15 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Lectures
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Avatara, chanting Hare Krishna, Hare, Hare Krishna, Krishna, lecture on the maha-mantra, Maha Mantra, mantra, mantra meditation, prabhupada, Prabhupada Lecture, Rama, sound incarnation, Srila Prabhupada, swami, transcendental sound
So this sound, this Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, is the sound representation of the Supreme Lord.
Lecture on Maha-mantra
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Recorded September 8th, 1966, New York
Prabhupada: Now, some of you members have asked me to explain the meaning of this chanting, Hare Krishna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Now, this sound is transcendental sound, transcendental sound, incarnation, sound incarnation of the Absolute Truth. Just try to understand what is incarnation. Incarnation means… The Sanskrit word is avatara, and that is translated into English as “incarnation.” Of course, the root meaning of incarnation I cannot exactly explain to you, but the root meaning of the… (aside:) The root meaning of avatara is “which comes from the transcendental sky, the spiritual sky to the material sky.” That is called avatara. Avatarana. Avatarana. Just like… Avatarana means “coming from up to down.” That is called avatarana. And avatara is understood that when God or His bona fide representative comes from that sky to this material plane, that is called avatara.
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14 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BBT, Book Changes, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BBT, dictaphone, final volume, Founder Acarya, foward to tenth canto, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Krsna Balarama Mandir, Sanskrit text, Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, translation and commentary
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Tenth Canto, Part Three
Foward
This is the final Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam volume translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is smaller than the earlier volumes because it ends where the renowned author stopped translating just before his departure from this mortal world on November 14, 1977, at the Krsna-Balarama Mandira in Vrndavana, India.
The first part of this volume was produced in the usual fashion. Srila Prabhupada would sit and read silently from the Sanskrit text and then speak the translation and commentary into his dictaphone. Later, due to illness, it became necessary for his disciples to assist him personally.
In these last days Srila Prabhupada was gravely ill. Unable to eat for weeks, his health had deteriorated, making even the slightest movement excruciatingly painful.
As he lay still, a devotee would softly read the Sanskrit to him. Another disciple, sitting on his bed, held the microphone to him, nearly touching his mouth. And then Srila Prabhupada would speak, voice sometimes barely audible.
These recordings, made in his quarters at the temple, constitute the balance of this book.
In these final moments, the physician attending His Divine Grace confided that an ordinary man in such critical condition would have been crying out from the intense pain. Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were awestruck as they watched their spiritual master work quietly, undisturbed.
In the last part of the book we find Srila Prabhupada’s usual clarity of thought, constant scriptural references, scrupulous attention to detail, and rigorous philosophical exposition fully intact, just as they were in the preceding twenty-nine volumes of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Prabhpada’s last days and this translation will stands an inspiring reminder that even the severest material circumstances cannot impede the activities of a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
-The Publishers
For a Free PDF download of this special volume click on following link; SB-10-03-1980
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12 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Prayers & Verses, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Slokas
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, conversation with Srila Prabhupada, imports of Vedic knowledge, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Prabhupada lectures, quotes by prabhupada, spiritual master, SU 6.23, Svetasvatara Upanisad, vani, vani quotes, Vedic knowledge, yasya deve para bhaktir, yatha deve tatha gurau
Last night I was having a discussion with a fellow vaisnava, and the following, important sloka, came up in the course of our conversation. I was reminded of a story that once Gurukrpa Swami asked Srila Prabhupada what was the most important sloka in our literature, and Srila Prabhupada responded:
yasya deve parā bhaktir
yathā deve tathā gurau
tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ
prakāśante mahātmanaḥ
“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 6.23)
I wanted to see how many times Srila Prabhupada used this sloka in his books and lectures so I went to Vani Quotes and did a search. It appears that this verse was used in:
Bhagavad-gita; 2 times
Srimad Bhagavatam; 11 times
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta; 12 times
Lectures; 43 times
Letters; 7 times
Morning Walks and Conversations; 22 times
Other books; twice
We share with you some of the the results of the Vani Quotes Research team, and thank Visnu Murti and Mayapur prabhu’s efforts.
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11 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Festivals, Ratha-yatra
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ananda, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, cit, Festival in San Franscisco's Glden Gate Park, festival of the chariots, Jagannatha, Jagannatha's Ratha-yatra, sat, Srila Prabhupada, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
The Festival’s Inspiration
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol 13, No. 6, 1978
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada brought the ancient Indian Ratha-yatra, the Festival of the Chariots, to the West in 1967. That year Srila Prabhupada held the festival in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, and it quickly caught on all over the world. In 1969, at the third San Francisco festival, Srila Prabhupada spoke these words:
“My dear American boys and girls, I thank you very much for your taking part in this great festival known as Lord Jagannatha’s Ratha-yatra. This festival has been held every year for the last two thousand years or more in India, and in your country perhaps this is the third year we have held this great Ratha-yatra festival. We are also holding this festival in Boston, London, New York, and Columbus. The purpose for this Krsna consciousness movement is to invoke your dormant love for Jagannatha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Every one of us—not only human beings but every living entity including birds, beasts, and aquatics—is part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And just like a son has the right to inherit the property of his father, so we have the prerogative to achieve the status of our father, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This status is called sac-cid-ananda-vigraha, Sat means ‘eternal,’ cit means ‘complete in knowledge,’ ananda means ‘bliss,’ and vigraha means ‘person.’ As we are all persons, so the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also a person, but He is very, very great. And He being the greatest, He supplies the needs of all other individual persons. We have a relationship with Lord Jagannatha, and we are meant to participate in His qualities of eternity, knowledge, and bliss.
“This inauguration of the Ratha-yatra festival will bring a new chapter in the history of the world—it is that potent. It is stated in the Vedic literature that anyone who sees Lord Jagannatha seated on this chariot will never again have to take birth within this miserable material world.”
(c) The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.
10 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Lectures
Tags: brahman, dvija, golokera prema-dhana, Hayagriva, Jaya Gopala, krsna consciousness, Madhudvisa, prabhupada, sabda-brahma, sound vibration, sound-brahma, Virabhadra
This is a very nice, intimate, lecture on the Bhagavad-gita, given by Srila Prabhupada in the early days. He is obviously in a very good mood, and is challenging his students to use their intelligence.
…Vīrabhadra: And my fourth and last question is, are you in this world?
Prabhupāda: Hm? (laughter)
Vīrabhadra: Are you in this world?
Prabhupāda: I am?
Vīrabhadra: Are you in this world? I mean you, are you…?
Prabhupāda: I’m not in this world, yes.
Vīrabhadra: You’re not in this world.
Prabhupāda: No.
Jaya-gopāla: I thought I heard it said that you are in this world without being a part of it. You are in the world without being a part of it, being a part of it, like the lotus flower which floats on the water.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the way. That is the way of understanding. Just like I am in America. It is very easy to understand. I am not adopting any ways of life as the Americans do. So I am not in America. Not only myself, all my disciples who are following me, they are also not Americans. They’re different from American behavior, American ways of life. In that sense I’m not in America. I am in Vṛndāvana because wherever I go in my apartment or in my temple I live with Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I don’t accept any consciousness of America. And I teach my disciples also to take to that consciousness. So one who takes to that consciousness, he is also not in America, not in this world. It is… I have given this example many times. Just like a king and a bug is sitting on the same throne. The bug is biting and the king is ruling. It is not that because the bug is there on the throne, he is king, or the king is sitting with the bug, he is bug. Why this difference? Difference of consciousness. The king knows his duty. He is working in his duty; therefore he’s king. And the bug knows his business, to bite; therefore he’s bug. But sitting on the same place. But because due to different consciousness, one is bug, one is king. So if you take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and if you remain in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you don’t belong to this world. You are no more bug, you are king. Change this consciousness. Even apparently you may seem to remain with the bug, you are no more bug. Is it clear?
Lecture on Bhagavad-gītā 2.46-62
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Recorded December 16, 1968, Los Angeles
Full Lecture More
09 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada, Rakshana das
Tags: Gaudiya Vaisnava societies, Rakshana das, saintly association, Sampradaya sun, Srila Prabhupada Quotes, transcendental sound
This very nice compilation of Quotes, compiled by Rakshana Prabhu, appeared today on the Sampradaya Sun. We reprint it here in its entirety.
The Transmission of Transcendental Sound
by Rakshana das
Jul 08, 2013 — AUSTRALIA (SUN)
The quotes contained in this paper are support for the efficacy of the many forms of transcendental sound vibration imparted by the spiritual master and the Lord, especially the vibration of pure Vedic scripture as spoken by Srila Prabhupada. They are not a challenge or alternative to the eternal principle of accepting a ‘bona fide’ spiritual master and surrendering unto him. Nor are they meant to obfuscate the potential for higher understanding and taste experienced in saintly association.
