It is not that “Become a big Vaiṣṇava and sit down and imitate.” This is all rascaldom. So don’t follow this thing. So at least we cannot advise you in that way. We have learned from our GuruMahārāja that preaching is very, very important thing, and when one is actually an experienced preacher, then he is able to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offense. Before that, this so-called chanting of HareKṛṣṇamantra, you may practice without any offenses… And giving up all other business to make a show of a big Vaiṣṇava, that is not required. Thank you very much. (end)Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/classes/sb/1/7/19/vrndavana/september/16/1976

Dinner Prasadam tonight—-fresh picked steamed beets  fresh picked steamed pole beans and pasta a la cabreze (sp?)also with fresh picked tomatoes and basil. The only thing we didn’t make or grow was the pasta noodles.

Śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya–nānā śṛṅgāra–tan–mandira-mārjanādau: ** Deity worship means to dress the Deity very nicely, to cleanse the temple very nicely, to offer nice foodstuffs to the Deity, and to accept the remnants of the Deity’s foodstuffs for our eating. This is the method of Deity worship. Deity worship is done by the guru himself, and he also engages his disciples in that worship. This is the third symptom.The fourth symptom is: catur–vidha–śrī–bhagavat–prasāda– svādv-anna-tṛptān hari–bhakta–saṅghānkṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam **The spiritual master encourages distribution of prasādam (remnants of Kṛṣṇa’s food) to the public. Ours is not a dry philosophy—simply talk and go away. No. We distribute prasādam, very sumptuous prasādam. In every temple, we offer prasādam to anyone who comes. In each and every temple we already have from fifty to two hundred devotees, and outsiders also come and take prasādam. So prasādam distribution is another symptom of the genuine spiritual master.If you eat bhagavat–prasādam, then gradually you become spiritualized; it has this potency. Therefore it is said that realization of God begins with the tongue. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: If you engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, then you realize God. So what is that engagement of the tongue? You chant the holy name of the Lord, and you take this prasādam, remnants of food offered to the Lord. Then you become self-realized, God-realized—by these two methods. You don’t have to be very highly educated or be a philosopher, a scientist, or a rich man to realize God. If you just sincerely engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, you will realize Him. It is so simple. It is not very difficult. Therefore the guru, the spiritual master, introduces this prasādam program. Svādv-anna-tṛptān hari–bhakta–saṅghān.Hari–bhakta–saṅghān means “in the association of devotees.” You cannot do it outside. Kṛtvaiva tṛptiṁ bhajataḥ sadaiva: When the guru is fully satisfied that prasādam distribution is going on, he is very much pleased, and he engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord by chanting and dancing. This is the fourth symptom. JSD 4

Sri Krsna Janma Astami, Wednesday, August 12, 2020 [Mayapura, West Bengal, India time]Srila Prabhupada explains the appearance of Lord Krishna

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.

that time, in all directions, east, west, south, north, everywhere, there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages or pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offer sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire alter had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas were very distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear loud vibrations in the sky of transcendental sounds proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Hare Krsna-For those devotees who want to know- here is a comprehensive list given to us by Srila Prabhupada for the beginning stages of an aspiring devotee and- the already acquired  qualities of a bona fide guru or liberated soul
Hare Krsna

