This is confirmed also in the Eleventh Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Eleventh Chapter, verse 32, in which the Lord says to Uddhava, "My dear Uddhava, any person who takes shelter of Me in complete surrender and follows My instructions, giving up all occupational duties, is to be considered the first-class man." In this statement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is understood that people who are generally attracted to philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic, political and social welfare activities may be considered nice men only in the calculation of the material world. From Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and other authentic Vedic scriptures we learn further that if a person simply acts in Kṛṣṇa consciousness and discharges devotional service, he is considered to be far, far better situated than all of those persons engaged in philanthropic, ethical, moral, altruistic and social welfare activities.
Follow my instructions (Books, Lectures and Conv)
Expressions researched:
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Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 3
By following My instructions you can now generate the living entities as before, by dint of your complete Vedic wisdom and the body you have directly received from Me, the supreme cause of everything.
My dear mother, those who are actually transcendentalists certainly follow My instructions, as I have given them to you. You may rest assured that if you traverse this path of self-realization perfectly, surely you shall be freed from fearful material contamination and shall ultimately reach Me. Mother, persons who are not conversant with this method of devotional service certainly cannot get out of the cycle of birth and death.
SB Canto 4
My dear King, just consider what I have said to you, which will act as medicinal treatment upon disease. Control your anger, for anger is the foremost enemy on the path of spiritual realization. I wish all good fortune for you. Please follow my instructions.
SB Canto 6
Kaśyapa Muni said: My dear gentle wife, if you follow my instructions regarding this vow for at least one year, you will surely get a son who will be able to kill Indra. However, if you deviate from this vow of following the Vaiṣṇava principles, you will get a son who will be favorable to Indra.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Madhya-lila
One must follow the instructions of a spiritual master; then one will certainly be delivered from all sinful reactions. This is the secret of success. Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). If one has unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, the result is tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ: all the conclusions of the revealed scriptures will be open to such a person. A pure devotee of Kṛṣṇa can make the same demands that Nārada Muni is making. He says, "If you follow my instructions, I shall take responsibility for your liberation." A pure devotee like Nārada can give assurance to any sinful man because by the grace of the Lord such a devotee is empowered to deliver any sinful person if that person follows the principles set forth.
Other Books by Srila Prabhupada
Nectar of Devotion
Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead
"A person who takes away a brāhmaṇa's property, whether it was originally given by him or by someone else, is condemned to live for at least sixty thousand years as a miserable insect in stool. Therefore I instruct you, all My boys and relatives present here, do not, even by mistake, take the possession of a brāhmaṇa and thereby pollute your whole family. If someone even wishes to possess such property, let alone attempts to take it away by force, the duration of his life will be reduced. He will be defeated by his enemies, and after being bereft of his royal position, when he gives up his body he will become a serpent, giving trouble to all other living entities. My dear boys and relatives, I therefore advise you that even if a brāhmaṇa becomes angry with you and calls you by ill names or curses you, still you should not retaliate. On the contrary, you should smile, tolerate him and offer your respects to the brāhmaṇa. You know very well that even I Myself offer My obeisances to the brāhmaṇas with great respect three times daily. You should therefore follow My instruction and example. I shall not forgive anyone who does not follow them, and I shall punish him. You should learn from the example of King Nṛga that even if someone unknowingly usurps the property of a brāhmaṇa, he is put into a miserable condition of life."
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
Vīrabhadra: In the āśrama, and before that when you said that a brāhmaṇa is... Do you mean, when you say brāhmaṇa, do you mean... I mean are they... the devotees who are not pure but...
Prabhupāda: Yes, they're also pure devotees because they're following my instruction. Just like a technician, he is expert, but somebody is assisting him. So the assistants, because they are following the instruction of the expert, therefore their work is also complete. So it is not necessarily that one has to become pure devotee immediately. Just like we are also following the instruction of our spiritual master. I don't claim that I am pure devotee or perfect, but my only qualification is that I am trying to follow the instruction of the perfect.
Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures
So this is the way. And here it is said, śaśāsa gām indra iva. Indra. Indra, the demigods, they are always protected by Viṣṇu, always protected. Whenever there is fight between the demigods and demons, Lord Viṣṇu takes the side of the demigods. Therefore Indra is ajita-āśraya. He is confident that "I am protected by Lord Viṣṇu, Ajita." Similarly, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira also, when he was assured that "I am also protected by Kṛṣṇa, I am also enlightened by the instruction of Bhīṣma; my brothers, such big brothers, Bhīma, Arjuna, they will follow my instruction," in this way, when everything was in complete, vijñāna-vidhūta-vibhramaḥ, then he accepted the throne. This is monarchy. This is king.
We are so misfortunate. We are misguided by the so-called leaders that we are neglecting this valuable literature which is spoken by Bhagavān. We are talking of some nonsense. That is our misfortune. So we have to take knowledge from Bhagavān and spread it all over the world. That is Caitanya Mahāprabhu's... So He says that "You become guru." He says, āmāra ājñāya guru hañā: (CC Madhya 7.128) "By My order." Don't become a so-called guru, manufactured guru. "You become guru by following My instruction." Āmāra ājñāya guru hañā.
If you think that this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is restricting so many things... Not so many things. That is very simple. Just like we don't allow illicit sex life. We don't allow intoxication. We don't allow meat-eating. We don't allow gambling. Of course, these four things don't mean very severe things for the present population. But if anyone is serious about attaining eternal happiness, just like this patient in the hospital is following the physician's instruction—he has to follow it voluntarily. This is called austerity. Austerity means just like if I say, "Please don't smoke," but you are veteran smoker, and if you want to follow my instruction, "Don't smoke," you'll feel some difficulty in the beginning. That is called austerity. Austerity means accepting voluntarily some difficulties for higher development. The same principle. Just like a patient is accepting the physician direction under certain difficulty, but he is, because his aim is aiming at healthy condition of life, he voluntarily accepts.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
When a disciple becomes perfect in spiritual advancement, the spiritual master feels very, very happy, that "I am a nonsense, but this boy, he has followed my instruction and he has achieved the success. That is my success." This is the spiritual master's ambition. Just like a father. This is the relationship. Just like... Nobody wants to see anybody more advanced than himself. That is the nature. Matsarata. If anybody becomes advanced in any subject matter, then I become envious upon him. But the spiritual master or the father, he does not become envious. He feels himself very, very happy, that "This boy has advanced more than me." This is spiritual master's position.
Sri Brahma-samhita Lectures
The story is, the hunter, a hunter was killing in the forest many animals, because hunter's business is to kill. So, I am speaking very shortly. The story and the picture you will find in Back to Godhead recently published. And Nārada, because he is Vaiṣṇava, he is lover of Kṛṣṇa, when he was passing on the path in the forest, he saw that many half-dead animals are in torture, flapping. So, he was very kind. "Oh, who has done this mischief, these poor animals?" So he searched out the hunter, and he went there. The hunter asked me, "Oh, why you are disturbing my business?" So said, "My dear hunter, I have come to beg something from you." So hunter thought that "This mendicant is a beggar, so he might have come to me to beg some skins, or deer skin or tiger skin." So he said, "All right, please, let me do my business. I shall give you skins, whatever you like." Nārada said, "No, no, I don't want anything from you. I have come to request you something." "What is that?" "How, if you are killing animals, why don't you kill them all at once? Why you are killing them half, and giving them so much torture?" "Oh," he said that "I have been educated in that way. I have been trained in that way killing of animals by my father. I take pleasure in it." So Nārada said, "So my request to you is that if you want to kill animals, please kill them immediately. Don't kill half. This is very great sinful." Then he inquired, "What is the sin?" He said that "You are killing so many animals, so you are accumulating sins." Then he explained everything, so he became little softened, and he inquired that "How to get out of these sinful activities?" That Nārada said that "If you follow my instruction, then you can get free from these sinful activities." "Now, what I will have to do?" He said that "First of all break your bow, then I shall tell you." "Oh, if I break my bow, then my business instrument is gone." "No, don't be afraid." "Then how shall I eat?" "Oh, I shall send you food." So then he agreed: "If you solve my food problem, then I will follow you." So Nārada said, "Yes, I shall send you all kinds of food. You give up this business, and come with me." So the hunter and his wife went with Nārada, and Nārada fixed them a place on the bank of the Ganges at Prayāga, and he said that "You sit down here and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. I shall send you all food that you require." "All right sir. Don't forget (laughter), because I have given up my business." (laughter)
Arrival Addresses and Talks
There are so many cheaters. People also want to be cheated. As soon as we say that "If you want to become my disciple, you will have to give up four things: no illicit sex, no intoxication up to drinking tea and smoking cigarette, no meat-eating and no gambling," and they criticize me, "Swamijī is very conservative." And if I say that "You can do all nonsense, whatever you like. You simply take this mantra and give me $125," they will like. Because in America, $125 is nothing. Any man can pay immediately. So I would have collected millions of dollars if I would have cheated like that. But I do not want that. I want one student who follows my instruction. I don't want millions. Ekaś candras tamo hanti na ca tara-sahasrasaḥ. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for illumination. There is no need of millions of stars. So my position is that I want to see that at least one disciple has become pure devotee. Of course, I have got many sincere and pure devotees. That is my good luck. But I would have been satisfied if I could find out one only. There is no need of so-called millions of stars.
