Young Man (Lectures, SB canto 3 - 12)

Expressions researched:
"young man" |"young men"

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 3.25.1 -- Bombay, November 1, 1974:

Therefore they are advancing. See practically. Why they are advancing? Because they are not misled. They have been given the right information, and they have taken it seriously, and they are trying their best to do, to render service. That is the reason. People are surprised how these Americans and Europeans have become such great devotees and dancing in ecstasy. They are surprised. Yes, it is surprising. Even in their country the priests are surprised. But what is the reason they are advanced? Because they have taken the right thing, kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam (SB 1.3.28). That they have taken. Either you say blindly... Blindly or knowingly, if you touch fire, it will act. Fire is fire. It is not that because a child takes fire, it will not burn. It will burn. So why these Western young men, they are taking this movement seriously? Because it is acting as fire. It is acting as fire. They have taken fire, and it is acting as fire.

So there is information in the śāstra, accepted by the ācāryas. Just like kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam, that is accepted by the ācāryas. Ācāryopāsanam. The Śaṅkarācārya even, although he is impersonalist, he has accepted Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and what to speak of others? Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya and Viṣṇu Svāmī, Nimbārka and, latest, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His followers—all accept Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of..., following the same principle as Arjuna said, "Kṛṣṇa, You are paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12)." So this is simple thing. There is no need of speculation, "What is God?" "Where is God?" Here is God, sir. Here is God. You see. Why you foolish, you are searching? Here is God. He is not... Although Kṛṣṇa has come in a form which you can see...

Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:

That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission. He said, when He was talking with Rāmānanda Rāya... Rāmānanda Rāya was a śūdra by caste. We have got the four divisions: brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra. So he was, Rāmānanda Rāya was by caste a śūdra, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu was a high-class brāhmaṇa. Not only brāhmaṇa, He was a sannyāsī, the most exalted post. First of all He's brāhmaṇa. Of course, unless one is brāhmaṇa, he cannot take sannyāsa. That's a fact. So He was, from social point of view, He was son of Jagannātha Miśra, grandson of Nīlāmbara Cakravartī. Personally, He was learned scholar, born in a very high class brāhmaṇa, very beautiful body, young man—all qualified. And He was taking instruction from Rāmānanda Rāya, who was a śūdra. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta, you'll find. So Rāmānanda Rāya, he was not only śūdra, he was gṛhastha. And he was a politician, governor of Madras. Governor of Madras. But he was very exalted in spiritual knowledge. So after converting Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, when Caitanya Mahāprabhu decided to go to the southern part of India, South India, at that time... Sarvabhauma Bhaṭṭācārya, he was a very learned scholar, logician, nyāyī. So he wanted to teach Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Because He was a young man. But later on he accepted Caitanya Mahāprabhu as his guru. He was impersonalist, Māyāvādī. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained to him the Vedānta-sūtra, that Vedānta-sūtra is personal philosophy. So he was convinced, and he became his disciple.

Lecture on SB 3.25.7 -- Bombay, November 7, 1974:

"This is not good." Here also, Devahūti says that bhūmann asad-indriya-tarṣaṇāt. Asad-indriya-tarṣ... Actually, these senses are not real senses. It is covered. Just like my, this body, covered with this shirt, or this cloth. It is not my real body. Although you see the shirt has got a hand, that hand is not real hand. The real hand is within the shirt. Similarly, our real body is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13). Dehe. Dehinaḥ. Dehinaḥ means the real body, or the spiritual body of the soul, is within this body. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe. And the body is changing. Kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. It is sometimes child, sometimes youth, sometimes a young man, sometimes old man. And then vanishes. It is... There are six changes. So this is not real body. But... And we are engaged in this unreal body, sense gratification. We have got senses. So therefore Bhagavad-gītā says, sukham ātyantikaṁ yat tad atīndriya-grāhyam (BG 6.21). Atīndriya-grāhyam. Beyond the senses. Therefore these senses are to be purified. That is called tapasya. Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). And... Yes. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam (CC Madhya 19.170). When we purify our senses... Senses you cannot destroy. That is not possible. Just like some, somebody said that "You become desireless." Desireless... Desire is the mental activities. So we cannot be desireless. That is not possible. We have to purify the desire. That is required. That is recommended.

Lecture on SB 3.25.18 -- Bombay, November 18, 1974:

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is so nice that even a child can be on the highest position of jñāna and vairāgya—if he takes the word of Kṛṣṇa by association, good association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for giving chance to people to take the advantage of association of jñānī and vairāgī. Not fools and rascals, but jñānī and vairāgī. Jñāna-vairāgya-yuktayā (SB 1.2.12) Bhakti-yuktena ca ātmanā (SB 3.25.18). Then, what is the result? Paripaśyaty udāsīnaṁ prakṛtim, prakṛtiṁ ca hataujasam. Now prakṛti has no more any influence. No more attraction for cinema. No. No more attraction for cigarette. You see practically. These are young men from Europe and America. Because they have taken to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they have no more any attraction for meat-eating, cigarette or cinema. No. This is called vairāgya. How they attained this vairāgya? Only for this bhakti. Bhakti-yuktena.

So the real purpose of life is to attain jñāna and vairāgya. This is the meant for human life. Because we are suffering in this material condition on account of ignorance, no jñāna. I am not this body, but I am thinking "I am this body," "I am American." I am not actually so. I am thinking "American," "I am Engli...," "Pakistani," "I am Hindustani." And fighting. This whole world is going on on this ajñāna. Because I am not this body. But the whole world is being conducted this ajñāna. And there is no vairāgya. Very much attached. The so-called family, society, love and... Everything will be finished as soon as this body is finished. No more love, no more family, no more attraction. So this is going on—ajñāna and attachment. Moha, illusion. Ato gṛha-kṣetra-sutāpta-vittair janasya moho 'yam ahaṁ mameti (SB 5.5.8).

Lecture on SB 3.25.29 -- Bombay, November 29, 1974:

Had it been hackneyed, how long they would have chanted? No. That is not possible. Unless it is spiritual, nobody can be satisfied simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa. You take any other word, "Mr. John, Mr. John, Mr. John," how long you will chant? After chanting for half an hour you will be fed up. But this is ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. The more you chant the more you become spiritually advanced. This is called ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam. Otherwise how one can be satisfied simply by chanting, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa? They are not mad, they are not foolish. They are human being. And how they have given up everything simply by chanting if it is not ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, if it is not increasing in spiritual blissfulness. Practical. They have forgotten everything, they are also young men. They don't go to cinema. Just one block after there is cinema, they will never go, giving up this chanting and go to the cinema. Don't you see practically?

So spiritual life, that is spiritual life, that if you take to spiritual life and take to the process then your ānandāmbudhi-vardhanam, your spiritual life, will be blissful more and more. It is not decrease. Because we want ānanda. Ānandamayo 'bhyāsāt (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.12). That is the Vedānta-sūtra. Living being or Para-brahman or Brahman, everyone is ānandamaya. That ānanda can..., you get perfectly when you take ānandamaya with Kṛṣṇa, in association with Kṛṣṇa. You associate with Kṛṣṇa as servant or as friend or as father, as mother, as conjugal lover. There are five rasas: śānta, dāsya, sākhya, vātsalya, mādhurya. Here also in this material world we have got the same rasas.

Lecture on SB 3.25.29 -- Bombay, November 29, 1974:

We have to understand Kṛṣṇa in truth. Otherwise we will be bewildered. And for that reason you have to hear from Kṛṣṇa or His representative to understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise you will also be bewildered.

So if we can understand Kṛṣṇa, that these activities of Kṛṣṇa, divyam..., janma karma ca me divyam (BG 4.9), divine, and they are not ordinary activities. If we can understand it, immediately we become liberated. Simply if we can understand the activities of this Kṛṣṇa's dancing with the gopīs, they are divyam, they are not ordinary. Just like here also a young man wants to dance with many young girls; it is not like that. And because people cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, and if they hear about the dancing of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, they take it the concession, "Now let us dance with young girls." And they are going to hell. Therefore you have to learn from the proper person about Kṛṣṇa's activities. If you learn Kṛṣṇa from the professional uneducated person, nondevotee, then you will go to hell. Therefore immediately we should not try to understand Kṛṣṇa's dealing with the gopīs. It is very confidential. It is kept in the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. That means you have to understand Kṛṣṇa as He is by reading first nine cantos of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Then you will be able to understand janma karma ca divyam. The Kṛṣṇa's activities, they are not ordinary thing. They are divine. And if we actually understand, then immediately you become liberated. Janma karma ca divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ.

Lecture on SB 3.26.5 -- Bombay, December 17, 1974:

Can anyone say? Everyone is condemned to death. "As sure as death." That is condemned to death. Why shall I die? If my nature, constitutional position, is na jāyate na mriyate—I do not take birth; I do not die—then why I am dying? That is condemned to death.

So condemned to death, we are acting in such a way. That is nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). We have got one life, and there is... According to the body, the dog is working in a certain way, the cat is working in a certain way, the man is working in a certain way, the brāhmaṇa is working in a certain way, the śūdra is working in certain way, according to the body. The child is working in a certain way. The grown-up young man is doing in certain way. So according to body, we are working in different way, vicitrāḥ, but they are all contaminated activities. Therefore we have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, ayi nanda-tanuja patitaṁ kiṅkaraṁ mām: "I understand that I am Your eternal servant. My position is Your servant. But I prefer to become the servant of māyā. Therefore this is my fallen position. If You kindly take me again." And He is ready. Kṛṣṇa is ready. Therefore He comes personally to canvass, that "Why you are rotting in this material world?" Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Just like fathers, sane father, request the bewildered son, "Why, my dear son, you are suffering in this way? Why don't you come back to home, and live peacefully and blissfully?" But no, we are determined. We are determined. Although Kṛṣṇa is canvassing, His devotees are canvassing, "No. No, sir. We shall enjoy here." What is enjoyment? Birth and death, disease and old age—is that enjoyment? But they have no brain to understand. Dull, mūḍhāḥ, duṣkṛtina. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Kṛṣṇa says, "Surrender unto Me. I give you protection." But they will not do. Why? Because duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ narādhamāḥ. That is the position.

Lecture on SB 3.26.6 -- Bombay, December 18, 1974:

When I was in Moscow, in the airport, my custom checking was being done. So they found out one Bhagavad-gītā. So immediately the custom officer called police. So I thought, "Now my destiny is finished, because... (laughter) Because I know that these people send anyone to some unknown place. You cannot question." In our country that is also coming very soon. Anyone government can send anywhere. So the policeman, two policemen came. So they saw the Bhagavad-gītā. Of course, by Kṛṣṇa's grace, they said, "Oh, no, there is nothing dangerous. They can go." This is the country, Moscow. I have got practical experience in going there. And always suspicious. And the people in general, they are very unhappy, very unhappy, because they have no freedom. A young man cannot go out of the country. So they may advertise so much, but so far I have got experience—the most wretched country. Everyone is fearful. And they are not very prosperous, not rich or... Comparing to the other cities of Europe or America, Moscow is a very poor city.

Anyway, this defying the authority of God, this is the our main material disease. That is explained, evaṁ parābhidhyānena kartṛtvam. It is foolishness. Kartṛtvam. He is completely under the control of material nature; still, he is thinking, "I am free. I am the master. I can do anything, whatever I like. There is no need of accepting the authority of God." This is called māyā. Māyā-mohita. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitaṁ nābhijānāti, mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam (BG 7.13). These rascals, they are bewildered by the three kinds of material modes of nature. Tribhir guṇamayair bhāvair mohitaṁ nābhijānāti, mām ebhyaḥ param. They cannot understand that in the background of everything there is the supreme authority of God. This is called atheism. Although they are being kicked every moment by the modes of material nature, they are feeling that "I am under the control of some power, superior power..."

Lecture on SB 3.26.26 -- Bombay, January 3, 1975:

Janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ jñānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam. One cannot understand what is the cause of a vāsudeva-bhakta to become so much renounced. Just like in India these young men from America and Europe... They are surprised, "How they have become so much aloof from material activities?" It is surprising. That is... It is not surprising, because bhaja vāsudevam: they have taken to the shelter of Vāsudeva. If you do also, you shall become. But we are not inclined. In India, "Oh, Vāsudeva, we have... We know everything of Vāsudeva. Hare Kṛṣṇa, oh, this is... What you can teach? We know everything." This is the Indian disease. Because familiarity breeds contempt. Because Indians are familiar with the name of Vāsudeva, with the name of Hare Kṛṣṇa, they think... Just like in European and American cities these boys and girls, they go for saṅkīrtana, and the Indian people, they say, "Oh, we know everything about it. We have now come here to learn how to eat meat, how to drink wine." You see? This is the condition. Bhaja vāsudevam—this is not very much appealing. But this is the only way to become out of entanglement. Otherwise, this śānta-ghora-vimūḍhatvam iti vā syād ahaṅkṛteḥ. We shall always remain in this false ego that "I am this body. I am of this material world," no information of the spiritual world.

Lecture on SB 3.26.34 -- Bombay, January 11, 1975:

Mahato bhayāt. Bhaya, or fearfulness, is of our next life. That is bhaya. Everyone is afraid of dying. Why? There is fearfulness that after this body, after death, nobody knows where he is going. That is bhaya. Everyone should be afraid of that. Suppose you are pushed somewhere. You do not know whether..., where you are going. So that is very dangerous. One must know "Where I am going." But they do not believe in the next life. Due to lack of knowledge, poor fund of knowledge, they... There is no question of disbelieving. It is quite logical, as Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). As you are changing body... Everyone is changing. Everyone knows, "I was a child. Then I became a baby, I became a boy, I became a young man. Now I am old man." So these, one after an..., change, one body after another, that is going on simply... Similarly, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ, after this body is finished, I must get another body. So I am transformed to one body to another by mind, intelligence and ego. That has to be trained, mind. If you train up your mind where to go... We decide even in this life. We first of all decide in the mind, "Where I shall go?" We purchase ticket. We make arrangement. Similarly, the mind should be trained up how to go back to home, back to Godhead. This is called bhajana-sādhana, to train up the mind. If the mind becomes disturbed at the time of death, then... Even Bharata Mahārāja, such an exalted person, he became very much affectionate with a deer calf, and he had to take birth as a deer. Such an exalted person, so much advanced in spiritual life, but at the time... Yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvam (BG 8.6). He was absorbed in the thought of the small deer whom he loved very much, so he had to take the body of a deer.

