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Volume (Lectures)

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.15 -- London, July 15, 1973:

When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, nobody could control Kṛṣṇa, but He controlled everyone. Nobody could control Kṛṣṇa. So therefore the great saintly persons, even Brahmā, they have decided, that īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ: (Bs. 5.1) "The Supreme controller is Kṛṣṇa." He controls even Brahmā, ādi-kavaye. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said, tene brahma hṛdā ādi-kavaye (SB 1.1.1). Tene, He instructed Brahmā śabda-brahma, Vedic knowledge, hṛdā, through heart. That is Hṛṣīkeśa. You can argue that "Brahmā was the first creature within this universe. So how he could be instructed by somebody else?" No. The somebody else is always there within the heart, Hṛṣīkeśa. Hṛṣīkeśa means controller. Sarvasya cāham... Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, sarvasya, in the fifteenth chapter, sarvasya ca ahaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ: "I am sitting in everyone's heart." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: (BG 15.15) "From Me, one remembers and one forgets also." Forgets also. If you want to forget Kṛṣṇa, so Kṛṣṇa will give you such intelligence that you will forget Him forever. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11).

So the atheist class, demon class, they want to forget Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa gives him such intelligence that he can speak of atheism so many volumes. But he is getting that intelligence from Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa gives everyone the chance that "Whatever you want to do, you can do. I will give you intelligence. So if you want to become atheist, then I will give you intelligence how to become first-class atheist, like Hiraṇyakaśipu, Rāvaṇa, Kaṁsa. And if you want to become devotee, then I will give you intelligence also in that way." Buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi taṁ yena mām upayānti te. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam (BG 10.10). Anyone who is engaged in His service with love and affection, teṣām, not all, not all... Because not all, not everyone wants to serve Him. Everyone wants to become God, imitator. Imitation. Therefore they say, "Why Kṛṣṇa shall be alone God? I am God." You are God. That's all right. But you are not the Supreme God. Why you forget that? You may be a God at home of your wife, but when you go to your office, you are not god; your master is god. He directs you to do something; you have to do it.

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

So this is a rascal civilization. This is not a good civilization. You see? Childish civilization. However they may be proud of their advancement of knowledge, it is childish civilization because they have no future. Everlasting. "How I am going to be everlasting," they do not think of it. You see? This one word can give so many volumes of thoughts to the real philosopher, to the real thinker. Here it is stated that the living entity is everlasting, and where is that living entity everlasting? Why it is not so? This is the problem.

Lecture on BG Lecture Excerpts 2.44-45, 2.58 -- New York, March 25, 1966:

Just like the ocean and a drop of water of the ocean, if you chemically analyze, you will find the same ingredients. The volume of the ocean is certainly greater than the volume of the drop of the ocean water, but so far the constitution is concerned, either this drop of ocean water or the full ocean water, the same chemical composition you will find. Similarly, because we are part and parcel of the Supreme, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1), eternity, blissful and knowledge, therefore, although we are minute particles, minute particle... But the minute particle has got so much energy.

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

Take for the present Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya is a great authority, a recognized, great authority. Oh, He is mad after Kṛṣṇa. He is mad after Kṛṣṇa. Then after Him, His six disciples, Gosvāmīs, the Rūpa Gosvāmī, Sanātana Gosvāmī, they have written immense literature, valuable literatures—especially Jīva Gosvāmī—volumes of literature on Kṛṣṇa. So... Then, under disciplic succession also, we have come to this point, and if you take past history, bygone, long, long ago, Vyāsadeva, who is known as Vedavyāsa, he has written book, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, on Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Bombay, January 13, 1973:

Just like if you want to do some business, if you, if you want to increase the volume of business, you have to associate with business..., businessmen of the same line. Just like there are different mercantile associations, sharebroker's association, grain merchant association, oil ship merchant association. So to increase the volume of business, one has to associate with the similar persons. So if you want to increase your faith in Kṛṣṇa, then you have to associate with Kṛṣṇa bhaktas. Associate. Ādau śraddhā tataḥ sādhu-saṅgaḥ (Cc. Madhya 23.14-15).

