(8) A devotee must visit a Viṣṇu temple at least once or twice every day, morning and evening. (In Vṛndāvana this system is followed very strictly. All the devotees in town go every morning and evening to visit different temples. Therefore during these times there are considerable crowds all over the city. There are about five thousand temples in Vṛndāvana city. Of course it is not possible to visit all the temples, but there are at least one dozen very big and important temples which were started by the Gosvāmīs and which should be visited.)
Every morning
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
SB 3.19.24, Translation and Purport:
When the demon saw his magic forces dispelled, he once again came into the presence of the Personality of Godhead, Keśava, and, full of rage, tried to embrace Him within his arms to crush Him. But to his great amazement he found the Lord standing outside the circle of his arms.
In this verse the Lord is addressed as Keśava because He killed the demon Keśī in the beginning of creation. Keśava is also a name of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the origin of all incarnations, and it is confirmed in Brahma-saṁhitā that Govinda, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes, exists simultaneously in His different incarnations and expansions. The demon's attempt to measure the Supreme Personality of Godhead is significant. The demon wanted to embrace Him with his arms, thinking that with his limited arms he could capture the Absolute by material power. He did not know that God is the greatest of the great and the smallest of the small. No one can capture the Supreme Lord or bring Him under his control. But the demoniac person always attempts to measure the length and breadth of the Supreme Lord. By His inconceivable potency the Lord can become the universal form, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā, and at the same time He can remain within the box of His devotees as their worshipable Deity. There are many devotees who keep a statue of the Lord in a small box and carry it with them everywhere; every morning they worship the Lord in the box. The Supreme Lord, Keśava, or the Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is not bound by any measurement of our calculation. He can remain with His devotee in any suitable form, yet He is unapproachable by any amount of demoniac activities.
SB Canto 9
SB 9.11.1, Purport:
"As pouring water on the root of a tree nourishes the trunk, branches, twigs and leaves, and as supplying food to the stomach enlivens the senses and limbs of the body, worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead satisfies the demigods, who are part of that Supreme Personality." Performing yajña involves worshiping the Supreme Lord. Here the Supreme Lord worshiped the Supreme Lord. Therefore it is said, bhagavān ātmanātmānam īje: the Lord worshiped Himself by Himself. This does not, of course, justify the Māyāvāda philosophy, by which one thinks himself the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The jīva, the living entity, is always different from the Supreme Lord. The living entities (vibhinnāṁśa) never become one with the Lord, although Māyāvādīs sometimes imitate the Lord's worship of Himself. Lord Kṛṣṇa meditated upon Himself every morning as a gṛhastha, and similarly Lord Rāmacandra performed yajñas to satisfy Himself, but this does not mean that an ordinary living being should imitate the Lord by accepting the process of ahaṅgraha-upāsanā. Such unauthorized worship is not recommended herein.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Nectar of Devotion 17:
He was engaged in the service of great devotees and used to hear their talks and songs. Because he had the opportunity to hear these pastimes and songs of Kṛṣṇa from the mouths of pure devotees, he became very attracted within his heart. Because he had become so eager to hear these topics, he gradually developed within himself an ecstatic love for Kṛṣṇa. This ecstatic love is prior to the pure love of Kṛṣṇa, because in the next verse Nārada confirms that by the gradual process of hearing from the great sages he developed love of Godhead. In that connection, Nārada continues to say in the First Canto, Fifth Chapter, verse 28, of the Bhāgavatam, "First I passed my days in the association of the great sages during the rainy autumn season. Every morning and evening I heard them while they were singing and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, and thus my heart gradually became purified. As soon as I heard them with great attention, the influence of the modes of material ignorance and passion disappeared, and I became firmly fixed in devotional service to the Lord."
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
Krsna Book 8:
All the gopī friends of Yaśodā and Rohiṇī enjoyed the naughty childish activities of Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma in Vṛndāvana. In order to enjoy further transcendental bliss, they all assembled and went to Mother Yaśodā to lodge complaints against the restless boys. When Kṛṣṇa was sitting before Mother Yaśodā, all the elder gopīs began to lodge complaints against Him so that Kṛṣṇa could hear. They said, “Dear Yaśodā, why don’t you restrict your naughty Kṛṣṇa? He comes to our houses along with Balarāma every morning and evening, and before the milking of the cows They let loose the calves, and the calves drink all the milk of the cows. So when we go to milk the cows, we find no milk, and we have to return with empty pots. If we warn Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma about doing this, They simply smile so charmingly that we cannot do anything.
Krsna Book 85:
It is a Vedic custom that the junior members of the family should offer respects to the elders every morning. The children or disciples especially should offer their respects to their parents or spiritual master in the morning. In pursuance of this Vedic principle, Lord Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma used to offer Their obeisances to Their parents, Vasudeva and Devakī.
Message of Godhead
Message of Godhead 1:
We are very proud of our two small eyes, and puffed up with vanity, we are always enthusiastic to see everything with our own eyes. But we do not know that whatever we are seeing at the present moment is covered with the darkness of nescience, and, as such, whatever we are seeing is either misperceived or only partially perceived. It is not a fact that we can see everything as it is simply by applying our ocular power to it. Every morning when the sun rises, we see this vast mass of matter as if it were just a small disc. Of course, the sun is much larger than the earth on which we live, and thus every morning of every day our self-reliant ocular vanity is put to the test and reduced to absurdity. Our eyes can gather knowledge only under certain favorable conditions. We cannot see things that are too far away from us; we cannot penetrate the darkness, nor can we see things that are very close to the eye, such as our own eyelids. Thus we can be proud of our eyes only under certain favorable conditions created by an external agency, namely the material nature. Otherwise, even though we have our wonderful eyes, we cannot see things in their true perspective. What is true for the eyes is also true for the other senses we use for gathering knowledge.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Lecture on BG 4.9-11 -- New York, July 25, 1966:
Just like the sun. You see the sun every morning. What do you see? You see the sunshine. One feature is the sunshine. Another feature is the sun disc and another feature is if you are able to go into the sun planet you see something else. That we have got no experience, but we can see that sunshine and the localized sun disc.
But what is there within the sun planet, nobody has explained so far material science is concerned, but from Vedic literature we have got information of the sun planet also, that there is a supreme deity which is known as the sun-god, and all the inhabitants there, they have got their body of fire, and the whole planet is fiery. That is also material. There is no reason to disbelieve it because the whole material word is composed of five elements, that inferior nature: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, ego, intelligence. So you will find different planets also. Some planet is predominated with earth; some planet is predominated with water; some planet with fire, just like this. So the sun planet is predominated with fire. Fire is also matter. It is also material.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
Lecture on SB 1.7.22 -- Vrndavana, September 18, 1976:
It is not in my power to give you protection." Then he went to Lord Śiva. He also refused. And at last he went to Viṣṇu. Just see how powerful yogi he was. He could go personally from this planet to the topmost planet, Brahmaloka, and there, from there, Śivaloka. Then from there, Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Just see his power, mystic power. But still, because he committed offense at the lotus feet of a Vaiṣṇava, he could not be given any protection. Vaiṣṇava-aparādha is so severe. A person so powerful that by his will he could go anywhere, by yogic power he can do so. Yogic power, even there are many yogis, they take bathing in four places every morning. They take bathing at Jagannātha Purī, at Rāmeśvaram, at Hardwar, and Jagannātha Purī. Four dhāma, they take bathing. By four o'clock they finish. They can go. There are still such yogis. So similarly by the yogis, by their aṇimā-siddhi, laghimā-siddhi... They are called. They can go within a second. They can catch up the beams of the sun and go to the sun planet. This is yoga. Not that "Give me some dollars, I'll show you some yoga." They do not know what is yoga. Yoga is so powerful, yogic power.
Lecture on SB 1.7.51-52 -- Vrndavana, October 8, 1976:
But even if you do not read śāstra, if you always remember Kṛṣṇa, impression of Kṛṣṇa. The temple is made for layman. Even woman, child, if he sees daily Kṛṣṇa here, then he gets impression. He can think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto (BG 18.65). Therefore the temple is there. Everyone should come every day, every morning, or as many times as possible and take the impression of Kṛṣṇa and keep it within your core of heart and think of Kṛṣṇa. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī mām... And offer little You don't require to study Vedānta philosophy or this or that. Because what is the purpose of Vedānta? The purpose of Vedānta is vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyam (BG 15.15). You have to understand Kṛṣṇa. So if you simply think of Kṛṣṇa, then you are greatest Vedantist. Greatest Vedantist. Vedaiś ca sarvair. Vedānta-vid vedānta-kṛt ca aham. He is the compiler of Vedas. So whatever instruction Kṛṣṇa has given in the Bhagavad-gītā, that is all Vedānta. This simple instruction, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, this is Vedānta. Raso 'ham apsu kaunteya (BG 7.8). This is Vedanta. So to become Vedantist means to understand Kṛṣṇa, follow Kṛṣṇa's instruction, and be successful in your life. Thank you very much. (end)
Lecture on SB 1.15.44 -- Los Angeles, December 22, 1973:
Now the real solution is... Here it is stated, dhyāyan na āvarteta yato gataḥ. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā also, yad gatvā na nivartante tad dhāma paramaṁ mama (BG 15.6). Tad dhāma paramaṁ mama. Dhāma means place. Kṛṣṇa is the proprietor. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram (BG 5.29). He is the proprietor of all planets. So every place belongs to Him. Sarva-loka-maheśvaram. But He has a supreme place, tad dhāma paramaṁ mama, where, if you go, you will never return. Yad gatvā na nivartante (BG 15.6). That is Kṛṣṇa-loka, Goloka Vṛndāvana. If you go there, then you do not come back again. There are many confirmation in the Bhagavad-gītā. Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "My dear Kaunteya, Arjuna," janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ, "if anyone knows what I am, what I am, Kṛṣṇa, My birth, or janma..." Kṛṣṇa's janma, ajo 'pi sann avyayātmā. He has no birth, but still, He appears like taken birth. You can understand very easily. Just like every morning the sun is rising. It is not that a new sun is coming. The same sun of yesterday. It is not that it was finished yesterday. The sun was existing there in the sky, but on different position of this planet, I saw the sun is now set. Similarly, we are part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa.
