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That is real... (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"that is real" |"this is real"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973:

Real dharma is given by the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa, and that real dharma is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "Just surrender unto me." This is real dharma. Surrender to Kṛṣṇa and follow His instruction; your life will be perfect. Because you follow the perfect instruction, therefore you are also perfect. Simple process. To become perfect, we have to follow the perfect instruction.

Lecture on BG 1.13-14 -- London, July 14, 1973:

So when we agree to serve, not to be served, that is liberated person. When we agree to serve only, not to be served. Not to accept service from others, but to serve others—that is real liberation. But here the material disease is that everyone is making plan "How others will serve me." This is called māyā. This is called māyā. Māyā means that artificially we want to be served. That is not possible. When we agree to serve... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given us the path of liberation, jīvera svarūpa hoy nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa, this is our position. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa.

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

So these are the some of the glorious points of this fight. But he depended on Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna. Therefore he was successful, victorious. You do, act as kṣatriya. Not that as kṣatriya he should become a brāhmaṇa beggar, no. A kṣatriya cannot be beggar, neither a brāhmaṇa cannot be vaiśya. This is real caste system. But you work as a cobbler, and at the same time you claim to become a brāhmaṇa, this is not allowed. Formerly the king used to see whether a brāhmaṇa is acting like a brāhmaṇa. Otherwise he will be stopped. Then he will be designated as he is working. This was the duty of the king to see that everyone is employed according to his profession. It was the duty of the king to see. Everyone must be employed. A brāhmaṇa must be working like a brāhmaṇa. A kṣatriya must be working like a kṣatriya. A vaiśya must be working as a... Otherwise he cannot say.

Lecture on BG 1.44 -- London, July 31, 1973:

Just imagine how much sinful activities they are doing. And how they can be happy? Happiness, of course, a hog also thinks that he is very happy that he is eating stool, living in filthy place, and because he has got the facility of sex life without any discrimination he may think happy life, but that is not happiness. Happiness is different thing. Sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). If you want to feel happiness by your these blunt material senses, that is not happiness. Happiness is beyond your material senses. Ātyantikam. That is real happiness. Real happiness means it will never end, and you will never feel satiation, that "I no more want." That is real happiness. Material happiness, there is no such thing. That you will feel immediately satiation. After enjoying any material happiness a few minutes, you will feel "Again another, again another, again another." So therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tat (BG 6.21). So real, what is real happiness, that is not felt by these blunt material senses. So what is that sense? That is purified senses. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When our senses are purified, tat-paratvena, for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, when our senses are employed for the sake of Kṛṣṇa, that is purified senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. That is wanted.

Lecture on BG 2.8 -- London, August 8, 1973:

So that is the actual position. Na hi prapaśyāmi mamāpanudyād. Therefore he has approached Kṛṣṇa: śiṣyas te 'ham (BG 2.7). "I, now I become your śiṣya." "Why you have come to Me?" "Because I know nobody else can save me from this dangerous position." This is real sense. Yac chokam ucchoṣaṇam indriyāṇām (BG 2.8). Ucchoṣaṇam. When we are put into great difficulties, it dries up the existence of the senses. No sense enjoyment also can make us happy. Ucchoṣaṇam indriyānām. Here happiness means sense gratification. Here... Actually this is not happiness. Real happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gītā: atīndriyam, sukham atyantīkaṁ yat tat atīndriyam (BG 6.21). Real happiness, atyantikam, the supreme happiness, is not enjoyed by the senses. Atīndriya, surpassing, transcendental to the senses. That is real happiness.

Lecture on BG 2.9 -- London, August 15, 1973:

Therefore Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāgavata begins, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: "Now, in this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, all cheating type of religions are rejected, projjhita." So there is link. Real religion means to love God. That is real religion. Therefore Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: (SB 1.2.6) "That is first-class religion." It doesn't mean that you follow this religion or that religion. You may follow any religion. It doesn't matter, either Hindu religion or Christian religion or Mohammedan religion, anything you like. But we have to test. Just like a student who has passed M.A. examination. Nobody inquires, "From which college you have passed your examination? You have passed M.A. examination? That's all right." And we are concerned, whether you are graduate, postgraduate. That's all.

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

So those who are in the bodily concept of life, they cannot advance in this real knowledge, that we are eternally servant of God. Our constitutional position is like that. If we do not serve God, we do not agree... We are servant of God, but if we deny that "No, I am not servant," so that means I become servant of māyā. Servant I'll have to remain. That is my constitutional position. So one must first of all understand what is his identity. So this is the beginning of a lesson given by Kṛṣṇa, that "You are lamenting for this body. This is not your identity. This is not your identity. You are wrongly thinking." Just like if your coat is some way or other destroyed, that does not mean that you are destroyed. If your car by accident is broken, that does not mean that you are finished. Sometimes we get accident, that is another thing. But I am not the car. I am not this body, I am not this coat. This is real knowledge. Although sometimes we become little sorry, but the identity is different. So Kṛṣṇa says that "You are talking like learned man, but you do not know your identity. You are not this body."

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975:

This is real education, that "You are thinking on terms of the body; therefore it is not very important subject matter." Real subject matter—what will happen to the soul—that is real, important. But whole world, they do not know what is the important platform. All rascals, they are concerned with this body. That is not wonderful; that is natural. Even if we know, still, if there is some bodily pain we become very much disturbed. But we should know, always remember, that "I am not this body." The same example, that I have got a very nice car, Rolls Royce car, I have got attachment, that is all right, but we should know always that "I am not this Rolls Royce car. I am different from it." This is knowledge. "I may have some attachment for my car. That is natural. I have paid for it. I like it. But in spite of all these consideration I am not the Rolls Royce car.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Manila, October 12, 1972:

I will teach him in such a way that he will be liberated." That is the duty of the father and mother. If one's father and mother is not able to coach and teach his children like that, how to get out of this entanglement of birth and death, he should not become father and mother. That is real contraceptive method, that "I should not produce cats and dogs. I should produce a child who will never come back again to another mother. He will be liberated. He will go back to home, back to Godhead." That is the duty of the father and mother. Not that produce cats and dogs. And therefore, the world is in trouble. They are fighting like cats and dogs, because cats and dogs have been produced and they have not been trained up. No brahmacārī system, no gṛhastha system, no vānaprastha system. Therefore, the Vedic conception of civilization is the perfect for human society.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Hyderabad, November 18, 1972:

You may not accept Kṛṣṇa. Although all the ācāryas... I have already mentioned. Even Śaṅkarācārya, he also accept Kṛṣṇa: sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇa. So the Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, they have all accepted Kṛṣṇa: the ultimate knowledge of Vedic understanding. Many ācāryas, they have written notes on Vedānta, targeting Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So we have to follow the footprints of the great stalwart ācāryas. Ācāryopāsanam. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). If we follow the footprints of the ācāryas, then we find there is no distinction between Vedānta and Bhagavad-gītā. Vedānta, you might be referring to the Vedānta-sūtra of Śaṅkarācārya, but all the ācāryas, the have written notes on Vedānta. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the original comment on Vedānta. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins with the Vedānta-sūtra: janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So Vedānta does not mean godlessness. Vedānta means to know God. That is real study of Vedānta.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- London, August 19, 1973:

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 2.14 -- London, August 20, 1973:

So this bodily conception of life, when we get out of it, that is real knowledge, paṇḍita. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

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

Paṇḍita means those who are learned. Learned means brāhmaṇa, not śūdra. Śūdras, they are not learned. Mlecchas, yavanas, śūdras, kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra (SB 2.4.18), so many. Learned means brāhmaṇa. Learned means that one who knows that Brahman. Brahman, the spirit soul, is part and parcel of the Supreme Brahman. So one who has come to that knowledge, that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul; ahaṁ brahmāsmi," that is knowledge. Knowledge begins from there. If one does not reach to that point, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, then he is animal.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- London, August 22, 1973:

Unfortunately, the people at the present moment, they do not know, neither they can imagine even that there is possibility of becoming immortal. This is very important point. There is not possibility, there is fact. And kṛṣṇa-kīrtana is so important. In the śāstra, many places, it is said. Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet (SB 12.3.51). That param is, means spiritual. There are two kinds of, parā and aparā-prakṛti. Aparā-prakṛti, parā-prakṛti. Apareyam. I am, this material world is aparā, inferior energy. Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Besides this, there is another prakṛti, another nature, which is parā. Parā means spiritual. So we should be interested with the parā, not with the aparā. Why? Now that is real life. That is real life. Here it is said ubhayor api. Considering both this parā and aparā, the superior and inferior. Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Who will study? Tattva-darśibhiḥ. Tattva-darśī means those who have realized the truth, tattva-darśī. And we find this word tattva in various places. Tattvataḥ.

Lecture on BG 2.16 -- Mexico City, February 16, 1975:

First of all, the next body may not be for cultivating knowledge in spiritual life because we are already fallen, and if we do not elevate, we may accept another body, still fallen. Therefore the intelligent person in this human form of life should take to spiritual cultivation of knowledge immediately. Immediately means before another death takes place. Because death will take place—that is certain—so our duty is immediately take to cultivation of spiritual knowledge so that we may get next life either liberation or another opportunity for cultivating spiritual knowledge. So anyone who begins cultivation of spiritual knowledge, he is on the path of perfection, but even if he falls down immaturely, he is guaranteed to get next life a human body so that he can again begin his cultivation of spiritual knowledge and make his life perfect. Therefore the conclusion is that without delay, we should immediately take to spiritual life and try to make our life perfect. Because there is no certainty when our death is coming. That is real intelligence.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

Just like part and parcel of my body, hands and legs, they are serving the whole body, similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme whole and we are His parts and parcels; therefore our duty is to serve Him. This is our constitutional position. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We cannot become Kṛṣṇa. We are eternally Kṛṣṇa's servitors, part and parcel. This is real conclusion, qualitatively one. Just like this finger, you can call it body, but it is part and parcel of the body. Similarly, the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, you may call "God," but he's not the Supreme God. Supreme God is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). So anāśinaḥ aprameyasya. Anāśinaḥ, it cannot be destroyed. Although it is very minute, aprameyasya, you cannot measure.

Lecture on BG 2.18 -- Hyderabad, November 23, 1972:

So they do not know what is service. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). They are thinking this body. That is, that is... We are explaining this morning: antavanta ime dehāḥ. This body is perishable. It is material. What is the use of serving it? However you serve it, it will destroy. Try to save the soul who is put into this body and embarrassed. That is real service. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to save the soul. The body, however you try to save it, it will, antavanta ime dehāḥ, it will end, today or tomorrow or after some years. You cannot save it. Save the soul. Nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ. The śarīriṇaḥ, the soul, which is within the body, that is nitya, eternal. Now, although it is nitya, it is fallen in certain condition of this material body, that it appears to be dying. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). He's under the tribulation of birth, death, old age and disease on account of this material body. Therefore, if you actually want to give service to the humanity, then give service to the soul, and if you give service to the soul, automatically the body is also served. But if you stress on the body, without... Therefore, despite all arrangements for humanitarian work, the human society is becoming worser and worser. Why? That is not service. They do not know how to serve. Illusion. Real service is this, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to arouse the Kṛṣṇa con..., dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness in every human being. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. To make him aroused in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, that is real service. So what is going on in the name of service, that is not service. That is simply washing the coat and shirt. That's all. (break) Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.19 -- London, August 25, 1973:

The ass works day and night for the washerman for little grass. Grass is available everywhere, but he, still, he thinks that "If I do not work for the washerman, very hard, I'll not get this grass." This is called ass. Therefore, when one becomes intelligent after cultivating knowledge, one becomes intelligent by and by. First of all brahmacārī. Then, if one cannot remain a brahmacārī, all right, take a wife, gṛhastha. Then give up, vānaprastha. Then take sannyāsa. This is the process. The mūḍha, they'll work day and night for sense gratification. Therefore, at a certain period of life, that stupidity should be given up and taken sannyāsa. No, finished. That is sannyāsa. Now this portion of life should be completely for Kṛṣṇa's service. That is real sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryaṁ karma karoti yaḥ (BG 6.1). It is my duty to serve Kṛṣṇa, I am eternal servant of... Kāryam. Must I do it, must I serve Kṛṣṇa. That is my position. That is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ kāryam karma karoti yaḥ. The karmīs, they are expecting some good result for sense gratification. That is karmī. And sannyāsī means... They are also working very hard, but not for sense gratification. For the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is sannyāsa.

Lecture on BG 2.20-25 -- Seattle, October 14, 1968:

Just like in English language there is only one word "friend." But in Sanskrit, because it is perfect language, friend—what kind of friend. So Kṛṣṇa says that "I am suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām." Suhṛt, suhṛt means he's such a friend... Just like you have got a friend. Sincerely he wants how you shall be happy. Just like your mother. Mother is also friend. Or wife, devoted wife. She is also friend. So mother, wife, or any such relative, or father. Or there are many persons in our ordinary relationships. So they want actually that "My, this friend be happy." That is real friend, suhṛt. And mitra, social friendship. Bandhu, official friendship. But suhṛt, suhṛt means one who actually desires good of his friend. "Sincere friend" which you describe in English. So Kṛṣṇa is suhṛt. He's always expecting my good. How I shall be good. Therefore He is canvassing me: "Please, you surrender unto Me." Just like father says, "My dear boy, why you are acting independently? Foolishly you are suffering. Just surrender unto me. I shall give you, I shall give you protection."

Lecture on BG 2.22 -- Hyderabad, November 26, 1972:

So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is only to request you... It is your country's literature. Try to understand Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa. You'll be liberated. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa, you get liberation. Punar janma naiti. The whole activities, human society's activities, should be targeted how to get rid of this repetition of birth and death. That is real civilization. Not that "Let me live like a cat and dog and die like a cat and dog, and never mind what is happening next." This is a civilization of ignorance. This is not a civilization of knowledge. They are... Here is knowledge, that "I am trying to protect my body, this dress. I am every day soaping my garment, but I am not taking any food. How shall I... How long shall I live with this nice dress?" So one should understand this verse very seriously. Vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro 'parāṇi (BG 2.22).

