Bow down (Conversations)

Expressions researched:
"bow down" |"bowed down" |"bowing down" |"bows down"

1968 Conversations and Morning Walks

The submission is symbolized by bowing down: "Yes, you are great; I am humble."

Interview -- February 1, 1968, Los Angeles:

Interviewer: What is the significance of... Right after the chanting, everyone bows, and that I don't understand, what they're doing.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is offering respect. The whole, our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, is to ask people to surrender to God. They have rebelled against God. Somebody says, "There is no God." Somebody says that "I am God." These nonsense things are to be eradicated from human society. So they should be trained to submit. So the submission is symbolized by bowing down: "Yes, you are great; I am humble." This should be taught. Otherwise, whimsically somebody is thinking that "I am God." They do not know what is God. It is most foolish proposal if somebody claims that he is God. He is dog. We very much hate this proposal, when a man claims that he is God. It is most blasphemous.

Yes. Thank you for your dreaming like that. It is very pleasing to me. Yes, I want to see like that.

Room Conversation -- March 25, 1968, San Francisco:

Yamunā: Swamiji, Jānakī-devī wrote me this very nice letter where she had a dream that there was a gigantic platform above the surface of the earth, and all of our devotees, our Godbrothers and sisters and you, were assembled on this gigantic platform for saṅkīrtana. And we had such a thunderous joy, magnificent kīrtana, that the whole earth... When you said, "Jaya oṁ paraṁ paramahaṁsa," the whole earth bowed down to you like this. And we were all crying, so happy. And you said, "Now my Guru Mahārāja is satisfied." That was her dream.

Prabhupāda: Thank you very much. Yes. Thank you for your dreaming like that. It is very pleasing to me. Yes, I want to see like that.

Prabhu means master. And Prabhupāda means many masters who bows down at his lotus feet.

Room Conversation about Marriage -- September 24, 1968, Seattle:

Prabhupāda: After all, anyone who is coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, man or woman, boys or girls, they are welcome. They are very fortunate. You see. And the idea of addressing "prabhu" means "you are my master." That is the... Prabhu means master. And Prabhupāda means many masters who bows down at his lotus feet. That is Prabhupāda. So each, everyone shall treat others as "My master." This is the Vaiṣṇava system.

1970 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is the highest, topmost type of yoga.

Room Conversation -- December 21, 1970, Surat:

Guest (3): Do you practice meditation in your center?

Haṁsadūta: Our meditation consists of chanting the holy name of God. Or, in fact, we are always absorbed in meditating because whatever we do, we do on behalf of Kṛṣṇa. So our mind, which is the center of our activities, is always absorbed in Kṛṣṇa. The principle of meditation is to fix up our mind on Kṛṣṇa. Just like Kṛṣṇa says, "Always think of Me. Become My devotee. Bow down to Me. Worship Me. Give your love to Me. In this way, you will come to Me." So if we want to go to Kṛṣṇa...

Prabhupāda: That is the highest, topmost type of yoga. Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ mad-gata āntarātmanā, śraddhāvān bhajate yo mam sa me yuktatamo mataḥ: (BG 6.47) "Anyone," Kṛṣṇa says, "who is thinking of Me always within his heart, with devotion and love, he is the topmost yogi." Yoginām api sarveṣāṁ. So this Hare Kṛṣṇa movement, as soon as you chant Kṛṣṇa and hear it, immediately you think of. And the chanting is not done by any ordinary man. Unless one has love and devotion for Kṛṣṇa, he cannot chant. You just study with this verse. Śraddhāvān bhajate yo mam, āntarātmanā: "Within, he is topmost." So this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement means we are training people to become the topmost yogis.

1972 Conversations and Morning Walks

Our building, in the morning it was, there was no place to bow down. It was just match box packed up.

Room Conversation -- July 5, 1972, London:

Devotee: I was thinking of going to Paris, but I'll stay for a while and help here.

Prabhupāda: Paris is not far off. You can go and come.

Devotee: Go and come. It's too crowded here.

Prabhupāda: Yes. That is good.

Devotee: Yeah! (laughter)

Prabhupāda: Instead of becoming empty, it is better too crowded. Our building, in the morning it was, there was no place to bow down. It was just match box packed up.

