Category:Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto 07 Chapter 05 Purports - Prahlada Maharaja, the Saintly Son of Hiranyakasipu
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A
- A brahmana is strictly prohibited from becoming a servant of anyone else, for that is the business of dogs and sudras. A dog must satisfy his master, but a brahmana does not have to satisfy anyone; he is simply meant to satisfy Krsna
- A devotee advances further and further toward complete understanding of the Lord as he awakens in realization of the Lord's holy name, transcendental form and qualities, His paraphernalia, and everything pertaining to Him
- A devotee can very peacefully chant the holy name of the Lord by behaving more humbly than the grass, being tolerant like a tree and offering respects to everyone, without expecting honor from anyone else. Such qualifications make it easier to chant
- A devotee is attracted by Krsna, whereas a nondevotee, being contaminated by the dirt of material enjoyment, is not. This is confirmed by the Lord in Bhagavad-gita
- A devotee is like a cow that is cared for by its master. When cared for by its master, a cow is not in anxiety over its maintenance. Such a cow is always devoted to its master, and it never acts independently, but only for the master's benefit
- A devotee never creates a situation of friendship and enmity
- A devotee purified by devotional service is always in the transcendental position above the mundane qualities
- A devotee should see the Supreme Personality of Godhead to be situated in everyone's heart and should also see every living entity as an eternal servant of the Lord. This vision is called ekatvam, oneness
- A devotee treats friends and enemies equally by trying to educate them both in Krsna consciousness. Of course, atheistic men do not follow the instructions of pure devotees, but instead consider a devotee their enemy
- A learned person does not make distinctions between enemies and friends. Devotees, especially, do not create friends and enemies. A devotee sees that every living being is part and parcel of Krsna
- A mahatma is one who is constantly engaged in devotional service, twenty-four hours a day. Unless one adheres to such a great personality, one cannot understand Krsna
- A pure devotee is interested only in devotional service, not in material affairs. To execute devotional service, one should always engage in hearing and chanting about Krsna, or Lord Visnu. The process of temple worship is called arcana
- A tridandi-sannyasi carries three dandas, signifying kaya-mano-vakya-body, mind and words. All of these should be offered to Visnu, and then one can begin devotional service
- A Vaisnava treats other living entities neither as friends nor as enemies, but instead tries to spread Krsna consciousness, teaching everyone that we are all one as servants of the Supreme Lord but are uselessly wasting our valuable lives
- According to different relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, there are varieties of namanukirtanam, chanting of the holy name, and thus according to different relationships and mellows there are five kinds of remembering
- According to the instruction of Avirhotra Muni, one of the nava-yogendras, as mentioned in Srimad-Bhagavatam, one may worship the Deity by chanting all the mantras
- According to the Vaisnava philosophy, the master is one, and the servants are also one, but the distinction between the master and servant must continue even in the liberated stage
- After aurally receiving such messages (the holy name and descriptions of the Lord's form, qualities, entourage and pastimes), one should memorize these vibrations and repeat them - kirtanam
- After eating, one should not worship the Deity until one has digested his food, nor should one touch the Deity or engage in any Deity worship after eating safflower oil or hing. These are also offenses
- After many years had passed in this way, one day within his mind he (the brahmana) cooked nice sweet rice with ghee to worship the Deity
- After performing sacrifices, sometimes a person engaged in fruitive activity customarily offers the results to Visnu. But it is said, bhagavaty addha: one must directly offer everything to Visnu. This is called sannyasa - not merely nyasa
- After realizing the Lord's form, one can realize the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and when one can understand His transcendental qualities one can understand the Lord's associates
- All over the world, ninety-nine percent of the people are godless demons, and therefore our preaching of Krsna consciousness, following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, is always hampered by many impediments
- All these great devotees served the Lord according to a particular process, but every one of them attained salvation and became eligible to return home, back to Godhead. This is explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam
- Although everyone is a servant of the Lord, one Vaisnava servant, because of humility, sees another servant as his master
- Although Prahlada Maharaja was obliged to hear the instructions of Sanda and Amarka, he did not like the philosophy of friends and enemies, which forms the basis of politics. He was not interested in this philosophy
- Although the servants of Lord Visnu, Narayana, in the Vaikuntha planets are equally situated with the Lord, the devotees there know very well that the Lord is the master whereas they are servants
- Although the teachers Sanda and Amarka were instructing all the boys in the materialistic life of religion, economic development and sense gratification, the boys were not much polluted
- Although there is a relationship of master and servant, both master and servant are one because of their spiritual identity. This is also ekatvam. Thus the conception of ekatvam for the Vaisnava is different from that of the Mayavadi
- An actual brahmana is very much satisfied to see anyone, not to speak of his disciple, become a devotee of Lord Krsna. Such brahmanas are meant to satisfy the supreme master
- An actual guru is srotriya, one who has heard or received perfect knowledge through parampara, the disciplic succession. Therefore Prahlada Maharaja did not recognize a seminal spiritual master. Such spiritual masters are not at all interested in Visnu
- An aristocratic birth, an advanced education, beautiful bodily features, wealth and similar results of pious activities are all unnecessary for advancement in spiritual life, for one can very easily advance simply by chanting the holy name
- An axe alone cannot cut a thorn tree; it needs a handle, which may be made of the wood of a thorn tree. Thus the thorn tree of demoniac civilization can be cut to pieces by the axe of visnu-bhakti, devotional service to Lord Krsna
- An opulent householder can collect luxurious paraphernalia for Deity worship, and consequently for householder devotees the worship of the Deity is compulsory
- An opulent householder devotee who does not engage his hard-earned money in the service of the Lord is called a miser
- Arcanam means worshiping Lord Visnu as one does in the temple, and vandanam means offering respectful obeisances. Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji mam namaskuru (BG 18.65). Vandanam means namaskuru - offering obeisances or offering prayers
- Arcanam. After pada-sevanam comes the process of arcanam, worship of the Deity. If one is interested in the process of arcanam, one must positively take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master and learn the process from him
- As a result of this process of cheating, others are reluctant to accept a religious process, and instead they advise people in general to work for material advancement. This is going on all over the world
- As a sincere friend of Krsna, one should preach this philosophy, requesting everyone to surrender unto Krsna. Atma-nivedanam means offering Krsna everything, including one's body, mind, intelligence and whatever one may possess
- As advised in Bhagavad-gita if one transcends these four processes and is actually liberated, one engages in devotional service. Then he is guaranteed not to fall to material existence again
- As confirmed by Rsabhadeva, mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh: (SB 5.5.2) one must try to understand Krsna by serving a devotee. The word mahat refers to a devotee
- As confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (BG 9.32), striyo vaisyas tatha sudras te 'pi yanti param gatim: although women, vaisyas and sudras are considered less intelligent, they also can become devotees and return home, back to Godhead
- As confirmed in the Visnu Purana (3.8.9): by accepting the institution of varna and asrama, one can very easily elevate himself to the platform of worshiping Visnu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- As described to his order carriers by Dharmaraja, or Yamaraja, a living being is a spiritual identity, and therefore his occupational duty is also spiritual. The real dharma is that which is advised in Bhagavad-gita
- As enunciated by Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, ceto-darpana-marjanam: (CC Antya 20.12) by chanting the holy name of the Lord, one is cleansed of the material conception of life, which is due to the dirty modes of material nature
- As indicated in this verse (SB 7.5.54) by the word krta-ksanaih, at the opportune moment when it was possible to preach about Krsna consciousness, Prahlada Maharaja used the time as follows
- As long as one adheres to the philosophy of duality, thinking one person a friend and another an enemy, he should be understood to be in Maya. The Mayavadi philosopher who thinks that all living entities are God and are therefore one is also mistaken
- As long as one is under the control of material nature, his occupational duty is different from that of a person not under such control. One's real dharma, or occupational duty, is described in Srimad-Bhagavatam - dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam
- As servants of the Supreme Lord, all living entities are one, but a Vaisnava, because of his natural humility, addresses every other living entity as prabhu. A Vaisnava sees other servants to be so advanced that he has much to learn from them
