Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 198

Imperfect but not useless

The more one feels imperfect in Krishna’s service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection — this is not Krishna Consciousness.

Please continue your very good service, and do not feel any feeling of uselessness. It is true that Krishna has given some the opportunity to serve Him by nice writing, some by good business ability, some by nice cooking, and so on, but these various services are all accepted equally by Krishna. On the transcendental plane, one service is as good as another. There is no question of higher or lower. We are very tiny, and so we cannot really do very much. Simply we can engage our time and energy, and that is all Krishna sees. He sees this boy or girl is spending his time in My Service, and He is pleased.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hansadutta, Himavati — Los Angeles 3 March, 1968

Unconcerned about injury, disease, etc.

Abhayam means we are always afraid. We are always agitated, anxiety, because I am thinking, “I am this body.” But if you are completely realized that you are not this body, you are something else, spirit soul, then I am immediately free from anxieties. That is called abhayam — no more fear, no more anxiety. Because everyone is ultimately afraid of being killed. But if he understands fully that he is not this body, then killed or not killed, he is not any attached to this body. Narottama dasa Thakura says, therefore, deha smrti nahi jar, samsara bandhan kaha tar[?]: “If one becomes free from the bodily concept of life, then where is material miseries?” Material miseries does not affect him. He know that… Just like I am putting on this shirt. If it is torn, so am I affected? I am not affected. I am within this shirt. Similarly, if I am fully convinced that I am not this body, then if there is some injury or some disease or some mishap in the body, I am not concerned because I know that I am not this body. That is self-realization.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 16.5 — January 31, 1975,
Honolulu

Our first business

I have noted with great pleasure that you are opening a new centre in Bloomington, Indiana. You are fixing up your new place very nicely, that will attract men to come there. But always remember that our first business is preaching and distributing literatures, never mind we have to live under a tree. But because the people of your country expect something, we must give them place, but preaching is our real business. Your programme for the university students is very very nice, try to do it seriously and with scholarly approach. Yes, your chief weapon will be prasadam, because everyone likes to eat nice foodstuffs and philosophy and other things will come gradually. In this way try to make many devotees, just like so many of you may top-grade disciples came from Buffalo university under direction of Rupanuga. Keep our standard Krishna Consciousness programme to the highest level by always without fail rising early, chanting 16 rounds, holding arati, going out for street sankirtana, reading books daily, distributing as many books as possible, like that, and in this way Krishna will give you all intelligence and facility for doing His work just to perfection. Thank you very much for helping me in this way.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Narottamananda — Vrindaban 23 October, 1972

How to forget false beauty

Decorate the Deity as nicely as possible with nice flowers and dress. You will forget all other false beauty.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Kirtanananda — Seattle 22 October, 1968

The Caitanya moon rises, glowworms go

There is example in the Bhagavata that in the rainy season, when the sky is covered with clouds, the glowworms become very prominent. Glowworms. But when the sky is clear, there is moonshine, these glowworms have no meaning. So in the world there are so many glowworms, because real knowledge is covered. They do not know — they have forgotten what is Krsna; therefore all these this rascal glowworms are prominent.

But this movement is clearing the clouds, bringing out the moon, sreyah-kairava-candrika-vitaranam.

There is no use any more of the glowworms. Caitanya-candrodaya, the rising of the moon of Lord Caitanya. Caitanya-candrodaya. Now He is rising gradually, just like moon rises gradually and one day becomes full moon. Similarly, Sri Caitanya’s movement is rising gradually, and one day it will
clear the sky and all these glowworms will go away.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.44 — December 26, 1970, Surat

Lord Caitanya gives the greatest contribution

Lord Caitanya’s philosophy — that is the greatest contribution to the world — that these living entities who are hankering after happiness by different process. By material process, by philosophical process, by mental concoction or mental process they are trying, and Lord Krsna also said — they are trying — but that happiness is available when your senses or consciousness are pure.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, March 5, 1969, Hawaii (the day after
Gaura-Purnima)

Worship the spotless moon, Gauracandra

The Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared on the full-moon day as Gauracandra, or the spotless transcendental moon. The material moon has spots on it, but on the transcendental moon, Gauracandra, there are no spots. In order to fix the purified mind in the service of the Supreme Lord, one has to worship the spotless moon, Gauracandra.

From Srila Prabhupada’s  purport to SB 3.26.61

Caitanya-caritamrta study is for the advanced

Study this Caitanya-caritamrta. Now we have got this English edition, very elaborately described, following the footsteps of our Guru Maharaja, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada. So there is no such edition of Caitanya-caritamrta, very elaborately described. But it can be understood by the advanced student. It can be… And so… Advanced, you can, anyone, you can become advanced. Advanced means at least one should understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If you simply understand these two words, that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then you are advanced. It is not very difficult. Everything, all Vedic literature, they are meant for understanding Krsna. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyam [Bg. 15.15]. So if you simply understand… What is that understanding? That Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have written in our Krsna book, “Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” If you become convinced, then your study of Vedas — finished.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.1 — March 25, 1975, Mayapur

Caitanya Mahaprabhu was not lazy

Everyone can be raised to the platform of Krsna consciousness. There is no difficulty. That is Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement. So from early in the morning He is teaching. Udilo aruna purava bhage dwija mani gora amani jage [When the rising sun appeared in the East, the jewel of the twice-born, Lord Gaurasundara, awakened]. He was not lazy. He was very busy. From early in the morning. So if we at least pretend to follow Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we cannot sleep. We must rise early in the morning. One must get up at least one and a half hours before the sunrise. That is mangala arati. Mangala arati means to get up early in the morning, take your bath, and be prepared for the mangala arati. Then begin your chanting, prayer. This is activity.

Srila Prabhupada; October 9th, 1976, Aligarh

So-called followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu

It is the desire of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu that the benevolent activities of the sankirtana movement, which was inaugurated five hundred years ago in Navadvipa, be spread all over the world for the benefit of all human beings. Unfortunately, there are many so-called followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu who are satisfied simply to construct a temple, make a show of the Deities, collect some funds and utilize them for eating and sleeping. There is no question of their preaching the cult of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu all over the world. But even though they are unable to do so, if anyone else does it they become envious. This is the condition of the modern followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The Age of Kali is so strong that it affects even the so-called followers of Lord Caitanya. At least the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu must come out of India to preach His cult all over the world, for this is the mission of Lord Caitanya. The followers of Lord Caitanya must execute His will with heart and soul, being more tolerant than the trees and humbler than the straw in the street.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Cc Adi 9.47