Monthly Archives: April 2022

by Damaghosa dasa

Where does this term-Krsna Consciousness” come from?

April 30, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

April 12 1975 Hyderabad
 
And Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakta. There is no difficulty to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Not at all. But people will not take it, that is the difficulty. They will argue simply. Kūṭaka. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakta, where is the argument against it? You are saying that, they may not think of Kṛṣṇa, they may not say about Kṛṣṇa. And Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakta. This is argument, this is not philosophy. Philosophy is there, direct, you should do like this, that’s all. You do it and get the results. You go to purchase something, the price is fixed, you pay the price and take it. Where is argument? If you are, if you serious about that thing, you may pay price and take it away. That is the advice of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvitā-mati kriyatāṁ yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate. If you can purchase somewhere the thinking of Kṛṣṇa, kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvitā mati. That is, we have translated into “Kṛṣṇa Consciousness.” If you can purchase this consciousness, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, somewhere, immediately purchase it. Kṛṣṇa-bhakti rasa-bhāvita-mati, kriyatām, just purchase, yadi kuto ‘pi labhyate, if it is available somewhere. And if I have to purchase, then what price? Tatra laulyam ekaṁ mūlam. Na janma-koṭibhiḥ labhyate. If you want what is the price, he says the price is your eagerness. And that eagerness to obtain it, takes many millions of births. Why you want Kṛṣṇa? Just like the other day I said that if one has seen Kṛṣṇa, he will become mad after Kṛṣṇa. That is the sign. These boys are certified in their own country by the Christian priests that “These boys are our boys, they will never come into church, they are never interested about God, and now they are mad after God. What is this?” Because that is the price only to purchase Kṛṣṇa. To mad after Him. 
 
Some Conclusions–This term “Krsna Consciousness” that we all use daily and other millions as well world over-where did it come from? 
I asked this question some 50 years ago and finally I have found the answer. You wont see it translated as such in any  mantra of Srila Prabhupadas books, and yet here it is, the explanation given by Our Acarya himself.
Human life is meant to inquire and if remain eager to ask questions, which are unlimited in scope, then eventually we will get them all answered. It just may take a while
So when foolish devotees want to remove Srila Prabhupada from his own iskcon, this is exactly like taking the foundation out from under a huge building-and then expecting things to go on nicely.
Image result for picture of man cutting a branch from a tree he is sitting on
 
Members of the Foundation or Tree branch removal experts company–All of the GBC, Sastric advisory committee, Jayadvaita, the book changer, those who advocate changes of all kinds, all those posing as bona fide  gurus without authorization, women gurus, no objection elected gurus, unauthorized deity worship, no kirtan standards  anymore, demigod worship, car pujas, taking all of Prabhupadas books out of his temples and replacing with bogus gurus books,  and on and on……
And is it any wonder Prabhupada tells us all these people will be going to some hellish planet upon death? Its all there in his books-if we read them
Hare Krsna
damaghosa das

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by Damaghosa dasa

Therefore to distribute knowledge is the best welfare activities,-SP

April 28, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

April 7 1975 Mayapura
Rāmeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, you said that the children in the West, in the materialistic culture, they become hippies. They’ll say that at least they’ve had the choice, at least they were given…
Prabhupāda: Again, again you are bringing the same question, Eastern-Western.
Rāmeśvara: Materialistic.
Prabhupāda: Materialistic means that is the ultimate end of materialistic life. Because they want new pleasure, new pleasure, new pleasure, so sometimes this, sometimes that… Sometimes they think the civilized way is better; sometimes the uncivilized way is better. That’s all, this way and that way. That is called punaḥ punaś ca… And then you’ll take again to civilized way of… I think some of the hippies are taking now. Yes. Because the same example, stool, this side or that side, it is stool. So these materialistic persons, they are trying to change from this side to that side, but it is stool. That is the… That they do not know. They are accepting stool as something very sublime, and therefore they are trying to change the position, sometimes this side, sometimes that side. Hitvā anyathā rūpam. This is anyathā rūpam, means a living being. Being spiritual, his business is spiritual, but he has accepted material as the platform of his happiness. That is his fault. So material thing, either this side or that side, it is material. Bhoga-tyāga. So therefore he is not happy. And we are trying to give him spiritual platform for happiness. That is real happiness. But he is so much attached to the material happiness that he cannot believe that there can be any happiness beyond this range. That is his ignorance, mūḍha. Therefore we call them mūḍha, rascals. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54]. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said, “When you become spiritually realized, then prasannātmā, happiness.” Otherwise it is not possible. Material thing, you take this side or that side—there is no question of happiness. When you become brahma-bhūtaḥ, spiritually realized, then there is happiness, prasannātmā, immediately. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati, samaḥ sarveṣu [Bg. 18.54]. That is the…
Satsvarūpa: But should this be forced on people if they don’t want it?
Prabhupāda: Huh?
Satsvarūpa: If a large section of the people don’t want spiritual life, that’s their…
Prabhupāda: No, you cannot force. That is not possible, because he has got independence. You cannot force. You can simply give him knowledge. Therefore to distribute knowledge is the best welfare activities, not this material so-called happiness, daridra-nārāyaṇa-seva and this… They have got that. That will not make them happy. If you give them knowledge, then they will be really benefited. Otherwise not.
Brahmānanda: How do we give knowledge to the common masses of people?
Prabhupāda: Yes, by saṅkīrtana. By hearing, hearing, hearing—this is a medicinal process—the heart will be cleansed and they will take up the knowledge. Now the heart is unclean, so he cannot take up. So this is the medicine. Kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva nāsty eva gatir anyathā. Harer nāma harer… [Cc. Ādi 17.21]. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra wherever possible, and whoever will hear, he will gradually become cleansed.

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by Damaghosa dasa

” You are not transcendental. You are trying to be transcendental.”-SP

April 25, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

May 11 1975 Perth
Devotee (1): So if we as devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement are transcendental to these modes, does that mean that we can…
Prabhupāda: You are not transcendental. You are trying to be transcendental. You should always remember that “We are trying to be transcendental.” When you are actually on transcendental state, you will not be affected by any modes of material nature. Therefore you should be very cautious and careful. Just like on the sea, you are in the boat. You are transcendental. But the boat may can merge into the water any moment unless you are very carefully plying it. At any moment. You are not in the water, you are safe on the boat, but if you do not carefully ply your boat, then you can fall down at any moment. The comparison is given, nṛ-deham ādyam sulabhaṁ sudurlabhaṁ. Sulabhaṁ. This human form of body is just like a very nice boat to cross over this ocean of ignorance, and the guru is the pilot or the captain. And the śāstras are favorable wind. Just like if you are going this direction, if the wind is blowing this…, then automatically your boat is pushed. And behind the boat, what is called, the boat, that thing? He takes the…
Amogha: The oar, rudder…
Srutakirti: The oarsman. Oarsmen.
Prabhupāda: Oarsman, all of them are. Chief?
Amogha: The steersman or the pilot?
Prabhupāda: Yes, the chief man. So the guru is there. He is the chief man, giving direction, or the captain. And others are plying, and the boat is also strong, and the wind is also favorable. In this circumstances, if you cannot cross, then you make suicide. The śāstras are there. That is favorable wind. You get the way. And the spiritual master is directing, “Do like this.” And you have got a nice boat and you are plying. Now cross over. Very big ocean in the material world. Just see the sky, how big it is. So we have to cross this material sky, penetrate the covering, then go to the spiritual sky. Then you are safe. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ ‘vyakto ‘vyaktāt sanātanaḥ [Bg. 8.20]. That place, even after destruction of this whole material world, that is safe. So we have to go there, plying the boat. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, “You rascal, give up everything. Surrender unto Me. And surrender unto Me. Follow My instruction as I have given. Then you are safe.” But that they will not do. They will try to cheat Kṛṣṇa by interpretation, “This means this. This means that.” That they will do, these rascals, big, big rascals. Kṛṣṇa says something, and they will misinterpret. Kṛṣṇa says, man-manā bhava mad-bhakto, and Dr. Radhakrishnan says, “No, no, it is not to the Kṛṣṇa person.” Just see how misleading these rascals. Why you should interpret upon Kṛṣṇa’s word? If you have got your own philosophy, you write another book. Why do you touch Bhagavad-gītā? This is their cheating. Bhagavad-gītā is a popular book. Gandhi also took Bhagavad-gītā for his political diplomacy. This is going on. And they’ll never agree to accept Bhagavad-gītā as it is. They’ll never agree. The other day I was there in Kurukṣetra. They have got their own plan-mānava-dharma, this dharma, that dharma. Kṛṣṇa says, sarva-dharmān parityajya: [Bg. 18.66] “You give up all these. Kick out all this so-called rascaldom. You just surrender unto Me.” That they will not do. Except this, everything which is going on in the name of religion, that is cheating. Everyone is misinterpret… Just like Christians, they have misinterpreted: “Kill means murder. It is meant for man.” That means they are making their own lusty desires fulfilled in the name of Bible, that’s all. Everyone is doing like that. They are changing. Mass opinion is now homosex. They are passing abortion. They are passing… What is this? This is their business. For fulfillment of their lusty desires and greediness, they are bringing the authority of Bible, Bhagavad-gītā. This is going on in the name of religion.

Dec 7 1973 LA
Here is a rascal
Prabhupāda: Therefore they are rascals. Rascal means that however kick him on his face, still, he’ll insist. That is rascal. Rascal means that.

