Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 26

Advaita Acarya, Haridasa Thakura, & overseas devotees

While Haridasa Thakura was staying under the care of Advaita Acarya, he was afraid of the behavior of the society in Santipura, Navadvipa, which was full of exceedingly aristocratic brahmanas, ksatriyas and vaisyas. Haridasa Thakura was born in a Muslim family and was later recognized as a great Vaisnava, but nevertheless the brahmanas were very critical of him. Thus Haridasa Thakura was afraid that Advaita Acarya would be put into some difficulty because of His familiarity with Haridasa Thakura. Sri Advaita Acarya treated Haridasa Thakura as a most elevated Vaisnava, but others, like Ramacandra Khan, were envious of Haridasa Thakura. Of course, we have to follow in the footsteps of Advaita Acarya, not caring for people like Ramacandra Khan. At present, many Vaisnavas are coming to our Krsna consciousness movement from among the Europeans and Americans, and although men like Ramacandra Khan are always envious of such Vaisnavas, one should follow in the footsteps of Sri Advaita Acarya by treating all of them as Vaisnavas. Although they are not as exalted as Haridasa Thakura, such Americans and Europeans, having accepted the principles of Vaisnava philosophy and behavior, should never be excluded from Vaisnava society.

Srila Prabhupada, CC Antya 3.220, ppt.

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Training must be there

Before entering household life, one should be trained as a brahmacari, living under the care of the guru, whose place is known as the gurukula. Brahmacari guru-kule vasan danto guror hitam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.12.1). From the very beginning, a brahmacari is trained to sacrifice everything for the benefit of the guru. A brahmacari is advised to go begging alms door to door, addressing all women as mother, and whatever he collects goes to the benefit of the guru. In this way he learns how to control his senses and sacrifice everything for the guru.

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.6.9 purport

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Queen Arci and Visnupriyadevi, ideal wives and widows

The words bhartur vrata-dharma-nisthaya indicate that a woman’s duty, or religious principle, is to serve her husband in all conditions. In Vedic civilization a man is taught from the beginning of his life to become a brahmacari, then an ideal grhastha, then vanaprastha, then sannyasi, and the wife is taught just to follow the husband strictly in all conditions of life. After the period of brahmacarya, a man accepts a householder’s life, and the woman is also taught by her parents to be a chaste wife. Thus when a girl and boy are united, both are trained for a life dedicated to a higher purpose. The boy is trained to execute his duty in accordance with the higher purpose of life, and the girl is trained to follow him. The chaste wife’s duty is to keep her husband pleased in householder life in all respects, and when the husband retires from family life, she is to go to the forest and adopt the life of vanaprastha, or vana-vasi. At that time the wife is to follow her husband and take care of him, just as she took care of him in householder life. But when the husband takes the renounced order of life, namely sannyasa, the wife is to return home and become a saintly woman, setting an example for her children and daughters-in-law and showing them how to live a life of austerity.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, His wife, Visnupriyadevi, although only sixteen years old, also took the vow of austerity due to her husband’s leaving home. She chanted her beads, and after finishing one round, she collected one grain of rice. In this way, as many rounds as she chanted, she would receive the same number of rice grains and then cook them and so take prasada. This is called austerity. Even today in India, widows or women whose husbands have taken sannyasa follow the principles of austerity, even though they live with their children. Prthu Maharaja’s wife, Arci, was steadily determined to execute the duty of a wife, and while her husband was in the forest, she followed him in eating only fruits and leaves and lying down on the ground. Since a woman’s body is considerably more delicate than a man’s, Queen Arci became very frail and thin, parikarsita. When one engages in austerities, his body generally becomes lean and thin. Becoming fat is not a very good qualification in spiritual life because a person who is engaged in spiritual life must reduce the comforts of the body — namely eating, sleeping and mating — to a minimum. Although Queen Arci became very thin from living in the forest according to regulative principles, she was not unhappy, for she was enjoying the honor of serving her great husband.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 4.23.21

3 Feb 2025 is the anniversary of Srimati Visnupriya Devi’s Appearance

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Read Bhagavad-gita daily

In addition to our chanting our 16 rounds daily, we must all read at least one chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. Read one chapter one day then go on to the next chapter the next day and in this way, after 18 days, we will have completed one reading. After four or five such complete reading we will know Bhagavad-gita as it is and our questions and doubts will be answered. We are printing these books not for money but so that all devotees will read and understand.