Lecture on BG 2.24 -- Hyderabad, November 28, 1972:

Dharma, if we take these two words... Sanātana means eternal. That is called sanātana. And dharma, dharma means occupation, characteristic. Dharma does not mean some superficial ritualistic ceremonies. Dharma means the characteristic. That is real meaning. Dharma is not a kind of faith. Dharma is characteristic. Sanātana-dharma means sanātana characteristic, eternal characteristic. The changing... Now, I have got now this body, Indian body, and then, next body may be cat's and dog's or demigod's, according to my karma. So the body changes. So sanātana-dharma cannot be applied to this body. Sanātana-dharma means the characteristic of the soul. That is sanātana-dharma, to understand the characteristic of the soul. Kṛṣṇa is describing here the characteristic of the soul: sanātana. And at the conclusion, He gives you information of the sanātana-dharma. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is sanātana-dharma. Kṛṣṇa is sanātana, I am sanātana, you are sanātana.

Lecture on BG 2.25 -- London, August 28, 1973:

So nānuśocitum arhasi. Kṛṣṇa here has said, "You are eternal. Your business is how to achieve that eternal position, and, so far the body is concerned, antavanta ime dehāḥ, this is destructible. So you should not be very much serious about this body." This is the distinction between the Vedic civilization, Aryan civilization. Vedic civilization means Aryan. And anāryan civilization. Anāryan civilization means bodily concept of life, and Aryan civilization means spiritual concept of life, how to make spiritually advancement. That is real civilization. Those who are compact in the thought of bodily comforts of life, they are all anāryas, and that is now deprecated, nānuśocitum arhasi: "Don't lament on these immaterial things."

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (end)

Lecture on BG 2.27-38 -- Los Angeles, December 11, 1968:

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says... Actually this happened... This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One should not think of personal loss or gain. "Kṛṣṇa desires it, so I have to do it," that's all. There is no personal consideration. That is real Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Kṛṣṇa, You are asking me to do this. I do not like to do this. You give me some other work." That is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no, I mean to say, yes or no. As Kṛṣṇa says. What Kṛṣṇa says? Kṛṣṇa says the essence of Bhagavad-gītā that "A person who preaches this sublime message of Bhagavad-gītā, he is My dearmost friend in the human society." This is the open order of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya says,

āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
(CC Madhya 7.128)

"Take My order and you become a spiritual master." How? "Simply speak Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that's all. Simply speak on Kṛṣṇa's message, kṛṣṇa-kathā." There are two kinds of kṛṣṇa-kathās. One is the Bhagavad-gītā, and the other is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So this is the propagation of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We have to abide by the superior orders without consideration of our personal gain or loss. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no question of personal gain or loss. Go on reading.

Lecture on BG 2.31 -- London, September 1, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa is advising Arjuna that "This fight is not ordinary fight. It is dharma-yuddha, and you should accept it, you should not hesitate. After all, the soul is never killed. It is the duty, it is the duty of different dharma." Sva-dharma, sva-dharma means so long one is in the bodily concept of life, this sva-dharma means this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. This is sva-dharma. And Arjuna belonged to the kṣatriya; therefore his sva-dharma, his occupational duty, is to fight. So, and real sva-dharma is spiritual sva-dharma. In the spiritual. So when you go deep into the matter, when you understand that "I am not this body; I am soul," then that is real sva-dharma. And what is the occupation of that sva-dharma? That is to be engaged in the service of the Lord. Jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). Actually that is sva-dharma. Every soul is eternally servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual sva-dharma. And material sva-dharma means this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra.

Lecture on BG 2.39 -- London, September 12, 1973:

So when we act according to the direction of the Supreme... Because we are subordinate. This is our position. A subordinate position is that he must act according to the direction of the master or the supreme. That is natural. Everyone is acting like that. So that is called buddhi-yoga. When you act according to the direction of the Supreme, Kṛṣṇa, or His representative, that is called buddhi-yoga. That is real... Buddhi means intelligence, and yoga means linking, connecting. In the Tenth Chapter you'll find,

teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
(BG 10.10)

There is the buddhi-yoga, one word, and here is also the buddhi-yoga. So what is that buddhi-yoga? Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām: "Persons who are twenty-four hours engaged," satata... Satata means always. Engaged. What kind of engagement? Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. This engagement means always trying to render some service to the Lord. How? Prīti-pūrvakam: "with love and faith." Not that "Oh, I have to do it? All right, let me do." No. "Oh, I have to do it? Let me do it nicely."

Lecture on BG 2.40 - London, September 13, 1973:

People cannot even follow systematically the material system so that you can live peacefully so long you are in this material world. The modern civilization is so condemned. They do not know even how to live peacefully. If these divisions are there, four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, and brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, it will be very systematic. People will be automatically enlightened. That is real human civilization. If the society, human society, does not at all adopt this system of social life, there cannot be any peace. Still, in India, although it is fallen so much, in the interior village you'll find the social divisions are maintained and they live very peacefully. Very peacefully. 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.

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

So janma-aiśvarya-śruta. High education, to become very highly learned man, that is also due to good work. And to be very beautiful, that is also result of good work. Janma-aiśvarya-śruta-śrī. Śrī means beauty. And bad work is just opposite. Now, good work or bad work, now, when you take your birth in a good family, when you are very much educated, very much beautiful, but still, you have to accept the, I mean to say, triple miseries of material existence. That you cannot avoid. That you cannot avoid. Because you are very rich man, you cannot avoid your death. You cannot avoid your disease. You cannot avoid your old age. Similarly, as the man who is poor man, he is also cannot, he also cannot avoid old age, he cannot avoid death, he cannot avoid disease. Similarly, the troubles of material existence is there, both in good life and bad life. But when you work transcendentally, neither good nor bad, for the sake of the supreme consciousness, transcendental position, you don't get this material birth at all. Therefore that is real good. You are above this birth, death, old age and so many troubles, miseries of life.

Lecture on BG 2.55-58 -- New York, April 15, 1966:

Now, the stage of sannyāsa, just like we have adopted, this is a practical example how much one has been able to become free from bodily affection. This is a chance. This is a chance given. Just like at home I have my wife, I have my children, I have my grandchildren, everyone, I have my daughters and everyone, but somehow or other, I have thought that "What is this relation?" Therefore I have been able to live aloof from these bodily rela..., relatives. And actually, in this old age, one should desire to live within the family with wife, with children and there are so many comforts. But no. This should be... The development of one's consciousness is that he should voluntarily, voluntarily try to, I mean to say, become free from this affection. Why? This affection is not bad, but this affection will lead me again to have another body. My whole process is that how to get out of this bodily relation, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). The whole human activities should be concentrated to get rid of this bodily, material bodily connection. Then I shall be happy really. Real happiness, real freedom. That is real freedom. For want of this spiritual knowledge, we do not know how much free we are.

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

Practically that is real silence. If you simply engage yourself in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then automatically your activities in māyā become silent. Just like the same example I have given. Here is a glass. If you want to fill up with milk, the water will go automatically. You have to throw away the water. You cannot put the water and the milk at the same time in this glass. Similarly, if you become active in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you automatically become silent in material activities. Without any separate endeavor. It is so nice. And if you try artificially to stop, to become silent from material activities, it will not be possible. You may meditate for fifteen minutes or for fifteen hundred minutes or fifteen thousand years, it will not be possible. The mind is very strong. Mind's business is to accept and reject, accept and reject. You accept something, you reject something.

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

So Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna that "You also become an ideal man, that you become a fighter for the cause of God. Then you become the ideal man. Your principle will be followed by others."

And that is what I want and therefore I am instructing you. Thank you very much. Now, if you have got any questions, you can put. (break)

...one is checked from doing his rightful duty. That is real violence. In some years ago at Jhansi I was, not in the sannyāsa days. I went there, and, by invitation of some friends, and they wanted to give me some lectures. That was Gandhi's birthday, and they asked me to speak on some nonviolence. So I spoke that violence means to check a person from the discharge of his duties. That is violence. That was my viewpoint.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Madras, January 1, 1976:

In the Vedānta-sūtra it is inquired, athāto brahma jijñāsā. What is Brahman? This human life is meant for understanding Brahman. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is real education. So that Para-brahman... We are Brahman, but Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). He is the supreme nitya, eternal. Kṛṣṇa is also eternal; we are also eternal. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So Kṛṣṇa is... (break) ...not a dead stone and we are also living being. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. And where is the difference between Kṛṣṇa and me? The difference is eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Kṛṣṇa maintains all these plural number. He is singular number. Nityo nityānām. He is singular number. Then this singular number or plural number, what is the difference? Difference is that Kṛṣṇa is the maintainer and we are the maintained. Kṛṣṇa is the predominator; we are predominated. This is difference.

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Montreal, August 24, 1968:

So when that perfection of jñāna comes, then he engages his senses. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When your senses are purified and you engage them in the service of the Supreme Lord, Hṛṣīkeśa, the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. That is the highest perfection. So we have to engage our sense, sarvāṇīndriya-karmāṇi, by understanding, by coming to the, I mean to say, mature platform of knowledge. If you engage your senses in the Supreme, that is real controlling senses. Artificially if we want to control our senses, it is very difficult.

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 4.4 -- Bombay, March 24, 1974:

Why He does not change? That is described in the śāstra. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Vigrahaḥ means body, form. This transcendental form is made of sac-cid-ānanda. Sac-cid-ānanda. Sat means eternal, eternity. Oṁ tat sat. So sat, cit. Cit means full of knowledge. Full of knowledge here, tāny ahaṁ veda sarvāṇi. This is called cit. He knows everything, past, present and future. Sat, cit, and ānanda. You see Kṛṣṇa's form here, ānanda. He's enjoying. This is real Kṛṣṇa's form. He is always enjoying. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt in the Vedānta-sūtra it is said. He's ānandamaya. Kṛṣṇa, real form...

The Kṛṣṇa's form in the battlefield of Kurukṣetra, that is not Kṛṣṇa's real form. That is Kṛṣṇa's Vāsudeva form. Kṛṣṇa expands Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, in that say. So this is a great science, Kṛṣṇa science. If you are interested, there are books you can study and you can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma (ca) me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). So everyone should try to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. But people do not try to understand.

Lecture on BG 4.6-8 -- New York, July 20, 1966:

He wanted to establish Arjuna, the five brothers, the most pious, I mean, devotees and kṣatriyas, He wanted to establish them for ruling over this world, and He wanted to vanquish the party of Duryodana. That was His mission. Two things. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām, duṣkṛtām, dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya.

And another mission is to establish what is real religion, what is religion. In the name of religion, so many things are going on, but the real religion is that we must know that our natural function is to render service to the Lord. That's all. That is real religion. And forgetting this, forgetting this principle of life, under designation of this matter, I am serving, giving my service to so many things.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

Now you can select your own religion. Either you be a Hindu or Muslim or Mohammedan or Buddhist, whatever you like, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata does not stop you, but it gives you hint what is the purpose of religion. The purpose of religion is to develop your love of Godhead. That is real religion. So here Kṛṣṇa says that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati (BG 4.7). As soon as there is decadence of people's love of Godhead... That means when people become forgetful, almost forgetful. Because at least some people remember that there is God. But generally, in this age, they are forgetful. That is dharmasya glāniḥ. And by forgetting God the people cannot be happy. That is also another cause. People are thinking that "God is dead. We have no obligation to God. There is no God." This sort of thinking will never make the people happy. And actually, it is happening. They have become atheistic. The modern civilization is Godless, but people are not happy. Therefore God or His representative comes when people forget his relationship with God.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Montreal, June 13, 1968:

That is real dharma. Just like the spirit soul is eternal, similarly, the spirit soul's natural occupation is also eternal. That cannot be changed. But when the spirit soul identifies himself with this body and the mind, that is changed. Just like at the present moment you have got American body. So your dharma or your occupational duty is different from another body. And the next life, if you change this body, you become say other animal or human being, then your occupational duty changes. But if you stick up to the spiritual platform, then that service mood to the Supreme Personality of Godhead will never change, either in this body or next body.

Lecture on BG 4.7 -- Bombay, March 27, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa did not come to establish the so-called Hindu religion or Muslim religion or Christian religion. No. He came to establish real religion. Real religion means we have to submit, surrender to the real person. That is real religion. We are surrendering. Everyone has got some idea. He has surrendered there. Either political, social, economical, religious, anything. Everyone has got some idea. And the leader of that ideal is also there. So our business is to surrender. That is a fact. But we do not know where to surrender. That is the difficulty. And because the surrender is mistaken or misplaced, therefore the whole world is chaotic condition.

We are changing this surrender to that surrender. No more Congress Party. Now Communist Party." Again, "No more Communist Party. This... This party, that party." What is the use of changing party? Because this party or that party, they are not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. So unless you come to the point of surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, there cannot be any peace. That is the point. Simply by changing from frying pan to the fire will not save you.

Lecture on BG 4.7-9 -- New York, July 22, 1966:

So these things are to be understand. Then one who understands the science of Kṛṣṇa in truth, then the benefit is, the result is that he, he no more comes back to this world of darkness. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Neither he has to undergo the repeated birth and death. We are just now undergoing the term of repeated birth and death under different species of life. So that thing will be stopped.

So human, human mission, human life should be utilized for this purpose. This is the dharma. This is real, our engagement. We have diverted our engagement for satisfying our material needs. Oh, that is not the mission of human being. That is the mission of lower animals.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

Your problem is, the primary problem is, eating, sleeping, mating and defending. Oh, that is not solved. Our problem is birth, death, old age and disease. And that is not solved. Then what nuisance you are doing in the name of progress? There is no progress. The real progress is to understand the laws of nature, how it is being conducted under the direction of the Supreme Lord. That is real progress.

So Bhāgavata indicates tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Kovida means one who is actually intelligent, not the mūḍhāḥ, rascals, actually one who is intelligent. He should try to solve the problems which is not possible to be done even if you travel over all the spaces up to the highest planet. Upary adhaḥ. Upary adhaḥ means upside all planets and downside all planets. There are millions of planets. If you travel... But these problems... Just like your fortune will go with you in your head. You may go to moon planet, but this head will go with you. Yadi yao bhaṅge kaphala yabe saṅge.(?) You cannot change. If you have to attempt anything for real progress, then this is real progress. What is that? To know the Supreme Absolute Truth, which is manipulating all activities. That is real progress.

