Reverence (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"revered" |"reverence" |"reverent" |"reverential" |"reverentially" |"reverently" |"reveres"

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

He's within your heart, He's always hearing you. When you are praying or not praying, you are doing some nonsense, He also hearing. And when you pray, that is very good, welcome. But even if you are doing some nonsense, He's hearing.

Talk with Bob Cohen -- February 27-29, 1972, Mayapura:

Prabhupāda: No, Kṛṣṇa's mercy you can take also, provided it is delivered as it is. Now, just like we are instructing people Bhagavad-gītā. The Bhagavad-gītā says, Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (BG 18.66). Now we are saying that "You give up everything, just surrender to Kṛṣṇa." So therefore there is no difference between Kṛṣṇa's instruction and our instruction. There is no deviation. So if you receive knowledge in that perfect way, then it is as god as receiving the instruction directly from Kṛṣṇa. But you don't change anything.

Bob: When I pray faithfully and reverently, does Kṛṣṇa hear me?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bob: Directly?

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bob: From me to Him?

Prabhupāda: Because He's within your heart, He's always hearing you. When you are praying or not praying, you are doing some nonsense, He also hearing. And when you pray, that is very good, welcome. But even if you are doing some nonsense, He's hearing.

Bob: Is praying louder than nonsense?

Prabhupāda: Huh?

Bob: To Kṛṣṇa's ear, is praying louder than nonsense talk.

Prabhupāda: No, He's all-perfect. He can hear any temper, or any degree of saying. Even if you don't speak, even if you simply think, He can hear you. As soon as you think that "I shall do it," then He hears you. Sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭaḥ (BG 15.15).

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Here, the so-called love is lust only. It is going on in the name of love. Actually it is not love. And because it is not love, therefore such kind of love does not continue very long. It breaks.

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: In the gopīs' love with Kṛṣṇa, there is no lust. That is the difference.

David Lawrence: Reverence isn't it, reverence for Him.

Prabhupāda: Here, the so-called love is lust only. It is going on in the name of love. Actually it is not love. And because it is not love, therefore such kind of love does not continue very long. It breaks.

David Lawrence: Yes.

Prabhupāda: But we don't find in the history of spiritual world the love between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa broke at any time. That is the difference.

David Lawrence: Yes,yes. Whereas one in three of the Western marriages, so they say, is destined to break.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Just like Kṛṣṇa used to dance with so many gopīs, everything is described there, that they embraced, they kissed, but there is no such thing abortion or contraceptive. (laughter) So these things have to be studied. How we can compare gopīs' love with Kṛṣṇa with these lusty affairs of this material world?

Morning Walk -- August 30, 1973, London:

Prabhupāda: When we make analogy, the points of similarity must be there. But these rascals are so dull-headed that they have not even logical arguments. Where are the points of similarity? That we are comparing these lusty affairs of this material world with the affairs of Kṛṣṇa and the gopīs? Where is the similarity?

David Lawrence: There's never mention of lust or of any animal desire at all is there?

Prabhupāda: No, no.

David Lawrence: It's just reverence and love.

Prabhupāda: Just like Kṛṣṇa used to dance with so many gopīs, everything is described there, that they embraced, they kissed, but there is no such thing abortion or contraceptive. (laughter) So these things have to be studied. How we can compare gopīs' love with Kṛṣṇa with these lusty affairs of this material world?

1974 Conversations and Morning Walks

This is the bhakti-mārga, means, the first thing is śravaṇam, hearing. Just like these books are being written to give chance people to hear. That is first business. If we don't hear about God we simply imagine something.

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany:

Dr. P. J. Saher: Will you please be so kind as to further elucidate your technique of that one chants the name of God and will you please be so kind as to elucidate further in some particular way or what comes (German) what should be done in relation to that or how it is, how it is formulated in that, in that total, in that complete system of your reverent teachings?

