Now manifestation, manifestation of prakṛti may be temporary, but it is not false. Some philosophers say that this manifestation of material nature is false, but according to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā or according to the philosophy of the Vaiṣṇavas, they do not accept the manifestation of the world as false. They accept that the manifestation is real, but it is temporary. It is just like a cloud takes place in the sky and the rainy season begins, and after the rainy season there are so many new green vegetation all over the field, we can see. And as soon as the rainy season is finished, then the cloud is vanquished.
Temporary (Lectures, BG)
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:
This phenomenal world, or the material world, where we are now put, is also complete by itself because pūrṇam idam (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). The 24 elements of which, according to Sāṅkhya philosophy, the 24 elements of which this material universe is a temporary manifestation, are completely adjusted to produce complete things which are necessary for the maintenance and subsistence of this universe. No extraneous effort by any other unit is required for the maintenance of the universe. It's at its own time, fixed up by the energy of the complete whole, and when the time is complete, these temporary manifestations will be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete. There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely, the living entities, to realize the complete. And all sorts of incompleteness is experienced on account of incomplete knowledge of the complete. So the Bhagavad-gītā is the complete knowledge of the Vedic wisdom.
Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:
That information is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that beyond this material sky, there is another spiritual sky; that is called sanātana sky. In this sky, this covered sky, we find everything temporary. It is manifested, it stays for some time, gives us some by-product, and then it becomes dwindling, and then vanishes. That is the law of this material world. You take this body, you take a fruit or anything what is created here, it has got its annihilation at the end. So beyond this temporary world there is another world for which the information is there, that paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature which is eternal, sanātana, which is eternal. And the jīva, jīva is also described as sanātana. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ jīva-loke sanātanaḥ (BG 15.7). Sanātana, sanātana means eternal. And the Lord is also described as sanātana in the 11th Chapter. So because we have got intimate relation with the Lord and we are all qualitatively one... The sanātana-dhama and the sanātana Supreme Personality and the sanātana living entities, they are on the same qualitatively plane. Therefore the whole target of Bhagavad-gītā is to revive our sanātana occupation or sanātana..., that is called sanātana-dharma, or eternal occupation of the living entity. We are now temporarily engaged in different activities and all these activities being purified. When we give up all these temporary activities, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), and when we take up the activities as desired by the Supreme Lord, that is called our pure life.
Lecture on BG Introduction -- New York, February 19-20, 1966:
So far living entities are concerned, we find it from the authority of the śāstras that living entities have also no birth or death. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly stated that the living entity is never born, nor does it ever die. He's eternal, indestructible, and continues to live after the destruction of his temporary material body. With reference to the above concept of sanātana-dharma we may try to understand the concept of religion from the Sanskrit root meaning of the word dharma. It means that which is constantly with the particular object. As we have already mentioned, when we speak of fire it is concluded at the same time that there is heat and light along with the fire. Without heat and without light, there is no meaning of the word fire. Similarly, we must find out the essential part of a living being which is always companion with him. That part of constant companion of the living being is his eternal quality, and the eternal part of the living being's quality is his eternal religion. When Sanātana Gosvāmī asked Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu about the svarūpa—we have already discussed about the svarūpa of every living being—svarūpa or real constitution of the living being, the Lord replied that the constitutional position of the living being is to render service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lecture on BG 1.4-5 -- London, July 10, 1973:
So we have to use our intelligence. That is described by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī: prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ, mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgaḥ. Mumukṣu, especially the Māyāvādīs, who are after liberation, to merge into the existence of the Supreme, mumukṣu, mokṣa, they, Māyāvāda, they say, "Everything is māyā." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This world is false; only Brahman is reality." But we say that why the jagat, the world should be false if it is coming from the reality? We do not agree with them. We do not accept that this world is false. No. We can say, "It is temporary manifestation." But it is not false. Why it is false? We are living in this house. If somebody, some rascal, says, "It is false," why false? We are utilizing this house. We are utilizing this microphone. We are utilizing the dictaphone. Why it is false? There is sambandha. There is relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Anything material, made of earth, water, fire, air, they are Kṛṣṇa's energies. Therefore there is direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa. And if Kṛṣṇa is reality, why His energy should be false? No. We must know how to utilize it.
Lecture on BG 1.10 -- London, July 12, 1973:
So actually, either in this material world or in the spiritual world, all planets, Vaikuṇṭha planets or kuṇṭha planets... Here in this material world, kuṇṭha planets. Kuṇṭha means anxiety. Here, in any planet you go, the anxiety will be there. This is material. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Why anxiety? Because we have accepted something asat, which will not stay. But we are eternal, we want to stay. Our natural position is eternity. So we don't want this temporary body. Therefore we try to save the body as much as possible. But it will not be saved. Because we have accepted something nonsense, which is not compatible with our existence. The modern civilization, they do not know it. They think it that death is natural sequence. It cannot be avoided. No. It can be avoided. It can be avoided. But these rascals, they do not know how to avoid it, although it is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā how you can avoid death. Birth, death, old age and disease, these are the problems, but they do not know how to solve these problems. They are simply engaged in some temporary business. And they are fighting. They are making plans. They are making diplomacy. But in the real problem they do not touch, neither they know how to solve it. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement can solve it. These rascals may understand this fact, that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not a sentiment, so-called religious movement. It is a scientific movement to solve all the problems of life. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973:
So bhakti is activity in relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is not material. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate, māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate (BG 14.26). Bhakti-yoga is transcendental. And because Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by any material method. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). The method also is transcendental, not of this material world. So if we can understand simply these facts, that Kṛṣṇa is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa's name is transcendental, Kṛṣṇa's form is transcendental, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Kṛṣṇa's body is sac-cid-ānanda, not body like this. This body is asat, acit and nirānanda, just the opposite. This material body is asat. Asat means temporary. It will not exist. But Kṛṣṇa's body is not like that. Kṛṣṇa's body is eternal. That is cit. Sat-cit. Full of knowledge.
Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:
Sometimes drowned, sometimes on the surface, sometimes on the other shore, sometimes on this shore. This is going on. So long we are in this material world, we are being tossed by different currents, and sometimes I am here as the master of some kingdom, and sometimes I am dog of somebody else. This is my position. The same thing. Very good example, that we are being carried away by the waves of māyā. Sometimes we are gathering together. So many straws and vegetables, they gather together. And sometimes the same vegetables and straws are thrown asunder. One is there, one is here. So here also, we assemble here as society, friendship and love exactly like that. In the waves of māyā. Then nobody is your father, nobody is your mother, nobody is your sister, nobody. It is simply māyic, illusory combination. Illusory combination, temporary combination. And we are so much attached to this combination that we are refusing to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our position.
Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:
So this problem is... Arjuna is facing now this problem. That is general problem. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu. Dehāpatya. Deha means this body. Apatya means children. Kalatra means wife. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣv ātma-sainyeṣv asatsv api (SB 2.1.4). We are thinking that "We shall be protected by my these soldiers. I have got my sons, grandsons, my grandfather, my father-in-law, my brother-in-law, my so many society, friendship and love." Everyone is thinking like that. "My nation, my community, my philosophy, my politics. No. Nothing can save you. Dehāpatya-kalatrādiṣu asatsu api. They are all temporary. They come and go. Asatsu api. Pramatto tasya nidhanaṁ paśyann api na paśyati. One who is too much attached to this society, friendship and love, he is pramatta. Pramatta means crazy, madman. Paśyann api na, tasya nidhanam. He does not see. Although he is seeing that "My father has died. When I was a child, my father was giving me protection. Now my father has gone away. Who is giving me protection? Is my father alive to give me protection? Who is giving me protection? My mother was giving me protection. Now who is giving me protection? I was in family, my sons, my daughters, my wife, but I left them. Now who is giving me protection?" And actually Kṛṣṇa gives you protection always. Not your society, friendship and love. They will be finished.
Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973:
So what is the benefit?" This kind of vairāgya, renouncement, is there. But as soon as he comes from the burning ghāṭa, he again begins his activities. In the śmaśāna, in the burning ghāṭa, he becomes renounced. And as soon as comes home, again he is vigorous, vigorous, how to earn, how to get money, how to get money, how to get money. So this kind of vairāgya is called śmaśāna-vairāgya, temporary. He cannot become vairāgī. And he said, na kāṅkṣe vijayam: (BG 1.31) "I don't want victory. I don't want this." This is temporary sentiment. Temporary sentiment. These people, they attach to family life. They may say like that, that "I don't want this happiness, don't want this very nice position, victory. I don't want." But he wants everything. He wants everything. Because he does not know what is the śreyas. Śreyas is Kṛṣṇa. Actually, when one gets Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then he can say that "I don't want this." They will not say that. Why they will say, "Don't want this"? Here what we have got? Suppose I have got a kingdom. So that is my kingdom? No. That is Kṛṣṇa's kingdom. Because Kṛṣṇa says bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor. I may be His representative. Kṛṣṇa wants that everyone should be Kṛṣṇa conscious.
Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:
The plan is already known to everyone how the management of the cosmic manifestation is going on. The cosmic manifestation is there. This material world. It is, although temporary, it has got a purpose. The purpose is to give chance to the living entities who are rotting in this material world to revive his Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or original consciousness, and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the plan. This material cosmic manifestation is there, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The nature is, it is sometimes manifested and sometimes it is dissolved, annihilated. Everything material, that is the way. Just like our body. It is created at a certain date, and it will be annihilated at a certain date. Similarly, this gigantic body... That is also body of the Supreme Lord, virāt body. Virāt means gigantic.
Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 7, 1972:
According to Vedic system, therefore, there is forced renunciation. Nobody wants to retire from family life, but the Vedic injunction is that after one has passed fifty years, he must leave his family life. Pañcāśordhvaṁ vanaṁ vrajet. In the beginning, as a student life, he's trained up, brahmacārī, undergoing severe austerities, penances, and taking instruction from the spiritual master about the temporary existence of this material world. In this way, he's trained up very nicely. And even after training, if he appears to be attached to this material world, he's allowed to go home and marry. And some of the brahmacārīs are allowed to remain naiṣṭhika-brahmacārī, without going home and accepting a wife. But one who cannot, he's allowed to accept wife and become a householder and remain there for twenty-five years. Because generally, the brahmacārī was going home at the age of twenty-four years, twenty-five years. So after marriage, he may get a child. So living there for twenty-five years, means the child is grown up. Then the husband and wife takes leave, not leaving for good, but vānaprastha, traveling in pilgrimages like Vṛndāvana, Prayāga. That was the system. And after two months, again he comes back and remains home for another two months. Again goes out. In this way, the whole process is how to give up attachment from this family life, from this world. And when he's trained up fully, he takes sannyāsa. That is our Vedic system.
Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:
So death is inevitable. That is also advised by Prahlāda Mahārāja in his instruction to his class fellows. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). "My dear friends, from this beginning of life... We are now five years old. From this life we should try to understand bhāgavata-dharma." Bhāgavata-dharma means to understand our relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is called bhāgavata-dharma. Mānuṣam adhruvam. Tad apy adhruvam. Although the life is temporary, but it is very suitable for self-realization. So therefore one should begin this process from childhood. Just like modern education system, if children are given some playthings, engineering... I've seen in your country especially. He's given railway line and so many things. He can understand how railway system is working, or engineering, so that from the very beginning of his life he's getting idea and he may catch up some line of activities. Similarly this Kṛṣṇa conscious education also should be given from the very beginning of life. That is the mistake of the modern civilization. Everyone is becoming engineering, technologist, or medical man or so many. But the real problem of life is to understand the self. But there is no educational system throughout the whole world what is the self, what is his need, how it is constituted, how it is working, so many things.
Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:
If there was no suffering, then nobody would have taken education. You see? But he thinks that "If I am educated, if I become a doctor or if I become a lawyer or if I become an engineer, I will be happy." Happy. That is the ultimate aim. "I will get a good job, government job. I'll be happy." So happiness is the end of every, I mean to say, pursuance. So... But these mitigation of sufferings, they are temporary. Real suffering, real suffering is due to our, this material existence, these three kinds of suffering. So when one is conscious about his suffering and he wants to make a solution of this suffering, then there is necessary of a spiritual master. Now, if you want to make a solution of your sufferings, and you want to consult a person, now what sort of person you must meet who can end your all sufferings? That selection must be there. If you want to purchase a jewel, diamond, and very valuable thing, and if you go to a grocer's shop... Such kind of ignorance—you must be cheated. You must be cheated. At least you must approach to a jewelry shop. Jewelry shop, you see? So much knowledge you must have. So is that question solved?
Lecture on BG 2.7-11 -- New York, March 2, 1966:
Yes. The, the necessity of a spiritual master is for him who is conscious of his material suffering. If one is not conscious of his material suffering, then he is not even on the human being status. He's still in the animal status. Animal status, you see? Now, the modern civilization... The modern civilization is practically... They are evading, evading the real sufferings. They are engaged in temporary sufferings. But the Vedic system is Vedic knowledge. They are meant for ending the sufferings of.., for good, sufferings for good. You see? The human life is meant for that, ending all suffering. Of course, we are trying to end all kinds of suffering. Our business, our occupation, our education, our advancement of knowledge—everything is meant for ending suffering. But that suffering is temporary, temporary. But we have to end the sufferings for good. Suffering... That sort of knowledge is called transcendental knowledge, and if anyone is seeking after that transcendental... This Bhagavad-gītā is not an ordinary thing. It is transcendental knowledge. And now here the ground is prepared. Ground is prepared. Arjuna is conscious of his suffering, perplexity. Now he is seeking a spiritual master.
Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:
So now Kṛṣṇa may say: "There are, that's all right. You are, for temporarily... You go on fighting. And when you will get the kingdom, you'll be happy. There is no need of making Me guru. Neither it is..." Just like ordinary men, they think that: "We are earning so much money. What is the use of making a guru? I can understand everything in my own way." And another rascal is: "Yes, yata mata tata patha. Whatever their opinion, that's all right. You can make your own opinion." That is going on. You can make your own opinion to understand God. So all foolish rascals, they're making their own opinion. No, that is not possible.
Lecture on BG 2.9 -- Auckland, February 21, 1973:
Then Kṛṣṇa was smiling, that "How is that? Arjuna is My friend, he is so advanced, and he has been overcome by this temporary illusion. His duty is to fight, and in the presence of other party he is ready to fight, and this man, My friend Arjuna, is declining to fight." So He was little astonished. Therefore here it is said, prahasann iva, smiling. Smiling because He thought that sometimes illusion takes place even to a great personality like Arjuna. Therefore He was smiling. So hasann iva. Then He said, śrī bhagavān uvāca. Bhagavān uvāca. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Bhagavān. The Bhagavān word is very significant. Bhaga means opulence. Opulence. There are six kinds of opulences we experience. The wealth. If one is very rich, he is called opulent. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya. If one is very powerful, he is called also opulent. If one is very wise, he is called opulent. If one is very beautiful, he is called opulent. Similarly, there are six kinds of opulences, and when all these six kinds of opulences are possessed by somebody, he is called Bhagavān, Bhagavān, or God. Opulences, you have got some riches, but you cannot claim that you have got all the riches.
Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973:
Sat-sanga means this talking of Kṛṣṇa, hearing about Kṛṣṇa. When there is, there is no business. Not like a rented reciter or a paid reciter who is earning money by reciting. No, no. Not to hear from him. Actually, he's self-realized, who is working for the Lord, from satām. Satām means devotees. Satāṁ prasaṅga. Therefore is called satsaṅga. Satsaṅga means the association of the devotees. Sat means devotee. Sat means God. Oṁ tat sat. Or everything is asat. Asat means temporary. This material world is temporary. And sat means spiritual. So sat-saṅga means spiritual association. Sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥ-saṅgaḥ. The more you associate with sat, with devotees, then you become, more you become liberated. Sat-saṅgān mukta-duḥ-saṅgaḥ. Duḥ-saṅga. We are in the material world, we are simply in association, bad association, duḥ-saṅga. So if we want to get rid of this bad association, we must associate with the devotees.
Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:
Prabhupāda: Friends and relatives.
Indian: ...relatives for temporary time. Our books of literature also projected the Supreme Being as the perfect one. How do you reconcile the two things? How do we accept that... Your teachings are based on the assumption that that person who lived for that period of time is the perfect person. But how do you fundamentally assure that what He has said is correct? How do you reconcile the two points?
Prabhupāda: That I have already explained, that one has to understand Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). Before your asking, I have already explained that if that person, Kṛṣṇa, whom you think that He lived for a certain period with friends and relatives just like ordinary man, if you simply study what is this person, then you'll be comforted (competent?). Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). To understand Him in fact, it is not so easily.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:
Prahlāda Mahārāja says, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. And why this anxiety? Now, asad-grahāt. Asad-grahāt: "Because he has accepted this temporary body." He is eternal. A living spirit is eternal, but he has been forced to accept this temporary body. This is my position. One should be conscious of his precarious position, that "I am eternal, but I am encaged in a temporary body which will not exist. However I may try to make it youthful by so many arrangement, but no..." The science cannot give you permanent life. That is not possible. You may be, may be proud of your scientific advancement of knowledge, but Bhagavad-gītā says that four things... Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). "My dear sir, however you may make advancement in scientific knowledge, you cannot stop birth, you cannot stop death, you cannot stop old age, neither you can stop diseases." You see? So, so long we have got this body, so we must have anxieties. That is the law of nature. Now, here, here it is said that... Now let us finish that. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām: "My dear father, for persons who have accepted this temporary material body and is full of anxiety always, for them, my idea is that they should give up this materialistic life and surrender unto Hari." Hari means Bhagavān, the Supreme Lord.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:
So therefore the question is that I am eternal and why I have been put into this temporary life? This is intelligent question. This is the problem. But these rascals, they have set aside this real problem. They are thinking how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex, how to defend. Even if you eat nicely, if you sleep nicely, but ultimately you'll have to die. The problem is there. But they are careless about this real problem. They are very much alert in the temporary problem. So temporary problem, actually there is no problem. The birds, beasts they also eat, sleep, they have sexual intercourse and they defend. If they know all these things without becoming a human being, without having sufficient education or so-called civilization, how to live, how to sleep, how to defend. If they can live, so what is your problem? These things are not problems. The rascal says, "Overpopulation, this..." These are not at all problems. The real problem is that "I do not want to die. Why death comes, takes place?" This is real problem. But the rascals do not know it. They think these are problems, temporary things. He will live for fifty years and maybe.... That will be explained in the next verse, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14).
