Ads

Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna

Bhakti Yoga-Devotional Service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna
Gopis performing Devotional Service to the Lordships Sri Sri Radha Krishna

H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami on Married Life

H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami on Married Life

Posted On: Wed, 2008-09-10 04:33 by sitapati Share

H.H. Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami gave this very insightful and thought-provoking class on the grhasta ashram (married life) when he visited Brisbane a few months ago.

It is full of examples and analogies that I had never heard before, which is unusual for a class in an ISKCON temple, which usually consists of refreshing and reinforcing things that are already in my head.

I like the feeling of neural rewiring, so I enjoyed it. Useful information too.


Share/Bookmark

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

How can I know if God Exists?

View Online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJbJayhYxG4

download
http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=xJbJayhYxG4

Share/Bookmark

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

Srila Prabhupada speaks on: "Unlimitedly Merciful Lord"


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Pragosh das <servant@prabhupadavani.org>


"Unlimitedly Merciful Lord"

Melbourne, June 29, 1974

listen 

Take a test


Prabhupada: ...in the beautiful tomb. Then how do you go? Either hell or heaven, that doesn't matter. So how do you go there?

Madhudvisa: They say that the material body and the soul join back together again at the end.

Prabhupada: That is dehantara-prapti, another body.

Madhudvisa: No, they say same body.

Prabhupada: Same body means same material body. The form may be different. The form is actually different, because this form is lying in your tomb. It is not going. Where that... If it has gone, then why the body is here? That is dehantara, another body. How you can say the same body? The same body is lying here. After death, if the same body is going, then why the same body is not going? Why it is lying here? They must be reasonable, not dogmatic. How it is same body?

Satsvarupa: I don't understand their philosophy.

Prabhupada: Pure nonsense. Same body, how can you? The body is here.

Madhudvisa: The body is rotting in the tomb, and then they say that the body at the end of the creation is reconstructed and reunited with the soul.

Prabhupada: That's all right, but not this body. Reconstruct.

Madhudvisa: That they say, this body.

Prabhupada: That is their foolishness. This body, you can say, this is material body; that is also material body. But not this body. Just like you change your cloth. The other cloth also made of cotton, and this is also made of cotton. In the same way, you can say, "the same body," cotton body or dress. But you cannot say that this cloth or this dhoti is going with you. How they can say? This body is lying here. This body means this material body.

Madhudvisa: They will say, "Some things you cannot understand. You must simply accept on faith."

Prabhupada: "You cannot understand" -- that is also good. Suppose a child cannot understand. But there must be some explanation. Otherwise, how in advanced stages one can accept. They will say, "dogmatic." This body means this material body, and this material body has got so many shapes, 8,400,000. So hell means... This is also hellish. A tree is standing for five thousand years or five hundred years. Is it not hellish? If I ask you, "Stand here for five days," you will die. (laughing) If there is such order from the government, "You stand here for so many days..."

Satsvarupa: Naked. Naked too.

Prabhupada: Naked. This is hellish. (dog barking) Now this, another hellish life. His only business is to bark. The master may like to keep a dog, but if he is said that "You also become a dog," he will not agree. Will he agree?

Madhudvisa: But whether he agrees or not, he will become one, if he is too much attached. [break] ...the chief engineer of building the chariots, and all of these people are his assistants.

Prabhupada: Jagannatha will be very much pleased upon you. Yes. Svalpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat. Little service to God is taken as great service. Krsna is so kind. So we should try always to give the best service, best energy, and you become liberated. Actually we cannot give any service to Krsna. He is unlimited. What is the value of our service? But He takes it seriously: "Oh, he is trying to give me some service." Otherwise what service He needs from us? Suppose He has created these big universes, what service we can give? By His will, He can create millions of universes. What service we can give? We... No. These are the chances of service, this Ratha-yatra. God is so great, so big, how we can pack up in the ratha. But this is a chance, that you get Him sit on the ratha and prepare it, manufacture it. Because your energy is engaged for His service, that is accepted. So this example... Just like a small child eating lozenges, and out of that, if he offers father, "Father, take it," and father takes it very serious..., "Ah, very nice." And what is that lozenges to the father? It is nothing. But because the child offers to the father in love, father takes it very seriously: "Oh, you are so nice. Yes, yes, give me." That is stated in Bhagavad-gita. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati: [Bg. 9.26] "A leaf, a fruit, a little water." What is the value of these? But yo me bhaktya prayacchati: "Because he is giving Me in faith and devotion, I accept it." And what is this one piece of leaf and a fruit for God? It is nothing. He is being served by many thousands of goddess of fortune. Laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambrahma-sevyamanam. Then what is the value of this leaf and flower and fruit? But still, He says, tad aham asnami: "Yes, I eat them." And once God eats from your hand, then your life is successful.

Madhudvisa: Sometimes a question is arisen that devotees are working hard to serve Krsna, but sometimes they don't feel that they are working in love and devotion. They are doing the work, but sometimes...

