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Rich man (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"rich man" |"rich men" |"richer man" |"richest man" |"richest men"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:

The Lord suggests that one has to reach that spiritual world in the following manner, nirmāna-mohā.

nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣā
adhyātma-nityā vinivṛtta-kāmāḥ
dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-saṁjñair
gacchanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat
(BG 15.5)

That padam avyayam, that eternal kingdom, can be reached by one who is nirmāna-mohā. Nirmāna-mohā. Nirmāna means we are after designations. Artificially we want some designations. Somebody wants to become sir, somebody wants to become lord, somebody wants to become the president, or somebody wants to become a rich man, somebody wants to become something else, king. All these designations, so long we'll have attachment for all these designations... Because after all these designations belong to the body, and we are not this body. This is the first conception of spiritual realization. So one has no attraction for designation.

Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is -- Los Angeles, November 23, 1968 :

Now this bhagavān, you have heard, many times I have explained, bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. There are six kinds of opulences. What is that? Wealth, and then influence, strength, reputation and knowledge, beauty and renunciation. Is it not six? If a man is wealthy, very rich, just like in your country Rockefeller, Ford, there are many rich men in your, the..., your country is very rich. So if one is very rich he is called opulent. If a man is very reputed, famous man, he is also opulent. If a man is very influential, he is also opulent. If a man is very strong... Now the strong man, formerly strong men had request, ahh, respect. All the kings, they were respected on their personal strength. They used to..., they had to fight with the opponents. So that is also opulence. Then beauty. A very beautiful man or woman, that is also opulence. And wise, very learned, wise man, that is also opulence—scientist, philosopher, mathematician. So they are also opulent. And renouncer. Renouncer, that one who give up everything, he has everything in his possession, but he disposes himself, that is called renunciation. Just like king, Mahārāja Bharata, under whose name India is called Bhārata-varṣa. He was the emperor of the world, but at the age of twenty-four years only he gave up everything—his young wife, young children. Lord Buddha, Lord Buddha was prince, but very young boy, at the age of twenty years or something like that, he gave up everything, his father's kingdom. This is called renunciation. At the present moment (chuckles) hardly there is any sense of renunciation, but formerly there were many kings, many princes who renounced everything for spiritual advancement. So these six principles are called bhaga.

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

Therefore formerly a brāhmaṇa, when he accepts a service from anywhere, he was rejected from the brāhmaṇa society. You know, Sanātana Gosvāmī. Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, they belonged to a very high-class brāhmaṇa, Sarasvata Brāhmaṇa, very rich men. But both the brothers accepted service in Mohammedan government as ministers, and they were immediately rejected from the brāhmaṇa society. It is not very long ago, say, about five hundred years ago. The brāhmaṇa society was so strong. As soon as they will accept service. You know, the Tagore family of Calcutta, Rabindranatha Tagore, they are also brāhmaṇas. But we know, in our childhood, they were also excommunicated from the brāhmaṇa family because they also accepted service.

Lecture on BG 1.20 -- London, July 17, 1973:

You simply see Kṛṣṇa nicely decorated in the temple. That is bhakti. You simply prepare foodstuff for Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. You simply chant the holy name of Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. In this way we can utilize all the senses. We can utilize our hands in collecting flowers, in cleansing the temple. If we haven't got education, ignorant, it doesn't require. Simply engage your senses, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Then you become perfect. You have got your senses. Engage the senses for the service of Kṛṣṇa. Then you become perfect. Very nice thing. You don't require to become a very big philosopher, very rich man, very nicely educated, nothing of the sort. Simply you have got your senses. Engage the senses in the service of Kṛṣṇa, your life is perfect. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 1.21-22 -- London, July 18, 1973:

So we are family members of Kṛṣṇa, not void. That is another rascaldom. Why Kṛṣṇa should be alone? He is so powerful, He is so opulent, have you got any experience that a powerful person, opulent person is alone? Where is that example? Any rich man, any powerful man, any king, any lord, oh, he has got so many associates. So how Kṛṣṇa can be alone? Kṛṣṇa is never alone. Therefore you will find always Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, Kṛṣṇa with the cowherds boys, Kṛṣṇa with Arjuna. Kṛṣṇa is never alone. So these are the conditions of becoming acyuta. So Arjuna knows all these things because he is a devotee. Therefore particularly he is addressing Kṛṣṇa, senayor ubhayor madhye rathaṁ sthāpaya me acyuta (BG 1.21). That's all right. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 1.24-25 -- London, July 20, 1973:

So here is śāstra, Bhagavad-gītā. Hṛṣīkeśa. We have already explained one day. Here also, again we are explaining. Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is there. He never leaves from Vṛndāvana. He is there. Why? Here also. Just like we see, a very rich man, a very influential man, the president, he lives in his... The Queen, she is in the Buckingham Palace. But she cannot go at the same time anywhere and everywhere. No. She is in, packed up in Buckingham Palace. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Therefore He is Hṛṣīkeśa. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and others. Kṛṣṇa is goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Ātma-bhūta. This ātma-bhūta is Hṛṣīkeśa. He is giving intelligence. The more you become purified, the more you get direct instruction from Hṛṣīkeśa. This is the point. So how you can become purified? Purified means no more influenced by the modes of material nature. That is explained: guḍākeśa. Guḍāka īśa. Guḍāka means darkness, and īśa. When you become master of this material world, or material senses. This material world means material senses. That's all. So if you become master of the material senses, then you become guḍākeśa. Therefore Arjuna is described here as guḍākeśa. Arjuna... Don't take Arjuna that he was mistaken. No, he cannot be. How he can be? He is constantly with Kṛṣṇa. How he can be misdirected? No. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

So viparītāni. Nimittāni ca paśyāmi viparītāni keśava. Viparītāni means "just the opposite." "I have come here to fight to regain my kingdom. That is the cause for which I have come here to fight, but actually I am seeing it is just the opposite. My fighting will be useless. I came here to fight for some useful purpose, but now I see that viparītāni, just opposite. It will be useless." Why useless? Because one tries to become rich man, opulent—this is material nature—just to show to his relatives, to his friends, to his family members, "Just see how I have become rich, opulent." This is the psychology. A man works very hard day and night to become rich just to make a show that "My dear friends, my dear relatives, you see that how I have become now rich." This is the only purpose. Nobody is working hard for serving Kṛṣṇa. This is māyā. And Kṛṣṇa consciousness means, the same hardship we shall take, but take for Kṛṣṇa. Just like our Mrs. Sharma. She was working in the family, but now she has come to work for Kṛṣṇa. And this is salvation. This is mukti. Not that we have to stop our working capacity. Simply we have to change the position. In the family life we work uselessly for so-called relatives, but the same labor, when we employ for the service of Kṛṣṇa, every inch of it is utilized.

Lecture on BG 1.45-46 -- London, August 1, 1973:

That is ordinary man. But Arjuna, he is always friend of Kṛṣṇa, constant friend. His name is Gudakesa, above all darkness. Certainly he must be. One who is Kṛṣṇa's friend directly, how there can be ignorance? There cannot be. Then why Arjuna is playing that part? He knows Kṛṣṇa's desire; still, he says that yadi mām apratikāram aśastram śastra-pāṇayaḥ. And no... Tan me kṣemataraṁ bhavet. He is playing like that. Because without Arjuna's playing like that, how this Bhagavad-gītā will come? This is just like playing on the stage. One very rich man, he is, in a drama, he is playing the part of a very poor man. But actually, he is not poor man. But in the stage he is playing the part of a poor man. Similarly, Arjuna is not bewildered, but for the time being he appears to be bewildered by Kṛṣṇa's māyā, because Kṛṣṇa wants to speak Bhagavad-gītā, for the benefit of the whole world, that what is spiritual knowledge. Therefore this is a stage arrangement.

Lecture on BG 1.45-46 -- London, August 1, 1973:

Every father and mother wants to protect the child, but still, the child has to meet some danger and dies. There are so many experience. Similarly, bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha. The father and mother is a counteraction for the dangers of the child. But Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "No, they are not counteraction." It is not that if a child is in danger, because the father and mother is very strong, very rich, he will be able to give protection to the child. No. That is not possible. Then nārtasya cāgadam. The medicine... A person is suffering from some disease, some fatal disease. If you think "I shall engage first-class physician and I shall supply first-class medicine," if you think, "Then the patient will be saved," no, that is not possible. That is not possible. We have got many experiences like that. Then no rich man would have died. Because he has got money, he can employ first-class physician, first-class medicine, and simply by engaging such things, counteracting, pratikāram, he cannot be saved. There are many examples like that. So the conclusion is tāvad vibho tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām: (SB 7.9.19) "If You neglect, if You have decided that this person, this child cannot be saved, then any amount of pratikāram will not help, will not help."

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

Dayānanda: With the twelve-year-old boy?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. He came with his wife that night.

Prabhupāda: He's Indian?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No. No. There was another Indian people there that night, but he was separately with his wife. We had a kīrtana. That was that very rich man, Indian man who came, and then there was another couple there.

Prabhupāda: So he's also rich man?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I don't think so. But he has a wife and he says many things have been changing since he chanted. He says he doesn't know whether he should attribute it to the chant, but he's going to keep chanting. And he looks very, ah, he looks much happier.

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So, chant. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.1-11 -- Johannesburg, October 17, 1975:

So we must try what is eternal. So far in the present condition, as this material condition, we do not know what is actually eternal because our body is not eternal. Therefore the first instruction is that "You are lamenting on the body which is not eternal, but you are eternal. Your business is to understand the eternal." That is called sat. And cit. Cit means knowledge. At the present moment we are all in ignorance. We do not know what is the next step, "Whether I am going to live or to die." Everything in ignorance. Therefore this body is also not cit. It is full of ignorance. Then sat, cit and ānanda, that we have got experience... Where is ānanda? Ānanda means blissfulness, joyfulness. There cannot be any joyfulness in this body. There are three kinds of miserable condition of material life: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. So either these three or one or two is always there. Adhyātmika means miserable condition on account of the body and mind. So wherever we go, the body is there. So even if I am very opulent materially with wealth, we are getting experience that even the most rich, richest man in the society, he is committing suicide. Why? He has got every resources to enjoy. Why he is committing suicide? That means there is also no ānanda, even you possess the material things. So there is no question of sac-cid-ānanda in this material condition of life. If you understand what is spiritual life and if you practice how to come to the spiritual life, spiritual platform, as Kṛṣṇa is, then we can become equal with Kṛṣṇa, sac-cid-ānanda (Bs. 5.1). Otherwise we are in ignorance. This body is not sac-cid-ānanda. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

Accepting that it is very nice, next life I shall be very learned scholar, but to become that learned scholar I'll have to take my birth. But he does not know that how much difficulties are there to take birth. Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam (BG 13.9). One should see to the duḥkha, unhappiness, on account of birth and death. So suppose you will get next life in the heavenly planet, or you shall become very rich man, or you shall become very learned man, but you have to go through these distresses, janma. They do not consider this. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-dar... Those who are actually learned, they, they should know that "Why shall I go again in the process of birth and death?" We have forgotten how much difficulty it is, how much troublesome it is, how much distress it is to remain in the womb of the mother for taking birth again. That we have forgotten. Therefore this kind of conclusion is not very intelligent conclusion. The intelligent conclusion is: tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). That is intelligent. After giving up this body, no more coming to material world. That is intelligence.

