This was the beginning, how to become uncontaminated. We have got some attachment to the material modes of nature. That is the cause of our bondage. Now, if we want to be free from this bondage, uncontaminated, then the same attachment should be transferred to the sādhu. Sa eva sādhuṣu kṛtaḥ, the same attachment. Everyone has got attachment. Nobody is free of attachment. The Māyāvādī philosophy, they say that "Stop this attachment." The Buddha philosophy says that "Make this attachment zero." This is also a little advancement, but it is not possible to make our attachment zero. That is not possible. Therefore Bhagavān says in the Bhagavad..., paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate (BG 9.59). Just like a child has got attachment for playing, and gradually, his attachment should be transferred for reading, going to school, education. But if you stop his attachment, then he will become mad. You must give something. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. Just like we are. To the Western devotees, we are advising them—at least, those who are accepted as our disciples, they must—no meat-eating. They are accustomed to meat-eating, but that how this meat-eating has been stopped? We have given them nice things, kacuris, śṛṅgāra, rasagullā. So they have given up meat-eating. So you must give something more palatable. Then detachment will be possible. First of all nullify the attachment, and then give him better attachment. Then he will forget. Paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate. You cannot force a living entity by force. Gradually... The same example: a child has got attachment, but by some system, its attachment is turned over.
Western devotees
Expressions researched:
"In the West the devotees"
|"Westerners who are devotees"
|"devotees from Western countries"
|"devotees in the Western countries"
|"devotees in the Western world"
|"devotees in the western civilization"
|"western devotees"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 9
When the devotees aurally receive the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as enacted in Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, they immediately achieve a transcendental vision in which they are no longer interested in materialistic activities. Thus they achieve freedom from the material world. For sense gratification practically everyone is engaged in materialistic activities, which prolong the process of janma-mṛtyu jarā-vyādhi (BG 13.9)—birth, death, old age and disease—but the devotee, simply by hearing the message of Bhagavad-gītā and further relishing the narrations of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, becomes so pure that he no longer takes interest in materialistic activities. At the moment, devotees in the Western countries are being attracted by Kṛṣṇa consciousness and becoming uninterested in materialistic activities, and therefore people are trying to oppose this movement. But they cannot possibly check this movement or stop the activities of the devotees in Europe and America by their artificial impositions. Here the words śrotrāñjalir upaspṛśya indicate that simply by hearing the transcendental activities of the Lord the devotees become so pure that they are immediately immune to the contamination of materialistic fruitive activities. Anyābhilāṣitā-śūnyam (Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 1.1.11) Materialistic activities are unnecessary for the soul, and therefore the devotees are freed from such activities. The devotees are situated in liberation (brahma-bhūyāya kalpate (BG 14.26)), and therefore they cannot be called back to their material homes and materialistic activities.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
The people in general on the western side of India were neither intelligent nor well behaved, but by the influence of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī they were trained in devotional service and good behavior.
Although it is not only in western India that people were contaminated by association with Muslims, it is a fact that the farther west one goes in India the more he will find the people to be fallen from the Vedic culture. Until five thousand years ago, when the entire planet was under the control of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, the Vedic culture was current everywhere. Gradually, however, people were influenced by non-Vedic culture, and they lost sight of how to behave in connection with devotional service. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī and Sanātana Gosvāmī very kindly preached the bhakti cult in western India, and following in their footsteps the propagators of the Caitanya cult in the Western countries are spreading the saṅkīrtana movement and inculcating the principles of Vaiṣṇava behavior, thus purifying and reforming many persons who were previously accustomed to the culture of mlecchas and yavanas. All of our devotees in the Western countries give up their old habits of illicit sex, intoxication, meat-eating and gambling. Of course, five hundred years ago these practices were unknown in India—at least in eastern India—but unfortunately at present all of India has been victimized by these non-Vedic principles, which are sometimes even supported by the government.
CC Madhya-lila
"It must be Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself who has changed the Muslim's mind. Due to His presence and even due to His remembrance, the whole world is liberated."
