Srila Prabhupada's Quote Of The Day

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August 22

A brahmana, if he thinks that "Now I have brahminical qualifications, I am now educated, I am very cleansed, I am very controlled" - these things are brahmana qualification - "I know what is what," jnanam vijnanam, but he does not try for becoming immortal, then that kind of thinking is also bondage, that "I am this, I am that." Even though he is very learned, sattva samo damas titiksa suci, all these good qualities are there. But if he does not try to be, go further ahead, how to become immortal, so this type of fine entanglement is also entanglement. And those who are passionate, they are thinking, "I am so rich, I am so powerful, I have got so many nice business, bank balance, I have got my big family, nice wife." These are passion conception of life. So they are certainly bound up. And those who are ignorant, means one does not know what is the value of life, lying down anywhere, lazy, sleeping, unclean, do not know the value of life, they are in ignorance. They are very firmly bound up.

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.16, London, 22 August, 1973

August 21

The first thing, I warn Acyutananda, do not try to initiate. You are not in a proper position now to initiate anyone. Besides that, the etiquette is that so long the Spiritual Master is present, all prospective disciples should be brought to him. Therefore if anyone is anxious to be initiated, he should first of all hear our philosophy and join chanting at least for three months, and then if required, I shall send chanted beads for him if you recommend. As we are doing here. Don't be allured by such maya. I am training you all to become future Spiritual Masters, but do not be in a hurry.

Letter to Acyutananda and Jaya Govinda, 21 August, 1968

August 20

They are doing so many sinful acts on account of this body; still, they are going as religious, or spiritualist. Nobody is spiritualist unless one understands his spiritual identification, neither one is religious. Therefore in the Bhagavad-gita the last word is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [BG 18.66], because you rascal, fools, you have created so many religious system simply on the differences of body. That is not religion. Real religion is that "I am the Supreme Soul, Parambrahma, Krsna. And you are My part and parcel. So we have intimate relation, like father and son. So it is the son's duty to obey the father. That is perfection of life."

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.14, London, 20 August, 1973

August 19

Regarding your question about eternal spiritual and temporary spiritual, the temporary spiritual is the impersonal brahmajyoti. The impersonalists by severe austerities and penances arise to the Brahman effulgence. But it is only temporary. Eternally we cannot remain aloof. As living entities, we want pleasure in association; therefore we see in the material world where for sense gratification the karmis take so much responsibility. First of all they accept one wife. The more he enjoys the wife, the more he becomes implicated. So, this means that we must have pleasure even at the risk of gross implication. Therefore our Krishna Consciousness movement is that we want pleasure but without any implication. This is happening actually. All of our Krishna Consciousness students they are enjoying life without any implication.

Letter to Sridhara das, 19 August, 1974

August 18

You are all-pervading within your body; I know the pains and pleasures of my body; you know the pains and pleasures of your body. So all-pervading means within this body. If I pinch anywhere, I'll feel pain, you'll not feel pain. Therefore, you are not all-pervading, I am not all-pervading. But Krsna is all-pervading. When I feel pain, Krsna knows it. Vedaham samatitani [BG 7.26]. "I know everything." That is Krsna. Try to understand distinction between Krsna and us. He's all-pervading, but He's nitya, ever-existing. We are also ever-existing. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13). We have got knowledge, Krsna has got knowledge. But we have got limited knowledge. Krsna has got unlimited knowledge. That is the difference.

Lecture on Bhagavad-gita 2.12, London 18 August, 1973

August 17

Gopala Krishna informed me that you plan to build the temple in Nellore with the help of local life members. This is a very good idea. You may construct a library and a meditation hall to please the donors, but as far as possible the library should carry our books and books of other Vaisnava acaryas. The meditation hall you may put pictures of Krishna on all four sides.

Letter to Mahamsa Swami, 17 August, 1975

August 16

Regarding the restaurant, you should not name it as you have suggested, but "Hare Krishna Restaurant.'' That should be the name. In each restaurant there should be the picture of Lord Caitanya, and the foods should be offered and distributed to the respected customers. There should also be a tape recorder playing the Sankirtana in mild voice.

Letter to Batu Gopala Das, 16 August, 1974

August 15

You are wondering if you did the right thing by giving the Deities to Sudama, so the answer is no. The deities may be brought back and worshiped in the temple as before. The idea of traveling Sankirtana is to distribute books not to do Deity worship, it is very difficult to maintain the standard of Deity worship in the temple, how will it be maintained in a truck?

Letter to Jagadisa, 15 August, 1973

August 14

The real ocean of mercy is Krsna and it is the duty of the spiritual master to tell his disciple to come to the ocean and be happy. The spiritual master's duty is to lead the disciple to this ocean. I am trying my best and if you try to follow surely you will benefit.

Letter to Residents of New Dvaraka, 14 August, 1976

August 13

Regarding your meeting with the Ram Krishna Mission man, you write to say that he has advised you how you should work combinedly with the Maharishi group in Hamburg, and he has said that our goals are actually the same. I do not know how our goals are actually the same. Our goal is Krishna, and we are preaching the gospel of Krishna, Bhagavad-gita as it is. In the Bhagavad-gita the point is stressed to concentrate on Krishna only, and the highest perfection of yoga process is to realize Krishna both externally and internally. We are teaching to vibrate the transcendental chanting of "Krishna'' because in that way, by hearing the sound vibration of Krishna, we can see everything as diverse extension of Krishna's external energy. And because we think of Krishna always in all our activities, therefore, internally we are 24 hours in meditation with Krishna. I don't think the Maharishi group or the Ram Krishna Mission is teaching like that. So how can it be accepted that our goal is actually the same?

Letter to Jaya Govinda, 13 August, 1969

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