13 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Guru & Disciple, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bona fide spiritual master, grace of krishna, guru and disciple, Krsna's Mercy, maya, mercy of the spiritual master, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
…There are millions and trillions of living entities everywhere, and they are engaged by māyā in suffering and enjoying the results of their fruitive activity life after life. This is the position of the materially conditioned living entities. Out of many of these living entities, if one is actually fortunate (bhāgyavān), he comes in contact with a bona fide spiritual master by Kṛṣṇa’s mercy.
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Madhya-līlā, Chapter 19, Text 151
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva
guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
brahmāṇḍa bhramite—wandering in this universe; kona—some; bhāgyavān—most fortunate; jīva—living being; guru—of the spiritual master; kṛṣṇa—of Kṛṣṇa; prasāde—by the mercy; pāya—gets; bhakti-latā—of the creeper of devotional service; bīja—the seed.
“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.”
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11 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Bhagavad-gita, Ganges
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arjuna, as it is, bhagavad-gita, essence of the Vedas, Ganges River, ganges water, great sages, Lord Krsna, nectarean milk of the bhagavad-gita, pure devotees
One cleanses himself daily by taking a bath in water, but one who takes his bath only once in the sacred Ganges water of the Bhagavad-gītā cleanses away all the dirt of material life. Because Bhagavad-gītā is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one need not read any other Vedic literature. One need only attentively and regularly hear and read Bhagavad-gītā. In the present age, mankind is so absorbed with mundane activities that it is not possible to read all of the Vedic literatures. But this is not necessary. This one book, Bhagavad-gītā, will suffice because it is the essence of all Vedic literatures and because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is said that one who drinks the water of the Ganges certainly gets salvation, but what to speak of one who drinks the waters of Bhagavad-gītā? Gītā is the very nectar of the Mahābhārata spoken by Viṣṇu Himself, for Lord Kṛṣṇa is the original Viṣṇu. It is nectar emanating from the mouth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and the Ganges is said to be emanating from the lotus feet of the Lord. Of course there is no difference between the mouth and the feet of the Supreme Lord, but in our position we can appreciate that the Bhagavad-gītā is even more important than the Ganges.
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10 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Nama Sankirtan, Narottama Dasa Thakura, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, haraye namah, kirtan, Krishna consciousness, Lord Caitanya, Mayapur, Navadvipa, sankirtana, sri nama kirtan, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, yadavaya namah
…The Lord ordered all the citizens of Navadvīpa to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and in each and every home they began performing saṅkīrtana regularly.
[All the devotees sang this popular song along with the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.] “Haraye namaḥ, kṛṣṇa yādavāya namaḥ gopāla govinda rāma śrī-madhusūdana.”
When the saṅkīrtana movement thus started, no one in Navadvīpa could hear any sound other than the words “Hari! Hari!” and the beating of the mrdaṅga and clashing of hand bells.
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08 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Prahlada Maharaja, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Absolute Truth, Back to Godhead Magazine, Brahma, demigods, demon, devotee of God, great devotion, hiranyakasipu, king indra, Lord Nrsimhadeva, Narada, Pralada, pralhada maharaja, Queen Kayadhu
Sinister Father Saintly Son
“Like father like son,” the saying goes. So how was it that the most sinister personality ever to darken the universe fathered a great saint?
Adapted from Srimad-Bhagavatam, translation and commentary
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
A vicious storm raged through the darkness. Pierce winds hissed again and again and uprooted gigantic trees. Thick clouds covered the sky, and lightning flashed as though laughing. The ocean with its high waves wailed as if stricken with sorrow. Jackals and dogs howled ominously, and birds flew shrieking from their nests. The twin demons Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksa were being born.
Day by day, year after year, they grew more powerful, more evil, and more dominant over all the other demons, who made alliances with them. Then, under the direction of Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu, the demons set out to conquer the demigods, their archenemies and the administrators of the universe. In their war for universal power, the demons enjoyed many victories, but at last Lord Visnu [Krsna] Himself killed Hiranyaksa. His brother’s death overwhelmed Hiranyakasipu with grief and rage. He bit his lips and gazed upward with eyes whose blazing anger filled the sky with smoke. He took up his trident, glanced around fiercely, bared his terrible teeth, and began to speak to his demon friends.
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06 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krishna Consciousness, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, cleanse the heart as the Lord cleansed the Gundica temple, devotee, devotional service, Gundica Temple, Krsna, krsna consciousness, Lord Caitanya, madhya-lila 12.135, Sri Caitanya-carimrta
…If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (śṛṇvatāṁ sva-kathāḥ kṛṣṇaḥ). This is a simple process. Kṛṣṇa Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Kṛṣṇa wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu kept the Guṇḍicā temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Guṇḍicā temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service.
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06 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Book Distribution, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Devotee Business's, Free Downloads, Free eBooks, Madhudvisa das, Prabhupada Libary, Srila Prabhupada's Books
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Beyond Birth and Death, Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, King of Knowledge, Krishna Store, Krsna The Reservoir of Pleasure, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhuvisa das, Matchless Gift, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, On Chanting Hare Krishna, On the Way to Krishna, perfection of yoga, Science of Self Realization, Sri Isopanisad, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1, Teachings of Lord Caitanya
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Prabhupada Library
Reading Srila Prabhupada’s books is personal association with a pure devotee of Krishna. Prabhupada is living in his books and Krishna is also living in them.
