As soon as you get some opportunity, preach. What is that preach? Preaching, Caitanya Mahāprabhu has advised us, yāre dekha tāre kaha kṛṣṇa-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This is preaching. "Whoever you meet, simply speak of the instruction of Kṛṣṇa." So if you are advanced, if you know what is the instruction of Kṛṣṇa by reading Bhagavad-gītā, you can preach to others. And if you have not read anything, suppose you do not know anything, then you can also preach. What is that? "Just become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, my dear sir." That's all. This is also preaching. "Just surrender to Kṛṣṇa." You go door to door. If you cannot do anything, simply say, "My dear sir, you are very good man. Oh, you are very intelligent man. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa." Sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt. This preaching was taught by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī. Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca ahaṁ bravīmi. This is the preaching process. Dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. According to Vedic civilization, if one wants to become very humble and approach another person, then he has to take one straw in the mouth. Tṛṇa. So the preaching process is to take a straw in the mouth, dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya, and falling down on your feet, dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor, kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca ahaṁ bravīmi. And flattering you: "Sir, you are so great man, you are so intelligent man." This is flattering. Although he is fool number one, we have to flatter like that. "Oh, there is no greater man like you. You are so intelligent, you are so rich, you are so beautiful." So all these things. Just like the beggars. Sometimes: "You become king." And one thinks, "Oh, he is blessing me. All right, you take one paisa." So this flattering is also required.
Preaching process
Expressions researched:
"That is preaching. Our process is"
|"preaching or chanting process"
|"preaching process"
|"process of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's preaching"
|"process of preaching"
Srimad-Bhagavatam
SB Canto 1
One must be completely freed from all material attachment and be situated on the plane of transcendence, which alone will help the devotee get in personal touch with the Personality of Godhead. The best method is that one should live at a place where the transcendental form of the Lord is worshiped. The temple of the Lord is a transcendental place, whereas the forest is a materially good habitation. A neophyte devotee is always recommended to worship the Deity of the Lord (arcanā) rather than go into the forest to search out the Lord. Devotional service begins from the process of arcanā, which is better than going out in the forest. In his present life, which is completely freed from all material hankerings, Śrī Nārada Muni does not go into the forest, although he can turn every place into Vaikuṇṭha by his presence only. He travels from one planet to another to convert men, gods, Kinnaras, Gandharvas, ṛṣis, munis and all others to become devotees of the Lord. By his activities he has engaged many devotees like Prahlāda Mahārāja, Dhruva Mahārāja and many others in the transcendental service of the Lord. A pure devotee of the Lord, therefore, follows in the footsteps of the great devotees like Nārada and Prahlāda and engages his whole time in glorifying the Lord by the process of kīrtana. Such a preaching process is transcendental to all material qualities.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta
CC Adi-lila
In this way Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu contributed the greatest benefit to the people of East Bengal by initiating them into hari-nāma, the chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, and making them learned scholars by educating them.
Following in the footsteps of Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is distributing the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra and inducing people all over the world to chant. We are giving people an immense treasury of transcendental literature, translated into all the important languages of the world, and by the grace of Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu this literature is selling profusely and people are chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra with great delight. This is the preaching process of the Caitanya cult. Since the Lord wanted this cult preached all over the world, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is acting in a humble way so that the vision of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu may be fulfilled all over the world, especially in the Western countries.
Lectures
Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures
So why not try one life to get back your spiritual life, get back your spiritual body, sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ (Bs. 5.1), and live eternal, blissful life with full knowledge and live with Kṛṣṇa and dance with Kṛṣṇa, eat with Kṛṣṇa? Why you are missing this opportunity? This is our solicitation to everyone.
- dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya
- kṛtvā ca kāku-śatam etad ahaṁ bravīmi
- he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād
- caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam
This is our preaching process, that "Flattering you hundred times, falling down on your feet, I am speaking one thing. Please hear." "What is that?" "Whatever nonsense you have learned, forget." This is our only solicitation, that "You have learned all nonsense. Please forget. Try to hear Caitanya Mahāprabhu and be perfect."
Jñāna: Śrīla Prabhupāda, how may we best approach the rulers and the leaders and the politicians to interest them in this?
Prabhupāda: You simply go and chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.
Jñāna: Just the same.