- As soon as one is purified of material contamination, he is again attracted by Krsna sarvopadhi-vinirmuktam tat-paratvena nirmalam - CC Madhya 19.170
- As soon as the demons see a Vaisnava dressed in saffron garments with beads on his neck and tilaka on his forehead, they are immediately irritated. They criticize the Vaisnavas by sarcastically saying Hare Krsna, and some people also chant sincerely
- As stated in Bhagavad-gita (BG 18.55), bhaktya mam abhijanati: only through devotional service can one understand Krsna as He is. The so-called politicians and scholars think of Krsna as fictitious
- Atma-nivedanam. The word Atma-nivedanam refers to the stage at which one who has no motive other than to serve the Lord surrenders everything to the Lord and performs his activities only to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead
B
- Bathing in the Ganges and serving a pure Vaisnava are also known as tadiya-upasanam. This is also pada-sevanam. The word tadiya means "in relationship with the Lord
- Because Krsna is the ultimate form of the Lord (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam), it is best to hear about Lord Krsna's name, form and pastimes from a realized devotee who is particularly attracted by the form of Lord Krsna
- Because of their fault of being devotees, the American boys who have sacrificed everything for preaching Krsna consciousness are charged with being members of the CIA
- Because Prahlada had become a devotee, they considered him to be contaminated by bad intelligence and to be the worst descendant in the family of demons. As it is said, where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise
- Because such politicians, philosophers and scholars are interested in using Bhagavad-gita as a vehicle for adjusting things materially, for them constant thought of Krsna, or Krsna consciousness, is impossible
- Because we are training Europeans and Americans to become qualified and are awarding them brahminical status, we are being charged with destroying the Hindu religion
- Becoming Krsna conscious brings about anartha-apagamah, the disappearance of all anarthas, the miserable conditions we have unnecessarily accepted. The material body is the basic principle of these unwanted miserable conditions
- Being anxious about the education of his boy Prahlada, Hiranyakasipu was very much dissatisfied. When Prahlada began teaching about devotional service, Hiranyakasipu immediately regarded the teachers as his enemies in the garb of friends
- Being intensely attached to thinking of the Lord's lotus feet is called pada-sevanam. When one is particularly adherent to the process of pada-sevanam, this process gradually includes other processes
- Bhakti is also called niskarma, or freedom from the results of fruitive activity. Bhakti and niskarma are on the same platform, although devotional service and fruitive activity appear almost the same
- Blind men may lead many other blind followers without true knowledge of material conditions, but they are not accepted by devotees like Prahlada Maharaja
- By hearing the holy name of the Lord, one comes to the platform of understanding the personal form of the Lord
- By the grace of my spiritual master (Narada Muni) and by the grace of my Lord, Krsna, I (Prahlada Maharaja) have now learned that no one is my enemy and no one is my friend
C
- Canakya Pandita says that if an honest person deals with a great cheater, it is necessary for him to become a cheater also, not for the purpose of cheating but to make his preaching successful
- Constant chanting of the holy name will make one free of offenses, and then he will gradually be elevated to the transcendental platform on which he can chant the pure holy name and thus become a lover of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
D
- Dasyam. There is the following statement in regard to assisting the Lord as a servant. After many, many thousands of births, when one comes to understand that he is an eternal servant of Krsna, one can deliver others from this universe
- Deity worship has two divisions, namely pure and mixed with fruitive activities. For one who is steady, Deity worship is compulsory
- Deity worship means following the rules and regulations precisely. That will keep one steady in devotional service
- Demons think of everyone as a friend or enemy, but Vaisnavas say that since everyone is a servant of the Lord, everyone is on the same platform
- Devotees actually serious about advancing in spiritual life should give up the company of nondevotees and always keep company with devotees. To be too attached to material existence is ignorance because material existence is temporary and miserable
- Devotees like Prahlada Maharaja laugh at how foolish they are to be busy in a temporary life without knowledge of the soul's transmigration from one body to another
- Devotees who are determined to perform tapasya (penances and austerities) to realize the self, and who are determined to become advanced in spiritual consciousness, must give up the company of atheistic nondevotees
- Devotees, Vaisnavas, attain the liberations of sarupya, salokya, sarsti and samipya, whereas the Mayavadis are supposed to attain the liberation known as sayujya
- Does this mean that when Prahlada Maharaja was attacked by the demons, the Raksasas, Govinda was also attacked by the demons? This is not possible
E
- Eight kinds of Deities are mentioned in the sastra, and the mental Deity is one of them. In this regard, the following description is given in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana
- Especially for householder devotees who are opulent in material possessions, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended
- Even if a human being is no better than a two-legged animal, he will be liberated if he takes shelter of the holy name of the Lord. One should be very careful not to commit offenses at the lotus feet of the Lord's holy name
- Even if one is able to perform other processes of devotional service, one must adopt the chanting of the holy name as the principal method of advancing in spiritual life
- Even if one is physically unfit, classified lower than others, devoid of material qualifications or not at all elevated in terms of pious activities, the chanting of the holy name is beneficial
- Every living entity, being part of the Supreme Lord, is meant to serve the Lord, just as every part of the body is meant to serve the whole body
- Everyone is actually a servant, not an enemy or friend, and everyone is working under different directions from the Lord, who directs each living entity according to his mentality
- Everyone should appreciate the service of others. Such are the activities of Vaikuntha. Since everyone is a servant, everyone is on the same platform and is allowed to serve the Lord according to his ability
- Everyone should be friendly for the service of the Lord. Everyone should praise another's service to the Lord and not be proud of his own service. This is the way of Vaisnava thinking, Vaikuntha thinking
- Everyone should come to the platform of Krsna consciousness and thus feel oneness as a servant of the Lord. Although there are 8,400,000 species of life, a Vaisnava feels this oneness
F
- First one must understand how to get out of the clutches of maya. The only means is to become Krsna conscious
- For iron to be attracted by a magnet is natural. Similarly, for all living entities to be attracted toward Krsna is natural, and therefore the Lord's real name is Krsna, meaning He who attracts everyone and everything
- Fruitive workers first perform some pious activities and then formally or officially offer the results to Visnu
G
- Generally householders have children, and then the wives of the householders should be engaged in caring for the children, just as women acting as teachers care for the children in a nursery school
- Grhastha devotees must adopt the arcana-vidhi, or Deity worship according to the suitable arrangements and directions given by the spiritual master
- Grhastha devotees, however, are generally engaged in material activities, and therefore if they do not take to Deity worship, their falling down is positively assured
- Gurus, teachers, who are simply interested in this material world are described in this verse as andha, blind
H
- Having determined to kill even his son, Hiranyakasipu gave the example of amputating a part of one's body that has become septic and therefore injurious to the rest of the body. The same example, of course, may also be applied to nondevotees
- He (a Vaisnava) accepts all other devotees of the Lord as prabhus, masters
- He (Hiranyakasipu) asked that saintly persons like Narada not be allowed within the residential quarters of his son, for otherwise Prahlada would be further spoiled by Vaisnava instructions
- He (Hiranyakasipu) asked, "Who has created this kind of intelligence in you (Prahlada)? Have you developed this consciousness by yourself? Since you are a small boy, someone must have induced you to think this way
- He (one) falsely thinks, "I am different from my enemy, and my enemy is different from me. The enemy has done this, and therefore my duty is to kill him." This misconception is described in this verse (SB 7.5.12) as bheda-gatasati
- He (the brahmana) collected all kinds of valuable paraphernalia for worship, and he worshiped the Deity very gorgeously, beginning from bathing the Deity and ending with offering arati. Thus he felt great happiness
- He (the brahmana) placed the sweet rice on a golden dish and offered it to Krsna, but he felt that the sweet rice was very hot, and he touched it with his finger. He felt that his finger had been burned by the hot sweet rice, and thus he began to lament
- He (the brahmana) would wash the temple within his mind, and then in his imagination he would bring water from all the sacred rivers in golden and silver waterpots
- He (the materialist) goes to a sadhu or so-called svami to take advantage of an easy method for achieving material opulence
