Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto Quotes

“actual devotees and saintly persons are always anxious to see how the people can be made happy both materially and spiritually.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“sattvaṁ viśuddhaṁ vasudeva-śabditaṁ”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“He explains that aṣṭottara-śata (108) is added to the name of the spiritual master to indicate one who is situated in śuddha-sattva, or in the transcendental state of vasudeva.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Because bees bite one another when they enjoy honey, they are not exclusively enjoying the sweetness of the honey, for there is also suffering. In other words, the living entities are subjected to the pains and pleasures of material enjoyment, whereas the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing their plans for sense enjoyment, is aloof from them.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“The human being, just like the deer, enjoys his family without knowing that before him is the factor of time, which is represented by the tiger. The fruitive activities of a living entity simply create another dangerous position and oblige him to accept different types of bodies.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“There is no stronger obstruction to one’s self-interest than thinking other subject matters to be more pleasing than one’s self-realization.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“talks before the Kumāras were very laudable because of so many qualifications. A speech should be composed of selected words, very sweet to hear, and appropriate to the situation. Such speech is called meaningful.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Everyone is responsible for his fallen condition because of his own activities. When activities are changed to devotional service, one’s auspicious life begins.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Unfortunately, at the present moment no one cares to hear about Pṛthu Mahārāja or to follow in his footsteps; therefore no nation in the world is either happy or progressive in spiritual understanding, although that is the sole aim and objective of human life.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“The reception given to the King was full of opulence, yet he did not become proud. It is said, therefore, that great personalities of power and opulence never become proud, and the example is given that a tree which is full of fruits and flowers does not stand erect in pride but instead bends downwards to show submissiveness. This is a sign of the wonderful character of great personalities.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Both King Indra and Mahārāja Pṛthu were envious and angry with each other, but since both of them were Vaiṣṇavas, or servants of Lord Viṣṇu, it was their duty to adjust the cause of their envy. This is also a first-class example of cooperative behavior between Vaiṣṇavas. In the present days, however, because people are not Vaiṣṇavas, they fight perpetually among one another and are vanquished without finishing the mission of human life. There is a great need to propagate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the world so that even though people sometimes become angry and malicious toward one another, because of their being Kṛṣṇa conscious such rivalry, competition and envy can be adjusted without difficulty.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“one cannot explain the glories of the holy name of the Lord without being specifically empowered by Him. If one criticizes or finds fault with such an empowered personality, one is to be considered an offender against Lord Viṣṇu and is punishable. Even though such offenders may dress as Vaiṣṇavas with false tilaka and mālā, they are never forgiven by the Lord if they offend a pure Vaiṣṇava. There are many instances of this in the śāstras.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Just as a cow cannot deliver sufficient milk without being affectionate to her calf, the earth cannot produce sufficient necessities without feeling affection for those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“In modern electronics, a mechanic may, by pushing only one button, set off an electronic chain reaction, by which so many actions are carried out one after another. Similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead pushes the button of creation, and different energies create the material elements and various controllers of the physical elements, and their subsequent interactions follow the inconceivable plan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
― A.C. Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“The conclusion is that the earth produces sufficient grain to feed the entire population, but the distribution of this grain is restricted due to trade regulations and a desire for profit. Consequently in some places there is scarcity of grain and in others profuse production.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Sometimes the Lord arranges an unfortunate wife for His devotee so that gradually, due to family circumstances, the devotee becomes detached from his wife and home and makes progress in devotional life.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Even if the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is not chanted properly, it still has so much potency that the chanter gains the effect.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Year after year many books are published for public reading regarding Hitler’s killing thousands of Jews in confinement. But no one is researching who killed Hitler and who created such a gigantic killer of human beings. The devotees of the Lord are not much interested in the study of the flickering history of the world. They are interested only in Him who is the original creator, maintainer and annihilator. That is the purpose of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order

“Caitanya Mahāprabhu has also given us a nice weapon for this age, as stated in the Bhāgavatam: sāṅgopāṅgāstra – in this age, the nārāyaṇāstra, or weapon to drive away māyā, is the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in pursuance of the associates of Lord Caitanya, such as Advaita Prabhu, Nityānanda, Gadādhara and Śrīvāsa.”
― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Fourth Canto: The Creation of the Fourth Order