His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.20 https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/2/20/

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/1/2/20

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. https://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_1.2.21

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Vyasa-puja

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.17: https://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_1.2.17 Lecture transcript: https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/740718sbnv/

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.6 https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/1/2/6?d=1 — New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972 His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Pradyumna: Translation: "The supreme occupation or dharma for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted in order to completely satisfy the self." Prabhupāda: So sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhokṣaje ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati [SB 1.2.6] Everyone is seeking satisfaction, atyantikṣu. Everyone is struggling for existence for the ultimate happiness. But in this material world, although they are thinking by possessing material wealth they will be satisfied, but that is not the fact. For example in your country, you have got sufficient material opulence than other countries but still there is no satisfaction. So in spite of all good arrangement for material enjoyment, enough food, enough..., nice apartment, motor cars, roads, and very good arrangement for freedom in sex, and good arrangement for defence also—everything is complete—but still, people are dissatisfied, confused, and younger generation, they are turning to hippies, protest, or dissatisfied because they are not happy. I have several times cited the example that in Los Angeles, when I was taking my morning walk in Beverly Hills, many hippies were coming out from a very respectable house. It appeared that his father, he was (indistinct), a very nice car also, but the dress was hippie. So there is a protest against the so-called material arrangement, they do not like. Actually we cannot be happy by material prosperity, that is a fact. That is also stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Prahlāda Mahārāja says to his atheistic father... His father was Hiraṇyakaśipu. Hiraṇya means gold and kaśipu means soft bed, cushion. That is material civilization. They want very soft bed, and the bed companion, and sufficient bank balance, money. That is another meaning of Hiraṇyakaśipu. So he was not happy also. Hiraṇyakaśipu was not happy—at least he was not happy that his son Prahlāda was becoming a devotee of the Lord, which he did not like. So he inquired from his son that "How you are feeling? You are a small boy, child, how you are feeling so much comfortable despite all my threatening. So what is your actual asset?" So he replied, "My dear father, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31]. Foolish persons, they do not know that their ultimate goal of happiness is Viṣṇu, God, the Supreme Lord." Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Durāśayā, dur, hope against hope, they're hoping something which is never to be fulfilled. What is that? Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. Bahir-artha, bahir means external, artha means interest. So those who do not know that the ultimate goal of happiness is Viṣṇu, they think that by adjustment of this external world... Because we have got external and internal. Externally we are this body. Internally we are soul. Everyone can understand that I am not this body, I am soul. I am covered by this body and as soon as I go away from this body, the body has no meaning. It may be a very important soul's body, a great scientist's body, but the body is not the scientist, the soul is the scientist. The body is instrumental. Just like I want to catch something, so the hand is my instrument. Therefore in Sanskrit word, these different parts of the body, limbs, they are called karaṇa. Karaṇa means, karaṇa means action, acting, by which we act, karaṇa. So na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum [SB 7.5.31], we are now illusioned under the concept of this body. That is also described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB 10.84.13], ātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape, kuṇape means bag. This is a bag of bones, and muscles, and skin, and blood. Actually when we dissect this body, what do we find? A lump of bone, skin, and blood, intestines, and blood, pus, nothing else. So kuṇape tri-dhātuke, these things are manufactured by three dhātus, elements, kapha, pitta, vāyu. Kapha mucus, pitta bile, and air. These things manufacturing. These things are going on. After eating, these three things are being manufactured, and if they are in adjustment, parallel, then body is healthy, and if there is more or less, then there is disease. Well, according to the Āyur-vedic—that is also Veda-āyur means span of life, and Veda means knowledge. That is called Āyur-veda. So this Vedic knowledge of the span of life is very simple. They don't require pathological laboratory, clinic, no. They require simply to study these three elements, kapha, pitta, vāyu. And they, their science is to feel the pulse. You know, every one of you, that the pulse is moving tick, tick, tick, tick, like this. So they know the science: by feeling the beating of the pulse, they can understand what is the position of these three elements, kapha, pitta, vāyu. And by that position, constellation, they... In the Āyur-veda, śāstra veda, there are, the symptoms, with the... These veins are moving like this, heart is moving like this, beating like this, then the position is this. As soon as they understand the position is this, they verify the symptoms. They enquire from the patient, "Do you feel like this? Do you feel like this?" If he says, "Yes," then it is confirmed. The inner things, how the pulse is beating, and the symptoms are confirmed, then the medicine is ready. Immediately take the medicine. Where is (indistinct). Formerly every brāhmaṇa used to learn these two sciences, Āyur-veda and Jyotir-veda. Jyotir-veda means astronomy..., astrology not astronomy. Because any other, the less intelligent than brāhmaṇas, the kṣatriyas, the vaiśyas, the śūdras, they would need the brāhmaṇas for health and future. Everyone is very inquisitive to learn what is future, what is going to happen next, and everyone is concerned with the health. So brāhmaṇas, they would simply advise about health and the future, so that is their profession and people give them eatables, cloth, so they have nothing to do for working outside. Anyway this is a long story. So this body is a bag of the three elements, yasyātmā-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke [SB 10.84.13]. (baby cries) That baby. So Bhāgavata says yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke, I am not this body. This is a vehicle. Just like we ride on a car, drive car, so I am not this car. Similarly, this is a yantra, car, mechanical car. Kṛṣṇa or God has given me this car, I wanted it. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati [Bg. 18.61]. "My dear Arjuna, the Lord as Paramātmā is sitting in everyone's heart," bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā [Bg. 18.61], "and He is giving chance to the living entity to travel, to wander," sarva-bhūtāni, "all over the universe." Yantrārūḍhāni māyayā, riding on a car, driving a car given by the material nature. So actual our position is that I am soul, I have been given a nice car—it is not a nice car but as soon as we get a car, however rotten it may be, we think that it is very nice, (laughter) and identify with that car. "I have got this car, I have got that car." One forgets if one drives a very costly car, he forgets himself that he is a poor man. He thinks that "I am this car." This is identification. So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ [SB 10.84.13]. One who thinks this body as himself, as self, and bodily relations, sva-dhīḥ, "They are my own, my brother, my family, my nation, my community, my society," so many things, my, I and mine Misconception of "I" as this body and misconception of "my" in relationship with body. Yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ [SB 10.84.13]. Bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, bhūmi, bhūmi means land. Ijya-dhīḥ, ijya means worshipable. So at the present moment it is very strong, the conceit that "I am this body," and "I am American," and "I am Indian," "I am European," "I am Hindu," "I am Muslim," "I am brāhmaṇa," "I am kṣatriya," "I am śūdra," "I am this, those...," so many. This is very strong and bhauma ijya-dhīḥ, that because I am identifying to a certain type of body, and wherefrom the body has come out, the land is worshipable. That is nationalism. So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ [SB 10.84.13], yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile, and tīrtha, place of pilgrimage. We go, we take bath in the river, like the Christians, they take bath in the Jordan River, or Hindus, they go to Hardwar, take bath in the Ganges, or Vṛndāvana, they take bath. But they think by taking bath in that water, his job is finished. No. Actually the job is to go to such pilgrimages, holy places, to find out experience spiritual advancement. Because many spiritually advanced men, they live there. Therefore one should go such places and find out the experienced transcendentalist, and take lessons from him. That is really going to pilgrimage. Not that simply going and take bath and business finished. No. So yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhij�eṣu... [SB 10.84.13] Abhij�e, one who knows. (indistinct) we should approach person who knows things very well, abhij�aḥ. Kṛṣṇa is abhij�aḥ, svarat. So similarly Kṛṣṇa's representative is also abhij�aḥ, naturally. If one associates with Kṛṣṇa, if one talks with Kṛṣṇa, he must be very abhij�aḥ, very learned, because he takes lessons from Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's knowledge is perfect, therefore, because he takes knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, his knowledge is also perfect. Abhij�aḥ. And Kṛṣṇa talks. It is not that it is fictitious, no. Kṛṣṇa—I have already said—that Kṛṣṇa is sitting in everyone's heart and He talks with the bona fide person. Just like a big man, he talks with some bona fide person, he doesn't waste his time talking with nonsense. He talks, that's a fact, but he does not talk with nonsense, he talks with the bona fide representative. How it is known? It is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, teṣāṁ satata-yuktānām [Bg. 10.10]. Who is bona fide representative? Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. Kṛṣṇa says that "I give him intelligence." To whom? Satata-yuktānām, those who are engaged twenty-four hours. In which way he is engaged? Bhajatam, bhajana, those who are engaged in devotional service. What kind of devotional service? Prīti-pūrvakam, with love and affection. One who is engaged in devotional service of the Lord in love and devotion. What is the symptom of love? The symptom, the prime symptom, most important symptom of love is that the devotee wants to see that his Lord's name, fame, etc. become widespread. He wants to see that "My Lord's name be known everywhere." This is love. If I love somebody, I want to see that his glories are spread all over the world. And Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā, na ca tasmāt manuṣyeṣu kaścit me priya-kṛttamaḥ, anyone who preaches His glory, nobody is dearer to Him than that person. Everything is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, how you can love, what are the symptoms of love, how you can please God, how He can talk with you, everything is there. But you have to take advantage. We read Bhagavad-gītā, but by reading Bhagavad-gītā I become a politician. So what kind of reading Bhagavad-gītā? Politician is there, of course, but the real purpose of reading Bhagavad-gītā is to know Kṛṣṇa. If one is Kṛṣṇa, if one knows Kṛṣṇa, he knows everything. He knows politics, he knows economics, he knows science, he knows philosophy, he knows religion, he knows sociology, everything. Tasmin vij�āte sarvam etaṁ vij�ātaṁ bhavanti, that is the Vedic injunction. If you simply understand God, Kṛṣṇa, then everything will be revealed to you because Kṛṣṇa says, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam. If Kṛṣṇa gives you intelligence from within, who can excel Him? Nobody can excel Him. But Kṛṣṇa can give you intelligence provided you become a devotee, or lover of Kṛṣṇa. Teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam, buddhi-yogaṁ dadāmi tam [Bg. 10.10]. And what is that buddhi-yoga, what is the value of buddhi-yoga? That buddhi-yoga or bhakti-yoga, the value is yena mām upayānti te. Such buddhi-yoga, such intelligence will get him back to home, back to Godhead. Not that by such intelligence he will go down to hell. That is material intelligence. Adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamisram [SB 7.5.30]. Everything is discussed in Bhāgavatam. For the materialist person, adānta-gobhi. Adānta means unbridled, uncontrolled. Go means indriya or senses. Materialistic persons, they cannot control their senses. They are servant of the senses, godāsa. Go means indriya, and dāsa means servant. So when you come to the position of controlling the senses, then you'll be gosvāmī. That is gosvāmī. Gosvāmī means controlling the senses, who has completely controlled the senses. Svāmī or gosvāmī. Svāmī also means that and gosvāmī also means the same thing. Generally adānta-gobhir viśatāṁ tamiśram. Uncontrolled senses, they are going. It is not that Kṛṣṇa is sending them. He is making his own path clear, either back to home, back to Godhead, or glide down to the darkest region of hell. Two things are there, and that opportunity is in the human form of life. You can select. Kṛṣṇa, as He inquired from Arjuna, whether "Your illusion has been dissipated now, after hearing Bhagavad-gītā, now you can do whatever you like." So that "You can do whatever you like," that facility is always given to living entity by God. You can do whatever you like. It is not that we are, we are given no facilities to select, to make choice. We are given facilities and choice, everything to do. So to select the path of hell and to select the path of back to home, back to Godhead, depends upon us. That is also explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ, yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam, tamo-dvāram, tamo-dvāraṁ yoṣitāṁ saṅgi-saṅgam [SB 5.5.2]. Mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimuktes, vimuktes. People, the modern educated society, they do not know what is vimukti. They do not know. They know, but they do not know what is the ultimate vimukti. Just like scientists, they are trying to give us so many facilities by machine, by different processes. That is means, that is also vimukti. We are in some inconvenience, just like we are in inconvenience for transport, oh, scientist gives us some horseless carriage. That is also vimukti. We feel inconvenienced for working so the scientist has given us the car. So every attempt is being made for vimukti, for getting out of some inconvenient position. But they do not know ultimate vimukti. What is the ultimate vimukti? Ultimate vimukti is to get freedom from birth, death, old age, and disease. That is ultimate goal. The modern scientists, they are giving us so many facilities to get out of some material difficulties but that is temporary. That is not actually vimukti. Actual vimukti is to get freedom from birth, death, old age, and disease. That vimukti can be achieved from Kṛṣṇa, hariṁ vinā na mṛtiṁ taranti. You cannot get out of it, out of these four kinds of material tribulation, without being favored by the Supreme Lord. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā. Mama māyā duratyayā, it is very difficult to get out of the entanglement of created by My māyā, illusory energy. Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te [Bg. 7.14], but anyone who surrenders unto Me, he can get out of this entanglement. So here it is stated that sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, the whole human civilization is trying to get freedom from some inconvenience. The state, politics, sociology, humanity, religions, so many things. So ultimately it is taken religion is the path of vimukti, religion. Because other things are being tried by the animals. The animals also have their ways of getting out of inconvenience. They know how to do it. Just like a bird, he knows that on the land I am in danger. As soon as there is some danger, immediately flies up to the tree. He knows. So everyone knows. You will find in animal kingdom, in birds' kingdom, everyone knows how to protect. It is said, we learn from Bhāgavata that also that fish within the water, they have got so sensitive power that miles away if some enemy is coming, they can understand and they take shelter. Just like a dog can smell from distant place that somebody unknown is coming. So every animal has got special qualifications. Don't think that human being is only intelligent. No. The intelligence for these four things, how to eat, how to sleep, how to have sex intercourse, and how to defend, these intelligence are there in every animal. Don't think simply human being has got this intelligence. So vimukti, therefore they do not know what is the ultimate goal of vimukti, for getting out of the inconveniences of life. Na te viduḥ, they do not know. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ durāśayā [SB 7.5.31], they are trying to adjust things by material adjustment. That is not possible. They do not know that. Adānta-gobhir. Andhā yathāndair upanīyamānāḥ, But they are being misled by blind leaders. They are themselves blind and some blind leaders. Therefore we should not accept blind leaders, we should accept a leader who is not blind. We therefore accept Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person, Who knows everything, past, present, and future. We take His leadership or we take the leadership of His representative. That is our process. So here some of our leaders, Sūta Gosvāmī says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ, because ultimate goal is how to get out of the entanglement of material convention. So he says, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Dharma means, I have already explained, dharma means occupational duty. So everyone has got occupation and he is trying to get out of the inconveniences of material existence. So here it is suggested, because the question was dharma, dharmaḥ kaṁ śaraṇaṁ gataḥ, under whose protection is dharma now existing? So he is coming to that point. First of all he's explaining what is dharma, what is occupational duty. Actually dharma means occupational duty. Religion, I have already said, it is a kind of faith. Faith can be changed, but our constitutional position, occupational duty, that cannot be changed. We are eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, but without serving Kṛṣṇa we are serving māyā. We have accepted a false occupational duty, therefore it is called māyā. Māyā means false. Just like if I have got a body of America, American body, then my occupational duty is different from the body of an Indian, or from the body of a dog or a cat. So according to the body, our occupational duties change. But real occupational duty is of the soul. When you come to that platform—the occupational duty of the soul—that is the highest class of religion. That is explained here, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Dharma, occupational duty, there are two kinds of occupational duties according to Vedic system, pravṛtti and nivṛtti. Pravṛtti means propensities, material propensities. We have come here within this material world to enjoy material resources. That is called pravṛtti. And when we come to the platform of understanding that I am not this body, I am soul, then my occupational duty changes. At the present moment we are all working on the platform of bodily concept of life but when you come to the platform of understanding that ahaṁ brahmāsmi, I am not this matter, I am spirit soul, then my occupational duty changes. Not... That is my real occupational duty, because I am really spirit soul. Therefore, brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg. 18.54] When we come to the platform of brahma-bhūtaḥ... At the present moment we are jīva-bhūtaḥ. We are thinking that I am this body, but when you come to the platform that I am Brahman, I am part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God, then my duty changes. That is called bhakti. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā, mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām [Bg. 18.54]. When, after being brahma-bhūtaḥ, after being liberated from material concept of life, that is called brahma-bhūtaḥ, ahaṁ brahmāsmi. So sometimes people say that bhakti, devotional service is for less intelligent class of men. No. It is the one who has become highly intelligent, he can take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Kṛṣṇa says, bahūnāṁ janmanām ante j�ānavān māṁ prapadyante [Bg. 7.19], after many, many births of cultivation of knowledge... Everyone is cultivating knowledge but when his ultimate goal of knowledge is achieved, that is to understand Kṛṣṇa, vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ [Bg. 7.19], one who understands. That is the ultimate goal of knowledge. So here is also the same thing explained, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ. Dharma, every human... First of all, dharma is meant for the human society. The animal society, they have no, nothing to do about religion, neither they know what is religion, what is this body, what is soul. It is not their business. Dharma is the business of the human society. Therefore in any human society, there is a kind of dharma, religion. It doesn't matter whether it is Christian religion, or Hindu religion, or Buddha religion, or Muhammadam religion, some sort of religious propensities are there. Because without this propensity, dharma, religious, he is not a man, he is animal, because animal has no sense of religion. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samāna, anyone who has no religion, it doesn't matter what kind of religion he has got, but he must have some religion. Without religion he is animal. Dharmeṇa hīna paśubhiḥ samānāḥ. So now, at the present moment, they are rejecting religion. Everywhere, all over the world. We have to... Travelling all over the world, the only scarcity is sense of God, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, God consciousness. They have practically rejected God consciousness. So that will not make him happy because he cannot become happy imitating the animals. Now they are imitating animals, becoming naked. That is they, that is their advancement of civilization, to become naked, nudist. So actually decline, from human life they are decline to animal life. Because two kinds of life, animal life and human life but if they do not take to the proper position of human life, cultivation of knowledge and religion, then they are animals so gradually they will decline to animal life. So we should not decline, we should make progress, that is human life. So progress means to make progress in religious concept of life. That is progress. Not, that is not progress, material comforts, that is not progress. Material comforts according to the body, that is already settled up, deha-yogena dehinām. As we have got body, a particular type of body given by nature, the machine... Just like your comfort of driving car is estimated according to the car you have got. If you have got a very nice costly car, then it drives very comfortably, but if you have got a less costly, cheap car, then you are not so comfortable. Similarly our comforts and discomforts are already settled as soon as you have got a particular type of body. There is no necessity to improve it. We cannot improve it. For example, just like a hog, he has got a particular type of body, he can eat stool. You cannot improve his eating process by giving him halavā, that is not possible. Therefore śāstra says, deha-yogena dehinām. Our material comforts, standard of material comforts, are already settled up by the body which you have got. Therefore our business is: if you are not in the bodily concept of life, then our business is how to make spiritually advanced. Bodily comforts of life, we cannot improve. That is not possible. We can improve our spiritual advancement of life. That is given to us. Therefore all the śāstras, all the Vedic literatures, all the great saintly persons, they come. They simply come to give you hint how you can make spiritual advancement of life. They do not come here to say how you can make very comfortable material life. They never say. Either you say Jesus Christ or Kṛṣṇa or Lord Buddha or Hazrat Muhammad or anyone, all of them have come to give you information for spiritual advancement of life, not for any material advancement of life. That is intelligence. Material advancement of life, you should be satisfied. Whatever God has given you, you be satisfied with that. Don't waste your time, that is not possible. Therefore your occupational duty should be... The highest occupational duty is suggested here, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you engage yourself in such occupational duties by which you can increase your devotional service for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described here in this chapter as Vāsudeva Adhokṣaja. Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa's name, another name is Vāsudeva, and His another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means not to be understood by direct perception of our senses. Akṣaja, we try to understand everything with our senses, we want to see something, we want to touch something, we want to smell something, we want to hear about something, we want to taste something, these are our direct test. So Kṛṣṇa, God, cannot be understood by these direct tests. Therefore He is called Adhokṣaja. You cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is here, but because we have no training, we see that it is a stone statue. But He is Kṛṣṇa. We do not know that Kṛṣṇa is so kind but because I cannot see Kṛṣṇa at the present stage of life therefore Kṛṣṇa has appeared in a form which I can see. That is Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa, the same Kṛṣṇa, but Kṛṣṇa can appear because everything is Kṛṣṇa, everything is Kṛṣṇa's energy, so He can appear in His energy. So He has appeared in this material energy, bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ [Bg. 7.4]. So He has appeared just like stone, because we cannot see except stone. Therefore He has appeared like stone, but He is not stone, He is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa's name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means we cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa by direct sense perception but He is so kind, so merciful that He appears before us as we can perceive Him directly. That yato bhaktir adhokṣaje, and that bhakti, that devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, should be ahaituki. This is first-class, this is their system. Because the enquiry was where is now dharma. So he is describing what is the nature of dharma. The nature of dharma is that bhāgavata is the topmost knowledge. He is giving directly the topmost religious system. The topmost religious system is devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Who is not perceived by direct senses. And that devotional service should be ahaituki. No hetu. Hetu means cause. I am going to the temple with some cause. For mitigation of some difficulties, I shall pray to... That is also nice, but that is haituki, there is some hetu, or cause. We should serve Kṛṣṇa without any cause, not that by serving Kṛṣṇa I shall improve my material position and so many causes maybe. But real service, real devotional service must be without cause. That is pure devotional service. anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ j�āna-karmādy-anāvṛtam ānukūlyena kṛṣṇānu- śīlanaṁ bhaktir uttama [Brs. 1.1.11] There are different stages of bhakti. The first-class bhakti is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyaṁ, without any material desires, ahaituki. Apratihatā and cannot be checked by any material condition. Bhakti, or devotional service is not such a thing which can be checked. "Sir, I was feeling very sick, therefore I could not chant." No, that is not bhakti. We are subjected to all these tribulations utterly, but bhakti... Just like Haridāsa Ṭhākura, he was going to die, or he's change his body, he's going to Vaikuṇṭha. Caitanya... He was chanting daily 300,000s. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu advised him, "Now you are sick-willed, you can reduce your chanting." Haridāsa Ṭhākura said, "No, sir. That I cannot do." That is Haridāsa Ṭhākura. We cannot imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura. Even at the point of death he was chanting 300,000s of Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Apratihatā, this is called apratihatā, without being checked by any material condition. So if you want to become a devotee, no material condition can check you. It is so nice, so easy, ahaituki apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati. The real thing is that we want satisfaction of our self, so if we want actually satisfaction of self then we shall take to this devotional service without being checked by any material condition or for without any material reason, then you shall be happy. Thank you very much. (end) Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/1/2/6/new_vrindaban/september/05/1972

