Denmark

Expressions researched:
"Danish" |"Denmark"

Philosophy Discussions

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Syāmasundara: ...philosopher is called Kierkegaard. He was a Danish philosopher, last century. He is the father of what is called existentialism, which is a very prominent modern philosophy, probably the most prominent modern philosophy. Last time we were discussing the phenomenologists, who are interested in getting at the "whatness," or the essence of a thing. These existentialists, they are more interested in the "thatness," or the existence of a thing. So this Kierkegaard describes three steps of the life experience. The first step he calls the aesthetic step or stage of life. This aesthetic stage of life is characterized by two types of persons: that one engaged in sense gratification completely, unrestricted sense pleasure; and the mental speculator or philosopher. He said that in both cases that both persons are uncommitted to any specific goals and that they become bored with their activities, unrestricted sense gratification and philosophical speculation; that they are devoid of commitment—they are not committing themselves to anything, simply enjoying and speculating—and that this type of life, this aesthetic type of life, is...

Prabhupāda: So how they can be philosopher if they have no ultimate goal?

Śyāmasundara: He says they are not really philosophers; they are mental speculators.

Prabhupāda: So mental speculator anyone can become, without any aim. What is this? Ship without a rudder, a man without aim.

Śyāmasundara: They said that both of these types of persons become bored with themselves and they get a feeling of emptiness or meaninglessness or despair. He calls it despair, hopelessness, nothingness. So that this pleasure...

Prabhupāda: That we condemn, śūnyavādi. Śūnyavādi, or nirviśeṣa śūnyavādi, impersonalists and voidists. They must be overcome by despair. They have no aim. They do not know what is the aim of life. Being disgusted in the present form of life, they, when they have no conclusion, no high aim, they become disappointed. That is the cause of these hippies.

Philosophy Discussion on Soren Aabye Kierkegaard:

Hayagrīva: This is Kierkegaard, who was a Danish philosopher, who lived from 1813 to 1855. He is generally regarded as the father of existentialism. He was Christian. He wrote, or he believed, that if the truths of religion are not innate within man, they must be brought to us by a teacher. If God comes to teach as He is, man would be over awed or over..., overcome. Therefore he comes as a servant of God in human form.

Prabhupāda: So man's general position is as good as animal. Therefore in the human society there is system of education. But man, being advanced in consciousness, he can be properly educated so that he can understand what is God by the teachings of authority, and that is our Vedic system. In the human form of life—not generally but in special cases—they are very much inquisitive to understand about God. That is technically called brahma-jijñāsā. inquiring about the Absolute. And that is only possible in the human form of life. Generally, any human being can be educated in the spiritual life or God consciousness, but if anyone awakens his inquiry, as it is stated, tasmād guruṁ prapadyeta jijñāsuḥ śreya uttamam (SB 11.3.21), if one is actually anxious to inquire about God or the supreme knowledge, then he has to approach a guru. That's a fact. Without approaching a bona fide guru there is no possibility of understanding the nature of God and our relationship with Him. So one has to approach a guru. To accept a guru is not a fashion, it is necessity.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Conversation with Dai Nippon -- April 22, 1972, Tokyo:

Karandhara: Dimmock?

Prabhupāda: Dimmock. He has given very good appreciation. And gradually it will be printed in other languages. German, French, Spanish, Denmark, Holland...

Karandhara: Danish.

Prabhupāda: Danish, yes. And we are getting also Hindi layout from India. That Hindi magazine also will be printed. Gradually other Indian languages. And Japanese and Chinese also. Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa...

Karandhara: If Dai Nippon opens a liaison office in Los Angeles, then it will be very easy to work. The contract is for all the jobs.

Prabhupāda: The officer who will remain there, he will be final or you have to consult with Mr. Ogata(?) and...?

Karandhara: Well, their liaison officer there, he will correspond with Tokyo. They will fix up estimates and confirmations. But it will make the communication better.

Prabhupāda: (chants japa) So there are many Japanese vegetarian? Or he is only.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Guru-gaurāṅga: She speaks English.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Anna Conan Doyle: I speak English. I'm Danish but I speak English.

Prabhupāda: Oh, that's nice. It is very nice. So intelligent men and women should take interest in this great movement. It is a very scientific spiritual movement. People are suffering for lack of spiritual knowledge. They have become materially like animals. Materialism means animalism. Yes. Materialism means animalism. Animalism means in the lower grade of existence. What is the difference between dog and a human being. He has got a lower grade body, and the human being has got a higher grade body. So the more we become materialistic, we get lower grade body. In the lower grade body, the consciousness works only on four activities, eating sleeping, sex life and defence. This is lower grade activities. And higher grade activities: working for understanding God. That is higher grade life. In the lower grade life, nobody can understand God. In the higher grade life, one can understand God, yes. One can feel with intelligence. Just like dog may understand this is day, this is night. But he does not understand why it is day, why it is night. But a man can understand that it is day because the sun is there. And it is night because sun is now set. That is the difference dog and man. Better knowledge. So as we advance in better knowledge, that is perfection of life. And the topmost knowledge is to understand Kṛṣṇa. Then he's most perfect being. That is perfection.

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

Morning Walk -- June 20, 1974, Germany:

Prabhupāda: That's all right. I wanted to know the philology of the Greek word "Kristo." Or is there any dictionary? Find out the word "Kristo."

Haṁsadūta: Yeah, we can see today.

Prabhupāda: Greek dictionary. (break) ...France.

Haṁsadūta: Germany is bordered by many countries—Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland. So we are right in the center of Germany. So Germany is in the center of Europe.

Prabhupāda: (break) ...even a single stick like this in the laboratory. What do you think? You can?

Satsvarūpa: No.

Prabhupāda: What is scientist? Simply talking. Vikathyante. Vikathyante. This word is used in Bhāgavata. When one is covered by māyā, he talks so many nonsense things, vikathayante. (break)

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

Room Conversation with Reporter -- March 9, 1975, London:

Reporter: You have centers all over the world?

Prabhupāda: Yes, all over the world. In Europe we have got so many centers. Here in London we have got two centers. Similarly, Paris, Germany, four centers. Then Sweden, one?

Haṁsadūta: Sweden and Denmark.

Prabhupāda: Denmark, Holland, and Rome, then Switzerland, Geneva. So we have got several branches here.

Reporter: Are many people joining you?

Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Just see, many people here. Each center we have got not less than fifty men, up to 250. Similarly, we have got in Australia and New Zealand, all over the world. In India we have got six. In India I have got six. In Vṛndāvana, Calcutta, Bombay, Navadvīpa, Hyderabad—in so many places.

Reporter: Is the work you recommend your followers to do purely spiritual, or do you...

Prabhupāda: This we simply say, that "God is great. You are servant. Don't be befooled that you are God. Don't be befooled like that." That is our program.

Morning Walk -- April 19, 1975, Vrndavana:

Brahmānanda: The Dutchmen, they went to New York first. The Dutch, they first went to New York.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dhanañjaya: Peter Stuyvesant.

Guru-kṛpa: The Scandinavian countries are not so poor. Denmark, Sweden...

Prabhupāda: They are industrious, and they have got resources.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And they have developed more recently, I think. They were not colonizing.

Prabhupāda: No, the colonizing propaganda was amongst these three nation. France, English...

Dhanañjaya: Spanish and Portuguese. Spanish also.

Prabhupāda: Ah, that side, is, means Western side.

Guru-kṛpa: Spanish went to South America.

Dhanañjaya: But the British used to say, "The sun never sets in the British empire."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that we knew in our childhood.

1947 to 1965 Correspondence

Letter to Members -- Bombay:

Back to Godhead is devoted to this mission for all round human welfare work with wider outlook and for this there are many appreciations by educated circle. It is now decided that copies of the above paper will be posted to the leading men of the world in the following scale: (1) Afghanistan 1,000, (2) America 10,000, (3) Argentina 500, (4) Belgium 500, (5) Brazil 500, (6) Burma 1,000, (7) Canada 500, (8) Chile 500, (9) China 10,000, (10) Czechoslovakia 500, (11) Denmark 500, (12) Egypt 1,000, (13) Ethiopia 500, (14) France 1,000, (15) Germany 5,000, (16) Greece 1,000, (17) Indonesia 500, (18) Iran 500, (19) Iraq 500, (20) Italy 1,000, (21) Japan 2,000, (22) Laos 500, (23) Mexico 500, (24) Monaco 500, (25) Mongolia 500, (26) Nepal 500, (27) Netherlands 1,000 (28) Norway 1,000, (29) Philippines 500, (30) Poland 500, (31) Saudi Arabia 500, (32) Sudan 500, (33) Syria 500, (34) Thailand 500, (35) Sweden 500, (36) Turkey 500 (37) Vietnam 500, (38) U.S.S.R. 10,000, (39) Yugoslavia 500, (40) Austria 500, (41) Bulgaria 500, (42) Finland 500, (43) Holy See 500, (44) Hungary 500, (45) Rumania 500, (46) Switzerland 500, (47) Australia 2,000, (48) Cambodia 500, (49) Ceylon 500, (50) Ghana 500, (51) Malaya 500, (52) Pakistan 1,000, (53) United Kingdom 10,000. It is expected that all intelligent men will join this spiritual movement for a total reformation. This propaganda work is a part of SAMKIRTANJAJNA recommended for the people of this age.

1970 Correspondence

Letter to Acyutananda -- Los Angeles 14 June, 1970:

You will be glad to know that your Godbrothers here in America and Europe are doing very nicely. Recently we have opened a branch in Copenhagen, Denmark, and just after Rathayatra festival there will be another two or three branches in England like Birmingham, Liverpool, etc. In America also recently we have opened a branch on the West coast in San Diego. The boy in charge of the center, Sriman Tulsidas Brahmacari, is very, very nice boy, and he has been given three assistants, and by the grace of Krsna within a month he is already stabilized. I am just sending you a copy of his letter received yesterday. How this boy has very shortly understood the whole philosophy and has taken the risk of opening a branch.

Letter to Nevatiaji -- Los Angeles 16 July, 1970:

13. Our press owned and operated by the Society is housed in our Boston temple buildings. Presently we are printing books regularly and our monthly magazine BTG is being printed in English, French, German and Japanese editions with Spanish, Hindi, Bengali, Dutch and Danish forthcoming. The English edition is understocked at 125,000 copies per month and the other editions are printed at the rate of 10,000 per month. The public demand for our literatures is international and so much greatly increasing that although printing department (editing, transcribing, composing, layout, photography, printing and binding as well as sales) is full-time engaged and the press is kept running almost 24 hours daily we are unable to meet the demands for literatures and so we must also go to outside printers like Japan.