Two kinds and types of... (Lectures, BG)

Expressions researched:
"two classes" |"two divisions" |"two kinds" |"two types"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.1 -- London, July 7, 1973:

So this is the position of the materialistic person. A materialistic person knows that he is sinful. A materialistic person knows that whatever he is doing is wrong, but he cannot check. Just like the thief. A thief knows that if he commits stealing, he will be arrested, he will be punished. He knows. Because he heard from lawbooks, from other sources, and he has also seen that a thief is arrested and he is taken by the police for being punished. So we have got two kinds of experiences: by hearing and by seeing directly. In Bengali it is called, dekhā-śunā. In India it is called. The two kinds of experience: one by seeing, practically experiencing, hand to hand; another by hearing. So one who is intelligent, he gets his experience simply by hearing from the right source. That is nice.

So our process is that we are getting experience about the perfect knowledge, the destination of life, simply by hearing from Kṛṣṇa. So we are the most intelligent person. It is not possible to experience directly, but if one has got intelligence, then simply by hearing and considering and thinking over it, he gets the experience. So those who are very sinful, they get experience by hearing and by direct, directly seeing also; still, they cannot check from sinful activities. So Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, by his sinful activities he became so much fallen that he did not hear anybody's advice, Vidura's advice, Bhīṣma's advice, that "Don't plan like this. They are rightful owners. The Pāṇḍavas, they are rightful owners. They are minor, but don't try to cheat them." But Dhṛtarāṣṭra was...

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

All the devotees. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, "So all these associates of Caitanya Mahāprabhu should be known—they are also of the same category." Gaurāṅgera saṅgi-gaṇe, nitya-siddha kori māne. This word nitya-siddha is significant. Nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. There are two kinds of living entities. Nitya-baddha means ever-conditioned. Ever-conditioned means those who are in this material world, they do not know when they came in touch with this material world. Neither they do know when they will be liberated. They are called nitya-baddha, ever-conditioned. And similarly, there are nitya-siddhas. Nitya-siddhas means they never come in contact with this material world, and even they come here for some business, they do not forget their position. That is nitya-siddha. Try to understand. There are two kinds of living entities: nitya-siddha, nitya-baddha. Nitya-baddhas are within this material world. Beginning from Brahmā down to a small ant, insignificant ant, they are all nitya-baddhas. Anyone who is in this material world—nitya-baddha. And nitya-siddhas, they belong to the spiritual world. They never come in contact with this material world, and even they come for some business under the order of the Supreme Lord, they do not touch these material qualities They remain always transcendental. As Kṛṣṇa remains always transcendental, even though He is in this material world, similarly, Kṛṣṇa's nitya-siddha associates, they are also transcendental. They never touch this material world.

Lecture on BG 1.30 -- London, July 23, 1973:

They are not going to give me pension. They want still, 'Oh what you have done? You have to do so many things.' So now I am disgusted." This is called vairāgya. Vairāgya. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12). This is required. In human life, this is, this intelligence required, vairāgya, not to serve this material world, but to serve Kṛṣṇa. The Māyāvādī philosophers, they simply stop these material activities. Just like Buddha philosophy, nirvāṇa. He simply advises to stop this. But after stopping, what is, sir? "No, zero. Zero." That cannot be. That is not possible. This is their mistake. But the people to whom Buddha philosophy was preached, they are not so intelligent that there can be better service after giving up this service. Therefore Lord Buddha said, "You stop this service. You become happy because ultimately everything is zero." Śūnyavādī. Nirviśeṣavādī.

The Māyāvādīs, there are two kinds of Māyāvādīs: the impersonalists and the voidists. They are all Māyāvādī. So their philosophy is good so far, because a foolish man cannot understand more than this. A foolish man, if he is informed that there is better life in the spiritual world, to become servant of God, Kṛṣṇa, they think, "I became servant of this material world. I have suffered so much. Again servant of Kṛṣṇa? Oh..." They shudder, "Oh, no, no. This is not good. This is not good." As soon as they hear of service, they think of this service, this nonsense service. They cannot think of that there is service, but there is simply ānanda. One is still more eager to serve Him, Kṛṣṇa. That is spiritual world. That they cannot understand. So these nirviśeṣavādī, impersonalists, they think like that. Just like a diseased man lying on the bed, and if he is informed that "When you will be cured, you will be able to eat nicely, you will be able to walk," he thinks that "Again walking? Again eating?" Because he is accustomed to eat bitter medicine and sāgudānā, not very palatable, and so many things, passing stool and urine, activities on the bed. So as soon as they inform that "After being cured there is also passing of stool and urine and eating, but that is very palatable," he cannot understand.

Lecture on BG 1.31 -- London, July 24, 1973:

And it is sometimes liking. So that does not mean he did not like his son. So he wanted to sit down on the lap of his father and the stepmother insulted. So he took it very seriously. And he wanted to have the kingdom. This is arthārthī. He wanted something. And his mother advised that "You take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. He can fulfill your desire." So therefore ārtaḥ arthārthī. He was distressed; at the same time, he wanted a kingdom by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. That was his purpose. So because he went to worship Kṛṣṇa for some material benefit, he is to be taken as pious.

Catur-vidhā bhajante māṁ sukṛtina. Sukṛtina means pious. Kṛtī means very expert in acting worldly activities. So one who are engaged in pious activities, they are called sukṛtī. There are two kinds of activities: impious activities, sinful activities; and pious activities. So one who goes to pray in the church or in the temple, "O God, give us our daily bread," or "God, give me some money," or "God, give me relief from this distress," they are also pious. They are not impious. The impious people, they will never surrender to God, Kṛṣṇa. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ, prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). These class of men, sinful men, rascal, lowest of the mankind, whose knowledge has been taken away by māyā, and demon—these classes of men will never surrender to God. Therefore they are duṣkṛtina, impious. So Kṛṣṇa is pious, but still he wants the family benefit. This is his defect. Er, Arjuna. Family prosperity. He wants to be happy with society, friendship and love. Therefore he says that na kāṅkṣe vijayam... This is called vairāgya. Śmaśāna-vairāgya. It is called śmaśāna-vairāgya. Śmaśāna-vairāgya means that in India, the Hindus, they burn the dead body. So relatives take the dead body for burning to the burning ghāṭa, and when the body is burned, everyone present there, for the time being, they become little renounced: "Oh, this is the body.

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

The nature is, it is sometimes manifested and sometimes it is dissolved, annihilated. Everything material, that is the way. Just like our body. It is created at a certain date, and it will be annihilated at a certain date. Similarly, this gigantic body... That is also body of the Supreme Lord, virāt body. Virāt means gigantic. Kṛṣṇa will show His virāt-rūpa to Arjuna. So this external body, exactly just like we have got our this external body. Internal body. The soul is covered by two bodies, the external and internal. External means these gross elements—earth, water, air, fire, sky. And internal means the mind, intelligence and ego. They are also material. Just like our body is covered by shirt and coat, similarly, the soul is encaged in two kinds of bodies. When this gross body is finished, the subtle body, mind, intelligence and ego, they are there. The soul is covered. The gross body is finished. That is called death. But people do not know that there is no death for the soul. The outward cover is finished, the inward cover is there, and the inward cover will carry the soul to another gross body. That is called transmigration. The mind is creating, as we are making our consciousness in this life, so we are making our next life also. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25).

Lecture on BG 1.32-35 -- London, July 25, 1973:

So we have got two kinds of bodies, gross and subtle, and within that, I am living, you are living, soul. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, within this body, there is the dehī, the proprietor of the body. So people do not understand that this finishing of this gross body is not actually death or annihilation of the soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Even annihilation of the subtle body does not mean death of the soul. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). There are two kinds of bodies. So when the gross body is annihilated, the subtle body carries me to another gross body. Just like the air carries the flavor of a certain place. If the air is passing over rose garden, it carries the flavor. Although we cannot see, but we can smell. We can understand the breeze is so fragrant, means it is coming over a rose garden. Similarly, filthy place, a bad smell, the air carries. So the subtle body carries the mental situation of the soul and puts him into a particular body according to that mental situation. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). At the time of death, the mental situation will give me chance for another gross body. If we have created my mind Kṛṣṇa conscious, then he will give me, the mental situation will give me a body by which I can make further progress. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ. Suppose one has begun yoga. Yoga means attempt to link with the supreme. That is called yoga. And viyoga means without any relationship, or without any attachment for the Supreme. Yoga means plus, and viyoga means minus. So plus. Plus means, one plus one equal to two.

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

Because by impious activities I will be degraded. Adho gacchanti tamasaḥ (BG 14.18). Jaghanya-guṇa-vṛtti-sthāḥ. If we become addicted to sinful activities, the result will be we shall be degraded. But they do not know. Even so-called religious priests, they support killing, condone it. Killing is impious, sinful activity, but in the name of religion, killing is also going on. If someone says, "It is my religion to cut throat," will it be accepted very nice thing? Sometimes... Just like here is the war. This is also religious war. But still, discrimination. Arjuna, because he is a Vaiṣṇava, a Vaiṣṇava means devatā, demigod. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva āsuras tad viparyayaḥ. What is the difference between deva and asura? Who is called a devata, and who is called an asura? There are two kinds of men. One class is called deva, devata. The other class is called asura. Devāsura.

Lecture on BG 1.36 -- London, July 26, 1973:

So there is always fight between deva and asura. Now at the present moment, the number of asuras have increased. Formerly the number of devatās were greater. So Arjuna is devatā because he is Viṣṇu-bhakta. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke ('smin) daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). There are two classes of men within this creation. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, they are called devatā. Just like the demigods like Indra, Candra, Sūrya, and many others. There are thirty-three krores of devatās in the higher planetary system. They are all Viṣṇu-bhakta. They will abide by the orders of Viṣṇu and Vaiṣṇava. Just like Indra. He is devatā. There was fight between Hiraṇyakaśipu and the Indra's party. So when Hiraṇyakaśipu was defeated, naturally the... Afterward, if the other party is defeated, the victorious party makes some, so many aggression, especially aggression of women. That is still current. Innocent women, they are very much harassed after the war by the victorious party. You know, the soldiers are given freedom to rape the women. And plunder the property. So many things they have. So when Hiraṇyakaśipu was defeated, all the devatās, they did not make such aggression, but the wife of Hiraṇyakaśipu—Kāyadhu, I think—she was arrested by Indra and was taken. She was crying, just usual, woman. But she was being dragged by Indra. So Nārada was passing. Now, he said, "What are you doing this?" "No, there is no question of harassing this woman. But I am taking her in my custody because she is pregnant and the child is begotten by asura, Hiraṇyakaśipu. Therefore I shall wait for the birth of the child, and as soon as she gives birth, I will kill that child." Yes. So Nārada said, "No, no. That child is not asura child. He is coming, a great devotee, mahā-bhāgavata of Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on BG 2.1-10 and Talk -- Los Angeles, November 25, 1968:

As a miser does not properly use his asset. Suppose you have got one million dollars, you keep it only, you do not use it properly or you spoil it. Then you are called miser. But if you utilize it properly and gain out of it, then you are intelligent. Similarly, Garga Upaniṣad says, he makes distinction, two classes. One class of men he says kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. And another class of men he says brāhmaṇa, brāhmaṇas. So he classifies, etad viditvāsmāt ya praiti sa brāhmaṇaḥ. This self-realization process... We shall die. It is sure. Every one of us, we'll die. But we should not die like cats and dogs. That is the difference. We may die. We must die. Nobody can escape death, but before death we must know what is self and self-realization. They are brāhmaṇas. Those who are trying to understand what he is, what is his relation with God and how he should live, they are called brāhmaṇas. And those who are living like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating and dying, so they are dying like cats and dogs. So death is inevitable. That is also advised by Prahlāda Mahārāja in his instruction to his class fellows. Kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). "My dear friends, from this beginning of life... We are now five years old. From this life we should try to understand bhāgavata-dharma."

Lecture on BG 2.2 -- London, August 3, 1973:

So Bhagavān is criticizing. Arjuna became a very good man: "Why shall I...? Oh, I cannot kill my kinsmen." From material point of view, people will very much appreciate, "Oh, here is Arjuna. He's so nice, nonviolent. He is foregoing his claim. He has given up his astra, bow and arrows. He's no, no longer fighting. He has decided not to fight with kinsmen, kill his own men." So from material point of view, Arjuna is supposed to be very, very good man. But the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, what does He say? Anārya-juṣṭam: "You rascal, you are speaking like anārya." He'll say rascal later on. He posed himself to be very good man, but when he comes to the test of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He refuses to accept him as a good man. He's saying that "You are anārya." There are two kinds of men: anārya and ārya. Āryan. Āryan means advanced in knowledge. He's called Āryan. And anārya means uncivilized. So immediately He rebukes him, anārya-juṣṭam. "You are talking just like non-Āryan, uncivilized person." People are very much, nowadays, eager how to stop war. But Kṛṣṇa says... (break) ... at any case is not required. There is necessity of war. Just like He's trying to convince Arjuna. Our war means... According to Vedic civilization, that is dharma-yuddha, religious fight. When the actual need is there to fight, we must fight. Not that when there is need of fight, one becomes nonviolent. Just like yesterday in the evening, when we were talking with Dr. Shoemaker, so they were supporting that "Why should you kill any animal who is coming to... If you are determined not to kill..." We were talking of not killing, that why should you kill one animal who is coming to attack? No. You must kill. That is necessity. You should not go to the forest to find out some living entities, living beings, to kill.

Lecture on BG 2.7 -- London, August 7, 1973:

Nārada says that: tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer (SB 1.5.17). If anyone, even by sentiment, gives such, gives up his occupational duty according to guṇa... That is called svadharma... Svadharma means one's duty according to the quality he has acquired. That is called svadharma. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, they are divided guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ (BG 4.13), by guṇa and karma.

So here Arjuna says that kārpaṇya-doṣopahataḥ-svabhāvaḥ (BG 2.7). "I am kṣatriya." He understands that: "I am doing wrong. I am refusing to fight. Therefore, it is kārpaṇya-doṣa, miserly." Miserly means I have got some means to spend, but if I don't spend this is called miser. Kṛpaṇatā. So kṛpaṇatā. There are two classes of men, brāhmaṇa and śūdra. Brāhmaṇa and śūdra. Brāhmaṇa means he's not miser. He has got the opportunity, great asset of this human form of body, many millions of dollars worth, this human... But he's not using it properly, simply seeing it: "How beautiful I am." That's all. Just spend your beauty or utilize your asset, the human... That is brāhmaṇa, to be liberal. And the... Etad viditvā prayāti sa brāhmaṇaḥ, One who knows... Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says: durlabhaṁ manuṣyaṁ janma adhruvam arthadam (SB 7.6.1). He was preaching amongst his class friends. He was born in a demonic family, Hiraṇyakaśipu. And his class friends, also, of the same category. So Prahlāda Mahārāja was advising them: "My dear brothers, let us cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So other boys, what do they know about Kṛṣṇa conscious...? Prahlāda Mahārāja is liberated from the very birth. So they said: "What is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" They could not understand. So he was convincing them: durlabhaṁ manuṣyaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam. This human body is durlabhaṁ. Labdhvā sudurlabhaṁ idam bahu sambhavānte (SB 11.9.29).

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

"My dear father..." And his father was materialist. Therefore materialists are called in Sanskrit language, asura. Asura. There are two kinds of human being all the time: asura and deva. Deva. Deva means human beings who are connected with the Supreme Lord. Their life is for realization of the Supreme Truth. They are called deva. Just like in higher planets, there are also living beings. They are called devatās, demigods, because their magnitude of pleasure is far, far greater than ours. But because they do everything in relation with the Supreme Lord, therefore they are called devatās, devatā. Devatā means demigods. And asura. Asura means just the opposite. They simply enjoy life for the matter of sense pleasure. That's all. So those who are interested in sense pleasure, they are called asuras, and those who are interested, unending spiritual pleasure, they are called devatās. Devatā and asura does not mean that asuras are very ugly and devatās are very beautiful. Even the ugly man can become a devatā, or even a beautiful man may become asura. That is due to his mentality. Because, after all, the soul is pure. When he is in unnatural condition of life, wants to enjoy simply the material senses, he becomes asura. So asura can be turned into devatā. There is no hindrance.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- New York, March 11, 1966:

Now, here some philosophical question may be raised. There are two classes of philosophers, that after liberation, after getting out of this body, the soul amalgamates with the Supreme Soul. That question we have already discussed. Still, there is no harm in discussing it again because any, I mean to say, substantial knowledge, if it is discussed one after another, twice, thrice, it is better. Now, Kṛṣṇa points out that every soul is individual soul, every soul. And that is our experience, that every one of us, we have got some individual consciousness, not that my consciousness is just equal to your consciousness. I do not know what is going in your soul. We are all individual souls. But according to Māyāvādī philosophers, they say, "Just like the sky, the ether"—ether is everywhere, within your body and within mine, within everyone's—that "the ether has taken a form due to this particular body, but when the body is vanquished, the ether, I mean to say, amalgamates with the greater ether." This is called ghaṭākāśa-poṭākāśa. Ghaṭākāśa-poṭākāśa means this ākāśa is here.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Pittsburgh, September 8, 1972:

They do not do any business, they do not go to school or colleges to learn technology, to earn livelihood, but they are being supplied. They are healthy. There is no disease.