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Montreal, June 14, 1968:

So this process is going on because they do not know that their self-interest is that Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that He comes, He descends, with two purposes: paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), to give relief to the pious, to the righteous, and to vanquish the miscreants, and to establish the real religious principle. And what is that real religious principle? That is stated in the last instruction. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is real religion, to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That's all. This is done even by great philosophers. He has to do that.

Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). But he's now mentally speculating to find out the Absolute Truth, but when his knowledge will be mature, bahūnāṁ janmanām, after many, many births of speculation, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, when he is actually in knowledge, he surrenders unto the Supreme Lord, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) "Oh, Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, Vāsudeva is everything." Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: "Such kind of great soul is very rare."

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

Just see. He has created sun, He has created moon, He has created everything. How do we claim that this planet belongs to us? It is given to us for living. That's all. Because we are sons of God, therefore we have got right to enjoy the property of God. That is real peace. We are... As a rich man's son, he has got the right to, I mean to say, enjoy the father's property... But if he disobeys, if he becomes disobedient to the father, he is put into trouble. So our position is like that. We do not understand what is God, what we are, what is our relationship with God, what is this material nature, how it is working. These things are actually knowledge.

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

The soul, in its original spiritual body, can be transferred from this material world to the spiritual world. And there is the spiritual world as I've already explained, that is three times creation of the Lord. This is only one-fourth, this material world. So our problem of human life is to get out of these material clutches and transfer ourselves to the spiritual world. That is real problem. Not this food problem, that problem. This will go on. So long you are in the material world, such problems will come and go. They're not permanent. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Āgamāpāyinaḥ anityāḥ tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. These problems, they'll come and they'll go. Just like seasonal changes.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino 'nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata
(BG 2.14)

That is real knowledge. We should not be disturbed by the material problems. You cannot avoid them. So long... Just like if you are in the winter season, how you can avoid cold, infection by cold, or affection by cold? You cannot avoid.

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

And they believe in the next birth, next life, past life, they believe in God, in Kṛṣṇa. They're satisfied with that position, but the modern leaders they do not like it. They want to make them intoxicated so that they can work like an ass for the morsel of food. But this is not the problem. The real problem is here, stated, that you should stop the disease of birth and death. That is real problem. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). The human life is meant for making a solution of the repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). We are finding fault with so many things. But really we should find fault with this process of repetition of birth and death. People are now being educated in this way that there is no more life. You have got this life and you enjoy the senses as far as possible.

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

So spiritual activities means devotional service. Spiritual activities mean devotional service, activities in relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga means, as I have repeatedly explained, that you have to forget your identification with the matter, sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). You have to forget your body as American, Indian, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, śūdra, Hindu, Muslim. That you have to forget. Ahaṁ brahmāsmi, "I am spirit soul." That is real identification. And when the spirit soul is active, sometimes the Māyāvādī philosophers, they think, "Now I've realized that I am not this body, I am not matter, I am spirit soul, so now I have become Nārāyaṇa. I have become the Supreme." But no, that is also mistake. When you realize that "Supreme is the Supreme Brahman, Para-brahman, I am part and parcel of the Supreme, I am also Brahman, but I am not the Supreme Brahman, therefore my business is to serve Para-brahman." That is real spiritual life. That is the beginning of spiritual life.

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

Parā bhakti. Parā-bhakti, that is real spiritual life. Parā aparā, aparā bhakti means on the material platform. Generally, the Deity worship. This is the beginning, but as you go on worshiping the Deity you realize your spiritual identity. Then you do not see the Deity as made of stone or wood. You see directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead and you can talk, you can receive an inspiration. This is the beginning.

arcāyām eva haraye
pūjāṁ yaḥ śraddhayehate
na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu
sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ

We should learn how to do good to the people in general. They have forgotten their relationship with God. You should be sympathetic for them. That they're suffering on account of their forgetfulness of God, let us do some service to them. (indistinct) Awaken them. Awaken their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is the best welfare activities to the human society. Because he has got, he has forgotten Kṛṣṇa, he's suffering and if you awaken his Kṛṣṇa consciousness then he will be happy.

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

Nowadays they have manufactured some meditation, something light, this, that, all nonsense. Dhyānāvasthita-manasā, mind being absorbed. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). That is real yoga system. Meditation. Now it is the age of meditation. Meditation is not meant for this age. Meditation is meant for the satya-yuga. What is that verse? Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇum (SB 12.3.52). Kṛte, kṛte means satya-yuga. People were very restrained, all paramahaṁsas. In those days it was possible to meditate. At the present moment our mind is so disturbed, we are disturbed in so many ways. Meditation is not possible in this age. Maybe there may be one or two persons who can meditate. The real meditation means to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). That is real meditation. So in this way, if we engage our life, that means bhakti-yoga, then Kṛṣṇa reveals, ataḥ sri-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). If you simply speculate, tax your senses to understand Kṛṣṇa by so-called scholarship, that will not help you. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. You engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then He'll reveal.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- New York, April 8, 1973:

The real problem is... It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), birth, death, old age and disease. This is real problem. Nobody wants to take birth. At least nobody wants to die. Birth and death. Wherever there is birth, there must be death. Anything which is born must die. So janma-mṛtyu. And old age. So long you live, you have to change your position. So one position is this old age. Just like we have become old. There are so many complaints. Jarā. And vyādhi. And when we become diseased. Everyone should become diseased. Everyone should become old. Everyone must die. This is the problem. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Johannesburg, October 19, 1975:

So our business does not finish there. Our business is more business, that "If I am eternal as God is eternal, then why I am subjected to birth and death?" This is real question. This is called brahma-jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra, the Vedānta philosophy, begins from this inquiry, athāto brahma jijñāsā: "This human life is meant for inquiring for the Absolute Truth, what is the ultimate truth of life." Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). So when we forget completely our real problems of life, that is animalism.

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

Last night we discussed, cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13). There are two condition of life. Actually, conditioned life and non-conditioned life, liberated life and conditioned life, that is real nomenclature, "liberated life and conditioned life." Conditioned life means this material world. We are conditioned by the laws of material nature.

Lecture on BG 4.14 -- Vrndavana, August 6, 1974:

His activities we should not imitate. Kṛṣṇa's activities are worshipable. We cannot imitate Kṛṣṇa's activities. Janma karma me... His activities are transcendental. You cannot... How you can imitate? Can you imitate to lift a mountain as Kṛṣṇa did? You can imitate falsely Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā. That is very easy. But can you imitate Kṛṣṇa to lift up the mountain? Then how you are Kṛṣṇa, equal with Kṛṣṇa? This is all rascaldom. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), and you have got this rotten material body. Therefore cannot be compared with Kṛṣṇa. This rotten material body is subjected to the material laws. But Kṛṣṇa is not under the material laws. That is real understanding of Kṛṣṇa.

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

This ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu was preached by Lord Buddha, this philosophy. This one philosophy was, I mean to say, taught throughout the whole world by Lord Buddha, that there should be no animal killing. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. No living entity should be given suffering, even by words. That is real life. Ātmavat... yaḥ paśyati. One who has such vision of life, he is called learned. He is called learned, not by educational qualifications. One who has acquired... phalena paricīyate. Education is understood, how far a man is educated, by his behavior. By his vision of life, it will be estimated, not by the degree. Ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ. Similarly, here also, here also the word paṇḍita, paṇḍita has been used.

Lecture on BG 4.15 -- Bombay, April 4, 1974:

Similarly, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi, five thousand years before, Kṛṣṇa said... This is real problem: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. "The same problem is still going on. So it is useless to say that modern time, modern ways, modern things. There is nothing modern. The old thing is going on. So if we follow systematically the previous ācāryas, previous system, as Kṛṣṇa is advising... Kṛṣṇa does not advise, "Modern." Five thousand years ago He instructed Bhagavad-gītā. Still, He was saying pūrva pūrvataraiḥ, pūrvatamaiḥ. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). This is intelligence. We have to accept the real truth and follow it. It does not mean modern age or previous age, past age. That is not Vedic system.

Lecture on BG 4.16 -- Bombay, April 5, 1974:

Dvija means brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya. And the brāhmaṇa is the śreṣṭha, the best of the dvija. Dvija means twice-born. One birth by the father and mother, and the next birth through the guru and Vedic knowledge. Vedic knowledge is the mother and guru is the father. The next birth. That is called dvija, twice-born. Once born by father and mother, that is śūdra. Janmanā jāyate śūdraḥ. First birth is śūdra. The next birth, when he is trained up by the guru in Vedic knowledge, that is real birth. Therefore all of them were first-class brāhmaṇas, dvija, with saṁskāra. Therefore they are addressed dvija-śreṣṭhāḥ. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭhā varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ.

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

But God is Absolute. Therefore there is no distinction between mouth or the leg. If you offer flowers and tulasī on the lotus feet of God, Kṛṣṇa, and if you decorate the mouth of Kṛṣṇa, it is the same bhakti. Because there is no difference of the mouth and legs, provided the mouth is working as mouth and the leg is working as leg for satisfying the Supreme. Then there is no such distinction. As soon as Kṛṣṇa consciousness is absent, a so-called brāhmaṇa is puffed up. 'Oh, I am born in brāhmaṇa family. I am bigger than the śūdras." That is falldown. The real purpose is that either you be mouth or hand or waist or leg, the real purpose is to maintain the body very perfectly. That is real purpose.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Bombay, April 7, 1974:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to teach people that the ultimate goal of life is to satisfy Kṛṣṇa, either you, Kṛṣṇa or God. Kṛṣṇa is the most explicit explanation of God. If God can have any name, the "Kṛṣṇa" name is the most perfect name, because Kṛṣṇa means all-attractive. I have explained many times. Unless God is all-attractive, how He can be God? If God is attractive for a certain limited person or limited area, then he is not God. Then you will say, "Our God, your God, his God, that God." But if Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive, that is real God. And that is Kṛṣṇa. That is being proved. Now Kṛṣṇa is all-attractive all over the world. Otherwise, how in America, in Russia, in China, in Europe, all countries?

Recently I have got several literatures printed in Swedish language. We are printing Kṛṣṇa literature almost in all languages of Europe, in English language, in Spanish language, in French language, in Swedish language, in Dutch language and German language, and then Italian language, we are publishing, and it is being sold like hotcakes, anything.

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.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

So one who defends or protects from injury, that person also should be there in the society, kṣatriya. So on this basis the society must be divided.

But at the present moment, because everything is lost, now simply śūdras are there, therefore the common medicine is prescribed:

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā
(CC Adi 17.21)

Because the idea is how to become kāma-rāga-varjitāḥ. Kāma-rāga-varjitāḥ. Kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ. That is real knowledge. Everyone is lusty. He wants to satisfy his senses. So ātma-prabhavam īśvaram. The example I have repeatedly given you, that the senses should be engaged for the satisfaction of the Supreme. That is kāma-rāga-varjitāḥ, or kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ. The senses should not be used for the satisfaction of senses. The senses should be used for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa. That is kāma-saṅkalpa-varjitāḥ.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- Bombay, April 8, 1974:

So this is Vedic civilization. Don't be carried away. Take lesson from Bhagavad-gītā and make your life successful. That is the propaganda of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't become cats and dogs and advertise yourself as paṇḍita. These are the definition of paṇḍita. Either take you from Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's materialistic point of view, moral lessons, or spiritual lessons from Bhagavad-gītā, the definition of paṇḍita is different from the so-called paṇḍitas, having... That is... They are called māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ. Although they have got degrees of the universities, but actually, knowledge is taken away by māyā.

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ
prapadyante narādhamāḥ
māyayāpahṛta-jñānā
āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ
(BG 7.15)

If one becomes atheist, then his knowledge has no value. Because real knowledge is... As Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). This is real knowledge.

So somehow or other, try to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then you actually become paṇḍita, learned, and your life is successful. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974:

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 4.23 -- Bombay, April 12, 1974:

The real science is how to stop this business. That is being advised in Bhagavad-gītā. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9). People do not understand this, that our real problem is not become promoted to the higher position, but to stop this birth, death, old age, and disease. That is real problem. So Kṛṣṇa says that gata-saṅgasya.

(aside:) Don't sit like that. Don't sit like that.

Gata-saṅgasya. Because we are getting different types of bodies in different planets and different spheres of life on account of our association with the modes of nature, therefore Kṛṣṇa is advising, gata-saṅgasya: "Don't associate with the modes of material nature. That is your business." Not that "You associate with the higher modes of nature."

Lecture on BG 4.25 -- Bombay, April 14, 1974:

So this is one type of yajña, understanding the supreme power. Just like I was talking a few minutes before, the power. But power is not ultimate. Ultimate is the conductor of power, or the powerful. Just like electricity. Electricity is power, but it is generated from the powerhouse. People generally understand that electricity is coming from the powerhouse. But the powerhouse is maintained by the resident engineer, a person. That is real understanding. Or just like this airplane is flying in the sky. A child may see what a wonderful machine is flying in the sky. He does know the importance of the pilot. The big gigantic airship can fly in the sky so long the powerful, or one who knows how to conduct the power, pushing the button. By pushing one button, the plane goes high, and pushing another button, it comes down. It is not automatically. Any machine you take. Nowadays wonderful machine, computer. That is also handled by an expert. Any machine you take, without an expert technologist, it cannot work.

Lecture on BG 4.27 -- Bombay, April 16, 1974:

This is called jñāna. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). When jñānavān... What kind of jñānavān? After serving the senses of so many people life after life, when one comes to his real knowledge that "This kind of sense gratification will not make me happy. Let me gratify the senses of Kṛṣṇa," that is real knowledge. Jñāna-dīpite. And in another place it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. Jñānavān. That is real knowledge.

Actually, my business is to satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, but I am thinking that I shall be happy by satisfying my senses, my family's senses, my country's senses, my nation's senses, and so on, so on, so on. This will make me happy. This is the secret. So therefore Kṛṣṇa says that "You have manufactured so many business of sense gratification. That's all right. Give up this all rascal business. Simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Then you will be satisfied. Otherwise there is no question of satisfaction. You go on increasing the area of sense gratification. That will not make you happy.

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

They are simply after Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply interested in the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is real yajña. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that those who are engaged in devotional service... To hear, devotional service... I have explained several times. To hear about Kṛṣṇa. Simply by hearing Kṛṣṇa, if we simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa, that is also better than dravyamaya-yajña, dravya, in charity. But because we cannot devote ourself... Pure devotional service means śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam (SB 7.5.23). Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was simply engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. He was chanting three hundred thousand times Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. We cannot imitate that. That is not possible. But pure devotional service is like that.

