Every Town and Village
20 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Spring Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, Bg. 10.35, bhagavad-gita, flower bearing spring, I am the flower bearing spring, Krsna's pastimes, Spring, spring flowers, spring lamb, spring season
…and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring(Bhagavad-gita 10.35)
…Of course spring is a season universally liked because it is neither too hot nor too cold, and the flowers and trees blossom and flourish. In spring there are also many ceremonies commemorating Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes; therefore this is considered to be the most joyful of all seasons, and it is the representative of the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa. (from purport)
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18 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, avajanati mam mudha, bhagavad-gita, fools, fools deride my transcendental nature, human being, human form, Krishna, Krsna, mudha, supreme dominion, the supreme personality, transcendental nature
This morning I was reading from the Srimad-Bhagavatam and the purport directed my attention to the verse from the Bhagavad-gita; “Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.. So I went to the Bhagavad-gita and read again this very important verse and purport, and we share it with you today…
…it is clear that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, although appearing like a human being, is not a common man. The Personality of Godhead, who conducts the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the complete cosmic manifestation, cannot be a human being. Yet there are many foolish men who consider Kṛ,sṇa to be merely a powerful man and nothing more. Actually, He is the original Supreme Personality, as is confirmed in the Brahma-saṁhitā (iśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛsṇaḥ); He is the Supreme Lord. (from purport Bg.9.11)
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16 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Caitanya Mahaprabhu Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, appearance day of lord caitanya, devotees, Gaura Purnima, Lord Caitanya, Supreme Personality of Godhead
Today we celebrate the appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We honor His appearance with these two select verses from the Sri Caitanya-caritmrta.
“O most munificent incarnation! You are Kṛṣṇa Himself appearing as Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu. You have assumed the golden color of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and You are widely distributing pure love of Kṛṣṇa. We offer our respectful obeisances unto You.
“We offer our respectful obeisances unto that merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead who has converted all three worlds, which were maddened by ignorance, and saved them from their diseased condition by making them mad with the nectar from the treasure-house of love of God. Let us take full shelter of that Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, whose activities are wonderful.”
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15 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Festivals, Gaura Purnima Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, appearance day of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, devotee, Gaura Purnima, incarnation, Kali-yuga, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Mayapura, Sri Caitanya Mahaporabhu, Srila Prabhupada lecture, tri-yuga
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So tomorrow is Gaura Purnima, the appearance day of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. We will honor this auspicious and most important day, with an all day fast, followed by chanting, dancing, and feasting. Today we are posting a famous lecture given by Srila Prabhupada on Gaura-purnima in Mayapur, back in 1976.
…So Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa. It is confirmed by the śāstras. Here it is said, channaḥ kalau yad abhava. In the Kali-yuga, directly He does not appear as the incarnation like Nṛsiṁhadeva or Vāmanadeva or Lord Rāmacandra, yes, but as devotee. So He’s the same incarnation, Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Abhavat. “Therefore sometimes You are called as tri-yuga.” There are four yugas, but He is known… Because in three yugas He appears distinctly, and in the fourth yuga, the Kali-yuga, as devotee, therefore He’s called tri-yuga.
