Vaishnava Calendar:December 2018

Vaishnava Calendar: December 2017
"Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur Appearance Day"
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Pious and Sinful

 Somebody, because there are three qualities of the nature—sattva-guṇa, rajo-guṇa, tamo-guṇa. So the natural laws will go on under the three laws. Therefore always we shall find three classes or three status of living condition. That will be explained in Bhagavad-gītā. Even, everywhere there are different species of life. Everywhere these three qualities are working. Just like there are some good trees. Good trees means which are producing nice fruits and flowers. They are good trees. And there are trees, no fruit, no flower, very long standing. No use. No useful purpose. I've seen in Los Angeles, big, big palm trees, very long, but there is no fruit. In India there are palm trees like that, they bear fruit, very nice fruit, tal. Very sweet fruit. So any tree which does not give us nice fruit or nice flower, that is sinful. Amongst the trees also there are pious trees, there are sinful trees, amongst the animals also there are pious animals, sinful animals. Just like dog and the cow. Cow is pious animal and the dog is sinful animal. So natures, amongst the birds, this crow is sinful bird. And the ducks, white swan, they are pious bird. The peacocks. So similarly in the human society also, there are pious men and sinful men. Those who are pious they have got different position. Janmaiśvarya-śruta-śrī.... 

[SB 1.8.26] Pious man means born in very good family, rich family. Janma, aiśvarya, aiśvarya means riches, opulence. Janma, first-class aristocratic family, brāhmaṇa family. Janmaiśvarya-śruta, educated, highly educated; śrī, beautiful. These are the signs of pious life. And similarly just the opposite, ugly, no education, born in poor family or low grade family, poor. These are the things.

 Bhagavad-gītā 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973

"Without seeing, he cannot be spiritual master."

Now, one may question, 'Whether you have seen Kṛṣṇa?' So how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Yes. A spiritual master must have seen Kṛṣṇa. Without seeing, he cannot be spiritual master. But how Kṛṣṇa can be seen? Kṛṣṇa can be seen by love. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (BS 5.38). Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti. Just like if you are in love with somebody, you can see him constantly—he is always on your eyes, anyone you love—so similarly, Kṛṣṇa also can be seen by development of love. Otherwise how we can see Kṛṣṇa? He is so great, unlimited. Your eyes, your senses, are all limited. You cannot see the unlimited by your limited sense perception. But you can see... Not you can see, but svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ. When you are developed in the sense of love of Godhead, then He reveals unto you. Therefore you can see.

Just like the sun. You cannot see the sun by challenge at night. If somebody says, 'Come on. I shall show you. See. Take some aeroplane,' what he will see? He can travel all the sky; still, he cannot see the sun. Similarly, this is an example. At night you cannot see the sun, but when the sun rises, you can see the sun, you can see yourself also. By seeing sun, you can see yourself, you can see the world. Similarly, when you see Kṛṣṇa, then you see everything.

Without seeing Kṛṣṇa, your eyes are blind, your senses are imperfect. Therefore it is said that 'Self-realized soul can impart knowledge unto you because he has seen the truth.'"

(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, January 12, 1969)

This is the latest fashion

Devotee (2): Charlie Chaplin kept us up all night.
Prabhupāda: Hm.
Devotee (2): Charlie Chaplin kept us up all night. (laughs) Charlie Chaplin show.
Prabhupāda: Hm. That was nice. (laughter) He is really funny man. (laughs) He has got originality. All his comic play has got some originality, that is the beauty. How he invented! (laughs) I think that character, when he was a drunkard, he was a great friend, (laughs) and when he's not drunkard, "Who is this man?'' (laughs) He's grave(?) as rich man. And as drunkard, "You pay. You are my friend, life-long friend. Whatever you want, you take.'' (laughs) So these characters he's painting, it's very good intelligence. And he made him friend when he was going to commit suicide.
Devotee (1): Yeah, he stopped him.
Prabhupāda: He stopped him. Accidentally he stopped. (laughs) Not willingly.
Devotee (2): Yes. He tried to pull him up from the water, he went in himself.
Prabhupāda: It is very nice, funny man with intelligence. And before him there was another, Mr. Max Linder.
Devotee: Max Linder.
Prabhupāda: Yes. He was also very funny Englishman. In our childhood we used to enjoy their play, Max Linder and Chaplin, or Charlie Chaplin.
Devotee: They were showing them in India?
Prabhupāda: Uh? Yes. Max Linder, I remember, he was sitting in a park. (laughter) You know that?
Devotee: I don't know anything about it.
Prabhupāda: He was sitting in a park, so that English dress, that tail coat? What is called?
Devotee: Coattails, yeah.
Prabhupāda: So the tail was hanging, so some naughty boys, they fixed up nails, you see? So when he got up, the whole tail gone, you see? But he could not understand. He went to the ball dance. So he's dancing, so everyone's seeing his tail, in this way. So he thought, "Oh, what is the matter?'' He went to the mirror and he saw, "Oh, my tail is lost.'' (laughs) Then he came again in the ball dance and he was pushing everyone, just to show. And everyone was asking, "What is this? What is this?'' "Oh, you do not know? This is latest fashion. This is latest fashion.'' Then all of them cut the tails. I think he had taken the idea, (Sanskrit). This is Sanskrit story, that (Sanskrit), or monkey, he lost his tail, and he began to advertise, "This is the latest fashion.'' So that ball-dancing without tail, that was, I remember, it is very enjoyable. They say that Charlie Chaplin is the student of Max Linder. He learned this funny play from Max Linder. So I knew Charlie Chaplin is an Englishman

