Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 306
December 30, 2012
mind your own business
(From: Life with the Perfect Master, by SDG)
[At ISKCON Calcutta] I was sometimes bewildered by conditions in the
kitchen. … They did everything in a simple, nonmechanized fashion — like
cutting vegetables while squatting on the floor. … I had to stand by and
observe without any hope of changing things, even when I saw something I
thought wasn’t up to Prabhupada’s standard. …,
“Srila Prabhupada,” I began, “you say that the Indian culture is suci,
cleaner than America which is mleccha, but it appears to me that the kitchen
here is dirty — ”
“You mind your own business!” Prabhupada said sharply. His words were like a
slap and immediately brought me to my senses. There was no need for more
discussion. I left his room and hurried back to the kitchen to get his
lunch, realizing that I had fallen into mundane, pro-Western faultfinding.
[At ISKCON Calcutta] I was sometimes bewildered by conditions in the
kitchen. … They did everything in a simple, nonmechanized fashion — like
cutting vegetables while squatting on the floor. … I had to stand by and
observe without any hope of changing things, even when I saw something I
thought wasn’t up to Prabhupada’s standard. …,
“Srila Prabhupada,” I began, “you say that the Indian culture is suci,
cleaner than America which is mleccha, but it appears to me that the kitchen
here is dirty — ”
“You mind your own business!” Prabhupada said sharply. His words were like a
slap and immediately brought me to my senses. There was no need for more
discussion. I left his room and hurried back to the kitchen to get his
lunch, realizing that I had fallen into mundane, pro-Western faultfinding.
“God is dead” for the animal-like humans
“We Americans, we have decided that there is no God. If there is God, He is
dead.” And this is first-class rascaldom. God cannot be dead, and if anyone
thinks like that, he’s fool number one. Bring anyone; I shall talk with him.
I can challenge with him, and God is neither dead.
So this is the going-on misconception of life. Majority. “It is folly to be
wise when ignorance is bliss.” So, majority people are godless, animal life.
Srila Prabhupada: Initiation Lecture
–
Boston, May 21, 1968
dead.” And this is first-class rascaldom. God cannot be dead, and if anyone
thinks like that, he’s fool number one. Bring anyone; I shall talk with him.
I can challenge with him, and God is neither dead.
So this is the going-on misconception of life. Majority. “It is folly to be
wise when ignorance is bliss.” So, majority people are godless, animal life.
Srila Prabhupada: Initiation Lecture
–
Boston, May 21, 1968
December 28, 2012
Why women are not given the sacred thread
Initiation does not mean that it is a ceremony and it is finished. No. It is
progressing. It is progressing just like education. It is progressing. So in
the first beginning, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], just to
cleanse oneself from the understanding of material identification, Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna. So at least for one year chanting regularly, observing
the rules and regulation, one comes to the platform of spiritual platform.
And then, another initiation, this is called diksa. That is also diksa, that
is first process. This diksa, second process, is not very essential. The
essential is to chant. In this age, there is no need of this second
initiation. But those who are going to be recognized as properly initiated,
so this second installment was introduced by Sanatana Gosvami.
Diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam [Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12], this twice birth he’s
completed. And so far men are concerned, they are offered the sacred thread.
Not the woman. The idea is woman, every woman, is supposed to be married. Of
course, in your country it is not very compulsory, not very essential. In
India is still, but it is gradually declining. Unless a woman is married,
his life is frustrated on his death. Even one woman is diseased or something
like that — nobody cares to marry such girl — then the system is that she
marries one banana tree in order to get the certificate that she’s married.
So marriage is so much compulsory according to Vedic civilization for woman.
Woman’s independence is never allowed by Vedic smrti. Smrti means
regulation, Vedic regulation. Woman must be under the care of father so long
she is not married, and then in her youthful age she must be under the care
of the proper husband, and she must be under the care of elderly children in
old age. Now you will see how much husband takes care of the wife, how much
it is obliging. You will see from the history of Ramayana. Rama…, Lord
Ramacandra’s wife was kidnapped by Ravana. So it is not that the husband or
like, “My one wife has gone; I can marry for the second time. There are many
women I can…” No. He fought to the last, and He vanquished the whole
family of Ravana to get out Sita. This is husband’s responsibility.
So the idea spread here. So many women in this country say that “We are not
going to be slave, slave of some man.” They say like that. India also there
is some of these modern girls. One of my friend’s daughter, she was studying
in M.A. and she was not willing to marry, so that my friend in my
householder life, that friend called the daughter before me and he told me,
“Abhay Babu,” that she, “she’s not willing to marry.” So I asked that girl,
“Why you are not willing to marry? What is the reason?” “Why? I’m not going
to be a slave.” This is also in India. But the sastra does not allow that.
It is not slavery, actually; it is grand protection. If the husband is nice,
then wife’s position is very secure. Just like a king, and the woman whom
the king marries, she becomes at once queen, without any hindrance, and she
gets all the respect of the husband. Just see Ramacandra. Ramacandra was
very young ksatriya, fighter, everything. Sita has no such record. But Sita
has got the same respect as Rama — Sita-Rama. Now we have heard so many
activities of Krsna, nothing of Radharani, but Radharani is still as good as
Krsna.