Lecture on BG 2.8-12 -- Los Angeles, November 27, 1968:

The aquatics, they have no disturbance in the water because their body is made like that. They can live there peacefully. You cannot live. Similarly, the fishes, if you take them out of the water, they cannot live. Similarly, because you are spirit soul, you cannot live peacefully in this material world. This is foreign. But as soon as you enter into the spiritual world, your life is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge, real peace. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Kṛṣṇa says, "After leaving this body, he does not come to this perplexities of material world." Mām eti, "He comes to Me." "Me" means His kingdom, His paraphernalia, His associates, everything. If some rich man or some king says, "All right, you come to me," that does not mean that he's impersonal. If a king says, "Come to..." means that he has got his palace, he has got his secretary, he has got his nice apartment, everything is there. How he can be imperson? But he says only, "Come to me." This "me" means everything. This "me" does not mean impersonal. And we get information from Brahma-saṁhitā, lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). So He's not impersonal. He's raising cows, He's with hundreds and thousands of goddesses of fortune, His friends, His paraphernalia, His kingdom, His house, everything is there. So there is no question of impersonalism.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:

This is perfect knowledge. If you inquire whether I am perfect or my disciples who are preaching this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement, they are perfect, we may be imperfect. We are imperfect. We accept we are imperfect. But we are distributing the perfect knowledge. Kindly try to understand. We may be imperfect, but perfection means one who assimilates the perfect knowledge, he is perfect. I shall give you one example. Just like a post peon delivers you one hundred dollars. The post peon is not rich man. He cannot deliver you the hundred dollars. But he... The money is sent by some, your friend. He is honestly carrying that money and delivering you. That is the post peon's business. Similarly, our duty to receive perfect knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and distribute it. Then it is perfect. This knowledge, what we are distributing, it is not that we have created this knowledge by research work or by so many other ways, by inductive process. No. Our knowledge is from the deductive process. Kṛṣṇa said, "This is this." We accept. That is our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We may be imperfect, but Kṛṣṇa is perfect. Therefore, whatever Kṛṣṇa says, if we accept it and if we.... Not accept blindly, but you can employ your logic and argument and try to understand, then your knowledge is perfect.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:

Therefore Bhāgavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). In this world we are, every one of us are bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it. This is the law of nature in this material world.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

So I am the spirit soul. I am not proprietor. I am simply occupier. The, the rascal materialists, they do not know that the proprietor is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and He is giving me a particular apartment according to my capacity of paying rent. This is my position. Otherwise, why everyone does not get first-class body, king's body or rich man's body? A child born, immediately he is rich man. So there is no arrangement? And another child born in the same moment is very poor man. Why? This is called karma-kāṇḍa. This child is given a room, an apartment, according to his capacity of paying rent. And the other child is given another apartment, very luxurious apartment, according to his capacity of rent-paying. This is called karma-kāṇḍa. According to your karma, or work, you get a body, either as a king's son or a cobbler's son or a dog's son or a cat's son or a tree's son or a plant's son. This is the nature. This is to be understood. Kṛṣṇa said in the last verse that "Don't think we did not exist in the past. We are existing at present, and we shall continue to exist in the future." Exactly like that, that we live in one apartment. Then, if I am able to pay more rent, I transfer to another apartment.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Germany, June 18, 1974:

So that is also explained here. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This kaumāraṁ yauvanam... We say "This is child's body." "This is boy's body." So they are different apartments. And according to the apartment, one's intelligence or consciousness is developed, according to the body. When the living being, or the soul, gets a... That you'll see. A poor man living in a poor cottage or very unclean apartment, his mentality is different. Another gentle, respectable gentleman, he's living in a very nice house, nice apartment, his mentality is different. So according to the circumstances, the mental changes are there. But the poor man is also a human being, and the rich man is also human being. Similarly, these so many apartments, or different types of body, different 8,400,000 types of body, the occupier, the living being, or the soul, is the same quality, but according to the apartment, or body, he has occupied, he has developed different consciousness and mentality. Is it clear or not? Where is the difficulty? They, these rascals, they do not believe in the transmigration of the soul, but where is the difficulty to understand transmigration of the soul? That is very clearly stated. And who is stating? Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority. You cannot say, "I don't believe in the transmigration." You may believe or not believe, but this is the fact. This is the fact. What you are? You don't believe? So what is loss there? Or gain there, even if you believe or not believe? Nature's work will go on. You rascal, you believe or not believe. It doesn't matter. Nature's work will go on. If you have done nicely to occupy a first-class apartment, then nature will give you a nice body.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

Similarly, we are getting different types of body according to our karma. Karmaṇā... Otherwise why all living entities are not of the same merit, same feature of the body, same position, same edu...? Why there are difference? This is common sense. Varieties of body, varieties of position, is due... Just like the same example: The poor man has got only rickshaw, and the rich man has got a Rolls Royce car because he has paid more. Similarly, if your work is nice, then you are promoted, promoted to higher standard of life, just like in the heaven—ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ—or in the Brahma-loka. But your, if your work is sinful and abominable, then you are degraded to cats and dogs. Ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthāḥ (BG 14.18). Those who are advanced in the... Because here everything is quality, everything. You go to purchase anything in the market; you will see the quality—first quality, second quality, third quality. Similarly, all living entities, all souls, they have got qualitative body. Qualitative body. So the first quality body you can get in the higher planetary system. The second quality of body means you have to remain in the middle planetary system. And the third quality body, you go down. Or... "Go down" means you become animals, trees, insects, birds, beasts, like that. This is going on.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

So mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). So that, according to the body, you get pains and pleasure of this material world. A very rich man, living very comfortably, a little painful thing is intolerable by him, because he has got a such body, so delicate body. Just like a child. Because he has got delicate the body, little pinching makes him crying, uncomfortable. So it is all due to body. But the soul is different from the body. So Kṛṣṇa is trying to convince Arjuna that "Why you are hesitating to fight? Do your duty. Your so-called grandfather or so-called guru, as you say, your teacher, they are not this body. So in this fight, if your grandfather or teacher is killed, why you are lamenting? They are eternal." That is also explained, that "They were existing in the past, they are existing at present, and they will continue to exist. Simply the body will change. So why you are lamenting? Rather, it is a great facility that your grandfather has got now old body, he is not very comfortable, but he will get next life a very new body. So it is good for him if you kill him." Of course, that is not the point. (laughter) You cannot kill without any reason. That is not point. But here, "It is fight. It is duty.

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

In the previous verse, it has been described that dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā: (BG 2.13) "We are transmigrating from one body to another. Exactly like we are passing from a child body to a boy's body, a boy's body to youth body, similarly, we are passing through this body also and accepting another body." Now, the question of distress and happiness. Distress and happiness—according to the body. A very rich man is situated little comfortably. The common distress and unhappiness, er, happiness, that is common. What is that common? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). To take birth either as a dog or as a king, the distress is the same. There is no difference because the dog has to keep itself within the womb of the mother in an airtight condition for so many months, and the man, either he is king or anything, he has also undergo that tribulation. There is no excuse. Because you are taking birth in a king's family, it does not mean that to remain compact within the mother's womb the distress is less, and because he is taking birth in a dog's mother's womb, therefore his is great. No. That is the same. Similarly, at the time of death, the distress... At the time of death there is great distress. It is so strong that one has to leave this body. Just like when the distress becomes very strong, one commits suicide. He cannot tolerate: "Finish this body."

Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:

So nobody wants to leave this body, but the distress is so strong that one is forced to leave this body. That is called death. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find that mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Kṛṣṇa says that "I am death." And what is the meaning of death? Death means "I take everything from him. Finished. I take his body, I take his association, I take his country, I take his society, I take his bank balance, and everything finished." Sarva-haraḥ. Sarva means everything. Everyone is trying to accumulated big bank balance and big house, big family, big motorcar... But with the death, everything is finished. So that is great distress. Sometimes one cries. You will find at the time of death, in coma, his eye drops are coming out. He is thinking, "I made so many things so nicely to live comfortably, and now I am losing everything." Great distress. I know one friend in Allahabad. He was very rich man. So he was only fifty-four years old. So he was requesting, crying, doctor, "Doctor, can you give me at least four years to live? I had a plan. I wanted to finish it." What the doctor can do? "That is not possible, sir. You must get out." But these foolish people, they do not know. But we have to tolerate.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

So this is the position. One is actually serving, not master. But he's thinking that he's master. This is māyā. So when we give up this false prestigious position that I am master, then you are liberated. Hitvā anyathā rūpam. Mukti, the definition of mukti is hitvā anyathā rūpaṁ svarūpeṇa avasthitiḥ. Anyathā rūpam. Now we are struggling hard within this material world, under the influence of māyā, changing different types of body. Sometimes I am going to the heavenly planets. Sometimes I am going to the hellish planets. Sometimes I am rich man. Sometimes I am poor man. Sometimes brāhmaṇa, sometimes śūdra. Sometimes tiger, sometimes tree. In this way, sarva-gata. Everywhere within this universe, the living entities are struggling for existence. Manaḥ ṣaṣṭhāni indriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūta (BG 15.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel, but foolishly, being carried by the mental concoction, prakṛti-sthāni, within this material world, karṣati, struggling to become master." This is the disease. Prakṛti-sthāni karṣati.

Lecture on BG 2.26 -- Hyderabad, November 30, 1972:

So we should follow... This is called paramparā system. As Arjuna understood Bhagavad-gītā, if we understand in that way, then we are perfect. I may be imperfect, but because I understand Bhagavad-gītā as it was understood by Arjuna, I am perfect. Because the knowledge I am distributing, that is not imperfect. Just like a post peon. A post peon is delivering you one thousand dollars. So he may be poor man, but the one thousand dollars, he is delivering, that is a fact. That is not bogus thing. Because he has not manufactured something. He has received that money order from the post office. He's asked to deliver it to such and such person. His honesty is to deliver the money order as it is to the bona fide person. That is his perfection. He doesn't require... Because he's delivering one thousand dollars, he doesn't require to become a very rich man. He may be a poor man. Similarly, a guru, a guru is perfect when he delivers the words of the superior authority as it is. Then he's perfect. He may be imperfect in your estimation. But that is his perfection, that he is not misleading people by becoming a so-called rascal scholar and interpreting in a different way and misleading the whole population. That is perfection.

Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:

Too much attachment, too much increasing of material civilization means that next life is very much dark. Bhogaiśvarya. God. Too much attachment, too much increasing of material civilization means that next life is very much dark. Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44). Just like the other day I was explaining, rāja-putra ciraṁ jīva. "Oh, the son of royal order, you live forever. Because you do not know, next life is very dark for you. Because you do not cultivate any Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have got money, and you are enjoying sense enjoyment, and as soon as this body will be finished, no more your control. Then you are completely under the control of material nature, and you'll have to accept a body as you have done in this life, because this life is preparation for the next life." You have got very concrete example. Just like President Kennedy. He was young man, very rich man, and he got the president post with great endeavor, spending so much money. He had his wife and children. But in one moment everything finished. Everything finished.

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

So one who engages this body for sense enjoyment, he is called kṛpaṇa, miser. And one who engages this body for the service of the Supreme Lord, he is called brāhmaṇa. So Lord says that "You don't be kṛpaṇa. You don't be miser." Miser want... Now, here, suppose there are so many rich men in your country and so many foundations also. And I tell you my practical experience. I wrote some letters to some good foundation that "I want to start here in America an institution for God consciousness, international institution for God consciousness. You kindly help me." Now, they have flatly refused that "Our pledge is not anything for religion or God." Just see. That means, according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are all misers. Although they have got very good foundation, they are making actually some charities, but they are miserly. They do not know where to make charity, where to make charity. The karma-yoga, karma-yoga... It will be clearly stated by Lord in later chapter, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi dadāsi yat kuruṣva tad mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). The karma-yoga process is that "Whatever you do, whatever you take trouble for, whatever you eat, and everything, offer to Me. Offer to Me." That is called karma-yoga, or yoga-sthaḥ. But the people have developed such a consciousness at the present moment that whenever they hear of God or whenever they hear of some religion, they at once become adverse to it.

