Hare Krishna Society

Hare Krsna

Below we have several purports explaining the beginnings of Krsna Consciousness.

Working and dovetailing our work for God, Krsna is in the beginning of this process of extricating ourselves from the wheel of Karma. We should know and believe that anything done, if it is not done to please Guru and God, is still an entangling karmic act. Pure devotees do not perform any fruitive acts, therefore they qualify themselves to go back to Godhead.

Damaghosa das

SB 1.13.2 purport-…Like Vidura, an inquisitive conditioned soul must approach a bona fide spiritual master like Maitreya and by intelligent inquiries must try to know everything about karma (fruitive activities), jñāna (philosophical research for the Supreme Truth) and yoga (the linking process of spiritual realization). One who is not seriously inclined to put questions before a spiritual master need not accommodate a show-bottle spiritual master, nor should a person who may be a spiritual master for others pose to be so if he is unable to engage his disciple ultimately in the transcendental loving service of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Vidura was successful in approaching such a spiritual master like Maitreya, and he got the ultimate goal of life: bhakti unto Govinda. Thus there was nothing to be known further about spiritual progress

BG 4.16-Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all sins.

PURPORT-Action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness has to be executed in accord with the examples of previous bona fide devotees. This is recommended in the 15th verse. Why such action should not be independant will be explained in the text to follow.

… Otherwise even the most intelligent men will be bewildered regarding the standard actions of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. …By mental speculation one cannot ascertain what is religion or self-realization. Therefore, out of causeless mercy to His devotees, the Lord explains directly to Arjuna what action is and what inaction is. Only action performed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness can deliver a person from the entanglement of material existence.

BG 3.9-“Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed, otherwise work binds one to this material world.”

SB 1.9.44 purport- The Lord is served by all His parts and parcels, as the complete machine is served by its parts and parcels. Any part of the machine removed from the whole is no longer important. Similarly, any part and parcel of the Absolute detached from the service of the Lord is useless.…When the living being becomes conscious of this fact, he tries to go back home, back to Godhead, and thus the spiritual urge of the living being begins. This spiritual urge is called brahma–jijñāsā, or inquiry about Brahman..

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By Sarvopama Dasa, for your consideration:

In the science of Nutrition there is a principle, “Fractionalized, adulterated, or Processed” food, in the long run has the opposite effect of it’s intended purpose.”

I believe the same principle applies to religion, or the process of transcendence.
Food is meant to nourish and maintain ultimate health of the material body, while spiritual practices are for the health and the “ultimate” benefit of the soul [experiencing pure love of God].

For a person who has been deprived of food for a long time [perhaps due to having gotten lost in the wilderness], and who is therefore suffering from extreme weakness, if such a person by chance encounters some ‘hiker’ who shares with him a bunch of candy bars [Hostess Twinkies] that he happens to carry with him, I am certain, that even such “junk/adulterated food” will provide that hungry person not just a delight to his palate, but also a substantial energy boost [due to the carbohydrates]. However, no one would suggest that one should take this as an argument in favor of going on a permanent diet of Hostess Twinkies/Junk Food, as in the long term such a diet will have an ill effect on the physical health of a person.

Similarly, a person/jiva who has been deprived of spiritual sustenance for perhaps lifetimes, if such a soul comes in contact with even an adulterated “spiritual” process, or message [literature], that soul will experience some initial spiritual “rush”. However, just like a diet of adulterated/junk food’ will maintain or nourish a material body for a period of time, so will adulterated/junk religion nourish the soul for some time, while, again, in the long run both practices will be detrimental to either the body or the soul, and will have the opposite effect of it’s intended purpose. Toxins have an accumulative effect to both, the material as well as the spiritual body.
We see this even in other “religious” practices, either in Christianity, Islam, or various “Eastern [Mayavadi]” disciplines. Although all these “teachings/religions” I just mentioned have been heavily adulterated over time [the Bible and the Koran], people are still deriving enough “spiritual” taste/sustenance from their practice to seduce them into thinking that they have found “the light and the Truth”, only to be disappointed again at the time of death, having to take another birth again!

