I shall be happy in 4 different ways

Prabhupāda: Not supreme. He says this is of the person, different ways of thinking. But everywhere He is stressing bhakti. Just like generally people are karmī. Karmīs. They are working hard. And he has made his plan. He has made his plan that, “In this way, I shall be happy.” So throughout the whole world, the beginning from animals, lower than the man, and then men, different types of men… So manaḥ ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi, every one of them, he is planning or he is thinking in different ways. So the animals, they cannot understand the master’s answer. But in the human being, they are according to the mind, mental concoction and planning, there are four classes of men. One class is called karmī. They are thinking that by working hard and trying to find out my own way of happiness, they will be happy. This is called karmī. Without any knowledge, they are simply working. They are actually like the animals. The animals, the dog, is jumping, a few miles he is jumping. He is thinking that “By jumping I shall be happy.” Or for the time being he may happy by jumping. And sometimes thinking otherwise. So karmīs, they do not know what is the actual aim of life. Out of many millions of persons, mostly they are karmīs. They do not know what is the actual aim of life. But they are devising different plans, that I shall be happy in this way.” This is called karmī. He does not take the standard way of happiness. Then the next elevated person is jñānī. He thinks, ponders, that “I have worked so hard, but still I could not become happy.” The jñānī. He searches out philosophically. Then next class, yogi. Yogi concentrates the mind to think over, “What is my problem? Why I am not happy? How he can become happy?” He is trying to, very soberly, to understand. Yoga means controlling the senses, and the master of the senses is the mind. So he, trying to make the mind concentrated on the fact, he is yogi. And then the next stage is… If he is yogi, then there are different types of yoga system. But when he comes to the point that “I am not master. There is one master, controller. So master, whatever master orders, I have to execute that. That is my real happiness.” Bhakta. So karmī, jñānī, yogi, and bhakta. So out of these four classes of men, the three classes means karmī, jñānī and yogi, they are restless.

Continue reading →

Sept 29 1976 Vrndavana

Doctor: Why do you tape record?

Hari-śauri: Everything Prabhupāda speaks we tape record and then everyone in the world can listen.

Doctor: Someone said that the word om is given to sannyāsīs and it...

Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa does not say.

Doctor: It’s not so.

Prabhupāda: “Someone,” we don’t take authority. “Someone.” There are so many “someones.” We don’t care for them. What Kṛṣṇa says we accept. That’s all.Doctor: But this Kaṭha-Upaniṣad praises om.etad ālambanaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ etad ālambanaṁ param etad ālambanaṁ jñātvā brahma-loke mahīyatePrabhupāda: Yes, Upaniṣad is giving lesson, counter part of this material world. Because… Just like you are stressing on oṁkāra because you do not give much importance to Kṛṣṇa.In the material world, Kṛṣṇa, they think Kṛṣṇa is one of the historical persons. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhā mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam [Bg. 9.11]. So Upaniṣad is teaching us in an indirect way about the importance of Kṛṣṇa. Upa-niṣat. To bring you nearby. Because you have got so many material conceptions, if we say that “Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead,” you may not like it. Therefore… Oṁkāra is Kṛṣṇa. So you are giving lesson on oṁkāra. Although Kṛṣṇa and oṁkāra is not different, but you’ll not like Kṛṣṇa. In your present position you’ll not like Kṛṣṇa’s name.Doctor: Why?Prabhupāda: No. Therefore you are stressing…Doctor: No, I have read all this and I am trying to reconcile.Prabhupāda: So that is for the neophytes.

Doctor: The reconciliation is there. Om is Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa is om.

Prabhupāda: So if Kṛṣṇa is… If you are convinced, then where is the objection of Hare Kṛṣṇa?

Doctor: No, no.

Prabhupāda: Why should you bring so many objections?

Continue reading →

Adi 8..31-–But if one only chants, with some slight faith, the holy names of Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, very quickly he is cleansed of all offenses. Thus as soon as he chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, he feels the ecstasy of love for God.

PURPORT-Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura remarks in this connection that if one takes shelter of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda, follows Their instructions to become more tolerant than the tree and humbler than the grass,and in this way chants the holy name of the Lord, very soon he achieves the platform of transcendental loving service to the Lord, and tears appear in his eyes. There are offenses to be considered in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, but there are no such considerations in chanting the names of Gaura-Nityānanda.Therefore, if one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra but his life is still full of sinful activities, it will be very difficult for him to achieve the platform of loving service to the Lord. But if in spite of being an offender one chants the holy names of Gaura-Nityānanda, he is very quickly freed from the reactions to his offenses. Therefore, one should first approach Lord Caitanya and Nityānanda, or worship Guru-Gaurāṅga, and then come to the stage of worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. In our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, our students are first advised to worship Guru-Gaurāṅga, and then, when they are somewhat advanced, the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity is installed, and they are engaged in the worship of the Lord.One should first take shelter of Gaura-Nityānanda in order to reach, ultimately, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. chant the names of Nitāi-Gaura and worship Them without false prestige. Since everyone within this material world is more or less influenced by sinful activities, in the beginning it is essential that one take to the worship of Guru-Gaurāṅga and ask their favor, for thus despite all his disqualifications one will very soon become qualified to worship the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa vigraha.It should be noted in this connection that the holy names of Lord Kṛṣṇa and Gaurasundara are both identical with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore one should not consider one name to be more potent than the other. Considering the position of the people of this age, however, the chanting of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s name is more essential than the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra because Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the most magnanimous incarnation and His mercy is very easily achieved. Therefore one must first take shelter of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu by chanting śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. By serving Gaura-Nityānanda one is freed from the entanglements of material existence and thus becomes qualified to worship the Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa Deity.