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

Kṛṣṇa says that "I am the friend of everyone." But we are taking the place of Kṛṣṇa, leadership. I am declaring to my countrymen, to my follower, that "I am your friend." So actually, I cannot be friend because I do not know what is the goal of life. I cannot lead them properly. Some immediate convenience we can offer, and people, being less intelligent, they are after immediate profit. It is called preyas. Just like if you say to a small child, "Don't go to school. Please come and play with me," he would like to play with his friend. That is immediate profit. But if you ask him to go to the school, that is remote profit. That is called śreyas. And preyas. Preyas me ans immediate profit. Two young men, if one friend says to the other friend, "Oh, let us go to the cinema," that is very palatable. And if he says, "Let us go to this meeting in Hare Kṛṣṇa Land," that is not very palatable. This is the distinction between śreyas and preyas. Niḥśreyasāya. Niḥśreyasāya means ultimate goal of life, ultimate profit of life.

So ultimate profit of life is to go back to home, back to Godhead. Because we are suffering on account of separation from God. This is our cause of suffering. Instead of becoming servant of God we have become the servant of senses. That is the cause of our suffering. Therefore three things, if we can understand thoroughly, that Kṛṣṇa, or God, is the proprietor and enjoyer of the whole universe or creation and... Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of all universal planets, and suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām, and He is the real friend of everyone. Jñātvā, "One who knows," Kṛṣṇa says, mām, "Me, then he gets śānti." Otherwise, there cannot be any śānti.

Lecture on SB 3.26.46 -- Bombay, January 21, 1975:

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu sent His different devotees in different parts of India. And, of course, He desired that His devotees should go all the parts of the world. Pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi grāma. (CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126) But He began in India. So their residential quarter was in Vṛndāvana, and they wrote innumerable books. And Nityānanda Prabhu went to Bengal. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu personally traveled all over India, especially South India. In this way, preaching was His main mission of life. He gave up His family life. Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam, māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayā (SB 11.5.34). He wanted to show His mercy to the fallen souls of this yuga, Kali-yuga. Therefore, as just a young man, twenty-four years old, He gave up His family. Sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīm. His family was very, very nice family, mother and wife, very affectionate mother, very beautiful wife, but He gave up everything. Tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam (SB 11.5.34). He went to forest. That means He accepted this sannyāsa order just to preach and to elevate the fallen souls. Māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayā.

Lecture on SB 3.28.1 -- Honolulu, June 1, 1975:

Nṛpa means king; ātma-ja means offspring. So she was the daughter of the emperor of the higher planetary system, Manu, Vaivasvata Manu. The Vaivasvata Manu's name you have heard in the Bhagavad-gītā. Imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ (BG 4.1). This Manu, Vaivasvata Manu, vivasvān manave prāhuḥ. The sun-god, whose name is Vivasvān, he spoke to his son, Manu. This Manu is the father of Devahūti. She is not ordinary girl. So how fortunate she was. She was the daughter of Vaivasvata Manu. She... Vaivasvata Manu was the emperor of the heavenly planet. And the wife of Kardama Muni. Kardama Muni was a great yogi. So while practicing yoga, he thought of marrying. That, it is natural among young men. So this Devahūti's father... The Devahūti proposed to her father, "My dear father, I wish to marry the Kardama Muni. He is practicing yoga in such and such place. If you will take me there then I shall be very pleased." So Manu, the king, he thought that "My daughter wants to marry this yogi. All right, let me take her there." And she was brought by the king, and Kardama Muni was said that "I have brought my daughter and you marry him (her)." And he thought that "I wanted to marry, so Kṛṣṇa has sent such a beautiful, exalted girl, daughter of the emperor of the..." So he accepted. And he left the daughter with Kardama Muni and he went away.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- London, August 30, 1971:

"After destruction of this body I am not destroyed. I exist." Na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Hanyamāne śarīre. After destruction of the body, the soul is not destroyed. Ajo nityaḥ śāśvato yaṁ na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20). Aja. The soul never takes birth; the body changes. Just like I am soul, you are soul; we have changed so many bodies. I had a body, a small baby's body. That body is no longer existing. Everyone has seen... Where is that body? I possessed a small baby's body. Where is that body? That is gone. Then I possessed a boy's body. That body is also gone. Then I possessed a young man's body; that is also gone. Now I am possessing one old man's body, seventy-six years old. But I understand that I had a small body like this. I had a body like a boy, like a child, then young man. Therefore the conclusion should be that I, as I have passed so many bodies, similarly, when I shall pass this body, I shall exist. This is conclusion.

Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,

dehino 'smin yathā dehe

kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā

tathā dehāntara-prāptir

dhīras tatra na muhyati

(BG 2.13)

Dhīra, one who is cool-headed. Not a passionate(?), crazy fellow, but cool-headed. Dhīras tatra na muhyati. He can understand that as one passes through different bodies, baby's to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then old age, similarly, this body, when it will be no more existing, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20), the body may be destroyed, but the soul will continue to exist. This is the Vedic principle of knowledge.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Johannesburg, October 20, 1975:

"Then you are no better than the cats and dogs, because they also live under the bodily concept of life." And if you do not understand that you are not this body, you are spirit soul and you are changing different forms of body for realization of the higher, the highest goal of life... That you should understand. That is called tapasya.

So if we do not become very sober... Tapo divyam (SB 5.5.1). Then, to become sober, dhīra... Dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13). Dhīra means sober. If we remain restless like animals, then we cannot achieve the goal of our life. We do not know how the laws of nature is working. We can experience how the laws of nature is working in our present life. Present life... Just like a young man, if he thinks that "I shall not become old man. I shall remain young man," will the nature's law allow it? No. You must become old man. There is no question of saying that "I don't want to become old man." So, no, nature's law will not allow you. You must become old man and suffer the old age's disadvantages. That you must. Similarly, if the old man says, "Never mind. I have become old man. I will not die," no. Nature's law will not allow. He must die. Similarly, after death, if you think foolishly that there is no more life, that is also wrong. Nature's law is that you must accept another body. This is nature's law. So we are dependent on nature's law. However foolishly we declare that "We are independent. We don't care for anything," that will not stay. We are under the clutches of material nature's law. In this law, by evolutionary process we have come to this human form of life, and if we don't utilize it properly, then we are missing the chance.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

It is a question of realization. The more you strictly follow the regulative principles, chant sixteen rounds regularly, the more you'll realize.

Because God, Kṛṣṇa, is omnipotent. He can accept your service. He can bless you even from the picture. That is God's potency. If you think that this is just like ordinary picture... Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante (BG 4.11). You know the story of Sākṣi-gopāla in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The..., a atheist is thinking that "Here is a stone statue." And the devotee is thinking that "Here is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." It is a question of quality of advancement. The story, I may recite, that two brāhmaṇas, one young and one old, went to Vṛndāvana. So the younger brāhmaṇa, young man, he served this old man on the way. It is the duty, still in India, if there is any old man... It is not now decreasing. And if there is young man, the young man is always ready to help the old man. So at Vṛndāvana, after reaching, the young man and the old man, the old man felt very much obliged... (aside:) Why this sound? Huh? Felt obliged to the young man, and he said, "My dear boy, you have served me so nicely; without your help, I could not come. So I have got some obligation to you. I want to reward you." (aside:) Stop that sound. So (the) young man said, "Sir, why you are thinking like that? It is my duty. You are just like my father; whatever service possible, I have given you. There is no question of rewarding me." Actually, that is not service. If we serve somebody and with expectation of some reward, that is not service, that is business.

So the old man said, "No, I feel myself." So he said that "My youngest daughter I'll give you."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

So he said, "Sir, don't say like that, because you are rich man. I am poor man." Because in India, still, the father, parents, they arrange for marriage. So they want equal status. If the father of the girl is rich man, then he must find out a son-in-law who is coming also from rich family. If he's educated, he wants a son-in-law who must be educated. So this young man was neither very much educated, nor at all rich. But this old man was aristocrat, rich man, and educated, complete different. The young man said that "Why you are promising like this? You do not know you are talking before the Deity. You should not talk like that. Because it will not be possible. Even though you agree, your sons, your wife will not agree. So it will be failure and you are talking before the Deity, you should be careful." So the old insisted, "No, maybe they protest, but it is my daughter, I shall give you. Who can protest? I promise." So the young man said, "Now, it is up to you, but you are promising before the Deity. Mind that."

So in this way, when they returned home, one day the old man, before his wife and son, said, "My dear son, my dear wife, this girl should be offered to that young man." He was same village. "What is this? How this daughter can be offered to such poor man? He's not very educated." The old man said: "No, it doesn't matter. I have promised." The boy, his eldest son, said, "No, no, it cannot be." And the wife said that "If you give my daughter to that boy, then I shall commit suicide." He was perplexed. Now what to do? So he was thinking and praying to Kṛṣṇa, "Sir, I have promised before You. You kindly help me so that they may not commit suicide and I may also offer my daughter to that boy.

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

"No, no, it cannot be." And the wife said that "If you give my daughter to that boy, then I shall commit suicide." He was perplexed. Now what to do? So he was thinking and praying to Kṛṣṇa, "Sir, I have promised before You. You kindly help me so that they may not commit suicide and I may also offer my daughter to that boy. You have to arrange for that." And Kṛṣṇa has got such contradictory duties. He has to protect the thief, as well as the man where theft is being done. You see. Because everyone is praying, "Sir, my things may not be stolen." And the thief is also praying, "Please give me some opportunity so that I can steal." And Kṛṣṇa has to satisfy both.

So in this way, the young man, he saw that this old man promised before Lord Kṛṣṇa, Gopālajī, and he's now silent. So one day he came, and the son of the old man, he was very politician, atheist class. So when the father said, "I have promised. How can I deny?" "No, when there will be some talk about this you simply say, 'I don't remember what I said,' that's all. Then I shall manage. I shall manage." So what can be done? Although he did not like to say like that, but he has to see both sides. So one day the young man came, "Sir, you promised, now you are silent, you do not do anything. What is in your mind?" So when he was talking with the old man like that, his son came out, "You rascal, you want to marry my sister? Are you fit for that?" So all ill names. And he brought a stick: "Get out; otherwise I shall beat you like that."

Lecture on SB 5.5.1-8 -- Stockholm, September 8, 1973:

Then other neighborhood men said, "What is the trouble?" So he said that "This man, this young man, went with my father to Vṛndāvana. He took all his money by giving him intoxication. And now he's talking that my father has promised to give my sister to him. Do you think it is possible?" So all the neighborhood men said, "Yes, he's very rich man, How this poor man can be...? Maybe he has taken his money." So the young man said, "No, sir! He has promised before... I am not very much anxious to marry his daughter. But I'm simply anxious that he promised before the Deity. So how is that he can withdraw the promise? It is a great offense." He's thinking in that way. So in the meantime his son came out, "All right, if the Deity has become witness, if you can bring the Deity here and He gives witness: 'Yes, my father promised,' then I also promise that my sister will be married with you." Because he's atheist, he's thinking that "Deity is not going to come here. How He can come and from such a long distant place? This is impossible. This crazy man may say that Deity has become witness, but it is not possible." So he said, "All right, I'm going to Vṛndāvana to bring the witness."

So he went there again and... He knows that He is Supreme Personality of Godhead personally. He does not know that He is Deity. He's Deity, but He's Supreme Personality of Godhead. "Sir, if Your devotee... I know that old man is Your devotee, but he is now perplexed on account of his son and wife. So You have to go with me and say yes, this promise was made before You, to become witness." So Gopālajī said, "How I can go? Do you think a marble Deity can go anywhere?"

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Boston, April 28, 1969:

Suppose you think that "All right, I have got this American body, American country. Never mind there are some sufferings due to this body. I shall live here." Oh, you cannot live. You cannot. You'll not be allowed to live also. How long? Therefore the qualifications of this material world are two. It is full of misery and it is temporary. But our demand is full of pleasure and eternal life. Just opposite. But the foolish persons, they do not understand. They think, "Oh, we are very much happy." Oh. How we are happy? Supposing you are feeling happy. How long you'll be happy? Any moment you'll have to give up this place. Take example, your President Kennedy. He approached to the most happiest position, president, young man, good wife, children. Within a second, everything finished. Within a second. He was going on car very nicely, protected, thinking protection, but just in a moment—finished. So that possibility is for everyone. Even the President of America, Mr. Kennedy, he could not save himself, in spite of so much power and opulence. And what of us? We have to think, you see, very with cool head that every arrangement here in this world, however nice you may think, however you may be free, they are all temporary, all temporary, backed up by full of misery. Unless one is not conversant with this principle of life, he cannot actually seriously take up what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- London, September 17, 1969:

When he leaves this body... Actually, nobody will die. We simply quit this body and accept another body. We are forced by the laws of nature according to karma. By practice of yoga system we can avoid the forcible nature's law, but we can leave this body according to our sweet will, not being forced by the nature's law. Just like Bhīṣmadeva. Bhīṣmadeva, he knew this yoga practice. Therefore he was not to be killed. Unless he desired to die, nobody could kill him. So yogis... Still there are many yogis in India, they are living for seven hundred years, or three hundred years, four hundred years. They consider not yet perfect. Not yet perfect. They are trying to make perfection of the yoga practice, and they look like young men, say, twenty-five years, thirty years old. But they are seven hundred years old, three hundred years old. There are still yogis. They are yogis. They have practiced yoga. Still they consider they are not perfect. The perfection will be when a yogi at his sweet will can leave this body and can go any planet he likes. Not only within this material universe, but also even, if he likes, he can go to the spiritual planet also. That is yoga.

Just like Durvāsā Muni. Durvāsā Muni traveled within this universe and beyond this universe within one year. That statement is there in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. There was a misunderstanding between him and a devotee, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. So for that reason he had to travel. He was attacked, and out of the fear of his life he had to travel to go from one planet to another, one planet to another to save his life. Ultimately, he had to go to the Viṣṇu planet. He was so powerful. And it is said that this space travel covered by Durvāsā Muni took only one year. So yoga practice is so... That is also a kind of freedom. We do not know what is freedom. Liberation, I am speaking on the point of liberation.

