On the island of Godrum in Nabadwip dham, the magnanimous Lord Nityananda has opened up the marketplace of the Holy Name, meant for the deliverance of all fallen souls. By Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, performed by Agnideva das.
Nadiya Godrume
25 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Srila Prabhupada, YouTube Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Agnideva das, deliverance of all fallen souls, Godrum. Nadiya Gofrume, holy name, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur, Srila Prabhupada
Prayers Offered by Lord Brahmā to Lord Kṛṣṇa
25 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, books by Srila Prabhupada, hearing and chanting, Krishna, Krsna, Lord Brahma, Lord Krsna, Purusottama, Purusottama month, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
During the Purusottama Month, it is important to Hear and Chant more. With this in mind we are posting the 14th Chapter of Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, with Lord Brahma praising the Glories of Krishna (Purusottama) The Supreme Personality.
“My dear Lord, there are many instances in the history of human society where a person, after failing to achieve the transcendental platform, engaged himself in devotional service with his body, mind and words and thus attained the highest perfectional state of entering into Your abode. The processes of understanding You by speculation or mystic meditation are all useless without devotional service. One should therefore engage himself in Your devotional service even in his worldly activities, and one should always keep himself near You by the process of hearing and chanting Your transcendental glories. Simply by being attached to hearing and chanting Your glories, one can attain the highest perfectional stage and enter into Your kingdom. If a person, therefore, always keeps in touch with You by hearing and chanting Your glories and offers the results of his work for Your satisfaction only, he very easily and happily attains entrance into Your supreme abode. You are realizable by persons who have cleansed their hearts of all contamination. This cleansing of the heart is made possible by chanting and hearing the glories of Your Lordship.”
“In the Upaniṣads it is stated that the Supreme Brahman is as effulgent as the sun and is the origin of everything, and anyone who can understand that original person becomes liberated from the material conditional life. Anyone who can simply be attached to You by devotional service can know Your actual position, Your birth, appearance, disappearance and activities. As confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā, simply by understanding Your constitutional position, appearance and disappearance, one can be immediately elevated to the spiritual kingdom after quitting this present body. Therefore to cross over the ocean of material nescience, an intelligent person takes shelter of Your lotus feet and is easily transferred to the spiritual world.”
Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World
23 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in Gajendra, Spiritual World, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Brahma, demigods, Gajendra, gandharvas, king of the elephants, sages, Siva, Spiritual world, Srimad Bhagavatam, Sukadeva Gosvami
The Fourth Chapter of the Eight Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam describes the previous birth of Gajendra and the crocodile. It tells how the crocodile became a Gandharva and how Gajendra became an associate of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
…in his birth as an elephant, when he was dangerously attacked by the crocodile, he remembered his past life in devotional service and remembered a prayer he had learned in that life. Because of this prayer, he again received the mercy of the Lord.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī ends this chapter by describing the good fortune of the elephant. Śukadeva Gosvāmī says that by hearing the narration of Gajendra’s deliverance, one can also get the opportunity to be delivered.
“One who seeks Your compassion and thus tolerates all kinds of adverse conditions due to the karma of his past deeds, who engages always in Your devotional service with his mind, words and body, and who always offers obeisances unto You, is certainly a bona fide candidate for liberation.”
A devotee who tolerates everything in this material world and patiently executes his devotional service can become mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk, a bona fide candidate for liberation. The word dāya-bhāk refers to a hereditary right to the Lord’s mercy. A devotee must simply engage in devotional service, not caring about material situations. Then he automatically becomes a rightful candidate for promotion to Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The devotee who renders unalloyed service to the Lord gets the right to be promoted to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, just as a son inherits the property of his father.
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Surrender to Krishna
22 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Bhagavad-gita Tags: 1972 Edition, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, as it is, Bg 15-17, Bhagavad Gita, impious men, Knowledge of the Absolute, na mam duskrtinoo mudhah, pious men, surrender to Krishna
“Four kinds of pious men surrender to Krishna, and four kinds of impious men do not”
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…It is said in Bhagavad-gītā that simply by surrendering oneself unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality Kṛṣṇa, one can surmount the stringent laws of material nature. At this point a question arises: How is it that educated philosophers, scientists, businessmen, administrators and all the leaders of ordinary men do not surrender to the lotus feet of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the all-powerful Personality of Godhead? Mukti, or liberation from the laws of material nature, is sought by the leaders of mankind in different ways and with great plans and perseverance for a great many years and births. But if that liberation is possible by simply surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then why don’t these intelligent and hard-working leaders adopt this simple method?
Those miscreants who are grossly foolish, lowest among mankind, whose knowledge is stolen by illusion, and who partake of the atheistic nature of demons, do not surrender unto Me.
O best among the Bhāratas [Arjuna], four kinds of pious men render devotional service unto Me—the distressed, the desirer of wealth, the inquisitive, and he who is searching for knowledge of the Absolute.
Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through pure devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is dear to Me.
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Self Realization in the Age of Kali
20 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Kali Yuga, Srimad Bhagavatam, Time Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, age of kali, bhagavad-gita, dvapara-yuga, enlightenment, great sacrifice, Kali-yuga, meditation, Naimisaranya, satya-yuga, self realization, Sri Krishna, Srimad Bhagavatam, Treta-yuga, worship of the Lord, yoga
By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā’s one day. And such also is the duration of his night.
…This age of Kali is not at all suitable for self-realization as was Satya-yuga, the golden age, or Tretā- or Dvāpara-yugas, the silver and copper ages. For self-realization, the people in Satya-yuga, living a lifetime of a hundred thousand years, were able to perform prolonged meditation. And in Tretā-yuga, when the duration of life was ten thousand years, self-realization was attained by performance of great sacrifice. And in the Dvāpara-yuga, when the duration of life was one thousand years, self-realization was attained by worship of the Lord. But in the Kali-yuga, the maximum duration of life being one hundred years only and that combined with various difficulties, the recommended process of self-realization is that of hearing and chanting of the holy name, fame, and pastimes of the Lord.
The sages of Naimiṣāraṇya began this process in a place meant specifically for the devotees of the Lord. They prepared themselves to hear the pastimes of the Lord over a period of one thousand years. By the example of these sages one should learn that regular hearing and recitation of the Bhāgavatam is the only way for self-realization. Other attempts are simply a waste of time, for they do not give any tangible results. Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached this system of Bhāgavata-dharma, and He recommended that all those who were born in India should take the responsibility of broadcasting the messages of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, primarily the message of Bhagavad-gītā. And when one is well established in the teachings of Bhagavad-gītā, he can take up the study of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for further enlightenment in self-realization.
Further information on the Age of Kali More
Transcendental Pastimes of the Supreme Lord
18 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Krsna Consciousness, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, adventures and pastimes of the Lord, age of quarrel, Kali-yuga, Krishna and Balarama, Krishna's transcendental pastimes, Mahabarata, multi-incarnations, mundane news, Puranas, Ramayana, Srimad Bhagavatam, Supreme Godhead, transcendental news, virtuous glories of the Lord
Who is there, desiring deliverance from the vices of the age of quarrel, who is not willing to hear the virtuous glories of the Lord?
His transcendental acts are magnificent and gracious, and great learned sages like Nārada sing of them. Please, therefore, speak to us, who are eager to hear about the adventures He performs in His various incarnations.
O wise Sūta, please narrate to us the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Godhead’s multi-incarnations. Such auspicious adventures and pastimes of the Lord, the supreme controller, are performed by His internal powers.
We never tire of hearing the transcendental pastimes of the Personality of Godhead, who is glorified by hymns and prayers. Those who have developed a taste for transcendental relationships with Him relish hearing of His pastimes at every moment.
..There is a great difference between mundane stories, fiction, or history and the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. The histories of the whole universe contain references to the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord. The Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata, and the Purāṇas are histories of bygone ages recorded in connection with the pastimes of the incarnations of the Lord and therefore remain fresh even after repeated readings. For example, anyone may read Bhagavad-gītā or the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam repeatedly throughout his whole life and yet find in them new light of information. Mundane news is static whereas transcendental news is dynamic, inasmuch as the spirit is dynamic and matter is static. Those who have developed a taste for understanding the transcendental subject matter are never tired of hearing such narrations. (From Purport to SB 1.1.19)
Srimad Bhagavatam
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Canto 1, Chapter 1, Text 16-19
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New Website
17 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Devotee's, Jayananda Thakur Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, devotee, Jayananda, Jayananda memorial, Jayananda Thhakur, Lord Krishna, Mayapur memorial, Srila Prabhupada, Veronica Chatworth, Visoka dasa
There is a new domain “Jayanandathakur.com” and the new and wonderful Jayananda website, http://www.jayanandathakur.com. We give many thanks to Veronica (Vera) Chatworth, for her expert service and love and devotion for Jayananda, and producing this amazing new website for displaying his recently opened memorial in Mayapur, and the memories and great photos and articles, etc. We pray that Srila Prabhupada and Lord Krishna give Their blessings to her for such sincere devotional service.
Transcendental Knowledge
17 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Uncategorized Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Arjuna, as it is, bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan, Iksvaku, imam vivasvate yogam, Krishna, Macmillan Edition, Manu, Original 1972 Macmillan, science of yoga, the blessed Lord said, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, transcendental knowledge, Vivasvan, yoga
Bhagavad-gītā As It Is
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 4
Transcendental Knowledge
Spiritual Knowledge Through Kṛṣṇa
16 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in Krsna Consciousness the Matchless Gift, The Hare Krishna Movement, The Matchless Gift Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, books of Srila Prabhupada, eternal well-wisher, glories of Bhagavad-gita, great philosopher, great scientist, Hare Krishna, illusion, Krishna, Krishna consciousness movement, Krsna Consciousness The Matchless Gift, material world, maya, original consciousness, The Hare Krishna Movement, trancendental knowledge, Vaisnava poet, wisdom
…The best and ultimate authority is Kṛṣṇa, for He is our eternal well-wisher, and He always speaks for our benefit. Since we have to accept some authority, why not accept His? Simply by hearing of His glories from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and by chanting His names: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, we can swiftly perfect our lives.
Kṛṣṇa Consciousness, the Matchless Gift
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter One
Spiritual Knowledge Through Kṛṣṇa
The aim of this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to bring all living entities back to their original consciousness. All living entities within the material world are, to varying degrees, afflicted with a type of madness. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement aims at curing man of his material disease and reestablishing his original consciousness. In a Bengali poem a great Vaiṣṇava poet has written, “When a man is haunted by ghosts, he can only speak nonsense. Similarly, anyone who is under the influence of material nature should be considered haunted, and whatever he speaks should be considered nonsense.” One may be considered a great philosopher or great scientist, but if he is haunted by the ghost of māyā, illusion, whatever he theorizes and whatever he speaks is more or less nonsensical. Today we are given the example of a psychiatrist who, when requested to examine a murderer, proclaimed that since all the patients with whom he had come in contact were more or less crazy, the court could excuse the murderer on those grounds if it so desired. The point is that in the material world it is very difficult to find a sane living entity. The prevailing atmosphere of insanity in this world is all caused by the infection of material consciousness.
The purpose of this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement is to bring man back to his original consciousness, which is Kṛṣṇa consciousness, clear consciousness. When water falls from the clouds, it is uncontaminated like distilled water, but as soon as it touches the ground it becomes muddy and discolored. Similarly, we are originally pure spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore our original constitutional position is as pure as God’s. In Bhagavad-gītā Sri Kṛṣṇa says:
Supreme Brahman
15 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in Bhagavad-gita, Krishna, Krishna Consciousness Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Absolute Truth, Arjuna, Asita, Bg 10.12-14, bhagavad-gita, Devala, eternal divine person, great sages, Narada, param brahma, param dhama, primal God, supreme abode and purifier, transcendental and original, unborn and all-pervading beauty, Universal Form, Vyasa
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Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty. All the great sages such as Nārada, Asita, Devala, and Vyāsa proclaim this of You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me.
O Kṛṣṇa, I totally accept as truth all that You have told me. Neither the gods nor demons, O Lord, know Thy personality.
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Association with the Pure Devotee
12 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Guru & Disciple, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Srila Prabhupada's Books Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, association with the Pure Devotee, devotees, devotees of Lord Caitanya, physical presence, sound vibration, spiritual master, Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, transcendental literatures, two ways of association, vani, vapu
From the Concluding Words to the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
…There are two ways of association-by vāṇī and by vapu. Vāṇī means words, and vapu means physical presence. Physical presence is sometimes appreciable and sometimes not, but vāṇī continues to exist eternally. Therefore we must take advantage of the vāṇī, not the physical presence. Bhagavad-gītā, for example, is the vāṇī of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Although Kṛṣṇa was personally present five thousand years ago and is no longer physically present from the materialistic point of view, Bhagavad-gītā continues.
I still consider His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda to be always present with me by his vāṇī, his words.
It is my wish that devotees of Lord Caitanya all over the world enjoy this translation, and I am glad to express my gratitude to the learned men in the Western countries who are so pleased with my work that they are ordering in advance all my books that will be published in the future. On this occasion therefore, I request my disciples who are determined to help me in this work to continue their cooperation fully, so that philosophers, scholars, religionists and people in general all over the world will benefit by reading our transcendental literatures such as Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta.
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Sri Vyasa-Puja
11 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, Vyas-puja Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Dear Srila Prabhupada, jagad-guru, Kamadhuk devi dasi, krsna consciousness, preaching potency, spiritual master, Sri Vyasa Puja, Srila Prabhupada
…It is obvious that as jagad-guru of the universe there is nobody who can compare to your greatness, to your humility, to your mercifulness and to your preaching potency, because you were chosen by Krsna to be His representative.
…It was a challenge for you to introduce Krsna consciousness to the West and it is a challenge for your disciples to protect your movement from any attempt made to minimize your greatness.
This offering was from 1982, by Kamadhuk-devi-dasi, and is still as pertinent today.
Dear Srila Prabhupada
Allow me to offer you my most humble oveisances in the dust of your lotus feet.
When you arrived in America in the mid-1960’s you allowed this Western world to be released from the total darkness which surrounds it. Since that time, many millions of livings entities have been released from the bondage of birth, death, disease and old age, by hearing about this Krsna consciousness process.
Sri-Guru-Carana-Padma
10 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Narottama das Thakur, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, Sri Guru Carana Padma, YouTube Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Acyutananda dasa, guru spiritual master, His Divine Grace, material suffering, mercy of Krsna, Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas, sri-guru-carana-padma, Srila Narottama das Thakura, the lotus feet of our spiritual master
Sri-Guru-Carana-Padma
By Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, is performed here by Acyutananda dasa.
Sri-Guru-Carana-Padma
by Narottama dasa Thakura
From Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas
śrī-guru-caraṇa-padma, kevala-bhakati-sadma,
bando muñi sāvadhāna mate
jāhāra prasāde bhāi, e bhava toriyā jāi,
kṛṣṇa-prāpti hoy jāhā ha’te
The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krsna.
guru-mukha-padma-vākya, cittete koribo aikya,
ār nā koriho mane āśā
śrī-guru-caraṇe rati, ei se uttama-gati,
je prasāde pūre sarva āśā
My only wish is to have my consciousness purified by the words emanating from his lotus mouth. Attachment to his lotus feet is the perfection that fulfills all desires.
cakṣu-dān dilo jei, janme janme prabhu sei,
divya jñān hṛde prokāśito
prema-bhakti jāhā hoite, avidyā vināśa jāte,
vede gāy jāhāra carito
He opens my darkened eyes and fills my heart with transcendental knowledge. He is my Lord birth after birth. From him ecstatic prema emanates; by him ignorance is destroyed. The Vedic scriptures sing of his character.
śrī-guru karuṇā-sindhu, adhama janāra bandhu,
lokanāth lokera jīvana
hā hā prabhu koro doyā, deho more pada-chāyā,
ebe jaśa ghuṣuk tribhuvana
Our spiritual master is the ocean of mercy, the friend of the poor, and the lord and master of the devotees. O master! Be merciful unto me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet. Your fame is spread all over the three worlds.
The Most Blessed Event; Śrī Vyāsa Pūjā
10 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Remembering Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada, Vyas-puja Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, appearance day of Srila Prabhupada, Sri Vyasa Puja, Srila Prabhupada
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Today is the Apperancee Day of Our Beloved Spiritual Master, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We offer our profound gratitude and respectful obeisances. All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Vyasa-Puja Homage
Dear Srila Prabhupada
Please accept my most humble obeisances, and kindly forgive my offences. On this most blessed event; Sri Vyasa-Puja, the appearance day of my beloved spiritual master, I am filled with a sense of gratitude and wonder. I cannot even imagine where my life would be today, if you had not appeared and blessed us all with your divine benediction.
The fact that you have always resided in my heart, and have been my most constant friend and ever well-wisher, even without your physical presence, proves our eternal relationship with you. So many friends and family have come and gone, but you Srila Prabhupada, have remained in my life as the one constant I could always turn to.
