# December 22 *Lectures from this day: 9 recordings* --- **[[spoken/661222cc.ny|Cc. Madhya 20.318-329 — December 22, 1966, New York]]** **Prabhupāda:** > harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt > puruṣaḥ prakṛteḥ paraḥ > sa sarva-dṛg upadraṣṭā > taṁ bhajan nirguṇo bhavet > [[cc/madhya/20/313|[Cc. Madhya 20.313] ]] *Nirguṇo bhavet.* The liberation from material bondage is called *nirguṇa. Nirguṇa* means the three qualities, three modes of material nature, is nullified. As soon as we are transcendental to the three modes of material nature, that is called liberation. So just like there is injunction in the Vedic literature: to live in the city is *rājasika;* to live in the forest is *sattvika,* goodness. *Sattvika* quality means to live in goodness is to live in a forest. Therefore formerly, all the sages and saints, they used to live in a forest. Still there are many transcendentalist, they live in the forest, because forest is considered to be situation in goodness. Similarly, those who live in cities and villages, in society, human society, that is *rājasika.* And those who live in the liquor shop and similar, gambling shop and other, they are called *tamasika.* --- **[[../../spoken/1968/681222le.la.md|Press Release — December 22, 1968, Los Angeles]]** *[Lecture file not found]* --- **[[spoken/691222sb.bos|SB 2.1.1-5 — December 22, 1969, Boston]]** **Prabhupāda:** ...Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. So I am so pleased that you are doing things just to my satisfaction. And stick to this principle and Kṛṣṇa will bless you, sure. Our line of action is not difficult: chanting sixteen rounds regularly, following the four restrictive principles, take *prasādam,* read books—we have got so many books—speak, discuss about the subject matter amongst yourself, and this is the process. So Parīkṣit Mahārāja, you know, I have several times spoken, he had only seven days to meet his death. He was young man, but some way or other, he was cursed by a *brāhmaṇa—*boy, not a *brāhmaṇa—*that he would meet death within seven days, and... This is Vedic culture, that before death one should prepare very nicely to go back to Godhead. This is Vedic culture. The modern civilization, they do not know what is going to happen after death. But our Vedic culture is not so blind. Vedic culture has got a aim, what is the aim of human life, not aimless life. Aimless life is animal life. They have no aim. By the laws of nature they are going on, transforming from one body to another, and ultimately they are coming by evolutionary process to the human form of life. And especially this civilized human form of life, it is very responsible life. --- **[[spoken/701222sb.sur|SB 6.1.40 — December 22, 1970, Surat]]** **Prabhupāda:** So those who attend lecture will kindly sit down. Speaking in English for the majority. Haṁsadūta: [aside, introducing recording:] The following lecture was recorded on the morning of the 22nd December, 1971..., 1970, Surat, India. [break] **Prabhupāda:** > veda-praṇihito dharmo > hy adharmas tad-viparyayaḥ > vedo nārāyaṇaḥ sākṣāt > svayambhūr iti śuśruma > [[sb/6/1/40|[SB. 6.1.40] ]] --- **[[spoken/731222sb.la|SB 1.15.44 — December 22, 1973, Los Angeles]]** **Pradyumna:** *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* leads chanting of verse] [**Prabhupāda and **devotees repeat] *udīcīm*—the northern side; *praviveśa-āśām*—those who wanted to enter there; *gata-pūrvām*—the path accepted by his forefathers; *mahā-ātmabhiḥ*—by the broad-minded; *hṛdi*—within the heart; *brahma*—the Supreme; *param*—Godhead; *dhyāyan*—constantly thinking of; *na āvarteta*—passed his days; *yataḥ*—wherever; *gataḥ*—went. --- **[[spoken/741222sb.bom|SB 3.26.10 — December 22, 1974, Bombay]]** **Nitāi:** *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* *Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya.* [**Prabhupāda and **devotees repeat] [leads chanting of verse, etc.] *śrī-bhagavān uvāca yat tat tri-guṇam avyaktaṁ nityaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam pradhānaṁ prakṛtiṁ prāhur aviśeṣaṁ viśeṣavat* * [[sb/3/26/10|[SB. 3.26.10] ]] "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: The unmanifested eternal combination of the three modes is the cause of the manifested state and is called pradhāna. It is called prakṛti when in the manifested stage of existence." --- **[[spoken/751222db.bom|Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Disappearance Day, Bhagavad-gītā 16.7 — December 22, 1975, Bombay]]** *Na śaucaṁ nāpi cācāro na satyaṁ teṣu vidyate.* This is a verse from the Sixteenth Chapter of *Bhagavad-gītā,* where the Lord is describing the symptoms of the demons. This *pravṛttiṁ ca nivṛttiṁ ca... Pravṛtti* means inclination, inclined. And *nivṛtti* means disinclined. So there are two things within this material world. Our inclination is to enjoy the senses. This is general. Everyone within this material world, even the animals, birds, beasts, human being or more elevated than the human beings—the demigods, *kinnaras,* or the..., many other higher types of living entities... There are different grades of living entities, 8,400,000 different bodies. So what is their *pravṛtti,* inclination? The inclination is attraction of man and woman. This is the central point of attraction. *Puṁsāṁ striyaḥ maithuni-bhāvam etad:* the whole material world is existing on this point—sex, man and woman. So this is *pravṛtti-mārga.* And *nivṛtti-mārga:* just to stop it. This is called *nivṛtti-mārga.* We are within this material world on account of this *pravṛtti,* sense enjoyment. Those who are inclined to sense enjoyment and do not care to know what is the aim of life, they are called *asuras.* And those who are trying to avoid the entanglement of this material life and revive the whole original life... Whole original life means Kṛṣṇa conscious life. Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, our original consciousness is that "I have got intimate relationship with Kṛṣṇa as His part and parcel." That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And the..., my conception is the bodily conception, that "I am this body. I am born in this country; therefore I belong to this nation, I belong to this community, I belong to this family, I belong to this species," this is called *pravṛtti-mārga.* This is scientific division, *pravṛtti-mārga, nivṛtti-mārga.* Why the scientific? Because this is the fact. Science means fact. I am not this body. I am spirit soul. That is, just like a man suffering from some disease, so that is not his normal life to suffer from some disease. Normal life is to keep healthy life, no disease. That is normal life. So in order to keep to the normal life, we must know how to cure the disease. Just like when you have got fever, you go to the doctor; he says, advises, "You do this" and "You do not do this." The "do not do this" means *nivṛtti-mārga,* and "do this," *pravṛtti-mārga*. If you are serious to cure your disease, then you must know what you should do and what you should not do. But just like a man, very foolish man, he is suffering from disease but he does not know how to cure the disease, what to do and what not to do, similarly an animal-like man, a two-legged man, he does not know what to do and what not to do. This is explained here. --- **[[spoken/761222r1.poo|Room and Car Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra — December 22, 1976, Poona]]** **Prabhupāda:** Because you cannot do like this. Kṛṣṇa says that *mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya* [[bg/7/7|[Bg. 7.7] ]]: "Nobody is superior than Me." That is Kṛṣṇa. Are you able to become superior of everyone? **Mr. Malhotra:** That is so, but how is that creator? His own creation went against and Kṛṣṇa became after His creation to worship and become devotees of superior... **Prabhupāda:** [Transl. That is why,] for this reason Kṛṣṇa says, *janma karma ca me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ* [[bg/4/9|[Bg. 4.9] ]]. One who knows what are the activities of Kṛṣṇa, he is liberated. So, --- **[[spoken/761222r2.poo|Room Conversation with Indian Man — December 22, 1976, Poona]]** **Indian man:** ...self-realization. Various methods, as many people are there, so many techniques are there. Each individual has to find out his own way. **Prabhupāda:** I say they are bluffing. Just like you go to educational institution, is there any knowledge that is to be realized according to the whims of the students? **Prabhupāda:** So what I am, then you have to study in this way, whether you are this body or you are something else. Is it not? So that is in the beginning of the *Bhagavad-gītā* explained, *dehino 'smin yathā dehe kaumāraṁ yauvanaṁ jarā* [[bg/2/13|[Bg. 2.13] ]]. Find out this verse. This is self-realization. *Bhagavad-gītā* begins with self-realization, "What I am." Am I this body or I am something other than this body? That is self-realization. So that is the beginning of *Bhagavad-gītā.* --- ## Letters - [[../../letters/1971/711222_balavanta.md|Letter to Balavanta, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_gargamuni.md|Letter to Gargamuni, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_gauracandra_goswami_others.md|Letter to Gauracandra Goswami Others, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_jayapataka.md|Letter to Jayapataka, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_nayanabhirama.md|Letter to Nayanabhirama, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_sridama.md|Letter to Sridama, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_upendra.md|Letter to Upendra, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1971/711222_yamuna_palika.md|Letter to Yamuna Palika, 1971]] - [[../../letters/1972/721222_karandhara.md|Letter to Karandhara, 1972]] - [[../../letters/1975/751222_gurudasa.md|Letter to Gurudasa, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1975/751222_hrdayananda.md|Letter to Hrdayananda, 1975]] - [[../../letters/1976/761222_sudama.md|Letter to Sudama, 1976]]