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Shame (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

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

Perhaps you know that Kṛṣṇa's vastraṇaṁ-līlā. Vastraṇaṁ-līlā means... In India still there are places in Punjab when girls and women take bath they keep their clothings in the river, I mean to say, not in the bathroom. In the rivers, they keep their clothings on the shore, on the bank, and they dip into the water completely naked. So that place is completely separate for the women. No man can go there. That is the system still somewhere. They will take bath fully and they will come and again dress. And woman, woman, they are all naked, there was no shame. They, no man and no boy can go there. This vastraṇaṁ-līlā was that Kṛṣṇa stealthily went there and tookup all their clothes, and got up on a tree, (laughter) (laughs) with the clothings. And they cannot come out of the water. "Kṛṣṇa, You are very naughty. Give us our clothes. Give us our clothes." That was vastraṇaṁ-līlā.(laughter) The purpose was the, the people interpret in a different way, but the purpose is very significant. Only devotees can understand that all these girls, day before, they prayed to Yogamāyā that, everyone prayed, that "Let us have Kṛṣṇa as our husband." Now Kṛṣṇa was at that time only 15, 16 years, no older. In India still the boys of 15, 16 years, they are not married. At least he must be 20, 22 years. And girls are married between 12 to 16 years. That is the Vedic system. Neither it was possible for Kṛṣṇa to marry all the girls, but they all prayed. So how to fulfil their desire? That was vastraṇaṁ-līlā. The vastraṇaṁ-līlā means that according to any human civilization, system, a woman can become naked only before husband. So Kṛṣṇa fulfilled that, that "You are naked, I am before you,so I am your husband." That's all. Wholesale acceptance. That was the purpose. But the nonsense people they differently, differently interpret.

Lecture on BG 2.21-22 -- London, August 26, 1973:

They are trying to get the, I mean to say, pleasure which is already enjoyed, which is already tasted. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisraṁ punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām. A human being... You'll find that when the dogs, they have sex life, they have no shame. So, many lusty people stand there and see. Seeing means they are willing, "If I could enjoy in the street like this." And sometimes they do. This is going on. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30).

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Nairobi, October 29, 1975:

That is even in dog. It does not make any difference. You are not civilized. Similarly sleeping. The dog can sleep on the street without caring for anything. We cannot sleep without nice apartment. So eating, sleeping, mating... Similarly, sex intercourse. Dog has no shame. It can enjoy sex on the street, but we have got some restriction, but the sex is there. Similarly, defense also, bhaya. Bhaya means to take care of fearfulness. That is there in the dog and in you also. It does not make any difference. Because you have got, discovered atomic bomb for defense, it does not mean that you are better than a dog. This is shastric injunction. Because he has to defend himself according to his intelligence and you are defending yourself according to your intelligence.

Lecture on BG 9.11-14 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

Rākṣasa means almost man-eaters. Rākṣasa are called man-eaters, more than tigers. They, for their self-satisfaction, they can eat, I mean to say, even, even their own sons. You see? They are called rākṣasas. No shame. "My sense gratification should be satisfied. Never mind. You go to hell." So this is the age. So we, we create a machine that everyone comes and becomes smashed in that machine, and my sense satisfaction is there. Although I'll never be happy by that sense satisfaction. This is going on. You can know this world is now managed by the rākṣasas. Rākṣasa. They don't mind what is happening. They are prepared to sacrifice everything for fulfilling their whimsical nonsense. They are called rākṣasa. Rākṣasīm āsurīṁ caiva prakṛtiṁ mohinīṁ śritāḥ. Why they are? Now, they are very much enamored by this material beauty. Not beauty. The material civilization. So they cannot.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:

We have seen. These are the examples. Nature's. They are very stout and strong, fatty, eating stool. And as soon as fatty, immediately sex life, without any discrimination, mother, sister, or anyone. That is hogs. You see from nature's example. Dogs and hogs. The dog has no, I mean to say, courtesy or shame. At, in the street, they're having sex life.

So human civilization is coming to that. Already it has come. In Western countries, at least, in our country, it has not come still. And Western, it is common affair. Young man, young woman is embracing, kissing, and everything. And sometimes sexually also engaged on the sea beach. In the garden. We have seen it. So practically you are coming to the hogs and dogs life. This is our advancement of civilization.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

Then if the body is brāhmaṇa, then the sons are committing sins by brahma-hatyā. No. That is not brahma-hatyā. Brāhmaṇa is the quality. That quality is gone. With the departure of the soul, that quality is gone. Now this body is simply a lump of matter, so there is no shame when the body is burnt into ashes.

