# July 18 ## Spoken on July 18 *Lectures from this day: 13 recordings* --- **[1966: Bhagavad-gītā 4.7–9](spoken/1966/660718bg.ny.md)** > So some way or other, one should be Kṛṣṇa conscious. And then, gradually, he will become a saintly person. As he goes on executing this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then, with his advancement, he becomes a perfect saint. That you'll find in the *Bhagavad-gītā.* And how Kṛṣṇa says that even if he's externally a little immoral... Of course, a devotee, or a person who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he's never immoral. But it may be that due to his past association he may appear to be immoral or he may fall down. Fall down. Due to habits, we may sometimes fall down. > So therefore Kṛṣṇa says, "In that condition, one who has decided to stop all bad or immoral habits and just to make his progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even by chance if he does something which is immoral in the face of the society, that should not be taken account of." Of course, that is by chance. And in the next verse, you'll find, *kṣipraṁ bhavati dharmātmā:* "Because he has dovetailed himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is sure that he will become a saintly, I mean to say, a pure saint very soon. Very soon." --- **[1968: Lecture [Partially Recorded](spoken/1968/680718le.mon)** > So impersonal Brahman realization is also Brahman realization. The personal Brahman realization is the highest platform. *Brahmaṇo 'ham pratiṣṭhā .* In the *Bhagavad-gītā* you'll see that Kṛṣṇa says that "The impersonal Brahman is resting on Me." *Ahaṁ pratiṣṭhā.* Just like this bag is resting on this table. The table is more important than this bag. Similarly... Just like the sun planet. Although we are seeing it is just like a disk and the sunshine is overcast all over the universe, that does not mean that sunshine is more important than the sun disk. > Another point is, as individual soul we require association, person to person. That is our nature. The *Bhāgavata* replies, *ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvad aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ*. If somebody thinks by simple impersonal realization of Brahman, if he thinks that he has become liberated, then his intelligence is polluted. *Ye 'nye 'ravindākṣa vimukta-māninas tvayy asta-bhāvad aviśuddha-buddhayaḥ. Aviśuddha* means not free from contamination. His intelligence is not free. Why? *Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho*. --- **[1971: Initiations](spoken/1971/710718in.det)** > The demigods are merely living entities like ourselves, emanations from Kṛṣṇa. They cannot be accepted as God. Sometimes they are accepted by foolish men, these foolish men are accepting, this is atheistic. So we should be careful to avoid comparing the demigods with the Lord placing them on any kind of equal level with the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the source of the demigods, as He explains in the *Bhagavad-gītā* and in the 9th chapter all about spiritual knowledge, Kṛṣṇa says, "Whatever is offered to the demigods is actually meant for Me. Albeit without due understanding—for I am the source of the demigods." > This means one must be free from envy—especially of the spiritual master. In the Nectar of Devotion, it is explained that one may not envy the spiritual master as he would an ordinary man. One may not be envious of the spiritual master, this enviousness of the spiritual master—blaspheme the spiritual master's position. The spiritual master being an emissary of Kṛṣṇa. An ambassador, just like if the ambassador of United States, suppose France was insulted then it is taken as an insult by the president. It is taken as an insult, by the leader of the country. --- **[1971: Room Conversation with Mohsin Hassan](spoken/1971/710718r1.det)** > But another thing is that supposing this Ramakrishna is the same Kṛṣṇa, then the philosophy is different. Ramakrishna's philosophy and *Bhagavad-gītā's* philosophy is different, because Ramakrishna says that you can accept any method; every method is all right. But Kṛṣṇa says only unto Him, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇam*. > The [break] modern civilization is very risky. Risky in this sense: that the human form of life is an opportunity for self-realization, but our leaders, they are miseducating, that "You are this body.'' A basic mistake. But I am not this body, but just like you are sitting there, if I take account of your shirt and coat only, not you as a person, then there is a great mistake. --- **[1973: Bhagavad-gītā 1.21–22](spoken/1973/730718bg.lon)** > So when we are detached from the service of the Lord, this is also unnatural. Unnatural. Natural position is that we must be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is our natural position. Therefore the Vaiṣṇava *kavi* says that *kṛṣṇa bhuliya jīva bhoga vañcha kare* [*Prema-vivarta 6.2*]. When a living entity forgets Kṛṣṇa, forgets Kṛṣṇa's position... Kṛṣṇa's position... Kṛṣṇa says, *bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram : "I am the proprietor. I am the enjoyer." This is the Kṛṣṇa's position. He never falls down that position. Kṛṣṇa is enjoyer. He keeps always that position. He never falls down. He never comes to the position of being enjoyed. > Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to become kind to everyone. Therefore we say, "No meat-eating." Meat-eating means killing the animals. Killing the animals. Why you shall kill animals? You have to take *kṛṣṇa-prasādam. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati, tad aham aṣnāmi*.* Kṛṣṇa says... Kṛṣṇa is God. He can eat everything. Everything. Kṛṣṇa ate fire, you know. There was forest fire in Vṛndāvana. All the cowherds boys, they became very much frightened, "Kṛṣṇa," "Yes, I'm ready." He ate up all the fire. So for Kṛṣṇa He could eat anything He likes. He is God. But still, He recommends, *patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati.* Why? Because we have to take Kṛṣṇa's *prasādam,* so therefore He is recommending, "These things you can give Me," *patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ.* So that is our food. We are devotees of Kṛṣṇa. We are meant for eating the remnants of foodstuff offered to Kṛṣṇa. That is our... --- **[1973: Room Conversation with Malcolm](spoken/1973/730718r1.lon)** > The goal of life is the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu. *Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ.* They have missed the goal of life on account of their propensity to become happy within this material world. And that is the missing point. He cannot be happy without reaching... The same example: this child cannot be happy without being in the association of the father. If this child is taken away and he's given nice food, he'll cry. He'll cry, because the goal of life is missing. Similarly, we are missing the goal of life. Therefore we are not satisfied in any way in this material world. Therefore *Bhāgavata* says, *na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum*. This struggle for existence is going on because they do not know that the goal of life is God, Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu. > So unless one gets a better thing, he cannot give up the less important thing. So when..., unless one gets that better thing—better humor, better mellow—they cannot give up these material engagements. Therefore, to get that better thing, it is advised that part of your hard labor you offer to Kṛṣṇa. This is called *karma-yoga.* You remain in your *karma,* but *nirbandhe..., nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe,* be touched with Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and spend at least fifty percent for Kṛṣṇa. Then gradually, you come to the... Just like the Gosvāmīs came. So this is the policy. Otherwise, for Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is no need. Everything Kṛṣṇa will supply. Mādhavendra Purī installed a Deity. Now, for months, years together, only festival was going on. --- **[1975: Morning Walk](spoken/1975/750718mw.sf)** >not any hidden problem. It is the open problem. Kṛṣṇa puts it: *janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam.* The real seer will see to these problems. There is no answer or solution of these problems. Where is it, solution of these problems? Where is the biochemist or the psychologist or the atom bombist? > Actually, man is doing like that. In the jungle the similar animals, they flock together. This is nationalism is like that. It is nothing better than that. So our defending, that "We are Americans," "We are Indians," "We are Germans"—the same thing. Because they are animals, they have this United Nation. The animals will fight, so they are trying to compromise, "Let us live peacefully." That is not possible, because they are animals. All failure. [break] --- **[1975: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.33](spoken/1975/750718sb.sf)** > So *kasya vā kuta āyātāḥ kasmād asya niṣedhatha:* "Then why you are forbidding us? You look so nicely, very highly born, and why you are forbidding us? We have come here to discharge our duties, to take this man to Yamaloka. He is so sinful. Why you are interrupting our business?" Yes. So in the next verses the description is there of the Viṣṇudūta. So *sarve padma-palāśākṣāḥ:* exactly the feature like Nārāyaṇa. *Padma-palāśa:* their eyes are compared with the lotus petal, very nice. "All of you look so nice." *Padma-palāśa-akṣāḥ pīta-kauśeya-vāsasaḥ.