Srila Prabhupada in this lecture explains the concept of purity enabling a sadhaka to perceive Vrndavana within the heart.
The pleasing of Radha Krishna is also touched upon in this excellent class.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Prabhupada Morning Walk
February 16, 1976 Mayapur
Srila Prabhupada
Prabhupäda: ...I am your friend, I am God, so you sleep, I shall do everything. In Russia like that. When Arjuna refused to fight He chastised him like anything. What is the anärya-juñöam? He's just like non-Aryans, talking foolish. People should clearly understand that we don't encourage laziness. We never encourage. According to your capacity, guëa-karma-vibhägaçaù [Bg. 4.13], you must work. Çaréra yäträpi te na prasiddhyed akarmaëaù, Kåñëa says, "By not working, even if you cannot put on your body and soul together." Kåñëa says like that.
Dayänanda: Isn't laziness one of the demonic qualities, Çréla Prabhupäda?
Prabhupäda: It is less than demonic. Demonic qualities, they have some activity and laziness is ignorance, darkness. Therefore too much sleeping is very, very bad. That is another part of laziness. Nidrähära-vihärakädi-vijitau **, one has to conquer over this sleeping and laziness. Eating, nidrä, ahära, vihära, sense gratification, vihära means sense gratification. One has to minimize these things up to the point of nil, that is perfect. When there is no more sleeping, no more eating, no more mating, and no more fearing, that is perfection of spiritual life. And that is not possible, but as much as possible. [break] ...they cannot sleep more that the culture (?) is very great gain, profit.
Hådayänanda: Consider a rich man. A rich man can sleep, a poor man must work.
Prabhupäda: Oh.
Hådayänanda: They're always making agitation to reduce what they call the work week. Formerly they were working so many hours per week, now they want to reduce it down to forty, thirty, twenty hours per week.
Prabhupäda: So why they're inventing machine? Machine means no work.
Hådayänanda: They think this is progress, everyone can lie down and the machines will work.
Prabhupäda: Yes, machine, inventing machine means one machine can work for fifty men. The banks are using this, what is that, computer?
Hådayänanda: Yes, everyone is using computers.
Prabhupäda: To save money. Machine means unemployment for many. Tractor, they're using, they're unemployment for bulls and plowmen and then they, bulls have to be killed. This is going on. Unemployment, then kill them. Vietnam, send all the men to fight and kill them. As soon as there is overpopulation, they declare war so that people may be killed.
Hådayänanda: Sometimes the soldiers became so disgusted that they would shoot their own officers.
Prabhupäda: Yes.
Hådayänanda: But they would do it in such a way so it appeared to be accidents. Sometimes they would take little bomb and throw it into the tent of the officers and they would all be killed.
Prabhupäda: What was the reason?
Hådayänanda: Well, because the officers, they were not qualified. They were simply foolish. They were directing them in such a way that they were all in danger.
Prabhupäda: Oh.
Hådayänanda: And they could not understand why they were there. It was a foreign... They were used to America and so they had to go to the jungle but they were, they could not see the point of fighting...
Prabhupäda: Mm. (indistinct)
Hådayänanda: So many times they would become so disgusted they would simply kill their own officers, shoot them or throw a bomb. Also in Vietnam, the majority of the soldiers were fighting intoxicated, marijuana and different drugs.
Dayänanda: Also I think people have no respect for authority any more.
Prabhupäda: No.
Dayänanda: There's... All over the world people are not respecting any kind of authorities.
Prabhupäda: No.
Dayänanda: There are so many false...
Prabhupäda: Especially the students. That means chaotic condition. [break] ...type of civilization, this material world.
Dayänanda: Tagore (?) is so nice that your divine grace was presenting the perfect authority, Kåñëa.
Prabhupäda: Yes. And one who follows His instruction, he also perfect. That we are pushing (indistinct) Kåñëa conscious, everything will be all right. Everyone is fallen, I asked this question to Kotofsky. "Sir, you have got a leader, we have got a leader, so where is the difference?" And then I said, "Only you have got a fool leader, we have got intelligent leader." Otherwise you cannot avoid leadership, authority. That is not possible.
Dayänanda: They want to avoid but they... Impersonalists are catering to that desire, they want to avoid authority and so the impersonalists are encouraging that. So they are rascals, the...
Prabhupäda: No, it is not possible to give up authority. That is not possible.
