When we say Krishna we mean God. When we say God it is not a Hindu God or Muslim God or Christian God and so forth or an Indian God or Russian god or Chinese God. God is God. He is the only one. He is the Supreme Personality. Although He is one but He has innumerable names according to His innumerable pastimes and innumerable qualities. Even in English we notice God is addressed as the Almighty or Omnipotent. Almighty and omnipotent are the names of God. As God is all powerful, He is the Almigh
February 1971: BENARES, INDIA Festival glorifying Lord Chaitanya
Radha Govinda Swami: I was in Benares at that time when Srila Prabhupada was touring, traveling India with his 40 disciples. I read in a newspaper in America Krishna-bhakti is preached. Naturally, I was a devotee of Krishna so I liked this topic. So I went there. Then there was a procession from Dashashvamedha Ghat to Tapan Misra’s house that is now in Benares.
When the procession finished, I approached Srila Prabhupada and I spok
By Vijaya Prabhu
One Muslim boy was reluctant to take a book from me because it was from outside his tradition. I saw him another day, and he said, “I had this dream the Bhagavad-gita came to me glowing.” I again encouraged him to get the book, and after repeated attempts, he finally accepted it.
This knowledge can pull people out of the modes of material nature.
We are still tinged, but we have come a long way.
We are not distributing paper and ink but jewels.
I tell the people, “You cannot pu
Krishna is absolute. Krishna the person, and Krishna’s words, Bhagavad-gita—there is no difference. Advaya-jnana, no duality. Everything is one, absolute. Krishna is absolute, Krishna’s instruction is also absolute, Krishna’s pastimes absolute. Everything. That is Absolute Truth. There is no difference. In the material world, the name and the thing are different. Suppose here is mango—mango the thing and mango the name. If I simply say “Mango, mango, mango,” there is no mango. There must be the
Real Vaishnavism is something very deep and something sublime, it’s not simply a type of dress or a type of hairstyle, it’s the substance of our consciousness.
What is our character?
Materialism is the consciousness of wanting to exploit, wanting to enjoy. Thinking oneself above another, that is material consciousness.
The consciousness of a Vaishnava is to serve. This body exists not to enjoy, this body exists to serve. The words I speak are not meant not just to talk, what I want to talk, the
sri visnuduta ucuh
yuyam vai dharma-rajasya
yadi nirdesa-karinah
bruta dharmasya nas tattvam
yac cadharmasya laksanam
“The blessed messengers of Lord Visnu, the Visnudutas, said: If you are actually servants of Yamaraja, you must explain to us the meaning of religious principles and the symptoms of irreligion.” (SB 6.1.3) The Yamadutas had challenged, “Who are you, interfering in our business? We have come to arrest him.” So, the counterchallenge was, “You said, ‘We are servants of D
A day in the life of Shri Krishna is filled with numerous activities: tending cows, playing pranks on the women of the village, feasting on sumptuous food with the cowherd boys and vanquishing an ill-fated demon whose misfortune brings him wandering into Krishna’s abode. Considering all this, one might ask why Krishna would choose to lose sleep over dancing with a group of mere milkmaids.
The Adi Purana narrates a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna. The Supreme Lord, Shri Krishna, describe
Krishna has given us a little independence, because we are part and parcel of Krishna. Krishna is fully independent. He does not depend on anyone. We have got independence to a certain extent, but under the control of maya. In the spiritual life there is also maya. That is called yoga-maya. And in the material life there is also maya. That is called maha-maya, Durga. So we, being very little . . . Just like a small child: he is given either to the mother for taking care or to the nurse for taki
Chanting Krishna’s name in mantra meditation is a concentrated effort. Although we remember Krishna here and there throughout the day, japa is a focused and full immersive experience in hearing the holy name.
The invitation to japa is to listen. To listen to the sound of the mantra through our own voice chanting it. Just hear, Prabhupada once said, Just hear yourself chant sincerely.
Our mind and body tend to get restless with extended listening to the mantra. The body may ache as we sit, or
We might wonder what is going on in the heart of the Lord when someone turns to Him. Any information about this would increase our desire to connect with Him manifold – but is there any reliable description, an example, a real incident?
This is very nicely answered in the following texts, where the Lord welcomes Gopa Kumara when he finally comes before Him.
