14 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Spiritual Life
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, braja-jana-vallabha, gopis, kunja-vihari, lover of Radharani, purport to Jaya Radha Madhava, Radha-Madhava, songs of the vaisnava acharyas, Srila Prabhupada chanting jaya-radha-madhava, srila prabhupada playing kartals, Srimati Radharani
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Purport to Jaya Radha Madhava
By Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(New York, July 20, 1971)
[Sings Jaya Radha-Madhava.]
Srila Prabhupada: So this is the original nature of Krsna, original nature of Krsna. He is Radha-Madhava. He is the lover of Srimati Radharani. And kunja-vihari, always enjoying the company of the gopis within the bushes of Vrdavana forest. Radha-madhava kunja-vihari. So He’s not only lover of Radharani, but braja-jana-vallabha. The whole residents of Vrndavana, they love Krsna. They do not know anything else. They do not know whether Krsna is God, or not; neither they are very much harassed, that “I shall love Krsna if He is God.” “He may be God or He may be whatever He is. It doesn’t matter, but we love God, Krsna.” That’s all. That is called unnalloyed love. “If Krsna is God, then I shall love Him” — this is conditional love. This is not pure love. Krsna may be God or whatever He may be, but by His wonderful acts, the Vrajavasi, they are thinking, “Oh Krsna, He is very wonderful child, maybe some demigod. Maybe some demigod.” Because people are generally under impression that the demigods are all-powerful.
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10 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, Govinda, govindam adi-purusam, Krsna, love of God, Placing our love in Krsna, The Original Person
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Placing Our Love in Krsna
A talk given in September 1968 by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, at the Hare Krsna temple in Seattle.
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 16, No. 10
Govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami. Our program is to worship Govinda, the original person, with love and devotion. This is Krsna consciousness. We are teaching people to love Krsna. That’s all. Our program is to direct your love toward the proper place. Everyone wants to love, but they’re being frustrated because their love is being misplaced. People do not understand where to place their love. First of all you love your body. Then, a little extended, you love your father and mother. Then you love your community, then your country, then the whole human society. And at last you love all living entities. But all this extended love will not give you satisfaction—until you reach the point of loving Krsna. Then you’ll be satisfied.
For example, when you throw a stone into a lake, a circle begins expanding. The circle keeps expanding, expanding, expanding … And when the circle touches the shore, it stops. Until the circle reaches the shore of the lake, it must go on increasing. So we have to go on increasing and increasing our love until we love Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
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10 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam Index
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jan Alexander, Srimad Bhagavatam index, study guid to Srimad Bhagavatam, Topical Guide
Sometime back one of our readers submitted this Index on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and asked if I could post it. It is truly a very impressive piece of work, and represents a great deal of time and study. We applaud the effort that Jan has put into this Index, and with great pleasure we post it here, in the hopes that others can benefit.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Index, Notes, Topical Guide
compiled by Jan Alexander
This was written to help me find, understand and remember the massive truth found in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Every abbrieviated, shortened, misused, form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s name, fame, and pastimes is just in attempt to cram the Srimad-Bhagavatam into this being that I am. I hope that this will be of great help to others who are studying the Srimad-Bhagavatam. I offer this handful of rice to the Lord.
– Jan Alexander
This file is so large we will have to post it in parts. This Second part is letter F – K
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09 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, George Harrison, John Lennon, Yoko Ono
Tags: 690911rc.lon, and George Harrison at Tittenhurst, Bible, Conversation With John Lennon, George Harrison, John Lennon, Mukunda, prabhupada, Sanskrit, yoko ono
Conversartion with John Lennon, Yoko Ono and George Harrison at Tittenhurst, England
Prabhupāda: Would you like to record or not?
George Harrison: Don’t mind.
Prabhupāda: Give this garland.
Śyāmasundara: Haribol.
George Harrison: Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: This Kṛṣṇa’s blessings.
George Harrison: Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes. There is a verse in Bhagavad-gītā,
yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas
itaras tad anuvartate
sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute
lokas tad anuvartate
BG 3.21
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05 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada vani, Srila Prabhupada's Books
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, direct association, Mahesh Raja das, prabhupada vani, reading srila prabhupada's books, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's books, vani, vapu
Sometime back I saw this article on the Prabhupada News website that I saved to my files because it is a good assortment of quotes.
