"We must not rest until we have implemented a NEW WORLD Krsna-conscious ORDER." - Letter on GBC letterhead from Jayapataka Swami to GBCs, Sept 5, 1985.
Who is the master, and who the servant?
ISK-con Corps.
Los Angeles
7 July, 1974
74-07-07
Los Angeles
My dear Satadari devi dasi:
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 13, 1974 and have noted the contents carefully. Yes, a shiksa guru is anyone who can give spiritual advancement. You take instruction from my books, and if you are unable to understand any portion of the books, then you can get it explained by any senior devotee, whether Madhukanta or anyone else. Any senior devotee can be an instructor in spiritual subject matters. If you like to take instruction from Madhukanta, there is no harm.
I hope this meets you in good health.
Your ever well wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/bs
Prabhupada: “So you should not be simply chanting and dancing. Along with, you must know philosophy. There are so many Mayavadis; you have to defeat them. It is not that we are cowards. We are Krishna’s soldiers. So as soon as there is Mayavadi attack, you must immediately defeat them. That is wanted. Therefore so many books are being written.” “So many books are being written”, read, understand and write articles that defeat opposing elements.
Go to ImageShack® to Create your own Slideshow Made by: Rasa Manjari devi dasi
Sri Narmada river
Want to usurp the position of the bonafide spiritual master, pure devotee of Krishna? Krishna will kick your head, baba! Not at all a wise policy. Some have tried; Partial list of fallen gurus 1. Agrani Swami 41. Prabhavishnu Swami |
- One who thinks he knows something, actually knows nothing. One who actually knows something, knows he knows nothing. - Tdas
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Foolish men wanted all the powers of Godhead, without surrendering to His service ! In a pure state, the soul has qualities like unto God. You cannot have God-like power without understanding your constitutional position as surrendered servant of Godhead. All those who seek power to advance their personal illusory agendas fall down heavily in due course of time. Do not seek personal power, it will destroy you by increasing the false ego. Seek detached service.
An example of this self destruction, due to the offense of poisoning the spiritual master with arsenic, under CIA partnership, is shown. The main perpetator, Tamalasura, had his false ego considerably reduced by a taxicab window. Jayadvaita had his head cut off while stoned on acid. Kirtanananda was caught involved in child rape and murder. Hamsadutta accosted his women disciples and attacked a car dealership with a shotgun while intoxicated, etc etc. It goes on, such that most of the original murder conspirators have now been revealed, and/or paid with their lives. All of them involved are destroyed or will be very soon, by the severe reactions to their offense of guru-hatya, and abuse of the innocents devotees. Their disciples will likely experience similar fates as their karm matures.
- March 29, 1970
Los Angeles
Letter to Mahananda -
"I am very pleased to know that you have been strictly living according to our Krsna conscious way of life in the matters of daily chanting sixteen rounds, following the four basic restrictive principles, and working hard in Krsna's service. Please continue to live in this way and the success of your life in Krsna consciousness is assured. Always chanting the Holy Name, Krsna, observing the regulative principles, and working in the service of the Lord are the essential program for advancement in spiritual strength.
You have written one interesting line, that Maya seems to have a special interest in you. So it appears that you are intelligent enough to detect the tricks of Maya; that is very nice. We should always remember that Maya or darkness and Krsna or the Light are existing side by side. So if we keep ourself always in Krsna Consciousness or in the Light of Krsna Sun, hardly there is any chance of being covered by darkness or Maya.
But a little inattention may cause our falling down into the clutches of Maya. The path of Krsna Consciousness is compared in the Vedas with a sharpened razor blade. If you carefully manipulate it, the blade helps by clean shaving; but a little inattention causes a bloody cheek. So this example we should always remember and carefully manipulate the blade of Krsna Consciousness."
HDG Srila Prabhupada:
YES. THAT IS A FORMALITY. THAT IS NOT VERY IMPORTANT. BECAUSE MAYAVADI SANNYASIS, THEY ARE ALSO VEDIC SANNYASIS. THEY ARE NOT OUTSIDERS. BUT THEIR INTERPRETATION OF VEDA IS DIFFERENT. BUT THEY FOLLOW THE VEDIC RULES. SO THIS ACCEPTANCE OF SANNYASA IS FOLLOWING A PRINCIPLE OF THE VEDIC RULES. SO THE MAYAVADI SANNYASI MAY DIFFER IN HIS INTERPRETATION, BUT HE'S FOLLOWING THE VEDIC RULES. SO THIS ACCEPTANCE OF SANNYASA IS FOLLOWING THE VEDIC RULES. SO YOU CAN ACCEPT SANNYASA EVEN FROM MAYAVADI. IT DOESN'T MATTER. BUT YOU HAVE TO TRANSCEND THE LIMITS OF VEDIC RULES. THAT IS KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS.