So today is the birthday or appearance day of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, and this is the birthplace, this Māyāpura, and you are all present here. It is a good fortune. Always remember Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and chant śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda…
Devotees: …śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda.Prabhupāda: This will make your life perfect. Thank you very much. (end)
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14 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna Maha Mantra, Harinama Sankirtan, Sankirtan, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhakta, devotee, Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, hari nama, holy name of the lord, Krsna consciousness movement, Lord Caitnaya, Maha Mantra, mantra mediation, sankirtan, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, The Hare Krishna Movement
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Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is distributing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and inducing people all over the world to chant. We are giving people an immense treasury of transcendental literature, translated into all the important languages of the world, and by the grace of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu this literature is selling profusely, and people are chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with great delight. This is the preaching process of the Caitanya cult. Since the Lord wanted this cult preached all over the world, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is acting in a humble way so that the vision of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu may be fulfilled all over the world, especially in the Western countries. (Purport to Cc. Adi-lila 16.19)
…the human form of life is a chance to understand, and if one misses this opportunity, he is most unfortunate. The way to get out of illusory māyā is to engage in the topics of Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya advocated a process whereby everyone may remain in his present position without change but simply hear from the proper authoritative sources about Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya advised everyone to spread the word of Kṛṣṇa. He advised, “All of you become spiritual masters. Your duty is simply to talk to whomever you meet of Kṛṣṇa or of the instructions given by Kṛṣṇa.” The International Society for Krishna Consciousness is operating for this purpose. We do not ask anyone to first change his position and then come to us. Instead, we invite everyone to come with us and simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare, because we know that if one simply chants and hears the topics of Kṛṣṇa, one’s life will change; he will see a new light, and his life will be successful. ( from purport to SB 4.7.44)
This morning my reading took me to the following verses which describe the importance and ecstasy of chanting Hare Krishna. We share with you these very nice verses and purports More
02 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Maha-mantra, Mantra Meditation, Quotes by Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, chanting Hare Krishna, forgetfulness, Hare Krishna, Hare Krsna, holy name, Maha Mantra, quotes by Srila Prabhupada, remembering Krishna, remembering the Supreme Perosnality of Godhead, Srila Prabhupada
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” Simply our prayer should be, My dear Krishna, please remind me to always chant Your Holy Name, please do not put me into forgetfulness. You are sitting within me as Supersoul, so you can put me into forgetfulness or into remembering You. So please do not put me into forgetfulness. Please always remind me to chant, even You send me into the hell, it doesn’t matter, just so long as I can always chant Hare Krishna…” (from Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Devananda dated Nov.23,1968)
01 Mar 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, Milk, Vegetarianism, Yoga Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bg. 8.16, bhagavad-gita, eats too little, eats too much, fruits, grains, Krsna Book, milk, no need for killing, yoga, yogi
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This morning as I was making a breakfast offering, and was offering a nice glass of fresh milk, my mind just seemed to go to this picture of Krsna milking a cow. And I thought ‘milk is such a wonderful food, miraculous really. One can live on milk, and as small children milk is all that is required, and as we develop as yogis, we can subsist on the gifts of God, such as fruits, grains and milk, without a need for killing.
The above picture is one of my very favorites from the Krsna Book, because it is so simple and sweet, and there is a noticeable absence of technology.
The following are two verses from the Bhagavad-gita As It Is describing the healthy diet, and activities of the yogi.
27 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sadhu, Spiritual Master, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotee of the Lord, devotional service, enlighten people in devotional service, holy person, krsna consciousness, Lord Krsna, mercy of the sadhu, sadhu, SB 3.25.21, Srila Prabhupada, symptoms of a sadhu
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The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. (SB. 3,25,21)
A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching, “Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don’t spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” These are the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. (from purport)
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26 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Teachings of Lord Kapila Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bindu sarovara, books of His Divine Grace, human knowledge, Lord Kapila, Maitreya, oral tradition, Son of Devahuti, Teachings of Lord Kapila, yogi
The following is chapter five in our series on the Teaching of Lord Kapila entitled “Lord Kapila Takes Charge of His Mother, Devahūti”. This chapter contains the timeless instructions on receiving spiritual knowledge. We are fortunate in this age to have the books of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada to guide us. Human knowledge was originally preserved through oral tradition, but today we have this knowledge preserved in the books of His Divine Grace.
Teachings of Lord Kapila, the Son of Devahūti
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter Five
24 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Demons, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Aristasura, demon with gigantic body and horns, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna's pastimes, material world, transcendental bliss, Vrndavana
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…Vṛndāvana was always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone remembered His pastimes and was constantly merged in the ocean of transcendental bliss. But the material world is so contaminated that even in Vṛndāvana the asuras or demons tried to disturb the peaceful situation.
One demon named Ariṣṭāsura entered the village like a great bull with a gigantic body and horns, digging up the earth with his hooves. When the demon entered Vṛndāvana, it appeared that the whole land trembled, as if there were an earthquake. He roared fiercely, and after digging up the earth on the riverside, he entered the village proper. The fearful roaring of the bull was so piercing that some of the pregnant cows and women had miscarriages. Its body was so big, stout and strong that a cloud hovered over its body just as clouds hover over mountains. Ariṣṭāsura entered Vṛndāvana with such a fearful appearance that just on seeing this great demon, all the men and women were afflicted with great fear, and the cows and other animals fled the village.
