Afflicted (Lectures, Conv. and Letters)

Expressions researched:
"afflict" |"afflicted" |"afflicting" |"affliction" |"afflictions" |"afflicts"

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Lecture on BG 1.26-27 -- London, July 21, 1973:

This is education. This is education, perfection of education, when you can see all women except your wife as mother. This is education. Mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat. And others' property? Just like garbage in the street. Nobody is interested in the garbage. You throw. That is education. And ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu. And thinking all living entities as your own self. If you feel pains and pleasure by something, you could not afflict the pains to others. If your throat is cut, if your head is cut, you feel so much pain, how you can cut the head of another animal? This is education. Samaḥ sarveṣu-bhūteṣu. This is education, three things. This is the test of education.

Lecture on BG 2.1 -- Ahmedabad, December 7, 1972:

Madhusūdana. Kṛṣṇa is described here as Madhusūdana, the killer of the demon Madhu. Madhu-kaiṭabha-ari. So Arjuna was attacked by a demon of forgetting his duty, being too much afflicted by bodily relationship. This is our position. In this material world, we are so much attached to this bodily relationship that it is to be considered just like we are ghostly haunted. In a poetry, Prema-vivarta, it is said that piśācī pāile yena mati-cchanna haya, māyā-grasta jīvera haya se bhāva udaya. Māyā-grasta jīva. Māyā-grasta. Māyā means illusion, hallucination. So we are, in this material world, we are all illusioned. Illusioned means accepting something as fact which is not.

Lecture on BG 2.11 -- Rotary Club Address -- Hotel Imperial, Delhi, March 25, 1976:

Kṛṣṇa said, "No, you have to fight. Your duty is to fight." Then Arjuna placed before Him so many ideas that "If I kill my brother, then my brothers' wives will be widow and they may be polluted, then unwanted children, varṇa-saṅkara, will come out, and when the varṇa-saṅkara population is filling, then the whole world becomes a hell." So many arguments. So Kṛṣṇa, when He saw that Arjuna is very much afflicted with the material ideas, so He wanted to teach him this Bhagavad-gītā. So first punishment... Not punishment, chastisement. Because Arjuna accepted that "The perplexities which I am facing is not possible to be solved except Yourself." He knew that Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So he surrendered himself to Kṛṣṇa, śiṣyas te 'haṁ śādhi māṁ prapannam, kārpaṇya-doṣopahata svabhāvaḥ: (BG 2.7) "I am a kṣatriya. It is my duty to fight in right cases, and I am declining. This is my weakness. So kindly instruct me how I can give up this weakness. I am accepting You as my guru." Śiṣyas te 'ham. Śiṣya means who voluntarily accepts to be ruled by a person who is guru. He is called śiṣya.

Lecture on BG 2.12 -- New York, March 7, 1966:

Here is an authoritative book. He is the perfect being who is eternal and all-pervading, omnipotent, omniscient. All individual selves are more or less subject to the affliction of ignorance. We are, all living entities except God, everyone, everyone, they are subjected to ignorance, forgetfulness. That's a fact. Ignorance, egoism. Egoism means that without having the qualification, one declares that "I am God." This is egoism. Without having the qualification of God, if one declares that "I am God," a foolish man, that is called egoism. Egoism, desire, aversion and dread of death. They have to do various kinds of work, good, bad, and indifferent, and reap the consequences thereof. That means they are subjected to the acts of your, I mean to say, reaction of their acts. If you do some good thing, then you reap the good result. If you do some bad thing, then you reap the bad result. And because we are defective, therefore we do something good, sometimes bad.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

So here, in the Bhagavad-gītā, gives you a nice formula. Yaṁ hi na vyathayanty ete puruṣaṁ puruṣarṣabha. This transmigration of the soul, one which is not afflicted by this, dhīras tatra na muhyati (BG 2.13), one who understands... Suppose my father dies, if I have got clear understanding that "My father has not died. He has changed the body. He has accepted another body." That is the fact. Just like in our sleeping state, dreaming state, my body is lying on the bed, but in dream I create another body and go, say, thousand miles away in a different place. As you have got daily experience, similarly, the gross body being stopped, I, as spirit soul, I do not stop. I work. My mind carries me. My mind is active, my intelligence is active. People do not know that there is another subtle body made of mind, intelligence and ego. That carries me to another gross body. That is called transmigration of the soul.

