Srila Prabhupada: Tulasi Devi is a pure devotee of Krishna and she should be treated with the same respect given to all Krishna’s pure devotees. Simply by worshiping her faithfully, a devotee can get himself free of from all material miseries. In the Nectar of Devotion I have given two verses from the Skanda Purana, one of which is: “Tulasi is auspicious in all respects. Simply by seeing, simply by touching, simply by remembering, simply by praying to, simply by bowing before, simply by hearing about, or simply by sowing the tree, there is always auspiciousness. Anyone who comes in touch with the Tulasi tree in the above mentioned ways lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world.”
So from this verse we can understand how pure is the service which Tulasi offers to Sri Krishna. So we should always endeavor after becoming servant of Tulasi Devi. I do not know who has taught you that part of a Tulasi plant may be cut off and then replanted? From the Tulasi plant you can cut off only leaves for offering them to Krishna, never for cutting and planting. That is an offense. The manjaris (seeds) can be offered in water and it makes the water fragrant and tasteful. And the manjaris can be planted for growing new Tulasi plants. Yes, the prayer you have enclosed is bona fide. Tulasi Devi never goes back to Godhead, she is always with Godhead. She is a pure devotee and thus she has appeared on this planet to render service to Krishna by being offered in all temples throughout the world by being offered up to the lotus feet of Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada Letter to Radhavallabha — Bombay, India. 6 January, 1972)
O most empowered preacher of Krishna your most divine grace Prabhupada please impart to me Krishna’s wishes to reveal to all Krishna is God.
So today on Lord Krishna’s appearance day I pray Krishna appears Himself in every heart and attracts everyone to hear about Him and Krishna reveals He never ever does part.
Lord Krishna appeared on this planet 5000 years ago to reveal He is the all attractive love of every soul that He is the supreme person that all can behold and only by our loving service Krishna we may know.
Lord Krishna melts the hearts of those who are pure and reveals to them their love that forever does endure this was seen by all when Krishna appeared here all could see to Krishna’s servants Krishna is most dear.
Krishna is not known by those who do not seek to fully know their Lord and their love they keep and Krishna does reveal Himself to the sincere seeking to see God and know everything clear.
Krishna was seen as God and the dearest love for those with pure hearts and had risen above all tempory pleasures to the eternal joy within by serving Krishna beyond all darkness and sin.
But all could see Krishna is most rare indeed a person with powers most rarely seen Krishna appears to all as they surrender to him Krishna can become our son, lover or friend.
Still unknown to most here Krishna assist all in everything they do seated in all hearts we can not do a thing without Him supreme still no one can know Him until he gets smart.
Krishna says after many births and deaths a rare one when he finally becomes wise surrenders unto Krishna to never forget Krishna and his transcendental pastimes.
Krishna performed pastimes here to attract all back to their eternal home to reestablish dharma and annihilate the demons who defy Krishna as not the only supreme one.
Krishna came here mostly to please His devotees all the residents of Vrindavana especially the gopis Krishna and Balarama came here as Gaura Nitai to deliver all the fallen souls back to the spiritual sky.
Lord Krishna also came most recently as our eternal guru Srila Prabhupada to reveal everything about Krishna and every souls union with God.
This is life’s very duty here to reveal these eternal truths now from hearing from Prabhupada living in his unchanged books.
So we may know just who we are and the supreme star of every star and set the perfect example for humankind living lives that are sinless perfect and divine.
And so I pray I clearly did convey what every human being needs to know the only solution to all war and dismay is obeying Krishna in supreme control.
And so I pray Krishna’s holy names are sung loudly by every human being coming together to reveal life’s only aim Krishna we are always hearing and seeing.
It is Krishna we must always remember it is Krishna we must never forget to cross beyond this world of only misery only suffering repeated births and deaths.
Devotee (1): God created the earth, in the Bible. God started on a Monday. He created the earth. It says in the Bible in the Old Testament that it took Him seven days, or six days, and on the seventh day He rested. But still there is some dispute whether He started on a Sunday or a Monday. So, the Jewish, the Hebrews, they hold the Sabbath on a Saturday, and the Christians and the Catholics they have the Sabbath on the Sunday. But on the seventh day God rested after creating the heavens and the earths.
