# Prabhupad says in Isopanishat:
In other words, the path of salvation from the material clutches fully depends on the principles
of knowledge and detachment gained from serving the Lord.
# Why wife is called Better Half :
More information could be got from the purport of Srila Prabhupad.......
SB 3.14.19 — O respectful one, a wife is so helpful that she is called the better half (ātmano hy
ardhaṁ) of a man’s body because of her sharing in all auspicious activities. A man can move
without anxiety entrusting all responsibilities to his wife.
# Srila Prabhupad is talking about Gandhari......
Room Conversation after Press Conference -- July 9, 1975, Chicago
Devotee (2): She remained with the cloth wrapped for her whole life?
Prabhupāda: Whole life.
Devotee (2): Whole life.
Prabhupāda: She voluntarily became blind. And up to the last point of her husband's
precarious condition, she remained with him. These are the examples. There are other
examples. Damayanti. They became so poor that they had no clothing. So the one cloth divided
into two, husband and wife. So these instances are in the Vedic literature, that wife remains
always faithful and subservient (submissive) to the husband. That is their perfection
# Srila Prabhupad Says :
So therefore there are different kinds of literature because there are different kinds of people.
But the ultimate literature is, the substance of all Vedic literature is the Bhagavadgītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
# Hare Krsna
Below are the words of our Founder Spiritual Master Srila Prabhupad. Factually this is the
perfection of our service to Krsna and we should gradually develop this attitude .......
Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the perfection of yoga, but even if one looks at it from a religious
viewpoint it is first class—because it is performed with no personal motive. My disciples are
not serving Kṛṣṇa so that He will supply them with this or that. There may be this or that, but
that doesn't matter. Of course, there is no scarcity; devotees get everything they need. We
shouldn't think that by becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious one becomes poor. No. If Kṛṣṇa is there,
everything is there, because Kṛṣṇa is everything. But we shouldn't make any business with
Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa, give me this, give me that." Kṛṣṇa knows what we require better than we do, just
as a father knows the necessities of his child. Why should we ask? Since God is all-powerful,
He knows our wants and He knows our necessities. This is confirmed in the Vedas: eko
bahūnāṁ yo vidadhāti kāmān—"God is supplying all the necessities of the innumerable living
entities."
# Sankaracharya
"These are twelve great authorities in preaching God consciousness. The name Sambhu means
Lord Siva. His disciplic succession is also known as the Visnusvami-sampradaya, and the
current Visnusvami-sampradaya is also known as the Vallabha-sampradaya. The current
Brahma-sampradaya is known as the Madhva-Gaudiya-sampradaya. Even though Lord Siva
appeared to preach Mayavada philosophy, at the end of his pastime in the form of
Sankaracarya, he preached the Vaisnava philosophy: bhaja govindam bhaja govindam bhaja
govindam mudha-mate. He stressed worshiping Lord Krsna, or Govinda, three times in this
verse and especially warned his followers that they could not possibly achieve deliverance, or
mukti, simply by word jugglery and grammatical puzzles. If one is actually serious to attain
mukti, he must worship Lord Krsna. That is Sripada Sankaracarya's last instruction."
Srimad-Bhagavatam 4:24:18
# Sage Narada to Krsna
Upon asking by Lord, pls. see the below reply from Sage Narada. As Sastras say ultimate
perfection of life to always remember Lord Sri Krsna...................
SB 10.69.18 — Now I have seen Your feet, which grant liberation to Your devotees, which even
Lord Brahmā and other great personalities of unfathomable intelligence can only meditate
upon within their hearts, and which those who have fallen into the well of material existence
resort to for deliverance. Please favor me so that I may constantly think of You as I travel about.
Please grant Me the power to remember You.
# Sukadeva Gosvami continued: "The demigods, headed by Lord Brahma and Lord Siva and
including Lord Indra, Candra, Varuna and others, are apt to be very quickly satisfied and very
quickly angered by the good and ill behavior of their devotees. But this is not so with the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu."
# SB stresses the importance of accepting a spiritual master
Therefore any person who seriously desires to find permanent relief from the sufferings of
material existence should take shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. The
qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the Vedic scriptures
by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities,
who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations,
should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.
# SB 11.3.18 — Śrī Prabuddha said: Accepting the roles of male and female in human society,
the conditioned souls unite in sexual relationships. Thus they constantly make material
endeavors to eliminate their unhappiness and unlimitedly increase their pleasure. But one
should see that they inevitably achieve exactly the opposite result. In other words, their
happiness inevitably vanishes, and as they grow older their material discomfort increases.
# By incarnating within the Yadu dynasty, Kṛṣṇa performed the highest welfare work for the
entire universe by displaying His transcendental pastimes. Simply by hearing and chanting
about these pastimes, pious persons in Kali-yuga can definitely cross over the ocean of material
illusion.
# Srimad Bhagvatham :
These are the words of Lord Brahma when he came to Dvaraka to request Krsna to wind up
His pastimes on earth................
This shows the importance of hearing and glorifying Krsna...........
SB 11.6.24 — My dear Lord, those pious and saintly persons who in the Age of Kali hear about
Your transcendental activities and also glorify them will easily cross over the darkness of the
age.
# Srila Prabhupad says in his book Krsna :
A devotee who is attached to a particular form of the Lord does not wish to redirect his
devotion to other forms. For example, Hanuman, the devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, knew that
there is no difference between Lord Rāmacandra and Lord Nārāyaṇa, and yet he still wanted
to render service only unto Lord Rāmacandra. That is due to the specific attraction of a
particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa is still the original form.
Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in the same category, still it is
said that those who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are the topmost in the list of all devotees – PP
in Necter of devotion
# Ambily’s query about Lord Ananta reply
Approximately 240,000 miles beneath the planet Patala lives another incarnation of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the expansion of Lord Visnu known as Lord Ananta
or Lord Sankarsana. He is always in the transcendental position, but because He is worshiped
by Lord Siva, the deity of tamo-guna or darkness, He is sometimes called tamasi.
# Deepa’s Son Query reply
As we have briefly mentioned before, the entire material creation offers two facilities to the
conditioned living entities. The living entities may either utilize it to fulfill their desire to lord
it over material nature, or they may utilize it to go back to Godhead, the spiritual abode of
Vaikuntha. For the living entities who take advantage of the science of God as propagated by
the Manus, and who develop a desire to act in such a regulated manner, the Lord provides
them full protection from the material energy and resituates them in their proper situation in
Vaikuntha.
For the other living entities, who choose to disregard the science of God, the Lord gives them
an interim (temporary) period of relief at the time of dissolution. This temporary period of
relief is technically called nirodha, or the winding up of the cosmic manifestation. All the living
entities along with their conditional tendencies (vasanas) merge into the body of Maha-Vishnu
to await another creation and another opportunity to take up the science of God. Though the
physical bodies are given up at this time, the subtle bodies (sukshma-sariras) remain with the
living entities along with their latent (dormant) desires.
# We were talking about the qualities of a Brahmana. Below are the words of Krsna to
Uddhava.
SB 11.17.16 — Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, cleanliness, satisfaction, tolerance, simple
straightforwardness, devotion to Me, mercy and truthfulness are the natural qualities of the
brāhmaṇas.
SB 11.17.17 — Dynamic power, bodily strength, determination, heroism, tolerance, generosity,
great endeavor, steadiness, devotion to the brāhmaṇas and leadership are the natural qualities
of the kṣatriyas.
SB 11.17.18 — Faith in Vedic civilization, dedication to charity, freedom from hypocrisy,
service to the brāhmaṇas and perpetually desiring to accumulate more money are the natural
qualities of the vaiśyas.
SB 11.17.19 — Service without duplicity to the brāhmaṇas, cows, demigods and other
worshipable personalities, and complete satisfaction with whatever income is obtained in such
service, are the natural qualities of śūdras.
# Nectar of Devotion says : So the Deities worshiped by such professional brāhmaṇas are not
properly decorated, Their dress is not changed, and Their bodies are not cleaned. They look
dirty and are not very attractive.Actually, Deity worship should be done very carefully: the
dress should be changed daily, and as far as possible there should be ornaments. Everything
should be so clean that the Deity is attractive to all visitors.
# Srila Prabhupad's purport to verse 7.14.39
When great saintly persons saw this contamination, they introduced worship of the Deity in
the temple. This began in Tretā-yuga and was especially prominent in Dvāpara-yuga (dvāpare
paricaryāyāṁ). But in Kali-yuga, worship of the Deity is being neglected.Therefore chanting of
the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is more powerful than Deity worship. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set a
practical example in that He did not establish any temples or Deities, but He profusely
introduced the saṅkīrtana movement. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness preachers should give
more stress to the saṅkīrtana movement, especially by distributing transcendental literature
more and more. This helps the saṅkīrtana movement. Whenever there is a possibility to
worship the Deity, we may establish many centers, but generally we should give more stress
to the distribution of transcendental literature, for this will be more effective in converting
people to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
# Lord Krsna says to Uddhava in Uddhava Gita
these are the words of Avanti Brahmana and Krsna is repeating this to Uddhava
This cannot be false as it emanates from the Supreme Lord.............
SB 11.23.20 — Even a man’s brothers, wife, parents and friends united with him in love will
immediately break off their affectionate relationships and become enemies over a single coin.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says :
HK: Glory of chanting the holy name of Krsna................such an easy method is given for the
age
of
Kali...........................
SB 8.23.16 — There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the
regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place,
person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything
becomes faultless.
# Lord Krsna to Uddhava:
SB 11.20.8 — If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and
chanting My glories, such a person, being neither disgusted with nor very much attached to
material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.
# Srila Prabhupad is saying......................
Very important is our feeling towards Krsna..............it will be good if you could recite the
mantra; however most important factor of the matter is your love for Krsna..............
HK
"Krsna, what can I do for You? I am so teeny, You are so great. Still, I have tried to do
something. If You kindly eat." This is mantra. Real mantra is that not so many formalities of
mantra. Krsna does not say, "One who offers Me with the Vedic mantras..." Never says. Krsna
says bhaktya, "with devotion."
# Srila Prabhu Pad vani :
HK
All preachers should take note of the below words of Srila Prabhupada..........
Therefore, according to Vedic civilization, if you want to establish something you have to quote
the section or the injunction from the Vedas, Then it is perfect. In learned circle you cannot say
anything hodge-podge. That will not be accepted. If you support your statement from the
evidence of the Vedas, then you are accepted as authority. Therefore our principle is... Not only
our, this is the Vedic principle. You'll find Caitanya Mahaprabhu giving instruction to Sanatana
Gosvami, to Rupa Gosvami, or He was talking with Ramananda Raya -- in Caitanya-caritamrta
you'll find -- and quoting support from the Vedas. Although Caitanya Mahaprabhu is God
Himself, Krsna, Krsna-Caitanya, but He is not, what is called, autocratic or, what is called,
dictator. No. You'll never find Him. Whatever He'll say, immediately He supported by Vedic
evidence. He can say anything. He can manufacture anything. No, that He does not do. He
does not violate the principle.
# Srila Prabhu Pad vani :
You may have some particular knowledge. Suppose you are expert singer. Very good, but if
you earn your money for fulfilling your sense desires, that is demonic. But you know the art,
how to sing. If you very melodiously sing Hare Krsna mantra, then you are demigod.
# Srila Prabhu Pad vani :
HK
Below is from the purport of PP's Teachings of Lord Kapila...........PP is presenting the truth
very strongly
Hats off to PP for exhibiting such fearlessness in presenting the realities of life........
There are no cheaters and cheated in such a relationship. If we accept Kṛṣṇa as our son, friend
or lover, we will never be cheated. However, we have to give up the false, illusory servant, son,
father or lover, for they will surely cheat us. We may love our son with our heart and soul, but
that very son may some day be our enemy. We may love our wife very much, but some day
that wife may be such an enemy that she will kill us for her own interests. There are many
instances of this in history. Māyāvādī philosophers are afraid of having such relationships
because they have bitter experience with these relationships in the material world. They
therefore want to negate all relationships, and therefore they say no more son, daughter, lover,
master or whatever.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book - Dharma - the way of Transcendence :
Many places PP is talking about the present day yoga.
Although it is necessary to be in good shape of health; yoga (which is basically meant for
connecting with Supreme) should not be practiced for this purpose as per Srila
Prabhupada........
The mystic yogīs are trying very hard to become detached from this material world by the
processes of yama (proscriptions OR PROHIBITIONS), niyama (prescribed duties), āsana
(sitting postures), prāṇāyāma (breath control), pratyāhāra (withdrawal of the senses), dhāraṇā
(concentration), dhyāna (meditation), and samādhi (trance). This is the eightfold mystic yogic
system. And what is the goal? Detachment from the material world. Nowadays people take
the goal of yoga to be health. But yoga is not actually meant for that purpose. Yoga is meant to
detach us from matter and connect us with the Supreme. That is yoga.
# HH Radhanadh Swami says the below............
Maharaj is defining a leader............how he should be
Then Brahma gives him instruction. He said, "You should procreate living being, you should
rule over the world according to the principles of pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord,
and you should perform yajna or sadhana for his satisfaction." Then a very key instruction
here, he said, "The best service that you or any leader can render is to protect all living beings
within the material world. If you sincerely and honestly act as a protector of others, you will
please the Supreme Personality of Godhead and he will empower you”. This is the first duty,
according to Lord Brahma, who is the first guru after Krsna in our parampara, of a leader, to
protect one's subordinates. Protection can in a simple way be classified as physical protection,
emotional protection, spiritual protection.
# How powerful Srila Prabhupad's classes are...............piercing arrows towards our dull
ignorant hearts... :
Therefore it is said, cintam aparimeyam ca -- "How to arrange for eating? How to arrange for
sleeping? Not only for me, but for my son, for my grandson, for my great-grandson..." Cintam
aparimeyam. Then why you are so much in anxiety? Who is your son? Who is your grandson
or great-grandson? We... By chance, we have come together, and after death, like football, it
will be shooted to somewhere we do not know. Who can say, "My father is there" or "My
grandfather is there"? It is the example given: just like some straw. They mix together in the
waves, and again by the waves they are thrown here and there, no more assembling. So the
material life is that. Material life... By chance, we have come in a family or in a nation or in a
community, but this will be... After some years, it will be broken, and everybody will be thrown
in the laws of nature -- we do not know where -- according to his karma. Now I am father, he
is son, but after death my son may become demigod; I may become a dog. Then where is my
relationship? Everything is broken. And here I may keep the photo of my father, and father
may be rotting somewhere as a dog.
# Explanation as below:
In response to the question Ambili Mathaji had asked on Fridyy, please see the below
explanation which gives all of you a correct understanding when you come across such
contradictions in scriptures.............
Hope this suffices...........
The Visnu-dharmottara (purana) describes that Lord Ramacandra and His brothers-Laksmana, Bharata and Satrughna--are incarnations of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna and
Aniruddha respectively. The Padma Purana, however, says that Lord Ramacandra is an
incarnation of Narayana and that the other three brothers are incarnations of Sesa, Cakra and
Sankha. Therefore Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana has concluded, tad idam kalpa-bhedenaiva
sambhavyam. In other words, these opinions are not contradictory. In some millenniums Lord
Ramacandra and His brothers appear as incarnations of Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna
and Aniruddha, and in other millenniums They appear as incarnations of Narayana, Sesa,
Cakra and Sankha.
# Glory of Vrindavana :
Below is from the book
By Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana dasa) - (An Excerpt from Stephen's book "Seeing
Spiritual
India")
Rupa Gosvami writes that anyone who leaves Vraja to go to other holy places achieves nothing
but
the
trouble
it
takes
to
get
there.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says...........
SB 10.1.14 — Sūta Gosvāmī said: O son of Bhṛgu, after Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the most respectable
devotee, the son of Vyāsadeva, heard the pious questions of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, he thanked the
King with great respect. Then he began to discourse on topics concerning Kṛṣṇa, which are the
remedy for all sufferings in this Age of Kali.
# Srila Prabhupad speaking...............
If you have got money, then you have got everything. Therefore they are after money only,
that "If some way or other, if I get money, then I get everything. I get respect, I get honor. I get
everything. Bring money somehow or other." This is the attempt. Therefore there is so much
hard struggle. From early in the morning,four o'clock, they are going to the office to get money.
To get more money, more money, that is the Western civilization. Now in India they have also
learned. And our philosophy is "Don't try to get money." Tasyaiva hetoh prayeteta. "You
should simply engage your life for advancing your Krsna consciousness." So who will hear us?
We say, "There is no need of working so hard for money." Nayam deho deha-bhajam nrloke
kastan kaman arhate vid-bhujam ye [SB 5.5.1]. This kind of working hard is done by the hogs
and dogs
# Bhisma Dev says...............
Therefore Bhismadeva, at his dying stage, he advised that woman's shyness is the valve to
control. If their shyness is broken, then it will create disaster.
# Sukhadev Gosvami to Parikshit Maharaj :
SB 10.5.4 — O King, by the passing of time, land and other material possessions are purified;
by bathing, the body is purified; and by being cleansed, unclean things are purified. By
purificatory ceremonies, birth is purified; by austerity, the senses are purified; and by worship
and charity offered to the brāhmaṇas, material possessions are purified. By satisfaction, the
mind is purified; and by self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul is purified.
# What a perfect statement by Kapil Dev....................
This verse is talking about a person, who earns money illegally........
TEXT 10: "He secures money by committing violence here and there, and although he employs
it in the service of his family, he himself eats only a little portion of the food thus purchased,
and he goes to hell for those for whom he earned the money in such an irregular way."
# Kapil Dev in SB
HK
Pls. do not ponder on these words of the Lord because Lord cannot be wrong.........however,
this does not apply to devotee couples........
TEXTS 11-13: "When he suffers reverses in his occupation, he tries again and again to improve
himself, but when he is baffled in all attempts and is ruined, he accepts money from others
because of excessive greed. Thus the unfortunate man, unsuccessful in maintaining his family
members, is bereft of all beauty. He always thinks of his failure, grieving very deeply. Seeing
him unable to support them, his wife and others do not treat him with the same respect as
before, even as miserly farmers do not accord the same treatment to their old and worn-out
oxen."
# However, as living entities we want enjoyment. Being, in itself, is not enough. We want bliss
(ānanda) as well as being (sat). In his entirety, the living entity is composed of three qualities—
eternality, knowledge, and bliss. Those who enter impersonally into thebrahma-jyotir can
remain there for some time in full knowledge that they are now merged homogeneously with
Brahman, but they cannot have that eternal ānanda, bliss, because that part is wanting. One
may remain alone in a room for some time and may enjoy himself by reading a book or
engaging in some thought, but it is not possible to remain in that room for years and years at a
time, and certainly not for all eternity. Therefore, for one who merges impersonally into the
existence of the Supreme, there is every chance of falling down again into the material world
in order to acquire some association. This is the verdict of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
# The jñānīs and yogīs are generally impersonalists, and although they attain the temporary
form of liberation by merging into the impersonal effulgence, the spiritual sky, according
to Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam their knowledge is not considered pure. By penances, austerities, and
meditations they can rise up to the platform of the Supreme Absolute, but as has been
explained, they again fall down to the material world, because they have not taken Kṛṣṇa's
personal features seriously. Unless one worships the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he again has to descend
to the material platform.
# Pls. read about impersonalism..........Srila Prabhupad says :
The Śaṅkarites and Buddhists claim that the world beyond is void, but Bhagavad-gītā does not
disappoint us like this. The philosophy of voidness has simply created atheists. We are spiritual
beings, and we want enjoyment, but as soon as our future is void, we will become inclined to
enjoy this material life. In this way, the impersonalists discuss the philosophy of voidism while
trying as much as possible to enjoy this material life. One may enjoy speculation in this way,
but there is no spiritual benefit.
# In the spiritual world there are five kinds of liberation. Sāyujya-mukti is a form of liberation
in which one merges into the impersonal existence of the Supreme Lord, called Brahman.
Another form of liberation is sārūpya-mukti, by which one receives features exactly like God's.
Another is sālokya-mukti, by which one can live in the same planet with God. By sārṣṭimukti one can have opulences similar to the Supreme Lord's. Another type enables one to
remain always with God as one of His associates, just like Arjuna, who is always with Kṛṣṇa as
His friend. One can have any of these five forms of liberation, but of the five the sāyujyamukti, merging with the impersonal aspect, is not accepted by Vaiṣṇava devotees. A Vaiṣṇava
wishes to worship God as He is and retain his separate individuality to serve Him, whereas
the Māyāvādī impersonal philosopher wishes to lose his individuality and merge into the
existence of the Supreme. This merging is recommended neither by Śrī Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavadgītā nor by the disciplic succession of Vaiṣṇava philosophers.
# Srila Prabhupad talks........:
Not that because he has become Krsna conscious, and Vaisnava, he is unable to do anything of
this material world. No. One who is Krsna conscious, he is conscious of everything and he
knows how to deal with them. That is called daksa. Not that "Because I have become Krsna
conscious I have no knowledge in other things." No. Every... You must have, if not complete,
to know something of everything. That is intelligence, to know something of everything and
to know everything of something. That is wanted. You may be expert, a devotee. You know
everything of devotional service, but you should not be callous. You know something of
everything. That is called daksa.
# What a profound wisdom our scriptures are containing...... :
Akrūra also advised Dhṛtarāṣṭra to rule the kingdom strictly according to moral principles. He
should treat all his subjects equally, what to speak of the Pāṇḍavas, his own nephews and heirs
to the throne. Over-attachment for one’s close relatives is simply born of ignorance. Every
creature in the world is born alone and dies alone. He experiences the results of his own good
and evil deeds and in the end leaves the present body to accept another. The belief that one
person is the relation of another is nothing more than illusion.
# Srila Prabhupad in Journey of self discovery.......... :
We all have to be careful about the below....................
One should work honestly according to his qualification. He should not earn his livelihood
unfairly or in a way for which he is not qualified. If someone claims to be a brāhmaṇa and
works as a priest, attracting people who expect to be enlightened about the spiritual way of
life, but he is not qualified as a priest, then he is cheating the public. One should not earn one's
livelihood by such unfair means. The same is applicable to a kṣatriya and a vaiśya. It is
especially mentioned that the means of livelihood of those who are trying to advance in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness must be very fair and uncomplicated. Here it is mentioned that he who earns
his livelihood by unfair means (kevalena) is sent to the darkest hellish region. Otherwise, if one
maintains his family by prescribed methods and honest means, there is no objection to one's
being a family man.
# Need of a Guru in spiritual matters..............a small conversation with Srila Prabhupad :
Devotee: Can I ask the next question, Śrīla Prabhupāda? "Is a guru essential for one to enter the
spiritual path and attain the goal? And how does one recognize one's guru?"
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, a guru is necessary. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā. When Kṛṣṇa
and Arjuna were talking as friends, there was no conclusion. Therefore Arjuna decided to
accept Kṛṣṇa as his guru. [To a devotee:] find out this verse: kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ...
Devotee [reads]:
kārpaṇya-doṣopahata-svabhāvaḥ
pṛcchāmi
tvāṁ
dharma-sammūḍha-cetāḥ
yac
chreyaḥ
syān
niścitaṁ
brūhi
tan
me
śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ tvāṁ prapannam
"Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of miserly weakness.
In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple,
and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me." [Bhagavad-gītā2.7]
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Not only Arjuna but everyone is perplexed about his duty. Nobody can
decide for himself. When a physician is seriously sick, he does not prescribe his own treatment.
He knows his brain is not in order, so he calls for another physician. Similarly, when we are
perplexed, bewildered, when we cannot reach any solution—at that time the right person to
search out is the guru. It is essential; you cannot avoid it.
# From the book LAW OF NATURE :
In one of his Īśopaniṣad talks, Śrīla Prabhupāda says, "If you do good work, you will have socalled enjoyment in your next life—but you will remain bound up in the cycle of birth and
death. And if you do bad work, then you will have to suffer the sinful reactions and also remain
bound up in birth and death. But if you work for Kṛṣṇa, there are no such reactions, good or
bad, and at the time of death you will return to Kṛṣṇa. This is the only way to break the bonds
of karma."
# Srila Prabhupad in his book called LAW OF NATURE......... :
Below is happening to most of the people.............not knowing who the real God is; they accept
somebody as God..............
If you want to purchase gold, you must have at least some preliminary knowledge of what
gold is. Similarly, if you want to see God, the first requirement is that you must know some of
the basic characteristics of God. Otherwise, if you go to some rascal and he claims to be God
and you accept him as God, you will be cheated.
# Padma Purana says :
Below is from Padma Purana (one of the puranas in the mode of goodness) stating that Acarya
Sankara is Lord Siva. He has concocted a philosophy of impersonalism by the order of
Supreme Lord..............
Svagamaih
kalpitais
tvam
ca
janan
mad
vimukhan
kuru
māṁ
ca
gopaya
(cover)
yena
syāt
sṛṣṭir eṣottarottarā
- Padma Purana (Vishnu to Siva to come as Sankara)
Word for word:
sva-āgamaiḥ — with your own theses; kalpitaiḥ — imagined; tvam — you; ca — also; janān —
the people in general; mat-vimukhān— averse to Me and addicted to fruitive activities and
speculative knowledge; kuru — make; mām — Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ca —
and; gopaya — just cover; yena — by which; syāt — there may be; sṛṣṭiḥ — material
advancement; eṣā — this;uttara-uttarā — more and more.