That also Caitanya Mahaprabhu... Although He took sannyasa, He did not assume the sannyasa title. His sannyasa guru was Kesava Bharati. Naturally, He would have accepted the Bharati title. Sri Krsna Bharati, or something like that. But He remained Sri Krsna Caitanya. Caitanya is the name of the brahmacari under the Bharati sannyasi. One brahmacari... The brahmacaris, they are assistant or personal servitors of a sannyasi. That is the system. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu was... In the beginning, He was accepted... That is the Mayavadi system. One is accepted first of all as brahmacari. So that, His name was Caitanya. But even after His acceptance of sannyasa, He did not assume the title Bharati. That means actually He did not take sannyasa. That was simply formality. Because Mayavadi sannyasi thinks that he is God; so how He can assume that title? He was preaching, He was going to preach that we are servant of God; therefore He did not assume that title. And besides that, when Caitanya Mahaprabhu was going to Lord..., see Jagannatha Puri, His rod was taken away by Nityananda and it was broken and thrown away. So He, apparently He became very angry that "You have broken My rod, sannyasa rod. So I am not going with You." He separated. These statements are there in the Caitanya-caritamrta.
So in one sense, Caitanya Mahaprabhu did not require to accept any sannyasa guru, BUT HE ACCEPTED THE FORMALITY THAT IF ONE TAKES SANNYASA, ONE HAS TO TAKE SANNYASA FROM ANOTHER SANNYASI. THAT IS THE SYSTEM. JUST LIKE IF YOU WANT TO GET YOURSELF MARRIED, YOU HAVE TO CALL FOR A PRIEST. THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE PRIEST'S PERSONAL OPINION. DO YOU FOLLOW? YES. HE MAY EXECUTE THE RULES AND REGULATION OF MARRIAGE CEREMONY, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT ONE HAS TO AGREE WITH THE PRIEST'S OPINION, PERSONAL OPINION. THIS IS THE ANSWER. But when you accept a spiritual master, that is not allowed. Unless you cent percent agree with the spiritual master's opinion or philosophy, there is no need of accepting a spiritual master. There is no need. Yes.
Pujari from Sri Adwaita Acarya’s house in Santipura, West Bengal
by Mulaprakrti devi dasi
[Excerpt from Our Srila Prabhupada – A Friend To All – Early Contemporaries Remember Him]
http://www.bvml.org/contemporary/pfsaahiswb.html
This story was heard in Mayapura in 1980. A man came to the ISKCON’s Caitanya Candrodoya Mandira carrying with him a copy of the Back of Godhead article about Srila Prabhupada, entitled A Lifetime in Preparation.
“Just recently an amazing realization occurred to me that I wanted to share with devotees everywhere. I have been the pujari and sevaite at the house of Adwaita Acarya for many years. I was also there back in the 1940’s and 50’s. At that time, I noticed that one grhasta Bengali devotee used to come to the temple quite regularly. He was dressed in a white khadidhoti and kurta and he always came alone. He would sit in the back of the Mandira without speaking, and would chant harinama on his mala very quietly and deeply. I noticed that he came on the weekends, usually once every month or two in regular way. After chanting there for many hours, he would always thank me when he left. His presence was profound and I became attracted to him. Since his devotions were solitary, I never spoke to disturb him. Sometimes I happened to notice that while he was chanting, his eyes would be full of tears and his voice would be choked up.”
“Then, for a very long time he did not come. However, I distinctly recall that in August of 1965, I saw a saffron-clothed sannyasi sitting in the back of the Mandira. In a moment I recognized him to be my old friend from before. Again he sat for a long time chanting Hare Krsna. I could see his beads moving, his eyes closed in concentrated devotion. He was weeping unabashedly even more than he used to while he took the Holy Name. Finally, as evening came, he paid his dandavat pranama for long time. When he arose he came up to me and again thanked me for my seva here at Adwaita Bhavan. I asked him. Who are you? I remember you from so long ago.’”
