Srimad Bhagavatam Quotes

“The living being is in the state of forgetfulness of his relation with God due to his being overly attracted to material sense gratification from time immemorial.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The whole system of education is geared to sense gratification, and if a learned man thinks it over, he sees that the children of this age are being intentionally sent to the slaughterhouses of so-called education.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The four major vices of Kali-yuga are (1) illicit connection with women, (2) animal slaughter, (3) intoxication, (4) speculative gambling of all sorts.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The Lord is more anxious to take us back into His kingdom than we can desire. Most of us do not desire at all to go back to Godhead. Only a very few men want to go back to Godhead. But anyone who desires to go back to Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa helps in all respects.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The body and the mind are but superfluous outer coverings of the spirit soul. The spirit soul’s needs must be fulfilled. Simply by cleansing the cage of the bird, one does not satisfy the bird. One must actually know the needs of the bird himself.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Satisfaction of the soul can only be obtained by questions and answers on the subject of Kṛṣṇa.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Living beings who are entangled in the complicated meshes of birth and death can be freed immediately by even unconsciously chanting the holy name of Kṛṣṇa, which is feared by fear personified.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Ātmā, or self, is distinguished from matter and material elements. It is spiritual in constitution, and thus it is never satisfied by any amount of material planning.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“This shyness is a gift of nature to the fair sex, and it enhances their beauty and prestige, even if they are of a less important family or even if they are less attractive. We have practical experience of this fact. A sweeper woman commanded the respect of many respectable gentlemen simply by manifesting a lady’s shyness. Half-naked ladies in the street do not command any respect, but a shy sweeper’s wife commands respect from all.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“To be nonviolent to human beings and to be a killer or enemy of the poor animals is Satan’s philosophy. In this age there is enmity toward poor animals, and therefore the poor creatures are always anxious. The reaction of the poor animals is being forced on human society, and therefore there is always the strain of cold or hot war between men, individually, collectively or nationally.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The spiritual master is the mercy representative of the Lord. Therefore, a person burning in the flames of material existence may receive the rains of mercy of the Lord through the transparent medium of the self-realized spiritual master. The spiritual master, by his words, can penetrate into the heart of the suffering person and inject knowledge transcendental, which alone can extinguish the fire of material existence.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“All the Vedic literatures and the Purāṇas are meant for conquering the darkest region of material existence.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“abolished; nara-deva – monarchical; nāmni”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“anyone who properly learns about this particular pastime of the Lord will certainly be dissuaded from mundane sex desire and be placed on the path of sublime devotional service”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Simply by appreciating the dealings of the Lord with His pure devotees, one can attain salvation”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Kṛṣṇa is our most intimate master, friend, father or son and object of conjugal love. Forgetting Kṛṣṇa, we have created so many objects of questions and answers, but none of them are able to give us complete satisfaction. All things – but Kṛṣṇa – give temporary satisfaction only,”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“harer nāma harer nāma harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The Lord is so kind that he gives all protection to the family members of His devotee, and thus the devotee has no need to bother about his family members, even if one leaves such family members aside to discharge devotional service.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“pure and exclusive devotee of the Lord serves his family interest more dexterously than others, who are attached to illusory family affairs. Generally people are attached to family matters, and the whole economic impetus of human society is moving under the influence of family affection. Such deluded persons have no information that one can render better service to the family by becoming a devotee of the Lord.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“For a devotee who desires to go back to Godhead, two things are strictly prohibited: worldly enjoyers and women.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The natural beauty of a living being is enhanced by rising up to the platform of devotional service.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The Lord resides with His devotees, and therefore the presence of the great saints indicated the presence of the Lord. The King therefore welcomed the presence of the great ṛṣis as a mark of favor of the Supreme Lord.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Mahārāja Parīkṣit, although born in a family of great devotees, the Pāṇḍavas, and although securely trained in transcendental attachment for the association of the Lord, still found the allurement of mundane family life so strong that he had to be detached by a plan of the Lord.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“To be free from all material association means to cease completely from committing any further sins. To meditate upon the lotus feet of the Lord means to become free from the effects of all previous sins.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“If we want peace and prosperity in the world, we should take lessons from this verse; every state and every home must endeavor to advance the cause of brahminical culture for self-purification, God consciousness for self-realization, and cow protection for getting sufficient milk and the best food to continue a perfect civilization.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The pure devotee’s mundane frustration is meant to elevate the devotee to a higher transcendental position. By placing Arjuna and the Pāṇḍavas in frustration due to the intrigue of their cousin-brothers, the prelude of the Battle of Kurukṣetra was created by the Lord. This was to incarnate the sound representative of the Lord, Bhagavad-gītā. So by placing King Parīkṣit in an awkward position, the incarnation of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was created by the will of the Lord.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Offenseless chanting of the holy name of the Lord is transcendental, and therefore such chanting can at once purify one from the effects of all kinds of previous sins. This offenseless chanting indicates that one has fully understood the transcendental nature of the holy name and has thus surrendered unto the Lord. Transcendentally the holy name of the Lord and the Lord Himself are identical, being absolute.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“To chant the holy name under the direction of a pure devotee is offenseless chanting.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“Brahmā is counted amongst the living beings, but he is the greatest of all of us. And why is the greatest of all the living beings so much attached to the transcendental topics of Lord Kṛṣṇa? Because He is the reservoir of all enjoyment. Everyone wants to relish some kind of taste in everything, but one who is engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord can derive unlimited pleasure from such engagement.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto

“The materialist is called yoṣit-saṅgī, or one who is much attached to material entanglement (women and other paraphernalia). Such attachment is conditioned because it drives away the benedictions of life and prosperity. And just the opposite is bhāgavata-saṅgī, or one who is always in the association with the Lord’s name, form, qualities, etc. Such association is always desirable; it is worshipable, it is praiseworthy, and one may accept it as the highest goal of life.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad Bhagavatam: First Canto