And may I point out, in the verse you quote above, “Such transcendental literature’s, even though imperfectly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.” [SB 1.5.11] , the words ‘imperfectly composed’ is not referring to “changes” made by conditioned and disobedient “disciples” who think they know better than their spiritual master, but rather to the unadulterated [even at times “apparent imperfect”] words of the pure devotees of the Lord.

The ‘unauthorized and un-impowered editor’ is not just changing or adding words, but he is injecting his very consciousness into the literature, he is contaminating Srila Prabhupada’s books with his envious and most toxic mentality.

The differences, by Haripada dasa

I will try to expose the differences between the materialistic people and the devotees of God or Krishna. The materialists think badly of others and you will be right, they think so because they are full of envy, fear, doubt, fanaticism, speculation, prejudice and are full of sinful activities. The devotees of God or Krishna think that if I think badly of another devotee, then Krishna will kick my head with his lotus feet just as he did with Kaliya to take out all my poison. The materialists are scammers and deceivers, a man tells a woman that I love you very much, I would give my life for you. He has sex, the woman becomes pregnant and the man tells the woman that I’m not ready to be a father and leaves. That’s where everything is pure deception. Marriage in Krishna consciousness, man and woman help one another to please Krishna and His devotees, thus creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony, the most.

The politicians, here in Spain, there is a party that says that if they sent people to retire at age 60, they know that this is not possible, but they say it so that people vote, that is cheating. Devotees of Krishna do not deceive themselves or others, they are honest people and live with a lot of inner peace because they know that everything is of Krishna. Because He has created everything, they use everything to satisfy Krishna and His devotees, and have full faith that Krishna and His devotees are my best friends. The materialists do not know how to relate to each other, because the basis of their relationships is envy. The devotees of Krishna relate to love and trust through these 6 transcendental activities: 1.- Offer gifts as charity, 2.- Accept charitable gifts, 3.- Reveal the mind confidentially, 4.- Ask confidentially, 5.- Accept prasada or food offered to Krishna and 6.- Offer prasada. (Upadesamrita, verse 4).

The materialists criticize the devotees of Krishna saying that because they do not eat meat, fish or eggs, because they do not engage in sexual activities like monkeys, because they do not play games of chance and because they do not take alcohol and drugs. We tell them thta to pursue a life full of sense gratification is like drinking poison W have already experienced before being devotees, but now we are experiencing a higher happiness. Therefore we have had two experiences in life, one is leading a full life of complacency of the senses and the other is a life full of love and devotion for Krishna and His devotees.

www.fflv.org https://haripadadasa.blogspot.com

These verses and purports are describing what happened after the departure of Lord Krsna(similar things could be said of when Srila Prabhupada also left)

SB 1.14.5- In course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother.

PURPORT

Such a pious king as Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira at once became perturbed when there were such inhuman symptoms as greed, anger, irreligiosity and hypocrisy rampant in society. It appears from this statement that all these symptoms of degraded society were unknown to the people of the time, and it was astonishing for them to have experienced them with the advent of the Kali-yuga, or the age of quarrel.

…When the Lord, however, appears in His person as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His other plenary portions also join in Him by His inconceivable potency called yogamāyā, and thus the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Vṛndāvana is different from the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Mathurā or the Lord Kṛṣṇa of Dvārakā. The virāṭ-rūpa of Lord Kṛṣṇa is also different from Him, by His inconceivable potency. The virāṭ-rūpa exhibited on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra is the material conception of His form. Therefore it should be understood that when Lord Kṛṣṇa was apparently killed by the bow and arrow of the hunter, the Lord left His so-called material body in the material world. ..That the Lord left His body means that He left again His plenary portions in the respective dhāmas (transcendental abodes), as He left His virāṭ-rūpa in the material world.

