Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 145

Birth control, abortions, and reactions

Activities of sense gratification are encouraged even by modern government regulations. In every state all over the world, such activities are encouraged by the government in the form of birth control. Women are supplied pills, and they are allowed to go to a clinical laboratory to get assistance for abortions. This is going on as a result of sense gratification. Actually sex life is meant for begetting a good child, but because people have no control over the senses and there is no institution to train them to control the senses, the poor fellows fall victim to the criminal offenses of sense gratification, and they are punished after death as described in these pages of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 3.30.21, Purport

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My Vyasa-puja offering to Srila Prabhupada

nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracarine
nirvisesa-sunyavadi-pascatya-desa-tarine

My most dear Srila Prabhupada, you are my life. Your orders and your mission are the only meaning to my life. Despite my chronic dismay and trepidation at the condition of your movement, I also feel increasing enthusiasm in service to your mission.

My apologies for the extended delay in completing my current most important service to your mission-writing a book about it. I am working steadily and by your grace it will manifest before very long, for your pleasure, so that I can focus on expanding my service to you on several fronts. I do not want to inordinately postpone turning those plans into reality, or at least making a good start in doing so. Please bless me.

I can expect your blessings to the extent that I recognize myself to be entirely dependent upon them. Your Divine Grace can take a crowlike excuse for a Vaisnava and make him dance like a peacock. All these years I have been living on your mercy, feeling it strongly guiding my life, and now, by your mercy, I feel growing enthusiasm to go forward and up, both in developing my own spiritual aspirations and by increasing my service to your mission.

The prospects are bright and the possibilities unlimited, but the lures of maya are as dangerous as ever. Many greater men than I succumbed to maya even after performing phenomenal service which I can hardly imagine emulating. Srila Prabhupada, you are my only protector. Save me from the dangers I am constantly harassed by, and make me an instrument in your mission of saving others. I fall at your lotus feet.

Taking inspiration from the author of Hari-bhakti-kalpa-latika, I submit that despite being an unqualified fool, struggling under the illusion of false ego and a false sense of ownership, I am trying to engage in your service. Even in writing this offering, surely I have committed offenses to you. O Srila Prabhupada, O ocean of mercy, certainly I am very wretched and worthy to be punished. I beg pardon for my offenses.

O Srila Prabhupada, O unlimited ocean of mercy, I have commited many sinful activities, disrespected many great souls, and whimsically neglected your instructions. Despite making a show of being your disciple, factually I have not even a small drop of devotion for you. O Srila Prabhupada, only by your mercy may I be purified of these offenses.

O Srila Prabhupada, I have no taste for hearing your glories, worshiping your lotus feet, or meditating on your eternal form and pastimes. I am envious of your glories and of your servants. I am most shameless. Please forgive me when I say, “O master, please be merciful.”

O Srila Prabhupada, while pretending to serve your lotus feet with my body, mind, and words, I simply engage in the unceasing service of my senses. At heart I am only interested in my own misconceived self-interest. In this way I cheat everyone. I am an ignorant rascal who thinks himself very learned. O Srila Prabhupada, O ocean of mercy, please rescue me from this madness. O Srila Prabhupada, due to my past misdeeds, I am incessantly tortured by the distresses of material existence. I am a big loudmouthed idiot. My mind oscillates between bewilderment, agitation, and disappointment. But you are a great ocean of transcendental bliss, you remove the sufferings of the distressed, and you are the protector, father, and maintainer of your disciples. Although you are mercifully delivering me, I am unable to properly serve you at any time or in any way.

I have nothing better to say than, “Another year gone, I am still here.” Your merciful message of sanity continues to reverberate in my heart, subduing the egoism and foolishness therein, sustaining the conviction that I must remain at your lotus feet or I am doomed.

ami tomara nitya-dasa tai kori eta asa
tumi bina anya gati nai

Desiring to at last become your worthy servant, the miscreant Bhakti Vikasa Swami

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The future of the West

Student life means complete celibacy, but that is not observed in your country, rather they are indirectly encouraged by distribution of contraceptive pills. If things are allowed to go on like this, the future of the Western world is very dark. By such unrestricted association of young boys and girls, is gradually turning them to be victims of the hippy and communist philosophy. So far I have considered it is very difficult to turn the people’s face toward spiritual advancement.

Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Satsvarupa — Montreal 8 August, 1968

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Srila Prabhupada’s wandering of love for all living beings

Just like we are, in this old age, we are wandering all over the world to see that “Let everyone become happy by Krsna consciousness.” It is not that we love only our countrymen, only Hindus, or Bengalis, or Madrasis, or… No. We love everyone, even the animals. But because human being can understand the Krsna philosophy, therefore we hold meetings of the human being. But still, whenever we get opportunity, we give protection to the animals.

We give them prasadam. We do not prohibit even some animal comes to hear. They also hear some, sometimes. Hearing is there. Everyone can hear. Even they do not understand what is Hare Krsna, if you chant loudly Hare Krsna, even the ants and insect who is hearing, he’ll be delivered, because it is spiritual vibration.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on The Nectar of Devotion — 4 January, 1973

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Two conceptions of presence of Krsna and the spiritual master

(A meditation suitable for both Janmastami and Vyasa-puja)

Some people complain that when they pray to God they do not feel His presence. We should know that this is due to our incapacities, not God’s.

