Prabhupāda: Kṛte means in the golden age, when everyone is pious. That is called kṛta-yuga, age of kṛta, very pious age. So in those ages people used to live one hundred thousands of years, and they were very pure, there was no sinful activity. In that stage, meditation was possible. Meditation requires certain principles. You have to select a solitary, sacred place. You have to sit alone. You have to close your eyes half, not full. If you close your eyes full, then you will sleep. And you have to concentrate on the tip of your nose, and you have to sit straight under posture, and then you have to exercise the breathing. If your inhalation is going this side, then you have to breathe this side. There are so many processes. So these things are not possible. Because our mind is so disturbed, we are engaged in so many outside work, it is not possible to concentrate on... You cannot find out a solitary place. The so-called meditation going on in a class. That is not meditation. Meditation cannot be performed in that way. It must be very solitary place, sacred place, and you have to do it alone. You see? So these facilities are not available at the present age.
Posture (Conv. and Letters)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1968 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Yes. But meditation as this Maharshi or any other swami or..., are professing, that is not exactly the process of meditation. The standard meditation is described in Bhagavad-gītā. That is very difficult job. You have to select a solitary place, you have to sit in a certain posture, you have to regulate your life, complete celibacy, eating, sleeping... There are so many rules and regulations that that sort of meditation is absolutely impossible for the present way of life. For the present generation, the chanting, vibration of holy name of God, is recommended in the scriptures. It is said that meditation was possible in the Satya-yuga, when people were cent percent pure. And they are... For the present, mostly, people are impure. So they cannot execute meditation as it is described in the standard scriptures.
1969 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: It is very difficult in this age. Then you have to restrain yourself in so many things. Complete free from sex life. You have to eat under certain direction, you have to... So many things there are. These rules are not followed. Simply they have got some bodily gymnastic sitting posture. They are thinking, "I am practicing." No. That is one of the items. So all the items cannot be observed in this age. Therefore it is wasting. (Break) "...yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." This is the goal of yoga practice. So that is possible very easily by this movement, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, not by any other process. And the ultimate goal is here.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Very old.
Guest (1): Because I saw the date, the posture of Lord Buddha when he died in a place, in a village, and I saw Buddha 20 feet long, gold Buddha statue, just the way he lied when he was dead.
Allen Ginsberg: Pari nirvāṇa, yes.
Guest (1): Pari nirvāṇa pose, exactly. Twenty-two feet he was, long. And it was made just after his death.
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
M. Roost: I try to make a yoga with understanding from occident... I saw that occidental people is more intellectual, and I don't understand very easily the karma-yoga. The dynamics and... I don't understand we must work without, without goal, without intention, without personal intention. And I try to show through the practice of haṭha-yoga that posture and prāṇāyāma and concentration. I try to...
Prabhupāda: Beginning from abdomen?
M. Roost: The kind of meditation I learned in India with Swami Satyananda, it's a few different type meditation.
Prabhupāda: They begin from the abdomen, maṇipūraka, maṇipūraka. And then the intestines. They come to the heart; then ultimately, to the brahma-randhra. This practice?
Yogeśvara: There was an article in this week's newspaper. Sigmund Freud's grand-daughter is now posing for naked pictures in magazines. She is saying, "My grandfather's philosophy was not so good." So now she is posing.
Prabhupāda: He's ad... She's advanced. (laughter) She's more advanced. That's nice. (laughs) This is going on. Animals, simply animals in a different posture. That's all. Fourth-class, fifth-class men. And they are governing, they are leaders. Then what is that? Śva-viḍ-varāhoṣṭra-kharaiḥ.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: That means you make purposefully complicated. The father is saying, "I am father." Then why you are bringing this meaning, aham means...
Indian man: No, it's that "aham" is indicated to Who? The physical posture of Kṛṣṇa which we know or the...?
Prabhupāda: Why do we say like that? Why? (shouting) Why you are bringing physical concept He is a person, He is saying. Why do you say physical, material, and this and that way. He is father.
Indian man: Because He is saying, we should accept it?
Prabhupāda: Yes, you accept. Accept, Kṛṣṇa is in your front. And why should physical, metaphysical and chemical? Kṛṣṇa is a person. A person says...
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Hari-śauri: That was my idea, that they should chant half an hour japa before class, and then sit in the posture and then have the philosophy because the chanting... First of all explain the purpose of chanting to fix the mind; then, once they've chanted, then they can sit and listen, and because they've chanted, they'll be that much more attentive.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that's good idea. That's good idea. First chanting, second chanting.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: First chant half an hour...
Prabhupāda: Then lesson, take lesson. And then chant another...
Prabhupāda: They haven't got to attend other classes. Let them chant and dance, kīrtana, other one hour. Because here is the class. They'll simply sit down in that yogic posture and hear. That's all. You explain.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: These people are... I understand this...
Jagadīśa: No, they have a misconception what yoga is.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: I know, I know. But if we want to get repeat business...
Prabhupāda: No no, we are not after business. This is our...
Hari-śauri: Our program is the most attractive.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Just publish the Sixth Chapter, that this is our booklet on yoga.
