Window (Lectures)

Expressions researched:
"window" |"windows"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.6 -- Bombay, March 26, 1974:

Kṛṣṇa does not appear or disappear. Our eyesight changes. Just like we are looking through the window. One horse race is going on. When the horse comes before the window, we can see. And when it passes through, from our eyesight, we think that horse is no longer existing. But the horse is running. This example should be taken. Kṛṣṇa is called nitya-līlā. He is taking His birth, He is fighting in the battle of Kurukṣetra, He's dancing with the gopīs. That is going on eternally in either of the so many, innumerable universes. So the same time...

Lecture on BG 4.8 -- Bombay, March 28, 1974:

The example is that the sun is equally distributing sunshine. Anyone can take advantage of it. But if somebody does not take advantage of it, if he closes his door and windows, if he wants to remain in darkness, then what sun can do? Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears for everyone. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). "You take shelter unto Me." But we shall not do that. Instead of Kṛṣṇa, we shall find out so many imitation Kṛṣṇa and take shelter of them. This is our fault. This is not Kṛṣṇa's partiality. Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone, but we shall go to some rascal, who will falsely declare himself, "I am incarnation of God, incarnation of Kṛṣṇa," and I'll go there. And how some magic. He does not want to see the magic of Kṛṣṇa. He wants to see some false magic of an imitation Kṛṣṇa. That is the fault.

Lecture on BG 4.11 -- New York, July 27, 1966:

Keśāgra... Keśa means the hair, the upper portion of your hair. When it is divided into ten thousand parts... And just imagine. That one part is the spiritual atom. It is so small, it is so minute, that it is not possible to see with our material eyes. Even the material atom also we cannot see. When the material atoms are combined into six, then you can see floating in the air through the sunshine which is entering your room through the holes of a window. You can see some particles. That small particle, they are combination of six atoms. That particle, when it is divided into six, that becomes the atom. So you cannot see even the material atom, and what to speak of the spiritual atom.

Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:

So sarva-karmāṇi manasā sannyasyāste. Sarva-karmāṇi. Whatever he does, he has decided, manasā, by the mind. Determination comes into the mind. Therefore his determination is manasā āste sukhaṁ vaśī. He has decided to work only for Kṛṣṇa consciousness; therefore his happiness is under his own control. Happiness is under his own control. He hasn't got to seek happiness externally. The happiness is controlled, controlled by him. Sukhaṁ vaśī nava-dvāre pure dehī naiva kurvan na kārayan. So there are nine holes in our body. So that nine holes, they are acting. These two eyes, two nostrils, two ears, one mouth, one naval, and the evacuating and the urinal, they are nine holes and we are taking work with these nine holes. Just like one, this room. This room has got four outlets. One there, one here, and two windows. Similarly we have got nine holes in our body. So we are acting with the help of these nine holes. Nava-dvāre pure dehī. Dehī, it is just like a room having nine outlets. We are not this body. That we must know. Nava-dvāre pure dehī. It is pure. Pure means a city or a room. I am sitting within this room. Nava-dvāre pure dehī kurvan na kārayan. He is doing in the room, from the... Just like a rich man, he is sitting in his room and everything is going on. Similarly, the soul who is in pure consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is aloof from this body and everything is going on by Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on BG 7.1 -- Auckland, April 15, 1972:

So the idea of gagana is not perfect idea of the Supreme. Gagana-sadṛśa, that is limited within the purview of our knowledge because we cannot think that anything can be greater than this big sky. No, He is mahato mahīyān, bigger than the biggest, aṇor aṇīyān, smaller than the smallest. Just like we can imagine atom, the smallest. But atom we can see by some way or other atom. Six atoms, trasareṇu. Six atoms, when it is combined, we can see through the windows with the sunshine so many trasareṇu. Those small particles which we see through the window with sunshine, they are combination of six atoms. They are not original atom. But the atomic constitution of the living entity is a thousand times smaller than the atom. Therefore aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān: "He is greater than the greatest and smaller than the smallest." The smaller than the smallest, we are. We are also part and parcel. Just like the sun and the sunshine. The sunshine is combination of small atomic molecular parts, shining parts. They are also different. They are not combined together. That is scientific. Similarly, we are also sparks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Mamaivāṁśo jīva-bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). You are reading Bhagavad-gītā. You know. That aṁśa, that is described already—one ten-thousandth part of the point. Mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ (BG 15.7). In another place, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho yayedaṁ dhāryate jagat (BG 7.5). This material world is important because it is being manipulated by that small spiritual spark, jīva-bhūtāṁ mahā-bāho.

