# August 29 ## Spoken on August 29 *Lectures from this day: 10 recordings* --- **[1966: Bhagavad-gītā 5.14–22](spoken/1966/660829bg.ny.md)** > So practically, this is ignorance. Real solution... There is no real solution, but whatever they are doing, they are thinking they are making too much advancement. But Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says that *ihaiva tair jitaḥ sargaḥ. Sarga* means repetition of birth. *Icchā-dveṣa-samutthena sarge yānti paran-tapa*. > So therefore, *ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānam.* This is, this sort of advancement of knowledge in the material science, is also another type of ignorance. The Lord says, *ajñānena āvṛtaṁ jñānam:* "Real knowledge is now covered. Real knowledge, being covered by nescience," *ajñānena tena muhyanti jantavaḥ,* "therefore they are actually perplexed." By the name of so-called advancement of knowledge the whole population of the world, they are now perplexed. Even we do not go into the details, but any sane man will admit that we are not advancing. Actually we are degraded in so many ways. --- **[1968: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.9.13–14](spoken/1968/680829sb.mon)** > So a devotee who is in pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he is satisfied with that consciousness only. *Ahaitukī.* He has no other reason: "Oh, I am trying to become Kṛṣṇa conscious because I want such and such thing." He has no demand. Simple that consciousness is sufficient. It is so pleasing. It is so satisfying that *yasmin sthite,* if one is actually situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then *guruṇāpi duhkhena na vicālyate*. Just see the Prahlāda Mahārāja. He is... So devastating incidences are taking place, when all the demigods have become afraid and his father is killed and very ghastly appearance and the lion form incarnation of the Lord is groaning. But he is not afraid. He's not at all afraid. *Yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duhkhena na vicālyate*. > So Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura has sung very nice song: *sat-saṅga chāri kainu asate vilās, ei kāraṇe lāgila more karma bandha-phāṅsa* [from *Prārthanā*]. Because we have given up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, therefore we have been entangled in the different varieties of material activities. Now we have to simplify it. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to simplify, to save the valuable life, to save the time of valuable life. This human form of life is very valuable. *Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante*. After many, many births we have got this important life. So we have to save our time to utilize it for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That should... --- **[1971: Rādhāṣṭamī Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī's Appearance Day](spoken/1971/710829ra.lon)** > So when the Param Brahman... First of all, the Param Brahman information is not there in this material world. Little Brahman information is there. Or little Paramātmā information is there. But not Param Brahman, or Bhagavān, information. Therefore it is said, *manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye . Siddhaye* means to understand Brahman or Paramātmā. But out of many such persons who have realized Brahman and Paramātmā, hardly a person can know Kṛṣṇa. And that... First of all... > So Kṛṣṇa is Param Brahman, as you know from the *Bhagavad-gītā.* When Arjuna understood *Bhagavad-gītā,* he affirmed Kṛṣṇa, *para brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān*. So Kṛṣṇa is Param Brahman. So in this material world we see that a great saintly person, simply to enjoy *brahmānanda,* he gives up everything of material enjoyment; he becomes *sannyāsī, ahaṁ brahmāsmi,* just to understand that he is in Brahman realization. --- **[1973: Bhagavad-gītā 2.26–27](spoken/1973/730829bg.lon)** > So this contradiction, opposing elements, will continue unless there is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So this is not a fact, that the *karma-vādīs,* simply by discharging your duties nicely... This is... On principle, it is all right. But we must know what is actual morality. There are so many examples. Just like when there is war, to kill the enemies, that is morality. But in peaceful condition if you kill a person, that is immorality, or sinful. The process is the same; morality or immorality, the process is the same. But sometimes it is moral, sometimes immoral. So how it will be standardized? Therefore *Bhāgavata* says, *dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam*. Real *dharma,* real religion, morality, honesty, they can be decided on the words of the Supreme Lord. That is the... When Kṛṣṇa says, "This is all right," then it is all right. When Kṛṣṇa says it is not right, then it is not right. This is our decision. We Kṛṣṇa conscious men, we simply accept. > Kṛṣṇa says, *patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati : "If somebody offers Me vegetables, leaves, grains, milk, water, flowers, then I accept." So this is nice foodstuff, it is to be accepted. Because Kṛṣṇa likes to eat this. Kṛṣṇa can eat anything, because He is the supreme, He is omnipotent, He can eat anything, but He particularly mentions this. Therefore, foodstuff made of these ingredients is nice, *sāttvika,* goodness. So the *karma-vāda,* that you follow morality you'll get good results... But where is your morality? Because you are disobedient to God. In the beginning of your life, you are immoral. You are disobeying the greatest authority. --- **[1975: Bhagavad-gītā Lecture](spoken/1975/750829bg.vrn)** > So in this way, if someone is engages in pure devotional service then the soul becomes very blissful. That is why the Lord says, *jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam*, "the knowledge that I am imparting to you, it is not impersonal Brahman realization. This is Bhagavān realization." Impersonal Brahman realization, that is for liberation. And this knowledge that the Lord is imparting is for the liberated, for those who are already liberated. That is why He says, *jñānaṁ te 'haṁ sa-vijñānam,* along with scientific knowledge. *sa-vijñānam* means [I forget the word in Hindi] practical application or practical knowledge, not just theoretical. Having just theoretical knowledge, *Ahaṁ brahmāsmi*, this is knowledge that, I am not a material substance, I am not this material body, I am Brahman. *Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā*, if we have this self-realization, the soul definitely becomes blissful because all the miseries are due to our material knowledge. So long we go on accepting a material body we will always be full of anxiety. Prahlada Mahārāja has said, > So long we have this material body we will always be, samudvigna, full of anxiety. Once we come into the realm of actual knowledge this anxiety *udvignatā* will be destroyed. If this anxiety is destroyed but we do not make further advancement... Just like if a man is suffering from fever and the fever subsides, but though the fever has subsided that does not mean he has become healthy. Only if he gets out of the bed, walks around, eats properly and feels good only then can we say that he is healthy. Just to get rid of fever is not the goal. Similarly if we just acquire knowledge, *Ahaṁ brahmāsmi*, I am spirit, I am not this material body, this is not sufficient knowledge. That is why the Lord says, --- **[1975: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.62](spoken/1975/750829sb.vrn)** > But that is not the fact. Real fact is how to control the mind. Here we see that *mana madana-vepitam. Na śaśāka samādhātuṁ mano madana-vepitam.* Our mind is always agitated for sense enjoyment. Mind is the master of the senses, or the chief man, just like superintendent. Mind is dictating, and the senses... The mind is dictating, "You go there," immediately the legs go. "You see here," the eyes see. So mind is the center. *Manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati , *Bhagavad-gītā.* This living entity, *mamaivāṁśo.* Kṛṣṇa says, "All these living entities, they are My part and parcel." So question may be, "Then why they are rotting here? If the living entities are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, or God, so why does he not live with God?" The immediate answer is, *manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi prakṛti-sthāni karṣati*.* These living entities, these conditioned souls who has come to this material world, the only reason is that they want to satisfy the senses, *manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi.* Therefore there is struggle for existence. He wants to enjoy. He wants to become the enjoyer. But he is not enjoyer. That is called illusion. He is enjoyed. He cannot enjoy. Enjoyer is only Kṛṣṇa, *puruṣa. Puruṣaḥ śāśvatam.* > So *mano madana-vepitam.* Cupid is always disturbing. This material world means this Madana, Cupid, whole material world. *Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tucchaṁ*. Gṛhamedhi* means those who have decided to prolong this body for sense enjoyment. That is going on. Everyone is trying so hard. In big, big cities they are working so hard like hogs and dogs, not for... They say that "We are hungry. We must work very hard." But that is not the fact. The real fact is that "We want to enjoy sex." So far hunger is concerned, you can control, but sex desire, it is very difficult to control. --- **[1976: Morning Walk [Conversation About Bombay](spoken/1976/760829mw.del)** > Just like Ramakrishna Mission. They have got only *sannyāsīs,* no *gṛhasthas.* But we have got *gṛhasthas* also. --- **[1976: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.1 Translated from Hindi](spoken/1976/760829sb.del)** > Although this body is not permanent, but so long it remains it will give you trouble. Therefore we always try to mitigate distress. How to mitigate distress. We don't even know what it means by mitigate of distress in the first place. Therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead personally reveals that your real problem is *janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi*: birth, death, old age and disease are certainly the primary distresses of the material world.* You are trying to mitigate your temporary miseries, and also your happiness they all will go away when the body is finished. But then again you will have to accept another body according to your past deeds and suffer the resultant actions. So if want to remove your miseries permanently then you purify your existence. For that you have to undergo *tapasya*. *Tapo divyaṁ putrakā yena sattvaṁ śuddhyed.* Purify the existence. And when do you get the opportunity to purify the existence? *Āyaṁ deha. Nṛdeha. Nṛloke*. *Nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛ-loke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ ye*. > This demoniac civilisation, we have got so much money, we want so much more, bank balance should be this much. In this way by working hard whole life like a hog just to eat, sleep and mate, this kind of civilisation is not desireable. At least in the human form of life this not at all proper. One should perform austerity. *Tapo divyam*. In this age of Kali that austerity is very simple. That is what I was telling. Although Kali-yuga is full of faults, it has an advantage. What is that? *Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ paraṁ vrajet* Simply by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord a person becomes liberated from all association of material qualities. These faults, *kalau doṣa nidhi*, one becomes free from all faults. He becomes faultless. This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu's instruction. *Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ*. [*Śikṣāṣṭaka* 1] Where are the flaws? They are all sitting in the heart. All flaws, all dirty things are accumulated in the heart. This *hari-kīrtana* inaugurated by Caitanya Mahāprabhu, by performing *hari-kīrtana* the first instalment of benediction is *ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ*. The heart will be purified. I am thinking I am Hindu, or Muslim, I am Indian, I am American. What are these? These are simply designations. Actually *ahaṁ brahmāsmi*: I am spirit soul. This is real identification. --- **[1977: Room Conversation at Bhaktivedanta Manor](spoken/1977/770829r1.lon)** > Nirañjana: But then two professors, they disagreed with him, and thus, "It is not possible; you must repeat your results." So after my scholarship it finished in January after three years, they didn't accept my scholarship. So I just continued by doing some part-time job, tried to maintain myself. But I couldn't repeat my results 'til now. So then they have extended six months my visa. But I, actually I don't think that they are able to do, because my furnace is not working, and they don't know the reason. But they don't want to take blame on themselves, and then, "Because you are not hard-working; that is why you have given up." So I was trying to do only that, because if I leave it, it won't bring good name to ISKCON, and because they know that I am from Hare Kṛṣṇa movement. But now personally it is too much for me. It's three and a half years now. > Nirañjana: No, actually they are not able to understand what I am doing. So my supervisors... In the beginning, when I met you last time, at that time you said everything is okay, you can start typing those chapters. So I wrote two chapters. And then you said anything can happen, because in the area in which I work, nobody had worked before. And he was so sure. --- ## Letters on August 29 *Letters from this day: 5* --- **[1967: Letter to Hayagriva](letters/1967/670829_hayagriva)** > Regarding separation, you may know that I am also feeling *__ it is all Krishna's design that we can not separate _*_ transcendental field, the feeling of separation is more __ feeling of meeting. Physically I am trying to go back to your states as soon as possible. --- **[1969: Letter to Gargamuni](letters/1969/690829_gargamuni)** > I am sending herewith the copy of the letter addressed to Indo Crafter, giving them a trial order. --- **[1972: Letter to Gurudasa](letters/1972/720829_gurudasa)** > In your letter you do not acknowledge the plans of Saurabha which were sent to you from London some two weeks back. From the beginning I simply said that I wanted a temple built in Vrindaban just like Govindaji's temple, and there have been so many letters, but that has not been done. --- **[1972: Letter to Niranjana](letters/1972/720829_niranjana)** > I am happy to hear that you are beginning your translation work and you are translating "Sri Gurvastkam" presently. --- **[1973: Letter to Susan Beckman](letters/1973/730829_susan_beckman)** > Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the incarnation of Godhead in this age has delivered the medicine for all problems of the world by his introducing the Sankirtan movement. ---