# September 13 ## Spoken on September 13 *Lectures from this day: 12 recordings* --- **[1968: Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.29–30](spoken/1968/680913bs.sf)** > So what does He want? He wants *yo me bhaktyā prayacchati*. He wants simply *bhakti*, or love, pure love. *Yo me bhaktyā prayacchati tad ahaṁ bhakty-upahṛtam aśnāmi prayatātmanaḥ . And because a devotee is lover of Kṛṣṇa, brings these things in love and devotion, therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *aham aśnāmi*: "I get that and eat that." > So He is not beggar. But He is beggar. In what sense? He is begging your love. Therefore He says that *patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati . He is not beggar from you a little flower, a little fruit, but Kṛṣṇa said, "If something should be given to Me... Please try to give Me something, because that is the token of love. You are taking so many things from Me. I am supplying you light, I am supplying air, I am supplying you water, I am supplying you life, food, everything. You cannot reciprocate something for Me? I am asking you simply a little water, little flower, a little leaf." --- **[1969: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.1–2](spoken/1969/690913sb.lon)** > Lord Caitanya says that each and every spirit soul is just wandering throughout the whole universe from one planet to another, one body to another. This business is going on. But the basic principle of that continued transmigration is sex life or sense gratification. Anyway, so long we have got a pinch of sense gratification we have to take birth in any form or any shape within this material world. When we shall be actually disgusted, "No more material sense gratification," then you are *brahma-bhūta*, you are eligible to enter into the spiritual world. > So Ṛṣabhadeva instructed in this way. It is very instructive chapter, if you continue to understand this instruction of Ṛṣabhadeva. Now we have only read one verse. The next verse is that *mahat-sevāṁ dvāram āhur vimukteḥ*. Mahat-sevā.* If you want this platform of self-realization, or spiritual life, then your engagement should be *mahat-sevā,* to serve a great soul, to associate with great soul. Then that will be possible. We shall discuss this next *śloka, mahat-sevā.* Who is *mahat,* who is great soul, how to serve, everything we shall discuss next meeting. --- **[1971: Bhagavad-gītā 2.13](spoken/1971/710913bg.mom)** > And still there are finer elements, just like mind. Every one of us knows that there is a mind, but we cannot see it. What is that mind? Everyone knows that there is intelligence, but nobody can see what is that intelligence. Similarly, everyone has his individuality: "I am this," "I am very learned," "I am very beautiful," "I am white," "I am black," "I am Indian," "I am American," this is called ego. So this egotism is there, but we cannot see it. They are very fine things. There is existence, but our this present material eyes, material senses can have experience of the grosser type of materials, not of the subtler or finer types of material. > So that clear conception of soul you can have from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. He is speaking to Arjuna, and that is recorded by Vyāsadeva and which is presented before us as the *Bhagavad-gītā*. So we are presenting the knowledge of the *Bhagavad-gītā*, as it is, without any malinterpretation. Because we cannot interpret *Bhagavad-gītā*. *Bhagavad-gītā* is spoken by God, so what He has spoken, there cannot be any mistake, there cannot be any illusion, there cannot be any cheating and there cannot be any imperfectness of the senses. --- **[1971: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 2.1.2](spoken/1971/710913sb.mom)** > But you can go actually. Actually you go. People, formerly, they used to go. Just like in *Bhagavad-gītā* you will see this is described. Kṛṣṇa says, *imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam* : "I first of all instructed this system of *bhakti-yoga*, *Bhagavad-gītā*, to the sun-god." That means Kṛṣṇa went there. Otherwise, how He could instruct the sun-god? Not only that, He says, *vivasvān manave prāha manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt*. So the sun-god said to his son, Manu, and Manu is the original person of the man, human being, *manuṣya*, man. "Man," the word comes from the *manu*. > So the Śukadeva Gosvāmī advised that "You hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is the most important subject matter." Therefore he is discussing, *śrotavyādīni rājendra*, "My dear King, *rājendra*," *śrotavyādīni*, subject matter for hearing. *Nṛṇāṁ santi sahasraśaḥ.* The human society has got many thousands varieties of subject matter to hear. Just like newspaper in every country, they are being published not only once, twice, thrice, four times in a day, and they are giving news of the city, and the subject matters are very important, say, for two minutes or five minutes, then the newspaper is thrown away, nobody cares for it. But people have got the tendency to hear. That is a fact. --- **[1972: Room Conversation](spoken/1972/720913r1.dal)** > So our *bhakta* philosophy is we are all individuals. God is individual and we are all individuals we live together and along with the supreme person we also enjoy. Just like the *gopīs* are dancing with Kṛṣṇa, that is the highest perfection. To keep your individuality and dance with the supreme individual person, association. > Similarly God the supreme father he's the principal head of the entire family and all others subordinate, *eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān* [*Kaṭha Up.* 2.2.13]. The singular number person God is supplying the necessities of all others. This is Vedic knowledge, *nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām eko bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān*, the *Upaniṣads* [Kaṭha Upaniṣad 2.2.13]. --- **[1972: Room Conversation](spoken/1972/720913r2.dal)** > You must be favorable. But if you don't accept, it is impossible to give you. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, *sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja* : "You do." Kṛṣṇa can force him, but He is not forcing. Kṛṣṇa is asking Arjuna, "Whatever..." *Yathecchasi tathā kuru*, "Whatever you like, you can do." He does not force anyone, because the living entity, part and parcel of God, he has got independence. So Kṛṣṇa does not touch the independence of the living entity. He advises, "You do this. If you do this, then you will be saved." But if you do not do this, then Kṛṣṇa is not responsible; you are responsible. > Kṛṣṇa says in the Fourth Chapter, *evaṁ paramparā-prāptam imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ*. By *paramparā* system. *Sa kāleneha mahatā yogo naṣṭaḥ paran-tapa:* "Because the *paramparā* was lost, therefore the science was lost. Therefore I shall again say the same system to you." *Bhakto 'si priyo 'si me rahasyaṁ hy etad uttamam *[1973: Bhagavad-gītā 2.40](spoken/1973/730913bg.lon)** > So Nārada Muni says, *bhajann apakvo 'tha.* His execution of devotional service could not be completed; somehow or other, it was checked, it was obstructed, and he falls down again in the clutches of *māyā.* Falls down. There is possibility. *Māyā* is very strong. *Māyā* is very strong. At any moment we can fall down. Therefore we have to keep ourselves very much vigilant, strong, strong. Strength, the spiritual strength is the chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa *mantra* and following the rules and regulation. Then *māyā* cannot. *Mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te*. If you keep yourself strictly to the principles of *bhakti-yoga, māyā's* father[?] also will not be able to do anything. No. > So therefore it is said that after doing your duties very nicely, but you have no taste for understanding Kṛṣṇa, *viṣvaksena...* Another name of Kṛṣṇa is Viṣvaksa. *Kathāsu. Kathāsu* means "message." *Dharmaḥ svanuṣṭhitaḥ puṁsāṁ viṣvaksena-kathāsu, notpādayed ratim yadi* : if you do not awaken your attachment for hearing about Kṛṣṇa, *kṛṣṇa-kathā...* That is our main business, Caitanya Mahāprabhu—*kṛṣṇa-kathā. Yāre dekha tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa*. This is our mission. --- **[1975: Lecture](spoken/1975/750913le.vrn)** > He was imparting knowledge to His son, He says, "Son, this human life, this should not be like a hog's life." What does a hog do? He works hard the whole day to eat stool and when his body is fat and juicy he enjoys sex with the opposite sex without any discrimination. The human life is not meant to be like this. What is it for? Tapo, to do tapasya, and why the austerities? *Divyam*, to get connected with the Supreme Lord. Otherwise, Hiraṇyakaśipu, performed a lot of austerities, Rāvaṇa, performed a lot of austerities, for sense gratification. Not that kind of austerity. *tapo divyam, yena suddhyet sattvam*—austerity should be performed for the Lord in such a way that our existence becomes purified. Are we impure now, I have had a bath now. No this bath is not purifying. It will be purified when we are freed from the entanglement of birth, death, old age and disease. That is purity. This contamination, *bhutvā bhutvā praliyate,* we take birth, that ends and then we have to take birth again. This, what is the reason? Impurity. Otherwise the living entity is part and parcel of the Supersoul, *na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre*. Just like the Lord says, *ajo 'pi*, "I am unborn. I don't take birth."