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Of course, today there is no time. Otherwise I would have recited. Those who have got my books, you will see that how much profusely the earth was producing during the time of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, because the executive head of the state was a pious, so how nature was helping. Nature was helping. Now India there is scarcity, scarcity of foodstuff. But the same India was producing so much grains, even during British time, that many thousands and thousand tons of rice were being exported from India to other countries. You see? That I have seen. I have seen. My maternal uncle was very rich man by simply exporting rice to the foreign countries. Yes. Spices... And old history you will find that India, they had got their own ships for exporting spices to Greece and other countries of Europe. The history is there. And they were supplying muslin cloth, even just before the British period, Muslim period. So India's export, export, I mean to say, status was far greater than other countries. And these spices and other export attracted persons from Europe, that Vasco de Gama, and the Columbus also wanted to go, but he fortunately came to America. You see? All these Europeans and the Britishers went and established their supremacy. So India was so rich. But now how that India has become so poor? The same land is there. Why? Because they have lost that old culture, God consciousness.

Lecture on BG 2.49-51 -- New York, April 5, 1966:

Now, now according to scripture, now, one who does good work only, no sinful work, then what is the result of his good work? Oh, he gets birth in a good family, in a higher planet, or very rich man, or very educated man, very beautiful man. These are the result of good work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). Four things are obtained by good work. You get very good birth, high parentage, janma. You get very good wealth in wealthy family, or you earn millions and millions dollars. You don't think that simply by laboring, one can earn millions and millions dollars unless he has got in the background very good work. You see? Otherwise, everyone is trying to earn millions and billions, but somebody's earning very quickly, without any effort, and somebody, whole life working, he does not get even sufficient for the maintenance. So these are the result of good work and bad work. So janma-aiśvarya-śruta. High education, to become very highly learned man, that is also due to good work. And to be very beautiful, that is also result of good work. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And bad work is just opposite. Now, good work or bad work, now, when you take your birth in a good family, when you are very much educated, very much beautiful, but still, you have to accept the, I mean to say, triple miseries of material existence. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot, he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease. Similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life.

Lecture on BG 2.55-56 -- New York, April 19, 1966:

There is another very good example. Of course, that is not in your experience, but it is in our India we have got experience that on the riverside the boatman drags the boat with a rope. Have you got any experience like that here, in America? I don't think you have got. The boat is in the middle, middle of the river, and there is a big log in the middle of the boat, and that log is tied with a rope, and that rope is, I mean to say, snatched by the boatman, and the boat goes in the middle of the river. Now, while passing on the bank of the river, there are so many things which pains his, I mean to say, sole. So he is thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, then I shall cover this bank of the river with, I mean to say, soft pillows so that when I shall go by the pillows, dragging this boat, I shall have no pain." Now, our position is like that, that the foolish boatman, thinking that "When I shall be very rich man, still I shall be pulling on this business." He does not know that "If I at all become rich man, then where is the necessity of my pulling this boat in this way?" So similarly, we want to be happy in the same way, that "When I shall be able to cover the whole world with cushions and soft pillows to travel over it, then I shall have no pain of working like this." You see? This is our plan.

Lecture on BG 3.1-5 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1968:

Meditation? That you can see from the result. You'll find so many persons meditating, but see their life. Phalena paricīyate. One has to be judged by the result. You have worked very hard and supposed to be very rich man, but if I see that you have no nice apartment, neither any car, neither any opulence, so what kind of businessman you have earned? That can be understood immediately. So if one by practice of meditation is actually advancing in spiritual life, why he's materially affected? What is the difference between a person materially affected and spiritually advanced?

Take for example our students. We may not be very much highly advanced. Admitting that, but at least if any gentleman comes, if he's sincere, he'll appreciate how pure they are. At least they are practiced. You see? So by the result, one has to see. But we have seen so many meditators, they cannot change even their daily nonsense habits. So what result they have obtained, they have achieved? I cannot understand? By the result one has to take account. Not by simply jugglery of words.

Lecture on BG 3.11-19 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1968:

Just like if you obey the department, say, the police department. You are obeying the police department means you are obeying the government. Nobody can manufacture a police department and force you to obey. Because it is one of the important department of government, therefore as soon as there is police handcuff you have to stop. You may be very rich man, millionaire, but you have to obey the orders of the police, otherwise you will be prosecuted. And wherefrom. That man is an ordinary man; simply he stops you. Why do you stop? Because you obey the government.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

It is the most inexpensive performance of yajña. Anyone can adopt it, just to learn these sixteen words: Hare, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Hare, Hare, Hare, Rāma, Hare, Rāma, Rāma, Rāma, Hare, Hare, these sixteen words. Anyone, any illiterate man or any rich man, any poor man or any man of any country, these sixteen words anyone can learn. You see?

Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare

Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare

And chant. Go on chanting it. There is no expenditure.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

"Now see, Arjuna. I am the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I have nothing to do in this world for gaining something." Everyone does something with the purpose of some gain. Without gain nobody works—either spiritual gain or material gain. Somebody works for material gain, and somebody works for spiritual gain. There must be some gain. But Lord Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Supreme Personality of Godhead means He is full with opulence, all opulence. Now, what are the things we, generally, people aspire after? People, generally they want wealth. They want riches. They want to be very highly rich man, accumulate wealth, millions and millions of rupees. Then somebody wants to become very strong man. Somebody wants to become very beautiful man. Somebody wants to become very learned man. Somebody wants to be very famous man, so on. There are six opulences. I have discussed in this hall many times.

Lecture on BG 3.21-25 -- New York, May 30, 1966:

The same thing just we have explained before, that the results should be given to God. Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. Rūpa Gosvāmī... The other day I cited the example. When they retired, they brought home two boats full of gold coins, millions of rupees. But before retirement they spent 50 percent of the accumulation of wealth for God's cost. And 25 percent he distributed to the relatives. They also expect some money. And 25 percent they kept in the bank for personal needs in some extraordinary times. So here Kṛṣṇa also said that saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṁsaḥ. Just like fool, those who are after sense gratification, as they are working with full attachment, that "I must have this money. I must accumulate this bank balance and so on, so on," so similarly, yathā kurvanti bhārata, as they devote, similarly, vidvāṁs... Vidvān means learned also may work in that way, but he would spend the money in such a way that is example. That is example. That example—"Oh, such a big man, such a rich man. He distributed his money..." Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī. He distributed his money like this.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Bombay, March 21, 1974:

So we are beginning today speaking on Bhagavad-gītā, the preliminary scientific study of this science of Godhead. Bhagavad-gītā means Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhagavān means the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhaga, we generally know, bhāgya, opulence, fortune, a man is called bhāgyavān. This bhāgyavān word comes from the word bhaga, Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulence, six kinds of opulences: wealth, strength, influence, education, wisdom, beauty, and renunciation. These are opulences. If a man is wealthy, he's attractive. He attracts. Any man, very wealthy, he attracts. Similarly, if he's very strong, if he's very influential, if he's very learned, wise, if he's very beautiful... He or she, it doesn't matter. Or if he's a great renouncer, one who has renounced everything for public benefit, naturally we have got attraction. So in this material world we find some wealthy man, some rich man, some strong man, some beautiful man, some wise man, one renounced man, but they are only fragmental. Fragmental, very small quantity. Any man... You can take a rich man. He may be very rich man, but, in comparison to the other persons in the material world, but nobody can claim that "I am the richest man." No. That is not possible. Nobody can claim. "I am the wisest man," nobody can claim. "I am the strongest man," that is also, nobody can claim. However one strong may be, he is under the rules and regulation and material nature. He cannot go beyond that. Therefore you cannot find Bhagavān, or the Supreme Person, possessing all these opulences. That is not possible.

Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Montreal, June 19, 1968:

The māyā's attraction, the last snare of māyā is in this material conception of life, that so many identification, "I am this," "I am that," "I am that," "I am big man," "I am rich man," "I am prime minister," then so on, so on. When we are frustrated in all these attempts, then we try to become God. I am God. This is the last snare of māyā. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is just the opposite. What to speak of God? He is to think himself as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of God (CC Madhya 13.80).

So in one way it is very difficult. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructs that who can become in Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Who can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa very nicely? Tṛṇād api sunīcena. Tṛṇād api sunīcena means who thinks himself lower than the straw in the street, I am lower than. Humble, very humble. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. Tolerant more than the tree.

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

Just like a rich man's son. He has forgotten that his father is very rich, or his father has left immense property. But forgetting his real position, he's loitering in the street, hungry. You can call him, "All right, you take some food." That is not real benefit, that is temporary. But if you awaken his real consciousness, that he is the son of a very rich man, his father has got immense property, "Why don't you go back to your father and be happy?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is stated here. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa, tattvataḥ, in truth. Not superficially. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). supreme leader, perfect leader, without any mistake, without any illusion, without any cheating, and without any imperfection of the senses. We have to take direction from such a leader, then our life will be successful. And because we are taking direction from imperfect leaders, cheater leaders, therefore we are meeting with so many problems.

Lecture on BG 4.10 -- Calcutta, September 23, 1974:

So we shall pray to Rādhārāṇī... What is Rādhārāṇī? Rādhārāṇī is the pleasure potency of Kṛṣṇa. Pleasure potency. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Lord has many potencies. Na tasya kāryam karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. Therefore He has nothing to do. He has got so many potencies. Just like big man, a rich man. He's sitting. But his energies, his potencies, are working. Big, big factory. And he knows everything. Similarly, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. He has got many multi-potencies. One of them is this pleasure potency. Pleasure potency...

He also wants pleasure. So when Kṛṣṇa wants... Kṛṣṇa is Paraṁ Brahman. He cannot enjoy anything material. He has to create the source of enjoyment by His own spiritual potency. That is Rādhārāṇī. So Rādhārāṇī is described in the śāstra: rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtir hlādinī-śaktir asmād (CC Adi 1.5). That is Kṛṣṇa's hlādinī-śakti. She gives pleasure to Kṛṣṇa. So She is very kind. And today is Rādhāṣṭamī. If we pray to Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī... Therefore in Vṛndāvana you'll see. They are first of all glorifying, "Jaya Rādhe!" Everywhere you'll hear. "Jaya Rādhe."

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

They were very rich men, but still, how they could live in such a way? That is described that tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat: "They gave up all aristocratic association just like insignificant." And tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau: "And they adopted life of mendicant just to show mercy to the fallen souls." But how they lived? Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau: "They were merged in the ocean of love of Kṛṣṇa, and they lived so happily." That is... There is a position like that, that you can forget all these material comforts. There is no comfort in the material life. It is so-called. It is simply a delusion.

We are thinking that we are comfortable. And suppose we are comfortable. How long you shall live in that comfort? That is limited. Either the comfort will leave you or you have to leave the comfort. It may be that your position... The comfortable position which you have created by your monetary strength may be that your monetary strength go down and you become a pauper. So comfort leaves you.

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

Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). You'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Śucīnām and śrīmatām. Śucīnām means purified family. Just like in India we have got the ideal purified family, a brāhmaṇa. Of course, nowadays, due to material advance of civilization, everything is polluted, but according to... Still there are some families, very purified. If you go to their house, at once you will feel, "Oh, it is a place, fully purified." So śucīnām. Śucīnām means in the family of such purified brāhmaṇas. And śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means in the family of rich men.