Lecture on BG 2.15 -- Hyderabad, November 21, 1972:

Our own business is that we should know that "I am not this dream. I am fact, spiritual fact. So I have got a different business." That is called spiritual life. That is spiritual life, when we understand that "I am Brahman. I am not this matter." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā (BG 18.54). That time we shall be joyful. Because we are afflicted with so many changes of the material features, and we are sorry and happy, being afflicted by all these external activities, but when we understand rightly that "I am not concerned with all these things," then we become joyful. "Oh, I have no responsibility. Nothing, I have nothing to do with all these things." Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). At that time, you can feel that every living entity is exactly like you. It doesn't matter whether he is a learned brāhmaṇa, whether he's a dog, whether he is a caṇḍāla, whether he's an elephant.

Lecture on BG 5.7-13 -- New York, August 27, 1966:

Just like the example is given here, the leaf of the lotus flower, although it is in the water, it has no connection with the water. Not a drop of water will stay there. Not a drop, even a drop, although it is in the huge mass of water. Waves are going over it and so many things. Water it is moving always, but that particular leaf of lotus flower, it has no connection with the water. Similarly with all upheavals of this material world, one who is Kṛṣṇa conscious, he has nothing to do. Viśvaṁ pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate. Viśvaṁ pūrṇaṁ sukhāyate. Everyone is very much afflicted. They say, "Oh, it is very troublesome. It is very troublesome water, world. It is very troublesome." But a man who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he'll find, "Oh, everything is happy." There is no... So na lipyate na sa pāpena.

Lecture on BG 8.12-13 -- New York, November 15, 1966:

So this is our nature, that wherever we live... Because we are permanent. We are permanent. So we want permanent residence. That is our inclination. We don't wish to die. Why? Because we are permanent. Death is... Just like we don't want to be diseased. These are all artificial, external things: disease, death, birth, miseries. They are not our... They are external things. Just like sometimes you are attacked with fever. You are not meant for suffering from fever, but sometimes it comes upon you. So we have to take precaution, have to get out of it. So similarly, these four kinds of external afflictions—birth, death, disease and old age—they are due to this material body. And if we can get out of this material body, then we can get out of these implications.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Lecture on SB 1.2.2 -- Rome, May 26, 1974:

So father became very much afflicted on account of separation from the son. Therefore dvaipāyana, means Vyāsadeva, viraha-kātara, became very much aggrieved, that "This son was sixteen years within the womb, and as soon as he is born, he is going away." Viraha-kātara ājuhāva: "My dear son, where you are going? Where you are going?" So he did not care for anyone's calling. He went on. Putreti, "My dear son," tan-mayatayā, being absorbed in the thought of putra. Taravaḥ abhinedus tam. There was, what is called, echo from the trees. Just like he was asking, "My dear son, where you are going? Where you are going?" And there was echo in the forest, "Where you are going? Where you are going?" So taravaḥ abhineduḥ.

Lecture on SB 1.5.32 -- Vrndavana, August 13, 1974:

If one is polluted, if he comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa, or Kṛṣṇa's pure devotee, he or she will be purified. Kṛṣṇa is never allured, neither Kṛṣṇa is become a victim of anything material. Kṛṣṇa's position is different. That is stated in the Īśopaniṣad. Apāpa-viddham. Kṛṣṇa is never afflicted by any kind of contamination. He is pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-muktaḥ. Similarly, those who are advanced devotees, they are not allured. But the result is that one who comes to allure a devotee or one who comes to allure Kṛṣṇa, he or she becomes purified. He or she. Kamāt krodhād bhayāt. Some way or other, if one comes in contact with Kṛṣṇa, then he becomes purified. Tejīyasāṁ na doṣāya (SB 10.33.29).

Lecture on SB 3.25.15 -- Bombay, November 15, 1974:

Just like Buddha philosophy. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu says, veda nā māniyā bauddha haila nāstika. Veda... Lord Buddha, he defied Vedic authority. His mission was different. He wanted to stop animal killing. Sadaya-hṛdaya darśita-paśu-ghātam. The Supreme Lord became so much afflicted by terribly people being attached to killing animals... As they are now doing also. So He was compassionate to stop animal killing in the so-called sacrifice. But in the Vedic sacrifices, in some cases, there is recommendation of animal killing. That animal killing does not mean killing the animal and eat. No. It was a test. An old animal was put into the sacrificial fire and the animal would come in new body, young. That is animal... But to give, to test the Vedic mantra, whether it is properly chanted. Then the result will be that if you put one old body it will come new body. So such kind of brāhmaṇa is not available in this age, Kali-yuga, yājñika-brāhmaṇa. They, by mantras, they could, they would ignite fire. Fire was not required matches. By mantra. Simply by mantra, the old body of an animal will turn to be young.