Lecture on BG 7.2 -- Hyderabad, April 28, 1974 :

So, here Kṛṣṇa says that, "I am explaining to you how that knowledge of going back to home, back to Godhead can be attained." Therefore He is saying here, jñānaṁ te ahaṁ sa-vijñānam. Jñānam means theoretical knowledge. That is called jñānam. And sa-vijñānam means practical knowledge. Just like in the scientific department of colleges, there are, for understanding anything scientifically there are two divisions: practical and theoretical. So jñānam is theoretical, and vijñānam means practical. Simply to know there is God, this is theoretical knowledge. But when actually you become connected with God, you practice the activ..., godly activities, that is called vijñānam. So, Kṛṣṇa will explain in this chapter the knowledge of God, both theoretically and practically. Jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam vakṣyāmi, "I shall speak to you," aśeṣataḥ. Aśeṣataḥ means vividly. Aśeṣataḥ. "And briefly," samanvitāḥ. And when it is said aśeṣataḥ, that means elaborate. But yaj jñātvā, "if somehow or other you understand this knowledge" yaj jñātvā, na iha, "in this material world," iha, iha means this material world; bhūyaḥ, "again"; anyat, "anything more"; jñātavyam avaśiṣyate, "no more," "you require no more further knowledge to understand." That is the statement in the Vedas, yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). If you simply understand Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa is everything, so if you understand Kṛṣṇa, automatically you understand what is this world, what is this earth, what is this water, what is this fire. This is material things. What is this air, what is this sky, what is this mind, what is this intelligence, what is this ego, and what is the soul. In this way you understand everything, because these material elements—earth, water, fire, air, sky—that will be explained in the next verse, it is the expansion of Kṛṣṇa's energy. As there are energies and the energetic, just like the fire. The fire has got two energies. One energy is the heat, and one energy is light. Just like in the morning, as soon as you see the light from you window, you can understand that there is sunrise. By the energy, light of the sun, you can understand there is now the sun on the sky. Heat also. When you are too much heated, even within the room, even if you do not see the sun, you can understand that this heat is due to the sun. Similarly, we have to understand the presence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by perceiving the different energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate. At the present moment we are trying to understand the energy of Kṛṣṇa. We cannot see directly Kṛṣṇa. But as soon as you see the energy or you perceive the energy, you can understand there is Kṛṣṇa, there is God. That is called intelligence. This is called jñānam.

Lecture on BG 9.2-5 -- New York, November 23, 1966:

Similarly, it is said here, mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā. This, this world, this material world, if you want to see God, God is everywhere because it is His energy. It is His energy. Just like in the Ford factory, the workers, they see in every corner Mr. Ford, in every corner of the factory, similarly, those who are conversant with this science that what is this material world, they can see in every atom the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa. It is simply question of knowledge, that who has made it. If I am confident that Kṛṣṇa has made it, then I can feel Kṛṣṇa's presence everywhere. Therefore everything resting, rests in Kṛṣṇa, everything rests in Kṛṣṇa. Mayā tatam idaṁ sarvaṁ jagad avyakta-mūrtinā, mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni: (BG 9.4) "Everything is resting on Me." And na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ: "But I am not there. I am not there." If you think that if Kṛṣṇa, this table is resting in Kṛṣṇa, therefore Kṛṣṇa must be here, but Kṛṣṇa says that "I am not there. I am not there." The same thing. Because Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa's energy is nondifferent, still, energy is not Kṛṣṇa. Just like the sun and the sunshine. There is no difference, but the sunshine is not the sun. If sunshine is present in your room through the holes of your windows, do you think that sun is also within your room? No. If sun becomes within room, then you'll not exist. The heat is so exorbitant that it, you cannot exist. Therefore it is sufficient that his rays, the sun's ray, is there. Similarly, whatever we see...

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

Therefore Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, comes at times, at interval, when many, many millions of years have turned. He has got a schedule to come upon this planet. And when He comes, He comes there in Vṛndāvana, Mathurā-Vṛndāvana. That is His headquarter within this universe. Therefore Mathurā-Vṛndāvana is so important. (aside:) You can open this. Yes. (window opens) Dhāma. Just like the governor. Governor has got his own house, government house. At the same time, when he goes on tour he has got a particular place called the circuit house. He stays there. Similarly, the whole creation is Kṛṣṇa's property. Kṛṣṇa said,

bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ

sarva-loka-maheśvaram

suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

jñātvā māṁ śāntim ṛcchati

(BG 5.29)

We are missing that point. Kṛṣṇa said, God said, the clear idea, that "I am the enjoyer, bhoktā." Bhoktā means enjoyer. "I am the enjoyer." Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasām. Yajña. Yajña means satisfying the Lord. This is called yajña. Just like we are chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. It is yajña, sacrifice. At least we are sacrificing little time. Kali-yuga, nobody is prepared to sacrifice. Especially when there is question of sacrificing for God, nobody's interested. So this, because they'll not sacrifice, they will enjoy themself, forgetting the supreme enjoyer. Just like a servant. If he cooks and enjoys himself without offering to the master, then what is his position? That is sinful position. Similarly, anyone, the demons, they have no sense of God. They do not like to offer. They want to eat anything nonsense, like hogs and dogs, and... That is demonic life.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

