Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada and
Sri Krsna Janmastami Mahotsava

On Sunday Aug 17th in Snohomish Wash at the ashram of Kanhaiya das and family, we celebrated
the Divine appearance of Lord Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Many Indian families showed
up as well as many local “Americans” as well. We began with a pre program kirtan,then an arotik, done by Kanhaiya prabhu, with Makhancora prabhu leading kirtan, followed by some bhajans and Bhagavad Gita class given by Damaghosa das, and then we went into another temple room and performed abhisek to baby Krsna murti, and a swing was available nearby if one wanted to give another diety of Krsna a push as well.

Following that was a grand feast. Everybody left happy and purified of sinful contaminations. In this way
the movement generated over 500 years ago by Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu, of the chanting of the holy Names of God, is continuing in almost, but not quite yet, “every town and village” on the face of this planet. Continue reading →

Continue reading →

751210mw.vrn Conversations
Prabhupada: What do you understand, fully Krsna conscious?
Visala: It’s to see Krsna face to face?
Prabhupada: That means Krsna conscious? Everyone is seeing Krsna face
to face. When you go to the temple Krsna is there, and you are seeing.
Does it mean everyone is Krsna conscious?
Visala: No.
Prabhupada: Then what is the meaning of Krsna conscious?
Indian man: Brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati.

Prabhupada: Hm, that is part of Krsna consciousness, brahma bhutah.
Real Krsna consciousness is: “Krsna is master, I am servant.” This is
Krsna consciousness.

Visala: To understand that you’re the servant and Krsna is the master.
I see.

Prabhupada: When you fully understand, that is your Krsna… That is
Krsna conscious. (break) So long you think that “I can also become
like Krsna,” then you are not Krsna conscious.
Visala: In other words, if you still have material desires you can’t
be fully Krsna conscious.
Prabhupada: Yes. That is the beginning of Krsna consciousness,
anyabhilasita-sunyam. Make all your material desires zero.
Visala: Thank you very much.

Prabhupada: That is Krsna conscious. You should only desire to serve
Krsna. (break) …clear or not?
Continue reading →

Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Below are a few concise points about the beginnings of Bhakti-
We all know we have to hear and chant, but then what? Srila
Prabhupada gives us the answer. And he states it 4 times !

Hari bol
damaghosa das

760318SB.MAY Lectures
Although He can eat… Krsna can eat fire also or anything, all devour. But Krsna prescribes for us
that “You can give Me this in bhakti, with devotion and faith, then
you’ll be benefited.” If Krsna eats from your hand, then your life is
successful. If Krsna accepts any bit of service from you, then your
life is successful. Immediately you become liberated, because bhakti
is not for the conditioned soul. As soon as… Krsna therefore adds
this word. Krsna is not hungry for eating anything from your hand.
He’s not hungry. But He wants to teach you how to become a bhakta.
Mad-bhaktah. Man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah. He wants you to become His
devotee. Then your life’s problem is solved.

(Ok, we have offered some food to Krsna, we think we are now liberated? Below is the qualifications needed)

710210SB.GOR Lectures

Prabhupada: The change is taking place in this material world. There

all tastes are fixed up, rasa, eternal, eternal rasa. Every one of us

has a different taste of associating with Krsna, and that will be

realized when one is liberated.

Hamsaduta: So that’s fixed already.

Prabhupada: Yes. When you are liberated, you will understand in which

way you are related with Krsna. That is called svarupa-siddhi. But

that is attained when you are actually perfect in devotional service

710116SB.ALL Lectures

Prabhupada: Another side is when you become liberated the chanting

will give you transcendental pleasure so that you cannot cease. You

cannot cease chanting. That is another side. That is liberated stage,

just like Rupa Gosvami, Haridasa Thakura. You cannot imitate Haridasa

Thakura …

760318SB.MAY Lectures
Just begin your service. Surrender. Give Me something eatable.” Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. This is the beginning. The Deity worship is the beginning
of devotional service.
Therefore arcana, the Deity worship, very essential. Everyone
should try. The system is: anyone comes to the temple, he brings
something, patram puspam phalam toyam, just to offer to the Deity. It
is the beginning. That is the beginning of love, dadati, give
something. Dadati pratigrhnati bhunkte bhojayate caiva. This is the
beginning of love. If I love you, I must give you something, and
whatever you’ll give me I shall accept it. Dadati pratigrhnati. So
give something to Krsna and take His instruction. Dadati pratigrhnati.
This is beginning of love. Therefore the Deity is there. The
instruction is here. If people take advantage, automatically he
becomes a devotee, a lover of Krsna. That is the success of life.
Thank you very much. (end)