Translation:
“[Addressing Lord Śiva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead said:] ‘Please make the general
populace averse to Me by imagining your own interpretation of the Vedas. Also, cover Me in
such a way that people will take more interest in advancing material civilization just to
propagate a population bereft of spiritual knowledge.’
# Importance of accepting a spiritual master ............ Mundaka Upanishat says.... :
The conclusion is that if you want genuine spiritual knowledge you have to approach a bona
fide spiritual master who has realized the Absolute Truth. Otherwise you will remain in
darkness. You cannot think, "Oh, I may or may not accept a spiritual master. In any case, there
are books that I can learn from." No, the Vedic injunction is tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum
evābhigacchet [MU
# Below is from the book called Law of Nature by Srila Prabhupad :
PURPORT: Not only in the present age but from time immemorial no one has liked an old man
who is unable to earn in the family. Even in the modern age, in some communities or states,
the old men are given poison so that they will die as soon as possible. In some cannibalistic
communities, the old grandfather is sportingly killed, and a feast is held in which his body is
eaten. Here the example is given that a farmer does not like an old ox who has ceased to
work. Similarly, when an attached person in family life becomes old and is unable to earn, he
is no longer liked by his wife, sons, daughters, and other kinsmen, and he is consequently
neglected, what to speak of not being given respect. It is judicious, therefore, to give up family
attachment before one attains old age and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
A person should employ himself in the Lord's service so that the Supreme Lord can take charge
of him and he will not be neglected by his so-called kinsmen.
# Srila PP says.............. :
Either you dress Krsna or cleanse the temple, the effect is the same. Don't think that "I am a
cleanser and he is a dresser." No. The dresser and the cleanser are the same. Krsna is Absolute.
In any way, be engaged in Krsna's service. Your life will be successful.
# Srila PP from the book Path of Perfection..... :
A devotee, however, is not satisfied just in elevating his personal self.
vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś
ca
kṛpā-sindhubhya
eva
ca
patitānāṁ
pāvanebhyo
vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ
"I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiṣṇava devotees of the Lord, who can fulfill the
desires of everyone, just like desire trees, and who are full of compassion for the fallen souls."
A devotee displays great compassion toward conditioned souls. The word kṛpā means
"mercy," andsindhu means "ocean." A devotee is an ocean of mercy, and he naturally wants to
distribute this mercy. Lord Jesus Christ, for instance, was God conscious, Kṛṣṇa conscious, but
he was not satisfied in keeping this knowledge within himself. Had he continued to live alone
in God consciousness, he would not have met crucifixion. But no. Being a devotee and naturally
compassionate, he also wanted to take care of others by making them God conscious. Although
he was forbidden to preach God consciousness, he continued to do so at the risk of his own
life. This is the nature of a devotee.
# Krsna sees only our love :
Words of the Brahmanas, who were doing sacrifice in Vrindavana (who did not give food to
Krsna and Balarma):
They are talking about their wives, who wholeheartedly gave food to Their Lordships.......the
only qualification of these simple woman was their devotion to Krsna...........
ONLY THE DEVOTION MATTERS.............NO AUSTERITY AND PENANCES........
Same thing only yesterday HH Jaya Advaita Swami Maharaj said in his discourse......
SB 10.23.43-44 — These women have never undergone the purificatory rites of the twice-born
classes, nor have they lived as brahmacārīs in the āśrama of a spiritual master, nor have they
executed austerities, speculated on the nature of the self, followed the formalities of cleanliness
or engaged in pious rituals. Nevertheless, they have firm devotion for Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose
glories are chanted by the exalted hymns of the Vedas and who is the supreme master of all
masters of mystic power. We, on the other hand, have no such devotion for the Lord, although
we have executed all these processes.
# Srila Prabhupad about chanting :
Then you get all the potencies. Namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-saktis tatrarpita. And
niyamitah smarane na kalah. And there is no, I mean to, consideration whether you shall chant
in the morning or in the evening or while you are, mean, purified or not purified. Any
circumstances, you can chant. Niyamitah smarane na kalah. There is no such consideration.
# Srila Prabhupada is talking :
How compassionate is our Founder Acarya...........he is encouraging us in each and every of our
fall downs as a supremely compassionate Father, who forgives his children when they make
some mischief......
All glories to Srila Prabhupada; the savior of fallen souls like us............YS
If you want actually to make progress in our devotional life, the utsahan, enthusiasm, is the
first thing. If you are lacking enthusiasm, then you should rest, instead of making too much
agitation within the mind. The... If you cannot find out... Some, something has dropped in the
water, in the river, you cannot see the things dropped within the water by agitating the water.
Just stand still for sometimes. As soon as the water is settled up, you'll see the things as they
are. So as soon as our enthusiasm is lacking, it is better to sit down in any temple suitable and
chant Hare Krsna. There is no question of being disappointed. After all, we commit so many
mistakes. That is human nature. To err is human. That is not fault. But try to rectify with cool
head. That is required
# Srila Prabhupada says how a Krsna Conscious person would be..... :
Prabhupada: Poetic, expert and silent. One who is too much talkative, that means he's lacking
in devotion. He should simply talk about Krsna, nothing more.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says :
This is a verse from Garga Muni......
When we have Krsna with us, why to worry about anything in life.............
kaunteya pratijanahi na me bhakta pranasyati................this is the firm assurance from the
Supreme Lord Krsna......
Let us keep aside all our worries and with an undisturbed mind, relish the nectar about
Krsna.....
#SB 10.26.21 — Demons cannot harm the demigods, who always have Lord Viṣṇu on their side.
Similarly, any person or group attached to all-auspicious Kṛṣṇa cannot be defeated by enemies.
# Krsna says to Indra after He crushed the ego of Indra :
Krsna wants all of us to remember Him (very explicitly shown by the below words of
Krsna)........
When we engage in BV or preaching, we become proud that we are doing everything.........
SB 10.27.15 — The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Indra, it was out of mercy
that I stopped the sacrifice meant for you. You were greatly intoxicated by your opulence as
King of heaven, and I wanted you to always remember Me.
# These are the words of Varuna Deva when Krsna came to him to rescue His father who was
abducted by Varuna Deva :
Goal of life is to become a devotee of Krsna.............
Hope I am not bombarding you with many messages............pls. forgive me if it is so.......
#SB 10.28.5 — Śrī Varuṇa said: Now my body has fulfilled its function. Indeed, now the goal
of my life is achieved, O Lord. Those who accept Your lotus feet, O Personality of Godhead,
can transcend the path of material existence.
# SB says :
what a poetical description from SB...........therefore, it is a kavya........
See the analogy given here (what a beautiful presentation).........
SB 10.29.2 — The moon then rose, anointing the face of the eastern horizon with the reddish
hue of his comforting rays, and thus dispelling the pain of all who watched him rise. The moon
was like a beloved husband who returns after a long absence and adorns the face of his beloved
wife with red kuṅkuma.
# Lord Krsna to Gopis in SB :
Here Krsna is saying He likes the devotees to have intense calling out to Him; then only He
reciprocates lovingly as in the case of Draupadi during the disrobing episode.....
SB 10.32.20 — But the reason I do not immediately reciprocate the affection of living beings
even when they worship Me, O gopīs, is that I want to intensify their loving devotion. They
then become like a poor man who has gained some wealth and then lost it, and who thus
becomes so anxious about it that he can think of nothing else.
# Srila Prabhupada says.... :
"So far your deity-worship of Lord Jagannatha, don't bother with it for the time being, that is
my opinion. Householders can have small altars, and Guru-Gauranga and Jagannatha may be
worshipped, but you should not spend a lot of time in this way to try to make the worship
"first-class" as you say. You cannot make it first-class. That requires much time and money and
men, so better to leave the worshipping of deities very nicely to the temples, and you may go
there and worship. A small Guru-Gauranga altar, offer incense and flowers in morning, offer
all home-prepared foodstuffs there--that's enough for the time being. Better to spend time
chanting and following the other regulative principles and preaching and selling books.
It is not necessary to be a Brahmin to have home altar, but better not to get too much involved
in it for now, as one begun, there is no question of decrease, and for two persons to manage
this is taking too much time from other important work. Srila Prabhupada Letter, 02-20-72
# PP vani :
Below
from
Srila
Prabhupad
from
the
book Teachings
of
Lord
Caitanya...............IMPORTANCE OF SRVANAM than any other process of devotional
service.......
One begins spiritual activities for advancement in devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
by hearing. Indeed, hearing is the most important method for advancement in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, and one should be very eager to hear favorably about Kṛṣṇa. Giving up all
speculation and fruitive activity, one should simply worship Kṛṣṇa and desire to attain love of
God. That love of God is eternally existing within everyone; it simply has to be evoked by the
process of hearing. Hearing and chanting are the principal methods of devotional service.
# Purport of Prabhu Pad
Old age is so fearful...........
PURPORT: Family attraction is so strong that even if a person is neglected by family members
in his old age, he cannot give up family affection, and he remains at home just like a dog. In
the Vedic way of life, it is advised that before getting too weak and being baffled in material
activities, and before becoming diseased, one should give up family life and engage oneself
completely in the service of the Lord for the remaining days of his life.
# PP's purport
Not so palatable to read; however, this is the reality and futility of life............
PURPORT: For formality's sake, when a man is lying on his deathbed, his relatives come to
him, and sometimes they cry very loudly, addressing the dying man: "O my father!" "O my
friend!" or "O my husband!" In that pitiable condition the dying man wants to speak with them
and instruct them of his desires, but because he is fully under the control of the time factor,
death, he cannot express himself, and that causes him in-conceivable pain. He is already in a
painful condition because of disease, and his glands and throat are choked up with mucus. He
is already in a very difficult position, and when he is addressed by his relatives in that way, his
grief increases.
# Akrura is talking to Dhritarashtra
What a perfect reality...............everything is only illusion..............we all are puppets in the
hands of material nature............
SB 10.49.20 — In this world no one has any permanent relationship with anyone else, O King.
We cannot stay forever even with our own body, what to speak of our wife, children and the
rest.
# Srila Prabhu Pad says importance of hearing
So far your need for constant engagement in press work is concerned, I do not see that there
should be any difficulty if you attend the classes daily when our literatures are read and
discussed. It is alright if you do not attend the Arati, but you must remain fixed up by attending
bhagavatam the classes. Two hours daily in the classes will not be too much time away from
press work. I give you my permission to work in this way.
# Lord Krsna to Muchukunda in SB
HK...............He himself cannot count His glories; then how can anybody else count.........this is
the meaning of UNLIMITED........
SB 10.51.36 — The Supreme Lord said: My dear friend, I have taken thousands of births, lived
thousands of lives and accepted thousands of names. In fact My births, activities and names
are limitless, and thus even I cannot count them.
# From the book - Teachings of Lord Caitanya
HK................Maha Prabhu is telling the below to Srila Sanatana Gosvami. Scene was that Maha
Prabhu explained the celebrated ATMARAMA verse of Bhagavatam in 60 different ways; upon
which Sanatana Gosvami prostrated to Maha Prabhu and said you are the Supreme Personality
of Godhead.........
After this, Maha Prabhu spoke as follows............therefore, SB study is very important for
devotees.
“Do not try to eulogize (praise) Me in that way,” the Lord told Sanātana. “Just try to
understand the real nature of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the sound
representation of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa; therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not different from
Kṛṣṇa. As Kṛṣṇa is unlimited, so each word and each syllable of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam has
unlimited meanings. One can understand these meanings through the association of devotees.
Don’t, then, say that Bhāgavatam is simply a collection of answers to questions.”
# On the occasion of Krsna kidnapped Rukmini Devi, who was supposed to be married to
Sisupala
Here Jarasandha is talking like a great scholar...........he is a scholar like Ravana or
Hiranyakasupu; however, the fault with all of them was they did not approve the supremacy
of Krsna...........
Everything is waste if you can not understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead......
Jarāsandha consoled Śiśupāla: “Happiness and distress are never permanent and are under the
control of the Supreme Lord. Seventeen times Kṛṣṇa defeated me, but in the end I was
victorious over Him. Thus seeing that victory and defeat are under the control of destiny and
time, I have learned not to succumb to either lamentation or joy. Time now favors the Yādavas,
so they have defeated you with only a small army, but in the future time will favor you, and
you will surely conquer them.” Consoled in this way, Śiśupāla took his followers and returned
to his kingdom.
# Residing in holy places
Five-hundred years ago, Lord Chaitanya ordered His disciple, Jagadananda Pandit, to stay
briefly in Vrindavana and quickly return to Jagannatha Puri." In his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya,
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur advises that one avoid remaining in Vrindavana for
a very long time. As the saying goes, 'Familiarity breeds contempt.' If one stays in Vrindavana
for many days, he may fail to maintain proper respect for its inhabitants. Therefore, those who
have not attained the stage of spontaneous love for Krishna should not live in Vrindavana
very long. It is better for them to make short visits" (CC Antya 13.39p.)."
# Srimad Bhagavatam
Lord Krsna to Rukmini Devi....................here the specific words to be noted are WORLDY
HOUSEHOLDERS............
Therefore, it is not for devotees; although it may be a part of devotees' lives sometimes............
SB 10.60.31 — The greatest pleasure worldly householders can enjoy at home is to spend time
joking with their beloved wives, My dear timid and temperamental one.
# Srila Prabhupad in one of his books........
What a profound truth................
Here the words dīna-gaṇa mean "the general mass of poor people." Rūpa Gosvāmī and
Sanātana Gosvāmī saw that the people were very poor because they did not know the aim of
life or the means for achieving it. One is actually poor who is poor in transcendental
knowledge. Material poverty is no consideration. That may come or go, and one has to tolerate:
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. And even if you have enough money, you will still be unhappy if you
are poor in transcendental knowledge. Therefore transcendental knowledge is real
wealth. That is why in India, the brāhmaṇas—those who were rich in knowledge because they
understood the Supreme Brahman, Kṛṣṇa—were traditionally respected even by kings.
# Srila Prabhu Pad in Message of Godhead
HK...............The
only
solace
for
us
is
devotion
unto
Krsna..........
we all are implicated in this way as PP mentions in the below paragraph
Although we may take so many precautions against these vices and sinful reactions, even in
the course of ordinary business exchanges and ventures we have to commit so many sins. For
instance, we find it necessary and unavoidable in business dealings to speak lies—not to
mention the volumes of lies that are spoken by members of the legal profession. Lawyers have
to resort to all sorts of trickery to get around a law in which they have become professionally
entangled. And of course, those who are in the service of other professions have to do the same
kind of thing without fail. Intentionally or unintentionally, one has to commit such sins—and
incur the sinful reactions—without any doubt.
# Srila Prabhupad talks
How beautifully PP is convincing us...............amazingly intelligent way of presentation of the
truth.....
Just like Prahlada Maharaja, Prthu Maharaja, they were kings, very opulent kings. Dhruva
Maharaja. So still they were great devotees. Not only ordinary devotees, mahajanas. So this
bhoga-tyaga has no meaning. It has no benefit. One has to become devotee. Either in the bhoga
field or in the tyaga field, it doesn't matter. Bhoga-tyaga is not required. Required service. That
service, it may be on the platform of bhoga or service... Service is required, Krsna's service.
Krsna has to be satisfied. Either in the bhoga platform or tyaga plat... He does not... Devotee's
not concerned with bhoga-tyaga. Devotee's concerned with Krsna's service.
# Srila PP says
Pls. note:
Prabhupada: Poetic, expert and silent. One who is too much talkative, that means he's lacking
in devotion. He should simply talk about Krsna, nothing more.
# PP in Science of self-realization
Five thousand years ago, in the Bhagavad-gītā dialogue, Lord Kṛṣṇa recommended
the yoga practice to His disciple Arjuna, but Arjuna flatly expressed his inability to follow the
stringent rules and regulations of yoga. One should be practical in every field of activity. One
should not waste his valuable time simply in practicing some gymnastic feats in the name
of yoga. Real yoga is to search out the four-handed Supersoul within one’s heart and to see
Him perpetually in meditation.
# PP in NOD.....
A devotee who is attached to a particular form of the Lord does not wish to redirect his
devotion to other forms. For example, Hanumān, the devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, knew that
there is no difference between Lord Rāmacandra and Lord Nārāyaṇa, and yet he still wanted
to render service only unto Lord Rāmacandra. That is due to the specific attraction of a
particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa is still the original
form. Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in the same category,
still it is said that those who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are the topmost in the list of all
devotees.
# SB says
What a beautiful description of the attack of the senses ...............
SB 11.9.27 — A man who has many wives is constantly harassed by them. He is responsible for
their maintenance, and thus all the ladies constantly pull him in different directions, each
struggling for her self-interest. Similarly, the material senses harass the conditioned soul,
pulling him in many different directions at once. On one side the tongue is pulling him to
arrange tasty food; then thirst drags him to get a suitable drink. Simultaneously the sex organs
clamor for satisfaction, and the sense of touch demands soft, sensuous objects. The belly
harasses him until it is filled, the ears demand to hear pleasing sounds, the sense of smell
hankers for pleasant aromas, and the fickle eyes clamor for pleasing sights. Thus the senses,
organs and limbs, all desiring satisfaction, pull the living entity in many directions.
# Lord Krsna to Uddhava
SB 11.11.19 — My dear Uddhava, that man is certainly most miserable who takes care of a cow
that gives no milk, an unchaste wife, a body totally dependent on others, useless children or
wealth not utilized for the right purpose. Similarly, one who studies Vedic knowledge devoid
of My glories is also most miserable.
# Srila Prabhupad is speaking.............
Sometimes the Vedas seem to contradict themselves, but still we have to accept all the Vedic
injunctions. For example, according to Vedic injunction, if you touch the bone of an animal you
immediately become impure and must take a bath. Now, a conchshell is the bone of an animal,
but the conchshell is used in the Deity room, where everything must be spotlessly pure. You
cannot argue, "Oh, you said that a bone is impure, and that as soon as you touch it you become
impure. Still you are putting a conchshell in the Deity room?" No. There is no room for such an
argument. You have to accept that while bones are impure, the conchshell is so pure that it can
be used in the Deity room.
Similarly, you have to accept the spiritual master's order as axiomatic. There can be no
argument. In this way you can make progress. You cannot argue about things that are
inconceivable to you. You will only fail. You have to accept the Vedic injunctions and the orders
of the spiritual master as axiomatic truth. This is not dogmatic, because our predecessor
spiritual masters accepted this principle. If you argue with your spiritual master, you will never
reach a conclusion. The argument will go on perpetually: you put some argument, I put some
argument... That is not the process.
# PP in Teachings of Queen Kunti
PP is giving the importance of accepting a spiritual master in one of the authorized four
disciplic successions................
Brahmā receives knowledge from Kṛṣṇa and distributes that Vedic knowledge, and therefore
he is an authority. There are four sampradāyas, or chains of disciplic succession, through
which Vedic knowledge is distributed – one from Brahmā, one from Lakṣmī, one from Lord
Śiva, and one from the four Kumāras. We have to approach an authoritative representative of
Kṛṣṇa appearing in one of these sampradāyas, and then we can receive real knowledge. Thus
the earth personified approached Brahmā, who prayed to the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
“The world is now overburdened with demons, and therefore I request You to appear.” Some
say, therefore, that the Lord appeared at the request of Brahmā that He lighten the burden of
the world.
# From Teachings of Queen Kunti
HK................how
true
this
statement
from
SB
is..............
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.9.19): bālasya neha śaraṇaṁ pitarau nṛsiṁha. When Prahlāda Mahārāja
offered prayers to Kṛṣṇa as Nṛsiṁhadeva, he said, “My dear Lord, one should not think that
because a child has a father and mother he has full protection.” If Kṛṣṇa did not protect a child,
the child could not be protected, even if he were to have thousands of fathers and mothers.
# Prabhu Pad says
This
applies
to
woman
also............
What a wonderful way of presenting the truth........only Prabhu Pad could do this..........
PURPORT: There is a Bengali proverb: "The person for whom I have stolen accuses me of being
a thief." The family members for whom an attached person acts in so many criminal ways are
never satisfied. In illusion an attached person serves such family members, and by serving
them he is destined to enter into a hellish condition of life. For example, a thief steals something
to maintain his family, and he is caught and imprisoned. This is the sum and substance of
material existence and attachment to material society, friendship, and love. Although an
attached family man is always engaged in getting money by hook or by crook for the
maintenance of his family, he cannot enjoy more than what he could consume even without
such criminal activities. A man who eats eight ounces of food may have to maintain a big family
and earn money by any means to support that family, but he himself is not offered more than
what he can eat, and sometimes he eats the remnants that are left after his family members are
fed. Even by earning money by unfair means, he cannot enjoy life for himself. That is called the
covering illusion of māyā.
# SB says.........
SB 11.17.53 — The association of children, wife, relatives and friends is just like the brief
meeting of travelers. With each change of body one is separated from all such associates, just
as one loses the objects one possesses in a dream when the dream is over.
# SB says
HK...........words of Lord Krsna to Uddhava (how difficult it is to practice; however, Krsna says
we have to............YS
SB 11.22.58-59 — Even though neglected, insulted, ridiculed or envied by bad men, or even
though repeatedly agitated by being beaten, tied up or deprived of one’s occupation, spat upon
or polluted with urine by ignorant people, one who desires the highest goal in life should in
spite of all these difficulties use his intelligence to keep himself safe on the spiritual platform.
# Lord Krsna to Uddhava .......
SB 11.28.43 — Although the physical body may be improved by various processes of yoga, an
intelligent person who has dedicated his life to Me does not place his faith in the prospect of
perfecting his physical body through yoga, and in fact he gives up such procedures.
# Ekadasi
HK.........Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhu Pad says in NOD..............
Observing Fasting on Ekādaśī - ekadasi
In the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekādaśī day is freed
from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is
not just to fast, but to increase one's faith and love for Govinda, or Kṛṣṇa. The real reason for
observing fasting on Ekādaśī is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time
in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on
fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.
# How inferior is the worship of demi gods..
Similarly, in the Viṣṇu-rahasya there is a statement to the effect that one should prefer to
embrace a snake, a tiger or an alligator rather than associate with persons who are worshipers
of various demigods and who are impelled by material desire.
# Shaunaka is speaking this to Yudhistira Maharaj at the time of their leaving for forest...
Shaunaka told him that the desire for wealth and opulence, which could never be alleviated, is
man’s worst enemy. The highest happiness comes from contentment, while the struggle for
wealth, fame, followers and the association of loved ones is the cause of bondage and
ultimately pain.
# Words of Markandeya Rsi when the great sage visited Pandavas when they were in exile....
No matter how powerful each of us may be, we cannot avoid the calamities that arrive through
destiny. No one, therefore, should ever act unrighteously, thinking, ‘I am powerful.’”
# Srila Prabhupad from the book LAW OF NATURE....
One should work honestly according to his qualification. He should not earn his livelihood
unfairly or in a way for which he is not qualified. If someone claims to be a brāhmaṇa and
works as a priest, attracting people who expect to be enlightened about the spiritual way of
life, but he is not qualified as a priest, then he is cheating the public. One should not earn one's
livelihood by such unfair means. The same is applicable to a kṣatriya and a vaiśya. It is
especially mentioned that the means of livelihood of those who are trying to advance in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness must be very fair and uncomplicated. Here it is mentioned that he who earns
his livelihood by unfair means (kevalena) is sent to the darkest hellish region. Otherwise, if one
maintains his family by prescribed methods and honest means, there is no objection to one's
being a family man.
# Srila Prabhupad from Teachings of Queen Kunti....
If one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, in the beginning there will be many disturbances caused
by Māyā, the material energy of illusion. Māyā will test us to see how firmly we are fixed in
Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Because she is also an agent of Kṛṣṇa, she does not allow anyone the
freedom to disturb Kṛṣṇa. Therefore she tests very rigidly to see whether we have taken to
Kṛṣṇa consciousness to disturb Kṛṣṇa or are actually serious. That is Māyā’s business. So in the
beginning there will be tests by Māyā, and we shall feel so many disturbances while making
progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
# Lord Visnu to Indra in SB......
We all have to be very careful................YS
SB 10.27.16 — A man blinded by intoxication with his power and opulence cannot see Me
nearby with the rod of punishment in My hand. If I desire his real welfare, I drag him down
from his materially fortunate position.
# HK
adīkṣitasya
vāmoru
kṛtaṁ
sarvaṁ
nirarthakam
paśu-yonim
avāpnoti
dīkṣā-virahito janaḥ
“Unless one is initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, all his devotional activities are useless.
A person who is not properly initiated can descend again into the animal species.”
# Srila Prabhupad in Teachings of Queen Kunti.....
We are simply sitting down and inquiring about Kṛṣṇa, and this is what one should do. This is
life. Why should one work day and night like an ass? What kind of life is this? No. This is not
life. Therefore the Bhāgavatam says to one who is intelligent (kovida), “Your life should be
engaged for this purpose – for understanding the Absolute Truth.” Then how will my
economic problem be solved? The answer is that happiness one desires from economic
development will come automatically in due course of time. Tal labhyate duḥkha-vad
anyataḥ (Bhāgavatam 1.5.18). We are looking for happiness. Are you looking for distress? “No,
sir.” Then why does distress come upon you? If you are not eager for calamities and distress,
why do they come upon you? According to our karma, our life holds some portion of
happiness and some portion of distress. Therefore, if distress comes without invitation,
happiness will also come without invitation.