There are two conceptions of presence — the physical conception and the vibrational conception. The physical conception is temporary, whereas the vibrational conception is eternal. When we enjoy or relish the vibration of Krsna’s teachings in Bhagavad-gita, or when we chant Hare Krsna, we should know that by those vibrations He is immediately present. He is absolute, and because of this His vibration is just as important as His physical presence. When we feel separation from Krsna or the spiritual master, we should just try to remember their words of instructions, and we will no longer feel that separation. Such association with Krsna and the spiritual master should be association by vibration, not physical presence. That is real association. We put so much stress on seeing, but when Krsna was present on this earth, so many people saw Him and did not realize that He is God; so what is the advantage of seeing?

By seeing Krsna, we will not understand Him, but by listening carefully to His teachings, we can come to the platform of understanding. We can touch Krsna immediately by sound vibration; therefore we should give more stress to the sound vibration of Krsna and of the spiritual master — then we’ll feel happy and won’t feel separation.

From Srila Prabhupada’s “Elevation to Krsna Consciousness,” ch. 4

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Janmastami meditation: Two ways of understanding Krsna’s birth

Krsna says, “I appear in this material world. I appear just like ordinary child appears. I take birth.” Actually, Krsna does not take birth. If you read Bhagavata, you will see how He appeared. Anyway, even if you take Him that He appeared as the son of Vasudeva or Mother Yasoda… You can say that He played just like a child in the hands of Mother Yasoda. So that’s all right. But you try to understand what kind of, this child display or lila of Krsna in front of Mother Yasoda. That is required. Janma karma me divyam [Bg. 4.9]. That is all divine, transcendental. So if we understand that “God has become a child” or “These people, accepting a child of certain woman whose name is Yasoda as God,” then you are mistaken. And if you understand that God has come as a child of this great devotee, Mother Yasoda, just to fulfill her desire… Because Mother Yasoda wanted God as her son, so God, being very much pleased on this devotee, He has appeared as a son of Mother Yasoda. Two understanding. If you take Krsna that “Here is a child born in a vaisya family of Mother Yasoda, Nanda Maharaja, and these people are accepting Him as God,” then you are mistaken.

Therefore Krsna says, janma karma ca me divyam. It is transcendental, divine. Therefore there are so many sastras to understand Krsna. Otherwise, if Krsna is ordinary child, then why there are so many books? There is no need of so many books to understand Krsna, just to understand Him that He is not ordinary child; He is God Himself. Otherwise who is writing so many books for understanding a ordinary child? Therefore Krsna says that “If one understands Me,” tattvatah — tattvatah means in fact, in truth — “then he becomes so qualified that after…” We have to give up this body, any circumstances. That’s a fact. Then such person who has become fully aware of Krsna, such person, tyaktva deham, giving up this body, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg. 4.9], he does not take any more birth with another material body. Then what happens? Now, mam eti: “He comes to Me.” That means he gets his original, spiritual body.

So if we simply try to understand… It is not very difficult. Everything is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. You try to understand Krsna; then your life is successful. After giving up this body there is no more material body. You get spiritual body, and you enter in the spiritual world and dance with Krsna, play with Krsna, talk with Krsna, live happily, blissful life. This is instruction. This is the propaganda we are making.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 9.4 — April 22, 1976,
Melbourne

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Pre-Janmastami meditation: God comes to relieve His devotees

Appearance and disappearance of God is for the devotees. Paritranaya sadhunam vinasaya ca duskrtam. God comes for two businesses, to give protection to the devotee, and to kill the demons. So, for killing the demons He does not require to come. He has got immense power. Simply by His indication any person can be killed, there is sufficient power: Durga-devi. But, He comes for His devotee, because His devotee is very much anxious, he is always seeking protection of the Supreme. So, because the devotee will be satisfied by seeing Him, therefore He comes. That is indicated.  Because of which, devotee is always feeling separation, just to give him relief, incarnation of God comes.

From a lecture on SB 1.14.44 by Srila Prabhupada; April 18, 1973

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Pre-Janmastami meditation: the superexcellent beauty of Krsna

The body of Krsna, the ocean of the eternal beauty of youth, can be seen to move in waves of beauty, and there is a whirlwind at the sound of His flute. Those waves and that whirlwind make the hearts of the gopis flutter like dry leaves on trees, and when those leaves fall down at Krsna’s lotus feet, they can never rise up again. There is no beauty to compare with that of Krsna, who is the origin of Narayana and all other incarnations, for no one possesses beauty equal to or greater than Krsna’s. Otherwise, why would the goddess of fortune, the constant companion of Narayana, give up His association and engage herself in penance to gain the association of Krsna? Such is the superexcellent beauty of Krsna, the everlasting mine of all beauty. It is from that beauty that all other beautiful things emanate.

From Srila Prabhupada’s “The Teachings of Lord Caitanya” ch. 10: The Beauty of Krsna

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Worshiping Krsna purely in this lifetime

Devotee (1): Swamiji? Is it possible for us to worship Krsna purely in this lifetime?

Prabhupada: Why not? Do you think we are simply wasting our time with this process? Why lifetime? Within a second you can do. It is spiritual process. It is not material process, that you require so much time. No. It requires simply the spiritual technique, to know how you can develop Krsna attachment. As soon as you are cent per cent attached with Krsna, your business is finished. The whole formula is that you have to develop your attachment for Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — March 17, 1968, San Francisco

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Krsna’s real identification

Krsna is gopika-kanta. Radha-kanta. That is Krsna’s real identification. He is gopika-kanta, and He is Radha-kanta. This relationship with Krsna and gopis is the highest perfectional realization of the Absolute Truth.

Srila Prabhupada — 29 March, 1975

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