Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 70
October 17, 2023
Faithfully stick to service in spite of impediments
Faith means that you are meant for giving some service to Krishna. You should stick to that service, that path, in spite of all impediments. That is the passing of test. Generally, just like we are meant for preaching Krishna consciousness. So there may be severe test, but still we shall remain determined. That is wanted. There may be so many impediments, punishment, still you should do that. That is wanted. That is test. Not that as soon as there is some difficulty I give it up. There may be severe test, but still we shall not give it up. We must go on. That is determination.
Srila Prabhupada, Conversation, Tehran, August 11, 1976
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October 16, 2023
Feeling inadequate in service to the Lord
The more one feels imperfect in Krishna’s service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection-this is not Krishna Consciousness.
From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hansadutta, Himavati, Mar. 3, 1968
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October 15, 2023
Everything is revealed automatically
By associating with the sages, Narada got the taste for hearing and chanting the glories of the Lord, and he developed a great desire for devotional service. Therefore, as described in the Vedanta-sutra, prakasas ca karmany abhyasat: if one is engaged simply in the acts of devotional service, everything is revealed to him automatically, and he can understand. This is called pratyaksa, directly perceived.
Srila Prabhupada; BG 9.2 purport
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October 13, 2023
Employ whatever energy one has in service
The more we struggle for advancing our Krishna Consciousness movement, the more we become advanced on the path. Really, devotional service means that we have to employ our energies for the purpose of Krishna Consciousness, and it does not matter what is the volume of such energy, because different persons have got different type of energies, but the best means is that one has to apply his energy as far as possible, that is the secret of success in Krishna Consciousness. It does not mean that one has to acquire the energy of an elephant or one has to become very learned or intelligent man, simply one has to become sincere and employ whatever energy he has in his possession in the service of the Lord. That is the secret of success in Krishna Consciousness.
Srila Prabhupada — Letter to Aniruddha, , 24 August, 1968
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The path of the paramahamsas
Following in the footsteps of Lord Brahma, any person, even up to this day, can attain the same perfection by following the path of the paramahamsa as recommended herein. Lord Caitanya also approved of this method of self-realization for men in this age. One should first, with all conviction, believe in the Personality of Godhead Sri Krsna, and without making efforts to realize Him by speculative philosophy, one should prefer to hear about Him from Srimad Bhagavad-gita and later from the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam. One should hear such discourses from a person Bhagavatam and not from the professional man, or from the karmi, jnani or yogi. That is the secret of learning the science. One does not need to be in the renounced order of life; he can remain in his present condition of life, but he must search out the association of a bona fide devotee of the Lord and hear from him the transcendental message of the Lord with faith and conviction. That is the path of the paramahamsa recommended herein. Amongst various holy names of the Lord, He is also called ajita, or one who can never be conquered by anyone else. Yet He can be conquered by the paramahamsa path, as practically realized and shown by the great spiritual master Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma has personally recommended this paramahamsa-panthah in his own words as follows:
jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
ye prayaso ‘jita jito ‘py asi tais tri-lokyam
Lord Brahma said, “O my Lord Krsna, a devotee who abandons the path of empiric philosophical speculation aimed at merging in the existence of the Supreme and engages himself in hearing Your glories and activities from a bona fide sadhu, or saint, and who lives an honest life in the occupational engagement of his social life, can conquer Your sympathy and mercy even though You are ajita, or unconquerable.” (SB 10.14.3) That is the path of the paramahamsas, which was personally followed by Lord Brahma and later recommended by him for attaining perfect success in life.
Srila Prabhupada, SB 2.9.18 Purport
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October 11, 2023
Goodbye to this material world
Real Krsna consciousness means goodbye to this material world. We are no more interested with your these big, big street, big, big buses or anything, whatever you think that is improvement, advancement.
So Krsna conscious person are no more interested. Why not interested? They are disgusted.
Srila Prabhupada, Lecture — July 25, 1976, London
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Seeing the unseen Lord
A pure devotee never wants to see the Lord unnecessarily. The Lord is engaged in various activities, and the pure devotee does not want to see Him whimsically, for his own sense gratification. The pure devotee simply depends on the Lord’s mercy, and when the Lord is pleased, he can see Him face to face. The Lord is unseen even by demigods like Lord Brahma and Lord Siva.
Srila Prabhupada, SB 5.3.15 purport
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October 9, 2023
The central point of Bhagavad-gita
The Lord wants and demands that the living entities satisfy His senses By the spell of illusion one tries to be happy by serving his personal sense gratification in different forms which will never make him happy. Instead of satisfying his own personal material senses, he has to satisfy the senses of the Lord. That is the highest perfection of life. The Lord wants this, and He demands it. One has to understand this central point of Bhagavad-gita.
Srila Prabhupada — Preface to Bhagavad-gita As It Is
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Svarupa-siddhi
So in this way, if we actually establish… Establish means re-establish. It is already established. We have got different types of relationship. That is called svarupa-siddhi. Svarupa-siddhi. When you are perfect in spiritual life, you will understand what is your relationship with Krsna automatically. That is called svarupa-siddhi. You have got original relationship with Krsna.
Nitya-siddha krsna-bhakti. Caitanya-caritamrta. That is a… Just like you are son of some gentleman. That is a fact. It is not that the son becomes father or father becomes son. No. The son is son; the father is father. Similarly, we have got an eternal relationship with Krsna, either as father, or as lover, or as servant, like that.
So that is self-realization. When you will be perfect in love, in loving Krsna, then in what status of life you will love, that you will under… That will be revealed. That is called svarupa-siddhi.
So svarupa-siddhi is not something artificial. When one becomes perfectly spiritually realized, then he understands what is his relationship with Krsna and he begins his service in that relationship as father, as friend, as guru, or as servant, like that.
Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.38 — Bombay, December 7, 1974
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October 8, 2023
How to know if we are pleasing Krishna
Actually, the purpose of our life is to please Krsna. That is the business of the older children, to serve the father. So there is a test for knowing if I am pleasing Krsna: If He reveals Himself to me, if I see Krsna, then I know I am pleasing Krsna. And another test is if my spiritual master is pleased by my service then I know that I am pleasing Krsna. It is very simple, because if I am following the prescribed regulative principles of my spiritual master, then without doubt I am pleasing Him.
Srila Prabhupada — letter to Kirtiraja, Feb. 28, 1972
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