Go to Vanipedia | Go to Vanisource | Go to Vanimedia


Vaniquotes - the compiled essence of Vedic knowledge


Very rich (Lectures, Other)

Lectures

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 17, 1972:

Just like about the Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, who was executing his devotional service on this spot... They were ministers. And they gave up everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīm. Maṇḍala-pati. Maṇḍala-pati means leaders. The leader of the group, maṇḍala-pati. Just like there is rastra-pati. Similarly they were rastra-patis, maṇḍala-pati, but tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati... Because they were minister, their friendly circles were big, big zamindars, administrators. But they gave up their company. Tyakvtā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇ... Not one, two, but many. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat. Very insignificant. "Oh, what is this? Give up." Bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kanthāśritau. Became very poor mendicants, accepted torn cloth. Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī, here, in Vṛndāvana, they were living underneath one tree, one night. Such vairāgya, renunciation. But how they were living? A very rich man, coming to the lowest standard of living...

We have seen, practically. In Calcutta, Mr. C.R. Das. he was earning, say, about fifty years ago, fifty thousand, sixty thousand rupees per month. But on Congress resolution, he gave up his practice and practically he had no income. In one meeting, he was asked by somebody... Everyone thought that he's very big, rich man. Somebody asked him to give him, them some subscription. So C.R. Das admitted that "Now I have no income, by my party, Congress Party, they gave me five hundred rupees per month for my expenditures. So I give you everything." So... Because that was his habit. If anyone would approach him, ask him something, the day's income he'll give him, immediately. But he could not live more than one year. He could not tolerate so much renouncement. Because that was material. But these Gosvāmīs, they gave us their ministerial posts, opulent posts and became mendicants.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 18, 1972:

So unless you come to this stage, free from all designations, he cannot serve Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa accepts service from the devotee. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). Kṛṣṇa is not beggar, that He has come to your place and asking some food from you. No. But Kṛṣṇa accepts your food, provided you are a devotee. That is Kṛṣṇa. You can offer Kṛṣṇa patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. You do not require to become very rich man. The poorest of the poor can offer Kṛṣṇa something. What is that? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. A little flower, a little fruit, a little leaf and little water. Everyone can collect a little flower, a little water. And from any part of the world. Not that Kṛṣṇa can be worshiped in India. Kṛṣṇa can be worshiped in Vṛndāvana. Wherever Kṛṣṇa is worshiped, that is Vṛndāvana. Otherwise, if Kṛṣṇa is not worshiped, that is not Vṛndāvana. So how Kṛṣṇa is worshiped? Kṛṣṇa says, patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26), "Anyone who offers Me these things with bhakti, with devotion, with love," tad aham aśnāmi, "then I eat it." Not that an abhakta will offer something and Kṛṣṇa will accept. No.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

So people are very busy for economic development. They think that is the highest goal of life. To get money somehow or other; and then, after getting money, to satisfy the senses. And when they are defeated in satisfying senses, defeated... Defeated means everyone is trying to satisfy his senses to the greatest extent. Unfortunately, māyā will now allow him to do so. Daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). Therefore Bhāgavata says, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. Parābhavaḥ. The karmīs who are trying to satisfy their senses to the highest limit, they are being defeated. It cannot be. Nobody's satisfied with the senses, to the greatest extent. In Europe and America, this can very practically experienced. Many, many, old, very rich men, seventy-five years old, seventy years old, they're still going to the club for satisfying the senses. That means the sense satisfaction business cannot be completely done even to the point of death.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, October 21, 1972:

So they do not know they don't require furniture. We can lie down anywhere. It doesn't matter whether in a nice apartment or on the, underneath a tree. That doesn't matter. So how these things happen? Unless one becomes little advanced, one has got little taste in devotional service, they cannot give up these material comforts. The Gosvāmīs are the best example. They were coming from very, very aristocratic family. They were, they did not join the Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement out of poverty-stricken. No. All of them, six Gosvāmīs... Just like Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they were very, very big men, ministers, very rich men. Similarly, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. He was the only son of his father and uncle. And at that time his father and uncle had twelve lakhs of rupees income. So you cannot imagine what is the exchange of twelve lakhs of rupees five hundred years ago. So very rich man. Similarly, Śrī Jīva, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa, and Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī. He was the jewel of all learned philosophers. That is acknowledged even by the greatest philosophers of the world. So these six Gosvāmīs, they were not ordinary men, but still, for Caitanya Mahāprabhu's service, they left everything. Tyaktvā tūrṇam aśeṣa-maṇḍala-pati-śreṇīṁ sadā tucchavat bhūtvā dīna-gaṇeśakau karuṇayā kaupīna-kantāśritau. So kṛṣṇa-bhakti, devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, is so exalted that a devotee can kick out even mukti. They do not want.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 4, 1973:

Yes. Supreme beloved, Kṛṣṇa. Supreme Person, supreme beautiful, supreme rich, supreme famous, supreme wise. Everything supreme. We love somebody, or, out of these six opulences, if one opulence is there... Suppose one man is very rich and charitable, we love him. And... Just think over how Kṛṣṇa is rich and how He's charitable. He is giving His charity, He's distributing foodstuff, millions and millions of living entities every day. We are taking prou..., pride if we can feed, say, hundred, two hundred, five hundred, two thousand. But just imagine. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. There are millions and millions of elephants all over the universe; Kṛṣṇa is supplying their food. There are so many animals. How they're getting food? So many birds. How they can...? Actually there is no scarcity of food. The scarcity of food is for the human society, or the animals who live with them. Because actually the human society is misusing the advanced consciousness; therefore they are put into the trouble. At the present moment, there is scarcity of water all over India, and so many things are being restricted. But in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yajñād bhavati parjanya. So they are not performing yajñas. So this is nature's restriction.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 5, 1973:

Yes. It was hundred and two stories. Now the others, they have increased to hundred and four,-five. So... But why these American boys are frustrated. Their fathers, their grandfathers have got enough money, enough skyscraper buildings, but they are not satisfied. They don't want to work like their father and grandfather. They've left. I have got many students, my disciples, their father, very rich man, industrialist, lawyers. But they don't like.

So this kind, this kind of so-called happiness will never satisfy us. The real happiness which is within, our love, loving propensity for Kṛṣṇa, that has to be revived. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. It is not by artificial means one becomes a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Nobody can become a lover or devotee of anyone else by artificial means unless there is some natural tendency. So that natural tendency for, to love Kṛṣṇa is there in everyone's heart. So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is how to invoke that natural tendency to love Kṛṣṇa. That is our business. And how it is possible? The śāstra, śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte karaye udaya. Śravaṇādi-śuddha-citte. Śravaṇādi means this process. Just like you have come here; you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa. This is the process.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 6, 1973:

So actually devotee is the richest because they don't care even for yoga-siddhi or heavenly planet or merging into the Brahman effulgence or become very rich and a brāhmaṇa, or... No. They don't want. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, "No."

na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ
kavitāṁ vā jagadīśa kāmaye
mama janmani janmanīśvare
bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi

(Cc. Antya 20.29, Śikṣāṣṭaka 4)

This is devotee. This is pure devotion. They don't want anything. Therefore they are śāntaḥ. If you want śāntaḥ, then you stop demanding, "I want this, I want this, I want this, I want this." So long you'll want, you are in need, how there can be santaḥ? There is no possibility. Bhukti-mukti-siddhi-kāmī sakali aśānta. Everyone... Bhukti means karmī, and mukti means jñānī, and siddhi means yogi. They are wanting something. So they cannot be śāntaḥ. Kṛṣṇa-bhakta niṣkāma ataeva śāntaḥ (CC Madhya 19.149). Kṛṣṇa-bhakta doesn't want anything. Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa-bhakta even does not want Kṛṣṇa even. He wants only Kṛṣṇa's service. That's all. "Why I shall bother Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa is busy in His own business. Let Him dance with the gopīs. I shall simply serve Him. That's all. Why shall I want Kṛṣṇa? Why shall I disturb Him?" This is devotion.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 3, 1972:

We suffer due to our sinful activities. That is the general meaning of suffering. For pious activities we enjoy. But in this material world, either we enjoy or suffer, the common factor is suffering. Suppose if for my pious activities I get good birth, janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī (SB 1.8.26). By pious activities, we get birth in good family, janma; aiśvarya, we get sufficient riches, wealthy family, wealthy parents; janmaiśvarya-śruta, good education; and śrī, beauty. These are the result of pious activities. But to take birth in the family of a king or very rich man, the sufferings of taking birth is the same. As the poor man suffers within the womb of his mother, similarly the rich man also suffers within the womb of his mother. The sufferings of taking birth is equal to the poor man and rich man. There is no difference. When there is disease, fever, it is not it is less painful to the rich man and very painful to the poor man. The pain is the same. So actually, so long there is material existence, the so-called suffering and enjoying, they're on the same level. There is no difference. But if we take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, as Kṛṣṇa assures, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi (BG 18.66), "I shall get you relieved, released from all kinds of sinful activities." That is real auspiciousness. Means when Kṛṣṇa takes charge, He gradually educates the devotee buddhi-yogam, in devotion service, so that he may go back home, back to Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. That is real auspicity. In the material world, so-called auspicity, to become very rich, to become very educated, to become very beautiful, high parentage, they are also, in material consideration, they are auspicity, undoubtedly.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 13, 1972:

So, as they are mentioned, the first principle is that every devotee must try to rise early in the morning. That is first business. This practice should be done first. No one should sleep more than six hours. Or, if you want to, sleep more... But you must rise in early in the morning. At four o'clock, attend the ārātrika, maṅgala-ārātrika. Maṅgala-ārātrika means auspicious beginning of your day. If you stand before maṅgala-ārātrika... In Vṛndāvana you see now, every temple, as soon as there is four o'clock, the ding-dong bell immediately begins. People can rise early in the morning, take bath in the Yamunā and visit the Deities in the temple. There is no necessity of passing M.A. examination, taking B.A. degree for devotional service. Simply you have to follow the regulative principles. Then automatically you'll become spiritualized. Very simple method. Vṛndāvana is specially meant for that purpose. Why people come to Vṛndāvana? To take the advantage. Here the atmosphere is surcharged with devotional service. We should take advantage of it. This is called sādhana-bhakti. Sādhana. Sādhana-bhakti means we have to practice it. And it does not require much education. It does not depend on your riches, that you have to become a very rich man to follow the regulative principles, rise early in the morning. Anyone can rise ea... It is simply a practice. You can take bath in the Yamunā. It is simply practice. You can visit the temples early in the morning. It is simply practice. So this is called sādhana-bhakti, practicing.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.11 -- Mayapur, April 4, 1975:

So that is our real business. This requires little intelligence, that "We are eternal. Why we are put into this process of taking birth and death?" Kṛṣṇa also says, "This is the real misery of life—janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9)." They are trying, the so-called scientists, trying to increase... If the scientists sees that a man was to die immediately—now he has lived one hour more—he thinks that his science is successful. That is their foolishness. If you live one or two hour more or one year or two year more... In Allahabad we had a friend. He was very rich man. So he was on the dying stage. So many big, big doctors were attending, and he was begging to the doctors, "Doctor, can you not give me at least four years' time? I could finish what I have already attempted." So here we know the death is certain. Still, we make some scheme, big or small, according to idea. But we do not know that at any moment, death will come. "As sure as death." And this death is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś ca aham. That is Kṛṣṇa's mercy. Repeatedly we are taking birth and making big, big scheme, and we may be successful, but at any moment Kṛṣṇa says, "Now you get out and your all business finished. And whatever you have done, that is also finished, or I'll take it away," just to teach us that this place, material world, is not our place. That is our misconception, or māyā, that we want to make a permanent settlement in this material world, which is not possible at all.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975:

So if one is fallen from devotional service, he is offered again the opportunity to take birth in the human society. And not only ordinary human being, but devotee, very cleansed, or, next to that, very rich family. These are the two opportunities for the fallen devotees, and what to speak of those who are not fallen. Just imagine. Those who are not fallen, they go directly. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti (BG 4.9). Immediately they are transferred to the spiritual world after giving up this body. And those who are fallen, they are not immediately transferred, but they are given the chance again for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness and being transferred, transferred to the spiritual world, because one who takes birth in the family of Vaiṣṇava and pure brāhmaṇa, he gets the chance again. Just like these children are getting chance again—deity worship, offering to the Vaiṣṇava obeisances, offering some flower, dancing, chanting. He is again getting the opportunity. Although he was fallen in his last birth, that fallen is not so serious. He has got again human body, and he has got chance to be associate with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And rich man. Rich man means... Everyone is embarrassed with the maintenance of body. So if one is not embarrassed... To take birth in rich family means he has nothing to think of maintenance. Just like one of our devotee, Mr. Alfred Ford, he is the great-grandson of Mr. Henry Ford. He has given us one big house in Honolulu. The boy came to see me, very nice boy. So this is śrīmatāṁ gehe, born in rich family, and he has got the opportunity to give something for the service of the Lord. So either you are born in rich family or in poor Vaiṣṇava family, you are not loser. So we should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and try to introduce it very nicely, and even though we fall, there is no loss. The human life is guaranteed and in very good family. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So jñānī, there are two kinds of jñānīs. One jñānī is trying to understand what is the Absolute Truth, and one jñānī is trying not only to understand the Absolute Truth, but merge into the existence of the Absolute Truth. So according to Bhagavad-gītā, they are also sukṛtinaḥ. Catur-vidhā bhajante mām. The beginning of bhajana, bhagavad-bhajana... If they are, if persons are pious, they can begin bhagavad-bhajana in four ways. Sukṛtinaḥ. Sukṛtinaḥ means "whose background is pious activities." They can take to bhagavad-bhajana in four stages in life. Ārtaḥ... Ārtaḥ means those who are distressed; arthārthī, those who are poor, need of money; jijñāsuḥ, inquisitive; and jñānī. So the ārtaḥ and arthārthī, they are lower than the jñānī and the jijñāsuḥ. Because sometimes we go to worship Bhagavān in the temple in distressed condition, but as soon as my distress is over, I forget. Or if I get some money, I forget. There is chance. Not that always we forget. But because māyā is very powerful, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī (BG 7.14), sometimes we forget. Very rich men, opulent, they don't care for what is God. Generally, we see at, in Europe and America, they don't talk of anything about God. They are busy only how to acquire money and enjoy sense gratification.

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.119 -- Gorakhpur, February 17, 1971:

So our position is to be dependent on the supreme living force, God or Kṛṣṇa. That is our position. And He is supplying everything as we want. Because God is not poor. He is our father. Just like rich father, there is no insufficiency. In a rich family, the father is very rich, and the sons, they can draw anything from the rich father. Similarly, we can draw anything from Kṛṣṇa, the supreme father. But our, this so-called independence for sense gratification, will not make us happy. That is the position. You can independently try to become Brahmā, what to speak of this prime minister or this king or... You can become Brahmā, Indra, Candra. You can become. They are also living entities in higher position. Just like your president, he is also an Indian, but in higher position. That's all. Your prime minister, he is also Indian. Similarly, all these demigods, Indra, Candra, Varuṇa, they're demigods, they are highly posted as servant of God. But just like a foolish man thinks a constable in the street is the supreme power without knowing the background of the constable's position, similarly, those who are foolish persons, they think demigods are the supreme. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Hṛta-jñānāḥ means lost of all intelligence.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 8.128 -- Bhuvanesvara, January 24, 1977:

So this svābhāvika ākarṣaṇa can be... At the present moment we have no natural attraction for Kṛṣṇa; therefore we must understand by knowledge what is Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa tattva vettā. So why one should be attracted to Kṛṣṇa unless Kṛṣṇa has all the attractive features? The attraction... Generally, in this material world we are attracted to a rich man or to a powerful man, man or woman. Just like our Prime Minister, she is woman, but because she is powerful, we are attracted. We talk of her. So the points of attraction are discussed by Parāśara Muni as bhaga. Bhaga means opulence. So these opulences... When one is very rich, he is opulent. One is very powerful, he is attractive. One is very influential, one is very beautiful, one is very highly learned... In this way, attraction. So if we scrutinizingly study the life of Kṛṣṇa, you will find in the history of the world than Kṛṣṇa there was no richer person, no powerful person than Kṛṣṇa, no beautiful person than Kṛṣṇa, more learned and person of knowledge, philosophy than Kṛṣṇa. If you study you'll find everything. The six opulences are fully represented in Kṛṣṇa; therefore He is Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulences, and vān means one who possesses. This is the meaning of Kṛṣṇa, that He is all-attractive because He possesses all the six opulences. This is the description of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.97-99 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

So Sanātana Gosvāmī, actually he belonged to the brāhmaṇa family. His forefathers belonged to the Sārasvata brāhmaṇa. There are different sect, gaura brāhmaṇa and sarasvata brāhmaṇa. So Sārasvata brāhmaṇa, actually they belonged to the Aryan, ārya-varta, the Punjab side and Kashmir side. They are considered to be high-class brāhmaṇa. So he belongs to that community. But somehow or other, their forefathers, I mean to say, make their domicile in Bengal because they had some property in Bengal. They were very rich, aristocratic family. And this Sanātana Gosvāmī accepted ministership in the Muhammadan kingdom. So in those days, amongst the brāhmaṇa community, if any brāhmaṇa would accept service, he becomes at once a śūdra. He becomes at once, because service is meant for the śūdras, not for the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriya, and vaiśyas. They would never accept anybody's obligation as service. They will starve. That was the principle. Only the śūdras could accept service. So because this Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī accepted government office—although it was government office, but it was service—so they were outside the brāhmaṇa community. So all these Caitanya Mahāprabhu accepted. Otherwise, at that time social condition was very strict. You have heard the name of Rabindranath Tagore. They were also in that way ostracized. They were out of brāhmaṇa community. They also belonged to the brāhmaṇa community. So therefore he is presenting himself that nīca jāti. Nīca jāti: "I am lower caste." Why? Nīca-saṅgī: "Because my association nīca, my association Muhammadan. They are not brāhmaṇas. They are not highly qualified. Because my association lower, so I am lower also." And patita: "I have fallen down from the standard of my paternal position." Patita: "I am fallen." Adhama. Adhama means "I am the lowest of the human beings."

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.97-99 -- New York, November 22, 1966:

So I have passed my, wasted my time in that way. But actually I do not know what is beneficial to me." So grāmya-vyavahāre paṇḍita, tāi satya māni. In the Indian system a brāhmaṇa is addressed as "paṇḍita." Perhaps you know Paṇḍita Jawaharlal Nehru. Although he had no brahminical qualification, but because he was born in a brāhmaṇa family, so this title was... "Paṇḍita." A brāhmaṇa is addressed as paṇḍita, a kṣatriya is addressed as ṭhākura, and a vaiśya is addressed seth, sethji, a rich man. The vaiśyas are generally very rich men. Perhaps you have... As you have in your country the Rockefeller, Carnegie and Ford, similarly, in our country we have got many rich men just like Birla, Dalmiya, Bangar (?), and so many. So they are called sethji. So sethji, ṭhākuraji and paṇḍitaji. And the śūdras are called mahājana. Because if they are called śūdra, they will be angry. So mahājana means great personality. So these are some etiquette for addressing different communities. Amongst the different communities, although they were of such classification, still, there was no enmity. They lived in village although in their position, but the relationship was very friendly, just like brothers, just like brothers actually. Because the culture was religion, culture was this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So they depended on the culture. There was no provincialism because they depended on culture. So culture is the thing, the Kṛṣṇa conscious, which can... Even there are materially so many high and low classification, when you come to this culture, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they will be all in the same level.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand:

"My Lord, Caitanya Mahāprabhu, very kindly You went to my place and You have delivered me so that after Your visit I decided to resign from the government service, and I have come to You. So You have delivered me from the pitfalls of this materialistic way of life. Now tell me what is my duty." This is student. This is disciple. Approach a bona fide guru, a spiritual master, and abide by his orders and do accordingly. Then your life will be successful. And if you keep yourself in the darkness, that "I am very rich man. I am very learned man, but unfortunately, I do not know what I am," so what is the use? The Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura: vidyā-kule hi karibe tāra. So if you do not know yourself, then what your so-called education and high family, high nationality, will help you? Nature's law is different. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). If you do not cultivate spiritual knowledge, if you remain like cats and dogs, then prakṛti, nature, will give you the cats' and dogs' body next life. Suppose you become very big businessman and you have got nice, very big balance and so on, so on, but by your activities you remain like a dog mentality is, then you are going to get the body of a dog. Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). The test is at the time of death. At the time of death, if my mentality is different, so according to that mentality I shall get the body. This is called transmigration of the soul. There is no teaching of this science throughout the whole world, and we are trying to educate people. Of course, it is very difficult to understand, but this is the science, that there is transmigration of the soul. And if we do not take care of this, that "What I am going to become next life?" if you simply waste your time simply on the matter of eating, sleeping, mating and defense, then we are wasting our time. This is the subject matter of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

So their grandson, Mahārāja Parīkṣit, when he was being taught by Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he had some suspicions about devotion to Kṛṣṇa. Not suspicion. Just to teach us, he inquired that "Lord Kṛṣṇa, He is Viṣṇu. He is the, I mean to say, master of the goddess of fortune. Why people who become Kṛṣṇa conscious or a devotee of Viṣṇu, they remain poorer, and others, those who worship Śiva and other demigods, they become very rich? What is the reason? He is the proprietor of everything. So one who wants Him, they become poorer. Whereas Lord Śiva, he hasn't got even a house of his own, he's a pauper, and one who worships him, he becomes richer." You know the history of Lord Śiva. He hasn't got a house even. He lives under the tree, or in some mountain. But one who worships Śiva, oh, they get material opulence very nicely. Therefore a person have become very easily... And they can smoke gañja. So all this captivates person to become a devotee of Śiva. Our Ginsberg is a devotee of Śiva. Perhaps you know. Anyone who wants this material prosperity, naturally they become the devotee of Śiva. So this is contradictory. "Śiva has no house even, not even a dwelling place, residence. He's a pauper. And worshiping him, one becomes richer. And Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is... Sahasra-śata-sambhrama-sevyamānam: 'Always thousands of goddess of fortune is serving Him.' He's such opulent. And so Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas, devotees of Kṛṣṇa, they appear to be poorer. Why?" This question was... Just the opposite.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.125 -- New York, November 27, 1966:

Now, the poor man asked the astrologer, "Yes, what you say is right. I have heard also that my father is very rich man and he has left some money for me, but where he has kept, I do not find. Will you please let me know how I can find out?" So the astrologer... Astrologer, a perfect astrologer is called sarvajña. Sarvajña means he knows past, present and future. A real astrologer means he will tell you about your past life and he will tell you about your present life and your future life also. There is a system of astrology in India which is called Bhṛgu-saṁhitā. Any man will go, and if the expert in Bhṛgu-saṁhitā science, he will at once tell you what you were in your past life, how you are acting in this present life, and what is your next life. Therefore, perfection of astrology is in the Bhrgu-saṁhitā, and they is called sarvajña. In old Indian system, as soon as child is born, an expert astrologer will be called forth and there will be ceremony, jāta-karma, just after the birth. Just like, before giving birth to the child, there was some ceremony which is called garbhādhāna ceremony, and between the birth-giving ceremony and the child is born, there are two other ceremonies, sadhavakan (?). So after the birth of the child, the astrologer is called forth and he begins to tell about the future of the boy.

