Srila Prabhupada vani#265

#265-Srila Prabhupada explains-this body is simply made for suffering-in his lecture-Cc A 1-02 MAY 1975-03-26 The Darkness Dispellers

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Kṛṣṇa the greatest scientist

(From the book  "Perfect questions  Perfect Answers" )

continued  from  previous  section.....

Śyāmasundara: How is Kṛṣṇa the greatest scientist?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Because He knows everything. A scientist is one who knows a subject matter thoroughly. He is a scientist. Kṛṣṇa—He knows everything.

Bob: I am presently a science teacher.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, teaching. But, unless you have perfect knowledge, how can you teach? That is our question.

Bob: Without perfect knowledge, though, you can teach—

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is cheating; that is not teaching. That is cheating. Just like the scientists say, "There was a chunk... and the creation took place. Perhaps. Maybe..." What is this? Simply cheating! It is not teaching; it is cheating.

Bob: Let me repeat what you said this morning—that was interesting. I asked about miracles, and you said that only a fool would believe in miracles because—let us say you are a child and an adult lifts this table. That's a miracle. Or you're a chemist and you combine acid and base and you make smoke, an explosion or whatever. To somebody ignorant, that's a miracle. But for everything there is a process, and so when you see a miracle, it's just ignorance of the process. So that only a fool would believe in miracles, and—you correct me if I say wrong...

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.

Bob: You said when Jesus came the people then were somewhat more ignorant and needed miracles as aid. I wasn't sure if that's quite what you said.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, yes. Miracles are for the ignorant.

Bob: I had asked this in relation to all the miracle men you hear about in India.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa is the highest miracle man.

Bob: Yes.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is stated by Kuntī...

Bob: Without perfect knowledge, can I not teach some things? For example, I may—

Śrīla Prabhupāda: You can teach up to the point you know.

Bob: Yes, but I should not claim to teach more than I know.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes, that is cheating.

Śyāmasundara: In other words, he can't teach the truth with partial knowledge.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. That is not possible for any human being. A human being has imperfect senses. So how can he teach perfect knowledge? Suppose you see the sun as a disc. You have no means to approach the sun. If you say that we can see the sun by telescope and this and that, they are also made by you, and you are imperfect. So how can your machine be perfect? Therefore, your knowledge of the sun is imperfect. So don't teach about the sun unless you have perfect knowledge. That is cheating.

Bob: But what about to teach that it is supposed that the sun is 93,000,000 miles away?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: As soon as you say "it is supposed," it is not scientific.

Bob: But I think that almost all science, then, is not scientific.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: That is the point!

Bob: All science is based on, you know, suppositions of this or that.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. They are teaching imperfectly. Just like they are advertising so much about the moon. Do you think their knowledge is perfect?

Bob: No.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Then?

Praying to Kṛṣṇa is not evil

(From the book  "Perfect questions  Perfect Answers" )

continued from previous section.....

Bob: Are there some people who do not find Kṛṣṇa attractive?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No. All people will find Him attractive. Who is not attracted? just give an example: "This man or this living entity is not attracted to Kṛṣṇa."Just find such a person.

Bob: Somebody who wishes to do things in life that he may feel are wrong but who wishes to gain power or prestige or money...

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bob:... may find God unattractive. He may not find God attractive, because God gives him guilt.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, not God. His attraction is to become powerful. A man wants to become powerful or rich—is it not? But nobody is richer than Kṛṣṇa. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is attractive to him.

Bob: If a person who wants to become rich prays to Kṛṣṇa, will he become rich?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes!

Bob: He can become rich through this means?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes. Because Kṛṣṇa is all-powerful, if you pray to Kṛṣṇa to become rich, Kṛṣṇa will make you rich.

Bob: If somebody lives an evil life but prays to become rich, he may still become rich?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Praying to Kṛṣṇa is not evil.

Bob: Oh, yes.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: [chuckling] Somehow or other he prays to Kṛṣṇa, so you cannot say that he is evil.

