Krsna says…I am the healing herb–not Big pharma

September 29, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

June 20 1973
Prabhupāda: So everything in nature has to give something. That is the order. Everything that we see, nadyaḥ, the river… Why God has created the river? It has got a function. Similarly samudrāḥ, the oceans, similarly the hills, mountains, girayaḥ, savanaspati, vegetables. All these vegetables which are growing, each and every vegetable, creeper, has some service, we do not know. Because we do not know the use of these vegetables, creepers, we go to the doctor, physician. Otherwise, if somebody is ill, the medicine is there. We do not know how to utilize it. Still in remote villages, in forest, they do not come to the physician, doctors. The bils, the aborigines, they know so many drugs. For toothache, we go to the dentist and they extract the teeth, but I have read in Ayurvedic medicine, there is a drug, a root. Only if you touch this side of the mouth, all the germs collected within the teeth will come out. I have seen it. Sometimes in the year 1931 or ’32 I had a very severe tooth pain. So I was taken by my servant in the jungle to some, this vaidya. They cured me, and the dentist could not. I attended so many times to the dentist. I have got my practical experience. And in the Ayurvedic literature there is mention some drug, the root only if you touch here, the germs collected in the teeth, they will come out in the corner of the teeth some germs—sometimes it is itching; there is all germs—so they will come out. Sometimes pains in the toe. All they are germs. The germ theory is all right, but they want to cure these germs in different way. But by nature’s way there are so many drugs and roots and creepers that can cure all the diseases.
Similarly the river, the river has its function to supply water all the year. During rainy season the water is collected on the top of the hill. It is stocked there by God’s arrangement, and they come down. Just like we, by power pump, we get water down to the top of the roof and stock there. Similarly, on high level of hills and mountains water is stocked. Sometimes they are stocked in ice form, not in liquid form. So according to the seasonal changes the ice becomes melted and the water is supplied. It comes through the river. The same thing is there, but because we have now turned to become demons, the river sometimes overfloods, killing so many men and animals, at the loss. Actually everything is meant for kāmam, for supplying our necessities. And as soon as you are disobedient to God, demons, nature will give you punishment. Instead of supplying you water, water is there, it will overflood. You will be in trouble.
So these rascals, they cannot see how nature is strong and it is controlling everything.

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Ignorance is the cause of sin–removed by 16 rounds-and dont sleep or eat until done–SP

September 28, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Feb 17 1971 Gorakhpur conversations
Prabhupāda: The sense of form.Because your brain is congested with impersonalism, you cannot understand what is spiritual form. That is your defect.
Guest: That is the trouble.
Prabhupāda: Yes. (Hindi) All hodgepodge things should be…
Guest: (Hindi)
Prabhupāda: Yes. Therefore… (Hindi) What is this intellect? It is ignorance. This is not intellect. It is ignorance. You are accepting something wrong. That is ignorance. Ignorance is jñānavān. Bahūnāṁ janmanām ante jñānavān māṁ prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. That is knowledge. This is ignorance. He does not know Kṛṣṇa. And one who does not know Kṛṣṇa, he has no value of his knowledge. Bhāgavata says, na te viduḥ svārtha-gatiṁ hi viṣṇuṁ [SB 7.5.31]. Knowledge, what is the target of knowledge? To go up to Viṣṇu, to understand. Tad viṣṇuṁ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti surayaḥ.Those who are actually intelligent, they are simply observing the Viṣṇu form. This is Vedic mantra. So unless you reach to that point, your knowledge has no value. It is ignorance. Nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yogamāyā-samāvṛtaḥ [Bg. 7.25]. So long you do not understand Kṛṣṇa, that means your knowledge is covered still.
yeśām anta-gataṁ pāpaṁ janānāṁ punya-karmaṇām te dvanda-moha-nirmuktā
bhajante māṁ dṛḍha-vratāḥ
Ignorance means pāpa. Through ignorance one commits sin. Just like a man kills somebody in ignorance that he will be killed also. He does not know. Just like so many people are killing animals. They do not know that the animal also kill him. That is ignorance.Just like here the law is life for life. If you take one life, then you have to give your life. State law. Is it not? If you kill somebody, then you’ll be killed also.So why not God’s law like that? But they are ignorant; they are killing animals. That is ignorance. Killing means sin.Why they are committing this sin? Ignorance. He does not know the law that he will also be killed. Karma-bandhana. Yajñārthāt karmaṇo ‘nyatra karma-bandhanaḥ. He’ll be bound up by his actions. And he does not know. That is ignorance.So this whole world is, this material world is full of ignorance. Therefore it is called tamasi. Tamasi mā jyotir gama. That ignorance is, I mean to say, dissipated simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness. There is no other method. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ [Cc. Antya 20.12].Simply by Kṛṣṇa consciousness, that ignorance can be dissipated. Otherwise not. Not possible. Kṛṣṇa therefore says, sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ.Completely eradicated from the platform of ignorance is very rarely to be found. Sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ. There may be so many mahātmās, but such mahātmā who has fully surrendered to Kṛṣṇa is very rare.Therefore one who has surrendered to Kṛṣṇa, he is perfect mahātmā, he is perfect yogi.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda?Suppose for one who’s not completely surrendered, how will he make choices? For example, suppose that there seem to be two different ways of serving Kṛṣṇa…
Prabhupāda:He should consult his spiritual master.

