This is practical (Lectures, Other)

Expressions researched:
"that is practical" |"this is a practical" |"this is also one practical" |"this is our most practical" |"this is our practical" |"this is practical" |"this is scientific and practical" |"this is showing the practical" |"this is the practical" |"this is very practical"

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1972:

They have understood this philosophy that Kṛṣṇa is neither Indian nor Hindu or this or that. Kṛṣṇa is Supreme Personality of Godhead. He's father of everyone. They've understood in this spirit. Therefore they're working for Kṛṣṇa. Without any motive. This is practical. Not only Europe and... Everywhere. Everywhere, all over the world. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there in everybody.

Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti. This devotional service of Kṛṣṇa is dormant in everyone. It is, it has to be awakened. That's all. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. Simply by hearing, śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanam (SB 1.2.17). If you simply hear Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the representative of Kṛṣṇa... As Caitanya Mahāprabhu directed, bhāgavata paro diya bhāgavata sthane. One should hear about Bhāgavata from the devotee. There are two kinds of Bhāgavata, the book Bhāgavata and the person Bhāgavata. So we have to relish the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the contents of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from a devotee who is self-realized. Then it will be very nice. Satāṁ prasaṅgād mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. When you hear about Kṛṣṇa from a Kṛṣṇa devotee, it becomes very pleasing to the ear and the heart. Hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ. Therefore to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa... Tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Tad vidhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā. This is the process. So this Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu is the science of devotional service. If one wants to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead...

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:

The elephant... Hasti-snāna, hasti-snāna. This is very practical example. The elephant takes bath in the lake, very profusely throws water on his body, and becomes cleansed, and as soon as he comes on the shore, he takes again dust and spreads over his body. So these are natural examples. Similarly, there are different processes for getting out of the reaction of sinful activities, but you..., we take it. But if we again commit those sinful activities, then what is the use of such penance or prāyaścitta? Hasti-snāna. The example is given as hasti-snāna. Take, for example, it is said by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra one is released from all sinful activities immediately. Eka hari nāma yata pāpa kare, pāpī haya tato pāpa kari bare nare. It is a fact. Just like Ajāmila. His whole life was full of sinful activities, but at the time of death, because he uttered the holy name of Nārāyaṇa, he became immediately released. That's a fact. But if we commit again sinful activities, then what is the use of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra? Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. This is one of the ten offenses. If anyone thinks that "I am chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It is reacting all the effects of my sinful life. Then again I can commit and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. It is very good business..." No. That is great offense. Nāmno balād yasya hi pāpa-buddhiḥ. One should not indulge in such a way. Jagāi-Mādhāi was accepted by Lord Caitanya only on the promise that they would not commit any more any sinful activities. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy is there for everyone. He can accept everyone. One who is sinful, that is not disqualification. Because in this age, Kali-yuga, more or less, everyone is sinful. Then nobody can be claimed to be liberated by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will give you, give you relief from all sinful activities, provided you don't commit it again. Otherwise, it will be like hasti-snāna, the example of the elephant, and it will be a great offense. If on the strength of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra we continue to commit sinful activities, that is great offense.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.4 -- Mayapur, March 28, 1975:

If we simply keep Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu within our heart, then it will be very easy to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, because if you understand Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. Janma karma ca divyaṁ me yo jānāti tattvataḥ. That is only. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means just try to understand Kṛṣṇa; then your life is successful. Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who understands Me, why I come here, what is My activities," tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma (BG 4.9), "he becomes liberated. After giving up this body, he does not accept any material body. In his own spiritual body he goes back to home, back to Godhead." This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So if you don't go through Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu, it will be very difficult to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is practical. Just like you young boys and girls from Western countries. You have taken up Kṛṣṇa so seriously. Why? Because we are trying to understand Kṛṣṇa through Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So we should follow this principle. There will be no difficulty to understand Kṛṣṇa. And as soon as you understand Kṛṣṇa, your life is successful. Of course, we cannot understand Kṛṣṇa fully. As far as possible, at least if we understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this much is sufficient. This much is sufficient. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (BG 10.8). Aham ādir hi devānām (Bg 10.2). These things are there, already stated, but the so-called scholars and politicians, they misinterpret in a different way and mislead the people. That is going on. Therefore, in spite of Bhagavad-gītā being read all over the world for the last two hundred years, not a single person became a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is the defect.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.109-114 -- San Francisco, February 20, 1967:

Prabhupāda: Eh?

Bhaktijana: What's left when Kṛṣṇa takes...?

Prabhupāda: That is spiritual. Unless it is spiritual... Just like... First try to understand how it is spiritual. Of course, in our gross vision, we see, "Oh, we offer this capati to Kṛṣṇa, and Swamijī said namo brahmaṇya devāya, and it becomes spiritual." Yes. It becomes spiritual. How? That we have to understand by the result. Phalena paricīyate. If you eat this spiritual food, you'll get spiritual strength. That is practical. Just like I'll give you another example: milk. You take more milk preparation, you get diarrhea. You go to a physician, he'll say, "Yes. Today you take only yogurt mixed with little salt and black pepper." Cured, diarrhea cured. Now, you can say, "The same milk?" But it is treated. Therefore it cures. You can say, "Oh, the same milk? Yogurt is also milk." But it is treated. Therefore it cures. So you'll find that your material disease is being cured by spiritual foodstuff. That is practical. Therefore it is spiritual.

Woman: Uh, does belief in any scripture, or..., any scripture whatsoever, such as the Bible or Koran...?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Woman: Does belief in any scripture...

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes.

Woman: ...lead to salvation?

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.102 -- Baltimore, July 7, 1976:

So, but after all, this is disturbance. I don't like it, but the fly will come and disturb me. So there is no question that "Why this fly is coming and giving me disturbance? I do not want it." This is sane man's inquiry. But there is no inquiry. I do not want... There are three kinds, jāre tāpa-traya, three kinds of miserable condition. One is called ādhyātmika, another is called ādhidaivika, another is called ādhibhautika. Ādhyātmika means pertaining to the body and mind. All of a sudden my mind is not in order. Suppose a friend has come to talk with me, so I refuse to talk, I am not in mood. We have got this experience. "I cannot talk with you, mind is not in order." This is happening daily, every moment. This is called ādhyātmika. I did not want it, but it has come. All of a sudden I am feeling some headache. I did not want it, but it came. This is our practical experience.

So this kind of troubles I don't want. There are always, either ādhyātmika, ādhibhautika, ādhidaivika, that is you are suffering. In this material world means the suffering is going on. We are thinking we are very safe, running in the car. At any moment there may be accident. At any moment. I do not want it, my life may go. So this is sane man's life, that "So many things, I do not want them, but they are enforced upon me, and I do not know how to get out of it." The fly is coming, disturbing. I can simply make some spray to kill it, as you do generally, but that killing is another risk. But those who do not know, they kill it. Because you have no right to kill. Suppose a man is disturbing you. So if you kill, you become a murderer and you'll be taken into the court and you'll be punished, and if you say, "This man was disturbing me; therefore I have killed him," that is no excuse. You have killed this man; you must suffer.

Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures

Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971:

There are so many. But these things are now gone. So the point is that they were calculating especially to accept a girl from a family, they must be equal. But Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that if a girl is well qualified, strī-ratna... Strī-ratna means... Ratna means jewel. If a girl is just like jewel, very qualified, even she is born in low family, accept her. Nīcād apy uttamāṁ vidyāṁ strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Duṣkulād api means born of low family. Never mind. Don't care for her parentage. If she's qualified, accept her. There are many instances. Similarly, if you are serious about understanding God, don't consider that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "Why shall I go this? Why shall I hear from Swamijī?" If you are serious about understanding God, to love God, then here is the nicest process. That is practical. There is no question of grudging, "Oh, why shall I go there? They are following some Hindu, Vedic scripture." No. There is no question of Vedic scripture. We, our business is how to love God. That's all. Just like many students come here to take higher education. As there is no consideration that "Why shall I go to America or Germany? They are different people. Oh, I don't take higher education." No. Everyone goes. Similarly, if there is nice process to understand God, to approach God, you should take it. Don't be grudging. Take it. You'll be benefited. Kevalayā bhaktyā.

Festival Lectures

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

And according to some, twenty-five, and according to some, twenty-six. According to our Vaiṣṇava philosophy, twenty-six. According to Māyāvāda philosophy, this is twenty-five. And according to impersonal philosophy or void philosophy, it is twenty-four. So originally, it is eight. So in this way... Buddha philosophy means that this whole existence of our body or our self is the combination of matter. That is the way of thinking of modern scientists also, that this body is a combination of matter. Under Darwin's theory also, like that, "organic matter, inorganic matter." They are studying evolution of this matter, organic matter. But actually that is not the fact. The fact is that use, individual soul, that is the real fact. And that individual soul is the seed, and upon that seed, this body has developed. According to our Vedic understanding, the body develops on the seed. This is very practical. Why we have got different bodies, different types of bodies? Because the condition of the seed is different. The seed is the spirit soul, and by material contact it is covered by finer body, intelligence, mind, and ego. And according to the quality of that ego, we develop different kinds of this material gross body. Therefore somebody has developed the body in the modes of goodness, because material nature is divided into three qualities: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Somebody has developed body in the modes of passion. Somebody has developed body in the modes of ignorance. But the root is the spirit soul. And the finer cover is desire, ego, intelligence, mind. And the gross cover is this body.

