Somehow or other (Lectures, SB cantos 6 - 12)

Expressions researched:
"somehow or other"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

"All right, you become tree and stand up naked for ten thousand years." This is the nature's law. You cannot violate the nature's law. And we are completely under the laws of nature. You cannot say that "I don't care for." No. You may say, foolishly, but you are, you are. Just like nature's law is that you must die. Can you say, "No, I shall not die"? Can you say boldly, "No, no, I shall not die. I am now scientific. I have got my science, I shall not die." The nature's law is: you must die.

So in this way you should understand how strongly you are controlled by the nature's law. But foolishly we say, "No." That is not. Just like this Mahārāja Parīkṣit, such a powerful king, he is now somehow or other cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy that "You must die within seven days." So he is preparing. He has got time, seven days. But what we have got? We haven't got even seven minutes' warning. At any moment we can die. And what we are doing? That is the foolishness. One must be ready, that "I will have to die. And 'die' means I will have to accept another body." Now, there are so many forms of body. As I was explaining aquatics, 900,000, then trees. As the water dries, the vegetation comes. You have got experience. That is the nature's process. And after vegetation, then the flies, insects, moving, up to trees and plants, not moving.

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

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

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

So simply, somehow or other, let them bow down before Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Very simple method. As soon as you bow down before Kṛṣṇa with faith: "My Lord, Kṛṣṇa, I was forgetful of Yourself so long, so many lives. Now I have come to consciousness. Please accept me." That's all. If people simply learn this technique and sincerely surrenders himself to the Lord, his path is immediately open.

So these are the Vaiṣṇava philosophical thought, how they are thinking for the conditioned souls, fallen souls, how they can be delivered. They are making plan in that way. They are, they always they busy in that business, how to deliver. Just like Gosvāmīs, about the six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana, Lord Caitanya's direct disciples, what was their business? That is stated by Śrīnivāsācārya,

nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau

lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau tri-bhuvane mānyau śaraṇyākarau

rādhā-kṛṣṇa-padāravinda-bhajanānandena mattālikau

vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau

So they were busy, nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika. They were consulting many authoritative scriptures, how to put people in the right religious way of life. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika, sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau. Why? Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau, actually for doing welfare activities to the people in general, not for themselves. A Vaiṣṇava is liberated, and he can keep himself liberated always, anywhere, any place, without any hindrance, simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma... So... But still they are very much anxious for the conditioned souls.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971:

That is God's law. There is no excuse that he..., when you kill a man you are punishable, but when you kill an animal you are not punishable. This is concoction. This is not perfect law. Perfect law. Therefore Lord Jesus Christ prescribes in the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not kill." That is perfect law. Not that you shall discriminate that "I shall not kill man, but I shall kill animals." This is cheating one's self. The God laws will not excuse.

Therefore there are different atonements. According to Vedic law, if one cow dies while he's locked up on the neck... Because the cow is on the safe.(?) Somehow or other, it dies and the rope is round the neck, the proprietor of the cow has to make some atonement. Because it is to be supposed that the cow has died on account of being locked up with the rope, there is atonement. Now if you are willingly killing cows and so many animals, so how much we are being responsible? Therefore at the present moment there is war, and the human society becomes subjected to be killed in mass massacre—the nature's law. You cannot stop war and go on killing animals. That is not possible. There will be so many accidents for killing. The wholesale kill. When Kṛṣṇa kills, He kills wholesale. When I kill—one after another. But when Kṛṣṇa kills, they assemble all the killers and kill. Therefore there is atonement in the śāstras. Just like in your Bible also there is atonement, confession, paying some fine. But after performing atonement, why people commits the same sin again? That is to be understood.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

When Ṛṣabhadeva, the father of Mahārāja Bharata, after whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa The name Bhāratavarṣa is not only the name for India, but it is the name for this planet. Formerly, five thousand years ago, the whole planet was known as Bhāratavarṣa. The Vedic culture was all over the world. These Europeans and Americans, they are coming of the same stock, Indo-Aryan stock. There is a great history behind this, how some of the kṣatriyas, they left India during the time of Paraśurāma. He declared war against the kṣatriyas and he was incarnation of God. He was killing the kṣatriyas like anything and some of the kṣatriyas fled from India and came to this part of the world. So from historical point of view you Europeans and Americans, you belong to the kṣatriya stock of old India, and somehow or other you have forgotten this Vedic culture. Originally you belonged to this Vedic culture. The Vedic culture was all over the world, even in America—different types of worship or concept of God. The Red Indians also had some religion.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you'll see it. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18).

Therefore Ambarīṣa Mahārāja fixed up his mind always... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up the mind always in Kṛṣṇa, some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Kṛṣṇa also advises. (break) ...feet, and pray, bhajate. "Kṛṣṇa, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service. Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of māyā. Service I am going. I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification." That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, and pray that "I am eternal servant. Now I'm engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engage my(self) in Your sense gratification." The business is there, sense gratification. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness means instead of satisfying one's own senses, one should be ready to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not very difficult. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta this distinction has been clearly made, what is love and what is lust. Lust means satisfying to gratify one's personal senses. And, and love means trying to satisfy the senses of the lover. And who is the lover? Kṛṣṇa, the supreme lover. So one, one is called prema, love, and the other is called lust—although the process may appear to be the same.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- Honolulu, May 12, 1976:

These things are there. The devotional service is so nice. If you simply take to devotional service, then all good qualities will come. You don't have to educate him, to send some reformatory school or this or that. That will be explained. In devotional service, Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice. If you simply take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then all your... Because originally you are good. You have become bad on account of the material association. Therefore devotion means to be purified. This is a purificatory process from material contamination. Sarvopādhi vinirmuktaṁ tat paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). If you think... Vimarśanam. If we think little soberly, that "I am thinking I am American or Indian. Am I American or Indian? This is upādhi, designation. By accident or somehow or other, I have got this body in America. Therefore I am American. But next time I may not take the American body. I may take another, Chinese body or something else." So one has to understand that "I am neither American, neither Chinese, nor Indian, nor white, nor black." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul, part and parcel of God." That is knowledge. We have to come to that. That is brahma-bhūtaḥ.

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

Otherwise how He is God? If He is for a particular section, then how He can be God? God cannot be for a particular type of man or particular section, particular society. God is for human being or the birds, beasts, aquatics, insect, trees, plants, everyone. That is God. He says, sarva-yoniṣu: "In every species of life, whatever form may be, that doesn't matter," ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā (BG 14.4), He says, "I am the seed-give father." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So our proposition is that we are somehow or other in an envelopment of so many mistakes. And therefore we are suffering. Suffering means due to ignorance. Just like a man does not know the law of the country... A civil instance:(?) just like here in London the car is driven from the left side, in America the car is driven by the right side. So suppose one comes from America, he's driving the car from the right side, the police arrest. "Why you arrest me, sir?" "Because you are driving on the right side." "That I know. I do not know that you have to drive left side." "That does not mean you are free from criminal charges. Come to the court." So this criminality is happened on account of ignorance. So any criminal person wrongly-guided means ignorance. Therefore we have to develop real knowledge. The real knowledge is that God is one, God is great, we are part and parcel of God, and therefore we have to serve God. This is knowledge.

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

Prabhupāda: Yes, somehow or other, at the time of your death if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then your life is successful. Ante nārāyaṇa smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). But if you do not practice while you're conscious, then it is very difficult to remember Kṛṣṇa at the time of death.

Guest (1): Would you possibly say that the moment of death, the last thought which is...

Prabhupāda: At the time of death, somehow or other, if you are fortunate enough to remember Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. I shall describe this instance in these discourses, Ajamila, how he became delivered. So the real purpose is ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ: at the time of death we may be able to think of Kṛṣṇa. Then life is successful.

Guest (1): Much has been said about yoga and...

Prabhupāda: That yoga is also the same thing. Yoga practice means to concentrate one's mind, to practice, the Viṣṇu form within the heart. Viṣṇu is another form of Kṛṣṇa. So, not this modern yoga system, thinking something void. This is not prescribed in the authoritative scriptures. That is simply taking trouble. Kleśaḥ adhikataras teṣām avyaktāsakta-cetasām. Those who are attached void, voidness, they simply take more trouble to realize God.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- New York, August 1, 1971:

Now Śukadeva Gosvāmī says... This is the perfect way for our ultimate good, goodness, kṣema. Akuto-bhayaḥ: without any fearfulness. In any action you do, there is some fearfulness whether it will be successful or not: "If I fail, if..." But if you take to devotional service, then it is akuto-bhayaḥ. Akutaḥ means there is no fear, no fear, because any, anything material you do, unless you come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is all gone to hell. Suppose you are trying to construct a nice factory. But if you do not come to the ultimate end, the factory cannot be started. If in the middle you have no money or somehow or other the factory construction is stopped, then whatever money you invested, that is gone to hell. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that whatever you have done in this life—one percent, two percent, ten percent, fifty percent... If you can execute cent percent, then the whole life is perfect. But even if you do not come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is your permanent asset. Next life you begin from that point. These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā when Arjuna enquired that "If one cannot finish the whole course of yoga system, what happens to him?" He assured that "Whatever he has done, that remains his permanent asset. Now, from next life, he begins—suppose he has finished fifty percent—from the next life he begins from fifty one percent." But for the karmīs, whatever they have done in this life, whatever they have earned... Suppose by working very hard, you got millions of dollars. But you cannot take it away. It is left here and go. You cannot take. But Kṛṣṇa conscious activities you take with you and next life begin again.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Auckland, February 22, 1973:

Devotee (1): ...somehow or other...

Prabhupāda: You are not outsider. (laughter) First of all outsider. You have got chance. So? No question from outsider? Now you can ask.

Devotee (1): If someone has a desire to do something so that...

Prabhupāda: Do something for Kṛṣṇa?

Devotee (1): For Kṛṣṇa. But he begins to realize it's still tinged with a lot of personal gratification...

Prabhupāda: Therefore he should consult spiritual master. The guide is there. Then it is all right. He should take sanction from Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa's representative. If he wants to do something, that's good, but whether that doing is right or wrong you have to know it from Kṛṣṇa or His representative. Is it clear or not? Yes.

Devotee (1): How can one reach the point where he knows that a particular type of service...

Sruta-kirti: How can one reach the point where he knows a particular type of service...

