Lecture, Mayapur, March 7, 1976
Even the devotee or the servant of Krishna says something, even it is wrong, Krishna upholds this. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. So even it is wrongly done, still, Krishna fulfills because He thinks that "My servant has promised; it must be fulfilled." Therefore Prahlada Maharaja, in the previous verse he has said, tava bhrtya-parsva. So to serve the servant of Krishna is better than to serve directly Krishna, because if the servant of Krishna promises something, if the servant of Krishna says, "I'll take you to Krishnaloka," you must go there. ......
Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.31 Purport
Lord Sri Krishna also says in Bhagavad-gita that simply by surrendering unto Him one is immediately relieved of all sinful reactions. As Krishna takes away all the sinful reactions of a person immediately upon his surrender unto Him, similarly the external manifestation of Krishna, the representative of Krishna who acts as the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, takes all the resultant actions of the sinful life of the disciple immediately after the disciple's initiation. Thus if the disciple follows the principles instructed by the spiritual master, he remains purified and is not contaminated by the material infection. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhutherefore stated that the spiritual master who plays the part of Krishna's representative has to consume all the sinful reactions of his disciple. Sometimes a spiritual master takes the risk of being overwhelmed by the sinful reactions of the disciples and undergoes a sort of tribulation due to their acceptance. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised that one not accept many disciples.
Letter to: Amogha, 26 December, 1972
It is very much pleasing to me to hear that you are making such steady advancement in Krishna Consciousness. If you continue in this way, and strictly follow the four regulative principles, making sure to chant at least sixteen rounds on the beads, daily, it is without a doubt that at the end of this lifetime, you can go back home, back to Godhead.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Hillel Ben-Ami, 28 January, 1973
Now try and understand our philosophy very carefully by reading all of our books, such as Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, and there are so many others. In addition, please follow the regulative principles very rigidly, such as chanting daily 16 rounds on the beads, attending classes, getting up for mangala aratrika. These regulative principles will make us very strong in Krishna Consciousness and very rapidly we can advance in this way. So under the direction of the senior devotees there try and become fixed in your devotional service to the Lord, Sri Krishna, and this will certainly bring complete satisfaction to you and make you eligible for going back to home, back to Godhead, in this very lifetime.
Hoping this finds you well,
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Susan Beckman, 29 September, 1972
My dear Susan Beckman,
Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated September 22, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much encouraged that you want to join this Krishna Consciousness movement for perfection of your life. Householder life is also the perfect platform for rendering devotional service to Krishna. Any station of life, whether you are unmarried, married, or in any occupation of life, you can achieve the highest goal by adopting and practicing the principles of devotional service. You are married and your husband is striving to become a devotee of Krishna, so you become his devotee, that is the position of husband and wife, that the husband will become a great devotee of Krishna by his wife's assistance, and the wife will take benefit and advance in spiritual life by serving her husband. You are anxious about the rules and regulations, but without rules and regulations there is more frustration. So it may be a little difficult at first, but if you are sincere to achieve the highest result of your lifetime, then you can be assured that by your efforts in Krishna Consciousness that you will very quickly become happy more and more. The difficulties of this material world will shrink to no more than the size of a hoof-print left by the calf. Actually there is no difference between devotees living inside the temple and devotees living outside the temple. You are right that the important thing is to remember Krishna, whatever is your activity. So try to remember Krishna always by following the principles as you know them, namely, rising early, taking bath, cleansing, attending aratrika, reading scriptures at least one hour or two hours daily, chanting sixteen rounds on beads of Hare Krishna mantra, going for street sankirtana, offering all your foodstuffs to Krishna, like that. In this way very quickly you will make progress in Krishna Consciousness and become very very happy in your life.