Unfortunately, devotees in some Gaudiya Vaisnava societies believe that transcendental sound cannot be fully potent unless the speaker is physically present within earshot. Of equal concern is the ISKCON strategy of creating ever-new imaginative directives aimed at corralling followers into subservient impotence.
Some of the quotes are well known to quite a few devotees, although repetition of transcendental knowledge is never redundant. These quotes are simply a window toward understanding the glorious variety of spiritual relationships sanctioned by the Lord, and an opportunity to admire the qualities of all genuine devotees, regardless of status of initiation.
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09 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, codes of religion, dharma, God, jnana, Kali-yuga, knowledge, krsne sva-dhamopagate, Lord Sri Krishna, purana, religion
Srimad Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Canto One, Chapter 3, Text 43
kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate
dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha
kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa
purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ
kṛṣṇe—in Kṛṣṇa’s; sva-dhāma—own abode; upagate—having returned; dharma—religion; jñāna—knowledge; ādibhiḥ—combined together; saha—along with; kalau—in the Kali-yuga; naṣṭa-dṛśām—of persons who have lost their sight; eṣaḥ—all these; purāṇa-arkaḥ—the Purāṇa which is brilliant like the sun; adhunā—just now; uditaḥ—has arisen.
TRANSLATION
This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.
PURPORT
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa has His eternal dhāma, or abode, where He eternally enjoys Himself with His eternal associates and paraphernalia. And His eternal abode is a manifestation of His internal energy, whereas the material world is a manifestation of His external energy. When He descends on the material world, He displays Himself with all paraphernalia in His internal potency, which is called ātma-māyā. In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that He descends by His own potency (ātma-māyā). His form, name, fame, paraphernalia, abode, etc., are not, therefore, creations of matter. He descends to reclaim the fallen souls and to reestablish codes of religion which are directly enacted by Him. Except for God, no one can establish the principles of religion. Either He or a suitable person empowered by Him can dictate the codes of religion. Real religion means to know God, our relation with Him and our duties in relation with Him and to know ultimately our destination after leaving this material body. The conditioned souls, who are entrapped by the material energy, hardly know all these principles of life. Most of them are like animals engaged in eating, sleeping, fearing and mating. They are mostly engaged in sense enjoyment under the pretension of religiosity, knowledge or salvation. They are still more blind in the present age of quarrel, or Kali-yuga. In the Kali-yuga the population is just a royal edition of the animals. They have nothing to do with spiritual knowledge or godly religious life. They are so blind that they cannot see anything beyond the jurisdiction of the subtle mind, intelligence or ego, but they are very much proud of their advancement in knowledge, science and material prosperity. They can risk their lives to become a dog or hog just after leaving the present body, for they have completely lost sight of the ultimate aim of life. The Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa appeared before us just a little prior to the beginning of Kali-yuga, and He returned to His eternal home practically at the commencement of Kali-yuga. While He was present, He exhibited everything by His different activities. He spoke the Bhagavad-gītā specifically and eradicated all pretentious principles of religiosity. And prior to His departure from this material world, He empowered Śrī Vyāsadeva through Nārada to compile the messages of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and thus both the Bhagavad-gītā and the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam are like torchbearers for the blind people of this age. In other words, if men in this age of Kali want to see the real light of life, they must take to these two books only, and their aim of life will be fulfilled. Bhagavad-gītā is the preliminary study of the Bhāgavatam. And Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the summum bonum of life, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa personified. We must therefore accept Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as the direct representation of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who can see Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam can see also Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa in person. They are identical.
09 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Free Downloads, Free eBooks, On the Way to Krsna
Tags: 2nd Ave., A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, chanting Hare Krishna, free ebook, free pdf download, Hare, Hare Krishna, Krishna, meditation, mirror of the mind, On the Way to Krishna, Rama, The Way of Chanting and knowing Krsna, transcendental sound vibration
The following chapter “The Way of Chanting and Knowing Kṛṣṇa” is from one of the small paperback books entitled On The Way to Kṛṣṇa that was printed back in 1973. I always liked these smaller paperback books because I could take them with me wherever I went. For a Free PDF download that you can save or read online follow the link at bottom of post.
On the Way to Kṛṣṇa
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Two
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08 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Science of Self Realization
…So by the grace of Lord Caitanya, this movement is already introduced in the Western countries, beginning from New York. Our saṅkīrtana movement was first introduced in New York in 1966. At that time I came and began to chant this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra in Tompkins Square. I was chanting there for three hours with a small mṛdaṅga (drum), and these American boys assembled and gradually joined, and so it is increasing. First of all it was started in a New York storefront, 26 Second Avenue, then we started our branches in San Francisco, Montreal, Boston, Los Angeles, Buffalo, Columbus. We now [1970] have twenty-four branches, including one in London and one in Hamburg. In London they are all American boys and girls, and they are preaching. (Srila Prabhupada from The Science of Sef Realization)
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05 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Spiritual World, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Aniruddha, Damodara, devotees, four-handed, Hrsikesa, Krsna, Madhava, Madhusudana, Narayana, Padmanabha, prabhava form, Pradyumna, Sankarsana, spiritual sky, Sridhara, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, Trivikrama, universe, vaisnava calendar, Vamana, Vasudeva, vilasa-murti, Visnu
click on image
Sometime back I ran across this picture and saved it to my files thinking I could use it in a post someday. While posting this chapter from the Teachings of Lord Caintanya, entitled “Unlimited Forms of Godhead”, I was looking for an image to use. So I selected the above image and to my surprise when I clicked on it, it moved. I had forgotten how cheesy cool this image was, and why it captured my interest, back when I saved it. So we share it today with our readers, and thank the unknown artist who put this picture to life.
…The different forms of Kṛṣṇa are distributed throughout the universe to give pleasure to the devotees. It is not that devotees are born only in India. There are devotees in all parts of the world, but they have simply forgotten their identity. These forms incarnate not only to give pleasure to the devotee but to reestablish devotional service and perform other activities which vitally concern the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Teachings of Lord Chaintanya
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter Seven
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04 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Conversation with Srila Prabhupada
Tags: 4th of July, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, American Independence, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, Dependence on God, Independence day, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, RDTSKP, transcendental literature
I remember as a younger man, back in 1976, when I was a member of the Radha Damodar Traveling Sankirtan Party (RDTSKP), I was in Washington D.C. distributing this very same issue of Back to Godhead Magazine. The thing about Transcendental Literature, is it remains ever fresh. 37 years later this article is still as important and significant as the day it was first published in Back to Godhead Magazine.
Declaring Our Dependence on God
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 11, No. 7, 1976
Two hundred years ago, Americans fought the War of Independence to assure life, liberty, and happiness in a fledgling nation. In a conversation with the BACK TO GODHEAD staff, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains that Americans can actually achieve these things only by maintaining a God conscious society, with God conscious leaders.
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03 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arjuna, bhakta, devotion, devotional service, Gita, impersonal, impersonal Brahman, impersonalists, karmi, Krishna, Krsna, meditation, personalists, spiritual realization, spiritual sky, unmanifested, yogi
In this 12th chapter of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is entitled Devotional Service, the path of liberation is explained…
For one who worships Me, giving up all his activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, who has fixed his mind upon Me, O son of Pṛthā, for him I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
Also a nice description of the qualities of a devotee are given…
One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities, who does not think himself a proprietor, who is free from false ego and equal both in happiness and distress, who is always satisfied and engaged in devotional service with determination and whose mind and intelligence are in agreement with Me—he is very dear to Me.
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02 Jul 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Maharaja Pariksit, Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada's Books, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, at time of death, hear chant and remember, Maharaja Pariksit, perfection of life, segue, self realization, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami
This morning I was marveling at how beautifully Srila Prabhupada segues [def: an uninterrupted transition from one song to another. 2. go on without a pause.] from the First Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam into the Second Canto. This Srimad Bhagavatam, is truly one of the most amazing books in existence today!
You are the spiritual master of great saints and devotees. I am therefore begging you to show the way of perfection for all persons, and especially for one who is about to die. (SB 1.19.37)
Please let me know what a man should hear, chant, remember and worship, and also what he should not do. Please explain all this to me. (SB 1.19.38)
Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The King thus spoke and questioned the sage, using sweet language. Then the great and powerful personality, the son of Vyāsadeva, who knew the principles of religion, began his reply… (SB 1.19.40) [End of First Canto]
[Start of Second Canto]…Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. The answer to this question is the prime subject matter for hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists. (SB 2.1.1)
…That very Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam I shall recite before you because you are the most sincere devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. One who gives full attention and respect to hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam achieves unflinching faith in the Supreme Lord, the giver of salvation. (SB 2.1.10)
Unless one is perfectly anxious to inquire about the way of perfection, there is no necessity of approaching a spiritual master. A spiritual master is not a kind of decoration for a householder. Generally a fashionable materialist engages a so-called spiritual master without any profit. The pseudo spiritual master flatters the so-called disciple, and thereby both the master and his ward go to hell without a doubt. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the right type of disciple because he puts forward questions vital to the interest of all men, particularly for the dying men. The question put forward by Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the basic principle of the complete thesis of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Now let us see how intelligently the great master replies. (from purport to SB 1.19.37)
Full translation and purports More
28 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Free Downloads, Free eBooks, Nectar of Instruction, Rupa Goswami
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, actions of anger, bengali vaisnavas, Gaudiya Vaisnavas, guru and disciple, manasah krodha-vegam, mind's demands, Nectar of Devotion Rupa Goswami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, upadesmrta, urge to speak, urges of the tongue, vaco vegam
Also for a free pdf downlaod of entire book click on link at bottom More
27 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Brahmananda das, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, The Hare Krishna Movement
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura, bogi yogis, disciples, George Harrison, guru, Indian sanyasis, sannyasis, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's disciples, The Hare Krishna Movement, The Hare Krsna Explosion
This is Part 3, or the conclusion, of the very informative article by Sriman Brahmananda Prabhu as it appeared in Back to Godhead Magazine in 1975, which gives not only some of the History of Lord Caitanya’s Mission, but on the preaching of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Gaudiya Vaisnavism, and the Hare Krishna Movement here in the West.
How the Teachings of Lord Caitanya Came to the Western World (Part 3)
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine
Vol.10, No. 1, 1975
by His Holiness Brahmananda Swami
After the disappearance of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja, a great scholar and pure devotee, continued to expand the mission of Lord Caitanya. He wrote many books and established printing presses and sixty-four temples dedicated to preaching the message of Krsna consciousness.
The following is the third of three articles depicting the pioneering efforts of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami, and those who have followed them in spreading the benediction of Krsna consciousness throughout the world.)
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26 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sat-cit-ananda, Vaisnava Vocabulary
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ananda, eternal, jubilation, knowledge, knowledge and blissful, pleasure, sat cit ananda
This morning while reading I came across the words sat-cit-ānanda. Many of us, we know what the words mean, but have we realized the meaning yet? Do we truly understand what it means to be eternal, full of knowledge and blissfull? I thought I would do a search on the phrase “sac-cid-ānanda” and see how this was explained by Srila Prabhupada.
Cit means knowledge, sat means eternal, and bliss means full of jubilation, ānanda, pleasure. (from lectures)
Because we are spirit soul, our position is ānandamāyā. Ānandamāyā means always blissful. Because we are part and parcel of God… God is blissful, all-good, sac-cid-ānanda…Sat means eternal, and cit means full of knowledge, and ānanda means full of bliss. So we are part and parcel of God. Kṛṣṇa says, mamaivāṁśo jīva bhūtaḥ: BG 15.7 “All these living entities, they are My part and parcel.” So if Kṛṣṇa is sat-cit-ānanda, then we are also sat-cit-ānanda, because we are part. Just like gold and a gold, small particle. That is also gold.
…Part is never equal to the whole. But quality is the same. Therefore we, being part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord, we are trying to utilize our original constitutional position. This is going on. But we are doing that without Kṛṣṇa at the present moment. Therefore it is not successful. Part must remain with the whole. I have given this example many times, that a small screw of typewriter or any machine, it must remain with the whole machine. Then it has value. If it is out of the machine, there is no value. A small screw in the motorcar, so long it is with the motorcar, it has got value. And as soon as it is thrown out of the motorcar, it has no value. (Lecture on the Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.9 given Detroit, August 3, 1975, by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)
It is interesting to note that Srila Prabhupada used this phrase ‘sat cit ananda’, 41 times in Lectures, 5 times in Letters, and can be found is his books. Some of the usage is as follows: More
24 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Ganges, Srimad Bhagavatam
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, amartya, baby Krsna, Ganges, Ganges River, Gokula, Krsna's lotus feet, sacred rivers, sanctified, SB 1.19.6, Srimad Bhagavatam, transcendental, Tulasi, tulasi leaves, Yamuna, Yamuna river
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…Both the Ganges and the Yamunā are amartyā (transcendental) rivers, but the Yamunā is still more sanctified for the following reasons.
