1. householders: great restraint

    ...the householders, who have some license for sense gratification, perform such acts with great restraint. Sex life, intoxication and meat-eating are general tendencies of human society, but a regulated householder does not indulge in unrestricted sex life and other sense gratification.
  2. Description of a Krsna conscious person

    A Krsna conscious person does not make much endeavor even to maintain his body. He is satisfied with gains which are obtained of their own accord. He neither begs nor borrows, but he labors honestly as far as is in his power, and is satisfied with whatever is obtained by his own honest labor. He is therefore independent in his livelihood. He does not allow anyone's service to hamper his own service in Krsna consciousness. However, for the service...
  3. Your mercy, Swamiji

    Once Srila Prabhupada was speaking to a wealthy Indian woman in Malaysia. She was the wife of a government minister, and he was hoping to persuade her to help him build a temple. This was in 1971, before any ISKCON temple had been built. As Srila Prabhupada spoke to the woman, she continually agreed and smiled. "Yes, yes, Swamiji," she said, folding her palms in pranamas. She seemed enthusiastic about Krsna consciousness, so after a while Srila Prabhupada showed her...
  4. Don’t retire, work for Krsna

    Foolish persons or neophytes in Krsna consciousness often want to retire from activities without having knowledge of Krsna consciousness. Arjuna's desire to retire from activities on the battlefield was not approved by the Lord. One need only know how to act. To retire from the activities of Krsna consciousness and to sit aloof making a show of Krsna consciousness is less important than actually engaging in the field of activities for the sake of Krsna.
  5. First vidhi, then raga (more)

    Vaidhi-bhakti means discharging devotional service under regulative principles. Without vaidhi-bhakti you cannot jump to raga-bhakti. Raga-bhakti is spontaneous. That does not require any regulative principles. Out of love, out of feeling, anyone wants to serve Krsna, that is called.... That is gopis. All the inhabitants of Vrndavana, they did not undergo any regulative principles. But spontaneously, they are always ready to serve God, Krsna. That is called raga-bhakti.
  6. First vidhi, then raga

    Without vidhi-bhakti you cannot reach to the platform of raga-bhakti, although that is our aim. Raganuga, raga-bhakti is executed following the footprints of the devotees in Vrndavana. That is called raga-bhakti. Krsna's personal associates. Not to become directly Krsna's personal associate, but following the footprints of Krsna's eternal associates we can come to the stage of raga-bhakti.
  7. enthusiastic, positive

    Rupa Gosvami says that spiritual life can be advanced, the first principle is utsaha. Utsahat. Utsaha means enthusiasm: "Yes, Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg. 18.66]. I will accept it and work enthusiastically on the principle, as Krsna says." Krsna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru [Bg. 18.65], and we have to do it, execute it enthusiastically: "Yes, I shall always think of Krsna." Man-manah. Krsna says directly, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah, "You just become My devotee."
  8. Srimad-Bhagavatam and newspapers

    Don't talk nonsense. Or if you talk of Krsna, then nonsense talking will stop automatically. Now you know that in our institution there are so many European boys and girls. In their own country they are very, very much fond of newspaper. If there is no newspaper, they think life is horrible. But you won't find a piece of newspaper in our temple, because they have stopped talking all nonsense. Only this Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavata. This is called vacamsi vaikuntha gunanuvarnane....
  9. The subject of Bhagavata class

    ...here we are having Bhagavata class. This is not ordinary Bhagavata class, not jumping over Krsna's rasa-lila. It is not like that. It is step by step studying what is Krsna, what is this material world, what is the sambandha, or relationship with Krsna -- so many things -- how this body has developed, how we have forgotten Krsna, how to revive our Krsna consciousness. These things must be studied first of all. Then we can understand what is Krsna's...
  10. Hearing from Mayavadis means spiritual death

    One who comes in touch with the Mayavadi... Mayavadi means one who thinks Krsna is also in maya. That is called Mayavadi. "Krsna's body is also maya." They are called Mayavadi. So Caitanya Mahaprabhu warns that mayavadi-bhasya sunile haya sarva-nasa: anyone who listens to the commentary of the Mayavadi philosopher, then his fate is doomed. He is finished. He will never be able to understand bhakti philosophy. It is so poisonous.