- Hearing from the text of Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered the most important process of hearing
- Hearing of the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord is essential
- Here (in SB 7.5.37) is a vivid example of how a devotee is disturbed by a nondevotee, even though the nondevotee is an affectionate father
- Hereditary gurus, or spiritual masters, have been accepted everywhere since time immemorial, but Prahlada Maharaja declined to accept such a seminal guru or take instruction from him
- Hiranyakasipu asked Prahlada Maharaja how he had become antagonistic to his family
- Hiranyakasipu being a nondevotee, was so polluted that he was even prepared to kill his own son (Prahlada Maharaj). He justified this by putting forward the logic of amputation
- Hiranyakasipu considered his son Prahlada Maharaja to be the killer of his brother because Prahlada Maharaja was engaged in the devotional service of Lord Visnu
- Hiranyakasipu decided to kill his innocent child, who was only five years old, simply because the boy had become a devotee of the Lord. This is the attitude of nondevotees toward devotees
- Hiranyakasipu did not ask his young son (Prahlada) anything that would be very difficult for him to answer; instead, he gave the boy a chance to speak plainly about whatever he thought might be best
- Hiranyakasipu found this view (that everyone is to be attracted by Krsna) deviant, Prahlada said, because of being unnaturally unattracted by Krsna. Hiranyakasipu therefore needed purification
- Hiranyakasipu inquires from his son what he has learned from his guru
- Hiranyakasipu naturally became increasingly angry that his son Prahlada was being influenced by the camp of the enemies
- Hiranyakasipu never agreed with the words of Visnu, or Krsna. Rather, he was angered by the intelligence of a Vaisnava
- Hiranyakasipu planned a campaign to kill Prahlada Maharaja. He would kill his son by administering poison to him while he was eating, by making him sit in boiling oil, or by throwing him under the feet of an elephant while he was lying down
- Hiranyakasipu thought that Prahlada, being nothing but a small boy with no actual experience, might reply with something pleasing but nothing practical. Prahlada Maharaja, however, being an exalted devotee, had acquired all the qualities of education
- Hiranyakasipu wanted Prahlada Maharaja to be trained as a diplomatic king in ruling the kingdom, the country or the world, but not to be advised about renunciation or the renounced order of life
- Hiranyakasipu wanted to know where Prahlada had gotten this Krsna consciousness. Who had taught him? Prahlada sarcastically replied, "My dear father, persons like you never understand Krsna. One can understand Krsna only by serving a mahat, a great soul
- Hiranyakasipu was extremely angry and wanted to rebuke his son for deriding his teacher or spiritual master, who had been born in the brahmana family of the great acarya Sukracarya
- Hiranyakasipu, being a demon, would always consider Lord Visnu and His devotees to be his enemies. Therefore the word para-paksa ("on the side of the enemy") is used here - in SB 7.5.6
- Hiranyakasipu, who was in the material world, was attracted by women and money, whereas Prahlada Maharaja, being in his natural position, was attracted by Krsna
- His (the politician's) only business is punah punas carvita-carvananam - chewing the chewed again and again. The aim of such politicians and academic scholars is to enjoy this material world with their bodily senses
- Human society must follow a process of religion to advance, and on the basis of religion one should try to develop his economic condition so that he can fulfill his needs for sense gratification according to the religious rules and regulations
I
- If a child or disciple falls at the feet of the father or spiritual master, the superior responds by smelling the head of the subordinate
- If one actually understands that every one of us is a servant of the Lord, where is the question of enemy or friend
- If one commits any of the above offenses, one must read at least one chapter of Bhagavad-gita. This is confirmed in the Skanda-Purana, Avanti-khanda
- If one properly understands God, he can understand any subject matter very nicely
- If one remains in the bodily conception, one must rot within this material world, and his life will be a failure
- If one simply continues to think that he is an eternal servant of Krsna, even without performing any other process of devotional service, he can attain full success, for simply by this feeling one can perform all nine processes of devotional service
- If one wants success in life, he should immediately understand from the right sources what his self-interest is and how he should mold his life in spiritual consciousness
- If the citizen is not pacified, the king should then offer him some lucrative post as a governor or minister-any post that draws a high salary - so that he may be agreeable
- If the enemy still goes on agitating the public, the king should try to create dissension in the enemy's camp, but if he still continues, the king should employ argumentum ad baculum - severe punishment - by putting him in jail
- In a society or family in which everyone is a demon, for someone to become a Vaisnava is certainly folly. Prahlada Maharaja was charged with bad intelligence because he was among demons, including his teachers, who were supposedly brahmanas
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (a) to be against the scriptural injunctions of the Vedic literature or to disrespect within one's heart the Srimad-Bhagavatam while externally falsely accepting its principles
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (f) to sit on the altar or to sit on the floor to worship the Deity (without a seat), (g) to touch the Deity with the left hand while bathing the Deity
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (h) to worship the Deity with a stale or used flower, (i) to spit while worshiping the Deity, (j) to advertise one's glory while worshiping the Deity
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (k) to apply tilaka to one's forehead in a curved way, (l) to enter the temple without having washed one's feet, (m) to offer the Deity food cooked by an uninitiated person
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (n) to worship the Deity and offer bhoga to the Deity within the vision of an uninitiated person or non-Vaisnava
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (o) to offer worship to the Deity without worshiping Vaikuntha deities like Ganesa, (p) to worship the Deity while perspiring
- In other places, the following offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (q) to refuse flowers offered to the Deity, (r) to take a vow or oath in the holy name of the Lord
- In other places, the offenses (to Deity worship) are listed: (b) to introduce differing sastras, (c) to chew pan and betel before the Deity, (d) to keep flowers for worship on the leaf of a castor oil plant, (e) to worship the Deity in the afternoon
- In our Krsna consciousness movement there are brahmacaris, grhasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasis, but the Deity worship in the temple should be performed especially by the householders
- In our Krsna consciousness movement we invite all the elderly persons of the world to come to Vrndavana and stay there in retired life, making advancement in spiritual consciousness, Krsna consciousness
- In our Krsna consciousness movement, the tactic of dressing oneself like an ordinary karmi is necessary because everyone in the demoniac kingdom is against the Vaisnava teachings
- In our movement, the guru-kula plays an extremely important part in our activities because right from childhood the boys at the guru-kula are instructed about Krsna consciousness. Thus they become steady within the cores of their hearts
- In political affairs, when a person disobediently agitates against the government, four principles are used to suppress him - legal orders, pacification, the offer of a post, or, finally, weapons. When there are no other arguments, he is punished
- In replying to Hiranyakasipu's question about why Prahlada Maharaja had a deviant view, Prahlada said that his view was not deviant, for the natural position of everyone is to be attracted by Krsna
- In spite of being the son of the demon Hiranyakasipu, Prahlada never feared the chastisements of the seminal brahmana sons of a demoniac father
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam, great devotees like Sukadeva Gosvami have specifically described Lord Krsna's holy name, form and qualities
- In Srimad-Bhagavatam, Narada Muni says that without shame he began traveling all over the world, chanting the holy name of the Lord
- In that meeting (of brahmanas), he also heard that the Deity may be worshiped within the mind. After this incident, the brahmana, having bathed in the Godavari River, began mentally worshiping the Deity
- In the Adi-varaha Purana it is said that a worshiper who has committed offenses may fast for one day at the holy place known as Saukarava and then bathe in the Ganges
- In the Aryan system there is varnasrama-dharma, by which everyone should be educated according to his position in society's division of varna (brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra) and asrama - brahmacarya, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasa
- In the beginning they did not threaten the boy because when threatened he might not identify the real culprits. They very mildly and peacefully inquired
- In the book Nama-kaumudi it is recommended that if one is an offender of a Vaisnava, he should submit to that Vaisnava and be excused; if one is an offender in chanting the holy name, he should submit to the holy name and thus be freed from his offenses
- In the city of Pratisthana-pura, long ago, there resided a brahmana who was poverty-stricken but innocent and not dissatisfied. One day he heard a discourse in an assembly of brahmanas concerning how to worship the Deity in the temple
- In the conditioned stage we think that some living beings are our friends whereas others are enemies, and thus we are in duality