Prabhupada: Yes, in the beginning there is no love. Let him work on the direction of God's representative. [break] Therefore it has been warned, arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati-buddhih. The Deity of Visnu, if one thinks, "This is made of stone; this is made of wood; this is made of metal," and spiritual master as ordinary human being, these are hellish considerations. Arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matih. Gurusu means the spiritual master. Nara-matih, a ordinary human being. And vaisnave jati-buddhih. And Vaisnava, a devotee -- "Oh, he is brahmana Vaisnava. He is European Vaisnava. He is this Vaisnava, that..." No. These are forbidden. Vaisnava is Vaisnava. Spiritual master... They are all transcendental. In... of course, in this country you are introducing new, but in India... Just like we had been at Tirupati, Tirumala. Many thousands of people were coming, and their daily collection is not less than 100,000 rupees. And do you think these people are coming to offer these 100,000 rupees daily to a stone? And the acaryas established this temple for bluffing these people? Does it mean, their collecting? They do not know the science, rascals. And therefore simply... Sinful life cannot help. Vina pasughnat [SB 10.1.4]. That is stated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam, that "One who is killer of animal, he cannot understand the spiritual science." Vina pasughnat [SB 10.1.4]. This is the statement. Pasughna means the animal killer. Therefore the first prohibition is stop this animal killing. Otherwise, this dull brain will not be able to understand. They are not fit for understanding. Mudha, mudha. Na mam duskrtino mudhah [Bg. 7.15]. Duskrtina means always engaged in sinful activities. They have got brain but their brain is being utilized only for sinful activities, they are called duskrtina. Krti, krti means good brain, and duskrti means brain is being utilized for sinful act. Therefore they are mudha. In spite of good brain, they are rascals, because brain is being utilized for sinful activities, how to set up up-to-date machinery for killing animals. Brain is being used for this purpose. Any animal can be killed with ordinary knife, but they're manufacturing latest machinery. Their brain, rascal brain is being used for that purpose. And what they will understand? They are preparing their road for going to hell. What they will understand about spiritual matters? Nature will not excuse. That is not possible. [break] That is sufficient for your being killed. Yes, sir. Wherefrom these laws come unless there is God's laws? Everyone will be killed. They are thinking that "We are not going to slaughterhouse to kill. They kill; we purchase." The Buddhist says like that. Everyone says like that. Therefore, according to Vedic scripture, those animal-eaters, they should kill them personally so that they can see how much suffering is there, so he will stop. But now the things are being done in the slaughterhouse. They do not see. They purchase very nicely packed. They do not know. And they are becoming implicated. Therefore, according to Vedic injunction, if you want to eat meat, you kill yourself in your front, in the front of goddess Kali. So that the animal will get next life as human being. He is promoted immediately. He hasn't got to go to the evolutionary process. He gets immediately. And it is given right that "After you get human form of (life), you can kill this person." You see? This is the process of bali-dana, mantra and everything. [Break] ...regulation that... that is not cow. An insignificant animal, goat... (end)

 
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- June 29, 1974, Melbourne

© 2001 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

For higher quality audio, you may purchase the MP3s/CDs from www.Krishna.com


I have personally seen this in train,  a small kid is eating some snacks and offering some to her father. The father refuses but the kid is persistent about giving it to the father and atlast the father accepted.

Your Servant
dinesh


Share/Bookmark

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

How can I know if God Exists?

View Online
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJbJayhYxG4

download
http://www.kissyoutube.com/watch?v=xJbJayhYxG4


Source:http://www.youtube.com/user/radhanathswamionline#p/u/1/xJbJayhYxG4

Share/Bookmark

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati

The Dangers of Criticizing Others

The Dangers of Criticizing Others

Monday, November 13, 2006

Bhakti Vidya Purna Swami, Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1, Chapter 6

Krishna cannot be attained by following the rules and regulations.

Vaishnava association is the foundation of our spiritual life. We have to learn how to appreciate the Vaishnavas. If you feel it is your business to find fault with devotees when it is not (when you are not playing the role of their spiritual superior, guru, teacher, parents, etc.) then you are in a dangerous position. The ability to find fault should be applied to ourselves, without pride, to make advancement by giving up our bad qualities.

The jiva (individual soul) is always small and dependent, and thus we must always follow the devotees, even in the spiritual world. If we analyze how we joined the Hare Krishna movement we will see it was due to association with some devotee. We advance by appreciating the good qualities of the devotees. We avoid falling down by avoiding association of people with bad qualities.

If we criticize someone, according to Mahabharata, we take on their bad qualities. If someone criticizes us and we do not get angry, that person takes your bad qualities.

Lord Caitanya said he would distribute the accumulated sinful reactions of the most evil Jagai and Madhai to those people who criticize the Lord's devotees.

In India many people know the Vedic culture but not so much the philosophy. In the Hare Krishna movement, we tend to assimilate the philosophy, but we have not really embraced the culture.

In preparing Mahabharata Vyasadeva watered down the philosophy so much to make it accessible to the people in general that it had lost the potency to be effective. [When Maharaja said that it made me wonder if we sometimes do that in our own preaching strategies. At least we should be careful not to.]

If one has strong faith in eternal damnation, it means he has little faith in the power of devotional service to God.

Krishna says in Bhagavad-gita:
• Do your duty
• In knowledge
• Without attachment
• Thinking of Krishna
• For the pleasure of Krishna

We tend to have problems understanding the first three.

Notes on Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4, Chapter 4 (entitled "Sati Quits Her Body") discussion: In a discussion about using anger in God's service, Sarvabhauma Prabhu reminded us of this pastime:
Someone asked Srila Prabhupada, "Is God love?"
Prabhupada replied, "Yes, but God is also hate."
God hates to see innocent devotees tortured by the demoniac.

"One should be extremely careful about associating with persons who are not respectful to the higher authorities" (SB 4.4.26). This applies to persons within and outside the Hare Krishna movement.

We can learn from the chapter on Sati's quitting her body.
• We should not hear blamphemy of great souls.
• We should try to rectify blamphemers.
• Having all material facility without pure devotional service doesn't satisfy our soul.


Share/Bookmark

These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • Digg
  • Sphinn
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Mixx
  • Google
  • Furl
  • Reddit
  • Spurl
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati