Srila Prabhupada Part 1
What happens when you follow and dont follow guru??
Room Conversation — May 2, 1976, Fiji : 760502rc.fij :
Prabhupāda: Therefore he is not to be preached. Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, janma sārthaka kari’ kara para-upakāra: [Cc. Ādi 9.41] “Go to do good to others. First of all you do good to yourself.” First of all you become really preacher. Then go to preach. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never sent neophyte to go to preach. For neophyte the preaching is not their business. For neophyte, one should stick to the worship of Deity in the temple. And those who have understood the philosophy, applied the philosophy in his life, he should go for preaching. Otherwise he’ll preach wrongly, like…. What is that? Charan das Babaji. And it will stop. He wanted to preach, but he did not know how to preach, and therefore, after his life, it is finished. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu does not say like that, that “You remain a rascal and go to preach.” No. Janma sārthaka kari. “Your first business is that you make your life perfect. Then go to preach. Perfect means you learn how to obey My orders.” That is perfection. Āmāra ājñāya. So if you are actually, perfectly carrying out the orders of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, then you are preaching. Otherwise you will do wrongly, mislead. Don’t do that. Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ [SB 7.5.31]. If you remain blind, don’t try to lead other blind men. That is misleading. First of all open your eyes. Everything is there. Nobody can do anything whimsically. If you do whimsically, concoctedly, that will be failure. It will not be effective.
Hare Krsna–This one conversation is so full of instructions. Let us go through it sentence by sentence.
Time Place and Circumstances
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Missing Pieces in the Puzzle
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The Lilamrta Review
The Lilamrta
A Review & Philosophical Analysis
By Sriman Yasodanandana dasa, 1996
Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee always, being an eternally liberated associate of the Lord.
He did not have a material past at any time. Being an associate of Lord Sri Krsna, he is properly understood to never have been contaminated by matter. As we knew him, his so called material body was not at all material. Heat, cold, happiness and distress, hunger and thirst, birth, disease, old age, and death never touched him.
It is not correct that he felt or suffered these mundane influences and pains in a mood of tolerance. He never even felt them, according to the scriptures.
SECTION 1
ATTACHED TO MATTER
There are two types of pure devotees: (1) the neophyte pure devotee (sadhaka), and (2) the perfect pure devotee (parishat).
“Such pure devotees are of two types: personal associates (parishats) and neophyte devotees (sadhakas). PURPORT: Perfect servitors are considered His personal associates, whereas devotees endeavoring to attain perfection are called neophytes.”C.C. Adi 1.64
“Generally, ever-liberated personalities live in the spiritual world as associates of Lord Krsna, and they are known as Krsna-parishada, associates of the Lord. Their only business is enjoying Lord Krsna’s company; even though such eternally liberated persons come within this material world to serve the Lord’s purpose, they enjoy Lord Krsna’s company without stoppage.”
C.C. Madhya 12.l5
This chapter will only be discussing a parishat pure devotee – His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. As the bonafide spiritual master, He is described as such in The Gurvastakam prayers:
“Nikunja-yana rati-keli siddhayi…The spiritual master is expert in assisting the gopies within the groves of Vrndavana.“Shakshad-hari tvena samasta-shastraih…He is directly as good as the Supreme Lord on account of being the most confidential servitor of the Lord.”
Gurvastka, #6, 7
The Lord’s associate is also described as a nitya-siddha.
