Ultimately (Lectures, SB cantos 1 - 2)

Expressions researched:
"ultimately"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.4.26, Purport:

Śrī Vyāsadeva was not satisfied with himself, although he had prepared literatures of Vedic value for the all-around welfare of the general mass of people. It was expected that he would be satisfied by all such activities, but ultimately he was not satisfied.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- London, August 7, 1971:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa's another name is Ananta. Ananta means "who has no end." Ananta. Anta means end. Everything of us, there is end. But Kṛṣṇa has no end. Similarly, His incarnation has no end. So in spite of so many incarnations, He is full. If we take, try to understand Kṛṣṇa materially that... Just like if you take from some stock one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, like that, then the stock will be finished at a certain point. Kṛṣṇa is not like that. Pūrṇam. The Veda says Kṛṣṇa is pūrṇam, complete. What kind of pūrṇam? We understand also complete. But if you want to take something from the complete, gradually it will reduce, and ultimately it becomes zero. So Kṛṣṇa is not like that. The Vedas say that pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He's complete. So many incarnations are coming from Him, just like the waves of the river; still, he's complete. Pūrṇasya pūrṇam. From original Kṛṣṇa so many incarnations are coming. But still, He's there.

In the Brahma-saṁhitā it is stated that goloka eva nivasaty akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37). Kṛṣṇa lives at His home, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Just like Kṛṣṇa is in Goloka Vṛndāvana. So still, He emanates, He expands Himself. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ means throughout the whole creation. He has creation; that is also innumerable. We are seeing this creation, this universe. There are innumerable planets. But... Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (Bs. 5.37), in everywhere Kṛṣṇa is there. Still, He is existing in His own abode. We cannot imagine because we have no such experience. Just like we are sitting in this room. We are not sitting in the other room. Try to understand the distinction between Kṛṣṇa and ourselves. But Kṛṣṇa is here and He's not only in the other room, other building, other city, other universe—everywhere. That is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.1.1 -- Caracas, February 20, 1975:

Here it is beginning, oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya, means "I offer my respectful obeisances to You, Kṛṣṇa, because I surrender unto You." One who is fortunate, he immediately accepts Kṛṣṇa's version, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), but one who is unfortunate or less intelligent, he makes research work for many, many births, and then he will come to the same conclusion, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). So you accept Kṛṣṇa in both ways, either on good faith... As Kṛṣṇa says that ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ, "Don't worry. I shall give you all protection, you surrender unto Me." If you take this immediately, then you become liberated. And if you don't take, then make research work of Kṛṣṇa. Ultimately you will come to this conclusion, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19).

If you say, "I can't believe it, Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is the origin of everything," that is of course your business, your independence. Then you wait for many, many births, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante (BG 7.19). You come to the same conclusion. But because you have denied, you have to wait for many, many births. You have to come to this conclusion because He is the origin of everything, sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam (Bs. 5.1). So there is no other second or alternative. You have (to) come to that conclusion. But if you don't accept now, you will have to wait for many, many births. But even that, if you are intelligent enough and if you have to accept because Kṛṣṇa says blindly, that is also good. Just like gold. Gold, you accept blindly or by chemical examination, the gold is the same. So if you are scientist, if you say that "First of all I shall test whether it is gold and chemical composition and other ingredients. Then I will accept you" ...And somebody says, "No, my father says it is gold.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not one-sided. It is not that people may think that they are sentimentalist and simply chanting and dancing. No. There is volumes of philosophy of life, from all angles of vision. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). From the point of religion, from the point of economic development, from the point of sense gratification, and from the point of ultimate liberation, go back to home, back to Godhead, it is so nice movement. Unfortunately... Of course, people are gradually trying to understand the gravity of this movement, but at least you should know the gravity of this movement. It is not ordinary movement. It is not a sentimental. It is most scientific, authorized movement, how to make people happy in this world and in the next. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Because ultimately, he must have liberation. This is the chance.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 15, 1971:

So this liberation should be the ultimate goal of life, how to get this liberation, go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be our mission. Not for this so-called economic development. That is already fixed up. Just like... In our Kṛṣṇa society we are not very much anxious for economic development or sense gratification. We are simply interested how to develop our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But the economic question becomes automatically solved. It is not that we are serving, we have no sense gratification. The married couples are there. Nothing is prohibited; everything is there. But it is adjusted, adjusted. Not like cats and dogs. It must be adjusted according to rules and regulations. That is required. That is religious life, that is pious life, and then you become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and ultimately you get liberation.

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 17, 1971:

Because unless you practice, how you can... But when it is ripened by practicing, practicing, when one is accustomed... Say by practicing he develops love for God. Then, when he's in love for God, he cannot do without it. Automatically he will rise early in the morning, automatically he'll do everything. It is simply the question of time to arrive to that ripened stage.

So this is the process. That we are serving here Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is also very kind. Because if Kṛṣṇa in His spiritual form, He is present... Of course, there is no difference. For Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference, material and spiritual, because everything is spiritual ultimately. But still, taking it accepted that we cannot see spiritual form at the present moment. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). Because our senses are not blunt, we cannot see the spiritual form of Kṛṣṇa at the present moment. Therefore because we cannot see Kṛṣṇa with your present eyes, because we cannot serve Kṛṣṇa with our present hand, therefore Kṛṣṇa appears in a way so that we can see, we can touch. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa can appear in any way. He is all-powerful. So when He appears just like a stone statue, that does not mean Kṛṣṇa is stone or statue. Kṛṣṇa is the same Kṛṣṇa, but He appears before me just like stone statue because I cannot touch anything beyond this stone. I cannot see beyond this stone. So it is His mercy. Therefore it is called arcā-avatāra, incarnation of worshipable Deity. So we should never think that "Kṛṣṇa is not seeing. If I commit some offense, or..., Kṛṣṇa is in Vaikuṇṭha. Here I can do whatever I like." (laughter) Don't do that. That is a great offense. Therefore there are... We should always think, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is here." We should be respectful just exactly as Kṛṣṇa is here. Don't make differentiation, that "This Kṛṣṇa is stone statue."

Lecture on SB 1.1.2 -- London, August 18, 1971:

Then our, this enviousness, the dirty things will be over, and we shall be able to understand what is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam... Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the graduate study. Those who are interested in God, for them, this is graduate study. The entrance study is Bhagavad-gītā. Just like you pass your entrance examination, matriculation examination, then you are entered into college, then you become graduate; similarly, after reading Bhagavad-gītā, you are allowed to enter into the understanding of God. Because in the Bhagavad-gītā the ultimate instruction is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). There are discussion of the yoga, karma, jñāna, bhakti... Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. But ultimately the last instruction is that "This is the secret of success, My dear Arjuna," guhyatamam. "You simply surrender unto Me, and I shall give you all protection." Mā śucaḥ, "Don't bother." This is required. This is the beginning of God consciousness. So unless we have finished nicely the study of Bhagavad-gītā or unless we have accepted this proposition of God that "You surrender," there is no entrance in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is bhāgavata-dharma. Bhāgavata-dharma means one who has at least understood what is God. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu begins His teaching where Kṛṣṇa ended. Kṛṣṇa and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the same Personality of Godhead. As Kṛṣṇa, He demanded... Because God can demand like that. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me." What God can say? God cannot say that "You jump over My head." God can say like that, "You surrender." That is God's word. God cannot allow you that you jump over His head. You can jump over His head, but that requires great advancement of love for God. That is another thing. Just like the cowherd boys, they are jumping over Kṛṣṇa. That position... You can also have, but after kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. After amassing many lives' simply pious activities, you can have that post. Just like it is said in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:

Lecture on SB 1.1.3 -- London, August 20, 1971:

Nivṛtti means become detached to material life. So long he'll be attached to the materialistic way of life, there is no question of liberation. He will be more and more entangled. According to his mind, he will get a particular type of body, material body. And there are 8,400,000 species of body. So as soon as one gets the body, he becomes under the laws of the material nature, and the material nature means under the laws, stringent laws, threefold miserable condition, that will continue. Therefore the Vedic literature they gives us opportunity to gradually renounce. Pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalām. That is a pravṛtti, inclination. But a Vedic student is trained up in such a way that ultimately he becomes renounced or detached from this material entanglement. Go on.

Lecture on SB 1.1.9 -- Auckland, February 20, 1973:

Now, this question is asked from a person who is self-realized, not from a shop-keeper. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). Here is a guru because he has learned sufficiently from Vyāsadeva and other sages therefore they are asking from him, not from a... Āyuṣman. They are blessing, "Be blessed with long span of life." Although he was young, still he's asking, they're asking, great, great learned brāhmaṇas and sages, "What you have decided to be the easiest process to achieve the highest goal of life?" Puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas. Ekāntataḥ, absolute. Śreyas. Śreyas means benefit.

There are two kinds of benefit: one is called preyas and one is called śreyas. Preyas means immediately very pleasing, immediately. The senses, sense satisfaction, very pleasing immediately. But śreyas means ultimate goal, ultimately. Just like a child, for him preyas means he wants to play, he doesn't want to go to school and, but his śreyas means he must go to school, must be educated so that his future life may be secure. That is called śreyas. So our life, this human form of life, should be used for śreyas. It is said, puṁsām ekāntataḥ śreyas. We should not be attracted by the preyas. Preyas. But modern education is so nasty that they encourage preyas. Especially in the, not in this country, everywhere. That boys and girls are not checked, rather encouraged, encouraged in the matter of immature sex life. Preyas. They want it, "All right, do it, take tablets and enjoy." This is dangerous. For this reason, the generation are becoming degraded, because they are not aiming at the śreyas. They are simply aiming at the preyas, immediate pleasing thing. They do not know that immature sex life spoils the brain, spoils strength. Everything is spoiled. In student life, brahmacārī system is very nice.

Lecture on SB 1.2.4 -- Rome, May 28, 1974:

So this is the paramparā system. As you receive knowledge step by step... Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, instructed Vyāsadeva. Brahmā, Brahmā instructed Nārada. Nārada instructed Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva instructed his disciple Madhvācārya. In this way we have to go through also, in the same way. First of all, offer respect to the spiritual master, as he has done to Śukadeva Gosvāmī. Taṁ vyāsa-sūnum upayāmi guruṁ munīnām. So then his spiritual master, then his spiritual master, then his spiritual master. Just like you have got the pictures. First of all, your spiritual master, then his spiritual master, then his spiritual master, his spiritual master—ultimately Kṛṣṇa. This is the process. Don't try to approach Kṛṣṇa directly, jump over. That is useless. As you receive knowledge through the steps, paramparā system, similarly, we should approach Kṛṣṇa through these step.

nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya

naraṁ caiva narottamam

devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ

tato jayam udīrayet

(SB 1.2.4)

In this way you become glorified.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 11, 1973:

Patram, a little leaf or a little water or little flower or little fruit. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. If you offer to Kṛṣṇa, "My Lord, My Kṛṣṇa, I am very poor man. I cannot give You anything. But I have collected a little fruit, little flower, little water. So I have come to offer You," Kṛṣṇa says, "Yes," tad aham aśnāmi, tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ. He is not hungry, but He wants your love. He wants your love. That is... Therefore He comes, personally He comes. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glāniḥ (BG 4.7).

What is that dharmasya glāniḥ. When people forget how to love God, that is dharmasya glāniḥ? Not that other. So He comes to teach, and ultimately He teaches... In the middle He also teaches, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). This is God's teaching, that "You simply think of God." Man-manāḥ. Mad-bhaktaḥ, "Become devotee of God, worship God." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). You are coming here. Here is God. You are offering obeisances. It will go to your credit. Yes. This is called ajñāta-sukṛti. Those who are coming here, taking part in this ārātrika ceremony, dancing or offering some respect, everything goes to your credit. Everything will go to your credit. In this way... Just like if you make bank balance, one rupee, one rupee, one rupee, sometimes you will see, "It is now 100,000 rupees." Similarly, we are giving chance all over the world, opening this Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa temple, giving them chance to chant the glories of the Lord. That means it is going to their credit. If they take it immediately, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66), that is very nice. But if he cannot, this chance will never go in vain. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, ahaitukī (SB 1.2.6).

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- London, August 27, 1971:

"You just, on amāvasyā, on the dark night, you just take a goat and go to the goddess Kālī and kill this animal. And the mantra is... The animal is given this mantra: 'My dear animal, you are giving your life for this man. So you get next a human life and you have the right to kill this man.' " Now any sane man, who will take this risk, "Oh, I am killing this animal again to be killed by him"? Better give up this job. (laughter) These are the Vedic injunctions. If you want to drink wine, "All right. Have canḍī-pūjā." Everything is there.

So this is pravṛtti-mārga. Those who want to eat meat, those who want to drink wine, those who want constant sex life, for them the Vedic injunction, "All right. You do it like this. You do like that. You do like that." Not deny. But ultimately says, pravṛttir eṣā bhūtānāṁ nivṛttis tu mahā-phalā. This is your inclination, but if you can give it up, it is very nice. It is very nice. That instruction is also there. "Become brahmacārī. Don't have sex life." That is also there. But if you cannot, "All right. Have sex life in this way."

So there are pravṛtti-mārga, and nivṛtti-mārga. Both are there. "Do like this. Do not like this." This is called pravṛtti-mārga and nivṛtti-mārga. Both injunction are there. So if we follow actually the Vedic injunction, Vedic regulation, then our life ultimately becomes successful. And if we become animals, without following the Vedic instruction, that is a different thing. Then?

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Or in other words, instead of gratifying our senses we should gratify the senses of the Lord. That is required. We cannot independently gratify our senses. The Īśopaniṣad therefore says, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā (ISO 1). Directly you cannot. The best example is you give me nice a foodstuff, rasagullā. The fingers catches it, but it cannot enjoy directly. That is not possible. It must give to the stomach, and when it is given to the stomach, the energy produced by eating that foodstuff is distributed not only in this finger but in other fingers and other parts of the body.

