All the friends were very daring and would risk any difficulty, because they were confident that Kṛṣṇa would help them to be victorious in all adventures. They used to sit together and advise one another what to do, sometimes inducing one another to be engaged in welfare work. Sometimes they would offer betel nuts to one another, decorate one another's faces with tilaka or smear pulp of candana on one another's bodies. Sometimes, for the sake of amusement, they used to decorate their faces in strange ways. Another business of the friends was that each of them wanted to defeat Kṛṣṇa. Sometimes they used to snatch His clothing or snatch away the flowers from His hands. Sometimes one would try to induce another to decorate his body for him, and failing this, they were always ready to fight, challenging one another to combat in wrestling. These were some of the general activities of Kṛṣṇa and His friends.
Amusing
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Cantos 10.14 to 12 (Translations Only)
O sinless Yaśodā, your darling child, the son of Mahārāja Nanda, has festively enhanced His attire with a jasmine garland, and He is now playing along the Yamunā in the company of the cows and cowherd boys, amusing His dear companions. The gentle breeze honors Him with its soothing fragrance of sandalwood, while the various Upadevas, standing on all sides like panegyrists, offer their music, singing and gifts of tribute.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
Being thus transcendentally amused, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu passed that day happily at Keśī-tīrtha. In the evening He returned to Akrūra-tīrtha, where He took His meal.
CC Antya-lila
“Many white lotus flowers were floating in the water, and as many bluish lotus flowers came nearby. As they came close together, the white and blue lotuses collided and began fighting with one another. The gopīs on the bank of the Yamunā watched with great amusement.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
You are extending the comforts of life, but you do not know that this life is temporary. How long you shall live in this comfort? Your real thing is spirit soul which is eternal. That is also the instruction of Lord Jesus, that after gaining everything, if you lose your own soul, what is the gain? Bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānām (BG 2.44). Therefore this is another kind of disqualification for advancing in spiritual consciousness, if one becomes too much attached to these material comforts of life. Therefore according to Vedic civilization, a boy is trained to become brahmacārī. Brahmacārī. Brahmacārī means complete celibacy. No sex life, no amusement. Because just to train him not to be attracted by this material sense enjoyment. Then he'll be able to grasp what is spiritual life. Therefore restriction.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So here in this material world, who is born, he should not think himself that "I am honored guest or honored son-in-law." No. Everyone has to work. That you see the whole world. In your country there is president, everywhere, that he is also working hard day and night. Otherwise he cannot keep his presidency. It is not possible. The whole brain is congested with political affairs. So many problems, solutions. He has to work. Similarly, a man on the street, he has to work also. This is the nature, material nature. You have to work. It is not the spiritual world. Spiritual world means there is no work. There is simply ānanda, joyfulness. That you see from reading Kṛṣṇa book. They are not working. Kṛṣṇa is going with he calves and the cows. That is not working. That is amusement. That is amusement. They are dancing, they are going to the forest, they are sitting down on the bank of the Ganges. Sometimes the demons are attacking, Kṛṣṇa is killing. This is all pleasure, amusement. Ānanda-mayo 'bhyāsāt. That is spiritual world.
Initiation Lectures
They are karmīs. And those who are disgusted with karma—"Now I shall meditate. I shall become God." You see? The same disease, aśānti. And siddhi-kāmī, mystic power: "I shall be light. I shall be great. Whatever I shall want, immediately..." The yogis can do that.
As I told you, one story, it is very..., not amusing. One boy, he went out of home and mixed with yogis for several years. Then, after some time, he came to his village, and all the friends and relatives gathered: "Oh, you have been so many years with yogis. What you have learned?" Actually yogis can do wonderful things. One yogi used to come to our house. He was my father's... My father used to respect him. So he told us that within a few minutes they will go several hundreds of miles. Simply he will touch his Guru Mahārāja and sit down, and he will see in another place within few seconds some thousands of miles away. The yogis can perform this. So one yogi, he came to his village, and all the people, relatives, surrounded him: "What you have learned, please?" He said that "I have learned this mystic power; I can walk on the water." This is called laghimā-siddhi, to become so light that one can fly in the air or one can walk on the water. So everyone became inquisitive.
Conversations and Morning Walks
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Rāmeśvaram.
Sir Alistair Hardy: Rāmeś... I'm sorry. I pronounced it wrong. Rāmeśvaram. There pilgrims bring water from the Ganges. They have a pool in which they keep it. I think. I'm not quite sure if I understood, but I think that over the period, all pilgrims bring water from the Ganges. And I think this water in this pool is Ganges water, which is continually added to by pilgrims coming. I'm not sure about that. That's what I understood, but I don't know. I'd a rather amusing experience, there. I was doing a drawing... I was very fascinated. Its very beautiful pagoda-like entrances, north, east, south...
