Words of the Vaisnava Acaryas

February 5, 2004

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura:

”O faithful jiva! You have turned away from Krsna and then suffered the experience of so-called happiness and distress in the realm of mayika-samsara. This situation is not befitting you.

As long as you remain bound to the wheel of karma as a result of your faulty aversion to Krsna, please accept one transcendental remedy.

If you are inclined toward the path of pravrtti (positive use of material situations), then just become a grhastha, brahmacari, or vanaprastha; or if you are inclined to the path of nivrtti (renunciation of material situations), then just be a sannyasi.

But in whatever position you find yourself, please give up all anacar (sinful activities), while offering your body, home, wife, children, and wealth unto Sri Krsna.

Living in Krsna's world, perform all your actions by dovetailing your senses and mind with topics of Krsna, and with a heart purified of envious aversion pass the journey of life.

The supreme nectar (paramamrta) of favorable service rendered unto Lord Krsna will gradually become thickened until it breaks through your two bodies — the gross (sthula) and the subtle (linga) — and will finally cause your eternal spiritual form (aprakrta svarupa) to again awaken.

krsna · February 26, 2004

WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO OUR MISERIES?

The leaders of our present civilization are all illusioned. They mislead us into taking some temporary benefit, but how long can their plans and schemes go on? If they persist until they die of heart failure or are killed by assassins, then another just like them takes their place. Even the so-called philosophers of modern society are captivated by material name and fame, and so they do not lead the general populace in the proper direction. Thus the anchor of life remains deeply fixed in the waters of nescience for the purpose of sense gratification, and thus our so-called civilization rots in a stagnant pool. Because we are not moving, we are always in the same port of problematic life. All schemes are only useless scraps of paper in the face of war, famine, earthquakes and other disasters. All these disasters are warnings from Mother Durga, and by them she confirms her eternal superiority over the illusioned planmakers. The different weights on the anchor which keep us grounded in material life are our attachments to the material body due to our ignorance of spiritual facts, our attachment to kinsmen due to bodily relations, our attachment to our land of birth and our material possessions, our attachment to material science and our attachment to religious forms and rituals without knowing their true purpose—all these anchor the boat of the human body in the material universe.

Sri Krsna, using the example of a strongly rooted banyan tree, advises us in Bhagavad-gita how to get rid of this attachment once and for all: “The real form of this tree cannot be perceived in this world. No one can understand where it ends, where it begins, or where its foundation is. This banyan tree must be cut out with determination, by the weapon of detachment. Thereafter, one must seek that situation from which, having gone, one never comes back. One must surrender to that Supreme Personality of Godhead from whom everything has begun and is extending since time immemorial.” (Bg. 15.3,4)

The personality of Godhead, who is fully cognizant of everything in His creation, informs us in our best interest that we must desire to get rid of this material existence. We must detach ourselves from everything material. To make the best use of a bad bargain, our material existence should be 100% spiritualized by constant association with Krsna's message, His devotees and His names. Therefore everyone who ordinarily engages in material affairs can derive the highest benefit from this Krsna consciousness movement. All kinds of spiritual endeavors are more or less tinged with material contamination. However, pure devotional service is transcendental to all pollution. We need not artificially adopt principles of materialism; we need only fix our minds on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. (Elevation to Krsna Consciousness ch.5)

O Lord, persons who are entangled by undesirable eagerness for the temporary body and kinsmen, and who are bound by thoughts of “mine” and “I,” are unable to see Your lotus feet, although Your lotus feet are situated within their own bodies. But let us take shelter of Your lotus feet. O great Supreme Lord, offensive persons whose internal vision has been too affected by external materialistic activities cannot see Your lotus feet, but they are seen by Your pure devotees, whose one and only aim is to transcendentally enjoy Your activities. (the demigods SB 3.5.44-45)

Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

krsna · February 27, 2004

"Do the needful"

"Never think that I am absent from you. Physical presence is not essential;

presence by message (or hearing) is real touch. Lord Krishna is present by

His message which was delivered 5,000 years ago. We feel always

the presence of our past Acharyas simply by their immutable instructions.

I hope you will understand me right and do the needful."

(Srila Prabhupada, letter to "My dear Students," 2nd August, 1967)

Please try to remember me

"Please always try to remember me by my teachings and we shall always be together. Just like I have written in the first publications of Srimad-Bhagwatam, "The Spiritual Master lives forever by His divine instruction, and the disciple lives with him." Because I have always served my Guru Maharaj and followed His teachings, I am now even never separated from Him. Sometimes Maya may come and try to interfere but we must not falter, we must always follow the chalked out path layed down by the great acharyas, and in the end you will see."

(Srila Prabhupada letter, 25/11/73)

I am in your heart

"If you think of me and work for me, then I am in your heart.

If you love somebody he is in your heart. It is common thing,

everyone understands it."