 Room Conversation -- August 1, 1972, London

Good physician means a bona fide spiritual master

"Good physician means a bona fide spiritual master. Then, by his advice, just like a patient is cured by following the instruction of a bona fide physician, similarly, this disease of being kicked up from one body to another, this could be stopped by the instruction of a bona fide sādhu, saintly person, or spiritual master or śāstra, scripture. So the scriptures and the saintly persons and the spiritual master, they are on the same level. Because a sādhu who is a saintly person, he would not place anything which is not sanctioned by the scripture. Similarly, a bona fide spiritual master means he is following the footprints of the previous ācāryas. Therefore he is bona fide. So scripture is the medium through which we have to get our experience and knowledge through the explanation of sādhu, saintly persons and spiritual master. "

 Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22.14-20 -- New York, January 10, 1967

This is dishonesty.

Prabhupāda: Yes. Ācārya means he must show by example. Āpani ācari bhakti śikhāimu sabāre. Hare Kṛṣṇa...
Umāpati: Is there such a thing as a sincere atheist...
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Umāpati: ...who benefits by austerity?
Prabhupāda: Atheist? Atheist? How he's sincere?
Umāpati: That's what I... That's what I'm asking.
Prabhupāda: Honest thief? It is contradictory. If I say, "Here is an honest thief," is that a good designation, honest thief?
Umāpati: Well, in that case, that's so. You're right. It's absurd. Yes.
Prabhupāda: So...
Yaśomatīnandana: A sincere atheist...
Umāpati: But there are those who appear... At least, they think, they feel they are sincere when they go through austerities, but they won't accept Kṛṣṇa consciousness as, at this point in their, in their existence.
Prabhupāda: No, some atheists say that "We are Godless because nobody has convinced us about the existence of God." That is honesty. That is honesty. But there are rascals, however you may convince him, he'll not take it. That is rascaldom.
Yaśomatīnandana: Believe in God.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hṛdayānanda: So the honest ones become devotees?
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hṛdayānanda: We were all...
Prabhupāda: If he's honest, then he must take.
Yaśomatīnandana: We were all atheists, Prabhupāda.
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Yaśomatīnandana: We were all atheists.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If you, if, if, if an atheist is honest, then when he's convinced, he must accept Kṛṣṇa. That is honesty. If after convincing him, he does not take, that is dishonesty.
Umāpati: Yes.
Prabhupāda: This is dishonesty.

 Morning Walk -- December 5, 1973, Los Angeles

Accusation is always there

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: When we distribute these books, Śrīla Prabhupāda, we think that it is you who are distributing them, that they are your books, and we are simply assisting to offer them to people. It is actually you who are doing all the preaching.

Prabhupāda: It is Kṛṣṇa's book, we are all servants, engaged. [break] (laughing) Here your parents accusing me, and in India the caste brāhmaṇas accusing me. My standing... I do not know what is my standing. Your parents are accusing me, "This rascal, converting our sons to become mendicant without any material enjoyment." And there, "This rascal is giving sacred thread to the mlecchas and yavanas." (Still laughing)

Viṣṇujana: Is that why you keep traveling, Prabhupāda, so they won't catch you?

Prabhupāda: Nārada Muni was accused by Prajāpati Dakṣa that "You are traveling in the dress of a sādhu, but you are the most sinful man. You have turned my sons in the renounced order of life to become beggar, without any advancement, without any enjoyment." So that accusation is always there, beginning from Nārada Muni down to us. Some parents came to demonstrate?

Brahmānanda: In Los Angeles, yes. I understand they've demonstrated before, someone was saying? They had placards, and they were marching.

Bhāvānanda: In Laguna Beach they also.

Prabhupāda: Therefore Dr. Judah has said...

Brahmānanda: He has dedicated his book, "To the parents and to the devotees."

Prabhupāda: He has tried to pacify the parents.

Brahmānanda: Yes. Another parent is coming to see you today.

Prabhupāda: Oh, to accuse me? (laughter)

 Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver