WHY MODERN STATESMEN CANNOT BANISH CORRUPTION?

ByHis Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The principles of Mahārāja Parikshit can be still continued, and human society can still be improved if there is determination by the authorities. We can still purge out from the state all the activities of immorality introduced by the personality of Kali if we are determined to take action like Mahārāja Parikshit. He allotted some place for Kali, but in fact Kali could not find such places in the world at all because Mahārāja Parikshit was strictly vigilant to see that there were no places for gambling, drinking, prostitution and animal slaughter. Modern administrators want to banish corruption from the state, but fools as they are, they do not know how to do it. They want to issue licenses for gambling houses, wine and other intoxicating drug houses, brothels, hotel prostitution and cinema houses, and falsity in every dealing, even in their own, and they want at the same time to drive out corruption from the state. They want the kingdom of God without God consciousness. How can it be possible to adjust two contradictory matters? If we want to drive out corruption from the state, we must first of all organize society to accept the principles of religion, namely austerity, cleanliness, mercy and truthfulness, and to

TAKE SHELTER OF KRISHNA AND BECOME POWERFUL

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Ahankāra-vimūdhātmā kartāham iti manyate [Bg. 3.27]. The rascal, he is bewildered, vimūdhātmā, on account of false egotism. Just like we are inviting everyone: Please come and learn Bhagavad-gitā. “Huh! Bhagavad-gitā, let us go the sea and swim and surf.” They are taking so much trouble. I have seen in Hawaii that for hours together, they are struggling with waves. I’ve seen it South Africa also. They are very fond of this surf sporting. So they are wasting so much time and laboring so hard just to become a fish. Yes, they are going to be a fish. Because at the time of death they’ll think of “How I am jumping in the water and surfing.” That is natural. Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitah [Bg. 8.6]. Because he has constantly thought over his sporting, naturally he’ll think of sporting in the water at the time of death. So when this gross body is finished, his mental, intellectual and false ego will carry him to become a fish. Then he will have full freedom to jump within water and go against the waves – even a small fish can go against the waves. There is a Hindi poetry that a small fish can go against the big waves, whereas a big elephant is washed away. This is practical. If you put an elephant in big waves, he will be washed away. But a small fish can go against the waves. It is expert. The example is given that the fish, although it is very small, it is of the water and under the water. Therefore it is so powerful and can go against the waves.

That means āshraya – taking shelter. If one takes shelter of the supreme powerful, he also becomes powerful. The small fish has no power, but because it has taken shelter of the water, it can go against big waves, whereas a big elephant, he’ll be washed away, because he has not taken shelter of the water. On the land the elephant is very powerful, but in the water he has no power. So according to different circumstances, we become powerful. A person, he was given the opportunity of

TOP COP REFUSES TO ACCEPT THE HARE KRISHNA REVOLUTION

By Niraj Bidawatka

This Gaura Purnima, the auspicious appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, I was scheduled to meet a top cop, who holds one of the top three designations in the hierarchy of Mumbai Police. It was a scheduled meeting and he had taken time out to meet me on a public holiday. After our discussion concluded, I thanked him for taking out time to meet me on a holiday and presented a copy of our popular newspaper The Hare Krishna Revolution. He reached out and had a cursory look at it and superficially complimented me for doing the good work and handed back the paper saying, “I do not have the time to read it.” I insisted that he should keep it and read a little bit of it during spare time. But he flatly refused saying that he had no interest in reading such literature.

I was neither surprised nor dejected by this kind of a categorical refusal because I knew

WHAT DO YOU PREFER – THE KICKING PROCESS OF MAYA OR OUR PROCESS?

ByHis Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Devotee: What sort of living entity is Māyādevī?