- In the liberated stage the conception is that God is the master and that all living entities, being servants of God, are one
- In the material world, everyone is contaminated by the dirt of sense gratification and is acting according to different designations, sometimes as a human being, sometimes a beast, sometimes a demigod or tree, and so on
- In the Mundaka Upanisad (3.2.3) it is said: one cannot become self-realized simply by having an academic education, by presenting lectures in an erudite way (pravacanena labhyah), or by being an intelligent scientist who discovers many wonderful things
- In the name of personalism, this ism or that ism, such persons (the materialistic persons) always remain attached to the materialistic way of life
- In the name of religion, the so-called sadhus try to satisfy the senses of the materialists by showing them shortcuts to material opulence. Sometimes they give some talisman or blessing. Sometimes they attract materialistic persons by producing gold
- In the Narada-pancaratra it is stated by Lord Narayana that worship of the Deity within the mind is called manasa-puja. One can become free from the four miseries by this method. Sometimes worship from the mind can be independently executed
- In the process of worshiping the Deity it is sometimes enjoined that one worship the Deity within the mind. In the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, it is said, "All persons can generally worship within the mind
- In the Srimad-Bhagavatam there is no recommendation of pancaratriki worship because in this Kali-yuga, even without Deity worship, everything can be perfectly performed
- In the Varaha Purana the following offenses (in Deity worship) are mentioned: (a) to eat in the house of a rich man, (b) to enter the Deity's room in the dark, (c) to worship the Deity without following the regulative principles
- In the Varaha Purana the following offenses (in Deity worship) are mentioned: (d) to enter the temple without vibrating any sound, (e) to collect food that has been seen by a dog, (f) to break silence while offering worship to the Deity
- In the Varaha Purana the following offenses (in Deity worship) are mentioned: (g) to go to the toilet during the time of worshiping the Deity, (h) to offer incense without offering flowers, (i) to worship the Deity with forbidden flowers
- In the Varaha Purana the following offenses (in Deity worship) are mentioned: (j) to begin worship without having washed one's teeth, (k) to begin worship after sex
- In the Varaha Purana the following offenses (in Deity worship) are mentioned: (l) to touch a lamp, dead body or a woman during her menstrual period, or to put on red or bluish clothing, unwashed clothing, the clothing of others or soiled clothing
- In the varnasrama system, one first becomes a brahmacari, then a grhastha, a vanaprastha and finally a sannyasi. Going to the forest means accepting vanaprastha life, which is between grhastha life and sannyasa
- In this verse (SB 7.5.30) the words matir na krsne refer to devotional service rendered to Krsna
- In tiffin hours, the hours when the teachers were absent from the classroom, the students called Prahlada Maharaja, wanting to play with him
- It is essential for a student who is going to be a ruler or king to learn the four diplomatic principles
- It is impossible, practically speaking, for ordinary men to challenge scientists or philosophers concerning genuine knowledge, but a devotee can challenge them because the best of everything is known to a devotee by the grace of Krsna
- It is recommended that even if one commits offenses, one should continue chanting the holy name. In other words, the chanting of the holy name makes one offenseless
- It is recommended that initiated devotees follow the principles of Narada-pancaratra by worshiping the Deity in the temple
- It is understood from the authoritative source of Vedic literature that especially in this age, Kali-yuga, people are generally short-living, extremely bad in their habits, and inclined to accept methods of devotional service that are not bona fide
- It was surprising, of course, that in the same school the other boys of the Daityas were not polluted; only Prahlada Maharaja was supposedly polluted by the instructions of the Vaisnavas
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- Just as a small child on the lap of his father or mother is fully protected, a devotee, in all conditions, is protected by the Supreme Lord
- Just contrary to the affairs of Vrndavana is the material world, where no one is attracted by Krsna and everyone is attracted by maya. This is the difference between the spiritual and material worlds
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- Kirtanam. The hearing of the holy name has been described. Now let us try to understand the chanting of the holy name, which is the second item in the consecutive order. It is recommended that such chanting be performed very loudly
- Krsna consciousness is not at all to the liking of the demons of the present age
- Krsna, who is situated in the core of everyone's heart as the Supersoul, dissipates all the ignorance from the heart of a devotee. As a special favor, He enlightens the devotee with all knowledge by putting before him the torch of light
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- Materialistic education expands the influence of maya. Such an education induces the conditioned soul to be increasingly attracted to materialistic life and to stray further and further away from liberation from unwanted miseries
- Materialistic persons are engaged in striving for temporary benefits, whereas persons advanced in spiritual knowledge, such as Prahlada Maharaja, are not interested in the materialistic way of life
- Materialistic persons take to so-called religion to get some blessings so that they can improve their economic position and enjoy the material world through sense gratification
- Materialistic persons think that the path of religion is meant for improving their material conditions. The materialist goes to a temple to worship many varieties of demigods just to receive some benediction to improve his material life
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- No one is equal to God. The servant cannot be equal to the master
- No one is interested in liberation, and bhagavad-bhakti, devotional service to the Lord, is above even liberation. The process of devotional service, Krsna consciousness, is extremely difficult to understand. This will be explained later by Prahlada
- Nonetheless, confronting all kinds of difficulties, we must spread the Krsna consciousness movement with great determination, like that of Prahlada Maharaja
- Not only now but since time immemorial, no one is interested in moksa, liberation. There are four principles - dharma (religion), artha (economic development), kama (sense gratification) and moksa - liberation
- Now I am (Prahlada Maharaja) rightly thinking that everyone is an eternal servant of God and that our duty is to serve the supreme master, for then we shall stand on the platform of oneness as servants
- Now let us discuss the offenses in Deity worship. The following are offenses: (a) to enter the temple with shoes or being carried on a palanquin, (b) not to observe the prescribed festivals, (c) to avoid offering obeisances in front of the Deity
- Now the dissension between the father and son became increasingly intense as Prahlada Maharaja began to say what he had learned from his guru Narada Muni
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- O my Lord, Supreme Personality and eternal friend, although You are full of bliss and knowledge, You have become the friend of the residents of Vrndavana. How fortunate are these devotees
- Observing the various types of festivals, such as Sri Janmastami, Rama-navami and Nrsimha-caturdasi, is also included in the process of Deity worship. In other words, it is compulsory for householder devotees to observe these festivals
- One cannot understand Krsna unless one is graced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only one who has surrendered to a pure devotee of Krsna and taken the dust of his lotus feet can understand Krsna
- One cannot understand the principles of religion while staying on the material platform. Therefore one must follow these great personalities
- One may ask why highly educated persons do not take to Krsna consciousness. The reason is explained in this verse. Unless one takes shelter of a bona fide, fully Krsna conscious spiritual master, there is no chance of understanding Krsna
- One must be cleansed of all these designations. Then one will be naturally attracted to Krsna
- One must be freed from all the sinful dirt of material existence. Everyone in this material world is contaminated by material desire
- One must follow in the footsteps of such great personalities as Lord Brahma, Narada, Lord Siva, Kapila, Manu, the Kumaras, Prahlada Maharaja, Bhisma, Janaka, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami and Yamaraja
- One must give up one's material occupational duties, just as one must give up his material body. Whatever one's occupational duty, even according to the varnasrama system, one must give it up and engage in one's spiritual function
- One must take shelter of a niskincana, a person engaged in devotional service and free from material contamination. That is the way to return home, back to Godhead
- One should act for the satisfaction of Lord Visnu, not for the satisfaction of his own senses. That is the meaning of the word addha, "directly
- One should adhere seriously to the chanting of the holy name as recommended in the scriptures: Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare
- One should be very humble and meek to offer one's desires and chant prayers composed in glorification of the holy name, such as ayi mukta-kulair upasya manam. One should chant such prayers to become free from offenses at the lotus feet of the holy name
- One should have complete faith in the words of Krsna, who says that He is the great well-wishing friend of everyone (suhrdam sarva-bhutanam). A devotee considers Krsna the only friend. This is called sakhyam. Pumsarpita visnau
- One should not be like the karmis, who perform pious activities and then formally offer the results to Krsna. That is karma-kanda. One should not aspire for the results of his pious activities, but should dedicate oneself fully and then act piously
- One should not engage paid brahmanas to worship the Deity. If one does not personally worship the Deity but engages paid servants instead, he is considered lazy, and his worship of the Deity is called artificial
- One should simply satisfy Krsna, without being influenced by fruitive knowledge or fruitive activity
- One should try to develop his economic condition so that he can fulfill his needs for sense gratification according to the religious rules and regulations. Then liberation from material bondage will be easier to attain. That is the Vedic Process
- One should understand himself to be part and parcel of Krsna and thus completely take shelter of His lotus feet for guaranteed spiritual success. Everyone in the material world is in the bodily conception, struggling hard for existence, life after life
- One who is attached to Krsna should chant and hear from other pure devotees who are also attached to Lord Krsna. The same principle applies for devotees attracted by Lord Rama, Lord Nrsimha and other forms of the Lord
- One who reads the thousand names of Visnu can be released from all offenses. In the same Skanda-Purana, Reva-khanda, it is said that one who recites prayers to tulasi or sows a tulasi seed is also freed from all offenses
- One who worships the salagrama-sila can also be relieved of offenses. In the Brahmanda Purana it is said that one who worships Lord Visnu, whose four hands bear a conchshell, disc, lotus flower and club, can be relieved from the above offenses
- One's real dharma, or occupational duty, is explained by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Jivera 'svarupa' haya-krsnera 'nitya-dasa': (CC Madhya 20.108) every living being is an eternal servant of Krsna. That is one's real occupational duty
- One's sincere endeavor to perform these nine processes of devotional service is technically called bhakti. The word addha means directly
- Only the devotees of the Lord, headed by such great personalities as Prahlada Maharaja and Narada Muni, are interested in the real education of spiritual life
- Other offenses are to worship the Deity after seeing a dead body, to pass air before the Deity, to show anger before the Deity, and to worship the Deity just after returning from a crematorium
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- Pada-sevanam includes: seeing the form of the Lord, touching the form of the Lord, circumambulating the form or temple of the Lord, visiting such places as Jagannatha Puri, Dvaraka and Mathura to see the Lord's form, and bathing in the Ganges or Yamuna
- Pada-sevanam. According to one's taste and strength, hearing, chanting and remembrance may be followed by pada-sevanam. One obtains the perfection of remembering when one constantly thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord
- Panditah, those who are learned, the equipoised, advanced devotees who have full knowledge of everything, do not see any living entity as an enemy or friend. Instead, with broader vision, they see that everyone is part of Krsna, as confirmed by Caitanya
- People accept religion to become materially opulent. And why should one be materially opulent? For sense gratification. Thus people prefer these three margas, the three paths of materialistic life
- People are generally preoccupied with these three concerns (religion, economic development, sense gratification) without interest in the path of liberation. Hiranyakasipu, the father of Prahlada Maharaja, was simply interested in gold and sense enjoyment
- Politics involves accepting one group of men as enemies and another group as friends. Everything in politics is based on this philosophy, and the entire world, especially at the present, is engrossed in it
- Prahlada Maharaja admitted frankly, "My dear teachers, you wrongly think that Lord Visnu is your enemy, but because He is favorable toward me, I understand that He is the friend of everyone
- Prahlada Maharaja knew the best of knowledge, and when his father inquired from him, Prahlada gave him that knowledge
- Prahlada Maharaja maintained an attitude of noncooperation with the philosophy of his father, Hiranyakasipu, yet he was tolerant and humble
- Prahlada Maharaja recommended that his father accept vanaprastha life because as a grhastha he was becoming increasingly demoniac due to bodily attachment
- Prahlada Maharaja recommended that to stop this material condition of repeated birth and death, one should go to the forest - vana
- Prahlada Maharaja responded to the inquiry of his father with the instructions he had received from his spiritual master, Narada
- Prahlada Maharaja taking advantage of the innocence of his class friends, began teaching them about the importance of spiritual life and the insignificance of materialistic life
- Prahlada Maharaja wanted to become a rajarsi, whereas Hiranyakasipu wanted him to become a king attached to sense enjoyment - grha-medhinam
- Prahlada Maharaja wanted to reply that an attitude favorable toward Visnu can develop only when the Lord is favorable (sa yadanuvratah). As stated in Bhagavad-gita, Krsna is the friend of everyone
- Prahlada Maharaja was able to solve the most difficult parts of problems because of his advanced Krsna consciousness
- Prahlada Maharaja was constantly and fully engaged in thought of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As it is said, govinda-parirambhitah. Prahlada Maharaja engaged himself always in meditation, and thus he was protected by Govinda
- Prahlada Maharaja was not very much interested in playing. Instead, he wanted to utilize every moment for advancing in Krsna consciousness
- Prahlada Maharaja was still a boy, and therefore his teachers thought that if they pacified the little boy he would immediately speak the truth, revealing the secret of how the Vaisnavas came there to teach him lessons in devotional service
- Prahlada Maharaja would be elevated to sarupya liberation, and in that sense he resembled Lord Visnu. Therefore Prahlada was to be killed by Hiranyakasipu
- Prahlada Maharaja's gurus were of two kinds
- Prahlada Maharaja's smiling is very significant
- Prahlada Maharaja's teachers were astonished that a small boy could speak such exalted Vaisnava philosophy
- Prahlada Maharaja, of course, being a perfect devotee, knew everything and could say what the best part of life is
- Prahlada recommended to his father that accepting vanaprastha life would be better than going deeper and deeper into grham andha-kupam, the blind well of life as a grhastha
- Prahlada was always joyful in worshiping the Lord, but in accordance with the instructions of Hiranyakasipu, the teachers were interested in teaching him about material things
- Pumsarpita visnau. The word pumsa means - by all living entities
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- Sakhyam. In regard to worshiping the Lord as a friend, the Agastya-samhita states that a devotee engaged in performing devotional service by sravanam and kirtanam sometimes wants to see the Lord personally, and for this purpose he resides in the temple
- Samadhi, trance, can be possible in five different ways in terms of one's relationship. Specifically, the trance of devotees on the stage of neutrality is called mental concentration
- Sanda and Amarka - compared Prahlada Maharaja to a hard, strong thorn tree that could provide the handle of an axe. They compared Lord Visnu to the axe itself
- Sanda and Amarka, the priests of the demons, were eager to know from Prahlada Maharaja who the Vaisnavas were that came to instruct him in Krsna consciousness. Their purpose was to discover the names of these Vaisnavas
- Sanda and Amarka, the sons of Sukracarya in the seminal disciplic succession, were the gurus appointed by his father, but his other guru was the exalted Narada Muni, who had instructed Prahlada when Prahlada was within the womb of his mother
- Sayujya-mukti, however, is not very secure, whereas sarupya-mukti, salokya-mukti, sarsti-mukti and samipya-mukti are most certain
- Service to the Vaisnava, Tulasi, Ganges and Yamuna are included in pada-sevanam. All these processes of pada-sevanam help one advance in spiritual life very quickly
- Simply by chanting the holy name of Krsna, one is liberated and returns home, back to Godhead
- Simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord one advances perfectly in spiritual life. This is the best process for success in life. In other ages the chanting of the holy name is equally powerful but especially in this age Kali-yuga, it is most powerful
- Since Hare Krsna is absolute, whether one chants it jokingly or sincerely, it will have its effect
- Since Hiranyakasipu did not like devotional service, the essence of life, he chastised Prahlada Maharaja's teachers with harsh words
- Since there must always be a difference of opinion between demons and devotees, Hiranyakasipu, when criticized by his son Prahlada Maharaja, should not have been surprised that Prahlada Maharaja differed from his way of life
- Sinful men who have sexual connections with the wife of a superior are afflicted by leprosy and similar skin diseases
- Smaranam means trying to understand more and more about the Supreme Lord, and pada-sevanam means engaging oneself in serving the lotus feet of the Lord according to the time and circumstances
- Smaranam. After one regularly performs the processes of hearing and chanting and after the core of one's heart is cleansed, smaranam, remembering, is recommended
- So-called educated philosophers and scientists who are simply on the mental platform cannot distinguish between what is actually sat, eternal, and what is asat, temporary
- So-called politicians, erudite scholars and philosophers who read Bhagavad-gita try to twist some meaning from it to suit their material purposes, but their misunderstandings of Krsna will not yield them any profit
