Surrendering is a continuous process. A devotee is always looking for the opportunity to increase his surrender. Because Krishna says, "As you surrender unto Me, I reward you accordingly." If you want to think that our surrender was just something we did five years ago and it is not something we have to do now, then Krishna will deal with us accordingly.
June 8, 1996, Rostov-on-Don
What does the devotee do in the material world when praying for protection? He prays to Krishna "Please, always keep me engaged in Your loving devotional service." That is the prayer for protection.
June 7, 1995, Vilnius
Love is not simply mere sentiment. Love is an all consuming, instant attraction to the object of one's love which totally captivates one's existence, so much so that one cannot think of anything else except the object of one's love.
June 6, 2006, Kishiniov
Therefore, one has to be very careful about offenses because that is how one loses the association of devotees and there is nothing more dangerous in this material world than to be devoid of the association of devotees.
June 5, 1996, Dnepropetrovsk
When somebody is under the influence of maya, they think "This person is my friend, because he satisfies my lust; and this person is my enemy, because he interferes with my lust.” It is lust that is the enemy. It's not the living entity. It's because I have lust within my heart and I am also influenced by external energy that I make one person my friend and another person my enemy.
June 4, 1997, Tiraspol
But what does really awaken the spirit of renunciation within the heart? The spirit of renunciation means give up the enjoying spirit. Without giving up this enjoying spirit, it is not actually possible to be renounced.
June 3, 1994, St.Petersburg
That is spiritual life. Voluntarily accepting inconveniences for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
June 2, 2003, Moscow
Therefore, please do not let yourself become too depressed. There is no need for depression as long as there are devotees who are eager to recite the Lord's glories present with us on this planet. There is no more auspicious place to be than that place where the Lord's devotees are chanting His glories. Please, enter this place with faith, and let Lord Caitanya's pastimes flow into your heart. You will become happy.
June 1, 1999, Letter Hartford
When you want to buy something, you have to give something in return. So if you want buy pure devotional service, you have to purchase it with your faith. To that degree that you place your faith, to that degree you will get return for your faith. Advancement in devotional service is simply advancement in the degree of our faith. And this faith will be tested everywhere along the way.
May 31, 2009, Kiev
We can't go back to Godhead unless we are free from material desires. We should not think that everybody is just handing out special passes to everybody who just joined the Hare Krishna movement. "Oh, I have my neck beads; I can go back to Godhead. I can show you my neck beads." But that's not the ticket back home. The ticket back home is to have a mind that is fixed on the lotus feet of Krishna. May 30, 2005, Simferopol