Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 7

Special mercy upon Rupa Gosvami

Devotees acknowledge Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s special mercy upon Srila Rupa Gosvami in the following words:

sri-caitanya-mano-‘bhistam sthapitam yena bhu-tale
svayam rupah kada mahyam dadati sva-padantikam

“When will Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhupada, who has established within this material world the mission to fulfill the desire of Lord Caitanya, give me shelter under his lotus feet?”

The special function of Srila Rupa Gosvami is to establish the feelings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. These feelings are His desires that His special mercy be spread throughout the world in this Kali-yuga.

prthivite ache yata nagaradi-grama
sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama
[CB Antya-khanda 4.126]

The desire of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is that all over the world everyone, in every village and every town, know of Him and His sankirtana movement. These are the inner feelings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Rupa Gosvami committed to writing all these feelings of the Lord. Now again, by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the same feelings are being spread all over the world by the servants of the Gosvamis, and devotees who are pure and simple will appreciate this attempt. As concluded by Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, however, those who are on the level of hogs and dogs will never appreciate such a great attempt. Yet this does not matter to the preachers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s cult, for all over the world they will continue to perform this responsible work, even though persons who are like cats and dogs do not appreciate them.

Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Cc Antya 1.118

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How to attain Gauranga’s mercy

For ten days Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Prayaga and instructed Rupa Gosvami, empowering him with the necessary potency.

This is a confirmation of the statement krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana. Unless one is specifically empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he cannot spread the Krsna consciousness movement. An empowered devotee sees and feels himself to be the lowest of men, for he knows that whatever he does is due to the inspiration given by the Lord in the heart. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita:

tesam satata-yuktanam
bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
yena mam upayanti te

“To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” (Bg. 10.10)

To be empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one has to qualify himself. This means that one must engage twenty-four hours daily in the loving devotional service of the Lord. The material position of a devotee doesn’t matter because devotional service is not dependent on material considerations. In his earlier life, Srila Rupa Gosvami was a government officer and a grhastha. He was not even a brahmacari or sannyasi. He associated with mlecchas and yavanas, but because he was always eager to serve, he was a qualified recipient for the Lord’s mercy. A sincere devotee can therefore be empowered by the Lord regardless of his situation. In the preceding verse from Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Srila Rupa Gosvami has described how he was personally empowered by the Lord. He further states in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.187):

iha yasya harer dasye
karmana manasa gira
nikhilasv apy avasthasu
jivan-muktah sa ucyate

“A person acting in the service of Krsna with his body, mind and words is a liberated person even in the material world, although he may be engaged in many so-called material activities.”

To keep oneself free from material contamination and attain the Lord’s favor, one must be sincerely anxious to render service to the Lord. This is the only qualification necessary. As soon as one is favored by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Lord, one is immediately given all the power necessary to write books and propagate the Krsna consciousness movement without being hampered by material considerations.

Cc Madhya 19.135, translation and purport by Srila Prabhupada

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More important than worship of salagrama-sila

It has been a custom since time immemorial that a person born in a brahmana family must.worship the salagrama-sila in all circumstances. In our Krsna consciousness society, some of the members are very anxious to introduce the salagrama-sila, but we have purposely refrained from introducing it because most of the members of the Krsna consciousness movement do not originally come from families of the brahmana caste. After some time, when we find that they are actually situated strictly in the line of brahminical behavior, this salagrama-sila will be introduced.

In this age, the worship of the salagrama-sila is not as important as the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. That is the injunction of the sastra.

harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha

From Srila Prabhupada’s  purport to Cc 1.13.86

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Vedic culture contrasted with with modern civilization

Vedic society is based on the principle of love — between husband and wife, father and son, the king and the citizens, and so on. Civilization must be founded on love, not law. By law you cannot make a person love you. First he must love you, then he will gladly follow your law.

Modern civilization lacks this basis of love, so everything is superficial and false. But if devotion to Krsna is made the basic principle, then people will be happy.

BTG 11-01, 1976

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Rukmini drives the chariot

It was here one evening as you [Srila Prabhupada] sat in that garden that you revealed to the devotees as amazing detail of Krsna’s and Rukmini’s pastime — a detail that had not been published in Krsna book. You explained to the amazed devotees how when Krsna snatched away Princess Rukmini in the presence of Sisupala and others, she had grabbed the reins of the horses and actually driven the chariot as Krsna picked up His bow and arrows and defeated the opposing princes.