Prabhupāda: That's all. You flatter them. That other day I you told that our preaching process is this: dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya. According to Vedic civilization, if one approaches before you with a straw in his mouth, that means he is fully surrendered. That is the sign. Therefore Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, he is speaking that "With a straw in my mouth," dante nidhāya tṛṇakam. Dante, "teeth," padayor nipatya, "I am just falling down at your lotus feet, and I have come before you with this straw very humbly." Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca: "And I am flattering you hundred times." Then naturally any rogue, any rascal will be pleased: "All right, you can speak something." If you become so humble and meek, there is no man in the world who will say, "No, no, I am not going to hear you." Of course, there are many rascals. They will say so, that "I have no time." So anyway, generally people will hear. So when he says, "All right, what do you want to say?" Dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca ahaṁ brav..., he sādhavaḥ, again flattering: "O the great sādhu, you are...," although you know he is a great rascal. (laughter) Still, I will have to speak to him. This is the process of preaching. Is that all right? You tell him, "Oh, you are a great sādhu." Then he will be: "Oh, yes, yes. (laughter) You are right. You are right. What do you want from me? Tell me." Then you can say, he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrād: "What every rascaldom you have learned, please forget. (laughter) Please forget." "Then what I have to do?" Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. "You become adhered to the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya. That is my... That's all. So I have brought this Caitanya-caritāmṛta, seventeen volumes. If you kindly take this..." So they will take. They have got money. And if he reads one line, he'll be perfect. This should be your process of preaching.
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta Lectures
Everyone in this material world is very much fond of getting honor. Although he's not honorable, still, he wants to get honor. Although he is unfit, still, he wants. That is the material propensity. So Caitanya Mahāprabhu says that "You give them honor. Don't ask for yourself any honor, respect, but others, you give them." That is the process of Caitanya Mahāprabhu's preaching.
As Prabhodānanda Sarasvatī has explained,
- dante nidhāya tṛṇakaṁ padayor nipatya
- kāku-śataṁ kṛtvā ca etad ahaṁ bravīmi
- he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt
- caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga
He says... This is the process of preaching: "My dear sir, I am falling down on your lotus feet and with folded hands and am flattering you thousand times, and I have taken one grass in my mouth to show my humbleness. So you kindly hear my one word." "What is that?" He sādhavaḥ, "You are very great sādhu, but you have learned so many things," he sādhavaḥ sakalam eva vihāya dūrāt. "This is my request, that whatever you have learned, so many things, kindly forget. Kick them out." "Then what shall I take?" Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga: "Just become a servant on the lotus feet of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. This is my request." So we have to preach like that. Just flatter him, but request him that "You forget all these bogus things. Simply take to Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Your life will be successful," as it is... We have already... Tāṅhāra caraṇāśrita, sei baḍa dhanya: (CC Adi 7.2). He's glorified because he receives... To become under the lotus feet of Śrī "Anyone who takes shelter at the lotus feet of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, he becomes glorified." Sei baḍa dhanya. So our preaching should be like that.
"Oh, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are so magnanimous that You are distributing the love of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wanted, when He, when He was present, that 'You love Me, surrender unto Me. Sarva-dharmān parityajya (BG 18.66).' Now people misunderstood. But Your process of preaching Kṛṣṇa philosophy is so nice, by the saṅkīrtana movement, that everyone can understand the Kṛṣṇa philosophy very easily. Therefore You are the most magnanimous incarnation, and I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."
General Lectures
So if you try to understand Bhagavad-gītā as it is, then you will be benefited. Our process of preaching this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is only that we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā as it is, without any malinterpretation. And you are practically seeing that all over the world this Bhagavad-gītā principles, Kṛṣṇa the Supreme Lord, is being accepted. All these boys and girls who are dancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, four years ago, four years back, they never heard of Kṛṣṇa. Of course, some of them knew Bhagavad-gītā, because Bhagavad-gītā is very widely read. But because Bhagavad-gītā was not properly presented, although for the last hundred or two hundred or more than that years, Bhagavad-gītā is widely read all over the world, there was not a single Kṛṣṇa-bhakta. But since Bhagavad-gītā is being presented as it is, within four years there are hundreds and thousands of Kṛṣṇa-bhaktas. That is our point, that you present the thing as it is, without any adulteration. Just like milk, pure milk, if you supply, automatically there will be many customers. But if you sell milk adulteration, adulterating with water, you can cheat somebody for some time, but you cannot cheat all for all the time. That is not possible. So it is now necessary. It is India's culture. People are hankering after this culture, Kṛṣṇa culture. So you should prepare yourself to present Bhagavad-gītā as it is. Then India will conquer all over the world by this Kṛṣṇa culture. Be... Rest assured.
Purports to Songs
So Lord Caitanya is very merciful because He is embracing everyone by bestowing love of Kṛṣṇa. Rūpa Gosvāmī has described Lord Caitanya as the most munificent of all the incarnations because He is giving Kṛṣṇa to everyone, without any qualification. So Locana dāsa Ṭhākura says that parama koruṇa, pahū dui jana, nitāi gauracandra, that They are essence of all incarnation. Kevala ānanda-kanda. And Their preaching process is very pleasing. Caitanya Mahāprabhu recommends "You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, dance nicely, and when you feel tired, just take rest and eat Kṛṣṇa prasādam." So His formula is very pleasing. Kevala ānanda-kanda. While He was present in Jagannātha Purī, every day in the evening, dancing was, chanting and dancing continued. And after dancing is finished, He used to distribute sumptuously prasādam of Jagannātha. So many thousands of people used to assemble every night. So simply transcendentally pleasing, this movement. Kevala ānanda-kanda.