damaghosa das———————————

SB 5.4.5 purport…This is the way of Vedic life. One must stop the process of repeated birth and death and return home, back to Godhead. The words tan-mahimānam avāpa are significant in this regard. Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī says that mahimā means liberation in this life. We should act in such a way in this life that after giving up this body, we will become liberated from the bondage of repeated birth and death. This is called jīvan-mukti.Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya states that in the Chāndogya Upaniṣad there are eight symptoms of a jīvan-mukta, a person who is already liberated even when living in this body. The first symptom of one so liberated is that he is freed from all sinful activity (apahata-pāpa). As long as one is under the clutches of māyā in the material energy, one has to engage in sinful activity. Bhagavad-gītā describes such people as duṣkṛtinaḥ, which indicates that they are always engaged in sinful activity. One who is liberated in this life does not commit any sinful activities. Sinful activity involves illicit sex, meat-eating, intoxication and gambling. Another symptom of a liberated person is vijara, which indicates that he is not subjected to the miseries of old age. Another symptom is vimṛtyu. A liberated person prepares himself in such a way that he does not take on any more material bodies, which are destined to die. In other words, he does not fall down again to repeat birth and death. Another symptom is viśoka, which indicates that he is callous to material distress and happiness. Another is vijighatsa, which indicates that he no longer desires material enjoyment. Another symptom is apipātā, which means that he has no desire other than to engage in the devotional service of Kṛṣṇa, his dearmost pursuable Lord. A further symptom is satya-kāma, which indicates that all his desires are directed to the Supreme Truth, Kṛṣṇa. He does not want anything else. He is satya-saṅkalpa. Whatever he desires is fulfilled by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. First of all, he does not desire anything for his material benefit, and secondly if he desires anything at all, he simply desires to serve the Supreme Lord. That desire is fulfilled by the Lord’s grace. That is called satya-saṅkalpa. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī points out that the word mahimā means returning to the spiritual world, back home, back to Vaikuṇṭha. Śrī Śukadeva says that the word mahimā means that the devotee attains the qualities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. This is called sadharma, or “the same quality.” Just as Kṛṣṇa is never born and never dies, His devotees who return to Godhead never die and never take birth within the material world.
BG 7.14 purport...Another meaning of guṇa is rope; it is to be understood that the conditioned soul is tightly tied by the ropes of illusion. A man bound by the hands and feet cannot free himself – he must be helped by a person who is unbound. Because the bound cannot help the bound, the rescuer must be liberated. Therefore, only Lord Kṛṣṇa, or His bona fide representative the spiritual master, can release the conditioned soul. Without such superior help, one cannot be freed from the bondage of material nature. Devotional service, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, can help one gain such release.
Note-this purport is very nicely given to us by Srila Prabhupada so that we wont be cheated by future “gurus” who claim to be bona fide spiritual masters, yet have none of the above mentioned qualities of a liberated soul. If one is bound my material desires, or manifest material qualities, then how can this person who is bound to matter like ourselves, in any way help us who are also similarly bound by the ropes of material nature? Only that person who is not bound with ropes of maya can intie our ropes, and nobody else)

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Hare Krsna…..Hare Rama….
Lord Nityananda Prabhu was known as a trouble maker at times. He would throw His clothes around, standing sometimes naked before the devotees, toss His food into other rooms or on the floor, and sometimes reply in ways that made absolutely no sense to all others. When a pot of ghee was stolen by a crow from Mother Malinis kitchen he ordered the bird to return it, which it did.When she offered Him sweets, He would toss them about and then return them to the plate so as not to cause her distress.And yet He was always  bursting forth with divine happiness,  acting like an innocent young boy at times, even when Hewould jump into the Ganga river and chase crocodiles, much to the dismay of all others. He would chase the young gopi girls and ask them to marry Him, even though this was not possible according to the customs.  Nobody knew what He would do from moment to moment. And despite all this ,everyone loved Him just like they loved Nimai pandit, Sri Gauranga Mahaprabhu. The Two Lords were inseparable, and They both began the sankirtan movement in Bengal India 500 years ago and predicted it would spread to every town and village on this earth-which has almost been done up to today.
I offer my humble obeisances to these two Divine Incarnations of Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama who have captured the attention of millions of  devotees in this age of kali.

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Oct 3 1975 MauritiusCyavana: Perfect.Prabhupāda: So don’t be discouraged.Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: No, Prabhupāda. I’ll never leave your lotus feet. They asked you about other movements yesterday at the press conference…Prabhupāda: Yes.Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: …this movement and that movement. You said, “This is Kṛṣṇa’s movement.” So this should be our line of argument, because especially amongst the Indian community, when they question us about this swami and that swami…Prabhupāda: They replied that in everything there is light. And yes, the light of, what is called, glowworm and the light of sun is not the same. Everything is light; that doesn’t… We haven’t got to accept so-called lights. Even there is light, when there is sunlight, why you should aspire after glow of light? (People chanting in background) Who is chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa?Cyavana: Everyone is saying Hare Kṛṣṇa.Prabhupāda: Hare Rāma Hare Rāma. (laughter)Devotee (2): So all those sinful activities of these people have been eradicted now by saying Hare Rāma?Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Immediately. That is the special advantage of this age. Kirtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ [SB 12.3.51]. Immediately becomes free, mukta-saṅga. Without becoming mukta-saṅga, they cannot chant even. Why others are not chanting, they are chanting?Devotee (2): But the same… That means they will make more sinful activities?Prabhupāda: If he does, that is another thing. Otherwise, for the time being, he is freed from all the reaction of sinful, immediately. Sadyaḥ savanāya kalpate. Sadya, immediately. Immediately he becomes brāhmaṇa.Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Is pious activity on the material platform?Prabhupāda: No, no. It is transcendental, above pious activity. By accumulation of pious activities one may be elevated to the transcendental position. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ [SB 10.12.11]. Puṇya means pious activities. After doing for many, many years simply pious activities one may be elevated to the transcendental platform. So pious activities cannot be compared with transcendental activities. But it may help in the long run. Therefore transcendental activities does not depend on pious activity. It is not dependent. Then it will take long, long years. But automatically he becomes pious, achieves the result of pious activities.Cyavana: [break] …the standard of morality, Arjuna’s activity of killing was immoral.Prabhupāda: Morality, immorality, this is all creation of mind. Real purpose of life, to serve the order of Kṛṣṇa, that is real morality.

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Prayer unto the Lotus Feet of Krsna
by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
on board the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965

By Balaram das

https://prabhupadabooks.com/diaries/jaladuta/8/jd_8.1_prayer_unto_the_lotus_feet_of_krsna

60 years ago, on March 10, 1959 the MS Jaladuta was launched
at the shipbuilding yard of Flenderwerke AG in Lübeck, Germany.

The MS Jaladuta

According to Yugala Kishor Gour dasa – who did some very serious research – it was *this* Jaladuta (of the three Jaladutas built) that brought Śrīla Prabhupāda to the West.

The MS Jaladuta slides off the yard towards the Elbe-Trave Kanal for its first test run.

Nice to see the auspicious Swastika in Germany in 1959, although it was outlawed after 1945.

Evidently, Krishna made sure that the carrier for His confidential pure devotee was *Made in Germany* to ensure a safe voyage.

(Thanks to Yugala Kishor Gour Prabhu for supplying the photo and the information)

1) The picture above displays Shri Patel of Scindia and a representative
of the Flenderwerke shipyard preparing the ceremonial fire.

2) Shri Patel painting (above) the Swastika on the bow of the vessel.

3) The procedure is that the yard invites a prominent figure to speak the name of the vessel while simultaneously breaking a bottle of champagne over the bow. In this case the shipbuilders invited members of the board of Scindia, and instead of a bottle of alcohol, a blessed coconut was used to inaugurate the name giving ceremony.

Srila Prabhupada’s Jaladuta Ticket

“So my Guru Maharaja ordered me long, long ago, when I was twenty- five years old, my Guru Maharaja ordered me to go to the foreign countries and preach Lord Caitanya’s message. But somehow or other I could not assimilate his order until I was seventy years old.

But it was better late than never. So also I was trying how to make a successful tour for preaching Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s message. So by the grace of my Guru Maharaja and by your blessings, I went to the Western countries and had such a very good response, very good response. I went there empty handed with forty rupees in my pocket and free ticket, return ticket, by the Scindia Steam Navigation Company. And for one year I had no place to live, I had no money to eat; still I was going here and there.

Then in 1966… I went in America in 1965. After struggling for one year, in 1966 I incorporated this Krishna consciousness, International Society for Krishna Consciousness. So some of our friends suggested, “Why not make ‘God Consciousness Society’?” and “No. ‘Krishna Consciousness.’ If I make ‘God Consciousness,’ that will be a big task.” Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam. Isvarah paramah krsnah [Bs. 5.1]. Therefore this distinctly should be the society for Krishna consciousness.

So these boys, when I started my class, 26 Second Avenue, some of these students were coming, and then I started my kirtana at the Thompkins Square Park, sitting on the ground floor. These boys and the girls were coming. That was the first publicity, make in the New York Times, about my kirtana, and gradually it developed.

Next branch was opened at San Francisco, then at Montreal, then at Boston, Buffalo. In this way now we have sixty-five branches all over the world, and each branch there are maximum two hundred devotees like these, and minimum twenty-five devotees at least.”

Srila Prabhupada’s passport

Jaladuta Journal :: 1965

1965 August 20: “The ship is stranded on the Arabian Sea about four miles from the coast. On account of Janmastami day I spoke for an hour on the philosophy and teachings of Lord Sri Krishna. All the officers attended and there was distribution of Prasadam.” ( Jaladuta Journal :: 1965)

Subject: Lord Balarama’s appearance day Monday August 3, 2020 [Mayapura, West Bengal, India]

kṛtavān kila karmāṇi

saha rāmeṇa keśavaḥ

atimartyāni bhagavān

gūḍhaḥ kapaṭa-mānuṣaḥ

SYNONYMS

kṛtavān—done by; kila—what; karmāṇi—acts; saha—along with; rāmeṇa—Balarāma; keśavaḥ—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; atimartyāni—superhuman; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; gūḍhaḥ—masked as; kapaṭa—apparently; mānuṣaḥ—human being.

TRANSLATION

Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, along with Balarāma, played like a human being, and so masked He performed many superhuman acts.

PURPORT

The doctrines of anthropomorphism and zoomorphism are never applicable to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, or the Personality of Godhead. The theory that a man becomes God by dint of penance and austerities is very much rampant nowadays, especially in India. Since Lord Rāma, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu were detected by the sages and saints to be the Personality of Godhead as indicated in revealed scriptures, many unscrupulous men have created their own incarnations. This process of concocting an incarnation of God has become an ordinary business, especially in Bengal. Any popular personality with a few traits of mystic powers will display some feat of jugglery and easily become an incarnation of Godhead by popular vote. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa was not that type of incarnation. He was actually the Personality of Godhead from the very beginning of His appearance. He appeared before His so-called mother as four-armed Viṣṇu. Then, at the request of the mother, He became like a human child and at once left her for another devotee at Gokula, where He was accepted as the son of Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā Mātā. Similarly, Śrī Baladeva, the counterpart of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, was also considered a human child born of another wife of Śrī Vasudeva. In Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His birth and deeds are transcendental and that anyone who is so fortunate as to know the transcendental nature of His birth and deeds will at once become liberated and eligible to return to the kingdom of God. So knowledge of the transcendental nature of the birth and deeds of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is sufficient for liberation. In the Bhāgavatam, the transcendental nature of the Lord is described in nine cantos, and in the Tenth Canto His specific pastimes are taken up. All this becomes known as one’s reading of this literature progresses. It is important to note here, however, that the Lord exhibited His divinity even from the lap of His mother, that His deeds are all superhuman (He lifted Govardhana Hill at the age of seven), and that all these acts definitely prove Him to be actually the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet, due to His mystic covering, He was always accepted as an ordinary human child by His so-called father and mother and other relatives. Whenever some herculean task was performed by Him, the father and mother took it otherwise. And they remained satisfied with unflinching filial love for their son. As such, the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya describe Him as apparently resembling a human being, but actually He is the Supreme Almighty Personality of Godhead.Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/1/1/20

ekonaviṁśe viṁśatime

vṛṣṇiṣu prāpya janmanī

rāma-kṛṣṇāv iti bhuvo

bhagavān aharad bharam

SYNONYMS

ekonaviṁśe—in the nineteenth; viṁśatime—in the twentieth also; vṛṣṇiṣu—in the Vṛṣṇi dynasty; prāpya—having obtained; janmanī—births; rāma—Balarāma; kṛṣṇau—Śrī Kṛṣṇa; iti—thus; bhuvaḥ—of the world; bhagavān—the Personality of Godhead; aharat—removed; bharam—burden.

TRANSLATION

In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa in the family of Vṛṣṇi [the Yadu dynasty], and by so doing He removed the burden of the world.

PURPORT

The specific mention of the word bhagavān in this text indicates that Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa are original forms of the Lord. This will be further explained later. Lord Kṛṣṇa is not an incarnation of the puruṣa, as we learned from the beginning of this chapter. He is directly the original Personality of Godhead, and Balarāma is the first plenary manifestation of the Lord. From Baladeva the first phalanx of plenary expansions, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Aniruddha and Pradyumna, expands. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is Vāsudeva, and Baladeva is Saṅkarṣaṇa.  Link to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/sb/1/3/23

Although Kṛṣṇa was the real son of Vasudeva and Devakī, because of Kaṁsa’s atrocious activities Vasudeva could not enjoy the birth ceremony of his son. But Nanda Mahārāja, the foster father, celebrated the birth ceremony of Kṛṣṇa very joyfully. The next day, it was declared that a male child was born of Yaśodā. According to Vedic custom, Nanda Mahārāja called for learned astrologers and brāhmaṇas to perform the birth ceremony. After the birth of a child, the astrologers calculate the moment of the birth and make a horoscope of the child’s future life. Another ceremony takes place after the birth of the child: the family members take baths, cleanse themselves and decorate themselves with ornaments and garlands; then they come before the child and the astrologer to hear of the future life of the child. Nanda Mahārāja and other members of the family dressed and sat down in front of the birthplace. All the brāhmaṇas who were assembled there on this occasion chanted auspicious mantras, according to the rituals, while the astrologers performed the birth ceremony. All the demigods are also worshiped on this occasion, as well as the forefathers of the family. Nanda Mahārāja distributed 200,000 well decorated, dressed and ornamented cows to the brāhmaṇas. He not only gave cows in charity, but hills of grains, decorated with golden-bordered garments and many ornaments. Krsna Book chapter 5

Nanda Mahārāja and Yaśodā were also living in Mathurā because Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma were there, but after some time they wanted to go back to Vṛndāvana. Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma went before them and very feelingly and affectionately embraced Nanda and Yaśodā, and Kṛṣṇa began to speak as follows: “My Dear father and mother, although I was born of Vasudeva and Devakī, you have been Our real father and mother, because from Our very birth and childhood, you raised Us with great affection and love. Your affectionate love for Us was more than anyone can offer one’s own children. You are actually Our father and mother, because you raised Us as your own children at a time when when We were just like orphans. For certain reasons We were rejected by Our father and mother, and you protected Us. My dear father and mother, I know you will be feeling separation by returning to Vṛndāvana and leaving Us here, but please rest assured that I shall be coming back to Vṛndāvana just after giving some satisfaction to My real father and mother, Vasudeva and Devakī, My grandfather, and other relatives and family members.” Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma satisfied Nanda and Yaśodā by sweet words and by presentation of various clothing, ornaments and properly made utensils. They satisfied them, along with their friends and neighbors who had come with them from Vṛndāvana to Mathurā, as fully as possible. On account of his excessive parental affection for Balarāma and Kṛṣṇa, Nanda Mahārāja felt tears in his eyes, and he embraced Them and started with the cowherd men for Vṛndāvana. ink to this page: https://prabhupadabooks.com/kb/1/44

Therefore, although Romaharṣaṇa Sūta was voted to the Vyāsāsana by all the brāhmaṇas, he should have followed the behavior of other learned sages and brāhmaṇas who were present and should have known that Lord Balarāma is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Respects are always due Him, even though such respects can be avoided in the case of an ordinary man. The appearances of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are especially meant for reestablishment of the religious principles. As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the highest religious principle is to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is also confirmed in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the topmost perfection of religiousness is to be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord.