Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 154

We are challenging, “You have never gone to Moon.”

…strength of sastra we are challenging that “You have never gone to the Moon planet.” Who can do so? The whole world is accepting they have gone to Moon planet, and we are challenging, “You have never gone to Moon.”

Srila Prabhupada; Morning Walk, Bombay, November 14, 1975

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Study Srimad-Bhagavatam from all angles of vision

There are so many things to understand from Srimad-Bhagavatam, full knowledge, all knowledge, as it is required by the human society. So we have to study from all angles of vision, not simply by sentiment. This is Srimad-Bhagavatam.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.10.2 June 17, 1973, Mayapur

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Chanting is the basis

The Krsna consciousness movement is based upon this instruction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that one must chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra regularly and according to the prescribed principles. We simply ask our Western students to chant at least sixteen rounds a day, but sometimes we find that they fail to chant even these sixteen rounds, and instead they bring many austere books and a worshiping method that diverts their attention in so many ways. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult is based upon the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. Lord Caitanya first advised Tapana Misra to fix his mind on this chanting. We, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement, must strictly follow this advice of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Prabhupada — CC Adi 16.15 purport

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Our morality

We should not accept this karma-vada or the bauddha-vada or Mayavada — there are so many vadas. We shall simply take krsna-vada. Simply, simply accept Krsna. And whatever He orders, whatever He likes, for His satisfaction, we shall do anything and everything. That is our morality.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.26-27 — August 29, 1973, London

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Better activity

Krsna consciousness movement is that you get better activity. Therefore you can give up the inferior activities. Otherwise, simply by negation it is not possible. We must work. We must work for Krsna’s sake. We shall go to Krsna’s temple, or we shall go for selling Krsna’s books or meeting some Krsna devotee. That is nice. But you cannot stop working. That is not possible. Then your idle brain will be devil’s workshop. Yes. Then you will fall down, “How to go to that woman? How to go to that man?” If you stop working, then you have to work again to sense gratification. That’s all. Similarly, you take any sense; you cannot stop it, but you have to engage it. That is Krsna consciousness. You engage your hand and engage your legs, you engage your eyes, you engage your ears, engage your tongue — simply in Krsna. You can engage everything. For eyes, instead of hankering after some beautiful man or beautiful woman, just see Krsna, how nicely dressed. Then you will forget these other seeing. For tongue, you engage your tongue simply for chanting, then your nonsense talking will automatically stop. You engage your tongue eating very nice prasadam of Krsna, offered to Krsna, then you forget to go to restaurant. In this way our time should be utilized.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.6 — January 3, 1974, Los Angeles

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Kali will not be able to touch you

Krsna, although left this planet, and if He is everything, how Krsna can go away? Krsna can remain with you eternally. And even if you say that “Because Krsna went away, therefore Kali got the chance of entering,” but if you keep yourself with Krsna, where is the chance of Kali to enter? Where is the chance? So you keep yourself in Krsna consciousness. Kali will not be able to touch you.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.36 — December 14, 1973, Los Angeles

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When we die, why is not everyone liberated?

Devotee (2): Prabhupada, you stated that on the Battlefield of Kuruksetra all the warriors who were dying in the presence of Krsna, they all gained liberation. So I’m wondering… Each one of us has within our heart also the representative of Krsna. So when we die, why is not everyone liberated?

Prabhupada: But you have no sense of Krsna. You have no sense of Krsna. Or actually you do not die. That is another thing. This death means in the… That is described in the Bhagavatam: those who die before Krsna, they attain their original position, svarupa. Svarupa. So that is real success. Otherwise, there is no death. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire [Bg 2.20]. It is not death; when our body is destroyed, that does not mean we are dead. You are spirit soul, I am spirit soul, every one of us, but we have no death. That is another illusion. Tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati
[Bg 2.13]. This so-called death, it is not death. Dhira, one who knows, one who is sober, he knows that “This man or this boy or this father is dying… He’s not dying. Dehantara-praptih: he is just changing another body. He’s changing an…” So actually we have no death. The change of body. So we are accepting this change of body as death. That is another illusion. Dhiras tatra na muhyati. One who is sober, he is not bewildered. He knows that… Suppose we are sitting here. We are sitting here, and after a few minutes we shall go away. That does not mean we are dead. We are in this apartment; we go to another apartment. Tatha dehantara-praptih [Bg 2.13]. Similarly, nobody dies. It is change of body, from this body to another body. So we have no death. This is illusion. So what is your question?

Devotee (2): Well, simply that we have Krsna within our heart, so why…

Prabhupada: Krsna… Why within heart? Krsna is everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham [Bs 5.35]. He is within the atom. Antar bahih. Kunti prayed… You have… I do not remember, but Kunti’s prayer, that “Krsna, You are within and without present, but nobody can see You.” This is Krsna’s position. Krsna is within yourself, and Krsna is without. But we do not see Krsna. The example is, nato natyadharo yatha [SB 1.8.19]. Nata, a dramatic player, is dancing on the stage, and his son or relative seeing, he cannot understand that who is dancing. He’s dancing before him, but because he’s dressed in such a way that he cannot understand, “Oh, he’s my brother” or “father” or…, “dancing.” No. Therefore this example has been given, nato natyadharo yatha. Krsna is everywhere, but because nato natyadharo yatha, we cannot understand. This is our position. That requires knowledge. That requires knowledge. Krsna is everywhere, not only within. He’s everywhere. Andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. So Krsna can be seen only by person who has developed love for Krsna; otherwise, Krsna is everywhere, everyone is seeing, but he cannot see. That is the difficulty.

Devotee (2): So all these warriors on the battlefield, they were all Krsna conscious? Is that correct?

Prabhupada: Yes. At least for the time being, they knew that Krsna has come. Suppose a prominent man comes in a big meeting. Is not everyone conscious of that person?

January 20, 1974, Honolulu

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We have to educate people gradually

Devotee: It seems that people are so attached to sense gratification, if we tell them we want to stop all these facilities for drinking, cinema, women, like that, they become angry.

Prabhupada: That is natural. If you give good instruction to a rascal, he’ll be angry. Murkhayopadeso hi prakopayati na santayi. Murkha, a rascal, if you give him good instruction… But give him practical: “Come here. Sit down. Take prasadam. Chant Hare Krsna. And help me by doing this.” In this way you have to… Just like a child. Child does not want to go to school, but some, by… Find out some means so that he’ll be induced. That is intelligence. He’ll be angry, naturally. He’s a rascal. He’ll be angry. That is not unnatural. Murkhayopadeso hi prakopayati na santayi… Just like a snake. You feed the snake with milk. It will increase the poison, that’s all. Practically attract. Practically attract. That is the Hare Krsna movement will practically attract the people. Hare Krsna, shall we go back?  If the world affairs are adjusted according to our Krsna conscious plan, there will be no difficulty for all the nations, all the countries. They will be happy. So we have to educate people gradually. And by our example, living example, you’ll have to attract.

March 15, 1974, Vrndavana

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Don’t sit idly, rascal

Jayadvaita: Prabhupada, if Krsna had already done all the work at Kuruksetra, why was He so eager to have Arjuna work?

Prabhupada: Just to show example, that “Don’t sit idly, rascal. Work.” Krsna has already done, but you must work. This is the example.

Srila Prabhupada; Morning Walk — March 15, 1974, Vrndavana

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To say that God is “nirakara ” (formless) is blasphemy

Suppose if I say, “You have no eyes. You are blind,” this is not favorable. The nondevotees, Mayavadis, say that God has no eyes. So it is indirectly saying, “God is blind.” If I say, “You are blind. You nonsense, you are blind,” is it favorably talking? Most unfavorable. Directly insulting. So those who are talking about God, nirakara — no eyes, no leg, no head, no tail, nothing, nirakara — they are simply blaspheming, not sprhaniyam. God does not want to hear such nonsense things. Therefore it is said, sakam vacam sprhaniyam vadanti. You cannot say that “Krsna is blind. Krsna is lame. Krsna has no hands. Krsna has no nothing, nothing,” indirectly saying, “Krsna does not exist.” This kind of addressing Krsna, nirakara, is not favorable talking with Krsna.

Favorable talking — if you want to talk with Krsna, then you must consult the Vedic literature how Krsna is worshiped.

venum kvanantam aravinda-dalayataksam
barhavatamsam asitambuda-sundarangam
kandarpa-koti-kamaniya-visesa-sobham
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami [Bs. 5.30]

Srila Prabhupada; talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.35 — December 4, 1974,
Bombay

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