“Prabhupada: …I.A.S. civil service examination before one man is posted in some responsible office. Similarly, to be recognized by Krsna, as He says na ca tasman manusyesu, one has to pass examination, severe test of examination. All the big, big devotees we see. Narada Muni, before becoming Narada Muni, he had to pass through severe examination, test. That chance is there in the human form of life, to pass the examination, test. But they are passing this human life with ordinary animal propensities. They are not trained up to pass the examination and be recognized by God. That civilization is lost, Vedic civilization, to prepare the human beings for passing the test, examination for being recognized by God.

tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena satya-saucabhyam yamena niyamena va

These things are required, tapasa brahmacaryena.
Atreya Rsi: To pass the examination, one must follow a strict, austere life.
Prabhupada: Yes. Tapasa brahmacaryena, beginning tapasya, austerity. Brahmacarya, celibacy. Tapasa brahmacaryena samena damena, controlling the senses, controlling the mind. Tyagena, by renunciation. Satya-saucabhyam, by following truthfulness and cleanliness. Yamena niyamena va, by practicing yoga, yama-niyama. These are the different items of being qualified. But all these things can be done by one stroke, kevalaya bhaktya, by engaging oneself in devotion, vasudeva-parayanah.

kecit kevalaya bhaktya vasudeva-parayanah agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah

One becomes qualified by one stroke of bhakti to Vasudeva. Just like the sunrise immediately dissipates the fog. Agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah. In the Kali-yuga, this one item of bhakti can make one perfectly fit candidate to pass the examination. Agham dhunvanti kartsnyena niharam iva bhaskarah. What is this nonsense life? There is no tapasya, no spiritual culture,”

(New Vrndavana, 1976)
Prabhupada: Now questions?
Devotee (1): So is there ever, for someone whose determination wavers and slackens here and there, is there ever a point where the neophyte devotee is in danger of just forgetting everything and falling, tumbling completely back?
Prabhupada: Everyone is neophyte. He should practice determination, that’s all. If he cannot practice, then why should he enter into this association? Let him remain aloof. One who has entered with the determination that “I must practice,” so if he cannot practice, then why this make show that “I belong to Krsna consciousness movement. I am initiated.” Why this farce? He must practice with determination that “By practicing I’ll be success.” That is wanted. He has no determination, why should he make a show? Drdha-vrata. Bhajante mam drdha-vratah. Drdha-vrata, that is wanted, determination. Hmm, go on. When one is determined, his success is assured. If he’s not determined, then success or failure.
Devotee (1): Can one develop determination gradually?
Prabhupada: Why gradually? When you promise before your spiritual master that no illicit sex, no gambling, no meat-eating, why should you fall down? If you have no determination, why should you promise in presence of the Deity, fire, spiritual master, Vaisnava? Why do you make this farce, if you have no determination? If you want to make it a farce, that depends on you. But you should not.
Devotee (1): When we make that promise…
Prabhupada: Yes, you should not fall down, that is determination. That is gentleman’s determination, that “I have given my promise. Why shall I fall down?” That is determination. “I must respect promise.” That is called drdha-vrata. So he’ll success. Where is the difficulty? There is no difficulty. But if we want to cheat, that is another thing. If we have no determination, we should not take up this life. Therefore, chance is given that “Stay with us for six months or one year, be determined. Then be initiated.” If you are not determined, what is the use of false initiation?
Devotee (1): Sometimes this weakness seems to be…
Prabhupada: Weakness there, you should rectify weakness. Why you should give any importance to weakness? Weakness is weakness. Rectify it.
Kuladri: This promise is the minimum determination.
Prabhupada: Hmm?
Kuladri: This promise of following four regulative principles, chanting sixteen rounds daily, that is the minimum determination. Then, from there, he must increase.

(Morning Walk at Stow Lake, March 23, 1968, San Francisco)

“Prabhupada: We should forego sleeping even. The real regulated life is that if sixteen rounds is not completed, then we have to forego sleeping. You should take out hours from sleeping. We should be… The main thing is that we should always be careful that… We are going, we have taken up a very responsible task, Krsna consciousness. So we should be very much careful in discharging the duty. The devotee should be so much careful that he’ll always see “Whether this moment is spoiled or utilized?” Avyartha-kalatvam. Avyartha-kalatvam, that “My time may not be wasted.” He should be so careful, “Whether my time is being wasted?” and time wasted, the time we engage for our bodily necessities, that is wasted. Generally, conditioned souls, they are simply wasting their time. Only the period which we have engaged in Krsna consciousness, that is utilized. So we should be very much careful whether time is being wasted or being utilized.
Devotee (1): Sometimes, well, if you (we) slept less, we could do more for Krsna, but at the same time you (we) would be very tired. I mean, you could be… Well, you could regulate that.
Prabhupada: Yes. Practically everything depends on practice. Abhyasa-yoga-yuktena cetasa nanya-gamina. Abhyasa-yoga. Abhyasa-yoga means yoga practice… Practice it. So this whole Krsna consciousness movement is to practice transfering from one kind of consciousness to another. So we require practice. Just like one man can run few miles. I cannot run even one mile. He has practiced. We see some boys, they run, run on. They practice. Practice it. Strength of the heart increasing by practice. And if I run, my heart will be palpitating. Because I have no practice. So by practice, everything can be attained. Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. (break) …determination. And this determination is increased by celibacy. Brahmacarya is recommended to keep oneself determined. A brahmacari, if he determines something, he executes. He has got that strength of mind. Those who are too much addicted to sex life, they cannot be determined. They cannot be fixed-up. They are fluctuating, changing.”

(Lect SB. 6.1.13-14 NY 7/27/71)
Vimarsanam means to be thoughtful. Without being thoughtful, philosopher, how one can understand, what is his position? Thoughtful. And that thoughtfulness comprehends so many things. Tapasa. One has to learn it by tapasya. Just like if one wants to pass M.A. examination, then he has to go school, follow the principle of the schools, college, study, and take some pains. Then gradually he’ll come a passed M.A. student. And if he plays all the day on the street, how he can…? That is not possible. Therefore the process is being explained by Sukadeva Gosvami: tapasa. First thing is tapasya, austerity. Even it is painful… Austerity’s painful. Brahmacarya is painful. Because we want, unrestricted, to do everything. But no. As soon as it is regulated it appears to be painful. When it is practiced, it is not painful. One brahmacari in Indian city, in severe cold, he was sleeping in the open air, without any covering. And it was severe cold. But it was practice. During Magha-mela, many saintly persons come there on the bank of the Ganga, Ganges. This year we had our own camp; we have seen. The whole night they are sitting in the open air, without any covering.
So practice. So practice means if you undergo austerity, tapasya, everything will be practiced. That is a Bengali proverb: sarire na mahasaya(?). Mahasaya is a word used in India, a very respectable gentleman, mahasaya. So this sarira, this body is mahasaya. Ya sa haye sa taicha(?). Whatever he’ll practice, it will be accustomed. So practice. So here this Krsna consciousness movement is bringing them to the practice. Therefore you find, so nice, boys and girls, they’re practiced. As soon as they’re neglectful to the practice—-falls down. They cannot stay. Immediately goes out. So that is called austerity, tapasya. Practice. Practical life. So these are the processes.

tapasa brahmacaryena samena ca damena ca tyagena satya-saucabhyam yamena niyamena va deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah ksipanty agham mahad api venu-gulmam ivanalah

Venu-gulmam ivanalah. Just like there is a jungle—so many unwanted creepers—so you set fire. Everything will be burned into ashes and the field will be cleared, cleansed. So it is said: deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah. Those who are dhira… Dhira and adhira. Dhira means sober and adhira means extravagant. There are two classes of men, dhira and adhira. Here Sukadeva Gosvami’s speaking of the dhira. Who is dhira? Dhira means in spite of provocation, in spite of something present which agitates the mind, one remains, I mean to say, in his position, steady. He’s called dhira.

The dhira example is given by Kalidasa Pandita, a great poet in India, Sanskrit poet, long, long ago. He has written one book: Kumara-sambhava. Kumara-sambhava. In our college we read that book in Sanskrit class. Kumara-sambhava. So he has given one example of dhira about Lord Siva, Mahadeva. He was meditating and the demigods, they had a plan, that “The demons are fighting with us. We are being defeated. We want a commander in chief, who must be born out of the semina of Lord Siva.” But he was in meditation. So how to do it? So Parvati, she was sent. She was young girl. And she was worshiping the genital of Lord Siva. So a young girl, touching the genital, and she’s present, but still Lord Siva was in meditation. So Kalidasa—-here is the example of dhira. He’s called dhira. In spite of presence of a young girl touching the genital, he’s not, I mean to say, disturbed.

Just like Haridasa Thakura. You have heard the Haridasa Thakura. He was chanting Hare Krsna mantra, and somebody wanted to cut down. He was young man. So young prostitute was sent at dead of night. And he, she proposed… Haridasa Thakura said, “Yes, it is very nice proposal. Please sit down. Let me finish my chanting, and I shall enjoy.” So it became morning. The prostitute became, I mean to say, perturbed. And Haridasa Thakura replied, “I am very sorry. I could not finish my chanting. Please come this night again.” The first night, second night…, third night the prostitute fell down on his feet and said, “Sir, this was my intention. I was induced to do this act by some man who is your enemy. So kindly excuse me.” So Haridasa Thakura replied, “I knew that. But because you came to me, therefore I allowed you to come here, three days, so that you may be converted to be a devotee. So now take these chanting beads. You sit down. Go on chanting. I am leaving this place.” Here is another dhira.

So here it is said, deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah. One who has control, deha, the body, vak, the words, buddhi, intelligence—they are dhira. So this tridandi. This tridandi-sannyasa means to become dhira, controlling sarira; deha, the body; vak, words; and intelligence. These things should be utilized. How? By dhira, those who are dhira. Dharmajna. One who knows actually the principle of religion. Dharmajna. Deha-vag-buddhijam dhira dharmajnah sraddhayanvitah, ksipanty agham mahad api. So because our life is continuously committing sinful activities, from time immemorial… You do not know when it began. Evolution, many births. Therefore this life is meant for rectifying all mistakes that we had committed in our previous life or in this life. How? By this process. Ksipanty agham. Agham means the resultant action of sinful life. Mahad api. Although it is very great, mahad api, how? Venu-gulmam, venu-gulmam ivanalah. Just like if you set fire to unwanted grass and creepers in the field. You set fire, and they will be all burned. Similarly, by this process, tapasa brahmacaryena, you can liquidate all of your sinful activities of life and you become purified.

The first thing is tapasya. The first… Tapasya means you have to accept some austerity. The same example can be given that the doctor says… Suppose a diabetic patient. So doctor prohibits him that “You cannot eat. You have to starve for some days.” So I do not like to starve, nobody likes to starve. But because doctor says you have to starve, if you want to cure a disease, then I have to voluntarily accept, accept starving. This is called tapasya: voluntarily accept some miserable condition of life. That is good. And human life is meant for that purpose.