Hoping this meets you in good health,
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Ujjal, 15 April, 1972
Please accept my blessings. Upon the recommendation of Citsukhananda, I am very glad to consent to accept you as my duly initiated disciple, and I am sending your beads, duly chanted by me, under separate post. I have given you the spiritual name of UJJAL DAS. I am very pleased to hear that you have been such a great help to Citsukhananda there in our Mexico City center. I can understand that you are a very sincere boy and are a very eligible candidate for going back to Home, back to Godhead. And the process is simple. Follow the regulative principles very strictly, chant at least 16 rounds of beads daily, read our literatures, go for street Sankirtana, etc. In this way keep yourself engaged in Krishna's business 24 hours, and in this lifetime you will become perfectly happy and in the end reach the Supreme destination.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Vaikunthanatha, Saradia, 4 April, 1971
I remember the days when Saradia expressed to marry you and I immediately reserved you for marriage to Saradia. Later on in Boston you were married and since then you are working so nicely. I am very pleased upon you. Simply use this marital life for spreading the glories of Lord Krishna and in this very lifetime you will be promoted to associate with Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan. So please stay on the purity platform; chant 16 rounds daily and without fail, follow all the regulative principles, and read all our books and your life is sure to be successful. Unless one is sufficiently empowered, one cannot preach Krishna Consciousness. So the fact that you are preaching so nicely is proof that you are already benedicted by Krishna. So preach Krishna Consciousness and be happy.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Lokanatha, 12 June, 1976
My dear Lokanatha Swami,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 2, 1976 and I have noted the contents with pleasure.
I am very glad to see that you are enthusiastically pushing forward with this preaching work and the young Indians are coming forward to join our sankirtana party. It is very encouraging to me. Anyone who has life he can preach, so go on very enthusiastically and there will be all facility given by Lord Krishna.
Enclosed please find a copy of gayatri initiation and two brahmana threads. After the yajna, the brahmana initiates should hear the gayatri mantra in the right ear. The devotees must all bear in mind that they are promising to follow the four regulative principles, i.e., no illicit sex-life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating, and also chanting a minimum of 16 rounds of japa daily. This promise is made before the spiritual master, before the Deity, the devotees, Vaisnavas, the Supersoul, and the fire. Everyone should take very seriously this vow and make steady and sure progress in Krishna Consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead in this lifetime.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Sukhada, 4 August, 1971
The process is simple. Follow the regulative principles of devotional life undeviatingly, regularly chant 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, read all our literatures, attend classes and aratis, go for street Sankirtana. If there are any questions, always refer them to your elder godbrothers and sisters. So our method is not so difficult. Rather it is joyful. So engage yourself enthusiastically in this way and you will be happy and in the end go back to home, back to Godhead.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Nityananda, 12 November, 1971
It is a basic principle that one must accept a bona fide spiritual master in order to achieve the highest perfection of life, love of God. I thank all of you very much for accepting me as your spiritual master, and I promise that I will take you back to home, back to Godhead. I ask you all to promise me to always chant at least 16 rounds, follow the regulative principles, read our books and try to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement all over the world. So far my qualifications are concerned, I am simply trying to carry out the order of my Guru Maharaja.
Hoping this will meet you all in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Conversation, 17 May 17, Vrindavana
Prabhupada: So I cannot speak. I am feeling very weak. I was to go to other places like Chandigarh program, but I cancelled the program because the condition of my health is very deteriorating. So I preferred to come to Vrindavana. If death takes place, let it take here. So there is nothing to be said new. Whatever I have to speak, I have spoken in my books. Now you try to understand it and continue your endeavor. Whether I am present or not present, it doesn't matter. As Krishna is living eternally, similarly, living being also lives eternally. But kirtir yasya sa jivati: "One who has done service to the Lord lives forever." So you have been taught to serve Krishna, and with Krishna we'll live eternally. Our life is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire. A temporary disappearance of this body, it doesn't matter. Body is meant for disappearance.Tatha dehantara-praptih. So live forever by serving Krishna.Thank you very much.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Back+To+Godhead
https://back2krishna.wordpress.com/
Even the devotee or the servant of Krishna says something, even it is wrong, Krishna upholds this. Kaunteya pratijanihi na me bhaktah pranasyati. So even it is wrongly done, still, Krishna fulfills because He thinks that "My servant has promised; it must be fulfilled." Therefore Prahlada Maharaja, in the previous verse he has said, tava bhrtya-parsva. So to serve the servant of Krishna is better than to serve directly Krishna, because if the servant of Krishna promises something, if the servant of Krishna says, "I'll take you to Krishnaloka," you must go there. ......
Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.21.31 Purport
Lord Sri Krishna also says in Bhagavad-gita that simply by surrendering unto Him one is immediately relieved of all sinful reactions. As Krishna takes away all the sinful reactions of a person immediately upon his surrender unto Him, similarly the external manifestation of Krishna, the representative of Krishna who acts as the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, takes all the resultant actions of the sinful life of the disciple immediately after the disciple's initiation. Thus if the disciple follows the principles instructed by the spiritual master, he remains purified and is not contaminated by the material infection. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhutherefore stated that the spiritual master who plays the part of Krishna's representative has to consume all the sinful reactions of his disciple. Sometimes a spiritual master takes the risk of being overwhelmed by the sinful reactions of the disciples and undergoes a sort of tribulation due to their acceptance. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu therefore advised that one not accept many disciples.
Letter to: Amogha, 26 December, 1972
It is very much pleasing to me to hear that you are making such steady advancement in Krishna Consciousness. If you continue in this way, and strictly follow the four regulative principles, making sure to chant at least sixteen rounds on the beads, daily, it is without a doubt that at the end of this lifetime, you can go back home, back to Godhead.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Hillel Ben-Ami, 28 January, 1973
Now try and understand our philosophy very carefully by reading all of our books, such as Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Nectar of Devotion, Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, and there are so many others. In addition, please follow the regulative principles very rigidly, such as chanting daily 16 rounds on the beads, attending classes, getting up for mangala aratrika. These regulative principles will make us very strong in Krishna Consciousness and very rapidly we can advance in this way. So under the direction of the senior devotees there try and become fixed in your devotional service to the Lord, Sri Krishna, and this will certainly bring complete satisfaction to you and make you eligible for going back to home, back to Godhead, in this very lifetime.
Hoping this finds you well,
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Susan Beckman, 29 September, 1972
My dear Susan Beckman,
Please accept my blessings. I have received your letter dated September 22, 1972, and I have noted the contents carefully. I am very much encouraged that you want to join this Krishna Consciousness movement for perfection of your life. Householder life is also the perfect platform for rendering devotional service to Krishna. Any station of life, whether you are unmarried, married, or in any occupation of life, you can achieve the highest goal by adopting and practicing the principles of devotional service. You are married and your husband is striving to become a devotee of Krishna, so you become his devotee, that is the position of husband and wife, that the husband will become a great devotee of Krishna by his wife's assistance, and the wife will take benefit and advance in spiritual life by serving her husband. You are anxious about the rules and regulations, but without rules and regulations there is more frustration. So it may be a little difficult at first, but if you are sincere to achieve the highest result of your lifetime, then you can be assured that by your efforts in Krishna Consciousness that you will very quickly become happy more and more. The difficulties of this material world will shrink to no more than the size of a hoof-print left by the calf. Actually there is no difference between devotees living inside the temple and devotees living outside the temple. You are right that the important thing is to remember Krishna, whatever is your activity. So try to remember Krishna always by following the principles as you know them, namely, rising early, taking bath, cleansing, attending aratrika, reading scriptures at least one hour or two hours daily, chanting sixteen rounds on beads of Hare Krishna mantra, going for street sankirtana, offering all your foodstuffs to Krishna, like that. In this way very quickly you will make progress in Krishna Consciousness and become very very happy in your life.
