View source for Understand God (Lectures, Other)

<div id="compilation">
<div id="facts">
{{terms|"understand God"|"understanding God"}}
{{notes|}}
{{compiler|Mayapur|RupaManjari}}
{{complete|ALL}}
{{first|01Oct11}}
{{last|18Nov11}}
{{totals_by_section|BG=0|SB=0|CC=0|OB=0|Lec=159|Con=0|Let=0}}
{{total|159}}
{{toc right}}
[[Category:Understanding God|1]]
[[Category:Compilations from Lectures]]
</div>
<div id="Lectures" class="section" sec_index="4" parent="compilation" text="Lectures"><h2>Lectures</h2>
</div>
<div id="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="3" parent="Lectures" text="Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures"><h3>Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila13MayapurMarch271975_0" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="3" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.3 -- Mayapur, March 27, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">In many Vedic literature Kṛṣṇa is described as the purāṇaḥ puruṣaḥ, the oldest. Purāṇaḥ puruṣaḥ nava-yauvanaṁ ca (Bs. 5.33). Although He is the oldest of all, still, He is always like fresh youth, nava-yauvanaṁ ca. So how it is possible? They are trying to understand God. Sometimes they paint the picture of God as very old man. Because He is the original person, so by this time He must have become very old. This is imagination. This is not actually the form of the Lord. The form of the Lord is there in the Brahma-saṁhitā and other Vedic literatures. Even Śaṅkarācārya, who is a impersonalist, he has accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the supreme Nārāyaṇa. In his comment on Bhagavad-gītā he says, nārāyaṇaḥ paraḥ avyaktāt: "Nārāyaṇa is beyond this material creation." And while describing Nārāyaṇa, he has affirmed, sa bhagavān svayaṁ kṛṣṇaḥ: "That Nārāyaṇa is Kṛṣṇa." And he has clearly mentioned, "Now He has appeared as the son of Devakī and Vāsudeva," to confirm just like identification is confirmed when the father's name is there.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila15MayapurMarch291975_1" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="5" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 1.5 -- Mayapur, March 29, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Why not others? So that is special mercy for the devotee, special mercy. Teṣām evānukampārtham aham ajñāna-jaṁ tamaḥ, nāśayāmy ātma-bhāva-sthaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 10.11 (1972)|BG 10.11]]). This is the process. You cannot understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, without being a faithful servant. This is the secret. And if we become faithful servant under the guidance of proper spiritual master, then we can understand what is Kṛṣṇa, what is Para-brahman, and what is loving affairs with Rādhārāṇī, what is Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. These things are revealed. It is not acquired by so-called mundane knowledge. That is not possible. Svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. Just like in the darkness, if you want the sunshine, it is not possible. But in the morning the sun comes out automatically and the darkness is dissipated. Svayam eva. So we should always remain faithful servant of Kṛṣṇa.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila71AtlantaMarch11975_2" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="20" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.1 -- Atlanta, March 1, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham ([[Vanisource:BG 9.22 (1972)|BG 9.22]]). He is supplying everyone, but especially to the devotees. That is his special job.</p>
<p>Here Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is very, very magnanimous. He is, without asking, He is offering the best benefit, Kṛṣṇa-prema. So best objective... Our objective, of life should be to understand God. If we, in this life, if we simply understand what is God and what is my relationship with, and begin to act like that, then also our life is successful. Even if we cannot finish the whole job or we fall down from the platform of devotional service, still, we are not loser. Tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer patet tato yadi bhajann apakvaḥ atha ([[Vanisource:SB 1.5.17|SB 1.5.17]]). This devotional service is the process. Requires some time to fulfill the whole job and become perfect. But even becoming..., before becoming perfect, one falls down, he is not loser. The service is so transcendental that whatever you have done, that is your asset.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila77MayapurMarch91974_3" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="25" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.7 -- Mayapur, March 9, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Therefore one devotee prayed, aham iha śrī-nandaṁ vande yasyālinde paraṁ brahma, śrutim apare smṛtim itare. The devotee is praying that "Somebody is studying the Vedas, somebody is studying the Purāṇas, the smṛtis," śrutim apare smṛtim itare, "and somebody is studying Mahābhārata to understand God." But the devotee says, "I do not want to understand God. I want to worship Nanda Mahārāja, under whose..., in the courtyard of his house the Para-brahman is crawling." That is nandātma... That is the, I mean to say, superior position of nandātmaja, Nanda Mahārāja. So this is philosophy. Ordinary men cannot understand. But Vaiṣṇava philosophy is so nice that instead of becoming one with the Supreme, they want to become the father of the Supreme. This is Vaiṣṇava philosophy. Nandātmāja. Rasika-śekhara. This is also a pleasure.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCAdilila7106107SanFranciscoFebruary131967_4" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="33" link="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.106-107 -- San Francisco, February 13, 1967" link_text="Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.106-107 -- San Francisco, February 13, 1967">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.106-107 -- San Francisco, February 13, 1967|Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.106-107 -- San Francisco, February 13, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Just think in that way; the whole thing becomes perfect. Everything is there, perfect. The arrangement, nature's arrangement is such that you eat nicely, whatever your bodily wants are there, there is sufficient supply. You take, eat nicely, and live peacefully, and utilize the words of God. There are Bible. There are, I mean to say, Koran. There is Vedas. And try to understand God and make your life perfect and go back to Godhead. This is the whole policy.</p>
<p>So there is no flaw in the arrangement of God. That is to be understood first of all. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that Vedānta, Vedānta is compiled by God Himself. That we have explained yesterday. Lord Kṛṣṇa also says that vedānta vid vedānta kṛd ca aham: "I am the compiler of Vedānta and I am the knower of Vedānta." If God, if Kṛṣṇa is not knower of Vedānta, then how He can compile Vedānta? Vedānta means "the last word in knowledge."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila614950GorakhpurFebruary131971_5" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="41" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.149-50 -- Gorakhpur, February 13, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Then Sir Isaac Newton would have discovered what is God, or Professor Einstein or Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, they could have understand. No, they cannot. Because they have very nice, finer tissues of the brain, it does not mean. It is a different process. It is a... To understand God or Kṛṣṇa, it is not material process. Therefore Kṛṣṇa said, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55 (1972)|BG 18.55]]). Only through devotional service He can be known. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.25 (1972)|BG 7.25]]). Kṛṣṇa is covered by the curtain drawn by yogamāyā; therefore Kṛṣṇa cannot be understood by everyone, neither His teaching, Bhagavad-gītā, can be understood without becoming a devotee of Kṛṣṇa. This is not possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says to Arjuna that bhakto 'si priyo 'si me: ([[Vanisource:BG 4.3 (1972)|BG 4.3]])</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila6151154GorakhpurFebruary141971_6" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="42" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 6.151-154 -- Gorakhpur, February 14, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So in the Bhagavad-gītā we get all information how Kṛṣṇa expands Himself. Advaita... Vedeṣu durlabha. Therefore one who does not read Bhagavad-gītā through a devotee... Kṛṣṇa... Just like Arjuna is a devotee. He understands Bhagavad-gītā. Without going through a devotee, nobody can understand God or His statements. Thousands of people for thousands of years, reading Bhagavad-gītā, but they do not know Kṛṣṇa. Is it not a fact? Yes. So because they are not going through the proper channels, they are... Still, vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). Simply by trying to understand the Vedic literature, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Vedeṣu durlabha. Durlabha means very difficult to approach.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila2098102April271976AucklandNewZealand_7" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="50" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.98-102 -- April 27, 1976, Auckland, New Zealand]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">If you want to understand God... That is the business of human life. Human life is specially... That is the chance. Because we are in the cycle of birth and death, changing, migrating from one body to another... This is our position. So except human body, lower than the human body, we can understand how they are suffering. Suppose a tree. Here we are sitting so comfortably. A few yards off from this place, there is a tree, and it is standing for thousands of years. Is not that punishment? If I tell Mr. such and such, "You stand up here for five hours," he'll become mad. That is a sort of punishment to the children. Formerly, the punishment was... The teacher, in the class, a naughty boy, he's asked, "Stand up on the bench." Therefore, half an hour to stand up on the bench becomes a very, very intolerable pain for him.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20101104BombayNovember31975_8" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="55" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.101-104 -- Bombay, November 3, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is submission. "So You can speak to me what is actually the goal of life, why I have forgotten my identification and how I shall be properly situated." This is Vedic civilization. Whole Vedic civilization means to understand oneself, to understand God and the relationship. And according to that relationship, one has to work. Then his life is successful. This is Vedic culture. Vedic culture does not mean to become a big dog. No. That is not Vedic culture. In the śāstra it is said that śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ saṁstutaḥ puruṣaḥ paśuḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 2.3.19|SB 2.3.19]]). Puruṣaḥ paśuḥ. In this material world, without any spiritual knowledge, if one is adored, it is just like the small animals in the jungle is praising the big animal, the lion. The lion is an animal and the small rabbit or other animals, they are also animals. So the rabbits are very much afraid of lion. That is a fact.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20118119NewYorkNovember231966_9" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="69" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.118-119 -- New York, November 23, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">You cannot worship Kṛṣṇa by this controlling breathing or by mental speculation or by some pious activities or by charities. You have simply to worship Him simply by your devotional love. That is the only way. Bhaktyai, bhaktyaika, only one, bhakti. There is no other means. There is no second means to understand God without this devotional service. Rest assured. Foolish creatures, they take this, that. They do not understand. They come to the, that impersonal, void, all the nonsensical conclusions and... Because they do not take shelter of this, devotion, therefore they cannot have any conclusion. It is not possible. Therefore, more or less, they become atheists or after the voidness or impersonalism, and so many things there are. They create.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20124125NewYorkNovember261966_10" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="73" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.124-125 -- New York, November 26, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So we are situated in a society of the lowest of the mankind. Always remember this, that we are situated in a civilization which is the lowest of the mankind. Not only I am speaking of your United States... All over the world. Even India, where so much culture was made for understanding God, this foolish government, they're also teaching this. You see. So this is the, I mean to say, age. Don't think that I am particularly criticizing some country or community. This is the age, Kali. It is called Kali. Hypocrisy, simply hypocrisy. Kali means full of hypocrisy. So we have to be very careful. We have to... Daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā ([[Vanisource:BG 7.14 (1972)|BG 7.14]]). And the illusory energy is very strong. At any moment, little slackness... (aside:) Oh, you have wrongly put. (break) So this is... Actually, we should understand.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20137146BombayFebruary241971_11" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="77" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.137-146 -- Bombay, February 24, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">He is existing always with all these forms, expansions, rāmādi-mūrtiṣu kalā. Just like Kṛṣṇa existing in everyone's heart. There are millions and trillions of living entities. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati ([[Vanisource:BG 18.61 (1972)|BG 18.61]]). Kṛṣṇa is existing. That is Kṛṣṇa's omnipotency. If you do not try to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, with inconceivable omnipotency, then you cannot understand God. That is not possible. So Kṛṣṇa... Just like we are sitting here; we are not sitting in the other room. But Kṛṣṇa can see in innumerable rooms simultaneously at one time. Therefore He is all-pervading. Just like Kṛṣṇa married 16,108 wives. Nārada came to see Kṛṣṇa, and every palace he entered he saw Kṛṣṇa was there. And with some wife, in some wife's palace He is playing with children, or some wife's He's just taking bath. In another palace He was playing chess. In this way he differently saw Kṛṣṇa in different palaces. So in 16,000 palaces he saw Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa. Not that He married 16,000 wives, but He remained one.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20146151NewYorkDecember31966_12" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="80" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.146-151 -- New York, December 3, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">And one who does not surrender, oh, it is very difficult for him. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). You cannot find out God by simply reading and philosophizing all the scriptures and books. No. If you want to know God, then you must be in confidence. You must be a devotee, a lover of God. Then you can understand God. Otherwise it is not possible.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20294298NewYorkDecember191966_13" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="89" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.294-298 -- New York, December 19, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So Lord Caitanya confirms that how many līlāvatāras, incarnations, are there. We want to everything make limited because we are all limited sense, limited understanding, limited... Everything is limited, and God is unlimited. That we do not understand. We try to understand God with our limited means. That is our folly. Therefore we don't believe. "Oh, God is doing like that? Oh, God is lifting hill? How it is possible? This is story." How? Why it is story? God is omnipotent, and God cannot lift a hill? He is floating so many planets in the air, weightlessness, and He cannot lift a hill? Because I do not believe He is God. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā: ([[Vanisource:BG 9.11 (1972)|BG 9.11]]) "Foolish rascals, they consider Me as ordinary man: 'Not Kṛṣṇa, but me. You offer your respect to me. I am God. I am competitor Kṛṣṇa.' " So these are foolishness. He is unlimited; His everything, He is unlimited.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20334341NewYorkDecember241966_14" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="94" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.334-341 -- New York, December 24, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"Oh, it is very nice." But if we stay on that point, "Oh, it is very nice. It is very nice day," that is not all. But you must utilize the very nice day. Otherwise what is very nice day to you? Similarly, knowledge has to be also fully utilized. And what is the full utilization of knowledge? The full utilization of knowledge is to understand God. That is full utilization. So long one does not come to the point of Kṛṣṇa understanding, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or God consciousness, he is more or less in the ignorance.</p>
<p>So perfection of knowledge is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, when one knows... Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20353354NewYorkDecember261966_15" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="96" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.353-354 -- New York, December 26, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"Just become devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Just become Kṛṣṇa consciousness." Prāpte sannihite kāle maraṇe na hi na hi rakṣati ḍukṛñ-karaṇe: "You are philosophizing. You are talking on grammar and this way and that way." Because these people, they want to establish impersonalism from Bhagavad-gītā by strength of grammar. Such a nonsense they are. They want to understand God by..., through grammar. God is so cheap that He can be understood through grammar. Therefore especially he specified, prāpte sannihite kāle maraṇe: "When death will catch you, your grammar, ḍukṛñ, prata, this will not save you. You fools. You please become Kṛṣṇa conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious." That was the instruction of Śaṅkarācārya. And he has especially mentioned Bhagavad-gītā and Ganges water. He especially mentions. "A little quantity of Ganges water and a little study of Bhagavad-gītā will save you from many dangerous positions."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20358359NewYorkDecember291966_16" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="98" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.358-359 -- New York, December 29, 1966" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.358-359 -- New York, December 29, 1966">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.358-359 -- New York, December 29, 1966|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.358-359 -- New York, December 29, 1966]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Kavi means the learned. Kavinaṁ purāṇam anuśāsitāram. In the Bhagavad-gītā. He's the kavinaṁ purāṇam. He's the oldest learned man. Oldest. Purāṇam. Purāṇam means oldest. Then why God is not recognized? Now muhyanti yat sūrayaḥ.</p>
<p>To understand God, even the greatest of the greatest thinkers, philosophers, or sage or saintly person, they are also bewildered. Cannot understand. Panthās tu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamya. So Lord Caitanya is (indistinct) that He has got two characteristics. One characteristic is..., that is always present. What is that? He's independent and full of knowledge and He's conscious. Unconsciousness is not the qualification of God. Voidness cannot be accepted as the qualification of the Supreme. The Supreme must be conscious. Tene brahma hṛdā ya ādi-kavaye, tejo-vāri-mṛdāṁ yathā vinimayo yatra trisargo 'mṛṣā ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]). And yatra, in Him rests the material manifestation. And what is this material manifestation?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila20391405NewYorkJanuary21967_17" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="101" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 20.391-405 -- New York, January 2, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Simply by hearing. We do not require to be very highly educated or very good scholar in Vedānta philosophy. Whatever you are, you remain in your place. That doesn't matter. Simply try to hear, and by hearing everything will be... Svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. Because the process is that we cannot understand God or we cannot see God unless He reveals. So this revelation will come if we submissively hear. We may not understand, but simply by hearing, we can achieve that stage of life.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila253640SanFranciscoJanuary231967_18" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="117" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.36-40 -- San Francisco, January 23, 1967" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.36-40 -- San Francisco, January 23, 1967">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.36-40 -- San Francisco, January 23, 1967|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.36-40 -- San Francisco, January 23, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We'll think, "Oh, he may be an ordinary gentleman. As others come, he has also come." Similarly, unless we know about Kṛṣṇa by the symptoms... There are two mistakes: to understand God as common man or to accept a common man as God. Both things are mistake. So one has to understand. That understanding is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. God Himself, Kṛṣṇa Himself, is describing about Himself, so there is no difficulty. But unfortunately, we have developed such material consciousness that even God describes Himself, even we see God face to face, because we have no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we cannot see. Therefore we cannot see. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍha. Those who cannot see, they are described here as mūḍha. Mūḍha means foolish or less intelligent class men. So avajānanti māṁ mūḍha mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam ([[Vanisource:BG 9.11 (1972)|BG 9.11]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila254050SanFranciscoJanuary241967_19" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="118" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Or, in other words, he is an animal in the form of a man. Narādhameṣu. And birth after birth, such atheist is put into the species of life where there is no chance of understanding God. There are different species, we have discussed. Even in human society there are some species or class, that it is not possible for them to understand what is God at all. Not even the idea. Generally, even the aborigines, they have got some sense of God. Whenever they find something extraordinary, just like lightening, or a great hill, or a great tree, they offer their respect. So that is sense of God. Sense of God is there in everyone's heart. Unless he is an animal, everyone heart there is. Artificially, we try to drive away this obedience. But there are other Even in the civilized society, there are persons, they are put into such a circumstances that they will never be able to understand what is God consciousness or what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They are so misfortunate. And as soon as one becomes godless or forgetful (of) his eternal relationship with God, then his life is immediately condemned.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonCCMadhyalila254050SanFranciscoJanuary241967_20" class="quote" parent="Sri_Caitanya-caritamrta_Lectures" book="Lec" index="118" link="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967" link_text="Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967|Lecture on CC Madhya-lila 25.40-50 -- San Francisco, January 24, 1967]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The duty is only to worship God, and nothing more. That is the duty. All other duties are māyā's spell only. There is no other duty. Because this human life is meant for that duty. The animals cannot execute that duty. Only the human being. Therefore our only duty is to understand God and engage ourself in that way. So these different kinds of philosophies are there. We shall gradually discuss.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Sri_Isopanisad_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="4" parent="Lectures" text="Sri Isopanisad Lectures"><h3>Sri Isopanisad Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="SriIsopanisadMantra1LosAngelesApril291970_0" class="quote" parent="Sri_Isopanisad_Lectures" book="Lec" index="4" link="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970" link_text="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970|Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 29, 1970]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The description is there. So God realization, if you follow that... Immediately, by your blunt senses, either God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia cannot be perceived. The present senses are blunt. Therefore in the present situation or the civilization they have become godless, because naturally they have no power to understand God, neither they are guided by some persons who can make them understand what is God. Therefore people are becoming godless, atheist. But if you read all these Vedic literatures under superior guidance, if you follow the rules and regulation, then svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. God will be revealed unto you. You cannot see God or understand God by your own endeavor. You have to surrender to the process by which God can be known. Then He will be revealed. Otherwise not. He is supreme controller.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SriIsopanisadMantra1LosAngelesApril301970_1" class="quote" parent="Sri_Isopanisad_Lectures" book="Lec" index="5" link="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970" link_text="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970|Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, April 30, 1970]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">And the soldier which is immediately going to die, they do not take care much. Because it is useless; he'll not live. Similarly the atheist, the atheist will have to suffer. They'll have to meet God in the form of death in so many ways. So by suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering, suffering, when a day will come that he'll understand God, at that time, preaching to him is better. So you do not expect that our preaching will be appeal to everyone. It will be useful for the devotees, for the innocent. Not for the atheist.</p>
