Guest guest Posted July 28, 2002 Report Share Posted July 28, 2002 Some pearls from our Acharyas __________________________ "Life as an animal, bird, insect, or any other of the countless thousands of species is acceptable, but taking shelter of deceit is thoroughly improper. Only an honest person possesses real auspiciousness." The Upadesavali of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada ---------- "A neophyte Vaisnava or a Vaisnava situated on the intermediate platform can also accept disciples, but such disciples must be on the same platform, and it should be understood that they cannot advance very well toward the ultimate goal of life under his insufficient guidance. Therefore a disciple should be careful to accept an uttama-adhikari as a spiritual master." Srila Prabhupada - NOI ---------- "The topmost vaishnava is he whose very presence makes others chant the holy name of Krishna" Cc. Mad. 16.74 ---------- "I offer my obeisances unto Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, by whose mercy even an ignorant child can swim across the ocean of conclusive truth, which is filled with the crocodiles of various theories." Cc, Adi 2.1 ---------- "Preaching without proper conduct falls within the category of karma, mundane activity. Without crticizing the nature of others, one should correct one's self--this is my personal instruction." The Upadesavali of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada ---------- "Gentlemen, the offering of such an homage as has been arranged this evening to the acaryadeva is not a sectarian concern, for when we speak of the fundamental principle of gurudeva or acaryadeva, we speak of something that is of universal application. There does not arise any question of discrirninating my guru from yours or anyone else's." Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura - The Harmonist 1936 ---------- "So far as your question about controversy amongst the disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, that is a fact. But this controversy is not material. Just like in a national program, different political parties are sometimes in conflict and make propaganda against each other, but their central point is always service to the country. Similarly, amongst the disciples of Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati there may be some controversy, but the central point is how to preach the mission of His Divine Grace. If the central point is fixed up then there is no harm in such controversy. Every individual being must have his opinion; that is the significance of individuality, but all such differences of opinions must coincide in Krishna." Srila Prabhupada Letter - 69-07-28 ---------- "The idea of an organised church in an intelligible form, indeed, marks the close of a living spiritual movement. The great ecclesiastical establishments are the dykes and the dams to retain the current that canno be held by any such contrivances. They, indeed, indicate a desire on the part of the masses to exploit a spiritual movement for their own purpose. They also unmistakably indicate the end of the absolute and unconventional guidance of the bonafide spiritual teacher." (Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada, The Harmonist, January 1929) ---------- "Unfortunately in this age of Kali there are many mundane persons in the dress of Vaisnavas and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has described them a disciples of Kali. He says, Kali-cela, he indicates that there is another Vaisnava, a pseudo-Vaisnava with tilaka on his nose and kunti beads around his neck. Such a pseudo-Vaisnava associates with money and women and is jealous of successful Vaisnavas. Although passing for a Vaisnava, his only business is earning money in the dress of a Vaisnava. Bhaktivinoda Thakura therefore says that such a pseudo-Vaisnava is not a Vaisnava at all, but a disciple of Kali-yuga. A disciple of Kali cannot become an acarya by the decision of some high court. Mundane votes have no jurisdiction to elect a Vaisnava acarya. A Vaisnava acarya is self-effulgent, and there is no need for any court judgement. A false acarya my try to override a Vaisnava by a high-court decision, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that he is nothing but a disciple of Kali-yuga." Srila Prabhupada (Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Ch 1, 218-219) ---------- "When faults in other misguide and delude you -- have patience, introspect, find faults in yourself. Know that others cannot harm you unless you harm yourself." Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura,discourse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1935 ---------- "The church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches have always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest forms of worldliness" Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur (The Harmonist Vol. XXIX No 7 1932) ---------- "It is written my house will be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of robbers." Jesus (Luke 19:16) ---------- "The guru must be situated on the topmost platform of devotional service. There are three classes of devotees, and the guru must be accepted from the topmost class." Srila Prabhupada - Madhya 24.330 ---------- "There are many societies and associations of pure devotees, and if someone with just a little faith begins to associate with such societies, his advancement to pure devotional service is rapid." Srila Prabhupada - NOD, Ch 19 p.14 ---------- "Here in Vrindaban I am enjoying my disciples how they are speaking. So two times daily everyone must attend the classes. During the morning and evening times there should be no business, simply kirtana, chant, dance, and be purified. Do not be paramahamsa that now I haven't got to hear Srimad-Bhagavatam and Bhagavad-gita. Don't be a better paramahamsa than your Guru Maharaja. I go and sit and I enjoy the lectures and how they are performing kirtana. So as I am doing, you must also do." Srila Prabhupada ---------- " Party spirit - that great enemy of the truth - will always baffle the attempt of the inquirer who tries to gather truth from the religious works of his nation and will make him believe that the Absolute Truth is nowhere except in his old religious book." Bhaktivinoda Thakur ---------- "Your mother has some financial strength and you want to be in her confidence to get the money engaged in the Krishna Consciousness Movement. That's a good scheme, but unfortunately we do not get financial help by our schemes, but should always depend upon the causeless mercy of Lord Krishna" Srila Prabhupada [1968] ---------- "A bona fide spiritual master is in the disciplic succession from time eternal, and he does not deviate at all from the instructions of the Supreme Lord as they were imparted millions of years ago to the sun-god, from whom the instructions of Bhagavad-gita have come down to the earthly kingdom. One should, therefore, follow the path of Bhagavad-gita as it is expressed in the Gita itself and beware of self-interested people after personal aggrandisement who deviate others from the actual path." Srila Prabhupada [b.G. 4.42] ---------- "Mahaprabhu asked me yesterday to give you diksha. You should not think that I have anything to do with your diksha. Think that it is Mahaprabhu, Who has blessed you with the mantra." 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