SB 1.14.11–The left side of my body, my thighs, arms and eyes are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings.

PURPORT–Material existence is full of undesirables. Things we do not want are forced upon us by some superior energy, and we do not see that these undesirables are under the grip of the three modes of material nature. When a man’s eyes, arms and thighs all quiver constantly, one must know that something is going to happen which is undesirable.

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Surrender means that “I am surrendering to Kṛṣṇa with full faith that He is quite competent and able to give me protection.” This is called surrender. Not that hesitation: “Oh, I will surrender to Kṛṣṇa, and in case of danger, He may not be able to give me protection.” That is not surrender.

– Bhagavad-gītā 1.2-3 — London, July 9, 1973

Surrender means to accept favorable things, how I can make progress towards Kṛṣṇa, and prātikūlya, pratikūla means rejecting unfavorable things which are not very congenial for my progress to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

– Bhagavad-gītā 18.67 — Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972

The śaraṇāgati means, surrender means that “Kṛṣṇa will save me. I, I’ll not do anything against the devotional service. Even there is torture…” Just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. He was tortured by his father. He had… Kṛṣṇa’s mother was tortured by his brother. Not outsider. So the demons are so rascal, they don’t care for son, sister, mother. No. “As soon as it is against my personal sense gratification, I must finish this.” But be sure that Kṛṣṇa will save.

– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.3.28 — Los Angeles, October 3, 1972

Surrender, means… Kṛṣṇa says that “You surrender unto Me,” sarva-dharmān parityajya [Bg. 18.66]. Let us believe this, that “Kṛṣṇa is asking to surrender. Let me surrender. He must protect me in danger.” That is called surrender.

– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.16.26-30 — Hawaii, January 23, 1974

Surrender means he has finished his all material business. No more.

– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 5.5.16 — Vṛndāvana, November 4, 1976

Surrender means you surrender and work as Kṛṣṇa says. That is surrender.

– Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.3 — Melbourne, May 22, 1975

Surrender means I must be prepared to execute the will of Kṛṣṇa; not my whims, but Kṛṣṇa’s will.

– The Nectar of Devotion — Vṛndāvana, November 6, 1972

Compiled by Raghav Pandit Das

taken from vedaveda.com

(here below is what can be added to the above-how we can begin to learn how to surrender)

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Hare Krsna-below we have a very instructive discussion whereby Srila Prabhupada is telling us that to become an actual “Vaisnava” is not so easy and therefore Varnashram system is necessary. And while working within this system, one should go on chanting Hare Krsna Maha Mantra and hearing from Krsna’s bona fide pure devotee representative.

Feb 14 1977 Mayapur conversations.

Hari-śauri: But in Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s practical preaching He only induced them to chant.

Prabhupāda: That is not possible for ordinary man.

Hari-śauri: What, to simply induce people to chant?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

Hari-śauri: He only introduced just the chanting.

Prabhupāda: But who will chant? Who’ll chant?

Satsvarūpa: But if they won’t chant, then neither will they train up in the varṇāśrama. That’s the easiest.

Prabhupāda: The chanting will be there, but you cannot expect that people will chant like Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They cannot even chant sixteen rounds. (And) these rascals are going to be Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

Satsvarūpa: No. But if they at least will chant and take some prasāda…

Prabhupāda: Chanting will go on. That is not stopped. But at the same time the varṇāśrama-dharma must be established to make the way easy.

Hari-śauri: Well, at least my own understanding was that the chanting was introduced in the age of Kali because varṇāśrama is not possible.

Prabhupāda: Because it will cleanse the mind. Chanting will not stop.

Hari-śauri: So therefore the chanting was introduced to replace all of the systems of varṇāśrama and like that.

Prabhupāda: Yes, it can replace, but who is going to replace it? The… People are not so advanced. If you imitate Haridāsa Ṭhākura to chant, it is not possible.

