Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 73

Srila Prabhupada instructs about brahmacari life

A brahmacari, from the very beginning of his life, he is trained to act only for guru. That is brahmacari. It is enjoined that a brahmacari live at the shelter, at the care of guru just like a menial servant. Krsna also, although He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, when He was living as brahmacari at His guru’s house, Sandipani Muni, He was collecting wood, fuel, from the jungle. He was going daily. It is not that because He was Personality of Godhead, therefore He should not go. No. You will find in the Krsna book, that when Sudama Vipra met Him, he was talking with Him about His childhood stories. Krsna reminded him, “Sudama, do you remember that one day we went to collect fuel for our Guru Maharaja, and there was storm and rain, and we could not get out of the forest? We had to live overnight there. Then on the morning Guru Maharaja came with other disciples and they recovered us from the jungle. Do you remember?” So Krsna had to do this. This is training. A brahmacari is trained up from the very beginning how to become a sannyasi at the end of life. How he is trained up? He is trained up to collect for guru alms. Everywhere the brahmacari would go to householder, and they ask, “Mother, give us some alms for my Guru Maharaja.” And the ladies would give him. Because everyone’s son goes to the gurukula. So there was no hesitation. And the brahmacari would collect and bring it in the asrama, and then he should live just like a menial servant. He may be a king’s son or a very learned brahmana’s son, but when he lives at gurukula, he has to work. It is said in the sastra… you will find the duty of brahmacari, the duty of grhastha, the duty of vanaprastha, the duty of sannyasa. Everything is there. So a brahmacari is trained in such a way that although he has collected everything, but he does not claim anything. He does not keep anything with him. Even though he has to eat in the asrama, but that he will eat upon the calling by the guru, “My dear such and such, please come and take your prasadam.” It is said if the guru forgets to call him one day, he will not take his food. This is called brahmacari, means strictly following. And they used to call every woman from the beginning of life “Mother.” This is training. Matrvat para-daresu [Canakya Pandita]. From the very beginning of life, all women they are treated as mother. That is the system, Vedic system. Everyone will call a woman as “Mother,” never mind whether she is younger or older. It doesn’t matter. Woman has to be addressed as “Mother.” That is Canakya Pandita’s instruction. Who is learned scholar? Who has got three qualification, he is learned scholar. What is that? Matrvat para-daresu: “To treat all women as mother.” Nowadays it has been introduced in India, “Bahinji.” No. This is not the etiquette. The etiquette is to address every woman, never mind whether she is young or old, as “Mother.” This is brahmacari. This is brahmacari. The brahmacarya is very strictly enjoined in the Vedic sastra. Brahma…, to maintain brahmacarya, it is advised, matra svasra duhitra va navivikta… Matra svasra duhitra va [SB 9.19.17]. [One should not allow oneself to sit on the same seat even with one’s own mother, sister or daughter, for the senses are so strong that even though one is very advanced in knowledge, he may be attracted by sex.] So one should not sit down with woman in a secluded place, even though the woman is mother, sister or daughter. So much restriction. And why? Balavan indriya-gramah: “The senses are very powerful.” Vidvamsam api karsati. “Oh, senses may be powerful for the fools and rascals.” No. Vidvamsam api karsati: “Even one is very learned, advanced, still, senses are so powerful that it can be agitated even before the mother, sister and daughter.” This is Vedic injunction, brahmacarya. Tapasa brahmacaryena damena samena [SB 6.1.13]. These are the human life: to accept brahmacarya life, tapasya, controlling the senses, controlling the mind, tyagena, by giving in charity whatever you possess. These are the different processes. But if you take to bhakti-yoga, then all these processes become automatically accustomed. That is the profit of bhakti-yoga.

