No joy ride

[shvu]

 

I remembered these verse after reading an article which says Prabhupada predicted 90% of his followers would leave the movement.

 

------------

 

uttishhThata jAgrata

prApya varAnnibodhata |

kshurasya dhArA nishitA duratyayA

durgaM pathastatkavayo vadanti || katha upanishad 1.3.14 ||

 

Arise, Awake! Approach the great and learn. Like the sharp edge of a knife is that path, so the wise say; hard to tread and difficult to cross.

 

manushhyANA.n sahasreshhu kashchidyatati siddhaye |

yatatAmapi siddhAnA.n kashchinmA.n vetti tattvataH || BG 7.3 ||

 

Among thousands of people, one rarely struggles for perfection; even amongst those that struggle and even amongst those that become perfect, one rarely knows me in reality.

 

bahUnA.n janmanAmante GYAnavAnmAM prapadyate |

vAsudevaH sarvamiti sa mahAtmA sudurlabhaH || BG 7.19 ||

 

At the end of innumerable births, the man of realization takes refuge in Me, knowing that all this is vAsudeva. Such a saint is exceedingly rare.

 

Cheers

 

 

 

[This message has been edited by shvu (edited 11-05-2001).]

[Tarun]

On a more positive note:

The heart can push the sea and land / Farther away on either hand; /The soul can split the sky in two, / And let the face of God shine through.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay, Renascence

[Bhaktavasya]

Originally posted by shvu:

I remembered these verse after reading an article which says Prabhupada predicted 90% of his followers would leave the movement.

 

 

I like to see that quote as meaning that 90% of SP's disciples would leave iskcon high school and whosoever they meet, wherever they go, tell someone something about Krishna (Radha-Krishna, Sri Chaitanya, the Bhagavad Gita), even if in an indirect way.

 

[Tarun]

If ISKCON can't even invite octogenarian Gaudiya vaiSNav sannyAsis for a 3 day visit, then what to speak of inviting back so many alumni half their age who graduated from ISKCON High School only decades ago.

[tsaneladi]

Anybody care to verify the quote from SP about the 90%?

[Tarun]

5th Canto came out ~summer ~1975. At that time SP said, "After reading that Moon is further than Sun, 50% will leave."

[Guest guest]

hi, would you please be so kind to translate inenglidh these few vedic verses for me?

 

manushhyANA.n sahasreshhu kashchidyatati siddhaye |

yatatAmapi siddhAnA.n kashchinmA.n vetti tattvataH

 

I'm expecially interested in the meaning of siddhAnA.n

Has it something to do with sadhana?

 

Thanks a lot

Laura, from Italy

poesis@cloudeating.com

[Narayanidd]

My dear vaisnava,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabupada!

 

Here is the translation to the verse you requested.

 

manuSyANAm-of men; sahasreSu-out of many thousands; kaScit- someone; yatati-endeavors; siddhaya-for perfection; yatatAm-of those so endeavoring; api-indeed; siddhAnAm-of those who have achieved perfection; kaScit-someone; mAm-Me; vetti-does know; tattvataH-in fact.

 

Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.

 

Purport:

 

"...Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, the primeval Lord Govinda. Isvarah paramah krsnah saccid-ananda-vigrahah/ anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam. It is very difficult for the nondevotees to know Him. Although nondevotees declare that the path of bhakti, or devotional service is very easy, they cannot practice it. If the path of bhakti is so easy, as the nondevotee class of men proclaim, then why do they tsake up the difficult path? Actually the path of bhakti is not easy. The so called path of bhakti practiced by unauthorized persons without knowledge of bhakti may be easy, but whrn practiced factually according to the rules and regulations, the speculative scholars and philosophers fall away from the path. Srila Rupa Goswani writes in his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.101)

 

sruti-smrti-puranadi-

pancaratra-vidhim vina

aikantiki harer bhaktir

utpatayaiva kalpate

 

"Devotional service of the Lord that ignores the authorized Vedic literatures like the Upanisads, Puranas, and Narada-pancaratra is simply an unnecessary disturbance in society."

 

It is not possible for the Brahman-realized impersonalist of the Paramatma-realized yogi to understand Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the son of Mother Yasoda or the charioteer of Arjuna. Even great demigods are sometimes confused about Krsna (muhyanti yat surayah). Mam tu veda na kascana: 'No one knows Me as I am,' the Lord says. And if one does know Him, then sa mahatma su-durlabhah. 'Such a great soul is very rare.' Therefore unless one practices devotional service to the Lord, one cannot know Krsna as He is(tattvatah), even though one is a great scholar or philosopher. Only the pure devotees can know something of the inconceivable transcendental qualities in Krsna, in the cause of all causes, in His omnipotence and opulence, and in His wealth, fame, strenght, beauty, knowledge and renunciation, because Krsna is benevolently inclined to His devotees. He is the last word in Brahman realization, and the devotees alone can realize Him as He is. Therefore it is said:

 

atah sri-krsna-namadi

na bhaved grahyam indriyaih

sevonmukhe hi jihvadau

svayam eva sphuraty adah

 

"No one can understand Krsna as He is by the blunt material senses. But He reveals Himself to the devotees, being pleased with them for their transcendental loving service unto Him." (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu1.2.234)"

 

Your servant,

Narayani d.d.

[Guest guest]

 

 

manushhyANA.n sahasreshhu kashchidyatati siddhaye |

yatatAmapi siddhAnA.n kashchinmA.n vetti tattvataH

 

I'm expecially interested in the meaning of siddhAnA.n

Has it something to do with sadhana?

 

 

Translation: Among thousands of people, one rarely struggles for perfection; even amongst those that struggle and even amongst those that become perfect, one rarely knows me in reality.

 

siddhAnA.n refers to those who are perfect.

 

Cheers

 

[Guest guest]

In this age all one has to do is chant Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare/ Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. If we participate in this chanting with faith and steadiness then Krsna will guide us on the path by which we can attain is loving service.

--You must have faith. I knowmyself, being a most unexpirrienced devotee, having little knowledge of the scriptures, and such... have recieved sooooo much pleasure in chanting Hare Krsna and doing the little service I do. I can only imagine that if I was doing 16 rounds, doing more service, reading more.... just how much more love and happiness I would have in Krsna Conciousness. It works... it is only we don't want it to. Srila Prabhupada says that the only qualififcation to obtain Krsna's service is our desire. We must be sincere in our desire to serve Krsna. We must want it... then Krsna will begin to give. But, if we want this material world then that he will also give. Krsna knows what is in our hearts. He hears wat we say and what we don't say. I remember Bhakti Tirta Maharaj saying how it is a great misfortune that after million and millions of births we come into contact with this Krsna conciousness... and we just let it go... we start to take steps back in the other direction.

~"In this endevour there is no loss or diminution, and a little advancement on this path can protet one from the most dangerous type of fear." B.G. 2.40.

In the purport Srila Prabhupad says "....any work done in Krsna conciousness has a permanent effect, even though not finished.....One percent done in Krsna conciousness bears permanent results, so that the next beggining is from the point of two percent; whereas, in material activity, without a hundred percent success, there is no profit.

So it is there, we have experience, that in this material world we are never haappy. Therefore we should work in Krsna conciousness sincerely... then we will be happy. Even the temporary happiness we get from material things is coming from Krsna... so what to speak of the happyness we will recieve if we only work for Krsna. We should not be discouraged... ever! Krsna is our best friend... He has given us everything we desired, He has given us the air, the body, water, even the frogetfulness by which we forget Him. How foolish we have been to give up His association. We must give up this false ego and take to the chanting of Hare Krsna at once.

I pray that Lord Krsna please remove this ignorance from my heart, that He may bless me with devotional service to Him and all the vaisnavas.

~HARE KRSNA! YS, Madhavi DD.