If the woman is trained, a girl is trained from the very beginning that: "You should remain chaste," that is dharma. It is called Satītā dharma. Satī means chastity. There are many stories of Satī, chaste woman. Nala-damayantī. His husband became so poverty-stricken. He was king, but he became later on so poverty-stricken that he had no sufficient cloth. The husband and wife was putting on the same cloth, half and half. So still, still there was no divorce. You see. Still the woman did not consider... She was also king's daughter. But the husband has fallen down to so much poverty-stricken condition. "So why shall I live with him?" These are some of the extreme examples of chastity. Not to speak of olden days, I have seen in Bombay, in 1935 or '34, on the roadside, there was a beggar. The beggar, the face was defaced. Might be some accident. His eyes and everything became defaced. He could not see, everything became useless. So he, he was sitting on the roadside, and his wife also, also sitting. But I saw that beggar was neat and clean. The wife was also neat and clean. The wife's business was that to keep the husband always neat and clean and fresh and bring him there and again take him at home. Young woman. So I could understand that the wife is so chaste. She has not left such ugly husband. Because his face was defaced. And helping him. Because they require some money. So we have seen.
Extreme (Lecture, Conv. & Letters)
Expressions researched:
"extreme"
|"extremes"
|"extremist"
|"extremists"
|"extremities"
|"extremity"
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
"Similarly, even if you think that by discharging your duty as a warrior, as a kṣatriya, your grandfather will be killed or... Of course, there is no cause of lamentation. He'll get another new body. But even if you think, if your bodily concept is so strong, if you are sorry, so you have to, I mean to say, tolerate. Just one has to tolerate extreme heat and extreme cold." There is no cause of crying, "Oh, there is extreme heat, extreme heat." What you'll do? That is nature's law. Extreme heat—everyone is cooking. Nobody says, "Oh, today is extreme heat. I cannot cook." No. Everybody is cooking, although there is suffering. Similarly, there is extreme cold, but everyone is taking bath in the Ganges. Nobody says, "Oh, I'll not take bath. So duty has to be done. There may be some suffering, temporary. Even though... Kṛṣṇa never says, "Oh, my dear Arjuna, you are My friend. All right, you are feeling so much sorry. All right, I shall do it for you. You sit down, silent."
There are three kinds of distresses: adhyātmika, adhibhautika, adhidaivika. Adhyātmika means distresses pertaining to this body and the mind. And adhidaivika means distresses offered by material nature. Nature. All of a sudden there is earthquake. All of a sudden there is famine, there is scarcity of food, there is over rain, no rain, extreme heat, extreme winter, extreme cold. We have to go under these distresses, threefold. At least one, two, must be there. Still, we do not realize that "This place is full of distress because I have got this material body."
Therefore a sane man's duty is how to stop the process of accepting this material body. This is intelligence. He should realize that "I am always in distresses, and I am not this body, but I am put into this body. Therefore right conclusion is that I am not this body. If, somehow or other, I can live without this body, then my distresses are over. This is common sense. That is possible. Therefore Kṛṣṇa comes.
The scientists, they give some theory, but that is imperfect. Another scientist comes, he improves upon it, everything. That means this knowledge has no end, it is going on, going on. But the knowledge which is, which comes to the point that here is the extreme knowledge, that is called Vedānta. So the Vedānta means, those who have read Vedānta, Vedānta-sūtra, the first sūtra or code is athāto brahma jijñāsā. Atha, now, the time is for inquiring about the Absolute Truth, athāto brahma jijñāsā. That means the human life.
The human, Vedānta-sūtra, this philosophy is meant for the human being, not for cats and dogs. They cannot understand. Therefore it is said, atha, now. It is the opportunity of our inquiring about the Absolute Truth, this human form of life. What is that Absolute Truth? Everyone is under the concept of this body, but that is not Absolute Truth.
