Various kinds of... (Lect., Conv., & Letters)

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"various kinds of" |"various kinds"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966:

"I am God, I am that supreme consciousness," it is our lunacy. It is our lunacy. We should not indulge in that way, and anyone teaching in that way, that is a cheating. It is not possible. Here is an authoritative book. He is the perfect being who is eternal and all-pervading, omnipotent, omniscient. All individual selves are more or less subject to the affliction of ignorance. We are, all living entities except God, everyone, everyone, they are subjected to ignorance, forgetfulness. That's a fact. Ignorance, egoism. Egoism means that without having the qualification, one declares that "I am God." This is egoism. Without having the qualification of God, if one declares that "I am God," a foolish man, that is called egoism. Egoism, desire, aversion and dread of death. They have to do various kinds of work, good, bad, and indifferent, and reap the consequences thereof. That means they are subjected to the acts of your, I mean to say, reaction of their acts. If you do some good thing, then you reap the good result. If you do some bad thing, then you reap the bad result. And because we are defective, therefore we do something good, sometimes bad.

The best thing is, therefore, that God is all-good. If we follow God, then we become good. If we follow God or God's representative, then we also become good. Because God is always good. A good cannot give you bad direction. Therefore devotional service... It is incumbent that everyone should be followers. Everyone should be followers of the instruction of God. That is devotional service. Nobody should be deviated from the service of the Lord. The whole Bhagavad-gītā... This is the beginning, and at the end, Lord will instruct, I mean to say, Arjuna, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "You just surrender unto Me"; and ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ: "And I shall protect you, give you protection from all reactions of sinful life." The best thing is, if we want to be all-good, then we have to follow the instruction of all-good. We have to mold our life in such a way that what is advised by the all-good... That will make our life perfect. Next we shall... (end)

Lecture on BG 4.28 -- Bombay, April 17, 1974:

Prabhupāda: You can read the purport also.

Pradyumna: "These sacrifices may be fitted into various divisions. There are persons who are sacrificing their possessions in the form of various kinds of charities. In India, the rich mercantile community or princely orders open various kinds of charitable institutions like dharma-śālā, anna-kṣetra, atithi-śālā, anāthalaya, vidyāpīṭha, etc... In other countries too, there are many hospitals, old age homes and similar charitable foundations meant for distributing food, education and medical treatment free to the poor. All these charitable activities are called dravyamaya-yajña. There are others who, for higher elevation in life or for promotion to higher planets within the universe, voluntarily accept many kinds of austerities such as cāndrāyaṇa and cāturmāsya. These processes entail severe vows for conducting life under certain rigid rules. For example, under the cāturmāsya vow the candidate does not shave for fours months during they year, July to October, and does not eat certain foods, does not eat twice in a day and does not leave home. Such sacrifices of the comforts of life is called tapomaya-yajña. There are still others who engage themselves in different kinds of mystic yogas like the Patañjali system for merging into the existence of the Absolute, or haṭha-yoga or aṣṭāṅga-yoga, for particular perfections. And some travel to all the sanctified places of pilgrimage. All these practices are called yoga-yajña, sacrifice for a certain type of perfection in the material world. there are others who engage themselves in the studies of different Vedic literatures, specifically the Upaniṣads and Vedānta-sūtras, or the Sāṅkhya philosophy.

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

Then the original paper is lost. There is no more. That is material. But Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa, He is expanded. Eko bahu syāt. The Lord said, "I shall become many." Many... Still, He is there. Is not because He has become many, therefore His original person is finished. No. That is the injunction in the Vedas, pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate (Īśo Invocation). He remains still pūrṇa. One minus thousand times one is still one. That is absolute. Absolute Truth means the truth never diminishes or becomes relative or conditioned. That is Absolute Truth.

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

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.19 -- Calcutta, September 27, 1974:

At that time, when you are fixed up in devotional service. At that time, tadā. Not otherwise. If you have no connection with devotional service, if you are attached to karma, jñāna, yoga, you cannot be fixed up. Therefore Caitanya-caritāmṛta says, bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Here we require... Tadā, sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati. Prasīdati means peace of mind, fully satisfied. But bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī. As Caitanya Mahāprabhu... They cannot have peace of mind. It is not possible. Bhukti means karmīs. They're trying to enjoy this material world—more money, more woman, more eating, more, more and more. That is called bhukti. They are not satisfied by enjoying on this planet. They perform various kinds of yajñas so that they may be promoted to the higher planetary systems, Svargaloka, or Janaloka, Maharloka, like that. But Kṛṣṇa says, ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ. "You rascal, you are trying to be promoted to the higher planetary system for more and more material enjoyment..."

