Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Perfectly (Lectures, SB)

Expressions researched:
"perfectly"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- Caracas, February 21, 1975:

That is the reason. Anything material we think... Just like this microphone. This microphone is combination of some metal and some wires or anything is metal or something plastic. But they have not combined together automatically. A person who knows the art, he has combined all of them together. Now it is acting. Now, if this microphone is not in order, then I will have to take to the person who knows what is indirectly and directly the composition of the microphone. Therefore the origin of everything or the original source of everything, He is the knower. He is not dull matter. So therefore it is stated here, abhijñaḥ. Abhijñaḥ means perfectly knower. Now, it can be said that abhijñaḥ... perfect knowledge is received from the superior person. Just like I do not know what is the mechanical arrangement of this microphone. But if I want to know it, then I must go to a perfect knower who can explain (to) me that these ingredients or these parts of the machine are there. Therefore the question may be raised that "The original source of everything is knower of everything, accepting, but where He got the knowledge?"

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

Therefore we should accept knowledge from such person who is beyond these four defects of conditional life. What is that? Illusion, mistake, cheating, and imperfectness. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is that proof. As I told you, that 2,500 years ago, or 5,000 years ago Vyāsadeva wrote about Lord Buddha's appearance. Still, there is appearance of Kalki from this time, henceforward, after 400,000's of years Kalki will appear. And his name, his father's name, the place where he will appear, that is mentioned in the Bhāgavata. That means tri-kāla-jña. Mahā-muni, he is liberated. He is incarnation of God. He knows past, present, future, and everything. That knowledge is perfect. One who knows past, present, and future perfectly, we should take knowledge from him. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we don't accept any knowledge from a person who is defective in so many ways. And what is the value of such knowledge? He is defective. "Physician heal thyself." A physician suffering from fever, and if I go there, "Sir, I am also feverish. Treat," what is the use of such treatment? His brain is already puzzled. What he can treat? The doctors also, when he become sick, he does not treat himself. He calls another doctor friend to treat him. That is the fashion.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 16, 1971:

So nobody wants to surrender, especially in this material world. Everyone thinks, "Oh, I am the lord. I am the monarch of all I survey. Why shall I surrender?" Independent. Especially in the Western countries. They are refusing to surrender to the social laws, to the king's law, everything. But here is the process: surrender. Surrender means everyone is puffed up with some so-called knowledge, and he thinks that "I am perfectly all right. My knowledge is perfect. Why shall I surrender?" But if you want to receive knowledge actually from the person who has actually knowledge, then you must surrender there. This is the process. Just like Vyāsadeva first of all: paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi. This is surrender. Surrender. Without surrender, we cannot get knowledge. And in another... There are many places. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. To understand God, Brahmā says, jñāne prayāsam udapāsya. Leaving, giving up this nonsense habit of speculation, "God is like this, God is like that," prayāsam, jñāne prayāsam... The jñānīs, they are discriminating, "No, this is not God." The scientists, they will say, "This is the fact." And then, one year after, "No, this is not fact. Now we have improved, another." And again, three years after, they will say another. There is no standard knowledge. What is the final knowledge, they do not know. Therefore these kind of speculative habits or scientific research is simply waste of time. They cannot understand what is the ultimate truth.

Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:

This is the most important. First of all, Sūta Gosvāmī was selected because he received the knowledge from Vyāsadeva and other sages very perfectly on account of his becoming submissive and serious. This is the first qualification. Now they are asking, "What you have thought, the best way of achievement, the highest goal of life. Añjasā, just make it easy." In the next verse it will be explained why easy things are required in this age. Very difficult execution of spiritual life, austerities, penance, that is not possible. People are so fallen that they cannot accept any severe type of austerity. It is not possible. Therefore the yoga system is not at all possible in this age. As we have several times discussed, it is very difficult, yama, niyama. The very beginning is yama, niyama, controlling. Everything controlling, not to be licentious, everything controlling. Yoga life begins, yoga indriya saṁyama. The real purpose of practicing yoga is controlling the senses. Our senses are so strong. We have discussed many times that even the greatest learned man falls victim to sense enjoyment. Even the greatest learned man.

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- London, August 10, 1971:

So the activities of Śukadeva Gosvāmī is that he purposefully remained within the womb of his mother for sixteen years, and as soon as he got out, immediately he left home. Immediately. Anupeta. Anupeta. Because according to Vedic system there is upanayana, upetam. Upanayana. Upa means near, and nayana means bringing. When the spiritual master brings the disciples nearer by giving him gāyatrī-mantra, that is called upanayana-saṁskāra. So Śukadeva Gosvāmī did not take any such saṁskāra. He learned from his father within the womb of his mother, and as he became perfectly in knowledge, liberated soul, immediately he got out of the womb of his mother and immediately started for the forest. Naked, he was going on. And the father became actually very much aggrieved: "Oh, my son is born and he's going immediately!" Out of affection he was: "My dear son, where you are going? My dear son where you are..." Putreti tan-mayatayā. Son didn't care. Went away. Putreti tan-mayatayā taravo 'bhineduḥ. And because the father was so aggrieved, so the trees replied. There was, what is called, vibration, echoes. Yes.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 26, 1971:

So God's another name is Adhokṣaja. Just like "Kṛṣṇa" is one name; "God" is general name. "God is great," and... We generally define like that: "God is great." But we do not know how great He is. That definition is given perfectly: "Kṛṣṇa." If you want a perfect definition of the word God, then it is Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. All-attractive. Unless one is all-attractive, how one can be God, the great? The general definition is "the great." But this is a nicer definition. "Great" means all-attractive. Suppose you are very great in this city, just like you are Mr. Kennedy, or you are Mr. Rockefeller, or Mr. Ford. Just like in your country there are so many big men, by their richness—because they are very rich; they have got money—so they are attractive. So money is one of the feature of attraction. Therefore God must be the supreme wealthy person. Otherwise He is not God. Another attraction is beauty. So God must be the most beautiful. You have seen the picture of Kṛṣṇa so many times. Perhaps you are convinced that you have never seen such a beautiful picture, although He's little blackish. So in this way, "God," "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive. He's attractive by His opulences, six kinds opulences, which I have described many times in this class.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, July 23, 1973:

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says, next verse, apareyam: "This material prakṛti is inferior. But beyond this material prakṛti, there is a superior prakṛti." What is that? Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat: (BG 7.5) "That is living entity." So living entity is also prakṛti, another energy of Kṛṣṇa. Just like this material world is one creation, material creation. Similarly, there is spiritual energy also. Kṛṣṇa has multi-energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). Na tasya kāryam... This is Vedic injunction. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. God has nothing to do with His hands and legs. He is so powerful that He has got so many energies... Just like big man here, he does not do anything with his hands, but he has got so many assistants. As soon as he wants to do something, immediately it is done. If it is possible for ordinary human being, how much energy is in stock of Kṛṣṇa, and how He can perform everything perfectly. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Everything comes out nicely. So much energy is there. Inconceivable energy. That is God.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Rome, May 24, 1974:

Therefore you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, when Arjuna heard from Kṛṣṇa the principles of Bhagavad-gītā, he said, sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi me (sic:) pāṇḍava: (BG 10.14) "My dear Kṛṣṇa, whatever You have spoken in this instruction, I accept them as perfectly true." You'll find. First of all he said, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Of course, sad-dharma-pṛcchat, there must be, but whatever the spiritual master said, he accepted in toto. Sarvam etad ṛtaṁ manye yad vadasi me keśava (BG 10.14). This is the principle. That is called āstikyam, theism. First of all, before accepting the spiritual master, you must find out whether Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative is there. Arjuna surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Śiṣyas te 'ham: "I am Your disciple." Similarly, everyone should surrender to Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. That is spiritual master. If one does not know what is Kṛṣṇa, neither he speaks, just vibrate the Kṛṣṇa's word, he is not spiritual master. He cannot be spiritual master. Spiritual master does not manufacture his own ideas. That is not spiritual master.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Mauritius, October 5, 1975:

If one is lover of God, then he is lover of everyone because he knows everyone is part and parcel of God. If you love your father, then you love your brother. But if you do not know who is your father, then how you can say "universal brotherhood"? This is all hypocrisy. You first of all know. You must first of all know what you are, what is God, what is your relationship with God. And when it is perfectly understood, then there is the possibility of samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18).

vidyā-vinaya-sampanne
brāhmaṇe gavi hastini
śuni caiva śva-pāke ca
paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
(BG 5.18)

Paṇḍitāḥ, one who is actually learned, he sees everyone on the equal level. Who are they? Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe. A brāhmaṇa who is very learned and very gentle, vidyā-vinaya. Education means one is very gentle and learned. Vidyā-vinaya sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi, a cow; hastini, an elephant; śunice, a dog; śva-pāke, a dog-eater, caṇḍāla. He sees that this... (break)

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- New Vrindaban, September 6, 1972:

That's all. So dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsām. In the human society, there is always some kinds of religious institution. That is called dharma, faith. Real dharma means—that I have already explained—occupational duty. Constitutional duty, that is called dharma, functional duty. So real dharma, real religion is to become servant of God, or to render service to God. That is real religion. But we have manufactured so many religions. Different societies, different circumstances, different country. Therefore it is advised herewith that you may execute any kind of religious faith or (break) ...principle, but the result should be (break) ...perfect. You can say, "I am very perfectly executing the ritualistic ceremonies, and the tenets described in my scripture, Bible or Veda or Koran." That's very good. But what is the result? The result is that you must develop or increase your tendency to hear about God. But if your ultimate truth is impersonal Mostly they consider God has no form. Then if God has no form then what he'll hear about Him. Simply formless, formless, formless. How can you, how long you can go thinking like this, "God is formless"? If God is formless, then your idea of hearing about Him is finished, because formless, there is nothing, activities.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Bombay, December 26, 1972:

That was the whole scheme. Viṣṇu, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayo, to train people to become civilized, sūrayo, means that they will observe(?) to the ultimate goal of life, viṣṇu paramaṁ padam: how to approach Lord Viṣṇu, how to approach the Vaikuṇṭha, paraṁ dhāma, by spiritual progressive life. That was there. Every human being was given chance to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is considered as human civilization. Human civilization does not mean to improve the method of eating, sleeping, mating and defending, as it is going on now. The quality or..., the quality has been polished, but actually the human civilization has not improved, because the quality... Eating, sleeping, mating and defending, that is given special stress, but not to the point of, goal of life, reaching Viṣṇu, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paranaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayo. That we have neglected.

Therefore, at the present moment we are not happy. This social system, observing the varṇāśrama-dharma, was so perfectly made as the king would see that they are actually being executed. In that way people were very, very happy, even in this material life, because everyone was confident that he was making progress to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is human civilization. But the aim was Viṣṇu.

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

"Anyone who has taken birth in India as a human being, he must first of all know the success of life and preach the cult to others, para-upakāra." This is the duty of every Indian, that you should learn Bhagavad-gītā perfectly well and preach it. That is your duty, all Indians. This is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. Bhārata-bhūmite manuṣya-janma haila yāra janma sārthaka kari' kara (CC Adi 9.41). They do not know it. They know that Christ is son of God. They have heard it. Now convince them that "Yes, there is no fighting between Christian or Kṛṣṇa-ite. One is worshiping the father; one is worshiping the son. So there is no difference." But īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa... He says that,

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ yāḥ
tāsāṁ mahad yonir brahma
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
(BG 14.4)

He is the father. That's all right. He identifies Himself as being the father, and Christ identifying himself as the son, then where is the difference? There is no difference. Either you learn from the son or from the father, the teaching will be the same. Only a minority is Christian only.

Lecture on SB 1.2.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1972:

Now, here it is said that jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Vedānta-sūtra begins with this word: athāto brahma jijñāsā. So nartho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. Generally people are very much attached to karma-kāṇḍa, offering, performing great sacrifice. It has become now a fashion to call vikṣa(?) yajña, this yajña, that yajña. But actually real purpose is tattva-jijñāsa. The nartho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ, this performance of yajña is a karma, prescribed duty. Yajña, dāna, tapaḥ, kriyā, yajña, performing yajña. But in this age, no other yajña can be performed perfectly. It is not possible. First deficiency is there is no yajnic brāhmaṇa. Formerly, the brāhmaṇas were so expert that by mantra they ignite fire, and they would test, putting one animal in the fire, they would take and make it again alive. That is the test of the mantra. By mantra, an animal, animal put into the fire, comes out again with rejuvenated life. People think that gomedha yajña, aśvamedha yajña are made for killing the animal. No. It was testing the mantra of the Vedas, whether actually being pronounced. That was the test. Just like in biological laboratory, the medical practitioner, they test with animals to observe the physiological and anatomical conditions. Similarly... But they cannot give life, they simply kill. But here in the Vedic yajña, the animal was put in the fire and it was again taken alive. Because such yajnic brāhmaṇa is not there in this Kali-yuga, therefore the all the yajñas are forbidden. Aśvamedhaṁ gavālambham (CC Adi 17.164). Aśvamedhaṁ ga... uh, pāla-paitṛkaṁ devareṇa sutot, sannyāsam pāla-paitṛkam. Even sannyāsa is also in this age.

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

So parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energies are working so nicely that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. Svabhāva, natural. Just like a rose flower is coming into existence, very nicely painted, very nicely colored, very nicely flavored. So it requires brain. How you can say that it has been done automatically? No. There is brain. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). The nature is working under His direction. But His direction is so complete that it appears to us as it is being done automatically. Not automatic. There is brain behind it. Just like nowadays there are so many mechanical inventions. You just push one button and things come, as we see in the airplane. There are simply... The pilot is working simply by pushing some buttons, and such a big, gigantic plane is floating in the sky. We can understand. The television, simply by pushing one button... So if materially it is so much advanced, perfection is possible, you can just imagine, spiritually how much it is perfectly possible.

Lecture on SB 1.2.11 -- Tirupati, April 26, 1974:

Another example is: just like if you see a mountain. Just like surrounding your this place, Tirupati, there are so many hills. From the distant place, your vision is not clear. You simply see something like cloudy, the same mountain. But if you make little further progress, you see the same mountain or hill greenish. And if you actually go in the same hill, you will find there are so many animals, so many men and so many houses. So object is the same, but from different angle vision, it appears differently. Similarly, unless one can understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, he realizes the Absolute Truth as impersonal, nirākāra Brahman. Unless one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, he cannot understand what is Paramātmā, which is realized by yogic principles. But when you understand Kṛṣṇa, then you understand Paramātmā and Brahman also. This is the verdict of the śāstra. Just like if you have got one lakh of rupees, your possession of few thousands of rupees or few hundred of rupees are already there.

Lecture on SB 1.2.18 -- Vrndavana, October 29, 1972:

But these foolish people, they do not know. Here is the remedy. They won't consult the perfect knowledge, Vedic knowledge. They won't consult. They will manufacture their own ways. That, this is the... Lokasya ajānataḥ. Because these fools, they do not know, how to get out of the clutches of unwanted things. Therefore vidvān, one who knows, vidvān... Vit means knowledge, and vān means one who possesses. Vidvān. So Vyāsadeva, vidvān, the perfect vidvān, lokasya ajānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām (SB 1.7.6). Vidvān, Vyāsadeva, has made this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Take shelter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and you know perfectly how you can diminish your unwanted things. And the simple process is, as we have already discussed yesterday, that

śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi
vidhunoti suhṛt satām
(SB 1.2.17)

If you simply hear about Kṛṣṇa,... Kṛṣṇa is speaking Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. Don't malinterpret. Simply hear as Arjuna heard it. Sometimes some rascals say that "Bhagavad-gītā, Arjuna heard directly, but we do not find now Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.21 -- Los Angeles, August 24, 1972:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as we have discussed, gradually will bring you to that stage where no more knot for the material attachment. Bhidyate, bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ. Saṁśayāḥ. Now everyone is... We are speaking that "You are not this body; you are soul..." The people cannot understand. They are in doubt, "Oh, how is it I am soul? I am this body." But as soon as you come perfectly in spiritual consciousness, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the doubts will be over: "I am spirit soul, I am eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa." Then that will be fixed up (SB 1.2.21).

bhidyate hṛdaya-granthiś
chidyante sarva-saṁśayāḥ
kṣīyante cāsya karmāṇi
dṛṣṭa evātmanīśvare

We are bound up by karma, by karma acting. In this life, I am acting in such a way so that I am preparing my next life. Again, next life, I shall act in such a way, I shall prepare my next life. In this way, one after another, one after another, one after another. But if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if we simply act for Kṛṣṇa, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9), simply if we act for Kṛṣṇa, there will be no more karma-bandhana. Then one after another, that will be finished.

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

Pradyumna: "Such knowledge is called paramparā, or deductive knowledge, coming down from the authority to the submissive aural receiver, bona fide by service and surrender. One cannot challenge the authority of the Supreme and know Him also at the same time. He reserves the right of not being exposed to such a challenging spirit of an insignificant spark of the whole, subjected to the control of illusory energy. The devotees are submissive, and therefore the transcendental knowledge descends from the Personality of Godhead to Brahmā, and from Brahmā to his sons and disciples in succession. This process is helped by the Supersoul within such devotees. That is the perfect way of learning transcendental knowledge. This enlightenment perfectly enables the devotee to distinguish spirit from matter, because the knot of the spirit and matter is untied by the Lord. This knot is called ahaṅkāra, and it falsely obliges a living being to become identified with matter. As soon as this knot is loosened, therefore, all the clouds of doubt are at once cleared off. He sees his master and fully engages himself in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, making a full termination of the chain of fruitive action. In material existence a living being creates his own chain of fruitive work and enjoys the good and bad effects of those actions life after life. But as soon as he engages himself in the loving service of the Lord, he at once becomes free from the chain of karma. All his actions no longer create any reaction."