“You may please me the most by reading my books and following the instructions therein…” (Srila Prabhupada)
A library of 16 essential books on Krishna consciousness by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the Hare Krishna Movement. Includes: Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Krsna–The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.1, Science of Self-Realization,Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, Sri Isopanisad, Perfection of Yoga, Beyond Birth and Death, Matchless Gift, Elevation to Krishna Consciousness, King of Knowledge, Easy Journey to Other Planets, On the Way to Krishna, Krsna the Reservoir of Pleasure, On Chanting Hare Krishna.
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05 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Qualities of a Devotee
Srila Prabhupada’s Trancendental Qualities
By Ajitananda dasa
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who successfully distributed the message of Lord Krsna throughout the world, was not an ordinary conditioned soul, governed by the harsh laws of material nature. Although to the unenlightened he may have appeared to exhibit commonplace characteristics, it is evident through the careful study of his life and activities, that Srila Prabhupada perfectly displayed the twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee of Lord Krsna. We learn from Vedic literature that one who possesses these qualities is necessarily free from material bondage, and enjoys an eternal position in the intimate association of the Supreme Lord. Such a great soul is very rarely found within this material realm, and owing to his unparalleled purity and exalted status, he is worshipable by the entire world. Individually, and as a collective society of aspiring devotees, we must always strive to appreciate Srila Prabhupada’s divine qualities, teach this application to others, and perform all of our devotional activities for his satisfaction. This treatise is an imperfect but hopeful attempt to please Srila Prabhupada by illustrating, in a practical way, how he perfectly displayed the twenty-six qualities of a pure devotee of Lord Krsna.
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03 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Mohine-Murti, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ankle bells, blackis lotus, bumblebees, demigods, demons, incarnation as a woman, lusty desires, mallika flowers, Mohini-murti, Srila Prabhupada, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu
The following is from the Srimad Bhagavatam, Eight Canto, Chapter Nine, entitled “The Lord Incarnates as Mohinī-Mūrti”. The full chapter follows this beautiful verse from preceding chapter.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu, who can counteract any unfavorable situation, then assumed the form of an extremely beautiful woman. This incarnation as a woman, Mohinī-mūrti, was most pleasing to the mind. Her complexion resembled in color a newly grown blackish lotus, and every part of Her body was beautifully situated. Her ears were equally decorated with earrings, Her cheeks were very beautiful, Her nose was raised and Her face full of youthful luster. Her large breasts made Her waist seem very thin. Attracted by the aroma of Her face and body, bumblebees hummed around Her, and thus Her eyes were restless. Her hair, which was extremely beautiful, was garlanded with mallikā flowers. Her attractively constructed neck was decorated with a necklace and other ornaments, Her arms were decorated with bangles, Her body was covered with a clean sari, and Her breasts seemed like islands in an ocean of beauty. Her legs were decorated with ankle bells. Because of the movements of Her eyebrows as She smiled with shyness and glanced over the demons, all the demons were saturated with lusty desires, and every one of them desired to possess Her. (SB 8.8.41-48)
Because of the Supreme Lord’s assuming the form of a beautiful woman to arouse the lusty desires of the demons, a description of Her complete beauty is given here.
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03 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bob Cohen, Perfect Answers Perfect Questions, Srila Prabhupada Conversations, Varnasrama Dharma
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bob Cohen, marriage, material world, perfect questions perfect answers, sex life, varnasrama-dhama, Vedic culture
Continuing with our series of a True account entitled Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers… A search for meaning carries Bob Cohen, a young American Peace Corps worker halfway around the world, to an ancient village in the midst of West Bengal. There, in a small bamboo hut, he finds a teacher who is able to tell him everything he ever wanted to know.
Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 2, Vedic Culture: Varṇāśrama-dharma
February 28, 1972
Bob: I’ve asked devotees about how they feel towards sex in their relations, and I see the way they feel, but I can’t see myself acting the same way. See, I’ll be getting married at the end of this summer.
Śrīla Prabhupāda: Hm-m?
Bob: I’ll be getting married at the end of this summer, in September or August when I return to America. And the devotees say that the householders only have sex to conceive a child, and I cannot picture myself at all in such a position, and—What kind of sex life can one lead, living in the material world?
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02 Oct 2012
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in Guru & Disciple, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, association, association with guru, Godbrothers, guru, guru maharaj, service to the spiritual master, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, vani, vaphu
Follow the Instruction, not the Body.
Quotes by Srila Prabhupada from books, letters and lectures
“So far as personal association with Guru is concerned, I was only with Guru Maharaj 4 or 5 times, but I have never left his association, not even for a moment. Because I am following his instruction, I have never felt any separation. There are some of my Godbrothers here in India, who had constant personal association with Guru Maharaja, but who are neglecting his orders. This is just like the bug who is sitting on the lap of the king. He may be very puffed up by his position but all he can succeed in doing is biting the king. Personal association is not so important as association through serving.”
(SP Letter to Satyadhana, 20/2/72)
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