From this we can understand that since the Muslim governor was a drunkard (madyapa), ordinarily there would have been no chance that he would change. But Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu could turn anyone's mind to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. One can be delivered from material existence simply by remembering Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's holy name or by visiting Him. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is being spread throughout the world, but not even one yavana or mleccha addicted to drinking could have changed and accepted Kṛṣṇa consciousness without Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's grace. People are often astonished to see many thousands of Westerners converted to Vaiṣṇavism. Generally Westerners are addicted to meat-eating, drinking, gambling and illicit sex; therefore their taking up Kṛṣṇa consciousness is astonishing. In India, especially, there is much astonishment at this. The answer, however, is given here: darśana-smaraṇe yāṅra jagat tārila. This change is made possible simply by the remembrance of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. The Western devotees are very sincerely chanting the holy names of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates: śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda. By the mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and His associates, people are being purified and their consciousness directed from māyā to Kṛṣṇa.
"All of you were feeling unhappy that no one was purchasing My goods and that I would have to carry them away. Therefore, by your will only, I have distributed them without charging."
When we began distributing the message of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu in the Western countries, a similar thing happened. In the beginning we were very much disappointed for at least one year because no one came forth to help this movement, but by the grace of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, some young boys joined this movement in 1966. Of course we distributed Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu's message of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra without bargaining or selling. As a result, this movement has spread all over the world, with the assistance of European and American boys and girls. We therefore pray for all the blessings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu upon all the devotees in the Western world who are spreading this movement.
Lectures
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So how Caitanya Mahāprabhu treated them equally or gave better position to Rāmānanda Rāya than Rūpa Gosvāmī? This question was raised—not only now—when our Guru Mahārāja started Gauḍīya Maṭha. So he was allowing the sannyāsīs to live in palatial building and go in car for preaching work. So many such persons questioned, "How is that, sannyāsīs are going in car, living in palatial building?" So our Guru Mahārāja replied that "A devotee should be offered the best comfort of life. And if he would not have introduced this comfortable life, at the same time, to become pure devotee, then these devotees from Western countries will, would never come. They would never agree to sit down under the tree and, imitating Rūpa Gosvāmī... That is not possible." Do you understand or not?
Guest (2): Yes.
Prabhupāda: What is your answer?
Guest (2): I answered that...
Prabhupāda: No, no. You answer me. I am talking with you.
Guest (2): Actually, I didn't know...
Prabhupāda: Now, in our building we have got the most comfortable situation. There is no such sanitary arrangement in any of the temples. But we are trying to give them. Because we deal, dealing in a different atmosphere.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Interviewer: These Oriental philosophies generally and in particular the Kṛṣṇa consciousness has found a lot of devotees in the western civilization. What is the main reason for this?
Prabhupāda: You are thinking this is Oriental civilization, but that is not the fact. The fact is this is human civilization. There is no question of east and west. Every living being, not only human being, even other beings—there are 8,400,000's forms of life—and Kṛṣṇa claims that
- sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
- mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
- tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
- haṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā
- (BG 14.4)
So Kṛṣṇa is for the aquatics, the animals in the water. The vast sea, there are so many animals. Then, from the water, the trees are coming out. Jalajā nava-lakṣāṇi sthāvarā lakṣa-viṁśati. In this way evolutionary process is going on. But all of them, living entities, and part and parcel of God, Kṛṣṇa. So by the evolutionary process they come to the human form of life. Now there is developed consciousness. Now, the human being has to decide which way he has to go, again to the lower species of life or higher forms of life. The higher forms of life are there in the upper planetary system.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Last night we celebrated here Janmastami festival very gorgeously, and many Indians in large number attended and they contributed also very liberally. One Madrasi gentleman demonstrated a Krishna dance by his two young daughters, and it was nice. At the present moment, many devotees from San Francisco, New York (specifically your intimate friend Umapati, is present here) have come here. Today they will observe Vyasa Puja ceremony (my Birthday Anniversary), so from this day, I will be stepping on the 73rd year. I hope the remaining days of my life may be utilized to serve you all Western devotees of Krishna. Please pray to Krishna that he may give me the necessary strength to discharge the duty entrusted by my Spiritual Master. Convey my blessings to Kirtanananda, and I hope you are all doing well.
1970 Correspondence
I am sending herewith a copy of the letter which I have addressed to the Home Department, Government of West Bengal regarding the purchase of land. So if necessary you can do the needful with this letter. I am also enclosing some newspaper pictures of our Western devotees' recent activities. After seeing them, you can give them over to Acyutananda; they will help him his preaching work.
| Page Title: | Western devotees |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Serene |
| Created: | 21 of Jan, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=3, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=2, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 9 |