Lecture on BG 7.1-3 -- Stockholm, September 10, 1973:

Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). This is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. They have become mad, simply mad, to gratify senses. But they are forgetting that this human life is meant for making a solution for all the problems of life. They are not interested in that. They are thinking, "By increasing the volumes of sense gratification, that is perfection." That is not perfection. You may improve the material condition of life, but you cannot live here. Just like you have constructed very nice city, Stockholm, or any European city. That is very good. But you'll not be allowed to stay here. You'll be kicked out at any moment.

Lecture on BG 7.5 -- Nairobi, November 1, 1975:

Kṛṣṇa says, "These jīva-bhūta, living entities, they are My part and parcel." That means if you try to understand what are these living entities, then it is, being part and parcel, you can understand God. Just like a big volume of rice boiling. You take one rice and you press it in the hand; you can understand the whole rice pot is now ready. Similarly, if you thoroughly understand this spiritual entity, you can understand what is God. Just like you take a drop of ocean water and analyze it chemically, the combination. Then you can understand what is the whole sea water. It is very easy. At least you can understand composition.

Lecture on BG 8.20-22 -- New York, November 18, 1966:

So there are many volumes of knowledge of this material sky and spiritual sky. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Second Canto, you will find description of the spiritual sky, what nature it is, what kind of people remain there, what is their feature—everything. Even we get information that in spiritual sky there is aeroplane, spiritual aeroplane in the spiritual sky. And the living entities, they are liberated. They travel on the spiritual sky on that plane, and it is so nice, just like lightning. The description is... They travel just like lightning. So everything is there. This is only imitation.

Lecture on BG 9.1 -- Vrndavana, April 17, 1975:

Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. Those who are living within the family life, they cannot understand what is ātma-tattva. Apaśyatām. Apaśyata. Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is advising to Parīkṣit Mahārāja that "There are many things. They are busy." Just like ordinary man, worldly man, he purchases huge volumes of newspaper, and he is interested. But he is not interested to understand Bhagavad-gītā where ātma-tattvam is described. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). They are not interested.

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

I have seen many big, big gentlemen that for nothing they will speak lies, for nothing, without any profit. They will speak so many lies. Na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate. To become truthful is one of the brahminical qualifications. Satyam. That is required. But the asuras, they don't care for. They will go on, telling lies, volumes of lies. They don't mind for it. These are the symptoms. Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu. And their life is aimless, not actual life. Real life means with aim. The asuras, they have no aim. They do not know what is the aim, neither they follow.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not one-sided. It is not that people may think that they are sentimentalist and simply chanting and dancing. No. There is volumes of philosophy of life, from all angles of vision. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa (SB 4.8.41, Cc. Ādi 1.90). From the point of religion, from the point of economic development, from the point of sense gratification, and from the point of ultimate liberation, go back to home, back to Godhead, it is so nice movement.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- Melbourne, April 3, 1972, Lecture at Christian Monastery:

Each and every universe is consisting of these fourteen planetary systems, and there are innumerable universes. So that we also get information from Brahma-saṁhitā. Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi (Bs. 5.40). Jagad-aṇḍa means this universe is a big, I mean to say, volume. Just like aṇḍa, egg. Everything, every planet is just like egg. This brahmāṇḍa, this universe, is also like egg. So there are many many, many millions of jagad-aṇḍa. And in each and every jagad-aṇḍa, koṭiṣu vasudhādi-vibhūti-bhinnam, there are innumerable planets also. So these are the information we get from Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 1.2.5 -- New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972:

So his spiritual master, Nārada, appeared before his disciple Vyāsadeva. So Nārada could understand that Vyāsadeva was not happy even after compiling so many big, big volumes of literature, Vedic literature. So he questioned, "Pārāśara..." Vyāsadeva's father was Parāśara Muni. So he addressed him, "Pārāśara." "So why you are unhappy? You have studied everything. You have undergone all kinds of penances. You have performed all Vedic rituals. You have written so many books. Why you are unhappy?" He answered, "My dear lord, what you say, it is all right, that I am not happy. But you can find out the cause. Because you know everyone's heart, you can find out the cause."

