Orphan

Expressions researched:
"orphan" |"orphanage" |"orphans"

SB Canto 1

SB 1.5.19, Purport:

A karmī suffers the result of his own fruitive reactions, whereas a devotee is reformed by chastisement directed by the Lord Himself. The sufferings of an orphan and the sufferings of a beloved child of a king are not one and the same. An orphan is really poor because he has no one to take care of him, but a beloved son of a rich man, although he appears to be on the same level as the orphan, is always under the vigilance of his capable father. A devotee of the Lord, due to wrong association, sometimes imitates the fruitive workers. The fruitive workers want to lord it over the material world. Similarly, a neophyte devotee foolishly thinks of accumulating some material power in exchange for devotional service. Such foolish devotees are sometimes put into difficulty by the Lord Himself. As a special favor, He may remove all material paraphernalia. By such action, the bewildered devotee is forsaken by all friends and relatives, and so he comes to his senses again by the mercy of the Lord and is set right to execute his devotional service.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Krsna Book 45:

We were born of Vasudeva and Devakī, you have been Our real father and mother, because from Our very birth and childhood you raised Us with great affection and love. Your affectionate love for Us was more than anyone can offer one's own children. You are actually Our father and mother, because you raised Us as your own children when We were just like orphans. For certain reasons We were rejected by Our father and mother, and you protected Us. Dear father and mother, We know that you will feel separation upon returning to Vṛndāvana and leaving Us here, but please rest assured that We shall come back to Vṛndāvana just after giving some satisfaction to Our real father and mother, Vasudeva and Devakī, and Our grandfather and other family members.”

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 9.26-27 -- New York, December 16, 1966:

So I did not know that he is not a family man because in India we are supposed to accept anyone, any gentleman, as family man. So he said, "Yes, I am not family man." Then what he is doing? He is earning nicely, but he is helping one orphanage. That's nice. He said that "I have got many sons in this orphanage." That is very good. So this natural inclination for loving an orphanage is there, is there. So this give and take, this inclination, is there in the human being.

So the Lord says that yat karoṣi... And we have to work. It is not that without working, we can have our body and soul maintained. This is not possible. This material world, we have to work. Everyone is working. Yat karoṣi yad aśnāsi. And we have to eat also. That is a fact. And yaj juhoṣi. And for our salvation or advancement we do something, religious rituals or attending church and temple or mosque.

General Lectures

Lecture Excerpt -- Los Angeles, February 9, 1969:

...it is taken orphans are very much forlorn. But in the presence of parents also, many children are suffering. And (in) the presence of good medicine, good physician, many people are dying. It is not guaranteed. Suppose one is diseased, suffering. If you engage good, qualified physician, good medicine, and therefore there is no guarantee of cure. No. There is no guarantee. The medical practitioners say, "We cannot guarantee. We are trying our best. That's all." Similarly, when a person is drowning in the water, if you send a good boat to save him, that is also not guaranteed. In this way, if we study that we are completely dependent on something else... Our process of making ourself independent... We may manufacture so many things for our independence, but śāstra says, unless there is protection from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, these methods and processes will not save us. Tāvat tanu-bhṛtāṁ tvad-upekṣitānām. If Kṛṣṇa does not like, does (sic:) not wish that "These children will suffer in spite of good parents," so that suffering nobody can check. "This man must drown in spite of very nice good boat and ship"—nobody can check. "This man must die in spite of good physician and medicine"—he must die.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Minister: There's no doubt of that, Swamiji. Let us say there are hundred leprosy patients. There are one thousand orphans. We put them there, give them food, and make them pray to Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: Well, you are... They are mistaken. But if you have to awaken Kṛṣṇa bhakti, why you go to the lepers?

Minister: No, they have come here. They are all there in the temple. They are not allowing others to pray properly. They are all, one thousand... In the past...

Prabhupāda: We have no objection, because our principle is kṛṣṇa-bhakti nitya-siddha. So Kṛṣṇa bhakti is there in everyone. So leper and non-leper. Just like our Vivekananda, he took up daridra-nārāyaṇa. This is an absurd proposition. Nārāyaṇa is never daridra.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- March 26, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Orphan. Orphan means, does it, he has no father? He does not know who is his father.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Orphan means doesn't know.

Prabhupāda: We are not orphans. We are taken care of by our rich father, very wise father, very rich father, able father. We are not forlorn orphans. We have got respectability. And we offer our respect to father. We depend on father. We are safe. Everyone can become safe. The opportunity is offered. If you don't take, that is your misfortune. We are offering, "Every one of you can become safe, safely protected by the father, Kṛṣṇa." Ahaṁ tvāṁ sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣa... (BG 18.66). Why don't you take advantage? That is your misfortune. If you want to remain unfortunate, don't (indistinct). These rascals, they want to remain.

Room Conversation -- April 19, 1977, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Yes. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9), going on. Mṛtyu-saṁsāra-vartmani (BG 9.3). But they are so shameless, neither they do know what is going to happen. Some rascal the other day complained, "There are many orphans." The orphan means no father? Does orphan means he has no father? Orphan means he has father; the father does not take care. That's all. You cannot deny, "There is no father."

Girirāja: Yeah.

Prabhupāda: You put this question and answer amongst the scientists. "How can you deny the existence of God?" "I am not seeing." "And you see or not see; there must be father." I think this commonsense argument nobody can refute.

Srila Prabhupada Vigil -- May 27, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: You haven't got to think over, "What shall I do now?" Never forget. So our first business is preaching. You should always remember. This is the education. These rascals, they have no father-mother-orphans. They may think as well-educated how to earn money. We have no... We are rich man's son. Economic problem is already solved. That is already taken. Tal labhyate yad anyataḥ sukham. We don't care for all this so-called improvement. That is already settled up. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Just see how to become a man of character like Nārada, Vyāsa. That is our goal. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Not for any other. "And what about your material problems?" That is already taken. Tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukhaṁ kālena sarvatra gabhīra-raṁhasā. This is kṛṣṇa-bhakta. Don't care for maintaining body. "What Kṛṣṇa will give, I take. If He does not give, don't mind." So discussing all this twenty-four hours and death takes place. Death, if takes place, then where is the wrong? Where is the lamentation? There is nothing... You are not permanent. You have to die.

Conversation about Old Days in Calcutta -- July 1, 1977, Vrndavana:

Prabhupāda: One Muhammadan gentleman, Dinuniya, he was formerly Hindu, but when there was some famine... (break) He also made so many charitable institutions. He had a majheev(?), one etimakhānā. Etimakhānā means orphan house.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Means?

Prabhupāda: Orphan house. He was cutting throat of the chicken on the street.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's not a very nice business.

Prabhupāda: We were accustomed. His servant, they would do. But we have seen it.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What were you thinking when you saw that?

Prabhupāda: Hm?

1976 Correspondence

Letter to Upendra -- New Vrindaban 30 June, 1976:

Unless the temple is fully under our control, we are not interested. Then we shall call it back. I will decide on receipt of the reply to this letter to Vasudeva dasa (Mr. Punja). So far the Fiji constitution is concerned, where it says: "supplying needs to the sick, poor, and orphans, etc." That is not our program. We distribute prasadam to everyone, not particularly to the needy. We make no discrimination, rich or poor.

I think that the enclosed copy of letter to Vasudeva is self-explanatory and I am awaiting his reply in New York where I shall further inform you concerning our project there. We cannot keep the temple in his private name and use our ISKCON name. Please keep me informed of the situation.