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

So Lord Caitanya explained to the poverty-stricken man that simile. The astrologer is foretelling about the poverty-stricken man that "You are a very rich man's son. Your father has got so much wealth, but you do not know. Therefore you are suffering." To be poor man in this world, material world, is a curse for ordinary, general people. Those who are spiritually enriched, they have nothing to do with this poverty or richness of this material world. But those who are under the concept of material life, poverty is a curse for them. So living entities, they are not meant for being poverty-stricken because they are part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, the supreme proprietor. Therefore he has, by his birthright, to enjoy the God's property. That is the law. But under spell of illusion, we have forgotten our relationship with the supreme father; therefore we are suffering. This is the diagnosis. Now we have to find out how to go home, back to go, back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the mission of human life. Never mind under what circumstances and why we are in contact with this material world, but we should come to this point by the instruction of the astrologer-like Vedic literatures. Just like the astrologer is giving hint to the poor man, similarly, the Vedic literature is also giving us hint, astrological instructions, that we can become the richest by reviving our lost relationship with our father.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971:

Therefore, in spite of all evidences from the śāstras, they'll not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord, Personality of Godhead. That's it. Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja requested his father so many times, but still, he did not agree that there is God. (break) But he agreed there is God when he was killed by God. Yes. That you cannot escape. Then you'll see God: "Here is God." The asuras, they'll never accept God, but when they are killed by God, they understand that "Yes, there is God." That is the difference between asuras and devas. The devas, they accept God while living, and the asuras accept God by being killed. That's all. And who can escape killing? Is there any scientist, is there any philosopher, any great man who can stop being killed by the cruel death? Is there any man? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, mṛtyuḥ sarva-haraś cāham (BG 10.34). "I am mṛtyu." Mṛtyu means death, which takes away everything at a time. Just like "I am very rich man," "I am very big industrialist," "I am prime minister," this, that, so many things. "I am in possession of all I survey. I am the master of my country and everything." That's all right. As soon as death comes, "Oh, I am Jawaharlal Nehru," "I am Gandhi," "Oh! Never mind! Please go away! Finish Stop your all leadership." That is God. You don't believe, you may not believe God, but when death comes you have to believe in God. Let the scientists and let the big leaders and rich men protect himself from death. Then you can say that there is no God. (break) This atheism, denying the existence of God, is not very good. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very important. (pause) Prasāda, you have given prasāda? I'll take first of all... (end)

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

Therefore a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa, they are not hankering after Kṛṣṇa..., mukti. They say, muktiḥ mukulitāñjali sevate asmān: "Oh, the mukti lady is standing with folded hands, 'My dear sir, what can I do for you?' " And devotee doesn't care. "Oh, what can I (you) do for me? I don't want your help." There is a nice verse of Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. He lived for seven hundred years in Vṛndāvana, and he was, became a great devotee of Kṛṣṇa. In the beginning he was an impersonalist. His life is very nice. It is better to cite his life. He was a South Indian brāhmaṇa, a very rich man and very much sensuous. He kept one prostitute, prostitute. So he was so much, I mean to say, devoted to the prostitute that he was performing his father's death ceremony and he was asking the priest, "Please, haste. Please make haste. I have to go. I have to go." Means prostitute's house. So he was very rich man. Priestly, anyway, he finished that business. Then there was ceremony. He took very nice foodstuff in a bag, and he was going to that prostitute's house. But when he came out of his home, oh, it was raining torrently. You see? So he never cared for that raining. He went to the riverside. Oh, there was no boat, and it was, river was waving. The waves were very furious.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.152-154 -- New York, December 5, 1966:

So how He becomes parama, the Supreme? Because He is sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1). His body is spiritual, full of bliss and eternal. Therefore He is Supreme Lord. Anādi. So we have got experience that everything has got its cause. Suppose I am lord. But I have got some cause to become lord. Either my father was lord or I have accumulated some wealth, the government has recognized me as lord... Under certain condition, I have become lord. But He is ādi. Ādi means He is the origin. There is nothing beyond Him; therefore ādi. Ādi, anādi. Anādir ādiḥ. Everything has got a cause, but He has no cause. He is Lord, but there is no cause how He has become Lord. When I am lord, there is cause. I cannot become... Perhaps you know that in England, if somebody becomes very rich, he has to deposit some amount of money to the government, then government will award him the title "lord." And with that huge amount of money his family will be maintained, and the first son of the lord family, he will be declared as lord. In this way. So far I have heard. I do not know exactly. But this lord is made, recognized, by the government on deposition of some certain amount of money. The government recognizes, "Yes, this family may be recognized as lord family." They create. In England they create aristocracy. Similarly, when they were in India, they also created many aristocracies. So Kṛṣṇa is not a created, aristocratic lord. That we should know.

Sri Isopanisad Lectures

Sri Isopanisad Invocation Lecture -- Los Angeles, April 28, 1970:

So here it is said the universe has its own time, fixed by the energy of the complete whole. Universe is also big gigantic body, material body. That's all. Just like your body; everything is relative. Modern science, the law of relativity. An atom, a small particle, small ant, so it has got a relative life, you have got relative life. Similarly this gigantic body, it may be many millions of years this universe will exist, but it will not exist forever. That is a fact. Because it is very gigantic, therefore it may remain for some millions of years, but it will end. That is the law of nature. And when that time is complete, this temporary manifestation will be annihilated by the complete arrangement of the complete, the supreme complete. When your time will be complete, no more, sir, in this body. Nobody can check. The arrangement is so strong. You cannot say, "Let me remain." Actually it happens. When I was in India, Allahabad, one of our, an old friend, he was very rich man. So he was dying. So he was requesting the doctor, "Can you not give me at least four years to live? I have got some plan, you see. I could not finish it." You see. Āśā-pāśa-śatair baddhāḥ. This is demonic. Everyone thinks that "Oh, I have to do this. I have to do this." No. The doctors or doctors' fathers or his father, no scientist can check. "Oh, no, sir. No four years. Not even four minutes. You have to go immediately." This is the law. So before that moment comes, one should be very dexterous to realize Kṛṣṇa conscious. Tūrṇam yateta. Tūrṇam means very swiftly, very quickly you should realize Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Anu... Next, before the death, next death comes, you must finish your business. That is intelligence. Otherwise defeat.

Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 4, 1970:

So this is a very risky civilization. I may feel very comfortable that "I am a spiritual master," or you may think very comfortable, "I am born of a very rich nation, American," but this status of my life is temporary. I will have to change. I'll have to change. So if I do not change for the better, then my life is very risky. Suppose a healthy man, if he is in the society of contamination, is it not his life is very risky? He may be contaminated and infected by disease any moment. So this ignorance should be dissipated. Here it is said that such a devotee can properly discharge his duty of human life. Those who do not do so are eating only sins. Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpaṁ ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt (BG 3.13). Anyone who is cooking for himself... The difference of cooking here in this temple and in ordinary house is that in ordinary house they're cooking sins. The cooking, it appears that the same, "These people are also cooking," but this cooking and that cooking is different. Here there is no sin, because it is being cooked for Kṛṣṇa. Yajñārthe. Yajñārthe karmaṇo 'nyatra. Beyond this field of activities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everything with the laws of nature. Generally, you are being implicated in sinful activities, generally. And those who are little more cautious, they avoid sinful activities, they are pious activities. But even there is pious activities, he is implicated. This I have explained several times, that if a man is pious, he has to take his birth in rich family, janmaiśvarya-śruta (SB 1.8.26), in very aristocratic family, rich family. He may become next life very learned scholar, very beautiful. These are the results of pious activities. But pious or impious, you have to enter into the womb of some mother. That tribulation is very severe. That we have forgotten. That we have forgotten. Either you take birth in a very rich family, aristocratic family, or you take birth in the animal womb, so the pangs of birth, death, disease and old age will continue.

Festival Lectures

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So after the appearance of Lord Caitanya, there was great ceremony. All the inhabitants of Navadvīpa, His father, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu's father, was not very rich man but was very respectable brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa community, especially in those days, five hundred years ago, the brāhmaṇa community, as a community, they were not very rich because they did not care for material opulence. That is the specific quality of brāhmaṇas. There are four classes of men all over the world. (break) ...people, they are interested for success of this human form of life. They are called brāhmaṇas. And the next class of men, they are interested for political power, next important class. First important class is called who are seeking success of the human form of life, and the next class, they are seeking success to become very rich within this material world by political power. Another next class is trying to be successful by material opulence, by earning money, the mercantile community. First class, second class, third class. They are third class. And the fourth-class men, they are called śūdras. That means they have no other ambition than to fill up their belly also. That's all. They have no intelligence to become brāhmaṇa, neither to become kṣatriya, administrator, or to occupy political powers; neither they have energy to become very rich businessmen or industrialists. Therefore they are called fourth-class men.

Lecture-Day after Sri Gaura-Purnima -- Hawaii, March 5, 1969:

So that division is there all over the world. Either you name differently, but these four classes of men are there, either in India or in America or Hawaii or Japan or anywhere. If you divide all people, they will..., you will find one class of men: they are not interested with this opulence of material happiness. They are seeking-philosophers, learned scholars, scientists, religionists, reformers. Their business is different. So naturally, the brāhmaṇa class of men, they are not very rich. (baby starts crying) Oh. What happened? (break) ...are always, because they do not endeavor for material opulence, apparently they look very poor, but actually, they are rich in knowledge. But people do not care for knowledge, at the present moment at least. They care for material opulence. They think that this life is meant for highest grade of sense gratification. That is the general thinking. In this city, any city you go, they are struggling very hard. Everyone is trying to get very rich, to get monetary power, so that they can satisfy their senses. Just like I hear from my students that this island, Hawaii, is meant for tourists. Tourists means they are all rich class of men. They come here to spend money for sense gratification. That is the way of civilization, the modern civilization: "Earn money at any cost. At the risk of all advancement of life, enjoy." So this is not new thing, but at the present moment in this age, this mentality has increased very improportionately. So when I came to the compound, to the yard of this house, I was very happy to hear the chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, because in this great city of sense gratification, at least in one corner there is the vibration of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra.

