Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 142

Awaken to the ultimate solution

Narada continued: O you who are free from all sinful activity! No one can counteract the effects of fruitive activity simply by manufacturing a different activity devoid of Krsna consciousness. All such activity is due to our ignorance. When we have a troublesome dream, we cannot relieve it with a troublesome hallucination. One can counteract a dream only by awaking. Similarly, our material existence is due to our ignorance and illusion. Unless we awaken to Krsna consciousness, we cannot be relieved of such dreams. For the ultimate solution to all problems, we must awaken to Krsna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada/ SB 4.29.34, translation

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Civilization deteriorates, devotees protected by the Holy Name

I can understand your concern about the deterioration of the civilization. Yes, the city will be more dangerous place as Kali-yuga advances. It will be very deteriorating. The modern civilization is so corrupt and as sinful activities are more and more committee, the people will be forced to face more troubles, by nature’s order. Our business, however, is simply to take shelter of the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and pray to the Holy Name to give us protection. We shall be unaffected by all that will happen. Krsna will provide us with working facilities. Be assured of this, that the devotees will be protected by the Holy Name. Others will have to suffer in the days that are coming.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Kurusrestha — Bhaktivedanta Manor 23 July, 1973

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Certainly we’ll be able to see Radha and Krsna in this life

Devotee (2): …follow Krsna consciousness very strictly and very seriously like, say, for the rest of our lives, is there a chance that we’ll be able to see Radha and Krsna in this life?

Prabhupada: Certainly. You read Bhagavad-gita?

Devotee (2): Yes.

Prabhupada: So there is stated, “If you simply try to understand Krsna, then you go back to home.” Janma karma ca me divyam [Bg 4.9]. That is stated. If you simply understand how Krsna takes birth, how He goes away, why does He come, what is His mission, these things if you can understand, then you are a fit candidate to go back to home. So that is explained everything in the Bhagavad-gita. You try to understand. Then you are guaranteed. Where is the difficulty? And if you think, “Krsna is an ordinary man like us,” then finish. They do not understand Krsna. [japa] If you simply accept this word faithfully, vasudevah sarvam iti [Bg 7.19], “Everything is Krsna,” then knowledge is perfect.

(Morning Walk on Waikiki Beach – May 28, 1975, Honolulu)

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People are becoming less than animals, due to godlessness

Prabhupada: Now the priestly order supporting homosex. I was surprised. They are going to pass resolution for getting married between man to man. The human society has come down to such a degraded position. It is astonishing. The world is degrading to the lowest status, even less than animal. The animal also do not support homosex. They have never sex life between male to male. They are less than animal. People are becoming less than animal. This is all due to godlessness.

Conversation with the GBC, May 25, 1972, Los Angeles

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Srila Prabhupada quotes his own poem about preaching in America

In my poetry, on the strength of sastra, I said that rajas tamo gune era sabai acchanna, vasudeva-katha ruci nahe se prasanna [Markine Bhagavata-dharma]. “Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied; therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. So I do not know how they will be able to understand it.” Actually that is the fact. Everyone, so many svamis and yogis, come in this country. So they advertise in India that they went to America for preaching Vedanta. But being influenced, what Vedanta they learned? When they returned to India, they have learned how to entice women and how to eat meat. This is their Vedanta. Because karanam guna-sango ‘sya.

If you are not strong enough, then association will induce or influence. If you are not a Vaisnava, then if you go in a brothel or a liquor house, then you will be influenced by the drunkards and prostitute-hunters. But if you are strong enough, then you will… The effect, you will give your effect of association; they will be Vaisnavas. That is the difference.