Prabhupāda: That's all right. Have kīrtana. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

So if Kṛṣṇa is God, then floating or make this mountain weightless, is it very difficult task for Him? No. He entered the ocean. Unless He knows the physical laws how to enter the ocean... It is technique only. Modern scientists, they are also entering, by machine. They're floating by machine. That is also physical science. So, if you know the physical science still more perfectly, you can float in the air without machine, you can enter within the water without machine, you can lift the mountain without machine. It is a question of perfect knowledge. (knocking sound) What is that knock, sound?

So here it is said that when you are actually advanced in spiritual knowledge, in devotional service, then chidyante sarva-saṁśayaḥ. Saṁśaya means doubtfulness. Sometimes... Yes. Generally, "Oh, these are stories. Kṛṣṇa lifted a mountain." Because atheists say and we say, "Yes, maybe." But no. You must be firmly convinced, yourself, if you are Kṛṣṇa conscious, that "Yes, Kṛṣṇa did it." It is possible because He knew the physical science very perfectly. He knows and He, He can know, He can do it. One thing into another. Just like electrician, he can turn cooler into heater, heater into cooler. Because he knows the science. You cannot do that. So don't study Kṛṣṇa thinking yourself as Kṛṣṇa, that "I am also Kṛṣṇa." No. That is the defect.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

So we are think..., we have got limited energy, creative energy, so-called scientific knowledge, so-called other knowledge. Limited. Because our senses are limited. And we are thinking that God may be a little bigger than me, Kṛṣṇa? But as soon as it comes to the point that He, He can lift the mountain and the world, the planet, then they doubt. That is saṁśaya. But actually, if you are advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you must be free from all doubts. You must know perfectly well what is Kṛṣṇa. So that is also possible by devotional service. Just like Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). "If one wants to understand Me perfectly..." Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood perfectly, but still, just to drive away our doubts... Because we have got so many doubts. So that doubts can be also dissipated bhaktyā, by bhakti.

How? Why not by knowledge? Because there are three ways: karma, jñāna, bhakti. By knowledge, scientific knowledge, Kṛṣṇa cannot be known. Why bhakti? Why Kṛṣṇa is prescribing bhakti? No. By knowledge, so-called knowledge, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the so-called scientists, they are in doubts. It is not possible. If you think that "I shall speculate. Through knowledge, I shall understand God," that is not possible. Because God is unlimited; your knowledge is limited. How you can know God? How the bhaktas—they are not scientists, not educated very much—how they can know? Yes, they can know.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

Kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, madhyama-adhikārī and uttama-adhikārī. There are three stages of devotees-lower class, middle class and first class. The first-class devotee is without any doubt. The third-class devotee, he's accepting, he's accepting: "Here is God," that's all. But he has many doubts. The second class, he, although he has got doubts, he's accepting on the authority of Vedas. That is second class. And the first class, he knows perfectly well that "Here is God." That is the, the sarva-saṁśayaḥ. Chidyante. They are beyond all doubts. "Yes, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here is Kṛṣṇa. In this temple here is, my Lord is standing. He has very kindly, mercifully, He has come to accept my service." That is first-class devotee. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. As soon as He saw Jagannātha in the temple, immediately fainted. "Here is My Lord; I was searching after."

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

So ultimate Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature, Vedānta, and Kṛṣṇa says that vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). Anyone who has not understood Kṛṣṇa, he has not studied the Vedic literature very perfectly. Vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham. Kṛṣṇa says He's the compiler of Vedānta. So who will know Vedānta better than Kṛṣṇa? The so-called Vedantists, they are very much proud of their knowledge of Vedānta, but the, the real compiler of the Vedānta philosophy is Vyāsadeva. He's incarnation of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, vedānta-kṛd vedānta-vit. He is the compiler of the Vedānta-sūtra and He knows what is Vedānta-sūtra, not the so-called Māyāvādī philosophers.

Lecture on SB 1.2.27 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:

So ultimate end of knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. So Vedānta means the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know Kṛṣṇa. That is Vedānta. Vedānta does not mean anything else. Because Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is Vedānta. And He also confirms: vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham. "I am the compiler of Vedānta philosophy, and therefore I know perfectly well what is Vedānta." Therefore if you follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, then you are completely in knowledge of the Vedānta. That's all. This is Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta philosophy does not mean to make some jugglery of words and deviate one from Kṛṣṇa. That is not Vedānta. That is misleading, bluffing. That is going on, in the name of Vedānta.

Lecture on SB 1.2.30 -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

That is always existing. That is the spiritual world, sanātana. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That, that manifestation, that is internal potency. This is external potency. This material world is manifestation of the external potency of Kṛṣṇa, whereas the spiritual world is the manifestation of His internal potency. Unfortunately, the modern advancement of education has no information what is that spiritual world. He has... They have no information. They are concerned with this material world only. That is also not perfectly. But there is spiritual world. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6), Kṛṣṇa says. There is another, another manifestation of His internal potency. That is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge. Here, in this material world, material world means it is not eternal, not blissful and not full of knowledge. This is material world. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said: avidyā-karma-saṁjñānyā tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. This manifestation of energy is full of ignorance. The nature of this world is called darkness, tamasi, tama. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. So sad-asad-rūpayā cāsau guṇa, guṇamaya aguṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa, when He's called aguṇa, or nirguṇa, that means He's not affected by these material modes of nature. Above material nature. We are affected. We living entities, we are affected by the material modes of nature, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. But Kṛṣṇa is not affected. That is Kṛṣṇa..., difference between Kṛṣṇa and ourself.

Lecture on SB 1.2.30 -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

So advancement of knowledge means to understand his real position and act accordingly. That is knowledge. That is perfection of knowledge. Simply to understand that "I am Brahman" is not perfection. You have to still go further. Simply to understand that "I am Brahman," "I have now realized myself as Brahman," that is not perfection of knowledge. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). One who becomes realized souls, self-realized, he becomes immediately perfectly joyful. Because our all lamentation is due to our material identification. Śocati kāṅkṣati. We are simply lamenting for our loss, and we are simply hankering for some gain. This is material activities. Everyone is struggling to gain something which he does not possess, and he's lamenting for something which he has lost. But when he realizes himself that "I have nothing to gain and nothing to lose; I have nothing to do with this material world," that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ. That is Brahman realization. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). At that time, he realizes that all living entities, they are spirit soul, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). That is equal vision—not the bodily vision. So long we have got bodily vision, there cannot be any equality. That is not possible. When one sees only to the spiritual existence of a living entity, there is question of seeing equally, equal vision, universal brotherhood. That is possible. Not on the bodily platform. That is not possible.

So after acquiring this knowledge, the life of devotional service begins.

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

Because vijñānena vijṛmbhitaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is there. He's full of knowledge, scientific knowledge. Vijñānena. This very word is used, vijñānena. Not only jñāna, but vijñānena. Tactfully, everything perfectly will come. Simply we have to link our lost relationship. We are always in Kṛṣṇa touch, but at the present moment, due to the illusory energy of māyā, we have forgotten that we are always connected with Kṛṣṇa. This has to be, this illusion, this dirty things has to be moved; then our original relationship will be established, and our life will be perfect. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.3.13 -- Los Angeles, September 18, 1972:

So dhīrāṇāṁ vartma. Because people must be first of all gentle. Then talk of Kṛṣṇa and God consciousness. If he is animal, what he can understand? This is Vedic system. Dhīrāṇām. Dhīra means must be gentle, perfectly gentle. Must address all woman as "mother." Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. This is the training, that one should consider other's wife as mother, and others' money as like garbage in the street. Nobody cares for it. Similarly, one's other's money should not be touched. Even it is somebody has forgotten his purse, moneybag on the street, nobody will touch it. Let the man come back and take it. That is civilization. Para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And treating all other living entities as oneself. If somebody pinches me, I feel pain. Why shall I pinch other? If somebody cuts my throat, I become so sorry or so aggrieved. Why shall I cut the throat of other animals? This is civilization. This is Vedic civilization. And not that go on killing animals like anything and hunt upon the woman, topless woman, make business. This is not civilization. This is not human civilization.

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

So unlimited, unlimited. Yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇa devāya tasmai namaḥ. Devāya, that Supreme Lord, we simply offer our respectful obeisances. It is not possible to know perfectly what is the potency and energy of God. The atheists, they do not know at all. But theists, devotees, they know, but that is not complete. Even Kṛṣṇa does not know how much powerful He is. That is called unlimited. So surāsura-gaṇa udadhiṁ mathnatām. Churning. Once upon a time they churned the whole ocean. Now, churning the ocean... You have got experience, churning the milk in a pot or something else in a pot. But the pot is the ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and the rod is Mandarācala Hill. And one side, the asuras, and the other side, the suras. So the churning rod must be placed on something, a pivot. That is kamaṭha-rūpeṇa. Lord accepted the... Because the kamaṭha, the tortoise can live within the water and without the water also. They can live on the land and within the water. So the churning rod, Mandarācala Hill, was placed on the shell, on the back of the... Keśava dhṛta-kūrma-śarīra. Kṣitir iha vipulatare tiṣṭhati tava pṛṣṭhe. This pṛṣṭha, he is carrying.

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

Their relative life, big and small, smaller than the smallest, bigger than the biggest. Don't think that these description in the Vedas, they are stories. They are not stories. They are facts. But we cannot accommodate in our poor teeny brain. That's all. So what we shall understand about God? It is not possible. Therefore it is said, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). In our present senses we always think of seeing. But we forget, what seeing power we have got? It is nothing. It is simply under certain condition we can see a little portion. We cannot see perfectly, so we should not believe in our seeing power. So therefore śāstra says, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ: "You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa and God by your present imperfect senses. That is not possible." Na bhaved grāhyam, "You cannot accept or you cannot receive by your blunt senses." That is not possible. Then how it is possible? "I have... My only asset is these blunt senses. How can I understand God?" Yes. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. If you engage in devotional service, then God will reveal to you, "Here I am. Here I am. I am like this." Just like Arjuna saw Kṛṣṇa. He understood God. So if we take the position of Arjuna, submissive... Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7), surrender, then God, by kindness, because you have surrendered, He will reveal to you. Otherwise by your so-called calculation, you cannot understand what is the greatest and what is the smallest. But there are things smaller than the smallest and the greater than the greatest. That's all right. Thank you.

Lecture on SB 1.3.26 -- Los Angeles, October 1, 1972:

So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu made one condition, that "Your life is full of sinful activities. So if you simply promise that 'I shall not do anymore,' then I can accept you." So they said, "Sir, I'll not do. We'll not do anymore." This is required. When you are initiated, you promise "No illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling." And if you do privately all these things, then what kind of man you are? Don't be cheater. Be plain. When you promise that "We shall not do these things," don't do it again. Then you remain in goodness. That's all. Nobody can disturb you. And if you pollute yourself silently, then this goodness will go on. So this is the warning. Once you are initiated on the promise that you shall not do these all nonsense, then you remain perfectly in goodness. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Māyā cannot do anything. But if you cheat yourself, cheat your spiritual master, cheat God, then you will be cheated by māyā.

Thank you very much. (pause) Begin. Begin. (pause) Begin! Begin. Don't delay. (kīrtana) (end)

Lecture on SB 1.5.2 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1968:

So here Nārada is asking Vyāsadeva, jijñāsitam. "You are a very perfect scholar." Now the first word is used here, jijñāsitam. A scholar is he who has perfectly inquired from his spiritual master. Inquiry. Just like in the Vedānta-sūtra, the first aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā. One must be very inquisitive. That... I have explained already several times, that first inquisitiveness should be "What I am? Am I this body? Oh, the bodily comforts are so many. I have got my car, I have got good apartment, I have got good wife, and... Why I am not happy? Why I am not happy? Everything is there. So am I this body?" No. Vyāsadeva here is asked this question, jijñāsitam. So jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca. Jijñāsitaṁ susampannam api: "And after inquiry, you have very nicely written all kinds of literature, authoritative literature."

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

Therefore Parīkṣit Mahārāja said that the chanting is for the persons who are liberated. Nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānāt. Actually, chanting can be perfectly done by persons who are already liberated. But those who are not liberated? Then he says, bhavauṣadhi. But it is the medicine of this material entanglement for becoming liberated. That is also, it is also medicine. When we are liberated, we'll chant and relish what is actually love of God. That is liberated. But even if we are not liberated, this will act as medicine to become liberated. So any stage, nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc (SB 10.1.4). Those who are chanting, they'll be liberated. And another thing is: for the common men who are not serious, śrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt. They will hear and they will enjoy: "Oh, it is very nice."

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

So transcendental life means to understand the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth can be understood perfectly only through devotional service. There is no other way. There is no other way. In every scripture, Vedic scripture, this is announced. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also, the same thing confirmed: evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). When, by discharging devotional service, one will be prasanna-manasaḥ, very jolly mood, always jolly... Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānaṁ mukta-saṅgasya jāyate... Unless one is freed from material anxiety, unless one is spiritually joyful, he cannot understand what is the science of Kṛṣṇa. It is not possible. So therefore we have to cultivate this devotional service. Then our ultimate goal of life, to understand the Absolute Truth, our relationship with Him, that will be perfectly done.

Thank you very much. (end)

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

Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Because I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, then what is my duty? To serve Kṛṣṇa. There is no other duty. Any other duty I manufacture, that is illusion. That is māyā, any duty I manufacture. So under illusion, I am manufacturing duties. This is called conditional life. So Vyāsadeva is advised that akhila-bandha-muktaye:"People are under illusion, 'I' and 'mine.' So, just try to get them liberated from this illusion." This is Vaiṣṇava's duty. Just like Nārada is advising Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva is advising his disciple Madhvācārya. He is advising his disciple. This is Vaiṣṇavism. They are not concerned for personal self. Akhila-bandha-muktaye: "Just try to liberate all these conditioned souls." Just like Lord Jesus Christ. For himself... He was son of God. He had nothing to do. God consciousness, he was. He's perfectly... He knows everything. But why he was crucified? Because he wanted to work for others. That is Vaiṣṇavism.

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

This may be little helpful to rise to the spiritual platform, but unless one is actually engaged in the service of the Lord, it cannot be achieved perfectly.

Then Vyāsadeva says, Nārada Muni says, tataḥ karuṇārthe vibhu anātmanaḥ deha-vimāna athaiva guṇaiḥ satyādibhiḥ pravartamānasya guṇair janasya darśaya bhavān iti.(?) "Therefore you write literature in such a way that people will become attracted to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord." Simply official understanding of Kṛṣṇa—"God is great" or "Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful"—but my attention is only how to improve my material condition... So this picture was given in our Back to Godhead. Perhaps you all remember that a bridegroom party was to go to the bride's home. In India the marriage party, bridegroom party, the bride, his father, his relatives, go with the bride, bridegroom, to the bride's home, and the marriage ceremony takes place there in the presence of all kinds of relatives. That is the system. So the marriage was to take place in a different village some miles away, and in Bengal the land is full of rivers. The rivers are considered to be high roads. So it was settled that the bridegroom's party will start in the evening before the marriage day and reach there in the morning and rest whole day, and in the evening the marriage will take place.

Lecture on SB 1.5.17-18 -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1969:

Therefore, generally, Vedic, those who are following the Vedic principles, they become active in the ritualistic ceremony. The idea is they'll be promoted to higher planets and will be able to enjoy better sense gratification. Suppose a man is very rich and he has got ten thousands of years' living condition. Then he thinks, "Oh, how happy I am. For ten thousands of years I shall be able to gratify my senses." So the karmīs are like that. They want actually sense gratification, but they want higher standard of sense gratification. Yes. That is their... We are... Economic development, in this planet. What is this economic development? That means if we get go more money, then we shall be able to gratify our senses more perfectly and more satisfactorily. That is the idea. Actually, either you become karmī or vikarmī, they are all on the platform of sense gratification.

Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:

So this verse is very important thing. And everyone should make research work. But a devotee, one who has concluded, one who has perfectly known that Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything, he hasn't got to do anything. His business is finished. He doesn't require any more to go, undergo severe austerities to find out whether Kṛṣṇa is cause or not cause. Because he has already known. He has already known. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). No more tapasya. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, make research work. You'll have to come to the conclusion. But if you have concluded it, "Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the original cause of everything," then your business is finished. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. But if you have got doubt, then do it. That is your business. Don't be blind. Either you accept here the words of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa says, "I am the original cause of everything." That's all right. If you believe that "Kṛṣṇa says," it is all right. If you do not believe, then make the research and find out. That is perfection.

Lecture on SB 1.5.22 -- Vrndavana, August 3, 1974:

Prabhupāda: No, no. Society means this combination of all these men. So if everyone is doing his duty, then it is quite all right. That is perfect society. Society means some combination of men. So if every man perfectly does his duty, then there is no question of imperfect...

Indian: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is the difficulty. That is the difficulty. That I was explaining, that at the present moment mostly persons, they are śūdras. Just like in your body there are four divisions. Your head division, your arm division, your belly division, and your leg division. And if you cut off everything, simply you keep the legs, then what will be done? So at the present moment there is no brāhmaṇa, no kṣatriya. Maybe some vaiśyas only. Only śūdras. Therefore there is chaos. If the division is made, kept, as it is advised in the Bhagavad-gītā, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), according to guṇa and karma, then the society is maintained very nicely, properly. If your head is working nicely, if your arms are working nicely, if your stomach is working nicely, leg is working..., then you are fit. But if you have got only legs, and head, there is no head, there is no arm, then what is the...? Dead society.

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

So therefore, how to understand Kṛṣṇa? That is stated by Kṛṣṇa Himself:. after many, many births struggling to understand Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān (BG 7.19). Not foolish person. Foolish person cannot understand. But even jñānavān, who is wise, perfectly wise, learned scholar, such person, even after many, many births struggling to understand Kṛṣṇa... So that is mahātmā, one who has understood Kṛṣṇa. He is mahātmā. One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa or verifies himself as Kṛṣṇa, he's durātmā. He's not mahātmā. He's a rascal. Mahātmā is that person who has understood Kṛṣṇa, that vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) "Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is the cause of all causes." Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). One who has understood this perfectly, that the Supreme Controller, Īśvara... Īśvara means controller. And not only controller, but Supreme Controller. Controller, we are; every one of us are controller. Just like I am also controlling a few of my disciples—or hundred or thousand. But Kṛṣṇa is controller of millions, millions upon millions and millions upon... All universes. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Simply to become controller does not become... Yes, that is also īśvara. You can say. But there is parameśvara.

Lecture on SB 1.5.29 -- Vrndavana, August 10, 1974:

So when one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly, he becomes mahātmā. Just try to understand. Not a politician. Not by changing dress, saffron-color cloth. No, that is not mahātmā. One who understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly well, he is mahātmā. Therefore here it is said, munibhir mahātmabhiḥ. The instruction was received from persons, munibhiḥ, great philosophers. Not only philosophers, but mahātmā. Because one who has understood Kṛṣṇa perfectly... This is the qualification of guru. So that qualification, to attain, is not very difficult. But because we are rascals, we do not try to take the qualification. That qualification is very simple. One... Who can understand Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is not so cheap thing. He has said already that yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ (BG 7.3). So it not very easy. But it is very easy if you take the process, easiest process.

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

Therefore Vaiṣṇava never accepts sāyujya-mukti, to become one with the Supreme. Because Vaiṣṇava knows that impersonal advancement is risky. They know it perfectly. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava never... Vaiṣṇava is not anxious for any kind of mukti. Dīyamānaṁ na gṛhṇanti. They don't want... Especially Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, they don't want mukti. They are happy wherever they are existing. If they get the chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, that is perfection of life. They don't want anything more. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. We should not imitate, but the position is like that. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was not at all afraid of this material world. He was very cautious. A spiritualist, a devotee, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person, should be very cautious. But not afraid to meet any dangerous position. But must be cautious. Cautious in this way, that he may not fall down again under the clutches of māyā. This should be, care should be taken.

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

So here also, Vyāsadeva, he applied meditation in bhakti-yoga. Yoga means bhakti-yoga. There are different yogas—haṭha-yoga, jñāna-yoga, tapa-yoga, many—but the ultimate goal of these yo... Yoga means connect, connection, connection with the Lord. So ultimately you have to come to the stage of bhakti-yoga. So here Vyāsadeva, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male (SB 1.7.4). The mind became completely purified, amale. Mala means dirty things, and amala means no dirty things. A means "not." So mind became completely purified by bhakti-yoga. By bhakti-yoga meditation, the mind became cleansed. That is required. Our mission of human life is to, how to cleanse the mind. Mind is not clean. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17). Abhadrāṇi, inauspicious things. Abhadrāṇi. Bhadra means very good, auspicious, and abhadra means inauspicious. So in our conditioned staṭe of life, our mind is full with inauspicious things.

Lecture on SB 1.7.10 -- Vrndavana, September 9, 1976:

So Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇa in every respect, and if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa-sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18)—if we fix up our mind always at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then everything will follow very perfectly. That is promised by Kṛṣṇa. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). If one is engaged always in love and affection... Not as official love. Ecstatic love, spontaneous, that is wanted. That example is here in Vṛndāvana. At least, as we get information of Vṛndāvana from the śāstras, from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how spontaneously the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana—the gopīs and the cowherds boys and the birds, beasts, the calves, the animals, the trees, everyone, even the flies, the bees, the insect, even the dust, the grass—everyone is..., they are all cinmaya, spiritual. They are not material. But they are attracted to Kṛṣṇa in different varieties. (break)

...varieties are not of matter. Here in this material world the varieties are of material external energy, bahiraṅga. Bahiraṅga-śakti. There are three manifestations of Kṛṣṇa's energy.

Lecture on SB 1.7.27 -- Vrndavana, September 24, 1976:

So when Kṛṣṇa comes, you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You cannot capture Kṛṣṇa, mahato mahīyān. When He comes before you, arcā-mūrti, arcā-vigraha... This is arcā-vigraha, Deity. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīḥ. Kṛṣṇa has appeared. Just like the same thing: Kṛṣṇa... Yaśodāmāyi wanted the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his (her) son, for which hundreds of years he (she) undergone, or she undergone austerities. And when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared before him, before her, both the husband and wife: "What do you want?" "Now we want a son like You." So Kṛṣṇa said, "There is no second one beyond Me, so I shall become your son." So He became son. So He must play perfectly, that Yaśodāmāyi may not understand that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." Then the feelings of mother and son will disappear. Kṛṣṇa is playing exactly like a little child. So that is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. This is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Similarly, to us. We are not so elevated like Nanda Mahārāja or Yaśodā Mahārāja (māyi). We're just beginners. So we do not know what is Kṛṣṇa. We cannot see Kṛṣṇa, either His virāḍ-mūrti or this mūrti. So what we can see? We can see stone, wood, or material things. So when Kṛṣṇa appears to be seen by you and He appears like a stone statue, He's not stone statue. Don't think. Therefore we must learn how to see Kṛṣṇa. So we should not think that "Here is a stone statue." As soon as we think of stone statue, then our, this feeling, bhāva, will be lost. So the answer is that if we establish some temple and Deity and take it as a means of livelihood... (break)

Lecture on SB 1.7.27 -- Vrndavana, September 24, 1976:

So in this way, if we do not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we'll be more and more implicated. You cannot avoid. That is not possible. The God's nature is working so nicely. I have given you several times the example that if you infect some disease, it must develop and you must have to suffer. There is no excuse. Similarly, if you are associating with the modes of ignorance and you are committing some sins, the effect you must have to suffer. Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya sad-asad-janma-yoniṣu (BG 13.22). Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛteḥ, the nature, God's machine, is working so perfectly that it will act. You cannot avoid. Therefore we should be very careful how anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. For our spiritual advancement of life we must have the sense that "Why we should accept unnecessary things which is not at all important?" The four things are restricted. No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. Nobody dies. But it is a habit. It is a habit.

Lecture on SB 1.7.28-29 -- Vrndavana, September 25, 1976:

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said that this whole cosmic manifestation is combination of material energy and spiritual energy. So therefore in the Vedas... Veda means knowledge, vetti veda vido jñāne. In the Sanskrit verb vid, vid-dhātu. Vid-dhātu means knowledge, "to know." Vetti veda vido jñāne vinte vid vicaraṇa(?). Labhe vindati vindate. So vid-dhātu. From vid-dhātu the Veda has come. Veda means knowledge. So from the Vedas you can have all different types of knowledge, namely material knowledge and spiritual knowledge, both, perfectly. Because we have now forgotten our spiritual energy, we do not cultivate spiritual energy; therefore the Veda is there. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, in simple Bengali language, it is said, anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila (CC Madhya 20.117). Because these rascals, anādi-bahirmukha, do not know. (bird chirping in background) Just like this bird chirping, but he does not know what he is, wherefrom he is coming, where to go—nothing. That is low-grade life. So we are now forgetful of our spiritual energy, and because we do not know spiritual energy. Therefore we have no knowledge of God. This is our position, and it is coming since very, very, very, very, long time. Time immemorial. Therefore the Vedas are there. Anādi-bahirmukha jīva kṛṣṇa bhuli' gela, ataeva kṛṣṇa veda-purāṇa karila(?)

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Mayapura, September 28, 1974:

They know, knew it. Not only Kuntī knows. But Kṛṣṇa was, when present, how many people knew Him? Only the Pāṇḍavas knew Him perfectly. The Pāṇḍava family. And some of the other, Kuru family. Bhīṣma knew Him. Even Dhṛtarāṣṭra also knew Him. And many other saintly persons, Vyāsadeva, Devala, Nārada Muni. Nārada Muni, of course, does not belong to this planet. So to know Kṛṣṇa is not very easy job. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Still, if Kṛṣṇa is pleased, then He can make Himself known to a devotee. Athāpi te deva padāmbuja-dvaya-prasāda-leśānugṛhīta eva hi, jānāti tattvam (SB 10.14.29). Anyone who is in receipt of little favor of Kṛṣṇa, he can understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.20 -- New York, April 12, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ
munīnām amalātmanām
bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ
kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ
(SB 1.8.20)

"You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and material speculators who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How then can we women know You perfectly?"

Prabhupāda: So Kuntīdevī, she is submissively... This is the symptom of Vaiṣṇava. The Lord, Kṛṣṇa, has come to Kuntīdevī to take the dust of her feet. Because Kṛṣṇa considers Kuntīdevī as her aunt, Kṛṣṇa used to touch the feet of Kuntīdevī. But Kuntīdevī, although she is in such exalted position, practically on the level of Yaśodāmāyi, such a great devotee... So she is so submissive that "Kṛṣṇa, You are meant for the paramahaṁsas, and what we can see You? We are women."

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

Nitāi: (leads chanting, etc.)

tathā paramahaṁsānāṁ
munīnām amalātmanām
bhakti-yoga-vidhānārthaṁ
kathaṁ paśyema hi striyaḥ
(SB 1.8.20)

"You Yourself descend to propagate the transcendental science of devotional service unto the hearts of the advanced transcendentalists and mental speculators who are purified by being able to discriminate between matter and spirit. How, then, can we women know You perfectly?"

Prabhupāda: Tathā paramahaṁsānām (SB 1.8.20). Kṛṣṇa is realized by qualification, and the qualifications are described here. The first qualification is paramahaṁsa. Paramahaṁsa. Parama means the best, and haṁsa means the swans. So there are different types of swans. We have seen. Out of them, the white big swan is accepted the best of them. So this haṁsa, or this swan, has got a qualification special, that you offer them milk mixed with water. So the haṁsa, it will take the milk portion and leave aside the water portion. Every animal has got a special qualification. Just like you'll find the lizard, a very plain wall, polished wall, but they'll go very swiftly. You have no science to do that. You cannot do it. The vulture, it goes very high. They have got very small eyes, but they can see from miles away where is some dead body. That is their business.

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

So Kuntī, out of her humbleness, meekness, she is presenting herself that "We are woman, striya." But she's not ordinary woman. She's devotee. Similarly, any devotee woman is as good as Kuntī. So out of humbleness, she says, presenting herself as woman, less intelligent, "How we can see You, Kṛṣṇa? You are meant for the paramahaṁsa. You are meant for the bhakti-yogī. You are meant for the great muni. You are so many things... You are meant for persons whose heart is cleansed. How we can see You? We are woman." That is her humbleness. She knows perfectly well what Kṛṣṇa is.

So following her footsteps, any woman can also understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is ready to be understood by anyone. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ... (BG 9.32). Simply we have to follow the path how to appreciate Kṛṣṇa, how to understand Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, how to talk with Him, how to walk with Him. These things are there. That is called bhakti-yoga. Where you learn this science of bhakti-yoga—that we have mentioned, Nectar of Devotion, the perfect science of bhakti-yoga. So if one is interested in seeing Kṛṣṇa, then there is no hindrance, there is no block. Anyone. Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.8.21 -- Mayapura, October 1, 1974:

So therefore to understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, Kuntī is pointing out that Kṛṣṇa who is the son of Vasudeva, that beautiful Kṛṣṇa, that Śyāmasundara Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇāya vāsudevāya (SB 1.8.21). Then Vāsudeva may be... There may be Vāsudevas. Then mother's name also. Devakī-nandanāya: "That Kṛṣṇa is born of Devakī and Vasudeva, not others." Then there cannot be any mistake. If both the father's and mother's name... And again, he's (she's) pointing out: nanda-gopa-kumārāya: "That Kṛṣṇa who was carried to Vṛndāvana, and He remained as foster son of Mahārāja Nanda." And then he (she) says, govindāya, govindāya, that "He was a cowherd boy, played as a cowherd..." Govinda. Go means cows, and go means indriya, senses. So He was pleasure to the cows. The cows were very much pleased with Kṛṣṇa. As soon as Kṛṣṇa will call them, they will immediately come.

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

That meditation can be possible by hearing and chanting. Then thinking will automatically come. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam (SB 7.5.23). Smaraṇa means remember. If you chant and hear, then remembrance will automatically come. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Then you will be engaged in worshiping His lotus feet. Arcanam. Then you'll be engaged in arcanam, the temple worship; vandanam, offering prayers; dāsyam, you'll engage yourself as servant; sakhyam, you'll become friend of Kṛṣṇa; ātma-nivedanam, and surrender everything to Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.

So each and every verse you should chant very perfectly, nicely, meditate upon it. That is the process of progress, advancement in spiritual life. We should get all these verses by heart, and chant, and offer prayer to the Lord, vandanam. Vandanam. These are meant for such purpose.

namaḥ paṅkaja-nābhāya
namaḥ paṅkaja-māline
namaḥ paṅkaja-netrāya
namas te paṅkajāṅghraye
(SB 1.8.22)

Everything is Kṛṣṇa's, with reference to paṅkaja.

Thank you very much. (end)

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

The Kuntīdevī is presenting his (her) conception of Kṛṣṇa, or God consciousness. Perfectly he's (she's) presenting that samaṁ carantaṁ sarvatra: "Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is present everywhere. And He is equal, equally merciful or... In everything He equal to everyone." Just like the sun. The sun is equally distributing the sunshine. Now, in some country, we find there is cloud; sun is covered. There is no sunshine. The sun is shining, but due to our misfortune or something else, the sun is covered, and we cannot see. It is not that the sunshine is stopped. Sunshine is there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa's mercy is equally there. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu (BG 9.29).

Lecture on SB 1.8.30 -- Los Angeles, April 22, 1973:

You have seen sometimes in the book you'll find one insect is running. The shape is smaller than the full stop. This is Kṛṣṇa's craftsmanship. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. He can create bigger than the biggest and the smaller than the smallest. Now human being, according to their conception, they have manufactured the 747 airplane, supposed to be very big. All right. According to your consciousness, you have produced something big. But can you produce a small airplane like insect flying? That is not possible. Therefore greatness means that who can become greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest. That is greatness. If you can act one-sided... That is also not perfectly.

Lecture on SB 1.8.31 -- Los Angeles, April 23, 1973:

This system is still current in India, when the child too much disturbing, he is bound up in a place. That is very common system. So Yaśodā Mother adopted it. Sā māṁ vimohayati. So that is the scene appreciated by pure devotees, that how much greatness is there in the Supreme Person that He is playing exactly a perfect child. When He's playing like a child, He plays perfectly. When He plays a husband (with) 16,000 wives, He was playing perfectly as husband. When He was playing as lover of the gopīs, He was playing perfectly. When He was friend of the cowherd boys, He was playing perfectly.

The cowherd boys all depend on Kṛṣṇa. They wanted to taste the palm tree fruit, but there was a demon, Gardabhāsura, they would not allow anyone to enter that palm trees. But the boy friends of Kṛṣṇa, cowherds, they requested: "Kṛṣṇa, we wanted to taste that fruit. If you can arrange..." "Yes." Immediately Kṛṣṇa arranged. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went to the forest, and the demons, they were living there in the shape of asses, and immediately they came to kick by their hind legs Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma. And Balarāma captured one of them and immediately threw on the top of the tree and the demons died.

Lecture on SB 1.8.31 -- Los Angeles, April 23, 1973:

So what to speak of Kṛṣṇa, even this material object. They're trying to go to the Moon planet. Actually they do not know what it is. Actually. Then why they're coming back? If they knew it perfectly, what it is, then they would have resided there by this time. They are trying for the last twenty years. Simply they are seeing: "Not this. There is no living entities. There is no possibility of our living there." So many "Nos." And what is yes? No, they do not know. And this is only one planet or one star. The moon planet is taken as star.

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

These rascals, karmīs, they do not know. They want to become happy by their own endeavor. That is called karmī. They are working very hard—the same thing—to be very happy, and the devotee is also trying to become happy. Everyone is trying. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Everyone is trying to be, become happy, because to become happy is our natural tendency. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). Everyone is trying to become happy. But the karmīs, the jñānīs, the yogis, they do not know how to become perfectly happy. They're making their own endeavor. Karmīs are trying to work harder, hard, day and night, to get money. "Some way or other, never mind black and white. Bring money. I must have nice car, nice house, nice bank balance." This is karmī. And jñānī, when he is fed up with working, when he understands that "This working hard and bank balance could not make me anyway happy, so therefore this is false, all these activities, what I am..." The brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. So they become disgusted and take to Brahman. Brahma satyam.

