Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 153
June 14, 2021
Working together nicely
I am very glad to learn that you are all working peacefully together. This is the most favorable atmosphere for cultivating our Krishna consciousness. And if people see us working together nicely, they cannot criticize anything against our Krishna consciousness movement.
From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Prabhavisnu — Bombay 3 December, 1974
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June 13, 2021
Very careful to complete sixteen rounds
There is a verse in which Srila Rupa Gosvami says, avyartha-kalatvam: [Cc. Madhya 23.18-19] a devotee should be very much careful to see whether his time is being spent unnecessarily. He should ask himself, “Am I now engaged in maya’s service or Krsna’s service?” This is a symptom of an advanced devotee. Nama-gane sada rucih: such a devotee is never tired of chanting, singing, or dancing. The word sada means “always,” and ruci means “taste.” A devotee always has a taste for chanting Hare Krsna: “Oh, very nice. Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” This is taste. Of course, this taste takes time to awaken, but when Rupa Gosvami was chanting he was thinking, “I have only one tongue and two ears. What can I appreciate of chanting? If I could have millions of tongues and trillions of ears, then I could relish something by chanting and hearing.” Of course, we should not imitate him, but the devotees of the Krsna consciousness movement must at least be very careful to complete their sixteen rounds, their minimum amount of prescribed chanting. Nama-gane sada rucih: we have to increase our taste for singing and chanting Hare Krsna.
From: Teachings of Queen Kunti, by Srila Prabhupada
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June 12, 2021
The test of bhakti
Bhakti means when he realizes, God realization, then naturally he becomes unattached to material activities. That is the test. Not that simply by having tilaka or kanthi, one becomes a devotee. How much he is detached to the material attraction, that is the test. That is the test. Vasudeve bhagavati bhakti-yogah prayojitah janayaty asu vairagyam [SB 1.2.7]. If he has no vairagya, if he is still attached to material things, his devotion is not yet…
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.7 — November 13, 1973, Delhi
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June 11, 2021
Understand easily, forget easily
Guest (2): I have very many questions to ask.
Prabhupada: Yes, that’s nice. But you cannot assimilate all the answers in one day. That is not possible. You have many questions, but ask in many days, not in one day. Otherwise you will get indigestion. [laughter] You will not be able to… Simply you go on questioning, questioning, and don’t take anything, that is no use. Make one question. Try to understand. Adopt it in life. Then make another question. Don’t take all the answers at a time and become suffering in dysentery. No. [laughter] Don’t do that. That’s all right. You cannot take one month’s food in one hour. Can you take? So that’s all right. Gradually. Your questions are nice, but don’t take the answers all in a day. That will be not good. If you understand very easily, then you will forget very easily.
Guest (2): That is natural. Yes.
Prabhupada: Natural, you see. If you understand little with difficulty, then you will forget also with difficulty.
(November 8, 1973, Delhi)
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June 9, 2021
Krsna meditation
This Deity, description of Krsna, is there in the temple, in the book. So if you always simply think of this beautiful form of Krsna, that is called perfect meditation. If you simply think of. That is very easy. If you… We are always attracted by beautiful things. So Krsna is the most beautiful. So if you meditate upon Krsna, then your meditation becomes very easy and perfect.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1 — Uppsala University, Sweden, September 8, 1973
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June 8, 2021
Government officers like thieves and rogues
Greedy government officers take to politics for exploitation, to become minister and exploit, that’s all. Everyone knows it. Their profession is just like thieves and rogues.
Srila Prabhupada; Room Conversation with John Papworth and E. F. Schumacher — August 4, 1973, London
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June 7, 2021
No benefit by making a show
Krsna consciousness movement means solution of all problems, teaching people not to become sinful. Because a sinful man cannot become Krsna conscious. To become Krsna conscious means that he has to give up his sinful activities: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. These are the four pillars of sinful life. So people are not ready to give up this. But we do not make any compromise, that you go on with your sinful life, at the same time I sanction that you have become Krsna conscious. No, that we cannot do. There is no compromise on this point. You must give up all this sinful life. Because there is no chance of becoming Krsna conscious. Why you shall make a show? There is no benefit by making a show. Just like Arjuna. Arjuna is trying to make a show of Krsna consciousness. He has good attachment for other things. And the whole Bhagavad-gita is taught to Arjuna to give up that attachment.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 1.31 — July 24, 1973, London
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No comparison
Krishna consciousness philosophy is as old as 120 million years at the least. So nothing can be compared with our philosophy either in the matter of antiquity, philosophy, ethics, science, morality, etc., all in correct vision and approved by great stalwart acaryas. So far others are concerned, they cannot be compared even.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hamsaduta, 2 November, 1969
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June 6, 2021
What we have to prove to the world
Yes, that is our aim, to destroy the position of the mundane scholars. Mundane scholars are called adhyaksika, which means simply sense perceivers, no realization.
Stick to your principles and be Krsna conscious. We have to prove to the world that anyone who is not Krsna conscious is a duskrtina and mudha.
Srila Prabhupada; letter to Satsvarupa — 17 April, 1977
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June 5, 2021
Killing horses and fathers
Sukadeva: In Seattle not only do they eat cows, but they run out of cows and they start eating horses. They have stopped eating cows in Seattle. It is very famous now to buy horsemeat. They have horse steaks instead of cow steaks. They have become so degraded now that they are eating horses.
Prabhupada: Why?
Paramahamsa: They ran out of cows…
Sukadeva: They ran out of cows…
Paramahamsa: Cows cost too much.
Sukadeva: So now they are killing horses.
Prabhupada: So now they will eat their old father. Yes. No price. Homemade. [laughter] Homemade concession.
(From a morning walk conversation – May 15, 1973, Los Angeles)
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