“Nitya-siddha bhakta indicates the eternally liberated associate of the Lord. Such devotees enjoy the company of the Lord in four relationships.”C.C. Madhya 6.12
Even if Srila Prabhupada was sadhanasiddha, there would be no difference between himself and a nitya-siddha devotee:
“A nitya-siddha is one who is eternally Krsna’s associate (like Nanda and Mother Yasoda), an expansion of Krsna’s personal body, whereas a sadhanasiddha is an ordinary human being who, by executing pious activities and following regulative principles of devotional service, also comes to that stage.”S.B. 10.8.48
But Srila Prabhupada has written purports in His books, Wherein He compares himself with nitya-siddhas. In one letter to Tamal Krsna Gosvami, Srila Prabhupada spoke of the qualification of the nitya-siddha, and then stated that he possessed those qualifications:
“And another [spiritual master] is nitya-siddha, who is never forgetful of Krsna throughout his whole life…So far my present life is concerned, I do not remember any part of my life when I was forgetful of Krsna.”Letter to Tamal Krsna, June 1970, from Los Angeles
Sri Balarama Rasa Yatra April 22, 2016 (Mayapur time)
Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa
Srila Prabhupada glorifies Lord Balarama
Books : KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead – 1970 Edition : Volume 1 : KB 1-21 / The Gopis Attracted by the Flute :
Kṛṣṇa was very pleased with the atmosphere of the forest where flowers bloomed and bees and drones hummed very jubilantly. While the birds, trees and branches were all looking very happy, Kṛṣṇa, tending the cows, accompanied by Śrī Balarāma and the cowherd boys, began to vibrate His transcendental flute. After hearing the vibration of the flute of Kṛṣṇa, the gopīs in Vṛndāvana remembered Him and began to talk amongst themselves about how nicely Kṛṣṇa was playing His flute. When the gopīs were describing the sweet vibration of Kṛṣṇa’s flute, they also remembered their pastimes with Him; thus their minds became disturbed, and they were unable to describe completely the beautiful vibrations. While discussing the transcendental vibration, they remembered also how Kṛṣṇa dressed, decorated with a peacock feather on His head, just like a dancing actor, and with blue flowers pushed over His ear. His garment glowed yellow-gold, and He was garlanded with a vaijayantī necklace. Dressed in such an attractive way, Kṛṣṇa filled up the holes of His flute with the nectar emanating from His lips. So they remembered Him, entering the forest of Vṛndāvana, which is always glorified by the footprints of Kṛṣṇa and His companions.
Books : KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead – 1970 Edition : Volume 1 : KB 1-21 / The Gopis Attracted by the Flute
Kṛṣṇa was very expert in playing the flute, and the gopīs were captivated by the sound vibration, which was not only attractive to them, but to all living creatures who heard it. One of the gopīs told her friends, “The highest perfection of the eyes is to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entering the forest and playing Their flutes and tending the cows with Their friends.”
Kṛṣṇa was very expert in playing the flute, and the gopīs were captivated by the sound vibration, which was not only attractive to them, but to all living creatures who heard it. One of the gopīs told her friends, “The highest perfection of the eyes is to see Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma entering the forest and playing Their flutes and tending the cows with Their friends.”
Persons who are constantly engaged in the transcendental meditation of seeing Kṛṣṇa, internally and externally, by thinking of Him playing the flute and entering the Vṛndāvana forest, have really attained the perfection of samādhi. Samādhi (trance) means absorption of all the activities of the senses on a particular object, and the gopīs indicate that the pastimes of Kṛṣṇa are the perfection of all meditation and samādhi. It is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā that anyone who is always absorbed in the thought of Kṛṣṇa is the topmost of all yogīs.
Another gopī expressed her opinion that Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, while tending the cows, appeared just like actors going to play on a dramatic stage. Kṛṣṇa was dressed in glowing garments of yellow, Balarāma in blue, and They held new twigs of mango tree, peacock feathers, and bunches of flowers in Their hands. Dressed with garlands of lotus flowers, They were sometimes singing very sweetly among Their friends. One gopī told her friend, “How is it Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma are looking so beautiful?” Another gopī said, “My dear friend, we cannot even think of His bamboo flute–what sort of pious activities did it execute so that it is now enjoying the nectar of the lips of Kṛṣṇa?” Kṛṣṇa sometimes kisses the gopīs; therefore the transcendental nectar of His lips is available only to them, and His lips are considered their property. Therefore the gopīs asked: “How is it possible that the flute, which is nothing but a bamboo rod, is always engaged in enjoying the nectar from Kṛṣṇa’s lips? Because the flute is engaged in the service of the Supreme Lord, the mother and the father of the flute must be happy.”
