Category:Cannot Do Anything
Theme Analysis
The concept that the living entity "cannot do anything" strikes at the very root of material illusion: the false ego. Conditioned souls falsely claim to be the independent doers and controllers of their destinies, but Śrīla Prabhupāda repeatedly shatters this illusion by pointing out our complete dependence on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Even the body we inhabit is not under our full control; if a hand becomes paralyzed, we suddenly realize we cannot do anything with it. Philosophically, the individual soul can only desire, while the Supersoul (Paramātmā) must sanction the action, and material nature (prakṛti) must execute it. Yet, even material nature is inert and cannot do anything without Kṛṣṇa's direction. Consequently, all mundane attempts by scientists, politicians, and philanthropists to permanently solve the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease are doomed to fail because they operate under this illusion of independence. Recognizing our helpless and fallen condition, especially in the age of Kali-yuga, the ultimate perfection is to realize we cannot do anything on our own and to simply depend on the mercy of the Lord by chanting His holy names.
- The Illusion of Control: We claim ownership of our bodies and actions, but we are completely dependent. We can only desire to act, but we cannot act independently.
- The Sanction of the Supersoul: The living entity has minute independence, but cannot do anything without the direct sanction of the Supreme Lord situated in the heart.
- Inert Material Nature: The material energy (māyā or pradhāna) is compared to a complex machine like a computer; it cannot do anything automatically without the expert direction of the Supreme Lord.
- The Failure of Material Science: Mundane politicians, scientists, and philanthropists cannot do anything to stop the real problems of life (janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi) because they ignore the Supreme Controller.
- The Mercy of Kali-yuga: Because the fallen souls of this age cannot execute severe austerities or grand sacrifices, Lord Caitanya has mercifully prescribed the simplest process: if you cannot do anything else, simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
- Explore the synthesized essence of this category in this Vanipedia article: Without the Lord's Sanction, We Cannot Do Anything.
Pages in category "Cannot Do Anything"
The following 106 pages are in this category, out of 106 total.
1
A
- Although I claim, "It is my hand, and I shall use it," when it is paralyzed I cannot do anything. Therefore, I should understand that although I possess this hand by the grace of Krsna, I am not its controller. This is Krsna consciousness
- Although you are claiming, "It is my hand. I shall use it," but when it is paralyzed, you cannot do anything. Therefore I may have possessed this hand by the grace of Krsna, but I am not the controller. That is Krsna consciousness
- As soon as one begins acting according to his plan, his life of distress immediately begins. Therefore, one should not be ambitious to dissipate the unhappy conditions of life, for one cannot do anything about them
- As the source of the material elements, the material energy is known as pradhana, and as the source of the manifestations of the material energy it is known as maya. But material nature is inert in that she has no independent power to do anything
- At the present moment you know this is your generation, you cannot do anything, and you are thinking of future generation. How foolish you are
B
- Because He (the Supersoul) is the Supreme Lord, He is present within to sanction the individual soul's desiring material enjoyment. Without the sanction of the Supreme Soul, the individual soul cannot do anything. BG 1972 purports
- Because I am part and parcel of Krsna, so everything belongs to Krsna. Therefore, with my hands, with my legs, with my eyes, I cannot do anything except serving Krsna
- Because the human being has developed consciousness he cannot do anything against the principles of varnasrama-dharma without being condemned
- Befooling themselves and befooling others. But you cannot do it. You cannot do anything. Why you are worried? We are not worried. We are confident that everything will happen by nature's course
D
- Don't be misled. Isa-tantrya, by the laws of nature, we are bound up tight, hands and legs. We are not independent. You cannot do anything independently. You are completely under the clutches of material nature
- Don't do anything which is against the will of the SM. Because we cannot see Krsna eye to eye at the present moment. The direction is coming through disciplic succession. We should follow favorably to cultivate KC. Then our life is successful
E
- Even if he (a modern elected executive head of a state) is enlightened like Maharaja Yudhisthira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his constitutional position
- Everything is to be done by Krsna. But he has to apply his intelligence by Krsna consciousness. Even if he is intelligent, he cannot do anything
H
- He (Dvivida) was so puffed up that he thought Balarama could not do anything to chastise him, and he continued to offend Balaramaji and His companions
- He will die and others will die. So what is this meaning of this responsibility? Even if you take as very responsible man, you cannot do anything. That is not possible. You cannot save
I
- I (Prabhupada) say always, the lame man meets the blind man. Together they do wonderful. And different they cannot do anything. He is blind, he is lame. But they join together, Indian culture and American money, they will save the whole world
- I am completely dependent. My Lord is Gauracandra, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. I cannot do anything independently, without His order
- I have got some pain in this finger, I scratch some nail that I should not have done, but immediately there is reaction, I'm suffering. You cannot do anything whimsically. As soon as you do it, immediately there is reaction
- If there is no rain, you cannot do anything. Your so-called science and advancement of knowledge will not be able to help. Or if there is over flood. That also you cannot do anything. Therefore you have to accept there is a controller of this raining
- If we are there so many months and we cannot do anything, simply eat and sleep and fight amongst ourselves, then where is our credit?