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.2.7 https://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_1.2.7_(1962) — His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, New Vrindaban, September 5, 1972 Prabhupāda: [SB 1.2.7] So yesterday we were discussing the, what is the first-class religious system. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ yato bhaktir adhokṣaje [SB 1.2.6]. The test is people are very much enthusiastic to fight, "My religion is better." "I am Hindu. Our religion is very good." Somebody says, "No, we are Christian, we are..., our religion is very good." Somebody Muhammadan, this fighting is going on. In European history there was fight, crusade between religious group. In our country, in India, there was fight between Hindus and Muslims. What is the meaning of this fight? Actually when one is God conscious, he knows God, that where is the chance of fighting? Yasya deve parā... Because one should be... If actually one is God conscious, yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty aki�canā [SB 5.18.12]. The Vedic literature gives us information that actually if one is a devotee of God... God is one, God cannot be two. It is not that Hindus have got one God and Christians have got another God. No. God cannot be two. Then there cannot be any competition of Gods. "I am God." Just like nowadays it has become a fashion, so many gods, rascals are coming, "I am God." He says, "I am God," "I am God," "I am God." Now how many Gods are there? No, God is one, eko brahma dvitīya nāsti, that is the Vedic injunction. Just like the sun. Sun is one. From our practical example. You cannot say that "This is American sun," and "this is Indian sun," or "it is African sun." Sun is one. See, if a creation of God is one and it is so powerful... Sun is one of the creation of God. There are millions of suns. We can see one only. So if one sun created by God can do so much work, can distribute so much heat and light, just imagine how much powerful is the creator of the sun. This is common sense. So we get information from Bhagavad-gītā... (aside:) Rūpānuga you can come here. ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ [Bg. 10.8] Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, whatever we see, whatever there is, they are all emanation from God. That is the verdict of Vedānta-sūtra also. Simple. If you want to know what is God, the Vedānta-sūtra informs us very, in two words, very simple, "God, or the Absolute Truth, is that who is the source of everything." Janmādy asya yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]. The original source from whom everything is coming, He is God. Very simple definition. Anyone can understand. If you find out... That is our inqu... Philosophy means to inquire, athāto brahma jij�āsā, to enquire. Now this life, this human form of life is especially meant for enquiring about the absolute truth. In animal life we cannot do. There are big, big animals, tigers and lions and elephants and big, big trees also, they are also living entities. Big, big whale fish within the ocean, very gigantic. Big, big mountains, mountains, they have got also life. But they cannot enquire about God, that is not possible. You can enquire about God in this human form of life, that's all. Therefore in any civilized society, there is an enquiry of God, that is called religion. One may be, or in degrees there may be different. Just like in India, they are also making inquiry. Not now, not at the present moment. They have given up. But hundreds and thousands of years ago. Not thousand, even two hundred years ago, India was so inquisitive about enquiring about God. Even one Chinese gentleman, he has written one book, philosophical, that is recommended—I forgot the name, title of the book—that is studied in New York University in the religion class. In that book he has written that if you want to know about God, if you want to know about religion, then you must go to India. Yes, that's a fact. Because in no other country the great sages and saintly person engaged themselves so seriously about understanding God. Therefore the Vedānta-sūtra is there. So we should know that God is one. God is not different. There cannot be any competition of God. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat ki�cid asti dhana�jaya [Bg. 7.7]. There cannot be any superior truth than God. Therefore God is called the great. God is called the absolute. So Religion means, first-class religion means, how the followers have developed the understanding of God. That is first-class religion. Not that how many animals we can sacrifice or how many times we can... So many rituals and so many other things are there in every religion. But the, we have to test by the result, phalena paricīyate. Everything... Just like we have studied so much, a scientific man, but there is examination. If one passes the examination, then it is understood that he has studied nicely. That is our common sense. In school, colleges, everywhere. If I cannot pass the examination and if I advertise myself, "Oh, I have studied this, I have studied that," then what is the value of that? Suppose a man is doing business. So if we see that by doing business, he has acquired some money, he has become rich, then we can understand that he is successful businessman. But if he, he is a poor man, and he says, "I have done this, I have done that, I have done that," you can say so but we want to know by the result. Phalena paricīyate. That is a Sanskrit version. But we have to understand by the result, phalena, what result you have got. What the value of your examination paper you have, how much mark you have received. Similarly we can declare ourself very religionist, great religionist, follower of great religion, but what is this? What is...? How much you have developed your sense of God consciousness, how much you have learned to love God. Just like in your western countries, Lord Jesus Christ sacrificed His life for God's. Can... He was charged that He was preaching something blasphemous. But He was a devotee of God. He, He preached to the people that there is kingdom of God, you love God, and go to the kingdom of God. Simple truth. That is the actual business of human life. This human life is meant for understanding God because we are part and parcel of God and we have forgotten. Just like the same thing, I have given several times example, a person, he belongs to a rich father, but somehow or other he has left home and he is loitering. In your country this example is very applicable. So many boys, they have left their rich father, rich family, and lying down on the street. I have seen. Why? Maybe some reason, but he is not expected to lie down on the street because he has got rich father, at least rich nation, your American nation. Similarly when we become puzzled and confused and want to live independently of God, the richest father—who can be richer than God? God means the richest. No one can be richer than Him. That is another definition of God. aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ j�āna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣaṇṇāṁ bhaga itīṅganā (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47) Bhāga, bhāga means fortune. One who is opulent with six kinds of fortunes. We can understand it very well. Just like in our, in this material world, if one man is very rich, he's attractive. Everybody speaks about him. Even he is a nonsense number one, if he has got money, everyone will speak about him. At least in this age it is going on. Nobody considers of anything but if somehow or other one becomes very rich, he becomes a popular figure. So God must be richest. Here, within this material world we can claim, "I am richer than that," but somebody is richer than me. I cannot claim that "Nobody is richer than me." That is not possible. We shall find out less rich than me and we can find out more rich than ourselves. Two things we can. But when you come to God, you will find nobody is richer than Him. Therefore God is called great, God is great. Similarly, not only in riches, aiśvarya, sa samagrasya, vīryasya, in power also. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ, in reputation also, in fame. Just like everyone, it may be you belong to some religion, I belong to, but everyone knows that God is great. That is reputation. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ, and śrī, śrī means beauty. God is the most beautiful. Just like, see Kṛṣṇa here, you have got Kṛṣṇa's figure here, how beautiful He is. God must be, He is young, always. An old man cannot become beautiful. That is stated in the Brahma-saṁhitā, advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca [Bs. 5.33]. That is the description of Ādyaṁ Purāṇa, He is the original person, the oldest of all but he is nava-yauvanam, just like a beautiful boy, say sixteen or twenty years old. So that is beautiful, the most beautiful. And the most wise, j�āna. Nobody can be wiser than God. These are the description given by Parasara Muni, father of Vyāsadeva. Aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ (Viṣṇu Purāṇa 6.5.47), j�āna-vairāgya and at the same time renounced. Now God has created this universe, God has created the cosmic manifestation, innumerable universes but He is not interested in it. He is interested because He has created. He has given us facility to live here, but He is not coming here to enjoy this. He has got better. Or He doesn't care for all these opulences. That is another qualification of God. So this human form of life is meant for understanding God and scientifically, with full knowledge. That is described in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Therefore we are preaching this Bhāgavata discourse. In the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam what is the nature of God? That has been described, janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhij�aḥ svarāṭ [SB 1.1.1]. God, God is cognizant, He knows everything. He is a sentient being. Not that a dead stone. If God is not sentient being, if God is not a person, how so many powerful persons, sentient persons coming from Him? If the father is not intelligent, how the sons and daughters can become intelligent? A dog cannot give birth to an intelligent person, a person who is intelligent, he can give birth to intelligent children. This our practical experience. Therefore this description of God, aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥv, we should try to understand what is God. If you can find out a person who is superior in everything, in wealth, in strength, in beauty, in fame, in knowledge, in renouncement, He is God. Don't capture any fourth-class God. If you are intelligent, try to understand what is the meaning of God and try to understand. So here in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is said that that is first-class religion—what is that?—which gives opportunity to the followers how to love God. Why should we not? If God is great, if our father is so great, why should we not love? We flatter somebody here, having a say, a few millions of dollars, we flatter, and who is the richest of all, we should not love Him? Why? What is the reason? And actually He is supplying everything, eko bahūnāṁ vidadhāti kāmān. He is supplying all necessities of life to all living entities, beginning from the ant to the elephant. So why not to us? We have dedicated our whole life for the service of God, so God is giving food to the ant, to the elephant, why not to us? So don't think that you will starve in God consciousness. You will never starve. You go on with your duty, loving God and preaching love of God. You will always be opulent, be sure. Ordinary man, if you work for him, he gives you salary, good salary. And we are working for God, we don't all get salary? How is that? (laughter) We must get. If you are really lover of God, worker for God, don't think of your economic condition, it will be supported. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham [Bg. 9.22]. He personally supplies whatever necessities are there. Just like a father, (indistinct) child who is completely dependent on the parents, the parents look after the comfort. The child does not ask the parent, because he cannot speak also. So he is simply depending on God, simply depending on parent. Simply, if you simply depend on God, there is no question of your economic problem. Be sure. This is common sense. So there is scarcity of devotees of God at the present moment. People have rejected God. Somebody is saying, "God is dead." Somebody is accepting a rascal as God. Somebody is declaring himself as God. No, try to understand God scientifically and become a devotee, a lover of God, your life will be successful. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. It is not that "My God," "Your God," "This religion," "That religion." God is one and religion is one. What is that religion? Love of God. That's all. There is no other second religion. This is the religion. Therefore God comes and says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. This is religion. Don't be after so-called religion. You become a lover of God, you are first-class religionist. That's all. That is taught by God, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ... [Bg. 18.66] This is religion. And if you don't love God, if you simply love dog, and how you can be religious? So that is taught, sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmaḥ yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. Adhokṣaje, this very word is used because God cannot be seen at the present moment with our material eyes. God cannot be touched with our material hand. Therefore his name is Adhokṣaja. Adhaḥ kṛta akṣaja j�ānaṁ yatra, with our material eyes, material hands, material senses, we cannot understand what is God. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya 17.136]. (aside:) Don't make sound. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi, God's name, God's form, God's quality, God's pastime, God's paraphernalia, and so many things, na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ. Indriya means senses. Our present senses are blunt, imperfect. They are defective with so many faults. Everyone can understand that I am very much proud of my eyes, I want to see God, but I cannot see my eyelid. When I block my eyes, I cannot see what is this little fragment of the skin, and still I am proud, I want to see God. Just see. You have to qualify yourself, then you can see God. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, when (He) entered the Jagannātha Temple, He immediately fainted, "Oh, here is My Lord." And other person says, "What is this nonsense. A wooden, not even very beautiful form, and He is..." So because he hasn't got eyes. One who has got eyes to see God, he does not see anything except God. Premā�jana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti [Bs. 5.38]. You have to anoint your eyes with love of God, then you will see that God is present everywhere. God is present in the tree, God is present in the animal, God is present in you, God is represent in your family, in your You cannot say Actually that is the fact. So religion means how to get that eyes, how to get that hand, how to get that leg, so that I can appreciate God. That should be the process of human civilization. Not that how I can compete with tiger, how I can compete with cats and dogs. That is not religion. Religion means how you have developed your love of God, how we are seeing God in every state. Everywhere. God is everywhere, that's a fact. Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayāntara-stham, God is within atom also. These are the description in the Vedic literature. eko py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭiṁ yac-chaktir asti jagad-aṇḍa-cayā yad-antaḥ aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayāntara-sthaṁ govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi [Bs. 5.35] So the scientist, they are finding out so many miracles within the atom, but here Vedic information is that within the atom there is God. Find out God. Without God, without the spirit, nothing material can develop. Just like we have got experience, just like father and mother, they unite, there is secretion in the womb. But if there is the spiritual spark... [break] ...becomes pregnant. If the spiritual spark is not there, you can have sex life hundreds and thousands of, but... Therefore the theory, the fact not theory, that unless a spiritual spark enters into the matter, the matter cannot develop. At least we can experience that as soon as the spiritual spark is out of the lump of matter, big elephant, it is dead, finished. Therefore the Vedic injunction that aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu cayāntara-stham [Bs. 5.35], this big universe is developed because the Karanasaya..., the Garbhodakaśayī Viṣṇu has entered within this (indistinct). Viṣṭabhyāham idaṁ kṛtsnam ekāṁśena sthito jagat [Bg. 10.42]. So God is the supreme spirit. If you individually study this individual spirit, as you are, I am... We must know because we are sparks, God is the original fire. We are sparks. Qualitatively the spark and the fire the same thing. The spark is very minute small and the big fire is very great. But this... You can study, by studying yourself that because I am spirit soul, I have entered into this lump of matter, therefore this body has developed, this body is moving, the body is working, it is so important, Mr. such-and-such professor's body or scientist's body, but as soon as that spiritual spark is over, it is nothing but a lump of matter, you can kick it out. So God is everywhere, simply we have to make our these blunt eyes... Just like education. I am seeing a motor car but a advanced motor engineer, he sees also the car, the difference of seeing. If there is some defect in the car, I cannot do it. But one engineer, one who knows, a mechanic, he knows, immediately touches and the car runs. Similarly, we should know that by education, by culture, by knowledge we can understand God. Not by fictitious, by concoction, "Oh, I accept this God. I accept that God." So that education can be very quickly done. Otherwise it is very difficult to understand God. There are so many philosophers in the world, so many scientists, they are declining. Because they could not find what is God, they are denying. Just like, my inefficiency of my eyes, I see that beyond this wall I cannot see. I say, "Oh, there is nothing beyond this wall." (indistinct) That is my lack of education. Not that there is nothing beyond this wall. My imperfect eyes cannot see, my imperfect senses cannot realize, but you can make your senses perfect to see God by a process. What is that? Bhakti-yoga. That is explained by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. In one place Kṛṣṇa has said, manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye [Bg. 7.3]. Out of many millions of persons, one is very much anxious to make his life perfect. Everyone is not. They are simply working like cats and dogs. That's all. Nobody is interested how to make life perfect. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu, out of millions of person, one becomes interested how to make this life perfect. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye, yatatām api siddhānām [Bg. 7.3], and out of many such perfect persons, who has made his life perfect, out of many such person, kaścid jana, kaścit vetti māṁ tattvataḥ, knows God. So God-knowing is not very easy job, but it can be made easy by a process, which is called bhakti-yoga. That is explained here vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ j�ānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam [SB 1.2.7] If we apply we apply our vāsu..., bhakti-yoga unto Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa-Vāsudeva means Kṛṣṇa. Vāsudeve bhagavati. So Vāsudeva is not ordinary person, He is Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. To show us mercy, He descends. That is His mercy. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ [SB 1.2.7], if you take to devotional service... What is that devotional service? It is also very easy. It is not very difficult thing, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru [Bg. 18.65]. If anyone comes in this temple, simply (aside:) Sit down. Simply offers a little obeisances, just bow down, māṁ namaskuru. And if you think of these Deities, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, in this way, those who have become devotees, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī, you worship. These four principles, if you adopt, that is bhakti-yoga. That is bhakti-yoga. But the bhakti-yoga can be kept active by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam. Just like you are hearing, I am speaking. This is kīrtanam, and you are hearing, both we are benefiting. śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ sakhyam ātma-nive... [SB 7.5.23] These are the nine different procedures of bhakti-yoga. The first thing is śravaṇam. If we simply keep these Deities here, we may see. But if we don't hear about Him, then it will be happening. Then it will be happening. Just like in India it has become. Because they have given up the process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, therefore they are feeling now... Everywhere, not only India, everywhere, because they have given up bona fide śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, hearing and chanting about God, it has become a burden and they are trying to sell the temples and churches. So don't stop. If you stop this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, then you have to..., gradually you will diminish in your devotional service. That is called bhakti-yoga. Bhakti-yoga begins from śravaṇam, from hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam viṣṇoḥ. So Kṛṣṇa also says in the Bhagavad-gītā that if we want to know Kṛṣṇa, God, then it has to be known through bhakti-yoga, bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ [Bg. 18.55]. Not by other means. Then Kṛṣṇa would have declared that you can understand God by haṭha-yoga, or j�āna-yoga, or dhyāna-yoga, or karma-yoga. There are so many yogic principles. But Kṛṣṇa summarizes all the yoga system in the 6th chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gatenāntarātmanā śraddhāvān bhajate yo māṁ sa me yuktatamo... [Bg. 6.47] The first-class yogi is he who is constantly twenty-four hours thinking of Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa also says, man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ, think of Me always. So our process, the bhakti-yoga process is very simple, we chant this mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare (devotees join in chanting). So as soon as we chant Kṛṣṇa, this name, this holy name, and as soon as we hear about Him, Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, immediately we remember what is Kṛṣṇa, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, smaraṇam. Smaraṇam means remembering. In this way if we continue always thinking of Kṛṣṇa, remembering about His name, fame, quality, pastimes, then your life is perfect. That is described here, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ [SB 1.2.7]. Bhakti-yoga, this is bhakti-yoga, hearing, chanting, remembering, worshiping, offering obeisances, to become friend, top become servant, and dedicate everything to Kṛṣṇa. These are the different process of You accept all, or one, two, three, as you can. And even if we accept one only, then your life will be perfect. If you simply come here and hear, your life will be perfect. If you do not worship, if you simply come—therefore we are opening centres all over the world—if you simply come here and kindly hear what we are speaking about God, your life will be successful. Simply by śravaṇam. Just like example is Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he had only seven days time of his life—that is the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He simply heard, he listened carefully about Kṛṣṇa and he became perfect. He simply listened, he had no other business. Similarly Śukadeva Gosvāmī, he simply described, chanted about Kṛṣṇa, he became perfect. Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was being punished and chastised by his father in so many ways but he was simply remembering Kṛṣṇa. He became perfect. Hanumān, he was not even a man, he was animal, but his only business was to serve Lord Rāmacandra at any risk. He jumped over the ocean. He did not know any Vedānta philosophy, he was an animal. But he dedicated his life to serve Lord Rāmacandra. He took the risk of jumping over the sea. So in this way there are nine different process of bhakti-yoga. You can utilize all of them or you can utilize some of them, but if you stick to one only even, then your life will be successful. How life will be successful? That is also stated here, janayaty āśu vairāgyaṁ j�ānaṁ ca yad ahaitukam [SB 1.2.7]. By bhakti-yoga process, your original knowledge will be revived. What is that original knowledge? Original knowledge is that God is the Supreme Father, I am His eternal son, or eternal servant, as you... Son is always servant because son, real son is obedient and servant is also obedient. And as we have got distinction here, servant and son, in the absolute world there is no such distinction. A son is as good as the servant and servant is as good as the son. That is absolute world. Don't think "Why shall I become a servant?" No, whatever you like, you can become, but in relationship with God, everything is one. There is no such distinction. So janayaty āś..., this is j�āna, this is knowledge. That God is great, I am very insignificant small, my business is to serve. This is j�āna, this is knowledge. This is knowledge. If simply we can understand this little philosophy, that God is great, I am very small. We have got experience here. Just like the government is great and we are small so whatever the order is government, the government wants somebody, "Come and join this draft department," you have to join, do it. Because you are small. So we can see in our practical life, the great puts the little into his service. Nūnaṁ mahatāṁ tatra. Just like we are powerful human being, we are killing so many animals because they are weak. Otherwise it is not possible that you can live at the expense of poor animals, because they are weak. So similarly, in God's relationship, there is no such thing that if you remain subservient to God, He will kill you. No, He will protect you. He is protecting everyone but if you become obedient devotee of God, there is special protection. Kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati [Bg. 9.31]. Kṛṣṇa declares in the Bhagavad-gītā, "My devotee will be never be vanquished." He'll give protection. He is giving protection everyone but a protection general, and protection special, for the devotee special protection. Just like a very nice gentleman, he loves everyone but he gives special protection to his own children. So in this way try to understand the philosophy of God, that is bhāgavata. Bhāgavata discourse means to understand the philosophy of God. So this process. The religion means first-class religion means one who has learned to love God. That is first-class religion. And how to love God, how to practice that love? That is bhakti-yoga. Vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu vairāgyam [SB 1.2.7]. Vairāgyam, the word, two things required in human life, knowledge and renunciation. Renunciation-try to understand what is renunciation—just like we, the members of the Kṛṣṇa society, we have renounced all material activities. That's all. That is renouncement. Our activities are surrounding only about Kṛṣṇa. We do not do anything except Kṛṣṇa business. We are publishing magazine, that is Kṛṣṇa. We are publishing books, that is Kṛṣṇa. We are going to the press, that is for Kṛṣṇa. We are going to the market, that is for Kṛṣṇa. We are cooking, that is for Kṛṣṇa. We are living, only for Kṛṣṇa. We are dancing for Kṛṣṇa. We are chanting for Kṛṣṇa. So we have renounced... The same things are there in the material life, publishing book or going to the press, typing, or microphone, or dancing, chanting, these are... But they are not for Kṛṣṇa, that is for sense gratification. So vairāgya means no more working for sense gratification, that is vairāgya. That is renouncement. Only for working Kṛṣṇa, for the satisfaction of Kṛṣṇa, that is called vairāgya. And to attain this vairāgya, renouncement, one requires sufficient knowledge. That is called j�āna. So this knowledge and renouncement-two things required in human life. Just like in your country, some of the younger generation, they have renounced. That's a good qualification, but they have no knowledge. Renouncement and knowledge must be combined. Then your life is successful. Simply renouncement, you cannot stay. You renounce, again accept. Again accept. So these two things can be achieved very easily, that formula is given here, vāsudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogaḥ prayojitaḥ, janayaty āśu [SB 1.2.7]. Āśu means very quick. Just like these American, European boys, especially I have mentioned. Four years ago they had no knowledge of God. Now they have got knowledge of God and they have renounced all nonsense. They have no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, no meat-eating. This is renouncement. So this renouncement and knowledge can be acquired, simply this method of bhakti-yoga, what is that? Thinking of Kṛṣṇa, man-manā, to become His devotee, to worship Him, and to offer Him obeisances. Only four things. That is called bhakti-yoga, if you adopt it gradually you will understand God and your life will be successful. Thank you very much. (end) Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/1/2/7/new_vrindaban/september/05/1972

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Srimad Bhagavatam .2.18 Verse & Bhaktivedanta Purport: https://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_1.2.18 Transcript: https://prabhupadavani.org/transcriptions/740719sbnv/ [recorded on faulty equipment] Prabhupāda: Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu [SB 1.2.18]. Abhadra. Abhadra, in human understanding, means it is not civilized. In your country you say "the gentleman." So that gentleman, he is called bhadra, and in India the gentleman is considered as bhadra. So all of us, unless we become Kṛṣṇa conscious, will be bhadra..., will be abhadra. [indistinct]. When one [indistinct], then he is [indistinct] cultured. So this cultured [indistinct] means to hear about Kṛṣṇa. Simply hear, and you are hearing [indistinct]. So you haven’t got to do anything. Simply come here, and sit properly and hear about [indistinct]. You haven’t got to exercise your breathing or [indistinct]. Just sit down like a gentleman and hear about. This is a very important process. That we have already discussed. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [SB 1.2.17]. Simply if anyone agrees to hear about Kṛṣṇa, then life becomes [indistinct]. Our process is, "Please come, hear about Kṛṣṇa and take Kṛṣṇa prasādam," [indistinct]. So Kṛṣṇa is so kind that as soon as he begins to hear about Kṛṣṇa, immediately his lower tendency is diminished. Śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. Even Kṛṣṇa’s attention is not drawn, still, simply by hearing and chanting, you become [indistinct], purified, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1], cleansed. So when this process is adopted but it is not even finalized, perfected, still you get the benefit. Still you get the benefit. Suppose you have to attend lecture, and hearing for hundred times. Suppose you have done only one or two times---still you get the benefit. Not a single part of this is [indistinct]. In the śāstra it is said, if by some sentiment, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer [SB 1.5.17]... Just like in our association, in the Society, many men come, join, not exactly understanding what is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, but "Out of sentiment, let us join." He doesn’t know. He gives up his own duty, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ. Tyaktvā means "giving up," and sva-dharmaṁ, sva-dharmaṁ means "occupational duty." Everyone has got occupational duty. Generally, according to Vedic civilization, occupational duties are divided according to qualities. That is also in the present days also. If one man is qualified as a medical man, he is allowed to act as a medical man. If one man is qualified as an engineer... So every man has got some occupational duty. So śāstra says that out of sentiment he gives up his occupational duty, tyaktvā sva-dharmaṁ caraṇāmbujaṁ harer, and takes to this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, "Let me join"---that’s all right; anyone can join this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement---then he becomes perfect. But if he sometimes go away, that bhajann apakvo 'tha patet tato yadi [SB 1.5.17], the culture is not completed, but by some bad association falls... Bad association is already there, because the whole material nature is bad; it is not good. So, bhajan. If one has joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and let him execute the rules and regulations, then he is making progress. There is no doubt about it. But somehow or other, even if he falls from this [indistinct], śāstra says that what is the apakvaḥ, what is wrong in that, even if he is fallen down? Now the person who is occupying or engaged in his occupational duty very nicely, what is the gain? So just try to understand. One person out of sentiment gives up his occupational duties and joins Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and cannot make it perfect---while in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement falls down; there are many instances---still, he has no loss. And this man who is very dutiful, and he is exactly, nicely doing his occupational duties, so what is the gain? Just try to understand. So he is... If this man who has joined Kṛṣṇa consciousness out of sentiment, even if he falls down, whatever he has done, that is permanent credit. If he has done one percent, that one percent perfection is guaranteed. Then next life he will begin from the second step. It is so nice. Therefore he has been saved. Naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu [SB 1.2.18]. Not that this inauspicity of material existence is completely finished; even it is finished to certain percentage, not hundred percent, so, then what..., what is the result? The result is the, bhagavaty uttama-śloke bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī [SB 1.2.18] He becomes a, a bona fide [indistinct]. [indistinct] cannot execute, [indistinct] no more false. Naṣṭa prāyeṣu. Prāyeṣu means false. Naṣṭa prāyeṣu. You begin with simply hearing, and even if you fall down, still it is [indistinct]. Therefore you should take chance of this hearing kṛṣṇa-kathā. Then, as soon as possible, that we shall preach also that. It is Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s order that āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was touring all over. So somebody became Vaiṣṇava simply by seeing Him, by hearing Him. That man, he became a Vaiṣṇava, He was so... He is Supreme Personality of Godhead, [indistinct]. So some, some of them wanted to come to [indistinct]. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, "No, you remain in your duty. Don’t give up your duty, but you become a guru." This is wanted. "Every one of you become a spiritual master"---Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, āmāra ājñāya: "By My order." You cannot become spiritual master all of a sudden. There must be order of the superior person, superior person. If you say that now you have made your disciples, now [indistinct]. That means when one has received order from the [indistinct], you can be. But the order is open. Order is open, but it must be executed properly, as Sri Caitanya Mahāprabhu said. What is that? Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa [Cc. Madhya 7.128]. There is no need of going out of home, out of country. Any place you are situated has got [indistinct]. You remain in your position. There is no need of changing your position, but this order should be [indistinct]. Then your life will be [indistinct]. This is the process. The more you hear, the more you become advanced. And practically you have seen, all our devotees here in the beginning, and now there is such difference. How the difference is coming? Simply by hearing. Śruti. Śruti means hearing. So our movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, does not mean that you give up your occupational duty, give up your home, give up your family. No. There are many gṛhastas, as we have got. Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura [indistinct]. He was a gṛhasta. He did not give up his home, nor neither his job. He was a magistrate, government official. But he became a great devotee, by culture. What is that culture? Kṛṣṇa-kathā. Simply he was coming from his office, at say 5:30 in the evening, and immediately he would eat [indistinct] food and go to his room and sleep. And then he will rise up at three or five and begin writing books. So he gave us so many nice books, Caitanya Śikṣamṛtā, [indistinct] especially, and many song books in Bengali, in Hindi, some of them in Sanskrit. So he was in this way engaged. So if one wants to serve Kṛṣṇa, so Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura’s life is good example. Even by becoming a responsible government officer, he could become a very, very high [indistinct], provided he wants to carry out the order of [indistinct]. This is the [indistinct]. Therefore it is said, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā [SB 1.2.18]. Bhāgavata, this word comes from the word bhagavat, or bhagavān. Bhagavān means that the Supreme Being, full of six opulences. Opulence is called bhaga. So the Supreme Person is endowed with full six kinds of opulence. That is called bhagavān. Every word in Sanskrit has got root meaning. Bhaga means "fortune" or "opulence," and bhaga-vat... Vata is used in the sense of "possession." When you possess something, then this word, this affix, is there. Vata... As vat, and vat [indistinct] becomes vān. Bhaga, "opulence," and vān---bhagavān. This is [indistinct]. And in connection with bhagavān, the word bhāgavata. So this book Bhāgavata, and the devotee, he is also bhāgavata. So you will have to serve this book as well as the person, person bhāgavata. That is also confirmed in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta = guru-kṛṣṇa-kṛpāya pāya bhakti-latā-bīja [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. That bhāgavata, person bhāgavata, is guru, the spiritual master. And Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa, guru-kṛṣṇa. You have to take favor, mercy, of both of them. If you simply think that "I will take the mercy of my guru and don’t care for Kṛṣṇa," no. You have to take favor of Kṛṣṇa. Or if you take the favor of guru, then automatically you will get the favor of Kṛṣṇa. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo. If you please your guru, that means Kṛṣṇa is pleased. Just like you have got small child of your family. Somebody pleases your small child, then automatically you become pleased. Just like there is a proverb, "If you love me, love my dog." Similarly, if you love the dog of Kṛṣṇa, the servant of Kṛṣṇa, who is always engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa becomes more pleased. Mad-bhakta-pūjābhyadhikā [SB 11.19.21]. Kṛṣṇa says, "If one worships My devotee, that devotion, or that worship, is more valuable than worshiping Me directly." Therefore, as it is said, nityam bhagavata-sevaya. If you want to increase your love of Godhead---feeling, emotion for Kṛṣṇa---then you should adopt this process, nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā [SB 1.2.18], regularly. Therefore you will see, if you attend regularly the classes and hear about Kṛṣṇa, then you will become advanced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Bhaktir bhavati naiṣṭhikī [SB 1.2.18]. Naiṣṭhikī... [break] ...are fixed, fixed up in bhakti, devotional service. Bhakti means bhāgavatī. This word bhakti is used only in connection with Bhagavān. There are so many bhaktis they have manufactured. One is devoted to his family; one is devoted to his dog; one is devoted to his country, society. There are different kinds of attachment. But here it is said, bhakti bhagavati. Bhakti, when you give your attachment to bhagavān, the Supreme Person, then it is... Bhakti, bhagavān and bhakta. Bhagavān is there, and bhakta is there, and their transaction between bhagavān and bhakta, that is called bhakti. The impersonalist cannot understand what is bhakti, because there is no duality. They do not believe in duality = bhagavān and bhakta. They believe that everything is one. So there is no question of bhakti in the impersonal philosophy of monism. Bhakti is possible in duality. Nityo nityānāṁ, that is the Vedic version. Nityaḥ, the Supreme Being, and the subordinate beings. The subordinate beings are engaged in the service of the Supreme Being. That is called bhakti. So in order to attain the perfection of this bhakti, devotional service, one has to begin with śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [SB 1.2.17], and by hearing and hearing, naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu [SB 1.2.18]. Abhadra, "inauspicious results." What is that inauspicious result? The karmī... One who wants to become happy by working hard in this material world, they are called karmī. Everyone is trying, earning more money, more money. divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā [SB 2.1.3] Divā. Business, the karmīs business, is that daytime he is engaged, divā. Cārthehayā, divāca artha īhayā, "Where is money? Where is money?" In your country, especially big, big cities, all kinds of motorcars are running in this way and that way. So what is the purpose? "Where is money? Where is money?" Divā cārthehayā rājan. Then, if you have got money, then what to do? Kuṭumba-bharaṇena. Kuṭumba means family, that wife, children, relatives also. How to provide them, how to give them money [indistinct], dress, good food [indistinct], or to our countrymen? That kuṭumba-bharaṇena. So whole day is spoiled in this way, by driving car this way and that way, earning money [indistinct]. Then affection from the family. Then remains, what is his night? Nidrayā hriyate naktaṁ [SB 2.1.3]. Night for sleeping or vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ, for sex life. So this is the business of karmīs. At night sleeping or sex life, and at daytime get money and spend it more and more. Then where is Kṛṣṇa consciousness in his life? Where is Kṛṣṇa consciousness? Very difficult for the karmīs. Therefore the karmīs are described in the śāstras = mūḍhāḥ. Mūḍhāḥ means the ass. Why ass? They are so intelligent, working hard, so what for? Sense gratification. nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti [SB 5.5.4] Their business is, they have become mad to earn money and spend, nūnaṁ pramattaḥ. What is the purpose? Sense gratification. In France, in Paris, old men, seventy-five years old, eighty years old, they go to the nightclub. They purchase ticket to enter the nightclub, fifty dollars. Then they select their co-partner and wine bottle, another three hundred dollars. So this is the karmī life. He does not know that "Why I am laboring so hard, and why I am spending money unnecessarily in sense gratification?" mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam [Bg. 7.13] Everything is there in our literature, this Bhagavad-gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. [indistinct] Your life will be successful. So here, one thing is suggested = nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā [SB 1.2.18]. Daily. Daily read Bhāgavatam, and try to serve the person bhāgavatam, your spiritual master, and study his order. Whatever he will say, just try to do. Otherwise life is spoiled. Ādau gurv-āśrayaḥ [Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu]. Our bhakti-mārga is, the first business is, ādau gurv-āśrayaḥ. Sad-dharma-pṛcchā. So first beginning is to accept the spiritual master and inquire from him about advancement of spiritual life, and abide by this. This is called bhāgavata-sevayā. Nityaṁ bhāgavata. So it is to be done regularly, nityaṁ bhāgavata. Then, bhagavaty uttama-śloke. Uttama. Uttama means "transcendental." Ut means "transcending," and tama, tama means "darkness." Tama means "darkness of ignorance," also this material world. Tama. It is dark. Because it is dark, therefore this..., Kṛṣṇa has given us the sun or the moon. Without sun, without moon, it is dark. Just like at night, it is dark. That is its natural position. Therefore it is called tama. Tama means "darkness of ignorance." So bhagavān is uttama. Uttama means "above this darkness." Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ [Bg. 8.20]. There is another kingdom, or another nature, which is not tama, darkness. That is stated in the Upaniṣad. There is no need of sunshine. There is another nature. This nature, there is need of sunshine. Na yatra bhāsayate sūryaḥ: where there is no need of sunshine, there is no need of moonshine, there is no need of electricity. There is. na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ [Bg. 15.6] You will find this, Bhagavad-gītā. There, there is no need of these things, lighting, because as here within this universe we have got only one planet shining, the sun planet, the..., in the spiritual world all the Vaikuṇṭha planets, they are shining. And because all of them shining, the whole nature there is shining. That is called brahmajyoti. So we have got all the information, that what is the spiritual world, what is the material world, why we are in the material world, why we are subjected under birth, death, old age and disease. So as we go on hearing, nityaṁ bhāgavata... In the Bhāgavata, you will hear everything, complete, full knowledge... [break] [end] As cited; https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/SB_01.02.18_nasta-prayesv_abhadresu..._cited

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. https://vanisource.org/wiki/SB_1.2.19_(1962) https://vaniquotes.org/wiki/SB_01.02.19_tada_rajas-tamo-bhavah..._cited Transcript: Srila Prabhupāda: Sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati [SB 1.2.19]. Everyone wants happiness, peace of mind. How it is possible? That is explained here = ceta etair anāviddhaṁ [SB 1.2.19]. Everything is within the heart. So we are being [indistinct] by the rajas, tamas. Rajas means passion, desire for material enjoyment, and tamas means ignorance. Neither enjoyment nor knowledge. Just like animal = animal has no material enjoyment, neither he has knowledge. So similarly, persons who are infected by the tamo-guna, they do not know what is the meaning of life, neither are they interested[?]. People are becoming affected by this tamo-guna. Therefore even in this Western country they are turning to the hippies. No material enjoyment, no spiritual knowledge---simply in darkness. So if we develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, just the process of hearing---śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ [SB 1.2 17]---if we simply practice the process of hearing about Kṛṣṇa, then gradually the darkness of ignorance and passion will disappear. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1]. We are suffering in this material life on account of these three modes of material nature, especially the modes of passion and ignorance. But here is the process how to get out of these modes of passion and ignorance especially. Also material goodness. Sometimes material goodness is also a cause of bondage. A person falsely thinks that "Now I have become a brāhmaṇa," or "I have got a sacred thread; therefore my business is finished. Now I can do anything. It doesn’t matter." That is also another bondage. You have to still advance. Even if you... The brāhmaṇas... Actually, a brāhmaṇa does not think like that, that "Because I have got this sacred thread, my business is finished." We offer the sacred thread, but don’t make your business finished there. There is further progressive life. After becoming brāhmaṇa, one has to become a Vaiṣṇava. This process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness... Just as we shall initiate several of our disciples, the first initiation and the second initiation. The first initiation is to give chance of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. The beads are there, and the initiated members we will advise to refrain from sinful activities, and in pure heart chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. Not in pure heart---heart is already polluted---but offenseless. There are ten kinds of offenses; that will be explained. The first offense is guror avajñā śruti-śāstra-nindanam [Padma Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa 25.15-18]. There are ten kinds of offenses. Our..., some of our disciples are going to be initiated. They should always remember how to avoid the offenses. Of course, in the beginning, the offenses are there, but if we try to avoid them, then there will be nāmābhāsa. Nāmābhāsa means almost pure chanting of the holy name. That is called nāmābhāsa. And if you attain the state of nāmābhāsa, you’ll become immediately liberated. And then, when you can chant the śuddha holy name, pure, uncontaminated by the material modes of nature, then you will develop your love of Kṛṣṇa. So here it is stated, rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ: we are afflicted with three kinds of the modes of nature. So, out of the three, two are very dangerous. What are they? Rajas tamas, passion and ignorance. The whole material world is going on on the basis of these two qualities, passion and ignorance. What are the symptoms of passion? Kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye [SB 1.2.19] = too much attraction for sense gratification. This is called passion. And lobha: greediness, not satisfied. Now we are coming from a cottage, very nice cottage, self-sufficient; little land also, growing vegetables. Nice cottage, very warm. There is no need of air conditioning. We can live very simple life anywhere, any part of the world. There are so many jungles = you cut one or two trees, and with the logs you can make into little cottage. And after the trees being cut, the land becomes open, so you can utilize the land for growing food grains, for pasturing ground. Then if you have got cows, food grains, vegetables and a cottage, then where is your economic problem? [laughter] Where is your economic problem? Live peacefully in the open air, take sufficient milk, all vitamins, and vegetables full of vitamins, A, B, C, D. You have to take, vitamins. [laughter] You get nice life and save time for chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Devotees: Jaya! Prabhupāda: This is life. We are trying to introduce in this New Vrindaban colony this simple life. But the kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. We can live very simple life, but because we are infected by the rajo-guna and tamo-guna, we require the pigeonholes of skyscraper buildings---unnecessarily. Unnecessarily, why? Your time is so valuable that you cannot get back your life, one day of your life or one moment of your life, by paying millions of dollars. What is the day today? Twentieth? Devotees: Twenty-first. Prabhupāda: Twenty-first. Now the 20th July, 1974, which is past of our life, it cannot be returned, even if you try to bribe material nature millions of dollars. It is not possible. What is gone is gone. Therefore Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said, very good moral instruction, āyuṣaḥ kṣaṇa eko 'pi na labhya svarṇa-koṭibhiḥ Even the moment of time we cannot get back by payment of millions of golden coins. That is not possible. na cen nirarthakaṁ nītiḥ kā ca hānis tato 'dhikā [Nīti Śāstra, Cāṇakya-śloka 34] If such valuable time you simply waste, then just estimate it what is your loss, practically, from monetary point. One moment of your life cannot be returned by millions of dollars. Therefore our Rūpa Gosvāmī also teaches, avyartha-kālatvam [Cc. Madhya 23.18]. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person should see, "Whether my time has become wasted? Whether I am utilizing my time, the short duration of my life, properly?" All Kṛṣṇa conscious persons should be vigilant to see that the time is not wasted. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore advises, kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā amāninā mānadena kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ [Cc. Ādi 17.31] We have therefore introduced chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours. I am glad to see all the devotees, they are carrying the beads, that this is nice practice. It must be. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, for twenty-four hours = while working, even in sleeping. If you practice, in sleep also you will chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is possible. It is not impossible; it is fact. So the human life, if you want actually peace and prosperity, as it is stated, ceta etair anāviddhaṁ sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati [SB 1.2.19] You have to keep yourself always in the sattva-guna, the modes of goodness, brahminical platform. Satya, śamaḥ, damaḥ, titikṣāḥ, ārjavam, jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ brahma-karma svabhāva-jam [Bg. 18.42]. So those who are going to be initiated brāhmaṇa, they must observe; otherwise what is the use of taking a sacred thread? Don’t think by simply having a sacred thread, this business is finished. No. They should be practiced how to keep yourself on the platform of sattva-guna. That platform of sattva-guna can be maintained when you are engaged in devotional service. Here it is said, sthitaṁ sattve prasīdati [SB 1.2.19] = simply being situated on the platform of goodness, you will be happy. Prasīdati, you will feel happiness, because you are in the knowledge. But the bhakti process is so transcendental that by discharge of devotional service you will be far above the sattva-guna. Sattva-guna, that is material good qualities. But these material good qualities can be contaminated sometimes, because the material nature is very powerful. daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14] Very, very powerful. Therefore sometimes we see that those who are not sticking to the principles, they fall down---immediately. The material nature will drag, "Please come here." But if you remain fixed up in devotional service, then you go above the sattva-guna. That is also stated in the Bhagavad-gītā: māṁ ca yo 'vyabhicāreṇa bhakti-yogena sevate sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate [Bg. 14.26] So we are introducing this process to become directly a pure devotee. A pure devotee. Devotee, pure and impure? Yes. Impure means those who are still contaminated by these three qualities, sattva-guna, raja-guna, tamo-guna. And pure means above; no contamination. So take directly, because in this age it is very difficult to go step by step. Life is very short. You do not know at any moment. Material world is full of danger, especially in this age. prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ sabhya kalāv asmin yuge janāḥ mandāḥ sumanda-matayo manda-bhāgyā hy upadrutāḥ [SB 1.1.10] This is the position. Almost every one of us, we have got very short life, duration of life. Although in this age the standard of life should be one hundred years, but we may believe it is reducing. On account of sinful activities, the duration of age is reducing, memory is reducing. Therefore, the short-cut policy to make our life successful, as Caitanya Mahāprabhu has introduced, has instructed, that paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam. ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ ...paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam [Śikṣāṣṭaka 1] So śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam will give you life. So those who are going to be initiated, they must try to avoid---not try; they must---the ten kinds of offenses, then the pure name will be manifest. Then you will try to chant more and more and more. This is the effect. So actually, we want peace and prosperity, because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is full of prosperity. And why we should be not in prosperity? This is the material contamination. So kāma-lobhādayaś: the material contamination means unnecessarily lusty. Unnecessarily. But if you practice, our this unnecessary desire for sense gratification will be reduced. Bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir anyatra syāt [SB 11.2.42]. Bhakti, devotional life, is so nice, and..., and as you advance in devotional life, you will become disinterested---practically no interest in material activities. That is the test. That is the test. Śrīla Yāmunācārya says, yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde nava-nava-rasa-dhāmanudyata rantum āsīt tadāvadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca [Śrīla Yāmunācārya] Here in the material world, the highest pleasure is sex. Everyone---not only human society; dog society, cat society, bird society---they are all after sex. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham [SB 7.9.45]. The most abominable happiness, that is the first-class happiness in the material world. But if you engage your..., your mind in Kṛṣṇa, yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravinde... Yāmunācārya, he was a king. So he says from his practical experience that "Since I have engaged my mind on the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa," nava-nava-rasa-dhāmanudyata rantum āsīt, "and increasing every moment transcendental mellows, newer and new, from that time," tadāvadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne, "when I think of sex life with woman, immediately I spit on it." This is the test. The more you advance in Kṛṣṇa life, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you forget this topmost pleasure of material life, sex life. That is the test. So the sex life is passion, rajas, kāma. So here it is said, tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ [SB 1.2.19] = the result of passion is sex, kāma; and lobha, no satisfaction. So spiritual life means above all these things. You cannot say that you have all the qualities of rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ---lusty desires, greediness---and still you are advancing. That is debauchery. That is not spiritual life. Spiritual life test is this = kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye. Simply you shall be situated in sattva-guna. Ceta etair anāviddhaṁ. Just like the..., you have seen the Cupid picture, it has got an arrow pierced. Therefore this word is used, ceta etair anāviddhaṁ: without being pierced. Viddhaṁ. Anāviddhaṁ. And they, as, as soon as you are pierced by an arrow, the painful condition begins, immediately. So we are always painful, because the heart is pierced by the arrow of the Cupid. So if you remain on the sattva-guna, the goodness, then your heart will not be pierced by the arrow of Cupid. This is the test. Then you will be happy. Thank you very much. Devotees: Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! [end] https://vedabase.io/en/library/transcripts/740721sbnv/

