Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

28 December, 1971
Bombay
Letter to Sivanivas


"Regarding your question, Lord Caitanya is simply making a comparison between the moon and Lord Krishna's Sankirtana movement, because both are radiating benediction on all the living entities.

Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita: "I become the moon, and thereby supply the juice of life to all vegetables," and in another place "among the stars I am the moon." So, directly or indirectly, Krishna is supplying all benediction to everything and everyone, just like the moon gives life to vegetables, without which nothing can exist, and also that moon keeps the great oceans from overcoming the land and destroying everything.

Similarly, Lord Caitanya's Sankirtana movement gives spiritual life to all living entities by dint of its transcendental radiation, and also it prevents the demonic class of men from overwhelming the pious class of men, and thus in every way it bestows all benediction, just like at night the moon illuminates everything."

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

Monday, 3 January, 1972
Bombay
Letter to Giriraja


"The fact is that I am the only one in India who is openly criticizing, not only demigod worship and impersonalism, but everything that falls short of complete surrender to Krishna. My Guru Maharaja never compromised in His preaching, nor will I nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and all other are His part and parcel servants.

This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord."

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Sri Isopanisad Mantra 10

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
anyad evahur vidyaya-

nyad ahur avidyaya

iti susruma dhiranam

ye nas tad vicacakshire

SYNONYMS

anyat -- different; eva -- certainly; ahuh -- said; vid-yaya -- by culture of knowledge; anyat -- different; ahuh -- said; avidyaya -- by culture of nescience; iti -- thus; susruma -- I heard; dhiranam -- from the sober; ye -- who; nah -- to us; tat -- that; vicacakshire -- explained.

Translation
The wise have explained that one result is derived from the culture of
knowledge and that a different result is obtained from the culture of nescience.

Purport

"As advised in the Thirteenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita (13.8-12), one should culture knowledge in the following way:

1. One should himself become a perfect gentleman and learn to give proper respect to others.

2. One should not pose himself as a religionist simply for name and fame.

3. One should not become a source of anxiety to others by the actions of his body, by the thoughts of his mind, or by his words.

4. One should learn forbearance even in the face of provocation from others.

5. One should learn to avoid duplicity in his dealings with others.

6. One should search out a bona fide spiritual master who can lead him gradually to the stage of spiritual realization, and one must submit himself to such a spiritual master, render him service, and ask relevant questions.

7. In order to approach the platform of self-realization, one must follow the regulative principles enjoined in the scriptures.

8. One must be fixed in the tenets of the revealed scriptures.

9. One should completely refrain from practices which are detrimental to the interest of self-realization.

10. One should not accept more than he requires for the maintenance of the body.

11. One should not falsely identify himself with the gross material body nor consider those who are related to his body to be his own.

12. One should always remember that as long as he has a material body he must face the miseries of repeated birth, old age, disease and death. There is no use in making plans to get rid of these miseries of the material body. The best course is to find out the means by which one may regain his spiritual identity.

13. One should not be attached to more than the necessities of life required for spiritual advancement.

14. One should not be more attached to wife, children and home than the revealed scriptures ordain.

15. One should not be happy or distressed over desirables and undesirables created by the mind.

16. One should become an unalloyed devotee of the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna, and serve Him with rapt attention.

17. One should develop a liking for residence in a secluded place with a calm and quiet atmosphere favorable for spiritual culture, and one should avoid congested places where nondevotees congregate.

18. One should become a scientist or philosopher and conduct research into spiritual knowledge, recognizing that spiritual knowledge is permanent whereas material knowledge ends with the death of the body.


These eighteen items combine to form a gradual process by which real knowledge can be developed."

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

September 19, 1969
Tittenhurst
Letter to Sacisuta

I have seen what you have written about your protection by my humble self, but that is inevitable when a Spiritual Master accepts somebody as disciple.

Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita that He takes charge of a surrendered soul; so much so that Lord Krishna protects His devotee from all his sinful activities in the past. Similarly, the Spiritual Master, when He accepts a disciple and the disciple surrenders unto Him, He has got the responsibility of absorbing the sinful reaction of His disciples life. This is a great responsibility of the Spiritual Master. We should therefore be very careful not to overburden our Spiritual Master by further repetition of sinful activities.

Of course, one who has entered into Krishna Consciousness cannot act deliberately anything sinful. Still, we should always be on guard against such activities. Sometimes we hear that people are going to church to confess their sinful actions for being excused, but as soon as he comes out of the church, he begins the same drama again. This is like the bathing of the elephant, who immediately throws dirt again on his body. We should not follow such examples. Lord Caitanya accepted Jagai and Madhai on condition they would not commit further sinful activities. So all our students should be careful in the matter of violating the four principles and at the same time must carry on the chanting process rigidly.

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

April 28, 1970
Los Angeles
Letter to Citsukhananda

"Regarding your first question, who is the speaker of Isopanisad? The speaker is the Vedas personified. In the Vedic age a disciple heard from the Spiritual Master messages which were coming down in disciplic succession, so a disciple, whatever he heard from his bona fide Spiritual Master, would recite.

The Vedic mantras are known as Sruti, to hear from authoritative source and then repeat it, chanting. So there is no question of who wrote it, it is said that no human being has compiled them. Later on, before the beginning of Kali Yuga, all Vedic mantras were written in books, most of them were done by Srila Vyasadeva Mahamuni and his different disciples."