This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are making center Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa said, yat karoṣi yaj juhoṣi yad aśnāsi tapasyasi yat tat kuruṣva mad-arpaṇam (BG 9.27). "You work. Whatever you like, you work, but ultimately you give Me the result of it." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We do not want to stop anything. People may not misunderstand that we want to stop business, we have to stop industries, our, our general modes of life. You be engaged in your occupational duties, but resultant action of that duty you offer to Kṛṣṇa. Don't take it. Karmaṇy evādhi-kāras te mā phaleṣu kadācana. Don't take the result. Then it will be (indistinct). The same example, just like this hand picks up a very nice rasagullā, but it does not take; it gives to the stomach. Then it enjoys. That is the process. This spirit of giving to Kṛṣṇa is now forgotten. Therefore people are suffering, because they are not trying to enjoy in the process, that this is the process. You take a rasagullā, give it to the stomach. This is the process. Similarly, whatever you possess, you give it to Kṛṣṇa and take prasādam. Then you will be happy. Otherwise it will not bring happiness, because that is not the process.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 23, 1972:

Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām (BG 10.10). Those who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service, they are never put into distress. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). Kṛṣṇa's devotee is never vanquished. Even they are artificially put into distresses... Just like Pāṇḍavas, they were put into distresses, artificially. Prahlāda Mahārāja was put into distresses by his father even, but ultimately he came out victorious. So one..., we should not be disturbed, even superficially we see that a devotee is in distress. Devotee, real devotee, he does not take anything as distress. He takes everything as Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo (SB 10.14.8). Otherwise that is not pure devotion. Actually devotee's never in distress. People may see that he is in distress. Just like there is a very good example. You are going to Māyāpur, you'll find. His name was Śrīdhara, Kolaveca Śrīdhara. His income was very poor. At night he would chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra very loudly: "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa..." His neighboring friends would say, "This man has no income, and because he is hungry now he is chanting 'Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa.' He's hungry." So one day Caitanya Mahāprabhu Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to take away his possession, flowers. He was selling, making business, making some donā, donā. What is called donā?

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972:

You cannot get out of it, out of these four kinds of material tribulation, without being favored by the Supreme Lord. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. Mama māyā duratyayā, it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement of created by My māyā, illusory energy. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te (BG 7.14), but anyone who surrenders unto Me, he can get out of this entanglement. So here it is stated that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, the whole human civilization is trying to get freedom from some inconvenience. The state, politics, sociology, humanity, religions, so many things. So ultimately it is taken religion is the path of vimukti, religion. Because other things are being tried by the animals. The animals also have their ways of getting out of inconvenience. They know how to do it. Just like a bird, he knows that on the land I am in danger. As soon as there is some danger, immediately flies up to the tree. He knows. So everyone knows. You will find in animal kingdom, in birds' kingdom, everyone knows how to protect. It is said, we learn from Bhāgavata that also that fish within the water, they have got so sensitive power that miles away if some enemy is coming, they can understand and they take shelter. Just like a dog can smell from distant place that somebody unknown is coming. So every animal has got special qualifications. Don't think that human being is only intelligent. No. The intelligence for these four things, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse, and how to defend, these intelligence are there in every animal. Don't think simply human being has got this intelligence.

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Calcutta, February 26, 1974:

Just like good citizenship means to abide by the laws of the state, of the government. That is good citizenship. Similarly, a real religious person means who is abiding by the orders of the Supreme Lord. Unfortunately, they have no information of the Supreme Lord. Although the Lord, the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, is present, still, they are thinking that Supreme Lord is nirākāra. Nirākāra means to avoid. How Supreme God can be nirākāra? If the Supreme Lord is the supreme father... We have got experience: I am a person, my father is person, his father is person, his father is person... In this way, if you go to the topmost platform to find out the Supreme Person or Supreme God, why He should be imperson? Imperson is a feature of the Supreme Person, but ultimately brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11), ultimately the Absolute Truth is a Supreme Person. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13). This is the Vedic information, that as we are all nityas, eternal, we are also living being, but there is another supreme nitya, eternal, and supreme cetana, or living being, and that is God. That is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya: (BG 7.7) "There is no more superior living being than Me." That is Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 1.2.7 -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

So this is avyabhicāriṇī-bhakti, without any adulteration. There are so-called bhakti-yogas. They are not bhakti-yoga. Someone is thinking that "By executing bhakti-yoga, I shall become merged into the body of the Supreme." There are many. Superficially, they appear to be bhakti-yogīs, but at heart, they are nirbheda-brahmānusandhana. They clearly say also, śaṅkarera mata caitanyera patha(?). "When you adopt the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, that means chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, but ultimately we accept the opinion of Śaṅkarācārya." Śaṅkarācārya means nirbheda-brahmānusandhana, to become one with the Absolute Truth. This is Śaṅkara's philosophy. "When we are liberated, there is no more distinction between the Absolute and myself. I'll be, both of us, we become one, merge." This is the Māyāvāda philosophy. But Caitanya philosophy's different.

Lecture on SB 1.2.8 -- Hyderabad, April 22, 1974:

When we think in terms of Vedic civilization—the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—this is very scientific. Because a class of men, very intelligent, very pure, ideal class of men, brāhmaṇa, must be there. That is Vedic civilization. People will see and learn. Because ultimately, human life is meant for elevating to the standard of spiritual consciousness. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So unless in the society there is an ideal class of men, brāhmaṇa, how people will learn it? That is necessary. You cannot say, "Let us all become technologists, śūdras, that you can get money for purchasing wine and meat." But the ideal life is lost. Ideal life is lost. There must be... Just like if you want to keep your body fit for everything, there must be brain. If you say that "There is no need of brain. We simply want legs," so how what is this body? A dead body. There must be the head, there must be the hands, there must be the belly, and there must be the legs. So brāhmaṇa is the head of the society, brain of the society. And the kṣatriyas are the arms of the body. And the vaiśyas, the belly of the body. The stomach and the belly must be kept in order. If you do not eat, if you do not digest your food, the brain will not also work, hand will not also work.

So for proper upkeep of the human society, there must be a brahminical class, brāhmaṇa class, the kṣatriya class. They are all equal because my hand is as much important as my brain. But although comparatively my brain is more important than my hand, that is comparative. But you require the brain. So at the present moment, why the society is chaotic condition? Because there is no brāhmaṇa. That is the defect. So society must be divided in the material stage of this brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. And gradually, everyone should be educated to become brāhmaṇa. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Brahma-bhūtaḥ. Then he will understand what is bhakti.

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- New Vrindaban, September 7, 1972:

So as God hasn't got to do anything, we, being Kṛṣṇa's part and parcel, we have got that tendency that we don't want to do anything, but we want to enjoy. Because you are part and parcel, the same quality is there. But we have fallen under certain conditions that we have to work. This is our position. We have to work very hard, so that foam will come out of the mouth, and still, we are not assured success; always fearful. And after all, working hard like this, we die. This is our position. So dharma means... To accept any kind of religion or faith means to nullify these five kinds of vargas. Hard work, foaming, fearfulness, frustration, and ultimately, death. That is the purpose of dharma. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. (aside:) Why you are making cut-cut? What is this sound? Who is doing that? Don't do it. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. To become religious means how to counteract these five principles. That is dharma. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Na arthāya hi upakalpate. Not that by executing dharma, "I shall go to temple..."

Everywhere, the Christians go to church to get their bread. "O God, Father, give us our daily bread." What is this demand? God is supplying bread to the cats and dogs and birds and bees and everyone. Why He shall not give me? That means they do not know what to pray. Dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. "God, give me relief from these four kinds of tribulations." That should be prayed. Bread? What is this? Suppose if you go to a king and he says, "All right, you can ask anything from me," and if you say, "Give me bread, a piece of bread," (laughter) is that very intelligent? If you have approached a king, you should ask, "My dear lord, my dear your majesty, may give me something so that I may get free from all kinds of trouble." That should be the prayer. What is this prayer? "Give me a little bread"? Of course, it is better than the rascals who are atheists. They do not approach God. They say, "Oh, what is God? I am God. I shall, by economic development, I shall create so many breads. Why shall I go to church?"

Lecture on SB 1.2.9 -- Detroit, August 3, 1975, University Lecture:

Just like law is made by the government. The government makes the law, "Keep your car to the right." That has to be accepted by everyone. You cannot say, "Why not left? In India we keep our car on the left side. Why not here?" No. Then it will be unlawful. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa says, "This is dharma." Not that yata mat tata pat, whatever you manufacture, that is dharma. No. That is rascaldom. This is dharma: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam (BG 18.66), only one. That is dharma.

So here Sūta Gosvāmī is explaining that what is dharma. Dharma means dharmasya hy āpavargyasya. Dharma means to disentangle yourself from these material complexities. That is dharma. Now, the same thing... Anywhere you go, the Vedic literature, the same thing is there. Dharma means to mold your life in such a way that ultimately you become disentangled from this complication of material life. The complication of, essence of the complication, is janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi: (BG 13.9) "Birth, death, old age, and disease." This is material complication because we living entity, na jāyate na mriyate vā; we have no birth, no death. This is our position. We are... Simply we are changing body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). These are the instruction, that dehāntara-prāptir. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Just like these children. They have got a body now. This will be changed.

Lecture on SB 1.2.20 -- Los Angeles, August 23, 1972:

So many rascals, without reference to the Vedic literature, revealed scriptures, Śruti-smṛti. These are Vedic literatures, śruti-smṛti-purāṇa, pañcarātra-vidhi. Without reference to all these books, if anyone poses himself that he has understood God and devotional service, it is simply a disturbance, creating disturbance. That's all. Śruti-smṛti-purāṇādi... (Brs. 1.2.101). Because it is a science. How you can manufacture it? It is not that thing.

Therefore any religion without scientific understanding through philosophy, it is simply sentiment. It is not religion. And philosophy without religious understanding is mental speculation. That is also useless. Philosophy which does not search ultimately what is truth, what is God, that philosophy is mental speculation. And the knowledge of God without philosophy is simply sentiment. They should be combined. To understand God, our relationship with God, our duty, everything should be understood, scientifically. Bhagavat-tattva-vijñānam. Therefore this word has been used, vijñānam. Viśeṣa-jñānam. Jñānam, ordinary knowledge, and vi, when the this word is added, vi, meaning viśeṣatā, particularly, for practical application... This vijñānam.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Los Angeles, August 25, 1972:

Then his father is also son of another gentleman. So our... this world is relative depending one thing upon another. Nobody is self-independent. This is going on. Then... So find out the original source of everything, that original source, whether it is sentient or insentient? The conclusion is original source must be sentient. Because in this, our experience, experimental knowledge, we see something matter and something living. I am seeing here is a small ant and here is a big stone. The big stone is insentient. It cannot move. For millions of years you wait, whether the stone will move—you cannot see. No, it will not move. Because it is insentient. Whereas a small ant, it is going. You just check its marching. It will struggle. It will struggle this way, this way, this way. And ultimately you have to give way. This is sentient. Therefore sentient is superior.

There are two things within our experience: one, matter, not sentient; and another sentient. So this... Now, I am seer. Or sometimes I control both these things. But I am not supreme controller. But I can observe that there are two things, sentient and insentient, and I am observing. So, for the time being, I am superior of both the sentient and nonsentient. So the conclusion is the ultimate source of everything, ultimate knower, ultimate analyzer, must be a sentient. It cannot be insentient. That is experimental knowledge.

Lecture on SB 1.2.22 -- Vrndavana, November 2, 1972:

So spiritual realization is the ultimate goal of our life. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā nārtho yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. We have discussed these verses previously. This human form of life, jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā... Jijñāsā, about the truth, inquiry about the truth, that is the main business of the living entity. But lower than human being—animals, birds, beasts, trees, aquatics, insects—they have no privilege to inquire about the Absolute Truth. It is in the human form of life one can inquire about the Absolute Truth. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. So when one is actually inquisitive about the Absolute Truth, he realizes three transcendental subject: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11).

So ultimately one has to reach to the platform of Bhagavān, Vāsudeva. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). One who reaches to the point of understanding Vāsudeva, he is the perfect mahātmā. Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti (BG 7.19). According to Vedic description, mahātmā means one who has reached to the point of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who has reached... All of them are transcendentalists, kovidāḥ, men of knowledge, but one who has reached to the point of understanding Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he's called mahātmā. Mahātmā is a very common word in India. Any saintly person is called a mahātmā. But according to Vedic description, a mahātmā is he who has reached to the point of understanding Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.2.25 -- Vrndavana, November 5, 1972:

"Previously all the great sages rendered service unto the transcendental Personality of Godhead (Bhagavān) due to His existence above the three modes of material nature. They worshiped Him to become free from material conditions. Whoever follows such sages is also eligible for liberation from the material world."

So bhejire munayaḥ athāgre bhagavantam adhokṣajam. There are some theories—that is not fact—that ultimately the Absolute Truth is impersonal. But here we find that agre, in the beginning, after creation, all the sages... First of all, there was Brahmā. And then he created so many saintly persons. Marīcyādi, great sages. And they also engaged themselves in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not impersonal, from the very beginning. Bhejire munayaḥ atha agre. From the very beginning. Bhagavantam adhokṣajam. Adhokṣajam, we have described many times: "beyond our sense perception." The Absolute Truth is a person, it is very difficult to understand. "Beyond our sense perception." They, generally they think that "How a person can create such huge cosmic manifestation?" That is their bewilderment. They cannot accommodate, accommodate in the teeny, poor brain that the original Absolute Truth is a person. That is their problem. So their idea is that by personal worship, one has to reach again to the impersonal transcendence. But we don't find from the śāstra like that. Now, the most authentic śāstra is Vedānta. Vedānta is accepted by all classes of men. Because without accepting Vedānta, nobody will be bona fide. Generally they think that the impersonalists are Vedantists. Generally they think, but that's a wrong conception. They... All the Vaiṣṇava—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya—they are also Vedantists.

Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

vāsudeva-parā vedā

vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ

vāsudeva-parā yogā

vāsudeva-parāḥ kriyāḥ

vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānaṁ

vāsudeva-paraṁ tapaḥ

vāsudeva-paro dharmo

vāsudeva-parā gatiḥ

(SB 1.2.28-29)

Translation: "In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate object of knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The purpose of performing sacrifice is to please Him. Yoga is for realizing Him. All fruitive activities are ultimately rewarded by Him only. He is supreme knowledge, and all severe austerities are performed to know Him. Religion (dharma) is rendering loving service unto Him. He is the supreme goal of life."

Prabhupāda: Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ (BG 7.19). The same verse, in the Bhagavad-gītā, is explained here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gītā:

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante

jñānavān māṁ prapadyate

vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti

sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ

(BG 7.19)

There are many mahātmās, many yogis, jñānīs, karmīs. They're all good. But if they do not approach the ultimate goal of life—means approaching Vāsudeva—then śrama eva hi kevalam.