Hådayänanda: Your interview, those articles that you had spoken about, against Communism, are very, very brilliant. Actually we were struck with wonder to see the different arguments. Very, very important for South America because there the Communism is popular among the young students.
Prabhupäda: They read it?
Hådayänanda: Yes, we just published it in our magazine.
Prabhupäda: Oh. So they like that argument?
Hådayänanda: Yes, the argument was so intelligent that no one has ever thought of such intelligent arguments against Communism. Also the article on Freud, I think that book is very, very important. It will actually satisfy the students. No one else would dare to call these people fools. (laughter) (end)
Friday, December 31, 2010
Bhagavad Gita As It Is
Chapter 15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person
TEXT 9
srotram caksuh sparsanam ca
rasanam ghranam eva ca
adhisthaya manas cayam
visayan upasevate
SYNONYMS
srotram--ears; caksuh--eyes; sparsanam--touch; ca--also;rasanam--tongue; ghranam--smelling power; eva--also; ca--and;adhisthaya--being situated; manah--mind; ca--also; ayam--this;visayan--sense objects; upasevate--enjoys.
TRANSLATION
The living entity, thus taking another gross body, obtains a certain type of ear, tongue, and nose and sense of touch, which are grouped about the mind. He thus enjoys a particular set of sense objects.
PURPORT
In other words, if the living entity adulterates his consciousness with the qualities of cats and dogs, in his next life he gets a cat or dog body and enjoys. Consciousness is originally pure, like water. But if we mix water with a certain color, it changes. Similarly, consciousness is pure, for the spirit soul is pure. But consciousness is changed according to the association of the material qualities. Real consciousness is Krsna consciousness. When, therefore, one is situated in Krsna consciousness, he is in his pure life. But if his consciousness is adulterated by some type of material mentality, in the next life he gets a corresponding body. He does not necessarily get a human body again; he can get the body of a cat, dog, hog, demigod or one of many other forms, for there are 8,400,000 species.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Sri Isopanisad
Mantra 4
TRANSLATION
Although fixed in His abode, the Personality of Godhead is swifter than the mind and can overcome all others running. The powerful demigods cannot approach Him. Although in one place, He controls those who supply the air and rain. He surpasses all in excellence.
PURPORT
Through mental speculation, even the greatest philosopher cannot know the Supreme Lord, who is the Absolute Personality of Godhead. He can be known only by His devotees through His mercy. In the Brahma-saàhitä (5.34) it is stated that even if a nondevotee philosopher travels through space at the speed of the wind or the mind for hundreds of millions of years, he will still find that the Absolute Truth is far, far away from him. The Brahma-saàhitä (5.37) further describes that the Absolute Personality of Godhead has His transcendental abode, known as Goloka, where He remains and engages in His pastimes, yet by His inconceivable potencies He can simultaneously reach every part of His creative energy. In the Viñëu Puräëa His potencies are compared to the heat and light that emanate from a fire. Although situated in one place, a fire can distribute its light and heat for some distance; similarly, the Absolute Personality of Godhead, although fixed in His transcendental abode, can diffuse His different energies everywhere.
Although His energies are innumerable, they can be divided into three principal categories: the internal potency, the marginal potency and the external potency. There are hundreds and millions of subheadings to each of these categories. The dominating demigods who are empowered to control and administer such natural phenomena as air, light and rain are all classified within the marginal potency of the Absolute Person. Lesser living beings, including humans, also belong to the Lord's marginal potency. The material world is the creation of the Lord's external potency. And the spiritual sky, where the kingdom of God is situated, is the manifestation of His internal potency.
Thus the different energies of the Lord are present everywhere. Although the Lord and His energies are nondifferent, one should not mistake these energies for the Supreme Truth. Nor should one wrongly consider that the Supreme Lord is distributed everywhere impersonally or that He loses His personal existence. Men are accustomed to reach conclusions according to their capacity for understanding, but the Supreme Lord is not subject to our limited capacity for understanding. It is for this reason that the Upanisads warn us that no one can approach the Lord by his own limited potency.
In the Bhagavad-gita (10.2) the Lord says that not even the great rsis and suras can know Him. And what to speak of the asuras, for whom there is no question of understanding the ways of the Lord? This fourth mantra of Sri Isopanisad very clearly suggests that the Absolute Truth is ultimately the Absolute Person; otherwise there would have been no need to mention so many details in support of His personal features.
Although the individual parts and parcels of the Lord's potencies have all the symptoms of the Lord Himself, they have limited spheres of activity and are therefore all limited. The parts and parcels are never equal to the whole; therefore they cannot appreciate the Lord's full potency. Under the influence of material nature, foolish and ignorant living beings who are but parts and parcels of the Lord try to conjecture about the Lord's transcendental position. Sri Isopanisad warns of the futility of trying to establish the identity of the Lord through mental speculation. One should try to learn of the Transcendence from the Lord Himself, the supreme source of the Vedas, for the Lord alone has full knowledge of the Transcendence.
Every part and parcel of the Complete Whole is endowed with some particular energy to act according to the Lord's will. When the part-and-parcel living entity forgets his particular activities under the Lord's will, he is considered to be in maya, illusion. Thus from the very beginning Sri Isopanisad warns us to be very careful to play the part designated for us by the Lord. This does not mean that the individual soul has no initiative of his own. Because he is part and parcel of the Lord, he must partake of the initiative of the Lord as well. When a person properly utilizes his initiative, or active nature, with intelligence, understanding that everything is the Lord's potency, he can revive his original consciousness, which was lost due to association with maya, the external energy.
All power is obtained from the Lord; therefore each particular power must be utilized to execute the will of the Lord and not otherwise. The Lord can be known by one who has adopted such a submissive service attitude. Perfect knowledge means knowing the Lord in all His features, knowing His potencies and knowing how these potencies work by His will. These matters are described by the Lord in the Bhagavad-gita, the essence of all the Upanisads.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Transcendental Book Distribution…
Aindra Prabhu's text Transcendental Book Distribution is available online in pdf:
http://prasadam.co.uk/files/aindra.pdf
Aindra’s Last Darshan
Saturday, October 2, 2010
New Vrindaban Remembers Hladini devi dasi
By New Vrindaban Communications
Sunday, October 3, is the anniversary of the day on which Hladini devi dasi was brutally gunned down by an extra-judicial firing squad in war-torn Liberia in western Africa. The death squad arrived at the Hare Krishna temple in the capital city of Monrovia in the early morning hours, and ordered the devotees to come out. Seven devotees, five men and two women, exited the temple and filed into the waiting jeep. They were driven a short distance to the Sturton Bridge, where the devotees were forced out at gunpoint and herded onto the sand next to the river. The leader announced that only the men would be killed. Thus Hladini, a woman, knew she would not be killed.
As the leader raised his weapon to fire the first execution volley, Hladini leapt forward and attacked him with her bare hands. She shouted, “How dare you kill the devotees of Krishna? Better you kill me than kill them!” Hladini was the first to be shot.
Hladini was born on January 16, 1949. Her parents gave her the name Linda Jury. Later, she received the name Hladini from her beloved Guru Maharaja, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
Hladini grew up in a suburb of Detroit with her older brother and sister. She had many friends and lots of pets, including a dog named Pepperdoodle and a frog named Herbie. She spent her summers at the family’s vacation cottage. Hladini had a happy childhood.
In 1969, Hladini married Mike Ryon. Like many young people, Hladini and her husband were searching for the truth and a sense of fulfillment. Mike read different books about Zen, Taoism, and other eastern religions to find answers to their many questions. After Mike read a book entitled “The Wisdom of God” by Prabhupada, heard the devotees chanting the Hara Krishna maha-mantra, and tasted the free vegetarian food they served, he was convinced that he belonged with the devotees.
Mike and Hladini moved into the Detroit temple. At first, Hladini joined the Hare Krishna temple simply because it was what her husband had wanted. Soon, however, Hladini became convinced that the temple was the right place for her. In March 1970, she wrote to Prabhupada and asked for spiritual initiation. Prabhupada replied immediately by letter, in which he gave her the name Hladini.
In 1972, Hladini and Mike moved to New Vrindaban. Later that year, Mike left New Vrindaban permanently, while Hladini chose to stay. New Vrindaban was her home. Soon, Hladini became one of the most popular devotees in New Vrindaban.
“I moved to New Vrindaban from Zambia [in southern Africa] in 1986 with my husband and four children,” said Manasa Ganga devi dasi. “Hladini blew my mind. I had never before met anyone who was so blissful. She always had a beautiful smile on her face and she was kind and gentle with everyone, especially the children. Hladini loved the children and encouraged them.” For eighteen years, Hladini lived and served in New Vrindaban.
In December 1990, Hladini made the painful decision to leave the place that was so dear to her, and traveled to west Africa. The devotees there so much appreciated Hladini’s service and inspiration that she was given the honor of being the regional secretary. In this capacity, Hladini traveled from center to center, teaching and assisting the devotees in every possible way.
By the time Hladini reached Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, the country was entrenched in a fratricidal civil conflict. The warlords of the seven rivaling parties were fighting for power, while there was wide-spread starvation amongst the people. Seeing the suffering of the people, the devotees of the Hare Krishna temple in Monrovia approached the warlords and arranged to start a Food for Life program.
The warlord who controlled Monrovia, Prince Johnson, agreed to the proposal and the devotees began the free food distribution program. Prince Johnson visited the temple more than once and accepted a Bhagavad-Gita As It Is from the devotees.
As the war intensified, the US government ordered all US citizens to evacuate the country. Hladini had to decide whether to stay in Monrovia or return to safety in Nigeria. True to her nature, Hladini’s compassion and mercy for others outweighed any concern she had for her own safety. She opted to stay. Hladini was the only senior devotee in Monrovia, and her presence gave solace to the native African devotees who could not leave.
On June 14, 1990, Hladini wrote in a letter to Radhanath Swami, a friend from New Vrindaban:
[T]here is never a dull moment. Now I’m stranded in Liberia in the middle of a war to overthrow the government. The airport has been seized and they asked all Americans and foreigners to leave the country immediately. American marines sent 6 battleships and 2000 marines to evacuate the citizens. I’m just going to assist the devotees through the hard times. There’s scarcity of food as all the roads are blocked and no supplies can come in. 150,000 people fled the country in the last few weeks. Every day at least 10 people get beheaded and the rebels are still 35 miles from the city . . .
Prince Johnson was killing all suspected friends and soldiers of the former president. Johnson was also known for killing his own men at a faster rate than the enemy. The warlord’s reputation for insane murder bothered some of the devotees, who therefore wrote a letter to him saying that he should stop killing people.
Johnson, who would not tolerate the slightest criticism of his actions, was angered by the letter. A well-wisher passed a message to the devotees that Johnson was likely to get rid of them. At that time, it was too late to leave the temple and take shelter elsewhere, as many of the buildings in the area were either destroyed or being controlled by Johnson’s troops. The devotees stayed at the temple and left their fate in the hands of Lord Krishna.
The death squad arrived in the early morning hours. Johnson and his men carried away by jeep the seven devotees who had been captured.
Two devotees managed to escape through the back door and climb up trees to take cover. Suddenly, those two devotees heard gun shots from the direction of the bridge. They saw that the captured devotees were being shot by Johnson’s men. At daybreak, they came down from the tree. Instead of going to the temple, they walked to the river where they saw Hladini’s sari floating on the water. Hladini, along with the five male devotees, had become a martyr of the Liberian War. Hladini was the first one shot.
“When we heard in New Vrindaban that there had been a coup in Liberia and Hladini was trapped, the whole community came together at the Palace of Gold and prayed,” remembers Manasa Ganga. “When we heard Haldini had been killed, it was a huge shock. We held a memorial service and everyone came because she was one of the most loved devotees in the community. She always had a smile on her face and she was always ready to help out.
“Nothing was ever a bother,” said Manasa Ganga with a sad smile. “For Hladini, taking care of others was always a pleasure. That’s what she gave her life for – taking care of others.”
New Vrindaban Community is located south of Moundsville – Wheeling, off Route 250. For more information, contact (304) 843-1600 or visit
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Radha Krishna
Excerpts
Chapter 14: The Ecstasy of the Lord and His Devotees
Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Teachings of Lord Caitanya
Even the transcendental relationship experienced by a devotee of Näräyaëa in Vaikuëöha is incomplete in that it is not realization of a relationship with Kåñëa in Goloka Våndävana. The devotees of Kåñëa do not relish devotional service to Näräyaëa because devotional service to Kåñëa is so attractive that Kåñëa's devotees do not desire to worship any other form. Thus the gopés of Våndävana do not like to see Kåñëa as the husband of Rukmiëé, nor do they address Him as Rukmiëéramaëa. In Våndävana Kåñëa is addressed as Rädhäkrñëa, or Kåñëa, the property of Rädhäräëé. Although the husband of Rukmiëé and Rädhä's Kåñëa are on the same level in the ordinary sense, still, in the spiritual world, the names indicate different understandings of various aspects of Kåñëa's transcendental personality. If one equalizes Rukmiëéramaëa, Rädhäramaëa, Näräyaëa or any other name of the Supreme Lord, he commits the fault of overlapping tastes, which is technically called rasäbhäsa. Those who are expert devotees do not accept such amalgamations which are against the conclusions of pure devotional service.
Although Çré Kåñëa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, embodies all superexcellence and beauty, when He is amongst the damsels of Vraja, He is known as Gopéjanavallabha. The devotees cannot relish the beauty of the Supreme Lord more than the damsels of Vraja. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.33.7) it is confirmed that although Kåñëa, the son of Devaké, is the last word in superexcellence and beauty, when He is amongst the gopés it appears that He is a sublime jewel set amongst divine golden craftsmanship. Although Lord Caitanya accepted this as the highest realization of the Supreme Lord as conjugal lover, He nonetheless requested Rämänanda Räya to proceed further.
Upon hearing this request, Rämänanda Räya remarked that this was the first time that he had been asked to go further than the gopés in an attempt to understand Kåñëa. There is certainly transcendental intimacy between the damsels of Vraja and Kåñëa, Rämänanda pointed out, but out of all the relationships, the relationship between Rädhäräëé and Kåñëa in conjugal love is the most perfect. No common man can understand the ecstasy of transcendental love between Rädhäräëé and Kåñëa, nor can he understand the transcendental flavor of the transcendental love between Kåñëa and the gopés. Yet if one tries to follow in the footsteps of the gopés, he may become situated in the highest stage of transcendental love. Thus one who wants to be elevated to the transcendental stage of perfection should follow in the footsteps of the damsels of Vraja as an assistant maidservant of the gopés.
Lord Caitanya exhibited the mode of Çrématé Rädhäräëé when She was contacted from Dvärakä by Çré Kåñëa. Such transcendental love is not possible for any common man; therefore one should not imitate the highest perfectional stage exhibited by Caitanya Mahäprabhu. If, however, one desires to be in that association, he may follow in the footsteps of the gopés. In the Padma Puräëa it is stated that just as Rädhäräëé is dear to Kåñëa, similarly the kuëòa known as Rädhäkuëòa is also very dear to Him. Rädhäräëé is the only gopé who is dearer to Kåñëa than all the other gopés. In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (10.30.28) it is also stated that Rädhäräëé and the gopés render the highest perfectional loving service to the Lord and that the Lord is so pleased with them that He does not wish to leave the company of Çrématé Rädhäräëé.
Spiritual sex is of two kinds: one in accordance with the constitutional position of the self and the other in accordance with the object. When one understands the truth about this life but is not completely cleansed of material contamination, he is not factually situated in the transcendental abode, Våndävana, although he may understand spiritual life. When, however, one becomes free from the sex urges of the material body, he can actually attain the supreme abode of Våndävana. When one is so situated, he can utter the käma-gäyatré and käma-béja mantra.
In His spiritual form, Kåñëa enjoys His spiritual energy, and that is the sum and substance of the Rädhä-Kåñëa pastimes. These pastimes can only be understood by elevated devotees. One should not try to understand the Rädhä-Kåñëa potencies and pastimes from the mundane platform. Generally people misunderstand these as being material.
When the pleasure potency is further condensed, it is called mahäbhäva. Çrématé Rädhäräëé, the eternal consort of Kåñëa, is the personification of that mahäbhäva. In this regard, in Ujjvala-nélamaëi (4.3) Rüpa Gosvämé states that there are two competitors in love with Kåñëa, Rädhäräëé and Candrävalé. When they are compared, it appears that Rädhäräëé is superior, for She possesses mahäbhäva-svarüpa. Mahäbhäva-svarüpa, the personification of mahäbhäva, is applicable to Rädhäräëé only. Mahäbhäva is full of the pleasure potency, and it is an exhibition of the highest love for Kåñëa. Rädhäräëé is therefore known throughout the world as the most beloved of Kåñëa, and Her name is always associated with Kåñëa as Rädhä-Kåñëa.
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