You Can Directly Associate With Srila Prabhupada by Reading His Books
compiled by Mahesh Raja
…. it is described here that ONE HAS TO ASSOCIATE WITH LIBERATED PERSONS NOT DIRECTLY, PHYSICALLY, BUT BY UNDERSTANDING, THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND LOGIC, THE PROBLEMS OF LIFE. (Srimad-Bhagavatam – 3.31.48 Purport)
Prabhupada: JUST FOLLOW HIS ORDER. SPIRITUAL MASTER IS ALONG WITH YOU BY HIS WORDS. Just like my spiritual master is not physically present, but I am associating with him by his words. (Lecture – London, August 18, 1971)
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02 May 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Lord Nrsimha, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktiveanta Swami Prabhupada, appearance of Lord Nrismha, hiranyakasipu, Nrisimhadeva, prahlada, Prahlada Maharaja, SB 7.8, Srimad Bhagavatam
In honor of the appearance day of Lord Nrsimhadeva, we are posting the eight chapter of the Seventh Canto of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, entitled “Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons”.
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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto Seven, Chapter Eight
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
Chapter Summary
As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him.
Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy’s statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist.
As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiṁha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man. The Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers. When there was no one else to fight, the Lord, roaring with anger, sat down on Hiraṇyakaśipu’s throne.
The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitās, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Manus, the prajāpatis, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the Kimpuruṣas, the Vaitālikas, the Kinnaras and also many other varieties of beings in human form. All of them stood not far from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and began offering their prayers unto the Lord, whose spiritual effulgence was brilliant as He sat on the throne.
Translations and purports More
29 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam Index
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, guide to Srimad Bhagavatam Srila Prabhupada, Jan Alexander, Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimadbhagavatam Index
Sometime back one of our readers submitted this Index on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and asked if I could post it. It is truly a very impressive piece of work, and represents a great deal of time and study. We applaud the effort that Jan has put into this Index, and with great pleasure we post it here, in the hopes that others can benefit.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Index, Notes, Topical Guide
compiled by Jan Alexander
This was written to help me find, understand and remember the massive truth found in the Srimad-Bhagavatam. Every abbrieviated, shortened, misused, form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s name, fame, and pastimes is just in attempt to cram the Srimad-Bhagavatam into this being that I am. I hope that this will be of great help to others who are studying the Srimad-Bhagavatam. I offer this handful of rice to the Lord.
– Jan Alexander
This file is so large we will have to post it in parts. The first part is #1 – letter E
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19 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Caaitanya-caritamrta, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Vaisnava Vocabulary
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Adi lila, Adi4.60, devotee, devotional service, hladini, hladini potency, Krishna, love of God, pleasure potency of the Lord, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
click on image to enlarge
Here is a new word for your vaisnava vocabulary; hlādinī . As I was reading from the Caitanya-caritamrta this morning, this word hlādinī was used to describe the pleasure potency of the Lord. Now keep in mind, that this is all way over my head, but still as an aspiring devotee, I am interested in developing “Love of God”. So I find all of Srila Prabhupada’s writings to be wonderfully beneficial.
…Hlādinī is the personal manifestation of the blissfulness of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by which He enjoys pleasure… When the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is exhibited by His grace in the person of a devotee, that manifestation is called love of God. “Love of God” is an epithet for the pleasure potency of the Lord. Therefore devotional service reciprocated between the Lord and His devotee is an exhibition of the transcendental pleasure potency of the Lord. (from purport to Adi 4.60)
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17 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Easy Journey to Other Planets, Free Downloads, Free eBooks, Spiritual World, Srila Prabhupada's Books
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, antiquated, bhakti yoga, Easy Journey to Other Planets, free scanned copy, happiness, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, philosophers and religionists, travel to other planets, yogic processes
This morning I happened to pick up the book “Easy Journey to Other Planets” by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhpada, or rather it jumped off the shelf and into my hand. It was one of the Original Printings and it looked so Old and Antiquated, yet somehow so attractive and inviting. We share with you this morning as a Free PDF download, as well as a Free Scanned copy of the Original Easy Journey courtesy of Krishna Path.
Easy Journey to Other Planets
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Preface
A living being, especially civilized man, has a natural desire to live forever in happiness. This is quite natural because, in his original state, the living being is both eternal and joyful. However, in the present conditioned state of life, he is engaged in a struggle against recurring birth and death. Therefore he has attained neither happiness nor immortality.
