Srila Prabhupada - Vedic Teachings

  "May the glorification of the transcendental name, form, qualities and paraphernalia of the Supreme Personality of Godhead protect us from the influence of bad planets, meteors, envious human beings, serpents, scorpions, and animals like tigers and wolves. May it protect us from ghosts and the material elements like earth, water, fire and air, and may it also protect us from lightning and our past sins. We are always afraid of these hindrances to our auspicious life. Therefore, may they all be completely destroyed by the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.” (SB 6.8.27-28)  

  „How we shall know that one is situated in the pure consciousness? Simple imagination that "I am situated in pure consciousness"? No. Everything must be proved by symptoms. Everything must be proved by symptoms. Just like a patient is cured means there is subsidence of the fever, for example; similarly, the, we are just trying to separate ourself from the material conception of life to our exact position. I am spirit soul, and consciousness is the symptom. And I have to be situated in pure consciousness, dovetailing myself with the supreme consciousness. That is the whole program. Now, how that program are to be executed, that will be discussed in the Third Chapter. And some way or other, we are discussing some of the points, but here the formulas... ” (Lecture on BG 2.58-59 -- New York, April 27, 1966)  

  „You cannot change your destiny. That is not possible. Therefore Bhāgavata says that do not try to change your destiny. Everyone is trying to change the destiny. I am poor man, I must be very rich man. But you cannot change your destiny. Tasyaiva hetoḥ prayateta kovido na labhate yad bhramatām upary adhaḥ (SB 1.5.18). In this world we are, every one of us are bound up by the laws of karma, destiny. We have got our destiny. So much happiness, so much distress we must have. Because this is a mixture of happiness and distress. Here you cannot have unadulterated happiness. That is not possible in this... Unadulterated happiness, real happiness can be achieved in the spiritual world. Not in the material world. So certain amount of happiness and certain amount of distress we have to enjoy and suffer. You cannot change it. This is the law of nature in this material world.” (Lecture on BG 2.11 -- London, August 17, 1973)

  „Our Vrindaban temple is perhaps our nicest building in the whole movement, [...].Because it is Vrindaban, those who come should be exemplary so that all the people of Vrindaban, even those who would be prone to criticize, will see that we are actually following the six Goswamis headed by Rupa Goswami. I want that those who come here, whether grhasthas or sannyasis, behave on the level of real goswamis. Goswami means controlling the senses and always glorifying Krsna by varieties of engagement in devotional service 24 hours a day” (Srila Prabhupada’s Letter to: Murti—Bombay23 March, 1974)    

  "Especially in this age of Kali, saṅkīrtana alone is sufficient. If the members of our temples in the different parts of the world simply continue saṅkīrtana before the Deity, especially before Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, they will remain perfect. There is no need of any other performances. Nevertheless, to keep oneself clean in habits and mind, Deity worship and other regulative principles are required. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī says that although saṅkīrtana is sufficient for the perfection of life, the arcanā, or worship of the Deity in the temple, must continue in order that the devotees may stay clean and pure. Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura therefore recommended that one follow both processes simultaneously. We strictly follow his principle of performing Deity worship and saṅkīrtana along parallel lines. This we should continue.” (Srila Prabhupada: Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.3.25. P.)  

  „ Of course, I am using you already in the service of the Lord, and personally I cannot utilize your service. So whatever I demand from you, it is for Krishna's sake. Personally I am humble servant of Krishna as you are also, but I am deputed to accept your service just to transfer it to Krishna as via media. I shall try to do this service to you and Krishna throughout my life, and I am so proud to have such assistants as you are to help me in my mission to push on the Krishna Consciousness Movement.”   (Srila Prabhupada's letter to: Dayananda—Allston, Mass     1 May, 1969)          

  „He supplies everything to everyone. He is supplying food to everyone. So He is the Father. So why should you not pray, "Father, give me this"? Just as in the Christian Bible there is, "Father, give us our daily bread." That is good-they are accepting the Supreme Father. But grown-up children should not ask from the father; rather, they should be prepared to serve the father. That is bhakti [devotion].” (Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers -The Real Goal of Life)  

  Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda: "Two or three years ago we delivered a lecture in Madras. There we spoke on guru-tattva and we explained that, “The guru is not an impediment.” If we pretend to be guru, and somewhere down the line we decide to eat those things that are meant for Sri Bhagavan’s enjoyment, then we will be completely ruined and our disciples will be totally finished. The sastra says – yo vyakti nyaya rahitam nyayena srinoti yah tabubhau narakam ghoram vrajatah kalamaksayam The guru who speaks contrary to the conclusions of the revealed scriptures and the disciple who hears such distorted conclusions, will both fall into the darkest regions of hell. (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.101) The example of opaque glass and transparent glass may be discussed. An object cannot be seen through opaque glass. Some obstacles appear between my eyes and the object that is to be seen. I can see something through a transparent object. Similarly we cannot take dar

  "In the Bhakti-Rasamrita-Sindhu it is enjoined by Srila Rupa Goswami that any work, either prescribed in the Vedas or ordinary mundane activities, if the target is to satisfy Krishna, then everything is devotional service. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam also it is recommended by Suta Goswami that ultimate perfection of an engagement is tested by the satisfaction of the Lord. Our aim should be how to please Krishna. As it is said in English also, the ends justify the means. So it is my request to you that keep Krishna always in view and accept anything necessary for your worldly affairs." (Srila Prabhupada's letter to: Gopala Krsna—Los Angeles 31 July, 1969)  

  „The word  mahātmā  refers to those who are broadminded, not cripple-minded. Cripple-minded persons, always engaged in satisfying their senses, sometimes expand their activities in order to do good for others through some “ism” like nationalism, humanitarianism or altruism. They may reject personal sense gratification for the sense gratification of others, like the members of their family, community or society—either national or international. Actually all this is extended sense gratification, from personal to communal to social. This may all be very good from the material point of view, but such activities have no spiritual value. The basis of such activity is sense gratification, either personal or extended. Only when a person gratifies the senses of the Supreme Lord can he be called a  mahātmā ,  or broadminded person. ”  (The Nectar of Instruction Text Two)

  „Thus mother Yaśodā began to chant different names of Viṣṇu to protect the child Kṛṣṇa's different bodily parts. Mother Yaśodā was firmly convinced that she should protect her child from different kinds of evil spirits and ghosts--namely Ḍākinīs, Yātudhānīs, Kūṣmāṇḍās, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Vīṇāyakas, Koṭarā, Revatī, Jyeṣṭhā, Pūtanā, Mātṛkās, Unmādas and similar other evil spirits, who cause persons to forget their own existence and give trouble to the life-air and the senses. Sometimes they appear in dreams and cause much perturbation; sometimes they appear as old women and suck the blood of small children. But all such ghosts and evil spirits cannot remain where there is chanting of the holy name of God.” (KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead 1/6)        

"You mention ghosts. So far I have experience, the best way to remove them is to chant Hare Krishna very loudly and have jubilant kirtana until they leave. In England, on Mr. John Lennon's house where I was staying in 1969, there was one ghost. But as soon as the devotees began chanting very loudly, he went away immediately.” (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to: Damodara—Delhi 71-12-03)    

  “Devotion does not depend on the body, and in spite of all difficulties we can chant, so long we have got the tongue—and even we have got no tongue we can chant in our mind.” (Srila Prabhupada’s letter to: Govinda—Madras 72-02-12)