Revatīnandana: Temple gates.
Sir Alistair Hardy: Temple gates. Yes. And I was making a drawing of this. So I had a very big crowd around me. And my Indian friends... I'd been staying at Mandapam (?) which is the... It was a naval settlement. Well, it was really a settlement of the Indian fisheries. My biological interest had always been in the sea. And these friends came over, and they left this case while they went to take photographs. And they came back. And so the crowd were very excited. "Would you like to know what they're saying?"
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So narādhama, means lowest of the mankind. In the human form of life one could understand that as there is a pilot in the aeroplane, there is a pilot on this big cosmic manifestation.
Yogeśvara: Yes, but his last reaction to that was that he always finds Indian analogies amusing.
Prabhupāda: But he has no other knowledge. Without analogy he cannot understand. Then it will be dogmatic. So if you go this way you are dogmatic, and if you this way, analogy. Then what way he will take? (French)
Prabhupāda: But you are a fool. In your own way means foolish way. You do not know. (French)
Puṣṭa-kṛṣṇa: The example is that this body, there is a living force within the body which is causing it to move and to work, and that living force is the soul. And when the soul leaves this body, then the body is no longer moving and eating and talking and hearing and seeing. So in the same way in this universe there is a greater spiritual person, and His body, in a sense, is this whole universe, and it is moving on the same principle because He is the supreme consciousness.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: ...nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam:" You cannot become a philosopher unless you disagree with other philosopher." Nāsau munir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam. (break) ...something drown?
Sudāmā: Yes, they destroyed an amusement park there, and that got stuck in the water.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Why destroy?
Sudāmā: No one was coming any more.
Prabhupāda: All amusement finished.
Sudāmā: Yes.
Dharmādhyakṣa: They did that to get insurance money?
Prabhupāda: (break) ...they are becoming disappointed in science, philosophy, amusement. That is good sign. (break)
Revatīnandana: When we noticed that this amusement pier was torn down, I didn't think that it meant that they were less interested in amusement, but they have become more degraded in their approach. The amusement pier... They come here instead to be naked on the beach for their amusement. Or they stay home and use intoxicants mostly. That is increasing. (break) ...like a prostitute house. And almost every place they are, not even one part of the city anymore, but you see them everywhere.
Prabhupāda: The woman gives massage?
Revatīnandana: Yes. Always advertising, "Beautiful young girls to massage you."
Dharmādhyakṣa: This is open prostitution now. They advertise very, very, very badly.
Jayatīrtha: I don't know. They came there recently. It wasn't there a few months... Oh, they're tearing down that pier. They're tearing down that amusement park. (break)
Jayādvaita: The scientists say that material nature is supreme, but because we're unable to accept nature as the supreme entity, different cultures have gotten different ideas of God. They've made these things up. The Greeks had one idea, the Romans had another idea, the Indians had one idea. So we've accepted that instead of accepting nature, although nature is actually the supreme.
Prabhupāda: No, God is realized only by the devotees. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvataḥ (BG 18.55). So actually, God is realized through devotion. There is no other way. So in the proportion of one's development of devotional spirit, one realizes God. Ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham (BG 4.11). The proportion, devotion, required. But real process is devotion.
Jayādvaita: But how can that be scientifically presented? How can we accept that scientifically?
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Mādhavānanda: They become bored very easily. If they do not have all the different material amusements, they become very bored and depressed.
Prabhupāda: And we have got everything. We have got feasting, dancing, chanting, philosophy, clean and spotless life.
Hari-śauri: Friendship, everything.
Prabhupāda: Yes. No animal killing. We are not envious of anyone.
Mādhavānanda: People come to the temple, and they say that it is like paradise here because there is no anxiety. Everyone is so happy and peaceful.
Prabhupāda: So keep this standard. At least, people will be attracted; they will appreciate it. Don't minimize this temple; keep it nicely.
Devotee: A boy said today it was like heaven on earth.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā? That's nice.
Prabhupāda: What is the philosophy?
Indian devotee: There is no philosophy, but it was amusing... My father all the time was telling me to do some devotional service, I was... No, if I would not do it, I would not get my breakfast. So I had to do it. But now you have your books and...
Indian woman: Śrīla Prabhupāda, I read Ramakrishna when I was fifteen years old, and I became so restless and anxious for guru, and I began to concentrate so much, and I become so God conscious. But I don't know what happened to me by reading Ramakrishna, and I gave up my (indistinct). I don't know what's wrong with me.
Prabhupāda: Eh? (devotees laugh) What is the question?
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The question is that she was so much inspired when she was very young, she read some words by Ramakrishna.
Prabhupāda: What was the particular thing?
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: "...in Santa Claus?"
Gargamuni: I think people were more amused than they were angry.
Prabhupāda: Yes. It is amusing.
Gargamuni: At least the newspaper article in the Statesman was very amusing. It did not criticize, because it mentioned that by wearing these suits we are able to distribute many literatures on God consciousness, which is the real meaning of Christmas. They wrote this in the States... So it was favorable.
Nanda-kumāra: In Los Angeles there was some controversy, some trouble. So they had big signs that said "ISKCON," and they had a thing printed up that they put on the bucket that they were collecting with. It said, "Help us put the real spirit of God back into Christmas." And people appreciated that. It stated who we were and stated that...
Hari-śauri: Whenever there's some controversy there's always somebody that was dead against and there's always someone who's for you, but the general public, they just observe.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It makes a better point for them instead of making a better point for ourselves.
Prabhupāda: Against party, they take it.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Just like when we say life is nonphysical and nonchemical, then they're very amused.
Prabhupāda: That is...
Svarūpa Dāmodara: "What is it? If it is nonphysical nonchemical, then what it is?" They inquire.
Prabhupāda: Spiritual.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes, but...
Prabhupāda: That means they have to accept two things—material and spiritual. (break) ...little difficult. Therefore we have to understand from the authority. The same argument, that you have to understand who is your father from the mother. There is no other... (break) ...Kṛṣṇa says in the beginning, tathā dehāntara-prāptiḥ: (BG 2.13) "The real living being is within this body, and he's changing." We have to accept. There is no experimental... (break) Because they are not sober... A sober man does not hesitate. Accept. Dhīras tatra... Therefore this word has been used. Rascal cannot understand. So indirectly one who does not understand, he's a rascal number one. That's all.
Prabhupāda: Fun?
Hari-śauri: Fun.
Satsvarūpa: Amusement.
Hari-śauri: It's amusement.
Prabhupāda: But they unnecessarily spending money. So they have spent unnecessarily for the moon expedition. Money, if you do not know, you'll spend it for unnecessary purpose. That is they are doing. So give them brain, and this money can be spent for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. They have got money. Why they are trying to manufacture artificial intelligence? What is the purpose?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They want to be able to imitate God.
Prabhupāda: Then God is there. (laughs) You have to accept. If you want to imitate God, then God is there. That is our propaganda, not his.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: If they say artificial intelligence, it means that there is a real intelligence. And if they're trying to make artificial intelligence, someone must have made real intelligence.
Correspondence
1947 to 1965 Correspondence
I have read with great interest your article especially the one which is named as "CHALAR PATHE." It is not only very amusing but also instructive. Simple dry philosophical arguments will not be appealing now a days to people in general. They will like to read such articles as written by you with greater relish. In this article I can find out that you have really some parts and in time you can become a great transcendental humorist in the art of journalism. You have complete mercy of your Divine master and you can depend on his blessings for your future improvement. I sincerely wish you all success—Undoubtedly you are now in the highest order of Varnasrama Dharma but we cannot forget that you belong to the category of our affectionate sons. We cannot forget all such filial love for you and when we see that you are improving in all respects it gladdens our heart. I have just written a letter to Sripada Gosvami Maharaja and in that letter the following statements have been carried to him him.
1971 Correspondence
You have a natural inclination as a teacher of small children, and I think that you should utilize it to instruct the young children of Hamburg in Krishna Consciousness. Children especially are inclined to appreciate Krishna's pastimes, so begin by reading to them from Krsna Book. They are not yet covered by false prestige and will very quickly take to tapasya as if it were amusing like a game! Just see the young brahmacaris in India. The Guru says do this, do that—immediately they do—they go out and beg all day in the hot sun and come back with a little rice, then take rest on the floor with no covering. And they are enjoying, it is pleasurable to them to work very hard. So it is very important to train children to endure all sorts of hardships and restrictions at the boyhood stage. Later, no one will renounce what he has accepted as the standard of enjoyment, to accept a standard of less enjoyment. So I think you should begin immediately holding class regularly and advertising for it. I understand the German people are very fond of kindergarten schools, so let them send their children to us for receiving the highest education.
I have seen one Christian newspaper which is trying to attract the readers by resort to fashionable phrases and materialistic themes of mass public interest—simply because they have not got any real substance for attracting, they offer what they think the public might like, such as sex, crimes, amusements, like that. That is not our method. We have got such stock of real substance that alone it is sufficient to capture the readers, without such ordinary tricks and commercial formulas.
I am very pleased that you are all working so nicely for Krishna in USA, and I shall be very glad to see you all again when I come there by springtime.
| Page Title: | Amusing |
| Compiler: | Sahadeva, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 01 of Oct, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=2, OB=1, Lec=3, Con=10, Let=3 |
| No. of Quotes: | 20 |