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by Damaghosa dasa

you cannot use something if you cannot make it-vedic saying

April 23, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

May 14 1975 Perth
 
Śrutakīrti: He’s drawing a big salary for studying. He’s getting a big research salary.
Paramahaṁsa: And he’s teaching others how to study the problems, but there’s no solution.
Amogha: They have no solution actually.
Prabhupāda: The solution is there. They won’t take it. Solution is there, that everyone produce your own food. There is so much land; utilize it. The solution is there. No. They want to sit down on the table, chair, in a very nice compartment, and making solution. They won’t go.
Amogha: He was saying that your solution was too simple. He said that people will not accept it because it is too simple.
Prabhupāda: That is his ignorance. They will say it is primitive. That is the only solution. According to the Vedic system, you cannot use anything which you cannot produce. Suppose this we are using, but according the Vedic system we should not use it because I cannot produce it. Then the whole solution is there. Nobody will manufacture this because there will be no customer. If I refuse this use of this machine, thinking that “I cannot produce it; I should not use it,” then where is the customer? The so-called industry will automatically stop, and he has to go to the village outlying.
Paramahaṁsa: Some of the orthodox hippies have this philosophy, and they reject all machines and things that they cannot make themselves.
Prabhupāda: That is natural. That is natural. It is good. But they are not led by good leader. Otherwise next alternative is this, that you have to give up this artificial way of civilization. Now this land is vacant. We can produce so much food grains if it is utilized. Fruits, flower, vegetables, grains—we can produce. This land is very good land for producing potato, watermelon, this. Very good land. But who is doing that? This is the suitable land for producing watermelon. And watermelon is such a nice thing, and potato. You boil potato and take watermelon, you have full nourishment are supplied. Very innocent and simple food.
Note-But as he said, they will not accept this method for living-It is TOO simple Now see Prabhupada’s analysis of why people, including devotees wont accept this simple living high thinking model….
May 12 1975 Perth
He says he just wished to meet you. Perhaps I should read a verse. Should I read a verse?
Prabhupāda: No. Our viewpoint is that in the material world, who has accepted this material body—anyone, but we specially take the human society—they require treatment, everyone. Everyone is mentally diseased, and therefore he is unhappy. Everyone. Harāv abhaktasya kuto mahād-guṇa [SB 5.18.12]. Anyone who has no sense of God consciousness, he is diseased mentally. He requires treatment. The whole human society, especially at the present moment, they have given up God consciousness. They are not interested. That is their disease. And everyone requires treatment. So the whole Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is the mass treatment of the materialistic persons who are mentally diseased. That is our proposition. It is… In India there was a case. A man committed murder, and he pleaded in the court that… His pleader, his lawyer, pleaded that he was mad at that time. We also accept unless one becomes mad, one cannot commit murder or suicide. So the civil surgeon was brought to give evidence whether this man is actually mad. The civil surgeon said that “So far my experience is concerned—I have treated so many persons—in my opinion everyone is mad. So if on account of madness one should be excused from the law, then it is Your Honor’s discretion, but so far I have studied, more or less, everyone is mad.” Similarly, our study is that unless one is mad, he cannot remain in this material world. So everyone is mentally diseased, and they are concocting their ideas, different ideas. And they are overlapping, my idea, your idea overlapping. Therefore there is clash, unhappiness, violence, individually, socially, familywise, nationwise. This is going on. Therefore everyone requires a treatment, psychiatrist’s treatment. And the best treatment is to induce a person to become Kṛṣṇa conscious. Then everything will be all right. Otherwise, a person who is not Kṛṣṇa conscious, or God conscious, he is basically a mad man and requires treatment. (pause) Ghostly haunted man… You have experienced ghostly haunted man?
Paramahaṁsa: In Woodsaw (?) there was a ghost. In St. Kilda the devotees used to think there was a ghost, but not a man who was called…
Prabhupāda: There is ghost. And sometimes ghost attacks a man. Because he has no material body, he wants to act through other’s body. So the man who is attacked, he forgets himself, and he speaks and walks according to the dictation of the ghost. That is called ghostly haunted man.
Śrutakīrti: What is the significance of… What is this?
Prabhupāda: He talks nonsense. Suppose his father comes before him, he calls him by ill names, like that. He talks nonsense. So anyone who is too much materially affected, he also talks nonsense. Anartha upāsamaṁ sākṣād bhakti-yogam adhokṣaje. The treatment is bhakti-yoga. That we are teaching. Without any exception, we accept everyone a patient for psychiatric treatment. He has this book?
Paramahaṁsa: Yes.
Prabhupāda: Then all other books we can show him.
Devotee: Śrīla Prabhupāda, does the soul, the ghost, enter into the other man’s body? The soul is occupying one body, and the ghost, as another soul, does he enter that body? There’s two souls in the one body?