Lecture on SB 1.16.26-30 -- Hawaii, January 23, 1974:
So the devotee must be clean, inside and outside, both. Outside cleaning by taking bath, washing the body with oil or soap or soda, and inside, inside, materially, there will be no unclean things, stool, unnecessary stool. That means one must evacuate every morning and evening. If we eat more, then we have to evacuate twice. But if we eat less, then once evacuation is sufficient. It is said, yogi, bhogī, and rogī. Yogi means spiritually advanced, and bhogī means materialist, and rogī means diseased. It is a common saying. A yogi evacuates only once. That is yogi. And bhogī, because he eats more, so he evacuates twice. And one who evacuates more than twice, he's rogī, diseased. Yogi, bhogī, rogī. So everything has got routine work. śaucam. So you'll feel healthy. If you have evacuated nicely, you have washed inside and outside, taken your bath, then you'll feel always refreshed. And unless you feel refreshed, you cannot very nicely chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra or serve Kṛṣṇa. Therefore cleanliness is required. Apavitraḥ pavitro vā. But... Apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato 'pi vā. If one takes to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and follows the rules and regulations, then automatically he becomes clean, inside and outside. Automatically. Apavitraḥ pavitro vā. What for we are accepting initiation? In any condition, in any condition we shall be purified by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12), if we chant really.
Lecture on SB 2.1.1 -- Vrndavana, March 16, 1974:
These verse are very nice, I mean to say, instructive verses, and you try to read them regularly, every morning. Or whenever you find time. Then you will understand Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Everything is explained there. Then the dirty things in our heart will be cleansed, and then we will understand what is our constitutional position, and what is our duty, and how to execute it.
Lecture on SB 5.5.1 -- Los Angeles, January 20, 1969:
The contamination of material world is called seed. That is seed. Just like you infect some disease, germ, you become diseased. I have got some infection, so I am diseased. You may know it or not know it, that doesn't matter. If you infect, knowingly or unknowingly, you will be diseased. So what is that infection? That infection, that is stated in the Īśopaniṣad, we read every morning, īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam (ISO 1). This everything what we see, either in the sky or in the water or outside our vision, everything belongs to God. Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam. So everything God's property. You cannot, even you are son of God, you cannot take anything without God's permission. Just like even your father's property. You'll inherit your father's... That's a fact. But suppose a father has got on the table one thousand dollars. If you take it without his permission, if you think that "It is my father's money," but by law you become a criminal. Your father can prosecute you criminally. That is the state law. Even it is your father's money, even your father is very kind, but if you take your father's money without his permission, then you are a criminal. And what to speak of others?
Lecture on SB 6.1.3 -- Melbourne, May 22, 1975:
That is our intelligence. You can make varieties. Just like one milk. You can prepare fifty different kinds of preparation from milk—at least. So many varieties. In New Vrindaban we are keeping cows. That is an example. And the cows are giving milk, delivering milk, double than other farmers. Why? Because the cows know that "These people will not kill me." They are not in anxiety. Suppose you are engaged in some work, and if you know that "After seven days, I will be killed," can you do the work very nicely? No. Similarly, the cows know in the Western countries that "These people giving me very nice grains and grass, but after all, they will kill me." So they are not happy. But if they are assured that "You'll not be killed," then they will give double milk, double milk. That is stated in the śāstra. During Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's time, the cows milk bag was so filled up that in the pasturing ground they were dropping, and the whole pasturing ground became moist, muddy with milk. The land used to be muddy with milk, not with water. That was the position. Therefore cow is so important that we can get nice food, the milk. Milk is required every morning. But what is this justice, that after taking milk from the animal and kill it? Is that very good justice? So it is very, very sinful, and we have to suffer for that. And they are stated in the śāstras that "If you do this sinful act, you will go to this kind of hell." There are description in the Fifth Canto.
Lecture on SB 7.6.1-2 -- Stockholm, September 6, 1973:
Just like we are studying the outer space, so many scientists are studying. But still they cannot give any perfect information of all the planets. Although we see, actually, we are seeing daily. Take for example the sun planet. We see every morning the sun is there. But actually we do not know what is the sun planet. There are, may be so many theories, but actually, we do not know what is the sun planet. But we can understand from the Vedic literature. The sun planet is as good as this planet. There are also cities, towns, houses, and population, and it is very big. This information we get from the Vedic knowledge. Just like in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, Kṛṣṇa says that, imaṁ vivasvate yogaṁ proktavān aham avyayam (BG 4.1). "This knowledge of Bhagavad-gītā, I spoke first to the sun-god. His name is Vivasvān." Vivasvān manave prāha. "And that Vivasvān explained this knowledge to his son Manu." Manur ikṣvākave 'bravīt. "And Manu also explained the same knowledge to his son, Mahārāja Ikṣvāku, King Ikṣvāku." He's the forefather of the kṣatriya dynasty in which Lord Rāmacandra appeared. So we get this knowledge from the Vedas, perfectly.
Lecture on SB 7.6.6-9 -- Montreal, June 23, 1968:
Yes, Kṛṣṇa was born, but you have to know how Kṛṣṇa is born. That is your intelligence. Just like sun is born every morning. There is no sun now, but in the morning we will see sun and from the eastern side. So do you think that eastern side is the mother of sun? Because sun is born from the eastern side, you can take it for granted that eastern side is the mother of sun. Similarly, Kṛṣṇa appears in similar way, but that does not mean that He is born. That is stated in the Fourth Chapter, Bhagavad-gītā: janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ. "Anyone who understands in truth how I take My birth, how I work, how I am transcendental..." Simply by knowing these three things—how Kṛṣṇa is born, and how does He work and what is His actual position—the result is tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti mām eti kaunteya: (BG 4.9) "My dear Arjuna, simply knowing these three things, one comes to Me after quitting this material body." Punar janma naiti: "He never again comes back to..." That means, in other words, if you can understand the birth of Kṛṣṇa, then you will stop your any more birth.
Lecture on SB 7.9.11-13 -- Hawaii, March 24, 1969:
Caitanya Mahāprabhu transferred Himself to Jagannātha Purī after taking sannyāsa. So he requested Caitanya Mahāprabhu, "My dear Lord, You are going to Jagannātha Purī. What will be my fate?" "Oh, you also come there. You live with Me." So Haridāsa Ṭhākura also went to Jagannātha Purī, but because he was born in a Muhammadan family, the priest class, they would make howling, "How this Muhammadan is entering?" So he never entered the temple. Caitanya Mahāprabhu gave him just an apartment where He was living, just by the side. And every morning Caitanya Mahāprabhu was coming to see him. So, so it does not mean... If a humble devotee thinks that "I am the lowest. I am untouchable, this way," that does (not) mean he is out of the touch of God. But this humbleness is very good, just like Prahlāda Mahārāja, always identifying himself that "I am the son of atheist father. So these demigods, they are not disturbing elements like us."
Festival Lectures
Radhastami, Srimati Radharani's Appearance Day -- London, August 29, 1971:
They have no information of the soul, neither they are prepared to realize what is soul. That is the defect of this age. But human form of life is especially meant for realizing himself, "What I am?" That is the mission of human life. Athāto brahma jijñāsā. This life is meant for inquiring about Brahman. Brahman, Paramātmā, Bhagavān. These inquiries should be there. Jijñāsu. They are called jijñāsu, brahma-jijñāsa, jijñāsu, inquiry. As we inquire every morning, "What is the news today?" Immediately we pick newspaper. That inquisitiveness is there. But we are inquiring very base things only. There is no desire to inquire about the highest possibility, brahma-jñāna. That is the lack of this modern civilization. Inquiring how to earn money: divā cārthehayā rājan kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā (SB 2.1.3). Not only in this age... In this age it has become the principal factor, but in this material world everyone is engaged simply for these bodily necessities of life. Nidrayā hṛiyate naktam: at night they sleep very sound sleep, snoring. Or sex life. Nidrayā hṛiyate naktaṁ vyavāyena ca vā vayaḥ (SB 2.1.3). In this way they're wasting time. And at daytime, divā cārthehayā rājan... And during daytime, "Where is money? Where is money? Where is money?" Artha ihāya. Kuṭumba-bharaṇena vā. And as soon as one gets money, then how to purchase things for family, that's all. Shopping, storing. This is the engagement of materialistic life. Out of that, one who is actually intelligent... Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye (BG 7.3). Out of many such foolish persons engaged in sleeping, mating, earning money, and providing family with nice apartment and food... This is the general occupation. So out of many thousands of men like that, one is inquisitive how to make perfect this human form of life. Manuṣyāṇāṁ sahasreṣu kaścid yatati siddhaye.