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

So this is very, very precarious condition of life. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is essential. It is not a fashion. It is essential, and everyone should take to it very seriously, because we do not know what we are getting the next life. Next life... The other day I was giving example in Berkeley. We were sitting within the room, and next to our window there was a tree standing. That is also living entity. We are also living entity. Just a yard from our room the tree is standing, but he has got so many disadvantage. He cannot move an inch. There is severe cold, there is scorching heat, there is blast, there is wind and sunshine, but he has no power to move. And we are human being. We are in a comfortable room. Why these different changes of condition, although the tree is also living being and I am also living being? Who has made this condition? But we have no knowledge. So I may get that condition next life. Then what is the value of my education? Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran loke tyajaty ante kalevaram (BG 8.6). Because at the time of death, the, your mentality, my mentality, will decide what kind of body I am going to get. That is under the laws of nature. You cannot dictate that "Give me this American life or Indian life." No. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa (SB 3.31.1). By your karma it will be decided whether you will be American, Indian, or snake or tree or bird. Daiva-netreṇa. Just like when you go to the court, the court will decide whether you will be punished or you will be rewarded. You cannot dictate to the court that "Sir, give me this judgment." No. That is not possible.

Lecture on SB 1.2.12 -- Vrndavana, October 23, 1972:

Now this verse is describing how one can become interested in the values of life. The values of life is to inquire the Absolute Truth, how this inclination can be developed or how Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be developed. Tattva-jijñāsā means Brahman, Paramātmā, and Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa. Now how this inclination... There is inclination in everyone, but by artificial means, they have been checked. Otherwise, normally, this inclination is there in everyone's heart. Nitya-siddha kṛṣṇa-bhakti sādhya kabhu naya. It is not an artificial imposition. Naturally there is tendency to know, if he's a sane man, "What I am? What is God? What is my relationship with Him? Why I am suffering?" There are so many questions. So here it is suggested that if you are actually serious about tattva-jijñāsā, to understand the Absolute Truth, this is the process. What is that? Tat śraddadhānāḥ. Śraddhā. Śraddhā means that at least to understand that "These people are doing some nice things." Just like in Europe and America, the papers are now discussing about our Movement. They say, "They are nice people, and we want more of them." At least, they are saying like that. Yes. "These Hare Krishna people, they are very nice, and we want more of them." And in Berkeley, when our procession was taken, the neighboring shopkeepers, they remarked that "These people are not window-breaking crowd." Because as soon as there is some crowd, or procession, immediately they begin to break the windows and throw stones. That is, that has become a custom. So when they see that these people are very peaceful... Even the police, they also give certificate that "We don't have to take much worries to control this crowd," when our Ratha-yātrā festival go.

Lecture on SB 1.2.24 -- Los Angeles, August 27, 1972:

So, on the whole, to understand the Absolute Truth, even brahma-darśanam, Absolute Truth, you have come to the light, not in the darkness. If you want to see the sun at least, then you have come to the sunshine. Not that in the dark room, closing your doors, you can see sunshine. You have to come out. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. Therefore the Vedic injunction is "Don't remain in the darkness. Come out to see the light." Just like in the morning, somebody is sleeping, closing his doors and windows tightly, and he's sleeping, snoring. Although it is ten o'clock, daytime, he thinks it is night going on. And he's enjoying sleeping. This is darkness. Rascal. And, those who are advanced, they rise early in the morning at four o'clock: "Now there will be sunshine. Prepare." That is the difference. The same human being: one is in the darkness, one is in the passion, and one is in the goodness. And if you come to the goodness, then you see, brahma-darśanam. You can understand what is Absolute Truth.

Lecture on SB 1.8.47 -- Mayapura, October 27, 1974:

This is sneha. Everyone is thinking. Even the lower animals, they are also thinking of giving protection to the children. I have got personal experience in Kanpur, I was sitting in my room, and one monkey was outside the door with his (her) kitty to take something out of my eating. But by chance the small kitty entered through the bars of the window within the room, and I saw the mother became almost mad immediately: "Oh, my son has gone inside, and it will not be allowed to come again." Anyway, I managed to push the small kitty to go away; then she was relieved. So this affection for children, for wife, for family members, increase, then to society, to country, even to the whole human society. There are so many persons. They have given their state (estate) for benefit of the whole human society. There are many, many philanthropists, charitably disposed men. They do that.

Lecture on SB 3.25.19 -- Bombay, November 19, 1974:

Bhakti means spiritual activities. There is activity... It is not... The Māyāvādī philosophers, they think that "Stop material activities." Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā. "Why you are engaged..." The Buddhist philosophy also, they say nirvāṇa, "Stop this material life." The Buddhist philosophers, they do not give more information. "We are suffering on account of this material combination." That is their philosophy. Because this body is nothing but combination of earth, water, fire, air, mind, intelligence and ego, so if you separate it, let the earth go to the earth, let water go to the water, let fire go to the fire, then you become zero. If you dismantle just like we dismantle some house, so there are so many things coming out. So let the doors be taken, somebody windows, somebody the bricks, somebody and..., rubbish somebody. Then there is no house, zero. This is called nirvāṇa theory. No more existence. We are suffering pains and pleasure... Pains. There is no pleasure. Pleasure means accepting another type of pain. I am suffering... Just like there is boil on your body. This is suffering. And to cure it, another suffering, surgical operation. So it is going on like that. Actually, there is no pleasure. There is only pain.

Lecture on SB 3.25.36 -- Bombay, December 5, 1974:

Just like we have explained several times that we have got experience of the sunshine. Because sunshine is very easily approached. But that understanding of the sunshine is not real understanding of the sun globe or sun planet or the sun-god. That is not perfect understanding. It is partial understanding that you can understand the sun globe is full of heat and light. That's all. But how much heat, what is the temperature of heat, how much light is there, and where is the source of heat and light, that is not possible to understand. Everyone will admit this, that simply by seeing, because the sunshine is entering your room from the window, that does not mean you know everything of the sun. Similarly, this impersonal understanding of the Absolute Truth is like that. Just like sunshine is impersonal, but the sun-god is person. If sun-god is not person, how Kṛṣṇa says, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam: (BG 4.1) "This Bhagavad-gītā..." He says to Arjuna, that "This Bhagavad-gītā, science of Bhagavad-gītā, or this yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, I spoke to sun-god. Exactly like that, I am speaking to you."

Lecture on SB 3.26.25 -- Bombay, January 2, 1975:

So this first expansion is Balarāma. And from Balarāma, then catur-vyūha, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha... Pradyumna, Aniruddha. So the Saṅkarṣaṇa feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead who is the controller of bhūtendriya-manomayam. These five elements, bhūta, indriya, and the ten senses, and the mind. They are, similarly... Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha—they are different controlling Deities of the different functions of the mind, intelligence, ego. So saṅkarṣaṇākhyaṁ puruṣaṁ sahasra-śirasam anantam. Ananta. You will find the picture of Nārāyaṇa lying down on Ananta-śayana(?). That Ananta caturdaśī-vrata. As there is Nṛsiṁha caturdaśī... A Vaiṣṇava, they have got different functions of appearance and disappearance days of Vaiṣṇava and Viṣṇu. Āvirbhāva, tirobhāva. Just the rising sun and the setting sun. When the sun sets, it does not mean the sun is finished. Of course, some of the former theosophists and scientists, they used to think that this is..., at night the sun is dead. That is not fact. The sun is not visible to our limited eyes. Similarly, appearance and disappearance of incarnation of Godhead is like that. They are going on just like the, a horse is running in due course, but when it comes in front of your door or window, you can see. But that does not mean the running of horse is stopped when you cannot see. Similarly, these incarnation of Godhead, ananta, unlimited, they are from this sahasra-śirasam Ananta, Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu.

Lecture on SB 3.26.29 -- Bombay, January 6, 1975:

So this is all spiritual. Ānanda-cinmaya-rasa. Rasa, rasa means mellow, the juice. There is juice, but that is not material juice. Material juice is different. That is temporary, asat. That is not sat. So if we want to taste this material juice, then we must be put into always in anxiety. Material life is anxiety. Therefore in this material world we..., I may love somebody, but it is full with anxieties. "My lover may not cheat. She may not go away" or "He may not go away." Because we are not in the spiritual platform, asad-grahāt, we are simply trying to love the external feature which is asat, which will not exist. Just like if you try to love a doll made of earth, dirt, very nicely painted as they are exhibited in the window of the tailor's shop. Who is going to love that? Nobody is going to. Everyone knows that this is imitation. Similarly, this body is imitation. It is a layer on the spiritual body. The spiritual body, when gives up this body, it has no value. A dead body of a beautiful man or beautiful woman, nobody likes because the spiritual essence is gone. Therefore love is actually on the spiritual platform. Material love is simply superficial, and it will cheat you. We must know this. Asad-grahāt. Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām asad-grahāt (SB 7.5.5).

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Johannesburg, October 22, 1975:

Now, in the next verse, how we can practice tapasya, that is recommended here. Mahat-sevām. Mahat sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). Mahat, great soul. Mahat means great soul. Who is great soul? Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ (BG 9.13). Great soul means who has taken shelter of the spiritual nature. He is great soul. There are two natures: spiritual nature and the material nature. We can understand material nature, this body, and the spiritual nature, the soul. And there are two things within our, this existence: matter and spirit. Similarly, there are two energies of God. One energy is called material energy, and the other is called spiritual energy. God is appreciated. We can understand God—there is God—by the presence of His energy, just like we can understand there is sun in the presence of the sunlight. Light is the energy of the sun. In the morning, as soon as you see through your door, open window, that there is now light, you can understand there is sunrise. So we can understand the existence of God by the presence of His energy. By the presence of His energy. Just like sun is appreciated by the presence of heat and light, similarly, whatever we see in this world There are two energies working: material energy and the spiritual energy. We can understand there is God. Otherwise wherefrom this energy is coming? As soon as we get heat and light, we understand there is the sun. Similarly, tathedam akhilaṁ jagat.