Prabhupāda: Not exactly enters, but he catches the body. But because the ghost has no gross body—he has got his subtle body, mind, intelligence, and ego—you cannot see him, how he has attacked that body. You cannot see the body of mind, intelligence. You know I have got my mind; I know you have got your mind. But you do not see my mind; I do not see your mind. So ghost is within the subtle body: mind, intelligence, and ego. So with that subtle body, he attacks the man, but you cannot see. He does not enter into him. The enter is the soul within the body. Therefore sometimes ghost is walking in the room. We cannot see. But he takes away something. We see that the thing is going away. (laughter) Because you cannot see his gross body. And because he hasn’t got gross body, he can move very swiftly. Now he is here; he can go ten miles away immediately. But there is ghost. And they attack specially woman.
Paramahaṁsa: Is that because the women are weaker?
Prabhupāda: No. Woman is attractive for any man, even in ghostly life. The other day, who was telling that a big poet of India, he said that “God’s most wonderful creation is woman’s body”?
Śrutakīrti: I think Brahmānanda Mahārāja mentioned? Acyutānanda.
Prabhupāda: So, everyone is attracted with the woman’s body. In your country I have seen the advertisement: “bottomless,” “topless…” That is the material attraction. Everyone is in this material world on account of attachment. And similarly, for woman, the man’s body is beautiful. So in this way both of them are attached to one another. That is the basic principle of material life. Yan maithunādi-gṛhamedhi-sukhaṁ hi tuccham kaṇḍūyanena karayor iva duḥkha-duḥkham [SB 7.9.45]. They become attached. On account of sex life, they become more attached, and therefore both of them remain almost perpetually in this material world, and to satisfy different desires they transmigrate from one body to another. And on account of accepting this material body, there is always miserable condition. Therefore everyone requires the psychiatric treatment so that the mind may be transferred from matter to spirit soul. Then he will be cured. The disease is of the mind. Harāv abhaktasy kuto mahād-guṇa mano-rathena. Everyone is riding on the chariot of mind. And the mind is taking him here and there, here… And the yoga practice is also treatment. This is also yoga, bhakti-yoga, and this ordinary haṭha-yoga, that is also treatment of the mind. Treatment of mind means controlling the senses. Yoga indriya-samyamaḥ. Mind is the leader of the senses. So if the treatment of the mind is done properly, then the senses work properly. The example is the madman. Because the madman’s mind is not controlled, he is acting in a way—people say, “Here is a madman.” So everyone is more or less a madman in this material world, or, in other words, you can say anyone who is in the material world, he is a madman. He requires treatment. Just like anyone who is in the prison house, it is to be accepted that he is a criminal. Without any study, without any exception we can accept all the prisoners as criminals. [break] …gradually appreciate. Ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ [Cc. Antya 20.12]. This treatment is in the beginning just cleansing the mirror of the heart. That is the treatment. Just like a mirror, when it is overcast with dust, it requires cleansing. So the mental mirror is covered with material dust. So it has to be cleansed. That is the treatment. And when it is cleansed, you can see your real face in the mirror. Similarly, as soon as our heart disease, contaminated by the modes of material nature, is cleansed, you can understand what is your real position. That is the success of psychiatric treatment. One comes to know, “What I am.” Ahaṁ brahmāsmi: “I am spirit soul; I am not this body.” That is called brahma-bhūtaḥ stage. Brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā [Bg. 18.54]. He becomes immediately happy. And happiness means na śocati na kāṅkṣati: “He does not lament, neither he desires.” Our present disease is we hanker after things which we do not possess, and when that thing is lost, we lament. So hankering and lamenting. So when one is cleansed in the heart, he has no more hankering or desire. This is the symptom. And samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu: “Then he becomes equal to everyone.” Everyone means every living being, man and animal, trees, plants, lower or higher. Paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ [Bg. 5.18]. Then he enters into the sphere of devotional service. This is the symptom. Then he is perfectly in his original position. Then he is happy. Just like a diseased man. So long the disease is there, he is unhappy. And as soon as the disease is cured, he will be happy. So this material disease, as soon as it is cured, one becomes happy, because he is, by constitution, spiritual being. People have no knowledge even, his…, even about his spiritual identity. Therefore they are unhappy.
March 26 1975 Mayapura
What is that implication? Implication is that your sinful life will get you next body which is also sinful. And again you suffer. Suffering there is. As soon as you get material body, there is suffering. It may be a king’s body or it may be a cobbler’s body, it doesn’t matter, the suffering is there. But because these people are māyayāpahṛtajānā, they are accepting suffering as pleasure. This is called māyā. He’s suffering, but he is thinking it is a good pleasure. Just like the pig. He’s eating stool, and he’s thinking he’s enjoying life. This is called ignorant. He does not know that he’s suffering. Māyā has given his body to suffer, but even in the pig’s body, he’s thinking that is enjoying life. This is called māyā. Mohitaṁ nābhijānāti mām ebhyaḥ param avyayam [Bg. 7.13]. This is called illusion. Illusion. Everyone in this material world, they are suffering in different grades. Just like in the prison house there are different grades of prisoner: first class, second class, third class. But first-class prisoner thinks they are enjoying life, that is ignorance. He should know that he’s in the prison house. In the prison house where is there enjoyment? It is all suffering. Maybe first-class suffering, (laughter) but it is suffering. So they are all in the darkness, and Caitanya Mahāprabhu and Nityānanda Prabhu appeared to dissipate, tamo-nudau, to dissipate this darkness of the whole human society. That is Their kindness. They are…
 

