# February 22 ## Spoken on February 22 *Lectures from this day: 12 recordings* --- **[1969: Bhagavad-gītā 7.1](spoken/1969/690222bg.la)** > Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu has distinctly forbidden, *māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa* : "If you hear the commentary of the impersonalist demons, then your whole thing is spoiled. Your life is spoiled." Go on. *Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. Sarva-nāśa* means you lose everything. And because we do not explain demonic explanation, that "I am God; you are God," people do not like. Just like the other day the question was... They explained in different... They like that explanation, because demonic. > There are so many rascals, they say, "You can hear of any demigod, any man. That's all right." No. Any man, any demigod is not Kṛṣṇa. That is misunderstanding. *Kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ yajante anya-devatāḥ*.* If any person goes to worship any other demigod, he is persuaded by lust. But those who are worshiper of Kṛṣṇa, they are not persuaded by lust; they are persuaded by love. That is the difference. Therefore those who have got lust within their mind, they can worship many other demigods. But those who are freed from all lusty desires, simply wants to love Kṛṣṇa, they can attain this *śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam,* chanting and hearing. --- **[1970: Ten Offenses Lecture](spoken/1970/700222in.la)** > Just like Kṛṣṇa says,*mam ekam. Ekam*means only one, "Unto Me." Of course, there are many other forms of God, but in order to concentrate your mind perfectly, you should only think of Kṛṣṇa.*Mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja*.So we do not accept this nonsense philosophy that any name we chant, it becomes God. No. God's name. Of course, God's name may be sounding..., just like you say "water," I say *jala*. > Kṛṣṇa says, "Just surrender unto Me," and we are teaching, "Just surrender toKṛṣṇa."Is there any difference? No difference. Therefore in speaking we are actually the representative ofKṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇasays, "Surrender unto Me." And we, in the disciplic succession of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, we are also speaking, "Just surrender toKṛṣṇa." --- **[1971: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam6.3.30–31](spoken/1971/710222sb.gor)** > Immediately *aikāntika-niṣkṛtam*, completely he becomes free from all sinful resultant actions. Immediately. But the difficulty is that after being released from such sinful resultant actions he again commits sins, because he is habituated, he's habituated. Therefore the habit has to be changed. The same example, just like the elephant takes bath very nicely in the sand and as soon as he comes over the land he takes some dust and throws over it. This mentality has to be changed but by construct even in the beginning one who is offender by chanting and committing again the same sin—because due to our practice. Kṛṣṇa says: *api cet su-durācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk*. "If he has got full faith in the chanting of His holy name even if he commits repeatedly sinful actions—on account of his past habits." > Now *śraddhā* or respect for the statement means one who is firmly convinced. What is that? That: *kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya.* If I surrender unto Kṛṣṇa, under the at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa then all perfection of my activities will come. This firm conviction is the basic principle of *śraddhā*. If you have got a education Kṛṣṇa says that, "You surrender unto Me," and if I hesitate. I do not know whether Kṛṣṇa will be actually able to protect give me protection, that is not complete *śraddhā*. *Śraddhā* means: "Full faith." Yes. Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Personality of Godhead is assuring: *ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣayiṣyāmi*, then why not surrender unto Him? On this conviction if one surrenders unto Kṛṣṇa that is the basic principle of *śraddhā*. That *śraddhā* you have to increase by your devotional service. That is the beginning if you have flickering faith then that is also lacking in *śraddhā*. So *ādau śraddhā*, so first of all you must have this *śraddhā.