Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 2

Solving the problems of life

If one actually wants to solve the problems of life in this age, then he has to take to this process of kirtana. That is the recommended process.

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
[Cc Adi 17.21]

In this age, Kali-yuga, one cannot execute any process of self-realization or perfection of life other than kirtana. Kirtana is essential in this age. In all Vedic literatures it is confirmed that one must meditate on the Supreme Absolute Truth, Visnu, not on anything else. But there are different processes of meditation recommended for different ages. The process of mystic yogic meditation was possible in Satya-yuga, when men lived for many thousands of years. Now people will not believe this, but in a previous age there were people who lived for one hundred thousand years. That age was called Satya-yuga, and the meditation of mystic yoga was possible at that time. In that age the great yogi Valmiki Muni meditated for sixty thousand years. So that is a long-term process, which is not possible to execute in this age. If one wishes to conduct a farce, that is another matter. But if one actually wants to practice such meditation, it takes an extremely long time to perfect. In the next age, Treta-yuga, the process of realization was to perform the various ritualistic sacrifices recommended in the Vedas. In the next age, Dvapara-yuga, the process was temple worship. In this present age the same result can be achieved by the process of hari-kirtana, glorification of Hari, Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

From The Science of Self-Realization by Srila Prabhupada

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How to become a monkey in Vrndavana

Seeking after sex in Vrndavana, means such person will have to take birth as monkey next life. Monkey. Because they have taken shelter of Vrndavana, and still they’re indulging, monkey’s business, so they have to… It is Krsna’s mercy. Tat te ‘nukampam su-samiksamanah [SB 10.14.8]. In Vrndavana the land, transcendental land, that will not go in vain. But these persons who are indulging unnecessary sex life in Vrndavana, they’ll have to take birth as monkeys in Vrndavana, and then next life they’ll be liberated. So otherwise, why in Vrndavana the monkeys? They are also devotees, but they could not proceed nicely. So animal life means stopping sinful activities, and whatever sinful reaction is there, in one life finished. We should be very, very careful. Dhama, dhama-aparadha. In the dhama… In other places if you chant Hare Krsna, the result of such chanting will be increased thousand times if you chant in Vrndavana. Similarly, in other place, the sinful activities, if you commit that sinful activities in Vrndavana, then it will be thousand times increased. So we have to be very careful.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.11 — September 10, 1976, Vrndavana

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The gopis purchased Krsna

The topmost surrendered devotee are the gopis. There is no more higher exalted devotees than the gopis. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommended that the gopis, ramya kacid upasana vraja-vadhu-vargena ya kalpita. There is no better type of worshiping Krsna than the method by which gopis worship Krsna. They, their love was so intense that they did not care for any family, any honor or any prestige — nothing. That is the highest, topmost loving stage of Krsna. And Krsna also loved the gopis, so much so that Krsna asked them that “You cannot expect any return from Me for your ecstatic love. I cannot give you. It is beyond My power.” So they purchased Krsna. And the topmost gopi is Radharani.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.15 — September 13, 1976, Vrndavana

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A devotee of prasadam

It was here, Srila Prabhupada, that you had all the children come one by one by your desk while you personally handed them a morsel of prasadam. One little boy, Bhakta Visvareta, was very expert at chanting prayers and could even lead kirtana. You had spoken with him several times in Los Angeles. However, when he came before you he became very shy and would not say anything, even though you tried to elicit from him a response by pulling his sikha and poking him in the stomach. Finally you had a servant bring a very nice sweet to give him. This brought an enthusiastic response from the boy, as he eagerly accepted the prasadam. At this you smiled and stated, “Oh, you are a devotee of prasadam.”

From Dallas Vyasa-puja offering 1990

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Are women another species?

Regarding your second question, whether a person who is a Negro, Chinese, Indian, etc. are they different species of life making up the 400,000 species. Yes, so far their body is concerned. Your question whether woman in each one of these species is another separate species, no, the species means both man and woman of the same type. Of course, strictly speaking the woman is taken differently, otherwise how would Krishna say striyo vaisyas tatha sudras.