22 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Ananda, Spiritual World Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, all-pervasive, ananda, Bg 18.55, bhagavad-gita, bhakta, Brahman realization, impersonalist, jnani, Lord in the heart, mystics, Paramatma, pleasure potency, pure devotees, SB 2.10.44, Srimad Bhagavatam, the devotee, the impersonalist, the meditator, transcendental humors, Vaikuntha planets, yogi
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This morning as I was finishing the Tenth Chapter of the Second Canto, the following verse and purport jumped out at me from the pages. And I realized for the thousandth time, what great good fortune we have in that we can hear directly from the pure devotee of the Lord, about the eternal pastimes of the Lord, through the pages of the Srimad Bhagavatam.
Of the three types of Transcendentalist’s, namely the jñānī, the yogī and the bhakta, or the impersonalist, the meditator and the devotee. It is only the devotee who can factually know the Lord as He is and thus be trained in the bona fide service of the Lord and be allowed to enter into the direct association of the Lord in so many capacities. The highest glorious association with the Lord is made possible in the planet of Goloka Vṛndāvana, where Lord Kṛṣṇa enjoys Himself with the gopīs and His favorite animals, the surabhi cows.
… The impersonalist is satisfied simply by understanding the all-pervasive influence of the Lord. This is called Brahman realization. Greater than the impersonalist is the mystic who sees the Lord situated in his heart as Paramātmā, the partial representation of the Lord. But there are pure devotees who take part in the direct pleasure (ānanda) potency of the Lord by factual reciprocation of loving service. The Lord in His abode called the Vaikuṇṭha planets, which are eternal manifestations, always remains with His associates and enjoys transcendental loving services by His pure devotees in different transcendental humors.
So we are pleased to present the following Texts and Purports More
19 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in Bhagavad-gita, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Guru & Disciple, Spiritual Master Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Acarya, as it is, bhagavad-gita, Bhaktisiddhanta, family of yogis, Gosvami Maharaja, goswami families, spiritual impetus, spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, Srila Prahupada, transcendentalists, wisdom, yogis
Today marks the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, the spiritual master of our Srila Prabhupada. We honor his appearance day with a half day fast, and this short post.
Or he takes his birth in a family of transcendentalists who are surely great in wisdom. Verily, such a birth is rare in this world.
(Bhagavad-gita As It Is 6.42)
Birth in a family of yogīs or transcendentalists—those with great wisdom—is praised herein because the child born in such a family receives spiritual impetus from the very beginning of his life. It is especially the case in the ācārya or gosvāmī families. Such families are very learned and devoted by tradition and training, and thus they become spiritual masters. (From purport)
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18 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Paramatma, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotee, Lord Krsna, Lord within the heart, lust anger and hankering, material association, Paramatma, Personality of Godhead, self-realized souls, spiritual master, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Goswami
A friend of mine was asking me how we could realize Paramātmā or the Lord within the heart? How would I explain it to someone? I immediately thought of the following verses from the Second Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, and I replied to his question by saying ‘by reading about the glories of the Lord and chanting His names, we can begin to purify our hearts and come to understand through His mercy, the Lord within our hearts’. After getting home and looking up these verses…it was clear I gave him the correct answer.
O greatly fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī, please continue narrating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam so that I can place my mind upon the Supreme Soul, Lord Kṛṣṇa, and, being completely freed from material qualities, thus relinquish this body.
Persons who hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam regularly and are always taking the matter very seriously will have the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifested in their hearts within a short time.
The sound incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Soul [i.e. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam], enters into the heart of a self-realized devotee, sits on the lotus flower of his loving relationship, and thus cleanses the dust of material association, such as lust, anger and hankering. Thus it acts like autumnal rains upon pools of muddy water. (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.8.3-5)
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16 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in George Harrison, Mukunda das Goswami, Srila Prabhupada, Sriman George Harrison Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Allen Ginsberg, Bobby Dylan, Derek Taylor, George Harrison, Govinda, Hare Krishna, John and Yoko, John Lennon, Living in the Material World, Mukunda das, mukunda das goswami, My Sweet Lord, Norman Mailer, Radha Krishna Temple Album, Rosemary, Srila Prabhupada, The Beatles, the hare krishna mantra, Timmy Leary, Tommy Cooper, Tommy Smothers, yoko ono
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In the following conversation, taped at George’s home in England on September 4, 1982, George reveals some memorable experiences he has had chanting Hare Krishna and describes in detail his deep personal realizations about the chanting. He reveals what factors led him to produce “The Hare Krishna Mantra” record, “My Sweet Lord,” and the LPs All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World, which were all influenced to a great extent by the Hare Krishna chanting and philosophy. He speaks lovingly and openly about his association with His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya (spiritual master) of the Hare Krishna movement. In the following interview George speaks frankly about his personal philosophy regarding the Hare Krishna movement, music, yoga, reincarnation, karma, the soul, God, and Christianity. The conversation concludes with his fond remembrances of a visit to the birthplace of Lord Krishna in Vrndavana, India, home of the Hare Krishna mantra, and with George discussing some of his celebrity friends’ involvement with the mantra now heard and chanted around the world.