So our advancement of civilization means we have created problems. That's all. This is our advancement of civilization, and we do not know what is the formation of the soul, how it is transmigrating from one body to another, what is the next life, whether we are getting next life a human being or better than human being, or lower than human being. And if it so, how we are getting that form of life next? Because we are eternal, we are changing this body. Neither we do know there are two kinds of bodies: the gross body and the subtle body. This gross body is made of earth, water, fire, air, ether; and the subtle body is made of mind, intelligence, and ego. Within the subtle body, the soul is there. Now, when this gross body becomes useless or unworkable, then the subtle body carries me to another gross body. This is called transmigration of the soul. But we do not see the subtle body. Every one of us, we know that we, we have got mind, but we cannot see the mind. Neither we can see intelligence, neither I can see what is my ego. But they are existing. So it is not necessary that everything you have to see with your blunt eyes. The eyes, they are not perfect. Just like the other side of this hall is dark, I cannot see you. Although I have got the eyes. So even though we have got eyes, it is very imperfect. It cannot see in all circumstances. Under certain circumstances, we can see. Therefore we should not believe simply by seeing. But one thing, although I cannot see you, you can hear me, or I can understand that you are hearing. The ears are stronger than the eyes.

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

So this dead body, when a man dies, dhīras tatra na muhyati. Those who are dhīra—dhīra means sober—they are not bewildered. There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Dhīra means those who are not agitated, they know things as they are. So adhīra means those who are uncontrolled. The poet Kalidāsa has described dhīra and adhīra with reference to Lord Śiva in his book Kumāra-sambhava. So dhīra means a person who is not agitated in spite of the cause of agitation being present. There are so many causes of agitation, but a person, in spite of being persuaded by the cause of agitation... Just like a young man and young woman, when they are present, naturally they become agitated. In the śāstras it is said just like fire and butter. If you put butter before the fire, automatically it melts. Similarly, a woman is considered as fire and the man is considered as butter. So this is natural. But a person who is not agitated, he is called dhīra.

Lecture on BG 2.13 -- Public Lecture With German Translation Throughout -- Hamburg, September 10, 1969:

That we have got experience every night. We sleep on our bed, but my consciousness goes to other country or other place, and work in a different way. Again, when at the end of the dream we come back to this body, gross body. So death means when the consciousness does not come back again to this gross body and enters another gross body. This period is called death. So the subtle body, mind, is there. I know you have got mind, you know I have got my mind. But I cannot see your mind, you cannot see my mind. So there is intelligence also. I know you have got intelligence, you know I have got intelligence. But you cannot see my intelligence unless it is acted. I cannot see your intelligence unless it is acted. So the soul is covered by two kinds of dresses. Just like we are covered by the shirt and coat. Similarly, the covering of the shirt, or mind, intelligence and ego, this is one covering. And upon this there is a gross covering: earth, water, air, fire, like that. In this way we have got two covers. So our business is, because we are eternal, we should not remain in these temporary coverings. That temporary cov... So long we are bound up or encaged in these coverings, that is called conditioned life. So we are trying to become free from this conditioned life. Just like people are trying to go to the moon planet. The desire is there. But because the life is conditioned, he cannot go. Just like I am a foreigner. I have come to your country. I am conditioned by immigration law. There are so many conditions. One of the conditions is that I cannot live here forever unless it is sanctioned by the government.

So we are conditioned now. In this form of life, covered by the material elements, we are conditioned by the material nature. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Mexico, February 15, 1975:

He wants to enjoy this material enjoyment. Just like everyone is going to the restaurant for eating something palatable, but we are not going, and somebody is going to cinema, but we are not going to the cinema. Similarly, there are two kinds of men: one is attracted; one is not attracted. Those who are not attracted, they are called nitya-siddha, eternally liberated. And those who are being attracted, they are called nitya-baddha, eternally conditioned. So you'll find always two classes of men. So one is attracted; one is not attracted. In the spiritual world the number of liberated person—many, many times greater than these conditioned soul. Just like the prison house and outside the prison house. The population outside the prison house, their number is very great, but within the prison house there are small number, criminals. So there are innumerable living entities. Out of them, some of them become attracted to this material enjoyment; others not. So one who does not want to serve Kṛṣṇa and wants to serve his senses, he's put into this material world. And he's given all facilities to enjoy, but he becomes entangled. This is the position. Yes?

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

That's all. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that this is the distinction between sat and asat. And we should not be very much interested with the asat. Then our life is spoiled. We should be interested with sat. That will make our life successful. Then we make progress for amṛtatva.

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

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

Viṣṇujana: "...confirm this concept of two kinds of souls by comparing them to two friendly birds sitting on the same tree. One of the birds, the individual atomic soul, is eating the fruit of the tree, and the other bird is simply watching his friend. Of these two birds, although they are the same in quality, one is captivated by the fruits of the material tree, while the other is simply witnessing his activity. Kṛṣṇa is the witnessing bird and Arjuna is the eating bird. Although they are friends, one is still the master and the other is the servant."

Prabhupāda: That is the eternal relationship. These are confirmed in Vedic literature just like Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad. The system is whatever is mentioned in the Vedas, that is authoritatively accepted. That is the Vedic understanding. If there is some evidence in the Vedas... Just like in law court, if there is some section in the lawbook, then the lawyers, the judge, accept it. "Yes, it is like this." Similarly knowledge. Vedas means knowledge. So perfect knowledge is there. Therefore if the evidence is there in the statement of Vedas, that is the proof. Śabda-pramāṇa. There are three kinds of evidences. Pratyakṣa, direct sense perception, and śabda-pramāṇa, evidence from the Vedic statement, and anumāna, aitihya, historical or hypothesis. So out of all evidences, the evidence which is called, derived from Vedic statement, that is accepted as most authoritative. Therefore Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad and Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad, they are Vedas. There is statement that two birds are sitting on the same tree. The tree is compared, the body is compared with the tree. And two birds, namely the Supersoul, Kṛṣṇa, and the living entity, individual soul, they are sitting together. And one is eating the fruit of the tree and the other is simply witnessing. This is our position. The other friendly bird, Kṛṣṇa or Supersoul, is giving us opportunity to act with this body as I like. He's giving us opportunity. Kṣetra-jña. I am the proprietor of this body. I have been allowed to utilize this body as I like. And the facility is given by the Supersoul.

Lecture on BG 2.26-27 -- London, August 29, 1973:

That is ignorance. In the material world, they also want to enjoy, everyone. They are thinking that this wine, woman, meat-eating, gambling, intoxication, these things will give me pleasure. So ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti. The Bhāgavata says that ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, means ultimate solution of miserable condition, is in the fact that we realize God and we go back to home, back to Godhead. This is our philosophy. And persons who cannot understand what is God, what is kingdom of God, they want to adjust. The aim is the same, ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, ultimately solution of all miseries. In a different way. So Kṛṣṇa says, putting forward the Buddha philosophy which was formerly known as lokāyatikas and vaibhāṣikas... These two kinds of philosophers, they did not believe. Mostly the materialistic philosophers, they have no understanding of the soul. Therefore they have different kinds of theories which we do not accept. Kṛṣṇa says that if you are not sanātanist or followers of the Vedic principles, if you think that your principle and views are different, that by combination of matter this existence coming, atha cainaṁ nitya-jātam... Nityam means by combination of... Just like so many things are taking place by interaction of different material elements. Similarly, if you don't believe in this existence of the soul, if you think that there is no soul, the life is the result of combination of matter, nitya-jātam, and when this combination of matter is some way or other dismantled, then there is no more soul, it is finished. It began at a point by combination of matter, and it ends in a point by disintegration of matter. If you think like that, then also tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho. Kṛṣṇa is criticizing Arjuna, mahā-bāhu. Actually he is mahā-bāhu. Mahā-bāhu means mighty-armed. One who has got a very strong, mighty arm, he can fight very strongly. Then also, why should you give up your fighting spirit? Why should you lament for combination of chemicals and material elements. Suppose this house is a combination of material elements. So some way or other, if it is dismantled, who laments for it? No sane man will lament. Similarly, if you have no idea of the existence of soul, then also you do not require to lament. Tathāpi tvaṁ mahā-bāho nainaṁ śocitum arhasi.

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

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

Lecture on BG 2.30 -- London, August 31, 1973:

Take it from Me, assurance, that the dehī, avadhya, you cannot kill, he's eternal." Now, dehe sarvasya bhārata, this important point you should note it that every living entity, the body has grown on the platform of the spirit soul. The body may be very gigantic or very small, it doesn't matter. But... Therefore matter is produced or grows on the platform of spirit. Not that a spirit comes into existence, or living force come into existence by the combination of matter. This is scientific point. Matter is dependent on spirit. Therefore, it is called inferior. Yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat. Dhāryate, it bears. The spirit is there; therefore, the gigantic universe is resting on the spirit. Either the supreme spirit Kṛṣṇa, or the small spirit. There are two kinds of spirit. Ātmā and paramātmā. Īśvara and parameśvara.

So the matter is explained by Kṛṣṇa, apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parāṁ yayedaṁ dhāryate. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). So spirit is bearing. Everything is explained in Bhagavad-gītā. The gigantic big, big planets, why it is floating weightless in the air? That is also explained. Gām āviśya aham ojasā dhārayāmi (BG 15.13). That, just try to understand. A big 747 airplane taking five hundred, six hundred passengers is floating, flying in the sky without any difficulty. Why? Because the pilot is there. Not the machine. Don't think that it is gigantic machine; therefore it is flying. No. The pilot is there. Machine is there also, but the floating is depending not on the mechanical arrangement, but on the pilot. Is there any disagreement? If the pilot is not there, the whole machine immediately will fall down. Immediately. Similarly, the statement in the Bhagavad-gītā, gām āviśya aham ojasā. Kṛṣṇa enters into the gigantic planet. He is within the... Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. It is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā.

Lecture on BG 2.30 -- London, August 31, 1973:

Even this atom. The śāstra says even within the atom, He, as Paramātmā, He is within the body of everyone. Not only within the body of living entities, but He is within the paramāṇu, the atom. They are studying now atomic energy. Still they are finding difficulty. Dividing, dividing, dividing. Because they cannot find out that there is God, there is Kṛṣṇa.

So without Kṛṣṇa's, I mean to say, presence, nothing can exist. Therefore, one who is advanced Kṛṣṇa conscious, he sees only Kṛṣṇa. Not the outward covering. Because without Kṛṣṇa nothing can exist. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, it is said: sthāvara-jaṅgama. There are two kinds of entities: moving and not moving. Moving means sthāvara and... Moving means jaṅgama. Sthāvara-jaṅgama. And sthāvara means not moving. So there are two kinds of entities. So you can see these two kinds of entities, some of them are moving, some of them are not moving. But a mahā-bhāgavata sees both the entities, moving and not moving, but he does not see the moving or not moving. He sees Kṛṣṇa. Because he knows that the moving means living force. So living force, that is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. And the nonmoving is material. That is also Kṛṣṇa's energy.

So in everything he sees only Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). Sadaiva. They sometimes inquire, "Have you seen God?" Those who are actually devotees, advanced devotee, he's simply seeing Kṛṣṇa, nothing else. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu (Bs. 5.38). Sadaiva means always. Hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So this is... More you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you'll simply see Kṛṣṇa. And if you become practiced to see Kṛṣṇa always, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ... Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Yad yad bhāvam.

Lecture on BG 2.36-37 -- London, September 4, 1973:

Dharmyāddhi-yuddha. There are two kinds of of fighting. Dharma-yuddha. Dharma-yuddha means right, righteous fighting, and adharma-yuddha means political. That is... One politician, he wants to keep his position, he engages the people in fighting, declares war. That is another thing. But when right thing, violence is required. So Arjuna... Kṛṣṇa is encouraging Arjuna in dharma-yuddha, not unnecessarily killing in the slaughterhouse. Do not misunderstand Kṛṣṇa. The rascals, they misunderstand. By killing, by his whims, he gives the evidence of... Another rascal, although he is learned professor, he says that because this man has killed on the basis of Bhagavad-gītā, therefore Kṛṣṇa is immoral. Just see. This is going on. Without understanding Bhagavad-gītā, even a so-called learned scholar also talking of Kṛṣṇa as immoral. He has encouraged killing. Just see. Such envious persons. And he is teaching Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on.

So this is not the fact. The fact is that there must be in the society, four classes of men. Because sometimes violence is required. Just like why government is maintaining the police force, the military force? It is required for keeping law and order. So violence is bad. That's all right. But sometimes it is required. Just like poison. Poison is bad, but sometimes it is required for administering medicine. Even poison is administered. When one's heart is... According to Āyur-vedic system, when the man's heart is almost to fail, at that time, poison is given. So the heart becomes again agitated. In the medical science also. So poison is poison, but sometimes it requires as medicine administration. Similarly, violence, killing is bad. But there is circumstances where violence is righteous, religious. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says dharmyāddhi-yuddha.

Lecture on BG 2.48-49 -- New York, April 1, 1966:

Kṛpaṇāḥ phala-hetavaḥ. Now, here is... The word kṛpaṇa is very significant. Kṛpaṇa. There are two classes of men. The kṛpaṇa means miser, kṛpaṇa, miser. And just the opposite word of kṛpaṇa is brāhmaṇa. I have already explained to you sometimes that brāhmaṇa... Brāhmaṇa means who knows that "I am not this body; I am the... I am the... I am in spirit, conscious. I am soul, spirit, consciousness," one who knows perfectly well this understanding and the science also, that "I am qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord," ahaṁ brahmāsmi. The Vedic mantra says, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. That means "I am Brahman. I am not this matter. I am Brahman." So one who knows this science, he is called brāhmaṇa. And that doesn't matter who is he and where he is born. That doesn't matter. Simply knowing this science... Now, the opposite word is kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means miser. Whom you call miser? The miser is a man who has got enough money but does not spend it. He is called miser. Miser means who has got enough assets, but he does not spend. He simply sees his money and satisfied. He does not spend it, properly utilize it. He is called kṛpaṇa. Is it right, the miser explanation? So kṛpaṇa, who is kṛpaṇa, and who is brāhmaṇa? Brāhmaṇa means who has known that "I am spiritual identity. I am qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord. I am the part and parcel of the Lord." This knowledge, one who has developed highly and perfectly, he is called brāhmaṇa. And kṛpaṇa means who has not utilized this human form of body to understand that he is spiritual identity, Brahman, but he simply knows that "I am this body, and because this body is born in a certain place, so I am identified to that country or to that society or to that family." They are called kṛpaṇa. Kṛpaṇa means that he has not properly utilized the developed consciousness he has got in his asset. A human being has got the developed consciousness than other sub-human or the animal society. So he has to utilize. Just like you have got 100,000's of dollars. Now, if you properly utilize, it can be increased. It can be increased to millions of dollars by your intelligence if you utilize it. And if you do not utilize it, if you keep it as it is, that is also very good, but sometimes we lost the whole thing. They are called kṛpaṇa. Foolishness. Foolishness.

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

And he has got other qualifications. Then he's called śuci. And the, the, the opposite word of śuci is called muci. So we need not explain what is muci, but śuci, śucīnāṁ means highly cultured brāhmaṇa. And śrīmatām. Śrī means wealth, śrī means wealth, opulence, beauty and all these things. That means very aristocratic family, very aristocratic family. So he's given chance to get his birth in two places. One who is, I mean to..., not successful. The successful, oh, what to speak of him! The successful goes back to Godhead directly. And even one is unsuccessful, half-finished, then he is given chance to take his birth in two kinds of family. One set is śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very well-to-do, rich family. And other is very well polished, cultural brāhmaṇa family.

Why? Now, there is the chance. There is the chance of spiritual culture, very nicely. Of course, here, in your country, aristocratic family, just like Rockefeller family, or Ford family... There are many rich families here. I do not know what are their activities, but in India, the aristocratic family, they have got particular spiritual function. Each and every aristocratic family has so many temples, so many temples. And I have already informed you that one of the aristocratic family in India, Sir Padampat Singhania, he's a very big. He's as equal to your Rockefeller family. And I wrote him that "I want to start here one Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple and I want your help." He has immediately agreed, "Swamiji, I shall spend for a nice architectural, Indian pattern temple in New York if I get exchange sanction." You see? So my putting you, putting this statement is that even up till now, Indian aristocratic family, they are so much religiously inclined that immediately on my proposal he's agreed. He's agreed, "Yes. I shall construct a temple." So that aristocratic family has the facility. In every Indian aristocratic family you'll find they have got their particular temples and temple worship, and they go, they offer their respect, and do their business as it is. There is no harm. So by, side by side with material activities, they have got the chance of spiritual... Now, this particular family I am speaking to you, Singhania family, you'll be very glad to learn that how they are family arrangement...

Lecture on BG 2.59-69 -- New York, April 29, 1966:

So therefore there are two kinds of intelligence. One kind of intelligence is: apply the senses for unrestricted enjoyment. And another kind of intelligence is to apply the senses in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. So people... Now, suppose one has given up all material enjoyment but he's engaged in the spiritual service, in the transcendental service of the Lord. So materialists, they see what a nonsense he is, that he has given up all material enjoyment. He's now engaged in something which is vague or which is... There is no understanding whether he's right or wrong. He sees like that. So the materialist sees the spiritualist sleeping in the enjoyment of life. And the spiritualist sees the materialist that "What nonsense he is, that he has got this elevated, conscious life of human form of life, and he's spoiling in the material senses, in the material enjoyment. He's not taking interest in spiritual life. So he sees that he's sleeping, and he sees that he's sleeping. The materialist sees the spiritualist that he's nonsense; he's sleeping. And the spiritualist sees the materialist, nonsense that he's spoiling. Yā niśā sarva niśā, sarva-bhūtānāṁ tasyāṁ jāgarti saṁyamī, yasyāṁ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyato muneḥ.

