Hare Krishna Society

Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa

His Divine Grace Abhay Charan Das (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

The Universal Conception of Sri Guru

The following speech was given by Abhay Charan Das before the members of the Sri Gaudiya Matha in Bombay, in February 1936, on the occasion of the appearance anniversary of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

– The Universal Teacher –

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair / uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya / vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

“In the revealed scriptures it is declared that the spiritual master should be worshiped like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and this injunction is obeyed by pure devotees of the Lord. The spiritual master is the most confidential servant of the Lord. Thus let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master.”

Gentlemen, on behalf of the members of the Bombay branch of the Gaudiya Matha, let me welcome you all because you have so kindly joined us tonight in our congregational offerings of homage to the lotus feet of the world teacher, Acaryadeva, who is the founder of this Gaudiya Mission and the president-acarya of Sri Sri Visva-vaisnava Raja-sabha—
I mean my eternal divine master, Paramahamsa Parivrajakacarya Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja.

Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the Acaryadeva made his appearance by the call of Thakura Bhaktivinoda at Sri-ksetra, Jagannatha-dhama at Puri.

Gentlemen, the offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the Acaryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of gurudeva, or acaryadeva, we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discriminating my guru from yours or anyone else’s. There is only one guru, who appears in an infinity of forms to teach you, me and all others.

The guru, or acaryadeva, as we learn from the bona fide scriptures, delivers the message of the absolute world, the transcendental abode of the Absolute Personality, where everything nondifferentially serves the Absolute Truth. We have heard so many times: mahajano yena gatah sa panthah (“Traverse the trail which your previous acarya has passed”), but we have hardly tried to understand the real purport of this sloka. If we scrutinizingly study this proposition, we can understand that the mahajana is one, and the royal road to the transcendental world is also one. In the Mundaka Upanisad [1.2.12] it is said:

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigaccet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa

SB 2.1`.2

Those persons who are materially engrossed, being blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth, leave many subject matters for hearing in human society, O Emperor.

PURPORT

In the revealed scriptures there are two nomenclatures for the householder’s life. One is gṛhastha, and the other is gṛhamedhī. The gṛhasthas are those who live together with wife and children but live transcendentally for realizing the ultimate truth. The gṛhamedhīs, however, are those who live only for the benefit of the family members, extended or centralized, and thus are envious of others. The word medhī indicates jealousy of others. The gṛhamedhīs, being interested in family affairs only, are certainly envious of others. Therefore, one gṛhamedhī is not on good terms with another gṛhamedhī, and in the extended form, one community, society or nation is not on good terms with another counterpart of selfish interest. In the age of Kali, all the householders are jealous of one another because they are blind to the knowledge of ultimate truth. They have many subject matters for hearing-political, scientific, social, economic and so on-but due to a poor fund of knowledge, they set aside the question of the ultimate miseries of life, namely miseries of birth, death, old age and disease. Factually, the human life is meant for making an ultimate solution to birth, death, old age and disease, but the gṛhamedhīs, being illusioned by the material nature, forget everything about self-realization. The ultimate solution to the problems of life is to go back home, back to Godhead, and thus, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (8.16), the miseries of material existence-birth, death, old age and disease-are removed.

The process of going back home, back to Godhead, is to hear about the Supreme Lord and His name, form, attributes, pastimes, paraphernalia and variegatedness. Foolish people do not know this. They want to hear something about the name, form, etc., of everything temporary, and they do not know how to utilize this propensity of hearing for the ultimate good. Misguided as they are, they also create some false literatures about the name, form, attributes, etc., of the ultimate truth. One should not, therefore, become a gṛhamedhī simply to exist for envying others; one should become a real householder in terms of the scriptural injunctions.

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa

“Here, everything in the material world, everything is born, it remains for some time, it grows then dwindles then vanishes. So this is not very desirable. But unfortunately, the modern civilization, they do not know. They are very much proud of advancement of knowledge, but they do not know that the cause of suffering is this body. They do not know. And they do not know how to make a solution of this material existence. Therefore parābhava. Bhāgavata says all their so-called, nonsense advancement of civilization is defeat. Defeat. Lord Jesus Christ also said like that, that “If one gains everything and then loses his own soul, what does he gain?” Similarly, parābhavas tāvad abodha-jāto yāvan na jijñāsata ātma-tattvam. A man’s life is defeat only. However he may be very expert in driving motorcar day and night, this way and that way, very busy man, but if he does not inquire about his self—”What I am? Where from I have come? Where I have to go to? Why I am suffering? Why I am put to this disadvantageous position?”—when one does not inquire for all these things, then his activities are defeat, only defeat. Therefore this Kṛṣṇa consciousness will save not only humanity but the living entities from this disastrous position of repeated birth and death. The Bhagavad-gītā, therefore, they stress on this point. Lord Kṛṣṇa stresses that janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi-duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam:[Bg. 13.9] “You are very much proud of your knowledge, but if you want to be at all a man of knowledge, a man of wisdom, then you should first of all keep before you the problems of birth, death, old age and disease, because your so-called advancement of knowledge cannot make a solution of this birth, death, old age and disease.”