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Dont hear scripture cited by the devil–SP

September 26, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Aug 14 1971 London conversations
Prabhupāda: Irritated… If your mind is in peace… If you are not indulging in intoxication, gambling, illicit sex, then your mind will not be irritated. How a gambler can be in peaceful mind? That is not possible. How a drunkard can be in peaceful mind? Agitation is for them who are simply engaged in sinful lifeThose who are not engaged in sinful life, naturally they are peaceful. Their mind is not agitated. Vegetarians are naturally peaceful. Just see between a dog and a cow. (laughter). Dog unnecessarily will talk: “Gow! Gow! Gow! Gow!” (makes barking sound) without any fault. “Why you are here? Why you are here? Why you are here?” That is dog‘s qualification. A cow, so useful animal, it will never agitate. The dog has no use, but still he’s the best friend. (laughter) And cow, actually giving us milk, sending to the slaughterhouse. Just see. This is human civilization. A dog is worshiped, and a cow is slaughtered. Do you think it is civilization? Do you think? Can you support this?
Guest (1): Well, I had a friend who was a vegetarian…
Prabhupāda: No, apart from this, these two animals. One is dog, and another is cow. So dog is worshiped and cow is sent to the slaughterhouse. What kind of civilization it isHuh?
Haṁsadūta: Animal.
Prabhupāda: Less than! Cow is supporting the whole society with milk. Every morning, without milk, we cannot live. The child, without milk, cannot live. She should be treated as mother. And they are being sent to the slaughterhouse. And still, they are thinking of becoming free from sinful life. Can anyone kill his own mother? “Oh, mother is old and useless. Let her be killed. Burden.” Is that very gratitude for the mother by the son?
 
Note-today my wife heard and told me a new statistic-the people in the USA feed their cats and dogs so much meat, if added up it would put them [the cat and dog people] as the 5th largest country in the world as meateaters!) What about the karma just for this one activity, what to speak of eating meat themselves?
 
Revatīnandana: They do that. As soon as the cow is too old to give milk, immediately slaughterhouse. I was talking to one man, he was a cowherdsman here in England. He said he couldn’t stand it. He said a nice cowshe would get old, she couldn’t give milk anymore, immediately slaughterhouse. Just like that. The most disgusting thing.
 
(Note-all the dairymen do the same thing around here too-we, my wife and I, are the few out here in the country that grows our own food-most of the “farmers” go to the stores and buy their food)
 
Prabhupāda: (people coming in) Oh. You come forward. Give him seat. Śivānanda, you come… You can sit there. Yes. So the God consciousness can be awakened if you stop sinful activities. Otherwise, it is impossible. You go on preaching for millions of years; there will be no God consciousness. There will be no God consciousness. That is the… in Bhagavad-gītā. (people sitting down) Why? You can come here, this side.
Haṁsadūta: You can sit here.
Prabhupāda: Yeṣāṁ tv antagataṁ pāpaṁ [Bg. 7.28]. One who has finished sinful activities, he can be engaged in God consciousness. One who is engaged in sinful activities, he cannot. Devil citing scripture. A devīl cannot cite scripture. Angel can cite scripture. And according to our ācāryas, Sanātana Gosvāmī, he says that “Don’t hear scriptures from the devīl.” Avaiṣṇava-mukhodgīrṇaṁ pūtaṁ harikathāmṛtaṁ śravaṇaṁ naiva kartavyam.” If a devīl’s preaching about God, don’t hear.” If you say, “God is pure, so let me hear about God. It doesn’t matter whether he is devīl or angel. It doesn’t matter.” No. The argument is sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. Just like milk is very nourishing food, but if it is touched by the lips, by the tongue of a serpent, it becomes poison. Sarpocchiṣṭaṁ payo yathā. You cannot bring the milk which is touched by the serpent’s tongue. So we should receive knowledge of God, message of God, from a person who is not a devīl. Then it will be effective. Otherwise, it will act as poisonCaitanya Mahāprabhu’s principle is āpani ācari prabhu jīveri śikṣāya. He first of all behaves himself, and then he preaches. So if the preacher is sinful, how he can deliver other sinful men by his so-called preaching. That is not possible. He must be pure, he must be sinless. Then his preaching will be effective. But in all conditions, if we, with faith and love we chant the holy name of God, we shall become gradually purified. There is no, I mean to say, cause of anxiety. Anyone who will chant this holy name, he’ll be purified.
 