So tapasya is required. Without tapasya you cannot make advancement in spiritual life, or life of knowledge. If you simply give away…, in the animal propensities of life, eating, sleeping, mating and defending and don’t accept the process of tapasya, then your human life is failure. You have to accept some tapasya if you want to make solution of the problems of life. Sukadeva Gosvami first recommends tapasya. Just like here, in our institution, whoever comes and becomes an initiated member, we first of all ask them to undergo tapasya. Tapasya. Especially in your country, it is a great tapasya to give up illicit sex life, to give up intoxication up to the point of smoking and tea drinking, and to give up meat-eating, and to give up gambling. Although they’re only four, but it is very difficult to give up these four items. Even Lord Zetland, in England, when he was asked to do this, one of my Godbrothers, Lord Zetland, Marquis of Zetland, he inquired from my Godbrother, “Swamiji, whether you can make us brahmana?” So he said, “Yes, why not? You have to give up these four principles of life, prohibited: no illicit sex, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating.” The Lord Zetland replied “Impossible.” Yes, it is impossible. Because in Europe and America, this is the way of life from the very beginning. And from India, our Indian gentlemen come here to learn this art, how to do it nicely. And they think it is advancement. India is automatically taught this tapasya by their culture, but they come here to forget that culture and accept another type of life.
But real, real fact is if you want to advance in spiritual understanding, if you want to make a solution of all the problems of your life, then you have to accept this life of austerity, tapasya. Restriction. Restriction is meant for human beings, not for the animals. Just like in our common dealings, when you drive your car, you have got some restriction. You cannot drive your car on the left side. That is offense. “Keep to the right.” You cannot drive your car when there is red light, or yellow light. You have to follow the restriction. But the dog, if it keeps to the left or crosses the street when there is red light, it is not punished, because it is animal, dog. But if you violate the laws, you’ll be punished. Why? That means you have got advanced consciousness. If you do not follow the rules and regulation, then you are nothing but animal. Human being, human life means voluntarily accepting the laws, the rules and regulation. That is human life. But now the propaganda is that everyone, one wants to be free, no regulative life. This is animal life. Just try to understand. The regulations, lawbooks, restrictions, they are meant for human being, not for animals. And if you want freedom from all restrictions, then you come to the animal life. Therefore Sukadeva Gosvami recommends first tapasya. If you want to stop the problems of life, then you have to accept the life of austerity, tapasya.
And what is the tapasya? That is also… Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena. Brahmacaryena means restricted sex life. Real meaning is no sex life, no sex, celibacy, completely. This is tapasya. Therefore, according to Vedic culture, the first beginning of life is brahmacari. (break) But in the brahmacari life there is no sex life. Only in the grhastha life there is sex life, married life. I was reading the other day a magazine, Watch… What is that? Watchtower. So this paper was criticizing so many immoral activities in the Christian world. And one item I was surprised to read that a Christian priest has sanctioned marriage between man to man. That was written there. I do not wish to discuss all those things, but people are degrading for want of this tapasya. People are not taught how to execute tapasya life, tapasvi life. Simply by criticizing will not do. Practically you have to be trained in the life of tapasya. Then it will be effective. Just like we are doing. Here, in our Krsna consciousness movement, in every center, everyone, at least who are living within this temple, must get up at four o’clock to perform the aratrika. This morning I was asking somebody that if you cannot rise, then you cannot live in this temple. Because this temple is meant for tapasya, not for extravagancy. Unless you follow the life of tapasya, you cannot make progress.
So this temple, we are inviting everyone to live here, to live with us, and practice tapasya. Then your life will be advanced. Then you’ll understand what is your constitutional position, what is God, or Krsna, what is your relationship with Him, what is the aim of life, how to execute it, how to make life successful. These things are taught here. This is called tapasya. And in the Vedas it is said that those who are executing the regulative life of tapasya, they are brahmanas. Etad viditva yah prayati sa eva brahmanah. Etad aviditva yah prayati sa krpanah(?). These are the Vedic injunctions. One who is dying… Everyone is dying. Nobody can live here permanently. That’s a fact. But one who is dying after executing the life of tapasya, he’s a brahmana. And one who is dying like cats and dogs, without any execution of tapasya, he’s called krpana. The two words are there in the Vedic literature: one is brahmana and one is krpana. Krpana means miser, and brahmana means liberal, broad-minded. Brahma janati iti brahmanah, or one who knows the Supreme, the Absolute Truth, he’s brahmana. And one who does not know, that is animal. This is the difference between animal and man. Man should be educated to understand the Absolute Truth. Therefore in the human society there is school, colleges, universities, philosophers, scientists, mathematician. Because human life is meant for knowledge. The animal life, they’re not required to take education. They are simply busy with how…, with the business how to eat, how sleep, how to mate and how to defend. That’s all.
So the tapasya life begins from celibacy, brahmacaryena. Sukadeva Gosvami recommends. Brahmacarya is described in the sastras that smaranam kirtanam kelih preksanam guhyam asanam(?). Sex life, smaranam, thinking of sex life, that is against brahmacarya. Complete celibacy means one should not think of even sex life. Smaranam. Or talk of sex life. Our modern literature, newspaper and everything, simply full with talks of sex life. But this is against brahmacarya life. Smaranam kirtanam keli. And actually indulging in sex life. Preksanam: looking, overlooking a nice boy or nice girl, that is also against brahmacarya. Guhyam asanam: whispering between girls and boys, that is also against brahmacari. Guhyam asanam sankalpam. Then determination of sex life. Vyavasaya: endeavoring how to effect sex life. So when we can stop all these activities, that is real brahmacarya. It is very difficult at the present age. Etan maithunyam astangam pravadanti manisinah vikarita brahmacaryam eda astanam laksanam iti(?). So brahmacarya means that you cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life, or you cannot endeavor for sex life. These eight types of activities in sex indulgence are against brahmacari life. But here it is prescribed that if you want to make solution of the problems of life, then you adopt, you have to adopt a life of tapasya, austerity, which begins from brahmacari.
To summarize this brahmacarya life in this age, we have given a simple formula, that “No illicit sex.” Sex is there. Sex is not bad. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, dharmaviruddhah kamo ’smi: “Sex life which is not against the religious principles of life, that is I am.” Krsna says. So dharmaviruddha, according to Vedic civilization, one should have sex indulgence only once in a month. That is the prescription. And when the wife is pregnant there is no sex life. That is dharmaviruddha. That is not against the religious principles. Even in your life, married life, if you indulge sex life more than once in a month, or in pregnancy, that is against religious principles. So Krsna dharmaviruddhah kamo ’smi: “Lust, sex indulgence, which is not against the rules of religious principles, that is I am.” That means only for begetting children, nice children, so that there may not be disturbance. Unless there are nice population, children born in a systematic way, how you can expect peace in the world? That is described in the Bhagavad-gita. When there are varna-sankara the whole world becomes hell. This is described in the Bhagavad-gita. So the life of austerity begins from the life of celibacy, brahmacarya. So brahmacarya, the descriptions are given here, how you can execute brahmacari life. You cannot think of sex life, you cannot talk of sex life, you cannot whisper about sex life. There are eight types of different regulation to stop sex life. But these things are very difficult in this age. Therefore we have simply summarized that don’t have sex life beyond the married life. That is not good.
Then how brahmacarya can be executed? That is also given here: tapasa brahmacaryena samena. Samena means controlling the mind. The yoga system, astanga-yoga system, practicing the asana, sitting posture, breathing exercise, controlling the senses from outside engagement, pratyahara, these are, this yoga system is meant for controlling the mind and controlling the sense. If there is no control of mind and no control of senses, the so-called yoga practice is bogus. It has no meaning. Yoga indriya samyama. Yoga means to control the senses. That is the real meaning of yoga. So if one is unable to control the senses… I have seen in some yoga practice institution in New York. They are practicing some, this asana, and just after finishing, immediately smoking. You see. This much control they learned. So these, these are all bogus. This is not yoga system. Yoga system is not so easy, especially in this age. Yoga system means to control the senses, control the mind; and control the mind means you have to control so many things—your eating, your sleeping, your behaving. These are prescribed in the Bhagavad-gita, how to practice the astanga-yoga. You have to find out a suitable place, a sacred place, a solitary place. Therefore real yogis, they used to go to Himalaya. Sometimes some young men, here, in your country, they inquire from me how to go to Himalaya, and what you’ll do there, going there, Himalaya? So you are not practiced. So instead of practicing yoga in the Himalaya, you practice yoga here. We have come here to help you. Here this Krsna consciousness movement is there. If you are serious about practicing yoga, this, take bhakti-yoga. That will come, how it happens in the next lines.
So this astanga-yoga is not possible in this age—samo damah, controlling the mind, controlling the senses. Because nobody can properly practice the astanga-yoga system. Impossible. It is not only impossible now—even five thousand years ago, when Krsna was advising about this astanga-yoga to Arjuna. Arjuna was not ordinary man. He was friend of Krsna. He was a great son of a royal family. And Arjuna’s name and fame, everyone knows. So he said to Krsna: “My dear Krsna, this yoga practice is not possible to be performed by me. I am unable.” So Arjuna said frankly that he was unable to practice this yoga system. And what we are, in comparison to Arjuna? So this astanga-yoga system is not possible at all in this age. If you are satisfied by learning some sitting posture, artificially, that may give you some chance of good exercise of the body. You can keep good health. But there is no chance of spiritual realization by astanga-yoga practice in this age. So Sukadeva Gosvami says samena. Sama means manasa-niyamam, controlling the mind. The mind’s business is acception, acceptance and rejection. This is mind’s business. Even one is very elevated, the mind’s business is mind’s business. Mind will accept something: “It is very good,” and next moment it will reject. That is mind’s business. But you have to fix up your mind in something which you cannot reject. That is only the lotus feet of Krsna. If you fix up your mind on the lotus feet of Krsna, then your mind cannot go elsewhere. You practice it and you’ll see it. Sa vai manah krsna-padaravindayoh.
Therefore Ambarisa Maharaja fixed up his mind always… Our Krsna consciousness movement we are teaching our students, how to fix up the mind always in Krsna, some way or other. That is the first-class yoga system. And Krsna also advises. (break) …feet, and pray, bhajate. “Krsna, I am Your eternal servant. Kindly again engage me in Your service. Somehow or other, without being engaged in Your service, I have been dragged to the service of maya. Service I am going. I am rendering service. Because I am eternal servant, therefore my serving process is going on. But where it is going on? I am serving my lust, I am serving my anger, I am serving my greediness. So that means, in one word, I am serving my sense gratification. So kindly help me. Instead of serving my sense gratification, let me serve Your sense gratification.” That is yoga. That is first-class yoga. Pray always, fix up your mind in Krsna’s lotus feet, and pray that “I am eternal servant. Now I’m engaged in the service of my sense gratification, and You please help me. I have come to my senses, to engage my(self) in Your sense gratification.” The business is there, sense gratification. But Krsna consciousness means instead of satisfying one’s own senses, one should be ready to satisfy the senses of Krsna. That is Krsna consciousness.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33810

For serving Lord Krsna, is being simple a bad thing?
Giriraja Swami: After successfully launching the Hare Krsna movement in the West, Srila Prabhupada returned to India with plans to build at least three large centers, including one in Mumbai. I worked on the Mumbai project, and because Prabhupada was intimately involved with it, I was fortunate to learn many valuable lessons from him during that time.

In late 1971 a prominent businessman, Mr. A. B. Nair, offered Prabhupada some land in Juhu, on the outskirts of Mumbai. Later we discovered that Mr. Nair was very tricky and cunning. Before taking money for the land from Prabhupada, he had already taken—and kept—money from two other parties.

After Prabhupada signed the purchase agreement and left Mumbai, Yaduvara Dasa and I had to deal with Mr. Nair. We would meet him at his home in Juhu and talk, but we couldn’t understand: Was he our friend, or was he our enemy?

Ultimately, from thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, Prabhupada concluded that Mr. Nair was trying to cheat us.

Eventually Prabhupada came to Mumbai to deal with the matter. Tamal Krsna Goswami told him how Mr. Nair had bluffed me. Perhaps he expected Prabhupada to reprove me. But Prabhupada replied, “Giriraja is simple. What can be done?”

Prabhupada’s words stayed in my mind: “Giriraja is simple.” I considered my simplicity a fault or a disqualification.

Some months later, while reading the book Krsna to Prabhupada during his morning walks on Juhu Beach, I came to the chapter “The Salvation of Trnavarta,” in which Lord Krsna defeats a demon who had assumed the form of a whirlwind. There I read: “After observing such wonderful happenings, Nanda Maharaja [Krsna’s foster father] began to think of the words of Vasudeva [Krsna’s father] again and again.”

Previously we had read how Nanda Maharaja considered Vasudeva a great sage and mystic yogi because Vasudeva had foretold an incident that happened in Vrndavana, where Krsna was living.

Prabhupada remarked, “Vasudeva is a ksatriya [a member of the ruling or martial class]. With political eyesight, Vasudeva predicted, ‘This may happen,’ but Nanda Maharaja, as a vaisya, a simple agriculturalist, thought, 'Oh, Vasudeva is a foreseer.’ ”

I noticed that Prabhupada was applying the word simple to a pure devotee—Nanda Maharaja—and I was surprised. I wondered how a pure devotee like Nanda Maharaja could have a disqualification such as being simple.

So I asked Prabhupada, “Simplicity is not considered a bad quality?”

Prabhupada replied, “No, no. For him it is all right. He is a vaisya, so he should believe like that. And a politician should act like Vasudeva. One should not imitate. For example, a physician does operations, but I should not imitate and take the knife and operate. That is not my business.”

Then Prabhupada explained, “But Vasudeva was thinking of Krsna, and Nanda Maharaja was also thinking of Krsna. As a simple agriculturalist, Nanda Maharaja was thinking of Krsna. And Vasudeva, when he was asking Nanda Maharaja, ÔGo take care of your children there,’ he was also thinking of Krsna. If thinking of Krsna is there, then whether ksatriya or vaisya or brahmana—it doesn’t matter. Everyone gets the same benefit.

"Everyone should understand, whatever I may be, I am an eternal servant of Krsna.’ So if this consciousness is maintained and everyone is engaged in the service of Krsna by his work and by his occupational duty, then he is perfect.”