# HK
Srimad Bhagavatam says the below.....................
Permanent happiness cannot be found in this world — either on the earthly planets or on the
heavenly planets, which one can attain in the next life after performing ritualistic ceremonies
and sacrifices. Both on earth and in heaven the living entity is harassed by the envy and rivalry
of others.
Therefore any person who seriously desires to find permanent relief from the sufferings of
material existence should take shelter of the lotus feet of a bona fide spiritual master. The
qualification of the bona fide guru is that he has realized the conclusions of the Vedic scriptures
by deliberation and is able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities,
who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations,
should be understood to be bona fide spiritual masters.
# Lord Krsna speaks to Uddhava in Srimad Bhagavatam
HK...................very
emphatically
Krsna
proclaims
the
below...........
SB 11.28.43 — Although the physical body may be improved by various processes of yoga, an
intelligent person who has dedicated his life to Me does not place his faith in the prospect of
perfecting his physical body through yoga, and in fact he gives up such procedures.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book called Nectar of Instruction
However, if one accepts prasāda only because of its palatable taste and thus eats too much, he
also falls prey to trying to satisfy the demands of the tongue.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says the below.....
SB 11.5.14 — Those sinful persons who are ignorant of actual religious principles, yet consider
themselves to be completely pious, without compunction commit violence against innocent
animals who are fully trusting in them. In their next lives, such sinful persons will be eaten by
the same creatures they have killed in this world.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says......
HK...............demi gods are talking to Lord Krsna in Dvaraka (from SB)...........
how could people criticize Krsna for His rasa leela when He is not at all disturbed by any kind
of agitation............this shows the complete ignorance of people..............therefore, srimad
bhagavatam study is necessary for all of us to admire the Supreme Lord in its proper
perspective...........
SB 11.6.18 — My Lord, You are living with sixteen thousand exquisitely beautiful, aristocratic
wives. By their irresistible coy and smiling glances and by their lovely arching eyebrows, they
send You messages of eager conjugal love. But they are completely unable to disturb the mind
and senses of Your Lordship.
# Brahma says to Lord Krsna in Srimad Bhagavatam...
Hearing and chanting is very important activity..............
SB 11.6.24 — My dear Lord, those pious and saintly persons who in the Age of Kali hear about
Your transcendental activities and also glorify them will easily cross over the darkness of the
age.
# Kali Yuga symptoms as per Srimad Bhagavatam
How true the prediction is......................
As the Age of Kali progresses, all good qualities of men diminish and all impure qualities
increase. Atheistic systems of so-called religion become predominant, replacing the codes of
Vedic law. The kings become just like highway bandits, the people in general become dedicated
to low occupations, and all the social classes become just like śūdras. All cows become like
goats, all spiritual hermitages become like materialistic homes, and family ties extend no
further than the immediate relationship of marriage.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says..................
Pls. note the below...............YS
The only boat suitable for crossing the ocean of material existence, which is otherwise
impossible to cross, is the boat of submissive hearing of the nectarean pastimes of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead.
#
From
Ramayana
Below is the conversation between Yudhisthira Maharaj and Lomasa Rsi while the pandavas
were in the forest........
We sometimes develop such questions for which most of the times there may not be a satisfying
reply. Pls. read the reply of Lomasa Rsi...............
This phenomenon was there even in Satya Yuga; then what to speak of Kali Yuga which is the
most degraded age............
Pls. remember Krsna always..............YS
Yudhiṣṭhira said to Lomaśa, “O foremost of celestial ṛṣis, I do not think that I am without
religious merit, but still I am afflicted with sorrow. On the other hand, I see that my enemies
lack all merit but yet they prosper. How can such apparent contradictions exist?”
“O son of Kuntī, you should never grieve for such things. A man may be seen to prosper in sin,
obtain good fruits or vanquish his enemies, but he is finally destroyed to the root. I have seen
many Daityas and Dānavas prosper by sin, but I have also seen them overtaken by utter
destruction. O ruler of the earth, I saw all this in the Satya-yuga especially.”
# Benefits of hearing Srimad Bhagavatam
By hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the spirit soul is purified and obtains salvation from all sins
and all kinds of fear. Through the study of this scripture, one achieves the same result as that
achieved by one who studies all the Vedas, and one also achieves the fulfillment of all desires.
By studying with a controlled mind this essential compilation of all the Purāṇas, one will reach
the supreme abode of the Personality of Godhead. Every verse of this scripture, ŚrīmadBhāgavatam, contains the narrations of Lord Śrī Hari, who has innumerable personal forms.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book DHARMA, THE WAY OF TRANSCENDENCE
For a more affective preaching, preachers may talk about other subordinate topics as approved
by Srila Prabhupad..............it is not a fault as per our Founder Acarya.....
The first step in developing love for God is to acquire some śraddhā—faith or respect. For
example, when someone comes to one of our Kṛṣṇa consciousness centers to hear about God,
that is a sign of respect for the glorification of God. The person knows that he will hear about
God, because our only business is to talk of God; in our centers we don't talk of politics or
sociology or anything else but Kṛṣṇa. Discussion of those subordinate topics may come
automatically, but our real business is to talk about God. And those who talk about God are
called saintly persons, or transcendentalists.
#
Srimad
Bhagavatam
says....
SB 11.8.15 — A greedy person accumulates a large quantity of money with great struggle and
pain, but the person who has struggled so much to acquire this wealth is not always allowed
to enjoy it himself or give it in charity to others. The greedy man is like the bee who struggles
to produce a large quantity of honey, which is then stolen by a man who will enjoy it personally
or sell it to others. No matter how carefully one hides his hard-earned wealth or tries to protect
it, there are those who are expert in detecting the whereabouts of valuable things, and they will
steal it.
# Lord Krsna to Uddhava
HK............this means that Srimad Bhagavatam is the literature
SB 11.11.19 — My dear Uddhava, that man is certainly most miserable who takes care of a cow
that gives no milk, an unchaste wife, a body totally dependent on others, useless children or
wealth not utilized for the right purpose. Similarly, one who studies Vedic knowledge devoid
of My glories is also most miserable.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says
How profoundly true the below statement is !!!!
SB 7.2.40 — sometimes one loses his money on a public street, where everyone can see it, and
yet his money is protected by destiny and not seen by others. Thus the man who lost it gets it
back. On the other hand, if the Lord does not give protection, even money maintained very
securely at home is lost. If the Supreme Lord gives one protection, even though one has no
protector and is in the jungle, one remains alive, whereas a person well protected at home by
relatives and others sometimes dies, no one being able to protect him.
How could the people say that such Krsna has transgressed all moral values during the rasa
leela..............HK
SB 10.61.4 — The arched eyebrows of these sixteen thousand queens enchantingly expressed
those ladies’ secret intentions through coyly (shyly) smiling sidelong glances. Thus their
eyebrows boldly sent forth conjugal messages. Yet even with these arrows of Cupid, and with
other means as well, they could not agitate Lord Kṛṣṇa’s senses.
# Lord Krsna says this to Sudama Vipra
Very important for devotees to know it..............
SB 10.80.32 — My dear friend, he who gives a person his physical birth is his first spiritual
master, and he who initiates him as a twice-born brāhmaṇa and engages him in religious duties
is indeed more directly his spiritual master. But the person who bestows transcendental
knowledge upon the members of all the spiritual orders of society is one’s ultimate spiritual
master. Indeed, he is as good as My own self.
# Sage Narada to Dhruva Maharaj....
We could understand how important it is visiting the holy land of Vrindavana, which is the
eternally
dwelling
holy
land
of
all
compassionate
Lord
Krsna.............
SB 4.8.42 — My dear boy, I therefore wish all good fortune for you. You should go to the bank
of the Yamunā, where there is a virtuous forest named Madhuvana, and there be purified. Just
by going there, one draws nearer to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who always lives
there.
# Lord Krsna to Srutadeva Brahman in SB
Pls. comprehend the words of Lord Krsna......
Let the pure devotees cast their glance on us for our DS............extremely relevant at this point
of time when a devotee of Lord is here to give us his discourse on Krsna
SB 10.86.52 — One can gradually become purified by seeing, touching and worshiping temple
deities, places of pilgrimage and holy rivers. But one can attain the same result immediately
simply by receiving the glance of exalted sages.
# Words of Draupadi to Sathyabhama..
We cannot expect such good qualities in this age; however................
Draupadī said, “Abandoning vanity and subduing desire and wrath, I serve my husbands with
attention, along with their other wives. I do not feel my position of servitude to be a degraded
one, and I restrain jealousy by remaining devoted. I neither bathe, sleep, nor eat before my
husbands, or even before our servants and followers. At no time do I allow my mind to dwell
upon another man or any celestial. My heart never sways from my husbands. The minute I see
them I rise up and greet them, offering them a seat and water. I always keep our living quarters
clean and fragrant, and all the household items and food well-ordered.”
# Srila Prabhupad in Journey of self-discovery...
Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, they are not brāhmaṇas. Those who give education in exchange for
money—they are not brāhmaṇas. For instance, we are lecturing, educating people. We don't
say, "Give us a salary." We simply ask them, "Please come." That is why we are cooking food
and holding so many free festivals. "We'll give you food. We'll give you a comfortable seat.
Please come and hear about self-realization and God consciousness." We are not asking
money—"First of all pay the fee; then you can come and learn Bhagavad-gītā." We never say
that. But these so-called teachers who first of all bargain for a salary—"What salary will you
give me?"—that is a dog's concern. That is not a brāhmaṇa's concern. A brāhmaṇa will never
ask about a salary. A brāhmaṇa is eager to see that people are educated. "Take free education
and be educated; be a human being"—this is a brāhmaṇa's concern: You see? I came here not
to ask for any money but to give instruction.
# Conversation with Srila Prabhupada
Ramesvara: So I've been told that if one fasts on Bhima-ekadashi, that it is like fasting on all the
ekadashis.
Is
that
true?
Prabhupada: Yes. Ekadashi is meant for fasting, either Bhima or Arjuna. But we cannot fast,
therefore we have to take little fruits and.... Otherwise, ekadashi means fasting.
Tamala Krishna: If it is possible, should we go without eating at all?
Prabhupada:
Yes.
But
don't
lie
down
and
sleep.
Mahendra:
Eating
maha-prasadam
is
also
fasting.
Prabhupada:
Who
says?
Mahendra:
You
said
that
to
Paramahamsa
Swami
once.
Prabhupada:
And
you
heard
from
Paramahamsa.
Mahendra: No, I was in the room. It was when he was trying to observe Caturmasya.
Prabhupada:
I
never
said
that.
Mahendra:
Oh,
okay,
I
must
have
heard
wrong.
Prabhupada: If there is service and, on my fasting, service will be stopped, then I can take. First
consideration, service. Now if somebody feels weak, he can take maha-prasada, render service.
(ACBSP. 7th June 1976, Morning Walk. Los Angeles)
# 1.1.21 purport of Srila Prabhupada of SB
The sages of Naimiṣāraṇya began this process in a place meant specifically for the devotees of
the Lord. They prepared themselves to hear the pastimes of the Lord over a period of one
thousand years. By the example of these sages one should learn that regular hearing and
recitation of the Bhāgavatam is the only way for self-realization. Other attempts are simply a
waste of time, for they do not give any tangible results.
# HH Chandramauli Swami is saying the below in one of his classes....
Prabhupada in one lecture says, you may have been a murderer in a previous life. Somehow
or the other you have come to Krishna consciousness and you cut you finger. That is the
reaction. The suffering has been mitigated to the least amount because the spiritual master and
the Lord allow us to engage in devotional service by removing our past.
#
Conversation
with
Srila
Prabhupad
Morning Walk -- May 22, 1975, Melbourne:
Devotee 7: Prabhupāda, can a person go back to a spiritual planet without initiation?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Devotee 7: Can a person go back to a spiritual planet...
Prabhupāda: No, there is no more init... Initiation here required when the living entity is in
darkness. Just like uneducated person requires to go to school. One who is educated, in his full
knowledge, he doesn't go.
Madhudviṣa: The question was, Prabhupāda, is it possible for a person to return to the spiritual
world without taking initiation from a bona fide spiritual master?
Prabhupāda: No, that is not possible. Therefore Rūpa Gosvāmī said, ā dau gurv-āśrayam. First
business is to accept spiritual master. Ā dau gurv-āśrayam. Who will train him? He is already
fool, rascal. He must be trained up. So he must be trained up by the representative of Kṛṣṇa.
Devotee 9: Is second initiation necessary, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Second or first only.
# Importance of hearing
Lord Narayana says the below to the 4 Kumaras...........hearing is extremely powerful..........
SB 3.16.6 — Anyone in the entire world, even down to the caṇḍāla, who lives by cooking and
eating the flesh of the dog, is immediately purified if he takes bath in hearing through the ear
the glorification of My name, fame, etc. Now you have realized Me without doubt; therefore I
will not hesitate to lop off My own arm if its conduct is found hostile to you.
# Mitreya speaking to Vidura in SB
SB 3.22.35 — Consequently, although his (Svayambhuva Manu) duration of life gradually
came to an end, his long life, consisting of a Manvantara era, was not spent in vain, since he
ever engaged in hearing, contemplating, writing down and chanting the pastimes of the Lord.
# Wonderful words of Asvathama from Mahabharat........
Scene was that while Pandavas were in their last day of exile, Kauravas caught hold of the cows
of King Virat and Arjuna intervened to protect the King..........
Karna, as usual, boasted and at this time Asvatama was speaking the below to him.....
Aśvatthāmā pulled up his chariot behind his father. He had heard Karṇa’s speech and he too
spoke derisively. “We have not as yet achieved anything, Karṇa. We have not taken the cows
and we have not defeated the enemy. Why then do you boast? Great heroes, even after winning
many battles and conquering great kingdoms, do not utter a single word of self-praise. Indeed,
silence itself is the quality of the truly powerful. Fire burns silently and silently does the sun
shine. The earth bears her great load of moving and non-moving creatures without a word.”
# Word of Lord Kapila to Devahuti....
How wonderfully true it is..................
SB 3.30.9 — The attached householder remains in his family life, which is full of diplomacy and
politics. Always spreading miseries and controlled by acts of sense gratification, he acts just to
counteract the reactions of all his miseries, and if he can successfully counteract such miseries,
he thinks that he is happy.
SB 3.30.10 — He secures money by committing violence here and there, and although he
employs it in the service of his family, he himself eats only a little portion of the food thus
purchased, and he goes to hell for those for whom he earned the money in such an irregular
way.
# Words of Lord Siva to Mother Parvati from Srimad Bhagavatam
How true it is.................
Param Vaishnava is speaking this................
SB 4.3.18 — One should not go to anyone’s house, even on the consideration of his being a
relative or a friend, when the man is disturbed in his mind and looks upon the guest with raised
eyebrows and angry eyes.
# HK
The simple way to worship the Supreme Lord in this age of disturbance is to hear and chant
about His great activities (Prabhupad in Isopanisat).
# Thoughts of Dhritarashtra
Therefore, sastras say that Krsna's activities are bewildering..........
Kṛṣṇa was an unknown element. Dhṛtarāṣṭra could not fathom His motivations or intentions.
Sometimes He seemed impartial--or at least He said He was--yet He always appeared to favor
the Pāṇḍavas. Then again He had given His army to Duryodhana and had promised not to
fight. It was difficult to understand.
# From the scripture.......
HK...................pls. anticipate and mold life accordingly..............every thing is in store for us to
experience............
Not only in the present age but from time immemorial no one has liked an old man who is
unable to earn in the family. Even in the modern age, in some communities or states, the old
men are given poison so that they will die as soon as possible. In some cannibalistic
communities, the old grandfather is sportingly killed, and a feast is held in which his body is
eaten. Here the example is given that a farmer does not like an old ox who has ceased to work.
Similarly, when an attached person in family life becomes old and is unable to earn, he is no
longer liked by his wife, sons, daughters, and other kinsmen, and he is consequently neglected,
what to speak of not being given respect. It is judicious, therefore, to give up family attachment
before one attains old age and take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A person
should employ himself in the Lord's service so that the Supreme Lord can take charge of him
and he will not be neglected by his so-called kinsmen.
# Srila Prabhupad's strong purport.........
Purport:
Once we actually saw a distressed man steal ornaments from his daughter just to maintain
himself. As the English proverb goes, necessity knows no law. When a conditioned soul needs
something, he forgets his relationship with his relatives and exploits his own father or son. We
also receive information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in this Age of Kali the time is quickly
approaching when a relative will kill another relative for a small farthing. Without Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, people will deteriorate further and further into a hellish condition wherein they
will perform abominable acts.
# Srimad Bhagavatam
Pls. see the value of Srimad Bhagavatam
SB 7.1.4-5
The great sage Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, you have put before me an excellent
question. Discourses concerning the activities of the Lord, in which the glories of His devotees
are also found, are extremely pleasing to devotees. Such wonderful topics always counteract
the miseries of the materialistic way of life. Therefore great sages like Nārada always speak
upon Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it gives one the facility to hear and chant about the
wonderful activities of the Lord. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Śrīla Vyāsadeva
and then begin describing topics concerning the activities of Lord Hari.
# SB 6.6.1 Purport.
Females are not meant for the renounced order of life; they should be faithful to their good
husbands, for if a husband is competent for liberation, his wife will also achieve liberation with
him. As stated in the śāstra, the results of a husband’s pious activities are shared by his wife.
Therefore a woman’s duty is to be very chaste and faithful to her husband. Then without
separate endeavor she will share in all the profit the husband earns.
# From Srimad Bhagavatam..........
SB 4.22.11 — On the contrary, even though full of all opulence and material prosperity, any
householder’s house where the devotees of the Lord are never allowed to come in, and where
there is no water for washing their feet, is to be considered a tree in which all venomous
serpents live.
# In the Āyurveda-śāstra, they are called, those who are eating the flesh of dog, they are
called śvapaca. Those who are eating the flesh of cows, they are go-kaga(?), māṁsaga(?), these
are so many. But in the Manu samhita it is said that if one eats the flesh of cow, he is called gokaga(?), if one eats the flesh of dog, he is called śvapaca, if one eats the flesh of this..., he is given
description. But one who eats fish, he eats all the fleshes. Matsaga – sarva – mamsaga (?). If
anyone eats fish, he eats all kinds of fleshes. Prabhupāda: Fish, yes. Fish is abominable
according to Manu-saṁhitā. matsaga-sarva-māṁsaga, tasmāt matsa vivarjet(?). Therefore,
even you can eat the flesh of cow, but don't eat fish. That is the stricture in the Manu-saṁhitā.
Because if you are eating dog's flesh, then you are sinful in the matter of dog's flesh only. But
if you eat fish, then you become sinful of eating all kinds of flesh. Matsaga-sarva-māṁsaga(?).
These are the strictures.
# From Ramayan - Lakshman to Lord Ram
Absolute reality of life..................
After bowing down, Lakshman spoke as follows, in a voice that was laden with great sorrow:
“My dear brother, in accordance with Your order, I abandoned Sita on the banks of the Ganga
near Valmiki’s ashram. Rama, there is no use in giving way to such grief. After all, in this world,
meeting and separation are concomitant factors. It is inevitable that one’s wife, son and one’s
very life must one day be given up. Because of this, intelligent persons always pass through
life’s journey with an attitude of detachment.”
# SB 5.8.31
This is from the purport of above verse. PP is stressing the importance of Lord Krsna's birth
place.
Holy places like Vṛndāvana, Hardwar, Prayāga and Jagannātha Purī are especially meant for
the execution of devotional service. Vṛndāvana specifically is the most exalted and preferred
holy place for Vaiṣṇava devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who are aspiring to return back to Godhead,
the Vaikuṇṭha planets. There are many devotees in Vṛndāvana who regularly bathe in the
Yamunā, and this cleanses all the contamination of the material world. By constantly chanting
and hearing the holy names and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, one certainly becomes purified
and becomes a fit candidate for liberation. However, if one purposefully falls victim to sense
gratification, he has to be punished, at least for one lifetime, like Bharata Mahārāja.
# Prabhupad vani
Srila Prabhupad from his book Teachings of Queen Kunti.............
How graciously Krsna seeks the love of His devotees..............such powerful Supreme Lord likes
to be insignificant in front of His pure devotees.......
We offer obeisances to Kṛṣṇa with awe and veneration, but no one comes to Kṛṣṇa with a rope,
saying, “Kṛṣṇa, You have committed an offense, and now I shall bind You.” Yet that is the
prerogative of the most perfect devotee, and Kṛṣṇa wants to be approached in that way.
# Srila Prabhupad in Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Conversation between Lord Caitanya and Srila Ramananda Ray..........
“Where should a person live, giving up all other places?” Lord Caitanya next inquired.
Rāmānanda replied that one should give up all other places and live in Vṛndāvana, where Lord
Kṛṣṇa had so many pastimes. In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.47.61) Uddhava says that it is best to
live in Vṛndāvana, even as a plant or creeper. It was in Vṛndāvana that the Supreme Lord lived,
and it was there that the gopīs worshiped Him, the ultimate goal of all Vedic knowledge.
# PP in Dharma - The way of transcendence....
Then the next process the Bhāgavatam recommends is chanting (kīrtitavyaś ca). If you simply
hear about Kṛṣṇa but do not repeat what you have heard to others, you will not advance very
quickly in your understanding of God. Whatever you hear or read you should explain to
others. That is perfection.
# How fantastically Srila Prabhupad writes..........from his book called Message of Godhead
But at the present stage of our existence, it is difficult to be unaffected by the temporary
happiness and distress pertaining to the body and mind. Nor is it possible at present to assert
that we are unidentified with the body and mind. Therefore, in our present state of existence,
there is no possibility of our being indifferent in these matters of material happiness and
distress. Thus, acquiring transcendental knowledge does not mean that we become indifferent
to our present state of affairs, but it means that we should not be overwhelmed by the coming
and going of happiness and distress.
# It is explained that all the holy places of India are manifest in some way in Vrajamandala.
Thus, Rupa Gosvami writes that anyone who leaves Vraja to go to other holy places achieves
nothing but the trouble it takes to get there.
# When a man earns money by unfair means and maintains his family and himself with that
money, the money is enjoyed by many members of the family, but he alone goes to hell and
suffers the resultant sinful reactions accrued from such a violent and illicit life. For example, if
a man secures some money by killing someone and with that money maintains his family,
those who enjoy the black money earned by him are also partially responsible and are also sent
to hell, but he who is the leader is especially punished. The money he earned is left in this
world, and he takes only the sinful reaction.
In this world also, if a person acquires some money by murdering someone, the family is not
hanged, although its members are sinfully contaminated. But the man who commits the
murder and maintains his family is himself hanged as a murderer. The direct offender is more
responsible for sinful activities than the indirect enjoyer. The great learned scholar Cāṇakya
Paṇḍita says, therefore, that whatever one has in his possession had better be spent for the
cause of sat, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because one cannot take his possessions
with him. They remain here, and they will be lost. Either we leave the money or the money
leaves us, but we will be separated. The best use of money as long as it is within our possession
is to spend it to acquire and propagate Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
# Demi god worship........
SB 6.4 The Haṁsa-guhya Prayers Offered to the Lord by Prajāpati Dakṣa
“Unfortunately, however, those who are materially absorbed worship various demigods. As
the air passes over a lotus flower and carries the scent of the flower with it, or as the air
sometimes carries dust and therefore assumes colors, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
appears as the various demigods according to the desires of His various foolish worshipers,
but actually He is the supreme truth, Lord Viṣṇu. To fulfill the desires of His devotees, He
appears in various incarnations, and therefore there is no need to worship the demigods.”
# Pls. see the highlighted part............therefore Indra was cursed and lost all opulances
SB 6.7.2-8 — Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, once upon a time, the King of heaven, Indra,
being extremely proud because of his great opulence of the three worlds, transgressed the law
of Vedic etiquette. Seated on his throne, he was surrounded by the Maruts, Vasus, Rudras,
Ādityas, Ṛbhus, Viśvadevas, Sādhyas, Aśvinī-kumāras, Siddhas, Cāraṇas and Gandharvas and
by great saintly persons. Also surrounding him were the Vidyādharas, Apsarās, Kinnaras,
Patagas [birds] and Uragas [snakes]. All of them were offering Indra their respects and services,
and the Apsarās and Gandharvas were dancing and singing with very sweet musical
instruments. Over Indra’s head was a white umbrella as effulgent as the full moon. Fanned by
yak-tail whisks and served with all the paraphernalia of a great king, Indra was sitting with his
wife, Śacidevi, who occupied half the throne, when the great sage Bṛhaspati appeared in that
assembly. Bṛhaspati, the best of the sages, was the spiritual master of Indra and the demigods
and was respected by the demigods and demons alike. Nevertheless, although Indra saw his
spiritual master before him, he did not rise from his own seat or offer a seat to his spiritual
master, nor did Indra offer him a respectful welcome. Indra did nothing to show him respect.
# Lord Rama
Below is when Bharat came to forest to call Ram back to Ayodhya.