Lecture on SB 1.2.28-29 -- Vrndavana, November 8, 1972:

The actual interest is to search out Viṣṇu, or Vāsudeva. Therefore, here it is said: vāsudeva-parā vedāḥ. You are studying Vedas. That's all right. But do you know what is the end of the Vedas? That is, that is answered by Kṛṣṇa Himself: vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyaḥ (BG 15.15). This is the end of... You are very nice student, great student of Vedas, but do you know where to end, where is Vedānta, know? Veda-anta. Veda means knowledge. Do you know what is the end of knowledge? They'll talk of Vedānta, but minus Kṛṣṇa. This is going on. They are known as Vedāntī minus Kṛṣṇa. What is the use? Śrama eva hi kevalam (SB 1.2.8), simple wasting time, simply wasting time. Here it is clearly said, vāsudeva-parā vedāḥ. If you are a student of Vedas, then you must know that ultimately you have to know who is Vāsudeva. In the Vedas there are prescription of sacrifice, so many different types of sacrifices, yajña. So yajña is the name of Viṣṇu. Another name of Viṣṇu is Yajña. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñārthe karma. Karma-kāṇḍīya, rituals, religious rituals, this is meant for yajñārthe, sacrifice, or Viṣṇu. In every sacrifice there must be Viṣṇu. Those who are Hindus, following the Vedic principles, any yajña, any sacrifice, any religious ceremony you perform, there must be yajñe vara(?), śālagrāma-śilā. Without śālagrāma-śilā, no yajña sacrifice can be performed.

Lecture on SB 1.3.11-12 -- Los Angeles, September 17, 1972:

So here we see that you can have God as your son. There are so many instances. Just like Devakī got Kṛṣṇa as his (her) son; Mother Yaśodā got God as his (her) son; Śacī-mātā, (s)he also got Caitanya Mahāprabhu as son. So this is better philosophy than to accept God as father. That is especially in the Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Others, the impersonalist, voidists, they have no conception of God. Voidists—"Ultimately everything is zero," and the impersonalists, "God has no form." Both are the same thing, in a different language. The voidists, they say, "Ultimately there is nothing but zero," and the impersonalists statement that "Maybe something, but it is not person, it is imperson."

Therefore in the Padma Purāṇa this Buddhist theory, voidism, and the Śaṅkara's theory, impersonalism, they are taken as one and the same. Pracchannaṁ bauddham ucyate. Pracchannaṁ bauddham. The Buddhists, they decline to accept the authority of Vedas, and the Māyāvādīs, the impersonalists, they want to accept the authority of Vedas, but under the garb of Buddhism. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given His remark, veda nā māniyā bauddha haya ta' nāstika. According to Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the authority of Vedas, he is called atheist. Just like the Muhammadans, they also call "kafir." One who does not accept the authority of Koran, they call "kafir." And the Christians also, they call "heathens." So there are different terms. So according to our Vedic line of thought, anyone who does not accept the Vedic way of life, he is called atheist. Therefore Buddhist, according to Vedantists, Buddhist are called atheist.

Lecture on SB 1.3.14 -- Los Angeles, September 19, 1972:

So this point is that if the population of the world becomes sinful, demonic, then nature will not supply you sufficient food. She will diminish. We have got experience. In India we have seen, some years there is overproduction of mango. People... Very cheap. Everyone can purchase. And sometimes there is no supply, some year. Similarly, foodgrains also. Some year there is oversupply of foodgrain and sometimes there is scanty supply. Now, this supply of foodgrains, fruits, and everything, even milk... In our New Vrindaban, because the cows feel very safe, they give us sufficient milk. That is our experience. So you keep things in order according to the Vedic injunction, you get sufficient food. There is no question of scarcity. But if you become sinful, demons, then the nature's food supply will be ultimately stopped. You can produce your food in the factory... You cannot do that. You can produce motorcars to consume all the petroleum within the earth, and then you become no petrol. Then throw all these motorcars. Unless you find out some other energy That you can do. You can make things topsy-turvied. But by your so-called scientific advancement, you cannot increase or, I mean to say, stop nonproduction. That you cannot.

Lecture on SB 1.3.15 -- Los Angeles, September 20, 1972:

So Vedic laws are not like that. You cannot change. Five thousand years ago Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You give up all other religious principles. Simply surrender unto Me." We are preaching the same thing. No change. No change. There is no possibility of change. Then how Kṛṣṇa is authority? So change means imperfect knowledge. This very change. And perfect knowledge... You will find that one who is very experienced medical practitioner, he gives you a prescription, and you visit him again and again, he gives you the same prescription unless you are cured. His prescription is so nice that he doesn't change. But a nonexperienced physician, every time you go, he will change the prescription. But actually, those who are experienced, he knows "This is the disease, and ultimately this medicine will cure. So let him repeat that medicine." So our is that platform. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam (CC Adi 17.21). We repeat only. We don't change: "Now hari-nāma is not curing so let me add, instead of Hare Kṛṣṇa, 'John Kṛṣṇa,' if I may." No. No "John Kṛṣṇa." (laughter) That same Hare Kṛṣṇa must be repeated. And you will be cured. So change means imperfect knowledge. No change means that is perfect knowledge. So we follow that no change policy. No, not that because I think I have become now advanced, I change this to that. That mean I am not advanced. My knowledge is imperfect. Therefore I am changing.

Lecture on SB 1.3.20 -- Los Angeles, September 25, 1972:

What is that painting? That means the tendency toward making it zero. Śūnyavādi. We say, "You have got taste for painting. You are nice painter. Just paint Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. You see how nice it is." So painting is not to be stopped. It is simply diverted for Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We don't want to kill, but we simply divert to Kṛṣṇa. Purification, that is. If you don't divert your attention to Kṛṣṇa, then more and more, you will become sinful, and everything will be polluted.

So that was being observed formerly. As soon as there was some discrepancy in the brahminical culture... Brahminical culture means the aim of advancement of civilization is spiritual realization, self-realization, Viṣṇu. Ultimately, Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the prerogative. That is a special chance for the human being. This chance is not for any other living being. So for this purpose, there are so many rules and regulation: Manu-saṁhitā, the social system, the political system, the spiritual system, so many things. Everything chalked with an aim: how to understand Brahman. Brahma jānāti iti brāhmaṇaḥ. As soon as one understands what is Brahman, Para-brahman, Kṛṣṇa—Kṛṣṇa is Para-brahman—then his life is perfect. That was the aim.

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

Suppose you go up to your roof, and if you want to see, find out some friend's house, you cannot see. This is darkness. Darkness means you do not understand things as it is. But in the sunlight you can see everything.

Similarly, Brahman's light... As soon as you realize Brahman realization, Brahman, then you can see things as they are—what you are, what is this world, why you are unhappy, how you can be happy. 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. Vivasvān, Vaivasvata. And his son is Manu. These things are described. In Bhagavad-gītā also you'll find.

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

Those who are meditators, they are expected to see the Supersoul within himself. Unless he can see the Supersoul within himself, his meditation or samādhi is imperfect or it is not finished. So the yogis, they find out, they try to find out. Not find out-try to find out the localized aspect of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within himself. And the devotees, they want to go directly to the planet where Kṛṣṇa is there and associate with Him. And the jñānīs, those who have simply come to the light... Just like the sunlight. So to experience sunlight, as it is not perfection of understanding of the sun, similarly, to experience Brahman is not all. One has to understand the Paramātmā feature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ultimately Kṛṣṇa.

The Vedic information says, yasmin vijñāte sarvam idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. If one can understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then everything becomes automatically known to him. Everything becomes automatically known to him. And Nārada is expected to know Kṛṣṇa, and therefore Vyāsadeva is asking him that "Because you know Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, you can understand what is the defect in me."

Lecture on SB 1.5.15 -- New Vrindaban, June 19, 1969:

The Bhagavad-gītā also, in the last instruction, Bhagavān says, mām ekam. Ekam means one. "Only surrender to Me." So this is the verdict of all Vedic literatures. But if somebody thinks that "I can worship Brahmā, I can worship Kālī, I can worship Śiva, or many other demigods, and still the same thing," this is impersonalist view. It is not a fact. Because according to them, "The Absolute Truth is impersonal. There is no question of personality. But because we cannot concentrate our devotional energy or attention in the impersonal feature, therefore let us imagine some form of God." This is the, I mean to say, principle of the impersonalists. They imagine some form of God, and they get perfection. And ultimately they become impersonal, merge into the effulgence, brahma-jyotir. That is their philosophy. The Māyāvāda philosophy and Vaiṣṇava philosophy differs here. Our Bhāgavata says that ultimate truth, Absolute Truth, is a person. Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti (SB 1.2.11). Vyāsadeva says that "You direct people, attention, to the Supreme Personality of Godhead."

Now, the question may be that one may take to the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead without understanding the truth, by sentiment. Just like sometimes... It is mostly in this country. Some of the disciples, some of the students, they are coming, not that one has understood this philosophy very nicely and he is convinced. Some of them are coming by sentiment: "All right, let me join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement." So in that case what happens? Suppose one does not understand the philosophy, but he comes to join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, then what is the effect?

Lecture on SB 1.7.2-4 -- Durban, October 14, 1975:

Bhakti means when you engage your senses for the service of the Lord. Just like example set by Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. His example is there, because who can be more busy than a responsible king? He has to do so many political affairs, and still, his mind was fixed up, sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ (SB 9.4.18), in Kṛṣṇa perfectly. This is the perfect.

So here also, Vyāsadeva, he applied meditation in bhakti-yoga. Yoga means bhakti-yoga. There are different yogas—haṭha-yoga, jñāna-yoga, tapa-yoga, many—but the ultimate goal of these yo... Yoga means connect, connection, connection with the Lord. So ultimately you have to come to the stage of bhakti-yoga. So here Vyāsadeva, bhakti-yogena manasi samyak praṇihite 'male (SB 1.7.4). The mind became completely purified, amale. Mala means dirty things, and amala means no dirty things. A means "not." So mind became completely purified by bhakti-yoga. By bhakti-yoga meditation, the mind became cleansed. That is required. Our mission of human life is to, how to cleanse the mind. Mind is not clean. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ, hṛdy antaḥ-stho hy abhadrāṇi (SB 1.2.17). Abhadrāṇi, inauspicious things. Abhadrāṇi. Bhadra means very good, auspicious, and abhadra means inauspicious. So in our conditioned staṭe of life, our mind is full with inauspicious things. This is due to rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa. So if we think of Kṛṣṇa, meditation, then this rajas-tamo-guṇa becomes cleansed. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu (SB 1.2.18). Abhadra, this rajas-tamo-guṇa. So if we think of Kṛṣṇa, then gradually, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), the mirror of our heart becomes cleansed. The rajas..., rajas means dust, and tamas means darkness. Due to dark dust... Suppose you have to see one mirror. If it is covered with dust, you cannot see. So rajas means the dust, and cannot see, it is darkness, that is tamas. So bhakti-yoga, you can see within the mind clearly everything.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, April 18, 1975:

Vidvān. Vid means vetti veda vido jñāne. Vid means jñāna, knowledge. So one who has knowledge... Knowledge means ultimately to understand the originally source of everything. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). This is knowledge, to... Everyone is... The scientists, the philosophers, everyone is searching out what is the original cause. Just like modern scientists. They are searching out what is the original cause of life. That is good enquiry. But because they are surrounded by anarthas, they cannot know it. That is called māyā. So long one is illusioned by the māyā he cannot have perfect knowledge. This subject matter has been discussed in the previous verse. It is said, yayā sammohito jīvaḥ. Before that, the one verse is that Vyāsadeva, the vidvān... Vyāsadeva is addressed here as vidvān, full knowledge. So he was unhappy even after compiling Vedānta-sūtra. He was not very happy. So under the instruction of his guru, Nārada Muni, he wanted to compile the last contribution to the human society, a commentary on the Vedānta-sūtra. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Bhāṣyāyāṁ brahma-sūtrāṇāṁ vedārtha-paribṛṁhitam. This, in every chapter, at the end, it is said, brahma-sūtra-bhāṣye: "The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the commentary on the Brahma-sūtra or Vedānta-sūtra." Vedānta means the ultimate knowledge. Veda means knowledge; anta means the last contribution. So under the instruction of Nārada Muni, Vyāsadeva first of all made his life perfect. Yes. How he made his life perfect? Because if you write books without any perfection, that will not be effective. One has to become perfect before he writes some books. Just like nowadays especially in the western countries they write any rascal ideas under the name of philosophy or science, "Perhaps," "It may be." That is not the system in the Vedic civilization. Vedic civilization, people, those who are advanced in Vedic knowledge, they'll write. Vedic knowledge is called śruti, and if you write following the principles of śruti, then it is smṛti.

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Hyderabad, August 18, 1976:

So do not misunderstand that bhakti is lower than something else. There are karma, jñāna, yoga, bhakti. Bhakti is the ultimate. So if you want to understand the Supreme Absolute Truth, take from His instruction, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). If you want to know Kṛṣṇa or the Absolute Supreme Personality of Godhead, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is realized from three angles of vision: impersonal Brahman, localized Paramātmā, and ultimately Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. So if you want to understand Bhagavān... Brahman realization is possible. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam (SB 10.2.32). This paraṁ padam, Brahman realization... And Paramātmā realization: dhyānāvasthita-tad-gatena manasā paśyanti yaṁ yoginaḥ (SB 12.13.1). But if you want to realize the last phase of the Absolute Truth it requires bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55).

Lecture on SB 1.7.6 -- Vrndavana, September 5, 1976:

So because you do not know what is God, so our life is void. But here Kṛṣṇa is personally coming, yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata (BG 4.7). What is that glāni? Dharmasya glāniḥ. That you are very dharmika, so-called dharmika, but you have no understanding what is God—that is nonsense. That is not dharma. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means the order of God. That if you do not know God, if you manufacture your God, "God has no head, no mouth, no nose, no nothing, no, no, no, ultimately zero..." Ultimately zero. So there are two kinds of dangerous person. One person is atheist, agnostic. And another person is Māyāvādī, impersonalist. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādī. Therefore these two things are mentioned: Māyāvādī, "God means has no head, no leg," and śūnyavādī, "There is no God." So the person who says "There is no God," he's gentleman, because he does not believe. But the person who takes the shelter of Vedas and professes that "I am vaidika, I am vedāntī," and refuses the form of God, he's more dangerous.

Lecture on SB 1.7.13-14 -- Vrndavana, September 12, 1976:

This is Kali-yuga. We are trying to train people "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." Still, there are some failures. And if we teach in our institution, "Please do not speak lies," people will laugh: "What is this nonsense? Nowadays is it possible to remain in this society without speaking lies?" This is the position. This is called Kali-yuga. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a brāhmaṇa. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a kṣatriya, neither as a vaiśya. They are all śūdras. Therefore it is said, kalau śūdra-sambhavaḥ. There is no training. It is very very difficult to train them to become purified by training. These statuses of life were different status of training so that ultimately one can become brāhmaṇa, and when he's fully trained up as a brāhmaṇa then he transcends the brāhmaṇa's position, and he becomes a Vaiṣṇava.