Prabhupada’s answer was deep. He said that for a person in a certain position simplicity may be a good qualification, and for another it may not be. For a vaisya or a brahmana to be simple may be good, but not for a ksatriya, who has to deal with politics and diplomacy. Yet ultimately it doesn’t matter whether one is a brahmana, a ksatriya, a vaisya, or whatever. What matters is that one works in Krsna’s service and thinks of Him in love—in Krsna consciousness.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33814

This was our biggest ISKCON50 event of 2016 in a big theatre-style venue! There was drama, kirtan, special talks, prasadam feast and more.
Watch them here: https://goo.gl/rD6Kif

Source:https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10154691937954654&id=554134653

Only the pure devotee can pull us out of the material world; this is the only way. Sometimes I look at old Back to Godhead magazines – the very early ones. Those ones were interesting because they were all about Srila Prabhupada; the whole Back to Godhead magazine was about Prabhupada. There was one article that was describing how the devotees were waiting for Prabhupada to come down for a lecture and they had a long kirtan and even when the kirtan ended, Prabhupada still did not come down but nobody cared too much. At the time, the only sannyasi was Kirtanananda. So they asked Kirtanananda to speak and he said, “Where were all of us one year ago? Where were we even six months ago before we got the mercy of a pure devotee.”

It is the mercy of the pure devotee that reaches the devotee. The Supreme Lord appears in this world and he disseminates his mercy in this world and continues to carry that mercy throughout the entire universe through his devotee and it is as good as receiving it directly from the Supreme Lord.

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2016/11/mercy-through-a-pure-devotee/

Sutapada das: Last of the first deliveries are in. We just offloaded an artic lorry fully loaded with 30,000 books! Seeing all these books piled up is a nerve racking sight. But I’m quietly confident.
Despite our inherent limitations, we gain firm conviction from knowing that the all-powerful will of providence is on our side. With such transcendental back-up, anything is possible. One who is ‘quietly confident’, their surety grounded in humility and dependence, can achieve unimaginable things in this world. Pride, complacency and hopelessness are not found in their dictionary. Seeing themselves as merely instruments, their job is to just “get out of the way” and let the divine magic manifest. Let’s see how the transcendental drama unfolds.
Watch a video about this here: https://goo.gl/hOsZZX

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33720

Vaisesika Dasa: I met a pathologist recently who works with cancer patients. She explained to me that there is a certain kind of pancreatic cancer that is most deadly and that one who contracts it can survive only a few months, at the most.
She said that because of the often-depressing nature of her job, she and her colleagues have a way of speaking among themselves to lighten the emotional impact when they receive bad news about a patient’s prognosis.
For example, when they read a patient’s lab results and find that the patient has developed the most deadly strain of pancreatic cancer, they speak about it to one another in a somewhat indirect way. 
Among pathologists, a conversation might go like this:

“Did you read the lab report for your patient?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the result?”

“Well, I can tell my patient not to buy the big tube of toothpaste the next time she goes shopping.”

My first impression upon hearing this was that the pathologists’ conversation was almost too glib for the circumstances. After thinking about it a while, however, the phrase, “tell her not to buy the big tube …” stuck in my mind and their conversation began to seem more profound and it also made me question my own life and priorities:

What am I investing in and why? (Am I buying the “big tubes”?)

What people, things, and abilities that I already have, am I taking for granted?

I can also imagine a conversation among higher beings who, upon hearing about my very limited duration of life, might say among themselves: “Tell him not to buy the big tube of toothpaste.”

Life is Short Indeed, the bhakti scriptures clearly and repeatedly tell us that our human lives are shorter than we think! They say, therefore, that we should take excessive care to use every moment for advancing toward the highest goal – going back to Godhead:

“After many, many births and deaths one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life as long as his body, which is always subject to death, has not fallen down and died. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krishna consciousness is possible only for a human being.” Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.9.29

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33724

Bhaktimarga Swami: In my humble opinion the following is worth repeating, an excerpt from our script, “Krishna Is” and it is a poeticized segment of the exchange between warrior, Arjuna, and wise Bhagavan (God). Author Bhaktimarga Swami.
ARJUNA: Seeing those before me causes me to shiver.
To lift my bow is as though I had never
Hairs stand on end, mind is reeling.
I’m confused, it’s new, this kind of feeling.
Sri Krishna, I just cannot fight.
There’s something here that is not right.
KRISHNA: Arjuna, you’ve lost your sense of duty.
A man of defense renounced a warrior’s beauty.

For the wise there’s a different point of view
Of eternity—no birth, no death—known by few.

Consider the world, which is full of duality.
Good and bad is its only reality.

The major point is to not lament.
The soul is forever, that is my comment.

Moving through bodies from young to old.
From old to young, the circle does unfold.

ARJUNA: Krishna, what is the force that compels one to do wrong.
If you could please include this in your song.

KRISHNA: It is desire, born of passion—then wrath
That keeps us covered and obscures the path.

Perform your yoga, and your sacrifice
For the creator and then all will be nice.

ARJUNA: Krishna, yoga can be tried for controlling the mind.
But the mind is an instrument of a different kind.

I’m fine if asked to harness the wind.
But the mind cannot be anchored or pinned.

KRISHNA: Begin the process; take it easy and slow.
In the end, there’s freedom; the soul will then glow.

ARJUNA: You are my teacher, mentor and guide.
It was no mistake to have you on my side.

I have come to consider about you there is more.
It’s your cosmic form I wish to explore.

KRISHNA: The form is manifest when we have the eyes.
Otherwise there’s the tendency to despise.

I reveal it to those whose devotion is clear.
When friendship is firm, I then come quite near.

It is surrender through service that is so sweet.
It is surrender that is illusion’s defeat.

ARJUNA: Oh Krishna, my doubt is now gone.
I believe the fight should definitely go on.

KRISHNA: Arjuna, my song is old but alive.
You have your free will, but now let me drive.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33726

Madhusudan Hari Das: During the last days of Kartik we had the opportunity to welcome HG Devaki Mataji at the Jagannath Temple in Sesadripuram/Bangalore to launch the course entitled “The Vanaprastha Ashram”. It was well attended by around seventy devotees, who participated over several days in the 15-hour course. Each participant received well composed course materials with powerful quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s purports to selected verses of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Devaki Mataji very skillfully extracted the universal principles of the Vanaprastha Ashram and presented them with realization and conviction, clearly illustrating how we can apply these principles in our modern days. Her presentations were to the point and thought provoking, shaking us up to the facts of reality that this last phase of life is not meant to be lived in comfort, leisure and opulence, surrounded by sweet grand-children charming our hearts with broken language. Rather are we meant to increase austerities, and by simplifying our surroundings, our eating and our externals we can gradually give up more and more the bodily concept of life and deepen our focus on sravanam kirtanam to ultimately prepare for death - our final challenge. In SB 1.15.44. Prabhupada declares that no respectable gentleman would remain in family life until death, because that was considered suicidal and against the interest of the perfection of human life. Such quotes shook up the audience – it was indeed a wake-up call for many of us. It reset the trajectory of life to the most important goal of remembering Krishna at the time of death and going back to Godhead. Our entire lifestyle should be molded around chanting Hare Krishna – something we easily tend to forget when having been lulled into a sense of complacency, with life’s priorities revolving around wife and kids, and earning one’s livelihood. Then Krishna easily moves into the background rather than being in the very center of our lives. Krishna and Srila Prabhupada’s mission are pushed to the back burner while more ‘urgent’ business grabs our mind’s attention. This course urged us to introspect and re-set our priorities with a never experienced intensity. It is a “must” for all age groups - it could just make the difference between making it back to Goloka Vrindavan or having to do another round in this material world. For recordings please see www.therootsofspiritualculture.net

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33741

Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati: “To those who tolerate thousands of abusive words, millions of the humiliating insults of ruffians, millions of [bodily] miseries caused due to lack of proper food, clothing or shelter, and also tolerate extreme mental despair caused due to the anguish inflicted by lust, etc. — to those who stay in this sporting ground of Krishna, tolerating all these, I offer my obeisances.” 
Excerpt from the new issue of Sri Krishna Kathamrita Bindu.
CONTENTS INCLUDE:

* MAYA’S TRICKS – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada offers some words of caution for devotees.

* IMPOSSIBLE TO SATISFY EVERYONE – Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja speaks of the futility of trying to satisfy others in this world and how our only hope is to try to satisfy the Lord.

* HANKERING IS THE ONLY SATISFACTION – A first time translation done especially for this issue of Bindu from a little known medieval Gaudiya text called Prema-pattanam by Sri Rasikottamsa a grand disciple of Sri Raghunath Bhatta.

* OBEISANCES TO THE TOLERANT – Another fresh translation from Srila Prabodhananda Saraswati’s Vrindavan-mahimamrtam.

This issue can be downloaded at the following link:

https://archive.org/details/bindu388

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33743

A Global Climate Accord (The Paris Agreement) was signed by leaders of 195 countries last December. On page 1 in a report by “nature.com” 1 we read:

The ambitious 32-page package contains a multitude of provisions to accelerate the world’s transition from fossil fuels to solar, wind, nuclear, hydropower and other clean energy sources.

Use of fossil fuel can be described by the Vedic term “ughra karma” or greatly destructive work; but changing to other forms of energy does not address the real problem. Human beings will continue to be a major burden to the Earth until we acknowledge that we are not the owners of the Sun, wind, water or atoms; these are produced and owned by God, and any energy we derive from them must be used for His pleasure. However great the population may be, we are not a burden to the Earth when we use energy in Krishna’s service. But we cannot avoid adverse reactions when we misuse energy for our sense gratification. As a society of Brahmana’s, it is the duty of ISKCON members to inform those who place their faith the Paris Agreement that it does not identify the real problem or give the real solution. This may make us unpopular, but people are suffering due to ignorance, so how can we not tell them the truth?

There is another factor which makes it impossible for devotees to agree with the assertions of the Paris Agreement. As shown below, during Vedic times anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) production exceeded what the agreement asserts is a safe level to avoid catastrophic climate change -and no adverse ecological affect was produced in Vedic times. In short, we cannot accept the Srimada Bhagavatam as the absolute truth and, at the same time accept the premise of the Paris Agreement, even regarding the so called “scientific” data.

In his purports to SB 4.18 6-8, Srila Prabhupada plainly states that planning for economic development for sense gratification and eating food not offered to Krishna is thievery; therefore, at present the world is full of thieves. “ …a thief cannot be placed in a comfortable position…”. Thieves are always a burden to Mother Earth but she is happy to maintain any number of godly citizens. In SB 3.3.14 Srila Prabhupada writes:

Therefore, there is no question of an increase in population causing a burden. The earth became overburdened due to dharma-gläni, or irregular discharge of the Lord’s desire. The Lord appeared on the earth to curb the increase in miscreants, and not the increase in population, as is wrongly put forward by the mundane economist.

Of course, these same points are repeated by Srila Prabhupada numerous times. Srila Prabhupada also pointed out, numerous times, that anyone can see all the vacant land and conclude that the Earth could easily support ten times the current population. On a similar note, we hear descriptions of Vedic societies on Earth where the population was, in fact, many time greater than today. One example is, 9 billion men were given to Krishna in a dowry by a single king (SB 10.58.52).

A large population of Vedic followers means there is a large population of cows. Srila Prabhpada writes “For a Sanätanist (a follower of Vedic principles) it is the duty of every householder to have cows and bulls as household paraphernalia, not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles”(SB 1.17.3). And during the time of Sukadeva Goswami “Even the poorest of the householders keep at least ten cows, each delivering twelve to twenty quarts of milk” ( SB 1.19.29).

Cows produce tons of GHG. This has been researched and documented. In accordance with the Kyoto Protocol, in 2014, the United Kingdom submitted a national greenhouse gas emissions report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change2. The research showed the average enteric production of methane (belched gas) of a cow is 110.7 k per head per year (P. 673, Table 3.5.3). Methane(CH4) has a high “Global Warming Potential” (GWP). GWP is the level a gas can trap heat in the atmosphere relative to CO2. According the U.S. EPA, The GWP for CO2 = 1 and the GWP for CH4= 253. So, converted to the standard unit of GHG, every dairy cow produces 110k x 25= 2.75 metric tons annually.