Rama continued to inquire about Bharata’s welfare, in a manner that would give instruction to
all political heads of state:
“My dear brother, a righteous kingdom will surely prosper. Are the brahmanas, demigods and
elders being properly respected? Are the women within the kingdom being properly honored
and protected? Are disputes being impartially judged? I hope that You avoid the fourteen
weaknesses- atheism, hypocrisy, anger, procrastination, laziness, slavery to the senses,
contempt for good advice, lack of vigilance, fondness for bad council, impractical planning,
inability to keep a secret, attachment to foolish friends, negligence of religious observances,
and failure to counteract enemies.”
Bharata, are you aware of the three kinds of prowess- physical strength, power of authority,
and intelligence? Do You avoid the following eight kinds of friends- the deceitful, the reckless,
the violent, the envious, the gossiper, the foul-mouthed, the usurper of property, and the
unjust?”
# Age of Kali.......
Unless the living entity recognizes the authority of the Personality of Godhead, he remains a
helpless victim in the clutches of māyā, or material illusion. He concocts different solutions to
release himself from māyā, but these solutions are themselves creations of māyā and thus
cannot possibly release the conditioned soul. In fact, they only intensify his distress. In the next
verse, Lord Kṛṣṇa specifically warns Uddhava to avoid Kali-yuga and go back home, back to
Godhead. Those of us who have already taken birth in Kali-yuga should also heed this advice
and immediately take all necessary steps to go back to the Lord’s eternal abode for a blissful
life of perfect knowledge. The material world is never a happy place, especially during the
fearful days of Kali-yuga.
# As explained in Bhagavad-gītā, one whose mind is free from material desire becomes
disinterested in demigod worship, since the purpose of such worship is material amelioration.
The demigods, however, are never displeased with one who becomes a pure devotee of Lord
Kṛṣṇa and offers all of his worship to the Lord. The demigods themselves are humble servants
of Lord Kṛṣṇa, as was amply demonstrated in Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes on the earth. One who can
experience the eternal soul within everyone’s body certainly becomes dear to all living beings.
Since he sees everyone as qualitatively equal to himself, he does not envy anyone nor try to
lord it over any other living being. Being free from envy and a well-wisher of all, such a selfrealized soul is naturally dear to everyone. As stated in the song to the Six
Gosvāmīs, dhīrādhīra-jana-priyau priya-karau nirmatsarau pūjitau.
# Sage Satyavrata to the Fish incarnation of Lord.........
O my Lord, possessing eyes like the petals of a lotus, the worship of the demigods, who are in
the bodily concept of life, is fruitless in all respects. But because You are the supreme friend
and dearmost Supersoul of everyone, worship of Your lotus feet is never useless. You have
therefore manifested Your form as a fish.
# SB 6.6.1
After the incidents concerning the loss of his many sons, Dakṣa repented his misunderstanding
with Nārada Muni. Lord Brahmā then saw Dakṣa and instructed him to beget children again.
This time Dakṣa was very cautious to beget female children instead of male children so that
Nārada Muni would not disturb them by urging them to accept the renounced order. Females
are not meant for the renounced order of life; they should be faithful to their good husbands,
for if a husband is competent for liberation, his wife will also achieve liberation with him. As
stated in the śāstra, the results of a husband’s pious activities are shared by his wife. Therefore
a woman’s duty is to be very chaste and faithful to her husband. Then without separate
endeavor she will share in all the profit the husband earns.
# SB 7.11.4
The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is based on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavadgītā. Because Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam was spoken by Śukadeva Gosvāmī and Bhagavad-gītā was
spoken by Kṛṣṇa, there is no difference between them. If we strictly follow the principle of
disciplic succession, we are certainly on the right path of spiritual liberation, or eternal
engagement in devotional service.
# Manu-saṁhitā:
ṣaṇṇāṁ tu karmaṇām asya
trīṇi karmāṇi jīvikā
yajanādhyāpane caiva
viśuddhāc ca pratigrahaḥ
Of the six occupational duties of the brāhmaṇas, three are compulsory — namely, worship of
the Deity, study of the Vedas and the giving of charity. In exchange, a brāhmaṇa should receive
charity, and this should be his means of livelihood. A brāhmaṇa cannot take up any
professional occupational duty for his livelihood. The śāstras especially stress that if one claims
to be a brāhmaṇa, he cannot engage in the service of anyone else; otherwise he at once falls
from his position and becomes a śūdra. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī belonged
to a very respectful family, but because they engaged in the service of Nawab Hussain Shah —
not even as ordinary clerks, but as ministers — they were ostracized from brahminical society.
Indeed, they became like Mohammedans and even changed their names. Unless a brāhmaṇa is
very pure, he cannot accept charity from others. Charity should be given to those who are pure.
Even if one is born in a family of brāhmaṇas, if one acts as a śūdra one cannot accept charity,
for this is strictly prohibited.
# SB 4.6.53
The performance of yajña is a very difficult task because all the demigods must be invited to
participate in the yajña. In this Kali-yuga it is not possible to perform such costly sacrifices, nor
is it possible to invite the demigods to participate. Therefore in this age it is
recommended, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ (Bhāg. 11.5.32). Those who
are intelligent should know that in the Kali-yuga there is no possibility of performing the Vedic
sacrifices. But unless one pleases the demigods, there will be no regulated seasonal activities
or rainfall. Everything is controlled by the demigods. Under the circumstances, in this age, in
order to keep the balance of social peace and prosperity, all intelligent men should execute the
performance of saṅkīrtana-yajña by chanting the holy names Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. One should invite people,
chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and then distribute prasāda. This yajña will satisfy all the demigods, and
thus there will be peace and prosperity in the world. Another difficulty in performing the Vedic
rituals is that if one fails to satisfy even one demigod out of the many hundreds of thousands
of demigods, just as Dakṣa failed to satisfy Lord Śiva, there will be disaster. But in this age the
performance of sacrifice has been simplified: one can chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, and by pleasing Kṛṣṇa
one can satisfy all the demigods automatically.
# SB says....
In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is said that the Bhāgavata philosophy is meant for people who are
completely free from envy (paramo nirmatsarāṇām). The material world is full of envious
people. Even within one’s inner circle there is much backbiting, and this is compared to the
sound vibration of a cricket in the forest. One cannot see the cricket, but one hears its sounds
and thus becomes aggrieved. When one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one always hears
unpalatable words from relatives. This is the nature of the world; one cannot avoid mental
distress due to the backbiting of envious people. Being very much aggrieved, sometimes one
goes to a sinful person for help, but he has no means to help because he has no intelligence.
Thus the living entity is disappointed. This is like running after a mirage in the desert in an
effort to find water. Such activities do not produce any tangible results. Due to being directed
by the illusory energy, a conditioned soul suffers in so many ways.
# SB SB 6.8.42 - purport
In the Padma Purāṇa it is also said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā matāḥ.
There are four sampradāyas, or disciplic successions, namely the Brahma sampradāya, the
Rudra sampradāya, the Śrī sampradāya and the Kumāra sampradāya. If one wants to advance
in spiritual power, one must receive his mantras from one of these bona
fide sampradāyas; otherwise he will never successfully advance in spiritual life.
# SB 8.6.15 purport.....
Translation:
I [Lord Brahmā], Lord Śiva and all the demigods, accompanied by the prajāpatis like Dakṣa,
are nothing but sparks illuminated by You, who are the original fire. Since we are particles of
You, what can we understand about our welfare? O Supreme Lord, please give us the means
of deliverance that is suitable for the brāhmaṇas and demigods.
We cannot invent any means to be delivered from the dangers of material existence. Here, even
the demigods, such as Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, and the prajāpatis, such as Dakṣa, are said
to be like illuminating sparks in the presence of the Supreme Lord, who is compared to a great
fire. Sparks are beautiful as long as they are in the fire. Similarly, we have to remain in the
association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and always engage in devotional service,
for then we shall always be brilliant and illuminating. As soon as we fall from the service of
the Lord, our brilliance and illumination will immediately be extinguished, or at least stopped
for some time. When we living entities, who are like sparks of the original fire, the Supreme
Lord, fall into a material condition, we must take the mantra from the Supreme Personality of
Godhead as it is offered by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we
shall be delivered from all the difficulties of this material world.
# SB
Lord Ananta Deva to King Citraketu in Srimad Bhagavatam.
From this it should be understood that the deity in the temple and HK Mantra should not be
considered as material................
SB 6.16.51 — All living entities, moving and nonmoving, are My expansions and are separate
from Me. I am the Supersoul of all living beings, who exist because I manifest them. I am the
form of the transcendental vibrations like omkara and Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Rāma, and I am the
Supreme Absolute Truth. These two forms of Mine — namely, the transcendental sound and
the eternally blissful spiritual form of the Deity, are My eternal forms; they are not material.
# Isopanisad says.......
The Īśopaniṣad says, "The wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of
knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience."
As explained above, the real culture of knowledge is the advancement of spiritual knowledge.
And advancement of knowledge in the matter of bodily comforts or to protect the body is the
culture of nescience, because however you may try to protect this body, it will follow its natural
course. What is that? Repeated birth and death, and while the body is manifested, disease and
old age. People are very busy cultivating knowledge of this body, although they see that at
every moment the body is decaying. The death of the body was fixed when it was born. That
is a fact. So you cannot stop the natural course of this body—namely birth, old age, disease,
and death.
# SB
Spoken by Lord Visnu to Brahma and other demi gods.................
SB 7.4.25-26 — The voice of the Lord vibrated as follows: O best of learned persons, do not fear!
I wish all good fortune to you. Become My devotees by hearing and chanting about Me and
offering Me prayers, for these are certainly meant to award benedictions to all living entities. I
know all about the activities of Hiraṇyakaśipu and shall surely stop them very soon. Please
wait patiently until that time.
# Accepting food offered to Lord.........
Mr. Faill: There is none. To change the subject a little, is it necessary to follow certain eating
habits to practice spiritual life?
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, the whole process is meant to purify us, and eating is part of that
purification. I think you have a saying, “You are what you eat,” and that’s a fact. Our bodily
constitution and mental atmosphere are determined according to how and what we eat.
Therefore the śāstras recommend that to become Kṛṣṇa conscious, you should eat remnants of
food left by Kṛṣṇa. If a tuberculosis patient eats something and you eat the remnants, you will
be infected with tuberculosis. Similarly, if you eat kṛṣṇa-prasādam, then you will be infected
with Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Thus our process is that we don’t eat anything immediately. First
we offer the food to Kṛṣṇa, then we eat it. This helps us advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
# Manu Samhita says..............
Because you are associating with such persons, according to Manu-samhita when an animal is
killed, eight persons become condemned with murdering charges. Eight persons. One who
kills, one who orders, one who purchases, one who cooks, one who eats -- so many. That is the
law – PP
# Srimad Bhagavatam says......
Udāra-dhīḥ means one who has a broader outlook. People with desires for material enjoyment
worship small demigods, and such intelligence is condemned in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20)
as hṛta-jñāna, the intelligence of one who has lost his senses. One cannot obtain any result from
demigods without getting sanction from the Supreme Lord. Therefore a person with a broader
outlook can see that the ultimate authority is the Lord, even for material benefits. Under the
circumstances, one with a broader outlook, even with the desire for material enjoyment or for
liberation, should take to the worship of the Lord directly. And everyone, whether
an akāma or sakāma or mokṣa-kāma, should worship the Lord with great expedience. This
implies that bhakti-yoga may be perfectly administered without any mixture
of karma and jñāna. As the unmixed sun ray is very forceful and is therefore
called tīvra, similarly unmixed bhakti-yoga of hearing, chanting, etc., may be performed by
one and all regardless of inner motive.
# SB 7.7
Devotional service is not dependent on the material activities of austerity, penance,
mystic yoga or piety. Even without such assets, one can achieve devotional service through the
mercy of a pure devotee.
# Purport to SB verse 6.11.26
A pure devotee always yearns to associate personally with the Lord and render service unto
Him. The examples given in this regard are most appropriate. A small baby bird is practically
never satisfied except when the mother bird comes to feed it, a small calf is not satisfied unless
allowed to suck the milk from the mother’s udder, and a chaste, devoted wife whose husband
is away from home is never satisfied until she has the association of her beloved husband.
# SB 2.2.4 purport......
Self-complacence with a polished type of animal civilization geared to sense gratification is
delusion, and such a “civilization” is not worthy of the name. In pursuit of such false activities,
a human being is in the clutches of māyā, or illusion. Great sages and saints in the days of yore
were not living in palatial buildings furnished with good furniture and so-called amenities of
life. They used to live in huts and groves and sit on the flat ground, and yet they have left
immense treasures of high knowledge with all perfection. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla
Sanātana Gosvāmī were high-ranking ministers of state, but they were able to leave behind
them immense writings on transcendental knowledge, while residing only for one night
underneath one tree. They did not live even two nights under the same tree, and what to speak
of well-furnished rooms with modern amenities. And still they were able to give us most
important literatures of self-realization. So-called comforts of life are not actually helpful for
progressive civilization; rather, they are detrimental to such progressive life. In the system
of sanātana-dharma, of four divisions of social life and four orders of progressive realization,
there are ample opportunities and sufficient directions for a happy termination of the
progressive life, and the sincere followers are advised therein to accept a voluntary life of
renunciation in order to achieve the desired goal of life. If one is not accustomed to abiding by
the life of renunciation and self-abnegation from the beginning, one should try to get into the
habit at a later stage of life as recommended by Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and that will help one
to achieve the desired success.
# Srila Prabhupad from Teachings of Lord Caitanya
One begins spiritual activities for advancement in devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness,
by hearing. Indeed, hearing is the most important method for advancement in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, and one should be very eager to hear favorably about Kṛṣṇa. Giving up all
speculation and fruitive activity, one should simply worship Kṛṣṇa and desire to attain love of
God. That love of God is eternally existing within everyone; it simply has to be evoked by the
process of hearing. Hearing and chanting are the principal methods of devotional service.
# Words of Mother Sita from Ramayan
Do not compare this with present day husband/wife relationship..........
Sita became very angry while listening to Ravana, and with great contempt she replied, “I am
completely devoted to Rama, who is as steady as a rock, as grave as an ocean, and sheltering
like a Banyan tree. I am devoted to Rama, who has mighty arms and a broad chest, whose face
resembles the full moon, and who is self-controlled and virtuous.”
# How beautifully Srila Prabhupad is presenting the truth...............
Consequently, although there is no lack of money in the world, there is a scarcity of peace. So
much human energy is being diverted to making money, for the general population has
increased its capacity to make more and more dollars, but in the long run the result is that this
unrestricted and unlawful monetary inflation has created a bad economy all over the world
and has provoked us to manufacture huge and costly weapons to destroy the very result of
such cheap money-making. The leaders of the big money-making countries are not really
enjoying peace but are making plans to save themselves from imminent destruction by nuclear
weapons. In fact, huge sums of money are being thrown into the sea by way of experiments
with these dreadful weapons. Such experiments are being carried out not only at huge costs
but also at the cost of many lives. In this way the nations are being bound by the laws
of karma. When men are motivated by the impulse for sense gratification, whatever money is
earned is spoiled, being spent for the destruction of the human race. The energy of the human
race is thus wasted by the laws of nature because of man's aversion to the Lord, who is actually
the proprietor of all energies.
# From Mahabharatha
Krsna summoned Ghatotkaca to combat with Karna as it was necessary at that point of
time....................
Kṛṣṇa replied, “Take my blessings, O Ghaṭotkaca, and hear what must be done. The hour for
you to display your prowess has arrived. I do not see another who can accomplish what you
can do. Over there stands the powerful Karṇa, hurling his weapons and scorching our army.
None can stand before him but you. Therefore, become the raft which will carry us across the
frightful Kaurava ocean, where Karṇa is its shark. Rescue your fathers and uncles, for this is
the reason why a man begets sons. You are indeed a worthy son of Bhīma, O Rākṣasa, as you
always desire his welfare. Use your illusions and power to check the fierce bowman Karṇa.
Pāṇḍu’s sons, headed by Dṛṣṭadyumna, will engage with Droṇa and his forces.”
# Prabhu Pad in Teachings of Queen Kunti
The living entities in this world are so jealous that if one’s personal interest is hampered, one
will immediately be ready to give trouble to others, even to one’s nearest relatives.
# Four Kumaras speaking to Sage Narada - this is in Padma Puran
one who is a premi bhakta of Bhagavan Krsna; then his/her narration will be
nectarian............but most of us want to show our erudition; therefore, it does not fetch good
results................
Similarly, in bhagavata-katha, this bhagavata is nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam, [SB
1.1.3]. It is the most ripened, sweetened, nectarian juicy fruit of the Vedic tree. If the fruit is
collected from the Vedic tree then that is the Bhagavata. When Bhagavata is recited by a premibhakta then you can taste its sweetness.
# SB 11.2.2 purport
How pathetic is the condition of the age of kali..............
In the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Kapila describes very clearly that in spite of
the exhausting work a man performs throughout his life, his family is ultimately dissatisfied,
and when the exhausted father reaches old age, the irritated family members look upon him
just as farmers look upon an old and useless ox. Sometimes the sons dream of receiving their
father’s money as an inheritance and secretly wish for him to die. Nowadays people strongly
resent the trouble of caring for elderly parents and therefore send them to an institution, where
they die lonely and neglected after a life of hard work for their so-called loved ones. One doctor
in England is seriously proposing euthanasia for elderly persons who are no longer productive.
# Futility of life if we live it like stool eating hogs.........PP says
Again and again the scriptures warn against this kind of degraded life. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva says
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.1), nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ
ye: "This human form of life is not meant for satisfying the senses with great difficulty, like the
stool-eating hogs." Eating is necessary, of course, but a village hog eats the most abominable
thing, stool, searching it out the whole day and night. And if human beings create a so-called
civilization in which one simply has to work hard day and night to get food, then the lives of
the human beings in that civilization are no better than the hog's life. That is not human life.
Human life should be peaceful. One should be able to acquire food easily, eat nicely, and save
time for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is human life. But if we create a civilization of
cats, dogs, and hogs, then Kṛṣṇa will give us the chance to work day and night simply for eating,
sleeping, mating, and defending. And that is the position now because people want it.
# Pls. read the philosophical treatise of SB from 11th canto.
One may therefore ask why the living entity and the Supreme Lord are stated to be nondifferent
from the material universe. The question is very nicely answered by Śrīla Nārada Muni in the
First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.20). Idaṁ hi viśvaṁ bhagavān ivetaro yato jagatsthāna-nirodha-sambhavāḥ: “The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is Himself this
cosmos, and still He is aloof from it. From Him only has this cosmic manifestation emanated,
in Him it rests, and unto Him it enters after annihilation.” Commenting on Nārada’s statement,
Śrīla Prabhupāda has very nicely explained this delicate philosophical point: “For a pure
devotee, the conception of Mukunda, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is both personal and impersonal. The
impersonal cosmic situation is also Mukunda because it is the emanation of the energy of
Mukunda. For example, a tree is a complete unit, whereas the leaves and branches of the tree
are emanated parts and parcels of the tree. The leaves and branches of the tree are also the tree,
but the tree itself is neither the leaves nor the branches. The Vedic version that the whole cosmic
creation is nothing but Brahman means that since everything is emanating from the Supreme
Brahman, nothing is apart from Him. Similarly, the part-and-parcel hands and legs are called
the body, but the body as the whole unit is neither the hands nor the legs. The Lord is the
transcendental form of eternity, cognition and beauty. And thus the creation of the energy of
the Lord appears to be partially eternal, full of knowledge and beautiful also.…
# Srimad Bhagavatam says................3.13.1
TEXT 14: "The foolish family man does not become averse to family life although he is
maintained by those whom he once maintained. Deformed by the influence of old age, he
prepares himself to meet ultimate death."
PURPORT: Family attraction is so strong that even if a person is neglected by family members
in his old age, he cannot give up family affection, and he remains at home just like a dog. In
the Vedic way of life, it is advised that before getting too weak and being baffled in material
activities, and before becoming diseased, one should give up family life and engage oneself
completely in the service of the Lord for the remaining days of his life.
# Bhagavatam says....
The only solace is to surrender unto Mukunda so that He would take care of all of us......
TEXTS 16-17: "In that diseased condition, a man's eyes bulge due to the pressure of air from
within, and his glands become congested with mucus. He has difficulty breathing, and upon
exhaling and inhaling he produces a sound like ghura-ghura, a rattling within the throat. In
this way he comes under the clutches of death and lies down, surrounded by lamenting friends
and relatives, and although he wants to speak with them, he no longer can because he is under
the control of time."
PURPORT: For formality's sake, when a man is lying on his deathbed, his relatives come to
him, and sometimes they cry very loudly, addressing the dying man: "O my father!" "O my
friend!" or "O my husband!" In that pitiable condition the dying man wants to speak with them
and instruct them of his desires, but because he is fully under the control of the time factor,
death, he cannot express himself, and that causes him in-conceivable pain. He is already in a
painful condition because of disease, and his glands and throat are choked up with mucus. He
is already in a very difficult position, and when he is addressed by his relatives in that way, his
grief increases.
# Krsna to Uddhava in Uddhava Gita
Krsna says knowledge about Him is most important than performing austerities, visiting holy
places, chanting silent prayers, giving in charity and so forth..................
SB 11.19.4
tapas tīrthaṁ japo dānaṁ
pavitrāṇītarāṇi ca
nālaṁ kurvanti tāṁ siddhiṁ
yā jñāna-kalayā kṛtā
Synonyms:
tapaḥ — austerity; tīrtham — visiting holy places; japaḥ — offering silent prayers; dānam —
charity; pavitrāṇi — pious activities; itarāṇi — other; ca — also; na — not; alam — up to the
same standard; kurvanti — they award; tām — this; siddhim — perfection; yā —
which; jñāna — of spiritual knowledge; kalayā — by a fraction; kṛtā — is awarded.
Translation:
That perfection which is produced by a small fraction of spiritual knowledge cannot be
duplicated by performing austerities, visiting holy places, chanting silent prayers, giving in
charity or engaging in other pious activities.
# From the lecture of a devotee, who is an IIT Holder....
Absolutely true..........our eyes should be opened to see the warmth of the Krsna's love
it appears that all the people, who surround you, are interested in you and that they are all
impressed by your greatness. But when you grow old and are no longer beautiful or when you
lose the opulence that you have today, none of these people will come near you; they will
simply disappear. Films stars and cricketers have thousands of fans in their youth and they feel
on top of the world, receiving the adulation of their fans. But when they grow old, none of their
fans pays even the slightest attention to them, leave alone respecting or adulating them. And
for one who has been famous, obscurity (insignificance) is worse than death. For example, there
was a celebrated football player and, due to his exceptional talent in maneuvering the ball with
his foot, he had millions of fans all over the world literally mad after him (or so he thought).
But one day he somehow broke his leg and he could no longer play football. And that was the
end of all his fame; not even a single soul would come to meet him thereafter. Even if nothing
like this happens to a famous person, still all his accumulated wealth, possessions,recognition
etc., are going to be lost in the sands of time at the time of death. In this way we can easily
understand that being mad for recognition from the people of the world is foolishness. The
inevitable time factor defeats all such hedonistic plans for enjoyment and reduces to nothing
all one's accomplishments exactly like the roaring waves of an ocean devastating a sand castle
built by a child.
# We should never be proud of any of our sevas......
HH Bhakti Caru Swamy is saying ................
And do you think that by your preaching people will become devotees? No. Don’t think that
by your preaching you will make devotees. Your business is to preach, you are getting an
opportunity. But their becoming devotees will be Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. That’s why in spite of so
much effective preaching to so many people, some people will not become devotees. On the
other hand somebody you barely spoke to, one fine morning you see that he has shown up in
the temple and he has become a devotee. We don’t know who will become devotees and it is
not due to our preaching. It is due to Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
# SB 2.9.22
HK............Lord Visnu to Brahma (pls. note the words.......SUBMISSIVE ATTITUDE)
The highest perfectional ingenuity is the personal perception of My abodes, and this has been
possible because of your submissive attitude in the performance of severe penance according
to My order.
# Mother Devahuti is talking to Lord Kapila in SB
Let us understand from this verse how fortunate we devotees are. It is not a normal thing to
chant the holy name of Lord. Exceptionally fortunate people only could do this...................
SB 3.33.7
Oh, how glorious are they whose tongues are chanting Your holy name! Even if born in the
families of dog-eaters, such persons are worshipable. Persons who chant the holy name of Your
Lordship must have executed all kinds of austerities and fire sacrifices and achieved all the
good manners of the Āryans. To be chanting the holy name of Your Lordship, they must have
bathed at holy places of pilgrimage, studied the Vedas and fulfilled everything required.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says ........
Third Canto, Fifteenth Chapter, of the same book, wherein Uddhava addresses Lord Kṛṣṇa and
says, 'My dear Lord, for persons who are engaged in Your transcendental loving service there
is nothing worth obtaining from religiousness, economic development, sense gratification or
liberation, although happiness from these different sources can be very easily had by them.' "
# Ref. to my class on last Friday.........You may keep the below notes..............
Karnodakasyayi Vishnu: Maha Vishnu (from His breathing, the universes come out). He
enters in to all the universes as Garbodhakshayi Vishnu and lies down in the Garbodhaka
Ocean on Sesa Naga. And then, from the navel, the lotus flower sprouts, and then Lord Brahma
is created. Then, after many years tapasya, tapo, Lord Brahma understands how to
create. Garbhodakasayi, within this universe He creates His own Vaikuntha where there is an
ocean of milk and lies there as Kshirodakyayi Vishnu whom the demi gods approach when
there is a difficulty. This, Ksirodakasayi Visnu is the person who is situated in everyone's,
every living being's.