Devotee (1): ...will please the spiritual master?

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

So we are in this material world on account of this infectious condition. This is our problem. And we have to die. That's a fact. If you say that "I don't believe in death," that is not excuse. Death must be there. You must die. So in this way our life is going on. So in the human form of life we can rectify this. This is the process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that if we rectify our constant association with different material modes of nature... And as the result of this association, we are accepting one body and again dying, and again accepting another body, again dying. This business will be stopped. Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Somehow or other, if you become fit to go back to home, back to Godhead, yad gatvā, then you haven't got to come back again. But they do not understand that this material conditional life is always miserable. They have accepted, "It is very nice." Animals. Animals Just like in the slaughterhouse, livestock godown, there are so many animals, and they are going to be slaughtered. Everyone knows. They also know, the animals. But on account of their animal quality, they cannot do anything. Similarly, we are also put into the slaughterhouse of this material world. It is called mṛtyu-loka. Everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. Today or tomorrow or fifty years after or a hundred years after, everyone knows that he will be slaughtered. He will die. Death means slaughter. Nobody wants to die. The animal also do not like to die. But they are forcibly killed. This is called slaughter. Similarly, who wants to die? Nobody wants to die. But by nature's law he has to be killed. That is slaughterhouse. The whole material world is slaughterhouse. We have to realize that. And it is called mṛtyu-loka. This is the problem. But they do not take it very seriously, like animal. The animal, he does not take very seriously. And even if he knows he will die, he cannot take any step.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Denver, June 28, 1975:

Everyone knows. But those who are not becoming perfect, they will have to come back again to accept another body. But those who are developed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, this is the final giving up material body, go back to home, back to Godhead. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And try to execute it very carefully, lovingly. Then your life is successful. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9).

So one who becomes fit for going to the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇaloka, Vaikuṇṭhaloka, where is the question of his sinful reaction? Aghaṁ dhunvanti. No sinful man can go back to home, back to Godhead. So if one is actually, somehow or other, becomes fit for going back to home, back..., that means automatically his sinful reaction of life... One may question how it is. If a man is sinful for many, many lives, how simply by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious he becomes free from the reaction? Yes. Kṛṣṇa says. You haven't got to take proof from anyone else. Kṛṣṇa says,

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja

ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo

mokṣayiṣyāmi...

(BG 18.66)

Kṛṣṇa says, "I shall give you release from all sinful reaction which you have committed for many, many births." Kṛṣṇa says. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. There is no question of worrying about it, that "Oh, I have committed." But the thing is that after surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, don't commit any more sinful life. Then you are perfect.

Lecture on SB 6.1.15 -- Honolulu, May 15, 1976:

That is real knowledge, real perfection, as soon as one comes to this conclusion, that "Kṛṣṇa is mine, and I am Kṛṣṇa's," simply this understanding. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. So by this consciousness automatically all reaction of sinful life becomes washed. Aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena, totally. How? How it is possible? "He has accumulated sinful reaction of life for so many births, and simply...?" Yes, it is possible. "How?" Now, nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ. When there is, what is called? Frost.

Devotee: Fog.

Prabhupāda: Fog, yes. When there is fog, you try so many ways; it cannot go. Then, if somehow or other sun rises, immediately finished. Immediately clear. That is our motto in the Back to Godhead: "Godhead is light and nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead, there is no jurisdiction of darkness."

kṛṣṇa sūrya-sama māyā andhakāra

yāhāṅ kṛṣṇa tāhāṅ nāhi māyā adhikāra

(CC Madhya 22.31)

As soon as there is sunshine, immediately the fog is... It's practical.

So somehow or other, Kṛṣṇa, if we get Kṛṣṇa arisen in our heart... Sa vai manaḥ-kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). If we simply concentrate our mind, that is real meditation, to think of Kṛṣṇa—man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65)—then everything will be cleansed automatically. Kṛṣṇa says in the...

Lecture on SB 6.1.18 -- Denver, July 1, 1975:

Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī has recommended that "Somehow or other, you become Kṛṣṇa conscious." Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. That is the recommendation of Rūpa Gosvāmī: "Somehow or other, you engage your mind in Kṛṣṇa." Then your life will be successful. Somehow or other. Do anything, but you remember Kṛṣṇa. That is the instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā also. Yudhyasva mām anusmara: (BG 8.7) "You fight; at the same time, you remember Me." "How it is possible? I am busy, and I have to remember Kṛṣṇa?" Sometimes this argument is put forward. But that argument is not strong. Rūpa Gosvāmī has given a very nice example that a woman, if she is attached to some man and she has a fixed up time to meet the man at some place or at some hour, so she may be engaged in household affairs very busily, but she is expecting, "When that hour will come?" This is very factual example. The mind is there, "When that meeting will take place?" Similarly, you can remember Kṛṣṇa. The... It is a crude example, but it is possible that you be busy in so many ways, but at the same time you can remember Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. That is Kṛṣṇa conscious. We have no objection. You do business, you do this, you do that. But if you can always remember Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. It doesn't matter. Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. And if you remember always Kṛṣṇa, that means you are becoming purified. You are purified immediately.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1970:

Otherwise he cannot live. If an animal or a dog or hog thinks that he's in most abominable condition of life, then he cannot live. But he enjoys. A dog is chained up by the master, but he thinks that he's very happy. He does not think that "I am completely dependent and I am chained up. I have no independence, I cannot freely move." Even his chain is taken away, he wants to be chained. This is māyā. In any condition of life, everyone thinks that he's happy. But actually he does not know what is happiness. This is called māyā.

But here it is said that a person, for a short period, if he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, sakṛt, manaḥ, if his mind is somehow or other placed on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then, even in dream he'll never see what is the punishment in the planet of Yamarāja. That means a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is guaranteed not to be touched by the Yamarāja or his attendants or his police force or constables. They... A living entity is taken away. After his death, if he's sinful man, then his soul is taken away by force. He doesn't want to... Through a desert. These things are described. You may believe or not believe, but we believe, because we believe in Vedic literature. So these descriptions are there, and practically we experience also in our this life, sometimes in dream we are put into great troublesome position and we suffer. Although when we wake up we do not see anything like that, but still, the consequence of the dream we suffer. So here, Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives guarantee that a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is never to be troubled by the Yamarāja or his agents.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 and Room Conversation -- Bombay, November 15, 1970:

Now his profession was... When a man falls down, then he lives by this profession. What are these? Bandy-akṣaiḥ: gambling, cheating, and stealing. All these abominable activities they adopt. And he does not think that "I am doing something bad because I have no other means to maintain my family." He gives the reason that "What can I do? I have to maintain my family, so somehow or other I must get money." So there is a practical example in Patna high-court. I do not wish to name, but there was a big high-court judge. He was taking bribe, and he was detected one day. When he was just to deliver one judgment, the chief judge called him and he asked him that "You immediately resign on health condition and go away." But when his friends asked him that "Why you were doing so?" he replied that "I have got expenditure, ten thousand rupees per month, and I get only four thousand. What can I do?" So the... (the door opens) (aside:) Come on. Just see practically. Even a high-court judge, because he has to spend more than his income, he adopted these vile means of living. The trend of modern civilization is like that. They unnecessarily increase their expenditure and adopt these all vile means. (Hindi) So your party is ready? (Hindi) So you can go with him. Yes. (Hindi) (end)

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Denver, July 2, 1975:

So this is the profit of Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Kṛṣṇa is so attractive that if anyone only once has fully applied his mind in thinking of Kṛṣṇa and surrendering, then he becomes immediately saved from all miserable condition of this material life. So that is our perfection of life. Somehow or other, we surrender to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. So here it is stressed, sakṛt. Sakṛt means "only once." So if so much profit is there simply once thinking of Kṛṣṇa, then we can imagine, those who are always engaged in thinking of Kṛṣṇa by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, what is their position. They are very safe. So much so that it is said, na te yamaṁ pāśa-bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān svapne 'pi paśyanti. Svapna means dreaming. Dreaming is false. To see the Yamadūtas, or the carriers of order of Yamarāja, superintendent of death, to see face to face... At the time of death, when one very sinful man is dying, he sees the Yamarāja or the order carriers of Yamarāja. They are very fierce looking. Sometimes the man on the deathbed becomes very much fearful, cries, "Save me, save me." This also happened to Ajāmila. And that is the story we shall narrate later on. But he was saved. For his past activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he was saved. That story we shall get later on.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:

So this Ajāmila was very much attached to the youngest child. Sa baddha-hṛdayas tasminn arbhake kala-bhāṣiṇi. The youngest child, naturally... This is the attraction of family life. When a small baby smiles, immediately the father, mother and relatives become attracted. When the child begins to talk broken language, they enjoy. Unless this attraction is there, it is not possible to raise the child with affection. That is natural. That affection is even in the animals. You'll find a dog, even a tiger, everyone. That affection is there in the every... Monkey. I have seen it practically. In Kanpur I was staying in a room, and one monkey came with a child, and the child somehow or other entered into the window through the bars and the mother became mad. She thought, "My child is gone." She became mad. So somehow or other, again I pushed that monkey out of the bars, and immediately she embraced the child and took away. Just see. The affection is there.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976:

Mother gives for eating, cow gives us milk. This is sense. But if one becomes addicted to prostitute hunting then he will be fallen. That is the example. Then he'll become thief, rascal, cheater, drunkard, and so on, so on, so on. Why? Now, only for maintaining the family. The family maintenance, the cats and dogs, they also do, the birds also do, but they do not do anything unnatural. The bird maintains his children, brings some fruit or something in the mouth and push into mouth of the small kiddies. That is natural. But why one should take unfair means for maintaining family? This is culture. This is culture. But nowadays they have manufactured "Necessity has no law." "I require money, somehow or other I must have it and let me adopt this means, that means." No. So evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya. Lālayānasya tat-sutān. So without understanding what is the duty of human being, because he is fallen... We should not bother for maintaining our family and children till the time of death. No. Up to twenty-five years. A brahmacārī is trained to refrain from sex life, that is brahmacārī, celibacy. But if he is still not able, then he is allowed to accept gṛhastha life. There is no cheating, hypocrisy, that I proclaim myself as brahmacārī or sannyāsī and I secretly do all nonsense. This is hypocrisy. The hypocrisy life will not make one advanced in spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Chicago, July 7, 1975:

That is material world. And as soon as there is death, there is birth. Death means we enter into the womb of a mother for, say, ten months. That ten months is considered as death. Not ten months, because the child within the womb of the mother returns his consciousness when the child is seven months old. This is human body. At that time he feels inconvenience within the womb of mother. Before that, he is unconscious, sleeping. Now, when the body grows within the mother womb and it is seven months, then he returns consciousness. He feels inconvenient. And he is very eager to come out. Those who are advanced, they pray to God, "My Lord, somehow or other get me release from this condition. This life I shall devote for rendering You service so that I may be free from this condition." So similarly, at ten months, ten days, he comes out and..., but forgets. Svajanera kole. Many relatives, mother, father, takes care, and he forgets that "I promised I shall become Kṛṣṇa conscious this time." But on account of illusory energy, he thought that "I am very comfortably situated. My father is taking care. My mother is taking care. My relatives are taking care. So very happy life." This is called forgetfulness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.23 -- Honolulu, May 23, 1976:

That is the example. Then he'll become thief, rascal, cheater, drunkard, and so on, so on, so on. Why? Now, only for maintaining the family. The family maintenance, the cats and dogs, they also do, the birds also do, but they do not do anything unnatural. A bird maintains his children, brings some fruit or something in the mouth and puts into the mouth of the small kiddies. So that is natural. But why one should take unfair means for maintaining family? This is culture. This is culture. So but nowadays they have manufactured. "Necessity has no law." "I require money, so somehow or other I must have it. Let me adopt this means, that means." No. So evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya. The lālayānasya tat-sutān. So without understanding what is the duty of human being, because he is fallen, so we should not bother for maintaining our family and children till the time of death.

No. Up to twenty-five years. A brahmacārī is trained to refrain from sex life. That is brahmacārī, celibacy. But if he is still not able, then he is allowed to accept gṛhastha life. There is no cheating, hypocrisy, that I proclaim myself as brahmacārī or sannyāsī, and I secretly do all nonsense. This is hypocrisy. The hypocrisy life will not make one advance in spiritual life. That is the example given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. His personal associate you know, Choṭa Haridāsa, Junior Haridāsa. He was a very nice singer, so he was singing in the assembly of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and one day he went to beg some rice from Śikhi Mahiti's sister, and there was a young woman, and he lustfully saw there. That is sometimes natural. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu understand that. Just to teach us, while He was eating, He said, "Who brought this rice?" "Choṭa Haridāsa."

Lecture on SB 6.1.24 -- Honolulu, May 24, 1976:

Eating, sleeping, sex and defense. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca, sāmānyam etat. This is very easy to understand. The dog is eating; I am eating. Dog is sleeping; I am sleeping. Dog is enjoying sex; I am also enjoying sex. Dog is also afraid; I am also afraid. So what is the difference between dog and me? The only difference is that dog has no religion; I've got religion. So if I give up religion, life of religiosity, then I am equal to dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ.

So this Ajāmila, on account of bad association with prostitute, he lost his character and he became thief, cheater, somehow or other being punished. So in this way, while he was maintaining his children and family, then the time of death came. That will not wait, that "I have not finished my duty, family duty. Please wait few years more." "Oh, that is not possible." So kālo... Atyagāt. Kālo atyagāt mahān rājan aṣṭāśīti āyuṣaḥ samāḥ. He became very old, eighty-eight years old, aṣṭaśīti. Aṣṭa means eight, aśīti means eighty-eight. In this way, aṣṭāśītyā āyuṣaḥ samāḥ. So at that time he had ten sons. Tasya pravayasaḥ putrāḥ. He begot so many children, number is ten. So putra, how many? Daśa, ten, ten children he had. Teṣāṁ tu yaḥ avamaḥ. Out of the ten sons, the youngest son, teṣāṁ tu yaḥ avamaḥ bālaḥ, the child, nārāyaṇaḥ nāmnā, he kept the name Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa dāsa, just like we give name to an initiate. So this is his great fortune. He gave the youngest son the name Nārāyaṇa. Naturally father, mother becomes affectionate to the youngest baby. So by way of calling the young child, he was chanting "Nārāyaṇa." This is very good system, that if you keep the name of your children Nārāyaṇa, Govinda, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma, then you will get some chance to chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa. Therefore in India still the system is they keep some name which is with reference to Kṛṣṇa. He has got thousands of names, so you can keep one name so that you have the opportunity of repeating, chanting the holy name of the Lord.

Lecture on SB 6.1.27 -- Indore, December 15, 1970:

They are called anartha. They are not required. When you get a human form of body you must know that your food and shelter is already ordained. You don't require to try for this. Even the birds and beasts, they do not try for their food and shelter. They are certain that "Somewhere we have got our shelter and there is somewhere my food." Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa, the supreme patron, He is supplying food to everyone. He is supplying food to the elephant, who eats one time one hundred pounds, and He is supplying a grain of sugar to the ant also. So why should bother about my food? That is śaraṇāgati. When a man becomes śaraṇāgata, he knows perfectly well that "Somehow or other there is my food." A sannyāsī... sannyāsī means sat nyāsa, to fully surrender to Kṛṣṇa. But the sannyāsīs, they misuse in another way. Actually sannyāsa means to fully surrender. Nowadays in India there are so many sannyāsīs, some three million sannyāsīs. They are wandering all over the country. They have no food problem. Still, although India is considered to be poverty-stricken. Either sannyāsī or gṛhastha, nobody has to have problem. You have created such... Simply artificially you have created such problem. Bhāgavata says, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). One should try for that thing which is not obtainable either in the higher planetary system or lower planetary system. Because everywhere the food, shelter, sex life, and protection is there, in every planet. But the only want is that one is not Kṛṣṇa conscious. My Guru Mahārāja used to say that "There is no scarcity in the world.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Philadelphia, July 13, 1975:

Practiced, we are practiced to so many bad habits life after life in this material condition. So sometimes, one who is engaged in devotional service to the Lord may, on account of old practice, he commits some sinful activities. Kṛṣṇa forgives him. He knows that he is sincere, but on account of his old practice, he has done something mistake. There is a verse, saḥ pāda-mūlaṁ bhajatāṁ priyasya(?). Somehow or other, you become recognized by Kṛṣṇa, priya. Kṛṣṇa may know that "He is sincerely trying to do something for render..." Kṛṣṇa does not require your service or my service. He is self-sufficient. If we render service, that is for..., that is good for us. Kṛṣṇa, He recognizes, "Oh, now he has again begun service. That's nice." So to such person Kṛṣṇa excuses. Saḥ pāda-mūlaṁ bhajatāṁ priyasya. That verse. Now I forget. There is a verse like that.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

Pradyumna: Translation: "Ajāmila then saw three awkward persons with deformed bodily features, fierce, twisted faces, and hair standing erect on their bodies. With ropes in their hands they had come to take him away to the abode of Yamarāja. When he saw them he was extremely bewildered, and because of attachment to his child, who was playing a short distance away, Ajāmila began to call him loudly by his name. Thus, with tears in his eyes, he somehow or other chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa." (SB 6.1.28-29)

Prabhupāda: Sa pāśa-hastāṁs trīn dṛṣṭvā puruṣān ati-dāruṇān. So, at the time of death there are so many disturbance. We have got experience, but you have forgot because bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). But these things are observed by the sinful person. The Yamadūta, they come to take to the sinful, sinful person, not devotees. Just like the whole population of the city, they are not all subjected to the prison laws. Some criminals. Similarly, this Yamadūta goes to such sinful persons. They are not all. But it is the question of Ajāmila... He was so sinful that automatically the Yamadūtas came, and they wanted to take him.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Honolulu, May 28, 1976:

So, unconsciously, he was chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, although he never meant that he's calling real Nārāyaṇa. He's asking his son, Nārāyaṇa, "My dear son, Nārāyaṇa, please come here, take your food, sit down here, play here, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa." This was practice. This opportunity was given to Ajāmila that, although he fell down from his standard of devotional service, but he got the opportunity of chanting "Nārāyaṇa." Ante nārāyaṇa smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). And when we are afraid of something, so we chant, we call somebody who is very dear. This is very psychological.

So when he was too much afraid of this Yamadūta, unconsciously he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa. So somehow or other he remembered Nārāyaṇa. Some commentator says that when he chanted "Nārāyaṇa," then all his reaction of sinful life immediately disappeared and he remembered real Nārāyaṇa. Because he, in his boyhood, was trained up as a Vaiṣṇava by his father, so some... There is big comments on this incidence. Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has written three or four pages about this. So his opinion is that as soon as he chanted the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, immediately he remembered real Nārāyaṇa. That this child Nārāyaṇa... "I'm calling my child, how he'll be able to save me from the hands of this Yamadūta."

Lecture on SB 6.1.45 -- Laguna Beach, July 26, 1975:

"These Englishmen's country is so small, and they are running on so great speed they will fall in the ocean." He remarked like that. Why they are running so fast? So similarly, we are running so fast for going to hell. This is our position, because we do not know what is the destination. If I do not know what is the destination and try to drive my car in full speed, then what will be the result? The result will be disaster. We must know why we are running. Running means just like the river is running in great tide, flowing, but the destination is the sea. When the river comes to the sea, then its destination gone. So similarly, we must know what is the destination. The destination is Viṣṇu, God. We are part and parcel of God. We are... Somehow or other, we are fallen in this material world. Therefore our destination of life will be to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our destination. There is no other destination. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching that "You fix up your goal of life." And what is that goal of life? "Back to home, back to Godhead. You are going this side, opposite side, toward the side of hell. That is not your destination. You go this side, back to Godhead." That is our propaganda.

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

And one should take advantage of this śāstra and make his life successful and then preach all over the world.

So in this paramparā system, this knowledge has come to your country, America. You are intelligent. You are prosperous. So take this knowledge seriously and at least distribute this knowledge properly for the benefit of your people. Otherwise the world is in very, very precarious condition, and although the human form of life is obtained for the success of life, they are being kept purposefully all ignorantly in darkness. So, na veda pūrvam aparaṁ naṣṭa-janma-smṛtis tathā. Just like Bharata Mahārāja, he was a great devotee, but somehow or other, he was very much attached to one, a small deer. He had to accept the body of a deer. But he did not forget about his last birth. That is special prerogative for advanced devotees. Nature's law is that at the time of death, what you think, you get the body. That is nature's law. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6), Kṛṣṇa says. So we have to train up our bhāva, our thoughts. If we keep always in Kṛṣṇa thoughts, then naturally at the time of death we may remember Kṛṣṇa. That is success. Then immediately tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately you are transferred to the Kṛṣṇaloka, and according to your desire, you become amongst the gopīs or the cowherds boys or the cows and the calves.

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

Sun is so bright that even a big darkness cannot enter. At night it is big darkness, but sun is so strong that as soon as there is glimpse of the sun, immediately whole darkness gone. You haven't got to drive the darkness by separate endeavor. Simply await for the sun rising. Immediately finish. So māyā is darkness. So if you bring Kṛṣṇa within your heart, all māyā will be finished. No more māyā. This is the process. That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Māyā can act only when there is no Kṛṣṇa. So therefore Gosvāmī, ṣaḍ-gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, advises, yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet sarve vidhi-niṣedhā syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. Somehow or other, you fix up your mind on Kṛṣṇa.

So when I started this movement, somehow or other, I tried to fix up the mind of these boys in Kṛṣṇa. In the beginning I never said that "You have to do this. You have to do that." But somehow or other, they are very nice boys, so they fixed up their mind in Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting. Kṛṣṇa and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—the same thing. Therefore we... Our process is to chant, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31), chant Hare Kṛṣṇa always. Then the mind becomes... Chant and hear. Yena tena prakāreṇa. Then everything will be complete. It is so... As we are fallen at the present moment in this age, the remedy is also very effective. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya nitya-muktaḥ paraṁ vrajet. This is the special advantage of this Kali-yuga, because people are so fallen that it is very difficult to raise them to the standard of spiritual understanding by the prescribed method. Prescribed method means tapasā brahmacaryeṇa śamena damena niyamena tyāgena (SB 6.1.13). It is very difficult. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us His blessings, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31).

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

So in this way, life after life, we are changing the body. In this planet, in other planet, in this variety, in that variety, we are wandering. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says,

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kono bhāgyavān jīva

guru kṛṣṇa kṛpa pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

In this way we are wandering, life after life. But somehow or other, if he becomes fortunate, fortunate Unless one becomes fortunate, one cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is not possible. So we are trying to make this fallen soul fortunate. Be fortunate and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa brahmite kono bhāgyavān jīva

guru kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja

(CC Madhya 19.151)

By Kṛṣṇa's mercy, by guru's mercy, both... Don't try to take mercy of one. Guru kṛṣṇa kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja. By guru's mercy one gets Kṛṣṇa. And kṛṣṇa sei tomāra, kṛṣṇa dite pāro. To approach a guru means just to beg from him Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa sei tomāra. Because Kṛṣṇa is devotee's Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the master, but who can control Kṛṣṇa? His devotee. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller, but He is controlled by devotee. That is, Kṛṣṇa is bhakti-vatsala. Just like a big father, a high-court judge and There is a story that the Prime Minister Gladstone, somebody came to see him. And the Mr. Gladstone informed that "Wait. I am busy."

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975:

He did not know that he is chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, and still, he got salvation. That is the purport of this history, that the holy name of God, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Rāma... There are many names of the Lord. Nāmnām akāri bahudhā. He has got thousands of names, and you can chant any one of them, either Kṛṣṇa or Rāma, Govinda, Nārāyaṇa, like that. So you get the result.

So here the example is that Ajāmila, although he had forgotten Nārāyaṇa, but on account of his chanting the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, although he meant his son, it was effective. We have to understand like this. Somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of the Lord, knowingly or unknowingly, it will have its effect. Just like you touch fire knowingly or unknowingly, it will burn; similarly, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra knowingly or unknowingly, it will be effective on your life. Therefore we see it practically that in the Western countries, although they did not know who is Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa... It is dictionary, the English dictionary, there is statement, "Kṛṣṇa is the name of Hindu god." So, but nobody is consulting dictionary for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But the śāstra says that somehow or other, if you chant the holy name of God, then you gradually become purified. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam (CC Antya 20.12). So this history of Ajamila's life is described in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam to show the importance of chanting the holy name of God. That is the purpose.

Lecture on SB 6.1.66 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1975:

This combination of the brāhmaṇa and the śūdrāṇī, this is accidental. It is not common. So anyway, accidental or organized, it doesn't matter. One who violates the rules and regulation, immediately he comes to the category of such classification. So he became a śūdra. Although he was born in a brāhmaṇa family, he was being trained up, but on account of the association of a śūdrāṇī, prostitute, he fell down and he became a pāpaḥ, most sinful man. So as a pāpaḥ, he did not know how to earn money honestly. He is neither brāhmaṇa, nor kṣatriya, nor vaiśya. He is now not even śūdra, less than that. Therefore it is said, yatas tataś ca upaninye: "Somehow or other..." According to classification, a brāhmaṇa has got specific function for earning his livelihood, a kṣatriya has got a specific action for livelihood, a vaiśya has got specific action for livelihood, and a śūdra has got a specific action for livelihood. But he became less than śūdra. Therefore yatas tataś ca—"Somehow or other, bring money, bring money." This is called yatas tataś ca, no fixed up.

A brāhmaṇa... Everyone has to earn livelihood. That is a fact. Without working, you cannot live. So there are specific... Just like brāhmaṇa-yajan yājan paṭhan pāṭhan dānaḥ pratigrahaḥ. He must be very good worshiper of the Lord, and he must induce his yajamāna, his dependent. Brāhmaṇa is the head, and the kṣatriya, vaiśya, they are yajamāna. So they should induce, just like we are inducing all over the world, "Open temple. Worship Kṛṣṇa." This is brāhmaṇa's business.

Lecture on SB 6.1.66 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1975:

So now it is falling down. His business... He has got family, wife, children, and he requires money because the economic development, economic impetus, begins from this family affection. It is fact. Nobody would earn money. Therefore, if one is not married, he does not like to earn money. This is natural. And if he has got family, wife and children, then he will try to earn money. So this man is a rogue, he is sinful, but because still he has got children and wife, therefore he has to earn money. But because he is sinful, he cannot earn money honestly. Yatas tataś ca upaninye. Yena tena prakāreṇa: "Bring money. Somehow or other, bring money." Yatas tataś ca upaninye nyāyataḥ anyāyataḥ. Nyāyataḥ means legally, lawfully. Nyāya means law. Anyāyataḥ, "without legal..." Just like we can earn money by stealing, but that is anyāyataḥ. You cannot touch others' property. Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthāḥ mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam (ISO 1). This is Vedic instruction. Whatever you are allotted you can "A brāhmaṇa, you can earn like this. A kṣatriya, you can earn like this. A vaiśya, you can earn like this." But don't encroach upon others' property. But he became sinful, yena tena prakāreṇa. Nyāyataḥ anyāyataḥ. Nyāyataḥ is finished because he was a brāhmaṇa. No more he is brāhmaṇa. So anyāyataḥ, simply unlawfully. Anyāya. Why? Babhāra, maintaining, asyāḥ kuṭumbinyāḥ, the family members, wife and children. Kuṭumbaṁ manda-dhīr ayam. Manda-dhīḥ. Manda means very bad, very bad intelligence. In this way he began to earn his money and gradually he degraded and that will be described, how he became degraded.

Lecture on SB 6.2.1-5 -- Calcutta, January 6, 1971:

So money which is due from others—he is not paying—that has become a bad money. Good money means which is in your hand. That is good money. And if you are simply speculating that "I shall get this money from that person. I shall get this money from...," that is bad money. So there is an English proverb, perhaps you know all, "To push good money after bad money." So therefore sometimes intelligent persons, they do not go to the court because he knows that money which is not being paid... Before entering into agreement you should be very clever so that your money may not be bad money which you are advancing. But if somehow or other it has become bad money, don't try to put good money. Let that bad money go to hell. So better nowadays not to go to the court as far as possible. But you should deal with people in such a way... Just like I was advising you, just find out a respectable transporter, because the time is very bad. Otherwise it will become a bad money. You go for cheap thing, that "He will carry my goods free," but he will throw it away. Somebody will take away. Then your whole profit is gone. You should be very careful. And if you have to go to court, then it is still more bad. You see?

Lecture on SB 6.2.3 -- Vrndavana, September 7, 1975:

Fallen down, he became a rogue, rascal. That's all right. But he never utilized the chanting of name for counteracting his sinful activities. No, he never did. He was affectionate to his youngest son, whose name was Nārāyaṇa. So, very much affectionate, youngest son—"Nārāyaṇa, please come here. Take your food. Please drink this milk. Come here. Sit down"—so he was addressing Nārāyaṇa, his son, but it was taken into account by Nārāyaṇa. Therefore it is the system in Hindu families to keep children's name as Nārāyaṇa dāsa, Kṛṣṇa dāsa, Govardhana dāsa, so that one may be able to chant the holy name of the Lord somehow or other. This is the way. So that is the example of Ajāmila. Simply by loving his son of the name Nārāyaṇa, his account was credited in so many times.

So these Yamadūta, they did not know. So they came to arrest him. But Viṣṇudūta came to save him: "No, no. He is no more sinful. He is free from all sinful life. Don't do injustice." So for They are regretting that aho kaṣṭaṁ dharma-dṛśām adharmaḥ spṛśate sabhām. "Justice must be done very nicely." Prajānāṁ pitaro ye ca śāstāraḥ sādhavaḥ samāḥ. Prajānām, children, or the citizens, prajā Prajā means who has taken birth, national. Prajānāṁ pitaro. Pitaro means father or anyone who takes the care of the children or the citizen like father. The government or the king—formerly there was king, now government—their position is just like father. As the father's duty is to see that the children, the son, is raised very nicely so that in future he may be very happy. This is the duty of the father, to see, not that simply to feed him and make him fatty. No. In the śāstra it is said, pitā na sa syāt. One should not become a father.

