Ultimate end (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"ultimate end"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- London, August 18, 1973:

Everything, from the earth it has come up: "Dust thou were, dust thou beist." This beautiful body, nice body, will become earth. And those who are burning, so their body becomes ashes. And those who throw the body to be eaten by jackals and crows, they become stool. This is the end of the body. We are taking so much care of this body, but the ultimate end of this body is either stool, earth or ashes. So foolish persons who are in the bodily concept of life, they are thinking: "After all, this body will be finished. So so long the body is there, senses are there, let us enjoy. Why so much restrictions, no illicit sex, no gambling? No. These are all nonsense. Let us enjoy life." This is atheistic life. Foolish life. They do not know, so the body is not all.

This is the first lesson to understand, what is spiritual life, what is spiritual knowledge. But all rascals, they do not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa first of all slapped Arjuna: aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase (BG 2.11). "You do not know what is the fact, and talking like a very learned man. Just try to understand what is truth." Na tv evāhaṁ jātu nāsam. First thing is that nāsam, we have no nāsam. We never die, that will be explained later on more clearly, we do not die. Nāsam. At any time. It is not that sometimes we die and sometimes... No. Any time, jātu. At any time. So: "Sir, You are Supreme Personality of Godhead, You may not die. But we die, we are ordinary living entities."

Lecture on BG 3.31-43 -- Los Angeles, January 1, 1969:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Forty-three: "Thus knowing oneself to be transcendental to material senses, mind, and intelligence, one should control the lower self by the higher self, and thus, by spiritual strength, conquer this insatiable enemy known as lust (BG 3.43)."

Purport: "This third chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā is conclusively directed to Kṛṣṇa consciousness through knowing oneself as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, without considering impersonal voidness as the ultimate end. In the material existence of life, one is certainly influenced by propensities of lust and desire for dominating the resources of material nature. Such desire for overlording and sense gratification are the greatest enemies of the conditioned soul, but by the..."

Prabhupāda: Generally, those who are under the bodily concept of life, they are struggling day and night. Why? Now, to have overlordship of this material nature. This is material activities. And those who are on the mental platform, they are trying to philosophize, mental speculation. Those who are still intelligent, they are taking to this yoga practice by intelligently trying to controlling the senses. But as soon as you come to the spiritual platform, automatically these things are done because all your senses, mind, and intelligence are occupied by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Go on. Yes, go on.

Lecture on BG 4.11-12 -- New York, July 28, 1966:

Others, of course, as it is said, that those who are distressed or those who are in need of some wealth, they also go to worship Kṛṣṇa, but for some temporary relief. But the benefit is that even such persons go to Kṛṣṇa worship for some temporary relief, but the benefit is that because he has gone to Kṛṣṇa, therefore, at the ultimate end, he will be devoid of all these material desires and will absolutely take shelter of Kṛṣṇa. There are many instances of that type, of that type.

Just like Dhruva Mahārāja. Dhruva Mahārāja, he went to worship Kṛṣṇa just to have the property of his father. That's a long story. The property of his father... The father has two wives, and Dhruva Mahārāja's mother was neglected by the king. So he was going to be bereft of the father's property. So he wanted father's property. He went to in the forest to worship Kṛṣṇa just to ask Him, "Give me my father's property." There was a desire. But, you will be glad to understand, when Dhruva Mahārāja, after finishing his tapasya, or penance, when he saw Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa appeared before him as Viṣṇu: "My dear boy, now whatever you want you can ask. I shall give you," now, he said, "Oh, my Lord, I don't want anything anymore."

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

Simply by observing one rule: yad icchanto brahmacaryaṁ caranti. It is so nice, brahmacarya. So this is sacrifice. Sacrifice means my senses dictate that "You enjoy," but I am not enjoying. I am not enjoying. This is sacrifice.

So the ultimate end of, ultimate purpose of sacrifice is Kṛṣṇa. So one who knows, "The sages, knowing Me as the ultimate purpose of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets..." We are electing president, kings, and so many things, but actually the proprietor is Kṛṣṇa or God. So one should know it. All demigods and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities. In the Vedas it is said eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Now the state is arranging for supplying the necessities of the citizens. How many? The human kind only. But does it mean that the human kind is the only living entities in this world? There are many millions and thousands of living entities besides the living, er, human kind. So who is supplying them necessities of life? Therefore well-wisher of all living entities. You can supply food to certain limited number of living entities but Kṛṣṇa or the Supreme Lord is supplying food to millions and trillions of living entities within the sky, within the water, within the mountain, within the forest. Who is going to supply them? So therefore He is real well-wisher of all living entities. Why not for you?

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

That is the process.

But one who is transcendentally situated, either by the yogic process or by the process of empiric knowledge or by bhakti-yoga, either of these processes... There may be a little difference of the ultimate end, but all these three processes, they are meant for transcendental life. So any process, if you make it perfect, then really you get peace. Peace. The only difference is that this yogic process as described in the Bhagavad-gītā, it is not possible to be executed in this age. Therefore the next alternative is this hari-kīrtana, as Lord Caitanya recommends and devises. And you can practically see that kīrtana, this kīrtana, you can go on for hours together; you'll feel not tired. But if you are asked to sit down in the posture as recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā for executing yoga system, oh, hardly you can spare some minutes. You see.