* In Vaikuṇṭha, people, they also dress with yellow cloth, *pīta-kauśeya,* or this saffron color. This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. *Kauśeya, pīta,* the dress, garments. *Kirīṭinaḥ:* "with helmets." *Kuṇḍalinaḥ:* "with nice earring." *Kirīṭinaḥ kuṇḍalino lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ,* "and very nice flower garland." This is Vaikuṇṭha dress. *Lasat-puṣkara-mālinaḥ. Sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ:* all young men. In Vaikuṇṭha there is no old age, although they are eternal. That is the real form of the spirit. The old age is due to this body, material body. Material thing is born and stays for some time, and then it is annihilated. So up to the time of annihilation, it becomes so old, nasty, bad-looking. But in the Vaikuṇṭha there is no such thing. > So *advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam ādyaṁ purāṇa-puruṣaṁ nava-yauvanaṁ ca [*Bs* 5.33]. So *nava-yauvanam.* Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, Kṛṣṇa, or the liberated devotees there, they are of the same bodily feature, *nava-yauvanam,* always young. Therefore it is said, *sarve ca nūtna-vayasaḥ. Vayasaḥ* means age, and *nūtna* means just fresh young man. *Nūtna-vayasaḥ sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ:* "All of you are very beautiful, with four hands." So even the living entities, they have got also four hands—not empty hands—with good ornament, good dress, and the complexion, color, everything like Viṣṇu. Everything like Viṣṇu. *Sarve cāru-caturbhujāḥ, dhanur-niṣaṅgāsi-gadā-śaṇkha-cakrāmbuja-śriyaḥ*. --- **[1976: Morning Walk](spoken/1976/760718mw.ny)** > Jamesford, Lord James. That Jamesford is a village only. Some big man, little, take the title lord and go and become governor there. And when some Indian comes they see that Lord Jamesford was traveling in third-class compartment in railway. --- **[1976: Ratha-yātrā](spoken/1976/760718ry.ny)** > So this is devotee's willing. Kṛṣṇa accepts everyone's devotional service if it is offered with love and affection. He says in the *Bhagavad-gītā,patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati*.* Kṛṣṇa says, "Anyone who offers Me a little flower, a little water, a little fruit, with love and affection, I eat them, I accept them." So if something offered by you to Kṛṣṇa is accepted by Him, then you should know that your life is successful. So there is no question of offering God so many things very gorgeously prepared, but you can offer a little flower, a little fruit and little water with love and affection. That means even the poorest man in the world can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There is no hindrance. *Ahaituky apratihatā *. > Devotional service cannot be checked by any material condition. If anyone wants to worship God, he can do in any condition of life. There is no restriction. There is no restriction of cast and creed or country or nation. Anyone can worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to his means, and our, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is a propagation to teach people how to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is our mission. Because without relationship with God, without reviving our eternal affinity with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, we cannot be happy. The Vedic injunction is *sarve sukhino bhavantu:* "Everyone become happy." And we are actually struggling for existence to become happy, but we do not know how to become happy. --- ## Letters on July 18 *Letters from this day: 5* --- **[1970: Letter to Jagadisa](letters/1970/700718_jagadisa)** > Regarding your request for Gayatri mantra to be given to Dharmaraj, since both you and Rupanuga recommend him for second initiation it is alright. I am sending you therefore one copy of Gayatri mantra on a small tape along with specific directions for performing the ceremony. --- **[1970: Letter to Tribhuvanatha](letters/1970/700718_tribhuvanatha)** > I am very glad to know that you have been staying for some months at our London Temple in the association of our devotees. This is certainly the most fortunate company for you and I know that if you maintain the association of devotees your life will be happy and perfect. That is the version of the sastra that the most important thing for spiritual realization is the company of realized souls or pure devotees of the Lord. --- **[1970: Letter to Vrndavana Candra](letters/1970/700718_vrndavana_candra)** > You are intelligent boy and now you are in very responsible position as president of our Baltimore branch, so you should be more careful. --- **[1975: Letter to Dhananjaya](letters/1975/750718_dhananjaya)** > Yes, if you get guests there in the asrama you can easily make them Life and Patron members. --- **[1975: Letter to Susan Newman](letters/1975/750718_susan_newman)** > Do not waste your time with this study of monkeys. What will you learn by this? Better to hear from Lord Krishna Himself in Bhagavad-gita than to waste your time in this way. ---