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

Those who are too much attached, bhoga, material enjoyment, aiśvarya, material opulence ... Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām. Persons whose heart has been misled by this kind of civilization, they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Therefore to become too much materially opulent is a disqualification for attaining Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a disqualification. Because they don't care. Just like in our temple, not very rich men, they are coming, because they (say,) "What is this nonsense, Kṛṣṇa consciousness? We have got everything. These boys, they haven't got to eat anything; therefore they are chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa on the street. That's all." They think like that. "They're needy. All right, they are needy. Give them some money." That's all. They don't like to take anything from us because the same business, matir na kṛṣṇe parataḥ svato vā. They'll never understand, because their aim is gṛha-vratānām. They want to be happy... Although they are seeing there is no happiness, they never can be happy, still... This is called punaḥ punaś carvita-carvanānām (SB 7.5.30), chewing the chewed. One, the sugarcane, is chewed by somebody. It is thrown away. And if somebody else comes and chew it again, what juice he will have it? So punaḥ punaś carvita... Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ (SB 7.5.31). Durāśayā ye durāśayā viṣaya vāsī (reads Sanskrit commentary) tantraya kāraṇaṁ te hi viṣṇuṁ na viduḥ. Tatra hetu svasminn eva arthe puruṣartha yeṣāṁ teṣāṁ gatiṁ grāmyaṁ. Na tu te 'pi guru pati syāt viṣṇu jñāsyasi tatra bhak bahir viṣaye bahavo yeṣāṁ te bahir arthas tann eva guru tena mantra śīlaṁ yeṣāṁ te.

Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972:

The best example your country has given. You have exploited the material resources, and other countries are also following, but where is the happiness? Instead of happiness, there is "hippyness." (laughter) So still, they have no eyes to see that "Where we are going?" Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram punaḥ punaś carvita-carvanānām (SB 7.5.30). Because we cannot control our senses, we are driving, we are being pushed towards the darkest region of material existence, very hard to leave. Darkest region means that we are going to become animals next life. Because this is animalistic civilization. Nature gave us the opportunity to realize God, but God-realization is meant for human being. The human being, if he does not realize God, he's simply engaged in animalistic way of life—eating, sleeping, mating—then nature will call, "All right, sir, again become animal." Punar mūṣiko bhava: "Again become a mouse." You know this story? Punar mūṣiko bhava. There is a story. There is a very nice story. One rat, mouse, he came to a saintly person. Everyone comes to saintly person for some blessing, you see. Real blessing they don't want. Some material blessing. Real blessing, Kṛṣṇa, they don't want. If you give him some blessing that "You become very rich man and..." These... they'll be very much pleased. are all very well, this. So this mouse also came and begged the saintly person, "Sir, I am in difficulty. If you give me some blessing?"

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

So in the village of that Vṛndāvana, the father of Kṛṣṇa, foster father of Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja and his associates, they were yearly performing the Indra-yajña. Because they were agriculturists, they depended on rain, sufficient rains. And he had many cows. Nanda Mahārāja was a farm man. He is agriculture and cows. The mercantile people, the vaiśya community, they are recommended three things: kṛṣi-go-raksya-vāṇijyam (BG 18.44). Kṛṣi means agriculture, and go-rakṣya means cow protection, and vāṇijyam means trade. So Nanda Mahārāja belonged to the vaiśya community. So he was well-to-do man, very rich man, and he had 900,000's of cows. 900,000 of cows he was protecting. Formerly, according to Vedic civilization, a man was considered to be rich man in proportion of his stock of grains and livestock, cows. That's all. Dhānyena dhanavān. A man was considered to be rich man if he has sufficient quantity of grains in his possession. Similarly, if one has sufficient number of cows in his possession, he was considered rich man. Not that bank balance. There was no such bank, neither this paper money. They actually possessing the foodstuff and milk. And actually this is economic solution. If you have got sufficient milk, then you can make so many nice nutritious, full of vitamin values preparation and grains. There is no question of economic starvation if you have got simply grains and cows. So that was the standard of economic solution in days yore.

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

He is giving so much stress on karma. There is no question of bhakti here. So dehān uccāvācāñ. There are difference of high-grade body and low-grade body. There are different kinds of body. Somebody has got very high grade body—very intelligent, very rich, very beautiful, very wealthy—and somebody has low-grade body. So dehān uccāvacāñ jantuḥ prāpyotsṛjati karmaṇā: "Now, these high-grade and low-grade bodies are obtained according to the work he has done." Śatrur mitram udāsīnaḥ karmaiva gurur īśvaraḥ: "And one is the leader or one is a teacher or one is enemy or one is friend—everything is judged by this karma, by work." Just see how much he is giving stress on work. Karmaiva. Karmaiva gurur īśvaraḥ.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 7, 1969:

So that is the history of Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. That is the history of Sanātana Gosvāmī. None of them were belonging to the Vaiṣṇava sect or nothing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu turned them. This Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī were rejected from the brāhmaṇa community because at that time the brāhmaṇa society was so strict, if somebody takes service of a Musselman or anyone, oh, he is immediately exterminated: "Oh, you cannot be accepted as pure..." Brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, according to Vedic system, the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya, they'll not accept any service, even it is worth $200,000. No. That he will not acc... Then that is degradation. Only the śūdras can accept. That was the Vedic system. To accept another's service was so abominable. In the Bhāgavata also it is stated that if the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśya, especially the brāhmaṇas, they have no livelihood, then they can adopt the business of kṣatriya and vaiśya, but never accept the occupation of the dog, śūdra. That is stated. You see? So to accept service of others was so abominable, even five hundred years ago. So this Sanātana Gosvāmī and Rūpa Gosvāmī, they were also belonged to very rich family, but because they accepted ministership in the government of a Muhammadan, they were rejected. They were exterminated from the society. What is the extermination of society? He will never be invited. Nobody will offer his daughter to their family, because according to Vedic system, daughters and sons are not loitering in the street. The father and mother must engage. So if one is exterminated, oh, it is very difficult to get his daughter married. Nobody will accept. That was their condition. Actually, they also became hopelessness. They became almost Muhammadan. They changed their name, Dabira Khāsa. This is Muhammadan name. And Sākara Mallika. Caitanya Mahāprabhu made them Gosvāmī, this Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he belonged to the Muhammadan community. He was made nāmācārya, the principal ācārya of this chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is the revolutionary method of Caitanya.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival Address -- London, September 11, 1969:

So my appeal to you is that you try to understand this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not a bogus movement. It is scientific, authorized. Any scientist, any philosopher and logician may come and we shall prove that there is God and we have got eternal relationship with God. So if you want to (be) happy, then you must take to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Otherwise the human race is doomed. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā (SB 5.18.12). Anyone who has no God consciousness, he has no qualification. However academically he may be very rich, he has no qualification. Manorathena asato dhāvato bahiḥ. His only qualification is mental concoction. Mental concoction. That's all. He has no other qualification. So we reject all these nonsense. We simply accept a sincere soul who wants to dedicate his life for God's service. So it is not easy thing. These boys and girls who are following me, they are very elevated. They are not ordinary boys and girls. They have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Their quality is greater than any mundane erudite scholar. It is a challenge. Yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ (SB 5.18.12). Anyone who has developed God consciousness, love of God, all good qualities will automatically develop in him. All good qualities. Test any of our students, how they are good, how they are advanced. Test it. Bring anyone in this world and test any one of our boys. You'll find how much difference there is in their character, in their feeling, in their consciousness. So this is the only thing. If you want peaceful society, then you must make them God conscious, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Everything will be automatically solved. Otherwise your so-called United Nations will not help.

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

So this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means making people directly in contact with the Supreme. Therefore immediately they're happy. I have got thousands of letters from my disciples. They're feeling so much obliged that "We have got our life. We were hopeless." Actually, that is the position. Without Kṛṣṇa, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we are all hopeless, confused. So I am very happy to see so many nice boys and girls assembled here. So take to this process. We have got sufficient literature-books, magazines. And the simple method is, even if you do not read, suppose you are not educated, illiterate, you can not read, and still you can reach Kṛṣṇa. Bhakti, devotional service is not dependent on any material condition. Because one man is very rich, he can get Kṛṣṇa? No. Because one man is very poor, he cannot get Kṛṣṇa? No. That's not right. Because one is Hindu or Indian, he can get Kṛṣṇa, not others? No. That is also not. Kṛṣṇa is unconditionally for everyone. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: sarva yoniṣu kaunteya (BG 14.4). Otherwise, how He can be God? If He is a Hindu God, just like they describe in the dictionary that Kṛṣṇa, a Hindu God—that is nonsense. Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. Kṛṣṇa does not say that "I am a Hindu God." But these rascals say Kṛṣṇa is Hindu God. This is going on. You see in the Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva yoniṣu kaunteya. "In all species of life." Sambhavanti mūrtayaḥ. There are as many different forms of life. Tāsāṁ mahad yoni, brahma: "Their mother is this material nature, and I am their seed-giving father." Kṛṣṇa says that. So how can Kṛṣṇa be Indian or Hindu or this or that? No. Kṛṣṇa is for everyone. And the proof is that five years ago in the Western countries nobody knew what is Kṛṣṇa. How they're taking Kṛṣṇa in so loving attitude? This is the proof that Kṛṣṇa is for everyone, and everyone is for Kṛṣṇa.

Arrival Lecture -- Gainesville, July 29, 1971:

So as soon as we shall require any material things, the Kṛṣṇa will give us opportunity. But that is not very good proposal. In the material life, either your very rich man or demigod, or in the higher planetary system, or as insect or any royal person anywhere, the threefold miseries of material existence there must be. Every intelligent man should be aspiring for Kṛṣṇa only and should be satisfied as Kṛṣṇa likes him to do. That's all. This is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. You try to understand. Take to it. You'll be happy. That is our proposal.

Arrival Address -- Denver, June 27, 1975:

So I am very glad to see this temple. You have purchased it? No. That's nice, very good space. And devotees are very nice. So our process is very simple, that we dedicate our life to the service of Vaiṣṇava and, according to his direction, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting of Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa, and refrain from the sinful activities. Then life is successful. It is not very difficult. We do not require to be very learned scholar or very rich men or to take birth in a very high family. We do not require all these things. If we are endowed with all these blessings, janma aiśvarya śruta śrī—means birth in high family or great nation, to be very opulent, rich, and very highly educated, or very beautiful—these things are very good material possessions. But if we have got them, it is all right. Even if we have not got, there is no impediment. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti is without any check by any material condition. Anyone can execute this devotional service, provided he wants to do it. And especially when one is endowed with other blessings, it is just like good scent in gold. Gold is appreciated by everyone. It is valuable, but there is no good flavor. Similarly, janma aiśvarya, to... You American boys and girls, you are born of a very big nation. That is very good.