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:

So this is Kṛṣṇa. So the highest devotees, they..., Kṛṣṇa, they, Kṛṣṇa accepts because He is playing the part of human being. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ (BG 9.11). Those who are mūḍhas, they cannot understand, but those who are intelligent, they know that Kṛṣṇa is perfectly playing as a human being. As a human being takes birth in the womb of his father and mother by the father and mother, similarly, Kṛṣṇa also appeared, accepting Vasudeva as His father, Devakī as mother. But actually Kṛṣṇa is not born. That is being repeatedly explained by Kuntīdevī, that apare, apare vasudevasya devakyām: "They say like that." What is that? Devakī-nandana... There is a verse, that "It is a saying only. Nobody can become Kṛṣṇa's father or mother, but they get the reputation as father and mother. That is a concession to the devotee." Therefore, Kuntīdevī says, apare: "Others say like that." Somebody says like this; somebody says like that; somebody says like this. This is going on. But actually, Kṛṣṇa remains aja always. Because if we do not understand that Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, then we'll misunderstand Him, that "He is also born. He is also born, so how He can become?" The Māyāvādīs say that "Kṛṣṇa is also having a body of the material body, māyā. Therefore real spiritual identity (is) impersonal. As soon as He assumes the body, it is material." That is called Māyāvāda. "Māyā. The Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. The ultimate Absolute is no body, impersonal." That is their theory. Therefore we call them Māyāvādī.

Lecture on SB 1.8.36 -- Mayapura, October 16, 1974:

So you don't try to see the smiling of Kṛṣṇa immediately. First of all see, try to see, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, padāmbujam. Then gradually rise. When you are accustomed to see, as soon as you close your eyes, immediately see Kṛṣṇa's..., then you go further. Go further. Go further. Go further. And that is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, First Canto, Second Canto, Third Canto, Fourth Canto. In this way, you have to go to the Tenth Canto. Then Tenth Canto means the head. And then, in the Tenth Canto, the chapters, Twenty-nine through Thirty-five chapter, that is smiling. Don't try to see Kṛṣṇa smiling immediately. Then you will be baffled. It requires qualification, and it requires time, but if Kṛṣṇa is pleased, He can show His plea..., I mean, smiling immediately. That is a special favor. But the general way is to see, first of all, the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and make your endeavor perfectly done by this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, śṛṇvanti gāyanti (SB 7.5.23). This is the process.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.8.42 -- Mayapura, October 22, 1974:

So therefore we must have positive engagement. Simply negation, jagan mithyā... Why jagan mithyā? We don't say jagan mithyā. This building, this nice building, is it mithyā? It is not mithyā. It is perfectly true because here Kṛṣṇa is being worshiped, the devotees are chanting... This is life, this, truth. So why shall I say "jagan mithyā"? You have to utilize jagat in such a way that it will become truth. That process is saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13). Here only business is how Kṛṣṇa will be satisfied. That is the only business. That is perfection. To become perfect means to learn how to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. That is perfection. It doesn't require education and doesn't require big, big titles or... Nothing. You try to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. Saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam (SB 1.2.13).

Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Mayapura, October 26, 1974:

So these saintly persons were also advising, Vyāsadeva, and vyāsādyaiḥ, not only Vyāsadeva. There were other big, big saintly persons. The monarchy, as it is conceived in the Vedic civilization, that is not this monarchy. Just like we have got experience in the history, a monarch means get money and spend it for wine and woman. Not that kind of monarch. Monarchy means the king... The ideal monarchy—Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit—they were very much advanced in spiritual knowledge, in administrative knowledge, in economic development. Everything, perfectly they were educated, and they were being guided by saintly persons like vyāsādyaiḥ. Vyāsādyaiḥ. Mahārāja Rāmacandra was being guided by Vasiṣṭha. So the kings were guided by a committee of saintly persons. Big, big learned, saintly persons, brāhmaṇas, they would give advice to the king. He is already learned. There was a case, Veṇa Mahārāja, the father of Pṛthu Mahārāja. He was very much upstart. Therefore the committee of the learned brāhmaṇas and saintly persons killed him. Because he was not hearing to the committee of the saintly persons, brāhmaṇas, he was killed, and his son, Mahārāja Pṛthu, was enthroned. There were many cases. If the king was an upstart, the brāhmaṇas, they were so powerful, they did not require any weapon; simply by their words they will kill him.

Lecture on SB 1.9.3 -- Los Angeles, May 17, 1973:

And so Kṛṣṇa said, "No, My wife wants it. I must." That is Kṛṣṇa. (laughter) How He is complete, just like a hen-pecked husband (laughter) to satisfy the wife in every respect. When He plays the part of a child before Mother Yaśodā, He plays everything perfectly. When He plays the husband... He doesn't require any wife or mother. He is Supreme. But when He plays the part of a husband, He plays it perfectly. The wife may think that "How much my husband is attached to me!" So she remains very much satisfied. Kṛṣṇa is not attached to anyone, but that is Kṛṣṇa's superexcellence, that although He had to satisfy 16,800..., 108 wives, everyone was satisfied and everyone is thinking that "Kṛṣṇa is very much attached to me than His others wife, other wives." This is Kṛṣṇa's play.

Lecture on SB 1.10.1 -- Mayapura, June 16, 1973:

So the only difference is He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. The only difference is that Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly orders that "You give up all nonsense; simply surrender unto Me." This is Kṛṣṇa. Because He is Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is giving directly order. The same Kṛṣṇa, because people misunderstood Him... Even big, big scholars, they say, "It is too much that Kṛṣṇa is ordering like that." But they are rascals. They do not know. They cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore because people misunderstood Him, Kṛṣṇa came as a devotee to teach how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa perfectly. Kṛṣṇa came. Just like sometimes my servant gives me massage. I say by giving his head massage, "Do like this." So I am not his servant, but I am teaching him. Similarly, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa Himself, but He is teaching perfectly how to approach Kṛṣṇa, how to serve Kṛṣṇa, The same principle. Kṛṣṇa said, "You surrender unto Me," and Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "You surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So on principle there is no change. On principle there is no change.

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

God is always God, not that one is not God, and he becomes God by some mystic yogic power. This theory is going on amongst the Māyāvādīs, that by the mystic yoga practice, one can become God. So we don't want such cheap God. They may become God, so-called God, but we are concerned with the real God, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, when He was three months old, He was God. He did not practice any mystic yoga to kill Pūtanā. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. God's intelligence, power, is natural. Although Kṛṣṇa was on the lap of Mother Yaśodā like a little baby, but the full potency of God was there. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā. How to kill Pūtanā, how to kill Aghāsura, Bakāsura, Kṛṣṇa knows perfectly. All the Kṛṣṇa's friends, they were entering within the mouth of Aghāsura. Kṛṣṇa is observing, "Now My all friends have entered the mouth of the Aghāsura, and how to kill this demon?" The last, He entered. And at the end of the throat, He began to expand Himself. Just see how He knows to do His business. Svābhāvikī.

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

It is always existing, nitya. Nitya-loka. Vaikuṇṭha-loka. But this material world is called bhava. Bhava-saṁsāra. Bhava means it appears and again disappears. Everything here—just like your body, my body—it has appeared at a certain date and it will disappear at a certain date. Similarly, the whole universal body also, it has appeared at a certain date and it will disappear at a certain date. So bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It becomes manifested, again it becomes disappeared. Therefore it is called bhava-saṁsāra. But still, although it is temporary, the arrangement is so nice, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate.. (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). Everything is complete. It is not false.

The Māyāvādīs, they say this world is false. We don't say that. Why it is false? It is perfectly created by Kṛṣṇa. Why I discredit Kṛṣṇa, "Oh, it is false"? No. It is not false. It is reality, provided you know how to utilize it. When you think that you are the enjoyer of this world, that is false. You are not the enjoyer. Enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. That is reality. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Then it is reality. As soon as you think, "This is mine. This is my ahaṁ mameti... (SB 5.5.8)." Ahaṁ mameti, "I am this body, and anything in relationship with this body is mine," that is moha. But as soon as you come to the understanding... (creaking sound in background) What is that?

Lecture on SB 1.10.3-4 -- Tehran, March 13, 1975:

So you can reign over." There it is said, niśamya bhīṣmoktam athācyutoktaṁ pravṛtta-vijñāna-vidhūta-vibhramaḥ. He understood that "When such great personalities are giving their opinion, that it was no wrong on my part," then he agreed. Śaśāsa gām indra ivājitāśrayaḥ. Gām indra iva ajitāśrayaḥ. Indra, the king of heaven, he ruled over this planet as perfectly as the heavenly king Indra does. How? Ajitāśrayaḥ, completely being devotee. So the king can rule over the country... Why country? The world, world over. If he takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa, Ajitā means Kṛṣṇa conscious, God conscious, such person, as they are advised in the śāstra, then they can rule over the any part of the world or the whole world exactly like Indra, the king of heaven. He is ruling over perfectly. Paridhyupāntām anujānuvartitaḥ. So in this way Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira... (reading:) "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, after being enlightened by what was spoken by Bhīṣmadeva and Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the infallible, engaged himself in matters of perfect knowledge because all his misgivings were eradicated. Thus he ruled over the earth and seas and was followed by his younger brothers."

Lecture on SB 1.10.3-4 -- Tehran, March 13, 1975:

So an ideal king like Yudhiṣṭhira, he can rule over not only over the land, over the seas, all over the planet. This is the ideal. (reading:) "The modern English law of primogeniture, or the law of inheritance by the firstborn, was also prevalent in those days when Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira ruled the earth and the seas." That means whole planet, including the seas. (reading:) "In those days the king of Hastināpura, now part of New Delhi, was the emperor of the world, including the seas, up to the time of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. His younger brothers were acting as his minister and commanders of state, and there was full cooperation between the perfectly religious brothers of the King. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the ideal king or representative of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa..." The king should be the representative of Kṛṣṇa. (reading:) "...to rule over the kingdom of earth and was comparable to King Indra, the representative ruler of the heavenly planet. The demigods like Indra, Candra, Sūrya, Varuṇa, Vāyu, etc., are representative kings of different planets of the universe. And similarly Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was also one of them, ruling over the kingdom of the earth.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- Mayapura, June 20, 1973:

Everything is perfectly being done by nature. Nature is appointed by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Under My control." So prakṛti will work very nicely provided you are also nice, Kṛṣṇa conscious. If you are not nice, then daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). "My māyā, My prakṛti, My energy, is very strong, duratyayā." These rascals, they are trying to control this flood, government. So much money they have wasted, but still in this quarter there are havoc. Therefore daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot control the nature's way. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.10.5 -- London, August 28, 1973:

Pradyumna: "Kings like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira knew perfectly well that the king is the agent of the Supreme Lord to look after the welfare of the mass of people."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is king. King means he is representative of God. Therefore king is addressed as nara-devatā, the god amongst the human beings. Because as agent of God, Kṛṣṇa, his business is to see that all the citizens, they are happy in their daily necessities of life and they are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the duty of the government. Not that "You go to hell; give me tax." This is not government. Therefore, the king being pious, how nature was supplying everything, and the citizens were very happy, there was no scarcity. And how they were executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is true, as people say, that if one is hungry, needy, how he can execute? Therefore it is the duty of the government to see that everyone is happy for the material necessities of life and is engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.13.11 -- Geneva, June 2, 1974:

Detached: "So what is this nonsense material life?" That's a very good qualification. If one understands this perfectly—"This is all rubbish, this material enjoyment"—it is a great qualification. Akiñcana. Akiñcana. Akiñcana means do not possess anything material. Akiñcana-gocara. Kuntī, Kuntī, Queen Kuntī, when she was receiving Kṛṣṇa, she said, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, You are akiñcana-gocara. You are realized by a person who has no material possession. And You have given us now so much material possession. How we can understand You?" That was... Kuntī was regretting that "When we are in distress, You are always with us. Now You have given us kingdom and everything. Now You are going away to Dvārakā. What is this, Kṛṣṇa? Better let us go again to that distressed condition so that You remain with us." Akiñcana-gocara. Kṛṣṇa is akiñcana-gocara. Anyone who wants to enjoy material life, it is not possible to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is very secret.

Lecture on SB 1.15.1 -- New York, November 29, 1973:

We living entities, we are trying to become happy within this material world, "Why you are in the material world, why not in the spiritual world?" The spiritual world, nobody can become the enjoyer, bhokta. That is only Supreme, bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva... (BG 5.29). There is no mistake. There are also living entities, but they know perfectly well that real enjoyer, proprietor, is Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual kingdom. Similarly, even in this material world, if we understand perfectly well that we are not enjoyer, Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer, then that is spiritual world. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to convince everyone that we, we are not enjoyer, enjoyer is Kṛṣṇa. Just like, this whole body, the enjoyer is the stomach, and the hands and legs and eyes and ears and brains and everything, these should be engaged to find out the enjoyable things and put it in the stomach. This is natural. Similarly, we are part and parcel of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we are not enjoyer.

Lecture on SB 1.15.24 -- Los Angeles, December 3, 1973:

Pradyumna: "According to the anthropologists, there is nature's law of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. But they do not know that behind the law of nature, there is the supreme direction of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed that the law of nature is executed under the direction of the Lord. Whenever therefore there is peace in the world, it must be known that it is due to the good will of the Lord, and whenever there is upheaval in the world, it is also due to the supreme will of the Lord. Not a blade of grass moves without the will of the Lord. Whenever, therefore, there is disobedience of the established rules enacted by the Lord, there is war between men and nations. The surest way to the path of peace is, therefore, dovetailing everything to the established rule of the Lord. The established rule is that whatever we do, whatever we eat, whatever we sacrifice, whatever we give in charity, must be done to the full satisfaction of the Lord. No one should do anything, eat anything, sacrifice anything, or give anything in charity against the will of the Lord. Discretion is the better part of valor, and one must learn how to discriminate between actions which may be pleasing to the Lord and those which may not be pleasing to the Lord. An action is thus judged by the Lord's pleasure or displeasure. There is no room for personal whims. We must always be guided by the pleasure of the Lord. Such action is called yoga-karmasu kauśalam, or actions performed which are linked with the Supreme Lord. That is the art of doing a thing perfectly."

Prabhupāda: (aside:) That child... So the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the statement is there by Kṛṣṇa,

sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo
mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca
vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
(BG 15.15)

Actually, everyone is suffering or enjoying. There is no enjoyment, only suffering. But the struggle for existence, to counteract the suffering, we take it as enjoying. Actually there is no enjoying.

Lecture on SB 1.15.33 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to understand that Adhokṣaja, and that is the bhāgavata-dharma. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Not to become a rascal, that "Here is the avatāra of Kṛṣṇa. Let us go and see." One who can see Kṛṣṇa, he can see Kṛṣṇa everywhere, he can see Kṛṣṇa here. Why one should go to a rascal, another rascal? No, that is not. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is Adhokṣaja. There are so many things to be learned. Everything is there in the authoritative scripture. If we take advantage of these books—we are taking so much labor to present—you can understand this science of Kṛṣṇa very perfectly, and your life becomes successful. It is not the question of seeing Kṛṣṇa personally or not. Kṛṣṇa is personally present everywhere. Simply you have to purify your eyes to see Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). This is the process. You have to be above the designation. Sarva upādhi-vinirmuktam. In this way you have to become purified, nirmalam. Malam means dirt, and nir means no dirt.

Lecture on SB 1.15.37 -- Los Angeles, December 15, 1973:

He comes for the welfare of the whole world. So sometimes it is necessary to take part in the politics. But unless one is perfectly free from all designation, he will be implicated in politics. If I become an American politician or Indian politician, then I will be implicated. But if I become a politician on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, then I will not be implicated. If my aim is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa's mission is that He said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). So if we teach people this philosophy, that "You surrender to God, either by politics or by philosophy or by culture or by anything," that is perfection. If you teach people that "You feel like American," "You feel like Indian," "You feel like Hindu," "You feel like Christian, " this will never give you happiness, because it is polluted. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena... (CC Madhya 19.170). Therefore Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was exalted.

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

What is God, the idea is given in the Vedas, Upaniṣad, na tasya kāryam. First thing is that He has nothing to do personally. That is first qualification of God. If He has to do something personally, then He is not God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate: "Nobody can be equal to Him or greater than Him." This is definition of God. Any subject matter... Suppose opulence, riches. So nobody can be richer than God or nobody can be equal with God. This is greatness. "God is great." How He is great? That is defined every..., particularly. He is great because nobody equally rich with Him. Nobody is richer than Him. That is God. Everybody is poorer than Him. Therefore na tat-samaḥ. Sama means equal, and adhika means greater. How God can be great? If somebody is greater than Him, how God is great? If somebody is equal to Him, then how He is great? Just see how the definition is given perfectly. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Because He is great, why He should work? All the subordinates will work. We are all subordinate. Therefore we shall work for God. But we have made our formula, that "God shall work for me." "God, give us our daily bread. We have nothing to do. Simply give us our bread." What is this? But the Vaiṣṇava idea is that "Without giving bread to God, God will die." Yaśodā-māyi is thinking, "If I do not give Kṛṣṇa to eat something nice, Kṛṣṇa will become lean and thin." That is love of Godhead, how to serve Kṛṣṇa, how to serve God. Sevonmukhe. That is real religion. When we are not to take service from God, but we are ready to give service to God, that is real religion. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). Adhokṣaje. God is beyond our senses. Therefore He is Adhokṣaja.

Lecture on SB 1.15.40 -- Los Angeles, December 18, 1973:

Explosion. So people have no brain to ask that "How this explosion took place?" When there is some bomb explosion, immediately there is inquiry by the police, that "Who has put this bomb? How it took place?" But these rascals... One scientist says, "First of all there was explosion." But nobody will question, "How the explosion took place?" Because they are śūdras. They have no brain. The rascal scientist says. "There was explosion," and he accepts. That's all. This is going on.

So at the present moment, Kali-yuga, it is very difficult to become perfectly realized soul, or Kṛṣṇa conscious. There are two methods. One method is voluntarily giving up all unwanted things. That is one method. Just like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is doing. He is the emperor, most opulent. His position is most exalted. There was nothing, material unhappiness, but still, voluntarily he is giving up. This is civilization. Not sticking to this, "Oh, I have got this emperor. I have got my good brothers, good wife, good children, good influence, good dress, good food, everything good. Why should I give up?" Nowadays even an ordinary post, just like elected post, say, for five years or three years, still, he will stick to that. The president, your president, he knows that "After three years it will be finished.

Lecture on SB 1.15.40 -- Los Angeles, December 18, 1973:

So this consciousness required. So somebody is trying to be nirmama, to become free from false idea, "It is mine," by renouncing. And if one knows perfectly well that "It is not mine; it is Kṛṣṇa's," then he hasn't got to do anything artificially. If you know that "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. I am not the owner. I am given the chance to use it," tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ, whatever allotment is given to you, you can use. Prasādam. Kṛṣṇa... Actually, eatable belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So after eating, whatever He gives you, you also eat this. That is required. So one is trying to renounce this world by practice. Because unless you become fully conscious that anything you are possessing, that does not belong to you, that belongs to Kṛṣṇa, so long you will be allowed to enjoy it under the false impression, egotism, that "It is mine." Because you have come here to possess something as your property, so Kṛṣṇa will give you. Just like father gives children... They are fighting. So father gives some toy, "Now it is yours. So that's all right, play. Don't fight."

Lecture on SB 1.15.40 -- Los Angeles, December 18, 1973:

Therefore our position is perfect, because we are not following rascals and fools. We are following Kṛṣṇa, the supreme perfect. I may be imperfect. That's a fact. I am imperfect. Just like a child is imperfect. That's a fact. But so long he follows the father, catching his hand, he is perfect. He is perfect. He has no danger. He has no danger. Similarly, anyone who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, and following blindly some rascal, he is imperfect and he will suffer. And because we have taken Kṛṣṇa's shelter, Kṛṣṇa says sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). He will give guidance. If you follow perfectly, you surrender unto Him, He will guide you. He is within you, everyone. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). He is there. He is not far away, although He lives in His own abode, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). That is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is in His abode, but He is everywhere. Here is Kṛṣṇa. Although He is living in Goloka Vṛndāvana, He is in this temple, He is within our heart. Simply we have to take advantage, how He is present, how He is advising. That is the technique. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. God is everywhere. He is prepared to guide you. He is prepared to help you.

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

So they can go, the yogis, as they desire. Either he can go directly to the spiritual world, or if he likes, he can transfer himself to the higher planetary system. This is yoga practice. Anywhere he likes, he can go. It appears that Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja knew perfectly well. Similarly, we see from many other kings' life. Or this yoga practice was done by any gentleman. Therefore they were so sober, steady and determined. Everyone was a yogi. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is described, rājarṣi. Imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ. Ṛṣi. Ṛṣi, saintly persons, they know how to practice yoga. So formerly the kings were as good as ṛṣis. They were simply sitting on the throne as a matter of responsibility to the citizens. They were not political opportunists. No. Nowadays people are political opportunists. As soon as they get some opportunity, they capture the power. Formerly... Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Actually, he would have been the king. But he was not opportunist. To serve his father he gave up everything. This is called rājarṣi.

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

Tritve hutvā ca pañcatvaṁ tac caikatve ajuhon muniḥ. Everything is coming from that one. The theory of conservation of energy, that is imperfection. All energy are conserved in that Supreme Personality of Godhead. They have got little idea of this, wherefrom the energies are coming, but not perfectly. The modern scientists, they can simply think of "conservation of energy." But where is that conservation? That they do not know. That is the missing point.

Here it is explained how from that original reservoir of all energy, things are coming. That is the lesson in Vedānta-sūtra, janmādy asya yataḥ: (SB 1.1.1) "Everything is coming from one source." Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. These are Vedic mantras. That is Brahman. Brahman means inexhaustible, avyaya. There is no exhaustion. Pūrṇam. As we learn, pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation), everything complete. Complete, we have no idea of complete. We think complete also limited. Complete satisfaction. Suppose you have got a bank balance, a million dollars. You think, "It is now complete. I am fully satisfied." But he hasn't got the complete idea. The bank balance may be one million dollar today, but if I spend it, it will be gradually reduced, and one day it will be zero. So that is not complete. Complete means you go on spending as much as you like; still, it remains complete. That is complete.

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

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

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

So therefore guru is considered as good as Kṛṣṇa. Sākṣād-dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. In all the śāstras, the guru is respected as Kṛṣṇa is respected. Sākṣād-dharitvena. Haritva. Hari means Lord. Samasta, in all the scriptures, guru is accepted as Kṛṣṇa. But he never says that I, he is Kṛṣṇa; neither he is Kṛṣṇa. Then what is his position? Kintu prabhor yaḥ priya eva tasya: he is the most confidential servant of Kṛṣṇa. He never says that "I am Kṛṣṇa, I am God." That is not guru. Guru must place... He knows perfectly well that he is serving Kṛṣṇa. His business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants all these fallen souls to be delivered because they are Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel. Just like a rich man, if his son goes out of home, he is suffering. His father knows that rascal boy is suffering. He is very anxious to get him back. "Bring this rascal at home." That is father's concern, naturally. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is more eager to take you back. Therefore He comes. He comes. He has got his agent, the guru. He has got His instruction, the Bhagavad-gītā. The whole concern is that God is so anxious, Kṛṣṇa is anxious, to call back these rascals, back to home, back to Godhead. So sometimes He is so eager that He comes Himself. Just like I have sent some my agent to do something. I am seeing that it is being delayed, so I go there: "What you are doing? Why it is so delayed?" Like that.

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

So if you (do not) know God, then you are a rascal. You are exactly like the cats and dogs. That's all. This is the verdict. Now you can fight. "Why you are calling me cats and dogs?" But this is the... We are talking, following Kṛṣṇa, the great authority. But what Kṛṣṇa says, that is right. If you scrutinize by your logic, argument, philosophy, science, you will find that Kṛṣṇa is perfectly right. Therefore we accept Kṛṣṇa.

Unless Kṛṣṇa is perfectly right, why should we accept Kṛṣṇa? If He is ordinary rascal, then why, what is the use of reading His book, Bhagavad-gītā? No. All the ācāryas, all the saintly scholars, they have accepted. Therefore we have accepted. Because He is beyond all, I mean to say, faults. What is the difference between ordinary man and a liberated man? Liberated means not under the conditions of material nature. He is called liberated. Liberated means who is not conditioned by the laws of nature. He is called liberated. So Kṛṣṇa is the liberated Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore He has no defects. And those who are... Just like we are..., we are not liberated. Therefore we have got four defects.

Lecture on SB 1.15.47-48 -- Los Angeles, December 25, 1973:

So where is the difficulty? Simply you have to make your eyes to see Him. That's all. That is premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Love. It is not very difficult to understand. If you love somebody, then you can see him always. When you are in office, you are seeing. When you are eating, you are seeing. You are seeing... If you are actually love. So if it is possible materially, how much greatly it is possible spiritually and perfectly? It is possible. Simply by this method, bhaktyā viśuddha-dhiṣaṇāḥ pare.

Viśuddha. Viśuddha means purified. Our consciousness is not purified at the present moment, but if we purify it... That purification also is possible by becoming in touch with Kṛṣṇa always. And this touch is very easily made possible. Śṛṇvatām. This is the chance, śṛṇvatām. Śṛṇvatām means by hearing, by aural reception. Simply those who are coming here, even they do not know anything about it, but God has given this ear, and let him hear about Kṛṣṇa. We are therefore discussing so many... We have written so many books simply about Kṛṣṇa. Not all books published—we have published about twenty books—but we have to finish it. It cannot be finished, but at least, to some extent it will be finished by sixty books. And what is that subject matter? Kṛṣṇa. That's all. People cannot imagine that about God, sixty books can be written. There is no, I mean to say, system of religion where you can find... Not only... Sixty is the minimum. Sixty books of four hundred pages can be written simply on God.

Lecture on SB 1.15.51 -- Los Angeles, December 28, 1973:

Pradyumna: Translation: "The subject of the departure of the sons of Paṇḍu for the ultimate goal of life, back to Godhead, is fully auspicious and is perfectly pure. Therefore anyone who hears this narration with devotional faith certainly gains the devotional service of the Lord, the highest perfection of life." (SB 1.15.51)

Prabhupāda: Yaḥ śraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyāṇām. Bhagavat-priyāṇām. There is a common word in English, "If you love me, love my dog." That is very important. So bhagavat-priyāṇām, one who is very dear to Kṛṣṇa, if you love such person, then Kṛṣṇa is more pleased. Kṛṣṇa is more pleased. Bhagavat-priyāṇām.

There is a version in the Purāṇas, Devī Purāṇa. Pārvatī was asking questions to Lord Śiva, and Lord Śiva was replying. This is the process at home. The wife is supposed to inquire from the husband about spiritual advancement of life, and the husband must be competent to reply all the questions of wife. That will keep relation very nice. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). That is bhakti. So Pārvatī was asking... Because according to Vedas, there are so many demigods. Viṣṇu is sometimes taken, but Viṣṇu is not... Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. They are the principal deities. So the inquiry was "Which worship is the best? Viṣṇu, or Lord Śiva, or Brahmā or Candra?" There are so many demigods. Sometimes they are misunderstood that all of them are Gods. No. They are called demigods. God is one. That is... Originally, God is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on SB 1.16.1 -- Los Angeles, December 29, 1973:

Mahīm. Mahīm means this earthly planet. Up to Mahārāja Parīkṣit, five thousand years ago, the whole world was being ruled over by one king, one emperor. There were no so many nations or no so many presidents or... No. Simply one king. Mahīm, this world. Mahīm means the earthly planet. This is the history. From Mahā-bhāgavata, er, Mahābhārata we understand that, that the whole world was under one flag, these Pāṇḍavas. Now United Nations means three thousand flags, three thousand nations. So that is not democracy, or that is not good ruling. The best ruling is monarchy, and monarch means he must be a perfectly trained-up person by the best brāhmaṇas. That is perfect government. Not that this democracy, some rascals and fools they are voting another rascal and fool, and by hook and crook he comes to the post. He does not like to give it up, and makes things very miserable. This kind of government... Now your Senate is proposing, "Let us pray to God how we can get good government." They are coming down to again. But why not train? Now you are going to pray to God, "Please give us good government." Why don't you elect a person mahā-bhāgavata?

Lecture on SB 1.16.2 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1973:

So in those days, as in the first verse we learn, dvija-varya-śikṣayā. The... Actually, the brāhmaṇas, they were controlling the state, but not directly, not sitting on the throne, but giving the kings good advice according to śāstra, that "You rule over like this. This is the process." And the kings would abide by... Although the monarchy was there, but they were not irresponsible. First of all, the king was trained and educated perfectly. Therefore it is called dvija-varya-śikṣayā. Yesterday I explained, dvija, the twice-born brāhmaṇa. And again it is added with another word, varya. Varya means the first class, not third class. First-class man, dvija-varya-śikṣayā, they used to teach. They used to advise. And if the king was worthless, sometimes they would kill the king. And next son, his son would take possession.

Lecture on SB 1.16.3 -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1973:

So the aśvamedhaṁ gavālambhaṁ sannyāsaṁ pala-paitṛkam (CC Adi 17.164). This was explained by..., why aśvamedha-yajña is forbidden in this age. In this age no sacrifice is possible. There is no money. There is no guru. Guru means who can conduct the sacrifices. First of all there is no means. Even one can conduct, there is no means. It requires huge amount of money. Here it is said that bhūri-dakṣiṇān. Bhūri means an unlimited amount. Bhūri means very great. So there is no money. Neither there is expert brāhmaṇa also who can conduct such sacrifices, because they must chant the Vedic mantra so perfectly that even a horse or a cow is put into the fire, he will come out with a new life. That is the test. This Chand Kazi, Muslim magistrate, he also challenged Caitanya Mahāprabhu. When Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "What is your this religion? You are eating your father and mother?" Directly. Not that He was talking with a magistrate, He should be a little respectful. No. In spiritual matter, everything spoken frankly, no compromise. Just like we say, "You are not a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Then you are a rascal. That's all."

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

That is perfection of life. So how we can negate? The Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to negate. Or the Buddhist philosopher. "Make it zero. Make it zero." Śūnyavādi. Śūnyavādi. Nirviśeṣavādi. Nirviśeṣavādi and śūnyavādi, almost the same. So they are after negation. But that is not possible. Artificially, if you negate, "I shall not eat," you cannot continue it for very many days. That is not possible. That is not possible. Similarly, eating, sleeping, mating—everything—artificially you cannot do. But you can do it as perfectly, as much possible, simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is said here that kim anyair asad-ālāpaiḥ. If we stop hear Kṛṣṇa talking, then that is negation. If we stop artificially these mundane talks, that will be artificial. You cannot sit down. If I say that the so-called meditation... So meditation is artificially stopping mundane activities. That is meditation. But how long you will do that? He is becoming suffocated, "When I shall talk? When I shall talk? I am meditating, meditating, meditating." But how will it stop? That is not possible. Just like these Māyāvādī philosophers, they say, "Become desireless, no more desire." That is not possible. I am a living entity. How can I be desireless? It is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.16.8 -- Los Angeles, January 5, 1974:

This is the fact. So don't fall down. Don't be childish, that "Yes, I have promised before spiritual master, before Kṛṣṇa, before fire. All right, that's all right. Let me break." No, don't do that. Don't do that. Don't lose this opportunity. You are now on the point of deathlessness, but if you again commit... Bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi. There is chance. If your execution of devotional service is not going perfectly, so there is chance of falldown.

So devotional service so nice, that even if you fall down, there is not very great loss. Great loss means you get human body, not an animal body. That is stated in the Bhag... Yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ (BG 6.41). One who has fallen down from the bhakti-yoga, where does he go? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe: in the house of very rich man and in the house of nice, Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa. This is the opportunity. This is first-class opportunity. If you take your birth in the house of Vaiṣṇava brāhmaṇa, just like these children are taking birth, father and mother Vaiṣṇava... They are very fortunate. They are not ordinary children. Otherwise they would not have gotten this chance of chanting and dancing before Deity and Vaiṣṇava. They are not ordinary children.

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

This is accepted, that Brahman means, the Absolute Truth means, the origin of everything. Now the next question would be that "What is that origin?" The modern scientists, they think the origin is chemicals. But we say, "No. It cannot be chemicals." Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). The origin of everything must be cognizant. He knows everything. Otherwise how He can be origin? It is very logical. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt (SB 1.1.1), origin. Just like I have established this institution. I know how it was established perfectly, and how it is going on. And somebody may not know how it was established in New York with so great difficulty. But because I am the origin founder, I know. So similarly, so many things are going on in the nature's way. So the origin, He must know everything. And if He knows, then He cannot be inanimate. Where is the possibility of the origin becoming inanimate? No. Because the argument is, if one is origin of everything, or something he is origin of, he must have sense how things are going on.

So that is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Abhijñaḥ. This word is used. Abhijñaḥ means cognizant. Then if He is the origin of everything, how He got all knowledge perfectly? Therefore the next word is sva-rāṭ: He is fully independent. He doesn't require to take knowledge from anyone else. Otherwise how He can be origin? Sva-rāṭ. Muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. That origin is so perfect, and still, sūrayaḥ, many scholars, many scientists, philosophers, they are also bewildered, that "How He can be a person?" Muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ. These things are described.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:

So how this knowledge is achieved? Because to accept Kṛṣṇa... Just like we accept, by authority. We belong to the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's cult. He preached. His cult means, Caitanya cult means Kṛṣṇa cult. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam, simply describing Kṛṣṇa. That was His business. So in this way, when one understands Kṛṣṇa, not perfectly... One cannot understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly. It is not possible. Even Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot understand Himself, He is so great. That is greatness, "God is great," that the God who is great, He cannot also understand how great He is. That is God. Nobody can understand. But as far as possible, we can understand from the śāstras-sādhu, śāstra, guru, three sources—we can understand and make our conclusion that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme.

Lecture on SB 1.16.16 -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1974:

So Kṛṣṇa... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Not only Kṛṣṇa, to accept Kṛṣṇa as God, to hear about His name also. Just like we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's name. So this name, Kṛṣṇa's form, Kṛṣṇa's quality, Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Kṛṣṇa's entourage, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi... Nāmādi means "beginning from name." Nāma ādi. Ādi means beginning. So we can understand Kṛṣṇa from the name. When name is perfectly chanted, then the form, the pastimes, the quality and all other things in relation to Kṛṣṇa becomes revealed. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). But these blunt senses cannot appreciate what is Kṛṣṇa. Then how it will be appreciated? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When we engage our tongue... Kṛṣṇa consciousness begins from the tongue, not from the eyes. Some rascals want to see Kṛṣṇa. They will see that Guru Maharaj(-ji). You see? Such rascals will see that so-called Kṛṣṇa. But to see real Kṛṣṇa, one has to purify the eyes, purify the senses.