Certainly there is thousands and thousands times more material comforts in the heavenly planets, in the Candraloka... In the Candraloka... They are trying to go into Candraloka, and according to śāstra, if one goes to Candraloka, he gets ten thousands of years his duration of life, and enjoy. So certainly there are many times more comfortable life, standard of life, very, very high, in the heaven, other planetary systems. But Kṛṣṇa says that any one of the planets you can go, but the material disease will not be relieved, the material disease, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9). We cannot understand. This is our real disease, repetition of birth, janma, and repetition of death. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi. And repetition of becoming old. And vyādhi, repetition of being affected by various types of disease. So therefore intelligent man should see that "Even if I go to the Brahmaloka..." When Brahmā was asked by Hiraṇyakaśipu, "Give me immortality, sir," he said, "I am myself not immortal. How can I give you immortality?" So ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16).

Festival Lectures

Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968:

So in our life in this material world, we have so many different attractions which we are pursuing in order to build what we think will be our happiness. All this attraction is the attraction of Kṛṣṇa's inferior energy. Kṛṣṇa's māyā holds a great attraction for all the conditioned souls. And by following this attraction of Kṛṣṇa's māyā, they are continuing in the circle of birth and death. We are born into this world because we desire to enjoy something, so Kṛṣṇa provides us with a body that is suitable for that enjoyment, and He provides us also the objects of the enjoyment that we desire. However, also to remind us of our highest possible potential, that of the spiritual, unconditioned existence, we have along with these material enjoyments various kinds of suffering. These material enjoyments, although they are temporarily real, come to an end, and then there is feeling of bereavement and regret.

So we are now enjoying the māyā of Kṛṣṇa's external potency in our ordinary life. Unless we realize the personality of Kṛṣṇa Himself... We must have personal realization, personal contact with Lord Kṛṣṇa. So long as we are enjoying these objects of our senses and thinking that these objects belong to us, and so long as we don't know to whom all these objects belong, to whom belongs the land, the money, the foods that we eat, the clothes that we wear, our families—so long as we do not know to whom all these belong, then we are enjoying in a state of ignorance. Factually we are being thieves. We cannot be happy in such a condition. Kṛṣṇa is very kind. He provides us with all these objects of enjoyment, as we like them. But we can achieve a far happier state, not only for ourselves but for the whole human kind, if we realize that Kṛṣṇa, who is the supreme source of all the attractive objects that we are enjoying, is a person who is ready to receive as His loving servants the moment we want to surrender all our false ideas of ownership and come back to the spiritual platform.

General Lectures

Lecture at Art Gallery -- Auckland, April 16, 1972:

That is our experience. We cannot say that I am or you are absolute. Nobody is absolute. However you may be great in the estimation of others, you will find somebody is greater than you, and somebody is lower than you, and somebody is equal to you. But so far the greatest Absolute Personality of Godhead is concerned, na tasya samaḥ adhikaś ca dṛśyate. By experimental study, by research work by great saintly persons, sages, they have concluded, na tasya samaḥ adhikaś ca dṛśyate: "Nobody is found samaḥ," means "equal to Him, or adhikaḥ." Adhikaḥ means greater. That is the experience. And still, He has nothing to do. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). "His energies are multi, multifarious, various kinds of energy." And the energies are working so nicely as if, svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā ca, natural gift, knowledge, art, svā bala-kriyā, and strength. Svābhāvikī jñāna-bala-kriyā. Just like you are artist. You are painting one picture, one flower, very nice flower. You have to take your brush, the color and the plate, so many things, and you are taxing your brain, how to make it beautiful. But you see one rose flower in the garden. Not only one rose flower, many millions of rose flowers, they are coming out very artistically painted. But when we ask, the answer is that "It is nature." But if we go deep into the matter, what is this nature? Nature means a working instrument, that's all, an energy. That is nature. There is energy or śakti, energy, power. There is power. Without power, how the rose flower is coming to beautiful shape from the bud? There is power. That power is Kṛṣṇa's power. But that is so subtle and working so nicely that overnight we see that a beautiful flower has come out. But there is working, there is brain. But they are working so swiftly and subtly, we cannot see how it is being worked. Just like when you paint one picture, I can see, everyone can see that you are working. But this painting or this working of the actual rose flower, that is also being worked out by several energies. Don't think that is has coming out automatically. No. Nothing comes out automatically.

Philosophy Discussions

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

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

Prabhupāda: He recommends these things?

Hayagrīva: So he believes that through..., by providing the people with sense gratification the government can keep people from acting in an antisocial way.

Prabhupāda: That means he is also of the same category. No, that will not help. Just like, the example is given in this connection, that when there is fire, if you think that putting more and more ghee the fire will extinguish, that is not possible. To keep the society in order they must be educated according to his capacity, and they should be engaged for common benefit. That is required. Not that to encourage them in their bad habits things will be done nicely. No. That is not possible.

Hayagrīva: He ultimately believes in bringing people under control. He says, "If there is any purpose or direction in the evolution of a culture, it has to do with bringing people under the control of more and more of the consequences of their behavior."

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Officer Harry Edwards, the Village Policeman -- August 30, 1973, Bhaktivedanta Manor, London:

Prabhupāda: Generally the gypsies are Egyptian, but are they Egyptian or English?

Harry: No, no.

Guest: No, these are really tinkers. They're just...

Śyāmasundara: (talking in background:) In a sense. In a sense.

Harry: They are, they are wanderers actually. But there are various kinds of gypsies. Now, you've got gypsies...

Prabhupāda: In India, we have got gypsies.

Harry: Yeah, types of gypsies.

Revatīnandana: Baul? Bauls?

Prabhupāda: Hmm?

Revatīnandana: Bauls, or...? What are they called? Bauls? Bauls in Bengal?

Prabhupāda: Baul, Baul.

Revatīnandana: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: No, Baul is different.

Harry: In this country... It's rather interesting.

Prabhupāda: Gypsies are all over the world.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You simply try to understand Kṛṣṇa and everything is finished, all this nonsense place, full of demons.

Śrīdhara: "They possessed such an abundance of various kinds of milk products that they were throwing butter lavishly on each other's body without restriction."

Prabhupāda: Just see how rich they were.

Indian man: So much butter and all these things.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Throwing butter like anything. Yes.

Indian man: Now we can see also.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Śrīdhara: "Their wealth was in milk, yogurt, clarified butter and many other milk products. And by trading their agricultural products, they were rich in various kinds of jewelry, ornaments and costly dresses." (break)

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Garden Conversation -- June 8, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: So, when you are free from sinful life and the reaction of sinful life, then you are immediately on the spiritual platform. So here Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He assures that "You simply surrender unto Me, and I immediately excuse you for all your sinful life." So it can be done in one second. It doesn't take much time. One second. He says "immediately." But we don't want that, that is the difficulty. Read the purport.

Hṛdayānanda: "The Lord has described various kinds of knowledge, processes of religion, knowledge of the Supreme Brahman, knowledge of the Supersoul, knowledge of the different types of orders and statuses of social life, knowledge of the renounced order of life, knowledge of nonattachment, sense and mind control, meditation, etc. He has described in so many ways different types of religion. Now in summarizing Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that Arjuna should give up all the processes that have been explained to him; he should simply surrender to Kṛṣṇa. That surrender will save him from all kinds of sinful reactions, for the Lord personally promises to protect him. In the Eighth Chapter it was said that only one who has become free from all sinful reactions can take to the worship of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Thus one may think that unless he is free from all sinful reactions he cannot take to the surrendering process. To such doubts it is here said that even if one is not free from all sinful reactions, simply by the process of surrendering to Śrī Kṛṣṇa he is automatically freed. There is no need of strenuous effort to free oneself from sinful reactions. One should unhesitatingly accept Kṛṣṇa as the supreme savior of all living entities. With faith and love, one should surrender unto Him. According to the devotional process, one should simply accept such religious principles that will lead ultimately to the devotional service of the Lord. One may perform a particular occupational duty according to his position in the social order, but if by executing his duty one does not come to the point of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all his activities are in vain.

Conversation with Clergymen -- June 15, 1976, Detroit:

Scheverman: Thank you. Oh, we're to eat this?

Hari-śauri: Oh, yes, that's what it's meant for.

Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Father, would you please accept one of our Bhagavad-gītās for your library?

Scheverman: Thank you very much. I cook once in a while, too, so I'm very interested in what the ingredients are for various kinds of food.

Hari-śauri: We can teach you how to cook very expertly.

Scheverman: Very good.