<p>So try to understand the philosophy very nicely, because you are going to preach. So many opposing elements will come. So you have to defend yourself. The more you can defend yourself from the opposing elements, the more you are advancing. You should know... That is the test. That is the test.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SriIsopanisadMantra1LosAngelesMay21970_2" class="quote" parent="Sri_Isopanisad_Lectures" book="Lec" index="6" link="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1970" link_text="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1970">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1970|Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 -- Los Angeles, May 2, 1970]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The big airplane, nice machine, is flying in the sky, made of material things. But unless the spiritual energy, pilot, is there, it is useless. It is useless. Thousands of years the jet plane will stand on the airport; it will not be flying unless the small particle spiritual energy, that pilot, comes and touches it. So what is the difficulty to understand God? So plain thing, that if this huge machine... There are so many huge machineries, they cannot move without the touch of the spiritual energy, a human being or a living being. How can you expect that this whole material energy is working out of automatically or without any control? How you can put your arguments in that way? That is not possible.</p>
<p>Therefore less intelligent class of men, they cannot understand how this material energy is being controlled by the Supreme Lord. The godless men, those who are of opinions that this material energy is working automatically, they are fools. That is the explanation of Īśopaniṣad. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam ([[Vanisource:ISO 1|ISO 1]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SriIsopanisadMantra1315LosAngelesMay181970_3" class="quote" parent="Sri_Isopanisad_Lectures" book="Lec" index="21" link="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1970" link_text="Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1970">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1970|Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 13-15 -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1970]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Just like sometimes... In India it is very... They have got some... What is called? Surma? Ungent, surma. Yes. If you apply that surma your sight becomes bright immediately. So if you smear your eyes with love of Godhead, then you will see God always. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Yes. So devotion. So this is the way of understanding God. By service, by enhancing love... This love can be increased only by service. Otherwise there is no possibility. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). The more you increase your service spirit, the more you increase your dormant love of God. And as soon as you are in the perfectional stage of love of God, you see God always, every moment. Twenty-four hours you can see.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Sri_Brahma-samhita_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="5" parent="Lectures" text="Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures"><h3>Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBrahmasamhitaVerse32NewYorkJuly261971_0" class="quote" parent="Sri_Brahma-samhita_Lectures" book="Lec" index="2" link="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971" link_text="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971|Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 32 -- New York, July 26, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">In, in, of course, it will not be very palatable to hear, but actually we are all thieves. We have stolen God's property. That is material life. Anyone who has got anything without sense of God, it is to be understood that he has stolen the property. If you very cool-headed think over this matter, that you are... If we do not understand God, if we do not understand whose property we are using, and if you come to the real knowledge: without Kṛṣṇa consciousness, whatever we possess, that is stolen property, stolen property... Stena eva saḥ ucyate ([[Vanisource:BG 3.12 (1972)|BG 3.12]]). It is clearly said in the Bhagavad-gītā. If one does not expend his money for yajña, then he is to be understood... Just like there is many, many instances... Just like you have earned so much money. If you hide income tax, then you are criminal. You can say, "I have earned money. Why shall I pay income tax, government?" No. You must pay.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBrahmasamhitaVerse35NewYorkJuly311971_1" class="quote" parent="Sri_Brahma-samhita_Lectures" book="Lec" index="8" link="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971" link_text="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971|Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Verse 35 -- New York, July 31, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That's all. That was their position. They were not Vedantists, they are not yogis, they are not karmīs, village girls, boys. They wanted to see Kṛṣṇa happy, that's all. That is their position. This is called sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ tat-paratvena nirmalam ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 19.170|CC Madhya 19.170]]).</p>
<p>Yogis, jñānīs, they are trying to understand God, but they do not know they are in illusion. They're in illusion. So far karmīs are concerned, they're in illusion, māyā-sukhāya bharam udvahato vimūḍhān ([[Vanisource:SB 7.9.43|SB 7.9.43]]). They're fools and rascals because for illusory happiness for a moment, they are working so hard. Therefore, they are rascal number one. They cannot, how they can have peace? There is no question. And next the jñānīs. Jñānīs, they want to get relief from this hard work of this material world. Brahmā satyaṁ jagan mithyā, they reject this material world.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBrahmasamhitaLectureNewYorkJuly281971_2" class="quote" parent="Sri_Brahma-samhita_Lectures" book="Lec" index="10" link="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971" link_text="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971|Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">If a girl is just like jewel, very qualified, even she is born in low family, accept her. Nīcād apy uttamāṁ vidyāṁ strī-ratnaṁ duṣkulād api. Duṣkulād api means born of low family. Never mind. Don't care for her parentage. If she's qualified, accept her. There are many instances. Similarly, if you are serious about understanding God, don't consider that "I am Christian," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "Why shall I go this? Why shall I hear from Swamijī?" If you are serious about understanding God, to love God, then here is the nicest process. That is practical. There is no question of grudging, "Oh, why shall I go there? They are following some Hindu, Vedic scripture." No. There is no question of Vedic scripture. We, our business is how to love God. That's all. Just like many students come here to take higher education. As there is no consideration that "Why shall I go to America or Germany? They are different people.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureonBrahmasamhitaLectureNewYorkJuly281971_3" class="quote" parent="Sri_Brahma-samhita_Lectures" book="Lec" index="10" link="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971" link_text="Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971|Lecture on Brahma-samhita, Lecture -- New York, July 28, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That's all. Just like many students come here to take higher education. As there is no consideration that "Why shall I go to America or Germany? They are different people. Oh, I don't take higher education." No. Everyone goes. Similarly, if there is nice process to understand God, to approach God, you should take it. Don't be grudging. Take it. You'll be benefited. Kevalayā bhaktyā.</p>
<p>So kecid. Not all. Someone who is intelligent, bhagavān, fortunate, they take to this process, kevalayā bhaktyā. Our process is kevalayā bhaktyā. Kevalayā means pure devotional service. No other adulteration or amalgamation. No. Simply to serve Kṛṣṇa. This is the program. From early morning at four o'clock til night, ten a.m., p.m., they are all engaged in Kṛṣṇa's service. This is called kevalayā.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Festival_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="6" parent="Lectures" text="Festival Lectures"><h3>Festival Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="SriGauraPurnimaSrimadBhagavatam7938MayapurMarch161976_0" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="1" link="Sri Gaura-Purnima Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 -- Mayapur, March 16, 1976" link_text="Sri Gaura-Purnima Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 -- Mayapur, March 16, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sri Gaura-Purnima Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 -- Mayapur, March 16, 1976|Sri Gaura-Purnima Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.38 -- Mayapur, March 16, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That is... Even if you are most ordinary man, still, you can realize Him. There is no difficulty. How? Kṛṣṇa said, raso 'ham apsu kaunteya: "My dear Arjuna, I am the taste of the water." Now, who does not drink water? Anyone? The animal also drinks water and the human being also drinks water. But the animal cannot understand God, although God is there in the water, and the man can understand because he is human being. Therefore a human being is different from animal. If we remain like animals—we are drinking water, but we are not realizing Kṛṣṇa—then you are animal. This is animals. And if we drink water—everyone drinks water many times—so many times we can remember Kṛṣṇa. And that is the process of devotional... Smaraṇam. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇam ([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.23-24|SB 7.5.23]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="NrsimhacaturdasiLordNrsimhadevasAppearanceDaySrimadBhagavatam752234LosAngelesMay271972_1" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="6" link="Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972" link_text="Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972|Nrsimha-caturdasi Lord Nrsimhadeva's Appearance Day -- Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.22-34 -- Los Angeles, May 27, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is a crude example. I don't say that you stop all this business, but the material world is like that. You want to solve something; instead of solving, you'll create so many problems. This is material life. Because our life is not meant for solving problems and creating problems. Our life is meant for understanding God. Then everything is all right. But that you have given up.</p>
:na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ
:durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ
:andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās
:te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ
:([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.31|SB 7.5.31]])
<p>They do not know that you cannot go an inch beyond the stringent laws of material nature. That is not possible.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="RathayatraLosAngelesJuly11971_2" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="14" link="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971" link_text="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971|Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">You see the whole universal dirts are within Me." That is called mahato mahīyān. Within that mouth, He exhibited all the universes. How it is possible? Yes, it is possible. Just like in the globe we see the whole world. Here is America, here is Russia, here this, here this. That is possible. It is a process only, to understand the process. Similarly, to understand God, it requires a process. You have to know the process, a secret process. That is bhakti. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55 (1972)|BG 18.55]]). Kṛṣṇa says, only through devotional service you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise, to understand God, Kṛṣṇa, is not very difficult. It is very easy. He becomes revealed to the devotees.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="RathayatraLosAngelesJuly11971_3" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="14" link="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971" link_text="Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971|Ratha-yatra -- Los Angeles, July 1, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So there is no difficulty. Simply we have to become sincere devotee. Our service must be very sincere and authentic under the direction of authority. Then you will understand God. There is no difficulty. Teṣām aham anukampārtham. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, teṣām evānukampārtham ([[Vanisource:BG 10.11 (1972)|BG 10.11]]). Teṣām. Teṣām means not ordinary person. Those who are devotees, sincere devotees, to show them a special favor... God is kind to everyone, but He is specially kind to His devotees. That is His special. He is kind to everyone. Otherwise how everyone is eating? Nobody is starving. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. Eka, that one eternal being, He is supplying everyone's necessities. And the plural number of eternals, they are dependent on that one. Eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="JanmastamiLordSriKrsnasAppearanceDayMontrealAugust161968_4" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="19" link="Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968" link_text="Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968|Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day -- Montreal, August 16, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Just like sun rises from the eastern side. It does not mean that eastern side is the mother of sun. We simply see that sun is rising from the eastern side. In this way, if we try to understand in truth, then we can understand what is God. Superficially, if we try to understand by our experimental knowledge, then it is not possible to understand God.</p>
:panthāstu koṭi-śata-vatsara-sampragamyo
:vāyor athāpi manaso muni-puṅgavānāṁ
:so 'pyasti yat prapada-sīmny-avicintya-tattve
:govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
<p>The Brahma-saṁhitā said that if one starts on the chariot of air and makes progress on the speed of mind, still one cannot understand what is God. Vedeṣu durlabham adurlabham ātma-bhaktau (Bs. 5.33). He cannot be understood simply by studying Vedas. Traiguṇya viṣayā vedaḥ nistraiguṇyo bhavārjuna. One has to transcend the position of Vedas also. Then one can understand what is God or what is Kṛṣṇa.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="JanmastamiLordSriKrsnasAppearanceDayLectureLondonAugust211973_5" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="21" link="Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973" link_text="Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973|Janmastami Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture -- London, August 21, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Arjuna, who heard from Kṛṣṇa, after understanding Bhagavad-gītā, he said, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān puruṣam ādyaṁ śāśvatam ([[Vanisource:BG 10.12-13 (1972)|BG 10.12]]).</p>
<p>So everything is there. Especially in India, we have got so much asset for understanding God. Simple thing. Everything is there ready made. But we won't accept. So what is the remedy for such disease? We are searching after peace, but we won't accept anything which is actually giving us peace. This is our disease. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is trying to awaken the dormant Kṛṣṇa consciousness in everyone's heart. Otherwise, how these Europeans and Americans and other countrymen, they never heard of Kṛṣṇa four or five years ago, how they are taking Kṛṣṇa consciousness so seriously? Kṛṣṇa consciousness is there in everyone's heart. It has to be awakened only.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="RadhastamiSrimatiRadharanisAppearanceDayBhagavadgita185LondonSeptember51973_6" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="29" link="Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973" link_text="Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973|Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- Bhagavad-gita 18.5 -- London, September 5, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Advaitam acyutam. Just like you have got experience that the sun, if you have got millions of pots, the sun is reflected; you will find millions of suns, but although the sun is one, but we see that millions of suns are there in millions of pots. This is the understanding. God is one, but He can expand Himself in millions and millions. There is no question of counting. Unlimited, but still, one. Advaita. Acyuta. The Māyāvādī philosophy is that because God has expanded Himself in so many, all-pervading, therefore he is finished. He is finished. Just like material conception. You take any big paper and make it into pieces and then throw it—the original paper is lost. There is no more existence. That is Māyāvādī philosophy. Māyāvādī philosophy means because God is all-pervading, therefore He has no form. He has finished His form. There cannot be any form. And this is material conception.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="HisDivineGraceSrilaSaccidanandaBhaktivinodaThakurasAppearanceDayLectureLondonSeptember31971_7" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="30" link="His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971" link_text="His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971|His Divine Grace Srila Sac-cid-ananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura's Appearance Day, Lecture -- London, September 3, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Because there is no limit of argument. I place my argument in one way. Another man, who is better arguer, he places his argument in a different way. So if you simply go on arguing, it is not possible. Tarko 'pratiṣṭhaḥ. It will never help you. Argument. Śrutayo vibhinnāḥ. If you think that "I shall read scriptures and I shall understand God," no, that is also not possible. Śrutayo vibhinnāḥ. Scriptures are also different. Because scriptures are made according to time, circumstances, people. Just like Bible. Bible Lord Jesus Christ preached in the desert, Jerusalem. Or where it is? People who were not so advanced. Therefore his first instruction is "Thou shall not kill." That means they were very much engaged in killing affairs; otherwise, why is this instruction?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="HisDivineGraceSrilaBhaktisiddhantaSarasvatiGosvamiPrabhupadasDisappearanceDayLectureHyderabadDecember101976_8" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="37" link="His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976" link_text="His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976|His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Disappearance Day, Lecture -- Hyderabad, December 10, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Then sthāvarāḥ, trees, plants. Then flies, then birds, then beasts, then human being. In this way, bahu sambhavante, after many, many millions of years we get this opportunity of human life to realize God. And this civilization is denying, refusing the opportunity to the human society to understand God—such a soul-killing civilization. It is a fact. They are denying "What is God? There is no God. Everything is science," although they cannot explain science. They cannot do anything, simply talking like nonsense. Last night some girls came, so they are students of botany. So I asked them, "Can you manufacture a seed which can give birth to a big banyan tree?"</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="HisDivineGraceSrilaBhaktisiddhantaSarasvatiGosvamiPrabhupadasAppearanceDayEveningGorakhpurFebruary151971_9" class="quote" parent="Festival_Lectures" book="Lec" index="44" link="His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971" link_text="His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971|His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Evening -- Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">And actually so. The history of the American people, mostly they came from England for this religious purpose. So they migrated in America for being religiously advanced.</p>
<p>So American people, I very much appreciate them. They are religious. They have got very good potency for understanding God consciousness. That is my opinion. And I do not know why I was inclined to go to America. It was also Kṛṣṇa's desire. Because I thought that "If this movement, Caitanya Mahāprabhu's movement... " Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that</p>
:pṛthivīte āche yata nagarādi-grāma
:sarvatra pracāra haibe mora nāma
:(CB Antya-khaṇḍa 4.126)