So this relationship of āsakti, of attachment, is very sublime. It is very sublime. It requires time to understand, but there is such position, that instead of asking God, "O God, give me our daily bread, give us our daily bread," you can think that that God will die if you do not supply Him bread. God will die if you do not supply. And this is the ecstasy of extreme love. So there is such relationship with Kṛṣṇa and His devotees. Rādhārāṇī, the greatest devotee, the greatest lover of Kṛṣṇa. (break) Nanda-Yaśodā, the lover as parent. Sudāmā, a friend, lover as friend. Arjuna, lover as friend. Similarly, there are millions and trillions of different kinds of devotees of Kṛṣṇa. They are directly playing.
There are two kinds of sterilization: either by increasing the heat or decreasing the heat, below zero. But Bhagavad-gītā, from Bhagavad-gītā we understand, adāhyo 'yam: soul is never killed in fire, neither it is killed by extreme coldness. Nityaḥ śāśvato 'yam. Spirit cannot be counteracted by any material reaction. That is spirit. So therefore, the theory that in the fire the living entity dies, it is not; otherwise how these ślokas are there in the Second Chapter? Adāhyo 'yam, akledyo 'yam, aśoṣya 'yam. That means anything material, that can be cut into pieces, but the soul cannot be cut into pieces. Acchedyo 'yam. It cannot be cut into pieces. Acchedyo' yam. Adāhyo 'yam: it cannot be burned into ashes in the fire. Akledyo 'yam aśoṣya 'yam: by the reaction of the five elements, earth, water, fire, air, that is not applicable in the soul.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
The rascal, so-called kings, they think that "It is my property. Let me tax the people to the extreme and take the money and enjoy in drinking and enjoying women." Therefore the monarchy's finished. But what is the benefit by finishing this monarchy? The democracy, that is another set of rascals. There was one rascal. Now hundreds of rascals. That is the benefit. Hundreds of rascals, they go and form the democratic government, minister. There is dacoitry. There is rising of the rogues and thieves, and they're enjoying fat salary. So at the present moment we are in a very precarious condition so far the government is concerned. People may say that I am speaking against government, but I am just comparing the government of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and the present. If, if... I am not doing anything in my imagination... These are the things.
Therefore we insist our students that "Don't go out." Even you are discomfortable, you should tolerate, but you should not go out of the society. Then you will surely fall down, surely fall down. So if there is inconvenience, little... That is advised in Bhagavad-gītā, mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ (BG 2.14). These, just like extreme cold or extreme heat, they are troublesome to the body, mātrā-sparśāḥ. On account of this material body, we feel extreme cold, extreme heat. But Kṛṣṇa says, "They come and go." It is not that winter season will remain forever or the summer season also remain. They will come and go. If it is intolerable, please tolerate, please tolerate. Then it will be all right. I have repeatedly said... Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura, tāṅdera caraṇa-sevi-bhakta-sane vāsa. Why we have opened this society? I could have initiated, and let him remain at his home.
That's all. Raguṇatha dāsa Gosvāmī. And still, he was taking three times bath and hundred times... Sāṅkhyā-pūrvaka-nāma-gāna-natibhiḥ. He was offering obeisances flat hundred times and taking bath three times. Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī, those who have gone to Rādhā-Kunda, you have seen, the extreme tapasya. He was very rich man's son. In those days his father's income was twelve lakhs of rupees. He left his happy home and joined Caitanya Mahāprabhu and exemplified tapasya. He showed.
So tapasya generally means that first thing is that we should reduce our eating, sleeping, mating and defense. This is called tapasya, voluntarily accept. Suppose I am accustomed to eat very voraciously, and if I have to execute tapasya, that means I will have to reduce my eating to the point of no eating.
You see? Lower condition of life means sinful reaction. In that condition you cannot approach God. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12). (aside:) Who is talking? Pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān. Kṛṣṇa is the supreme pure, pavitraṁ paramam. Paramam means extreme. So nobody can approach Kṛṣṇa while He is impure. That is not possible. Just like some rascals, they say, "It doesn't matter what you are eating, what you are doing. There is no hindrance for your spiritual advancement." These rascals, these fools, misleading the whole world that in the matter of understanding the Supreme Person one can behave like the low-grade persons. No. That is not possible. Paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma pavitraṁ paramaṁ bhavān (BG 10.12).