Lecture on BG 2.62-72 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Then senses will not disturb you. If you want to control the senses, you have to control the tongue first of all. Then you will be able to control other senses very easily. So you give tongue the engagement of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, and for tasting Kṛṣṇa prasādam you'll find that your other senses are already controlled. This is the key of controlling our senses, the tongue. And if you give privilege and indulgence to the tongue, you'll never be able to control other senses. This is the secret of controlling senses. Go on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: 69: "What is night for all beings is the time of awakening for the self-controlled, and the time of awakening for all beings is the night for the introspective sage." Purport: "There are two classes of intelligent men. The one is intelligent in material activities for sense gratification, and the other is introspective and awake to the cultivation of self-realization. Activities of the introspective sage or thoughtful man are night for persons materially absorbed. Materialistic persons remain asleep during such a night due to their ignorance of self-realization. The introspective sage, however, remains alert in that night of the materialistic man."

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

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Three: "The blessed Lord said, 'O sinless Arjuna, I have already explained that there are two classes of men who realize the self. The contemplative are inclined to understand it by empirical philosophical speculations, and the active are inclined to know it by devotional service (BG 3.3).' "

Purport: "In the Second Chapter, verse thirty-nine, the Lord has explained two kinds of procedure, namely sāṅkhya-yoga and karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga."

Prabhupāda: Sāṅkhya, sāṅkhya-yoga. Sāṅkhya means analyzing the material elements and dovetail it with the Supreme. This is called sāṅkhya-yoga. Samyak khyāpayate, or things are very explicitly explained for understanding of the common man. That is called sāṅkhya-yoga, or jñāna-yoga. And another is karma-yoga, or buddhi-yoga. Go on.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "In this verse the Lord explains the same more clearly. Sāṅkhya-yoga or the analytical study of the nature of spirit and matter is the subject for persons who are inclined to speculate and understand things by experimental knowledge and philosophy. The other class of men work in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as is explained in verse sixty-one of the same Second Chapter. The Lord has explained also in verse thirty-nine that by working under the principles of buddhi-yoga or Kṛṣṇa consciousness one can be relieved from the bondage of action and furthermore there is no flaw in the process. The same principle is more clearly explained in verse sixty-one, that this buddhi-yoga is to depend entirely on the Supreme or more specifically, on Kṛṣṇa, and in this way all the senses can be brought under control very easily. Therefore both the yogas are interdependent, as religion and philosophy. Religion without philosophy is sentiment or sometimes fanaticism, while philosophy without religion is mental speculation. The ultimate goal is Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on BG 3.25 -- Hyderabad, December 17, 1976:

There are two classes of men: vidvān, learned, and the fools, not learned, known as the fool. Human being, they are, of course, very intelligent than the animals. But amongst themselves there are more intelligent, less intelligent. On the whole, they are more intelligent than the animals.

So far intelligence is concerned, in the matter of considering eating, sleeping, sex, and defense, that is equal either in the animal or in the human being. It doesn't require any education. Even the dog knows how to use sex life. It doesn't require a Freud's philosophy. But the rascal human society, they are thinking that "Here is a big philosopher. He is writing about sex." This is going on. Eating, simply eating... Here is land. You work little, get your food grains produced and you can sumptuously eat. But it doesn't require a scientific slaughterhouse for bringing big, big cows and live in the city at the cost of the lives of the poor animals. This is misuse of intelligence. This is not intelligence.

Therefore a devotee who is actually intelligent, they should show the way how our intelligence can be utilized. That is explained here, saktāḥ karmaṇy avidvāṁsaḥ. Avidvāṁsaḥ, fools, men with poor fund of knowledge, they have discovered so many lines of activities, simply foolishness.

Lecture on BG 3.27 -- Melbourne, June 27, 1974:

That, Prahlāda Mahārāja said, a great devotee, that... His father asked him, "My dear boy, what best thing you have learned?" He said, "My dear father..." He did not say, "father." His father was first-class materialist. So he addressed him, "the best of the demons," because anyone who is very much sensuous, very much attached to sense gratification, they are called demon. And those persons who do not indulge in sense gratification but utilize this body or this life for God realization, Kṛṣṇa realization, they are called gods.

There are two classes of men, demon and god. Those who are engaged in God consciousness they are not God but godly. And those who are not... Because this human life is meant for this purpose. Forgetting our father, forgetting our God, we are criminal within this material world. Therefore our only business is how to get out of this prison house and go back to home, back to Godhead.

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to liberate these foolish persons who are entangled in this material world and changing one body after another, sometimes very happy and sometimes very distressed. This is going on.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja said, tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehinām: "My dear father, or the best of the demons, you are asking me, so I say, I have learned this. What is that? That these people who are always full of anxiety," asad-grahāt, "because they have accepted this material world," tat sādhu manye 'sura-varya dehināṁ sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5), "these persons, either in human being or animal or bird and beasts—full of anxieties."

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

Indian (2): If I understand Bhagavad-gītā and also you (?), Kṛṣṇa has given different type of methods for different type of people of different advantages (?). He's talking about (Sanskrit), all these things. Arjuna questioned Kṛṣṇa. He asked the difference between the two kinds of worship. One is the worshiping the form; other is worshiping the guṇas (?). And actually we find it difficult to understand. What can you enlighten us on this point, that why Kṛṣṇa has given a different type of (?) and these two different type worships? One is the form worship; another is the formless worship, which He explains to Arjuna.

Prabhupāda: The personal form and impersonal form, there are two conception. But Kṛṣṇa explains this that mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā (BG 9.4). Avyaktam, impersonal. That is another form of Kṛṣṇa. He says, mayā: "By Me." "I am all-pervading." Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvam. That is sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Because He is expanded everywhere, that is impersonal. And... But as māyā, He says, "by Me." Then He's person. So the whole creation is Kṛṣṇa's expansion of energy.

Just like the sunshine. Sunshine is also the same quality, heat and light, as the sun globe or the sun god. But the sunshine is impersonal, and the sun globe is localized. And within the sun globe there is sun god. So that is the main source of everything. Īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). Brahmaṇaḥ ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. The brahma-jyotir is also staying in Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the source of brahma-jyotir. So impersonal or personal, whatever you take, that is Brahman. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11).

But the beginning, origin, is Kṛṣṇa. That Kṛṣṇa explains, ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate (BG 10.8). Either you take impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā, whatever you take, that is emanation from Kṛṣṇa. Sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1).

Lecture on BG 4.1 -- Delhi, November 10, 1971:

We cannot see God with these eyes. God is present everywhere. God is present within your heart, God is present within this universe, God is present within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham (Bs. 5.35). Aṇḍa, aṇḍa means this universe. God is within this universe. Just like in your body, you are present, as I was going to explain, dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Asmin dehe, within this body, there is the proprietor of the body, the soul. Similarly, this gigantic body of universe, cosmic manifestation, there is the Supersoul, therefore it is working. Just like in your body or in my body, because the soul is there, therefore it is active, it is moving. Similarly, this gigantic universal body, there is God, Supersoul. Two kinds of soul, one Supersoul and one individual soul. We are living entities, we are individuals, and God is Supersoul.

What is the difference between Supersoul and individual soul? One is very small, minute, and the other is very big. God is great. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān, God is greater than the greatest. You can conceive in your idea, the greatness of something, but God is still greater. And you can conceive the smallest—just like the atom—yet God is smaller than the atom. That is God. Not that He's only the great, but He is the smallest also. Aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān. Mahato mahīyān means greater than the greatest, and aṇor aṇīyān, and smaller than the smallest. We cannot imagine the dimension of the atom, or you can imagine, but still God is smaller than that. This is the position of God. So He has got His form, as the atom has got form. Similarly, within the atom, God has got form, and as this whole universe has got form, that God has also got form. When there is a statement in the Vedic language that God has no form, it does not mean God has no form, but He has form which you cannot imagine. That is called formless. Actually God is not formless, but what is that form, you cannot imagine. Because He is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest.

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Prabhupāda: All right. Begin. Read.

Madhudviṣa: Chapter Four: "Transcendental Knowledge."

One: "The Blessed Lord said: I instructed this imperishable science of yoga to the sun-god, Vivasvān, and Vivasvān instructed it to Manu, the father of mankind, and Manu in turn instructed it to Ikṣvāku."

Prabhupāda: Transcendental knowledge. There are two kinds of knowledges: mundane knowledge and transcendental knowledge. Mundane knowledge means how to maintain this body, āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunam, to meet the demands of this body. What are the demands of this body? We require to eat something. Eating, sleeping. We require rest after working hard. After eating sumptuously, we require sleeping. Eating, sleeping, and during sleeping we sometimes dream, fearing, or without dream, fearing. So we take protection. While sleeping, we close our doors. So eating, sleeping, fearing, and mating—sense gratification. So to arrange for these necessities of life of the body, the knowledge that we require, that is called mundane knowledge.

Just like in the modern materialistic civilization, we have very good arrangement for eating, for sleeping, for defending, and for sense gratification. The modern material civilization is simply based on this mundane knowledge, but there is no arrangement or university for imparting transcendental knowledge. There is no section in the university, practically, that, what is called brahma-jijñāsā, the science of knowing the spirit soul. That is called transcendental knowledge.

So we are busy with mundane knowledge, but the most important part of knowledge is transcendental knowledge. "What I am? Wherefore I have come? What is my constitutional position? Am I this body or I am beyond this body?" These are transcendental knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa is beginning the transcendental knowledge. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.1-6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1969:

Madhudviṣa: "This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession and the saintly kings understood it in that. But in the course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost."

Three: "That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you. Because you are My devotee as well as My friend, therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science."

Purport: "There are two classes of men, namely the devotee and the demon. The Lord accepted Arjuna as the recipient of this great science owing to his being a devotee of the Lord. But for the demons it is not possible to understand this great, mysterious science. There are a number of editions of this great book of knowledge and some of them are commented upon by the devotees, and some of them are commented upon by the demons. Commentary by the devotees is real, whereas that of the demons is useless."

Prabhupāda: Because it is said here that "that very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee," so this transcendental science cannot be understood simply by academic education. It is not possible. There is a secret. Just like in the ordinary educational field, nobody is allowed to study law unless he is a graduate of the degree college. At least in India that is the law. Nobody can be admitted in the law college unless he is a graduate because he will not be able to understand.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

There are two kinds of processes of acquiring knowledge. One process is deductive, and the other process is inductive. Those who are student of logic, you know that there are two processes: deductive knowledge and inductive knowledge. Deductive knowledge is considered to be more perfect. And what is that? Just like "Man is mortal." This is a truth, accepted. How man is mortal, nobody's going to enter into discussion. It is accepted that man is mortal. Now, Mr. Johnson is a man. So he is mortal. This is the deductive conclusion. Because man is mortal and Johnson is a man, therefore he's mortal. This is the process of deductive knowledge. Now, how this man is mortal, this truth established? The other party, those who are inductive, follower of inductive process, they want to see actually by experiment and observation how man is mortal. They want to study, "This man dies. That man dies. That man dies. That man dies." Therefore they make a general conclusion, "Well, all men are mortal."

Now, in the inductive process you have got some defects. What is that? Now, your experience is limited. Suppose if you have not seen a man who is not mortal, who is not mortal. There may be. Because you are going on with your personal experience, but your personal experience is always imperfect. That I have already discussed. Because we have got our senses with limited power. And there are so many defects in our conditioned stage. Therefore inductive process is not always perfect. The deductive process, from the authority, the knowledge received, is always perfect. So Vedic process is deductive process. Vedic process is deductive process.

Lecture on BG 4.3-6 -- New York, July 18, 1966:

So we should always remember that we are reading Bhagavad-gītā and we should understand it as it is. We should not make any interpretation. That is a wrong thing. And if there was some necessity of interpretation, we should not think that Kṛṣṇa left the matter for being interpreted by in later age by some scholar. Oh, He could have disclosed it Himself. He was quite competent. No. There is no question of interpretation. We have to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is. If we cannot understand, that is a defect in me, not in the Bhagavad-gītā. So we have to find out the defect in me. So Lord Kṛṣṇa says, ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san: "Although I am the Lord, I am the Supreme Lord of everything and although I am unborn, aja, and avyayātmā, I have no change, still, prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya." Prakṛtiṁ svām.

Now, you should know there are two kinds of prakṛti. Prakṛti means nature. You'll find it in the Seventh Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord says that He has got two... Why Lord says? In the Vedic scripture also we'll find, parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate: (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport) "There are different kinds of nature of the Supreme." Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca. So out of many kinds of nature of the Supreme Lord, they have divided the whole thing into three divisions. One is called external nature, and the other is called internal nature. And there is another nature which is called marginal nature. The external nature, the material world, manifestation of this material world, is external nature. And this is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, as we'll find it in the Seventh Chapter, that apareyam. Aparā. Aparā means inferior or lower nature, lower nature. So He has got higher nature.

Lecture on BG 4.5 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

"Can you find out the heart in that small particle-like animal?" It is not possible. But there is. But there is; otherwise, how Kṛṣṇa says sarva-bhūtānām, all living entities? So our so-called scientific advancement always remains indefinitely imperfect because it is not possible to understand the whole thing as it is. But we can understand from Bhagavad-gītā that there is heart. Now if you go to the laboratory to find out where is the heart of the small creatures, you have no capacity, neither you have instruments. No. Therefore your knowledge will always be imperfect because this process of acquiring knowledge is always imperfect. But this knowledge, as we hear from Bhagavad-gītā that there is heart in every living entity, this is perfect.

Therefore there are two kinds of processes to receive knowledge. The Vedic process says, avaroha-panthā, descending process. And the material process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, research. This is āroha-panthā, find out whether this, what is this, what is this, neti, neti, neti, neti, analysis, dissection, and so many. This is called āroha-panthā. Trying to ascend by dint of one's material knowledge. Then spiritual knowledge, you cannot have perfect knowledge... Why spiritual knowledge? Even material knowledge. Now there are so many attempts to go to the moon planet. They are trying to go there by so many ascending processes, sputnik, airplanes, and so many things. Still, we do not know what is this planet.

But you read Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, you understand immediately what is this moon planet. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā nakṣatrāṇām ahaṁ śaśī. Śaśī means this moon planet.

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

Māyā means energy also. māyā means energy. And māyā means illusion also. And māyā means affection. There are different meanings of māyā. So here it is said prakṛtim... Prakṛtim and māyā. Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya. He has got multi-energies. That energies have been divided into three: external energy, internal energy, and marginal energy. That you will, also, you will find in the Seventh Chapter.

Apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Parā-prakṛti and aparā-prakṛti. The aparā-prakṛti is this material energy. And the parā-prakṛti is spiritual energy. There are two kinds of prakṛti. So that spiritual... Because Kṛṣṇa is spiritual whole, so His spiritual energy, prakṛtiṁ svām, that internal potency, or the spiritual energy,... so His body is spiritual. His body is not material. Therefore avyayātmā, it is imperishable. These things are to be understood. Prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Again He says ātma-māyayā. He's not forced to take birth by the external energy. He appears by His own energy, internal energy, or spiritual energy. Therefore He's avyayātmā. Ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san.

Still... We should not take Kṛṣṇa as one of us because He is bhūtānām īśvaraḥ. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. Just like a crude example may be given. When there was independence movement, Mahatma Gandhi went to jail, and many, many big leaders. But there are other criminals also, pickpockets and thieves and murderers. If they would think, "Now Mahatma Gandhi has come into jail. We are the same. We are the same." No. Similarly, when Kṛṣṇa comes, if the rascals and fools think that "Kṛṣṇa is also like us, as we have come into this material world," they are fools. No. We are forced. Just like criminal, a pickpocket or a thief, a rogue, a murderer. He is forced to... So of course, here, Mahatma Gandhi was also forced. But that is not the case. Because He is the controller. Bhūtānām īśvaro 'pi san. He... The material energy cannot force Kṛṣṇa. Because He's īśvaraḥ. He's the controller. A controller cannot be forced.

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

Just like Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. So he could not be crucified. It is a, I mean to say, false notion. There was, there was resurrection. Because God or God's representative, they are not under the laws of this material nature. That's a very, I mean to say, wide subject matter. We shall gradually understand as we make progress in the Bhagavad-gītā. So Kṛṣṇa says that "Although I am the Lord of everything, still, I assume this incarnation and I come. I come."

Prakṛtiṁ svām adhi... The difference is that prakṛtiṁ svām adhiṣṭhāya. Prakṛti. Prakṛti means nature. Now, we have got this body offered by the material nature. In the Seventh Chapter you'll find that God has two kinds of nature. One is called lower nature. One is called the lower nature and the other is called the higher nature. That thing will be very nicely analyzed in the Seventh Chapter, when we go to the Seventh Chapter. Now we are in the beginning of the Fourth Chapter. So the Lord has two kinds of nature. One is called lower nature, another is called higher nature, or superior nature or, I mean to say, inferior nature. This nature, this material nature, is inferior nature. And beyond this inferior nature, there is superior nature. And how superior, inferior is calculated?