So this, my song… I was thinking on board the ship that rajas tamo gune era sabai acchanna, vasudeva-katha ruci nahe se prasanna. Nobody is interested. At the present moment, everyone is covered by the rajas-tamah, the base qualities, ignorance and passion, so they have no interest in Krsna consciousness. That is not possible. One has to purify himself. Tada rajas-tamo-bhavah kama-lobhadayas… [SB 1.2.19]. When we kill the rajas-tamo-bhavah, ceta etair anaviddham… When our heart is no more contaminated by the rajas-tamo-bhavah, ceta etair anaviddham sthitam sattve prasidati. There are three gunas. If you make minus these two gunas, rajas-tamo-guna, then the remaining — only sattva-guna. So these rajas-tamo-guna can be counteracted simply by hearing about Krsna. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah punya-sravana-kirtanah. So therefore I wrote, tabe jadi tava krpa hay ahaituki, sakala sambhava hay tumi se kautiki [Markine Bhagavata-dharma], that “God is all-powerful, Krsna is all-powerful. He can do everything impossible, possible.” So whatever is being done in our Krsna consciousness movement, don’t think that it is my influence of my… It is Krsna’s. Krsna can do everything. He can change sattva-guna into tamo-guna, tamo-guna into rajo-guna, rajo-guna into sattva-guna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.44 — June 10, 1976, Los Angeles

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Seventy-five percent life of celibacy

Therefore the Vedic system of civilization is seventy-five percent life of celibacy. In the brahmacari system there is no connection with woman. Student life. Student life, if one remains brahmacari, he becomes determined. His brain becomes very receptive. Therefore, in the brahmacari system, complete celibacy, no connection with woman. So up to twenty-five years, if he does not discharge semen, he becomes very stout, strong, and his health is built up for whole life, and he becomes so intelligent that anything he will hear, he will remember immediately. Then after brahmacari system, if one cannot remain brahmacari, naisthika-brahmacari, then the spiritual master allows him to marry. That is grhastha-asrama. So when one is complete, fit for sex life, he begets children, male children, and after twenty-five years, the child becomes grown up, so he retires. In this way, brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on SB 2.3.19, Los Angeles, June 15, 1972

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In spite of all our material comforts and scientific advancements

The atheists say that if we want to be happy we should get money so that we can have more food and material pleasures. However, in spite of all our material comforts and scientific advancements, we have not been able to stop the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease.

Srila Prabhupada, Quoted in Back to Godhead Magazine #02, November 12, 1966

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Never again disappointed or unhappy

By surrendering to Krsna one will find the final object in which to invest his love: God. Love of God is present in everyone, just like fire in an unlit match, but it is covered over. But if one somehow or other develops his dormant love of God, and Krsna becomes his supreme adorable object, supreme friend, supreme master, or supreme lover, than he shall never again become disappointed or unhappy.

Srila Prabhupada, The Science of Self-Realization 7d: “They Have Given Everything to Krsna.”

Based on letter, 30 Apr 1973.

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A discussion about marriage

Prabhupada: I married; my wife was eleven years old.

Radha-vallabha: You were responsible, though.

Prabhupada: Everyone is in India responsible. That is Indian culture still.

Radha-vallabha: When they agree at this young age, they should wait till they get older, right?

Prabhupada: Yes. Generally a girl attains puberty at fourteen years, thirteen years. In India, because it is tropical climate… I think in Western countries they attain puberty not before fifteen, sixteen years. So although a girl is married before puberty, she is not allowed to go to the husband until she has attained puberty. Formerly, in our days also, after attaining puberty there is another, second marriage. Then the husband and wife live together.

Radha-vallabha: Is there a minimum age for the man?

Prabhupada: No. Minimum age means generally the husband must be older than the wife, at least five years’ difference.

Radha-vallabha: What is the most amount of years they can be different? What is the maximum amount of years there can be difference?

Prabhupada: Man has no maximum. Even an eighty-years-old man can marry a sixteen-years-old girl. [laughter]

Radha-vallabha: Because this one devotee has a daughter twelve, and he wanted to marry her to a man twenty-six, but he thought that was too much
difference.

Prabhupada: Yes. That is too much difference. But eight years, ten years usual.

Radha-vallabha: Eight or ten years is best.

Prabhupada: That is healthy. And in no case… The girl must not be older than the boy. That’s not good at all.

Room Conversation, Mayapur, February 27, 1977

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How devotees can always be secure

“In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”

If the members of the Krsna consciousness movement strictly follow this recommendation of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, their position will always be secure.

Srila Prabhupada — SB 6.3.24, purport

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