The first page of the report on the Paris Agreement, by nature.com, shows a graph with the 2014 world total GHG emissions at a little under 40 billion metric tons (BMT) annually. It shows the goal of bringing this down to 20 BMT by 2030. This has a 66% chance of keeping global warming down to 2 degrees Celsius. But this would still mean a 2.7 degree rise by 2100 and “This is deep into the territory that scientists expect would prompt catastrophic, irreversible climate changes.” (P.2). So, the Paris Agreement seeks to ultimately set the goal at 1.5 degrees. The report cites Steffen Kallbekken (research director at the Center for International Climate and Energy Policy in Oslo) as saying the 1.5-degree goal would require cuts of 70-95% by 2050. So to avoid catastrophe, according to the highest possible estimate, we would need 40BMT cut 70% = 12BMT.

To put it in perspective, according to the science accepted by the Paris Agreement, at 2.75 metric tons annually per cow, the maximum GHG for a safe world would equal that produced by the breathing alone of 4.5 billion cows. The Bhagavatam describes Vedic societies with every householder owning at least ten cows and human populations of tens of billions, if not trillions. In such a society, the cows breathing alone would produce far more GHG than the scientist say is safe for the planet. But the Scriptures say it is no problem if people are using Krishna’s energy properly in His service.

The United Nations estimates the human population will be 9.7 Billion by 20504. A maximum of 12BMT global emissions, means less than 1.33 metric tons of GHG per person annually. That is 2.66 metric tons for two people. At 2.75 metric tons, a year, a cows breathing would be the entire GHG budget of two people. In addition to methane production, the literature on climate change has abundant descriptions of numerous burdens the cows are putting on the Earth, soil erosion, deforestation, fresh water depletion, etc. Obviously, the vision of the global planners designing things like the Paris Agreement is a future with very few cows. But the cows aren’t the burden, it is humans using the Earth’s resources for sense gratification. It is the duty of ISKCON devotees to use sound reasoning to condemn foolish materialistic plans and their makers. If, instead, we endorse them, intelligent seekers of the truth will be compelled to look for it elsewhere.

1 http://www.nature.com/news/nations-approve-historic-global-climate-accord-1.19021

2 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-greenhouse-gas-inventory

ttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310779/UK_National_Inventory_Report_Main_1990-2012.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/310791/UK_National_Inventory_Report_Annexes_1990-2012.pdf

3 https://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/Downloads/ghgemissions/US-GHG-Inventory-2016-Main-Text.pdf ( Table ES1)

4 http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news/population/2015-report.html

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33717

Dana-Keli Devi Dasi: Thanksgiving on Govinda’s patio (Tucson, Az.) with music by Gangamantri and Dhiro Datta Prabhu was a heart warming and splendid affair. I arrived shortly before noon when the event began and already there was a long line of enthusiastic folks waiting for the doors to open. The buffet, set with a colorful and healthy array of vegetarian and vegan delights, was an excellent offering from Sandamini devi who has created and managed these great events for over 25 years. A seasoned old Tom turkey roamed freely on the patio, while the musicians warmed to their craft and began to play the songs we loved the most. The bird, Tom, who had been a cherished guest at Govinda’s stood stark still when the diners realized what an excellent photo opportunity they could have. How inspiring to see on Facebook or other news feeds people enjoying a vegetarian Thanksgiving feast while associating with a live Turkey! 
On the patio that perfect afternoon, when Gangamantri and Dhiro Datta played George Harrison’s My Sweet Lord, a few of us ladies could not resist raising our arms in the loving glory of the Lord and expressing our gratitude at that moment when happiness, faith, and vision simultaneously occur. 
I had a conversation with a man, who was a professional musician and had been coming to Govinda’s Cruelty-Free Thanksgiving festivals for many years. He gave thanks to Sandamini Devi for her dedication to the community and her ability to orchestrate the event with so much dignity. We both agreed that the patio of Govinda’s held the most elevated Thanksgiving in Tucson or perhaps anyplace in America. HARE KRISHNA

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33745

The ISKCON GBC is pleased to announce that appointment of Kamlesh Krishna das as the International Director of the ISKCON Child Protection Office. He succeeds Champakalata devi dasi in this role, and is already actively involved in the service. We thank Champakalata Prabhu for her many years of dedicated service to child protection in the ISKCON Society.

Prior to joining ISKCON Kamlesh Krishna Prabhu worked with the Ministry of Defence in London for a number of years, covering roles in various departments such as defence public relations, personnel management and procurement, attached to the army as a civilian officer.

He was introduced to ISKCON by family members and joined the Brahmacari ashrama at Bhaktivedanta Manor in 1985. He is a disciple of H H Bhakti Charu Swami.

In 1990 he pursued a career in financial services. He has held various senior posts in the banking and financial services industry over his career, as well as establishing his own corporate financial advisory company. Academically he holds a BSc in computer science and is a chartered corporate financial planner.

In his devotional career, he continues to serve on various bodies within the UK, namely UK National Management Council, Bhaktivedanta Patrons Council and finance committees.
Kamlesh Krishna das, has been involved in the service of child protection in the UK since 2010. His main input has been as a panellist for international cases as well as assisting the UK Child Protection Team. Over this period he has attended and completed a number of external training courses relating to child protection facilitated by accredited organisations in the field.
He will be carrying out his service with the assistance of his wife, Gandarvika Devi Dasi. Gandarvika has been serving in Child Protection within ISKCON for the last 18 years and has a wide breath of knowledge and experience in the field of child protection.

Kamlesh Krishna’s main aims as the Director of The ISKCON Child Protection office are to bring greater awareness and importance of Child Protection to ISKCON at all levels. Additionally, in order to ensure a consistent level of well-being and security of our children throughout ISKCON, he wants to deliver training, support and effective organizational structures, so that child protection teams are increased, supported and empowered.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33756

Veganism is considered to be holier-than-thou and vegans are sort of telling the rest of the world that we are not compassionate at all, that we are contributing to the slaughter of cows by that fact that we are so lusty and cannot control our tongues. We are so attached to milk products – pizza, ice-cream, butter, etc. and in this way, the Hare Krsnas are contributing to cow slaughter. So what do the Hare Krsnas have to say…?

Well, there are two sides to the story. One side of the story is that we say to the vegans: My dear vegans, you are toothless tigers. Do you really think that you are going to stop animal slaughter? You are dreaming. In this way, it will not happen. Why would people take to your vegan philosophy? Just by moral preaching? Don’t you know that only a small percentage of the world is moral!? The rest of the world would rather let it ‘all hang out’. My dear vegans, we respect you for your idealism but your solution is a material one and therefore it cannot succeed as it lacks the transcendental perspective.

You may not like our argument but still consider it for a moment. Do you realise that if we take milk from any cow, we will offer that milk to Krsna and when that milk gets offered to Krsna then the cow gets eternal benefit. Even if that cow is undergoing temporary suffering in a horrible situation and will be slaughtered, still it will get eternal benefit. Therefore it is better to offer the milk of the cow to Krsna than to fast from milk altogether.

It is only now, for the time being that we are in a society which is upside down, which is all gone astray. Eventually we must manage again to take care of our own cows and more cows must be protected. Cow protection is essential and then we can take the milk of these protected cows and in this way, we can change society. But in the meanwhile, we do not fast from milk because milk is such essential food and not just for bones and calcium, it is also required for finer brain tissue development.

Srila Prabhupada was very adamant about this. In the United States, once there were additives in the milk including vitamin D which generally comes from a non-vegetarian source, often from cod liver oil, and so the devotees were wondering about drinking that milk and Prabhupada said not to worry about it and have it! With the special mercy of Lord Caitanya, there will be protection somehow or other, in this state of emergency.

Nowadays, in Iskcon, veganism is on the rise – more and more Hare Krsnas are turning vegan. This is very interesting! And the vegans say that the milk coming out of the factories today is not even milk anymore; it is just reconstituted chemicals and if Prabhupada was here today, he would tell us to be vegan. I am not so convinced about that and it is a problem, in this whole debate to be vegan or not, to put words in Prabhupada’s mouth. Well, he is not here right now so let us just stick to what he said and NOT to what he would have said because if we go that way, then maybe he would have said, “Today, four regulative principles would not work so let’s have three.” Then we going to be on a slippery slide and I do not know where we are going to wind up.

Source:https://www.kksblog.com/2016/11/vegans-toothless-tigers/

In the morning I was doing a japa walk, and a person told me that today is Ekadasi. He said that whatever auspicious activity we perform gives a multiplied result. This gave me the impetus to set a goal of distributing ten Bhagavatam sets. When I returned home, I saw that I had only two sets. I called the BBT to order eight more, and I planned to distribute them after work. I also
called Vinodh Prabhu and asked him to compose an email to friends and devotees and asked him to join me for book distribution in the evening. We planned to do BIG.

Set 1: After eating breakfast, I met a lady who once came to do some service. She asked about the duties of a woman, which she wanted to teach her daughter. I displayed the Bhagavatam and  showed her the Seventh Canto chapters about varnas and asramas. She agreed to buy a set.

Set 2: During the lunchtime at my office, I was chanting Gayatri. Then a friend asked me what I was doing. I soon started to explain the Bhagavatam. I suggested that his parents will be glad to read the book at their age. He took a set in Telugu.

Set 3: Also during lunch, a friend asked me about Ekadasi (which he has followed for several years without knowing its importance). After sharing with him some glories of Ekadasi, I told him about the Bhagavatam and suggested that his wife, who is now pregnant, read the prayers by Uttara about her child in the womb. He took a set.

Sets 4 & 5: A long-time devotee friend called in the afternoon and shared his difficulties with sadhana. I suggested that he try to distribute Bhagavatam sets today. He didn’t immediately agree. He said that he could not glorify Srimad Bhagavatam because he feels weak in Krsna consciousness. I said, “You simply call ten friends to ask whether they have a set of the Bhagavatams. And quote Srila Prabhupada to your friends: ‘I want that every respectable person has a set of Srimad Bhagavatam and Chaitanya-caritamrita’.” Around 10 p.m., he called back with the news that he’d distributed two sets and wanted to deliver them the following day. He said he chanted his best rounds in a long time owing to the inspiration of distributing two sets on an Ekadasi.

Set 6: Returning from work, I met a colleague who was talking about cultural activities for children and opportunities to speak about stories. I immediately suggested that the Bhagavatam gives culture to the kids and asked him to take a set. Although he didn’t have the money on hand, he agreed to take the set and pay in installments.

Set 7: Feeling tired after work, we tried going door-to-door. Mahamantra Prabhu and Vinodh joined me in the evening, we read two pages of the Bhagavatam and got energized. We knocked on a neighbor’s door and prayed to Srimati Tulasi Maharani. This was the home of an elderly couple, we performed kirtan for ten minutes with them, praying that they would take a set. After the kirtana, even before we began speaking about the Bhagavatam, the lady eagerly asked us if we had the full Srimad Bhagavatamset . She had previously owned a small Bhagavatam book and wanted to have the full set. We showed them the books, which they accepted and asked us to install in their home. The elderly gentleman got us some flowers and arranged for some fruits and a lamp. With these simple offerings, we invited the Lord in the form of the Bhagavatam into the home of these simple-hearted people. Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!

Sri Rama Dasa,
Hyderbad

Recently, I had the great opportunity to help design and edit (with HH Giriraja Swami) a 4"x10" mini tri-fold brochure entitled the “MANTRA MEDITATION GUIDE.” With over 20,000 currently in print in North America, supplying LA, SD, Dallas, RVC and Tucson, I am feeling very encouraged to share the design with other yatras.
The printing cost is extremely affordable, at roughly 2.5 cents per guide, ~$160 for 5,000 copies and the design/content customization I am offering free of charge. 
Additionally, I have an account with a wholesale printing company (USA) and would be happy to get a quote to place an order on your behalf. 
If you are interested, feel free to contact me for more details.
All glories to your service! All glories to Srila Prabhupada! 
your servant,
Bhismadeva Dasa

DevotionalService@gmail.com 

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33688

By Promila Chitkara

From Back to Godhead

Is Krishna the center of our ambitions and transformations ?

It was December – the month of Srila Prabhupäda’s book marathon! We were quite excited when we began book distribution. We remained excited throughout. The thought of reaching out to unlimited number of souls thrilled me.

The results we achieved were seemingly in proportion to our efforts. Actually, the mercy we received during this time was much beyond the external effort or internal state. There were times when nothing seemed to work out, but then everything worked out at once. The first time when we got zero response I had this feeling Krishna would do something just before we decided to give up. He did! He always does! (I recalled the past incidents when He intervened just when I was about to give up.)

Before I would step out of home for distribution, my long and short prayer to Krishna would be “Krishna , please don’t let any of those Bhagavad-gita copies come back home with us. Umm. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want them to be stolen. Help us distribute them all. (smiley)” Krishna always heard this prayer. There were days when I forgot to pray, but He heard it anyway – as if He printed out my prayer and pasted it on His display board so He could read and grant it every time we went out.”

One time we couldn’t distribute even a single book for an hour and then right the next moment someone took six books. It may be small thing for veteran distributors, but for us it was no less than a small miracle. Another time, we had thirty-two books in the car, and just two of them refused to part from us. So, we were going back now. We were at the stop light when I looked at my friend Rajesh Rani, my teammate in book distribution, and said “Krishna , please help us distribute these 2 books by 6.15 pm, so I could attend my nephew’s birthday party at 6.30 pm.” It was already over 6 pm. Within five minutes we reached New Delhi’s Dwarka, sector 12 market. I parked the car in a corner and asked Rajesh Rani if she would like to come along while I hit the street to distribute the remaining two books. She was quite tired and I too preferred that she stayed in the car. For her age, she had already done a lot that day. (I wonder how I efficient I would be when I cross 50. She amazes me with her energy.)
The clock hit 6.07 pm. I entered the market zone and observed people’s faces. Krishna guided me to one person who, it seemed, would value the message and our effort. She accepted the book gracefully. I thanked her and moved on. 6.09 pm. A 30-ish-looking couple was going in the opposite direction on the other side of the road. I ran toward them and said what I had to say. They had multiple copies of the Bhagavad-gita and didn’t seem to be willing to take one more. But after a little dialog, the man decided to take it and said he would gift it to someone. Last copy distributed – what a feeling of joy! Childlike joy!!! I whispered words of thanks to Krishna , I ran in the direction of my car. As I reached near the car, Rajesh Rani welcomed me with a big smile and said, “I knew you would come back victorious.” It was 6.12 pm. Krishna is our best friend.

Was it for me or for Krishna ?

During the distribution hours, my ambition to distribute more and to know how many books I distributed began to disturb the harmony within and without. Was I after self-approval and others’ appreciation?

Introspection and re-education: Greed, fear, jealously,
and anger take control of us time to time

Every time these thoughts entered my mind, I would try to fend them off helplessly. I would try to reeducate myself how greed, fear, jealously, and anger take control of us time to time. But mere psychological placebo can’t heal the samskara that the soul has accumulated life after life. Once in a while I would pray to Krishna for cleansing my heart and my senses. But mostly, I would feel guilty and disappointed at my inner progress in devotion. It saddened me to face malicious enemies who had been hiding in my heart – a place I thought I was clearing up for Krishna. My retrospection became very painful, more so because my consciousness didn’t seem to have changed despite all the retrospection gymnastic. My selfexamination reopened old wounds, or rather tore them up brutally. I began to sulk over my failures pertaining to self-transformation. Life was so beautiful since the last twelve months – since I began chanting sixteen rounds of Hare Krishna mantra. What happened now? Is this a part of purification? Is everyone as bad as I am? I began to observe others around me to justify the darkness of my heart. All of us are in the same boat, are not we? “Well, while this may be true, will I ever be willing to sink or get caught in the whirlpool with others if that boat overturns in a major rapid?” I asked myself. If my answer to this is no, then I better focus on my purification at this stage rather than comparing my vices with those of others.

Yet another day my internal turmoil took a different form, but its premise was the same: anger and fear took over me. It won’t matter much if I shared the incident with you. After all, the bone of contention in all material stories is the wellknown enemies, born out of false ego. All we need is rearrangement of characters and a different storyline, so to say. The book distribution was over, and the inner enemies were dressing up in new attire. I reacted over something; blew the matter out of proportion. The six enemies won again! They left me bruised and covered my joy and my desire to transform; and to become a channel of Krishna’s love. Some hours were more difficult than others. In one of those hours, when I had just come out of Srimad -Bhagavatam class, tears welled up my eyes, and I whispered to Radharani that I was scared I would stray from bhakti and lose the purpose of my life. I asked Her to help me. I confessed my helplessness, my inability to handle anything. I confessed how insignificant I felt. If only I could go beyond this “I”.

The next morning when I opened Srimad -Bhagavatam to resume my reading at home, the following Slokas were waiting to show me the light: “Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.” (Srimad – Bhagavatam 11.20.27-28)

Some lines in the purport of these Slokas just hit the right chords of heart. All this time I have been attached to my detachment from external factors. And for what? To serve Krishna with love? It doesn’t look like it. The reason was me. That’s why it didn’t work.
Obviously, I was obsessed with renunciation rather than the pleasure of Krishna . My desire was not oriented toward Krishna but my own self. I murmered, “Thank you, Radha-Krishna .”
While I was reading this çloka, a senior godsister called me up to check if everything was fine. Senior devotees can sense both, growth and regression. I shared my state of mind with my her devotee and just like always I was shown the light. I was rightly advised to open my heart with devotees with whom I am comfortable. The power of devotee association is unmatchable!

Some Take-away Lessons

My learning/take-aways from this experience are:
• Realize and remember your mistakes/challenging personality traits, but don’t let them dampen your spirit of devotional service.
• Don’t assign a deadline to transformation. It will happen by Krishna ’s will. If our efforts are sincere, His “will” will happen sooner or later.
• Never be obsessed with detachment and transformation to be a better person. The center of our spirit should be Krishna and His pleasure, not our satisfaction with our progress.

Only Krishna can fulfill our desires, whether for transformation or for service. And He always does when the time is ripe. However, for some reason, if He does not, no one else can.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33706

"O sinless one, the mode of goodness, being purer than the others, is illuminating, and it frees one from all sinful reactions. Those situated in that mode become conditioned by a sense of happiness and knowledge. The result of the endeavor in that mode is like poison in the beginning but nectar in the end." (Bhagavad Gita 14.6, 18.37)

Successful people have something in common in their routine – getting up early. They strongly claim that being a morning person is an important habit to stay ahead in the competition. In fact, Bhagavad Gita recommends that one should wake up at-least an hour before the sun rise for a happy and healthy life because the morning hours are said to be in the sattva-guna, the mode of goodness.

What is a guna? The Bhagavad Gita talks at length about the concept of the gunas – the three modes of material nature. The Sanskrit term guna means rope. The Gita explains how these invisible ropes are constantly pulling us to act in various ways, just like a puppeteer makes a puppet dance, even against our better judgment. These are subtle forces pervading this creation and they influence every aspect of our physical, mental, and emotional world.

The effects of sattva-guna, the mode of goodness, are seen when an atmosphere of peace, serenity, and harmony prevails both within our minds and in our environment. Rajo-guna, the mode of passion, is felt as insatiable greed for temporary things and perpetual dissatisfaction that pushes one to strive for more and more material acquisitions and sensual pleasures. Tamo-guna, the mode of ignorance, is indicated when there's laziness, depression, intoxication, and insanity.

Bhagavad Gita (18.37), therefore, recommends that a lifestyle in the sattva-guna is a sure-shot way to a happier and healthier life. The first step to such a lifestyle is becoming a ‘morning person’. It may sound difficult, especially if we are attached to late nights. But once we start reaping the innumerable advantages of being an early bird, we can relish the nectar of the endeavor. Here are a few rewards that will inspire us to happily wake up before the sun catches us in the bed.

We increase our productivity

The modern trend is to be always on a rush. We are hardly in the present. Rising early gives us a distraction-free environment so that we can prepare for the day and be better time-managers. Psychology studies show that early risers are more productive than night owls. Waking up in the early hours (of course, after a good night sleep) gives a mental boost keeping us more alert and focused during the day. Oversleep and late nights, on the other hand, result in slackness and even increase the risk of mood disorders like depression.

We develop self discipline 

We snooze, we lose. Radhanath Swami, a monk and a spiritual teacher, says, “The more we feed the laziness of our mind, the more it becomes strong.” It requires will power to go against our old habits. Bhagavad Gita (6.5) states that mind is our best friend when controlled; but our worst enemy when left untamed. Just as a weight-lifter develops his muscles bit-by-bit through daily exercise, we strengthen our choice muscles and develop self discipline by waking up daily in the morning – that includes even weekends!

Good time for a daily work-out

Beat the stagnancy of the modern organizational work environments where we spend most of our time inside the air-conditioned cubicles surrounded by artificial lights. We can expose ourselves to the morning sun light by going on a walk and breathe the refreshing oxy-rich air. We can revitalize our stiff bodies with simple exercises or yoga postures that prepare us for the hustle-bustle ahead in the day.

Ideal time for meditation

We often get caught up with the rat race. Statistics show that a significant number of the people in the world today are suffering with symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression. We need to habituate ourselves to take out some quality time aside, each day if possible, to make that inner connection with God through spiritual practices. Bhagavad Gita says that morning hours, being in the sattva guna, are the ideal time for spiritual practices. Such practices help us to balance our lives in a holistic way – physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is somewhat like tuning ourselves to a higher frequency – that of goodness, compassion and God’s grace – through meditation.

Instead of withdrawing our minds in to nothingness during meditation, we can actively engage our mind in a spiritual way because our minds are too restless by nature. That is best possible by mantra meditation. This is much easier and practical. Mantra means a sound vibration that frees the mind of all the anxiety and negativity. When we chant the holy names of God, the sound affects our consciousness because the holy name of God puts us in direct contact with God. The best mantra recommended for this age by all the ancient scriptures is called the maha (great) mantra.

We can feel a sense of satisfaction and purity in our consciousness through the practice of mantra meditation in the morning hours. That is a good way to begin our day in a God-centered way.

How to make it happen

Becoming a morning person is a habit that is aspired by many but accomplished by very few. While some may feel that they accomplished this, many fail to understand that getting up in the morning and becoming a morning person are two different things. Today, we will look at a few ways in which we can transform our self from begrudgingly waking up in the morning, to truly enjoying waking up early.

1. Avoid eating late after 8 PM – A heavy stomach in the night results in acidity and indigestion. Even as per Ayurveda, it is recommended to have lighter meal after the sun set for better digestion.                                                                                                  

2. Avoid caffeinated drinks in the night – Caffeinated drinks activate the central nervous system, causing temporary stimulating effects. Instead, one can have a relaxation herbal tea.                                                                                                                              

3. Shut off artificial lights an hour before going to bed – Science says that our internal body clock is genetically designed to run on a circadian rhythm.  This natural biological clock is set to the 24-hour cycle of the sunrise and sunset when we have enough exposure to natural sun light. In that case, we go to bed on time and wake up early. However, exposure to electrical lights, especially in the night time, disrupts this circadian rhythm leading to later bed times.                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

4. Wind down ritual – There is no end to the chattering of the mind. We need to shut off at some point. Life goes on! Why not postpone the worrying to the next day if we cannot solve it now. We can follow a routine that prepares us for a good night rest. Reading a spiritually motivating literature to remember God and expressing gratitude is a good way to end the day on a positive note. Avoid stressful conversations or watching suspense movies before going to bed as they agitate the mind further.

Apply these simple tips and reap the advantages of being a ‘morning person’. As the Gita says, the experience is like poison in the beginning but nectar in the end!

Source:http://iskconnews.org/four-advantages-of-being-a-morning-person,5946/

“Our greatest treasure here is our own culture. India has a historic opportunity in today’s times to do great things for the benefit of the country and the World”, said Radhanath Swami Maharaj, ISKCON Spiritual leader and one of the keynote speakers at Artha Forum. 
To read the entire article click here: https://goo.gl/3Zya1Z

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33652

Friends and followers of Sadaputa Prabhu, many in Alachua County, Florida, started a branch of the Bhaktivedanta Institute in Gainesville. They decided to do a practice conference on November 13, inviting devotee scholars to speak and present papers. What follows is some notes I took on the presentations of things that were striking to me.

Brahmatirtha Prabhu:

I was at the “Life Comes From Life” conference in Vrindavan in 1977. After each day’s meeting we would report to Srila Prabhupada. He would ask, “What was their argument? What was our argument?”

What did Prabhupada want us to present? Life does not come from matter.

Prabhupada was boot in the face of atheism not boot in the face of science.

Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu’s thesis adviser, who I knew from another venue, privately told me afterwards that his thesis dissertation was the best she has ever seen defended.

Srila Prabhupada encouraged people to ask questions. I learned from him that the only foolish question is the one not asked.

Dhira Govinda Prabhu:

In the vibration of the sabda brahma itself is the transcendental realization.

In other ways of acquiring knowledge, the four human defects come into play.

There was a triple blind study showing there was a definite effect showing prayer to the Judeo-Christian God improves healing from heart disease, yet the study although published was not promoted. Had it been a new drug with the same effect, it would have become famous.

In research, the gold standard is the double blind study because it supposely eliminates the experimenter’s bias, yet there is a study shows that even in the double blind study the experimenter’s bias still comes through.

One speaker deprecated actually believing in the view you are advocating.

I was not planning to do the Ph.D., which I ultimately did on the maha-mantra study, but my advisers paid me to do it, and they said I could do any topic I desired. One said, “If you are not going to do something you are really into, I will not support it. I have seen you with your cloth bag and your mumbling, why don’t you do something on that?” I took it that Krishna was speaking through him.

Sattva means goodness in the Vedas and tove means goodness in the Bible. Thus I called my organization Satvatove Institute.

By focusing on removing the weeds and just doing a little watering, we find people had major transformations, and they become inspired to inquire “What is this watering process?”

We find from our process, people had realizations. Pratyaksa.

We have published in social science journals that chanting Hare Krishna decreases stress and depression and increases life satisfaction.

I take the responsibility of providing ways of taking those who are attracted to the chanting in order to become from of stress and depression to become involved with Srila Prabhupada’s whole program.

Gopinath Prabhu:

In cases when the physician asked the patients about their spiritual practice, a study showed the physician – patient relationship was better and healing was promoted.

Integrative medicine involves the patient’s lifestyle in addition to just the mind and body, and uses all kinds of therapeutic techniques.

Medicine used to be a drag for me.

I pray even before seeing the patient.

According to Ayurveda, “The secret to sound health of body, mind and spirit is if you can let food be your medicine and work your recreation.”

60% disease is preventable. 70–90% of chronic diseases are preventable.

2.5 trillion dollars spent each year in the USA health care, and 70% is chronic disease.

In Ayurveda, God and the living entities are always separate and Vaishnava sankyha is the philosophy behind it.

Here are the properties of the different material qualities (gunas):

Ayurveda protects and enhances the health of a healthy person and treats diseases.

The five principles in the Gita, namely the Lord, the living entities, material nature, karma, and eternal time, are there in Ayurveda.

Mantra-japa has these good effects:

1. opposes the unseen causes of past diseases
2. directly by invoking divine grace
3. indirectly by increases in sattva [goodness] and preventing excesses of tamas [ignorance] and rajas [passion].

The body is a pharmacy; you just need the key to open it. There are anti-cancer drugs within the body.

The mind is sattva [goodness] by nature.

We show kirtana expands brain blood flow.

Dhira Govinda Prabhu:

Many meditative techniques have been researched showing a real effect, but the maha-mantra had never been researched so I did that. Followers of Prabhupada are behind on doing this research.

The placebo mantra had some effect but much less than the maha-mantra and not statistically significant.

Gopinath Prabhu:

Madhvacarya was a [physical] fitness fanatic.

Amish people have the obesity genes, but have you seen a fat Amish person?

We choose our diseases.

Ayurveda says aging is inevitable, but you can age without pain.

Dairy products decrease diabetics and decrease osteoporosis.

[In an email replying to questions I had about his presentation, Gopinath Prabhu wrote:] “Research that validates that the Hare Krishna mantra (or any japa of the names of Lord Narayana) improves brain health and increases the inclination for right living [an increase of the mode of goodness which Srila Prabhupada always emphasized] is absolutely important. I am currently attempting to do such studies at big academic universities with the aim to make the Hare Krishna mantra a prescription to prevent chronic diseases. Actually I am looking for more collaborators in doing these studies.”

Gopal Hari Prabhu on Science-Based Arguments for God’s Existence and Modern Atheism:

Sometimes science based arguments for God’s existence lead to atheism.

When Prabhupada attacks science he is attacking scientific materialism.

Atheism has existed as long as theism.

There is a movement sometimes called evangelical atheism.

Many of the atheistic books are attacking the Judeo-Christian idea of God.

Comment by Janaki Rama Prabhu: Lots of these atheist books came out after 911 as a reaction to religious violence.

Nowadays atheists use science as the reason for their atheism.

Scientific materialists argue that only things that are measurable are real, and only science can give real knowledge.

Their claim that science is the only legitimate path to knowledge is not scientific.

By science you cannot prove there is God, but you also cannot prove God does not exist.

You can present that scientific materialism is a valid position but in reality it is a faith position that is not actually based on science. Once you establish that both you and the scientific materialist have faith positions, you can talk about which makes most sense.

Natural theology attempts to establish truths about God through human reason and science.

Newton wrote ten times as much on theology as science. Until age 17 he did theology, then for six years science, and then theology for the rest of his life.

Newton wrote, “Nothing can rejoice me more than the fact it [the Principia] should strength belief in God.”

Ramanuja argued:

The argument from design cannot prove that:
1. The world requires a cause
2. The intelligent cause is one and not many.
3. Whether an intelligence cause must be embodied or not.
4. The intelligent cause is good.
These, can, however be established by reason, experience, and scripture.

National theology can strengthen faith in God.

Unfortunately, Newton was not accepted so much by scientists because of his theology nor was he accepted by Christian theologians who did not like his acceptance of Christ as the merely son of God and his interest in alchemy.

Some scientists conceive the Big Bang as beyond space and time and the cause of space and time.

Early scientists saw their work as worship. Some had two tables, a worship table and a science table, and when they had difficulty at their science table they would go to their worship table.

Janaki Rama Prabhu:

I recommend reading Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives.

We should get away from the idea of warfare between science and religion. It is more complicated than that. There are scientists of all sorts of faiths.

One has to have a revisionist idea with openness to science and other knowledge disciplines.

There is a growing openness in discussion of science and religion, and you can bring your theology into the discussion if you do it in the right way.

You have to be very disciplined to be a good scientist. It is almost a yogic process.

There are people who do science for different reasons.

comment by Indian man with white shirt and vest: I come from India and there is no such word as religion. There is dharma and that is more experiential.

It surprising how many scientists believe in God.

Comment by Gopal Hari Prabhu: 70% of physicists believe in God, and 50% of biologists.

In mainstream science journals like Science and Nature if you present anything theistic it will not get published.

Evolution: a theory in crisis is the best critique of evolution.

I got an anti-Darwinism article in Biology and Philosophy.

Darwin considered animals had cognition, feelings, and appreciation of art and music, and this was against centuries of the Judeo-Christian idea that animals were nothing other than sophisticated pieces of machinery. Thus Darwin was progressive in the West in this.

Sthita-dhi Muni Prabhu, “When Boot Meets Face”:

Life Comes from Life may be described as a condensed stylized revision of the original conversations with Srila Prabhupada.

The original conversations should be studied to get a full understanding of Srila Prabhupada.

It was on those walks they began recording Srila Prabhupada’s walks.

Hamsaduta and the German devotees suggested to print the conversations in a book, and Srila Prabhupada agreed, and it was published originally in German, Leben Kommt von Leben.

Srila Prabhupada, although not a scientist, was confident in presenting the Gaudiya idea that consciousness is not a product of matter.

Regarding the scientists, Srila Prabhupada said, “If you talk of God, they immediately become arrogant. That is our protest.”

“We do not deprecate their advancement in knowledge. Their defiance of God is our protest.”

Brahmatirtha Prabhu: Radhanath Swami told me recently he was on a tour at Westminster Abbey at the part where there are tombs of the different saints and scientists. He asked where they were at the moment, and the tour guide said they were in the science section, Radhanath Swami looked down, and saw he was standing on the tomb of Charles Darwin. He joked about it, saying that this is “the boot in the face.”

Dave Butcha:

Pramana: a necessarily accurate source of knowledge.

The Bhagavata is the highest pramana, and thus it must therefore be sruti.

The Supreme Lord is the vaco, and om is the vacaka.
The Veda is another mode of being of that same Lord.
Apparently the Veda has authors but not really, according to Baladeva.

The Vedas are a compilation of the statements of the omniscient Lord.

Vyasa is just revealing the Vedas.

The authority of the sruti cannot be rejected. With smrti, you can choose to follow one and reject another.

Every reading of an infallible text by a fallible person is alway fallible.

That status of the infallibility of text implies an absolute reality.

I cannot attribute the same infallibility to an interpretation of the infallible text or my understanding of that interpretation of it.

Sometimes we say that ‘the scientists used to say this but now they say that’ and therefore we cannot take them seriously, whereas ‘the guru parampara [spiritual lineage] is always saying the same thing,’ but that is not actually true.

A saragrahi is someone who grasps [grahi] the essense [sara]. The existence of a saragrahi implies there is a mixture of essential and not essential things that one can grasp the essence from.

Murali Gopal on astronomical issues:

The problem arises when the description of earth does not match what we see.

I see people now having faith crises like when the Fifth Canto came out because of the flat earth conspiracy theories that are becoming popular.

Sadaputa Prabhu found four possible interpretations of Bhu-mandala, none of which is a flat earth, thank God.

There are actually people who consider that the six seasons listed in the Surya-siddhanta are absolute, even though in the southern hemisphere they are reversed.

[Murali Gopal made a lot more nice points, but I did not write them down as I am familiar with Sadaputa Prabhu’s book Mysteries of the Sacred Universe, and so they were old news to me.]

Krishna-kripa Das on “A Personal Appreciation of the Life and Works
of Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)”:

Abstract:

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was known for saying that the material scientists were cheaters. As someone who received a degree in computer science from Brown University, that was hard to hear. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that what Prabhupada was aiming at, was that since there is a God, and that since numerous material scientists were allegedly attempting to explain everything without God, it was in that sense that they were cheating. Later, while I was Sadaputa’s assistant for nearly twenty years, I came to appreciate since scientists were also conditioned souls, even according to everyday definitions of cheating such things were going on in professional science as well.

Sadaputa would point out different limitations inherent to atheistic philosophies, as well as various credible tactics for utilizing empirical evidence favorably in support of Vedic perspectives.

He did not feel disturbed by superficial analyses of Puranic cosmology that suggested a mythological interpretation. Based on his frank confidence in Bhaktivedanta Swami’s faith in the scriptural tradition of Fifth Canto material, Sadaputa used his professional background as a mathematician to illustrate the relevancy of advanced astronomical insight present during ancient times.

Though Sadaputa may not have always felt fully appreciated during his lifetime, and that with additional support likely could have accomplished much more, he kept diligently at work all the same. That, I feel, was one of his greatest qualities.

Presentation:

[I was the last speaker, and we were two hours behind, thus I skipped a few examples I meant to include.]

Scientists are proud of having objective knowledge because they follow their scientific method whereas they see religionists as merely having blind faith in some scripture.

The scientific method involves making a hypothesis based on observation and collecting evidence, modifying the hypothesis as needed in light of the new evidence. Thus ultimately the hypothesis accounts for all the evidence, and becomes an accepted theory.

The first project I worked on with Sadaputa Prabhu was the book Forbidden Archeology and the video derived from it. I learned the first few decades after Darwin came up with his theory, scientists found artifacts and skeletal remains indicating advanced hominids in rock dated 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and even 50 million years ago. However, in 1894 when Dubois discovered Homo erectus in Java (Java Man) in strata around 700,000 years old, scientists took that as the missing link they had hoped for, and the dozens of artifacts of advanced tool making man in rock 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and even 50 million years ago were discredited or ignored, and disappeared from view. By not modifying their hypothesis to include all the evidence, the scientists were not only failing to attain objective knowledge but were demonstrating blind faith in a theory with evidence against it. If God does exist and is omniscient and the revealed literature is complied by Him, it is rational to place faith in it, and thus it is a possibility that a religionist could have real knowledge. But when scientists have blind faith in an imperfect theory, so much so that they cast away evidence against it, they have only ignorance. Thus I learned from working with Sadaputa Prabhu on that project that there is real cheating going on in science.

The scientists were so fixed in their conception that humans came from the Old World (Asia) to the New World (the Americas) at most 20,000 or 30,000 years ago, that even Louis Leakey, practically the father of archeology, could not get his many artifacts in 200,000 year old rock in Calico, California, accepted.

There are other examples of problems with atheistic ideas, which I learned from Sadaputa Prabhu.

In his video, “Models of Natural Selection” Sadaputa makes a model of a virus that eats bacteria and analyzes what it would take to mutate it so it could eat bacteria with a thicker cell wall. This part would have to be longer, and if this part were longer, then that other part would have to also be longer, etc. It turned out it would be 1 in 10 to the 54th power chance that it would evolve in that very limited way. At the end of the video, he challenges the scientists: “Without explicit models of biological systems, the theory of evolution becomes simply an exercise in imaginative story telling and not a proper scientific theory.”

Sadaputa Prabhu told how in 1967 mathematicians presented a paper to the biologists showing them how in terms of probabilities that evolution was not possible. The biologists replied, “We know evolution happened, and thus you must have made some mistake in your calculations.” The mathematicians, realizing the nature of the people they were dealing with, did not make further attempts to push the point.

Alfred Russel Wallace also came up with an evolutionary theory the same time as Darwin, but with natural selection alone, he could not account for people having advanced mathematical abilities existing in primitive cultures that did not utilize them. Thus he considered intelligent beings may guide the evolutionary process, an idea that outraged Darwin.

Other problems with atheistic theories Sadaputa Prabhu mentioned in his books:

“Darwinian evolution calls for a self-reproducing system of molecules. Indeed, one of the main tasks of origin-of-life theories is to explain how the first self-reproducing system arose. In living organisms, self-reproduction is a dauntingly complex process involving proteins, deoxyribonucleic-acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA). If Darwinian evolution can’t take place until such a complex system is operating, scientists are at a loss to explain how that complex system has come about.” (“Primordial Alphabet Soup” in God and Science)

“Today, of course, scientists explain the succession of life forms in the fossil record by the neo-Darwinian theory of evolution. In this theory, evolutionary developments are attributed to random variation sifted by natural selection. This theory can create plausible explanations of many observed features of the biological world, and it is reasonable to suppose that the Darwinian mechanism of evolution does function in nature. However, it is far from clear that this mechanism is the last word. Organs of high perfection and complexity, such as the eagle’s eye or the human speech center, are notoriously difficult to explain by mutation and natural selection. In addition, many features of the fossil record can be placed in the Darwinian framework only by an act of faith.” (Maya: The World As Virtual Reality)

“To account for one universe with life, this [multiverse] scheme requires us to posit a vast number of universes without life, as well as an underlying process that endlessly spawns universes. One could ask which theory carries more metaphysical baggage, this one, or the traditional idea of a cosmic designer.” (Maya: The World As Virtual Reality)

I also learned from Sadaputa Prabhu that using information theory you can argue that the simple laws of physics do not contain sufficient information to produce the complex biological structures that we see in nature, and thus there must be another source of that information.

While working with Sadaputa Prabhu, I came to learn about empirical evidence supportive of Vedic ideas such as out-of-body experiences and past-life memories. One scientist he mentioned, Kenneth Ring, did studies on people who were blind from birth but who had visual experiences in an out-of-body state. We learn in the Vaishnava sankhya philosophy that the body is composed of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, and the organs of the body responsible for sight would be made of these elements. Yet according to sankhya, the senses, including that of sight, are completely distinct elements from those composing the body, and that out-of-body study gives evidence consistent with that idea.

Murali Gopal Prabhu explained how the planisphere model of Bhu-mandala explains the passage of day and night and the seasons, so I will mention some of Sadaputa Prabhu’s other cosmological and astronomical achievements.

Traditionally the start of Kali-yuga is a time when the planets are all in alignment. Using a modern astronomy program and running it for each day in the last 6,000 years, Sadaputa Prabhu was able to show that one of the three best alignments occurred on the day Kali-yuga started, February 18, 3102 B.C. at midnight.

Sadaputa Prabhu showed that the size of yojana is based on a degree of latitude at the equator and that implies scholars of Vedic times knew the earth was round and how big it was.

Sadaputa Prabhu observed that the Bhagavatam distance from the center of Bhu-mandala to the sun’s orbit is within 10% of the modern earth-sun distance and is much more accurate a value than the Greek astronomers had a similar time in history.

Indupati Prabhu, who did most of the 3-D graphics for Sadaputa Prabhu’s videos, especially those on cosmology, once asked Sadaputa Prabhu, “The Vedas describe so many far out things. How can you accept them?”
Sadaputa Prabhu replied, “Because the Vedic world view can explain so many things.” When he said that I thought about all kinds of human experience throughout the millennia like consciousness, out-of-body experiences, past life memories, mystic powers, levitation, extraterrestrials, UFOs, worship of a personal God, worship of the impersonal absolute, worship of demigods, origin of species, etc., and how the Vedic world view can describe them all in a consistent system, whereas science has to reject so many things it has no explanation for.

[This final quote in which Sadaputa Prabhu explains bhakti, in the language of a scientist, as a way of acquiring additional knowledge of reality, is very powerful, and the devotees appreciated it as just suitable for ending a conference of Bhaktivedanta Institute:]

“The theory of creation by sound vibration involves transcendental levels of reality not accessible to the mundane senses, and thus in one way it is more unverifiable than the purely physical Darwinian theory. However, if a purely physical theory turns out to be empirically unverifiable, then there is nothing further one can do to be sure about it. In contrast, a theory that posits a supreme intelligent being opens up the possibility that further knowledge may be gained by internal and external revelation brought about by the will of that being. Of course, the dynamics of obtaining such knowledge are different from those of empirical, experimental science and mathematical analysis. Instead of forcing nature to disclose its secrets, one surrenders to the Supreme Lord in a humble spirit and pursues a path of spiritual discipline and divine service.

“This approach to knowledge and to life also constitutes one of the great perennial philosophies of mankind, but it has tended to be eclipsed in this age of scientific empiricism. To obtain the fruits of this path to knowledge, one must be willing to follow it, and one will be inclined to do this only if one thinks the worldview on which it is based might possibly be true. Establishing this possibility constitutes the ultimate justification for constructing theories, such as the one considered here, linking physics and metaphysics.” (“High Technology and the Ground of Being” in God and Science)

Tulasi-Priya Dasi of Alachua made a video of the entire conference, in case these notes inspire you to learn more

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33654

Srila Prabhupada:

Letter to Hamsaduta and Himavati written in Los Angeles on March 3, 1968:

“The more one feels imperfect in Krishna’s service, the more he is advancing in Krishna Consciousness. Even the topmost devotees feel they are inadequate in their service to the Lord. So it is good to feel inadequate, and to try harder to please Krishna with better service. But one should never feel, oh, I have seen Krishna, and so I am reached perfection—this is not Krishna Consciousness.”

Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Thakura:

Quoted in Vaishnava Compassion:

“The world is in no need of any reformer. The world has a very competent person for guiding its minutest happenings. The person who finds that there is scope for reform of the world himself stands in need of reform. The world goes on in its own perfect way. No person can deflect it by the breadth of a hair from the course chalked out for it by providence. . . . What is necessary is to change our outlook to this very world. . . . The scriptures declare that it is only necessary to listen with an open mind to the name of Krishna from the lips of a bona fide devotee. As soon as Krishna enters the listening ear, He clears up the vision of the listener so that he no lon­ger has any ambition of ever-acting the part of a reformer of any other person, because he finds that nobody is left with­out the very highest guidance. It is therefore his own reform by the grace of God, whose supreme necessity and nature he is increasingly able to realize by the eternally continuing mercy of the Supreme Lord.”

Satsvarupa dasa Goswami:

From Vaishnava Compassion:

“To be truly compassionate requires faith. When we distribute the holy name, we are not just trying to help people hear krishna-nama but to awaken faith in their hearts. If we are faithless, how can we plant the seed of faith in others? The holy name itself is like fire—it will act on the heart of the hearer as He chooses—but Krishna has arranged for the holy name to be delivered through the devotees. Receiving the holy name is meant to be an exchange between devotees and anyone who will hear.”

“Someone will always ask the question, ‘Why should there be any creation in the first place? Creation only means suffering. If Krishna is compassionate, why doesn’t He simply bring everyone back to Godhead by arranging for us jivas to be in agreement with Him?’ But that is not how Krishna chooses to show His compassion. Rather, He wants the living entities to maintain their free will. This is because Krishna is interested in love. Love is voluntary; there is no question of forcing love. Therefore, His compassion is not to remove our free will but to allow us our choice while never abandoning us regardless of where we wander.”

“ALL DEVOTEES WILL AGREE THAT Krishna RESPONDS with compassion when a devotee prays. What is it, then, that blocks us from being aware of His response? This question has a simple answer. We cannot hear Krishna because we have already de­cided what He should say.”

From Begging for the Nectar of the Holy Name:

“Bhaktivinode Thakura recommends chanting in a sacred place, in the association of Vaisnavas who have already developed a taste for chanting. Also, constant chanting will help us to develop a taste. He also recommends chanting in the presence of Tulasi-devi. And for those who try all other measures and don’t get success, he suggests extreme methods like sitting in a closed room alone, covering the head and face with a cloth, ‘ . . . and concentrating on the holy name. Slowly, one develops attraction for the holy name.’ When Lord Krishna sees a devotee sincerely and enthusiastically attempting to chant, He will reciprocate by removing the neophyte’s mental inertia with the power of His name, and bring him into the association of advanced devotees.”

“‘The devotee should make it a regular practice to spend a little time alone in a quiet place and concentrate deeply on the holy name.’ (Harinama-cintamani, p. 84)”

Prahladananda Swami:

We have fifty qualities of Krishna, but in conditioned life we are covered by the material modes of nature. In goodness some of these good qualities are temporarily manifest. In passion there are some good qualities, but they are misused. In ignorance, one has the opposite of the good qualities needed for liberation.

Just pick up the newspaper. There are plenty of asuras [demoniac people] mentioned.

Good desires are Krishna’s desires.

Our only problem is we do not want to be with Krishna. We desire to take Krishna’s place. Krishna is in the center, and we are trying to be in the center.

Are we going to worship our dead material body or are we going to worship Krishna?

The beginning of devotion is to understand there is a God and He is not us, and He never will be us.

By absorbing ourselves in Krishna we are absorbing ourselves in transcendence and illumination.

In reality everything is already Krishna’s, so we are cannot actually offer anything to Krishna, but we can have the right desires. By hearing from Krishna’s representatives, we can learn the right desires.

Krishna is controlling everything here except our desires.

When a man asked why she chanted Hare Krishna, Sarasvati slapped him across the face with her five-year-old hand. Srila Prabhupada said, “That is nistha [steady faith].”

As the spark loses its glow when away from the fire, we lose our illumination when removed from Krishna.

Our principal relationship with others is to help them advance in Krishna consciousness. That is Lord Caitanya’s instruction. By doing that we will achieve the service of Lord Krishna’s devotees in Vrindavan.

Krishna will directly inspire us from within the heart if we act according to Bhagavad-gita 9.14: “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”

The devotee sees his enemy is not his enemy. He sees, “Because my enemies are inspiring me to take shelter of Krishna, they are not my enemies. My friends, because we are doing sense gratification together, are helping me to forget Krishna, and thus they are actually my enemies.”

We can start serving Krishna by chanting a regulated number of rounds daily and doing some service to the sankirtana movement, like maybe giving some donation.

The books allow people to think of Krishna instead of so many other things. Thus Srila Prabhupada judged the success of a program by the number of books distributed.

How to be successful at distributing books? “Tell people how nice they are. People are looking to be recognized. If you love their shoes, you love them, and they become enlivened.”

Generally the conditioned soul does not know he is a conditioned soul. Sometimes a conditioned soul thinks he is a liberated soul, whereas a liberated soul thinks he is fallen.

Adau sraddha [in the beginning is faith]. We have a little tendency to hear about Krishna. This sraddha means I think, “If I do this, I will become happy.”

The attitude is that we want to absorb our mind in Krishna consciousness and withdraw it from various material conceptions.

In the stage called utsaha-mayi, we are very enthusiastic. We think we are pure devotees but others haven’t realized it. We know it within our heart, and Krishna knows.

At anartha-nivrtti one is not bewildered by attachments or aversions.

At nistha one can feel the presence of Krishna, and one can see Krishna in one’s mind.

I understand I am the eternal servant of Krishna, and my business is to engage everyone and everything in helping people become Krishna consciousness.

At ruci everything become tasteful and gives one pleasure.

At bhava we have some genuine feeling for Krishna. Bhava is one ray of the sunlight of prema.

Prema is only the beginning. There are sneha, raga, anuraga, etc.

Bhava is the beginning of uttama-adhikara, the topmost level of devotion.

This pastime is put here not for us to criticize Bharata Maharaja but to show how careful we must be not to fall down.

In 1969, Srila Prabhupada told his servant, Purusottama, “I pray every night to Krishna to please protect me from maya.”

Our spiritual advancement is indicated by our desire for Krishna’s protection.

Mother Yashoda is not peaceful, but she is in ecstasy because she is Krishna conscious.

When we think of Krishna as an employer not as object of love, the devotees as competitors not as objects of service, the association of those averse to Krishna as valuable, and preaching to the innocent as troublesome or useless, we fall down from the vision of a madhyama.

Just chanting our rounds to get them done is like if Krishna walks in and we wonder, “How long is He going to be here for?”

When we chant with offenses we fall into material conceptions. If we have
knowledge, we can perceive this and do something about it.

By chanting Hare Krishna without offenses we can attain nistha, steadiness.

What we think about during the day, we think about during japa. So if we serve Krishna during the day, we will think of Krishna when we chant.

If Bharata took in the deer, fed it Krishna prasadam, and did not let it distract him from his spiritual life, he would have been all right.

People are suffering because they are changing their bodies. They are changing their bodies because they are forgetting Krishna. So by enlightening them about Krishna, we save them from suffering.

Q: On book distribution how do you keep people from taking too much of your time, if they do not want a book?
A: That is easy. Just say, “Thank you very much. It was nice meeting you. I do not want to waste your valuable time.” If they still want to talk, say “I’d love to talk, but they asked me to distribute these books.” Give the person a card to the temple, and invite him to come there to talk with you.

In the beginning, when I would go on book distribution, I would stand off to the side and pray for Krishna to send people. From time to time people would come over, and I would sell them a BTG. I learned from this how I was dependent on Krishna.

Once in the Philly Airport during the marathon I was doing 120 big books a day. I would do two books at a time. During the end of the marathon, I was so tired, I would just show people the two books and would not say anything, and people would open up their wallets and give me money.

Everything depends on desire, steady desire. Rely on Krishna. Enthusiasm, confidence, and patience: these qualities sell books. Our success is in developing these qualities.

Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to read or hear lectures an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening.

When I was treasurer, my temple president wanted me to get a job. I found that other temples were going on harinama and distributing BTGs and collecting enough to maintain the temple, so I decided to do that. It requires organization but it works.

Adi Purusha Prabhu [New York City Food for Life]:

When the householders get a deity, they do not think, “the deity is coming into our home.” Rather they consider, “The home belongs to Krishna, and we are living in the servant’s quarters and paying the rent.”

Adam and Eve stepped out of their innocence when they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Each year some of the people who enjoyed the association of the devotees and liked their kirtana and prasadam at the National Rainbow Gathering would come to New Vrindavan and stay for a week or so. Once some of them asked Radhanath Swami if they could be naked at New Vrindavan. Radhanath Swami replied gravely, “At New Vrindavan you have to strip all the way down to the soul.”

One rabbi told a story about a Jewish guy who followed strictly and made it to heaven. God congratulated him but saw he wasn’t completely happy, even though he was in heaven. God asked him what was wrong. The man said he had one son who was a nice Jewish boy but at the end of his life he became a Christian. God replied, “I had a son who did the same thing. It’s no big deal.”

Bhaktivinoda Prabhu:

From a car conversation:

Comment by me: Thank you for your dedication to harinama. It is inspiring when the senior devotees are enthusiastic about it to inspire us newer people.
Bhaktivinoda Prabhu: I just know it is Mahaprabhu’s program, and Srila Prabhupada wanted us to make it our life and soul.

Ramesvara Prabhu:

From a lecture on Srila Prabhupada’s disappearance day at The Bhakti Center:

I learned from Srila Prabhupada’s books that it is actually possible to know the Personality of Godhead and His pure devotee.

When Srila Prabhupada disappeared, for the devotees it was somewhat akin to a cosmic annihilation. They felt that everything they based their life on had been ripped apart from them. That feeling went on for days, and then we remembered there is no difference spiritually in the appearance and disappearance of the spiritual master.

As ecstatic as it is to serve the pure devotee in his personal presence, it is more ecstatic to serve the pure devotee in separation. Srila Prabhupada personified this in his relationship with his guru.

Comparing Srila Prabhupada’s contributions to those of his godbrothers and other followers, the difference is so great they cannot be compared.

We are accustomed celebrating a birth and mourning a death, so celebrating a disappearance is a foreign idea to us.

Srila Prabhupada understood his guru’s mission was to make the name of Lord Caitanya known in every town and village of the world. That was why his guru had appeared in this world.

Srila Prabhupada was not only a pure devotee, nor even only a saktyavesa-avatara, but he is that person who fulfilled whatever Lord Caitanya predicted and whatever Lord Caitanya desired.

Usually authors producing a series of books put out one book every three or four years. To put out one book every year is considered amazing. Srila Prabhupada produced almost one book a month for the last seven years he was present. Even more amazing was that while he was doing this, he traveled around the world, and he organized a worldwide movement.

Srila Prabhupada came at a time when drug and sex culture were highly glorified, meat eating was widespread, and gambling was promoted, and yet he convinced thousands of students all over the world to give up these activities.

Practically every temple in this movement during Srila Prabhupada’s time got a loan from their guru for construction.

He also created a school of art. The early ISKCON artists were very primitive in their skills, but in a very short time they became expert and produced many beautiful paintings.

Comment by Adi Purusha Prabhu: All these paintings in this room were present during Srila Prabhupada’s time.

Any one of these things, the book publishing, training students, worldwide lecturing, or temple management could have been a full time job, and yet Srila Prabhupada did them all at once.

If you think of what Srila Prabhupada did in comparison to any other person in history, where is the comparison?

We cannot comprehend extent of our karmic reactions from millions of births and the meaning of our guru freeing us from our karma.

The beauty of deity worship frees us from sex desire.

The verses of “Gurvastakam” reveal the complete program Srila Prabhupada had for a spiritual culture to save people from materialistic life.

Srila Prabhupada was sent to this world to give the highest knowledge of the Supreme Lord.

The ecstasy people experienced distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books was greater than anything they remembered from their days of intoxication.

After all the devotees returned from sankirtana, no matter how late it was, I would send the report to Srila Prabhupada. One day after reviewing it, he sent me a handwritten note:

“My dear boys and girls, you are working so hard for broadcasting the glories of Lord Krishna’s lotus feet and thus my Guru Maharaj will be so pleased upon you. Certainly my Guru Maharaj will bestow His blessings thousand times more than me and that is my satisfaction. All Glories to the assembled devotees.

“N.B. Every one should go with the Sankirtan Party as soon as possible.

“A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami”

The blessings you get from Srila Prabhupada are thousands of times more, perhaps millions times more, than from your guru.

Everyone should go with the sankirtana party as soon as possible.

I will be happy to return and give a class on book distribution. I will try my best to explain the spiritual dimension of book distribution

Gopal Hari Prabhu:

From a Sunday feast lecture in Alachua:

For new devotees, Krishna fulfills their material desires to encourage them, and for advanced devotees, Krishna takes away everything to facilitate them.

Q (by Sesa Prabhu): Is there a way to understand in the beginning if we are receiving a gift of the holy name or the result of our karma?
A: It may be difficult to understand, but if it takes one closer to Krishna you can see it is a gift of the holy name. Ultimately, in any case, the devotee is determined to accept only things that he can engage in Krishna’s service.

Comment by a devotee: When we approach Krishna even for material things we become purified and advance toward Krishna.

The state of love cannot be without happiness because in all circumstances the devotee is happy by giving pleasure to Krishna.

Murali Gopal Prabhu:

In medieval times, the king’s eldest son inherited everything, and the younger sons got nothing. The younger sons had two options, to join the monastery or to join the military. Thus often the second son would assassinate the first to get the inheritance. The disenfranchised princes in Europe would come to the West and pillage Latin America and take the goods back to Europe to live the life they wanted.

There is a place in New York City where you can get ice cream coated with gold for $1,000.

One industrialist wants to build a state in space. They are doing background checks on the people who want to live there.

Thus we are creating artificial needs.

Greed and lust blind us to others’ needs.

All divisions of society are recommended to decrease their needs to be self-satisfied in all circumstances.

Austerities help us keep our needs low.

When there are not enough resources, it creates conflict.

Ananda Bihari Prabhu:

Sukadeva Goswami describes Bharata Maharaja as a madman for forgetting his devotional practice because of affection for a baby deer. Calling someone a madman is very strong language.

You have to analyze what you do between the different services you perform to understand where you are at.

Maya is like an intruder. The best way to deal with an intruder is to keep him out because that is easier than kicking him out once he has entered.

I asked Adi Purusha Prabhu if he was going to vote. He replied, “I vote every day. I vote for Srila Prabhupada.”

I have attended seminars and read articles about raising a child, but none mentions that changing your own character is the best way to develop character in the child.

One strategy is to give the child a false choice. Are you washing your face with cold water or warm water? In this way, you get the child to do what you want.

The election is a false choice in a sense. Whether you vote from Clinton or Trump, so many difficulties will still be there.

If I do not chant my rounds every day, if I do not hear the class every day, then my work will become completely mundane.

You have to be steady in your service. Your happiness and distress are already determined.

Comment by Adi Purusha Prabhu: Keeping the connection with the spiritual master keeps us from drifting off course and doing mundane welfare without a spiritual objective. When you know you are doing what your guru wants, then you can be confident.

Mahotsaha Prabhu:

When we move our hand, we do not know how to move the different atoms. We have the desire, and Krishna, as the Supersoul in the heart, moves the material energy accordingly.

If just by knowing about Krishna, you do not have to take birth again, you can understand Krishna is transcendental.

The entire Srimad-Bhagavatam is a commentary on the Gayatri mantra.

Krishna did not want to accept shoes from His mother unless all of His 900,000 cows had them, because as a servant of the cows, He should not be in a superior position.

The father of Srinivasa Acarya, Ganga Narayana, longed to meet Lord Caitanya, and in 1510, he could not bear it, and he journeyed to Navadvipa. It was about the time Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. After seeing Lord Caitanya he became transformed in spiritual ecstasy, and people called him Caitanya dasa. Later both parents visited Lord Caitanya in Puri, and Lord Caitanya predicted a great devotee would take birth as their son and be named Srinivasa Acarya.

Narahari Sakara Prabhu was the only one of Lord Caitanya’s associates who Lord Caitanya let glorify Him unrestrictedly in His presence.

Srinivasa Acarya decided to go to Puri himself to see Lord Caitanya, but unfortunately during his journey he learned Lord Caitanya left this world unexpectedly.

Srinivasa Acarya is said to be a partial expansion of Lord Caitanya’s ecstasy.

When Gadadhara Pandit would give class on Srimad-Bhagavatam, Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda and the other members of the Pancatattva would come and listen.

Srinivasa Acarya appeared to enter into a deep meditation for several days while chanting japa. His wives and the king he was the guru of were in great anxiety, but he was not in danger. In meditation he had entered into his original spiritual form and was assisting Radharani’s servants in looking for Her nose ring.

Bhakta Cesar:

Srila Prabhupada explains that only our sadhana is protecting us from falling into material life.

My Guru Maharaja [Vaisesika Prabhu] says, “Your seva [service] will save yah.”

On these appearance and disappearance days, Srila Prabhupada advised us to pray for the mercy of the personality who we are honoring.

Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaj had no interest but chanting the holy names of the Lord continuously and associating with the few devotees he recognized to be genuine.

Whatever the pure devotee uses becomes transcendental and is therefore worshipable.

In January of 1900 Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura took initiation.

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura considered that Gaurakisora Dasa Babaji Maharaja ignored all his good qualities because he had superior qualities himself.

Bhakti Vikasa Swami said of the U.S. election, “You are either voting for Putana or Ravana.”

Comments by Adi Purusha Prabhu:

In the different 12-step programs for recovering from drugs and alcohol, the former addicts always consider themselves still addicted, even after many years. Similarly we should always consider ourselves addicted to sense gratification and carefully follow the practice our guru has given to become elevated.

There are devotees who still think and act like karmis [those who work for their own enjoyment]. As long as we are thinking in terms of “what I like” and “what I do not like,” we are like karmis, although we have a guru and dress like a devotee.

Yama Niyama Das Brahmacari:

From an after lunch performance at the Bhaktivedanta Institute (Gainesville) conference:

Srila Prabhupada did not ask to kick in the face with the flip-flop.

You say the universe began with an explosion when there was no explosive matter out there.

You think are great because you know how to procreate, but it’s simply monkey business.

Lavanga Devi Dasi from Krishna House:

Comments on a class I gave at Krishna House on hearing talks of Krishna:

I see the value of the studying in twos, which you mentioned in the class. I have been reading for twenty minutes a day from one of Srila Prabhupada’s books to my roommate, Hari Priya, and it has really enhanced our relationship. While I read she listens, and we do not even discuss, but somehow we feel much closer as a result of the experience. [Hari Priya joyfully expressed agreement.]

—–

The gopis are famous for their advanced love of Krishna, and it is powerful to hear their appreciation of the power of narrations about Him:

tava kathamritam tapta-jivanam
kavibhir iditam kalmashapaham
sravana-mangalam srimad atatam
bhuvi grinanti ye bhuri-da janah

“[The gopis say to Krishna, in the ecstasy of separation from Him:] ‘The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.’” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.31.9)

When Maharaj Prataparudra recited this verse to Lord Caitanya, the Lord embraced him, and said, “You are most munificent! You are most munificent!”

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33657