Initiation Lectures
So we are observing these rules: no illicit sex life, no meat-eating, no intoxication, no gambling. So all my students, they strictly follow these rules, and therefore they're advancing so quickly. Yes. You see the advancement so quickly because they follow my instruction. They follow very obedient, and they have therefore, by grace of Kṛṣṇa... Yasya deve parā bhaktir yathā deve tathā gurau (ŚU 6.23). It is the statement of the Upaniṣad. "Anyone who has got unflinching faith in God and spiritual master..." Yasya deve parā bhaktir. Deve means God. Parā bhaktir, unflinching faith. Tathā gurau, and similarly, in guru. Tasyaite kathitā hy arthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ. To him all this Vedic knowledge becomes revealed automatically.
Philosophy Discussions
Hayagrīva: And for him, God is necessarily manifest in the finite; therefore he places the incarnation of Christ, the incarnation of God, as central in the Christian religion. That is, in order to be manifest, God has to become finite. God has to become man.
Prabhupāda: Then if God is man, if He is taken as man, then why His instruction should be followed?
Hayagrīva: Excuse me? Why His instructions...?
Prabhupāda: Should be followed? You are man, I am man. Why should you follow my instructions?
Conversations and Morning Walks
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: So the guru is there. He is the chief man, giving direction, or the captain. And others are plying, and the boat is also strong, and the wind is also favorable. In this circumstances, if you cannot cross, then you make suicide. The śāstras are there. That is favorable wind. You get the way. And the spiritual master is directing, "Do like this." And you have got a nice boat and you are plying. Now cross over. Very big ocean in the material world. Just see the sky, how big it is. So we have to cross this material sky, penetrate the covering, then go to the spiritual sky. Then you are safe. Paras tasmāt tu bhāvaḥ anyaḥ 'vyakto 'vyaktāt sanātanaḥ (BG 8.20). That place, even after destruction of this whole material world, that is safe. So we have to go there, plying the boat. Therefore Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, "You rascal, give up everything. Surrender unto Me. And surrender unto Me. Follow My instruction as I have given. Then you are safe." But that they will not do. They will try to cheat Kṛṣṇa by interpretation, "This means this. This means that." That they will do, these rascals, big, big rascals.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Frankly, though, we can see by Christianity that some defect is there. Either it's probably not there on the part of Jesus. He could have given them a way to purify themself, but they...
Prabhupāda: One chance, that "You have accepted me, I take your all sinful reactions." But these rascals continue.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: His point was that "Now you must continue to follow my instructions."
Prabhupāda: Yes. Otherwise why ten commandments? And these rascals took it that "I shall not follow any of you. You take our sinful reaction. It is very good religion."
| Page Title: | Follow my instructions (Books, Lectures and Conv) |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, Visnu Murti, Matea |
| Created: | 23 of Jun, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=4, CC=1, OB=2, Lec=9, Con=2, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 18 |