Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 45

The dust of the lotus feet of a Vaisnava

naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim
sprsaty anarthapagamo yad-arthah
mahiyasam pada-rajo-‘bhisekam
niskincananam na vrnita yavat

Unless they smear upon their bodies the dust of the lotus feet of a Vaisnava completely freed from material contamination, persons very much inclined toward materialistic life cannot be attached to the lotus feet of the Lord, who is glorified for His uncommon activities. Only by becoming Krsna conscious and taking shelter at the lotus feet of the Lord in this way can one be freed from material contamination.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 7.5.32, verse translation

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Read Krsna book, become Krsna conscious

We have given so many important books. We have got magazines. If you want to understand through intelligence and philosophy, we have got volumes of books we can deliver. You try to understand. If you simply read our book Krsna in two parts, I am sure you will become Krsna conscious, undoubtedly.

From Srila Prabhupada’s Pandal Lecture – March 31, 1971, Bombay

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Mlecchas and yavanas becoming nice Vaisnavas

By engagement in the service of Vasudeva, one very quickly renounces material life. The members of the Krsna consciousness movement, for example, being engaged in vasudeva-bhakti, very quickly come to the stage of being nice Vaisnavas, so much so that people are surprised that mlecchas and yavanas are able to come to this stage. This is possible by vasudeva-bhakti.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 10.13.53, ppt.

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Coeducation should be stopped

They should be stopped, this practice of prostitution. This is a very bad system in Europe and America. The boys and girls, they are educated — coeducation. From the very beginning of their life they become prostitutes. And they encourage.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation, April 29, 1977

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Women’s liberation disaster

Woman reporter: What about women who do not have children?

Prabhupada: Well, that is also another unnatural thing. Sometimes they use contraceptives. They kill children, abortion. That is also not very good. These are all sinful activities. These are sinful activities, to kill child in the womb.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is a fact. In the history there is no woman who is a big philosopher, a big mathematician, big scientist, big educationist. We don’t find. They were all men.

Disciple: Women’s liberation has become successful because man is now the servant of woman.

Prabhupada: It is not successful. That I was pointing out. It has caused the disaster because the whole women become dependent on the welfare gift of the government, and the government has to raise tax heavily for this purpose. The tax is given by the general public, but it is going for one individual person, and I have heard that government is embarrassed. By nature’s way, if the husband takes care of the wife and children, this problem is solved immediately. But the man takes advantage. He goes away after making the woman pregnant. And the woman is embarrassed and the government is embarrassed.

Disciple: And the child grows up to be a criminal.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Television interview with Srila Prabhupada, July 9, 1975, Chicago

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Chant Hare Krsna, rain will come

One man was to go to a fair, so he began to dress himself nicely. So dressing, dressing, in the meantime the fair is finished. (laughs) This is their program. You require water immediately: “All right, after three hundred millions of years.” If we become Krsna conscious, chant Hare Krsna, there will be rainfall. And then even barren land will be fertile. They do not know this. They are importing water.

Srila Prabhupada, Conversation — 31 January, 1977

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Be saved from so-called priests

In devotional service there is no sense gratification, but only transcendental loving service to the Lord. Consequently, the so-called priests engaged in sense gratification do not very much like devotional service. The brahmanas, the priests, have been against this Krsna consciousness movement since it began with Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. When Caitanya Mahaprabhu started this movement, the priestly class lodged complaints to the Kazi, the magistrate of the Muhammadan government. Caitanya Mahaprabhu had to lead a civil disobedience movement against the propaganda of the so-called followers of Vedic principles. These people are described as karma jada-smartas, which indicates that they are priests engaged in ritualistic ceremonies. It is here stated that such people become bewildered (rsayo ‘pi hi muhyanti). To save oneself from the hands of these karma jada-smartas, one should strictly follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 4.29.57, purport

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Nuclear war and Sankirtana

You have asked about whether nuclear devastation on this planet would affect the Sankirtana Movement. No, there is nothing that can stop the Sankirtana Movement because it is the will of God Himself, Lord Caitanya, that His Holy Name be heard in every town and village.

From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Makhanlal, Mayapur 22 June, 1973

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Only bhakti is required

Nobody can captivate Krsna by material possessions — money, manpower, beauty, education, austerity, and mystic power. Krsna says, bhaktya mam abhijanati. He doesn’t say, “If one is a rich man, he can have My favor.” No. Krsna is not a poor man like me. If somebody gives me money, I benefit. He’s self-sufficient. Only bhakti, love, is required. Bhakti means “to serve Krsna without any purpose.” Everywhere this is the statement of the sastra that bhakti should be unalloyed.

If we have love for Krsna, then we don’t require money or strength or education or austerity. Krsna says, patram puspam phalam toyam, yo me bhaktya prayacchati. He doesn’t require anything from us. Because we are part and parcel of Krsna, He wants to see that everyone obeys and loves Him. That is His aspiration.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.9.9 – March 1, 1977, Mayapur

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Beautiful devotees, as if directly from Vaikuntha

During the rainy season, all living entities in the land, sky and water become very much refreshed, exactly like one who engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. We have practical experience of this with our students in the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Before becoming students, they were dirty-looking, although they had naturally beautiful personal features; due to having no information of Krsna consciousness they appeared very dirty and wretched. Since they have taken to Krsna consciousness, their health has improved, and by their following the rules and regulations, their bodily luster has increased. When they are dressed with saffron-colored cloth, with tilaka on their foreheads and beads in their hands and on their necks, they look exactly as if they have come directly from Vaikuntha.

Srila Prabhupada, Krsna Book Chapter 20

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