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Twenty-four hours (Lectures, SB cantos 3 - 12)

Expressions researched:
"24 hour" |"24 hours" |"twenty-four hour" |"twenty-four hours"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.22.21 -- Tehran, August 10, 1976:

There are many professional vendors, they keep their basket on the head, and taking a child, going and canvassing, "We have got this fruit." It never falls down. They are keeping the balance. So this is a crude example that everything can be done by practice. One may be very responsible officer, like Ambarīṣa Mahārāja, the emperor. It is not joke. But still his mind is absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. Sai vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor. There is another example Rūpa Gosvāmī gives, that a woman who has got an extra lover besides the husband. So she's always thinking of that lover although she's busy with household affairs. Para vyasaninanina(?). That means if you want somebody very seriously, you can think of him always, twenty-four hours, in spite of your being engaged in so many duties. It is possible.

So we have to practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Here, in this material world, we have to work. Without work, you cannot maintain even your family, your body. That is not possible. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says (to) Arjuna that without karma you cannot maintain even your body. So you have to work. Śarīra-yātrāpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaṇaḥ. And this material world means you have to maintain by working. And spiritual world means na tasya kāryam kāranam ca vidyate. There is nothing to work, as Kṛṣṇa has nothing to work. He is simply enjoying What is called? Swing. So Kṛṣṇa is enjoying, and Kṛṣṇa's associates are enjoying. They have nothing to work. That is spiritual world. Cintāmaṇi prakara sadmasu kalpa vṛkṣa: (Bs. 5.29) that is a different world. There is no material body. Therefore there is no need of the material body. That is a different world. But in this material world we have to work. Tṛtīyā-karma-samjñaṇya avidyā-karma-samjñānya tṛtīyā śaktir iṣyate. This material world means you have to work and adjust things for your maintenance. That you cannot escape. But still, we have to become Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Lecture on SB 3.25.5-6 -- Bombay, November 5, 1974:

So this philosophy, we'll begin from the next verse, and we shall be... (break) ...of understanding Kṛṣṇa. Because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's name is identical... (break) We should always remember this, that you cannot chant and dance with any material name. Because Kṛṣṇa's name is spiritual, He's Kṛṣṇa, therefore if you go on chanting for twenty-four hours, you'll never feel tired. That is the advancement. So, so here, Kapiladeva... This is tattva-jñāna. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā,

manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
kaścid yatati siddhaye
yatatām api siddhānāṁ
kaścin māṁ vetti tattvataḥ
(BG 7.3)

Just like these Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand that this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa name is actually getting direct association with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī in Benares, He considered Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu as a crazy fellow. Crazy fellow. Why? Now, because He was sannyāsī, and He was not reading Vedānta-sūtra. He was simply chanting and dancing. So some devotee of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu very much praised Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu at the, in the presence of Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī, and Prakāśānanda Sarasvatī became very angry, "Ah, don't talk of this rascal sannyāsī. He is a sannyāsī, He does not read Vedānta-sūtra, and in sentimental moods He chants and dances. Don't talk about Him. Better don't go there." So that devotee became very sorry, and he arranged a meeting between this Māyāvādī sannyāsī and Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Lecture on SB 3.25.9 -- Bombay, November 9, 1974:

He comes. He's very anxious. People are ignorant, so therefore Kapiladeva has come. And the mother says, lokasya tamasā andhasya cakṣuḥ: "My dear son, Kapila, You are just the real eyes of these blind men, who cannot see You, or who cannot see God." Cakṣuḥ. So how cakṣuḥ? Because by knowledge. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). By knowledge, when we shall develop or awaken our dormant love for God, then we can see God—with these eyes. Simply it has to be treated. Premāñjana-cchurita. You have to apply the ointment, eye ointment, of loving God. Then you'll see God everywhere. How? Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). He sees twenty-four hours God and nothing but God. Not only within his heart, but everywhere he sees God. If he goes to the sea, he'll see Kṛṣṇa. If you are thoughtful, you'll see, "Why such a big sea does, cannot touch my feet? I am walking on the beach. There is order. There is order, 'You cannot come beyond this limit.' " Otherwise, it can overpower you at any moment. Is it very difficult for the sea. One wave can overpower you. A whole Bombay city can be washed off. But it cannot do so.

Lecture on SB 3.25.16 -- Bombay, November 16, 1974:

Don't talk nonsense; don't waste your time. Then you become purified. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśritāḥ (BG 4.10). Kṛṣṇa says...

In this way... Here it is, vītaṁ yadā manaḥ. When the mind is cleansed. This can be done, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nityam. Not Bhāgavata-saptāha. The Bhāgavata-saptāha, that is a business. Real business is nityam. We don't find in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by so many big, big commentators, Śrīdhara Svāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī, and Vīrarāghava Ācārya, many, many... They never recommend Bhāgavata-saptāha. I do not know wherefrom it has come. Bhāgavata says, nityaṁ bhāgavata... Why week? Every day. If it is possible, twenty-four hours. Therefore one has to retire from these family, social, political responsibilities, and whole time devote for chanting and Bhāgavata reading. That is required. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. At least, as much as possible. Don't waste time. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has says that āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhyaḥ svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ. Āyuḥ, the duration of life... Suppose I shall live for hundred years. Even one moment of this hundred years, if..., it cannot be returned back, even if you are prepared to thousands and millions of dollars. No. One moment passed out of a hundred, that is minus. That's all. You cannot add again. Āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi. Even, even moment. Sa cen nirarthakaṁ nītaḥ... If you cannot get returned back even a moment of your life by payment of millions of dollars, if that moment is wasted, just how much you have lost money, you consider. How much you have lost! Therefore not a single moment should be lost, human life. It should be utilized. Simply by chanting, simply by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. We are publishing so many books. We have to read; we have to chant. Then life will successful. Vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodha (BG 4.10). Then we shall be free from this attachment, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye.

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

So simply this qualification required, that you become perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then you perfectly become jñānī. Jñāna is there. Simply it is covered by the curtain of ignorance. Just like in darkness. Everything is there. The light is there, everything is there. But as soon as it is dark, we cannot see where the things are there. So Kṛṣṇa says that anyone can understand Himself, anyone can understand Kṛṣṇa and the relationship, provided the darkness of ignorance is taken away. That is required. That is done by Kṛṣṇa personally. For whom? Teṣām evānukampārtham (BG 10.11). Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Those who are engaged twenty-four hours with love and faith in devotional service. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam. The buddhi-yogam. He directs, "Do like this, do like that." Then... What for buddhi? Yena mām upayānti te. Then, gradually, you come to Kṛṣṇa, back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is recommended here, na yujyamānayā bhaktyā bhagavaty akhilātmani, sadṛśo 'sti śivaḥ panthā. Śiva means auspicious. Śiva means auspiciousness. So if you actually interested for self-realization, if you want to become perfect in this life, śivaḥ panthā, the most auspicious, most perfect panthā is... What is that? Now, bhaktyā bhagavati. You just become a devotee and engage yourself in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not the so-called rascal Bhagavān, but bhagavaty akhilātman. One, the..., that Bhagavān who is present everywhere. That Bhagavān. Not this false bhagavān. Akhilātmani. These are the shastric injunction. So that Bhagavān... "I don't find that Bhagavān." No. That Bhagavān is within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). That is real Bhagavān. So as soon... Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. That Bhagavān is always acting. He instructed Brahmā. Brahmā, the lord of the universe, he got instruction from Kṛṣṇa, and he created the whole universe, and what to speak of you? He'll also give instruction to you, provided you take to the devotional service, bhaktyā. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55).

Lecture on SB 3.25.25 -- Bombay, November 25, 1974:

Those (who) are thinking that this hari-kīrtana, hari-kathā, which we are trying to spread all over the world, and they are accepting all over the world... And in India, especially here in Bombay, they are sending complaints to the police that we are creating nuisance. Just see the fun. Where Kṛṣṇa is born and kṛṣṇa-kathā is there, Bhagavad-gītā—we have not imported this book from elsewhere—now we are so fallen that we are thinking that "This kṛṣṇa-kathā, this chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, is creating nuisance." Just see how much we have advanced after getting independence. They are complaining that we are creating nuisance. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Kīrtana is recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā satatam, always, twenty-four hours. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). And worshiping the Deity with attention, with care. These things are going on here, and people are complaining we are creating nuisance. Just see. Asat is so dangerous. Therefore we have to create a society of sat. Then the world will be saved. Otherwise they are going to the hellish condition of life.

Lecture on SB 3.25.31 -- Bombay, December 1, 1974:

"Let me take His soldiers, eighteen divisions, many thousands of elephants, horses, chariot." There is estimate, very big number of elephants, horses. I don't remember exactly. But... So Duryodhana decided to take the soldiers of Kṛṣṇa. (aside:) That child may be... But Arjuna thought that "If I get Kṛṣṇa in my side, that is sufficient. I don't want His soldiers."

So Kṛṣṇa was so friendly and very loving friend, not ordinary friend. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, "My dear Arjuna, don't be disappointed because you cannot execute this aṣṭāṅga-yoga. The first-class yogi is he who always thinks of Me." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā (BG 6.47). One who has taken Kṛṣṇa within his heart and always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, satataṁ smartavyaḥ viṣṇuḥ, this is the system. This is meditation. If one is thinking of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, that is the first-class meditation. You are seeing Kṛṣṇa here, standing with Rādhārāṇī. And if you see always, then you naturally you get impression of Kṛṣṇa within the heart. And if you serve Kṛṣṇa... Those who are engaged in service, just like they are offering this foodstuff, Kṛṣṇa. They have prepared this foodstuff very nicely, thinking that "Kṛṣṇa will eat. Let us do it very cleanly and attentively." And whatever they can offer, first-class thing... That is meditation, because they are thinking of Kṛṣṇa, "This foodstuff will be taken by Kṛṣṇa. This dress will be used by Kṛṣṇa. These flowers will be offered to the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa." Real meditation is this. And that is the first-class yoga. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is advising in the Seventh Chapter that "If you cannot think of Me, then you can think of Me in your ordinary dealings." Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: (BG 7.8) "I am the taste of the water."

Lecture on SB 3.25.35 -- Bombay, December 4, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa is the Purāṇa..., the oldest man, but nava-yauvanaṁ ca. But He is always... See. You will find Kṛṣṇa just a young boy of twenty years. Nava-yauvanaṁ ca. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa's words, everything Kṛṣṇa, absolute. His name, His form, His quality, His activities—they are all fresh and new. Otherwise, how the devotees can glorify the same Kṛṣṇa daily with greater enthusiasm? Greater enthusiasm. The more you glorify, you feel more enthusiastic to more glorify, glorify, glorify.

This is spiritual. In the material world, if you speak one thing once, twice, thrice, four times, then it becomes disgusting. But how this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra... You are chanting. You can chant twenty-four hours. It will feel fresh and enthusiasm. That is spiritual. Therefore... Therefore it is not a subject matter, this sound is not like this radio, material sound. It is also sound, but it is spiritual sound, and it is coming from the spiritual world. Just like in the material world we can release some sound. From here, it can be heard from thousands of miles, but not more than that. The spiritual sound, it is released from many, many millions and millions and trillions of miles away; still, it can be heard, provided you have got the machine to capture it. That is bhāgavata-prema.

So those who have got developed love of Godhead, they can hear. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says that "I am speaking to you the old message, Bhagavad-gītā, which I spoke to sun-god some millions of years ago." So "Why You are speaking to me? I am not a Vedantist. I am not a sannyāsī. I am not any advance in spiritual understanding." People may say. But Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes. You are My bhakta." Bhakto 'si. Therefore to understand Bhagavad-gītā means one has to become first of all a bhakta. The so-called nondevotee, atheist class, scholar and politician, they cannot understand. It is not possible. They cannot enter into it. The same thing, licking up the honey bottle, that's all. What you will taste? It is not possible.

Lecture on SB 3.25.35 -- Bombay, December 4, 1974:

"Oh, here is My Lord. Here is My Lord." So one has to become santaḥ. Then one can see. But it is culture, by culture. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva (Bs. 5.38). When you develop that culture, when you develop that love for Kṛṣṇa, then you will see immediately and you will faint, "Oh, here is my Lord."

So prasanna-vaktra aruṇa-locanāni. Prasanna-vaktra. Prasanna means pleasing. Somebody was talking that "Your Deity is just like trying to talk with me." Prasanna-vaktra. Yes. He is here to talk with you, but He is waiting whether you're interested to talk with Him. That's all. Kṛṣṇa says that teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam (BG 10.10). He talks, but with whom? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. One who is twenty-four hours engaged with love and faith in the service of the Lord. To whom? Just like if you want to talk with some big man, then you must have qualification. Is it possible that if you want to talk with the big man here, immediately you like? No. You cannot talk. You must be fit to talk with him. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is ready to talk with you. He has come. He has descended in arcā-mūrti to talk with you, to be visible by you. Now you make yourself ready and fit to talk with Kṛṣṇa. Then He will exchange conversation. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. This is possible. This is a qualification.