# HH Bhakti Charu Swamy is speaking.............
Two words in this verse are very important; one word is pitari, and another word is guroh. The
son or disciple should accept the words of his spiritual master and father without hesitation.
Whatever the father and the spiritual master order should be taken without argument: “Yes.”
There should be no instance in which the disciple or the son says, “This is not correct. I cannot
carry it out.” When he says that, he is fallen. The father and the spiritual master are on the same
platform because a spiritual master is the second father. The higher classes are called dvija,
twice-born. Whenever there is a question of birth, there must be a father. The first birth is made
possible by the actual father, and the second birth is made possible by the spiritual master.
Sometimes the father and the spiritual master may be the same man, and sometimes they are
different men. In any case, the order of the father or the order of the spiritual master must be
carried out without hesitation, with an immediate yes.
# HH Bhakti Vikas Swamy Maharaj is speaking
All the rules and regulations are to make us think more and more about
Krsna...........smartavyas
satatam
Visnur
vismartavyo
na
jatucit..................
When strictly imposing strong rules and regulations on devotees, we do not understand that
many times we nip it in the bud.
However, main rules and regulations should be followed.............HK
Śrīla Prabhupāda could not have accomplished what he did without making certain
concessions with the Western way of life. He compared his contribution to the act of
transplanting of a tulasī plant. In doing so:
Prabhupāda did not ignore the cultural differences between India and America. Rather, he
preserved the Vedic plant and fed it according to the conditions of the Western soil and
environment. Always his concern was to preserve the plant. Therefore he was willing to adjust
his preaching to suit the Western mentality, yet without altering the purity and authenticity of
Kṛṣṇa’s message.
# HH Jayapataka Swamy Maharaj is speaking...
How glorious is our Spiritual Master................
Maharaj is talking about the importance of taking care of our body..........
Such an exalted Spiritual Master is showing his utmost compassion to the fallen souls of this
world..........all glories to Maharaj...........
But after 12 you can go to the Ganges but be very careful. I think we now have a life guard. I
am not sure. So please be careful. Just go for a dip and come back. I have pulled out 10 people
drowning. I don’t think I can do it now. (Audience: Laughter) To one, I had just given initiation
and he went to take bath and I saw that he was drowning. All around people were there, crying
out Haribol! Haribol! So I jumped in and pulled him out. He said you saved my life twice today.
# Lord Vamana Dev to Bali Maharaj
his talk of the Lord happened when Bali Maharaj insisted that Vamana Dev should ask
something more from him as he is the ruler of entire planetary system; therefore he could give
anything and everything...............
What a wonderful sublime intelligence is being exemplified by the Lord.............all glories to
Lord Vamanadev.............
SB 8.19.21 — The Personality of Godhead said: O my dear King, even the entirety of whatever
there may be within the three worlds to satisfy one’s senses cannot satisfy a person whose
senses are uncontrolled.
SB 8.19.22 — If I were not satisfied with three paces of land, then surely I would not be
satisfied even with possessing one of the seven islands, consisting of nine varṣas. Even if I
possessed one island, I would hope to get others.
SB 8.19.24 — One should be satisfied with whatever he achieves by his previous destiny,
for discontent (dissatisfaction) can never bring happiness. A person who is not self-controlled
will not be happy even with possessing the three worlds.
SB 8.19.25 — Material existence causes discontent in regard to fulfilling one’s lusty desires
and achieving more and more money. This is the cause for the continuation of material life,
which is full of repeated birth and death. But one who is satisfied by that which is obtained
by destiny is fit for liberation from this material existence.
# Padma Purana says.....
katha bhagavatasyapi
nityam bhavati yad grhe
tad grham tirtha-rupam hi
vasatam papa-nasanam
(Padma Purana – Uttara Kanda)
“Any home where bhagavata-katha is recited daily, any place where bhagavata-patha
pravacana has been organized, becomes a holy place. The sinful reactions of the residents of
that place will be dissolved
# Importance of 4 Vaisnava Sampradayas
Purport to SB 6.3.20-21
There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahmā, one from Lord Śiva, one
from Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumāras. The disciplic succession from
Lord Brahmā is called the Brahma sampradāya, the succession from Lord Śiva (Śambhu) is
called the Rudra sampradāya, the one from the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, is called the
Śrī sampradāya, and the one from the Kumāras is called the Kumāra sampradāya. One must
take shelter of one of these four sampradāyas in order to understand the most confidential
religious system. In the Padma Purāṇa it is said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā
matāḥ: if one does not follow the four recognized disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation
is useless. In the present day there are many apasampradāyas, or sampradāyas which are not
bona fide, which have no link to authorities like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, the Kumāras or
Lakṣmī. People are misguided by such sampradāyas. The śāstras say that being initiated in
such a sampradāya is a useless waste of time, for it will never enable one to understand the
real religious principles.
# Yamaraj to his assistants
SB 6.3.29
My dear servants, please bring to me only those sinful persons who do not use their tongues
to chant the holy name and qualities of Kṛṣṇa, whose hearts do not remember the lotus feet of
Kṛṣṇa even once, and whose heads do not bow down even once before Lord Kṛṣṇa. Send me
those who do not perform their duties toward Viṣṇu, which are the only duties in human life.
Please bring me all such fools and rascals.
# HH Bhakti Charu Swami is saying the below.......
So one day I asked Srila Prabhupada whether I could do some asana. Then Prabhupada
discouraged me. He said: “Why do you want to do asana?” And I told him that I was not
getting any exercise there all day. Then Prabhupada told me: “Go to the ocean and take a bath,
take a swim.”
So Bombay temple is very close to the ocean. So in this way Prabhupada actually discouraged
me from practising asana. Although some time in the past I did some asana, before I joined
ISKCON. But Prabhupada, the way I felt, although Prabhupada may have told some devotees
to do asana, but to me Prabhupada directly discouraged. At least asana for physical exercise,
as a physical exercise, was not approved by Srila Prabhupada.
Even meditation Prabhupada discouraged. He used to point out that the meditation should be
upon Krishna, that is our meditation. Not just some sort of breathing in a certain way and then
trying to keep your mind vacant of thoughts. That’snot meditation. Actual meditation is to fix
the mind on Krishna. In this way fixing the mind, the mind has to be made vacant of
undesirable thoughts.
# Srila Prabhupad from ELEVATION TO KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS
This material world is often compared to a forest fire which takes place automatically. No one
wants a forest fire, but there is often lightning, or carelessness, or friction, or whatever, and the
fire immediately takes place. Similarly, this material world is beset (affected) with a blazing
fire of problems. Everyone wants to live here peacefully, but situations develop in such a way
that this is not possible for anyone. We struggle very hard to adjust things in so many ways,
but nature's laws are so cruel and dangerous that in spite of our hopes and plans the blazing
fire of the problems of material existence continues.
# Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Gosvami From
the
book
called
TEACHINGS
OF
LORD
CAITANYA
The Lord then blessed him, saying, “By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, whatever you write will come out
of your heart and be accepted. As you have requested, I will now give you some notes that you
can take down. The first and foremost point is that one should accept a bona fide spiritual
master. That is the beginning of spiritual life.”
# Srila Prabhu Pad from the book DHARMA - THE WAY OF TRANSCENDENCE
Based on the ancient revealed scriptures, Srila Prabhupad is stressing the importance of
hearing and chanting to other processes of self-realization................
We can easily fix the mind on Kṛṣṇa by seeing His form in the temple, reading His instructions
in the Bhagavad-gītā, hearing and chanting His holy names, and in so many other ways. There
is no difficulty. But if you try to absorb your mind in the impersonal Brahman or the Supersoul,
it is very difficult. As Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5), kleśo 'dhikataras teṣām
avyaktāsakta-cetasām: "For those who are attached to the impersonal feature of the Absolute
Truth, advancement is very troublesome." For devotees of Kṛṣṇa, on the other hand, there is
the joyful process of chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, dancing in ecstasy, and eating sumptuous
kṛṣṇa-prasādam.
# SB 10.5.4
O King, by the passing of time, land and other material possessions are purified; by bathing,
the body is purified; and by being cleansed, unclean things are purified. By purificatory
ceremonies, birth is purified; by austerity, the senses are purified; and by worship and charity
offered to the brāhmaṇas, material possessions are purified. By satisfaction, the mind is
purified; and by self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul is purified.
# Nanda Maharaj to Vasudeva........
SB 10.5.30
Every man is certainly controlled by destiny, which determines the results of one’s fruitive
activities. In other words, one has a son or daughter because of unseen destiny, and when the
son or daughter is no longer present, this also is due to unseen destiny. Destiny is the ultimate
controller of everyone. One who knows this is never bewildered.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book PATH OF PERFECTION
How truly Prabhu Pad analyses the mentality of people around us..............
In the material world, service is very dangerous. If there is a little discrepancy in one's service,
one is immediately fired. When the people did not like the service that President Nixon was
rendering, they forced him to resign. Some people disagreed with President Kennedy, and he
was killed. Similarly, in India, Gandhi was also killed because some people did not like the
way he was rendering service. This is always the position in the material world; therefore one
should be intelligent enough to decide to cease rendering service for material motives. We must
render service to the Supreme Lord, and that rendering of service is our perfection.
# Srila Prabhupad from DHARMA - THE WAY OF TRANSCENDENCE
it should be clear to all of us that why people are not taking up Krsna Consciousness (below
quote gives answer to this query)................
The more sinful one is, the more māyā will prevent one from becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious. That
is māyā's thankless task. She is just like the police department. The police are no one's enemy,
but when someone commits a crime they arrest him, put him in jail, and punish him. Similarly,
māyā is engaged by the supreme authority, Kṛṣṇa, to punish the sinful living entities.
# SB 2.8.3 - purport
The hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam performed by professional men is different from the
transcendental hearing of Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Mahārāja Parīkṣit was a soul realized in the
Absolute Truth, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. The fruitive materialist is not a realized
soul; he wants to derive some material benefit from his so-called hearing of ŚrīmadBhāgavatam. Undoubtedly such an audience, hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the
professional men, can derive some material benefit as they desire, but that does not mean that
such a pretense of hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for a week is as good as the hearing of
Mahārāja Parīkṣit.
# From SB
Here Sage Durvasa is talking to Lord Visnu. This is to enable us to understand the potency of
Holy Name ........... chanting is very important..............
SB 9.4.62 — O my Lord, O supreme controller, without knowledge of Your unlimited prowess
I have offended Your most dear devotee. Very kindly save me from the reaction of this
offense. You can do everything, for even if a person is fit for going to hell, You can deliver him
simply by awakening within his heart the holy name of Your Lordship.
# Purport to verse SB 4.4.3
Srila Prabhupad very convincingly establishes the truth here. However, it needs to be
understood that when a woman becomes a devotee, there is no such difference. Otherwise
such differences are always there as it is a part of God's creation...........
According to the Vedic conception of family life, the husband gives half his body to his wife,
and the wife gives half of her body to her husband. In other words, a husband without a wife
or a wife without a husband is incomplete. Vedic marital relationship existed between Lord
Śiva and Satī, but sometimes, due to weakness, a woman becomes very much attracted by the
members of her father’s house, and this happened to Satī. In this verse it is specifically
mentioned that she wanted to leave such a great husband as Śiva because of her womanly
weakness. In other words, womanly weakness exists even in the relationship between husband
and wife. Generally, separation between husband and wife is due to womanly behavior;
divorce takes place due to womanly weakness. The best course for a woman is to abide by the
orders of her husband. That makes family life very peaceful. Sometimes there may be
misunderstandings between husband and wife, as found even in such an elevated family
relationship as that of Satī and Lord Śiva, but a wife should not leave her husband’s protection
because of such a misunderstanding. If she does so, it is understood to be due to her womanly
weakness.
# Ravana's talk to Mother Sita
It is very interesting to note the below words of Ravana to Sita. It seems from this that he
knew how to talk nicely to attract others..............
It is a fact that he knows the scriptures and have a lot of magnificent qualities which
everybody will be attracted to; however, there was one big fault and that is HE WAS NOT A
DEVOTEE OF RAM.
The conclusion of scriptures is that whatever good qualities and opulence you have, if you are
not a devotee of Krsna, everything will be useless and taken away from you................
O large-eyed lovely one, I am afflicted with love for you, and so please give up your shyness.
Favor me, my beloved, and fulfill my unbearable longing to have you. It has always been the
custom of Rakshasas to carry away the wives of others or rape them. But, I will not touch you
as long as you do not voluntarily agree to love me in return.”
“You are a goddess. Why are you lying upon the bare ground? Why should you wear dirty
clothes and fast for no reason? Why do you tie your hair in a single braid and sit brooding all
the time? This is not at all befitting a ravishing princess like you.” “Become my queen and
enjoy royal opulence that is beyond compare within the three worlds. You will use only the
finest flower garlands, sandalwood paste, perfumes and jewelry. You will eat the most
sumptuous food, drink the most ambrosial beverages and lie down upon the most luxurious
couches. Enjoy yourself continually, with singing, dancing and music!” “Lovely lady, youth
quickly passes, and for this reason, your stubbornness is utter folly (foolishness). You have the
most beautiful face, fairer than the full moon, and your bodily features are the perfection of
artistic craftsmanship.” “Become my beloved wife, and in return I shall do anything for your
pleasure. If you like, I will conquer the entire earth and present it as a gift to your father, King
Janaka. Who can dare to defy (challenge) me? Sita, after seeing you, I have become so enamored
that I can no longer find pleasure in any of my wives, not even Mandodari. Why do you insist
on remaining faithful to Rama, who is a mere human being and a straw in the street in
comparison to me? I doubt whether Rama still lives, and even if He does, you can rest assured
that you will never see Him again.”
# SB 7.14.40 purport
we all have to preach the glories of the Supreme Lord as PP says in his below purport.
Deity worship is especially meant for purifying the neophyte devotees. Actually, however,
preaching is more important. In Bhagavad-gītā (18.69) it is said, na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ: if one wants to be recognized by the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, he must preach the glories of the Lord. One who worships the Deity must therefore
be extremely respectful to preachers; otherwise simply worshiping the Deity will keep one in
the lower stage of devotion.
# SB 7.14.39 - purport
This purport is very relevant now as this is the month of book distribution.
Chanting of the holy name could be spread thru' distributing transcendental literatures and
this chanting is the most important item of devotional service as per the revealed scriptures.
But in Kali-yuga, worship of the Deity is being neglected. Therefore chanting of the Hare
Kṛṣṇa mantra is more powerful than Deity worship. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu set a practical
example in that He did not establish any temples or Deities, but He profusely introduced
the saṅkīrtana movement. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness preachers should give more stress to
the saṅkīrtana movement, especially by distributing transcendental literature more and more.
This helps the saṅkīrtana movement. Whenever there is a possibility to worship the Deity, we
may establish many centers, but generally we should give more stress to the distribution of
transcendental literature, for this will be more effective in converting people to Kṛṣṇa
consciousness.
# HH Bhakti Charu Swamy speaks......
Two lessons.
(1) how to make nice chapati
(2) Srila Prabhupad could have satisfied with whatever he got and think that this is the result
of my activities; but he did not simply feel so; rather made sure that he get nice chapatis. It
shows how, as responsible people, we have to perform our activities ..........
The way we used to make those chapatis were very thin. Prabhupada was very particular about
how the chapatis were made. He used to like the chapati to be soft and it should swell up
completely, like a football. First you roast the chapati on a pan, they call it ‘tava’, it’s an iron
skillet, sort of. And first you roll the chapati and then put it on there and then you roast it, and
then you put it on a flame and then the chapati swells up. The good chapati will swell up like
a football, but if it didn’t swell up, then Prabhupada was not happy about it. So we had to be
very, very particular about how we make the chapati’s forSrila Prabhupada.
# SB 5.14.14 purport
how true is the below.
We see the same situation every day thru' the newspapers. How perfect was the prediction
of scriptures.
The solution is Krsna Consciousness.............Pls. take this up without any delay.........
As the English proverb goes, necessity knows no law. When a conditioned soul needs
something, he forgets his relationship with his relatives and exploits his own father or son. We
also receive information from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that in this Age of Kali the time is quickly
approaching when a relative will kill another relative for a small farthing. Without Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, people will deteriorate further and further into a hellish condition wherein they
will perform abominable acts.
# Srimad Bhagavatam 9.10.11
SB 9.10.11 — When Rāmacandra entered the forest and Lakṣmaṇa was also absent, the worst
of the Rākṣasas, Rāvaṇa, kidnapped Sītādevī, the daughter of the King of Videha, just as a tiger
seizes unprotected sheep when the shepherd is absent. Then Lord Rāmacandra wandered in
the forest with His brother Lakṣmaṇa as if very much distressed due to separation from His
wife. Thus He showed by His personal example the condition of a person attached to women.
# How perfect is Srimad Bhagavatam ---- child in the womb
SB 3.31.3 — In the course of a month, a head is formed, and at the end of two months the hands,
feet and other limbs take shape. By the end of three months, the nails, fingers, toes, body hair,
bones and skin appear, as do the organ of generation and the other apertures in the body,
namely the eyes, nostrils, ears, mouth and anus.
SB 3.31.4 — Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of
the body, namely chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At the
end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the
fetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the abdomen.
# SB 1.7.7
From the purport:There are various senses, of which the ear is the most effective. This sense
works even when a man is deep asleep. One can protect himself from the hands of an enemy
while awake, but while asleep one is protected by the ear only. The importance of hearing is
mentioned here in connection with attaining the highest perfection of life, namely getting free
from three material pangs. Everyone is full of lamentation at every moment, he is after the
mirage of illusory things, and he is always afraid of his supposed enemy. These are the primary
symptoms of the material disease. And it is definitely suggested herein that simply by hearing
the message of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam one gets attachment for the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and as soon as this is effected the symptoms of the material disease
disappear.
# SB 7.5.23-24
Hearing from the text of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is considered the most important process of
hearing. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of transcendental chanting of the holy name, and
therefore the chanting and hearing of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are transcendentally full of
mellows.
Kṛṣṇa is the ultimate form of the Lord (kṛṣṇas tu bhagavān svayam), it is best to hear about
Lord Kṛṣṇa’s name, form and pastimes from a realized devotee who is particularly attracted
by the form of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
If one is fortunate enough to hear from the mouth of realized devotees, he is very easily
successful on the path of devotional service. Therefore hearing of the holy name, form and
qualities of the Lord is essential.
# Pls. avoid the following offenses.......
While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should be careful to avoid ten offenses. From
Sanat-kumāra it is understood that even if a person is a severe offender in many ways, he is
freed from offensive life if he takes shelter of the Lord’s holy name. Indeed, even if a human
being is no better than a two-legged animal, he will be liberated if he takes shelter of the holy
name of the Lord. One should therefore be very careful not to commit offenses at the lotus feet
of the Lord’s holy name. The offenses are described as follows: (a) to blaspheme a devotee,
especially a devotee engaged in broadcasting the glories of the holy name, (b) to consider the
name of Lord Śiva or any other demigod to be equally as powerful as the holy name of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead (no one is equal to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, nor
is anyone superior to Him), (c) to disobey the instructions of the spiritual master, (d) to
blaspheme the Vedic literatures and literatures compiled in pursuance of the Vedic literatures,
(e) to comment that the glories of the holy name of the Lord are exaggerated, (f) to interpret the
holy name in a deviant way, (g) to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy
name, (h) to compare the chanting of the holy name to pious activities, (i) to instruct the glories
of the holy name to a person who has no understanding of the chanting of the holy name, (j)
not to awaken in transcendental attachment for the chanting of the holy name, even after
hearing all these scriptural injunctions.
# Srila Prabhupad's conversation with Dr. Singh
Dr. Singh. Many scientists doubt Darwin's theories. But Darwin's supporters say that life
started from matter and evolved from unicellular organisms to multicellular organisms. They
believe that higher species like animals and men did not exist at the beginning of creation.
Śrīla Prabhupāda. Darwin and his followers are rascals. If originally there were no higher
species, why do they exist now? Also, why do the lower species still exist? For example, at the
present moment we see both the intellectual person and the foolish ass. Why do both these
entities exist simultaneously? Why hasn't the ass form evolved upward and disappeared? Why
do we never see a monkey giving birth to a human? The Darwinists' theory that human life
began in such and such an era is nonsense. Bhagavad-gītā says that you can directly
transmigrate to any species of life you like, according to your efforts. Sometimes I travel to
America, sometimes to Australia and sometimes to Africa. The countries already exist. I am
simply traveling through them. It is not that because I have come to America, I
have created or become America. And there are many countries I have not yet seen. Does that
mean they do not exist? The scientists who support Darwin are nonsensical.
# SB 10.8.23
It is hard to believe these babies were Krsna and Balaram. Therefore, the acarays say that we
should develop firm faith otherwise will be bewildered...................
Dressed with muddy earth mixed with cow dung and cow urine, the babies looked very
beautiful, and when They went to Their mothers, both Yaśodā and Rohiṇī picked Them up
with great affection, embraced Them and allowed Them to suck the milk flowing from their
breasts. While sucking the breast, the babies smiled, and Their small teeth were visible. Their
mothers, upon seeing those beautiful teeth, enjoyed great transcendental bliss.
# Purport to verse SB 5.3.8
Being self-sufficient, the Supreme Lord does not need huge sacrifices. Fruitive activity for a
more opulent life is for those who desire such material opulence for their interest. Yajñārthāt
karmaṇo ’nyatra loko ’yaṁ karma-bandhanaḥ: if we do not act to satisfy the Supreme Lord, we
engage in māyā’s activities. We may construct a gorgeous temple and spend thousands of
dollars, but such a temple is not required by the Lord. The Lord has many millions of temples
for His residence, and He does not need our attempt. He does not require opulent activity at
all. Such engagement is meant for our benefit. If we engage our money in constructing a
gorgeous temple, we are freed from the reactions of our endeavors. This is for our benefit. In
addition, if we attempt to do something nice for the Supreme Lord, He is pleased with us and
gives us His benediction. In conclusion, the gorgeous arrangements are not for the Lord’s sake
but for our own. If we somehow or other receive blessings and benedictions from the Lord, our
consciousness can be purified and we can become eligible to return home, back to Godhead.
# SB 3.8.2 purport
The sage Maitreya proposed to speak on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam because it was especially
compiled, and traditionally comes down in the disciplic succession, for the solution of all the
problems of human society. Only one who is fortunate can have the opportunity to
hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in the association of pure devotees of the Lord. Under the spell of
material energy, the living entities are entrapped in the bondage of many difficulties simply
for the sake of a little bit of material happiness. They engage in fruitive activities, not knowing
the implications. Under the false impression that the body is the self, the living entities foolishly
relate to so many false attachments. They think that they can engage with materialistic
paraphernalia forever. This gross misconception of life is so strong that a person suffers
continually, life after life, under the external energy of the Lord. If one comes in contact with
the book Bhāgavatam as well as with the devotee bhāgavata, who knows what
the Bhāgavatam is, then such a fortunate man gets out of the material entanglement. Therefore
Śrī Maitreya Muni, out of compassion for the suffering men in the world, proposes to speak on
the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam first and last.
# Mother of Veda Vyasa
This has reference to my class on Friday wherein some of you have raised doubt about the
mother of Vyasadev...............below is from SB 1.9.6/7
Bādarāyaṇa (Vyāsadeva): He is known as Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana, Dvaipāyana, Satyavatīsuta, Pārāśarya, Parāśarātmaja, Bādarāyaṇa, Vedavyāsa, etc. He was the son of Mahāmuni
Parāśara in the womb of Satyavatī prior to her betrothal with Mahārāja Śantanu, the father of
the great general Grandfather Bhīṣmadeva. He is a powerful incarnation of Nārāyaṇa, and he
broadcasts the Vedic wisdom to the world.
# Instructions of Bhisma Deva from his deathbed....
Bhīṣmadeva advised for all human beings nine qualifications: (1) not to become angry, (2) not
to lie, (3) to equally distribute wealth, (4) to forgive, (5) to beget children only by one’s
legitimate wife, (6) to be pure in mind and hygienic in body, (7) not to be inimical toward
anyone, (8) to be simple, and (9) to support servants or subordinates.
# Taxation Law in vedic times..............PP explains (SB 1.9.27 purport)
The taxation law was simple. There was no force, no encroachment. The king had a right to
take one fourth of the production made by the subject. The king had a right to claim a fourth
of one’s allotted wealth. One would never grudge parting with it because due to the pious king
and religious harmony there was enough natural wealth, namely grains, fruits, flowers, silk,
cotton, milk, jewels, minerals, etc., and therefore no one was materially unhappy. The citizens
were rich in agriculture and animal husbandry, and therefore they had enough grains, fruits
and milk without any artificial needs of soaps and toilets, cinemas and bars.
# SB 1.9.36 purport...
All the commanders of the parties on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra were standing face to face,
and Arjuna saw them with great compassion and lamented that he was to kill his kinsmen on
the battlefield for the sake of the empire. He was not at all afraid of the giant military phalanx
presented by Duryodhana, but as a merciful devotee of the Lord, renunciation of worldly
things was natural for him, and thus he decided not to fight for worldly possessions. But this
was due to a poor fund of knowledge, and therefore it is said here that his intelligence became
polluted. His intelligence could not be polluted at any time because he was a devotee and
constant companion of the Lord, as is clear in the Fourth Chapter of the Bhagavadgītā. Apparently Arjuna’s intelligence became polluted because otherwise there would not
have been a chance to deliver the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā for the good of all polluted
conditioned souls engaged in material bondage by the conception of the false material body.