<p>That is His prediction, that "As many towns and villages are there on the surface of the globe, everywhere, this message of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and Lord Caitanya's name will be there." So I thought that "I should go to America.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" class="sub_section" sec_index="7" parent="Lectures" text="Arrival Addresses and Talks"><h3>Arrival Addresses and Talks</h3>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalAddressNewYorkApril51973_0" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="8" link="Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973" link_text="Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973|Arrival Address -- New York, April 5, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Do not take Bhagavad-gītā or Kṛṣṇa as something sectarian—"Hindu God," "Hindu scripture." No. It is meant for everyone. These names, "Hindu," "Muslim," "Christians," or "Buddhist," these are the designation of the body. Actual religion is different. Actual religion means to understand God and to develop your love for God. That is actual religion. It doesn't matter through which religion you develop your love for God, but the test is, you are first-class religionist if you have developed your dormant love of God. So this movement is meant for awakening the dormant love of God. So the subject matter is very serious. We are distributing the subject matter in so many books. We have already big, big books, about twenty books, and small books also. Just now one book published, "Rāja-vidyā, the King of Knowledge."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalAddressParisJune81974_1" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="13" link="Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974" link_text="Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974|Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Narādhama means lowest of the mankind. Why? Because cats and dogs cannot understand this philosophy. But a human being can understand. He has got the brain. Nature has given the fertile brain, but they are misusing it, duṣkṛtina, only for sense gratification. The brain was given to understand God, but the rascal is using for illicit sex, meat-eating, drinking, and gambling. This is the position of the whole human society.</p>
<p>So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to give the greatest benefit to the human society to clear their brain, the rascal brain. We call, declare, they are all rascals. Let any scientist, philosopher come here, I shall prove that he is nothing but a rascal. I shall prove that. I challenge them. What they are doing?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalAddressParisJune81974_2" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="13" link="Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974" link_text="Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974|Arrival Address -- Paris, June 8, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">You simply try to understand, and make your life successful. That is our request. Don't be rascals, mūḍhas, narādhamas, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. This education has no value, because the real knowledge, there is nothing. Real knowledge is to understand God. There is no education throughout the whole world, there is no university. So they are simply producing rascals. So my only request is that don't become rascals. You just worship here Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-kṛṣṇa-praṇaya-vikṛtiḥ, just try to understand Kṛṣṇa and then your life will be successful.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalChicagoJuly31975_3" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="27" link="Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975" link_text="Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975|Arrival -- Chicago, July 3, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">There must be. This is the result of modern civilization, crime. You cannot check it unless you take to Kṛṣṇa cons... They are all violating the laws of nature. Nature brings you from evolutionary process to the human life, and if we misuse, then we suffer. This life is specially meant for understanding God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This is the only business. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā na yaś ceha karmabhiḥ. Jīvasya tattva-jijñāsā. Find out this verse.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalAddressMauritiusOctober11975_4" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="32" link="Arrival Address -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975" link_text="Arrival Address -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival Address -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975|Arrival Address -- Mauritius, October 1, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Then you will have not to accept any more material body. Simple thing. What is your question? Is it answered? Yes. (break) ...Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means to enlighten people. It doesn't matter what is his nationality, what is his religion. Simply you try to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa; then your life is successful. Don't waste time. Don't waste your life, valuable life. Try to understand God. Then your life is success. Any other question? Huh? What is that? Finish? All right. Then you will have kīrtana? No. Have. (end)</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalSpeechNewVrindabanJune211976_5" class="quote" parent="Arrival_Addresses_and_Talks" book="Lec" index="39" link="Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976" link_text="Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976|Arrival Speech -- New Vrindaban, June 21, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Are you giving him food? Who is giving them? Not only one, two-thousands. So this is intelligence, that God has provided for everyone these facilities, so human being, why he should not have this facility from God? It is already there. There is no doubt about it.</p>
<p>Therefore human life should be utilized to understand God, because forgetting God we are in this material world and suffering so many miserable conditions of life. That is our problem. And the most important problem is birth, death, old age and disease. So to make a solution of this birth, death, that is meant in the human form of life. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Initiation_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="8" parent="Lectures" text="Initiation Lectures"><h3>Initiation Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="TalkInitiationLectureandTenOffensesLectureLosAngelesDecember11968_0" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="11" link="Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968" link_text="Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968|Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Smartavyaḥ satato viṣṇuḥ vismartavyaḥ na jātucit. This is the basic principle, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We should always remember Kṛṣṇa and we shall never forget. And the very simple method, that we chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. So Kṛṣṇa has given us tongue, so we can utilize it, and this is the beginning of spiritual life. This is the beginning of understanding God, or Kṛṣṇa. Otherwise we cannot understand what is God. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]). Nāmādi, God has name. People say, "Why there should be name of God? He has no name." The impersonalist says "Nameless." Why? The Vedānta-sūtra says, janmādy asya yataḥ: ([[Vanisource:SB 1.1.1|SB 1.1.1]]) "Everything is generated from Him." So if there is name, you have got name, I have got name, anything... This tape recorder has got name, this plate has got name, the place has got name, the carpet has got name, and simply God has no name?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="TalkInitiationLectureandTenOffensesLectureLosAngelesDecember11968_1" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="11" link="Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968" link_text="Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968|Talk, Initiation Lecture, and Ten Offenses Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 1, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Why? (laughs) Just see the fallacy. The fountainhead of all names is God, and He has no name. You see? He is zero. These are the arguments. But we don't accept. The thing is they do not know the name because their senses are not purified. You cannot understand God by imperfect senses. Therefore Bhāgavata says, ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi. Nāmādi. Nāma means name; ādi, because name is the beginning of everything. Just like if I want to make friendship with you, I ask you, "What is your name?" That is the beginning. If you go to the court, before beginning the judgment, "What is your name? What is your father's name?" You submit any application, "What is your name?" So nāmādi.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationofLokanathadasaNewVrindabanMay211969_2" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="16" link="Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969" link_text="Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969|Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Don't kill animals." That means if they stop animal-killing, then one day they will be able to understand what is God. Some day. Because so long one is accustomed to kill animals, he will never be able to understand what is God. That is Buddha philosophy. He situated the atheistic people on the line of understanding God. So this is, in one way, cheating. But this cheating is not cheating. Just like father or guardian sometimes cheats the young boy. That is not cheating; that is for his good. But actually, if you take the, I mean to say, behavior, it is something like cheating. So the Māyāvāda philosophy... This Buddha philosophy is also another Māyāvāda philosophy. Both of them are, on the face value, atheistic, denying the existence of God. One is saying, "There is no God"; another is saying, "It is impersonal," in this way. But our philosophy is neither atheistic nor impersonal. It is directly person.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationofLokanathadasaNewVrindabanMay211969_3" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="16" link="Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969" link_text="Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969|Initiation of Lokanatha dasa -- New Vrindaban, May 21, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">And if you want to know God, you cannot know God by speculation. He is so great, He is so unlimited, and we have got limited senses, limited capacity. It is not possible. Simply we can understand God by the mercy of God. So here is the mercy of God, Kṛṣṇa, He Himself speaking about Himself. You learn God. God is speaking about Himself. You haven't got to speculate. And He, by His pastimes, by His activities, He... (aside:) What is that sound coming? That is car? Oh. By His activities, He proved Himself that He is complete God. From His childhood.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationandBrahmasamhitaLectureNewYorkJuly261971_4" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="36" link="Initiation and Brahma-samhita Lecture -- New York, July 26, 1971" link_text="Initiation and Brahma-samhita Lecture -- New York, July 26, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation and Brahma-samhita Lecture -- New York, July 26, 1971|Initiation and Brahma-samhita Lecture -- New York, July 26, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"From Me, there is remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness." Forgetfulness is also coming from Him.</p>
<p>So this is going on. Therefore the ādi-puruṣa, Kṛṣṇa is ādi-puruṣa; He's a person. But because He's not a person like us, therefore ordinary person cannot understand God can be person. He thinks that "God must be a person like me." His limited knowledge, speculator, poor fund of knowledge, he thinks that "God must be like me." Therefore in some of the scriptures He's denied personality, because this rascal thinks that "God is a person like me." Therefore it is said: not person. When it is said God is not person, that means He's not a person like you. He's not a rascal like you. That is description. When it is negatively described that He's not a person, that means He's not a person like you. But He's a person, a different person.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationLectureCaracasFebruary221975_5" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="56" link="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975" link_text="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975|Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Then there are other. These two items are very important, and there are other items also. Smaraṇam-smaraṇam means meditation. Vandanam means offering prayer. So smaraṇaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam arcanam. Arcanam, Deity worship. There are other items also. In this way there are nine items. So if one is interested to understand God, then he must take all these items or some of them or at least one of them.</p>
<p>So the most important item is śravaṇam, or hearing. If you do not do anything else, if you simply sincerely hear about God, then gradually you will be God conscious. That is also true in the material science. The students go to the school, college, and hear from the professor, and gradually he becomes learned in that subject matter. Especially in this age, śravaṇam, or hearing, is very, very important.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationLectureCaracasFebruary221975_6" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="56" link="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975" link_text="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975|Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Then some day will come—you will understand what is God, what is your relationship with Him, and you will act accordingly. Then your life will be successful.</p>
<p>So the boys and girls who are now being initiated, they are entering the path of understanding God in this way. So there are some regulative principles. I think you have explained to them that no illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication. God is pure. He is the purest. Therefore if we want to approach God, we must be pure. Just like without high temperature, nobody can enter into the fire, similarly, God is the topmost temperature. We must acquire that temperature; then we can enter into the kingdom of God. So if you want to increase the temperature, you cannot pour water again on it. Just like if you have got wet wood, you cannot burn it very nicely, but if you collect dry wood, you can ignite very easily. So our material life is now saturated with all kinds of sins.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="InitiationLectureCaracasFebruary221975_7" class="quote" parent="Initiation_Lectures" book="Lec" index="56" link="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975" link_text="Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975|Initiation Lecture -- Caracas, February 22, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">And as soon as you give up this wetting process, the sinful life, then immediately you become fifty percent purified to approach God. Then, by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, you make further, further, more and more progress. And when you are completely free of all sinful reaction, then you understand God and you love him. In the contaminated stage, you are trying to love so many things, but you are frustrated. So if you can love God, then you will never be frustrated and your loving desires will be fulfilled. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We are teaching all our students how to love God. That's all right.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Wedding_Ceremonies" class="sub_section" sec_index="10" parent="Lectures" text="Wedding Ceremonies"><h3>Wedding Ceremonies</h3>
</div>
<div id="WeddingCeremonyandLectureBostonMay61969_0" class="quote" parent="Wedding_Ceremonies" book="Lec" index="3" link="Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969" link_text="Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969|Wedding Ceremony and Lecture -- Boston, May 6, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">There is a process. This science of understanding God, the science of God, is a great science. People have no knowledge about it, but it is a great science. And the ways and means of understanding God is different from ordinary material science. So the ways and means and the process of understanding the science of Godhead is to hear.</p>
:śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
:puṇya-śravaṇa-kīrtanaḥ
:hṛdy antaḥ stho hy abhadrāṇi
:vidhunoti suhṛt satām
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.17|SB 1.2.17]])
<p>God is situated in everyone's heart. Simply you do not know. He is situated. He is everywhere. Within the atom also, He is present. Andantarastham paramanu cayantarastham. God is present within this world, within everything, everywhere, even within the atom. Now, at the present moment, the atomic theory is very prominent, but in the Vedic literature it is said that God is existing even within the atom. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu. Paramāṇu means atom.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="General_Lectures" class="sub_section" sec_index="11" parent="Lectures" text="General Lectures"><h3>General Lectures</h3>
</div>
<div id="LectureatEngagementBostonMay81968_0" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="6" link="Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968" link_text="Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968|Lecture at Engagement -- Boston, May 8, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The primary principles of Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement have been briefly described by my disciple Śrīman Brahmānanda Brahmacārī. It is a very important science of God, understanding what is God. Of course, in every religion this conception of God is there. Simply by understanding "God is great" is not sufficient. We must have knowledge about our relationship with God. Generally, we take it for granted that God is our order-supplier. We take it that God is great because He... That is also not the conception of the atheist class of men. Those who believe in God, generally they approach God in distress, when they're in need of money, and somebody wants to study what is God out of inquisitiveness, and somebody wants to understand the science of God. There are four classes of men. They are called persons with pious activities on the background.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureSeattleOctober41968_1" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="21" link="Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968" link_text="Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968|Lecture -- Seattle, October 4, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Without God, there cannot be any book or scripture. Nowadays, of course, they are manufacturing so many things. But in any human society the conception of God is there—according to time, according to the people, but the idea is there. Now you have to understand, jijñāsā. Therefore Vedānta-sūtra says that you try to understand God by inquiry, inquiry. This inquiry is very important. In our process, ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma pṛcchāt. One has to accept a bona fide spiritual master and he has to inquire from him, sad-dharma pṛcchāt. Similarly, in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam also says that jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam. "One who is inquisitive to understand the Absolute Truth, he requires a spiritual master."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureMontrealOctober261968_2" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="27" link="Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968" link_text="Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968|Lecture -- Montreal, October 26, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">You have to use them. If you use them for gratifying your senses, then you go down and down and down to the animal life. And if you use them for understanding God and His kingdom and your life, your relationship, that is also possible. So both way you can use your intelligence, your mind, your senses. Both ways.</p>
<p>So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to engage the mind, the senses, the intelligence always in Kṛṣṇa. Then there is no chance of materially being contaminated. Just like if you keep yourself always in the sunlight there is no chance of coming down into darkness. The darkness cannot penetrate light. Light can penetrate darkness. This is our practical experience. You cannot make sunlight dark, but your darkness can be lighted by sunlight.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLosAngelesDecember41968_3" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="31" link="Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968" link_text="Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968|Lecture -- Los Angeles, December 4, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">It is His mercy. The Bhāgavata says that if you want to understand God, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia, His form, it is not possible to realize by your present senses. It is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]). These present senses, they are so contaminated that it is not possible that you can understand God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia by speculation. No, it is not possible. Then? How it is possible? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. God reveals to you by your service attitude. And that service attitude begins from your tongue, jihvā. Jihvā means tongue. How? You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLosAngelesJanuary191969_4" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="36" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, January 19, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">He is beyond creation. Therefore one great stalwart ācārya of India, Śaṅkarācārya, whose name you might have heard, he says, nārāyaṇaḥ para avyaktāt, avyaktāt anya-sambhavaḥ: "Nārāyaṇa, God, the Supreme Lord, He is beyond this creation. He's not one of the created beings." You try to understand. God said, "Let there be creation," and there was creation: "Yes." His word is sufficient. His word is sufficient. You can take practical example. In your country you can understand this nice example. During the fall, all of a sudden, all the leaves of the tree, they fall down. There is no more leaf. And again, during the beginning of spring, the, immediately everything becomes green. Now, how this is happening? If you decorate one tree, if you want to take out all the leaves of a tree, it will take months together. And if you want to decorate one tree without leaves, it will take months together. But you can see that within a few days all leaves are fallen down, and within a few days all leaves are coming out.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureExcerptNewYorkApril121969_5" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="44" link="Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969" link_text="Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969|Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"Those who are meek, the kingdom of God is for them." Is it not? So that's very nice qualification, to become humble and meek. Don't try to imitate falsely, "I am God." That is simply rascaldom. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu also advised that jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva. Giving up the false speculation of understanding God in your calculation, just become humble and meek. Jñāne prayāsam udapāsya namanta eva san-mukharitāṁ bhavadīya-vārtām. And try to hear about God from realized souls—from Kṛṣṇa or His bona fide representative. That is very nice qualification. Simply hear. Sthāne sthitāḥ śruti-gatāṁ tanu-vāṅ-manobhir. In this way you remain in your position, try to understand how great is God through the authoritative sources, and your life will be so successful that one day you'll find God is within your hand. It is so nice thing. Just like you keep a child within your hand, just Mother Yaśodā kept Kṛṣṇa within his (her) arms always, you'll also have a similar position simply by hearing about Him.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureExcerptNewYorkApril121969_6" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="44" link="Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969" link_text="Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969|Lecture Excerpt -- New York, April 12, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">He sees that one is very sincere and "He's trying to understand Me," then He will teach you from within and you'll understand. Even without reading book, by His grace you will understand. But anything we should not claim falsely. We should be very sincere and serious to understand God. Then God will help us. God is within everyone's heart. There is no difficulty. That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. So I'm very glad that you are all coming to our, this center. And these boys are trying to convince you in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Please try to cooperate with us so that we may be encouraged also.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LecturewithAllenGinsbergatOhioStateUniversityColumbusMay121969_7" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="57" link="Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969" link_text="Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969|Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is the test. If you find somebody, that he is neither lower than anyone, neither equal to anyone, then he is God. There are other, many definitions of God. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47). Analytical study. Try to understand God. This is the business of human form of life, not that simply eating, sleeping and mating and defending. These are animal business. The animal knows how to eat, how to sleep, how to mate, and how to defend in its own way. So that is common formula for human being or animal. But there is one speciality in human society or human being—he can understand God, what is God. If I explain to a human being, however illiterate, uneducated, he may be, if he has simply these two ears, he will understand what is God.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LecturewithAllenGinsbergatOhioStateUniversityColumbusMay121969_8" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="57" link="Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969" link_text="Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969|Lecture with Allen Ginsberg at Ohio State University -- Columbus, May 12, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">God has given you these two ears and you can learn. Simply you have to learn from the authorized sources. Then you will understand God. And when you understand God, then you develop love of God. And when you develop love of God without any motive and without any impediment, then you find, "Oh," svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varaṁ na yāce ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 22.42|CC Madhya 22.42]]), "I have no more any demand. I am completely satisfied." Try to come to this platform, transcendental stage. You cannot be happy simply by material advancement. That is not possible.</p>