So rūpāṇi divyāni vara-pradāni. Divyāni. Divya means divine. Divyāni. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Divyam. They are not material things. One has to see. So if you say, as it is said, sākaṁ vācaṁ spṛhaṇīyāṁ vadanti, spṛhaṇīyām, very favorably you talk... Suppose if I say, "You have no eyes. You are blind," this is not favorable. So the nondevotees, Māyāvādīs, they say that God has no eyes. So it is indirectly saying, "God is blind." So if I say, "You are blind. You nonsense, you are blind," is it favorably talking? Most unfavorable. Directly insulting. So those who are talking about God, nirākāra—no eyes, no leg, no head, no tail, nothing, nirākāra—they are simply blaspheming, not spṛhaṇīyām. God does not want to hear such nonsense things. Therefore it is said, sākaṁ vācaṁ spṛhaṇīyāṁ vadanti.

Lecture on SB 3.25.37 -- Bombay, December 6, 1974:

There is no difference, the worshiping of the Lord here and there. Just like in politics sometime. These are some of the examples, that in a foreign country, when you are staying in your ship, then you are not subjected to the rules of that country. You are subjected to the rules of your own country. Similarly, so long you are in devotional service, you are not subjected to the rules and regulation of this māyā. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Māyām etām... Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te. Anyone who is not devotee, who is not engaged in the service of the Lord, he is under the control of māyā. And anyone who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and is simply twenty-four hours engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, he is not under the control of māyā. Māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14). Kṛṣṇa says.

So therefore a devotee is not aspiring of any so-called material opulence, even aṣṭāṅga-siddhi. Here it is said, aiśvaryam aṣṭāṅgam anupravṛttam. Aṣṭāṅga-siddhi. The yogis, those who are actually yogi, they get aṣṭāṅga-siddhi, not these cheap yogis, gymnastic. No. The āsana, gymnastic, that is all right. That is the process only to go to the yogic platform. But when one is actually on the yogic platform, he gets siddhis. Siddhis means perfection: aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā, like that. He can become smaller than the smallest. That is aṇimā-siddhi. Some of the yogis, they can... You keep him within the room, locked up, and he'll come out. Because as soon as there is little let out, he'll come out. That is called aṇimā-siddhi. Laghimā-siddhi. You can walk... By achieving this la..., you can walk on the water. You become... You can fly in the air. You can go from one planet to another by flying. You can go to the moon planet or sun planet by capturing the beams. That is called mahimā-siddhi. There are so many siddhis. You can create even one universe. Not this magic, little gold, but you can create not universe, one planet. These are said. But a devotee is not anxious to do these things, this jugglery and magic.

Lecture on SB 3.25.43 -- Bombay, December 11, 1974:

"So all right, you make exercise in this way. You practice this āsana. You sit down like this. You see like this. You think like this." In this way there is a mechanical process to control the mind and senses. That is gymnastic part of the yoga system. But real process is to concentrate the mind upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). The yogi's business is, by controlling the mind, focus it toward Kṛṣṇa or Lord Viṣṇu. That is real yoga system.

So as soon as you focus your mind upon Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu, that is bhakti-yoga. Either you do it by meditation or do it twenty-four hours by practical application of your activities for Kṛṣṇa, that is called bhakti-yoga. And that is called samādhi. Even if you are going to some place for Kṛṣṇa's business, to see the police commissioner or going to the court for some degree or..., because you are doing—you are concentrating your mind on Kṛṣṇa—that is called yoga, bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga is so, so easy. Yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi, yat tapasyasi kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). The result should be given to Kṛṣṇa. After working so hard day and night... People are working so hard day and night, but the result, they are enjoying. And a bhakti-yogī, the same thing—they are also working day and night, but the result is for Kṛṣṇa. This is the difference between bhakti-yogī and ordinary karmīs. Therefore ordinary karmīs, they cannot understand that the bhaktas are on the transcendental platform. They think, "They are like us. By sentiment, they are chanting and dancing." No. That is not. It is bhakti-yoga. And that is based on jñāna and vairāgya.

Lecture on SB 3.26.9 -- Bombay, December 21, 1974:

Then He gives intelligence. What kind of intelligence? Yena mām upayānti te: "By which one can approach Me." This intelligence is given to him. To whom? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Twenty-four hours engaged in the service of the Lord. How? Prīti-pūrvakam: "With love and faith," not that officially. Just like if I want a glass of water, one can give me, "Here is. Take it!" And one brings the same glass of water with love and devotion. So there is two different. Kṛṣṇa is not in want of anything from us. He is pūrṇa. But if we offer Him something with love and faith and devotion, then He accepts. That is the difference. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). That is the real thing, bhakti. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is not hankering after your patraṁ puṣpam. He has created patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, He can enjoy. Why He should ask from you? But the real thing is bhaktyā. It is insignificant thing, but if you offer Him bhaktyā, with bhakti, devotion, faith, and love, that He accepts. And if He continues to accept, then you can realize Him. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). Otherwise you cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.21 -- Bombay, December 30, 1974:

This class is held for understanding Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Why? Just to cleanse the heart. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Not that we are almost free from all the contamination, but even little washed away... It begins immediately. As soon as you begin hearing and chanting of these literatures or chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, immediately the cleansing method begins. And naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu. Almost cleansed, not that properly, cent percent clean. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Daily. Not this Bhāgavata-saptāha, official. No. Nityam. There is no such thing as Bhāgavata-saptāha in any Vedic literature. This is another manufacture, concoction. The Bhāgavata says, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā: "You have to twenty-four hours engaged in bhāgavata, in the service of bhāgavata, the person bhāgavata or the book Bhāgavata." Bhāgavata, there are two kinds of bhāgavata. Person bhāgavata is the spiritual master, and the book Bhāgavata. So there is no difference, because the person bhāgavata advises you read Bhāgavata. And by reading Bhāgavata, you understand what is Bhagavān, what is spiritual master.

Lecture on SB 3.26.40 -- Bombay, January 15, 1975:

If you can learn how to see Kṛṣṇa within the heart always, twenty-four hours, then your life is successful. That is perfection of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how you can learn to see Kṛṣṇa within your heart, within other's heart, and everywhere. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). This is wanted.

So this is possible by increasing our love for Kṛṣṇa. Simply we have to increase our love. Just like in practical life also, we begin to love somebody, one after another, gradually, not all of a sudden, similarly, we have to increase our love for Kṛṣṇa. That love for Kṛṣṇa is the devotional process.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ
smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam
arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ
sakhyam ātma-nivedanam
(SB 7.5.23)

Then surrender. That is the ultimate state of loving affairs, surrender. Why one should surrender to another person unless there is love? Just like wife surrenders to husband and husband protects the wife. This is general duty. So why one man is interested with one woman for giving her all protection, and why one man is surrendered to..., one woman is surrendered to one man? What is the basic principle? The basic principle is love. So similarly, our full surrender, full Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can be achieved when we develop our love for Kṛṣṇa little by little, little by little, and then come to the perfection. When we come to the perfection, then we cannot live without Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

Everything is coming from Him. So whatever we possess, the physical transformation, the gross body and the subtle mind, intelligence, everything is produced from the original source, Kṛṣṇa. So same thing, when it is utilized by clear understanding, that "Everything is emanation from Kṛṣṇa. Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa. So let us utilize it for Kṛṣṇa's service," then we are situated in the daivī-māyā. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). This is daivī-prakṛti. And the result is bhajanty ananya-manasaḥ: "Without any deviation they are engaged, the devotees are engaged, in Kṛṣṇa's service." That is the perfection of life. And in this life, so long we are in material condition, we are practicing how to be engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service twenty-four hours. And when it is perfection... Tataḥ, tattvato jñātvā.

Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to understand Kṛṣṇa or if anyone wants to understand Kṛṣṇa perfectly, tattvataḥ, in truth, then he has to understand it through bhakti, not any other process, although there are many other processes, different ways. Some so-called philosophers, they say that "We can adopt any process. It leads to the same goal." That's all right, provided you make progress. Then you'll reach to the same goal. But if you become stuck up with the process only, you do not make progress, then it does not lead to the same goal. Just like one staircase going to the fourth floor. So you cross, say, twenty-five steps. You are in a certain position. If you cross fifty steps, you are in a certain position. If you cross sixty steps... In this way, the final may be hundred steps. So unless you go to the hundredth step, the final position is not attained, although it is leading to the same goal. Therefore we have to make progress. From karma-kāṇḍa we have to learn what is the actual position of karma-kāṇḍa, why we are engaged in karma-kāṇḍa. That is called jñāna. Then, coming to the jñāna-kāṇḍa, then you come to the upāsanā-kāṇḍa. Then upāsanā-kāṇḍa, when you reach the highest, topmost upāsanā... Upāsanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. When you become Vaiṣṇava, when you worship Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, that is the perfectional stage.

Lecture on SB 3.26.41 -- Bombay, January 16, 1975:

Everything is explained there. Physical and spiritual, everything is there. So this is bhāgavata-dharma, to study Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam very carefully. Everything is... Every knowledge is there. Kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ. There is no need of reading any other book. Kiṁ vā paraiḥ, in the beginning it is said. Why? Sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate īśvaraḥ. The perfection of life is to understand God. So by reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sadyaḥ, immediately, hṛdy avarudhyate īśvaraḥ: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead, by simply reading Bhāgavatam... He is already there, but immediately He is realized." That is perfection of life.

So Bhāgavata is so powerful that nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā: we have to read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam daily and twenty-four hours. That is the injunction: nityam. Nityam means always. So our members especially, I mean to say, those who are inmates, they, and those who are becoming members, ordinary member or patron member, we are giving them books. Please read them carefully. Don't take books that "I am member. It is my duty to take books and keep it in the almirah." No. Read it thoroughly. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. By regular reading of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then our this material contamination becomes vanquished. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣu. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). As soon as it begins to diminish, then it will diminish finally, and then you will be situated in your pure, original constitutional position, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhakti-yogataḥ. Evaṁ prasanna-manaso bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ (SB 1.2.20). By cleansing the heart we become prasanna-manasaḥ, very jubilant. Bhagavad-bhakti-yogataḥ. Therefore this bhāgavata-dharma should be practiced from the very beginning of life, and it should be studied. We have got so many books. One can read... Whatever already we have got, books, one can read for fifty years continually and get new enlightenment one after another.

Lecture on SB 3.26.47 -- Bombay, January 22, 1975:

Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has described this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, "not of this material sky." Golokera prema-dhana, hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana. Hari-nāma-saṅkīrtana, this is not a material sound. And in the Vedānta it is stated, śabdād anāvṛtti. By chanting the spiritual sound... The impersonalists, they chant oṁkāra. Praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. All Vedic mantras are preceded by the spiritual oṁkāra. That oṁkāra... Kṛṣṇa says, akṣarāṇām akāro 'smi. Vedeṣu, praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu, A, U, M, These are described in the Bhagavad-gītā. So either you vibrate oṁkāra or Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, they belong to the spiritual world. This sound does not belong to this material. Material sound, if you chant once, twice, thrice, you will feel disgusted. But spiritual sound, if you chant twenty-four hours, you will never feel disgusted, but you will feel more and more spiritual bliss. That is the difference. Actually, you see these boys and girls and others, they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa practically from early in the morning, 5:00 till 10:00, daily, but nobody is feeling any disgust. They like to chant. That is the difference between material sound and spiritual sound.

Lecture on SB 3.28.18 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

This is called meditation. Yāvan, so long the mind is disturbed and deviates from our subject of meditation, one should practice this kīrtana. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Caitanya Mahāprabhu advises that the devotee should chant always, twenty-four hours, kīrtanya: "It is worth singing." It is worth singing, why? Puṇya ślokasya, puṇya ślokasya. Puṇya śloka yaśaskaram. Even if you do not fix up your mind... Kīrtana means fix up your mind, but even if you do not fix up your mind, then you are still gainer. The more you glorify the Lord, you become pious simply by kīrtana. It is not necessary that you understand, but if you go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, then you become pious. Puṇya-śloka. Kṛṣṇa's another name is Puṇya-śloka, Uttama-śloka. Simply by chanting "Kṛṣṇa," you become pious.

So dhyāyed devaṁ samagrāṅgam. The dhyāna, the meditation, should begin from the lotus feet. As soon as you begin kīrtana, first of all concentrate your mind on the lotus feet, not all of a sudden jump over the face. Be practiced to think over the lotus feet, then still higher, the knees, then the thighs, then the belly, then the chest. In this way, at last go to the face. This is the process. It is described in the Second Canto. The process is how to think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. This is meditation. So this... By kīrtana it becomes very easy. If you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra twenty-four hours like Haridāsa Ṭhākura... That is not possible. So as much as possible... Tīrtha-yaśasa. Kīrtana, this is also kīrtana. We are talking about Kṛṣṇa, reading about Kṛṣṇa, reading Kṛṣṇa's instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā or reading Kṛṣṇa's glories in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They are all kīrtana. It is not that simply when we sing with musical instruments, that is kīrtana. No. Anything you talk about Kṛṣṇa, that is kīrtan.

