Great Prabhupada letter regarding inferior or superior service.

[AncientMariner]

This is one of the best letters I have read from Prabhupada and I found it on Krishna.org

Here are some excerpts from this letter to Satsvarupa Maharaja:

 

"Service. There is no question of inferior of superior.

One who distinguishes a particular type of service as inferior or superior, he does not know the value of devotional service. It is all transcendental." His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

..."Regarding your question about the controversial talks going on, this kind of talk is not befitting my advanced students. This is childish. In Krishna's service, there is no inferior and superior. Deity worship is just as important as book distribution. It is not material. As mentioned in the Bhagavatam."

 

..."Sravanam kirtanam is the beginning-- to chant and hear. Book distribution is under this category of sravanam kirtanam. The next item is smaranam. If somebody simply remembers the Supreme Lord, that is also as good as sravanam kirtanam. Then there is arcanam. That is also as good as the others, but one who simply becomes engaged in arcanam and does nothing of sravanam kirtanam, his position becomes in the material field. Any of the nine processes is as good as the other. There is no question of inferior or superior. But out of all of them sravanam kirtanam is very important. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu while instructing Srila Rupa Gosvami, has said how the seed of devotional service sprouts and increases by watering the root by the process of sravanam kirtanam. So, these two items are very important in devotional service, but that does not mean that the others are inferior. Srila Jiva Gosvami has stressed kirtanam especially in the age of Kali. Even if there is arcanam for sanctifying the contaminated mind, it must be accompanied by svranam kirtanam.

 

So you are all advanced students. You should understand the importance of each and every item of devotional service. Do not make any misunderstanding by devaluating any of the spiritual activities. You are one of the advanced students. One who distinguishes a particular service type of service as inferior or superior, he does not know the vaule of devotional service. It is all transcendental. Whatever item is suitable, that is accepted as very elevated. Just like Maharaja Pariksit. He simply listened to Sukadeva Gosvami. That is sravanam. And Sukadeva Gosvami simply narrated Srimad-Bhagavatam. This is kirtanam. Prahlada Maharaja simply contemplated -- smaranam. Prthu Maharaja simply did deity worship -- acranam. Arjuna only remained as friend of Krishna -- sakhyam. Hanuman remained only engaged in carrying out the order of Lord Ramacandra -- dasyam. And Bali Maharaja surrendered everything to Krishna -- atma-nivedanam. So, any devotee executing any one of the nine is transcendentally glorious. One devotee may be proud that his process of service is best. That is not inglorious. This is called transcendental competition. Everyone should feel proud of his particular type of devotional service, but that does not mean other types of service are inferior. Everyone should be proud of becoming sincere servant of Krishna, but the pure devotee never minimizes the importance of other devotees. Krishna is the enjoyer of varieties of service. It is not stuck up with any particular type of service. Krishna takes pleasure with devotees even by fighting service. When Grandfather Bhisma was trying to injure the body of Krishna by sharpened arrows, in full devotion in the mellow of chivalry, Krishna was feeling the piercing of the arrows as good as worshipping him with soft rose flowers. The conclusion is that everyone should be very very sincere. There is no more the question of inferior or superior."

 

- Letter to Satsvarupa Maharaja from A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

 

Man this letter just thrills me to no end because apparently even just contemplating Krishna is devotional service and I very much enjoy contemplation over endless chanting and I don't say that to knock chanting its just when I try to chant for hours on end quite frankly I find it boring compared to studying and contemplating Srimad Bhagavatam. Once again Srila Prabhupada steps up to the plate and hits it out of the ballpark! All I got to say is thank you Srila Prabhupada once again for answering one of those questions that has bothered me for quite some time.

[Pankaja_Dasa]

 

 

Prabhupada says a person Editing back to Godhead magazine and a person cleaning floor of temple are on the same level. I was taken aback at this. But makes sense I guess.

[Guest guest]

Srila Prabhupada noted that a first time attendee of a Sunday feast, who goes home and tells family and friends of the tasty food, nice music and friendly folks he met there, is a first class preacher of the Bhakti Cult.

 

Hare Krsna, ys, mahaksadasa

[krsna]

Letter from Srila Prabhupada

 

_____

Bombay

 

14th August, 1976

 

 

 

Los Angeles

 

Residents of New Dvaraka

 

 

 

My Dear Sons and Daughters,

 

 

 

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 9, 1976 and the enclosed daksina and pictures of the murties in New Dvaraka which I am having framed and put on my wall here in Bombay.