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 11, 1975:

We are not independent. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). As you are associating with the different modes of material nature, the prakṛti, material nature, by pulling your ear, "You'll come on here. Take this body." "No, I don't want." "No, that is not your discretion. Now you have infected, you see. You must take this body." This risk is there. And just to forget ourself we sometimes say, "No, there is no life after death." Why there is no life after death? You were a child. The child became a boy, the boy became a young man, the young man became an old man, and what is the old man? He must have a body, next body. That is not simply mental speculation. This is confirmed by the most exalted authority, by Kṛṣṇa. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you have changed your body in so many ways from babyhood to childhood, childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, then, similarly, dehāntara-prāptiḥ.

Now, Kṛṣṇa does not say what kind of body you are going to get. That will depend on your work. Just like this is described as the dress. Now, if this dress is spoiled or torn, you have to purchase another dress. That will depend on your purchasing power. Similarly, after this dress is spoiled, no more usable, you have to purchase another body. That may be a dog's body or a god's body—that depends on your purchasing power. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā that yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). There are deva-lokas, Indraloka, Candraloka, Brahmaloka, so many, millions of years' age, a thousand times better standard of life. That also you can get. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ. And if you are in the karma-kāṇḍīya, then you can go to the pitṛ-loka. And bhūtejyā yānti bhūtāni: and if you remain a materialistic person, you remain here. And mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām: and if you worship Kṛṣṇa, if you become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, then you go to Kṛṣṇaloka. So why should we waste our time? Ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino 'rjuna (BG 8.16)

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

Why this interpretation? Eh? The dharmakṣetra, Kurukṣetra, is still existing, the station is there, people are going as dharmakṣetra. Kurukṣetre dharmam ācaret, this is the Vedic instruction, that everyone should go to Kurukṣetra and perform ritualistic duties. That is being done, and it is written dharmakṣetre kurukṣetre, why interpretation? (exchange with a guest in Hindi) You are more than Kṛṣṇa? You are so... You have got capacity to speak more than Kṛṣṇa? (exchange in Hindi) Interpretation... (exchange in Hindi) We are discussing the same thing. We go or not go. (everyone laughs) You are a young man. Therefore I'm requesting you, "Don't be misled by these blind leaders. Take Bhagavad-gītā as it is and you'll be happy." (exchange in Hindi) The meaning is clear, very clear. No question of interpretation. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes

tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam

mahāntas te sama-cittāḥ praśāntā

vimanyavaḥ suhṛdaḥ sādhavo ye

(SB 5.5.2)

So the first proposal was that this human form of life is not to be wasted like cats and dogs. This is the first proposal by Ṛṣabha. He was advising His sons, "My dear boys, don't waste your, this valuable life like cats and dogs and hogs." This are the Actually, without Kṛṣṇa consciousness our life is no better than the dogs' and hogs'. That's a fact. That is the beginning of this instruction, nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujaṁ ye (SB 5.5.1).

Lecture on SB 5.5.2 -- Hyderabad, April 12, 1975:

Where is that civilization? Where is that brahminical culture? Where is that go-rakṣa? Very precarious condition. Therefore we should accept the standard of civilization. This is recommended here, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram ahur vimukteḥ (SB 5.5.2). If you want to become disentangled or free from this entanglement, conditioned soul one after another... We are forced. Our (indistinct) was saying about the change of body. The change of body is forced. You are young man. You cannot say, "I'll not accept old man's body." "No, sir. You'll have to accept." Forced. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). You cannot say "I will not accept this." Kṛṣṇa says, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you are forced to accept this body, old-age body—nobody wants to become old—similarly another body, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. These things are there. We are being forced by the laws of nature. Where is our independence? They're declaring resolution: "Now we are independent. Ah. Finished." Where is your independence? You are kicked out by the laws of nature. Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā (BG 7.14). You are not free. You are under supreme control. Nature, they will accept nature's control but not God's control. But the foolish person does not know that nature is also controlled by God. This you will have to learn from Vedic literature.

Nature is described in the Brahma-saṁhitā: sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā (Bs. 5.44). Goddess Durga is accepted as the material energy or material prakṛti. So she's so powerful. Sṛṣṭi-sthiti-pralaya-sādhana-śaktir ekā chāyeva yasya bhuvanāni vibharti durgā, icchanurūpam api yasya ca ceṣṭate sā (Bs. 5.44). Sā Durga is not independent. Icchānurūpam api yasya, under who's direction she is working? Govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi **. I am worshiping the Govinda, the ādi-puruṣa, the Supreme Person, ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣam nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). These are the information we get from the śāstra. Adyam, He is the original person.

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

Guest (2): No, because speculation about God. If we do not know...

Prabhupāda: So you have to learn it; then you talk. You have to learn it. What you do not know, you have to learn it.

Guest (2): Then how you learn about God if you do not know what God is?

Prabhupāda: You have to learn it. That I have said. But everyone knows that he is not independent. He is dependent. Just like you are young man. If you say, "I will not become old man," that is false. You will have to become old man. Therefore you are dependent. Why don't you think like that?

Guest (2): I don't say that I won't be.

Prabhupāda: Nobody wants to become an old man, but he is forced to become old man. How do you know that you are independent? You are dependent.

Guest (2): I'm not afraid of becoming old.

Prabhupāda: You may not be, but others are. They do not like to be old man and suffer the old man's position. (break) He says that,

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya

ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ

striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās

te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatiṁ

(BG 9.32)

Striya means woman. So there is no restriction for going back to home, back to Godhead, for anyone, and what to speak of man, woman, anyone. If he wants to go back, there is no restriction. Te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim. Māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ. This is the difference. For God there is no discrimination. Women, men have equal rights to become godly and back to home, back to Godhead.

Lecture on SB 5.5.32 -- Vrndavana, November 19, 1976:

Of course, we are not afraid of this attempt. They will never be successful, rest assured, because we are pushing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa was attempted to be killed from the very beginning of His life. That is the nature of this material world, "How to kill God," "God is dead." This is their attempt. So from the life of Kṛṣṇa we can understand that so many attempts were made by the demons and the rākṣasas to kill Kṛṣṇa, but actually Kṛṣṇa killed them all. So if you are sincere, if you follow the principles and push on this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, nobody can kill you. You'll go forward, rest assured. We are not going to be killed. That they are perceiving, that this movement is spreading like epidemic, and the young men of Europe and America, they're taking seriously. Professor Stillson Judah already has given his conclusion that "This movement is not going to stop. It will go on." That's a fact. Kṛṣṇa cannot be killed, neither His movement cannot be killed. Rather, those who are attempting to kill, they will be killed. But we must be very sincere, serious, follow the regulative principle and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra as you have been taught. Follow this principle boldly, and there is no fear.

Lecture on SB 5.6.3 -- Vrndavana, November 25, 1976:

That is also difficult, because when the disciple or the son is grown up, if he is chastised, then he breaks. So before being chastised, you..., we should be conscious that "This is our rules and regulation. We must observe." Therefore it is advised by Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, prāpte tu ṣoḍaśe varṣe putraṁ mitra-vad ācaret: "After sixteenth year of the disciple or the son, he should be treated as friend." Because if you chastise when he's grown-up, then he'll break up. That is also another risk. So our request is that instead of chastising, with folded hands I request you, don't you become hippies again by growing hair. Keep your head cleansed at least once in a month. That is my request. Neither I can chastise you. I am also old man; you are young men.

So here the same thing, na kuryāt karhicit sākhyam. To the subordinate never make compromise. We must keep always under control. Of course... Similarly, our mind... The mind is the cause of our material existence, mano-dharma. Why we are in this material world? On account of this change of mind. Our position is jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (Cc. Madhya 20.108-109). We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but sometimes the servant thinks, "Why shall I remain a servant? Let me become master." That is natural. A master is always in comfortable situation. Sometimes the servant becomes envious: "Oh, why this man should always remain in comfortable position and we shall serve? Why not we become also in comfortable position? Let me eat as he eats," or "Let me sleep now." These are so-called comforts. So they want to imitate. When the living being imitates the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then he falls down. Kṛṣṇa bhuliyā jīva bhoga vāñchā kare, pasate māyā tāre jāpaṭiyā dhare. As soon as he forgets his position—he wants to imitate—that is the beginning of māyā, falldown. You should be very careful.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

So yesterday we talked about Parīkṣit Mahārāja. So he was cursed by a brāhmaṇa boy. So he prepared himself for death. What was the preparation? That he left immediately his kingdom and the kingdom was divided among his sons. He was young man, not very old, but he understood, "Now, within seven days, I will have to die." So immediately he left home and went to the bank of the Ganges. He was situated... His capital was what is now called New Delhi. Formerly it was known as Hastināpura. The another name of Hastinā..., New Delhi, is there still, and there is a very, very old fort. They say that this fort belonged to the Pāṇḍavas, Mahārāja Parīkṣit. They are keeping just like in Rome they are keeping old buildings. So apart from historical reference... So Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he was king, emperor of the world. So he was preparing for dying. Many, many, from all over the world, saintly persons, kings, even some demigods from other planets, they came to see him.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1-4 -- Melbourne, May 20, 1975:

The child does not develop all of a sudden. Every mother knows that. It grows gradually, little by little, little by little. When it is seven months, then it is further..., it moves. So in this way the... Kṛṣṇa says that don't take this body as the living being. Dehinaḥ asmin dehe. Within this body, the soul is there. So everyone can understand.

Now, because the soul is there, therefore the body is changing. Everyone knows that he was a child. I know, you know. I remember my childhood body or my boyhood body, my youthhood body. I am old man. I remember them, that "I was doing as a young man like this. I was doing as a boy like this. I was jumping. Now I cannot jump. Why? The body has changed." The body has changed. It is very good logic. The same "I" am there. I was a boy. I was jumping. Now I am old man. I have changed my body. I cannot do that. I will have to take the stick. Because the body has changed. So where is the fallacy of logic? It is very clearly... And the authority says... Kṛṣṇa says, not an ordinary person. He says, "Within this body there is the soul, and as on account of the soul, the body is changing shape from childhood to boyhood, boyhood to youthhood, from youthhood to old man's body. Similarly, when this body will be useless, he will accept another body." This simply truth one has to understand first of all before anything spiritual knowledge. If one cannot understand that the spirit soul is different from this body, then he is cat and dog. He is not human being.

Lecture on SB 6.1.1 -- Melbourne, May 21, 1975:

Say, just like nowadays there is prominent alcoholic treatment. People are too much addicted to alcohol, and there are so many departmental treatment, even for the priest also. I have seen one ad in a paper that in America there is a hospital where especially the priestly class drunkard, they are treated. (laughter) And five thousand patients are there. (laughter) So if the physician says, "No, no, you give up your drinking habit," then he will be angry. Then how he will be treated? That is the only medicine, that "You give up." It is not very difficult thing. Nobody learns drinking from the birth. Now, even one has learned drinking, now, all our students, you see practically. They are young men. They are not old men. Their senses are still strong. But they have given up. They have given up. They have given up illicit sex. They have given up intoxication. They do not take even tea, do not smoke cigarette. Neither they go to cinema, what to speak of going to other places. It is possible. But if we give up all these things, then our beginning to the nivṛtti-mārga, our progress towards back to home, back to Godhead, that is beginning.

So if we accept the process, it is not difficult. So our life should be trained up in this way, nivṛtti-mārga. Then we can make process for going back to home, back to Godhead. First of all we should understand that we are part and parcel of God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, and actually it is fact. What is God? God means what we are doing, He is also doing, because we are part and parcel. Just like your son, your daughter. They are your part and parcel of your body. So what is the difference? They are also acting, you are also acting. Similarly, God, Kṛṣṇa, is the supreme father. So so far the activities are concerned, the same. But the difference is that God is great; we are small. That is the difference. God can create the so many planets. Just like the sun globe, it is... There are other globes also.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

Ninety-nine point nine percent, they do not understand this philosophy, especially in the modern age. Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo (SB 1.1.10). They are very, very dull rascals. This is the challenge. Mandāḥ. Mandāḥ means dull, no intelligence. A simple truth, Kṛṣṇa is explaining to Arjuna. It is authoritative statement because Kṛṣṇa says, and Kṛṣṇa says not unreasonably, very reasonably, "I am giving very common example that smin dehe, within this body, the proprietor of the body or the spirit soul is there. And on account of this," dehino 'smin yathā dehe (BG 2.13), "because the living entity is within this body, therefore the bodily changes are taking place." What is that changing? Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā. "The body is sometimes child, and sometimes boy, sometimes young man, sometimes old man. So the body is changing." Who cannot understand this? The child, the small child, is dancing. Now, that child will get the body of a young man like you. Everyone knows it. This body will change. Where is the difficulty? And Kṛṣṇa is giving this common example, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). As you are experiencing this change of body, similarly, you take it that this body also will change. An old man like me, the next body is there. Either farther old man or, after death, another body. This is to be understood. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ. Dehāntara-prāptiḥ means to get another body.

Lecture on SB 6.1.7 -- Honolulu, June 15, 1975, Sunday Feast Lecture:

The tiger is there coming to attack you, and you are crying, "Here is tiger! Tiger! Tiger!" And the man who is not dreaming, he says, "Where is tiger? Why you are crying?" But he's actually... The result is there. Don't think that the result is not there. In dream you are thinking your lover is there, you are embracing, and you get discharge, not that that you are not working and it is not, there is no result. There is result. I cannot see what is the result, what you are dreaming. I am fool. I do not know. But the man who is dreaming, he is experiencing. Similarly, change of body means we are carried by the subtle body to another gross body. This is the process, nature's way. You cannot say that "I will not change body." No, you will be forced. Just like a young man can say, "I will not become old man." No, nature will force you to become an old man, or change your body. This is the law of nature. You cannot surpass the laws of nature. Similarly, change of body, that is forced by the nature. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Prakṛteḥ, by the nature's law, we have to do. We are completely under nature's law. And we are declaring independence. This is our foolishness. This is our foolishness.

Lecture on SB 6.1.11 -- New York, July 25, 1971:

It has no meaning. Yoga indriya saṁyama. Yoga means to control the senses. That is the real meaning of yoga. So if one is unable to control the senses... I have seen in some yoga practice institution in New York. They are practicing some, this āsana, and just after finishing, immediately smoking. You see. This much control they learned. So these, these are all bogus. This is not yoga system. Yoga system is not so easy, especially in this age. Yoga system means to control the senses, control the mind; and control the mind means you have to control so many things—your eating, your sleeping, your behaving. These are prescribed in the Bhagavad-gītā, how to practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga. You have to find out a suitable place, a sacred place, a solitary place. Therefore real yogis, they used to go to Himalaya. Sometimes some young men, here, in your country, they inquire from me how to go to Himalaya, and what you'll do there, going there, Himalaya? So you are not practiced. So instead of practicing yoga in the Himalaya, you practice yoga here. We have come here to help you. Here this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is there. If you are serious about practicing yoga, this, take bhakti-yoga. That will come, how it happens in the next lines.