Lecture on SB 3.28.18 -- Nairobi, October 27, 1975:

Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31) means that... Vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. This is the character of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, that whenever he would talk, he would talk about Kṛṣṇa. This is kīrtana. He won't talk anything else. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18). Whenever he will think, he will think of Kṛṣṇa—His lotus feet, His body, His hands, His flute. This is meditation. Meditation means that... Trance means when your mind is so fixed up on Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu that not for a second your mind is deviated from the Kṛṣṇa's form. That is called trance. Not artificially. You can practice it. If you see Kṛṣṇa daily in the temple, if you worship, you offer your obeisances—man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65)—naturally you will think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, and that will make you more pious, because without being pious, nobody can think of Kṛṣṇa. Yeṣāṁ anta-gataṁ pāpam. Pious means there is no reaction of sinful life. It is all squared up. That you can do at any moment. Kṛṣṇa takes charge. Kṛṣṇa says, buddhiḥ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi. He can do that. He can nullify the destiny. Karmṇnirdahati kintu ca bhakti-bhājāṁ. Everyone is bound up by the laws of karma. Yas tv indragopam athavendram aho sva-karma-bandhānurūpa-phala-bhājanam ātanoti (Bs. 5.54). Everyone, beginning from that small microbe, indragopa, and up to the king of heaven—his name is also Indra. So from this Indra to that Indra, all different types of living entities, they are suffering, not enjoying; suffering the resultant action of their past sinful life. This is material existence. Everyone is suffering, but māyā is so kind that he (she) misleads the sufferer to understand the suffering is enjoying. This is māyā. Actually everyone is suffering, but he is misled to think that he is enjoying.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Yes, you can feel also. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). This is the formula of seeing Kṛṣṇa:

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Bs. 5.38)

If you have developed your love of Kṛṣṇa, then you'll see Him twenty-four hours. Just like you, if you love somebody, you'll always think of him. That is natural. So the first qualification is whether you have developed that love for Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll see twenty-four hours.

Acyutānanda: "What is the easiest method of attaining mokṣa while in family life?"

Prabhupāda: What is that?

Haṁsadūta: (repeats question)

Prabhupāda: That is not recommended in the Vedic śāstra (laughter). Especially Śaṅkarācārya, he would not accept anyone unless he accepts sannyāsa. He never accepts anybody.

Acyutānanda: "There are many religious movements, how does Kṛṣṇa consciousness take priority?"

Prabhupāda: Because it is Kṛṣṇa's movement. He is the topmost. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no more superior truth than Me." Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the supreme truth. There is no more superior truth than Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

The love for Kṛṣṇa is there, everywhere. Just like the European, American boys. Why they are loving Kṛṣṇa? It is not foreign. It was there. It was there. Similarly, in everyone's heart there is love for Kṛṣṇa. By cultivation, that Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that love becomes developed. And when you develop that love for Kṛṣṇa, then you will see Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours. That is wanted. So ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅga tato 'nartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā tato bhakti... Tato niṣṭhā tathāśaktis tato bhava sādhakānām ayām premṇaḥ prādurbhāve bhavet kramaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). This is the ādau śraddhā. Just like you have come here in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement meeting because you have got little śraddhā, faith. This is called śraddhā. You have to increase this śraddhā. How? Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83), those who are Kṛṣṇa's devotees, you have to associate with them. You cannot develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness by associating with drunkards and others. No. That is not possible. You have to associate with kṛṣṇa bhakta. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu saṅga (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15), sādhu means bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). I've already described the sādhu. If you want love of Kṛṣṇa, then you have associate with sādhu. Sādhu means kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgo, tato bhajana-kriyā (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15). Association with sādhu means you'll learn, bhajana-kriyā. Just like many people come in our society, not in the beginning as devotee, as a matter of inquisitiveness. Then gradually he wants to become initiated. He approaches, "Kindly initiate me. Make me a disciple." Bhajana kriyā. This is called bhajana-kriyā. And if you actually perform bhajana-kriyā, then anartha nivṛttiḥ syāt. All these unwanted things which you have learned, you have become habituated, mainly illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling, that becomes finished. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt. No more attachment for these things. Then niṣṭhā, firm conviction. Then ruci, taste. Then āsaktiḥ, attachment. Then bhāva, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is so nice." Then prema. That requires... If you have developed your love for Kṛṣṇa, then you will see Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Prabhupāda: This is the process. So if by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa you practice this process, then you'll see Kṛṣṇa always. There is no... Kṛṣṇa is not concealed. He is prepared to be revealed. He comes Himself, "See Me. See My feature. Here I am. Here is my līlā, Vṛndāvana līlā." But you don't see, don't like to see. That is our defect. Otherwise Kṛṣṇa is always ready to be revealed. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu (Bs. 5.38), sadaiva, twenty-four hours you'll see. So Kṛṣṇa is open for everyone. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ (BG 9.32), it doesn't matter you are born in a low-grade family. It doesn't matter. Still, striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim, you'll get the highest result of life by seeing Kṛṣṇa. So kṛṣṇa-bhakti is ahaituky apratihatā. It cannot be checked by any material condition if you are serious about it. Then Kṛṣṇa will help you. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10), "I'll give you intelligence how to see Me." These things are there. So if you are serious to see Kṛṣṇa then Kṛṣṇa is ready to be seen by you. It is not very difficult task.

Acyutānanda: Is there any difference between Śiva and Kṛṣṇa?

Prabhupāda: Yes. There is no difference and difference also. Just like milk and yogurt, dahi. Dahi is nothing but milk, but still it is not milk. That is the example. That... What is dahi? Dahi is transformation of milk. But you cannot say it is milk. Will you accept dahi instead of milk? Or will it act the same way? No. So everything is like that. Acintya-bhedābheda-tattva. Kṛṣṇa has explained this fact. What is that?

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

Yes, that we will have. Kṛṣṇa is within you, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). As soon as you become sincere, if you are qualified to serve Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa will dictate from within, "Do like this." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. To whom? Teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. One who is engaged in loving service of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa is very expert, He can understand how you want to serve Him, with a motive or without motive. When He understands, then He personally gives you dictation, "You do like this, you do like that." So that is Kṛṣṇa's friendship. Kṛṣṇa is always available. Kṛṣṇa can be seen twenty-four hours, provided you elevate to the position how to talk with Kṛṣṇa, how to see Kṛṣṇa, how to act toward Kṛṣṇa. It is not very difficult.

So the symptom is described, how even a gṛhastha can become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. The negative side is described that he's not interested with this worldly, so-called advancement of social position, or advancement of economic problem. So many things they have created. These are described here. Gṛheṣu jāyātmaja-rātimatsu. Ātmaja-rātimatsu na prīti-yuktā yāvad-arthāś ca loke. Neither neglectful as far as possible, yāvat-arthāḥ, not too much overwhelmed, because after all this is temporary. Our so-called society, friendship, love, in this material world, they are all, they are called illusory, phenomenal. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya said, jagan mithyā. He says little bluntly, but actually it has no meaning, because this social condition of life is existent so long this body is there. As soon as I change my body, even in this country... We are very much fond of our country, janani janma-bhūmiś ca svargād api gariyasi, but the country is so ungrateful. Suppose there are many vivid examples. Mahatma Gandhi, he worked so much for his country. The result was that he was killed by his countrymen. So, just see the example. So, in this material life, you will never be able to make anyone happy by your activities. That is not possible. Neither you will be happy.

Lecture on SB 5.5.3 -- Hyderabad, April 15, 1975:

Because you are not practiced. You practice to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, at the time of death it will come. Abhyāsa-yoga-yuktena cetasā nānya-gāminā (BG 8.8). That is advised. You practice it and you'll remember. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. If you practice twenty-four hours, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, then at the time you'll chant Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no possibility. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). So we have to practice. That is natural. If you always think of something, at the time of death you will think like that. So if you think of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ nama... Therefore Kṛṣṇa adv..., mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ (BG 18.68). You simply add up these four principles, always think of Me, you become My devotee, and offer obeisances unto Me, man-manā bhava mad, mad-yājī, worship Me. You do these four things then mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ, without any doubt you are coming to Me. So why don't you do this? Four things, very easy things. Is it very difficult to constantly remember Kṛṣṇa? You can do it. You are remembering something. A mind is occupied always with something. Just practice to occupy the mind with Kṛṣṇa, that's all. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namas... Everything is there. You practice it. Don't (indistinct). Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor (SB 9.4.18). Mahārāja Ambarīṣa, he was a great emperor of this world, but his mind was fixed up on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padaravindayor vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane. When you talk, you will talk about Kṛṣṇa only. You practice.

Lecture on SB 5.5.6 -- Vrndavana, October 28, 1976:

Similarly, in the spiritual world there is no ignorance. Everyone is śuddha-sattva. Not only sattva-guṇa, but śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vāsudeva-śabditaḥ. Here, in this material world, there are three qualities, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So none of these guṇas are pure. There is a mixture. And because there is mixture, therefore we see so many varieties. But we have to come to the platform of sattva-guṇa. And that process is hearing. This is the best process. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ (SB 1.2.17). If you hear regularly Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... We are therefore stressing: "Always hear, always read, always hear." Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18). Nitya. If you can constantly, twenty-four hours, if you hear and chant Hear means somebody chants or you chant yourself or hear, or some of your colleague may chant, you hear. Or he may hear, you may chant. This process must go on. This is śrāvaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ. Viṣṇoḥ (SB 7.5.23). That is Bhāgavata. Not any other nonsense talks, gossiping. Simply hear and chant. Then śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇa. If you seriously hear and chant, seriously—"Yes, this life I shall engage only for increasing my love of Vāsudeva"—if you are determined, it can be done. There is no difficulty. And as soon as you do this, you increase fully your love for Vasudeva, then there is no more chance of contacting material body.

Lecture on SB 5.5.14 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1976:

Paraṁ satyaṁ dhīmahi, that is paraṁ satyam, kṛṣṇa-kathā. Bhagavān is paraṁ satyam. Paraṁ Brahman. Not only Brahman, Paraṁ Brahman. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they are concerned with the brahman-kathā but, we (are) very interested not only (in) brahman-kathā but parabrahman-kathā, that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that is wanted. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). So kṛṣṇa-kathā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is guru. Kṛṣṇa-kathā. So here it is said that, mat-kathā, mat-karmabhir mat-kathayā ca. So..., and how? Mat-karmabhir mat-kathayā ca nityam, twenty-four hours. Nityam means always.

Not that officially, I attend bhāgavata-kathā for seven days or ten days in a year, and there are 365 days, and other 355 days, I go to the share market and simply inquire about the raise of this share and that share. That will not help you. Nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā (SB 1.2.18), then it is bhakti-yoga. This manufacturing of seven days bhāgavata-kathā, it is business. It is not bhāgavata-kathā. In the Bhāgavata comments, there are so many authorized comments, just like Śrīdhara Svāmī, Vīrarāghavācārya, Vijayadhvaja, Viśvanātha Cakravartī, Jīva Gosvāmī, and Giridhārī Gosvāmī, so many. Nowhere it is stated that you hear bhāgavata-kathā for seven days. You will not find. Therefore this seven days bhāgavata-kathā, so far we can understand, it is not authorized. Here also it is said, nityam, mat-kathayā ca nityam. Never you will find seven days. In another place it is said, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityam, you have to hear Bhāgavatam daily. Not that a prescribed method, formality, for seven days. No, that is not authorized. Here it is also said, mat-kathayā, bhāgavata-kathayā ca nityam. Mad-deva-saṅgāt, not in the association of the karmīs, jñānīs, yogis, no.

Lecture on SB 5.5.15 -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1976:

They have natural tendency to work and get the benefit and make a plan, "How I shall become very rich man. How I shall own so many houses and so many properties, so many lands, so many, and..." Therefore why these people are so busy? Karma-mūḍhān, day and night. Ataj-jñān. They do not know that such persons cannot improve their economic position simply by working hard. That is not possible. Then everyone would have been rich man. In big, big cities like Calcutta, Bombay, London, New York, everyone is working very hard. Not that in big cities one can get their food easily. No. Everyone has to work. And everyone is working hard. Do you think that everyone is on the same level of position? No. That is not possible. Destiny. Destiny. One man is working hard day and night, twenty-four hours; simply he is getting two capātīs, that's all. We have seen in Bombay. They are living in such rotten condition that even in the daytime they'll have to a kerosene lamp. In such a place they are living, and so dirty condition. Does it mean that everyone in Bombay is living very luxuriantly? No. Similarly, every city. It is not possible. You cannot improve your economic position simply by working hard. That is not possible. You work hard or not work, whatever is destined to you, you'll get it. Therefore our energy should be utilized that mal-loka-kāmo mad-anugrahārthaḥ. The energy should be utilized how to please Kṛṣṇa. That should be done. Energy should be utilized for that purpose, not waste energy simply for a false hope that "I shall become happy. I shall do this. I shall do that. I shall make money like this. I..."

Lecture on SB 5.5.24 -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1976:

The brāhmaṇa family is rich in knowledge, and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas, they are rich in opulence, wealth, material riches. And śūdras, they are not rich either in material wealth or in knowledge. Therefore they are called śūdras.

So this bhakti-yoga or any yoga... Real yoga, or the first-class class yoga, is bhakti-yoga. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. There are many yogis. Out of them, the bhakta-yogi... Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gata āntarātmanā (BG 6.47). Without becoming a bhakta-yogi, nobody can think of Kṛṣṇa always. That is not possible. Satataṁ kīrtanyanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ. The bhakti-yoga we are teaching in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement twenty-four hours' engagement. Superficially we engage from four o'clock in the morning till ten o'clock at night, and that is resting time. But when one is advanced in devotional service, while sleeping he also serves Kṛṣṇa. That means twenty-four hours, satatam. That depends on Because in sleeping you also dream, so what we do during daytime we dream at night. So if one is cent percent engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, naturally he'll dream also at night. I have seen one of our intimate relative. He was a businessman, selling cloth. So in dream also he was quoting price of cloth. So that is natural. That is not unnatural. Therefore we have to practice. At the time of death, somehow or other, if we quote the price of Kṛṣṇa, then our life are successful. Therefore we should practice: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). If we practice Kṛṣṇa, then naturally it is expected that at the time of death we remember Kṛṣṇa. Then immediately we are transferred to the Kṛṣṇaloka, immediately. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately. There is no doubt about it. Simple thing, but it requires practice.

