Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 17, No. 22
By Krishna Kripa Das
(November 2021, part two)
(Sent from Brooklyn, New York, on December 4, 2021)
Where I Went and What I Did
On November 21, I concluded my latest visit to Viraha Bhavan, where I played the role of assisting the caketakers of my diksa-guru, Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, by preparing breakfasts, cleaning the kitchen, and doing most of the pujari duties. He was happy that I took time out from harinama in New York City to assist him, and that is my success. The next two days I spent with my mother, as my sister was having a hip replacement operation and would not be able to help her.
On November 24, I was happy to return to New York City, staying at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn, the Radha-Govinda temple, and assisting with Rama Raya Prabhu’s daily four-hour harinama party, NYC Harinam, in the afternoons. I went out once by myself, because they do not go out on Sundays and because I like to support the Prabhupada marathon by going out extra, and I had a good experience. I am also proofreading a collection of Back to Godhead articles by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami from 1978 to 1989, and I include some excerpts from them.
I share a few quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s books, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and Nectar of Instruction, and from his lectures and conversations. I share excerpts from the writings of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, including some of his Back to Godhead articles from 1980 to 1983 from a soon-to-be-printed new book, From the Editor, BTG Essays 1978–1989, which I am proofreading. I also share quotes from Vrindavan Dasa Thakura’s Sri Caitanya-bhagavata. I share notes from Back to Godhead articles by Brahma Tirtha, Satyaraja, Visakha, and Karuna Dharini Prabhus, and notes on classes in New York City by Hansarupa, Rama Raya, Nikunjabihari, Gopal Campu, and Matanga Prabhus. I also include an excerpt from Amrita-vani by Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, an excerpt from Ocean of Mercy, by Bhakti Charu Swami, and an observation by Bhakti Rasa Prabhu.
Goodbye Viraha Bhavan!
I had never really done much personal service for Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, my diksa-guru, before. I was busy working with Adi-kesava Prabhu’s computer business for six years, and then working with Sadaputa Prabhu for seventeen years. The last sixteen years I have been absorbed in doing harinama here and there. When I realized Guru Maharaja was seriously understaffed because Baladeva Prabhu from Trinidad left his body unexpectedly, I decided to volunteer to help out. I was able to do all the services that Baladeva Vidyabhusana Prabhu originally asked me to do, along with dressing my guru’s Radha Govinda deities, an unexpected surprise I found out about when I got there.
I was impressed with their program of reading Sri Caitanya-caritamrita for two and a half hours each day. Although that is my favorite book, I have never read so much each day, and it was absolutely wonderful to be hearing all the pastimes again in the association of other devotees.
The last day there, I cooked both breakfast and lunch, and I was happy that Guru Maharaja’s liked the upma I made for lunch. Upma was a prep that Srila Prabhupada personally instructed him to make, and so I was especially happy that he accepted it.
Another sweet part about my visit was that Bhakti Rasa Prabhu, who I would see every summer in Newcastle, England, was also serving there at that time. I had missed seeing him for two years because of the COVID travel restrictions, and to meet up with him again, and also to serve our guru together was especially nice.
I sometimes showed Guru Maharaja harinama videos after lunch which was a nice way to exchange with him.
I said I would try to come back if they are again understaffed.
Visiting My Mother Near Albany and Visiting Schenectady
My mother, who is 97 years old, lives 21 minutes by car from Guru Maharaja’s place, in the direction of Albany. I would bring her dinner every Tuesday night, which consisted of our leftovers from lunch. Sometimes my sister would come too.
Once she suggested we have a fire in the fireplace as we used to do as kids.
My sister wanted me to stay with our mother for a couple days after her hip replacement operation, the day after I left my guru’s personal service, because she and her partner would be too busy to help our mother if she had any serious health issues at that time.
While there I would help her with meals mostly. Baladeva donated two loaves of prasadam bread so I did not have to cook so much.
Here I offered some grapes, raspberry jam for the bread, and soup for lunch.
While visiting my mother, I went to a program in Schenectady with the devotees there. It turned out to be a birthday party for my godbrother Haridas Prabhu, and it was better attended than the three other programs I went to in Schenectady. I was glad to encounter some enthusiastic Hare Krishna kirtan, and I brought some Guyanese style prasadam back for my mother’s dinner.
My sister’s partner, Victor, would have liked me to stay longer with the family and visit, but I could not tolerate being separated from my blissful service of chanting with my friends in New York City a moment longer, so I said I would visit at another time if he wanted.
Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City
Here Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, the busiest New York City subway station, on the busiest day of the year, the day before Thanksgiving (https://youtu.be/AlK0nZ7o9wg):
All the videos this day were by Kaliya Krishna Prabhu, except of course, the one of him.
I chanted Hare Krishna in a very happy mood, glad to have rejoined the party, after two and half week away (https://youtu.be/4tgSw0VoQ2M):
Here is my kirtan with the phone held vertically (https://youtu.be/06ZLPB4QX70):
Jakub chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/mzmJSkbSnsQ):
Devaka chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/L84CJjiTVM0):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/kS94r6L8doU):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/EGEoi8ftJc4):
The next day, Thanksgiving Day itself, we also chanted at the same location in Times Square subway station, above the downtown A train.
Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/H198Qagcpk4):
During that kirtan a devotee kid on the way to the temple with his family played the shakers for some time (https://youtu.be/_TByeJcqmM4):
Godruma Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/X8nt4iDRP4I):
Vrindavan Chandra Prabhu of the Krishna-Balaram 24-Hour Kirtan party chants Hare Krishna at Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/ML4rf895Mvk):
Later a passerby danced to his kirtan (https://youtu.be/N9nPvB7F_30):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna to the “Jingle Bells” tune on Thanksgiving in Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/DraGsA7q_i0):
Candrasekhara Swami chants Hare Krishna in Tulasi Kirtan at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/KuDgJgUAQAE):
Noel chants Hare Krishna at the Times Square subway station above the 7 train (https://youtu.be/x3cQ_G00xQg):
Rafael chanted my favorite Hare Krishna tune there (https://youtu.be/oXhufglvvMI):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/yyCEZuYd2Fs):
Pancharatna Prabhu, Prabhupada disciple and lover of Mayapur, chants Hare Krishna at mangala-arati in ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/Qw-z-4rPojw):
Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after guru-puja at ISKCON NYC (https://youtu.be/HDpVvsCmLJU):
Jakub chants Hare Krishna in the Times Square subway station (https://youtu.be/zol6dfORqe4):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/tREMm2SdGd4):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/iS7zol4LcZE):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna in Times Square subway station, and many passersby dance (https://youtu.be/z4oPxRPJ0Lk):
Here is some of the rest of Rama Raya Prabhu’s kirtan (https://youtu.be/KuOZCHUanVM):
Candrasekhara Swami chants Hare Krishna at mangala-arati in ISKCON NYC, Radha Govinda Temple, in Brooklyn (https://youtu.be/2KDb9PL3q7c):
Bipin Bihari Prabhu chants Hare Krishna after guru-puja there (https://youtu.be/S8GcU6V_gIE):
As the Prabhupada marathon started on Thanksgiving, the book distributors on our party decided to distribute books on Sunday both inside and outside at Union Square although the harinama party did not go out. Godruma Prana Prabhu invited me to chant Hare Krishna for two hours while he did a book table at another subway station, but unfortunately he found he had too many other obligations to do a book table after all. Thus I decided to go out alone. I brought my harmonium, a gamsha to sit on, a chadar to put books on, and a bowl for donations to Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center, a large subway station near the temple in Brooklyn. One young lady who said she lived with some Hare Krishnas in the Philippines and had Chant and Be Happy gave $10 and accepted a bhakta stack, a set of three books comprising the Bhagavad-gita, Science of Self-Realization, and The Higher Taste. A homeless lady gave $0.50 and took the Spanish Perfection of Yoga. Then she asked if I had any other instruments, and I gave her some shakers to play. A couple people danced as they passed by because the kirtan was more lively with the percussion. Two people offered me food and a Jehovah’s Witnesses lady happily gave me a bottle of water. I ended up chanting Hare Krishna for 2½ hours wearing a mask and without a sound system, and people gave $18.10 and accepted 1 maha-big book, 1 big book, 2 medium books, and 5 small books. I share this to show that even people who do not like talking to people they don’t know can easily distribute a few books to support the Prabhupada marathon. [One year I forgot my harmonium and just played the karatalas, and I had my biggest day, thus the harmonium is not required.]
One day we chanted at the 34th Street / Penn Station subway station below the uptown A/C/E trains near the Lost Property office. Because we have not chanted there so much since the COVID restrictions, one lady told me she had never seen us there before and another said, “Welcome back!”
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu took all the videos there except the one of him and the last two.
I chanted Hare Krishna at 34th Street / Penn Station (https://youtu.be/iHRlx2e-y40):
Here is another part of that tune (https://youtu.be/J2mJ2Jgr_OY):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/E_a7k-iQVuw):
Arjunananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/pOmFRf0uBz8):
Devarsi Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/-XpQ1cwmsGU):
Kaliya Krishna Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/zMkOaiYdBI0):
Harivenu Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/k81dxplkQA8):
After Kaliya Krishna left, I took some video of Harivenu singing another tune (https://youtu.be/TNN1hJf75wE):
Matanga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/XKhi0lPK21g):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/bxRq0S-_ZBg):
I chanted Hare Krishna in the nearby Atlantic Avenue / Barclays Center subway station (https://youtu.be/DQjXIStHG2U):
The above video was taken by Rama Raya Prabhu.
Jakub chants Hare Krishna, and a lady dances (https://youtu.be/RY94ObFE_IE):
Natabara Gauranga Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a guy dances (https://youtu.be/2ra5kCkugU0):
Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna (https://youtu.be/YljITIFDclc):
And a more vertical view (https://youtu.be/GjxLUvVzqn8):
November 24–January 3, 2022: NYC Harinam
January 5‒April: Tallahassee and Tampa harinamas and college outreach
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya 7.140:
“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is always eager to see everyone in the material world happy. Therefore sometimes He chastises someone just to purify his heart.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.42, purport:
“The Lord Himself promises, and His confidential devotees execute the promise. The Lord makes so many promises for the benefit of suffering humanity. Although the Lord is very compassionate upon suffering humanity, human beings are generally not very anxious to serve Him. The relationship is something like that between the father and the son; the father is always anxious for the welfare of the son, even though the son forgets or neglects the father.”
The Nectar of Instruction, Text 10:
“The gopis are exalted above all the advanced devotees because they are always totally dependent upon Sri Krishna, the transcendental cowherd boy.”
The Nectar of Instruction, Text 11:
“Of the many objects of favored delight and of all the lovable damsels of Vraja-bhumi, Srimati Radharaṇi is certainly the most treasured object of Krishna’s love.”
From “Where is Your Religion?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
[Edited transcript of a conversation with a journalist in Los Angeles on December 30, 1968.]
“Journalist: Why do you feel that the younger people today are turning more and more toward Eastern-oriented religions?
“Srila Prabhupada: Because you have failed to give them satisfaction. Your materialistic way of life will not satisfy them anymore. When one is poverty-stricken he may think, ‘Money, a woman, a good apartment, a good car can give me satisfaction.’ They are after this. But after such enjoyment, they see, ‘Oh, there is no satisfaction.’ Because matter cannot satisfy you. In America especially, you have got enough for enjoyment. You have got enough food, you have got enough women, you have got enough wine, you have got enough houses – enough of everything. This shows that material advancement cannot give one satisfaction. There is more confusion and dissatisfaction in your country than in India, which is said to be poverty-stricken. You’ll find in India still, although they are poverty-stricken, because they are continuing their old culture they are not disturbed. Why? Because they have got a little tinge of the spiritual platform. So it is necessary now that people should take to spiritual life. That will make them happy.”
“I don’t say, ‘You Christians become Hindus.’ I simply say, ‘You obey these commandments.’ I’ll make you a better Christian. That is my mission. I don’t say, ‘God is not there, God is here.’ But I simply say, ‘You obey God.’ I don’t say that you have to come to this stage and accept Krishna as God and no other. I say, ‘Please obey God. Please try to love God.’ And I give the way how to love God very easily. I can teach you, provided you agree.”
From “The World of Krishna’s Effulgence” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
[Edited transcript of a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.28.1 in Nairobi, Kenya, on November 1, 1975.]
“Everything is there in the spiritual world. Krishna is giving the information. Not that ‘back to home, back to Godhead’ is our imagination. No, not imagination. It is like somebody giving you information of America. ‘America is very rich. There are so many big, big bridges and roads and motorcars.’ So naturally you become inclined. ‘Why not see how America is?’ Similarly, here is the information about the spiritual world, and why don’t you try to go back to home, back to Godhead?”
“Krishna is coming and inviting us. On behalf of Krishna, we are also inviting others. And how can you go there? Very simple. Krishna has given you the simple program. What is that?
man-mana bhava mad-bhakto
mam evaisyasi satyam te
pratijane priyo ’si me
“‘Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend.’
“Simply follow these four principles without arguing foolishly and rascally. Man-mana: ‘Always think of Me,’ Krishna says. It is not that I am saying it. Bhava mad-bhaktah: ‘Just become My devotee.’ Mad-yaji: ‘Worship Me.’ And mam namaskuru: ‘Offer your obeisances to Me.’
“It doesn’t require any MA or PhD degrees. It doesn’t require that. Apratihata. Bhakti is apratihata, without any hindrance. Nobody can say ‘Because I am poor . . . ,’ ‘Because I am uneducated . . . ,’ ‘Because I am black . . . ,’ ‘Because I am white . . .’ – no ‘because.’ In any condition of life, you can become a devotee and go back to home, back to Godhead. This is the Krishna consciousness movement. No material condition can check it. This is our movement.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.13.10, purport:
“If anyone visits a holy place, he must search out the pure devotees residing in such holy places, take lessons from them, try to apply such instructions in practical life and thus gradually prepare oneself for the ultimate salvation, going back to Godhead.”
From a letter to Dr. Chakravarti on November 3, 1970:
“Your tendency to give Srila Jiva Goswami the proper position as a philosopher is very much appreciated. Some years back I attended a meeting in Calcutta wherein Pramathanath Tarkabhusan, the learned Sanskrit scholar, was present. He said about Jiva Goswami very highly that there was no comparison with Jiva Goswami and any other philosophers of the world. Gaudiya Vaisnavism is very much proud of having such a great acarya as Jiva Goswami.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From conversations after lunch:
Once I was massaging Srila Prabhupada, and he said that my hands were too hot because I had a fever, and he told me to stop and get someone else to finish the massage. I left to the room, and I saw a brahmacari named Sacinandana. I explained to him that Srila Prabhupada wanted me to find someone to finish the massage, and I told him how to do it, so he got to finish massaging Srila Prabhupada, and he was very grateful to me for that. Now he is known as Sacinandana Swami.
One day Srila Prabhupada gave me permission to try to transfer my job from New York to Boston, so I went there and applied for the transfer. When they asked why I wanted to leave New York City, I said, “It is so crazy there.” They accepted my proposal, and I returned to New York that same day. I saw Srila Prabhupada that evening, and I proudly said, “I got the transfer in just one day!”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “By Krishna’s mercy,” thus deflating my pride and reminding me of my actual position.
Q (by Hema-sarira Prabhu of Boston): What was your first question to Srila Prabhupada?
A: I read that Van Gogh in a letter to his brother, Theo, wrote “Misery is eternal.” So I decided to ask Srila Prabhupada, “Is misery eternal?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, you can have a broken leg, and have to wear a cast, and it can heal, and then you can get in an accident and damage your brain. In this way in the material world, misery is eternal. But there is a spiritual world where there is no misery.”
From Photo Preaching:
“Knowledge of the soul is important. If people could understand their true nature, they would not need to kill each other over bodily differences. The world would be a safer place to live.”
From My Dear Lord Krishna, Volume 2:
“Saint Augustine’s mother wept and prayed all her life that her son would give up his sinful ways and become Your faithful servant. When he converted, she rejoiced. When she died, he grieved with great reverence and gratitude for her intercession. Srila Prabhupada interceded for us. He prayed and worked to convince us to become Your devotees. He sacrificed all his physical and mental comforts to come to America. I am eternally grateful that he turned me into Your worker. Otherwise, I would have died in a miserable condition, without You.”
From Prabhupada Meditations, Volume 4:
“There are nine principles of devotional service. If a devotee chooses mainly to hear about Krishna or only to chant, we cannot accuse him of whimsical behavior. There are also five primary rasas. A devotee in the liberated state serves Krishna in a particular way according to his realization of his relationship with Krishna. Rather than consider this fact whimsical, we should understand that these preferences are the perfection of devotional development.”
From Journal and Poems, Volume 3:
“PRABHUPADA ON ECUMENISM”
“I just heard a tape of Srila Prabhupada on a morning walk in Geneva, June 1974. He was speaking favorably of the practice of prayer and worship of God in other religions, provided they actually follow their scriptures. During that whole spring tour—Rome, Geneva, Paris, Germany, Australia—Prabhupada got quite involved in exchanges with Christian priests, and he expressed ecumenical ideas to his own disciples.
“On the Geneva walk, he began by asking whether there were many churches in the city. When he was told, ‘Not so many,’ he replied. ‘That means godlessness.’ He said that when he first went to Butler, Pennsylvania, he saw at least a dozen well-attended churches, although it was a small county. ‘I very much appreciated,’ he said. ‘Churches mean God consciousness. I never criticize churches or mosques—never. Because whatever it may be, at least there is God consciousness. Then they are good. In details [they may differ], but I only criticize those who don’t follow. Otherwise, we don’t criticize.’
“‘We’re not sectarian,’ said one of the devotees.
“‘Why?’ said Srila Prabhupada. ‘God is one. Why sectarian? According to circumstances, he’s doing. And that prayer is also vandanam. Sravanam kirtanam visnoh-smaranam pada sevanam. This vandanam is prayer. That is bhakti, one of the items of bhakti.’