So this aṣṭāṅga-yoga is not possible in this age—śamo damaḥ, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system. Impossible. It is not only impossible now—even five thousand years ago, when Kṛṣṇa was advising about this aṣṭāṅga-yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Kṛṣṇa. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna's name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Kṛṣṇa: "My dear Kṛṣṇa, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable." So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna?

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

Now let me enjoy." This is going on. The modern civilization means they do not care for next life or hellish condition of life. They do not care. They do not believe. It is great relief: "If I think that there is next life and I will have to suffer for my sinful activities, then life becomes very difficult, extravagance. Better don't accept this 'There is no life,' and then go on doing whatever we like." This is modern civilization. But that is very irresponsible life, because from the śāstra we understand—by practical experience also—just if the boy does not go to school and he is not educated, then his future life is very dark. And a boy has to become a young man. A boy who says, "No, no, I am not going to be young man. I will remain a boy and go on playing whole day. I don't go to school, don't take education...,"that is not the fact. The fact is tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). Kṛṣṇa says, and we practically experience.

So we must be very careful for the next life. That is human life. Cats and dogs, they cannot think of next life. They can do. They also do not do, because they are protected by nature. But when a man comes, becoming human being, the living entity, he must be responsible, "What I am doing?" Actually, we are reponsible. So for the next life we must be responsible. Yānti deva-vratā devān (BG 9.25). This is the life junction. If you like, you can go to the higher planetary system, you can go to the pitṛ-lokas, or lower down in the hellish lokas, or you can go to Kṛṣṇa also. That information we have got from the śāstra. So the human life means responsible life, not extravagance, "Whatever I like, I do like cats and dogs." That is not good. And in another place Ṛṣabhadeva has said also..., several times we have repeated, na sādhu manye yata ātmano 'yam, kleśada āsa dehaḥ. This world is going on not now. So long the material world is there, the living entities are after sense enjoyment like a madman. This is the position. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma (SB 5.5.4). They are acting very irresponsibly, and all kinds of sinful activities they are committing like a madman, without any responsibility of life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.12 -- Los Angeles, June 25, 1975:

Make me gorgeous arrangement, defense and so on, so on, so on." If you defend, then You are going to live for fifty, sixty, or utmost hundred years, but you are eternal. What you are doing for your eternal life? That is the mistake of the civilization. You may remain as American or Indian for, say, utmost, hundred years. But you are not for hundred years. You are eternal. What you are doing for your eternal life? This is our question. But they do not believe in eternal life. "We don't believe in the next life." But that is You believe or not believe If some young man says, "I will not become old man," so he may believe or not, he must become old man. If somebody says, "I am not going to die. I don't believe in death," you believe or not believe, you must die. This is law of nature. How can we avoid it?

So this is intelligence. Therefore we should live very regulative life. And as I was going to say, the Vedic civilization... Just like the Visvamitra when he went to Mahārāja Daśaratha, kṣatriya, to get help, Mahārāja Daśaratha inquired that... Just like if we go to a friend, so what is our inquiry? "You are happy with your family, with your children?" Because they have a family. But here is a saintly man. So what should we inquire? Inquire, the inquiry is aihiṣṭhaṁ yat tam punar-janme-jayāya: "My dear Viśvāmitra Muni, brāhmaṇa, I know that you are all trying to get release from repetition of birth and death." Why he has gone to the forest? He has gone to the forest for executing austerity, so that next life may be not material but spiritual life. This is the aim of life. The whole human effort, civilization, should be conducted with the aim how to stop this repetition of birth and death. This is science. Aihiṣṭhaṁ yat tam punar-janma-jayāya.

Lecture on SB 6.1.13-14 -- New York, July 27, 1971:

He was meditating and the demigods, they had a plan, that "The demons are fighting with us. We are being defeated. We want a commander in chief, who must be born out of the semina of Lord Śiva." But he was in meditation. So how to do it? So Pārvatī, she was sent. She was young girl. And she was worshiping the genital of Lord Śiva. So a young girl, touching the genital, and she's present, but still Lord Śiva was in meditation. So Kālidāsa—here is the example of dhīra. He's called dhīra. In spite of presence of a young girl touching the genital, he's not, I mean to say, disturbed. Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. You have heard the Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He was chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and somebody wanted to cut down. He was young man. So young prostitute was sent at dead of night. And he, she proposed... Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "Yes, it is very nice proposal. Please sit down. Let me finish my chanting, and I shall enjoy." So it became morning. The prostitute became, I mean to say, perturbed. And Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "I am very sorry. I could not finish my chanting. Please come this night again." The first night, second night..., third night the prostitute fell down on his feet and said, "Sir, this was my intention. I was induced to do this act by some man who is your enemy. So kindly excuse me." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura replied, "I knew that. But because you came to me, therefore I allowed you to come here, three days, so that you may be converted to be a devotee. So now take these chanting beads. You sit down. Go on chanting. I am leaving this place." Here is another dhīra.

Lecture on SB 6.1.16 -- Denver, June 29, 1975:

"There is no life," but you do not know whether there is life. That is not in your knowledge. So supposing you have to take both the ways and think over it... You are simply thinking on the point that there is no life. Now, why don't you take my proposition, "If there is life"? Because you have not ascertained whether there is life. We say there is life. We take the example: just like this child has got his next life. The child may say, "There is no life next life." But actually that is not the fact. The fact is, there is life. The child will change this body and he will become a boy. And the boy will change this body; he will become young man. That is a fact. But by simply obstinacy if you say there is no life, that you can say. But take this argument: if there is life, then how much irresponsibly you are making your future life so dark? The same example: if a child does not go to school, does not take education, if he thinks, "There is no other life than this life, I shall play all day. Why shall I go to school?" he may say so, but there is life, and if he does not take education, in next life, when he is young man, if he is not posted in a good position then he suffers. This is irresponsible life.

So before we get next life, we must be free from all sinful lifes. Otherwise we are not going to have better life. Especially going back to home, back to Godhead, one has to finish the resultant action of his sinful life in this life.

Lecture on SB 6.1.19 -- Honolulu, May 19, 1976:

"My subject, my citizens, should follow this order," then it will be automatically followed out. By king's order...

So in the Kali-yuga, this age, there is no such king. There is no such government. Therefore people are becoming polluted. It is the duty of the guru, the duty of the parents, duty of the government to train people in such a way that they may become pious, sinless. But they do not believe, even in the next life, that "If we act impiously, then we have to suffer next life." They avoid to believe that there is next life. But there is next life. In the morning we were talking about this. How you can say there is no next life? The child has got next life: a boy. The boy has got next life: a young man. And the young man has next life, to become old man. Similarly, the old man has got next life. It is very common logic. And it is spoken by Kṛṣṇa, the supreme authority. Even if you do not understand, your dull brain, but we have to accept the words of Kṛṣṇa. That is the critical point. If we take Kṛṣṇa's instruction, everything will be solved. There will be no problem.

Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is to induce people to take as it is. Don't make any amendment, interpretation. As Kṛṣṇa says, you do it; then your life is successful. The instruction is there. It is not that we are manufacturing some ideas. No. That is not our business. We are following the same principle as Kṛṣṇa said to the sun-god:

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Chicago, July 5, 1975:

The spiritual master is the father, and the Vedic knowledge is the mother. This is called dvija, dvitīya-janma, second birth. So after being dvija, when the spiritual master sees that he is acquired sadācāra... Sadācāra means these four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no meat-eating, no gambling; taking bath thrice, rising early in the... These are called sadācāra. These are brahminical qualification.

So this Ajāmila was very nicely trained up, born of a brāhmaṇa father, and his father trained up. But unfortunately, when he was young man, he was passing through the road, he saw one śūdra is embracing another śūdrāṇī, or prostitute. Now it is very common affair all over the world: a man is embracing, kissing. But this was not allowed in gentlemen's society. The śūdras, the fourth-class man, they used to do that. Sometimes, not always. So he was young man. Naturally, when he saw that a young śūdra is embracing another young girl, śūdrāṇī, and she is not properly dressed, he became attracted. He became attracted. And they were drunk. So in this way he fell a victim of that prostitute. He liked that prostitute, and later on, he remained with her, and he had very good wife, very respectable family, brāhmaṇa, but he forgot everything. Therefore it is said, naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ: "He lost all brahminical qualification." So he was so much trained up, and still, by seeing the sex behavior of a śūdra and śūdrāṇī, he fell down long, long years ago. Now these things are very common affair. How the young man can be saved? It is very difficult. Therefore Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has given one panacea: "Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." That can save you. Otherwise it is very difficult. Harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva... (CC Adi 17.21). By practicing the tapasya and yoga and... Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Otherwise one cannot...

Lecture on SB 6.1.21 -- Chicago, July 5, 1975:

By practicing the tapasya and yoga and... Nothing will help you, because the age is very fallen. He especially mentioned, kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Otherwise one cannot...

So he lost all sadācāra. Kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścit. Kaścit, kaścit means "some are..." Every brāhmaṇa was very elevated. One, somebody, kaścit. Kaścid dāsī-patiḥ. And why he fell down? Because he married one maidservant, prostitute. The prostitute class, you will find in the history of India, but they are a class, a low-class woman. Otherwise, in gentleman class or higher class, namely the brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, and vaiśya, it is not possible to mix freely. That is not possible. They still, in respectable families, the young girls, they are not allowed to go out, not to mix with any... The first young man, this, her husband, when the father-mother selects, then... This is the process. So prostitution was existent. Now I do not know what is the position. But in the low class, dāsī-pati, maidservant, sweeper, maidservant. One could mix and have the advantage of prostitution in the lower class, not in the higher class. So therefore it is stated that kaścid dāsī-patiḥ, dāsī-pati. Not the married wife, but dāsī-pati, a maidservant. And his name was Ajāmila. Dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ nāmnā. So what was his condition? Naṣṭa-sadācāraḥ. He had no..., he lost all the sadācāra. Sadācāra, these are the sadācāra: to rise early in the morning, to take bath, attend maṅgala-ārātrika, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, read books, Vedic literature, and then prasādam—always some prescribed duty for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called sadācāra. So Ajāmila, on account of this association of this prostitute, he lost all good qualities, sadācāra, and then he took all abominable professional for earning money. That will be described next verse.

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

In this way he was living with his prostitute wife, and many children he got because he was attracted to the prostitute, say, at the age of twenty, very young man. And as such... (aside:) Aiye. He begot many children. He begot many children. Evaṁ nivasatas tasya lālayānasya tat-sutān. Tat-sutān. Here it is not stated that it is Ajāmila's son. The tat-sutān means the children were of the prostitute. Because she was not married, therefore that woman did not belong to him. Just like a land you possess. The production goes to the possessor of the land, not to others. Therefore, because the prostitute was not married to Ajāmila, her sons were not Ajāmila's sons. They were all sons of the prostitute. Therefore, at least still in India, a prostitute's son has no position in the society.

evaṁ nivasatas tasya

lālayānasya tat-sutān

kālo 'tyāgan mahān rājann

aṣṭāśītyāyuṣaḥ samāḥ

In this way, when he was about eighty years old, at that time, time came when he was to die.

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

And those are directly father and mother, oh, they come to congratulate me in any way because they understand that "Here Swamijī is giving our sons and daughters spiritual life." They hope. They were hopeless. They were confused. So that is not my credit. I am simply presenting the right thing without..., Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without malinterpretation, spoiling time and energy. Everywhere I say like that, that "I have no credit, but...," because the only credit is that I do not adulterate. Now here, you see, the Bhāgavata says that naṣṭa-sadācāro dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. Because this man, this brāhmaṇa boy, Ajamila, in his boyhood... He became attached to the prostitute when he was about twenty years old, young man, and he lost his brahminical qualification. Naṣṭa-sadācāro. But the Bhāgavata says... Now, at the present moment, there are so many so-called brāhmaṇas. They have no sadācāra. Still they are passing as brāhmaṇa. Illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating—everything is there, but he is a brāhmaṇa. Is it not?

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

Bhāgavata says, naṣṭa-sadācāra. As soon as... How? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ: "Because he is attached with a prostitute, he has lost all his qualifications." At the present moment to become attached to a prostitute is no fault. The society accepts: "Oh, that's all... Young man goes to that." Does not mind. But he does not know that this association will make him fall down to the lowest stage of human life. And that is stated next, that he used to live on these principles—beg, borrow, steal and gambling—and he was degraded. And how he was degraded? That will be explained. So people do not take care of their śāstras. They make their own interpretation and therefore India's position is so fallen. They are guided. The great ṛṣis and great sages, they have given them guidance. Vyāsadeva has given guidance. Lokasyājānato vidvāṁś cakre sātvata-saṁhitā. It is stated. "People are rascals, fools. In order to teach them nicely, this highest learned personality, Vyāsadeva, created the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam." Lokasya ajānataḥ. Ajānataḥ means rascals who has no knowledge.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Chicago, July 6, 1975:

The yogis, by meditation, they observe the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu within the heart. That is yoga system perfection. And above that, there is personal realization, Bhagavān. So when you realize the Personality of Godhead, then you become a Vaiṣṇava. This is gradual steps.

So this dvija, as soon as he contacted a prostitute... Prostitute, unchaste, puṁścalī. Another name is puṁścalī. Those who are, I mean to say, moved by another person, they are called puṁścalī. They become captivated by another person. So they, another name is prostitute. So this dvija, although he was initiated to make further progress to become brāhmaṇa and Vaiṣṇava, in the middle, he contacted one prostitute. Young man, he became a victim. Therefore kaścid dāsī-patiḥ, contacted and remained as husband, wife, or friend. So by the contact of this prostitute, the result was naṣṭa-sadācāra, he became lost of all gentle activities. Naṣṭa-sadācāra. Sadācāra means... Sat means gentle, and ācāra means behavior, gentleman's behavior. What is that gentleman's behavior? That we teach, that "You don't take meat, don't have illicit sex, no gambling, no intoxication, rise early in the morning, take bath, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, attend maṅgala-ārātrika." These are called sadācāra. So on account of his contact with this prostitute, although he was born in a brāhmaṇa family and he was reformed up to the point of initiation, he fell a victim. And as soon as he fell victim to that prostitute, naṣṭa-sadācāra. Dāsyāḥ saṁ... Why sadācāra, why he should lose? Dāsyāḥ saṁsarga-dūṣitaḥ. Because he is associating with this prostitute, therefore the next sequence is that he should be bereft of all gentle behavior.

