Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 173
November 22, 2020
Krsna helps those who hear about Him
Krsna is within your heart. If you kindly continue to hear about Him, as you are doing, then Krsna will be very much pleased, “Oh, this person is now interested in me.” Because nobody’s interested in Krsna. So Krsna is also silent to them. But as soon as you become interested, oh, Krsna becomes very active, “Oh, he’s trying to do something. I shall help him.”
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.3.1 — 19 May, 1972
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November 20, 2020
Dance, play, eat with Krsna
I can see you, you can see me, similarly, you can go directly, see God and live with Him, dance with Him, play with Him, eat with Him. That is the perfection of life.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 7.1-3 — 13 June, 1974
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Krsna’s beauty and glories
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, is the reservoir of all beauty. All beautiful things emanate from Him, and His personal form is so attractive that it steals the eyes away from all other objects, which then seem devoid of beauty in comparison to Him. When Lord Krsna was on the earth, He attracted the eyes of all people. When Krsna spoke, His words attracted the minds of all who remembered them. By seeing the footsteps of Lord Krsna, people became attracted to Him, and thus they wanted to offer their bodily activities to the Lord as His followers. In this way Krsna very easily spread His glories, which are sung throughout the world by the most sublime and essential Vedic verses. Lord Krsna considered that simply by hearing and chanting those glories, conditioned souls born in the future would cross beyond the darkness of ignorance.
SB 11.1.6-7, text
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November 19, 2020
A mathematical method to live in Vrndavana
Five plus five is equal to ten. Two plus two is equal to four. So Krishna plus everything is Vrndavana. Do not forget Krishna, and you shall always be in Vrndavana.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Ekendra — Los Angeles 24 January, 1970
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November 18, 2020
Srila Prabhupada is our spiritual father
I am your Spiritual Father, and Krishna is your Spiritual Husband. A girl can never forget either her father or her husband.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jadurani — 8 July, 1967
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November 17, 2020
What Srila Prabhupada says and doesn’t say
I don’t say, “Follow me.” I say, “Follow Krsna.” Krsna says, “Surrender unto Me.” I say, “Surrender unto Krsna.” Is there any difference? My position is simply repeating because Krsna says, “Anyone who preaches this confidential subject matter, he is My dear.”
Srila Prabhupada, 18 January, 1971
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November 15, 2020
More and more see Krsna, realize Vraja
As your devotional service becomes mature you shall see Krsna more and more, and more and more you shall realize the qualities of the holy land of Vraja.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hladini — Calcutta 28 January, 1973
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Lessons from Govardhana-puja: Create Vrndavana, happy life
Create Vrndavana. Keep Krsna here, cows here, calves here; produce your own food. It will become Vrndavana. This is Vrndavana. Where there is Krsna, where there are cows, where there is agriculture, that is Vrndavana. See the life of Krsna. He advised His father to worship Govardhana Hill. He said, “My dear father, Govardhana Hill is giving grass to our cows. Why you are arranging for the demigod worship, Indra? There is Govardhana-puja.” So you should produce enough food grains, enough fodder for the cows, and live peacefully, chant Hare Krsna, make this life. At least one life we should do like that. It is very happy life.
From Srila Prabhupada’s Arrival Lecture on Farm — May 25, 1975, Honolulu
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November 14, 2020
Kali-puja!
SB 5.26.25
TRANSLATION
A person who in this life is proud of his eminent position and who heedlessly sacrifices animals simply for material prestige is put into the hell called Visasana after death. There the assistants of Yamaraja kill him after giving him unlimited pain.
PURPORT
In Bhagavad-gita (6.41) Krsna says, sucinam srimatam gehe yoga-bhrasto ‘bhijayate: “Because of his previous connection with bhakti-yoga, a man is born into a prestigious family of brahmanas or aristocrats.” Having taken such a birth, one should utilize it to perfect bhakti-yoga. However, due to bad association one often forgets that his prestigious position has been given to him by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and he misuses it by performing various kinds of so-called yajnas like kali-puja or durga-puja in which poor animals are sacrificed. How such a person is punished is described herein. The word dambha-yajnesu in this verse is significant. If one violates the Vedic instructions while performing yajna and simply makes a show of sacrifice for the purpose of killing animals, he is punishable after death. In Calcutta there are many slaughterhouses where animal flesh is sold that has supposedly been offered in sacrifice before the goddess Kali. The sastras enjoin that one can sacrifice a small goat before the goddess Kali once a month. Nowhere is it said that one can maintain a slaughterhouse in the name of temple worship and daily kill animals unnecessarily. Those who do so receive the punishments described herein.
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November 12, 2020
Conquering God, just like the gopis
Cleopatra — you have heard the Grecian history — was very beautiful, and she conquered many great warriors. So beauty sometimes can conquer even the greatest man, but that does not mean beauty can conquer God. To conquer God is bhakti. If you are advanced in devotional service, then you can conquer God. Just like the gopis.
Srila Prabhupada, Lecture — 2 February, 1968
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