Author: HH Bhakti Vikas Swami

Sri Krishna Kapoor was a big mill owner. He had a big car, and he took Prabhupada to the beach every morning. Mr. Kapoor’s dog, a big black German Shepherd, sat right beside Prabhupada in the back seat. Mr. Kapoor thought it was completely OK. He used to walk on the beach with his dog, […]

Acyutananda Swami was standing next to Prabhupada that night in the Calcutta temple. “Prabhupada,” he said, “someone put Krsna’s flute in backward.” Prabhupada looked. It was backward. “Krsna is all-powerful” he said, turning to Acyutananda Swami. “He can play from the back end also.” from Srila Prabhupada lilamrta

This [book distribution] is our most important work. All the leaders should tax their brains for increasing the sales of our books. I have always said that if we simply rely on book distribution all our needs will be met. From Srila Prabhupada’s letter to Rupanuga; 11 January 1976

A brahmacari is good for living a life of celibacy, but a person who can live a life of celibacy in the presence of a beautiful and obliging wife is more than a brahmacari. Of course anyone who is stuck up with only one wife is also called brahmacari. You will set a very good […]

Guest (5): I have great difficulty with the meaning of the term “perfect knowledge.” I… Could you… Prabhupada: Perfect knowledge means what you say, it is correct; there is no mistake. Guest (5): In any and all circumstances. Prabhupada: Yes. That is perfect knowledge. Not like the scientists. They changes: “Yes, it was this. Now […]

The purpose of pranayama, or mystic yoga, is to stop the mind and senses from engaging in fruitive activities. The so-called yogis who practice in Western countries have no idea of this. The aim of pranayama is not to make the body strong and fit for working hard. The aim is worship of Krsna. So-called […]

The minds of those who are addicted to fruitive activity are always filled with unclean desires. Fruitive activities are symptomatic of our polluted desire to dominate material nature. As long as one continues to be subject to polluted desires, he has to accept one material body after another. From Srila Prabhupada’s purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.23.8

The disease of the modern civilized man is his disbelief of everything in the revealed scriptures. Faithless nonbelievers cannot make progress in spiritual realization, for they cannot understand the spiritual potency. Although there are varieties of personalities, from Brahma down to the insignificant ant, all of whom are living beings, their development of knowledge is […]

People in general in Kali-yuga are so fallen that it is not possible for them to obtain perfection simply by studying Vedanta-sutra. One should therefore seriously take to the constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord. Although Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna, the spiritual master of the entire […]

Human life is meant not for becoming a hog or dog, but for tapo divyam [SB 5.5.1], transcendental austerity. Everyone should be taught to undergo austerity, tapasya. Although it may not be possible to undergo tapasya like that of Prsni and Sutapa, the sastra has given an opportunity for a method of tapasya very easy […]

Practically there is no religion. And without religion human society is animal society. Dharmena hina pasubhih samanah: “Human being without any ideas of religion, God, he is no better than animal.” That is the difference between animal and human being. Animals eat, we eat; animals sleep, we sleep; animals have sexual intercourse, we have; animals […]

Prabhupada:  …paper it was published that “Swami Bhaktivedanta has come in the right time.” And what is that? Satsvarupa: Yes, in a number of articles, the writer notes that Prabhupada came at a perfect time in history, and went to the right place, the lower East Side of New York, and then again in Haight […]