1973 Conversations and Morning Walks

Brahmā is the controller of the whole universe. He is also bowing down before little Kṛṣṇa.

Room Conversation with Anna Conan Doyle, daughter-in-law of famous author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle -- August 10, 1973, Paris:

Prabhupāda: Similarly, our position is like that, like ass. We are also trying to get out of the control of material nature. Like an ass. But it is not possible. The conference is failure. Here, in the material world, even a so powerful being as Brahmā, he's also controlled. By God. He's also controlled. You have seen that picture? Brahmā is bowing down before Kṛṣṇa.

Guru-gaurāṅga: You remember this picture? In the temple in Geneva? Brahmā with four heads is offering respects to Kṛṣṇa.

Anna Conan Doyle: Yes, yes. Yes.

Prabhupāda: He's the controller of the whole universe. He also bowing down before little Kṛṣṇa. "Sir, I wanted to show You my superior power, but I am insignificant before You."

That is our śāstric injunction, that as soon as you see a sannyāsī, you must bow down. Otherwise, you should fast one day.

Morning Walk -- December 5, 1973, Los Angeles:

Prabhupāda: Our Juhu Beach is very nice.

Yaśomatīnandana: Yes, Prabhupāda.

Prabhupāda: All clean, and you can walk very nicely. In Bombay.

Yaśomatīnandana: And lot of people can see you. And they bow down to you?

Prabhupāda: If they do not, what can I do?

Yaśomatīnandana: Well, no, if they do, then they will go to Vaikuṇṭha. (laughter)

Prabhupāda: That is our śāstric injunction, that as soon as you see a sannyāsī, you must bow down. Otherwise, you should fast one day. It doesn't matter, I or you. This is the injunction of the śāstra, that sannyāsī is supposed to be the guru of the society. So one must bow down.

Yaśomatīnandana: Prabhupāda, in our movement there are so many sannyāsīs. If we see the sannyāsī, same, so many times in one day, we should bow down every time we see him?

Prabhupāda: If you can, of course.

1975 Conversations and Morning Walks

That is our business.

Room Conversation with three Trappist Monks, Psychologists from the University of Georgia, and Atlanta Lawyer, Michael Green -- March 1, 1975, Atlanta:

Prabhupāda: That is subordinate. Yes. Everyone is creature. He is the supreme creature.

Guest (6): I am servant of God. He is my life. Without Him, I can't live. I understand what you're saying, but I believe that our tradition from the Old Testament says that we were created by God.

Prabhupāda: In one sense we are created, just like father creates the sons, not the sons create the father. In that sense we are created. (pause) So taking this word, that "sons were created," so the father existed before our creation. So He is not of the same quality again.

Guest (6): It's a mystery. We can only bow down before Him then.

Prabhupāda: That is our business. (laughter) This word, "creation," is applicable in this material world. In the spiritual world there is no creation, the father and the son existing eternally. When we come to this material world... Material world means it has got beginning, and it has got end. And spiritual world means there is no beginning, no end. That is sanātana, eternal.

We are doing that, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "Always chanting My glories." And we are doing that—"Hare Kṛṣṇa." We are not introducing anything new.

Room Conversation with Yogi Bhajan -- June 7, 1975, Honolulu:

Prabhupāda: What is that verse?

Devotee:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

(BG 9.14)

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me,..."

Prabhupāda: We are doing that, Hare Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa says, "Always chanting My glories." And we are doing that—"Hare Kṛṣṇa." We are not introducing anything new. That is not our business.

No, I asked him to bow down to your mother.

Morning Walk -- July 1, 1975, Denver:

Prabhupāda: Your mother was very angry upon us. (laughter) You know that? When she came to see me, I told, "Mrs. Bruce, can you give me some money?" (laughing) (Imitating angry woman's voice:) "I have given you two sons!" (laughter) She was very angry. "Still you want money?" (laughter) "And that's all right."

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: You asked them to bow down to her?

Prabhupāda: No, I asked him to bow down to your mother.

Brahmānanda: Yes, at initiation.

Prabhupāda: After initiation.