Prabhupāda: No, you can make a booklet, the Sixth Chapter explained, and posture, how to sit. That sitting down, that will attract.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: Because they want to see these things.
Prabhupāda: That sitting posture will attract them. Give them figure, "This is the posture of sitting," and they will hear.
Gopāla Kṛṣṇa: What we can do, have a small booklet on yoga...
Prabhupāda: Concentrate on viṣṇu-mūrti here, in the heart, and hear... This will immediately give some effect.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: They simply say, "yogi." But the real yogi means they have got siddhis, aṣṭa-siddhi: aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, īśitā, vaśitā. These are siddhis. Yogis, if they are real yogi, then I can put you into the room, lock it, and you can come out. That is yogi, not by simply showing some posture.
Yogi Amrit Desai: That's right. They're the real siddhis.
Prabhupāda: That is another thing to control the senses. But real yogis mean the first siddhi is aṇimā. Yogi...
Yogi Amrit Desai: They can become smaller than the smallest.
Prabhupāda: Smaller than the smallest. If there is little hole in the room he'll come out. Yes. Who is that yogi? That is yogi.
Prabhupāda: So simply hear them. That's all. One big barrister, he was my friend. He is dead, M. C. Chatterji. He's a very big barrister. He used to charge sixteen thousand rupees for one appearance. So he was stating about when..., that he came to Vṛndāvana, and he met one boy, and "He asked me some sweets, I gave him sweet. Later on, when I was coming back to Delhi, I saw that boy was running on the train." He said. Such a big barrister, he said like that. "Oh, he was so..." Posturing like this. What can I say? "Kṛṣṇa as cowherd boy was running after you in the train?" This is going on. Another friend's wife, she came to Jagannātha Purī. So Jagannātha Purī, those who are rich men, they are allowed to go near the Jagannātha. So that lady said that "While I was circumambulating, Jagannātha was snatching my cloth."
Upendra: Prabhupāda should be moved from side to side and sit up too.
Doctor: That is... He must be... Posture must be changed after every two hours. Some massage of the body is necessity. Prabhupāda likes matta? Whey?
Abhirāma: Whey is good?
Dr. Kapoor: But does Prabhupāda like it?
Abhirāma: It can be used to mix these. We can use it instead of water?
Doctor: Rather, it is a protein food, protein without fat. (Bengali) Matta(?) means when you serve the milk, milk or curd, you get whey. And that whey will be very easily digested. It will prevent the gases also and will be a supplement of protein.
Dr. Kapoor: Give in a small quantity first.
Doctor: Small. See what is the response, how does he like it.
Prabhupāda: Deity prasādam.
Bali-mardana: Yes, it's right here, Prabhupāda.
Dr. Ghosh: Towards the heart. Gentle. Very gentle. And then you can just... Very, very gentle. If you just hold it a little, so that he has... (slapping sound) Like that. Just for two minutes, three minutes, but frequently. Both hands, both legs. Then at the back, too, you rub with a little spirit and powder. That also improves the circulation. A little powder, talcum powder, will help the hands to ply freely. You see? Instead of oil, a little powder will be better in this way. Yes. And he should be changed from different position. Posture should be changed frequently.
Trivikrama: How often?
Dr. Ghosh: Can you turn to one side gentle? I would like to see his back. (Bengali) Any side. Left side will be better because heart is on the left side. That will be less... Yes. Turn him on his left. Grape juice? Grape juice he doesn't like? Grape juice? That's more nourishing than that pomegranate juice, but pomegranate juice very good for sick feeling and all. Grape juice also. Little Horlicks. Changes, change every hour or two hours. Just a few teaspoons. And chānā and a little dahi. You see all these he must be getting. His urine should be had the first thing he took. There are too many people in this room. Let him have more oxygen. If you don't... More Oxygen. More oxygen. (window opens)
Bhavānanda: But then he's afraid of draft. Draft.
Dr. Ghosh: No, no. No draft. Fresh air. No draft.
Prabhupāda: You can open it.
Correspondence
1967 Correspondence
The article in the paper New Mexican is very nicely written and I offer my sincere thanks to Mr. Peter Nabokov, who begins the article with chanting of the Mahamantra. Please offer my thanks to all who joined you in this endeavor. I'm glad to know that Haridasa is there also. Each and every picture published in the paper looks very nice and the devotional postures of you all has very much pleased me. The secret of success in the matter of Krishna Consciousness is devotion to the Lord and the Spiritual Master. In the Vedas, the secret of success is described as follows:
1969 Correspondence
Just like when you turn away from the sun, you see the darkness of your shadow; but when you turn your face to the sun, then there is no question of a shadow. The whole principle of spiritual life is to turn our attention back to Krishna, and thus immediately be freed from all entanglements of Maya. There is no necessity to practice the various yogic postures, pressing the nose, and there is no need of becoming a great learned scholar to advance in spiritual life. Simply we have to turn our attention back to the Lotus Feet of Krishna, and then all spiritual perfection is automatically there.
| Page Title: | Posture (Conv. and Letters) |
| Compiler: | Visnu Murti, RupaManjari |
| Created: | 16 of Dec, 2011 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=14, Let=2 |
| No. of Quotes: | 16 |