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by Damaghosa dasa

Giving 50% and Bhakti is not for the ordinary man-SP

April 18, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Hare Krsna
*.The first part of this article shows the principle of giving 50% of ones income to the society for Krsna Conscious purposes. And if one cannot do this he is disobeying the guru. And as a result his outside work is “un authorized”
 
*.Then Srila Prabhupada paints a picture thru letters of his sanctioning mariage-but one must be prepared to give 50% of his income to the society. And later on, for this topic, he seemed so disgusted with his disciples who could not seem to remain “married” due to their restlessness, that he would no longer sanction marriage within iskcon
‘
*.Finally we have one conversation where Prabhupada is explaining this principle of 50% income giving, which is just karma yoga, which is done BEFORE bhakti yoga..
 
Note-It is ironic that this principle of giving our hard earned money to the bona fide guru/brahmanas /Vaisnavas has all but been forgotten these days. And yet this is only karma yoga which is prior to bhakti yoga.
 
Hare Krsna–There is much more to be shown but I am trying to keep this brief….
damaghosa das
——————–
 
FEB 3 1975 Hawaii
Devotee (1): Śrīla Prabhupāda, where does someone derive his authority…
Prabhupāda: The guru is authority.
Devotee (1): No, I know, but for his actions other than just following the four regulative principles and chanting sixteen rounds. He does so many other things during the day. Where does he derive his authority if he’s not, let’s say, living in the temple?
Prabhupāda: I do not follow. The authority is guru. You have accepted.
Bali Mardana: For everything.
Jayatīrtha: Say I have some outside job, I’m living outside, but I’m not giving 50% of my income. So then that work that I’m doing, is it actually under the authority of the guru?
Prabhupāda: Then you are not following the instruction of guru. That is plain fact.
Jayatīrtha: So that means that whole activity during the day, working, that means I am not following the instruction of the guru. It’s unauthorized activity.
Prabhupāda: Yes. If you don’t follow the instruction of guru, then you are fallen down immediately. That is the way. Otherwise why you sing, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo **. It is my duty to satisfy guru. Otherwise I am nowhere. So if you prefer to be nowhere, then you disobey as you like. But if you want to be steady in your position, then you have to follow strictly the instruction of guru.
Devotee (1): We can understand all of your instructions simply by reading your books.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Anyway, follow the instruction. That is required. Follow the instruction. Wherever you remain, it doesn’t matter. You are secure. Follow the instruction. Then you are secure anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Just like I told you that I saw my Guru Mahārāja not more than ten days in my life, but I followed his instruction. I was a gṛhastha, I never lived with the Maṭha, in the temple. It is practical. So many Godbrothers recommended that “He should be in charge in this Bombay temple, this, that, that…” Guru Mahārāja said, “Yes, better he lives outside. That is good, and he will do what is needed in due course of time.”
Devotees: Jaya! Haribol!
Prabhupāda: He said like that. I could not understand at that time what does he expect. Of course, I knew that he wanted me to preach.
Yaśodānandana: I think you have done this in grand style.
Devotees: Jaya, Prabhupāda! Haribol!
Prabhupāda: Yes, done grand style because I strictly follow the instruction of my Guru Mahārāja, that’s all. Otherwise I have no strength. I have not played any magic. Did I? Any gold manufacturing? (laughter) Still, I have got better disciples than the gold-manufacturing guru.

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by Damaghosa dasa

The power of sound vibration

April 12, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

March 14 1975 Iran
Prabhupāda: Whole world, whole universe, they are made of these five elements.
Atreya Ṛṣi: All the creation, the material creation, is made of five elements.
Yoga student: What is the fifth besides earth, air, fire and water?
Prabhupāda: Ether.
Yoga student: Ether. How does ether distinguish…
Prabhupāda:
Yoga student: How is ether distinct from air?
Prabhupāda: Ether you cannot feel touch. Air you can feel touch.
Parivrājakācārya: Based on the sense perception. On this planet, the bodies are made of earth. But there are other places, other planets, where the physical body is composed of a different combination. So one is predominantly air, another can be fire, another water, ether.
Yoga student: But is ether a gross element as well?
Atreya Ṛṣi: Ether is space.
Prabhupāda: Yes, space.
Yoga student: So in that sense it’s a gross element.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Parivrājakācārya: It’s perceivable by the senses as sound.
Yoga student: As sound.
Prabhupāda: Ether is perceived by sound, air is perceived by touch. Then… Ether, air… Then fire you can see by vision. And then next, water, you can taste, and the earth you can smell. These five senses are there to appreciate these five kinds of elements. All right. Hare Kṛṣṇa. [break]
 
Aug 21 1973 london
Just like electricity is everywhere, electrons. One who can tackle the electrons, they can talk without any direct connection by electronic method, thousand thousand miles away. Just like radio message, television message. So similarly, Kṛṣṇa is also everywhere. Just like the waves of sound wave is going on. As soon as you produce, I produce one sound, immediately within a second the sound goes round the earth seven times. So if a material thing has got so much power, just think how much power God has got. 