Prabhupāda: She is Vaishnavī, a great devotee of Krishna. But she has accepted a thankless task – to punish. The policeman is a sincere government servant, but he has accepted a task – therefore nobody likes him. (laughs) If some policeman comes here, immediately you shall feel disturbed. But he is the sincere servant of government. That is the position of Māyā. Her business is to punish these rascals who have come here to enjoy. (laughter) You see? But she is a sincere servant of God.

Devotee: Is this like a post?

Prabhupāda: Yes. It is a post, thankless post. Nobody thanks, everyone derides, you see. But she is a great devotee. She tolerates and punishes. That’s all. Daivī hy esā gunamayī mama māyā duratyayā [Bg. 7.14]. She only wants to see that, “You become Krishna conscious, I leave you, that’s all.” The business of the Police is that, “You become law-abiding citizen; then I have no connection with you. So far and so long you are not a law-abiding citizen, I shall kick you as much as possible.” So Māyā’s business is like this. And we are complaining, “Why you are kicking? Why you are kicking?” “Yes, I shall kick you because you are not Krishna conscious. I shall make you Krishna conscious by kicking, kicking, kicking. That’s all. That is my business.”

But our business is to implore, trnād api sunīcena. Our preaching method is not kicking. Our preaching method is

YOU CANNOT MANUFACTURE YOUR OWN WAY OF WORSHIPING THE SUPREME LORD

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Krishna (r) with Balarama

It is a completely mistaken idea that one can worship Krishna in any form or in any way and still attain the ultimate result of receiving the favor of the Lord. This is a decision made by gross materialists. Generally such men say that you can manufacture your own way of worshiping the Supreme Lord and that any type of worship is sufficient to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Certainly there are different means for attaining different results in fruitive activity, speculative knowledge, mystic yoga and austerity. Crude men therefore say that one who adopts any of these methods achieves the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s favor. They claim that it doesn’t matter what kind of method one adopts. A general example is given: If one wishes to arrive at a certain place, there are many roads leading there, and one can go to that place by any one of these roads. Similarly, these gross materialists say, there are different ways to attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They claim that one can conceive of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as goddess Durgā, goddess Kālī, Lord Śiva, demigod Ganeśa, Lord Rāmacandra, Krishna, the impersonal Brahman or whatever, and one can chant the Lord’s name in any way and in any form. Such materialists claim that since ultimately all these names and forms are one, the result is the same. They also give the example that a man who has different names will answer if called by any one of them. Therefore, they claim, there is no need to chant the Hare Krishna mantra. If one chants the name of Kālī, Durgā, Śiva, Ganeśa or anyone else, the result will be the same.

Such claims made by mental speculators are no doubt very pleasing to mental speculators, but those who are actually in knowledge do not admit such conclusions, which are against the authority of the śāstras. A bona fide ācārya will certainly not accept such a conclusion. As Krishna clearly states in the Bhagavad-gītā (9.25):

yānti deva-vratā devān pitrn yānti pitr-vratāh

bhūtāni yānti bhūtejyā yānti mad-yājino ’pi mām

“Those who worship the demigods will take birth among the demigods, those who worship the ancestors go to the ancestors, those who worship ghosts and spirits will take birth among such beings, and those who worship Me will live with Me.”

Only the devotees of the Lord can be admitted to His kingdom—not the demigod worshipers, karmīs, yogīs or anyone else. A person who desires elevation to the heavenly planets worships various demigods, and material nature may be pleased to offer such devotees their desired positions. The material nature gives a person his own nature, by which he increases affection for different types of demigods. However, the Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) says that demigod worship is meant for men who have lost all their intelligence:

kāmais tais tair hrta-jnānāh prapadyante ’nya-devatāh

tam tam niyamam āsthāya prakrtyā niyatāh svayā

“Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures.”

