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Prophet

Srimad-Bhagavatam

SB Canto 3

SB 3.10.11, Purport:

The time factor is also explained by modern men in various ways. Some accept it almost as it is explained in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. For example, in Hebrew literature time is accepted, in the same spirit, as a representation of God. It is stated therein: "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets...." Metaphysically, time is distinguished as absolute and real. Absolute time is continuous and is unaffected by the speed or slowness of material things. Time is astronomically and mathematically calculated in relation to the speed, change and life of a particular object. Factually, however, time has nothing to do with the relativities of things; rather, everything is shaped and calculated in terms of the facility offered by time. Time is the basic measurement of the activity of our senses, by which we calculate past, present and future; but in factual calculation, time has no beginning and no end. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that even a slight fraction of time cannot be purchased with millions of dollars, and therefore even a moment of time lost without profit must be calculated as the greatest loss in life. Time is not subject to any form of psychology, nor are the moments objective realities in themselves, but they are dependent on particular experiences.

Sri Caitanya-caritamrta

CC Madhya-lila

CC Madhya 1.169, Translation:

"Such a person, who is followed by so many people without giving them charity, must be a prophet. I can surely understand this fact."

CC Madhya 1.170, Translation and Purport:

The Muslim King ordered the magistrate, "Do not disturb this Hindu prophet out of jealousy. Let Him do His own will wherever He likes."

Even a Muslim king could understand Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's transcendental position as a prophet; therefore he ordered the local magistrate not to disturb Him but to let Him do whatever He liked.

CC Madhya 1.176, Translation:

Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī said, “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gave you this kingdom and whom you accept as a prophet, has taken birth in your country due to your good fortune.

CC Madhya 1.177, Translation:

“This prophet always desires your good fortune. By His grace, all your business is successful. By His blessings, you will attain victory everywhere.

Other Books by Srila Prabhupada

Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter Prologue:

In a few days Sārvabhauma turned out to be one of the best Vaiṣṇavas of the time. When reports of this came out, the whole of Orissa sang the praise of Kṛṣṇa Caitanya, and hundreds and hundreds came to him and became his followers. In the meantime Mahāprabhu thought of visiting Southern India, and he started with one Kṛṣṇadāsa Brāhmaṇa for the journey.

His biographers have given us a detail of the journey. He went first to Kūrmakṣetra, where he performed a miracle by curing a leper named Vāsudeva. He met Rāmānanda Rāya, the Governor of Vidyānagara, on the banks of the Godāvarī and had a philosophical conversation with him on the subject of prema-bhakti. He worked another miracle by touching (making them immediately disappear) the seven tāla trees through which Rāmacandra, the son of Daśaratha, had shot his arrow and killed the great Bali Rāja. He preached Vaiṣṇavism and nāma-saṅkīrtana throughout the journey. At Raṅgakṣetra he stayed for four months in the house of one Veṅkata Bhaṭṭa in order to spend the rainy season. There he converted the whole family of Veṅkata from Rāmānuja Vaiṣṇavism to Kṛṣṇa-bhakti, along with the son of Veṅkata, a boy of ten years named Gopāla, who afterwards came to Vṛndāvana and became one of the six Gosvāmīs or prophets serving under their leader Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 7.4 -- Nairobi, October 31, 1975:

Prabhupāda: Anyone who does not know what is Bhagavad-gītā and Kṛṣṇa, he is a rascal. He is not a prophet. He's a rascal. Nobody can become prophet without full knowledge of Kṛṣṇa. Not that everyone will become and be a prophet, no. That is stated in the Bhagavad... Na māṁ duṣkṛtino mūḍhāḥ prapadyante narādhamāḥ (BG 7.15). Anyone who has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is a narādhama. How he becomes a prophet? (laughter) Just see. Don't bring so-called prophets. They are all narādhamas, lowest of the mankind—and he is prophet. No. Prophet is not so cheap. Don't be misguided by these rascals. Kṛṣṇa says—it is not our manufacture—the sign, that anyone who does not know about Kṛṣṇa and he has not surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is narādhama.

Conversations and Morning Walks

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Guest (2): What do you feel is the greatest order of God?

Prabhupāda: To surrender unto Him.

Guest (2): Pardon?

Prabhupāda: To surrender to Him.

Devotee (4): Surrender.

Guest (2): Surrender, oh. I think you're.... I believe that. It's interesting. Our prophet, when he passes on, we believe that another prophet will be called in his place by God to carry on.

Prabhupāda: "By God" means.... Anyone who will carry out the order of God without any change, he is prophet.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Our principle is that if one person carries out the order of God, he is actually the prophet. If he does not carry out—simply by dress he is prophet—it is useless.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: If you (are) actually the servant of God, you must carry out the orders of God. There cannot be difference. If there is difference, that means you are no longer servant of God.

Guest (3): Well, we feel that God has always had prophets and called them Himself, as he called Mike Aran.(indistinct)

Prabhupāda: But how the prophet can disobey the original orders of God or Christ?

Guest (4): How can a prophet disobey? We don't.... A prophet doesn't disobey. We believe that the prophet at the head of our church, Spencer W. Kimble, speaks with God...

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: My point is.... Just like the two points here: chastity and nonviolence. But this is not being carried out.

Guest (3): Well, we agree.

Prabhupāda: Then where is the prophet and where is the followers?

Guest (3): Well, see, the prophet is teaching the people about this and teaching them to live it.

Prabhupāda: That means people are not obeying the prophet.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Guest (4): All people aren't following the prophet. All people in your belief aren't following you completely.

Prabhupāda: That is very nice. My point is that if we follow God—God's message is carried by prophet, and prophet if obeyed by the people—then the religion is in order. Otherwise it is a bogus religion.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Prabhupāda: Guru means prophet, yes.

Guest (3): What about a savior?

Prabhupāda: Savior? Who saves the followers from the danger of materialistic way of life, which means transmigration of the soul from one body to another.

Evening Darsana -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:

Translation: "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be."

Guest (2): Yes, but these type of statements have been made in all the other religions also. The prophet always speaks like...

Prabhupāda: Yes, the prophet can speak. Prophet is representative of God.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Pṛthu-putra: They say, "No, He's not restricted. But when He has to reveal Himself He reveals to the prophet. This is the reason why Muhammad received the instruction from God."

Prabhupāda: That's all right. That's all right. But you cannot say that He does not come to showing mercy to a prophet. He may come if He likes. That is mission. Paritrāṇāya sādhūnām (BG 4.8). One who is actually devotee, prophet, he's always anxious to see what they (indistinct). So in order to favor them, (Sanskrit).

Room Conversation -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Muhammad... If somebody can hear Him, somebody can see Him also. You cannot deny because they're all senses. To hear God means with my senses we appreciate Him. Similarly, eyes are also one of the senses. Now if somebody sees Him, where is the objection? If somebody can hear Him, where is the objection if somebody can see Him? Reasonably, there is no objection. In this way... So God is omnipotent. If some of His prophet devotees wants to hear Him, he can do that, if wants to see Him, he can do that.

Pṛthu-putra: But they think the prophet as an ordinary man who received the mercy from the Lord.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Without being (sic:) mercied by the God, how one can become prophet? Then he's ordinary man.

Room Conversation -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Now, suppose Muhammad has heard God. He is prophet. So whatever he is speaking about his experience, you are accepting. Similarly, if somebody has seen Him, if he says that "God is like this," why you should not accept? In this way talk. God can be seen as God can be heard. You cannot say that God cannot be seen.

Room Conversation -- January 30, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Pṛthu-putra: We should not talk about following rules and things like this.

Prabhupāda: No. When there is talk, then you can talk reasonably, that "If God can be heard, God can be seen also, God can be touched also, to a different prophet."

Pṛthu-putra: Only to the very determined and serious person we can ask them to give up meat-eating and things like this in this kind of countries?

Prabhupāda: No. No. Don't say about that directly.

Pṛthu-putra: Don't say.

Prabhupāda: No. You can say indirectly that "God is the father of all living entities. He's the supreme father. God does not like that the weaker living entities should be killed for the satisfaction of the stomach. But when there is no alternative, then the stronger animal can take. Because even one takes vegetables, that is also eating another animal, another living being. So therefore, human being must use discretion, that 'If I can live in this way, why shall I kill one important animal?' That is human intelligence." In this way you have to preach.

Correspondence

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Jawaharlal Nehru -- Allahabad 20 January, 1952:

The sages of old age discovered it by spiritual culture that man's energy should be utilized only for spiritual realization. Not to speak of Lord Sri Krishna who spoke the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita near about 5000 years ago, we know that within 2000 years of human history no sages including Jesus Christ, prophet Mohammed, Lord Buddha, Acarya Sankara, Madhya, Ramanuja or even Lord Caitanya gave any importance to materialistic way of living. Material necessities were always subordinate to the spiritual realization.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Jadurani -- San Francisco 29 December, 1967:

The picture and contents of the article appearing in Harvard Crimson is very nice. Krishna has already recognized you as one of the prophets of this missionary work, and I approve this statement. Please go on in Krishna Consciousness and I'm sure even in my absence you will be doing nicely acting as prophet.

Page Title:Prophet
Compiler:Rishab, Priya
Created:18 of May, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=1, CC=4, OB=1, Lec=1, Con=11, Let=2
No. of Quotes:20