Devotee (1): Chick pea flour, butter and sugar, nuts, dried fruit.

Pālikā: They're very nice.

Scheverman: May I take it with me?

Pālikā: Oh, yes.

Scheverman: All right, thank you.

Prabhupāda: Take more also, give him one more.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Second Meeting with Mr. Dwivedi -- April 24, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: And the temple is there, Umā devī.

Kārttikeya: Father of river is Himalaya.

Mr. Dwivedi: Give any name you like. As friend you may call.

Kārttikeya: Father it is not, sāgara.

Mr. Dwivedi: So there is this Kedara Sak..., Tenkara(?) temple. So many sādhus come there just to take various kinds of herbs and (indistinct) and they go away. They stay for the night. Ten, fifteen days' halt they make. And there is this beautiful cave-cut temple where throughout the year there is the śiva-liṅga and on it throughout the year water flows.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

Mr. Dwivedi: And inside the temple itself there is little pond, so deep, and we may take any quantity out of it. The water, only that much quantity is there.

Prabhupāda: Good place.

Mr. Dwivedi: So this is a mile's, hardly, less than a mile's distance from our colony. And the river it is perennial river. We have to just cross it, and it gives good passage, particularly during this season. All seasons practically we go and go over the mountain and the temple. Then, on the roadside itself near our colony, there is a water temple. We call it Jagamandir(?). That is also a beautiful temple. It's like the (indistinct) type. And one story of that temple is always in the water. Even in the summer, when Your Holiness will go there, Your Holiness will find. And that is Kṛṣṇa's temple.

Prabhupāda: Oh.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Allston, Mass 6 May, 1969:

As you are increasing your Sankirtana Movement to cover a great distance of 150 mile-radius it is still more encouraging. I am sure that because you are in serious and sincere attitude of service to Krishna, He is giving you all good counsel to propagate these transcendental activities. I am also so glad to know that the recent plan of observing various kinds of festivals is drawing wonderful results. I wish I would have been present there to see things so nicely going on. Your idea that when I am in Los Angeles I shall simply lecture on Sundays, and on the weekdays the boys will lecture so I shall be free to go on with my translating work is very stimulating. I am also glad to learn that you are going to San Francisco to adjust things there. By the 12th instant, when you are there you should help arrange for the Rathayatra Festival. This is to take place some time after the 15th of July, and you can fix up the days from the 20th of July to the 27th of July.

There is every possibility of me observing the Rathayatra Festival in London, because I received one letter from Syamasundara, and they are seriously attempting for this occasion, and they are thinking of inviting me during that period. Syamasundara wants to give me a grand reception, and he is trying his best for this level. But if I am not invited there, then surely I shall return to Los Angeles by the middle of June or earlier. The college courses and university courses should be very carefully taken because there is very, very great hope from those quarters. In Buffalo I have seen Rupanuga has done wonderfully, and some of the sudents are already attracted to this Krishna Consciousness Movement. Similarly, Pradyumna is also doing in Columbus, and I shall see personally when I go there on the 9th of May.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Syamasundara -- Los Angeles 21 February, 1970:

I will suggest one thing—that you can organize a mass Sankirtana procession on the Advent Day of Lord Caitanya, 22 March, 1970; that day is also Sunday. Therefore if George and John Lennon both lead the procession, that will be a great service. Because of their presence many young men especially will join the procession. And if you carry flags, festoons, and pictures in that procession, starting from a big park like Hyde Park or St. James' Square and then pass over some important streets, especially the residential quarters, that will be a great success. In that procession, you can distribute our literatures of various kinds—books and magazines also. I think that will be a great successful program.

I have already written a letter to George and it is sent through you. In that letter I have suggested the importance of Krsna Consciousness movement, so if George elaborates this idea in his foreword that will be very nice. The suggestions I may repeat again, that every living entity has a dormant propensity of love for somebody else. That is exhibited not only in human society, but also in the animal society. That love is exhibited primarily in five kinds of relationship—especially as master and servant, as friend and friend, as parents and children, and as lover and beloved. This stock of love in every living entity is dormant eternal love for Krsna, but because the living entity has forgotten Krsna since a very, very long time, even before this creation was manifested, therefore all of us are misplacing that dormant love in a perverted way. Therefore there is always frustration. Even so-called "sincere" love between lover and the beloved or husband and wife or even parents and children are so many instances of frustration. Therefore the only remedy for this repeated frustration of our life after life is revival of original Krsna Consciousness.