12 Feb 2014 1 Comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Krsna Consciousness, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Absolute Truth, age of kali, blissful consciousness, bona fide spiritual science, chant the holy names of the Lord, eternal spirit souls, Founder Acarya, genuine spiritual master, Hare Hare, Hare Krishna, Hare Rama, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Krishna, Krishna Krishna, love of God, sense gratification, Vedic knowledge
A Short Statement of the Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
11 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Varaha Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, demon, Garbhodaka Ocean, gigantic for of a boar, Hiranyaksa, Lord Brahma, Lord Varaha, planets of the universes, Vaisnavas, water of garbhodaka
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Today we honor the appearance day of Lord Varaha, we are posting the following verse from the Srimad Bhagavatam Canto Two, Chapter 7 entitled “Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions”, Text 1. It is interesting to note that the New Vrindavan farm community in West Virginia, has a gas meeting scheduled tonight to discuss the signing of a new ‘gas lease’. The following verse is very timely.
Lord Brahmā said: When the unlimitedly powerful Lord assumed the form of a boar as a pastime, just to lift the planet earth, which was drowned in the great ocean of the universe called the Garbhodaka, the first demon [Hiraṇyākṣa] appeared, and the Lord pierced him with His tusk. (SB 2.7.1)
Since the beginning of creation, the demons and the demigods, or the Vaiṣṇavas, are always the two classes of living beings to dominate the planets of the universes. Lord Brahmā is the first demigod, and Hiraṇyākṣa is the first demon in this universe. Only under certain conditions do the planets float as weightless balls in the air, and as soon as these conditions are disturbed, the planets may fall down in the Garbhodaka Ocean, which covers half the universe. The other half is the spherical dome within which the innumerable planetary systems exist. The floating of the planets in the weightless air is due to the inner constitution of the globes, and the modernized drilling of the earth to exploit oil from within is a sort of disturbance by the modern demons and can result in a greatly harmful reaction to the floating condition of the earth. A similar disturbance was created formerly by the demons headed by Hiraṇyākṣa (the great exploiter of the gold rush), and the earth was detached from its weightless condition and fell down into the Garbhodaka Ocean. The Lord, as maintainer of the whole creation of the material world, therefore assumed the gigantic form of a boar with a proportionate snout and picked up the earth from within the water of Garbhodaka. (from purport)
07 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Mukunda-mala-stotra, Vaisnava Vocabulary Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, birth, bizarre, death, disease, fantasmagoriya, fantastic, illusion, imitation peacock, Lord Mukunda, material nature, material world, Mukunda mala, mukunda murdhana, mukunda-mala-stotra, naked truth, old age, phantasmagoria, temporary beauty, transcendental topics
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One thing I have always marveled at, is Srila Prabhupada’s use of words, to describe transcendental topics to us in his books. The word phantasmagoria is one such example. Here it is being used to describe the temporary beauty of this material world…
By the mercy of the Lord, the pure devotee knows all this very well. Indeed, his whole philosophy of life is based on this understanding. Advancement of knowledge means to understand the naked truth of this world and to not be deluded by the temporary beauty of this phantasmagoria. (Mukunda-mālā-stotra #3)
The following is a definition of the word phantasmagoria and the full text and purport from the Mukunda-mala-stotra Sutra #3 More
05 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Advaita Acarya, Advaita Acharya, Caaitanya-caritamrta, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Srila Prabhupada's Books Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Advaita Acarya, constitutional position, devotee, devotional service, Ganges water and tulasī leaves, inauspicious activities, infinitesimal living entities, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, Lord Caitanya, material enjoyment, preaching devotional service, Rama, servant of the Supreme Lord, The sweetness of Lord Kṛṣṇa, tulasi leaves
Today marks the Appearance Day of Ari Advaita Acarya. We honor this auspisious day with a complete chapter from the Caitanya-caritamrta; “The Glories of Śrī Advaita Ācārya”
I offer my respectful obeisances to Śrī Advaita Ācārya, whose activities are all wonderful. By His mercy, even a foolish person can describe His characteristics. (Cc. 6.1)
Since He has no other occupation than to teach devotional service, His name is Advaita Ācārya. (Cc. 6.29)
Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta: Ādi-līlā 1975 Edition
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 6
The Glories of Śrī Advaita Ācārya
The truth of Advaita Ācārya has been described in two different verses. It is said that material nature has two features, namely the material cause and the efficient cause. The efficient causal activities are caused by Mahā-Viṣṇu, and the material causal activities are caused by another form of Mahā-Viṣṇu, known as Advaita. That Advaita, the superintendent of the cosmic manifestation, has descended in the form of Advaita to associate with Lord Caitanya. When He is addressed as the servitor of Lord Caitanya, His glories are magnified because unless one is invigorated by this mentality of servitorship one cannot understand the mellows derived from devotional service to the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa.
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02 Feb 2014 1 Comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Demigod, Ganesha Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, benefit derived from Visnu worship, demigod worshipe, demigods, Lord Sri Krsna, material enjoyment, worship demigods
On Demigod Worship
“Concerning Ganesa worship, it is not actually necessary for us. But, if someone has a sentiment for getting the blessings of Ganesa in order to get large amounts of money for Krishna’s service, then it is alright, but anyone who takes up this kind of worship must send me at least 100,000 dollars monthly—not less. If he cannot send this amount, then he cannot do Ganesa worship.” (Srila Prabhupada letter to Bhakta das, February 1, 1975) This is an example of Srila Prabhupada’s extraordinary sense of humor…
…There is no need to worship demigods of whatsoever category if one is serious about going back to Godhead. In the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20,23) it is clearly said that those who are mad after material enjoyment approach the different demigods for temporary benefits, which are meant for men with a poor fund of knowledge. We should never desire to increase the depth of material enjoyment. Material enjoyment should be accepted only up to the point of the bare necessities of life and not more or less than that. To accept more material enjoyment means to bind oneself more and more to the miseries of material existence. (from purport to SB 1.2.27)
…The Lord descends to this mortal world to show His pastimes in Vṛndāvana, which are full of happiness. When Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was in Vṛndāvana, His activities with His cowherd boy friends, with His damsel friends, with the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana and with the cows were all full of happiness. The total population of Vṛndāvana knew nothing but Kṛṣṇa. But Lord Kṛṣṇa even discouraged His father Nanda Mahārāja from worshiping the demigod Indra because He wanted to establish the fact that people need not worship any demigod. They need only worship the Supreme Lord because their ultimate goal is to return to His abode. (from Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is)
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01 Feb 2014 Leave a comment
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead, Conversation with Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magazine, BTG, dialogue with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Karandhara das, science, Srila Prabhupada, Svarupa dasa, The Tiny World of Modern Science
The Tiny World of Modern Science
A dialogue with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
(Los Angeles, April 16, 1973)
Excerpted from Back to Godhead Magazine Vol. 1, No. 61, 1974
For many years, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the spiritual master of the Krsna consciousness movement, has every day customarily taken an hour-long early morning walk with some of his disciples wherever in the world he is then preaching. Sometimes His Divine Grace says little; he simply chants Hare Krsna on his beads and walks. Sometimes, however, he holds animated discussions or even arguments, challenging disciples to defend materialistic viewpoints so that he can defeat them with Krsna consciousness. The following dialogue was recorded on an inspired morning walk at Venice Beach, Los Angeles. Walking with Srila Prabhupada were two of his disciples, Karandhara dasa and Svarupa Damodara dasa, a chemist working on his Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry at the University of California.
Svarupa: Scientists are worried about energy sources, and now they are working to utilize solar energy for cooking, lighting and various other purposes. They are hoping that when they exhaust all other energy sources, they will be able to use solar energy.
Srila Prabhupada: This is not a very new theory. Everyone knows that because the roots of trees store the sun’s energy, it is possible to get fire from a tree. These scientists are tiny creatures, but they are very proud. We don’t give them credit, because they are simply stating what everyone knows. As soon as you cut a tree, you cannot get fire from it. It has to be dried in the sun. When the energy is gathered from the sun, the tree can be utilized for fire. Actually everything is being maintained by the sun’s energy, but the scientists don’t know where the sun’s energy comes from. In Bhagavad-gita Krsna says:
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