Author: Bhakti Vikasa Swami

Prabhupada: Krsna's mercy is always there. It is your misuse of free will. You are given the opportunity -- that is fortune. But you do not accept the fortune. That is your misfortune. That is stated in the Caitanya-caritamrita. Lord Caitanya said, ei rupe brahmanda bhramite kona bhagyavan jiva [Cc. Madhya 19.151]. Kono -- some fortunate man can accept it. Because mostly they are unfortunate.

Life should be molded in such a way that in every step or action, we shall feel the presence of the Lord. That is spiritual life. That is spiritual life. You need not change your present occupation. ... The aim is toward Krsna. ... Now, suppose a man or woman is in love, and the man is a third person, beyond the husband of the wife, beyond the, of the woman.

In the Brahma-samhita the transcendental land of Vrndavana is described as being always spiritual. That spiritual land is populated by goddesses of fortune, who are known as gopis. These are all beloved of Krsna, and Krsna is the only lover of all those gopis. The trees of that land are all desire trees: you can have anything you want from any tree.

Even there is no loss by falling down from this path, that does not mean that we should neglect it. No. Formerly, in Medical College of Calcutta the students who failed in the final examination, they were given some title, L.M.S., "License in Medical, Medicine and Surgery," L.M.S. And those who passed, they were given the title M.D. or M.D.

Putana wanted to serve Krsna by feeding Krsna with her breast, but the purpose was the breast was poison, so Krsna would suck the milk and He would die. There is a different motive. But still, Krsna is so kind that He thought that "This rascal Putana, she wanted to kill Me, but she does not know that I am not a person to be killed, but still, although the motive was to kill Me, but she has served...

...always trying to render some service to the Lord. How? Priti-purvakam: "with love and faith." Not that "Oh, I have to do it? All right, let me do." No. "Oh, I have to do it? Let me do it nicely." Unless there is love, you cannot do it nicely, any matter. In the material world also, unless you have got some attachment for something, you cannot act it very nicely.

Every man is hungry for spiritual happiness. Therefore they are not satisfied. They are trying to gratify their senses in so many ways, but still they are not satisfied, because actually he is hungry. Just like this child crying. Mother is offering something, but he's still crying. That means he is asking something which the mother cannot understand.

Krsna consciousness, or bhakti, devotional service, means to develop attachment for Krsna and in the same proportion develop detachment for material sense gratification. Two things cannot go on. Just like here is a glass containing water. If you want to put milk in this glass, then you have to throw away the water. If you think that "I shall keep half water, half milk," that can be done, but both of them becomes diluted or polluted. If you want...

avinasi tu tad viddhi yena sarvam idam tatam vinasam avyayasyasya na kascit kartum arhati [Bg. 2.17] Now Krsna is giving a practical way of understanding the presence of soul. He says, yena sarvam idam tatam: "One thing, which is spread all over the body, that is avinasi." That means immortal. So what is that which is spread all over the body? It is not the skin, not the... This is also spread over the body.

Ksatriya means who gives protection the citizens from being hurt by the irreligious person. That is called ksatriya. Ksat. Ksat means injury, and tra means deliver. Just like Maharaja Pariksit. When he saw that a black man Kali was going to kill a cow, so he was going to inflict injury to the cow, and immediately Maharaja Pariksit took his sword, that to give protection to the cow from the injury of black man.

The prayers of Narottama dasa Thakura. This sound is above the material platform. It is directly from the spiritual platform. And there is no need of understanding the language. It is just like a thunderburst. Everyone can hear the sound of thunder--there is no misunderstanding. Similarly, these songs are above the material platform, and they crack like thunder within your heart.

Yesterday I was presented with a paper, Indian government scheme to help people starting small-scale industries, and government is ready to help. [aside:] You sit cross-legged, not like that. All of you. So a small industry, there are so many motor parts, so many other parts. About 200, 300 items, government is ready to help a small industry. But the government does not know or the leaders do not know that to engage people in such industrial affair means...