Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 112
July 31, 2022
Service means following orders
Service means you must take order from the master. That is service. Otherwise it is mental concoction. Actually, the servant requests, “How can I serve you?” So when the master orders, “You serve me like this,” then you do that, that is service. And if you manufacture your service, that is not service. That is your sense gratification. Yasya prasadad bhagavat-praadah. You have to see how he is pleased. Now if he wants a glass of water and if you bring a nice glass of milk, you can say milk is better than water, you take it. That is not service. He wants water, you give him water. Don’t manufacture better thing.
Srila Prabhupada; Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 15.15, August 5, 1976, New Mayapur, France
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July 30, 2022
Initiation
Initiation means beginning. Not that immediately after initiation one becomes perfect.
Srila Prabhupada. Initiation Lecture – June 4, 1969, New Vrindavan
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July 29, 2022
Four regulative principles, sixteen rounds, go BTG
It is very much pleasing to me to hear that you are making such steady advancement in Krishna Consciousness. If you continue in this way, and strictly follow the four regulative principles, making sure to chant at least sixteen rounds on the beads, daily, it is without a doubt that at the end of this lifetime, you can go back home, back to Godhead.
(From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Amogha — Bombay 26 December, 1972)
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July 28, 2022
Gramya-katha
Those who are transcendentalist, they are not interested in these worldly talks. That is very disgusting to them. They avoid such company who talks nonsense about these worldly affairs. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised His disciples, gramya-katha na kahibe [Cc Antya 6.236]. Gramya-katha. Gramya means pertaining to the village, society, neighborhood. People are interested in talking the gramya-katha. Grama, from grama, gramya. Just like the newspaper. This newspaper is full of gramya-katha. There is no spiritual understanding. The whole newspaper… Here we have got four, five, ten pages newspaper, and in USA they have got bunch, one load of newspaper, full of gramya-katha. There was an estimation that the New York Times required, to publish one day’s publication, to kill so many trees. Because the paper is now in scarcity. Why? Because they’re killing the trees and making this gramya-katha newspaper, bunch of. Useless. They are making profit.
Srila Prabhupada/ Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.12 – November 12, 1974, Bombay
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July 27, 2022
Changing the nature of Kali-yuga
Devotee (2): Srila Prabhupada, is it possible for the Krsna consciousness movement to change the nature of the Kali-yuga?
Prabhupada: Certainly. Certainly. Just like if there is epidemic disease and you get vaccinated, then there is no disease for you. Similarly, the Kali-yuga may be with so many defects, but if you remain Krsna conscious, these defects will not touch you, because you become transcendental.
June 30, 1974, Melbourne
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July 26, 2022
Seventy-five live at the cost of twenty-five
Seventy-five men will live at the cost of the twenty-five men, grhastha. Our Vedic civilization is that in the society there are four divisions: the brahmacari, the grhastha, the vanaprastha, and the sannyasi. Suppose there are hundred men in a village or in a place. The society is divided into four asramas: brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha… This is material calculation. Suppose if there are hundred men, seventy-five men are to be considered brahmacari, vanaprastha and sannyasi. So these seventy-five men will live at the cost of the twenty-five men, grhastha. Grhastha has to give alms to the brahmacari, to the vanaprastha, and to the sannyasa. Just see how nice communism. The one twenty-five-percent group, they are earning, and they are maintaining seventy-five men.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.8, Bombay, November 8, 1974
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July 25, 2022
Lord Caitanya’s weapons for killing in Kali-yuga
The devotees are always anxious to see God, so God comes down to give relief to the devotee, being present before them. Paritranaya sadhunam. Another: vinasaya ca duskrtam, to annihilate the demons. So there…, for annihilating, for killing, you require weapons. Krsna has His weapon, sudarsana-cakra. Lord Ramacandra has His weapon, bow and arrow. What is the weapon of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu? Sangopangastra-parsadam. His associates are His weapons. This is astra. Because in the Kali-yuga they are so fallen, even they are demons, they are third-class, fourth-class demons. [laughter]
[laughs] So they need not be killed. They are already killed. Their mode of life, their atmosphere, they are always dead. Just like we see so many demons. So what is there to kill them? They are already killed. They have no life. So this killing process in Kali-yuga is to kill their demonic propensities. And how to kill that demonic propensities? By spreading Hare Krsna movement. This is astra. Otherwise to kill them is not… By life, it is not difficult. One slap is sufficient. You don’t require other weapon. But real Krsna comes to kill or to give protection — because He is Absolute, it is the same thing. If He is killing some demons, He is giving him protection. He stops his demonic activities further, to implicate himself in more trouble. Therefore when Krsna kills one demon, that means He saves him. He saves him. The Absolute; this is Absolute. Either He protects His devotee or kills the demon, the result is the same. Therefore He is called Absolute.
Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Bhagavad-gita 7.2 – March 10, 1975, London
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July 24, 2022
Don’t try to play tricks with Krsna
Krsna is the supreme creator of everything. He is andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham [Bs 5.35]. He is conscious, abhijnah, of everything.
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthati
[Bg. 18.61]
He knows everything, even within your heart, what you’re thinking, what you are planning. It cannot be concealed to Krsna. This is our foolishness, that we are doing something, concealing. You can conceal my eyes, other friend’s eyes, but you cannot conceal the eyes of Krsna. He is upadrastanumanta [Bg. 13.23]. That is explained in Bhagavad-gita. Upadrasta: He is seeing always what you are doing. You cannot play tricks with Krsna; that is not possible.
isvarah sarva-bhutanam
hrd-dese ‘rjuna tisthati
[Bg. 18.61]
So those who are anxious to become Krsna conscious, sincere devotee of Krsna, they should not try to play tricks. Krsna will know everything.
Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Bhagavad-gita 4.4 — February 12, 1974, Vrndavana
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July 23, 2022
A pinch of attachment
Because Krsna is so kind, if you have got even a little pinch of attachment for this material world, you are not allowed to enter into the kingdom of God. You must be completely free.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1-2 September 7, 1975, Vrndavana
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July 22, 2022
For the anniversary of the incorporation of ISKCON in New York
CC Madhya 25.120 Translation:
Now please hear from Me about the process of devotional service, which is applicable in any country, for any person, at all times and in all circumstances.
Purport:
The cult of bhagavata-dharma can be spread in all circumstances, among all people and in all countries. Many envious people accuse the Krsna consciousness movement of spoiling the rigidity of so-called Hinduism. That is not actually the fact. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that devotional service to the Lord-the cult of bhagavata-dharma, which is now being spread as the Hare Krsna movement-can be spread in every country, to every person, in any condition of life, and in all circumstances. Bhagavata-dharma does not restrict pure devotees to the Hindu community. A pure devotee is above a brahmana; therefore it is not incompatible to offer the sacred thread to devotees in Europe, America, Australia, Japan, Canada, and so on. Sometimes these pure devotees, who have been accepted by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, are not allowed to enter certain temples in India. Also, some high-caste brahmanas and gosvamis refuse to take prasadam in the temples of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Actually this is against the instruction of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Devotees can come from any country, and they can belong to any creed or race. On the strength of this verse, those who are actually devotees and followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu must accept devotees from all parts of the world as pure Vaisnavas. They should be accepted not artificially but factually. One should see how they are advanced in Krsna consciousness and how they are conducting Deity worship, sankirtana and Ratha-yatra. Considering all these points, the envious persons must henceforward refrain from their malicious atrocities.
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