Lecture on SB 1.2.6 -- Delhi, November 12, 1973:

"These boys who are playing with Kṛṣṇa, they are ordinary cowherd boys." Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ means they acquired volumes of the result of pious activities. Now they have been allowed to play with Kṛṣṇa. And who is this Kṛṣṇa? Itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. This boy Kṛṣṇa, He is the target of the brahma-sukha, brahma-sukhānubhūtyā. He is the worshipable Lord of the devotees. Dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena. And māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa. Those who are māyāśrita, within the clutches of māyā, they are thinking He's an ordinary boy. But He is not an ordinary boy.

Lecture on SB 1.2.13 -- Vrndavana, October 24, 1972:

Kṛṣṇa says, "You want to feed Me. That's all right. You collect little flower, patram, a little leaf... Whatever you... Not that all. Any one of them." Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam, a little water, yo me bhaktyā prayacchati. Real thing is bhakti, love, devotion. Not that Kṛṣṇa is asking you, "Bring volumes of luci, puri, kacuri, halavā." No. Kṛṣṇa wants your love. Real thing. Bhaktyā. Yo me bhaktyā prayac... Kṛṣṇa is not beggar, neither Kṛṣṇa is hungry, that He has come to your place to eat something. That's not the position, Kṛṣṇa's. Kṛṣṇa wants only your love.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

Just like there are business codes, Bentley's codes, Henry's codes. So one or two words will give impression of volumes of knowledge. Businessmen, they need it to save the expenditure on wiring, on telegraphing. Just like CIF. "Accept your offering. CIF." CIF means "cost including freight." That means goods will be delivered at your door. So similarly, there are many codes in business matter. In military arts there are so many codes. So Vedānta-sūtra means codes of all Vedic knowledge. Sūtra. Sūtra means codes.

Lecture on SB 1.5.1-4 -- New Vrindaban, May 22, 1969:

So every word has volumes of meanings. Udga... Therefore sometimes right commentary required. So uttamam means udgataṁ tamam. Tama means this material world. When one is inquisitive to understand about the spiritual life, then he should accept a spiritual master. Otherwise there is no need. A spiritual master is not a fashion, that "Oh, I should have a spiritual master." People after fashion. No. One must be very much inquisitive to know. What about, inquisitive? Uttamam. Śreya uttamam, what is the highest perfection of life. If one is actually inquisitive to understand about the highest perfectional stage of our life, then he should search after a spiritual master. That is the direction.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 13, 1969:

Each and every word of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, full of volumes of explanation, each and every word. This is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vidyā-bhāgavatāvadhi. One's learning will be understood when he's able to understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Vidyā. Vidyā means learning, not this science, that science. When one can understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in true perspective, then he's to be understood that he has finished his all educational advancement. Avadhi. Avadhi means "this is the limit of education." Vidyā-bhāgavatāvadhi.

Lecture on SB 1.5.13 -- New Vrindaban, June 16, 1969:

Kṛṣṇa taught Brahmā, Brahmā taught Nārada, Nārada taught Vyāsadeva. Vyāsadeva taught... In this way, evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ (BG 4.2). In the Fourth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā it is said, "By this disciplic succession..." So our business is not to make any research work, not to invent something, not to write voluminous books, something mental concoction. We have got everything ready, given by this, received through the paramparā system. Everything, real fact, real goods, not bogus things. So we have to simply accept. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128).