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973:

It is awakened. Love for Kṛṣṇa, devotion for Kṛṣṇa, is there within everyone's heart, but he has forgotten. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply meant for awakening that Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is the process. Just like when you are sleeping, your, I have to call you loudly—"Mr. such and such, such and such, get up. You have got this business." No other senses will act when you are sleeping. But the ear will act. Therefore, in this age, when people are so fallen they will not hear anything, if we chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he'll be awakened to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical.

So actually if we are anxious for peace and tranquillity in society, then we must be very serious to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is our request. Don't take it neglectfully, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This movement can solve all the problems of life, all the problems in the world. Social, political, philosophical, religious, economical—everything can be solved by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore, we request those who are leaders—just like His Excellency is present here—you should try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is very scientific, authorized. It is not a mental concoction or sentimental movement. It is most scientific movement. So we are inviting all leaders from all countries: try to understand. If you are sober, if you are actually reasonable, you'll understand that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the sublime movement for the welfare of the whole human society. That's a fact. Anyone may come. We are prepared to discuss this subject matter. Kṛṣṇa bhūliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. We should not...

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, SB 6.3.24 -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971:

So that body I have to take not by my whim. Daivena. Daiva-netreṇa: by the decision of higher authorities. Daiva, generally, it means the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His agents. He has got many. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). So the material agent is Durgā. So I create a mentality by my association with this material world. There are three kinds of qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So one of them or mixed, I will have to accept. Because I am associating. Just like... It is not difficult. If you associate with the hippies, you will become hippie. If you associate with the hippies, you will become hippie. If you associate with the Vaiṣṇava, you become Vaiṣṇava. That is practical. So similarly, if you associate with tamo-guṇa... One of the features of tamo-guṇa is laziness and sleepy. I am against so much sleeping because it is tamo-guṇa. And the features of rajo-guṇa is very active, but for sense gratification. Just like ordinary persons, they are very active. They rise also early in the morning, they work very hard, but the whole plan is for sense gratification. That's all. That is rajo-guṇa. And sattva-guṇa means they are silent, they are sober, they know what is what, and they try for spiritual advancement. That is sattva-guṇa.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Lecture -- Calcutta, March 20, 1975:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is transcendental, paro dharmaḥ. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Para means above, above the so-called religious system. So this is not our manufactured thing. It is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the beginning, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ atra: "Any kind of kaitavaḥ, pretentious or false, illusory...," kaitavaḥ. Kaitavaḥ means cheating. "Cheating type of religion is rejected, thrown away," projjhita. Prākṛṣṭa-rūpeṇa ujjhita. Just like we sweep over the floor, we take the last particle of dust and throw it away, similarly, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious means we have to give up all these so-called or cheating type of religious system. Because experience has shown that following the so many different designated religious systems, nobody has attained the platform of how to love God. Nobody has attained. This is practical experience. It is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He introduced. But Lord Kṛṣṇa gave hint that "This is real religion, mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja. This is religion." Any other religion, system of religion, which does not train the followers, how to love God, that is cheating type of religion. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, premā pum-artho mahān. And Bhāgavata says also. Real achievement of success in life is how to love God, or Kṛṣṇa. That is the highest perfection of life.

So lokasya ajānataḥ. The foolish people, they do not know it. Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. Because people, they do not know what is religion, what can give them actual relief, therefore vidvān, Vyāsadeva, vidvān, Vedavyāsa, vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitām... The sātvata-saṁhitām. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is sātvata-saṁhitā.

Arrival Address -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa instructed Brahmā, Brahmā instructed Nārada, Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva, Vyāsadeva instructed Madhvācārya, and, in this way, then Mādhavendra Purī, Īśvara Purī, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then the Six Gosvāmīs, then the Śrīnivāsa Ācārya, Kavirāja Gosvāmī, Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Jagannātha dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī, Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and then we are doing the same thing. There is no difference. That is the specific procedure of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You are singing daily, guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koriyā aikya, ār nā koriho mane āśā **. Very simple thing. We are receiving the transcendental knowledge through guru-paramparā succession. So we have to simply take instruction from guru, and if we execute that to our heart and soul, that is success. That is practical.

Initiation Lectures

Lecture & Initiation -- Seattle, October 20, 1968:

"For self-realization simply you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and see the result." No. They'll not accept. Therefore unfortunate. If you are canvassing the best thing, the easiest process, but they'll not accept, they want to be cheated... You see? Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ (SB 1.1.10). And harassed by so many things—this Draft Board, this board, that board, this, that, so many things. This is their position. Short life, very slow, no understanding, and if they want to understand, they want to be cheated, they are unfortunate, and disturbed. This is the position of the present days. It doesn't matter whether you are born in America or in India, this is the whole position.

So there is a great need of this movement, and we are spreading this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and this is practical, very easy, and just suitable for this age. It doesn't consider how much you are qualified. It doesn't consider. Whatever your past life may be, you simply come here, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa with your tongue—God has given you a tongue—and taste Kṛṣṇa prasāda, Love Feast, and make your life successful. Very easy process. So this is our program. So invite anyone to join this movement, and you'll be benefited. And you will see practically. It is pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyam. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that this process of self-realization is directly perceivable.

Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968:

How a man becomes wise? After being baffled or frustrated many, many times, he can understand this is not the process. And the Vedānta-sūtra also places the first, athāto brahma jijñāsā. When one is frustrated in all plan-making business, for him, the Vedānta-sūtra gives him the opportunity, "Now your all plans have failed. Come here." Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now try to understand what is Brahman." This is the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra. Just try to understand Brahman. So in this way... This initiation also. Initiation means the first beginning, how to become purified. This is initiation. Because this devotional service means the process of purification. Now every one of you, individually you can understand how you are becoming purified from your past life. That is practical. Yes. How you are becoming purified. So this initiation means the beginning of purificatory process. And the purificatory process, what is that? This mantra, yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ. Anyone who always remembers, or whenever he remembers, if not always, as soon as he remembers, puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraṁ śuciḥ, he becomes immediately purified internally and externally.

Initiation Lecture and Bhagavan dasa's Marriage Ceremony -- New Vrindaban, June 4, 1969:

Pra means intensely, and mattaḥ, mattaḥ means intoxicated. So the disease, material disease, is intensely intoxicated in the matter of sense gratification. This is material disease. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma. And impelled by this propensity of sense gratification, they are prepared to do any kind of nonsense. Vikarma. Vikarma means what we should not do. Just like a man steals. He knows that stealing is not good, but he wants to satisfy some sense; therefore he is committing stealing also. Therefore he is mad. He knows that "If I am arrested for this stealing or committing this offense, I'll be punished. I may be hanged or..." There are so many things. But still, because he is mad after some sense gratification, he commits such sinful activities. This is practical. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). Vikarma means the actions which we should not have done. Why? Yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti. Indriya, indriya means sense. Prītaya means satisfaction. Simply for the satisfaction of the senses. If one is philosopher, he can understand, "Why we should be so much busy for sense gratification?" Now we can give one example. Everyone is trying, working hard for his sense gratification. Nobody is trying... Suppose if I say that "I want to satisfy my senses in this way. Will you kindly work for it?" Nobody will... "Oh, why I shall work for you? You can work for your own satisfaction." Nobody will.

Initiation Lecture -- Boston, December 26, 1969:

You keep yourself. And for keeping yourself in that consciousness, the simple method is this chanting, Hare Kṛṣṇa. You keep yourself chanting as many hours, twenty-four hours. Why as many hours? Twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Lord Caitanya says, "This is to be practiced twenty-four hours." And that you can do. It requires simply practice. Even in sleeping you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Even in sleeping. And there is no bar. In sleeping, in eating, in going to the toilet room, there is no restriction. You can go on, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." You see. That will keep you in your svarūpa, in your real identification, and you'll never be attacked by māyā. Just like if you keep yourself vaccinated and if the period... What is called? Active. Then there is no fear of being infected. That is practical. If you get yourself vaccinated of certain type of infection and you keep yourself active... Just like doctors, they go, treat patients suffering from infectious disease, but they keep themselves always unaffected. They know the remedial measures, antiseptic, prophylactic processes. So this prophylactic antiseptic process is Kṛṣṇa-kīrtanam. Paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-kīrtanam. That is Lord Caitanya's blessing. Paraṁ vijayate. All glories to the saṅkīrtana, śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtana. Kīrtana means Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana. Not any other kīrtana. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they introduce so many other kīrtanas. No. Kīrtana means Kṛṣṇa-kīrtana: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma... Or any name glorifying the name of the Lord. That is kīrtana. But this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is especially recommended in this age, and Lord Caitanya personally chanted, so we should follow. Although every name of Kṛṣṇa is as potent as the name Kṛṣṇa... Viṣṇu name, or there are thousands and thousands of names... Nāmnām akāri bahudhā. Bahudhā means there is no counting. Innumerable names. And each name has the same potency like Kṛṣṇa. But this is recommended, especially, those who take advantage. This is one thing.

