# January 12 *Lectures from this day: 8 recordings* --- **[[spoken/680112sb.la|SB 1.5.4 — January 12, 1968, Los Angeles]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...*akṛtārtha iva prabho* [[sb/1/5/4|[SB. 1.5.4] ]]. The question of Nārada to Vyāsadeva, his disciple, that "My dear disciple Vyāsadeva, you have thoroughly inquired," *jijñāsā, adhītam. Adhītam* means "You have studied thoroughly." What about? Brahman. Brahman means the Absolute Truth. *Jijñāsitam adhītaṁ ca brahma,* and the Absolute Truth, *yat tat brahma sanātanam. Sanātanam* means eternal. The conception of Brahman, Absolute Truth, is eternal. Brahman, the definition of Brahman is "that which is the greatest." Just like we say God is great. Greatest. And increasing also. Brahman is not limited. Just like we have got some idea, say, the sky, the greatest. But this is also increasing. According to astronomical calculation, the planets and the universe, they can increase. So the Absolute Truth, that is eternally increasing. There is no comparison of Brahman's increasement and magnitude. *Sanātana:* and that is also eternal. So for spiritual realization this is very important thing, *jijñāsā. Jijñāsā* means inquiry. One who is not inquisitive, for him there is no progress, either spiritually or materially. In ordinary school also, the boy who inquires from the teacher always, he is considered to be very intelligent boy. Similarly, in our householder life, sometimes, generally, the children, they inquire from the parents: "Father, what is this? Father, what is that?" That boy, that child, is supposed to be very intelligent. This is experienced. So for spiritual life also, one should be very seriously inquisitive and studious. --- **[[spoken/690112bg.la|Bg 4.34-39 — January 12, 1969, Los Angeles]]** **[*kīrtana*] [*prema-dhvani*] [devotees offer obeisances] [indistinct background comments by devotees] [Prabhupāda enters, devotees offer obeisances]** [27:50] **Madhudviṣa:** Verse t**hirty-four: "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth." Purport... **Prabhupāda:** This is the process of understanding spiritual knowledge. "Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master." So if you want to learn, this is a commonsense affair. Whatever subject matter you want to learn, you have to find out an expert. --- **[[spoken/730112sb.bom|SB 5th Canto, Pandal Lecture — January 12, 1973, Bombay]]** **Prabhupāda:** *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, pañcama skandha,* Fifth Canto. There are twelve cantos, *skandhas,* or division, of the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam amalaṁ purāṇaṁ yad vaiṣṇavānāṁ priyam* [[sb/12/13/18|[SB. 12.13.18] ]]. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is *amalaṁ purāṇam. Amala* means spotless. There are eighteen *purāṇas.* Six *purāṇas* for the *sattvika* people, those who are in the modes of goodness. There are three qualities of the material nature: *sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa.* The living entities, or the *jīvātmās,* they are in this material world for sense gratification. Anyone, beginning from Lord Brahmā down to the small ant or microscopic insect, everyone, every living entity, has come here in this material world for gratifying their senses. The *Prema-vivarta,* an authorized book by one of the disciples of Lord Caitanya, he says... It is in Bengali: As soon as we desire to enjoy... Because constitutionally we are not enjoyer; we are enjoyed. We are not predominator, but we are predominated. That is our position. And Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, *jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa* [[cc/madhya/20/108-109|[Cc. Madhya 20.108-109] ]]. Our real position is to remain eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. This is our real position. But because we have got little independence... Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa... Kṛṣṇa is supremely independent, *abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ.* Description of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is there in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam: janmādy asya yataḥ anvayād itarataś ca artheṣu abhijñaḥ sva-rāṭ. Sva-rāṭ* means fully independent. --- **[[spoken/740112mw.la|Morning Walk — January 12, 1974, Los Angeles]]** **Prabhupāda:** **...accepting a leader, one has to consider what is the position of the leader. They do not take such account. Now they calculate if the leader is very cunning, then he is qualified. They think that politics means cheating, cunning, bluffing. That is good qualification. Lloyd George, sometimes before he came, he said, "Consistency in politics is the qualification of an ass." He must be inconsistent. And here, this is defense. *Tasya vartamānasya [[sb/1/16/17|[SB. 1.16.17] ]]. How he is situated. [break] ...as it was everywhere, especially in India, that if one is not God conscious, he is a third-class rascal. That standard is now gone. Now to become God conscious, to talk of God, is a business of primitive fools. They think like that. Is it not? **Satsvarūpa:**To work in social reform or politics. To work with social reform or politics is realistic. **Prabhupāda:** No standard. [pause] What is the standard of reform, that they do not know. Wherefrom the swan came? --- **[[spoken/740112sb.la|SB 1.16.17 — January 12, 1974, Los Angeles]]** **Pradyumna:** *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* [**Prabhupāda and **devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] **Translation:** "Now you may have heard from me of what happened while Mahārāja Parīkṣit was passing his days hearing of the good occupations of his forefathers and being absorbed in thought of them." --- **[[spoken/750112sb.bom|SB 3.26.35-36 — January 12, 1975, Bombay]]** "From ethereal existence, which evolves from sound, the next transformation takes place under the impulse of time, and thus the subtle element touch and thence air and sense of touch become prominent." **Prabhupāda:** > nabhasaḥ śabda-tanmātrāt > kāla-gatyā vikurvataḥ > sparśo 'bhavat tato vāyus > tvak sparśasya ca saṅgrahaḥ > [[sb/3/26/35|[SB. 3.26.35] ]] --- **[[spoken/760112mw.bom|Morning Walk — January 12, 1976, Bombay]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...racing their cars for years together. And as soon as one car comes in our hand, within one hour finish and stand: "See that I have got a car." Make a show that "Here is a car." And for use, beg others, "Please give me your car." This is going on. [break] That *Caitya-guru*. **Gopāla Kṛṣṇa:** *Caitya-guru*. He is on the terrace doing his rounds. He is refusing to sign that letter, but he has turned over the possessions to me. **Prabhupāda:** But this is your charge. You say that "I have not done it." Present him, and you say in writing that "I have never done it. Now I shall do it." Otherwise we shall have to do the needful. --- **[[spoken/760112sb.bom|SB 5.5.1 [Hindi] — January 12, 1976, Bombay]]** **Prabhupāda:** nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed yasmād brahma-saukhyaṁ tv anantam *[[sb/5/5/1|[SB. 5.5.1] ]] This is the conversation...* [Transl. Should I speak in Hindi? Speak in Hindi? Okay. Ṛṣabhadeva is giving instructions to His sons. He had one hundred sons. Of them the eldest son was Mahārāja Bharata by whose name our this country is named Bhāratavarṣa. Not only this country but all countries, in fact this whole world is Bhāratavarṣa. So His instruction is *āyam deha*, this body that we have got, *nṛloke*, in the human society. Everyone has got a body. There is dog body, sheep body, hog body, demigod body, and many other bodies. Total 8,400,000 thousand species of bodies through which the living entities are travelling. *Tathā dehāntara-prāptir* [[bg/2/13|[Bg. 2.13] ]] The living entity accepts one type of body and according to his *karma* in that body he gives up that body and accepts another body. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, [aside:] sit down. --- ## Letters - [[../../letters/1969/690112_hansadutta.md|Letter to Hansadutta, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1969/690112_kirtanananda.md|Letter to Kirtanananda, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1970/700112_tamala_krsna.md|Letter to Tamala Krsna, 1970]] - [[../../letters/1971/710112_vaikunthanatha.md|Letter to Vaikunthanatha, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1974/740112_kausalya.md|Letter to Kausalya, 1974]] - [[../../letters/1974/740112_kirtanananda.md|Letter to Kirtanananda, 1974]] - [[../../letters/1974/740112_madhudvisa.md|Letter to Madhudvisa, 1974]] - [[../../letters/1974/740112_mukunda.md|Letter to Mukunda, 1974]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_gandharva.md|Letter to Gandharva, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_jagadisa.md|Letter to Jagadisa, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_kirtiraja.md|Letter to Kirtiraja, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_lesley_fordham.md|Letter to Lesley Fordham, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_mr._lepesqueux.md|Letter to Mr. Lepesqueux, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_nari.md|Letter to Nari, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/750112_sukadeva.md|Letter to Sukadeva, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1977/770112_visvadharini.md|Letter to Visvadharini, 1977]]