The latest desire man has developed is the desire to travel to other planets. This is also quite natural, because he has the constitutional right to go to any part of the material or spiritual skies. Such travel is very tempting and exciting because these skies are full of unlimited globes of varying qualities, and they are occupied by all types of living entities. The desire to travel there can be fulfilled by the process of yoga, which serves as a means by which one can transfer himself to whatever planet he likes—possibly to planets where life is not only eternal and blissful, but where there are multiple varieties of enjoyable energies. Anyone who can attain the freedom of the spiritual planets need never return to this miserable land of birth, old age, disease and death.
One can attain this stage of perfection very easily by his individual effort. He can simply follow, in his own home, the prescribed method of bhakti-yoga. This method, under proper guidance, is simple and enjoyable. An attempt is made herein to give information to the people in general, and to philosophers and religionists in particular, as to how one can transfer oneself to other planets by this process of bhakti-yoga—the highest of all yogic processes.
Free PDF copy; Easy_Journy_to_Other_Planets-His_Divine_Grace_A.C._Bhaktivedanta_Swami_Prabhupada
Free scanned copy; Easy-Journy-to-Other-Planets-1977-Scanned-edition
13 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Devotional Service, Dhruva Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada's Books, Teachings of Queen Kunti
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, austerities, devotional service, Dhruva Maharaja, meditating upon the form of Visnu, meditation, severe austerities and penances, Teachings of Queen Kunti, the Lord within the heart, transcendental platform of devotional service, unalloyed devotion
click on image to enlarge
Today I woke up thinking about Dhruva Maharaja. It was nothing specific, it was more just a visual picture of this small boy doing austerities in the forest and opening his eyes to discover the Lord standing directly in front of him. So I had to tax my mind…where is that picture? It was located in the Second Canto, Part Two of the original Srimad Bhagavatam. It became my morning meditation, and the following is from some of the reading I did on the life of Dhruva Mahārāja. For the full story on the life of Dhruva Mahārāja one can go to the Forth Canto, Chapter Eight of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Today we have posted the 25th Chapter from the Teachings of Queen Kunti, entitled Unalloyed Devotion.
…The incidents in the life of Dhruva Mahārāja are very attractive for devotees. From his pious actions, one can learn how one can detach himself from material possessions and how one can enhance one’s devotional service by severe austerities and penances. By hearing the activities of pious Dhruva, one can enhance one’s faith in God and can directly connect with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus one can very soon be elevated to the transcendental platform of devotional service. The example of Dhruva Mahārāja’s austerities can immediately generate a feeling of devotional service in the hearts of the hearers. (from purport to SB 4.8.8)
…When Dhruva Mahārāja was undergoing penance and meditating upon the form of Viṣṇu within his heart, the Viṣṇu form suddenly disappeared, and his meditation broke. Upon opening his eyes, Dhruva Mahārāja immediately saw Viṣṇu before him. Like Dhruva Mahārāja, we should always think of Kṛṣṇa, and when we attain perfection we shall see Kṛṣṇa before us. This is the process. We should not be too hasty. We should wait for the mature time. Of course, it is good to be eager to see Kṛṣṇa, but we should not become discouraged if we do not see Him immediately. (Teachings of Queen Kunti Chapter 25)
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11 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, ISKCON, Iskcon Bangalore, ISKCON History
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, Acharya of Iskcon, Bangalore Temple Wins Court Case, initiating guru, Iskcon, ISKCON Bangalore, ISKCON Mumbai, Sri Amiya Vilas Swami, Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, Srila Prabhupada
Bangalore Temple Wins Court Case !
Karnataka High Court dismisses appeal of ISKCON Mumbai followers
Honourable High Court of Karnataka dismissed an appeal filed by some of the followers of ISKCON Mumbai on April 9th, 2015. Honourable Justice Anand Byrareddy was hearing an appeal filed by followers of ISKCON Mumbai seeking to get control of ISKCON Bangalore Society (Regn. No. S.49/78-79), claiming that they are the actual Governing body members. Earlier the same application was filed in the City Civil Court as OS 1758 of 2003 in Bangalore by ISKCON Mumbai followers and had been dismissed.
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08 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Conversation with Srila Prabhupada, Guru & Disciple, guru-tattva, Science of Self Realization
Tags: A. C. Bhakthvedanta Swami Prabhupada, disciple, guru, interview with Srila Prabhupada, London Times, meditation, Saints and Swindlers, self proclaimed gods, self-styled gurus, yoga, yogi
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Saints and Swindlers
London Times Interview with Srila Prabhupada
Excerpted from the Science of Self Realization
Every day the number of people interested in practicing yoga and meditation increases by the thousands. Unfortunately, a person looking for a suitable guide is likely to encounter a bewildering array of magicians, self-styled gurus, and self-proclaimed gods. In an interview with the London Times, Śrīla Prabhupāda explains how a sincere seeker can tell the difference between a counterfeit and genuine spiritual guide.