Lecture on SB 5.5.26 -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1976:

You cannot ask Kṛṣṇa, "Please come here. I'll see You," just like you ask your dog or your servant. Kṛṣṇa is nobody's servant. Kṛṣṇa is the master. He may like you; He may not like. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). He is everywhere. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayān... But He is not visible to the nondevotees. That is the... Unless you are devotee, you cannot see. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). So that bhakti must be there.

So Kṛṣṇa is present here in this temple. This temple is meant for this purpose, that you come here, see Kṛṣṇa, and become attached to Him. Then you will see Him twenty-four hours. This is the process. Not that, I have several times explained, that this Kṛṣṇa is marble statue. No. This is nārakī-buddhiḥ. Arcye viṣṇau śilā-dhīr guruṣu nara-matir vaiṣṇave jāti buddhir, nārakī buddhiḥ. Nārakī buddhiḥ. This is warned. Kṛṣṇa is here. Kṛṣṇa is here in the temple, but He has come mercifully to be seen by you. Otherwise you are blind; you cannot see Kṛṣṇa. But He has appeared as arcā-vigraha so that You are accustomed to see wood and stone, so He appears in your visible form, but He is Kṛṣṇa. You will understand He is Kṛṣṇa present when you have got enough love for Him.

Lecture on SB 5.5.30 -- Vrndavana, November 17, 1976:

What is that? Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā: (BG 6.47) "If you simply think of Me, then you are the best yogi."

So everything will be perfectly executed—yoga, jñāna, karma, and many other processes—if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the real purpose. If you come to the platform of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then everything is perfect. Even if you cannot execute yoga, jñāna, karma perfectly, still you are perfect. Still you are perfect. But the central point is that we must be absorbed always in thinking of Kṛṣṇa within the core of our heart. Satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14). Simply you should remain Kṛṣṇa conscious twenty-four hours, even in sleeping. That is the perfect stage. But we have to practice. It is not simply words. But it can be practiced; it is not impossible. The practice Kṛṣṇa is recommending, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "Always think of Me." Our, this temple worship... Mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru. And "Always think of Me." This class, this kīrtana, this prasāda distribution and offering obeisances, worshiping, so many—śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23)—take any one of them or all of them. Be perfect in that particular process. Try to become, at least. Kṛṣṇa will help you. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). If you try your best, Kṛṣṇa will give you strength. Kṛṣṇa is always ready to help you, provided you want to take his help. He is ready. He has come to help you. Otherwise what is the use of Kṛṣṇa's coming here and canvassing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66)? That is for our interest. You surrender to Kṛṣṇa or not surrender, it doesn't matter to Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not depend on your service. He is completely perfect. He can create millions of servants like you in a moment. So why does He require your service? Why He should canvass for your service? His service is not suffering for want of you. But it is your interest to surrender to Him. It is your interest. This Kṛṣṇa wants to see, that you surrender to Him and become perfect and go back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the same mission: to canvass.

Lecture on SB 5.6.6 -- Vrndavana, November 28, 1976:

So anyone who has accepted this material world as very comfortable... It is not comfortable; it is simply suffering. Kṛṣṇa says, duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam (BG 8.15). And still, if we want to be happy in this material world, bahir-artha-māninaḥ. These fools, they are trying to be happy within this material world. Material means external energy. Bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Na te viduḥ svārtha gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā (SB 7.5.31). This is durāśayā, the hope which will never be fulfilled. But this we do not... Māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (SB 7.9.43). So unless there is vairāgya, there is no question of happiness. But we cannot attain vairāgya immediately; therefore the vidhi-mārga, vidhi-mārga-bhakti, to rise early in the morning, to attend maṅgala ārati, to offer Deity flowers, fruits, and in this way we shall be engaged twenty-four hours. Then vairāgya-vidyā will gradually develop. Anarthopaśamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje (SB 1.7.6). Then the anartha... This material life is simply anartha, has no meaning, because we are creating another life. Without any spiritual knowledge, if we simply give ourself to the action and reaction of material nature, then we are making progress on the path of mṛtyu-saṁsāra vartmani (BG 9.3). And if we attain Kṛṣṇa, then mām upetya kaunteya duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam, nāpnuvanti (BG 8.15). The two ways.

So our request is that you have taken to this vairāgya-vidyā. So vairāgya-vidyā, we do not say that you starve, don't eat anything, don't sleep at all. No. It should be regulated. Anāsaktasya viṣayān yathārtham upayuñjataḥ. Don't be attached to eating, sleeping. That is not good. But you must eat, you must sleep as little as possible, and try to conquer over it. My mind dictating, "Sleep seventeen hours." No. That is tapasya. Tapasā brahmacaryeṇa (SB 6.1.13). Why shall you sleep more than four hours or five hours, or utmost six hours? That's all, not more than that. That is vairāgya-vidyā. We have to learn it. That is devotional service. Vairāgya-vidyā nija-bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). He's teaching. Kṛṣṇa Himself is teaching. Here you see. Ṛṣabhadeva is Kṛṣṇa. Vairāgyā-vidyā. Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He taught vairāgya-vidyā. Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam, māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam (SB 11.5.34).

Lecture on SB 5.6.8 -- Vrndavana, November 30, 1976:

Nobody goes to set anala, fire, in the forest. I saw dāvānala first in my experience at Nainital Station. Very high hill, and there was fire, blazing fire upon the hill. Nobody went there to set fire, but there was fire. So how that fire takes place, that is explained here, samīra-vega-vidhūta-veṇu-vikarṣaṇam. In the big jungles there are bamboo trees, and they are very densely situated. When there is wind, very forceful, the friction causes fire. So similarly, this material world is compared with this dāvānala. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. Nobody wants that there will be trouble. In your country there is another kind of fire that is not dāvānala. In the city there is electric anala. And especially in New York, you know, twenty-four hours the fire brigade is working, "dung dung dung dung dung dung dung." Nobody wanted, but there is fire, just to prove that you people, you have avoided jungle life but you cannot avoid dāvānala. This is the proof. You can make arrangement, very large arrangement for living comfortably, but you cannot escape dāvānala. That is not possible.

Therefore saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka **. The whole material world is blazing fire. Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. Now, this dāvānala... Just like in the forest, you cannot send your fire brigade. That is not possible. Neither you can go there to help the animals for extinguishing the fire by bucketful of waters. That is also not possible. Helpless. Similarly, this saṁsāra dāvānala, you cannot extinguish it. So how it will be extinguished? Saṁsāra dāvānala-līḍha-loka-trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam **. You have to beg for the mercy of Kṛṣṇa; then this blazing fire can be extinguished, not by your arrangement. That is not possible. Trāṇāya kāruṇya-ghanāghanatvam. That cloud is mercy cloud, not this ordinary cloud. Because dāvānala, the example, personal experience that on the hill of Nainital, some thousand feet high, how this fire will be extinguished? The extinguished it will be when there is cloud on the sky and there is rainfall. Otherwise it is not possible. Similarly, the mercy cloud, kāruṇya, kāruṇa, ghanāghanatvam...

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

This is the difference between God and ourself. We should understand. So if we give up this service to the senses and we engage ourself in the service of the great... Everyone wants to serve the great. That is natural. If one is serving ordinary mercantile firm, he is thinking of getting some service in the government office. That is very secure. So if we seek our service to the supreme government, Kṛṣṇa, or God, then we will be happy. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

If you actually want to be happy... Now you can see. These boys they are chanting, dancing. This is not artificial. Artificial dancing can be performed one day, two days, then finished. But they are doing twenty-four hours. How they are doing, unless they are feeling some happiness, transcendental happiness? They are not fools. They are not uneducated. They are educated. They are coming from a good family. But they have sacrificed everything, and they are enjoying this Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting and dancing. Unless they feel... Even the girls, they are also dancing. So there is transcendental feeling of blissful life. Why? When one engages himself in the service of the Lord. This is the purport, very simple thing. And as soon as he will serve the designation, false service, he will spoil his time and will be under the condition of material nature. Material nature, we are all conditioned by material nature. Therefore we are changing body from one body to another. Now, by the nature's own process, evolution, we have come to this human form of body and we have got advanced consciousness, we have got direction like Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Hari guru vaiṣṇava bhāgavata gītā. Bhāgavata-gītā. Just our Madhudviṣa Swami sung, we have got Kṛṣṇa, we have got spiritual master, we have got the books, Bhāgavata, we have got Gītā. Now let us take advantage of it. These transcendental literature, we have taken much pain to translate them into English so that you can understand. We have got fifty books. So take advantage. It is not meant for the cats and dogs. It is meant for the human being, not a particular class or nation. No. It is meant for all human being. So take advantage of this knowledge, understand the philosophy of life, that "I am eternal." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20).

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Honolulu, June 8, 1975:

Anyone who is fully, constantly, twenty-four hours engaged, avyabhicāriṇi... Avyabhicāriṇi, without any stoppage. Therefore I want that in our temple there should be program that we are always engaged in devotional service, twenty-four hours. But because we have got this material body we require a little rest, the minimum rest, as minimum as possible. Because the sleeping means waste of time. We are supposed to be engaged twenty-four hours in the service of the Lord, but as it is not possible, we have to sleep, take little rest, so that should be the minimum. Because the whole period sleeping means waste. So all these Gosvāmīs, they used to sleep not more than two hours. That was also not possible in some day. They were so busy in writing books and other...

So this should be minimized, and we should be engaged twenty-four hours. If we remain engaged in that way... We have got so many engagement. We are daily singing—I do not know whether you understand the meaning—śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira mārjanādau, yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato 'pi vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **. We have got śrī-vigraha. The śrī-vigraha-sevā—all rising early in the morning, arrange for maṅgala āratrik, then dressing, then offering food, then āratrik, so many hours. The whole day can be used in that way. Then reading books, class, taking care of the temple. Tan-mandira-mārjanādau. Don't think that if one is engaged in the Deity worship and if one is engaged in the gardening work there is distinction. No. The one who is working as a gardener, he is as good as the one who is dressing the Deity, because it is Absolute plane. There is no difference between... Just like in the material world, if one is working as manager and the other is working as menial servant, there is difference of pay or difference of service. No. In the spiritual world there is no such thing. In the spiritual world even a small ant who is serving Kṛṣṇa by chance... Suppose if there is an ant and the flower is thrown into the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and the ant kisses the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he is as good as the pūjārī. This is spiritual world. So we should give everyone chance how to serve Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-15 -- San Francisco, September 12, 1968:

"Don't take intoxicants." Smoking is intoxication. Now if you have to follow the rules, you cannot smoke, it will be troublesome for you. Because you are habituated to smoke, and I say "You don't smoke," it will be very difficult for you. You are habituated to unrestricted sex life, and if I say that "Don't have illicit sex life," it will be troublesome for you. Similarly, so many things are there, we are habituated, and if they are restricted there will be some trouble. So voluntarily accepting some trouble is called tapasya, or austerity. Just like a patient, if he wants to be cured, he has to follow the restriction imposed by the physician. And he follows it. Just like doctor says it, "Oh, you cannot get up. You must lie down twenty-four hours." He doesn't like it, but he has to do it. This is called tapasya, austerity. Penance. Austerity. Just like we say that on the ekādaśī day you should fast. So fasting is not very, I mean to say, pleasant, but one has to do. This is called tapasya. Brahmacaryeṇa. Brahmacaryeṇa means celibacy. The more you restrain your sex life, the more you become strong for spiritual life. Brahmacaryeṇa. Brahma..., brahmacarya means to restrain, control sex life. Therefore somebody asked me, "Swamiji, why you are stressing so much on married life?" I have given this answer to many gentleman in the television, that because we have got a demand for sex life. But if we are restricted with married life, then there is no, I mean to say, illicit sex life. At least we refrain from that.

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

Tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā. That Supreme Personality being served, being served. By serving. You can, you can, simply by lip... But you cannot say that "Now I have dedicated my life to Kṛṣṇa." No. That's all right, but you have to keep the standard of surrender by niṣevayā, by serving. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva (Brs. 1.2.234). As you serve, as you go on serving the Supreme Lord, so He becomes revealed within your... He's within your heart. So by your service He'll reveal Himself. So kṛṣṇārpita-prāṇas tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā. We should remember this, that our business is that we should be dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. Our life, everything, should be dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. And how it can be possible? Tat-puruṣa-niṣevayā. Simply by serving the Supreme Personality.

So this program, this devotional service, morning, from morning till night, is simply how to serve Him. The more we serve, then we become dedicated to Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says on the Bhagavad-gītā the same thing: teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Persons who are twenty-four hours engaged, satata-yuktānām... Satata means twenty-four hours. Not that five minutes or fifteen minutes meditation, and then do all nonsense. No. Twenty-four hours one should be engaged in the service of the Lord. Twenty-four hours. That we are doing. Whatever he knows, whatever talent he has got, use for Kṛṣṇa. That is twenty-four hours' engagement. Either

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

There are nine processes. So keep your self always engaged in either of these nine processes. That is twenty-four hours' engagement. Satata. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10). One who is always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. How? Bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Not that it is disgusting. No. Prīti, with love. Of course, it may be disgusting in the beginning. But as you make progress in service, you'll find it pleasing, not disgusting. That is the taste that you have developed. When you do not feel disgusted in the service, in executing the service of the Lord, that means you have made progress. That material service becomes disgusting.

Just like for example, here is Kṛṣṇa's name, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." Throughout one's life, twenty-four hours, he's chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. But it is not disgusting. But take any material name and chant it three times, you become disgusted. This is a fact. But these boys, these girls, throughout, throughout their life will go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, will never be disgusted, but they will chant more and more. So this is prīti. The more you chant, the more you become attached: "Let me chant more." Not disgusted, but "Let me chant more." This is called prīti. Similarly, any service of the Lord. This is service by śravaṇam and kīrtanam. That is the beginning. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam (SB 7.5.23). Then always remembering Kṛṣṇa. When you are perfect in chanting and hearing, then you'll always remember Kṛṣṇa. That means in the third stage you become the greatest yogi. Because Kṛṣṇa says, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntar-ātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo mām: (BG 6.47) "One who is always engaged..." So Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam (BG 10.10). Then Kṛṣṇa reveals and gives him intelligence: "You do like this. You do like this." Why Kṛṣṇa gives intelligence?

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

That means he is not chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Because if he is actually chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, he must be enthusiastic to serve Kṛṣṇa more and more. This is an excuse. Utsāhān dhairyāt tat-tat-karma-pravar... He must be very enthusiastic. Therefore we have limited. If you are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, if you are so advanced, then chant Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours. But he will sleep. (makes snoring noise) (laughter) So in the name of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you will sleep. And if you are actually chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, you will be enthusiastic, "Oh, I shall serve. I shall..." That is effect. Phalena paricīyate. We have to see by the result. He should be enthusiastic more and more. Ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. It will increase. The service attitude will increase. Therefore we have given all the nine items sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes here, but all Kṛṣṇa's. Actually recommended, all the nine, but even one is accepted sincerely, that also give perfection. That is another thing. But actually, we should accept all the nine items: Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanam... And All right. Yes?

Lecture on SB 6.1.30 -- Honolulu, May 29, 1976:

Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. So immediately you are saved, not to go to the yama-mandira. The powerful name, holy name is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no difference—absolute. Absolute means... Just like here if I simply chant "mango, mango, mango," there is no mango. Mango is different from the name mango. If I want to eat mango, the substance mango I must have. So there is difference between the name and its substance. That is material-duality. But in the absolute world there is..., means there's no duality. The name mango and mango: the same. This requires advanced knowledge. So there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa the name and Kṛṣṇa the person. There is no difference. Otherwise this is practical. You're chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Twenty-four hours you can chant, you'll never feel tired. But if you chant any other thing... (break)

...etādṛśī tava kṛpā bhagavān mamāpi durdaivam īdṛśam ihājani nānurāgaḥ. God realization..., the atheist class, they say, "There is no God." But if you chant the God's holy name, you'll see God. There is no difficult process of... The Kali-yuga especially, this is a special prerogative of this age because God realization is very, very difficult for them. But if you take advantage of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy... It is... Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy means it is perpetual. Not that because Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced the saṅkīrtana movement, therefore the name is as good as the person. No. It is always the name Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa, the name of the Supreme Lord, is as good as the Su... It is always. But in this age especially it has got special potency. That is because we are all very, very fallen souls. (child crying) (aside:) The child. We are very, very fallen souls. We cannot do anything. It is very, very difficult. Although at any time, as it is said before, kevalayā bhaktyā. Kecit kevalayā bhaktyā vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ (SB 6.1.15).

Lecture on SB 6.1.31 -- San Francisco, July 16, 1975:

For many millions of years running in the speed of mind and air, not this aeroplane speed... Aeroplane speed is, utmost, five hundred, six hundred miles. But you just imagine the mind's speed. Ten thousand miles away your mind can go immediately at a place where you have been. Mind is so speedy. Vāyu, air, is speedy undoubtedly, but mind is still speedier. So even if you try to understand with the..., panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi (Bs. 5.34), in aeroplane or via manasa, aeroplane with the... Aeroplane has got different speed, but even if you go with the mind's speed and time, panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara, hundreds and millions of years, still, you will not be able to understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is God, if you speculate. But if you are a devotee then you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa. That is the difference. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyaḥ.

So this dāsī-pati, this is also significant word, "the prostitute's husband." Prostitute means... They are, in Sanskrit, called puṁścalī. Puṁścalī means they are moved by other men, puṁścalī. There are three kinds of women: sairindhrī, puṁścalī... In this way there are divisions. So some women, they are very easily carried by men. So that is not very good. Therefore I am instructing our GBC's that "Let our little girls be educated to become faithful and chaste." That is their qualification. No education required. And the boys should be trained up to become first-class men, śamo damas titikṣā, like that. And literary, Sanskrit and English, that will make them perfect. If the husband is first class and the wife is chaste and faithful, then the home is heaven. This is the formula. Dampatyoḥ kalaho nāsti tatra śrīḥ svayam āgatāḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.1.39 -- San Francisco, July 20, 1975:

Everything is said there. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām. Anyone who is twenty-four hours engaged in... How he is engaged? Bhajatām, simply for bhajana. Bhajana means worshiping, "How to worship Kṛṣṇa?" Satata-yuktānām, and twenty-four hours anxious, "How to serve Kṛṣṇa? How to serve Kṛṣṇa?" To become mad after Kṛṣṇa, such person... Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me: "I see everything vacant being separated from Govinda." This is called love. So, of course, it is not possible to come to that position like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That is mahā-bhāva, mahā-bhāva. It is not for any human being to come to that stage. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu has shown how to become mad after Kṛṣṇa by His life when He was in Jagannātha Purī, Caitanya. At night He would go out and fall down on the sea or somewhere. Nobody knows. The door was closed, and still, He would get out and go, and, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Kṛṣṇa?" Then His assistants, secretaries, would go out and find out Him. So for eighteen years He was in that way in Jagannātha Purī. That is called mahā-bhāva.

Lecture on SB 6.1.42 -- Los Angeles, June 8, 1976:

Tri-sandhya. This tri-sandhya, early in the morning, midday and in the evening. So every sandhya is witness. Sandhya, ahani, day and night together, whole day, twenty-four hours, ahani. Ahany ahani lokā gacchanti yama-mandiram. This ahani. Every day hundreds and thousands of living entities are dying. Śeṣaḥ sthitam icchanti kim aścaryam ataḥ param. Still, one who is not dead, he is thinking, "I'll not die. I'll remain." This is the wonderful thing, most wonderful thing. Everyone should be prepared for death. Death is inevitable. So diśaḥ, and ten directions: north, south, east, west, the four corners, eight, and up and down. They are ten directions. Where you'll go? Everywhere there is witness. You cannot escape. Kaṁ kuḥ svayam. What is kaṁ kuḥ?

Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, July 25, 1975:

There is said guṇa-saṅgaḥ, infected by the modes of material nature. But Kṛṣṇa says anyone, māṁ ca avyabhicāriṇi-bhakti-yogena, avyabhicāriṇi, without any stoppage, twenty-four hours, if one is engaged in devotional service, avyabhicāriṇi bhakti-yogena ya sevate, serving Kṛṣṇa, then he is no more in the guṇa-saṅgaḥ. Here it is said guṇa-saṅgaḥ, infection of the material qualities. So if one is twenty-four hours engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, he is no more in touch with these three guṇas. Otherwise he will be in touch with the guṇas, different guṇas, and he will be infected, and you have to... Just like if you infect some disease, you have to suffer from that particular disease. This is going on.

So bhadrāṇi, auspicity or auspicious activities, is this, devotional service. Be engaged always, twenty-four hours, in devotional service. There we have got program, early morning, 4:30, up through 9:30 in the evening. This is all auspicious activities. We are giving chance people: "Come here and join this auspicious activity so that you will be saved from this repetition of birth, death and old age."

Lecture on SB 6.1.64-65 -- Vrndavana, September 1, 1975:

So after seeing the woman, he was meditating always, twenty-four hours, about the subject, lusty desires. Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ (BG 7.20). When one becomes lusty, then one becomes lost of all intelligence. The whole world is going on on the basis of these lusty desires. This is material world. And because I am lusty, you are lusty, every one of us, so as soon as my desires are not fulfilled, your desires are not fulfilled, then I become your enemy, you become my enemy. I cannot see you are making very good progress. You cannot see me making very good progress. This is material world, envious, lusty desires, kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mātsarya. This is the basis of this material world.

So he became... The training was that he was training to become a brāhmaṇa, śamo, dama, but the progress became checked on account of being attached to a woman. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, the woman is accepted as hindrance to spiritual advancement. The whole basic civilization is how to avoid... Woman... You do not think that only woman is woman. The man is also woman. Don't think that the woman is condemned; man is not. Woman means enjoyed, and man means enjoyer. So this feeling, this feeling is condemned. If I see one woman for enjoyment, so I am man. And if woman also sees another man for enjoyment, she is also man. Woman means enjoyed and man means enjoyer. So anyone who has got feeling of enjoyment, he is considered to be man. So here both sexes meant for... Everyone is planning, "How I shall enjoy?" Therefore he is puruṣa, artificially. Otherwise, originally, we are all prakṛti, jīva, either woman or man.

Lecture on SB 6.2.4 -- Vrndavana, September 8, 1975:

So we have taken this Bhāgavatam. We should be very, very careful to become first-class men so that others will follow. Sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute. If you become a first-class man, sa yat pramāṇam, whatever you will do, lokas tad anuvartate, people will follow, naturally. Lokas tad anuvartate. Unfortunately nowadays first-class man means kill Kṛṣṇa. This is first-class man. All these so-called rascal scholars of Bhagavad-gītā, their only business is how to kill Kṛṣṇa, pounce Him, (Kamsa?), as Kamsa was planning how to kill Kṛṣṇa. That was his plan, demon. He was also thinking of Kṛṣṇa, but he was thinking Kṛṣṇa, how to kill Him. So that is not bhakti. Kṛṣṇa consciousness... He was also Kṛṣṇa conscious. He was thinking always, twenty-four hours, Kṛṣṇa, how to kill Kṛṣṇa. So that is not bhakti. Bhakti means how to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is bhakti. Ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānuśīlanaṁ, na tu pratikūlyena (CC Madhya 19.167). Pratikūla means adverse. Yes. If you think of Kṛṣṇa adversely, how to kill this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Of course, Kṛṣṇa is so nice that even if you think of Kṛṣṇa adversely, because you'll chant "Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa," you will get benefit. Kṛṣṇa is so nice. Because you are chanting unconsciously... Just like there were so many propaganda in Germany, "The Hare Kṛṣṇa people are so bad." But every paper chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa. "Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is bad," but in the beginning, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." So therefore, in spite of their propaganda, we are existing there. We are existing. We have come out triumphant. They could not do anything.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Therefore tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatām. Karma. Because if you are engaged in ordinary karma... Karma I have already explained. Karma means doing something for your personal benefit. That is called karma. Or, in plain words, doing something for sense gratification, that is called karma. And as soon as you engage your activities for such sense gratification or for your personal benefit, then you have to commit sins. That's a fact. Therefore we are entangled in this birth and death problem. So here the Viṣṇudūta advises that "If you want..." Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatām. "If you desire at all that 'I shall be freed from the resultant action of karma,' then your duty should be harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. You simply try to glorify the Supreme Lord always, twenty-four hours. That will purify you." Khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Sattva-bhāvanaḥ. Śrīdhara Svāmī says, sattva-bhāvanaḥ citta-śodhakaḥ. Sattva-bhāvana means citta-śodhaka. Citta means the heart, and śodhaka, the purifying process. So instead of taking yourself to these prescribed ritualistic ceremonies, if you simply engage your mind in describing or glorifying the Supreme Personality of Godhead... That is our process. Our only objective is how to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We are writing books, we are publishing magazines, we are preaching, we are going everywhere—just to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is our only business. This process is recommended here, citta-śodhaka. If you sit down and write some article on Kṛṣṇa, that means you have to concentrate on Kṛṣṇa's activities or Kṛṣṇa's devotees' activities, and that very process will purify your heart. Therefore we always recommend to our students that you write articles, read our magazine, read our book. In this way if we keep ourself... Work for Kṛṣṇa. This... We have come here in this paṇḍal or in this Kumbha-melā not for any other purpose than to glorify the Supreme Lord so that people may understand the importance of this movement. So citta-śodhaka, here recommended by the Viṣṇudūta. Viṣṇudūta means the direct associates of Lord Viṣṇu. Tat karma-nirhāram abhīpsatāṁ harer guṇānuvādaḥ khalu sattva-bhāvanaḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

Similarly, we are surprised also when we hear about Brahmā. Sahasra-yuga-paryantam ahar yad brahmaṇo viduḥ (BG 8.17). Actually in the higher planet our six months is equal to their one day. Just like when the sputniks were thrown in the outer space, they circulated the whole world in one hour, twenty-five minutes. One hour, twenty-five was all. They circulated three times within one hours, twenty-five minutes. Such a speed. Now actually, in our calculation the whole world can be circumambulated in twenty-four hours. But that is reduced to one hour, twenty-five. That is admitted by Einstein. This is called relative, relativity, according to the speed. Just like when you travel by airplane from here to London it takes, say, about nine hours. That is relative, relative to the force. Similarly, everything is relative. We are thinking that Brahmā's duration of life is so great, but it is also hundred years. But it is... You will understand very nicely. You can explain. According to our calculation they are immortal. Just like according to calculation of the pataṅga, our life is immortal. You see. They will calculate, "Oh, these human beings are immortal." But none of them are immortal. So we call them immortal, the demigods. Amareśāḥ.

