Sanskrit | The Hare Krishna Movement

This is a very nice lecture given by Srila Prabhupada in Bombay April, 1976 and is a very good description of what is a guru. We have also included a link to the audio file so that you can listen to the lecture at the same time you are reading it. This is our first audio link that we have posted from this site, as an experiment.

In this lecture Srila Prabhupada begins “So the first training, how to create a brahmacari… This is human civilization…So we must come to the platform of varnasrama-dharma, not “Hindu dharma”. As he’s stated many times, the term “Hindu” is not a name that you find in the Vedas or in Sanskrit. Rather, it was a name given by the Muslims, who were referring to the people of the Indus region. The religion of the Vaisnavas is Sanatana-dharma, not Hinduism.

Also a very nice definition of what it means to be a guru is described; “A perfect guru is one who is speaking on behalf of Krsna – not on his own behalf.” “If you want to have a perfect guru, then you have to see whether he is speaking on behalf of Krsna or on his own behalf. One who speaks on his own behalf, manufactures, he is not guru. He’s a rascal. One who speaks on behalf of Krsna, he is guru.”

Class on the Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.12.02
Bombay, April 13, 1976
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

to Listen to Lecture

Teachings of the Vedas

22 Jul 2012 2 Comments

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Lectures, Vedas Tags: A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, bhagavad-gita, brahmana, Conway Hall, Hindu, ksatriya, Lecture by Srila Prabhupada, Sanskrit, sudra, Teachings of the Vedas, vaisya, varnasrama, Veda, Vedas, Vedic knowledge

…The Vedas are not compilations of human knowledge. Vedic knowledge comes from the spiritual world, from Lord Krsna.

“Teachings of the Vedas”

[Delivered as a lecture by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada on October 6, 1969, at Conway Hall, London, England.]

Ladies and gentlemen, today’s subject matter is the teachings of the Vedas. What are the Vedas? The Sanskrit verbal root of veda can be interpreted variously, but the purpose is finally one. Veda means knowledge. Any knowledge you accept is veda, for the teachings of the Vedas are the original knowledge. In the conditioned state, our knowledge is subjected to many deficiencies. The difference between a conditioned soul and a liberated soul is that the conditioned soul has four kinds of defects. The first defect is that he must commit mistakes. For example, in our country, Mahatma Gandhi was considered to be a very great personality, but he committed many mistakes. Even at the last stage of his life, his assistant warned, “Mahatma Gandhi, don’t go to the New Delhi meeting. I have some friends, and I have heard there is danger.” But he did not hear. He persisted on going and was killed. Even great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, President Kennedy — there are so many of them — make mistakes. To err is human. This is one defect of the conditioned soul.

Another defect: to be illusioned. Illusion means to accept something which is not: maya. Maya means what is not. Everyone is accepting the body as the self. If I ask you what you are, you will say, “I am Mr. John; I am a rich man; I am this, I am that.” All these are bodily identifications. But you are not this body. This is illusion.

The third defect is the cheating propensity. Everyone has the propensity to cheat others. Although a person is fool number one, he poses himself as very intelligent. Although it is already pointed out that he is in illusion and makes mistakes, he will theorize: “I think this is this, this is this.” But he does not even know his own position. He writes books of philosophy, although he is defective. That is his disease. That is cheating.

Lastly, our senses are imperfect. We are very proud of our eyes. Often, someone will challenge, “can you show me God?” But do you have the eyes to see God? You will never see if you haven’t the eyes. If immediately the room becomes dark, you cannot even see your hands. So what power do you have to see? We cannot, therefore, expect knowledge (veda) with these imperfect senses. With all these deficiencies, in conditioned life, we cannot give perfect knowledge to anyone. Nor are we ourselves perfect. Therefore we accept the Vedas as they are.

The Nectar of Devotion

30 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Books by Srila Prabhupada, The Hare Krishna Movement Tags: 1970 Edition, Bhakti-rasamrta-sindu, Krsna, Lord Caitanya, Sanskrit, Srila Rupa Goswami, The Hare Krishna Movement, The Nectar of Devotion

Original 1970 Edition
The Nectar of Devotion
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

This book is especially intended for those who are engaged in The Hare Krishna Movement. The text is flooded with nectarean stories, philosophy and poetic verses about Krsna and His pure devotees-all taken from the Vedic literatures, It is a summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, which was written in Sanskrit by Srila Rupa Goswami, the chief of the six direct disciples of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Caitanya, who apeared in India 500 years ago, is revealed by Vedic scriptures to be an incarnation of God in the role of His own devotee. He and His followers are thus most authorized to teach us how to become perfect in spiritual life.

The subject matter is love of God. the Basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. At the present moment, human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is God or Krsna. The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for krsna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life. The presentation of this authoritative information about the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna and our relationship with Him is simply the mercy of His pure devotee, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the acarya for the present age, who is coming in disciplic succession from Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself.

“The funds for printing this book have been kindly donated in loving memory of Her Grace Gangamayee Devi Dase and Her Grace Krsna Krpa Devi Dasi by their friends and families. We continue to be inspired and are grateful to those fortunate souls who, with loving devotion, present and distribute the literary works of Srila Prabhupada” -Annada Devi Dasi, December 5, 2009 Vrindavan

30 color plates
495 pages
High Quality Hardcover Edition
Glossary
Also Available Wholesale by the case!

Available online at http://www.theharekrishnamovement.com/nectar-of-devotion

Leave the Books Alone!

04 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by The Hare Krishna Movement in Bhagavat das, Book Changes, Devotee's Tags: bhagavad-gita, Bhagavat das, book changes, devotee, Gour Govinda Swami, Jayawaita Swami, Krishna, Sanskrit, Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, Surpreme Personality of Godhead

Leave the books alone!
by Bhagavat das

My Dear Godbrothers and Godsisters:

Please accept my most humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I am very glad that we as disciples of Srila Prabhupada are finally doing something about this great offense to our Spiritual Master. I would like to tell three stories that are personal experiences of mine with Srila Prabhupada and his books. It is my earnest hope that these stories will once and for all lay to rest the controversy of anyone ever editing Srila Prabhupadas books.

The first story takes place in Mayapur where Srila Prabhupada was talking about why he came to the material world.