Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 170

The preaching style ISKCON devotees must adopt

The members of the Krsna consciousness movement chant a minimum of sixteen rounds a day, which can be done without difficulty, and at the same time they must preach the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu according to the gospel of Bhagavad-gita As It Is. One who does so is quite fit to become a spiritual master for the entire world.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Cc Antya 4.103

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Small and pure better than big and impure

We are not concerned with any other movement save and except Krishna Consciousness in its pure form. In India it is said that a little bit of a pure thing is much better than huge volumes of impure, adulterated things.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Brahmananda — 27 August, 1969

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Quarreling wife, return to your husband

In spite of all your faults you will go to Vaikuntha because you are a great devotee. Don’t create some abnormal condition. Please go back to your husband and live peacefully and execute Krishna Consciousness together. He will also not take sannyasa order out of frustration. You are an intelligent girl and an advanced student. You should know that our main business is Krishna Consciousness. So fighting between husband and wife is not to be taken very seriously. So if you have any respect for me, I request you not to quarrel with your husband. Live peacefully, chant Hare Krishna and try to serve the cause as best as possible. I am very glad that your mother is also taking interest in Krishna Consciousness. That is very good. As you have to leave Boston very soon it is better that you go immediately to N.Y. and live peacefully with your husband. That is my order. I hope you will not disobey me.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Ekayani — 31 August, 1971

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All’s well that ends well

Valuable nuts like almonds, macadamias, walnuts, coconuts, etc. all take a long time to fructify. Anything valuable takes a little time to come into existence. Therefore there is no harm in waiting for the best thing. But everything is well that ends well: That should be the principle.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Syamasundara — 15 July, 1969

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Our mission: farms

This farm project is especially for the devotees to grow their own food. Cotton also, to make their own clothes. And keeping cows for milk and fatty products. Our mission is to protect our devotees from unnecessary heavy work to save time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. This is our mission. So there is no question of profit, but if easily there are surplus products, then we can think of trading. Otherwise we have no such intention. We want a temple, a gosala and agriculture.

(Srila Prabhupada, letter, Nov. 28, 1976)

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How to make management very nice

Regarding the art of management, constant changing is not good. Even if there is some fault in management it should be corrected, not changed. Besides that, Vaisnava philosophy is that everyone is addressed as prabhu, or master. Everyone should consider himself the servant of the other. That will make management very nice.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Batu Gopala — 16 August, 1974

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Husband and wife as true benefactors for one another

When the husband is executing his activities very nicely it is credit not only to the husband himself, but it is a credit to his wife also. In materialistic marriages generally there are too many troubles and frustrations because the basic principle for both the husband and wife is their own personal sense gratification. Therefore there is inevitable conflict and divorce petition. But in a Krishna Conscious marriage the basic principle is for both husband and wife to serve Krishna nicely and to help the partner advance in spiritual life. In this way both the husband and wife are true benefactors for one another and there is no question of any serious conflicts or separation.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Balai Dasi — 21 July, 1969

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I must perform my duty and not go away

You say that amongst the elder disciples there are still symptoms of greed, anger, strife, bickering, etc., but you are one of them. You are one of the old students, so you fall in that group. So the fighting is among that group, but not amongst the real workers. There was fighting amongst the gopis also, so we cannot expect there will be some utopia without fighting, there is even in the spiritual sky transcendental greed, lust, envy, like that. But that is transcendental. Hansadutta is maintaining his position of service, so why, even if a little fighting, you should go away? We should never give up our duty. My godbrothers always discouraged me but I did not give up, I am doing my duty and always keeping my spiritual master in front. Even there is some difficulty or hardship, or even my godbrothers may not cooperate or there may be fighting, still, I must perform my duty to my spiritual master and not become discouraged and go away, that is my weakness.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Krsna dasa — Dallas 9 September, 1972

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Ignorance in the name of civilization

Prabhupada: People are being kept in such an ignorant way that they do not care about sinful activities. They can do anything for sense gratification. Nunam pramattah kurute vikarma. Actually, there is no advancement of civilization. They are thinking, they are running on four-wheel motorcar, and the dog is running on four legs. What is the quality change? This is going on in the name of civilization, and people are kept in ignorance. Where is the advancement? Running by motorcar is advancement? They have no knowledge that there is next life, and “Today I am running on Ford car, tomorrow I may have to run like dog on four legs.”

Kirtanananda: They do not think like that.

Prabhupada: So this is ignorance, this is ignorance. And they are kept, the whole world — the state, the father, the guardian, everyone, the priest. Everyone is ignorant. Dull-headed, ignorant. And they are passing on as philosopher, scientist, religious leader. [break] …hard to bring them to Krsna consciousness. Taking these few years, fifty years or sixty years living here, and dance like dog and finish. There is no life. You die peacefully or (indistinct). And not dying peacefully, they cry.

Hare Krsna.

Conversation — June 21, 1976, Toronto

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Unnatural body

The soul already has a spiritual body, which the material body covers. My material body grows upon me — my spiritual body — but my material body is unnatural. The real body is spiritual. I am accepting various bodies that are unnatural to my constitution. My real, constitutional position is to be the servant of Krsna.

From “Life Comes From Life” by Srila Prabhupada

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