* Then because one has got *śraddhā*, naturally his business will be to associate with devotees. "Where devotees are sleeping? How the devotees are working? How they are developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness?" Though associates, so therefore we give chance, opening centers, we give chance for association. "Please come, sit down here and just try to learn something about devotional service, take *prasādam*. In this way our activities are to give chance to the ordinary people for good association. If anyone has got *śraddhā* he will take advantage of the association. It is not a money making business that we keep one Deity, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, that is our business, how? Because we worship but however opportunity is offered to the people in general that they may come, they may offer obeisances, bow down before Kṛṣṇa. These every item is giving, helping him in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Is it true? If anyone comes simply bows down he becomes advanced. That we have discussed in the previous. --- **[1972: Lecture to Railway Workers](spoken/1972/720222le.vis)** > As Kṛṣṇa says that, *janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ*, anyone who knows perfectly well what is Kṛṣṇa, why He comes down, why He acts just like ordinary human being and what is the intention and purpose of His coming here. These things you'll find them in *Bhagavad-gītā* He says everything completely and after all returning *Bhagavad-gītā* or Kṛṣṇa to understand *Bhagavad-gītā* means to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then, *tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaun*... > The atheist class they did not believe in God but Lord Buddha came before them He said, "yes there is no God, that's right but whatever I say you take it." So the atheist class took it, "yes whatever You say we shall take it." But the atheist did not know that He is the incarnation of God. Therefore in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* it is said, *sammohāya sura-dviṣām*, *sammohāya sura-dviṣām, sura-dviṣām*—means the atheist class. *Sammohāya*—just to bewildered them, you don't believe in God, that's all right but you take My words, *ahimsa parama-dharma*, don't kill animals. Lord Buddha appeared, *sadaya-hṛdaya-darśita-paśu-ghātam*, He was... The Lord became very much compassionate when people in the name of religion in the name of *Vedas* were much addicted to killing of animals. --- **[1973: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.15–17](spoken/1973/730222sb.auc)** > I will not die. Not I, every one of us—nobody will die. *Na jāyate mriyate*. We have no death, no birth; simply we are changing this body just like we daily change our dress. So one has to stop. This is perfection of life. This repetition we don't like. Suppose if somebody comes and asks you, "Please die immediately. I shall give you a body of King George V," or something like that. Would you like to? Would you agree? Why? If the promise is that "You give up this body, and I will give you another body, a king's body or a demigod's body, or you will live for one thousand years or one million years." So perhaps we may agree that, but we are not agreeable to give up this body immediately, because we do not like. That is our natural instinct. We do not wish to die; therefore we are afraid of death. We do not like to change, because we are eternal. That is the reason. The background is because we are eternal, therefore we do not wish to change. We want to build... The scientists are trying to live forever. They say that "By science we shall make everyone living for good." But that is not possible. If you want to live for good, in blissful life and full of knowledge, then you have to transfer yourself from this material world to the spiritual world. There it is worth it. There your natural life, *mad-dhāma gatvā punar janma na vidyate*. The *Bhagavad-gītā* says, "Anyone who comes to Me, he does not come back again on this material world." *Duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam* : this material world is full of miseries and also temporary. > So these are the problems. So we should not be irresponsible. But in this age people are very irresponsible. *Prāyeṇālpāyuṣaḥ*, short-living; *mandāḥ. Mandāḥ*, means "slow"; he does not understand that "I have got a responsibility. I must quickly finish that responsibility before the death comes. Before the next death comes I must prepare myself in such a way that I will not have to come back again to this material world, miserable world." That is your responsibility. But we are callous: "All right, let it become what it is." *Mandāḥ sumanda-matayo*. --- **[1974: Bhagavad-gītā 7.7](spoken/1974/740222bg.bom)** > So as the sun is the supreme cause of this material world, similarly the supreme cause of... There are many millions of universes and millions of suns. They are all caused by the supreme energy of Kṛṣṇa, *bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ* and *apareyam itas tu viddhi me prakṛtiṁ parām. Two *prakṛtis, parā-prakṛti* and *aparā-prakṛti.* So the *Vedānta-sūtra,* that *janmādy asya yataḥ,* the original source of everything, Brahman, that is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat.* Brahman is not supreme. Then Kṛṣṇa would have said not..., "Brahman is the Supreme." But He says, *mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat.* Brahman is the bodily effulgence of Kṛṣṇa. *Yasya prabhā prabhavato jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi* [Bs. 5.40]. > Mat-sthāni sarva-bhūtāni na cāhaṁ teṣv avasthitaḥ.