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

And the method is very simple: chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa... The more you go on chanting the..., the fog within your heart, the clumsy darkness of many, many lives sinful activities, will be cleared. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). And everything will be seen very distinctly. What I am? What is God? What is this world? What is our interrelation? How I shall live in this world? Then what is my next life? These things are not taught. Simply how to manufacture something for sense gratification. After all, it is sense gratification. You may discover... The other day somebody was telling me in Los Angeles that they have discovered an aeroplane which can run on very, I mean, speedily. But there is danger. As soon as the aeroplane will run on, there may be many windows here in the city, they'll dismantle. So we are trying to create something for sense gratification. At the same time, side by side, we are creating so much inconvenience. In this way, our time is being wasted. Action and reaction. Action and reaction. There must be some reaction. Whatever you do, there must be reaction. And that reaction you'll be entangled. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: yajñārthāt karmaṇo 'nyatra loko 'yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ (BG 3.9). Either you do good work or bad work, if it is for sense gratification, then you'll be entangled. But yajñārthe karma, if you do for kṛṣṇa-yajña, then you are free. So this process, recommended by Śukadeva Gosvāmī—kevala-bhakta—take to devotional service, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and everything, all other things will be automatically adjusted.

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

Out of his many children, elderly children... He was eighty years old. They were all elderly children, grown up children, and there were ten, ten elderly children. Out of them, tesam tu yo avamaḥ, the youngest child, youngest child was named as Nārāyaṇa. Tasya pravayasaḥ putrā daśa teṣāṁ tu yo avamaḥ . Bālo, "a boy," nārāyaṇo nāmnā, "his name was Nārāyaṇa." Pitroś ca dayito bhṛśam. Naturally the youngest child becomes very favorite to the parents. So this Ajāmila was very much attached to the youngest child. Sa baddha-hṛdayas tasminn arbhake kala-bhāṣiṇi. The youngest child, naturally... This is the attraction of family life. When a small baby smiles, immediately the father, mother and relatives become attracted. When the child begins to talk broken language, they enjoy. Unless this attraction is there, it is not possible to raise the child with affection. That is natural. That affection is even in the animals. You'll find a dog, even a tiger, everyone. That affection is there in the every... Monkey. I have seen it practically. In Kanpur I was staying in a room, and one monkey came with a child, and the child somehow or other entered into the window through the bars and the mother became mad. She thought, "My child is gone." She became mad. So somehow or other, again I pushed that monkey out of the bars, and immediately she embraced the child and took away. Just see. The affection is there.

Lecture on SB 6.1.25 -- Chicago, July 9, 1975:

But the thing is that we are living entities, and Kṛṣṇa is also the supreme living entity, and both of us after enjoyment... Because the same quality, we are qualitatively one. As Kṛṣṇa dances with the gopīs, we also try to dance in the ball dance, the same imitation. But the ball dance does not endure. We become frustrated, because it is only shadow. The reality is there. A shadow... Suppose you love a boy or girl. But if it is a shadow, it does not give you actual pleasure. Just like in your country, in the tailor's shop, there are so many beautiful women and beautiful man also, dressed, but nobody is attracted there because you know it is shadow. It is shadow. There is a very nice, beautiful girl in the window, and you pass on. You are not attracted, don't see even, because you know it is false, it is not reality. Again, suppose you love one girl, very nice, beautiful, and when she is dead, you are no more attached, because you know it is shadow. Why you are not attached to the same lover or beloved who is dead now? "No, no, here is your lover. Here is your beloved. Why don't you...?" "No, no, she is gone," or "He is gone." "Oh, where he is gone? He is lying there." (laughter)

Lecture on SB 7.7.22-26 -- San Francisco, March 10, 1967:

