Niranjana Swami's Quote Of The Day

Topic

November 15

There is a verse in which Srila Rupa Gosvami says, avyartha-kalatvam: [Cc. Madhya 23.18-19] a devotee should be very much careful to see whether his time is being spent unnecessarily. He should ask himself, “Am I now engaged in maya’s service or Krishna’s service?” This is a symptom of an advanced devotee. Nama-gane sada rucih: such a devotee is never tired of chanting, singing, or dancing. The word sada means “always,” and ruci means “taste.”
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 172, 3rd paragraph.

November 14

Now Kuntidevi says, “My dear Krishna, if You think that we are well established now that we have our kingdom back, and if You therefore want to leave us, that is not a very good proposal. We are not free yet. Because we have killed so many kings, all their friends and relatives are planning to come fight with us again. So don’t think that we are free from all dangers. We are not. And we have no protection other than Your lotus feet. That is our position.” Thus she indirectly says to Krishna, “Do not leave us. Don’t think that we are now safe. Without Your protection, we are always unsafe.”
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 172, 1st paragraph.

November 13

If a person is driving on a very dangerous road, usually he will see signs posted, warning of any dangers on the road—such as “Dangerous curve ahead.” However, if the driver is not attentive and does not look at the signs, then he may drive right off the mountain. Thus, when we advance in spiritual life, we have to be careful about the important signs that the acaryas have left for us: “Dangerous curve ahead! Slow down! Be more attentive! Don’t fall asleep at the wheel!” All the warnings are there, and if we do not listen to them, thinking, “I am a devotee and I can just go on chanting Hare Krsna,” then we will miss the curve and drive off the mountain! Being aware of the obstacles, we should learn how to apply the proper instructions that are given to avoid those obstacles and dangers. One of the great dangers for a devotee is inattentive chanting.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 171, last paragraph.

November 12

At every stage of devotional service, chanting of the holy name of the Lord is the recommended process for cleaning. In the beginning, the Lord will overlook our offenses, but as we progress and learn a few more things, then we are held accountable for those offenses. If we are not careful about that, then those offenses will drag us down and cause us to lose our taste and determination. When one makes a little advancement in spiritual life, he has to come to the realization that it is time to clean out all the finer dust particles that will drag us down. Tattva-vibhrama is a type of anartha, which means ignorance of the obstacles that prevent us from making advancement in devotional service. We should not stay in ignorance. We should know what the obstacles are.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 170, 4th paragraph.

November 11

The existence of anarthas within our heart is our cause of difficulty. Prabhupada says that the process of devotional service is the process of purification. When we are becoming purified, the anarthas are gradually coming to the surface, and they become increasingly noticeable. Such anarthas are the desire for prestige; jiva-himsa—which is envy and enmity for living entities; nisiddhacara—unacceptable behavior for those trying to attain perfection; kutanati—diplomacy; lobha—mundane profiteering; puja—adoration achieved by satisfying mundane people; and pratistha-adi—becoming an important man in material calculations. These anarthas need to be cleaned out.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 170, 4th paragraph.

November 10

When you want to buy something, you have to give something in return. Therefore, if you want to buy pure devotional service, you have to purchase it with your faith. To the degree that you place your faith, to that degree you will get some return for it. Advancement in devotional service is simply advancement to the degree of our faith, and that faith will be tested along the way.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 169, 2nd last paragraph.

November 9

Devotional service is the cultivation of consciousness that simultaneously awakens a genuine attachment. The material world exists only as a dream due to our attachment to it, but it is a temporary manifestation that has no connection with reality. We identify with it and think it is real when it is happening. But when we wake up, we see it was only a dream.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 167, 2nd last paragraph.

November 2

Human life is meant for us to wake up. We should take advantage of the intelligence and everything that has been given to us in this human form of life so that we can wake up. We should use whatever time we have left in these temporary material bodies for cultivating Krishna consciousness. This is atma-tattva—the actual purpose of the human form of life. Our nature is to be attached to something, and to the degree we realize that attachment means to become attached to Krishna, we can be fearless at the time of death. For a devotee, death is simply the threshold to the spiritual world.
LFD Vol 3, Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 167, 2nd last paragraph.

November 1

Attachments are not things that we can immediately give up. Even death is not the means for becoming freed from attachments, because the living entity carries his different conceptions of life from one body to the next, just as the air carries aromas from one place to the next. Sometimes people foolishly think, “I’m suffering so much. I have to become free from the suffering. Let me take my own life so that I can end the suffering!” However, they do not know the stringent laws of nature. They do not know how the soul is eternal, and how the attachment that the soul has at the time of death carries him to his next body. Therefore, becoming free from attachments is a gradual process. We have to decrease the degree of absorption that we put in connection with this body and increase the absorption in those activities that will free us from identification with this body. Every learned man knows very well that attachment for the material is the greatest entanglement of the spirit soul. But that same attachment, when applied to the self-realized devotees, opens the door of liberation.
LFD Vol 3,Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 166, 1st paragraph onwards

October 31

It is a very liberating feeling to give up material things and take shelter in the holy name, Srimad-Bhagavatam and devotional service. It brings about a certain sense of relief from distress. However, after time passes, one may begin to perceive that there are still so many things that he has not yet given up. Certain attachments begin to surface in the heart and thoughts, and one may even think that this process is not working. This is because they lose their faith, and they give up their practice in Krishna consciousness. However, one moment of full consciousness is far superior to living a long life devoid of knowledge of the Supreme. Everybody is struggling to live a long and happy life, but he who is struggling to get that one moment of full consciousness is a rare soul.
LFD Vol 3, Cultivating Krishna Conciousness Pg 161, 2nd last paragraph onwards

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