The Bhagavad-gītā was delivered to the conditioned souls of the world to deliver them from
the wrong conception of identifying the body with the soul and to reestablish the soul’s eternal
relation with the Supreme Lord. Ātma-vidyā, or transcendental knowledge of Himself, was
primarily spoken by the Lord for the benefit of all concerned in all parts of the universe.
# SB 1.9.48 purport.........
Gāndhārī was a powerful ascetic, although she was living the life of a faithful wife and a kind
mother. It is said that Gāndhārī also voluntarily blindfolded her eyes because of the blindness
of her husband. A wife’s duty is to follow the husband cent-percent. And Gāndhārī was so true
to her husband that she followed him even in his perpetual blindness. Therefore in her actions
she was a great ascetic. Besides that, the shock she suffered because of the wholesale killing of
her one hundred sons and her grandsons also was certainly too much for a woman. But she
suffered all this just like an ascetic. Gāndhārī, although a woman, is no less than Bhīṣmadeva
in character. They are both remarkable personalities in the Mahābhārata.
# SB 1.2.28-29 purport
And all culture of knowledge culminates in devotional service to the Personality of Godhead,
Vāsudeva. Therefore, Vāsudeva is the ultimate aim in culturing all different branches of
knowledge. Culture of knowledge leading one to the transcendental plane of meeting
Vāsudeva is real knowledge. Physical knowledge in its various branches is condemned in
the Bhagavad-gītā as ajñāna, or the opposite of real knowledge. The ultimate aim of physical
knowledge is to satisfy the senses, which means prolongation of the term of material existence
and thereby continuance of the threefold miseries. So prolonging the miserable life of material
existence is nescience. But the same physical knowledge leading to the way of spiritual
understanding helps one to end the miserable life of physical existence and to begin the life of
spiritual existence on the plane of Vāsudeva.
# From MESSAGE OF GODHEAD
Srila Prabhupad is talking about our minute independence. Therefore we ourselves are the
creators of our destiny. We cannot blame any other factors including the Supreme Lord for
our state of life....................
Please try to understand the inner purport of this paragraph.................
Such pure-in-heart transcendentalists know that although the living entity is very insignificant,
he is part and parcel of the Absolute Truth and so has a proportionate measure of
independence. And although the Personality of Godhead is all-powerful, He never interferes
with this little freedom that the living entity enjoys. Thus the living entity sometimes becomes
conditioned by the modes of nature, simply by abusing his small measure of independence
that he is entitled to enjoy. When he becomes conditioned by nature's modes of goodness,
passion, or ignorance, he develops those respective qualities of goodness, passion, and
ignorance. As long as the living entity remains conditioned by material nature, he has to act
according to his particular mode of nature. If these modes were not acting, then we would not
have observed in the phenomenal world different varieties of activities. These different
varieties of activities are conditioned by the different modes of nature.
# SB 6.16.6 - purport
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu therefore says:
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
Harassed life after life by the laws of nature, the living entity wanders throughout the entire
universe in different planets and different species of life. Somehow or other, if he is fortunate
enough, he comes in touch with a devotee who reforms his entire life. Then the living entity
goes back home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is said:
janame janame sabe pitā mātā pāya
kṛṣṇa guru nahi mile baja hari ei
In the transmigration of the soul through different bodies, everyone, in every form of life — be
it human, animal, tree or demigod — gets a father and mother. This is not very difficult. The
difficulty is to obtain a bona fide spiritual master and Kṛṣṇa. Therefore the duty of a human
being is to capture the opportunity to come in touch with Kṛṣṇa’s representative, the bona fide
spiritual master. Under the guidance of the spiritual master, the spiritual father, one can return
home, back to Godhead.
# SB
Pure devotees are described as sama-mati, which means that they never deviate from
devotional service under any circumstances. It is not that devotees worship the Supreme Lord
only when happy; they worship Him even when in distress. Happiness and distress do not
hamper the process of devotional service. Therefore Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam says that devotional
service is ahaituky apratihatā, unmotivated and uninterrupted. When a devotee offers
devotional service to the Lord without any motive (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam, his service cannot
be hampered by any material condition (apratihatā). Thus a devotee who offers service in all
conditions of life can conquer the Supreme Personality of Godhead
# Srila Prabhupad says....
How nicely and wonderfully Prabhu Pad portraits the truth here..............
If we become disturbed with the miseries of this world, oh, you cannot live for a moment,
because this life is, material life is full of miseries. So you have to become tolerant. When Kṛṣṇa
was instructed about the eternity of the soul to Arjuna, Arjuna understood it. He said, "My
dear Kṛṣṇa, I quite understand that soul is eternal. Even my teacher and grandfather is killed,
he is bodily killed, but he is eternal. I can understand. But do You think that if my brother or if
my grandfather or if my teacher with whom I am so thickly connected, if they die, shall I be
happy?" So Kṛṣṇa answered, "Yes. You'll not be happy. Although you know that your son is
eternal, he is not dying, he is changing his body... By theoretical knowledge or by
understanding, you know it. But who is there in this world who will not cry when the son is
dead? He will cry. But that crying is not crying like a layman. He knows that 'My...,' this is
habitual. This is habitual."
# Importance of knowledge from authority.......
Vedic way is to receive knowledge from the authority, not to manufacture knowledge by
mental speculation. Manufacturing..., your manufacturing process is very poor because you
are imperfect. At least your senses, by which you will produce knowledge... Sense, there are
senses to acquire knowledge. Just like by hearing, I have acquired knowledge, and by speaking,
I am distributing knowledge. So these are all sense activities. But our senses are imperfect;
therefore we cannot manufacture knowledge. We have to receive knowledge from the
authority. Just like we receive knowledge from our father, mother, "This is this." The child
learns, "This is lamp." The father tells, "My dear boy, this is called lamp," and the boy
understands, "This is lamp." The mother says, "My dear boy, this is your father," and the boy
accepts, "This is my father." He doesn't make any research "Who is my father?" because mother
is the authority.
Similarly, perfect knowledge is from the authority. Perfect knowledge is not by speculation.
Speculation, how much speculation you can do? What is the worth of your speculation?
Because you are imperfect. Your senses are imperfect. You have got cheating within your heart;
you commit mistake; you are illusioned. So how you can give perfect knowledge? This is our
tendency. Nobody will say that "I am fool number one." Everyone will say that "I am very much
learned," although he is fool number one. This is cheating. So this cheating propensity is there
in everyone—even in our ordinary dealing, in business dealing or any other dealing, even
within husband and wife. The husband thinking, "Oh, I have bluffed my wife in this way," and
the wife is thinking, "Oh, I have bluffed my husband in this way." So the cheating process is
there in me, in you, everywhere, because we are imperfect. Therefore it is not possible to get
perfect knowledge from an imperfect man. We receive, therefore, knowledge from Kṛṣṇa, who
is neither imperfect nor a man. He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That is the process.
# From Padma Purana
sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te nisphala matah atah kalau bhavishyanti chatvarah
sampradayinah
sri-brahma-rudra-sanaka vaishnava kshiti pavana chatvaras te kalau bhavya hy
utkale purushottama
ramanujam-shrihi-svichakre madhvacharyam-chaturmuhash
shri vishnuswamino-rudro nimbadityam chatuksanaha
The above verses explain that if one is not connected with one of the four bona fide disciplic
successions, namely. Shri. Brahma, Rudra and Kumara sampradayas, whatever mantras
one chants will not bring the desired result. Originally the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Krishna, delivered the message of the Vedas to Shri (Lakshmi), Brahma, Rudra (Shiva) and the
four Kumaras; (Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanat and Sanandaj and this message was; carried on in Kali
yuga (the present age) by Ramanujacharya (Shri sampradaya), Madhvacharya
(Brahma sampradaya), Vishnuswami (Rudra sampradaya) and Nimbarka swami (Kumara
sampradaya). These four sampradayas are the authoritative institutions which deliver the pure
unadulterated message of the Vedas, because the source of this knowledge is Krishna, the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Himself, who is free from all defects or imperfections. So a
spiritual master who has taken shelter of any of these four sampradayas and is living according
to the teachings of the Vedic scriptures is a bona fide spiritual master.
# From Necter of Devotion.............Srila Prabhu Pad says.........
A devotee who is attached to a particular form of the Lord does not wish to redirect his
devotion to other forms. For example, Hanuman, the devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, knew that
there is no difference between Lord Rāmacandra and Lord Nārāyaṇa, and yet he still wanted
to render service only unto Lord Rāmacandra. That is due to the specific attraction of a
particular devotee. There are many, many forms of the Lord, but Kṛṣṇa is still the original form.
Though all of the devotees of the different forms of the Lord are in the same category, still it is
said that those who are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa are the topmost in the list of all devotees
# SB 7.7.51-52
Prahlad Maharaj in SB says..................
My dear friends, O sons of the demons, you cannot please the Supreme Personality of
Godhead by becoming perfect brāhmaṇas, demigods or great saints or by becoming perfectly
good in etiquette or vast learning. None of these qualifications can awaken the pleasure of the
Lord. Nor by charity, austerity, sacrifice, cleanliness or vows can one satisfy the Lord. The
Lord is pleased only if one has unflinching, unalloyed devotion to Him. Without sincere
devotional service, everything is simply a show.
# Srila Prabhupad from Teachings of Queen Kunti......
Below is one of the benefits of devotional service unto Krsna.
In court an important man is sometimes found to be a culprit, and the judge may be able to fine
him a hundred thousand dollars and know that the man can pay it. But he may tell the man,
“You just give one cent.” That is also punishment, but it is greatly minimized. Similarly, we
have to suffer for our past deeds. That is a fact, and we cannot avoid it. But karmāṇi nirdahati
kintu ca bhakti-bhājām (Brahma-saṁhitā 5.54): the sufferings of those who engage in
devotional service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness are minimized. For example, one may have been
destined to be killed, but instead of being killed with a knife, he may instead get some little cut
on his finger. In this way, for those who engage in devotional service, the reactions of past
activities are minimized. Lord Kṛṣṇa assures His devotees, ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo
mokṣayiṣyāmi: “I shall give you protection from the reactions of sinful life.” So even if a
devotee has a history of very grievous criminal activities behind him, instead of being killed
he may only get a little cut on his finger. Why then should a devotee fear danger?
# From DHARMA - THE WAY OF TRANSCENDENCE
One is actually poor who is poor in transcendental knowledge. Material poverty is no
consideration. That may come or go, and one has to tolerate: tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata. And even
if you have enough money, you will still be unhappy if you are poor in transcendental
knowledge. Therefore transcendental knowledge is real wealth. That is why in India, the
brāhmaṇas—those who were rich in knowledge because they understood the Supreme
Brahman, Kṛṣṇa—were traditionally respected even by kings.
# SB 4.3.4 Purport........
In any auspicious ceremony, such as a marriage ceremony, sacrificial ceremony
or pūjā ceremony, it is auspicious for married women to decorate themselves very nicely with
ornaments, fine clothing and cosmetics. These are auspicious signs.
# PP speaks from EASY JOURNEY TO OTHER PLANETS.......
Even if a materialist wants to enjoy developed material facilities, he can transfer himself to
planets where he can experience material pleasures much more advanced than those available
on the earth planet. But the best plan is to prepare oneself to return to the spiritual sky after
leaving the body. However, if one is intent on enjoying material facilities, one can transfer
himself to other planets in the material sky by utilizing yogic powers. The playful spaceships
of the astronauts are but childish entertainments and are of no use for this purpose.
# There is no logic to disapprove the below statement..........it needs simple common sense....
How can anyone ignore the law of material nature? No material scientist can change the
stringent laws of nature, however boastful he may be. No astronomer or scientist can change
the course of the planets—he can only manufacture a paltry toy planet which he calls a satellite.
Foolish children may be impressed by this and may give a great deal of credit to the inventors
of modern satellites, sputniks, etc., but the saner section of humanity gives more credit to the
creator of the gigantic satellites, namely the sun, stars and planets of which the material
scientist can see no end. If a small toy satellite has a creator in Russia or America, it is reasonable
that the gigantic satellites have their creator in the spiritual sky. If a toy satellite requires so
many scientific brains for its manufacture and its orbiting, what kind of subtle and perfect brain
created galaxies of stars and maintains them in their orbits? Thus far the atheistic class has not
been able to answer this.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says............
One who understands the purpose of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, should
seriously understand the importance of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement and seriously take
part in it. One should not endeavor for ugra-karma, or unnecessary work for sense
gratification. Nūnaṁ pramattaḥ kurute vikarma yad indriya-prītaya āpṛṇoti (Bhāg. 5.5.4).
Simply for sense gratification, people make plans for material happiness. Māyā-sukhāya
bharam udvahato vimūḍhān (Bhāg. 7.9.43). They do this because they are
all vimūḍhas, rascals. For flickering happiness, people waste their human energy, not
understanding the importance of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement but instead accusing the
simple devotees of brainwashing. Demons may falsely accuse the preachers of the Kṛṣṇa
consciousness movement, but Kṛṣṇa will arrange a fight between the demons in which all their
military power will be engaged and both parties of demons will be annihilated
# SB 2.6.35
Lord Brahma is speaking this verse in Srimad Bhagavatam. Such a great personality is not able
to fully understand Lord Sri Krsna.............this is Krsna's greatness............
Although I am known as the great Brahmā, perfect in the disciplic succession of Vedic wisdom,
and although I have undergone all austerities and am an expert in mystic powers and selfrealization, and although I am recognized as such by the great forefathers of the living entities,
who offer me respectful obeisances, still I cannot understand Him, the Lord, the very source of
my birth.
# Power of chanting and hearing.....
SB 10.6.3 — My dear King, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties
of devotional service by chanting and hearing [śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ], there cannot be any
danger from bad elements.
# Very hard to digest; but plain truth.........
SB 11.3.19 — Wealth is a perpetual source of distress, it is most difficult to acquire, and it is
virtual death for the soul. What satisfaction does one actually gain from his wealth? Similarly,
how can one gain ultimate or permanent happiness from one’s so-called home, children,
relatives and domestic animals, which are all maintained by one’s hard-earned money?
# As per Krsna, money should be made thru' honest means - Krsna says
SB 11.17.51 — A householder should comfortably maintain his dependents either with money
that comes of its own accord or with that gathered by honest execution of one’s duties.
According to one’s means, one should perform sacrifices and other religious ceremonies
- Krishna to Udhava
# From the book called LAW OF NATURE...
So, the modern civilization is very risky. One may feel comfortable as a successful businessman
or politician, or one may think oneself comfortable because of being born in a rich nation like
America, but these statuses of life are temporary. They will have to change, and we do not
know what kind of miseries we will have to suffer in our next life because of our sinful
activities. So if one does not begin cultivating transcendental knowledge, then one's life is very
risky. Suppose a healthy man is living in a contaminated place. Is his life not at risk? He may
become infected by disease at any moment. Therefore we should work to dissipate our
ignorance through cultivation of transcendental knowledge.
# SB 3.3.5 purport..........
There was no fault on the part of the Lord, even though He took away the tree from the
heavenly kingdom, but because Indra was henpecked, dominated by his beautiful wives like
Śacī, he became a fool, just as all persons who are dominated by their wives are generally
foolish. Indra thought that Kṛṣṇa was a henpecked husband who only by the will of His wife
Satyabhāmā took away the property of heaven, and therefore he thought that Kṛṣṇa could be
punished. He forgot that the Lord is the proprietor of everything and cannot be henpecked.
The Lord is fully independent, and by His will only He can have hundreds and thousands of
wives like Satyabhāmā. He was not, therefore, attached to Satyabhāmā because she was a
beautiful wife, but He was pleased with her devotional service and thus wanted to reciprocate
the unalloyed devotion of His devotee.
# This is the situation with all of us.....
SB 11.23.11 — Some of the wealth of this so-called brāhmaṇa was taken away by his relatives,
My dear Uddhava, some by thieves, some by the whims of providence, some by the effects of
time, some by ordinary men and some by government authorities.
# Srila Prabhupad from LAW OF NATURE.....
Similarly, in this material world Kṛṣṇa has certainly arranged for our care, but also for our
punishment. If you commit this sin, then slap. If you commit that sin, then kick. This is going
on under the heading of the threefold miseries—those caused by our own body and mind,
those caused by other living entities, and those caused by natural calamities under the
supervision of the demigods. Unfortunately, instead of understanding that we are being
punished for sinful activities, under the spell of māyā we are thinking that this kicking,
slapping, and thrashing are accidental. This is illusion.
# Krsna's protection is GREAT..........
As soon as you take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Kṛṣṇa begins personally taking care of you. As He
promises in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66), "I will take care of you. I will save you from all sinful
reactions. Do not worry." Because we have had so many lives in this material world, we are
suffering under heaps of sinful reactions. But as soon as you surrender to Kṛṣṇa, He
immediately takes care of you and nullifies all your sinful reactions. Kṛṣṇa says, "Don't
hesitate." Don't think, "Oh, I have committed so many sins. How can Kṛṣṇa save me?" No. Kṛṣṇa
is all-powerful. He can save you. Your duty is to surrender to Him and without any reservation
dedicate your life to His service. Then Kṛṣṇa will save you without a doubt.
# Acarya Sankara did not touch Srimad Bhagavatam for his commendation....
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can be legitimately discussed only among the devotees of the Lord. As
the Bhagavad-gītā was authoritatively discussed between Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna (the Lord
and the devotee respectively), similarly Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is the postgraduate study
of the Bhagavad-gītā, can also be discussed between the scholars and devotees like Śukadeva
Gosvāmī and Mahārāja Parīkṣit. Otherwise the real taste of the nectar cannot be relished.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī was pleased with Mahārāja Parīkṣit because he was not at all tired of
hearing the topics of the Lord and was more and more anxious to hear them on and on with
interest. Foolish interpreters unnecessarily tackle the Bhagavad-gītā and ŚrīmadBhāgavatam when they have no access to the subject matter. There is no use in nondevotees’
meddling with the two topmost Vedic literatures, and therefore Śaṅkarācārya did not
touch Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for commentation. In his commentation on the Bhagavad-
gītā, Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya accepted Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but
later on he commented from the impersonalist’s view. But, being conscious of his position, he
did not comment on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
# TEACHINGS OF QUEEN KUNTI..............by Srila Prabhupad
We should not love Kṛṣṇa for some material gain. It is not that we should say, “Kṛṣṇa, give us
our daily bread, and then I shall love You. Kṛṣṇa, give me this or that, and then I shall love
You.” There should be no such mercantile exchanges, for Kṛṣṇa wants unalloyed love.
Even in this material world, there is no comparison to a mother’s love, for a mother loves her
child without any expectation of return. Of course, although that is generally true, this material
world is so polluted that a mother sometimes thinks, “My child will grow up and become a
man, and when he earns money, I shall get it.” Thus there is still some desire to get something
in exchange. But while loving Kṛṣṇa there are no selfish feelings, for that love is unalloyed
(pure), free from all material gain (anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam).
# Again and again the scriptures warn against this kind of degraded life. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva says
(Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.1), nāyaṁ deho deha-bhājāṁ nṛloke kaṣṭān kāmān arhate viḍ-bhujāṁ
ye: "This human form of life is not meant for satisfying the senses with great difficulty, like the
stool-eating hogs." Eating is necessary, of course, but a village hog eats the most abominable
thing, stool, searching it out the whole day and night. And if human beings create a so-called
civilization in which one simply has to work hard day and night to get food, then the lives of
the human beings in that civilization are no better than the hog's life. That is not human life.
Human life should be peaceful. One should be able to acquire food easily, eat nicely, and save
time for cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is human life. But if we create a civilization of
cats, dogs, and hogs, then Kṛṣṇa will give us the chance to work day and night simply for eating,
sleeping, mating, and defending. And that is the position now because people want it.
# Chanting of holy name........
Human life is meant for performing sacrifice because sacrifice develops transcendental
knowledge.
The first aspect of this sacrifice involves the chanting of the names of Krishna, as that will
correct any deficiencies in our other services to the Lord due to improper circumstances,
impure ingredients, irregular timing, etc. The age of Kali is an ocean of faults. One such fault
is that in this age everything is impure. It is impossible to properly perform any sacred activity,
as the impurity of the age has affected the entire atmosphere, from the subtle (inner) down to
the physical (external). Therefore all sacred activities in the age of Kali must be performed
accompanied by the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra.
# Garuda Purana: Vishnu to Garuda: Because the departed has inevitably to drink the bitter
tears let fall by his relatives, and they should not weep when sorrow is useless. Although there
be sorrowing day and night for thousands of years, the man who is dead may never be seen.
Death is certain for those who are born, and birth is certain for the dead. This is inevitable and
therefore a wise man should not grieve over it.
12-17. Having considered this, which removes misery, and given up sorrow arising from
ignorance, the son should perform the rites.
If there is no son the wife, should perform them, and if no wife the brother; or a Brahmin's
pupil or a proper kinsman should perform them.
22-24. Therefore should the eldest son perform with devotion the ten-days’ ceremony, 1 eating
one meal, sleeping on the ground, devoted to Brâhman, 2 and pure.
# Lord Ram speaks in Ramayan
Pls. see the words of Lord Ram.
Even in Treta Yuga this was the situation. Now, we can imagine how this kali yuga people
will be. Therefore, if you are utterly disappointed by somebody's behavior, do not ponder
much on it because this world is like this....................
Addressing Lakshman, Rama said, “I can now practically see that, in this world, the good
qualities of patience, forgiveness, simplicity and politeness are useless when dealing with
wretched people who have no trace of virtue! In this world, such persons give more respect to
someone who is impudent, aggressive, harsh in speech, and who runs here and there,
advertising himself with self-praise. Because of My mildness and forbearance, the Ocean
considers Me to be impotent and so does not even deign to come before Me.”
# From Dharma the way of transcendence.....
So, generally people understand dharma in terms of pious and impious activities, but here the
Bhāgavatam says, dharmasya hy āpavargyasya nārtho 'rthāyopakalpate: [SB 1.2.9] "Dharma
should be executed not for material benefit but to nullify the miseries of material existence."
Whether you are rich or poor, you have to undergo the tribulations of material existence. You
may be a rich man, but still you cannot avoid working hard, you cannot avoid fearfulness, and
you cannot avoid disease, old age, and death. And the same miseries are there for the poor
man. So what is the benefit of practicing dharma in order to become rich? Real religion means
to nullify the material miseries: dharmasya hy āpavargyasya.
# SB 3.21.15 purport
Kardama Muni wanted to have a wife of like disposition because a wife is necessary to assist
in spiritual and material advancement. It is said that a wife yields the fulfillment of all desires
in religion, economic development and sense gratification. If one has a nice wife, he is to be
considered a most fortunate man. In astrology, a man is considered fortunate who has great
wealth, very good sons or a very good wife. Of these three, one who has a very good wife is
considered the most fortunate. Before marrying, one should select a wife of like disposition
and not be enamored by so-called beauty or other attractive features for sense gratification. In
the Bhāgavatam, Twelfth Canto, it is said that in the Kali-yuga marriage will be based on the
consideration of sex life; as soon as there is deficiency in sex life, the question of divorce will
arise.
# SB 2.7.9 purport
Long life, obedience, good reputation, righteousness, prospects of being promoted to higher
planets, and blessings of great personalities are all vanquished simply by disobedience to a
great soul. One should strictly try to follow in the footsteps of great souls. Mahārāja Vena
became a king, undoubtedly due to his past deeds of righteousness, but because he willfully
neglected the great souls, he was punished by the loss of all the above-mentioned acquisitions.
In the Vāmana Purāṇa the history of Mahārāja Vena and his degradation are fully described.
When Mahārāja Pṛthu heard about the hellish condition of his father, Vena, who was suffering
from leprosy in the family of a mleccha, he at once brought the former king to Kurukṣetra for
his purification and relieved him of all sufferings.
# From the book DHARMA, THE WAY OF TRANSCENDENCE
Here, we can understand the importance of BG & SB in the words of Maha Prabhu and Srila
Prabhu Pad...............
Therefore our program in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness society is to give people in general a chance
to hear about Kṛṣṇa. This is our mission, which has been given to us by Caitanya Mahāprabhu.
He said (Cc. Madhya 7.128):
yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra' ei deśa
"On my order become a spiritual master and try to explain kṛṣṇa-kathā to everyone you
meet." Kṛṣṇa-kathā means words spoken by Kṛṣṇa, such as the Bhagavad-gītā, and words about
Kṛṣṇa, such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Caitanya Mahāprabhu ordered us to distribute these two
kinds of kṛṣṇa-kathā throughout the whole world.
# PP says in Easy journey to other planets.......
We have to give up this body, willingly or unwillingly. The day will come when we will have
to submit to the laws of nature and give up this body. Even President Kennedy in his
procession had to submit to nature's law and change his body for another body. He could not
say, "Oh, I am the President; I am Mr. Kennedy. I cannot do that." He was forced to do it. That
is the way nature works.
