Some random quotes
Nov 30 1975 conversations
Harikeśa: Everybody cheats as much as possible, on income tax and everything.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Even President Nixon had cheated on his income tax return, but they caught him later on.
Prabhupāda: No, it is not cheating. It is… The income tax department is a cheating department, so everyone tries to avoid this cheating department. That’s it.
Suppose you are a rich man’s son and you have left your home, forgetting your father’s property, home and happiness. And if somebody gives you information about your paternal property of immense value which you can inherit by your birthright claim, will you neglect that friend? I am sure you will not. I am able to give you such important information. Srila Prabhupada letter to Brother, November 1958
Envy, Rivalry, and Bickering His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
So far as envy is concerned, it can be used only upon the non-devotees. In the transcendental world a devotee is never envious of another devotee on account of his excellence. But on the contrary, if a devotee finds some excellence in another devotee he eulogizes that devotee, admitting his own subordinate position. Although in the spiritual world there is no such concept of subordination, still devotees, on account of being very humble and meek, think that way. In the material world the same thing is expressed in a perverted form. But in the spiritual world, to accept one’s inferior position does not mean envious mentality upon the other. Unhappiness experienced by a devotee on account of feeling himself inferior is not unusual. Rather, such mentality is imperative to further development of devotional service. (Letter to Satsvarupa. 20 February 1969.)
So far your question about jealousy, spiritual jealousy means to think always that the service rendered by such and such devotee is so nice and pleasing to Krishna, so let me try harder to please Krishna. Then he will notice me also. (Letter to Sankarshana, 13 June 1972.)
Regarding your questions, you say that amongst the elder disciples there are still symptoms of greed, anger, strife, bickering, etc., but you are one of them! You are one of the old students, so you fall in that group. So the fighting is among that group, but not amongst the real workers. There was fighting amongst the gopīs also, so we cannot expect that there will be some utopia without fighting. Even in the spiritual sky there is transcendental greed, lust, envy, like that. But that is transcendental. Even if there is a little fighting, why should you go away? We should never give up our duty. My godbrothers always discouraged me, but I did not give up. I am doing my duty and always keeping my spiritual master in front. Even there is some difficulty or hardship, or even my godbrothers may not cooperate, or there may be fighting, still I must perform my duty to my spiritual master and not become discouraged and go away. That is weakness. (Letter to Krishna Das, 9 September 1972.)
Now we have got so many senses. So perception through any sense, because He is absolute, the same effect. Either you see Him personally or you hear Him. Rather, hearing is better because by seeing you cannot understand Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is present, all people saw Him, but they could not understand Kṛṣṇa. But one who heard of Kṛṣṇa even five thousand years after, just like we are hearing, we can understand Kṛṣṇa as far as possible