Author: Bhakti Vikasa Swami

Acyutananda: In Calcutta we have a life member, Veni Sankara Sharma? You stayed at his house? Prabhupada: Hm, yes. Acyutananda: So he wrote a book called An Unknown Chapter of the Life of Swami Vivekananda. And in there he openly says that he smoked a hookah and ate meat.

To know simply "I believe in God," that is not sufficient. The ultimate goal is to attain very intimate relationship or love of Godhead. That is required. Of course, to know, to believe in God, to accept God, that is all right. It is better than the atheist. But that is not end.

srutasya pumsam sucira-sramasya nanv anjasa suribhir idito 'rthah tat-tad-gunanusravanam mukunda- padaravindam hrdayesu yesam

...our Karttikeya was telling that the boys, the young boys and girls put forward this theory that "Our parents have made the position of the world so unsafe. So we do not know when we shall, our this body will be finished.

Prabhupada: Baddha-jiva, every moment he is under the strict laws of nature. Generally they think that.... They speak also. "I think." Do they not say? "I think," as if he is independently thinking. What you can think? Hm? Acyutananda Maharaja, why do they say, "I think," "In my opinion"? What is the value of your opinion?

Our relationship is eternal. But if somebody lags behind, so in spite of our eternal relationship one may not meet other at the destination. Just like a flock of birds -- although very intimately related, everyone of them has to fly in the sky by individual strength. If one is less strong, the other cannot keep him in the sky.

Srila Prabhupada said: Why our men does not become ready before four o'clock and have mangala arati and kirtana? If our habits are not changed, then what is the use of spending so much money?

...be sober, stick to the principles, read the books carefully, learn more and more about the whole situation, and as far as possible, live conveniently.

In the material existence of life, one is certainly influenced by propensities for lust and desire for dominating the resources of material nature. Desire for overlording and for sense gratification is the greatest enemy of the conditioned soul; but by the strength of Krsna consciousness, one can control the material senses, the mind and the intelligence.

Once a servant of Srila Prahupada’s confided in me that Srila Prabhupada would sometimes sit very still for long hours if he became disturbed by a disciple writing to request a divorce. Gurudas Prabhu once noted that -- before the days of watches with batteries -- Prabhupada would sit so still that his automatic self-wind Bulova watch would stop.

I fell asleep during so many of your lectures, in L.A., Bombay, I was tired from work for you, but that is no excuse. You said, "I notice you fall asleep."