Lecture on SB 6.2.5-8 -- Calcutta, January 10, 1971:

Therefore he was criticizing. Yamarāja is meant for arresting the criminals, sinful persons. But these Yamadūtas came to arrest Ajāmila, who was already relieved from all sinful actions simply by chanting "Nārāyaṇa." That was not known to them. So in order to criticize them, that "You do not know where to go and where not to go," they described in so many ways. Now they are positively saying that ayaṁ hi kṛta-nirveśo janma-koṭy-aṁhasām api: "Even though he committed sinful activity for millions of years, he is now free." Ayaṁ hi kṛta-nirveśaḥ: "He has completely counteracted all those sinful activities." How? Yad vyājahāra vivaśo nāma svasty-ayanaṁ hareḥ. So vivaśaḥ: "Somehow or other, he has chanted the holy name of Hari." Asya pāpena daṇḍe kim artham akrośa kriyate tatrāhur ayaṁ hriyate:(?) (commentary) "Why you are attempting to arrest this person as criminal?" Yamadūta, yad yada vivaśi 'pi harer nāma vyājahāra uccaritavan:(?) "There was no intention of chanting the holy name of Hari, but even though consciously or unconsciously he has chanted the holy name of Hari, therefore he is now free."

Lecture on SB 6.2.7 -- Vrndavana, September 10, 1975:

You cannot say that "I will be liberated by this process or that process," no. Because it is Kali-yuga, any other process will not be successful. You adopt any process; ultimately you have to come to this process, bhakti-yoga. You can work on karma-yoga. You can work on jñāna-yoga. You can work on haṭha-yoga. There are different yogas. Yoga means how to connect with the Supreme. Yoga means connection, and viyoga means distraction. We know, anyone who knows mathematics, yoga. Yoga means addition, and subtraction, viyoga. So at the present moment, in our conditional stage, we are separated. Not exactly separated, but we have forgotten. We have forgotten our relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we have to connect it again. That is called yoga. Because we are now disconnected somehow or other, now we have to connect it again.

So any yoga system means an endeavor to connect our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called yoga. So someone is trying to make the connection—karma-yoga. Someone is trying by jñāna-yoga. Someone is trying haṭha-yoga. But the real aim is bhakti-yoga. Just like different steps. You are on the first step, and other is on the second step, and other is on the third step, and other is on the fourth step. But the ultimate goal is bhakti-yoga. You cannot understand God or Kṛṣṇa by any other yoga. It may be a step forward, but ultimately you have to come to the bhakti-yoga.

Lecture on SB 6.2.9-10 -- Allahabad, January 15, 1971:

That accident, if one repents that "I should not have done this, but I am so sinful that I have again committed this sin," so this repentance will help him to be excused by the Supreme Lord. But if one commits sinful life intentionally, that is not to be excused. That is to be taken seriously.

Just like in this place, confluence of the river of Yamunā and Gaṅgā, one of the associates of Lord Caitanya committed suicide. You know, Choṭa Haridāsa. This Choṭa Haridāsa was associate of Lord Caitanya. He was daily singing kīrtana, and he was very nice singer. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu liked him. He was one of the associates in Purī. But somehow or other, he became inclined for sense gratification. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu as Paramātmā could understand, and He immediately asked His other associates, "Not to allow this man to come before Me any more." So even Sārvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya and other big, big, big guns of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's associates, Rāmānanda Rāya, they requested that "This man is Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, he has committed this sin. So You kindly excuse him." Caitanya Mahāprabhu was so much stern in this respect that He immediately replied that "If you like Choṭa Haridāsa, better you remain with him. Let Me go away." So from that moment nobody ventured to request again Caitanya Mahāprabhu to excuse him. So when he was hopeless not to be excused by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he came here in this place, Prayāga, and in the confluence of river Yamunā and Gaṅgā he committed suicide. He drowned himself. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu knew also this incident. So after some time, when he died, say after some months, He simply inquired, "Where is Choṭa Haridāsa now?" So his other associates replied, "Sir, You did not accept him, so he has committed suicide." So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "Yes, this is very good. This is very good." So vajrād api kaṭhora. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was sometimes harder than the stone, and sometimes He was softer than the flower.

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

"These Hare Kṛṣṇa people are very bad." But he's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. While saying that "Hare Kṛṣṇa people are very bad," but the "Hare Kṛṣṇa" is chanted. The helanam eva vā. And that is going to their credit. Although they are going to say Just like "Rāma chor nāhe," and somebody heard, "Nāhe Rāma chor." So "Rāma chor," but because he uttered the name Rāma, even he says, "Rāma chor," he gets the benefit. Sometimes they joke, "Kṛṣṇa is Mākhanchor." So he is accusing "chor," but because he is chanting "Kṛṣṇa" he is getting the benefit.

So some way or other... Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet. This is the process. Somehow or other, you engage your mind in Kṛṣṇa. Yena tena prakāreṇa. Without any regulative principle? Yes. Sarve vidhi-niveṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. If you some way or other think of Kṛṣṇa, then the vidhi-niṣedhā, vidhi-niṣedhā, regulative principle and forbidden things Just like we have got our regulative principle that "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra at least sixteen rounds." This is called vidhi. And niṣedhā: don't have illicit sex, don't eat meat, don't have intoxication, don't indulge in gambling. These are niṣedhā. So sarve vidhi-niṣedhāḥ syur etayor eva kiṅkarāḥ. As soon as you go on chanting the holy name of the Lord, vidhi, sixteen round, this niṣedhā will automatically follow. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). This is the process.

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

This is the process. Somehow or other, yena tena prakāreṇa, you think of Kṛṣṇa, you chant Kṛṣṇa's name, you just offer your obeisances, and... This temple is here. There are many temples. What is the process? Process... If somebody comes here, he immediately think of Kṛṣṇa. By seeing Kṛṣṇa's Deity... Kṛṣṇa's Deity and Kṛṣṇa is not different. So even if he thinks that it is some stone Deity, but Kṛṣṇa's stone Deity... Therefore "Kṛṣṇa's," he says—that will benefit him. Some way or other, he is chanting "Kṛṣṇa." "Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma is very nice in this temple." So that "Kṛṣṇa" and seeing Kṛṣṇa, thinking of Kṛṣṇa, chanting Kṛṣṇa Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī (BG 18.65). And if you worship Kṛṣṇa, offer ārātika, bhoga, decorate with flowers Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan mandira-mār...** Even you wash this temple, you get the benefit. Somehow or other, be in touch with this temple, with the holy name, with the Vaiṣṇava. In this way, by constant association-saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ—by association of devotees, you become a Kṛṣṇa devotee.

Lecture on SB 6.2.15 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1975:

Because this material world is full of dangers, these symptoms of dangerous position, patitaṁ skhalito bhagnaḥ... Especially in the modern age, in the Western countries, accident, motor accident and die, is very common thing nowadays. Here also it is becoming. On the whole, even there is no motor accident, there are so many accidents. In every step there is danger. Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). This material world means every step there is danger. There is no question of safety. At any moment. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja recommended, kaumāraṁ ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha. Why in the beginning of childhood one should learn bhāgavata-dharma? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma. Somehow or other, we have got this body, human form of body, durlabham, after many, many births. They do not know. The foolish persons, they do not know what is the value of this human form of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyatāḥ. In this way 8,400,000 different forms of life we have to pass through. Then we have got this. Especially a civilized human being. The human race, they are also 400,000..., 400,000 types. Out of them, those who are civilized, they are called Aryans. Aryan means civilized. Aryan means those who are making progress. They are called Aryans.

Lecture on SB 6.3.20-23 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971:

Now, if you manufacture an airplane which runs with the speed of the mind... You know the speed of the mind. Within a second, you can travel millions of miles. So an airplane running on, on that speed, and thinking for millions of years, still, you cannot approach the abode of Kṛṣṇa or understand Kṛṣṇa. Only you can understand by His mercy. Only by the mercy of... Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Just like Kṛṣṇa is voluntarily offering Arjuna to understand Bhagavad-gītā. He's not going to canvass anyone. "Arjuna, you understand it. You'll be able to understand because you are My devotee."

So for a devotee only, the door of God is open. For others, there is no possibility. Therefore, He's called durbodham. Durbodhaṁ yaṁ jñātvā. But somehow or other, if he can understand the principles of religion and God, then immediately he becomes immortal. Immortal means he's no more going to accept any material body. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on SB 7.5.31 -- Mauritius, October 4, 1975:

"If a man lives for twenty to thirty years he will be considered as a grand old man." And there will be not available especially rice, wheat, milk, sugar. These are stated. This is Kali-yuga.

So the nature of this material world is that without knowing the goal of life they become leaders. Material world, especially in this age, they do not know what is the goal of life. They do not know what he is. That is the defect. Dehātma-buddhiḥ. Everyone, all over the world, they are thinking in terms of this body. Accidentally, somehow or other, because I have got this Indian body I am thinking, "I am Indian." And another person, he has got the American body from America... This land also we have demarcated. That is also our creation. Otherwise the land belongs to God. We have created this, that "This is America," "This is India," and "This is England," 'This is Germany..." But actually every land belongs to..., every land, sea, sky belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). That is Vedic civilization. "Everything belongs to God." Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People should be free to move in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything, actually it belongs to Kṛṣṇa. But we have got restriction because we see "This is America, this is India, this is..." So they have been described here as andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: "These leaders are themselves blind, and they are leading other blind men." General public, they are blind, and the leaders are also blind. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Why they are blind? Now, because they do not know what is the aim of life. Na te viduḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatim. Everyone is self-interested.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 Excerpt -- San Francisco, March 16, 1968:

That kind of thought is useless. Not useless. Of course, the enemies who thought of Kṛṣṇa always, they also got salvation. Because, after all, they thought of Kṛṣṇa. But not in that way. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, "Just becoming My lover and devotee." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, "Just worship Me," mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru, "and offer your obeisances unto Me. In this way," mām evaiṣyasi, "You'll come back to Me," asaṁśayaḥ, "without any doubt." So this is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and Prahlāda Mahārāja is teaching that in this human form of life, especially from childhood, people should be taught God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, somehow or other. Then their life will be successful. And don't spoil your life otherwise... This is the instruction, we have begun and we shall continue it. If you please come, we shall talk further. If any... (end)

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:

We are executing here sanātana-dharma.