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The books of Srila Prabhupada, by Haripada dasa

Srila Prabhupada’s books are no different from Srila Prabhupada, when one reads his books one is associating with Srila Prabhupada. He always said that one who obeys his instructions given in his books, one will live with him. Some very strange people say that one should be having a living guru. I tell you, what happens when Srila Prabhupada and all the gurus of the parampara system are dead gurus? What happens is that when one goes to Vrindavana and prays to Srila Rupa Goswami in his samadhi, he does not listen your prayers?

Srila Prabhupada’s books are like the Sun that dispels all darkness. Srila Prabhupada’s books dispel all the ignorance of Kali yuga. Kali yuga is the sinful age, the dark age, the age of arguments, the age of hypocrisy and the era of quarrel. There is a prophecy that says that Srila Prabhupada’s books will be the law books for all mankind for the next 10,000 years. I remember a class in Los Angeles, USA, Srila Prabhupada said that the philosophy of the Krsna consciousness Movement is very easy, since we do not have to invent anything. We just repeat the message of the guru-parampara, that’s all. The message of the guru-parampara is eternal and is practiced with joy.

I will try to expose those eternal truths that Srila Prabhupada taught us. The first lesson to be understood and accepted is that we are not the temporary material body, but eternal spiritual souls. We are parts and portions of God or Krishna, and our happiness is in serving God or Krishna and His devotees. Srila Prabhupada, taught us that God is Krishna and he gave us a process to awaken our latent love that we all have for God or Krishna, As there is only God or Krishna and His energies in a natural way, when we love God or Krishna, we will love everyone and everything. He taught us that everything is from God or Krishna, because He created everything, and that a person becomes honest and wise when he uses everything to serve God or Krishna and His devotees.

He taught us that there is the spiritual world, and that the goal of human life is to go back home, back to Godhead. He taught us that the real problem are to become liberated from birth, death, old age and diseases. He taught us that the only spiritual process that exists in Kali yuga or the present era, is to chant the Hare Krishna Maha-Mantra, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna , Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare (the H is read as J de jota), and taught us that the pure and intimate devotees of God or Krishna never die, they live eternally in their instructions, and those who obey his instructions live with them. When humanity obeys these eternal truths there will be peace and prosperity in the world.

www.fflv.org https://haripadadasa.blogspot.com

Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has sung that the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so powerful that each one of them can deliver a universe.

The Ganges water is celebrated as being able to eradicate all kinds of sinful reactions. In other words, when a person takes his bath in the Ganges, he becomes freed from all life’s contaminations. The Ganges water is celebrated in this way because it emanates from the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.Similarly, those who are directly in touch with the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who are absorbed in the chanting of His glories are freed from all material contamination. Such unalloyed devotees are able to show mercy to the common conditioned soul. Śrīla Vṛndāvana dāsa Ṭhākura has sung that the devotees of Lord Caitanya are so powerful that each one of them can deliver a universe.In other words, it is the business of devotees to preach the glories of the Lord and deliver all conditioned souls to the platform of śuddha–sattva, pure goodness. Here the word su–sattva means śuddha–sattva, the transcendental stage beyond material goodness. By his exemplary prayers, Lord Śiva teaches us that our best course it to take shelter of Lord Viṣṇu and His Vaiṣṇava devotees. Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/4/24/58

photo taken at 1975 SF Ratha Yatra

[pdf-embedder url=”https://harekrishnasociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/The-Gita-Study-GUide.pdf” title=”The Gita Study GUide”]

The notes I took are sections from the Gita Guide that I find interesting. They are not from my intellect or mind.

By: Hasti Gopala dasa

The ease and clarity with which the author expounds upon the text beckon even students unfamiliar with Indian religious tradition into a genuine understanding and appreciation of this monumental work.

Other features, such as the fifty-six color paintings illustrating the text, and informative introduction, indexes, a glossary, a guide to pronunciation of the Sanskrit, and the other appendixes, make this edition of Bhagavad-Gita a real treasure to students of this perennial classic.

The Gita has long been considered the essence of Vedic philosophy and spirituality. As the essence of the 108 Upanisads, it is sometimes referred to as Gitopanisad.

Arjuna, forgetful of his prescribed duty as a ksatriya (warrior) whose duty is to fight for a righteous cause in a holy war, decides, for personally motivated reasons, not to fight. Krsna, Who has agreed to act as the driver of Arjuna’s chariot, sees His friend and devotee in illusion and perplexity and proceeds to enlighten Arjuna regarding his immediate social duty (varna-dharma) as a warrior and, more important, his eternal duty or nature (sanatana-dharma) as an eternal spiritual entity in relationship with God. Thus the relevance and universality of Krsna’s teachings transcend the immediate historical setting of Arjuna’s battle field dilemma. Krsna speaks for the benefit of all souls who have forgotten their eternal nature, the ultimate goal of existence, and their eternal relationship with Him.

It is important to note, in this connection, that the humanlike form of Krsna visible to Arjuna on the battle field is not a material, carnal form “assumed” or “manifested” by Krsna for the world of men. According to the text, the form seen by Arjuna is Krsna’s own original form, purely spiritual and transcendental. But although Krsna is visible to all those present, only those with eyes “tinged with devotion” can understand that He Himself is the “Supreme Person,” the Godhead. The universal form (visva-rupa) revealed by Krsna to Arjuna in the eleventh chapter is not in any sense a higher manifestation of Krsna, but only a temporary display of His controlling power as eternal time (kala) in the cosmic universe.

Since religion-philosophical concepts are most often experientially based, it is increasingly evident that to gain more than stereotyped or superficial knowledge, the student or researcher must approach the subject not as a hostile critic but as a cautious sympathizer, as unhampered as possible by his own academic or personal prejudices. This is how we should approach the Gita.

Especially when dealing with Vedic spiritual philosophy, which is never theoretical but always aimed at practical transformations of consciousness and perception, we should approach with philosophical introspection. Indeed, intellectual astuteness without sincere eagerness to understand truth has always been considered, in Vedic culture, ineffectual in the realm of spiritual knowledge. The mysteries of transcendental wisdom are revealed to one who has firm faith in God and guru: “Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.”

In the traditional Vedic system of education, the disciple always approaches the guru in an attitude of submission and faith.

After choosing a qualified guru, he submits himself for instruction in a humble, non-arrogant way, as Arjuna does in the Gita itself: “Now I am confused about my duty and have lost all composure because of weakness. In this condition I am asking You to tell me clearly what is best for me. Now I am Your disciple, and a soul surrendered unto You. Please instruct me.” [BG 2.7] Frequently, throughout the text, Krsna reminds Arjuna that He is revealing confidential truths because of Arjuna’s faithful, non envious attitude. At the conclusion of His teachings, He instructs Arjuna further, “This confidential knowledge may not be explained to those who are not austere, or devoted, or engaged in devotional service, nor to one who is envious of Me.” [BG 18.67]

Although we ourselves may not be approaching the Gita as disciples but as critical students, if we study it in a mood of critical introspection and philosophical inquisitiveness, our experience of the Gita will be more penetrating.

Yoga involves withdrawing the mind and senses from sense objects and, through unattached action, meditation, philosophical speculation or devotion (depending on which system of yoga one employs), gradually detaching oneself from the mundane world and ultimately realizing the self and his relationship with God.

Although there is some mention of Astanga-yoga (“the eightfold path”), the Gita deals primarily with three important systems of yoga; Karma-yoga (“the yoga of action”), jnana yoga (“the yoga of knowledge”) and bhakti-yoga (“the yoga of devotion”). In karma-yoga, one acts in selfless duty to the Supreme, sacrificing the fruits of one’s work to God. This purifies the actor and releases him from material entanglement. In jnana-yoga, on gradually cultivates spiritual knowledge by philosophical induction, exercising the intellect to differentiate between matter and spirit.