…And as far as sanctity is concerned, the River Yamunā is more directly connected with Lord Kṛṣṇa than the Ganges. The Lord sanctified the River Yamunā from the beginning of His transcendental pastimes in the world. While His father Vasudeva was crossing the Yamunā with the baby Lord Kṛṣṇa for a safe place at Gokula on the other bank of the river from Mathurā, the Lord fell down in the river, and by the dust of His lotus feet the river at once became sanctified. It is especially mentioned herein that Mahārāja Parīkṣit took shelter of that particular river which is beautifully flowing, carrying the dust of the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, mixed with tulasī leaves. Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet are always besmeared with the tulasī leaves, and thus as soon as His lotus feet contact the water of the Ganges and the Yamunā, the rivers become at once sanctified. The Lord, however, contacted the River Yamunā more than the Ganges. (from purport to SB 1.19.6)
Full verse and purport More
21 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Govinda
Sometimes when I am sitting and reading from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad Bhagavatam, a verse or sentence from the purport just jumps out from the page almost like it is in 3D, and I catch a glimpse of what the Spiritual World must be like. It is beyond even my imagination, but sometimes I catch a glimmer of light, through a transcendental window, by the grace of my spiritual master His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
…The transcendental abode of the Lord where the trees are all desire trees and the buildings are made of touchstone. The Lord Govinda is engaged there in herding the surabhi cows as His natural occupation.
“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of lakṣmīs or gopīs.” (Bs 5.29)
…The Lord Govinda is engaged there in herding the surabhi cows as His natural occupation. And those who are artists, overtaken by the beautiful creation, should better see to the beautiful face of the Lord for complete satisfaction. The face of the Lord is the embodiment of beauty. What they call beautiful nature is but His smile, and what they call the sweet songs of the birds are but specimens of the whispering voice of the Lord.
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19 Jun 2013
by The Hare Krishna Movement
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Book Changes, Book Distribution, ISKCON, ISKCON History, Ramesvara das
Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Baladeva Vidyabhusana das, BBT, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, bood distribution, book changes, Iskcon, ISKCON history, Ramesvara das, Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada's books, The Hare Krishna Movement
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In case anyone missed this important 1979 interview with Ramesvara Prabhu, on the History of ISKCON, Book Changes, Book Publication, etc., etc. We are re-posting again.
Testimonial by Ramesvara dasa
Ramesvara-interview-1979
A very, very important document has just become public. It is a 300+ page transcript of a 1979 interview betweem Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu and Ramesvara Prabhu, the manager of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, the person who was directly in charge of printing Srila Prabhupada’s books durning that time. Ramesvara had many direct instructions from Srila Prabhupada in regard to printing his books, and he also gives an eye-witness account of many events that took place while Srila Prabhupada was physically present. Very interesting read!!!
You can download the PDF file of the interview by clicking on: Ramesvara-interview-1979
Or you can read the entire interview here… More
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The Hare Krishna Movement 
Foward to Final Volume of the Srimad Bhagavatam
14 Jul 2013 1 Comment
by The Hare Krishna Movement in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BBT, Book Changes, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, BBT, dictaphone, final volume, Founder Acarya, foward to tenth canto, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Krsna Balarama Mandir, Sanskrit text, Srimad Bhagavatam, Tenth Canto, translation and commentary
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Tenth Canto, Part Three
Foward
This is the final Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam volume translated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. It is smaller than the earlier volumes because it ends where the renowned author stopped translating just before his departure from this mortal world on November 14, 1977, at the Krsna-Balarama Mandira in Vrndavana, India.
The first part of this volume was produced in the usual fashion. Srila Prabhupada would sit and read silently from the Sanskrit text and then speak the translation and commentary into his dictaphone. Later, due to illness, it became necessary for his disciples to assist him personally.
In these last days Srila Prabhupada was gravely ill. Unable to eat for weeks, his health had deteriorated, making even the slightest movement excruciatingly painful.
As he lay still, a devotee would softly read the Sanskrit to him. Another disciple, sitting on his bed, held the microphone to him, nearly touching his mouth. And then Srila Prabhupada would speak, voice sometimes barely audible.
These recordings, made in his quarters at the temple, constitute the balance of this book.
In these final moments, the physician attending His Divine Grace confided that an ordinary man in such critical condition would have been crying out from the intense pain. Srila Prabhupada’s disciples were awestruck as they watched their spiritual master work quietly, undisturbed.
In the last part of the book we find Srila Prabhupada’s usual clarity of thought, constant scriptural references, scrupulous attention to detail, and rigorous philosophical exposition fully intact, just as they were in the preceding twenty-nine volumes of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Srila Prabhpada’s last days and this translation will stands an inspiring reminder that even the severest material circumstances cannot impede the activities of a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
-The Publishers
For a Free PDF download of this special volume click on following link; SB-10-03-1980
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