Lecture on SB 1.16.16 -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitram. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So to go to Kṛṣṇa, one requires to be perfectly purified. Just like without becoming fire, you cannot enter into fire. If your body is not fire, as soon as you enter fire, you will be burned. But you take another fire and push into the fire, there is no reaction. There is no reaction. Just like to live within the water, you must have a particular type of body so that living within the water, you will not be infected. Just like a human being, if he artificially enters into the water, for few hours he can remain. That is also with great difficulty. He will feel bodily pain. But the fishes within the water, they are living very peacefully, happily, for hundreds of years. So this is real fact. You cannot enter into an atmosphere without being fit for living in that atmosphere. Is it very difficult to understand? Because they are going to the moon planet, why they are coming back? Because they have no arrangement to make the body fit to live there.

Lecture on SB 1.16.16 -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1974:

So God's creation is like that. You cannot by force enter into any atmosphere unless you become fit to live there. That is God's creation. By force you cannot live within water. By force the fish cannot live on the land. You'll die. Similarly, by force you cannot enter into the moon planet. Therefore they are frustrated. It is not possible. Similarly, without being Kṛṣṇized, you cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, you cannot associate with Him. That is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to become perfectly Kṛṣṇa-ite, as good as Kṛṣṇa. That is purification process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Nirmalam. Nirmalam means purification. Now we are sa-malam. We have got so many dirty things with us. So one has to become nirmalam. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam. First business is to become free from the designation. If you think yourself that "I am American," "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Indian," "I am black," "I am white," these are all designation. So sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam, when you become transcendental to all designation, when you come to the platform to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul," brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), then you become happy.

Lecture on SB 1.16.19 -- Hawaii, January 15, 1974:

Therefore, that Mr. Bernard Shaw, he wrote a book. Perhaps you know it. You Are What You Eat. If you keep your brain dull, then how you can understand? Because without becoming very intelligent man, one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, kṛṣṇa yei bhaje sei baḍa catura: "One who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously and perfectly, he must be very, very intelligent." Dull brain cannot accept it. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). So we have to make our brain very clean. And for that purpose you require to drink not very much, at least, one pound or half-pound milk daily. That is essential. But no meat-eating. This is intelligence. The milk is also conversion of the blood, everyone knows. Just like we drink the milk of our mother. The color of the milk is white, but everyone knows that milk is produced from the red blood, red corpuscle. So this is the process, that people are very much anxious to drink the blood of cows from the slaughterhouse. They sometimes drink fresh blood, is it not?

Lecture on SB 1.16.21 -- Los Angeles, July 11, 1974:

He is not well? (hears response) Hm. So this is civilization, this is culture. So at the present moment there is no respect for brahminical culture. Just like we are trying to make our disciples perfectly men of character. No illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. And people will take it very lightly. They laugh. Because they do not know what is brahminical culture, what is the perfection of human life. So all these are happening and will continue to happen till the end of this age, very, very dangerous. We must always consider. Don't be allured by big, big highways and skyscraper building with full advertisement of wine and cigarette. This is not life. This is not life. Life, here is life. Let anyone come and compare this life in this temple and outside. This is life.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2 -- Vrndavana, March 17, 1974:

That is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Because he offers you... Just like when we walk, they say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya Rādhe." That is the method of offering respect. So if these ordinary people offer respect to the Vaiṣṇava, they become advanced. So you must be Vaiṣṇava. Otherwise why they will offer you respect? Respect cannot be demanded. It must be commanded. By seeing you, they will give you respect. Then dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau. This is gosvāmī. Automatically they'll offer respect. So unless you become perfectly clean and Vaiṣṇava, pure Vaiṣṇava... Automatically they'll give you respect. You haven't got to... Just like sometimes we see a person, by seeing us, they chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is not that at the spot we are asking them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, but automatically they are chanting. So that means we have to keep ourself so clean, nice Vaiṣṇava, gosvāmī, that people will offer you respect. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau. Dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

Śravaṇam means hearing. Kīrtanam means chanting. Smaraṇam, memorizing. Vandanam, prayers, offering prayers. So there are different methods. Whichever method is possible by you, you can adopt and you can become perfect. Not that you have to execute all the methods. Even one method, if you perfectly do, you'll become perfect. You'll be transferred to the spiritual kingdom. So we do not say that "This religion is good," "This religion is bad." In every religion there is some form of worship out of these nine. Just like in Christian church there is offering of prayers. We also offer prayer, and that is also recommended in the list: vandanam. Vandanam means offering prayers. Muslim also, they offer prayers in the mosque.

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

You have to understand. How you will understand? By hearing. God has given you the ear. If you simply hear, if you simply hear... There is no question of education. It is not that one who is not educated, he will not understand what is God. He will understand, because the ear is there. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ: (SB 7.5.23) Viṣṇu, of Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you hear. Therefore we are opening so many branches, just to give people the chance of hearing. And as soon as you perfectly hear, the next position will be to glorify. Just like these European, American boys. First of all they heard. Now they are preaching. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Because they have perfectly heard, therefore they are very enthusiastic. They are going all over the world. They are preaching. And so śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca. If one has actually heard, known about God, then next stage will be he will be very much enthusiastic to speak to others. That is preaching. Śrotavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca smartavyaḥ. Smartavya means remembering. Unless you remember what is God, what is His form, what is His quality, what is His pastimes, what are His activities, what are His entourage, everything about God, if you hear... Just like if you hear Bhagavad-gītā, you understand everything, what is God. And that is our only duty.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Paris, June 13, 1974:

Now, desire tree means whatever you desire, you get from that tree. There is tree. That desire tree is there in Kṛṣṇa's loka. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa (Bs. 5.29). There is also, in the spiritual world, there are trees, but each tree is a desire tree. And we have no experience what is desire tree. You can get anything from that tree. That is called desire. So these Vedas is considered as the desire tree, means any kind of knowledge you want, it is complete there perfectly, any kind, either spiritual or material, any department of knowledge. And that is called desire tree. All kinds of knowledge, you can achieve from the Vedic language. There is Dhanur-veda, Āyur-veda, Jyotir-veda and all kinds. Veda means knowledge. So for military art, if you want to consult Vedic literature, you will get complete information, perfect. Similarly, Jyotir-veda. Jyoti means the luminaries in the sky, the stars. You can get. We are trying to go to the moon planet and wasting our time and energy, but if you consult Vedas, you get full information of the moon planet, sun planet or any other planet. There are millions and millions of trillions of planets. You can get all, Brahmaloka, up to the topmost planet. Jyotir-veda. That is called Jyotir-veda. And the Dhanur-veda. Āyur-veda. Āyuḥ means duration of life. And nobody wants to be diseased. So that means medical science. That is also fully there.

Lecture on SB 2.1.7 -- Paris, June 15, 1974:

These Gosvāmīs, they were always writing books. Guṇānukathane. Guṇa. What is the writing books? When we write these books, what is that? We are simply describing the different activities and attributes of Kṛṣṇa. Anukathane. Anu means not whimsically. Following the superior authorities. You cannot write anything which is not approved by the superior authorities. Therefore, we have to give examples, quotation from the śāstra, that "What I am speaking, it is supported by the śāstras. Not that I have inventive power—I have, I can do, I can write anything I like." That is nonsense. Anukathane. Anukathane means you must hear from the authority perfectly. Then try to write. Not that you write whimsically, whatever you like. That is not allowed. And that will not be accepted.

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Their wings are so perfect that three miles off, another big fish is coming to eat them, they can understand by the wings. Immediately, they take protection. These are all described in the Bhāgavata. You get so much perfect knowledge, scientific knowledge, of different species of life, how they are acting, how they are eating, how they are moving. All, everything is perfect there. Vidyā bhāgavatāvadhi. If you study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam perfectly, then all your education is complete. You don't require any other book to read; you get from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam all material and spiritual knowledge, and at the end, Kṛṣṇa. This is the profit. Kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau. Kṣetrāṇi. Kṣetra means pilgrimage. This temple is pilgrimage. It is not ordinary house; it is Vaikuṇṭha. In the śāstra it is said that to live in the forest is living in goodness. There are three qualities, you know—goodness, passion, ignorance—in this material world. So when you live in the forest, you live in goodness.

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Still there are such rules and regulations. So Deity worship, it is the duty of all householders, Deity worship. That means automatically all the members become devotees. But it must be done according... there are sixty-four kinds of offenses. In The Nectar of Devotion you'll find. Deity worship... For chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, there are ten kinds of offenses. But Deity worship, there are so many offenses. These are described. "You cannot sit down before the Deity like this, you cannot yawn before the Deity, you cannot talk nonsense before the Deity." So many things are there. So therefore it is said that "strictly following the direction and regulation of arcanā-vidhi." So you are being trained up. In India they are trained up since centuries. Their culture is different. They automatically can adopt, immediately. They're trained up. You are not trained up as yet. You are being trained. So unless you are fully trained, don't establish Deity to make a farce. Better learn it perfectly in the temple, and when you think that the members of the household are also now as good as the devotees in the temple, then you must establish the Deity. That is required.

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

Pradyumna: "The word satīm is very significant. This means "existing" and "chaste," and both imports are perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. The whole Vedic adventure is to draw one's attention entirely unto the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa without any diversion, as it is instructed in the Bhagavad-gītā (15.15). Fortunately Mahārāja Parīkṣit had already been attracted to the Lord from the very beginning of his body, in the womb of his mother. In the womb of his mother, he was struck by the brahmāstra atomic bomb released by Aśvatthāmā, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from being burnt by the fiery weapon, and since then the King continually concentrated his mind upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, which made him perfectly chaste in devotional service. So by natural sequence he was a chaste devotee of the Lord, and when he further heard..."

Prabhupāda: Here, one important matter is there, that Parīkṣit Mahārāja, while he was in the womb of his mother, there was brahmāstr a targeted on him by Aśvatthāmā. And he was to be killed. Practically he was killed. His mother felt a miscarriage and immediately approached Kṛṣṇa, that "I am feeling like this. The only son of the Pāṇḍava dynasty is going to be lost." So Kṛṣṇa immediately entered the womb of Uttarā and saved the baby. Now, Parīkṣit Mahārāja is recognized devotee; otherwise Kṛṣṇa would not have taken so much trouble. He wanted that Parīkṣit Mahārāja. Now, when he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa to die within seven days, why Kṛṣṇa did not save him, or why he did not seek Kṛṣṇa's protection? This question may be raised. He was young man. He was not old man. He could live. That question was made also: "The Parīkṣit Mahārāja, such a nice king, his life was dedicated for the welfare of his subjects. So actually, his body was meant for the benefit of others.

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

Pradyumna: On page 170. "To become a pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa, two things are very much essential, namely having a chance of being born in the family of a devotee and having the blessings of a bona fide spiritual master. By the grace of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Parīkṣit Mahārāja had both opportunities. He was born in a family of such devotees as the Pāṇḍavas, and just to continue the dynasty of the Pāṇḍavas and show them special favor, the Lord specifically saved Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who later on, by the arrangement of the Lord, was cursed by the boy of a brāhmaṇa and was able to get the association of such a spiritual master as Śukadeva Gosvāmī. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that a fortunate person, by the mercy of the spiritual master and Lord Kṛṣṇa, achieves the path of devotional service. This was perfectly applicable in the case of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. By way of being born in a family of devotees, he automatically came in touch with Kṛṣṇa, and after being so contacted he constantly remembered Him.

Consequently Lord Kṛṣṇa gave the King a further chance for development in devotional service by introducing him to Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a stalwart devotee of the Lord with perfect knowledge in self-realization. And by hearing from a bona fide spiritual master, he was perfectly able to concentrate his chaste mind further upon Lord Kṛṣṇa, as a matter of course."

Prabhupāda: So superficially, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, king, the emperor of the world, he was cursed to death. A brāhmaṇa boy cursed him that "You will die within seven days." And as a result of this, he left his home, his kingdom, and here, next verse, it is said, ātma-jāyā. Jāyā means his one wife. He was young man. Suta, children; āgāra, āgāra means residence, house. Ātma-jāyā-sutāgāra. Paśu, animals. He was king. So he had many animals: horses, elephants, cows, bulls. These are household animals, domestic animals. And draviṇa. Draviṇa means wealth, riches. And bandhu, bandhuṣu, friendship. So our... These are our material assets: wife, children, nice house, nice bank balance, and some paśus, animals. Here of course, you keep only one animals, dog. "The best friend." But in India they keep many animals. Those who are rich, they keep elephants, horses, bulls, cows. Dogs are also there, but dogs are not so important there. Asses also.

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

Prabhupāda: So, purport?

Karandhara: "Purport. The question of Mahārāja Parīkṣit is perfectly answered as to how a living entity began his material life, although he is apart from the material body and the mind."

Prabhupāda: It is a very important question. Parīkṣit Mahārāja inquired... Many people inquired that "How the living entity was with Kṛṣṇa, he became fallen in this material world?" Is not done? This question is raised? So this question is answered here, that "How the living entity who was with Kṛṣṇa became fallen down in contact with this material qualities?" So this is the answer. Read the translation.

Karandhara: "Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O king, unless one is influenced by the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead..."

Prabhupāda: It is simply the influence of the material energy, nothing. Actually he has not fallen. Another example given is given. Just like the moon is covered with scattered cloud, the passing cloud. You have seen. Everyone has experience. The cloud passes, and it appears that the moon is moving. Have you seen this?

Devotees: Yes.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4-8 -- Tokyo, April 23, 1972:

The so-called yogis, karmīs, they are all cheaters. They show some bodily gymnastic and talks all nonsense, becomes God within a week or six months. These things are going on. Very precarious condition. Therefore it is, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva: "Kalau, in this age, Kali-yuga, there is no other alternative." And I see practically our society, our students. They are simply, practically chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So compare any so-called yogi and jñānī and sannyāsī. They cannot stand before them in their... Even though they are not perfectly advanced, still, they cannot stand. People are appreciating. So stick to your principles.

This morning I was reading Kṛṣṇa's activities. Regularly He was rising three hours before sunrise, regularly. His wives were disgusted. As soon as there will be cock crowing, "Kakako!" Kṛṣṇa immediately... (laughter) That is warning. That is warning, nature's warning. There is no need of alarm bell. And the alarm bell going on, but he is sleeping sound. (laughter) No. And if he by chance rises, immediately stops so that it may disturb, it may not disturb. But there is nature's alarming bell, that cock crowing at three o'clock. According to the... And Kṛṣṇa will immediately rise. Although He was sleeping with His beautiful queens... The queens were disgusted. They were cursing this cock crowing, "Now Kṛṣṇa will go away. Kṛṣṇa will go away." But Kṛṣṇa, He used to rise early. You read Kṛṣṇa's activities in our Kṛṣṇa book.

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

One day that son comes out as a graduate. So the human society must accept. This is school of varṇāśrama-dharma. Then gradually he will be educated and he will come to the understanding. Brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. One day he will understand what is Brahman, and that is brāhmaṇa. Veda-pāṭhād bhaved vipro brahma jānātīti brāhmaṇaḥ. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. By birth everyone is a śūdra. He has to be educated. Saṁskārād bhaved dvijaḥ. Dvija means twice-born. One birth is by the father and mother, and the next birth is by the spiritual master and Vedic knowledge. So Vedic knowledge is the mother, and spiritual master is the father. Then one becomes dvija. Therefore the sacred thread is offered, that "He is now divja. He has accepted the spiritual master to learn what is spiritual life." That is the significance. Then he is allowed to read this Vedic literature, the essence of Vedic literature. Nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam idam (SB 1.1.3), this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. This is the essence. Nigama means Vedic. Nigama-kalpa-taru. Kalpa-taru means desire tree. A tree, desire tree, means whatever you like, you can take from it. Similarly, Vedic knowledge is so perfect, any knowledge, perfectly if you want to know, then you must... Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet śrotriyam (MU 1.2.12). Therefore Vedic knowledge is called śruti. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham.

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

Their ultimate interest is how to satisfy Viṣṇu. Viṣṇur ārādhyate. So when there is dharmasya glāniḥ, then Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, by His incarnation or personally, He comes. Therefore it is said, yad yad vidhatte bhagavān. But because He comes to paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8), He has no anxiety. Svacchandātmā. And He does by His own internal potency. He does not take anyone's help. That is Kṛṣṇa. That is Bhagavān. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. He has got so varieties of energies that everything is done very correctly and perfectly.

na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate
na tat-samaś cābhyadhikaś ca dṛśyate
parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate
svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca

(Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport)

Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā. Everything is being done perfectly. So there are activities. Those who are impersonalists, they cannot understand. They cannot understand what is the Personality of Godhead. Nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, tribhir guṇamayair bhāvaiḥ, mohitam. Because they are covered by the influence of three kinds of material modes of nature, one cannot understand what is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). But He reveals Himself to the devotees. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55).

Lecture on SB 3.25.11 -- Bombay, November 11, 1974:

But this sense comes after many, many births. Not very easily. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). After many, many births struggling, when one comes to real perfection of knowledge, he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Why? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Because at that time he understands perfectly that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything. This is Bhagavad-gītā lesson. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca prakṛtir bhinnā me aṣṭadhā (BG 7.4). Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā... Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy. Sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Whatever we are seeing, that is exhibition or manifestation of two energies. Just like the sun has got two energies, heat and light. Everyone knows. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa has got many energies.

