Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 23

Why we should offer respectful obeisances to Gaura

The most munificent Supreme Personality of Godhead, known as Gaurakrsna, distributed to everyone — even the lowest of men — His own confidential treasury in the form of the nectar of love of Himself and the holy name. This was never given to the people at any time before. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 23.1, Rendered by Srila Prabhupada

The post Why we should offer respectful obeisances to Gaura appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

No more glowworms

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 movement is rising gradually, and one day it will clear the sky and all these glowworms will go away.

There will be no more any place for all these glowworms. So you be decided, determined to push on this movement, Caitanya-candrodaya. That’s your duty. You are coming out of very intelligent nation, very rich nation. Utilize this opportunity. So clear out all these glowworms and bring the Caitanya-candrodaya.

And the method is so simple: Hare Krsna. That’s all. Param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam.

Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives you the benediction, and you go on pushing this sri-krsna-sankirtanam and everything will be cleared, ceto-darpana-marjanam. Don’t be after glowworms; just be after the moon, full moon, Caitanya-candrodaya.

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.44 – December 26, 1970, Surat

The post No more glowworms appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

An overpowering flood of love of God

The sankirtana movement inaugurated by Lord Caitanya is a transcendental pastime of the Lord. “By it I live simultaneously to preach and popularize this movement in the material world.” In that sankirtana movement of Lord Caitanya, Nityananda and Advaita are His expansions, and Gadadhara and Srivasa are His internal and marginal potencies. The living entities are also called marginal potency because they have, potentially, two attitudes-namely the tendency to surrender unto Krsna and the tendency to become independent of Him. Due to the propensity for material enjoyment, the living entity becomes contaminated by the material world. When a living entity is dominated by a desire for material enjoyment and becomes entangled in material life, he is subjected to the threefold miseries of material existence. He is just like a seed sown in the earth. If a seed is overpowered by too much water, there is no possibility of its fructifying. Similarly, if a man is captivated by material enjoyment, and even if the seed of such enjoyment is within the heart of the conditioned soul, he can be overpowered by a flood of transcendental activities performed in love of God. In this way his potential seed cannot fructify into a conditional life of material existence. The conditioned living entities in the material world, especially in the present Age of Kali, are overpowered by the flood of love of God inaugurated by Lord Caitanya and His associates.

Srila Prabhupada, TLC, Ch. 17

The post An overpowering flood of love of God appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Turn the lust into love

If one is educated in Krsna consciousness from the beginning the natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Krsna consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Krsna consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Krsna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead — the highest perfectional stage of human life.

Srila Prabhupada; BG 3.41 Purport

The post Turn the lust into love appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Creating an auspicious atmosphere

Any literature or narration in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Uttamasloka, is described and glorified is certainly great, pure, glorious, auspicious and all-good.

The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading all over the world simply by describing Krsna. We have published many books, including Sri Caitanya-caritamrta in seventeen volumes, four hundred pages each, as well as Bhagavad-gita and The Nectar of Devotion. We are also publishing Srimad-Bhagavatam in sixty volumes. Wherever a speaker holds discourses from these books and an audience hears him, this will create a good and auspicious situation. Therefore the preaching of Krsna consciousness must be done very carefully by the members of the Krsna consciousness movement, especially the sannyasis. This will create an auspicious atmosphere.

Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.1.32, Translation & purport by Srila Prabhupada

The post Creating an auspicious atmosphere appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Varnasrama-dharma is sanatana-dharma

The life of a human being is a chance to prepare oneself to go back to Godhead, or to get rid of the material existence, the repetition of birth and death. Thus in the system of varnasrama-dharma every man and woman is trained for this purpose. In other words, the system of varnasrama-dharma is known also as sanatana-dharma, or the eternal occupation. The system of varnasrama-dharma prepares a man for going back to Godhead,  and thus a householder is ordered to go to the forest as vanaprastha to acquire complete knowledge and then to take sannyasa prior to his inevitable death.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 1.19.4, ppt.

The post Varnasrama-dharma is sanatana-dharma appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Falling again into the clutches of maya

We are trying to enlighten humanity so that people may come to the understanding that they should work hard in tapasya for self-realization and freedom from the continuous bondage of birth, death, old age and disease in one body after another. Maya, however, is very strong; she is expert in putting impediments in the way of this understanding. Therefore sometimes one comes to the Krsna consciousness movement but again falls into the clutches of maya, not understanding the importance of this movement.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 6.5.11, ppt.

The post Falling again into the clutches of maya appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Direct connection with Krsna

The holy name, chanting of holy name, if we act it properly, without any offense, then we are directly in connection with Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.19 — 16 September, 1976

The post Direct connection with Krsna appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Don’t complain about democracy

When there is a pious king ruling over the world, the people are happy. When the ruler is impious, the people are unhappy. In the Age of Kali in most cases the rulers are impious, and therefore the citizens are also continuously unhappy. But in the case of democracy, the impious citizens themselves elect their representative to rule over them, and therefore they cannot blame anyone for their unhappiness.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 1.8.32

The post Don’t complain about democracy appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Out of compassion, the Lord tries to liberate the fallen souls

[Gajendra prayed,] “Since an animal such as I has surrendered unto You, who are supremely liberated, certainly You will release me from this dangerous position. Indeed, being extremely merciful, You incessantly try to deliver me….”

Only Krsna can deliver us from this material existence. Indeed, He is always trying to deliver us…. He is within our hearts and is not at all inattentive. His only aim is to deliver us from material life. It is not that He becomes attentive to us only when we offer prayers to Him. Even before we offer our prayers, He incessantly tries to deliver us. He is never lazy in regard to our deliverance…. It is the causeless mercy of the Supreme Lord that He always tries to bring us back home, back to Godhead. God is liberated, and He tries to make us liberated, but although He is constantly trying, we refuse to accept His instructions…. Nonetheless, He has not become angry. Therefore He is described here as bhuri-karunaya, unlimitedly merciful in delivering us from this miserable material condition of life and taking us back home, back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada’s translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.3.17, and excerpts from his purport

The post Out of compassion, the Lord tries to liberate the fallen souls appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.