The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (8.5): anta-kāle ca mām eva smaran muktvā kalevaram yaḥ prayāti sa mad-bhāvaṁ yāti nāsty atra saṁśayaḥ “Whoever, at the time of death, quits his body remembering Me alone, at once attains My nature. Of this there is no doubt.” Of course, one must practice before one isContinue Reading
As indicated by the words pare bhagavati brahmaṇy ātmānaṁ sannayan, Dadhīci placed himself, as spirit soul, at the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In this regard, one may refer to the incident of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s leaving his body, as described in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.13.55). Dhṛtarāṣṭra analytically divided his grossContinue Reading
When the impersonalist says, or there are many philosophers, that “God has no name,” actually that is a fact. God has no name. But He has name according to His activities. Just like when He acts as the chariot driver of Arjuna, His name is Partha-sarathi. When He plays asContinue Reading
One generally follows different types of religious principles or performs various occupational duties according to the body given to him by the modes of material nature. In this verse, however, real religious principles are explained. Everyone should be unhappy to see others in distress and happy to see others happy. ĀtmavatContinue Reading
In this regard, a very exalted example was set by Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and the Six Gosvāmīs of Vṛndāvana. Concerning Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.34): tyaktvā sudustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam “We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotusContinue Reading
A pure devotee who is fully accomplished in the science of devotional service will never instruct a foolish person to engage in fruitive activities for material enjoyment, not to speak of helping him in such activities. Such a devotee is like an experienced physician, who never encourages a patient toContinue Reading
Those who think material assets to be everything or to be the ultimate goal of life are called misers [kṛpaṇas]. They do not know the ultimate necessity of the soul. Moreover, if one awards that which is desired by such fools, he must also be considered foolish. There are twoContinue Reading
The origin of the word – China 21st century China may be very proud of its position as a superpower in the world stage, but the fact of the matter is that most of its history, culture, religion, etc have been derived from Bhārata. In this message, I wish toContinue Reading
O Lord, O personified three worlds, father of the three worlds! O strength of the three worlds, in the form of the Vāmana incarnation! O three-eyed form of Nṛsiṁhadeva! O most beautiful person within the three worlds! Everything and everyone, including human beings and even the Daitya demons and theContinue Reading
For some devotees within ISKCON, what counts as evidence from Śrīla Prabhupāda’s statements depends on what their opinion is. If the śāstra supports what someone already believes Śrīla Prabhupāda meant, then it is acceptable. If not, then it is not accepted. Thus, what has actually happened is that by eliminating the other sources of information (direct śāstra and sādhu, other saintly persons like Rāmānuja, Madvhācārya, Jīva Gosvāmī, etc.) by saying “only Prabhupāda”, or only what he has quoted from śāstra or sādhu, and by ignoring the consistency criterion (aikya), Śrīla Prabhupāda’s teachings have become a grab-bag of useful statements for proving almost any idea one can think up, as Dr. Hopkins has observed. In this way, instead of us serving Śrīla Prabhupāda’s desires, we engage Śrīla Prabhupāda in serving ours.Continue Reading