“Devotee: ‘Everyone needs to be encouraged in their God consciousness.’
“Prabhupada repeated his point about vandanam, offering prayer, and he acknowledged that it also existed, at least in a preliminary stage, in churches of different religions.
“Devotee: ‘Is it required for them to have a spiritual master to guide them?’
“Prabhupada: ‘Certainly. But these rascals, the priests, they do not guide them. They’re also fallen. Otherwise, Christian religion is very nice. If they follow. So many times they ask me. I say, “Yes, if you follow. Your Christian religion will make you perfect.” And Caitanya Mahaprabhu proved devotional service from the Koran. It requires a devotee who can explain from any godly literature about God.’
“This last statement particularly struck me: It requires a devotee who can explain from any godly literature about God.’ I have often been skeptical about ecumenical or interfaith exchanges. Sometimes ecumenicists seem to be no more than polite sectarian opponents feeling each other out so that they can then go later and preach to members of the opposing religion and be more expert at their conversions. Or else it seems to be quite mundane, an indulgence for religionists who have no conclusive path. But Prabhupada spoke of a substantial service to be done for religionists, especially by one who knows the science of God. I want to try to understand better what he meant, especially as he expressed it during his tour through Europe and Australia in 1974.”
From Japa Walks, Japa Talks:
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw on the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
“It would be hard to choose only one verse of Siksastakam as the most important, but if we were hard-pressed, we would probably choose this one. Krishnadasa Kaviraja calls this verse the thread upon which the holy name is strung. Lord Caitanya informed Ramananda Raya that this verse was the perfection of love of God. No matter what the rasa, every pure devotee worships Krishna in this mood. It is perhaps the most ‘practical’ of the Siksastakam verses. It teaches us how to chant.”
“But because we spend about twenty-two hours a day being puffed up, it’s hard to switch suddenly and become humble when we pick up our beads.”
From Japa Transformations:
“Go, my friend, listen to the music of the holy names. Accumulate your rounds.”
From Karttika Moon:
“Give me
peace I plead, but Krishna wants me
to serve these devotees in noisy places
like Prabhupada did in New York.”
From Free Write Journal #171:
“The other devotees were busy this morning, and Krishna Kripa cooked lunch. He made upma, which he said was taught to him by Yamaraja Prabhu, the BTG artist and designer. Today Krishna Kripa is leaving after six weeks. He sacrificed his beloved daily harinama just to help out at the short-staffed Viraha Bhavan. He did good service here even though his heart is in his harinama party.”
[I include the above section to show that Guru Maharaja accepted my service in this case and thus my life is successful.]
From A Poor Man Reads the Bhagavatam, Volume 2:
“We can only pray to overcome all reluctance and corruption and be allowed to enter the mysterious, happy region of loving devotional service in this world and the next.
“Chant and hear and light up your soul with Krishna’s kindness.”
“You could go on forever remembering because memory comes from Krishna. I hope I remember at last to preach and at death to chant the holy name.”
“This verse assures us that a devotee is immune to repeated birth and death, but it doesn’t assure us that a devotee is immune from suffering. Prahlada Maharaja was tortured, Narada Muni lost his mother when he was only five years old, Queen Kunti suffered on behalf of her sons, Vasudeva and Devaki lost all their children and spent years in prison, and even Prabhupada appeared to experience tribulation. What about that?
“I remember a disciple asking Prabhupada this question on a morning walk. Prabhupada said that at least a devotee knows that when he is suffering, he is suffering for the last time. His suffering is not useless, but it is purifying him so that he can go back to Godhead. At least we can take that much solace when we are suffering.
“Beyond that, however, we shouldn’t approach devotional service as a means to relieve or eliminate suffering. Bhakti is not a painkiller. If we approach devotional service in that way, we are looking for salvation—a material desire—and not pure devotion. I remember one Indian man who complained to me that his wife was threatening to divorce him. Then he joined the temple, attended it regularly, and his wife divorced him anyway. He became disappointed in Bhagavan. We shouldn’t be like that. Krishna consciousness is not to be approached as an antidote to suffering, although ultimately, it relieves the greatest pain.
“Once a devotee approached Prabhupada in tears and asked, ‘Why does Krishna make us suffer?’ Rather than respond gently, Prabhupada became stern. ‘You should not come to Krishna to reduce your suffering. Come to Krishna to surrender and to serve.’
“It was easier to be in that position, tagging along, than to be the devotee-worker who was under Prabhupada’s discerning gaze. But what mercy to be scrutinized by him, even if it meant he saw your faults.”
“Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes, ‘If humility becomes very deep and intense, Krishna will be merciful. In that case, feelings of bhava will arise in his mind and then these [anarthas] will be destroyed in no time. Then favorable and smooth cultivation of bhajana will gradually improve.’ (Sri Caitanya-siksamrta, p. 218)”
From The Twenty-Six Qualities of a Devotee:
“A devotee is peaceful because he realizes that Krishna is everything. There is a common expression, ‘Make peace with God.’ This implies that one is ‘warring’ with God and that he cannot become peaceful until he makes peace with the Supreme. This is correct. We have to make peace with Krishna; then we can make peace with ourselves, with our body, with others, and with the whole universe. And we can remain peaceful even in times of distress.”
From “Are Devotees of Krishna Holier-Than-Thou?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 18, No. 4 (April 1983):
“A devotee doesn’t have to abandon humility to decry godlessness. It is his duty to speak out against illusion, blindness, and deceit not to demean others but to uplift them. The Srimad-Bhagavatam (5.5.7) enjoins every devotee who is truly merciful to try to enlighten those who are ignorant of spiritual science and addicted to the path of materialism. ‘If a blind man is walking down the wrong path,’ the Bhagavatam says, ‘how can a gentleman allow him to continue on his way to danger? No wise or kind man can allow this.’”
“Some people argue that the missionary spirit itself is a holier-than-thou attitude. They say that people should be allowed to do as they like, without being bothered by any preaching or proselytizing. Of course, such critics are themselves ‘preaching’ by putting forward their hedonistic ethic.”