Lecture on SB 1.7.10 -- Vrndavana, September 9, 1976:

For the sake of knowledge, everyone should study this Vedic literature. And it is summarized in Vedānta-sūtra. Therefore it is called Vedānta-sūtra. Sūtra means summarized. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. Now these two words, atha ataḥ brahma-jijñāsā-four words—it contains volumes of knowledge. Therefore it is called sūtra. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). They are Brahma-sūtra. Brahma-sūtra padaiś caiva. Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā that brahma-sūtra padaiś caiva hetumadbhir viniścitaiḥ (BG 13.5). The truth, Absolute Truth, is fixed up by Brahma-sūtra. So Brahma-sūtra is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Lecture on SB 1.8.40 -- Mayapura, October 20, 1974:

People are not understanding the seriousness of this movement. But the more we grow in strength and volume, we should take part in all-round activities of the human society to make them happy. Sarve sukhino bhavantu. This is the Vedic culture, that Vedic culture wants to see everyone is happy. And especially the Vaiṣṇava... Vaiṣṇavaḥ para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. Vaiṣṇava has no unhappiness because he has got Kṛṣṇa.

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

So this is one celebrated Bharata. Another Bharata is the forefather of the Kuru dynasty. His name is also Bharata. And another Bharata was the son of King Ṛṣabhadeva, by whose name this planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. This whole planet is called Bhāratavarṣa. So he is addressing Parīkṣit Mahārāja as the descendant of King Bharata, Bhārata." He bhārata. You have to talk and hear about sarvātmā, the Supersoul who is sitting in everyone's heart, Bhagavān, the Personality of Godhead, full with all opulences." Bhagavān, this word, every word, suggests volumes of meaning. And Hari: "who can take away all your sufferings." Īśvara: "and He is the controller, supreme controller."

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

People are reading so many newspapers. In big country, big cities, there are big, big volumes of newspaper, magazines. They are very much eager to learn or to hear about the current news. So hearing means śrotavyādi. There are volumes of volumes literature, magazines, newspaper. They are hearing. But when you say, "Please come here. We are reciting Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Please hear," they will not come. They will not come. This minus. When you speak of God, then they are not ready to hear.

Lecture on SB 2.1.2-5 -- Montreal, October 23, 1968:

So if you want to get yourself free from fearfulness, then Śukadeva Gosvāmī recommends that you have to chant and you have to hear and you have to remember about the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the conclusion. Don't try to hear so many nonsense things. Vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (BG 2.41). Just concentrate. If you want to hear about God, there are volumes of literature.

Lecture on SB 3.26.43 -- Bombay, January 18, 1975:

So svāmī or gosvāmī means one who has control over the senses or one who has control over the mind. The mind is very restless. The whole yogic process is meant for controlling the mind because unless you control the mind, the mind will volumes and volumes of desires, hundreds, thousands, millions. And you have to satisfy them. Then where is śānti? You have to satisfy the master. Who has become your master? Mind. Then you are disturbed. There cannot be any peace. And mind has got many millions of desires. Therefore, when you can control over the mind, that mind desires something and you have to control, "No, you cannot do it," then you become a svāmī. Svāmī, these sannyāsīs, they are given the title "svāmī" or "gosvāmī" because the sannyāsīs are supposed to control over the mind, over the senses.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Bombay, November 6, 1970:

So, "My dear king, one has to suffer. This is the law of karma. According to the volume of sinful activity, one has to accept the reaction. There is no other alternative." Tasmāt, "therefore,"

...puraivaṣv iha pāpa-niṣkṛtau
yateta mṛtyor avipadyatātmanā
doṣasya dṛṣṭvā guru-lāghavaṁ yathā
bhiṣak cikitseta rujāṁ nidānavit
(SB 6.1.8)

Just like you are suffering from some disease. So according to the nature of the disease, you have to pay for its medicine. One who is suffering from malarial disease, tuberculosis disease, asthmatic tendency, these disease are considered very severe type of disease.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8 -- New York, July 22, 1971:

So Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that the volume of atonement should be according to the gravity of the offense. Just like when a man is diseased, he goes to a physician. He prescribes different type of medicine to the different type of patient according to the gravity of the disease. But there are many rascals, they say that any medicine we take, that's all right. No. That's not all right. You have to take the medicine through the physician, not independently.