Lecture on SB 6.1.22 -- Honolulu, May 22, 1976:

So here this Ajāmila... Ajāmila was trained up, the son of a brāhmaṇa. Dvija, this very word is used. Kānyakubje dvijaḥ kaścid āsīd dāsī-patir ajāmilaḥ. But unfortunately he became the husband or keeper of a prostitute. Dāsī-pati. Pati means husband, or pati means the chief. So dāsī-pati. Dāsī-pati means... Formerly, if one is prostitute-hunter, then the maidservant... Still in India the lower class, the servant class, they become prostitute. First of all no gentleman is prostitute-hunter, but if he is... He cannot make in the society a innocent girl a prostitute. That is a... There is no possibility in India still, because no respectable man's daughter will mix with any unknown young man, still. So how he (she) can become prostitute? There is no possibility. So if anyone wanted prostitute, there is this professional. The prostitute... Even in Kṛṣṇa's time there were prostitute. We have seen. When Kṛṣṇa came from, came back from Hastinapura, many prostitute devotee went to receive Him. So that means in the Vedic society prostitutes are allowed. Those who are not satisfied with one wife or legitimate wife, they can go to the prostitute. But they cannot intermingle in the society and spoil the society. So this rascal became a prostitute-hunter, dāsī-pati. Therefore it is called dāsī-pati. Dāsī means śūdra, śūdra, fourth class. The first class, brāhmaṇa; second class, kṣatriya; third class, vaiśya; and the śūdra, the fourth class, the servants, they are women.

Lecture on SB 6.1.26 -- Honolulu, May 26, 1976:

Now I'm fulfilling your desire. I'm seeing you naked." Because a woman can be naked only before the husband. No one else. This is chastity. A woman cannot be naked anywhere, just like in the club, naked dance. This is most abominable. Woman can be naked only before the husband. (break)

...brāhmaṇa. That will be explained. He was brāhmaṇa. He was well trained as a brāhmaṇa, but one day while he was coming home with the ingredients of worshiping the Deity, he saw one śūdra embracing another śūdra girl, embracing, kissing, because they have no shame. No brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya will do that. It is not etiquette. But because a śūdra, now it is everywhere we can see, embracing, kissing, open to everyone. So young man, seeing this, how he can restrain, check his lusty desire? It is not possible. Kali-yuga is so fallen. If a young man sees another young man he's enjoying with another young girl, then naturally his lusty desires increases. So these things are forbidden therefore. Still in some places it is forbidden that you cannot... India this is strictly forbidden. There is no such thing in the public street a young man can embrace or kiss. No. That is not possible. Then it will be criminal. Neither a young boy can dare to speak with another young girl on the street. Still it is criminal. She'll begin immediately protest that is incivility.

Lecture on SB 6.1.28-29 -- Philadelphia, July 13, 1975:

He knows that he is sincere, but on account of his old practice, he has done something mistake. There is a verse, saḥ pāda-mūlaṁ bhajatāṁ priyasya(?). Somehow or other, you become recognized by Kṛṣṇa, priya. Kṛṣṇa may know that "He is sincerely trying to do something for render..." Kṛṣṇa does not require your service or my service. He is self-sufficient. If we render service, that is for..., that is good for us. Kṛṣṇa, He recognizes, "Oh, now he has again begun service. That's nice." So to such person Kṛṣṇa excuses. Saḥ pāda-mūlaṁ bhajatāṁ priyasya. That verse. Now I forget. There is a verse like that.

So the Ajāmila, young man, on account of association with a prostitute, he lost his good character and began to maintain the prostitute by stealing, by cheating, one after another. So by mistake or on account of the age, he became captivated by the prostitute. So Kṛṣṇa was watching. Therefore He gave him this chance that on account of his affection towards the child, he will at least repeat "Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa." "Nārāyaṇa come. Nārāyaṇa take your food. Nārāyaṇa sit down." So bhāva-grāhi-janārdanaḥ. Kṛṣṇa is so kind. He takes the purpose or the essence. Because the holy name has its effect. So although this Ajāmila, by his foolishness, he was attached to the material body of the son, but because he was chanting "Nārāyaṇa," Kṛṣṇa was taking that essence, that's all, that "Some way or other, he is chanting." The importance of chanting is so nice. So do not give up chanting. Then Kṛṣṇa will protect you. This is the example. "Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa," you practice. Naturally, when you are in danger, you will say, "Hare Kṛṣṇa." This much do. If you are practiced to do something, chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, then you are safe.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- San Francisco, July 18, 1975:

We have come here to discharge our duties, to take this man to Yamaloka. He is so sinful. Why you are interrupting our business?" Yes. So in the next verses the description is there of the Viṣṇudūta. So sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ: exactly the feature like Nārāyaṇa. Padma-palāśa: their eyes are compared with the lotus petal, very nice. Sarve: "All of you look so nice." Padma-palāśa-akṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ. In Vaikuṇṭha, people, they also dress with yellow cloth, pīta-kauśeya, or this saffron color. This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. Kauśeya, pīta, the dress, garments. Kirīṭinaḥ: "with helmets." Kuṇḍalinaḥ: "with nice earring." Kirīṭinaḥ kuṇḍalino lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ, "and very nice flower garland." This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. Lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ, sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ: all young men. In Vaikuṇṭha there is no old age, although they are eternal. That is the real form of the spirit. The old age is due to this body, material body. Material thing is born and stays for some time, and then it is annihilated. So up to the time of annihilation, it becomes so old, nasty, bad-looking. But in the Vaikuṇṭha there is no such thing. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam.

The Vaikuṇṭha planet, because that is spiritual body, that is nityaḥ śāśvataḥ. Never it become... Just like Kṛṣṇa or Nārāyaṇa or Viṣṇu. They are not old. You will find all these pictures of Nārāyaṇa, Viṣṇu, Kṛṣṇa—all young men. So they are also... The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha on the spiritual planet, they are also exactly of the same feature. You everything get exactly like God. This is Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The opulence is also like that. Sārṣṭi. There are five kinds of mukti, liberation. One is sāyujya, to merge into the existence. That is also mukti. But Vaiṣṇava does not like such kind of mukti. They think to merge, to become one with the Supreme and lost our individuality, that is, Vaiṣṇava thinks, as hell.

Lecture on SB 6.1.33 -- San Francisco, July 18, 1975:

They want to keep themself in as good as God. Sometimes more than God, Vaiṣṇava. That is very intelligent. What is the use of becoming one? I lose my individuality. So that is jñānī's aspiration. But the bhaktas, they want to keep association with Kṛṣṇa or Viṣṇu in the same opulence, same prosperity, everything, bodily features the same, everything.

So advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). So nava-yauvanam. Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, or the liberated devotees there, they are of the same bodily feature, nava-yauvanam, always young. Therefore it is said, sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ. Vayasaḥ means age, and nūtna means just fresh young man. Nūtna-vayasaḥ sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ: "All of you are very beautiful, with four hands." So even the living entities they have got also four hands, not empty hands, with good ornament, good dress, and the complexion, color—everything like Viṣṇu. Everything like Viṣṇu. Sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ, dhanur-niṣaṅgāsi-gadā-śaṇkha-cakrāmbuja-śriyaḥ. And the weapons: dhanuḥ, bow; dhanur-niṣaṅga asi, the arrows and the sword; gadā, club; śaṇkha, conchshell; and cakra, disc. As Viṣṇu has Sudarśana... Śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-padma. There are fourteen different forms of Viṣṇu according to the position of the weapon in different hand, beginning with śaṇkha-cakra-gadā-padma, then cakra-gadā-śaṇkha-padma, in this way. These description are there in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. And according to the change of the weapon, the different names are there. One viṣṇu-mūrti is called Vāmana; one mūrti is called Govinda. In this way there are twenty-four forms of Viṣṇu, śaṇkha-cakra-gadā-padma, according to Their placing in different hands.

Lecture on SB 6.1.37 -- Los Angeles, June 3, 1976:

Now it is up to you to do it or not to do it." Yathecchasi tathā kuru (BG 18.63). Yathā-icchasi: "Whatever you like, you do." He doesn't force, but Arjuna, that is, means knowledge, Arjuna said naṣṭo mohaḥ: "My illusion is now over." Naṣṭo mohaḥ smṛtir labdhā: "Now I am remembering, I am memorizing my position," tvat-prasādād, "by Your grace." So kariṣye vacanaṁ tava (BG 18.73): "Now I shall act as You desire." This is perfection of life. Whenever we decide that "Now we shall act as Kṛṣṇa says," then our life is perfect. Vāsudeva-uktaḥ kāriṇaḥ.

They were smiling. When the Yamadūtas challenged them that "Who are you? You look like very nice, coming from some very, very nice place. You are very well dressed, and you are all young men and nicely dressed, everything Oh, why you are interfering with our business?" So, they were smiling. They were smiling because they knew their business. They knew their business, they have come to rescue Ajāmila by the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So they know their position, that "We have come from the supreme controller. You cannot do any more this things. That is your foolishness." They were smiling that "What these foolish persons are asking us question?" Our position is like that. Anyone who is preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you may protest against Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we shall smile, that's all. (laughter) We know our duty. Yes. We shall simply smile, that "What these nonsense speaking?" We shall go on, forward, because we are carrying the order of Kṛṣṇa. We shall be protected in every respect. Nobody can supersede our order. This is our position. So they were smiling that "What these nonsense are speaking?" Yes. So tān pratyūcuḥ prahasya idaṁ megha-nirhrādayā. Just like cloud. Cloud means sounds, everything stops. Megha-nirhrādayā. So the point is that those who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, if they are strictly following vāsudevoktaḥ, whatever Vāsudeva has said or the Vāsudeva's representative has said, if he's simply prepared to carry out the orders, then his position is very secure. His position is very secure.

Lecture on SB 6.1.44 -- Los Angeles, July 25, 1975:

That is the difference. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. If you associate with persons addicted to so many drugs or brothel men, then you will become like that. And if you associate with the Kṛṣṇa conscious men, then you become Kṛṣṇa conscious; you understand what is your real position, what is the aim of life, how to stop birth, death, old age. This is the profit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. And actually, learned, educated circle, they are appreciating that "Government spends so much money for stopping the drug habit, but they have failed. But this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have saved so many hippies and young men from this fallen condition of life." That is the practical way. Anyone who has got intelligence, they will see to it.

Therefore this movement should be encouraged. Especially I request my students that you push on this movement. Your country is very good. Let them become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then everything will be bhadrāṇi, all auspicious, bhadrāṇi. Otherwise your so-called big, big motorcars will create abhadrāṇi, viparītāni. We don't discourage you to construct big, big cars, but it should be used for the kīrtana party to go to village to village, not to go to the brothels and liquor shop. Then you are ruined. You can use it, all the facilities. The microphone should be used for spreading Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not talking nonsense. This should be this... Everything is good, provided it is used for good purpose. Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe yukta vairāgyam ucyate. We are not such foolish person that "This is material, this microphone. We shall not touch it." No, we are not so fool. We are intelligent enough how to use it. That's all. That is Rūpa Gosvāmī's instruction:

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

Prabhupāda: So he was learned, he was well-behaved, and he was avowedly, strictly following the regulative principles. Mṛduḥ. Mṛdu means very gentle. Dāntaḥ: he had control over his senses. Satya-vāṅ: he was very truthful. Mantra vit śuciḥ: and he knew all the Vedic mantras and he was very clean. Then gurv-agny-atithi-vṛddhānām. Guru, spiritual master; agni, sacrificial fire; vṛddhā, aged person; and atithi... Atithi means guest without invitation. This is the Vedic culture, that these men should be well received. Guru means spiritual master; agni, fire; atithi... Atithi. Atithi means without any fixed-up invitation if somebody comes at your place. And old men, they should be respectful. Not very long ago, when we were young men, say thirty years old, that time we have seen that a young man would not smoke before an old man. This was the etiquette. Now they have all forgotten this cultural civilization. They have no respect for old men. And the time is coming when old men will be killed as mercy?

Brahmānanda: Mercy-killing.

Prabhupāda: Mercy-killing. Sarva-bhūta-suhṛdam. Not only these particular persons, but he was friendly to all living entities, sarva-bhūta-suhṛdam. Sādhu, very honest devotee, sādhu. And mita-vāg: did not speak more than required. This is also good qualification: don't talk nonsense. Unless you are required to speak, don't speak. This is also another good feature. Mita-vāg anasūyakaḥ: and not envious to anyone. These were his qualification when he was young man. Up to the age of, say, twenty, he was like this.