- If you become yourself Krsna conscious, and if you try to make your son Krsna conscious, that you can do. And that is the duty, real duty. Other things, you cannot do anything. That is destiny
- If you cannot do anything, simply if you chant the holy name of God. We do not say that you chant the name of Krsna. If you have got any name, holy name of God, you can chant that also. But chant. This is the process recommended in this age
- If you have no intelligence, if you cannot do anything independently, just be obedient to the other, higher three classes. That is sudra. He must agree to abide by the orders of brahmana, ksatriyas, vaisya. That's all
- In our material existence we are impure, and we cannot do anything wonderful, but if we purify our existence by tapasya, we can do wonderful things by the grace of the Lord. Therefore tapasya is very important
- In summary, material nature, without the superintendence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, cannot do anything. Yet the Supreme Personality is detached from all material activities. BG 1972 purports
- In Western countries they sleep twelve o'clock. As soon as there was kirtana, half-naked he used to come in New York. He used to complain, Mr. Chudy, "Oh, it is..." "Mr. Chudy, sir, I cannot do anything. You request them"
- It appears that you have been poisoned by some rascals. Such rascals cannot do anything to push on the mission of Lord Caitanya but can put hindrances in the path of spreading KC all over the world. I am very sorry that you have fallen a victim
- It is because you are helping me that all this has become possible otherwise how can I do anything alone, ekaki amara nahi paya bol, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says that I cannot do anything, alone I am helpless
- It is generally said that not a blade of grass moves without God's sanction. Similarly, we cannot do anything without the supervision of a superior authority
- It is our duty to remember always that in comparison to Dhruva Maharaja we are insignificant. We cannot do anything like what Dhruva Maharaja did for self-realization because we are absolutely incompetent to execute such service
K
- Krsna is guiding. So everyone is being guided by Krsna, even in this condition of life. And when he fully surrendered, how much guidance will come, just imagine? Even without surrender He's guiding. Without His guidance he can not do it
- Krsna is not responsible. However, we should know that without the sanction of Krsna, we cannot do anything. That is a fact
- Krsna says, patram puspam phalam: "If you are poor man, all right, you give Me little fruit, little flower, little water, I'll eat it." Then what do you want more? Or if you cannot do anything, chant Hare Krsna
- Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam . . . (BG 18.66). Teach people that "You take it." That is real benefit. Otherwise you cannot do anything
- Ksatriya is meant for give us protection, and the brahmana means to give us the ideal life, what is the goal of life, and sudras, they cannot do anything of these . . . therefore they are sudra
M
- Mam eva ye prapadyante mayam etam taranti. Maya cannot do anything. But if you cheat yourself, cheat your spiritual master, cheat God, then you will be cheated by maya
- Man-made material science cannot do anything to counteract the threefold miseries. They are all punishments from the superior energy of maya under the direction of the Supreme Lord
O
- One should not do anything, either good or bad, on his own account, but must execute everything on behalf of the Supreme Lord, the ultimate proprietor of everything that be
- One who has no consciousness, he cannot do anything nicely. If his consciousness is disturbed, then his work cannot be... Just like a madman
S
- Simply by taking care of the outward coat and shirt, one cannot do any good for the real self, the soul proper
- Since one cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supreme Lord, He lives with the jiva soul as witness and sanction-giver
- So Krsna says everything in the Bhagavad-gita. People are simply misled by so-called rascals, yogis, swamis, incarnation, magician, juggler, bluffer, but they come and go. They cannot do anything because they are themself cheated
- So long we have got this body we have to do something. Without doing something we cannot live. The material world will not allow you, that you cannot do anything and you'll be provided
- So many rascal, they are simply collecting money and eating themselves. Daridra-narayana-seva. And all the daridras are lying on the street. So these are only humbug. It has no meaning. You cannot do anything
- Such critics (who criticize the activities of the ISKCON) cannot do anything personally to spread Krsna consciousness
T
- Tattva-vit means one who knows the truth, that "I cannot do anything without Krsna's sanction." Therefore he does not do anything. Whatever is sanctioned by Krsna he does; otherwise not
- That should be the motto of our life, that "I shall not do anything for my sense satisfaction, but I shall do everything for the satisfaction of the Supreme"
- That's all right. If you cannot do anything else, you simply chant sixteen rounds, take prasadam, and sleep. It is special prerogative for you. There is no then. This is, this is order for you
- The atheist class, who does not believe in God, he'll see God at the end of life when he cannot do anything. But before that, if he sees God, then his life is saved. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9). But that they'll not accept
- The average person is illusioned in childhood, playing frivolous games. Up to twenty years, easily, you can go on like that. Then when you become old, for another twenty years you cannot do anything
- The brahmana is compared with the brain of the body. Unless there is brain, what is the use of these hands and legs? If one's brain is cracked, madman, he cannot do anything
- The demigods, although worshiped, cannot do anything without the sanction of the Lord because the Lord is the Supersoul of everyone, both moving and nonmoving
- The difficult position, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi, we are avoiding. Because we cannot do anything. The so-called science, they cannot solve this problem
- The first thing is that nobody should enter my room for any other purpose except cleansing. Nobody can stay there or sleep there or anything
- The government chastises one due to not paying income taxes. Such criticism, direct or indirect, saddens one, and sometimes the conditioned soul tries to counteract that chastisement. Unfortunately, he cannot do anything
- The idea is that the living entity cannot do anything independently. He can simply think of doing something independently, but he cannot act independently
- The living entity cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supersoul
- The living entity within the body is never annihilated; therefore one should surely know that whether one has many friends or many enemies, his friends cannot help him, and his enemies cannot do him any harm
- The modern elected executive head of the state is just like a puppet because he has no kingly power. Even if he is enlightened like Maharaja Yudhisthira, he cannot do anything out of his own good will due to his constitutional position
- The other elephants, who are my friends and relatives, could not rescue me from this danger. What then to speak of my wives? They cannot do anything
- The purascarya process is the life force by which one is successful in chanting the mantra. Without the life force, one cannot do anything; similarly, without the life force of purascarya-vidhi, no mantra can be perfected
- The real miseries of life is birth, death, old age and disease. You cannot do anything. So where is your advancement of knowledge? The scientists cannot stop death, cannot stop birth
- The same example, the computer. It is a very nice machine, but it cannot work automatically unless an expert pushes the button. So material nature cannot do anything. It is Krsna's direction. So in everywhere there is Krsna's direction
- The scientists are cheaters because they present so many bogus things in the name of science. They propose going to the moon, but actually they end up cheating the entire public of large sums of money for their experiments. They cannot do anything useful
- There is work, there must be some result. That is our experience. We cannot do anything which has no result. But if that result is offered to God, Krsna, then it is without result. So that work is not stopped
- These politicians, these old men, they cannot do now. So give them some false position, that 'You are president, acarya.' They will not rebel at least
- They (so-called scientists, philosophers and politicians) cannot do anything good for the world, and unfortunately, because of Kali-yuga, they have plunged the affairs of the world into mismanagement
- They (the so-called followers of the Hindu religion) are impotent; they cannot do anything to spread the Vedic culture for the benefit of human society
- To stop death, birth, death, old age, is very major problem, but even in small things you cannot do anything. Everywhere you are dependent. And still, they are very much proud that they are advancing in scientific knowledge
U
- Unfortunately Manu-samhita is now being insulted, and the Aryans, the members of Vedic society, cannot do anything. Such is the nature of Kali-yuga. Nothing happens unless ordained by destiny
- Unless people see the ideal men, how they will follow? The brahmana is compared with the brain of the body. Unless there is brain, what is the use of these hands and legs? If one's brain is cracked, madman, he cannot do anything
- Unless the Supreme Person sanctions, you cannot do anything. One is sure to suffer the material pangs of life. Nobody can stop it. So therefore we should not try. It will be automatically tried
W
- We are existing. We have come out triumphant. They could not do anything. So the Hare Krsna movement is so strong, and indirectly, directly, or some way or other, if you chant Hare Krsna, you become benefited
- We are in maya's kingdom, so maya is strong very here, but if we catch Krsna very strongly, maya cannot do anything. Yes. That we should be fixed up in catching Krsna very tightly. Then there is no falldown
- We are not after the office; we are after educating people. Yes. Even if you go to office, you cannot do. Even if give manifesto, that you will stop slaughterhouse, and you are elected a senator, you cannot stop. Because they are majority there
- We are so fallen, it is not possible to execute all these processes. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the mercy incarnation, that "These people, so fallen, they cannot do anything." So He has recommended a simple thing
- We are very, very fallen souls. We cannot do anything. It is very, very difficult. Although at any time, as it is said before, kevalaya bhaktya. Simply by bhakti, devotional service, one can become liberated from all contamination. That's a fact
- We cannot do anything, because the bigger creative energy's there & we are simply trying to combat with him. Therefore, uselessly we're struggling. That's all. We can't change. Because the bigger creative energy is different, prakrti, the material nature
- We cannot hide anything from Him, and we receive the results of our karma because the witness is Krsna Himself within the heart. How, then, can we avoid Him? Without Krsna's permission, we cannot do anything
- What these materialistic men can do mercy to the others? They cannot do anything. Here is the real mercy, to awaken a person to Krsna consciousness
- What these materialistic men can do mercy to the others? They cannot do anything. Here is the real mercy: to awaken a person to Krsna consciousness
- When they chant and dance, I simply remember Bhaktivinoda Thakura. That's all. I pray to Bhaktivinoda Thakura, "Now they have come to your shelter. Give them protection." That's all. What can I do more? I cannot do anything more
- With these words (SB 8.16.20), Kasyapa Muni tried to pacify his wife. Aditi made her appeal to her material husband. Of course, that is nice, but actually a material relative cannot do anything good for anyone
- Without God's sanction, we cannot do anything. Then why does He give sanction for our sinful activities?
- Without Krsna's sanction, you cannot do anything. Therefore first of all you desire, and Krsna gives you sanction to fulfill your desire. And as you, you fulfill your desire, you become complicated with the reaction of your desire
- Without my personal presence there you cannot do anything. Simply correspondence. Anyway, be careful there is no underhanded dealings in this transaction. It is very much risky, so be careful
- Without the direction of the Supreme Lord, material nature cannot do anything; it cannot act independently
- Without the sanction of the Supreme Soul, the individual soul cannot do anything. The individual is bhukta, or the sustained, and the Lord is bhokta, or the maintainer
Y
- Yes, we are doing everything for Krsna, but whether by that thing Krsna is pleased, that is to be seen. That is bhakti. Otherwise, you cannot do without Krsna. That's a fact
- You cannot do anything for others. You do everything for yourself. That is a false propaganda
- You cannot do anything for your present generation, and you are thinking of future generation, which you do not know, who is your future generation
- You cannot do anything which is beyond your power. But you are limited, your power is limited. That you must agree. Your power is not unlimited. You are finite. That you must admit
- You don't have to bother yourself, that without you, everything will be topsy-turvied. No. You cannot do anything. You are falsely thinking that your leadership is very much needed. No
- You should always remember that you are helping me. Without your help I cannot do anything, so you do not be disturbed. Try to help me. That is my request
- You should not imitate, because you are not as big as Krsna. Tejiyasam na dosaya (SB 10.33.29). He is very powerful. Before His power, everything becomes vanished. He remains powerful. But you cannot do that