Initiation Lecture Excerpt -- London, September 7, 1971:

This movement is meant for that purpose. So be careful. Don't be turned again to śūdra and mlecchas. Go on making progress to become pure Vaiṣṇava. Then your life is successful and you'll give the best service to the human society. (aside:) You can... But what can be done? Still you have to remain a Vaiṣṇava. And perhaps you know it, the tigers cannot eat daily. Tiger life means almost starvation. You'll find, if you have ever seen a real photograph in forest of a tiger, the belly is... There is no food. They cannot get food. Because they are ferocious, by nature's law, it is not allowed by the..., he'll take food every day. No. After fifteen days, one month, gets a prey and eats the blood. They cannot eat. So tiger life is not very comfortable life. (laughter) You'll have to starve. And if you become Vaiṣṇava, three times you get nice prasādam. (laughter) This is practical. You see. (laughter) You see. All these tigers, they are eating in the restaurant. What they are eating? Nonsense. And come here and see what we are eating. Practical. There is no theoretical. Practical, see. And we have no practically doctor's bill. All these tigers, they have to to pay half the income to the doctors in medicine. So many tablets advertised, in your country especially. For this disease, one tablet, for that disease, one tablet. Dozens of tablet he has to take daily. And at the night also, sleeping tablet. (laughter) But our devotees, they get good opportunity, sleeping very nicely without any tablet. Go on. (break) The centers, they should learn how to conduct this priestly work. You have practically seen, and gradually, you should take charge of everything. All right. (end)

Initiations and Lecture Sannyasa Initiation of Sudama dasa -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

He has to take sannyāsa for some years. Again he may come back to householder life. So sannyāsa order is Vedic order. Lord Buddha also appeared in India, and he inaugurated the Buddha philosophy. That is also sannyāsa. Bhikṣu. They are called bhikṣu, Buddha-bhikkhu. So this is a spiritual order. Otherwise, anyone who is acting in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a sannyāsī. That is, practical sannyāsa. So our Sudāmā das Goswami Mahārāja, from this day will... He is already engaged in preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He will now take special advantage and preach all over the world Kṛṣṇa consciousness and make his life successful. That is the mantra: etāṁ sa āsthāya parātma-niṣṭhām; parātma-niṣṭhām. Parātma-niṣṭhā means working for the Supreme, niṣṭhām. Adhyāsitāṁ pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ. Pūrvatamair mahadbhiḥ, many great ācāryas. So we are coming through paramparā system. So we at the present moment we are Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava sampradāya. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He took sannyāsa. His spiritual master, Īśvara Purī, was also a sannyāsī. His spiritual master, Mādhavendra Purī was sannyāsī. My spiritual master was Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He was also sannyāsī. I am also sannyāsī. So in this way, by the disciplic succession, we accept this sannyāsa order. That is a formality. We have to follow the formality. And this tridaṇḍī sannyāsa, this daṇḍa, rod, is consisting of four rods. Three rods means the body, mind... Karmaṇā manasā vācā. Karmaṇā means working; manasā, by thinking; vācā, by talking. Everything should be for Kṛṣṇa. And there is another rod that is the living entity. So within this packet there are four rods, symbolizing mind, body, and words. Word is very important thing. Now preaching will be through words, by presenting words. Vaikuṇṭha guṇanuvarṇane.

General Lectures

Lecture to Technology Students (M.I.T.) -- Boston, May 5, 1968:

Student (1): Do you imagine in this life an attainment of a follower...?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. There are many followers. You can ask how they have changed. We have got many letters. And here there are my students. You can ask directly how they have changed. This is practical. Yes.

Student (2): I want to make sure I understood—that chanting this over a long time will also help affect where our body will go after we die, what form we'll come back in?

Prabhupāda: First thing is by chanting your misconception of life will be cleared. At the present moment I am thinking that "I am this body," and therefore, because my body is born in this land, therefore I am thinking, "I am American." And because I happened to take my birth in a certain family, so I am thinking, "I am Christian" or "Hindu." But all these things are designations. When we clear the misconception of my life, then I can understand that I am pure soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Vedic language says that "I am spirit soul." And as soon as you understand, then brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). As soon as you realize yourself as soul, then you become immediately free from all anxieties, prasannātmā. Prasannātmā means jolly. Spiritual life means natural joyful. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). The Vedānta-sūtra says that spirit is by nature joyful. So because we are spirit, we are always hankering after joyous life. But because our expression is through this material mind and body, it is not being fulfilled. So as soon as you stand on the spiritual platform, you actually stand on the platform of joyous life. That is the immediate gain. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam (CC Antya 20.12). Immediately. Yes?

Lecture at a School -- Montreal, June 11, 1968:

So anyway, my appeal to you, American people, that you are considered to be the leader of all nations of the world. You should take this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement very seriously. It is good for you. It is good for the whole world. It is individually, collectively, without any consideration of caste, creed, or color. Everyone can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, anyone and everyone, at home, on the street. There is no expenditure. Suppose while walking if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, there is no loss, there is no expenditure, but you see how much you are profited by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is practical. We don't say that "You come to our temple and give us some subscription. Become our member." That is a secondary question. Our primary movement is that everyone may take advantage of this movement and simply chant wherever possible, at home, at work, on the street, anywhere. There is no regulation where you have to chant and how you have to chant. It is spontaneous. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. There are only three words there: Hare, Kṛṣṇa, and Rāma, but they are adjusted in a different position. There are sixteen words. So it is not very difficult. You can make an experiment. The children also may take pleasure. We have got our records. If you play those records and chant with it, you will find a transcendental pleasure in you. These are facts. So our request to you, that you take this movement a little seriously, and you will be happy by grace of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture -- Seattle, September 27, 1968:

The men, human being, and everyone, the demigods, everyone within this material world, they are after senses, serving the senses. But Kṛṣṇa says that "You just surrender unto Me. Just agree to serve Me. Then I take charge of you." That's all. Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. Because by the dictation of the senses we are committing sinful activities life after life; therefore we are in different grades of bodily presentation. Don't think that everyone is of the same standard. No. According to one's own work he gets a type of body. So these different types of bodies are due to different grades of sense gratification. So sense gratification is there in the hog's life also. Why he has been offered a body of the hogs? So much sensuous that it has no discrimination who is mother, who is sister, or who is this, or who is that. This is practical, you'll see. The dogs and hogs, they are like that. In human society also there are many who don't care who is mother, who is sister, or who is this. The senses are so strong. And this is our cause of all miseries, try to understand. The threefold miseries that we are suffering, that we are trying to make a solution, is due to this dictation of the senses. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is there. Kṛṣṇa is there. His name is Madana-mohana. If you try to transfer your love from sense to Kṛṣṇa, then you see the result. Immediately you'll find. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). So this false endeavor, that "I want to be master of all I survey," "I am the monarch of all I survey," this attitude should be given up. Every one of us is constitutionally servant. Now, at the present moment, we are servant of the senses. Now, this servitorship should be changed to Kṛṣṇa only. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. And as soon as you change your servitorship to Kṛṣṇa, then gradually, as you become sincere, so Kṛṣṇa reveals to you, and reciprocation of service between Kṛṣṇa and yourself will be so nice. Either you love Him as friend, or master, or lover, or... There are so many items. Any way you can try to love Him and see how much you are satisfied. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Please try to understand. It is...

Lecture -- Seattle, October 2, 1968:

Young man (2): How does one train the mind?

Prabhupāda: This is the training. You just engage yourself in activities of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical. Just like chanting, the boy of ten years old, he's also engaged. His mind is concentrated on the vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa. His other senses, legs or hand, they're working, dancing. So in this way we have to practice our mind, our senses always engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That will make you perfect. And that is possible by everyone. You don't require to sit down at a place to artificially meditate upon something. As soon as you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately your mind is diverted, immediately you remember Kṛṣṇa, instruction of Kṛṣṇa, work of Kṛṣṇa, everything. That requires practice.