Initiation Lectures
Initiations -- New York, July 23, 1971:
Prabhupāda: M-a-m-a-t-a. Mamatā devī, "one who is very affectionate to everyone." Come on. You know the rules and regulation? What are those?
Mamatā: No meat-eating, no taking of intoxicants, no illicit sex, and no gambling.
Prabhupāda: That's all. How many rounds you will chant?
Mamatā: Sixteen good rounds every morning.
Prabhupāda: Come on, next. (break) Ādi-pati. Ādi-pati means king. So you should be king. What is the business of king?
Ādi-pati: To rule.
Prabhupāda: So where you shall rule? You cannot say?
Ādi-pati: What is the rule?
Trivikrama: Where.
Prabhupāda: Where you will rule? You will rule over your senses. (laughter) Come on. Hare Kṛṣṇa. You know how to rule?
Ādi-pati: Everyone.
General Lectures
Lecture -- Bombay, November 2, 1970:
"We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need? Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits..." Just like we are traveling all over the world—not only once, but twice, thrice in a year. Because there is facility for traveling the airways, so it has become very easy to go from country to country. And practically, while I am in India, all my disciples are coming here from different parts of the world, every morning. There are facilities now. Therefore the world is now not limited by geographical condition. Anyone can go anywhere very swiftly. You can go to London from Bombay within nine hours. So the world is not bounded anymore by "geographical limits to the particular countries or communities. Human society is broader than in the Middle Age, and the world tendency is towards one state of human society." There is already the United Nations. In New York, they have constructed a big organization, establishment, United Nations.
Town Hall Lecture -- Auckland, April 14, 1972:
So we are teaching our students in that way, how to think of Kṛṣṇa always. Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. (break) ...walk on the street, and if you chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, you remember Kṛṣṇa. There is no tax for it. There is no loss for it. Suppose if you are free, traveling on the bus or on the train, you have got time. So instead of reading so many news from the newspaper, if you utilize... The newspaper means the repeated things. Every morning you see something: "Somebody has stolen, somebody was killed, some political leaders have bluffed you," and so many things, the same thing, repetition of the same thing. This is also repetition, Hare Kṛṣṇa, but by this repetition, you enlighten your spiritual life. And by that repetition, you simply waste your time, that carvita-carvaṇānām. So after reading your newspaper, you throw it away. It has no... After one hour of its publication, it has no value. But this Bhagavad-gītā, it was spoken five thousand, years ago, still they are being read with respect and honor. So this kind of literature should be read, not a literature which is printed and you read and glance over and throw it away.
Pandal Lecture -- Bombay, January 14, 1973:
"We must know the present need of human society. And what is that need? Human society is no longer bounded by geographical limits." Just like we are traveling all over the world, not only once, but twice, thrice in a year. Because there is facility for traveling the airways, so it has become very easy to go from country to country. And practically, while I am in India, all my disciples are coming here from different parts of the world every morning. There are facilities now. Therefore the world is now not limited by geographical condition. Anyone can go anywhere very swiftly. You can go to London from Bombay within nine hours. So the world is not bounded any more by geographical limits to the particular countries or communities. "Human society is broader than in the Middle Age, and the world tendency is towards one state of human society." There is already the United Nations. In New York they have constructed a big organization, establishment, United Nations, but actually, when we pass through that road—I think it is First Avenue—instead of being united, the flags of the nations are increasing. They are becoming disunited.
Lecture -- Jakarta, March 2, 1973:
abhupāda: So then take it.
Devotee (1): Before we were coming every Saturday here to teach their children, just kīrtana and some stories. The children of that man, when I first came there and I was saying Hare Kṛṣṇa, they started saying "Bhīma," "Arjuna," "Yudhiṣṭhira," like this. They know many stories. Of course, many stories are wrongly told, but they have some familiarity with Vedic knowledge, a little. They have paintings also of Kṛṣṇa with the gopīs, stealing their clothes, Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna on the chariot. But they don't know how to present Kṛṣṇa as He is in His original form. They make Him more like a man because they don't know. But it's a basis. (break) ...nice. Maybe we can do that in some of our temples in India. Playing maṅgala āratika over the loudspeaker.
Devotee (2): Like the Muslims, they chant...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Devotee (2): I remember in Allahabad they used to have some camps that were doing that every morning.
Devotee (3): In Māyāpur they play tapes all day.
Devotee (1): With big speakers like that?
Devotee (3): Yeah. Be heard all around.
Devotee (1): That's very nice. (end)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Conversation with Devotees -- August 15, 1968, Montreal:
Śyāmasundara: What?
Prabhupāda: Your starting London yātrā is very nice, beginning. Now you practice, all.
Haṁsadūta: Together?
Prabhupāda: Yes, every morning, and just make systematic so that it becomes very nice. And at least twelve heads. So you are husband wife. How many pairs? Six? Or five? Come. And you are also going? Eh? London? I ask you, Annapūrṇa.
Annapūrṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Eh? You want to go with them or you want to go separately?
Child: I would like to go with Annapūrṇa.
Prabhupāda: Oh. That's all right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. (devotees chant japa) All right. Oh, it is too little. The plate is not yet full. Give me one spoon. Himāvatī?
Himāvatī: Yes?
Prabhupāda: You can give two rabris (milk sweet).
Haṁsadūta: Can I put some on here?
Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? Halavā is very nice. Who has prepared? Oh. (end)
1969 Conversations and Morning Walks
Lord Caitanya Play Told to Tamala Krsna -- August 4, 1969, Los Angeles:
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...first speak in detail about Ṭhākura Haridāsa's disappearance. So tell me maybe how you want it to be performed.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Ṭhākura Haridāsa was living in a cottage which was... Just like I am living here, and the garage site a little far off, Haridāsa was living a little distance. So when Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu used to go to the sea for taking bath, He every day, every morning He used to go to Haridāsa Ṭhākura and taking his informa..., "Haridāsa, what you are doing?" Because Haridāsa was Mohammedan by birth, so out of his meekness he did not go to the temple. But in those... Especially in those days they were very strict. They do not allow anyone except Hindus to enter the temple. Nowadays, of course, there is law. If somebody is, actually has come to the Hindu way of life, he's allowed. Our Jayagovinda and others were allowed to see Jagannātha temple. But in those days there were no such system and Haridāsa out of his own accord, he did not want to disturb. But Lord Caitanya, God Himself, used to come to see him every day. So one day when Caitanya came, he looked little bit depressed. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu asked him, "Haridāsa, you do not look very well today. What is the matter?" "Sir, I'm not very feeling well. And because I do not feel well, I could not finished my chanting." He was chanting daily 300,000 times. "So I could not finish my chanting."
1971 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation -- August 14, 1971, London:
Sister Mary: Well, I had a friend who was a vegetarian...
Prabhupāda: No, apart from this, these two animals. One is dog, and another is cow. So dog is worshiped and cow is sent to the slaughterhouse. What kind of civilization it is? Huh?
Haṁsadūta: Animal.
Prabhupāda: Less than! Cow is supporting the whole society with milk. Every morning, without milk, we cannot live. The child, without milk, cannot live. She should be treated as mother. And they are being sent to the slaughterhouse. And still, they are thinking of becoming free from sinful life. Can anyone kill his own mother? "Oh, mother is old and useless. Let her be killed. Burden." Is that very gratitude for the mother by the son?
Revatīnandana: They do that. As soon as the cow is too old to give milk, immediately slaughterhouse. I was talking to one man, he was a cowherdsman here in England. He said he couldn't stand it. He said a nice cow, she would get old, she couldn't give milk anymore, immediately slaughterhouse. Just like that. The most disgusting thing.
Prabhupāda: (people coming in) Oh. You come forward. Give him seat. Śivānanda, you come... You can sit there. Yes. So the God consciousness can be awakened if you stop sinful activities. Otherwise, it is impossible. You go on preaching for millions of years; there will be no God consciousness. There will be no God consciousness. That is the... in Bhagavad-gītā. (people sitting down) Why? You can come here, this side.
Room Conversation with Mayor -- November 10, 1971, New Delhi:
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Viṣala: I've been reading the Brahma-saṁhitā, and uh, by His Divine Grace Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī, and he mentions that to receive the mercy of..., Kṛṣṇa's mercy, one has to be free of all mundane desires, and also he has to receive the grace of God at the same time. So it's all, it's like the son, he mentions. He doesn't know how wealthy his father is, but by the grace of his father, he says, "My dear son, I have a lot of money and I..., you will be in my will, and you will have this all and I will give you all these instructions." So similarly, by finally gradually becoming free of all mundane desires and completely being influenced by the cit potency, by the superior cognitive energy of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one will receive the mercy of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. But the most important thing is to receive the mercy of the spiritual master, because only by the guru's mercy can one be blessed by God. So that means we have... (break)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He's been reading your Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam every morning, Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Huh?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: We've been reading Śrīla..., Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Prabhupāda: Yes, read.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Should I get a copy of that?