<p>That is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Parābhavas tāvad abodha-jātaḥ. Every one of us are rascals, born ignorant. But we have got the capacity to take the message of God from authorized information. That we have got.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureNewVrindabanJune71969_9" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="58" link="Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969" link_text="Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969|Lecture -- New Vrindaban, June 7, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is a science to understand God. Just like you have got different departmental sciences to understand perfectly a subject matter, similarly, this bhāgavata-tattva, this truth of God, you can understand by practicing this bhakti-yoga, and you become jolly. (laughter) Yes. This is practical.</p>
<p>So this is a great science. It is a great science. Don't be confused and frustrated. Take this. Take this. It is very easy. You come to this temple and chant and dance and take prasādam and be jolly and be happy.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonSeptember261969_10" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="63" link="Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969" link_text="Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969|Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This means the human form of life is the opportunity to understand the Absolute Truth. The Absolute Truth is neither discussed nor understood by the animal society. It is not possible. There is no arrangement in the animal society to understand God or the Absolute Truth. Because they're animals, it is not possible. It is possible in the human society. This association, this room, is an attempt to understand the Absolute Truth, because it belongs to the human society. But if you go to the animal society, they haven't got such room, such arrangement. So that is the distinction between animal and human being. Human being, in any part of the world, it doesn't matter, even uncivilized, there is an inquisitiveness to search out what is the Absolute Truth.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonSeptember261969_11" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="63" link="Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969" link_text="Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969|Lecture -- London, September 26, 1969]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">When one is perfect in Brahman realization, he's engaged in devotional service, bhakti. After being liberated from material concept of life, when one is actually in the Brahman state of transcendental life, he can begin this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Mad-bhaktiṁ labhate... Why? Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55 (1972)|BG 18.55]]). Because without going to that stage, you cannot understand God. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti. It is not said that by meditation, by philosophical speculation, one can understand God. No. Bhaktyā. So they cannot understand anything, these meditators and speculators. No, they can, partially. But bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55 (1972)|BG 18.55]]). "As I am, Absolute Truth, that can be understood through this devotional service." And this devotional service is attained after attainment of this brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. So the brahma-bhūtaḥ stage is not final.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureNobodyWantstoDieBostonMay71968_12" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="64" link="Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968" link_text="Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968|Lecture 'Nobody Wants to Die' -- Boston, May 7, 1968]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So you have to... Vedic knowledge means the knowledge of authority. So you have to prove. But there is a process for understanding God, that "I am God." That is a process. But not that one is God. "I am God" means in that way: "Qualitatively, I am God." So we have to find out, meditation, "What is that quality?" That quality is the spirit soul, on account of whose presence the whole body is working. As soon as the spirit soul is absent from this body, this body has no more any value. That you have to understand. And what is that spirit soul? That you have to find out, where it is. Where is the spirit soul... Now, if you medically analyze where is the spirit soul, you cannot find out. But there, in the yoga process, there are different rules and regulations, sitting posture and then breathing exercise, controlling the air passing through this body.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PandalLectureBombayApril61971_13" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="80" link="Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971" link_text="Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971|Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, April 6, 1971]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ. One has to develop his mind being always attached to Kṛṣṇa. Āsakta. Āsakta means attachment. This āsakti is also not attained very easily, but there is a process. If we follow the process, as recommended by the authorities, then there is way. And one who is serious to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, they must follow the methods prescribed by the mahājanas. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.186|CC Madhya 17.186]]). If you follow the footsteps of great personalities, great ācāryas, then that is the way. You don't manufacture your own way. Then you will be frustrated. Mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ. So who can be greater mahājana than Kṛṣṇa? All mahājanas, they are great devotees of Kṛṣṇa; therefore they have become mahājanas. Just like Svayambhū, Lord Brahmā, Nārada Muni... Svayambhūr nāradaḥ śambhuḥ ([[Vanisource:SB 6.3.20-21|SB 6.3.20]]). Śambhu, Lord Śiva.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SpeechatOlympiaTheaterParisJune261971withtranslator_14" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="87" link="Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator)" link_text="Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator)">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator)|Speech at Olympia Theater -- Paris, June 26, 1971, (with translator)]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We don't charge anything for giving you this name. It is open to everyone. You can take it and make an experiment. By chanting, you will feel how much you are advancing in spiritual knowledge. This is the shortcut way of understanding God realization. But if you don't believe in the simple method, if you want to understand this philosophy through science and philosophy, we have got books, about one dozen books, four hundred pages each, to explain this science of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. We have got our magazine, Back to Godhead, and our books, Kṛṣṇa book, Nectar of Devotion, Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So many books we have got. So those who are very much serious... And everyone should be serious because if we miss this opportunity, then after death we do not know what is going to happen. I may have a human form of body or we may have a body of the animals or of a tree. That we do not know.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBombayMarch181972_15" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="104" link="Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972|Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">In the Seventh Chapter, we shall begin from tomorrow morning, the study of this Bhagavad-gītā in the morning. Please try to come. Kṛṣṇa is giving personally instruction. You cannot understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by your mental speculation. (coughs) That is called Kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya, Dr. Frog philosophy. A frog from within the well, he's trying to study Atlantic Ocean. This is a logic given in the Nyāya-śāstra. Kūpa-maṇḍūka-nyāya. What he'll study about the Atlantic Ocean? One who has got knowledge, three-feet knowledge in the well, what idea he'll get about Atlantic Ocean or Pacific Ocean? As it is not possible simply by imagination, simply, similarly, if you try to understand about God, or Kṛṣṇa, by your mental speculation, it will be simply a waste of time. Nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo (Sanskrit). That is already forbidden, that "You cannot understand by your great brain." What brain you have got? Teeny brain.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBombayMarch181972_16" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="104" link="Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972|Lecture -- Bombay, March 18, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So you cannot compare your brain with that brain, but there is a brain. So nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhya. Simply by speculating, simply by concoction, you cannot understand. You have to understand God, or Kṛṣṇa, from Him. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau (Brs. 1.2.234). Just like you cannot see the sun at this time, when the night is dark. You cannot, ah, I mean to say, invent some searchlight and ask people, "Please come on the roof. I shall show you the sun by the searchlight." It is not possible. By your endeavor you cannot see the sun at night. But when the sun rises in the morning, you can see. That is the process. Similarly, you cannot understand God by your mental speculation. You have to submit yourself. As Kṛṣṇa says, that sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]). Then He will reveal Himself, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. He'll reveal yourself.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_17" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Our simple request is that whatever you may be, you make cultivation of God consciousness. That is our program. Scientifically try to understand what is God. And if you consult Vedic literature you'll get very accurate, scientific, authentic information.</p>
<p>So if anyone is serious to understand God, so there is no objection. Just like if one is serious to understand some particular science, he goes to some other university in other country. That does not mean that person is fallen. No. He is searching after that particular scientific knowledge. Similarly, our request is... We invite everyone that "There is great necessity of God consciousness at the present moment throughout the whole world. Without God consciousness, all qualification are useless." That is a Vedic verse: aprāṇasyaiva dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_18" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">I have traveled so many countries, universities also. There is not a single institution where there is a department where scientific knowledge is being given about understanding God or soul. That is not a very good sign for human civilization. Human civilization is especially meant for understanding God. Therefore in any human civilized society there is system of religion. Religion means, as I have already explained, to abide by the orders of God. It may be a little different from one country to another. Just like in the political state management also, it is not exactly the same. But the obedience to the state is everywhere. The state may be, the constitution may be little different, but the obedience to the state is absolute necessity. Similarly, religion may be different according to time, country, position, understanding, but the obedience to God must be there, obedience to God. Otherwise it is not human civilization.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_19" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Yes. God is unapproachable by your mental concoction. But there is another process: if you understand God by this the paramparā system. Just like on this roof there is some sound, and every one of us making some suggestion what is the sound: "This may be like this. This may be like that. This may be like that." This is one process of knowledge, to understand the unseen by speculation. This is one. It may be successful or may not be successful. There is no certainty. But if somebody from the roof says, "The sound is due to this," then our knowledge is perfect. Similarly, if we speculate about God, who is Adhokṣaja, who is beyond the range of our mind and speculation, then it is very...</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_20" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We are not asking you to become Hindus. We simply want to, everyone, that you become God conscious. That is our mission. Our mission is not that to convert. What is the use of converting? If my habits are the same... Suppose I am Hindu. I become Christian, but my habits are not changed. Then what is the use of becoming from Hindu or Christian or to Christian or Hindu?</p>
<p>Now, our principle is that if you want to understand God, then you must be sinless, because God is pure. Anyone who is sinful, he cannot understand God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_21" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">One thing is that nobody can understand God if he is sinful. But Kṛṣṇa says, God says, that "You surrender unto Me. I shall help you how to get rid of the resultant action of your sinful life." So to approach God, either you become sinless by your own efforts or you simply surrender unto God, and He will help you to become sinless. Whichever you like. He is giving full freedom. He is asking that you surrender. He is not forcing. God can force you—He is all-powerful—but He doesn't interfere with your independence. Because we are part and parcel of God—God is fully independent—so we have got also little particle of independence. As soon as we misuse that independence, disobey the words of God, we become sinful.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatChristianMonasteryMelbourneApril61972_22" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="107" link="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972" link_text="Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972|Lecture at Christian Monastery -- Melbourne, April 6, 1972]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Oh, yes, certainly. That is the platform of understanding God.</p>
<p>Guest (5): And this indwelling of God urges one to go out into the world and other people in love, a love which not only seeks to...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. It is ye yathā māṁ prapadyante ([[Vanisource:BG 4.11 (1972)|BG 4.11]]). If you are serious to understand God, then God will help you also. He is within you. He'll help you. Yes.</p>
<p>Guest (6): Swami, in the Christian history, one of the people that many of us look up to was a man called Francis of Assisi, and he talks about knowing God, and he rates it up with experiences such as on the occasion on which he embraced the leper. And he says, "If this, we turn to our fellow man with an attitude like this, then we are not reaching God, or God consciousness." And this is in line with one of the central teachings of the Christian scriptures, which is that if any man says he loves God and does not love his neighbor, then that man is a liar.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLosAngelesMay181972_23" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="115" link="Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972|Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Māyā... Just like here also, if we say, "I don't care for the government." Then what will be? So treason act. I'll be arrested, I'll be punished. Similarly, living entities are originally part and parcel of God. Just like father and son. The Christian people also understand, God is Supreme Father and we are all His sons. You go to church and pray, "God, give us our daily bread." Father. So that is conception in Bhagavad-gītā also. Kṛṣṇa says, "I am father of all living entities." Ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLosAngelesMay181972_24" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="115" link="Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972|Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 18, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So to understand Kṛṣṇa is little difficult. Actually, to understand God is a subject matter very difficult. But the God Himself is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā. "I am this, I am like this. I am like this, this material nature is like this, this spiritual nature is like this, the living entities are like..." Everything are completely described in the Bhagavad-gītā. God Himself, giving His own knowledge, and that is the only process to understand God. Otherwise, by speculation we cannot understand God. It is not possible. He is unlimited and we are limited. Our knowledge, our perception, all of them are very limited.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLosAngelesMay211972_25" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="116" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">There are so many atheists, they are also putting their arguments. So wherefrom the argument comes? It comes from God, that "You take this argument and forget God forever." Mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca. Vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]). Vedic knowledge means to understand God. That's all. One who has understood God, he has studied all Vedas. Finished. And one who has not understood God, simply studying this literature, that literature, that scripture, then he's simply wasting his time. That's all. Because (the) ultimate knowledge is God. If one cannot understand what is God after so much education, then Bhāgavata says, śrama eva hi kevalam: ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.8|SB 1.2.8]]) "It is simply labor, labor, waste of time." Simply waste of time. There is no education. Education, knowledge, means ultimately to understand, to know what is God. Actually; not fictitiously, vaguely. So there are many classes of men who have no understanding of God.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLosAngelesMay211972_26" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="116" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So there are many classes of men who have no understanding of God. Some of them are saying, "God is dead," or "God is impersonal," "There is no God," "Zero," "I am God," "You are God," so many things. All these people do not know what is God; therefore there are different theories. Therefore, somehow or other, if you can understand God, then your life is successful. Somehow or other. Because this human life is especially meant for understanding God. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. The Vedānta-sūtra... You have heard the name of Vedānta. Vedānta means... Veda means knowledge, and anta means ultimate. The ultimate knowledge. Therefore, Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam: ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]) "The ultimate purpose of reading Vedas is to know Me."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLosAngelesMay211972_27" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="116" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the right commentary by the author Himself. And the vedārtha paribhṛmhitam the purpose of Vedas, the scheme of Vedic literature, is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. So this human life..., athāto brahma jijñāsā, means, the Vedānta-sūtra says, that "This life, this human life, is meant for understanding God." Brahma-jijñāsā. At least, not understanding, at least inquiring, jijñāsā. Jijñāsā means inquiring.</p>
<p>So where the inquiry should be made? If I want to inquire about God, shall I go to the storekeeper or drug shop or a motor shop? No. Tad vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet (MU 1.2.12). If you want to know the transcendental science, then you must find out a guru. That is injunction. Jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam. Guruṁ prapadyeta. Tasmād prapadyeta guruṁ jijñāsuḥ śreyaḥ uttamam. If you are actually inquisitive to understand higher science, uttamam... Uttama means higher. These are not higher sciences, how to earn some money.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLosAngelesMay211972_28" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="116" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Los Angeles, May 21, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The higher science is to inquire, athāto brahma jijñāsā, to inquire about God, the Supreme. And that can be done by the human being, not by others. Not the cats and dogs. So if we do not give education of this higher science to the human society, if we keep them dumb about this, or if we make secular state, prohibitive injunction to understand God, then it is an animal society. It is an animal society. So such things happen sometimes.</p>
