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Glimmer

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Adi-lila

CC Adi 5.173, Translation:

My brother had firm faith in Lord Caitanya but only a dim glimmer of faith in Lord Nityānanda.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Nectar of Devotion

Nectar of Devotion 1:

Foolishly, people who are enamored of the glimmer of modern materialistic advancement are thinking that the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is for less intelligent men. "I am better off being busy with my material comforts—maintaining a nice apartment, family and sex life." These people do not know that at any moment they can be kicked out of their material situation. Due to ignorance, they do not know that real life is eternal. The temporary comforts of the body are not the goal of life, and it is due only to darkest ignorance that people become enamored of the glimmering advancement of material comforts. Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura has therefore said that the advancement of material knowledge renders a person more foolish, because it causes one to forget his real identity by its glimmer. This is doom for him, because this human form of life is meant for getting out of material contamination. By the advancement of material knowledge, people are becoming more and more entangled in material existence. They have no hope of being liberated from this catastrophe.

Renunciation Through Wisdom

Renunciation Through Wisdom 2.3:

Therefore the reprobates' only means of attaining any piety is through the association of devotees. We are looking forward to that time when the stalwart disciples of that illustrious crest jewel of all Vaiṣṇavas, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda, having received the blessings of their spiritual master, will come together again for the benediction of the whole world and, without wasting any more time, preach the message of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Śrīla Raghunātha dāsa Gosvāmī. Śrīla Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī always tried to dissuade his disciple, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, from going to Calcutta, which he considered a bastion of Kali-yuga. Yet though some might think Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura disobeyed his guru's order, he preached not only in Calcutta but in other capitals of Kali-yuga, such as London, Berlin, Bombay, Madras, and Delhi. He vehemently opposed the idea of constructing a temple in some quiet spot and leading a passive and uneventful life in the monastery. He represented perfectly the ideal of utilizing 100 percent of one's energy in God's service for the spiritual upliftment of humanity. A certain Gujarati friend offered to build him a temple in Ville Parle, a quiet and remote section of Bombay. He immediately refused. We had the greatest good fortune of seeing him act and preach in this way. And now it is our ill fate that after the passing away of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, the exemplar of patita-pāvana, we have returned to our lowly, fallen ways. Is there a glimmer of hope for our deliverance?

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 4.24-34 -- New York, August 12, 1966:

Everyone is very busy for fulfilling his self-interest, but actually he does not know what is his self-interest. Na te viduḥ. The self-interest is Viṣṇu, to go back to Godhead. That is self-interest. Self-realization, self-interest, and so many things—everything is meant for going back to Godhead. That is self-interest.

So Prahlāda Mahārāja said that "Because people are very much illusioned by this external energy..." The material energy is called external energy. "Because people are deluded by this external, by the glimmer of this external energy, they have forgotten that their self-interest is Viṣṇu, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead. And they are conducting their life, general process of life in a manner..."

How? Now, andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānāḥ: "Just like one blind man is leading several other blind men." That's all. He is the leader. A blind man has become the leader of several other blind man. So what benefit is there? If the man is blind, how can he... Because blind... Why blind? Andhā yathāndhair upanīyamānās te 'pīśa-tantryām uru-dāmni baddhāḥ (SB 7.5.31). Īśa-tantra, īśa-tantra means by the laws of God or by the laws of nature, they are bound up tight, hands and feet, and they are trying to get free from the control of the nature.

Lecture on BG 8.15-20 -- New York, November 17, 1966:

We should be very serious about this problem, how to get our eternal life, blissful, and full of knowledge. That is the duty of human life. We have forgotten this, what is our aim of life. Na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇum (SB 7.5.31). They do not know that their interest, self-interest is how to get that eternal, blissful life in the spiritual planets. That is his interest. Why they have forgotten? Durāśayā ye bahir-artha-māninaḥ. The people have been entrapped by this material glimmer, by skyscraper and big factories and political activities, these..., entrapped, although he cannot live. He knows that "However skyscraper I may make, I'll not be allowed to live here. I'll have to leave it, and I do not know where I am going." Therefore the solution is that we should not spoil our energy for having a skyscraper. We should employ our energy to elevate ourselves to Kṛṣṇa consciousness so that we can, after leaving this material body, we can enter into that spiritual planet. That is the process.

Nectar of Devotion Lectures

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 10, 1972:

Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura, he sings, jaḍa-vidyā saba māyāra vaibhava. This advancement of material education means advancement of the snares of the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa. Māyāra vaibhava. Because we are already enamored by the glimmer of this material world. Just like the insects are attracted by the fire. They, with great force, enter into the fire without knowing that he's going to die. His forceful entrance into the fire means his sure death. Actually, we are seeing, especially in the Western countries, this motorcar civilization, when we run on on the motorcar, especially with high speed, it is always we think that any moment danger can take place. (aside:) You remember, you were driving your father's car, eighty miles. So I asked you, "Don't go so fast." So the materialistic way of life is that. We create some so-called comforts of life for temporary enjoyment, but at the same time, we take the risk of so many dangerous condition. In the śāstra it is said that this place is padaṁ padaṁ yad vipadām (SB 10.14.58). In every step there is danger. Although we are trying to mitigate all kinds of discomforts, it is simply changing the burden from head to the shoulder.