His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/1/1 .....

During a darshan with His Divine Grace Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, a disciple asks, among other questions, if it is necessary for devotees to live in the temple or if they can practice Krishna consciousness outside the temple.

or 1972(?)

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

A documentary film on the building of Melbourne's first Ratha-yatra carts in 1974 for first Australian Ratha-yatra festival, with Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. See the construction of the Ratha-yatra carts and celebration of Lord Jagannatha's Snana-yatra festival.

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness addresses student at La Trobe University, Melbourne Australia. Transcript: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/general/la_trobe_university_lecture/melbourne/july/01/1974

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. After the 1974 Melbourne Rathayatra Festival in Dallas Brooks Hall, Srila Prabhupada, seated on the Ratha-yatra cart inside the hall, addresses the large crowd plus there is chanting of Hare Krishna, dancing, book distribution, preaching & transcendental prasadam distribution! Shared for public information and commentary.

His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness initiates disciples into the Brahma-Madhva-Gaudiya Vaishnava school.

Srila AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness walks with disciples through the Melbourne Botanical Gardens in 1974

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita As It Is 2.13 by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at New York. No transcript found..

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita As It Is 4.13 by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at New York. Bhagavad-gita As It Is: https://vanisource.org/wiki/Bhagavad-gita_As_It_Is_(1972) Transcript: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/4/13/new_york/april/08/1973

Intyroduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is by His Divine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Foundar-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Transcript: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/bg/1/new_york/february/19/1966