# August 12 *Lectures from this day: 16 recordings* --- **[[spoken/660812bg.ny|Bg 4.24-34 — August 12, 1966, New York]]** **Prabhupāda:** > tad viddhi praṇipātena > paripraśnena sevayā > upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ > jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ > [[bg/4/34|[Bg. 4.34] ]] Now, this verse we are discussing in our last meeting. Śrī Kṛṣṇa, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, has concluded that all kinds of sacrifices that we can expected..., we are expected to do, the best sacrifice is to acquire knowledge. Acquire knowledge. Because whole our this material conditioned life is due to ignorance. Therefore the purpose of sacrifice, penance, *yoga* and philosophical discussion—everything—the ultimate aim is to acquire knowledge. And even in that knowledge field also... Of course, transcendental knowledge, as we have discussed already, they are viewed in different..., three different angles of vision: the knowledge of Brahmavāda, or impersonal, impersonal Absolute Truth; and the knowledge of Paramātmā, the localized Supersoul; and the knowledge of Bhagavān, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. There are different stages of development of knowledge. But the first beginning knowledge is that we must understand that "I am not this body; I am spirit soul. And my aim of life should be how to get out of this material entanglement." That is knowledge. That is the beginning of knowledge. --- **[[spoken/720812r1.lon|Room Conversation — August 12, 1972, London]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...all-round, not sentimental. There is no religion, and still, they are professing, "I profess this religion." Where is your religion? If actually there was religion in the human society, why there are so many problems? There should not have been so many problems. The problems are in the animal society. Why there should be problem in human society? Because they have given up the real principles. They are simply animals. Therefore there are so many problems. Actually there is no problem. Even they are not animal. Less than animal. In animal society there is no problem. There is problem, but not so acute. They are free. Just like the ducks, the pigeons, they fly from one country to another. They have no problem of immigration department, passport or visa. They have no problem. These rascals should understand that they have created problem on account of their animalistic..., less than animalistic civilization. There is no limit of sense gratification. The sense gratification, homosex, they are supporting. Just see. Just see. At least in animal society there is no homosex. They have created homosex, and that is being passed by the priest, the religious heads. You know that? --- **[[spoken/730812bg.par|Bg 13.4 — August 12, 1973, Paris]]** **Pradyumna:** *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* [leads chanting of verse] [**Prabhupāda and **devotees repeat] *tat*—that; *kṣetram—*field of activities; *yat*—as; *ca*—also; *yādṛk—*as it is; *ca*—also; *yat—*what is; *vikāri—*changes; *yataḥ*—from which; *ca*—also; *yat*—one; *saḥ*—he; *ca—*also; *yaḥ*—one; *yat*—which; *prabhāvaḥ* *ca*—influence also; *tat*—that; *samāsena—*in detail; *me*—from Me; *śṛṇu*—understand. --- **[[spoken/730812r1.par|Room Conversation with Yadurabara About Early Life — August 12, 1973, London]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...of the same age of neighboring quarters, they will join. There will be feast, procession, *saṅkīrtana*, everything in miniature form. And my father would spend. He will not hesitate. Yes. Therefore, my father's friends used to joke that "Ratha-yātrā ceremony is going on at your home, and you do not invite us. What is this?" Father would reply, "They are all children playing." "Oh, children playing. You are avoiding us by the name of children." It was regular procession. And for eight days there was feasting. **Prabhupāda:** Yes. During the Ratha-yātrā festival. Eight days, eight different varieties of foodstuff my mother would cook and offer to Jagannātha. Daily *bhoga-ārātrika*, decoration with flowers. It was regular. **Prabhupāda:** That I can give you diagram. I will give. Because I played with, I remember perfectly. --- **[[spoken/730812sb.par|SB 5.5.1-2 — August 12, 1973, Paris]]** **Prabhupāda:** > nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke > 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 evening I shall explain to you some of the important verses from *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the greatest contribution of Vedic literature. In the Vedic literature we find a desire tree. Whatever knowledge you want to derive, there is in the Vedic literature, and *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is described as *nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalaṁ* [[sb/1/1/3|[SB. 1.1.3] ]], the desire tree of Vedic literature. And a tree is eulogized on account of the fruit. So *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam* is the ripened fruit of that desire tree. Just like God has given our food, nice milk, fruits, food grains, sugar, rice, wheat, so many nice things. So we are not meant for eating stool. But at the present moment we have discovered a civilization that every man is work..., is to work very, very hard day and night, and he is satisfied only in sex intercourse. This is the tendency of this material world. For sense gratification one is advised to work hard day and night, like asses, dogs and hogs. --- **[[spoken/740812bg.vrn|Bg 