Bob: Yes.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad-gītā, api cet sudurācāro bhajate mām ananya-bhāk [Bg. 9.30]. Have you read it?

Bob: Yes. The Sanskrit I don't know, but the English I do.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Hm-m.

Bob: "Even if the most evil man prays to Me..."

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes.

Bob: "... He will be elevated."

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. As soon as he begins to pray to Kṛṣṇa, that is not evil. Therefore He is all-attractive. It is said in the Vedas that the Absolute Truth, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the reservoir of all pleasure—raso vai saḥ. (Taittirīya Upaniṣad 2.7.1) Everyone is hankering after someone because he realizes some mellow in it.

Bob: Excuse me?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Some mellow. Suppose a man is drinking. Why is he drinking? He is getting some mellow out of that drinking. A man is hankering after money because by possessing money he gets a mellow out of it.

Bob: What does mellow mean?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: [to Śyāmasundara] How do they define mellow?

Śyāmasundara: Taste, pleasure.

Bob: OK.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Pleasing taste. So the Vedas say, raso vai saḥ. The exact translation of mellow is rasa. [Mālatī, Śyāmasundara's wife, enters with a tray of food] What is that?

Mālatī: Eggplant (brinjal), fried.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh! All-attractive! All-attractive! [Laughter.]

to  be continued.....

Srila Prabhupada vani #264

#264-Srila Prabhupada explains-Who is Lord Nityananda-in his lecture-Cc A 1-02 MAY 1975-03-26 The Darkness Dispellers

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IvIrBGJ53n9VRS_zsfY0lweqOiO9gO2t

Kṛṣṇa, the All-Attractive

(From the book  "Perfect questions  Perfect Answers" )

Bob: What is a scientist?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: One who knows things as they are.

Bob: He thinks he knows things as they are.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: What?

Bob: He hopes he knows things as they are.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, he is supposed to know. We approach the scientist because he is supposed to know things correctly. A scientist means one who knows things as they are. Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive."

Bob: All-attractive.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. So unless God is all-attractive, how can He be God? A man is important when he is attractive. Is it not?

Bob: It is so.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: So, God must be attractive and attractive for all. Therefore, if God has any name, or if you want to give any name to God, only "Kṛṣṇa" can be given.

Bob: But why only the name Kṛṣṇa?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Because He's all-attractive. Kṛṣṇa means"all-attractive."

Bob: Oh, I see.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. God has no name, but by His qualities we give Him names. If a man is very beautiful, we call him "beautiful." If a man is very intelligent, we call him "wise.' So the name is given according to the quality. Because God is all-attractive, the name Kṛṣṇa can be applied only to Him. Kṛṣṇa means "all-attractive." It includes everything.

Bob: But what about a name meaning "all-powerful"?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes.... Unless you are powerful, how can you be all-attractive?

Śyāmasundara: [an American devotee, Śrīla Prabhupāda's secretary] It includes everything.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Everything. He must be very beautiful, He must be very wise, He must be very powerful, He must be very famous...

Bob: Is Kṛṣṇa attractive to rascals?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Oh, yes! He was the greatest rascal also.

Bob: How is that?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: [laughing] Because He was always teasing the gopīs.

Śyāmasundara: Teasing?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Yes. Sometimes when Rādhārāṇī would go out, Kṛṣṇa would attack Her, and when She would fall down—"Kṛṣṇa, don't torture Me in that way"—They would fall down, and Kṛṣṇa would take the opportunity and kiss Her. [He laughs.] So, Rādhārāṇī was very pleased, but superficially Kṛṣṇa was the greatest rascal. So unless rascaldom is in Kṛṣṇa, how could rascaldom be existent in the world? Our formula of God is that He is the source of everything. Unless rascaldom is in Kṛṣṇa, how can it be manifest... because He is the source of everything. But His rascaldom is so nice that everyone worships His rascaldom.

Bob: What about the rascals who are not so nice?

