Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 190

The Whole Thing in One Word

When the impersonalist says, or there are many philosophers, that “God has no name,” actually that is a fact. God has no name. But He has name according to His activities. Just like when He acts as the chariot driver of Arjuna, His name is Partha-sarathi. When He plays as the child of Mother Yasoda, He is called Yasoda-nandana. When people say that He is born of Nanda Maharaja, He is called Nanda-nandana. When people say that He came to protect Vasudeva and Devaki, He is called Vasudeva, or Devaki-nandana. Or when He is in the Yadu dynasty, He’s said as Yadava. In this way, Krsna has unlimited pastimes and unlimited names. Advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam [Bs 5.33].

Ananta. Ananta means unlimited. He has got unlimited because so many devotees, not one devotees, and He has to satisfy everyone — as Nanda-kumara, as Yasoda-nandana, as Vasudeva, as Yadava, as Partha-sarathi. So in this way, when one becomes bewildered that how many names He has got, so one should understand He has unlimited names or no name, but because He has to act unlimitedly, therefore He has got unlimited names.

So whole thing is summarized in one word: “Krsna,” means all-attractive. He draws the attraction of Vasudeva. He draws the attraction of Yadu-kula. He draws the attraction of Arjuna. He draws attraction everyone, all devotees.

He agreed to become son of Devaki, and there may be hundreds and thousands of Devaki, devotees. He is unlimited. His devotees are unlimited. Their demands are unlimited. So everything is Krsna’s unlimited. So therefore all-unlimited means Krsna, all-attractive. That is the real name of God, if God can be given one name. Because God has no name, but His names are given according to His activities. Then how to concentrate in one name? That one name is Krsna, all-attractive. That is the real name of Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.33 — October 13, 1974, Mayapur

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Caution in following the guru

You have asked if it is true that the Spiritual Master remains in the material universe until all of His disciples are transferred to the Spiritual Sky. The answer is yes, this is the rule. Therefore, every student should be very much careful not to commit any offense which will be detrimental to this promotion to the Spiritual Kingdom, and thereby the Spiritual Master has to incarnate again to deliver him. This sort of mentality will be a kind of offense to the Spiritual Master. Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the number one offense is to disobey the orders of the Spiritual Master. The instructions given to the disciple by the Spiritual Master at the time of initiation should be strictly followed. That will make one advance to the spiritual path. But if one deliberately defies such instructions, then his advancement is hampered from the very beginning. This defying means to disconnect the relationship with the Spiritual Master. And anyone who defies and therefore disconnects the relationship with the Spiritual Master can hardly expect the assistance of the Spiritual Master life after life.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jayapataka — Los Angeles 11 July, 1969

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How to be free from anxiety

Vaikuntha: Krsna’s name and Krsna’s place. Therefore, as Krsna is Vaikuntha, without any anxiety — Krsna has no anxiety — similarly, Krsna’s place is also without any anxiety. Krsna’s activities, hearing Krsna, that is also without anxiety. If we want to be anxiety-less, then we should hear about Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.44 — October 24, 1974, Mayapur

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Grow food more and distribute

Krsna says, annad bhavanti bhutani. It is not utopian; it is practical. You must have sufficient food grain to feed the human being and the animal, and everything will be peaceful immediately. Because people, if one becomes hungry, he is disturbed. So give him food first of all. That is Krsna’s injunction. Is that very impossible, impractical? No. You grow food more and distribute.

(Srila Prabhupada, lecture, May 24, 1975)

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Garbhadhana-samskara must be adopted

The word saukra janma means “taking birth by seminal discharge.” Animals can take their birth in this way too. However, a human being can be reformed from the saukra janma, as recommended in the Vedic civilization. Before the birth takes place, or before father and mother unite, there is a ceremony called garbhadhana-samskara, which must be adopted. This garbhadhana-samskara is especially recommended for higher castes, especially the brahmana caste. It is said in the sastras that if the garbhadhana-samskara is not practiced among the higher castes, the entire family becomes sudra. It is also stated that in this age of Kali, everyone is sudra due to the absence of the garbhadhana-samskara. This is the Vedic system.

Srila Prabhupada — SB 4.31.10, purport

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The taste of rendering sublime loving service to the Lord

Although the Goddess of Fortune is very restless and does not like to stay in one place for very long time, she is always finding new wonderful things in serving Krishna’s Lotus Feet so that she never thinks of leaving Him. This is actually the position of Krishna Consciousness that when we get some taste of rendering sublime loving service to the Lord, no more do we have any taste for any other engagements.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Laksmimoni — Los Angeles 10 July, 1969

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How the spiritual science becomes revealed to the devotee

I am very glad to know that you are reading our literatures and you are very thoughtful about them. I am always happy to answer your questions, but you should practice to get the answers from your husband and try to find them out by reading further in our books. All questions will be clarified if you simply read our books very thoroughly and follow the simple process of devotional service as we have given it to chant regularly and rigidly observe the rules and regulations. This is our principle that the spiritual science becomes revealed to the devotee from within the heart according to the degree of his surrender to Krsna. You are a very hopeful student and intelligent devotee, so you continue to pursue your devotional activities patiently and Krsna will open your path of Krsna consciousness so you will progress more and more.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Ekayani — Los Angeles 25 July, 1970

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No fear from the mahamaya police

The police department may be horrible for the criminals, but to the government it is a department as good as university department. Similarly, mahamaya is horrible to the conditioned soul, but to the liberated soul, there is no fear of mahamaya, because he is protected by yogamaya. It is stated in the Bhagavad-gita when Krishna said the following: “I am not visible to everyone on account of being curtained by yogamaya.” So when a conditioned soul surrenders unto Krishna, the yogamaya winds up the curtain and Krishna is visible to the devotee.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Madhusudana — Montreal 29 July, 1968

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Everyone is a rascal

Beginning from Brahma down to the small insect, they are all in ignorance, all fools and rascals. That is the constitutional position. Nobody should be proud of his knowledge. Everyone is a rascal. Everyone. Here it is said, klisyamananam avidya-kama-karmabhih. So Brahma is desiring that “If I can get the opportunity, the post of Brahma, and I can create a big universe…” He was also thinking like that. And the small insects, it is also thinking like that — “If I can create a small hole within the room, then I can live very peacefully and eat.” The same propensity. As Brahma is thinking to create a universe, you are thinking to create a skyscraper building, the ant is thinking to create a hole within the room — the quality of the work is the same.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.8.35 — Mayapura, October 15, 1974

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Discovery of India

Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister of independent India (1947–64), died May 27, 1964.

Srila Prabhupada:

Intelligent policy to kill India’s spiritual status. Because there was one Britisher politician, Lord Macaulay. He studied the whole Indian situation. They were very expert politicians. So he reported that “If you keep Indians as Indians, you’ll never be able to rule over them. They must be trained up in such a way that they would think their own culture as useless; this Western culture is very good. That impression must be there. Otherwise, you cannot rule over them.” So the education and everything was going on very silently on this principle.

That is their administration. And that was going on for the last two hundred years. So India lost. Educated persons, they lost. And the mass of people, they were not educated. They have not lost, but they don’t find any good example by the leaders.

No encouragement. They are simply staying somehow or other in their original culture, but there is no encouragement by the leaders. But the leaders have lost. This is the position. Just like Jawaharlal Nehru, he was a complete rascal about Indian culture. He did not think that Indian culture has any value. Therefore he wrote the book, Discovery of India. It is little
popular. Discovery of India. So long India was not discovered by opiate or something like, as the Russians say. Now it is now discovered. And that its leaders have to become Anglicized or Europeanized; industry, the Western way of living, eating, and everything. Pollution. Everything.

Otherwise, we have seen in our childhood how happy people were there. Simple. If one has five rupees’ income per month, he’s happy. I’ve seen it. Husband, wife, a small family, if he has got five rupees’ income, they can maintain very nicely, happily. Why not? Suppose he has got five rupees’ income. The rice was selling at four rupees. So two person, say one-fourth kg., one-fourth sera each. A gentleman cannot eat more than that. So means half a sera. And the whole month, fifteen sera. It is about one rupee eight annas. And further, one rupees eight annas add for vegetables and other things. With three rupees they can maintain, the husband and wife. And two rupees still there, he can spend for other purposes. I have seen it.

Fresh vegetables, rice, this and… Just like with banana leaf. The pots were of earthen, the wife is cooking, and she’s utilizing dry foliage as fuel, a little temperature, everything is cooked. The husband takes one banana leaf and spreads, and the wife gives sufficient rice, vegetables. And things were so cheap, I have seen it. And fresh.

(Srila Prabhupada, September 16, 1976, Vrndavana)

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