Lecture on SB 3.25.14 -- Bombay, November 14, 1974:

Striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. And Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ ye 'nye ca pāpā, ye anye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ śudhyanti (SB 2.4.18). Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. It is all-embracing. There are many... Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ (SB 1.5.17), patet tato yadi, bhajann apakvo 'tha. Tyaktvā sva-dharmam. Sva-dharmam means everyone has got his occupational duty, sva-dharmam. Generally, we consider brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. They have got their sva-dharma. Brāhmaṇa has got his duties, kṣatriya has got his duty. Cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā-sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). So sva-dharma means... Suppose one gives up his occupational duty and takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ hareḥ, and takes to the shelter of Kṛṣṇa, but bhajann apakvaḥ, could not mature his devotional service, bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi, and he falls down... This is Nārada's statement. So he says, "What is the loss even if he falls down? By sentiment he comes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and even if he falls down, still, where is the loss? And contrary to this, a man who is performing very perfectly his sva-dharma, but has no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then what is the gain?" There is no gain.

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

So simply this qualification required, that you become perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then you perfectly become jñānī. Jñāna is there. Simply it is covered by the curtain of ignorance. Just like in darkness. Everything is there. The light is there, everything is there. But as soon as it is dark, we cannot see where the things are there. So Kṛṣṇa says that anyone can understand Himself, anyone can understand Kṛṣṇa and the relationship, provided the darkness of ignorance is taken away. That is required. That is done by Kṛṣṇa personally. For whom? Teṣām evānukampārtham (BG 10.11). Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Those who are engaged twenty-four hours with love and faith in devotional service. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. The buddhi-yogam. He directs, "Do like this, do like that." Then... What for buddhi? Yena mām upayānti te. Then, gradually, you come to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 3.25.22 -- Bombay, November 22, 1974:

Therefore if one can understand Bhagavad-gītā perfectly and he takes to this system of religion, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), then he can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because where Bhagavad-gītā is ended, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins from that point. Because in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, in the introductory verses, Vyāsadeva says, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). "This, this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not ordinary type of religious system, because from this Bhāgavatam, kaitava, cheating type of religion, is completely swept away, kicked out, thrown away." Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra (SB 1.1.2). And upon this the great commentator Śrīdhara Svāmī, he says, atra mokṣa-vāñchā api nirasta. Because we know dharma-artha-kāma-mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). So Śrīdhara Svāmī says that dharmaḥ projjhita... Because people are becoming religious for mokṣa, liberation. So Śrīdhara Svāmī says that up to the end of mokṣa-vāñchā, desire for liberation, that is also rejected. The... Because mokṣa is also not our ultimate goal of life. Mokṣa means to get relief from the material bondage. But if you do not get engagement of spiritual life, then mokṣa is also cheating because you'll fall down again.

Lecture on SB 3.25.26 -- Bombay, November 26, 1974:

This is the Vedic instruction. Everything, in every creation, there is hand of the Supreme Lord. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). But one who has got eyes to see, he can see Kṛṣṇa, anucintayā, by thinking, by thoughtful, not like rascal, "It has come automatically." Why? Nothing comes automatically. How it comes automatically? That is rascaldom. It has come through the intelligence of Kṛṣṇa. But His power is so fine and so accurate that svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. If you paint one picture of flower, you will have to arrange for so many things. Still, it will not be perfect. And this flower has come so perfectly. Does it mean there was no brain behind it? You nonsense. There is brain. And Kṛṣṇa says that mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram: (BG 9.10) "Don't think prakṛti, nature, is working automatically, no. Under My direction." So one has to eye, one has to develop that eye. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). Then one can see how things are going on. That is required, bhaktyā. Bhaktyā pumāñ jāta-virāga aindriyāt. This will be possible.

Lecture on SB 3.25.29 -- Bombay, November 29, 1974:

So spiritual life, that is spiritual life, that if you take to spiritual life and take to the process then your ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, your spiritual life, will be blissful more and more. It is not decrease. Because we want ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. Living being or Para-brahman or Brahman, everyone is ānandamaya. That ānanda can..., you get perfectly when you take ānandamaya with Kṛṣṇa, in association with Kṛṣṇa. You associate with Kṛṣṇa as servant or as friend or as father, as mother, as conjugal lover. There are five rasas: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. Here also in this material world we have got the same rasas. We are related with somebody as father, or somebody as son, somebody as lover, somebody as beloved, somebody as master, somebody as servant. This is relationship. This is the perverted reflection of the spiritual world. Therefore although we have got the same relationship for relishing... Today I am loving my son and tomorrow my son may be the greatest enemy. There is no eternity of such love. Or the son may die. There is no eternity. Today I am loving some man or woman; it may break tomorrow. That is the defect of the material world. But in the spiritual world the same relationship will never break.

Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:

The Brahman realization means stopping the activities of the body. But the activities of the mind is going on, or they do not know. It is not perfect knowledge. Therefore I have said several times that the Brahman realization, those who are Brahman realized souls, they are not in perfect knowledge. Aviśuddha-buddhi. They have been described as aviśuddha. Viśuddha means very purified, and "a" means "not." Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Their intelligence is not yet perfectly purified. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa. They are thinking that "Now we have become liberated." No. That is not liberation. Here is liberation. Why? Hṛtātmano hṛta-prāṇāṁś ca bhaktiḥ. When the mind and the senses are all absorbed in Kṛṣṇa, that is the bhakti state. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). The people think that bhakti is a sentiment thing. No. It is above liberation. Above liberation. Unless one is not liberated, he cannot stand on the platform of bhakti. That is bhakti. That is called parā-bhakti. Aparā-bhakti and parā-bhakti.

So any devotee who is serious about this Deity worship, hearing about Kṛṣṇa, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, following the Vedic principle, or rejecting the sinful activities of life... In this way we can come to the platform of spiritual life, and if we act accordingly, that is called bhakti-yoga or the liberated stage.

Thank you very much. (end)

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

So in this way, if we actually establish... Establish means reestablish. It is already established. We have got different types of relationship. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. Svarūpa-siddhi. When you are perfect in spiritual life, you will understand what is your relationship with Kṛṣṇa automatically. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. You have got original relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. Caitanya-caritāmṛta. That is a... Just like you are son of some gentleman. That is a fact. It is not that the son becomes father or father becomes son. No. The son is son; the father is father. Similarly, we have got an eternal relationship with Kṛṣṇa, either as father, or as lover, or as servant, like that. So that is self-realization. When you will be perfect in love, in loving Kṛṣṇa, then in what status of life you will love, that you will under... That will be revealed. That is called svarūpa-siddhi. So svarūpa-siddhi is not something artificial. When one becomes perfectly spiritually realized, then he understands what is his relationship with Kṛṣṇa and he begins his service in that relationship as father, as friend, as guru, or as servant, like that.

Lecture on SB 3.25.39-40 -- Bombay, December 8, 1974:

So who can be better guru than Kṛṣṇa? He is the original guru. Here it is stated, guruḥ. In the previous verse, yeṣām ahaṁ priya ātmā sutaś ca sakhā guruḥ. Guruḥ. So you don't accept anyone guru, but accept guru, Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa is instructing Bhagavad-gītā as guru. Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7). Arjuna says, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, I am accepting as my guru. I am Your śiṣya." So everyone should become like that, accept Kṛṣṇa as guru. Or Kṛṣṇa's representative. You can say, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? I don't find." But Kṛṣṇa's representative is there. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

So one who knows Kṛṣṇa perfectly, he is Kṛṣṇa's representative. And to know Kṛṣṇa is very difficult task? No. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. But if you, like a rascal, interpret in a different way, then you are not a guru. You are a goru, then you are animal. You are guru so long you take Bhagavad-gītā as it is.

Lecture on SB 3.25.43 -- Bombay, December 11, 1974:

Here it is, same thing is said: jñāna-vairāgya-yuktena bhakti-yogena. Unless you have got full knowledge, jñāna, and vairāgya, full renunciation... "No more material life." This is called renunciation. And no more sense gratification. Material life means sense gratification. Everyone is working so hard day and night. Why? For sense gratification. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham (SB 7.9.45). Gṛhamedhi, those who have accepted this body or the society or the family or the nation, all this gṛha... It is called gṛha. Or gṛhamedhi, those who are attached to all these things, gṛhamedhi. Their only happiness: yan maithunādi, sexual intercourse, that's all. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham. Very insignificant, very abominable combination of man and woman. And they are working so hard day and night. That is the only pleasure. So vairāgya means when you will be detestful to this sex pleasure. That is called vairāgya. "No more." Yad-avadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde. That is possible only when you are perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious. Otherwise it is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.26.1 -- Bombay, December 13, 1974:

So we have to understand Bhagavān and we have to hear from Him. And He's speaking perfectly in the Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And if you take it yad viditvā, if you are fortunate enough to understand the words of Kṛṣṇa and Kapiladeva, then the result will be vimucyeta: immediately become liberated. If you are fortunate enough, if you are intelligent enough to understand the words of Kapiladeva or Kṛṣṇa or Ṛṣabhadeva—there are so many incarnations—then puruṣaḥ prākṛtair vimucyeta. Vimucyeta means become free, uncontaminated. What is that contamination? Prākṛta-guṇa, these material infection that "I'm brāhmaṇa," "I'm kṣatriya," "I'm vaiśya," "I'm śūdra," "I'm American," "I'm Indian," "I'm this," "I'm that." These are all prakṛti. Prakṛti, material qualifications. Even if you are perfect brāhmaṇa, that is also material qualification. But in the platform of pure brāhmaṇa you can have the chance of understanding the aprākṛta, adhokṣaja. Therefore you have to become brāhmaṇa, qualified brāhmaṇa. Then there is chance.

Lecture on SB 3.26.3 -- Bombay, December 15, 1974:

Guṇān, these guṇa, samatītya, samyag-rūpeṇa atītya perfectly overcoming. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). Immediately he is situated in the Brahman platform. So ātmā is nirguṇa. Nirguṇa stage means when you are engaged in devotional service, that is your nirguṇa stage. Devotional service is nirguṇa. All other services or activities... We are rendering service. Either you are rendering service in office, or to your family, or to your cat, or to your dog, or to your government, or to your society—you must be giving some service. There is no escape. But that is saguṇa service, under these material laws. So you have to give nirguṇa service. If you give nirguṇa, then you become nirguṇa.

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

So this is called tattva, to know about Kṛṣṇa perfectly. And the informations are there in the śāstras. And simply to understand it, we require a little qualification. We require little qualification. Otherwise, everything is there. That qualification is to increase the temper of your devotion, or increase the quality of your love for Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilo... (Bs. 5.38). And that love can be increased by the process:

ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā
tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā rucis tataḥ
athāsaktis tato bhāvas tataḥ premābhyudañcati
sādhakānām ayaṁ premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ
(Cc. Madhya 23.14-15)
This is step by step.
Lecture on SB 3.26.4 -- Bombay, December 16, 1974:

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving, educating people how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, how to know the science of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā. And anyone who knows Kṛṣṇa perfectly well... That is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu approves that it doesn't matter what he is, a scientist. Yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, sei 'guru' haya: (CC Madhya 8.128) "Anyone who knows perfectly well the science of Kṛṣṇa," kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā, "in truth, he is guru." Nobody can become guru unless he knows the science of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is said in the śāstra that ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipraḥ. Vipra means brāhmaṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.10 -- Bombay, December 22, 1974:

One who understands this science... Iti matvā bhajante mām. Who? Now, budha, one who has understood very perfectly well through the śāstra, through sādhu. Sādhu, śāstra, guru. The source of information is sādhu, śāstra, guru.

That is also recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā:

tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
(BG 4.34)

So we have to approach to a guru, tattva-darśī. Tattva-darśī. Tattva-darśī means... What is tattva? Tattva means truth. One who has seen the truth. We have to approach such tattva-darśī. And what is that tattva?

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

That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Who is prapadyate? Who surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Unless one understands Kṛṣṇa perfectly, why one should surrender? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Big, big scholars they, "It is too much," they say. "It is too much. Kṛṣṇa is demanding, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is too much." This is not too much; this is the real position. If he is actually advanced in his knowledge... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). That is not attainable in one life. If he persists in knowledge, understanding of the Absolute Truth, then, after many, many births, when he is actually in knowledge, then he surrenders to Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That kind of mahātmā... You will find so many mahātmās simply by changing the dress. Not that kind of mahātmā. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. It is very difficult to find out such mahātmās, but there are. If one is fortunate, he can meet such mahātmā, and his life becomes successful. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.26.21 -- Bombay, December 30, 1974:

That is the process given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, how to cleanse the citta, consciousness. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). Mārjanam means cleansing, polishing. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. And as soon as the citta, or consciousness, you perfectly cleanse, then bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam, this bhava-mahā-dāvāgni... The material existence is compared with blazing forest fire. This is the right comparison because in the forest nobody goes to set fire, but it takes place. You cannot stop it. And when the forest fire is there, you cannot stop the fire also by your so many counteracting method, namely getting the fire brigade or buckets of water. That is also not possible. Therefore Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has compared this material life as blazing forest fire, saṁsāra-dāvānala-līḍha-loka **.

Lecture on SB 3.26.22 -- Bombay, December 31, 1974:

Everyone is hankering after śāntatvam, the whole world, because in the material world you cannot be on the platform of śāntatvam. Only on the spiritual platform and when you are engaged in the service of the Lord, then you will get this position, svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam. Iti cetasaḥ vṛttibhir lakṣaṇaṁ proktam. How one has become Kṛṣṇa conscious, there are, these are the symptoms, the brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na... (BG 18.54). We have to understand by the symptoms. If somebody says, "I am very rich man," so generally we want to see the symptoms: "Oh, he is very rich man. Oh, he has got this car. He has got this house. He has got this..." Then we can understand he is rich man. But if these symptoms are not there, how we can understand that he is rich man? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means these are the symptoms: svacchatvam avikāritvaṁ śāntatvam. When you attain these three stages, these symptom, then you are perfectly Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 3.26.27 -- Bombay, January 4, 1975:

So we have to find out such guru, Vaiṣṇava. Śāstra says, ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ. Not only expert in six kinds of occupational..., paṭhana pāṭhana yajana yājana dāna pratigraha, but mantra-tantra-viśāradaḥ: "Vedic mantra or tantra—everything he knows perfectly well." Ṣaṭ-karma-nipuṇo vipro mantra-tantra..., avaiṣṇavo gurur na sa syāt: "But if he has got one disqualification—he is faithless; he does not believe in the Supreme Personality of Godhead or Viṣṇu; he is believer in other demigods and other process, even Lord Śiva or Lord Brahmā, the best of all the demigods—then he becomes avaiṣṇava." Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was very learned scholar, son of a brāhmaṇa, very good scholar, and economically developed, but only fault was avaiṣṇava: he did not care for Rāma. So he is designated as rākṣasa. So avaiṣṇava, who is not devotee of Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gurur na sa syāt, he cannot become guru. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

Don't try to gather knowledge through these naked senses. Try to gather knowledge just like how creation is made. And that is stated here by the authorities, Kapiladeva. And if you take it, then your knowledge is perfect. And if you imagine, "Perhaps there was a chunk, and there was this, there was that"—all nonsense. At least we, Kṛṣṇa conscious men, we don't accept this nonsensical proposition. Our knowledge is derived-tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva abhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). This is Vedic injunction. "If you want to know perfectly, if you want to have perfect knowledge," tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum eva, "you must approach guru." Here is guru, Kapiladeva, or Kṛṣṇa, God. God is guru, original guru. God gave lessons to Brahmā. Brahmā gave lessons to Nārada. Nārada gave lessons to Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva gave lessons to us. This is Vyāsadeva's contribution. And if you follow this disciplic succession, then you get perfect knowledge. Otherwise, if you speculate, then you are in darkness, tamasi. What power you have got? All your senses are imperfect. How you can get perfect knowledge? That is not possible. Therefore the injunction is, tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet: (MU 1.2.12) "You must go to guru." And who is guru? This paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2).

Lecture on SB 3.26.32 -- Bombay, January 9, 1975:

So this worship is going on under this paramparā system. It is not manufactured. Ācāryaṁ mām... What the ācārya says, if you follow, then you become perfect. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā (BG 4.34). If you follow the instruction of ācārya, then you understand perfectly everything. Tad viddhi praṇi... But you have to understand by praṇipātena, by submission, not by challenging. If you challenge, then you will never be able to understand. This whole process is submission. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). If you are not prepared to submit, then you will never understand. You will remain in this tamas, tamas. Tamasi mā. But don't remain in tamas. Come to the light.

Thank you very much. (end)

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

So to take shelter of the daivī-māyā... Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). If we take shelter of the daivī-māyā, Rādhārāṇī, then She will give us intelligence in such a way that we can take shelter of Kṛṣṇa perfectly. So daivī-māyā āśritāḥ, as soon as we become under the shelter of daivī-māyā, then our business becomes bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ, simply serving Kṛṣṇa, no other business. And in the material world so long we are under the protection of mahā-māyā we have got many things to serve. Bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo 'vyavasāyinām. When we are under the care of daivī-māyā, then our only business is to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is our original constitutional position, Kṛṣṇa-dāsa. As we have several times given this example, the part and parcel of my body, the finger, it is always serving the whole body according to the order, similarly, as part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa, our only business is to serve Him. Whatever we have got in possession...