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

This is knowledge. When one understands that God is such and such by the mercy of spiritual master, by studying, by serving, then what is that understanding? "When you have thus learned the truth you will know that all living beings are My part and parcel." This is real knowledge. Part and parcel is not the whole. This finger is part and parcel of my body, but it is not the whole body, although you can call it body. Suppose somebody touches my finger. I can say, "Oh, why you have touched my body?" This can be called body, but it is, actually it is not body; it is finger.

Lecture on BG 4.39-42 -- Los Angeles, January 14, 1969:

Similarly, the impersonalists, they think that "I am Brahman, but I am not this matter." That is a fact. I am spirit. I am not this matter. But that understanding is not sufficient. What is my position as spirit? Then, when we come to the supreme spirit, the all-spirit, that is perfection of knowledge. So impersonal conception is simply a negation of these material varieties. But above that, there is spiritual variety. And that is real knowledge. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Negation... Just like there is no fever. In diseased condition one is trying to get out of the feverish condition. So by medicinal treatment one gets out of fever. But that is not healthy condition. That is not final. There is negation of fever. That's admitted. That's all right. But that is convulsion (convalescent) stage. You may relapse again. When you actually come to the healthy state, that is your life. So negation of fever is not as good as your healthy life. So negation of this materialistic idea, impersonalism, is not complete knowledge. Because I am spirit soul, I am active even in this material diseased condition. How much active I must be in my healthy condition. That is real knowledge. Healthy condition does not mean that I am dead. This is no treatment.

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

That is the perfect knowledge when we understand that the Supreme Lord, He is the supreme enjoyer—bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram—He is the supreme proprietor. And if we think very, I mean to say, scrutinizingly with cool head, then we can understand that everything, whatever there is in our presence, the actual proprietor is God, or Kṛṣṇa. We are not proprietor. We have got the right to use them, the things which are given by God to us. We shall have the right to use them, but we are not proprietor. So that is real knowledge.

ajñaś cāśraddadhānaś ca
saṁśayātmā vinaśyati
nāyaṁ loko 'sti na paro
na sukhaṁ saṁśayātmanaḥ
(BG 4.40)

So this faith is very essential, and one who hasn't got such faith, for him, it is stated here that vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means he is put into the wilderness of this material world. Now, what is that wilderness? Oh, there are 8,400,000 different species of life. Now, if we miss this opportunity, this human form of life... It is the developed, conscious life, and if we miss the opportunity, then we shall be again thrown into the cycle of birth of death in that eight million four-hundred-thousand's of species of life. So there is comparative(?). Vinaśyati. Vinaśyati means where you shall be put up, oh, there is no certainty. So you must make proper utilization.

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

Just like Arjuna. Arjuna was military man. He had his energy—to fight. So he fought for Kṛṣṇa. That means he engaged his energy for Kṛṣṇa. He did not change his military position. So we haven't got to change our position. Simply we have to transfer the energy for Kṛṣṇa. That is called yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇam.

Not that we cease to work. Work you must. Without work, nothing can be done. But if you spare your energy in that way, for Kṛṣṇa's work, then yoga-sannyasta-karmāṇaṁ jñāna-sañchinna-saṁśayam. And in that position... Why I shall engage my energy to Kṛṣṇa? That requires knowledge. That is real knowledge, that "Why? Why I shall...?" Because you are a part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, therefore you are meant for. Your energy is for Kṛṣṇa, nothing else.

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

Just you take the example of Arjuna always. In the beginning he was hating fighting. He was hating: "Oh, I cannot fight. This fighting with my kinsmen, it is not possible. I am not..." He was hating. But when he understood Bhagavad-gītā, he took up that fighting; he gave up his hating. But the result? Na kāṅkṣati: he never desired the result. Kṛṣṇa ordered to fight. He fought. That's all.

This is real sannyāsa, that he does not act for his own account, for his sense gratification, but he works... Never mind. He does not hate an work. "Any sort of work I am prepared to do, and the result I'll have to offer to Kṛṣṇa"—this is called real sannyāsa. So Kṛṣṇa gives the... Jñeyaḥ sa nitya-sannyāsī. Nitya means eternally, not for the time being, eternally. Nitya-sann..., yo na dveṣṭi. He does not hate any kind of work, but na kāṅkṣati: he does not desire for his own, se..., viṣaya, enjoying the result. Nirdvandvo hi mahā-bāho sukhaṁ bandhāt pramucyate: Oh, "That sort of sannyāsī is always happy, and he is a liberated person." He's a liberated person.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

They are classified among the animals, but they are called rational animals So here also, in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says, jantavaḥ. Jantavaḥ is the plural number of jantu. Jantu means animal. So nādatte kasyacit pāpam. A... Somebody is engaged in the activities of sinful activities, but he is not induced by the Lord that he should be engaged in sinful activities. Similarly, somebody is engaged in virtuous activities. So that virtuous activity is according to his own, I mean to say, association with the modes of material nature. Ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ tena muhyanti jantavaḥ (BG 5.16). But in this material world, either in the modes of ignorance or in the modes of passion or in the modes of goodness, they are all... Total, sum total, is ignorance. Sum total... Even a man is in the modes of goodness, that is also considered as ignorance because real knowledge, real knowledge is to know his relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is real knowledge. Unless one is elevated to that position, that what is his relation with the Supreme Lord, then all his so-called knowledge is also understood as ignorance.

Lecture on BG 5.14-22 -- New York, August 28, 1966:

So one who is situated in this Brahman, so he has no connection with the external things and enjoy with the sense attachment, bāhya-sparśa. Sparśa means touch, and bāhya means external. So he is not interested in such sort of happiness. Bāhya-sparśeṣu asakta. He is detached. He is detached from. His ātmā, his, I mean to say... Ātmā means mind, ātmā means body, and ātmā means soul. So you take either way, either body, soul, or mind, he is detached from such external. He is not attached to that external happiness. Vindaty ātmani yat sukham: "He enjoys within himself." Enjoys within him... That is real happiness. This word rāma... We chant Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. This rāma... he rāma means that unlimited enjoyment in real happiness. There is another meaning of rāma. Rāma, Lord Rāma, that is all right. And also some grammatical meaning that rāma means ramante. Ramante means to enjoy.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

So this is real knowledge of science of God, that "I am part and parcel of God, so my duty is that everything is nicely done, everything is nicely preserved, everything is nicely utilized for the service of God." That is the knowledge of science of God. And I am personally... Of course, in your country there is no water supply hydrant on the street, but in India that is a system. On big roads there are supply, water supply hydrant, because there are many poor men who cannot provide water supply pipes in their house. They take from the street. So when I was passing... I do not know why. That is my habit. If I see that the water tap is open, I immediately close it. I do not like that the water is wasted, you see, because I think that "The government is spending so much money for supplying water, and this water is unnecessarily being lost. So why it should be?" That is also advertised in your country. When there is dropping in your bathroom the authorities request you to stop that because that drop of water costs many dollars for the management.

Lecture on BG 5.17-25 -- Los Angeles, February 8, 1969:

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: "The real cause of his difficulties in the hard struggle for life may be found in his forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Lord."

Prabhupāda: Yes, just change the consciousness and everything will be clear. Just change the consciousness. Real treatment is to get him Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is real treatment. Yes.

Revatīnandana: "When a man is fully conscious of his relationship with Kṛṣṇa, he is actually a liberated soul, although he may be in the material tabernacle."

Prabhupāda: That's all right. So please try to push on this movement as far as possible. That is our duty. (devotees pay obeisances)

Devotee (1): Vīrabhadra has a question.

Vīrabhadra: You said that, um...You said that there are many living entities in the temple and that they can hear. You said that they can hear. But...

Prabhupāda: They can eat also. Your Kṛṣṇa prasādam left, they come and eat.

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

So everything should be engaged for the service of God. That is real knowledge. Just like suppose here is a hundred dollar note somebody left by mistake. Now, what is to be done with that hundred dollar notes? If somebody takes that hundred dollar notes, "Oh, here is a hundred dollar note. Take me. Let me take it and enjoy it," that is illegal. And if that hundred dollar note is neglected, "All right, let it remain there. The owner will find it," that is also not good because if I do not find out the person and hand over that hundred dollar note, that is not my duty because others may take it away. Similarly, to leave that hundred dollar note is also not good, and to enjoy that hundred dollar note is also not good. The best is that find out the proprietor of that hundred dollar note. Ask somebody, "Have you left something, sir? Anybody?" If one: "Yes, I'm missing one hundred dollar..." "Here is..." That is real service. Similarly, if we understand that everything belongs to God, so that sense will lead me: "No, I am not enjoyer." So my sense gratification, my anger, my lust, all finished. All finished at once, at stroke, if I understand that "Nothing belongs to me; everything belongs to God." If I want to enjoy it, that is illegal, and if I neglect it, that is also illegal. If I say, "Oh, let... Jagan mithyā, this world is false. I don't want it. Let me go to the Himalaya in the jungle," oh, that is also not good. You must try to utilize the whole thing for the purpose of Kṛṣṇa because everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. That is your duty. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because He is the proprietor.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

Self-realization you have heard so many times. What is that self-realization? Self-realization means I am not this body, I am spirit soul. That is self-realization. So if I am smaller than the grass then if somebody says that "You are lower than the grass," or "You are smaller than the grass," that's a fact. So sometimes this insulting words may come from others but if you are self-realized you know that I am not this body. So let him insult. Let me tolerate. Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches that taror api sahiṣṇunā. Toleration like the tree. Best example. You cannot find any tolerant living entity than a tree because it is standing day and night in scorching heat, in severe cold, there is wind, there is rainfall, it does not not make any protest—standing tolerant. People are taking leaves, flowers, fruits, cutting, and never protests. This is a symbol of toleration. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that you become tolerant than the tree and smaller than the small grass on the street and you give all honor to others and don't expect any honor. Because people do not know how to honor me. Real honor is that you are servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is real honor. And if I say, "Your majesty, your honor, your lordship," they are all false. Real honor is when I call you that you are servant of God or servant of Kṛṣṇa. That is real honor.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

So by force you cannot control the senses. That is not... This is... There are many instances. Even great yogis they have failed. This is artificial way of controlling the senses. The real sense control is that you purify your sense in the activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real sense control. Hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīka means senses and hṛṣīkeśa means Kṛṣṇa. When you apply your senses for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, then it is called bhakti. And when your senses are engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa it cannot be engaged otherwise. Otherwise the sense will be engaged in the sense objects. Therefore there is failure. Those who are not engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, simply artificially trying, they fail. Viśvāmitra Muni, Durvāsā Muni, there are many great instances. These are artificial. But that is a process recommended. We may be successful to a certain extent but in this age it is very difficult to practice such things. Nobody can practice how to control the senses from the sense object.

Lecture on BG 5.26-29 -- Los Angeles, February 12, 1969:

So you have to employ your senses in the service of the owner of the senses. Kṛṣṇa is the owner of the..., Hṛṣīkeśa, the lord of the senses. That people they do not know. I am thinking that this is my eye, these are my eyes. But actually these are explained in the Upaniṣads. Just like the sunshine. When the sun sees you, you can see the sun. Now at night the sun does not see you so you cannot see the sun. You cannot see the sun, you cannot see anything because the sun does not see you. Similarly the Upaniṣad says when Kṛṣṇa sees you or Kṛṣṇa sees, then you can see. Just like I have got these spectacles. The spectacle is not seeing, my eyes are seeing, therefore spectacle is seeing. Similarly, actually all the senses are acting because Kṛṣṇa is acting. As soon as Kṛṣṇa desires that these senses will not work, it will not work. So in spite of your claim that this is my hand, this is my eyes, this is my mouth, it will not work.

So the people they do not know. The bhakti-yoga practice says hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). When you employ your senses in the service of the proprietor of the senses, that is called bhakti. That is called bhakti. So that is real yoga, bhakti-yoga. Otherwise artificially if you try, one or two may be successful but mostly they will fail. Go on.

Lecture on BG 6.1 -- Los Angeles, February 13, 1969:

Helping yourself means you put yourself under Kṛṣṇa; that is helping yourself. And if you think, "Oh I can protect myself," then you are not helping yourself. Just like this finger, so long it is healthy, working, if there is some trouble, I can spend thousands of dollars for this. But if this finger is cut off from my body, if you trample down with your feet this finger, I don't care for it. Similarly, to help oneself means to put oneself in the proper position, as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. That is real helping. Otherwise how you can help? The finger can help itself by putting itself in the proper position of the hand and work for the whole body. That is proper position. If the finger thinks that, "I shall remain separated from this body and help myself," it will die. So as soon as you think, that "I shall live independently without caring for Kṛṣṇa," that is my death, and as soon as I engage myself as part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, that is my life.

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

So that stage is called real sannyāsa. Kāryam. Kāryam means "It is my duty." I am not forced, but voluntarily, out of love, transcendental love. Just like mother serves this child out of love. There is no question of salary or remuneration. The mother loves this child. Similarly, you can love the Supreme Lord in many ways. You can love the Supreme Lord as master, you can love the Supreme Lord as friend, you can love the Supreme Lord as child, you can love the Supreme Lord as your husband. Any way. There are five different rasas or humors, in which we are eternally related with the Supreme Lord. And when we are actually in the liberated stage of all knowledge, we can understand that "Our relationship with the Lord is in this way." That is called svarūpa-siddhi. That is real self-realization. That is real self-realization. Everyone has an eternal relationship with the Lord, either in the conception of master and servant, or in the conception of friend and friend, or in the conception of parents and the child, or in the conception of husband and wife, or in the conception of paramour and lover, and the beloved. So these relationships are there eternally.

