Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 302

How God can be a child and a youth simultaneously

Somewhere in the world somebody will say it is half-past twelve, somebody
will say half-past seven, somebody will say… So many, twenty-four hours.
So the sun is the same one, but in one place they will say it is half-past
six, in another place it is half-past seven. How this is going on? In our
calculation this sun, as you have seen, this half-past five sun, you cannot
make it half-past eight. But it is half-past eight also, elsewhere, at the
same time. So if it is possible for an ordinary material thing like that,
why it is not possible for God, the Absolute, to become a child and a youth
at the same time, simultaneously? Why is it not possible? Your question is
how God became a child. So my answer is God is child and youth at the same
time. That is God in theory.
Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation
–
September 22, 1971, Nairobi

Krsna helps us remember or forget Him

Krsna gives us chance. If you want Krsna, then He will give you full chance
how to have Krsna; and if you don’t want Krsna, then He will give you full
chance how to forget Krsna. These things are going on. If you want to forget
– if you want to enjoy life forgetting Krsna, forgetting God — then Krsna
will give you all facilities so that you can forget. And if you want to
enjoy life with Krsna consciousness, then Krsna will give you chance how to
make your progress in Krsna consciousness. That is up to you. If you think
without Krsna consciousness you will be happy, do that. Krsna does not
object to that. Yathecchasi tatha kuru [Bg. 18.63]. Krsna, after advising
Arjuna, He simply enquired, “Now I have explained to you everything.
Whatever you desire, you can now do.” So immediately Arjuna replied, karisye
vacanam tava: “Now I shall execute Your order.” That is Krsna consciousness.
God does not interfere with your little independence. If you want to act
according to the order of God, then God will help you. Even sometimes you
fall down, if you become sincere, that “From this time I shall remain Krsna
conscious and execute His orders,” then Krsna will help you in all respect.
Even if you fall down He will excuse you, and He will give more
intelligence: “Don’t do this. Now go on with your duty.” But if you want to
forget Krsna, if you want to become happy without Krsna, He will give you so
many chances that you will forget Krsna. He’ll forget, life after life.
From Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture in New York, 21 July 1971

Srila Prabhupada’s concern re tradition

(This is not a “Prabhupada said” but a relevant comment said about Srila
Prabhupada)
Bhaktivedanta Swami… was very, very concerned that the tradition be
presented in its fullness, as it became more and more clear that the
authentic tradition was irreplaceable, that the cultural tradition out of
which Krishna consciousness came was essential to the purpose and practice
of Krishna consciousness, and that any attempt to translate it into purely
Western cultural terms might only serve to convolute it.
Thomas J. Hopkins, quoted in Tamal Krishna Goswami, A Living Theology of
Krishna Bhakti, pp 57-58.

Duty to make unfortunate persons fortunate

There are many fortunate persons all over the world, and many unfortunate
persons also. So those who are fortunate, they’re taking to this Krsna
consciousness, this ideal life, hopeful life, pleasant life, blissful life,
life of knowledge. They’re taking to it. But it is the duty of Vaisnava to
go door to door to make them fortunate. Although they are unfortunate, but
you have to go door to door to make them fortunate. That is your duty.
From Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture in New York, 21 July 1971

criticize or not criticize?

Prabhupada: So all these GBC members, they must be well expert in
explaining; otherwise what is the use of this writing, taking so much labor,
books? They should go, preach, understand. And when there is difficulty, I
am present. They are already explained. I am taking so much pain in writing
books. If you don’t read—if you simply make it for sale–then what is the
use? Just these all rascals should be challenged vigorously. They are
misleading the whole population, and blaspheming the Indian spiritual
culture. People are depending so much on this culture for their upliftment,
and they are blackmailing for money’s sake. They want to be cheated, that’s
all right. But our business is to save them.
Gaurasundara: I thought you were saying that we shouldn’t criticize these
people in public.
Prabhupada: No, no. To criticize means… Of course, when you are
preaching, we have to show the real truth. And that is not criticizing. It
is just like if you call a thief a thief. If you point out, “This man is
thief,” this is not criticizing. If I warn that “Don’t mix with
Gaurasundara; he is a thief,” and suppose he is a thief, is it criticizing?
…if we distinguish, “This man is thief and this man is not,” then that is
not criticism; that is speaking the truth.
…Anyway, criticize or not criticize, we have to give everything carefully.
But our preaching must be to save the people from pitfalls.
Room Conversation
-
[unknown date] Hawaii

