This course is part of Sastra-Caksus, Year 2 and consists of 25 lectures, available on:

http://seminary.bhaktivedantaacademy.com/classes/noi-thematic/

Given in Bhaktivedanta Academy, Sridham Mayapur November-December 2011

The following are lecture notes briefly delineating its contents.

• Devotional service takes care of everything.
• If one is doing everything to please Krishna then there is no over-endeavor. Otherwise, the prayasa is always.

• We should be doing karma, jnana, yoga and vairagya in connection to Krishna.
• Material endeavor is always over-endeavor.
• Prayasa to attain fame (pratishtha) is the lowest. This desire is extremely difficult to give up. This desire create all other over-endeavors because to become famous one has to accomplish so many things.
• Would our preaching increase if we become famous? Actually it's the other way around - those who are successfully preaching become famous.
• For Srila Prabhupada it did not matter if there was good or bad publicity. Only hankering for good publicity is pratishtha.
• To expect that everybody will like us is called jalpa. There will always be those who support us and those who are against us. That is fine, as long as the truly saintly persons support our endeavors.
• 'No prayasa' has different application for householders and renunciates. Householders should have savings, renunciates should not, they should not enter any enterprise.
• For a wealthy, aristocratic family there may be more endeavors to maintain than others. Nobody complains about leadership having more, if it is obvious that they are doing something.
• Vaishyas who don't have the karma to make money are good for short-term planning and tasks.
• Grihasthas should only earn and save as much as it takes to easily maintains the family members.
• Vedic culture takes purity to be able to take part in it because greed destroys it. Duryodhana acts out of greed, so it is destructive.
• Purity in knowledge and detachment is what it takes to be part of Vedic culture. It is not expertise in management etc.
• Suffering is always there - for one who is used to many facilities having less facilities is a great suffering.
• If we are humble and please the Lord we will know much more than if one simply studies. Gaura Kishora Dasa Babaji could discuss with scholars.
• For nondevotees even breathing is over-endeavor.
• Prajalpa - godless talk
• Nowadays talking with others means godless talk.
• Apartment buildings are not a modern thing.
• Favorable talking is connected to devotional service.
• Discussions connected to Krishna are useful, same for endeavors etc
• Useless talks, arguments, debates, gossip, faultfinding and blasphemy of devotees are all prajalpa.
• For the practicing devotees to read newspapers and novels is a great loss. They waste the mind's strength and produce restlessness.
• Talks based on Vedas are not prajalpa.
• Talking without reason about other people is very harmful to devotional service.
• If one is fully engaged in devotional service, one's talks with others will be connected to Krishna consciousness.
• Knowledge without connection to Krishna is like studying blender without ever discussing electricity, or using it. All such knowledge is useless.