Continue reading →

Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Summarized below are these points:

1. Why Vishnu bhaktas generally poorer than Sivas bhaktas
2. Yudhisthira maharaj said he never told a lie, therefore Dharmaraj was present, Arjuna and Bhima are
great warriors, and Draupadi is the goddess of fortune herself- We have Dharma , great warriors, and the goddess of fortune all present, so why are we in so much difficulty ?
3. If devotee sincere, Krsna takes away all his wealth to help him surrender.
4. Devotee asks Prabhupada why can’t we too, have a nice house?
5. Those who think by Krsna Consciousness, I will become Rich-they are not Krsna Conscious.
6. Krsna Conscious persons are so happy in their service, they want nothing more.
7. Don’t be a false renouncer-how can we renounce our own body?

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das

…680714SB.MON Lectures

set in fire, the other party, his cousin brothers. So Yudhisthira

Maharaja, the eldest brother of the Pandavas… Practically this

question was raised by Pariksit Maharaja to Sukadeva Gosvami. The

question was that Visnu or Narayana, He’s the supreme opulent,

Laksmi-pati, the husband of the goddess of fortune. So persons who are

Visnu-bhakta or Vaisnava, whv they become poorer? Why this

contradiction? And the devotees of Lord Siva… Siva presents himself

as the poorest man. He has no dwelling house even. He lives underneath

a tree. And his wife Durga, she is the proprietor of this universe.

She is also following the husband. She has also agreed to live

underneath the tree. Never complains, “Oh, my dear Siva, you don’t

construct a house even. What is this?” She also agrees. That means

they live very, in a wretched, poor condition. So this was the

question of Pariksit Maharaja, that those who are worshiper of this

wretched Lord Siva–not wretched, but he places himself in such

condition–they [his devotees]become very opulent materially. They have got very

nice estate, very nice wife, very nice foodstuff. And the Vaisnavas,

who are worshiper of Visnu, the most opulent, the controller of

Laksmi, laksmi-sahasra-sata sevyamanam, whom not only one, but

millions and billions of goddess of fortune are always in His service,

[why they are so apparently
poor?]

(below-garden #1-brassicas growing over a 9 month period for yearly food)

… So similar question was put. Because Maharaja Yudhisthira was a

little doubtful, that “I am known as Dharma-raja, the king,

personified religion, because I never tell anything lie and my life is

so pious. So, and my brothers Arjuna and Bhima, they’re the greatest

warrior. And our wife Draupadi, she is personally the goddess of

fortune. So we are combined together, religion, goddess of fortune,

greatest warrior, and above all, the greatest friend, Krsna. Why we

are in difficulty?” This question was asked. Krsna… This question

was asked not for their personal benefit, just to teach us that

sometimes in Krsna consciousness you may be put in difficulty, but

don’t, I mean to say, be hesitated. Fixed up. You should know Krsna’s

mercy. Why? Krsna says, yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad dhanam sanaih.

He answered to Yudhisthira, “My dear Yudhisthira, the first test of a

devotee is that I, if I show him special favor, then I take away all

his wealth.” Why? Why this sort of special favor? Because this

material attachment is so great that one cannot go to Krsna. So anyone

who is engaged in Krsna consciousness, at the same time he wants

material enjoyment, Krsna sees his foolishness. Foolishness. Anyone

who is making progress in Krsna consciousness should not be envious,

“Oh, he is so great. He is so rich man. He has got so nice palace. He

has got so nice wife. I haven’t got anything.” Don’t be. Because it is

completely different life. Don’t be captivated by the material

opulence, even you are put into great difficulties. Because you are

not this material body. You are spirit soul. So your progress should

be steady on the spiritual platform.

So we shall discuss this point more. Continue reading →

760221SB.MAY Lectures So people do not understand. Therefore they are called mudhas.(asses) They
are simply making arrangement how to become happy. It is not possible
to become happy here. That’s a fact. But still they are. Therefore
they are called mudhas, rascals. Which will never be possible, and
they are trying for that. You see, whole world is trying to be happy.
They are discovering so many technological arts, but they are dying.
They cannot. They have invented horseless carriage, having very, I
mean to say, speedy carriages, but there are so many dangers. Every
moment the life can go, the motor accident. It is happening in the
Western country. So whatever you do for the advancement of material
civilization, you are one side increasing more danger. If you did not
discover these aeroplane and motorcar, then death would not have been
so easier. You could live at least for some days. But because you have
discovered some facilities, your death is also very become near. So
this is prakrti. You are trying to solve the problem in one way, and
the problem is becoming more dangerous and difficult by the laws of
nature. That these rascals cannot find even. They continually working.
There is a verse in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, pasyann api na pasyati.
They are so big rascals that pasyann api na pasyati: even they are
seeing every moment that “All our endeavors are being baffled,” still,
they’ll try for it. They’ll try for it, again and again. Punah punas
carvita-carvananam. These things are… Punah punah, again and again,
chewing the chewed, this is their business. Therefore they are called
mudhas. The mudhas,(asses)…”

Continue reading →

57-05-07.Sri Letter: Sri Padampat Singhania
… The etymological alphabets [sanskrit ] are so surcharged with spiritual
potency and as such all Mantra indicating the transcendental holy name
of God or Godhead is to be understood in that way. When we chant the
Mantra as were presented by the authorities–the process helps
communication with the personality of Godhead by the sound waves as we
have now experienced in the material world of physical waves
vibrations. The powerful Mantras have such potency if they are sounded
in the right direction. And by chanting the Mantras only one can
spiritualise the whole existence as heat can expand on the spherical
objects. Mantra Siddhi means complete liberation. Therefore, there is
no difference between the holy name and Mantra. Man means mind and tra
deliverance. That which delivers one from mental speculation is called
“Mantra”.

68-11-11.Siv Letter: Sivananda
Persons who want to take advantage of cheap reputation they imitate
great personalities like Haridasa Thakura, who was alone chanting
300,000 of Holy Names daily. By such chanting, lonely chanting he got
so much spiritual power that he could convert even a harlot to become
a great devotee whereas an ordinary person falls easily a victim to
such allurement. So one should not imitate such great personalities
but one should try to see how much taste he has developed for
chanting, so that one can remain alone simply being engaged in
chanting. If one can remain alone simply being engaged in chanting,
that is very good, but it is difficult also. A conditioned soul in
conditioned life it is very difficult to concentrate our mind in
chanting absolutely. Better to be engaged in preaching work, that will
make one gradually successful. Besides that, when we are actually
engaged in with the preaching work, we gradually acquire our spiritual
strength without failure.

69-03-08.Sat Letter: Satsvarupa
There is no such requirement that Japa should be silently and
chanting should be be done differently. Loudly or silently, everything
is all right. There is no such restriction. Only thing is that we
should chant very attentively, hearing the vibration very distinctly.

71-06-17.Pra Letter: Prahladananda
So far as your questions: parching the body unnecessarily is not
the desire of the Supreme Lord. So one who goes against the rules and
regulations of scriptures is causing pain to the supersoul. Therefore,
parching the body means parching the supersoul.; generally it is the
process to simply chant and hear, but if Krishna’s lila comes into
remembrance, that is very good. It should come automatically. Not that
you are remembering artificially.

70-04-22.Min Letter: Minoru, Kenji
Please therefore continue to chant this mantra as
many times as possible throughout the day and night. I do not think
there is any inconvenience or loss on your part if you do so all the
time. Even when you are walking, you can softly chant Hare Krishna,
Hare Krishna, or even when you are on the bus going to somewhere you
can also chant. When you are working with your hands you can also
chant and when you are resting or going to take rest you can also
chant. Even in your toilet room while taking bath you can also chant.
In this way there is no limitation or restriction for chanting this
Holy Name of God, Krishna, and His Energy, Hara. In doing this
business there is no loss, but there is very great gain which is
transcendental realization.