past consciousness, that passion, the consciousness is continuing. So even the body is destroyed, the consciousness continuing. So due to the consciousness he gets another body, and again, in that body, the future, past consciousness works. So, if, if, if in the past life he was a devotee, again he becomes devotee, and from the point where he died, the material body became destroyed, again, as soon as he gets a body, the same consciousness begins to work. Therefore we find somebody quickly accepts Kṛṣṇa consciousness and sometime it takes delay. So it is continued, past. In every verse we see that, just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Bahūnāṁ janmanaṁ ante means the consciousness is being continued but the body is changing. Therefore it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. Janma means to accept another gross body, but the consciousness is continuing. Just as Bhārata Mahārāja, he changed so many bodies but the consciousness continued. He remained in full understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is clear, but on account of, I mean to say, dull brain they cannot understand.

Philosophy Discussion on Plato:

No. It is continuous. So if one man is extraordinarily learned, it is to be understood that it is the result of his previous culture. Similarly, if anyone is extraordinarily rich, it is to be understood it is due to his past pious activities. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26), these four things are achieved on account of previous pious activities: good birth, good opulence, aiśvarya, and good education, and good beauty. These are the results of pious, good activities. So you can see practically in your country between the black and white. The white men are more advanced in everything, and the black man, although he has got the same facilities, they are in inferior position. Why? It is putra-janma dṛḍham. That is the proof of past life. But so far we are concerned, we are not concerned about one black man or white man. Both of them are in the clutches of māyā. We want to educate all of them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and they have got equal opportunity, it is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ (SB 2.4.18). Never mind what is his body, if he is willing to become trained to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is the platform of the soul, that we can do.

Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza:

That means he does not know what is love. If God loves the living entity, then He must be well-wisher, friend of the living entity. And because God expands Himself unlimitedly, therefore He lives with the living entity, and living entities are unlimited. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). In Upaniṣads also it is confirmed that two birds are sitting on tree; one is eating the fruit and the other is simply witness. So this witnessing bird is God; therefore Paramātmā and jīvātmā live together. And there are many other places-sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo (BG 15.15). He reminds the living entity that "Unless Paramātmā is there, I forget everything of my past life." But because I wanted to enjoy something in my past life, God gives him the opportunity and reminds him, "Now you wanted this. Here is the opportunity. You do it." So Paramātmā is always with the jīva.

Philosophy Discussion on Samuel Alexander:

Yes. Actually just like you are talking, you can talk with God also. These gopīs in Vṛndāvana, in everything they are playing with Kṛṣṇa. Mother Yaśodā is binding Kṛṣṇa just like ordinary child. But these are not happening ordinarily. That the Bhāgavata says, that "What this gopī Yaśodā did her past life that the Supreme Lord is sucking her breast?" So you cannot expect that the dealings as God is doing with Mother Yaśodā, Mahārāja Nanda, the gopīs. Therefore we have to be qualified to that position to deal with God. That another place that,

itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā

dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena

māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa

sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ

(SB 10.12.11)

These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they have amassed their pious activities for many, many lives, now they have come to this position to play with God. It is not ordinary position. Therefore the rascals, they think, "This is all myth." But it is inconceivable by them. But one comes to that state, he can play with God, he can rise on the shoulder of God and he can talk with Him like ordinary friend, ordinary child. So one has to come to that position.