Śrutakīrti: It was always very bad to engage in any type of work on the Sabbath day. It was used only to glorify the Lord.
Prabhupāda: My point is: if the moon is the first planet nearer, why they did not start Monday? If the sun is after, then Sunday. This is the proof that first sun, then moon, not that first moon and then sun. Hm? That is the description in the Bhāgavatam. One after another, one after another. Sixteen thousand, sixteen hundred thousand miles apart. First of all, the sun, then moon, then, what is called? Mars. You have seen it.
Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When people in the street hear Kṛṣṇa’s name, the chanting, or they get some literature, does that mean they will not take birth as an animal? Srila Prabhupāda: No. They’ll get birth in a good family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe [Bg. 6.41]. If they simply appreciate “It is very nice,” then in the next life, human life is guaranteed. In a very nice family. Simply if he appreciates, “Yes, it is very nice”—that’s all. Then he’ll get another chance. Amogha: Many people think the pictures are very nice. Srila Prabhupāda: Anything they say nice, that means it is guaranteed, next life. Or even in this life it will definitely help. As soon as he reads some pages, then it is guaranteed. Those who are enquiring, that means they are liking. Their life is guaranteed. Amogha: One man who joined us about Rathayātrā time last year was a solicitor. He used to buy our books but he never read them. But he would keep them on his bookshelf. And he used to always think, “Those are such beautiful books.” He used to think like that. Srila Prabhupāda: This is appreciation. Amogha: He never got time to read it. Srila Prabhupāda: It doesn’t matter. If he keeps the books with appreciation, that makes his life sure, insured. He immediately becomes in touch with God. Who keeps the book with reverence and love, immediately he becomes in touch with God. Because these books are representative of God. [Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, May 9, 1975, Perth, Australia]
compiled by Aprakrta dasa [vedaveda@vedaveda.com] “Translation: Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one must not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.” Prabhupāda: Now, here is a statement that everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. What you are, inanimate or animate? Devotees: Animate. Prabhupāda: Animate. Do you think you are controlled or not controlled? Devotees: Controlled. Prabhupāda: Is there any person here who is not controlled? Devotees: No. Prabhupāda: Or anywhere within this universe who is not controlled? Can anyone say that “I am not controlled”? Nobody can say. So, if you are controlled, then why you are going to declare yourself that “I am uncontrolled. I am independent. I am God”? Why this nonsense? If you are controlled… Is God, does it mean that He is controlled? They are claiming that “I am God.” Is there any meaning? If I am controlled, then how I can become God? This is commonsense affair. Therefore, this Māyāvādī philosophy that “Everyone is God. I am God; you are God…,” Just like the other, who was speaking, that Meher Baba’s… Yes. That he was speaking, “I am God, you are God.” So, God is never controlled. If somebody is controlled, immediately he is not God. This is simple definition, that God is not controlled. If somebody claims that he is God, then first of all question “Whether you are controlled or not controlled?” Common sense. Nobody can say that he’s not controlled. I have seen a rascal, he has got a society and he is preaching this, that “I am God.” But one day I saw him, he had some toothache, and he was doing, “ohhh.” (laughter) So I questioned him that “You claim that you are God, and now you are simply under the control of toothache. So, what kind of God you are?” (laughter) You see. So, these societies, those who are claiming that “I am God. You are God. Everyone God”—God has become so cheap that everyone is God—you immediately should know he’s a rascal number one. Immediately. As soon as he says, “I am God,” you must know that “Here is a rascal number one.” So nobody is uncontrolled. Now, so many big, big planets, huge planets… This earth planet is only… It’s a minute, small planet, and still, you’ll see, on this planet there are so big oceans like Atlantic and Pacific, and so big mountains, and what to speak of your skyscraper buildings. With all this load it is floating in the air just like a swab of cotton. Who is controlling? Can you float even a small piece of grain in the space? You can say “Law of gravity” and so many other things, but you cannot utilize it. Or you can put it in… Your machine, airplane, is running on the space—but so long the machine is working. As soon as your petrol is finished, immediately it will fall down. Immediately. But these big, big planets… This is only one of the small. The sun planet is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this planet. So that is also… We can see the sun is floating in one corner of this big space. So how you can say that it is not controlled, it is floating out of its own self? No. The answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that “I enter into this material planets, and then I keep it floating.” Gām āviśya aham [Bg. 15.13], dhārayāmy aham ojasā. Dhārayāmy aham ojasā. Something mak… Just like you float this airplane; so somebody has entered within it, that driver or pilot. So actually, he is keeping this airplane floating, not the machine. This is simple truth. So, if you take this analogy, then this planet is floating, there must be somebody entering here. Somebody must have entered. So Kṛṣṇa says, “I have entered.” So, what is the difficulty to understand how it is keeping floating? The analogy is there. Everyone can understand that this big airplane is floating in the sky because the pilot has entered within it. Similarly, if this planet is floating, then somebody, either you or somebody, God, has entered it. And that answer is there in the Bhagavad-gītā, that “I enter into these planets and therefore I keep them floating.” That is our answer. And the scientists, they say the law of gravitation… How far it is true… This is a lecture from the book Sri Isopanisad (Mantra 1) that Srila Prabhupada gave on April 29, 1970 in Los Angeles.