Śrīla Prabhupāda: No, rascaldom is not nice, but Kṛṣṇa is absolute. He is God. Therefore His rascaldom is also good. Kṛṣṇa is all-good. God is good.

Bob: Yes.

Śrīla Prabhupāda: Therefore, when He becomes a rascal, that is also good. That is Kṛṣṇa. Rascaldom is not good, but when it is practiced by Kṛṣṇa, because He is absolutely good, that rascaldom is also good. This one has to understand.

Continued.....

Srila Prabhupada Passtimes-11

GBC's Thoughtful Retirement

September 1974, Kṛṣṇa Balarāma Mandir,
Vrindaban, India

For several weeks Śrīla Prabhupāda had been very ill. He was barely eating and required assistance to walk. After quite a long time, his health improved to the relief of all of his disciples.

Some of the GBC members met to discuss relieving Śrīla Prabhupāda from his managerial duties in the hopes that his health would improve if he wasn't concerned with the daily management of ISKCON.

The GBC members called for a meeting in Śrīla Prabhupāda's presence.

"Śrīla Prabhupāda," one member said. "We've decided that we can handle all of the management so you can be free to do your translating work. You don't have to worry about managing the society. We are competent to do it."

Śrīla Prabhupāda became very angry.

"When I want you to manage," he said, "When I want to stop managing, I'll stop. Don't tell your spiritual master when to give up the management. Who do you think you are telling your spiritual master that he doesn't have to manage any more? I'm quite fit to know when I don't want to manage. When I decide I don't want to do it, then I'll stop managing. That is up to me to decide. Not for you."

Meeting adjourned!

Srila Prabhupada Passtimes-10

Retired for One Hour

ISKCON Los Angeles

His Divine Grace spoke many times about retiring from managerial duties to concentrate on translating the scriptures for humanity at large. My first experience was as follows:

One morning at about 9:00, Śrīla Prabhupāda called me into his room and told me to call Karāndhara. This happened often while we were in New Dwarka. Śrīla Prabhupāda had great faith in Karandhara's abilities. He even praised Karāndhara for fixing the concrete stairs which led to Śrīla Prabhupāda's garden.

"Karāndhara can do anything," Śrīla Prabhupāda commented, pointing to the stairs.

If any problem arose while we were in Los Angeles, Śrīla Prabhupāda called for Karāndhara to solve it.

When Karāndhara arrived in Śrīla Prabhupāda's room, His Divine Grace stunned him by saying, "I don't want to be involved in management so much. I want to translate books."

"Yes," Karāndhara enthusiastically replied. "I can do all of your secretarial work from here and you can stay here to translate. We'll keep everything very nice for you." "Yes! We'll do it immediately," Śrīla Prabhupāda said. "I want to have no business. No more business. No more management. You handle all of my affairs for me."

Karāndhara left the room, ready to organize ISKCON from his office on Watseka Avenue.

"This is amazing," I thought. "Prabhupāda is going to let the Governing Body Commission (GBC) run the society."

New Dwarka was perfect for such an arrangement. It had all facility for Śrīla Prabhupāda, including the garden which was his "favorite place." He could have stayed there for years and translated all day if he wanted.

About one hour later, Śrīla Prabhupāda again rang his bell. I entered Śrīla Prabhupāda's quarters and offered my obeisances, but before I raised my head from the floor he said, "Call Karāndhara."

Karāndhara soon entered the room and offered his obeisances. As he did, Śrīla Prabhupāda noticed a letter in Karandhara's kurta pocket. Śrīla Prabhupāda's eyes grew large.

"What is that?" he asked.

"Oh, it is a letter for you, Śrīla Prabhupāda," Karāndhara replied.

"Open it," Śrīla Prabhupāda instructed.

Karāndhara opened the letter and read it to Śrīla Prabhupāda. It was a typical letter from a senior disciple who managed one of ISKCON's temples. Śrīla Prabhupāda intently listened and then dictated a reply.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's retirement lasted a little over an hour. It was the first retirement I had experienced, but certainly not the last. Śrīla Prabhupāda relished translating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam for us. He also relished teaching his children how to walk on the spiritual path. His patience was endless. On a daily basis he picked us up as we stumbled and encouraged us to try to walk again. No matter how much he dreamed of retirement he would not leave us alone until we were able to walk on our own. The time has come for us to walk.