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Bhagavad-gita 4.16 — April 5, 1974, Bombay

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Regulative principles sure to bring one to the stage of love of God

To practice the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga one should, under the guidance of an expert spiritual master, follow certain principles: one should rise early in the morning, take bath, enter the temple and offer prayers and chant Hare Krsna, then collect flowers to offer to the Deity, cook foodstuffs to offer to the Deity, take prasadam, and so on. There are various rules and regulations which one should follow. And one should constantly hear Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam from pure devotees. This practice can help anyone rise to the level of love of God, and then he is sure of his progress into the spiritual kingdom of God. This practice of bhakti-yoga, under the rules and regulations, with the direction of a spiritual master, will surely bring one to the stage of love of God.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Bg 12.9

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Progress toward raganuga-bhakti

Real bhakti is raganuga-bhakti. This raganuga-bhakti, we have to come after surpassing the vaidhi-bhakti [regulative process]. In the material world, if we do not try to make further and further progress in devotional service, if we are simply sticking to the sastric [scriptural] regulation process and do not try to go beyond that…

The sastric process is kanistha-adhikara, lowest stage of devotional service… This is nice beginning, but one has to go above this. If I become satisfied only with these regulative principles for worshipingi but if I have no other idea, then sa bhaktah prakrtah smrtah. Prakrta means on the material platform.

Any devotee can fall down if he remains prakrta-bhakta. So he has to raise himself above this in the madhyama-adhikara [intermediate stage]. Therefore, if we do not associate with the advanced devotees, uttama-adhikari, if we simply want to remain in the lowest stage of devotional service, then we are not making progress. Then we shall simply enjoy the material field, without entering into the spiritual platform.

Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.33 lecture, Vrindavan, 12 November 1972

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Where is happiness?

Where is happiness? Within the womb there was unhappiness, packed-up. When he comes down there is unhappiness. Then go to school, take education, appear for examination — that is unhappiness. Then grow up, then engage in some earning money — that is unhappiness. Then maintain your children, and that is unhappiness. Where is happiness, rascals? Rascal. This is simply anarthas, unnecessary creating unhappiness. Unnecessary. Therefore Krsna comes, and He is giving advice, “Do like this. You’ll be happy in this life and next.

Srila Prabhupada, Room Conversation with Vrindavan De — July 6, 1977, Vrndavana

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Don’t spoil your children with modern education

Don’t spoil your children. The modern educational system without any knowledge of Bhagavan, I may tell you frankly, not only in India, everywhere, they are practically slaughterhouse. Because in our country, it is a different thing; at least we have got the Vedic culture at home if it is not in the schools. But in other countries, because there is no bhagavata-dharma culture, the students, although they are provided with ample opportunity for education, the nicest educational system, nice building, nice facilities, everything nice, unfortunately the products are coming out frustrated, confused young men, and some of them are called hippies. They are educated. They are coming from very nice aristocratic family. In Western countries, in comparison to our country, every home is aristocratic. At least their standard of living is so high.

Srila Prabhupada, Pandal Lecture — Delhi, November 20, 1971

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How monarchy worked

They were never autocratic monarchs. The scriptures like Manu-samhita and other authorized books of the great sages were guiding principles for ruling the subjects, and there was no need for less intelligent persons to manufacture a code of law in the name of democracy. The less intelligent mass of people have very little knowledge of their own welfare, as a child has very little knowledge of its future well-being. The experienced father guides the innocent child towards the path of progress, and the childlike mass of people need similar guidance. The standard welfare codes are already there in the Manu-samhita and other Vedic literatures. The learned brahmanas would advise the king in terms of those standard books of knowledge and with reference to the particular situation of time and place. Such brahmanas were not paid servants of the king, and therefore they had the strength to dictate to the king on the principles of scriptures. This system continued even up to the time of Maharaja Candragupta, and the brahmana Canakya was his unpaid prime minister.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 2.7.9, Purport

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The real scarcity is of varnasrama-dharma

As your production is there, give me twenty-five percent. I’ll give you protection.” That is ksatriya business. Brahmana’s business: teaching. And vaisya: till the field, agriculture, get your food. Now, where is dependence? Only a sudra, he cannot take up all these things. “Give me some service, sir. Give me some service.” In the modern education, they… The more and more industries increasing, there sudras are being trained up, technology. Technology means he must get some service; otherwise, useless. Simple life, teaching, brahmana; and ksatriya, give protection; and vaisya, till the ground. Where is the question of scarcity? The scarcity is that nobody’s doing his real duty. Guna-karma-vibhagasah [Bg. 4.13]. And people are exploiting. There is competition, dissatisfaction, fight. So many things, sinful activities. The whole society is polluted.