* Similarly since the living entity is part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, he too should also be unborn. But why is he born? Impure! His existence is not pure. To purify the existence, our Vedic civilization is only for purifying the existence, nothing else. Nowadays everything is topsy turvy. But our attempt is, this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, a little attempt, how the human beings can accept Vedic culture. There is no attempt to take advantage of anyone. So I am trying to advance slowly. In Vṛndāvana, today we are inaugurating, the opening of the Gurukula, attempting to. We are not sure where the funds will come from and what will happen. But the foundation ceremony has been done. The aim of the Gurukula is that the children are taught the devotional service from the beginning. > Prahlāda Mahārāja would spreach to his demon classmates about the topics of the Lord, whenever he would get opportunity in between in his school. They were all children, they would say, "Prahlāda, come let us play and jump around. This is not the time to listen to the topics of the Lord." But he would say, "No. No. No." My dear friends, *kaumāra ācaret prājño,* right from the childhood that is when one is four or five years old, he should learn *bhāgavata-dharma*. Why so early? Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma, this human life is rarely obtained and is *adhruvam* also, this will not last long, but *Arthadam*. *Arthadam* means to get some riches or wealth. What is that wealth? To obtain the shelter of the Supreme Lord. This cannot be achieved in any other form of birth. The lion is very strong and powerful but he will never get the Lord. But a human being however weak he may be, if he is taught from the very beginning then he can achieve the Lord. Therefore *durlabhaṁ janma*. One should be taught from the beginning. There is no school or college in this whole world that teaches that "You are not this body." Everywhere it is taught that 'you are this body, you are American, you are Indian, you are Hindu, you are Muslim.' Just bodily identifications. --- **[1975: Morning Walk](spoken/1975/750913mw.vrn)** > *Kaṣṭān kāmān.* Life can be easily maintained by agriculture and cow protection. No. They will start big, big mills, factories, motor tires, cars, instruments. *Kaṣṭān kāmān.* In the *Bhagavad-gītā* it is called *ugra-karma,* fierce... --- **[1975: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.11](spoken/1975/750913sb.vrn)** > Therefore, *harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā*. If one may have all the good qualities but if he is not a devotee of the Lord, his good qualities have no value. *Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā mano-rathena āsato dhāvato bahiḥ.* They are simply carried away by the mental concoction. This is their qualification. So *karmī, jñānī, yogī, *they are all restless because they are carried away by the whims of mind. And a *bhakta* is fixed up. *Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk, sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ*. > Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadam.* If you want to stay within this material world, then *padaṁ padam*—"in every step there is danger." *Padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadaṁ na teṣām. Na teṣām.* "Not for them." Who? *Samāśritā ye pada-pallavaṁ plavaṁ mahat-padaṁ puṇya-yaśo murāreḥ:* "One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Murāri," means Kṛṣṇa. *Samāśritā. Samyak āśritā. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekam*. Samyak,* fully. *Sama* means *samyak,* no reservation: "Kṛṣṇa, I do not know anything more. I simply surrender unto You. Now whatever You do, accepted. If You like to kill me, kill me. If You want to give me protection, that's all right. Anyway, I am surrendered." This is called full surrender. --- **[1976: Letter to Sai Baba](spoken/1976/760913lr.vrn)** > "Unintelligent men, who know Me not, think that I have assumed this form and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme." So "...that God is never formless. Only the rascals and less intelligent class of men think that God is formless and when He incarnates He takes a particular form. In this connection a verse from Yāmunācārya may be quoted as follows." > "Unintelligent men who know Me not think that I have assumed this form and personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme." --- **[1976: Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.7.15](spoken/1976/760913sb.vrn)** > So these Māyāvādīs, they forget this, that *īśvara, parameśvara,* there are two words. *Ātmā* and *paramātmā,* there are two words. So they are not equal. And Kṛṣṇa says, *mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat*. He is the supermost *īśvara. Nityo nityānāṁ cetanaś cetanānām* [*Kaṭha Upaniṣad* 2.2.13]. Although both of us are *nitya,* eternal, and living entities, still, there is difference. He is supreme living entity; we are subordinate. *Prabhu* and *aṇu. Vibhu* and *aṇu.