You are present in your vani; your books and instructions. You are present still in your pictures and murti’s. You live in the hearts of your sincere devotees. You have touched us all so deeply; we cannot help but remember you. Srila Prabhupada, I am most unworthy to have received your mercy, and because of knowing my insignificance, it has caused me to be even more grateful and appreciative of your blessings.
Krishna Janmastami
09 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in Festivals, Janmastami, Krishna, Lectures Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Hare Krishna, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Janmastami, Krishna, Krsna Kesava pahi mam, Lord Sri Krishna, Lord Sri Krsna's Appearance Day Lecture, Rama Raghava raksa mam, Srila Prabhupada lecture
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! he
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! he
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! rakṣa mām
Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! Kṛṣṇa! pāhi mām
Rāma! Rāghava! Rāma! Rāghava! Rāma! Rāghava! rakṣa mām
Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! Kṛṣṇa! Keśava! pāhi mām
Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 7.96)
Today, here in the Western half of the World, we are celebrating Janmastami: the appearance day of Lord Sri Krishna. So let us take advantage of this auspicious day and hear, chant, and remember the pastimes of the Lord. Hare Krishna!
Janmāṣṭamī
Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s Appearance Day Lecture
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Montreal, August 16, 1968
The Appearance Day of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Janastami
08 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Festivals, Janmastami, KRSNA The Supreme Personality of Godhead Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, appearance day of Lord Krishna, appearance of Krishna, demigods, Janmastami, Krishna, Krsna, Krsna The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Prayers by the Demigods, Vedas
…The appearance of Kṛṣṇa is the answer to all imaginative iconography of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone imagines the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead according to his mode of material nature. In the Brahmā-saṁhitā it is said that the Lord is the oldest person. Therefore a section of religionists imagine that God must be very old, and therefore they depict a form of the Lord like a very old man. But in the same Brahmā-saṁhitā, that is contradicted; although He is the oldest of all living entities, He has His eternal form as a fresh youth.
…”O dear Lord,” the demigods continued, “You are unborn; therefore we do not find any reason for Your appearance other than for Your pleasurable pastimes.” Although the reason for the appearance of the Lord is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (He descends just to give protection to the devotee and vanquish the nondevotee), actually He descends for His pleasure-meeting with the devotees, not really to vanquish the nondevotees. The nondevotees can be vanquished simply by material nature. “The action and reaction of the external enregy of material nature (creation, maintenance and annihilation) are being carried on automatically. But simply by taking shelter of Your holy name–because Your holy name and Your personality are nondifferent–the devotees are sufficiently protected.” The protection of the devotees and the annihilation of the nondevotees are actually not the business of the Supreme Personality of Godhead when He descends. They are just for His transcendental pleasure. There cannot be any other reason for His appearance.
Excerpts from; KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Volume 1, Chapter 2
Learning to Love
07 Aug 2012 1 Comment
in Krishna Consciousness, The Matchless Gift Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, affection, eternal, God, krsna consciousness, Learning to Love, learning to love God, love, loving relationship with Krishna, spirit soul, The Matchless Gift
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…Since we as living entities are eternal, temporary activities are not our main concern. Our engagements should be eternal because we are eternal, and that eternal engagement is the rendering of service to Kṛṣṇa in love.
Love begins with this give and take. We give something to our lover, he gives something to us, and in this way love develops. When we create any loving transaction with any boy or girl, man or woman, we give and take. Thus Kṛṣṇa is teaching us how to give and take. Kṛṣṇa is begging us:
“Try to love Me. Learn how to love Me. Offer something to Me.”
“Sir,” we may say, “I have nothing to give You.”
“Oh, you cannot collect a piece of fruit, a flower, a leaf or a little water?”
“Oh yes, why not? Anyone can collect this.”