Lecture on SB 6.3.12-15 -- Gorakhpur, February 9, 1971:

So the conclusion is that nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ (BG 7.25). Kṛṣṇa says, "I am not revealed to everyone." Yogamāyā. Therefore very few persons can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa does not reveal Himself. Those who are devotees... Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). Those who are actually devotees, dedicated the life and everything for Kṛṣṇa, for them only, Kṛṣṇa reveals: "Yes, I am like this." Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Those who are twenty-four hours engaged in the devotional service—not as a routine, but with faith and love—bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam. Not that official. Official, he cannot understand. But one who is serving the Deity with love and faith, to him only, Kṛṣṇa will reveal and He will give intelligence. Kṛṣṇa is very intelligent. Kṛṣṇa ye bhaje... Only intelligent men can worship Kṛṣṇa.

So here it is said, yaṁ vai na gobhir manasāsubhir vā hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate. (reads commentary) Tan māyā-mohitād na jānanty ity uktam, avaśed tata tasya ityāhayam iti. Gobhir indriyair cittena na vicakṣata na paśyanti.(?) So gobhiḥ, by sensual gymnastic or mental speculation, the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot be understood. There are many mental speculator, just like Aurobindo Ghosh. So he speculated. He understood that there are activities even after liberation, but he could not understand Kṛṣṇa, so hard it is. Others, the so-called sannyāsīs, just like Ramatirtha or Vivekananda, they could not approach even, in the modern age. And the Aurobindo, he approached up to the Brahman liberation, but he could not approach to the understanding of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is... Arjuna says also in the Bhagavad-gītā, "It is very difficult to understand Your personality." Everyone becomes... The other day in the Melā, Māgha-melā, one Gangeshvarananda, retired high-court judge, he said that "This is the first time, Swamijī, that we are hearing from you on solid basis about the Personality." The whole world, nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi... Nirviśeṣa...

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

Prabhupāda: Inattentive means like this? No. Unless one is tired or had no sufficient sleep, one cannot do like that. Not inattentiveness.

Gurudāsa: Not enough sleep.

Prabhupāda: Enough sleep. That means you require twenty-four hours sleep. Out of that, if you sleep for ten hours, that is not sufficient. Your business is to sleep only. So ten hours' or eight hours' sleep is not sufficient. Kumbhakarṇa. Kumbhakarṇa. Just like he was sleeping six months.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hibernation.

Prabhupāda: (chuckling) Six months. We are also sleeping six months in a year because we sleep, generally, ten to twelve hours. So if you half day, means half year. We are also all Kumbhakarṇas. Anyone who sleeps more than six or seven hours, he is a Kumbhakarṇa. Kumbhakarṇa was the brother of Rāvaṇa. He was sleeping six months, and six months he was awake. That means anyone who sleeps half the, out of twenty-four hours, anyone, if he sleeps twelve hours, he's a Kumbhakarṇa. So at least I think that one should not sleep more than seven hours utmost. That is sufficient, sufficient, seven hours. So you can sleep six hours at night and one hour to rest in daytime. That is sufficient. But if you sleep more than that, then you are Kumbhakarṇa. You should adjust things. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. That's the Gosvāmins.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

He was sleeping six months, and six months he was awake. That means anyone who sleeps half the, out of twenty-four hours, anyone, if he sleeps twelve hours, he's a Kumbhakarṇa. So at least I think that one should not sleep more than seven hours utmost. That is sufficient, sufficient, seven hours. So you can sleep six hours at night and one hour to rest in daytime. That is sufficient. But if you sleep more than that, then you are Kumbhakarṇa. You should adjust things. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. That's the Gosvāmins.

saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau
nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau cātyanta-dīnau ca yau
rādhā-kṛṣṇa-guṇa-smṛter madhurimānandena sammohitau
vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau **

So we are followers, Rūpānuga. We are followers of the Gosvāmins. So their behavior, saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau. The whole time, twenty-four hours, was used in Kṛṣṇa consciousness by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra regularly on fixed up, big beads. So we have reduced that to sixteen. But they were chanting... Haridāsa Ṭhākura was chanting four times sixty-four. That means... Three times sixty-four. So three times sixty-four means?

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

Again that line. In this way, round. Tapasya. This is called tapasya, austerity. We should not take very leniently that we are going back to Godhead. Of course, there is so many concession for the... But at the same time, we should be very much aware of the responsibility that we have decided to go back to Godhead after leaving this body, so we have to perform some austerities. The austerity in our Gauḍīya-sampradāya is very simple: following the four principles, restriction, avoiding the offenses, and chanting regular beads. That's all. And hearing. Chanting and hearing, both things. Not only chanting; we have to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way we should engage twenty-four hours' business. Hear and chanting... When you speak, when you go to a lecture for preaching, that is also chanting, when you speak. And automatically there is hearing. If you chant, there is hearing also. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam (SB 7.5.23). There is memorizing also. Unless you memorize all the conclusions of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā, you cannot speak. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanam. Arcanam, this is arcanam. Vandanam, offering prayers. Hare Kṛṣṇa is also prayer. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa: "O Kṛṣṇa, O the energy of Kṛṣṇa, please engage me in Your service." This Hare Kṛṣṇa is simply prayer. So śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam. Always remain engaged as servant, dāsyam. Sakhyam, always think that Kṛṣṇa is your best friend, ātma-nivedanam, and dedicating everything to Kṛṣṇa. This is our process. And we have to be utilized under these processes twenty-four hours. Out of that, because we have got this body, it requires eating, sleeping, mating.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

So the arrangement is there. Eating is there; sleeping is there; mating is there; defending is there—but not excessively. Nāma-gāna... Saṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ kālāvasānī-kṛtau nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. The very word is used, vijita. You should not be conquered by them. Eating, sleeping, mating, defending required, but you should not be conquered by them. You shall conquer them. The māyā is forcing me that "You sleep twenty-four hours." But I have to conquer māyā: "No. I shall not sleep more than seven hours." That is your business. If I ask, if you say, "I don't know," that is not the answer. You have to... And how this māyā can be conquered? That is also said. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te: (BG 7.14) "Anyone who is fully surrendered, he can conquer the māyā." Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura conquered māyā. She came at dead of night, beautifully dressed, very young girl, and offered herself. But he conquered. "Yes, I shall do. I shall enjoy with you. Please sit down. Let me finish my regular chanting process. Then we shall enjoy." So he conquered māyā. Māyā could not conquer.

So these are the instances. And if we fall flat to be conquered by the māyā, then... We have to struggle. This is also another struggle for existence. As the materialists, they are also struggling for existence for a few days or few years only, our struggle is not for few days or few years, but eternally. The same struggle is there. Their process is different, our process is different. So we should be always conscious of our responsibility that... That will help us. We must stay awake. Uttiṣṭhata. Always remain awakened. So regular, seven hours sleep is sufficient. Why it should be more than that? What is the cause? Another cause may be that if we eat more, then sleep more. So in order to reduce the sleeping process, the eating process should be reduced. You can take, make... I..., you fast one day, don't take anything, you will see that there will be less sleep.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18 -- Gorakhpur, February 11, 1971:

When I was in your country and was not attacked by the heart, so at night I was taping, and I was taping still two tapes. Two tapes. Therefore I was able to write so many books. Yes.

So one should be engaged in serious business; then sleeping will be less. If there is no..., if we become lazy, if we have no sufficient engagement, then sleeping will come. And if no sufficient engagement, but sufficient eating, then the next result is sleeping. So we have to adjust things. We should not sleep more than seven hours. Six hours at night and one hour, that is sufficient. From medical point of view, they say six hours sleeping is sufficient, six hours. So suppose if we sleep seven to eight hours, one hour more, then out of twenty-four hours we sleep eight hours. Then sixteen hours. And chanting, two hours. Ten hours. And for taking bath and dressing, another two hours. Then eight hours and four hours, twelve hours.

Lecture on SB 6.3.18-19 -- Gorakhpur, February 12, 1971:

That means because... Or whatever it may be, he thought "Because I am king, I can start a religion." So that is not possible. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītaṁ na vai vidur ṛṣayo nāpi devāḥ, na siddha-mukhyā asurā manuṣyāḥ (SB 6.3.19). (aside:) If somebody dozes, it gives me too much pain. And I asked you to go and sleep. It disturbs me, too much disturbs me. I tell you frankly. When I speak or when I speak if somebody dozes, better not to sit. Sleep twenty-four hours, but don't make show like that: "I am sitting here and dozing." This is very much disturbing to me. Better frankly sleep. Why this should be? I do not know. What is the reason? You don't have full sleep? And if you don't have sleep, then extend. You make it eight o'clock. But sleep sufficiently. If six hours', seven hours' sleep is not sufficient, sleep thirteen hours, fourteen hours. But don't make dozing like this.

So Yamarāja says, "My dear boys, that..." (reads commentary:) Tam eva dharmam ity aha etavani na ca pramāṇaṁ vaktavyam drstatyady aha nama-sarana iti yenaiva kevalayam sakrd ity aditena.(?) So Yamarāja says that "Nobody can manufacture, even the great sages or demigods, or the chief of the siddhas, who have attained all kinds of perfections, and what to speak of others?" This is very important verse, that any manufactured religion, that is not religion. That is not... The principle of religion is our relationship with God. In any religion where is no such conception, that is not religion. This is bhāgavata-dharma, direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Personality. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is specially teaching this, I mean to say, fact, direct relationship with Kṛṣṇa. Na siddha-mukhyā asurāḥ, asurā manuṣyāḥ. Asurāḥ means they are also very powerful, but almost atheists. Just like in the modern world there are many powerful men and materially advanced, many powerful men. But because they are godless—they have no sense of God—they are called asuras.

Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:

They are sādhavaḥ. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. Ajāta-śatravaḥ... Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām, titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ (SB 3.25.21). These are the symptoms of sādhavaḥ, sādhus. The first symptom is titikṣavaḥ, very tolerant. In any condition they'll go on thinking of Kṛṣṇa, never mind what is happening externally. There may be so many dangerous things coming and going, but they cannot give up thinking of Kṛṣṇa. Titikṣavaḥ. And kāruṇikāḥ. Kāruṇikāḥ means very compassionate. Just like Gosvāmīs. Nānā-śāstra-vicāraṇaika-nipuṇau sad-dharma-saṁsthāpakau lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau. The devotee's business is he's always thinking of how to do good to the people in general, how they will accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Simply twenty-four hours thinking, making plan. Therefore kāruṇikāḥ. Although personally they are in so many inconveniences—tolerating. But that planning, Kṛṣṇa planning, is going on. Kāruṇikāḥ: how the people of the world will be happy. Titikṣavaḥ kāruṇikāḥ. Why they are planning like...? Suhṛdaḥ sarva-dehinām. They are not selfish, "Now I have become Kṛṣṇa devotee. That's all right. Let others go to hell." No. They want to see that everyone becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore they are real friend. That is, he is real friend. Lokānāṁ hita-kāriṇau.

The Gosvāmīs, ideal. They left their comfortable position as ministers, went to Vṛndāvana, and became a mendicant. Kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Because they were ministers, their associates, their friends, their companions were all rich men, aristocratic. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means "great leaders of aristocratic family." He gave up. Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they gave up this association of big aristocratic families. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Tucchavat means "There is no necessity. It is most insignificant. We don't want it." Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa... Why you are standing? Huh?

Lecture on SB 6.3.27-28 -- Gorakhpur, February 20, 1971:

That was their life substance. How Kṛṣṇa gopī-jana-vallabha. They are thinking of Kṛṣṇa as gopī-jana-vallabha. That is Kṛṣṇa's business. Rādhā-mādhava gopī-jana-vallabha. So how gopī-jana-vallabha was dealing, they were always thinking. In that ecstasy they were keeping life. Otherwise, they had no comforts of the body. They gave up everything, living underneath a tree and became a mendi... Kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Kaupīna means simply the two pieces of underwear, that's all. No gorgeous clothing, nothing of the sort. But they were rich in understanding the gopī-jana-vallabha. They understood what is gopī-jana-vallabha. Gopī-bhāva-rasa. That is just like ocean. Rasāmṛtābdhi. There is a rasa, mellow, which they were tasting twenty-four hours, and therefore they didn't care whether they were living underneath a tree or there was no cloth, no food. That doesn't matter. Gopī-jana-vallabha.

So sādhavaḥ, they are... Apparently, it appears that they are living in a very, in a poor condition. But they are very rich. Sādhavaḥ. Sādhavaḥ sādhu-bhūṣaṇāḥ. These are the symptoms of sādhu.