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

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa or if anyone wants to understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, tattvataḥ, in truth, then he has to understand it through bhakti, not any other process, although there are many other processes, different ways. Some so-called philosophers, they say that "We can adopt any process. It leads to the same goal." That's all right, provided you make progress. Then you'll reach to the same goal. But if you become stuck up with the process only, you do not make progress, then it does not lead to the same goal. Just like one staircase going to the fourth floor. So you cross, say, twenty-five steps. You are in a certain position. If you cross fifty steps, you are in a certain position. If you cross sixty steps... In this way, the final may be hundred steps. So unless you go to the hundredth step, the final position is not attained, although it is leading to the same goal. Therefore we have to make progress. From karma-kāṇḍa we have to learn what is the actual position of karma-kāṇḍa, why we are engaged in karma-kāṇḍa. That is called jñāna. Then, coming to the jñāna-kāṇḍa, then you come to the upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Then upāsanā-kāṇḍa, when you reach the highest, topmost upāsanā... Upāsanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. When you become Vaiṣṇava, when you worship Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, that is the perfectional stage.

Lecture on SB 3.26.45 -- Bombay, January 20, 1975:

So we may be very intelligent scientifically or mathematically or physically, biologically. That's all right. But when we compare with the intelligence of Kṛṣṇa, it is less by two cubits. It is less. That we should always understand. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). We have to accept this, that we cannot excel the intelligence of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. I may show varieties of magic and declare myself Kṛṣṇa, or God. But still, you cannot show as perfectly magical arts as Kṛṣṇa is showing. That is not possible. If we understand this fact and realize it, then we can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). We are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. There is little value like Kṛṣṇa. But we can never be equal with Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Asamordhva. Nobody can be equal with Kṛṣṇa; nobody can be greater than Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is lower than Kṛṣṇa. So this intelligence is real intelligence, and if we think that equal to Kṛṣṇa or greater than Kṛṣṇa, that is all māyā.

Lecture on SB 3.26.45 -- Bombay, January 20, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to know that no more greater than Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is greater than Kṛṣṇa. Nobody is equal to Kṛṣṇa. If we understand this much perfectly... We cannot understand perfectly because that is not possible. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. But as far as we have got our knowledge, if we understand this fact, that "I can never become equal with Kṛṣṇa; neither I can become greater than Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. I have to remain always subordinate to Kṛṣṇa," this is called mukti, liberation. We are entrapped in this material bondage by illusory understanding. So when we come to the right understanding, that "My position is always subordinate to Kṛṣṇa," that is called mukti. Anyone can become a mukta, liberated person, as soon as he agrees to this philosophy that he is always subordinate to Kṛṣṇa, or God; he is never equal to Him nor greater than Him. Asama-ūrdhva. And those who are thinking that they are equal with Kṛṣṇa, that is māyā. Māyā mohitaṁ nābhijānāti. They do not know their actual... But when he comes to the knowledge, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ... (BG 7.19). That is required.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1976:

Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended, paraṁ vijāyate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. Simply by... Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended not whimsically. This is the prescription of this age: kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). If you perfectly chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya—not any other name but Kṛṣṇa-mukta-saṅgaḥ: you can become free from this material association, or the contamination due to material contact. That is the special advantage of this age. This age, Kali-yuga, is full of faulty things. Kaler doṣa-nidhe. It is an ocean of faulty things. It is very, very difficult. Sarvānge gha upaidha (?) mala. A man is suffering from itches or what is called..., sores, all over the body. So where he shall give ointment? He should be dipped in the ointment. This is the position. Similarly, how much you will find out, "This is faulty, this is faulty, this is faulty." The life in the Kali-yuga itself is faulty. Everything is faulty. So... But still, Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He has given an opportunity that by chanting His holy name one can become free from this faulty position. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅga paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). It is possible.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

He's also living entity, we are also living entity, but He is supreme and we are subordinate. That is the difference. Eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. This is our position. This is self-realization. When you understand this, that "Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Lord, or God, whatever you say, He's the whole spirit soul, and we are fragmental portion of that spirit soul, and He's the maintainer; we are maintained. He is the predominator; we are predominated," So this is first realization. This is called brahma-bhūta. And if you make more advance in brahma-bhūta stage, then maybe after many births you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. That is the, ver... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. When one is perfectly jñānavān, wise, then his business is vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). Then he can understand that Vāsudeva, the son of Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything. That realization required. That is the perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So this movement is very scientific, authorized, Vedic, and people are accepting them. Therefore I repeatedly request our Indian brothers, "Don't neglect. Take this movement very seriously." That is the only business of human life.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

So we do not know that we are now living conditional life, virupa, which is not my svarūpa. This is the science that svarūpa can be perceived, can be realized. That is described in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūta. Brahma-bhūta (SB 4.30.20), spiritual realization, that is also not svarūpa. That is the beginning of self-realization.

brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā
na śocati na kāṅkṣati
samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu
mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
(BG 18.54)

That is svarūpa. After Brahman realization, when one is perfectly free from all material anxieties, that is beginning of svarūpa. And then the conception of equality, samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Those who are learned, they have no such distinction that "I am Indian," "You are American," "You are Bengali," "I am Andhra," and this... No. This is all virūpa, all virūpa. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). We have several times explained, we have to be free from all these designation. That is svarūpa, designationless.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Stockholm, September 9, 1973:

Therefore, if you are intelligent, within this short duration of life, you make your Kṛṣṇa consciousness perfectly done and go back to Kṛṣṇa. Don't live here, don't come here again. Take that philosophy. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). If one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, then after leaving this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti, punar janma naiti, no more birth in this material world. Then were does he go? So? Finished? No: mām eti, "He comes to Me." So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so important. Just try to understand. Don't waste your time. Finish your business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness perfectly. Whatever little duration of life you have got... That is stated here: nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti na sādhu manye (SB 5.5.4). In this way, to waste time, is not at all good. Na sādhu manye. Why it is not good? Yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ: Because we have got this miserable condition of life, this body... This is due to our past action. Now if you create again the same action, then you'll have to accept another body. Then your, this miserable condition of life will continue. Will continue. Just finish it.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido (SB 1.5.18). That business can be done very perfectly well when, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, when we associate with mahātmā. It doesn't matter whether he's a sannyāsī or gṛhastha, he must be mahātmā. Mahātmā means one who has got relationship with Kṛṣṇa. That is described in the Bhagavad..., mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13), that is mahātmā. You cannot stamp anybody and become a mahātmā. No. Mahātmā's sign is, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). He has no other business. Simply he has only one business: how to please Kṛṣṇa. That is mahātmā. Ānukūlyena, just like Arjuna did. Arjuna did not like to fight. He completely denied, he set aside his arrows and bows, became very morose, and then he asked Kṛṣṇa, "I am now puzzled, you can give me instruction, what is my duty, because kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. Actually my, it is duty, my duty, that uh I am kṣatriya, and there is fight, battlefield, I should take advantage of it, but still, kārpaṇya doṣa upahata svabhāvaḥ. I am going against my nature, so I do not know what to do, please instruct." Śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam (BG 2.7).

Lecture on SB 5.5.4 -- Vrndavana, October 26, 1976:

Then what will be the benefit? Suppose I understand you very perfectly. Then what will be the result? The result is,

janma karma ca divyam
me yo janati tattvataḥ
tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
naiti mām eti
(BG 4.9)

Simply. If you simply know Kṛṣṇa, then this business, repetition of birth and death, will stop. It is so simple thing. So we should take advantage of it and utilize our human form of life perfectly.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 5.5.5 -- London, September 3, 1971:

Just like a citizen is supposed to remain free, but sometimes is put into the jail because he has worked under different criminal energy. So therefore he is put into the jail. But when he becomes perfectly civil, so there is no jail for him, he is free to move. So we have preferred to act under material energy; therefore we are suffering, there are problems. And if we prefer to act under spiritual energy, then we'll be happy. This is the difference.

So what is difference between material energy and spiritual energy? Material energy means one works for his own sense gratification, and spiritual energy means one works for sense gratification of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. There must be some sense gratification, working. But when we work for our personal sense gratification, that is called māyā. He cannot personally be satisfied without Kṛṣṇa. Just like in this body, different parts of the body, they cannot enjoy independently. If you get nice cake, you have to put it to the stomach; then you'll get energy. And if you want... This finger caught the cake and want to utilize themself, that is not possible. It must give it here. And then the energy will be distributed. This is the difference.

Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:

If you place your loving tendency to Vāsudeva, then vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ. This can be done perfectly by bhakti-yoga, not by any other. There are different yoga systems. Everything is mixed up with little bhakti, but... Just like karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, there are different. But the real yoga means loving Vāsudeva, Bhagavān. Therefore Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad-gītā, yogināṁ api sarveṣāṁ (BG 6.47). All other yoga systems there is little tinge of vāsudeva-bhakti, but not cent percent pure. It is mixed. Miśra-bhakti. Miśra-bhakti will not be immediately fruitful. It will take long, long time. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). Everything, there is some bhakti-yoga, but if it is not pure, then it will take very, very, very, very long time, bahūnāṁ janmanām. One janma means hundreds of years. We are not talking of any other janma. Even human form of life. Because those who are advanced in spiritual life, there is every possibility for getting next life a human being. Otherwise nobody knows. Those who are ignorant, they do not know. There will be change of body—tathā dehāntara prāptir—that is a fact. But those who are in the sattva-guṇa, they are sure to get next life in the human society. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). This śucīnāṁ, pure brāhmaṇa, and śrīmatāṁ, very rich vaiśya, or kṣatriya. Kings and mercantile community, they are rich, śrīmat. Śrī means opulence, and mat means one who has. Śrīmatām.

Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:

So this is a chance that even if you are failure in this life, somehow or other, you get chance next life again human form of life, either in a very nice pure brāhmaṇa family or Vaiṣṇava family. Vaiṣṇava family is better than brāhmaṇa family. (break) ...ringing the karatālas, chanting, dancing, offering obeisances to the Lord, temple atmosphere. Don't think it is ordinary opportunity. It is very great opportunity. From the very beginning of life they are getting impression, bhakti-yoga. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yoga. These are not going in vain. Even a child is playing karatāla, imitation. Not imitation. He's given the chance. He was previously Vaiṣṇava. Somehow or other, he could not make his life perfect. Therefore he is given again chance. So naturally he has got tendency to play the karatāla, to offer flower here, to offer obeisances. They take pleasure. It is due to previous life, yogas. But it was not perfectly done, so somehow or other they are getting chance from the very beginning of life. It does not mean that if somebody did not get the chance from the very beginning of life he cannot. He can be also.

Lecture on SB 5.5.19 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1976:

We become philosophers. With gross understanding, dull understanding, poor understanding, how you can understand yourself and God? So there is no question of self-realization by your gross understanding. You have to understand by hearing. Therefore to get real knowledge is not by the eyes and senses but by the ear. Therefore Vedic knowledge is called śruti. You have to receive knowledge—śruti. Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Why? The guru means who is fully aware of the śruti, śrotriyam, one who has perfectly listened to his guru. Śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham. And by hearing only, he has become brahma-niṣṭham, without any doubt: "Yes, there is God. Yes." We have to approach such person who has perfectly listened to his... Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). So by śruti, by hearing oral reception. Just like there is practical example. Suppose you are sleeping, and somebody is coming to do you some harm, to kill you. But another person is warning you, "Please get up! Get up! Somebody is coming to kill you." But it will act, because while other senses are practically dead, the ear is working. By hearing, you can get up. This is practical.

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

Pradyumna: "Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Thus the great well-wisher of everyone, the Supreme Lord, Ṛṣabhadeva, instructed His own sons. Although they were perfectly educated and cultured, He instructed them just to set an example of how a father should instruct his sons before retiring from family life. Sannyāsīs, who are no longer bound by fruitive activity and who have taken to devotional service after all their material desires have been vanquished, also learn by these instructions. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva instructed His one hundred sons, of whom the eldest, Bharata, was a very advanced devotee and a follower of Vaiṣṇavas. In order to rule the whole world, the Lord enthroned His eldest son on the royal seat. Thereafter, although still at home, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva lived like a madman, naked and with disheveled hair. Then the Lord took the sacrificial fire within Himself, and He left Brahmavarta to tour the whole world."

Prabhupāda:

evam anuśāsyātmajān svayam anuśiṣṭān api loka-anuśāsanārthaṁ mahānubhāvaḥ...
(SB 5.5.28)

Here the important point is about monarchy. There are different types of government, of which monarchy is the most prominent style. Formerly everywhere, all over the world, the monarchy was prevalent. Even up to date some of the countries, they are maintaining monarchy but only in name actually. The monarch has no power. So monarchy is good so long the king is as ideal as Bharata Mahārāja, Ṛṣabhadeva, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, Lord Rāmacandra.

Lecture on SB 5.5.30 -- Vrndavana, November 17, 1976:

So everything will be perfectly executed—yoga, jñāna, karma, and many other processes—if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the real purpose. If you come to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then everything is perfect. Even if you cannot execute yoga, jñāna, karma perfectly, still you are perfect. Still you are perfect. But the central point is that we must be absorbed always in thinking of Kṛṣṇa within the core of our heart. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Simply you should remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours, even in sleeping. That is the perfect stage. But we have to practice. It is not simply words. But it can be practiced; it is not impossible. The practice Kṛṣṇa is recommending, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "Always think of Me." Our, this temple worship... Mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. And "Always think of Me." This class, this kīrtana, this prasāda distribution and offering obeisances, worshiping, so many—śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23)—take any one of them or all of them. Be perfect in that particular process. Try to become, at least.

Lecture on SB 5.5.30 -- Vrndavana, November 17, 1976:

So our preaching is like that. Śrī kṛṣṇa caitanya prabhu nityānanda. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥv. This process is adopted not by rascals. Su-medhasaḥ, those who have got good brain, they will take it. So very simple thing, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is approved by the ācāryas, by big, big scholars. So you have no fear of falling down. So take Caitanya Mahāprabhu's first mercy, and then preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You'll be successful. It is not possible nowadays to imitate Ṛṣabhadeva. Just like the Jains, they imitate that. What their imitation...? Not a single Jain up till now has become perfectly in the renounced order of life. So they say so. It was imitated by one king in the South India, and he is the originator, propounder of the Jainism. They say. But you cannot imitate Ṛṣabhadeva. That is not possible in this age. Better try to follow the instruction of Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Kṛṣṇa. Your life will be perfect.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on SB 5.5.35 -- Vrndavana, November 22, 1976:

ne who has become sama-darśinaḥ, he is perfectly learned. And that is very difficult. It is meant for them. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo atra paramo nirmatsarāṇām (SB 1.1.2). It is not meant for such bhangi (?), one who thinks that "My Hinduism is better than your Muhammadanism," or he thinks, "My Muhammadanism is better than your Hinduism." The matsaratam, it is in religious platform... There is matsara. That matsaratā dharma, that kind of religious system... Just like there are everywhere the same thing. In Ireland the fighting is going on between the Protestants and the Catholics. Is it not? Going on continuously. Now it has become so dangerous that you cannot walk on the street. At any moment there will be bombs. Last time when I was in London I had the experience. All of a sudden our car was diverted.

Lecture on SB 5.6.7 -- Vrndavana, November 29, 1976:

So we must come to the light and may not sleep and lose the chance of human form of body. Here the instruction is that Kṛṣṇa, or Ṛṣabhadeva... Ṛṣabhadeva is bhagavata ṛṣabha-devasya, rṣabhasya. Imāṁ jagatīm abhimāna, abhimāna ābhāsena. Abhimāna ābhāsena. He looks like ordinary human being, but you should be careful. No. He is not ordinary human being. Then... Therefore we must know. These are the knowledge given by... And if we understand it perfectly... Understanding means when we are uncontaminated, we can understand. So long we are contaminated—daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14)—then you cannot. But you can get out of the clutches of this māyā. Then you can understand. How? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Just surrender. Surrender means to surrender... Mayy āsakta manaḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is surrender. Mad-āśrayaḥ. Take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, we cannot take shelter directly, mad-āśrayaḥ. But you can take shelter of a person who has taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa. If one is surcharged with electricity, if you touch him, then you will be also electrified. Evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo (BG 4.2). Kṛṣṇa, five thousand years ago He spoke Bhagavad-gītā. How we can hear Him? Yes, you can hear Him by paramparā system.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

Where is Bhagavad-gītā? Find out this verse. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu: "Out of many millions of men." The human life is meant for understanding God. Then... He can understand, but the attempt is not there. They are after sense gratification. Nobody is interested to understand God. Everybody is interested in cats' and dogs' business, sense gratification. Therefore out of many millions of men, one can understand that "My life is meant for other purpose." That is called siddhi, perfection, "How I shall make my life perfect?" This desire arises in one man out of millions. And they are simply engaged, how to satisfy senses perfectly. But that will never be done. A sane man thinks that "I have done it so many lives. I have not been satisfied. I have not become perfection. Then where is perfection?" That inquisitiveness makes him eligible. Just like ādau śraddhā. I have already explained. So after becoming siddha, perfect... Perfect means one must know that "I am not this body; I am soul," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That is perfection of knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām: (BG 7.3) "Those who have become perfect, out of many millions of them, one can understand what I am." It is not so easy to understand God. But if you take the process as is recommended in the śāstras by saintly person, then it is easy. Otherwise it is not easy. If you speculate to understand God, that is not possible. Then you go on and many, many years speculating. You will never understand God. Either you take the shelter of Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa, if you follow his instruction—this is the way of understanding—then you will understand. But if you don't care for his instruction, then you will never understand. This is the process. Hmm.

Page Title:Perfectly (Lectures, SB)
Compiler:Mayapur
Created:06 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=151, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:151