This then is the method of Kṛṣṇa consciousness which allows one to make friends with Kṛṣṇa. We can enter into any number of relationships with Kṛṣṇa. We can become a direct servant of Kṛṣṇa, or in the highest stages we can become Kṛṣṇa’s father, mother or lover. Kṛṣṇa is prepared to establish a loving relationship with all living entities. In actuality this relationship is already there because He is the supreme father and we are His parts and parcels. Because the son is part of the body of the father, the relationship between them cannot be broken; it may be forgotten for some time, but as soon as one recognizes his father or son, immediately affection develops. Similarly, we are eternally related to Kṛṣṇa, but at the present moment this relationship is simply forgotten or suppressed. Consequently we think that we have no relationship with Kṛṣṇa, but this is not a fact. Because we are integral with Him, because we are part and parcel of Him, our relationship with Him is eternal. That relationship simply has to be revived, and that revival is this process of Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Krsna Consciousness, The Matchless Gift
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Chapter 3
Learning to Love
The Nectar of Instruction
06 Aug 2012 2 Comments
in A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Free Downloads, Free eBooks, Nectar of Instruction, The Nectar of Instruction, Upadesamrta Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Hare Krishna, neophyte devotees, pure devotee, Srila Rupa Goswami, The Nectar of Instruction, Upadesamrta, Vidagdha-madhava, Visvarupa=mahotsava
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The Nectar of Instruction
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Preface
The Krishna consciousness movement is conducted under the supervision of Srila Rupa Gosvami. The Gaudiya Vaisnavas, or Bengali Vaisnavas, are mostly
followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, of whom the six Gosvamis of Vrndavana are direct disciples. Therefore Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has sung:
rupa-raghunatha-pade ha-ibe akuti
kabe hama bujhaba se yugala-piriti
“When I am eager to understand the literature given by the Gosvamis, then I shall be able to understand the transcendental loving affairs of Radha and Krishna.”
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in order to bestow upon human society the benediction of the science of Krishna. The most exalted of all the activities of Lord Krishna are His pastimes of conjugal love with the gopis. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in the mood of Srimati Radharani, the best of the gopis. Therefore, to understand the mission of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and follow in His footsteps, one must very seriously follow in the footsteps of the six Gosvamis–Sri Rupa, Sanatana, Bhatta Raghunatha, Sri Jiva, Gopala Bhatta and Dasa Raghunatha.
Sri Rupa Gosvami was the leader of all the Gosvamis, and to guide our activities he gave us this Upadesamrta (The Nectar of Instruction) to follow. As Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left behind Him the eight verses known as Siksastaka, Rupa Gosvami gave us Upadesamrta so that we may become pure Vaisnavas.
Jai Srila Prabhupada!
05 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Diksha, Guru & Disciple, Letters by Srila Prabhupada, Siksa, Srila Prabhupada Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, diksha, disciple, GBC, initiator guru, instructor guru, siksa, spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, Sudarshan das
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Submitted by Sudarshan Das
“GBC must see that no one is taken away by maya. They should be instructor gurus. I am the initiator guru, and you should be instructor guru by teaching what I am teaching and doing what I am doing. This is not a title – you must actually come to this platform. This I want.
Aug.4 1975
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Approach A Proper Guru
05 Aug 2012 Leave a comment
in Lectures, Srimad Bhagavatam Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Brahma-nistham, disciple, guru, guru disciple, lectures by His Divine Grace, lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam, parampara system, prabhupada, proper guru, spiritual master, submissively hear
… Guru means heavy, heavy with knowledge…”who has heard from the paramparā system.” and “He is firmly fixed up in the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Brahma-niṣṭham. He has no other business. This is two qualifications. He must have heard the Vedic knowledge through the disciplic succession. It does not require that he is very learned scholar. No. Simply he must hear from the authority.
Lecture on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.25.4
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Bombay, November 4, 1974
Nitāi: “Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: The most powerful sage Maitreya was a friend of Vyāsadeva. Thus being encouraged, Maitreya, pleased by Vidura’s inquiry about transcendental knowledge, spoke as follows.”
Prabhupada:
dvaipāyana-sakhas tv evaṁ
maitreyo bhagavāṁs tathā
prāhedaṁ viduraṁ prīta
ānvīkṣikyāṁ pracoditaḥ
[SB 3.25.4]
So this is the process of getting knowledge, to approach the proper person, guru, and submissively hear from him about transcendental knowledge. Tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā [Bg. 4.34]. Don’t try to receive spiritual knowledge or transcendental knowledge very cheaply. Although it is very easy, there is no difficulty, but the process must be known. Just like any machine—we have got experience—just like sometimes our typewriter machine or this dictaphone does not work. So if we go to the proper person, who knows the work, he immediately tightens one screw or changes something; it works. The process we must know. So if I go to a pān-wala for repairing my machine, that will be not good. He does not know the process. He may know to…, how to make pān, biḍi; but doesn’t matter, he does not know how to repair a machine.
The Hare Krishna Movement 