The Supreme Lord said: “Welcome, welcome, My dear boy! I am fortunate – most fortunate – to meet you here. For so long I have been eager to
Those who are intelligent know that everything is supplied by Krishna. So why not depend on Krishna only? Why so many other attempts? Therefore Krishna says,
vyavasayatmika buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-sakha hy anantas ca
buddhayo ’vyavasayinam
[Gita 2.41]
Vyavasayi means one who knows business particularly. Vyavasaya. Or one who knows confidently, “This is the cause; this is the effect.” Those who know that Krishna is the origin of everything are fixed up in Krishna. Vyavasayatmika
In a talk on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.15.51, on December 28, 1973, in Los Angeles, Srila Prabhupada spoke about bhagavat-priyanam, those who are very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
“Bhagavat-priyanam. There is a common saying in English, ‘If you love me, love my dog.’ That is very important. If you love such person who is very dear to Krishna (bhagavat-priyanam), then Krishna is more pleased.
“There is a version in the Padma Purana. Parvati was asking questions to Lord Shiva, and he was
From Back to Godhead
A ten-year-old wonders, “Will Krishna recognize us when we return to Him?”
“Oh, these ropes of desires are strange indeed! A person tightly bound by them runs all around seeking happiness, but one freed from them stays calmly in one place.” (Niti-shastra)
“What’s it like to go back home to Krishna?” wondered ten-year-old Kiran at the weekly gathering for children from our congregation.
I responded by speaking about Goloka Vrindavana, our real home, where we aspire t
Hare Krishna Vaisnavas!
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I write poems and monthly put them in a chapbook for the pleasure of Guru and Gouranga,
the devotees, and anyone who doesn't know about Krishna, but likes poetry.
A devotee suggested I share with you, and so, for your consideration, here it is =)
our life, in time
later, a stranger
will wear your shirt,
buttoned all the way,
while another leafs
through your favorite book
without liking it.
finally, some
One year on Gita Jayanti, the day on which Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna, I heard a talk in which Srila Prabhupada spoke about the perfection of reading the Gita.
“When Lord Chaitanya was traveling in South India, in a big temple, Ranganatha temple, He went to see the Deity, and He saw one brahmana was reading Bhagavad-gita. And people were joking with him, ‘Oh, Mr. Brahmana, how you are reading Bhagavad-gita?’ Because they were neighbors, they knew that this brahmana was illit
Guest: What is the highest devotion, the highest bhakti, please?
Srila Prabhupada: To love Krishna. If you become expert how to love Krishna… The idea of loving is not unknown to you. You love somebody. You love your wife. You love your children. You love your country. You love your society. There are so many loving aspect. But when you love Krishna, then your life is perfect. That we have to…
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma samprasidati
(Srimad-Bhag
In his talk on the Bhagavad-gita 9.20–22, on December 7, 1966, in New York, Srila Prabhupada stated:
“The Lord says a very nice thing. What is that?
ananyas cintayanto mam
ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
yoga-ksemam vahamy aham
[Gita 9.22]
[But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form to them I carry what they lack and preserve what they have.] Here the Lord gives assurance that ‘Those who are unflinching and cent percent devoted in the transce
[During a lecture Srila Prabhupada interrupts his discourse on the Srimad-Bhagavatam verse when he notices some of his disciples leaving the
lecture, apparently to attend to other services] Srila Prabhupada: Why they are going? They are busy in some other work? Eh? Ugra-karma.
Without hearing, what will he do?
Nonsense? Sravanam kirtanam, this is our main business. If you don’t hear, what will you do? You will simply
do sense gratification. That’s all. So this is the difficulty, that we are not
I heard a wonderful talk in which Srila Prabhupada and Srimad-Bhagavatam glorified the chanting of the holy names. I was present when Srila Prabhupada gave the talk at the Ardha-kumbha-mela in Allahabad on January 31, 1971.
Srila Prabhupada said, “The conclusion is:
na vai sa narakam yati
neksito yama-kinkaraih
yady apy amangalo martyo
visnu-loke mahiyate
[SB 6.2.48]
[‘Because this very confidential historical narration has the potency to vanquish all sinful reactions, one who hears or describ
