Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 50

Even if unable to fully follow, try sincerely

In the beginning of Krsna consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krsna consciousness.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Bg 3.32

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Only the fortunate get a bona fide spiritual master

Devotee: Most of the people are still ignoring God. They are so weak-willed. They are so weak-willed that they are easily swayed by, you know, when somebody comes and claims that…

Prabhupada: Well, if one is weak, he may be infected by some disease. It equires some resisting power. Therefore Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that, your answer, that “Only the fortunate person, they can get the shelter of bona fide spiritual master.” Kona bhagyavan jiva. Not all, kona. Kona means some.

Devotee: Some, yes. Kona bhagyavan…

Prabhupada: Jiva. So as there are bhagyavan — somebody is rich, somebody is poor; this is also due to fortune or misfortune — similarly, if one is spiritually fortunate he gets a bona fide spiritual master.

February 12, 1975, Mexico

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Take help from two sources, make life successful

The spiritual master is the living representative of Krsna who helps externally, and Krsna as Supersoul helps internally. The living entity can take advantage of such guidance and make his life successful.

Srila Prabhupada, Easy Journey to Other Planets Chapter 2

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Pure devotee husbands and chaste wives

SB 7.11.28

TRANSLATION
A chaste woman should not be greedy, but satisfied in all circumstances. She must be very expert in handling household affairs and should be fully conversant with religious principles. She should speak pleasingly and truthfully and should be very careful and always clean and pure. Thus a chaste woman should engage with affection in the service of a husband who is not fallen.

PURPORT
According to the injunction of Yajnavalkya, an authority on religious principles, asuddheh sampratiksyo hi mahapataka-dusitah. One is considered contaminated by the reactions of great sinful activities when one has not been purified according to the methods of the dasa-vidha-samskara. In Bhagavad-gita, however, the Lord says, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah: (BG 7.15) “Those miscreants who do not surrender unto Me are the lowest of mankind.” The word naradhama means “nondevotee.” Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also said, yei bhaje sei bada, abhakta-hina (CC Antya 4.67), chara. Anyone who is a devotee is sinless. One who is not a devotee, however, is the most fallen and condemned. It is recommended, therefore, that a chaste wife not associate with a fallen husband. A fallen husband is one who is addicted to the four principles of sinful activity — namely illicit sex, meat-eating, gambling and intoxication. Specifically, if one is not a soul surrendered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is understood to be contaminated. Thus a chaste woman is advised not to agree to serve such a husband. It is not that a chaste woman should be like a slave while her husband is naradhama, the lowest of men. Although the duties of a woman are different from those of a man, a chaste woman is not meant to serve a fallen husband. If her husband is fallen, it is recommended that she give up his association. Giving up the association of her husband does not mean, however, that a woman should marry again and thus indulge in prostitution. If a chaste woman unfortunately marries a husband who is fallen, she should live separately from him. Similarly, a husband can separate himself from a woman who is not chaste according to the description of the sastra. The conclusion is that a husband should be a pure Vaisnava and that a woman should be a chaste wife with all the symptoms described in this regard. Then both of them will be happy and make spiritual progress in Krsna consciousness.

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Aryan civilization means varnasrama-dharma

The materialists, they claim Aryan only from the bodily conception, but that is not the fact. Anyone who is advanced in spiritual life, they are called Aryans. Anarya-justam. Arjuna was chastised by Krsna that “You are talking like non-Aryan.” Anarya-justam. So non-Aryan and Aryan, what is the difference? The Aryan civilization means this varnasrama-dharma, four varnas, four asramas. And non-Aryan means there is no division. Everyone is one or equal. That is advocated now at the present moment.

Srila Prabhupada, Lecture on SB 7.6.7, 9 Dec 1975

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India is suffering in party politics

The same thing. The parliamentary members… Just like nowadays, party. India is suffering in party politics. And they did not like to give importance to monarchy. They wanted to rule according to their whims, and therefore the whole scheme failed. The so-called democracy under party politics is nonsense. This democracy is the government of the asses, because the population are asses and they vote another ass to be head of the government.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation — December 13, 1970, Indore

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The world can only be saved by sankirtana

It is enjoined in the sastras that intelligent men in this age will take to the sankirtana movement, and by so doing they shall worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Caitanya, whose bodily complexion is golden and who is always accompanied by His confidential devotees to preach this Krsna consciousness movement all over the world. In its present condition, the world can only be saved by introducing this sankirtana, this Krsna consciousness movement.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 4.18.8, purport

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Taking bad shelter

This world of maya is called durasraya, which means “false or bad shelter.” One who puts his faith in durasraya becomes a candidate for hoping against hope. In the material world everyone is trying to become happy, and although their material attempts are baffled in every way, due to their nescience they cannot understand their mistakes. People try to rectify one mistake by making another mistake. This is the way of the struggle for existence in the material world. If one in this condition is advised to take to Krsna consciousness and be happy, he does not accept such instructions.

Srila Prabhupada, NoI Verse 7, ppt

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Atom bomb

We are engaged in these material activities, but we forget at the same time that there is ready, atom bomb. As soon as there will be declared war, these things will be finished, immediately. These people are not declaring war. America is not declaring war against Asia, Russia or China. They are thinking because they know they have got the deadly weapons, atom, and that is the now diplomacy. When there will be war, the first dropping of atom bomb will be victorious. Aah, victorious.

From Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on SB 6.1.6, Sydney, February 17, 1973

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Chanting to escape material miseries

We are all pure spirit, part and parcel of the Supreme. God is pavitram, pure, and we are also pure. Somehow or other, however, we have fallen into this material ocean, and as the waves toss, we suffer. Actually we have nothing to do with the tossing waves of material miseries. We must simply pray, “Krsna, please pick me up.” As soon as we forget Krsna, the ocean of illusion is there, and it at once captures us. The chanting of Hare Krsna is most important in order to escape from this ocean.

From Raja-vidya: The King of Knowledge by Srila Prabhupada

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