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07 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Vyasasan das
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, chastisement by the Lord, devotee of the Lord, ecstasy, mercy of the Lord, My dear Vyasa, rasa-graha, special favor, taste of the lotus feet of the Lord, the sweetness of the Lord
click on image to enlarge
There are so many beautiful verses in the Srimad Bhagavatam, and I guess everyone has his favorite. I think the following verse and purport is perhaps my very favorite, because it speaks directly to me.
My dear Vyāsa, even though a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa sometimes falls down somehow or other, he certainly does not undergo material existence like others [fruitive workers, etc.] because a person who has once relished the taste of the lotus feet of the Lord can do nothing but remember that ecstasy again and again.
A devotee of the Lord automatically becomes uninterested in the enchantment of material existence because he is rasa-graha, or one who has tasted the sweetness of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
…even though he falls down, a devotee is never to be considered the same as a fallen karmī. A karmī suffers the result of his own fruitive reactions, whereas a devotee is reformed by chastisement directed by the Lord Himself. The sufferings of an orphan and the sufferings of a beloved child of a king are not one and the same.
..Such foolish devotees are sometimes put into difficulty by the Lord Himself. As a special favor, He may remove all material paraphernalia. By such action, the bewildered devotee is forsaken by all friends and relatives, and so he comes to his senses again by the mercy of the Lord and is set right to execute his devotional service.
Full text and purport More
06 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arrival Lecture
Tags: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Pabhupada, Arrival Lecture, Caithany Mahaprabhu, every town and village, krsna caitanya-namine, Srila Prabhupada lecture
click on image to enlarge
Arrival Lecture
Los Angeles, May 18, 1972
Hear Lecture
Prabhupada: (airport noises) (leads Prema-dhvani; says “Los Angeles bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!”) So my dear boys and girls, about six years ago I came to your country single-handed, with this pair of cymbals. Now you are so many chanting Hare Krsna. That is my success. It was the prediction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu:
prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama
sarvatra pracara hoibe mora nama
Lord Caitanya desired that “In all the towns, in as many towns and villages as there are on the surface of the globe, My name will be broadcast.” He is Krsna Himself, svayam krsna, krsna caitanya-namine, simply changing His name as Krsna Caitanya. So His prediction will never go in vain. That’s a fact. So my plan was that “I shall go to America. America is the leading country of the world. If I can convince (the) younger generation of America, they will take up.” I am old man. I came here at the age of seventy years; now I am seventy-six. So my warning is already there. In nineteen hundred and seventy-one, I had a severe heart attack. You know, all. So the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu is now in your hands. You are American boys and girls, very intelligent and graced by Krsna. You are not poverty-stricken. You have enough resources, prestige. Everything materially, you are all well-equipped. If you kindly take this Krsna consciousness movement seriously, your country will be saved, and the whole world will be saved.
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03 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Spiritual World
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, back to Godhead, Godhead, going home, Goloka Vrndavana, Krsnaloka, SB4.29.50, spiritual planets, Vaikuntha planets, Vaikunthalokas
This morning I was reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam the following verse:
Śrī Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Supersoul and guide of all living entities who have accepted material bodies within this world. He is the supreme controller of all material activities in material nature. He is also our best friend, and everyone should take shelter at His lotus feet. In doing so, one’s life will be auspicious. (SB 4.29.50)
I was reading from the this 29th chapter, that by chanting Hare Krishna, one can become purified of all material contamination and return home, back to Godhead.
In the purport to verse 48 it is mentioned; “Generally people are not aware of their interest in life—to return home, back to Godhead. People do not know about their real home in the spiritual world. In the spiritual world there are many Vaikuṇṭha planets, and the topmost planet is Kṛṣṇaloka, Goloka Vṛndāvana. Despite the so-called advancement of civilization, there is no information of the Vaikuṇṭhalokas, the spiritual planets…The real attempt should now be to return home, back to Godhead…One should be intelligent enough to return to Godhead. One should be interested in information about the spiritual Vaikuṇṭha planets, and in particular the planet known as Goloka Vṛndāvana, and should learn the art of going there by the simple method of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]).
