August 12
The brahmacari, they are meant for sacrifice, the students. The students are recommended to sacrifice, especially to sacrifice sense gratification.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.24-34, New York, August 12, 1966
Srila Prabhupada's Quote Of The Day
August 11
Krsna says, yat taj jnanam. Ksetra-ksetrajnayor yat taj-jnanam matam mama. Krsna is giving, that one should know what he is and one should know what is his body, then he is in knowledge. The matter cannot understand this. The dogs, cats, cannot understand this. But a human being can understand this. Bhagavad-gita is meant for the human being, not for the cats and dogs. Therefore, the human society should take care of this knowledge. Then his life will be successful.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 13.3, Paris, 11 August, 1973
August 10
We have got so many books, so many newspapers, so many magazines. We hear and read. But we are not interested in hearing Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam, where atma-tattvam, the science of soul, is described. So why they are not interested? Now, apasyatam atma-tattvam grhesu grha-medhinam [SB 2.1.2]. Grhesu, now, household life... They are thinking, "This is life." Tatala saikate vari-bindu-sama, suta-mita-ramani-samaje. Vidyapati, a great poet, Vaisnava poet, he has sung that... We are happy within this material world. How? Suta-mita-ramani-samaje. Suta. Suta means children, and mita means friends, and ramani means woman. So actually, our material life, existing, is society, friendship and love. If there are nice, beautiful women at home, children and friends, we are taking, "This is our life." But that is not life. Real life is to understand what I am, atma-tattvam. Atma-tattvam. Without understanding atma-tattvam, the life is failure.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.4, Vrindavana, August 10, 1974
August 9
Krsna says that there are two kinds of nature: superior nature, or higher nature, and inferior nature. We take it for granted that there is something like inferior nature. Of course, this material energy, the material nature, is called inferior nature - inferior in the sense that matter has got no incentive. Without touch of spirit, matter cannot work. Therefore it is understood that it is inferior. But in the higher sense it is not inferior. How it is not inferior? Because it is emanation from the Supreme and you cannot separate this energy from the Supreme, and there is no difference between the Supreme and His energy.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 4.20-24, New York, August 9, 1966
August 8
When we are put into great difficulties, it dries up the existence of the senses. No sense enjoyment also can make us happy. Ucchosanam indriyanam. Here happiness means sense gratification. Actually this is not happiness. Real happiness is described in the Bhagavad-gita: atindriyam, sukham atyantikam yat tat atindriyam [BG 6.21]. Real happiness, atyantikam, the supreme happiness, is not enjoyed by the senses. Atindriya, surpassing, transcendental to the senses. That is real happiness. But we have taken happiness as sense enjoyment. So by sense enjoyment, nobody can become happy. Because we are in the material existence. And our senses are false senses. Real senses - spiritual senses.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.8, London, 8 August, 1973
August 7
According to Caitanya Mahaprabhu philosophy, prasadam should be taken up to the neck, akantha. In Jagannatha Puri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's only occupation was holding Sankirtana at least four hours every day and distributing prasadam to the devotees. It is stated in the Caitanya Caritamrta that the Lord was so liberal that He would give to every man prasadam quite sufficient for being eaten by two or three men. So we are trying to follow by distributing prasadam very liberally, and we invite everyone without any discrimination. Everywhere we have got temples we distribute prasadam especially to the poorer men. I am enclosing one issue of our "Back to Godhead'' magazine which contains photos of our prasadam distribution starting on page 12. This prasadam distribution is going on all over the world.
Letter to Dr. Naik, 7 August, 1975
August 6
So the fighting spirit is there. Now, how it should be utilized? Our Krsna consciousness movement is there. We say, consciousness. We don't say, "Stop fight" or "Do this, do that, do that," no. Everything should be done in Krsna consciousness. That is our propaganda. Nirbandha-krsna-sambandhe. Whatever you do, it must have some relationship with the satisfaction of Krsna. If Krsna is satisfied, then you act. That is Krsna consciousness. Krsnendriya trpti vancha tara nama prema [CС Adi 4.165]. This is love. Just like you love somebody; for the sake of your beloved, you can do anything, and we do sometimes. Similarly, the same thing should be transferred to Krsna. That's all.
Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.6, London, August 6, 1973
August 5
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 16, 1974 with enclosed clippings and the Christian paper Southern Cross. The articles are very nice, and I am very pleased how the Christian community are appreciating our movement. Actually we have no quarrel with them. We accept Lord Jesus Christ as the son of God and he was a great Vaisnava. Because he appeared in another country does not mean that we should not offer him respect. If we stick to our principles as I have given you, more and more these priestly class they will come to respect us and appreciate something of our philosophy. Therefore I stress so much the devotional rules and regulations.
Letter to Amogha das, 5 August, 1974
August 4
This is the function of the GBC, to see that one may not be taken away by maya. The GBC should all be the instructor gurus. I am in the initiator guru, and you should be the instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title, but you must actually come to this platform. This I want.
Letter to Madhudvisa Swami, 4 August, 1975
August 3
Krishna Consciousness is also a sort of fight; but not with rifles. Our weapon is karatalas. In this age there is no need of fighting with rifles because the population is so poor that they are already killed by so many disturbances. They are short lived, poor in knowledge, slack in advancement of spiritual life, unfortunate, and embarrassed by so many miserable conditions of life; like war, famine pestilence, poverty and so on. So to kill these persons by rifle is like bringing a cannon for killing a mosquito. So Lord Caitanya introduced this fighting principle of Sankirtana Movement to reclaim all the fallen souls, who consist of so-called philosophers, half-educated scientists, misguided educationists and a miscreant society. If you can consolidate a party of soldiers as described by you, chanting Hare Krishna Mantra and claiming everyone of them to Krishna Consciousness, that will be a glorious task, and you have all of my good wishes for you for this purpose.
Letter to Robert Hendry, 3 August, 1969