Nectar of Devotion Lectures
If the government men, the politicians, they become Kṛṣṇa conscious... But it is very difficult. As soon as they become Kṛṣṇa conscious, they'll not be able to do all these heinous activities. So it is very difficult, but the fact is this, that... Just like Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, when he was king, people were so happy that even there was no extreme cold and extreme heat. Neither they were any disturbed with anxieties. These are stated in the Bhāgavata. If the king, if the government men, they become devotee, then automatically the prajās will be happy. Why they are hankering after Rāma-rājya? Because the head of the kingdom is the purest. So in a, in our Bengali language, it is said that if the king is sinful, the whole kingdom becomes lost. And if in the family, if the housewife is sinful, then the whole family becomes lost. It is a common saying. So the difficulty is that nobody... We are grudging against government.
General Lectures
Guest: We would like to thank Swami Prabhupāda for his kindness and extreme gentleness in coming to us. We've listened with respect to the words of life (indistinct) warmed my heart, anyway, and gave me hope for a family of human brothers to which we belong. I think we are closer to one another now, to the devotees of the temple. It's very beautiful coming here tonight, and I certainly feel that this little meeting, the human brothers under a (indistinct), of particular inspiration or coming in contact with a God whom we're all reaching out for but who has many faces. Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Philosophy Discussions
Devotee: Actually the idea is that a child is sometimes unable to adjust to certain very extremes. It is called trauma, very shocking, and the child can't understand; he is simply very much stunned. So through his life he is affected by that. He can't remember exactly what it is, because he wants to forget it, it is so painful, but it manifests in some aberrant symptom later on, as he is afraid when the windows are closed. But by finding out what is the root of his fear,... (indistinct)
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) ...I become afraid. Just like in that hospital, it was so nice, everything was so nice, but because I was thinking, "Oh, I cannot go out, I cannot walk," it was giving me too much trouble—that very thought that I cannot go out.
Śyāmasundara: Another part of Freud's theory is that there is a life instinct and a death instinct, that we all have these two instincts, and that the death instinct is the impulse toward aggression and destruction, whereas the life instinct is the impulse towards self-preservation and sex and procreation. He said that people have these two impulses, and those who have the death impulse to extreme often direct it against the self, so that you have people who have accidents and diseases, that is all self-inflicted; that because I get some disease or have some accident, that is my death instinct directed against myself. So he saw that...
Prabhupāda: That is suicidal policy.
Śyāmasundara: If someone gets sick, it's because they want to get sick. Or if there is some accident, it is due to my own desire that that accident takes place. This is his theory.
Prabhupāda: How is this theory?
Śyāmasundara: So he says that this desire to accuse someone else of being the same is sometimes repressed and replaced by the opposite expression. In other words, someone may dislike someone, but they will inhibit that dislike and show overt symptoms of friendliness, where in fact there is no friendliness there but it is only a mock friendliness. This is one of the psychological attitudes he was studying. Sometimes someone who may have dislike for someone, instead of expressing dislike, may express just the opposite, extreme fondness, where in fact he dislikes the person.
Prabhupāda: That is called (indistinct), silliness. What is the meaning of silly?
Śyāmasundara: Silly means frivolous or superficial.
Prabhupāda: (indistinct) If the other party is silly, then you also become silly. That is human nature.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Reporter: Whole head, yes. It's an extreme form of a...
Devotee: Austerity.
Reporter: Ah?
Devotee: It's an austerity.
Reporter: Yes. And then I came to... I left it, and came to Benares, and...
Prabhupāda: So when you joined this (indistinct-Sarboddha?) movement? At Benares?
Reporter: Yes. I was meet... I met Vinoba Bhave, and...
Prabhupāda: He's still living?
Reporter: Yes.
Prabhupāda: What is his philosophy?
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Varṇa-saṅkara. There is no varṇāśrama; therefore all the children, they are varṇa-saṅkara. And as soon as there is varṇa-saṅkara population, the world becomes hell. Therefore we are trying to check—"No illicit sex"—to stop this varṇa-saṅkara. Now the varṇa-saṅkara has come to such an extent that they are killing child, and that is legal. They have come down to such a extreme position.
Guest (4): But surely there is a practical point of view also. There is nothing to eat. What will happen?
Prabhupāda: Who says nothing to eat? That is also their manufacture.