Then he recommends, bhajo bhajo bhāi, caitanya nitāi. "My dear brother, just try to worship these two Lords, Caitanya and Nityānanda," sudṛḍha viśvāsa kori', "with faith and conviction." One should have faith in the words of Lord Caitanya. Lord Caitanya says that "Go on chanting. Simply by chanting, one will get all perfection of life."
Conversations and Morning Walks
1969 Conversations and Morning Walks
Interviewer: And there is a great deal of the repetitive chanting involved then in the meditation? How much is preaching? Supposing you were going, you are gathered together to accomplish this approach to consciousness. What happens? Do you speak with your disciples?
Prabhupāda: Yes, yes.
Interviewer: And do they raise questions or is it a formalized ritual?
Prabhupāda: Yes. First of all we pray to God to help us in the, our, I mean to say, preaching or chanting process. Then we begin chanting this Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare, Hare Rāma Hare Rāma, conjoinedly, congregationally. And it immediately transfers the atmosphere to a spiritual feeling, and if you sometimes attend our class, you can see practically how the boys and girls, they become ecstatic and chant and dance. So after chanting and dancing for a few minutes, say, fifteen to twenty minutes, then we speak something from Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about theology and philosophy, ethics, morality. Then again we chant and pray to God and then close our class.
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Our advancement means the more we meet opposing elements, "Oh, that is alright." Therefore preacher is the best devotee because he is a soldier. Just like government gives all importance to the fighting soldier. When there is war, all comforts for the soldier first, then the civil people. There was no butter in Germany, there was no butter. But the soldiers were profusely supplied with butter. And sometimes when the enemy attacks, they throw it away and go away and go to another shelter and still there is butter. That my Godbrother (indistinct) when he first came to India I asked him that, "I heard that you German people are very robust, stout and strong, why you are so thin and weak?" So he replied me in this way that, "In my childhood when I was eight years old weekly I was getting butter for (indistinct)". Everything was controlled, even for children. But the soldiers, there was no control. So that is, my point is, that those who are soldiers, fighting on behalf of Kṛṣṇa, they are brave soldiers. Na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ (BG 18.69). Kṛṣṇa says, "Nobody is dearer than him who is in the process of preaching this Bhagavad-gītā." So, in order to become very dear to Kṛṣṇa... Actually that is the position. So we must preach in that way—by our literature, by our magazine, by our books, by our speech, by our arrangements. Of course, very peacefully, we are not very (indistinct), becoming violent (indistinct). But by argument, by words, by our methods, by our preaching, we have to convince.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: No, how he is preaching? Have you heard? No, you cannot understand in Hindi.
Akṣayānanda: Hindi.
Prabhupāda: Anyone?
Dhanañjaya: We've been told he preaches nicely.
Prabhupāda: I have told him that "You simply read my books and reproduce it. That's all. That will be preaching."
Akṣayānanda: At least when he speaks to me in English, it's always very nice.
Brahmānanda: He can memorize Prabhupāda's books and then just speak it.
Prabhupāda: That is preaching. Our process is anuśṛṇuyāt. We hear from the superior and reproduce it. That is śravaṇaṁ-kīrtanam. Then perfect. If I add something, my own imagination, then it will spoil. No addition-alteration; as it is. As it is you hear from your spiritual master, reproduce. That's all. Yāre dekha, tāre kaha 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa (CC Madhya 7.128). This 'kṛṣṇa'-upadeśa is coming by paramparā, so you reproduce. That's all. Even a child can reproduce what he has heard from his father. It is not at all difficult.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: If gold is real, something real gold is offered to you, you accept it blindly or by checking it, the result is the same.
Mr. Sahani: But being inquisitive, again, and accepting it...
Prabhupāda: No, no. Inquisitive means one who does not accept that "Here is a person giving me gold. He's very good man, he'll not cheat me." Then you accept. But if you have no such faith, then you check it. But real gold, either you take in blind faith or by checking, the result is the same. Now it is up to you. If you believe Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He says... He is the Supreme Person. Mattaḥ parataraṁ nānyat kiñcid asti dhanañjaya (BG 7.7). That's a fact. But if you don't believe it, then check and consider of our statement, and then accept. Two ways are there. Why people are misled? They do not accept Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They are taking Bhagavad-gītā in their own way. So why they should take Bhagavad-gītā in their own way? That is not good. If you want to speak something better than Bhagavad-gītā, you speak separately. Why you misinterpret Bhagavad-gītā? Our preaching process is that you take Bhagavad-gītā's instruction, that is perfect, and you'll be happy. This is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. Don't try to interpret it. Don't try to exact some meaning of your choice. No, that is not good. You take it as it is, you'll be benefited.