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

So similarly, yaṁ sannyāsam iti prāhur yogaṁ taṁ viddhi pāṇḍava (BG 6.2). "Oh Arjuna." Pāṇḍava means "the son of Pāṇḍu, Arjuna." "You can understand that what is sannyāsa and what is yoga, they are the same principle." They are the same principle how? Na hy asannyasta-saṅkalpo yogī bhavati kaścana. Because without being freed from desires of sense gratification, nobody can become either a yogi or a sannyāsī. Everyone is trying to have some profit out of his activities. There are many yogis, they perform yoga system or teach yoga system for some profit, but that is not the idea of yoga system. Everything should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Everything. Whatever we do, either as ordinary worker or as sannyāsī or as yogi, or as jñānī, all our energies should be dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real sannyāsa, that is real yoga. Ārurukṣor muner yogaṁ karma kāraṇam ucyate. Those who are just stepping on the staircase of the yoga system, for them, karma kāraṇam ucyate, they must work. In the beginning, nobody should stop working. Nobody should stop working.

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

So there are different kinds of Purāṇas, eighteen Purāṇas. Because the whole Vedic literature means to claim all kinds of men. Not that those who are meat-eaters or drunkards, they are rejected. No. Everyone is accepted but there is—just like you go to a doctor. He'll prescribe you different medicine according to the different disease. Not that he has got one disease, one medicine. Whoever comes and, offers that medicine. No. That is real treatment. Gradually, gradually. But in the sāttvika-purāṇas, they are meant for immediately worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no gradual process. But gradually, one who comes to this stage, he's advised. So Padma Purāṇa is one of the Purāṇas in the modes of goodness. What does it say? Go on.

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

So our process is how to please Him so that He will be revealed to me. That is real process. You cannot, therefore they are mistaking a nonsense God. Because they cannot see God, anybody says that "I am God," are accepted. But they do not know what is God. Somebody says that "I am searching after the truth." But you must know what is the truth. Otherwise how you will search out truth? Suppose if you want to purchase gold. You must theoretically know, or at least some experience what is gold. Otherwise people will cheat you. So these people are being cheated, accepting so many rascals as God. Because they do not know what is God. Anyone comes, "Oh, I am God," and the rascal—he is rascal, and the man who says that "I am God," he's also rascal. So rascal society and one rascal is accepted God. God is not like that. One has to qualify himself to see God, to understand God. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). If you engage yourself in the service of the Lord, then you'll be qualified to see God. Otherwise it is not possible. Go on.

Lecture on BG 6.11-21 -- New York, September 7, 1966:

In the unlimited, not into the limited. In the unlimited. Yoginaḥ anante and satyānande, that is real happiness. Satyānande cid-ātmani. And that is spiritual. That is not material. Iti rāma, this is the meaning of Rāma. Hare Rāma. We described, this Rāma means to enjoy in the spiritual life. That is called Rāma.

It is all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa is also pleasure. Rāma is also pleasure. Because we are all hunting after pleasure. But we do not know where to find out the pleasure. The pleasure is in spiritual life. That is real pleasure. We haven't got to sacrifice pleasure, but we have to enjoy it properly. Just like diseased man, he cannot enjoy life. His enjoyment of life is a false enjoyment. When he's cured, when he's in healthy life, then his enjoyment is bona fide. Similarly, so long we are in the material conception of life, we do not expect that we are enjoying. We are simply entangling. That means diseased man, if he enjoys, if he takes nice food. He cannot eat, but if he likes and takes stealthily, without the information of the medical physician, then he prolongs his diseases. That's all. He is killing himself, the process. Similarly, the more we increase our material enjoyment we are more making ourself entangled in this material world, without being freed from these material clutches.

Lecture on BG 6.25-29 -- Los Angeles, February 18, 1969:

So one who has seen, one who is in trance of self-realization, he cannot sit idly. He must come out. He, just like Rāmānujācārya. He declared the mantra publicly. His spiritual master said that this mantra, just like that Maharishi came in your country. He wanted to give some private mantra. If that mantra has any power, why it should be private? If at all the mantra has any, why not it should be publicly declared so that everyone can take advantage of that mantra? That is real. It is cheating, you see? So here is no cheating process. We say that this mahā-mantra can save you, we are distributing publicly, no. Free, without any charge. But people are so fools, they are not prepared to take this. They'll hanker after that mantra, after Maharishi. Pay thirty-five dollars and take some private mantra, you see? So people want to be cheated. And here, Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, these people are preaching without any charge, declaring in the street, park, everywhere, "Come on, take it." "Oh, this is not good." This is māyā, this is called illusion. This is spell of māyā. And if you charge something, if you bluff, if you cheat, oh, people will follow.

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

This picture, Viṣṇu picture. That is the objective of concentration for the yogi. That is real yoga. And this Viṣṇu manifestation is Kṛṣṇa's plenary portion. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said:

yaḥ kāraṇārṇava-jale bhajati sma yoga-
nidrām ananta-jagad-aṇḍa-saroma-kūpaḥ
and
viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **
(Bs. 5.47)

"I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord." Govindam ādi-puruṣam. Puruṣam means the Lord is male, enjoyer, ādi, the original. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. And who is that Govinda? Whose only one plenary portion is Mahā-Viṣṇu. And what is the function of Mahā-Viṣṇu? Yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ (Bs. 5.48). In every universe there is a chief living entity who is known as Brahmā. Brahmā is the original person in each universe. So the life of Brahmā or the life of a universe is existing only on the breathing period of Mahā-Viṣṇu.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 17, 1968:

It is mental concoction that "Kṛṣṇa is Indian," or "Kṛṣṇa is worshiped by the Hindus; therefore He is one of the Hindu gods." He never said that "I am Hindu god; I am Indian." Just like the sun. If you say, "It is American sun," is it possible, American? Sun is sun. Why American sun or Indian sun? Nothing is American, Indian. It is all artificial. This planet, this planet also, it belongs to the human society, that's all. This is real communism. This is real communism. These Communists also, they are defective because... Just like the Russians. They say... (break) ...Russians or the Chinese. They are speaking that China is for the Chinese. Why not for others? Then what sort of communism it is? Just think in terms of the human community. Human community.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, September 10, 1968:

In the heart I am, as spiritual spark, I am also sitting, and the Kṛṣṇa is also sitting. The medical science cannot explain. As soon as the heart fails, they say, "Oh, he's gone." That means in the heart I am sitting and the Paramātmā is sitting. As the I and Paramātmā leaves the heart, the heart fails and there is no life. And it is a fact from medical science that all the energies of the body is coming from the heart. So this statement of the Bhagavad-gītā, that īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe... (BG 18.61). Hṛd-deśe means in the heart. So yoga means, as prescribed in the standard yoga system in the Bhagavad-gītā, means I myself try to find out the Paramātmā within my heart. So I cannot concentrate unless I withdraw all my sensual activities. You cannot practice yoga, (chuckling) at the same time indulge in sensual activities. These are all nonsense. So we have to concentrate all our sensual activities. That means repose them in the mind, and mind is concentrated upon the Paramātmā. That is real yoga.

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

So this defect is there in conditioned life. And to make error and mistake, that defect is there. And the third defect is that we want to cheat and we want to be cheated. We are also very expert. We are always thinking how I shall cheat somebody. And naturally, he's also thinking to cheat me. So the whole conditional life is the association of cheaters and cheated, that's all. So this is another defect. And the fourth defect is that our senses are imperfect. Therefore all knowledge that we receive, that is imperfect knowledge. A man may speculate, but he may speculate with his mind. That's all. But his mind is imperfect. However he may speculate, he'll produce something nonsense, that's all. Because his mind is imperfect. It doesn't matter that if you add thousands of zeros, it makes one. No. It is still zero. So this speculation process, to understand the Supreme, is nothing but zero. Therefore with all these defects of our conditional life, it is not possible to come to the real life. Therefore we have to take it from personalities like Kṛṣṇa and His bona fide representative. That is real knowledge. Then you'll get perfection.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 13, 1972:

One who has developed attachment for Kṛṣṇa, he has come to perfection, simply by developing. And this development of attachment is possible by this arcana-vidhi. Just like our, rising early in the morning, offering maṅgalārātrika, then changing the dress, garlanding, dressing, so many things. From morning, four, to, up to night at ten o'clock, there is program. That is real temple worship. Not that the temple is closed whole day and night, and the pūjārī goes for five minutes and bells the bell, again close. No. There is system. Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. So many activities in temple worship. So for the kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, neophytes, those who are serious to become, to awaken his attachment for Kṛṣṇa, they must take to this arcana-mārga. This is called arcana-mārga, temple worship. Everyone can establish a small temple in his house, and he can begin family-wise: himself, his wife, his children. That is wanted. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement wants to see that every house has become a temple of Kṛṣṇa. That is our program. Mayy āsakta... Just to increase the attachment for Kṛṣṇa.

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

If it is interpreted, or misinterpreted by some so-called scholar... We cannot accept them scholar who misdirect people by misinterpretation of Bhagavad-gītā. That is not very good. Otherwise why people are so much misdirected? Because the so-called scholars and philosophers, they have misdirected. They have tried to kill Kṛṣṇa from Bhagavad-gītā and pusḥ forward their own rascal philosophy. So that is not good. We have to learn Bhagavad-gītā directly from Kṛṣṇa. That is mayy āsakta. That is real Bhagavad... Because Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa says evaṁ paramparā prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). By the paramparā system, all the great kings, rājarṣayaḥ, they understood Bhagavad-gītā. So we have to accept the Bhagavad-gītā by the paramparā system. Not we manufacture our own interpretation. That is not Bhagavad-gītā. That is misusing the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, April 27, 1974:

So human life is not to be carried away by the so-called natural instinct. Natural instinct, material life... There are two kinds of natural instinct. So long we are in the bodily concept of life, there are different natural instincts, and when we come to the platform of spiritual understanding, that natural instinct is different. That is real natural instinct. So that natural instinct, spiritual natural instinct, can be attained by tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). That is the instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva. Now, people may say that "Why we should undergo this tapasya, austerities? If we want to enjoy life, why we shall voluntarily give up this and undergo austerities?" No, there is reason. Tapo divyaṁ yena śuddhyet sattvaṁ yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam (SB 5.5.1). It is very reasonable. You have to undergo tapasya, voluntarily restraint. That is called tapasya. So why? Yena śuddhyet sattvam. Your existence will be purified. "What is the wrong in my existence?" That we cannot understand; that is called illusion. There are so many wrong things.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is teaching people how to become first-class yogi. Sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. Yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. This is real yogi. To practice yoga... Yoga means connection. Yoga... In India, yoga means "addition," and viyoga means "subtraction," viyoga. So we are now viyoga, without any contact with the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead, material conditioned life; therefore we have to make connection with Him. That is called yoga. Yoga system means to connect ourself again with God, or Kṛṣṇa. So this practice of yoga, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, so this process is very easily accomplished by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare twenty-four hours. It can be practiced.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

So take instruction from God to understand God. Then your life will be perfect. And if you understand God, then your all problems solved. Our real problem is repetition of birth and death. That is real problem. That we do not know. We are callous. We do not know what is the position of my real self. That we do not know. This is called ignorance. That instruction is given in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This living spirit... Na jāyate na mriyate vā kadācin na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). This, I mean to say, spirit soul is never born. Then what is this birth? The birth is of this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāram (BG 2.13). This change of body We are changing body. But I am the eternal. I know that I had a body of a child. The body is gone.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Durban, October 9, 1975:

The real education... Real education is, first of all, you must know what you are. You are this body or something else than the body? Just like when a man dies, his son or relative laments, "Oh, my father has gone away." Now, father is lying there on the bed. Why do you say, "My father has gone away"? The father is lying on the bed. Therefore you did not see who is your father. After death you are realizing that your father is gone away. (applause) Then where is your education? You cannot see even your father; then where is your education? This is no education. Therefore you must know "What I am, what is my father, what is my mother." That is real education.

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

"My dear Arjuna, I have already explained in the Sixth Chapter that to become first-class yogi..." When Arjuna was advised by Kṛṣṇa to become yogi, haṭha-yogī... Haṭha-yogī means to train the mind how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. The mind is disturbed always. This way, that way, mind is going, cañcala, restless. So the haṭha-yoga system is meant for persons who are too much under the bodily conception of life, that "I am this body." For them the haṭha-yoga is there so that by practicing several sitting posture, controlling the mind, controlling the senses, they can concentrate on Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord. This is yoga system. This is real yoga system. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Who is the yogi? He is yogi who in meditation, dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā, always thinking of Kṛṣṇa by the mind And gradually, when he is perfect in samādhi, trance, he can see Kṛṣṇa.

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

These are, means an attempt to raise oneself to the platform of real dharma. But real dharma is one for everyone. What is that? Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. That is transcendental dharma. Yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). The dharma by following which one becomes a Kṛṣṇa conscious person or Godly person, one who understands God, his relationship with Him and acting according to that relation, that is real dharma. So our, everyone, all living entities, dharma means to know that we are eternal servant of God. That is explained by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: jīvera svarūpa haya nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). And in the Bhagavad-gītā also Kṛṣṇa instructs the same dharma, that "You are, the living entities, you are all My part and parcel, and it is your duty to cooperate with Me without any reservation." That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66).

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Hyderabad, August 22, 1976:

This is the yoga. This is real yoga, how to become attached to the service of the Lord. That is first-class yogi. You'll find in the last paragraph of Sixth Chapter, yoginām api sarveṣām. There are many yogis, different kinds of yogis. So yoginām api. Karma-yogī, jñāna-yogī, dhyāna-yogī, haṭha-yogī, and so many yogis. Yoginām api sarveṣām, "Of all the yogis," yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47), "One who is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa..." Naturally, if you practice to come here and see daily, at least once, you'll be able to think of Kṛṣṇa. Mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā. If you continue that thinking, Kṛṣṇa, how He's standing, how He is playing on flute, how Rādhārāṇī is there, here—man-manāḥ—in this way, if you think, then you become the greatest yogi.

Lecture on BG 7.1-2 -- Bombay, March 28, 1971:

These things are stated. We have to understand through śāstras. We cannot see our past, present, and future, but if we see through the śāstras... Śāstra-cakṣusā. "You should try to see from the śāstras." Actually, we understand everything through śāstras, not directly. Just like we understand in modern science from the newspaper that somebody is trying to go to the moon planet. I do not go personally to the moon planet, but I accept the newspaper. Similarly, we have to accept śāstra, how things are going on beyond our experience. Without that, we cannot have knowledge. That is called Vedic process. Śruti-jñānam. Śruti means hearing from authorities. That is real knowledge. Śrotra-panthā. It is called śrotra-panthā.