Lecture on SB 6.1.55 -- Paris, August 11, 1975:

Yes. Ādāya tata āvṛttaḥ phala-puṣpa-samit-kuśān. In this way he collected all the things required for sacrifice, yajña. Sacrifice, yajña is It doesn't require any money. You can collect. Just like flowers you can collect, leaves you can collect, kuśa, a kind of grass, you can collect, and nobody will object. Even you collect from a nice garden nobody will object. So while he was coming back home with all these things, what happened? Dadarśa kāminaṁ kañcic chūdraṁ saha bhujiṣyayā. Kāma, a lusty ś\ udra. There are four classes—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra. So he saw one lusty śūdra, fourth class. Dadarśa kāminaṁ kañcic chūdraṁ saha bhujiṣyayā. What he saw? That this śūdra was embracing another śūdrāṇī, woman śūdra. So nowadays it has become a fashion—young man is kissing another young woman on the street. So this embracing of young man and young woman on the public street was strictly prohibited, especially for the higher castes. But the śūdras, the lower class, fourth-class men, they used to do such things sometimes, not always. And what was their position? Pitvā ca madhu maireyaṁ madāghūrṇita-netrayā. They were not only embracing but they were drunken. And their eyes were rolling in a different way. Mattayā, and being mad, almost mad, mattayā, or intoxicated, viślathan nīvyā vyapetaṁ nirapatrapam, the dress of both of them were loose and they did not care for it. So in this posture—krīḍantam, doing their own business; anugāyantam, singing; hasantam, laughing, cheering, hasantam; anayāntike, in a place in the forest—so he saw, this young man. So after seeing that, he also become inclined, lusty, and that will be explained next, that he became a victim of this lusty woman and then he lost his good character and left home and his young wife, coming of very respectable family. He forgot everything. Then, in association with this prostitute, he gradually became degenerated, degraded. He became a thief. He became a rogue. He became a cheater. That will be explained later on.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-57 -- Bombay, August 14, 1975:

That, this, we may describe later on and how degradation begins even to exalted person, as described, Ajāmila. So the degradation began—dadarśa, he saw on the way... Kāminaṁ kañcic chūdram. Chūdram, these male-female behavior... Nowadays, not so much in India, but in the Western countries it is very usual thing—a young man is embracing another young woman or kissing. So there is no fault. But according to Vedic civilization, this is fault because it will give chance to others. Nowadays in picture they are also shown to enthuse others to become lusty, and that is the beginning of his falldown. But there is no restriction. The young men, they are seeing daily in the cinema, on the road, in their school, college. But this Ajāmila, although he was so exalted a brāhmaṇa, simply by seeing one śūdra... Śūdra means who has no training, fools, rascals. So he was embracing another woman, and that became attractive to this Ajāmila, and then he wanted to do the same thing and he became degraded. This will be described later on.

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

For offering daily worship fruits, flowers, and samit, the kuśa, grass, everything is required for... His father ordered him, "Just bring all these things." He went in the forest to collect all these things, and while coming back he saw one śūdra was in embrace with a prostitute, and he happened to pass that way and he stood there and saw, attracted. Young man becomes attracted. Therefore these things should be very secretly done. Everyone knows that a husband, wife, have sex intercourse. But not like cats and dogs. That is human civilization. Not that on the road the boy or the girl is embracing, kissing, and having sex life. This is animal life. This is animal life. Simple they are educated to prostitution. Now, at the present moment, father, mother, sends the daughter for prostitution: "Find out a suitable man. Attract a suitable man. Don't marry abruptly. Just test this man, this man, this man, this man, this man. Then marry." So father-mother, they are teaching daughters prostitution. This is the condition of the society. How there can be peace? And they are after peace. They are making conference—"peace." By conference and passing resolution there can be peace? And the result is Naxalites, Communists. Huh?

Lecture on SB 6.1.56-62 -- Surat, January 3, 1971, at Adubhai Patel's House:

Although he was so much trained up, still, vimohita, forcibly he was attracted to this thing, forcibly. Because young man.

So these things are being shown regularly in the cinema. What character will be formed of the young men? By seeing once, this Ajāmila, he fell down so much, and our boys and girls are seeing these things every day in the cinema. So what kind of character you can expect from them? These are the instruction to be taken from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. But generally people go to hear Bhāgavatam to the professional reciters when the rāsa-līlā of Kṛṣṇa is described, because they think, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa is doing this, embracing a nice girl. So this is very nice." Not this part of Bhāgavata is interesting. That part of Bhāgavata is very interesting, and people gather in ten thousands to hear rāsa-līlā. And the reciter will make very monetary profit. This is going on, Bhāgavatam. Nobody is interested to hear the incidences of Ajāmila. They at once go to Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā is not this lusty affair—that is a different thing—but people, because they want such thing, they are very much addicted to Bhāgavata reading, or Bhāgavata recitation when rāsa-līlā is described. So the rāsa-līlā should be strictly... Caitanya, according to Caitanya Mahāprabhu's instruction—we follow that—this rāsa-līlā chapter is not for ordinary person. They are meant for liberated persons, not for ordinary persons. Therefore they should not be, this rāsa-līlā description should not be made amongst ordinary people. Those who are advanced devotee, those who are liberated from material contamination, they should try to understand what is rāsa-līlā.

Lecture on SB 6.1.61 -- Vrndavana, August 28, 1975:

It is indirectly saying, "Don't eat," but because this less intelligent person will not be able to understand, therefore they are given some permission under certain restriction. This is restriction, that "If you want to eat meat, then you must offer sacrifice to Goddess Kālī and then you can." And the Goddess Kālī is worshiped once in a month. That means by restriction he will come to his senses; he will give it up. So śūdra, up to śūdra, there is possibility of raising him. Although he can see ideal character, it is not that anyone be ideal character like a brāhmaṇa. That is not possible. But still, in the society there must be an ideal person who is actually brāhmaṇa.

So śūdra... This kind of business on the public street... Just like cats and dogs, they have sex pleasure without any shame on the street. Similarly, the śūdras, they embrace the opposite sex in the public street, and sometimes they have got sex also. I have seen in the Western countries—without any shame... So he saw, this brāhmaṇa boy. The brāhmaṇa boy saw. He is young man. Although he is qualified with the brāhmaṇa... Not exactly qualified; otherwise he would not have fallen. He was on the neophyte stage. Therefore we restrict, "No illicit sex." Completely forbidden. Otherwise it will be very difficult to keep oneself in the brahminical standard and make spiritual progress. Without being in the platform of brāhmaṇa, you cannot make any spiritual progress. That is not... A śūdra, a vaiśya... But they can be trained up.

Lecture on SB 6.1.61 -- Vrndavana, August 28, 1975:

There is no question of any other thing. Kāma-liptena. Dṛṣṭvā tāṁ kāma-liptena bāhunā. The man was embracing the woman, and the woman was embracing, pari-liptena, very closely attached, and everything was going on. Then... We have got lusty desires. Everyone's heart... Hṛd-roga-kāma. The material world means there is a heart disease which is called kāma, hṛd-roga-kāma. So hṛc-chaya-avaśam. If we... This is called impetus. If I see one engaged in lusty or sex affairs, naturally my sex desire also becomes awakened. Even though I am trying to control in the neophyte stage, still, if I see in my front something, lusty affairs, naturally I will be inclined to such. Therefore it is called avaśam. He was student, brahmacārī, practicing śama, dama, satyam, śaucam. He was not very old man; he was young man. But he could not control. Therefore it is said hṛc-chaya-avaśam. Avaśam sahasaiva: "all of a sudden," vimohitam, "he became very much attracted."

So this is the social condition. If in society we have no restriction, then naturally those young boys and girls, they will be inclined. And as soon as one is sexually inclined, he forgets all other culture and gradually becomes down fallen, as you will see from the life of Ajāmila. Although he was trained up... So similarly, this is a warning to our students that they are learning how to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. It is very difficult job. To become Kṛṣṇa conscious is not very easy thing. But by the grace of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, we are trying to teach that, and it is becoming effective. Otherwise how you all European and Americans can give up these four sinful activities? So try to preserve. And it can be preserved only by remaining in the devotional service. It can be. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26).

Lecture on SB 6.1.62 -- Vrndavana, August 29, 1975:

So his mind became very much agitated, young man, and he is seeing in his front that another young man and woman embracing and kissing. It is very difficult to restrain. Unless one is very advanced, it is not possible. That I was reciting, the verse by Yamunācārya, yadāvadhi mama cettaḥ padāravinde, kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-dhāman rantum āsīt, tadāvadhi bata nārī-aṅgame bhavati suṣṭu niṣṭhi... Unless one is very strong in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is very difficult to restrain the mind and the senses. It is very difficult. Here it is said, mana madana-vepitum. Madana means Cupid, or the lusty desires. So he was agitated. His mind was agitated by lusty desires. Therefore we have to be very careful for the association. Saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ. We develop different consciousness by particular association. Therefore, for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we must associate with the devotees. You cannot advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness without being in the association of devotees. Śrī Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says... (aside:) Tell them that Hindi will be in the evening. Tell them that Hindi will be evening. They are going away. Yes. Between half past seven to half past eight. So mano madana-vepitam. Cupid is always disturbing. This material world means this Madana, Cupid, whole material world. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ (SB 7.9.45). Gṛhamedhi means those who have decided to prolong this body for sense enjoyment. That is going on. Everyone is trying so hard. In big, big cities they are working so hard like hogs and dogs, not for... They say that "We are hungry. We must work very hard." But that is not the fact.

Lecture on SB 6.1.63 -- Vrndavana, August 30, 1975:

So this is due to our sinful life. Nature is punishing. Adhidaivika. You cannot control. Nature will punish. Why nature is punishing? Because we are godless. That is nature's business. The more we become godless, the more we'll be punished by the laws of nature. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā. You cannot surpass. You make many scientific plans to overcome—it is not possible. Then how it is possible? Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unless you surrender to Kṛṣṇa That is your business.

Therefore Kṛṣṇa openly says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). The Ajamila, he was brāhmaṇa, undoubtedly, but he fell a victim to māyā. But you know the story of Haridāsa. He was young man at that time, and one man instigated a prostitute, young prostitute, to deviate him, but she was unable. On the other hand, the prostitute became a Vaiṣṇavī. This is the difference between a devotee and a nondevotee. A nondevotee cannot surpass the stringent laws of material nature. But a devotee can do that because a devotee is not affected by the influence of material nature. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that,

māṁ cavyabhicāriṇi

bhakti-yogena yaḥ sevate

sa guṇān samatītyaitān

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate

(BG 14.26)

"Anyone who is strictly engaged in devotional service, he surpasses the influence of the laws of material..." Sa guṇān samatītya etān. He can surpass. Sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. This is the only way.

Lecture on SB 6.1.67 -- Vrndavana, September 3, 1975:

So this devotional service means to go above sattva-guṇa. Sa guṇṇ samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26). You have to transcend all the material qualities, even sattva-guṇa. Therefore a Vaiṣṇava is above sattva-guṇa. So his brahminical qualities is supposed to be included. A Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa. We give a Vaiṣṇava the sacred thread, the mark of becoming a brāhmaṇa, because without becoming a brāhmaṇa, nobody can come to the platform of Vaiṣṇava. That is the idea. Nobody should come to the platform of śuddha-sattva without being elevated to the sattva-guṇa platform. So this man... Sattva-guṇa... He was already sattva-guṇa. He was son of a brāhmaṇa. He was being trained up very nicely. But because it was not śuddha-sattvata, therefore he fell down, even on the sattva-guṇa platform. But when one is on the śuddha-sattva... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura. This man was brahminically qualified, but as soon as he saw that a śūdrāṇī and śūdra were engaged in lusty affairs, he fell down. But see the behavior of Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Because he was situated on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa and... Although he was young man, one, another young prostitute came to deviate him, and he remained in his position. Rather, he converted the prostitute to become a devotee. This is the difference between sattva-guṇa and śuddha-sattva-guṇa. If you keep yourself on the śuddha-sattva-guṇa, then you will be able to convert others to become devotees. Therefore it is not difficult. It is very easy also.

Lecture on SB 6.2.12-14 -- Allahabad, January 17, 1971, at Kumbha-mela:

He instructed that "If you always think that 'I shall pass my examination with distinction,' then you can pass in first division. If you think that 'I shall pass my examination in the first division,' then you may pass in the third division. And if you think that 'I shall some way pass my examination in the third division,' then you will fail." That means if you expect more than your capacity, then it may be possible that at the time of examination you get the right number and pass your examination.

So the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has said, sadā, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ, not that two hours or one hours, but one should practice. And that is the recommendation as it was followed by Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But because we cannot do that, therefore we have to engage always in the service of Kṛṣṇa. That will make me remembering Kṛṣṇa. Real fact is how to remember Kṛṣṇa. So this remembering of Kṛṣṇa by Ajāmila was not accidental. He chanted. He served Nārāyaṇa in his previous life when he was young man, but by bad association he fell down. But the effect was there at the time of his death, so much effective that the Viṣṇudūta recommends that "Because he has chanted at the time of his death the holy name of Lord, he is now free from all sinful reaction."

Lecture on SB 6.2.14 -- Vrndavana, September 17, 1975:

Just like Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī did. He came here, lived in Vṛndāvana. He was a very, very rich man's son. Five hundred years ago his father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees. Now it may be crores of rupees. Five hundred years He was such a rich man's son. And very beautiful wife. Because Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī was restless, he was always trying to go with Caitanya Mahāprabhu, so his father and uncle He was the only son of these two brothers. So they thought that "This boy is very restless. He wants to go away with Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Let him have a very nice, beautiful wife and he'll be attracted." But he was not attracted. He was not even going inside the house. He was lying down outside the house, young man. He had no taste for viṣaya. Viṣaya chādiyā. Therefore later on he became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Formerly he was simply Raghunātha, and when he joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then he became Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī.

So he was eating... He was living in Rādhā-kuṇḍa, you know, all Vṛndāvana-vāsīs. He was eating every alternate days a little butter. That's all. So āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau **. This is... The more you have become free from nidrā, means sleeping; āhāra, eating; and vihāra, sex; and... Nidrāhāra-vihārakādi. And so far bhaya, a devotee is not fearful of anything.

Lecture on SB 6.3.16-17 -- Gorakhpur, February 10, 1971:

That means people became more devoted to him. But still... This is a perfection by the gymnastic of yoga process, but that does not mean he knows God. That does not mean. There was another yogi in Benares. Anyone who would come to him, immediately in a pot he will present two rasagullā. And after eating two rasagullā, the man will be captivated, and big man, manager of bank and this and that, and they... They become captivated. He does not know "What he has given me? Two rasagullā. Say, two annas, or four annas at most." So, but they become captivated: "Oh, here is a yogi. He can manufacture immediately." In Calcutta I was passing in a street, Cornwallis Street, and there was some crowd, and I entered that crowd, long ago, when I was young man. So I saw that he was a Muhammadan (indistinct). He was giving everyone some pieces of grass, straw. So he gave me one. So I saw it is raisin, kismis. You see? So I immediate threw it away and went away. So some yogi can show. He'll press his beads, and there milk will come. So there are so many yogic fantasies. But that does not mean that he knows God. Or a great philosopher like Dr. Radhakrishnan, that does not mean he knows God.