So śāntiṁ nirvāṇa-paramām mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. And after extinguishing this material life, then what is the next? Next is not void, is not impersonal void, as they say. Bhagavad-gītā does not say like that. Bhagavad-gītā says, mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. "He enters into My establishment." Saṁsthām means establishment. Now, when you speak of establishment... Suppose a big man, he has got establishment. So that means it is not void. Establishment means there are varieties of engagement. Unless it cannot be saṁsthām. So here it is clearly said that mat-saṁsthām adhigacchati. One attains to the kingdom of God where spiritual varieties are there. They are not variety-less.

Lecture on BG 6.35-45 -- Los Angeles, February 20, 1969:

There are so many system of bodily exercise, the system, this weight-lifting system, there are many sporting system, they also keep body very fit. They can digest foodstuff very nicely, they reduce fat. For this purpose there is no need of practicing yoga. The real purpose is here; that to realize that I am not this body. I want eternal happiness, I want complete knowledge, I want eternal life also. That is the ultimate end of yoga system. Go on.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971 University of Florida:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is directly giving people how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ, in truth. So we are giving Kṛṣṇa knowledge based on this authorized scripture, Bhagavad-gītā, Vedas. Vedas means knowledge. And what is the... Vedānta means the ultimate end of knowledge. What is that end of knowledge? That is Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). By all the Vedas, the ultimate conclusion should be Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). This conclusion comes after many, many births. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān. After culturing knowledge for many, many births, when actually one becomes wise, then bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate, he surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa. How he surrenders? Because he knows, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa is everything. Whatever we see, it is simply a manifestation of the energy of Vāsudeva. One must be convinced on this fact, and then he becomes a devotee. Prapadyate. Kṛṣṇa therefore advises that you understand or not understand, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Simply surrender unto Me."

So what Kṛṣṇa taught in the Bhagavad-gītā, we are teaching the same thing without any different manufactured ideas. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And it is open to everyone. The process is very simple. We have got our center here. If you want to take advantage of this movement, you are welcome. You'll be happy.

Lecture on BG 8.1 -- Geneva, June 7, 1974:

This is the ultimate end of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that anta-kāle, at the time of death, at the end of life, anta-kāle ca mām, "unto Me," anta-kāle ca mām eva (BG 8.5), "certainly," smaran, "remembering..." The Deity worship especially meant for this purpose, so that you go on worshiping the Deity of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, naturally you'll be practiced to think of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa always within your heart. This practice required. Anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā (BG 8.5). This is the mukti.

Mukti means no more material body. That is called mukti. We are now conditioned by this material body. In the material world, we are changing one body after another, but there is no mukti. There is no liberation. Mukti is... Simply by changing body, we are not mukta. Mukta means we change this body not to accept any more material body, but we remain in our own spiritual body. Just like if you are diseased, you are suffering from fever, so when there is no more fever, but you remain in your original healthy body, that is called mukti. It is not that mukti means to become formless. No. The same example: You are suffering from fever. To become free from fever does not mean that you become formless. Why I shall become formless? My form is there, but my form is no more disturbed by the fever, feverish condition. That is called mukti. Roga-mukta, free from disease.

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

Kṛṣṇa says, "The most confidential part of knowledge, My dear Arjuna, I am giving you, because you are so, My dear friend," sarva guhyatamam, the Eighteenth Chapter, that, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66), man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namas...

So God, Kṛṣṇa, is not imperson at the ultimate end. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). Absolute Truth is realized in three phases: Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān. So Paramātmā is subordinate to the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa, and Brahman is also subordinate to the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa. 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.

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

And one who has compiled Vedānta-sūtra, he is vedānta-vid also. He knows what is Vedānta. Not by others. Vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd. So both vedānta-kṛd is Kṛṣṇa, vedānta-vid is Kṛṣṇa. So what Kṛṣṇa says, that is Vedānta. Vedānta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means the ultimate, anta. Every knowledge has got the ultimate end. So everyone is acquiring knowledge, but what is the end of knowledge? The end of knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa. That is end of knowledge. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ vedānta-kṛd vedānta-vid cāham (BG 15.15). So Kṛṣṇa therefore says, brahma-sūtra-pādaiś caiva. He's recommending. He is Vedānta. Therefore whatever Kṛṣṇa says, that is the ultimate conclusion of Vedānta.

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

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- New Vrindaban, September 6, 1972:

Warning. But still they're eating that poison, they're drinking. So these are anarthas, unwanted things. By bad association we are habituated to this nonsense practice, but if you become a devotee and render service to Kṛṣṇa under the direction of your spiritual master, these things will automatically vanquish. Anartha-nivṛttiḥ syāt tato niṣṭhā, then your faith becomes firm. Tato niṣṭhā tato ruci athāsaktis. Asakti, it is spontaneous attraction. So religious principle means you have to execute the preliminary formulas, but the ultimate end will be you'll have spontaneous attraction for hearing about God or Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted. If that thing is not done, then you are simply wasting time by going to church or temple or mosque or any nonsense. Notpādayed yadi ratiṁ śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). Simply waste of time. So don't become a showbottle of religious life. Actually try to understand what is religion, what is God, and make your life successful. (end)

Lecture on SB 1.2.27 -- Vrndavana, November 7, 1972:

Because the purpose of Vedas is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is the purpose of Veda. If you become a very great scholar in Vedas, but you do not know what is Kṛṣṇa, it is useless. Because Vedas means... Veda means knowledge. And Vedānta means the ultimate end of knowledge.