Srila Prabhupada; letter, 24 Nov 1968

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Uncivilized civilization

At the present moment, the killing of cows and the killing of children is going on unrestrictedly, and therefore this civilization is not at all human, and those who are conducting this condemned civilization are uncivilized asuras. Such uncivilized men are not in favor of the Krsna consciousness movement. As public officers, they declare without hesitation that the chanting of the Hare Krsna movement is a nuisance, although Bhagavad-gita clearly says, satatam kirtayanto mam yatantas ca drdha-vratah [Bg. 9.14]. According to this verse, it is the duty of the mahatmas to chant the Hare Krsna mantra and try to spread it all over the world to the best of their ability. Unfortunately, society is in such an uncivilized state that there are so-called mahatmas who are prepared to kill cows and children and stop the Hare Krsna movement. Such uncivilized activities were actually demonstrated in opposition to the Hare Krsna movement’s Bombay center, Hare Krsna Land. As Kamsa was not expected to kill the beautiful child of Devaki and Vasudeva, the uncivilized society, although unhappy about the advancement of the Krsna consciousness movement, cannot be expected to stop it. Yet we must face many difficulties in many different ways.

Srila Prabhupada SB 10.3.22, ppt.

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What we were; then and now

Those engaged in broadcasting the holy name of Narayana, Krsna, through the Krsna consciousness movement should always consider what our position was before we came and what it is now. We had fallen into abominable lives as meat-eaters, drunkards and woman hunters who performed all kinds of sinful activities, but now we have been given the opportunity to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. Therefore we should always appreciate this opportunity. By the grace of the Lord we are opening many branches, and we should use this good fortune to chant the holy name of the Lord and serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly. We must be conscious of the difference between our present and past conditions and should always be very careful not to fall from the most exalted life.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 6.2.34, ppt.

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Selling books, going back to Godhead

Try to sell as many books as possible at all the schools and colleges. This is scholarly information, flawless science. Kindly assist me in this great work, and know it for certain, that by your sincerely working in this way you shall very soon go back to Home, back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada; letter to Locana — Delhi 24 November, 1971

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Actual human civilization

The people were good citizens because they accepted the institution of varna and asrama, which arranges society in the varna divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra and the asrama divisions of brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha, and sannyasa. This is actual human civilization.

Srila Prabhupada; SB 9.10.50, purport

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Brahmacari must consult guru

I must inform you that Vamanadeva’s advice that first you should make a move and then consult your spiritual master is most unauthorized. A disciple should not do anything without asking first his Spiritual Master. It is said in Srimad-Bhagavatam that a brahmacari should beg and collect things and then deliver them to his Spiritual Master, and when the Spiritual Master will ask him to come and take prasadam he will do so. If one day the Spiritual Master forgets to call a brahmacari to participate in the lunch, he should rather fast that day than take food out of his own accord. Of course I do not mean to impose upon you such strictures, but the purport is that a brahmacari should not do anything without being directed by the Spiritual Master. I know that you are sincere devotee and a faithful brahmacari, but still you should not do anything without consenting me. If Vamanadeva gave such unauthorized counsel, he did not do right.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to: Sivananda — Los Angeles 31 December, 1968

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The functions of the tongue in devotional service

We try to engage all the members of the Krsna consciousness movement in the service of the holy name. Since the holy name and Krsna are nondifferent, the members of the Krsna consciousness movement not only chant the holy name of the Lord offenselessly, but also do not allow their tongues to eat anything that is not first offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Lord declares:

patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati
tad aham bhakty-upahrtam asnami prayatatmanah

“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, I will accept it.” (Bg. 9.26) Therefore the International Society for Krishna Consciousness has many temples all over the world, and in each and every temple the Lord is offered these foods. On the basis of His demands, the devotees chant the holy name of the Lord offenselessly and never eat anything that is not first offered to the Lord. The functions of the tongue in devotional service are to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and eat prasadam that is offered to the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada, CC Adi 8.16, ppt.

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