Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 85

No loneliness in Krsna consciousness

Feelings of loneliness are simply temporary manifestations due to past conditioning.We should try to concentrate our attention to our eternal friendship with Krishna.

 Srila Prabhupada; letter to Kulasekhara, November 2, 1969

The post No loneliness in Krsna consciousness appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Fools try to please Krsna directly

Your next question is, should we love Krishna or love the spiritual master: You cannot go to Krishna directly, loving Him. It is common sense that if Krishna is the object of your love, His pet dog is also the object of your love. Friends meet friends and if the friend is with his dog the gentleman pats his dog first, is it not? So the man becomes automatically pleased, his dog being patted. I have seen it in your country. The conclusion is this: Without pleasing the spiritual master he cannot please Krishna. If anyone tries to please Krishna directly, he’s fool number one.

From a letter by Srila Prabhupada to Tusta Krsna — Ahmedabad 14 December, 1972

The post Fools try to please Krsna directly appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Not thinking oneself to be a pure devotee

A pure devotee always thinks himself as not-devotee.  That is a good attitude.  If one thinks he is big devotee that is not good, thinking that he is first degree.  We should not be puffed up, a devotee avoids it, remaining always in the second degree.  A dog is a faithful servant. To become lowest dog is to become on the highest platform of service.  Krsna has given everyone something extraordinary and to serve Krsna with one’s extraordinary talent means successful life.

Srila Prabhupada. Letter to Sukadeva, March 17, 1973

The post Not thinking oneself to be a pure devotee appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Beginning the drinking business

Madhudvisa: He wants to know how in the beginning, when we are starting to engage in Krsna consciousness, or devotional service to God, can you develop enthusiasm and sincerity.

Prabhupada: Yes. The thing is that if you want to become a drunkard, you mix with the people who drinks. Then you drink little, little, little. Then you become a big drunkard. Similarly, if you have got little sense that “I shall understand what is God,” this very much qualification, if anyone only wants sincerely that “I will understand what is God,” then your drinking business begins immediately.

Then if you continue, then as the drunkard becomes big drunkard, you become a big devotee. The beginning is that you must be little anxious that “How I can understand God?” This is the qualification. That’s all. And if you are serious, then God is within you, He will give you intelligence. That is stated in the Bhagavad-gita: tesam nityabhiyuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam buddhi-yogam dadami tam [Bg. 10.10].

When God sees that you are sincere, He is within you, He will dictate, “You do like this, you do like this,” and you will make advance.

Srila Prabhupada, Talk on Bhagavad-gita 3.27 at Town Hall — June 27, 1974,
Melbourne

The post Beginning the drinking business appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Godhead

It is very now popular to become God. We are God. That’s all right. But the Godhead, He is Godhead. Therefore we use the word “Godhead,” “back to Godhead,” not “back to God.” That God is everyone. That’s a fact. Just like there are clerks and head clerk in the office. There are many clerks, hundreds of clerks, but one of them is the head clerk. Similarly, the atheistic persons, they are declaring themselves as God. We accept that we are all god — not theoretically; practically. God means controller. So everyone controls. So in that sense everyone is god. Everyone is opulent. In his relative position, everyone is opulent. I have got one thousand, you have got ten thousand, he has got hundred thousand. But we have got something. So in that way everyone is opulent; everyone is god. I control my children, my family. Or bigger than me, my boss, he controls a big establishment, a factory, big factory. And similarly, the president, he controls the state. So relatively, everyone is controller, god; but he is not supreme controller. That is not possible. Supreme controller is Krsna. Isvarah-paramah-krsnah [Bs 5.1].

From a lecture by Srila Prabhupada on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.15-17

The post Godhead appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Higher than philosophy

Philosophy is the highest, but even higher than philosophy is the practice of philosophy.So if you simply remain pure, your preaching will have effect.

Srila Prabhupada; Letter to Brihaspati, November 15, 1971

The post Higher than philosophy appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

No qualifications required for coming to Krsna consciousness

We do not require any qualification. If you want to be a karmi — karmi means pious action — then you will have to perform so many sacrifices, for which money is required and energy is required. That is very difficult in this age. If you want to be great philosopher, and if you want to realize yourself by the philosophical method, then you have to learn so many books of knowledge, philosophy, and speculate. That is also very difficult in this age. Similarly, if you want to perform yoga system, that is also very difficult in this age. You require so many quali…, previous qualifications. For becoming a learned philosopher you require so much previous qualification. For becoming a great pious actor, you require so much money for offering sacrifice. If you want to become a great yogi, then you have to learn this yama, niyama, asana, pranayama then pratyahara. That is also very difficult. But for coming to Krsna consciousness you don’t require any previous qualifications. That is the special advantage. Whatever you may be, that is all right. Our process you are seeing practically: we are inviting all friends and guests to come here. What is that process? The process is, “Please come here. Chant with us, dance with us, take a little prasadam and go home.” That’s all. We don’t ask you that you require this qualification or that qualification, that… No. Simply bhakti. Bhakti, this devotional service is so strong.

Srila Prabhupada — Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.13-15

The post No qualifications required for coming to Krsna consciousness appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Become a perfect animal

Every animal is imperfect, but man-animal can become perfect. If he likes. It is very important life. You cannot become as perfect as God, but near about.

Srila Prabhupada — May 7, 1975, Perth

The post Become a perfect animal appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

The actual meaning of “Good morning”

As other people out strolling approached us, Prabhupada often greeted them by saying, “Good morning.” After several greetings he stopped and asked us, “What is the meaning of saying, ‘Good morning’?”

“It is a kind of friendly exchange,” I said.

“It is a way of wishing each other good,” said Sudama.

“No,” said Prabhupada. “The real thing is that in England, it is rarely a sunny morning. So when finally there is sun, people say, ‘Good morning’. Similarly, in the material world there is always darkness, and that dark cloud is the desire of the living entity to be master.”

Аrom Life with the Perfect Master by SDG Chapter Two

The post The actual meaning of “Good morning” appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.

Krsna knows when to drop the coconut

When one of the devotees mentioned that the government had cut all the coconuts from the tall palm trees out of fear that they might fall and hurt someone, Srila Prabhupada scoffed that this was ridiculous. “In India,” he said, “there are many coconut trees, and there is no instance of anyone being hit on the head. Krsna knows when to drop the coconut so no one is underneath. This is a demoniac government, the tree loses its beauty when the fruits are taken off, just as a woman without children loses her beauty.”

From Life with the Perfect Master by SDG Chapter Two

The post Krsna knows when to drop the coconut appeared first on Bhakti Vikasa Swami.