- Society must have divisions of brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sudra, and for spiritual advancement one must gradually develop as a brahmacari, grhastha, vanaprastha and sannyasi
- Some devotees consider dedication of the body to the Lord to be atma-nivedanam, and as stated in the book known as Bhakti-viveka, sometimes dedication of the soul to the Lord is called atma-nivedanam
- Some of the members of the demoniac civilization, like Prahlada Maharaja, may become the handle for the axe, to assist Lord Visnu, and thus the entire forest of demoniac civilization can be cut to pieces
- Sometimes we have to challenge big scientists and philosophers, but by the grace of Krsna we emerge successful
- Sravanam. Hearing of the holy name of the Lord (sravanam) is the beginning of devotional service. Although any one of the nine processes is sufficient, in chronological order the hearing of the holy name of the Lord is the beginning. It is essential
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has instructed all devotees of the Lord to be humbler than the grass and more tolerant than trees; otherwise there will always be disturbances to their execution of devotional service
- Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu recommends that one chant the holy name of Krsna param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam. If one is fortunate enough to hear from the mouth of realized devotees, he is very easily successful on the path of devotional service
- Sridhara Svami has remarked that a pure devotee takes advantage of another pure devotee by trying to hear from him about the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord. If there is no such opportunity, he alone chants and hears the Lord's holy name
- Sridhara Svami mentions Sridama Vipra, who expressed to himself his feelings of obligation, thinking, "Life after life, may I be connected with Krsna in this friendly attitude
- Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gives the following explanation in his Tathya. The word sravana refers to giving aural reception to the holy name and descriptions of the Lord's form, qualities, entourage and pastimes as explained in SB, BG etc
- Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that devotional service is actually bhadra sati, not abhadra asati. In other words, knowledge of devotional service can be neither inauspicious nor contrary to etiquette
- Srimad-Bhagavatam is full of transcendental chanting of the holy name, and therefore the chanting and hearing of Srimad-Bhagavatam are transcendentally full of mellows
- Such blind teachers, being interested in the external, material world, are always bound by the strong ropes of material nature
- Sukracarya should not have become the priest of Hiranyakasipu because Hiranyakasipu and his followers were all atheists. A brahmana should become the priest of a person interested in the advancement of spiritual culture
- Sunah sepa is the name of the second son of Ajigarta. He was sold to Hariscandra, but he later took shelter of Visvamitra, Hariscandra's enemy, and never left his side
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- That (to satisfy Krsna) is the real qualification of a brahmana. Because Sanda and Amarka were seminal brahmanas and had become servants of such a master as Hiranyakasipu, they unnecessarily wanted to chastise Prahlada Maharaja
- The actual fact is that everyone is a servant of the Lord, as confirmed in Caitanya-caritamrta by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (CC Madhya 20.108)). As servants of the Lord, we are one, and there can be no questions of enmity or friendship
- The asura-bhava, the atheistic nature, is directly represented by Hiranyakasipu. Such persons, being mudha and naradhama - fools and rascals, the lowest of men - would never accept Visnu as the Supreme and surrender to Him
- The beginning of the life story of Prahlada is recounted as follows. Sukracarya became the priest of the atheists, especially Hiranyakasipu, and thus his two sons, Sanda and Amarka, resided near Hiranyakasipu's residence
- The best examples of atma-nivedanam are found in Bali Maharaja and Ambarisa Maharaja. Atma-nivedanam is also sometimes found in the behavior of Rukminidevi at Dvaraka
- The bhakti process purifies the living entity of all unnatural attractions. When one is purified he is attracted by Krsna and begins to serve Krsna instead of serving maya. This is his natural position
- The brahmacaris can go with the sannyasis to preach, and the vanaprasthas should prepare themselves for the next status of renounced life, sannyasa
- The brahmana attained the liberation of samipya, the facility of living near the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- The brahmanas Sanda and Amarka, being seminal sons of Sukracarya, did not actually possess real brahminical qualifications, for they engaged as servants of Hiranyakasipu
- The chronological process is sravanam kirtanam visnoh. This same process of chronological understanding holds true in chanting and remembering
- The demons, the Raksasas, can neither see nor touch the Supreme Lord, although they may superficially think that they are striking the Lord's transcendental body with their material weapons
- The difference between Prahlada Maharaja and Hiranyakasipu was that Hiranyakasipu wanted to keep Prahlada in mundane attachment whereas Prahlada was above the modes of material nature
- The duty of those who follow in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja is to teach the entire world how to be Krsna conscious and thus be really happy
- The education that keeps the conditioned soul bound life after life is called materialistic education. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has explained that materialistic education expands the influence of maya
- The educators, scholars and big political leaders worshiped by millions of people cannot understand the goal of life and take to Krsna consciousness, for they have not accepted a bona fide spiritual master and the Vedas
- The elderly persons like Nanda Maharaja and Yasodadevi, the friends like Sridama, Sudama and the other cowherd boys, the gopis like Srimati Radharani and Her associates, and even the birds, beasts, cows and calves are attracted (by Krsna)
- The entire Vedic civilization is meant to relieve one from these unwanted miseries, but persons bound by the laws of nature do not know the destination of life. They are conditioned by the three strong modes of material nature
- The entire world is interested in the materialistic way of life. Indeed, practically 99.9 percent of the people in the three worlds are uninterested in liberation or spiritual education
- The flowers and fruits in the gardens are attracted, the waves of the Yamuna are attracted, and the land, sky, trees, plants, animals and all other living beings are attracted by Krsna. This is the natural situation of everything in Vrndavana
- The following are some of the offenses to be avoided: (a) to offer obeisances on one hand, (b) to offer obeisances with one's body covered, (c) to show one's back to the Deity
- The following are some of the offenses to be avoided: (d) to offer obeisances on the left side of the Deity, (e) to offer obeisances very near the Deity
- The Gautamiya Tantra states, "For a sannyasi who has no home, worship of the Deity within the mind is recommended
- The Gopala-tapani Upanisad says that the word bhakti means engagement in the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not of anyone else
- The greater demons, like Hiranyakasipu, are always prepared to chastise the Vaisnavas, and they try to make arrangements so that Vaisnavas will not come to sell their books and preach Krsna consciousness
- The kinds of remembering God are: (c) concentrating upon a particular form of the Lord (this is called meditation), (d) concentrating one's mind continuously on the form of the Lord - this is called dhruvanusmrti, or perfect meditation
- The kinds of remembering God are: (e) awakening a likening for concentration upon a particular form (this is called samadhi, or trance). Mental concentration upon particular pastimes of the Lord in particular circumstances is also called remembrance
- The knowledge of the materialists is restricted within the four-billion-mile limit of this material world, which is in the dark portion of the creation; they do not know that beyond the material world is the spiritual world
- The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading all over the world, following in the footsteps of Prahlada Maharaja, who did not like any of the materialistic education he received from his teachers
- The Lord has innumerable forms and names and devotees may meditate upon a particular form and chant the holy name according to his attraction. The best course is to hear of the holy name, form and so on from a pure devotee of the same standard as oneself
- The Lord has unlimited transcendental qualities and opulences, and one who feels influenced by the Lord's qualities in various activities offers prayers to the Lord. In this way he becomes successful
- The Lord is never an enemy to any of the millions of living entities, but is always a friend to everyone. This is true understanding. If one thinks that the Lord is an enemy, his intelligence is pasu-buddhi, the intelligence of an animal
- The Lord is situated in everyone's heart, giving dictation according to the attitude of the servant. However, the Lord gives different dictation to the nondevotees and devotees. The nondevotees challenge the authority of the Supreme Lord
- The main duty of the teachers was to inquire who those Vaisnavas were that came to teach Prahlada and spoil his intelligence
- The material world is such that a nondevotee father becomes an enemy of a devotee son
- The members of our Krsna consciousness movement are in a position similar to that of Prahlada Maharaja
- The mistake of materialistic life is understood by devotees, and they smile upon it, considering it insignificant. Out of compassion, however, such devotees preach the gospel of Bhagavad-gita all over the world