So to become Vaiṣṇava is not so easy thing. One has to become brāhmaṇa, then when he surpasses the stages of becoming brāhmaṇa then he becomes a Vaiṣṇava. Śuddha-sattva. Sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditam. Then Kṛṣṇa is born. When one comes to the Vaiṣṇava stage, then he can understand what is Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa was born of Vasudeva. Similarly, when one comes to the stage of Vasudeva... Vasudeva means perfect Vaiṣṇava. Do you think Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as father, an ordinary man? No. He is perfect Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇa accepts somebody as mother... Who is His mother, father? Nobody can be. He is the ādi-puruṣa. He's original person. Who can become His father, mother? But He accepts, when He descends to exhibit His līlā... Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānam (BG 4.7) (break) ...janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9). Don't take ordinarily: "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is born of a father, Vasudeva, and of a mother, Devakī. That's all. We know He was born." No. One has to learn who is His father, who is His mother, how He accepts His devotee as father. That is called yo jānāti tattvataḥ. This is tattvataḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.7.24 -- Vrndavana, September 21, 1976:

That is God. You go on searching after, one after another. I am. My origin is my father, my father's origin is his father, his father's origin, his father, his father... In this way you go on researching. Then come to Brahmā. Brahmā is ādi-kavi. In this material world, in this universe, ādi-kavi. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). So he's the ādi, original, first created being. Then who is his ādi? Wherefrom Brahmā is coming? That is Kṛṣṇa. Tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye. So in this way, when you come to Kṛṣṇa... Brahmā is coming from Viṣṇu, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Svayambhū. He's born of the lotus flower. That Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is coming from Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. And Kāraṇodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is coming from Saṅkarṣaṇa. Saṅkarṣaṇa is coming from Aniruddha; Aniruddha from Pradyumna, like that. Ultimately-Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is ādyam. And Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). There is no more. So that is God. You go on researching, researching, ādyam, ādyam, ādyam—when you come to a point, there is no more ādyam, that is God.

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ

sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ

anādir ādir govindaḥ

sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

(Bs. 5.1)

Sa eva, that ādi-puruṣa, that original person, He comes down, descends in this material world. Jīva-lokasya. This is called jīva-loka. This material world is called jīva-loka because here ātmā, the soul, is covered, conditioned. We have given the meaning, jīva-loka means when the ātmā is conditioned.

Lecture on SB 1.7.25 -- Vrndavana, September 22, 1976:

One of the symptoms is this, that in the Kali-yuga people will be so much embarrassed by three things. One thing there will be no rain, scarcity of rain. And naturally there will be scarcity of... Durbhikṣa. Durbhikṣa means you will not be able to get anything by begging also. Bhikṣa, bhikṣa means if I have no subsistence, I have no means to eat, I go to... (break) Even if I beg, I become a beggar, there will be no supplies. Especially these things will be no supply: rice, wheat, sugar, and other things, there are mentioned. It is all particularly mentioned. And we are experiencing. You were telling that rice is not available. Where it is? Huh? Poland. I have seen in Moscow, you cannot get any fruit, you cannot get rice, you cannot get wheat. You can get only flesh, meat. And milk is available. These things. So now already it has begun, and ultimately as the Kali-yuga advances and people become very much advanced in denying the existence of God, nirākāra, these things will come. Wait for that punishment. Durbhikṣa, anāvṛṣṭyā durbhikṣa-kara-pīḍitāḥ (SB 12.2.9). And as soon as there will be scarcity of food, the government men will take advantage of it: "Now we have to supply food." "Where is food?" "No, you give me money, we shall purchase from importer." The taxation. One side, I am suffering—no food; another side—whatever money I have got, it will be taken by taxation. Now see what is your position. The position will be people will become mad, so much troubled. Ācchinna-dāra-draviṇā gacchanti giri-kānanam. People will be so much harassed that voluntarily they'll give up their family, home, and go to the forest, hopeless. This will be done. Don't think that Kṛṣṇa consciousness is a joke, is a jugglery. It is the only remedy if you want to save yourself. Otherwise, you are doomed. Don't take it, I mean to say, as a joke. It is a fact.

So best thing is that kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. There is one very nice opportunity.

Lecture on SB 1.7.26 -- Vrndavana, September 2, 1976:

The jñānīs, they are trying for liberation and undergoing very severe type of austerity and penances. Kṛcchreṇa. Kṛcchreṇa means very severe type of austerities they undergo. But still they fall down. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ (SB 10.2.32). One who does not understand Kṛṣṇa, then his knowledge, his so-called jñāna... Maybe to some extent it is perfect, but it is not completely perfect. Completely perfect will be possible when you understand Kṛṣṇa.

So if you go on the ordinary way, from the karma platform to jñāna platform, from jñāna platform to yoga platform, but ultimately you have to come to the bhakti platform. If you do not come to the bhakti platform, then there is no question of liberation. That is not possible. You can get better position by karma, jñāna, yoga. Suppose a yogi, he can achieve many wonderful things. Suppose we can fly in the sky by airplane. Many hundreds of miles we can. But a yogi, within a second he can reach even the sun planet. That yogic perfection is there. Prāpti-siddhi. It is called prāpti-siddhi. A perfect yogi, simply by catching the beam of sunlight, he can go to the sun planet. He can go to the moon planet. Within a second. That is called yoga-siddhi. But even if you go to the sun planet or moon planet by yoga-siddhi or material science, what is the profit? There is no profit. Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna: (BG 8.16) "Even if you approach the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, you have to come back again." Again come back, again become grass and again be eaten by cows, and again somebody drinks milk, and he gets the semina, again gives you birth in the womb of woman. These subtle laws they do not know, how things are happening in the subtle ways.

Lecture on SB 1.7.44 -- Vrndavana, October 4, 1976:

Because to serve Vaiṣṇava is more than serving Kṛṣṇa directly. Mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā (SB 11.19.21). Kṛṣṇa likes that. He doesn't accept anyone's service directly. That is a gross mistake. Therefore Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura is teaching us... (break) ...trying to become one with Kṛṣṇa or one with the gopīs. These are all Māyāvāda philosophy. Tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi. You have to serve the servant of Kṛṣṇa, tad bhṛtya dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). That is the way. Not directly.

So here Draupadī is reminding that, yad-anugrahāt śikṣito bhavatā: "You are neglecting his, satisfying him. Do you think if you kill his son he'll be satisfied? Maybe his son is a criminal from all points of view; still, ultimately, if you kill his son he'll be aggrieved. That is natural. That is natural." There was... In Allahabad, it is our practical experience. Two brothers, all of a sudden, they became angry. They fought one another. One brother was killed. The anger is so dangerous. So naturally, in the court he was ordered to be hanged. Then the father appealed to the court that "My one son is already killed, and the other remaining son, if he is also killed, then what will be my condition?" So court considered this proposal, and the boy was ordered to be killed, he was saved. Yes. So this consideration is there even in ordinary way. And actually, these sons were rogues. They fought, one is killed, another is going to be killed. But this old man will be finished. The court considered it, and he was saved. He was not hanged. He was given some long duration of imprisonment. That we have seen. The same thing, the affection is everywhere. So Draupadī is giving the best instruction, that "By the mercy of Droṇācārya you have learned this art, and now this art you are going to use for killing his son? What is this logic?" Very good argument.

Lecture on SB 1.7.49-50 -- Vrndavana, October 7, 1976:

He accepted. "Yes, what Draupadī is saying is all right." Not only he, but also others. Nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca yuyudhāno dhanañjayaḥ bhagavān. Ultimately, bhagavān devakī-putro cānye yāś ca yoṣitaḥ.

So, mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ (CC Madhya 17.186). Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira is dharma-suta. He is not ordinary person. He is the son of Dharmarāja, Yamarāja. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's mother, Kuntī, had the power to call any demigod. She got this benediction from Durvāsā Muni. So he (she) had his (her) three sons, means Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, Bhīma, and Arjuna. She got Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira from Dharmarāja, Arjuna from Indra, and Bhīma from Varuṇa..., Vāyu, yes. Similarly, still she is one of the chaste women. These things are there. But still, they are not polluted. But in the Kali-yuga these things are prohibited. Devareṇa sutotpattiṁ kalau pañca vivarjayet (CC Adi 17.164).

In the Kali-yuga people are very much polluted. They cannot transgress. This is not transgression, this is powerful. Just like you are prohibited to go to the filthy place, prohibited. But the sunshine goes. Sunshine goes. Sunshine is not prohibited, that "Here is a filthy place, lavatory. Sunshine, you do not come here." No, sunshine doesn't require your permission. It can go anywhere. But it is not polluted. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). One who is tejī... Don't try to imitate tejī. You must become tejī. Then... Just like for Bhagavān everything is perfect. Apāpa-viddham. Bhagavān is never affected by any so-called sin. For Him there is no sinful activities. Apāpa-viddham. You'll find in the Īśopaniṣad. There is the mantra, Vedic mantra. And if you think, consider, that "Kṛṣṇa is doing so many things, this is sinful." No. Therefore God is always good. God is good. There is a common word. Even if you see that He is doing something wrong, that is not wrong. That is right. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29). He's so powerful, for Him there is no wrong. He's never wrongdoer.

Lecture on SB 1.8.18 -- Chicago, July 4, 1974 :

Everyone is trying to become perfect, but the perfection means when one can see Kṛṣṇa within and without. That is perfection. Ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ. If you have been able to worship Kṛṣṇa, then there is no need of any more austerities, penances, (indistinct) to self-realize or to know God. There are so many processes, austerities, penances. Sometimes we go to the forest, go to the forest to see where is God, where... There, there are different processes, but the śāstra says that actually if you are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, ārādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ, that there is no more need of your undergoing severe penances and austerities. And narādhito, narādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, and ultimately after going severe..., undergoing severe austerities and penances, if, if you do not know what is Kṛṣṇa, then what is the use? It is useless. Narādhito yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kim, antar bahir yadi haris tapasā tataḥ kiṁ. Similarly, if you can see twenty-four hours Kṛṣṇa, within and without, then the that is the end of all tapasya.

So here Kṛṣṇa say again..., Kuntī says that "Although Kṛṣṇa is within and without, because we haven't got the eyes to see Him," alakṣyam, "not visible." Just like here Kṛṣṇa was present in the battle of Kurukṣetra, only the five Pāṇḍavas, just like, and their mother Kuntī, they could understand that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And few others. So even though Kṛṣṇa was present, somebody took Him as ordinary human being. Avajā..., avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam. Because He was very kind to the human society, He came personally. Still, because they had no eyes to see Him, they could not see. Therefore Kuntī says, alakṣyam, "You are not visible, although You are antaḥ bahiḥ, sarva-bhutanam." Not that antaḥ bahiḥ of the devotee—everyone. Everyone's heart Kṛṣṇa is situated, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe. Pointing out, hṛd-deśe, here in the heart, Kṛṣṇa is there. Now, therefore, meditation, yoga principle, is how to find out Kṛṣṇa within the heart. That is called meditation.

Lecture on SB 1.8.23 -- Los Angeles, April 15, 1973:

Lord Viṣṇu is Kṛṣṇa Himself. So for the maintenance of this material world there are three guṇas, sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So each one of them has taken charge of one department. So Lord Viṣṇu has taken the department of sattva-guṇa, and Lord Brahmā has taken the department of rajo-guṇa, and Lord Śiva has taken the department of tamo-guṇa. They are not under the influence of these guṇas. Just like a, the superintendent of jail. He's not a prisoner; he's controlling officer. Similarly Lord Śiva, Lord Viṣṇu, Lord Brahmā, although they are controlling each department, they are not under the controlling department. We may not commit mistake.

So Hṛṣīkeśa. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller. Hṛṣīka. Hṛṣīka means senses. So we are enjoying our senses, but ultimately the controller is Kṛṣṇa. Suppose this is my hand. I'm claiming it is my hand: "I shall give you a good fist on your..." I'm very much proud. But I am not controller. The controller is Kṛṣṇa. If you, if He withdraws the power of the activity of your arm, you become paralyzed. Although you are claiming, "It is my hand. I shall use it," but when it is paralyzed, you cannot do anything. Therefore I may have possessed this hand by the grace of Kṛṣṇa, but I am not the controller. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore a sane man will think that ultimately if this hand is to be controlled by Kṛṣṇa, then it is meant for Kṛṣṇa. This is the common sense understanding.

Lecture on SB 1.8.23 -- Los Angeles, April 15, 1973:

"What is this?" "It is my hand." But we may claim, but actually it is not our hand. It is given for... Because I wanted to use my hands in so many ways, Kṛṣṇa has given: "All right, you take this hand. Use it." So it is gift of Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore a sane man is always conscious that "Whatever I have got in my possession, first of all, this body and senses, they are actually not mine. I have given all these possessions for utility. So if ultimately everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa, why it is not utilized for Kṛṣṇa?" That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is intelligence. If I am given all these things for my use, for my sense gratification, but ultimately it belongs to Kṛṣṇa... Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). Everyone is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so everyone's senses are also Kṛṣṇa's. So when, when the senses are utilized for Kṛṣṇa's service, that is perfection of life. And so long it is utilized for my sense gratification, it is māyā. Therefore bhakti means hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīkeṇa by the senses, this hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam, when you serve Hṛṣīkeśa, really master of the senses, that is called bhakti. Very simple description, definition of bhakti. Hṛṣīkeṇa..., hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam (CC Madhya 19.170). Hṛṣīkeśa-sevanam. Not hṛṣīka-sevanam. Hṛṣīka means senses. So when senses are used for sense gratification, that is māyā. And when senses are used for the gratification of the master of the senses, that is called bhakti. A very simple definition. Anyone can understand.

Lecture on SB 1.8.23 -- Los Angeles, April 15, 1973:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca (BG 15.15). He gives you the body, reminds you, "My dear living entity, you wanted to eat stool? Now you have got a proper body. Now utilize. Here is stool also." Similarly, if you want to become demigod, that also Kṛṣṇa gives you chance. Anything... There are 8,400,000 forms of life. If you want to engage your senses in any type of body, Kṛṣṇa is giving you: "Come on. Here is the body. You take." But we become exasperated by using our senses. Ultimately we become senseless. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Don't do like this. Your senses are meant for serving Me. So you are misusing it. By misusing, you are being entrapped in different types of body; therefore to get relief from this tedious business of accepting one body and giving it up, again another body, again another... To continue this material existence, if you give up this process of sense gratification and surrender unto Me, then you are saved." This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 1.8.27 -- Los Angeles, April 19, 1973:

The example is... Just like you have discovered nice medicine, very qualified physician. That's all right. But when a man is sick, ask the physician: "Can you guarantee the life of this patient?" He'll never say: "No, I can do so. I cannot do that. I try my best. That's all." That means the sanction is in the hand of God. "I am simply instrument. If God does not like that you should live, then all my medicines, all my scientific knowledge, medical knowledge, will fail." The ultimate sanction is Kṛṣṇa's. They, the foolish persons, they do not know. They are, they are, therefore they are called mūḍha, rascals. That whatever you are doing, that is very good, but, ultimately, if it is not sanctioned by God, by Kṛṣṇa, this will be all failure. They do not know that. Therefore they are mūḍhas. And a devotee knows that: "Whatever intelligence, I have got, I may try to become happy, if Kṛṣṇa does not sanction, I'll never be happy." This is the distinction between devotee and nondevotee.