Why these two chances are given? Because in the family of a pure cultural family, you get the chance of regenerating your lost spiritual consciousness which was unfinished in your last life. That you get chance. And in the rich man family you get chance because you haven't got to bother yourself how to maintain your body and soul together. Rich men get the opportunity that they haven't got to think over much about the maintenance of the body and soul together. Ordinary men, they have to seek how to earn the bread. Problem of bread is there. And for a rich man there is no such problem. He can advance in culture. He has the opportunity. But unfortunately, a rich man's sons are misguided. They get some money without earning and they spend like anything for sense gratification. You see? But he should know, "Oh, I have got this opportunity by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. Now let me peacefully advance myself in the science of Kṛṣṇa." This opportunity is offered by Kṛṣṇa, but we misuse.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

Just like we want to do something. Suppose I want to do some business. And what is the idea? Because I want to make some profit out of the business, and if there is sufficient profit, I shall be gainer, I shall be rich man, I shall be able to enjoy life and so on, so on, so many things, I have got background. So I have my desires whenever I do something. We conditioned souls, whenever we do something, there is some desire behind it. And what is that desire? For enjoyment. That's all.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

Neither Kṛṣṇa had any desire of having a single wife. We require wife. Why do we take the responsibility of wife? Because we have got some desire to fulfill. That's all. But He is complete in Himself, pūrṇa. A poor man can desire that "Oh, if I would have bank balance, say, one thousand dollars in the bank, I would have been happy." But a rich man, who has got millions of dollars in the bank, does he desire for one hundred dollars in the bank? He has no such desire.

Similarly, if Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, why He should have desire for His? He is full. Rather, He fulfills others' desires. That is the thing. "Man proposes; God disposes." Why God should have desire? Otherwise He's imperfect. So Kṛṣṇa has... Here He says, na me karma-phale spṛhā: "Oh, I have no desire to fulfill." Because He is full. Whatever He wants... Parāsya śakti... In the Vedic literature, you'll find. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). The Supreme Brahman, He has got different, diverse energies. As soon as He desires, everything is done immediately.

Lecture on BG 4.13-14 -- New York, August 1, 1966:

So one who is serious about Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these wonderful things, they do not captivate. You see? For them, two cents worth. Two cents. Suppose you can fly in the air. What is that? A rich man pay something to the aeroplane and, say, hundred dollars. He can fly from one place to another. Modern science, modern, has made everything cheap. So don't be after this perfection, material perfection. Any kind of material perfection will not solve our real problem. Our real problem is how to get rid of this material entanglement, the threefold miseries, birth after birth, I am going, repeating transmigration of, repetition of, getting one birth after... These are the problems.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Bombay, April 3, 1974:

The aim is one. It is not that because one is in the lower division, he does not get the benefit, no. Just like in the state, in an organized state, as we have seen in foreign countries, especially in USA, very organized state, everyone has got the facility. It doesn't matter whether he is rich man or poor man. Everyone has got.

Similarly, this cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭam (BG 4.13), brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra... It doesn't matter one is śūdra or one is brāhmaṇa, but everyone has got the facility to become connected in relationship with the Supreme Lord.

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya
ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ
striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās
te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim
(BG 9.32)

Parāṁ gatim, that is open for everyone. It is not that because one is śūdra or one is caṇḍāla, he is not allowed to enter into the kingdom of God. Only the brāhmaṇas are allowed. No, it is not like that. The same thing, same example, that in the body there are four divisions: the head division, the arm division, the belly division, and the leg division. It is not that only the head get the facilities of living condition. No. Everyone.

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

Now, what is the binding reaction of good material work? Just try to understand. Good material work... Suppose you have done most charitable work, munificent work, and you have started so many, I mean to say, philanthropic institutions. That's all right. These are... From material estimation, these things are very good work. But you are being bound up. You are being bound up. In which way you are being bound up? That these things are called puṇya-karma, pious work. When you do pious work, you get four results. What are the four results? Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. If you do pious work, you can get reaction in four ways. You can get your birth in a very nice family. Just like in the family of a brāhmaṇa, in the family of a rich man. For pious work, one can get his janma. And aiśvarya. Aiśvarya means you can become very rich man by pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means you can become very learned scholar. These are the results of pious work. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, and śrī. You can become very beautiful by pious work. These are the results of pious work.

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

Now, taking it for granted that I am doing all pious work. That's all right. And I am getting my birth in a very rich family or very pure family, just like brāhmaṇa family or something like that. I am getting myself very good education. I am very beautiful to see. And I am very rich man, all these. But our point is that suppose if you are rich man, suppose if you are very learned man, but you are not free from the stringent laws of material world. The whole point of vision should be targeted there, that "I am not going to be under the stricture of this material world." If we miss that point, then we shall be captivated by this aristocratic family or good education or beautiful body or richness.

We shall be... One should understand that "In spite of having all these facilities of material life, I am not free from four things: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. "I am not free from four, four these things, material laws of nature." What is that? "I am not free from repeated birth and death. I am not free from old age. I am not free from diseases."

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

So this work, good work or bad work from the material point of view, may be superficially very good. But what, how long I shall remain a rich man? How long I shall remain a beautiful man? This is not my permanent life. Suppose if my life is for hundred years, say. I can remain a rich man, I remain a learned man, I can remain a beautiful man, say, for fifty or sixty or hundred years, but your life is not for hundred years or sixty years or thousands years or millions of years. You are eternal. You have to attain your eternal life. That is the whole problem. So that problem you have to solve. That problem can be solved when you are Kṛṣṇa conscious so that by Kṛṣṇa conscious, when you leave this body, you will no more have to come to this material world and accept this material body or suffer and enjoy thereof. That is the point. The point is very difficult for common man, but this is the point. This is the point. I have to avoid this material existence altogether. That is the point. It is... It is not the question of improving my material condition. That is not the solution.

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

No, no, no. I said that by your pious work you get four results. By your pious work... Because every work, we have, we are just today discussing what is real work and what are the reaction of the work and what is not, I mean to say, prescribed work. These things are we have discussed. Now, so far the pious work, which is called, in Sanskrit language, which is called puṇya-karma, we get four results, four kinds of results. By pious work, we get very good birth. Good birth means to take one's birth in aristocratic family or in rich family. That is, materially concerned, very good birth. So by pious work, one can become a good birth, can get his birth in a good family. And he can become a rich man also. Just, just like in this world we see. Somebody is working very little, but he's gaining much. Another body is working very hard the whole day; still, he's not getting much. Why? Because due to his pious work, he is getting very easily riches. So richness is also result of pious work. And similarly, one student is becoming very quickly a scholar; another, he cannot. So this is also result of pious work. Similarly, beauty is also due to pious work. I discussed this point. And what was your point?

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

Then he will understand what is God, what is kingdom of God. And after death, he shall enter into the kingdom of God. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). So this is the only shelter. If you take to bhakti-yoga, even if you fail to execute it properly, then still, you are guaranteed your next life, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe, in the family of nice brāhmaṇa or very rich man. You will get birth. Śucīnām means first-class brāhmaṇa, Vaiṣṇava. Śuci. Yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhyābhyantara-śuciḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:

It doesn't matter whether it is rich body or poor body. Everyone has to undergo the threefold miserable condition of life. When typhoid is there, it does not discriminate that "Here is a rich body. I shall give him less pain." No. When the typhoid is there, either your body is rich body or poor body, you have to suffer the same pain. When you are within the womb of your mother, you have to suffer the same pain, either you become in the queen's womb or in the cobbler's wife's womb. That packed up situation... But they do not know. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā. There are so many sufferings. In the process of birth. There are so many sufferings in the process of birth and death and old age. A rich man or poor man, when we are old, we have to suffer so many invalidity.

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā, jarā and vyādhi and mṛtyu. So we are not conscious about the suffering position of this material body. The śāstra says, "Don't accept again any material body." Na sādhu manye: "This is not good, that you are repeatedly getting this material body." Na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the soul is encaged in this material body. Yata ātmano 'yam asann api. Although temporary, I have got this body. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

So we can have simply... Just like in office. In office so many people are working. Hundreds of people are working. Everyone is conscious that "Whatever we are acting, whatever profit we are making, that belongs to the proprietor." Then there is peace. As soon as the cashier thinks, "Oh, I have got so much money. I am the proprietor," then whole trouble begins. This consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness... If we understand that "I am a very rich man. I have got so much bank balance. I can use it for my sense gratification," that is kāma. That is kāma-rāga. But if we understand that "Whatever I have got, it belongs to Kṛṣṇa," then I am liberated person. I am liberated person. This is Kṛṣṇa... You, you'll have the same money under your custody. It doesn't matter. But as soon as you think that "I am the proprietor of this wealth," then you are under the influence of māyā. And as soon as you think that "Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor of all these things," then you are free.

Lecture on BG 4.19-22 -- New York, August 8, 1966:

Now, at the present moment, after the, we have got sva-rāja, or independence, the government has interfered with this sort of service. They say that "This is waste of money. Why you are offering?" They are becoming atheist. But this is not waste of money. At the cost of the rich men, the prasādam was being distributed to the poor class of men at a nominal cost. You see? Now, poor men, they go to hotel. But if they take prasādam in a temple, oh, the far better quality foodstuff is supplied to him only at nominal cost. In a hotel, what will be charged, one dollar, he can have it in the temple for ten cents. So this is still more sane.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is all pervading. Either you take socially, politically, religiously, scientifically, philosophically—any way you take. Just like sandalwood. Sandalwood you rub it on the stone in any way the pulp will be flavored. It is not that if you rub the wood on the stone in this way then the pulp will come flavored. No.

Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, if you apply it in any field of activities you will see it is perfect. Either you apply in industry or in politics or in sociology or in philosophy or in science. Therefore Bhāgavata says that whatever capacity you may have, either you are a scientist or a lawyer or an engineer or a rich man, a capitalist, whatever you may be. Your duty is to utilize your talent for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That's all. That is perfection.

Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:

Bahv-īśvara-vādī. Bahv-īśvara-vādī means believing in many gods. Actually God is one but His servants who are known as demigods. So less intelligent class of men they accept demigods as God. Just like a less intelligent class of men takes a police constable, he raises his hand like this and the car is stopped even it belong to a great rich man. So his child may think that "This constable is very great man. You see. He is very important man." But the father knows he is nothing. Similarly, those who are interested in demigods they are like children. "Oh, this constable is very important." You see. "Because by his hand my father had to stop my car." You see.

Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:

Similarly, we should not be disturbed by all these things, that "He is eating more, he is enjoying more." Nobody is enjoying more. Whatever Kṛṣṇa has given, he is enjoying. That is called yadṛcchā-lābha-santuṣṭo dvandvātītaḥ. Dvandvātītaḥ and vimatsaraḥ. He is not envious. Why he should be envious? Just like at the present moment, politically, a poor man is envious of a rich man, because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And a so-called rich man, he is eating himself sumptuously, but he does not take care of the poor man. This is envious, "Let him die." No. The rich man should distribute prasādam through Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the poor man, and the poor man should not be envious of the rich man. Then there will be happiness prosperity. Not that to form the political party and to become envious. Vimatsaraḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974:

But Kṛṣṇa wants to see how much you are devoted to Him. Dravya-yajña. Kṛṣṇa is not hungry that you have to offer something, very nice foodstuff. That, you must do that. But if you have no such thing in possession, you can do it within the mind. But not that you have got everything to offer... You can offer Kṛṣṇa very nice foodstuff. In that case if you think that "I can do it in mind," that is cheating. That will not be done. But in case you have nothing to offer materially, but still, you can offer in the mind. That is called vitta-sartha.(?)

Actually we have seen in many places, a rich man has got Deity. The other day we went to a place. The Deity is there, but Deity is not worshiped. Deity is not offered anything. That is not good. That man is very rich man. According to his position, one must offer prepared foodstuff, distribute prasādam, not that... Generally, the impersonalists, they do so. There are many big, big temples, big, big Deities, but the Deity is offered a little elaichianna.(?) That is not good. If you establish Deity, you must worship to the best capacity of your possession. That is Deity worship.