Prabhupāda: Yes. So here is microphone. You did not know? Śrīmatī has brought two microphones.
1973 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with British Man -- August 31, 1973, London:
Guest (1): That's this one.
Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all, we have to understand what is that force which is moving this body. Then we come to the spiritual platform. As you understand, the nature of the soul, that is very elaborately explained in different way, negative, positive way, what is the soul. This morning, every morning I speak on this Bhagavad-gītā, if you find time you can come. At quarter past seven, I'm beginning, for one hour.
Guest (1): Now for, that is for Saturday and Sunday?
Prabhupāda: No, every day.
Guest (1): Every day.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Guest (1): Right, I will do something about it.
Prabhupāda: Yes. So... We... This is the first step of spiritual understanding. That one must know that he's not this body. Actually anyone can understand. It is a very simple thing. I'm not this body because I had many types of body, in this life also, a child's body, a baby's body, boy's body, youth's body. Now we have got different body. So the body's changing. That's a fact. The child, you do not possess any more that, your childhood body. It is gone. Your boyhood body—gone, your youth-hood body—gone. Now you have got a different body. So although the bodies are not existing, you are existing. That's a fact.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- January 18, 1974, Hawaii:
Prabhupāda: Anyone else?
Satsvarūpa: In English when we say, "Goodbye," that means "God be with you." Some God consciousness.
Pradyumna: They say, "Good morning. Good morning to you."
Bali-mardana: Like one pig grunting at another pig.
Prabhupāda: "Good morning" means... Because it is English word... In England every morning is bad morning, because it is cloud. When they see one day that cloud is clear, they say, "Good morning." (japa) (break) ...similarly, a good soul means when there is no māyā, then he's good soul.
Bali-mardana: Or cloud.
Prabhupāda: Huh? Cloud. māyā is cloud. So what is that cloud?
Sudāmā: Forgetfulness of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: That cloud is when a soul desires to become the master. That is cloud.
Morning Walk 'Varnasrama College' -- March 14, 1974, Vrndavana:
Viṣṇujana: My program now is I have ten brahmacārīs in buses, and everything and we're distributing books. But if the people are in chaos, how they will be able to accept the knowledge in the books?
Prabhupāda: No, not all of them are in chaos. There are some of them. Some of them. Not that all of them. Hare Kṛṣṇa (break) ...in separate department.
Passer-by: Rādhe, Rādhe!
Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Just see. Due to the past training, even an ordinary man, he's chanting, "Rādhe, Rādhe."
Viṣṇujana: When we had our boat, the boatmen every morning were...
Prabhupāda: This is India.
Viṣṇujana: ...worshiping...
Prabhupāda: Because, due to past culture, even the lowest class of men, he's also great philosopher than these rascals in western countries.
Hṛdayānanda: So all the other programs should be continued, and this program should be added.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- April 11, 1974, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Greek civilization, Roman civilization, is the beginning of European civilization. So your position is very nice.
Italian Man (1): Well, yes. When I was a child I was brought up to go to the mass every morning, and I used to answer in Latin, you know, and serve the priest.
Prabhupāda: Oh!
Italian Man (1): Yes. Even twice a day until the age of fourteen, and then we went to catechism. And then I left, I left alone, you know, by my own will. (break) It would be fantastic to go back with a background of, with the knowledge of Kṛṣṇa and talk to them about Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. (break) ...this boy, he is going to develop our Italian center, Rome. (break)
Italian Man (1): ...the personal and impersonal features of Kṛṣṇa.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- June 22, 1974, Germany:
Prabhupāda: Just in the beginning Christ says, "Thou shall not kill." That is the beginning of religious life. The animal killers cannot understand what is God. It is not possible. There is a statement in the Bhāgavata, viṇa paśughnat.
- nivṛtta tarṣair upagīyamānād
- bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-'bhirāmāt
- ka uttamaśloka guṇānuvādāt
- pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
- (SB 10.1.4)
"Who can remain aloof from the chanting of the holy name of God unless he's an animal killer?" Yes. Animal killers cannot understand what is God, what is God's name. That's not possible. (pause) Kṛṣṇa, what to speak of killing animal, He was embracing animal every morning, every... Yes. He was embracing.
Haṁsadūta: But Kṛṣṇa...
Prabhupāda: Don't come near. (German translation)
Guest (1): And also the holy Francis of Assisi was in relation with all animals in the Christian tradition.
Prabhupāda: In Christian tradition there is everything nice, but nobody's following. That is the difficulty. (break) ... portion of the road is not paved like this. Bhagavad-gītā, it is said, annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Both the man and animals will live prosperously when there is sufficient foodgrain. (break) ...at anna-sambhavaḥ. If there is sufficient rainfall, the production of foodgrains will be very easy. And yajñād bhavati parjanyaḥ (BG 3.14). And if you satisfy the Lord by performing yajña, then there will be sufficient rain. And yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ. And our activities should be only to perform yajña, to satisfy the Lord.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Room Conversation with Professors -- February 19, 1975, Caracas:
Professor: (translated into English by Hṛdayānanda) He says that he agrees that the goal of life is not that, but that from his childhood he's been trained in a certain way, and he has not been taught anything else, and how can he achieve a different way of life?
Prabhupāda: Yes, that we are teaching in this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, how you can change it. Therefore we asking all leading men to understand this movement and join it. That is our request.
Professor: There is a question I would like to ask. I do know that it is not the aim of life just to every morning keep your family, go to bed and have sex. But it is part of life.
Prabhupāda: That I know also, everyone knows. But beyond that, there must be some aim of life.
Professor: But being so... I think that there is... There should be some kind of humbleness, the necessary humbleness.
Prabhupāda: No, humbleness is of course good qualification, but the humbleness you will find in animal also, very humble. If you cut his throat, he will not tell anything. So humbleness also, that is another thing, but what should be the aim of life? What is the actual aim of life? If we forget the aim of life and simply become humble like ass, is that very good qualification? The ass is very humble. You load upon it tons of loads. It will not protest. Very humble.
Room Conversation -- March 2, 1975, Atlanta:
Svarūpa Dāmodara: That's a nice example.
Prabhupāda: They can use some bombastic word but we layman, we see this is the position. And you do not know how it is being done but the energy is there in you. That is called acintya-śakti, inconceivable energy. That is there. Now you shave every morning and next morning, again millions of hairs. You do not know how it is being happening. But it is happening, and this is called acintya-śakti. From Kṛṣṇa such big, big things are coming out. Even Kṛṣṇa may not know but Kṛṣṇa has got the inconceivable by which it is coming. The same example.
Rūpānuga: People will speculate so many theories as to why the hairs are coming out but then after some time they will see that theory is wrong they'll have to present a new one.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is their rascaldom.
Rūpānuga: And until they come to understand that Kṛṣṇa is pushing it, then they will never understand what's actually causing everything to grow.
Dr. Wolf: False ego.
Prabhupāda: That's it. So give something.
Morning Walk -- June 10, 1975, Honolulu:
Prabhupāda: Why it is congested today?
Siddha-svarūpa: Well, we came a little late, it's rush hour. All the people that live on that side of the island work on that side of the island. So they have to drive over every morning. And we happened to get the work hour traffic because we left a little late.
Harikeśa: They are turning Hawaii into New York City.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yeah, they're making it very difficult. They're going to develop this entire side of the island more and more, and so that they're taking agriculture land, and they'll be building subdivisions and people from the mainland will be moving, living in condominiums on this island.
Prabhupāda: That means for one convenience, they create another inconvenience.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: This is the business. In this way they will take three hours to go to the other side.
Siddha-svarūpa: Uh, not three hours, but it'll... (break)
Prabhupāda: ...photo must be there.
Siddha-svarūpa: Yes, here's his, his photograph is also on this round bucket. He puts his photograph on the bucket.
Prabhupāda: He has become a very big man.
Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:
Prabhupāda: That is very nice. And immediately you fresh prepare and put into the vegetable. It will be tasteful, and it will be beneficial. All spices are beneficial.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: And much cheaper.
Prabhupāda: Cheaper, of course, there is no question to you what is cheaper. For you everything is "damn cheap."
Harikeśa: The Rādhā-Dāmodara party has very good prasādam program. This halavā they make every morning—everyone is fully satisfied.
Prabhupāda: They are sane men.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Every morning we have...
Prabhupāda: So why do they not follow your principle?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Ah, it's very... And the devotees love it. Every day, Prabhupāda, we...
Prabhupāda: No, every temple give them example, invite them in your prasādam.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That's what I'm going to do today.
Harikeśa: I noticed the devotees would wait for prasādam with great...
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is nice. It requires good leader, that's all. (break) ...Kṛṣṇa we must prepare very first-class foodstuff, and where is the complaint if it is first class?