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SP was asked if it was OK to listen to Beethoven music?

September 26, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Aug 14 1971 London conversations
Guest (1): What about pleasures like listening to music?
Prabhupāda: Yes, we chant the glories of God.
Guest (1): Could you listen to other peoples’ music?
Prabhupāda: Huh? No. If he’s chanting the glories of God, we are very eager to hear him. That is our process. Or somebody’s chanting, somebody’s hearing. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu. Chanting and hearing about God, that is music.
Guest (1): Well, a Beethoven symphony, for example, could you listen to that?
Prabhupāda: Which one?
Revatīnandana: Beethoven’s symphony. He means classical Western music. They make some music.
Prabhupāda: But if it is glorification of God, we can hear. There is no objection.
Revatīnandana: But there may be no reference to God in it.
Prabhupāda: No, then we don’t hear. We reject.
Guest (1): Inspired by God, given by God.
Prabhupāda: Given by God is everything. That is another thing. Just like everything is government property. But do you like to go to the prisonhouse? We say everything belongs to government. We are not so liberal, that “Because everything belongs to government, therefore I shall go to the prisonhouse.”
Guest (2): I’m sorry, I didn’t get that.
Guest (1): I take everything is good because it belongs to God, but you do choose, in fact, or you wouldn’t choose to waste your time when you should be doing something else.
Prabhupāda: But for God’s cause we can go. Just like these boys are sometimes arrested and put into jail. That is God’s cause. But they are not prepared to go to the jail by pickpocketing. That is not their mission. They are executing God’s business and if somebody puts him into jail, “All right. It is God’s desire. That’s all.”
Revatīnandana: The point is that there must be direct connection with God. If God’s name is there, if God’s service is there, if God’s form is there, then we are interested.
Prabhupāda: Nirbandhe kṛṣṇa sambandhe. Everything must be related with God.
Guest (1): Well, if you’re relaxing, if you need to relax, and you sit and listen to some music, it doesn’t say praise God all the time, but in fact is, because it’s beautiful.
Prabhupāda: No, we don’t accept anything beautiful without God. Without God, everything is ugly to us. Everything ugly.
Guest (1): So you have to bless it by offering it to God first.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is another thing.
Revatīnandana: Just like we have so many beautiful songs and melodies and everything. They’re very nice. And we sing these songs. They are glorifying the Lord. And we enjoy like that. Music is there, everything is there, but because it is directly in the devotional service of God, therefore there is this bhakti, there is this devotion there. Devotion to God. Without that, everything becomes void. Tasteless.
Guest (2): Can I get one point straight? Is the Beethoven symphony all right provided it is blessed as an object and a work of art. Is it then all right? Or is it not all right because it doesn’t use religious themes?
Haṁsadūta: Originally, music and art were employed only to glorify the Lord in the scripture and…
Prabhupāda: In Sāma-veda, Sāma-veda.
Haṁsadūta: Gradually, if you study our history, music history, God was left out. Just like you will see landscapes, and there’s nothing in there about God. It was left out. But originally the landscape, there was some depiction of the activities of God or His representative.
Guest (2): So a Beethoven symphony is not all right.

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“Thus for a devotee the identifier is equally a sinner, like the mischief-monger”….SP

September 25, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

“Thus for a devotee the identifier is equally a sinner, like the mischief-monger”….SP
 
BG 5.18The humble sageby virtue of true knowledgesees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste] .
 
Jan 18 1971
Prabhupāda: Sama-darśinaḥ means you have no distinction what is sin and what is...
Guest (1): Sama-darśinaḥ means to treat everyone as equal.
Prabhupāda: No, no, no. Sama darśinaḥ means there is no distinction between sin and virtue. That is sama-darśinaḥ. As soon as you see, “This is virtue, and this is sin,” it is not sama-darśinaḥ.
Guest (1): Virtue and sin become the same in sama-darśinaḥ.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That is sama-darśinaḥ.
Guest (2): In other words, the sin does not remain sin any longer.
Prabhupāda: That is another thing. But he has no vision that “This is sin, and this is virtue.” That is sama-darśinaḥ. As soon as you make distinction, you are not sama-darśinaḥ.
 