Now yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho (BG 7.5). You'll find. It is analyzed like this, that all this material nature—I mean to say, earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ego—these eight, these eight kinds of material nature, they are, and they have been described as aparā. Aparā means inferior. And beyond this eight nature, there is another ninth nature. And which is that? Now, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho: these living entities. That is the living force. The living force, that is superior nature and this matter is inferior nature. And the whole world is moving due to the superior nature, not the material, inferior nature.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

Therefore it is stated here that "My appearance, disappearance and activity and glories, they are divyam." Divyam means transcendental. They do not belong to this world of duality. This world is of duality. But transcendental means that it is above, above this dualism. It is the absolute world. So anyone who understands this fact, that Kṛṣṇa is not different from this sound Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is not different from this Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa is not different from anything which is connected with Kṛṣṇa... These things are to be understood.

The whole world is the representation of the energy—that you will learn in the Seventh Chapter—is the manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. And it has been described. There are two kinds of energies: the lower energy and the higher energy. And the higher energy is the living entities. Just like we are. We living entities, we belong to the higher nature of the Supreme Lord. Jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). This world is moving, this world is made of lower nature, material, and the higher nature is the living entity. So anything which is connected with Kṛṣṇa, it becomes to the higher nature. Even in this material things, if it is dovetailed with Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then it turns into higher nature.

The example I have several times repeated: just like you put an iron rod in the fire. It becomes warm, warmer, and gradually it becomes red hot. When it is red hot, it is transformed into the nature of fire. It is no longer iron. Similarly, if you constantly remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you at once transfer yourself to the higher nature of Kṛṣṇa, and that is your liberation. And if we can die in higher nature, then this formula, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti... (BG 4.9). oh, he does not come back again to this material world. So we shall have to try, we shall have to practice this Kṛṣṇa consciousness in such a way, that we shall permanently exist in higher nature. And if we can die in that higher nature, then our place in the transcendental world is reserved. That is the whole thing.

Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:

Anywhere, any, I mean to say, person who is interested in the transcendental feature of the Absolute Truth, they must be either these impersonalists or the localized or must be devotee of the Lord. So these three features are there, presented of Kṛṣṇa conception, and how they are conceived and what are the different results, we shall try to explain in the next meeting. Now you can put your questions. (break)

They have to take shelter of the Vedas. Just like Śaṅkarācārya. Śaṅkarācārya is impersonalist, and we, the Vaiṣṇavas... There are two classes of philosopher in India. One is impersonalist and the other is personalist. So we, so far we are concerned, we are personalist, and Śaṅkarācārya is impersonalist. Now, although we are two classes, impersonalist and personalist, we take Veda as the medium of knowledge. We may give different interpretations. That is another thing. But either party of Śaṅkarācārya or the party of Vaiṣṇava and ācāryas, they take the Vedānta-sūtra, the Vedānta philosophy, as the medium.

But Lord Buddha, although we accept him as the incarnation of God and he was born in India and he propagated his philosophy from India, but because he denied to accept the Vedic principle, therefore he is known as atheist, because he, Buddha, did not accept the Vedic principles. He denied. And there was reason why he did not. That is a secret thing. That secret—because his whole philosophy was to stop animal killing, animal killing. Now, in the Vedic scripture, you will find, animal sacrifice is recommended. So he wanted to preach, "Stop animal killing." Now, if there is evidence from the Vedas that animal can be killed under certain circumstances, then his whole preaching becomes topsy-turvied. So he was obliged to deny the authority of the Vedas. And because he did not accept the authority of the Vedas, the Vedantists and the followers of Vedas, they called the Buddhist philosophy as atheism. This is the explanation.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

Even in the birds, you'll find, the birds of the same feather flock together. This is the natural way. You'll find that all the pigeons, they flock together, not the crows and the pigeons flock together. The ducks, they flock together. Similarly, this is the natural way, and there... In every group there is a leader.

So the Supreme Lord, He is called in the Vedic literature that He is the supreme leader. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. Nitya means eternal, and nityānām, that means many other eternals. We are many other eternals. Eka, that one eternal... Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. There are two kinds of eternals. We living entities, we are also eternal, and the Supreme Lord, He is also eternal. So far eternity is concerned, both of us equal on the qualitative nature. He is eternal, and we are eternal. Sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). He is also all pleasure, and we are also all pleasure because we are all parts and parcel of the same quality. But He is the leader.

Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān: "That one is maintaining all these many." We, the living entities, we are many. So our position is always subordinate. That is our natural constitutional position. Now, the Supreme Lord's position is the leadership, and our position is subordinate. Then what is our duty? Our duty is to follow the leader. And actually we are doing so. We have got... Instead of... We have forgotten that the supreme leader is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but still, for our daily activities we create a leader. We accept some leader and follow his principles. Just like you have elected your leader as President Johnson, the president of your state. He is supposed to be the leader of your nation, and he is asking you to go to the Vietnam and sacrifice your life. So you are following. So this is the natural position. Even if we do not accept God, if we do not accept the leadership of God, we have to select another leader. We cannot get rid of this principle, that we can live without leader. That is our constitutional position.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

There are three conditions. Just like I have got this body, you have got your body. So this body is developed, created. You know. In the mother's womb the first body was just like a pea when it is first created. These descriptions are there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. After sex life of the man and woman there are two kinds of secretions. They mix up, emulsify, and they form into pea-like shape. In that pealike shape the living entity, which is atomic, takes shelter and becomes the living entity takes shelter in that pealike form it develops, develops. Just like you see the child born, he is also developing, developing.

So this is the nature. Everything is born and it develops, it stays, and it gives byproduct, then it dwindles and then vanishes. These are the stages, different six stages. So after vanquishing, after annihilation, where does it stay? It stay in God. Then again takes birth. The whole material cosmic manifestation, bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). The creation is coming into existence. It stays for some time, it develops, gives some byproduct, then dwindles, then vanishes. And after vanishing it stays in the same principle, the absolute truth. That is being explained. Go on.

Lecture on BG 4.11-18 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Fifteen: "All the liberated souls in ancient times acted with this understanding and so attained liberation. Therefore, as did the ancients, you should perform your duty in this divine consciousness." Purport: "There are two classes of men. Some of them are full of polluted material things within their hearts, and some of them are materially free. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is equally beneficial for both of these persons. Those who are full of things can take to the line of Kṛṣṇa consciousness for a gradual cleansing process, following the regulative principles of devotional service. Those who are already cleansed of the impurities may continue to act in the same Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that others may follow their exemplary activities and thereby be benefited. Foolish persons or neophytes in Kṛṣṇa consciousness often want to retire from activities without having knowledge of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Arjuna's desire to retire from activities on the battlefield was not approved by the Lord. One need only know how to act. To retire from activities and just sit aloof making a show of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is less important than actually engaging in the field of activities for the sake of Kṛṣṇa."

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa consciousness does not mean laziness. We do not indulge. Just like Arjuna. This Bhagavad-gītā was taught to Arjuna. He wanted to retire, that "Kṛṣṇa, why You are engaging me in this battlefield? Let me retire." So Kṛṣṇa did not allow him to retire. To understand his position, that is require. Retirement, how you can retire? You cannot retire. So long you have got this body you have to work. If you do not work you have to beg. If you do not beg then you have to steal or you have to borrow. How you can retire? There is no question of retire. Retire means to retire from all foolish activities and engage yourself in real activities. Retire is the negative side. But unless you have got positive side you cannot retire. You'll have come back again.

Lecture on BG 4.12 -- Vrndavana, August 4, 1974:

There are many examples. Just like Lord Śiva. One demon, or a devotee of Lord Śiva... But generally, we find in the śāstras... Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, recognized. But he's accepted as a demon, rākṣasa. Although he was a great devotee, Mahīśāsura... He was also a great devotee of Goddess Durgā, but it is described as asura.

So according to śāstra it is said there are two divisions of men: deva and asura. Deva means the devotee of the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. Viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. So it is very interesting. By worshiping different demigods, we get immediate result. We immediate. Just like the Bhaumāsura. He was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, and when he was, Lord Śiva was perfectly worshiped, he wanted to give him some benediction, and he asked Lord Śiva that "Please give me this benediction that on the head of anyone, if I place my hand, immediately his head will be gone, vanished, vanquished. So Lord Śiva is known as Āśutoṣa. Āśutoṣa, very quickly, very easily, he becomes pleased. That is Lord Śiva's great qualification. And if anyone wants anything, even it is very obnoxious, he grants, "All right, take it."

So Lord Śiva gave him the benediction, "Yes, your, I give you this benediction." So then he wanted to test it. So he said, "Sir, let me place my hand upon your head." (laughter) So Lord Śiva was in danger. You see? Then he went to Lord Viṣṇu, "Please save me. I,... This man took benediction from me, and now he wants to place his hand upon my head." So viṣṇu-māyā is very intricate. So Lord Viṣṇu saved Lord Śiva and informed the devotee, "This is not possible. Why don't you test by touching your own head?" Then as soon as he placed his hand on his own head, his head was vanished.

Lecture on BG 4.13 -- Bombay, April 2, 1974:

What kind of life we are going to. But that is, this is a fact.

Therefore we have to study Bhagavad-gītā very seriously. In the beginning of Bhagavad-gītā it is said by Kṛṣṇa, tathā dehāntara-prāptir. There is dehāntara. After leaving this body, I have to accept another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīraḥ means those who are sober, intelligent, they know that what is death. Death means giving up this body and accepting another, transmigration of the soul. That is death. So dhīras tatra na muhyati. A dhīraḥ who is learned, he knows, but others, adhīraḥ...

There are two classes of men: dhīra and adhīra. Adhīraḥ means not controlled, animals. Just like animal cannot control. So human being is gradually coming to the platform of the animals. Because they are being conducted on the bodily concept of life.

yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke

sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ

yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij

(janeṣv abhijñeṣu) sa eva go-kharaḥ

(SB 10.84.13)

Anyone Who is thinking that "I am this body," yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape.... Kuṇape means this bag, tri-dhātuke, of kapha, pitta, vāyu. Am I this body? A first-class intelligent man is composed of this body. What is the composition? The blood, bone, flesh, muscle, stool, urine. Does it mean a first-class man is composition of these ingredients? But foolish people are taking the bodily conception of life. No.

Lecture on BG 4.18 -- Delhi, November 3, 1973:

It is very easy to understand. Just like in any office or any place, there is the supreme man. So if by one's service he satisfies the supreme. Just like in big, big offices, there is record of service. What kind of service an employee is rendering to the establishment or to the government, that is recorded and he is recognized. So as this is the system in our ordinary life, similarly, the human society, they... whatever they may do, that is right, because everyone has yo do something, even for keeping the body and soul together. But after doing something, the activities should be tested, whether by such activities, the Supreme Lord is satisfied. Then he is free from the reaction.

There are two kinds of reaction of every activity, pious or impious. Pious activities, that is also bondage, and impious activities, that is also bondage. But above pious or impious activities, there is another activity, which is called devotional activity. If one performs devotional activities, he is above the control of this material nature. The material nature is being controlled by three qualities: sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa, goodness, passion and ignorance. But one who acts on account of the Supreme Personal of Godhead, then he becomes freed from the reaction of these qualities. That is called karmaṇy akarma. Although a devotee is seem that he is very active, but his activities are not like material activities, to result in some pious result or impious result. Both of them are bondage, pious or impious things.

Lecture on BG 4.19 -- New York, August 5, 1966:

There are two kinds of nature: superior nature and inferior nature. Now we are under the influence of this inferior, material nature. And that, by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall be transferred into the superior nature. Just try to understand: a person in the prison, a person outside the prison. The government's influence is in both the places, outside the prison and inside the prison. But outside the prison, the government's rules and regulation is superior. And inside, that is inferior. So influence is there. Similarly, either in the material world or in the spiritual world, wherever you, you are, your position is marginal. You can transfer yourself either in this, under the influence of this inferior nature, or you can transfer yourself under the influence of superior nature. Your position is marginal.

Now, you are given... Because Kṛṣṇa is full independent, and because you are also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, therefore you have got the quality of independence, to make your choice whether to be under the influence of this inferior nature or to become under the influence of superior nature. But because we do not know what is that superior nature, therefore we have no other alternative than to remain in this inferior nature. This is the whole position.

Lecture on BG 4.20 -- Bombay, April 9, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa is explaining that there are two classes of men, loke, in every place or every planet. Some planets are full of asuras. They are called asura-loka. And another place it is said that "Who are the asuras and who are the devas?" Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. Even a...

There are many demigods. The demigods worshiper are also demons. Only viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Viṣṇu-bhakta, those who are devotee of the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead, daiva. Viṣṇu... Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ. This is Ṛg Veda mantra. Sūrayaḥ and asūrayaḥ. Those who are sūraya, deva, demigods, they are simply worshiping, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And asura means just opposite number. Opposite number means those who are not interested in Viṣṇu worship. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know that ultimate goal of life—to approach Viṣṇu, Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

So asuras, they are engaged for fruitive result. They are working, but they are expecting that "I shall enjoy the result." So that freedom is given to everyone, that "You can work at your responsibility and enjoy or suffer." Just like state has given everyone individuality, everyone freedom, "You act as you like. But if you act criminally, then you will be punished." That you cannot avoid. You have been given freedom, "You act whatever you like," but if you violate the laws of the state, then you are to be punished, criminal.

Lecture on BG 4.20-24 -- New York, August 9, 1966:

There is nothing material. The distinction of matter and spirit is this. Now, from the Bhagavad-gītā we understand that two energies are working. One energy is called inferior energy, and the other energy is called superior energy. Now, take for example the inferior energy. The energy emanating from the source, is there any possibility of dividing the energy and the energetic? No. That is not possible just like you cannot divide heat from the fire or the illumination from this light. This is not possible. If there is no illumination, then the light has no meaning. If there is no heat, then fire has no meaning. Similarly, if the energy is separated from the energetic, the energetic has no meaning.

So Kṛṣṇa says that there are two kinds of nature: superior nature, or higher nature, and inferior nature. Now, even the inferior nature... We take it for granted that there is something like inferior nature. Of course, this material energy, the material nature, is called inferior nature—inferior in the sense that matter has got no incentive. Without touch of spirit, matter cannot work. Therefore it is understood that it is inferior. But in the higher sense it is not inferior. How it is not inferior? Because it is emanation from the Supreme and you cannot separate this energy from the Supreme, and there is no difference between the Supreme and His energy.

Śakti-śaktimator abheda. This is the Vedic injunction. Śakti, śakti means energy, and śaktimat, śaktimat means the person who has got the energy. So abheda, they are nondifferential. You cannot differentiate between the energy and the energetic. Just like electric powerhouse. The energy is electricity. Now, from the electricity energy we are working so many things. So far our household affairs are concerned, by the same electric energy we are getting heat and we are getting also cold. In the refrigerator we see everything is cold. In the heater we find everything is hot, warm. But the same energy is working. So one who knows that this is the electrical energy that is working in a different way, for him, there is no superior or inferior. That is called jñāna. If we are on the platform of knowledge, then there is no distinction between matter and spirit.

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

Revatīnandana: "The yoga system instructed in this chapter is called sanātana-yoga, or eternal activities performed by the living entity. This yoga has two divisions of action, called sacrifices. One is called sacrifice of one's material possessions, and the other is called knowledge of self, which is pure spiritual activity. If sacrifice of one's material possessions is not dovetailed for spiritual realization, then such sacrifice becomes material. But one who performs such sacrifices for a spiritual objective or in devotional service, makes a perfect sacrifice. When we come to spiritual activities, we find that these are also divided into two: namely, understanding of one's own self or one's constitutional position, and the truth regarding the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who follows the path of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is, as it is..."

Prabhupāda: "As it is."

Revatīnandana: "...of the Bhagavad-gītā as it is can very easily understand these two important divisions of spiritual knowledge. For him there is no difficulty in obtaining perfect knowledge of the self as part and parcel of the Lord."

Prabhupāda: Because the subject matter of Bhagavad-gītā is to know five things, to know what are these living entities, what is God, what is nature, and what is time, and what is work. These five subject matters are there: God, the living entities, the nature, the time, and the work. These things are there.

Everyone is engaged in some sort of work, and there is time control. Your life, my life, everyone's life is controlled by time. We have to live for so many years, no more than. So to study time, to study our work, then what is God, "what I am," and what is this material nature—these five things are very nicely explained. One has to study. Then one becomes perfect in knowledge, and he can act accordingly.

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

Now, Kṛṣṇa says that simply renouncement is not all. Simply renouncement is not all. There must be some duty. Kāryam. Kāryam means "It is my duty." Now, what is that duty? He has renounced the family life. He has no more botheration how to maintain his wife and children. Then what is his duty? That duty is very responsible duty—to work for Kṛṣṇa. Kāryam. Kāryam means it is the real duty. There are two kinds of duties in our life. One duty is to serve the illusion, and the other, another duty is to serve the reality. When you serve the reality, that is called real sannyāsa. And when we serve the illusion, that is called māyā. Now, either to serve the reality or to serve the illusion, I am in such a position that I have to serve. My position is not to become the master but to become the servant. That is my constitution.

