Author: Bhakti Vikasa Swami

  1. The basic principle of Krsna consciousness

    Even in this material world we can have a little sense of love. How is this possible? It is due to the love which is found in the Godhead. Whatever we find within our experience within this conditional life is situated in the Supreme Lord, who is the ultimate source of everything. In our original relationship with the Supreme Lord there is real love, and that love is
  2. ISKCON, Ramakrishna Mission, and social work

    Dr. Copeland: And what is your relationship with, say, the Ramakrishna Mission? Prabhupada: Oh, we have no relation. We don't accept them as any authority. Dr. Copeland: Why not? Prabhupada: Because they are not doing according to sastra. They are doing whimsically. Dr. Copeland: But they are doing very good social work. Prabhupada: That social work has nothing to do
  3. Mahaprabhu, kartals and mridanga

    Chaturatma: One night there was a darshan with one musician. I never got the understanding whether this was a person coming to Krishna consciousness or this person was already a devotee. Anyway, this was someone who wanted to use his western rock and roll guitar style in service to Lord Chaitanya. Prabhupada was very adamant and the guy kept bringing the point up two
  4. Sannyasis as gurus

    Simply travel and preach depending on Krsna for all material arrangements. Not worrying much about my bodily care, not worrying much about foodstuffs, not worrying much about my shelter. Simply worrying about how to preach, mad after preaching, reaching to as many people as possible, distributing literatures, travelling. Distributing prasadam, so many things. This is
  5. Live 1,500 years to study Srimad-Bhagavatam

    Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam is presented in such a nice way that go on reading, reading, there are eighteen thousand verses, and in each verse you will find new knowledge about God, Srimad-Bhagavatam. And if you study one verse, it will take at least one month. Professor Durckheim: Yes, I suppose so. Prabhupada: Yes. So eighteen thousand month you have to live.
  6. Don’t trust the mind

    After capturing animals, a cunning hunter does not put faith in them, for they might run away. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life do not put faith in the mind. Indeed, they always remain vigilant and watch the mind's action. All the learned scholars have given their opinion. The mind is by nature very restless, and one should not make friends with it.
  7. Marriage: legalized prostitution

    The basic principle of material attraction is sex. We have organized sex life in many social conventions. Marriage is a social convention that gives sex a nice finishing touch, that's all. Sometimes it is said that marriage is legalized prostitution. But for keeping up social relations one has to accept some regulative principles, some restrictions on sense
  8. Bound by a tie of spontaneous love

    Because of his development of transcendental attachment for the Supreme Lord, a surrendered soul feels the presence of his beloved everywhere, and all his senses are engaged in the loving service of the Lord. His eyes are engaged in seeing the beautiful couple Sri Radha and Krsna sitting on a decorated throne beneath a desire tree in the transcendental land of
  9. Get many new devotees by public chanting

    You have to take sankirtana party. That should be the main business. At least sixteen men, four mrdangas. Practice mrdanga like that. And twelve cymbals, and one chanting and all others responding. Oh, it will be tremendous. Take some flags, "ISKCON, Hare Krsna" flag, red flag. And conchshell, mrdanga. Yes. Oh, you will get devotees. You just begin sankirtana party.
  10. Six kinds of people

    Srila Prabhupada said — There are basically six types of human beings: Those who see only the bad in someone else; those who see both good and bad in others and choose the bad; those who see a little bad in someone and choose to make it very big. These are three. Then there are those who see both good and bad and choose the good; then those who see only good in