Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 125
March 21, 2022
How to please the Lord
The Lord is very satisfied with His devotee when the devotee greets other people with tolerance, compassion, friendship, and equality.
Srila Prabhupada’s translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.11.13 (spoken by Svayambhuva Manu)
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Protection from nuclear devastation
You have asked about whether nuclear devastation on this planet would affect the Sankirtana Movement. No, there is nothing that can stop the Sankirtana Movement because it is the will of God Himself, Lord Caitanya, that His Holy Name be heard in every town and village. Neither can the demons devastate this planet independent of the will of Krsna. Nothing happens without His sanction. If Krsna wants to kill someone no one can save him, and if Krsna wants to save someone no one can kill him. For our parts we should just be determined to carry out our mission against all opposition, demons, nuclear war, whatever. The whole universe is finally subject to certain annihilation by the will of Krsna, but devotional service is eternal and is the only certain way one can save himself from devastation. We can preach all over the world that the only way to be saved from collective and individual devastation is to take to the chanting of Hare Krsna. In short, this material world is a very precarious place therefore we should always chant Hare Krsna and seek Krsna’s protection.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Makhanlal — Mayapur 22 June, 1973
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March 19, 2022
Advanced civilization: man to man marriage
Paramahamsa: They also have that “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
Prabhupada: Yes. And they are very expert in doing that. That is advanced civilization. Now they are marrying man to man and accepting homosex, so what is the value now of this priestly class?
Morning Walk, May 13, 1975, Perth
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Srila Prabhupada on his wonderful books
Tamala Krsna: Wonderful book, Nectar of Devotion.
Srila Prabhupada: Every book is. Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Nectar of Devotion. Whichever one he will read, he will become Krsna conscious.
16 Feb 1977
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March 18, 2022
Take Lord Caitanya’s mercy & distribute
Even if he becomes a very big yogi, he has to undergo suffering, duhkhalayam asasvatam. This world is like that. For practicing this hatha-yoga, it requires much labor. It is not so easy. They are thinking that they have got this power, yogi, but it is exactly like if you want to become high-court judge, if you want to become prime minister — it is not so easy. You have to work very hard. Nobody gets all these posts so easily like [indistinct]. No. One has to work very hard. Duhkhalayam, you have to undergo. You want some very exalted post in this material, either as yogi, or karmi or jnani, it requires the hard labor. But a devotee, because he does not want anything like the karmi, jnani and yogi, for them, visvam purnam sukhayate. The whole material world is happy. Visvam purnam sukhayate.
So this is possible by Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mercy. It is possible. Therefore Prabodhananda Sarasvati has given us this instruction, that yat karunya kataksa vaibhavavatam [Caitanya-candramrta 5]. It is possible to become perfectly cent per cent happy by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Not even full mercy. If Caitanya Mahaprabhu simply looks over anyone, directly person will be happy as [indistinct]. Take mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and distribute it throughout the whole world. This is the Krsna consciousness movement.
Srila Prabhupada, Lecture at Kumbha-mela – January 13, 1977, Allahabad
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March 16, 2022
Krsna-prema-pradaya te
To understand Krsna is very, very difficult. Out of many, many millions of person, one tries for making his life successful. And out of many, many such successful, yatatam api siddhanam, one who has attained siddhi, such person, may…, one may understand Krsna. So Krsna, to understand… So first of all, we cannot understand Krsna. Then what is the…, where is the question of love of Krsna? If you do not understand somebody, how you can love him? Love is far, far away. But Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so kind that He is distributing krsna-prema: “Take, anyone. Come on.” Krsna-prema-pradaya te.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.30 – November 30, 1974, Bombay
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March 15, 2022
Lord Caitanya’s ideal example
As an ideal teacher and acarya, He was very strict in the routine work of a sannyasi. Apart from being a divine incarnation, the Lord was an ideal character as a human being. His behavior with other persons was also above suspicion. In His dealing as acarya, He was harder than the thunderbolt and softer than the rose. (i)
On the principles of the renounced order of life and discipline, the Lord knew no compromise, and therefore even though He knew that the King was a great devotee, He refused to see the King, only because the King was a dollar-and-cent man. By this example the Lord wanted to emphasize the proper behavior for a transcendentalist. A transcendentalist has nothing to do with women and money. He must always refrain from such intimate relations.
Srila Prabhupada, SB 1 Intro
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Lord Caitanya’s only desire
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the most benevolent personality in human society because His only desire is to make people happy. His sankirtana movement is especially meant for the purpose of making people happy.
Srila Prabhupada, Cc 1.9.45, purport
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March 13, 2022
The best Bengali sweet
Bahulasva: Out here on the campus, Srila Prabhupada, different people come with little carts, and they sell food things. They get a permit. We were thinking to have a little cart and sell Bengali sweets.
Prabhupada: Yes. Bengali sweet selling is not our business. We should not waste in that way. Our business is how to make him Krsna conscious. If we find such opportunity by selling Bengali sweets, then we can sell. Otherwise it is useless. You should always remember this. We are not for selling Bengali sweets or any such thing unless it is connected with preaching our Krsna consciousness. You should remember it.
Citsukhananda: Bengali sweets means Caitanya-caritamrta, different books of Caitanya-caritamrta.
Prabhupada: Tripurari. He does so. [chuckles] He will sell Bengali sweet, and he will say, “You will find the formula here.” So that his main business is to sell the Caitanya-caritamrta. Hare Krsna.
Morning Walk Conversation — July 17, 1975, San Francisco
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Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper
Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised His disciples, “Never eat very palatable foodstuff. Never talk these village talks.” Ordinary novel, literature, newspaper, He forbade.
Fortunately, in our Society there is no newspaper. You may be surprised that “How is that, in modern age, especially these Europeans and Americans, they do not take any interest in newspaper?” In their country, if one does not get newspaper, it is horrible. It is horrible. Newspaper is so popular in the Western countries. There are so many newspapers, and each newspaper is publishing three, four times editions. But they are selling. But you’ll find that these boys, these Americans boys who have come to Krsna consciousness, they have kicked out newspaper. No more newspaper. Because there is no krsna-katha, they don’t like to read it. This is called bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42].
This is the test. We do not know what is the happening daily. It is…, it does not matter, newspaper. It is a waste of time. Better that time read some literature like Srimad-Bhagavatam, Bhagavad-gita. You’ll be benefited. Why you should waste the valuable time of your life?
Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.12 – November 12, 1974, Bombay
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