So Kṛṣṇa says that: "Anyone who is trying to approach Me, to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, at the same time, he wants to become materially happy, he's not very intelligent." That means he's wasting his time. Our main business is how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. This is the main business of human life. But if we waste our time for material improvement, and forget chanting, then that is loss, great loss. So such mentality, Kṛṣṇa says: āmi vijña ei mūrkhe viṣaya kene diba. "So this rascal is asking some material prosperity from Me by discharging devotional service. Why shall I give him material prosperity? Rather, whatever he has got, I shall take it away." Yes. (laughter) It is not laughing. When it is taken away, we become very morose. But that is the test. That is stated by Kṛṣṇa Himself to Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja: yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad dhanaṁ śanaiḥ (SB 10.88.8).

Lecture on SB 1.8.33 -- Mayapura, October 13, 1974:

Because if we do not understand that Kṛṣṇa, what is Kṛṣṇa, then we'll misunderstand Him, that "He is also born. He is also born, so how He can become?" The Māyāvādīs say that "Kṛṣṇa is also having a body of the material body, māyā. Therefore real spiritual identity (is) impersonal. As soon as He assumes the body, it is material." That is called Māyāvāda. "Māyā. The Kṛṣṇa's body is māyā. The ultimate Absolute is no body, impersonal." That is their theory. Therefore we call them Māyāvādī.

But they do not actually know that ultimately the Absolute Truth is a person, the Supreme Person, Bhagavān. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Vadanti tat tattva-vidas, tattva-vidaḥ (SB 1.2.11). Tattva means one who knows tattva. They know that ultimately the Absolute Truth is person, not imperson. Therefore Bhāgavata says, vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). What is the Absolute Truth? Absolute Truth means tattvam. So Bhāgavata says, vadanti tat tattva-vidaḥ: "Those who are aware of the Absolute Truth, they say like this." What is that? Brahmeti... Yad, yaj jñānam advayam. Advayam: "He is without any duality, but the Absolute Truth is known as in three features: by somebody as Brahman, by somebody as Paramātmā, and somebody as Bhagavān."

Lecture on SB 1.8.35 -- Los Angeles, April 27, 1973 :

That's a fact. Every religion accepts that. Just like in Bible it is said, "God give us our daily bread." That's a fact. God is giving. That you are..., you cannot manufacture bread. You can, you can manufacture bread in the bakery house, but the..., who will supply you the wheat? That is supplied by Kṛṣṇa. Eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān.

So we have created unnecessary problems simply by forgetting Kṛṣṇa. This is the material nature. Bhave 'smin kliśyamānānām. Therefore you have to work so hard. Kliśyanti. There is another verse in the Bhagavad-gītā, manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānī prakṛti-sthāni karṣati. Karṣati, you will be struggling very hard, but ultimately sense gratification. Ultimately. In this material world means sense gratification, because kāma, kāma means sense gratification. Kāma, the just opposite word is love. Kāma and..., kāma means lust, and love means loving Kṛṣṇa. So that is wanted. But here in this material world they are engaged in very, very hard work. They have invented so many factories, iron factories, melting the iron, these machinery, and it is called ugra karma, asuric karma. After all, you will eat some bread and some fruit or some flower. Why you have invented so big, big factories? That is avidyā, nescience, avidyā. Suppose hundred years ago there was no factory. So all the people of the world were starving? Eh? Nobody was staring. In, in, in our Vedic literature we don't find any mention anywhere about the factory. No. There is no mention. And how opulent they were. Even in Vṛndāvana. In Vṛndāvana, as soon as Kaṁsa invited Nanda Mahārāja, immediately they took wagons of milk preparation to distribute. And you will find in the literature they are all well dressed, well fed. They have got enough food, enough milk, enough cows. But they are village, village men. Vṛndāvana is a village. There is no scarcity. No moroseness, always jolly, dancing, chanting and eating. So we have created these problems. Simply you have created. Now, you have created so many horseless carriages, now the problem is where to get petrol. In your country it has become a problem. Brahmānanda was speaking to me yesterday. There are so many problems. Simply unnecessarily we have created so many artificial wants. Kāma-karmabhiḥ. This is called kāma.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1973:

"If I give you the ingredients to produce life, will you be able to produce life?" He questioned one scientist. He said, "That I do not know." Imperfect knowledge. If you do not know, then your knowledge is imperfect. Why you have become teacher? That is cheating. When you have got imperfect knowledge, why you take the position of the teacher? That should, you should not have done that. Therefore our position, to become perfect, is to take lesson from the perfect. Kṛṣṇa is the perfect. Kṛṣṇa says, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). So we take the knowledge from the perfect. Therefore this understanding, that soul is eternal, that is perfect.

So ultimately Kṛṣṇa, without Kṛṣṇa... Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained when He was explaining dhātu... Dhātu, the forms of verb, "activity." So He used to explain ultimately Kṛṣṇa is the dhātu. So Kuntīdevī says, ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ. Everything is sufficient. Now whatever mentioned here, that "The grains are in abundance, the trees are in full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals, and the ocean full of wealth..." What do you want more? You can take from the ocean that, what is called, that...? Oyster? Boyster? What is called?

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:

Pradyumna: (leads chanting, etc.)

aho me paśyatājñānaṁ

hṛdi rūḍhaṁ durātmanaḥ

pārakyasyaiva dehasya

bahvyo me 'kṣauhiṇīr hatāḥ

(SB 1.8.48)

Translation: "King Yudhiṣṭhira said: O my Lord, I am the most sinful man. Just see my heart, which is full of ignorance. This body, which is ultimately meant for others, has killed many, many phalanxes of men."

Prabhupāda: So anyone explaining. You can explain.

Pradyumna: This King Yudhiṣṭhira is lamenting that the body, this material body, does not actually belong to us. We can even see relatively that the material body belongs, while we are inside this material body, it belongs to the family. We have debts to pay to so many living entities—to our forefathers, our family. It belongs to our country. Our country takes it and says, "You take your body and you fight in Vietnam," or "You do this kind of work" or "You don't do this." It is subject to the religion we are born in. It is subject to so many rules and regulations beyond ourselves. This body, even while we are in it, does not belong to us, and before we came into this body, it was matter, belonging to someone else, and after we leave this body, as it says in the purport, "While there is life in the body it is meant for the service of others, and when it is dead it is meant to be eaten by dogs and jackals or maggots." So after death the body is disposed of in different ways. Some people bury the body; in that case the worms take the body. Some people burn the body; in that case it is consumed by fire and becomes ashes.

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:

So this is called ajñānam. If you work for your own thing, there is some sense. But if you are working for others only, you have no claim, and day and night, hard work, then what is that intelligence? That is ass's intelligence. Ass. Ass just like works very hard, not for himself. He works for the washerman, for carrying tons of cloth on his back and for a morsel of grass. So in the actual sense also, if you go to see a gentleman, busy gentleman, businessman, ask him that "We want to talk with you something about Kṛṣṇa consciousness." "Oh, I have no time. I have no time, sir." "Why?" "I am very busy." "Why you are busy?" "For business." "What is this business for?" "For maintaining my family." So in this way, ultimately, he is thinking he is working for himself, but he is working for others.

So our intelligence is, if we have to work for others and sacrifice this body for others, why not for Kṛṣṇa? That is our philosophy. If I am whole time, whole duration of life, I am working for others... Others means, ultimately, my senses. The senses are others. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. My senses dictating, "You stick to this woman and go to hell." "Yes, I am ready. Yes." Kāma, lust. So I am servant of the lust. Neither I am servant of the woman or servant of this man or that man. I am servant of my lust. And the lust is dictating that "You do this nonsense." "Yes, I'll do. Yes, I'll do." So in this way, we are actually servant of our senses and the dictation of the senses. This is our position. Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. Durnideśa means... Nirdeśa means direction, and durnideśa means bad direction. Just like people, they are doing so many sinful activities for maintaining this body. But at the ultimate analysis the body belongs to somebody else. So we are fool, that I am doing so much sinful activities for others. This is sense. But one... Everyone is under this ignorance. Although he is working for others, he is thinking "I am working for myself, for my interest." Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). These rascals, they do not know what is actually his self-interest. He is working for other's interest, but he is thinking that "I am working for my interest." This is ajñāna.

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Los Angeles, May 10, 1973:

They don't want mukti. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi. Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4). Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that "I don't want any material wealth," dhanam. Na janam. "I don't want to be leader of hundreds and thousand of people, president or this or that. No." These are material desires. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu is nullifying everything: "No, I don't want this." Na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitām. "I don't want any beautiful wife also." These are material desires. Everyone wants. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejects. Then you want mukti? Because after all, mukti... Dharma artha kāma mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Mokṣa means mukti. People are addicted to these four principles. So ultimately, You want mukti? "No. That is also not." Why? Mama janmani janmani. Janma, if one takes birth again, then there is no mukti. Mukti means no more taking birth in this material world. But Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "I don't want this, don't want this, don't want this." And janmani janmani means "I don't want mukti also." Janmani... If one is mukta, he is liberated, he cannot take birth again. So He says, mama janmani janmani: "Let there be birth after birth, birth after birth. It doesn't matter." Then what You want actually? No. Mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi: (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4) "Simply I want to serve You. That's all. It doesn't matter. What shall I do with mukti? I may go to hell; it doesn't matter. But I want to serve You there also."

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Mayapura, October 28, 1974:

Pradyumna: Translation: "King Yudhiṣṭhira said: O my lot! I am the most sinful man! Just see my heart, which is full of ignorance! This body, which is ultimately meant for others, has killed many, many phalanxes of men."

Prabhupāda:

aho me paśyatājñānaṁ

hṛdi rūḍhaṁ durātmanaḥ

pārakyasyaiva dehasya

bahvyo me 'kṣauhiṇīr hatāḥ

(SB 1.8.48)

So Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja says that this body is meant for others. It is others' body. Everyone should be interested for his own body. Who is interested for other's body? I eat for maintenance of my body, not that your body. It is the very good argument given by Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja that "First of all ascertain whether it is your body. If for the bodily sense gratification, satisfaction, you are committing so many sinful life, but first of all consider whether this body is yours."

Lecture on SB 1.8.48 -- Mayapura, October 28, 1974:

Therefore Kṛṣṇa claims, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi. Just as there are in cities, two taxes: occupier tax and owner's tax... Rented house, actually the house belongs to the landlord, but the tenant also claims, "This is my house." But finally the house belongs to the landlord. So Kṛṣṇa claims, kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata. The same example: As a piece of land, some bighās of land, belongs to a certain person—he can claim, "This is my land"—similarly, other man can claim, "It is my land," other can claim, "My land," but all these lands belongs to the government. Similarly, I claim this is my body, you claim it is your body, he claims it is his body, but ultimately all bodies, becomes (belongs) to Kṛṣṇa. This is clear understanding. Where is the difficulty to understand that everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa? Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam: (ISO 1) "Everything belongs to Kṛṣṇa."

Lecture on SB 1.9.49 -- Mayapura, June 15, 1973:

Animals, they do not know that the goal of life is to understand God, Viṣṇu. Animals cannot know, cannot... Even they are instructed, they cannot know it. That is not possible. But the human beings, however fallen he may be, if he is properly guided, if he is properly instructed, he can become God conscious. This is the special privilege of the human life. Animal cannot do. You can train one animal how to dance. That also you can do. So many things. Just like in circus, the animals are trained up to do so many things. But an animal cannot be trained to be God conscious. Sometimes also, by proper guidance, the animal also becomes, but that is very rare case. So it is the king's duty to see that his citizens are becoming God conscious. That is king's duty. First of all father's duty, spiritual master's duty, ultimately, king's duty. King's, king's duty.

Therefore it is said, dharmeṇa, cakāra rājyaṁ dharmeṇa. Dharmeṇa means "by religious principles." What is that religious principle? Religious principle means to guide everyone to become God conscious. This is religious principle. Dharmeṇa. Therefore varṇāśrama-dharma. In the Vedic culture the varṇas and āśrama, they are accepted as dharma. Dharma means duty which you must execute. That is called dharma. Compulsory. If you don't do it, then you will suffer. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). And wherefrom this dharma comes? It comes from Bhagavān, God. He gives these dharmas. And the king, the spiritual master, being representative of God, it is their duty how to guide people to develop that God consciousness. This is called human civilization, dharmeṇa. So it is the king's duty to observe his dharma, kṣatriya.

Lecture on SB 1.10.7 -- Mayapura, June 22, 1973:

Tattva-vit, those who are in knowledge of the tattva or the Absolute Truth, they know that ultimately the Absolute Truth is manifested as a person like you, like me. Not exactly like you, like me, but so far personality is concerned, individuality is concerned, He is like us. In the Bible it is said, "Man is made after God." Because God is person, therefore we are person. Otherwise, where from our personality comes? God is the origin of everything. Therefore He is the origin of personality, individuality, otherwise how we are persons? How we are individuals? Wherefrom we get this personality, individuality?

So the foremost feature of the Absolute Truth is a person. And as a person, He has got the same feelings as we have got. As we have got feelings for our relatives, for our brothers, for our sisters, for our friends, for our enemies, the same thing there is also. If you study your personality or your friend's personality, you can get a rough idea of the Supreme Personality because our personality is dependent on the Supreme Personality. Mamaivāṁśaḥ. We are simply fragmental personalities just like the sparks and the fire, or the drop of ocean water and the ocean. The difference is in quantity. A drop of ocean water or a fragmental spark of the fire is of the same quality like the fire or the ocean. But in magnitude it is very, very small. God is vibhu, the greatest, and we are the smallest. God is infinite, we are finite, infinitesimal. That is the difference. Otherwise everything is there, as we have got.

Lecture on SB 1.15.20 -- Los Angeles, November 30, 1973:

He gives plain advice that "You always think of Me, become My devotee, offer your respectful obeisances unto Me. That will make your life perfect." But we shall not do that. We shall not do that. We shall think of so many other things, but we will never accept thinking of Kṛṣṇa. We shall become devotees of so many rascals, even of a dog also, but we shall never become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is the position. We are devotee or master to our wife, to our children, to our country, to our society, but as soon as you say that "You become devotee of Kṛṣṇa," oh, he is enraged immediately: "What nonsense you are speaking? I have got so many work to do. Why shall I become devotee of Kṛṣṇa?" This is the disease. This is the disease. Therefore Kṛṣṇa ultimately says that "You give up all this nonsense, and if you surrender unto Me, then I shall give you protection."

Naturally... Just like we are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We are not devotee to the people in general. Then why we are preaching? We are devotee. We are actually devotee, without any motive. Any so-called political leader, he has got some motive. When he becomes devotee of the nation, he has got some motive. But we have no such motive. We simply say plainly that "You become happy by becoming devotee of Kṛṣṇa. You are now devotee of your lust, anger, and illusion. You have become devotee of so many things, rascaldom. You simply become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Then your problems will be solved." Kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā pālitā durnideśāḥ. We are devotee, somebody. But we are not devotee of somebody. We are... We have got some motive. Just like now it is coming to exposure. So many leaders, they got election, pretending themselves devotee of the nation. In everywhere, not only in your country. But actually, they were not devotee of the nation.

Lecture on SB 1.15.34 -- Los Angeles, December 12, 1973:

So Kṛṣṇa's two business is going on in this material world. One is paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8), and the other is vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām. One business is to give protection to the law-abiding devotees. Devotee means who accepts the Supreme Lord as the supreme controller and accepts himself as subordinate. This is devotee. Devotee is not very... Actually, we are subordinate to the laws of nature, and the nature is being manipulated by the Lord. Therefore, ultimately we are subordinate to the Supreme Lord. God is great; everyone knows it. But I am not great; I am subordinate. Acceptance of this philosophy means, I mean to say, godly conscious or Kṛṣṇa conscious. Very simple thing. There is no difficulty. But the demons are so rascal, they will not admit it. They are already under control-prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27)—under the control of the stringent laws of material nature. Still, foolishly that rascal demon is thinking that he is free. This is rascaldom. Just like a outlaw, an outlaw is thinking that he doesn't care for the government. Although he is put into jail, he is punished there, still, he is declaring, "No, I don't care for the government." Madness.

Lecture on SB 1.15.41 -- Los Angeles, December 19, 1973:

In this age, Kali-yuga, this hari-kīrtana is bhakti-yoga. Kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ (SB 12.3.52). In different ages, because the people are different, so different methods are prescribed in the śāstra. In the Satya-yuga the meditation method was possible. In other yuga it is not possible. In Tretā-yuga, by sacrificing big, big yajña, performing yajña; in Dvāpara-yuga by temple worship; and kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt, and in this Kali-yuga, simply by hari-kīrtana, by chanting the holy name of the Lord, you can get the same result. Therefore our process is kīrtana always. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31).

So by bhakti-yoga practice you become perfect in all yogic practices and ultimately you realize God very easily and directly, and that will help you to go back to home, back to Godhead. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā,

janma karma me divyaṁ

yo jānāti tattvataḥ

tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma

naiti mām eti kaunteya

(BG 4.9)

Anyone who understands Kṛṣṇa in truth... Janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. Tattvataḥ means in truth, not superficially. If you understand Kṛṣṇa in truth, as He is... And He is speaking Himself about Himself. There is no difficulty. If you simply accept Kṛṣṇa, what He says, if you follow, then you become perfect and you become fit for going back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 1.15.42 -- Los Angeles, December 20, 1973:

"Prabhupāda does it." So that is applicable everywhere. So if the president knows what is God, how to trust Him... Why shall I trust unless I know you properly? It is natural. If somebody says, "Trust this man," so my next question, "I must first of all know this man; then I shall trust." Similarly, if you do not know what is God, what is the meaning of your trust? It is all childish, slogan. Therefore the condition is so deteriorated. Everywhere, not only here, they have no knowledge of God. We can challenge anyone, any so-called scientist, philosopher, politician, big, big men. They know only wine, women, meat-eating. That's all. This much their knowledge. But who knows God? Nobody. Ultimately, the rascal says, "I am God." Failing to know God, he become himself God.

So here is very nicely explained, how from that one... Prakṛtiṁ yānti māmikām. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that "This prakṛti," means nature, "will be wound up, again come to Me within." Just like the spider. The spider makes a cobweb. From the saliva from him, he can work—he knows how to work on it—and again he can wound it up. That is practical example. Similarly, the material nature... Here is the point of creation. The energy is conserved. Energy is never lost, avyaya. But this prakṛti, this material nature, is not eternal. It is temporary. The same example, the spider. The spider, suppose it is eternal, but the cobweb made by the spider, that is not eternal. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). It is created and again wound up. Similarly, the point of creation comes from God. God is not created. They ask this question generally, that "Everything is created. Then God must be created." That idea comes because we have no other idea than the creation, maintenance and again annihilation. We have no other idea. In this material world, we have no other idea. We see this body is created by father and mother. Then it remains for a time, it grows, and then it become old. Then it vanishes. Ṣaḍ-vikāra, six kinds of changes. Janma-sthiti-pariṇāma...

Lecture on SB 1.15.50 -- Los Angeles, December 27, 1973:

Or why do you love your son's body? So long the spirit soul is there. As soon as the spirit soul is off, you do not care for the son's body or daughter's body or your wife's body. Then who is the lovable object? The soul. It is very natural to understand. Why don't you love a dead body? Because the soul is not there. The soul is the object of your love, not this body. And why you take care of the soul? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate object of love. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But they do not know.

So these Pāṇḍavas were trained up very nicely. Therefore vāsudeve bhagavati hy ekānta-matir āpa tam. They knew that "Ultimately, Kṛṣṇa is everything." Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ: (BG 7.19) "Anyone who understands that ultimately Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, is everything," sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ, "such person is very rare, mahātmā, great soul." So all these Pāṇḍavas were great soul, and they ultimately... Retirement means no more material affairs. We are active on the platform of this bodily consciousness. That is also required for some time, not for all the time. The aim is to work for the soul. But because now we are covered by this material body, so we have to utilize the best use of a bad bargain. It is a bargain, that we have got this material body. But because... Just like you take care of your car because you, the spirit soul, will utilize it for going here and there. Without a man being interested going by car, nobody takes care. Similarly, this is also a car given by nature.

Lecture on SB 1.16.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1974:

The pravṛtti, propensity is eating, sleeping, mating, defending. And when you make it just the opposite—no more eating, no more sleeping, no more mating, no more defending—oh, that is perfection of life. Who knows this? Ask any scientist, philosopher, of this world, that "Can you show me any way, no more eating, no more sleeping, no more mating and no more defending?" That is spiritual life. Therefore we have to reduce it. It is not possible, but there is possibility. Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he made it in his life, during Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... Even after departure of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, about four hundred years ago. He was a very rich man's son. Very good wife, very good state. He left everything, and ultimately, he made these things, even eating, nil. He was eating every third day a small quantity of butter, nominal, little. Otherwise he gave up eating. So it is possible. It is not that "How one can give up eating and live at the same time?" That is possible. By the life of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī we see.

Lecture on SB 1.16.11 -- Los Angeles, January 8, 1974:

Formerly this was the system, to come to a conclusion. If two parties are arguing on a subject matter, the one party will be defeated, he must become his disciple, under control.

So here the same digvijaya. Digvijaya, for learned scholar, by arguing on śāstra, that is another kind of digvijaya. And digvijaya for kṣatriya, by subduing others who do not accept the authority. So here Parīkṣit Mahārāja went for digvijaya just to challenge all over the world, "Now I have been selected by my grandfather as the emperor of the world. If you do not accept my authority, then here is fight. Come on. Here is fight. Let us fight." So if by fight he becomes victorious... Just like in modern sporting also, there are rival parties, and ultimately, the party which defeats all other sportsmen, they get some reward, seal, or some cup. Similarly, this is also another type of digvijaya. Parīkṣit Mahārāja went out of home not king, simply drinking and enjoying the dancing of the young girls just like the Muhammadan kings when they deteriorated. Still there are so many fools. No. King's duty is to subdue the miscreants who will create disturbance. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was such a nice, what is called, hero, that he got out of his home. Sva-senayā digvijayāya nirgataḥ. Nirgataḥ means went out of home, not simply enjoying comfortably at home. Similarly, for a preacher also, that is digvijaya. Go from country and country, from village to village, town to town, and make digvijaya: "Here is our philosophy. There is God. We can prove there is God. Who are you, you deny God? Come on." That is digvijaya.

Lecture on SB 1.16.13-15 -- Los Angeles, January 10, 1974:

Never mind whatever nonsense it is; it must be palatable. So that is eating, eating problem. So in this way, if we analyze, it is not difficult to find out who is a human being and who is a cat and dog. That is... Everything can be understood.

So when one is inquisitive, jijñāsu... And jijñāsu means, what kind of jijñāsu, inquisitive? Śreya uttamam. Jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. There are fields, different fields of activities. So when becomes inquisitive to know the ultimate necessity, ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, ultimate necessity. Śreya uttamam. There are two things: śreya and preya. I have discussed all these thing many times. Preya means immediately very palatable. That is called preya. And śreya means ultimately good. Suppose if you take some palatable foodstuff, it may be very palatable to you... There are many examples. Just like smoking. Smoking. Everyone knows, the scientists, the doctor, they declare, "This is a nonsense thing. It should be avoided." They advertise even in the packet also. But people still smoke. But that is called preya. That is called preya. Preya means immediately very nice. And śreya means when one gives it up, "No, it will keep my health nice." That is śreya. Try to understand what is śreya and preya. Another example: just like a child he wants to play whole day. Even Kṛṣṇa was playing with His friends. Mother Yaśodā had to call Him thrice, four times, then He would come back. So that is the nature of children—they want to play whole day and night. But that is not preya, er, that is not śreya. The mother, the parents, take care, "My dear boy, come here, take your bath, change your dress, take your food. It is already late." So he does not know that these things are śreya. He wants to play. Just try to understand śreya and preya. Preya means according to one's position, there are different subject matter of sense gratification. That is called preya. And śreya means for future goodness. Ultimate good. That is called preya, er, śreya. Therefore a human being is he who is inquisitive about his ultimate goal of life, to know "How, what is my ultimate goal of life?" That is human being. So jijñāsu.

Lecture on SB 1.16.16 -- Los Angeles, January 11, 1974:

Does anybody love a dead body? Is there any instance, a dead body is loved and embraced and taken into the room and kept it? Nobody cares. Throw it. Or burn it. So the body is not a lovable object. But because the soul is there within the body, therefore we love this body. This house, if it is vacant, nobody will come. But because there is Kṛṣṇa or because there are devotees of Kṛṣṇa, so many people come. Not that this house is lovable. Similarly, you analyze. You love this body. You work so hard day and night to keep this body fit. Why? Because the proprietor of the body, soul, is there. Then the love transfers from body to the soul. Then why do you love the soul? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we love the soul. So ultimately, the love goes to Kṛṣṇa. This is natural feeling of love between Kṛṣṇa, or God, and between living entities, but the māyā is interrupting the relation. It is called illusion. The process of interruption is called illusion. Otherwise, we, every one of us, we love Kṛṣṇa. Everyone of us. You analyze. You see that ultimately goes to Kṛṣṇa.

Therefore in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti: "The loving attitude of the living entity towards Kṛṣṇa is nitya-siddha." That is eternally fact. Not that we are preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, artificially we are creating some situation that a person may love Kṛṣṇa. No. That is not. That is not fact.

Lecture on SB 1.16.17 -- Los Angeles, January 12, 1974:

Sometimes we have got experience. We start from a place, say, at ten o'clock, and going western side. Then, after few hours, we see it is still ten o'clock, and the light is there. This is our practical experience.

So actually, there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual. Spiritual means īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1), everything belonging to God. But when we think that "There is no God, I am God," or "It is mine," that is darkness. This consciousness is darkness. So Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to be situated above this material conception. Ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). Janasya moho' yam ahaṁ mameti. This conception, that "I am the proprietor, and everything belongs to me," this conception is called illusion. And this illusion increases by mental speculation. Ultimately, that mental speculator remains in darkness, but he thinks that he has become liberated. This is another darkness. Another darkness. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ. He Aravindākṣa. Kṛṣṇa's name is... (baby starts crying) (aside:) You take him out. (long pause in lecture and everyone starts chanting while baby is crying and being taken out)

ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas

tvayy asta-bhāvād aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ

āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ

patanty adho 'nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ

(SB 10.2.32)

Prahlāda Mahārāja says, "My Lord," Aravinda-akṣa. Kṛṣṇa's another name... As I explained yesterday, God has no name, but He has got thousands and millions of names according to His relationship with the devotee or the world, like that. As I explained yesterday, Kṛṣṇa is called Devakī-nandana because He has got relationship with Devakī.

Lecture on SB 1.16.22 -- Los Angeles, July 12, 1974:

Fully matured fruit of the desire tree known as Vedas.

So in this verse we find that due to mismanagement of the government, people will have no regular principle even for taking bath or eating or sleeping or sexual intercourse. And another point is here, that vyavāya unmukha-jīva-lokam. They can give up eating, they can give up sleeping, they can give up everything, but cannot give up sex life. And the Vedic civilization is to avoid sex life. Just like these hippies. Hippy means they have given up bathing, given up eating, given up sleeping, but they cannot give up sex life. And everyone, not only the hippies... Vyavāyonmukha. Ultimately, so many yogis, incarnation and others, others, are coming in your country, but they cannot give up the sex life. You have seen advertisement, so many yogis, they are having sex life. So many incarnation of God. (laughter) Having sex life. You see? Big, big sannyāsīs, swamis. Long, long ago some swami came here. He returned with three woman, and we do not wish to discuss. Many more. You see. The sex life is very strong in this material, in this age. But sex life should be regulated. Not that anywhere and everywhere, or any time. Therefore the population is unwanted population. One irregular sex life produced the Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇyakaśipu's mother became very sexually agitated, and she wanted to sex, with her husband (have) intercourse. And just in the evening. Kaśyapa Muni, he said, "No, no, this is not the time, proper time." But she was insistent. So the result was two demons were born.

So everything should be regulated. But in this age there is no regulation, there is no knowledge. Less than animals also. They have sex life at a certain period of the year, not always. But human being has become so low-graded that... And that is due to Kali-yuga. Therefore it is very lamentable. Everything is topsy-turvied. It's no regular. It is the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mercy that we are reforming the whole society very simple way-chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. You see. It is so nice. You see?

Lecture on SB 1.16.24 -- Los Angeles, July 14, 1974:

The trees, the plants, the foodstuffs, the minerals, so many things. There is everything, complete. You'll see in your garden there are different types of flowers, color, scent, flavor. But wherefrom it is coming? It is coming from the earth. Can you make any scent from the earth? But the scent is coming from the earth. The rose flavor, wherefrom it is coming? It is there. Anyone can understand. But you cannot extract that. Kṛṣṇa requires His hand. When Kṛṣṇa is there in the form of seed... Kṛṣṇa says, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām: (Bg 7.10) "I am the seed of all living beings." The seed. That... Just like there is sex. Unless the seed is there, there is no child. Similarly, unless the seed is there, there is no plantation. The banyan tree is there because the seed is there. And the rose tree is there because the seed is there. And Kṛṣṇa claims, bījo 'haṁ sarva-bhūtānām. And Kṛṣṇa's potencies are there in the seed so that different types of seeds producing different types of flowers, fruits, colors, flavor. This is Kṛṣṇa's supervision. Mayādhyakṣeṇa (BG 9.10).

So ultimately, time and earth and everyone is abiding by the Lord, by the orders of the Lord.

Lecture on SB 1.16.25 -- Hawaii, January 21, 1974:

So many questions will be there. But when there is love, there is no question. So therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā, after teaching so many things, yoga, jñāna, karma and so many other things, at last, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-guhyatamam: "Now I am speaking to you the most confidential instruction." What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja... (BG 18.66). This is the most confidential.

So generally, a human being accepts four principles, namely dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). Dharma means religious principle; artha means economic principle, how to develop economic principle; dharma, kāma, how to satisfy our senses; and mokṣa, and ultimately, salvation. But this is material principles. We have to surpass this material principle, then come to the spiritual platform. That is sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam... Sarva-dharmān (BG 18.66). This is also dharma. So just like people are engaged formally. Their temple, church, is sometimes, simply formality. Real, their real business is how to satisfy their senses. "If for satisfying my senses I'll have to pose myself as a religious person, so let me do that." That is their religion. But that is not religion. Real religion is no sense satisfaction, simply to satisfy the Supreme Lord. That is real religion. Therefore (s)he says, bhavān hi veda tat sarvam.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Paris, June 9, 1974:

We, we try to protect this body. We are very much fond of this body. Why? Because the soul is there. Everyone knows it. As soon as this body, there is no soul, it is kicked out, throw it away in the street. Nobody cares for it. Suppose a beautiful man and beautiful girl, dead bodies lying on the street—who cares for it? But as, so long the soul is there, "Oh, such a nice, beautiful, such a nice, beautiful boy, girl." The soul is important.

So actually, we do not love this body because the same beautiful body's there. Why do you not care? Because soul is not... Therefore I love the soul. This is the fact. This is ātmavit, ātma-tattva-vit. And why I love soul? Because I love Kṛṣṇa. Soul is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. So why I am so much fond of soul? Because it is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, ultimately, I love Kṛṣṇa. This is the conclusion. And if I do not love Kṛṣṇa, that is my abnormal stage. And the normal stage is I love Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we are trying to awaken Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As soon as one is fixed up in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and begins to love Kṛṣṇa, then he doesn't want to love anything more. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi: "Now I am fully satisfied." So otherwise, we'll have many questions, many answers so long we are not self-realized, and our time will be spoiled.

So this kṛṣṇa-praśna, inquiry about Kṛṣṇa, that should continually go on. And all the answers you'll find in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And simply by questions and answer, your life will be successful.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:

So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, you know, I have several times spoken, he had only seven days to meet his death. He was young man, but some way or other, he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy, not a brāhmaṇa, that he would meet death within seven days, and... This is Vedic culture, that before death one should prepare very nicely to go back to Godhead. This is Vedic culture. The modern civilization, they do not know what is going to happen after death. But our Vedic culture is not so blind. Vedic culture has got an aim, what is the aim of human life, not aimless life. Aimless life is animal life. They have no aim. By the laws of nature they are going on, transforming from one body to another, and ultimately they are coming by evolutionary process to the human form of life. And especially this civilized human form of life, it is very responsible life. One has to make his choice whether he wants to continue his materialistic way of life and change the body, one after another. That is very risky job. You should always remember that if in my next body I am given a body like a tree, just see, in this part of the world, how condemned life. They are standing in the snowfall. You have got house. You are protecting yourself. They cannot even move. So there is possibility of getting such life.

Lecture on SB 2.1.1-5 -- Boston, December 22, 1969:

Otherwise what you will preach? You hear, you think of it, you preach—this is the business. Smartavyaḥ kīrtitavyaś ca, śrotavyaḥ. For whom? Icchatā akuto bhayam. Icchatābhayam, those who are actually seeking protection. Not this protection, that your bank balance, your good wife, this and... No. They will not give you protection. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja was advised by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, his spiritual master, "This is your business at the point of death." So not only at the point of death. You cannot take to this business all of a sudden, even it is advised. You have to practice. Just like you cannot become a good soldier on the battlefield. You have to be trained yourself before going to the battle, military training. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is training before you ultimately meet death, fight with. So this is the advice given by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and we shall read later on.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

We have also come from God. We are also claimed as sons of God. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya sambhavanti mūrtayo yāḥ (BG 14.4). There are 8,400,000 species of life, and they have got forms. They are sons of God. So where is our experience that a son who has got a form, his father is impersonal, no form? Where you have got this experience? If the son has got form and the father is formless, how it can be? What is the reason? Where is the argument? But they are concluding like that. I am the son of my father, so my father has got a form. I have got a form. His father has got form. His father has got form. Even if we do not see the tenth generation, up to, whether it was form or formless, but it is supposed that he must have a form. So similarly, if you ultimately go to the supreme father, then how it is formless? No. Formless is not the actual realization of God. That is the beginning. That may be beginning. To realize the energy of God, that is formless. Just like the sun. The sunshine is formless, but the sun globe is not formless, or the person, the predominating Deity within the sunglobe, he is not formless. The sunshine is formless. So this formless realization... Just like the sun. Sun is also light. Sun is also heat. The sunshine is also light, sunshine is also heat. But this heat and light, energy of the sun, they are not actually the sun. It is only the energy.

Lecture on SB 2.1.5 -- Delhi, November 8, 1973:

Kṛṣṇa says, "Give me patraṁ puṣpam, vegetables, flowers, grains, milk." So you can prepare hundreds and thousands of preparations from these article, and you take the remnants of foodstuffs of Kṛṣṇa, that is human life. Not to eat kadarya, kadarya, nasty things. That is not human life. So if you continue to eat all the kadaryas, then you get ultimately the body of a hog, no discrimination even for stool. That is the laws of nature.

prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni

guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ

ahaṅkāra-vimūḍhātmā

kartāham iti manyate

(BG 3.27)

Prakṛti, nature, will give you chance, "All right, you want this?" Mind... You are creating... Mind is the creating force.

So if you create a certain type of body, next life you get a body. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram, sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). So similarly, if we are going to create another body by thinking and feeling and willing in this life, why not get a body like Kṛṣṇa? That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Think of Kṛṣṇa. Think of Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa's advice. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Kṛṣṇa wants that you come back home, but you have to get the body. How you can get the body? Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. You simply think of Kṛṣṇa. Don't think of the hog or hoglike animals. You think of Kṛṣṇa. You have to think something. Why not think Kṛṣṇa, so nice figure, no, so attractive figure? So śrotavyaḥ, and thinking. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). The... Hear also. Unless you hear about Kṛṣṇa, how you can become...? How your mind can be absorbed if you do not know what is Kṛṣṇa?

Lecture on SB 2.1.6 -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

Ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). At the time of death, if you can remember Nārāyaṇa-Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa, the same thing—then your life is successful, whatever you do. In Bengal there is a proverb, it is called bhajana kara sādhana kara murte janle hoya.(?) Means you may be very big stalwart spiritualist or yogis, or there are so many big, big things, so whatever you do, that is all right. Because they say that "Everything is leading to the Supreme, this way or that way." That has been described here, sāṅkhya-yoga, karma-yoga, jñāna-yoga or dhyāna-yoga. So many things they have manufactured, that's all right. And you say that "Whatever path we may follow, ultimately we go to the same goal." That is very nice, provided if you actually go to the same goal. Otherwise, it is misleading. That is describe here, that never mind. You say that "Whatever path one may take, it leads to the same goal." We accept it. That is described here. Ante nārāyaṇa-smṛtiḥ (SB 2.1.6). Whatever you have done may be very good, but at the time of death, if you forget Nārāyaṇa, then it's all useless, all useless.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:

And direction, everything is there: purport, word meaning, and translation. So we are taking so much trouble in writing books not for simply making market. It is for you to read. Not that simply we go and sell books, and that ... If the customer says, "You read it first of all," then what you will say? You'll say, "No, I cannot read. I can sell only." (laughter) (Prabhupāda laughs.) Then what will be your position, if you say like that? "I can sell; I cannot read." Anyway, then? Word meanings? (Pradyumna reads synonyms.) So these are kāma, these material desires.

Somebody is wanting wealth, somebody is wanting beauty, somebody is wanting strength, somebody something else. All these are...the beginning from brahma-varcasa-kāmas tu. And ultimately, they want to merge into the brahma-jyotir. So up to that point, everything that we want—that is material—and that is lust. Therefore it is said kāma. The...just the opposite word of kāma is prema, love.

So in the material world there cannot be prema. Prema means love. The prema is only possible in the spiritual world. Here, what is going on as love, that is not love, that is lust. A boy loves a girl, a girl loves a boy. That is not love, that is lust. As soon as there is some disturbance in lusty affair, they divorce. So therefore that is not love. So we should note it, that so-called love is bogus in this material world. Love cannot be possible. This very word love, prema, is specially reserved for Kṛṣṇa. Premā pum-artho mahān. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching, that the highest perfection of life is to evoke one's dormant love for Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-3 -- Los Angeles, May 22, 1972:

He's giving some wrong information? Imagination? What business he has got to do that? But these Māyāvādī rascals will say that "the demigods are also māyā, Kṛṣṇa is also māyā, everything is māyā." Therefore we call them Māyāvādī, everything māyā. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is māyā. They say it is good for raising oneself to the platform of impersonalism. Their process is that you, if you want to go higher platform, you take one staircase and get on it, and then throw it away. Because you don't require to come down again. That is their philosophy. So you take any means, the Ramakrishna Mission also says like that. Yata mata tata patha. "You can worship brahma-varcasa, you can worship Devī-māyā; you can worship Vasūn; you can worship Rudra; you can worship anyone; ultimately, you become one with the Supreme." Most misguiding. Here it is... But if you want this particular thing, then you worship this. In the Bhagavad-gītā also, it is confirmed, yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ (BG 9.25).

Demigod worshipers will go to the demigods. There are different planets, 33 crores of demigods, and there are thirty-three crores of planets also. The moon planet, according to Vedic literature, that is also one of the planets belonging to the demigod Candra. It is one of the higher planets. So this is the list. If you want something particular... if you want to merge into the effulgence, brahma-jyotir, then you worship... Yajeta brahmaṇaḥ patim. Brahmaṇaḥ. Brahmaṇaḥ means also Vedas, śabda-brahma. Tene brahma hṛdā, in the Bhāgavata, beginning. Brahma means this sound, transcendental sound of knowledge. That is Veda. So there is Upaniṣad. So Upaniṣad, they generally, those who are scholars in Upaniṣad, they want to become one with the... So that is not a very difficult thing. Anyone can do that. There is a process, but we Vaiṣṇavas, we do not accept that suicidal policy. We want to keep our individuality, not merge. We don't want to finish our identity.

Lecture on SB 2.3.1-4 -- Los Angeles, May 24, 1972:

That is the conclusion. Here Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is recommending different demigods for different purposes because there are all classes of men. So to take immediate effect, they worship demigods. Kṣipram, very soon. Generally, people do not go to worship Kṛṣṇa and Viṣṇu, because you cannot ask from Kṛṣṇa anything which is not good for you. Suppose you pray to Kṛṣṇa on the seaside, "Kṛṣṇa, give me a good fish. I want to catch." Kṛṣṇa will never fulfill your desire. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Because Kṛṣṇa will not give you facility for possessing anything which will ultimately cause your falldown. Kṛṣṇa knows that "If he catches a fish, then he will have to become a fish again to be caught by the same fish. So why shall I give the facility?" So therefore our policy is not to ask anything from Kṛṣṇa. He knows what is good for me; simply I have to surrender unto Him. That's all. Why shall I bother Him, "Give me this, give me that, give me that"? Na dhanaṁ na janam.

Here, strī-kāma, beautiful wife, kāma, one who wants, devīm, he should worship Goddess Durgā. This is recommended here. But it is kāma. But those who are devotees, they have no kāma. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). Anya. Anya means other than Kṛṣṇa's service. They have made all, everything zero. We don't want all these things. We simply want to serve Kṛṣṇa. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ jñāna-karmādy-anāvṛtam (CC Madhya 19.167). Jñāna means knowledge. Karma means fruitive activities. Uncovered by or untouched by fruitive activities and jñāna. Just like in Vṛndāvana. All the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they never tried to know Kṛṣṇa, whether He is God. That was not their business. Jñānam, the jñānīs, they want to know. Just like Brahmā wanted to test whether Kṛṣṇa is God or not. Indra wanted to test whether... The inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, they never did it. They think, "Kṛṣṇa is our very intimate friend, my beloved son, my lover, my master." Everyone's concentrated love for Kṛṣṇa in different mellows.

Lecture on SB 2.3.8, and Initiations -- Los Angeles, May 25, 1972:

Pradyumna: Translation: "One should worship Lord Viṣṇu or His devotee for spiritual advancement of knowledge, and for protection of heredity and advancement of the dynasty one should worship the different demigods."

Prabhupāda: Hm. Other line is not translated. Hm. Then?

Pradyumna: Purport?

Prabhupāda: Hm.

Pradyumna: "The path of religion entails making progress on the path of spiritual advancement, ultimately reviving the eternal relation with Lord Viṣṇu in His impersonal effulgence, localized Paramātmā feature, and ultimately in His personal feature by spiritual advancement of knowledge. And one who wants to establish a good dynasty and be happy in the progress of temporary bodily relations should take shelter of the pitās and the demigods in other pious planets. Such different classes of worshipers of different demigods may ultimately reach the respective planets within the universe, but he who reaches the spiritual planets in the brahma-jyotir achieves the highest perfection."

