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Essential point

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 2

The first process in the routine work of devotional service—hearing—is the essential point. Hearing by all classes of devotees from the authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is essential.
SB 2.3.21, Purport:

The Lord is the Lord of everyone, including the great kings and emperors, and men who are rich in the estimation of mundane people must therefore make it a point to visit the temple of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa and regularly bow down before the Deity. The Lord in the temple in the worshipable form is never to be considered to be made of stone or wood, for the Lord in His arcā incarnation as the Deity in the temple shows immense favor to the fallen souls by His auspicious presence. By the hearing process, as mentioned hereinbefore, this realization of the presence of the Lord in the temple is made possible. As such, the first process in the routine work of devotional service—hearing—is the essential point. Hearing by all classes of devotees from the authentic sources like Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is essential. The common man who is puffed up with his material position and does not bow down before the Deity of the Lord in the temple, or who defies temple worship without any knowledge of the science, must know that his so-called turban or crown will only succeed in further drowning him in the water of the ocean of material existence. A drowning man with a heavy weight on his head is sure to go down more swiftly than those who have no heavy weight. A foolish, puffed-up man defies the science of God and says that God has no meaning for him, but when he is in the grip of God's law and is caught by some disease like cerebral thrombosis, that godless man sinks into the ocean of nescience by the weight of his material acquisition. Advancement of material science without God consciousness is a heavy load on the head of human society, and so one must take heed of this great warning.

SB Canto 3

The essential point is that the mind, which is contaminated by material attraction, has to be bridled and concentrated on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
SB 3.28.7, Purport:

Etair anyaiś ca. The general yoga process entails observing the rules and regulations, practicing the different sitting postures, concentrating the mind on the vital circulation of the air and then thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in His Vaikuṇṭha pastimes. This is the general process of yoga. This same concentration can be achieved by other recommended processes, and therefore anyaiś ca, other methods, also can be applied. The essential point is that the mind, which is contaminated by material attraction, has to be bridled and concentrated on the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It cannot be fixed on something void or impersonal. For this reason, so-called yoga practices of voidism and impersonalism are not recommended in any standard yoga-śāstra. The real yogī is the devotee because his mind is always concentrated on the pastimes of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa consciousness is the topmost yoga system.

SB Canto 7

The essential point in this connection is that one should be fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours a day.
SB 7.1.27, Purport:

Śrīmān Nārada Muni, the topmost pure devotee, praises Kṛṣṇa's enemies like Śiśupāla because their minds are always completely absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. Indeed, he thinks himself deficient in the inspiration of being feelingly absorbed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. This does not mean, however, that the enemies of Kṛṣṇa are more elevated than Kṛṣṇa's pure devotees. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Adi 5.205) Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī also thinks of himself in such a humble way:

jagāi mādhāi haite muñi se pāpiṣṭha
purīṣera kīṭa haite muñi se laghiṣṭha

"I am a worse sinner than Jagāi and Mādhāi and am even lower than the worms in the stool." A pure devotee always thinks himself more deficient than everyone else. If a devotee approaches Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī to offer some service to Kṛṣṇa, even Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī thinks that the devotee is greater than She. Thus Nārada Muni says that according to his opinion the enemies of Kṛṣṇa are better situated because they are fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa in terms of killing Him, just as a very lusty man always thinks of women and their association.

The essential point in this connection is that one should be fully absorbed in thoughts of Kṛṣṇa, twenty-four hours a day. There are many devotees in rāga-mārga, which is exhibited in Vṛndāvana. Whether in dāsya-rasa, sakhya-rasa, vātsalya-rasa or mādhurya-rasa, all the devotees of Kṛṣṇa are always overwhelmed by thoughts of Kṛṣṇa. When Kṛṣṇa is away from Vṛndāvana tending the cows in the forest, the gopīs, in the mādhurya-rasa, are always absorbed in thoughts of how Kṛṣṇa walks in the forest. The soles of His feet are so soft that the gopīs would not dare keep His lotus feet on their soft breasts. Indeed, they consider their breasts a very hard place for the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, yet those lotus feet wander in the forest, which is full of thorny plants. The gopīs are absorbed in such thoughts at home, although Kṛṣṇa is away from them.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

I say that Jesus Christ, either you call him God, or confidential representative of God, both of them are one, when he says: "Thou shalt not kill," why should we interpret in an another way, to our convenience?
Room Conversation with Cardinal Danielou -- August 9, 1973, Paris:

Cardinal Danielou: If, if the men are hungry, it is the life of men is more important than the life of cow.

Prabhupāda: Therefore, because we are propagating this Kṛṣṇa consciousness, we ask people to, not to eat meat, any kind.

Cardinal Danielou: Yes, yes, yes.

Prabhupāda: But if, under certain circumstances, you are obliged to eat meat, eat the flesh of some lower animals. Don't kill cows. It is the greatest sin. And so long one will be sinful, he'll not be able to understand what is God. But human being, main business is to understand God and to love Him. But if he remains sinful, neither he can understand God, and what to, what is the question of loving Him. Therefore at least from the human society, this cruel maintenance of slaughterhouses must be stopped.

Cardinal Danielou: (French)

Yogeśvara: (translates)

Cardinal Danielou: Oui, oui. I think that this is perhaps not an essential point. I think that in this realm the uses of various religions can be good. The importance is to love God.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Cardinal Danielou: But the commandment practical can be various.

Prabhupāda: No. Just like God, if God says that: "You can do this," that is not sin. But if God says that: "You cannot do it", then it is sin.

Cardinal Danielou: When God says that it is not good to Indian, and says to the Jews that it is...

Prabhupāda: No, no. Now take... Therefore I say that Jesus Christ, either you call him God, or confidential representative of God, both of them are one, when he says: "Thou shalt not kill," why should we interpret in an another way, to our convenience?

Cardinal Danielou: Yes, but Jesus eated (French, refers to passover lamb)

Yogeśvara: (French)

Cardinal Danielou: Mutton, mutton.

Yogeśvara: Oh, the sheep.

Cardinal Danielou: Oui, the sheeps...

Prabhupāda: That's all right, but Jesus Christ never maintained slaughterhouse.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

There are two things. One is your body and the other, the living force which is moving your body. There is no question of decision; it is already decided. There are two things. But our point is that two things are there, the material body and the moving force.
Magazine Interview -- June 10, 1976, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: For a common man it is little difficult, but it is very easy. We are talking of the spiritual platform, but common man does not understand what is spiritual, although it is very easy. My body, your body, is moving on account of spiritual spark. That's a fact; everyone can see. As soon as the spiritual spark, soul, is off, the body, it is simply lump of matter. That is a fact; everyone can see. But still they are not serious to understand what is that spiritual spark. There is no education. Mostly they are thinking there is no spiritual spark, the body is moving.... How it is moving? What is their explanation?

Rāmeśvara: Chemical combination and reaction.

Prabhupāda: But that, they cannot do it. They cannot make any dull matter moving by chemical combination. Although they cannot do it, still they talk of it. That is another foolishness. We say that you.... Egg, everyone can see some white matter, some yellow matter, and some covering, plasticlike. So a chemical, mostly chemicals are white. So combine the chemicals and make white and cover it with plastic and give it to the incubator. Why the chicken is not coming? Hm? And why they talk nonsense that it is a chemical combination? They cannot experiment it, neither they can do it, and still they'll talk nonsense. What do you think?

Interviewer: What do I think?

Prabhupāda: Yes, this nonsense talking that chemical combination, there is life. Why don't you do it?

Interviewer: I think it's a continuing to search for whatever...

Prabhupāda: That any nonsense can say, that "I am continuing," but where is the result? When the result is expected?

Interviewer: I'm sorry, I can't understand.

Prabhupāda: When the result will be out!

Rāmeśvara: He's saying they can always pass it off by saying, "We're continuing to research. One day in the future." But when will that day come? It is like, Prabhupāda sometimes calls it a post-dated check.

Interviewer: Isn't that, each individual makes that determination when that day has come?

Rāmeśvara: No. He means in terms of the scientists discovering how to make, create life, or how to put life back into a dead body. They say that it is chemical reaction. Therefore one day they should be able to discover how to do it if it's simply chemicals. So when will that day come? Prabhupāda's point is that it's not chemicals, but that there's actually a spiritual element. And because they don't accept that there's a spiritual element, they're not searching for it. They're simply studying the chemicals. So in that way they're not, they'll never reach the right conclusion about what is life, what makes this body move, what is death. Because they're missing the essential point, the spiritual element. So his question was What do you think about it?

Interviewer: Ah, my spiritualness is strongly absent from my own person. I...

Prabhupāda: How? Why do you say absent? You are talking.

Interviewer: Well, in the sense that I, I look beyond who I am now, I don't look very far. At this point in my life, I haven't made the decision that I need to look.