“He replied, ‘My name is Abaya Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharaja. I am an unworthy disciple of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Prabhupada, my divine master. I have been coming here for such a long time because my Gurudeva has given me an impossible mission. His desire was for me to go across the ocean to the Western countries and spread the sublime teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There are countless souls there who have never heard of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna and so they are suffering greatly. I have not known how this mission of his will be successful, so I have been coming here to this special house of Adwaita Acarya, where he, Nityananda Prabhu, and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would gather together to plan the sankirtana movement. It was here that they launched the inundation of love of God that swept India and continues to this day. Thus, I have been praying very earnestly here that they will all give me their mercy that somehow they will empower me and guide me. I want to satisfy my gurudeva’s desire, but I am feeling unqualified to do this.’”
“As he was speaking to me, I saw tears falling down on his cheeks again. Then he continued, ‘Tomorrow I am leaving for Calcutta to go upon a ship across the ocean to America. I do no know what will befall me there, but I am praying most earnestly here for help.’ Then he very humbly asked me for my blessings. I was indeed moved by this Vaisnava’s sincerity and determination was I watched him depart upon his journey.”
“It was a few years later that I began noticing, for the first time, white Vaisnavas coming to Adwaita Bhavan. They were wearing dhotis and saris and chanting on tulasi-mala. I never spoke to any of them but then one of them gave me this “Back to Godhead” magazine from America. As I looked at the photographs, suddenly I recognized a painting of the Founder-Acarya who had brought Krsna consciousness to the West. It was a picture of my friend, Bhaktivedanta Swami, who had come and prayed here so many times before. Then I realized that he has actually accomplished that impossible mission of his Gurudeva. I saw that it was indeed he, starting alone and without pretense, who had accomplished this glorious miracle against all odds.”
“As soon as I saw this, I came here to his temple in Mayapura to tell you this information. I know that he has gone from this world now, but I thought perhaps you might want to know this story about you and my beloved Srila Prabhupada.”
Syamali devi Krsna.
August 1, 1967
Vrndavana, India
Letter to Sriman Satsvarupa Brahmacari & Sriman Hamsaduta Adhikari
"Your appreciation of my Spiritual Master is very commendable. One who understands and appreciates the disciplic succession is certainly advanced, and we should always be very careful to give full respect to those who have so carefully handled this Divine Fruit of transcendental knowledge before us. Even a slight change will spoil it. That is why I have always been so careful to give you only those things which I have heard from my Guru Maharaja."
Srila Prabhupada Quote of the Day:
August 22,1968, Montreal, Que. courtesy Nityananda Rama Prabhu
Letter to Brahmananda
"Actually we the Krishna Conscious people are soldiers of the Lord, or Arms of the Lord, and because we are energy at the same time, because all living entities are energy of the Lord, so energy is always kept on the left side. As you have seen, Radharani is also on the left side of the Lord, and similarly, Laksmiji is also kept on the left side of the Lord, so we are also marginal energy, not exactly like Radharani or Laksmiji, but we are superior energy than matter, or material energy, so we should keep ourself always on the left side of the Lord, and let us act as His Arms, or army."
Sri Sri Radha-Govinda
by HG Symarani dd
Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.15
“Advancement means… But we don’t change our Vedic knowledge. We do not say, “Now, Kṛṣṇa, five thousand years ago, said like this. Now we are advanced. We change this line.” Of course, others are doing. In the scriptures… Just like the Christians, they are changing the words. But you cannot do that. Then where is the authority? If you change the word of the scripture, then where is the authority of the scripture? Just like in lawbooks, there is some law made already. Whimsically you cannot, I mean to say, erase the words and put something that “It should be changed like this.” That will not be accepted. Law, if there is change… Actually, there is no change. There cannot be change. Real law means there is no change. Just like day and night, it is coming. The fortnight, the dark period and the light period, it is coming for millions and millions and time immemorial. The same law is going, going on. You cannot change. So as soon as you change, that means it is imperfect. You change.
So Vedic laws are not like that. You cannot change. Five thousand years ago Kṛṣṇa said, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja: [Bg. 18.66] “You give up all other religious principles. Simply surrender unto Me.” We are preaching the same thing. No change. No change. There is no possibility of change. Then how Kṛṣṇa is authority? So change means imperfect knowledge.”
I offer my respectful obeisances unto His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, who is very dear to Lord Sri Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet, and obeisances also to all of the devotees! Hare Krishna. His Divine Grace Abhay Caranaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Maharajah Srila Prabhupada, founder-acarya of ISKCON.
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