 

 

 

If you feel at all indebted to me then you should preach vigorously like me. That is the proper way to repay me. Of course, no one can repay the debt to the spiritual master but the spiritual master is very much pleased by such an attitude by the disciple. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said: vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana, "Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one." Our only business is to be fixed up in devotional service by pleasing the spiritual master. Those who are not fixed up they have various lines of action. (eka means 'one' and bahu means

 

 

The real ocean of mercy is Krsna and it is the duty of the spiritual master to tell his disciple to come to the ocean and be happy. The spiritual master's duty is to lead the disciple to this ocean. I am trying my best and if you try to follow surely you will benefit.

 

 

 

Bhaktivinode Thakura has sung, Krsna sei tomara, Krsna dite para, tomara sakati ache. Ami ta'kangala, krsna krsna boli, dhai tava pache pache.Krsna is yours and you have the power to give Him to anyone you wish. I am poor and wretched and running behind you shouting Krsna, Krsna!"

 

 

 

Krsna is unlimited, no one can catch Him, but if someone follows the parampara, He agrees to be captured. Everyone is afraid of Krsna, but Krsna is afraid of Mother Yasoda. That is Krsna's special mercy.

 

 

 

I hope this meets all of you in good health.

 

 

 

Your ever well-wisher,

 

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

 

[Guest guest]

Reminds me of Srila Bhaktisiddanta Thakurs' answer to a devotee asking which of the various preparations of prasadam on his plate he liked best.

 

His answer was, "Each and every one is better than the other"

[krsna]

– .

 

 

"My Dear Isana and Vibhavati,

 

Please accept my blessings.

 

Lately there has been some misunderstanding amongst our devotees about our Krishna Consciousness philosophy. Particularly there has been some confusion about the relationship between the Spiritual Master and Krishna. The Vedas say that there is a Master Krishna. This Servant Krishna is the Spiritual Master and this is the conclusion. The Spiritual Master is the Mercy Representative of the Supreme Lord and as such He is given honor as good as Krishna, but He is never identical with Krishna. Perhaps you know the picture of Madhvacarya, one of the great Acaryas in our line, who is holding two fingers up to indicate Krishna and jiva. The impersonalists hold up one finger because their idea is that everything is one. So if we make the Spiritual Master identical with Krishna, then we will also become impersonalists. If we say that our Spiritual Master is Krishna, then the conclusion is that if we become Spiritual Master some day, then we will also become Krishna. Please try to understand how dangerous this kind of reasoning is.

 

In my books I have tried to explain clearly this simultaneously one and different philosophy acinta beda beda tattva propounded by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But sometimes it happens that this philosophy is given a self-interested interpretation. As soon as personal motivation comes in it is not possible for one to understand our Krishna Consciousness philosophy."

 

(S.P. Letter to: Isana, Vibhavati Calcutta 21 September, 1970)

 

" Therefore Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura..., saksad-dharitvena samasta-sastraih: "All the sastras, the spiritual master is accepted as directly Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead," because he is carrying directly the message of Hari. Then again it is explained... Then Mayavadi will say, "Then I am God. Because I am carrying the message of Krsna, therefore I am Krsna." No. Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Not that he has become Prabhu, or God, but he is very dear servitor. Kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya. Because He is carrying an important message, therefore he is very confidential. And because he is very confidential servitor, he is not different from Him. Suppose if I ask somebody to do something very confidential, so that means he is identical with me, because otherwise, how can I trust? Therefore it is clear, not like Mayavadis, that "Because I have been deputed by Krsna to carry some message," not that I have become. But I am equal because the business is the same. Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, and the spiritual master says the same thing, sarva-dharman parityajya: "Just surrender to Krsna." Therefore, message being the same, they are identical. The persons are identical. But not identical in the Mayavadi sense, that he has become now God. No. He is not God, but he is the most confidential servant of God. This is Vaisnava philosophy. Because spiritual master has to be accepted, saksad-dhari, directly the Supreme Personality of Godhead, therefore the so-called spiritual master should not be puffed up, that "Now I have become God." This is Mayavada. This is rascaldom. He is most confidential servant of God, Krsna. Therefore the disciple accepts him as good as God. Therefore the conclusion is simultaneously one and different. Acintya-bhedabheda. Bheda, different, means the spiritual master is a confidential servant, or the servant God. To the disciple he is servant God. Just like in Christian philosophy, they say, "The father and the son, the same." Is it not? Yes. So similarly, here the father and son, or the spiritual master and God, they are same, but at the same time not same. It is simultaneous."

 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Lecture 2.9.7 Tokyo, April 24, 1972)