Lecture on SB 3.25.28 -- Bombay, November 28, 1974:

The whole world is struggling, some temporary. The real business is ātyantika-duḥkha-nivṛtti, everyone is trying to minimize the miserable condition, but they are busy for temporary miserable condition. But the Vedic knowledge is how to mitigate the topmost miserable condition. That topmost miserable condition is the repetition of birth, death, and old age. Janma-mṛtyu-jarā-vyādhi duḥkha-doṣānudarśanam, anu-darśanam (BG 13.9). We should not be very much afflicted with these temporary things. We must have the sense how to solve the ultimate miserable condition of life. That, tad-vijñānārtham, in order to know that science sa gurum evābhigacchet.

Lecture on SB 5.6.10 -- Bombay, December 28, 1976:

So we should be very much careful not to be afflicted by the karma. Karmānu bandha. This is very delicate task. Simply... (break) ...but they do not know what is the importance of the varṇāśrama-dharma. They have broken it. They don't like. They want to say classless society. Classless society cannot be. Even in Russia, the Communist country, they wanted to break down the classless society, but they cannot manage. They have now created a manager class and the worker class. Why manager class? Make it classless. But that is not possible. Therefore in the society there must be managers and the workers. Without this you cannot work, you cannot make, keep any systematic... So managers... The varṇāśrama-dharma: the managers, the brāhmaṇas and the kṣatriyas; and the workers, the vaiśyas and the śūdras. And less than that, less than the śūdras, the caṇḍālas, they have to be fully controlled, kirata-hūṇāndhra-pulinda-pulkaśā (SB 2.4.18), because they do not know the regulative principles of life. They are called caṇḍālas. So they are described in the śāstra. So the kṣatriyas, they used to keep these caṇḍālas under full control. Otherwise the society would be lost.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6-8 -- New York, July 21, 1971:

Vaiṣṇava—para-duḥkha-duḥkhī. They're very much afflicted with others', I mean to say, miserable life. Just like Lord Jesus Christ, he presented himself as very much afflicted with others' miserable condition of life. So all the Vaiṣṇavas, devotees... It doesn't matter which country he belongs to or which sect he belongs to. Anyone who is God-conscious or Kṛṣṇa conscious... Therefore to blaspheme a Vaiṣṇava, a preacher of God's glory, is great offense. Kṛṣṇa, or God, will never tolerate offense on the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava. So here Parīkṣit Mahārāja is asking... Because he's a Vaiṣṇava. Mind that. A Vaiṣṇava is actually feeling... Para-duḥkha-duḥkhī kṛpāmbudhi. These are the adjectives of the qualifications.

Lecture on SB 7.7.25-28 -- San Francisco, March 13, 1967:

buddher jāgaraṇaṁ svapnaḥ

suṣuptir iti vṛttayaḥ

tā yenaivānubhūyante

so 'dhyakṣaḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ

(SB 7.6.25)

This verse we have been discussing in our last meeting, that it is very easy to understand what I am. Take the... The description is that buddher jāgaraṇam. When we are, I mean to say, awakened, and we are acting with our intelligence, this is one stage. Then the another stage, that we are sleeping, dreaming. Another stage is that we are in deep sleep, forgetting everything. That is suṣuptiḥ, or deep sleep. Sometimes we want to forget ourself by transferring ourself into that deep sleep, forgetting everything. Actually, that is our natural tendency. When we are too much afflicted with these material activities, anxieties... Because material life means full of anxieties. That is material life.

Lecture on SB 7.9.44 -- Delhi, March 26, 1976:

This is the conviction of a (person) perfectly convinced in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The preacher who are preaching Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they must be convinced that without accepting Kṛṣṇa consciousness, nobody has any means of escaping these stringent laws of material nature. It is everywhere stated. In the Bhagavad-gītā also it is stated, mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti. Unfortunately, the conditioned souls, although they are very, very much afflicted with the pressure of material nature, they have become callous. Every moment, every second, they are being controlled, and still they are thinking they can do anything and everything independently. So in this way they are suffering. But a learned, saintly person... Prahlāda Mahārāja, he thinks that "Without delivering these fallen souls, alone I am not prepared to go back to home, back to God." Naitān vihāya kṛpaṇān.

Festival Lectures

Ratha-yatra and Press Conference -- San Francisco, July 4, 1970:

Kṛṣṇa's childhood was spent at Vṛndāvana under the care of His foster father Nanda Mahārāja. So when Kṛṣṇa went to His real father, Vasudeva, at Dvārakā, and came back to Kurukṣetra on this occasion of solar eclipse, the inhabitants of Vṛndāvana, who were suffering too much out of separation from Kṛṣṇa, they came to see Him. And at that time His beloved Rādhārāṇī was too much afflicted. She said, "Kṛṣṇa, You are the same Kṛṣṇa, I am the same Rādhārāṇī. But the place is different, Kurukṣetra. It is not Vṛndāvana. Therefore I wish that You come with Me to Vṛndāvana and let Us enjoy Our previous life." This is the ecstasy of the residents of Vṛndāvana.

Govardhana Puja Lecture -- New York, November 4, 1966:

So it is a long story, three, four chapters. Of course, it will take some time. I don't think you can give us so much time. The net, the result is that when Kṛṣṇa talked like this, then His father agreed not to perform the sacrifice. Because all the inhabitants of Vraja, Vṛndāvana, they are so much fond of Kṛṣṇa, whatever Kṛṣṇa will say, they will accept. So although Kṛṣṇa was a boy, He implored his father and other elderly gentlemen present there that "There is no need of performing this sacrifice." So they stopped sacrifice. As a result of this stopping, Indra became very much angry, and there was torrents of rain, incessant rain, and very vehemently. So the whole village and whole tract of land comprising the Vrajabhūmi, they became overflooded. And the cows and the animals and the people became too much afflicted. So they had no other source. They approached Kṛṣṇa, "Protect us. Kṛṣṇa, protect us." So at that time Kṛṣṇa said, "Yes, I will give you protection." So He was, although a boy of six or seven years old, He lifted that hill. That is... We are... If any time you go to India you will see the hill. It is not less than at least five, six miles area, very big hill. That hill was lifted by Him, and He kept that hill in His hand for seven days. And then everything was cleared. Then Indra prayed Him.

His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada's Appearance Day, Lecture -- Los Angeles, February 7, 1969:

Say, after the disappearance of the Gosvāmīns, about 250 years after, the things became most ridiculous. The so-called devotees... Their representatives still are continuing. They are called prākṛta-sahajiyā. Prākṛta-sahajiyā means taking things very easily. They thought that Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is just like a boy and girl's lusty affairs. And in this way they took it that sex life as religion. Even Vivekananda, he also criticized, "Vaiṣṇavism is sex religion." So the things deteriorated in such a way that... And similarly, as Advaita Prabhu was afflicted, similarly, Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura... He was at that time a householder, government officer and magistrate. He felt very much: "Oh, Lord Caitanya's movement is so... People... As soon as one will see that he belongs to the Caitanya sampradāya, he'll deride, 'Oh, these are all rascals, simply taking sex pleasures. That's all.' " There were thirteen pseudo Vaiṣṇavas, thirteen sects: Āula, Bāula, Karttābhajā, Neḍā, Daraveṣa, Sāṅi, Sahajiyā, Sakhībhekī. Sāṅi community... You have heard that in London there is a Sāṅi community. Sāṅi Hindu center you have heard from Mukunda? The Sāṅi is there still. So there are thirteen pseudo pretenders belonging to the Caitanya-sampradāya. They are called first Āula, Bāula, Karttābhajā, Neḍā, Daraveṣa, Sāṅi, Sakhībhekī, Gaurāṅga-nagarī, Cūḍādhārī, Ativāḍī, and Smārta, Jāta-gosāñi. Like that, thirteen.

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:

Hayagrīva: The way of action in the world. And the jñāna, or knowledge, in itself is not sufficient, but it must be applied and must serve as a basis for action in the world.

Prabhupāda: Yes, ethics is the basic principle of purification. Unless one does..., knows what is moral and what is immoral... Of course, in this material world everything is immoral, but still we have to distinguish good and bad. That is called regulative principle. Simply by following the regulative principle, if he does not reach the ultimate goal of spiritual life, so that is also not wanted. The real aim is to come to the spiritual platform and become free from the influence of these laws of material nature. So passion is the binding force in the material nature. Just like in the prison house the prisoners are kept sometimes chained by some iron shackles and other method, so material nature has given the chain, shackles, of sex life, passion, rajas tamaḥ. Kāma eṣa krodha eṣa rajo-guṇa-samudbhavaḥ. Rajah-guṇah means the modes of passion. So modes of passion means kama, lusty desires, and krodha. When the lusty desires are not fulfilled, one becomes angry. But these things are the means of bondage in this material world. In another place it is said, tadā rajas-tamo-bhāvāḥ kāma-lobhādayaś ca ye (SB 1.2.19). When one is afflicted with the base material modes of nature, namely rajo-guṇa and tamo-guṇa, then he becomes greedy and lusty. So ethics require to get out of the clutches of greediness and lusty desires. Then he comes to the platform of goodness, which will help him to go to the platform of spiritual life.

