Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 59

Seeing and not seeing reincanation

The foolish cannot understand how a living entity can quit his body, nor can they understand what sort of body he enjoys under the spell of the modes of nature. But one whose eyes are trained in knowledge can see all this.

The endeavoring transcendentalists who are situated in self-realization can see all this clearly. But those whose minds are not developed and who are not situated in self-realization cannot see what is taking place, though they may try.

Srila Prabhupada’s translations of Bg 15.10, 11

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One moon is sufficient

We don’t take that, by number of people. We take how many people are taking actually. Ekas candras tamo hanti: “If one man accepts, then he can become the bright moon.” Na ca tarah sahasrasah: “The so-called stars has no value.” One moon is sufficient. So our preaching is: Let one man understand Bhagavad-gita As It Is. We don’t want disciples. I never collected disciples. I never compromised that “You can do whatever you like, and you become my disciple. “No. You have to follow this. Now also, this morning, I accepted so many. “First promise whether you are going to do this. Then I initiate.” This is my policy. If I would have said, “No, you can do whatever you like, and give me some money. I shall give you mantra,” then you would have seen millions. But I accept very selected disciple, not that anyone, everyone comes, and I accept disciple. No. He is first of all trained up six months. Then, when he is able to promise to follow the regulative…, then I accept.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation with Dr. Copeland, Professor of Modern Indian History, May 20, 1975, Melbourne

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Turning lust into love

Lust is only the perverted reflection of the love of God which is natural for every living entity. But if one is educated in Krsna consciousness from the very beginning, that natural love of God cannot deteriorate into lust. When love of God deteriorates into lust, it is very difficult to return to the normal condition. Nonetheless, Krsna consciousness is so powerful that even a late beginner can become a lover of God by following the regulative principles of devotional service. So, from any stage of life, or from the time of understanding its urgency, one can begin regulating the senses in Krsna consciousness, devotional service of the Lord, and turn the lust into love of Godhead — the highest perfectional stage of human life.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to BG 3.41

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Lord Caitanya changes the minds of the Mayavadis

After hearing Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, all the Mayavadi sannyasis were moved. Their minds changed, and thus they spoke with pleasing words.

PURPORT
The Mayavadi sannyasis met Caitanya Mahaprabhu at Varanasi to criticize the Lord regarding His participation in the sankirtana movement, which they did not like. This demonic nature of opposition to the sankirtana movement perpetually exists. As it existed in the time of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, similarly it existed long before that, even in the time of Prahlada Maharaja. He used to chant in sankirtana although his father did not like it, and that was the reason for the misunderstanding between the father and son. In the Bhagavad-gita (7.15) the Lord says:

na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah
mayayapahrta-jnana asuram bhavam asritah

“Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, who are lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons do not surrender unto Me.” The Mayavadi sannyasis are asuram bhavam asritah, which means that they have taken the path of the asuras (demons), who do not believe in the existence of the form of the Lord. The Mayavadis say that the ultimate source of everything is impersonal, and in this way they deny the existence of God. Saying that there is no God is direct denial of God, and saying that God exists but has no head, legs or hands and cannot speak, hear or eat is a negative way of denying His existence. A person who cannot see is called blind, one who cannot walk is called lame, one who has no hands is called helpless, one who cannot speak is called dumb, and one who cannot hear is called deaf. The Mayavadis‘ proposition that God has no legs, no eyes, no ears and no hands is an indirect way of insulting Him by defining Him as blind, deaf, dumb, lame, helpless, etc. Therefore although they present themselves as great Vedantists, they are factually mayayapahrta-jnana; in other words, they seem to be very learned scholars, but the essence of their knowledge has been taken away.

Impersonalist Mayavadis always try to defy Vaisnavas because Vaisnavas accept the Supreme Personality as the supreme cause and want to serve Him, talk with Him and see Him, just as the Lord is also eager to see His devotees and talk, eat and dance with them. These personal exchanges of love do not appeal to the Mayavadi sannyasis. Therefore the original purpose of the Mayavadi sannyasis of Benares in meeting Caitanya Mahaprabhu was to defeat His personal conception of God. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, however, as a preacher, turned the minds of the Mayavadi sannyasis. They were melted by the sweet words of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and thus became friendly and spoke to Him also in sweet words. Similarly, all preachers will have to meet opponents, but they should not make them more inimical. They are already enemies, and if we talk with them harshly or impolitely their enmity will merely increase. We should therefore follow in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as far as possible and try to convince the opposition by quoting from the sastras and presenting the conclusion of the acaryas. It is in this way that we should try to defeat all the enemies of the Lord.

