Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 156

Pronunciation of God’s name

God will take your mind, not your pronunciation. If you mean to pronounce God’s name, even it is not formally or perfectly pronounced, still, God will understand that you are trying to chant His name. That is your perfection. If He understands that you are hankering after Him, He will give the resultant action.

Srila Prabhupada — June 22, 1974, Bad Homburg, Germany.

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The basic principle for a chaste woman

SB 7.11.25

To render service to the husband, to be always favorably disposed toward the husband, to be equally well disposed toward the husband’s relatives and friends, and to follow the vows of the husband-these are the four principles to be followed by women described as chaste.

PURPORT
It is very important for peaceful householder life that a woman follow the vow of her husband. Any disagreement with the husband’s vow will disrupt family life. In this regard, Canakya Pandita gives a very valuable instruction: dampatyoh kalaho nasti tatra srih svayam agatah. When there are no fights between husband and wife, the goddess of fortune automatically comes to the home. A woman’s education should be conducted along the lines indicated in this verse. The basic principle for a chaste woman is to be always favorably disposed toward her husband. In Bhagavad-gita (1.40) it is said, strisu dustasu varsneya jayate varna-sankarah: if the women are polluted, there will be varna-sankara population. In modern terms, the varna-sankara are the hippies, who do not follow any regulative injunctions. Another explanation is that when the population is varna-sankara, no one can know who is on what platform. The varnasrama system scientifically divides society into four varnas and four asramas, but in varna-sankara society there are no such distinctions, and no one can know who is who. In such a society, no one can distinguish between a brahmana, a ksatriya, a vaisya and a sudra. For peace and happiness in the material world, the varnasrama institution must be introduced. The symptoms of one’s activities must be defined, and one must be educated accordingly. Then spiritual advancement will automatically be possible.

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Life is fulfilled by beautiful Krsna

Krsna also becomes very beautiful. He’s already beautiful. But when a devotee serves Him, a devotee comes to Him, He also becomes very beautiful. A devotee, when with his heart and soul, serves Krsna in dressing Him, in feeding Him, in giving Him flower, He becomes smiling. And if you can get Krsna once smiling upon you, your life is fulfilled.

[Srila Prabhupada; lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.12, Bombay, 12 November 1974]

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Missionary activity

That is missionary activity, that they do not understand, but you have to make them understand. They are not calling you, “I am suffering. Please come,” but it is your business to go and let them know that “You are suffering. You take this method.” That is the way of becoming very quickly recognized by Krsna. Otherwise, if you think, “They are not understanding. What is the use of going there? Let me sleep,” that is not good. They are not understanding; still, you have to go. Then Krsna will take that “He is laboring so hard for My sake.” Never mind he is successful. It doesn’t matter. But you are working hard for Krsna. That is noted down. So our business is to be recognized by Krsna. Whether one man is converted or not converted, that is not our business. We shall try our best. But Krsna must see that I am giving service to Krsna. That’s all. That is wanted. Not that you have to judge that you have approached so many men; nobody became Krsna conscious. That doesn’t matter. But you have gone there.

You have endeavored your sincere effort. That is recognized by Krsna. That
is the order of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]: “Whomever you meet, you give him, you inform him the instruction of Krsna.” Caitanya Mahaprabhu never said that “You see that he has actually become Krsna conscious.” Never says. You simply say and go and say. That is your business. It is not that you have to see that he has
become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy to become Krsna conscious. It is not so easy. It will take, bahunam janmanam ante [Bg 7.19], after many, many births. But you have to do your duty. Go and preach. Yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa [Cc Madhya 7.128]. Your duty is finished. Of course, you will try to convert him. If he is not converted, that is not deviation of your duty. You have to simply go and speak. Just like when I came to your country, I never expected any success because I knew, “As soon as I will say, ‘No illicit sex, no meat-eating,’ they will reject me immediately.” [laughter] So I was not hopeful at all.

Srila Prabhupada — May 20, 1975, Melbourne

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Primitive life

Primitive life is very nice. Primitive life means simple life, keeping pace with the nature’s law. It is very nice. Primitive life gives you anxiety-free life, and therefore, even if you take it as primitive, the saintly persons, sages, they used to live long, long years, and their brain was so sharp, because they were taking natural food — fruits, grains, and milk that helps to develop human brain for understanding subtle subject matter.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.24 — June 22, 1972, Los Angeles

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Temporary and eternal happiness

Why you are struggling so much hard in this material existence? For happiness. Why you are after sense gratification? For happiness. Why you want to possess? For happiness. Why you want to become beautiful? For happiness. Why you want to eat so many things? For happiness. You go on. The happiness, your ultimate goal.

But the happiness which you are now deriving from the sources you have manufactured, that is temporary. If you want to become happy by intoxication, how long? That is temporary. Any way. If you want to be happy by sex indulgence, how long? That is also for a few minutes, few seconds. But if you want eternal, continued happiness, then you have to purify your existentional condition, you have to place yourself in the transcendental position, and you will feel that happiness.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1 – September 12, 1969, Tittenhurst, UK

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Om

Om is also representation of Krsna. That is also accepted. But that is not ultimate. Ultimate is Krsna. Just like there is some vibration, some source. You go, go, proceed, wherefrom this vibration is coming. If you find whether here is a horn, from this…, or conchshell, here is vibration. So that unless you reach that point… That is ultimate, not that vibration. Suppose I am vibrating conchshell. There is a huge sound. But is that vibration ultimate? Or the conchshell wherefrom the vibration is emanating, the conchshell is ultimate?

