Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 129

How to stop crime

Lt. Mozee (Chicago police officer): I understood the spiritual leader had some ideas on how to prevent crime, how to do these things. I might inquire after he gives his ideas.

Prabhupada: It is not idea; it is fact that one man is very pious and one man is very vicious. What is the difference? The difference is: one is dirty in his heart and one is pure in his heart. So if you keep people dirty, then there will be crimes. This is the sign that the general people, they are dirty. So you have to purify the dirty things, diseased condition. Then things will be all right. So our simplest process is to assemble in congregation and chant the holy name of God. Then dirty things will go away.

So if you want to stop crime, then you have to arrange for mass sankirtana. That is our movement. Gather people as large as can be possible and congregationally chant the holy name of God. Then it will be all right.

(Conversation, 8 July 1976)

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What is the sign of devotee?

Now here, these boys, these girls, they are worshiping Krsna, and they are becoming devotee. What is the sign of devotee? The sign of devotee is that the devotees are no more interested with material enjoyment. That is devotee. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat [SB 11.2.42].

So these young boys and girls, they do not go to cinema. They do not smoke. They do not go any restaurant or club. Why? Virakti! Don’t want this! What to speak of here, poor country, but in the European, American countries, everything is available very cheap. But they are not interested. They are interested to sit down on the floor without any chair and follow me, whatever I say. They have no sufficient eating even. I cannot give them to their standard. Still… Why? Because they don’t want this material happiness. That is the test. That is the test. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra syat. When one will become detestful to material enjoyment, you will know, or he’ll know. Personally one can understand how much he is advanced in spiritual life. Spiritual life does not mean that a sannyasi is smoking and drinking tea, one gallon of tea. That is not spiritual life. He must be detestful. So this dharma, or spiritual life, means to have no more interest in material activities but only in the understanding of God, the Supreme, and His service. That is spiritual life.

Srila Prabhupada/ Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.1 – November 1, 1974,
Bombay

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Glories of India

Still in the mass of people of India, the Krsna consciousness is still existing; it is not yet lost. And they believe in the next birth, next life, past life. They believe in God, in Krsna. They’re satisfied with that position. But the modern leaders, they do not like it. They want to make them intoxicated so that they can work like an ass for the morsel of food.

Srila Prabhupada, Lecture, 29 Mar 1974

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Srila Prabhupada on the economics of artificial money

You simply present the card anywhere — you get things. You don’t require to pay. Then your bills will be paid by the bank. This is the system… Bank of American card, in any Bank of America, I can get one hundred to five undred dollars immediately. I have got that card….the respectable customers… Yes….money, then you can squander it, and that is the idea. And you more spend money; then they manufacture consumer goods. That is the policy… sad says, tena tyaktena bhunjitha: ‘Don’t use anything more than what is allotted to you.’ That’s all. But they are creating artificial demand, and the demand is being paid for by artificial paper. The government is issuing: ‘This is five hundred pounds or five hundred rupees,’ but it is paper only.

Morning Walk — April 17, 1974, Bombay

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Lord Caitanya glorifies Advaita Acarya

My mind has become purified because I have associated with Advaita Acarya, who is directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He is unparalleled in His understanding of all the revealed scriptures and the devotional service of Lord Krsna. Therefore He is called Advaita Acarya.

He is such a great personality that by His mercy He can convert even the meat-eaters [mlecchas] to the devotional service of Krsna. Who, therefore, can estimate the power of His Vaisnavism?

Cc Antya 7.17-19 texts, translation by Srila Prabhupada

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Decorations of a dead body

bhagavad-bhakti-hinasya
jatih sastram japas tapah
apranasyaiva dehasya
mandanam loka-ranjanam

For a person devoid of devotional service, birth in a great family or nation, knowledge of the revealed scriptures, performance of austerities and penance, and chanting of Vedic mantras are all like ornaments on a dead body. Such ornaments simply serve the concocted pleasures of the general populace.

Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11 qtd. In CC Madhya 17.75

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Progress

Prabhupada: Business is the punah punas carvita-carvananam, the same sex, same eating, the same sleeping, same defending, but in an improved way. Even in the heavenly planet, wherever you go, the same thing, simply… Just like this country and Europe, the standard of living different, but the business is the same. And the… When they improve or so-call improve the standard of living, they think, Now we are advanced. And what about your death? (aside:) Stop. The chicken is also dying; you are also dying. What is your improvement? That they cannot say. Real problem they cannot solve. Simply a little high standard of living, and they think this is advancement. And the Western civilization is influencing all other parts of the world in that way — Improve the standard of living. There is no improvement, but it is maya; they are thinking, This is improvement.

Pusta Krsna: Progress.

Prabhupada: Progress, yes. The progress is that they have got motorcar, and they have progressed how to die quickly. This is the progress. At any moment he can die. As soon as he on the car, 70 miles speed, that means taking the risk of dying at any moment. This is the progress.

Morning Walk — October 3, 1975, Mauritius

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Income for God or God’s service

And they [Sanatana and Rupa] divided the money in this way: 50% for God… Whatever they accumulated, they set aside 50% for God or God’s service. God means God’s service. God is not want of your money. (chuckles) He is quite competent to earn money. He doesn’t require anything. But if we give, it is our interest. It is our interest. So he set aside 50% of his accumulated money for God, 25% for the relatives, family members, and 25% he kept in some village banker or the original bankers, for emergency.

So that was the system. We can see from great sages and acaryas that whatever we earn… According to Bhagavad-gita, it is said, yajnarthat karmano ‘nyatra. Whatever you earn, yat karosi yaj juhosi. The result of your work should be offered to the Supreme. Now, if it is not possible to offer the whole thing to the Supreme, so at least one should offer 50% of his income for God’s purpose. That is the example we get from these acaryas.

So 50% for God, 25%… Of course, the relatives, they expect something from the father or the chief of the family, some, I mean to say, gift. They expect something. But according to these acarya rulings, the gift was only 25%, not that whatever money I have got, I leave to my family and go singlehanded to God. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham. If God asks you, “What you have sacrificed for Me? You have come to Me.” “No Sir. I have sacrificed everything for my family. For my family.” That is not good. That is not yajna. Yajna means… Now, if you cannot spare your money separately for God’s service, then you can engage yourself in God’s service and expend the money for God’s service. Don’t offer your money in other’s hand, but you spend yourself for God’s cause. That will make you perfect. Yajnarthat karmano ‘nyatra.

Srila Prabhupada; Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 3.8-11, New York, May 20, 1966

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All ISKCON devotees are liberated

This Krsna consciousness movement is teaching that way. They are always engaged in Krsna’s service, twenty-four hours; therefore they are self-realized. They are standing on their self. That is mukti. That is liberated. And those who are, these karmis, the jnanis, the yogis, they are not engaged in the self. They are trying to realize self. Therefore all these students, or the disciples of the Krsna consciousness movement, they are liberated persons, because they are acting as such. So everyone should join this movement and become liberated, immediately. You preach like that. Try to understand and preach.

Srila Prabhupada, Conversation regarding philosopher Kierkegaard

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The body has no value

When the soul leaves this body, then what it is? It has no value, a lump of matter. Just like a motorcar. So long it is moving, it is worth one lakh, and so long it does not move, it is simply lump of iron and copper and something. Who cares for it? It is thrown away. Same thing. The body has no value. It has value so long the soul is there.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.11 — Rotary Club Address — Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976

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