Young man (2): Since you are a ray of the sun, so to speak...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Young man (2): Could you think of yourself? And when you think, you are thinking of Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Why not? I am individual... Although I am small, but I am individual. I have got all the power of thinking, feeling, willing. We are doing that. We are individual. You have come here by your individual will. Nobody has forced you. If you like, you can go. Somebody comes here, somebody never comes, somebody comes daily. Why? Even you are small, you have got individuality. Even in this conditioned state, you are so free, so much free. And when you are unconditioned, purely spirit, you do not know how much freedom you have got.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 11, 1968:

That is contradictory. How pure thing can be impure? Pure is pure; impure is impure. If you say it is impure pure, how it is possible? One is addicted to all nonsense habit and he's practicing meditation and elevating himself. Is it possible? That is all bogus. As soon as one becomes purified, the manifestation of his character, of his mode of life, living, everything will be purified. That is the test. Pareśānubhava. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhava. Just like if you're cured, then there is no fever. The temperature is at the normal point. And if you say, "I am cured. I am taking medicine, and still, my temperature is 105," that is not possible. So advancement in self-realization means purification from material contamination. That is real advancement. This is practical. Now, how practical it is? In your country, smoking, drinking, taking tea, and keeping boyfriend, girlfriend, liquor, meat-eating, they are common affairs. How they have avoided all these things, within very short time? None of them are associating with me more than one year, and just see their character. It is so practical. You cannot induce them even to smoke. We don't say that you go on with all nonsense, at the same time you become spiritually advanced. We don't talk all this nonsense. There must be practical exhibition that one is advanced in spiritual consciousness. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). All good qualities will develop. That is spiritual advancement. That is the test. But it may be due to my past habit I may sometimes commit mistake, I may fall down. But Kṛṣṇa says, śaśvad bhavati dharmātmā. Even if he falls down sometimes out of ignorance, still, he'll very soon become purified. The process is so nice. Just like a fan is moving and make the switch off. Still you will see the fan is moving, but rest assured it will stop because the switch is off. Similarly, a person taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, his material life's switch is off immediately. And even though it is seen it is moving, it will stop very soon. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to put off the switch of material existence immediately. It is so nice. Yes.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 18, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Is it not?

Viṣṇujana: He is already (indistinct).

Prabhupāda: This is practical way? (laughter) If you are not minding, the chanting will force you to mind upon Him. You see? Kṛṣṇa sound will by force. Chanting is so nice. And this is the practical yoga in this age. You cannot meditate. Your mind is so disturbed, you cannot concentrate your mind. Therefore chant, and by the sound vibration, it will forcibly enter it into your mind. Even if you don't want Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will enter within your mind. By force. (laughter) This is the easiest process. You don't require to endeavor. Kṛṣṇa is coming. (laughter) (Prabhupāda laughs) It is very nice process. This is recommended therefore, for this age. And others also will be benefited. You chant loudly. Others who are not accustomed, they will also. At least... Just like on the street, in the park, they say "Hare Kṛṣṇa!" How they have learned? By hearing this chanting. That's all. Sometimes the children, as soon as they see us, they say "Oh, Hare Kṛṣṇa!" In Montreal the children, when I was walking on the street, all the children, the shopkeepers, the storekeepers, they will say "Hare Kṛṣṇa!" And that's all. So we have forced Hare Kṛṣṇa within the mind. If you practice yoga, meditate, it may be beneficial for you, but this is beneficial for many others. Suppose something very good, you are enjoying yourself, some sweetballs—that is one stage. But if you distribute sweetballs, that is another stage. So by chanting on the road, on the street, you are distributing sweetballs. (laughter) You are not miser, that you are eating yourself. You are so liberal that you are distributing to others. Now chant, distribute. (laughter) (kīrtana) (end)

Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968:

You have to use them. If you use them for gratifying your senses, then you go down and down and down to the animal life. And if you use them for understanding God and His kingdom and your life, your relationship, that is also possible. So both way you can use your intelligence, your mind, your senses. Both ways.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to engage the mind, the senses, the intelligence always in Kṛṣṇa. Then there is no chance of materially being contaminated. Just like if you keep yourself always in the sunlight there is no chance of coming down into darkness. The darkness cannot penetrate light. Light can penetrate darkness. This is our practical experience. You cannot make sunlight dark, but your darkness can be lighted by sunlight. Similarly, if you keep yourself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no chance of coming māyā and attack you. No. That is not possible. But if you forget Kṛṣṇa, then māyā immediately will catch you. Just like side by side there is darkness and light. If you keep yourself light, there is no darkness, and if you keep yourself in darkness... So you have to use your intelligence. God has given you intelligence, mind, senses, and you have to utilize them. If you utilize, then you become free from these clutches of māyā or being covered by the three modes of material nature, ignorance, passion, even goodness. Even you become a very good man, moralist, that is also a bondage. That is also your bondage. You may have good knowledge, you may be a very good philosopher, you can understand, you may be a very learned man to understand what is this world, what is this, how it is working—very great scientist, advanced, educated man. That is goodness. But that is not the cause of your being freed from material contamination. You have to go above goodness.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 30, 1969:

So His attractiveness is evidently presented by the wisdom of Bhagavad-gītā. So He is all-attractive. There is no doubt about it. And in the Vedic literature we also understand: tasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati: "If you can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, or the Absolute Truth, then sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati, you can understand everything, how it is working." Because everything is display of His energy. So if you can understand how His energy is acting, then you can understand the whole cosmic manifestation. That is explained in the Vedic literature. Just like in our presence we have got practical experience, the sun. The whole material world is maintained by sunlight. The planets are rotating by the heat of sunlight; the vegetation, the water, everything is being conducted by the sunlight. It is by scorching sunlight the water is evaporated from the sea. It is formed into gas, cloud, and it is distributing all over the land. Then vegetation is coming, and it is becoming green, yellow, many colorful. So actually, the sun is the cause of all material manifestations. So if anyone can study what is sun, then he can understand how everything is appearing. That is practical.

Similarly, sun is also not ultimate cause. The ultimate cause is Kṛṣṇa.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

We have seen even children, they immediately take to this dancing and chanting. So it is not very difficult. The most easy process of transcendental realization. We don't ask you to press your nose, or put your head downwards, or make some gymnastic. No. In whatever condition you are, it doesn't matter. You simply chant these sixteen names. There is no secrecy. We are not charging any fees, that "You pay me so many dollars, I'll give you a secret mantra, and you chan..." No. It is open. It is distributed freely. Simply you have to take it. That's all. The result will be, oh, great. Make an experiment. You have no loss. You haven't got to pay anything. But if you take this, the result will be very, very great, which has no comparison in this world. That is practical.

So result is... That is stated by Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, who inaugurated this movement. You see this picture, five learned brāhmaṇas. In the center there is one picture who is Lord Caitanya. He started this movement when He was only seventeen years old, a boy. A boy only—a schoolboy. He was student, but He introduced this movement five hundred years ago, and some of the elderly men, as you see, one elderly man with beard, He also helped Him, and the others... Actually this movement was originally started by young boys. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Nityānanda Prabhu, and Advaita Prabhu, They started. And there was a great agitation against Them by the brāhmaṇas, priestly brāhmaṇas, at that time. So Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu picked up these sixteen words from Vedic literature. It is not that He manufactured something. No. In the Vedic way there is no question of manufacturing something, religious process. No. Just like you manufacture law. In your state, privately, you cannot manufacture law. The law is given by the state. Similarly, any process, any process for self-realization, you cannot manufacture. That is to be taken directly from God and His representative.

Brandeis University Lecture -- Boston, April 29, 1969:

So the self-realization process is to be achieved by this human form of life. That is... Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is indicating everyone. We are teaching that "Don't spoil your this rare human form of life simply by engaging yourself in the matter of sense gratification." Because sense gratification ample, or sufficient sense gratification opportunity you had even in the hog's life. Because we have migrated, we have evolved from hog's life also. Sometimes we had been a hog or a dog or something like that. Now we have come to this stage of life, this life should not be spoiled like the cats, dogs and hogs. But we should have some restraint and realize ourself. This possibility is there simply by chanting these sixteen words: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. This is possible. This is practical. Since I came to your country in 1965... Of course, for one year I was traveling here and there, but in 1966 I established first my class in New York at 26 Second Avenue. Then there were many branches now. We have got about sixteen branches all over the country. And these students, they are chanting, and they have taken to the austerity. I don't accept any cheap student or cheap disciple. My first condition is that there is no illicit sex life, there is no intoxication, there is no gambling, and there is no meat-eating. These four principles are there, but all my students in these twenty, about sixteen centers—one in London, one in Germany—but you will be surprised that all these boys and girls, they have taken to this austerity very seriously. They're not drinking even tea or smoking a cigarette.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

All the dirty things from your heart will be cleansed simply by chanting. You chant. There is no expenditure; there is no loss. But as we are chanting, if you kindly chant... You just do it for one week, and you see how much you progress in spiritual knowledge. We are getting many students. Simply by chanting, they are understanding the whole philosophy. They are giving up their bad habits, they are becoming purified, so many things. They are practical. This Society, movement, is started practically not more than two years, 1966, and we have got so many branches. The American boys and girls, they are taking it very seriously and do it very nicely. They are following all rules and regulation, and they are happy. Ask any one of them.

