BIG Gyan & SKIT Spiritual Club - Prayas (March 2014)

Sri Dhaam Mayapur Yatra (March 2014)

A trip organized by Hare Krishna Community, Jaipur, India

 

For more images please visit : Sri Dhaam Mayapur Yatra 2014

Was that maya striking at us?

Advaita: Swamiji, last night our window was broken.Was that maya striking at us?

Prabhupada: Hm?

Advaita: Last night my window was broken. Was that maya striking?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Advaita: Kids broke the window?

Prabhupada: Yes. Maya is always striking. Why do you take only a window? Why do you compact maya in the window? He is without window, within the window. Maya is not only limited to a certain extent. The whole world is maya. Jagan mithya. The whole universe is maya. Only that part is not maya where the chanting Hare Krsna is there.
Devotees: Haribol. Hare Krsna.
Prabhupada: As soon as there was some slacking in Hare Krsna the maya struck. [laughs] Yes. Yes.

(Room Conversation -- New York, April 11, 1969)

Transcendental Theatre Productions (videos)

Hari-Nama Sankirtan! (videos)

Hearing from a Pure Devotee

SRIMAD-BHAGAVATAM 4.20.25
sa uttamasloka mahan-mukha-cyuto
bhavat-padambhoja-sudha kananilah
smrtim punar vismrta-tattva-vartmanah...
kuyoginam no vitaraty alam varaih

TRANSLATION
"My dear Lord, You are glorified by the selected verses uttered by great personalities. Such glorification of Your lotus feet is just like saffron particles. When the transcendental vibration from the mouths of great devotees carries the aroma of the saffron dust of Your lotus feet, the forgetful living entity gradually remembers his eternal relationship with You. Devotees thus gradually come to the right conclusion about the value of life. My dear Lord, I therefore do not need any other benediction but the opportunity to hear from the mouth of Your pure devotee."

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada:
It is explained in the previous verse that one has to hear glorification of the Lord from the mouth of a pure devotee. This is further explained here. The transcendental vibration from the mouth of a pure devotee is so powerful that it can revive the living entity's memory of his eternal relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our material existence, under the influence of illusory maya, we have almost forgotten our eternal relationship with the Lord, exactly like a man sleeping very deeply who forgets his duties. In the Vedas it is said that every one of us is sleeping under the influence of maya. We must get up from this slumber and engage in the right service, for thus we can properly utilize the facility of this human form of life. As expressed in a song by Thakura Bhaktivinoda, Lord Caitanya says, jiva jaga, jiva jaga. The Lord asks every sleeping living entity to get up and engage in devotional service so that his mission in this human form of life may be fulfilled. This awakening voice comes through the mouth of a pure devotee.
A pure devotee always engages in the service of the Lord, taking shelter of His lotus feet, and therefore he has a direct connection with the saffron mercy-particles that are strewn over the lotus feet of the Lord. Although when a pure devotee speaks the articulation of his voice may resemble the sound of this material sky, the voice is spiritually very powerful because it touches the particles of saffron dust on the lotus feet of the Lord. As soon as a sleeping living entity hears the powerful voice emanating from the mouth of a pure devotee, he immediately remembers his eternal relationship with the Lord, although up until that moment he had forgotten everything.
For a conditioned soul, therefore, it is very important to hear from the mouth of a pure devotee, who is fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the Lord without any material desire, speculative knowledge or contamination of the modes of material nature. Every one of us is kuyoga because we have engaged in the service of this material world, forgetting our eternal relationship with the Lord as His eternal loving servants. It is our duty to rise from the kuyoga platform to become suyogis, perfect mystics. The process of hearing from a pure devotee is recommended in all Vedic scriptures, especially by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. One may stay in his position of life—it does not matter what it is—but if one hears from the mouth of a pure devotee, he gradually comes to the understanding of his relationship with the Lord and thus engages in His loving service, and his life becomes completely perfect. Therefore, this process of hearing from the mouth of a pure devotee is very important for making progress in the line of spiritual understanding.

If one tries for it, then he is fool

Devotee (1): Do I have to join your movement to be happy? Can I just take Krsna consciousness outside your movement?

Prabhupada: Yes.

Devotee (1): So there is no possibility of me being Krsna conscious outside your movement.

Prabhupada: Krsna consciousness can be developed with devotees. Alone it is difficult.

Devotee (1): If I start my own community outside the movement?

Prabhupada: Yes. The community means many devotees.

Pusta Krsna: So you were saying, Srila Prabhupada, that if there is no happiness and one recognizes it, then he goes to guru.

Prabhupada: Then he must... Just like Arjuna submitted to Krsna because he was disturbed. So that is the point

where one must approach a guru, how to become happy. That is intelligence. Athato brahma jijnasa: "Now inquire about real happiness."

Pusta Krsna: So one who is looking for material happiness...

Prabhupada: He's a fool.

Pusta Krsna: ...it is very difficult for them to approach guru.

Prabhupada: He is a fool, rascal, blind. Where there is happiness not possible, he is trying to find out happiness. Therefore he is a fool. Which is not possible, if one tries for it, then he is fool.

Harikesa: But I look around and I see everybody else enjoying.

Prabhupada: Because you are fool, you are seeing like that. That is the proof that you are a fool.

Harikesa: They all tell me what a great time...

Prabhupada: Krsna says, duhkhalayam asasvatam [Bg. 8.15], and you are finding out happiness. Then how much fool you are. The best authority says that "This is a place of suffering," and you are finding out happiness. So how much fool you are, it is very difficult to estimate. (laughter) Therefore Vedic knowledge is perfect. Now just like there is signboard, "No admission." So who is the fool, create some trouble by entering into it? He's a fool. If there is signboard, "There is no admission," and if somebody enters to create some trouble, he is not a fool? So Krsna says, "There is no happiness," and if somebody searches happiness, he is not a fool? That is... Therefore Krsna consciousness required, that he gets perfect knowledge from Krsna. He has no trouble. Krsna said, "There is no happiness," and if somebody thinks, "All right, although Krsna said, let me try for it," then he is a fool.

Pusta Krsna: Similarly, they say that they can cure disease, but it's impossible.

Prabhupada: How it is possible? The disease is suffering, and this place is suffering, so where is the question of curing disease? Krsna consciousness means intelligence. We are guided by Krsna, so there is no trouble. Everything is all right. That is Krsna conscious. And as soon as you make experiment like fools and rascal, then you are doomed.

(Morning Walk -- October 20, 1975, Johannesburg)