The following is one of the most quoted verses by Srila Prabhupada, from the Srimad Bhagavatam, and it is also one of the longest purports as well. Very important verse!
śrī-prahrādaḥ uvāca—Prahlāda Mahārāja said; śravaṇam—hearing; kīrtanam—chanting; viṣṇoḥ—of LordViṣṇu (not anyone else); smaraṇam—remembering; pāda-sevanam—serving the feet; arcanam—offering worship (with ṣoḍaśopacāra, the sixteen kinds of paraphernalia); vandanaṁ—offering prayers; dāsyam—becoming the servant; sakhyam—becoming the best friend; ātma-nivedanam—surrendering everything, whatever one has; iti—thus; puṁsā arpitā—offered by the devotee; viṣṇau—unto Lord Viṣṇu (not to anyone else); bhaktiḥ—devotional service; cet—if; nava-lakṣaṇā—possessing nine different processes; kriyeta—one should perform; bhagavati—unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; addhā—directly or completely; tat—that; manye—I consider; adhītam—learning; uttamam—topmost.
Prahlāda Mahārāja said: Hearing and chanting about the transcendental holy name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and pastimes of Lord Viṣṇu, remembering them, serving the lotus feet of the Lord, offering the Lord respectful worship with sixteen types of paraphernalia, offering prayers to the Lord, becoming His servant, considering the Lord one’s best friend, and surrendering everything unto Him (in other words, serving Him with the body, mind and words)—these nine processes are accepted as pure devotional service. One who has dedicated his life to the service of Kṛṣṇa through these nine methods should be understood to be the most learned person, for he has acquired complete knowledge.
When Prahlāda Mahārāja was asked by his father to say something from whatever he had learned, he considered that what he had learned from his spiritual master was the best of all teachings…(from purport)
Sometime ago, I ran across this wonderful web site Prabhupada.io. It has it all, images, text, conversations, lectures, letters, etc. It is truly an Archive of Srila Prabhupada’s Original unedited words. Highly Recommended!
Building a Sacred Digital Archive for the Next 10,000 Years
The path to creating Prabhupada.io began with a simple recognition: Srila Prabhupada’s teachings are not merely books—they are eternal law books that deserve preservation and accessibility for millennia to come.
The Vision: A True Digital Archive
What distinguishes a true digital archive from a mere collection of files? It requires, among other things:
Comprehensive indexing that reveals the interconnected web of spiritual knowledge
Clean, searchable source texts extracted with care from the original works
Intuitive navigation that serves both newcomers and scholars
Open accessibility that removes barriers between seekers and sacred wisdom
Future-proof architecture built to endure for generations
The other day I was talking with a devotee about AI (Artificial Intelligence), something I know nothing about. But when that person said that AI read all of Srila Prabhupada’s books, I became curious. So I did a Google search, just typed in “AI” and at the top of the list was this link https://openai.com/. So I asked a question, “Who is Srila Prabhupada?”. I was surprised when it came back with a detailed description:
Srila Prabhupada refers to A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977), a renowned spiritual teacher and founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement.
He was born Abhay Charan De in Calcutta, India, and was a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, a prominent leader in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition (a devotional branch of Hinduism focused on the worship of Krishna).
Some key points about him:
Mission: Srila Prabhupada’s main mission was to spread the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam around the world, emphasizing bhakti-yoga (devotional service to Krishna).
Global Impact: In 1965, at the age of 69, he traveled from India to the United States with little money and no institutional backing. Within 12 years, he established over 100 temples worldwide.
Books: He translated and wrote extensive commentaries on many sacred texts, including the Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
Philosophy: His teachings focused on chanting the Hare Krishna mantra as a means to achieve spiritual realization.
Legacy: Millions of people still follow his teachings today, and ISKCON continues to grow worldwide.
If you’d like, I can give you a short, inspiring biography of his life’s journey that reads more like a story than a fact sheet. Would you like that?
So I replied ‘Yes’.
Alright, here’s Srila Prabhupada’s story in a more flowing, inspiring way:
Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
Today we honor the appearance day of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, with a fast until sunset, followed by a nice vegetarian feast. We share with you the Seventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam-Part One which describes the pastimes of Pralada Maharaja and his Demonic father Hiranyakasipu. I have included in this post, the entire scanned copy of Canto 7, Vol. 1. You can download by following the link below (it will take a few moments to open).
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam Canto 7, Vol.1 “The Science of God” by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
click the following link to veiw or save the entire scanned copy of SB-07-01-1976
Vrndavan India June 1977. I used to take Srila Prabhupada’s paraphernalia to translate his books up to the rooftop before sundown every evening. Part of the roof was covered and part was open and there is an inside room also and a bathroom. Srila Prabhupada would come up just at about sunset to start his translation work for the night.
I received this email this morning from Yasodanandana Prabhu:
Dear Prabhus
Please accept my obeisances.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada.
There are original, unrevised, first edition, unadulterated, bona fide sets of Srimad-Bhagavatam available. This has been confirmed and duly reconfirmed by devotees in England, Australia and America. I humbly suggest that you should take advantage of this opportunity while they are still available.
With regards,
Yours in Srila Prabhupada’s service and in the service of His bona fide disciples.
“This Srimad Bhagavatam is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna 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 Srimad Bhagavatam.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)
A Summary of Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments
Compiled by Paratrika Ananda das
In reading many of the profiles of Srila Prabhupada, I’m saddened that a number of his important projects, programs and achievements are never mentioned. In the following summary I’ve tried to compile a more comprehensive list of his credits. Although this list is also incomplete, I hope it presents a fuller picture of Srila Prabhupada’s greatness.(Paratrika Ananda das)
A Summary of Srila Prabhupada’s Miraculous Accomplishments from 1965 to 1977
In 1965, at seventy years of age, he ventured outside India for the first time to fulfill the order of his spiritual master. During his voyage at sea, he suffered two severe heart attacks. He reached the shores of America with the equivalent of seven dollars to his name.
He founded the International Society for Krsna Consciousness with a small group of disciples, after a year of struggling alone in New York City. This marked the only time in history that a Krsna devotee successfully trained non-Indians in the strict disciplines of Vaisnavism. Amazingly, this was achieved during the blossoming of America’s hedonistic counterculture movement.
The following is an excerpt from the summary for Canto 8, Chapter 1 of the Srimad Bhagavatam, wherein Srila Prabhupada is describing the instructions given to him at Radha Kunda in August of 1935, by his spiritual master His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami.
Summary
First of all, let me offer my humble, respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Sometime in the year 1935 when His Divine Grace was staying at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, I went to see him from Bombay. At that time, he gave me many important instructions in regard to constructing temples and publishing books. He personally told me that publishing books is more important than constructing temples. Of course, those same instructions remained within my mind for many years. In 1944 I began publishing my Back to Godhead, and when I retired from family life in 1958 I began publishing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in Delhi. When three parts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam had been published in India, I then started for the United States of America on the thirteenth of August, 1965.
I am continuously trying to publish books, as suggested by my spiritual master. Now, in this year, 1976, I have completed the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and a summary of the Tenth Canto has already been published as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, the Eighth Canto, Ninth Canto, Tenth Canto, Eleventh Canto and Twelfth Canto are yet to be published. On this occasion, therefore, I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books, with the cooperation of my disciples in America. Fortunately, scholars all over the world are appreciating these publications. Let us cooperatively publish more and more volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam just to please His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
This is a very nice compilation of quotes by Srila Prabhupada on the importance of reading his books.
The Importance of Prabhupada’s Books
Quotes compiled by Padmapani dasa
“Thank you for reading my books and appreciating them. Please continue to do so. That will help you advance nicely in spiritual life. By reading my books and chanting Hare Krishna, your life will become perfect.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 14, 1975)
“Sometimes I become surprised how I have written this. Although I am the writer, still sometimes I am surprised how these things have come. Such vivid description. Where is such literature throughout the whole world? It is all Kṛṣṇa’s mercy. Every line is perfect.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, June 28, 1977)
Srila Prabhupada Receives the First Big 1972 Original Bhagavad Gita As It Is
by Nanda Kumar Das
One day, when I was first with His Divine Grace in L.A., Brahmananda Prabhu came from New York and they were talking about the printing of a Bhagavad Gita with Sanskrit included. Evidently, there was a question as to whether the western people could pronounce the transliteration with diacritic marks.
Srila Prabhupad rang his bell, and I came into his room. Brahmananda was there. Srila Prabhupad handed me a paper with Sanskrit transliteration and said “Read this!” I have been able to read since I was three, so evidently, I made the pronunciations close enough. Srila Prabhupad said to Brahmananda, with great enthusiasm, “See! I told you they could do it!” He was very happy.