- The nine different processes enunciated by Prahlada, who learned them from Narada Muni, may not all be required for the execution of devotional service; if a devotee performs only one of these nine without deviation, he can attain the mercy of God
- The nondevotees challenge the authority of the Supreme Lord, and therefore the Lord dictates in such a way that the nondevotees forget the Lord's service, life after life, and are punished by the laws of nature
- The offenses (to the holy names) are described as follows: (a) to blaspheme a devotee, especially a devotee engaged in broadcasting the glories of the holy name
- The offenses (to the holy names) are: (b) to consider the name of Lord Siva or any other demigod to be equally as powerful as the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead - no one is equal to the Supreme, nor is anyone superior to Him
- The offenses (to the holy names) are: (c) to disobey the instructions of the spiritual master (d) to blaspheme the Vedic literatures and those compiled in pursuance of the Vedic literatures, (e) to comment that the glories of the holy name are exaggerated
- The offenses (to the holy names) are: (f) to interpret the holy name in a deviant way, (g) to commit sinful activities on the strength of chanting the holy name, (h) to compare the chanting of the holy name to pious activities
- The offenses (to the holy names) are: (i) to instruct the glories of the holy name to a person who has no understanding of the chanting of the holy name
- The offenses (to the holy names) are: (j) not to awaken in transcendental attachment for the chanting of the holy name, even after hearing all these scriptural injunctions
- The offenses in Deity worship are : (d) to offer prayers in an unclean state, not having washed one's hands after eating, (e) to offer obeisances with one hand, (f) to circumambulate in front of the Deity, (g) to spread one's legs before the Deity
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (bb) to sit with one's back toward the Deity, (cc) to offer obeisances to someone else in front of the Deity, (dd) not to chant proper prayers when offering obeisances to the spiritual master
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (ee) to praise oneself before the Deity, and (ff) to blaspheme the demigods. In the worship of the Deity, these thirty-two offenses should be avoided
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (h) to sit before the Deity while holding one's ankles with one's hands, (i) to lie down before the Deity, (j) to eat before the Deity, (k) to speak lies before the Deity, (l) to address someone loudly before the Deity
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (l) to address someone loudly before the Deity, (m) to talk nonsense before the Deity, (n) to cry before the Deity, (o) to argue before the Deity, (p) to chastise someone before the Deity
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (q) to show someone favor before the Deity, (r) to use harsh words before the Deity, (s) to wear a woolen blanket before the Deity, (t) to blaspheme someone before the Deity, (u) to worship someone else before the Deity
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (v) to use vulgar language before the Deity, (w) to pass air before the Deity, (x) to avoid very opulent worship of the Deity, even though one is able to perform it, (y) to eat something not offered to the Deity
- The offenses in Deity worship are: (z) to avoid offering fresh fruits to the Deity according to the season, (aa) to offer food to the Deity which has already been used or from which has first been given to others
- The other students were advanced in enjoying materialistic life through religion, economic development & sense gratification, but Prahlada laughed at them knowing that this was not actual happiness for real happiness is advancement in Krsna consciousness
- The politician says that his Krsna is different from the Krsna depicted in Bhagavad-gita. Even though he accepts Krsna and Rama as the Supreme he thinks of Rama and Krsna as impersonal because he has no idea of service to Krsna
- The preachers of Krsna consciousness must go forward - in their Vaisnava dress or any other dress - for the purpose of preaching
- The public is concerned with friendly countries and friendly groups or enemy countries and enemy groups, but as stated in Bhagavad-gita, a learned person does not make distinctions between enemies and friends
- The real devotee first offers his surrender to Krsna with his body, mind and words and then uses his body, mind and words for the service of Krsna as Krsna desires
- The seminal brahmanas in India, who say that one can become a brahmana only if born in a brahmana family, charge us with ruining the Hindu system of religion. Of course, the fact is that one becomes a brahmana by qualification
- The smrti-sastras say, "Murderers of brahmanas are later afflicted by tuberculosis, drunkards become toothless, and those who have stolen gold are afflicted by diseased nails"
- The special purpose of Deity worship is to keep oneself always pure and clean. Grhastha devotees should be actual examples of cleanliness
- The spiritual master, the servant of God, is engaged in the most confidential service of the Lord, namely delivering all the conditioned souls from the clutches of maya, in which one thinks, "This person is my enemy, and that one is my friend"
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is described in this verse (SB 7.5.41) as anirdesye. We cannot understand Him to be in a particular place, for He is all-pervasive. Moreover, He is akhilatma, the active principle of everything, even material weapons
- The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the friend of all living entities, and all living entities are eternal servants of the Supreme Lord. Oneness is possible through this understanding, not through artificially thinking that every one of us is God
- The teachers appointed by Hiranyakasipu taught Prahlada Maharaja how to be a diplomat so that he could rule over the citizens very nicely
- The teachers Sanda and Amarka tried to induce Prahlada Maharaja to accept the materialistic way of life, but actually their attempt was a failure
- The transcendental holy name of the Lord may be heard and chanted accordingly to the attraction of the devotee. One may chant the holy name of Lord Krsna, or one may chant the holy name of Lord Rama or Nrsimhadeva
- The true understanding is that God is the supreme master and that all of us are servants of the Supreme Lord and are therefore on the same platform
- The two expressions grha-vrata and carvita-carvananam indicate that a materialistic person tries to enjoy sense gratification in different bodily forms, life after life, but is still unsatisfied
- The typical examples of such attraction are found in Vrndavana, where everything and everyone is attracted by Krsna
- The Vaisnavas are pleased when the demons chant Hare Krsna because this shows that the Hare Krsna movement is taking ground
- The Vedic injunction is asato ma jyotir gama: everyone should give up the platform of temporary existence and approach the eternal platform. The soul is eternal, and topics concerning the eternal soul are actually knowledge
- The very name Sukracarya indicates a person interested in obtaining benefits for his sons and descendants, regardless of how the money comes. A real brahmana would not become a priest for atheistic men
- The word "friend" is specifically used to indicate intense love. Friendship is better than servitude. In the stage above dasya-rasa, the devotee accepts the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a friend
- The word asaram, meaning, "having no substance," is significant. For a demon there is no substance in the process of devotional service, but to a devotee devotional service is the only essential factor in life
- The word dharma here (in SB 7.5.51) does not refer to some religious faith. As clearly stated, dharmo hy asyopadestavyo rajnam yo grha-medhinam
- The word hiranya means "gold," and kasipu refers to soft cushions and bedding on which people enjoy sense gratification. The word prahlada refers to one who is always joyful in understanding Brahman. Prahlada means prasannatma, always joyful
- The word sukra means "semen," and acarya refers to a teacher or guru
- The word sukra means "semen." The sons of Sukracarya were brahmanas by birthright, but an actual brahmana is one who possesses the brahminical qualities
- The word sunah means "of a dog," and sepa means "tail." The example is ordinary. However one may try to straighten a dog's tail, it is never straight but always curved
- The words bala adusita-dhiyah indicate that the children, being of a tender age, were not as polluted by materialistic life as their fathers
- The words prahradam grahayam asa are important. The words grahayam asa literally mean that they tried to induce Prahlada Maharaja to accept the paths of dharma, artha and kama - religion, economic development and sense gratification
- The words rogah patakinam iva refer to disease, which is the most sinful and miserable of the conditions of material life (janma-mrtyu jara-vyadhi (BG 13.9)). Disease is the symptom of the body of a sinful person
- Then they (the so-called sadhus) declare themselves God, and foolish materialists are attracted to them for economic development
- There are four processes for human society - dharma, artha, kama and moksa - and they culminate in liberation
- There are no distinctions permitting only a man or only a brahmana to offer devotional service to the Lord. Everyone can do so
- There are two kinds of royal families - one whose members are simply attached to household life and the other consisting of rajarsis, kings who govern with ruling power but are as good as great saints
- There are two systems of arcana - the bhagavata system and pancaratriki system
- There have been many attempts by the demons to hurt or kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but He cannot be injured by any material means because He is always in transcendence. Therefore the words pare brahmani are used here - in SB 7.5.41
- There is always rivalry between a king and his citizens