From “Uncommon Books for the Common Man” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 18, No. 6 (June 1983):
“Srila Prabhupada’s books, therefore, are eternal truth made practical. They combine the thoughtfulness of a textual scholar with the practical application of a transcendental social and political reformer. Many scholars have translated and commented on the Vedic literature, but their writings have lacked the potency to change the heart of the reader and make him a devotee of Lord Krishna. Srila Prabhupada’s books, however, are genuine, and they are inspiring thousands of people throughout the world to become devotees of the Lord.”
From “Bhagavad-gita: A Great Book, East and West” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 18, No. 9 (September 1983):
“For example, people from all over the world come to America for a technological education. Certainly, such persons aren’t thinking they must confine their education to their own traditions. Similarly, vacationers, students of art, connoisseurs of cooking, purchasers of automobiles, and many others feel no difficulty in going from West to East or East to West or North to South to wherever the prospects are better. Certainly, in seeking the Absolute Truth, the most important and universal experience of all, we should not bypass the Bhagavad-gita, thinking, ‘It’s not in my tradition,’ or that it is ‘baffling.’”
“The Bhagavad-gita explains that we transmigrate from one body to another, life after life; we may be born in the West or in the East, in the human species or in the animal species. And in whatever material body we find ourselves, we always incur suffering from material nature. As long as we continue to identify ourselves as belonging to a particular culture based on our bodily designation, we will continue to transmigrate and suffer within the material nature. Only when we realize our transcendental self in relation to God, or Krishna, can we be free from all suffering. Thinking of oneself as a Westerner (or Easterner), therefore, is a dangerous misconception.”
From “Dream and Reality” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 18, No. 10 (October 1983):
“With the aid of Vedic knowledge, however, we can go beyond both dreaming and waking, having understood that both conditions are illusion. When we understand that the real self is eternal, we will know that all material designations, whether dreamed or ‘real,’ are temporary and therefore untrue. At night we may dream we have grown wings and are flying over a golden mountain, and when we wake, we may dismiss this as a myth. But who are we really when we are awake? Is our real identity Mr. or Mrs. So-and-so who has just woken up? Are we actually a man or a woman just because our body has a particular sex? Are we Americans just because we were born in a particular land?
“According to the science of self-realization, all the designations we accept as the realities of our waking life are but temporary coverings of the permanent self. Since time immemorial we have been transmigrating life after life, taking birth in various species. Forgetful of our true, eternal identity as the servant of Krishna, we assume one temporary identity after another according to our present material body.”
From “Overcoming Hatred” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 1 (January 1984):
“As theologian H. E. Fosdick stated in his book Wages of Hate, ‘Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat.’”
“Manu taught God consciousness. He informed Dhruva that every living entity contains an eternal spark of spirit and that the Supreme Lord also dwells in the heart of everyone. Therefore, since every living creature is a residence of the Supreme Lord, unnecessary killing is unlawful. A person should act to please God, and that will simultaneously please himself and others. But vengeance will please and satisfy no one.
“By elevating himself beyond sectarianism to God consciousness, a person will go beyond the bodily designations that sustain so many racial and fanatically nationalistic hatreds. For one who is God conscious, no individual or group is an ally or an enemy: everyone is an individual spirit soul, part and parcel of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
From “Election Year: What Are the Choices?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 5 (May 1984):
“Political debates that do not take into account the facts concerning nature and the control of God are futile. How can one party be better than another if both labor under the most basic misconceptions about God, nature, and the soul? As the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 4.176 states: ‘In the material world conceptions of good and bad are all mental speculations. Therefore saying, “This is good,” and “this is bad” is all a mistake.’”
“A misled nation may not be able to elect a qualified leader, but an individual can still save himself by sincerely seeking the truth. There is higher knowledge than that delivered by the political systems. There are real choices, and real leaders.”
From “Commitment to a Cause – When Does it Become Too Much?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 7 (July 1984):
“It is never wrong to crave higher virtues, to seek freedom from suffering, or to desire eternity, bliss, and knowledge.”
From “Freedom from All Miseries” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 8 (August 1984):
“If freedom from misery is rarely attained in this world, it is because most people never take up the work of achieving transcendental realization. But aspiring transcendentalists, even from the beginning of their progress in Krishna consciousness, feel release from the bonds of suffering by connecting the pure spirit self to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, through devotional service.”
From “How to Develop Spiritual Vision” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 10 (October 1984):
“Through the eyes of scripture, we can gain many insights into contemporary life in the West. We can perceive the widespread illusion that the body is the self (displayed in racial prejudice, nationalism, and rampant sense gratification). We can also perceive the illusion that the land of one’s birth is sacred, and the grandest illusion of all, that this brief life and this temporal world are permanent and all in all.”
From “Religion’s Ultimate Goal” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 11 (November 1984):
“Because the Vedic culture flourished in India for so long, the people of India today still evince the vestiges of that advanced spiritual culture, a culture that should be shared with the world. Because of centuries of foreign rule as well as the mad chase after materialism, India is drifting away from these original values. Some Indians are even ashamed of their original culture, as if it were primitive or in other ways inferior to other cultures. The fact is, however, that India never flourished so much as when Vedic culture was fully intact; and even today she can make the most glorious contribution to world culture by rediscovering the roots of her Krishna conscious culture.”
From “When Legislation Fails: A Change of Heart?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 19, No. 12 (December 1984):
“Despite the successful passage of the amendment [prohibiting alcohol], the people were not really prepared to give up drinking. Even the author of the Eighteenth Amendment, Senator Morris Sheppard, had a large whiskey still operating on his farm months after the amendment was passed, and judges who handed down sentences against bootleggers often had their own stock of wine and liquor in their cellars. Prohibition was a clear case of moral legislation with no accompanying change of heart, and therefore it failed.”
“The bhakti-yoga process of devotional service to God, stressing the chanting of His holy names and strict avoidance of sinful activities, is a potent force for genuine theism and is beneficial for all.”