So this combination, Vedic idea that woman must be under the… They have
got three stages of life. First stage under the father, second stage under
the husband. Therefore initiation, to the woman, there is no need of, I mean
to say, sacred thread, because she’s considered to be the half body of her
husband. She’s half-shareholder in everything of the husband; therefore
there was no necessity. Even you’ll find in the picture of Ramacandra and
Sita, Ramacandra has got sacred thread but Sita hasn’t got. That is the
system. So this is Vedic system, that woman is given the mantra but not the
sacred thread. Even she’s born of a brahmana father, there is no such
system.
Srila Prabhupada: Initiation Lecture
–
Boston, May 21, 1968
progressing. It is progressing just like education. It is progressing. So in
the first beginning, ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc. Antya 20.12], just to
cleanse oneself from the understanding of material identification, Hare
Krsna, Hare Krsna. So at least for one year chanting regularly, observing
the rules and regulation, one comes to the platform of spiritual platform.
And then, another initiation, this is called diksa. That is also diksa, that
is first process. This diksa, second process, is not very essential. The
essential is to chant. In this age, there is no need of this second
initiation. But those who are going to be recognized as properly initiated,
so this second installment was introduced by Sanatana Gosvami.
Diksa-vidhanena dvijatvam [Hari-bhakti-vilasa 2.12], this twice birth he’s
completed. And so far men are concerned, they are offered the sacred thread.
Not the woman. The idea is woman, every woman, is supposed to be married. Of
course, in your country it is not very compulsory, not very essential. In
India is still, but it is gradually declining. Unless a woman is married,
his life is frustrated on his death. Even one woman is diseased or something
like that — nobody cares to marry such girl — then the system is that she
marries one banana tree in order to get the certificate that she’s married.
So marriage is so much compulsory according to Vedic civilization for woman.
Woman’s independence is never allowed by Vedic smrti. Smrti means
regulation, Vedic regulation. Woman must be under the care of father so long
she is not married, and then in her youthful age she must be under the care
of the proper husband, and she must be under the care of elderly children in
old age. Now you will see how much husband takes care of the wife, how much
it is obliging. You will see from the history of Ramayana. Rama…, Lord
Ramacandra’s wife was kidnapped by Ravana. So it is not that the husband or
like, “My one wife has gone; I can marry for the second time. There are many
women I can…” No. He fought to the last, and He vanquished the whole
family of Ravana to get out Sita. This is husband’s responsibility.
So the idea spread here. So many women in this country say that “We are not
going to be slave, slave of some man.” They say like that. India also there
is some of these modern girls. One of my friend’s daughter, she was studying
in M.A. and she was not willing to marry, so that my friend in my
householder life, that friend called the daughter before me and he told me,
“Abhay Babu,” that she, “she’s not willing to marry.” So I asked that girl,
“Why you are not willing to marry? What is the reason?” “Why? I’m not going
to be a slave.” This is also in India. But the sastra does not allow that.
It is not slavery, actually; it is grand protection. If the husband is nice,
then wife’s position is very secure. Just like a king, and the woman whom
the king marries, she becomes at once queen, without any hindrance, and she
gets all the respect of the husband. Just see Ramacandra. Ramacandra was
very young ksatriya, fighter, everything. Sita has no such record. But Sita
has got the same respect as Rama — Sita-Rama. Now we have heard so many
activities of Krsna, nothing of Radharani, but Radharani is still as good as
Krsna.
So this combination, Vedic idea that woman must be under the… They have
got three stages of life. First stage under the father, second stage under
the husband. Therefore initiation, to the woman, there is no need of, I mean
to say, sacred thread, because she’s considered to be the half body of her
husband. She’s half-shareholder in everything of the husband; therefore
there was no necessity. Even you’ll find in the picture of Ramacandra and
Sita, Ramacandra has got sacred thread but Sita hasn’t got. That is the
system. So this is Vedic system, that woman is given the mantra but not the
sacred thread. Even she’s born of a brahmana father, there is no such
system.
Srila Prabhupada: Initiation Lecture
–
Boston, May 21, 1968
ISKCON’s only Hindu
I don’t want a Hindu temple. Our constitution is different. We want
everyone. Krsna consciousness is for everyone. It is not a Hindu propaganda.
People may not misunderstand. And actually, till now in our society there is
not a single other Hindu than me.
Srila Prabhupada in Moscow, June 22, 1971: Conversation with Professor
Kotovsky
everyone. Krsna consciousness is for everyone. It is not a Hindu propaganda.
People may not misunderstand. And actually, till now in our society there is
not a single other Hindu than me.
Srila Prabhupada in Moscow, June 22, 1971: Conversation with Professor
Kotovsky
December 26, 2012
Better than nose-pressers
Pada-sevanam — this is cleansing this temple. Remember how Krsna is nice:
“I have been given the opportunity of cleansing this temple of Krsna;
immediately I will be liberated.” Immediately. You are in the brahma-bhuta
stage. The Mayavadis, they are pressing nose for thousands of thousands of
years, and they cannot understand Krsna. But our people who is engaged in
cleaning the Krsna temple and thinking of Krsna is a thousand times ahead
than these nose-pressers. This is Krsna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 19 Mar 1967.