So ultimate end of knowledge is Kṛṣṇa. So Vedānta means the ultimate goal of knowledge is to know Kṛṣṇa. That is Vedānta. Vedānta does not mean anything else. Because Kṛṣṇa says, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). That is Vedānta. And He also confirms: vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham. "I am the compiler of Vedānta philosophy, and therefore I know perfectly well what is Vedānta." Therefore if you follow the instruction of Kṛṣṇa, then you are completely in knowledge of the Vedānta. That's all. This is Vedānta philosophy. Vedānta philosophy does not mean to make some jugglery of words and deviate one from Kṛṣṇa. That is not Vedānta. That is misleading, bluffing. That is going on, in the name of Vedānta.

Lecture on SB 1.3.16 and Initiation -- Los Angeles, September 21, 1972:

So yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ surāsura-gaṇa devāya tasmai namaḥ.(?) The mantra, there is mantra, that yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ. One cannot understand the antam, the ultimate end of the Supreme... Yasyāntaṁ na viduḥ. Viduḥ means "does not know." Surāsura-gaṇa. Sura. Sura means demigods, theists. Those who are believer in God, they are called sura, and just the opposite-asura. Asura does not believe in the existence of God. He thinks he is God. That is asura. Āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said āsuri. Āsuri, this word has come from this āsura. Adjective. Asura is nominative. So from āsura, it becomes āsuri. Āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ. Those who are atheists, they do not surrender. They do not like the idea of God or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they do not know what is God or what is the ultimate end, who is the original cause. They do not know. Even the theists, they also do not know. They know Kṛṣṇa, but it is impossible to understand what is the limit of Kṛṣṇa's energies, just like we were discussing this morning.

Lecture on SB 1.5.4 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1968:

So many things are there, the light. Therefore the Vedic sūtras, mantras, advises that tamasi mā jyotir gama. Don't keep yourself in darkness. Try to come out of the darkness and see the light. See the light. So... Now, here Vyāsadeva says that "I have seen the light, but still I am not happy." So that means even one who has realized Brahman but has not ultimately realized what is the ultimate end of Brahman, still there is no happiness. Still there is (no) happiness.

Just like you are seeing the sunlight, but suppose if you are able to go to the sun planet, that will be still more extensive knowledge. But not only going to the sun planet, if you can meet the president of the sun globe... Everywhere there is a presiding deity. Just like you have got your president in your country, or in my country we have got a president. Similarly, in every planet there is one presiding deity. They are called demigods, and they have got their different names. We get all this information from... Take, for example, the sun planet. The sun planet is presided over by one gentleman whose name is Vivasvān.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante, at the end of life, kalevaram Kalevaram means this body, within this body. This is another problem. Generally people, they do not understand that after giving up this body we enter another body. But this is the first instruction of self-realization in the Bhagavad-gītā. And that is actually we are experiencing. We are changing our body every moment. So similarly, at the ultimate end of this body, when this body is no more useful Because, after all, it is machine. Just like your car, your car or any other machine, if it goes for long time it becomes useless. That is the nature of anything material. In the beginning it is very nice. It is new. Just like this body, my body. When I was a baby I might have been very nice, beautiful, a child. Now it is becoming old and ugly. So this is the nature of..., this is the nature of material thing, that anything material, that will deteriorate, one after another, one after So when this body is completely deteriorated, there is no, there is no more chance of prolonging it, then we accept another body. And the example is vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22).

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Los Angeles, August 13, 1972:

And the example is vāsāṁsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya (BG 2.22). Just like we change our dress when the dress is old enough or dirty, we give it up and accept another dress. So this is going on.

Now, if at the ultimate end of this body, if we can remember Kṛṣṇa, then our life is successful. What? How is that? Now as soon as we remember Kṛṣṇa, immediately we are transferred to the spiritual world, the abode of Kṛṣṇa or Goloka Vṛndāvana. It does not take even a second's time. Spirit soul is so forceful that anywhere... The yogic success is like that. Yogic, those who are successful yogis, they, at the..., they do not die by nature's law. They control even their death. How is that? They make yoga practice, and when they think that one is perfect now, so he leaves this body and he transfers himself to any planet he likes. There is no need of sputnik. Similarly, the bhakta-yogī, he does not like to stay in any one of the planets within the material world, because he knows from the authoritative description of Bhagavad-gītā and Vedic literature. Just like you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna: (BG 8.16) "My dear Arjuna, beginning from the Brahmaloka, the highest planetary system within this universe, down to any other, I mean to say, downwards planet, you can travel anywhere, wherever you like..."

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

So bhakti-yoga is the last status of yoga system. Therefore it is said, bhakti-vitāna-yogam. Bhakti... Just like you are going upstair, and step by step, when you go to the topmost step, that is the end of your going up, similarly, the karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga, and dhyāna-yoga, and then bhakti-yoga, so ultimate end is bhakti-yoga. So if you have got, gone few steps, that is karma-yoga, if you have got few more steps, that is jñāna-yoga, and if you go few more steps, that is dhyāna-yoga, and when you reach the ultimate status, that is called bhakti-yoga. The step is the same. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. Everyone is going, trying to reach the ultimate Absolute Truth. But it is simply a partial understanding. By jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, karma-yoga, you can understand partially the Absolute Truth. But bhakti-yoga you can understand completely. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). He does not say, "By jñāna, by karma, by meditation, one can understand Me fully." No. He does not say. He says clearly, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ: (BG 18.55) "Tattvataḥ, in truth what I am, that can be understood only by bhakti-yoga." You see Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-2 -- London (Tittenhurst), September 13, 1969:

He's instructing, "My dear sons, this human form of body is not to be wasted like cats and dogs." What is that? How this body is wasted like cats and dogs? Now, kaṣṭān kāmān. Kāmān means sense gratification. So with hard labor, ultimate end of hard laboring is sense gratification. Now, not only in your country, but also in all other countries at the present moment, everyone is trying to make economic development. What is that economic development you have got very good idea: industrialization, high standard of living and so many other things. But the end is sense gratification. The purpose of economic development... It is wonderful for us. We are Indian. When we see... When I was in Los Angeles, there is a freeway. So eight lines of cars running in seventy miles speed this way, and eight miles of lines running cars on the opposite side. And unfortunately one day we had one car which was running at thirty-five miles only, and our Gaurasundara was driving. (chuckling) Immediately he was arrested by the police. Not exactly arrested—stopped. That means you cannot run your car in this way, thirty-five miles speed. So now from impartial point of view, if we study why people are running in this way and that way... What is the ultimate goal? If we calculate very in cool head, the ultimate goal is sense gratification. That's all.

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

So it will never end, even if you give lifelong service. Just like I have given the example: Gandhi gave lifelong service according to his own. Hitler gave lifelong service. Napoleon gave lifelong service. But their ultimate end was very, very regrettable. Nobody realized his service. He was punished. This is material world. We have to understand very clearly, and we have to take lesson from this verse that we may go on serving our lusty desire, greediness, anger, and so on, so on, but we will never come to the end and become happy. When one comes to the point that "I have rendered service in so many ways. So neither I am happy nor the person to whom I have served, they are happy. Then what is the remedy?" That is discussed in the Vedānta-sūtra philosophy. Athāto brahma jijñāsā: "Now inquire about your real master, Brahman, or the Supreme, the great, the Absolute Truth." That is required. So we should be prepared like that, that we have served our propensities, different propensities, lusty desire, greediness, anger, kāma, krodha, lobha, mohaḥ... Mohaḥ means illusion. I am doing something wrong, and I am thinking it is all right. This is called illusion, mohaḥ. Mātsarya. Mātsarya means envious, to become envious. Every one of us, either individually or socially or community-wise or nationally, we are all envious. The Russians, they are envious of the Americans, and the Americans, they are envious of the Russians. Similarly, everyone. That is the nature. So we are serving all these propensities.

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

"If I fail, if..." But if you take to devotional service, then it is akuto-bhayaḥ. Akutaḥ means there is no fear, no fear, because any, anything material you do, unless you come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is all gone to hell. Suppose you are trying to construct a nice factory. But if you do not come to the ultimate end, the factory cannot be started. If in the middle you have no money or somehow or other the factory construction is stopped, then whatever money you invested, that is gone to hell. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness is so nice that whatever you have done in this life—one percent, two percent, ten percent, fifty percent... If you can execute cent percent, then the whole life is perfect. But even if you do not come to the perfectional point, whatever you have done, that is your permanent asset. Next life you begin from that point. These things are stated in the Bhagavad-gītā when Arjuna enquired that "If one cannot finish the whole course of yoga system, what happens to him?" He assured that "Whatever he has done, that remains his permanent asset.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Indore, December 13, 1970:

Guest (2): That is not the ultimate end.

Prabhupāda: No.

Guest (2): He was just in the...

Prabhupāda: Ultimate end means you can remain. Go on flying, flying, flying. But that will exhaust your energy and you'll like to take shelter in any planet. And because they have no information of the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they again come to these material planets. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Because they have no rest, they become perturbed. Therefore this śloka says, ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ: (SB 10.2.32) "Because these impersonalists, although they are almost liberated, still, on account of their negligence to the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, without having shelter, their intelligence is not purified still." They are simply accepting something opposite to these imperfect varieties of this material world. They want to make the spiritual world without varieties because they have got a very bad experience of this material varieties. So their conception is just the opposite. Just the opposite. There must not be any varieties. Just like there are... They say Kṛṣṇa...

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

They give in charity so that they may get more money. They open dharmaśālā so that they can get more houses. That is their purpose. Or they may be elevated to the heavenly kingdom. Because they do not know what is his actual interest. The actual interest is to go back to home, go back to Godhead. This idea, perhaps not even one percent men know that the ultimate end of, ultimate goal of life is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31)—Viṣṇu, God, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They do not know that the real interest is to go back home, go back to Godhead. Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. They have accepted that "We shall be happy by adjusting this material world." Therefore they cannot make any progress.

Actually, religion does not mean to improve your material condition. That is not religion. Śrīmad-Bhāgavata therefore says that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje: (SB 1.2.6) "That type of religion is first class which elevates one to the platform of pure devotional service to the Absolute Truth." That is religion. People are not attracted to the bhāgavata-dharma, or the religion. Bhāgavata-dharma is actually sanātana-dharma. Sanātana-dharma does not mean that one must have a certain type of religious life. Sanātana-dharma means the eternal religion. Sanātana-dharma is applicable for all living entities. A living entity is eternal, God is eternal, and there is an eternal abode also. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvo 'nyo 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20).

Lecture on SB 7.6.20-23 -- Washington D.C., July 3, 1976:

Yes. In the Bhagavad-gītā, the Absolute Truth, Kṛṣṇa, is explaining Himself. Absolute Truth is the ultimate end, Vedānta. The subject matter of knowledge is Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So we have got this human form of life to inquire about the Absolute Truth. Jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam. Tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam (SB 11.3.21). Unless one is jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive, there is no need of accept a so-called fashionable guru. To accept guru is not a fashion, style, that "Everyone has guru; I'll have a guru." No. The śāstra says, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam. One should accept guru when he is inquisitive, jijñāsuḥ. What about? Śreyaḥ uttamam. The Absolute or the auspicity beyond this material world. Uttamam. Tamaḥ means darkness, ignorance.