Lecture on SB 7.5.23-24 -- Vrndavana, March 31, 1976:

That is life. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. So to be fixed up in that spiritual life we should always engage ourself, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam of whom? Viṣṇu. Of Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu. Even not of any other demigods, what to speak of ordinary beings. We are engaged in śravaṇaṁ kīrtana from the morning. We take a newspaper and we read what the politician says, what so many nonsense things. We waste our time. Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). We should increase our taste for hearing and chanting about Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa. That engagement you have fully in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. So stick to these two books or Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Caitanya-caritāmṛta is still far advanced.

So anyway, we should always engage ourself twenty-four hours. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Here it said, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, but Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Sadā means twenty-four hours. We shall mold our life in such a way that... If somebody says, "How it is possible? We have got other business. How it is possible to simply engage in śravaṇaṁ kīr...?" Therefore smaraṇam. Whatever you are hearing, you should remember it. That is very easy. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). And always engage in serving. Just like śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mār janādau **. If you have no engagement, simply cleanse this temple. Tan-mandira-mārjana. That is also service. That is also service. Pāda-sevanam. Arcanaṁ vandanam. Then actually worshiping, decorating, vandanam, offering prayer, dāsyam, sakhyam. In this way remain always engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. Then you are to be considered the most learned.

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

Kṛṣṇa is away from the village and is walking in the forest, and the gopīs were thinking at home that, "How much troublesome the walking is that He has gone out." In this way there are so many. So while they were at home, while they were cooking or they were feeding their children, always they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa. That was their qualification. That's all. They were so much absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa that not a single moment were without Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

So therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends that ramyā kācid upāsanā vraja-vadhū-vargeṇā yā kalpitā. There is no better method of worship than it was conceived by the gopīs. And what was that? The gopīs were twenty four hours, they were always Kṛṣṇa conscious. They were requesting Kṛṣṇa, "My dear Kṛṣṇa, many, many yogis, many, many saintly persons, they go to the forest and meditate upon Your lotus feet. But they cannot fix up. They meditate Your lotus feet, but still, they think of something else. They are not perfect. Their meditation fails. But in our case Your lotus feet is so much fixed up in our heart that we are thinking of You and we cannot discharge our family duties. So kindly get out of our heart." Just see. "Please excuse. Kindly go out of our heart so that I, we can do our duties." That was their prayer. Therefore that is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, ideal Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You have to mold your life in such a way that you cannot think of Kṛṣṇa, you cannot think but Kṛṣṇa, only. The gopīs were doing their duties. They were household..., housewife, girls. They had their husbands, children. But in spite of all these things, they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

He has analyzed the life, that our duration of life may be for one hundred years. Out of that, fifty years we spoil by sleeping, because at night we sleep ten hours, twelve hours. There is 24 hours duration of day and night. So supposing that I sleep for 12 hours, day and night, then actually I live fifty years, because sleeping is death. That is also daily death. The sleeping... What is the different between death and sleeping? There is no difference. Just like at the present moment we are sleeping, say, for 12 hours or 8 hours or 10 hours and getting up in the next morning, and death means we shall sleep for seven months continually, and when we get up I see another body. That is birth and death. That is birth and death. Death means you give up this body. "You" means the soul. And you carry yourself with your subtle body, mind, intelligence and ego. According to your mental situation you enter into the womb of a mother injected by the semina of your father, you get an opportunity to grow another body. It takes about seven months to grow that body. So during this period, I mean to say, quitting this body, entering into another body and to develop that body, come to the consciousness point of view, it takes seven months. So death means sleeping for seven months.

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

So if you want to be brahma-līna, so that is... Actually brahma-līna means to be engaged twenty-four hours in devotional service. That is brahma-līna. There is not a second vacant without Kṛṣṇa's service. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ govinda-viraheṇa me: "I am seeing everything vacant without Govinda." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He is thinking simply on Kṛṣṇa. And without Kṛṣṇa, everything is zero. So simply to make the material world zero, śūnyavādi... Just like the Buddhist philosophers, they think śūnyavādi. And the Māyāvādī, nirviśeṣa. They are practically the same. The Buddhists say, "There is no God." And the Māyāvādīs say, "There is God, but He has no head, tail, nothing." It is in the indirect way to say there is no God. What is difference? If somebody says, "There is no God," and if somebody says, "There is God, but He has no head, He has no tail, He cannot eat, He cannot sleep," negatively. The same definition in a negative way. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that veda na māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Our standard of philosophy, especially Vaiṣṇava philosophy... Anyone who does not accept the Vedic principle... Because vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). If you do not accept the Vedic authority, then how you can understand God, Kṛṣṇa? That is not possible. So anyone who says "There is no God. I don't care for the Vedas," he is calculated as nāstika. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu said...

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

"My dear friends, therefore, so long the body is not fallen or so long death does not come," śarīraṁ, tato yateta kuśalam, "you must try for the highest benediction, kuśalaḥ." Kuśala means benediction. "So long you are in this body, please try to achieve that success, full Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Puṁso varṣa-śataṁ hy āyus tad-ardhaṁ cājitātmanaḥ (SB 7.6.6). Now, supposing that we have got hundred years of age. Now, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that although you have got one hundred years to live, but because we cannot control our senses, therefore it should be taken half, fifty years. Why? Now, because out of twenty-four hours, we sleep more than twelve hours. So while we sleep, there is no activity. So immediately you cut off fifty years because you cannot work. Although you have got duration of life, one hundred years, but you cannot work one hundred years. Fifty years immediately cut off on account of ajitātmanaḥ. Ajitātmanaḥ means one who has not controlled the senses. So every one of us cannot control, most of us. Therefore half of the age is immediately cut off. Niṣphalaṁ yad asau rātryāṁ śete 'ndhaṁ prāpitas tamaḥ. Why it is cut off? "Because without any profit we sleep very soundly, and therefore it is simply wasted." Then mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīḍato yāti viṁśatiḥ (SB 7.6.7). Then suppose there is fifty years balance, oh, sufficient balance. Then he says, bālye kaiśore. Bālye means up to five years. And from five years to eleven years, bālye kaiśore. Because children generally from five years to twelve, thirteen years they are very fond of playing. So niṣphalaṁ mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīḍato yāti viṁśatiḥ: (SB 7.6.7) "Twenty years is wasted simply for playing." So half duration of life immediately cut off. Then again, out of that fifty years, again twenty years cut off. Then jarayā grasta-dehasya yāty akalpasya viṁśatiḥ. Then cut off another twenty years due to old age, invalidity, and so many other, accident, and so many other things. So it is cutting, cutting, cutting.

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

This is desirelessness. Anything beyond the..., we desire, that is material.

So bhakti begins when you are desireless Gato... The Yamunacārya's śloka. Niśeṣa-mano-rathāntaram. Kadāham aikantika-nitya-kiṅkaraḥ praharṣayiṣyāmi sanātha jivitaṁ bhavantam eva caran nirantaram. This is devotee, devotion. He's praying, Yamunacārya's praying to the Lord, bhavantam: "You only..." Caran nirantaram. "Simply thinking of You, acting for You," caran, ācāran, "practicing such activities which will give me the opportunity of thinking Kṛṣṇa..." That is wanted. Because Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65), Kṛṣṇa says, "This is the process," so we have to mold our life in such a way that we get the opportunity of thinking of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Even we are eating, we can remember Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa baḍa dayā-maya, karibāre jihvā jaya, svaprasāda-anna dilā bhāi. So we want. While sleeping, if we think of Kṛṣṇa, it may be that we may dream of Kṛṣṇa also. That is possible. Eating, sleeping, mating... Even in sex if we can remember Kṛṣṇa... How? That is... Kṛṣṇa says, dharmāviruddha-kāmo 'smi. Sex life which is given permission in the śāstra, that is Kṛṣṇa. The śāstra gives you permission for sex life only for begetting nice children. Not for enjoyment. That is illicit sex. If you make love, "Phish, phish, phish," and have sex life, that is illicit sex. So that dharmāviruddha. So we can adjust our material activities: eating, sleeping, mating, and fearing. It can be adjusted in relationship with Kṛṣṇa, provided we take direction from Kṛṣṇa. Even eating, sleeping, mating can be utilized as Kṛṣṇa consciousness if you follow the rules and regulations. There is facility. And as soon as you deviate, then you become subject to the control of māyā. Yajñārthe karmao 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhana. If you simply act for satisfying Kṛṣṇa, then you are all right. And as soon as you do it for your own sense gratification, karma-bandhana, you become bound up by the laws of karma. We should be very careful therefore.

Lecture on SB 7.6.3-4 -- San Francisco, March 8, 1967:

Prabhupāda: All right, two hour. (laughter) That's all right?

Guest (1): Pardon me?

Prabhupāda: For two hours daily, one hour morning, one afternoon.

Guest (1): All right.

Prabhupāda: So if one is engaged in meditation for two hours and if other is engaged for twenty-four hours, whose meditation is perfect?

Guest (1): Uh, I don't know.

Prabhupāda: You don't know?

Guest (1): The Maharishi hasn't...

Prabhupāda: No, don't take the Maharishi. I mean to say, if somebody is engaged in meditation for two hours and other is engaged for twenty-four hours, then whose meditation value will be greater?

Guest (1): Then there are two types of meditation, there's a two-hour meditation...

Prabhupāda: First of all you answer this.

Guest (1): Pardon me? I missed it.

Prabhupāda: I am just telling that a person is engaged in meditation for two hours, and another person is engaged in meditation for twenty-four hours. Whose meditation is valuable?

Lecture on SB 7.6.3-4 -- San Francisco, March 8, 1967:

Prabhupāda: First of all you answer this.

Guest (1): Pardon me? I missed it.

Prabhupāda: I am just telling that a person is engaged in meditation for two hours, and another person is engaged in meditation for twenty-four hours. Whose meditation is valuable?

Guest (1): The twenty-four hours.

Prabhupāda: Is it not?

Guest (1): Are you asking me to go out and chant all day long?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Guest (1): Are we supposed to chant twenty-four hours?

Prabhupāda: Not only chanting. There are other engagements.

Guest (1): Right. That's what the Maharishi says also.

Prabhupāda: So, twenty-four hours... Now, that meditation, what is that, what Maharishi says you do not know you say just now, that you do not know.

Guest (1): I don't know as well as the Maharishi knows, but I'd like to. Perhaps you can explain.

Prabhupāda: But then explain. What is that?

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

"All right, I have begotten one child. I have to take care of, so much care always." But, "All right, you have trouble, taken so much trouble. Stop here. No more." "No, again." Tṛpyanti neha kṛpaṇā bahu-duḥkha-bhājaḥ. There's so many botherations, but still, we do it practically. Why? It is said that ajitātmanaḥ, cannot control the senses, become victimized, victims of sense enjoyment, ajitātmanaḥ.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja is speaking of these ajitātmanaḥ, those rascals who cannot control the senses. First their business is sleep as much as possible—twelve hours, fourteen hours. In the Western countries sometimes sixteen hours or twenty-four hours. In the beginning, in that Second Avenue, 26, when our morning prayer was going on, at seven, not very early, and so many other tenants, half-naked... Mr. Judah was our landlord. "Mr. Judah, what is this going on? What is going on? Stop it. Stop it. Stop." So Mr. Judah used to say, "No, no, they'll not stop. I cannot say. You go to the police." So sometimes police were coming to stop us, but we did not stop. (laughter) So ajitātmanaḥ. Ajitātmanaḥ. Jitātmanaḥ... The human life is meant for gaining victory over the senses. "No, better be victimized by the senses"—this is modern civilization. Modern civilization means the more you become victimized by senses, you are advanced. So here, the ajitātmanaḥ, their first business is to eat voraciously and to sleep unlimitedly. This is ajitātmanaḥ.

So this ajitātmanaḥ in another place, Bhāgavata, it is said, paśyatam ātma-tattvaṁ gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Nidrayā hriyate naktam.

Lecture on SB 7.7.28, 32-35 -- Mombassa, September 11, 1971:

This Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma... As soon as we hear this sound, immediately we remember the form of Kṛṣṇa. Immediately we concentrate on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. This chanting is perfect. But I am chanting and I am thinking of and planning something else, that is aparādha. But that does not mean we shall stop. But we should try, abhyāsa-yoga, we should try to make it our habit by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we should immediately remember the form, quality, pastimes of Kṛṣṇa. Tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt. The lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, dhyānāt, that is meditation. Tat-pādāmburuha-dhyānāt tal-liṅgekṣārhaṇādibhiḥ. To come to the temple, Deity worship is meant for that purpose, just to see the form of Kṛṣṇa so that we may remember. Always, 24 hours we can see. It is not idol worship. The rascal atheists, they can say like that, but our process is this. Guru-sevā, offering all respect to guru, and always thinking of Kṛṣṇa's lotus feet, seeing His forms in the temple, worshiping Him as they are described, as they are prescribed in the śāstras, this is the process. Tal-liṅgekṣārhaṇādibhiḥ. Tasya liṅgānām mūrtinām īkṣaṇa, īkṣaṇam ca arhaṇam ca ādi yeṣām bandhanādinam tasya(?).