Cc Adi 7.99 presented by Srila Prabhupada

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Enamored by a catastrophe

Foolishly, people who are enamored of the glitter of modern materialistic advancement are thinking that the Krsna consciousness movement is for less intelligent men. “I am better off being busy with my material comforts — maintaining a nice apartment, family and sex life.” These people do not know that at any moment they can be kicked out of their material situation. Due to ignorance, they do not know that real life is eternal. The temporary comforts of the body are not the goal of life, and it is due only to darkest ignorance that people become enamored of the glittering advancement of material comforts. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has therefore said that the advancement of material knowledge renders a person more foolish, because it causes one to forget his real identity by its glitter. This is doom for him, because this human form of life is meant for getting out of material contamination. By the advancement of material knowledge, people are becoming more and more entangled in material existence. They have no hope of being liberated from this catastrophe.

Srila Prabhupada, NoD Chapter 1

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Asat sanga

For a devotee to live with nondevotees is so obnoxious and troublesome, it is sometimes mentioned, better to remain within a cage surrounded by fire, and still, don’t remain with nondevotees. You prefer to live within a cage surrounded by fire. That living is preferable than to live with this nondevotee class.

Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation August 9, 1976, Tehran

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Srila Prabhupada enjoys “The Kidnapping of Rukmini”

Whenever Prabhupada visited the New York temple, the devotees there would perform a play. Once the devotees performed “The Kidnapping of Rukmini” and Prabhupada enjoyed the performance. He laughed when an envious prince, played by Nayanabhirama dasa, saw Rukmini and said he was going to faint. And when Balarama cut off Rukmi’s beard, Prabhupada said, “Oh, now he is more than dead.” When the play was over, Prabhupada said that seeing the drama was better than reading the book.

From Prabhupada Nectar by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

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We have to undergo (simple) tapasya

If you simply take little trouble to understand Krsna… That tapasya required: to read Krsna’s instruction, Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and try to understand Krsna. Because that tapasya, if you take little painful… It is not painful; it is very pleasing. But we avoid it. We think it is painful: “Ah! Who is going to read books? We are meant for selling books, not for reading books.” This is not good. We should read also. That is tapasya. Saddhaya. That is tapasya. Don’t think that simply our books are meant for selling. No. It is meant for reading also. If we read regularly, at least two hours, three hours, that is tapasya. Tapo divyam. To understand
spiritual position, my spiritual position, Krsna’s spiritual… So that is tapasya. These are the tapasya. To rise early in the morning, that is also tapasya. Not that every day we have to ring bell-dung, dung, dung, dung-“Get up! Get up! ” “No, I am sleeping.” No, you have to accept. These are the tapasya. We cannot avoid. If we actually want to avoid this body, working like cats and dogs, like animals, then we have to undergo tapasya, a very simple tapasya.

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.1 – October 23, 1976, Vrndavana

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Adjust things by the indication of Lord that comes through guru

Don’t you see the indication by Krishna that we must make propaganda in the German language in that part of the world? So, you have to adjust things by the indication of Lord Krishna. Don’t do anything whimsically. The direction comes through the spiritual master, and anyone who abides by the order of the spiritual master to give shape to the wish of the Lord, he is a perfectly surrendered soul. I am so much encouraged to learn that one very nice German boy has come to live in your temple. This is clear evidence that you are all working sincerely to serve Krishna, and now one sincere soul has been so attracted by this, that he is also coming to join you. Actually, if one true Vaisnava goes to any place in the world, then the spiritual instincts of the more advanced souls he comes into contact with will be awakened, and they will automatically be attracted.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Krsna dasa — San Francisco 3 April, 1969

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Spiritual master and Krishna must be served simultaneously

The spiritual master and Krishna are two parallel lines. The train, on two tracks, moves forward. The spiritual master and Krishna are like these two tracks, they must be served simultaneously. Krishna helps one to find bona fide spiritual master and bona fide spiritual Master helps one to understand Krishna. If one does not get bona fide spiritual master, then how he can ever understand Krishna? You cannot serve Krishna without spiritual master, or serve just spiritual master without serving Krishna. They must be served simultaneously.

Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Mahapurusha, 12th Feb, 1968

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