(Srila Prabhupada in New York City, 1966—click to enlarge)
"Love means without any personal profit. If I love God for some profit, that is business; that is not love. Ahaituky apratihatā. And such love of God cannot be checked by any material cause. In any condition, one can learn how to love God. It is not conditional, that 'I am poor man. How shall I love God? I have got so many things to do.' No, it is not like that. Poor, rich or young or old, black or white, there is no impediment. If one wants to love God, he can love Him."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Philadelphia, July 13, 1975)
"Love of Kṛṣṇa cannot be stopped by any material reason. That is love. Nobody can say that 'For this reason I could not love Kṛṣṇa.' There is no reason. There is no impediment for anyone. Any circumstances. So any religious principle which helps a person to love Kṛṣṇa and God, in that way, without any reason, without any impediment... Just like flow of the river. There is no impediment in this world which can stop the flow of the river. Or the waves of the Pacific Ocean. There is no power in the material world which can stop the waves going on, going on, going on. You see? Similarly, that is the best type of religion. Now just see how Bhāgavata is liberal in the description of religion. Religion... You are religious, you are very pious man—how it will be tested? How much you have developed love of God. That's all. Without any reason, without any impediment. This is test of best religion."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, San Francisco, April 1, 1969)
"If I want to enter into the kingdom of God, or Kṛṣṇa, if we want to be Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no impediment. There is no impediment. Ahaituky apratihatā. In the Bhāgavata says that if one wants to cultivate the Kṛṣṇa consciousness, it is without any cause and without any impediment. Because it is transcendental subject matter, it does not depend on any material condition, on any material condition. There is no consideration of material impediment. So it is open for everyone."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, July 29, 1966)
"Unmotivated means, 'Oh, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, service of Kṛṣṇa, is so nice. Let me begin immediately.' Now, 'What will be the result? What shall I gain? What is the profit?' no such consideration. 'Begin immediately.' And if you begin in that way, there is no impediment. Apratihatā. It is so nice thing. In the material world, if you want to begin some work, then you require some preliminary qualification. It doesn't require any preliminary qualification. Whatever qualification you have got, that is sufficient. Begin. And nobody can say, 'Oh, I am not educated,' 'I am not rich,' or 'I am not born of a high family.' There are so many. No. These things are not impediments. Educated or uneducated, culture or no culture, it doesn't matter; you can begin immediately."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Los Angeles, June 23, 1975)
"Our method is very simple. It doesn't require much education or to become rich or become beautiful or become..., to take birth in high family. No. In any condition. Ahaituky apratihatā (SB 1.2.6). If you want to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, there is no impediment in the world. You can, walking on the street, you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. That will keep you purified. No other method."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Denver, July 1, 1975)
"Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). He does not say any big, big, bombastic thing. Very simple thing, that 'Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer obeisances.' It doesn't require M.A., Ph.D. education to learn these four things. Anyone, even a child, can do it. It is very easy. If you daily see the Deity in the temple, or if you have got Deity at home, even a child will be practiced to think of Kṛṣṇa. It is not at all difficult. And if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, that is also thinking of Kṛṣṇa.
So man-manāḥ, and if you continue this, then mad-bhakta, you become His devotee. Man-manā bhava mad-bhaktaḥ. Mad-yājī, then if you can, you can offer to Kṛṣṇa. Is it very expensive? No. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati (BG 9.26). You can offer Kṛṣṇa a little water or a tulasī leaf. Or if tulasī leaf is not available, any leaf. He does not say tulasī leaf. So what is the difficulty to secure a little water, a leaf or a small flower? Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. The real thing is bhakti. Patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyam. So, mad-bhakta, if you are poorest of the poor you can become a devotee. Ahaituky apratihatā yenātmā samprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). If you want to become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, there is no impediment throughout the three worlds within the universe. You can become a devotee, it is so easy."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, December 20, 1975)
"So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, then your physical impediments will not be a check. Ahaituky apratihatā yayātmā suprasīdati. You'll feel yourself transcendentally joyful in spite of your physical, present physical body. You'll... Just like if you eat, you'll know yourself that you are eating, you are feeling strength, you are getting enlightened, similarly, if you take this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in spite of your present physical body, you'll know that you are having something transcendental. That feeling will come with you."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, San Francisco, March 10, 1967)
"So everything is lighter as soon as it is spiritually advanced or there is spirit. Similarly, when we'll be spiritually advanced, then there will be no impediment. Now we cannot fly in the air, but when you are free from this body, your spirit soul, within a second you can go to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka. It is so light. Within a second."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, April 26, 1973)
"If you want to love God, there is nothing throughout the whole world which can check you. Simply you have to develop your eagerness: 'Kṛṣṇa, I want You.' That's all. Then there is no question of checking. In any condition you'll increase your love, increase your love. Ahaituky apra... And why this? Yayātmā suprasīdati. If you attain that state, then you will feel fully satisfied. Otherwise not. Otherwise not. If you can develop your love for God or Kṛṣṇa without being checked, without any cause, then you will feel fully satisfied. Otherwise not. It is for your interest. And... It is not for God's interest that He wants you. It is for your interest. If you do otherwise, you will never be happy. This is the only way. Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, May 3, 1970)
Guest: Is it possible for poverty-stricken people, those who have to earn bread and money by the sweat of their brow?
Prabhupada: According to śāstra, poverty is no impediment for understanding God. Because we see practically that those who are great souls, they have voluntarily accepted poverty.
Guest: Just like... (indistinct)
Prabhupada: Many. Just like Vyāsadeva. There is no comparison of his literature. One cannot write one line like him. But he was living in a cottage. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita, such a great politician, he was living in a cottage. He did not keep any Rolls-Royce car or like that. Rather, this material opulence is impediment to understand God. So it is not that I say, comparatively... not that material opulence is also another check. No. Neither poverty is check nor material opulence is check. Anyone can understand if he follows the principles, or process.
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Calcutta, March 21, 1975)
"The special qualification of the pure devotee is that he is always thinking of Kṛṣṇa without deviation and without considering the time or place. There should be no impediments. He should be able to carry out his service anywhere and at any time. Some say that the devotee should remain in holy places like Vṛndāvana or some holy town where the Lord lived, but a pure devotee can live anywhere and create the atmosphere of Vṛndāvana by his devotional service. It was Śrī Advaita who told Lord Caitanya, 'Wherever You are, O Lord—there is Vṛndāvana.'"
(Bhagavad-gītā As It Is 8.14, Purport)
"The Lord remains in the hearts of every living entity. He lives in the heart of a hog, and the hog lives in a filthy place. That does not mean that the Lord lives in a filthy place. The Lord lives always inconceivably in His transcendental abode. Similarly, a fully K.C. person lives always in the pastimes of Lord Krishna by such consciousness only. The material atmosphere is no impediment for continuing our K.C. in any circumstance."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, September 9, 1967)
"So we do not want dry renouncers. Krishna Himself married so many wives as a Ksatriya. Caitanya Mahaprabhu although He was to take Sannyas at the age of 24 years, still He married twice within 20 years. Lord Nityananda Prabhu also married. Advaita Prabhu and Srivas Prabhu, they were also householders. So to become married is no impediment for advancement in Krishna Consciousness. One should be vigilant only that he is not diverting from Krishna Consciousness. One has to follow the footprints of the great Acaryas then everything is all right. I was also a married man—my family is still existing. So you should always remember that marriage is not impediment. The greatest enemy is forgetfulness of Krishna."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 10, 1969)
"So far Narada Muni is concerned, in His previous life He was a maidservant's son, but by the mercy of the devotees He later on became siddha and next life He appeared as Narada with complete freedom to move anywhere by the grace of the Lord. So even though He was in his previous life a maidservant's son there was no impediment in the achievement of His perfect spiritual life. Similarly any living entity who is conditioned can achieve the perfectional stage of life by the above mentioned processes and the vivid example is Narada Muni."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, June 21, 1970)
"Advancement in Krishna Consciousness is not the result of material conditions. I shall not expect to find some perfect circumstances of occupational duty which will cause me to be automatically Krishna conscious, no. So why shall I think that by changing this, going here or there, doing something else—why shall I expect that I will become happy by adjusting material conditions in this way? They have not understood. Real attitude of devotional service is, whether I am here or there, whether I am doing this or that, it doesn't matter, just give me little prasada, little service, or if you make me big leader, that's all right—that is devotee, satisfied to serve Krishna in any circumstances of life."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 5, 1972)
"Why you are suffering? Forgetting Kṛṣṇa. That's all. Now you revive your memory about Kṛṣṇa, you become happy. That's all. Very simple thing. Now don't try to find out the history when you forgot. You have forgotten, that is a fact, because you are suffering. Now here is an opportunity, Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Revive your memory, your love for Kṛṣṇa. Simple thing. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, dance, and take Kṛṣṇa prasāda. And if you are not educated, you are illiterate, hear. Just you have got natural gift, ear. You have got natural tongue. So you can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and you can hear Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from persons who are in the knowledge. So there is no impediment. No impediment. It does not require any prequalification. Simply you have to use whatever asset you have got. That's all. You must agree. That is wanted. 'Yes, I shall take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' That depends on you because you are independent. If you disagree, 'No. Why shall I take to Kṛṣṇa?' nobody can give you. But if you agree, it is here, very easy. Take it."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Seattle, September 30, 1968)
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