Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 100

Habituated to read the books more profoundly

Regarding the starting of a society newsletter, I think there is no need for it. Do not unnecessarily increase your responsibilities. What responsibilities you have make perfect. Besides, we already have our society journal, Back to Godhead. As for receiving news of other centers, why should you be so anxious? The news is always the same, sankirtana is going on, deity worship, with little change. We should rather turn our interest to learn from the books more and more. We should inquire about Krsna. Temple life is going on with little change, but we should become habituated to read the books more profoundly. Then if you have some questions about Krsna consciousness as in the books, you can ask an elder Godbrother or write to me directly. That will help you make progress.

From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Sukadeva – Bhaktivedanta Manor 23 July, 1973

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Preachers are dear to Krsna

Prabhupada: …so that he can…[?] “I love them best.” Na ca tasman manusyesu… [Bg 18.69]. “In the human society he is My most dear servant.” It is clearly stated.

Tamala Krsna: What is the reason for that, Srila Prabhupada?

Prabhupada: He’s preaching His glory. He is everything, and these rascals are denying. And He comes: “No, no, no, no. It is wrong.” Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam [Bg 18.66]. And a preacher means he is doing that, training people how to surrender to Krsna. Will he not be…? He is… A preacher is giving real sense. To awaken this sense, Krsna has to come personally. And he is doing the same work: “Surrender to Krsna.” How much great service it is. Prahlada Maharaja… He is asking his father that “Why you are so inimical to Krsna? Better surrender. He has given you so much strength, so much power.” That was… Prahlada Maharaja has given him. In spite of so much trouble given to him, he was speaking the same thing repeatedly: “Father, don’t do this. Become a devotee.” Stubborn. He was giving advice. This is the struggle between devotee and nondevotee. Therefore devotees are so dear to Krsna. Despite all opposition, meeting all difficulties, they will say, “No, there is God. We must surrender.” So he’ll not be very dear? Just like soldiers for the country. They are meeting danger.

Morning Talk – April 18, 1977, Bombay

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Go-seva on dairy farms

Go-seva [service to cows], according to our Vedic injunction, is specially entrusted to the mercantile community. Of course, during the Hindu government in India, the kings were mostly Vaisnavas like Maharaja Pariksit, and he at once caught the Black man Kali who was attempting to kill a cow. But those days are no more. Neither there is a king like Maharaja Pariksit, nor the present government of India is inclined to give protection to the cows. But the mercantile community, specially the Gujaratis and the Marwaris are undoubtedly rich in India, and I do not know why such mercantile communities do not open large-scale dairy farms. That will certainly give actual protection to the cows. From Bhagavad-gita we understand that the Vaisya community is specially responsible for giving protection to the cows as much as the ksatriya kings are responsible for giving protection to the citizens of the state. As such, if you can organize — and I believe you can do so, because by Grace of Krishna, you are in good position amongst the mercantile community — big dairy farms with large pasturing grounds, then the problem of milk supply and cow protection will automatically be done. I do not know how much you will appreciate my this suggestion, but if you can do such organization, it will be a great service to the country and to the animals, and to this cause of Krishna Consciousness. If you be serious on this point then I can help you with all of my possible energies.

From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Sumati Morarjee — 1969

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Where is happiness?

Everyone wants to be happy. Who does not want to be happy? But he does not know how to become happy. Nobody’s happy, I have seen. Therefore they drink. Whenever there is unhappiness, they cannot adjust it — “Let me drink.” This is Western happiness. They have no other information. So just try. You are comfortably situated. There is no economic shortage. Now you become devotee. Then you’ll be happy. Otherwise it is not possible. Don’t think by getting large sum money one becomes happy. That is not the fact. That is a mistake.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation with Vrindavan De – July 6, 1977, Vrndavana

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Strong devotee conquers

A strong devotee makes propaganda against all other spiritual conceptions — namely jnana, karma and yoga. With his devotional flag unfurled, he always stands fast to conquer other conceptions of transcendental realization. Whenever there is an argument between a devotee and a nondevotee, the pure, strong devotee comes out victorious.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 4.28.29, purport

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Chanting all the time

Reporter (1): Are your disciples supposed to chant the mantra all the time?

Prabhupada: Yes. All my disciple is chanting.

Reporter (1): Are they supposed to chant the mantra throughout the day?

Prabhupada: Oh, yes.

Reporter (1): All the time?

Prabhupada: Just like I am talking with you, and as soon as talking stops, I am… My hand is going: “Hare Krsna.” Kirtaniyah sada.

Reporter (1): Is it possible to talk and also to chant the mantra at the same time?

Prabhupada: Yes. That requires practice. That requires practice. Just like woman is cooking and [s]he is also talking. It does not mean the cooking is going bad. It is practice.

Conversation with Newspaper Reporters – March 25, 1976, Delhi

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Ideal monarchy compared to modern democracy

The Battle of Kuruksetra was planned by the Lord to establish the real representative of the Lord, Maharaja Yudhisthira. An ideal king thoroughly trained by culture and devotional service with the martial spirit makes a perfect king. Such a personal monarchy is far better than the so-called democracy of no training and responsibility. The thieves and rogues of modern democracy seek election by misrepresentation of votes, and the successful rogues and thieves devour the mass of population. One trained monarch is far better than hundreds of useless ministerial rogues, and it is hinted herein that by abolition of a monarchical regime like that of Maharaja Pariksit, the mass of people become open to many attacks of the age of Kali. They are never happy in an overly advertised form of democracy.

Srila Prabhupada; SB 1.18.43, Purport

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Imagined dinosaurs

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, the other day we were talking about proving different assumptions through archeological findings.

Prabhupada: That is also bogus. Archeological findings is bogus.

Brahmananda: But it seems that big skeletons of all these big dinosaurs.

Prabhupada: That we have already information. We have got timingala. Just like big house. They can swallow up, what is called?

Devotee: Whale. Whale.

Prabhupada: Whale (indistinct).

Tamala Krishna: No but these dinosaurs move on the land. They’re not fish. And they’re very big and we have information.

Prabhupada: So what is to you? You are also a created being. He’s also created being. That’s the (indistinct). You are not creator of the (indistinct).

Tamala Krishna: But you say that there was more intelligent life previously, whereas we see these dinosaurs were previously.

Prabhupada: But you do not see, you simply imagine.

Tamala Krishna: No. We have the skeletons.

Devotee: We have the bones, the bones of animals.

Prabhupada: But that’s all right. There was a big animal, that’s all. Just like you are a foolish animal, so there was a big animal. What is the difference? They are animals.

Tamala Krishna: But we have skeletons showing the men at that time also and their brains were very tiny.

Prabhupada: That you say. But I don’t believe it. I have not seen.

Tamala Krishna: Well, they have skeletons in the museum.

Brahmananda: Very thick skulls and very small brains.

Tamala Krishna: Almost like a ape.

Prabhupada: That’s all right. There was a big animal. So what is the difference? They are animals, big or small. You have seen a skeleton of pygmy man also. So where is that man now? You have seen pygmy man, you don’t require archeological. So where is that man?

Tamala Krishna: No, they don’t live any more. Now we are more intelligent. Previously there were pygmy men, very less intelligent, small, not nice looking. Now we have got morei

Prabhupada: According to our sastra you are going to be pygmy men. That is, there is proof, because you are not as strong as your forefathers. That’s a fact. You are becoming dwarfer, dwarfer. According to our sastra you come to that pygmy, (indistinct) in due course of time. As it was before, so again the time is repeating, history repeating.

Tamala Krishna: Then that means our pygmy men were from a previous Kali-yuga?

Prabhupada: Yes. We say there was Kali-yuga. Four yugas are changing.

Tamala Krishna: Dinosaurs also?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Tamala Krishna: They’re from Kali-yuga?

Prabhupada: Kali-yuga, any yuga. The things are going on by nature’s way, prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmanii [BG 3.27]. They’re going on.

Devotee: But if we have bones from so many yugas ago.

Prabhupada: That’s all right. There are 8,400,000 species of life. You have seen some of them. That’s all.

Ramesvara: They have got so many bones in the museums showing these gigantic animals.

Prabhupada: Not gigantic. There are bones. But that animal is still there, whalefish.

Ramesvara: Whalefish.

Prabhupada: Oh, yes. Very big body.

Ramesvara: Some have become extinct.

Prabhupada: Why they should be extinct?

Hrdayananda: No longer on the earth.

Ramesvara: No longer on this planet.

Prabhupada: (too much noise) Not necessarily. They are within the ocean.

Hari-sauri: No, other animals.

Prabhupada: What other animals?

Ramesvara: Those gigantic, they called them.

Hrdayananda: Brontasaurus.

Ramesvara: Tyrannasaurus. Gigantic animals, they say are meat-eaters.

Hrdayananda: Dinosaurus.

Hari-sauri: Tetrasaurus.

Prabhupada: Another imagination. These are actual facts.(?)

Hari-sauri: They just made up different compositions of bones and then drew some outlines on them.

Prabhupada: Yes. They are imagination.

Hari-sauri: But you said in Hawaii though that there are some animals that are as big as skyscrapers?

Prabhupada: Yes, these are birds. It is far from this earth though. They travel from one planet to another.

Ramesvara: So these bones that they have found of these gigantic animals, they were all living underneath the water.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Ramesvara: Not on the land.

Prabhupada: Maybe. But the list is there: jalaja nava-laksani. There are 900,000 different forms, and how many we have seen? There is information in the sastra. Pasavas trimsal-laksani. Three million different types of animals.

Hari-sauri: We’ve seen a few hundred at most.

Prabhupada: That’s all. (laughs) That is also doubtful.

Conversation with Devotees, Hyderabad, April 14, 1975

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Demons fighting demons

Prabhupada said, “The ksatriyas fought on religious principles. They were noble warriors, not murderers.”

“What about the modern soldiers?” Yasomatinandana inquired. “Do they go to the heavenly planets when they die on the battlefield?”

Prabhupada shook his head. “They are simply demons fighting demons for economic reasons. How can they go to heaven? They go to hell — both sides.”

From “Transcendental Diary” by Hari Sauri Prabhu

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Nama-prabhu does not tolerate criticism of a preacher

Sri Padma Purana states: satam ninda namnah paramam aparadham vitanute / yatah khyatim yatam katham u sahate tad-vigarham. To blaspheme the great saintly persons who are engaged in preaching the glories of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra is the worst offense at the lotus feet of the holy name. One should not criticize a preacher of the glories of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. If one does so, he is an offender. The Nama-prabhu, who is identical with Krsna, will never tolerate such blasphemous activities, even from one who passes as a great devotee.

Srila Prabhupada – CC Adi 8.24 purport.

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