LA lecture Jan 13 1969

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa

Parampara Means to Accept The Prominent Acarya

Guru-Parampara – the disciplic succession

Spiritual knowledge descends through the disciplic succession from Krishna. The representatives of the disciplic succession can not change anything, add anything or subtract anything. Otherwise the disciplic succession will be broken and their preaching will have no potency. Many times in the history this disciplic succession has been broken because the representatives of the disciplic succession did not correctly pass on the knowledge to their students.

We can understand how perfect knowledge can be received. This information is given to us by Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the Bhagavad Gita, particularly in Chapter 4 Text 1 and Text 2

1) Kṛṣṇa, 2) Brahmā, 3) Nārada; 4) Vyāsa, 5) Madhva, 6) Padmanābha, 7) Nṛhari, 8) Mādhava, 9) Akṣobhya, 10) Jayatīrtha, 11) Jñānasindhu, 12) Dayānidhi, 13) Vidyānidhi, 14) Rājendra, 15) Jayadharma, 16) Puruṣottama, 17) Brahmaṇyatīrtha, 18) Vyāsatīrtha, 19) Lakṣmīpati, 20) Mādhavendra Purī, 21) Īśvara Purī, (Nityānanda, Advaita), 22) Lord Caitanya, 23) Rūpa (Svarūpa, Sanātana), 24) Raghunātha, Jīva, 25) Kṛṣṇadāsa, 26) Narottama, 27) Viśvanātha, 28) (Baladeva) Jagannātha, 29) Bhaktivinode, 30) Gaurakiśora, 31) Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, 32) His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda. (Introduction to “Bhagavad-gita As It Is”)

Parampara Means to Accept The Prominent Acarya

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Padmapani Dasa

“The lotus feet of our spiritual master are the only way by which we can attain pure devotional service. I bow to his lotus feet with great awe and reverence. By his grace one can cross the ocean of material suffering and obtain the mercy of Krishna.”

(Sri Guru-vandana Verse 1, Srila Narottama dasa Thakura)

“The dust of the feet of a devotee, the water that has washed the feet of a devotee, and the remnants of food left by a devotee are three very powerful substances. By rendering service to these three, one attains the supreme goal of ecstatic love for Krishna. In all the revealed scriptures this is loudly declared again and again. Therefore, my dear devotees, please hear from me, for I insist again and again: please keep faith in these three and render service to them without hesitation. From these three one achieves the highest goal of life — ecstatic love of Krishna. This is the greatest mercy of Lord Krishna.”

(Caitanya-caritamrita, Antya-lila 16.60-63)

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa

Srila Prabhupada said, He (Krishna) asked me to come here and I said that I did not want to go because it was such a dirty place. He (Krishna) told me if you go I will arrange so many nice palaces for you to live in. I said but I do not want to go. He (Krishna) said you just go and write these books and I will make it comfortable for you. So Srila Prabhupada said because He asked me to write these books I came.

Once in Bombay Srila Prabhupada ordered me to come to his room and listen to him preach to some life members. I sat there and listened for almost an hour. After they left he started to chastise me. Why are you not coming here every day to listen to me preach? You are one of my leaders if you do not learn how to preach from me then what will happen? Then he quoted a verse in Sanskrit from Bhagavad Gita and asked me if I knew this verse in English, where it was in the Gita, and what the meaning was. I unfortunately had no answers. Are you reading my books everyday? He asked. I admitted my neglect. If you do not read my books everyday then how will you learn? You are going out to make life members and collect big donations but you are not reading my books. You must read my books every day!

Then he said, even I read my books every day. Do you know why? I preferred no answer and waited for the revelation. Because every time I read these books even I learn something! I sat in stunned silence. Then he asked do you know why I learn something every time I read these books? Now I was completely bewildered. Because I have not written these books. What transpired next was simply amazing. He looked at me very intently making strong direct eye contact. He spoke with great authority but with a mystical mood bordering on the ecstatic as he began to describe how his books are written.

