From Back to Godhead
Fulfilling our duty as parents requires taking care of our children’s spiritual needs.
As the mother of ten children, I am often asked, “How do you fulfill your family responsibilities and still make progress in spiritual life? When do you find the time to serve God?”
“It’s a matter of vision,” I reply. “I realize that I can serve God by caring for my children and husband with love and respect.”
Being a mother and wife is my duty, and I don’t distinguish it from my service
From a multi-billionaire to pauper in the street, everyone is seeking the wealth of love. The gaudy gizmos, exotic holidays, luxury cars, sports bikes, late night dance parties, Valentine ‘s day, thousands of friend lists on Facebook, millions of followers on Twitter and 70 mm celluloid screens, may titillate or stimulate the senses and mind, but in the real reel of our life it cannot quench the thirst of love in our heart.
This thirst can be better apprehended by the analog of the gardener. A
Loving Krishna means loving everyone because Krsna is in their heart. Conversely, applying that logic backwards, if you don’t love everyone, it means that you are not loving Krsna. Using the root and leaves example, if the leaves are looking healthy, it is to be understood that the root is receiving nourishment.
In SB, eleventh canto, it is explained that only the kanishta or neophyte sees Krsna in the temple, but not in the hearts of all, and fails to respect and develop loving relationships w
For Srila Prabhupada, the term “Society, Friendship and Love,” was used to refer to the primary allurement which keeps us shackled in the material world of illusion and suffering. The following excerpt is indicative of his general usage of the term:
Persons who are conditioned in the society, friendship, and love, this is the attraction for material life. “Society, friendship and love,” they think, “divinely bestowed upon man.” But that, it is not divinely bestowed upon man. From spiritual poin
Srila Prabhupada says...
These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children and we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna consciousness. That is very great responsiblity, do not neglect it or be confused. If you train a child in taking shelter of Krishna then that will become nature of child. Our children are the gift given by mercy of the Lord, they are delicate. Take care of them with Love and Devotion, by giving them Krishna Consciousness. Children are a blank slate. You
By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada
As long as we have the desire for material sense gratification or the desire for material liberation there is no possibility of developing transcendental bliss in Krsna consciousness. Bhukti is the desire for material sense gratification, and mukti is the desire, after being frustrated, for liberation. Real mukti or liberation however, means to achieve devotional service. If one becomes liberated from nonsense then one must engage on
I signed up with my daughter for a Mother’s Day yoga class in the park about 12 years ago. Being a beautiful crisp Autumn morning, we thought this would be a relaxing way to start our Sunday.
A girl named Ambarissa led the most peaceful class I had ever attended. I think that the kirtan at the end made it even more special. After meeting this girl just once, she invited us to a home kirtan, to have dinner and meet other like-minded people. Usually, I would be more likely to shy away from this ki
When first joining the Bhakti Centre I had so many devotees offering to help with my spiritual journey, that I did not know which direction to take. I was quite bewildered until I met Rasarani, a most advanced devotee who would come to be my Siska Guru. She told me I could follow a progressive path in Bhakti, and she would be my guide.
My first and possibly most difficult challenge was to try to control the mind and senses, or Sraddha. Rasarani explained that she used small tokens to help her
When first joining the Bhakti Centre I had so many devotees offering to help with my spiritual journey, that I did not know which direction to take. I was quite bewildered until I met Rasarani, a most advanced devotee who would come to be my Siska Guru. She told me I could follow a progressive path in Bhakti, and she would be my guide.
My first and possibly most difficult challenge was to try to control the mind and senses, or Sraddha. Rasarani explained that she used small tokens to help her
Guest: What is the value of accepting this sacrifice for the human being?
Prabhupāda: For better benefit.
Guest: But now can it be accepted as a kind of masochism?
Prabhupāda: What he’s speaking? Masochism? What is this masochism?
Devotee: Self-inflicted pain. “I want to hurt myself.”
Prabhupāda: No. It is not like that. Just like if you are diseased, doctor says that “You don’t eat this.” So that is not self-inflicted. The idea is that just to become cured from your disease you accept the ins
We are receiving much rain, but as long as it ceases for a time for me to stroll, then it’s okay. Stroll I did, through the park and up Yonge St. I realized one thing about myself and walking; I always get a thrill from crossing rivers via a bridge but dislike crossing streets where there’s crazy traffic, either in motion or halted. A pet peeve of mine — the wider the road, the more the lanes, the higher the risk.
Tonight, I took to a bench when a couple approached me. The fellow introduced him
To Love God is a short English article written in 1871, describing bhakti (love) as the religion of the soul. The piece is based on Christ Jesus’ teaching “Love God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength, and love man as thy brother.
To Love God (1871)
by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura
(Tajpur journal, Friday, August 25, 1871)
It was Christ Jesus who first said “Love God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and love man as thy
From Back to Godhead
What is love? Where is it? And how can we get it?
Love, we are told, is all we need. It is the subject of numberless books, songs, films, plays, sonnets, articles, conversations, and advertisements; it is meditated on, longed for, and bemoaned; it is a source of anguish, ecstasy, and everything in between. Yet despite our ability today to acquire many things, love—or loving relationships with our friends, spouses, children, parents—often eludes us.
Why? Let us explore the n
Krsna is conquered by all, but most by the devotee who gives the most, who does the most.
Love is the foundation of everything. It is not like a sentimental wet blanket. Sometimes, we hear of impersonalists speak about the cosmic love and how one has to connect to that cosmic love, that all this cosmic loving energy is all-pervading and if one simply connects to it then they will also become like an instrument of that love. That is the impersonal loving energy, like a wet loving bla
Dear Giriraj Maharaja,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Here is a story that I would like to share with you—an experience with Srila Prabhupada in Germany in 1974. At that time I was in charge of managing the festival of Srila Prabhupada’s stay in Schloss Rettershof. For organizing all the devotees, I used a magnetic board with all the names of the devotees on magnetic nametag holders. So, while I was in my office managing the temple, all of a sudden I felt t
The material world is dominated by lust. That is what this world is all about; lust somehow or another in so many varieties and forms. The spiritual domain however, is dominated by love.
Lust is self-centred; lust is ultimately asking, “What is in it for me?” Love on the hand is giving, love is aiming to please others. So that is spiritual consciousness, pleasing others. That is the essence of the spiritual world. This mantra that we are chanting, it comes directly from the spiritual world. And
By Giriraj Swami
“Now these Christmas holidays have begun in your country. Throughout the whole month of December you’ll observe nice festivities. Why? It began with God consciousness. Jesus Christ came to give you God consciousness, and in relation to him these festivities are going on. It may have degraded into another form, but the beginning was God consciousness. Now we may have lost it. But people cannot be happy without reviving God consciousness. It may be named differently—‘Krishna cons
By Kadamba Kanana Swami
Devotional service binds us to Krsna in responsibility. The first time we do little seva, we gradually start to develop our service and the more service we take, the more we continue to develop our service. For example, Srimati Radharani came from Yavat to Mother Yashoda’s house everyday to cook for Krsna. Radharani took that service very seriously. It was her responsibility to cook for Krsna, and she was bound to that service. So one might think, what freedom is there in