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

After all, he has to earn his livelihood." (laughter) Nobody agreed. Nobody agreed. Everyone wants that his son should be hard working, just like hogs and dogs, and satisfy senses. That's all. Everyone wants. That is civilization. Nobody wants that his son should be a devotee. They will not tolerate that. If somebody's son comes to us to become devotee, I have experienced, the father and mother immediately come: "Oh, Swamijī, what you are doing?" But his son becomes hippie—he will tolerate. That he will tolerate. But he becomes devotee—"Oh, we can't tolerate. How can we...?" You see? This is the nature. This is the nature. If one son is going astray by drinking, "Oh, young men, they can do that." But he becomes a devotee, he immediately becomes warned, "Oh, what danger is...!" (laughter) "He is going to be a devotee." This is the nature of demons. If the father, mother, are demons, how you can expect nice child? You see? That is the defect of the modern civilization. Therefore the whole world is unhappy. There is need of devotees, need of real brāhmaṇas. That is wanted. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement... Even a certain little percentage of people becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious, the whole face of the world will change. It is so nice.

So Hiraṇyakaśipu did not like that his son was becoming a devotee. So he chastised the teachers because he was king, emperor, very powerful. He conquered all the universal planets, he was so powerful. So the teachers became very much frightened. So when they were asked, "What nonsense you have taught my boy, spoiled?

Lecture on SB 7.5.30 -- Mauritius, October 2, 1975:

Guest (2): No, you see, I think... (French) You see, these gentlemen want to know whether reincarnation..., reincarnation, whether after death we come back.

Prabhupāda: It is a common sense. You were a child, so that body is dead, and now you are young man. So is it not incarnation?

Guest (2): (French) The same body, different stage in life...

Prabhupāda: Not the same body. Not the same body. (laughter)

Guest (2): No, not the same body. It is the same soul, and the body alters, you see, because the different stages, the structure... (French)

Prabhupāda: Brahmānanda, you come this side. Come this side. It is not the same body. When... When...

Guest (1): (French)

Guest (2): What he want to know, whether the end of the world...

Prabhupāda: No, first of all his question is incarnation. (laughter) You don't talk big, big words. First of all let him understand what is his question. The question is that after death how he is incarnated. That he can understand from the present life. His childhood body is dead, and he still has got a body. This is incarnation.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- San Francisco, March 3, 1967:

Today I shall speak before you the conversation of Prahlāda Mahārāja and his classfellows. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was grown up young man, he was a big emperor. But when he was a child, from the very beginning of his life, he was a great devotee. And his father was a great atheist. So the child was taught about this bhāgavata-dharma, or... Bhāgavata-dharma means dealings with the Personality of Godhead. There are many kinds of dealings. So when our dealings are with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, that is called bhāgavata-dharma.

Bhāgavata means from the word bhagavān. Bhagavān means the person who has got all the six opulences in full. He is called Bhagavān or God. In most scriptures of the world there is idea of God, but actually there is no definition of God. But in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, because it is science of God, there is definition, what do you mean by God. The definition is that one person who has got six opulences in full, He is God. What are the six opulences? Aiśvarya. Aiśvarya means wealth. And samāgra, aiśvaryasya samāgrasya, complete wealth. Complete wealth means, just like we are sitting here, say, twenty-five or fifty men. Everyone has got some wealth in bank balance. But if some one of us can exceed the bank balance of every one of us, he is called samāgra. Now try to understand what is the definition of God. There are many rich men, not only here in your country, in other countries also. So take the whole world as a whole, and if you scrutinize who is the richest man, you will hardly find one who is the richest of all. There is a competitor, another. But here the definition is the richest. Nobody can compete with Him, the richest. Then, aiśvaryasya samāgrasya vīryasya.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1 -- Montreal, June 10, 1968:

Now we have general tendency... The Śaṅkarācārya said... He was walking on the street, a sannyāsī. The sannyāsī's business is to walk from village to village, town to town, and approach the householder as beggar: "Mother, give me something to eat." He's not a beggar, but he takes the position of beggar. Because everyone is charitably disposed, he thinks proud, "Oh, here is a nice beggar, sannyāsī, let me give him something." But the sannyāsī's desire is to introduce himself as a beggar so that the householder can take up the advantage that "Here is a sannyāsī. Please come on." Naturally he'll ask something, "Swamiji, what is this? What is this?" So he'll get some opportunity to speak something.

So naturally we are inclined to enjoy this life. So if somebody thinks that "Now I am young man, let me enjoy my senses." At the present moment, youth, the senses are very, I mean to say, in order. So let us enjoy it. And when we get old age, when their senses will not be so expert for enjoyment, then we shall think of Kṛṣṇa consciousness or God consciousness. That is the general tendency. Or the children they think, "Let us play." So Śaṅkarācārya says, bālasya tāvat kriyāsakta. "Oh, what I am seeing? All the children in the street I see they're all engaged in playing," taruṇas tāvat taruṇī-raktaḥ. "And the young boys and girls, they are after sex." So tarunas tavat taruṇī-raktaḥ, vṛddhas tāvat cinta-magnaḥ. And the old men, they are very thoughtful how to adjust the so big family. "This son is not yet posted in a nice post, the daughter is not married." So many things. So old man is thoughtful, thinking, and the young men, they are after boys and girls, and the children, they are playing. So Śaṅkarācārya is lamenting, bālasya tāvad kriyāsaktas taruṇas tāvat taruṇī-raktaḥ, vṛddhas tāvat cinta-magnaḥ parame brahmaṇi ko 'pi na lagnaḥ. "I do not see anybody searching after God consciousness." Every one is engaged in a different way.

Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:

Sense gratification is there in the animals. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye (SB 5.5.1). The human form of life is not meant for to live like the dogs and the hogs. They are busy always for maintaining the body. They are busy. They have no other business. They cannot understand. If I bring some dog in this meeting and try to make him understand, "Please note that you are not this body." It is not possible for them to understand. But a human being, he may be educated like dogs and hog, but if he's given reasonably the, as Kṛṣṇa is giving that the soul is the proprietor of this body and he is as he's changing in this body He's a child-child means he has got a child's body. Baby means he has got a baby's body. Young man means he has a youth's body. So this body has been changed. Similarly when this body is useless, no more can be used, then he transmigrates to another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptir.

Now what kind of body he's going to get? Because I have already explained. There are 8,400,000 different forms of body. So the answer is he can get any of these forms. There is no guarantee that he will again get the American body or Englishmen body or Swiss body—not like that. That will depend on nature. That is not in your hand. As soon as you change your body, the next change will be offered by nature according to your desire. So in this life we are creating different types of desires. Therefore, we find different types of bodies. This is nature's work. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ (BG 3.27). Don't think that you are independent. None of us are independent.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

So long you are stout and strong, you should try how to become free from this bondage of birth, death, old age and disease, not that you keep yourself, this business set aside: "When we shall get old then we shall chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and become Kṛṣṇa conscious." That is not the meaning. Immediately. Prahlāda Mahārāja said that kaumāra ācaret prājño dharmān bhāgavatān iha (SB 7.6.1). From the very beginning of life, when kaumāra, a small child, boy, from that age one should begin this bhāgavata life, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is called brahmacārī, to teach brahmacarya from the very beginning of life. And when you are young, then you should work with more vigor and intelligence. At that time brain is very nice. Young man has got all the facilities. The machine is strong. This is a machine. So old machine cannot so work. So it is a great fortune for the young boys and girls of Europe and America that in this young life they are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is a very good fortune.

Here it is recommended by Prahlāda Mahārāja, śarīraṁ pauruṣaṁ yāvan na vipadyeta puṣkalam. So long you do not become invalid, old, unable to work, you should try. Not try, you must—yateta—for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not that "When I shall become old, before death I shall try a few months Hare Kṛṣṇa." No. From the very beginning of life, from childhood, they should be taught how to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, how to attend maṅgala ārati, how to... In this way, by this practice, vidhi, vidhi-bhakti, regulated principle, tapasya... This is called tapasya. Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena śuddhyet sattvam (SB 5.5.1). If you want to purify your existence, then you should begin... That is human life, tapasya. Human life is not meant for polished dogism and pigism. That is not human life. If a cat and dog becomes nicely dressed, that does not mean he becomes a human being. He is cat and dog. Similarly, if we keep our mentality like cats and dog and outwardly we dress very nicely, they have been described as dvi-pada-paśuḥ, "two-legged animal." Animal. He is animal because he is not cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The cats and dogs cannot do it, so he is no better than cats and dog. This is the conclusion. Sa eva go-kharaḥ (SB 10.84.13). That is the verdict of Vedic literature.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Vrndavana, December 7, 1975:

Simply struggling. Are they happy? We are poor country. Of course, we have no such opulence. But the standard, the janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), is there, not that they are sitting idly and food is coming automatically. No. They have to struggle. So either you be in the heavenly planet or in the lowest planet, the struggle is there. Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati (BG 15.7). So long we'll be in the material world, you have to... Ā-brahma-bhuvanāl lokān punar āvartino 'rjuna. Even you go to the Brahmaloka or Indraloka, Candraloka... They are trying to go to the Candraloka. They are trying to go to the Candraloka, but they do not know where is Candraloka. They are going and coming, going and coming. So one must know it that "Even if I go to the Brahmaloka by our material power, that is also punar āvartino arjuna. That is bhavam āśritaḥ." So we should try to avoid the material existence and come to our original life, eternal life, blissful life, sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha (Bs. 5.1). That is really solution of the problem, ksemāya. Kuśalaḥ ksemāya. So long this human body we have got, and especially young men, don't spoil it. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.

Lecture on SB 7.6.5 -- Toronto, June 21, 1976:

Unfortunately, he has taken shelter of this place where he has to die and take birth again. So bhavam āśritaḥ. So Prahlāda Mahārāja recommends, tato yateta kuśalaḥ. If one is interested for his upliftment, kuśalaḥ... Kuśalaḥ means auspicity. Everyone wants auspicity. Tato yateta kuśalaḥ kṣemāya bhavam āśritaḥ. Ultimate auspicity or ultimate goal of life. So long the body is strong... Not that... Prahlāda Mahārāja has begun, kaumāra ācaret prājñaḥ. General education also. Education is given to the children, not to the old men. Because that is the rising of the body. He's receptive; he can take. Prahlāda Mahārāja's recommendation is that so long we are strong, we are in working order, we are not feeble or all energy lost... No. When you have got full energy, full strength, young men, children, they should take this lesson of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is recommended for them. Not for the old man who has lost everything. But they have taken it that Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is for the old man who is going to die. But here it is recommended—no, for the strong man, youthful children, like that. So Prahlāda Mahārāja is recommending, because the business is very important. Bhavam āśritaḥ: to get out of this bhava. Bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate (BG 8.19).

Lecture on SB 7.6.6 -- Vrndavana, December 8, 1975:

Go to hell and live there. So Vṛndāvana life is that. You have to practice nidrāhāra-vihārakādi-vijitau. That is wanted.

So those who are ajitātmanaḥ, although they have got one hundred years' age, still, fifty years they are wasting at least because they will sleep at night twelve hours. So fifty years wasted. And the other fifty years? That will be described in the next verse: twenty years by sporting, because a man, a boy, up to... It is natural, every country. They are students. Instead of becoming brahmacārī... Brahmacārī guru-gṛhe vasan dāntaḥ. Instead of becoming śānta, dānta, very peaceful, they are indulging in sporting. This is introduced in India also. I have seen in Calcutta many young men. At twelve o'clock, no, they are playing football. Why? There is no engagement. What he'll do? Unemployment. There is no employment. Because education means to become servant, to write one application and go office to office: "Sir, give me some service." "No, no, no. No vacancy. Get out." This is education. After taking the M.A., B.A. degrees, they have no employment. So what they'll do? They'll form party of anarchist and Naxalite and play football, because they must have some engagement. Oh, this is advancement of civilization. Instead of utilizing the valuable form of human life, there is always wasting. And at night they are sleeping, and at noon they are playing football, you see, wasting in this time. So this will be explained next verse, mugdhasya bālye kaiśore krīḍato yāti viṁśatiḥ: (SB 7.6.7) "By so-called sporting life, twenty years passed, fifty years by sleeping, and twenty years by football." Then seventy years passed. And jarayā grasta-dehasya yāty akalpasya viṁśatiḥ. And when he is old man: "Here is pain. Here is rheumatism. Here is...," what is called, "diabetes and so on, so on."

Lecture on SB 7.6.8 -- Vrndavana, December 10, 1975:

So our lusty desires, sense gratification, cannot be satisfied even throughout the whole life. The account is being given of the whole life, hundred years. So out of hundred years, fifty years wasted by sleeping, twenty years wasted by playing like boy and young man, and twenty years as old man, diseased, invalidated, and balance ten years... Because ninety years he has been so much attached to materialistic way of life, naturally the balance ten years, śeṣam, he cannot utilize in any other way. He can simply engage himself in that lusty desire for material existence. Adurātmanena kāmena. In this connection there is a very instructive story—it is fact—that the Emperor Akbar, he enquired from his minister... He had one very big minister; I forget just his name.

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

This is called vairāgya. This is called vairāgya, detachment. Meat-eating is the general life of Europeans and Americans, but at the present moment if someone offers you millions of dollars and he requests you that "You take some meat with me," I think you will deny. This is called vairāgya. This is called vairāgya. I've actually seen our Gargamuni was sent to his father. I advised him that "Your father has big business. Just take it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness." So father was very glad, his father, but he offered meat, and when he said, "Father, Daddy, I cannot take meat," then the father became angry. He drove him away. (indistinct) So he came back. The young man, father's property, he refused to take it.

So this is vairāgya. And the whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means vairāgya-vidyā, the education of vairāgya, detachment. Vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam (CC Madhya 6.254). Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, and He wanted to teach the people this vairāgya-vidyā-nija-bhakti-yogam. As Kṛṣṇa He commanded, "Just give up all this nonsense engagement." Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: (BG 18.66) "Just surrender unto Me. That is good for you. I shall save you from the reactions of your sinful activities." Material life means simply sinful activities. Simply. Even though there is some covering of pious activities, that is also sinful. You are in this world It is said in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, dvaite bhadrābhadra jñāna. Dvaite means "in this world of duality," bhadra and abhadra. We have manufactured so many things. We say "This is very good" and "This is bad." Bhadra abhadra. Bhadra means good, and abhadra means bad.