Lecture on SB 6.1.8-13 -- New York, July 24, 1971:

So this assurance is there. You believe it and see, practically. You hear and you see practically, what is being done. What is the difficulty? So increase the volume of the society. The whole world will be happy. That's a fact. That's all right. Join us. Try to understand the philosophy, and preach, make others happy. Kṛṣṇa will be pleased upon you. Then your life is successful.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1970:

Someway or other, if anybody fixes his mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then, he says, na te yamaṁ pāśa-bhṛtaś ca tad-bhaṭān svapne 'pi paśyanti. It is, according to Vedic scripture, the sinful persons are taken to the superintendent of death, and there, according to his different volumes or proportion of sinful activities, a living entity is punished. The spirit soul is taken in that planet where the Yamarāja is there, and in the subtle form... Subtle form means the spirit covered in the subtle form of mind, intelligence and false ego, he is put into various trouble.

Lecture on SB 7.6.9 -- Vrndavana, December 11, 1975:

Māyā's business is to keep you always sleeping, forgetting God. This is māyā's business. Daivī hi eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). This is māyā's business. The more you forget Kṛṣṇa, the more you are under the influence of māyā. Jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava. If you increase your volume of material civilization, then more and more you'll forget God and you'll be attached to this material world, māyāra vaibhava.

Lecture on SB 7.9.39 -- Mayapur, March 17, 1976:

So the verdict of the śāstra is the same everywhere in a different way. The perfection of life is, Prahlāda Mahārāja says, that tava kathāsu vikuṇṭha-nātha. One should be interested in Kṛṣṇa-kathā. We are interested in so many kathās. Because we purchase newspaper in the morning, so big volume, so many kathās are there. And we read many material dramas and novels and fictitious stories and killing stories. We are very much attached to these. All these kathās, means stories, we are interested, but we are not interested in Kṛṣṇa-kathā.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Bombay, January 1, 1973:

Just like you accumulate money. When you have got too much accumulation, ten crores of rupees, like that... When one's pious activities becomes accumulated in voluminous attitude, at that time, one is... That means when one is completely free from the material contamination, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu (BG 18.54). When one has, one is actually learned, paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ. A devotee has no distinction between this living entity or that living entity.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 9, 1972:

Unless one has accumulated volumes of acti..., activities of pious activities, one cannot enter into the Goloka Vṛndāvana platform and enjoy with Kṛṣṇa in so many capacities. Śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya rasa. That is required.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.10 -- Mayapur, April 3, 1975:

Just like you have got perspiration. You can produce, say, one gram or, say, one ounce of water through your bodily heat. That we have got practical experience. So if you can produce one ounce of water from your body, why God cannot produce volumes and millions of tons of water from His body? Where is the difficulty to understand? You are a tiny soul, and you have got a small body. You can produce one ounce of water by your perspiration. Why God, who has got the gigantic body, He cannot produce water, the Garbhodakaśāyī, the Garbhodaka water? There is no reason to disbelieve. This is called acintya-śakti, inconceivable power.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.337-353 -- New York, December 25, 1966:

It was especially mentioned, kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya (SB 12.3.51), simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, one can become... This is the greatest boon in this age. Although there are so many difficulties, full of miseries, increase in the greatest volume... The world is, material world is miserable. Just like cold season, this winter season, today we are feeling most inconvenienced. Similarly, this material world is always miserable. But still, in this age it is most miserable, in this age of Kali. But the boon is, the first-class boon is that even there are so many miserable conditions, in the midst of all those disadvantages, one can become free from all contamination simply by kṛṣṇa..., kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya. Simply by this.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 21.49-61 -- New York, January 5, 1967:

Even if we do not perform the whole process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever we do, that remains in asset. That is never lost. So this Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura, from that prostitute's house he became a saintly man. So he wrote a very nice book, Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta. Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta means "pleasing to the ear." Anything about Kṛṣṇa is pleasing to the ear. So he wrote a voluminous book, Bilvamaṅgala Ṭhākura. That book was collected by Lord Caitanya. And along with that book, this Brahma-saṁhitā was collected.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.6 -- New York, January 8, 1967:

