Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 116
June 20, 2022
Loving God and loving dog
Interviewer: Can you convert the world?
Prabhupada: Yes provided you listen to me. I say that you love God, if you think, that “I shall love dog,” then how can I convert you? You may ask, “What is the difference between loving God and dog?” The difference is if you love God then you can learn to love everyone but if you love dog you simply love dog nobody else. That is the difference.
Srila Prabhupada – Interview – September 9, 1972, Pittsburgh
The post Loving God and loving dog appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 19, 2022
A definition of bhakti
Bhakti is a relationship between master and servant. The servant’s duty is to serve the master, and the master supplies whatever the servant needs.
Srila Prabhupada – TKQ 6 purport
The post A definition of bhakti appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
How to abandon lust, anger, greed, and fear
Translation: By making plans with determination, one should give up lusty desires for sense gratification. Similarly, by giving up envy one should conquer anger, by discussing the disadvantages of accumulating wealth one should give up greed, and by discussing the truth one should give up fear.
Purport: Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura has suggested how one can conquer lusty desires for sense gratification. One cannot give up thinking of women, for thinking in this way is natural; even while walking on the street, one will see so many women. However, if one is determined not to live with a woman, even while seeing a woman he will not become lusty. If one is determined not to have sex, he can automatically conquer lusty desires. The example given in this regard is that even if one is hungry, if on a particular day he is determined to observe fasting, he can naturally conquer the disturbances of hunger and thirst.
Srila Prabhupada – SB 7.15.22 translation and purport
The post How to abandon lust, anger, greed, and fear appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 17, 2022
Discrimination in association with devotees
It is recommended that one associate with devotees, but there must be some discrimination. Actually, a sadhu, a saintly person, must be saintly in his behavior (sadhavah sad-acarah). Unless one adheres to the standard behavior, one’s position as a sadhu, a saintly person, is not complete. Therefore a Vaisnava, a sadhu, must completely adhere to the standard of behavior. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura says that a Vaisnava, a person initiated into the Vaisnava cult, should be offered the respect befitting a Vaisnava, which means that he should be offered service and prayers. However, one should not associate with him if he is not a fit person with whom to associate.
From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 7.7.32
The post Discrimination in association with devotees appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
The whole world is full of rascals
Maya is so strong that untruthful things, we take it as truthful. Just like the modern scientists. These rascals, he could not, they cannot, they will never be able to produce life. Still, they are insisting: “Yes, we will do it. We can do.” The whole world is full of rascals. What they cannot do, what they could not do, what they’ll never be able to do… Still, they will persist. This is the difficulty. They have never gone to moon planet, their aeroplane. They cannot go anywhere. You have got plane. They are conditioned. And they are thinking, “We are free.” Just like an animal is bound up in a plane, and he’s going round, here and here. He’s thinking, “The world is round. The world is round.” He does not accept that “I am conditioned.” They have got now aeroplane, jet plane and so many. Go anywhere. They cannot go. Still, they are proud: “We have measured.” This dog’s obstinacy of this modern world has killed the whole civilization.
Srila Prabhupada/ Room Conversation with Mr. Myer – July 2, 1977, Vrndavana
The post The whole world is full of rascals appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 15, 2022
Womens Lib in America
Gopala Krsna: There is a very big women’s liberation movement in America, they call it Womens Lib. So they want equal opportunity for women.
Prabhupada: But who will give birth to the child? [laughter] Where is that liberation? [laughter] Can the woman transfer to the man to give birth to the child? [laughter].
Devotee (2): They are trying. [laughter]
Prabhupada: Where is the liberty? The woman has to carry the child for ten months — nature’s way. To go against nature, that is foolishness. God has made woman. Man should have respect [indistinct]. What woman can do, man cannot do. What man can do, woman cannot do. So how there can be equal rights? That is not possible. Everyone should do his own duty and be happy. Karyam karma karoti [Bg. 6.1]
“It is my duty. I have to do it.” Husband should give all comforts to the wife; she may not be uncomfortable in any way. They want food, cloth, little ornaments. Yes. In so many ways, the husband must give to keep the woman satisfied. [indistinct] In India you will find that the poor man, they will get — what is called — lead bangles. They cannot provide silver or gold, but bangle must be there. If not lead, then glass. She will be satisfied with good sari, good bangle, good foods and some children.