Lecture on BG 4.34-39 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1969:

Yes. The brahmacārī means... These are indication. When a person... When a boy becomes brahmacārī, even if he is the son of very rich man, he should live with the spiritual master as a menial servant. These are the injunction. That, Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Apart from his Godheadship, He was a very rich man's son. Really He was a very great king's son, Vasudeva, but He was given under the protection of King Nanda, Nanda Mahārāja, His foster father. He was also very rich man, very... He was king... (break) ...training of brahmacārī. So how he can see? When... Even if he is grown up, he cannot see any other woman in other way. He thinks of "Every woman is mother." This is the training. Of course, that training is not possible at the present moment. The days have changed. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that even brahmacārī begins immediately, he is trained up. He is trained up very nicely.

Lecture on BG 4.39-5.3 -- New York, August 24, 1966:

So if you are searching after God, so here is the definition of God. You just apply this definition, and when you find that here is the perfect application of these six things, then He is God. So entire opulence... There are many rich men in New York City, but nobody can say that "I am the proprietor, entire. I have got the... I am the proprietor of the entire bank balance." No. Nobody can say. Similarly, entire strength, entire fame, entire knowledge.

Now, so far this Bhagavad-gītā is concerned, you'll find the entire knowledge in it. If you study Bhagavad-gītā... Of course, so far entire knowledge, entire strength, when Kṛṣṇa was present, He showed it. So that is stated in the history and the Mahābhārata, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and many other Vedic literatures. They are stated.

Lecture on BG 5.3-7 -- New York, August 26, 1966:

So He gives you intelligence. Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam: "I give him intelligence how he can approach Me, how he can excel himself by this Kṛṣṇa consciousness." The help will come from within. And so far ignorance is concerned, that will be vanquished within no time. Teṣām eva aham anukampārtham: "for special favor." Kṛṣṇa has got special favor for persons who are trying to be Kṛṣṇa conscious. He's God, He's God. He's equal to everyone. That you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā. Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu na me dveṣyo 'sti na priyaḥ (BG 9.29). Just like a rich man. A rich man, he has got many, many, many thousands of people to maintain. Suppose he has got workshop, many, many thousands of workers. So he's looking after the interest of everyone. That's all right. But those who are his personal sons and dependents, oh, he has got special favor for them. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa, although He is equal to everyone, still, those who are especially trying to be connected with Him... Because the whole thing is, whole material manifestation is meant for giving us a chance to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. So one who is trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, He has got special favor. (aside:) I'll answer later. He has got special favor.

Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:

So there are nine holes in our body. So that nine holes, they are acting. These two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one naval, and the evacuating and the urinal, they are nine holes and we are taking work with these nine holes. Just like one, this room. This room has got four outlets. One there, one here, and two windows. Similarly we have got nine holes in our body. So we are acting with the help of these nine holes. Nava-dvāre pure dehī. Dehī, it is just like a room having nine outlets. We are not this body. That we must know. Nava-dvāre pure dehī. It is pure. Pure means a city or a room. I am sitting within this room. Nava-dvāre pure dehī kurvan na kārayan. He is doing in the room, from the... Just like a rich man, he is sitting in his room and everything is going on. Similarly, the soul who is in pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is aloof from this body and everything is going on by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:

Similarly, we have to reduce the temperature. We haven't got to increase the temperature. We are just like in the matter of increasing our temperature. We are thinking that by increasing the temperature we shall be happy. We do not know that by increasing temperature we shall never be happy. We have to decrease the temperature. There is a very nice story. Perhaps I have many times told you, that there was a householder, a very rich man. His wife was sick and the maidservant was also sick. So the gentleman called for a doctor, and the doctor treated both the patients, and the doctor said that "Your wife has got 98 temperature, nothing serious. But your maidservant, she has got 104 temperature, so she should be taken care of." Now, the housewife, she became angry. She told the doctor, "Oh, I am the head of the family. I have got only 98 temperature? And my maidservant has got 104? So you are not a doctor!" So that is going on. From 104 we want to increase. 107 degrees and death will come. So the modern civilization is increasing the temperature. So we have come to the point of 107 degree-atom bomb. So we are prepared for killing ourselves. So this degree, this increasing of temperature of material enjoyment will never make us happy. We have to decrease the temperature. We have to come to the point of 97, not to the 107.

Lecture on BG 6.1-4 -- New York, September 2, 1966:

So here it is said, śrī-bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān means the proprietor of everything and all-powerful, all... He has got all the... All-famous. Nobody can be more famous than God. And all-beautiful, and full of knowledge, and full of renunciation. Full of opulence, at the same time, full of renunciation. Here in the material world you'll find if a rich man has got great opulence, he is not liking to give it up. He's not liking. He does not like to renounce. But in the Supreme Personality of Godhead you'll find full of all opulence, but at the same time, full of renunciation. The six qualifications: proprietor of all opulence, all-famous, all strength, all beauty, all knowledge, and all renunciation. Anywhere you find all these six qualifications in full, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on BG 6.6-12 -- Los Angeles, February 15, 1969:

Yes. Even one is illiterate. Even he does not know what is ABCD, he can realize God provided he engages himself in this submissive transcendental loving service. And one may be very learned, high scholar, but he cannot realize God. God is not subjected to any material condition. He is supreme spirit. Similarly, the process of realizing God is also not subjected to any material condition. It is not that because you are poor man you cannot realize God. Or because you are very rich man, therefore you shall realize God. No. Because you are uneducated, therefore you cannot realize God, no, that is not. Because you are highly educated, therefore you can realize God. No, that is not. He's unconditional. Apratihatā. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. In the Bhāgavata it is said, that is first-class religious principle.

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

Nirvāṇa means, the actual word nirvāṇa in Sanskrit, nirvāṇa means finished. Finished. That is called nirvāṇa. That means materialistic activities finished. No more. That is called nirvāṇa. And unless you finish this nonsense activities, there is no question of peace. So long you'll be engaged in materialistic activities, there is no question of peace. Prahlāda Mahārāja said to his father, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām. "My dear father, this is the best thing." For whom? Best thing for whom? He said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). These people, these materialistic people who have accepted something nonpermanent. Just try to understand each word. These materialistic people, they are hankering after capturing something nonpermanent, that's all. You have seen, by experience. Now that President, Mr. Kennedy, he was very rich man. He wanted to be President and he spent money like anything. He became President. He had his nice family, wife, children, presidentship—finished within a second. Similarly everyone is trying in the material world to capture something which is nonpermanent. But I am spirit soul, permanent.

Lecture on BG 6.16-24 -- Los Angeles, February 17, 1969:

So he joined Lord Caitanya. So his father, he was the only son, very beloved son. Very nice wife. Left everything. And left means stealing, without saying anything. Somehow or other he left home. And the father could understand he has gone to Lord Caitanya at Purī. So he sent four servants, because he was very rich man. And four hundred rupees—five hundred years ago four hundred rupees means twenty times at the present value. So first of all he accepted, that, "Oh, father has sent, all right." So how he was spending money? So he was inviting all the sannyāsīs, in Jagannātha Purī there were many sannyāsīs, renounced order. And every month he was offering feasting. Then after few days, Lord Caitanya inquired His secretary, Svarūpa Dāmodara, "Oh, nowadays I don't get any invitation from Raghunātha. What happened?" "Oh, Sir, he has stopped accepting his father's money." "Oh, that's very nice." He thought that, "I have renounced everything and I am enjoying my father's money. This is all nonsense." He refused. He asked the man, "You go home. I don't want money." Then how he is living? "Oh, he's standing on the staircase of Jagannātha Temple and when the priests go home with their prasāda, they offer something and he's satisfied."

Lecture on BG 6.30-34 -- Los Angeles, February 19, 1969:

Simply don't be lost to Kṛṣṇa. You can forget all things, but don't forget Kṛṣṇa. Then you are richest. People may see you are very poor man, just like Gosvāmīs. They adopted very poor life, mendicant. They were ministers, very opulent. Very honorable gentlemen, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, learned scholars, rich men, ministers, in every respect their social position so high. But they accepted this mendicant: tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. That Gosvāmī prayer you'll find. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tuccha-vat. Just like most insignificant, they gave up everything. Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Kaupīna-kanthāśritau—just one underwear and loin cloth, that's all. They became accepted the purest way of life. But how they could live? If a very rich man accepts such poor condition of life, he cannot live. I have seen it. If one is habituated to high standard of life, if you immediately lower his standard of life, he cannot live. But they lived very happily. How? That is stated. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī-kallola-magnau muhur vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau. They are richest, by dipping themselves in the ocean of loving affairs of the gopīs. So is you simply think of the loving affairs of the gopīs for Kṛṣṇa, then you are not lost. There are so many ways. Don't be lost to Kṛṣṇa. Then you are successful. Then Kṛṣṇa will also not be lost and he'll be not lost.

Lecture on BG 6.41 -- Detroit, July 17, 1971:

So Bhāgavata says such persons who are very nicely done their materialistic way of life, duties, but has not taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, what does he gain? This is the comparison. One joins this movement; due to some reason, immaturity, he falls down. For him the assurance is that he does not lose. He's still gainer. But one who's sticking to the material duties, but does not take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Bhāgavata says, "What does he gain?" It is very important question. The spiritualistic duties, transcendental duties, Kṛṣṇa conscious duty is so nice that even if you fall down, whatever you have done, that is your guaranteed property. That is your guaranteed property. And anything, whatever you gain in this material world... Suppose you become very rich man, good factory, working. But as soon as this body's ended, everything is ended. Lost everything. These things will not go with you. Your factory, your skyscraper building, your millions of dollars, bank balance, that you'll have to leave behind you. You have to go with your work only, what you have done, pious or sinful activities. That will go with you. The result of pious activity and sinful activity will go with you. But in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever you have done, it will go with you, and to give you other chance you'll have your birth in two nice places: śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). Those who have fallen from this Kṛṣṇa consciousness platform due to many reasons, maybe—he's guaranteed next life a human form of life. And where? Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe. You'll take your birth in a nice devotee or brāhmaṇa's house or in a rich man's family. Not only your human form of life is guaranteed, but also in a better house, in a better family.

Lecture on BG 6.41 -- Detroit, July 17, 1971:

Yes. Now here is a question: If one takes a birth in a rich man family, rich man's family, how it is good? Nowadays, actually, now..., not nowadays, practically always... That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayā apahṛta-cetasām (BG 2.44). Those who get facilities of material sense gratification, bhoga, aiśvarya—means great opulence, wealthy—for them it is very difficult to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In other words, too much rich, richness, is a disqualification for coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But it is not always the same. There are many persons, if they have associated, they... Unfortunately they do not associate with spiritually advanced men. That is their defect. They think the spiritual advancement is poor man's business: "They have no sufficient to eat; therefore they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. What they can do? We have got this factory. We have to go to the factory." That is their mentality. Therefore it is not good. But if one is intelligent, if he has got good association, then he understands the verdict of Bhagavad-gītā, śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe, yoga bhraṣṭa sañjāyate. (BG 6.41) If he thinks that "I have got this opportunity of opulence. I have nothing to bother about my living and eating. I am born rich man. Why I am given so much chance? Because last, my, I executed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, yoga; I could not finish. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has given me this chance that I'll not have to bother about my eating, sleeping. I save my time and engage myself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Unfortunately, due to bad association, they think, "I have..., we have go so much money, father's money, for nothing, without any labor. So either let me become a great sense enjoyer or a hippy." That's all. It is due to bad association. Therefore it is our duty to go door to door and inform them the message of Kṛṣṇa, without any discrimination, so that they'll come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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

So one who takes his birth in a very rich family, it should be understood that he was certainly a very pious man in his previous life. By good work, by pious work, we get. In our next life, we get facilities, four kinds of facilities. What are they? Now, janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. Janma, aiśvarya, śruta, śrī. Janma means to get birth in very aristocratic family, royal family, lord family, rich family, janma. Or acquires large extent of wealth, janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26). Śruta means becomes very learned scholar. So one who is learned scholar, it is to be understood that it is due to his past deeds. One who is rich man, it is to be understood that it is due to his pious acts in his last life. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And one who is very beautiful, either male or female, it is to be understood that this is the result of his or her pious work in the past lives.