So this learned sage, by his experience he is saying that after studying all Vedic literature, and all Upaniṣads, Vedānta, Purāṇam, four Vedas, Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata, volumes of literature, so the conclusion is that, "O my dear Lord," bhavān eva śaraṇam, "You are the only ultimate shelter." This is the last stage of knowledge, as it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 22.27-31 -- New York, January 15, 1967:

After many, many births, one who is actually intelligent, actually in..., wise, in knowledge, he surrenders unto Him. So those who are thinking that "I am now liberated simply by some volumes of philosophical speculation," so Bhāgavata says, "No, your intelligence is not yet purified because you have not yet approached Kṛṣṇa."

Initiation Lectures

Lecture at Initiation Fire Sacrifice -- Los Angeles, July 16, 1969:

So when you enter into the Kṛṣṇa science you get so much volumes of transcendental knowledge, and we are trying to present before you this knowledge in so many ways, by cleansing your heart from this material contamination. And this initiation is the beginning of cleaning the contamination. Therefore this mantra suggests, apavitraḥ pavitraḥ vā: either you be contaminated or not contaminated. When one is not contaminated, he's relishing this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra by associating with Kṛṣṇa.

Initiation Lecture -- London, August 22, 1971:

"By chanting once the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, the sinful man can vanquish so much volumes of sinful activities, reaction, that he's unable to perform." A sinful man is very expert to commit sinful activities, but the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is so strong that he will be unable to commit so much sins as can be extinguished simply by uttering once the name of Lord Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa. This is a fact. But unfortunately, we, by chanting, vanquish all kinds of sinful activities. That's all right. But the next moment we again begin. So that is the defect.

General Lectures

Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 15, 1969:

The developing process is stopped immediately, as soon as the spirit spark is gone out of it. So the conclusion is, matter cannot develop without spirit being within. So this material world, it is developing. The modern scientists also agree that the universe is increasing in volume. Why? Because Kṛṣṇa has entered within this universe as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Therefore it is developing. So there are innumerable universes, and so therefore there are innumerable Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇus. Because without Viṣṇu entering, this universe cannot develop.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

So Caitanya Mahāprabhu was not a fool, but Vedānta is not for fool. It requires sufficient education, sufficient status. Then one can understand Vedānta. In each and each code, each word, there are volumes of meaning, and there are many commentation, commentary by Śaṅkarācārya, commentary by Rāmānujācārya, commentary by..., big, big volumes in Sanskrit language. So how one will understand Vedānta? It is not possible. It may be possible for one person or two persons to understand what is Vedānta, but for the mass of people it is not possible; neither it is possible to practice yoga.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969:

So Bhāratabhūmi is not... To take birth in India is not ordinary thing. You must know. But you should utilize the opportunity. That utilization you should read, study, understand volumes of Vedic literature, and you should distribute the knowledge to the rest of the world. Rest of the world, they know God is great, but they do not know how great is God. That you will find in the Vedic literature. And that is our duty.

Lecture at Krsna Niketan -- Gorakhpur, February 16, 1971:

Nānu sakṛd ucaritena nāmābhyasena kathāṁ sarva-pāpa-kṣayaḥ syāt, śraddhā-bhakty-avṛtyād eva vidhānaḥ. Tathā hi, sāyaṁ prātar gṛṇan bhaktyā duḥkha-grāmād vimucyate. He's giving quotation from many scriptures in which it is stated, sāyaṁ prātar gṛṇan... Sāyaṁ tri-sandhya, morning, noon, and evening, prātar gṛṇan, daily chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sāyaṁ prātar gṛṇan bhaktyā, with devotion and faith, duḥkha-grāmād vimucyate. Duḥkha-grāmād means volumes of miserable condition of life. One can avoid volumes of miserable condition of life simply by chanting. Anudinam idam ādareṇa śṛṇvan iti. When it is stated anudinam ādareṇa, with great care and attention one should chant. Not that we should utilize the chanting of holy name for my sense gratification, that "I commit sin, and again I chant, and it will be counteracted. So again I chant, again I commit." No. That is not allowed.

Pandal Lecture at Cross Maidan -- Bombay, March 26, 1971:

We say that everyone is impious who is not taking foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our view. Anyone. That is stated by Kṛṣṇa. Yajña-śiṣṭāśinaḥ santo mucyante sarva-kilbiṣaiḥ: "Anyone who is eating foodstuff offered to Yajña, to Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, he is diminishing his volumes of sinful life." Bhuñjate te tv aghaṁ pāpā ye pacanty ātma-kāraṇāt: (BG 3.13) "And anyone who is cooking for himself, not for Kṛṣṇa, then he is simply eating a lump of sinful life." It doesn't matter whether he is vegetarian or nonvegetarian. This is the philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972:

Just like the first aphorism of Vedānta-sūtra is athāto brahma jijñāsā. In three words: atha, ataḥ, brahma, jijñāsā. Four words. So it contains volumes of philosophy. The next aphorism is janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). Janma, ādi, asya, yataḥ. "From whom," asya, viśvasya, "of this universe, cosmic manifestation." From where this cosmic manifestation has come, and where it rests, and where it will dissolve. Janmādy asya yataḥ (SB 1.1.1). In this way, Vedānta-sūtra means, gives you the whole purpose of Vedas, knowledge, in small code words.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson:

Hayagrīva: Well the basic contradiction, it seems, between Bergson and the Vedic version is that of the evolution of the universe.

Prabhupāda: Evolution of universe means, I have already explained, that anything material, it goes under six changes. So this universe, since its birth, it is increasing in volume. So that is material change. It is nothing to the, to do with the spiritual. Spirit, the soul, as we have got soul within this body, similarly ākāra, Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu is the soul of this universe. He is not changing; the universe is changing, the body is changing.

Philosophy Discussion on John Stuart Mill:

Śyāmasundara: If we see a phenomenon like the rain falling or anything, and we want to apply the test that will prove that God is the cause of that phenomenon, what test do we apply?

Prabhupāda: The śāstras, the Vedic literature is there, the Upaniṣads are there, books are there, śāstra cakṣuṣa. You have to see it through the śāstras. That is the injunction. You cannot see directly. You have to see śāstra cakṣuṣa. Your eyes, they are defective. Just like if you read astrology, astronomy, then you can understand what is the actual volume or the bulk of the sun, but by your eyes you are seeing just a disc. So all your senses are defective. So directly seeing or perceiving or tasting has no value, because these are all defective. So we have to, it is said, you should see through śāstras, through authoritative instruction.

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:
Prabhupāda: These materialistic persons, they have got many things to hear, śrotavyādīni, huge, big, big volumes of newspaper, so many rascal information. Why they have got so many engagement? Apaśyatām ātma-tattvam: (SB 2.1.2) because they do not know what is self-realization. Gṛheṣu gṛha-medhinām. They think that to live in this family life surrounded by wife, children, friends, this is life. So better use this newspaper and talk all nonsense and waste time. Their engagement is nidrayā. At night they sleep or enjoy sex, nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ vyavāyena, and in daytime they hanker after money, runs the motorcar head-break speed, neck-break speed.

Purports to Songs

Purport Excerpt to Sri Sri Siksastakam -- Los Angeles, December 28, 1968:

Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu instructed His disciples to write books on the science of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. A task which those who follow Him have continued to carry out down to the present day. The elaboration and exposition on the philosophy taught by Lord Caitanya are in fact the most voluminous, exacting, and consistent, due to the unbreakable system of disciplic succession of any religious culture in the world. Yet Lord Caitanya in His youth widely renowned as a scholar Himself, left us only eight verses called Śikṣāṣṭaka.

Page Title:Volume (Lectures)
Compiler:Visnu Murti, Serene
Created:03 of Mar, 2012
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=50, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:50