From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Madhudvisa, 10 November, 1975

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Preaching via modern paraphernalia

So go on with your organization for distribution of my books through press and other modern media and Krishna will certainly be pleased upon you. We can use everything — television, radio, movies, or whatever there may be — to tell about Krishna and outside of devotional service all these modern paraphernalia are just so much rubbish.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Bhagavan – Bombay, 24 November, 1970

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Happiness in rasa-lila & in chewing bamboo

We have often heard of Krsna’s rasa-lila with the cowherd girls in Vrndavana. That is not like ordinary exchanges that take place between these material bodies. Rather it is an exchange of feelings through spiritual bodies. One has to be somewhat intelligent to understand this, for a foolish man, who cannot
understand what real happiness is, seeks happiness in this material world. In India there is the story of a man who did not know what sugarcane was and was told that it was very sweet to chew. “Oh, what does it look like?” he asked. “It looks just like a bamboo rod,” someone said. So the foolish man began to chew all kinds of bamboo rods. How can he begin to experience the sweetness of sugarcane? Similarly, we are trying to get happiness and pleasure, but we are trying for them by chewing this material body; therefore there is no happiness and no pleasure. For the time being there may be some little feeling of pleasure, but that is not actual pleasure, for it is temporary. It is like a show of lightning which we may see flashing in the sky that may momentarily seem like lightning, but the real lightning is beyond that. Because a person does not really know what happiness is, he deviates from real happiness.

From On the way to Krsna by Srila Prabhupada Ch. 1: Throughway to Happiness

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Sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama

The Krsna consciousness movement is especially meant for creating an atmosphere in which people can take to the chanting of the Hare Krsna mantra. One must begin with faith, and when this faith is increased by chanting, a person can become a member of the Society. We are sending sankirtana parties all over the world, and they are experiencing that even in the remotest part of the world, where there is no knowledge of Krsna, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra attracts thousands of men to our camp. In some areas, people begin to imitate the devotees by shaving their heads and chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, only a few days after hearing the mantra. This may be imitative, but imitation of a good thing is desired. Some imitators gradually become interested in being initiated by the spiritual master and offer themselves for initiation.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to The Nectar of Instruction Text 7

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Overcoming maya

You cannot ever overcome, because you are all weak. Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya [Bg 7.14]. Unless you are very strong, maya is very, very stronger than you. How you can avoid it? Daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya, mam eva ye prapadyante. Only one is very, very strong in capturing the lotus feet of Krsna, he can avoid. Otherwise it is not possible.

Srila Prabhupada – Room Conversation – September 19, 1973, Bombay

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The bliss of the Six Gosvamis

That is pleasure, serving God. Just like Rupa Gosvami, just see, in the cottage. They are minister. They are ministers. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim. They are living most aristocratically, and now they are taking the place of mendicants living in the cottage, no bodily comfort, no servants, nothing of the sort. Does it mean they are suffering? There is one… That is stated in the, that vande rupa-sanatana, that they, tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat. They gave up as most insignificant this society, this aristocracy. Tyaktva turnam asesa-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat. It is… What is the value of this? Give up. And bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau. And in order to become merciful to the mass of people, they accept simply loincloth, any way covering, that’s all. That is a suffering? No. They are not suffering. Then people may say that that is suffering.

But for them, there is a… Gopi-bhava-rasamrtabdi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur. Then he merged into the ocean, in the thought that how gopis, gopi-bhava, they are transacting their business with Krsna. Gopi-bhava-rasamrta. That is a ocean of transcendental bliss. So because they’re merged into that ocean, what is this suffering? They have no sense of suffering. One man is suffering because he has identified with this body, he is suffering. But they were identified with the cause of the gopis. They are simply writing Krsna’s pastimes with gopis, Vidagdha-madhava, Lalita-madhava, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. They are simply engaged in thoughts of Krsna and the gopis and writing, writing, writing. So what is the suffering? Other fools may think, “Oh this man was minister. He was so comfortably situated. Now they have taken this cloth and they’ve no home, no food, nothing of this…” They are thinking that is suffering, but they are not suffering. They are not suffering. They are enjoying.

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