Everyone in this material world, he's a servant. Nobody is master. One thinks that "I am the master," but he is actually servant. Suppose if you have got your family, if you are thinking that you are the master of your wife, of your children, of your servants, of your business, that is false. You are the servant of your wife, you are the servant of your children, you are the servant of your servants. That is your real position. Any case you take. The president, he is considered to be the master of your country, but actually he is the servant of your country. So if you go on analyzing that our position is always servant... So either we shall become the servant of illusion or we shall have to become the servant of God. But if we remain the servant of illusion, then our life is wasted. Everyone is servant of illusion. He's servant of nobody but servant of illusion. He is expecting some profit. For serving, he is expecting some profit, but that profit is transient and illusion. Therefore he is servant of illusion. And when a person becomes to his real senses, transcendental senses or jñānam, when he becomes actually the person in knowledge, then he becomes the servant of the reality. Because I am servant always, this way or that way.

Lecture on BG 6.4-12 -- New York, September 4, 1966:

We have got our relationship in this world, we call that: "He is my friend." Suhṛt and mitra. There are two kinds of friends. Suhṛt means better friend. Actually who is always desiring my welfare, he is called suhṛt. And friend means we have got good will, ordinary friends. Suhṛn mitra udāsīna. Udāsīna means neutral, neither friend nor enemy. We have got relationship within this world. Somebody is my very good well-wisher, somebody is my friend, and somebody is neither friend nor enemy. And somebody, madhyastha, mediator, and somebody actually doing some good. Somebody I think, "Oh, here is a nice gentleman, saintly person." And somebody I think, "Oh, here is a sinful man." According to my calculation, somebody my friend, somebody my enemy, somebody neutral, somebody, I mean to say, a saintly person, somebody my, a sinful person. Now, all these, when you are on the yoga-yukta, when you are in the platform of transcendence, then these distinctions, this friend, enemy, sādhu, saintly, and sinful, that will all be closed. No more. No more. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ (BG 5.18). Paṇḍitāḥ. When one becomes actually learned, he does not see any enemy or any friend because nobody is enemy, nobody is friend, nobody is my son, nobody is my mother, nobody is... We are all different living entities.

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

Just like a lamp, when it is not agitated by the wind, the flame is straight, similarly, the mind should not be agitated. That flame is very nice, when it is stand straight without being moved by the wind. That flame is very nice. So that example is given here. The flame is so susceptible to wind that a little agitation it moves. So similarly, our mind is also so susceptible to material desires that a little movement can change the whole thing. Change it. Balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati. Little change. In the Vedic language it is forbidden for a yogi, or those who are transcendentalist... Because he has to remain brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ.

Brahmacārī, there are two kinds of brahmacārīs. One who is leading complete celibacy, complete free from sex life, he is called brahmacārī. Another brahmacārī is gṛhastha-brahmacārī. He has got his wife, but he has no other understanding with any other woman. And that wife also only, I mean to say, relationship is performed under regulation, he is also brahmacārī. One who has his relationship with wife under rules and regulation and does not know any other woman, he is also brahmacārī. That is also called brahmacāri-vrata. And one who lives complete celibacy life, that he is also brahmacārī. So that brahmacāri-vrata is essential for yogi. Brahmacāri-vrata. Now, yata-cittasya... yogam ātmanaḥ, that mind should not be agitated. He says, "The mind should not be agitated." Suppose I am brahmacārī, I have taken the vow, brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ, I have taken the vow that "I will have no sex life in my life." Then mind may be agitated sometimes. So there is precautions. Precautions. It is said in the Vedic literature that one should be very careful about woman. They are so much careful, mātrā svasrā duhitrā vā nāviviktāsano bhave (SB 9.19.17)t. The prescription is that "One should not sit alone even with his mother, with his sister, and with his daughter." You see. Balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati. The mind is so, I mean to say, fragile that even little, they can create havoc. You see? So these things are prescription for the yogis. Yogi has to look into the prescription of the system.

Lecture on BG 6.13-15 -- Los Angeles, February 16, 1969:

Generally this yoga practice goes on in the name of improving health. Somebody goes to reduce fat. You see? Reduce fat. Because you are rich nation, you eat more and become fatty and again pay yoga practice fees and reduce your fat. That is going on. I have seen some advertisement the other day, "Reduce your fat." Why you increase your fat? The nonsense they will not understand. That if I have to reduce it, why I increase it? Why not be satisfied with simple foodstuff? If you eat grains and vegetables and light foodstuffs, you'll never get fatty. You see? You'll never get fatty. Reduce eating as much as possible. Don't eat at night. Practice yoga like this. If you become voracious eater, you'll be—there are two kinds of diseases. The voracious eaters, they are attacked with diabetes and those who cannot eat sufficiently, they are tuberculists (?). So you cannot eat more or you cannot eat less. You just eat what you require. If you eat more then you must be diseased. And if you eat less, you must be diseased. That will be explained. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhi.... You are not to starve, but don't eat more. Our program, kṛṣṇa-prasāda, is that you eat kṛṣṇa-prasāda. Eating is required, you have to keep your body fit for any practice. So eating is required. But don't eat more. Don't eat less also. We don't say that you eat less. If you can eat ten pounds, eat. But if you cannot eat ten pounds, out of avarice, out of greediness you eat pounds, then you will suffer. You see? So here is the, what is that? No material facilities. Go on.

Lecture on BG 6.40-43 -- New York, September 18, 1966:

Now, in the heavenly kingdom, it is said that our six months is... Six months are equal to their one day. And similarly, they live there for ten thousand years. This description we get from Vedic literatures. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā you have got the duration of life of Brahmā. That is the highest planet. So Kṛṣṇa says that "After... Even if he is a failure, he gets promotion to the higher planets." But in the higher planets you cannot remain for all the time. Kṣīṇe puṇye punaḥ martya-lokaṁ viśanti: "When your pious balance is finished, then you are again fallen in this earth." Kṣīṇe puṇye punaḥ martya-lokaṁ viśanti. Martya-lokam means, this martya-lokam, this earth. Now, even when he comes back here, He says, Lord Kṛṣṇa says, that "He gets his birth..." Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo 'bhijāyate (BG 6.41). He takes his birth in a family, two kinds of families. One family, śrīmatām. Śrīmatām means very rich family, very rich family.

Lecture on BG 6.46-47 -- Los Angeles, February 21, 1969:

Prabhupāda: You think you are eating more? So you can eat more. Yes, you can eat more. Yes, it is medical advise, that there are two kinds of mistakes in eating. Over-eating and under-eating. So under-eating mistake for old man is very good. And over-eating mistake for boys, that is good. So you can overeat. I cannot.

Young boy: How about Tamāla and Viṣṇujana? (laughter)

Prabhupāda: He cannot. You can. You can eat as much as you like. Free pass. (laughter) Yes.

Viṣṇujana: Prabhupāda? In the material world there are instruments to measure different kinds of energy. How does one measure, what kind of instrument, how does he develop it, to measure the spiritual energy?

Prabhupāda: Material energy, your question is, just like energy in electricity?

Viṣṇujana: We can measure that with certain instrument. But what is the instrument for measuring Kṛṣṇa's spiritual energy?

Prabhupāda: That instrument you have got. This mṛdaṅga and the cymbal. Just vibrate. It is very simple instrument. The instrument is your tongue. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You have got the, everyone has got, you haven't got to purchase. The instrument is your ear. Simply hear vibration. You have got all the instruments with you. You haven't got to purchase or hire from anywhere. You have got the tongue and you have got the ear. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and use this instrument to hear. Finished. All perfection is there. It doesn't require to be educated scientist and philosopher, this or that, nothing. Simply you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and hear. Everything is there. Everyone has got these instruments. You haven't got to pay any tax. You use electrical energy you have to pay for it.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- San Francisco, March 26, 1968:

Then the process is sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you become submissive, if you develop the spirit of service to Kṛṣṇa, either as servant or as friend or as parent or as lover, if you begin to give service to the Supreme Lord... The beginning of service is chanting. Therefore it is said, jihvādau. Jihvādau means, jihva means tongue. Tongue. Your service begins by the tongue. How? By the tongue you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and by the tongue you can taste Kṛṣṇa's prasādam. So the beginning process is very nice. You chant Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, and whatever little prasādam is offered to you by Kṛṣṇa by His kindness, you accept it. Then the result will be that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau. If you become submissive and if you begin this service, chanting and eating prasādam, then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ, simply by these two kinds of practices, Kṛṣṇa will Himself reveal Himself before you, "I am like this." You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa by speculation. No, that is not possible, because your senses are imperfect. But if you begin this process of service, then it will be possible that one day Kṛṣṇa will reveal to you, "I am like this."

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Madras, February 14, 1972:

Because they have taken to the āsuraṁ bhāvam... Āsuraṁ bhāvam means, Śrīpāda Rāmānujācārya has explained that āsuraṁ bhāvam means disobedience to the order of God. That is āsurīm. And devānām means obedience to the order of God. There are two kinds of men: daiva āsura eva. Viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ smṛto daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. Simply one who carries out the order of Kṛṣṇa, he is devatāḥ, and who does not carry out the orders of Kṛṣṇa, he is āsura. These things are explained in the Bhagavad-gītā very nicely. So I am only requesting that Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, that originally we are all Kṛṣṇa conscious, just like the water when it falls down on the ground it is distilled, clear water, but as soon as it touches the earth it becomes muddy. Similarly, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are all as pure as Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is accepted in the Bhagavad-gītā by the statement of Arjuna: paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). Kṛṣṇa is paraṁ pavitra, pure, the purest, apāpa-viddha. So we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, we are also paraṁ pavitra, but due to the material contact of these three modes of nature we have become polluted. The exact, in the same way, as we are part. So how we have fallen down, why you have come to this material world, how we can revive our again Kṛṣṇa consciousness, these are the subject matter of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We appeal to you: try to understand this movement. Enjoy with full heart, and do some welfare activity to the human society.

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

They have got natural tendency. That is material world—to enjoy unrestricted sex life, to eat meat, fish eggs, āmiṣa... Āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Āmiṣa means eat meat, fish, eggs. These are āmiṣa. And vegetarian means nirāmiṣa. So āmiṣa-madya-sevā. Madhya means intoxication. Either wine or cigarette, biḍi or gāñjā, bhāṅg, teas, coffees, they are all intoxication. So āmiṣa-madya-sevā and vyavāya. Vyavāya means sex life. You do not require to educate them. In the school, college, the boys and girls are not, I mean, given lesson... Of course now, I think, they are now giving lesson also. But naturally, without any lesson, they know how to do it. Similarly, without an education, one can take to intoxication. So these things are natural. But when we try to stop these material instincts, that is called tapasya, tapasya.

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

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

This is called conditioned soul, everyone. Even big, big men, big, big leaders, they commit so many mistakes. And so far illusion is concerned, everyone is illusioned because I am not this body, but everyone is thinking, "I am this body." This is called illusion. Dehātma-buddhi. "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. But I am thinking, "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am South African," "I am black," "I am white," "I am fat," "I am thin." This is bodily. This is called illusion. And we invent our ideologies by mental speculation, without having perfect knowledge. We are accustomed to say, "I think." But "I think"? What I am? All my senses are imperfect. I commit mistake, I am illusioned, and when I say, "I think," what is the use of my thinking? This is cheating. This is cheating.

So any conditioned soul... There are two kinds of living entities: the liberated and the conditioned soul. So we should not receive any knowledge from conditioned person. We must receive knowledge from the liberated. So Kṛṣṇa, Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead—who can be more liberated than Himself? Therefore He says—we should accept it. If you are fortunate enough, then whatever He says, you should accept it. He says that mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Everyone, at least human being, advanced human... The advanced human being is called Aryan, means advanced. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual knowledge, he is to be called Aryan. So the Aryan civilization, Vedic civilization... When Arjuna, I mean to say, denied to fight, Kṛṣṇa accused him that "You are talking like non-Aryans. You are not Aryan." Anārya-juṣṭam, akīrti-karam arjuna: (BG 2.2) "You are talking like a non-Aryan, and which will defame your reputation. Don't say like that." So Aryan means one who is advanced in spiritual knowledge. So Kṛṣṇa says that "If you increase your attachment for Me..." Mayy āsakta. Mayi āsakta. Āsakta means "attachment." "Simply if you increase your attachment for Me," mayy āsakta-manāḥ, "in such mind..." That is called, actually, meditation.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

So these are the statements of the Bhagavad-gītā and there are many others, statements. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for taking back all the suffering humanity, all living entities, back to home, back to Godhead. This is the sum and substance of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

So, here Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am explaining to you how that knowledge of going back to home, back to Godhead can be attained." Therefore He is saying here, jñānaṁ te ahaṁ sa-vijñānam. Jñānam means theoretical knowledge. That is called jñānam. And sa-vijñānam means practical knowledge. Just like in the scientific department of colleges, there are, for understanding anything scientifically there are two divisions: practical and theoretical. So jñānam is theoretical, and vijñānam means practical. Simply to know there is God, this is theoretical knowledge. But when actually you become connected with God, you practice the activ..., godly activities, that is called vijñānam. So, Kṛṣṇa will explain in this chapter the knowledge of God, both theoretically and practically. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam vakṣyāmi, "I shall speak to you," aśeṣataḥ. Aśeṣataḥ means vividly. Aśeṣataḥ. "And briefly," samanvitāḥ. And when it is said aśeṣataḥ, that means elaborate. But yaj jñātvā, "if somehow or other you understand this knowledge" yaj jñātvā, na iha, "in this material world," iha, iha means this material world; bhūyaḥ, "again"; anyat, "anything more"; jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "no more," "you require no more further knowledge to understand." That is the statement in the Vedas, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is everything, so if you understand Kṛṣṇa, automatically you understand what is this world, what is this earth, what is this water, what is this fire. This is material things.

Lecture on BG 7.3 -- Montreal, June 3, 1968:

There are two kinds of natural sequences. Just like this water is liquid. This is natural. But this water becomes solid also. It becomes ice. That is also natural. So which one is actual natural? Liquidity. Liquidity is actual natural. And to turn into ice, solid, that is temporary natural. So there are two kinds of natural. One kind of natural... Just like we have got this body. This is also natural, but it is temporary natural. But we are eternal, and when we get our eternal existence, that is our real natural. Is that all right? So we are now in artificial natural. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). We are getting our body and finishing. So we have to transfer from this nature to the other nature, spiritual nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Prakṛti means nature. So those who are mahātmās, great soul, they transfer themselves to the other nature, spiritual nature. So if you transfer yourself to the spiritual nature, that is your real life. Now I am in the artificial or temporary nature. Not artificial, but temporary. I want to live eternally. I don't want death. But it is not possible, because I have got this temporary nature. That I was explaining this, that yena śuddhyet sattva. When your existential position will be purified, then you get your And the whole process of chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa is purifying process. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). It is all purifying process. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktam (CC Madhya 19.170). Purification means now we have got so many designations. So when we shall be free from all designation and simply understand that "I am servant of Kṛṣṇa," that is my natural position. This is very important question. It is clear?

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

So how you can see soul? You cannot see even the material things, as soon it becomes finer. How you can see the soul? They cannot see, but soul is there. Therefore when the soul departs from the body we see the bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhi-ahaṅkāra... (BG 7.4). Buddhi-ahaṅkāra The man, the dead man, is lying. The gross thing we are seeing, but the mind, intelligence, ego, which is carrying that soul, that we do not see. How transmigration of the soul takes place, that we have no knowledge, poor fund of knowledge. We can simply think gross. Jaḍa-darśana. It is called jaḍa-darśana. Even there is no sūkṣma-darśana. Although there is mind, but we cannot see. Then how you can see the soul?

So this is the defect of modern education. So what is beyond your perception, sense perception, that you have to hear. There are two kinds of knowledges: by practical experience, direct perception, and by hearing from authority, aitihya. According to Vedic system, there are three kinds of evidences: direct, and pratyakṣa... Pratyakṣa means direct. And then aitihya and śruti. Śruti. Śruti means hearing from the authority. Just like here we see that there is mind. Everyone knows mind, but it is confirmed by the śāstra because we are hearing from Kṛṣṇa which is called śruti.

Lecture on BG 7.11-16 -- New York, October 7, 1966:

Oh, manufacture something which will stop death; then you will have advancement of knowledge. Killing is there. What advancement? Killing is there and you are facilitating, you are making more killing at one drop. This is not knowledge. This is called māyayāpahṛta-jñāna, "the knowledge taken by the illusory energy."

Māyayāpahṛta-jñānā āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ. And atheistic, atheistic, challenging against the supreme authority, challenging the father. Now, without father, I could not see the light of this world. Then what is the use of challenging my father, janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1), who is the supreme father, from whom everything has born? So how, what is this challenge? The āsuraṁ bhāvam. There are two classes of men. In the Vedic scripture we find there are two classes of men. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke 'smin daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). Daiva. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva āsuras tad-viparyayaḥ. There are two kinds of men. One is called the gods, demigods, and the other is called the demons. And who is demon and who is god? Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. One who is devotee of the Supreme Lord, he is called demigod. He also becomes god. And one who defies the authority of the Supreme Lord, he is called demon. So the demon and the gods are always there. Some are... But number of gods are very small, but there are. So here, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ, one who has acquired that demoniac quality, challenging the authority of the Supreme Lord, they are asura, asura. Asura means demons. So the demons and the fools and the lowest of the mankind and whose knowledge has been plundered by the illusory energy and who is impious, oh, they cannot go to God. It is impossible. They are not allowed. But they can be, provided they agree. God is always kind to accept anybody, but these people, they cannot have due to their... They will have to suffer these threefold miseries for many more days. Then when they come to the senses, then they can come.

Lecture on BG 7.11-16 -- New York, October 7, 1966:

Now, scientifically, with great intellect, one tries to understand what is God, oh, he is also good. He is also good. He is making proper research. Yes. Then the distressed and the person in want and the inquisitive and jñānī. Jñānī means who has understood his spiritual constitutional position. He is called jñānī, man in knowledge. He also inquires, he also becomes, he also goes to God. Maybe personal, impersonal conception, but he is trying to take shelter of the ultimate truth, Absolute Truth.

So these four classes of men, they are called sukṛtina, they are called pious because they are after God. And those four classes of men, they are impious, they are fools, they are lowest of the mankind, and their knowledge is plundered, and they are demons—they cannot take shelter. So these two classes of distinction are always there. Not only now, from time immemorial, so long the history of this creation is there, material world, there have been so many atheists and so many... But in the ancient days their number were very small. Now they have increased. So these two classes of men are always there. So it is better that we should, even we have been in a different way... This Kṛṣṇa consciousness is open for everyone, and we can take advantage of it, and that is... Will you read that prospectus? Where is that prospectus? Yes. (break) It is not Supreme Truth. It becomes a category. (end)

Lecture on BG 7.15-18 -- New York, October 9, 1966:

Then, therefore, Kṛṣṇa says, teṣāṁ jñānī nitya-yuktaḥ. Jñānī is nitya-yukta. Jñānī is not a... He is not a jñānī, or man in knowledge, who is not eternally engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa. There are... There is a class of jñānī, impersonalists. They say that "Because to worship impersonal is very difficult for us, so imagine some form of God." They are not jñānīs; they are fools. Oh, you cannot imagine the form of God. God is so great. That may be your imagination, but that is not the form of God. That is concoction. They are called iconographer, iconographer. There are two classes of men: iconoclast and iconographer. Those who imagine the form of God, they are not jñānī, they are iconographer. And those who think that "I have killed God" or "I have finished God," they are iconoclast. Just like in India we have experienced during British days. There were Hindu-Muslim riots. So the Hindus would go to the mosque of the Muslim and break it, and the Muslim would go the temples of the Hindus and break the idol. And they'll think that "We have finished Hindu's God." Just like Hindus also think, "Oh, we have broken their mosque. Therefore I have broken their God." These are foolishness. In another case... I have got experience. When there was, I mean to say, noncooperation movement of Gandhi's, the people became riotous, and they began to break anything government, especially the post boxes on the street. They thought by breaking the post boxes they are finishing the post office.

Lecture on BG 7.28-8.6 -- New York, October 23, 1966:

That is an activity... We are active. Every living soul is active by nature. But that activity should be coordinated, dovetailed. The activity should be in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So jarā-maraṇa-mokṣāya mām āśritya yatanti ye. Yatanti means "one who endeavors in that way." Te brahma: "They are actually Brahman." Brahman means they are transcendental, in transcendental state. Te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam: "Or they can understand what is the meaning of Brahman, or the transcendental, Transcendence." Te brahma tad viduḥ kṛtsnam adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam: "They understand what is Brahman, and their work, their activities are also Brahman."

Now, there are two classes of transcendentalists. One class of transcendentalists, just like the impersonalists, they want to stop activities. They think like that, that when one becomes one with the Transcendence, then their activities stop. But actually, from the Bhagavad-gītā we find that te kṛtsnam adhyātmaṁ karma cākhilam. Their activities are not stopped, but the quality of the activity is changed. Brahman. The quality of activities becomes transcendental. Karma cākhilam. Akhila. Whatever he does in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever he does, that becomes Brahman, or transcendental. That means free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature. Therefore, as he becomes free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature, therefore he's not going to have next body of this material nature. Next body he's not going to have material... The same example: just the, if you put iron rod into the fire, it becomes gradually the fire. The nature of fire the iron rod attains. So when it is red-hot, there is no possibility of its being the iron, but it is fire.

So by our activities in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we become free from the contamination of these three modes of material nature, and thus, at the end, we become purely, purely spiritual, transcendental. Here it is stated:

Lecture on BG 8.14-15 -- New York, November 16, 1966:

And just try to hear from the right source, and try to appear, apply in your life. Then you become a conqueror of the Supreme.

So similarly, Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ. Sulabhaḥ means "I am easily available." God is not easily available. It is very difficult. "But for a person who is constantly in Kṛṣṇa consciousness," the Lord says Himself, "for him, I am easily available, easily available." So why don't you take up this process? There is another nice verse in the Brahma-saṁhitā that... Just, I forget. The purport is that a person, if he tries to understand by his sensual process... This is called sensual, āroha-panthā. Āroha-panthā means trying to ascend, trying to ascend. There are two kinds of ways to understand knowledge. One process is āroha-panthā, ascending process, and another process is descending process. Descending process. What is that āroha-panthā? Āroha-panthā means that "I shall understand what is God by my own knowledge. I don't care for any authority, any books. I'll understand, I'll meditate, I'll think, I'll philosophize, and I'll understand what is God." This is called āroha-panthā. And against this, there is avaroha-panthā. Avaroha-panthā means getting knowledge from the authority.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Melbourne, April 19, 1976:

Nobody can be sama. Sama means equal. If I am God, and another competitor God, you are also God, then neither I am God nor I am God. There cannot be any competition. That is called Supreme. So Arjuna is to that position. He does not challenge Kṛṣṇa that "There is another Supreme Being than Yourself." There cannot be. But sometimes we foolishly challenge. That is our foolishness. But God is always Supreme. So therefore this is the qualification of understanding confidential knowledge about God. Anasūyave. Pravakṣyāmy anasūyave.

Jñānam. Jñānam means knowledge. And vijñānam means particular knowledge. Just like in scientific word there are knowledge and scientific knowledge or theoretical knowledge and experimental knowledge, two kinds of knowledge. Science... In the field of scientific knowledge there are things, just like observation and experiment. Things are going on. The scientists are observing that "This things is being done." Now there are so many observation, atomic observation. Proton, neutron, they are observing. And now, when that observation is complete, when they are put into experimental knowledge, that is called vijñānam. So Kṛṣṇa says that "I shall explain to you jñānam, theoretical knowledge, with practical experiment." Not that you have to accept this knowledge blindly. Practical experiment. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ pravakṣyāmy anasū... Jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitam.

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

Rāja-guhyam. Rāja-guhyam means confidential, very confidential. It is not possible to accept this Kṛṣṇa consciousness very easily, but by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa and by the mercy of Lord Caitanya, it is very easily delivered to us through this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare. Lord Caitanya has discussed a very analytical study of the living entity. He has analyzed that the living entities... There are innumerable living entities all over the universe. If you dig earth, you'll find many living entities. If you make a study of the air, you'll find many living entities. If you go deep into the water, you'll find living entities. So all over the universe there are full of different types of living entities. And He has divided all these living entities into two classes. Some are moving and some are not moving. Just like trees, plants, grass, they cannot move. Stone. Stone has also life, but it is not developed conscious. It is too much covered, stone life. Similarly, a person, even in human body, if he does not understand his position, he's almost stonelike. So these are stones, trees, grass and so many others. They are "not-moving" living entities. And there are moving entities just like aquatics, beasts, birds, reptiles, human being, demigods, oh, celestial angels, so many. There are moving. So out of the moving entities, very small number are human beings. There are 8,400,000's of species of life. Out of that, only 400,000 species of life are this human body.

Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

In your New York City the Mr. Lindsay is the controller. And in New York State, Mr. Rockefeller, he is controller. In your United States, Mr. Johnson is the controller. Finish. Then you go to another state, and similarly, in every planet, every place, there is a controller. So sun-god is the controller of the sun planet. You cannot imagine that there is no controller; it is vacant place. No. If in a New York City there is no vacant place—every place is valuable; it is occupied—how can you see, think of, that God's kingdom. So many planets, so many big..., are vacant. No. Nothing vacant. Sarva-ga. Everywhere there are living entities, but there are different kinds of entities, not exactly like you.

So all this manifestation that we see, this is all energy. That is in the Seventh Chapter. We have already discussed that the two kinds of energies of Kṛṣṇa. One is spiritual energy, and one is material energy. Jīva, the living entities, they are also spiritual energies, but because they are sometimes entrapped by this material energy—they have got the potency, or they are prone to be attracted by the material energy—therefore they are called marginal energy. Otherwise, there are two energies only: spiritual energy and material energy. This material world is material energy, and we, the sparks of Kṛṣṇa, we are spiritual energy. So this energy... Just like the fire. Just like the lamp. It is localized in one place, but its light and heat is diffused. Similarly, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ sarvam akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilam means the whole universe, whole manifestation. They are all simply manifestation of the Supreme Lord. The Lord says that. One who believes Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, then he'll believe. He says, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni (BG 9.4). Just like in the sunshine many planets, they are resting. It is a scientific fact. The all the planets, they are rotating due to the sun heat. Here there is a machine... What is called? We have seen. As soon as there is heat, within the ball begins to rotate. So everything resting. The weightlessness is due to the sunshine, due to the sunshine. Similarly, everything—the sun, the universe—everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa-shine. Kṛṣṇa-shine. That is the answer how these, so many worlds are floating in the air, that because they are under the Kṛṣṇa's energy. They are floating in the Kṛṣṇa's energy.

Lecture on BG 9.4 -- Calcutta, March 9, 1972:

Brahmaṇo ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā. Brahman, the impersonal Brahman feature, brahma-jyotir, that is resting on Kṛṣṇa. It is very easy to understand. We can see that the sunshine is resting on the sun globe. Sun globe is localized, but sunshine is very big. It is distributed all over the universe. But that does not mean that sunshine is more important than the sun globe. The sun globe is important, and the still more important is the sun-god. Within the sun globe there is sun-god, Vivasvān. He is a person. And there is also other living entities, their, all their bodies are made of fire. Here in the material science, they sterilize. They, they are under the impression that when there is too strong temperature, the microbes die, or when there is too cold, the microbes die. There are two kinds of sterilization: either by increasing the heat or decreasing the heat, below zero. But Bhagavad-gītā, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand, adāhyo 'yam: soul is never killed in fire, neither it is killed by extreme coldness. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. Spirit cannot be counteracted by any material reaction. That is spirit. So therefore, the theory that in the fire the living entity dies, it is not; otherwise how these ślokas are there in the Second Chapter? Adāhyo 'yam, akledyo 'yam, aśoṣya 'yam. That means anything material, that can be cut into pieces, but the soul cannot be cut into pieces. Acchedyo 'yam. It cannot be cut into pieces. Acchedyo' yam. Adāhyo 'yam: it cannot be burned into ashes in the fire. Akledyo 'yam aśoṣya 'yam: by the reaction of the five elements, earth, water, fire, air, that is not applicable in the soul. So if they're not applicable to the soul, which is minute particle of the Supreme Soul, how it is applicable to the Supreme Soul? Therefore it is a miscalculation that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul, is affected by this material nature. That is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that sambhavāmy ātma-māyayā (BG 4.6). Besides that, Kṛṣṇa says that material nature works under His direction, mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). There are other evidences. In Brahma-samhita:

Lecture on BG 9.5 -- Melbourne, April 24, 1976:

We are ourself also energy of the Supreme Lord, marginal energy. So although we are situated in God's energy, we are forgetful. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: (BG 9.4) "Everyone is existing on My energy; still, I am not there." "I am not there" means the living entity has forgotten or cannot understand God, that he is within the God's energy, God's material power or energy. Still, he cannot understand.

And another person, na ca mat-sthāni bhūtāni paśya me yogam, bhūta-bhṛn na ca bhūta-sthaḥ. Bhūta-bhṛt, He is maintaining everyone. But that does not mean that He is one of them. He is also being maintained. That is mistake. This is explained in the Vedic literature, that nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko yo bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). Two kinds of living entities, nityo nityānām. He, the Supreme Lord, is also eternal; we are also eternal. We are plural number, and He is singular number. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām. Cetana means with consciousness. We are also conscious, and Kṛṣṇa is also conscious, so He is the supreme conscious.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Bombay, September 24, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa is addressed here as Keśava, "the killer of the Keśi asura." You know, in Vṛndāvana there is Keśi-ghāṭa. That Keśi-ghāṭa is famous because Kṛṣṇa killed one asura of the name Keśi. He appeared in Vṛndāvana as a ferocious horse and Kṛṣṇa killed him. Since then, his name is Keśava. Kṛṣṇa has got many names according to His activities. He killed the demon Madhu, therefore his name is Madhusūdana. He killed the demon Kaṁsa, therefore his name is Kaṁsahāni. There are many names. Some of the names are in relationship with His devotees, and some of the names are there in relationship with the demons.

There are two kinds of men: the devotees and the demons. Daiva āsura eva ca.

dvau bhūta-sargau loke

daiva āsura eva ca

viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva

āsuras tad viparyayaḥ

(BG 16.6)

Throughout the universe there are two classes of men. One is called devatā and the other is called asura. Devata means visnu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Those who are devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is known as Viṣṇu... Viṣṇu has got... Sahasra viṣṇu names there are. Original is Viṣṇu. So those who are devotees of the Lord, they are called Vaiṣṇava or devatā, and those who are not devotees of Viṣṇu may be devotees of other demigods, but they are called the demons or the asuras. There are many instances in the śāstra. There were Hiranyakasipu, who was a devotee of Lord Brahma. Of course, the asuras are never devotees. Sometimes they worship the demigods for getting some material profit. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhiṁ yajanta iha devatāḥ. That is said in the Bhagavad-gītā. Kāṅkṣantaḥ karmaṇāṁ siddhim.

Lecture on BG 13.1-2 -- Miami, February 25, 1975:

That is enquired here, kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñaṁ ca. This body is kṣetra, field of activities. But the field worker is different. Therefore this is the enquiry. Kṣetraṁ kṣetra-jñam. We are taking care of this kṣetra, this body, but we do not take care of the occupier of the body or the owner of the body. There are two kṣetra-jña, you will find in this verse, two living entities. One is called the soul, and the other is called the Supersoul. In this body there are two souls. One is the occupier soul, and the other is the proprietor soul.

Proprietor soul... Just like in a house there are two kinds of persons: the occupier and the landlord. The landlord is actually the proprietor of the house, and the tenant is occupier. Similarly, there are two souls within this body. That is stated in the Vedic literature. Just like two birds on one tree. So the living entity, the individual soul, is there. He is also one bird. And the Supersoul, or God, is also there.

So God, the Supersoul is simply observing the activities of the individual soul. And He has given freedom to the individual soul. Because the individual soul has come in this material world to enjoy independent of the Supersoul. That is the material disease. He has to remain under the protection. He is already under the protection of the Supersoul, but he is thinking that he is independent. That is called māyā. He is not independent.

Lecture on BG 13.4 -- Paris, August 12, 1973:

The āsuriṁ bhāvam āśritaḥ means demons. There are two classes of men, demon and god. Not the Godhead, God. Those who are Vaiṣṇavas means obedient to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are also god or godly. And those who are not obedient, they are demons. This is the difference between demon and God or godly. So there are two classes of men always in this material world. In the spiritual world, they are all gods, godly. Kṛṣṇa is the Godhead and all living entities there, they are godly.

So in the spiritual world there is no facility for the demons. Therefore when Kṛṣṇa likes to fight, because after many many years not fighting, because in the spiritual world there is no fight. All obedient servant, where is the possibility of fighting? Therefore sometimes He comes here to fight with the demons. (laughter) Just to get the body fit. (laughter) Yes. Therefore sometimes when there are scarcity of demons, some of the devotees, they come and become a demon. Not become demon, just Kṛṣṇa wants to fight, so without demon, how Kṛṣṇa will fight? Therefore they play the part of demon so that Kṛṣṇa—that means they want to serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants to, just like sometimes big men they keep some wrestlers to make mock fight. Similarly, to serve Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa has desire to fight so they come down and become just like a demon and fight with Kṛṣṇa.

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

Nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt. Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya says, "Nārāyaṇa is beyond this material creation. He is, exists before the material creation." Aham eva asam agre. Before the material creation, the Nārāyaṇa is there, and after the annihilation of this material creation, the Nārāyaṇa is there. Just like we are part and parcel of Nārāyaṇa, living entities, soul. We existed before the creation of this body, this present body, my body or your body. And we shall remain also after the destruction of this body. Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). The real we—means the spirit soul, ahaṁ brahmāsmi—I am not annihilated even after the destruction of this body. Similarly, the huge gigantic material body also, when it is destroyed, Nārāyaṇa exists. And we are part and parcel of Nārāyaṇa. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7).

Nārāyaṇa has got two kinds of expansion. One is called svāṁśa, personal expansion. Just like there are so many incarnations.

rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā-niyamena tiṣṭhan

nānāvatāram akarod bhuvaneṣu kintu

kṛṣṇaḥ svayaṁ samabhavat paramaḥ pumān yo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.39)

So Nārāyaṇa, He has got many forms. Kṛṣṇa is the original Nārāyaṇa. And from Kṛṣṇa, there are expansion, catur-vyūha: Vāsudeva, Śaṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, Pradyumna. Then Nārāyaṇa. From Nārāyaṇa, puruṣāvatāra: the Mahā Viṣṇu avatāra, the Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu avatāra, the Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu avatāra. In this way Nārāyaṇa has got personal expansion. Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33).

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

So we are now discussing jñeyam, the object of knowledge. Previously we discussed the process of knowledge, amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam, ācāryopāsanam... (BG 13.8). Twenty items we have discussed. The chief is: mayi cānanya-yogena bhaktir avyabhicāriṇī. The chief of them is bhakti, mayi ca ananya-yogena, without any diversion. Ananya-yogena bhakti-yoga. That is the chief point. Then other qualities of knowledge will develop automatically. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12).

As soon as you become a pure devotee of the Lord, all the good qualities of the demigods, surāḥ. There are two classes of men: sura and asura. Sura means devotees, and asura means nondevotees. So good qualities can be found in the suras. Ahiṁsā amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam (BG 13.8). There are many instances that the devotees are all qualified.

Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was only five years old boy and his father was always chastising him because his only fault was he was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So the world is so made, full of demons, that simply for your fault of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra you'll have so many enemies, even your father. This is the position. Simply for this fault, that because we are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we have got so many enemies. This is the world. Sura and asura. Because the more asuras... They'll never tolerate. The glorifying the Lord, they cannot tolerate. It is very difficult for them. So there are two classes of men, suras and asuras. Sura means viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daivaḥ. Sura means devatā, or the demigods; and asura means, viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved daiva asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. And asuras means just the opposite number of viṣṇu-bhakta. They are asuras.

So if you develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if you develop love for Kṛṣṇa, then automatically the qualities of the suras, or the demigods, will develop. You haven't got to endeavor separately for becoming qualified in good qualities. Automatically. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ, harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇāḥ (SB 5.18.12).

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

Now here Kṛṣṇa says, bahir antaś ca bhūtānām. The Absolute Truth is there, bahir antaś ca, not that it is in a different position or different angle of vision. You are already in the Absolute Truth, even materially conception. Bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca (BG 7.4). These are the material elements, five gross elements and three subtle elements. So even taken materially, so what is this material? We have already explained. The materials are different energies of the Supreme Lord. Bhinnā me prakṛtir aṣṭadhā. Kṛṣṇa says, "These eight kinds of material nature, subtle and gross, they are My energy, inferior energy." Itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām.

So, the mind is within, the intelligence is within, the soul is within, and outside your body... So this body made of five elements, they are also Kṛṣṇa's energy, and within, the mind, intelligence and the soul, that is also Kṛṣṇa's energy. Two kinds of energies: supreme, er, inferior and superior. Therefore He is outside and inside both. Bahir antaś ca bhūtānām. Every living entity, Kṛṣṇa is existing outside and inside. Therefore we have to purify both outside and inside. That is our human life. Human life means to become purified. Because we are not purified, therefore we have to accept birth, death, old age and disease. This is the problem. Because we are not purified...

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

What is the purpose of life? What is the distinction between the form of human life and these lower grades of life. Higher grades of life—no knowledge, no knowledge. Everyone is ignorant, foolish. Therefore they have been addressed as mūḍha, mūḍha, all rascals.

If we say that "This is a civilization of rascals," it is not very strong word. Actually, they are rascals. They do not know the value of life. And the real problem of life. Simply like animals, they are eating, sleeping, having sex life and dying. That's all. This is their life. So one has to learn.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, ya evaṁ vetti puruṣaṁ prakṛtim (BG 13.24). You must learn what is this living entity. That also we do not know. Prakṛti. This body is prakṛti. And the living force which is within the body, that is puruṣa. And there are two kinds of puruṣas—the living entity and the Supersoul, Paramātmā. Ātmā and Paramātmā. The ātmā is creating his own field of activities. Paramātmā is observing only, "What you are doing?" These things we have already discussed. Upadraṣṭā anumantā. The paramātma-puruṣa is upadraṣṭā, overseeing your activities. You want to do something, but without His permission, you cannot do. Upadraṣṭā anumantā ca bhartā. He is the maintainer.

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

Lecture on BG 13.35 -- Geneva, June 6, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa is giving His opinion, the Supreme Authority, that "If you want to know, if you want to be in knowledge, this is knowledge." What is that? "That this body, you are not this body; you are the owner of the body.

And you should know also that the there is another person. As you are a person, you are owner of this body, there is another person." Who is that? "That is I am." Kṛṣṇa says. Kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi: "I am also owner of this body." Actually Kṛṣṇa is the owner of the body. Just like in a, in an apartment, there is the occupier and the landlord. So there are two men concerned. I do not know what is the system here. In India, there are two kinds of taxes, the occupier tax and the landlord's tax. Two kinds of taxes. So similarly, this body, I, the living entity, I am the occupier. I am not the owner. Although occupier is, to some extent, owner. But the real owner is the landlord.

Similarly, Kṛṣṇa is the real owner of this body because Kṛṣṇa has given me this body just to occupy it and work. So far. Not that I am the actual proprietor of this body. So when actually, one comes to this knowledge that "I am not this body"—this is one knowledge—and one comes to know also that "I am not proprietor, actual proprietor, of this body"... How can I be actual proprietor of this body? If you have got knowledge... Because this body is made of material ingredients.

So what are these material ingredients? Earth, water, fire, air, ether—they are physical elements. They are Kṛṣṇa's energies. So this body made by Kṛṣṇa's energy. And I, the person, I am also part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 15.15 -- August 5, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):

Prabhupāda: There are two kinds of following. You want to do something by your whims and you could not fulfill that whim in one life. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind, He gives you opportunity to fulfill that desire in this next life and gives you, "Now you wanted like this. Here is the opportunity, do it." But that is not good for you. You wanted it, so Kṛṣṇa gives you the opportunity. The best thing would be that what Kṛṣṇa says, you do that, then you'll be happy. Otherwise, you'll have to go life after life and fulfill your whims and desires. Kṛṣṇa will give you opportunity, but that will not solve your problems.

Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda mentioned that everyone is looking for pleasure. So when one comes into devotional service, how is it possible to know if one is actually looking for his own pleasure or really in search of God.

Prabhupāda: So long you'll seek your own pleasure, you'll suffer. And when you'll seek Kṛṣṇa's pleasure, you'll enjoy. The example is given: Just like you catch up some sweetmeat, the fingers. If the fingers say, "We shall enjoy it," you spoil it. But if the fingers put it to Kṛṣṇa, then you'll enjoy it. Unless you know this art, that we cannot enjoy independently, that is not possible. If we enjoy through Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa's prasādam, then we'll be happy. This is the Kṛṣṇa consciousness art. Directly you cannot enjoy, that is not possible. They are making this mistake. They want to satisfy their senses directly. That is not possible. That is spoiling the life. And if you satisfy the senses of Kṛṣṇa, the through Kṛṣṇa you satisfy yourself. This is the technique. The same analogy. The fingers cannot directly enjoy the sweet ball, but when the sweet ball is put into the stomach, these five fingers enjoy, also these five fingers enjoy. These five fingers, whole body will enjoy.

Devotee: When someone reads your books, we can see that someone will take a book and someone will not take a book. So does Kṛṣṇa give beneficial instruction to someone and not to someone else, intuition in the heart to take or not to take the book?

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

Then He explains that "If you develop your godly characteristics, then you make progress toward liberation." Daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). Vimokṣa. Vimokṣa means liberation. This word vimokṣa is very significant. Mokṣa means liberation. And why this word vi? Vi means viśeṣa, specifically. Specifically mokṣa. There are two kinds of mokṣas. Actually, there are five kinds of mokṣa, but five kinds can be divided into two kinds. Liberation... Sāyujya, sāmīpya, sālokya, sārūpya, sārṣṭi (CC Madhya 6.266). Then again, these five kinds of liberation can be divided into two. One is sāyujya-mukti and another: sārūpya, sālokya, sārṣṭi, sāmīpya—these four into one division. Sāyujya-mukti means to merge into the existence of the Supreme. And sārūpya-mukti means to acquire exactly the bodily feature of Viṣṇu, four hands. Just like in the Vaikuṇṭha the inhabitants are exactly of the same feature as Nārāyaṇa. They have got also four hands. You cannot distinguish who is Nārāyaṇa and who is not Nārāyaṇa. So that is called sārūpya-mukti. Just like when vaikuṇṭha-dūtas were sent to reclaim Ajāmila, they were four-handed, exactly looking like Nārāyaṇa.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

So therefore... Bhāgavata also says māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa: "Those who are under the protection of māyā, illusory energy, for them Kṛṣṇa is ordinary person or human being." But these boys are playing, kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ (SB 10.12.11). Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Puñjāḥ means stock, huge stock of pious activities. Therefore they have come to the position, directly playing with Kṛṣṇa. They have become associates. So that is possible. Anyone can become direct associate of Kṛṣṇa. That is called sāmīpya-mukti, always with Kṛṣṇa. Whenever Kṛṣṇa appears, they also appear.

So there are two kinds of muktis. So far sāyujya-mukti is concerned, that is not very sure. What is this sound? (thumping sound like drum or machine in background) Sāyujya-mukti, one who takes liberation of merging into the existence of the Supreme Absolute Truth, that is not very secure position because they may fall down again to the material world. That is also stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). These impersonalists, after undergoing severe austerities... To come to the Brahman platform, impersonal Brahman platform, that is also not very easy. One has to undergo severe austerities. Tapasya. Nothing can be achieved with(out) tapasya. Any kind of liberation cannot be achieved without tapasya. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature. You cannot make it very easily accessible, but for this age it is easily accessible. Because the people are not so advanced, therefore śāstra gives them a little concession.

Lecture on BG 16.2-7 -- Bombay, April 8, 1971:

So here also the same example can be cited, that Kṛṣṇa says personally, mā śucaḥ sampadaṁ daivīm abhijāto 'si bhārata. My dear Arjuna, don't be worried that you are in the demonic situation. Your situation is daivika, godly. Why it is godly? Because although Arjuna was fighting, it was violent, because the fight was on account of Kṛṣṇa, therefore it is good. Otherwise how you can support? He was engaged in killing business and it is called daivī sampat. Then He explains,

dvau bhūta-sargau loke 'smin

daiva āsura eva ca

daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta

āsuraṁ pārtha me śṛṇu

(BG 16.6)

that "I have very vividly described what are the godly characteristics. Now I shall explain to you what are the demonic characteristics." Pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ (BG 16.7). Who is a demon? A demon's first qualification is he does not know what is, I mean to say, real duty, or what one should do and what one should not do. (break) ...pravṛtti. Pravṛtti and nivṛtti. There are two kinds of activities, pravṛtti. So if one does not know what kind of activities one can accept and what kind of activities one should reject, if he does not know, then he is a asura, demon. (end)

Lecture on BG 16.4 -- Hawaii, January 30, 1975:

Then chemical reaction is like this." They are stated for each and every chemical, and we can understand the purity by the characteristic. The characteristic is also called dharma. Just like a snake. The snake characteristic is that unnecessarily, without any offense, it bites, and the animal which is bitten, he dies. This is the characteristic. Without any fault... The snake is going, and the other animal is going. Go, but the characteristic of snake is unnecessarily bites. This is the characteristic.

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, sarpaḥ krūraḥ khalaḥ krūraḥ sarpāt krūrataraḥ khalaḥ, that "Two kinds of krūraḥ, envious animals, are there. One is the snake, and the other is envious man." So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said that "Both of them envious, but the envious man is more dangerous than the envious snake." Why? "Now, because the snake can be brought into submission..." (tapping noise) (Aside:) What is that? "...by herbs and mantra." There are snake charmer. They chant mantras, and they apply some herb, and the snake come under subjugation. But khalaḥ kena nivāryate: "But the snake-like man, he cannot be subdued at any cost."

Lecture on BG 16.5 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

So there are two classes of men. There are two classes of men within this world. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is said that viṣṇu-bhaktaḥ bhaved daivaḥ. Those are Viṣṇu bhaktas, devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. Three Deities—Viṣṇu, Maheśvara and Brahma. Brahma, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara. So those who are devotees of Viṣṇu, they are devatā. Not that the asuras, just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa was a great devotee of Lord Siva and Hiraṇyakaśipu was great devotee of Brahma, but both of them have been described as asura and rākṣasa. They are great devotee. Therefore the conclusion is there two classes of men, asura and devatā. The viṣṇu bhaktaḥ bhaved daivaḥ, those who are devotees of Lord Viṣṇu, they are deva, devatā, or demigods, and asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. What is the difference between devatā and asura? The, that is explained by Kṛṣṇa, that daivī sampad vimokṣāya (BG 16.5). If you develop your divine qualities, as they're described, ahiṁsā, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ... Sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ means existentional purification. Our..., we, as spirit soul, we are pure, original, because Kṛṣṇa is pure. Arjuna accepts Kṛṣṇa, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitram-paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are paraṁ pavitra." And God is paraṁ pavitra is admitted in the Īśopaniṣad. Apāpa-viddham, asnāviram. Asnāviram means in the body of God there are no veins, and therefore apāpa-viddham. Veins, as soon as you have got this veins, that is material body. The body is maintained under certain material condition. You eat, and this eating substance transformed into secretion, then through the veins this comes to the heart, and heart it becomes red, corpuscle, the blood, the blood is diffused. Therefore there are so many channels, veins. And these things are pushed on with the air, and if there is shortage of air circulation, the man becomes paralyzed. This is scientific. So these things are required for the material body, not for the spiritual body. In spiritual body, asnāviram, there is no vein. Therefore one who misunderstands Kṛṣṇa as having a material body, he has been described in the Bhagavad-gītā as mūḍhā. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11). He has no veins. There is no difference between His body and His soul. We have got difference with our body and soul; therefore this existence with this material body is not śuddha, is not pure. Therefore, sattva-saṁśuddhir, abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhir.

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

These are the daivī sampad. So last night we have discussed. That daivī sampad is described. There is nothing secret. Everything is open. So if you develop these qualities, abhayaṁ sattva-saṁśuddhiḥ, etc., then you become qualified with divine possession, Sampatti. Sampatti means what you possess, under your control. So sampatti, two kinds of sampatti, divine sampatti and demonic sampatti. Demonic sampatti also described,

dambho darpo 'bhimānaś ca

krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca

ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya

pārtha sampadam āsurīm

Now, asura, the adjective is āsurīm. So āsurīm and daivīm, two sampattis are there. They are open before you. Now you take up whatever you like. It is up to you. It is not forbidden that daivī sampatti is meant for a class of men and āsurī sampatti is meant for another class of men, no. Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone.

Kṛṣṇa is not monopolized by a certain class of men. Don't think like that, that "Kṛṣṇa is Indian, Kṛṣṇa is Hindu," or like that, or "kṣatriya. Therefore He is meant for others." No. Because He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He is everyone's property. He is not... Don't think in that way, just like it is stated in the English dictionary: "Kṛṣṇa, one of the Hindu gods." But Kṛṣṇa does not say that "I am the Hindu god." They have made in the dictionary, "Kṛṣṇa, one of the Hindu gods." They have no knowledge about Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya: (BG 14.4) "In all species of life." There are 8,400,000 species of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Nine lakh species in the water, and trees and plants, there are two million species. Similarly, insects, sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati, kṛmayo rudra-saṅkhyayaḥ. Eleven lakhs species, 1,100,000 species of insects, serpents, snakes, like that, gradually developing from water, fish, to... As the water dries up, then they come out as grass, as vegetables. Then grow, different types of trees, plants, creepers. Then gradually develops to become insects, flies. Then develops to serpents.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hawaii, February 2, 1975:

Nitāi: "O son of Pṛthā, in this world there are two kinds of created beings. One is called the divine and the other is the demoniac. I have already explained to you at length the divine qualities. Now hear from Me of the demoniac."

Prabhupāda:

dvau bhūta-sargau loke 'smin

daiva āsura eva ca

daivo vistaraśaḥ prokta

āsuraṁ pārtha me śṛṇu

(BG 16.6)

Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa is addressing Arjuna as... Sometimes He addresses him as Bhārata, "the descendant of the Bharata dynasty," and sometimes He addresses him as Pārtha, and sometimes He addresses him, Dhanañjaya, His friend. This time He addresses him as Pārtha. Pārtha means his mother's name was Pṛthā. From Pṛthā, the word Pārtha comes. His mother happened to be Kṛṣṇa's father's sister. So very intimately and friendly, He addresses him as Pārtha, "My dear son of My aunt." That means "We have got very intimate relationship. Not only we are friends, but we have got family relationship. So therefore I am speaking you about the truth that there are two classes of living beings." Two classes of living beings, dvau. Dvau means two. One class is called daiva, or divine, divine nature, and the other class is called demonic nature, āsura.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:

There are two classes of men throughout the whole universe. One class is called daiva and the other class is called āsura. Daiva āsura eva ca. Daivo vistaraśaḥ proktaḥ. So far the devas are concerned, Kṛṣṇa has explained in various ways in the last chapters, ahiṁsā, kṣānti, ārjavam, how to practice this things. So viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved devaḥ asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. These two classes, how they are ascertained? One who is a devotee of the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu, they are called deva, or demigods, and persons who know Viṣṇu or may not know—on the whole, they are not devotees of Viṣṇu—even they are devotee of other demigods, they are called asura. Just like Rāvaṇa. Rāvaṇa, he was a great devotee of Lord Śiva, but he is described as asura, rākṣasa. Similarly, Hiraṇyakaśipu was a great devotee of Lord Brahmā; still, he is accepted as rākṣasa. So unless one is Vaiṣṇava or devotee of the Lord Viṣṇu, he is asura or rākṣasa. This is the instruction of the śāstra.