7.6 — August 12, 1974, Vṛndāvana]]** **Pradyumna:** *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya*. *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya*. *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya*. **[devotees repeat] [**leads chanting of verse, etc.] **Prabhupāda:** [aside:] You can explain in Hindi this verse, so that others may hear in Hindi. Or you can come here. Speak it in English first. [break] --- **[[spoken/740812sb.vrn|SB 1.5.31, partially recorded — August 12, 1974, Vṛndāvana]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...affair of this Vṛndāvana-dhāma. They simply, they're searching after. They never said. *He rādhe vraja-devike ca lalite he nanda-sūno kutaḥ* [Ṣaḍ-gosvāmy-aṣṭaka 8]: "Oh, where is Rādhārāṇī? Where You are? Where are Your friends, Lalitā and Viśākhā? Where is Nanda, son of Mahārāja Nanda, Kṛṣṇa?" *Śrī-govardhana-kalpa-pādapa-tale kālindī-vane kutaḥ:* "Where are You? Are You near the Govardhana Hill or in the forest on the bank of the Yamunā?" *Ghoṣantāv iti khedair mahā-vihvalau.* They are crying, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Rādhārāṇī? Where is...?" They're crying: *ghoṣantāv iti sarvato vraja-pure khedair mahā-vihvalau.* Mad. Mad after. *Vande rūpa-sanātanau raghu-yugau śrī-jīva-gopālakau.* This is the process of *kṛṣṇa-bhajana.* Not that "I've seen just last night Kṛṣṇa dancing with the *gopīs.*" It is not so easy. *Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved...* [*Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu* 1.2.234]. So long we are materialistic, it is impossible to see what is Kṛṣṇa. Therefore we have to follow the path chalked out by Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His immediate disciples, the six Gosvāmīs. Caitanya Mahāprabhu was mad. In Jagannātha Purī at night He became mad, "Where is Kṛṣṇa? Where is Kṛṣṇa?" He'd go on the seaside and drown Himself in the sea. And Svarūpa Dāmodara Gosvāmī could not see where is Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Sometimes He was caught by the fisherman, and He became exhaus..., all night chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, simply by touching Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is very scientific, based on the philosophy given by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and expanded by the Sanātana Gosvāmī, Rūpa Gosvāmī and other assistants. --- **[[spoken/750812mw.par|Morning Walk — August 12, 1975, Paris]]** **Prabhupāda:** No, they want to be cheated. What can be done? *Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante* [[bg/4/11|[Bg. 4.11] ]]. Just like the advertisement, "No faith, no philosophy, no restriction." You want all these things; therefore he has come to cheat you: "Yes. No regulation. You can do whatever you like." And then he will be praised, "Oh, he is good..., good swāmījī. He has no restriction. And here is a most conservative swāmījī: 'Don't do this. Don't do this. Don't do this.' " They want to be cheated. As soon as you speak the truth, they will not accept. They will argue. "What is the wrong in illicit sex? Why he's restricting?" This is the... They go to *guru* to teach the *guru*, not to take lesson from the *guru.* What is that? **Mādhavānanda:** ...thinks that they have some responsibility in the world, and if you say all of a sudden that "You have no responsibility..." **Prabhupāda:** That is stated in the *Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam,* that "Yes, you have responsibility so long you are not Kṛṣṇa conscious." Not that a person who is not in the devotional service of the Lord, he can say, "I have no responsibility." He cannot say. --- **[[spoken/750812r1.par|Room Conversation [with French translator] — August 12, 1975, Paris]]** **Prabhupāda:** Oh, you are forty-five percent advanced. Yes. Let them come forward. Oh, they are chanting. Very good. **Bhagavān:** Many young people. [aside:] I need you to translate; I'm not that good. [French] You speak Italian. You speak French? English? *Habla español?* **Bhagavān:** She is doing the distribution of *Bhagavad-gītās* in stores, and she is meeting important people, getting... Whatever articles are written about us, she is answering the articles in the paper. Nice service. This Europe is a very good field for making devotees. --- **[[spoken/760812ed.teh|Evening Darśana — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812mw.teh|Morning Walk — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812r1.teh|Room Conversation — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812r2.teh|Visit to Proposed Restaurant and Room Conversation — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812r3.teh|Room Conversation — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812r4.teh|Conversation in Car — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- **[[spoken/760812sb.teh|SB 3.22.22 and Initiations — August 12, 1976, Tehran]]** --- ## Letters - [[../../letters/1968/680812_hayagriva.md|Letter to Hayagriva, 1968]] - [[../../letters/1969/690812_jayapataka.md|Letter to Jayapataka, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1969/690812_rukmini.md|Letter to Rukmini, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1969/690812_trivikrama.md|Letter to Trivikrama, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1969/690812_yamuna.md|Letter to Yamuna, 1969]] - [[../../letters/1971/710812_giriraja.md|Letter to Giriraja, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/710812_sankarsana_parasara_pulasta.md|Letter to Sankarsana Parasara Pulasta, 1971]]