“There can be no real hope of religious values in government unless pure spiritual desire first exists in the hearts of the religious practitioners.”
From “Who is Lord Caitanya?” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 20, No. 1 (January 1985):
“A New History of India, by Stanley Wolpert, states, ‘In Bengal the most popular of all bhakti Hindu preachers was the teacher Caitanya.’ In A History of Indian Philosophy, the respected Surendranath Dasgupta writes, ‘The religious life of Caitanya unfolds unique psychological symptoms of devotion which are perhaps unparalleled in… history…’ And the Encyclopedia Britannica refers to Lord Caitanya’s ‘profound and continuing effect on the religious sentiments of his Bengali countrymen.’ The Britannica also states that Lord Caitanya propagated ‘the community celebration [sankirtana] of Krishna as the most powerful means of bringing about the proper bhakti attitude.’”
From “Lessons from Illness” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 20, No. 1 (January 1985):
“During my present illness, I have heard a lot about the distinction between symptom and cause. One naturopathic doctor gave a graphic example of this when he told me that treating a headache with painkillers was like turning off a fire alarm because you’re bothered by the noise. In other words, the headache is often but a symptom, and to cure it completely one must correct the underlying cause. But the question ‘Why do I have to suffer any disease?’ goes beyond holistic-health-consciousness and leads ultimately to a profound philosophical inquiry. The ultimate goal of that inquiry is to understand the original cause of all suffering and to apply the remedy.
“This question ‘Why do I have to get ill?’ was asked five hundred years ago by Sanatana Gosvami to his spiritual master. Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya replied that disease is one of the four natural miseries of material existence: birth, disease, old age, and death. These miseries will always occur as long as we continue to take birth within this material world. The miseries, including disease, can be alleviated only when we attain our original, spiritual consciousness and transfer ourselves to the spiritual world, where life is full of bliss, eternity, and knowledge. Ultimately, disease is caused not by infection or by bad diet or by overwork; it is due to taking a material body. We may think that after a little rest and medication we will bounce back, but unless we find the root solution, there will always be another illness and not only in this life but in repeated lifetimes in various species.
“My recent experience has been that illness may make us more humble and thoughtful, and that that in turn may lead us to seek the guidance of spiritually advanced persons and of the revealed scriptures. Our friends’ ‘Get Well Soon’ cards are but wishful thinking. Only with spiritual knowledge can we free ourselves from the miseries inherent in nature. But if we are without this knowledge, all our endeavors are wasted.”
From “True Love” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 20, No. 4 (April 1985):
“If we don’t love God, we must love something less. Therefore, everyone should take at least the first steps toward developing his love for God. The ultimate goal of life should not be left in the hands of a few rare saints.”
From “Satisfaction Guaranteed” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 20, No. 5 (May 1985):
“Despite hardships and the lack of assistance and appreciation, Srila Prabhupada had only an increasing desire to spread Krishna consciousness over the years. How, we might ask, is such determination possible? The answer is that his spiritual master and Krishna were reciprocating with his unflinching struggle to do as he had been instructed.”
“Lord Krishna is seated in our hearts as our best friend. He knows the many sufferings we have undergone and which no else can either understand or care about, and He sympathizes with us in those sufferings. He appreciates us, and He knows how nice we are. To appreciate Krishna in return and to please Him is the greatest happiness in life, and it is the greatest source of personal satisfaction. One who has realized this satisfaction is said to be atmarama, self-satisfied. Such a person needs no further support in this world.”
From “Avatar for All” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 21, Nos. 2/3 (February/March 1986):
“Some may feel that Lord Caitanya is of interest only to His followers. He may be important to those who chant Hare Krishna, they say, but what interest is He to everyone else?
“But Lord Caitanya’s pastimes and teachings are relevant to everyone. He is not a sectarian religionist. Rather, He offers a welfare program that can resolve all the anomalies we face in the modern age. By hearing of Him and following His teachings, anyone can solve all life’s problems.”
“To love God is the essence of life and the heart of religion. Every true religionist, regardless of sect or custom, will acknowledge that love of God is the greatest good and the final goal of all. In the course of His lifetime, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu demonstrated this love of God, or krishna-prema, to the highest degree, and He distributed this love to everyone without regard to race, culture, or other material circumstances.”
“In India today varnasrama exists in a perverted form. In this system, a person is artificially restricted by birth to a particular societal role, regardless of his characteristics. The caste system impedes spiritual advancement and burdens the citizens with false ideas of social prestige. Lord Caitanya saw that the Hindu caste system was false, and so He accepted among His most intimate associates people from the lowest caste. Indeed, He even accepted Muslims among His most confidential followers, although the Muslim and Hindu communities were in contention.
“Not everyone appreciated Sri Caitanya’s liberality. At one point in His preaching mission, envious caste-conscious Hindus complained to the Muslim government about Lord Caitanya’s chanting and dancing, and the Muslim governor sent men to break up the Lord’s chanting party. In response to this opposition, Lord Caitanya Himself led one hundred thousand of His followers to the governor’s home. At first the governor was afraid of the Lord and His followers, but after the governor and Caitanya Mahaprabhu sat together and discussed the benefits that come through chanting the holy name of Krishna, the governor had a change of heart and became an active supporter of Lord Caitanya’s sankirtana movement.
“Lord Caitanya’s benevolence transcends all sectarian divisiveness. Through the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, anyone can develop his innate love of God and elevate himself to the transcendental position, beyond all bodily designations.”
“Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu prophesied that the chanting of Hare Krishna would be heard in every town and village in the world. In March of this year [1986], followers of Lord Caitanya from every corner of the globe are gathering in holy Mayapur, West Bengal, the place of Lord Caitanya’s birth, and there chanting Hare Krishna in celebration of Lord Caitanya’s appearance five hundred years ago. By chanting Hare Krishna, blacks and whites, Russians and Americans, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics all stand united in the universal, nonsectarian knowledge that while the material body and its designations are temporary, the spirit soul is transcendental and eternally related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna. Only by becoming situated in the eternal truth of our relation with Krishna can we transcend our separatist mentalities and realize our original, global brotherhood and unity. That so many people from all over the world and from every culture can congregate in peace and with a single mind glorify the holy names of God is proof of Lord Caitanya’s munificence.”
From “Gaura-purnima Diary” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 21, No. 6 (June 1986):
“Whoever is here [in Mayapur] at this time [Gaura-purnima of 1986] is very fortunate. Something wonderful is happening, and even we who cannot fully appreciate it accept the benefit.”
Vrindavan Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi Khanda 12.255–262:
“Sri Sacinandana then sat on the bank of the Ganges with His students surrounding Him on all sides. I could not describe the beauty of that scene even if I had millions of mouths. There is no comparison in the three worlds. I cannot compare that scene with the moon surrounded by stars, because the moon has spots and it also waxes and wanes. This Lord, however, is eternally complete and spotless, therefore a comparison with the moon is unjustified. I cannot compare Nimai with even Brhaspati, because Brhaspati is partial to the demigods. This Lord, however, is partial to everyone, and therefore a comparison with Brhaspati is also unjustified. Nor can I compare Nimai with Cupid, because if Cupid appears in one’s heart, that heart becomes agitated. When this Lord appears in one’s heart, however, all one’s material bondage is destroyed and his heart becomes pure and happy.”
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Adi Khanda 14.182–186:
[Lord Caitanya said to the relatives lamenting his wife’s death:] “Who in this material world is the husband, son, or friend of whom? Actually no one is related with anyone. Nescience alone is the cause of this misunderstanding.”
The Lord said, “O mother, why are you feeling so sad? Who can check what is destined to happen? Such is the current of time. No one is related to anyone else, therefore the Vedas declare that this material world is temporary. All universes are under the control of the Supreme Lord. Who other than the Supreme Lord can unite or separate people? Therefore whatever has happened by the desire of the Supreme Lord was destined. Why should you lament?”
From Caitanya-Bhagavata, Madhya Khanda 2.1:
“All glories to Gauracandra, who is the benefactor of the entire world! Please give Your lotus feet in charity to my heart.”
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Amrita-vani, Instruction 95:
“If we desire to chant Hari’s name offenselessly, then we should chant constantly. Constant chanting will vanquish our offenses.”
Bhakti Charu Swami:
From his book, Ocean of Mercy:
“One evening Bon Maharaja came along with Krishnadasa Babaji.
“Then, in his cheerful manner, Babaji Maharaja said to Bon Maharaja, ‘You are a great preacher; he is also a great preacher. You are a great scholar; he is also a great scholar. You have a very good command over the English language; he also has a wonderful command over the English language. You went to the West; he also went to the West. Then how come he has been so successful but you were not?’ Srila Bon Maharaja smiled without saying anything. Srila Prabhupada looked embarrassed and remained silent. Babaji Maharaja broke that uneasy silence: ‘Because of his unflinching faith in the holy name. During his sannyasa initiation in Mathura, I was there. Kesava Maharaja was chanting various Vedic mantras. I started to sing the maha-mantra. Some devotees felt that my loud chanting may have been disturbing the ceremony and asked me to stop. I was about to stop, but Swami Maharaja, with the gesture of his hands, urged me to continue, and I did.
“‘I also heard that when he went to America he used to sit alone under a tree in a park and just sing the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, playing karatalas. See—how much faith and conviction one needs to do that. And now we can see the extent of his success. People say that I have a taste for chanting the holy name. However, I just chant myself, but he made the whole world chant. That is the difference between him and us.’”
Brahma Tirtha Prabhu:
From “Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers: The Story Behind the Book” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
“I am often asked what it was like to sit with a great Acarya. It was quite comfortable. I never felt judged even when I had to discuss embarrassing issues. He was grave, yet he replied with humor, giving philosophical yet understandable elucidations. And he was always practical. Prabhupada was the consummate personalist, treating each of us as individuals with our own desires and needs and capturing any hint of sincerity for higher consciousness. He addressed my concerns and made Krishna consciousness relevant to my life. He treated me with dignity and compassion.”
Hansarupa Prabhu:
Those who kidnapped people from the Hare Krishnas would subject them to the same kinds of “brainwashing” techniques they had accused the devotees of using.
Generally the conditioned souls do not even understand the difference between the mind and the intelligence. They are absorbed in the mental impressions gathered throughout their lives.
The jail that is impossible to escape from is the one that you do not know you are in.
Sometimes Srila Prabhupada when quoting the Bhagavad-gita verse about the qualities of the brahmana would include satyam, truthfulness.
As eternal souls our object of affection should be also be eternal not those we will be separated from by death and who will continue to exist for awhile longer only as a list of names or a collection of snapshots.
Some people think they can speak directly to Krishna. You see it in India all the time. Of course, some great devotees on the highest level can talk to Krishna.
If we are intense about our devotional service, whatever it is, we will experience Krishna in that service according to our sincerity.
We can think how we can serve Krishna nicely, in whatever service we are doing.
Yoga means to connect, and Srila Prabhupada has given us a sublime process for doing that which is centered around the chanting of the holy name.
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura said that clear understanding of sambandha [our relationship with the Supreme], abhidheya [the process for developing that relationship] and prayojana [the perfection of that relationship] is essential to attaining perfection in spiritual life.
Srila Prabhupada has given us an encyclopedia of knowledge to guide us. If we are sincere, we can always find guidance in his books.
To benefit by Srila Prabhupada’s books, people have to realize they do not know and be willing to hear his message.
We should give our love to Krishna. He will never disappoint us. He will never abandon us.
You can read so many self-help books, but if you do not know who the real self is, you cannot get the ultimate benefit.
How special is it that the chain of spiritual masters has carefully preserved this knowledge for centuries!
We have to nourish our connection with our spiritual master through service at every moment.
I am a servant. I must render service. That is my identity.
If one thinks that he cannot do a service because it is not his nature, he is denying the possibility of the Lord’s empowering him to do it.
Srila Prabhupada could tell from his experience that there was practically no success with his preaching in English for years in India. He saw his godbrothers were unsuccessful in London after three years. Thus desiring to succeed with his guru’s mission of preaching in English, he came to New York City.