- There is no way to atone for any of these offenses (to the holy names). It is therefore recommended that an offender at the feet of the holy name continue to chant the holy name twenty-four hours a day
- There is the following statement, spoken by Daksa to Lord Siva: " When I was falling down because of accusing you, you saved me by your merciful glance. You are most great. Kindly excuse me and be satisfied with your own exalted qualities
- There is the following statement, spoken by Daksa to Lord Siva: "I did not know the glories of your personality, and I committed an offense at your lotus feet in the open assembly. You are so kind that you did not accept my offense
- There may be rivalries and apparent competition between servants in performing service, but in the Vaikuntha planets the service of another servant is appreciated, not condemned
- There was again a difference of opinion because Prahlada Maharaja wanted to relate the best thing he had learned from his spiritual master, whereas Hiranyakasipu expected to hear about the politics and diplomacy Prahlada had learned from Sanda and Amarka
- These (the kinds of remembering) are as follows: (a) conducting research into the worship of a particular form of God (b) concentrating the mind on one subject and withdrawing the mind's activities of thinking feeling and willing from all other subjects
- These are Vedic injunctions. One must take shelter of a self-realized spiritual master, not a materially educated scholar or politician
- They (advanced men) want to be elevated to an eternal life of knowledge and bliss. As Krsna is always compassionate to the fallen souls, His servants, the devotees of Lord Krsna, are also interested in educating the entire populace in Krsna consciousness
- They (people in Kali-yuga) are always disturbed by material conditions, & they are mostly unfortunate. Under the circumstances, the performance of other processes, such as yajna, dana, tapah & kriya - sacrifices, charity & so on - are not at all possible
- They (seminal spiritual masters) are hopeful of material success. The word bahih means "external," artha means "interest," and manina means "taking very seriously." Generally speaking, practically everyone is unaware of the spiritual world
- They (the boys at the guru-kula) become steady within the cores of their hearts, and there is very little possibility that they will be conquered by the modes of material nature when they are older
- They (the teachers of Prahlada) inquired about the Vaisnavas who stealthily taught it (Vaisnava philosophy) to him, in order that these Vaisnavas might be arrested and killed in the presence of Prahlada's father, Hiranyakasipu
- Thinking oneself to be nitya-krsna-dasa, everlastingly a servant of Krsna, is called dasyam, and sakhyam means being a well-wisher of Krsna. Krsna wants everyone to surrender unto Him because everyone is constitutionally His servant
- This (all of us are servants of the Supreme Lord) had already been taught to Prahlada Maharaja by his spiritual master, Narada, but Prahlada was nonetheless surprised by how a bewildered soul thinks one person his enemy and another his friend
- This (the Gopala-tapani Upanisad) Upanisad describes that bhakti is the offering of devotional service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- This is Vaikuntha competition. There is no question of enmity between servants. Everyone should be allowed to render service to the Lord to the best of his ability and everyone should appreciate the service of others. Such are the activities of Vaikuntha
- This mistaken idea has now been corrected and unlike ordinary human beings, I (Prahlada Maharaja) no longer think that I am God and that others are my friends and enemies
- Thorn trees generally grow in deserted places, not in sandalwood forests, but the seminal brahmanas Sanda and Amarka compared the dynasty of the Daitya Hiranyakasipu to a sandalwood forest
- Those interested in spiritual life should follow Prahlada Maharaja in rejecting the education of religion, economic development and sense gratification. One should be interested in spiritual education
- Those who are attached to material enjoyment cannot be fixed in devotional service to the Lord. They cannot understand Bhagavan, Krsna, or His instruction, Bhagavad-gita. Adanta-gobhir visatam tamisram: their path actually leads toward hellish life
- Those who are attached to the bodily conception of life and who thus stick to life as a grhastha, or householder, on the platform of material sense enjoyment, cannot see the welfare of the eternal soul
- Those who are grha-vrata, whose only aim is to live comfortably with the body in the material world, cannot understand Krsna
- Those who are very sharp in their intelligence should adopt this process of chanting the holy names of the Lord. One should not manufacture different types of chanting
- Those who cannot understand the position of the Lord are unfortunate
- Those who cannot understand the position of the Lord are unfortunate. They may think that they can kill the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotee, but all their attempts will be futile. The Lord knows how to deal with them
- Those who try to adjust material conditions are said to be chewing the chewed. No one has been able to adjust material conditions, but life after life, generation after generation, people try and repeatedly fail
- To become Krsna conscious very easily, one must take shelter of a realized soul - a mahat, or mahatma - whose only interest is to engage in the service of the Supreme Lord
- To end the unwanted miseries of life, one must become a devotee
- To learn devotional service is the duty of everyone. Therefore the spontaneous education of Prahlada Maharaja is supported as auspicious and perfect
- To perform devotional service, one should be relieved of the bodily conception of life and aspirations to be happy through elevation to the higher planetary systems
U
- Understanding of the master begins from understanding of the spiritual master
- Unless one hears about the holy name, form and qualities of the Lord, one cannot clearly understand the other processes of devotional service
- Unless one is a devotee of the Lord, one cannot understand the existence of the spiritual world
- Unless one is free from all material desire, one cannot be attracted by Krsna
- Unless one is properly trained by a mahat - a mahatma, or unalloyed devotee of the Lord - there is no possibility of one's understanding Krsna and His devotional service
W
- We are all actually eternal servants of Krsna, but under the influence of the external energy we think that we are separately situated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead as friends and enemies of one another
- What he (Prahlada) had learned about diplomacy from his material teachers, Sanda and Amarka, was useless. Bhaktih paresanubhavo viraktir anyatra ca (SB 11.2.42). This is the symptom of pure devotional service
- What was done by Hiranyakasipu long, long ago is still being done. That is the way of materialistic life. Demons or materialists do not at all like the advancement of Krsna consciousness, and they try to hinder it in many ways
- When a citizen agitates the public against the king, the duty of the king is to call him and try to pacify him with sweet words, saying, "You are very important in the state. Why should you disturb the public with some new cause for agitation?"
- When a devotee is pure in heart the opulence of his worship of the Deity diminishes as spontaneous love for the Personality of Godhead is manifested
- When a devotee very sincerely wants to render service to the Lord, the Lord dictates in a different way
- When a family member is killed by an enemy, all the members of the family would naturally be inimical to the murderer, but Hiranyakasipu saw that Prahlada had become friendly with the murderer
- When one is above the stages of dharma, artha, kama and moksa, one becomes a devotee. He is then on the platform from which he is guaranteed not to fall again to material existence - yad gatva na nivartante
- When one performs one of the processes, other processes (of devotional service) are mixed with it. That is not improper for a devotee. When a devotee executes any one of the nine processes (nava-laksana), this is sufficient; the other eight are included
- When Prahlada Maharaja was asked by his father to say something from whatever he had learned, he considered that what he had learned from his spiritual master was the best of all teachings
- When Prahlada Maharaja's teachers and demoniac father asked him how his intelligence had been polluted, Prahlada Maharaja said, "As far as I am concerned, my intelligence has not been polluted
- When the chanting of the holy name, form, qualities and paraphernalia is heard from the mouth of a pure devotee, his hearing and chanting are very pleasing. Sanatana Gosvami has forbidden us to hear the chanting of an artificial devotee or nondevotee
- When the dirt is cleansed from the core of one's heart, one can realize the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
- When the two seminal brahmanas Sanda and Amarka failed to extract from Prahlada Maharaja the cause for his having opinions different from those of his father, they called for a stick with which to chastise him to satisfy their master, Hiranyakasipu
- When there are no other arguments, he (the person that disobediently agitates against the government) is punished. In logic, this is called argumentum ad baculum
- While chanting the holy name of the Lord, one should be careful to avoid ten offenses. From Sanat-kumara it is understood that even if a person is a severe offender in many ways, he is freed from offensive life if he takes shelter of the Lord's holy name
- While the brahmana was in pain, Lord Visnu in Vaikuntha began smiling, and the goddess of fortune inquired from the Lord why He was smiling. Lord Visnu then ordered His associates to bring the brahmana to Vaikuntha
- With great attention they (the teachers Sanda and Amarka) wanted to hear from Prahlada Maharaja about Krsna consciousness
- Work performed simply for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, without any desire for material benefits, is called bhakti