<p>So there is a narration of King Vena. The King Vena happened to be an atheist king. So because that... The reason is given that his mother was the daughter of an atheist king. Narānāṁ matur lakṣānām. It is a scientific fact that a son inherits the quality of the mother, and a daughter inherits the quality of father.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonJuly121972_29" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="120" link="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972|Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"You give up all other processes of faith and religion. Simply surrender unto Me." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi mā śucaḥ. Religion means to become purified, to become purified from our sinful activities. So Kṛṣṇa says that "If you surrender unto Me..." When I speak "Kṛṣṇa," you may understand "God." God is speaking that "You surrender unto Me and I'll give you protection from the reaction of all sinful activities." In this material world we are encaged in this material body for our sinful activities, different types of sinful activities. So our aim of life is to get out of these sinful activities and be situated in our own original position, constitutional position, spiritual position. Because we are part and parcel of God, we are as pure as God, but we have been contaminated by this material association, and therefore we have got different types of bodies, encagements. And according to the different types of bodies we have to enjoy or suffer the material atmosphere.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonJuly121972_30" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="120" link="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972|Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The animal also defends according to his own way; we can defend with atom bomb. That's all right. But it is defending, nothing more. Therefore, about these four things—eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—they are common. The special feature of this human form of body is that he has developed consciousness how to understand God. The animal hasn't got this. And the process of understanding God and to revive our relationship with God is called bhāgavata-dharma. This is explanation of bhāgavata-dharma. The eating, sleeping, mating, this is also dharma. Dharma means the activities, constitutional activities. Any man or any animal who has got this body, he must eat. This is also dharma. Dharma means which we cannot avoid. Because we have become human beings, it is not that we can avoid eating.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonJuly121972_31" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="120" link="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972|Lecture -- London, July 12, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is also dharma. Dharma means which we cannot avoid. Because we have become human beings, it is not that we can avoid eating. That is not... This is also dharma. So this dharma, this practice, this occupation, is visible in animal life and human life. But another thing, the dharma which we actually mean, means to understand God, that is not visible in animal life. That is not possible. Therefore dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. Anyone who does not cultivate religious life, he is no better than an animal. He's animal. If you are simply interested with eating, sleeping, mating, and defending, nothing more, then this is animal civilization. This is not human civilization.</p>
<p>So we have got the opportunity. Why we should accept religious life?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLagunaBeachSeptember301972_32" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="122" link="Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972|Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Out of that, this human form of life, especially the civilized form of life, this is elevated life of developed consciousness. The consciousness of human form of life is different from the consciousness of aquatic life or tree life or plant life or cat life or dog life. This is the developed consciousness of life. Why this developed consciousness of life is given by God? To understand God. This is the only business. This developed consciousness of life is being misused in the matter of animal life. The modern scientific advancement or philosophical speculation, they are trying to adjust how we can enjoy our sense life better. But after all, it is sense life. Better or inferior, there is no such question. Suppose a glass of water, given in golden glass tumbler or in earthen tumbler. The taste of the water is the same. Similarly, the taste of life is eating, sleeping, sex life and defense. So either in the dog's life or human life, the taste of eating or taste of sex life is the same.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLagunaBeachSeptember301972_33" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="122" link="Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972" link_text="Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972|Lecture -- Laguna Beach, September 30, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We are missing the point. There is no guarantee. We have been given this chance of human form of body by nature's way, by the evolutionary process, coming through, transmigrating through 8,400,000 species of life. We have got this human form of life, developed consciousness to understand God, not increasing the comfort from bullock cart to motorcar. No. Not for this purpose. The so-called scientists, they are thinking that we are advancing in civilization from the primitive form, transport by bullock cart to motorcar. But that is not actually advancement. We are missing the point that this human form of life was meant for realizing God, realizing self. But we are misusing that higher intelligence and consciousness for manufacturing motorcar. And they are very much proud of advancement. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum ([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.31|SB 7.5.31]]). This is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata in one verse.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="RotaryClubLectureHyderabadNovember291972_34" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="123" link="Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972" link_text="Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972|Rotary Club Lecture -- Hyderabad, November 29, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Anyone who is fortunate enough to get his birth in Bhārata-varṣa, janma sārthaka kari' kara paropakāra. Paropakāra. Indian, Indians are meant for doing welfare activities to others. Because in India you have got the culture which is actually human culture. Human culture means to understand God, to understand Kṛṣṇa; that is human culture. Otherwise, if you simply improve the four principles of animal life, that is not culture. Āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca sāmānyam etad paśubhiḥ narānām. Eating: animal eats; we also eat. And if we make some improvement in the eating matter, that is not advancement of civilization. Similarly in sleeping matter. A dog lies on the ground; we lie down on very silk bed and very nice apartment. But we are thinking this is advancement of civilization. No. This is not advancement of civilization. The advancement of civilization is that "Why I am put under the material laws?" Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānu-darśanam ([[Vanisource:BG 13.8-12 (1972)|BG 13.9]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="RotaryClubLectureAhmedabadDecember51972_35" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="124" link="Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972" link_text="Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972|Rotary Club Lecture -- Ahmedabad, December 5, 1972]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"There is no God. God is dead. I am God. You are God." This is defying the authority of God. Therefore to understand God, you have to surrender; otherwise it is not possible. You cannot defy and at the same time understand God. That is not possible. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.25 (1972)|BG 7.25]]). You cannot understand God by challenging. Why God? Suppose we, we go to the president of our country. If I challenge, "Mr. President, what is your value? Can you tell me what you are?" you cannot know him. No. You have to surrender. You have to become friendly and serve him, please him. Then he'll understand. Sevonmukhe hi jivhādau svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. You cannot challenge. Just like the sun is not visible at night. If you challenge, "O sun, can you show me where you are?" No.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ArrivalDallasMay191973_36" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="136" link="Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973" link_text="Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973|Arrival -- Dallas, May 19, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is directly connecting people with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and especially these children are required to learn this Kṛṣṇa consciousness from the very beginning of their life. Because this human form of life is the only chance to understand God. You cannot understand God in any other form, in the form of a dog, in the form of a cat, or even the form of a demigod. Demigods, they are very rich, opulent, so sometimes they forget. Out of very much being affluent, people forget Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the demigods also sometimes forget. And what to speak of the animals. So this human form of life is the only chance to understand God. Therefore if children are not given lesson about God... There is no guarantee that we will live one hundred years. There is no guarantee. Anyone, at any moment, can pass away.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonAugust231973_37" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="138" link="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973" link_text="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973|Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That we can understand, exactly like that. As the fire is situated in one place but the heat and light is working, similarly, you can understand the existence of God by the energy of God, the energy, how the energy of God is working, you can understand God. And the energies are acting under certain laws given by God. Just like the sunshine. There is a particular time, at this hour, the sunshine will be visible. At night if you want sunshine, it is not possible. However advanced you may be in science, however scientific machineries you have discovered, but you cannot get sunshine in this night, dark night. No scientist can say, "Now we have discovered a scientific method by which at night also sun will rise." No. That is not possible. Of course, they sometimes say like that, rascallike, but that is not possible. You cannot change the law of God.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonAugust231973_38" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="138" link="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973" link_text="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973|Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">This is the purpose of dharma. We should not be satisfied that "I have got a dharma made by somebody, my some relative or somebody else." That is not dharma. Dharma means to understand God. It doesn't matter whether you are Christian or Hindu or Muslim. It doesn't matter. If you think that by your principle, you have understood God and you have learned how to love God, and you have learned how to obey God, that dharma is perfect. That religious system is perfect. It may go on under any name, it doesn't matter. But if you have achieved the result, that is wanted. Just like if you pass your M.A. examination. It doesn't matter whether you pass it from London University or Calcutta University or Berlin University. You have passed your examination. That will be taken into consideration.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureLondonAugust231973_39" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="138" link="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973" link_text="Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973|Lecture -- London, August 23, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That system of religion is perfect by which one can learn what is God and how to love God. That is perfect. But you are following very nicely dharma, your so-called dharma, but you have no knowledge of God, no love for God—it is simply wasting time. It is simply wasting time. Therefore dharma means to understand God and to abide by His order. To learn this scientific method, one has to approach...</p>
:etāvān eva loke 'smin
:puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ
:bhakti-yogo bhagavati
:tan-nāma-grahaṇādibhiḥ
<p>So dharma means first-class dharma which teaches the followers how to know God, how to love Him. That is first-class religion. So etāvān eva loke 'smin puṁsāṁ dharmaḥ paraḥ smṛtaḥ. Paraḥ means superior, not inferior. Or transcendental. So what is that? Bhakti-yogo bhagavati. Bhakti-yoga.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatUpsalaUniversityFacultyStockholmSeptember71973_40" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="140" link="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973" link_text="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973|Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So if you want to purify that lust tendency into love, then you can see God. That is the condition. That we'll have to learn. That is called bhakti-yogam, bhakti-yogam, which we are teaching, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The human life is meant for understanding God, for seeing God, for talking with God, for behaving with God. That is possible. But you require little training. From the animalistic life, the animal cannot talk of God, cannot understand of God, cannot see God. But if we remain in the animalistic way of life, then it is not possible to see God and talk with Him. But if we purify ourself, if we apply the ointment of love of God on the eye, then premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ, those who are saints... I think this "saint" word has come from the Sanskrit world santaḥ. Santaḥ is Sanskrit word. Santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatUpsalaUniversityFacultyStockholmSeptember71973_41" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="140" link="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973" link_text="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973|Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">That religion is first class which makes the follower a lover of God. This is simple definition of religion, first-class religion. If we do not awaken our dormant love for God, then śrama eva hi kevalam ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.8|SB 1.2.8]]). Then you follow any type of religion, you simply wasting your time. That's all. That is not religion. Religion means to understand God and to learn how to love God. So here Arjuna, he loves Kṛṣṇa, he's a lover of God; therefore he's asking question from Kṛṣṇa. But whatever question is answered by Kṛṣṇa, that is perfect, because He is perfect. So our process of receiving knowledge: from the perfect. Not one who (is) illusioned, who commits mistake, whose senses are imperfect and wants to cheat. Because how an imperfect person can take the position of a teacher if he has...? Now so many scientists, we ask so many things, and they simply reply, "Yes, we are trying," "In future." That means he is not yet perfect. So if you are not perfect, why you are taking the position of a teacher? First of all, you be perfect. So that is not possible.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatUpsalaUniversityFacultyStockholmSeptember71973_42" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="140" link="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973" link_text="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973|Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Vedic knowledge means to understand God, the whole Vedic knowledge. Knowledge means we are getting... Veda means knowledge. Vetti veda vido jñāne. Veda means knowledge. So we want to know so many things. That is knowledge. So you get all information from the Vedas. There is called Āyur-veda, Dhanur-veda, Yajur-veda. Veda means knowledge, but actually the Veda means, ultimately, to know God. That is called Vedānta. Anta means ultimate, and veda means knowledge. So ultimate knowledge is your, when..., if... You know so many things. We have got so many subject matters for understanding. But ultimately, when you understand what is God, that is the end of knowledge.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatUpsalaUniversityFacultyStockholmSeptember71973_43" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="140" link="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973" link_text="Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973|Lecture at Upsala University Faculty -- Stockholm, September 7, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Therefore it is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. The ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is to know God. But we cannot know God. We have blunt senses. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]). With these material senses, blunt senses, imperfect senses, we cannot understand God. That is not possible. But if we can please God by your service, by our love, He reveals Himself, revelation. That is the process.</p>
<p>So simply by your speculation, research work, we cannot find out God. That is not possible, although God is here, everyone's heart. Sarvasya cāham hṛdi sanniviṣṭo ([[Vanisource:BG 15.15 (1972)|BG 15.15]]). God is there in everyone's heart. But who knows that? So there is a process by which one has to learn God, what is God. That is sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). It is very peculiar process, that you have to learn God through the tongue. Through the tongue.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureHongKongJanuary311974_44" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="144" link="Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974" link_text="Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974|Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The duty of human life is to understand God, Kṛṣṇa. In the Vedānta-sūtra, the first aphorism is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Athaḥ, "therefore." Because we have got this human form of body, so this is the time for inquiring about the Absolute Truth. In the other life, animal life, beast life, tree life, plant life... There are 8,400,000 different forms of life, and through evolutionary process we have passed through 8,000,000 forms of life or a few thousand more forms of life, because human beings, they are of 400,000 forms of life. Just like we have got experience over this planet there are different forms of life, different system of religion, different system of culture, even though all of them are of human form life, similarly, there are other forms of life—aquatics in the water; in the jungle, trees, plants, mountains; and then insects, reptiles, ants; then birds, flies. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa the description is there what are the different forms of life. Jalajā nava-lakṣāni. In the water there are 900,000 forms of life.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureHongKongJanuary311974_45" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="144" link="Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974" link_text="Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974|Lecture -- Hong Kong, January 31, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So if everyone discharges his duty properly, then his life becomes successful. So on the whole, everything is required. The brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra—these are different divisions, but what for the divisions are meant for? The division is meant for understanding God, Kṛṣṇa. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. These instructions are given in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that everyone has got a particular type of duty as brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, brahmacārī, like that. Ataḥ pumbhir dvija-śreṣṭha varṇāśrama-vibhāgaśaḥ. Division of varṇa and āśrama. And everyone has got his duty. So how the duty is perfected? How to know that?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PandalSpeechandQuestionSessionDelhiNovember101973_46" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="145" link="Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973" link_text="Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973|Pandal Speech and Question Session -- Delhi, November 10, 1973]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Dharma, the simple description of dharma is "the codes which are given by God." It doesn't matter whether you are Hindu, Muslim or Christian or any. Everyone, any civilized man has got some religion. Because dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. If you haven't got no religion... It doesn't matter whether Hindu religion, Muslim religion. You must have some religion. Religion means to understand God. That is religion. Religion does not mean I manufacture something. No. You cannot manufacture religion. Religion means... Just like you cannot manufacture laws. Law is given by the state, by the government. Similarly, religion means the codes, the orders given by God. Therefore you must know what is God, what is His order and how to carry out it. Then you will be success..., your life is successful.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureattheHareKrsnaFestivalatLaSallePleyelParisJune141974_47" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="148" link="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974" link_text="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974|Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"This human life is meant for inquiring about God." So the first understanding of God is that He is the creator of everything.</p>
<p>So the present Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for understanding God. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is started not now, say, in your country, Western countries say, for the last six or seven years, but the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is on this planet for the last five thousand years. When I say Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it means God consciousness. So human being, human life, is meant for understanding God and become God conscious. In the animal life there is no possibility of understanding God. When we invite by advertisement, "Please come here in this meeting. We shall discuss something about God," the human being comes, not the cats and dogs. This is... (big applause)</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureattheHareKrsnaFestivalatLaSallePleyelParisJune141974_48" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="148" link="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974" link_text="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974|Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"Please come here in this meeting. We shall discuss something about God," the human being comes, not the cats and dogs. This is... (big applause) So human being is the chance given by nature to understand about God. If we do not take chance, if we do not fulfill this chance—that means we have got this chance to understand God—then our next life may not be human being. The soul is within your body. The soul is the part and parcel of God. If you try to understand what is the soul, then partially you understand what is God. If you study yourself, then you study to some extent what is God, because you are the sample of God. It is also stated in the Bible that human being is made under the image of God. So if you study yourself—that is called meditation—then you can understand what is God. Therefore the yoga system is recommended. Those who are in bodily consciousness of life, for them, this meditation yoga, or to understand oneself, that is very important thing.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureattheHareKrsnaFestivalatLaSallePleyelParisJune141974_49" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="148" link="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974" link_text="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974|Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">There are one million types of bodies in the bird kingdom. And there are three million types of bodies in the beast life. And there are 400,000 species of body in the human society. Out of them, the civilized man is considered to be perfectly in bodily situation.</p>