Jai Śrīla Prabhupāda!

The world of Death

This material world is called the world of death. Every living being, beginning from Brahmā, whose duration of life is some thousands of millions of years, down to the germs who live for a few seconds only, is struggling for existence. Therefore, this life is a sort of fight with material nature, which imposes death upon all. In the human form of life, a living being is competent enough to come to an understanding of this great struggle for existence, but being too attached to family members, society, country, etc., he wants to win over the invincible material nature by the aid of bodily strength, children, wife, relatives, etc. Although he is sufficiently experienced in the matter by dint of past experience and previous examples of his deceased predecessors, he does not see that the so-called fighting soldiers like the children, relatives, society members and countrymen are all fallible in the great struggle. One should examine the fact that his father or his father’s father has already died, and that he himself is therefore also sure to die, and similarly his children, who are the would-be fathers of their children, will also die in due course. No one will survive in this struggle with material nature. The history of human society definitely proves it, yet the foolish people still suggest that in the future they will be able to live perpetually, with the help of material science. This poor fund of knowledge exhibited by human society is certainly misleading, and it is all due to ignoring the constitution of the living soul. This material world exists only as a dream, due to our attachment to it. Otherwise, the living soul is always different from the material nature. The great ocean of material nature is tossing with the waves of time, and the so-called living conditions are something like foaming bubbles, which appear before us as bodily self, wife, children, society, countrymen, etc. Due to a lack of knowledge of self, we become victimized by the force of ignorance and thus spoil the valuable energy of human life in a vain search after permanent living conditions, which are impossible in this material world.

Our friends, relatives and so-called wives and children are not only fallible, but also bewildered by the outward glamor of material existence. As such, they cannot save us. Still we think that we are safe within the orbit of family, society or country.

The whole materialistic advancement of human civilization is like the decoration of a dead body. Everyone is a dead body flapping only for a few days, and yet all the energy of human life is being wasted in the decoration of this dead body. Śukadeva Gosvāmī is pointing out the duty of the human being after showing the actual position of bewildered human activities. Persons who are devoid of the knowledge of ātma-tattva are misguided, but those who are devotees of the Lord and have perfect realization of transcendental knowledge are not bewildered.

The Knowledge of Atmatattva

The present human civilization is primarily based on the principles of sleeping and sex indulgence at night and earning money in the day and spending the same for family maintenance. Such a form of human civilization is condemned by the Bhāgavata school.

Because human life is a combination of matter and spirit soul, the whole process of Vedic knowledge is directed at liberating the spirit soul from the contamination of matter. The knowledge concerning this is called ātma-tattva.Those men who are too materialistic are unaware of this knowledge and are more inclined to economic development for material enjoyment. Such materialistic men are called karmīs, or fruitive laborers, and they are allowed regulated economic development or association of woman for sex indulgence. Those who are above the karmīs, that is, the jñānīs, yogīs and devotees, are strictly prohibited from sex indulgence. The karmīs are more or less devoid of ātma-tattva knowledge, and as such their life is spent without spiritual profit. The human life is not meant for hard labor for economic development, nor is it meant for sex indulgence like that of the dogs and hogs. It is specially meant for making a solution to the problems of material life and the miseries thereof. So the karmīswaste their valuable human life by sleeping and sex indulgence at night, and by laboring hard in the daytime to accumulate wealth, and after doing so, they try to improve the standard of materialistic life. The materialistic way of life is described herein in a nutshell, and how foolishly men waste the boon of human life is described as follows.

SB-2.1.3

Srila Prabhupada Vani #263

#263-Srila Prabhupada explains-Purpose of Krishna and Balaram-In his lecture-Cc A 1-02 MAY 1975-03-26 The Darkness Dispellers


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