So sanātana-dharma and this bhāgavata-dharma, the same thing. Bhāgavata, Bhagavān. From the word Bhagavān, bhāgavata has come. So this bhāgavata-dharma has been described by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He says, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is. But at the present moment, with our material connection, instead of becoming the servant of God, or Kṛṣṇa, we have become servants of so many other things, māyā, and therefore we are suffering. We are not satisfied. There cannot be. It cannot fit. Just like you take one screw from the machine. If the screw somehow or other falls down it has no value. But the same screw, when you fit to the machine or the machine is not working for want of one screw, it is in disturbed condition, so you take that same screw and fit it and the machine working and the screw becomes very valuable. So we are part and parcel of god, Kṛṣṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7), He says, Kṛṣṇa. So we are now separated. We are fallen down. Another example is just like big fire and the small sparks. The small spark is also fire so long it is with the fire. And if somehow or other the sparks fall down out of the fire, it extinguishes. There is no more fire quality. But if you take it again and put it into the fire, again it becomes spark.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Madras, January 2, 1976:

So our position is like that. Somehow or other, we have come to this material world. Although we are a small particle, fragmental parts of the Supreme Lord, but because we are in this material world we have forgotten our relationship with God, and our... Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). We are struggling against the laws of material world, so many other things. Here also we are serving because we are eternally servant. But because we have given up the service of the Supreme Lord, we have been engaged as servant of so many things. But nobody is satisfied, as (the) honorable Justice said, that nobody is satisfied. That's a fact. It cannot be satisfied. It cannot be satisfied because we are constitutionally servant of God but we have been placed in this material world to serve so many other things which is not fitting. Therefore we are creating plans of service. That is called mental concoction. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). A struggle, it is a struggle.

So we are making different plans but it will not be successful. That much I explained last night, that we are thinking independent and we are planning so many things independently to become happy. It is not possible. That is not possible. That is māyā's illusory play. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass. Then what is the ultimate solution? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14).

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 Excerpt -- Toronto, June 17, 1976:

So he instructed her. And later on, as women usually forget, she could not utilize the instruction of Nārada Muni, but the child was within the womb of his mother, he heard it from Nārada Muni and became a great devotee. This is the history of Prahlāda Mahārāja's birth. There are many other things. If you read this Seventh Canto, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... So anyway, somehow or other, he became a great devotee of the Lord. But he was born in a family of atheists. His father, Hiraṇyakaśipu, was atheist number one, but the child was a devotee. Such thing happens. The father is devotee and the child is a demon. And sometimes the father is a demon but the child is a devotee. Everyone comes with his own karma. It doesn't mean that because the father is atheist, therefore the child has to become an atheist. Or the father is a devotee, therefore the child has to become a devotee, no. Everyone is responsible for his past deeds. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was a devotee, but his father did not like that the child should be trained up as a devotee. That was the misunderstanding between the father and the son and the whole history of Prahlāda Mahārāja's life is a description of misunderstanding between the father and the son. The father did not like that the son should be a devotee, but Prahlāda Mahārāja would not give up his devotional service.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

So anyway, it is our attempt to give you the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge. This is our attempt. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is just distributing the ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge. So Vedic knowledge, the ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is to know God. Not only Vedic, any scripture, any book of knowledge. So the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know God. If you do not... Because this human form of life is meant for that purpose. That is explained here by Prahlāda Mahārāja: kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). This Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was a small boy, five years old. Somehow or other, he was enlightened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and at the age of five years old, he was going to school and he was trying to preach this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the school. I'm especially reading these verses because it is university, a school for teaching to the students. So Prahlāda Mahārāja says that this teaching of this learning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, should begin from very childhood. Kaumāram. Kaumāra means the age between ten years and fifteen years. That is called kaumāra. Kaumāra ācaret prājño. Prājño means one who is intelligent. So from just one child is ten years old, from the age of ten years up to fifteen years, this period must be used especially for understanding Bhāgavata-dharma, for understanding what is God. That is Bhāgavata-dharma.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Vrndavana, December 4, 1975:

This is the evidence. So how you can say that next life will be human life? No. That's not possible. According to your karma, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1), if you are acting like human being, then there is chance of getting human life. And if you are acting like a dog, then you must get the body of a dog. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa. It depends on your karma. If you simply dress like a human being and act like a dog, then you'll get a dog's body. Kṛṣṇa will give you the facility. Māyayā, (sic) yantrā-rūḍhena māyayā. Māyā.

In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that this body is just like a machine, motorcar. Suppose you have got now a very nice motorcar, Rolls Royce car. So somehow or other, your car is lost. The next car, is it any guarantee that you will get Rolls Royce car? No. You'll get a car as you pay for. That's all. If you can pay for a Rolls Royce car, then you can get. Or any dress. Suppose you have got now very costly dress. Now your dress is torn, you have to change the dress, but is there any guarantee that you'll get the same type of dress? No. You'll get a dress as you pay for it. It's a common sense. Similarly, if you act like a demigod, you will get the body of a demigod. If we act like ordinary human being, then you get the body of a human being. If you act like a dog, then you get the body of a dog. And if you act like a devotee, you go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the process.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3 -- Vrndavana, December 4, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa has no form"—this is not understanding of Kṛṣṇa. This is rascaldom. Kṛṣṇa says such persons, such rascals who says that "Kṛṣṇa has no body. He has no form. It is māyā..." They are called Māyāvādī. "Everything māyā. Kṛṣṇa is also māyā." That is Māyāvāda. So these Māyāvādīs are condemned by Kṛṣṇa: na mām... What is that? Mānuṣīṁ tanum... Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā (BG 9.11). These rascals, Māyāvādīs, avajānanti, he thinks Kṛṣṇa as ordinary human being, or even if He is God, He has taken a body made by māyā. This is Māyāvādī philosophy. "The spirit soul cannot appear without being dressed by māyā." But that is not the fact, that... A man is diseased, suffering from fever. It does not mean that without fever nobody can exist. That is nonsense. Fever is a symptom for the time being, and feverlessness is the real life. Similarly, somehow or other, iccha-dveṣa-samutthena (BG 7.27), by some desire, we have got this material body, but it does not mean that without this material body I cannot live. That is nonsense. Actual life is spiritual life. Actual life is spiritual life.

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- New Vrindaban, June 22, 1976:

We are acting, working for some good achievement. So our achievement, means the human form of achievement is mukunda-caraṇāmbujam. Mukunda means Kṛṣṇa. How to get shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. That is the supreme achievement. Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja advises, tato yateta kuśalaḥ kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ. Those who are fallen in this material world, somehow or other... It is not our place. This is a rotten place, but somehow or other we have fallen. Bhavam āśritaḥ, we have, instead of taking shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, we have taken shelter of this material world. Therefore it is called bhavam āśritaḥ. For them it is imperative that śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam. So long we are young, very strong body, senses are working nicely, this opportunity should be utilized for advancing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore a calculation is there. One may think, "Yes, that's all right, but I'll live at least one hundred years. So let me enjoy now sense, and later on we shall see the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness." No. Prahlāda Mahārāja is warning: Yes, you have maximum. But nobody now is living hundred years. Everyone knows. This is the symptom of Kali-yuga, that:

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

You begin chanting and hear for the few seconds or few minutes: you immediately become on the platform of ecstasy. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommended this process not only for India but for all the people of the world. He said that pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) Pṛthivī means "on the face of the world"; ache, "when there is." Nagar means "towns," and grāma means "village" or "county." So He said, "As many villages, towns, or counties, the human society, there are on the surface of the globe," sarvatra pracāra haibe more nāma, "My name"—means Lord Caitanya's name, because He introduced the simple method of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa—"will be celebrated." That is His prediction.

So we can see practically also that somehow or other, in your country this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is introduced practically only for one year, but it is being popularized. People are taking it very seriously. Even some places where I never visited, they are organizing centers. I have received information from Buffalo, from Atlantic City. One little boy, Terry, he is organizing. He has invited some of our brahmacārīs to go there. And I have received letter from Germany, from Holland. They also have begun chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. In England, the Beatles, or Beatniks, they are also chanting. So this is getting popular in the Western countries, and it will get, I am sure. So this chanting process introduced by Lord Caitanya should be seriously taken up so that our aim of human life will be successful. We have forgotten. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). We have forgotten... The modern civilization has... In your country I was reading a little history that in 1813 or some year the government introduced that "We trust in God," "Trust in God," and that was declared by the secretary to be published on the coins or on the paper currency, and we see sometimes. But simply trust in God is not sufficient.

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

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

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

Guest (4): The false wrong(?) is that he is misled by material consciousness execute the things, really.(?) If he is misled by other, by circumstances, this is... He has no fault of his own.

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

Don't be disturbed." Śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Āgamāpāyino 'nityas tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya, śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). Just like we are covering because it is cold, but actually as spirit soul, I am not affected. Asaṅgo hy ayaṁ puruṣa. In the Vedas it is said that the soul is unaffected with this material condition. I have several times given this example, that a person has got a good car, and it is somehow or another broken, and he becomes upset, because his car Although he knows that "I am not this car," but his thoughts being absorbed by the attraction of the car, when the car is broken somehow or other he becomes almost unconscious. So this is due to our attachment. So spiritual life means how to get out of this attachment. This is spiritual life. We are "No, what is the wrong if we are attached?" The wrong is that so long we remain attached to these temporary illusory things, you'll not be able to get out of it. That is the whole program. Therefore Kṛṣṇa advises, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya. These pains and pleasure is due to this skin; it is not real. But because you are attached to the skin and bone, therefore you feel sometimes pain and pleasure. But that will not endure. Better tolerate it. Tolerate. That is spiritual, tapasya. That is called tapasya. When one can learn how to tolerate these temporary so-called pains and pleasure, then he is advanced.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9-17 -- San Francisco, March 31, 1969:

As it is stated in the previous verse, being situated on the mental plane, even a learned man, I mean to say, transgresses the limits of law. There are so many.

Of course, in India I have personal experience that many... Why in India? I have seen here also. In New York our boys wanted to purchase one house, and they had a few thousand dollars, and a group of lawyers, I mean to say, they made a plan to take out this ten thousand dollars from these boys, and... I know it personally. They are educated lawyers, but because they're acting on the mental plane, they are thinking that "By somehow or other, if we can grab this money and we shall divide amongst lawyers..." This is going on. The so-called educated persons, for want of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they can act less than even an animal. You see? So vidvān apītthaṁ danujāḥ kuṭumbaṁ puṣṇan sva-lokāya na kalpate vai. So they do not care for what is going in the next life. Tamaḥ prapadyeta yathā vimūḍhaḥ. They also fall into the darkness, the darkest region, or ordinary illiterate or ignorant persons also fall.

Lecture on SB 7.6.19 -- New Vrindaban, July 2, 1976:

To become a devotee of the Supreme Lord is not unnatural. It is very easy, natural thing. By nature, we are attached to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Somehow or other, circumstantially, we are separated. Not separated, because here it is stated ātmatvāt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is, although we are thinking we are different from Him, He is within our hearts. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna: (BG 18.61) He is so friendly that although we are averse, we do not like even the word of God, God is so kind that He is sitting within my heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām, He's simply looking forward for the opportunity when I, the living entity, shall look towards Him. He's always anxious.

So little endeavor is sufficient to begin our business with Him, little endeavor. And that endeavor begins by hearing about Him. We are holding classes in different parts of the world just to give people chance for little endeavor, not very much, very hard work. No. Little endeavor. What is that? "Please come here and hear about Kṛṣṇa." Then the business begins immediately. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana (SB 1.2.17). Because Kṛṣṇa is very much anxious: "When this conditioned soul will look towards Me? He's now looking towards māyā, the other side, the dark side, and when he'll look towards the light?" The Vedic injunction is, tamasi mā jyotir gama: "Do not look forward to the darkness, but look forward to the light." If you look forward to the light then there is no darkness.

Lecture on SB 7.6.19 -- New Vrindaban, July 2, 1976:

So śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanam (SB 1.2.17). Even if we do not understand what is being spoken about Kṛṣṇa, still, simply by hearing, one becomes pious. Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana. Kirtana, one is speaking or chanting, another is hearing. Both of them are benefited, becomes pious. In this way, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa unless we are sinless. So there is no need of separate attempt to become sinless. If we simply hear, then we... Puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtana. Puṇya means piety. Simply by hearing, you become pious. Then you become interested, naturally. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Somehow or other, if one becomes a little fit for: "Oh, here is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. What they are doing, let me see," that is called śraddhā. And this śraddhā is little increased, then one will like to associate with the devotees. Adau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-sangaḥ. In this way, when he is accustomed, then he will like to become one of the devotees, offers himself to be initiated.

Lecture on SB 7.7.29-31 -- San Francisco, March 15, 1967, (incomplete lecture):

That is very nice. So all worship is concentrated there. Here it is said that sādhu-bhaktānām saṅgena and īśvarārādhanena ca, and you have to worship. So if you make this process, then you become fully in Kṛṣṇa consciousness wherever you live and whatever you are, and your life is perfect. And there is nothing objectionable. This picture, anyone can have. This picture or small picture, whatever you can. Like this way, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's picture, and offer Him little fruits and little flower and little incense, and chant and dance. Never mind what you are, what is your condition. Everything will come later on. Yena tena prakareṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveṣayet. Somehow or other you engage your mind in this process. Then everything will come automatically. You'll know. You'll know what to do. And there is spiritual master guidance. This is the beginning of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śraddhayā tat-kathāyāṁ ca. He is further explaining. Śraddhayā, with faith and devotion, śraddhā. Śraddha means faith and devotion. So this faith and devotion is the beginning, is the basic principle of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Adau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅga tato bhajana-kriyā anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. This is the process. So here it is also said, śraddhayā tat-kathāyāṁ ca. When there is a speech about Kṛṣṇa, or about Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So śraddhayā tat-kathā... (end)

Lecture on SB 7.7.40-44 -- San Francisco, March 20, 1967:

They are seeing, experiencing from śāstra, from scripture we are getting instruction, that nothing is imperishable. Everything is perishable in the material world, and we are actually seeing also that perishable agents are always ready. Just like the fire. In New York City, at least, within twenty-four hours, there are at least ten or fifteen places where fire is going on. And your fire brigade is running on just trying to protect you from fire. The house regulation is all for fire, "How we are protected from fire." Then it will be allowed, certificate of occupation, "You can live." In other words, that fire is always ready to vanish everything, but artificially, somehow or other, we are trying to protect ourself from fire. But we do not take it for granted that this material nature is so made that it will set in fire everything, however we may be strong in protecting ourself. That is the nature. So however we may make plans to live very happily, the nature's law is that it will destroy.

Lecture on SB 7.9.4 -- Mayapur, February 11, 1976:

This is mahā-bhāgavata nitya-siddha. And sādhana-siddha means those who are put into this material world, by the association of mahā-bhāgavata, if he tries, follows, then he can also become mahā-bhāgavata or nitya-siddha, because originally everyone is nitya-siddha.

nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti 'sādhya' kabhu naya

śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya

Every living entity originally nitya-siddha, but somehow or other, just like Jaya-Vijaya, fell down in this material world, and he was delivered also, both of them were delivered. So although you have fallen in this material world, and suffering the pangs of material existence, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), on account of accepting this material body, still, Kṛṣṇa personally comes, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). This is glāniḥ, discrepancies. We are living this material existence, this is not real life. Real life is to become mahā-bhāgavata. So you cannot become a mahā-bhāgavata all of a sudden, but from kaniṣṭha-adhikārī,

arcāyām eva haraye

yaḥ pūjāṁ śraddhayehate

na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu

sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

Prākṛtaḥ stage, so prakṛtaḥ stage means just like we are worshiping The Deity, but not only we shall worship Deity but we make advancement. What is that advancement? To become gradually a preacher. That is madhyama-adhikārī, second stage, preacher.

Lecture on SB 7.9.9 -- Mayapur, March 1, 1977:

So bhakti is so nice thing that very easily you can get favor of the Supreme Personality. And if Kṛṣṇa is pleased upon you, then what remains? Everything you get. Everything you get. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam eva vijñātaṁ bhavanti. Easiest way to please Kṛṣṇa... You don't require much money, much education, and nothing of the sort. Simply you require your heart: "O Kṛṣṇa, You are my Lord. You are my master eternally. I am Your servant eternally. Let me be engaged in Your service." That is Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ (devotees chant) Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is the meaning of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra: "O Kṛṣṇa, O energy of Kṛṣṇa, I am Your servant. Somehow or other I have now fallen in this material condition. Kindly pick me up and engage me in service." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ māṁ viṣame bhavaṁ budhau. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching us. Bhavaṁ budhau. This material world is just like a great ocean, bhava. Bhava means repetition of birth and death, and āmbu means āmbudhau, means in the sea, in the ocean. So we are struggling hard for existence in this ocean. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ayi nanda tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I am Your servant eternal. Somehow or other I have fallen in this ocean and struggling. Pick me up." Ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām viṣame bhavāmbudhau kṛpāya. By Your causeless mercy...

Lecture on SB 7.9.13-14 -- Montreal, August 22, 1968:

So if, by mistake, a fish thinks that "I shall become an elephant and enjoy in the land," that is not possible. Similarly, we spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, we are all Brahman, and we have nothing to do with this material world. But because we are Brahman... Brahman means ānandamaya. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. The Supreme Brahman is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And we are part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. Therefore we are also sac-cid-ānanda, eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. But somehow or other, icchā-dveṣa-samutthena... (BG 7.27).

Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena. The real basic principle of our materialistic life is dveṣa. Dveṣa means when we become envious of Kṛṣṇa, that "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be the supreme enjoyer?" In this world, in practical experience, we have seen that many people say that "Kṛṣṇa enjoyed rasa-līlā. Why we shall not?" So this is, imitation rasa-līlā is going on in this material world, but they cannot be satisfied because it is imitation. Just like if a female takes the part of a male and wants to imitate the enjoyment, it is simply false. Similarly, we are constitutionally female, enjoyed, prakṛti. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parā jīva-bhūtaṁ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5). Prakṛti means female, enjoyed. So jīva is described in the Bhagavad-gītā as prakṛti. The first prakṛti is the material elements, eight.

Lecture on SB 7.9.16 -- Mayapur, February 23, 1976:

This is Kṛṣṇa's desire. He gives the four principles, that "Always think of Me," man-manā, "and become My devotee," mad-bhakta, mad-yājī, "worship Me," and mad-yājino Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "Just offer little obeisances. These four principles will deliver you from this bondage of material existence and," mām evaiśyasi asaṁśaya, "without any doubt, you'll come back to Me." So, so simple thing. It is not at all difficult. This child, he can do this. Old man can do this. Learned man can do this, without any knowledge. Even an animal can do it. Very simple. Bhakti-yoga is very simple. Therefore, somehow or other, if somebody comes into the temple, and even by imitating one offers obeisances... We have seen so many people. Our devotees are offering obeisances. They also think that "It is the etiquette. Let me do that," by association. Therefore it is recommended, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). Sādhu-saṅga. Simply by association, one can be delivered. Saṁsāra-cakra-kadanāt. It is so nice thing.

Lecture on SB 7.9.20 -- Mayapur, February 27, 1976:

These rascals, vimūḍhā, mūḍhā, very strongly mūḍhās. Ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. That false egotism—"Oh, I am very big man. I am so intelligent. I am so learned. I have got money"—this is ahaṅkāra. This is called false ahaṅkāra. This is also... If you actually have got money, that's all right; you can say, "I have got money." But you have nothing, not a farthing, and still, somehow or other, because you have got some money, you say, "I have got money." That is not your money; that is Kṛṣṇa's money. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, you rascal. You do not know. You are thinking that it is your money. That is ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. Now where you are going? You are giving up this body, so take your money with you. How can you take? The money is there, the body is there, the family is there, the house is there—everything left. Now you go and become a dog. You have treated just like a dog. You have treated just like a hog. Now you take the body of a... Now your money, your family, your society, your house—left. So how you can claim, "It is mine"? The ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā. These rascals, under false egoism, thinking, "This is mine. This is..." Real sense is īśāvāsyam idam. It is all Kṛṣṇa's.

Lecture on SB 7.9.43 -- Visakhapatnam, February 22, 1972:

So Prahlāda Mahārāja advised that "The best thing which I have learned is that you should give up this material world." Tyaktva... Gṛham andha-kūpaṁ ātma-pātaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5). "My dear father, I have learned this best thing," that tyaktva... Gṛham andha-kūpam. "This world, material world, which is just like a dark well..., if a man is thrown into this dark well as he is in this precarious condition of life, similarly, anyone who is in the material world, he is put in the dark well. Therefore, somehow or other, we have to get out of this and," vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5), "we shall accept the shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari." The father became very much angry. Mūrkhāya upadeśa hi prakopāya na śāntaye, if you give good instruction to a mūrkha, to a foolish person, he will be angry. He will not rectify himself, but he will be angry (indistinct).

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

So we must voluntarily come to Kṛṣṇa. Then He'll been seen. So how we can satisfy Him? He says that "You satisfy Me. You surrender to Me; I'll be satisfied." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa... (BG 18.66). "Immediately I'll excuse from all reaction of sinful activities." Because He becomes pleased. He wants your surrender. And if you surrender, immediately He becomes pleased. Just like a son might have committed so many offenses to the father, and immediately if he comes, "Father, I have done wrong. Please excuse," immediately becomes... Immediately. That is the relationship of father and son. The father wants that "Somehow or other, if this rascal surrenders to me, I excuse him and immediately give my property to him." This is natural. So we have to surrender. That will please Kṛṣṇa.

And without pleasing Him? Darśanaṁ durlabhaṁ hi me. You cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You may have your eyes, big, big eyes, but you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. You have to please Him. That pleasing activity is bhakti. Bhakti. And bhakti means the activities which will please Kṛṣṇa. Without that bhakti, means sitting down silently... No. "No, no. I am chanting. I do not want to go out. I am busy." Means excuse. What you will chant? You will think of money and woman, that's all. Just work. Go to sell books and work hard. That is wanted. Therefore we do not give that opportunity. My Guru Mahārāja did not give this opportunity, and we are following the same principle: no opportunity of sitting idle. No. You must work. That will rectify. Yes. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). So in this way, if we... Simply if we accept, this is the... We change the name. Why? We change the name that "Now, from this point of initiation, you accept that you are Kṛṣṇa dāsa. You are trying to become master of the world. That is nonsense.

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

As soon as you raise the daṇḍa, immediately they go away because anxiety is there. Or either in Brahma's life or ant's life, this is the material nature. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asat... Why? Asad-grahāt. Because you have accepted this material body, this means you have accepted anxiety.

So we have to do in such a way that no more material body. And that is Kṛṣṇa's advice. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). And if you have got a pinch of material desire, Kṛṣṇa is ready to give you a type of body so you can satisfy your desires. But the material desire is never satisfied, one after another, one after another, one after another. In this way at the time of the death we are not satisfied. We desire some thing... (break) ...and then it is to be very easy. Mām aprīṇata āyuṣman darśanaṁ durlabhaṁ hi me. If somehow or other, if you can see Kṛṣṇa, dṛṣṭvā māṁ na punar janma. Punar jantur ātmānaṁ taptum arhati. There is no more necessity of undergoing austerities, and everything is free. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra). If you have got Kṛṣṇa, there is no need of tapasya. You are free. And nārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. And if you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use of your becoming so much religious, austere sannyāsī and yogi? The whole nonsense. All nonsense. Yadi... Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nārādhito yadi haris tapasā... There is no meaning of tapasya if you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. And if you can see Kṛṣṇa, there is no meaning of tapasya. That is... Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim. Antar-bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, nāntar-bahir yadi haris tapasā... If you can see Kṛṣṇa always, outside and inside, then you have nothing to do, tapasya. Enjoy life by seeing Kṛṣṇa always. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce: (CC Madhya 22.42) "I don't want anything. Please allow me to see You continually."

Lecture on SB 7.12.2 -- Bombay, April 13, 1976:

Or if you want to remain, go to the planets of Pitrloka, you can go there. And if you prepare yourself to come to Me, back to home, back to God, you can do that." So what should be our aim of life? We shall go to the higher planetary system or back to home, back to Godhead? "Back," we say, because we have come from God. Just like one man is put in the prison house. He has come from his free home. By his work he is criminal; therefore he is put into the prison house. Similarly, we are all part and parcel of God. Our real home is Vaikuṇṭha. But we have come here. How we have come, that is a very mysterious thing; but we are part and parcel. Somehow or other... Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung, anādi karama phale, padi 'bhavārṇava-jale. Somehow or other we have fallen this. Therefore the real aim of life, how to get out of this bhavārṇava, nescience, that is the aim of life. If we remain again like the monkeys and cats and dogs, eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that is not very responsible life. Every man should be responsible. That is Vedic culture, to create responsible man, not varṇa-saṅkara. Therefore Arjuna was very much afraid that "After war the women will be widows, they will be polluted, and varṇa-saṅkara population will come out." Actually that is the fact. After the last war the hippies have come out all over the world. This is the fact.

Lecture on SB 7.12.5 -- Bombay, April 16, 1976:

"Guru has forgotten, so I shall not go and take, myself, the foodstuff. I shall fast." This is brahmacārī. Here it is said, bhuñjīta yady anujñāto. Everything is there, prasādam is ready, but you can eat if you are ordered by the spiritual master. This is called tapasya. Not that "Guru is not here and so much foodstuff... Let me eat sumptuously and sleep twenty-four hours." This is not brahmacārī. We should be very careful. Without order of guru... Of course, our students are trained up. They ask permission. But here it is said that he should not ask permission even. If guru calls him, then he can take; otherwise guru has forgotten to call him somehow or other, so he should starve, or he should fast on that day.

So this is discipline and hardship, voluntary hardship. The brahmacārī may come from the royal house... Just like our Kṛṣṇa is actually son of Vasudeva, and He was brahmacārī. And when Sudāmā Vipra... Kṛṣṇa was supposed to be kṣatriya and Sudāmā Vipra was brāhmaṇa, so brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas are especially meant for going to the gurukula and live very strictly according to the principle of gurukula. So Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra went to collect dry fuel from the woods. When Sudāmā Vipra came to Kṛṣṇa's house, He reminded, "My dear Sudāmā, do you remember that day that both of us, we went to the forest and there was cyclone and rain, we could not come out?" So that means so much painstaking for the matter of guru. One cannot refuse, that "I am coming from very rich family. Why should you ask me to go to collect some... I can purchase it. I have money." No. If you have to... Here it is said that brahmacārī gurukule vasan dānto guror hitam, ācaran dāsavan nīcaḥ. Even if you are coming from the royal family, even if you are coming from the very respectable brāhmaṇa family, when you are under the control of guru you should act like servant. And what kind of servant? Menial servant, nīca. Not that "I am very rich man's son. You are asking me to do this? No, I cannot do it." No. This is called tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13).

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

So these are the direction of the Gosvāmīs. Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that ei chay gosāi yāra tāra mui dāsa, "I am servant of such person who follows strictly the principles of Gosvāmīs.

So the Gosvāmīs have given their principles, especially for general public in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu. We have translated this book into Nectar of Devotion. So our business is everything is there, we have to follow. And my Guru Mahārāja is described as rūpānuga-viruddha-apasiddhānta-dhvānta-hāriṇe. He was strictly to follow the rūpānuga principle. Rūpānuga principle, Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī directs in the Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, "You somehow or other engage people in Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe niveśayet, sarve vidhi-niṣedha syur etayor eva kiṅkara. Just like in Europe and America, some of our friends criticize that "Swami Mahārāja, he is not doing this, not doing that." We are doing everything, but our main business is just to induce them to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the secret. You have to induce them. Then even there is some discrepancies in the rules and regulation, it does not matter. Rūpa Gosvāmī says, sarve vidhi-niṣedha syur etayor eva kiṅkara. First of all, we must be Kṛṣṇa conscious somehow or other. We must find out. It can be changed according to country, climate, and circumstances. But the result, we have to see by the result whether one has become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is wanted. That is wanted. Then we say that this is the rule: you don't do this, we don't do this. In the beginning we have many difficulties. Because their behavior, their culture, everything just opposite. Just opposite. How you can expect everything to the right point? That is not possible. So we have to find out means how he becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is my first business. So that is the secret.

Lecture on SB 7th Canto -- Calcutta, March 7, 1972:

So Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī followed strictly the Rūpa Gosvāmī. Just like Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī introduced that a sannyāsī should go for begging alms in motorcar. In motorcar. They should live in palatial buildings. Now if in this age if we follow that rūpānuga... Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī used to live underneath a tree, and if we say now we shall also imitate..., just like there are many bābājīs in Vṛndāvana, they are imitating, a small loincloth but doing all nonsense. So imitation is not required. Real thing is required. How, what is the purpose of Gosvāmī? They say that yena tena prakāreṇa manaḥ kṛṣṇe. Somehow or other first of all engage him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is my Guru Mahārāja's gift. He first of all started that there is no need of going to Vṛndāvana and imitate the Gosvāmīs. Live in big, big cities, in big, big palatial houses, but preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. People may understand. Give chance to the people how they will understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He opened many centers. Similarly, in big, big cities. So we are doing that. And because we are following strictly the principles of Rūpa Gosvāmī, rūpānuga, therefore it is somehow or other coming out very successful. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should be pushed according to the rūpānuga principle.

Lecture on SB Lecture -- Melbourne, May 19, 1975:

The people do not know it. And because they are simply engaged in sinful activities, their brain has become so dull that they cannot understand this simple truth that as you are changing body in this life therefore you will change this body to another life. This is very simple truth. But at the advancement of material civilization, we have become so dull and rascal that we cannot understand it.

But India still, although it is so fallen, you go to a remote village. A common man, he has no education. He believes. He believes. And here in the western countries, I saw many many big, big professors. They have no idea. I met one big professor, Kotovsky, in Moscow. He said, "Swamijī, after finishing this body, everything is finished." Just see. He is a big professor and in charge of a very big department, Indology. He has no idea. But this is not the fact. The fact is that we are all sparks, spiritual spark, part and parcel of God. Somehow or other, we have come into this material world for sense enjoyment. In the spiritual world there is no sense enjoyment. There is sense purification. In the material world the senses are impure. They simply want to enjoy material things. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that you have to purify your senses. That is the way.

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ

tat-paratvena nirmalam

hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-

sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

(CC Madhya 19.170)

This bhakti means that we have to clear ourself from the designations. What is that designation? Everyone is thinking "I am American," "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am Australian," "I am cat," "I am dog, "I am this, "I am that,"—bodily. We have to cleanse this bodily conception of life that "I am not this body." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." This we have to realize. Then there will be no distinction that "Here is an American, here is an Australian, here is an Hindu, here is a Muslim, here is a tree, here..." No. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Paṇḍitāḥ means learned, one who knows things as they are. For them...