BG 4.16Even the intelligent are bewildered in determining what is action and what is inaction. Now I shall explain to you what action is, knowing which you shall be liberated from all sins.
  
Note–If we see some person (or devotee) as a wrong doer then we are also guilty of that same wrong act if we do not see the hand of God within those actions.
See last quote below…
 
SB 1.17.18–O greatest among human beings, it is very difficult to ascertain the particular miscreant who has caused our sufferings, because we are bewildered by all the different opinions of theoretical philosophers.
PURPORT-There are many theoretical philosophers in the world who put forward their own theories of cause and effect especially about the cause of suffering and its effect on different living beings. Generally there are six great philosophers: Kaṇāda, the author of Vaiśeṣika philosophy; Gautama, the author of logic; Patañjali, the author of mystic yoga; Kapila, the author of Sāṅkhyaphilosophy; Jaimini, the author of Karma-mīmāṁsā; and Vyāsadeva, the author of Vedānta-darśana.

Although the bull, or the personality of religion, and the cow, the personality of the earth, knew perfectly well that the personality of Kali was the direct cause of their sufferings, still, as devotees of the Lord, they knew well also that without the sanction of the Lord no one could inflict trouble upon them. According to the Padma Purāṇa, our present trouble is due to the fructifying of seedling sins, but even those seedling sins also gradually fade away by execution of pure devotional service. Thus even if the devotees see the mischief-mongers, they do not accuse them for the sufferings inflicted. They take it for granted that the mischief-monger is made to act by some indirect cause, and therefore they tolerate the sufferings, thinking them to be God-given in small doses, for otherwise the sufferings should have been greater.
Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to get a statement of accusation against the direct mischief-monger, but they declined to give it on the abovementioned grounds. Speculative philosophers, however, do not recognize the sanction of the Lord; they try to find out the cause of sufferings in their own way, as will be described in the following verses. According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, such speculators are themselves bewildered, and thus they cannot know that the ultimate cause of all causes is the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead.
 
…”Thus even if the devotees see the mischief-mongers, they do not accuse them for the sufferings inflicted. “
This is the conclusion of all of the above regarding misunderstandings between devotees. When bad things happen it is very easy to accuse the obvious one for some wrong doing. But that accusation means the accuser is just as guilty as the one who is the wrong doer. See below for the proof.

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How noise affects human beings–SP

September 24, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Dec 21 1970 Surat conversations
Prabhupāda: No. They should make the citizens so nicely developed in their Kṛṣṇa consciousness that they should be self-dependent, self-satisfied. That is the ideal of civilization.
Yadubara: But America is so far from that.
Prabhupāda: Therefore it is not advancement, although they are very much proud of advancement. This is not sign of advancement. According to Bhagavad-gītā it is said, yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate: [Bg6.20-23] “If one is situated in such a position that even in the greatest, gravest type of dangerous position, he is not agitated, he is not agitated, that is the real happiness.” Yasmin sthite guruṇāpi duḥkhena na vicālyate. These are the words, yasmin sthite: “Situated in such a position that although he is facing greatest danger, he is not agitated.” There is one instance. Not very long ago, say, about two hundred years ago there was a big zamindar. He was known as king in Krishnanagar. So he was charitably disposed. He went to a brāhmaṇa and asked him—he was a great learned scholar—”Can I help you any way?” And the pandit replied, “No. I don’t require your help. I am quite satisfied.” “How you are satisfied?” “Oh, my, these students, they bring some rice. So my wife boils that, and I have got this tamarind tree. I take some leaves and prepare some juice out of it. That is sufficient.” So he was satisfied. That’s all. But he was a learned scholar. Similarly, Canakya Pandit… You have perhaps heard. He was the greatest politician. He was prime minister of India. He was living in a cottage and just giving instruction. So that is India’s Vedic civilization. Everyone is satisfied, self-sufficient. And now in your country, oh, you have to attend office fifty miles off. And because you have to take this trouble, Kṛṣṇa has provided with car. You are thinking, “I am advanced.” You don’t think that “Although I have got car, I have to go fifty miles off from my home.” This is illusion. You are thinking, “I am advanced. I am happy. I have got this car.” This is illusion. Yes. Gaurasundara was going to maintain, and he drives fifty miles off, Honolulu. The poor fellow had to rise early in the morning. You see? And so much haste.(?) Therefore: “Gaurasundara, you better give up this job. Just depend on Kṛṣṇa.” So he has given up. What is this? Fifty miles going by motorcycle or motor car, how much tedious it is. But still, they are satisfied that “We are advanced.” And because they have many cars, therefore in your country always there is that (makes traffic noise), “sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh,” wherever I go.
Revatinandana: And more problems come after that.
Prabhupāda: Simply, wherever you go, (makes traffic noise) “sonh, sonh, sonh, sonh,” and “gonh, gonh, gonh, gonh, gonh.” Up in the sky, “gonh, gonh, gonh, gonh,” and in the street, “sonh, sonh…” And then, when digging, “gut-gut-gut-gut-gut-gut-gut-gut-gut!” (laughter) Is it not? Don’t you feel botheration. But they are thinking, “Oh, America is very much advanced in machine.” And when there is that garbage tank? “Ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon-ghon!” (laughter) So many sounds are going on, always. Eh? Of course, you have got very nice city, nice roads everywhere. But this trouble… You have created so many troubles. And there are news that one lady was a patient. She became mad for the sounds. And I think they are thinking very seriously how to stop all these sounds. Is it not?
Śyāmasundara: Especially they have these airplanes now.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Śyāmasundara: They make such a tremendous sound that they break windows and everything else.
Prabhupāda: Now we are with Sambhu in Bombay. As soon as the aeroplane would come on top of the house it is just like thunderbolt. Yes. At least I was feeling like that. Vajrapa. [thunderbolt] You see? So this is called illusion. We are creating a civilization which is so much painful, but we are thinking that we are advanced. This is illusion. We are creating simply problems, and still, we are thinking that we are advanced. And Bhāgavata says that there is no problem. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhyate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ [SB 1.5.18]. You simply try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. And then how I shall live? That, the answer, is tal labhyate duḥkhavad anyataḥ sukham. Just like you don’t aspire for miseries, but it comes upon you, it is forced upon you, similarly, happiness also will be forced upon you, whatever you are destined to receive. So don’t try for happiness or discarding distress. That will go on. You simply try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which, without your trying, it will never be fulfilled. You have to voluntarily try for Kṛṣṇa consciousness, revive it. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says, sarvadharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja [Bg. 18.66]. You do it—because you have to do it. Kṛṣṇa can force you to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. But He doesn’t do that. He doesn’t interfere with your independence. He says, “Do it.” Therefore you have to try for it, not for other things. Other things, already there are.
 