# Srimat Bhagavatam says
How important is hearing:
SB 4.31.31 — O King, those who hear these topics about kings who are completely surrendered
to the Supreme Personality of Godhead obtain without difficulty a long life, wealth, good
reputation, good fortune and, ultimately, the opportunity to return home, back to
Godhead. Sukhadeva Gosvam
# SB 12.4.40
saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor
nānyaḥ plavo bhagavataḥ puruṣottamasya
līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevaṇam antareṇa
puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya
Synonyms:
saṁsāra — of material existence; sindhum — the ocean; ati-dustaram — impossible to
cross; uttitīrṣoḥ — for one who desires to cross; na — there is not; anyaḥ — any
other; plavaḥ — boat; bhagavataḥ — of the Personality of Godhead; puruṣa-uttamasya — the
Supreme Lord; līlā-kathā — of the narrations of the pastimes; rasa — to the transcendental
taste; niṣevaṇam — the rendering of service; antareṇa — apart from; puṁsaḥ — for a
person; bhavet — there can be; vividha — various; duḥkha — of material miseries; dava — by
the fire; arditasya — who is distressed.
Translation:
For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and who desires to cross the
insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating
devotion to the transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s
pastimes.
# Srimat Bhagavatam says - 12.6.26
When a conditioned soul is killed by snakes, thieves, fire, lightning, hunger, disease or
anything else, he is experiencing the reaction to his own past work.
# Symptoms of Kali Yuga........
If a man can even maintain his own family members, he will be honored as very expert, and
religiosity will be measured by a person's reputation for material accomplishments." [ŚrīmadBhāgavatam 12.2.6]
So, if somehow one can eat very sumptuously, then he will think all his interests are fulfilled.
People will be very hungry, with nothing to eat, and therefore if they can eat very sumptuously
on one day, that will be the fulfillment of all their desires. The next symptom is satyatve
dhārṣṭyam eva hi: Anyone who is expert at word jugglery will be considered very truthful.
Another symptom, dākṣyaṁ kuṭumba-bharaṇam: One shall be considered very expert if he can
maintain his family—his wife and children. In other words, this will become very difficult. In
fact, it has already become difficult. To maintain a wife and two children is now a great burden.
Therefore no one wants to marry.
# HK Mantra
Actually, we have a twelve - syllable mantra and eighteen - syllable Krishna mantra. The
twelve-syllable mantra is called Krishna Gayatri and the eighteen syllable mantra is called
Kama Gayatri. Above all the mantras is the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. Nothing can match or
equal the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. (the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and
ter). Charu Swami Maharaj
# Offering food to deities...........
How difficult is deity worship in this age of Kali. Below is some standard of deity worship by
ISKCON DEITY WORSHIP MINISTRY...............
Common forbidden foods include meat, fish, eggs, onions, mushrooms, garlic, masur-dal (red
lentils), burned rice, white eggplant, hemp (marijuana), citron, saps from trees (if not boiled
first), buffalo and goat milk products, and milk with salt in it. Also, one should not offer canned
or frozen foods to the deity, and it is best to avoid offering foods containing unhealthy
substances such as yeast and white sugar.
“Concerning the use of sour cream in the temple, it should be stopped immediately. Nothing
should be offered to the Deities which is purchased in the stores. Things produced by the
karmis should not be offered to Radha-Krishna. Icecream, if you can prepare, is O.K., but not
otherwise.” Soya beans and lentils are unofferable.” (Iskcon deity worship ministry
# Srila Prabhupad from the book QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT......
Therefore, Vyāsadeva, the compiler of the Mahābhārata, says, śrī bhagavān uvāca. So in this
Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we understand that Bhagavān is Kṛṣṇa. He has many millions
of names, but Kṛṣṇa is the chief name. Kṛṣṇa means "the all-attractive." God must be allattractive. It is not that God is attractive for one person and not for another. No. God is
attractive for all living entities. Therefore, in pictures of Kṛṣṇa you see that He is loving the
calves and cows, He is loving the trees, He is loving the gopīs, He is loving the cowherd boys.
For Him, for God, everyone is a lovable object because everyone is the son of God.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT
Vyāsadeva is the compiler of all Vedic knowledge, and he accepts Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. Later on, all the ācāryas—Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Viṣṇu
Svāmī, Lord Caitanya—they all accepted Kṛṣṇa. As far as our Vedic culture is concerned, Kṛṣṇa
is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here it is also said, śrībhagavān uvāca. Kṛṣṇa is
teaching how to become a first-class yogi in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. He says, mayy āsakta-manāḥ
pārtha yogaṁ yuñjan mad-āśrayaḥ. Mayi means "unto Me," and āsakta means "attachment." So
He is saying that to become a first-class yogi one must increase his attachment to Kṛṣṇa.
# SB says......
Most important is Devotional Service.....................
na sādhayati māṁ yogo na sāṅkhyaṁ dharma uddhava
na svādhyāyas tapas tyāgo yathā bhaktir mamorjitā
[The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, said:] "My dear Uddhava, neither
through aṣṭāṅga-yoga [the mystic yoga system to control the senses], nor through impersonal
monism or an analytical study of the Absolute Truth, nor through study of the Vedas, nor
through austerities, charity, or acceptance of sannyāsa can one satisfy Me as much as by
developing unalloyed devotional service unto Me" (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.14.20).
# Srimad Bhagavatam says.........
Lord Krsna knew that Sudama (Kuchela) was hesitating to present Him the paltry chipped rice,
which was actually unfit for His eating. Understanding the mind of Sudama Vipra, the Lord
said, "My dear friend, I am certainly not in need of anything, but if My devotee gives Me
something as an offering of love, even though it may be very insignificant, I accept it with great
pleasure. On the other hand, if a person is not a devotee, even though he may offer Me very
valuable things, I do not like to accept them. I actually accept only things offered to Me in
devotion and love; otherwise, however valuable a thing may be, I do not accept it. If My pure
devotee offers Me even the most insignificant things--a little flower, a little piece of leaf, a little
water--but saturates the offering in devotional love, then not only do I gladly accept such an
offering, but I eat it with great pleasure."
# Taking care of body.....
The below is from Chaitany Caritamrita..............
Maha Prabhu stresses the importance of taking care of our health because without health how
can we render devotional service to Krsna?
Once Sanatan Goswami took the Jhariikhanda route to Nilachala from Vraja. On the way, he
developed blistering sores all over his body due to drinking bad water and fasting. Sanatan
became extremely troubled by the disease because his physical impurity would make him an
obstacle to the servants of Jagannath. In view of this potential offense, he decided that he would
throw himself under the wheels of Jagannath’s chariot during the Rathayatra festival.
Mahaprabhu, the indweller of all beings, knew that he had made this decision and said to him,
"You cannot attain Krishna through suicide. You can only attain Him through bhajana. You
have no right to destroy the body which has been given to you so that you can render service."
# Srimad Bhagavatam
a wonderful sloka and sublime purport by Srila Prabhupad.............
pls. read and understand the futility of every thing material we have in life..............
TEXT 2: "Whatever is produced by the materialist with great pain and labor for so-called
happiness, the Supreme Personality, as the time factor, destroys, and for this reason the
conditioned soul laments."
PURPORT: The main function of the time factor, which is a representative of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, is to destroy everything. The materialists, in material consciousness,
are engaged in producing so many things in the name of economic development. They think
that by advancing in satisfying the material needs of man they will be happy, but they forget
that everything they have produced will be destroyed in due course of time. From history we
can see that there were many powerful empires on the surface of the globe that were
constructed with great pain and great perseverance (determination), but in due course of time
they have all been destroyed. Still the foolish materialists cannot understand that they are
simply wasting time in producing so-called material necessities, which are destined to be
vanquished in due course of time. This waste of energy is due to the ignorance of the mass of
people, who do not know that they are eternal and that they have an eternal engagement also.
They do not know that this span of life in a particular type of body is but a flash in the eternal
journey. Not knowing this fact, they take the small flash of their present life to be everything,
and they waste time in improving economic conditions.
# Bhagavatam says the below..........
"For persons who are papistha, very sinful, and duracara, misbehaved or very unclean in their
habits, who are against the existence of God, who disrespect Vaisnavas and brahmanas, and
who eat anything and everything, untimely death is sure”.
# Benedictions of Lord Visnu........
Sukadeva Gosvami addressed King Pariksit thus: "My dear King, Lord Brahma, Lord Visnu
and Lord Siva, the principal trio of the material creation, are able to bless or curse anyone. Of
this trio, Lord Brahma and Lord Siva are very easily satisfied but also very easily angered.
When satisfied they give benedictions without consideration and when angry they curse the
devotee without consideration. But Lord Visnu is not like that. Lord Visnu is very considerate.
Whenever a devotee wants something from Lord Visnu, Lord Visnu first considers whether
such a benediction will ultimately be good for the devotee. Lord Visnu never bestows any
benediction which will ultimately prove disastrous to the devotee. By His transcendental
nature, He is always merciful; therefore, before giving any benediction, He considers whether
it will prove beneficial for the devotee. Since the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always
merciful, even when it appears that He has killed a demon, or even when He apparently
becomes angry toward a devotee, His actions are always auspicious. The Supreme Personality
of Godhead is therefore known as all-good. Whatever He does is good."
# Srimad Bhagavatam purport ...............
When the Lord descends personally or by His personal plenary expansions, such incarnations
are called aṁśa, kalā, guṇa, yuga and manvantara incarnations, and when the Lord’s associates
descend by the order of the Lord, such incarnations are called śaktyāveśa incarnations. But in
all cases all the incarnations are supported by the invulnerable statements of the authorized
scriptures, and not by any imagination of some self-interested propagandist. Such incarnations
of the Lord, in either of the above categories, always declare the Supreme Personality of
Godhead to be the ultimate truth. The impersonal conception of the supreme truth is just a
process of negation of the form of the Lord from the mundane conception of the supreme truth.
# From the book of Prabhu Pad (LAW OF NATURE)
Here Prabhu Pad is talking about people who earns money illegally.............
TEXT 10: "He secures money by committing violence here and there, and although he employs
it in the service of his family, he himself eats only a little portion of the food thus purchased,
and he goes to hell for those for whom he earned the money in such an irregular way."
PURPORT: There is a Bengali proverb: "The person for whom I have stolen accuses me of being
a thief." The family members for whom an attached person acts in so many criminal ways are
never satisfied. In illusion an attached person serves such family members, and by serving
them he is destined to enter into a hellish condition of life. For example, a thief steals something
to maintain his family, and he is caught and imprisoned. This is the sum and substance of
material existence and attachment to material society, friendship, and love. Although an
attached family man is always engaged in getting money by hook or by crook for the
maintenance of his family, he cannot enjoy more than what he could consume even without
such criminal activities. A man who eats eight ounces of food may have to maintain a big family
and earn money by any means to support that family, but he himself is not offered more than
what he can eat, and sometimes he eats the remnants that are left after his family members are
fed. Even by earning money by unfair means, he cannot enjoy life for himself. That is called the
covering illusion of māyā.
# Journey of self discovery
Below is the introduction to Srila Prabhupad's book - Science of self discovery.
Please start reading this book. YS
Are you in any way dissatisfied with your life as it now stands? Has the pursuit, or even the
achievement, of the goals you have set for yourself become somewhat frustrating? If so, read
on.
For one acquainted with the spiritual wisdom of India, the ideal life is not a fast-paced
competitive run through a self-serve consumer paradise. There is a higher measure of success
and happiness than the number of high-gloss gadgets, baubles, and thrills one can zoom
through the check-out counter with—before Time runs out.
An awakened person will try to learn something worthwhile along the way, to gradually
accumulate assets of permanent value. In the final analysis, the supreme accomplishment is to
improve significantly the one possession that is really ours to keep—our consciousness, our
sense of identity, our inner self. All else eventually slips away.
Seen in this way, life becomes a journey of self-discovery, and that is the theme of this book.
The Journey of Self-Discovery is your guide to a new way of looking at life, a way proven to
lead you to higher levels of awareness and satisfaction.
# Kṛṣṇa is the root of all existence
From PP's books QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT...............
Kṛṣṇa is the root of all existence (ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, [Bg. 10.8] janmādy asya
yataḥ [SB 1.1.1]). But we are neglecting to water the root. Instead we are pouring water on the
leaves and branches. But the leaves and branches are drying up, and we are becoming
frustrated. In other words, so-called humanitarian service or social service without any touch
of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like watering the leaves and branches of a tree without watering
the root: it is all useless labor (śrama eva hi kevalam [SB 1.2.8]). You may perform whatever
loving service you can for your society, community, and nation, but you must do it in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness, for Kṛṣṇa's pleasure. Then your loving service will be perfect. Otherwise it will
remain imperfect. The persons whom you are serving will never be happy, nor will you be
happy.
So our ability to love one another will remain imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the
supreme beloved. The supreme beloved is Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Person. He is supremely
beautiful, supremely rich, supremely famous, supremely wise, supremely powerful, and
supremely renounced—everything supreme. If someone has any of these six opulences, we
love him. If one is very rich and charitable, for example, he is loved. Now, just think how rich
and charitable Kṛṣṇa is! He is distributing food to millions and millions of living entities every
day. We are proud if we can feed one hundred, two hundred, five hundred, two thousand
people. But there are millions and millions of animals all over the world, and Kṛṣṇa is supplying
them all with food. Actually, there is no scarcity of food. Human beings sometimes experience
a scarcity of food because they misuse their advanced consciousness. Therefore they are put
into trouble. If people would take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all these troubles would be finished.
# From Prabhu Pad's book QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT
Then, tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam. If you want to worship somebody, then worship Kṛṣṇa, love
Kṛṣṇa. And if you want to worship some place, worship His place, Vṛndāvana. Everyone wants
to love some place—some country or nation. Somebody says, "I love this American land."
Somebody says, "I love this Chinese land." Somebody says, "I love this Russian land." This is
nationalism, bhauma-ijya-dhīḥ. A person is naturally inclined to love some material land,
generally where he's born. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that because you are inclined to love
some person, love Kṛṣṇa, and because you want to love some land, love Vṛndāvana. Ārādhyo
bhagavān vrajeśa-tanayas tad-dhāma vṛndāvanam.
# Srila Prabhupad says........
After pada-sevanam comes the process of arcanam, worship of the Deity. If one is interested in
the process of arcanam, one must positively take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and
learn the process from him. There are many books for arcana, especially Narada-pancaratra. In
this age, the pancaratra system is particularly recommended for arcana, Deity worship. There
are two systems of arcana--the bhagavata system and pancaratriki system. In the SrimadBhagavatam there is no recommendation of pancaratriki worship because in this Kali-yuga,
even without Deity worship, everything can be perfectly performed simply through hearing,
chanting, remembering and worship of the lotus feet of the Lord.
Every human being has a maximum duration of life of one hundred years, but for one who
cannot control his senses, half of those years are completely lost because at night he sleeps
twelve hours, being covered by ignorance. Therefore such a person has a lifetime of only fifty
years – 7TH CANTO.
# Krsna is the proprietor, friend and enjoyer
Srila Prabhupad from the book PERFECT QUESTIONS AND PERFECT ANSWERS.....
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, because God is the supreme proprietor, the supreme enjoyer, and He is
the supreme friend. That is the statement of the Bhagavad-gītā. If anyone knows these three
things, then he is in full knowledge. These three things only: that God is the proprietor of
everything, God is friend of everyone, and God is the enjoyer of everything. For example,
everyone knows that in the body, the stomach is the enjoyer. Not the hands, legs, eyes, ears.
These are there simply to help the stomach. Eyes—the vulture goes seven miles up to see where
there is food for the stomach. Is it not?
# Srila Prabhupad from Science of self realization......
Other devotees play with Kṛṣṇa as friends on equal terms. They do not know that Kṛṣṇa is God;
to them, Kṛṣṇa is their lovable friend, and they cannot forget Him for a moment. All day and
all night, they think of Kṛṣṇa. At night, when they are sleeping they think, "Oh, in the morning
I shall go and play with Kṛṣṇa." And in the morning they go to Kṛṣṇa's house and stand by
while Kṛṣṇa is decorated by His mother before going out to play with His friends in the fields.
There is no other activity in Kṛṣṇaloka (Kṛṣṇa's abode). There is no industry, no rushing to the
office, or any such nonsense. There is sufficient milk and butter, and everyone eats plentifully.
Kṛṣṇa is very fond of His friends, and sometimes He enjoys stealing butter for them. One can
actually live this way, and that is the perfection of existence. We should hanker for that
perfectional stage of life. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the process to attain it.
# Srila Prabhupad says in Science of self realization.......
Even if one knows that all other forms of God are also Kṛṣṇa, one should not worship any other
form, but should concentrate on the Kṛṣṇa form. Kṛṣṇa has many forms, but one only has to
worship Kṛṣṇa in His form with the flute, as in the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity. Simply concentrate on
that form, and all mental speculation and fruitive activities will fall away.
# Srila Prabhupad from Teachings of Queen Kunti.........
One may perform all the methods of devotional service or may accept only one. Simply hearing
is enough. Parīkṣit Mahārāja did not do anything else but sit down before Śukadeva Gosvāmī
and hear for the last seven days of his life. If one simply hears, without doing anything else, if
one simply sits down in the temple and whenever there is talk of Bhagavad-gītā one goes on
hearing, that will be enough.
# Srila Prabhupad from MESSAGE OF GODHEAD
Importance of accepting spiritual master.................
To achieve success in any subject, it is necessary to establish a relationship with a master of that
subject and to work favorably in that particular line. To acquire a degree at an academic
university, we first have to establish a relationship with that institution. We have to abide by
the direction of our instructors there and work favorably according to their direction. This is
essential in order to achieve the ultimate desired success. In the same manner, if we are really
anxious to know the principles of eternal life or life after death, and if we really want to see
things in their true perspective, it is necessary for us to establish a relationship with a preceptor
who can really open our eyes and lift us from the clutches of nescience. This process of
approaching the spiritual master is an eternal verity. No one can do without abiding by this
eternal rule.
# Srila Prabhupad from the book LAW OF NATURE
Advancement in materialistic education is okay when it is combined with spiritual education.
The Īśopaniṣad says that those who engage in the advancement of such materialistic education
will go to the darkest region of existence. Therefore the present civilization is in a very
dangerous position because there is no arrangement anywhere in the world for genuine
spiritual education. In this way human society is being pushed to the darkest region of
existence.
# Srila Prabhupad is saying............
How beautifully Srila Prabhupad is saying the below. HK
We don't say that you should not become advanced in material education. You may, but at the
same time you should become Kṛṣṇa conscious. That is our message.
We don't say that you shouldn't manufacture motorcars. No. We say, "All right, you have
manufactured these motorcars. Now employ them in Kṛṣṇa's service." That is our proposal.
# Srimad Bhagavatam is saying the below.
How powerful are these words of Srimad Bhagavatam................
There is no meaning in life when we all work like cats and dogs without Krsna
Consciousness.......................this eternal truth is given in the below verse.......
Lord Ṛṣabhadeva told His sons: My dear boys, of all the living entities who have accepted
material bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work
hard day and night simply for sense gratification, which is available even for dogs and hogs
that eat stool. One should engage in penance and austerity to attain the divine position of
devotional service. By such activity, one's heart is purified, and when one attains this position,
he attains eternal, blissful life, which is transcendental to material happiness and which
continues forever.
# Srila Prabhupad from the KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS - THE TOPMOST YOGA SYSTEM
Yoga means to inquire. What am I? If I am not this body, then what am I? I am pure soul. Now,
if my bodily activities or sensual activities are incorrect, I will not be able to understand
myself—what I am—and the Bhagavad-gītā says that we are all grand fools. Why fools? Since
we have this body, we are fools. If somebody invites you to come to his apartment but you
know it is full of danger, do you think you would like to go there? "Oh no," you will say, "I am
not going there. If it is full of danger, why shall I go?" Similarly, don't you think that the body
is full of danger? Then, why are you going there, taking repeated birth? When you are flying
in a plane, you are always fearful that there may be a crash. And what is this crashing? It is due
to the body. The soul cannot be affected by crashes. But you are always afraid.
# This material world.................
This material world is often compared to a forest fire which takes place automatically. No one
wants a forest fire, but there is often lightning, or carelessness, or friction, or whatever, and the
fire immediately takes place. Similarly, this material world is beset (affected) with a blazing
fire of problems. Everyone wants to live here peacefully, but situations develop in such a way
that this is not possible for anyone. We struggle very hard to adjust things in so many ways,
but nature's laws are so cruel and dangerous that in spite of our hopes and plans the blazing
fire of the problems of material existence continues.
# Srimad Bhagavatam - Purport to verse 1.1.2
Less fortunate persons are not at all interested in hearing this Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The process
is simple, but the application is difficult. Unfortunate people find enough time to hear idle
social and political conversations, but when invited to attend a meeting of devotees to hear
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam they suddenly become reluctant. Sometimes professional readers of the
Bhāgavatam immediately plunge into the confidential topics of the pastimes of the Supreme
Lord, which they seemingly interpret as sex literature. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is meant to be
heard from the beginning. Those who are fit to assimilate this work are mentioned in this śloka:
“One becomes qualified to hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam after many pious deeds.” The intelligent
person, with thoughtful discretion, can be assured by the great sage Vyāsadeva that he can
realize the Supreme Personality directly by hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Without undergoing
the different stages of realization set forth in the Vedas, one can be lifted immediately to the
position of paramahaṁsa simply by agreeing to receive this message.
# Srimad Bhagavatam Purport to 1.1.5
Those who listen to the Bhāgavatam may put questions to the speaker in order to elicit the clear
meaning, but this should not be done in a challenging spirit. One must submit questions with
a great regard for the speaker and the subject matter. This is also the way recommended
in Bhagavad-gītā. One must learn the transcendental subject by submissive aural reception
from the right sources. Therefore these sages addressed the speaker Sūta Gosvāmī with great
respect.
# BG
Krishna wants all of us to remember Him whenever we are in action.............YS
tasmat sarvessu kalesu
mam anusmara yudhya ca
mayy arpita mano-buddhir
mām evaiṣyasy asaḿśayaḥ :
tasmāt — therefore; sarveṣu — at all; kāleṣu — times; mām — Me; anusmara — go on
remembering; yudhya — fight; ca — also; mayi — unto Me; arpita — surrendering; manaḥ —
mind; buddhiḥ —
intellect; mām —
unto Me; eva —
surely; eṣyasi —
you
will
attain; asaḿśayaḥ — beyond a doubt.
Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Kṛṣṇa and at the same time
carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind
and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.
# Srila Prabhupad says...........
All our effort in devotional service is to get perfection at the time of death. Revealed scriptures
say that if we miss this opportunity in human life, our struggle of material existence will
continue.
By the time death comes, we must reach that stage of perfection. As long as we are alive, we
have to practice how to approach that point of perfection. And at the time of death, when we
give up this material body, that perfection must be realized. Prayāṇa-kāle manasācalena.
Prayāṇa-kāle means "at the time of death." For instance, a student may prepare two years, three
years, or four years in his college education, and the final test is his examination. If he passes
the examination, then he gets his degree. Similarly, if we prepare for the examination of death
and we pass the examination, then we are transferred to the spiritual world. All that we have
learned in this life is examined at the time of death.
# From Dharma - The way of Transcendence........
Now, one may say, "There are so many Bhagavāns. I can fix my mind on any of them."
Nowadays people have manufactured many "Bhagavāns." But here the Bhāgavatam says
bhagavān sātvatāṁ patiḥ: "You have to fix your mind on that Bhagavān whom the devotees
accept as their Lord." There may be many Bhagavāns, but only the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is accepted as the Lord by all the stalwart devotees, ācāryas, and teachers,
such as Brahmā and Śiva. The public may accept an ordinary man as Bhagavān and declare,
"Here is an incarnation of God," but that is foolishness. Kṛṣṇa is God, as He Himself declares in
the Bhagavad-gītā (7.7, 10.8). Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat: "There is nothing beyond Me." Ahaṁ
sarvasya prabhavaḥ: "I am the origin of everything." Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate: "Everything
emanates from Me." Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ: "Those who are actually
learned know that I am the source of everything, and therefore they become My devotees."
The Brahma-saṁhitā (5.1) also states,
īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam
"The Supreme God is Kṛṣṇa, who has an eternal form of bliss and knowledge." There are many
gods, or controllers, but Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme God. Nobody is above Him. Therefore He is
anādi, without origin. We all have an origin, but He has none because He is the origin of all
(ādiḥ). He is known as Govinda because He is the reservoir of all pleasure, and He is the cause
of all causes (sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam [Bs. 5.1]).
# Srila Prabhupad is talking.............
Therefore here the Bhāgavatam uses the word kovida, "intelligent person." When one actually
becomes intelligent, he must ask, "Why am I in this miserable condition of life? I do not want
to die, but death is there. Why? I do not want disease, but disease is there. Why? I do not want
old age, but it is forced upon me. Why? I don't want war, but the draft board is dragging me to
war. Why?" An intelligent person must ask all these "why" questions. Sanātana Gosvāmī
showed the proper way to inquire from the guru when he approached Caitanya Mahāprabhu:
ke āmi, kene āmāya jāre tāpa-traya. "Who am I?" asked Sanātana Gosvāmī. "Why have I been
put into this miserable condition of life? My dear Lord, because I am the king's minister and I
know a little Sanskrit and Arabic, the common people call me a paṇḍita, a learned scholar. But
to tell You frankly, if I do not know what I am and why I am suffering, what is the value of my
education?" This is intelligence.
#From Srimad Bhagavatam.............
In this statement, Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī answers the first question of the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya.
The sages asked him to summarize the whole range of revealed scriptures and present the most
essential part so that fallen people or the people in general might easily take it up. The Vedas
prescribe two different types of occupation for the human being. One is called the pravṛttimārga, or the path of sense enjoyment, and the other is called the nivṛtti-mārga, or the path of
renunciation. The path of enjoyment is inferior, and the path of sacrifice for the supreme cause
is superior. The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life.
Actual life is spiritual existence, or brahma-bhūta existence, where life is eternal, blissful and
full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory and full of miseries. There is no
happiness at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary
cessation of misery is falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material
enjoyment, which is temporary, miserable and illusory, is inferior. But devotional service to
the Supreme Lord, which leads one to eternal, blissful and all-cognizant life, is called the
superior quality of occupation. This is sometimes polluted when mixed with the inferior
quality. For example, adoption of devotional service for material gain is certainly an
obstruction to the progressive path of renunciation. Renunciation or abnegation for ultimate
good is certainly a better occupation than enjoyment in the diseased condition of life. Such
enjoyment only aggravates the symptoms of disease and increases its duration. Therefore
devotional service to the Lord must be pure in quality, i.e., without the least desire for material
enjoyment. One should, therefore, accept the superior quality of occupation in the form of the
devotional service of the Lord without any tinge of unnecessary desire, fruitive action and
philosophical speculation. This alone can lead one to perpetual solace in His service.
# How beautifully Srila Prabhupad says about the misconceptions we took it for granted...
Because we do not know that there is a complete arrangement in nature for our maintenance,
we make efforts to utilize the resources of nature to create a so-called complete life of sense
enjoyment. Because the living entity cannot enjoy the life of the senses without being
dovetailed with the Complete Whole, the misleading life of sense enjoyment is illusion. The
hand of a body is a complete unit only as long as it is attached to the complete body. When the
hand is severed from the body, it may appear like a hand, but it actually has none of the
potencies of a hand. Similarly, living beings are part and parcel of the Complete Whole, and if
they are severed from the Complete Whole, the illusory representation of completeness cannot
fully satisfy them.
# Srila Prabhupada's (Founder Acarya) conversation...
Student. At least the animals live by certain codes. They do not kill unnecessarily, and they
only eat when necessary, whereas humans kill unnecessarily and eat unnecessarily. So in one
sense humans are lower than animals.
Śrīla Prabhupāda. Therefore we must suffer more than animals. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not a
bogus, sentimental religious movement. It is a scientific movement designed to alleviate
human suffering.
# The Īśopaniṣad says
The Īśopaniṣad says, "The wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of
knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience." As explained
above, the real culture of knowledge is the advancement of spiritual knowledge. And
advancement of knowledge in the matter of bodily comforts or to protect the body is the culture
of nescience, because however you may try to protect this body, it will follow its natural course.
What is that? Repeated birth and death, and while the body is manifested, disease and old age.
People are very busy cultivating knowledge of this body, although they see that at every
moment the body is decaying. The death of the body was fixed when it was born. That is a fact.
So you cannot stop the natural course of this body—namely birth, old age, disease, and death.
# From Maha Bharat
Sage Devasthana was talking to Yudhistira Maharaj when Yushisitra was lamenting for the
sufferings created by the war....................
The immortal sage smiled. “Do not be concerned with happiness or distress, for both are
ephemeral (short-lived). By the influence of time one meets with joy and suffering one after the
other. Pleasure begets misery and from misery pleasure is again born. In this world there are
only two kinds of permanently happy men: the complete fools and those who have mastered
the mind and senses. Those between these two must suffer. Therefore, a wise man abandons
attachment and aversion and simply does his duty to please the Supreme.
# Maha Bharat
Below are the words of Krsna spoken to Yudhistira Maharaj. When Yudhistira came to seek
Krsna's opinion in regard to going to Bhisma Deva for councelling after the war, Krsna seemed
to be in meditation.
Then Krsna Himself reveals it.................
All powerful Lord cannot abstain from thinking of His devotees.........
Returning to external consciousness, Kṛṣṇa replied, “That foremost of men, Bhīṣma, who now
lies on a bed of arrows and is like a fire about to be extinguished, is thinking only of Me. Thus
is My mind also concentrated on him. My mind is fixed in him, the twang of whose bow and
the slaps of whose palms not even Indra could bear. I was thinking of him who carried away
the three princesses of Kośala after defeating the world’s kings. I was rapt in thought of he who
fought for twenty-three days with Paraśurāma, before the sage finally admitted his inability to
overcome that best of his own disciples. Controlling his senses and concentrating his mind
fully on Me, Gaṅgā’s son seeks My refuge. It was for this reason that I fixed My mind on him.”
# From Maha Bharat
Below are the words of Bhisma Pitamaha.
Bhisma Pitamaha had got siksa from Brihaspati in heavenly planets, Vasista, Parasurama etc
in the earthly planets.
Such Bhisma Deva is establishing the supreme position of Krsna thru' his prayers.
We all have to be free from all our misconceptions on the basis of revealed scriptures and
wholeheartedly surrender fully unto Krsna.
Bhīṣma raised his head a little and looked into Kṛṣṇa’s face. “Obeisances to You, O divine Kṛṣṇa.
You are the creator and destroyer of all things. Everything material and spiritual emanates
from and rests upon You eternally. I can now see Your universal form with all its divine
attributes. I take refuge in You, O Lord, and beseech Your mercy. Tell me, O all- powerful
Supreme Person, what will be best for me now? I desire only to reach Your blissful abode.”
# What Krsna Kirtan does to us..............
kaler dosa - nidhe rajann
asti hy eko mahan gunaḥ
kirtanad eva kṛṣṇasya
mukta - sangaḥ paraḿ vrajet – SB
kaleḥ — of the age of Kali; doṣa-nidheḥ — in the ocean of faults; rājan — O King; asti — there
is; hi — certainly; ekaḥ — one; mahān — very great; guṇaḥ — good quality; kīrtanāt — by
chanting; eva — certainly; kṛṣṇasya — of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa; mukta-sańgaḥ — liberated
from material bondage; param — to the transcendental spiritual kingdom; vrajet — one
can go.
My dear King, although Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, there is still one good quality about
this age: Simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, one can become free from material
bondage and be promoted to the transcendental kingdom.
# From Ramayana
Mandodari is lamenting after Ravana was killed by Lord Ram.
She is blaming her husband for not recognizing Lord Ram. In fact he was not acting properly
even after understanding the prowess of Ram.
Ravana’s favorite queen, Mandodari, lamented, “My dear husband, even though you were so
powerful, you could not stand before Lord Rama. You were too proud because of your
acquired prowess, and so you became a great burden for the earth. You foolishly could not
understand that it was Lord Vishnu Himself who had descended upon the earth as Lord Rama,
in order to relieve her of that burden.”
“O Ravana, your sinful passion for Sita has turned out to be the cause for the destruction of all
the Rakshasas. You always masqueraded as a great hero, but you were actually proven to be a
coward when you deceitfully kidnapped Sita. Still, despite your abominable character, I do not
see how I shall be able to go on living in your absence.”
Finally, Mandodari fainted with her head upon Ravana’s chest. Her co-wives then lifted her
up and revived her.
# From Isopanishat..................
Factually, no one has to do anything more than render devotional service to the Lord.
However, in the lower stages of life one cannot immediately adopt the activities of devotional
service, nor can one completely stop fruitive work. A conditioned soul is accustomed to
working for sense gratification—for his own selfish interest, immediate or extended. An
ordinary man works for his own sense enjoyment, and when this principle of sense enjoyment
is extended to include his society, nation or humanity in general, it assumes various attractive
names such as altruism, socialism, communism, nationalism and humanitarianism. These
"isms" are certainly very attractive forms of karma-bandhana (karmic bondage), but the Vedic
instruction of Śrī Īśopaniṣad is that if one actually wants to live for any of the above "isms," he
should make them God-centered. There is no harm in becoming a family man, or an altruist, a
socialist, a communist, a nationalist or a humanitarian, provided that one executes his activities
in relation with īśāvāsya, the God-centered conception.
# Try to get some peacefulness by reading ....
Thus, in Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, says, "O son of Kuntī! All forms
of happiness or distress, such as winter cold or summer heat, are due to material sense
perception only. They come and go according to the laws of nature, and they are therefore to
be tolerated without our being disturbed. One who is not disturbed by all these comings and
goings of temporary happiness and distress—he alone becomes a fit person to attain eternal
life."
# Pls. do not try to be a killer of the soul.......
Intelligent human beings must always remember that the soul obtains a human form after an
evolution of many millions of years in the cycle of transmigration. The material world is
sometimes compared to an ocean, and the human body is compared to a solid boat designed
especially to cross this ocean. The Vedic scriptures and the ācāryas, or saintly teachers, are
compared to expert boatmen, and the facilities of the human body are compared to favorable
breezes that help the boat ply smoothly to its desired destination. If, with all these facilities, a
human being does not fully utilize his life for self-realization, he must be considered ātma hā,
a killer of the soul. Śrī Īśopaniṣad warns in clear terms that the killer of the soul is destined to
enter into the darkest region of ignorance to suffer perpetually.
# Nothing to ask from Krsna.........Srila Prabhupada is explaining............
We should simply try to love God, without demanding anything. Our needs will be supplied.
Even the cats and dogs are getting their necessities. They don't go to church and ask God for
anything, but they are getting their necessities. So why should a devotee not get his necessities?
If the cats and dogs can get their necessities of life without demanding anything from God,
why should we demand from God, "Give me this, give me that"? No. We should simply try to
love Him and serve Him. That will fulfill everything, and that is the highest platform of yoga.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says the below.........
TEXT 1: The Personality of Godhead said, "As a mass of clouds does not know the powerful
influence of the wind, a person engaged in material consciousness does not know the powerful
strength of the time factor, by which he is being carried."
PURPORT: The great politician-paṇḍita named Cāṇakya said that even one moment of time
cannot be returned, even if one is prepared to pay millions of dollars. One cannot calculate the
amount of loss there is in wasting valuable time. Whether materially or spiritually, one should
be very alert in utilizing the time which he has at his disposal. A conditioned soul lives in a
particular body for a fixed measurement of time, and it is recommended in the scriptures that
within that small measurement of time one has to finish Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus gain
release from the influence of the time factor. But, unfortunately, those who are not in Kṛṣṇa
consciousness are carried away by the strong power of time without their knowledge, as clouds
are carried by the wind.
# Generally, people do not understand the need for making spiritual progress and cleansing
the heart of all dirty things (abhadrāṇi). Material life means dirty life, uncivilized life, yet
people think that having nice clothes and a nice apartment and a nicely washed body means
they are civilized. They do not know how the contamination within their hearts has attacked
them.
# the writings of Srila Prabhupada.........
Whatever facilities we enjoy in this material world are the blessings of Krsna.
We should be very vigilant in wasting water, electricity and so forth because all these are the
energies of Krsna.
While cleaning utensils, we should be careful not to waste water. Also when the light is not
needed, we should practice to switch it off. Also we should train our children not to waste such
valuable blessings of Krsna.
By following such simple activities, we can, to a larger extent, save Krsna's energies. Srimad
Bhagavatam predicts that as Kali Yuga progresses, all these energies of Krsna will be withhold
due to peoples' wasting them.....................
In my childhood I was taught by my parents never to waste Kṛṣṇa's energy. They taught me
that if even a small grain of rice was stuck between the floorboards, I should pick it up, touch
it to my forehead and eat it to save it from being wasted. I was taught how to see everything in
relation to Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We therefore do not like to see anything wasted
or misused. We are teaching our disciples how to use everything for Kṛṣṇa and how to
understand that everything is Kṛṣṇa.
# Food to be offered............reason is below...
The law books known as the smṛtis mention five kinds of sin which everyone inevitably
commits, no matter how unwillingly. They are as follows: (1) Sins committed by itching, (2)
sins committed by rubbing, (3) sins committed by starting a fire, (4) sins committed by pouring
water from a pot, and (5) sins committed by cleaning the house. Even if we do not commit any
intentional sins, we have to commit the above five kinds of sin, without a shadow of doubt.
Thus, it is our duty to accept the remnants of offerings made to Viṣṇu, to escape the reactions
of all sinful actions committed unconsciously and unavoidably.
# Srila Prabhupad says
HK.........Srila Prabhupad has defeated many well known scientists in his arguments with
them. His presenting truth was completely based on revealed scriptures. Pls. see the below
words of Prabhu Pad..........
Scientists should accept God and His mystic power. If they don't, they should be considered
foolish. On the basis of transcendental knowledge, we are directly challenging many big
scientists and philosophers. The other day, you brought that chemist, and I told him, "You are
foolish." But he was not angry. He admitted it, and I defeated all his arguments. Perhaps you
remember.
# What powerful words..............Srila Prabhupada is a Vaikuntha Man
Srila Prabhupad is talking about the family life within the kingdom of maya. If the family is
Krsna Conscious, it is the opposite of below.................therefore, we need to lead a KC family
life.........
PURPORT: Family life within the kingdom of the illusory energy, māyā, is just like a prison for
the eternal living entity. In prison a prisoner is shackled by iron chains and iron bars. Similarly,
a conditioned soul is shackled by the charming beauty of a woman, by her solitary embraces
and talks of so-called love, and by the sweet words of his small children. Thus he forgets his
real identity.
# Sravanam...........
Śravaṇam, or hearing, is the first step in acquiring transcendental knowledge. One should not
give aural reception to unauthorized persons, but should approach the proper person, as
recommended in Bhagavad-gītā (4.34):
tad viddhi praṇipātena
paripraśnena sevayā
upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ
jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
“Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively
and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because
they have seen the truth.”
# Srimad Bhagavatam says......
Importance of spiritual master in disciplic succession............
The perfection of the paramparā system, or the path of disciplic succession, is further
confirmed. In the previous chapter it has been established that Brahmājī, the firstborn living
entity, received knowledge directly from the Supreme Lord, and the same knowledge was
imparted to Nārada, the next disciple. Nārada asked to receive the knowledge, and Brahmājī
imparted it upon being asked. Therefore, asking for transcendental knowledge from the right
person and receiving it properly is the regulation of the disciplic succession. This process is
recommended in the Bhagavad-gītā (4.2). The inquisitive student must approach a qualified
spiritual master to receive transcendental knowledge by surrender, submissive inquiries and
service. Knowledge received by submissive inquiries and service is more effective than
knowledge received in exchange for money. A spiritual master in the line of disciplic
succession from Brahmā and Nārada has no demand for dollars and cents. A bona fide
student has to satisfy him by sincere service to obtain knowledge of the relation and nature of
the individual soul and the Supersoul.
# Sage Narada is asking to Lord Brahma
From this question by Narada, it is understood that there is someone who is above
Brahma.................That is the Supreme Lord.
Translation:My dear father, what is the source of your knowledge? Under whose protection
are you standing? And under whom are you working? What is your real position? Do you
alone create all entities with material elements by your personal energy?
Purport: It was known to Śrī Nārada Muni that Lord Brahmā attained creative energy by
undergoing severe austerities. As such, he could understand that there was someone else
superior to Brahmājī who invested Brahmā with the power of creation. Therefore he asked all
the above questions. Discoveries of progressive scientific achievements are therefore not
independent. The scientist has to attain the knowledge of a thing already existing by means
of the wonderful brain made by someone else. A scientist can work with the help of such an
awarded brain, but it is not possible for the scientist to create his own or a similar brain.
There fore no one is independent in the matter of any creation, nor is such creation automatic.
# Translation:
Lord Brahmā said: My dear boy Nārada, being merciful to all (including me) you have asked
all these questions because I have been inspired to see into the prowess of the Almighty
Personality of Godhead.
Purport : Brahmājī, being so questioned by Nāradajī, congratulated him, for it is usual for the
devotees to become very enthusiastic whenever they are questioned concerning the Almighty
Personality of Godhead. That is the sign of a pure devotee of the Lord. Such discourses on the
transcendental activities of the Lord purify the atmosphere in which such discussions are
held, and the devotees thus become enlivened while answering such questions. It is purifying
both for the questioners and for one who answers the questions. The pure devotees are not
only satisfied by knowing everything about the Lord, but are also eager to broadcast the
information to others, for they want to see that the glories of the Lord are known to everyone.
Thus the devotee feels satisfied when such an opportunity is offered to him. This is the basic
principle of missionary activities.
# From Isopanishat.....
In the language of the Bhagavad-gītā (7.15), people who are engaged in gross sense
gratification are mūḍhas—asses. The ass is a symbol of stupidity. Those who simply engage
in the profitless pursuit of sense gratification are worshiping avidyā, according to Śrī
Īśopaniṣad. And those who play the role of helping this sort of civilization in the name of
educational advancement are actually doing more harm than those who are on the platform
of gross sense gratification. The advancement of learning by a godless people is as dangerous
as a valuable jewel on the hood of a cobra. A cobra decorated with a valuable jewel is more
dangerous than one not decorated.
# From journey of self discovery..........
Now, why does a man in knowledge surrender to Kṛṣṇa? Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti: [Bg. 7.19]
Because he knows that Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa, is everything—that He is the central point of all
loving feelings. Then, sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ. Here the word mahātmā is used. After
cultivating knowledge for many, many births, a person who expands his consciousness up to
the point of loving God—he is a mahātmā, a great soul. God is great, and His devotee is also
great. But, Kṛṣṇa says, sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ: That sort of great soul is very rarely to be
seen. This is the description of a mahātmā we get from the Bhagavad-gītā.
# Kuntī-devī says, ime jana-padāḥ svṛddhāḥ supakvauṣadhi-vīrudhaḥ: [SB 1.8.40] "The grains
are abundant, the trees are full of fruits, the rivers are flowing, the hills are full of minerals,
and the oceans are full of wealth." What more could one want? The oyster produces pearls,
and formerly people decorated their bodies with pearls, valuable stones, silk, gold, and silver.
But where are those things now? Now, with the advancement of civilization, there are so
many beautiful girls who have no ornaments of gold, pearls, or jewels, but only plastic
bangles. So what is the use of industry and slaughterhouses?
#From QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT.......
Therefore, this human body is a great opportunity, because by engaging the tongue in the
loving service of the Lord we can advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. We can achieve ultimate
realization of God just by engaging the tongue in His service. In other bodies—the cat's body,
the dog's body, the tiger's body—we cannot do this. So this human form of life is a great boon
to the living entity, who is traveling through the cycle of birth and death, perpetually
inhabiting different sorts of bodies. The human body is the opportunity for utilizing the
tongue properly and getting out of the clutches of the material nature.
# From QUEST FOR ENLIGHTENMENT..........
In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī explains that there is a gulf of
difference between the loving affairs of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa and the ordinary, lustful
dealings of human beings. He has compared the gopīs' love for Kṛṣṇa to gold, and our socalled love here to iron. As there is a great difference between gold and iron, there is a great
difference between the loving affairs of the gopīs with Kṛṣṇa and the mundane, lusty affairs
between men and women or boys and girls. Love and lust are never equal.
#Srimad Bhagavatam 6.3.20-21
There are four lines of disciplic succession: one from Lord Brahmā, one from Lord Śiva, one
from Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, and one from the Kumāras. The disciplic succession
from Lord Brahmā is called the Brahma sampradāya, the succession from Lord Śiva (Śambhu)
is called the Rudra sampradāya, the one from the goddess of fortune, Lakṣmījī, is called the
Śrī sampradāya, and the one from the Kumāras is called the Kumāra sampradāya. One must
take shelter of one of these four sampradāyas in order to understand the most confidential
religious system. In the Padma Purāṇa it is said, sampradāya-vihīnā ye mantrās te niṣphalā
matāḥ: if one does not follow the four recognized disciplic successions, his mantra or initiation
is useless. In the present day there are many apasampradāyas, or sampradāyas which are not
bona fide, which have no link to authorities like Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, the Kumāras or
Lakṣmī. People are misguided by such sampradāyas. The śāstras say that being initiated in
such a sampradāya is a useless waste of time, for it will never enable one to understand the
real religious principles.
# ŚB 6.3.23
nāmoccāraṇa-māhātmyaṁ
hareḥ paśyata putrakāḥ
ajāmilo ’pi yenaiva
mṛtyu-pāśād amucyata
Synonyms
nāma — of the holy name; uccāraṇa — of the pronouncing; māhātmyam — the exalted
position; hareḥ — of the Supreme Lord; paśyata — just see; putrakāḥ — O my dear servants, who
are like my sons; ajāmilaḥ api — even Ajāmila (who was considered greatly sinful); yena — by
the chanting of which; eva — certainly; mṛtyu-pāśāt — from the ropes of death; amucyata — was
delivered.
Translation
My dear servants, who are as good as my sons, just see how glorious is the chanting of the holy
name of the Lord. The greatly sinful Ajāmila chanted only to call his son, not knowing that he
was chanting the Lord’s holy name. Nevertheless, by chanting the holy name of the Lord, he
remembered Nārāyaṇa, and thus he was immediately saved from the ropes of death.
#From BG
One should not speak in such a way as to agitate the minds of others. Of course, when a
teacher speaks, he can speak the truth for the instruction of his students, but such a teacher
should not speak to others who are not his students if he will agitate their minds. This is
penance as far as talking is concerned. Besides that, one should not talk nonsense. When
speaking in spiritual circles, one's statements must be upheld by the scriptures. One should at
once quote from scriptural authority to back up what he is saying. At the same time, such talk
should be very pleasurable to the ear. By such discussions, one may derive the highest benefit
and elevate human society. There is a limitless stock of Vedic literature, and one should study
this. This is called penance of speech.
# Krsna is the Supreme Lord.......
People cannot accept this truth either because of their ignorance or due to their different
conceptions gathered from the beginning of their births from ignorant people. Either way it
is darkness. Therefore, when we take the light of revealed scriptures, this ignorance will be
dissipated and the real truth will manifest in hearts. PLS. ASSOCIATE WITH
SCRIPTURES. ALL YOUR MISCONCEPTIONS WILL BE CLEARED.................
When Kṛṣṇa was present on this planet, He proved by His activities and opulence that He is
the Supreme Lord. If we are actually anxious to understand who and what the Supreme Lord
is, all of the information is given in Vedic literatures. If we utilize whatever we have in our
possession to understand God, Kṛṣṇa will prove that He is the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. If we but accept this one fact, then all of our education is complete. It is fashionable
to research to try to find out who is God, but this is not necessary. God is present, and He
Himself says:
mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat
kiñcid asti dhanañjaya
mayi sarvam idaṁ protaṁ
sūtre maṇi-gaṇā iva
"O conqueror of wealth (Arjuna), there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me,
as pearls are strung on a thread." (Bg. 7.7)
This information is not only given in Bhagavad-gītā but in other scriptures as well, and it has
been accepted from the very beginning by great ācāryas (teachers) like Śaṅkarācārya,
Rāmānujācārya, Madhvācārya, Lord Caitanya and many other stalwart authorities. Even at
the present moment those who do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Lord are accepting the
knowledge given by Kṛṣṇa to Arjuna. So in this way they are accepting Kṛṣṇa indirectly. If
one accepts Bhagavad-gītā as a great book of knowledge, he is also accepting Kṛṣṇa. There is
no doubt that the Supreme Absolute Truth is Kṛṣṇa and that we have our eternal relationship
with Him.
# Journey of self discovery......
Now in every city there are slaughterhouses, but does this mean that the slaughterhouses can
supply enough so that one can live by eating only meat? No, there will not be an adequate
supply. Even meat-eaters have to eat grains, fruits, and vegetables along with their slice of
meat. Still, for that daily slice of meat they kill so many poor animals. How sinful this is! If
people commit such sinful activities, how can they be happy? This killing should not be done,
but because it is being done people are unhappy. However, if one becomes Kṛṣṇa conscious
and simply depends on Kṛṣṇa's glance (tava vīkṣitaiḥ), Kṛṣṇa will supply everything and there
will be no question of scarcity.
# From Srimad Bhagavatam
TEXT 25: "He is placed in the midst of burning pieces of wood, and his limbs are set on fire.
In some cases, he is made to eat his own flesh or have it eaten by others."
PURPORT: This verse and the next three verses describe the sinful living entity's punishment.
The first description is that the criminal has to eat his own flesh, burning with fire, or allow
others like himself who are present there to eat it. In the last great war, people in
concentration camps sometimes ate their own stool, so there is no wonder that in
Yamasādana, the abode of Yamarāja, a meat-eater who had a very enjoyable life eating others'
flesh has to eat his own flesh.
# Srimad Bhagavatam says.............
TEXT 30: "After leaving this body, the man who maintained himself and his family members
by sinful activities suffers a hellish life, and his relatives suffer also."
PURPORT: The mistake of modern civilization is that man does not believe in the next life.
But whether he believes or not, the next life is there, and one has to suffer if one does not lead
a responsible life in terms of the injunctions of authoritative scriptures like the Vedas and
Purāṇas. Species lower than human beings are not responsible for their actions because they
are made to act in a certain way, but in the developed life of human consciousness, one who
does not act responsibly is sure to get a hellish life, as described herein.