Guest (4): I mean the figures which are published that half of humanity will starve.
Prabhupāda: It's... Especially, we are Indian. It is advertised that we are poverty-stricken. All over the world this is advertised. Wherever I go, they say, "Oh, you are coming from India?" (laughter) Because they are simply begging, the government. But who is dying? There is... Dying is going on, but that death is going on in other countries also. They are dying, committing suicide. And maybe some persons are dying out of starvation. You cannot stop death. Suppose you have got enough food. That means that everything is solved? In America there is enough food. Why they are coming hippies? There is no shortage of food.
Prabhupāda: The trees are taken to be the most tolerant. Tṛṇād api sunīcena taror api sahiṣṇunā. There is an extreme example of tolerance, this tree life.
Dayānanda: In one of the purports in Bhāgavatam you mention that first comes humility, then nonviolence and then tolerance.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Dayānanda: Is it also mentioned that in other places in our śāstra?
Prabhupāda: There are many places. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...is given for practicing God consciousness, and they have become advanced civilized, they are cultivating nudie-ism. Is it not? Nudie-ism. So the punishment is that "All right, you become nudie, you remain standing in one place, for five thousand years." (laughter) That is right. The trees live up till five thousand years. They live.
Prabhupāda: Who wants happiness? I want protect this body—why? Because I am within this body. And if I go away from this body, who seeks for the happiness of this body? This common reason, they have no sense. Why I am seeking happiness? I am covering this body because the body may not be affected by cold. Then why I am seeking happiness of the body from cold and heat? Because I am within the... If I go away from the within the body, then there is no more seeking after happiness. Either you throw it on the street or it is in extreme cold or extreme heat, it doesn't matter. Then who is seeking happiness? That they do not know. For whom you are so busy for happiness? That they do not know. Just like cats and dogs.
Prabhupāda: Not in the center. Sun is in the center, the polestar in the extreme north. (break)
Śrutakīrti: You were saying yesterday how foolish it is to think that God is creating planets without putting any life on them. The scientists are saying there is no life on any planet. Then why would He create a planet unless there was life on it?
Prabhupāda: All rubbish theory. Life is mentioned Bhagavad-gītā, sarva-gaḥ: "everywhere." And why these rascals say there is no life?
Paramahaṁsa: They want to see with telescope.
Prabhupāda: This is nonsense, this telescope. That is their defect. They do not admit the imperfection of the senses. What we calculated? How many billions?
Prof. Olivier: No. The Ārya-patha-nidi-sabhā, which is an organization which was started about a hundred years ago by Swami Dayananda in India, with a motto of bhavantu viśvam āryam: "Let us make all men noble through search after truth," and that started in South Africa about fifty years ago. And one of the leading gentlemen in the organization today was the one sitting on the extreme left-hand side, Mr. Chautay. They are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary here in South Africa with a week's program, and they invited these two ācāryas over from India. One is from Delhi. I don't know where the other one is from. They invited them over to grace their celebrations. So they have been having a week of celebrations starting in the City Hall last Sunday.
Prabhupāda: This Sunday?
Prof. Olivier: The Sunday that's just passed, yes, they started there.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Prabhupāda: Vairāgya means when you are not addicted to sinful life. That is vairāgya. People have got attachment for sinful activities. (break) ...deve bhagavati bhakti-yoga-prayojitaḥ, janayaty aśu vairāgyam. That is the vairāgya way. You cannot practice vairāgya without Vasudeva's shelter.
Dr. Patel: Vairāgya generates by extreme bhakti or by extreme knowledge. Not otherwise. Knowledge is generated by bhakti, no doubt, but then you must have complete knowledge of what is this and what is that.
Prabhupāda: Without bhakti, knowledge is artificial, because knowledge means to accept the Supreme Lord as Supreme. That is knowledge.
Dr. Patel: That is knowledge. And then this is also... From that knowledge, when you know that this is all false, then it sort of, in a sense, generated within you, to be...
Prabhupāda: That knowledge is described in the Bhagavad-gītā, māyayāpahṛta-jñānā. The so-called knowledge is useless. It has no value. māyāyapahṛta-jñāna.
Dr. Patel: They say, sir, that the Aryan civilization, cradle of Aryan civilization near the North Pole, is somewhere in Russia. From there they started transmigrating. People went to Europe, from there to America, then south down to Iran, and then to India and all that. When they have such extreme cold they were able to civilize themselves to that extent.
Prabhupāda: Hm? We don't say.
Dr. Patel: The Eskimos are not able to do it.
Prabhupāda: No. Civilization means they must live in a nice place like India. That is civilization. The America in those days, they were neglecting. Nobody was living there. Gradually they advanced. Otherwise these tracts of land were rejected.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Trivikrama: And here also, Śrīla Prabhupāda, in the ocean, they're surfing, extreme cold.
Rādhāvallabha: It's so cold that they sit on the water and they just tremble.
Prabhupāda: That is also another punishment, voluntary.
Hari-śauri: Everybody's doing tapasya, but for their own cause.
Prabhupāda: Hm? Yes. Ugra-karma, ferocious activities. (break)
Rādhāvallabha: ...people also do that. They wake up at two or three in the morning and drive and stand in the water for eight or ten hours, just freezing, waiting to catch a fish.
Candanācārya: For sport.
Rādhāvallabha: Just for fun, not even for eating.
Candanācārya: There are some fishermen that spend six months out of the year far out at sea just fishing. They sleep only three or four hours a day. They don't see any other people. They just live together on a big boat.
Bharadvāja: So the only way to beat that cycle is ajñāta-sukṛti?
Prabhupāda: Why ajñāta? Why not jñāta? You rascal, you take Kṛṣṇa conscious. Why ajñāta? Be informed. This is the only way.
Prabhupāda: We are accustomed to tropical climate. This.... Heat does not disturb us, but cold disturbs us. We can tolerate extreme heat, 120 degrees, but we cannot tolerate fifty degree cold.
Mike Robinson: That's cold. (laughs)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Mike Robinson: That was very good. Thank you very much.
Prabhupāda: Why young men are attracted to, they inquire? Why young men are attracted in this movement?
Mike Robinson: What is the answer?
Prabhupāda: They are receptive. Young man is blank slate. They are not sophisticated. Therefore they receive very nicely.
Prabhupāda: I chastise them only because they don't care for money. (laughter)
Guest (1): They are extreme. It is contradiction...
Prabhupāda: And because they are fortunate, wherever they go, they get money.
Guest (1): That is law of nature. All the big rivers go to the sea where water is not wanted.
Prabhupāda: I have seen them. They squander so much money, and I chastise them that "You are so loose, you are so rascal and..." But still, whatever money I have got, it is due to them.
Guest (1): That's true, that's true. (laughter) That's true. That's true.
Prabhupāda: Otherwise... (laughing)
Guest (1): Really, it is true. (break)
Prabhupāda: I have tried convinced them. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrīḥ (SB 1.8.26),
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, I'm not going to stay...
Dr. Patel: It is very cold, huh? There will be extreme cold this season. And to take bath in confluence in this biting cold of this cold water.
Prabhupāda: Sometimes I was taking.
Dr. Patel: You should take warm water bath.
Prabhupāda: In 1925 I was taking. I was touching the water, and it was cutting.
Dr. Patel: Even my... It was cutting too much.
Prabhupāda: (chuckles) And as soon as I take a dip, everything is warm.
Dr. Patel: No, but for now it is not right.
Prabhupāda: It is very nice.
Mr. Gupta: By God's grace I'm a very successful man. I'm youngest chief mechanical engineer on the Central Railway. I know kāma, krodha, lobha, moha—all are, taken to extreme, it's pāpa. I know it. But when they overcome in the heat of the moment, they you're not able to retract yourself. It's only when...
Dr. Patel: Then... Then...
Prabhupāda: No, let him. That you have to practice, how to use kāma, krodha. That is described by Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura. Kṛṣṇa-sevā kāmārpaṇe. Kāma means you have a strong desire to do something. That is kāma. So convert it, this kāma desire, for Kṛṣṇa's activities. Kṛṣṇa-sevā kāmārpaṇe. Krodha bhakta-dveṣi-jane. And persons who are envious of the devotees, you become angry upon them. You have got this quality, kāma, krodha, lobha, but you can utilize it. Just like Hanumān.