Arrival Address -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

So in the Western countries, they are very much fond of keeping best friend, the dog. So at the time of death if you think of your favorite dog, then in next life you become dog. But you cannot surpass the nature's law. This is the nature's law. So one gentleman, what is his name? Fisher? In Detroit, he had two dogs, and he buried them in silver casket. He was very rich man and his house is very big palace. But at the time of death, if he was thinking of this dog, and if he becomes dog next, then what is the value of this material advancement? Therefore, intelligent man shall always think of Kṛṣṇa so that at the time of..., if he is able to think of Kṛṣṇa, his life is successful. So instead of loving dog if you love God, Kṛṣṇa, then your life is successful. I think this one. Thank you very much. (end)

Arrival Talk -- Aligarh, October 9, 1976:

Devotees: Jaya. (offer obeisances)

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (Hindi) ...they are offering their... We have received one letter, telegram, from one gentleman. What is his name? Patel? Bhogilal Patel. He's very rich man. So I was sometimes a guest in his house. He is very friendly. He comes to see me in Bombay. Old man. He is older than me, one or two years. But he has sent me one telegram, "Swamijī, take this land, one hundred acres of land in Ahmedabad."

Indian man: In?

Prabhupāda: Ahmedabad. Yes. So... There are so many. One gentleman has offered land in Mahabaleshwar. This is very costly place.

Indian man: Mahabaleshwar. Very costly place and very nice place.

Prabhupāda: (laughs) Very nice. And wherefrom other offers we have got?

Haṁsadūta: Hyderabad we have.

Prabhupāda: Hyderabad he has already... That is six hundred acres of land. What is the name of that place? Do you remember?

Haṁsadūta: Where? Hyderabad? No. We call it New Naimiṣāraṇya.

Prabhupāda: No, we have named New Naimiṣāraṇya. A very nice place.

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

This prescription is given for the man who is cultivating knowledge. For fools, everything is all right. That is a different thing. For a child, if you give the child a little poison, oh, it will eat, because it does not know. Whatever he gets. If you'll give fire, oh, it will try to eat it. So... But those who are in knowledge, cultivating knowledge, for them there are twenty items in the Bhagavad-gītā. Amānitvam adambhitvam ahiṁsā kṣāntir ārjavam ācāryopāsanam. (BG 13.8) Ācāryopāsanam, accepting spiritual master, this is also one of the items, twenty items, for advancing in knowledge. So this initiation process is ācāryopāsanam, beginning of worshiping the spiritual master. So in that, I mean to say, list of how to progress in knowledge, so these four principles, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam... One should always put in his front that "However expert I may be, I'll have to meet death, I'll have to take birth, I'll have to become old man, and I'll have to suffer the pangs of diseases." Then what is advancement? Either you become very rich man or become a Brahmā or become a small ant, you have to die. Just like when Hiraṇyakaśipu worshiped Lord Brahmā and asked him the benediction that "Sir, make me immortal." And Brahmā said, "I, myself, is not immortal. How can I make you immortal?" So immortality is not possible. Then how it is possible? We want immortality. Now we are sitting here. If there is some siren, then immediately on the roof of this house, atom bomb will be dropped. Then immediately we shall flee away from this place. Why? Because we are not prepared to meet death. We do not wish to die. That's a fact. But death is forced. This is knowledge, that "I do not wish to die. Why death is forced upon me? Or if there is any means to avoid death?" The śāstra says, "Yes, there is." Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says that... Kṛṣṇa says, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6), that if you... Mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate. "If you come to my planet, dhāma," dhāma means planet, place, "then you'll never come back to take birth again in this material world."

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

So any intelligent man, if he's actually has got sense, he should try for this. And especially in this human form of life, it is possible to achieve this benediction, that I can become immortal, I can become blissful, I can become full of knowledge-sac-cid-ānanda. Kṛṣṇa is sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), and if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious, then ultimately you also become exactly like Him, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Vigraha means form, body, and sat means eternal, and cit means knowledge. Sat, cit, ānanda. Ānanda means blissfulness. So this body, however you may be... You may be American, you may be Englishman, you may be very rich man, you may be very poor man, you may be white man, you may be black man, whatever you may be, but this body is not sac-cid-ānanda. It is not eternal; it will end. It is full of ignorance. We do not know what will happen if I go just out of this door. Full of ignorance. We do not know what is happening beyond this wall. So... And always full of anxieties. Where is ānanda? There is no ānanda. So this body is not sac-cid-ānanda vigraha. But if you become Kṛṣṇa conscious and act accordingly, then you will, at the end, you'll get sac-cid-ānanda form. Your form is sac-cid-ānanda because you are part and parcel of sac-cid-ānanda, Kṛṣṇa.

Sannyasa Initiation Lecture -- Calcutta, January 26, 1973:

So this is sannyāsa. Anāśritaḥ karma-phalaṁ (BG 6.1). He was first of all judging, "If I kill my cousin-brothers, my grandfather, there will be bad result. I'll go to hell." Now, later on decided, "Hell or heaven, I don't care for it." That is called anāśritaḥ. "I don't take shelter of hell or heaven. I take shelter of Kṛṣṇa." A devotee does not discriminate what is hell or what is heaven. Nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve na kaścana na bibhyati (SB 6.17.28). One who is Nārāyaṇa parāḥ, devotee, he doesn't care for what is hell or heaven. Svargāpavarga-narakeṣu api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ. A devotee... Just like Nārada: he goes to hell, he goes to heaven. He has got freedom to go everywhere. Tulyārtha-darśinaḥ. For him, there is no hell, there is no heaven. He's preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness wherever he goes. That's all. He has nothing to do. Just like we went to that Savarmati jail in Ahmedabad. We were received by the jail authorities, where Gandhi was put into jail. Who was with me in that...? You were... You were also there. No. So we went to jail. There, they made very good arrangement. The prisoners, they received us, they chanted Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. So it was a good function. So we want to, went to jail. But what we have got to do with the jail? We have no business with the jail. Similarly sometimes we are invited in a very rich man's house, governor's house. We go there. That is heaven. So we have nothing to take, either from this heaven or from that hell. We have to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra anywhere. That is our business.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 2, 1968:

So amongst the impersonalist school, there are many great logicians and high class scholars. But according to Vedic principles, God realization does not depend on material intelligence or scholarship. It is stated in the Vedas, nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyaḥ: "You cannot realize the self simply by arguments or very scholarly speeches." No. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena: "Neither by studying many, many different types of Vedic literatures." Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na bahunā śrutena na medhayā: "Neither by sharp brain or memory." These are good qualifications—to be scholarly, to be a very good speaker, and to have very good memorizing power. These are materially very good qualifications. But they are not qualification for realizing God. Then what is the qualification of realizing God? Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ: "God can be realized only to whom He reveals-labhyaḥ Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23." You cannot oblige God to become manifest before you because you are very good scholar or you are a very rich man or you are very good looking or you have got very good memorizing power. No. Yam evaiṣa vṛṇute. When He is pleased, then He reveals unto the devotee. Therefore our business should be, for God realization, to please Him. And that pleasing process is this devotional service. Let us engage in His service, and when He becomes pleased, "Yes. He's very sincerely..." Just like the gopīs. They were village girls, not even born of very high family. Cowherds, ordinary agriculturists, cowherds men. So their daughters. So how much education you can...? There was no education practically.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 2, 1968:

So beauty sometimes can conquer even the greatest man, but that does not mean beauty can conquer God. No. That is not possible. So the vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yoga (CC Madhya 6.254). To conquer God is bhakti. If you are advanced in devotional service, then you can conquer God. Just like the gopīs, as I was speaking, their parentage was not very high, not at all high. Village, agriculturists, farmers, no education, practical... No education at all. And they were not rich at all. Agriculturists, farmers, they are not very rich. So how they conquered Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa was just a play toy in their hands. Gopī-bhāva-rasāmṛtābdhi-laharī. They conquered Kṛṣṇa simply by devotional service. That's all. They did not know anything except Kṛṣṇa. They did not, I mean to say, care anything. Simply they were..., always they were thinking of Kṛṣṇa. The one instance of their absorption in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is explained, that when Kṛṣṇa was going on the pasturing ground, the gopīs were crying at home. Why? They were thinking that "Kṛṣṇa's body is so delicate, so soft, that we, when we take His lotus feet and place on our breast or chest, we think it is hard, very hard for Him. So Kṛṣṇa is walking in the forest.

Lecture -- Montreal, June 26, 1968:

So the original platform, that I am not this body, then every relationship becomes false, illusion. This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, how this illusion develops. The illusion develops because it is the kingdom of māyā. Māyā is attracting us. What is that attracting force? That attracting force is for man, woman; and for woman, man. This is attractive. This whole world is going on, not only in the human society, but in dog society, cat society, hog society, bird society—everywhere—the woman is attractive for man, and man is attractive for woman. This is māyā. This is māyā. So Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that this attractive feature is pulling on this material existence. Therefore the training is how to detract. In the beginning the brahmacārī training is given because to know that this body, woman body, is actually not attractive. What is this attractive? This is made of flesh and blood. Similarly for woman, if I analyze the man's body, or woman's, what is there? Flesh and blood. But that flesh and blood is very attractive? That story, perhaps I have enunciated, that beauty was kept in a pot? Do you remember? Huh? I may repeat that story again, that one girl was very beautiful, and one boy was after him (her). But in India the boys and girls are not allowed to mix freely unless they are husband and wife. So this girl was married, but she was not very rich. But that boy was very rich and he was after her. He was always proposing her. And she became perplexed, that "He is rich man. If I don't agree, then he may do some harm to my husband, to me." So she made a plan that "All right. I agree to your proposal. You come to my house in such and such night. I'll be engaged with you." Oh, he was very... In the meantime, (s)he took some purgative pill, strong. So for six, seven days, she simply purged out all the beauty in vomiting and in passing stool. So those vomits and stools were kept in two pots. And naturally, if you pass stool for one day, your feature becomes immediately ugly. That is a fact. So she passed stool and vomiting seven days. Naturally, she became very ugly. So when the boy came, she was sitting there on the door. The boy was asking, "Where is such and such girl?" She said, "Yes, I am. I am here." "No, you are not her. Oh, she is so beautiful, and you are so ugly." "No, I am the same girl." "Why you have become so ugly?" "Because I have extracted my beauty.' "Where is that?" "Just see in these two pots." (laughter) "So if you like, you can enjoy this beauty." (laughter)

Lecture Excerpt -- Montreal, July 27, 1968:

There is a prayer of Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura in which it has been established that vrajendra-nandana yei, śacī-suta haila sei, balarāma haila nitāi. Vrajendra-nandana means Kṛṣṇa, the son of Mahārāja Nanda. Mahārāja Nanda was very rich man. He had ninety hundred thousand of cows. Formerly people were considered rich by possession of cows and grains—not by paper. (laughter) At the present moment, we have got bunch of paper. As soon as the particular government is finished, we are all..., we shall be finished. You simply... Just like in Germany it happened. The mark was selling like anything. You see? So these are not money. Actually money means... Either you say livestock or grain stock, that is money. So in Sanskrit literature we find dhānyena dhanavān. One who has got large quantity of paddy, rich, he is rich man. Still in India, in villages, when a daughter is to be offered to a particular house, it is inquired, "How much stock of grains that family has got?" They do not inquire, "How much stock exchange he has got in the bank?" No. But factually, if you have got grains at your home, then there is no question of economic problem. If you have simply got grains and cow, then you won't have to go other place. You are... That was the basic principle of civilization, that you possess some cows and some land so that you can produce foodstuff. That's all. Your whole economic problem is solved. You see?