(July 25, 1974, New York)
The post Womens Lib in America appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 14, 2022
Unnecessary necessities
SB 7.14.5 TRANSLATION
While working to earn his livelihood as much as necessary to maintain body and soul together, one who is actually learned should live in human society unattached to family affairs, although externally appearing very much attached.
PURPORT
This is the picture of ideal family life. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked Ramananda Raya about the goal of life, Ramananda Raya described it in different ways, according to the recommendations of the revealed scriptures, and finally Sri Ramananda Raya explained that one may stay in his own position, whether as a brahmana, a sudra, a sannyasi or whatever, but one must try to inquire about life’s goal (athato brahma-jijnasa). This is the proper utilization of the human form of life. When one misuses the gift of the human form by unnecessarily indulging in the animal propensities of eating, sleeping, mating and defending and does not try to get out of the clutches of maya, which subjects one to repeated birth, death, old age and disease, one is again punished by being forced to descend to the lower species and undergo evolution according to the laws of nature. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah. Being completely under the grip of material nature, the living entity must evolve again from the lower species to the higher species until he at last returns to human life and gets the chance to be freed from the material clutches. A wise man, however, learns from the sastras and guru that we living entities are all eternal but are put into troublesome conditions because of associating with different modes under the laws of material nature. He therefore concludes that in the human form of life he should not endeavor for unnecessary necessities, but should live a very simple life, just maintaining body and soul together. Certainly one requires some means of livelihood, and according to one’s varna and asrama this means of livelihood is prescribed in the sastras. One should be satisfied with this. Therefore, instead of hankering for more and more money, a sincere devotee of the Lord tries to invent some ways to earn his livelihood, and when he does so Krsna helps him. Earning one’s livelihood, therefore, is not a problem. The real problem is how to get free from the bondage of birth, death and old age. Attaining this freedom, and not inventing unnecessary necessities, is the basic principle of Vedic civilization. One should be satisfied with whatever means of life comes automatically. The modern materialistic civilization is just the opposite of the ideal civilization. Every day the so-called leaders of modern society invent something contributing to a cumbersome way of life that implicates people more and more in the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease.
The post Unnecessary necessities appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 13, 2022
Christ and Jagannatha
There is a book called Aquarian Gospel in which it is stated that Lord Jesus Christ lived in the temple of Jagannatha. Without being His devotee, how could he live there and how the authorities could allow a nondevotee to live there? From that book it appears that Lord Jesus Christ lived in intimate relations with the priest order.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hayagriva — Los Angeles 31 July, 1969
The post Christ and Jagannatha appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
The only consideration: how much you love God
Bhava-grahi janardana. Bhava. The Personality of Godhead takes account of your mental… Not exactly mental–your spiritual attraction, how much you are attracted. This attraction is the main thing. As I have several times explained in this meeting, that sa vai pumsam paro dharma yato bhaktir adhoksaje. What is the highest type of religion? Everyone will say that “My system of religion is better than yours.” That is quite natural. A Hindu will say, “Oh, I am better than the Christian.” Christian will say, “I am better than the Hindu.” But Bhagavata says that that is not the test of religion. Bhagavat says, sa vai pumsam paro dharmo yato bhaktir adhoksaje.
That type of religion is the best by which one develops love of Godhead. That’s all. The test is how much you have developed love of Godhead. Bhava-grahi janardana. In Vedic literature it is said that God, Krsna, simply accepts your bhava or your situation, how much you have developed your attraction for God, or Krsna. That is taken into account. He does not take account that “Oh, you are very rich. You are very beautiful. You are very opulent,” or “You are very poor. You are not beautiful.” These considerations are not there. The only consideration is how much you love God. Then your life is successful.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on SB 7.9.12, Montreal, August 19, 1968
The post The only consideration: how much you love God appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
June 11, 2022
The result of not having varnasrama-dharma
I have traveled all over the world so many times. Because there is no varnasrama-dharma, how loose they are. That has been experimented. I have seen. So actually, unless one comes to the standard of varnasrama-dharma, he is not considered to be a human being.
Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.2.8 Lecture, Vrindavan, October 19, 1972
The post The result of not having varnasrama-dharma appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.