Prabhupāda: You may decision or not decision, there are two things.

Interviewer: I'm sorry...

Prabhupāda: There are two things. One is your body and the other, the living force which is moving your body. There is no question of decision; it is already decided. There are two things. But our point is that two things are there, the material body and the moving force. So what we are speaking, we are speaking of the living force, moving force, and people in general, they're interested with this body. Therefore our subject matter is little difficult for such common man. We are speaking simply on the subject matter of that living force, what is that living force. Our beginning is from that point, that body is different from the living force. And general people, they do not understand. Although they feel that there is living force something, they say it is chemical combination and so on, so on. But that is not the fact. It is a different commodity, material, or it is not material, spiritual identity which is different from this combination of matter, this body. So it requires little training to understand. Although it is very simple fact, but their brain is very dull, material. They see daily, but still, they propose so many things which is impractical. Just like you said that it is chemical composition and they're trying to do it in future.

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

I shall be glad to hear from you how and when you are going situate a temple in this house. That is the most essential point.
Letter to Hamsaduta -- Los Angeles 16 January, 1969:

The photographs you sent me appear very nice, but the house photograph is covered with snow. I have seen this house from the outside, and sometimes I was thinking that this is a nice house for a temple. So I shall be glad to hear from you how and when you are going situate a temple in this house. That is the most essential point. Hope this finds you in good health.

1973 Correspondence

The essential point to remember is that by your activity you will please always your spiritual master. That means following the orders and instructions of your spiritual master, and my first instruction to all of my disciples is that they become Krsna conscious devotees themselves and help others to become devotees by spreading this Krsna Consciousness movement all over the world, utilizing their energy however they are best able to do it.
Letter to Krsnakatha (Kris Carlson), Anala (Anna Carlson) Riddha (Roger May), Maharddhi (Morley Walkowski), Rohita (Randy Hyndeman), Kala (Carl Mulder) -- Bombay 5 January, 1973:

Now my request to all of you is that you very seriously and sincerely stick to the principles of devotional service, and especially observe strictly the four prohibitions, and without fail always chant at least 16 rounds on your beads daily. In this way you will be always happy.

You have now got the golden opportunity of this human form of life, and it is not by accident that you have met your spiritual master, so if you are actually intelligent you will take advantage of Krsna's blessings upon you and go back to home, back to Godhead. The essential point to remember is that by your activity you will please always your spiritual master. That means following the orders and instructions of your spiritual master, and my first instruction to all of my disciples is that they become Krsna conscious devotees themselves and help others to become devotees by spreading this Krsna Consciousness movement all over the world, utilizing their energy however they are best able to do it. In this way, if you keep yourselves always engaged in Krsna's business 24 hours, then you will be freed from all attachment to maya, by Krsna's grace. Just as when the darkness and the light come together, the darkness cannot stand before the light, so maya cannot remain in the presence of Krsna. Always remember therefore to chant Hare Krsna, and that will save you in all circumstances, without any doubt.

The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully. My first instruction to all of my disciples is that they should help me spread this Krsna Consciousness movement all over the world, utilizing their energy as best they are able to do it.
Letter to Hasyakari (Howard Bernd), Rathangapani (Randy Buchert), Varuthapa (Warren Havens), Laksmivan (Lawson Knight), Bhaktavatsala (Barry Butler), Bhaktilila (Linda Butler) -- Bombay, India 9 January, 1973:

My request to all of you is that you very seriously stick to the principles of devotional service as you have learned them, and especially observe strictly the four prohibitions and without fail always chant at least 16 rounds on your beads daily. In this way you will be always happy.

Now you have got the golden opportunity of this human form of life, and it is not by accident that you have met your spiritual master, so if you are actually intelligent you will stick very tightly to your position of Krsna Consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead. The essential point to remember is that you should try always to please your spiritual master under every condition. That means to follow his orders and instructions very carefully. My first instruction to all of my disciples is that they should help me spread this Krsna Consciousness movement all over the world, utilizing their energy as best they are able to do it. In this way, keeping yourselves always engaged in Krsna's business 24 hours, you will become free from all attachment to maya by Krsna's grace. Just as when the darkness and the light come together, the darkness cannot stand before the light, so maya cannot remain in the presence of Krsna. Always remember therefore to chant Hare Krsna and that will save you in all circumstances without any doubt.

Page Title:Essential point
Compiler:Visnu Murti, MayuriSakhee
Created:21 of Mar, 2010
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=3, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=2, Let=3
No. of Quotes:8