Lecture -- Seattle, October 9, 1968:

So father, mother never forgets the affection, but child forgets by bad association. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa does not forget us, but we have forgotten. So this process is to revive our natural position to love Kṛṣṇa. Now we are unnatural, in unnatural condition, forgetting Kṛṣṇa. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to bring back everyone to his original consciousness, affection, love between the child and the father. And that is the best service to the society. Suppose a child... Nobody is greater than God, and we are all children of God. Therefore we are children of the richest man, because who can be richer than God? Who can be powerful than God? And we are sons of God. So... But we have forgotten. Just like a boy, from his childhood he has left his home, very rich father. Loitering in the street, he has no sufficient food, sufficient clothing. So somebody sees, "Oh, this boy belongs to that rich man. He is living in such wretched condition." So the best service to that boy is to bring back to his father. Not that "My dear boy, I know that you are very rich man's son. You have now forgotten. You have no proper eating. I am giving you a morsel of bread. You eat it." That is also a service. But the best service is to bring him back to his rich father. Similarly, people are trying to serve the human society by so many morsel of food. That's all. And we are trying to bring back to his father. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the best service to the humanity, because his all problem will be solved as soon as he goes back to his father. No more problem. Therefore everyone should take seriously about this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968:

Yes. Now, you are already united with God because your relationship cannot be rejected with God. Just like father and son. The son may forget his father. That does not mean the relationship of father and son is no more there. So our relationship is there with God, but we have forgotten. So we have to revive our consciousness. It is not that it has to be manufactured something new. The relationship is there. Just like a son, he has forgotten his father. He is very rich man's son, but he's loitering in the street, and he does not know. Just like there is a story of Tarzan. So we are all Tarzans. So we have forgotten, you see? So the whole process is to revive. That is called ahaṁ brahmāsmi. "Oh, I am the son of God. Then where is my distress?" So revival, Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to free, make free the consciousness from all contamination of material existence. You call it Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness, the same thing. So this is purificatory process, that "I am Kṛṣṇa's, I am God's." Everyone is God's, but he has forgotten. In the animal species of life, they cannot revive, they haven't got that chance, but here is the chance, human form of life. If you miss this chance, then you again go to the cycle of so many species of life. Then our human form is spoiled. So we should try for it. That is the perfection of life. Premā pumartho mahān. Lord Caitanya preaches the highest perfection of life, to revive our natural love for God. And any religion which preaches love of God, that is perfect religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christianity or Buddhism or Hinduism or anything. That is Bhāgavata religion. Bhāgavata says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje (SB 1.2.6). That is first-class religious system. What is that? Which trains the followers to love God. That is first-class religion. And religion without God, that is not religion. That is not religion. Because Bhāgavata says, dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt bhagavat-praṇītam. Bhagavad-gītā also says that: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Religion means re-establish relationship with the Supreme Lord. That is religion.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969:

So bhaga... Bhaga means opulence. And what are the opulences? That also, we can very easily understand. If one man is very rich, we call opulent. If one man is very famous, reputed, he's opulent. If a man is very advanced in learning, in wisdom, he's al... That is also opulence. A scientist, a philosopher... If one is very beautiful, he is also opulent. So there are six kinds of opulences: richness, reputation, strength, influence, beauty, and wisdom. So asamaurdhva, that equality and greatness... When you'll find a certain man is in such a position that nobody is richer than him and nobody is famous, more famous, than him, nobody is more stronger than him, nobody is more influential than him, nobody is more beautiful than him, and nobody is wiser than him—if you find somebody full in six opulences... These are the definition given in Vedic literature.

Lecture -- Hawaii, March 30, 1969:

How a man becomes attractive? First of all we have to understand that. Suppose a very rich man is attractive, a very intelligent man is attractive, a beautiful man is attractive, a famous man is attractive, a wise man is attractive, a renounced man is also attractive. These are attractive features. So if we analyze Kṛṣṇa, we find all these six opulences of attractive men fully present in Kṛṣṇa. So even from historical references, there is not a single person who can be compared with Kṛṣṇa. Therefore He is all-attractive. And everything that we experience, that is the manifestation of Kṛṣṇa's energy. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śruyate (Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport). His energies are differently manifested. Similarly, in Viṣṇu Purāṇa also, it is said, parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktis tathaiva akhilaṁ jagat. Akhilaṁ jagat means the whole cosmic manifestation is a display of the multi-energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So because He is fully energetic, therefore He is attractive and the cause of all causes. These are the evidences of Vedic literatures. And when He was actually present, He was attractive in so many features. In the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra, when He was speaking the Bhagavad-gītā, the speech which He delivered, although He is not present now in our vision, you cannot find in the whole world such attractive speech of wisdom. Nobody can say. What we have got, practical experience, about His speech, which is still going on, still we are trying to understand. The greatest scholars of the world, the philosophers, they are trying to understand Bhagavad-gītā. There were many, many great scholars and saintly persons all over India, but each and every one of them have tried to understand Bhagavad-gītā. Even Professor Einstein, he was reading Bhagavad-gītā.

Srila Prabhupada and Disciples Speak -- New York, April 9, 1969:

Thank you. Hm. There is a verse by Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam apāyayan mām anabhīpsum andhaṁ kṛpāmbudhir yas tam aham... (CC Madhya 6.254). Sanātanam... Kṛpāmbudhir yas sanātanaṁ prabhu tam aham āśrayaḥ. Like that. Sanātana... Six Gosvāmīs, Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, Raghunātha Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī, Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, Jīva Gosvāmī. So Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, he was a very rich man's son and he was youngest. All the Gosvāmīns used to treat him as younger brother. So he's writing his realization, vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. This bhakti-yogam, devotional service, is..., another name is vairāgya-vidyā. Vairāgya-vidyā means... Vairāgya means renunciation. We are now caught up by this material body, and we have to get out.

Lecture -- New York, April 17, 1969:

That is my personal experience. In the beginning, when my Guru Mahārāja ordered me, I thought it that "I shall first of all become very rich man; then I shall preach." (laughs) So I was doing very nice in business. In the business circle, I got very good name, and with whom I was dealing business, they were very satisfied. But Kṛṣṇa made so trick that He broke everything, and He obliged me to take sannyāsa. So that is Hari. So that I had to come to your country with only seven dollars. So they are criticizing, "The swami came here with no money. Now he's so opulent." (chuckles) So they are taking the back side, black side, you see? But the thing is... Of course, I have become profited, profitable, or I have acquired profit. I left my home, my children and everything. I came here as a pauper, with seven dollars. That is no money. But I have got now big properties, hundreds of children. (laughter) And I haven't got to think for their provision. They are thinking of me. So that is Kṛṣṇa's favor. In the beginning, it appears to be very bitter. When I took sannyāsa, when I was living alone, I was feeling very bitter. I, sometimes I was thinking, "Whether I have done wrong by accepting?" So when I was publishing this Back to Godhead from Delhi, one day one bull thrashed me, and I fell down on the footpath and I got severe injury. I was alone. So I was thinking, "What is this?" So I had very, days of very tribulations, but it was all meant for good. So don't be afraid of tribulations.

Northeastern University Lecture -- Boston, April 30, 1969:

Yes. Otherwise, how He can be all-attractive? That is explained. I will explain what is Kṛṣṇa, all-attractive. We have got idea. If one man is very rich, he is attractive. If one man is very strong, he is attractive. If one man is very beautiful, he is attractive. Man or woman, it doesn't matter. If one man is wise, he is attractive. In this way there are six opulences: richness, strength, influence, beauty, wisdom, and renunciation. When these six things are in complete in one person, that is all-attractive. So Kṛṣṇa exhibited all these things, six opulences, in one person. Therefore He's all-attractive.

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you very much for your participating with us in the saṅkīrtana movement, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to awake the sleeping living entities. In the Vedic literature, Upaniṣad, we have these verses, which says, uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata (Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.3.14). The Vedic voice, transcendental voice, says, "O humanity, O living entity, you are sleeping. Please get up." Uttiṣṭha. Uttiṣṭha means "Please get up." Just like when a man or a boy sleeps past, and the parents, who has got knowledge that he has got to do something important, "My dear boy, please get up. It is now morning. You have to go. You have to go to your duty. You have to go to your school." Just like responsible parents, fathers, mothers, they awake the sleepy, indolent boy, similarly, the Vedas are considered as the mother of the human society. So Vedas, it is crying, uttiṣṭha: "Please get up. Please get up." And what is that sleeping? Sleeping means just like when we sleep we forget ourself. Anyone, either common man or very rich man, when he's fast asleep he forgets himself. Sometimes he dreams. Although he is sleeping in very nice apartment, nice bedstead, but he is dreaming that he is thrown into the ocean or into the fire or something like that.

Lecture at International Student Society -- Boston, May 3, 1969:

It is a bad bargain because there are four problems. Even if you are very rich, you have no economic problem, you've got everything(?), but you have to take birth, you have to die, you have to suffer from disease, you have to accept old age. These problems you cannot avoid. Either you are rich man or poor man or American or Indian or white or black, it doesn't matter. The problems, the four problems of material existence, will always trouble you. Nobody wishes to die, but he has to die. Nobody likes disease, but he has to suffer from disease. So these are the problems. If you don't think they are not problems, then you are less intelligent. You have to become more intelligent. The animals, they don't care for death. Now, here is a slaughterhouse. Another animal is being killed, and this animal, little grass, oh, he is happy. He does not know that "Next moment I am going to be killed." This is ignorance. Ignorance means animal life, and knowledge means human life. Therefore there is so much educational system in every human society. Why? Knowledge means human life, and ignorance means animal life. So why should we be ignorant of these four problems, janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam (BG 13.9), the problems of birth, death, old age and disease? Why you set aside these problems and think you are happy? That is animal life. They don't care for the problems, and eating grass. That is animal life.

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

Therefore those who are sensible, they do not aspire for all these temporary things. Temporary bodily acquisitions, good birth, good opulence, good beauty, and good knowledge—these are bodily acquisitions. (affections?) Everyone is very much proud if he's born in a nice family or nice nation. Oh, he's very proud, "I am Englishman," or "American," "I am this," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am this, first class." Why? Good birth. Then, if one is very rich, oh, he's very proud. Then, if one is very much learned, he is very proud. And if one is very beautiful, he's also very proud. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrībhiḥ (SB 1.8.26). These are our objects of being proud. But this can be finished within a second, because it is due to this body. So actually, those who are in the bodily concept of life, they're in lower grade of human civilization. Just like animals. They are considered as animals. Just like the animals, they are fully absorbed in the thought that "I am this body," similarly, if a man is absorbed in such thought, that "I am this body," then he is equal to animal. That's all. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke (SB 10.84.13). And with bodily relation we make our identification. "Because my body is born in this land, England, therefore I am Englishman.