Every day he said, when I sit down here to write these books, he was now looking into space waving his hands in the air his voice filled with transcendental emotion, Krishna personally comes and dictates every word. I got the sense that Krishna was present in the room at that moment but I was too blind to see Him. Now Srila Prabhupada returned his eyes to mine. Therefore he said, whenever I read these books even I learn something and if you read my books everyday you will also learn something every time you read them.

Written by Bhagavat das

Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa

LA Dec 22 1968

Jāhnavā: Śrī Bhaktivedanta, how is it that the Absolute, which is so, at this point, for me, beyond human comprehension, how can it take this form of Kṛṣṇa-Rādhā?

Prabhupāda: It is His mercy. The Bhāgavata says that if you want to understand God, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia, His form, it is not possible to realize by your present senses. It is not possible. Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ [Cc. Madhya17.136]. These present senses, they are so contaminated that it is not possible that you can understand God, His form, His name, His quality, His paraphernalia by speculation. No, it is not possible. Then? How it is possible? Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. God reveals to you by your service attitude. And that service attitude begins from your tongue, jihvā.Jihvā means tongue. How? You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Then you will realize. Two things. Very simple method. He’ll reveal. You cannot understand what is God, but God will reveal to you, “Here I am.” Just like you cannot ask the sun, “Please rise up. I want to seeyou.” Oh, he is not your servant. But when sun reveals to you, you see yourself, you see the sun, and the whole world, everything nicely. So you have to wait for that revelation. And you have to practice this, first of all, this tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau [Brs. 1.2.234]. This particular tongue is mentioned. You can begin to reach that stage of revelation by training your tongue. What is that? Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and taste Kṛṣṇa prasādam. Very simple method. You try it and see. Otherwise it is not possible. God is not so little that you can order Him and He’ll… No, that is not possible. But if He’s pleased, then He’ll reveal Himself. So any other question? Or let us chant. (devotees offer obeisances)

Note-most of the ingredients below come from the three gardens/greenhouse out back

Below-French style garden beans gratinee with garden salad and garden German sour kraut-all offered to Lord Krsna thru His pure devotee Srila Prabhupada.

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Damagosha Dasa

Hare Krsna-

Below we have 4 items of interest to those who are serious about spiritual advancement in our Grhastha/householder ashram

1.Sacrifice, penance and charity are not to be ever given up.

2.Householders duty before eating himself is to call out to anybody on the street to come for meals

3.If we ignore or are ignorant of the Lord in every living entities heart and their hunger, our puja or worship, does not please Lord Krsna. Therefore compassion in the form of prasadam distribution should be done.

4.The grhasthas ashram, by its own nature, is a field of future potential fruitive weeds in our hearts-unless we engage in the Lords service, constantly, and thereby uproot them for good.

damaghosa das

——————————–

1.)BG 18.5-Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be performed. Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.

2.)SB 1.14.43 Purport-It is the duty of a householder to feed first of all the children, the old members of the family, the brahmanas and the invalids. Besides that, an ideal householder is required to call for any unknown hungry man to come and dine before he himself goes to take his meals. He is required to call for such a hungry man thrice on the road. The neglect of this prescribed duty of a householder, especially in the matter of the old men and children, is unpardonable.

3.)SB 3.29.24-My dear Mother, even if he worships with proper rituals and paraphernalia, a person who is ignorant of My presence in all living entities never pleases Me by the worship of My Deities in the temple.

PURPORT-…This gratitude and love for God is exhibited by a pure devotee, who knows that the Lord lives in every living entity. As such, temple worship necessarily includes distribution of prasāda. It is not that one should create a temple in his private apartment or private room, offer something to the Lord, and then eat. Of course, that is better than simply cooking foodstuffs and eating without understanding one’s relationship with the Supreme Lord; people who act in this manner are just like animals. But the devotee who wants to elevate himself to the higher level of understanding must know that the Lord is present in every living entity, and, as stated in the previous verse, one should be compassionate to other living entities. A devotee should worship the Supreme Lord, be friendly to persons who are on the same level and be compassionate to the ignorant. One should exhibit his compassion for ignorant living entities by distributing prasāda.Distribution of prasāda to the ignorant masses of people is essential for persons who make offerings to the Personality of Godhead.

Real love and devotion is accepted by the Lord. Many valuable foodstuffs may be presented to a person, but if the person is not hungry, all such offerings are useless for him. Similarly, we may offer many valuable items to the Deity, but if we have no real sense of devotion and no real sense of the Lord’s presence everywhere, then we are lacking in devotional service; in such a state of ignorance, we cannot offer anything acceptable to the Lord.

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa

His Divine Grace Abhay Charan Das (A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada)

The Universal Conception of Sri Guru

– The Universal Teacher –

saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastrair / uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih
kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya / vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

Sixty-two years ago, on this auspicious day, the Acaryadeva made his appearance by the call of Thakura Bhaktivinoda at Sri-ksetra, Jagannatha-dhama at Puri.

tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigaccet
samit-panih srotriyam brahma-nistham

“In order to learn the transcendental science, one must approach the bona fide spiritual master in disciplic succession, who is fixed in the Absolute Truth.”

Thus it has been enjoined herewith that in order to receive that transcendental knowledge, one must approach the guru. Therefore, if the Absolute Truth is one, about which we think there is no difference of opinion, the guru also cannot be two. The Acaryadeva to whom we have assembled tonight to offer our humble homage is not the guru of a sectarian institution or one out of many differing exponents of the truth. On the contrary, he is the Jagad-guru, the guru of all of us; the only difference is that some obey him wholeheartedly, while others do not obey him directly.

In the Bhagavatam [SB 11.17.27] it is said:

acaryam mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit
na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruh

“One should understand the spiritual master to be as good as I am,” said the Blessed Lord. “Nobody should be jealous of the spiritual master or think of him as an ordinary man, because the spiritual master is the sum total of all the demigods.” That is, the acarya has been identified with God Himself. He has nothing to do with the affairs of this mundane world. He does not descend here to meddle with the affairs of temporary necessities, but to deliver the fallen, conditioned souls—the souls, or entities, who have come here to the material world with a motive of enjoyment by the mind and the five organs of sense perception. He appears before us to reveal the light of the Vedas and to bestow upon us the blessings of full-fledged freedom, after which we should hanker at every step of our life’s journey.

Continue reading →

Submitted by: Hasti Gopala Dasa

Reporter: Have you ever had people come to you who had previously been involved with a fake guru?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, there are many.

Reporter: Were their spiritual lives in any way spoiled by the fake gurus?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, they were genuinely seeking something spiritual, and that was their qualification. God is within everyone’s heart, and as soon as someone genuinely seeks Him, He helps that person find a genuine guru.

Reporter: Have the real gurus like yourself ever tried to put a stop to the false gurus—that is, put pressure on them to put them out of business, so to speak?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, that is not my purpose. I started my movement simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. I chanted in New York in a place called Tompkins Square Park, and soon people began to come to me. In this way, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement gradually developed. Many accepted, and many did not accept. Those who are fortunate have accepted.

Books : The Science of Self Realization : SSR 2: Choosing a Spiritual Master : What Is a Guru? :

Srila Prabhupada: I then rented one store-front and an apartment at 26 Second Avenue for $200 per month, but without any source of income. I started my classes and sometimes, on Sundays, I used to chant Hare Krishna Mantra in Tomkins Square Park from three to 5 P.M. During this time, all the young boys and girls used to gather around me, sometimes poet Ginsberg would come to see me, and sometimes a reporter from the New York Times came to see me. In this way, the Hare Krishna Mantra chanting became very popular on the Lower East Side.

Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Hanuman Prasad Poddar

Srila Prabhupada: – I am very glad to learn from your letter dated 2nd July that both yourself and Acyutananda went to Babu Ghat for chanting Hare Krsna. I am very glad to learn it. The same process I adopted in your country when I started my Sankirtana in Tompkins Square, New York. Krsna was so kind to send to me all these boys and girls who are helping me now.– Los Angeles 10 July, 1970

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4CSpkcl8Fs

Hare Krishna Society

The Universal Conception of Sri Guru

too young, too much in love, too busy, too old, too late

The Wheels of Life-Birth Death Old Age and Disease —

Srila Prabhupada: Parampara Means to Accept The Prominent Acarya

Srila Prabhupada’s Divine Lotus Feet

Why I send out nectar emails of Srila Prabhupada’s words

Two things-chant Hare Krsna and taste Prasadam-you will realize God—SP

some duties of the householders

The Universal Conception of Sri Guru

Srila Prabhupada in Tompkins Square Park 1966 (B&W)