Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 109

PhD in Krishna Consciousness

Srila Prabhupada now wants to establish a seat of Krishna Consciousness at the Gorakhpur University in Gorakhpur. It is a very formidable university and Dr. Rao (Ramananda) and Kirtanananda Maharaj and others are presently there trying to establish such a program. The idea is that students may come there to receive their PhD in Krishna Consciousness and then go out and teach in colleges, schools and temples all over the world. His Divine Grace is very enthusiastic about this program; if the program was recognized by the U.S. colleges, millions could take to Krishna Consciousness as their major!

Srila Prabhupada, quoted in a letter from Aravinda, 17 Nov 1970

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Purity in Krsna consciousness

Whatever success is there, it is due to our purity, following purity principles. First you must be sincere and pure, then there is a question of spiritual advancement.

Srila Prabhupada, quoted in a letter from Aravinda to Satsvarupa, 28 Nov 1970

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Endeavor of devotees and non-devotees

The Mayavadis, they also undergo severe austerities to become one with the Supreme, impersonalists. Any… I have given the… Karmi, jnani, yogi, politicians, and everyone — everyone has got some aim. Many rich men, they commit suicide. So this is possi… This is the ultimate result of nondevotee. He may rise up by endeavor to a certain position as he imagined, “This is the best position.” Just like we are also trying to occupy the best position — to become associate of Krsna, to live with devotees. We have got also some aim, and the nondevotees, they have also got aim. But the devotees will never fall down, while the nondevotee will fall down. And if devotee circumstantially, by chance, falls down — not like them — he’ll be again picked up by Krsna. This is the science, Krsna consciousness. A devotee’s position is certain. Now, take for example my position. For ordinary karmi to purchase so many properties all over the world and so many other things, money and everything, if karmi had to do it, how much hardship he had to go.

Srila Prabhupada — April 18, 1977, Bombay

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The Nectar of Devotion

“This book, Nectar of Devotion, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, if you read regularly, try to understand, this means you are associating with Srila Rupa Gosvami directly. And if you act accordingly, then you are serving [his] lotus feet.”

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on the Nectar of Devotion (20 October, 1972, in Vrndavana)

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Simply speak what Krsna has said

One who has understood Krsna perfectly – this is the qualification of guru. So that qualification, to attain, is not very difficult. But because we are rascals, we do not try to take the qualification. That qualification is very simple. Who can understand Krsna? Krsna is not so cheap thing. He has said already that yatatam api siddhanam kascin vetti mam tattvatah [Bg. 7.3]. [Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.] So it not very easy. But it is very easy if you take the process, easiest process. What is that easiest process? That easiest process: you don’t talk nonsense; you simply talk what Krsna has said. That’s all. And many times they give me very great credit that I have done wonderful. Yes, I have done wonderful. But what is the reason? Because I am not a rascal. I speak what Krsna has spoken, that’s all. Very easy. Everyone can do that. Not only I; any of you, you can do this. Simply speak what is…, what Krsna has said. That’s all. Don’t make addition, alteration. Then you become rascal. Immediately you become rascal.

So you don’t want to become a rascal – if you want to become a mahatma – then you accept what Krsna says and preach that. Krsna says, mattah parataram nanyat [Bg. 7.7]: “There is no more superior authority than Me.” You say that. You say, vasudevah sarvam iti. “Here is… Krsna is the cause.” You understand or don’t understand, if you simply pick up the words of Krsna and talk like that, then you become mahatma. There is no difficulty to become mahatma. But these duratmas, the rascals, they talk differently from Krsna. Therefore they are not mahatmas; they are all duratma. Therefore the process is that if you want to make progress in Krsna consciousness, then you have to find out a guru who is mahatma.

Srila Prabhupada /Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.5.29 – August 10, 1974, Vrndavana

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Highest development of Krsna consciousness

“The highest development of Krsna consciousness understanding will be when you are able to give anyone the truth but in such a manner that they will respond in a positive way.”

(Srila Prabhupada, letter to Sankarsana, Dec. ’72)

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Suffering is Krsna’s mercy

Learned devotees accept even conditions of distress as representing the presence of the Supreme Lord.

When a devotee is in distress, he sees that the Lord has appeared as distress just to relieve or purify the devotee from the contamination of the material world. While one is within this material world, one is in various conditions, and  therefore a devotee sees a condition of distress as but another feature of the Lord. Tat te’nukampam susamiksamanah (SB 10.14.8). A devotee, therefore, regards distress as a great favor of the Lord because he understands that he is being cleansed of contamination. Tesam aham  samuddharta mrtyu-samsara-sagarat (Bg.  12.7). The appearance of distress is a negative process intended to give the devotee relief from this material world, which is called mrtyu-samsara, or the constant repetition of birth and death. To save a surrendered soul from repeated birth and death, the Lord purifies him of contamination by offering him a little distress. This cannot be understood by a nondevotee, but a devotee can see this because he is vipascit, or learned. A nondevotee, therefore, is perturbed in distress, but a devotee welcomes distress as another feature of the Lord. Sarvam khalv idam brahma. A devotee can actually see that there is only the Supreme Personality of Godhead and no second entity. Ekam evadvitiyam. There is only the Lord, who presents Himself in different energies.

From Srila Prabhupada’s  purport to Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.28

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Starting a journey without knowledge of the destination

What is the purpose of the activity? You start your car, but if you do not know where to go, then what is the use of starting your car? Simply spoiling your energy and spoiling the petrol. Is that very good proposition: “I do not know where to go, that doesn’t matter; therefore I start my car. Never mind if I meet with accident”?

Srila Prabhupada, Conversation regarding philosopher Kierkegaard

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Please become a hog

Not that because I want sense gratification, therefore let me under the name of independence, let me become naked and have sex life on the street. That day is coming. It already has come to some extent. They are taking this as freedom.

This freedom is not very good. This freedom means that as soon as you become so free that to have sex life on the street like cats and dogs and hogs, you will get your next life. Nature will give you very good chance, that “All right, you have got this human form of life to understand God, but you have misused it. Now you want to become a hog? Please become a hog.” How you can check it? Is there any science to check? Because after this death, all this science and philosophy is finished after this body is finished. Then you are under the control of nature. What will you do? The nature will force you to enter the womb of a hog or a dog. How you can check it?

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.9 – September 15, 1972, Los Angeles

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Srila Prabhupada remembers old days in Calcutta

That was the training in the childhood. This Ratha-yatra, Radha-Govinda seva, prasada distribution. Only the new thing I am doing — writing of books by the order of Guru Maharaja. Otherwise, whatever I have introduced, I was trained up in childhood. I simply imitated.

Conversation about Old Days in Calcutta – July 1, 1977, Vrndavana

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