“I have been given the opportunity of cleansing this temple of Krsna;
immediately I will be liberated.” Immediately. You are in the brahma-bhuta
stage. The Mayavadis, they are pressing nose for thousands of thousands of
years, and they cannot understand Krsna. But our people who is engaged in
cleaning the Krsna temple and thinking of Krsna is a thousand times ahead
than these nose-pressers. This is Krsna consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada Lecture, 19 Mar 1967.
December 24, 2012
karmis and bhaktas achieve different results
Srila Prabhupada stated:
In Bhagavad-gita (4.11) it is said, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva
bhajamy aham: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme judge who
rewards or punishes different persons according to their surrender unto His
lotus feet. Therefore it can actually be seen that although karmis and
bhaktas may work in the same place, at the same time, with the same energy
and with the same ambition, they achieve different results. The karmis
transmigrate through different bodies in the cycle of birth and death,
sometimes going upward and sometimes downward, thus suffering the results of
their actions in the karma-cakra, the cycle of birth and death. The
devotees, however, because of fully surrendering at the lotus feet of the
Lord, are never baffled in their attempts. Although externally they work
almost like the karmis, the devotees go back home, back to Godhead, and
achieve success in every effort. The demons or atheists have faith in their
own endeavors, but although they work very hard day and night, they cannot
get any more than their destiny. The devotees, however, can surpass the
reactions of karma and achieve wonderful results, even without effort.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 8.9.28
In Bhagavad-gita (4.11) it is said, ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva
bhajamy aham: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme judge who
rewards or punishes different persons according to their surrender unto His
lotus feet. Therefore it can actually be seen that although karmis and
bhaktas may work in the same place, at the same time, with the same energy
and with the same ambition, they achieve different results. The karmis
transmigrate through different bodies in the cycle of birth and death,
sometimes going upward and sometimes downward, thus suffering the results of
their actions in the karma-cakra, the cycle of birth and death. The
devotees, however, because of fully surrendering at the lotus feet of the
Lord, are never baffled in their attempts. Although externally they work
almost like the karmis, the devotees go back home, back to Godhead, and
achieve success in every effort. The demons or atheists have faith in their
own endeavors, but although they work very hard day and night, they cannot
get any more than their destiny. The devotees, however, can surpass the
reactions of karma and achieve wonderful results, even without effort.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => SB 8.9.28
December 23, 2012
ISKCON’s Forgotten Mission
[B]Where:[/B] Juhu, Mumbai, India[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 26 June 12[BR]
[B]Scripture:[/B] SB 5.8.29[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English[BR]
[CUT]
Download ISKCONs Forgotten Mission
[B]When:[/B] 26 June 12[BR]
[B]Scripture:[/B] SB 5.8.29[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English[BR]
[CUT]
Download ISKCONs Forgotten Mission
Tension Between Varnasrama and Vaisnavism
[B]Where:[/B] Valsad, Gujarat, India[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 3 Nov 12[BR]
[B]Scripture:[/B] SB 1.2.2[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English
[CUT]
Download Tension Between Varnasrama and Vaisnavism
[B]When:[/B] 3 Nov 12[BR]
[B]Scripture:[/B] SB 1.2.2[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English
[CUT]
Download Tension Between Varnasrama and Vaisnavism
Bhagavad-gita fans
Bhagavad-gita…, is a book which was imparted to Arjuna. Now, it is so, the
depth of knowledge…, that people are still considering, great, great
scholars. We are not reading, but Dr. Radhakrishnan, one of the greatest
scholars of the world — now he is the president of India — he is
discussing. Professor Einstein, he was living here in America. He was a
German Jew, and I think he was living in America. He was a great student of
this Bhagavad-gita. Hitler. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gita. And
there were many scholars still reading Bhagavad-gita, trying to understand.
Just see what best depth of knowledge He has given.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.7-11 — New York, March 2, 1966
depth of knowledge…, that people are still considering, great, great
scholars. We are not reading, but Dr. Radhakrishnan, one of the greatest
scholars of the world — now he is the president of India — he is
discussing. Professor Einstein, he was living here in America. He was a
German Jew, and I think he was living in America. He was a great student of
this Bhagavad-gita. Hitler. Hitler was a great student of Bhagavad-gita. And
there were many scholars still reading Bhagavad-gita, trying to understand.
Just see what best depth of knowledge He has given.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.7-11 — New York, March 2, 1966
puja goes to hell
Srila Prabhupada said:
The pujaris who are making a living from puja–gradually their puja goes to
hell. They maintain their family simply by showing the Deity, like some of
the Vrndavana Gosvamis.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => TKG: July 19
The pujaris who are making a living from puja–gradually their puja goes to
hell. They maintain their family simply by showing the Deity, like some of
the Vrndavana Gosvamis.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => TKG: July 19