The Nectar of Devotion -- Vrndavana, November 11, 1972:

The attraction for this material world becomes more and more tight. This is called madana, attraction by madana. But our business is not to be attracted by the glimmer of this material world, but to be attracted by Kṛṣṇa. That is Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Unless you become attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa, we must have to be satisfied by beauty of this false beauty of this material world. Therefore Śrī Yamunācārya said that yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor nava-nava-dhāma rantum āsīt: "So long I have been attracted by the beauty of Kṛṣṇa and I have begun to serve at His lotus feet, and I am getting newer, newer energy, since then, as soon as I think of sex intercourse, I want to spite on it." That is vitṛṣṇā, no more attraction... The central point of attraction of this material world is sex life, and one, when one gets detached from sex life... Tadāvadhi mama cetaḥ...,

yadāvadhi mama cetaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
nava-nava-(rasa-)dhām(anudyata) rantum āsīt
tadāvadhi bata nārī-saṅgame smaryamāne
bhavati mukha-vikāraḥ suṣṭu niṣṭhīvanaṁ ca

"As soon as I think of sex intercourse, immediately my mouth becomes turned aside and I want to spite on it." So therefore Kṛṣṇa is Madana-mohana. Madana is attracting everyone, sex life, and Kṛṣṇa, when one is attracted by Kṛṣṇa, then madana also becomes defeated. So as soon as madana becomes defeated, we conquer over this material world. Otherwise it is very difficult.

General Lectures

Class in Los Angeles -- Los Angeles, November 15, 1968:

The goal of life is God or Kṛṣṇa, but they are enamored by the glimmering of, the glittering of this material nature. So they cannot lead. Then how, what is the solution? If Kṛṣṇa consciousness is not possible to cultivate by speculation, by assembly meeting, or by knowledge derived from higher authoritative sources, the leaders are misleading, then how it is to be attained? How the goal of life can be attained?

Press Release -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1968:

The modern civilization is practically unaware of this truth. They do not care about the constitutional position of the soul. There are different departments of knowledge in different universities and many technological institutions to study and understand the subtle laws of material nature—medical research laboratories to study the physiological condition of the material body—but there is no institution to study the constitutional position of the soul. This is the greatest drawback of material civilization, which is external manifestation of the soul. They are enamored by the glimmering manifestation of the cosmic body or the individual body, but they do not try to understand the basic principles of this glimmering situation. The body looks very beautiful working with full energy and exhibiting great traits of talent and wonderful brain work. But as soon as the soul is away from the body, all this glimmering situation of the body becomes useless. Even the great scientists who have discovered many wonderful scientific contributions could not trace out about the personal self, which is the cause of such wonderful discoveries. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement basically is trying to reach this science of the soul—not in any dogmatic way, but in complete scientific and philosophical understanding.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Interview with Mr. Koshi (Asst. Editor of The Current Weekly) -- April 5, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: He can sit.

Mr. Koshi: I have come from the material world. Totally different from what is the situation outside. You have been in the news at the festival. I decided to try and see you. There is a lot of curiosity as to what the movement is about. Not only here, but abroad. A lot of controversy. I would like to know how this movement started, what gave you the idea. What is the background? And why it was called the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement? Is it a return to something very fundamental?

Prabhupāda: This movement is started to give something to the whole human society about the real culture. And that is India's prerogative. India can give it. The whole world is in darkness of ignorance. So India was expected after independence to give the real knowledge. But instead of giving the real knowledge, they became victimized by their glimmer of material civilization. So I wanted that such a magnificent gift from the side of India, it shall remain uncontributed to the world, let me try. This is my... This culture is based on Bhagavad-gītā, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore it is named Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In India practically every home, every person, every leader, they read Bhagavad-gītā. But unfortunately they do not understand the human life.

Correspondence

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Madhavi Lata -- Hawaii 19 March, 1969:

Best thing will be if you can engage your time and energy fully in chanting and in painting nice pictures. You are very talented girl, and you can paint very super excellent pictures, I have seen it. Now the thing is that we are opening new branches all over the world, and we require so many pictures in our temples so that people may come and see and be attracted by the beauty of Krishna. That is needed. The people today are fascinated by so much of the glimmering so-called beauty of the external energy, and there is necessity of seeing beautiful pictures of Krishna and His devotees and His Pastimes, in order to attract them to the spiritual process. So this is a great service, and there is urgent need for such paintings. Our Jadurani has done so many nice pictures, and they are distributed amongst our temples, but still there is shortage of supply. and she is now sick, and unable to work very swiftly due to her health condition. So I request you to simply sit down wherever you are, and paint nice pictures for being distributed to all centers. This will help you, and it will help others as well.

Page Title:Glimmer
Compiler:Rishab, UmaI
Created:06 of Oct, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=1, OB=2, Lec=6, Con=1, Let=1
No. of Quotes:11