In the meantime, I was induced to translate Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta and publish it in an elaborate version. In his leisure time in later life, His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura would simply read Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta. It was his favorite book. He used to say that there would be a time when foreigners would learn the Bengali language to read the Caitanya-caritāmṛta. The work on this translation began about eighteen months ago. Now, by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, it is finished. In this connection I have to thank my American disciples, especially Śrīmān Pradyumna dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīmān Nitāi dāsa Adhikārī, Śrīmān Jayādvaita dāsa Brahmacārī and many other boys and girls who are sincerely helping me in writing, editing and publishing all these literatures.
Leisure
Bhagavad-gita As It Is
BG Chapters 1 - 6
He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.
Extravagance in the matter of eating, sleeping, defending and mating—which are demands of the body—can block advancement in the practice of yoga. As far as eating is concerned, it can be regulated only when one is practiced to take and accept prasādam, sanctified food. Lord Kṛṣṇa is offered, according to the Bhagavad-gītā (9.26), vegetables, flowers, fruits, grains, milk, etc. In this way, a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness becomes automatically trained not to accept food not meant for human consumption, or not in the category of goodness. As far as sleeping is concerned, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person is always alert in the discharge of his duties in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore any unnecessary time spent sleeping is considered a great loss. Avyartha-kālatvam: (Cc. Madhya 23.18-19) a Kṛṣṇa conscious person cannot bear to pass a minute of his life without being engaged in the service of the Lord. Therefore, his sleeping is kept to a minimum. His ideal in this respect is Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, who was always engaged in the service of Kṛṣṇa and who could not sleep more than two hours a day, and sometimes not even that. Ṭhākura Haridāsa would not even accept prasādam nor even sleep for a moment without finishing his daily routine of chanting with his beads three hundred thousand names. As far as work is concerned, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not do anything which is not connected with Kṛṣṇa's interest, and thus his work is always regulated and is untainted by sense gratification. Since there is no question of sense gratification, there is no material leisure for a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And because he is regulated in all his work, speech, sleep, wakefulness and all other bodily activities, there is no material misery for him.
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
The Lord enjoyed His pastimes, both in this world and in other worlds (higher planets), specifically in the association of the Yadu dynasty. At leisure hours offered by night, He enjoyed the friendship of conjugal love with women.
He displayed special attachment for His family members, the Yadus, as well as for His sixteen thousand wives, who had the opportunity to meet Him in the leisure hours of night. All these attachments of the Lord are manifestations of His internal potency, of which the external potency is only a shadow representation. In the Skanda Purāṇa, Prabhāsa-khaṇḍa, in the topics between Lord Śiva and Gaurī, there is confirmation of His internal potential manifestations. There is mention of the Lord's meeting with sixteen thousand cowherd damsels although He is the Haṁsa (transcendental) Supersoul and maintainer of all living entities. The sixteen thousand cowherd damsels are a display of sixteen varieties of internal potencies. This will be more elaborately explained in the Tenth Canto. It is said there that Lord Kṛṣṇa is just like the moon and the internal potential damsels are like the stars around the moon.
When Kapila, who could show her the ultimate goal of the Absolute Truth, was sitting leisurely before her, Devahūti remembered the words Brahmā had spoken to her, and she therefore began to question Kapila as follows.
SB Canto 7
When the teachers went home to attend to their household affairs, the students of the same age as Prahlāda Mahārāja would call him to take the opportunity of leisure hours for play.
SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)
Then, O King, the cowherd boys began herding the animals in a leisurely way within a small forest along the Yamunā. But soon they became afflicted by hunger and, approaching Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma, spoke as follows.
Then, with the permission of Lord Kṛṣṇa, their sole object of worship, the Vṛṣṇis ate breakfast and sat down at their leisure beneath trees that gave cooling shade.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
“My dear Lord, You are the master and the life and soul of Vṛndāvana. Kindly arrange for the deliverance of Vṛndāvana. We have no leisure hours away from our many activities. Actually, You are My enjoyer. You have appeared just to give Me happiness, and this is one of Your expert activities.
CC Antya-lila
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Message of Godhead
According to such leaders, the material body is the actual self, understanding everything that pertains to the body constitutes self-realization, and we have no more duty than satisfying the senses of the body and maintaining it by all means. According to these leaders, God and philosophical approaches to Him are merely leisure pursuits or parlor games to exercise the brain. By such discussions, however, the world does not gain anything of substance.