So how we can understand Kṛṣṇa, how we can fulfill our mission of life, how we can become liberated, all these things are stated in this Bhagavad-gītā. And if you try to understand as Kṛṣṇa is speaking or try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation, then your life is successful.

Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (applause) (end)

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- London, March 10, 1975:

So that curing medicine we have to take not to maintain this material body. Na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This is real intelligence. Everyone is trying to keep this body, this disease, maintaining. This time, next time, next time, next time, going on. Janma-mṛtyu-maran malam.(?) This is not your... Disease should be cured. Therefore śāstra says,

nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma
yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti
na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam
asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ
(SB 5.5.4)

People are mad, and they are doing anything mischievous, sinful. And what is the purpose? Now, just to satisfy the senses. You see? There are so many nice foodstuff—Kṛṣṇa has given—fruits, flowers, grains, milk, butter, sugar. And you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparation out of it and offer to Kṛṣṇa and eat it very nicely. "No. We must have meat." This is vikarma. Vikarma means sinful activities. Karma, vikarma, and... Tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). God has given you so many nice foodstuff. Why should you kill an animal? Therefore Jesus Christ says, "Thou shall not kill." "Then shall I die?" No. There are so many things. You eat. Tena tyaktena, whatever is ordained by you, by God, Kṛṣṇa... The same thing is said. Kṛṣṇa should have said, "Give me..." Mamsam din mam.(?) No. He says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26).

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam: (BG 7.2) "I'll speak to you about jñāna." Everyone is in ajñāna and falsely thinking that he is some very important person. This is ajñāna. Real jñāna, as will be explained here, is to receive from Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa is giving knowledge in the Bhagavad-gītā. He'll speak in later chapters that "The real jñāna is to surrender unto Me." This is real jñāna. Kṛṣṇa will say in the Eighth Chapter, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births..." So today I may be minister, and tomorrow, after death, I may become a dog. But that is not in my control. You cannot say that "I am minister. I am this. I am that. I am high-court judge or very important man. So I am ordering material nature. Although I shall die, next life I shall become again high-court judge or Nārāyaṇa, something." No. That is not possible. You are fully under control. You have given a license to enjoy or suffer in this body, and in this body, as soon as it is finished, karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur... (SB 3.31.1), and then you get another body.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Nairobi, October 28, 1975:

So this jñāna, even this jñāna, the change of body is not there. Throughout the whole world, big, big professor, big, big educationist, they do not believe in the next birth. 99.9 percent, they do not. But this is a fact. There is. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Kṛṣṇa says. And we understand this also. Kṛṣṇa gives this example: dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). This child is becoming kumāra; a kumāra is becoming boy; boy is becoming young man; young man is becoming old man. So these changes are going on; still, he does not know that "After this old body is finished, I shall have to accept another body." So this is ignorance. Therefore we have to take knowledge from the most perfect Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. This is real knowledge.

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

They, these mūḍhas, they are very much proud of their education and knowledge, but if you ask them that "What solution you have made for these four miseries of life, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)?" they have no answer. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, that manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). They do not know siddhi, what is siddhi. Yogis are engaged for aṣṭa-siddhi. Aṇimā-laghimā-prāpti-siddhi. They can become smaller than the smallest and heavier than the heaviest and they can get anything they desire. Prāpti, īśitā. They can control over, even they can create a planet also. Yoga-siddhi. Just like Viśvāmitra Muni, he was such a great yogi that he used to create human being from trees. So you can get all these siddhis by yoga-siddhi or by any other process, but real siddhi is how to get out of this entanglement of janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. That is real siddhi.

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

So this is the actual siddhi to understand, that "I am eternally part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. I can enjoy eternally blissful life in knowledge with cooperation or in the association of Kṛṣṇa and His devotees." That is real life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, yatatām api siddhānām (BG 7.3). Some of them are thinking that by merging into the existence of the Supreme, that is siddhi. That is not siddhi. That is partial siddhi, and it will not exist. That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adhaḥ anādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). If you do not engage yourself in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, then you cannot eternally remain in the brahma-jyotir. You cannot remain in the brahma-jyotir. You'll fall down. Therefore we see so many big, big sannyāsīs. They think that "I have become Nārāyaṇa." They address between themselves, "Nārāyaṇa, namo nārāyaṇāya." They have become Nārāyaṇa. But not, they cannot become Nārāyaṇa. Some of them have manufactured the word "daridra-nārāyaṇa." Nārāyaṇa is never daridra. These are manufactured things. Neither one can become Nārāyaṇa. But one can remain eternally the servant of Nārāyaṇa. That is possible. That is siddhi.

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

Even if he thinks that "I am the supreme," that is partially in the... That is also light. Just like if you come to the sunlight, sunshine, that is also light, but that is not perfection. If you can go within the sun globe and see the origin of shining, brightening principle, the sun-god, that is siddhi. Similarly, to merge into the Brahman is not siddhi. That is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Actually, it is a fact. Bhāgavata, whatever it says, that is real fact. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. If one thinks that "Now I am merged in the brahma-jyotir, so I am now vimukta. I am now mukta. I am now liberated," so that Bhāgavata says, "He is thinking like that, he's liberated. He is not liberated." Vimukta-mānina. Just like if I think am millionaire, does it mean I have become millionaire. I am not millionaire. Vimukta-mānina. Why? Tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). Because these persons who are thinking that he has become liberated, their buddhi is not yet cleansed. Aviśuddha. Śuddhāśuddha. Aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ, vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvāt. Asta-bhāvāt. No information of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is thinking that the Absolute is imperson. Therefore, asta-bhāvāt, he has no information of the Supreme Person.

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

So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness philosophy is like that, that we simply want to serve Kṛṣṇa. We have no other desire, no mukti, no bhukti, no siddhi. That is real siddhi. That is real siddhi. So people do not know that real siddhi is to approach to go back to home, back to Godhead. And either you go to Vaikuṇṭha or to Goloka Vṛndāvana planet after giving up this body, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9), that is real siddhi, not this yoga-siddhi, jñāna-siddhi, karma-siddhi. That is not siddhi. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati (BG 7.3). They do not know what is siddhi. That is the defect.

Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Vrndavana, August 9, 1974:

This is the ānanda. In the Western world we have seen even old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they are going to the naked dance club, the sex ānanda. Because in the material world there is no ānanda except this. But in the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). What is real ānanda, that you have to taste by your transcendental senses, not these senses, blunt senses. This is blunt senses, covered senses. There is no question of tasting ānanda with these senses. There is no possibility. Ānanda is described. Just like it is said, ramante yoginaḥ anante. (CC Madhya 9.29) Yoginaḥ, those who are transcendentalists, above this material world, they also seeking after ānanda or tasting ānanda. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. That is satyānanda. That is real ānanda. Ramante yoginaḥ anante. And there is no end of that ānanda. Nityaṁ nava-navāyamānam.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- London, March 11, 1975:

That is Kṛṣṇa's speaking. And we are trying to place this Kṛṣṇa's teachings to the world. And not only that, Bhagavān, God, means Kṛṣṇa. And if I give the name of "God" instead of "Kṛṣṇa," they will bring forth so many competition of Kṛṣṇa. That is not our purpose. Kṛṣṇa means God. If God has any perfect name, that is "Kṛṣṇa." Because "Kṛṣṇa" means all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for certain person. God cannot be Christian God or a Hindu God or Muslim God. God is equally attractive for Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddha. That is real God. And if Hindu has manufactured some God, Christian has manufactured some God, that may be God partially, but not the Supreme God. The Supreme God is Kṛṣṇa. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Parama means supreme. God... You are also god, I am also god, and every one of us, god. Why? God means controller. So controller, every one of us is a controller to certain extent, not the complete controller. But Kṛṣṇa means the complete controller. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Controller... You may be controller; I may be controller; he may be controller; but not controller like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can control all other controllers. Therefore He is called supreme controller, Parameśvara, Paramātmā, Para-brahman.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Bombay, February 19, 1974:

There are so many theories based on Darwin's theory, chemical evolution. Recently, when I was in Los Angeles, one German scientist came there. He has written one book, Chemical Evolution, and he has got Nobel Prize. Now he's touring for lecturing on his theory. So in the California university there is our student, Dr. Svarūpa Dāmodara. He's my disciple. He's doctor in chemistry. So, when this German chemist was lecturing, theorizing that life has come from chemicals, so he put the question that "Suppose if I give you these chemicals, whether you can prepare a life?" He answered in the meeting, "That I cannot say." That means he's not certain; still, he's theorizing, that from chemical, life has come. No, from chemical, life has not come; from life, chemical has come. This is real theory.

So these things are discussed very broadly in our American centers, so we stick to the point that life does not come from chemical, but chemical comes from life. So I gave one crude example. Just like a tree. It is also life, because there are different forms of life, 8,400,000 forms of life. So a tree also, another form of life. One who knows what is the condition of life, paṇḍita, learned, sama-darśinaḥ.

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. God is explaining what is God. That is real knowledge. If you speculate on God, it is not possible. You cannot understand. The God, Kṛṣṇa, in the beginning said, asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu (BG 7.1). Samagram. Samagra means whatever... Or samagra means complete. So whatever subject for study and knowledge there is, God is the sum total of everything, one. God is the sum total of everything.

Lecture on BG 7.9 -- Vrndavana, August 15, 1974:

So humbly, so fearfully, they are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. What Kṛṣṇa's service we can give? What we are? We are nothing. Insignificant. So why Kṛṣṇa accepts our service? Why He comes in His arcā-mūrti to accept our service? Just to induce you how to serve Him, bhakti. That is wanted. Therefore He says, "So you give Me even patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam (BG 9.26). It doesn't matter. But give Me with bhakti." Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. This is real business. (?) If you have no bhakti, if you officially make, Kṛṣṇa does not touch it. Kṛṣṇa is not so poor. Lakṣmī-sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam... (Bs. 5.29). So whatever you do, you should always be humble: "Kṛṣṇa, I am quite unfit. So whatever I could collect with my capacity, kindly accept." This is our only plea. Otherwise, don't be proud that "I am doing so much for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa will be obliged to accept it." It is not like that. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. This is wanted.

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

This is called... (aside:) Bruce! Come on. Sit down. Yes... Rāja-vidyā. Vidyā means education, and rāja means king. So what is the king of education? Just like we have got a different status of life in the material world, similarly, in the education also, somebody is M.A., somebody is B.A., somebody is school-leaving certificate, somebody is three years, somebody is four years. There are different grades of education. Now, what is the summum bonum, highest, topmost education? This topmost education is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, topmost education. Rāja-vidyā. Jīvātmā yathātmādi-rahasyānāṁ rājaḥ. Real knowledge is: "So what I am?" This is real knowledge. Unless we come to this point, that "What I am?" that is not knowledge.

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

Actually, this is the position of our present situation. We are very much proud of our advancement of education. But if you inquire from various persons that "What you are?" hardly some will answer what he is. Everyone is under the conception of this body. But we are not actually this body. This question we have discussed various times, many times. So this after passing this examination that "I am not this body," then one who, one comes into the real knowledge. That is real knowledge, "What I am." That is the beginning. So the knowledge about which Lord Kṛṣṇa is now imparting, giving instruction to Arjuna, He says, "This is rāja-vidyā." Rāja-vidyā means to know oneself what he is and act accordingly. That is called rāja-vidyā. If I do not know what I am, what is my position, then if I am in mistaken about my situation, then all activities, what I am doing, they are all mistaken. They are all illusion. Therefore this position, rāja-vidyā, means one should know himself, what he is, and act accordingly. Simply by knowing that "I am not this material body," that is not sufficient. You must act accordingly, that you are not material; you are spiritual. That spiritual activity is called Kṛṣ..., act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and that is called rāja-vidyā, the king of all education.

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

It is most confidential because one comes to this knowledge after cultivating other knowledges for many, many births. One comes to this knowledge. What is this knowledge, devotional, rāja-vidyā? What is the symptom? Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. This is the symptom: that one has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. That means he is in perfect knowledge. So long he is not surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, he is trying to become Kṛṣṇa, or he is posing himself as equal to Kṛṣṇa or sometimes above Kṛṣṇa. There is a very well advertised yogi. They say, at least his disciples say, that he is above Kṛṣṇa. That is not knowledge. That is ignorance. Real knowledge, jñānavān, is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That is real knowledge. Bahunam janmanam ante (BG 7.19). If one is actually intelligent, he should not wait for many, many births. If he believes in the Bhagavad-gītā, in the statement of Bhagavad-gītā, then, immediately after hearing this verse, that bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, he should immediately surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

Dharma. This is real dharma. To execute the order of Kṛṣṇa, that is real dharma. We cannot manufacture dharma, I have several times explained. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the order of Kṛṣṇa. That is dharma. Otherwise there is no dharma. All adharma. Otherwise how Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66), "Give up all nonsense dharma. Simply surrender unto Me"? This is dharma. Therefore it is said, pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. You are acting some religious activities, you do not know whether it is pious or impious. But when you act under the order of Kṛṣṇa and His representative, it is pratyakṣāvagamaṁ, directly to understand, that is dharma. This is dharma: pratyakṣāvagamaṁ and su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam.

Lecture on BG 9.2 -- Calcutta, March 8, 1972:

So anyone who is not interested in this dharma, but he manufactures his own dharma, then what happens to him? Aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasyāsya parantapa aprāpya mām: (BG 9.3) "He does not get Me." Does not get. This is the mission of human life—to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is the, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). The real mission of life: how to go back to Kṛṣṇa, how to go back to Vaikuṇṭha-loka, the spiritual world. That is real mission. But that we do not know; therefore is most confidential. People do not know it that there is another world, the spiritual world, there is Vaikuṇṭha-loka. This, this material world is one-fourth creation. Atha vā bahunaitena kiṁ jñātena tavārjuna ekāṁśena viṣṭabhya aham kṛṣṇena. This material world is maintained as one-fourth of the creation. The three-fourths of the creation is the spiritual world. Paras tasmāt tu bhāva anyaḥ (BG 8.20). There is another nature. So we do not know that. There is no education. We are simply interested with this one planet. There are so many material planet, but above that there is another, spiritual world, and there are innumerable spiritual planets also. They are called Vaikuṇṭha-loka, and the topmost Vaikuṇṭha-loka is Goloka Vṛndāvana, Kṛṣṇaloka. So we have no information.