So the printing went on, and in New York, when His Divine Grace was there, Brahmananda brought in the first edition of the big Gita with all the Sanskrit in it. Remembering the LA experience, he very kindly gave the Gita to me, and said “Here, you can give this to Srila Prabhupad.” I was overjoyed, and went to His room to offer it to Him, followed by a photographer. I gave it to Him and said “Here is the first copy of Your new Bhagavad Gita, Srila Prabhupad.”
In His amazing way of innocence and childlike excitement, He took it and held it to His head, saying “Jai! Jai!” It was awesome to be present for such an important and empowering moment. Srila Prabhupad was so kind to me. Even though I was/am a deeply entrenched rascal, He has engaged me so many times in wonderful service. All Glories to Srila Prabhupad!
First of all, let me offer my humble, respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, His Divine Grace Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda. Sometime in the year 1935 when His Divine Grace was staying at Rādhā-kuṇḍa, I went to see him from Bombay. At that time, he gave me many important instructions in regard to constructing temples and publishing books. He personally told me that publishing books is more important than constructing temples. Of course, those same instructions remained within my mind for many years. In 1944 I began publishing my Back to Godhead, and when I retired from family life in 1958 I began publishing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in Delhi. When three parts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam had been published in India, I then started for the United States of America on the thirteenth of August, 1965.
I am continuously trying to publish books, as suggested by my spiritual master. Now, in this year, 1976, I have completed the Seventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and a summary of the Tenth Canto has already been published as Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Still, the Eighth Canto, Ninth Canto, Tenth Canto, Eleventh Canto and Twelfth Canto are yet to be published. On this occasion, therefore, I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books, with the cooperation of my disciples in America. Fortunately, scholars all over the world are appreciating these publications. Let us cooperatively publish more and more volumes of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam just to please His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura.
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
from Summary to the 8th Canto, Chapter 1
The following is a collection of quotes by Srila Prabhupada on the subject of reading his books. This is just an excerpt from a larger file entitled “A Spiritual Approach” by Vidura Mahatma dasa, which can be found at the end of this post.
The importance of Srila Prabhupada’s books upon humanity can not be over stressed! Thus it is with pleasure we repeat some of these quotes on hearing through reading.
“These are not ordinary books. It is recorded chanting. Anyone who reads, he is hearing.” (Letter 19/10/74)
“I am not much fond of the idea of changing things to accommodate the
public — better to change the public to accommodate us.”
(Letter to Bali-mardana — Bombay, December 28, 1971)
“The standards I have already given you, now try to maintain them at
all times under standard procedure. Do not try to innovate or create
anything or manufacture anything, that will ruin everything. Simply do
as I am doing and be always serious and sincere to serve Krsna, and He
will give you intelligence how to do everything.”
(Letter to Bali-mardana, Pusta Krsna — Los Angeles, September 18, 1972)
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)
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.
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)
The following is a nice collection of Srila Prabhupada Quotes on the importance of reading and hearing, compiled by Sri Vrindavan das.
Touch Krishna Immediately by Sound Vibration
by Sri Vrindavan das
Lecture 13 January, 1969
Srila Prabhupada: “So although a physical body is not present, the vibration should be accepted as the presence of the Spiritual Master, vibration. What we have heard from the Spiritual Master, that is living.”
Paramahamsa: My question is, a pure devotee, when he comments on Bhagavad-gita, someone who never sees him physically, but he just comes in contact with the commentary, explanation, is this the same thing?
Srila Prabhupada: “Yes, you can associate with Krishna by reading Bhagavad-gita. And these saintly persons, they have given their explanations, comments. So where is the difficulty?”
It seems that every time I start a new volume of the Srimad Bhagavatam, I open it and read the Preface first. I must have read the preface now many times, but every time I read it, it seems fresh and new. One could argue that it because my memory is poor, or, that is just the nature of transcendental literature. But what is interesting is to me this morning, is how I never looked up the verse that Srila Prabhupada quotes in his Preface:
This morning I was curious, so I went to the Seventh Canto, Chapter 6, Text 1, and it read:
Prahlāda Mahārāja said: One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life—in other words, from the tender age of childhood—to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporary like other bodies, it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. Even a slight amount of sincere devotional service can give one complete perfection.
As we continue to update our (one of our other sites) Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by posting a chapter at a time, of that great literary work by His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada, we will continue to share the progress with our readers here at The Hare Krishna Movement.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Canto 2, Chapter Three
The Hare Krishna Movement 