It is not that I am worshiping now and when I am perfect I become one. That is impersonal.

Conversation with Professor Hopkins -- July 13, 1975, Philadelphia:

Prabhupāda: So, satataṁ kīrtayanto mām?

Brahmānanda:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

(BG 9.14)

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."

Prabhupāda: Perpetually. It is not that I am worshiping now and when I am perfect I become one. That is impersonal.

Yes, that is the duty.

Morning Walk -- December 7, 1975, Vrndavana:

Aksayānanda: Wonderful. I'll bring him this morning if it's all right.

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Aksayānanda: Jaya. He bows down. He pays dandavats. He said, "You're a sannyāsī, so I must respect. I'm only a gṛhastha."

Prabhupāda: Yes, that is the duty.

Aksayānanda: And he is also very intelligent. He's not just doing it out of sentiment. Very nice man. Older man.

Prabhupāda: If a sannyāsī is not offered respect, the punishment is that he should fast one day. That is śāstric injunction.

1976 Conversations and Morning Walks

We don't worship idol. We worship God.

Room Conversation -- April 23, 1976, Melbourne:

Guest (4): Could I ask you another question? Could I ask you another question? You've been hitting on some of the Ten Commandments tonight like "Thou shall not kill." Now, if you believe the Ten Commandments like that, it also says in there that you shouldn't worship idols, bow down to idols.

Prabhupāda: Yes, we don't worship idol. We worship God.

Guest (2): Well, we just have a.... We don't need to discuss.

Prabhupāda: Just like here is the picture of God. As you say, this picture is not important, but we say it is important because it is picture of God. Because it is important, therefore you have given the picture.

This was spoken five thousand years ago and we are doing the same thing.

Interview with Religious Editor Of the Associated Press -- July 16, 1976, New York:

Prabhupāda: Satataṁ kīrtayanto mām.

Hari-śauri:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

(BG 9.14)

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."

Prabhupāda: So this was spoken five thousand years ago and we are doing the same thing.

A small child, he does not know what is the meaning of bowing down. But he's doing it. This is association.

Evening Darsan -- August 10, 1976, Tehran:

Prabhupāda: ...a small child, he does not know what is the meaning of bowing down. But he's doing it. This is association. But he's getting benefit. Not that because he does not know, he's not getting benefit. He's getting benefit. (pause) You can put this light on that side, anywhere, or down, keep it down. (speaks in Hindi to guests)

Atreya Ṛṣi: Mr. Sharma is a devotee. He's a wonderful person. He's taken to spiritual life and is very serious about it. Mr. Sahani is also very serious, he's...

Prabhupāda: No, every Indian is a devotee. This is the privilege of taking birth in India. There is... Naturally he's devotee, and if he takes little education, take advantage of the Vedic instructions, then his life is successful.

This is religion. They are mahātmās.

Meeting with Endowments Commissioner -- August 24, 1976, Hyderabad:

Prabhupāda: Kṛṣṇa gives you liberty, whatever you like you do. But when you come to the conclusion, "No, I shall do what you say," that is perfection. I can do whatever I like. That liberty is there. But if I accept Kṛṣṇa's instruction, that is bhakti. Find out that verse, satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ (BG 9.14).

Harikeśa:

satataṁ kīrtayanto māṁ

yatantaś ca dṛḍha-vratāḥ

namasyantaś ca māṁ bhaktyā

nitya-yuktā upāsate

(BG 9.14)

"Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion."

Prabhupāda: This is religion. They are mahātmās.

1977 Conversations and Morning Walks

They (the white people in South Africa) clapped. After hearing me they clapped. They purchased books.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura:

Brahmānanda: They were... I think the first time you went there they even were bowing down...

Prabhupāda: Yes.

Brahmānanda: ...in the airport. And this caused big sensation, because never, even when big Indian gurus have come to South Africa, never have any whites bowed down. It was the first time whites bowed down to...

Prabhupāda: They clapped. After hearing me they clapped. They purchased books. Now they are selling books. So I think my books are more important. We shall give more concentration for pushing on and publishing. What do you think?

Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes. That is our weapons. They are our strength, they are our guidance and they are our ammunition. Everything is based on these books, everything. We are...