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Bhagavad-gita 4.13 — August 5, 1974, Vrndavana

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Vaisnavas and animal slaughter

In so-called civilized society there is sometimes agitation against cruelty to animals, but at the same time regular slaughterhouses are always maintained. A Vaisnava is not like that. A Vaisnava can never support animal slaughter or even give pain to any living entity.

Srila Prabhupada, Nectar of Devotion

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Krsna cannot tolerate insult against a Vaisnava

A Vaisnava strictly follows this principle of being humbler than the grass and more tolerant than a tree, expecting no honor from others but offering honor to everyone. In this way, a Vaisnava is simply interested in chanting about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and glorifying Him. Haridasa Thakura epitomized this foremost order of Vaisnavism.

Krsna, however, cannot tolerate any insults or blasphemy against a Vaisnava. For example, Prahlada Maharaja was chastised by his father, Hiranyakasipu, in so many ways, but although Prahlada tolerated this, Krsna did not. The Lord therefore came in the form of Nrsimha-deva to kill Hiranyakasipu. Similarly, although Srila Haridasa Thakura tolerated the insult by Gopala Cakravarti, Krsna could not. The Lord immediately punished Gopala Cakravarti by making him suffer from leprosy. While instructing Srila Rupa Gosvami about the many restrictive rules and regulations for Vaisnavas, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has very vividly described the effects of offenses at the lotus feet of a Vaisnava. Yadi vaisnava-aparadha uthe hati mata (Madhya 19.156). Offending or blaspheming a Vaisnava has been described as the greatest offense, and it has been compared to a mad elephant. When a mad elephant enters a garden, it ruins all the creepers, flowers and trees. Similarly, if a devotee properly executing his devotional service becomes an offender at the lotus feet of his spiritual master or another Vaisnava, his devotional service is spoiled.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Cc Antya 3.213, The Glories of Srila Haridasa Thakura

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Servant of the servant of the…

Srila Prabhupada was giving a talk on Srimad Bhagavatam and was pointing to a painting that was in the temple room of SrimatiRadharani offering Tulasi leaves to the lotus feet of Krsna and some gopis in the background, looking through the trees.  So Srila Prabhupada pointed, saying, “Radharani is worshipping the feet of Krsna, and the gopis are not serving Krsna directly, They’re assisting Sri Radha in Her service to Sri Krsna and others are assisting those gopis in Their service to assist Sri Radha in Her service to Krsna.”

Then Prabhupada made a wonderful gesture.  He said, “So, to become the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant is our goal.” And then Prabhupada said, with his finger like this in the air (pointing up), “And the further down the line of service you go,” (finger pointing lower and lower), “the sweeter that service becomes.”

I’ve always remembered that.  I’ve always felt that if we have the opportunity to serve a devotee who is serving a devotee who is serving a devotee who is serving a devotee, then we have the sublime benefits of all of those devotees’ service, going all the way to Krsna.

So, not only can we not approach Krsna directly, but we shouldn’t want to approach Krsna directly because the nectar of serving the servants of the servants of the servants is so much richer and so much greater because it contains the accumulation of all of those services and all of those  great devotees who are before us and between us and Krsna.  Krsna’s mercy runs like an electrical current and as it flows down the line, it increases in its potency.  So the further down the line of service you go, the sweeter and the richer that service becomes.  So we don’t lose anything with time. I heard one devotee recently mention that the grandfather is more merciful than the father.  So those who are in second generation, what to speak of great grandfather, great, great grandfather…

So the mercy only increases as we go down the line of service, if we’re sincere in serving the Lord.

Told by Jagat Purush Dasa

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