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

I have several times given example. There are different types of bodies: animals, birds, beasts, demigods, human being, many varieties of life, 8,400,000, higher life, lower life. So those who are associating with the base qualities of material nature, they get lower life. That is natural. Just like you contaminate a kind of disease. It will become manifest in due course of time. So this is going on. But if we understand this knowledge as Kṛṣṇa is speaking, rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ pavitram idam uttamam, then pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. Dharma. One meaning of dharma is the basic principle of our life or the occupational duty of our life, dharma. Occupational duty of our life, that is called dharma. Generally in the English dharma is translated by the word religion, a kind of faith. But actually dharma means the characteristic. That is real meaning of dharma, characteristic.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

So real aim of life is to stop the cycle of birth and death. That is real aim of life. If we do not know this, then we are ignorant. We are ignorant. First of all we must know that "I am eternal." That is... In the beginning of the Bhagavad-gītā it is very nicely explained that antavanta ime dehā nityasyoktāḥ śarīriṇaḥ: (BG 2.18) "My dear Arjuna, this body is destructible, but the proprietor of the body, he is eternal." That is the first instruction. I am not this body, I am the proprietor of this body. You are not this body. You are the proprietor of this body. But if we think that "I am body," then that is the same thinking as the dog is thinking. Therefore I have given in the statement that if we think this lump of matter as "myself," then we are no better than the dog. The dog is also thinking like that. That human form of life is meant for understanding that "I am not this lump of matter; I am..." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: "I am spirit soul." That is required. The whole Bhagavad-gītā teaching is based on this principle, first of all to understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul, Brahman."

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Melbourne, April 21, 1976:

This is really knowledge. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is giving such knowledge that they will never remain a dog or cat; they will become actual human being. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore it is said, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣāḥ. Those who have not faith in this process of understanding, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, aśraddadhānāḥ puruṣā dharmasya asya... (BG 9.3). Now, this is real dharma. Dharma means occupation, I have explained yesterday. I am servant of God, this is my real occupation, but giving up my service to God, I am giving service to māyā. Therefore I am servant of my senses, my family, my society, my country, my nation, and if you haven't got to serve anybody, then I'll keep one dog. I become a servant of the dog. Somebody was just telling me that in Japan the dog passes stool, and the master collects it and put it somewhere. Yes. You see? This is going on. Your position is to become servant, but in māyā, in illusion, you are thinking, "I am master." Therefore the best thing is that instead of becoming at last the servant of a dog, just immediately become servant of God. That is your success of life. And if you don't agree, then you have to serve up to the dog, up to the cat. Many Europeans, Americans, they have no children, but they keep one cat, one dog, to serve. You see? But you have to serve because you are meant for that.

Lecture on BG 9.3 -- Toronto, June 20, 1976:

So all these facts have been very widely described and discussed. So we should be very careful to accept the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā as it is. If we do not accept, then Kṛṣṇa says aśraddadhānāḥ. One is not interested in this type of occupational duty, dharma means occupational duty. So dharmasyāsya parantapa. Asya dharmasya. What is this dharma? In the end of Bhagavad-gītā it is clearly said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is dharma. This is real dharma. And anything except this, is bogus, cheating. This is real dharma. Kṛṣṇa came, He said that yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham (BG 4.7). Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām (BG 4.8). Hm? Dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya. To reestablish the religious system. Yuge yuge sambhavāmi, "I come." He comes. So, or He sends His representative, His son or His devotee. His servant. In this way, Kṛṣṇa is trying to enlighten the whole human society.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 22, 1976:

Therefore śāstra says that gurur na sa syāj jananī na sā syāt pitā na sa syāt, in this way, that na mocayed yaḥ samupeta-mṛtyum. This is the perfect knowledge, perfection of life. Samupeta-mṛtyum. We have got a situation in this material world, repetition of birth, death, old age and disease. But śāstra says, "One should not become a guru, one should not become a father, one should not become a mother, one should not become a relative, one should not become a friend," in this way, he says, "if one cannot give relief to his friend or son or disciple, relief from the impending birth, death, old age, and disease." This is real contraceptive method. If you think that "If a child is born, I shall educate him in such a way that this birth will be his last birth. Next he is going to back to home, back to Godhead," then produce a child. Otherwise don't produce. This is spiritual contraceptive. This is real father and mother. Otherwise a dog is also becoming a father. The such kind of father-becoming is not recommended in the Vedic civilization. Now, just become a real father to give the real benefit to the son. Then you become a father.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Melbourne, April 23, 1976:

This is Vedic system, varṇāśrama-dharma. Now it is foolishly going as Hindu dharma. What is the Hindu dharma? Hindu is not found even in the scriptures. This is a name given by the Mohammedans. Sindu. There is a river, Sindu. From Sindu it has come, "Hindu." Actually the Vedic culture is varṇāśrama-dharma, four varṇas and four āśramas. That is real Vedic culture, how to create brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, gṛhastha, vānaprastha, sannyāsa—eight. This is called varṇāśrama-dharma.

varṇāśramācāravatā
puruṣeṇa paraḥ pumān
viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā
nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam
(CC Madhya 8.58)

Actually human civilization begins when this institution of varṇāśrama is accepted. Otherwise it is animal civilization—eating, sleeping, mating, and dancing, that's all. All right. Thank you very much. (end)

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

Squeeze out the extract of this matter." Squeezing, squeezing, they don't... They are frustrated, frustrated, moghāśā, baffled in every respect. Squeezing to take essence of this material pleasure, they are baffled. They are baffled. Don't you see this practically? "So much money, so much I have earned." They go to enjoy, fifty thousand dollars, hundred thousand dollars, squeezing—they do not find any pleasure. Simply squeezing, squeezing. Moghāśā mogha-karmāṇaḥ. That is not the process to find out real pleasure. If you have to find out real pleasure, then you have to take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to be trained up in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Then you will have to change your habits in this way. You will find ananta. Ramante yoginaḥ anante (CC Madhya 9.29). Unlimited happiness which will never end, never end. Ramante yoginaḥ anante satyānande. That is real happiness that does not end. Don't you see? Is there happiness in the material world, in your sense enjoyment, which does not end? It begins and ends, say, for few minutes or few hours or few seconds. It ends. But real happiness has no end. That is real happiness.

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

Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). Premāñjana. When you have got your developed love of God... This is quite natural. Just like you somebody, loves somebody. You love some person or... You always think of him. That is quite natural. Anyone. That is the objective of love. But because we are..., our love in this material world is a perverted reflection of the love of God, love can be applied only to God. In this material world there is no love. It is all lust. There cannot be any love. The word love can be applied only to God. So these are only perverted reflection, what is going on in the name of love. There is no love. So the nature of love is this, that the lover wants every moment to see without any remuneration, without any return. That is real love.

Lecture on BG 10.4-5 -- New York, January 4, 1967:

No. You are simply instrument in the hands of Kṛṣṇa. That is intelligence. Therefore you should work as Kṛṣṇa desires. That is real intelligence. If you work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is real intelligence. And if you work against Kṛṣṇa, that is foolishness. That is the distinction between intelligent and foolishness. Jñānam. Jñāna means knowledge. Now, so far knowledge is concerned, here is a key packet. If you want to make research who has made this packet, who has discovered it, in which country first it was introduced, in what material it is made, oh, you can write volumes of books. You can speculate in any damn thing, and you can write volumes of books. That does not mean that you are a man of knowledge. There are so many.

Lecture on BG 12.13-14 -- Bombay, May 12, 1974:

This is the process. Dṛḍha-niścaya. Mayy arpita-mano-buddhiḥ: Mind and intelligence is always focussed towards the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, mayy arpita, to the form of Kṛṣṇa. That is real meditation. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ. You come to the temple, take the impression of this Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, and always think of Him. That is the highest, topmost yoga system.

Therefore the Deity worship is very important. If you are engaged in Deity worship, you always get impression of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī. And if you think of Kṛṣṇa and Rādhārāṇī always within your heart, then you become the topmost yogi. Mayy arpita-mano-buddhiḥ. Yo mad-bhaktaḥ. "In this way, one who executes devotional service," sa me priyaḥ, "he is very dear to Me." So if you want to be dear, if you want to be seen by Kṛṣṇa, if you want to be seen by God, follow this instruction and your life will be successful. Thank you very much. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Paris, August 10, 1973:

How it is possible? Just try to understand three things only. Then you'll get something. What is that? Kṛṣṇa says that: "I am the enjoyer, You are not enjoyer." Nobody's enjoyer. If you understand this, that Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer. One, out of the three items, one, bhoktā. Everyone in this material world, they are, everyone is trying to become enjoyer, the first-class enjoyer, number one enjoyer. But it is not possible. Nobody can enjoy. Only Kṛṣṇa is the enjoyer, and if we cooperate with Kṛṣṇa, through His enjoyment, we can enjoy. This is our position. So this is real knowledge.

Every rascal is trying to become enjoyer. This is the material world. Everyone is after sense. Even the so-called prakṛti, woman, the propensity is to enjoy. Puruṣa. Therefore here in this material world, even though a woman is dressed like a woman, his mind is puruṣa. He wants, she wants to enjoy. Here the woman wants a man. Although superficially it is supposed that man is the enjoyer, the woman is enjoyed. but actually the woman also wants to enjoy the man. That is māyā. A prakṛti cannot enjoy, become puruṣa. So in the Bhagavad-gītā, the living entities are described as prakṛti.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Paris, August 10, 1973:

Not that God, or God's representative says: "Thou shalt not kill." And I go on killing in the slaughterhouse. And when asked why I am killing, I give my, some interpretation of my own. This rascaldom is going on. Nobody's religious. Because nobody's following the orders of God. Neither... Anybody... Māṁ ca vetti na kaścana. Kṛṣṇa says that: "I know past, present, future, everything." That is confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Janmādy asya yataḥ anvayāt itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ (SB 1.1.1). Abhijñaḥ means one who knows. And Kṛṣṇa confirms it: "Yes, I know, past, present, future, everything." That is Kṛṣṇa. That is God. Therefore His order is supreme. So we have to follow His order. That is real religion. Puruṣa. Puruṣa is giving order.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

These are the Vedic statement. And our process of knowledge, Veda... Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. Supreme knowledge, perfect knowledge, that is Veda. So Kṛṣṇa is the supreme person. He is the speaker of Vedas. The subject matter of Vedas is to know Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). If you are a student of Vedas, then you must have clear conception of God. That is real knowledge, no vague idea, but clear conception. That is knowledge, Vedic knowledge, ultimate... Therefore the Vedānta philosophy. Veda means knowledge, and anta means the ultimate. Everything has got ultimate. So Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge of Vedas. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. You will find in the fifteenth chapter. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

The other day I was speaking that a man's father has died and he is crying, "My father has gone away. So my father..." Your father is lying on the bed. The father which you have seen so long, life long, the body, that is on the bed. Why you are crying your father is gone? That means he has never seen his father, neither the father has seen the son. Everyone sees this body, but not the owner of the body. That is the defect of modern education, that everyone by contemplation can understand that "This finger is my finger, not 'I' finger." Still, he cannot understand that he is different from this body. That is to be understood. That is real knowledge.

Kṣetra-kṣetra-jñayor jñānam. One should have very clear knowledge that "I am not this body. This is my body." You are not this body; it is your body. You are spirit; I am spirit. We are different from this body. This is the first instruction given in the Bhagavad-gītā in the beginning.

Lecture on BG 13.1-3 -- Durban, October 13, 1975:

We are not this body. I am not this body; you are not this body. We are changing body every moment, imperceptibly, changing body. Sometimes it is found that the child has grown now to become a boy. But he has not become suddenly a boy. The body has changed. Body has changed every minute. But all of a sudden or at a certain moment we see that the body has changed. So this is real knowledge, that "I am not this body. I am changing my body, and when I shall finally change this body I will get another body." This is my position. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13).

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

As soon as we forget Kṛṣṇa, as soon as we forget that this body is given by Kṛṣṇa, this body should be utilized for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa... That is real sense. That is real knowledge. If I am given this apartment by somebody to live, I cannot dissatisfy him. Then I'll be asked: "Please vacate." That will be a distressed condition for me.

So why people are suffering? The people are suffering because he have been, one has been given all the facilities, as he desires, but because that is his own program, it is not satisfied. If he accepts Kṛṣṇa's program, then he'll be satisfied. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are asking people to follow Kṛṣṇa's program. Don't plan your own rascal program. You'll never be happy. But we are busy for rascal program. We do not know what is happening as a resultant action. That means: yajñārthāt karmaṇaḥ anyatra karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). If you work simply for satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is called yajña. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Yajña. Or Viṣṇu. Yajñeśvara. So yajñārthe karma, that's nice. You are free from any interaction or resultant action of your karma. You are not responsible.

Lecture on BG 13.3 -- Hyderabad, April 19, 1974:

So government at the present moment... Everywhere we see defective government. Therefore there is agitation against government. There are parties. One party is agitating to take the seat of the government. When he goes, then another party agitates. Because everyone is imperfect. Therefore they cannot give the real law so that the citizens may be happy and peaceful. That is the defect. But when we receive from the perfect the laws, then we become peaceful and perfect. Yayātmā suprasīdati. That is real law.

That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that

vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ
janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ
jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam
(SB 1.2.7)

If we engage ourself in the service of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Vāsudeva is another name of Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa appeared as the son of Vasudeva, and Vāsudeva means all-pervading also... So Kṛṣṇa is both. He is the son of Vasudeva. He appears. He accepts. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Although He is the original source of everything, still, He appears like a human being, becoming the son of His devotee like Vasudeva or Nanda Mahārāja, like that, or Mahārāja Daśaratha. That is his option. He can appear from anywhere.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

So when we come to our spiritual consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then we immediately become ānandamaya. That is real knowledge. brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣ..., samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). Then you can understand that "All the living entities, they are also soul, equally..., equally important like me. As I am important, so all the living entities, they are also my brothers." That is called universal brotherhood, on the spiritual platform. In the material platform it is not possible, because material platform means ignorance. He does not know what he is. Then when you come to the spiritual platform, then you can understand that "This dog is also a spirit soul; this learned brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul; this elephant is also a spirit soul." Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Hyderabad, April 20, 1974:

As I am important, so all the living entities, they are also my brothers." That is called universal brotherhood, on the spiritual platform. In the material platform it is not possible, because material platform means ignorance. He does not know what he is. Then when you come to the spiritual platform, then you can understand that "This dog is also a spirit soul; this learned brāhmaṇa is also a spirit soul; this elephant is also a spirit soul." Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

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

That is real sama-darśinaḥ. And so long we are on the material platform we may preach sama-darśinaḥ, so many ism, philanthropism, nationalism, this ism, that... These are all false. You cannot come into the equal level. Only spiritual level, through spiritual understanding that "Now, we are all soul," brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54).

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Miami, February 27, 1975:

So when we get that spiritual knowledge, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54), prasannātmā, then there is no difference. A learned person who has realized Brahman, spiritual realization, he looks everyone on the equal level. He knows that it is a dog or it is a cat on account of this body. He is neither cat, neither dog, neither I am human being. We are all spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. This is understanding. This is real understanding.

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

Those who are learned, they see that "Here is a learned brāhmaṇa, and here is a dog, and here is a hog, and he is a dog-eater. There is an elephant. There is a cow. So they are in different dresses only, and the real occupier of the dress, or the body..."

Lecture on BG 13.6-7 -- Montreal, October 25, 1968:

This is more or less sāṅkhya philosophy, analysis of material elements. We are embodied in material elements. Kṛṣṇa is questioned by Arjuna, "What is this body and who is the owner of this body, and what is knowledge?" Kṛṣṇa has answered that "The soul is the owner of this body, and I also, I am also the owner of this body." The owner of this body, one individual soul and the Supersoul. Just like owner of this storefront. The tenant is in one sense an owner; at the same time the landlord is also owner. These points we have discussed. Now, Kṛṣṇa has also discussed that the knowledge by which we can understand the soul, the Supersoul, and the material embodiment, that is real knowledge.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, September 30, 1973:

What Kṛṣṇa says? Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is Vedānta. If you learn how to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, that is real understanding of Vedānta. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). This conclusion comes of the Vedantist, so-called Vedantist. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate. This is the ultimate understanding of Vedānta. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). If one understands that Kṛṣṇa is everything, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything... That is the Vedānta, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is the beginning of Vedānta-sūtra, the origin, to understand the origin of everything, the original source of everything. And that is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 13.8-12 -- Bombay, October 5, 1973:

That should be the principle. Because you have learned something about devotional service, you should give your experience to such person, but not to accept their behavior. If you keep this in view, then you will be preacher. And if you become victimized by his association, then you are doomed. You should give him the opportunity of your association, whatever you know, whatever you have learned about bhakti-yoga. When you go to meet a person, you should try to inform him, "This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You also take to it." As Caitanya Mahāprabhu... Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa-upadeśa' (CC Madhya 7.128). Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa-upadeśa'.

This is real business. Adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvam. Spiritual knowledge. That is eternal knowledge. It will not break. If you learn spiritual knowledge, a little of it in this life, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt, then you will be saved from the greatest danger. Tattva-jñānārtha-darśanam. If you want to become philosopher, then you philosophize for understanding the tattva-jñāna.

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha... (Bs. 5.35). He is not only within this universe, but He is also within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara... Paramāṇu means atom. In this way Lord Viṣṇu is expanded, and He is jñeyam, He is to be understood. Jñāna, knowledge, simply material knowledge, is not perfection of knowledge. Real knowledge is to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, Viṣṇu. That is real knowledge. That is explained here. Jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣyāmi: "I shall now explain to you what is the ultimate goal of knowledge."

Lecture on BG 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

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 13.13 -- Bombay, October 6, 1973:

Just like father. Father is giving some child, some son, nice sweetmeat, and the other son comes, "No you cannot take it." Does it mean that father is partial? No, father is kind both the child. He knows that he cannot eat. So similarly, two things are going on parallel. Some are punishments, some are maintenance by the laws of God, but he knows how to do it. We have to accept His law. That is... Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇaḥ (SB 10.14.8). Therefore a devotee is never disturbed by the so-called pains and pleasure of this world. He is never disturbed. He knows his duty, how to execute Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is real devotee. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66).

So Kṛṣṇa said that dharma-saṁsthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge. Then what is that dharma? He did not come here to reestablish Hinduism or Muslimism or Christianism. No. He came to give you real dharma. What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is dharma, to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa, I am eternally Your servant. I forgot You. Now I come to my senses. I surrender unto You." This is dharma. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). This sense, real sense, comes when after struggling, struggling for many, many births, one becomes wise. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. Jñānavān means wise. Not fools and rascals. Jñānavān māṁ prapadyate: "He surrenders unto Me." So anyone who is surrendering to Kṛṣṇa, taking to Kṛṣṇa or devotional service fully, he is the most intelligent man. He's not cats and dogs or rascals. Because Kṛṣṇa says, jñānavān. This is real knowledge. That will be explained.

Lecture on BG 13.14 -- Bombay, October 7, 1973:

So here jñāna means, to understand the Paraṁ Brahman means, sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādam: "Paraṁ Brahman has got pāṇi, hands, and pāda, and legs, everywhere." How it is possible? That is knowledge. That is knowledge. It is possible because we are part and parcels of Kṛṣṇa, we have got our hands and legs, therefore Kṛṣṇa has got his hands and legs everywhere. But our hands and legs are now engaged otherwise. It is not for Kṛṣṇa. That is called illusion. Actually, the hands and legs belong to Kṛṣṇa. My hands, it is not my hand, it is Kṛṣṇa's hand. My leg, it is Kṛṣṇa's leg, but in māyā, in illusion, it is covered, upādhi. My hand means it is Indian hand." "My leg means Indian leg." "My hand means American hand." "My leg means American leg." No. It is neither American leg, neither Indian leg, neither Indian hand, nor American hand. It is all Kṛṣṇa's hands and legs. That you have to realize. That is real knowledge. That is jñeyam. You have to understand that you are not the proprietor of these hands and legs. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor.

Lecture on BG 13.16 -- Bombay, October 10, 1973:

Everything we can know. This human form of body is specially meant for that purpose. You can understand what you are, what is this material nature, what is God and how we are related, how things are going on. Everything is there, but we are so foolish that we do not take care. We live like cats and dogs, eat something and sleep and have sexual intercourse and then we are afraid always and then die. This is cats' and dogs' life. Real life is to know, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That is real life, human life. One must be inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, brahma-jijñāsā, not inquiring in the market, "What is the rate of share? What is the rate of rice? No, not for this inquiry. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. To inquire about the Absolute Truth, uttamam, beyond this material nature. Udgata tamam. This material nature is called tama. Tamaso mā jyotir gama. These are the Vedic injunctions.

Lecture on BG 13.19 -- Bombay, October 13, 1973:

Therefore yogis they try to find out God within the heart. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). Yogi, those who are yogis, transcendentalists, they are trying to observe the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita, by meditation. That is real meditation, to focus the mind to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead within the heart. But who can see? That is also described in the śāstra. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu (Bs. 5.38), again hṛdayeṣu, hṛdayeṣu. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ, santaḥ, saintly person, being developed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in love of Kṛṣṇa...

Premāñjana. And smearing the eyes with the ointment of love of Kṛṣṇa. We can see Kṛṣṇa, God, with these eyes when it is anointed with the particular medicine which is called love of Godhead. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ (Bs. 5.38), not ordinary man, santaḥ. Advanced saintly persons. Santaḥ sadaiva paśyanti. Where, where they see? Hṛdayeṣu, in their own heart. Santaḥ hṛdayeṣu paśyanti. Yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **.

Lecture on BG 13.20 -- Bombay, October 14, 1973:

If you want to become enjoyer, then you are thief. Stena eva sa ucyate (BG 3.12). Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). You cannot be happy with stolen property. So everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). Whatever we are trying to enjoy, it is stolen property. The philosophy is tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā. You can enjoy whatever is allotted to you by Kṛṣṇa. Tene tyak... Mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam. Don't try to encroach upon other's property. This is real proposition for peace and prosperity. But we are trying to become the biggest enjoyer, and we are trying to encroach upon others' property, others' life, others' jurisdiction. Therefore there is no peace. There cannot be peace.

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

But the disease is birth and death. Even if you take birth in the Brahmaloka, Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16). Even if you promoted to the Brahmaloka, the highest planet, there is also death. You cannot avoid. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9). That is real knowledge, that "I don't want to die, but I am forced to die. I don't want to become old man, but I am forced to become old man. I don't want any disease, but disease is forced upon me." So these are the real problems.

So Kṛṣṇa says that ābrahma lo... If... You may get very long duration of life, very comfortable life, in higher planetary system. Just like people are engaged in doing, I mean to, pious activities. The result of pious activities is that you get your birth in a very good family, in a rich family, you get beauty, you become educated, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). Janma means birth, high-class birth. And aiśvarya means opulence, riches. And śruta means education, and śrī means beauty. So by pious activities you can get all these things.

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

Therefore it is said, tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. If you are intelligent, then you should try, you should engage your life, how to get out of this cycle of birth and death. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). We have to purify our existence so that we can revive our original position of eternal life, blissful life, full of knowledge. That is our requirement.

So modern civilization, they have no such information. Everyone is trying to improve his condition according to the quality. But that is not improvement. Real improvement is how to get out of this cycle of birth and death. That is real improvement. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. Thank you very much. So I will have to go with Mr. Ganatra. You can have your ārati. (end)

Lecture on BG 13.24 -- Bombay, October 23, 1973:

Therefore we must know. This is knowledge. This is knowledge. This body, kṣetra, the owner of the body, kṣetra-jña, and the proprietor of the body, the Paramātmā, the owner of the body. We have already discussed all these things. You should remember very nicely. That is real knowledge. Jñānam.

What is the process of knowledge? Amānitvam adambhitvaṁ kṣāntir ārjavam ācāryopāsanaṁ bhakti-yogam. To know the problems of life, This is knowledge. The aim of life. The aim of life is not to take birth again. So who is understanding all these things. Nobody is interested. Simply they are interested in the animalistic way of life. That's all. Just like animals. But Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, says that "One should know this." Ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtiṁ ca guṇaiḥ... And the qualities of the prakṛti, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. Guṇaiḥ saha. Simply know the earth, water, air, fire.

Lecture on BG 15.1 -- Bombay, October 28, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa has already described bhakti-yoga. Now He is describing about the activities of this material world. Traiguṇya-viṣayā. Activities of the material world means to act in such a way that you become liberated at the end and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is real activities of this material world, not to act as the animals—eating, sleeping, mating. So this material world is now described, compared with a banyan tree which has its root upwards, above. That means this material world is created from the spiritual world. Eko nārāyaṇa āsīt. In the spiritual world there is always Nārāyaṇa. Even Śaṅkarācārya, he says nārāyaṇaḥ avyaktāt paraḥ. The spiritual world has nothing to do with this material world. This material world is created. Just like the banyan tree. It takes its root and it is created. So the seed of the creation is in the spiritual world. Sa īkṣata, sa asṛjata. The creation is coming from the spiritual world. Spiritual world means the kingdom of God, Nārāyaṇa, or Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Hawaii, January 31, 1975:

Therefore when you come to the daivī sampat, then you understand that we all are brothers, universal brotherhood. Not that "The American is my brother, and the American cows are not my brother. Let them go to the slaughterhouse." This is all defective understanding. The real understanding is that "God, or Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme father, and we are all sons of God." This is real under... Paṇḍitaḥ. That is real knowledge. Therefore those who are in real knowledge, sama-darśinaḥ, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ.

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

Paṇḍita, one paṇḍita, one who is learned... Paṇḍita means learned, and he knows that "These Americans, these Europeans, these Africans or these Indians or these cows, these dogs and the elephant, trees, the plants, the fish—they have got different dress only, but the soul is the same. The living force within the body, that is the same particle, spiritual particle, part and parcel of the supreme spirit, Kṛṣṇa." This is daivī sampat.

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

"No desire" does not mean no desire for serving Kṛṣṇa. That is real desire. Other desires are artificial. That is material. But the desire to... That is called Kṛṣṇa consciousness. When all our desires are for serving Kṛṣṇa... Desires you cannot give up. That is not possible. Desires will remain there, but at the present moment, in the conditional stage, the desires are being misused. That is the defect. Therefore the definition of bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Śūnya means zero. That is called nirvāṇa. The Buddha philosophy advocates nirvāṇa, no more desire. That is their philosophy. "By desire, you are becoming implicated, so make all your desires extinct. Then there will be no more feelings of pains and pleasure. Desirelessness."

Lecture on BG 17.1-3 -- Honolulu, July 4, 1974:

So he does not want these rules and scriptures? He has marked this? Hm. Yes. But Kṛṣṇa, er, personally, Vyāsadeva has purposefully written here, śrī bhagavān uvāca: "Bhagavān the Supreme Person, the ultimate..." Bhagavān means the ultimate. Just like in some country there is supreme court. So when the judgement is given by the Supreme Court, that is final. And when it was monarchy, the order given by the king, that is final—no more questioning. Similarly, when it is mentioned, śrī bhagavān uvāca, that means it is final. No more argument, no more logic Logic is there argument is there but it is final. No waste of time anymore. What Bhagavān says, that is called paramparā. The first utterances, order, or statement, or judgement, is given by the Supreme Lord, and if that is followed through the disciplic chain, that is real understanding, real knowledge.

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

So anyone who is in the modes of goodness, he's not equal to the person who is in the modes of ignorance. That is not possible. There is difference, but they should be trained up in such a way that they can cooperate to understand the (this) Absolute Truth. That is first-class society. That is real perfect human society. So here it is said

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam
(BG 18.42)

If you want to train the first-class men then they should be qualified like this. Śamaḥ, śamaḥ means controlling the senses. Controlling the senses, śamaḥ. Damaḥ, controlling the mind. These are very disturbing elements, our senses are very disturbing elements. My eye is dictating, "Please take me to see that naked dance," Yes. "Yes, come on, I'm going." So, the eyes are dictating some way, the tongue is dictating some way, the ear is dictating some way. Therefore, one should be trained up not to be dictated by the senses, but he must be master of the senses.

Page Title:That is real... (Lectures, BG)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:23 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=153, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:153