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

So those who are rich in this world, or those who have got birth in a very, I mean to say, pious family, brāhmaṇa family, they should understand that "It is God's grace that I have got my birth with such, so much facilities of life." Why śucīnām? In a pious family one gets the chance of spiritual advancement. I shall say practically, from my whole life. I was fortunate to get my, I mean to say, birth, in a very pious family. Yes. My father was very pious man, and I wanted to imitate him in my childhood. Of course, our family was not very poor, but we were not very rich men. But my father was very pious man. So he was worshiping Kṛṣṇa. So in my childhood, when I was five or six years old, I requested my father that "Father, give me this Deity. I shall worship." So father purchased for me little Kṛṣṇa, Rādhā, and he gave me, and I was imitating. Whatever foodstuff I was getting, I was offering to Kṛṣṇa and eating. In this way I got my life developed. And there was a temple in our neighborhood. So I was seeing the Kṛṣṇa Deity. Oh, I was thinking... I still remember. I was standing for hours together.

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

Yes. That should be the only motive. Our motives with Kṛṣṇa, Lord Caitanya has taught us, that when you pray, you should not pray for anything material. Lord Caitanya prays to the Lord in this way: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). "My dear Lord," jagad-īśa. Jagat means the universe and īśa means controller. So the controller of the universe, jagad-īśa. Instead of saying Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, this can be understood by any layman. That because there must be somebody controller, he is jagad-īśa. The controller of the whole universe. So He's saying, "My dear controller of the universe," or the Lord. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ na kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye. "I do not pray from You any amount of wealth or any number of followers or any nice beautiful woman." These are material claims. People generally want to become a very great leader within this material world. Somebody is trying to become a very rich man like Ford or Rockefeller, somebody is trying to become the President, somebody is trying to become such thing and such thing, to become a very good leader so that many thousands of people may follow. So these are material demands. "Give me some money, give me some followers, and give me a nice wife," that's all. But Lord Caitanya refuses. He says "I don't want all these things." Na janaṁ na dhanam. Dhanam means wealth and janam means followers. Na sundarīṁ kavitām, "or beautiful wife." Then what for you are worshiping? What for you are becoming devotee? He says mama janmani janmanīśvare (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). He's not asking for even liberation. Because the yogis, they want liberation, they have got demand. The materialists, they also have got demand, "I want this, I want that, I want that."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Los Angeles, December 2, 1968:

So these things are to be understood very clearly. But people have become so unintelligent, they do not care for... "Oh, death, all right. Death. Let it come." Birth... Now especially in these days, a child is in the womb of the mother, so many killing processes are there. So many. So why? Because people are becoming so much entangled that such person even do not get birth in the womb of the mother. He's placed and he's killed, again he's placed in another womb of mother, again he is killed. In this way, he does not see even the light. You see. So to become in the womb of the mother and to again accept death, to accept old age, accept disease, is not a very good business. If you are rich man, you have to accept all these troubles of material existence, or if you are poor man... It doesn't matter. Anyone who comes into this material world in this material body, he has to take all these troubles. It may be that you are American, the richest nation in the world. That does not mean there is no disease, there is no old age, there is no birth and there is no death. So the intelligent person is he who can make a solution of these problems. He's intelligent. Others who are making patchwork, patching, trying to make a solution of the problems of material life, although they are unable... It is not possible.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

So these are six kinds of attraction. So Bhagavān means one who is in full possession of all these attractive features, He's Bhagavān. Not any rascal loitering in the street and becomes Bhagavān. No. That is misleading. We do not know what is meant by the word bhagavān; therefore we accept any rascal as Bhagavān. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Riches. There are many rich men in Bombay city, but nobody can claim that "I am the possessor of all the riches. All the bank money or any money there is in Bombay, that is my money." Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa can say. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya. Samagra riches, not paltry portion of it. Samagra. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Strength, influence. Vīryasya. Yaśasaḥ, reputation, fame. Just like Kṛṣṇa spoke this Bhagavad-gītā five thousand years ago, but still it is adored all over the world. Not only in India, but all over the world. Bhagavad-gītā is known in any country, irrespective of religion or faith. Everyone, any intelligent man, any scholar, any philosopher reads Bhagavad-gītā. That means Kṛṣṇa is so famous. Everyone knows.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- London, March 9, 1975:

Aiśvarya means wealth, riches. One who is the greatest rich man. Every one of us... There are so many rich men, we are present here. But nobody can say, "I am the richest in the world." That is not possible. So one who can say and prove that he is the richest in the world, he can be accepted as Bhagavān, not these rascals, cheap Bhagavān. Cheap Bhagavān we don't accept. We accept Bhagavān Rāmacandra, Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, because They did something which is impossible to be done by any human being. We are not going to accept cheap Bhagavān.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

There are six kinds of opulences. Which one possesses in full, He is called Bhagavān. There is meaning. So we have several times explained: aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). The Supreme Personality of Godhead, because He is the proprietor of all wealth, sarva-loka-maheśvaram, He is the proprietor of all the planets, all the universes, so who can be fortunate than Him? Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). If you have got one lakh shillings or ten lakh shillings we think we have become very rich. But Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-loka-maheśvaram: "I am the proprietor of all the planets." So who can become richer than Him? Therefore He is Bhagavān. The highest rich man, the richest person is called Bhagavān. Nobody can claim that he is the richest. That is not possible. So one who claims that "I am the richest. Nobody is equal to Me, and nobody is greater than Me," He is Bhagavān. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "Nobody is greater than Me." That is Bhagavān. Bhagavān cannot be so cheap that anyone can claim that "I am God. I am Bhagavān." That is cheating. He must prove first of all that he is the richest of everyone. Not only richest, aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya, in strength also. Vīryasya. Vīryasya yaśasaḥ, also reputation.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, December 20, 1975:

So man-manāḥ, and if you continue this, then mad-bhakta, you become His devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Mad-yājī, then if you can, you can offer to Kṛṣṇa. Is it very expensive? No. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). You can offer Kṛṣṇa a little water or a tulasī leaf. Or if tulasī leaf is not available, any leaf will do. He does not say tulasī leaf. So what is the difficulty to secure a little water, a leaf, or a small flower? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. The real thing is bhakti. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. So, mad-bhakta, if you are poorest of the poor you can become a devotee. Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati. If you want to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, there is no impediment throughout the three worlds within the universe. You can become a devotee, it is so easy. If you want to be a rich man it requires so much trouble. Rather, so long you do not desire to become a rich man, you are peaceful. And as soon as you desire to become a rich man, it will be all activities: how to acquire money this way or that way, this way... Everyone tries to become rich man because generally one thinks that at old age I'll get some income and I shall sit down very peacefully. So you are already sitting down peacefully. Why you take another means?

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:

This is our real miserable condition. We have to die. We have to take birth again, and again we have to become old, and there will be disease. Between birth and death... Birth is very miserable, To remain in the womb of the mother in a packed-up stage within a bag, and... That is miserable. Biting, the worms biting tender skin. We have forgotten, but these were the miseries for birth. In suffocated condition...But we have forgotten. So forgetfulness is not solution. Closing the eyes before the enemies is no solution. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). So long you are in material condition, you have to suffer all these miseries, either you become rich man or poor man. You may become American or Indian. The miseries of birth, death, old age and disease, they are all the same everywhere, not only within this planet, but also in other planets also. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. This is the intelligence. They are trying to go to the moon planet, or somebody, by karma-kāṇḍīya consideration, they are trying to go to the heavenly planet. But wherever you go, you must know that these four conditions of material life, they are present. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9).

Lecture on BG 7.4-5 -- Bombay, March 30, 1971:

Prakṛti means to remain dependent on the supreme husband or on the supreme father. You can accept Kṛṣṇa as father. You can love Kṛṣṇa as father, as husband, as master. Dependent. Remain dependent. And Kṛṣṇa has come to teach us that natural position of the living entities. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is our position, not to be puffed up, that "I am God, I am Kṛṣṇa, everyone is Kṛṣṇa." This is māyā, the last snare of māyā. Māyā dictates that "You become the biggest man of the world. You become the biggest, richest man of the world." And you are struggling. And there is struggle. Just like there is struggle is going on in Pakistan. The Bangladesh is trying that "We shall be leading Pakistan." And the Western Pakistan is trying that "We shall be leading." Nobody is leader. Actually, Kṛṣṇa is leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām, eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This is the Vedic injunction. Kṛṣṇa also says clearly: bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). Bhoktā aham. Kṛṣṇa does not say that "You are also bhoktā, you living entities." He never said Arjuna that "You are bhoktā, I am bhoktā." So you have to accept that position, prakṛti, all dependent on Kṛṣṇa. Then Kṛṣṇa takes charge. Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66). He will give us protection. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). These are the statements of Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 7.7 -- Bombay, February 22, 1974:

This is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, to understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7), mayi... Here Arjuna is addressed as Dhanañjaya. Dhanañjaya means the richest man, who has conquered over wealth. In other sense, only dhanañjaya, "a person who has conquered over wealth," he can understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhanañjaya, Arjuna's another name is Dhanañjaya, because after Battle of Kurukṣetra there was no money. So by the order of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, he brought from the Himalaya range a great quantity of gold so that he could expend them for performing aśvamedha-yajña, rājasūya-yajña. So therefore from that name, from that person, this title was given by..., I mean to say, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira to that Arjuna, Dhanañjaya.

Lecture on BG 7.8-14 -- New York, October 2, 1966:

The message of God is just like Bhagavad-gītā or Bible, any, as you like. Just try to hear, san-mukharitāṁ vārtām, from realized soul. Just like the truths of Bible were spoken by Lord Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa. Any, whatever you like, you hear. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. But you must hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and nothing more. That should be your profession. Then what will be the result? The result will be sthāne sthitāḥ. In whatever condition you are, that doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very poor man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am a very rich man." That doesn't matter. "Oh, I am European." It doesn't matter. "I am Indian." Doesn't matter. "I am born very low." Oh, doesn't matter. Anything, unconditional. You remain whatever you are; that doesn't matter. If you simply hear, sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatām, if you simply give your aural reception to these transcendental words, the result will be that God, who can never be conquered, you'll conquer God. How you conquer? You will conquer by love. God cannot be conquered, but He can be conquered by love.

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

So there is regulation of sex life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, dharma-aviruddha, sex life is sanctioned under certain conditions. That is humanity, not like... Even the cats' and dogs' life there is some limitation. They have got a period of sex life. Similarly, for gṛhastha, there is a period for sex life. After menstrual period, five days after menstrual period, one may have sex life for begetting children. And if the woman or wife is pregnant, then there is no more sex life till the child is born and six months old. These are the regulations. And besides that, when there is sex life, there is a ceremony. It is not a secret thing. They could call, especially for the brāhmaṇas, they would call friends. Just like Hindu marriage takes place not by agreement but amongst the, in the presence of agni and friends and relatives and brāhmaṇas. That is sufficient witness. Similarly, when a brāhmaṇa goes to have sex intercourse for begetting child, there is a big ceremony. All the relatives, all the learned brāhmaṇas are present, and with their permission he goes for sex life. Sanctity. Therefore the child is born very nice. Because in such family ordinary living entity cannot come. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). In the family of a pure brāhmaṇa, śucīnām, or in the family of rich man, yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate, the persons who have not executed the yoga system completely or somehow or other fallen down, they are given the chance of taking birth in nice brāhmaṇa family or rich man's family. So they also take care how to beget children. That is garbhādhāna-saṁskāra. This is called dharma-aviruddha-kāma. This kāma is sanctioned. Otherwise you'll beget demons, just like Kaśyapa Muni, untimely sex.