Dr. Patel: It will be very, very cold. It will be very, very... You have to live in a tent... After all, tent is not really... Especially in March, January, cold is extreme. It is as cold as New York but more than that.
Prabhupāda: I have got many invitations from friends. I can live in the home, house. That depends on my... Either in the tent or a mile, two miles away.
Dr. Patel: When you go out after leaving some friend's house, it will be very difficult to come out because of the cold. It will be as big as Bombay practically, this Kumbhamela, at least twenty-five lakhs or thirty lakhs. It will be as big as cold. (?)
Prabhupāda: No, space is also.
Dr. Patel: I'll tell one of the friends to get me some water on that day. I'll take bath here. (laughs) I had gone to Allahabad once only.
Prabhupāda: Only?
Dr. Patel: My mind is haunted by those (indistinct). There will be somebody...
Prabhupāda: I know that I sincere to Kṛṣṇa, He'll do the rest.
Dr. Patel: That is right. You have extreme faith.
Prabhupāda: Faith means extreme faith. Not reserved. Faith does not mean any reservation. What is that? Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. This is... Ananya-bhāk. No reservation. That is... Sādhur eva. He is sādhu. Whatever he does, it doesn't matter. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Sādhur eva sa mantavyaḥ (BG 9.30). He sādhu. Mahātmānas tu māṁ pārtha daivīṁ prakṛtim āśritāḥ, bhajanty ananya-manaso (BG 9.13). These are the words. Require staunch faithful devotion. Then you are perfect. Then doesn't matter what you are, what you are doing. Whether the real point is fixed up. Bhajate mām ananya-bhāk. Fifty percent, ten percent devotion.
Prabhupāda: Samo 'haṁ sarva-bhūteṣu (BG 9.29). God must be equal to everyone.
Dr. Patel: You are right. With that extreme faith, Jesus took to the cross. Huh? (break)
Prabhupāda: That is the greatness of the movement. (break)
Dr. Patel: We will be meeting with all people in the whole world. And you will be...
Prabhupāda: Yes, I am the oldest.
Dr. Patel: (laughing) Keep in my hand and walk. And I would say, sir, that you also should not take bath in cold water.
Prabhupāda: No, I don't take. I... Since 1970, 1966, '67, I am not taking cold bath.
Prabhupāda: I never used hot water. In India the Delhi is the coldest part. In my business life, in the hotel I was taking cold water. Everyone was surprised. "How you can?" In Saharanpur, in bitter cold, I was taking cold water early in the morning.
Dr. Patel: This will be extreme cold in river. I have taken bath in the confluence four or five years back. It was not winter, but then it was... It is cold throughout the year because snow melt and keep water very cold.
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. (break) ...gentleman will have a flag in the home.
Dr. Patel: During the times of Moguls you have seen all the pictures with the flag.
Prabhupāda: That was the system. Our Pandit Jawaharlal was keeping one flag also, always.
Prabhupāda: No. Not only twenty-four hours, twenty-six hours.
Rāmeśvara: That is their charge, that it is too extreme. They say we isolate the devotees from the real world. We don't let them read newspapers, we don't let them...
Prabhupāda: That is your real world, but you do not know what is reality. Your real world is this body. But this body is not real. That, you rascal, you cannot understand. Your reality is this body, but body not real.
Rāmeśvara: Even if this world is not real, temporarily it's real.
Prabhupāda: Temporary, yes. So I am eternal. I must associate with eternity. Why shall I..., temporary. Suppose if somebody comes in India, American, that is his temporary residence. Why shall I accept India as everything? Similarly this body is another India or for Indian, American. It is temporary, asann, asat. Asann api kleśada āsa dehaḥ (SB 5.5.4). This body is temporary. That you have no knowledge. Why shall I be attached to the temporary things? I am the owner of the body, I am reality,
Prabhupāda: What educated? Educated means hippies. That's all. This is their education. They do not know what is meant by education. Education... University student was informed that "Next birth you may become a dog," so he said, "What is the wrong there?" This is education. Is that education, that he agrees to become a dog very happily? There is no education. Simply waste of time.