Some Conclusions--Another nice conversation with Prabhupada about kali yuga and all the tremendous noises it produces from its machines. Some people can understand and appreciate these comments about noise, but I suspect most are not in the least bothered or even conscious about the constant bombardment to their auditory system of machine noise. It is not until one moves OUT of these cities and lives in the countryside, where there is practically no noise that he or she can then appreciate what it means to have peaceful  and noiseless living.
 
So what is the solution just to this problem?
 

April 25 1977 Bombay
My, this farming program, theoretically there is no comparison. But practically people are accustomed in different way. To bring them to the program it will take some time. Otherwise my program is assured happiness, happiness assurance, if they get… Have your own food grown. Keep cows. Have your own crops. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That goes for all over the world.
Prabhupāda: Don’t go to the city. That is my determination. The hellish city. In city nobody has got the opportunity for living in such comfortable place. It is all Kṛṣṇa’s mercy that we have got. Otherwise if you go to the Bombay city, even here, these pigeon holes, three small rooms… It is not expected that everyone will be able to live in such palatial building. That is not possible. Even they have no bathroom in Bombay. In the room, in the corner, there is a tap, and you have to go to the public well, latrine. This is the system. So whole family will take advantage of the corner tap and then have to go to public latrine. There is no bathroom.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: No sewer system?
Prabhupāda: No, sewer system. [break] …each toilet for fifty men. They are in line in the same building. One after another you get chance. You have got dysentery, then it is… Then you…
 
740524r2.rom                Conversations …  Yes, naturally. If this man is fed up with  this industry, he can go back to village and  produce his own food. But he is attached to this industrial  activity because he is thinking that “We are getting more money for wine and  woman and meat. Let me enjoy.” That is the perfect, imp…  But  if he chants Hare Krsna maha-mantra, his consciousness  will be purified and he will be made not interested this kind of work. He will go back to village  and produce food.
 
Final conclusion-if one is already chanting Hare Krsna mantra yet still living in the city, it could mean he or she is still making some serious offenses to this chanting  Look at all 10 of these offenses and see where am I getting stuck up on this process? Maintaining material attachments? inattentive chanting? etc….
 
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
 
below-looking out our temple room window-lots of cows rambling around back to their barn
 
 
and if you turn around from that same picture window, one will see some of the Deities at sunset yesterday evening–Thank you Srila Prabhupada for giving us this wonderful opportunity to live in the way you want, and to try to give it to others.

Bhadra Purnima special — online distribution of Original First Edition Srimad Bhagavatam

September 22, 2021 in Articles by Yasoda nandana dasa

Bhadra Purnima special — online distribution of Original First Edition Srimad Bhagavatam
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Hare Krsna. All glories to His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivednata Swami Prabhupada. 

“This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)The following link contains all 30 volumes of the first edition, unadulterated, uncompromised, original, authorized, versions of the Srimad Bhagavatam approved by Srila Prabhupada.
We request all those who are reading this to distribute the links to as many people as possible so that everyone will be benefitted.PDF download – https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1am9rKGII3wMrmkyxHp85hfjMjgnWGzT9?usp=sharingPurchase hard copy here – https://krishnastore.in/srimad-bhagavatam-set-original-first-edition-30-volume-h-krishna-502.html
I am expecting this printing of our literature, especially Srimad Bhagavatam, with devanagari type and diacritic transliteration will be completely entrusted to you. So you cannot type everything from the IBM. That is not possible. In the IBM machine you shall do the English work and the diacritic transliteration work. So far as the devanagari type is concerned, you have to do it with the help of another machine, and either you will have to paste on the lines or adopt some other device so that they can be joined. That shall be the process. But if we publish our Srimad Bhagavatam exactly in the way I have already begun it, it will be a unique contribution. The scholars only require diacritic marks. Then it is all right. That should be very correct and standard. If there is devanagari character it is still better.

[July 24,1969 – Letter to Pradyumna written from Los Angeles]

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Srila Haridas Thakur.. Disappearance Monday 20 Sept

September 22, 2021 in Articles by Yasoda nandana dasa

Haridasa Thakura

Namacarya Srila Haridas Thakur: Disappearance celebration Monday 20 Sept (Sridham Mayapur time)

The Supreme Lord Anantadeva Himself praises Haridasa Thakura, “Even Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva always desire to associate with such Devotees as Haridasa. And the demigods desire to touch the transcendental body of Haridasa. Simply by saying his name, Haridasa, one will be promoted to Krishna’s abode.” (Chaitanya Bhagavata).

   As Prahlada Maharaja appeared in a family of demons and Hanuman appeared as a monkey, Shri Haridasa Thakura appeared amongst the lower caste. Haridasa had a handsome form with all aristocratic features. Highly intellectual, he won all debates in Sanskrit and philosophy. Yet, he never lost his temper. In his youth, he became famous for his extreme devotion and ascetism. Though born in a Muslim family, when he became a Vaishnava, even brahmanas would eagerly smear their bodies with the dust of his feet.

   The Supreme Lord Anantadeva Himself praises Haridasa Thakura, “Even Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva always desire to associate with such Devotees as Haridasa. And the demigods desire to touch the transcendental body of Haridasa. Simply by saying his name, Haridasa, one will be promoted to Krishna’s abode.” (Caitanya Bhagavata).
 
   Navadwipa was full of gross materialists and Kali worshipers guided by smarta brahmanas before Mahaprabhu began His sankirtana movement. The smartas forbid loud chanting by the Vaishnavas on the plea that “it might awaken Lord Vishnu, who would become angry and curse Navadwipa with a famine.” But it was Haridasa’s habit to loudly chant Hare Krishna while wandering along the Ganges bank. Every day before taking his one and only meal he would finish 192 rounds (300,000 Holy Names of Krishna).
 
   One time a rascal brahmana challenged Haridasa Thakura.The brahmana said that the proper method is to chant Hare Krishna silently within one’s mind. Quoting the Vedas, Shrimad Bhagavatam, and Naradiya Purana, Haridasa conclusively proved that loud chanting of Krishna’s names gives one-hundred times more result than silent chanting. Yan-nama grhann akhilan, srotm atmanam evaca, sadyah punati. .. “Anyone who chants Your name purifies all who hear His chanting, as well as Himself.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.34.17) Haridasa concluded with, “Which is better to feed yourself, or to feed yourself and simultaneously feed a thousand others?”
 
   Some people mistakenly think, “Since Haridasa Thakura always chanted Hare Krishna he wasn’t relishing the mellows of Radha-Madhava’s pastimes.” Krishna’s name is a wish-fulfilling gem (nama cintamani) and the very embodiment of rasa (rasa vigraha). So, by purely chanting the Holy Names Haridasa Thakura definitely tasted the transcendental mellows of loving devotion to Radha-Madhava. Haridasa Thakura, the connoiseur of the Holy Name, taught everyone how to enter the rasa sastras through the door of Mahaprabhu’s mercy, received by purely land constantly chanting the Holy Names of Krishna. 

  One time a rascal brahmana challenged Haridasa Thakura.The brahmana said that the proper method is to chant Hare Krishna silently within one’s mind. Quoting the Vedas, Shrimad Bhagavatam, and Naradiya Purana, Haridasa conclusively proved that loud chanting of Krishna’s names gives one-hundred times more result than silent chanting. Yan-nama grhann akhilan, srotm atmanam evaca, sadyah punati. .. “Anyone who chants Your name purifies all who hear His chanting, as well as Himself.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam 10.34.17) Haridasa concluded with, “Which is better to feed yourself, or to feed yourself and simultaneously feed a thousand others?” (In the image: Harinaam Sankirtan Yagya, leading kirtan HG Madhava Prabhu, somewhere in Europe).

 Feeling threatened by Haridasa Thakura’s conversion to Vaishnavism, the Muslim ruler arrested him. To enlighten the Kazi Haridasa said, “All living entities in creation are inspired by the Lord in the heart to act in different ways. People of different religions praise the Lord’s Holy Names and qualities according to the view of their scriptures. The Supreme Lord accepts everyone’s mood. If anyone shows malice towards another’s religion he actually shows malice to the Lord Himself, who is worshiped by that religion. Since God is one, that person becomes envious of the same Supreme Lord that he himself is worshiping.”
 
   The governor grasped these words, but the Kazi (the local ruler) insisted that Haridasa make a choice: “Either give up your belief or die.”

   Haridasa replied firmly, “If my body is hacked to pieces and even if I am killed–still I will keep chanting Hare Krishna.”

   The infuriated Kazi ordered Haridasa Thakura publicly whipped to death. He was brutally beaten, dragged through twenty-two markets, and thrown in the Ganges. Absorbed in remembering Lord Hari, he miraculously survived by God’s grace. The Kazi, the brahman as, and his rivals ran to Haridasa. They gave Haridasa Thakura an enthusiastic welcome and begged forgiveness for their offenses. He forgave them and blessed them with devotion. Haridasa thought the ordeal was fit punishment for his having heard Vaisnava blasphemy from the mouth of the Kazi.

   Prema-vilasa says Haridasa took diksa from Shri Advaita Acharya. Haridasa Thakura exerted immense influence from the start of Shri Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement. Teaming up with Lord Nityananda, he spread Krishna consciousness in Bengal. When Haridasa Thakura came to Jagannatha Puri Lord Chaitanya gave him a room in the garden next to His. Every day the Lord sent Prasadam to Haridasa. They also met regularly to discuss Krishna-katha.
 
   While seeing Lord Chaitanya’s lotus face, holding His feet upon his chest, and chanting Shri Krishna Chaitanya, Haridasa left the world. Lord Chaitanya personally carried the body of Haridasa to the sea. And with His own hands buried him in the sand. Then Mahaprabhu begged alms for a festival to honor Haridasa Thakura’s departure. Lord Chaitanya paid tribute to His pure Devotee:

   “Let us all sing the glories of Haridasa Thakura. Haridasa was the crest-jewel of the world. By his death the earth has lost its treasure. Out of His great mercy Krishna had given Me his association. And now He has taken him away. When Haridasa himself wished to leave the world I could not hold him back. Just like Bhismadeva, Haridasa gave up his life at his own will.” (Chaitanya-charitamrta Antya 11.93-98.)
 
   The samadhi of Haridasa Thakura is located by the sea in Jagannatha Puri.

remain bramacari and your 75% of your way back to Home–SP

September 22, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

There are so many things to know but these things are not discussed nowadays. Very cheap thing: “You can do whatever you like. You simply meditate and become God, that’s all.” So much cheating is going on everywhere, all over the world. So-called yogis, they go, “Oh, you meditate. You are… And as soon as you realize, you are God, within six months.” No. Therefore in this age the only method… It is a concession to the fallen people of this world, this Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra. They ‘ll not be able to follow all the regulative principles; therefore they must commit all kinds of abominable activities. Under the circumstances the śāstra or God has given a concession that you simply chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra and gradually you will be elevated to the highest position of spiritual lifeOther things you cannot follow. You are already fallen. So you take to this process of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra without any offenseAnd in order to save yourself from the offenses, a little austerity that you cannot have illicit sex life. Why should you have illicit sex life? Everyone’s need is sex life. Āhāra-nidrābhaya-maithunam. These are the bodily needs. So śāstra has sanctioned, “All right. You can live peacefully by married life and have sex life for children, good children.” That is allowed. But why should you have illicit sex life? What is this? Irresponsible life. “I shall not take responsibility of family life, and I shall go on as so-called bachelor and have illicit life.” But that is not good. That is garhitāṁNa sādhu mānye: “This is not good.” This is the advice of Vedic literature. Ultimately you’ll suffer. You are thinking at the present moment that you are avoiding suffering because family life is very responsible life. So if you think that family life is responsible, yes, it is responsible life. If you don’t take, if you cannot take the responsibility, then remain as a brahmacārī. Why should you marry? Yes. If you practice brahmācārya, then you become free, seventy-five percent freedom immediately. But you do not want to undergo the austerities of a brahmacārī, and still, you want to remain as an unmarried man. Everywhere in the world it is going on. This is increasing. That is stated here, sadācāra. Naṣṭa-sadācāro dāsyāḥ saṁsargadūṣitaḥ. The illicit connection with man and woman will certainly make him abominable, fallen down to this abominable life. I… When I was… In my younger days, when I was in business, so I was to take agency one of big company, Smith’s Transit Company. So they had to… I had to give some guarantee of my honesty. So in that program the question was whether married or unmarried. Because unmarried man mostly become dishonest. So that inquiry was there, “Whether he is married?” Married man cannot be dishonest because he has got responsibility. If he is arrested he will be insulted in his family. His family members will be in difficulty. Therefore he does not commit dishonesty very easily unless it is absolutely… But that should not be done. But unmarried man, because he has got no responsibility, he commits all kinds of sinful activity. That’s a fact. Therefore in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement we do not allow such illicit sex life, no. You must get yourself married. And practically, we are seeing, that is very effective and that is going on nicely. All right. (Hindi)
 
Some Conclusions–I often think if I have to come back again then please Lord Krsna let me remain single and celibate- for life as a married man is so troublesome. And as Prabhupada says above if you can do so you are already 75% of the way back to Godhead.
dd

As people (and devotees) lose memory of God they become more dog like–SP

September 21, 2021 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

June 28 1976 discussion of different philosophies
 
They have no conception of God, and they are preaching religion. What is that religion? That will be misused. Religion means dharmaṁ tu sāksād bhagavat-praṇītam [SB 6.3.19]. Religion means God’s order. If there is no God, where is religion? This is going on. They have no conception of God. What is God they do not know, and professing some religion. How long it will go on artificially? It will deteriorate. That has become the present condition. They have no idea of God, and how they will know what is the order of God? And religion means order of God. Just like law means order of the state. Law means order of the state. So if there is no state, where is the order? You can manufacture your own order. That is going on. There is no conception of God. We have got clear conception of God. Here is God, Kṛṣṇa. And He’s giving orders. We accept it. And it is clear religion. And if there is no God, no conception of God, no order of God, then where is religion? If there if no government, then where is law? Outlaw. Everyone is outlaw. That is going on. Ask any religious system what is the conception of God. Can anyone tell clearly? Nobody can say. We shall immediately say, veṇuṁ kvaṇantam aravinda-dalāyatākṣaṁ barhāvataṁsam asitāmbuda-sundarāṅgam [Bs. 5.30]. Aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛttimanti… immediately description, “Here is God.” Then there is religion. And if there is no God, where is religion? Bogus. Therefore declining. They have no conception of God, and therefore there is no understanding of religion. Therefore it is declining. So this is the cause of declining. And because it is declining, human being becoming more animals. Animal means there will be no memory. A dog comes… Here is some eatables. He comes. I say, “Hut!” He goes away. Again he comes. No memory. So when this memory is reducing that means human quality is reduced. So in the Kali-yuga these eight things will reduce. That means they are becoming like cats and dogs. 
 
Some Conclusions-I think one of the worst things I see in present day devotees is their attachment to cats and dogs. Mostly dogs. Back in the “day” nobody would ever consider having a so called pet dog. Now today practically all of them have a dog.
 
 I actually had one before I moved into the temple, and after seeing Srila Prabhupada for the first time, when I got back home, my dog was gone, along with my so called “girl friend”. Krsna took them both away  to make surrendering to Him much easier. 
 
In the above conversation Prabhupada makes a nice point about  the memory of a dog and since it has basically none, it keeps coming back for your food even though you say Hut-get away. So the more people (and devotees) are losing memory of God  the more dog like they are becoming. First quality of a dog is unclean-untouchable.
And if cleanliness is next to Godliness, then how having a dog can this happen?
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das
ps-I am sure to get some negative feedback from this one!
 
SB 4.22–When one deviates from his original consciousness,he loses the capacity to remember his previous position or recognize his present one.When remembrance is lost, all knowledge acquired is based on a false foundation. When this occurs, learned scholars considerthat the soul is lost.
 
SB 7.14.11 P               Ideal Family Life              63694/530501
Although inmodern society the dog is accepted as part of one’s
household paraphernalia,in the Vedic system of household life the dog
is untouchable;as mentioned here, a dog may be maintained with proper
food, but it cannot be allowed to enter one’s house, what to speak of
the bedroom

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