So... (pause) So we have discussed this aṣṭau prakṛtayaḥ..., eight different, differential elements, material elements. What is that? Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and false ego. And these eight elements are described in the Bhagavad-gītā as separated energy. Separated energy you'll understand: just like I am speaking, and my speech is being recorded in the tape recorder. So even I am not here, if you apply the machine, it will exactly speak like me. That is my energy, but now it is separated. It cannot be changed. Suppose I am personally sitting here. If I want to speak something and I can change into another, but that machine cannot change. It will simply produce the sound, what is recorded there. Therefore it is separated energy. Similarly, these eight elements, they are called separated energy. God, from God's inconceivable potencies, this energy has come out, this material energy. And it is acting mechanically, just like the same way, tape recorder. Nobody has got power to change it, but it is working. It is working. And it is working so nicely because it is emanated from the Absolute Truth. It is appearing just like truth. Just like another example: if you find some beautiful doll in the shopkeeper's window, oh, it appears, oh, just like, exactly a beautiful, nice girl. But it is not. But how it looks so nice? It is the craftmanship of the person who has manufactured that doll. Similarly, this separated energy, material energy, it is false, just like the doll. Nobody's attracted. Nobody's going to love offer, offer love to that doll girl because everyone knows, "This is false." Similarly, those who are intelligent, they are not interested to take any serious part in this material world because it is separated energy, and it is acting so nicely, with the complication of three modes of nature, goodness, passion and ignorance... This is also discussed, that there are three guṇas, and if you multiply it with three, three into three, it becomes nine. Then nine into nine equal to eighty-one. Then go on, eighty-one into eighty-one. It will, increases infinitely.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:

But the difficulty is that in this inferior energy... Inferior energy means where there is possibility of forgetting Kṛṣṇa. Actually, that is the fact. People are engaged in so many activities. We can see it very nicely in the Western countries. They are inventing so many modern facilities. But the result is they're forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That is material. Material means forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, there is nothing except Kṛṣṇa. Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. Prahlāda Mahārāja, yes, Nārada Mahārāja said that "This world is Kṛṣṇa." Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaraḥ. "But it appears like that it is different from Bhagavān." Actually, there is... For a mahā-bhāgavata, he has no such conception, material conception, because he sees everywhere Kṛṣṇa. Sthāvara-jaṅgama dekhe nā dekhe tāra mūrti (CC Madhya 8.274). He's seeing one tree, but he is, he's forgetful of the tree. He's seeing energy of Kṛṣṇa. As soon as he sees the energy of Kṛṣṇa, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Therefore instead of seeing the tree, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Because one after, after, coming, reference to the context. As soon as he sees anything we call material, he sees this is the conversion of the energy. Pariṇāma-vāda. Sarvedam akhilaṁ jagat. Parasya brahmaṇaḥ śaktiḥ. Parasya bra... Just like as soon as you see the sunshine, you see immediately sun. Is it not? In the morning, as soon as you see within your window the sunshine, immediately you remember sun and you are confident sun is there. Without sun, how there can be sunshine? Similarly, whatever we see, if we immediately see Kṛṣṇa, with reference to that particular thing... Because that particular thing is the manifestation of the energy of Kṛṣṇa. So those who have understood Kṛṣṇa along with His energies, he sees the energy, because energy is not different from the energetic, he sees immediately Kṛṣṇa. Therefore, he does not see anything except Kṛṣṇa. So therefore, for him, there is no material world. There is no material world. To a perfect devotee, there is no material world. Everything is spiritual. Sarvaṁ khalv idaṁ brahma. He sees everything Brahman.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures

Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.8 -- Mayapur, April 1, 1975:

So identification of Nityānanda Prabhu. So He is the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also. The first Saṅkarṣaṇa... From Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, four, quadruple expansions of Balarāma... Then, from Saṅkarṣaṇa, first Saṅkarsana, the Nārāyaṇa, four-handed Nārāyaṇa, that is the next expansion, and again, from Nārāyaṇa, there is another quadruple expansion, second Saṅkarṣaṇa, Vāsudeva, Pradyumna. So the second Saṅkarṣaṇa also is expansion of Nityānanda Rāma, Balarāma. So where is this Vaikuṇṭhaloka? It is rather imprudent to inquire because we cannot calculate even this material world, what is the length and breadth of this universe. This is only one universe. This is called māyika brahmānanda. Māyika means shadow. Shadow... Shadow is existing on account of the real. So therefore it is called māyā. Just like the example is, in your country, in the window, there are many nice model, beautiful women standing or a man standing, nicely dressed, but that is not real man or woman. That is shadow. That is called māyā. This is the example of māyā. Māyā means it is not fact, but it appears like fact. That is called māyā. Another example is... Just like the mirage, water in the desert. Actually there is no water, but it appears that there is water. The foolish animals, they run after this water, but there is no water. Simply running after will o' the wisp, phantasmagoria. So every one of us in this material world—hankering after happiness. Everyone is trying to be happy. But it is like the same, that there is no water in the desert, and still, the foolish animal running after it.

Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.255-281 -- New York, December 17, 1966:

Now here is a nice example. You have seen the sunshine entering your room through a hole of your window, and you will find so many atomic demonstration. So these brahmāṇḍas, the so many universes, they are emanating from the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu in that way.

punarapi niśvāsa-saha yāya abhyantara

ananta aiśvarya tāṅra, saba-māyā-pāra

In this way all the universes, they enter into the body of Mahā-Viṣṇu after the creation is over and again comes out. In this way it is coming and going, coming... Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19). In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that they are coming and going within. This is the way of material nature. And here is another evidence from Brahma-saṁhitā:

yasyaika-niśvasita-kālam athāvalambya

jīvanti loma-vilajā jagad-aṇḍa-nāthāḥ

viṣṇur mahān sa iha yasya kalā-viśeṣo

govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi

(Bs. 5.48)

Now, such a vast, gigantic Mahā-Viṣṇu, of whose breathing producing these universes and whose inhaling, annihilating all the universes—such vast Mahā-Viṣṇu is only part and part of the expansion of Kṛṣṇa, or Govinda. So Brahmā says, govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. So just we have to imagine how much potential is the Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra -- Philadelphia, July 12, 1975:

So our only request is, with folded hands and begging you, so many flatterings, we simply request... Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ pādayor nipatya. This is our process. We are not very violent pushing. Now, you see our procession came, so many, for three hours. There was no violence. And the police department of your country, they very much appreciate because they have got experience whenever there is some procession, there is violence. "Window-breaking crowd," they say. But these people are not win-breaking crowd. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... You have already accepted it, this movement, your so many young men. So we request. This is another occasion to invite you. So our only request is that you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and you will feel very much happy. There will be no anxiety. And then you can do your work. It doesn't matter what you are doing. But chanting of this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra will make you more and more happy, free from material anxieties, and if we continue this process, then everything will be clearly understood about spiritual life, and very easily we shall be able to go back to home, back to Godhead.

Arrival Addresses and Talks

Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975:

Prabhupāda: ...because śāstra says, pāpī tāpī jata chilo, hari-nāme uddhārilo. Simply by this chanting, all these things can be stopped. There is no doubt about it. They are spending so much money uselessly going to the moon planet and this planet and for stopping crime. The same amount may be spent for distribution of prasāda and chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in a mass scale. Everything will be all right. Mass scale. Simply organize nice prasādam distribution and mass joining Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see the effect.

Brahmānanda: There is proof of it just in Berkeley where we have our Ratha-yātrā. The police say that this... Or we have our parades there, and they are all peaceful, whereas other groups, they have parades, and they always...

Prabhupāda: "Window-breaking."

Brahmānanda: Yes, violent.

Prabhupāda: "Window-breaking crowd." We are not that. (break)

Initiation Lectures

Initiation Lecture -- Hamburg, August 27, 1969:

So everything is simultaneously one and different from the Supreme Lord. But there are two classes of philosophers. One class says that God and the living entities are different, and there is another philosopher, monist philosopher. They say God and the living entities are one. So this acintya-bhedābheda philosophy adjusts that "God and the living creatures, they are simultaneously one and different." They are one in quality, just like the energy and the energetic, the sun globe and the sunshine. In quality, in sunshine there is heat, there is illumination, light. In the sun globe also, there is heat, there is illumination. But the degrees are quite different. You can bear the heat and illumination of the sunshine, but you cannot go to the sun globe or you can bear the heat and temperature there. The scientist says that so many millions miles away, if somebody goes or some planet goes near the sun globe, it will immediately burn into ashes. Similarly, God and ourself, Kṛṣṇa and living entities, they are qualitatively one, but quantitatively, we are very minute. Aṇu. We are smaller than the atom. Nowadays there is atomic theory. We can see the atoms within the holes of the windows when there is focus of sunlight. That is called prasareṇu. Prasareṇu means six atoms combined together, then it is visible. Otherwise, atom is also not visible with our naked eyes. There is atomic theory, paramāṇuvāda, in Vedic literature also. And Bhāgavata says that the scientists may be one day able to count how many atoms are there within this universe. This is not possible, of course, but it is theoretically. The Vedic, er, Śrīmad-Bhāgavata says that "It may be possible one day by scientific research, one can count how many atoms are there within this cosmic manifestation. Still, it is not possible to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead by our ordinary sense perception." Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136).

General Lectures

Lecture -- Seattle, September 30, 1968:

Girl: Would you like the window open a little?

Madhudviṣa: Do you want the window to be open?

Prabhupāda: Yes. Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. (devotees respond) (sings)

Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969:

So our material knowledge, material science, our material endeavor is very, very insignificant to understand the Absolute Truth. It is almost impossible. You cannot understand even a planet, and what to speak of the Supreme. Therefore in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam (SB 1.2.11). Those who are in knowledge of the Absolute Truth, they say that the Absolute Truth is realized in three phases. But they're nondual. How nondual? Just like even if you study the sunshine, it is not different from the sun, because the same quality is there. The temperature and the illumination, two main qualities, in the sunshine you'll find. And in the same way, if you study the sun globe, you'll find the same quality: light, illumination, and temperature. And if you go further, if you study the living entity, you'll find the same thing: temperature and light. But there is difference still, varieties. You cannot say... When the sunlight enters within your room through the window, you cannot say, "I have got the sun now. Sun is within my room." That is nonsense. No. Sun is far, far away, but his energy has entered your room. So much you can say, but if you think that because the sunlight is within the room... Sunlight within your room? Sunlight, if it comes a few millions miles nearer this planet, it will be finished. What about your room? The temperature is so high.