* So this philosophy is perfect, and anyone who accepts this Māyāvāda philosophy, that God and living entity are on the same level, they have got poor fund of knowledge. > So when the mother understood that her sons were killed, certainly she was very, very unhappy. *Mātā śiśūnāṁ nidhanaṁ sutānāṁ niśamya ghoraṁ paritapyamānā.* Lamenting. That is natural. So *tadārudad vāṣpa-kalākulākṣī.* With tears, she was crying, and *tāṁ sāntvayan,* pacifying, *āha kirīṭamālī.* Kirīṭamālī is Arjuna. So they were directly connected with Kṛṣṇa. Draupadī's another name is Kṛṣṇā. And still they had to suffer the material pangs. Not that because one is Kṛṣṇa conscious there will be no material suffering. Actually, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious, they have no material suffering. Although it appears that they are suffering, they are not suffering. They can accept any so-called suffering and accept it as mercy of Kṛṣṇa. They never take it as suffering. *Tat te 'nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam*.* A devotee, when he's in suffering, so-called suffering, he accepts it as the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. *Tat te 'nukampām.* And he rather thanks Kṛṣṇa, that "I had to suffer many more times, but You have minimized it, giving me little suffering. So it is Your mercy." And if anyone lives on that attitude, everything taken as Kṛṣṇa's mercy, then he is guaranteed to go back home, back to Godhead. *Mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk*. Dāya-bhāk* means his going back to home, back to Godhead, is exactly like the inheritance of property by the son. *Mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk.* So we should learn from the Pāṇḍavas that Kṛṣṇa was always present with them, still they had to suffer so much material tribulations. So they were never unhappy, neither they requested Kṛṣṇa that "My dear friend Kṛṣṇa, You were always with us. Still we had to suffer." Never expressed that. That is pure devotion. Never try to take any benefit from Kṛṣṇa. Simply try to give benefit to Kṛṣṇa. Do not take any benefit from Kṛṣṇa. This is pure devotion. --- ## Letters on September 13 *Letters from this day: 9* --- **[1969: Letter to Patti Birnack](letters/1969/690913_patti_birnack)** > I am very pleased to learn that you are coming to our Krishna Consciousness temple in Ohio and you are nicely appreciating this movement. --- **[1970: Letter to Karandhara](letters/1970/700913_karandhara)** > I am very glad to know that you are travelling to Portland, Oregon, with some other devotees for the purpose of establishing a new center there with the help of Syamasundara. --- **[1970: Letter to Satsvarupa](letters/1970/700913_satsvarupa)** > Do everything conscientiously and Krsna will give you all necessary intelligence. --- **[1972: Letter to Amogha](letters/1972/720913_amogha)** > I have also recently received one letter from the Djakarta Krsna Consciousness club and it is very nicely offering respects on Vyasa Puja occasion. --- **[1972: Letter to Atreya Rsi](letters/1972/720913_atreya_rsi)** > Regarding my personal servant, I have taken one boy, Srutakirti, as my personal servant and Nanda Kumar has remained in New Vrndavana with Kirtanananda Maharaja. Now we have got a very big task before us to purchase the skyscraper building on 40th Street. --- **[1972: Letter to Citsukhananda](letters/1972/720913_citsukhananda)** > I would have liked to go to Mexico City but I have already gone this year and too much traveling now for me is a strain. --- **[1972: Letter to Upendra](letters/1972/720913_upendra)** > I am always praying that my disciples will gradually increase our war against *maya* on all fronts. From our experience we have found it is always in the long run more stable and better situation if local people can be persuaded to help from the very beginning. --- **[1972: Letter to Yadubara](letters/1972/720913_yadubara)** > I am glad to hear that all the departments of business are going on successfully, now I am anxious to hear if the conveyance deed has been signed and what are the contents. --- **[1973: Letter to Gurudasa](letters/1973/730913_gurudasa)** > You posed 5 questions regarding Radha Damodara temple and I shall answer them one by one. ---