Bhakti Vikasa Swami's Blog, page 98

Root of ignorance

The root of ignorance is material consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 7.7.28, purport

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The greatest loss

The greatest loss in life is passing time without understanding Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada, SB 4.27.3, purport

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Three very powerful substances

The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substances. By rendering service to these three, one attains the supreme goalv of ecstatic love for Krsna. In all the revealed scriptures this is loudly declared again and again. Therefore, my dear devotees, please hear from me, for I insist again and again: please keep faith in these three and render service to them without hesitation. From these three one achieves the highest goal of life – ecstatic love of Krsna. This is the greatest mercy of Lord Krsna.

From Srila Prabhupada’s translation of Çré Caitanya Caritämrta Antya 16.60-63

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Powerful vibrations

The transcendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living entity’s memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Although when a pure devotee speaks, the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very powerful because it touches the particles of saffron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the powerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 4.20.25

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What is ignorance?

The unwanted condition of temporary life is called ignorance.

Srila Prabhupada, SB7.7.27, purport

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The defect of demigod worship

The most defective part of worshiping demigods is that it creates a definite conception of pantheism, ending disastrously in many religious sects detrimental to the progress of the principles of the Bhagavatam, which alone can give the accurate direction for self-realization in eternal relation with the Personality of Godhead by devotional service in transcendental love.

From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to SB 1.5.14

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The greatest violence is against children

The Gurukula must be based on the principle of renunciation; vairagya vidya nija bhakti yogam [Cc Madhya 6.254]. Bhakti is based on the principle of the renunciation of material desires beginning from the earliest age; kaumaram acaret prajna dharman bhagavatan iha [SB 7.6.1]. From the very beginning, a boy must be trained to perform devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and not to be attached as the fruitive workers, the karmis, to the so-called fallible soldiers; dehapatya kalatradisu atma-sainyesu asatsv api tesam prammato nidhanam pasyanapi na pasyati [SB 2.1.4]. The karmis are attached too much to their bodies, children and wives, who are like fallible fighting soldiers who must ultimately be destroyed. Although they are sufficiently experienced, they still cannot see this.

Therefore our young men must be trained at the earliest age to not be attached to so many things like the home, family, friendship, society, and nation. To train the innocent boy to be a sense gratifier at the early age when the child is actually happy in any circumstance is the greatest violence. Therefore; brahmacari guru-kule vasan danto guror hitam [SB 7.12.1]. The brahmacari lives at the place of the spiritual master and works for the benefit of the spiritual master by begging for his maintenance, by cleaning, learning the principles of Krsna consciousness, and engaging in the process of bhagavata dharma, wherebyhis life will have a firm, sane foundation with which he can overcome the forces of maya by strong training in the beginning.

The karmis cannot accept this because they are too much attached to their bodies and cannot tolerate any austerities. Since they are too attached to their children they are even more insistent that the child be drowned in bodily consciousness so that he may avoid all types of austerities and enjoy life to the fullest, thereby going to hell at the earliest age; mahat sevam dvares ahur vimuktes tamo-dvaram yosita sangisangam [SB 5.5.2]. Those who associate with the mahatmas through service to them become eligible for liberation whereas those who are associating with woman or those who are too attached to woman are paving their way to hell. Therefore the school systems require so many codes and regulations so the children will not feel any inconvenience. The training is geared to producing cats and dogs who will feel quite at home in a society of sense gratification.

From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to: Jayatirtha — Mayapur 20 January, 1976

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Krsna’s picture

Your form in your photograph cannot act because you have little power. But Krishna has all power, so His picture can act. It is a question of power. God is all powerful, so He can act through His picture.

Srila Prabhupada, quoted in a letter from Aravinda to Satsvarupa, 28 Nov 1970

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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati on faultfinding

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati:

We have to see whether we ourselves are envious of devotees, whether we ourselves are actually serving Krsna. Or are we serving something else on the pretext of serving Krsna? How much are we attached to Krsna? Are we trying to enjoy the objects meant for Krsna’s enjoyment?

I think my enjoyment-prone material body is fiercely envious of Krsna and His devotees, because instead of thinking constantly of Krsna’s lotus feet and happiness, I am busy worrying about my own happiness, blaspheming others, and looking for faults. I do not look at myself at all. I am such an offender at the feet of devotees that I should first learn to display anger toward myself. I am so envious of devotees that I should beat myself with shoes simply to purify myself. Then I can set an example for others and sincerely engage in the service of Hari, guru, and the Vaisnavas. I must remember that everyone is worshiping Hari but me. I am unable to do so. I should also remember that I may die at any moment.

So first we should show anger toward our own sinful propensities, such as our desire for profit, adoration, and distinction and our propensity to cheat others. We must correct ourselves first. Otherwise, we cannot correct others. Then we have to correct those who are related to us, who are envious of the spiritual master and Krsna and who are pulling us toward material enjoyment by tempting us. This is the secret of success.

From Amrta Vani – Nectar of Instructions for Immortality

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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati on sense gratification, good and bad

Because of the activities of the senses, we become subjected to many sense gratificatory processes and are thus entangled by the laws of material nature.

This entanglement is called visaya. When the sense gratificatory processes are executed by pious activity, they are called su-visaya. The word su means ‘good,’ and visaya means ‘sense objects.’ When the sense gratificatory activities are performed under sinful conditions, they are called ku-visaya, bad sense enjoyment. In either case, either ku-visaya or su-visaya, these are material activities. As such, they are compared to stool. In other words, such things are to be avoided. To become free from su-visaya and ku-visaya, one must engage himself in the transcendental loving service of Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The activities of devotional service are free from the contamination of material qualities. Therefore, to be free from the reactions of su-visaya and ku-visaya, one must take to Krsna consciousness. In that way, one will save himself from contamination.”

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, quoted by Srila Prabhupada in CC Madhya 1.198 purport

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