Lecture -- Detroit, July 16, 1971:

Prabhupāda: So the window doors are open or not?

Devotee: Yes, they're open.

Prabhupāda: Then open... There are so many men. It must be... Ventilation must be there.

Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972:

Just like here, the most prominent feature in this material world is sex attraction. So that is there in Kṛṣṇa. We are worshiping Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa, attraction. But that attraction and this attraction is not the same. That is real and here it is unreal. We are also dealing with everything which are present in the spiritual world, but it is only reflection. It has no real value. Just like in the tailor's shop, sometimes there are so many beautiful dolls, a beautiful girl is standing. But nobody cares to see it. Because everyone knows that "This is false. However beautiful it may be, it is false." But a living woman, if she is beautiful, so many people see her. Because this is real. This is an example. Here the so-called living is also dead, because the body is matter. It is a lump of matter. As soon as the soul goes away from the same beautiful woman, nobody cares to see her. Because it is as good as the doll on the window of tailor shop. So real factor is the spirit soul, and because here everything is made of dead matter, therefore it is simply imitation, reflection. The real thing is in the spiritual world.

Evening Address to Pandas and Scholars -- Jagannatha Puri, January 26, 1977:

Hari-śauri: The microphone's not working.

Prabhupāda: ...for kindly receiving me. So in our humble way we are trying to...

Indian man (1): Is the mike on?

Prabhupāda: ...introduce the Jagannātha Swami's culture. Jagannātha svāmī nayana-pathagāmī bhavatu me. You'll be very much pleased that in the year 1967 I introduced Ratha-yātrā in San Francisco. And it is going on continually for the last six or seven years, and the government, they have fixed up a holiday for Ratha-yātrā. We have got 25th July as government fixed-up day, holiday, for Ratha-yātrā. And people take part in the Ratha-yātrā, not all my devotees, even outsiders. Ten to twelve thousand people attend, and we distribute prasādam to all of them. They feel very much obliged. And the newspaper writes that "People in general never felt such ecstasy as they are feeling in the Ratha-yātrā festival." And the police said that the crowd... In the Western country, as soon as there is some big crowd, there is some disturbance. So police were surprised that "This crowd is not window-breaking crowd." And next we introduced Ratha-yātrā in London, in the London, Trafalgar Square. That is the most famous square within the city. And there is a big column. It is called Nelson Column. So our ratha was so high that the Guardian paper, they criticized that "This Ratha-yātrā is rival to Nelson Column." Next we introduced Ratha-yātrā in Philadelphia, and this year we have introduced Ratha-yātrā in New York and...

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud:

Śyāmasundara: It is proven in practical experience of psychoanalysis that by remembering some traumatic or shocking experience in the person's life it relieves the emotional tension which has caused the disorder in his personality, and he becomes healthy again.

Prabhupāda: That may be, but if you sow a seed, the seed, when fructified, grown into a tree, then it is no more...

Śyāmasundara: He doesn't call it a seed; he calls it a shocking experience which we repress because it causes pain, and this repression makes a tension. For instance, a person grows up with a great hatred of woman: "Oh, I hate all woman."

Prabhupāda: That is particular (indistinct) for a particular person.

Devotee: Otherwise, let's say when the child was very young, the mother became angry and locked him in a room for too long, and he was crying, locked up. So then that person for the rest of his life, as soon as the windows are closed, he will be afraid, because he remembers, even if he has forgotten the original experience. He is always afraid of. That's claustrophobia.

Śyāmasundara: Freud says by remembering this experience you can explain...

Prabhupāda: Suppose the child is locked up, and his brain becomes deranged. Then how can (indistinct)?

Devotee: So let's say he's grown, he still has that fear, and Freud or one of his doctors will start to think back, "What do you remember from your childhood?" And then the doctor will see, "Oh, that is (indistinct)."

Prabhupāda: That's all right. He can find out what is the cause, but what is the cure?

Śyāmasundara: By remembering and explaining to him, "You were only a child. It wasn't really a bad situation," like this, and then the patient loses the tension which has caused the disorder, and he becomes healthy again.

Prabhupāda: That is psychoanalysis?

Śyāmasundara: Yes. Psychoanalysis, psychotherapy.

Devotee: Actually the idea is that a child is sometimes unable to adjust to certain very extremes. It is called trauma, very shocking, and the child can't understand; he is simply very much stunned. So through his life he is affected by that. He can't remember exactly what it is, because he wants to forget it, it is so painful, but it manifests in some aberrant symptom later on, as he is afraid when the windows are closed. But by finding out what is the root of his fear,... (indistinct)

Prabhupāda: (indistinct) ...I become afraid. Just like in that hospital, it was so nice, everything was so nice, but because I was thinking, "Oh, I cannot go out, I cannot walk," it was giving me too much trouble—that very thought that I cannot go out.