Satsvarūpa: But at least if there is extreme exploitation by a king or dictator it can't be changed. But the people...
Prabhupāda: There cannot be exploitation if things are made in order. Just like kṣatriya should be trained up as kṣatriya. Then he is king. Not that a bhangi by vote becomes a king. This is education.
Prabhupāda: The Prime Minister is lightie?
Upendra: Yes. He is very educated. He is half. All the ministers are, those natives are light-skinned. They are from a particular island group, mixed. They are very intelligent and polite. The other natives are darker and more extremists. But this extremist agitation is, they say, is instigated by the Europeans, who keep the Indians and natives apart, because the natives have all the land, and this is what the Europeans are interested in. So they instigate it.
Prabhupāda: These rascals, wherever they go, they create trouble.
Prabhupāda: "So this child will be like this, like this, like this, like this," Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja's question was that "What you are speaking, that is all right. Whether this child will be to their forefathers' reputation, how to give happiness to the subjects, praja-pālana?" He was anxious, "How much he will be qualified, praja-pālana, how to keep the prajas very happy? First of all see that." This was the test, praja-pālana. And it is stated in this Bhāgavatam... Now find out this ruling of Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, that chapter, first part. So there was not even disease during his reign. Adayo vyadhayaḥ.(?)There was no extreme heat, there was no extreme cold, on account of his rājarṣi. And their only business was to see... And Lord Rāmacandra. How He was maintaining subjects like father. Therefore people are still hankering after rāma-rājya. There is a chapter, "Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's Regime." See the Contents.
Prabhupāda: The Lord's grace, His interest and deep concern for His devotees and even for sinners, His great love for all beings without any distinction of order, caste, creed, and sex, His ever-willingness to look after all ardent devotees, His extreme sweetness, all these qualities have made Him the most easily lovable of the divine manifestations. The text of the Bhāgavata, scenes of the whole life of the Lord from His childhood to His withdrawal from the world, yet the philosophical aspects receive greater emphasis than the historical ones.' " Not simply that it's some stories, but full of philosophy. " 'Along with the Bhāgavata, the Caitanya-caritāmṛta has received as much care and attention in the translation by Śrīla Prabhupāda. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust is presenting these two sets as an encyclopedia of our culture, and our university has made a standing order of these volumes, which our students delight in reading.
Bhavānanda: Bharadvāja Prabhu was just telling me that he's noticed-he's been massaging your legs—that your legs and feet are warmer today than they were yesterday. I have noticed over the past three or four days that your feet have been cold. Extremities, your hands and your feet, have been very cold. Now that's a sign of strength. We feel that the change from the makara-dhvaja is going to be subtle, not so swift in terms of renewed vigor. Even allopathic medicine... You took so much allopathic medicine, and you took that even more than you're willing to take this Ayurvedic medicine. That you took for three days. This you haven't even taken one full day. Of course, we're not placing all of our hopes on the medicine as such. We've been placing all of our prayers at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.
Prabhupāda: No, that is the only hope. All hopes fail.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
Yes there was all darkness in New York on the 10th instant and it was not a happy incident. I learn that may people remained in the elevators and in the subway trains for more than seven to eight hours in darkness. I do not read newspapers but there must have been some mishaps also which we may not know. That is the way of material civilization too much depending on machine. At any time the whole thing may collapse and therefore we may not be self complacent depending so much on artificial life. The modern life of civilization depends wholly on electricity and petrol and both of them are artificial for man. You will be surprised to know that I had to take help of the old crude method of lightening by burning some vegetable oil and use the small bowl as lamp to save myself from the extreme darkness. I could not procure any candle from the shop but by the Grace of Krishna one friend Mr. Bill happened to come and he arranged for some fruits and candle.