So here, our position in this material world: darkness. We are simply speculating in so many ways what is the ultimate cause. There are so many philosophers, but they are speculating only without any definite knowledge. So śāstra says that speculative knowledge will not be successful at any time. In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is said that panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānām (Bs. 5.34).

Lecture on SB 7.9.19 -- Hamburg, September 7, 1969, (with German Translator):

If you are in agreement with the state laws, your life is secure and safe. But if you are in disagreement with the state laws, your life is not safe. Similarly, when we are in agreement with the supreme consciousness, then we become immediately peaceful and happy. That is the instruction of Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā says at the ultimate end, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "My dear Arjuna..." He is teaching to Arjuna—not only Arjuna, but all human society—that "You give up your all manufactured occupational duties. You simply agree to My proposal, and I shall give you all protection." It does not mean that we lose our individuality. Just like Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna, "You do it," but He does not force him: "You do it." "If you like, you do it." Kṛṣṇa does not touch your independence. He simply requests you, "You do it."

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 1, 1972:

Pradyumna: (reading:) "...as given by Rūpa Gosvāmī in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu, can be summarized thus: his service is favorable and is always in relation to Kṛṣṇa. In order to keep the purity of such Kṛṣṇa conscious activities, one must be freed from all material desires and philosophical speculation. Any desire except for the service of the Lord is called material desire. And philosophical speculation refers to the sort of speculation which ultimately arrives at a conclusion of voidism or impersonalism. This conclusion is useless for a Kṛṣṇa conscious person. Only rarely by philosophical speculation can one reach the conclusion of worshiping Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. This is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā itself. The ultimate end of philosophical speculation, then, must be Kṛṣṇa, with the understanding that Kṛṣṇa is everything, the cause of all causes, and that one should therefore surrender unto Him. If this ultimate goal is reached, then philosophical advancement is favorable, but if the conclusion of philosophical speculation is voidism or impersonalism, that is not bhakti."

Prabhupāda: There is a verse in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: vāsudeva-parā vedā vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānaṁ vāsudeva-paraṁ gatim. So unless one is led to the conclusion vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), jñāna-vairāgya-karma, anything that you are trying to achieve, if it is not targeted to the realization of Vāsudeva, then it... Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8). That is the conclusion of Bhāgavata. Whatever you do, the ultimate goal should be realization of Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). All Vedic conclusions should be ultimately to realize Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). This realization is achieved after many, many births of philosophical speculation, mystic yogic exercise or fruitive activities. Koṭi-karmī-madhye eka jñānī śreṣṭha.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.76-81 -- San Francisco, February 2, 1967:

Otherwise, what is the use of Vedānta-sūtra? Veda-anta. Vedānta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means end, end of all knowledge. Everyone is searching after knowledge, but there must be some end. What is the ultimate end? The Bhagavad-gītā says, vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛd ca aham: "I am the compiler of Vedānta. I am the knower of Vedānta." So, if you simply understand what Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, you are Vedantist. And what says Kṛṣṇa? What does He say? He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all rascaldom. Simply surrender unto Me." This is Vedānta. This is Vedānta. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim (Nārada Pañcarātra).

So Vedānta-sūtra means... To understand Vedānta-sūtra means that one has to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full knowledge, and knowing it fully, knowing his own position fully and God's position fully, one has to surrender. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). That surrendered soul is a great soul who has surrendered, "Oh, God is great." That is Vedānta. Not that giving his own interpretation, as if Vyāsadeva was a fool, and he left Vedānta for being commented by another rascal. No. Then what is the authority of Vedānta? If you can... You are a common man. Your intelligence is so imperfect. You are cheaters, and your senses are imperfect. How you can comment on Vedānta which was compiled by Vyāsadeva, the most perfect personality, liberated personality? How you can comment on Bhagavad-gītā? It is spoken by Kṛṣṇa. So you have no right. If you at all want to study Vedānta-sūtra, you have to accept it as it is, without any change. That is understanding. Vedānta-sūtra...

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.121-124 -- New York, November 25, 1966:

"The subject matter of the Vedas, we must understand." And what is that subject matter? That we must know our relationship with God, or with each other, or with this nature, or this world; then what is our action, regulated action; then the prayojana, the ultimate goal of life is reached. 'Kṛṣṇa'-prāpya sambandha, 'bhakti'-prāptyera sādhana. The ultimate end is to reach Kṛṣṇa or to get Kṛṣṇa, ultimate end. And that is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). The ultimate purpose of the Vedas is to reach Kṛṣṇa. That's all. So this is the ultimate goal of life, and Vedas describes this, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu is describing also. We shall come to this point gradually.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137 -- New York, November 28, 1966:

So practically every process is condemned herewith by the Supreme Lord, condemned in this sense, that they can approach to a certain degree, certain extent, towards the final goal. But that process will never be able to achieve to the final goal unless this devotional process is added there. Plus, this must be, the devotion, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, because ultimate end is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord. As we have several times discussed that verse from the Bhagavad-gītā, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyante: (BG 7.19) "After many, many births, those who are actually intellectual, they come to Me and surrender to God, that 'Here is...' Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: (BG 7.19) 'God is everything.' Then he surrenders." So one has to come. Maybe you go by the yoga process, maybe you go by the philosophical process, maybe you go by the ritualistic process, maybe that you go by penances and by study. But unless you reach to this point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, your attempt..., not failure, but there are different degrees. So people are satisfied with that different degrees only. They... Hardly they try to reach the final goal.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.142 -- New York, November 30, 1966:

Now, we are aspiring after possessing something, possessiveness. What we should possess? The possession is Kṛṣṇa, and desire is reciprocation between Kṛṣṇa and myself, and the ultimate end is love. That's all. Just like we have got perverted reflection of that love here between the two lovers. They don't want anything. He wants she, and she wants he. That's all. That is desire and their reciprocation of loving affairs and the ultimate end, that they are peaceful in love. This is only perverted reflection of the real love, which is reciprocated with Kṛṣṇa. Here there is no possibility of love. This is all lust. But we call it love because it is just a reflection. Just a real... That is real, and this is unreal. Just like shadow and reality. There is gulf of difference between the shadow and reality. So whatever love we see in this world, that love is only a perverted reflection of that real love with Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966:

Now, even a love extended, so-called love extended, that nationalism, loving the countrymen, loving the humanity, that is also not perfect. We have got practical experience. In our country, in India, Mahatma Gandhi, he loved his country very nicely. He sacrificed everything, and for thirty-five years he simply struggled for the, I mean to say, independence of his country, of his countrymen. But the result was, at the ultimate end, he was killed by his countrymen. After loving so much his country, the result was that he was killed by his country. So in this material world the love is like that. It is never perfect. It cannot be perfect. So Lord Caitanya, taking compassion on these poor fellows, He taught love of Godhead. If you love Kṛṣṇa, then you will feel pleasure. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). In the Vedānta-sūtra it is said that "Every living creature is searching after pleasure, pleasure." Therefore we have presented this small booklet, that Kṛṣṇa is the Reservoir of Pleasure. If you can love Kṛṣṇa, then you will get pleasure. Otherwise, there is no pleasure. You will be frustrated. This is a fact. If you take it, it is nice. If you don't take it, then that is your misfortune.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966:

Vedānta philosophy, there are different parties in India. The Māyā... Generally, two parties: the Māyāvāda philosophers and the Vaiṣṇava philosophers, or the impersonalists and the personalists. Otherwise, there is no difference. Ultimately, the Māyāvādī philosophers they say that God, the Supreme Absolute Truth, is impersonal, and the Vaiṣṇava philosophers, they say in the ultimate end, the Absolute Truth is Person and He is, He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). This is little difference, and they stick to their position and they fight. Fight means by philosophical arguments. That is going on since a very long time. But both of them belong to the sanātana Hindu dharma because both of them will talk on the Vedānta philosophy. They'll simply, they can give different interpretation, but they cannot say that "We don't accept Vedānta." Oh, that will..., then it is at once rejected. So one must give an interpretation on the Vedānta philosophy; then he'll be accepted as ācārya. Three things: Vedānta philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. One must be able to explain these three books. Then he'll be accepted ācārya. These are the principles.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.29 -- San Francisco, January 21, 1967:

Actual knowledge, it is stated in the Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate (BG 7.19). That is actual knowledge. When he comes to the point of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrenders: "My Lord, I have simply wasted my time in this way. Now I understand vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19), You are Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa. You are everything." That is the ultimate end of knowledge. And so long one does not come to this point, it is to be understood that he has no shelter. And because he has no shelter, he has to come down again. Again. Again to the opening of hospitals and giving medicine or so many things philanthropic, what the ordinary men are doing. What is the use of your sannyāsa, renouncing this world? Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā. Śaṅkarācārya's first principle is, "Give up this material world. This is all false, nonsense. Come to the Brahman platform." So if you go to the Brahman platform, why again you come to this nonsense platform? That means patanty adhaḥ. That means patanty adhaḥ.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra Lecture at The Family Dog Auditorium -- San Francisco, July 27, 1969:

So apart from that reference, Bhagavad-gītā is eternal because it teaches what is your relationship with God, what is your eternal duty to God, and what is the ultimate end of life. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, and the last instruction of the Bhagavad-gītā is that one has to give up all sorts of rascaldom or concocted religion. Simply one has to surrender to God. That is religion. We have developed this human form of life after passing through many millions of lower grades of life, and similarly we have to now develop this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, love of God. If you will take this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement very seriously, then we have volumes of books to convince you what is your relationship with God, what is your duty, what is your ultimate goal of life—these things are all very nicely explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. But unfortunately, so-called scholars and so-called wise men misinterpret the whole thing. That is why the Lord appeared as Lord Caitanya five hundred years ago to establish the correct principles of Bhagavad-gītā, and He showed that even if you do not understand the processes of religion, you simply chant

Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare

Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare

And it is practical. Just like when we were chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, all the members who were assembled here were joining in, but when I am now talking about philosophy, some are leaving. It is very practical to see. The Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is so enchanting that anyone can take part in any condition. And if he continues to chant, gradually he develops his dormant love of God. His heart will be cleansed of all dirty things, and gradually he will be freed from the material concept of life, and he will be joyful, and he will see everyone as sons of God, and then he will begin his loving transcendental service to Kṛṣṇa.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Read it.

Nitāi: "In such civilization, in all spheres of life, the ultimate end is sense gratification. In politics, social service, altruism, philanthropy and ultimately in religion or even in salvation, the very same tint of sense gratification is every-increasingly predominant. In the political field the leaders of men fight with one another to fulfill their personal sense gratification."

Prabhupāda: In India, these are all foreseen. I have already discussed all this. Then?

Nitāi: "The voters adore the so-called leaders only when they promise sense gratification. As soon as the voters are dissatisfied in their own sense gratification, they dethrone the leaders. The leaders almost always disappoint the voters by not satisfying their senses."

Prabhupāda: Then the protest meeting, procession. But nobody will be able to satisfy them because they do not know how to keep the mass of people satisfied. They do not know. Lokasya ajānataḥ vidvān cakre sātvata-saṁhitām. These rascals, they do not know. All set of rascals, the so-called philosophers, scientists. I have always said they are rascals. Now they are coming, "What to do?" They will face so many problems, "What to do?"

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

"This thing is bad," that is our mental concoction. Everything is bad here. Everything is bad. We have simply manufactured by our own imagination that "This is good," "This is bad." But to keep pace with the human society or peace in the human society, there is necessity of doing or adopting something which is approved by somebody, or the state. That is different thing. That is material. But actually at the ultimate end, as we have cited the quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, good or bad means satisfaction or dissatisfaction of the Lord. If any action is approved or gives satisfaction to the Lord, that is good. If any action gives dissatisfaction to the Lord, it is bad. That is the general. Now you have to adopt yourself in the service of the Lord in such a way that you can know that this action is giving satisfaction and this action is not giving satisfaction. Then your life is all right.

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

Who? "Who is thinking always within himself Me, Kṛṣṇa." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān: "With faith and love," bhajate, "he's engaged in My service." Sa me yuktatamo mataḥ. "He is the first-class topmost yogi." So all yogic process must culminate in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So anyone who has accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is supposed to be the first-class yogi. Actually, what is the ultimate end of yoga? The meaning of yoga is " 'contact." Contacting whom? The Supreme. Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme. So one who has contacted Kṛṣṇa, he is the highest yogi. (break) If somebody says that "I am incarnation of God," then why you cannot say that you are incarnation of God? What is the difference?

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

Prabhupāda: But the thing is...

Guest: If we had that love we would then be united with God. That is our ultimate end.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Now, you are already united with God because your relationship cannot be rejected with God. Just like father and son. The son may forget his father. That does not mean the relationship of father and son is no more there. So our relationship is there with God, but we have forgotten. So we have to revive our consciousness. It is not that it has to be manufactured something new. The relationship is there. Just like a son, he has forgotten his father. He is very rich man's son, but he's loitering in the street, and he does not know. Just like there is a story of Tarzan. So we are all Tarzans. So we have forgotten, you see? So the whole process is to revive. That is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "Oh, I am the son of God. Then where is my distress?" So revival, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to free, make free the consciousness from all contamination of material existence. You call it Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, the same thing. So this is purificatory process, that "I am Kṛṣṇa's, I am God's." Everyone is God's, but he has forgotten. In the animal species of life, they cannot revive, they haven't got that chance, but here is the chance, human form of life. If you miss this chance, then you again go to the cycle of so many species of life. Then our human form is spoiled. So we should try for it. That is the perfection of life. Premā pumartho mahān. Lord Caitanya preaches the highest perfection of life, to revive our natural love for God. And any religion which preaches love of God, that is perfect religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christianity or Buddhism or Hinduism or anything. That is Bhāgavata religion. Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6).

Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 7, 1971:

They think like that. So persons who are not devotees, they do not know that only Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He can get me relieved from these material clutches. There is no other way. Hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. We cannot get relief from these clutches of material world unless we surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa therefore says very clearly, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). That is the ultimate end of this Kṛṣṇa philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā. We have to ultimately surrender to Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is no escape. But those who are miscreants, those who are mūḍhas or narādhamas, they do not do it.

But there are other classes of men who are described in the next paragraph. He says,

na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ

prapadyante narādhamāḥ

māyayāpahṛta-jñānā

āsuri-bhāvam āśritāḥ

(BG 7.15)

These are the classifications of the demons, those who are atheists, faithless and do not accept the Supreme Personality, their description. But there are others. Not that everyone is asura. There are devatās also. Two classes of men are always there: devatā and the asura. So what are the devatās? Catur-vidhā bhajante mam janāḥ sukṛtino 'rjuna (BG 7.16).

Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972:

Kurukṣetra should be accepted as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: dharma-kṣetre kuru-kṣetre (BG 1.1). Then you'll understand Bhagavad-gītā. Everything is there. Our request is—you are all respectable gentlemen, ladies, present here—that kindly try to read Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then you will understand the problems of your life, the solution also there. The solution is there, and the ultimate end of Bhagavad-gītā speaking: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). That is the ultimate solution, that we have to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is our... Because every one of us, in this material condition, we are trying to become master, ultimately to become God. That is māyā. That is illusion. We cannot become master. We are servant by constitution. Every one of us sitting here is a servant to somebody. Nobody can deny it. Either he may be servant of his family or his community or his country or... So many things... If one has no master, then he keeps a dog to become his servant. That is the nature. We are all servants. The, our thinking that "I shall become master," that is māyā.

Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974:

Dehino'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). So this transmigration of the soul from one body to another is not very good business. Who wants to die? Nobody wants to die. But he has to die. He must die. There is no question of he likes or not likes. Nobody wants to take birth, again enter into the womb of mother. And nowadays it is very risky, because mother is killing the child: the ultimate end of Kali-yuga. The mother's shelter, a child feels very happy on the lap of mother, and that is the arrangement of nature. Mother should take care of the child. But in this age the people are so, I mean to say, contaminated that even mother is killing child. Just imagine what is the position of birth and death. Birth and death is not very good business. Therefore if you want to stop this birth and death then take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, try to understand Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974:

One who is completely free from the reaction of sinful life, he can completely devote in the service of the Lord. So the common platform is there. God is neither Hindu nor Muslim, nor the method of approaching God may be different, but the ultimate end is how to love God or how to serve God. One cannot serve anybody without love. In the material world one serves another for matter of money exchange, reward. But serving God is not that. Here it is stated, ahaituky apratihatā. Service of God is without motive. Here in the material world we serve somebody with a motive, for some material gain. But in the spiritual world, to serve God means "It is my duty. I love him. I want to serve Him." Just like mother loves child. It is not like the maidservant who is paid. Mother loves spontaneously child, as duty. He (she) loves to serve the child. Similarly, when our love of God will be spontaneous, without any motive, and without being impeded... Love of God cannot be checked by any material condition. It is not that because a man is poor, therefore he cannot love God. No. If a man is very rich, therefore he cannot love. No. Ahaituky apratihatā. Whatever you may be, you can learn how to love God without any impediment. And if we come to that stage of life—here it is said, yayātmā suprasīdati—then you will be fully satisfied and pleased. If you are engaged in the service of the Lord without any motive and without being impeded, spontaneously loving, then you will feel complete satisfaction. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). There are many instances of devotees. One Dhruva Mahārāja, he was five-years-old boy. So there was some family dissension.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Prabhupāda: Yes. God is person. If He is the supreme father, the father is a person. We have got no experience of father being imperson. My father is person, his father is person, his father is person. In this way go on, father's father's..., searching. So the ultimate father is also person. There is no doubt about it. Either human father or animal father, every living being is a person. Therefore the right conclusion is God the father of all living being is person. Personal conception of God is there in every religion-Christian religion, Muhammadan religion, or Vedic religion. In the Vedic religion, oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayoḥ. Those who are sura, means advanced in spiritual knowledge, or the brāhmaṇas, one who knows the Supreme, they find the supreme father is Lord Viṣṇu. Lord Viṣṇu and Kṛṣṇa is the same category, or same substance. So God is person and the ultimate end. The impersonal realization is imperfect realization of God. The Supersoul realization is still advancement, but the final advancement is Bhagavān, or person God. So we must know our relationship with, and first of all our first business is to know God and our relationship with Him, then act accordingly. Then our life becomes perfect. This is the process of God realization.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Prabhupāda: No, no. First thing is, people are desiring happiness. Whatever one may desire, the ultimate end is happiness. Nobody can deny this. But a diseased fellow, if he thinks that "I am happy," that is false happiness. A diseased man cannot be happy unless the disease is cured. Sometimes we go to a diseased person and ask, "How are you?" "Yes, I am all right." If he is all right, why is he lying down? He is not all right. He is artificially saying that "I am all right." What is this "all right"? Similarly, these foolish people, they are thinking, "I am happy." What is their happiness? If you have to die, then where is your happiness? Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam. A real intelligent person will see that these are the things which are giving me distress: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. So where is the happiness? Foolishly if we accept something as happiness, that is not happiness. Real happiness is when you are free from these four principles of distress: janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). Otherwise, where is your happiness? But if you think that "Although I am dying, I am happy," that is another thing, a fool's paradise.

Śyāmasundara: He says that "Desirable courses of action must meet specifiable conditions which are subject to prediction, and they must be based on judgments of experience." In other words, the desirable courses of action should be chalked out by experience, and they must be predictable.

Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung:

Prabhupāda: No, it is not religion. It is simply mental speculation—how to adjust material things. It will never be able to adjust it. That is their simply imagination. It will all fail at the ultimate end.

Hayagrīva: He says, "A natural function which has existed from the beginning like the religious function cannot be disposed of with rationalistic and so-called enlightened criticism."

Prabhupāda: The thing is that these people, they do not understand what is religion. Religion you cannot avoid. That is characteristic. Just like we gave several times this example, that everything has got a particular characteristic. Just like salt, salt is never sweet, and sweet is never salt. It has got a characteristic. A chile is pungent. Similarly, living entity, we are..., what is our characteristic? Our characteristic is to render service. Either you take Communism or this "ism" or that "ism," your real characteristic to render service, that will not change. The, in the capitalist country they are asking people that "You work in the factory and work for me, and whatever I say, you do," and the same thing is being dictated by the Communist leaders. Where is the difference? There is no difference, but it is only difference of nonsensical idea.

Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau:

Prabhupāda: That is Vedic system, to control the whole mass of people in classification. The intelligent class, the administrative class, the productive class, and the worker class, and less than them, and in their respective position, if they cooperate for the common cause, that becomes a perfect society. Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya... Therefore this system is called varṇāśrama, four varṇas and four āśrama, social order and spiritual order. The ultimate end is spiritual, but if the social order is not organized, then spiritual order is also disorganized. So there must be division of labor and activities. This is?

Hayagrīva: Skinner believes in what he calls reinforcement, reinforcing people's behavior. He doesn't believe in punishing people when they do wrong, but he believes more in a system of rewards. He writes, "A government may prevent defection by making life more interesting, by providing bread and circuses, and by encouraging sports, gambling, the use of alcohol and other drugs, and various kinds of sexual behavior, where the effect is to keep people within reach of aversive sanctions." So he...