Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 32

Srila Prabhupada’s verdict on democracy

Democracy is the ruination of civilization.

Morning Walk — May 12, 1975, Perth

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The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading like wildfire

In this age, at the present moment, there are inordinate discrepancies in the discharge of human duties. Human life is meant for God realization, but unfortunately the materialistic civilization is stressing only the senses of the body, not understanding the living force within the body. As clearly stated in Bhagavad-gita (dehino ‘smin yatha dehe [Bg 2.13]), within the body is the body’s proprietor, the living force, which is more important. But human society has become so fallen that instead of understanding the living force within the body, people have become busy with external things. This is a discrepancy in human duties. Therefore Krsna has taken birth or taken shelter within the womb of the Krsna consciousness movement. Men of Kamsa’s class, therefore, are very much afraid and are busy trying to stop this movement, especially in the Western countries. One politician has remarked that the Krsna consciousness movement is spreading like an epidemic and that if not checked immediately, within ten years it may capture governmental power. There is, of course, such potency in the Krsna consciousness movement. As stated by authorities (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 17.22), kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara: in this age, Krsna has appeared in the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading like wildfire all over the world, and it will go on doing so. Men who are like Kamsa are very much afraid of the movement’s progress and acceptance by the younger generation, but as Krsna could not be killed by Kamsa, this movement cannot be checked by men of Kamsa’s class. The movement will go on increasing more and more, provided the leaders of the movement remain firmly Krsna conscious by following the regulative principles and the primary activities of chanting the Hare Krsna mantra regularly.

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.2.20, purport

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Chanting renovation

Chanting the holy name of the Lord immediately renovates the transcendental relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Cc Adi 7.76

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The first offense is disobeying the guru

Devotee: (translating) He wants to know if the greatest offense is to disobey the guru.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is the first offense. Guror avajna, sruti-sastra-nindanam. Sruti-sastra-nindanam guror avajna. If you accept guru and again disobey him, then what is your position? You are not a gentleman. You promise before guru, before Krsna, before fire, that “I shall obey your order; I shall execute this,” and again you do not do this. Then you are not even a gentleman, what to speak about devotee. This is common sense.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.11 — Mexico, February 11, 1975

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Victory for Lord Krsna

By understanding bhagavata-dharma, one immediately becomes free from material contamination. Living entities, who are part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are loitering in this material world suffering. When they are instructed by the Lord Himself about bhagavata-dharma and they adopt it, that is victory for the Lord, for He then reclaims these fallen souls. A devotee following the principles of bhagavata-dharma feels very much obligated to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He can understand the difference between life without bhagavata-dharma and life with bhagavata-dharma and thus he ever remains obliged to the Lord. Taking to Krsna consciousness and bringing fallen souls
to Krsna consciousness is victory for Lord Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 6.16.40

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Rasa-lila wonderfully increases transcendental pleasure

One devotee has said, “I know about Narayana, the husband of the goddess of fortune, and I also know about many other incarnations of the Lord. Certainly all the pastimes of such incarnations are exciting to my mind, but still the pastimes of the rasa-lila performed by Lord Krsna Himself are wonderfully increasing my transcendental pleasure.”

From The Nectar of Devotion, by Srila Prabhupada

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In difficulty or opulence, devotees should always be happy

Devotees should always be happy with all the dealings of their master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A devotee may be put into difficulty or opulence, but he should accept both as gifts of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and jubilantly engage in the service of the Lord in all circumstances.

Srila Prabhupada, CC Adi 12.37, purport

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The glories of maha-maha prasada

When the rice thrown by Nityananda Prabhu touched His body, Advaita Acarya thought Himself purified by the touch of remnants thrown by Paramahamsa Nityananda. Therefore He began dancing.

PURPORT: The remnants of food left by a pure Vaisnava are called maha-maha-prasada. This is completely spiritual and is identified with Lord Visnu. Such remnants are not ordinary. The spiritual master is to be considered on the stage of paramahamsa and beyond the jurisdiction of the varnasrama institution. The remnants of food left by the spiritual master and similar paramahamsas or pure Vaisnavas are purifying. When an ordinary person touches such prasada, his mind is purified, and his mind is raised to the status of a pure brahmana. The behavior and statements of Advaita Acarya are meant for the understanding of ordinary people who are unaware of the strength of spiritual values, not knowing the potency of foodstuffs left by the bona fide spiritual master and pure Vaisnavas.

Srila Prabhupada, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 3.96

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Gopika-kanta, Radha-kanta

Krsna is gopika-kanta, Radha-kanta. That is Krsna’s real identification. He is gopika-kanta, and He is Radha-kanta. This relationship with Krsna and the gopis is the highest perfectional realization of the Absolute Truth.

Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur, March 29, 1975

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The opulence of Krsna’s Vrndavana

Bilvamangala Thakura in Krsna-karnamrta addressed Krsna thus: “My dear Lord, what can I say about the opulence of Your Vrndavana? Simply the ornaments on the legs of the damsels of Vrndavana are more than cintamani, and their dresses are as good as the heavenly parijata flowers. And the cows exactly resemble the surabhi cows in the transcendental abode. Therefore Your opulence is just like an ocean that no one can measure.”

From The Nectar of Devotion by Srila Prabhupada

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