Don’t bother for the poor, just be Krsna conscious

If you become sinful, there will be restriction of supply by laws of nature.
How is that? Just say you become diseased. The doctor will say, “Don’t take
food.” That is grace. When there is restriction of food supply by nature’s
law, that is God’s grace. Because God is good. He is starving you for your
welfare. Just like mother, when child is ill mother does not give food, and
other child is giving sufficiently. The one child may say who is diseased,
“Mother, you are not giving me cakes. Why you are giving to my brother?”
That is mother’s consideration. You should not bother. That is mother’s
decision that “This boy, this child, is diseased. If I give him food he will
die.” See? Similarly, don’t bother yourself that the poor man is suffering
or the rich man is enjoying. You simply take concern how to increase your
Krsna consciousness. That is real welfare work. God is taking care who is
supplying food to the animals, beasts, birds, so He will take care. And that
is law. No beast, no bird is dying out of starvation. Simply we are
mismanaging things. We are disobeying the laws of nature; therefore we are
in trouble, so-called civilized human society.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, January 11, 1969

Desirable And Undesirable Association

[B]Where:[/B] Vellore, Tamil Nadu, Inda[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 28 Dec 12[BR]
[B]Scripture:[/B] SB 2.3.15-16[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English
[CUT]

Download Desirable And Undesirable Association

The ghost at Bhaktivedanta Manor

We have got a friend in London, perhaps you know his name, George Harrison.
His house is a palatial building–he is a very rich man–but the former
owner of the house is living there as ghost. This is practical. He was very
rich man, the owner of the house, former owner of the house, and he invented
so many things, so he got enough money and he was too much attached to the
palace. The whole money he acquired, he constructed that house. Now after
death, due to his too much attachment to that house, he is living there as a
ghost. This is possible. Not only as ghost, but sometimes as rat, as cat, as
a snake—this is the law of nature. If you have got too much attachment for
this material world, then you will have to come back again, and according to
your karma you have to accept a body.
From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture, September 17, 1971

Do not try to see Krsna

So try to do some service for Krsna, and you can say you are recognized. My
Guru Maharaja used to say that we should not be very much anxious to see
Krsna, but we should work in such a way that Krsna will see us. We should
not try to see Krsna. Many people are very anxious to see God. They say,
“Can you show me God?” That is not the question of devotees. Devotees will
say, “I may see or not see God, but if I can give Him service, then He will
see me.” Why shall I call God to see me, unnecessarily giving Him trouble?
He is busy in so many ways, so why shall I divert His attention to see me?
No. That is not what we do. Krsna is giving me chance to serve Him, so let
me serve Him sincerely, so that He will see me. He has His eyes everywhere,
His hands, legs, everywhere. So if we do some service for Krsna, He will see
you, personally [indistinct]. Dadami buddhi-yogam tam [Bg. 10.10]. He will
give intelligence how to come to Him. He is all-pervading; everywhere He is
present. And you can see Him also everywhere, if you develop such love for
Him.
Room Conversation
–
Hawaii, [unknown date] February, 1970

Can Hare Krsna fall down like Christians?

Prabhupada: … you say, “Christian,” and I find to find out a Christian. I
find difficulty to find out one Christian. I must frankly say, because the
so-called Christians, they do not abide by the Bible’s order that in the
Christian’s Bible it is said, “Thou shall not kill.” and where is a
Christian who does not kill? So this can be effective only persons who are
practicing religion. So these persons, they are trained to practice. So
their chanting of the holy name of God and others’ are different. It is not
simply a rubber stamp position. It must be practiced, realized. This
chanting of holy name by our men who are trained up and the same chanting by
others will be different.
That is secular state, not to remain callous: “Whatever you like you can do.
We have no concern to see.” That is not government’s duty.
Lt. Mozee: Sir, isn’t the difficulty, rather, that the group of, I want to
call them, hard-core group, the priests, the devotees, the followers, the
little circle of people, have always been the ones that have followed the
practices, but the fringe… Assume for example that Hare Krsna grew to
gigantic proportions as Christianity has grown. Would not it be the problem
that the fringe areas, the ones who were not, who professed to be the
followers… Would not they be the difficulty as the Christian is today? You
have said that you…
Prabhupada: Yes, that possibility is always there. But my proposal is that
if you are not true Christian, then your preaching will not be effective. I
don’t say that now we are strictly following and we will not fall down in
future. I don’t say that. That fall down propensity, tendency is always
there. But my proposal is that unless one is strictly follower of the
principles, his preaching will not be effective. That is my charge.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation with Lt. Mozee, Policeman — Chicago,
July 5, 1975