Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 325

The Highest Attainment

[B]Where:[/B] Stanford University, California, USA[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 17 Aug 12[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English[BR]
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The final order

“Always think of Me and become My devotee”–should be taken as the final
order of the Lord and should be followed.
TLC 11: Service to the Lord

very strict

Vedic civilization is very strict. Because the whole aim was how to go back
to home, back to Godhead, not sense gratification, eat, drink, be merry,
enjoy. That is not the aim of human life. So everything was planned with
that aim.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.3 — London, August 4, 1973

Possibility of fall down in Vaikuntha

After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world. Just like
Jaya-Vijaya. There is possibility, if you do not stick to the spiritual
principle, even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fall down, what to speak
of this material world. Because in the Vaikuntha or in the spiritual world,
no contaminated soul can stay there. He will fall down.
Now, when the spirit soul falls down? Just like Jaya-Vijaya. Jaya and Vijaya
became asuras. They fell down from Vaikuntha.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 17.1-3 — Honolulu, July 4, 1974

Challenge, stop the rascals

Make a plan. Go from town to town, all over the world. This has to be
done… if you are mischievous, you are criminal. But if you tolerate
mischievous activities, that is also criminal. Challenge these rascals.
Stop their rascal theories.
Morning walk, May 3, 1973

Interview with Desi KLOK Radio 1170 am

[B]Where:[/B] San Jose, California, USA[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 17 Aug 12[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English
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Poor memory and pure devotion

Tamala Krsna: Can Krsna give us the ability to someday remember every word
that you are saying to us now? Because I myself, I forget so much. I want to
hear just how you are talking and I can’t.
Prabhupada: What is that? I don’t follow.
Tamala Krsna: I want to be able to hear you saying exactly what you’re
saying now. I want to always be able to hear it, but I forget. My memory is
very poor.
Prabhupada: Why? No. If we try… Memory may be poor. Everything depends on
cultivation. If you cultivate something, your memory increases. Everyone
becomes expert not in one day but by cultivation. Similarly, if you try to
remember, then your memory will help you to remember. It is not difficult.
That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that we have to try to remember Krsna.
He’s so beautiful, His instructions are so nice. If we simply remember
Krsna… That was the perfection approved by Lord Caitanya. I think I have
narrated the story. When Lord Caitanya was traveling in South India in a big
temple, Ranganatha temple, He went to see the Deity, and He saw one brahmana
was reading Bhagavad-gita. And people were joking him, “Oh, Mr. brahmana,
how you are reading Bhagavad-gita?” Because they were the neighbors, they
knew that this brahmana was illiterate and he was studying Bhagavad-gita. So
they were joking. But the brahmana did not care them. He was taking the book
and in his own way he was reading. Caitanya Mahaprabhu saw this incident, He
came to the brahmana. So He asked the brahmana, “My dear brahmana, what you
are reading?” So he could understand “This persons is not joking with me; He
is serious.” So he explained, “My dear sir, I am reading Bhagavad-gita.
Unfortunately, I am illiterate. I do not know even the alphabets.” “Why you
are reading Bhagavad-gita?” So he said that, “My spiritual master knows that
I am illiterate, but still, he has asked me to read Bhagavad-gita. What can
I do? Therefore I have taken this book. I am seeing simply. I do not know
how to read.” “Oh, that’s all right. You cannot read. But I see that you are
crying. How you are crying if you are not reading?” “Yes, I am crying. Of
course, there is cause.” “What is that?” “As soon as I take this
Bhagavad-gita, I remember Krsna. Krsna is sitting as driver and Arjuna is
hearing. I have heard the story. I know something of the instruction but
cannot read. So as soon as I take this book, this picture comes before me
and I simply think, ‘Oh, how Krsna is nice that He has become a charioteer
of His devotee. He is so great. Still, He has accepted a menial service of
His devotee.’ This gives me so much pleasure that I cry.” Caitanya
Mahaprabhu embraced him, “Your Bhagavad-gita reading is perfect. You have
taken the essence.” So this is the thing. If you simply remember Krsna is
teaching Arjuna and Arjuna is hearing, if you simply remember the picture,
that is sufficient.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 2.1-10 and Talk — Los Angeles, November
25, 1968

Report from Vellore

[B]Where:[/B] Cupertino, California, USA[BR]
[B]When:[/B] 16 Aug 12[BR]
[B]Language:[/B] English
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Krishna’s “Assuming” Forms

Question:
I would like to ask for clarification of one subject, namely, Krishna's "assuming" different forms. In one of the classes that had been uploaded on the bvks.com you spoke about the Lord not "assuming" the form, as far as I remember, you made the point that these forms of the Lord do exist eternally and that the forms of the material world are the "copies" and not the other way round. You also made the point that the word "assume" should probably not be used in the verse.

Today we were listening to the class by Srila Prabhupada and he also spoke on the topic and this is what he said:
"So sometimes this earthly planet was thrown into the water, Garbhodaka-samudra, Garbhodaka Sea, and God took the form of a boar, having two tusks — because it was easier. Just like shovel, you take something like that. So He took the earth. So that is described: ksitir iha vipulatare tisthati tava… No. What is that? Dasana-sikhare? The, this is described in Jayadeva's prayer. Vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna. Vasati, "is resting"; vasati dasana-sikhare, "on the top of the tusk." Kesava dhrta- sukara-rupa jaya jagadisa hare. So He's yajnesa. It is not that He's… is shape was just like hog, but He's not hog. Don't misunderstand. His shape was a gigantic hog. You can just imagine what kind of hog He was. The shape was like hog, but He was resting the whole planet, earthly planet, on the tusk. Vasati dasana-sikhare dharani tava lagna sasini kalanka, kesava dhrta- sukara-rupa. Here it is stated, saukaram. Saukaram means like hog. Not that He's hog. He's yajnesa. He can take any shape. Just like here is, God has assumed the shape of a lion, half-lion, half-man. So He's all powerful, He can take any shape, any form, but He is not that form. That is for the time being. For the time being, He assumes so many forms. The real form is Krsna, the original form. Kesava dhrta-sukara, sukara-rupa or sukara-rupa. "My Lord Kesava, You have assumed this form." So there are many millions and millions of forms of God. According to time, necessity, circumstances, He assumes different forms. Because it is His business:
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
[Bg. 4.7]

He appears as soon as there are discrepancies in the methodical way."
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.7 — Los Angeles, September 13, 1972
I remember discussing this very same point with Gokula Candra Prabhu when we were in Salem, and the conclusion was that these forms do exist eternally, but from the above statement by Srila Prabhupada it seems to be otherwise. Could you clarify that please so that I may understand this properly?

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honest criticism

If there is some honest criticism there should be no cause of becoming
upset.
Letter to Vrndavanesvari, 28.07.69