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
I am very much pleased with your preaching enthusiasm, when you say, "If people won't come to us, here, we will go to them." And this is the process of preaching, and this is required. I thank you very much for your this spirit. Just like I have come to your country, with the same spirit. Actually, still even in so much fallen condition of India, if one has to learn spiritual science, then he must consult some bona fide spiritual master, in India. That is the opinion of a great Chinese author. So people are not going there, neither Government has any arrangement to educate this spiritual science. So therefore I have come to your country, and those who are eager to receive, they are coming to us. In this way, we have to forward our mission. We may not expect good behavior from people where we go to preach, still we have to do that. The best example is Lord Jesus Christ, he was crucified by the people who were not very much advanced. From their behavior it may be known that the people at that time or at least the place where Lord Jesus Christ preached, they are not very much advanced, otherwise they would not have dared to crucify such a nice saintly person. So preaching work is always like that. But one who is real preacher, he shall be undeterred, and go on keeping his objective to the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
1969 Correspondence
Please follow the four principles of initiated disciples which are as follows: No eating of animal foods such as meat, fish and eggs; no gambling; no illicit sex life; and no intoxication of any kind. Chant 16 rounds minimum daily, attend classes in the temple, and read Bhagavad-gita, and Srimad-Bhagavatam regularly. Whenever there is any question, ask me, and try to preach Krishna Consciousness movement to your best capacity. I am very glad to learn that Mukunda has invited you to go to London and if there is possibility you should go immediately, both of you, and join with them. The six boys and girls, husband and wife, are preaching Krishna Consciousness movement in London so nicely, that in the London Times there was a news heading like: Krishna Chant Startles London. These boys and girls are also initiated for the last two years only—they are not very great scholars in theological studies, but still by the Grace of Krishna they have created some impression in a city like London simply by their sincere effort. My Spiritual Master used to send preachers who were all in the renounced order of life (sannyasis), but I am doing a completely different process—namely, preparing some young couples of husband and wife to take up this job. this is approved by Lord Caitanya. He said that it does not matter whether the preacher is in the renounced order of life, or a family man, or a brahmana or a sudra—nothing is hampering in the process of preaching Krishna Consciousness. The only qualification required is that one should know the genesis of Krishna Consciousness and then he is just the fit person to preach this great philosophy.
I understand both you and your wife are very intelligent boy and girl and I hope if you sincerely wish to serve Krishna He will give you all intelligence how you can nicely serve Him.
1973 Correspondence
So far your arranging to bring other men with you to India for opening a center, that is all right, but if they come as tourists and then go away that is not good. This kind of coming and going is a waste of money. Karandhara can arrange at least one year visa. In that way if you can bring some men here then it will be helpful. But, I think you can get local men here. That is the preaching process.
1974 Correspondence
We don't imagine God. Krsna is not imagination. He presented Himself 5,000 years ago as He is, and we are presenting Krsna as He is. We are presenting Krsna's philosophy and teaching as it is and what can we do more? But this process of presentation has become fortunate and we have become successful. I do not wish to change the process. I hope you will appreciate this process of preaching to please the facts as they are confirmed by all Vaisnava acaryas. We are publishing our books thoroughly on the basis of this philosophy and recently the report is that in highly educated circles of scholarly people in the universities they are taking interest very rapidly in our Krsna Consciousness movement. Here is an excerpt from a recent letter from our propaganda office: "Yale University and Temple U. have now ordered 60 volumes of your Divine Grace's Bhagavatam set, and Yale also ordered 12 volumes of your Divine Grace's Caitanya Caritamrta set . . . Professor McKinnon of St. Joseph College in Philadelphia is planning to have the college order the entire set of Bhagavatam. . .
1975 Correspondence
Regarding Berkeley temple, I note that permission for living in the building is not yet finalized. Please keep me informed. Portland is a very nice city. I am glad that we have our temple there. That is very good that Seattle does not have any debts. This is proper management. This is very much wanted. It is also very good that Jayadvaita is in Laguna Beach and is preaching there. This is our process of preaching, that one shows by his personal example, not that we preach something and then do something else. That is called cheating and that is going on in the religion, especially. We are not that kind of cheaters. And we are not that kind of so-called religionists. Yes, so you keep an eye on things there in Laguna Beach, and see that whoever takes over as temple president is trained up.
| Page Title: | Preaching process |
| Compiler: | Labangalatika, MadhuGopaldas |
| Created: | 04 of Nov, 2009 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=1, CC=1, OB=0, Lec=7, Con=4, Let=5 |
| No. of Quotes: | 18 |