Page 8 – Light of Godhead

Worshipping a devotee is better than worshipping the Lord

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: How To Become Very Dear To God

There is a common word in English, “If you love me, love my dog.” That is very important. So Bhagavat-priyanam, one who is very dear to Krsna. If you love such a person, then Krsna is more pleased. Krsna is more pleased. Bhagavat-priyanam.
There is a version in the Puranas, Devi Purana. Parvati was asking questions to Lord Siva, and Lord Siva was replying. So the inquiry was “Which worship is the best? Lord Siva, or Brahma or Chandra?” There

light-of-godhead2015-07-02T19:39:50+00:00July 1st, 2015|Categories: Parvati, Service attitude, Siva, Stories|Tags: Servant of the Servant|

Representative of Krsna

Speaker: Srila Prabhupada
Source: Kanista, Madhyama, Uttama

The spiritual master is the representative of Krsna. How he becomes representative? What is the test? The test is… Just like anyone can understand, representative. Suppose a business firm’s representative is going to canvass for business, what is his business? He will take the interest of the firm, not his personal interest. He will try to secure business for the firm he’s working, not for his personal… That is perfect representative. And if he goes, in the name of the firm’s representative,

light-of-godhead2015-07-02T19:56:12+00:00July 1st, 2015|Categories: Analogies, Spiritual master, Surrender|Tags: Representative|

SB 1.2.14-15: Perform bhakti by all means

SB 1.2.14: Therefore, with one-pointed attention, one should constantly hear about, glorify, remember and worship the Personality of Godhead, who is the protector of the devotees.

Sometimes political leaders of a particular party are also advertised by newspaper propaganda, and by such a method of glorification an insignificant man becomes an important man — within no time. But such propaganda by false glorification of an unqualified person cannot bring about any good, either for the particular man or for the society. There may be some temporary reactions to such propaganda, but there are no permanent effects. Therefore such activities are a waste of time. The actual object of glorification is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has created everything manifested before us. We have broadly discussed this fact from the beginning of the “janmādy asya” śloka of this Bhāgavatam. The tendency to glorify others or hear others must be turned to the real object of glorification — the Supreme Being. And that will bring happiness.

light-of-godhead2015-09-07T22:46:59+00:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: Attention, Canto 1, Srimad Bhagavatam notes|Tags: Performing duty|

Srila Prabhupada’s daily routine in London

Speaker: Yamuna devi
Source: Comes to England — The John and Yoko Interlude

His (Srila Prabhupada’s) schedule ran close to this:

1: 00 AM: Rises, chants japa and translates
3: 30 AM: Attends Aarti in his room, performed by either Purushottama or me
4: 30 AM: Attends Aarti, Srimad-Bhagavatam class, and kirtan in the main temple
6: 30 AM: Goes on a morning walk for about one hour, takes ayurvedic medicine and then a light breakfast (either Purushottama or I would go on the morning walk)
9: 00 AM: Chants kirtan

light-of-godhead2015-06-24T22:13:09+00:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: Pastimes of Srila Prabhupada, Yamuna devi|Tags: No wasting time|

I am very busy

Source: Breaking Ground

Lon Solomon: I was really into sex, and I wanted to know what he meant by illicit sex-what was his definition. He said to me, “This means sex outside of marriage.” But I wasn’t satisfied with the answer, and I asked him for more details. He told me to first consider the answer he had given me and then come back the next day and he would tell me more.

Then I showed up with a girl. The Swami came to the door and said,

light-of-godhead2015-06-24T22:50:51+00:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: Pastimes of Srila Prabhupada|Tags: No wasting time|

What is required to become Krishna conscious?

Speaker: Radhanath Swami
Source: We must cultivate proper desires

Yesterday, at Radha-Rasabihari temple, my dear god-brother, Srutakirti Prabhu, who was Srila Prabhupada’s longest standing personal servant, gave a class. He cited a particular incident that is so essentially instructive to all of us. He was talking about a morning walk. I believe it was in Los Angeles. During these morning walks, it was usually only the very senior devotees that were allowed to go on walks with Srila Prabhupada and usually, all the senior devotees had so many questions they

light-of-godhead2015-09-07T16:46:22+00:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: Pastimes of Srila Prabhupada, Srutakirti dasa, Videos|Tags: Acharya, Desire, Morning walks|

I have no other shelter

Speaker: Indradyumna Swami
Source: Two Parallel Tracks of Spiritual progress

Prabhupada told the story of Gandhi and his wife. Gandhi, one time, he had a terrible fight with his wife. He was so angry at her once that he threw her out of the house. It is a famous story in India. Gandhi threw his wife out of the house. “Out with you, go on the streets. Don’t come back.” Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was his wife. “What, you are back so soon?

light-of-godhead2015-08-13T21:58:47+00:00June 24th, 2015|Categories: Stories, Surrender|Tags: Gandhi|

Turn your home into Vaikuntha

Source: Goloka Vrndavana Is Everywhere

Bhaktivinoda Thakura, the father of sankirtana movement within two hundred years. He was acarya and a householder, grhastha. He was very responsible officer, magistrate, householder. But he was a great devotee. Not only devote, acarya in the line of Caitanya Mahaprabhu disciplic succession, acarya. So he sung, ye dine grhete bhajana dekhi, grhete goloka bhaya: “The day whenever we find there is bhajana,” means worshiping the Supreme Lord, “at that time immediately the house becomes Vaikuntha.” Actually, that is so. Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrndavana

light-of-godhead2015-06-16T22:30:39+00:00June 16th, 2015|Categories: Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Holy name, Sadhana-bhakti, Vaikuntha, Vrndavana|

SB 1.2.11-13: Perfection of our duties

SB 1.2.11: Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma or Bhagavan.

The Absolute Truth is both subject and object, and there is no qualitative difference there. Therefore, Brahman, Paramātmā and Bhagavān are qualitatively one and the same. The same substance is realized as impersonal Brahman by the students of the Upaniṣads, as localized Paramātmā by the Hiraṇyagarbhas or the yogīs, and as Bhagavān by the devotees. In other words, Bhagavān, or the Personality of Godhead, is the last word of the Absolute Truth. Paramātmā is the partial representation of the Personality of Godhead, and impersonal Brahman is the glowing effulgence of the Personality of Godhead, as the sun rays are to the sun-god.

light-of-godhead2015-09-07T22:46:59+00:00June 11th, 2015|Categories: Art of working, Canto 1, Srimad Bhagavatam notes|Tags: Performing duty|

Worship the deity to take birth in America

Speaker: Indradyumna Swami
Source: The Postage – Stamp

One time, one of my god brothers was visiting a temple in Vrindavana in the 1970’s and was praying very sincerely in front of the deity and the pujari, who was a bit of a smartha brahmana at that time, said to my god brother, “You are praying very nicely to the deity. So in your next life you can start to achieve perfection. You can take birth in India, and maybe become a brahmana.” This is their idea that they are superior

light-of-godhead2015-09-01T21:10:49+00:00June 10th, 2015|Categories: Brahmana, Lord Caitanya, Pastimes of Srila Prabhupada, Videos|Tags: India, Smartha brahmana|

I saw the train

Speaker: Suresh Gajendran
Source: Krishna is the Absolute Truth

Once, there were three brothers who lived in a village. They had never gone to the city before, and they had no understanding of what a train was. One day they went to the city to see for themselves what a train was. As they waited, they heard the sound of the train’s whistle, and they turned to another man and asked, “Is that the train?” And the man answered, “Yes.” Hearing this one of the three brothers returned to his

light-of-godhead2015-08-31T21:15:44+00:00June 10th, 2015|Categories: Absolute truth, Analogies, Videos|Tags: Bhagavan, Brahman, Paramatma, Train|

SB 1.2.8-10: Need of the spirit soul

SB 1.2.8: The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of the Personality of Godhead

The need of the spirit soul is that he wants to get out of the limited sphere of material bondage and fulfill his desire for complete freedom. He wants to get out of the covered walls of the greater universe. He wants to see the free light and the spirit. That complete freedom is achieved when he meets the complete spirit, the Personality of Godhead. There is a dormant affection for God within everyone; spiritual existence is manifested through the gross body and mind in the form of perverted affection for gross and subtle matter.

light-of-godhead2015-06-24T22:04:33+00:00May 22nd, 2015|Categories: Canto 1, Dharma, Simple living high thinking, Srimad Bhagavatam notes|Tags: Performing duty|

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