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by Damaghosa dasa

How to understand WHO to approach for Transcendence-SP

April 12, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Feb 19 1975 Caracas
Prabhupāda: No, we must first of all understand that our senses are imperfect. Just like we are sitting in this room. We have got our eyes, but we cannot see what is there, going on, beyond this wall. The sun is fourteen hundred thousand times bigger than this earth, and we are seeing just like a disc. So the eyelid is just near the eyes, but we cannot see what is the eyelids. If the light is off, we cannot see. So we can see under certain condition. Then what is the value of our seeing? If we, even if we manufacture telescope, that is also manufactured by the imperfect senses, so it is also not perfect. So anything understood by manipulating our imperfect senses, that is not real knowledge. So our process of understanding real knowledge is to take it from the person who has the real knowledge. Just like if we contemplate or speculate who is my father, it is never possible to understand who is my father. But if we receive the words from mother that “Here is your father,” that is perfect. Therefore the process of knowledge should be not to speculate but to receive it from the perfect person. If we receive knowledge from a mental speculator, that is not perfect knowledge.
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): What would be the mechanism or process to get this perfect knowledge and to purify our senses?
Prabhupāda: First of all we have to accept this truth, that perfect knowledge can be received from the perfect person. Just like I have given the example, who is my father. You can understand it from the perfect person, mother. If somebody speculates, “This gentleman may be your father, this gentleman may be your father,” that is not perfect knowledge. The perfect knowledge is with the mother. Mother says, “Here is your father.” That is perfect knowledge. Just like, therefore, in the Bhagavad-gītā it is said,
tad viddhi praṇipātena (aside:) Find out
Now, what is the meaning of tattva-darśinaḥ?
Hṛdayānanda: “The seers of the truth.”
Prabhupāda: Yes. You have to… Just like mother has seen the father. So her knowledge is perfect. But I have not seen my father. Because before my birth there was father, I do not know who is my father. The mother has seen the father. So you have to approach such a person who has seen the truth. That is the way of… Now you have to find out a person who has seen the transcendence and receive knowledge of transcendence from him. Then it is perfect.
Professor: (Spanish) What I mean is that, you know. We are all imperfect because we are imperfect. Right? So how can a master, a person who really understands or who claims to really understand be able to know perfection, to see the truth, how can he with his imperfect senses…
Prabhupāda: You are right, you are right.
Professor: …know the real truth.
Prabhupāda: Yes, therefore I say…
Professor: How can I get with my imperfect senses the perfection brought by the master?
Prabhupāda: The same example. Just like the mother has seen the father, and the mother says not only to her son but other gentleman that “Here is the father of the son.” So the other gentleman who has not seen the father but on the verification by the mother, he accepts the real thing. Hearing from the perfect is also perfect. If I get the chance of hearing from the perfect, then I may not be perfect, but because I have heard from the perfect, what I say, that is perfect.
Professor (Hṛdayānanda): He’s saying that he accepts that we can receive perfect knowledge, but then because I am imperfect I make an imperfect interpretation.
Prabhupāda: No, you are not allowed interpretation. As soon as you interpret, you become imperfect. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. Don’t interpret. Before this, all these rascals were simply interpreting and spoiling the whole thing. So this is the fact.
Professor: So what you really are asking for is blind faith.
Prabhupāda: Not blind faith. Perfect man is perfect. Unless you understand that he is perfect, don’t hear from him. That is blind. Without knowing that he is perfect, if you hear, that is your imperfectness. Why should you try to hear from a person whom you do not know perfectly well that he is perfect?
Hṛdayānanda: Can I translate that?
Prabhupāda: Yes. If you hear blindly, that is your imperfectness. You must be first of all convinced that. “The person from whom I am hearing, he is perfect.” Then your knowledge is perfect.
Professor: That conviction is not the product of reasoning.
Prabhupāda: It is not convention. It is not convention. It is actually knowing that “I have approached this perfect man.” Just like the same example: if you approach the mother of the son, she is the perfect to know the father, and if you have known from the mother that “This boy’s father is this gentleman,” that knowledge is perfect. Even though you have not seen while the father was begotten, giving birth, it doesn’t matter. But because you have heard from the mother—she is perfect—therefore your knowledge received from her is perfect. Therefore it is written, tattva-darśibhiḥ, “who has seen the truth.” So you have to approach such person who has seen the truth.
Professor: Well, that brings that to my original question again. How do I know who is perfect?
Prabhupāda: That is another thing, that you have to search out such person. Otherwise your knowledge is imperfect. Now that question will be: “How to find out such person?” The next question will be. But unless you approach such perfect person, you cannot have perfect knowledge. That is a fact. Therefore the conclusion is that we should not speculate about perfect knowledge, but we should try to approach the perfect person and receive knowledge from him. This is the conclusion.