From Dallas Vyasa-puja offering 1990

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Srila Prabhupada prays to not fall down!

One time, maybe in the early 1970’s, when the movement was starting to spread a bit, Prabhupada was with some disciples in his room in Los Angeles. The temple was big and opulent, for those days. And Govinda Dasi had made Prabhupada a coat with peackock feather tassles to tighten its hood, and someone had given Prabhupada a gold lame bead bag.

Prabhupada said, “Now we are getting so many things. So I’m just praying to Krsna that I may not fall down.”

From BTG #25-06, 1991

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Krsna’s things must be used in the service of Krsna

One should not give up anything which can be utilized in the service of the Lord. That is a secret of devotional service. Anything that can be utilized in advancing Krsna consciousness and devotional service should be accepted. For instance, we are using many machines for the advancement of our present Krsna consciousness movement, machines like typewriters, dictaphones, tape recorders, microphones and airplanes. Sometimes people ask us, “Why are you utilizing material products if you condemn the advancement of material civilization?” But actually we do not condemn. We simply ask people to do whatever they are doing in Krsna consciousness. This is the same principle on which, in the Bhagavad-gita, Krsna advised Arjuna to utilize his fighting abilities in devotional service. Similarly, we are utilizing these machines for Krsna’s service. With such sentiment for Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, we can accept everything. If the typewriter can be utilized for advancing our Krsna consciousness movement, we must accept it. Similarly, the dictaphone or any other machine must be used. Our vision is that Krsna is everything. Krsna is the cause and effect, and nothing belongs to us. Krsna’s things must be used in the service of Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada The Nectar of Devotion, Ch. 14

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Women

Radhavallabha: In one BTG article, you described increase in women population as a natural disaster.

Prabhupada: Yes.

Radhavallabha: So when one woman read this article, she became very angry. She came back and was very angry.

Prabhupada: She may be angry. She is woman and man. Actually this is physiological. If a man is too much addicted to sex life, he’ll become impotent, and if he begets child, it will be a girl. With no potency to give birth to a male child. That requires potency.

Hamsaduta: When we were going around in London making life members, I noticed that in so many families, all the children are girls.

Prabhupada: Yes. The whole world is full of girls, girl children. Why? There is no potency. Potency finished. Or impotent. And if you keep one boy brahmacari, no sex life, and get him married, the first child must be a boy, must be, without any doubt.

Lokanatha: That means, then, woman is more potent than…

Prabhupada: Yes, yes. Yes. The Ayur-vedic formula is that when there is discharge, woman’s discharge, more, means girl, and man’s discharge, more, means boy. This is physiological.

Morning Walk, March 19, 1976, Mayapura

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Be prepared to accept cutting words

If one is intelligent he will associate with those who are trying to elevate themselves to the platform of self-realization through one of the various forms of yoga. The result will be that those who are sadhu, or realized, will be able to sever their attachment to this material affection. Because Arjuna is attracted to things that are impeding the execution of his own duty, Krsna severs these things. To cut something, a sharp instrument is required; and to cut the mind from its attachments, sharp words are often required. The sadhu or teacher shows no mercy in using sharp words to sever the student’s mind from material attractions. By speaking the truth uncompromisingly, he is able to sever the bondage. For example, at the very beginning of Bhagavad-gita Krsna speaks sharply to Arjuna by telling him that although he speaks like a learned man, he is actually fool number one. If we actually want detachment from this material world, we should be prepared to accept such cutting words from the spiritual master. Compromise and flattery have no effect where strong words are required.

From The Perfection of Yoga by Srila Prabhupada

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Counteracting the contaminations of Kali-yuga

In the Kali-santarana Upanisad it is stated:

hare krsna hare krsna
krsna krsna hare hare
hare rama hare rama
rama rama hare hare
iti sodasakam namnam
kali-kalmasa-nasanam
natah parataropayah
sarva-vedesu drsyate

“The sixteen words – Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare – are especially meant for counteracting the contaminations of Kali. To save oneself from the contamination of Kali, there is no alternative but the chanting of these sixteen words.”

From TheTeachings of Lord Caitanya by Srila Prabhupada

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