Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 31

Voluntary service in the spiritual world

In the spiritual world service is voluntary, some devotees want to serve Krishna as flower; so they become flower there. If I want that, to be a flower I shall lie down at the lotus feet of Krishna, then he becomes flower, voluntarily, and he can change his, from flower to human body. That is spiritual life. There is no restriction. If some devotee wants to serve Krishna as cow, he serves Krishna as cow, as calf, as flower, as plant, as water, as ground, field, or as father, as mother, as friend, as beloved, anything. It is
inconceivable, yet a fact.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on SB 6.1.1-4, Melbourne, Australia, May 20, 1975

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Powerful Vaisnavas

Srila Vrndavana Dasa Thakura has sung that the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so powerful that each one of them can deliver a universe.

Srila Prabhupada; Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.24.58, purport

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Book distribution boosts other programs

As soon as I see that there is such increased book distribution figures, I take that to mean that all other programs are successful.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Jagadisa – Bombay, 5 January, 1973

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Servant of the wife

A man has served the family with heart and soul throughout the whole life, and when he is old man, if he asks permission from his wife, “My dear wife, now I have served so much. Let me take sannyasa now,” the wife will never give permission. She will say, “What you have done? I have got to do so many things. Your, this son is not yet settled up; this daughter is not yet married. How you can take sannyasa? So you cannot do.” So actually, he is the servant of the wife, but he is thinking, “I am master of the family.” This is called maya.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1.3 — Caracas, February 24, 1975

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Follow varnasrama-dharma or be an animal

When one is educated or trained up by this varnasrama institution, then his human life begins. Otherwise he is animal. One who does not take to this varnasrama-dharma, he remains in the animal life.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 6.1.24 Lecture, Chicago July 8, 1975

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The holy name protects from death

The holy name of the Lord is as powerful as the Lord Himself. Therefore, simply by chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, many men can be fully protected from fierce death without difficulty. Thus a devotee is saved.

By the grace of the Lord, if a devotee, at the time of death, can simply chant His holy name — Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare — simply by chanting this maha-mantra, he immediately surpasses the great ocean of the material sky and enters the spiritual sky. He never has to come back for repetition of birth and death. Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one can surpass the ocean of death.

From Srila Prabhupada’s translation & purport to SB 4.10.30

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Real and bogus gurus

Ms. Nixon: How can one tell a bona fide spiritual master from a fake?

Srila Prabhupada: Whoever teaches how to know God and how to love Him — he is a spiritual master. Sometimes bogus rascals mislead people. “I am God,” they claim, and people who do not know what God is believe them. You must be a serious student to understand who God is and how to love Him. Otherwise, you will simply waste your time.

From: The Science of Self-Realization

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Ours is a different movement

Srila Prabhupada: The difference between others and us is that we are the only movement that can actually teach one how to know God and how to love Him. We are presenting the science of how one can know Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by practicing the teachings of the Bhagavad-gita and the Srimad-Bhagavatam. They teach us that our only business is to love God.

From The Science of Self-Realization

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How to chant to awaken prema

ye-rupe la-ile nama prema upajaya
tahara laksana suna, svarupa-rama-raya

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “O Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Ramananda Raya, hear from Me the symptoms of how one should chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra to awaken very easily one’s dormant love for Krsna.

trnad api su-nicena
taror api sahisnuna
amanina mana-dena
kirtaniyah sada harih

One who thinks himself lower than the grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor but is always prepared to give all respect to others can very easily always chant the holy name of the Lord.”

Srila Prabhupada’s rendering of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 20.21-22

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Use your brain to increase book distribution

Do not hesitate to use your American and European brains to increase, that is Krishna’s special gift to you, now use it. Any activity which will please Krishna should be accepted favorably, this is our guiding principle. Now apply it in this way, by doing everything and anything for spreading this Krishna Conscious literature, and this is really pleasing to Krishna, know it for certain.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Kirtiraja, 27 November, 1971

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