Although one may be elevated to the heavenly planets, the results of such a benediction are limited:

anta-vat tu phalam tesām tad bhavaty alpa-medhasām

devān deva-yajo yānti mad-bhaktā yānti mām api

“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” (Bg. 7.23)

Being elevated to the heavenly planets or other material planets does not mean attaining an eternal life of knowledge and bliss. At the end of the material world, all attainments of material elevation will also end. Again, according to Krishna in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.55), only those who engage in His loving devotional service will be admitted to the spiritual world and return to Godhead, not others:

bhaktyā mām abhijānāti yāvān yaś cāsmi tattvatah

tato mām tattvato jnātvā viśate tad-anantaram

“One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of Me by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”

Impersonalists cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead; therefore it is not possible for them to enter into the spiritual kingdom of God and return home, back to Godhead. Actually one attains different results by different means. It is not that all achievements are one and the same. Those interested in the four principles of dharma, artha, kāma and moksa cannot be compared to those interested in the unalloyed devotional service of the Lord. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.2) therefore says:

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarānām satām

vedyam vāstavam atra vastu śiva-dam tāpa-trayonmūlanam

śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-krte kim vā parair īśvarah

sadyo hrdy avarudhyate ’tra krtibhih śuśrūsubhis tat-ksanāt

“Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāna propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Śrī Vyāsadeva, is sufficient in itself for God realization. As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, he becomes attached to the Supreme Lord.”

Those who aspire after liberation attempt to merge into the impersonal Brahman. To this end they execute ritualistic religious ceremonies, but Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam considers this a cheating process. Indeed, such people can never dream of

KRISHNA’S APPEARANCE IS NOT FORCED

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

na hy asya janmano hetuh

karmano vā mahīpate

ātma-māyām vineśasya

parasya drastur ātmanah

[Srimad Bhagavatam 9.24.57]

 

TRANSLATION

O King, Mahārāja Parīksit, but for the Lord’s personal desire, there is no cause for His appearance, disappearance or activities. As the Supersoul, He knows everything. Consequently there is no cause that affects Him, not even the results of fruitive activities. 

PURPORT

This verse points out the difference between the Supreme Personality of Godhead and an ordinary living being. An ordinary living being receives a particular type of body according to his past activities (karmanā daiva-netrena jantur dehopapattaye [SB 3.31.1]). A living being is never independent and can never appear independently. Rather, one is forced to accept a body imposed upon him by māyā according to his past karma. As explained in Bhagavad-gītā (18.61), yantrārūdhāni māyayā. The body is a kind of machine created and offered to the living entity by the material energy under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore the living entity must accept a particular type of body awarded to him by māyā, the material energy, according to his karma. One cannot independently say, “Give me a body like this” or “Give me a body like that.” One must accept whatever body is offered by the material energy. This is the position of the ordinary living being.

When Krishna descends, however, He does so out of His merciful compassion for the fallen souls. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (4.8):

paritrānāya sādhūnām

vināśāya ca duskrtām

dharma-samsthāpanārthāya

sambhavāmi yuge yuge

“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I advent Myself millennium after millennium.” The Supreme Lord is not forced to appear. Indeed, no one can subject Him to force, for He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Everyone is under His control, and He is not under the control of anyone else. Foolish people, who, because of a poor fund of knowledge think that one can equal Krishna or become Krishna, are condemned in every way. No one can equal or surpass Krishna, who is therefore described as asamaurdhva. According to the Viśva-kośa dictionary, the word māyā is used in the sense of

WHY DO DEVOTEES TAKE SHELTER OF RADHARANI?