<p>So this human form of body is given to us by nature to understand God. In other forms of life there is no chance of understanding God. Therefore it is our duty, everyone's duty, before the next death comes, we must understand what is God. If we simply misuse this body like cats and dogs, then we are missing the chance. We cannot say that we are free. That is not possible. We are completely under the control of the material nature. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureattheHareKrsnaFestivalatLaSallePleyelParisJune141974_50" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="148" link="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974" link_text="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974|Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So long we have got this material body, there are four necessities of life. They are eating, sleeping, sex intercourse and defense. So the cats and dogs, they also eat, they sleep, they have sex life and they can defend also. So therefore a human being should not be educated only for these four principles of animal necessities. The human necessity is to understand God. Therefore in civilized human society, there is some system of religion. Either you call it Christianity, Muhammadanism, or Hinduism, in civilized society there must be some form of religion. And a human being is supposed to follow the principles to have complete knowledge about God and himself, to know "What is the relationship between God and me?" and what is the goal of life.</p>
<p>So it doesn't matter whether you are Christian, Hindu, Muslim. The real purpose of life is to know God. And in the Vedic literature it is said, dharmaṁ tu sākṣāt bhagavat-praṇītam: Dharma, or religion, means the codes given by God.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureattheHareKrsnaFestivalatLaSallePleyelParisJune141974_51" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="148" link="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974" link_text="Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974|Lecture at the Hare Krsna Festival at La Salle Pleyel -- Paris, June 14, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"Let us surrender to God," then every problem will be solved. Our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is not that, that "You are Hindu. You become Christian," or "You are Christian. You become Hindu." That is not our plan. Our only request is that "Every one of you, you try to understand God, love Him and be happy." The final conclusion in the Bhagavad-gītā is that if you want to be peaceful, if you want the peace of your mind, you should understand three things. That three things are that to understand that God is the supreme enjoyer. This is one. He is the proprietor of everything, and He is friend of everyone. If you learn these three things only, very scientifically, that God is the proprietor, God is the enjoyer, and God is the supreme friend of everyone, then your life is successful. And these simple things will be understood by you by chanting God's name: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatStPascalsFranciscanSeminaryMelbourneJune281974_52" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="151" link="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974" link_text="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974|Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.6|SB 1.2.6]]). Bhakti, this word, Sanskrit word is used, "devotion," bhakti. To render service to God, that is bhakti. We are rendering service to so many things. That is not bhakti. Bhakti means to render service to God. And adhokṣaje. There are many terminology of understanding God, but here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, God is mentioned as adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means beyond your sense perception. Another word is used, avāṅ mānasa-gocaraḥ, "beyond the expression of your mind, words." Avāṅ gocaraḥ. And another meaning, literal meaning, adha: adha means subdued. Adhakṛta akṣaja-jñānam. Akṣa. Akṣa means eyes, or... In Sanskrit there are letters beginning from a, a, i and, at last, kṣa. So beginning from a to kṣa, a-kṣa, means we understand by combination of words. So you can combine so many words, but still, it is beyond that expression.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatStPascalsFranciscanSeminaryMelbourneJune281974_53" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="151" link="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974" link_text="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974|Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]). Indriya means senses. We cannot understand what is Kṛṣṇa, or God—His name, His form, His attributes, His pastimes... We cannot understand by these blunt material senses. Then how it is to be understood? After all, this human life is meant for understanding God. That is the only business of human life. The nature, material nature, gives us this opportunity to have this human form of life. The facility of this life, of this form of life, is given to us just to understand God. Other forms of life, cats and dogs, trees and so many other things... There are 8,400,000 forms of life. So in other forms of life it is not possible to understand what is God. If we call all the dogs of your country, "Come here. We shall talk about God," no, there is no possibility of understanding. But in the human form of life there is possibility. It doesn't matter whether it is in India or America or Australia.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureatStPascalsFranciscanSeminaryMelbourneJune281974_54" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="151" link="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974" link_text="Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974|Lecture at St. Pascal's Franciscan Seminary -- Melbourne, June 28, 1974]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We shall talk about God," no, there is no possibility of understanding. But in the human form of life there is possibility. It doesn't matter whether it is in India or America or Australia. Any human being, if he tries and if he reads the scriptures—never mind, Bible, Bhagavad-gītā, Bhāgavata—then he will understand God. Therefore this life, human form of life, is only meant for understanding God. If we divert our attention to any other business, that means we are spoiling our energy. Because what are the activities? That... Everyone is active for sleeping, eating, having sexual intercourse and defending. So these things are present even cats and dogs. They also eat, they also sleep, they also have propensity for sex intercourse and they also defend, in their own way. So if human life is also spoiled only on these activities, then you are missing the chance. Human activities should be to understand God or the Absolute Truth.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureAtlantaMarch21975_55" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="154" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">One cannot love anybody unless he knows the other party very well or very intimate dealings. Then there is question of love. Love, there is no question of love. If I do not know you, you do not know me, when we live ten thousand miles away, there is no question of love. Love means when there is intimacy. So to understand God is very difficult. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,</p>
:manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu
:kaścid yatati siddhaye
:yatatām api siddhānāṁ
:kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 7.3 (1972)|BG 7.3]])
<p>He, God said, Kṛṣṇa said, that "Out of many millions of person, one is interested to make his life success." This is not success, that "I can eat whatever I like. There is no checking. And I have got very nice car, and I have got very nice apartment. And I have got nice bank balance. So now life is, my, perfect." This is not perfection, because we are under the grip of the laws of material nature. Material nature is controlling. Prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni guṇaiḥ karmāṇi sarvaśaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 3.27 (1972)|BG 3.27]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureAtlantaMarch21975_56" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="154" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975|Sunday Feast Lecture -- Atlanta, March 2, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">We shall become more and more entangled in sinful resultant action. And we have to take different types of body. So perpetually it will go on. Therefore this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to awaken every man to God consciousness and just to stop his activities in sinful life, so that he will be purified and he will understand God. Without being purified, nobody can understand what is God. That is not possible.</p>
:yeṣām anta-gatāṁ tu pāpaṁ
:janānāṁ puṇya-karmaṇām
:te dvandva-moha-nirmuktā
:bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
:([[Vanisource:BG 7.28 (1972)|BG 7.28]])
<p>And Kṛṣṇa said, God says, "One who is completely freed from sinful life, he can take to devotional service." So therefore we have prescribed four principles, regulative principles: No illicit sex. We don't say "No sex." No illicit sex. No meat-eating. There are so many things, nice things, especially in your country, America, so many nice fruits, so many nice grains, milk.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureEngagementatBirlaHouseBombayDecember171975_57" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="164" link="Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975" link_text="Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975|Lecture Engagement at Birla House -- Bombay, December 17, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Kṛṣṇa is explaining that everyone is trying to understand God, but by speculation you cannot understand. By service only you can understand. By attachment. You cannot serve Kṛṣṇa without being attached. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Seventh Chapter, mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ: "Taking shelter of Me, or My devotee, if you practice this yoga system, bhakti-yoga system, increasing your attachment for Me, this is wanted." Kṛṣṇa consciousness means we have got attachment so many things, but that attachment has to be transferred to Kṛṣṇa. Then you'll become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ asaṁśayam. Then asaṁśayam, without any doubt. To understand God there are three features: brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.11|SB 1.2.11]]). So the ordinary person, they can be able to understand Brahman; a little advanced than them, they can understand Paramātmā; but to understand Kṛṣṇa is very difficult. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante ([[Vanisource:BG 7.19 (1972)|BG 7.19]]). Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye ([[Vanisource:BG 7.3 (1972)|BG 7.3]]). Out of many millions of persons, one tries to become siddha, perfect. What is that siddha? Brahma-jña. Yatatām api siddhānāṁ kaścid vetti māṁ tattvataḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.3 (1972)|BG 7.3]]). And out of the siddhas, those who are actually self-realized, ahaṁ brahmāsmi, out of many of them maybe one is able to understand Kṛṣṇa.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureNelloreJanuary41976_58" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="167" link="Lecture -- Nellore, January 4, 1976" link_text="Lecture -- Nellore, January 4, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Nellore, January 4, 1976|Lecture -- Nellore, January 4, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Take His mother's name. Why you are searching? Here is God." This is our mission. So we haven't got to manufacture anything, because every information is there in the Bhagavad-gītā. And especially Caitanya Mahāprabhu, He has explained. What is Kṛṣṇa, He has explained. And Kṛṣṇa has explained. Then where is the difficulty to understand God? There is no difficulty.</p>
<p>So Caitanya Mahāprabhu's mission... We are carrying out the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. What is the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu? Caitanya Mahāprabhu wants that people are suffering for lack of God consciousness, so preach God consciousness all over the world. (aside:) Don't talk.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="SundayFeastLectureLondonJuly251976_59" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="173" link="Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976" link_text="Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976|Sunday Feast Lecture -- London, July 25, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">The God is explaining Himself, coming down for your benefit. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself, "I am like this. You see Me. You know Me. I am explaining Myself." And still, if we do not take advantage of understanding God, then just imagine how we are drinking poison knowingly. How rascal we are, that God Himself is explaining before me everything about Him, and we are not taking advantage of this opportunity, and I am thinking I am independent and... This is rascaldom. You are not independent. You are completely under the control of the laws of material nature. How you are independent? So this foolishness must be stopped. That is the purpose of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Don't remain rascals fools. Take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be happy.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="ExcerptofSpeechatFireYajnawithSouthIndianBrahmanasHyderabadAugust161976_60" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="175" link="Excerpt of Speech at Fire Yajna with South Indian Brahmanas -- Hyderabad, August 16, 1976" link_text="Excerpt of Speech at Fire Yajna with South Indian Brahmanas -- Hyderabad, August 16, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Excerpt of Speech at Fire Yajna with South Indian Brahmanas -- Hyderabad, August 16, 1976|Excerpt of Speech at Fire Yajna with South Indian Brahmanas -- Hyderabad, August 16, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">They are not superficial. They are very sincere. Their countrymen, the priests, the Christian priests, the Jewish priests, priests, they become surprised that "These young boys, they never cared for any religion or they never cared to come to the church or the synagogue. How they have become so much interested in understanding God as to become a devotee?"</p>
<p>So my request is that India, especially South India... South India is the place for all the ācāryas. South India is the place of Rāmānujācārya, Śaṅkarācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu Svāmī. And we Gauḍīya, Mādhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya... Caitanya Mahāprabhu belongs to the Mādhavendra Purī sampradāya. Mādhavendra Purī belonged to the Madhva sampradāya; therefore our sampradāya is known as Brahmā Madhva-Gauḍīya sampradāya. So the purpose of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to establish this brahminical culture.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="AddresstoRotaryClubChandigarhOctober171976_61" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="176" link="Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976" link_text="Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976|Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">God is speaking about Himself personally, personally present. So you can know Him, you can see Him, what He is, what is His function. Just to mitigate all our doubts, God is present here. And Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning of the Seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā how you can understand God without any doubt and in complete. That is spoken by God Himself.</p>
:mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha
:yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ
:asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ
:yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu
:([[Vanisource:BG 7.1 (1972)|BG 7.1]])
<p>"My dear Pārtha, Arjuna, in order to know Me, God, asaṁśayam, without any doubt, and samagram," means in completeness, "as you can know Me, I am personally speaking to you." That means if you want to know God, you can know Him when He explains Himself. Otherwise, you cannot speculate. God is unlimited, and your speculative power is limited. So you cannot understand God without the mercy of God. That is the verdict of the Vedic literature. It is very easy to understand. Suppose here is a big man, rich man, learned man.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="EveningLectureBhuvanesvaraJanuary191977_62" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="178" link="Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977" link_text="Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977|Evening Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 19, 1977]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">All of us may be īśvara. I am īśvara amongst my disciples. You may be īśvara amongst your family members. But none of us is Parameśvara. So this mistaken knowledge is very much spread at the present moment. So our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is specially meant for removing this misconception of understanding God and the jīvas. So our first principle is that we have to discard or disregard the persons who are very much anxious to establish that īśvara and Parameśvara, or the living entity and the Supreme Person, they are equal. We do not support this theory. It is said in the śāstra,</p>
:yas tu nārāyaṇaṁ devaṁ
:brahma-rudrādi-daivataiḥ
:samatvenaiva vīkṣeta
:sa pāṣaṇḍī bhaved dhruvam
:([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 18.116|CC Madhya 18.116]])
<p>Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nārāyaṇaṁ devam, if we equalize Him even with such demigods, such big personalities like Brahmā and Śiva, then we become a pāṣaṇḍī.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBhuvanesvaraJanuary291977withOriyantranslator_63" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="182" link="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)" link_text="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)|Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"If you hear from a Māyāvādī, nirākāravādī, then you are doomed." You cannot understand about God at any time. (break) So our request is that if you at all want to understand what is God, don't go to the Māyāvādī or Śūnyavādi, but try to understand about God from God Himself. Sometimes they may say that "What is the use of understanding God? What is the necessity of understanding God?" No. That is not the right conclusion. Human life is meant for understanding God. (break)...God, you may say there is no God, but there is God. There is no doubt about it.</p>
<p>So we must know what is God, what is our relationship with Him and how we shall act in that relationship. You cannot say, "There is no God," from logic also. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā, sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya: ([[Vanisource:BG 14.4 (1972)|BG 14.4]]) "</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBhuvanesvaraJanuary291977withOriyantranslator_64" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="182" link="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)" link_text="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)|Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">So therefore... So God is there, and there is no doubt of it, but because, due to our foolishness, we think there is no God, there is no father, that is our foolishness. But what is that God, how He is, what is His business, how He is formed—all these things we want to learn, and human life is meant for that purpose. In the life of cats and dogs we cannot understand God, but in the human life we can understand. Therefore in the Vedānta-sūtra the first aphorism is that athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life, in the human form of life... Because we get this human form of life after many, many evolutionary... (break) So this is a chance to understand what is God and what is our relationship with Him.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBhuvanesvaraJanuary291977withOriyantranslator_65" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="182" link="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)" link_text="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)|Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Mad-āśrayaḥ. That yoga is called bhakti-yoga. Mad-āśrayaḥ means "taking shelter of Me" or "taking shelter of the person who has taken shelter of Me."</p>
<p>So in this way if we execute bhakti-yoga, then asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi: ([[Vanisource:BG 7.1 (1972)|BG 7.1]]) you'll be able to understand God as He is without any doubt and in fullness. To understand Bhagavān fully means not only understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. In other words, if you understand Bhagavān, Kṛṣṇa, then you automatically understand what is Brahman, what is Paramātmā. (break) ...the instruction of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam:</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="LectureBhuvanesvaraJanuary291977withOriyantranslator_66" class="quote" parent="General_Lectures" book="Lec" index="182" link="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)" link_text="Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)|Lecture -- Bhuvanesvara, January 29, 1977, (with Oriyan translator)]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Similarly, Paramātmā-jñāna is also not perfect knowledge of the Absolute Truth. When you understand fully the Personality of Godhead, then the knowledge is perfect. There will be no more doubt. Asaṁśayaṁ samagraṁ māṁ yathā jñāsyasi tac chṛṇu ([[Vanisource:BG 7.1 (1972)|BG 7.1]]).</p>