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

Wednesday, 17 November, 1971
Delhi
Letter to Brhaspati das

"Just like you add hydrogen and oxygen and get water. So let them chant and learn Bhagavad-gita and they will get Krishna's mercy. I am successful in my teaching work because I have not deviated one inch from my Spiritual Master's instruction, this is my only qualification. So if you simply remain pure, your preaching will have effect."

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

February 2, 1970
Los Angeles
Letter to Lalita Kumar

My open advice is that if any one can remain a Brahmacari, it is very nice, but there is no need of artificial Brahmacaris. In Bhagavad-gita it is stated that one who exhibits outwardly as self restrained, but inwardly he thinks of sense gratification he is condemned as mithyacara which means false pretender.

We do not want any false pretenders in numbers, but we want a single sincere soul. There is no harm in accepting a wife and living without any disturbance of the mind and thus sincerely advancing in Krishna Consciousness.

Submitted by Nityananda Rama dasa

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

Saturday, 12 October, 1974
Mayapur
Letter to: Muckerheide:

Please accept my best wishes. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 12, 1974 and have noted the contents.

From your letter I can see that you are an intelligent boy and that you have desire to assist me in spreading this movement of Lord Caitanya all over the world. Due to the influence of the Age of Kali everything is deteriorating, but by taking to this chanting of Hare Krishna mantra our real life of bliss and knowledge is awakened.

But before saving others we must first see that we ourselves are protected from the dangerous effects of maya. Therefore my recommendation to you is that you should associate yourself with my disciples in one of our Krishna Consciousness centers, practice our regulative principles, and study my books very carefully.

You are now living very near to our Los Angeles center, so please take advantage of this and participate fully in the program there. In this way your intelligence will become more and more purified and in consultation with the others there Krishna will give you the proper idea of how to spread Krishna consciousness.

I hope this meets you in good health.

Your ever well wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Submitted By Nityananda Rama dasa

The Need Of Prayers

Delhi, Tuesday 20th November, 1956 (Series #14)

Edited and Founded

Under direct order of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti-Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada

By Goswami Abhay Charan Bhaktivedanta
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An interesting feeling for prayers to bring in a change of the world, is now experienced from different quarters. Moral Re-armament movement stands in the fore front in this regard. From this we can feel the pulse of leading men of the world as to which way they are now thinking. The average citizen of the free nations can help to win the favour of the Supreme God and thus achieve just a lasting peace for all human kind.

Such an atmosphere of searching the favour of God has interested us, because there are already some hints of invoking God's mercy by way of prayer. Peace is possible only when we pray to God knowing our relation with Him. Everything that be is an emanation from the Supreme Lord is the version of the Vedas, the most authentic sources of transcendental knowledge. The relation of a man with another man or material object is but a perverted reflection of our pure relation with God which is now forgotten by the pressure of material hankering manifested by a strong desire to lord it over the physical nature. By such strong desire to lord it over the physical nature, world's spiritual resources have become snubbed down for want of a dynamic spiritual atmosphere.

Man's religious fervour is displayed for achievement of material gain which attained one can satisfy his earthly desires. These earthly desires are different branches of sense gratifying processes fashionably called as material advancement of human civilisation (?). A man when he is frustrated in his continuous endeavours for material gains, sometimes he turns towards the Supreme Power, call Him by any name, unknown to him but yet he offers his prayers to Him for peace and prosperity. In the Bhagwat Geeta such a man who turns to prayer at times of frustration and helplessness for redemption of his material trouble, is said to be a fortunate man because by such prayers to God he is placed on first step of spiritual realisation, so essential in the human form of life.

It is learnt from a reliable source that President Eisenhower a very prominent figure in the political world said as follows:--

"Peace cannot be left to diplomat and soldier. It desperately needs the transforming power that comes from men and women, the world over, responding to their highest allegiances and to their best motives. The cause of peace needs God."
"The West has erred, because it has chosen to fight -- with materialistic weapons. As long as the battle is fought on these terms they (the enemy) will keep winning. Western democracy must base its appeal on more than freedom, more than prosperity; it must base its appeal on religion... The Grace of God might bring about this miracle."

We shall try to write separately on the subject of 'The cause of peace needs God' and we may say now that the Grace of God may bring in miracles is an established fact and it is stated in the Bhagwat Geeta as follows:--

"Daibi, Hi, Esha, Gunamoyee, Mama, Maya, Duratyaya, Mam, Eba, Je, Prapadyate, Mayam, Etan, Taranti, Te."

We have repeatedly confirmed in the pages of Back to Godhead at different times that the ways of the laws of physical nature are not only stringent but they are also insurmountable by the material resources of mankind. The physical nature is external energy of Godhead and He is competent to control such laws of physical nature. It is stated in the 'Brahma Samhita' that beginning from the insect of the name 'Indragopa' which has very little power to assert itself to lord it over the physical nature, up to the king of heaven Indra the sovereign amongst the demigods, who has the biggest delegated power to lord it over the laws of physical nature -- every one is bound up by the law of karma to undergo the fruitive result of his own work.

Srila Prabhupada Quote Of The Day

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Founder~Acharya of the Krsna Consciousness Movement

18 September, 1972
Los Angeles
Letter to Bali Mardan & Pusta Krishna

"The standards I have already given you, now try to maintain them at all times under standard procedure. Do not try to innovate or create anything or manufacture anything, that will ruin everything. Simply do as I am doing and be always serious and sincere to serve Krsna, and He will give you intelligence how to do everything."

Submitted By Nityananda Rama dasa