Just like we are, temporarily, we are placed with so many problems Suppose there is severe cold. So it is also a problem. We have to search out nice coat or fireplace and... These are problems. If they are not available, then we are in distress. These are problems also. But these problems are temporary. Severe cold, winter, has come and it will go. That is not permanent problem. Permanent problem has been due to my ignorance, I am taking birth, I am accepting death, I am accepting disease, I am accepting old age. This is real problem. These are real problems.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:
So life after death is not very difficult to understand. We have got different grades of life. Just like the child is crying, that is also life. Then the child body vanquished, then gets another body, boy's body. Then this body also vanquishes. Another body, youthful body. This body also vanquishes. And then an old man's body like me, this will also vanquish. So the logic is as the other bodies vanquish and I get a next body, similarly, when this old body will be vanquished, I'll get another body. So here it is stated by the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa, that as these bodies are changing in this duration of life... It is changing. The old body, the child's body, boy's body of me, they are no longer existing, but I am existing. I know that I had a small body like this. I had a boy's body, youthful body. I can remember. Therefore I am eternal. The bodies are temporary.
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:
Similarly, in the sun planet the temperature is very, very high, hundred and thousand times degrees above the normal. So in this way, every planet has got different atmosphere, different temperature, different standard of life, different duration of life. So one has to become competent to transfer himself in a particular type of planet. So we, as spirit soul, dehī, the possessor of this body... Dehī means one who possesses this body, or the occupier of the body, the spirit soul. That is eternal. Changing body only, but eternal. Therefore we should not be interested to these different types of temporary body. That is not very good intelligence. So we have to prepare ourself. If we want... There is a full description of each and every planet. And we can prepare ourself according to our desire, which planet we wish to go. But Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām (BG 9.25). "Persons who are engaged in My occupational duties, they will come to Me."
Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:
So the soul is covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like we are covered by the shirt and coat. Similarly, the covering of the shirt, or mind, intelligence and ego, this is one covering. And upon this there is a gross covering: earth, water, air, fire, like that. In this way we have got two covers. So our business is, because we are eternal, we should not remain in these temporary coverings. That temporary cov... So long we are bound up or encaged in these coverings, that is called conditioned life. So we are trying to become free from this conditioned life. Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. The desire is there. But because the life is conditioned, he cannot go. Just like I am a foreigner. I have come to your country. I am conditioned by immigration law. There are so many conditions. One of the conditions is that I cannot live here forever unless it is sanctioned by the government.
Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:
The body is changing, and the vivid example? That in this life you are changing body. So what is the difficulty of understanding this simple truth that the soul is different from the body? And so far eternity of the soul, that is also, there is proof. Because in childhood I was present, in boyhood I was present, in youthhood I was present, and in this old age I am still present. (baby fussing) So naturally it is concluded that when I change this body, I exist. When I change this body... This body will be changed. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As the parents of this child... Now she is, say, one-feet long only. When this child will grow five feet long, the father and mother, will they cry, "Oh, my child! Where is my child, that one-feet long?" He knows. The parents know that my child is there, but changed the body. This is a fact. Similarly, "You are lamenting on the body of your grandfather and teacher, even they change their body, what is the cause of lamentation? They will exist." This is the beginning of instruction of Bhagavad-gītā or spiritual instruction. Unless one understands this simple fact, that the soul is different from this body, the soul is eternal, the body is temporary, changing... Because without understanding this, there is no spiritual education. A false education. If one identifies with this body, there is no understanding of spiritual knowledge.
Lecture on BG 2.13-17 -- Los Angeles, November 29, 1968:
Still, nobody can stop his duty. "Similarly, even if you think that by discharging your duty as a warrior, as a kṣatriya, your grandfather will be killed or... Of course, there is no cause of lamentation. He'll get another new body. But even if you think, if your bodily concept is so strong, if you are sorry, so you have to, I mean to say, tolerate. Just one has to tolerate extreme heat and extreme cold." There is no cause of crying, "Oh, there is extreme heat, extreme heat." What you'll do? That is nature's law. Extreme heat—everyone is cooking. Nobody says, "Oh, today is extreme heat. I cannot cook." No. Everybody is cooking, although there is suffering. Similarly, there is extreme cold, but everyone is taking bath in the Ganges. Nobody says, "Oh, I'll not take bath. So duty has to be done. There may be some suffering, temporary. Even though... Kṛṣṇa never says, "Oh, my dear Arjuna, you are My friend. All right, you are feeling so much sorry. All right, I shall do it for you. You sit down, silent." No. Kṛṣṇa never says that. "You have to do it." Although He says that "This battle is arranged by Me. They're already killed. Nobody is going back. Still, you have to do it."
Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:
So you study the life. From the beginning of this body within the womb of the mother, it is simply troublesome. Against my will so many distresses are there, so many distresses there. Then as you grow, the distress grow, grow. Distress is not diminished. Then janma, then old age, then disease. So long you have got this body... The so-called scientists, they are manufacturing very effective medicine, discovery, new discovery. Just..., what is called? Streptomycin? So many things. But they cannot stop disease. That is not possible, sir. You can manufacture so many high-class medicines to cure disease. That will not cure. Temporary relief. But no scientist has discovered any medicine that "You take this medicine and no more disease." That is not possible. "You take this medicine, no more death." That is not possible. Therefore those who are intelligent, they know it very well that this place is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). That is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. It is a place for distress. So long you remain here... But we are so fools, we cannot realize. We accept, "This life is very pleasant. Let me enjoy it." It is not pleasant at all, seasonal changes, always. This distress or that distress, this disease or that disease.
Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Germany, June 21, 1974:
So I am changing according to my desire. And according to my infection, kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgaḥ asya, and according to my... These are the subtle things. That is the real knowledge of human being, not to invent something for temporary happiness. That is foolishness. That is foolishness, wasting time. If we invent something for the comforts of this present body and I shall live very comfortably, but "You will not be allowed, sir, to live comfortably." First of all you know it. Suppose a man is constructing very nice house, very strong house. It will never fall down in any circumstances. But that's all right, but what you have done for yourself that you will never die so that you will enjoy this? "No. Let it be. Let me have a very strong-built house." So house remains. You go there. Strong-built nation. Just like Napoleon constructed strong-built arches, but where he has gone, nobody knows. So therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says, sings, jaḍa-bidyā jato māyāra vaibhava tomāra bhajane bādhā. The more we advance in so-called material happiness or material advancement, the more we forget our real identity. This is the result.
So we should understand that we have got a separate business, real business. That is called self-realization, that "I am not this body." This is self-realization. That is being instructed by Kṛṣṇa in the beginning, that "You are not this body." The first understanding, first knowledge, is to understand that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul. I have got a different business." It is not that this temporary actions or activities like as a dog,
Lecture on BG 2.14 -- Mexico, February 14, 1975:
Hṛdayānanda: (translating question) He says if we practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness and develop a spiritual body, is there also a... Which spirit animates the spiritual body?
Prabhupāda: Yes, we'll get spiritual body. Spiritual body is already there; it is simply covered by material body. You have to cure this material body. Then you get your original, spiritual body. It is curing process. Just like one has got fever. Fever is not permanent—temporary. But cure this fever; then you healthy.
Hṛdayānanda: (translating) She's saying that you were saying how one can take birth as a dog even, so she's wondering how long does this go on. How many births does one take like this?
Prabhupāda: As long as you are unable to go back to home, back to Godhead, you have to change this body, either dog or this or that or this. And there are 8,400,000 forms of body. You have to accept one of them. Now you make your decision whether you are ready to accept all these different types of body or you get original, spiritual body. In the spiritual body there is no more birth, death, old age and disease, and the material body continuously there should be birth, death, old age and disease. You can get that spiritual body simply by little cultivation in this human form of life, next life. But if you get next other than human form of life, then you have to wait again millions of years to come to this human form of life. After all, we are under the stringent laws of nature. You... We are..., every one of us, we are under the grip of the laws of material nature. It will go on. You cannot change it unless you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:
So sometimes he, in dreaming he was quoting price: "This is the price." So similarly it is all dreaming. This material existence, made of these five gross elements and three subtle elements, they're exactly like dream. Smara nityam aniyatām.(?) Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, smara nityam aniyatām. This anitya, temporary... Dreaming is always temporary.
So we must know that whatever we possess, whatever we are seeing, these are all dream, temporary. Therefore if we become engrossed with the temporary things, so-called socialism, nationalism, family-ism or this-ism, that-ism, and waste our time, without cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then that is called śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simply wasting our time, creating another body. Our own business is that we should know that "I am not this dream. I am fact, spiritual fact. So I have got a different business." That is called spiritual life. That is spiritual life, when we understand that "I am Brahman. I am not this matter." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That time we shall be joyful.
Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:
Tattva-darśibhiḥ, those who are, who have seen the Absolute Truth, or those who have realized the Absolute Truth, they have concluded that the matter has no permanent existence and spirit soul has no annihilation. These two things would be understood. Asataḥ. Asataḥ means material. Nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ. Asataḥ, anything asat... Anything in the material world, that is asat. Asat means will not exist, temporary. So you cannot expect permanent happiness in temporary world. That is not possible. But they are trying to become happy. So many plan-making commissions, utopian. But actually there is no happiness. So many commissions. But there is... Tattva-darśī, they know... Tattva-darśī, one has seen or has realized the Absolute Truth, he knows that in the material world there cannot be any happiness. This conclusion should be made. This is simply phantasmagoria, if you want to become happy in this material world.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:
There are two things, sat and asat. Sat means which exists, and asat means which does not exist, temporary. It appears and again disappears. That is asat. The example is just like the sky and the cloud. Cloud appears, exists for some time, again disappears. But the sky remains always. This is the distinction between sat and asat, try to understand. Sky, this material sky, this also does not exist, but so far our experience is concerned, we can understand the distinction between sat and asat. Permanent and temporary. We cannot say "nonexistent" exactly. Existing. When the cloud comes, it has got some activities, there is rainfall and, on account of rainfall, on the ground there is some new vegetation, new flowers, everything looks very green. In the rainy season we get some products. So we cannot say it is false, but we can say it is temporary. Similarly, material world, matter, is not false. But it is nonpermanent. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). You'll find it in the Bhagavad-gītā. The Māyāvādī philosopher says brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. The spirit is truth, and jagat, this material world, is untruth, mithyā, false. We say that everything is emanating from the Supreme. Yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante. Everything is emanating from Brahman, the Supreme Absolute Truth. So that cannot be false. Because Absolute Truth, how from truth, false will come? This is our philosophy. The matter may be temporary, but it is not false. The Vedic injunction is mā asataḥ. Mā asato sad gamaya. Don't try to be entangled with the asat. Sad asat. But try to come to the platform of sat.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:
So modern people they do not understand that birth and death can be conquered. They can imagine it. Sometimes they say that "By scientific advancement, someday we shall become immortal." They also expect to become immortal. But, expect or not expect, here is the information from Bhagavad-gītā. Kṛṣṇa says; He's not speaking something nonsense or utopian. It is fact that we should be interested in the permanent, permanent life, not temporary life. This life, this material life is temporary. We may live for ten years or ten hours. There are living entities, they live for ten minutes and there are living entities who are living for ten millions or ten billions of years. Just like in the Brahmaloka, they live billions of years. So all these duration of life, different types of duration of life, are there within this material world, but still, it is not permanent. Even if you live for ten billions of years or you live for ten minutes or ten seconds, it is nonpermanent. That is being explained here. Nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ. Asataḥ, or this material body, it has no endurance, it will not endure, it will not be permanently existing. Nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: And the soul is permanent. He, it has no change; it will never be nonexistent. Kṛṣṇa is explaining. When Kṛṣṇa says, "My dear Arjuna, you, Me, and all these kings and soldiers assembled here, it is not that we did not exist in the past," so what is that? That means we are not this body. This body was not existing in the past in my past life, or duration of life. But as I am soul, I am existing now, I did exist in the past, and I will exist in the future. That is sat. Therefore, spirit has no such change.
Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:
So if you want to stop the danger of death, then you have to understand what is that Absolute Truth. Just like I have given already the example of sunshine. If you come to the sunshine, there is no darkness. But if you keep yourself within closed door, do not like to see the sunshine, that is your own choice. So everyone should try to come to the light. That is Vedic injunction, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, means "Do not remain in darkness, come to the light." Light means knowledge, and darkness means ignorance. So every one of us now in the ignorance that we do not know "What I am." Everyone is in darkness in the concept of body. Ask anyone what you are. He will say, "I am this body. I am Mr. Such and such." "I am Indian." "I am American." This is all bodily description. And we have already discussed. This body is temporary, but I, the spirit soul, I am permanent. I have already experienced that I had my childhood body, I had my babyhood body, I had my boyhood body, youthhood body, I know it, but the bodies are no more existing, but I am existing. So therefore I am permanent, and the body is nonpermanent. Therefore it is said, nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ: "Permanency is not there in the body." Nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ: "And there is no annihilation of the permanent or the eternal."
Lecture on BG 2.17 -- (with Spanish translator) -- Mexico, February 17, 1975:
Prabhupāda: That means spiritual standard. That feeling of ecstasy is required. That is spiritual standard. If he does not feel ecstasy, then there is still time to come to the point. That is very good qualification. (break) Generally not, but there is chance. Therefore we have said marginal. Marginal, we have got independence. You can fall down, but generally not fall down. (break)
Hanumān: How is that, that this world is unreal? Why do we say that there is good thing and bad thing in the world?
Prabhupāda: We don't say unreal. It is temporary. But "good and bad," that is our creation. There is nothing good here. Because there is death, then where is good? If, after all your attempts, you die, then where is the good? So "good and bad," that is imagination. There is nothing good; everything is bad here. (end)
Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:
Everlasting. This is the... Everlasting. Then why I am not everlasting now? This is my diseased condition. People should take it like this. Here it is stated that the living entity is everlasting, but my present position is not everlasting. I'm temporary. So why shall I be in this temporary..., such abominable condition? I am everlasting. So they are so rascal fools they do not search out how He can be everlasting. They are trying to (sic) oint this body. That's all. Everlasting body by ointment, you see? That is not possible. That is their foolishness. They are trying to make this body, by so-called science, everlasting. That will never be possible. Your everlasting position is that you are spirit soul. You have to transfer yourself in that healthy condition. Not this diseased condition. This is disease. My birth and death is disease. You have to cure this disease. That is your problem, real problem. But they are not serious about solving this real problem, birth and death. They are thinking, "So long I live, let me enjoy senses as far as possible, and let me enjoy." That's all. That's their philosophy. Child's philosophy. Just like child does not look forward his future. He's very playful.
Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:
This is called illusion. Illusion means you are accepting something which is not possible. But they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśā, this is a hope which is never to be fulfilled. Durāśayā. Āśā means hope. So the whole material world is going on, durāśayā. They are trying to make permanent settlement. But there is always disruption, fight... Just like they have now created the United Nations: "My dear all-nations, please do not fight. Let us make a permanent settlement, peace." But the result is the fighting is going on. It cannot be stopped. Here... This is not a sanātana place. This is impermanent, temporary, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). This is the nature of this material world. Something is generated at a certain date and it stays for some time, it grows, it gives some by-products, then again dwindles, and then it vanishes. Just like this body. This body is given by the father and mother at a certain date. Then it stays, say, for some time. It grows. Then it gives some by-products. From this body, there will be so many children. Or from the trees, there will be so many fruits and seeds. Then dwindling. Then becomes older. And vanish. This is the nature.
Lecture on BG 2.25 -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:
So this is sanātana. Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, and His dealing with His devotees, that is also sanātana. And these are possible not here, but in the sanātana-dhāma. We cannot have sanātana dealings with Kṛṣṇa within this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes to canvass the conditioned souls that "For eternal happiness, for eternal dealings, you come to Me in My eternal place." Yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Why not in this material world? No. The material world, the nature is it is not permanent. It is temporary. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Janmādy asya (SB 1.1.1). Janmādi. Everything here in this material world has a date of birth, and anything which has a date of birth must be a date of death also. That is the nature of this material world. So here we can practice what is sanātana-dharma, but actually sanātana-dharma is executed in the spiritual world. So just like one is trained up to become apprentice in some business and when he's trained up, then he's given the post. So we get this information from the gosvāmīs, sanātana-gosvāmīs, that those who are devotees, those who are perfected in the training of devotional service, they are first of all given birth in the universe where Kṛṣṇa is present. Kṛṣṇa is always present. Just like the sun is present always in the sky, but we can see the sun in some opportune moment. But sun is always there. When the sun is set, it is set in my vision, but sun is there. When it is night, I cannot see the sun, but the sun is there. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is always there. We have to make our eyes to see Him. That's all.
Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:
So when one is not disturbed by this bodily pain and pleasure... There is no pleasure, simply pain. Here, pleasure means a little absence of pain. Just like you have got a boil here. What is called? Boil? Phoṛā? So it is always painful. And by some medical application, when the pain is little relieved, you think that "Now it is happiness." But the boil is there. How you can be happy? So here, actually there is no happiness, but we think we have discovered so many counteraction. Just like there is disease. We have discovered medicine. We have discovered medical college. Manufacturing, big, big physician, M.D., a pharmacist(?) But that does not you'll live. No, you'll have to die, sir. So the boil is there. A little application of temporary medicine, it may... Therefore there is no happiness at all in this material world. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said that, "Why you are feeling happy? You have to die, after all, which is not your business. You are eternal, but still you have to accept death." Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). This is your real problem.
Lecture on BG 2.28 -- London, August 30, 1973:
So which one is correct? This is correct? This body's correct, or that body's correct? Because at night I forget this body, and in daytime I forget the other dreaming body. So both of them not correct. It is simply hallucination. But I am correct because I see at night, I see in daytime. So I am eternal, the body is not eternal. This is the fact. Antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ (BG 2.18). Śarīriṇaḥ, the owner of the body, is eternal, but not the body. In so many ways, Kṛṣṇa is explaining about the material condition of this body. But those who are not very intelligent, with poor fund of knowledge, it is very difficult for them to understand. Otherwise, things are very clear. This point is very clear. That at night I forget this body, and in daytime I forget the body at night. This is a fact. Similarly, I may forget the body of my last appearance, last duration of life, or I may not know the future body. But I will exist, and the body may change, but I'll have to accept another body which is temporary. But I, as I exist, it means I have got a body. That is spiritual body.
Lecture on BG 2.28 -- London, August 30, 1973:
Everything in bodily concept of life. And if I am not this body, then in relationship with this body, either my family or my country or my society, or my other relationships, they are also false because the body is false. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya theorized this: brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Brahman means the soul is actually the fact, not the material manifestation. Material manifestation, of course, he says false. We don't say false. We say temporary. So our main concern is that I am not temporary. My body is temporary. Now I am working for the body. That is illusion. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Then what is real fact? Real fact is that I am spiritual particle, and the whole spirit is Kṛṣṇa, or God. Therefore, as part and parcel of God it is my duty to serve God. That is spiritual life, bhakti-yoga, That is called svarūpa. And in another place, the Bhagavad-gītā confirms it that sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). When I realize that I am not this body, then immediately I transcend the three modes of material nature: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Under the bodily concept of life, I am influenced by one of the modes of material nature and acting.
Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973:
Those who have gone into the interior village, they have seen. And everyone can elevate himself to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sva-karmaṇā tam abhyarcya (BG 18.46). It is not that because one is śūdra or one is gṛhastha, vānaprastha, he cannot. No. For Kṛṣṇa worship, for everyone the door is open. That is explained here. Even if you think that "If I take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, join this international movement, I will be deviating from my real duty." So that also you can do. What is your real duty? This is temporary duty. Suppose you are a very nice brāhmaṇa or nice kṣatriya, nice businessman, nice politician. Your career will be lost if you think, by joining this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, your career will be lost. Don't think like that. It is still profitable. Even if you give up whole career and simply join Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then your life is success. That is being stressed. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya.
Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:
Suppose in this life you become a great scientist, a great scholar, M.A., Ph.D, D.A.C., LL.D., so many titles, and very good opulence, or very good beautiful body, so many material... These are material acquisitions, to get birth in high family, to become highly educated, highly educated, to become very rich, these are material acquisitions. But Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that all these acquisitions will be finished as soon as the body is finished. The people, they do not know it. They are thinking that "Whatever I am acquiring in this body, that will go with me, or I shall be happy with these acquisitions." That is called illusion, māyā. Because they have no knowledge that "I am spirit soul. I am changing this position of different bodies." Vāsāṁsi jīrnāṇi yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dresses. This knowledge is lacking in the present civilization. They want to make permanent settlement here, but forget that "Any moment, I shall be kicked out of this situation. I shall have to accept another situation." That is the lack of education in the modern civilization. They are accepting something temporary as permanent settlement. This is called illusion.
Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:
Yes. They cannot take. Therefore we have to voluntarily accept simple life. Simple life. Just like we are sitting here on the floor. According to your American standard of life, this is not good. Therefore no very rich class of men or high class of men, they do not come to this because we have no sitting place. But actually, what is the difference? If you sit down on the floor or if you sit on a very nice comfortable couch, after all, you are sitting. But to secure a very nice couch, you have to waste your time so much. Your valuable time which you could use for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll have to waste for securing a comfortable seat of couch. This is called material civilization. That's all. You are extending the comforts of life, but you do not know that this life is temporary. How long you shall live in this comfort? Your real thing is spirit soul which is eternal. That is also the instruction of Lord Jesus, that after gaining everything, if you lose your own soul, what is the gain? Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44). Therefore this is another kind of disqualification for advancing in spiritual consciousness, if one becomes too much attached to these material comforts of life.
Lecture on BG 2.40-45 -- Los Angeles, December 13, 1968:
Devotee: "Samādhi is never possible for persons interested in material sense enjoyment nor for those who are bewildered by such temporary things. They are more or less condemned by the process of material energy." Verse 45: "The Vedas mainly deal with the subject of the three modes of material nature. Rise above these modes, O Arjuna."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Traiguṇya-viṣayā vedā nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna (BG 2.45). The exact verse is like that. The whole material world is working under three modes of material nature. The modes of goodness, modes of passion, and modes of ignorance. Those who are acting in the modes of goodness, they are being elevated to higher standard of life. Those who are acting in the modes of passion, they'll remain in the same position as they are now, and those acting in the modes of ignorance, darkness, without any knowledge, they are being degraded in lower grades of life. This is material world. But Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna that either goodness or passion or ignorance, after all, they are activities of this material world. You have to come above, transcend this position of goodness also. So goodness is not qualification for spiritual advancement, but it is helping. If a man is very good man, then it is helping to spiritual life. But that is not the cause.
Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966:
Suppose we are accumulating so many knowledge. Somebody is chemist, somebody is politician, somebody is metaphysist, somebody is artist, somebody is something. Everyone knows something of everything and everything of something. That is knowledge. But this knowledge, whatever knowledge you acquire, as soon as you leave this body, whole knowledge is void. Just imagine in your previous lives you had been a great man of knowledge, but in this life, since your childhood, you had to go to school, college, and acquire knowledge. The knowledge which you had in your previous lives is now forgotten. Therefore we are seeking eternal knowledge, but that eternity of knowledge is not possible with this temporary body. We have to understand that thing. Bhogaiśvarya. We are enjoying, we want to enjoy life, but the instrument of enjoyment is not proper. We are thinking of enjoying through this body. But bodily enjoyment is not my enjoyment. It is artificial. So if you want to stick up to this artificial enjoyment of life, then you cannot enjoy or you cannot be elevated to your real constitutional position of eternal enjoyment. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa says, bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayā apahṛta-cetasām. Apahṛta-cetasām, one whose mind and intelligence has been misled by this false enjoyment, false enjoyment, for him, the working on the pure consciousness platform, vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ, that "I am not this body"... We are talking of this, that "I am not this body. I am pure consciousness. I am pure soul."
Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:
So we should be very clever to understand about the spiritual life. We should not be dragged to this material conception of life due to this false affection. This bodily affection is false affection. Because the body will not exist. Suppose I and my wife, or my children, we are all very happy. Paśyann api na paśyati. Teṣāṁ nidhanaṁ pramattaḥ paśyann api na paśyati. It is said in the Bhāgavata that... Now, for example, suppose if you are preparing very nice thing, a nice, very nice house. All right. If somebody asks you, "Well, sir, why you are building such nice house?" Now, if you answer, "Yes, just to set fire in it," so what the people will think? "What a fool he is, that he is building such a nice house, and at the end he'll set fire in it? Then why you are taking so much trouble, sir?" "No. Yes." This is called... Actually our position is like this. Actually our position is like this because the whole life I am working so hard because of maintaining this temporary body of myself, my son, my daughter, my father, my mother. So setting fire. At the end the setting fire. Setting fire I am speaking specially because after death, as you put it into graveyard, in India, accord, in Hindus, they set fire. They set fire to the dead body.
Lecture on BG 3.6-10 -- Los Angeles, December 23, 1968:
Why? Yata, because, ātmanaḥ, the spirit soul, ātmano 'yam... Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary, but so long this body is there, you'll have to suffer. What is that suffering? The sum total of suffering is birth, death, old age and disease. This is due to this body. Therefore the problem is how to stop this material body, repetition. Today I have got this body, Indian, tomorrow I may get American, next birth... Tomorrow means next birth. Next birth another, next birth another, next birth another—it is going on. Going on. There is no stoppage, this transmigration of the soul.
But so long you do not stop it, there is no question of being freed from sufferings. They do not know it. They are thinking they are advancing. What advancement you have made? These sufferings are there—birth, death, old age and disease. You cannot stop it. Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ, and even you go to this moon planet or to the highest planet, these four things will follow. So therefore sense gratification must be stopped. But if you want to stop it artificially it is impossible. Neither by this yoga process, neither by this jñāna process. Simply for the time being you can check.
Lecture on BG 3.17-20 -- New York, May 27, 1966:
So there is no difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa. And if you understand Kṛṣṇa, your life is perfectly, I mean to say, all right. Then you get your life, complete perfection of your life. That is the whole literature. So here the Lord says, yas tu ātma-ratir eva syāt. Ātma-rati, one whose focus of life is simply for self-understanding... Ātma-ratiḥ, syād ātma-tṛptaś ca mānavaḥ. He is simply satisfied with his self-understanding, that "I am pure consciousness. My relation with Kṛṣṇa is such and such. My relation with this world is temporary. My real relation with Kṛṣṇa because Kṛṣṇa is permanent and I am permanent. I am His part and parcel," these simple things. So one who has understood these things nicely and he is satisfied in himself...
Just like Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He didn't care for anything, who is naked dancing, or naked bathing. No. He has no care. He is going on in the street. Yas tu ātma-ratir eva syād ātma-tṛptaś ca mānavaḥ ātmany eva ca santuṣṭaḥ. He is satisfied in himself and with Kṛṣṇa. Tasya kāryaṁ na vidyate: "He has nothing to do." Bas. He is free. Now, if you are not in that stage, then you have to perform sacrifice, as recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). You have to work in such a way that your work will be purified gradually and you will come to this stage of ātma-rati. But if you, from the very beginning, you are satisfied with your self-understanding, then you have nothing to do. You have nothing to do.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:
Just like in the Western world they are thinking that "We are enjoying life." Of course, enjoying life in his consideration. But how long, sir, you will enjoy this life? You have got very nice car or very nice building and you are enjoying as Australian, as American. That's all right. But how long you shall remain American and Australian? That question does not come to the dull brain because he does not know that he is eternal. And this is temporary dress. I... Somehow or other, I wanted this, and prakṛti, nature, has given me. But nature has not given me the right to remain as American, Australian, Indian, no. That is not possible. You wanted; you enjoyed this life for a certain time, and then again you create your desire." Now I am very powerful, very happy. Let me love dog instead of God"—that means you are preparing your next life as dog because it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that at the time of death the mentality which you have created throughout the whole life, that will carry you to other body process. It is very scientific. Anta-kāle tu māṁ smaran.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:
Therefore I am the enjoyer, puruṣa. I am changing simply body, this way or that way. This is my position. So one who is intelligent, that "I change body and different bodies. I am eternal, so what is my eternal business?" This is athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is called inquiry of the spiritual life. This is very simple thing, that "I am simply changing body. Then what is my real position?" This is intelligent. When a man comes to this position or this platform, to inquire, "Actually what I am?" that is beginning of human life. Otherwise, it is animal life. The animal also thinks, "I am dog," "I am tiger," "I am that." You are none of these, sir. These are all designations, for the temporary, for a certain period, ten years, five years, fifty years, utmost hundred years, then finished. But you are eternal.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:
Kṛṣṇa therefore presents that "Your real problem is birth, death, old age, and disease, your real problem. You are making solution of all the problems by scientific advancement, by education, by so on, so on, political maneuver, everything. It is all right, but how you are going to solve this problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)? How you'll solve this problem?" Actually human life is meant for solving this problem, not this temporary problem. Temporary problem will go on. If you don't solve this problem, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, then any form of life, there will be problems. Even if you are elevated to the heavenly planets, there are also problems. Indra is not very happy there, the king of heavenly planet. Although the higher planets, the duration of life, the standard of civilization, standard of comforts many, many thousand times greater than here, but the same problem—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi—is there. You cannot avoid it.
Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:
Therefore our request is, take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is... If the foreigners can take to it very seriously, so why not Indians? It is Indians' knowledge. Bhagavad-gītā was spoken in India. Why you are neglecting it? Why you are not taking advantage? Why you are falsely proud that you are independent? These are our questions. You are not independent. You are under the full control of prakṛti. So you have to rectify. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyam anantam (SB 5.5.1). That is the..., that we want happiness, but here any happiness... There is no happiness. It is simply distress. But even if we take as happiness, that is temporary. But we want unlimited, unending happiness.
Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:
Therefore we have to purify our senses. These senses will give you opportunity to hear His transcendental name, to see His transcendental form, to understand His transcendental quality, and so many things. He has got His name, He has got His qualities, He has got His form. Then He has got His associates. Everything. Whatever we see in this material world, they are simply perverted reflection of the reality. Real form is there. Real name is there in the spiritual world. Just like my name, "such and such," your name, "Mr. John." This "John" is not actually your name, because you are spirit soul, eternal. But this "John" name is in relationship with this temporary body. As soon as this body is finished, the "John" name is finished. Then again, you take another body, you have got another name. Therefore this is not your name. But Kṛṣṇa, His name in the spiritual world and in this world, the same. His name does not change. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (CC Madhya 17.136). By service attitude. Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. The name, form, quality, associates, when we are in service attitude, they become revealed to us. It is not that... Just like we ask you, "What is your name?" So if I ask God, "O God, what is Your name?" God is not subject to our, such, I mean to say, challenging. You see? He will not reveal His name.
Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:
Sac-cid-ānanda body. Sat means eternal. Cit means full of knowledge. Sat, cit, ānanda. Ānanda means blissful. That is His body. Our body is just the opposite. It is not sat; it is not eternal. It is temporary. And it is not full of knowledge. We are full of ignorance. We do not know what is there beyond this wall. Therefore it is full of ignorance. We are proud of our eyes. If the electricity is immediately gone, we cannot see. So we see, we act, under some conditions offered by the material nature. So we are not fully aware of everything; neither our body is eternal; neither we are blissful. This body is the source of so many diseases. The body is subjected to birth, death. The body is forgetful. The body is suffering old age. So this is not blissful body. But Kṛṣṇa's body—just opposite. His body is blissful, full of knowledge, and eternal. So how can you compare with Kṛṣṇa? It is not possible. Go on.
Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:
The aim of life is to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the aim of life. We are fallen in this material conditional life. We are suffering. But we do not know. We are so fool. Just like animals. We do not know what is the aim of life. Aim of life, that is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). When we can understand that "This process of repetition of birth, death, old age and disease, this is not wanted by me..." Nobody wants to die, but death is forced upon him. He does not think that "This is my problem. I do not want to die, but death is as sure as anything." So this is the problem. Nobody is careful how to solve this problem. They are simply engaged in the, I mean to say, temporary problems. The temporary problems are not problems. Real problem is how to stop death, how to stop birth, how to stop old age, and how to stop disease. That is real problem. That can be done when you are liberated from this material world. This is our problem.
Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:
You have made your relationship with your family, so-called family, so-called country, so-called society, and so on, so on, so on, so on. This is all temporary. Suppose I am Indian today. You are American tomo..., today. But is there guarantee after your death you'll become American or I'll become Indian? Or I'll take my birth in the same family? No. According to my karma, I may become cats and dogs. You may become demigods. You may become something else. But dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Dehāntara-prāptiḥ (means) you'll have to accept another body. And there are 8,400,000 species of forms of bodies. Any of them you'll have to accept. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You are wasted your time as the family member or as the national or this or that, but there is no guarantee that next life will be same countryman or same family. No, there is no such guarantee. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ. You'll have to accept one body, and that body means... Any, out of these four... According to my karma... Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur dehopapatti (SB 3.31.1).
So these are the instructions of the śāstras. And this is very scientific and very important thing. But unfortunately, we are not taking care of these things. We are very busy with the temporary problems. Temporary problems are not problems. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: āgama apāyinaḥ anityāḥ tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). "Your temporary problems, so-called happiness and distress, these are āgamāpāyinaḥ. They come and go." That is not very important. Just like the seasonal changes. The winter season comes; again goes away. For the time being, you may feel very cold, but it will go. Similarly, summer season also, it comes and goes—any seasonal changes. We should not be disturbed with these seasonal changes of happiness and distress.
Lecture on BG 4.3 -- Bombay, March 23, 1974:
We should be very serious about the problems of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). That is spiritual advancement. Unless you come to the serious point, unless you have become very intelligent, that "I do not want to die. Why death is there...?" This is intelligence. You may solve your temporary problems, but you cannot, by your so-called materialistic activities, solve the problem of death. Nobody wants to die. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. Death will come. But the people have become so much unintelligent, they do not take up seriously the real problems. Just like animals. The animal is being taken to the slaughterhouse. And one animal enters to the slaughterhouse store, livestock store, and all the animals enter. He does not know that "This, I have to stay here for being killed." He does not know. This is animal. Similarly, if you do not take these problems seriously, you are no better than animal. However you may be advanced for these bodily comforts, you are animal. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). Kuṇape tri-dhātuke, this bag of three elements, kapha-pitta-vāyu. If I think that "I am this body, and the comfort of this body is my happiness"—sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). You are not better than animal. This is animal conception of life. You must know that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul.
Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:
Now, this, this body is not eternal. Antavanta ime dehāḥ. As we have already discussed, that this body is perishable, whereas the person who is occupying this body, he's imperishable, imperishable. So this body's perishable. Therefore it is not sat. And it is, it is full of ignorance. Therefore it is not cit. And because full of ignorance and because it is temporary, therefore we have got miseries. Just like we are feeling too hot. Today the temperature is very high. Why we are feeling? Because due to this body. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). Similarly, in the month of December we shall feel severe cold. Why? Due to this body. Due to this... And as soon as we get spiritual body, we don't feel. We are unaffected by any material actions.
You'll find that there are many sages and saints who are almost spiritually realized souls, don't care for all this heat and cold. Still you'll find. If you happen to go to Allahabad in the month of December, there is a fair. All sādhus come there and in the severe cold and... Of course, not so cold as in your country, but still, sometimes it is forty degrees, temperature. But you'll find many saints there, bare, I mean to say, body. There is no dress. They are sitting, dead of night. You see? They don't care for cold or heat. You see? Because they are spiritually advanced.
Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:
Then Śaṅkarācārya came and he preached this almost Buddhism. The Buddha, Lord Buddha preached that there is no God, there is no soul. This body is combination of matter and if we dissolve this material combination then there is no more perception of misery or happiness. That is nirvāṇa. That is his philosophy. But later on, Lord, I mean to say, Ācārya Śaṅkara, he appeared and he preached that brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. This bodily combination is temporary, or mithyā. He said flatly that it is false. False means... Of course, Vaiṣṇava philosophy, they say temporary. Temporary or false you can take on the same category. But Śaṅkarācārya said that brahma satyam. That spirit soul, Brahman, that is reality, and this external feature of the Brahman, or the body, that is false.
Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:
Bhāgavata again says, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum: (SB 7.5.31) "These rascals, they do not know where is the ultimate destination of his self-interest." Everyone is very much busy or very serious about his self-interest, everyone. Just like the gentleman. He could not come to the temple because he is interested with his self-interest, where to get the employment. But what is that real self-interest, they do not know. This is temporary self-interest. But the real self-interest is Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, Absolute Truth. Na te viduḥ. But modern education and any education, modern or past, in the material world, those who are conditioned by the material laws, they do not know so, what is his ultimate destination of self-interest. Na te viduḥ. They do not know.
Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Bombay, March 28, 1974:
Here we have come falsely to become enjoyer. Falsely. Suppose I am American or Indian. I am enjoying my life very nicely. I have got everything complete. But it is no guarantee that next life you shall become American and you will be situated in the same position. Therefore my enjoyment, so-called enjoyment is false enjoyment. Temporary. It will not stay because I will have to change body. I will have to change body. There is no guarantee. This is the law of nature.
Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is the place for miseries and that is also temporary. If you want to make some compromise, "Never mind it is a place of miseries. I'll stay here comfortably as much as possible." But Kṛṣṇa says, aśāśvatam. Even if you make some compromise arrangement, you cannot stay here. You'll be kicked out. As soon as you think that "Now I have got a very nice building. Very nice wife and children. Everything is properly settled. Now I am happy," next day, "Get out." Finished. This is the law. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14).
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:
To satisfy the senses that is sukh. That is happiness. And those who are a little disgusted with sense gratification, indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ (BG 3.42). They are mental speculators. They write poetries and utopian theories, "This philosophy, that philosophy." In this way they satisfy the mind. But that is also not happiness. Mental happiness. Mano-rathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. If you become satisfied by mental happiness, then you'll have to come down again. Asato. Asato mā sad-gamaḥ. Real life is: "Don't stay in this temporary world but go to the real world, paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). You'll find all these things in Bhagavad-gītā. So either on the bodily plane or on the mental plane you cannot be happy. That is not possible. But if you want to be happy then you have to come to the spiritual platform and engage in spiritual activities, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyam grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya means above the material platform of sensual and mental activities.
Lecture on BG 4.9 -- Bombay, March 29, 1974:
Just like a rich man's son. He has forgotten that his father is very rich, or his father has left immense property. But forgetting his real position, he's loitering in the street, hungry. You can call him, "All right, you take some food." That is not real benefit, that is temporary. But if you awaken his real consciousness, that he is the son of a very rich man, his father has got immense property, "Why don't you go back to your father and be happy?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. That is stated here. Janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo vetti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One has to understand Kṛṣṇa, tattvataḥ, in truth. Not superficially. What is Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). supreme leader, perfect leader, without any mistake, without any illusion, without any cheating, and without any imperfection of the senses. We have to take direction from such a leader, then our life will be successful. And because we are taking direction from imperfect leaders, cheater leaders, therefore we are meeting with so many problems.
Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata. Tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). That I have already explained, what is that glāniḥ? The glāniḥ is when we forget Kṛṣṇa. Then our activities become polluted. Just like a servant. If he forgets that there is master, then he becomes polluted. He steals, he mismanages things, things become very disordered. But if he has got the sense that "I have got my master, everything belongs to my master," and if he acts accordingly, that is very nice.
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
But there is a way. That is also said in the Bhagavad-gītā, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: "Anyone who surrenders unto Me..." The whole process, the whole process of material activities, material nature, is going on under this principle, that we are required to go back to the eternal world, to get our eternal life and eternal blissful knowledge. These things are awaiting us. But if we do not try, do not endeavor for attaining that sublime position and spoil our reserve energy in making an adjustment of this temporary material world, that is our foolishness.
You will find in the Seventh Chapter in Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says,
- na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
- prapadyante narādhamāḥ
- māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
- āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
- (BG 7.15)
Lord says that "there are persons who are duṣkṛtina, duṣkṛtina, or miscreants, mūḍha, foolish; duṣkṛtina, mūḍha, and narādhama—and the lowest of the human kind—and māyayāpahṛta-jñānā—and they have been plundered of their real knowledge by the stringent laws of material nature. Such people do not come unto Me."
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
Similarly, we say that this world is false, or shadow. The shadow, without being the reality, how there can be possibility of shadow? If there is no reality of my hand, how the shadow of the hand can be there? So this world is temporary shadow. That is accepted. But there is the real world which has no destruction. This world is destructive. It will be dissolved. Just like our body is temporary, but it will be dissolved. Anything material that has got a birth, a stay for some time, a byproduct, a growth, a dwindling, and then vanish. That is the nature, anything. Just like this body. It was born from the mother's womb at a certain time, and it is staying for some time. It is staying for some time, and the body has got some byproducts, like children. We have got some children, the byproducts. Then it is dwindling. Just like I am getting older. Anyone, everyone, we are getting older. And at the last, it will vanish. Similarly, the whole material world, it has a time of its appearance, it grows, it makes so many varieties of byproducts, it dwindles and again vanishes.
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
Just like after Lord Buddha, Śaṅkarācārya, Śaṅkarācārya came. He gave hint about the spiritual nature of the soul, and he said, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā: "This matter is false and temporary, but spirit is eternal." And other ācāryas, just like Rāmānujācārya and Madhvācārya, they came after Śaṅkarācārya, and they established that in the spiritual world there is also life like this, but that is eternal, blissful and full of knowledge.
So here Kṛṣṇa also give us instruction that vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56). There are persons who are too much attached to these material activities. They are called rāga. They are in the atmosphere of rāga. And there are persons who are atmosphere of fear: "Oh, again we have got to..., a personal life?" They are afraid of personal life. They want to make impersonal everything. That is called bhaya. And the first, second... And the third is krodha. They do not believe in any philosophy. "Let us commit suicide. Let us annihilate all this material existence." So we have to surpass. We have to surpass these three stage of attachment and fearfulness and krodha, and anger. When he is disgusted with this life, he commits suicide. That is called krodha, by anger. So we have to surpass all these stages. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ: "After surpassing these three stages of life," vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10), "one who is constantly conscious of Me," man-mayā, and mām upāśritāḥ, "and accepting the shelter of My protection," mām upāśritāḥ, bahavo jñāna-tapasā, "there were many sages who by culture of knowledge and penance," bahavo jñāna pūtā, "purified by that process," mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ, "they attained My superior nature, My superior nature."
Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
So that spiritual nature is described in the Bhagavad-gītā. You will get information. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That nature is called sanātana. Sanātana means eternal. As we have got this body, your body, my body, or anyone's body, it is temporary, similarly, this material nature is temporary. Temporary means it has a beginning, it stays for some time, then it transforms, then it becomes old, and it vanquishes. The spiritual nature, however, is different from this nature. The spiritual nature has no beginning, neither it has end. That is called sanātana, eternal. We living entities, we belong to that spiritual nature. Therefore, about us, it is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācit: "The spiritual spirit soul is never born, neither dies at any time." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). It is farther described that "This spiritual spark, which you are, I am, it is..." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre: (BG 2.20) "When the body is destroyed, the spiritual spark, that does not destroy. That remains eternal."
Lecture on BG 4.10 Festival at Maison de Faubourg -- Geneva, May 31, 1974:
"The Supreme Being, who is called Kṛṣṇa, or all-attractive, He has His body of eternity, full of knowledge and blissfulness." Now, compare your this body. This body is not eternal; it is temporary. It is born at a certain date and it will be finished at a certain date. Therefore it is not eternal. Neither this body is full of knowledge. It is full of ignorance. If I ask you how many hairs you have got on your head, you do not know. Similarly, we have got this body. I am claiming my body, but I am not in full knowledge of my own body. And what to speak of knowing your body or other's body? Not only body, the mind, intelligence, and ego. What is going on in your mind, I do not know. Neither you know what is going on in my mind. We are so ignorant. Therefore this body is temporary and full of ignorance. And what to speak of blissfulness? It is always miserable. Here, because we have got this body, we suffer the pains of cold and heat. This is only one example. It is given in the Bhagavad-gītā, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ. Śīta means cold. Just like in winter we suffer. In summer also, we suffer. Both seasons, we suffer. So why we suffer? Because we have got this temporary material body.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:
Just like Lord Buddha preached his philosophy, śūnyavāda philosophy, nirvāṇa philosophy, because it was needed at that time. It is not permanent philosophy. Any philosophy except Kṛṣṇa philosophy... Nothing is permanent. They are temporary. They have got temporary use. The real use is Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Real use, Kṛṣṇa philosophy. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam... (BG 18.66).
So when there was... People may question that "Lord Buddha is accepted as an incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa." Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare. "Then why he preached atheistic philosophy?" He preached, "There is no God." Śūnyavāda. But there was necessity at that time.
Lecture on BG 4.11 -- Bombay, March 31, 1974:
Anyway... Then Śaṅkarācārya came. Śaṅkarācārya wanted... Because by the propagation of Lord Buddha, whole India became Buddhist. And Śaṅkarācārya wanted to establish Vedas again. So they were temporary necessities, for certain reason. Because people were addicted so much in violence, in killing the animals, therefore Buddha philosophy was needed. Again, this Buddha philosophy was driven out. The Śaṅkara, impersonal philosophy was established. But again, the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya and other Vaiṣṇava ācāryas.. . At last, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They established that brahma satyam means brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Both, three, Absolute Truth.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
Others, of course, as it is said, that those who are distressed or those who are in need of some wealth, they also go to worship Kṛṣṇa, but for some temporary relief. But the benefit is that even such persons go to Kṛṣṇa worship for some temporary relief, but the benefit is that because he has gone to Kṛṣṇa, therefore, at the ultimate end, he will be devoid of all these material desires and will absolutely take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. There are many instances of that type, of that type.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
We worship leadership—why? Because we want something from that leadership. Just like in India during the independence movement, so many people took part in the Congress movement, and later on, they became all ministers and high officers although they had no position in India's past life. So it is possible that if we worship other demigods, we can get some temporary relief from our distress, but if you take to Kṛṣṇa, then the relief is permanent, and tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), we can give up this body and go directly to the spiritual kingdom to be associated with Kṛṣṇa.
Now, here Kṛṣṇa says, kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha: "People are deluded for temporary relief, and therefore they go to worship demigods." They get some immediate relief. That is their profit. But kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karma-jā. If you want some temporary relief, then you can worship this or that. But if you want really the ultimate relief... And that is the goal of human life, ultimate... Everyone is trying to get out of miseries. The whole struggle, either in the material field or in the spiritual field, the whole struggle is to get out of some misery.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
So our problem is that we are suffering all kinds of miseries on account of this material body. Now, our business should be that we shall be cultured in Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that in next life will be my spiritual body. Then the solution of all problems solved. And so long we shall get material body repeatedly—just like we give up this dress and take another dress, similarly, we shall continue—then the four kinds of miseries, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), or at least these four kinds of miseries—the miseries of birth, the miseries of death, and the miseries of old age, and miseries of diseases—we have to suffer. And as soon as you get spiritual body, all these miseries over. Because your body is no more subjected to birth and death, disease and old age. That life is eternal, full of knowledge, and blissful. That you can get simply by studying the nature of Kṛṣṇa, transcendental nature of Kṛṣṇa. So we are hankering after so many things. We are taking the leadership of this leader, that leader, that leader just to relieve, get relief from our temporary misery. So our duty should be just to get rid of all misery by developing that spiritual body. That should be the aim of life. And that is possible by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Any other questions? Oh.
Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:
No. Miseries are not eternal. You can end your miseries. But if you want to end miseries materially, that is temporary. If you end your miseries spiritually, that is permanent. Just like in this world we are also trying to end our miseries. Suppose I am distressed or I am diseased. I go to hospital to end my misery. But that misery are not permanent, er, that end of misery is not permanent, temporary. I can get again disease. So long I have got this material body, that miseries can be repeated. That disease can be repeated. But if you get your spiritual body, then there is no more question of miseries. Yes?
Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Bombay, April 1, 1974:
Then again, in the Sātvata Purāṇa the explanation of Rāma is given. Rāma, the word comes from the ram-dhātu, ramante. Ramante means fulfilling desires. So ramante yogino 'nante. Those who are yogis.... Karmī, jñānī and yogi. And amongst the yogis, the bhakti-yogī is the topmost.
- yoginām api sarveṣāṁ
- mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā
- śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ
- sa me yuktatamo mataḥ
- (BG 6.47)
So yogis, they are not interested with material enjoyment because material enjoyment is temporary. So ramante yogino 'nante. Everyone is seeking after happiness, blissful life. But those who are less intelligent, mūḍha, they are satisfied with temporary so-called happiness of material existence. But yogis are not like that. Yogis are interested in the permanent happiness. Ramante yogino 'nante, not ante.
Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Bombay, April 1, 1974:
So kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati karma-jā. So karma-kāṇḍīya, those who are on the platform of fruitive activities, generally they are attracted by the demigod worship. But vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhāḥ (BG 2.56), those who are detached from material happiness, they becomes attached to Kṛṣṇa. Man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ. That is already explained. Now we have to make our choice whether for temporary benefit we shall worship demigods or for permanent benefit we shall worship Kṛṣṇa. That is our choice. But people generally make their choice: kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke siddhir bhavati, immediate result. Immediate result. That will be explained that immediate result, it may be very palatable in the beginning, but it is.... It will produce bitter result at the end. But that we do not consider. We want immediate.
The immediate result and remote result is described in Sanskrit word, śreyas and preyas. Preyas means immediate benefit and śreyas means ultimate benefit. So those who are interested in the ultimate benefit go back to home, back to Godhead. For them, worshiping the Supreme Lord is most beneficial. And those who are interested in the matter of temporary benefit, dhanaṁ dehi, rūpaṁ dehi, yaśo dehi. Just like by worshiping Goddess Durgā we want all these things. But we forget that whatever we get, material benefit, with the end of this material body, everything is lost. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, that "At the end, I, as death, I take away all your material possession." Sarva-haro mṛtyuḥ.
Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:
But instead of following the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, we accept leadership which is also indirectly the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, but it is misrepresented because on account of contamination of this material nature. Material nature is inferior or lower nature. Constitutionally, we are following the leadership, but we want immediate, temporary relief for our miseries. We do not want permanent solution of all miseries. That is the defect of our life. But here is a chance. If we follow the leadership of Kṛṣṇa, then we make a solution of the whole miseries. Kāṅkṣantaḥ,
- kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ
- yajanta iha devatāḥ
- kṣipraṁ hi mānuṣe loke
- siddhir bhavati karma-jā
Karma-jā means those who are acting here on the line of fruitive activities. Suppose... You have experienced that there are so many political leaders. They follow some particular leader, and they capture the governmental machinery, but after some time they are taken away from the scene. Just like in our country, recently, within one year, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, he's also shifted away, Shastri is also shifted away. In your country, the President Kennedy is also shifted away. We do not take into account that after shifting this position, again we are going to enter into the miserable life of material existence. If we do not make a solution in present life, then we are again going to enter.
Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:
So Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice, but one who does not care for it, they are satisfied by some temporary relief, and they take to other courses. They do not take the leadership of Kṛṣṇa. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ. Iha devatāḥ means these material gods. Material gods means their existence is so long this material world.
Just like here we have got the president, the governor and so many big, big officers. But suppose, somehow or other this whole planet or the whole thing is gone, destroyed—because we can expect destruction every moment, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19)—then the whole thing, I mean to say, the president and the governor, everything is gone. Iha devatāḥ. So we are taking shelter of this material world, something big, but that will not exist with the annihilation, with the dissolution of this material world. Everything will be dissolved. Everything will be... So we have to take the leadership of the Supreme. Then it will be the largest perfection, the greatest perfection of life.
Lecture on BG 4.12-13 -- New York, July 29, 1966:
So this material world is created. It is created for temporary existence. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19), you will find in the Bhagavad-gītā, "This material manifestation is temporary." May be for millions of years, but it is temporary.