Lecture on SB 7.9.1 -- Mayapur, February 10, 1977:

In His kīrtana He never described the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa, His dealings with gopīs. That we mark in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Eighteen years He lived in Jagannātha Purī. Every night there was kīrtana, but there was no līlā-kīrtana you'll find, no līlā-kīrtana. Hare Kṛṣṇa, that's all. No līlā. But does it mean that Caitanya Mahāprabhu avoided līlā-kīrtana? No. He enjoyed it with very, very confidential devotees like Rāmānanda Rāya, Svarūpa Dāmodara, like that. Not for the... Because so long we are in the lower stage of devotion we shall misunderstand. They are doing that. You'll find that the rascals who have no idea about Kṛṣṇa, they are very much fond of painting Kṛṣṇa's picture dealings with the gopīs, because they take it that it is just like we deal with young men or woman, it is something like that. So that is a great mistake. They should not. Then they will become sahajiyā. Very strictly prohibited. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Śukadeva Gosvāmī has warned that one should not even dream like that, that "Kṛṣṇa's dealing with gopīs is just like our dealing with woman." No. It ms completely different. Therefore we have to understand Kṛṣṇa. Vyāsadeva has devoted nine cantos to understand Kṛṣṇa, and then, in the Tenth Canto, he has put the gopīs' dealings with Kṛṣṇa. That is also beginning from twenty-ninth chapter.

So we should always know this, that lust is coming from Kṛṣṇa, but His lust, this lusty desire, and our lusty desire in the material world, they are not the same. So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura advises, kāmaḥ kṛṣṇa-kārmārpaṇe. We have got lusty desires, but it should be utilized for Kṛṣṇa. Just like we are very much anxious to fulfill our lusty desires. So if we turn our lusty desire for serving Kṛṣṇa, we should be equally enthu... (end)

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

Just like a foreigner is traveling from one place to another, similarly, I am also changing my body from one body to another, one planet to another. But there is no permanent settlement anywhere in this material world. This is our condition.

So Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to be rightly situated in the original consciousness that we are all sons of God, Kṛṣṇa. We have got eternal relationship with Him and He is the richest, the most opulent. As a rich man's son has no scarcity, no want, everything is supplied amply... Just like the Americans, they are... American or many other Western countries, the young men, they belong to a rich nation, so practically they have no want. But still why they are becoming hopeless and confused? Because this material want is not all. There is spiritual want. Unless that spiritual want is fulfilled, unless that spiritual relationship is reestablished, nobody can be happy. So in order to make us happy, Kṛṣṇa says that "Begin with little flower, little water, or little fruit, and try to offer Me."

Lecture on SB 7.9.11 -- Montreal, August 17, 1968:

The story of Ajāmila is that he was a son of a brāhmaṇa, and he was very nice boy. He was married, and he was acting just like a brāhmaṇa boy. One day he went to collect some flowers and some wood from the forest for his father's worship. His father was worshiping Deity, and he was helping. On the path he saw that one śūdra and his wife, without any shame, they were embracing and kissing. This young boy became attracted. Therefore this system, that loving exchange or affairs should not be exhibited on the street. This is not very civilized form. In India it is not at all allowed. It is calculated indecent. There is punishment by law. But here the practice is different. But why it is so strict according to Vedic scripture? Here is the example. A young man was passing, and another young man and girl was embracing. Naturally he became excited. And of course this kind of embracing and kissing on the public street is done not by any high class. So he was a śūdra. So this Ajāmila was standing there, and the śūdrāṇī or the śūdra woman also called, and he became more excited, and he embraced and kissed her, and gradually became attracted to her. And he left his wife and home and father and mother, then became drunkard and everything for that prostitute. At the last moment, when he was old enough, when he could not earn, he could not cheat to bring money, the man Ajāmila was thrown in the street by that woman. Because she was not his legalized wife, she was prostitute. So did not like him. But this man had a youngest son whose name was Nārāyaṇa. So when he was in precarious condition, he was just asking his youngest son Nārāyaṇa, "My dear boy, please come here." And by reciting this word "Nārāyaṇa," he remembered the same Nārāyaṇa whom he worshiped in his early age. Just see. Because under the direction of his father, as a brāhmaṇa boy he was being trained up to become a devotee of Nārāyaṇa, but unfortunately, he was misled by a prostitute, but still, he was saved at the last moment. And this is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, svalpam apy asya dharmasya trāyate mahato bhayāt.

Lecture on SB 7.9.41 -- Mayapura, March 19, 1976:

So if a child... Now there are so many boys. So if he says, "No, no, no. I'll not become a young man. I shall remain a child," that is not possible. He has to change his body. There is no question that he does not like to change his body. No, he must have. So similarly, this body, when it is finished, you may say that "I don't believe there is another body," but there is—"must"—exactly like that, that a young man, he may think, "This body is very nice. I am enjoying. I shall not become old man." No, you must become. That is the law of nature. You cannot say. Similarly, after death, when this body is finished, you must have another body. Tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ (BG 2.13). And who is speaking? The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Person. He is speaking, the supreme authority. And if you, by your ordinary reason, you try to understand that what is the law, a very simple example is given there. So there is life. You cannot deny it. There is life. Now, that life, that body, is not in your hand. At the present moment, when the life is there, you are very proud of your knowledge. You are very impudent to accept the existence of God. You can do that foolishly. But after death you are completely under the control of nature. That is... You cannot avoid. Just like when you are foolish, you can say, "I don't believe in the government's law. Whatever, I shall do." But when you are arrested, then everything is finished. Then simply slap and shoes, that's all.

Lecture on SB 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976:

Thirty years. And where is unity of the nation? It is not possible. And here we are talking about Kṛṣṇa, say, for seven, eight years. Just see the sample, how these young men are becoming united in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This is practical.

Therefore Prahlāda Mahārāja says this stoppage of talking is better than to talk nonsense. If you cannot talk of Kṛṣṇa, better don't talk. Therefore this maunam is recommended for the persons less intelligent who cannot talk about Kṛṣṇa. Better stop. This is called mauna. Otherwise Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī says that "I have got only one tongue and two ears. So how can I enjoy or serve Hare Kṛṣṇa only with one tongue and two ears? If I had millions of ears and trillions of tongues, then it would have been possible." It is meaning... Tuṇḍe tanda... I forget that verse now. He is feeling like that, that "How shall I chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra by one tongue only and hear, śravaṇa-kīrtana, by two ears?" So he is expecting so many ears and so many tongues to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. And so far we are concerned, conditioned soul, even sixteen round becomes very, very difficult job for us because we are practiced to talk nonsense. We cannot find out little time, say for two hours, for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, but we can find twenty-four hours for talking nonsense. Therefore one who cannot chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he should stop his talking. That is called mauna. Don't talk any more. Better remain silent. This is recommendation by Prahlāda Mahārāja. And vrata also compulsory. It is meant for persons who are desiring to be liberated.

Lecture on SB 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976:

Here it is said, āpavarga. Āpavarga. Āpa. Ā-pavarga. Ā means just the opposite, ā, "not." And pavarga, pavarga I have several times explained to you. Pa means pariśrama, laboring, working very hard. This material world, everyone is working very hard-man, animal, bird, beasts, everyone. It is meant for that, just opposite of the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there is no question of working, what to speak of hard working. There is no question. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate. This is the definition of God: na tasya karyam kāraṇam ca vidyate. He has nothing to do. You see. Kṛṣṇa is simply enjoying. He has nothing to do. He hasn't got to go to the market. We are servants. We go to the market and prepare food for Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa's simply playing on His flute. And if you, with devotion, offer Him food, He will eat. He has nothing to go. So similarly, those who are servants of Kṛṣṇa in the spiritual world, they also haven't got to do anything, what to speak of hard work. Cintāmaṇi-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vṛkṣa lakṣāvṛteṣu surabhīr abhipālayantam (Bs. 5.29). Everything automatically is there. We haven't got that idea; therefore sometimes people accuse that I am poisoning so many young men; they are doing nothing. We are practicing that prema, that we haven't got to do anything; still, it will come, everything. That is real practice. We haven't got to do business, we haven't got to go to the office, but still, things will come. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Na tasya kāryaṁ kāraṇaṁ ca vidyate.

Lecture on SB 7.9.46 -- Vrndavana, April 1, 1976:

It doesn't matter. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. The material world, there are two things: one, something gain, and something lost. So gain or loss, so you will get it as you are destined. Every one of us, we are destined to certain extent of gain and certain extent of loss. That is destined.

So therefore śāstra says, "Don't try for this destined gain or loss. You are working so hard to making some gain. Even if you do not work hard, you will get that gain. Don't try for it. Better utilize the time for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa." That is the injunction of śāstra. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayeteta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (1.5.18). The people do not understand. They think that these young men are being induced to escape. No, it is not escape. This is the only path of liberation, āpavargya. To make the pavargas, pa, pha, ba, ba is vyartha, and bha... Bha means bhaya, fearfulness. In spite of working so hard, everyone is afraid: "What will happen next? What will happen next?" Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithuna. This is the nature. And then, after working so hard, bringing out foam in the mouth, disappointment, then fearfuless—at last die, mrtyu, ma. Pa pha ba bha ma, these five, pavarga. In Sanskrit grammar there are vargas: ka-varga, ca-varga, ta-varga, like that, five vargas, the pa-varga. So this word is used generally in the Vedic literature, āpavarga. Dharmasya ca... Eh?

Lecture on SB 7.9.47 -- Vrndavana, April 2, 1976:

Guru Mahārāja did not like this process, secluded. We have discussed many times. Sometimes if you sit down in a secluded place, imitating Haridāsa Ṭhākura, then you'll complain, "I am being disturbed in this way." One, that African boy, came? So he became disturbed. You must be disturbed. Because your mind is not controlled, if you sit down to get some extra credit, that "I have become so great devotee. I can remain in a secluded place and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa like Haridāsa Ṭhākura," it is cheating. It is cheating. You cannot do that. You cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. He met one beautiful young prostitute at dead of night, and the prostitute offered her body, and he was young man. He simply said, "Very nice proposal. You sit down. Let me finish my Hare Kṛṣṇa." (laughter) So this is not Don't laugh. It is very serious thing. So you cannot do that; I cannot do that. It is not possible.

So we should not imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. But we should... My Guru Mahārāja used to say, man tumi kisera vaiṣṇava. It is mental speculation that "I shall do like that. Raha, I shall... In a secluded place, I shall chant." You cannot do that because your mind is not yet trained up. It is for the highest perfection stage that anywhere one can sit down and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and remain happy. That is not possible for the ordinary stages. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja criticized, man tumi kisera vaisnava. Because it is all mental speculation, therefore he's chastising his mind, "My dear mind, you have become a Vaiṣṇava?" Man tumi kisera vaiṣṇava, pratiṣṭhara tāre nijanera ghare, tava hari-nāma kevala kaitava: "In a secluded place, sitting down, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, for you it is simply to get some material adoration and cheating the people." He has said like that. Don't try to do that. Always be engaged actively in Kṛṣṇa's activities.

Lecture on SB 7.9.53 -- Vrndavana, April 8, 1976:

Then he'll see Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes they say, "Can you show me God?" Have you become mad after God? Then you can see. Otherwise God is not so cheap thing. You become mad after God and you'll see immediately. Premāñ... Who can become mad after somebody unless there is love? To love somebody, if you cannot see, you become mad, "How can I see? How can I see?" This madness, sometimes we can see example. Suppose a man's son has died, so he becomes mad. So that anxiety is required, as... We are now... At the present moment we are hankering after material sense enjoyment, "Where is sense enjoyment? Where is sense enjoyment?"

So similarly, the example is given by Rūpa Gosvāmī, the hankering. He has given very nice example. Just like a young man is hankering after young woman. Natural. That is not artificial. Or a young woman is hankering after a young man. This hankering... Therefore, according to Vedic system, before the hankering becomes madly and one becomes spoiled by sex indulgence, he should be married. This is the psychology. At a certain age, twelve, thirteen years, woman, and fifteen, sixteen years, man, they become very, very much sexually hankering. Therefore the system is that at that time, psychological moment, the young girl and young boy should be married so that unity will endure. It will never break. There will be no more divorce. But when the hankering is exploited, then the whole life is spoiled. So Rūpa Gosvāmī is giving this example, that "When my hankering will be like the young man, young woman, hankering after one another?" It is very practically given. Yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa cakṣuṣa prāvṛṣāyitam śūnyāyitam jagat sarvam. When that hankering is there, he sees everything vacant. This is psychological. So Kṛṣṇa is, can be seen. It is not that Kṛṣṇa cannot be seen. He can be... He is present everywhere. Āṇḍāntara-sthaṁ paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He is not only within this universe, but He is within your heart. He is within the atom. Why you cannot see Kṛṣṇa? Because you have no eyes to see Him. That is the difficulty. Premāñjana-cchurita. That eyes can be prepared by the smearing the ointment of love.

Lecture on SB 7.9.54 -- Vrndavana, April 9, 1976:

The simple thing that "I am not this body. I am living within this body, and because I am living within this body, the bodily changes are taking place," this simple thing... A dead child never grows, but a living child grows or changes body. So where is the difficulty to understand that there is something in the body, therefore the body is changing? Dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā (BG 2.13). A child is becoming a baby, baby is becoming a boy, a boy is becoming a young man, young man is becoming a middle aged, a middle-aged man is becoming old man, so the old man, now, after giving up when it is useless, this body, no more workable, then he must get another body, as we have experienced after one stage of life another stage, another body. Where is the difficulty? Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, dhīras tatra na muhyati. Those who are intelligent, they are not, I mean to say, bewildered. They accept, "Yes, there is." Only the rascals, they cannot understand, the rascals. The opposite number of dhīra, the crazy rascals, they cannot understand. Simple thing.

Now, if you study the whole world at the present moment, they do not believe in the soul. They do not believe in the transmigration of the soul from one body to another. Even big, big professors, big, big learned scholars, they do not believe. So therefore you can understand that what is the present population of the world—all rascals. All rascals. They cannot understand the simple truth, and they are passing on as great scholars, great scientists, great politicians and so on, so on, but all of them rascals. That's all. This is the conclusion. Kṛṣṇa says, dhīras tatra na muhya... This transmigration of the soul from one body to another, Kṛṣṇa says, dhīras tatra na muhyati. And here also the same thing, prīṇanti hy atha māṁ dhīrāḥ sarva-bhāvena sādhavaḥ. The spiritual... If you do not understand what is spirit, then where is the question of spiritual life and advancement of spiritual life? There is no question. This is the beginning of spiritual existence..., education, that "I am not this body. I am spirit soul." Ahaṁ brahmāsmi. They can understand.