The conchshell sound is going beyond this temple. Does it mean that conchshell sound is bigger than the conchshell? The vibration of the conchshell, apparently it seem to be very great, but does it mean it is great? The great is the conchshell wherefrom the vibration is coming. That is the ultimate source. So omkara vibration is all over the universe. That’s all right. But wherefrom it is coming? That you have to search out. When you search out, you’ll find Krsna. Therefore Krsna is the ultimate, not the vibration. Is that clear? Yes. The same example: The sunshine, all over the universe it is spread. Does it make it is greater than the sun? The sun is the source of the sunshine. So similarly, brahmano ‘ham pratistha [Bg 14.27], “I am the source of Brahman, the effulgence.” That’s a fact. Brahman is not greater than Krsna. Krsna is greater than Brahman. Mattah parataro nasti. You will find in the Bhagavad-gita, “There is no more greater truth than Me.” These people, they cannot understand. Less intelligent.

The same example: Because they see that the sunshine is spreading all over the universe, therefore it is more important, greater than the sun planet. But actually it is not. The simple truth. And if you go into the sun planet you will find Vivasvan, the sun-god, is there. The sun planet is so dazzling due to his presence. Similarly, with all impersonal conception, when you reach Krsna, then you reach to the goal.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.46-62 — December 16, 1968, Los Angeles

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Sign of having accepted a bona fide guru

Only if we are very serious about understanding the science of God is a guru required. We should not try to keep a guru as a matter of fashion. One who has accepted a guru speaks intelligently. He never speaks nonsense. That is the sign of having accepted a bona fide guru.

Srila Prabhupada; Science of Self-realization ch. 2a: What Is a Guru?

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Actual intelligence

So this is intelligence, that I have to serve. Now in my material condition I am serving so many things, especially my senses. So neither my senses are satisfied nor I am satisfied. So this intelligence is not coming to us. They are going on, carvita-carvananam, chewing the chewed. The senses, same sense gratification in different way. In theater, in stage, in…, at home, at club — everywhere. Simply changing the platform and trying to be happy. How you can be happy?

They already distasted. Does it mean that sense satisfaction in an apartment and sense satisfaction in the club is different? It is simply imagination. “Let me go to the club, let me go to the stage, let me go to this Florida beach, and let me go there, let me see the naked dance, let me see that, let me…” That’s all. But the platform is there, sense gratification. But he is not intelligent that “I have satisfied my senses in so many different ways. I have served my senses in so many different ways; neither I am satisfied, neither my senses are satisfied.” Therefore the intelligent man says, “I am no more going to satisfy my senses, I will satisfy Krsna.” That is Krsna consciousness.

Then he gets full satisfaction. This is voluntary. This is called surrender, that “I have tried to satisfy my…, the whims of my senses so many lives. I have become frustrated, confused. Let me try this life to satisfy the senses of Krsna.” That’s all. At least let me give a trial one life, and let me see the result.

So our Krsna consciousness movement means that we are requesting everyone that give a trial this life at least. You have satisfied your senses in so many forms of life, huh? The dogs also satisfied their senses, the cat also satisfied his senses, the tiger, and these civilized, uncivilized, these god, everyone. Now you don’t try to satisfy your senses, you try to satisfy
Krsna. That’s all. And Krsna, being full, complete, if Krsna is satisfied, your senses will be satisfied automatically. Therefore His name is Govinda. Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. Govinda means who satisfies the senses. Don’t think that your senses will remain unsatisfied. It will be completely satisfied. That is the secret of Krsna consciousness. So, have sankirtana.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita As It Is Introduction — November 23, 1968, Los Angeles.

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Happily live in the family of Krsna

The first thing is, the problem of life is how to conquer over death. We are now accepting death as compulsory. No. Death is not compulsory. Just like to be put into the prison house is not compulsory. It is due to my work. Because I have become criminal, therefore I am put into the jail. It is not compulsory that everyone has to go to the jail. That is not. So similarly, we living entities, our proper place is the Vaikunthaloka.

paras tasmat tu bhavo ‘nyo
‘vyakto ‘vyaktat sanatanah
 [Bg 8.20]

yad gatva na nivartante
tad dhama paramam mama
 [Bg 15.6]

Everything is there. You can have eternal blissful life of knowledge, sac-cid-ananda. It is not compulsory that you shall rot in this material world. But if you like, you can go there. The easiest process. Easiest process is janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. You try to understand Krsna, why He comes, what are His activities, wherefrom He comes, why He comes in the form of a human being. You try to understand, study. And Krsna is explaining Himself in the Bhagavad-gita.

So where is your difficulty? God is personally explaining what He is. If you accept Bhagavad-gita as it is, then, after giving up this body, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti [Bg 4.9], no more birth and death. You get your spiritual body, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs 5.1], and happily live in the family of Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada; Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.2 — November 2, 1974, Bombay

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