And why this temporary material world is created? Just to give the rebelled, I mean to say, living entities who are averse to God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to give another chance for developing, for developing. So if we miss this chance, then again, when this material world will be dissolved, oh, we do not know how many millions of years we have to become unconscious. We shall remain in the unconscious, sleeping stage. Then again there will be creation. Then again our body will be created, and... So these are very subtle laws. We should not miss. We should be very much serious about this life.
Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:
Then, as human being, as we are trying to solve our problems... The real problem we have to solve. And why we are in material condition and miserable condition? Because we have got this material body. This is the problem, real problem. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary. It will not exist forever. But so long it will exist, it will give trouble. This is a fact. So long we'll continue in this material body, you'll have to suffer.
But we have no intelligence. We think that "We are like cats and dogs. The cats and dogs, they also eat; we also eat. They sleep; we also sleep. And they have sex; we have also sex. And they defend, we also defend. Their business finished." No. Your business is not finished. Because you are human being, you have got advanced intelligence than the cats and dog. You should know analytically what are the miserable condition of life and try to solve. That is intelligence. That is intelligence. And if we remain satisfied like cats and dogs—"So I have got something to eat, I have got some nice place to sleep and I have also got some other sex for enjoying sex life, and I defend with so many weapons, latest nuclear weapon"—no, śāstra says, "These things are manufactured... These things are maintained by the cats and dogs." Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām. This is common formula between the animals and the man.
Lecture on BG 4.17 -- Bombay, April 6, 1974:
Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Jarā, jarā and vyādhi and mṛtyu. So we are not conscious about the suffering position of this material body. The śāstra says, "Don't accept again any material body." Na sādhu manye: "This is not good, that you are repeatedly getting this material body." Na sādhu manye yata ātmanaḥ. Ātmanaḥ, the soul is encaged in this material body. Yata ātmano 'yam asann api. Although temporary, I have got this body. Kleśada āsa dehaḥ.
So if we want to stop this miserable condition of getting another material body, then we must know what is karma, what is vikarma. That is Kṛṣṇa's proposal. Karmaṇo hy api boddhavyaṁ boddhavyaṁ ca vikarmaṇaḥ. Akarmaṇaś ca boddhavyam. Akarmaṇa means there is no reaction. Reaction. Karma, if you do nice work, it has got reaction. It has nice body, nice education, nice family, nice riches. This is also nice. We take it as nice. We want to go to the heavenly planet. But they do not know that even in the heavenly planet there is the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi.
Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:
Knowledge means to understand something. How this tape recorder is manufactured, if we get some knowledge, technical knowledge, that is not knowledge. That is a, of course, to have some, our occupation executed. That knowledge is temporary knowledge. But real knowledge is... This is real knowledge. The real knowledge is that when one understands convincingly that "I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa, or God. When we say Kṛṣṇa, you should understand the Supreme Lord, the Absolute Truth. Kṛṣṇa is the technical word which is meant for indicating the Absolute Truth, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the whole, the whole pleasure, the whole attraction. These are the meaning of Kṛṣṇa.
So we are all part and parcel of the supreme pleasure, and our pleasure... Just like my hand. This is my hand. Now, this my hand can take pleasure when it is attached with my body. My hand can take pleasure when it serves my body. It does not take pleasure by serving your body.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
Similarly Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the original consciousness. As soon as it is clouded by material consciousness. What is that material consciousness? That "It is mine. It is for my sense gratification. That is material consciousness." And if you keep yourself always intact that everything is for Kṛṣṇa, then there is no cloud. The cloud is material. Actually there is no material existence. Just like cloud appears in the sky. It remains temporary for a few day or few hours and again disappears. We do not know where that cloud has gone.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
Devotee: "All the different varieties of sacrifice can be placed within two primary divisions: sacrifice of worldly possessions and sacrifice in pursuit of transcendental knowledge. Those who are in Kṛṣṇa consciousness sacrifice all material possessions for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, while others, who want some temporary material happiness sacrifice their material possessions to satisfy demigods such as Indra, the sun, etc. And others who are impersonalists sacrifice in the sense of merging into the existence of impersonal Brahman. The demigods are powerful living entities appointed by the Supreme Lord for the maintenance and supervision of all material functions like heating, watering, and lighting of the universe. Those who are interested in such supplies of material benefits worship the demigods by various sacrifices according to the Vedic rituals. They are called bahv-īśvara-vādī, or believers in many gods."
Prabhupāda: Bahv-īśvara-vādī. Bahv-īśvara-vādī means believing in many gods. Actually God is one but His servants who are known as demigods. So less intelligent class of men they accept demigods as God. Just like a less intelligent class of men takes a police constable, he raises his hand like this and the car is stopped even it belong to a great rich man. So his child may think that "This constable is very great man. You see. He is very important man." But the father knows he is nothing. Similarly, those who are interested in demigods they are like children. "Oh, this constable is very important." You see. "Because by his hand my father had to stop my car." You see.
Lecture on BG 4.19-25 -- Los Angeles, January 9, 1969:
Devotee: "Whereas others who stick to the impersonal feature of the Absolute Truth and regard the forms of the demigods as temporary sacrifice their individual selves in the supreme fire and thus end their individual existences by merging into the existence of the Supreme. Such impersonalists relinquish their time in philosophical speculation for understanding the transcendental nature of the Supreme. In other words, the fruitive workers sacrifice their material possessions for material enjoyments whereas the impersonalist sacrifices his material designations with a view to merging into the existence of the Supreme. For the impersonalist the fire, altar, and the sacrifice is the Supreme Brahman and the offering is the self being consumed by the fire of Brahman. The Kṛṣṇa conscious person, however, sacrifices everything for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa and as such all his material possessions as well as his own self, everything, are sacrificed for Kṛṣṇa as with Arjuna. Thus he is the first-class yogi for he does not lose his individual existence."
Prabhupāda: That's it. Question? Yes?
Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:
They think it is all utopian. But we don't think. We believe in the words of Kṛṣṇa, words of the śāstra. And we are trying to accept it, practice it and preach it. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). Then why we should be interested to purify our existence? Yena brahma-saukhyam anantam. You are after happiness. So this happiness, the temporary happiness, sense gratification, this is not happiness. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21).
Real happiness—beyond this material sense gratification. That is real happiness. So we should search after that happiness.
- ramante yogino 'nante
- satyānande cid-ātmani
- iti rāma-padenāsau
- paraṁ brahmābhidhīyate
- (CC Madhya 9.29)
Real happiness is to enjoy with Rāma, enjoy with Kṛṣṇa. What is that enjoyment? Kṛṣṇa is the master. He orders, and you perform the order. That is enjoyment. Master and servant. Not as master, as servant. That is our enjoyment. Just like a faithful servant and a rich master, the reciprocation is service. The master is also satisfied by the service of the servant, and the servant is also satisfied, giving service to the master. This is our relation. Jīvera svarūpa haya—nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109).
Lecture on BG 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974:
That can be possible only when you live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then all our actions will not be binding upon us. Otherwise any little thing we do, yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9), we shall be entangled. And that is material life. If we become entangled more and more, then the process of changing body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), it will go on. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Although this body is temporary, it is full of miseries. That we do not understand. We are thinking that we are very happy. Where is your happiness?
Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that even though you think that by material advancement you have become very happy, but you should always keep in your front janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Then you have to die. Then where is your happiness? If you can make such arrangement that you will not die, whatever you have created you will enjoy, then it can be said as happiness. But that is not possible. You have to die. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives more prominence to these four kinds of miseries: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.
Lecture on BG 4.34 -- New York, August 14, 1966:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is suhṛt satām. Satām. Satām means those who are trying for having eternal life. Because in this material world we don't get anything eternal. All, everything, temporary. Therefore it is called asat. Asato mā sad gama. The Vedic injunction is "Don't try to remain in this temporary world." Sad gama: "Just try to go to the eternal world." Tamaso mā jyotir gama: "Don't try to remain in this darkness. You go to the kingdom of light." These are Vedic injunctions. So Kṛṣṇa, He is within our heart. Hṛdy antaḥ-sthaḥ. Therefore, as soon as we become a little inclined towards Kṛṣṇa, then from within our heart He gives us favorable instruction so that we can gradually make progress, gradually.
Kṛṣṇa is the first spiritual master, and when we become more interested, then we have to go to a physical spiritual master. That is enjoined in the next verse.
Lecture on BG 4.37-40 -- New York, August 21, 1966:
We have seen it. Oh, why? You have renounced the world. Why you are hospital-making business? Hospital-making business is there, going on by the government, by the state. You are not meant for making hospitals. You have to make hospital how people can get rid of this material body. That is spiritual activity. We also require to open hospitals. And what is that hospital? To cure this material disease, not this temporary disease. Again we may be attacked. The complete cure of material disea... That sort of hospital will be required. That hospital is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society. If we take treatment under this Kṛṣṇa consciousness society, then we shall be cured of this material disease.
Otherwise, we shall be again attacked with some kind of body. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dresses from one dress to another, similarly, this body to another body, transmigration of the soul. But we are meant for now completely ceasing to have any material body in the next life. That should be our aim of life. That is called... That knowledge is called the purest knowledge. Na hi jñānena sadṛśaṁ pavitram iha... That knowledge is the purest knowledge. Tat svayaṁ yoga-saṁsiddhaḥ kālena ātmani vindati (BG 4.38).
Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:
Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā. Just like there are some philosophers. They say that this material world is false and Brahman is real. Of course, that is all right, but according to Vaiṣṇava philosophy, as we are, we say that material world is not false, but it is temporary. That's all. If you say temporary thing as false, that is not the right nomenclature. Temporary, one thing may be temporary, but that is not false. Just like we have come here, I have come from India. I am staying in this room for the last two months, or I may stay here for some days more. So my visit, I am a visitor. My visit is temporary. But this temporary visit is not false. Is it false? Oh, I am sitting here, I am talking with you, I am eating, and so many things. They are all false? No. They are not false. They are not false, but temporary. Therefore hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Everything has got connection with Kṛṣṇa. That realization is required. Everything. Whatever we see here, they are only perverted reflection of the reality. That's all.
Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:
This perverted reflection I have tried to explain many times. Just like if there is a tree on the bank of a lake you'll find that tree is perverted, reflected, pervertedly reflected within the water. That means the top has gone to the down and the root has come up. And in the Fifteenth Chapter it is described in that way. So this world is a perverted reflection. And because it is reflection of the reality, therefore it appears so nicely that we take it as actual fact. That is called illusion. But if we understand that, "It is temporary, I should not be attached. It is temporary. My attachment should be to the reality not to the unreality,"... So reality is Kṛṣṇa. This is also reality, but temporary. So we have to get ourself from the temporary to the reality. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī says that prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. Now in this material world, because this material world is manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Lord, therefore it has got a very intimate connection with the Supreme Lord. It has got connection.
Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:
Similarly, when everything we see in connection—nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe—in connection with Kṛṣṇa, when everything we see that "This can be utilized very nicely for Kṛṣṇa's service," that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is God consciousness, everything to see in connection with Kṛṣṇa. The Gosvāmīs, they give us this formula. Prāpañcikatayā buddhyā hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ. The Māyāvādī philosopher, they say that "This world is false. This world is false." Some philosophers, they are meditating to the voidness, that "These things are all nonsense. Voidness is best." This is frustration. But we know that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa and it can be used for Kṛṣṇa. Why void? Why false? Reality. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to accept everything in reality, not false. This tape recorder machine, it is material. The Māyāvāda philosophers, they will say it is false. We say,"It is not false. It is temporary, but it can be used for Kṛṣṇa." That is the best use of a bad bargain. Similarly, this body is not false, but it is temporary. How can I say false? If I give you a nice, I mean to say, what is called?
Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:
Shock, you will feel. So it is not false, but that feeling is temporary, that's all. So this body... The Bhāgavata says, asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body, although false or temporary, but when it is painful, I feel it. So how can I say it is false? So everything created or given by God we should not say it is false, but we should know that "This is God gifted, it is God's possession, so I must utilize it for God's purpose." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is the knowledge of science of Kṛṣṇa. Everything... Nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe yuktaṁ vairāgyam ucyate. And
- prāpañcikatayā buddhyā
- hari-sambandhi-vastunaḥ
- mumukṣubhiḥ parityāgo
- vairāgyaṁ phalgu kathyate
Vairāgya means renunciation, and phalgu means without any value or little, very little. Why should we give up this world? But the process is that give up the idea of sense enjoyment. That is required. That is real renunciation. I shall not use it for my sense gratification. I shall utilize it for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:
Revatīnandana: One cannot be engaged in the first-class welfare work without being liberated in the Supreme. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person has no doubt about the supremacy of Kṛṣṇa. He has no doubt because he is completely free from all sins. This is the state of divine love. A person engaged only in administering to the physical welfare of human society cannot factually help anyone. Temporary relief of the external body and the mind of the living entity is not satisfactory. The real cause of his difficulties...
Prabhupāda: Just like in New York I have seen there is mental hospital, big mental hospital. What is that?
Devotee: Bellevue.
Lecture on BG 5.22-29 -- New York, August 31, 1966:
So Kṛṣṇa advises here that śaknotīhaiva yaḥ soḍhuṁ prāk śarīra-vimokṣaṇāt. Before quitting this material body, if one practices to tolerate the so-called urges of sense pleasure, then he becomes very happy at the long run. He recommends it. And that is the real purpose of human form of life. That we should not derive. We should not try to derive that false happiness in this diseased condition of material life. This is temporary. That is not happiness. We should understand that out of ignorance we are engaged to derive such kind of happiness, but that is not happiness. Real happiness is in spiritual life.
We have to attain that spiritual life and just a man tolerates so many things for being cured, similarly we have to practice tolerance. Then there will be urges, certainly, because we are practiced to these sense urges for so many births in so many evolutionary process. Now in this human form of life we have to consider that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul." So I have to search out the happiness of the spirit soul, and for that, I have to train myself under superior guidance, as Arjuna has put himself under the guidance of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:
So we have to make good association if we want to make our mind as my friend, if I want to make my mind as my friend, then I have to associate with sādhu. Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. Buddhimān means intelligent person. He must associate with satsu. Satsu means those who are trying for self-realization. They are called sat. Sat and asat. Asat means who are trying for the temporary things. Matter is temporary. My body is temporary. So if I simply engage myself for bodily pleasures, sense gratification, then I am engaging myself to temporary things. But if I engage myself for self-realization, the permanent thing, then I am engaging myself to the sat, or to the permanent. Tasmāt satsu sajyeta buddhimān. "Anyone who is intelligent, he should associate with persons who are trying to elevate themselves for self-realization." That is called sat-saṅga, good association.
Lecture on BG 6.21-27 -- New York, September 9, 1966:
So therefore there is no happiness; there is no pleasure. For the time being, there may be a little feeling of pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure. That is for temporary, just a slight focus of that lightning. In the sky you will find some lightning, but real lightning is beyond that. So vetti yatra na caivāyaṁ sthitaś calati tattvataḥ. Because persons they do not know what is happiness, so sthitaś calati tattvataḥ. Real happiness... They are deviated from real happiness. Yaṁ labdhvā cāparaṁ lābhaṁ manyate nādhikaṁ tataḥ. This real happiness... Now, we are trying to be posted or to be situated in that position of real happiness by practice of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. By Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall gradually develop our intelligence, real intelligence. Then we shall naturally like to enjoy that spiritual happiness. And as we make progress and get taste of spiritual happiness, so proportionately we give up the taste of this material happiness. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is gradually developed in realizing, understanding the Supreme Absolute Truth, pareśānubhavaḥ. Pareśānubhavaḥ. As pareśānubhavaḥ, as we make progress to understand the Absolute Truth, naturally we become detached from this false happiness we are trying to enjoy. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt.
Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:
So we are becoming deviated from God. The more we are advancing in so-called material civilization, we are more becoming far away from God. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has sung: jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. Jaḍa-bidyā, the material education, they are simply paraphernalia of this illusory energy, māyāra vaibhava. And the effect of this advancement of material civilization means stopping one's relationship with God. Jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā, anitya saṁsāre. Anitya means this temporary life, this... Everyone, we are in this material world, say, for fifty years, sixty years, hundred years. That is temporary. In the unlimited time, a duration of life, say of hundred years, that is nothing. Even, not even a point. It is very temporary, but in this temporary life, we are addicted to so many unnecessary things, and we are forgetting our real business, how to go to home, back to home, back to Godhead.
Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura laments... He was a great, responsible government officer, magistrate, but a great devotee of the Lord, and he's one of the ācāryas, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. So he writes about his own experience that jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. The more we make advancement in the temporary materialistic comforts, the more we become implicated in unnecessary things and they are all impediments for making progress in spiritual life. That is his opinion. And that's a fact.
Lecture on BG 6.47 -- Ahmedabad, December 12, 1972:
Mām upetya tu kaunteya, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. This world is recommended by the Creator of this world as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam. It is the place for miseries. And that also temporary. If you make, want to make compromise, "All right, it may be miserable life. I will stay here." Oh, that also you'll not be allowed. You'll be kicked out after some days. You may try to become very comfortable, good income, good bank balance, or nice wife, nice car, but one day it will come you'll be kicked out. "Please get out." Finished. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Kṛṣṇa says that "I am mṛtyu. I take away everything. At that time, finished, everything."