<p>So let us take this opportunity of the statement by Kṛṣṇa how to understand God, and we may make our life perfect in that way. Because life's mission is to understand God. (break) ...that the process is bhakti-yogam. Bhagavān also says in another place distinctly, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti... ([[Vanisource:BG 18.55 (1972)|BG 18.55]]). (end)</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Philosophy_Discussions" class="sub_section" sec_index="13" parent="Lectures" text="Philosophy Discussions"><h3>Philosophy Discussions</h3>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononImmanuelKant_0" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="3" link="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant|Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: This is to be understood, that however expert logician you may be, this is not possible, by your reasons, by your knowledge, to approach the Supreme Absolute. That is not possible. This process that when God descends Himself and He speaks about Himself, He demonstrates about His pastimes, then it is possible. So the Bhāgavata is the record of God's descents. The whole Bhāgavata is philosophy about God, theology about God, and practical demonstration of God. Therefore anyone who takes to  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the process of understanding God through Bhagavad-gītā, therefore it is called Bhāgavata, and it is simply about God. Bhagavad-gītā, God speaks Himself about His activities, and Bhāgavata is the record of God's activities, pastimes, and when He appeared on this earth, just like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononImmanuelKant_1" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="3" link="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant|Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: This is to be understood, that however expert logician you may be, this is not possible, by your reasons, by your knowledge, to approach the Supreme Absolute. That is not possible. This process that when God descends Himself and He speaks about Himself, He demonstrates about His pastimes, then it is possible. So the Bhāgavata is the record of God's descents. The whole Bhāgavata is philosophy about God, theology about God, and practical demonstration of God. Therefore anyone who takes to  Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam or the process of understanding God through Bhagavad-gītā, therefore it is called Bhāgavata, and it is simply about God. Bhagavad-gītā, God speaks Himself about His activities, and Bhāgavata is the record of God's activities, pastimes, and when He appeared on this earth, just like the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Ninth Canto. Nine cantos are devoted for understanding the transcendental nature of God, and the Tenth Canto is practical demonstration of God's activities before the eyes of the people of the world. But those who are miscreants, they think that Kṛṣṇa, or God, He is like an ordinary man but a superhuman being. That's all. But that is actually the position of God. By His causeless mercy He demonstrates Himself to be convincing. So instead of philosophizing, the people take to these two books, Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and if he practices the process, then he will understand God.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononImmanuelKant_14" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="3" link="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant|Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. We always say that when God explains Himself, that is also not to everyone—only to the devotees. The devotees can accept the Personality of Godhead as He instructs. A nondevotee or atheist he cannot understand; he simply speculates. But by speculation it is not possible to understand God.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Kant says that speculative reason is unable to attain to a sure or adequate conception of God.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. That is our..., that the speculator cannot reach vicinity of God. It is not possible. Athāpi te. Only one can understand by the mercy of God, and this mercy is bestowed upon a person who is devotee, who is surrendered to God. Otherwise this mercy is reserved, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ: ([[Vanisource:BG 7.25 (1972)|BG 7.25]]) "I am not revealed to everyone and anyone; rather, I am covered by yoga-māyā." Because revelation means when one becomes devotee this covering curtain is... What is called, curtain?</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononImmanuelKant_15" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="3" link="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant|Philosophy Discussion on Immanuel Kant]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes, that is going on. Actually, religion means obedience to God. So religion does not mean some sect. They are trying to understand God some way, but that is not actually religion. That is a method of understanding God. But religion  begins when one has actually understood God and giving Him, rendering Him service. That is religion.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: For Kant, the true religion is the divine ethical state. He is..., he was fond of quoting the Christian Bible. When Christ was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Neither shall they say, 'Lo here' or 'Lo there,' for behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Now Kant footnotes this passage by saying, "Here a kingdom of God is represented not according to a particular covenant, but moral, knowable through assisted reason." So again he insists on the priority of God within, on the priority of ethical action and the freedom to accept ethical action.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononHegel_2" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="4" link="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Hegel|Philosophy Discussion on Hegel]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That we say. Just like the sun is expressed by the sunshine, by the heat and light. We understand sun through all spreading heat and light. Similarly, we understand God, Kṛṣṇa, by His two energies. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, the material energy and the spiritual energy, two energies. The spiritual energy is described as superior energy, and material energy is described as inferior energy. Superior, inferior, that is in our consideration because we cannot understand. Therefore Kṛṣṇa has said. Otherwise there is only one energy, the superior spiritual energy. When the spiritual energy is covered by ignorance, then it is called material energy. Just like the sky, in the sky naturally it is clear but when there is cloud, we cannot see the sun. So sun is there. When we cannot see Kṛṣṇa, cannot understand Kṛṣṇa, that is material. Otherwise there is nothing material. Everything is spiritual.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononHegel_3" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="4" link="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Hegel|Philosophy Discussion on Hegel]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That's all right but that means he has no clear knowledge. That's all. So therefore we can say they are rascals. And one who does not know God, he is rascal. Following, that is our philosophy(?). But because knowledge means to understand God. The animals, they do not understand God. Therefore they are called animal. Similarly, any man, any so-called (indistinct) does not know God, he is animal. He may be nicely dressed, that is another thing, but factually he is an animal, because he does not know God. That is the position of animals. What is the difference between man and animal? That is the difference, the animal cannot know what is God, the man can know. That is fundamental. It may be... There are difference of animals but no animal is able to understand God. And here the difficulty is that one is in the animal's position, he does not know God but he takes the position of teacher. That is the difficulty of this modern civilization.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononHegel_4" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="4" link="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Hegel|Philosophy Discussion on Hegel]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes, but spirit is, according to our philosophy, the spirit is realized in three phases, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.11|SB 1.2.11]]). The supreme spirit is realized in three phases. An example is given, just like you see from a distant place the mountain, you see just like a hazy cloud. You go forward, you will see something, substance, green, and if you enter it you'll see so many trees, so many animals. So you are seeing the same object but according to your understanding, somebody is saying, "Oh, it is a cloud." Somebody is saying, "It is some green (indistinct)," and somebody is saying, "No, it is very nice place." It is a question of where he is standing, to understand God. So those who are standing in distant place, for them imperson. Just like we are seeing the sunshine imperson, and the sun globe localized, and if you have got capacity to enter into the sun globe, you'll see sun god. Similarly, God is realized in three capacities, brahmeti paramātmeti bhagavān iti śabdyate ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.11|SB 1.2.11]]).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononHegel_5" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="4" link="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Hegel">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Hegel|Philosophy Discussion on Hegel]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo ([[Vanisource:BG 10.8 (1972)|BG 10.8]]). Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "Everything from Me." Therefore if you get Kṛṣṇa, then you get all the substance. Yasmin vijñāte sarvam evaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati (Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad 1.3). That is the Vedic statement. If you simply understand God, then you understand everything.</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: So you say that form precedes idea.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: What?</p>
<p>Śyāmasundara: Form precedes idea, not idea precedes form.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, we accept that. Form precedes idea. (indistinct).</p>
<p>Devotee: In one of the chapters of the Bhāgavatam you state that before man has an idea about anything, the Supreme Lord has the idea. In the Vedic aphorism, the Lord's eyes see before our eyes, His ears hear before our ears, and actually all substance, before you get an idea there must be the substance, and the substance is Kṛṣṇa.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononCharlesDarwin_18" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="5" link="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin|Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: What do you mean by degraded? He has got human body, but by his work and by his desire he can get next life a demigod's body or a dog's body. That will depend on his activities. Human body is meant for understanding God and act accordingly to go back to home, back to Godhead. But if he does not utilize this human form of body properly, if he remains on the platform of animal propensities and degenerates, then he goes..., he can become next life a dog, a cat. There are two things: elevation or degeneration.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: In The Descent of Man Darwin writes, "The belief in God has often been advanced as not only the greatest but the most complete of all the distinctions between man and the lower animals. It is, however, impossible to maintain that this belief is instinctive in man. The idea of a universal and beneficent creator does not seem to arise in the mind of man until he has been elevated by long, continued culture."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononCharlesDarwin_19" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="5" link="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin|Philosophy Discussion on Charles Darwin]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That means that is frustration. They could not get the idea of God. This is frustration. This kind of conclusion means they try to understand God, but there was no proper understanding of God, so they have given up the idea of understanding God. So frustration, rejection by frustration is not success. The best thing is they should learn about God from God and do accordingly. That is success. So we are preaching the message of God, and people should take to it to understand God and worship Him. That is success.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Bryan, the prosecutor, chastised the Darwinists for not telling us where life began and at the same time speaking of evolution. He says, "They do not dare to tell you that it began with God and ended with God. Darwin says, 'In the beginning of all things is a mystery insoluble by us.' He does pretend to say how these things started." And he goes on...</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononHenriBergson_21" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="6" link="Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson|Philosophy Discussion on Henri Bergson]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: No. These are different subject matter. It... Politics or economic development can help, provided it is guided properly. Otherwise, if the politics, economic development is  aimed at understanding God and our relationship with God, then politics is all right. Otherwise it does not help at all. But this, so far Vedic civilization is concerned, the society is divided into eight division, varṇa and āśrama. So the sannyāsī, the brāhmaṇa, they are meant for educating the others to develop dormant God consciousness. And the kṣatriyas, they are to support these teachings of God consciousness because that is the objective of human life. But unfortunately, they have forgotten everything. They think simply taking care of the body and live comfortably and enjoy sense gratification. That is animal civilization; that is not human civilization.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononWilliamJames_6" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="9" link="Philosophy Discussion on William James" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on William James">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on William James|Philosophy Discussion on William James]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: No. Truth is not relative. Your position is relative. So long you are under the clutches of māyā, your understanding of God is relative. God is not relative. God is absolute. You cannot understand God. Your position is relative. Just like, I will give you a practical example: a man is deaf and he is calling wife, "Mrs. such and such, such and such." She is replying, "Yes. I am coming." But he himself is deaf. He cannot hear the wife is replying. So he is accusing his wife, "Mrs. such and such is very deaf; she cannot hear." She is hearing; she is replying. This rascal cannot hear; therefore she becomes deaf. This is an example. So I cannot understand what is God—therefore there is no God. This is the most rascal position. I cannot see at night the sun-therefore there is no sun.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononWilliamJames_24" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="9" link="Philosophy Discussion on William James" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on William James">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on William James|Philosophy Discussion on William James]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: So to carry the orders of God is religion. So the more this fact is realized, that is perfection of religion, and dharma, religion, is perfect when he understands who is God and how to learn to love Him.</p>
:sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
:yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
:ahaituky apratihatā
:yenātmā samprasīdati
:([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.6|SB 1.2.6]])
<p>When we actually understand God and try to please Him, serve Him, that is really religious life and perfection of life.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: James gave the following estimation of impersonalism and Buddhism. He wrote, "There are systems of thought which the world usually calls religious and yet which do not positively assume a God. Buddhism is in this case. Popularly, of course, the Buddha himself stands in place of a God, but in strictness, the Buddhistic system is atheistic."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononWilliamJames_25" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="9" link="Philosophy Discussion on William James" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on William James">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on William James|Philosophy Discussion on William James]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, sammohāya sura-dviṣām ([[Vanisource:SB 1.3.24|SB 1.3.24]]). Lord Buddha appeared at a time when people became atheistic, and especially they began to kill animals in the sacrifice in large quantity. So God, Lord Buddha, appeared, being sympathetic to the poor animals. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. He was very, very much aggrieved to see the poor animals are being killed unnecessarily. So he preached the religion of nonviolence, and because the people became atheist, so Lord Buddha, just to take them under his control, he also collaborated and said, "Yes, there is no God, but you hear me." But he is incarnation of God, so it is a kind of transcendental cheating that in the beginning he said there is no God, but he is God himself, and people accepted his words or instruction. That is Buddhism. So this very word is used, sammohāya sura-dviṣām ([[Vanisource:SB 1.3.24|SB 1.3.24]]). Sura-dviṣām, atheist class of men, are always against theist class of men. Therefore their name is that atheist means who are  envious of devotees. So in order to cheat these persons who are envious of God or devotee, Lord Buddha appeared and established a system of religion on the platform of nonviolence—no more animal killing. Because those who are animal killers, they cannot understand God (indistinct). That is not possible. They may have some vague idea. So Lord Buddha wanted to stop these sinful activities, and he established the system of nonviolence.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononWilliamJames_26" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="9" link="Philosophy Discussion on William James" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on William James">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on William James|Philosophy Discussion on William James]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. Without religion the human society is animal society. So religion must be there, and religion means to understand God, to learn how to love God, how to obey His orders, and actually real religion means to accept the order of the Supreme Lord, God. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā this fact is taught. God is personally teaching that "You become My devotee, always think of Me," man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, "worship Me," mad-yājī, "and if you cannot do anything more, you simply offer your obeisances unto Me." Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru ([[Vanisource:BG 18.65 (1972)|BG 18.65]]). Without any big, I mean to say, attempt for religious system, if one has got the idea that there is God, and even without seeing Him if he follows His instruction, always think of Him... Either you think of Him as personal God or as localized or all-pervading, but God has got form. One has to think of the form of the God. That is easier. And if God is accepted as impersonal, that is very troublesome. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, kleśaḥ adhikataras teṣām avyakta āsakta cetasām. Those who are impersonalist, for them to think of God becomes very difficult job. Who is God and what to think of, so the so-called meditation is very difficult. But if you have got really conception of a God, just like we have got Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononWilliamJames_27" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="9" link="Philosophy Discussion on William James" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on William James">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on William James|Philosophy Discussion on William James]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes, unless one is pessimistic of this material world, he is animal. A man knows what are the sufferings of this material world: ādhyātmic, ādhibautic, ādhidaivic. There are so many suffering pertaining to the mind, to the mind, sufferings offered by other living beings, and sufferings imposed forcibly by the laws of nature. So the world is full of suffering, but under the spell of māyā, illusion, we accept this suffering condition as progress. But ultimately whatever we do, the death is there. All the resultant action of our activities, they are taken away and we are put to death. So under these circumstances there is no happiness within this material world. I have fully arranged for my happiness, and any moment, just after arrangement, we are kicked out; we have to accept death. So where  is happiness here? The intelligent man is always pessimistic, that "First of all let us become secure," that we are trying to adjust this material position to become happy. But who is going to allow us to become happy here? This is pessimistic view. And then further advancement of knowledge is there, and when he understands the orders the orders of Kṛṣṇa, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja ([[Vanisource:BG 18.66 (1972)|BG 18.66]]), to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and after surrendering and understanding Him fully, then we go to the world which is full of bliss, knowledge and eternal life, tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya. That is perfection of life. So unless we take a pessimistic view of this material world, we shall remain attached to it, and there will be repetition of birth and death—sometimes high-grade life, sometimes low-grade life, but this business is very, very disturbing. We make some arrangement to live here permanently, but nature will not allow us. Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam ([[Vanisource:BG 8.15 (1972)|BG 8.15]]). We work very hard; there is unhappiness. And sometimes we may get good results, sometimes bad results, sometimes frustration, so where is happiness? Happiness is only to understand God and act according to His advice, and then go back to home, back to Godhead. That is happiness.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononJohnDewey_28" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="10" link="Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey|Philosophy Discussion on John Dewey]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: No, that God is there. Man's perfection will depend on his ability to understand God. God is already there. It is not that a perfect man is by imagination creating God. Anything created by man, that is controlled. God is the supreme controller. So man is dying under the control of the Supreme, so how man can create God? He is already under the rules of God, that he must die, he must suffer from disease, he must  become old. So if he cannot control what is already imposed by God, how he can think of God? How he can create a God? That is also another insanity. First of all you become independent of the laws of God, then you can think of creation of God. You are completely under the supremacy of the Supreme Lord. How you can think of creating God? That is another insanity. So all these atheistic person who are thinking that "We can create God," "God is imagination," they are all insane person.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononSorenAabyeKierkegaard_29" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="11" link="Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard|Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Hayagrīva: Concerning the purpose of prayer, he writes, "The true relation in prayer is not when God hears what is prayed for, but when the person praying continues to pray until he is the one who hears what God wills."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes. That's very nice. He becomes qualified to understand God and to talk with God, to take direction of God. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā:</p>
:teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
:bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
:dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
:yena mām upayānti (te)
:([[Vanisource:BG 10.10 (1972)|BG 10.10]])
<p>Our ultimate goal is to give up this material world and go back to home, back to Godhead. So this being ultimate goal of life, if we offer prayer to the Supreme Lord... Not only prayer. Prayer is one of the service. This is also nine. There are different, nine kinds of service:</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononJacquesMaritain_7" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="15" link="Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain|Philosophy Discussion on Jacques Maritain]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. So for God there is no such distinction; therefore it is called kaivalya. For Him the material energy or the spiritual energy is the same. Therefore the Māyāvādīs, they cannot understand God. They think that Kṛṣṇa, when He comes, He accepts a material body. But even He accepts a material body, for Him there is no such distinction-spiritual body and material body. He is..., He being omnipotent, He can act even in His material body as spiritual. Just like when Kṛṣṇa was present, accepting that He has a material body, but at the age of seven years old He lifted the big hill. That is not possible by the material body. Therefore, as omnipotent He can turn the material energy into spiritual energy and the spiritual energy into material energy. That is omnipotency. But those who are with poor fund of knowledge, they think that Kṛṣṇa has got this material body.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononSigmundFreud_30" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="17" link="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud|Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Tattva-darśinaḥ, one who has learned about God as fact, as you see eye to eye and you believe it. Similarly, one who has seen God eye to eye, you have to let..., get lessons of God from him. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is talking with God. So if you have to understand God, then understand how Arjuna has taken his instruction from God and what he's understood. So Arjuna says, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān, puruṣaṁ śāśvatam ādyam ([[Vanisource:BG 10.12-13 (1972)|BG 10.12]]). So we have to take lesson from Arjuna not from Mr. Freud, who has no knowledge of God. That is the way.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Concerning early religious training, he writes, "So long as a man's early years are influenced by the religious thought inhibition, and by the lore one derived from it, as well as by the sexual one, we cannot really say what he," that is man, "is actually like." So he feels that early religious education actually warps a man's development, that you can't say what man can truly be like if you educate him to believe in a transcendental being.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononSigmundFreud_31" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="17" link="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud|Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That, that this is the important education in human life—to learn about God. That is the only business, because in other lives, the animal life, cat's and dog's life, they cannot understand. But in the human form of life there is possibility; therefore that is the first education. The animals, they cannot think of God, but in the human society, why there are religions? Not in the animal society. To understand God, that is the civilized form of human civilization.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: He agrees with Marx in his belief that religion is a form of narcotic. He says, "The believer...," that is in God...</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononSigmundFreud_32" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="17" link="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud|Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Man cannot do without education. Without education a man remains an animal. Therefore in the human society there is a school, college, an institution, teacher—not in the animal society. So the principle is, the man is meant for being learned or being educated. That you cannot deny, that man life should not be like cats and dogs, simply eating, sleeping, mating, and dying. That is not man's life. Man's life is to become advanced in knowledge and education. And as I have already described, the ultimate knowledge: to understand God. If he is so-called educated, without any understanding of God, then his education is imperfect. You can deny the existence of God, but the God conception is there in the human society. Some may accept it, some may not accept it—that is another thing—but the conception of God, the whole civilized world, they have got some type of religion. Either you become Christian or Buddhist or Hindu or Muslim, religion means there is some cultivation of knowledge to understand God. And to understand God is the ultimate knowledge. That is called Vedānta. Veda means knowledge, and the ultimate knowledge: Vedānta.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononSigmundFreud_33" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="17" link="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud|Philosophy Discussion on Sigmund Freud]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: He is a, he is a crazy fellow. That's all. And all these rascal philosophers, they are more or less crazy. One who does not know what is God, what is the value of his knowledge? But our criterion of knowledge is one who has known God. As long as you do not come to that point, your knowledge is useless. Simply misleading. And that is not knowledge. It is a fact that there is some supreme controller. Now if one give education how that supreme controller is working, how He is Supreme, that is real education. And you cannot understand how the Supreme is working, you simply deny the Supreme, that is not knowledge. Supreme is there because you are controlled. How can you avoid the control? How you can say there is no supreme controller? You make a plan and it is frustrated. There is supreme controller. You are making arrangement to live here very happily; next day you die. So you are under controller. How can you deny it? So there is supreme controller. Now, knowledge means, "Who is that supreme controller? How He is controlling?" Not that deny it, "Grapes are sour." Jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping, when he could not reach the grapes, he said, "Oh, there is no need of them. It is sour." Their position is like that. They cannot understand... God is there, that's a fact-supreme controller. But they cannot explain, neither they can understand. There is jackal struggle.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononCarlGustavJung_34" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="18" link="Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung|Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa addressed Arjuna, "My dear Arjuna, simply by concentrating your attachment for Me," mayy āsakta, "and practicing the bhakti-yoga under My light," mayy āsakta-manāḥ yogam... Mad-āśrayah. You can learn about God by keeping yourself always under the protection of God, or under the protection of the representative of God. Then, asaṁśayam, without any doubt, samagram, perfectly, you can understand God. Otherwise there is no possibility. Mayy āsakta-manāḥ pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ, asaṁśayam. Then there will be no doubt whether God is there or not, what is my relationship with God, what is my duty, and so on. Everything you will know. That is perfect life, Kṛṣṇa conscious life.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: He writes, "The theologians are different from the philosophers in this respect at any rate. At least they are sure that God exists, even though they make contradictory statements about Him. God's existence does not depend on our proofs. I understood that God was, for me at least, one of the most certain and immediate of experiences."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononCarlGustavJung_35" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="18" link="Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung|Philosophy Discussion on Carl Gustav Jung]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes, I agree with him. That is the degradation of human civilization. But the philosophy of the Communist, that everyone has equal right or everyone must take share of the state equally, that is little, basic principle of real communism. According to our understanding, God is the father, material nature is the mother, and we, all living entities, are sons of the father and mother. So as sons everyone has right to live at the cost of father's property. The whole universe is the property of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all living entities, they are being supported by the father. But one should be satisfied with the supplies allotted to him. That is, Īśopaniṣad says, tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā ([[Vanisource:ISO 1|ISO 1]]). There is no need of encroaching on others' property. We should not become envious of the capitalist or rich man, because everyone is given his allotment by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I should be satisfied with my allotment.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononKarlMarx_22" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="22" link="Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx|Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: There is not the question of antagonism. If we actually know who is God and what He desires... I give always this example: if we know the government and the government laws, then there is no antagonism. The government says that "Keep to the right," so there is no question of antagonism; anyone must keep to the right. So there is no question of antagonism. But the antagonism is there when the so-called religious system does not know what is God and what is actually the desire of God. Then there cannot be any antagonism. That perfectness of understanding God and God's regulation or order is clearly described in the Bhagavad-gītā. We are therefore advocating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that "Here is God and here is God's instructions." So if we deliver it, and the proposal in the Bhagavad-gītā, they are all practical. Just like God says that you divide the society in four division—not only worker, but also the good brain, good administrator, and good producer of food. That is the actually the divisions of the society.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononKarlMarx_23" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="22" link="Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx|Philosophy Discussion on Karl Marx]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That is the actually the divisions of the society. So without division of the society, if you simply keep worker, who will give them instruction to work? These are all imperfect ideas. But the perfect ideas are given in the Bhagavad-gītā. If we follow that, then the human society, humanity will be in perfect order. So either you call it religion or a system to..., following which one can become peaceful. Religion means, to understand God means, a system. A system is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā in three principles. God says that He is the proprietor of everything, sarva-loka-maheśvaram ([[Vanisource:BG 5.29 (1972)|BG 5.29]]). So we see this planet, and there is different proprietors-individual proprietor of the land or the state proprietor, the king. So there is a proprietor of this earth, either you divide it nationally or you take it wholly. So similarly there are many, many millions of others, so they are called sarva-loka. So there must be a proprietor. So if we know who is that proprietor and how He is working... That is also stated, that the supreme proprietor is the supreme friend of everyone. So if we find out the supreme  proprietor, supreme friend, and if we understand the proprietor is the enjoyer of everything, that is real religion.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononJohannGottliebFichte_16" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="25" link="Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte|Philosophy Discussion on Johann Gottlieb Fichte]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: So what is your duty? That God must be giving you the duty, "You do this," then you understand God; you know your duty. But if you have no conception of God, then where is your duty?</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Well duty, one's duty...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: These are vague philosophy.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Not philosophy. It is simply ambiguous speculation, that's all.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: He was also ambiguous when it came to a personal Deity, but he seemed to lean toward impersonalism.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononAristotle_8" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="28" link="Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle|Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: So He is in perfect knowledge, then why He should not reciprocate? So God reciprocates. It is said in the Bhagavad-gītā, ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham ([[Vanisource:BG 4.11 (1972)|BG 4.11]]). As much as we offer our love to God, He, what is called, cooperates, cooperative response. When we fully surrender and fully in loving service, then we can understand God, what He is actually.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Aristotle sees the love going one way. He says that God is loved by everything in the universe and that He attracts all objects in the universe because everything is striving toward Him and longing for Him.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononAristotle_9" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="28" link="Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle|Philosophy Discussion on Aristotle]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: That is nonsense. You cannot... God is unlimited. You have got limited power to see or to smell or to touch. You have got all limited, and God is unlimited. So you cannot understand God by your limited power of sensual activities. Therefore God is revelation. We say that ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ ([[Vanisource:CC Madhya 17.136|CC Madhya 17.136]]). You cannot understand by speculating your senses. That is not possible. When you engage yourself in His service, then He reveals. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ ([[Vanisource:BG 7.25 (1972)|BG 7.25]]). God says that "I am not exposed to everyone. I am covered by the yoga-māyā." That is fact. So unless God reveals Himself... So God not only reveals, He appears, and great authorities, they are searching. Just like Kṛṣṇa appeared, and great authorities like Vyāsadeva, Nārada, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and then the ācāryas, Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya and Caitanya Mahāprabhu-big, big stalwart scholars and transcendentalists—they accepted Kṛṣṇa. All the śāstras accept Kṛṣṇa.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononThomasAquinas_10" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="32" link="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas|Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. Truth, through reason, that is... Of course human reason is not perfect; therefore revelation also wanted. So that truth arrived at by logic, philosophy and revelation, that is real truth. Our process is to arrive the truth through guru, spiritual master, and he is accepted as representative of the Absolute Truth, Personality of Godhead, and he carries the message of truth because he has seen the Absolute Truth through disciplic succession. So if we accept the bona fide spiritual master (as) representative of God and please him by submissive service, then by his mercy and pleasure we can understand God, the spiritual world, by revelation. We offer, therefore, our great respect to the spiritual master and say, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo **. If you can please the spiritual master, who is carrying the message of the Lord without any speculation, then God becomes revealed. Another place it is said, sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234).</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononThomasAquinas_11" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="32" link="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas|Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Aquinas]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes, because the world activities must be regulated to the ultimate goal, understanding of God. Human civilization is meant for understanding God. So although the Church or the brāhmaṇas may not directly handle administrative activities, but it must be done under their supervision, or under their instruction. That is Vedic system. The brāhmaṇa is the Church, and the kṣatriya, the administrator. So the administrator used to take instruction from the brāhmaṇas, or one who can deliver a spiritual message. This is also mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, that Kṛṣṇa, millions of years ago, He instructed the message of Bhagavad-gītā to the sun-god. Sun-god is the origin of administrators, kṣatriya.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononBlaisePascal_12" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="35" link="Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal|Philosophy Discussion on Blaise Pascal]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: Yes. The..., that is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, that you are trying to live long, so does the tree not live longer than you? If you are trying by scientific method how to live more than hundred years or (indistinct), but the tree is living for ten thousands of years. Does it mean this is perfection of life, to live long? That is not perfection of life. So in this way, analyze all other living condition. When you come to God consciousness, that living condition is perfect, because by God consciousness or Kṛṣṇa consciousness you understand God—how to behave with Him; what is your relationship with God—then you become perfect and you go  to the kingdom of God and live there eternally.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Descartes was more in the jñānī tradition, and Pascal more in the bhakti tradition. He says, "Employ the rule of love not of intellect," and for Pascal, knowledge can only be attained by curbing the passions, submitting to God, and accepting the revelation of God. And he was also Christian. And he said "There is no happiness apart from religion."</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononBenedictSpinoza_13" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="36" link="Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza|Philosophy Discussion on Benedict Spinoza]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Hayagrīva: Spinoza writes, "The more we understand individual objects, the more we understand God." Is this the proper process? Wouldn't you say that the more we understand God the more we understand individual objects? Which is uh...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Anything you take, that is perfection of knowledge in God. Which thing is not related with God? Everything is related with God. In the material world anything you will take it is made of the five elements, but these five elements, they are expansion of God's energy. So intelligent person sees in everything with reference to God's expansion of energy. That is the position of devotee. He does not think anything separate from God. And as he is lover of God, devotee of God, he wants to engage everything, because if everything is God's property, that should be used for God's benefit. This is devotee's conception. The asuras, they have no conception of God. Neither they are obedient to God, neither lover of God. He thinks the material world is for his enjoyment. He cannot see the material world is expansion of God's energy. Therefore anyone who uses the material product for his personal benefit, he is called a thief. Just like I have created something. If somebody use up that something and does not think of the proprietor, he is a thief. Thief means, in our childhood we got a definition of thief, that anything taken without the permission the property is theft. That is very nice. So anything in this world has reference to the expansion of energy of God. So if you do not take everything as prasādam, then you are thief and you are punishable. A thief is always punished. So therefore those who are enjoying things without reference to the God, they are all demons and they are punishable. They are thieves.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononGeorgeWilhelmFriedrichHegel_17" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="43" link="Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel|Philosophy Discussion on George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: They, they will worship any nonsense, but here it is God consciousness. God has said that "I am this," so "I am...," I will worship. That is God, God consciousness. God has said. He has complete faith in God. Just like praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu: "Of Vedic knowledge I am the oṁkāra." Therefore they follow: oṁ tad viṣṇu paramaṁ para..., every mantra is followed by. How he has known oṁkāra is God? That  God has said: praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeṣu. So God is giving instruction how He should be realized. So they are following that. They are realized; they realize actually. And what is the use of speculating? He will never understand God because he is speculating with his limited knowledge. God is unlimited.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: So although God is all animals and all plants...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Yes, that is...</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononThomasHenryHuxley_20" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="46" link="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley|Philosophy Discussion on Thomas Henry Huxley]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Hayagrīva: But isn't speech, which is the articulation of the intellect, the primary difference between man and the animals in the sense that is it not through words that one can come to understand God?</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is another thing, but the animal has a, his own language, as the human being has his own language. So why does he say that? When he speaks, he speaks from the very beginning in his own language.</p>
<p>Hayagrīva: Well he, he, he mentions speech as being "Intelligible, rational speech..."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: They have got rational speech.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="PhilosophyDiscussiononBFSkinnerandHenryDavidThoreau_36" class="quote" parent="Philosophy_Discussions" book="Lec" index="58" link="Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau" link_text="Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau|Philosophy Discussion on B. F. Skinner and Henry David Thoreau]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: No. Art is there, and singing is there, dancing is there, but that is based on spiritual conception. That is the difficulty in the Western countries, that they are not fully aware of the conception of religion. Therefore Bhāgavata says that cheating religion, dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavaḥ. There is no purpose, simply a recreation of different nature in material life. That is, means, they do not know, except sense gratification, any other engagement. They think religion is also another kind of, type of sense gratification,  "So we can perform it." And actually that is going on. Whenever there is some festival they change the daily way of life into some more eating, drinking, and dancing, like that. But religion means to understand God and our relationship with God and live in God practically. That is real religion. That is the aim of life.</p>
</div>
</div>
<div id="Purports_to_Songs" class="sub_section" sec_index="14" parent="Lectures" text="Purports to Songs"><h3>Purports to Songs</h3>
</div>
<div id="PurporttoParamaKorunaAtlantaFebruary281975_0" class="quote" parent="Purports_to_Songs" book="Lec" index="29" link="Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975" link_text="Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975|Purport to Parama Koruna -- Atlanta, February 28, 1975]]: </span><div style="display: inline;" class="text"><p style="display: inline;">"There is no better type of worshiping Kṛṣṇa than the system which vraja-vadhū, the gopīs, adopted to love Kṛṣṇa. That is the first-class." That is the recommendation of Vedic śāstra. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ([[Vanisource:SB 1.2.6|SB 1.2.6]]). First-class religion Religion means to understand God. That is the sum and substance.</p>
<p>The process may be different according to country, men. Just like we worship the Deity in the temple. This is also bhakti. And the Christians go to the church and offers prayer to God. That is also bhakti. That is also bhakti. Nine items of bhakti. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyam ([[Vanisource:SB 7.5.23-24|SB 7.5.23]]). Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanam vandanam. Vandanam is offering prayer. So they go to the church or go to the mosque, they offer prayers to the Supreme. That is also bhakti. So there is no question of what type of religion you are following. That doesn't matter. You follow anything, whatever suits you. But the result should be that. You worship with the result. The result is how to love God. That should be the result. If you have come to that platform, how to love God, mad after God, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu...</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>