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Glories of the Holy Name by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada
From Amrita Vani, Achieving Perfection, 47. According to Mahaprabhu, what is a human being’s most important duty? by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa Sri Caitanyadeva inaugurated the sankirtana movement and delivered the fallen souls of this age. He is the most magnanimous personality. In the verse beginning trnad api, He taught that chanting Krsna’s holy name is our only duty. Those who desire liberation and eternal happiness, as well as those who desire the treasure of love of God, should always chant the Lord’s holy name. The Lord’s name is nondifferent from Him. It is capable of delivering us from material existence and awarding us…
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Srila Bhaktisiddhanta on Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Appearance
From Amrita Vani, Sri Chaitanyadeva by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa 9. How does the Supreme Lord perform His appearance pastimes? Since mother Saci and Jagannath Misra are eternally perfect devotees, their hearts and bodies consist of pure goodness. They are never to be considered ordinary jlvas. Pure goodness is also called vasudeva. Lord Vasudeva, who enjoys transcendental pastimes, appears only in pure goodness, or vasudeva. Mother Saci’s pregnancy did not occur through lusty association with her husband, as if they were a mundane male and female interested only in sense gratification, whose bodies were made of flesh, bones, and blood. Even to think…
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“Become A Spiritual Master”
Srila Prabhupada’s Class on Bhagavad-gita 2.2, August 3, 1973, London Pradyumna: Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. (leads chanting of verse) (Prabhupāda and devotees repeat) śrī bhagavān uvāca kutas tvā kaśmalam idaṁ viṣame samupasthitam anārya-juṣṭam asvargyam akīrti-karam arjuna (BG 2.2) (break) śrī bhagavān uvāca—the Supreme Personality of Godhead said; kutaḥ—wherefrom; tvā—unto you; kaśmalam—dirtiness; idam—this lamentation; viṣame—this hour of crisis; samupasthitam—arrived; anārya—persons who do not know the value of life; juṣṭam—practiced by; asvargyam—that which does not lead to higher planets; akīrti—infamy; karam—the cause of; arjuna—O Arjuna. Translation: “The Supreme Person, Bhagavān, said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you? They…
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A Glimmer of His Causeless Mercy
From Amrita Vani, Material and Spiritual Topics by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa 2. Does lack of faith in God cause distress? Wherever there is an absence of complete faith in the most auspicious personality, there is bound to be inauspiciousness. Therefore, the ascending or unauthorized path should be totally rejected and the descending or authorized path of disciplic succession accepted. If we really want to benefit, we will have to offer everything we have accumulated since birth to the Lord’s lotus feet without reservation and await His causeless mercy. Until we are favored by a glimmer of His causeless mercy, we will not…
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Fault-find Yourself First!
From Amrita Vani, Devotional Service by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa 49. Is anger toward those envious of devotees a limb of devotional service? We should display anger toward those who are envious of devotees. This is a particular limb of devotional service. A lack of anger against blasphemers is unjustified. But we need to understand who is actually envious of devotees. Those who do not serve the Supreme Lord, the Supersoul and most blissful friend of all living entities, do not benefit themselves but instead invite trouble by their envy of Krsna and the Vaisnavas. Such people are branded as envious, and we…
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Selection From Amrita Vani, The Spiritual Master
by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada, English translation by Bhumipati dasa 60. Who can act as our spiritual master? Only that great personality who has been sent by the Lord from the spiritual world into this world to deliver fallen souls like us, who delivers people who are afflicted with the threefold miseries and sends them back to Godhead, who is most dear to the Supreme Lord and who represents Him, and who is the messenger of transcendental subject matter, is capable of acting as our spiritual master. He is an actual devotee and an actual spiritual master whose ax-like words remain always sharpened to sacrifice our propensities for material…
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Perfect Discretion Part 3 of 3
by Nitya Krishna dasa Srila Prabhupada, Can a Sudra Be Guru? The GBC’s journey from being the 1978 rubber stamp for the autocratic zonal acaryas acting in the tradition of guru’s supreme authority to being the ecclesiastical and absolute masters of all affairs “ISKCON” is now largely complete. In recent years the ISKCON Law Book has even contained a number of mandatory vows that their apparent gurus have to agree to and sign. In keeping with the body’s priority of maintaining political control of the assets and personnel of the movement, these vows are quite specific to the institution governed by them, as opposed to Krishna consciousness…
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Perfect Discretion Part 2 of 3
by Nitya Krishna dasa On the Killing of Brahminical Culture Having apparent gurus serve at the pleasure of the GBC puts them in a dependent, employee-like relationship with the body. In real Vedic culture a bona fide spiritual master is in the highest social position. Such a Vaishnava is above even the intellectual brahmanas. This is because he has all those qualifications but has advanced still further to performing devotional service to Krishna. The genuine spiritual master thus never has to serve any institution of the material world, such as the GBC, because he is freely distributing love of Krishna to everyone. “And servant, when one becomes…
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The Question Science Doesn’t Ask (or Answer)
Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, April 26, 1973 Devotee: (introducing recording) Prabhupāda’s morning walk. Los Angeles, April 26, 1973. Prabhupāda: . . . about animals not willing to die. Why? What is the psychology? Nobody wants to die. Svarūpa Dāmodara: They will ask, “How do I know that animals do not want to die?” Prabhupāda: That is another foolishness. As soon as you want to kill, it cries. Man or animal, anyone. Even the trees, they feel pain. That is also . . . you do not know that? Svarūpa Dāmodara: They’re conscious. Prabhupāda: No. They feel pain. You know Jagadisha Bose’s pulsitation . . .? What is called? Svarūpa Dāmodara:…
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Perfect Discretion Part 1 of 3
(On Accepting the GBC as Spiritual Authority) by Nitya Krishna dasa “Devotees may be divided into three classes. The devotee in the first or uppermost class is described as follows: one is very expert in the study of relevant scriptures, and he is also expert in putting forward arguments in terms of those scriptures. He can very nicely present conclusions with perfect discretion and can consider the ways of devotional service in a decisive way. . . . . . The first-class devotee never deviates from the principles of higher authority, and he attains firm faith in the scriptures by understanding with all reason and arguments. When we…