Continue reading →

Nov 14 1972 Vrndavana

In the Bengali proverb there is a ḍheṅki. Svarga gela dan bange.(?) Means a ḍheṅki, that machine, that wooden machine, which… Husking machine? So if you send it to the heaven, then what he’ll do? The same business. It does not mean the ḍheṅki, while it is promoted in the heaven, he can become soul or anything else. No. Similarly, we living entities, we have desire to enjoy this material world, but our position is servant. We have not changed our position. We revolted to serve Kṛṣṇa. That is all right. But what is your position here in the material world? That is also servant. Just like I told Professor Kotovsky that “Your Communism, what is the difference between your Communism and our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? You have selected Lenin as your leader, or master, and we have selected Kṛṣṇa as our leader, master. So on the principle, where is difference?” The professor could not answer.So the professor could not answer, but he was impressed, that actually what is this meaning of Communism? You simply change of, change of master. That’s all. And this is going on. All political leaders, they are going from one political leader to another. And he’s exploiting. That’s all. He, he is giving some manifesto that “If you give me vote, then I shall make you overnight a king.” All false propaganda. And these rascals gives him vote and he again remains the same servant. That’s all. There is a Bengali song:tabe kali tomāra baḍa saba bala ke kare āpanāra karma phala yadi phalebi āmāra(?). So if I remain the same servant, then why shall I vote to you? You cannot make me master. But my desire is that I shall become master. That is called illusion. Because I’m not master. I cannot become master. I have to remain servant. I am flattering some men: “Please make me master. Please make me master.” That is my position. This political party, that political party.Therefore the sane man, one who has got good brain, su-medhas… Su-medhas and alpa-medhas. Medhas means brain substance. Su-medhasaḥ. Su-medhasaḥ. There is a word, the su-medhasaḥ. They… Yes. Saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]. Su-medhasaḥ. And there is another word: alpa-medhasaḥ. Antavat tu phalaṁ teṣāṁ tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām [Bg. 7.23]. Su-medhasaḥ means good brain, and alpa-medhas means rascal, less brain substance. Sometimes we say, chastise, that “Your brain, your, this skull, filled up with cow dung. There is no brain substance.” So those whose brains are filled up with cow dung, they want to exploit this material world. It is impossible. It is not possible. Under certain pleas only, that “This political party will give you better chance for exploiting.” But you cannot do that. It is not possible. This is called māyā. In illusion, I’m thinking, “If I make certain more progress…” We see, in America, they’re increasing the number of motorcars and the problem is road. One flyway above another flyway, another another. The flyway construction is going on perpetually. Is it not? And this is called advancement. The rascals do not know that “I am simply laboring, laboring, laboring. Where is the stoppage of laboring? ” No. That you cannot stop. Your progress means you simply work hard. And because you are illusioned, that hard-working, you are thinking progress, happiness. That’s all. This is called māyā. He is working just like an ass. The ass, ass, ass is working whole day and night for the washerman for a morsel of grass. But ass, why it is called ass? He can, the ass can have grasses anywhere, but he, for that, he’s working very hard for the washerman. Therefore he’s ass.He has no sense that “Why I shall work for this washerman so hard? I can get this morsel of grass anywhere.” But he’ll work.So ass politician, ass family man, ass community leader. So… All asses, mūḍhāḥ. Na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ. All asses. They’ll not surrender to Kṛṣṇa to get relief. They’ll work like ass. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, na māṁ prapadyante mūḍhāḥ duṣkṛtino narādhamāḥ [Bg. 7.15]. They have no brain, alpa-medhasaḥ. No brain substance. Filled up with cow dung. And those who have got real brain, then, for them it is recommended: saṅkīrtana-prāyaiḥ, yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi su-medhasaḥ.kṛṣṇa-varṇaṁ tviṣākṛṣṇaṁ sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyairyajanti hi su-medhasaḥ [SB 11.5.32]Oh, one who has got brain, he catches Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Kṛṣṇa-varṇam, always chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. Sāṅgopāṅgāstra-pārṣadam. And simply worship by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. That is brain substance. All cow dung.Thank you very much. (end)

Continue reading →

March 6 1974 Mayapur

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare Hare Rāma… [break] …to take evening walk. This part, on the field, agricultural field. [break] …if you have any land to purchase immediately, then I can ask

Mahadevia, He can pay for that. [break] …Americans without machine, they cannot sleep. They must smell, “Here is a machine.” Then they can sleep. There was a fisherman. So at, in the evening... That is still in India. In the evening you can ask shelter from any householder’s house. They’ll give you shelter. So he came in the evening, “Sir, I want to pass night in your home.” “All right, you are welcome.” So the fisher basket, fishing basket. “You keep this here, outside, and you sleep inside.” So whole day, he was restless. Then whole night, he could not sleep. Then the master said, “You are not sleeping?” “No, sir.” “Why?” “Now, because my baskets are kept outside.” “What is in the basket?” “No, unless I smell, I cannot sleep.” (laughter) So these Americans, unless they smell about machine, they cannot sleep. “Habit is the second nature.” For ordinary muscle work, they’ll bring so many machines. I have seen. Karandhara was doing. At least that machine must come. (Makes sound like machine:) kat kat kat kat kat kat kat kat. Making hole. That machine is compulsory.

Devotee: Recently, Prabhupāda, I saw one machine for…

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Devotee: For rubbing the nails, there is a battery operated machine.

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Machine for cleansing, so many things.

Devotee: And for nail rubbing also.

Prabhupāda: Yes. For massaging. Everything.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: They have for brushing the teeth.

Prabhupāda: Oh, very…

Siddha-svarūpānanda: You just hold the toothbrush and the machine makes it go up and down.

Prabhupāda: Just see.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Some scientists, they want to make all the different body parts. They want to give artificial arm, then artificial feet, and they’re, they’re spending all kinds of money and time making these complicated machinery to do the same thing that the body is doing. And the ultimate goal, these scientists were stating, their ultimate goal was to make a complete human body so that the person never has to die, but he can always change his body just before it breaks.

Prabhupāda: But the maker of that machine will die.

Siddha-svarūpānanda: Yes.

Prabhupāda: He cannot save himself. He can make a machine which will not die, but he will die. Is that all right?

Devotee: Yes.

Prabhupāda: How much perfect he is, that you can consider, that he’s making something perfect which will not die, but he will die. So he’s imperfect. So how his machine is perfect? This is common argument. He’s imperfect. But he cannot make such machine that he will not die.

Some Conclusions—Bhaktivinode has said the the more one is entangled in machines the more he is engulfed in kali yuga. Especially in the western countries to live without machines is unthinkable. A noisy and disturbing “alarm” clock starts their day. Take a quick shower (optional for many) throw something in the microwave oven, quickly shove this cancer causing “food” down your throat, then rush out the door and press a button to open and start your car. Then enter gridlock  on the freeways  while breathing polluted air, and if you arrive safely (which is never guaranteed) get to your work place cubicle and sit and watch a computer screen for much of the day.On the other hand one can give up all this health killing type of work, move out of the city, find some land to live on and breathe all day long  volumes of fresh air. Your day begins by working your muscles as Srila Prabhupada mentions above and avoiding  some machine to do the same work.This human body to be healthy, is meant to work, not push buttons, and it is meant to walk not ride in cars for hours. Who will accept this anymore when they all are riding the illusory crest of the so called pleasure of a machine which will open the door for them, activate a robot for cleaning their home and turn on remotely, their home security system?The ones who think about this soberly will reject the vast majority of machines which now dominate our lives and go back to a more simple form of living by giving up the mad pursuit for money and take to a simple lifestyle starting with growing their own food.This is what Srila Prabhupada advocates for all his followers-not taking more machinery into your life

Hare Krsna

damaghosa das—————————–

– 720629rc.sd Conversations331292/530501
Prabhupada: The villagers, they have cows and land. That is sufficient
for their economic problem. But the industrialists, they are alluring
them, “To get more money, come here.” So they are going to the cities.
And the food production in the village is neglected. And therefore the
food grain price is rising. Actually, everyone should be engaged to
produce food, but the modern set-up of civilization is that few people
are engaged in producing food, and others are eating. They are
offering… They are artificially getting money. So they are offering
paper, “Here is ten dollars.” Although it is a paper, cheating. And
they are captivated by cheating. They, they are thinking, “I have got
now hundred dollars.” What is this hundred dollars? It is paper. So some people are cheating and some people are being cheated. This is
the society.
Mother: Yes. But I think one has to be clever enough not to let people
cheat you.
Prabhupada: Clever means that he must stay in his own land. He should
not be cheated by the paper and go to the city.
Mother: But we have to teach our young to be able to define between
those who cheat and those who…, be able to tell people who…
Prabhupada: The whole civilization is a plan of cheating others.
That’s all. And they’re all sinful.

Jan 11 1977 conversations

devotee: Should we try to make an effort to have our householders go and live on the farms, a special effort? If it’s ready to do that?

Prabhupāda: Why householders? Everyone.

TQK-18—Therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in engaging devotees in producing their own food and living self-sufficiently so that rascals may see how one can live very peacefully, eat the food grains one has grown oneself, drink milk, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Oct 15 1974 Mayapur—-Therefore we are trying to engage our men to produce their own food. Be self-sufficient so that these rascals may see that how one can live very peacefully, eating the food grains and milk, and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. This is our mission. 

Please find an amazing article from BTG magazine printed in 1952 by Srila Prabhupada below.—————————————————————————————————

Solution of Present Crisises By Bhagwat Geeta(Back to Godhead PY3,1952)