# May 8 ## Spoken on May 8 *Lectures from this day: 11 recordings* --- **[1968: Lecture to Technology Students [M.I.T.](spoken/1968/680508le.cam)** > [*kīrtana*] [Announcement] [indistinct] [break] [05:12] > ...ajñāna-timirāndhasya > jñānāñjana-śalākayā > cakṣur unmīlitaṁ yena > tasmai śrī-gurave namaḥ This prayer is offering respectful obeisances to the spiritual master. Why? Because the spiritual master is the person who opens our eyes, complicated in ignorance, with the torch of transcendental knowledge. --- **[1968: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.1](spoken/1968/680508sb.bos)** > So here also, the same thing, *viṣṇu pādopasarpaṇam yad eṣa sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya. Sarva-bhūtānām* means all living entities. *Priya,* that is real dear object. *Sarva-bhūtānāṁ priya ātmeśvaraḥ suhṛt*. He is the proprietor of my self. He is Superself. Just like I love this body. Why? Because I am the spirit self, or soul is within this body. Therefore just like I love this apartment. Why? Because I live here. Similarly, I love this body because I am spirit soul, I am living within this body; therefore I try to protect it. Real love is to myself. So naturally, if you love yourself, then this self is the part and parcel of the Superself. Therefore you love indirectly the Superself. > So Prahlāda Mahārāja is also stressing on that point, that *durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma tad apy adhruvam arthadam.* Although this human form of life is not very long, but you can get the very nice result out of it. *Arthadam. Artha. Artha* means profit. So real profit is spiritual profit. That is real profit, because that will never be lost. And material profit, suppose you become M.A., Ph.D., Doctor, or Rockefeller or Ford, or something like that. You gain so many material things. But as soon as this body is finished, everything is finished. --- **[1970: Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 6](spoken/1970/700508ip.la)** > He has no discrimination who is devotee, who is nondevotee, who is atheist or theist, or who is... In this way, he sees everyone the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. And everyone is engaged... One who is suffering, he's also engaged, because... Just like the prisoner. The prisoner, he's also serving the government—by force. Therefore one who is elevated, even those who are in abominable stage of life, the *mahā-bhāgavata* sees, "Oh, he's also obeying." Actually, it is obeying. The prisoners, they are obeying the government, although by force, but they're obeying. > So one is being forced to accept Kṛṣṇa as the master, and the other is voluntarily offering service. That is the difference. But nobody is free from the service of Kṛṣṇa. That is not possible. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu's philosophy that eternal servant. Either you accept or not accept, you are servant. You are never equal or greater than God. --- **[1973: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.8.46](spoken/1973/730508sb.la)** > Therefore Kṛṣṇa says that... You can say that "There is no need of *kṣatriya;* let there be all *śūdras.*" No. Then there will be social scandal. Everything must be there. The *brāhmaṇa* must be there, the *kṣatriya* must be there, the *vaiśyas* must be there and the *śūdras* must be there, and the state should look that these things are observed scientifically and they are being educated in that way. That is king's business. He must see that the *kṣatriyas,* those who are *kṣatriya* spirited, they are being trained up as *kṣatriya;* the *brāhmaṇas* are being trained up as *brāhmaṇa*. > Therefore, despite His advice to Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira that "There was no wrong on your part. You are thinking that you have killed, or for your sake so many men have been killed. That is not... You are not responsible for that. You are not sinful." For a *kṣatriya,* killing is not sinful. For a *brāhmaṇa,* sacrificing an animal in the arena, that is not sinful. So it is all explained in the *Bhagavad-gītā, sa doṣam api na tyajet*.* Killing is bad, but a *kṣatriya's* business is to kill. Without killing, one cannot become perfect *kṣatriya.* Because he has to give protection, and there are so many demons, rascals. So if the king becomes nonviolent, how other citizens will be given protection? No. --- **[1974: Morning Walk](spoken/1974/740508mw.bom)** > "Therefore, my Lord Kṛṣṇa, I see my future is hopeless, and therefore I surrender unto You. There is no other way." *Madhava! hama parinām nirāśatuhun jaga-tārandīna doyā moyataye tohāri viśoyāsā*, that "I have no other hope. Simply hope You are." Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break]...is better, the breathing air. That side is... > He asked me, "What is the conception of hell?" I said, "It is your London. By artificial way you have kept it as heaven. But otherwise, it is hell." So this was published. --- **[1975: Morning Walk](spoken/1975/750508mw.per)** > So we should be callous with all these political, social... We should simply go on. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. He was callous. Family affairs, wife responsibility, for mother's responsibility, for... Nothing. Simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. *Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ* [*Cc Ādi* 17.31]. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's life. Even didn't care for anything, no responsibility. "My only business is chanting." That is Kṛṣṇa Consciousness. You preach for some time, then you simply engage himself. Preaching means to make him strong, preaching, to become firmly convinced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is preaching. So when he is firmly convinced, then he can give up preaching and sit down and simply chant. Not in the beginning. That is imitation. He must be firmly convinced. So we have to study Caitanya Mahāprabhu's life. Except—this is the clear and simple truth—except chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra,* there is no other business of the human being. So this preaching is also chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra.* This is preaching. That has been shown by all the disciples of Caitanya Mahāprabhu. All the Gosvāmīs, Haridāsa Ṭhākura and others only did this: how to develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, no other business. That is *sannyāsa.* He has no other business. To preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to practice Kṛṣṇa consciousness, to convince Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that's all. No other business. We don't take part in politics, sociology and mental speculation, science, or so on, so on—all nonsense. We reject all; kicked out. That is the perfection. It is simply waste of time. These are all superficial. Just like waves in the sea. Where is the meaning? The waves are going on. [break] > Striya śūdra tathā vaiśya:* even the women, less intelligent, the *śūdra, vaiśya,* they can come and see Him. Where is the difficulty? Even if you are born very lowest, you can go. Kṛṣṇa is open to everyone. Simply you become qualified, that's all. And what is the qualification? *Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru* : "Just always think of Me, become My devotee, offer your respect to Me, and *man-manā,* worship Me." That's all. Four things. That we are opening this temple for this purpose, that you always think of Him, you worship Him, you offer obeisances to Him and become His devotee. And then? *Mām evaiṣyasi asaṁśayaḥ*, without a doubt you will come to Him. What is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. --- **[1975: Room Conversation with Kim Cornish](spoken/1975/750508r1.per)** > And because He is complete, the creator, He has no defect; therefore He can create everything complete. *Pūrṇam idaṁ, pūrṇam adaḥ, pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate.* And He is so complete that *pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya,* from the complete, if you take the whole complete, still He is complete. Here is a glass of water; I am drinking, drinking part by part. And when it is finished, the water is finished—no more complete. But He is so complete that just like the sun, the temperature is being distributed for million and millions of years, still it is full of temperature. Here, unless the electric power is there, it is not complete. But there is power in the sunshine. It is a reservoir of so much temperature and light that in history, millions and millions of years it is distributing, the seasonal changes are going on, the green foliage is coming again, the snow or rain is coming, so many things are going on account of temperature. Any machine is rolling, just like as soon as there is power, the machine is rolling. In all machines, your bodily machine, my bodily machine, and electric machines and other powered machines—everything is going on. *Pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate.* And in spite of taking so much energy from the sun, it is still full of light and energy. This is one of the creation of the Supreme. Now how much perfect is the Supreme? You can imagine. Its one of the creation, sun, is maintaining the whole universe. And there are many millions of universes, and each of them has got a sun to conduct the business. And all these suns are created by somebody. How much complete He is, you can just imagine. That is God. > "It is explained in the Seventh Chapter that material nature is a manifestation of the inferior energy of the Supreme Lord. The Lord impregnates the inferior material nature with the fragments of the superior nature, and that is the spiritual touch in the material nature. When a living entity, conditioned by this material nature, begins the cultivation of spiritual knowledge, he elevates himself from the position of material existence and gradually rises up to the Brahman conception of the Supreme. This attainment of the Brahman conception of life is the first stage in self-realization. At this stage, the Brahman-realized person is transcendental to the material position, but he is not actually perfect in Brahman realization. If he wants, he can continue to stay in the Brahman position and then gradually rise up to the Paramātmā realization and then to the realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are many examples of this in Vedic literature. The four Kumāras were situated first in the impersonal Brahman conception of truth, but then they gradually rose to the platform of devotional service. --- **[1976: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.7](spoken/1976/760508sb.hon)** > Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *aprāpya māṁ nivartante mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani*. Kṛṣṇa has come to you to give you nice instruction how you can go back to home, back to Godhead. Back to home, back to Godhead. That is Kṛṣṇa's mission. *Paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśāya ca duṣkṛtam*. He comes Himself, Kṛṣṇa, and He comes as Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as devotee of Kṛṣṇa. Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Kṛṣṇa, but because people misunderstood that Kṛṣṇa is asking *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja...*, these rascals thought that "It is too much. Why I shall surrender to Kṛṣṇa? I am also as good as Kṛṣṇa. Why shall I surrender?" That is our mentality. If somebody says, good man, that "You surrender. I shall give you good instruction," "Oh, why shall I surrender to you?" That is material life. But our this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement begins when you are ready to surrender. That is beginning. *Tad viddhi praṇipātena*. > So there are three modes of material nature—goodness, passion and ignorance. So long we are in this material world, *puruṣaḥ prakṛti-stho 'pi bhuñjante tad-guṇān.* If we remain in certain place, we must be affected by the modes of that place. So there are three modes: *sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa...* We have to associate either with the modes of goodness or with the modes of passion or with the modes of passion..., er, ignorance. Now, three into three, it becomes nine, and nine into nine, it becomes eighty-one. So mixture. Just like color. There are three colors: blue, red and yellow. Now, those who are expert in manufacturing color, artists, they mix these three colors in different way and they display. Similarly, according to the *guṇas* or mixture, association—*kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya—*we get different types of bodies. Therefore we see so many varieties of bodies. *Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo 'sya*.* So the person who is taking very much pleasure, dancing in the sea like fish, so he is contaminating that modes of nature so that in next life he will become a fish. He'll be very free to dance with the ocean. [laughter] Now it will take again millions of years to come to the stage of human being. *Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati.* He has to pass through the fish life. There are 900,000 different species of life. Then you again come to the land—you become trees, plants and so on. Two millions different forms you have to go through. That is evolution. Darwin's theory of evolution, that is not perfectly explained. It is explained in the Vedic literature. So just a tree is standing for ten thousands of years, we have to pass through this life. But there is no perfect knowledge. We are thinking that we are now very nice American body or Indian body. No. It took so many years to come to this life. Therefore *śāstra* says, *labdhvā sudurlābhaṁ idaṁ bahu-sambhavānte* : "You have got this human form of life after many, many millions of years' waiting." So do not misuse it. That is Vedic civilization, not to misuse the human form of life. --- **[1977: Room Conversation](spoken/1977/770508r2.hri)** --- ## Letters on May 8 *Letters from this day: 13* --- **[1969: Letter to Gargamuni](letters/1969/690508_gargamuni)** > I have advised Uddhava to inform you of what is decided regarding your business, and you may invite Kartikeya to come there to help you, as I have advised Uddhava to inform you. --- **[1969: Letter to Jayagovinda](letters/1969/690508_jayagovinda)** > Regarding your future status in Germany, Krishna will save you; don't bother yourself about it. For the time being, engage yourself in His service, and I think it is the desire of Krishna that you live in Germany and be engaged in His service. --- **[1969: Letter to Krsna Dasa](letters/1969/690508_krsna_dasa)** > You say that there is great prospect for moving our Krishna Conscious propaganda and activities in Germany. --- **[1969: Letter to Mukunda](letters/1969/690508_mukunda)** > I think that you may delete the two clauses if you think it will be helpful in having our society recognized in London. --- **[1969: Letter to Sivananda](letters/1969/690508_sivananda)** > You have mentioned that you may be interested in marriage, and if you think that you should marry, there is no question of living as an artificial brahmacari. --- **[1969: Letter to Sudama](letters/1969/690508_sudama)** > I was very much anxious for Kartikeya after receiving the first letter, so now that he is somewhat improved, try to protect him. --- **[1969: Letter to Upendra](letters/1969/690508_upendra)** > Regarding the church, I think you should try for it by all means, and if need be I shall see that the funds which you need will be loaned to you. --- **[1970: Letter to Bhagavan](letters/1970/700508_bhagavan)** > Regarding the check which you have sent, Gargamuni says that he has not yet received it. --- **[1973: Letter to Giriraja](letters/1973/730508_giriraja)** > I think by the grace of Krsna you are getting some glimpse of hope to keep in possession the Hare Krsna land for our missionary activities. The laurel of victory will be if we can get the whole land at a monthly rent of 1000rs, as you have stated. --- **[1973: Letter to Govardhan 2](letters/1973/730508_govardhan_2)** > Please preach this Krsna Consciousness very strongly so that we may give people real light for seeing the way out of the darkness of Kali Yuga. The modern scientists are confusing everyone with their false propaganda and it is our duty to expose them and kill the demoniac tendency to forget Krsna. --- **[1973: Letter to Sons And Daughters](letters/1973/730508_sons_and_daughters)** > Upon the recommendation of Govardhan I am pleased to accept you as my disciples. Now you must all carefully follow these four regulative principles (1) No meat eating, (2) No illicit sex life, (3) No intoxication, (4) No gambling. --- **[1974: Letter to Govinda](letters/1974/740508_govinda)** > It is very wonderful news that you have permission to hold Rathayatra downtown on the main street on Saturday, July 6 and tens of thousands of people will view the cart. I have been invited to attend the Rathayatra in San Francisco which is July 8. So I am hoping also I will stop in Chicago on my way to San Francisco and observe the festival with you. --- **[1974: Letter to Sudama](letters/1974/740508_sudama)** > Please keep consulting with Bali Mardan on financial matters. It is possible that I may stop at Honolulu sometime in July on my way to Rathayatra Festival, Australia. I will keep you informed. ---