So Marshal Arjuna pretended to display weakness, placing himself in the category of ordinary people who are illusioned in the material world. And by this action of his, Marshal Arjuna helped in the manifestation of Bhagavad-gītā from the transcendental lips of the Personality of Godhead. Whenever the Personality of Godhead descends to this mortal world, He is accompanied by His confidential servants. Marshal Arjuna is the eternal, confidential servant of the Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and thus the philosophy of Bhagavad-gītā was taught to him directly for the benefit of the people in general.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Prabhupāda: (during chanting of śloka) Now, in your leisure hour you will try to repeat and get by heart some of the ślokas. That will be very nice. Go on.
Pradyumna: (after synonyms) "Translation: Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: O Sañjaya, after assembling in the place of pilgrimage at Kurukṣetra, what did my sons and the sons of Pāṇḍu do, being desirous to fight?"
Prabhupāda: So the history is that same family, there was dispute who would occupy the throne. Dhṛtarāṣṭra and, actually he was the eldest son of the king, and next was Pāṇḍu. So every country the law of primogeniture, what is called? The eldest child... In your country even the eldest child is a girl, she also occupies the throne. Just like present Queen Elizabeth. Formerly there was Queen Victoria; before that, another Elizabeth. But in India woman has no such right. Woman is never given any responsible post. That is the opinion of the greatest politician in the history of the world, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita. According to his opinion, viśvāso naiva kartavyaḥ strīṣu rāja-kuleṣu ca. He has given his explicit opinion that "You cannot trust with any responsible post or any responsibility with a woman and politician."
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Just like your President. He is most powerful man, but he's working hard, more than asses and hogs, to get the post of presidency. So pariśrama...
So nobody can say that "Without working hard, I shall achieve something." That is not possible. But our tendency is that we do not wish to work; therefore, at the end of the week, we take some, I mean to say, leisure, go out of the city, and try to forget all our hard labor throughout the week. But on Monday, again we have to come back. This is going on. Nobody actually... Because a living entity by nature, being part and parcel of God, he wants also enjoy life without work. That is his tendency. Just like Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is enjoying with gopīs, with Rādhārāṇī. But He's not working. He hasn't got to work. We don't hear from Bhāgavatam, any Vedic literature, that Kṛṣṇa has a great factory, and He has to go office at ten o'clock, and then bring money, and then enjoy with Rādhārāṇī. No. (laughter) We don't want that such kind of rascal God. (laughter) We want God who hasn't got to work anything. That is God. Na tasya kāryaṁ karaṇaṁ ca vidyate. That is the Vedic information.
And they love dog very much, more than anything. (laughter) So now we are also imitating, because India is imitator. Since the Britishers came here, we have become first-class imitator. When the 1914, the war was going on. So it is understood that in high-court, Calcutta high-court, there is leisure hour, tiffin hour. So all the judges were sitting. So one English judge, he asked Sir Asutosh Mukherji, "Mr. Mukherji, now the Germans are coming, and if so, what you are going to do?" Mr. Mukherji, Sir Asutosh Mukherji, he replied, "Yes, as soon as the Germans will come, we shall offer our respect in this way, 'Come on sir.' " "So you'll not counteract? Why?" "You have taught us to make like this, so we shall do that. Because you have simply taught us this, how to obey your orders. So anyone who will come, we shall do this." The idea is the slave mentality... The Englishmen, in an organized way, they taught the Indians how to become servant of the Englishmen. We have seen. It is Gandhi's movement that he dismantled this idea of white prestige.
We cannot separated..." Hard knot. Hṛdaya-granthi. Already there is attraction. Now this attraction becomes more and more tight, after unity. Then we require a place to live together, "Home, sweet home." Yes, very sweet. The whole day and night, work. And this is moha. He is working hard day and night. There is not a single moment leisure, and still, he's: "Sweet home." This is illusion.
So ataḥ gṛha. As soon as a man and woman or a male-female, either bird, beast or human being or demigods, everyone... Then he requires home, gṛha, then land to produce food, gṛha-kṣetra, then children. Gṛha-kṣetra. Because when a man is married, the social life, if he has no children, that is means vacant home. Putra-hīnaṁ gṛhaṁ śūnyam. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita has said, avidyaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyam: "One who is not educated, his life is zero." Avidyaṁ jīvanaṁ śūnyam. And diśaḥ śūnyā abāndhavāḥ: "And if you want to go to some foreign place, if that place is not a holy place..." Because according to Vedic system, they go on touring to see holy places, tīrtha-sthāna, or to a friend's house. "So if you are going to some foreign countries, if there is no friend and no devatā, then it is useless." Diśaḥ śūnyā abāndhavāḥ.
Because God, Kṛṣṇa is so attractive, His activities are also attractive.
That is recommended here: śrotavyaḥ bhagavān hariḥ. Bhagavān hariḥ. Śrotavyaḥ and kīrtitavyaś ca. And He should be glorified, smartavyaś ca, and memorized. If you read, if you are serious, then... Actually, these are our... Of course, a Kṛṣṇa conscious person has no leisure. He's twenty-four hours engaged. So other people, they might have some leisure hours, but here, we are engaged, these devotees, in such a way that they want, instead of twenty-four hours, another three-four hours more. But that is not possible. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu has recommended that this śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam is so nice that if you engage yourself twenty-four hours you'll find it nice. Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ.
So, anyone else? That's all right. So in this way, if you chant ten times, you'll get it by heart. It is not difficult. So we are giving this diacritic mark, English transliteration, only for this purpose—so that you can chant, you can vibrate these mantras. So practice. Here you hear, and in your leisure time, you practice. If you chant these mantras anywhere, you'll be honored. Sanskrit language is so nice. And direction, everything is there: purport, word meaning, and translation. So we are taking so much trouble in writing books not for simply making market. It is for you to read. Not that simply we go and sell books, and that ... If the customer says, "You read it first of all," then what you will say? You'll say, "No, I cannot read. I can sell only." (laughter) (Prabhupāda laughs.) Then what will be your position, if you say like that? "I can sell; I cannot read." Anyway, then? Word meanings? (Pradyumna reads synonyms.) So these are kāma, these material desires.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. We invite. As soon as they have got a leisure hour, let them come and live with us for one week and see the result. They can remain forever. It doesn't matter. But for experimental sake they can come, live with us and associate with us. It is not difficult. And we invite everyone. We have no such discrimination that black, white, Hindu, Muslim, Christian, no. Anyone. It is universal. Because we consider every living entity is part and parcel of God. That is a fact. We are teeny gods, part and parcel. The same quality we have got—in minute quantity. Quality is the same, quantity is less. So God is good, so we are also good. But we have become bad under circumstances. Just like under infection, one becomes diseased. So if we cure that infection, again he becomes good. So it is the curing process. It is not an external artificial thing, imposed upon somebody, no. His goodness is there. Just like generally a man is healthy, but by infecting some disease he becomes diseased. So this material way of life is a kind of infection. So we have to cure that.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So all these big, big men, let them have one set of books and study. It is not any expenditure for them, but if at their leisure hour they read some of the line—they are all intelligent men-they'll get ideas, what is this Kṛṣṇa consciousness. So through the influence of father, just try to introduce our books to these big men. It is not.... They may keep them in library, and at leisure hour, if they simply glance over the line, oh, it will be great success.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: And their sons will also read it.
Prabhupāda: Their sons also will read.
Prabhupāda: So you just touch the topmost men. But if, somehow or other, if you see some of the topmost men of the China, "You kindly read our books at your leisure."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You can't approach those men.
Prabhupāda: Then give it up. If it is too difficult, don't waste time.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It's not only difficult, it's impossible.
Prabhupāda: Then don't waste time.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Completely impossible.
Prabhupāda: Give up this idea.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: It may be possible fifty years from now.
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Our descendants will try for that. But let us try where it is favorable. Don't waste time.
Prabhupāda: That means the little children's policy. Children, just like imagining so many things, "I shall do that. I shall do." The potter's imagination. You know that? Potter's imagination? You do not know the story? One potter is selling earthen pots, and he is saying that "Now, these two paisā, it has cost me one paisā. I shall make one paisā profit. Then I can make such profit. I shall invest again. I shall make another profit, another profit. In this way I shall become millionaire. Then I shall marry, and my wife shall be very obedient. And if (s)he does not become obedient, I shall give him a kick like this." And he, what was.... One pot was there. He kicked that pot and broke. (laughter) It broke. "Oh, again I am poor man." So this is going on, imagination. Imagination.... "I shall become so great that I shall kick Kṛṣṇa's law," and whatever pot he had-broken. That's all. Rascals, simply rascals. If anyone thinks like that, that "I shall surpass the laws of nature," then he's madman. He's madman. So what is the use of dealing with madmen? And as soon as you challenge them that "Show us that you have surpassed the laws of nature," "Yes, we are trying. In future we shall do." That's all. This is their reply. So it is better to avoid such men. But if you peacefully you can introduce, "All right, you will do. You are wonderful men, so kindly if you read some pages of this, it is not very costly. You can keep. At leisure hour you can read," in this way, imploring, then they will be benefited.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Where is your freedom? Where is your freedom if for your livelihood you have to go a hundred miles? Where is your freedom? Why you are illusioned? For your bread, you have to go hundred miles off, either by car or by train. So where is your freedom?
Rāmeśvara: The freedom is in leisure time. They have a lot of leisure time.
Prabhupāda: Where is leisure time? You rise early in the morning and start for your office. Where is your leisure time? All imagination. I have seen in New York. They are coming from the other parts, starting early in the morning, two hours in the ferry and two hours in the cars, and standing two hours. What is this? Leaders, rich men, can think like that, that "I have leisure," but a worker, lower class, they have no freedom. That is illusion, and we are trying to give freedom to everyone. That is freedom. You are forced to go to the factory and work there in a hellish condition of life. Is that freedom?
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
I am thankful to you for your granting me an interview and accepting a few copies of my paper "Back to Godhead" which you have promised to go through at your leisure hours. And on reading the paper, I hope, you may be able to make an estimate of my mission in the matter of the Bhagavad-gita.
I heard it through reliable sources that you are a great admirer of the Bhagavad-gita and your Vidyalaya has a special department for preaching its philosophy. I came to Bombay from Vrndavana to co-operate with you, because there is no difference between the missions of both yourself and myself.
I also attended your meeting of the 16th instant on the subject of "What is the matter with the world?" I was very glad to know your opinion about it and so far I remember that you concluded to go back to Godhead which only can save the world from a disaster of civilization.
Nobody is competent to interpret on the Sastras by one's whim. It is science it has to be learnt from the proper sources. Sri Krishna is not a man in flesh and blood and His Lila was not meant for interpretation by any mundane scholar. There is way to learn it and unless we have it our energy will be spoiled only by attending any layman's hypocrisy. I had a mind to say you something about it but you have denied my co-operation and I have nothing to say about it. I hope you will think over this in your leisure hours and oblige.
1970 Correspondence
Regarding the prayer verses, I have sent you immediately the Bengali prayer book and you will find all the prayers of Acaryas' there. I have also sent you one copy of Panjika which will help you to find out the list of names of Acaryas' Appearance and Disappearance Days. If you can, you can prepare conveniently the Panjika or ISKCON Almanac for next year, but not now, you have got many engagements, this is for leisure hours.
Regarding the new prayer addition "Namaste sarasvate devau. . .", I think you can change the word "devau" into "deve" to make it compatible with sarasvate. Sarasvate is locative, so you can change the word to "deve" to make it fit, or it can be made "devam". "Devam" is the accusative singular and "deve" is the locative singular, so both can be used, but I think "deve" will be most fitting word.
This attitude will advance you progressively in Krishna Consciousness.
Regarding the French edition BTG, your attempt is coming to be successful and the present copy looks very nice. Regarding Sanskrit, you can learn it in your leisure time. For Indians it is not difficult to learn Sanskrit.
So, whether you have decided to marry in this country or in India? I think you can marry some girl in the Western country who is in Krishna Consciousness, but if you want to marry in the presence of your parents in India, that is a different thing. In our Society there are many nice girls, so if you decide to marry here, then I can ask somebody to correspond with you. What is you age at present?
1973 Correspondence
It is a good suggestion by your father-in-law that your wife not know sadness during pregnancy. She should not be shocked in any circumstance and eat mild foodstuff so as not to cause any irritation.
Now as I have been delayed in Bombay I wish to get leisure from this business by the 25th(?) instant. Then I shall go to Vrindaban and Delhi, and stay until the 18th November, then go from there to Nairobi. Brahmananda is there and we shall go with him for the installation ceremony and remain there until the end of Nov. Then I go to south Africa until Dec. 10, then Sydney, and remain say up to 15th Dec., then Hong Kong, and if your Japanese program is fixed I can go there or I can go to Hawaii on my way to L.A. by Dec. 20th.
You will be pleased to know that our books are being well received in all parts of the world, and recently we have information from London that in two months time we have sold 30,000 copies of the Bhagavad-gita As It Is.
I am sending herewith one copy of my book Bhagavad-gita As It Is as my humble presentation. I hope at your convenient leisure time, you can have a glance over this book, at least the preliminary statement in the Foreword, Introduction, and Preface, which will convince you of the importance of the book.
We think that Bhagavad-gita As It Is without a wrong interpretation can solve all the problems of human society, namely social, political, religious, economic, philosophical, cultural, or from any angle of vision, because it is spoken by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is above all deficiency, namely mistake, illusion, cheating, and the imperfection of the senses.
| Page Title: | Leisure |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 25 of Apr, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=1, SB=6, CC=2, OB=1, Lec=6, Con=5, Let=6 |
| No. of Quotes: | 27 |