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

In this material world we are making so many plans for permanent settlement, but unfortunately, we are meeting with just the opposite result. That is in our experience. There is very nice song sung by a Vaiṣṇava poet. He says, sukhere lagiya e baro bhaginu anale puria ghare (?). "I constructed this house for living happily. Unfortunately, it was set in fire, so everything is finished." That is going on. In the material world we are making so many plans for living very comfortably, peacefully, eternally. But that is not possible. People do not understand it. They are seeing, experiencing from śāstra, from scripture we are getting instruction, that nothing is imperishable. Everything is perishable in the material world, and we are actually seeing also that perishable agents are always ready. Just like the fire. In New York City, at least, within twenty-four hours, there are at least ten or fifteen places where fire is going on. And your fire brigade is running on just trying to protect you from fire. The house regulation is all for fire, "How we are protected from fire." Then it will be allowed, certificate of occupation, "You can live." In other words, that fire is always ready to vanish everything, but artificially, somehow or other, we are trying to protect ourself from fire. But we do not take it for granted that this material nature is so made that it will set in fire everything, however we may be strong in protecting ourself. That is the nature. So however we may make plans to live very happily, the nature's law is that it will destroy.

Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 8, 1976:

One should understand ācārya as Kṛṣṇa Himself. Don't disregard him. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). These are the statement. So we must be very cautious. Just like here also. The brahmādaya, big, big demigods, they could not pacify, appease the Lord. He was angry. Evaṁ surādayaḥ sarve brahma-rudra-puraḥ sarāḥ. Big, big personalities, rudra, na upaitum. Na upaitum aśakan manyu. They could not pacify Hmm, and saṁrambhaṁ sudurāsadam. Sudurāsadam, very, very difficult. Once we are condemned by Kṛṣṇa, it is very, very difficult to rise up again. Mūḍhā janmani janmani (BG 16.20). Life after life we shall be condemned. That is our punishment. So don't do anything which will make Kṛṣṇa unhappy. Simply engage yourself in the service of the Lord. Very simple thing. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Simply always think of Him. Do not think anyone, anything else. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Just try to maintain your service for Kṛṣṇa. There is twenty-four hours' engagement, and try to follow it. Do not neglect it. That will make your life successful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.5 -- Mayapur, February 25, 1977:

Where is the difficulty? Simply one must have the sense that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa or Nṛsiṁha-deva or any one of His multi-expansions."

In the śāstra it is said, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Kṛṣṇa has ananta-rūpam. Therefore every rupa is expansion of Kṛṣṇa's original rūpa. The original rūpa is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). Then there are so many rūpas: Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Balarāma, Paraśurāma, Mīna, Tortoise, Nṛsiṁha-deva. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan (Bs. 5.39). He's always existing with different forms, not that he is existing only in Kṛṣṇa form. Every form... Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu. The same example, as we have given many times: just like the sun, time of sun, twenty-four hours, so out of the twenty-four hours or twenty-four incarnations, any time is present. It is not that now it is, say, eight o'clock. Then seven o'clock is finished. No. There is seven o'clock in any other part of the world. Or nine o'clock. Nine o'clock is also present. Twelve o'clock is also present. We have got one watch given by Gurukṛpa Mahārāja. (laughter) He has brought from Japan. It is very nice. Immediately you can see what is the time now in different places, immediately. So all of them are existing. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's līlā is called nitya-līlā, not that one līlā is going on, other līlā is finished, no. Everything is existing simultaneous. Therefore this word is used, rāmādi-mūrtiṣu. Rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣ... Niyamena. Exactly in due time... Just like the sun, exactly. Formerly there was no watch, but by the shadow one could study. You can study now also. Even now. In our childhood we used to study by seeing the shadow. "Now it is this time"—and exactly the same time. So kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan, not that haphazardly—now this shadow is one o'clock here, and next day, one o'clock there, no. The same place, you'll find. Kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan.

Lecture on SB 7.9.10 -- Montreal, July 10, 1968:

If you are, of course, gaining something material benefit... Just like businessmen talk. They talk seriously if there is any profit. Otherwise the secretary says, "Oh, the Mr. such and such has no time to see you." That is also some good because time is so valuable. So why should we talk nonsense? So that is also very good qualification if you don't talk nonsense. Either you talk about Kṛṣṇa or don't talk. That is called mauna. If there is no subject matter for talking on the subject of Kṛṣṇa, then it is better not to talk. But we have got very nice engagement. We can talk Hare Kṛṣṇa. If you have no other engagement, then we have got these beads, "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa..." You can day and night, twenty-four hours, go on. This is called mauna. And vijñāna. Vijñāna means perfect knowledge. What is that perfect knowledge? Perfect knowledge means to know Kṛṣṇa. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). The Vedic injunction is: "If you can understand the Supreme, then you understand the whole thing, because Supreme is the whole, absolute." Just like if you can understand one, two, three, four, five, six, eight, nine, zero, then you can understand the whole mathematics, because what is mathematics? One, two, three, four, three, four, one, two, just like that. That's all. The same nine figures, that's all. Similarly, the Vedas says, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If you simply try to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, that is the purpose of Vedas. And it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā also, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). What is the use of studying Vedas? What is the use of studying this Bhāgavata or...? To understand Kṛṣṇa. That's all.

Lecture on SB 7.9.18 -- Mayapur, February 25, 1976:

Therefore one must be warned, as Prahlāda Mahārāja said. This is mahājana yena... Prahlāda Mahārāja means... He... As he is saying, we must accept. We should not indulge in speculation in..., or literature, literary career, which is never touched by the mahājana. So it is that one must be... The literature must be viriñca-gītāḥ. Why you are giving so much stress on Bhagavad-gītā as it is? Because it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. Similarly, anything written by Kṛṣṇa's pure devotee, that is important. Otherwise it's not important. It is not important. So 'haṁ priyasya suhṛdaḥ. We should be engaged always. Reading book is very good, but it must be written by authorities. Then it is good. Now, otherwise, if you read twenty-four hours the newspaper or ordinary book, that kind of reading is simply waste of time. But if we read authorized literature, then that... What will happen then? Then ajas titarmy anugṛṇan guṇa-vipramukto. Very easily, simply by reading such book, we shall be free from material entanglement, simply. Because... Just like Bhagavad-gītā. Bhagavad-gītā and Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, they are identical. There is no difference. Don't think, "When I am reading Bhagavad-gītā not with purpose, then I am bereft." But to associate, to..., with a desire that "I shall be able to associate with devotee and Kṛṣṇa," then Bhagavad-gītā is nondifferent from Kṛṣṇa. There is no difference. Advaya-jñāna. Advaya-jñāna means without any difference. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam (SB 1.2.11), Advayam. If you are a devotee, bona fide devotee, when you read Bhagavad-gītā, you must know Kṛṣṇa is there. If you are a pure devotee, when you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is there on your tongue, dancing. Don't think otherwise. Kṛṣṇa is there. Nāma-cintāmaṇi-kṛṣṇaḥ. Nāma. Anyone who is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa without any offense... Ten kinds of offenses, you know that. By avoiding offense, if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then you must know Kṛṣṇa is there. Nāma-cintāmaṇi-kṛṣṇaḥ caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto abhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ (CC Madhya 17.133). Similarly, when we read literature, līlā-kathā... Lila-kathā.

Lecture on SB 7.9.24 -- Mayapur, March 2, 1976:

So that disease is going on beginning from Brahmā down to the ant. Prahlāda Mahārāja has understood this so-called false prestigious position of becoming a master. He says that "I am quite aware of this false thing. Kindly engage me..." Nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam. Nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam means just like apprentice. Apprentice, one apprentice is engaged to one expert man. By and by, the apprentice learns how to do the things. Therefore he says, nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam. "Not that immediately I become very expert servant, but let me..." Our this institution is for that purpose. If somebody comes here, the free hotel and free sleeping accommodation, then his coming to this association is useless. He must learn how to serve. Nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam. Those who are serving, the... One should learn from him how he's serving twenty-four hours; then our joining this institution will be successful. And if we take it that "Here is an institution where we can have free hotel, free living and free sense gratification," then the whole institution will be spoiled. Be careful. All the GBC's, they should be careful that this mentality may not increase. Everyone should be very eager to serve, to learn how to serve. Nija-bhṛtya-pārśvam, Then life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 7.9.28 -- Mayapur, March 6, 1976:

Why shall I take Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Because I am designated, I have taken this designation, "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian." Therefore we cannot take Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Oh, this is... Kṛṣṇa is Hindu God. Kṛṣṇa is Indian. Why shall I take Kṛṣṇa?" No. "You have to be desireless" means you have to purify your this false understanding that "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am Christian," "I am Indian," "I am this." This has to be purified. One has to understand that "I am gopī-bhartur pada-kamalayor dāsa. I am the servant of the servant of the servant of Kṛṣṇa (CC Madhya 13.80)." That is purification. Then desire. Then you'll not desire anything except Kṛṣṇa's service. That is perfection. When you come to that platform, that you desire nothing but to serve Kṛṣṇa, always, twenty-four hours, then you are liberated. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). Then you become nirmalam, without any material tinge. In that position only, hṛṣīkena hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate. Then... My senses will be there; not that I become senseless nonsense. No. My senses are there. They will act. They'll act for simply to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. So that can be possible when you are trained up by the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise it is not possible.

Lecture on SB 7.9.34 -- Mayapur, March 12, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa says, "He's first-class yogi." Who? "Who is always trying to see Kṛṣṇa within the heart." So it is very difficult task? In our bhakti-yoga we can teach this art of seeing Kṛṣṇa within the core of the heart in one minute. It is so simple. You are seeing Kṛṣṇa here. You must have impression and try to keep that impression within your heart always. Then you become first-class yogi. Why so much gymnastic and pressing the nose? No. Take directly. If you are engaged twenty-four hours in the service of the Deity, you cannot see except the Deity. This bhakti-yoga practice is so simple. Therefore kaniṣṭha adhikārī, those who are neophyte, they must take to Deity worship. By Deity worship he is elevated to the position of seeing the Lord within the heart. This is very important thing. You can see—He is there—but you have no knowledge, or even if you have knowledge, you are not competent to see Him. But if you practice Deity worship...

Lecture on SB 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976:

This is called mauna. Otherwise Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that "I have got only one tongue and two ears. So how can I enjoy or serve Hare Kṛṣṇa only with one tongue and two ears? If I had millions of ears and trillions of tongues, then it would have been possible." It is meaning... Tuṇḍe tanda... I forget that verse now. He is feeling like that, that "How shall I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra by one tongue only and hear, śravaṇa-kīrtana, by two ears?" So he is expecting so many ears and so many tongues to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And so far we are concerned, conditioned soul, even sixteen round becomes very, very difficult job for us because we are practiced to talk nonsense. We cannot find out little time, say for two hours, for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but we can find twenty-four hours for talking nonsense. Therefore one who cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he should stop his talking. That is called mauna. Don't talk any more. Better remain silent. This is recommendation by Prahlāda Mahārāja. And vrata also compulsory. It is meant for persons who are desiring to be liberated.

Here it is said, āpavarga. Āpavarga. Āpa. Ā-pavarga. Ā means just the opposite, ā, "not." And pavarga, pavarga I have several times explained to you. Pa means pariśrama, laboring, working very hard. This material world, everyone is working very hard-man, animal, bird, beasts, everyone. It is meant for that, just opposite of the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no question of working, what to speak of hard working. There is no question. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. This is the definition of God: na tasya karyam kāraṇam ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. You see. Kṛṣṇa is simply enjoying. He has nothing to do. He hasn't got to go to the market. We are servants. We go to the market and prepare food for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's simply playing on His flute. And if you, with devotion, offer Him food, He will eat. He has nothing to go. So similarly, those who are servants of Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world, they also haven't got to do anything, what to speak of hard work.

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

Everything is given to guru. Then what shall I do?" That is said: bhuñjīta yady anujñātaḥ. Now, these things will be prepared. The brahmacārī will collect dahl, rice, attar, and everything. It will be prepared, offered to the Deity. That's a fact. But if by mistake guru forgets to call a particular disciple—"My dear son, please come, take your prasādam"—then he should not take prasādam. "Guru has forgotten, so I shall not go and take, myself, the foodstuff. I shall fast." This is brahmacārī. Here it is said, bhuñjīta yady anujñāto. Everything is there, prasādam is ready, but you can eat if you are ordered by the spiritual master. This is called tapasya. Not that "Guru is not here and so much foodstuff... Let me eat sumptuously and sleep twenty-four hours." This is not brahmacārī. We should be very careful. Without order of guru... Of course, our students are trained up. They ask permission. But here it is said that he should not ask permission even. If guru calls him, then he can take; otherwise guru has forgotten to call him somehow or other, so he should starve, or he should fast on that day.

So this is discipline and hardship, voluntary hardship. The brahmacārī may come from the royal house... Just like our Kṛṣṇa is actually son of Vasudeva, and He was brahmacārī. And when Sudāmā Vipra... Kṛṣṇa was supposed to be kṣatriya and Sudāmā Vipra was brāhmaṇa, so brāhmaṇas and kṣatriyas are especially meant for going to the gurukula and live very strictly according to the principle of gurukula. So Kṛṣṇa and Sudāmā Vipra went to collect dry fuel from the woods. When Sudāmā Vipra came to Kṛṣṇa's house, He reminded, "My dear Sudāmā, do you remember that day that both of us, we went to the forest and there was cyclone and rain, we could not come out?" So that means so much painstaking for the matter of guru. One cannot refuse, that "I am coming from very rich family.

Page Title:Twenty-four hours (Lectures, SB cantos 3 - 12)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, RupaManjari
Created:15 of Nov, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=76, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:76