The idea is that, as described in the śāstra, who is a brāhmaṇa, who is a śūdra, who is a kṣatriya, who is a vaiśya... It is all described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So satyaṁ śamo damas titikṣā ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.42). Karma, guṇa and karma. Here Aśvatthāmā, although he's born of a brāhmaṇa father, he did not possess the quality of a brāhmaṇa, neither the work of a brāhmaṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.8.46 -- Los Angeles, May 8, 1973:

So he promised that "You give your daughter to my father, and I promise that I shall not marry. So there will be no son. So naturally my stepmother's son will inherit the kingdom." Then he agreed.

So Bhīṣmadeva's father, although it was little shameful that the son is canvassing for the marriage of father, still, he could understand that "My son is so sensible that I wanted to marry, and he has managed." So he gave him one benediction: "My dear son, you'll remain brahmacārī, I can understand. But I give you one benediction, that unless you desire to die, you will never die." Icchā-mṛtyu. "This benediction you will have. Unless you desire that 'Now I shall die,' nobody can kill you, and you'll never die." So this was, the... Therefore... And because he promised so seriously that "I shall not marry," he gave up his kingdom, therefore his name is Bhīṣma. Bhīṣma means "very serious."

Lecture on SB 1.9.48 -- Mayapura, June 14, 1973:

And Dhṛtarāṣṭra was living with the nephews, Yudhiṣṭhira and his brothers. They were keeping the uncle very comfortably as elder uncle, all respect. But Vidura came there, and he criticized him, that "You have no shame. You all along remained enemy to your nephews. Now your nephews have killed all your descendants, and you are living here just like a dog. They are giving you some morsel of bread and you are eating and living here. You have no shame. You have become old." So he became very sorry: "My dear brother, what shall I do?" "Please come immediately along with me, and come to the forest." So Dhṛtarāṣṭra went according to the instruction of Vidura. Gāndhārī followed. Gāndhārī never said that "I am now old. I have lost my children. These nephews, they're taking care of me. Why shall I go with my husband?" No. She also went.

Lecture on SB 1.13.10 -- Geneva, June 1, 1974:

And you are still living, I mean, shamelessly. Because you treated Pāṇḍavas, your nephews, very badly—you wanted to kill them in so many ways—you fell. Then there was battle. So your sons and grandsons all finished. And still, you are shamelessly living in the house of your nephew, with whom you treated so badly. You have no shame." So in this way he very strongly criticized his brother, and then he surrendered, "My dear brother, what do you want me to do?" So he said that "You immediately come with me. Don't remain here." So immediately he left home, and then he underwent tapasya, and then he got salvation.

Lecture on SB 1.13.12 -- Geneva, June 3, 1974:

Dhṛtarāṣṭra and his wife Gāndhārī very gorgeously as head of the family, but he was not ashamed that he intrigued so much difficulties and plot against the Pāṇḍavas. There was big fight, Kurukṣetra, in which he lost everything. Still, he was living under their care for some material comforts. So this was very shameful affair. So Vidura was very much attracted, attached to Mahārāja Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, bhrātur jyeṣṭhasya śreyas-kṛt. Bhrātuḥ means brother, and jyeṣṭha means elder. So actually, Vidura went there for the benefit of Dhṛtarāṣṭra. Therefore, kañcit kālam atha avātsīt. He decided to live at home along with the family members for some time.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

Although he played, played the part of an enemy throughout, still it is the duty of the family member to take care of the old men. When Dhṛtarāṣṭra left home after being accused by his younger brother Vidura, so, "My dear brother, you are still attached to family life, you have no shame. You are taking food whom you..., from whom you considered your enemies. You wanted to kill them from the very beginning. You set fire to their home. You banished them in the forest. You intrigued against their lives, and now everything is finished, all your sons, grandsons and son-in-laws and brothers, fathers, uncles...," I mean to say Bhīṣma was his uncle. So all the family. In the battlefield of Kurukṣetra everyone was killed except these five brothers: Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva. All male members were killed. So, only the remaining descendant was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was within the womb of his mother.

Lecture on SB 1.14.43 -- New York, April 7, 1973 :

So, only the remaining descendant was Mahārāja Parīkṣit. He was within the womb of his mother. And his father died, Arjuna's son, Abhimanyu. He was sixteen years old. Fortunately his wife was pregnant. Otherwise the Kuru dynasty was finished. So, he rebuked ,that "Still you are sitting here just for a morsel of food like dog. You have no shame, my dear brother."

So he took it very seriously, "Yes, yes my dear brother, you are saying all right. So what, what do you want me to do?"

"Be..., immediately come out. Immediately come out. And go to the forest." So he agreed, he went there.

Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:

Cleanliness, always clean, taking thrice bath. Cloth clean, mind clean, body clean, activities clean, desire clean, thinking clean—everything clean. No contamination. This is the test. "I am doing all nasty things, and I am advertising 'I am advanced devotee.' " What rascal you are? You are doing all nonsense and you are advanced? But they have no shame even, to call themselves... Shameless. Shameless, even not gentlemen. Cheating, and still, he is advertising, "I am advanced." But a person who is actually in Kṛṣṇa consciousness or actual... Sādhu-śāstra-guru-vākya, tinete koriyā aikya. We have to...

Just like if you go to the chemical laboratory, you are testing the characteristic. In the book there is characteristic, even an ordinary chemical. Now, they say... Take, for example, salt. It is called?

Lecture on SB 2.9.9 -- Tokyo, April 25, 1972, Informal Class in Room:

Sudāmā: Here also. Here also there was a class of men called samurai, and they carried long sword and short sword. And they had certain rules for fighting. They would never fight a man unless he was equally matched. And if he lost, then he must take... If I lose the battle then I must take the short sword and kill myself for shame, for dishonor.

Prabhupāda: Not only that, when Kṛṣṇa was fighting with Rukmiṇī's brother, he lost his chariot. So, and Rukmiṇī took the sword. So Kṛṣṇa also throw His bow and arrows. He also took the sword. Not that "I shall possess better weapons to kill you." No. Equal. Equal terms. "If you have no sword, I will give you a sword." Yes. "Take this sword. I take another." That is kṣatriya spirit. Sporting. So for kṣatriya, this animal killing, this, which is abominable, but they require.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Honolulu, May 26, 1976:

Woman can be naked only before the husband. (break)

...brāhmaṇa. That will be explained. He was brāhmaṇa. He was well trained as a brāhmaṇa, but one day while he was coming home with the ingredients of worshiping the Deity, he saw one śūdra embracing another śūdra girl, embracing, kissing, because they have no shame. No brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya will do that. It is not etiquette. But because a śūdra, now it is everywhere we can see, embracing, kissing, open to everyone. So young man, seeing this, how he can restrain, check his lusty desire? It is not possible. Kali-yuga is so fallen. If a young man sees another young man he's enjoying with another young girl, then naturally his lusty desires increases. So these things are forbidden therefore. Still in some places it is forbidden that you cannot...

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

Why different types of mating, sex intercourse, and different types of defense? It is due to different qualities of the nature. A dog is happy sleeping on the street. A man does not want to sleep on the street. He wants to sleep in a nice apartment. Why this difference of...? According to guṇa. A dog enjoys sex life on the street without any shame, but a man has got some social convention. So he does not do so. But now they are coming, improving, that "There is no harm if there is sex on the street. Why we should have apartment?"

So these are all due to different infection of the guṇa. Tamo-guṇa means shameless, tamo-guṇa. Rajo-guṇa means lusty desire. And sattva-guṇa means knowledge, to see things as they are. So just like here in the temple, we are cultivating sattva-guṇa, or more than that, above sattva-guṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.61 -- Vrndavana, August 28, 1975:

That is not possible. But still, in the society there must be an ideal person who is actually brāhmaṇa.

So śūdra... This kind of business on the public street... Just like cats and dogs, they have sex pleasure without any shame on the street. Similarly, the śūdras, they embrace the opposite sex in the public street, and sometimes they have got sex also. I have seen in the Western countries—without any shame... So he saw, this brāhmaṇa boy. The brāhmaṇa boy saw. He is young man. Although he is qualified with the brāhmaṇa... Not exactly qualified; otherwise he would not have fallen. He was on the neophyte stage. Therefore we restrict, "No illicit sex." Completely forbidden. Otherwise it will be very difficult to keep oneself in the brahminical standard and make spiritual progress. Without being in the platform of brāhmaṇa, you cannot make any spiritual progress.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Montreal, June 16, 1968:

Even if he is poor, he can beg, "My dear sir, can you spare little foodstuff?" But he'll not... This is human, humanity. Suppose if there is a beautiful girl and one man is attracted, still, he will feel shame to capture that girl. Of course, here I see the boys and girls, they are kissing in the street, and in India it is very uncivil. No boy, no girls will do that because it is a training. It is a training. So by training, one can restrain the senses. And the more you restrain your senses, the more you become slackened for these material shackles.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

Servant we are, because constitutionally I am servant. And because I am not servant of God or servant of Kṛṣṇa, that I have become servant of my dog. In the morning I go with my dog. The dog says, "Yes, stand up here." "Yes, I am standing." "Let me pass my stool." "Yes, my dear sir. It is very nice." So I am servant. But I have no shame that I have become servant of dog and I'm refuse to (be) servant of God. Such a foolish we are. You see? So Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "Just change this kindly. Don't become any more servant of..." Servant of dog means servant of your senses. That's all. We are here all servant of senses. That's all. A swami means master of the senses. "Oh, sense wants? Oh, my tongue wants immediately to smoke? There is some sensation. Oh, I must say, 'No. There is no smoking. Stop.'

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

The story of Ajāmila is that he was a son of a brāhmaṇa, and he was very nice boy. He was married, and he was acting just like a brāhmaṇa boy. One day he went to collect some flowers and some wood from the forest for his father's worship. His father was worshiping Deity, and he was helping. On the path he saw that one śūdra and his wife, without any shame, they were embracing and kissing. This young boy became attracted. Therefore this system, that loving exchange or affairs should not be exhibited on the street. This is not very civilized form. In India it is not at all allowed. It is calculated indecent. There is punishment by law. But here the practice is different. But why it is so strict according to Vedic scripture? Here is the example. A young man was passing, and another young man and girl was embracing. Naturally he became excited. And of course this kind of embracing and kissing on the public street is done not by any high class.

Lecture on SB 7.9.40 -- Mayapur, March 18, 1976:

This is their very pleasing... And I have heard that in the working days or in the holidays, they do not remain at home, they go to the trinken shop. So jihvā is very, very strong. And another thing I have seen, that they pass urine on the street. Because they are habituated to drink too much, they pass urine without any shame. So this is the first important sense, jihvā. Ekata is... First the jihvā is attracting me.

Lecture on SB Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1972:

So he cursed them that "You are so fool, you have lost your sense. All right, next life you become a tree, immediately." So these senseless, shameless persons who are advancing in their knowledge by becoming naked, they are going to be tree next life. The naked tree is standing naked for many thousands of years. Or animals. They have no shame. So if human being becomes so shameless, then next life is to become animal and trees.

Festival Lectures

Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973:

Vivekananda Swami has manufactured the word "daridra-nārāyaṇa." So Nārāyaṇa has become very cheap thing for them. Everyone has become Nārāyaṇa; everyone has become God. Just like the rascal God is now in the hospital. God is under operation. (laughter) A "guruji" God. So they have no shame even that "If I am God, I cannot cure my bodily pains, what kind of God I am?" But these rascals will proclaim that they are God, and there is set of rascals, they will accept, "Oh, here is God." Vivekananda also said that "Why you are finding out God? Don't you see, so many gods are loitering in the street?" So God has become a funny thing for them. No. We do not accept such God. Our God is different. Our God is:

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

That's all. This is going on in the name of humanity, nationality and so on. But the business is the same. The business is the same: eating, sleeping, mating and defending, as the cats and dogs are doing. In a different way only. The dogs, they enjoy sex life on the street without any shame, and if a human being arranges for the same purpose, nice apartment, sixth-floor building and all... But the purpose is the same. Eating is the same. No. Beyond this one has to go. Therefore the Vedic injunction is tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham (MU 1.2.12).

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1972:

So he cursed them that "You are so fool, you have lost your sense. All right, next life you become a tree, immediately." So these senseless, shameless persons who are advancing in their knowledge by becoming naked, they are going to be tree next life. The naked tree is standing naked for many thousands of years. Or animals—they have no shame. So if human being becomes so shameless, then next life is to become animal and trees. But in the universities they say that "What is the wrong if I become an animal?" I asked them, "Do you like to be animal?" "Yes." "Then all right, next time you become animal. (laughter) This is your... I give you this blessing. That's all." (laughter) Flatly said, "Yes, yes, I will be happy." All right, say it. Kṛṣṇa is so kind: "You want to be naked? All right, you become naked for ten thousand years and stand up."

Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 23, 1977:

They follow Śrī Rāmānanda Rāya. He was a gṛhastha. He was a responsible government officer. Still, he was the best disciple of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rāmānanda Rāya, while talking with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he was feeling little shamefulness because Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a great sannyāsī and coming from a very respectable brāhmaṇa family, and Rāmānanda Rāya, he belonged to the Kharan(?) caste of Orissa, and he was gṛhastha, at the same time in government service. So he was feeling little shamefulness, that "I am teaching Caitanya Mahāprabhu."

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Jean-Paul Sartre:

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, what is the actual cause of shame?

Prabhupāda: Higher consciousness.

Śyāmasundara: If I am ashamed to take my clothes off in public, why is that?

Prabhupāda: Higher consciousness. The dog has no such thing; therefore this consciousness is not developed.

Devotee: He says something about..., "You have it resolved in your mind and you don't carry it through."

Devotee (2): Śrīla Prabhupāda gave an example: if I decide to rob a bank and I don't rob the bank and I... (break)

Prabhupāda: What is next?

Page Title:Shame (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:09 of Dec, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=27, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:27