So this is practical, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), cleansing the dirty things from the heart simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Yes. And the next thing is that bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇam. As soon as your heart is cleansed of all dirty things, then all the problems of material existence immediately solved. Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. It has been compared with dāvāgni. Dāvāgni means the blazing fire in the forest. In this material existence, nobody wants unhappiness, but it comes, forced, by force. That is the law of material nature. Nobody wants that there may be fire, but especially in this country, wherever in a city we go, the fire brigade is always active. You see? Nobody wants fire, but the fire brigade is active.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

"In this age," nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā, "there is no other alternative for self-realization except this." So we have to accept. There is another version in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Parīkṣit Mahārāja was instructed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī. He described the faults of this age. There is... In the Twelfth Canto, Third Chapter, you will find. Everything is now being corroborated, what is described five thousand years ago. So in that conclusive portion, Śukadeva Gosvāmī says, kalau doṣa-nidhe rājann hy asti eko mahān guṇaḥ: "My dear King, this age, Kali, is full of faulty things, but there is one good opportunity." What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet: (SB 12.3.51) "Simply by chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, one becomes liberated and he goes back to Godhead, back to home." So this is practical, this is authorized, and you can yourself test also how you become advanced simply by chanting.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is nothing... It is not a new thing that we have introduced or manufactured. No. It is authorized on the Vedic principle, authorized by ācāryas like Caitanya Mahāprabhu and all other ācāryas. So join us. You will be happy. Your human life will be sublime. And the method is very simple. There is no loss. We are not charging anything, that "You give me fee. I shall give you some secret mantra, and within six months you shall become God." No. It is open for everyone. Even child, even woman, girls, boys, old—everyone can take it and chant it and see the result. That is our request. So this Kṛṣṇa conscious movement is universal movement. I would request you to join. We have got branches here. We are chanting daily twice. Especially we are holding meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And you try to understand. We have got... Not that we are sentimentalists. We have got books, philosophy, everything. So please join and take advantage of it. That is our request.

Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969:

Bhāgavata-tattva... This is a science to understand God. Just like you have got different departmental sciences to understand perfectly a subject matter, similarly, this bhāgavata-tattva, this truth of God, you can understand by practicing this bhakti-yoga, and you become jolly. (laughter) Yes. This is practical.

So this is a great science. It is a great science. Don't be confused and frustrated. Take this. Take this. It is very easy. You come to this temple and chant and dance and take prasādam and be jolly and be happy.

Thank you very much. That's all. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Now chant again. (end)

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

So don't falsely claim that you are God. You are everything. You are moving this world. Why? Actually are you doing that? Then why do you falsely claim like that? What is your answer? If I... You meditate that "I am moving the sun. I am moving the moon. I am moving everything." Are you dong that? You do..., cannot move yourself. You are so much dependent on the laws of nature. Why you are falsely claiming like that? What is your answer? Give me your answer, those who are thinking that "I am God." Do you think thinking, by thinking one will be God? Where is your power? Yes? You want to ask? No? So actually it is not the position. I am God in that sense, I have already analyzed, that I have got the, in minute quantity... As I am minute quantity, fragmental portion of God, so similarly, I have got all the qualities of God in fragment. For example, this consciousness take. That is practical. We are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Now, it is not that Kṛṣṇa has got consciousness and you haven't got consciousness. You have got also consciousness. That's a practical experience. Every one of us are conscious as God is conscious. So you are also conscious. Now, what is the difference between God's consciousness and your consciousness? That you have to find out. Can you say me? You should know all these things. Consciousness...

Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968:

You have come to office to work. You are working but you are thinking, "How is the boy? How the child is there? How the child is there?" It is a question of love only. So there are certain processes, regulative processes. If you follow those processes, then automatically you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Just like one process: this chanting. You go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll find very soon you become a lover of Kṛṣṇa. Just like the boy. Here is our Tamāla Kṛṣṇa. He says that "I was attached to drug habit, to intoxication habit, meat-eating. Now my attachment is now changed. I am now for Kṛṣṇa." So automatically he has become pure. It is so nice. Therefore I asked him to read that paper because that is practical experience. No more, no more they feels any inconvenience, those who have given up even smoking, tea-taking, coffee-taking, meat-eating. Because these practices are very common thing in your country. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so wonderful that for years together they are no more taking tea, coffee, smoking, meat, everything; they don't feel any inconvenience. They are happy, quite happy, in taking simple Kṛṣṇa prasāda. Similarly, in so many ways you'll be freed, and that is brahma-bhūtaḥ. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā: (BG 18.54) no more anxiety. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person, even if he does not eat for three days, he'll not feel unhappy. These are practical.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

He says that "Under My order, you become a spiritual master." To become a spiritual master under the order of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is not very difficult. Unless we adulterate, mix in something nonsense in His teachings, if we simply present, as it is, then every one of us can become a spiritual master. But the difficulty is that they mix up something. Just like you have tasted sweet rice, paramānna. And if somebody mixes some sand with it... The paramānna is very good, but because it is mixed with some sand particles it is spoiled. You cannot take. This is practical. Similarly, the teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, teachings of Lord Kṛṣṇa, is very simple. But the rascals put some sand particles. That is the difficulty. Spoils the broth, spoils the everything. "Kṛṣṇa means this, and Pāṇḍava means this." Why "Pāṇḍava means this"? Why not as it is in the Bhagavad-gītā? So this process should be avoided, mixing sand with the sweet rice. This rascaldom should be avoided. Then you can, everyone can distribute nicely. So many people say, "Oh, Swamijī, you have done wonderful." So I say, the secret of my wonderful activities is that I have not tried to adulterate it. I am simply presenting as it is. In the Bhagavad-gītā Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So I have told you that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). I say that "You simply surrender unto Kṛṣṇa." So what is the difficulty? Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, and I am simply reproducing it: "Do this." And it is acting. Because I am not adulterating the sweet rice with sand, people are tasting it very nice. So you also follow the same principle. Don't try to adulterate. Present it as it is. And people will like it. There is no difficulty.

Lecture -- Visakhapatnam, February 18, 1972:

Just now one of my students was speaking to me before coming to this that somebody was asking him, "How you are free from all anxieties?" They see. One priest, and... As I was traveling from Hawaii to..., no, from Los Angeles to Hawaii, one gentleman—he is a priest—he asked me, he began to talk in the airplane for at least half an hour. He said, "Swamiji, how is that your disciples look so bright faces?" Yes, they are bright faces. One priest in Boston, he regretted, he issued regret that "These boys, they are our boys, they are mad after God but we could not give them." So this is practical. Why practical? Because we are following the principles. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpanam (CC Antya 20.12). Bhava-mahā, immediately, the second you will start it, as soon as you go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, immediately you become free from... Bhava-mahā-dāvāgni. Everyone is... Material existence means full of anxieties. That is material existence. And Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father, "What best thing you have learned, my dear boy?" He said that "If you want to cut down your material anxiety, then you must surrender unto the Lord." Hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpaṁ vanaṁ gato yad dharim āśrayeta (SB 7.5.5), you must surrender to Kṛṣṇa. So there are evidences, there are gurus, there is no scarcity of facility, it is very simple, and there is no loss.

Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972:

Prabhupāda: But therefore he has to study. Every rascal, fool, he has to study. There is education. Therefore Vedic literature is there. If you don't study and you see... If you say, "I am scientific advanced," then what is this nonsense? If you have no knowledge, if you have not studied, why do you say unscientific? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break)

Indian guest: How does repeating one word, "Kṛṣṇa," or singing "Rāma" and "Kṛṣṇa" help achieving the way?

Prabhupāda: Because you'll be in touch with Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name not different because Kṛṣṇa is absolute. So you see, these European and American boys and girls, simply by chanting how they are advancing in spiritual consciousness. This is practical, not theoretical. "Kṛṣṇa" means Kṛṣṇa. Just like here in this material world, if I want to drink water, if I say "water, water, water," that will not satisfy me. I want the substance water. So here there is difference between the name and the substance. But in the absolute world there is no such difference. Nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa the person and Kṛṣṇa's name the same thing. Therefore if you chant "Kṛṣṇa," then you are in direct touch with Kṛṣṇa. So that will help you for your spiritual advancement. Just like if you are in touch with fire you will get yourself warmer and warmer and warmer, and at last you'll get red fire. Similarly, if we are in touch with Kṛṣṇa, then we advance spiritually, and then we become completely spiritualized, our original Brahman. This is the process. Simple process. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you'll gradually develop your spiritual consciousness. That is actually happening. It is not story. You can see practically how they are spiritually advancing. So why not experiment yourself? What is the loss? If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, is there any loss? Tell me, is there any loss? But why don't you do it? Why not make a try? Instead of arguing, you see practically what is happening. They are of different civilization, different culture. How they are developing their Kṛṣṇa consciousness? How it is possible? Simply by chanting. This is practical. Throughout the whole world—in Africa, in America, in Canada, everywhere. So this is very simple process. But people will waste their time by arguing.

Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973:

If you have to see God, then you have to apply the ointment of love of God in your eyes, and then your eyes will be cleansed and you'll see God. This is the process. Premāñjana. Prema means love of God, and añjana means ointment. Just like sometimes we do not see correctly. In India, there is a kind of powder called surma. They apply it and they see clearly. Or some, any other. Similarly, there is possibility of seeing God with these eyes, provided you cleanse it. And what is the cleansing process? Love of Godhead, that's all. If you actually learn how to love God... That is practical. If you love somebody, in spite of being engaged in so many other occupation, you see your lover always—"When shall I meet? When shall I talk with him or with her?" This is practical. So if it is materially possible, if you develop your loving tendency... You have got the loving tendency. That is natural. Because living being is part and parcel of God. God is loving, so we have got that propensity of love. But our loving propensity has turned into lust at the present moment due to material condition. So if you want to purify that lust tendency into love, then you can see God. That is the condition. That we'll have to learn. That is called bhakti-yogam, bhakti-yogam, which we are teaching, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The human life is meant for understanding God, for seeing God, for talking with God, for behaving with God. That is possible. But you require little training. From the animalistic life, the animal cannot talk of God, cannot understand of God, cannot see God. But if we remain in the animalistic way of life, then it is not possible to see God and talk with Him. But if we purify ourself, if we apply the ointment of love of God on the eye, then premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ, those who are saints... I think this "saint" word has come from the Sanskrit world santaḥ. Santaḥ is Sanskrit word. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Those who are saintly persons, those who have trained themselves in the affairs of love of Godhead, they can see God constantly within their heart. That is possible.

Lecture -- Bombay, September 25, 1973:

So this is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are trying to make fools and rascals and sinful men to become wise. If you take advantage of it, you will be glorified and we shall be glorified. This is our process. And actually it is happening. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is pāpi tāpi yata chila, harināme uddhārila, tāra sākṣī... You want evidence? Jagāi and Mādhāi. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu delivered two Jagāi and Mādhāi. Now you can see how much Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement is strong. Many thousands of Jagāi-Mādhāi's are being delivered. So His movement is greater than Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, personally He delivered two Jagāi-Mādhāi. Now, by His movement, thousands Jagāi-Mādhāi's are being... This is the practical. And it is very easy. It is not very difficult. Anyone can take. But if we take knowingly poison, jāniyā śuniyā viṣa khāinu, who can protect you? So it is our appeal to everyone that take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Even if you cannot give up your bad habits, sinful activities, still, you take the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and your life will be glorified.

Thank you very much. (break) (answering question:) It is just like without eating, if you question that how one is satisfied by eating food. A hungry man, if you give him food, he will say, "Yes, I am satisfied." There is no question of "How?" If you eat... If you are hungry, if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. It is automatic. Similarly, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, then you will understand. Not from outside. How? You can see how these boys and girls, they are feeling satisfaction. Similarly, if you chant also, you will feel satisfaction. There is no question of "How?" It is so, exactly (as) when you are hungry, if you eat, you will feel satisfaction. It is practical.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Hayagrīva: Well, this can be taken from the individual point of view or from the idea that God is the architect of the universe. But according to the system of yugas, there is a greater harmony in the beginning, and as the universe winds down, this harmony disintegrates-Tretā-, Dvāpara-, and Kali-yuga. Yet there's a plan.

Prabhupāda: That's, what is called, that is the nature. First, first of all something is created, then it develops, it stays for some time, then it becomes old, dwindling, and then finished. This is called six changes of sarvika (?), of anything material. But a spirit soul is not material. He is not subjected to all these changes. This is our practical experience. The body is changing but spirit soul is the same. He remembers that "I had this body, a child's body. I have this young boy's body." He remembers; therefore he is eternal. The change is taking place of the body, so therefore the soul has nothing to do with the bodily changes. He has got his perpetual duty, perpetual activity—that is devotional service. So he has to be trained up in that perpetual duty, then he will stop this process of bodily changes, he will remain in his eternal body, spiritual body. That is going back to home, back to Godhead.

Hayagrīva: So the creative evolution must necessarily be the evolution of the soul.

Prabhupāda: No.

Hayagrīva: No.

Prabhupāda: Soul is eternal. Soul is ever-existing. There is no question of evolution or..., that it is according to the body. So long he is in the material existence and bodily concept of life, he is thinking that a better body is evolution and a lower body... But if his consciousness is changed, then there is no chance of changing, different bodies. He remains in his eternal body.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Śyāmasundara: What about, for instance, people who are practicing sense gratification, and they find it very practical to gratify their senses. Does this mean that it is meaningful or real?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is real. But by sense gratification we will gradually glide down to the hellish condition of life. Therefore sense gratification should not be allowed unrestricted. That is practical. If you eat more, you suffer from indigestion. If you have more sex life, then you get tuberculosis. This is practical. If you indulge in intoxication, then gradually you become a nonsense, crazy. Therefore when we say that "Don't do this," this is practical.

Śyāmasundara: So it is a matter of degree which is more practical than something else. Sense gratification or communism or any other "ism," it's practiced (indistinct) effect, but that effect...

Prabhupāda: But if it has bad effect then what is the use of it? It must have good effect. Effect must be there, but if it is bad, that is not practical. The effect must be good and continuous.

Viśāla: But that good result is relative, depending upon who is deciding whether it is good. In other words, Lenin or Mao, they feel that the practical result of their philosophy is good.

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but now Mao disagrees with the practical utility of Russian philosophy. So where is the stability? And similarly, the Russians don't agree with the Chinese, so what is practical for China is not practical for the Russians. So which one we shall take?

Viśāla: That which is practical for both.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Practical we can see from the verse of Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, that anyone who has got a slight merciful glance of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he thinks that Brahman liberation is as good as hell. Kaivalyaṁ narakāyate. And the heavenly planets, they are phantasmagoria, and yoga-siddhi, that is not a very important thing. And people are suffering on this material condition. (But) for a devotee it is simply pleasing. Everywhere he goes he feels pleased, while others seeing full of anxiety. Devotees, they are seeing everything pleasing. So these things happen simply by a fragment of the merciful glance of Caitanya Mahāprabhu upon His devotees. Viśvaṁ pūrṇam, they do not care for any big scholar or many exalted personalities, just like we challenge anyone, even we don't care for Dr. Radhakrishnan, who is so much exalted. So this is practical. Because one has become Kṛṣṇa conscious, therefore these things happen. (to guest:) Please sit down. (Bengali)

Śyāmasundara: His idea of truth is that truth means experience.

Prabhupāda: That is our proposal. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt (SB 11.2.42). Bhakti means one who advances in bhakti, he becomes..., he has no more any taste for material enjoyment. The more one increases in bhakti cult, he decreases his tendency for material enjoyment. That is the test. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra. Unless one becomes detestful for material things, it is to be understood that he is not making progress. This is practical. The example is given just like a hungry man: when he eats, he feels, as he goes on eating, proportionately he feels satisfaction and strength of (indistinct). Similarly, one who is advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he will feel spiritually strong and no taste for material enjoyment. This is practical.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Practical value is all right. When you go to take some business, then you must satisfy him. Not that I require, but because I am going to get some business from a person, so I have to satisfy him. The Indian word is abruci khana phalusi pay na. When you go to meet somebody, so you must dress yourself so that your dress may attract. So dress is not required for you, but because you are going to attract some person, then you may dress like a gentleman. But when you eat yourself, Kṛṣṇa prasāda, you don't require to constantly think (indistinct) whether he'll be pleased or not. That doesn't require. This is practical.

Śyāmasundara: The idea is that the suit and the coat are practical for the businessman, and the...

Prabhupāda: Business, that is socially required. If you, of course... In our Bengali it is called jana bahune pohite dakhane. If a man is known a brāhmaṇa, he doesn't require to show his sacred thread. Just like our Kṛṣṇa conscious men, gradually people are understanding our philosophy, so even if we go in this dress, they honor us. But for ordinary things, if you go in this dress, it will not attract them.

Śyāmasundara: One thing that puzzles me is if what is practical for one person is not practical for another person, then what is the criterion of truth? Is truth relative? This is true for me but it is not true for you. This isn't true for him but it is...

Prabhupāda: Yes. There are relative truths. But for the Absolute Truth... There is Absolute Truth and relative truth. So first of all we have to see in which you are interested—Absolute Truth or relative truth. That is to be understood. There are two kinds of truth.

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). This material selfishness is māyā. Actually that is not selfishness. Real selfishness is to know the relationship with God. But persons who are engrossed with the spell of māyā, illusory energy, they do not know that. Mostly, 99.9%, they have vague idea of God, and how they will know the relationship? So, so that our actual business, first business is to have complete idea, complete sense of God and our relationship. That is the business of human life. Therefore in the Vedic process, the real business is realize God. Either you take yoga system or jñāna system, and bhakti is cent percent simply realization of God. That is the business of human life. He hasn't got to do any other thing. That is practical understanding of God. A perfect human being knows that "My necessities of life is supplied by God, so I have no business to improve the economic condition." That cannot be done also. Nobody is going to be very rich, all of them. According to the destiny he gets his position. So one who is self-realized, he does not want to improve the material condition of life, but he wants to improve the spiritual conception of life. That is human life.

Hayagrīva: Four, he sees, "a shifting of the emotional center toward loving and harmonious affection, toward yes and away from no, where the clangs of the non-ego are concerned." That is to say, agreeing with God.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: He is also...

Prabhupāda: That is practical. That is practical. No theoretical knowledge is necessary.

Śyāmasundara: But do the results of an idea have to be predictable?

Prabhupāda: Idea may..., if it is a concocted idea, the result cannot be ascertained. If it is fact, then the result can be predicted.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the object of inquiry or asking questions is belief; that because we want to believe something we often ask questions in order to find something to believe in. This is the nature of inquiry.

Prabhupāda: So that is the Vedānta-sūtra: to find out the ultimate cause of everything, the inquiries about the Absolute Truth. So these inquiries should be made to the person who knows; otherwise, what is the use of inquiring? That is the Vedic injunction. If you want to inquire about truth, then you must approach the bona fide spiritual master, guru. Guru means bona fide. But because there are so many pseudo gurus at the present moment, therefore we have to add this word "bona fide." Otherwise, guru means bona fide. One who is not bona fide, he cannot be guru. But people are misled by persons, pseudo or false gurus; therefore you have to add this word "bona fide." Otherwise there is no necessity of adding this word.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Then he'll be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, perfect consciousness. But they are thinking that "I am Kṛṣṇa. I am God." That is not Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the choice between good and bad is not made on theoretical grounds, but for reducing specific evils. In other words...

Prabhupāda: It is not theoretical that if you accept the universal form of God, then everything within the universe is part and parcel of that form. That is practical.

Śyāmasundara: But say there...

Prabhupāda: Like a big tree, the every leaf, every branch, every twig, every flower is a part and parcel of the whole tree. Similarly, virāṭ-rūpa. Apart from Kṛṣṇa's personal rūpa, the virāṭ-rūpa as it was manifested before Arjuna, if you take the virāṭ-rūpa, the whole universal form of the Lord, then anything within the universe is part and parcel of that virāṭ-rūpa, the resulting form.

Śyāmasundara: So the choice between a good and a bad action should be practiced to reduce evil, not just theoretical. That's his idea. That's his point.

Prabhupāda: Yes. No theory. This is practical. Now, as a big machine, the screw is a part, so if every part works nicely, the machine goes nicely. So if we understand... Just like I think last night I was explaining mukha baho rūpa divya: the gigantic body, the brāhmaṇa class, they are the mouth. So one must do the duty of the mouth. The mouth speaks, vibrates and eats. So our proposition is to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Then the mouth duty, the brāhmaṇa's duty, is performed. Similarly, the kṣatriya's duty—again we come to that varṇāśrama-dharma. So everyone is factually part and parcel of God and executes his prescribed duty, then it is perfect.

Philosophy Discussion on Ludwig Wittgenstein:

Prabhupāda: What does he want more practical?

Śyāmasundara: He says that these can be demonstrated but not verified.

Prabhupāda: Why not verified? Two rupees plus two rupees equal to four rupees. This is verified.

Śyāmasundara: But that's something else.

Prabhupāda: That is..., the mathematics is required for that purpose. You have got two rupees, I have got two rupees; when combined together it becomes four rupees. That is mathematics. This is practical proof. Why does he say that there is no practical use? And philosopher, to become philosopher is not to become a nonsense. But because he theorizes something nonsensical, he's become a philosopher—that is not philosophy. This mathematical truth is practically true.

Śyāmasundara: Let us say the proposition that "The sum of the angles of a triangle equals 180 degrees," that is a proposition. It can be demonstrated on paper but it cannot be verified by experiential data.

Devotee: If you're steering a ship you can make use of it, can't you?

Śyāmasundara: It can be made use of and it can be called valid or invalid.

Prabhupāda: What does he want more?

Śyāmasundara: He wants to know true and false. That this "Sum of the angles equal to 180 degrees" can be said to be valid or invalid, but it cannot be said to be true or false.

Prabhupāda: Then in that way, what he proposes, that is also false, because in this material world there is no truth. Everything is false. So his philosophical proposition is also false.

Śyāmasundara: Actually, he came to recognize that.

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Prabhupāda: Therefore our prescription is that in the beginning of life, teach him brahmācārya restraint, and when he is grown up, he is above twenty, get him married. In the beginning he will learn how to restrain. If you teach your child to become saintly, he retains his semina, his brain becomes strong, he can understand things, because wasting your semina means less intelligence. So from the beginning, if he is brahmacārī, if he stops misuse of semina, then he becomes intelligent and strong and fully grown. For want of education, everything is being stunted-brain, bodily growth, and everything. So after he is trained as a brahmacārī, if he thinks that still he will have sex enjoyment, all right, he can be married. But because he will have strength of body and brain, he will beget a child, immediately there will be male child. This is practical remedy. And because he has been trained from boyhood to renounce this material way of enjoyment, when he is fifty years old, naturally his first-born child must be twenty-five years old, so he can retire from sex life. (indistinct), because household life means a license for sex life. That is all. It is not required. But one who cannot restrain, he is given a license, "All right, you have sex life by marriage," as I explained in the beginning. So that is real program. That will save the society. Not by (indistinct) or some (indistinct) and this and that. They cannot find out the root disease. But if you give him all indulgence, then he will study the (indistinct). You should take information from the standard knowledge. That's what we have discussed (indistinct) sex impulse is already there. So from the very beginning you have to restrain. Otherwise you will be implicated.

Devotee: Is doing it from the beginning necessarily always going to work? For instance in Nairobi, (indistinct) he came with his wife and two children, and his son was so frightened, he never liked to leave the house at night because he thought when he left the house at night, when he returned the house wouldn't be there, and you were saying that that was recalled from his previous life, that he was bringing that... (break) ...simple desires?

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: That is clearly explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, that the past consciousness, that passion, the consciousness is continuing. So even the body is destroyed, the consciousness continuing. So due to the consciousness he gets another body, and again, in that body, the future, past consciousness works. So, if, if, if in the past life he was a devotee, again he becomes devotee, and from the point where he died, the material body became destroyed, again, as soon as he gets a body, the same consciousness begins to work. Therefore we find somebody quickly accepts Kṛṣṇa consciousness and sometime it takes delay. So it is continued, past. In every verse we see that, just like in the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). Bahūnāṁ janmanaṁ ante means the consciousness is being continued but the body is changing. Therefore it is said, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante. Janma means to accept another gross body, but the consciousness is continuing. Just as Bhārata Mahārāja, he changed so many bodies but the consciousness continued. He remained in full understanding of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is clear, but on account of, I mean to say, dull brain they cannot understand. Here is the reason, that you do not see mind. You have not seen. So Mr. John you see daily, but we don't see Mr. John's intelligence. We can perceive that this man is intelligent, but you have not seen what is intelligent. When he talks, you understand, you perceive, that he has got intelligence. So this gross body, when it is no more talking, so why that intelligence will be finished? This is common sense. When a man talks we say he is intelligent man, but we do not see what is intelligent. So the talking instrument is this body. So this body is finished, gross body is finished, does it mean that his consciousness, intelligence finished? No. That continues. Just like you dream. This body is not working—this is practical—but his consciousness is working, his mind is working. So similarly, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). After the destruction of this gross body, the mind, intelligence continues, and because to work the mind and intelligence he requires a body, so he develops body. That is transmigration of the soul. It is very clear to understand.

Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Śyāmasundara: The practical result is that we are happy.

Prabhupāda: So anyway, unless you feel practical, why you are after it? That is my proposal. They may say whatever nonsense they can say.

Śyāmasundara: So the practical result should be satisfaction, happiness.

Prabhupāda: Yes. You are eating, but somebody says, "What you are doing?" But by eating, if you feel satisfaction of your hunger, that is practical. You haven't got to take certificate from others. You are eating; if you feel satisfaction, if you feel strong, that is the...

Śyāmasundara: So these men, both of them, they have a great faith that philosophy can change the world.

Prabhupāda: And this is the real philosophy. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is philosophy. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is real... What is the original source? This is real philosophy. What is that Absolute Truth? Everything is relative truth. What is the Absolute Truth? That is philosophy, Vedānta philosophy.

Śyāmasundara: That has social effects that could change the world?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This, our whole Indian, Vedic civilization, is standing on Vedānta philosophy. And Bhāgavata is explanation of Vedānta philosophy.

Śyāmasundara: So the source of everything is...

Prabhupāda: Everything is there, ideal.

Philosophy Discussion on Mao Tse Tung:

Śyāmasundara: He says that all ideas or theories find their verification or their fulfillment through social practice. In other words, if something is a theory, if it's practiced and found to be true, then it is true.

Prabhupāda: Here it is true. In India still, those who are spiritualists. We have seen. Now, they are tolerating severe cold without any difficulty. For a materialist it is very difficult. From practical also, those who are advanced in spiritual life, they have no disease practically. They don't go to doctor. So these are practical. How can you deny these are not practical? They can live any condition, without any food, without any vitamin. Are these not practical? So we take that advancement of spiritual life makes our life more comfortable. That is practical. Without being dependent on doctors and this vitamin and that, so many, so many things. That is practical. If I have to depend on so many things, then where is the practical? Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends that if you can... (break)

Śyāmasundara: He says that natural laws and ideas, verification of ideas, comes about through class struggle, material production and scientific experiment. That which we know for sure, certainty.

Prabhupāda: (to guest) How are you?

Śyāmasundara: Certain knowledge is gathered from these three sources: class struggle, material production, and scientific experiment.

Prabhupāda: Yes. But so-called scientists, they sometimes put forward wrong theories.

Śyāmasundara: Well, he says that the proof is if it works socially, if it has a social effect.

Prabhupāda: That I am coming to. Suppose... Just like a living man and a dead man. So what is the scientific statement about this dead man? What do they say?

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is gradual process of evolution is from animal kingdom to human life. When one comes to the human form of life then the realization (indistinct) is there.

Śyāmasundara: So he seeks to combine these two types of reason, Kant set up. There's pure reason and practical reason or moral reason. In other words speculative reason and practical reason or moral reason.

Prabhupāda: Practical, practical reason is that if I think I am this body, then where is the difference between dead body and living? Living body means I am in this body, that is living body. As soon as I give up this body, I go and accept another body. Then it is dead body. So this is practical reason, that without the soul this body is a lump of matter. It is very practical. Therefore soul is different from this matter.

Śyāmasundara: He says that our progress towards this kind of understanding comes about because we unify our speculative reason, our theoretical reason with our practical reason or our moral reason.

Prabhupāda: This is practical. Anyone can understand that when the body is, does not contain any more the soul, then it is dead, dead body, lump of matter. So spirit soul is different from the matter. This is practical. If anyone cannot understand, then he's less intelligent. This is practical.

Śyāmasundara: His idea of ultimate reality is that it is the moral ego or pure will that...

Prabhupāda: Then he has to define what is morality.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Śyāmasundara: He says, contrary to Kant, he says that the practical reason is primary, is the first thing, that what is practical is superior to what is...

Prabhupāda: Practical, this means, suppose I want to do something, I do not know, then I go and ask a superior person who knows it. Just like when you drive your car, you are going somewhere, so you take the direction from the signpost, this way go, this point here, this village. Similarly, for practical purpose you have to approach a person who knows. That is practical. And if you think that I shall do it myself, without consulting anyone, that is not practical, that is theoretical. You will be misled. At least we are prone to be misled.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the reason is subordinate to the will.

Prabhupāda: Yes, thinking, feeling, willing, so willing, I want to do something, I apply my reason, that is intelligence. If we do it intelligently then it is good, and if I do it foolishly then it is bad. Will is there.

Śyāmasundara: Will is (indistinct) will is primary reason.

Prabhupāda: No. After reasoning, then you will. After reasoning.

Śyāmasundara: First reasoning, then willing. He says the opposite. He says that reason is subordinate to will.

Prabhupāda: That can be also.

Śyāmasundara: He sees the will as practical, practical reason...

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Śyāmasundara: But we cannot..., pure thought process, I cannot do anything more than think myself. I can think that I think therefore I am.

Prabhupāda: You can think, but if you are helped by somebody else who knows the way, then it becomes easier. You are thinking of driving a car. If somebody expert... (break) ...that is practical. Yes.

Śyāmasundara: He says that it is very difficult because the nonego objects are always trying to lead us astray.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore you have to take advantage of an experienced man who knows things. He does not accept any superior.

Śyāmasundara: He says that the moral goal, the moral reality of (indistinct) is the ultimate in superiority...

Prabhupāda: That morality we have already discussed, what is the morality. You can create your own morality, I can create my own morality. What is actual morality?

Śyāmasundara: Maybe that's a good place to end. (end)

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Hayagrīva: Oh, he says, "Without action, knowledge has no meaning. Not merely to know but acting according to your knowledge is your vocation, not for idle contemplation of yourself."

Prabhupāda: Yes. We...

Hayagrīva: "Know for action you are here. Your action and your action alone determines your worth."

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that we are meant for rendering service to Kṛṣṇa. So we do it daily from morning, four o'clock, to night, ten o'clock, they are always engaged to give service to Kṛṣṇa. So this is practical. If you simply sit down, speculate on God and smoke cigarette, then what is the use of such speculation? Here is practical life.

Hayagrīva: Well in this sense Fichte is closer to Kṛṣṇa consciousness than most impersonalists, because most impersonalist advocate inaction and meditation on the void, but, uh...

Prabhupāda: No, impersonalist...

Hayagrīva: ...but how can you have action without action directed toward a person or toward...?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Just like here in India, impersonalist, they have got also action. Just like the Māyāvādīs, they have also the same principle. The Śaṅkarācārya is teaching vairāgya, "Sit down under the tree, take thrice bath," so many vairāgya instruction. Rather, their instruction are more difficult than Vaiṣṇava. So vaivāgya-vidyā's teaching. Ours is also, Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught by His personal example. There is no question of inaction, sitting idly and gossiping about God imagination. Even an impersonalist or personalist, they are fully engaged. Just like the impersonalist in India, they are reading Vedānta-sūtra, they are trying to understand. They are not idle.

Philosophy Discussion on Plato:

Hayagrīva: Plato states that every object in the universe is made with some purpose, and its ideal goal is to move toward the ideal in which it's archetype or essence resides. So according to the Vedic version, Kṛṣṇa is the all-attractive object of the universe; therefore all things must be moving toward Him. How is it the jīva apparently turns from Kṛṣṇa to participate in the world of birth and death?

Prabhupāda: That is māyā. That is māyā, illusion. He should not have deviated, but out of the influence of māyā he is doing that and he is suffering. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66). "You stop this plan-making. You simply surrender unto Me and do what I say, then you are happy." That is practical.

Hayagrīva: Here is a famous quotation from Plato. He says, "God put intelligence in the soul and the soul in the body that He," that is God, "might be the creator of a work which was by nature best."

Prabhupāda: We say that the living entity is part and parcel of God, mamaivāṁśa. Under the circumstances he has got almost all the qualities of God, but partially, because God is great and we are minute. So even though we have got all the qualities of God—not all, certain percentage, say seventy-eight percent—in minute quantity. Just like God has creative power, we have got also creative power. We have created the 747 flying machine. All right, get credit for that, but you cannot create a flying ball like sun floating in the sky. That is difference between God and me. You can take credit that you are keeping suspension in the air a big machine, 747, but it is not in your power that you can float millions and millions of planets floating in the air. That is not possible. Therefore God is great; I am small. That is real Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And as soon as he says, "I am as good or as great as God," then He is a rascal. That is Māyāvādī. He is in māyā. Just like one man in India, he is showing some jugglery. He makes like this and creates some gold, a little gold, but foolish people are enamored.

Philosophy Discussion on Auguste Comte:

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So woman, sex, there is sex, sexual necessity and the bodily demand. So woman not only give the sex pleasure to the man, but woman should prepare good foodstuff also for the man. The man is working very hard. When he comes home, if the wife supplies him good foodstuff and nice comfort and sex, then the home becomes very happy. That is practical experience. So after hard working, when man comes home, if he finds out good foodstuff and nicely satisfied by eating, and then the woman gives satisfaction by sex, then both of them remain fully satisfied, and then they can improve their real business, spiritual understanding, because human life is meant for making progress in spiritual understanding. Spiritual, first of all they must know that the spirit soul is the basis of material life even, and the body is built up on the soul, and within the body there is soul. This understanding is required both for the man and the woman. Although woman is less intelligent, still, by the help of the husband, he..., she can become intelligent. This we think, we see in the instruction of Kapiladeva. Kapiladeva is the son of Devahūti, and He is engaged in teaching the mother. So a woman, either as daughter, as wife or mother, remains subordinate and gets knowledge from the man, either from the father or the husband or son. Then that life is elevated. We find also in the conjugal life of Lord Śiva and Pārvatī, in the Purāṇas we see always Pārvatī is questioning and Lord Śiva is answering. In this way woman is elevated, and the comforts given by the woman, comforts of the tongue, of the belly, and the genital, in this way, cooperative life, both of them becomes advanced in spiritual life.