Philosophy Discussion on Socrates:

Hayagrīva: And through meditation—they call..., he called it arete (?)—a person attains knowledge. Through knowledge a person becomes virtuous. When one is virtuous, he acts in the right way. When one acts properly, he becomes happy. Therefore the enlightened man is a man who is meditative, knowledgeable, virtuous and, because of his proper action, he is happy.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is confirmed in the Bhagavad-gītā: brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). This is the symptom of self-realized person. If one is self-realized, he is immediately happy, prasannātmā, jolly, because immediately he is on the right. Just like one is going on under some mistaken ideas, and when he comes to the real idea, he becomes very happy: "Oh, so long I was going on such a mistaken idea." So immediately the result will be happiness: "How foolish I was. I was doing like this, doing like that." So right..., as soon as one comes to the right position, he, the symptom is he is prasannātmā. What is that prasannātmā? Na śocati na kāṅkṣati (BG 18.54). Prasannātmā, happiness, means he has no more anything to hanker. Just like Dhruva Mahārāja said, svāmin kṛtārtho 'smi varam: "I don't want any material benediction." Prahlāda Mahārāja said, "My Lord, don't tell You want me for any material benefit. I have seen so much afflict. My father was so big materialistic that even the demigods, they were afraid of him. You have finished it within a second. So I am not after these things." So this is real knowledge, that na śocati na kāṅkṣati, he has no more hankering. The karmīs, jñānīs, yogis, they have got hankering. The karmīs, they are hankering after how to get material wealth, how to get material position, how to get nice woman, how to get nice position. That is karmī. Their business—simply hankering, hankering.

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation -- December 10, 1971, New Delhi:

Devotee: But if you have that material desire, does that slow up your advancement?

Prabhupāda: By Kṛṣṇa consciousness it will vanish. But Kṛṣṇa is so kind, because you desire, He'll give you. He'll give you. Kṛṣṇa is so kind that "Oh, you wanted this? All right, you take!" That is the benefit of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. You get both these things. You reject, "No, I asked for..." That is real pure devotion. "For this paltry happiness I requested Kṛṣṇa. What a fool I was." But Kṛṣṇa will give you because you desire. Therefore Dhruva Maharaja regretted that "I was such a fool that I came to in the forest Kṛṣṇa for asking my father's property. What a nonsense I was." But Kṛṣṇa gave. Better than. He demanded that "I shall have a property," because that was child. His stepmother insulted, so he was determined. Nārada Muni had requested him, "My dear boy, you are child. Why you be afflicted to this insult? Go now to play." So he said, "Your instruction is very nice, but I am so degraded, I cannot accept it as such. If you kindly give me some way that I can get," I mean, "material opulence better than my grandfather and father. You just give me such a post." His father was Uttānapāda. Grandfather was Brahma. So he wanted a post better than Brahma. So he was given: "Oh, yes, you'll get." But when he was offered a better position than Brahma, he regretted that "What I..., what a fool I was." He requested, "Sir, I am very much satisfied simply by Your..." "Never mind. You enjoy, then you come back." Kṛṣṇa is so kind.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Talk -- May 16, 1975, Perth:

Prabhupāda: So He is canvassing, "Now get up. How you are remaining in ignorance still? You have got this human form of body; still, you remain as cats and dogs. Why is that? This is spell of māyā. You get up." "No, I am very much... I cannot break out of this. Too much I am afflicted." Then he says, "I have got medicine." Enechi auṣadhi. "I have got the medicine. You take it." Enechi auṣadhi māyā nāśibāro lāgi', hari-nāma mahā-mantra lao tumi māgi'. "You take it from Me, hari-nāma mahā-mantra." So this is our mission. We have got the medicine to awake the people from this ignorance. He doesn't know anything. He is busy only with his fifty years. Nowadays less still, we live, such rascaldom we are. "We have got the medicine. Now you take it." This is our canvassing, Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. If you don't agree, that is your business. That is your misfortune. The disease is there, and the remedy is also there. So we offer you the remedy free of charges, and if you don't take it, then it should be understood that you are so misfortunate, unfortunate.

