The Bliss Of Krishna Consciousness

Without God consciousness, without establishing my relationship with the Supreme Lord, there cannot be any religious principle. You may go on advertising some new kind of religious principle, and every day and every moment they are being manufactured in all over the world, and there are so many groups of religious principle, but here, according to Bhagavad-gītā, real religious principle means to establish your lost relationship with the Supreme Lord. We are eternally related with the Supreme Lord, just like the father and the son is eternally related. That relation cannot be cut off. A father may become..., a son may become rebellious to his father, but he cannot say that "He is not my father." Is it possible? No, that is not possible. Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Bhagavad-gītā 3.21–25 May30-1966

" Sanātana means there is no history of its creation or [indistinct]. But this material creation, as you know... We say, "God created." "God created" means before creation, God was existing. "God created"—this very word suggests that before this creation of this cosmic manifestation, God was existing. Therefore God is not under this creation. If God is under this creation, then how He can create? He becomes one of the object of the material creation. So God is not under creation. He is the creator. Before creation, He was existing. That is called sanātana. That means He is also sanātana. And there is a spiritual nature, sky, where there are innumerable spiritual planets also. And there are innumerable spiritual living entities also.  Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada New York,April-23,1969.

Just like I am here, you are here, but you are not in your apartment. You are absent from your apartment. But God, God means He is in His apartment and He is everywhere. That is God. The rascals, they claim that "I am God." What kind of God you are? Are you everywhere spread? So you should not accept such cheap God. God's description is there in the śāstra = eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭim [Bs. 5.35]. One part, one portion, is Paramātmā, the Supersoul. In His Supersoul feature He is present in innumerable universes. Eko 'py asau racayituṁ jagad-aṇḍa-koṭi. Jagad-aṇḍa means the universe. It is just like an egg. They are aṇḍa. Aṇḍa means egg. The form is like egg. So there are millions. So to maintain the millions and millions of universes by His one portion, Paramātmā, He is spread. He is called Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Bhagavad-gītā 9.4 April 23-1976

So if the guardian, if the father and mother is intelligent, if the teacher is intelligent, if the government policy is intelligent, then the process should be to teach the small children from the very beginning of life God consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Otherwise this world is going to hell. It has already gone, and it will go. The result will be that I'll kill you, you'll kill me. So both of us will be killed. And this human form, or the facility of this human form of life, which was given to us by grace of God or by the mercy of material nature, Prahlāda Mahārāja says that "Don't misuse it. Don't misuse it like animals, simply eating, sleeping and mating and defending." Durlabhaṁ mānuṣaṁ janma [SB 7.6.1]. Don't be assured that your next life is going again to be a human form of life. It may be... There are 8,400,000 species of life, and according to my work I may enter into any type of body. Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.1 june10-1968

One should be Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, why? Because He is the master of your self and the most intimate friend, suhṛt. Yathā ātmeśvara. Ātmeśvara means we are individual self and He is the original Superself. Just like we, for the present, we like this body, we love this body, why? Because the body is the production of the soul. Without soul, there is no body. Just like a child born. If the soul is there, the child will grow. If the child is born dead, however chemically you can keep up that body, it will never grow. So that is the significance of the presence of the soul. So as the body grows on account of presence of the soul, similarly, the soul, individual soul, is the part and parcel of the Supreme Lord. Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.6.1 March15-1968

So this education is lacking now. They are... Everyone is thinking that he's independent, he can do whatever he likes. That is not possible. Then you'll be punished. Nature's law is so strict, stringent. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. You cannot escape the stringent laws of nature. Little discrepancy... Suppose you can eat eight ounce. If you eat nine ounce, then you will have to starve for three days. There is no excuse. "Why you have eaten more than eight ounce?" The nature is there. Just like we require salt in our foodstuff, everyone. But if the salt is little more, it is useless. And if the salt is little less, that is also useless. It must be exactly to the quantity. So nature's law is like that. People, if they simply study nature's law, he becomes a learned scholar. Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.6 By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada May 7-1976

"There are four Vedas—Sāma, Ṛg, Yajur and Atharva, and there are 108 Upaniṣads, including the Īśopaniṣad, Kaṭha Upaniṣad and Taittirīya Upaniṣad, as well as the Vedānta-sūtra, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā. These literatures are not meant for any particular class of men but for the totality of human society. All societies can take advantage of Vedic knowledge to perfect human life. As pointed out before, human life is not meant for sense gratification, but for understanding God, the universe and our own identity. From Vedic literatures we can understand that this material world is only a partial manifestation of the complete creation of God. The larger portion of God’s creation is found in the spiritual world of the Vaikuṇṭhas." ~Elevation To Kṛṣṇa Consciousness By His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada

"A spirit soul, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, he is by nature very powerful. We do not know how much spiritual power we have got, but that is being suppressed by the material covering. Just like this fire. This fire, if there are too many ashes, the heat of the fire is not properly felt. But you move the ashes and just fan it, and when it is blazing, then you get the proper heat and you can utilize it for so many purpose. Similarly, we as spirit soul, we have immense power. And God is the supreme spirit soul, so we cannot imagine how much power God has got." ~Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada SB 05.05.02 - London Sep1-1969

So people have become disinterested in religion and God at the present moment. So therefore according to Bhagavad-gītā such persons are duṣkṛtina. Duṣkṛtina means miscreants or always engaged in sinful activities. If you are not religious, then you must act sinfully. So people are becoming duṣkṛtina. Instead of becoming sukṛtina, they are becoming duṣkṛtina. And as a result of that, na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. They are becoming rascals and lowest of the mankind. And whatever their university degrees are there, that knowledge is useless. And they are not going to surrender to God. This is the present position. Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ. Those who are coming to God, they are called sukṛtina, pious. But generally common men, even though he is pious, he goes to God to get some material profit.  Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.1.2 July7-1972

"So God's another name is Adhokṣaja, means beyond our perception. You cannot understand God by directly seeing or by directly smelling or by directly hearing or by directly tasting or touching. It is not possible at the present moment, unless you are spiritually advanced, unless our seeing power is rectified, our hearing power is modified. In this way, when our senses are purified, then we can hear about God, we can see God, we can smell God, we can touch God. That is possible. To training in that science, how to see God, how to hear God, how to touch God by your senses, that is possible. That science is called devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness." ~Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada SB 01.02.05 - Montreal August 2,1968

To become a devotee of the Supreme Lord is not unnatural. It is very easy, natural thing. By nature we are attached to Kṛṣṇa, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Somehow or other, circumstantially, we are separated . . . Not separated, because here it is stated ātmatvāt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is . . . Although we are thinking we are different from Him, He is within our hearts. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe arjuna (BG 18.61). He is so friendly that although we are averse—we do not like even the word of God—God is so kind that He is sitting within my heart, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām. He's simply looking forward for the opportunity when I, the living entity, shall look towards Him. He's always anxious." ~Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada SB 07.06.19 - New Vrindavan, USA July 2-1976

Because we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the quality of sense gratification is there; therefore, we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the quality of sense gratification also there. But the difference is here we are trying to gratify our senses in the material world; therefore we are frustrated. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means that you gratify your senses in association with Kṛṣṇa. Then it is perfect. The same example: just like this finger, the finger. There is a nice sweetball or a nice foodstuff. The finger picks it up, but it cannot enjoy. It has to be..., the foodstuff has to be given to the stomach, and then the finger also can enjoy. Similarly, we cannot gratify our senses directly, but when we join with Kṛṣṇa, when Kṛṣṇa enjoys, then we can enjoy. This is our position.  Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.5.30 Sep9-1971

"We should always remember that Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, He is the supreme father and He is the supreme proprietor. Bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). The best life is to remain under the protection of Kṛṣṇa. Avaśya rakhibe kṛṣṇa viśvāsa pālan, rakiṣyate iti viśvāsa pālanam. This is called surrender, that "Kṛṣṇa will give me protection." And Kṛṣṇa also promises, kaunteya pratijānīhi na me bhaktaḥ praṇaśyati (BG 9.31). Kṛṣṇa is giving protection to everyone without even being devotee. And one who becomes a devotee, how much care is taken by Kṛṣṇa, just imagine." ~Lecture by His Divine Grace A.C.Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada SB 07.06.16 - New Vrindavan, USA June30-1976

The material world is so situated that if you do not want to become a sinful man, unless you are devotee, you will be forced to commit sinful activities. You'll be forced. Just like you are very good man, but when walking on the street you are killing so many ants. We have got experience while morning walk. You cannot avoid it. It is not possible. And you are responsible for killing the ant. Then? How you can save yourself from the sinful activities? Therefore in the śāstra it is said, padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadam [SB 10.14.58]. 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.  Lecture given by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.2.11 Sep13-1975

"We want and need to love something. In the absence of reality we put our faith and love in cats and dogs. Love is always there, but it is distorted into the form of lust. When this lust is baffled, we become angry; when we become angry, we become illusioned; and when we are illusioned, we are doomed. This is the process that is going on, but we have to reverse this process and turn lust into love. If we love God, we love everything. But if we do not love God, it is not possible to love anything. We may think that it is love, but it is simply a glamorized form of lust. Those who have become the dogs of lust are said to have lost all good sense: kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ." ~Book-On The Way To Kṛṣṇa By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedant Swami Prabhupada