Lecture on BG 7.15-18 -- New York, October 9, 1966:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that udārāḥ: "They are also good, because gradually they will come to this understanding." Because a jñānī knows that "What are these material things? They are only flickering, flickering. Suppose I get too much wealth and too much everything. What is this mighty lābha?" Lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā. These material assets are three. Something, I want some gain out of my work, profit. And pūjā. Pūjā means people will adore me: "Oh, you are such a rich man. You are so great man." Lābha, pūjā, and pratiṣṭhā, and fame: "People may know me that 'I am Carnegie,' 'I am Rockefeller,' 'I am Birla.' " But he does not know that Birla or Rockefeller is this body. As soon as this body is finished, all Birla or Rockefeller is finished. Then I do not know whether I am entering into cat or dog. Because after finishing this body, you are neither Birla, neither Rockefeller—you are spirit soul. And according to your own karma, according to your own work, your own work, you have to enter another body, which is different from Birla and Carnegie. A jñānī knows, "So why shall I bother myself for these temporary designations?" That is jñānī. He is jñānī. He is man in knowledge. "I am pure soul. My eternal connection—with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Let me establish that connection very firmly so that Kṛṣṇa may take me back into His kingdom. That is my business."

Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

Bhaga. These are opulences. Aiśvarya means opulence and... Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. Vīryasya means strength. And yaśasaḥ. Yaśasaḥ means fame. And aiśvaryasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ. Śriyaḥ means beauty. And jñāna. Jñāna means knowledge. And renunciation, vairāgya. Renunciation. These six opulences, when you find presented in a personality in full, He is God. He is God. That is the description of God. You have many rich men here in your New York City, but nobody can claim that he is the richest of all, he has got all the riches of the world. Nobody can claim. But if you find somebody who claims that "All the riches of the world or the universe belongs to me," He's God. He is God, just like Kṛṣṇa claimed.

Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:

So this philosophy, as it is stated in the Īśopaniṣad that īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1), "Everything belongs to God...' Everything belongs to God. Nothing belongs to me. Actually, this is the fact. But under illusion we are thinking that "I am the proprietor." So God is proprietor. Therefore He is the richest man. He is the richest man. He's not man, of course; He's God. But He is the richest. So if you find somebody... There are many incarnations of God. Nowadays you'll find, especially in India, there are dozens of incarnations of God. But if you ask him, "Are you the proprietor of everything?" oh, that is very difficult to answer.

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

This is the sign of liberation. A man who is liberated, his signs are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā. His first symptom is that he's very happy. One who is liberated, his first symptom is that you'll never find him morose. He is happy. Prasannātmā. Na śocati na kāṅkṣati. He has no anxiety. "Oh, this thing I haven't got. I have to secure this thing. This bill I have to pay. Oh, this I have to do." So many anxieties. We are full of anxieties. So he has no anxieties. And then does it mean, because he has no anxieties, he is very rich man? No. Not necessarily. He has no anxiety. Then he has no lamentation. He does not think, "I am poor." Why he should think poor? Poor, when I think that "I am this material, some, I am a part of this material world, I haven't got this possession, material possession," then I think, "I am poor" or "rich." But one who is liberated from the material conception of life, then he has nothing to do, what he's possessing, what he's not possessing. He has nothing to do. That is liberation. If one is free from the material conception of life, then factually, either he possesses or not possesses, he has nothing to do with them. Therefore he's prasannātmā, he's joyful: "Oh. I have nothing to lose, nothing to gain. I am completely separate from here." This is liberation.

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

The Rāmānanda Raya felt a little inconvenience that "Caitanya Mahāprabhu is such an exalted person, He is Kṛṣṇa Himself. Apart from that, He's born in high brāhmaṇa family." Such a learned scholar Nimāi Pandit He was, and so nice person, a sannyāsī, the topmost order in our Vedic society. "Sannyāsī, brāhmaṇa, scholar and everything complete, and He's questioning; I am answering. Oh, this is very awkward position. I have become teacher and He has become student. How it is possible?" So he was hesitating. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu encouraged him, "No, no. Don't hesitate, because it doesn't matter that you are a gṛhastha, you are not even a brāhmaṇa." Rāmānanda Raya belonged to the Karana society in Orissa. They are supposed to be śūdra. But still he was a very big man. He was governor of Orissa, uh... governor of Benares and very rich man. And very learned scholar, especially in this Vaiṣṇava philosophy. So Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya was the royal scholar in Mahārāja Pratāparudra's assembly house. Royal scholar. So in the beginning this Rāmānanda Raya and Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya had some talks on bhakti. Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, being great logician, he could not understand the bhakti philosophy, but when he became a student of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he could understand how much elevated was Rāmānanda Raya. At that time before, "I could not realize," but when he become himself a devotee, he could understand. Therefore when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu was going to the South Indian tour he recommended, "Sir, if You can meet Rāmānanda Raya, You'll be very much pleased. He's a great, advanced student in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu met him on the bank of Godāvarī River. And the talk was going on, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu took the position of the student, and he was offered, Rāmānanda Raya was offered the position of the teacher, although he was gṛhastha, governor, and according to our social custom, karaṇa, śūdra. So he was hesitant.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Melbourne, April 20, 1976:

So this is the opportunity. So this knowledge, rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam, susukhaṁ kartum avyayam (BG 9.2). Avyayam means in ordinary fruitive activities whatever you do... Suppose by karma, by material activities, fruitive activities, you become very rich man or very learned man, very good office. But everything will be finished with your death. As soon as the body is finished, all your asset finished. But if you become a devotee, your body may be finished but the soul is eternal. The soul will carry your assets of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and nature will give you another chance of taking birth in a very rich family or in a Vaiṣṇava family. To get birth in a Vaiṣṇava family is greater asset than to take birth in rich family. Rich family means there is no economic problem. But on account of richness one may fall down, but if one takes birth in a Vaiṣṇava family there is no more fall down. He makes progress further and further. In this way he is allowed again go back to home, back to Godhead. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:

There are many instances, very many instances. I'll cite one story. It is very interesting story. If you go to India, you'll find one nice temple in Orissa. It is called the temple of "Witness-Gopāla," Sākṣī-Gopāla, Witness-Gopāla. This Gopāla was situated in a temple at Vṛndāvana. Now, two brāhmaṇas, one young and one old, they went to visit Vṛndāvana, the place of pilgrimage, and the old man... Because at that time there was no railway, the journey was very hardship. The old man felt very obliged, and he began to say to the young man, "My dear boy, you have done so much nice service to me. I am obliged to you. So I must return that service. I must give you some reward." So the young man said, "Oh, my dear sir, you are old man. You are just like my father. So it is my duty to serve you, to give you all comforts. I don't require any reward." Formerly, the boys were so gentle. And still, there are many boys like that. So the old man also thought that "No, I am obliged to you. I must reward you." So he promised that "I shall get you married with my youngest daughter." Now, the old man was very rich man, and the young man was not rich. He was poor. Although he was brāhmaṇa, learned. So he said that "You are promising. You don't promise this because your kinsmen, your family men will not agree. I am poor man, and you are rich man. You are aristocratic. So it will be not. This marriage will not take place. Don't promise in that way before the Deity. It is not good because Deity is there."

Lecture on BG 9.7-10 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

Now one may think that "Such a huge manifestation of the material world, it is once created and again annihilated. Then God must be very much concerned about this creation and annihilation." But the Lord says, "No." Na ca māṁ tāni karmāṇi nibadhnanti dhanañjaya: "My dear Arjuna, all this world is going on automatically. There is no concern about it." Just like a big man, big rich man in your city. Oh, he is dismantling so many big, big houses and again constructing skyscraper. Oh, his agents are doing. He has got money, spending. He is sitting nicely. He has no concern. Similarly, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. The material nature and so many other agents, they are, I mean to say, performing this creation automatically. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport).

Lecture on BG 9.11 -- Calcutta, June 30, 1973:

So this jñāna and vairāgya can be achieved simply by becoming a devotee of Vāsudeva. That is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam (SB 1.2.7). Āśu vairāgya, very soon. Just like these boys, these American, these European boys, they are young men. Now they have taken sannyāsa and dedicated their life for service of Kṛṣṇa. They are vairāgya. They are coming from opulent nation, very rich men, rich nation. Their parents are very rich. There is no scarcity of food. There is no scarcity of money. There is no scarcity of women in the western countries. But they have left everything. Simply boys. They are all within thirty. How much a young man may have propensities for enjoying this material way of life! And when there is facilities. But how they have taken to it? This is the proof.

Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:

Now Lord Kṛṣṇa is speaking about His own devotees. So far He has spoken about the elevationists, materialist elevationists. Evaṁ trayī-dharmam anuprapannā gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Repeating, repeating the same process, sometimes going up, sometimes coming down—this is the material process. Today I am the richest man, and tomorrow I may be a poverty-stricken man in the street. This is going on. As we find in this earth, so also by our pious activities we can be promoted in better planets. Then kṣīṇe puṇye martya-lokaṁ viśanti (BG 9.21). And when the resultant actions of pious activities is finished, then again we are driven to this earth or down than this earth. So this is going on. Lord Caitanya said that ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151), that "This way, this cycle of different species of life, they are going on. So traveling in this way, somebody who is very fortunate, by association of devotees, he gets the seed of devotional service." Ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). To achieve the seed of devotional service is a fortunate achievement. It is not very easy because it ceases the cycle of different transmigration of the soul. By ignorance we take this spot life as permanent settlement and we think that "We shall live here permanently and make arrangement to live here permanently and make assets for my children, for my nation." But we do not know that the cycle of transmigration is not fixed up.

Lecture on BG 9.27-29 -- New York, December 19, 1966:

As a result of your good action, you are going to take your birth in the Rockefeller family of America. That's all right. But so far your body is concerned, the body itself is miserable. Don't think that because you are getting your body in some rich family, or in other higher planets, in the demigods planet where you can have a long duration of life... But still, you have got the material body. And as soon as you get this material body, the reaction of the material body—threefold miseries and the miseries of birth, the miseries of death, the miseries of old age, and the miseries of disease—will continue. Because you are rich man, so you are not immune from the material miseries. That will affect. Therefore all these material affection will continue either you do good work, either you do bad work.

So here it is said, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, śubhāśubha-phalair evaṁ mokṣyase: "If you dovetail your activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then you become liberated from all reactions, either good or bad." Transcendental. Because in Kṛṣṇa consciousness you are not achieving any future reactionary resultant... Your place will be transcendental. You will be transferred to the spiritual world. Therefore you are free from all reactions. Just this Bhagavad-gītā, beginning, Arjuna was thinking of so many reactions for his fighting, but when he understood that "If I fight for Kṛṣṇa, there is no reaction," then he fought. So here it is also clearly stated that if you act for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

Now what are the opulences? You have got, everyone of you, has got the idea of opulences. What are those opulences? Wealth, riches, strength, or influence, and fame, and beauty, knowledge and renunciation. These six things are called opulences. One has got, one, if a man has got sufficient riches, he attracts. This man attracts poor man. This is a instrument of attracting. Sometimes we also approach very rich men. Give us some contribution. Although we are Kṛṣṇa conscious. So richness has got attraction. You cannot deny it. Of course, for Kṛṣṇa, we can do anything. We have no restriction. For Kṛṣṇa's service, we can do everything. So anyway, richness, if a man is very rich, wealthy, he attracts.

Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 27, 1966:

And renunciation. That is also another attraction. If a man is in the renounced order of life. Renunciation means one has got all these things, richness, fame, beauty, knowledge, but he renounces everything for some higher purpose. Just like, in our country, for national movement, so many rich men, they renounced everything.

One of, some of them, perhaps you know, there was one Mr. C. R. Das. He was earning $50,000 a month as a lawyer. So everything renounced. He joined this Movement. And, perhaps you have heard the name of Nehru. Nehru was very rich man's son. His father was very rich lawyer. His father's history is that... In those days, there was not a single day when he was not earning $500. The... So he was also very rich man's son. But he renounced everything, his father's property and everything, and joined this (Indian) national movement. He went to prison by the government. So renunciation has also attraction.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

Sometimes we are getting this body of human form, sometimes we are getting the body of a demigod's, sometimes we are getting the body of a rich man, sometimes we are getting the body of a poor man, sometimes we are getting the body of a cat, sometimes of a dog, sometimes so many things, trees, plants, aquatics. There are eight million four hundred... This is our position. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As we are changing our body every moment, from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youth-hood, similarly, by changing this body we get another body. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. But we do not know what kind of body we are going to get next life. We are blind. This is called ignorance.

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

But that opportunity is given by Kṛṣṇa. Because He's witness. He is anumantā, upadraṣṭā. He's seeing everything. He is within our heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). So in this way we are changing different varieties of life... Sometimes human being, sometimes animal, sometimes demigod. Sometimes something else. Sometimes rich man, sometimes poor man, sometimes brāhmaṇa, sometimes śūdra. In this way, we are wandering in different species of life, and different position, in different planets. There are millions and trillions of planets. And there are eight million, four hundred thousand species of life. In this way, we are wandering. this is our position.

So this is not very good business. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We accept... Just like we have got this now human form of body, Mr. Such-and-such, very good position, very good business, very good... But at any moment, I'll be kicked out. At any moment. That is no guarantee. And again I'll have to accept according to my karma, another body where I may not get this position. I may be... I may not be even human being. Because, according to my mentality, I'll get the body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Our next birth will be settled according to the mental condition at the time of death.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Bombay, September 27, 1973:

Because we are all sons of Kṛṣṇa... We are wandering in this material world as mad chap. Just like a rich man's son has become mad. He leaves his home and loitering in the street and eating in the garbage. That is our position. We are the sons of the richest person. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya. Bhagavān means who is the proprietor of all riches. So we are sons of such a rich man. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanā... But we have become mad. We have become mad. We want to enjoy... Just like there are many sons. Although the father is... In America we find many. Although father is rich, millionaire, he has become a hippie, out of frustration, confusion, or some other reason. So our condition, like that. We are the sons of the richest person. Not only richest, the wisest. Aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya. The most powerful, Kṛṣṇa. The most powerful, the richest, the wisest, the most beautiful. Everything, supreme degree. We are sons of such a father, but we have become mad after this material enjoyment. This is our madness.

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Bombay, September 29, 1973:

hat is, Kṛṣṇa is explaining here, that mahā-bhūtāny ahaṅkāra. The ahaṅkāra is very important thing. False ahaṅkāra and real ahaṅkāra. Ahaṅkāra means law of identity. "I am Indian," this is ahaṅkāra. "I am American," this is ahaṅkāra. "I am rich man," this is also ahaṅkāra. "I am poor man." There are so many ahaṅkāras, law of identification. So this ahaṅkāra is the basis of getting a type of body, And... This is the subtle basis, ahaṅkāra. Mano buddhir ahaṅkāra. There are eight material elements: bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khāṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). That is stated in the seventh chapter. This earth, water, fire, air, sky, mind, intelligence, and ahaṅkāra. This is creating my different types of body.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 2, 1973:

We can practically see. Everyone is working with this body in Bombay city. A very poor man is also in Bombay city, and a very rich man is also there. Both of them have the same facilities to work, but we find that one man is working very hard day and night. Hardly he is getting his morsel of food. Another man, simply by going, sitting in the office, earning thousands and thousands. Why? Because the difference of the field of activities. The body is different. Because one has got a certain type of body, his destination is already there. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapattaye (SB 3.31.1). We can study this thing, that somebody is living in a poor slum and another man is living in a very palatial building. So simply by endeavoring that "I shall live in a palatial building, and I shall not live in this poor slumhole," it is not possible because the destiny is there. Therefore the body is made according to our past karma, and that is called destiny. Your happiness and distress according to the body is already settled up. It is not possible by natural way to improve or disimprove it. It is already settled up.

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

In the spiritual world the only enjoyer is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All others are enjoyed. But here in this material world everyone is trying to become the Supreme, and others, to be enjoyed. Everyone is trying to become God, and the last snare of māyā is that one is claiming that "I am God." When he tries to become big businessman, big zamindar, big minister, big president, or in the society, big rich man, big, big always. And when he fails to become all kinds of "bigs," he wants to become one with God. By mixing, by merging into God, he will be the biggest. That is the philosophy. So basic principle is how to become big. Otherwise... Because unless I become very big, I cannot enjoy.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:

And it is said by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita that if you want worldly happiness, then these things are required. Mūrkha yatra na pūjyante. Don't worship rascals and fools, mūrkha. Mūrkha yatra na pūjyante dhanyaṁ yatra susañcitam:(?) "And food grains are properly stocked." That is the Vedic civilization, that you work for three months, not very hard, simply till the ground and sow some food grain seed, and within three months it will grow, and you will have ample food grains, and you'll keep it in stock. And keep some cows. Dhanena dhanavān. They say that a rich man means one who has got sufficient stock of food grains. Food grains. Dhanena dhanavān. That is Vedic economic system. Gavayaḥ dhanavān. Gavayaḥ means by possessing some number of cows one is supposed to be rich. It is actually the fact. Everyone should possess some land for growing food grains and some cows to take milk. Then the whole economic problem is solved.

Lecture on BG 16.11-12 -- Hawaii, February 7, 1975:

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī, the example, when he wanted to retire from family life, he gave 50% to Kṛṣṇa. He was very rich man. After retirement he brought one full load of boat, golden coins. Just imagine the value. What is the price of gold coin now? I think there is no gold coin at the present moment. It is all finished. Now it is paper coins. (chuckles) This is going on. But even five hundred years ago or four hundred years ago there were gol... Not four hundred years ago, in our childhood, we have seen gold mohor, guinea. They were used in practical use. And silver coins, gold coins, we saw. But now it is, everything, paper. So we are so advanced that there is no more gold and silver.

So anyway, cintām aparimeyāṁ ca, that should be transferred to kṛṣṇa-cintā. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). If you always be busy in glorifying or chanting the holy name of the Lord, then your cintā, anxiety, is transferred. By same cintā... Cintā will go on; you cannot stop it. Mind you cannot stop thinking even for a moment. Either you shall think of this material life or you shall think of Kṛṣṇa. So the Kṛṣṇa consciousness means instead of thinking of this material life, you think of Kṛṣṇa. Thinking is not to be stopped. That is not possible. You cannot stop thinking even for a moment. Simply you have to practice. Instead of thinking these material things, you think of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted.

Lecture on BG 16.13-15 -- Hawaii, February 8, 1975:

Nitāi: "The demoniac person thinks: 'So much wealth do I have today, and I will gain more according to my schemes. So much is mine now, and it will increase in the future more and more. He is my enemy and I have killed him and my other enemy will also be killed. I am the lord of everything, I am the enjoyer. I am perfect, powerful and happy. I am the richest man, surrounded by aristocratic relatives. There is none so powerful and happy as I am. I shall perform sacrifices, I shall give charity and thus I shall I rejoice.' In this way such persons are deluded by ignorance."

Prabhupāda:

idam adya mayā labdham
imaṁ prāpsye manoratham
idam astīdam api me
bhaviṣyati punar dhanam
asau mayā hataḥ śatrur
haniṣye cāparān api
īśvaro 'ham ahaṁ bhogī
siddho 'haṁ balavān sukhī
āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi
ko 'nyo 'sti sadṛśo mayā
yakṣye dāsyāmi modiṣya
ity ajñāna-vimohitāḥ

So last night we discussed about the demons' thinking. Āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ. He does not know "So long I shall be aspiring more and more, I am getting entangled more and more within this material world. Because Kṛṣṇa is so kind, he has given me freedom to enjoy this material world, but according to my work, I am becoming implicated. So long I'll have a pinch of desire for enjoying this material world, I'll have to accept a typical body." This is the law of nature. When you'll actually be free from all material desires, then it is called mukti, mukti, liberation. That is liberation. So that standard of mukti, mukti standard or mukti platform, is bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on BG 16.13-15 -- Hawaii, February 8, 1975:

So instead of thinking always like this demon that "I have got so much money. Now I shall get further amount of money and it will be like so much money. He is my enemy. I have killed one of them. The other enemy..." This is going on actually, in the material field. So we have to rectify. We have to rectify. Āḍhyo 'bhijanavān asmi: "I am the richest man. I have got so many friends, all aristocratic." Abhijanavān. Janavān, dhanavān. Dhanavān means possessing wealth, and janavān means possessing men, strength, popular strength, and strength of money.

Lecture on BG 18.41 -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

If one has learned this art how to see other's wife as mother, and para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat, and other's riches, possessions, as garbage in the street. Just like you don't touch the garbage. Similarly, other's property, other's riches, one does not touch or even see to it. And he thinks all woman as mothers except his own wife. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu, and treating everyone equally, as he wants to be treated himself. If by pinching your body or giving pain to your body, if you feel pain, you should not give pain to any living entity. If one has learned these three things: mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu, then he's is learned scholar. It is not that one has got this degree from this university, then he has got. That degree will not help us. Unless one is God consciousness, he cannot have any good qualification. That is the Vedic injunction. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). As I have given the example of the hunter: before becoming God conscious, he was a cruel hunter, and after being God conscious, he was not ready to kill even an ant. This is the result. Samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām (BG 18.54). Then he's entered in the devotional service of the Lord. Not abruptly one can become devotee. The symptoms must be there, the qualities must be there. Suppose if somebody comes and says, "I am very rich man." So I shall have to see his symptoms, whether he has got a nice car, nice dress, or, there are so many symptoms. Similarly, simply by speaking that "I am God conscious" will not do.

Lecture on BG Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 8, 1972:

Similarly, prakṛti... Just, this is an example. Here, either man or woman, everyone is prakṛti. The real puruṣa is Kṛṣṇa. And there is a nice example. When Rūpa Gosvāmī was there in Vṛndāvana in his bhajana, Mirabhai went to see him. And Rūpa Gosvāmī's message was that he does not see any woman. They were very strict. At least, the story is like... So Mira challenged that "I came to Vṛndāvana. I know that only Kṛṣṇa is puruṣa here, and everyone is woman. So how does it mean that Rūpa Gosvāmī's declined to see another woman?" So Rūpa Gosvāmī agreed, "Yes, I am mistaken. Yes, Kṛṣṇa is the only puruṣa." So puruṣa means the enjoyer, and prakṛti means the instrument of enjoyment, prakṛti, energy. Just like here we see one man is very big, rich man, but he's enjoyer by utilizing his energy. Similarly, the whole cosmic situation, whole creation is..., the supreme enjoyer is God.

Page Title:Rich man (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:11 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=105, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:105