In modern days also, practically nobody is devotee, so how they are described in the Bhagavad-gītā? They are described as duṣkṛtinaḥ, mūḍhāḥ, narādhamāḥ, māyayāpahṛta-jñānāḥ, āsuraṁ bhāvam āśritāḥ (BG 7.15). These asuras also divided into so many classes. The first-class asura is the duṣkṛtina, one who is engaged in sinful meritorious action. Sinful meritorious. Just like a big thief. There are many organization of smugglers, black market, thieves. They have got brain to organize. Without brain they cannot organize. Now, in the Western countries there are big, big organizations simply for smuggling, cheating, bluffing, and very good brain, educated, lawyers. I have seen practically in New York these cheating concerns. There are many lawyers to help them how to cheat. And they make arrangement, take money from one, cheating. Many organizations. So they are called duṣkṛtina. They are educated. They have got good brain, they can act very nicely, but their intelligence is being used for sinful activities. They are called duṣkṛtina. They do not know how they shall use their brain. That is going on.

That is jaḍa-vidyā, māyār vaibhava. They can expand the influence of māyā.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- South Africa, October 18, 1975:

Yes. But ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). Why don't you see other verse? He is directing according to your desire—unless you surrender. There are two kinds of direction. One kind of direction is when you do not surrender, and one kind of direction, when you have surrendered, because these things are there. My position is either surrender or not surrender. So the not surrender will get one kind of direction and the surrender will get another kind of direction. Both ways, there is direction. Without His direction he cannot act. Is it clear or not? He gives direction to both of them, but this both, one who is surrendered is a different person from the person who is surrendered. So they, both of them, get different direction in different position, but without His direction he cannot act, either the surrendered or not the surrendered. He has to give direction. So if you think, "My Lord, send me to the hell. I will be very much satisfied," "All right, you go to hell in this way. This is the path." And if you say "My lord, kindly take me to Your shelter," then He will give you direction, "You come in this way."

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hyderabad, December 13, 1976:

There are two classes of men within this world, daiva āsura eva ca. One class of men is called daiva, devatā, or the demigod, and the other class āsura. Sura means civilized, and āsura means not civilized. Kirāta-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā ābhīra-śumbhā yavanāḥ khasādayaḥ (SB 2.4.18). These are amongst the noncivilized men.

Formerly the kings of Bhāratavarṣa, India, they used to kill these uncivilized men. Bad example. They did not follow the Vedic civilization, so the king's order was that they should be killed. If they are too much prominent... Just like they are hunting in the forest. So these... There is history among, about King Bharata, King Bharata, under whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. No, not that Bharata. There are three Bharatas. One Bharata is the son of Ṛṣabhadeva. Another Bharata is the son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta. Another Bharata is the younger brother of Lord Rāmacandra. Out of these three Bharatas, the son of Ṛṣabhadeva is the person after whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. So another Bharata was the son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta. He was very powerful, supposed to be or partial incarnation of God. So in his life he would not allow the uncivilized men to exist. He was king. He used to kill them. Why uncivilized men? Even the kṣatriyas, if they are not ruling properly according to the kṣatriyas... Kṣatriyas are supposed to be the ruler of the world. But if they are deviating from their duties, Paraśurāma, the brāhmaṇa, would kill them. On the whole, in the Vedic civilization everyone should be in order. That was the set-up.

Lecture on BG 16.6 -- Hyderabad, December 13, 1976:

Secular state does not mean everyone is irresponsible. You must be responsible for your particular type of duty, and the government has to see it, that everyone is doing that. That is secular state. Lord Rāmacandra, when He returned from the forest... In His absence Bharata was ruling, and when Bharata requested Lord Rāmacandra to take charge of the kingdom, Lord Rāmacandra was ready but He first of all examined whether the citizens were following the varṇāśrama-dharma. When He was satisfied that the citizens were following the varṇāśrama-dharma, then He took charge of the kingdom and began to maintain them just like father.

This is the relationship between the government and the citizens. The citizens must be law-abiding, and the government must rule over them just like father. Father is not unaffectionate. Father is affectionate, and even the father chastises the son, that is not out of affection; that is also affection. So that was the relationship. So the asuras, they do not know this. Only the devatās, they know. There are two kinds of men. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke asmin daiva āsuraḥ (BG 16.6). So Kṛṣṇa says, daivo vistaraśaḥ proktaḥ. Kṛṣṇa has already explained in the beginning which are the qualification of the devatā, and what are the qualification of the asuras...

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:

In the human form of life there are two classes of men. First of all living being. Amongst the living being there are some living being which can move or can walk from one place to another. And there are certain other living beings which cannot move, just like the trees, plants. They are also living being, but they are standing in one place for many thousands of years. They have no independence to move. Now, in the moving living beings there are so many. The flies, the insects, the reptiles, the birds, the beast. In this way, by evolutionary process, one after another, one comes to the form of human being. This human being is therefore very, very rare. After going through 8,400,000 species of life, one comes to this human form of life.

So here is the chance of getting freedom from this evolutionary process. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). After many, many births, we have got. Why? Now, to become civilized. What is civilization? Civilization... The Aryans are called civilized. Why? Aryan means going forward. And what is the destination of going forward? The destination is to understand the original cause of creation, God. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). That is the Vedānta philosophy. Janmādy asya yataḥ. The original cause from where everything is coming into being, by whose management everything is maintained, and after annihilation everything will enter into Him—that is the original person. So human form of life is meant for understanding the original cause of all causes. That is human form of life. Inquisitiveness. And others, less than human being, just like lower animals, cats and dogs, not to speak of the trees and plants... They are standing in one place, and other living beings, even the insects, birds, beasts, they haven't got sufficient intelligence. (aside:) No, this water, drinking. Sufficient intelligence to understand "What I am? Why I am suffering?" Everyone is suffering. That's a fact. The whole struggle for existence is going on.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Tokyo, January 27, 1975:

So all over the world the civilized man has got some religion. It may be professing the Vedic religion, somebody the Buddhic scriptures. Just in your country, most of you, you are Buddhists. There are similarly Mohammedan scriptures, Christian scriptures. But in each and every scripture there is rules and regulation to follow to become more and more aware of the topmost principle, the original cause of all causes. That is, means, religion. So one who does not care to understand this philosophy, they are called asura. And one who understands this philosophy of life, they are called sura or devatā, god, demigods, they are called.

Dvau bhūta-sargau loke daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). There are two kinds of men throughout the whole universe. There are men in other planets also, they are very highly elevated. They are therefore called devas, or demigods. The moon planet, the sun planet... There are many other heavenly planets. There is sun-god. In the Bhagavad-gītā you will find the name of the sun-god, or the predominating deity of the sun planet, Vivasvān. His name is Vivasvān. Everything you will find in the śāstra. So there are two divisions: asura and sura, or asura or deva. Devāsura. Deva means those who are conscious of the responsibility of life. They are called deva. So for the devas, Kṛṣṇa has explained so many things. Now He is explaining about the asuras. What are the symptoms of asura? He says first of all, pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca janā na vidur āsurāḥ. Pravṛttiṁ nivṛttim (BG 16.7).

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

So these are the symptoms of asura. We have already discussed the characteristic of divine nature and the characteristic of demonic nature. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa this is also confirmed. Dvau bhūta-sargau loke daiva āsura eva ca (BG 16.6). There are two kinds of people all over the universe. There is asuraloka and devaloka, planet. So devāsura fight. That is going on perpetually, daiva and āsura, demonic nature and divine nature.

There are many people; they do not like us because we are preaching God consciousness. This is our fault. Even in our country, in India, the government do not like us because nowadays, everywhere practically, the demonic people being very much increased, the government is also demonic. So they do not like people in divine nature. They will tolerate all kinds of noise, barking of the dogs, the motor car passing, the aeroplane on overhead. But as soon as there is kīrtana, they're disturbed. They'll tolerate so many different types of noise, but they'll not tolerate kīrtana. That is from the very beginning.

In New York, when we started this movement, so in the morning, at seven o'clock, we used to hold our class, and there was little sound. Immediately the tenants from upwards, they'll come down and complain. Sometimes they will call for police. And on the street, Second Avenue, there is always big, big trucks and motor cars going on, heavy sound. Then in your country the garbage carrier sound, the digging sound. So many sound they'll tolerate. And as soon, "Hare Kṛṣṇa," "Oh, it is intolerable." (laughter) This is demonic, the demonic. They'll not hear. Because that will do good to them by hearing, they'll not accept it.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hawaii, February 3, 1975:

So there was one house, very big house, worth thousands of rupees' rent, but it was ghostly haunted. So nobody would take that house. I took it at two hundred rupees, (laughter) and very big house. And I was... All the servants, they complained, "Sir, there is ghost." So I was chanting. He was living in several spots, especially on the gate side. So I could understand, but I would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and I was saved. Everyone was saved. There was... And, say, in 1969 I was guest in the house of John Lennon in London. So there was a ghost in... It was a big plot. There was a guest house. So they complained, "Sir, here is ghost." So I advised them to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and the ghost went away. Yes. This is fact. When there is Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting, these ghostly, demonic living entities, they'll not be able to stay there. They'll go away.

So two classes of men, demonic and divine. So divine nature has been explained in various ways from the very beginning. Now Kṛṣṇa is explaining about the demonic nature. The first characteristic of demonic nature is they do not know what should be the pravṛtti and what should be nivṛtti, proper and improper action. Improper action is mentioned here, beginning, that na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāraḥ (BG 16.7), not cleanliness. Cleanliness is essential. "Cleanliness is next to Godliness."

In India, especially in the villages, you'll find cleanliness. He has got one cloth, poverty-stricken, one cloth, not very white. Due to dirt, it is black. But that one cloth should be washed daily, still, one cloth. They'll take one napkin and wash the cloth and India, tropical climate, here also, and spread it on the floor. Within five minutes it will be dry, and then change clothes. And early in the morning, even in chilly cold, they will take bath, taking water from the well. And nature's arrangement is, if you take well water, it is hot early in the morning.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Sanand, December 26, 1975:

Prabhupāda: That's all right.

Indian man: It's not connecting.

Prabhupāda: Now here is the description of the asuras as stated by Kṛṣṇa. There are two classes of men, asura and deva. Daiva and āsura. Viṣṇu-bhakto bhaved deva asuras tad-viparyayaḥ. The devas, devatāloka... (aside) Don't talk.

Indian man: (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: No... And whatever it may be, why you are interpreting? You stop. In the upper planetary system, beginning from the sun, there are Sūryaloka, Candraloka, Maṅgala, Bhūr, Bṛhaspati, up to Saturn, there are different lokas. So the upper planetary system, beginning from Sūrya, they are called devaloka. They are all devotees of the Lord; therefore they are called devatā. They are not pure devotees, but they are not disobedient to the orders of the Supreme Lord. Śuddha-bhakta means they do not come to the material world. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11), the śuddha-bhaktas, nitya, nitya-siddha, they do not come to this material world. They are everlastingly liberated soul, engaged in the service of Nārāyaṇa. This material creation is exhibition of one-fourth energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The three-fourth creation is in the spiritual world, Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Sanand, December 26, 1975:

So in this material world they have come... All of us, beginning from Brahmā down to the insignificant ant, we have come here for material enjoyment. And in this material world, according to different desires and karma, they are getting different types of bodies. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1). Karmaṇā, by our work, and by the supervision of the supreme power we are getting different types of body. So there are two kinds of living entities. One kind of living entities, they are trying to go back to home, back to Godhead. They are called devatās. And the asuras, they are not aware of the spiritual world; neither they are endeavoring to go back to home, back to Godhead. So Kṛṣṇa has described about the devotees in so many ways. Now He is discriminating who are the demons. So for the asuras there is no knowledge what is the aim of life. So they are described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also,

na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ

durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ

andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās

te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ

(SB 7.5.31)

These asuras, or the persons who are in ignorance, in material enjoyment, they do not know what is the goal of life. Everyone is in the bodily concept of life, and they are trying to improve the condition of bodily comforts. The more we are interested in the bodily comforts of life the more we are asuras. So these asuras, they are not very cleansed, na śaucam. Na śaucaṁ nāpi ca ācāraḥ: "They have no good behavior, neither they are very clean." Therefore, according to varṇāśrama-dharma, the brāhmaṇas are called śuci, means pure. But this śuci... The opposite word is muci. So there is a Bengali Vaiṣṇava poet.

Lecture on BG 16.7 -- Hyderabad, December 15, 1976:

There are two kinds of cleanliness. Outside, externally, we take bath by soap or by soda, by oil. We cleanse external body and internally by cleansing the intestine, the heart, the mind, the consciousness. That is internally cleansing. And external. Both cleansed one must be. Bāhya abhyantara-śuciḥ. Yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bāhya abhyantara-śuciḥ. Because they are not śuci... Śuci means brāhmaṇas, always cleansed, hygienic. That is śuci. And muci. Muci means cobbler. There is a class in India, cobbler. Their business is to take away the dead animals, especially cows. Other animals, they do not care. They are taken by the vultures and others. But when a cow is dead, that is very important. Cow is alive important and dead also important. It is so important. When the cow is dead the skin is valuable, the hoof is valuable, the horn is valuable, the bones are valuable. Everything is valuable. Just like elephant. Dead or alive, it is one lakh of rupees. The price is the same. That is the... Because elephant is very costly, everyone knows. You cannot... One lakh of rupees. Unless one is king or a big zamindar he cannot purchase elephant, neither he can keep. And if the elephant is dead, that is also one lakh of rupees because it contains the ivory bones, very, very costly. So there are animals; either dead or alive, the price is the same. Similarly, cow, dead or alive, the price is the same.

Lecture on BG 16.8 -- Hyderabad, December 16, 1976:

So we are discussing for the last few days about the asuras, demons. (aside:) Stop. So the beginning is, na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. The asuras, they are aśuci, unclean. That is their misfortune, that they cannot understand what is the right way, what is the wrong way. So śuci, cleanliness, is the first qualification of the daiva-prakṛti or devatās. There are two classes of men. One class is devatā, and the other class asura. So asura class, they will have to suffer. They cannot get liberation from the material bondage. Mūḍhā janmani janmani mām aprāpya eva (BG 16.20). Unless we achieve the shelter of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, our sufferings in the material world will continue. It will not stop. We are trying to stop all kinds of suffering by adjustment of this material world. That is not possible. That is stated in the śāstra. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśayā, hopeless.

Big, big asuras like Rāvaṇa, he also wanted to be happy himself and others by material adjustment. He proposed that "There is no need of acting piously to go to the heavenly planet. I shall construct a staircase so anyone can go." Rāvaṇera svargeśvari. So that was failure. Just like we are now trying, the modern scientists. We are trying to go to the moon planet. It is failure. They will never be able to go there. I have discussed this point. We are conditioned. We cannot live one place to another without being proficient or without being eligible. Just like even in this planet you cannot go to the other country. Suppose from India if we want to go to America, it requires arrangement, not that all of a sudden you can go to America or the Americans come here. There is international arrangement, visa, passport, immigration, so many things. So many obstacles are there even in this planet, and what to speak of going to other planet. It is not possible. You must be efficient; then you can go.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

So, on the basis of this vision, that "there is no God, there is no background of this material creation, this material creation is false..." There are so many other conclusions of the demonic people. Demon and atheist, the same thing. So Kṛṣṇa says, on this blind vision, etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya. Accepting these are the basic principles of this material creation. Etāṁ dṛṣṭim avaṣṭabhya naṣṭa ātmānaḥ. Lost their spiritual consciousness. Naṣṭa means lost. Ātmānaḥ means the soul, the Supersoul. So ātmā, Paramātmā. The Supersoul is Paramātmā, and we are soul. So they have no knowledge. The defect of the modern civilization...

The demons and the rākṣasas, they're existing always. As I have told you, two classes of men are always there. But in this age the number of atheist class, or demons, are very much increased. Otherwise, material world means for the demons, atheistic class. Just like the prisonhouse. The prisonhouse means it is meant for the criminals. One may be a first-class prisoner, one may be a third-class prisoner, but it is prisonhouse. Similarly, anyone who is in this material world—never mind whether he is Lord Brahmā or the insignificant ant—they are more or less all criminals. Criminal means disobeying. Disobeying the Lord or His order, they are materially criminal.

Lecture on BG 16.9 -- Hawaii, February 5, 1975:

One minus thousand times one is still one. That is absolute. Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned. That is Absolute Truth.

So in the absolute platform, in the spiritual world, Kṛṣṇa is the supreme whole spirit. Therefore He may expand Himself... Advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam (Bs. 5.33). Ananta-rūpam, various kinds of forms... Everything is Kṛṣṇa's forms. Your form is also Kṛṣṇa's form, my form is also Kṛṣṇa's form. Therefore foolish rascals, they think, "Now I have become God." He has got the affinity that he is also God expansion. Therefore sometimes he thinks that "I am God." This is... We are also expansion of God, vibhinnāṁśa. There are two kinds of expansions: svāṁśa, vibhinnāṁśa. When Kṛṣṇa expands in fullness, that is called svāṁśa, viṣṇu-tattva. Just like Kṛṣṇa has expanded Himself as Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha, so many, millions. There is no limit. That is called svāṁśa. And Kṛṣṇa expands as His energy, this material energy, this material world, the spiritual world, spiritual energy, and we are also energy, marginal energy. Taṭastha. Taṭastha means, marginal means... You can have a conception of marginal in the sea beach. The same place, walking, is sometimes covered with water, and sometimes it is land. This is called marginal, between the water and the land. So we living entities, we are marginal. Sometimes we are under the protection of the spiritual energy, and sometimes we are under the protection of the material energy. We are under protection; we are not independent.