Prabhupāda: Yes. So, now. (devotees chant japa) (break in tape)... the word is abhyantaram, the word is abhyantaram... Antara means internal. (break in tape)

Lecture on SB 2.3.9 -- Los Angeles, May 26, 1972:

Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi. In the aquatics, there are 900,000 species of life. Now, if you have got your science, now go and see. This is Vedic knowledge. Perfect, without any doubt. Sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. And the plants and trees, they are 2,000,000 species of life. So, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite (CC Madhya 19.151). We are transmigrating from one species of life, one species of life, another, another, another, another... They cannot explain why there are so many varieties of life. The varieties of life is there because we have desire, kāma. "I want this." "All right, take this." Kṛṣṇa is immediately prepared. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). "If you want, you can take it." But Kṛṣṇa says, ultimately, that "You'll never be happy in this way. Therefore you give up this business. Simply surrender unto Me." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam (BG 18.66). So that is called akāma. So here it is said that akāmaḥ yajet puruṣaṁ param. If you want to be akāma, devoid of all material desires, then surrender to Kṛṣṇa.

That will save you from this business of rotating from one sort of body to another sort of body. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, ei rūpe brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva (CC Madhya 19.151). To come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not very easy thing. It is by the grace of guru. Guru-kṛṣṇa. And grace of Kṛṣṇa. Combined together. One who sincerely wants to stop this business of repeated birth and death... But they do not understand that this is a suffering. They say, "Ah, let it happen." When they forget what is the suffering of birth. Birth, as I have many times explained... Nowadays, it is so much suffering that a child is born within the womb, and there is abortion, killed. "Kill him." But they do not understand the suffering, that one chance given that it will get a body and come out and maybe able to come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that opportunity... he's being killed within the womb. But these rascals, they do not know what is the suffering. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9).

Lecture on SB 2.3.10 -- Los Angeles, May 28, 1972:

You must go to Ambarīṣa Mahārāja and fall down on his feet and beg his pardon. Then you can be saved." So this is the position.

And Ambarīṣa Mahārāja was a devotee. He did not know anything. He was simply depending on Kṛṣṇa. So just see who is powerful, that... Even the yogis are not so powerful as the devotees. Why? Because devotee's fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa. Fully surrendered means "If Kṛṣṇa likes, He will save me; otherwise, I don't try for myself. I have to simply serve Kṛṣṇa. That's all." And Kṛṣṇa takes charge of your saving. And when Kṛṣṇa wants to kill... Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Ordinary... not ordinary, but a simple boy, and how much torturing was going on upon him by his father! But he was saved by Kṛṣṇa. Ultimately, when it was intolerable, then He appeared and killed the rascal. So therefore devotees are akāmaḥ.

They don't have any desires. Even in greatest danger, they do not ask Kṛṣṇa. That is pure devotion, anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). So Caitanya-caritāmṛta says that

kṛṣṇa-bhakta—niṣkāma, ataeva 'śānta'

bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī—sakali 'aśānta'

(CC Madhya 19.149)

Śānta means peaceful. Who is peaceful? Only kṛṣṇa-bhakta, devotee of Kṛṣṇa. He is peaceful. Others? No. They cannot be peaceful. Why? Now, there is demand. The karmī is wanting to lord it over this material world. The jñānī is wanting to become one with God. The yogi is wanting some wonderful power. So there is wanting. It may be of different category, but there is demand. But akāmaḥ, he has no demand. That's all. He doesn't want anything from Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu's teaching is: na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye (Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4).

Lecture on SB 2.3.10 -- Los Angeles, May 28, 1972:

That is the recommendation. Don't go to others. Now, the question is that bhakti means anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Brs. 1.1.11). One must be free from all kinds of desires. That is pure bhakti. Now, it is recommended here that sarva-kāmaḥ, mokṣa-kāmaḥ, "Those who are desiring for all material opulences, those who are desiring for becoming liberated..."

So they are not anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (CC Madhya 19.167). They have desires. So how they can be bhakta? How they can be devotee? Because devotee is pure, he has no... Akāmaḥ. Why it is recommended? The recommendation is there also for demigods. That is freedom. The śāstra is giving you all freedom. "If you like, you do this." But ultimately gives this instruction... Just like Kṛṣṇa. He has spoken so many things, jñāna-yoga, dhyāna-yoga, karma-yoga. But at the end He says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śara... (BG 18.66). "You give up all this nonsense, simply surrender unto Me." That is the ultimate instruction. So that means śāstra gives you freedom, at the same time gives you chance. Śāstra is not... Just like we are free, and the state laws are there, and we are free to violate it or to abide by it. Similarly, all the śāstras, everything is there. And the freedom is also there. Not, I mean to say, the ultimate freedom, but there is freedom, small freedom. We can make our choice.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972:

The difficulty is that such literatures, when discussed by professional men, appear to be mundane literature like histories or epics because there are so many historical facts and figures. It is said here, therefore, that such literatures should be discussed in the assembly of devotees. Unless they are discussed by devotees, such literatures cannot be relished by the higher class of men. So the conclusion is that the Lord is not impersonal in the ultimate issue. He is the Supreme Person, and He has His different activities. He is the leader of all living entities, and He descends at His will and by His personal energy to reclaim the fallen souls. Thus He plays exactly like the social, political or religious leaders. Because such roles ultimately culminate in the discussion of topics of the Lord, all such preliminary topics are also transcendental. That is the way of spiritualizing the civic activities of human society. Men have inclinations for studying history and many other mundane literatures—stories, fiction, dramas, magazines, newspapers, etc.—so let them be dovetailed with the transcendental service of the Lord, and all of them will turn to the topics relished by all devotees. The propaganda that the Lord is impersonal, that He has no activity and that He is a dumb stone without any name and form has encouraged people to become godless, faithless demons, and the more they deviate from the transcendental activities of the Lord, the more they become accustomed to mundane activities that only clear their path to hell instead of return them home, back to Godhead.* Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam begins from the history of the Pāṇḍavas (with necessary politics and social activities), and yet Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is said to be the Pāramahaṁsa-saṁhitā, or the Vedic literature meant for the topmost transcendentalist, and it describes paraṁ jñānam, the highest transcendental knowledge. Pure devotees of the Lord are all paramahaṁsas, and they are like the swans, who know the art of sucking milk out of a mixture of milk and water.

Lecture on SB 2.3.20 -- Bombay, March 24, 1977, At Cross Maidan Pandal:

Brahman is always greater than anything. If you limit within some limited idea, that is not brahma-jñāna. Brahman is unlimited, the greatest. Bṛhatvān bṛhanatvat(?). So Brahman includes everything—nirākāra, sākāra, and whatever you can speak. But Brahman ultimately is sākāra. It's not nirākāra. That is the verdict of the śāstra.

vadanti tat tattva-vidas

tattvaṁ yaj jñānam advayam

brahmeti paramātmeti

bhagavān iti śabdyate

(SB 1.2.11)

This is brahma-jñāna. Brahman... Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. Everything Brahman, but there is division-brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate. Just like the sun. The sunshine is impersonal, but the sun globe is localized and the sun-god is person, but the same sun. Similarly, you have to understand Brahman. When you cannot understand the real nature of Brahman, then it is nirākāra. And when you partially understand, Paramātmā, then localized. And you fully understand, that is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 2.3.22 -- Los Angeles, June 19, 1972:

Therefore, their philosophy, that "Any form you like, you can concentrate. Because after all, there is no form. But for your present facility, you can imagine some form." But there is also mistake on their part, because they say "Imagine any form." Generally, they prescribe the form of Lord Śiva, the form of Lord Viṣṇu, the form of Durgā, the form of the sun, and the form of Gaṇeśa. Pañcopāsanā. These five forms. But ultimately, you become "form-less." The example given by them is that you rise up to a upper place with a wooden stair, and as soon as you reach there, you throw it away, so that you'll not be able to come back again. Similarly, their philosophy is: "With some imagination of form, you worship, and as soon as you realize Brahman, throw it away. No more." These are all imagination; actually there is no fact. They do not know the actual position of spiritual life; therefore they are personally misled, and they mislead others also. Here it is particularly mentioned, liṅgāni viṣṇoḥ, the form of Viṣṇu, not of this rascal imagination of Durgā, Kālī, or Lord Śiva.

Lecture on SB 2.3.23 -- Los Angeles, June 20, 1972:

Eating, sleeping, mating, and defending. So sometimes the karmīs are afraid of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement because they know that as soon as one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, he is no more interested in these material things. Just like we say "Don't eat meat." So actually, if all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious and give up meat-eating, then the slaughterhouse will be closed. Automatically. We say no meat-eating and no intoxication. So if all people become Kṛṣṇa conscious and give up drinking and smoking, the big business, breweries and cigarette manufacturers, will be closed. Similarly, no illicit sex. If people take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then so many brothels and clubs and nudies and everything will be closed. So they are afraid of their business; therefore they don't encourage this movement. Because ultimately, if this movement goes on, then where they stand? Everywhere we go, the advertisement is for intoxication, for sex, and for meat-eating. These are the advertisements.

Business is going on very nicely. But Kṛṣṇa consciousness means viraktir anyatra syāt. If one takes Kṛṣṇa consciousness, like the dust of a pure devotee, if he takes the dust of the lotus feet of a pure devotee, immediately he becomes freed from all these unnecessary demands.

Lecture on SB 2.4.1 -- Los Angeles, June 24, 1972:

Because you are a living entity, you are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, so actually you are trying to go to Kṛṣṇa. Just like a child is crying. The idea is that the child wants mother. Or mother's breast milk. That is his demand. But sometimes we do not know. We try to make the child comfortable in different ways. Similarly, all of us are searching after Kṛṣṇa. That is the fact. Kṛṣṇa, being the Supreme, we are all, being parts and parcels, our natural tendency is to approach Kṛṣṇa. Manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. Mama vartmānuvartante manuṣyāḥ pārtha sarvaśaḥ. In the Bhagavad-gītā you'll find this. Mama vartmānu... "They are all trying to come to Me." But they are being hampered by different types of māyā. So the spiritual advancement means ultimately to approach Kṛṣṇa. This is very nicely explained by Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The bhakti-latā, the creeper of bhakti, is growing, but it will go on growing, growing, growing, until the bhakti-latā, I mean to say, catches the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa.

You'll see, the creepers they grow, they try to catch something, small. As soon as they get a feeler or root, immediately, by nature... Similarly, you go on increasing your bhakti creeper. The bhakti creeper...

Lecture on SB 2.4.2 -- Los Angeles, June 26, 1972:

Without money... because without money, everything will be zero. In this way, just like a tree gradually expands his root, so our attraction, that male-female attraction, becomes deeply rooted by these things. Gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam. This is illusion. This is illusion. Janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). This mamatā. "This is 'I,' this is mine." And one day, the Mr. Death will come, he'll break everything, smash everything. We forget that. But we want to remain here with this sense of "I" and "mine," but Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says, that "These rascals who are not God conscious and creating ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8), very, very big scheme to become happy, the whole happiness is dismantled by Me as death." Kṛṣṇa ultimately comes as death. Just like Hiraṇyakaśipu. He was planning so many things, but Nṛsiṁha-deva appeared as death and smashed everything, everything.

Therefore, when Prahlāda Mahārāja was offered material benediction, so he said, "My dear Lord, what You are offering me? I have already seen all these things. My father was so powerful that even demigods would be threatened by his red eyes, and he expanded his influence all over the universe. But You have finished it within a second. So why shall I ask for such benedictions? If You want to give me some benediction, please engage me in some service of Your servant. That is real benediction." Caitanya Mahāprabhu also recommended: gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). To become a servant of servant of servant of servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is paramparā system. In that way one can give up the deep attachment for all these, our creation, our developing attachments, gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittaiḥ. At any moment, all these production of attachments can be dismantled, and it is being done so. But they have no knowledge. They have no knowledge. They are thinking that they will be able to enjoy this expansion of attachment, ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8). No. You cannot enjoy. Even if you enjoy, it is for a few years only.

Lecture on SB 2.9.4 -- Japan, April 22, 1972:

Then you also directly learn what is taught by Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa was accepted by Arjuna, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān: (BG 10.12) "You are Para-brahman. You are the Supreme Brahman." Paraṁ dhāma: "You are the rest of everything." Paraṁ dhāma. Pavitram is the supreme pure. Paramaṁ bhavān śāśvataṁ puruṣam: "You are puruṣam, enjoyer." So these things were accepted by Arjuna. So if we simply accept as Arjuna accepted, then we also learn what is Bhagavān. (break)

...also spiritual. Localized Paramātmā, that is also spiritual. And Bhagavān is... They are all spiritual, therefore all one. But according to my angle... So ultimately Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead... But because I cannot see, sometimes I realize a impersonal Brahman or localized Paramātmā. But actually the Absolute Truth, absolute person, is Kṛṣṇa. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat (BG 7.7). Kṛṣṇa says, "There is no more superior truth above Me." So you realize the Absolute Truth in different stages, in the beginning as impersonal Brahman, impersonal Brahman. Just like you realize the sun as impersonal sunlight, then localized sun globe. But if you are able to enter into the sun globe, then you see the sun-god, Vivasvān. It is up to your power. But actually, from the person, sun-god, the light is coming. This is practical. The sun-god... Within the sun globe there is sun-god, Vivasvān. He is a person, Sūrya-nārāyaṇa. And there are persons also in that globe. They are living in the Sūryaloka. Similarly, there are person in the Candraloka. I do not know which Candraloka these people are going; they find no person there. But they say one side is dark. Whether one side is dark for them, in that side there may be. Anyway... So, yes. Then go on. "Generally..."

Lecture on SB 2.9.16 -- Tokyo, April 30, 1972:

He was killed. So here you go on rendering service to your society, country, family or anyone, you cannot satisfy them. It is not possible—they'll never—because the place is like that, insufficiency.

So this service... Here in this material world, service means neither master or servant. Service means to the senses. That's all. We are servant of our senses. We give service to the master—not to the master. I give service to the money—he pays me—not to the master. I have no love for the master. Here anyone goes to the office or goes to service, he does not... He has no business to give service to a certain man, but because he will pay, that means he gives to the, service to the money. And why he gives service to the money? Because it is required for my sense gratification. Therefore ultimately I give service to my senses. The so-called service to the society, friendship, love, country, nation—all bogus. I do service to my senses, sense gratification. That's all. Therefore here service means service to my sensuous kāma, lust. Kāmādīnām, kāma. First of all I am lusty; therefore anyone who is not, who does not require money, he does not go to give service. So because I am lusty—I require some money to fulfill my lusty desires—I go to serve. So therefore kāmādīnāṁ kati na katidhā. And I give service to a man. If he proposes that "I will give you $5,000. You go and kill that man," oh, I will do immediately. I will go because I want money. As it happened. Even the president is killed. Why the president is killed? You can hire anyone and kill anyone, especially in Western countries. So I want money, so even something which I should not have done, if it is ordered, "You do this. I will give you this money," I will do because I want money. Without money I cannot satisfy my senses.