1968 Correspondence
As it is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita, that an impersonalist, if he is sincere in searching out the Absolute Truth, then ultimately such impersonalist can reach to the point of the Personality of Godhead. So Prakasananda Sarasvati was submissive to Lord Caitanya, because he begged Lord Caitanya to occupy superior seat, while Caitanya Mahaprabhu out of His extreme humbleness, was sitting in a place where they were washing their feet. A Vaisnava is always humble, and if a person does not misuse this humbleness of a Vaisnava, he gets a chance to be elevated. But if somebody misunderstands the humbleness of a Vaisnava then he is doomed. Just like in the Caitanya Caritamrta, the author Kaviraja Goswami says that he is lower than the stool, and Sanatana Goswami says that he is born and associated with most degraded persons. If such humbleness of Vaisnavas are taken verbatim, then we are misled.
1970 Correspondence
We have been offered a very nice place in central India. I am negotiating with the proprietor of this place, and if by Krsna's grace we get this central place in India, then from this center you can go to any extremity of Indian boundary and it is the same distance of about 1000 miles.
All my best students are now in Europe, in pairs. Yourself, Mukunda, Jaya Govinda, Syamasundara, Gurudasa, Tamala, etc., you are all advanced and selected, now your program will be to recruit many sincere souls from European countries, and open branches. Your desire for opening a center in Copenhagen may be suspended for the time being unless we recruit some members from Europe because all the best students have already gone there, so it will be difficult to send men from America at the present moment.
I am negotiating with a gentleman in India to get the management of a very old Radha Krsna Temple, and if this negotiation is successful, we will organize a very nice preaching center in the center of India. From this part, any side extreme boundary is not more than 1000 miles. I think that will be a very nice preaching center. So try to recruit more members for our Society because we have to open many centers, and from each center we shall organize this moving Sankirtana Party. That will be nice program for executing the will of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
1971 Correspondence
Thank you very much. In order to attain the topmost perfection of this human form of life one simply has to try for Krishna with enthusiasm and patience, and all obstacles will be overcome. If you are determined in this way to be His devotee, Krishna will provide some happy solution. But even if He puts us into extreme difficulty, we must always be prepared to consider everything as His special Mercy, that He is testing my sincerity, or that this trouble is nothing to what I deserve. Just see Prahlada Maharaja. His father tried to kill him many times! At least I don't think your father is trying to kill you. And after Krishna in the form of Lord Nrsimhadeva came and killed Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada prayed to Krishna to have mercy on his demon father. So we must take the instruction to respect our parents, and to be kind and very tolerant and patient with them, and very soon I promise you everything will be all right.
1972 Correspondence
Your third question, What is the explanation of split-personality, actually, there are not two personalities, there is only change of mind. Therefore, the mind has to be fixed up in Krishna, then there is no more extreme change in the mind from one personality to another. There is always only one personality, it is just that if the mind is very disturbed, it may change in extreme way; if such person is devotee; best remedy is to sit down very tightly and chant Hare Krishna very loudly and hear for the a long time until he feels himself one-minded and fixed on Krishna's Lotus Feet.
So far you being philosophically-minded, that I can see and appreciate, but in future I think you can ask any questions you may have in these matters to one of the Swamis or to your GBC man. I have given them the answers to all such questions, so they can help you.
I am feeling more and more the urge to retire behind the scenes and translate these Vedic literatures for the greatest benefit for mankind in general. So I have given you my all senior disciples and leaders everything so if you will kindly take this matter very seriously and do my work for me I shall be very much thankful to you always. Of course, if there are some questions which are of extreme importance and cannot be answered by the GBC men then I am always very glad to advise and hear from my beloved disciples. So for future questions about the Gurukula activities or any other matters you may refer them all to Satsvarupa and he is able to give you all the proper answers.
1974 Correspondence
Your are enthusiastic and intelligent and it appears that you are managing in nicely. Why not call it New Gokula instead of New Mayapur. I think that is better. It is alright that you have purchased machinery and are using on the farm but if you can do without as much as possible that is better. It sounds as if the living conditions there may be a little extreme. But if the devotees can learn to tolerate as you say they are determined, and can stay and work there that is very good. And I give all encouragement to them.
Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, Ch. 2, text 14; matra-sparsas tu kaunteya, sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah, agamapayino 'nityas, tams titiksasva bharata (BG 2.14) O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.
| Page Title: | Extreme (Lecture, Conv. & Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 23 of Jul, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=15, Con=23, Let=8 |
| No. of Quotes: | 46 |