Prabhupāda: Yes. This is the bhakti-mārga, means, the first thing is śravaṇam, hearing. Just like these books are being written to give chance people to hear. That is first business. If we don't hear about God we simply imagine something. No. We must hear about God. We are publishing eighty books like this, simply to hear about God. Then when you hear perfectly then you can describe to others. That is called kīrtanam. Śravaṇam, kīrtanam. And when the process goes on hearing and chanting or describing, kīrtanam means describing. Just like our, this whole society is hearing from these books and they're going out to describe. This is called kīrtana. Then by these two process, hearing and chanting, you remember, smaraṇam. That means remembering, you always associate with God.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

If he keeps the books with appreciation, that makes his life sure, insured. He immediately becomes in touch with God. Who keeps the book with reverence and love, immediately he becomes in touch with God. Because these books are representative of God.

Morning Walk -- May 9, 1975, Perth:

Amogha: One man who joined us about Rathayātrā time last year was a solicitor. He used to buy our books but he never read them. But he would keep them on his bookshelf. And he used to always think, "Those are such beautiful books." He used to think like that.

Prabhupāda: This is appreciation.

Amogha: He never got time to read it.

Prabhupāda: It doesn't matter. If he keeps the books with appreciation, that makes his life sure, insured. He immediately becomes in touch with God. Who keeps the book with reverence and love, immediately he becomes in touch with God. Because these books are representative of God.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says: "By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa."

Morning Walk -- January 12, 1976, Bombay:

Prabhupāda: Hare Kṛṣṇa. Jaya. (Hindi) (break) It is mentioned in the Bhagavad-gītā, tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena (BG 4.34). Paripraśna is required, but after praṇipāta.

Dr. Patel: Surrendering yourself. In school also they say if you develop a sort of a liking for your teacher, a sort of a reverence is developed in you, and then you get knowledge much quicker.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Dr. Patel: If you take your teacher to be a servant of yours, then you won't...

Prabhupāda: That is Vedic principle. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). Then he'll get knowledge. Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Dr. Patel: That is why guru brahma gurur viṣṇur guruḥ sākṣād maheśvaraḥ.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is fact. Sākṣād dharitvena samasta-śāstraiḥ. Caitanya Mahāprabhu also says, guru-kṛṣṇa-krpā: "By the mercy of guru and Kṛṣṇa."

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

"One should serve the guru..." With great respect, with reverence and respect.

Room Conversation -- January 27, 1977, Bhuvanesvara:

Prabhupāda: Dīkṣā means divya-jñānaṁ kṣapayati iti dīkṣā.(?) Which explains the divya-jñāna, transcendental, that is dīkṣā. Di, divya, dīkṣāṇām. Dīkṣā. So divya-jñāna, transcendental knowledge... If you don't accept a spiritual master, how you'll get transcen... You'll be taught here and there, here and there, and waste time. Waste time for the teacher and waste your valuable time. Therefore you have to be guided by an expert spiritual master. Read it.

Pradyumna: Kṛṣṇa-dīkṣādi-śikṣaṇam.

Prabhupāda: Śikṣaṇam. We have to learn. If you don't learn, how you'll make progress? Then?

Pradyumna: Viśrambheṇa guroḥ sevā. "One should serve the guru, viśrambha..."

Prabhupāda: With great respect, with reverence and respect. Then?

Pradyumna: Sādhu-vartmānuvartanam.

Prabhupāda: And you must see that what you are doing, that is according to the principle which all other sādhus and devotees do. They have tilaka, and you say, "I have no tilaka." That is not sādhu-mārgānu. Sādhu-mārgānugamanam. They have kaṇṭhi. You say, "I can avoid it." That is not sādhu-mārgānugamanam. So, from very beginning, if you disobey, then how you'll make progress?

The spiritual master's family, former family, should be considered in a reverential way. That is done.

Room Conversation -- October 28, 1977, Vrndavana:

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You wrote in your book that the spiritual master's family, former family, should be considered in a reverential way.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is done.