Morning Walk -- August 7, 1975, Toronto:
Prabhupāda: So out of five hundred dollars if you have to pay 175, rent, then why it is not poverty? Almost one third money is finished by paying rent. (break) ...seen in India the Narmada Falls? Huh? Jabalpur? Ah, it is wonderful.
Indian man (1): The location of that church is very nice because there are so many thousands of cars pass every morning and in the evening.
Prabhupāda: Where?
Indian man (1): Avenue Road. It is very busy street. There are so many cars coming in the morning, I think, twenty thousand a day.
Prabhupāda: Yes. And they will see the signboard. (break)
Indian man (2): ...that India, I traveled after several years. I last went in 1966. It was not so demonic. But this time I found the younger generation of India is very, very demonic and they don't believe God at all.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Morning Walk -- September 18, 1975, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: That's all right. Does not give list—then don't bring. Everyone must supply list in the evening and once it should... (aside) Jaya. It is not that Daivī-śakti gives one list—you have to go. What is this? Everything purchased in the morning, that's all. And rice, dahl, attar, ghee, for fifteen days. Only the raw fruits and vegetables should be purchased every morning. That's all.
Dhanañjaya: So Viśvambhara is going this morning to grain merchants to arrange.
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Dhanañjaya: Viśvambhara is going to arrange that today, to purchase for fifteen days.
Prabhupāda: Any shopkeeper will supply fifteen days. He will bring at your home and your pay him, forthrightly? (indistinct)
Indian man (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda? Should not the temple be kept open earlier than six o'clock in the afternoon? Many people are...
Prabhupāda: Six o'clock?
Guṇārṇava: 5:15.
Room Conversation -- October 14, 1975, Johannesburg:
Harikeśa: Yes. He was saying... And when he got out of the Army he had so much pain in his teeth he went to a dentist, and he took out all of his teeth. That's why he has no teeth, because all of his teeth had these little things inside them. And one...
Prabhupāda: He is in Bombay now?
Harikeśa: Yes, he's the gardener, you know, the one who gives you the flower every morning.
Prabhupāda: So he was troubled.
Harikeśa: Oh, yes. He had very much trouble because of it.
Prabhupāda: So he has got artificial teeth? No.
Harikeśa: No. Now he has no teeth. He's getting some teeth. They're making some. The dentist is working free in Bombay.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: The CIA, they're going to build a television set in his mouth. (laughing)
Harikeśa: They do that with all their men, he said. They put things in the mouth so that they can control the people. And they listen to what they say because they can also hear anything he says. So somebody is listening all the time to all their special agents under the ground. They never come out of the ground. They stay under the ground all the time, and they listen to all the secret agents and all the conversations. And they control them. They speak things to them, tell them what to eat.
Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Demoniac.
Harikeśa: He says they even control the president that way. They can even make the president go crazy or kill him if he ever becomes a traitor or something like that.
Prabhupāda: Dangerous, huh? That is CIA? The CIA is maintained by government?
Harikeśa: Oh, yes. That's why everybody is very afraid.
Morning Walk -- December 3, 1975, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: That's all right. If many comes like that to become devotee, then it becomes a devotee place, er, hippie place. You give them chance to become a devotee. In the meantime, it will be known as a hippie resort.
Harikeśa: That's always been a problem here.
Prabhupāda: It is no problem. You can allow for three days only. If he does not change his habit, then he must go.
Akṣayānanda: Yes. all right. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...was in the beginning allowing, but they saw some disadvantage. Therefore they have stopped. (break) ...our Dhanañjaya?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He's sick.
Prabhupāda: Every morning he is sick.
Harikeśa: He had typhoid.
Prabhupāda: Typhoid?
Harikeśa: Yes. (end)
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- January 12, 1976, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: What is that ground?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Ramaleela ground for the festival. He was trying for that. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...is also stopped?
Devotee (1): No, no, Śrīla Prabhupāda. It's going on. (break)
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: One is Dr. Patel, and another man comes with him every morning. (break)
Prabhupāda: ...racing their cars for years together. And as soon as one car comes in our hand, within one hour finish and stand: "See that I have got a car." Make a show that "Here is a car." And for use, beg others, "Please give me your car." This is going on. (break) That Caitya-guru.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Caitya-guru. He is on the terrace doing his rounds. He is refusing to sign that letter, but he has turned over the possessions to me.
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He has turned over...
Prabhupāda: No, no, he must sign the.... Otherwise we shall have to inform. He must sign. He must sign. Otherwise we shall have to take steps.
Morning Walk -- January 16, 1976, Mayapur:
Prabhupāda: And therefore it should be dirty. Then what for cleaning? Just see. What is the cleaning? You clean in the evening; in the morning it is dirty. Is that very good reason? Clean. Engage them. (break) ...you are chanting, śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nana-śrṅgara-tan-man..., tan-mandira-mārjanādau **. This is all temple. This is not ordinary hotel, free hotel. If they cannot take care as temple, they must go away. (break) ...eating, sleeping. That's all, not working. See that they do not make it a free hotel for eating and sleeping. Don't allow this. It should be clean. Why in the evening? Every morning it should be clean and washed and mopped. (Bengali)
Jayapatāka: Generally they chant the japa till about 7:15.
Prabhupāda: And therefore everything should be.... They must give up japa; first of all clean. That is japa, first. In the name of japa and dozing and everything is unclean. This nonsense should not be allowed. Ask them, "Stop japping. First of all clean. Then japa, make japa." This is a plea, "japa."
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: This is a plea, excuse.
Morning Walk -- February 4, 1976, Mayapura:
Prabhupāda: So why it is like that? People may fall down.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: In other words, it should be up there in the day.
Prabhupāda: (break) ...again mūḍha.
Sudāmā: (break) ...speaking about how they are complaining that we are waking them up. A very interesting story... In Hawaii for one year every day this one man living next door to us every morning would call the police force at guru-pūjā. So many cars would come, three, four police cars. So finally, after one or two weeks' coming, they would come very happily, and they would take prasāda. So they came because he called, they had to follow his complaint, but they told me personally, "We are coming not to arrest you or complain. We like your activities. Please give us some prasādam."
Hṛdayānanda: Also in Caracas many, many police cars come to the temple for prasādam.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:
Prabhupāda: He knows that they'll not harm.
Jayādvaita: Yes.
Mādhavānanda: The neighbors say that every morning the peacocks wake them up.
Passerby on a boat: Ahoy there!
Dhṛṣṭadyumna: Hare Kṛṣṇa!
Mādhavānanda: What does ahoy mean?
Prabhupāda: What they say?
Mādhavānanda: Ahoy.
Hari-śauri: It's a nautical form of greeting used by sailors.
Mādhavānanda: It's a greeting.
Prabhupāda: They'll come gradually. In that way, it is a very important place. There are so many people passing.
Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit:
Mādhavānanda: Yes.
Prabhupāda: And fell and flew away. How quickly they can take. Everyone knows his business. That intelligence there everywhere. Āhāra nidrā bhayam maithunī, for these things, how to eat, how to sleep, how to enjoy sex and how to defend, everyone knows. You do not require to educate them. Only they cannot take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That is only possible by the human beings. Otherwise, other necessities of bodily, everyone knows. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovidaḥ. Every morning, this place should be washed with water. Then it will be very nice. Then we can sit down and chant all day and night, Hare Kṛṣṇa. What is the wrong there? Kīrtanīyaḥ sadā hariḥ (CC Adi 17.31). Haridāsa Ṭhākura was doing that. But don't imitate. But I mean to say, if you do that, where is the problem? (break) ...I think you can acquire some land through the government for agriculture and cow protection. There are so many, so much vacant land. I think they will accept community proposal. Sometimes invite some important government officials; let them see what you are doing.
Hari-śauri: Hmm. Like that congressman the other day.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Room Conversation and Reading from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 and 12 -- June 25, 1976, New Vrindaban:
Prabhupāda: Just like the modern newspaper. Huge bundle of newspaper every morning, huh? So it is, as it is said here, the place of enjoyment for the crows. What is that?
Pradyumna: Vāyasaṁ tīrtham.
Prabhupāda: Vāyasaṁ means crows. The crows, they take pleasure in a place where all rubbish and refuses are thrown. They take pleasure. So what is this newspaper? All rubbish things, they are collected together. Nobody likes it to read. They just glance over for a few minutes, and then it is thrown away, rubbish. And even it is thrown, nobody touches. So they are spending huge, so many newspapers. Each newspaper several editions in a day, huge establishment, but there is no substance of life. That is being described. Na yad vacaś citra-padaṁ harer yaśo.
Evening Darsana -- July 6, 1976, Washington, D.C.:
Prabhupāda: That is stated in Bhagavad-gītā, yajña-dāna-tapaḥ-karma na tyājyaṁ kāryam eva tat.
Mr. Deyani: Yes, he said that. Now he brought one more point, he says all the world over people have forgotten. Every morning we do..., he says yajña has many meanings, but he says yajña means to burn the cow ghee in the fire, and this fumigation, he gives here certain purifies the atmosphere and thus, if you do it at the right time in the morning, when the sun—there is some time which he gives—and in the evening, he says you will yourself see that your mind changes, your praṇa, it affect your praṇa, and then it affects your mind, and if you are—anyway, you will try to understand yourself by yourself. Once you do, he says it's just a physical aid, it is not any spiritual thing, but this is a physical aid. And that is what our, there are, many Americans are doing there this program. And he gives a very nice scientific background of that thing, which convinces me that what we Hindus, what our Vedic literature, what they have said, it has some scientific meaning behind it, why we did it.
Prabhupāda: But thing is, accepting his statement, first of all, where is ghee?
Mr. Deyani: Well, in this country you can get.
Prabhupāda: In this country, but there are places there is no ghee. Then how you will perform? Your first proposition is ghee, but where is ghee? It is all dalda. Now how you can perform yajña? I am talking as a matter of argument. If ghee is not available, then how yajña will be performed?
Room Conversation -- July 10, 1976, New York:
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They were doing this in Bhopal. In Bhopal, we were there when we had our Jeeps. So in the same place we were staying they let this group Rajneesh do it. So they were going with that mantra, "Who who." So we were standing out from the balcony shouting, "Kṛṣṇa, that's who." Every morning they would do that meditation, and we would answer "Kṛṣṇa." (laughter)
Hari-śauri: They call his method "chaotic meditation."
Prabhupāda: They say?
Hari-śauri: That's the heading, it says "Chaotic Meditation."
Rādhāvallabha: That's the name of it. After they go "Who who who who who who..."
Prabhupāda: What about..., what they have written about us?
Rādhāvallabha: About us?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A big article.
Room Conversation -- August 2, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):
Prabhupāda: You have got puffed rice?
Hari-śauri: They may have some in the kitchen, I can check. They have flat rice.
Prabhupāda: No.
Hari-śauri: Puffed rice. This Chavana-prash, it says five to ten grams every morning with milk.
Prabhupāda: With milk. Five to ten grams.
Hari-śauri: Yes, that's like a heaped spoonful. I think that's about what you're getting there.
Prabhupāda: Whatever we take, that is five to ten grams?
Hari-śauri: Approximately. Maybe a little more.
Prabhupāda: How much milk? It is not...
Hari-śauri: Doesn't say, it just says with milk. It's like according to taste.
Prabhupāda: So in the morning. That's all right.
Room Conversation -- August 3, 1976, New Mayapur (French farm):
Bhagavān: Yes.
Prabhupāda: What are the general program for eating?
Bhagavān: For eating? Every morning everyone has a nice glass of yogurt, chickpeas and apple, orange and banana.
Prabhupāda: Chickpeas fried?
Bhagavān: Boiled, chick peas. And apple, orange and banana. And in the afternoon they have rice, dāl, cāpāṭi, and salad, and in the evening they have a glass of milk and a little bread.
Prabhupāda: That's nice. What is that machine?
Hari-śauri: One of the vans.
Prabhupāda: Vans. (child crying outside) "Prabhupāda?" (laughs)
Room Conversation -- August 17, 1976, Hyderabad:
Prabhupāda: And they get cheap money and women and that's all. That is their business. (Bengali)
Gurukṛpā: He has a temple. The whole third floor of his house is a temple. He has Sītā-Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Gopāla. He has big temple. They have saṅkīrtana every night. Every morning and night.
Guest: (Bengali conversation)
Gurukṛpā: That Raṅganātha temple is that temple where they do not allow us in. So Sampat Kumar and all of these paṇḍitas, they will sign one letter trying to request them. Also with the Purī people. To request them to let us in. While they are all here they will do that. Also Sampat Kumar was thinking that in November and December in South India the weather is nice because the rainy season is finished, and it would be a very good time to go and visit many of the temples. He personally knows many people in all the big temples. Shri Rangam, Kañcipuram, Maha Balipuram, Tirupati. They could arrange for receptions and programs.
Prabhupāda: (Bengali) South India, Indian culture is still there. Other parts of India, they are not now Indian.
Room Conversation About Blitz News Clipping -- August 21, 1976, Hyderabad:
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Pradyumna: We can make small thing like you used to have, small Deities? We can do that.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Make a small box.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Here there are carpenters. We can get it made before you leave.
Prabhupāda: So we can carry and every morning just put in a siṁhāsana and tulasī and water and flower and little fruit. That's all. He has got tendency to worship.
Gargamuni: He is brāhmaṇa. Paṇḍita.
Prabhupāda: Paṇḍitjī.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: He and Nitāi are both considered the paṇḍitjīs.
Prabhupāda: Yes, they are paṇḍita.
Gargamuni: He is training his son also.
Prabhupāda: Yes, his son will be great paṇḍita. Both of them are devotees, husband and wife. Therefore nice son is born. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. Yoni is the mother. Bījam is the father. Yathā bījaṁ yathā yoni. So I'll not send it to Bombay.
Morning Walk Conversation About Bombay -- August 29, 1976, Delhi:
Prabhupāda: Model room? What is that model room?
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: A model, sample.
Girirāja: We're going to fix one of the rooms on the first floor with all of the furnishings and everything just as it will be when the building is complete. But there is still other work going on. So it couldn't be used for living, but it will look just like a finished room. And Acyutānanda Swami is doing very nicely. He attends maṅgala-ārati every morning, he gives class in the temple in the morning and in the evening. And we're having a lot of programs at Rotary clubs, Lion's Clubs, colleges and universities.
Prabhupāda: That's nice.
Girirāja: Mandiras. And distributing literature. Well, the final lift in the building will still take until December, and then so far as another lift for your present quarters...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Why? There is no need of present quarter lift. No.
Girirāja: Okay. Anyway, the new lift is going according to their schedule which is much faster than their original schedule.
Prabhupāda: So on the whole it is coming nice.
Morning Walk -- August 31, 1976, Delhi:
Prabhupāda: Woman is meant for that purpose, how to make nice palatable dishes.
Devotee: Just these young boys who were carrying the bricks every morning, they would prepare their own vegetables and cāpāṭis like this, and I was amazed to see this because you would never get anyone doing this...
Prabhupāda: Jaya. In Bengal there is a ceremony after marriage, bahu-bhāta. (?)The newly married girl, she shall cook, and all the relatives, friends, are invited and they appreciate, "Yes, nice cook." Then she is accepted as member of the whole family. Bahu-bhāta.
Devotee: And if not, Prabhupāda? If her cooking is not...
Prabhupāda: Therefore she is trained up.
Devotee: And if she's not trained up.
Prabhupāda: She must be trained up. Just like Rādhārāṇī, She was trained up in sixty-four arts. Do you think to captivate Kṛṣṇa is easy thing? How much qualified She must have been so that Kṛṣṇa was attracted. (loud laughing in background) What is this?
Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona:
Prabhupāda: Sādhu-mārgānugamanam, ādau gurvāśrayaṁ sad-dharma-pṛcchāt sādhu-mārgānugamanam.(?) These are the process.
Mr. Malhotra: Sādhu-mārga.
Prabhupāda: Sādhu-mārga.
Girirāja: We study the śāstras every morning and evening in all of our centers, so we become educated. (break)
Prabhupāda: Four places, Haridvar, Prayāga, Vṛndāvana.
Mr. Malhotra: But after every 11 years or...?
Prabhupāda: No. It comes in rotation, every four years.
Mr. Malhotra: So there are sort of ardha-kumbhīs and then kumbha.
Prabhupāda: Yes. In Allahabad they actually hold every year. Māgha-mela.
Mr. Malhotra: Māgha-mela. But this is not every year, this time people are...
Prabhupāda: It is very, I mean to say, atmosphere becomes surcharged. Great spiritual advancement. Very nice.
Mr. Malhotra: (Hindi conversation)
Prabhupāda: Iran is like, that but no green, simply sand.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Morning Walk -- January 6, 1976, Bombay:
Mahāṁsa: Every morning we go on nagara-kīrtana to every village.
Prabhupāda: Mm. Yes, invite them. Invite them. (Hindi)
Devotee: This lady is coming from Germany.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Indian lady?
Devotee: Yes.
Prabhupāda: (Hindi conversation with lady) You cannot do anything. Ultimately they will say no and for this they are paying (indistinct). (Hindi with lady) Very nice. You have got the desire and Kṛṣṇa will fulfill your desire. (Hindi) Then with practice, then it becomes successful. Ādau śraddhā tato sādhu-saṅgo 'tha bhajana-kriyā. This Kṛṣṇa consciousness can be increased by gradual process. First thing, just like you have got faith, it is nice thing. This is śraddhā. Then to associate with persons who are already engaged in this business, sādhu-saṅga (CC Madhya 22.83). That is called sādhu-saṅga. Ādau śraddhā tato, and then act like them, bhajana-kriyā. Simply theoretical will not help.
Room Conversation -- January 19, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:
Gargamuni: My father, he also used to get swelling, but this was due to diabetes.
Prabhupāda: I have got diabetes also.
Gargamuni: He was getting swelling in his legs and hands. But he had to take this insulin, and this kept the swelling nil by taking insulin. Every morning he would give himself a shot. But he had no more swelling.
Hari-śauri: He'd just stick a needle in his arm every morning.
Prabhupāda: There are many gentlemen who take insulin twice, at least once.
Rāmeśvara: The diabetics. They have diabetes. Very common. We have a devotee who does that. This boy in New York whose parents have kidnapped him many times. He is actually... That's their charge against us, that "Oh, my son is diabetic, and you are not spending $25,000 on doctors. You are not taking care of him." That is their charge against us. Then Ādi-keśava Mahārāja said, "All right, if you want him to have such excellent medical treatment, you give us the money and we'll spend it on it." So then the parents say, "Just see! Blackmail." That is a big charge in the paper. It's called extortion. Ādi-keśava Mahārāja was indicted for kidnapping and for extortion.
Hari-śauri: He's that Ed Shapiro.
Rāmeśvara: Yes. The parents cheated again. They said, "Just see, blackmail."
Hari-śauri: That's how that charge came up.
Rāmeśvara: Yes. They lie and say, "This president, he said, 'If you do not give us this money, we will let your son die.' "
Prabhupāda: In a different way.
Room Conversation -- January 21, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: And also later missionaries went all over the world alone, to Africa, all countries of the world, converting people, although it was very difficult. So they had a very good missionary spirit formerly. When I went to Fiji I saw many Christian churches in Fiji. Right next door to the house where Vasudeva lives there is a Christian tabernacle, and they wake up every morning at 4:30 and they have hymns-same practice as we have, but it's Christian hymns.
Hari-śauri: Along with all, that, though, they're allowed to please their senses in any way that they like. So their teaching doesn't really have much benefit for anyone. They're still doing all kinds of sinful activity. Now their idea is that if you accept Jesus, it means that you can carry on doing as many sinful activities as you like, but Jesus is going to take all the sinful reaction.
Rāmeśvara: Yes. "He died for us, so why should we suffer?" (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Jesus Christ is the contractor. They say that "Our religion is very good. If you simply have faith in Jesus Christ, we can do anything."
Room Conversation -- January 28, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:
Satsvarūpa: That's where they're going, Karanak. It somehow is a holy place.
Prabhupāda: Karanak is a holy place. That I know.
Satsvarūpa: But I will arrange with Gaura-Govinda Mahārāja that we should have classes every morning.
Prabhupāda: Otherwise, idle brain, devil's workshop. You should not remain idle. Either chant Hare Kṛṣṇa or read books. Have class. This is not good.
Satsvarūpa: Pṛthu-putra Mahārāja is taking a party today to that man's house in the village.
Prabhupāda: Which man?
Satsvarūpa: That man who was here last night. He's invited the devotees there at one o'clock.
Prabhupāda: Village means here.
Pṛthu-putra: Yes, this place.
Prabhupāda: How many men?
Pṛthu-putra: We will be about ten.
Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:
Hari-śauri: No loss. There's just gain.
Prabhupāda: Jīvo vā māro vā: "Either you live or you die, it doesn't matter." And for butcher, nā jīvo nā māro: "Don't die; don't live. So long you are living, every morning you have to cut throat of so many. And if you die you shall go to hell and suffer for this cutting throat. So don't live; don't die." And for a devotee: "Live or die." And for prince, king's son. "Don't die." And for brahmacārī... (break) All night screaming, and they have to hear, the Indians.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Publicly.
Prabhupāda: Because they know the Indian Hindus, they have got sentiment for cow killing.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: So why? Why...?
Prabhupāda: They may go away.
Hari-śauri: Because every five years or so they move them to another area. They have to uproot everything and move somewhere else.
Prabhupāda: Very badly treated, Indians. The blacks are still more badly treated.
Room Conversation -- February 25, 1977, Mayapura:
Bali-mardana: Birds and beast.
Prabhupāda: I have seen. I have studied this cricket (cricket sounds in room), that come for... Two of, the male and female.
Hari-śauri: Yes. And every morning you can see these sparrows.
Prabhupāda: Every.
Hari-śauri: Very busy making nests.
Prabhupāda: Everywhere. This male and female, nature's gift that is. Therefore tasyaiva hetoḥ. These things you'll get.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. So why use the...?
Prabhupāda: Why you are after these things?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Hm. Wasting human life.
Prabhupāda: You'll get woman. So be satisfied, the nature's gift of woman, nature's gift of your position, and utilize your life for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Why more and more, more, and naked and this way and that way? The other day what did I say? Vagina-licking civilization.
Room Conversation -- March 27, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: I never agreed to be misguide by these rascals. Perhaps I am the first man who protested against these authorized scientists.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Oh, yes. Very strongly. Everybody is afraid except Śrīla Prabhupāda. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Frankly speaking, I never knew that the problem is this serious before I met Śrīla Prabhupāda. I never thought about this.
Prabhupāda: Therefore I took it so seriously. Every morning walk, I was, "Where is the scientist?" I thought "Here I have got an opportunity to impress that will fructify in fruition." That was my aim. Therefore I was bothering you in so ways.
Svarūpa Dāmodara: It is your incredible mercy, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Because I cannot use the technical words, and he can do that. So he should be trained up. What is the news of Dr. Rao?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Dr. Rao died.
Prabhupāda: (surprised:) Died?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. That I informed in the...
Prabhupāda: Yes, you informed, but that is confirmed?
Svarūpa Dāmodara: Yes. He died of heart attack.
Room Conversation -- April 2, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Which house?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Your old quarters. You don't get the advantage of the breeze.
Prabhupāda: No. Sometimes there is nasty breezes coming.
Gargamuni: That still comes. Every morning at six o'clock we wait for that. Guru dāsa was thinking of writing letters to the municipality, signing it in foreign names, that "I am a tourist staying in a hotel, and this smell is coming. Something should be done." Because they should have a pipe back there instead of a river. One of those big round pipes.
Prabhupāda: They must doing something.
Gargamuni: The thunder showers have started in Bengal now. So it is not so hot when I was there.
Prabhupāda: Kala-vaise.(?) (devotees discuss weather) So get a bank immediately here.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I'll do that first thing in the morning. Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Gargamuni: All glories to Śrīla Prabhupāda.
Room Conversation about Harijanas -- April 10, 1977, Bombay:
Prabhupāda: Fall down.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: ...fall down. That's one of the reasons that I wanted to have Bali-mardana spend a couple of hours in the evening, so that by turn each of your servants could go to the maṅgala-ārati. 'Cause now none of them are going because we are all staying up at night, so by having an extra man, we can take turns going to the ārati. Kṣīra-corā-gopīnātha, I arranged for him to go to ārati every morning because he is a brand new man. So for him it is difficult.
Prabhupāda: No, he should go.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: The thing..., there is always some smell of onion or garlic here. This place, very often there is smell from cooking of garlic or onions. It is coming from those houses.
Prabhupāda: Tenant.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: They eat.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: They eat meat.
Prabhupāda: It is not meat. They are eating garlic. Those Christian tenant, they are eating. And onion everyone eats.
Evening Darsana -- May 11, 1977, Hrishikesh:
Devotee (5): We chant every morning, sākṣād-dharitvena...
Prabhupāda: No bona fide person will say that "I am God." As soon as one says that "I am God," he's a rascal immediately. God is not so cheap. Caitanya Mahāprabhu never said. He said, "I am the servant of the servant of the servant of servant of God." Gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ (CC Madhya 13.80). Hundred times down. And that is real identification. And as soon as a person says, "I am God," then he's a madman. He's part of God. That is all right. But not the Supreme God.
Indian man (4): Can we find the one in ourself? Can we find the one in the basis of ourself?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Indian man (4): The one in the basis of ourself?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: He says, "Can we find the one in ourselves?
Prabhupāda: Yes. The Self is there. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe 'rjuna tiṣṭhati (BG 18.61). That one Lord is there within your heart. Where is the difficulty? That is stated in the Bhagavad-gītā. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānām (BG 18.61). All living entities—not only you, me-cats, dogs, everyone, even ants... Aṇḍāntara-stha-paramāṇu-cayāntara-stham. He is within the atom also. So there is no denying, He is everywhere.
Room Conversation -- October 6, 1977, Vrndavana:
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: A little more spacious, yes. Same palanquin. Simply they have increased the size. (break)
Bhakti-prema: ...chanting every morning. It came in my mind all the time.
Prabhupāda: Live comfortably. We have got nice place, and whatever comfort you want, you'll get. These Americans, Europeans... When I was in London, I was thinking of getting you there. Anyway, by Kṛṣṇa's grace you have come. Good for us, good for you.
Bhakti-prema: Gone down(?) over the subject matter about esoteric geography and esoteric history, and I have gotten many good points more.
Prabhupāda: Thank you. Perhaps Kṛṣṇa wanted it.
Bhakti-prema: We can put it in very nice way now.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, thank you very much. (break)
Kulādri: ...dakṣiṇā, eight thousand dollars in dakṣiṇā, for... Before... With the new system of initiation that you've initiated, he asked them to write you a check for $111 for each devotee he's initiating for you. So he has a check for eight thousand dollars for you. One of the girls has taken silver thread and crocheted this silver bead bag with silver thread. (Prabhupāda chuckles) Silver thread on satin.
Prabhupāda: Silver thread.
Room Conversation -- October 10, 1977, Vrndavana:
Prabhupāda: But I know you.
Subhaga: If you, Prabhupāda, stay, you can give us so much encouragement, simply your very presence.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I remember when we were in Māyāpur last, Śrīla Prabhupāda, before going to the Bombay pandal. Every morning we would take you upstairs, and you would sit in the sun, and Bhavānanda Mahārāja would massage you for two hours. Remember? You said you were getting your strength from that sun and the massage. It's also very nice to take you around. Even as you say it's wonderful how we do it, but we like to take you in any condition, traveling.
Subhaga: (Bengali)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Actually, Śrīla Prabhupāda, the motive behind which we do everything is to please you. You must be present to accept whatever service... We are not very good servants, but whatever little we do, we do for you. Without you being present, we would lose our very reason for working hard and serving.
Prabhupāda: (Bengali with Subhaga)
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Now you can go to your respective...
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Śrīla Prabhupāda? Do you want to take rest now for a while? Little rest. You want kīrtana or anything?
Prabhupāda: Not now.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
Letter to Satsvarupa -- Montreal 16 June, 1968:
Yes, that is very nice, your statement that "I am offering special flowers and prayers to Lord Jagannatha every morning because I know He is liberal to crippled and mistake-making devotees of His Lotus Feet." If we are always afraid of our mistakes, Krishna will save us from all such misgivings and even imperceptibly we commit some mistake, He will forgive us. But we should be always very careful not to commit mistakes.
1969 Correspondence
Letter to Tamala Krsna -- New Vrindaban 17 June, 1969:
Regarding opening branches in Laguna Beach, you know I am always very much enthusiastic to open branches, so if another branch can be opened for propagating Krishna Consciousness, it is always welcome. If we have got opportunity to open such branch, we must take advantage. So far as the money is concerned, it is not meant for banking, but it is meant for spending. Our policy should be to collect millions of dollars or more than that daily, and spend it daily. That should be our policy. Every morning we shall be empty-handed, get collection of a million dollars during the daytime, and by evening it should be all spent. That should be our motto. But because we are pushing on our activities regularly, therefore some money should be saved to meet emergencies. So if you have got chance of opening a branch in Laguna Beach, do it. When we get a big temple in Los Angeles, Krishna will supply the necessary funds.
1970 Correspondence
Letter to Ksirodakasayi -- Los Angeles 10 January, 1970:
I am so glad to receive your letter, dated 25 December, 1969, addressed to Boston and now redirected here. I have come to Los Angeles on the 29th ultimo. I am living in a very nice house for which they are paying $600 per month. The house is very calm and quiet and quite suitable for my work, and two devotees are always engaged to assist me. I go, every morning, for a walk in the nice neighborhood called Beverly Hills. So everything is alright here, temperature, atmosphere, facilities, by Krishna's Grace. The Temple here is also well managed. Every day they are going to perform Sankirtana on the streets, twice, and, on the average, they are collecting not less than $200 daily. So, our only means of subsistence is Krishna's grace and all our needs are fulfilled by the Lord. I am getting reports from all other centers that all of them are selling Back to Godhead everyday from 50 to 400 copies per day, according to the importance of the local situation.
Letter to Yamuna -- Los Angeles 26 July, 1970:
I am very glad to learn that your training program is going on and the result is that now men are trained for opening and maintaining new branches. This is very much encouraging to me. So there are many things to be trained up and I am sure both yourself and Gurudasa are competent to execute them. So your program of study is very nice and regulated. Try to chant the mantras. It will not be difficult because the transliterations are there. In Los Angeles temple they are doing it very nicely every morning.
Letter to Karandhara -- Bombay 30 November, 1970:
Your program to visit nearby cities and towns with a travelling party is nice. Krishna Das has also started this program in Germany and the success has been good.
Regarding worship of Tulasi, it is not very much important. Simply all the devotees may offer a little water every morning and in the evening offer obeisances and ghee lamp (one wick) and circumambulating three times repeating the mantras that I have given you. The plant may remain in the garden.
1971 Correspondence
Letter to Satsvarupa -- London 25 August, 1971:
The criss-cross pattern is simply decoration. After mopping the floor nicely, this kind of painting with colored rice powder is still prevailing in Hindu families of S. India. It is called alipna, or in other words after cleansing the rooms and floors such kind of auspicious paintings are done every morning or in every ceremony. In Bhagavad-gita is is said that they are part and parcel of religious life. In most cases these engagements are meant for the women. Women must be engaged otherwise they will be inclined to think of sex only. They are called kamini. Unless there is sufficient engagement their only thoughts will be concentrated on sex. As men are engaged in devotional service, similarly women are engaged in ritualistic engagements so that household life becomes very auspicious. These things are at the present moment impossible to perform regularly.
Letter to Madhudvisa -- Kenya 15 September, 1971:
Yes, this program is very nice to try to attract the attention of the students seriously. That will be a great success. They should put intelligent questions and they should be answered properly with reference to modern science and philosophy. That will be very much convincing. I think if you read our books thoroughly you will get a supply of material to answer all the questions. Now I am preparing one book answering all types of philosophical arguments. Syamasundara every morning is putting questions from different angles of vision beginning from Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, etc. and we are trying to answer. We shall discuss also Marx philosophy of communism. It will require some time but I wish that all our preachers should be well versed with all philosophical ideas and after studying all philosophical points of view we will put Krishna Conscious philosophy on the top.
1973 Correspondence
Letter to Sukadeva 2 -- Calcutta 29 January, 1973:
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 1/8/73, and I have noted the contents with satisfaction. Thank you very much for your kind sentiments. This attitude of serving first the spiritual master is the correct one, for only by the mercy of the spiritual master can one obtain the mercy of Krsna. Just as we sing every morning yasya prasadad bhagavad-prasado yasya prasada na gatih kuto 'pi, in this way the disciple advances more and more in understanding God. So if you simply execute with full faith the instructions that I have already given you, then you will see so many people will be sent by Krsna to become devotees because of your sincerity. So as you are my appointed leader, you must also see that the others are following very strictly the regulative principles like chanting 16 rounds, reading my books regularly, rising early for mangala aratrika, these things will keep us purified for advancing more and more in Krsna Consciousness.
Letter to Satsvarupa -- Melbourne 10 February, 1973:
As far as staying in some boys apartment, this is permissable if everyone in the house agrees to follow the principles while you are there. That is no smoking, no drinking, etc. You may also install a small altar there with a picture of Guru and Gauranga and the Spiritual Masters there and perform mangala arati every morning and hold classes etc. Under these circumstances you can live in others apartments. The point is we must not lower our position but we must educate others to come up to our standards. Regarding your writing, you must know that it is the duty of sannyasa to write always to save the cripple minded man and women. In fact sannyasa must do everything. I hope this meets you in good health.
1974 Correspondence
Letter to Lilasakti -- Bombay 5 November, 1974:
I am glad to see that you are advancing in Krishna consciousness by this worship of the Deity. This is the practical application to what we find stated in the Bhagavad-gita, man manah bhava mad bhakto, mad yaji mam namaskuru. We do not speculate on what Krishna says but we follow whatever He says implicitly. I also follow this process. Every morning I go to the temple and see the Deity and offer obeisances, so I expect each and every one of my disciples should also follow what I have given in this connection, arising early, taking bath, attending mangal arati. yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato 'pi **. The Deity is non-different from Krishna Himself. This we have to understand.
Letter to Bahudak -- Bombay 19 December, 1974:
The pictures of your newly installed Deities are very very nice. And you can name them Sri Sri Radha-Madan Mohan. The Deity worship should be done very carefully and nicely. Sri-vigraharadhana-nitya-nana, srngara-tan-mandira-marjanadau, yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato'pi, vande guroh sri-caranaravindam **. You should make sure that there is nice arati program; six arati daily at least. You should make sure that there is nice fresh, clean dress every morning, nice bathing ceremony every morning, nice offerings of prasadam. You should see that the Deity is tended for and cooked for only by the duly second initiated brahmanas. The Deity should have nice flowers everyday etc., etc. You should try to bring Them up to the highest standard, such as we have in Los Angeles or New Vrndavana. Sri Sri Radha-Madan Mohan have kindly descended in Their arca vigraha form now you must receive Them with that consciousness. And by serving Them you will all develop pure love of Krsna.
1975 Correspondence
Letter to Jayasacinandana -- Vrindaban 12 December, 1975:
I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated December 2, 1975. No! you have made some discovery. All along you have been hearing the recording of Yamuna devi and now you want to change. It is not ordinary singing, it is concert, many people are singing, so it is not bad. Just like Sankirtana, many voices are there, men and women, so it is the same thing, sankirtana. I approve of it. Here in Krishna Balarama Temple we are hearing the same recording every morning, so if it is good here why not there?
| Page Title: | Every morning |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, Mayapur |
| Created: | 05 of Mar, 2012 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=2, CC=0, OB=5, Lec=17, Con=45, Let=12 |
| No. of Quotes: | 81 |