By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

“To perform devotional service means to follow in the footsteps of Rādhārānī, and devotees in Vrindāvana put themselves under the care of Rādhārānī in order to achieve perfection in their devotional service. In other words, devotional service is not an activity of the material world; it is directly under the control of Rādhārānī. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is confirmed that the mahātmās, or great souls, are under the protection of daivī prakrti, the internal energy—Rādhārānī. So, being directly under the control of the internal potency of Krishna, devotional service attracts even Krishna Himself.” [Nectar of Devotion]

Mahātmānas tu mām pārtha daivīm prakrtim āśritāh, bhajanty ananya-manaso [Bg. 9.13]. Here we are under the influence of this material energy, but those who are devotees of Krishna – they are under the influence of internal energy. The internal energy of Krishna has got three different functions and one of the functions is hlādinī śakti. That is Rādhārānī. Rādhārānī is the pleasure potency of Krishna.

rādhā krishna-pranaya-vikrtir hlādinī śaktir asmād

ekātmānāv api purā deha-bhedam gatau tau

caitanyākhyam prakatam adhunā tad-dvayam caikyam āptam

radha-bhāva-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krishna svarūpam

 [Cc. Ādi 1.5]

That is the version of Śrī Svarūpa Dāmodara – that “Rādhā and Krishna – They are one.” When Krishna wants to enjoy, He manifests His energy – that is Rādhārānī.

Krishna cannot enjoy the material energy; He enjoys the internal energy. Krishna has got many energies. Parāsya śaktir vividhaiva śrūyate, svābhāvakī-jnāna-bala-kriyā ca: The Supreme Absolute Truth has got multi-energies, and by utilizing and manipulating that energy,

HOW DO WE ENTER INTO THE MODES OF GOODNESS?

In conversation with Srila Prabhupada

Tamāla Krishna: How do we enter into the modes of goodness?

Prabhupāda: Just try to follow the four principles as we have prescribed: no intoxication, no gambling, no illicit sex, and no meat-eating. That’s all. This is goodness. These prohibitions are there. Why? Just to keep you in goodness. In every religion… Now, in the Ten Commandments also, I see that “Thou shall not kill.” The same thing is there, but people are not obeying. That is a different thing. Nobody can be religious unless he is situated in the modes of goodness. A passionate person or a person in ignorance cannot be elevated to the religious platform. Religious platform means in goodness. Then you can understand. On the platform of goodness, you can understand the All-good. If you are on the platform of ignorance or passion, how can you understand the All-good? That is not possible. So one has to keep himself in goodness, and that goodness means one should follow the prohibitions.

Either you follow the Ten Commandments or

A WIFE IS LIKE A DELHI LADDU

Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to Jayananda

Vrindaban       

1 September, 1975

75-09-01

Tampa

My Dear Jayananda das:

Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated August 11, 1975 and have noted the contents. What you have done is good. Why should you remarry? Rather you should take sannyasa. Now you are getting very good training. Why has Jayatirtha suggested you to remarry?

In Delhi there is a certain kind of laddu which has such a taste, that anyone who has tasted it once, he laments, “Oh how I would like to taste again.” And anyone who has never tasted, he also laments, “Oh I have never tasted.” So one who has tasted, and one who has not tasted, both are lamenting. Wife is

SHOULD WE EAT IN FRONT OF THE DEITIES?

Prabhupada Distributing Prasadam

Prabhupāda: You distribute that prasādam. Give everyone.

Devotee: Is this a laddu?

Prabhupāda: Yes. I will also take little. Now distribute. [Pause] Oh, you take more. Why little, little? Give more. Give me also little more.

Trivikrama: Jaya!

Prabhupāda: Mmm. It is very nice.

Devotee: Prabhupāda distributes mercy to the world.

Prabhupāda: Who has made it?

Karandhara: Dhruvānanda.

Prabhupāda: Oh. He is a good cook!

Karandhara: Yes.

Prabhupāda: Mmm. He has made nice.

Sudāmā: Shall I save one for later for you?

Prabhupāda: No, no saving. [Laughter.] Give me immediately. [Laughter.] Give them.

Romaharsana: Prabhupāda? Your Divine Grace? I have a question. I was always under the impression or understanding from your teachings that one never eats in front of the Deities. Can you please explain that?

Syāmasundara: He says that he always understood that one should not eat in front of the Deity. What is the difference?

Prabhupāda: Difference is generally we should not eat before the Deity. But there is another