Srila Prabhupada's Quote Of The Day

In this season there are insects. They are called divali-poka, insect divali. Just in the evening they are born. And they flock together before a light, (sound imitation:) bawnh, bawnh, bawnh, bawnh, like that. And throughout the whole night they will do, and at the end of the night, in the morning, you will see, they are, in heap, they are lying dead. So their life, the duration of life is that night. Within that night they take their birth, they grow, they beget children, family, and defend, eat, mate. Everything is complete within the night. And at the end of the night, it is finished. So similarly, if to these flies, if you say, "Oh, we are dying like this, but there is human being. This is only one night. There is another day also of the same period. Then together, day and night, such thirty day and night makes their month. And such 12 months make their year. And such hundred years they live." So how the fly will understand? Similarly, we cannot understand. When the duration of life of Brahma is described, we think it is story. Similarly, they will think also story. Nothing is story. In the Vedic literatures all information are there. Their relative life, big and small, smaller than the smallest, bigger than the biggest. Don't think that these description in the Vedas, they are stories. They are not stories. They are facts. But we cannot accommodate in our poor teeny brain. That's all.

Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.16 and Initiation, Los Angeles, September 21, 1972

So far our Gurukula is concerned, we require some practical assistant who can teach the boys how to be controlled in the mind and senses, how to rise early in the morning, chant the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra, go to the Yamuna for bathing, then study some Vedic literatures like the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam, remain always for the benefit of the guru, and work for him as a menial servant. These things are recommended for the brahmacari. You will find the statement in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Seven, Chapter Twelve as follows, brahmacari gurukulae vasandanto gururohitam [SB 7.12.1]. I want my gurukula should be in that way, we don't want big big scholars, for doing research work; what research work they will do? Everything is in perfect order in the Vedic scriptures summarized so beautifully in the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad-gita is the primal study.

Letter to Dixit das, 18 September, 1976

We sometimes worship our past leaders. In your country, George Washington, or in our country, Gandhi or somebody else. But this is false because you do not know where is that gentleman Washington has gone. We are simply worshiping a shadow. A photograph, a statue. But we do not know where is actually that spirit soul, his transmigration of the soul. The soul goes to another body and we foolishly worship the dead body, which is useless. This is called bhutejya. In Sanskrit language it is called bhutejya. Ghost worship. Yanti bhutani bhutejya. So this is only sentiment.

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 6.40-42, New York, 16 September, 1966

There is a big list of vairagya: "You cannot do this, you cannot do this, you cannot do this, you cannot do this..." And the whole list is summarized that "You cannot have any illicit connection with woman, you cannot eat any nonvegetarian dish, you cannot be addicted, any kind of intoxication, and you cannot take part in any kind of gambling." At least these four things... These four things include everything, all kinds of vairagya. So we have to test how much we have been able to discard these things. Then vairagya. Then I can control my mind. Controlling mind is not so easy thing that I go to the store and purchase something. No. Abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena ca grhyate [BG 6.35]. So this vairagya can be very easily practiced when you are in Krsna consciousness.

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 6.32-40, New York, September 14, 1966