Full Text 50, and nice purport! More
01 Apr 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Spiritual Life
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, Bg10.10, bhagavad-gita, devoted, scholarship, spiritual advancement, Spiritual Life, tesam satata-yuktanam
This morning I was reading from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the following verse;
teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ
bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam
dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ
yena mām upayānti te
To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.
This is one of those verses that years ago I added to my repertoire of memorized slokas, and remains today one of my favorite verses. I have come to realize, that it is not by any great knowledge or scholarship, on my part, that I will make spiritual advancement, but rather, it is by faith and devotion, that I might be able to advance spiritually.
…A person may have a bona fide spiritual master and may be attached to a spiritual organization, but still, if he is not intelligent enough to make progress, then Kṛṣṇa from within gives him instructions so that he may ultimately come to Him without difficulty. The qualification is that a person always engage himself in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and with love and devotion render all kinds of services. He should perform some sort of work for Kṛṣṇa, and that work should be with love. If a devotee is intelligent enough, he will make progress on the path of self-realization. If one is sincere and devoted to the activities of devotional service, the Lord gives him a chance to make progress and ultimately attain to Him. (from purport to Bg. 10.10)
Full Text and purport More
28 Mar 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Rama, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bharata, Laksmana, Lord Ramacandra, Maharaja Dasratha, mother Sita, Rama, Ramayana, Ravana kidnapped Sita, Satrughnna, Sita, Srimad Bhagavatam, the Absolute Truth Himself, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, visnu-tattva
In honor of the Appearance day of Lord Ramacandra, we are posting the entire tenth chapter from the ninth Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam entitled “The Pastimes of the Supreme Lord, Rāmacandra”.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto Nine, Chapter Ten
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17 Mar 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, Banyan tree, bhagavad-gita, material world, reflection of reality, Spiritual world, Vedas, Vedic hymns
We will be away traveling for a short time and will be away from our computer, but we leave you with this nice image and a verse from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita. Hare Krishna!
…In the Fifteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gītā, the real picture of the material world is given. It is said there:
“The Supreme Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down, and the Vedic hymns are its leaves. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas.” (Bg. 15.1)
Here the material world is described as a tree whose roots are upwards and branches are below. We have experience of a tree whose roots are upward: if one stands on the bank of a river or any reservoir of water, he can see that the trees reflected in the water are upside down. The branches go downward and the roots upward. Similarly, this material world is a reflection of the spiritual world. The material world is but a shadow of reality. In the shadow there is no reality or substantiality, but from the shadow we can understand that there is substance and reality. In the desert there is no water, but the mirage suggests that there is such a thing as water. In the material world there is no water, there is no happiness, but the real water of actual happiness is there in the spiritual world. (from Introduction to the Bhagavad-gita As It Is)
Full Text and Purport to text 15.1 More
14 Mar 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead
Tags: Back to Godhead Magazine, hippi, hippies, Lust and greed are a disease, protest, reaction, Rejection
The Supreme Proprietor, The Supreme Enjoyer, The Supreme Friend
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine
Unless we understand the father, how can we live as brothers?
This conversation with a journalist took place at the Hare Krsna center in London in 1971.
Srila Prabhupada: I have experienced that in my childhood there were not so many problems in India. But now India is faced with so many problems on account of imitating Western civilization.
Reporter: Not simply because of the increased population?
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13 Mar 2015
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Prasadam, Vegetarian Cooking, Vegetarianism
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhpada, BTG, Krishna prasadam, Krsna prasadam, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, non-vegetarian, vegetarian, vegetarian diet
The following excerpt from a letter written by Srila Prabhupada was circulated on Facebook last week, and my wife read it aloud to me. It was very informative in that it explained our position on vegetarian vs. non-vegetarian, and the benefits of eating Krsna prasadam (food offered first to the Lord).
…Regarding propaganda against animal slaughter in BTG. Please do not print any picture showing how a cow is being murdered in our BTG. This will pollute the whole atmosphere. We are not meant for moving anyone’s sentiment against animal slaughter, we are neither Buddhists or Jains, whose main propaganda is against animal slaughter. Even the so-called vegetarians who do not take Krishna prasadam are as much sinful as the non-vegetarians. Our propaganda is different, to make people Krishna Conscious, which automatically makes them sympathetic against any kind of animal slaughter. According to Srimad-Bhagavatam, one living entity subsists on the life of other living entities, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian. But we are neither of them. We are not vegetarian nor non-vegetarian. We are transcendental. We are concerned with Krishna Prasadam. Try to popularize Krishna Prasadam as you have already done. People will naturally become vegetarian without any ghastly propaganda.
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