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Sri Syamananda Goswami Avirbhava tithi 04 22 2016
Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa
Sri Syamananda Goswami avirbhava tithi [appearance day]
Friday, April 22, 2016
compiled by Narasimha dasa and Yasoda nandana dasa
Srila Prabhupada explains the unique position of Sri Syamananda Goswami.
Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 1: The Spiritual Masters : Adi 1.19 : PURPORT :
Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu explained this mode of devotional service in three stages, and therefore these worshipable Deities were installed in Vṛndāvana by different Gosvāmīs. They are very dear to the Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas there, who visit the temples at least once a day. Besides the temples of these three Deities, many other temples have been established in Vṛndāvana, such as the temple of Rādhā-Dāmodara of Jīva Gosvāmī, the temple of Śyāmasundara of Śyāmānanda Gosvāmī, the temple of Gokulānanda of Lokanātha Gosvāmī, and the temple of Rādhā-ramaṇa of Gopāla Bhaṭṭa Gosvāmī. There are seven principal temples over four hundred years old that are the most important of the five thousand temples now existing in Vṛndāvana
Books : Sri Caitanya-caritamrta – 1975 Edition : Cc. Adi-lila : Adi 7: Lord Caitanya in Five Features : Adi 7.45 : PURPORT :
There are many Vaiṣṇava families in Bengal whose members, although not actually born brāhmaṇas, act as ācāryas by initiating disciples and offering the sacred thread as enjoined in the Vaiṣṇava tantras. For example, in the families of Ṭhākura Raghunandana Ācārya, Ṭhākura Kṛṣṇadāsa, Navanī Hoḍa and Rasikānanda-deva (a disciple of Śyāmānanda Prabhu), the sacred thread ceremony is performed, as it is for the caste Gosvāmīs, and this system has continued for the past three to four hundred years. Accepting disciples born in brāhmaṇa families, they are bona fide spiritual masters who have the facility to worship the śālagrāma-śilā, which is worshiped with the Deity. As of this writing, śālagrāma-śilā worship has not yet been introduced in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, but soon it will be introduced in all our temples as an essential function of arcana-mārga (Deity worship).
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Srila Prabhupada’ regarding “Nectarean milk of Bhagavad gita’
Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa
This Gitopanisad, Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanishads, is just like a cow,
and Lord Krishna, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow.
Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees
are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gita.
– Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is
and Lord Krishna, who is famous as a cowherd boy, is milking this cow.
Arjuna is just like a calf, and learned scholars and pure devotees
are to drink the nectarean milk of Bhagavad-gita.
– Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Srila Prabhupada explains the pure devotional philosophy
Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa
Krishna is the ultimate Person. We are just trying to serve Him.
Your conviction that we have to supply the demands of Krishna and not to demand anything from Him is the pure devotional philosophy.
Your conviction that we have to supply the demands of Krishna and not to demand anything from Him is the pure devotional philosophy.
Srila Prabhupada letter, New York, April 13, 1967
Srila Prabhupada’ regarding “Let there be one scripture’
Submitted by: Yasoda nandana Dasa
In this present day, people are very much eager to have one scripture, one God, one religion, and one occupation.
Therefore, ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam: let there be one scripture only,
one common scripture for the whole world – Bhagavad-gita.
Eko devo devaki-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world – Sri Krishna.
Eko mantras tasya namani: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva: and let there be one work only —
the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
– Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Therefore, ekam sastram devaki-putra-gitam: let there be one scripture only,
one common scripture for the whole world – Bhagavad-gita.
Eko devo devaki-putra eva: let there be one God for the whole world – Sri Krishna.
Eko mantras tasya namani: and one hymn, one mantra, one prayer — the chanting of His name:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.
Karmapy ekam tasya devasya seva: and let there be one work only —
the service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
– Introduction to Bhagavad-gita As It Is