1966 Correspondence

Letter to Janis -- New York 29 October, 1966:

I am glad to learn that you are chanting regularly and I hope you are gradually getting some enlightenment in Krsna Consciousness. Our path is genuine sublime and easy. So there must be an world wide organization for pushing the movement in the Human society so much afflicted by material advancement only. This is only medium to save the people from ruination.

1967 Correspondence

Letter to Rayarama -- Navadvipa 2 November, 1967:

Regarding Kirtanananda, I cannot allow him to become Keith again. He is my spiritual son and I shall never allow him to fall down. When I return I shall drag him forcibly and make all right again. Anyone who has once come to me has become my beloved son; temporarily one may display some Mayic affliction, but that can not prolong. I thank Lord Krishna for Satyavrata (Moskowitz) and Woompati and I hope sincerely that Kirtanananda will also come back again with renewed energy. I am glad that Hayagriva has returned the manuscript of Gita and I understand from Brahmananda's letter that they are being made ready by professional typist.

1969 Correspondence

Letter to Yamuna -- Hawaii 13 March, 1969:

It is advised in the Bhagavad-gita that this bodily happiness and unhappiness are temporary, like seasonal changes, so as we are not very much disturbed even in severe cold or scorching heat, we have to execute our daily duties, we may not be very much disturbed with our bodily pains. But because we are long associated with this material body, sometimes we are afflicted, but by higher knowledge we have to tolerate the pains, wisely thinking that these bodily pains are not mine. But I am very much happy for your nice spiritual sentiments. In London there may be a temple or not, it does not matter; you are doing very nicely, more than having a temple. If Krishna gives us a better temple that is all right, otherwise, your engagement in Kirtana is very very nice. So continue this program in cooperation with your other God-brothers and sisters, and Krishna will make you very happy. You six together are doing so nicely that I am very much proud of you. Be blessed by Lord Sri Caitanya and go on like this.

Letter to Tamala Krsna -- Tittenhurst 19 September, 1969:

You write to say that you do not know what is my desire, but my desire is an open secret. I simply want all over the Western countries people may take this simple formula of chanting, dancing and eating Krishna Prasadam, and being happy. I am simply surprised that they should not accept this simple formula and be happy themselves. My only desire is that all people become happy and prosperous in Krishna Consciousness. My predecessors, Vaisnavas, they were so generous that they felt very much afflicted for the suffering of the human society. Sri Rupa Goswami tried to elevate them to real path of happiness by introducing this Govinda Ganamrta, the Nectarine of the Songs of Govinda. That will make them happy.

1972 Correspondence

Letter to Sucandra -- Tokyo 22 April, 1972:

I am very glad to know that you are working sincerely to distribute this great science to the people of Germany. Not only the people in Germany, but all over the world, people are suffering due to lack of this knowledge. When the son is suffering, the father is also afflicted. So Krishna, the Supreme Father, does not like to see his parts and parcels suffering in the material world. To deliver the fallen souls, He gives His instruction, He sends His representatives, and sometimes He even comes Himself just for the benefit of all the living entities. So it is our duty, as His representative, to canvass. "Please take this knowledge and make your life successful." So all of you continue to push on this movement with ever-increasing enthusiasm, and Krishna will help you.

1974 Correspondence

Letter to Caitya-guru -- Vrindaban 7 February, 1974:

If Indians are bad then I am also bad, as I am an Indian. But they have accepted an Indian as their guru. So Indians are both bad and good according to the behavior. If they have accused you as bad because you are Indian, yet they have accepted a bad Indian as guru. Don't be afflicted by all these external features of our bodily relationships. Be steady in Krsna Consciousness and do your duty so you may be blessed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Krsna and make your life successful. I am going to Bombay on the 13rd instant—please come back and if you feel inconvenience, it doesn't matter whether from Indians or Americans, you can live with me because I am an Indian.

1975 Correspondence

Letter to Krsnanandini -- Mayapur 8 April, 1975:

Regarding Bhumata devi dasi's affliction, she should simply take the proper treatment. Make the best out of a bad bargain. This material body is a bad bargain because it is always miserable. So, to make the best out of this bad bargain means to render devotional service in any circumstance. The dust from the lotus feet of the spiritual master is never to be used for material benefit. That is a great misconception. The best thing is that the girl tries her best to chant 16 rounds daily and to follow all of the rules and regulations even if she is afflicted with something, and in this way, she willfully understand the mercy of Krishna and the spiritual master.