Pandal Lecture -- Delhi, November 20, 1971:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is Bhagavan. Brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate (SB 1.2.11). The Absolute Truth is realized in three features—Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. Bhagavān understanding is the last word in the understanding of the Absolute Truth, because bhaga means opulence. There are six kinds of opulences—wealth, strength, reputation, beauty, knowledge, and renunciation. If somebody is very rich, he is attractive. Everyone goes to this man. Sometimes we also go to rich man, "Sir, give us some money," because a rich man is attractive. But in this material world, nobody can claim that he has got all the riches. Nobody can claim. But Kṛṣṇa can claim. Kṛṣṇa says,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ
sarva-loka-maheśvaram
suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati
(BG 5.29)

Now, He is the enjoyer of all sacrifices. Now, try to understand that in this material world, there are millions and trillions of universes, and each universe there are millions and trillions of planets. And each planet, there are millions and trillions of living entities. Now if not all, some of them are offering sacrifices, at least the sober section, in all the universes, and Kṛṣṇa is enjoying. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ. Just imagine how much He is eating. And similarly, He is the proprietor. He says that sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29), "I am the proprietor of all the planets," sarva-loka. Not only in this universe, but also there are millions and trillions of universes.

Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:

If you believe in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if you are not successful to finish the business of Kṛṣṇa consciousness in this life, next life your birth is guaranteed as human being, either in a very rich family or in a very pure family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe yoga-bhraṣṭo sanjāyate (BG 6.41). Yoga-bhraṣṭaḥ. Just like every one of us, we are trying to be successful in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Suppose that due to some reason we fall down. There is possibility because māyā, illusory nature, is very, very strong. So we may become victim. So there is no... This question was raised by Arjuna, and it was replied by Kṛṣṇa. So there is no question of wrong. A person who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Everyone should try to finish this business. Why one should wait for another life? We have got this opportunity. Let us finish. And what is the difficulty to remain always thinking of Kṛṣṇa? Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ (BG 8.6). And the process is very simple. That I already explained: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So adopt this process. Then your... In this life you get Kṛṣṇa. But even if you are not successful, then a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is guaranteed next life human form of life, and that is also either in very rich family or... Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe (BG 6.41). Śucīnām means very pure family, and śrīmatāṁ means śrī-mat, fortunate, rich. Śrī means riches, and mat means possession, one who possesses. There are so many suffix. So anyone who takes birth in rich family, he should remember that "Kṛṣṇa has given me this chance that I have no material problem. So I have got enough time.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972:
By these six opulences, one can ascertain what is God. What are those opulences? That He's the proprietor of all riches. Here, we have got experience, one rich man. One may be very rich man, but nobody can say that he is the richest, there is no other man who is not richer than him. Nobody can say. But Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, those who have read Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the history of Kṛṣṇa... We have described in our book, Kṛṣṇa. He had 16,108 wives. And each wife had a big palace, made of marble, bedecked with jewels, the furnitures made of ivory and gold. The descriptions are there. So in the history of the human society, you cannot find out any person who had 16,000 wives and 16,000 palaces. Not only that, it is not that He used to go to one wife's house one day, or one night. No. He was present in every one house personally. That means He expanded Himself in 16,108 forms. That is not very difficult. If God is unlimited, then He can expand Himself in unlimited forms; otherwise there is no meaning of unlimited. If God is omnipotent, He can maintain 16,000. Why 16,000? He can maintain 16,000,000's still, it is imperfect. Otherwise there is no meaning of omnipotency.
Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972:

So, these are the attractive features. Here in this material world, if one man is very rich, he is attractive. Just like in your country, there are rich men, Rockefeller, Ford. They are very attractive, on account of their richness. So aiśvaryasya sama... Still... They do not possess all the wealth, riches of the world; still, they are attractive. So how much God will be attractive because He's the possessor of all the riches? Similarly, aiśvaryasya samagrasya, vīryasya, strength. Kṛṣṇa, when He was present, from the beginning of His birth He had to fight. When he was only three months old... He was lying down on the lap of His mother. There was a Pūtanā demon. She wanted to kill Kṛṣṇa, but she was killed. So that is God. God is from the very beginning God. Not that by some meditation, by mystic power, one becomes God. Kṛṣṇa was not that type of God. Kṛṣṇa was God from the very beginning of His appearance. Vīryasya.

Speech -- New Vrindaban, August 31, 1972:

Ladies and Gentlemen, I thank you very much for your kindly participating with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. As already described by Śrīman Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja, that this bhāgavata-dharma was spoken by Bhagavān Himself. Bhagavān, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Bhaga-vān. It is a Sanskrit word. Bhaga means fortunes, and vān means one who possesses. These two words combined together makes the word Bhagavān, or the supreme fortunate. We calculate our fortune if somebody is very rich, if somebody is very strong, if somebody is very beautiful, if somebody is very wise, if somebody is in renounced order of life. In this way, there are six opulences, and these opulences, when one possesses in fullness, without any rivalry, he is called Bhagavān. The richest of all, the wisest of all, the most beautiful, the most famous, the most renounced—in this way, Bhagavān. And the bhāgavata also comes from the word bhaga. From bhaga, when it is used a participle objective, it becomes bhaga. So bhāgavata. The same thing, vān, this word is comes from the word vat, vat-śabda. Bhāgavata. In Sanskrit, every word is grammatically very systematically bound up. Every word. Therefore it is called Sanskrit language. Sanskrit means reformed. We cannot manufacture by whims; it must be strictly according to the grammatical rules and regulations. So the bhāgavata-dharma means the relationship between the devotees and the Lord. The Lord is Bhagavān and the devotee is bhāgavata, or in relationship with Bhagavān.

University Lecture -- Calcutta, January 29, 1973:

This is the time to do welfare activities for the whole world. They are merged into confusion, everywhere. You know that in the Western countries, the hippy movements. What are the hippies? They're also educated, coming from very rich family also, but they do not like the way of envelopment as their fathers and grandfathers liked. They have rejected. So this is the golden opportunity to preach the Kṛṣṇa cult all over the world. You are lamenting because a few yards of land has been taken away from your country as Pakistan, but if you spread this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, the whole world will become Hindustan. There is such potency; I give you my direct perception. People are hankering after it. So long I am in India, practically I am wasting my time. Outside India, this reception is taken so seriously that every part of my moment is properly utilized.

Lecture -- Jakarta, February 27, 1973:

So what is that religion? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā very clearly: sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). This is religion. Your man-made, so-called, manufactured religion you give up. (indistinct). It has got some temporary value. It has not permanent value. The permanent value of religion is that religion which is given by God. And that is... What is that? Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ, you simply surrender unto God. When I speak of Kṛṣṇa, we mean God. And Kṛṣṇa is the best name of God. Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." God must be all-attractive. God cannot be attractive for a few men or few, for a..., by a community. No. God must be attractive by everyone. That is God. So, Kṛṣṇa, by His opulences, by His strength, by His beauty, by His knowledge, by His renouncement—everything complete. Therefore He's God. Kṛṣṇa has... These are the attractive features. If one is very rich, he's attractive. If one is very powerful, he's attractive. If one is very beautiful, then he's attractive. If one is very wise, he's attractive. If one is in the renounced order of life, first-class, he's attractive. So Kṛṣṇa has all these opulences; therefore He's accepted as God—not superficially—by great, great saintly persons. Therefore Arjuna accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord: paraṁ brahma, paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). It is not that because he was Kṛṣṇa's friend, therefore, out of his sentiments he accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He accepted on the authority of the Vedas. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. So according to Vedic system, all sages, all the great saintly persons, all the great kings, everyone accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many instances.

Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973:

So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is directly connecting people with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and especially these children are required to learn this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of their life. Because this human form of life is the only chance to understand God. You cannot understand God in any other form, in the form of a dog, in the form of a cat, or even the form of a demigod. Demigods, they are very rich, opulent, so sometimes they forget. Out of very much being affluent, people forget Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the demigods also sometimes forget. And what to speak of the animals. So this human form of life is the only chance to understand God. Therefore if children are not given lesson about God... There is no guarantee that we will live one hundred years. There is no guarantee. Anyone, at any moment, can pass away. Therefore, before the next death comes, one must be fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is the highest achievement of life.

Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974:

The idea is that when we chant the holy name of God—just like "Kṛṣṇa"—Kṛṣṇa is present there. As soon as you chant God's name... Not necessarily that he will have to chant the name Kṛṣṇa... Any other name which you know that it is God's name, you can chant it. God has got many names, and they can be chanted by different languages in different countries. The effect is the same. Practically, God has no name, but His name is given according to His activities. Just like we are chanting God's name "Kṛṣṇa." Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." So God is all-attractive. We can have the idea how we consider attractiveness in this material world. One is attractive in this material world if he is very rich, if he is very powerful, if he is very wise, if he is very beautiful. In this way, in six ways one becomes the most attractive. The statement is there in the Vedic literature:

aiśvaryasya samagrasya
vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva
ṣaṇṇāṁ iti bhaga ganā
(Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47)

Means God is all-attractive by six features: that He is the richest of all, He is the strongest of all, He is the most beautiful, He is the most wise, He is the most renounced order, and He is most famous.

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

Service of God is without motive. Here in the material world we serve somebody with a motive, for some material gain. But in the spiritual world, to serve God means "It is my duty. I love him. I want to serve Him." Just like mother loves child. It is not like the maidservant who is paid. Mother loves spontaneously child, as duty. He (she) loves to serve the child. Similarly, when our love of God will be spontaneous, without any motive, and without being impeded... Love of God cannot be checked by any material condition. It is not that because a man is poor, therefore he cannot love God. No. If a man is very rich, therefore he cannot love. No. Ahaituky apratihatā. Whatever you may be, you can learn how to love God without any impediment. And if we come to that stage of life—here it is said, yayātmā suprasīdati—then you will be fully satisfied and pleased. If you are engaged in the service of the Lord without any motive and without being impeded, spontaneously loving, then you will feel complete satisfaction. Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce (CC Madhya 22.42). There are many instances of devotees. One Dhruva Mahārāja, he was five-years-old boy. So there was some family dissension. He was insulted by his stepmother. So he wanted to retaliate, five-years-old boy. So he inquired from his mother, "How can I do it?" The mother advised that "You take shelter of God. He can help you." So a five-years-old boy, he went to the forest and meditated for six months, and when he saw God, then he said, "My Lord, I am now fully satisfied. I don't want any benediction from You." Svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce. That is the real realization of God. God realization means there is no more want, no more want. All demands, all want, is finished. Therefore it is said, yayātmā suprasīdati. Because we want something, there is demand. So long there is demand, we will never be satisfied. When there is no demand, fully satisfied, that is God realization. Yenātmā samprasīdati.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975:

Yes. So why? What is the... Give the word meaning, Jehovah. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's, the word meaning: all-attractive. So God must be all-attractive; otherwise how He can be God? If God is attractive for me only and not to others, then he is not God. God should be attractive... Just like God's knowledge. Kṛṣṇa is giving this Bhagavad-gītā. It is attractive all over the world, among the scholars, among the religionists, public. Not that simply my Bhagavad-gītā is being read. There are many other editions of Bhagavad-gītā. It is widely read because the knowledge is so perfect. So knowledge is an attraction. Riches, wealth, that is attraction. If a man is very rich, just like in your country, Ford, Rockefeller, they are attractive. A man, if he is beautiful, if he is strong, if he is wise, they become attractive. So you will find in Kṛṣṇa all these attractive features. Therefore He is God.

Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975:

So there are many description about their activities in Vṛndāvana. Some of them are described by Śrīnivāsa Ācārya. The prime duty was, these Gosvāmīs, they were ministers, big, big zamindars. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was the only one son of his father and uncle, and in those days, five hundred years ago, their paternal income was twelve lakhs of rupees. So such person joined Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Rūpa sanātana bhaṭṭa-raguṇatha. Either they were very, very learned scholar or coming from very, very rich family, big post, all the six Goswamis.

Departure Talks

Departure Address -- Los Angeles, July 15, 1974:

Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu (Bs. 5.38). Those who are saintly persons, on account of love for Kṛṣṇa, they see always Kṛṣṇa within his heart. So this practice is not very difficult. It doesn't require M.A., Ph.D. education, or to become very rich or opulent. Nothing is required. Simply try to think of Kṛṣṇa. That's all. This is one item. It is not very difficult. And become His devotee. That you are practicing. Devotee means to hear about Kṛṣṇa, to chant the glories of Kṛṣṇa, to think of Kṛṣṇa, to offer fruits and flowers to Kṛṣṇa. In this way, this is called devotional service. So to think of Kṛṣṇa and to become devotee of Kṛṣṇa is not at all difficult task. Then... Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī: "Worship Me." So here is the chance for worshiping Kṛṣṇa. Ārā..., bhoga-ārātrika. Temple. Keep the temple very cleansed. Dress Kṛṣṇa daily. You also dress nicely, take your bath, be pure. So man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru: (BG 18.65) "And just offer obeisances to Me." Even the child can do. They are doing it. It is not at all difficult. But simply by executing these four principles, Kṛṣṇa says, gives assurance, mām evaiṣyasi: "You come to Me." So our program is how to go back to home, back to Godhead, and the program is very simple. Some way or other, we have introduced this program in the Western countries, and you are so intelligent, you have very soon captured it. So stick to the standard; then your life is successful. It is not at all difficult. But don't deviate. Then you are pakka. Yes. Pakka means solid. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. If you remain solid in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the māyā cannot touch you. So that is my request.

Departure Lecture -- Mexico City, February 18, 1975:

We left our home and father, and we are in this fallen material world, and we are suffering too much. It is exactly like a very rich man's son leaves home for independence and wanders all over the world, unnecessarily taking trouble. A rich man's son has nothing to do. His father's property is sufficient for his comfortable life. Still, as we have got examples now in the Western countries, many rich man's son becomes hippie, leaves home and unnecessarily takes trouble. Our position, our needs, we all living entities who are within this material world, is exactly like that. We have voluntarily come into this material world for sense enjoyment, and in sense enjoyment we have forgotten our supreme father, God. The material nature's duty is to give us simply miserable condition of life.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on William James:

Hayagrīva: Three, he speaks of, "An immense elation, or happiness, and freedom as the outlines of the confining selfhood melt down."

Prabhupāda: Yes. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ (BG 18.66). This material selfishness is māyā. Actually that is not selfishness. Real selfishness is to know the relationship with God. But persons who are engrossed with the spell of māyā, illusory energy, they do not know that. Mostly, 99.9%, they have vague idea of God, and how they will know the relationship? So, so that our actual business, first business is to have complete idea, complete sense of God and our relationship. That is the business of human life. Therefore in the Vedic process, the real business is realize God. Either you take yoga system or jñāna system, and bhakti is cent percent simply realization of God. That is the business of human life. He hasn't got to do any other thing. That is practical understanding of God. A perfect human being knows that "My necessities of life is supplied by God, so I have no business to improve the economic condition." That cannot be done also. Nobody is going to be very rich, all of them. According to the destiny he gets his position. So one who is self-realized, he does not want to improve the material condition of life, but he wants to improve the spiritual conception of life. That is human life.

Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey:

Hayagrīva: You..., when you discussed Dewey with Śyāmasundara Prabhu, you said that Dewey wants to make God his scapegoat—why does he mention the word God, and he uses the word God to serve his own ends. His philosophic conception is the working union of the ideal and the actual. This is rather vague, but this is his definition of God: Man striving for perfection.

Prabhupāda: He can define, but he must be a very, what is called, sane man to define. The sane man's definition of God is there. Just like everyone says, "God is great." So now if he can define what is the greatness... The greatness, if one man is very rich, we consider him great man. If a man is very wise we call him a great man. If a man is very strong or influential or beautiful... Greatness according to our estimation. So all this greatness must be there in God. God must be the richest, God must be the strongest, God must be the most beautiful, God must be wisest. In this way, six opulences calculated, and when these opulences are in completeness, that is God. So that completeness we find in the history Kṛṣṇa. In the history of humanity it is very easy to find out that when Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, so He proved the strongest, the most influential, the most beautiful, the supreme wise—everything—supreme famous. Kṛṣṇa's fame, fame is still going on. Kṛṣṇa's knowledge, stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, is still being studied all over the world. This is the proof that He is God. And all saintly persons in India, they are not controlled by these foreign Dr. Frogs. So these big, big ācāryas, like Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Nimbārka, Śaṅkarācārya, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu, all big ācāryas, they have accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord. So there is complete uniformity of the authorities in the past, present and future. So here is God. If one cannot accept Him God, then he is insane. With so many evidences, and it is practical. Many evidences when Kṛṣṇa was present He showed; that is history. But these imperfect Dr. Frog, when they see God is doing something uncommon, they take it "Myth, mythology."

Philosophy Discussion on Edmund Husserl:
Prabhupāda: So if such inquisitive is not there, then it is animal. Just like at the present moment the newspaper is full of fighting news. But these things are animal news. Such kind of fighting was there also in the animal life—dogs and dogs fighting. They are not very important. Real important thing is what I am. That is real important. Just like Sanātana Goswami inquired from Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "So what I am? I do not want to suffer, but I have to suffer." These (indistinct), they are busy with the suffering, how they, this party or that party, but we are busy, "Why you are suffering?" That is human life, athāto brahma jijñāsā, why you are suffering. Not that superficially you see people are suffering and giving some relief, and then again suffering, again relief. (Sanskrit) But they don't inquire, "Why suffering?" That is intelligent. That is human life. These rascals, they have established this United Nations for the last twenty-five years, and they never inquire that "We have tried so much, but still, why you could not stop war?" The establishment of U.N. was that there should be no war, because they had very bitter experience of the World..., Second World War. So they established this United Nations, but the (indistinct), just like the Americans, they thought that "We are very rich. We have got..., we are very powerful, so under the girth of this United Nations, we shall control over all the world." That was the policy. So this superficial phenomenon, as just might have seen, will not help us. We must go deep to the root, why people are suffering. That is intelligence.
Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx:

Prabhupāda: He does not know what is religion. He does not know, and he is trying to define religion. He does not know. I have defined already religion. Religion is the service spirit. That is religion. Now, real religion is the service... Everyone is engaged in giving service, but he does not know where his service will be successful. That he does not know. Therefore Kṛṣṇa gives us indication that "You serve Me and your service spirit will be successful." That is religion.

Indian man: Sir, we see that Dr. Stanley Johnson... He is my friend. He said he was traveling in Moscow. One lady got in the train, and she told him, "You look religious. You must very rich also." No. "Sir, you look religious, so you must be very rich." He said, "Why? Why do I look rich?" Because they have the idea that only rich men can think of religion.

Śyāmasundara: Yes. That's their whole idea.

Prabhupāda: That means foolish, all set of foolish rascals, that's all. From his talking we can understand. He is the leader. So he is a big foolish man, and his followers must be all fools. That's all.

Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte:

Hayagrīva: This is what he is saying.

Prabhupāda: He is saying, but it is not... Even if you attribute, it must be sensual. Just like, full of sense, just like we say "God is great." So at least we have got conception of greatness, so that must be in God. So we suppose a person very big, at least at the present moment if one is very rich. So then my attribution to God that He is the supreme richest person. That is quite reasonable. If we say God is the supreme wise, that is quite reasonable. So this definition given by Parāśara Muni, that aiśvaryasya samagrasya, that is perfect. Unless one is the richest of all, how can be the great? We have got some conception of greatness, so even if we attribute all the conception of great, that must be God. That is a reasonable definition. Everyone goes to pray to God, "Give us our daily bread." But if He is a poor man, then how can He supply bread? And everyone is praying, "God has to be kind to everyone to supply bread," so He must be very rich. Otherwise how He can supply bread? This is quite reasonable. If everyone comes to me to ask something, so I must be able to supply that thing. Otherwise how can I be God?

Hayagrīva: But again he feels, like the others, that if you apply personality to God or if you look on God as a person you necessarily refer to someone who is limited and finite.

Prabhupāda: No. That is his mistake. He, he is thinking God is like himself, as he is finite. That is Dr. Frog.

Philosophy Discussion on Plotinus:

Hayagrīva: Plotinus conceives of the soul as having basically two parts: a lower part, directed toward the body, and a higher part, directed toward the spiritual.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is, he is prone to fall down because he is very minute quantity, he is small, so there is tendency of falldown. The same example: the small spark of the fire, because it is very small, sometimes it falls down from the fire. So we become, being very small, minute particle of God, we become entangled by this material, external energy. Just like the example: a less intelligent person, in ignorance, commits criminal activities and he goes to jail. He is not supposed to go to the jail, but on account of his little intelligence or ignorance, he commits something which is criminal. This criminality is done by less intelligent class of men. Similarly, persons who are coming into this material world, they are less intelligent. Kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vāñchā kare. They think that they will be able to enjoy life independently, without Kṛṣṇa. This is less intelligence. Just like a very rich man's son, if he thinks that "If I live independently, without being dependent on father," that is his foolishness. How he can become happy independently, living aside from the father? The supreme father is all-opulent, full of everything, and I am minute only. So if I live under the care of the father, naturally I will live very comfortably, like rich man's son. But if I prefer that I shall live independently, that is my foolishness.

Purports to Songs

Purport to Brahma-samhita Verses 32 and 38 -- New York, November 5, 1966:

There is no doubt about it. But it requires some qualifications. Not some, but only one qualification. God is so kind that He does not require any material qualification. He does not require that you should be very learned man, very beautiful, or very rich man, or a king or emperor or minister or president, no, nothing of the sort. You can be anything. But only one qualification required. Then you can see God. What is that qualification? (Sings:) Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti (Bs. 5.38). That qualification is unalloyed love. That's all. One who has achieved that unalloyed, unalloyed love for God... Unalloyed love means without any tinge of philosophical speculation or fruitive activity. That's another subject. It requires great explanation. But unalloyed love means without any tinge of material color. (indistinct) That is called unalloyed.

Page Title:Very rich (Lectures, Other)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Mayapur
Created:11 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=76, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:76