Hoping this meets you in good health,
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Ujjal, 15 April, 1972
Please accept my blessings. Upon the recommendation of Citsukhananda, I am very glad to consent to accept you as my duly initiated disciple, and I am sending your beads, duly chanted by me, under separate post. I have given you the spiritual name of UJJAL DAS. I am very pleased to hear that you have been such a great help to Citsukhananda there in our Mexico City center. I can understand that you are a very sincere boy and are a very eligible candidate for going back to Home, back to Godhead. And the process is simple. Follow the regulative principles very strictly, chant at least 16 rounds of beads daily, read our literatures, go for street Sankirtana, etc. In this way keep yourself engaged in Krishna's business 24 hours, and in this lifetime you will become perfectly happy and in the end reach the Supreme destination.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Vaikunthanatha, Saradia, 4 April, 1971
I remember the days when Saradia expressed to marry you and I immediately reserved you for marriage to Saradia. Later on in Boston you were married and since then you are working so nicely. I am very pleased upon you. Simply use this marital life for spreading the glories of Lord Krishna and in this very lifetime you will be promoted to associate with Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan. So please stay on the purity platform; chant 16 rounds daily and without fail, follow all the regulative principles, and read all our books and your life is sure to be successful. Unless one is sufficiently empowered, one cannot preach Krishna Consciousness. So the fact that you are preaching so nicely is proof that you are already benedicted by Krishna. So preach Krishna Consciousness and be happy.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Lokanatha, 12 June, 1976
My dear Lokanatha Swami,
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated June 2, 1976 and I have noted the contents with pleasure.
I am very glad to see that you are enthusiastically pushing forward with this preaching work and the young Indians are coming forward to join our sankirtana party. It is very encouraging to me. Anyone who has life he can preach, so go on very enthusiastically and there will be all facility given by Lord Krishna.
Enclosed please find a copy of gayatri initiation and two brahmana threads. After the yajna, the brahmana initiates should hear the gayatri mantra in the right ear. The devotees must all bear in mind that they are promising to follow the four regulative principles, i.e., no illicit sex-life, no intoxication, no gambling, and no meat-eating, and also chanting a minimum of 16 rounds of japa daily. This promise is made before the spiritual master, before the Deity, the devotees, Vaisnavas, the Supersoul, and the fire. Everyone should take very seriously this vow and make steady and sure progress in Krishna Consciousness and go back to home, back to Godhead in this lifetime.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Sukhada, 4 August, 1971
The process is simple. Follow the regulative principles of devotional life undeviatingly, regularly chant 16 rounds of beads daily and without fail, read all our literatures, attend classes and aratis, go for street Sankirtana. If there are any questions, always refer them to your elder godbrothers and sisters. So our method is not so difficult. Rather it is joyful. So engage yourself enthusiastically in this way and you will be happy and in the end go back to home, back to Godhead.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Letter to: Nityananda, 12 November, 1971
It is a basic principle that one must accept a bona fide spiritual master in order to achieve the highest perfection of life, love of God. I thank all of you very much for accepting me as your spiritual master, and I promise that I will take you back to home, back to Godhead. I ask you all to promise me to always chant at least 16 rounds, follow the regulative principles, read our books and try to preach this Krishna Consciousness Movement all over the world. So far my qualifications are concerned, I am simply trying to carry out the order of my Guru Maharaja.
Hoping this will meet you all in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Conversation, 17 May 17, Vrindavana
Prabhupada: So I cannot speak. I am feeling very weak. I was to go to other places like Chandigarh program, but I cancelled the program because the condition of my health is very deteriorating. So I preferred to come to Vrindavana. If death takes place, let it take here. So there is nothing to be said new. Whatever I have to speak, I have spoken in my books. Now you try to understand it and continue your endeavor. Whether I am present or not present, it doesn't matter. As Krishna is living eternally, similarly, living being also lives eternally. But kirtir yasya sa jivati: "One who has done service to the Lord lives forever." So you have been taught to serve Krishna, and with Krishna we'll live eternally. Our life is eternal. Na hanyate hanyamane sarire. A temporary disappearance of this body, it doesn't matter. Body is meant for disappearance.Tatha dehantara-praptih. So live forever by serving Krishna.Thank you very much.
https://www.google.com/search?q=Back+To+Godhead
https://back2krishna.wordpress.com/