* So everything is resting on Kṛṣṇa. In another place He says that "I am sustaining all these planets." Of course, we understand law of gravitation according to our theory, but actually, according to Vedic description, the Saṅkarṣaṇa is sustaining all these planets. So anyway, it is to be understood. Just like the, all the planets are floating in the air in weightlessness... How this weightlessness comes? That is explained here. *Mayi,* "It is resting on Me," Kṛṣṇa says. *Mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva*. --- **[1975: Initiation Lecture](spoken/1975/750222in.car)** > So the most important item is *śravaṇam,* or hearing. If you do not do anything else, if you simply sincerely hear about God, then gradually you will be God conscious. That is also true in the material science. The students go to the school, college, and hear from the professor, and gradually he becomes learned in that subject matter. Especially in this age, *śravaṇam,* or hearing, is very, very important. We are therefore opening different centers in different parts of the world, and their given, being given the chance of this *bhakti-yoga* system, *śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam*,* like that. So all these devotees present here, they are not Indians. I have not brought them from India; neither I have bribed them here. But by hearing only, they are now coming to God consciousness, and devotees. Therefore this *śravaṇam* item, or hearing item, is very, very important. > So if you all, ladies and gentlemen present here, take advantage of hearing about God from this institution, you will also become God conscious. They, we have got many sense organs, out of which the aural sense, or the hearing sense, is very important. Therefore, for spiritual understanding we have to use this ear. So therefore the Vedic literature is called *śruti. Śruti* means to receive the knowledge by hearing. So our process, or the Vedic process, is that *satāṁ prasaṅgān mama vīrya-saṁvido bhavanti hṛt-karṇa-rasāyanāḥ kathāḥ*. If one lends his aural reception of spiritual knowledge through the authorized person, devotee, then he relishes taste in spiritual life. And when you cultivate that stage, then, gradually, he becomes a devotee; he understands what is God. Another place, *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* Brahmā recommends, --- **[1975: Room Conversation with Psychiatrists](spoken/1975/750222r1.car)** > So the modern civilization defect is that he is not this body, but he does not know it. Therefore, in the Vedic literature it is said, *yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke* : "Anyone is identifying himself with this body, which is made of material element," *yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu,* "and in bodily relationship he is thinking his family is protector, his nation is protector—in this way, one who lives, he is no better than the animal." Therefore in the *Bhagavad-gītā...* [aside:] Fond out this verse, *aśocyān anvaśocas tvaṁ prajñā-vādāṁś ca bhāṣase.* --- **[1976: Morning Walk [Partially Recorded](spoken/1976/760222mw.may)** > That... Apart from that, everything... S*arva-kāma-dugdhā-mahī.* [[sb/1/10/4|[SB. 1.10.4] ]] From the earth, everything is there. This green color is there, this red color is there, the pink color is there, this white color is there—but you cannot separate. Where is your chemistry? Take the color, the flavor, from the earth. [end] --- **[1976: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.15](spoken/1976/760222sb.may)** > To understand God, to understand Kṛṣṇa, is not very easy job; very, very difficult job. Therefore we don't find anyone is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Anywhere you go, all over the world, you make a statistic: nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. Is it not a fact? Out of millions of. Kṛṣṇa says, *manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu,* "Out of millions." That's a fact. Nobody is interested in Kṛṣṇa. *Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu.* So therefore, to understand Kṛṣṇa is not very easy job. But by the grace of Kṛṣṇa you can understand Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is explaining Himself. That is Kṛṣṇa: great. You take. And again Kṛṣṇa is coming as Caitanya Mahāprabhu to show us the way how to understand Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu means Kṛṣṇa Himself, present to teach us how to understand Kṛṣṇa. > "One must approach to the proper *guru* to understand this subject matter." And that is success of human life. Otherwise, to live like cats and dogs—*sa eva go-kharaḥ, cows and asses, animal life—this is not civilization. So our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is an attempt, however small it may be, to bring back the human society to real civilization. It is not ordinary movement. They are not civilized. *Mūḍhā.* This is a civilization of rascals and fools. But to bring them back to knowledge, that is civilization. That civilization is spiritual life. Athāto brahma-jijñāsā. This human life is meant for spiritual life, not for material life like cats and dogs. This is not required. This is *Vedānta* philosophy, *athāto* brahma-jijñāsā. One must try to learn what is the ultimate source of everything, not that theorizing or, what is called, imagining something. Take knowledge from the right source, *brahma-vidyā,* the Vedic knowledge, and try to understand the situation, what is Brahman, what you are. We are also Brahman. *Ahaṁ brahmāsmi.* These things are to be known. And when we neglect to understand these things, that means we are going to the wrong way of life. The wrong way of life can be allowed up to the animal life. Out of 8,400,000 forms of life, the animal life, 3,000,000 types of animal life, by evolutionary process we come to the human life. Now we should inquire about spiritual life. That is civilization. Without spiritual life, without inquiring the spiritual life, it is animal life, *sa eva go-kharaḥ. --- ## Letters on February 22 *Letters from this day: 16* --- **[1968: Letter to Purusottama](letters/1968/680222_purusottama)** > Regarding the NGO section of the United Nations, I am enclosing herewith a statement addressing Mr. You can inform him that the Gaudiya Math Institutions in India and in England, are also part of this Institution. --- **[1969: Letter to Mrs. Cline](letters/1969/690222_mrs._cline)** > Certainly you are blessed by Krishna, otherwise you could not write such nice things although your connection with our movement is very recent. --- **[1969: Letter to Rayarama](letters/1969/690222_rayarama)** > So far as Dai Nippon's quotation at $2,100 for 20,000 copies with a sixty day period before delivery, please send me the original letter if you have received anything. --- **[1970: Letter to Bali-Mardana](letters/1970/700222_bali-mardana)** > It is also very much pleasing that you have liked the company of Upendra, and both of you combined together will surely carry successfully our Australian Yatra. --- **[1970: Letter to Damodara](letters/1970/700222_damodara)** > I am very pleased to learn how things are going on very well in Washington center and that you are nicely celebrating the various Advent days of our great Acaryas. But I am especially glad to know of your very successful work amongst the students. This is very encouraging to me. --- **[1970: Letter to Pradyumna](letters/1970/700222_pradyumna)** > The minor mistake which you committed on the first verse of Isopanisad I marked, but I ignore it as very insignificant. --- **[1970: Letter to Rukmini](letters/1970/700222_rukmini)** > I have immediately tasted these lugloos,* and I can understand also how you are happily advancing in the service of Lord Krsna, they are prepared so nicely. --- **[1971: Letter to Dr. Baltwant Singh](letters/1971/710222_dr._baltwant_singh)** > I remember Mr. Petamber Dindayal. He met our men in our London temple, but the negotiation was not mature for financial difficulty. --- **[1971: Letter to Hayagriva](letters/1971/710222_hayagriva)** > At present I am staying at Gorakhpur, an important city in Northern India and we having very good preaching work in India. --- **[1971: Letter to Jitendriya](letters/1971/710222_jitendriya)** > I am very glad to note that people are so much appreciating our Movement there and my only desire is that we do not deviate from the highest standard of Krishna Consciousness. --- **[1971: Letter to Kirtanananda](letters/1971/710222_kirtanananda)** > Just recently I have written you one letter and I hope you have received it by now. --- **[1971: Letter to Niranjana](letters/1971/710222_niranjana)** > I am glad to receive your letter dated 15th Feb. I am so glad that you are performing devotional service seriously by chanting 16 rounds daily. Do not be agitated with the criticism of your friends because Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that one should be humbler that a blade of grass and should be more tolerant than a tree for chanting Hare Krishna Mantra. --- **[1971: Letter to Reserve Bank Of India](letters/1971/710222_reserve_bank_of_india)** > I beg to inform you that on account of the Krishna Consciousness Movement started by me in the Western countries I have got many thousands of disciples. --- **[1971: Letter to Visnujana](letters/1971/710222_visnujana)** > I am so glad that you are developing the center in Houston Texas and now have gone to Austin Texas to open yet another center. If you think so, I can send Deities for installing in the Houston temple. --- **[1972: Letter to Rupanuga](letters/1972/720222_rupanuga)** > Upon your recommendation, I am glad to accept as my duly initiated disciples both of the girls you mention. I shall be sending their beads duly chanted by me under separate post, and also I shall be writing to them separately (please find enclosed). --- **[1977: Letter to Bhadravardhana](letters/1977/770222_bhadravardhana)** > I have received your undated letter along with enclosure of the manuscript of “Analysis of Bhagavad-gita, as well as a fifty dollar check, and I thank you very much. ---