We often sent devotees who could not make it in New York City to New Vrindavan, and often by serving there they became very nice devotees.
Our enthusiasm can overcome our limitations.
Because Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure, coming into His presence, as we do when we chant His holy name, is a joyful experience.
George Harrison came to Vrindavan to pay his respects after Srila Prabhupada passed away.
The soul is the same in all species. This is not always understood. Some people think animals have animal souls.
We are vegetarians because we do not want to disturb the progressive evolution of the souls in the animal bodies.
When we see an animal we can think that in a previous life I was once in a similar body, but now I am in a human body.
Although you can access the Bhagavad-gita through the internet on your phone, the presence of your phone in your home does not make it a temple, however, if you have the book Bhagavad-gita in your home, it will make your home a temple.
At death the only thing that matters is attaining the eternal spiritual world.
Satyaraja Prabhu:
From “Prabhupada and Prophecy” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
“In 1932, long before Prabhupada traveled west, his guru wrote an article entitled, ‘Madhva-Gaudiya Literature.’ His prescient insights are as follows: ‘The Gaudiya literature will be translated into all the languages of the world by the agents of the Divine Mercy at the appointed time. . . . [Indeed] the Gaudiya literature will not long remain confined to the Bengali-speaking people. It will in a short time expand and display its full brilliance through the medium of all the languages.’”
Visakha Dasi:
From “Submissive and Independently Thoughtful” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
“Srila Prabhupada was sometimes obliged to remind his wayward followers of this basic principle of spiritual life. ‘You have to decide yourself whether you are prepared to surrender to our principles, but if you keep your independence either in Mayapur or N.Y., your position is the same. To associate with me you are always welcome, but not with your independence. That will not help me or you.’ (Letter, October 22, 1971)”
“Doubts are a sign that we’re processing and weighing what we’ve heard; doubts can be a sign of intelligence. If we make intelligent inquires based on our doubts, they’ll be gradually cleared and we’ll become more fixed in our determination to progress spiritually. And service means we reciprocate for the invaluable knowledge we’ve received. Krishna is reciprocal in His relationships (He promises, ‘As they surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly’), and we’re meant to be reciprocal in ours; we’re expected to serve our spiritual teacher with our life, wealth, intelligence, and words. Then Krishna, pleased with our service and service attitude, kindly allows us to grasp His teachings and apply them to varying times, places, and circumstances.”
Rama Raya Prabhu:
By surrendering to Krishna without extraneous effort on our part we can surpass the efforts of all materialistic leaders as Srila Prabhupada demonstrated in his own life.
When asked at Ardha-Kumbha-mela in 1971 by his disciple, “Is it true you can attain liberation by bathing in Ganges at this time?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, but we have not come here for liberation. We are already liberated. We came here to preach Krishna consciousness.”
Narahari Sarkara was able to sing songs praising Lord Caitanya in His presence. Usually Lord Caitanya would shout, “Vishnu Vishnu!” and cover His ears if devotees praised Him for being the Lord Himself, but Narahari had the special privilege of being able to do so.
Nikunjabihari Prabhu:
In this world you have to suffer, even if you are not in prison, because of your karma.
We think that this world is for our enjoyment, just like the kids think the temple room is a place to play, but it has another purpose – self-realization.
Karuna Dharini Devi Dasi:
From “The Tirtha Within” in Back to Godhead, Vol. 56, No. 2 (March/April 2022):
“Srila Vyasadeva writes in his Vedanta-sutra (3.3.36), ‘In the kingdom of God, things look similar to the things of any ordinary village in the material world, but they are actually different in essence. Self-realized devotees of the Supreme Lord can see this difference.’”
“The pure souls create the presence of the dhama in the darkness of this world.”
“A tirtha is certainly a place for crossing a river, but it is also an affair of the pure heart not limited to a location. It is the act of crossing the river of our reluctance to meet the Lord or His pure devotees. It is the act of rejoicing in their shelter.”
Bhakti Rasa Prabhu:
As Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita 9.29, He does not hate anyone. Although He appeared to hate Kamsa, in reality He was simply reciprocating with Kamsa’s desire to be His enemy.
Gopal Campu Prabhu:
This body is not ours. It is on lease. We may have a vehicle or a place of residence on lease, and we know when the lease is up, but with our body, we do not know when our lease is up
This world is not where we belong, and this body is not who I am.
By acting for Krishna we are depositing credit in our spiritual bank account. The nice thing about our spiritual bank account is that it is there in our next life unlike our material bank account.
The sale is now. Lord Caitanya is giving out love of God to everyone. Take advantage.
People act improperly due to a lack of knowledge. The knowledge in Srila Prabhupada books tells us how by acting in this world we can attain the spiritual world.
I served food for four years at an assisted living facility of people mostly from eighty to a hundred years old. I saw there was a tendency of people turning toward religion at that stage in life.
Matanga Prabhu:
Etiquette comes before knowledge. You may acquire so much knowledge at a university but if your behavior is crude, especially in the presence of spiritually enlightened persons, you can degrade yourself.
If you are humble and assist the advanced devotees in their service, you can advance quickly.
From class in the Lotus Room:
This is a spiritual science, and therefore, you can practice it in your life and experience the results, and we encourage you to do so. Bhagavad-gita 9.2 makes the point that this knowledge is experiential and the result is joyful, and you can verify that.
Our body although it appears living is actually dead matter. Proof of this is that if someone’s hand is off cut, there is no more consciousness in it and it becomes putrefied.
“The dress does not make a monk” is an Italian saying.
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This verse was very important on my spiritual path because it linked the Lord in the heart, which I was aware of because of growing up as a Quaker, with Lord Krishna, and the Vedic literature, which is summarized in Bhagavad-gita. All three are manifestations of the same one God revealing Himself in different ways, and all should be heard and heeded.
sarvasya caham hrdi sannivisto
vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyo
vedanta-krd veda-vid eva caham
[Lord Krishna said:] “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedanta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.” (Bhagavad-gita 15.15)