Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 122

This is bhakti

Our natural position is to provide enjoyment for Krsna. In the spiritual world, for example, Krsna enjoys, and the gopis, the transcendental cowherd girls, supply the ingredients for Krsna’s enjoyment. This is bhakti.

From Teachings of Queen Kunti, Ch 6 By Srila Prabhupada

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Constant companionship with the Lord by Srimad-Bhagavatam

Srimad-Bhagavatam is a narration about the Personality of Godhead and the devotees of the Lord like the Pandavas. The narration of the Personality of Godhead and His devotees is absolute in itself, and thus to hear it with a devotional attitude is to associate with the Lord and constant companions with the Lord. Such constant companionship with the Lord by the process of hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam helps one attain the highest perfection of life, namely going back home, back to Godhead, without fail.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.15.51, purport

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Duplicitous friend or wife

If the wife is not chaste and friend is cheater, or satham…” Satham means duplicity, not very sincere friend. Outwardly he’s showing he’s very good friend, but inwardly he has got some intention. Such friend, duplicity, and unchaste wife, dusta bharya satham mitram and bhrtyas cottara-dayakah, and servant giving reply, and sa-sarpe ca grhe vasah, and in your room if there is a snake… Of course in this big, big concrete building there is no question of snake, but in cottages, huts, made with mud, earth, there are sometimes snakes.

So Canakya Pandita said, “If you live with a dusta bharya and a duplicity friend and an answer-giving servant and a snake, then you are sure to die sometime. You’ll be cheated.” (dusta bharya satham mitram bhrtyas cottara-dayakah sa-sarpe ca grhe vaso mrtyur eva na samsayah)

Srila Prabhupada; Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 5.6.4 Vrndavana, November 26, 1976

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Evolution bluff

Wherefrom the monkey is coming, why there are so many varieties of life, how it is…? What do they know? Nothing. All bluff, vague explanation, and that is going on in the name of science.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation – September 7, 1976, Vrndavana

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Offenders to Vaisnavas are offenders to Visnu

Whenever we find someone extraordinary preaching the bhakti cult, we should know that he is especially empowered by Lord Visnu, or Lord Krsna. As confirmed in Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11), krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana: one cannot explain the glories of the holy name of the Lord without being specifically empowered by Him. If one criticizes or finds fault with such an empowered personality, one is to be considered an offender against Lord Visnu and is punishable. Even though such offenders may dress as Vaisnavas with false tilaka and mala, they are never forgiven by the Lord if they offend a pure Vaisnava. There are many instances of this in the sastras.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 4.19.37

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Be careful in associating with devotees

The devotee should avoid a person whose character is not fixed in the standard understanding; even though he may be a Vaisnava, or a devotee of Krsna, if his character is not correctly representative, then he should be avoided. One should steadily control the senses and the mind and strictly follow the rules and regulations, and he should make friendship with persons of the same standard.

Srila Prabhupada; SB 3.29.18 purport

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Don’t waste your time with fools

You can take it for granted that nondevotee class who is not in Krishna Conciousness as we are teaching are all great fools never mind how ever they may advertise themselves as meditators, yogis, philosophers, religionists, and so on. We are presenting a scientific program of God Conciousness on the basis of the highest authority, Bhagavad-gita. For a preacher there are four principles to be followed. One, he must be fully surrendered to Krishna. Two, intimately in friendly relationship with devotees trying to elevate conditioned living entities to Krishna Conciousness and rejecting the nondevotee class. So if you find a nondevotee eager to listen submissively you can show your mercy to elevate him to Krishna Conciousness, but a nondevotee who is already poisoned by the serpent of the demon class swami or yogi is very difficult to be dealt with, so the best thing is to reject them and not waste time for their elevation; but a person who is willing to hear us submissively must be given chance to understand the philosophy of Krishna Conciousness. I am very much obliged to you for expressing your good sentiments on account of my humble service to you all. Your appreciation of my humble service is thankfully accepted.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Gurudasa — Los Angeles, 24 February, 1968

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Send the cow to the slaughterhouse

These rascals, they do not know. They are so much ungrateful. They are taking milk from the cows, and when the milk is no more supplied, “All right, send it to the slaughterhouse.” Once he has taken milk, he’s indebted; again, it is being killed by him. So how much he has become entangled in his karma he does not know.

Srila Prabhupada/ Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.49 — October 29, 1974, Mayapur

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Come here and hear about Krsna — become pious

This Krsna consciousness movement is giving chance people to become pious. Punya-sravana-kirtanah. “How? I have no money. How can I become pious? I cannot give in charity. I cannot go to take bath in the Ganges, and…” So many, there are pious activities. Tapasa brahmacaryena tyagena yamena niyamena [SB 6.1.13].

There are so many processes to become pious. In the sastra there are recommendation, “You do this to become pious.” So in this Kali-yuga people have lost all stamina how to become pious. They are so sinful. But here is the only means: you simply come here and hear about Krsna. You have got ears; Krsna has given you ears. And Krsna has given you tongue also. You can speak. Just like we are reciting the verses. So the tongue is there, the ear is here, there, and you can hear from realized soul and make your life perfect simply by hearing.

Srila Prabhupada/ Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.16 – November 16, 1974, Bombay

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Throughway to Happiness

We have often heard of Krsna’s rasa-lila with the cowherd girls in Vrndavana. That is not like ordinary exchanges that take place between these material bodies. Rather it is an exchange of feelings through spiritual bodies. One has to be somewhat intelligent to understand this, for a foolish man, who cannot understand what real happiness is, seeks happiness in this material world. In India there is the story of a man who did not know what sugarcane was and was told that it was very sweet to chew. “Oh, what does it look like?” he asked. “It looks just like a bamboo rod,” someone said. So the foolish man began to chew all kinds of bamboo rods. How can he begin to experience the sweetness of sugarcane? Similarly, we are trying to get happiness and pleasure, but we are trying for them by chewing this material body; therefore there is no happiness and no pleasure. For the time being there may be some little feeling of pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure, for it is temporary. It is like a show of lightning which we may see flashing in the sky that may momentarily seem like lightning, but the real lightning is beyond that. Because a person does not really know what happiness is, he deviates from real happiness.

From “Throughway to Happiness,” chapter 1 of “On the Way to Krsna,” by Srila Prabhupada

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