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by Damaghosa dasa

WHY ISKCON FAILED

April 5, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

Srila Prabhupada’s clearly explains the reasons for ISKCON’s decline after Prabhupada’s departure
(Author unknown)
The following conversations of Srila Prabhupada clearly explains the reasons for ISKCON’s decline after Prabhupada’s departure. Though Srila Prabhupada was speaking about the failure of the Gaudiya Matha, amazingly it perfectly matches ISKCON’s own post-samadhi history, line for line. Seven sentences have been numbered for direct comparison to ISKCON.
  1. “Why this Gaudiya Matha failed? Because they tried to become more than guru.
  2. He, before passing away, he gave all direction and never said that ‘This man should be the next acharya.’ But these people, just after his passing away they began to fight, who shall be acharya. That is the failure.
  3. They never thought, ‘Why Guru Maharaja gave us instruction so many things, why he did not say that this man should be acharya?’
  4. They wanted to create artificially somebody acharya and everything failed.
  5. They did not consider even with common sense that if Guru Maharaja wanted to appoint somebody as acharya, why did he not say? He said so many things, and this point he missed? The real point? And they insist upon it.
  6. They declared some unfit person to become acharya. Then another man came, then another, acharya, another acharya.
  7. So better remain a foolish person perpetually to be directed by Guru Maharaja. That is perfection.” –
Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, 08-16-76, Bombay
Srila Prabhupada explains why ISKCON failed after he left:
  1. Why this Gaudiya Matha failed? Because they tried to become more than guru.” ISKCON has also failed horribly in the 30 years since Srila Prabhupada’s departure. The reason is simple: the ISKCON leaders tried to be more than their guru by manufacturing so many speculative things (zonal acharyas, voted in acharyas, suspended acharyas, etc.).
Srila Prabhupada established a system in his temples whereby his unique position as founder-acharya (samsthapaka-acharya) was highlighted through his own worship in every single ISKCON temple. Some of the specific ways in which Srila Prabhupada did this was by having his vyasasana installed in all temples, installation of his deity while he was still living (in Vrindavan), having his photo on all ISKCON altars, having all disciples worship him every morning through “guru-puja”, etc. As soon as Prabhupada departed, ISKCON leaders suddenly tried to compete with him, installing their own Vyasasanas in all temples, keeping their own photos on the altar, instituting mandatory worship of themselves through “guru-puja” in all ISKCON temples, etc. Oddly, one will not find a single instruction by Srila Prabhupada to any of these ISKCON leaders, nor to ISKCON as a whole, to implement any of these changes to his institution. Srila Prabhupada specifically instructed how worship and sadhana in his movement should be carried out. Every detail of the morning program, evening program, japa, worship, etc., was given by Srila Prabhupada for all ISKCON devotees. Yet in an instant, the ISKCON leaders decided they were more than their guru, and made all sorts of unauthorized changes to his movement.
  1. “He, before passing away, he gave all direction and never said that ‘This man should be the next acharya.’ But these people, just after his passing away they began to fight, who shall be acharya. That is the failure.”
Srila Prabhupada also gave all instructions before departing. Yet he never said “this person will be next acharya” or “these people will be the next diksha gurus”. Despite the fact that he never authorized anyone to be the next diksha guru, immediately after his departure his disciples fought over the position of acharya, throwing out anyone who did not accept their chosen 11 leaders as equal to Srila Prabhupada.
  1. “They never thought, ‘Why Guru Maharaja gave us instruction so many things, why he did not say that this man should be acharya?’”
After Prabhupada’s departure, the ISKCON leaders never thought “Why Srila Prabhupada did not say that these men should be acharyas?” Prabhupada gave so many instructions, yet he specifically never authorized anyone to be the next acharya and diksha guru of ISKCON. Instead of understanding the reason Prabhupada never authorized or appointed anyone, the ISKCON leaders immediately fought over who would succeed Srila Prabhupada as acharya. It is a fact that Srila Prabhupada did not say that any of the 11 appointed zonal-acharyas should be acharya. It is also a fact that Srila Prabhupada did not say that any of the present 100 mini-acharyas should be mini-acharya. “So why did he not say that this man, [insert SWAMI X here], should be acharya?” That is Prabhupada’s own question. You can take it up with him.
Tamal Krishna Maharaja, one of the 11 zonal acharya’s, explained their mood at the time of appointing themselves as successor acharya’s:
“They immediately… these eleven people are the selected gurus. I can say definitely for myself, and for which I humbly beg forgiveness from everybody, that there was definitely some degree of trying to control. There’s a degree of this in most GBC’s parts, in most temple president’s parts. This is the conditioned nature, and it came out in the highest position of all. ‘Guru, oh wonderful! Now I’m a guru, and there is only eleven of us’.”
  1. “They wanted to create artificially somebody acharya and everything failed.”

 

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by Damaghosa dasa

SP takes a walk thru his LA BBT warehouse

April 5, 2022 in Articles by Damaghosa dasa

April 17 1971 letter to Vrndavan chandra

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 18th February, 1971 and have noted the contents. You write to say that this Hare Krishna Movement is perfect in all respects. Thank you very much. And it is a fact that “Sankirtana will keep you happy and the books will keep you convinced”, so make your program in that way and become fixed up in Krishna Consciousness.

—————————————-
Feb 24 1977 conversations
Prabhupada:This is very improved.

Rādhā–vallabha: For the next printing of Bhagavad-gītā, so much paper was ordered that it would take seventy–six train cars to carry it. (laughter)
Rāmeśvara: They’ve written us a letter about this. They have never received such a large paper order at one time for one book. We have a letter glorifying the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust from the paper company, and another letter from the printer. This is the largest.

Now let us take a walk thru with Srila Prabhupada of the BBT warehouse at THAT time…..
Feb 10 1975 Morning walk thru LA BBT Warehouse
Hṛdayānanda: Right here. See on the left there?
Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. [break] (inside)
Rāmeśvara: …admire your books, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Sometimes they sit here and they pull books to examine the quality of the printing, and they always read the Back to Godhead magazine while they wait.
Prabhupāda: Harer nāma harer nāma… [Cc. Ādi 17.21]. Ah. Latest publication?
Haṁsadūta: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: The Back to Godhead printer frames these for us. He brings them over after every issue.
Prabhupāda: Oh. They are giving good service.
Rāmeśvara: They are very fond of us. They spend more time on our magazine than anyone else.
Prabhupāda: What is the picture?
Rāmeśvara: This is Sītā, the wife of Advaita Ācārya receiving…
Prabhupāda: Oh, Lord Caitanya.
Rāmeśvara: It is in Ādi-līlā, Volume Three.
Prabhupāda: Who has painted?
Rāmeśvara: Jadurāṇī.
Prabhupāda: Jadurāṇī has got good talent. Hare Kṛṣṇa. (chuckles)
Rāmeśvara: This is the office where I work.
Prabhupāda: This is developed photo.
Rāmeśvara: It is a drawing by a boy in New York named Peter Hawkins.
Prabhupāda: Drawing?
Rāmeśvara: A drawing.
Prabhupāda: Oh. Harer nāma harer nāma… [Cc. Ādi 17.21].
Rāmeśvara: We have two warehouses… [break] …to the wall and up to the ceiling.
Prabhupāda: So they are going or simply stock?
Rāmeśvara: No. It is greatly reduced since they have arrived.
Prabhupāda: So Haṁsadūta, he has to make a go-down(book warehouse) like this.
Haṁsadūta: Yeah.
Prabhupāda: Then he’ll defeat these charges. Eh? When the nation, German nation, will accept these books, then that will be proper reply, charges.
Rāmeśvara: This forklift lifts these pallets high up to the ceiling.
Prabhupāda: Oh.
Hṛdayānanda: Does Prabhupāda want to see how it work? Śruta-śravā, you can show him how it works? Quickly.
Rāmeśvara: These racks we purchased for storing the books that will be sent to the libraries and colleges. When Satsvarūpa Swami gets the orders, they are reserved over here, five hundred copies of each book, and then, when we run out, another five hundred copies goes in the rack. So that way, we always keep books. Even if we sell out, we always have books reserved for the libraries. Śruta-śravā manages our warehouse. (engine started)
Hṛdayānanda: Make it go up.
Prabhupāda: I first saw this machine in the Commonwealth Pier, Boston. (machine moving around, crashing sound)
Jayatīrtha: What are you doing, Śruta-śravā?
Rāmeśvara: Sometimes because of that roof you can’t see what you’re doing.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: So usually he’s very careful.
Prabhupāda: Sometime they are breaking also. (laughter)
Rāmeśvara: So far, no accidents.
Kirtirāja: Just today.
Rāmeśvara: He’s a little nervous. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: What is the rent?
Rāmeśvara: 1,800 dollars each month for all the offices in the warehouse. It’s considered a good price in this area. We have a speaker system, so during the day, while they work in the warehouse, they’re always hearing your lectures.
Prabhupāda: Ācchā? (chuckles)
Rāmeśvara: This is the other warehouse.
Hṛdayānanda: Back to Godhead.
Prabhupāda: There is arrangement for fire?
Rāmeśvara: Yes. We have fire insurance and fire alarm. We have fire alarm?
Kirtirāja: Yeah.
Rāmeśvara: We have fire alarm? These are Kṛṣṇa Trilogies.
Prabhupāda: All these? All these, stock?
Rāmeśvara: We always require large inventory because the temples order so fast. Bhagavad-gītās in this corner, and on this back wall here, all the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatams and Caitanya-caritāmṛta volumes… These books have just arrived from the printer.
Prabhupāda: Where is that Prajāpati? He’s not here? That play yesterday… Last evening I saw. It was very nice.
Gurudāsa: Yes. They also did Pralambāsura for the guests.
Prabhupāda: No… Now we have got Caitanya-caritāmṛta and Bhāgavatam. If such demonstration are done very nicely, it will be very much appreciated even by the public. We can collect some money.
Jayatīrtha: Yes. We plan to make a tour this summer all the way up the West Coast, and in the amphitheaters...
Prabhupāda: And in India also. Simply you have to change the language, dictate.
Jayatīrtha: Of the narration.
Gurudāsa: Yes. They’re planning to do that.
Prabhupāda: In our festival let them come and show. What is this? That man? What is his name who showed Gaurāṅga līlā?
Gurudāsa: Yes, Harigovind.
Prabhupāda: It will be hundred times better than that.
Gurudāsa: Thousand times. Ten thousand, yes.
Prabhupāda: So show this nonsense that “We can do better than you.”
Gurudāsa: It’s much more beautiful.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Jayatīrtha: They’re coming to Māyāpur.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gurudāsa: Yesterday at the love feast they did Pralambāsura, and the guests loved it. Wonderful.
Jayatīrtha: They applauded.
Prabhupāda: They must love it. It is very nice, very nice. Organize this very nicely. We have got so many boys and girls. They can play simply. And they haven’t got to speak. This system is very nice. Let them play. What is this called, system?
Hṛdayānanda: Narration.
Prabhupāda: No, there is…
Jayatīrtha: Like pantomime.
Gurudāsa: Mime.
Prabhupāda: Even they play with tape. Tape… Tapes… The tape is going on, and then are playing.
(NOTE-In vancouver temple there was a devotee who produced weekly little 10-15 minute skits or parody’s of society and Krsna lila stories-everyone loved it)

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