So this is our foolishness, that we are trying to be happy in a place which is recommended by the Creator Himself: duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Duḥkhālayam. This is called foolishness. Therefore Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura says: anitya saṁsāre. We are already in a distressed place, and we are increasing our distressed condition of life. That means you are becoming more and more ass. By the name of so-called advancement of education. Jaḍa-bidyā jato, māyāra vaibhava, tomāra bhajane bādhā. If, by advancement of civilization, we forget God and forget the mission of our life, that is nothing but to become like an ass. Unnecessary working.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:
You are coming from home. (laughter) So this is our temporary home. We have got real home. That is the kingdom of God. We are coming from there. Just like you have come from India, or your forefathers have come from India. Now you have made this country as your home. Similarly, we have come from the spiritual world. Now we have made this material world as our home. So here, struggling for existence... It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā,
- mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
- jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
- manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
- prakṛti-sthāni karṣati
- (BG 15.7)
"These living entities, they are My part and parcel, or they are as good as I am, part and parcel." A small particle of gold is gold. It is no other thing. Similarly, we, being part and parcel of God, we are also the same quality. Not the same quantity but same quality. So we have come here, and we are struggling for existence with our mind and senses. This is our position. Therefore our business is how to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is our main business. We are teaching that.
Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 22, 1977:
Illusion. Illusion means it is temporary. Just like you dream something. That is called illusion. But dream is actually not illusion. Because although in dream you see some tiger, he's attacking, that is illusion. And you are crying, "Save me! Save me! Here is a tiger!" But one who is awakened, he say, "Why you are crying?" "There is a tiger." "Where is tiger?" This is illusion. But when you are dreaming that there is a tiger, you are crying, that is not illusion. It is acting. Similarly, this material manifestation, it is not illusion, but for the time being it is illusion. We are attracted with this material world, society, friendship and love. But in a second we can be slapped by the material nature and get out of this illusion, just like dream. So in this sense it is illusion, but so long it is there, it is fact also. So chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)
Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- London, August 4, 1971:
So what is benefit? You should judge by the result, not by sophisticated ideas. There is no necessity. Therefore our ācārya Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that you haven't got to take shelter of any other demigods. Why? If Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, if He is all powerful, then even if you want something from Kṛṣṇa, do you think that Kṛṣṇa is unable to deliver to you? Why should you go to demigods? That is also described in the Bhagavad-gītā. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). The benefit derived from the demigods, that is temporary. But rascals who have got less substance of brain, they are after that. It is clearly said. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām. Alpa-medhasām means one who has got brain substance very little, they are attracted by all these things. They are meant for third-class, fourth-class men. Because they will not worship God, "All right you worship these demigods. At least, you try to worship something instead of becoming atheist." That is the process. But when one is actually intelligent, after many, many births, he should worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:
Real mukti is described in the Bhāgavata. Mukti means muktir hitvānyathā rūpam. Muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ sva-rūpeṇa vyavasthitiḥ. When one is cured of his madness and he is situated in healthy state, that is called mukti. So here in this material world everyone is mad. Somebody is thinking, "I am king." Somebody is thinking, "I am minister." Somebody is thinking, "I am president," "I am this," "I am Nārāyaṇa," so on, so on, so on, all madmen, all madmen, because it will be finished. His so-called conception of becoming this and that will be finished within few years. But he is eternal. He is thinking the temporary situation of becoming an American, Indian, or minister, or president, or this or that, how long it will stay? It will stay, say, ten or fifteen or fifty or hundred years. That's all. But he is not for hundred years. He—nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). But the rascal does not know. He is thinking, "By chance, I have become minister or president or this or that. For some years this is my position." Dehātma-buddhiḥ. So that is the difference between mukti, mukta and bandha, bondage and liberation.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:
So... But this place is certified by Kṛṣṇa as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "It is place of miseries; at the same time, it is temporary." Temporary. As today we, I entered in your country, Canada, for the first time, and the time limit was given there by the immigration that "You cannot live here or stay here more than this time," similarly... Even if I think, "Oh, Canada is very nice place. Montreal is very nice place. Let me stay here," oh, the immigration department will not allow me to stay. Similarly, if you think that "This material world is very nice. Let me stay here," oh, the higher authorities... There are higher authori... Just like there are authorities in the immigration department, similarly there are higher authorities in the management of these worldly affairs. Yamaraja, oh, he'll not allow you to stay. You have to change your body.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:
This Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, this is enjoyment, but this enjoyment is not like here, the young boys and girls, they enjoy. It is not like that because here the ānanda is temporary, it is not eternal, but that ānanda, rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ, is eternal blissful. So Kṛṣṇa is canvassing everyone that "You come to Me. Here also you will have this eternal ānanda, eternal blissfulness." You are after loving affairs, but here in this material world, actually there is no love. It is only lust. And even if you accept that this is love, it will not exist. It will be finished.
Therefore in Vedic literature we find that ramante yoginaḥ anante: (CC Madhya 9.29) "Those who are yogis, those who are transcendentalists..." They also... Every one of us are seeking after pleasure, ānanda, but the yogis, either these jñāna-yogi, dhyāna-yogi, or karma-yogi, or bhakta-yogi... There are different kinds of yogis, but the yogi means the person who wants to connect himself with the eternal happiness. That is called yogi, one who is not satisfied with this temporary, material happiness. Just like Śaṅkarācārya.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:
There are two kinds of natural sequences. Just like this water is liquid. This is natural. But this water becomes solid also. It becomes ice. That is also natural. So which one is actual natural? Liquidity. Liquidity is actual natural. And to turn into ice, solid, that is temporary natural. So there are two kinds of natural. One kind of natural... Just like we have got this body. This is also natural, but it is temporary natural. But we are eternal, and when we get our eternal existence, that is our real natural. Is that all right? So we are now in artificial natural. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are getting our body and finishing. So we have to transfer from this nature to the other nature, spiritual nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Prakṛti means nature. So those who are mahātmās, great soul, they transfer themselves to the other nature, spiritual nature. So if you transfer yourself to the spiritual nature, that is your real life. Now I am in the artificial or temporary nature. Not artificial, but temporary. I want to live eternally. I don't want death. But it is not possible, because I have got this temporary nature. That I was explaining this, that yena śuddhyet sattva. When your existential position will be purified, then you get your And the whole process of chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is purifying process.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:
Prabhupāda: Spiritual nature... I am actually spiritual nature, but I am now in material nature. So I have to revive my position in the spiritual nature.
Guest (1): When the person, by following his temporary nature, realizes he can't find satisfaction but he has to turn to spiritual nature...
Prabhupāda: Yes. That dissatisfaction is always there. Just like if a animal or a living entity is put into the water, then however expert swimmer he may be, it is struggle. In the water... That... Because that is not his natural position. The same man, if he is taken over the water, one inch over the water, he feels relief immediately. And if he is put into the land, then he's perfectly relieved. So therefore Lord Caitanya offers His prayer to Kṛṣṇa, ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ viṣame bhavāmbudhau: "My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, I am Your eternal servant. Somehow or other, I am now fallen in this ocean of nescience." Kṛpayā tava pāda-paṅkaja-sthita-dhūlī-sadṛśaṁ vicintaya: "Kindly pick me up from this ocean of nescience and fix me as one of Your dust of the lotus feet." You see? So that should be our prayer, that... This Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa is also prayer.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Bombay, March 29, 1971:
We may make very good arrangement in this life, nice bungalow, good bank balance, nice family relationships, everything. But the thing is that we shall not be allowed to stay. Aśāśvatam. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). Therefore all our attempts to become very happy within this material world is futile. The intelligent man should know this, that "I want permanent settlement in my life, but that is not being done." Only intelligent man can understand because intelligent means to understand that we are all eternal. Why should we accept this temporary body? We must have our eternal body. That is possible. You can have your eternal body like Kṛṣṇa. At the present moment, although we are eternal, we have to accept a certain type of body which is not eternal. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). Asann api. This body is temporary, but it is very miserable. It is always giving us trouble. That we should know.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, October 31, 1973:
English. So manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu (BG 7.3). Out of many hundreds and thousands of men, kaścid yatati siddhaye (aside:) Thank you. The difficulty is that they do not know what is siddhi. At the present moment, people are so ignorant that they do not know what is siddhi. The major problem of life, that is unsolved. Everyone is trying to make a solution of some temporary difficulties, politically, socially, economically. But real solution, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... (BG 13.9). Janma, birth, mṛtyu, death, and jarā, old age, and vyādhi, disease—to get out of this entanglement. Duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.
Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:
In this way we are becoming implicated. By the so-called advancement of civilization, we are becoming implicated to these material activities and we are forgetting our real business, self-realization, what I am. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The real business is to enquire about Brahman, about ātmā, Paramātmā, but we are forgetting that. We are simply busy for the temporary life, say, for fifty years or hundred years, utmost. But we do not know the life is continuation. As the life is continued we have got experience—from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then in old body, then what is next? You ask anybody who has become old man. Ask him, "Sir, you have come to this stage. Your body is now old. You have to die. Now, from childhood you came to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then middle age, and now you have come to... Now what is next? Do you know?" Oh, they will be silent. Nobody knows that what is my next life. A child can say, "My next life is boy. I shall become a boy." The boy can say, "Yes, I will be like very nice young man." The young man can say that "I shall become middle-aged man, father of many children." And the middle-aged man can say, "Yes, I will become old man." And ask the old man what he will become? He cannot answer. Can anyone say?
Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:
So this knowledge... So people are simply mad after this material enjoyment. He does not know that this material body is temporary. It is for a certain years only. But you are eternal. Just try to understand what is your eternal business. Why you are so much mad after this temporary business? That is stated in the Śrīmad-B...
- nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
- yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
- na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
- asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
- (SB 5.5.4)
Kleśada. This material body is kleśada. Kleśada means always giving us trouble, always giving. Kleśada āsa. So one should always remember that "I have got this material body, which is suffering heat, cold, mātrā, sukha, duḥkha, happiness, distress."
Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:
Just like so many people are acting criminally simply to get money, as if money will save him. If he acts criminally, simply sinful activities, and by such, he is punished to get another body which is sinful, pāpa-yoni, then what is, how his money will save him? No, that cannot save. Just like if you have become criminal and you are arrested by the state. Suppose you are millionaires. Your money will save you? No. That will not save. But they... For money they are doing all sorts of sinful activities. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad... (SB 5.5.4). Why they are doing? Yad indriya-prīta... Simply for sense gratification, that's all. Only benefit is sense gratification. Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti.
Therefore Ṛṣabhadeva, na sādhu manye: "Don't do this. Oh, it is not good." Why not good? Na sādhu manye yato ātmano 'yam asann api. You have got this material body, suffering, although it is temporary, but you have got this. So don't do this. Don't do anything that you get another material body. That is perfection of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Lecture on BG 7.15-18 -- New York, October 9, 1966:
Suppose I get too much wealth and too much everything. What is this mighty lābha?" Lābha, pūjā, pratiṣṭhā. These material assets are three. Something, I want some gain out of my work, profit. And pūjā. Pūjā means people will adore me: "Oh, you are such a rich man. You are so great man." Lābha, pūjā, and pratiṣṭhā, and fame: "People may know me that 'I am Carnegie,' 'I am Rockefeller,' 'I am Birla.' " But he does not know that Birla or Rockefeller is this body. As soon as this body is finished, all Birla or Rockefeller is finished. Then I do not know whether I am entering into cat or dog. Because after finishing this body, you are neither Birla, neither Rockefeller—you are spirit soul. And according to your own karma, according to your own work, your own work, you have to enter another body, which is different from Birla and Carnegie. A jñānī knows, "So why shall I bother myself for these temporary designations?" That is jñānī. He is jñānī. He is man in knowledge. "I am pure soul. My eternal connection—with Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. Let me establish that connection very firmly so that Kṛṣṇa may take me back into His kingdom. That is my business."
Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:
So we materialists, we don't take into consideration that birth, death, disease and old age are the greatest miseries of our life due to our ignorance. But this ignorance has to be removed if one has to become out of these clutches of birth, death, old age and disease. This is not possible to remove by the so-called material science. Material science cannot remove these miseries. They can remove temporary, something artificially, some of our miseries. Just like we are feeling little warm. If the room was, had been air conditioned, we could feel some comfort. That is temporary. But our ultimate miseries are these four things: jarā-maraṇa-mokṣa. Jarā means old age and birth, death.
Lecture on BG 8.5 -- New York, October 26, 1966:
So this body is neither blissful, neither eternal, nor full of knowledge. It is full of ignorance and full of miseries and not permanent; temporary. So God hasn't got such body. Therefore sometimes it is said in the Vedic literature: formless. Formless means the form which you can conceive at the present moment, God hasn't got that form. But when He descends like you and me, that is His mercy. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). He comes just to..., being visible to our eyes. Just like this picture. This picture is not... It is not to be taken that He's not God, He is picture. The picture of God is also God. Picture of Kṛṣṇa is Kṛṣṇa. The sound, name Kṛṣṇa, that is also Kṛṣṇa. But just to give us facility to understand... You do not think that this picture of Kṛṣṇa is painted by some artist's imagination. No. It is not imagination. There is description in the scripture what is the form of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:
So that is sustaining in the prāṇa-vāyu. And the yoga system, the ṣaṭ-cakra system, is to get the soul from down to the top, tip of the topmost part of the head. This practice go, go on, goes on while we are living, and the perfection is that when we can place my, myself on the top of the head, and by fracture of this topmost head we can transfer into the higher planet as we like. As we like. That is the perfection. A yogi can transfer in either of these planets, wherever he likes. Wherever he likes. So if you like... Just like you are inquisitive to see what is the moon planet, so if a yogi likes: "Oh, let me see what is the moon planet. Then I shall transfer myself to higher planets..." Just like travelers. They come to New York, then go to California, then go to Canada. Similarly, you can transfer yourself in so many planets by this yoga system. But anywhere you go the, the same system, visa system and customs system, there are. So Kṛṣṇa conscious persons, they are not interested in these temporary planets. May be for a long duration, but they are not interested.
Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:
Now, any way, either you concentrate your mind like imagination or you see factually, you have to concentrate your mind in the Viṣṇu form. Here mām. Mām means "unto the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu." Yaḥ prayāti. "Anyone who leaves this body," tyajan deham, "after quitting this body," sa yāti paramāṁ gatim, "he enters into the spiritual kingdom." Unless he desires... Those who (are) actually yogi, they do not desire to enter any other planet because they also know that temporary planets, temporary life. They are not interested. That is the intelligence. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). Those who are satisfied with temporary happiness, temporary life, temporary facilities, they are not intelligent in their, according to Bhagavad-gītā. They are not intelligent. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām: "One whose brain substance is very small, they are interested in these temporary things." That is the version of Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā. Because I am permanent; I am eternal. Why shall I be interested in nonpermanent things? That, that is the intelligence. Who wants nonpermanent, I mean to say, existence? Nobody wants. Suppose you are living in a apartment, in an apartment, and the landlord asks you to vacate, or somehow or other, you have to vacate. You are sorry. Oh. But you'll not be sorry if you go to a better apartment.
Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:
Just try to understand that this place is full of miseries. There... In the modes of ignorance we cannot understand. Just like the cats and dogs and hogs, they cannot understand that what miserable condition of life they are pulling on, similarly, human... A human being is called rational animal. They are animal, but at the same time, they have got the rationality. But that rationality is being used in the purpose of animal propensities. That rationality is not being used how to get liberated from this miserable condition. That is a misuse of rationality. So here is the solution. Kṛṣṇa says that "If anyone remains in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, twenty-four hours, without any deviation, the result is that he comes to Me. And if he once comes to Me," mām upetya punar janma duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti (BG 8.15), "he does not get again rebirth of this miserable life." Why? Now, mahātmānaḥ saṁsiddhiṁ paramāṁ gatāḥ: "They are great souls, and they have achieved the highest goal of life."
So this is the highest goal of life. We should know our self-interest to achieve this highest goal of life, not temporary dolls. You see? Children are captivated by temporary dolls, but not a sane man... (end)
Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:
So whatever we are seeing here, beautiful, they are all imitation of the real. As the doll is imitation of a beautiful girl, similarly, yasya satyatayā nityāpi satyam eva abhipadyate. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, "Because the spiritual world is real and this unreal manifestation appears to be real, appears to be real, but it is not real, we can understand reality will exist; reality will not vanquish." That is... Reality means eternal. Therefore real pleasure, that is Kṛṣṇa. The material pleasure is temporary, not actual. Therefore those who are after reality, they don't take part in this shadow pleasure. Shadow pleasure, they don't take part. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says that yaḥ sa sarveṣu bhūteṣu naśyatsu na vinaśyati. That is reality. "When everything will be vanquished, that spiritual nature will continue to remain." That remains always.
Lecture on BG 8.21-22 -- New York, November 19, 1966:
"I love God to become one with Him." That is adulteration. This adulteration in devotional service will not help you. Unadulterated. Tv ananyayā. Ananyayā. Yasyāntaḥsthāni bhūtāni yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. And that Supreme Personality, although He's just like a person, like you and me, still, He's so widespread that everything is within Him and everything in Him, He's outside and inside. That is the conception of God. God is everywhere, but still, He has got His kingdom, abode. He has got His association, everything. Just like the sun. The sunshine is all over the universe, but it has got his own planet, his own residence, localized, everything.
So that is the conception of God. And that God, or Kṛṣṇa, is in that spiritual atmosphere. If we approach, then our life will be successful, our aims will be fulfilled, and we'll be happy, and we'll be prosperous eternally, not for temporary, but eternally.
Thank you very much. Any questions? (end)
Lecture on BG 8.28-9.2 -- New York, November 21, 1966:
So therefore anything, whatever you are doing in this material world, that is not avyayam. That is not eternal. Temporary. Temporary. So this knowledge is not like that. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt: "The Kṛṣṇa consciousness knowledge is so perfect that even if you do one percent, two percent execute, then it can help you to..., help you protection from the greatest danger." Svalpam apy asya dharmasya. And besides that, suppose in this life I perform work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, say twenty-five percent. I am not perfect. My next life will begin from twenty-sixth point. So much, what I have acquired in this life, that is not lost.
Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Vrndavana, April 17, 1975:
Similarly, we are... Our heart is desiring real pleasure, transcendental bliss. So if we are put into this desert, suta-mitā-ramaṇi-samāje, where is the benefit? This song is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that apaśyatām ātma-tattvam (SB 2.1.2). They do not know what is the aim of life. They are satisfied with this drop of water in the desert. It will never mitigate. Desert is very vast tract of land dry, and if somebody says, "All right, take one drop of water," then what is the meaning? It has no meaning. Similarly, we are spirit soul. We are hankering after Kṛṣṇa. That is our inner desire. And what happiness we shall get with this society, friendship or love? This is not possible. That is not possible. There is some happiness, temporary happiness, very small quantity, so-called happiness. It will never satisfy you.
Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:
Similarly, God is also being like us, but He is Supreme Being. That is the difference between God and me. I am also being, you are also being, but we are not Supreme Being. We are under some control. But God is not under control. He is the controller, but He is never controlled. (aside:) Make it louder. That is explained in the Vedic literature, the definition of God. The definition of God is given there, īśvaraḥ paramaḥ. The Supreme Being is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). And He is... Vigraha means He has form. He is person, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. But His person, His form, is different from our form, our present form. Our present form, as we have got the material tabernacle, that is temporary. Your form, my form, this is changing. We are not existing in the same form.
Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:
This is aśubha. The aśubha means it is not śubha. If his body would have been auspicious, then this body would continue to exist because we are eternal. These things have been described very vividly in the second chapter. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Because we are dull brain... There is no education actually. The modern education means simply a craftsmanship. If you can prepare a nice motor car, oh, that is advancement of the... And what is this? This is craftsmanship. It is the blacksmith's work. It is not knowledge. Knowledge is different. Therefore it is called jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam. This is knowledge,"What I am? I am this body or something else? Why I am suffering? If there is any remedy? I do not wish to die, neither I am subjected to death." Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṁ na hanyate han... This is knowledge, that "If I am eternal, if I do not die after annihilation of this body, then why I am subjected to this body?" This is knowledge. And to manufacture a motor car, that is not knowledge. That is craftsmanship. Knowledge is here, that "I am eternal. Why I am put into this condition of temporary body, not only one kind of body, but there are 8,400,000 different forms of body, and I have to accept one of them, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13), according to my karma. This is my position. How to get out of it, to inquire about it? If there is any science to accept it?" That is knowledge.
Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:
In another place it is said that, just like He says that "The worshiping the other demigod, that is also worshiping Me," but avidhi bhur bhavam. Yajanty avidhi-pūrvakam: that is not vidhi. Vidhi is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66), to worship Kṛṣṇa. It is very simple. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). But people will not accept this simple thing which will give him complete perfection. But māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ, because they have taken the atheistic view, āsuri bhāvam āśritāḥ, therefore māyā has taken his knowledge. They..., everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Mayaiva vihitān hi tān. If we worship other demigod, they cannot independently offer you any benediction. Kṛṣṇa said, mayaiva vihitān hi tān. They have to take sanction from the Supreme Personality of Godhead before giving you the benediction. But still such benediction is temporary, antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām (BG 7.23). They are temporary.
So such temporary benediction is meant for the alpa-medhasām, one whose brain substance is very small, or the brain substance, instead of brain substance, it's cow dung. They attempt, they accept in this way; otherwise every śāstra says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). One..., all the Vedic literatures, they aim at understanding Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Give up all these things. Simply surrender unto Me." It is so easy. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalam... Any, any part of the world, any poor man can offer Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 9.4-7 -- New York, November 24, 1966:
This material manifestation is... Sometimes it is created, and sometimes it goes into the nature of the Lord. But spiritual creation is not like that. Spiritual creation is permanent. In the material creation everything is temporary, nonpermanent. Just like this body. This body is created. And take for example. In our personal self, we are spiritual spark, fragmental. We have several times discussed this point, that we are all spiritual spark, fragmental part of the Supreme Lord. As we are creating our body and it is finishing, and again I am creating my body and again finishing... That is a fact. I have created this body; you have created your body. You are a small particle, atomic spiritual portion. And when you are put into the womb of your mother you get your body and develop, develops. Everything is developing like that. Similarly, as we are developing our own body, unless that spiritual spark is there within the body, the body will not develop. This example we have given several times. A child comes out. If the child is dead, no, it will not develop. But if he has got life, if the spiritual spark is there, the child grows to a man. Similarly, the whole universe, the whole material manifestation, they are going on the presentation, on the, I mean, the presence of the Supreme Lord.
Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:
Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Intelligent person, they should always keep before, the sufferings. We are making solution of our suffering for ten years or fifty years or hundred years because we cannot live here more than hundred years. So that is temporary. I am eternal; you are eternal. Our real suffering is to take birth and remain in the womb of the mother. And even coming out of the womb of the mother, the small children, they feel always uncomfortable. Therefore they cry. The mother cannot understand what is the suffering of the... He is hungry but the mother is thinking that he wants to sleep or misunderstanding the child is uncomfortable. In this way childhood is past. Then again we become boy, again go to a school, again examination, again this. In this way the whole life is suffering. But under the spell of māyā, we are thinking we are happy. Therefore it is said mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani. If we want to get relief from this business of birth, death, old age and disease, let us take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness, and take His instruction directly and apply it in life. Your life will be successful. This is the subject matter of this chapter.
Lecture on BG 9.7-10 -- New York, November 25, 1966:
Now, we are concerned how to get out of this temporary life. We are hankering after eternal life, how to get out of this temporary life. That should be our problem. There is no use calculating for how many years one kalpa, one duration of this cosmic manifestation, is maintained. But our concern is that whether we can get out of these clutches of material nature and get into our spiritual nature and have our eternal blissful life. That is our problem. That we can make solution. If we culture the Kṛṣṇa consciousness seriously, then even after annihilation of this body, we can get into the spiritual nature and spiritual nature, and we are also spirit. Therefore there is no difference; there is no question of birth and death. That is the problem.
Lecture on BG 9.7-10 -- New York, November 25, 1966:
There are five things: God; the living entities; the prakṛti, the nature; the time; and combined together, there is work. So the work is not permanent; it is temporary. But this prakṛti is eternal, nature is eternal, God is eternal, you are eternal, and time is eternal. Out of four things—God, living entities, nature, time, and the work—these four material manifestation, whatever you are seeing, they are composed of these five things: God, living entity, nature, time, and work. Out of that, four things—God, we living entities, time and nature—they are permanent. This nature is nonpermanent, but there is another part of this nature. That is permanent. And I am permanent, you are permanent, God is permanent, and there is a permanent nature also. So our whole problems will be solved if we can transfer into that permanent nature. Now we are struggling hard because we are put into this nonpermanent nature, but there is a permanent nature. That information we get from Bhagavad-gītā. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ avyaktaḥ avyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). Sanātana means eternal.
Lecture on BG 9.13 -- New York, November 28, 1966:
Now, Lord Kṛṣṇa says that who are the mahātmās. The symptom of mahātmā is that he knows that the Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is the original Personality of Godhead, and He is the fountainhead and source of all emanation. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said very nicely, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now this human form of life is meant for inquiring about Brahman, the greatest." We are all engaged in studying temporary, small things, problems, small problems. What is that problem? Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna, the animal problems: how to eat, how to sleep, how to defend and how to mate. These four principles, they are very minor problems. They are not at all problems because automatically these problems are solved, automatically. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt. Viṣaya means this viṣaya, this object of enjoyment, these bodily necessities. Viṣayaḥ khalu sarvataḥ syāt: Viṣaya—means these objects of sense gratification—you will have in any form of body.
Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:
I do not know what next life is mine. I do not know where is the..., who is coming as my son, who is coming, who is going out of the scene as my son. These laws we do not know. But we are chewing the chewed. Evaṁ gatāgataṁ kāma-kāmā labhante. Under the spell of this illusory energy, we are captivated by this temporary sense gratification and we have forgotten our real life. So those who are in the sense of his real constitutional, of their real constitutional position, as Bhagavad-gītā started from the very beginning... This very conception, that "I am this body," beginning from, from beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā this is discredited, that "You are not this body." So you have to mold your life in your identification of spiritual existence. So so far the materialist is concerned, they are chewing the chewed. Punaḥ punaś carvita-carvaṇānām (SB 7.5.30). The example, which I gave you the last day, that as sugar cane, one has extracted all the juice by chewing, and it is again thrown into the, on the earth and somebody is chewing, so there is no juice. So we are simply repeating the same thing. We do not question whether this process of life can at all give us happiness. But we are trying and trying, trying the same thing.
Lecture on BG 9.22-23 -- New York, December 8, 1966:
So such things are desired by alpa-medhasām, alpa-medhasām, those who have got less amount of brain substance." Why one should be satisfied by temporary cure? He must see that "Why I shall die? Why I shall be diseased? Why I shall go again into the womb of the mother? And why I shall become old? This is my problem." So if you want to solve all these problems, then you have to become to Kṛṣṇa conscious.
- janma karma me divyaṁ
- yo jānāti tattvataḥ
- tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma
- naiti mām eti kaunteya
- (BG 4.9)
Anyone who becomes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even partially, simply to know Kṛṣṇa, that He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, His activities are transcendental, simply by knowing this, you will solve your all these problems, simply by knowing this. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore, in every way, if you make analytical study of Bhagavad-gītā, then you have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Bhagavad-gītā is being preached all over the world in so many languages. But I am sorry they are not in the right way. Therefore we are very serious to preach this mission of Bhagavad-gītā all over the world so that people may become happy and people may take advantage of it.
Lecture on BG 10.1 -- New York, December 30, 1966:
So long we are in the material sense, we are always dissatisfied. Na abhāvaḥ vidyate sataḥ, nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ, nāsato vidyate bhāvaḥ. Asat. Asat means the circumstances which will not continue. Everything, any circumstances of this material world, is temporary. Suppose I am very happy. Oh. Then your happiness is temporary. Suppose you think or I think I am in very sorry plight, or I am in distress. That will also not exist for some time. Just like seasonal changes. So this, this is called duality. You are feeling happy or miserable, we are feeling cold and heat, everything duality. But these things are coming and going. So when one is in transcendental position, he is above this duality, he's in the absolute.
So in that absolute stage, if we want to go to that absolute stage, then this is the process. This is the process, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, gradually, as we develop, so Kṛṣṇa is within everyone, the Supersoul, the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Paramātmā, He's seated in everyone's heart, and, as we become purified, as we become sincere, all dictation will come from within and He will show you the path which following you shall be happy and prosperous and, at the end, by quitting this body, you shall reach the supreme abode of Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual sky. These are, all these have been discussed in the last chapters, eighth chapter, seventh chapter.
Lecture on BG 10.2-3 -- New York, January 1, 1967:
That's all. It is not very hard. Everyone can prepare the foodstuff and offer to Kṛṣṇa and then take it, and then with family members or with friends you can sit down and chant before the picture of Kṛṣṇa,
- Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
- Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
and live a pure life. Just see the result. If every home, every person, takes to this principle of understanding Kṛṣṇa, it will become... The whole world will become Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means where there is no anxiety. Vaikuṇṭha. Vai means without, and kuṇṭha means anxiety. This world is full of anxiety. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we have accepted this temporary existence of material life, therefore we are always encumbered with anxiety. Just the opposite thing is there in the spiritual world, where the planets are called Vaikuṇṭha. Vaikuṇṭha means without anxiety.
Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:
Material knowledge, any subject matter you can take, but that is temporary. Just like this body is temporary, similarly, any material knowledge you acquire, either you become a chemist or physicist or a medical man or an engineer, whatever you may acquire knowledge, all this knowledge will finish as soon as this body is finished. You forget. Death means forgetfulness.
Because the spirit does not die, eternal, so spiritual knowledge continues. If you develop spiritual knowledge... Suppose cent percent spiritual knowledge you acquire in this body. Then that will continue with you. Even after destruction of this body that spiritual knowledge will continue with you, and when you get next body, you begin... You finished your ten percent. You will begin again from eleven percent. That knowledge will not be lost. That is the law of nature. Spiritual knowledge... In the Bhagavad-gītā we have studied already, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt. If you cultivate spiritual knowledge even one percent, two percent, that can render you greater service because it will continue. Once spiritual knowledge begun, it will not be stopped. The best thing is to finish it cent percent in this life because this human form of life is meant for cultivating spiritual knowledge.
Lecture on BG 10.4 -- New York, January 3, 1967:
And you should not be puffed up with your artificial honor. "Oh, I am this. I am that." This, that, that belongs to this body. You are apart from this body. Suppose you are king in this body. So you have no connection with that body. And suppose you are the poorest man. You have no connection with that body. So why do you identify yourself that "I am poor" or "I am king"? You are neither king, neither poor. You are spirit soul. Therefore amāninā. You should not be hankering after these temporary honors of this material world. Honor or dishonor, the same thing because we do not belong to that honor, that kind of honor or dishonor. So tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā, amāninā mānadena. But other foolish creature who disturbs you, you should give him all honor. Who is identified with this body, give him all honor, "Oh, you, sir, you are very beautiful. You are very learned." So that he may not disturb you, give him all honor.
Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, December 29, 1972:
So because we wanted to imitate Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bahirmukha hañā bhoga vāñchā kare, the Kṛṣṇa has given us a place which is illusion. Which is not fact. Temporary. Illusion. Just like we sometimes see water in the desert. That is illusion. Practically there is no illusion, uh, there is no water. But we see: "Oh, here is water, vast water." The animals, they run after the water. Similarly we are also running after this illusion. "There is happiness. There is happiness." Therefore there is no happiness.
At the fag end of life, we are disappointed, we are frustrated. Brdhya kala aula saba sukha pāgala.(?) When we cannot again, no more, we can enjoy with our senses, then we become very much depressed. Old men. You'll find old men, those who are not spiritually inclined, they're very morose. Morose because they cannot use anymore the senses. They sometimes take medicine. But how it can be done? So drdhya kala aula.(?) So we are under this illusion. This is called māyā. We should understand that we are not this body. We are not this body. Our bodily enjoyment, sense gratification, that is illusion. In another place in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, it is said: sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. Find out that verse. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriyaṁ grāhyam. We are trying to enjoy life with these material senses, but that is illusion, that is temporary. Temporary and illusion. Real enjoyment is with our spiritual senses.
Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 24, 1973:
So people, they want to enjoy life within this material world, but actually there is no enjoyment in the material world. Because, Kṛṣṇa says, there is birth, there is death, there is old age, and there is disease. So where is your happiness? After all, you have to die. Suppose I make very good arrangement, very nice house, very nice bank balance, very nice wife, children, everything, but death can come at any moment. Then where is your perfection? If after so much hard labor everything is ready for enjoyment, but I am called by Yamarāja... Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). Death takes away everything. Therefore you cannot say the arrangement you made for happy life is perfect. That is not perfect. But foolish people, they do not know what is perfection. They simply want superficial, temporary happiness, never mind what will happen next life or few years after.
Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:
But the most important subject matter of understanding is the soul. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. Brahma-jñāna. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So far the body is concerned, that has been taken care in so many lives. In animal life, in bird's life, beasts' life, aquatic life. Now athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the Vedānta instruction: "Now we should take care of the soul, of the Brahman." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is required.
That is spiritual knowledge. Unfortunately, for want of spiritual knowledge, for want of studying Bhagavad-gītā properly, we are simply taking care of this, I mean to say, temporary body. That is being explained. First of all Kṛṣṇa said that this body is the kṣetra. Kṣetra means field of activities. We are acting according to the body we have received. And this owner of the body is working; just like a cultivator has got a certain amount of land and he is cultivating and producing foodstuff according to his own capacity. This is called karma-kāṇḍa. We are working with this body and reaping the result and enjoying it. In this way we are repeating again and again, again and again, transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Tat kṣetraṁ yac ca yādṛk yad vikāri.
Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:
And another facility is that because sometimes we cannot understand what is actually Bhagavad-gītā's purpose. It is very plain. Still, as we are very much unfortunate, we cannot understand. That misfortune can be avoided by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It will cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). We are suffering for misunderstanding—misunderstanding that "I am this body, I belong to this nation, I belong to this family, I belong to this, that, so many things." All misunderstanding, all misunderstanding. My real identity is ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul. Fortunately or unfortunately, by my own work, I have been put into the encagement of this body, temporary body, and I am creating another body. In this way I am traveling from one body to another, from one planet to another, from one place to another. This is going on." Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). "I am taking my birth and again I am becoming annihilated, although I am eternal."
Lecture on BG 13.5 -- Paris, August 13, 1973:
We are trying to enjoy life in this material world, where there is no enjoyment. There is no enjoyment. Repeatedly śāstra says. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "This place is simply for miserable condition of life." Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam: (BG 8.15) "And still, it is temporary."
Even if you think, "All right, there are so many miserable conditions. Never mind. Let me adjust and live here permanently," oh, no, that will also not be allowed. Temporary. You may decorate your Paris city. Napoleon tried and other tried. But you cannot live here, sir. You have to go out. But these rascals, they do not understand. They are decorating, decorating. "Tax. Give more tax. Give more tax. Let us decorate." But how you'll... How long you shall live in this decorated city? Even if you live, if you are so much lover, great nationalist of the country, suppose next life you get the... Because when one has very much attraction for a certain land, then he again takes birth in that land, so if you take your birth not as human being or as a cat and dog or a cow, then you'll be sent to the slaughterhouse.
Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:
Everyone is trying his best to mitigate distressed condition of life. Duḥkha-nivṛtti. Everyone is trying. I am in miserable condition. If I get so much money my miserable condition will be mitigated. So everyone is after money. But that mitigation is temporary. Suppose if you get some money, you get a nice apartment, nice bank balance. Does it mean you have ended your main problems of life, janma-mṛtyu, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). So they have become so foolish, so degraded, that they do not know what is the meaning of life, what is the problem of life, how to make solution of the problem. Nobody is interested. Simply cats and dogs, that's all. As the cat and dog is working very hard simply for eating, sleeping, and mating, that's all.
Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 3, 1973:
Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, that's all. So is that human life is also simply meant for this purpose? No. Human life is meant for tāpo divyaṁ yena śuddhyed sattvam (SB 5.5.1). You have to purify your existence. My existence is now impure. In the Bhagavad-gītā we learn, na jāyate na mriyate. The living entity, the soul, never takes birth, never dies, but I am subject to birth and death. So this problem does not come. They are simply making adjustment, a temporary problem. That is not human civilization. Vedic civilization means to solve the major problems of life. That is Vedic civilization. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). They don't care for these troubles.
Formerly people were very happy so far material conditions were concerned. They had no complaint. Everyone was happy, everyone was getting ample food. And why they shall not get? If the birds, beasts—they are getting their ample food, even up to death. There is no complaint amongst the birds and beast unless one is in the human society. Otherwise in the jungle there are major portion of the animals and birds. They have no complaint. They do not come in the city, that we have this complaint.
Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:
We are disturbed by the bodily concepts of life, every one of us. Everyone is busy how to relieve the bodily pains and pleasures. That's all. The real pains and pleasure: that the living entity who has accepted this material body, he has to continue these pains and pleasure. That is explained in the Bhagavad, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). So you there is no science to give relief from janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. How can expect relief? It is temporary relief. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, we should not be disturbed by the temporary pains and pleasure.
- mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
- śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
- āgamāpāyino 'nityās
- tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
- (BG 2.14)
We should not be disturbed by these so-called bodily pains and pleasure. We can try, we can get as much... But this is not our business. Our business is how to get out of these clutches of birth and death. That is real business. That they do not know. Because they have no knowledge. All fools and rascals, they are busy for the temporary pains and pleasure. That's all.
Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:
So that puruṣa... Puruṣa means the living entity. Kṛṣṇa says here that prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. Anādī, eternal. It is not temporary; it is eternal. There are five things: the living entities, the prakṛti, God, and the work... There are... Prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. Anādī means eternal. It is not created. It is there but it becomes manifested. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).
Another example: just like this body, my body, your body. I have got this body; you have got this body. This body will be destroyed. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. But my, that consciousness will not be destroyed. This body will be destroyed, but my consciousness will not be destroyed. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. Idaṁ tatam. Idam, this body, is spread with consciousness. If you pinch any part of your body, you will become conscious that it is painful. But how long it is painful? So long the soul is there. And as soon as the soul is gone, you chop it with a dagger; it will not respond. Therefore avināśi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idaṁ tatam. That thing, that consciousness, is avināśi.
Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:
And there is another prakṛti, sanātana. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You'll find in the eighth chapter. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ (BG 8.20). Bhāva means nature. Avyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ. Sanātanaḥ means that is not destroyed. And this prakṛti is destroyed. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). So bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate means that prakṛti is fact, but the manifestation is temporary. It is not false.
Just like you become sometimes angry, so you show some symptoms. That symptom is within you, but it is manifested sometimes. Sometimes it is not manifested. But the propensity, the quality of your becoming angry, is there eternally. It is not that it is created. Anything... Sometimes you become passionate. To become passionate is there, it is not a new thing, but it sometimes appears, sometimes disappears.
Similarly, this material world... This is also prakṛti of Kṛṣṇa. The fact is that it is sometimes manifest, sometimes not manifest. Just like the cloud. Cloud is a fact, but sometimes it is manifest; sometimes it is not manifested. When it is not manifest, you cannot say, "Cloud is false." No. It is a fact, but the nature is sometimes manifest, sometimes not manifest. So here Kṛṣṇa says, prakṛtiṁ puruṣaṁ caiva viddhy anādī. They are eternal. Kṛṣṇa is eternal, and the living entities are eternal, and the prakṛtis are also eternal. They are not false. But they are manifested, sometimes not manifested.
Lecture on BG 1322 -- Hyderabad, August 17, 1976:
Actually so long we are within this material world, prakṛti-stha, there is no question of enjoyment. It is false enjoyment. Suppose you are well-situated after hard struggle. How long you will remain in that situation. At any moment he may be kicked out. That is your position. Mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). So real knowledge is must seriously think that "If I am eternal what shall I do with this temporary position?" I may stay here for fifty years or forty years or... Say a hundred years. Not hundred years, it is not possible. At most thirty, forty years. But I am not meant for thirty, forty years. I am eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This knowledge is not coming. There is no system of education.
It is a very dangerous type of civilization without any spiritual knowledge. Very, very dangerous position. Risky. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement on authoritative basis trying to enlighten people to release him from these clutches of māyā and ignorance. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And it is authorized because we are speaking on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā. On the basis of Vedic knowledge. And Bhagavad-gītā is the essence of Vedic knowledge.
Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:
So jīva-bhūta, living entities, they are actually prakṛti, not puruṣa. Puruṣa is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Puruṣa means enjoyer. But Māyāvādī philosophy, they want to turn the prakṛti into puruṣa. The jīva. Jīva is described as prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. Jīva-bhūta. They are better than, superior than the matter because they adjust matter. The resources, the material resources, they try to enjoy it. They cannot enjoy, but try to enjoy it. Therefore it is called superior energy. But it is energy, not the energetic. So this material world is eternal, and the living entities, they are also eternal, avyaya. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). And eternal. This material world is eternal in this sense: because it is Kṛṣṇa's energy. If Kṛṣṇa is eternal, His energy is also eternal. But the manifestation of this energy is temporary. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). Energy is there. Unless the energy is there, how it is manifested? Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). There are so many energies, within you, within me. They are not always manifest. But at times they are manifest. They are called acintya-śakti. Things are happening without our calculation. That is acintya-śakti, inconceivable energy. As Kṛṣṇa has got inconceivable energy... He creates this material world by His inconceivable energy, vast oceans, vast lump of matter, the universe.
Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:
So Mahā-Viṣṇu, by His breathing only, unlimited number of universes are coming and going into. So such inconceivable energies are there. And because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we have got also inconceivable energy, which is not always manifest, but at times it manifests. Similarly, this material world is avyaya, eternal energy, but it is not false, as the Māyāvādī philosophers say, jagan mithyā. No. Jagat is not mithyā, but it is fact, but it is temporary. That is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. We don't say that this world is false. Why it should be false? If has come from the truth, actually truth, how it can be? Pūrṇam idaṁ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam, pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate (Īśopaniṣad, Invocation). It is perfect. But it is being misused. That is māyā. How it is being misused? Kṛṣṇa says that He is the enjoyer. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of all the lokas, all the brahmāṇḍas, but unfortunately, we are dismissing Kṛṣṇa. We are trying to be the enjoyer of this material world. That is māyā. The world is not māyā, but the intention of the living entities to enjoy this material world, to satisfy his senses, that is māyā. He is becoming entangled. Just to try to enjoy this material world... That the so-called scientists and philanthropists and politicians, they are trying to enjoy this material world to their best capacity, and they are inventing devices how to enjoy it... This is māyā. That is answered in the Bhagavad-gītā: daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). They are allured by this māyā, "Try to enjoy me," and these conditioned souls are after that, how to enjoy.
Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:
So, but Kṛṣṇa... The darkness cannot act on Kṛṣṇa. It acts on you. That is the difference. Just like we have discussed this verse, apaśyat puruṣaṁ pūrṇaṁ māyāṁ ca tad-apāśrayam. The sunlight... You just stand before the sun, facing the sun. Immediately there is darkness behind me. So darkness is there. But when you keep sun in your front there is no darkness. So darkness is also another creation of the light. But we are put into the darkness, the sun is not put into the darkness. The darkness behind me is captivating for me, not to the sun. So those who are devotees, those who are facing the sun, Kṛṣṇa, for them there is no darkness. But those who are asuras, they are put into the darkness. So darkness is temporary, and it is dependent on light. Therefore it is creation of Kṛṣṇa. That is the conclusion.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:
Similarly water. We do not know whether water is pleasing or displeasing. Sometimes it is pleasing; sometimes it is not pleasing. Everything. Mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). So in this material world, actually we are suffering either in summer season or winter season, or any other season, with dress or without dress, with water, not water. The cause is going on, suffering only, but we are trying to cover this cause of suffering, and by temporary stopping the cause of suffering, we are thinking that we are enjoying. But actually there is no enjoying in this material world because you will find in the Bhagavad-gītā this material world has been described as duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). It is for suffering. Even if you do not take very seriously about this winter season or summer season, suffering or enjoying, at the end, either you accept these temporary sufferings and enjoying... Ultimately we are suffering. Ultimately we are suffering. How? Because we will have to die. Who wants death? Does anyone want death voluntarily? No. As soon as there is any cause of death, immediate death, we become very much sorry. Suppose you are sitting in a airplane and you understand, "Now it is going to be crashed," are you..., will you be happy? No. Why? Because you are going to die.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:
So there is no question of happy life within this material world. This is to be understood first. Very pessimistic. Those who are intelligent, they are very pessimistic. Even materially they are pessimistic. They are living some standard of life. "This is not good." There are many houses very low and cottage, so people think that "This is not very good life. Let us have very nice building." So this struggle is going on. That is human nature, that unless, until he approaches the final post or platform of happiness, he is not happy. That is called struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. So sura and devatā means those who are trying to reach the ultimate goal of life where happiness is guaranteed, one who is trying for that, he is called sura, devatā. And one who is satisfied with this temporary so-called happiness, he is called asura. That is the difference.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:
Then what is the advantage of becoming sura and asura? If you become a sura, then you become fit for entering into the kingdom of God, back to home, back to Godhead. But if you remain asura, then you have to remain in this material world, which is duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15), full of miseries and temporary. So we don't say anyone asura and sura, but, we understand from the śāstra anyone who takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever he may be, he becomes a sura. Even if he is born in asura family, it doesn't matter. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. His father was a asura, but still, he became the first-class sura. Similarly, everyone can become first-class sura. They have to be trained. The asuras, they... Therefore it is said that pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ (BG 16.7). Asuras, the fault is, asuras, they do not know how to live a very happy and clean life. They do not know. Ācāra. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ. They have not cleanliness and good behavior.
Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:
We are busy in solving our temporary problems. Sometimes we want warm; sometimes we want coolness. This is not actually our self-interest. Our self-interest is to understand that "I am son of God. My father is complete in everything. So why shall I suffer?" Does a rich man's son suffer? No. But a rich man's son, if he goes out of home and voluntarily accepts suffering, loitering in the street... Just like we see amongst the hippies. Unnecessarily they have accepted suffering. Similarly, unnecessarily we have accepted sufferings of this material world. If our real consciousness, means Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is awakened, then we become aware of our position, constitutional position. Then we are saved from this repetition of birth and death and go back home, back to Godhead.
Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hawaii, February 4, 1975:
Now, the next characteristic is asatyam: "This world is simply phenomenal; it has no foundation." The Māyāvādīs, they directly say, brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. So Māyāvādī, at least they say that "There is Brahman. He is truth, but this phenomenal world is not truth. Manifestation of material energy, that is not true." So, according to our philosophy, Vaiṣṇava philosophy, we don't say that this māyā, or the... Māyā means this temporary manifestation. This material world is fact, but it is temporary, not false. We cannot say it is false. Just like I am sitting on the seat or you are sitting on the floor. We are sitting on something. It is not false; it is fact. I am not sitting on the air. You are not sitting on the air. So how we can say it is false? No. Therefore our philosophy is... That is fact. One may consider. One who is philosophically inclined, he can judge the statement, of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī.
Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:
So this birth, death, old age, disease, this is due to this unclean, infected, material body. That we are not concerned, that how to stop this infected material body, how to revive our original spiritual body. That spiritual body is within, but we have no information. Therefore it is said, alpa-buddhayaḥ. The real life is within. We don't take care. Who is taking care of the spiritual... Where is the university? Where is the college where is this training is given that "We are spirit soul. This body is temporary, and the spirit soul business is this so that spirit soul may be purified, no more he accepts this material body"? Where is that education? Therefore alpa-buddhayaḥ: less intelligent. They are simply busy with these bodily necessities of life. There is no education of the real living force. That education you will get—this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Therefore it is unique. It is the education to get people of the human society liberated from the animalistic ignorance. Because those who are under the impression of this bodily concept of life, sa eva go-kharaḥ: (SB 10.84.13) they are no better than the asses and the cows.
Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975:
So the demons, they have taken shelter of these lusty desires, duṣpūram, never to be satisfied. Dambha-māna-madānvitāḥ. Why? Mohāt, by illusion. And on account of this illusion, gṛhītvā asad-grāhāt. Asad-grāhāt. Asat means which will not stay, nonpermanent, for the time. Just like we have accepted this body. This is asad-grāha. This body will not stay. Everyone knows, but still, I am too much attached to this body. This is called asad-grāha. And so long we are attached to this nonpermanent body, there should be anxiety. Prahlāda Mahārāja says, asad-grahāt, sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5). Because we have accepted this temporary body, therefore we are full of anxiety. Full of... He was asked by his father, "My dear son, what nice thing you have learned? Kindly say." Father wants to know how his son is being educated.
Lecture on BG 16.11-12 -- Hawaii, February 7, 1975:
So anxiety is spiritual anxiety and material anxiety. Spiritual anxiety means you are advancing in spiritual life, and material anxiety means you are going downhill. So cintām aparimeyāṁ ca.
But we are speaking of the demons, materialistic persons. Demon means materialistic person, who are simply busy for these temporary bodily comforts. They do not know anything else. The body is material. Therefore all these activities for comforts of the body... That is demon, more or less. So cintā... the demons, they are anxiety. Everyone has anxiety, but their anxiety, aparimeyām. Just like ordinary man he has got some anxiety: "How to maintain my family? How to get some money to maintain family?" like that. But the demons, they are unmeasurable, unlimited. You'll find big, big businessmen. They have got very, very long project, "How to do this? How to do this? How to increase this factory? How to make it world-renowned?" and so on, so on, so on. There is no limit of anxiety. Cintām aparimeyāṁ ca. Unlimited means they have no idea of future life, they do not believe, mostly, at the present moment. Formerly they used to believe, even these asuras.
Lecture on BG 16.11-12 -- Hawaii, February 7, 1975:
You cannot avoid these laws of material nature. This is called māyā. Actually we are busy with something which is not permanent, a temporary arrangement by the laws of nature. Therefore those who are too much full of anxiety for all these things, they are called demons. Cintām aparimeyāṁ ca. Your cintām will not act. You may think for the safety or satisfaction, but that does not mean we should neglect our duty. But as far as possible, we should be detached. It is not that because all these are temporary arrangement, we should be unfaithful to our family members, to our children, to our wife. As duty, we should take care, but we should not be simply absorbed in such thoughts. Our other business is how to become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead. That is our real business. This is temporary business because we have got some bodily relation, so as duty...
Lecture on BG 18.45 -- Durban, October 11, 1975:
Everything is being pulled down by the laws of material nature, and still, because we are so fool and rascal, we are thinking, "independent." This is our fault. This is our fault. We do not know what is the aim of life, how prakṛti, nature, is carrying us, how we can protect ourself from the problems of life. We are busy in solving the temporary problems of life, just like dependence or independence. These are temporary problems.
Actually we are not independent. We are dependent on the laws of nature. And suppose we become independent, so-called independent, for a few days. That is not independence. Real independence is how to get out of the clutches of these material laws. Therefore Kṛṣṇa presents before you the problem amongst... We have got so many problems, but that is temporary. Real problem is, Kṛṣṇa says, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). A man of knowledge should always keep in the front the real problem. What is that? Birth, death, old age, and disease. This is your real problem. So the human life is meant for solving these four problems: birth, death, old age and disease. And that can be done by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So we are pushing on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement to solve the ultimate problems of life. So our request is that you take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously and solve the ultimate problems of life. And that problems of life can be solved simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on BG 18.67-69 -- Ahmedabad, December 9, 1972:
So that is our proposal. Although we are warned not to speak to the rascals, but still, we are flattering, "My dear sir, please hear, please hear, please hear. Please give up this habit. Please do it." So to turn one man to Kṛṣṇa consciousness we have to shed hundred tons of blood. So therefore it is warned. We are not easy-going, that not to preach. We have taken the risk to preach. And it has, it is becoming successful. People will take it. So although Kṛṣṇa warns, "Don't speak to these classes of men," we take the risk. Because our philosophy is that—not my philosophy; that is Vaiṣṇava philosophy—that others may go, they may be delivered. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "My dear Lord, for my personal self, I do not bother. I have no problem. I am simply thinking of these fools." Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān: (SB 7.9.43) "Simply for māyā-sukha, temporary happiness, they are working so hard, like dogs and hogs. I am simply concerned for them. For me, I have no concern. I can chant Your holy name anywhere." So this warning of Kṛṣṇa is all right, but a pure devotee, in spite of warning of Kṛṣṇa, they approach the atapaskāya, abhaktāya, and flatter them: "Please take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness." That we should do. Kṛṣṇa will be pleased.
| Page Title: | Temporary (Lectures, BG) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 23 of Nov, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=162, Con=0, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 162 |