Srila Prabhupada states that HE is the representative of God.Pṛthu-putra: …to show me. They were telling me that “You are going to see the representative of God.” And when I came to that vision, I saw the person. At that time I didn’t know who (it) was. But I had some doubts in my mind, and I was thinking, “Oh, that’s probably another kind of propaganda.” This was all in the dream. But when I came to that person sitting on the elevated seat in that forest, surrounded by many, many devotees, that person looked at me and proved to me that he was the representative of God. But after, I forgot. Maybe one year or something like this. One or two years after… Srila Prabhupada: So there is no doubt about it that I am the representative of God. Pṛthu-putra: Yes. But when I was… Srila Prabhupada: Either you dream or not dream, I claim. Pṛthu-putra: Yes. But this thing was just confirming. When I saw you the first time in Amsterdam, you were the same person that I saw in my dream one or two years previously. Srila Prabhupada: That… You have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta? Guru-tattva. Guru-tattva. So there it is clearly said that guru is the manifestation of God. So it is confirmed in the śāstra. And all the ācāryas accept it. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Devotee: But is it possible to also learn spiritual truths from this…, from representatives on the subtle plane? Srila Prabhupada: There is no question of subtle plane. You are on the gross plane. You first of all study gross things, and subtle, we shall see later on. [Srila Prabhupada Conversation, January 28, 1977]
In general, people think that love means giving in love affairs as much as they receive from the other person. They are simply business deals, selfish or self-centered, and when this fails, violence enters, and they kill each other. Sincere love can be seen when parents love their children despite their children’s rejection.
Then there are the self-satisfied people, they do not require anybody’s love, these people are absorbed in thoughts about the Supreme Personality of Godhead and thus they do not care if someone loves them or not. These people are oceans of mercy, and they try to help human society so that people become pure devotees of God or Krishna, these people are full of love for God or Krishna, and as there are only God AND His energies, naturally they love everyone already.
Everything, to understand this point there are two examples, when one waters the root of a plant, the branches, stems, leaves and flowers naturally benefit and by feeding the stomach, all the senses are satisfied. The goal of human life is to awaken the latent love that we all have for God or Krishna, and God or Krishna reciprocates giving us bliss, spiritual knowledge and eternity.
Unfortunately there are ungrateful people, it is said that they are insensitive. They rebel against superior people, which means that they receive favors from their parents or the spiritual master, and even then they neglect them. Srila Prabhupada said that relationships between devotees should be based on LOVE AND TRUST, and by establishing these relationships wonderful things will be done to serve and please God or Krishna and His devotees.
In spiritual relationships based on love and trust there is harmony and happiness, there is no selfishness or envy, and in material relationships there is only selfishness, envy and a lot of suffering.
Trust is lost when there is betrayal. Trust is only possible between pure devotees of God or Krishna, because only devotees of God or Krishna have good qualities, materialistic and atheistic people do not have good qualities, we see in practice that they fight each other for nothing. The relationships between materialists and atheists are based on deceiving each other, everyone understands and accepts that materialists and atheists are scammers.
Srila Prabhupada explains Sri Narasimha Lila compiled by Yasoda nandana dasa
As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him. Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
We celebrate the disappearance of Srila Jayananda Prabhu, I share this glorification of Jayananda Prabhu, this great devotee is the example of the perfect disciple of Srila Prabhupada. This is a great devotee who will be a great inspiration for future generations of devotees of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. Just as I I understand, the essence of this great soul is that all he did was for Srila Prabhupada to be happy, and he never did anything that displeased Srila Prabhupada. He was not a politician, I like him, he is my friend, he was humble, tolerant and everyone’s friend, and never criticized anyone. Srila Prabhupada said that I am very proud to have had a disciple as good as Jayananda prabhu. Everyone should follow his example. This great devotee enjoyed serving Srila Prabhupada and Krishna and the whole world, and that is the perfection of Krishna consciousness. That can only be done when one has awakened his great love for Srila Prabhupada and Krishna. As I understand it, only people who have sacrificed their lives to make Srila Prabhupada happy can receive the mercy of Krishna, if you want see a video about Jayananda Prabhu this is the link: Sri Jayananda Prabhu (1939-1977) After the series of previous notes on various aspects of the Jagannatha-lila and the Ratha-yatra celebrated at this time, I considered it fair to publish something in homage to our esteemed spiritual brother Sri Jayananda Thakur, a beloved disciple of Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. With his admirable pioneering effort, he contributed greatly to the celebration of the Ratha-yatra festivals, being loved by all devotees and recognized by Srila Prabhupada.
Amogha: Śrīla Prabhupāda? When people in the street hear Kṛṣṇa’s name, the chanting, or they get some literature, does that mean they will not take birth as an animal? Srila Prabhupāda: No. They’ll get birth in a good family. Śucīnāṁ śrīmatāṁ gehe [Bg. 6.41]. If they simply appreciate “It is very nice,” then in the next life, human life is guaranteed. In a very nice family. Simply if he appreciates, “Yes, it is very nice”—that’s all. Then he’ll get another chance. Amogha: Many people think the pictures are very nice. Srila Prabhupāda: Anything they say nice, that means it is guaranteed, next life. Or even in this life it will definitely help. As soon as he reads some pages, then it is guaranteed. Those who are enquiring, that means they are liking. Their life is guaranteed. Amogha: One man who joined us about Rathayātrā time last year was a solicitor. He used to buy our books but he never read them. But he would keep them on his bookshelf. And he used to always think, “Those are such beautiful books.” He used to think like that. Srila Prabhupāda: This is appreciation. Amogha: He never got time to read it. Srila Prabhupāda: It doesn’t matter. If he keeps the books with appreciation, that makes his life sure, insured. He immediately becomes in touch with God. Who keeps the book with reverence and love, immediately he becomes in touch with God. Because these books are representative of God. [Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, May 9, 1975, Perth, Australia]
Srila Prabhupada states that HE is the representative of God. Pṛthu-putra: …to show me. They were telling me that “You are going to see the representative of God.” And when I came to that vision, I saw the person. At that time I didn’t know who (it) was. But I had some doubts in my mind, and I was thinking, “Oh, that’s probably another kind of propaganda.” This was all in the dream. But when I came to that person sitting on the elevated seat in that forest, surrounded by many, many devotees, that person looked at me and proved to me that he was the representative of God. But after, I forgot. Maybe one year or something like this. One or two years after… Srila Prabhupada: So there is no doubt about it that I am the representative of God. Pṛthu-putra: Yes. But when I was… Srila Prabhupada: Either you dream or not dream, I claim. Pṛthu-putra: Yes. But this thing was just confirming. When I saw you the first time in Amsterdam, you were the same person that I saw in my dream one or two years previously. Srila Prabhupada: That… You have read Caitanya-caritāmṛta? Guru-tattva. Guru-tattva. So there it is clearly said that guru is the manifestation of God. So it is confirmed in the śāstra. And all the ācāryas accept it. Yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ **. Devotee: But is it possible to also learn spiritual truths from this…, from representatives on the subtle plane? Srila Prabhupada: There is no question of subtle plane. You are on the gross plane. You first of all study gross things, and subtle, we shall see later on. [Srila Prabhupada Conversation, January 28, 1977]
