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Nobody should try to imitate the all-powerful, but one should try to follow His instruction. That should be motto of life

Expressions researched:
"nobody should try to imitate the all-powerful, but one should try to follow His instruction. That should be motto of life"

Lectures

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

So nobody should try to imitate the all-powerful, but one should try to follow His instruction. That should be motto of life. Go on. "Following and imitating are not the same thing." "Same level."
Lecture on BG 3.18-30 -- Los Angeles, December 30, 1968:

Prabhupāda: Now, Kṛṣṇa at the age of seven years old, He lifted Govardhana Hill. So if we try to imitate, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa lifted the Govardhana Hill. Let me also try." That is not following. You cannot do that. (chuckling) You see? Because sometimes the foolish rascals they say, "Oh, Kṛṣṇa performed rāsa-līlā. Let me also perform rāsa-līlā." Therefore I forbid that don't discuss Kṛṣṇa's rāsa-līlā with the ordinary persons. They cannot understand. They'll simply think that "Oh, it is very nice to dance with girls, boys and girls dancing." No.

We have to follow His instruction, what is given in the Bhagavad-gītā. We cannot imitate Him. He is all-powerful. The same example, just like the sunshine. The sunshine can absorb moisture from filthy place, but he, it is not infected. Sun is not infected. But if you go to a filthy place, you become contaminated immediately. Yes. So nobody should try to imitate the all-powerful, but one should try to follow His instruction. That should be motto of life. Go on. "Following and imitating are not the same thing." "Same level." Yes.

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "We cannot imitate the Lord by lifting Govardhana Hill as the Lord did in His childhood. It is impossible for any human being. We have to follow His instructions, but we may not imitate Him in any way. The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam affirms this as follows: 'One should simply follow the instructions of the controllers and should not imitate them in their activities. Their instructions are all good for us and any intelligent person must perform them as instructed. However, one should guard against trying to imitate their actions. One should not try to drink the ocean of poison imitating Lord Śiva.' "

We should always remember the position of the īśvaras, or those who actually control the movements of the sun and moon. Without such power, one cannot imitate the īśvara or the superpowerful. The example set herein is very appropriate. Lord Śiva drank poison to the extent of swallowing an ocean, but if any common man tries to drink even a fragment of such poison he will be killed. There are many pseudo-devotees of Lord Śiva who want to indulge in smoking gāñjā (marijuana) and similar intoxicating drugs, forgetting that by so imitating the acts of Lord Śiva they are calling death very near. Similarly, there are some pseudo-devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa who prefer to imitate the Lord in the matter of the rāsa-līlā or dance of love, forgetting their inability to lift the Govardhana Hill. It is best, therefore, that one not try to imitate the powerful, but simply endeavor to follow their instructions. Nor should one try to occupy the posts of the powerful without qualification. There are so many 'incarnations' of God without the powers of the Supreme Godhead."

Twenty-five: "As the ignorant perform their duties with attachment to result... (BG 3.25)"

Prabhupāda: This morning, the press representative, he was astonished that "Swamiji, so many people are coming, they are declaring that 'I am God.' What is this?" So these rascals are like that. Therefore there are so many incarnations of God without the powers of. So people, why they should be cheated? If somebody comes and says that "I am God," why don't you test? For testing this... When Kṛṣṇa assumed the Supreme Personality of Godhead... Of course, Arjuna was convinced. He accepted, paraṁ brahma paraṁ dhāma (BG 10.12), but for future guidance, he requested Kṛṣṇa, "Please show me Your universal form." Otherwise, without showing universal (form), they're still claiming that "I am God." God is not so cheap thing. They're imitating, trying to imitate. This is very dangerous.

Page Title:Nobody should try to imitate the all-powerful, but one should try to follow His instruction. That should be motto of life
Compiler:Visnu Murti
Created:19 of Nov, 2011
Totals by Section:BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=1, Con=0, Let=0
No. of Quotes:1