Prabhupāda: "This regulative principle is applicable to all varṇas and āśramas, the castes and occupations of life. There are four varṇas, namely the brāhmaṇas (priests and intellectuals), the kṣatriyas (warriors and statesmen), the vaiśyas (businessmen and farmers) and the śūdras (laborers and servants). There are also four standard āśramas, namely brahmacarya (student life), gṛhastha (householder), vānaprastha (retired) and sannyāsa (renounced). The regulative principles are not only for the brahmacārīs (the celibate students) to follow, but are applicable for all. It doesn't matter whether one is a beginner—a brahmacārī—or if one is very advanced—a sannyāsī. The principle of remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead constantly and not forgetting Him at any moment is meant to be followed by everyone, without fail.
Without fail (Conversations)
Conversations and Morning Walks
1972 Conversations and Morning Walks
1974 Conversations and Morning Walks
Nitāi:
- yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ
- tyajaty ante kalevaram
- taṁ tam evaiti kaunteya
- sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ
- (BG 8.6)
Prabhupāda: Sadā tad-bhāva-bhāvitaḥ. Yes, this is very important.
Nitāi: "Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits this body, that state he will attain without fail."
Prabhupāda: So we are practicing this bhakti-yoga and teaching others also.
M. Roost: And when people are not prepared, for example, to be vegetarian and to..., when his mind is not prepared to his life what are you doing? How can you educate people to come...?
Prabhupāda: No, we are educating. We are educating hundreds and thousands. If one agrees to...
M. Roost: Occidental people.
Prabhupāda: They are all occidental.
M. Roost: Yes, yes, you, but very few people. How do you...?
Prabhupāda: Occidental means eastern, er, western? Yes.
Nitāi: Western.
Prabhupāda: Yes. They are all western. They have taken to it. They have given up all such habits. In the beginning they were coming to me with their girlfriends, boyfriends. I said, "No, you cannot stay like that." So they agreed. I have got them married personally. They have got children. If you want to live as gṛhastha, live. If you want to live as vānaprastha or as sannyāsa... So generally, young men, young girls, I get them married. There is no harm. Married life, sex life, that is allowed in the śāstra. But not illicit sex. That is not allowed. If one remains sinful, he cannot make any progress of spiritual life. That is not possible. This is bogus, that you remain sinful and at the same time make spiritual progress. That is not possible. Otherwise, why there is distinction of sinful and pious life? You must be pious life. And the basic principle of pious life is this, avoid these four sinful life: illicit sex, intoxication, gambling and meat-eating. They are sinful life. So one cannot make any progress in spiritual life who is habituated to act sinfully. That is not possible.
1975 Conversations and Morning Walks
Paramahaṁsa:
- man-manā bhava mad-bhakto
- mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru
- mām evaiṣyasi satyaṁ te
- pratijāne priyo 'si me
- (BG 18.65)
Translation: "Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend."
Prabhupāda: Now, man-manāḥ, you have to think of God. But if you do not know who is God, then how you will think of Him? If I say that "You always think of me," now you are seeing me, you can think of me. But if you have no knowledge about me, who is, then how you can think of me?
Sister: It's only by what you are told about God, and you have to develop your own conception until you actually meet Him.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Now we are saying that here is God, Kṛṣṇa. They are accepting, and they are thinking of God, and they are making progress.
Prabhupāda: Rājasabhā, what does he know about our philosophy?
Dhanañjaya: Well, Nayanābhirāma is there to guide him. And he's reading every day also. He's got our books, and he's reading every day without fail.
Prabhupāda: Then it is all right.
Dhanañjaya: In fact, he was asking for more books, and I said, "First of all you read all these books I have given you. Then I will supply you more. So he spends at least three or four hours a day reading in his room.
Prabhupāda: That's good. So he should read Śrīmad-Bhagavad-gītā, Nectar of Devotion, then Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, then Caitanya-caritāmṛta. (break) ...but he still has asked for books. He wants to become member. From Jaipur.
1976 Conversations and Morning Walks
Prabhupāda: Actually, everyone is Brahman. So from this conditioned life of non-Brahman, if we create Brahman, what is the wrong there?
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Original position.
Prabhupāda: Hm. Ah. (break) Manipuri.
Jayapatāka: Many Manipuri people are coming to Māyāpur now. Many. They wear a special type of uniform, the women, one pinkish dress.
Prabhupāda: For seeing our temple?
Jayapatāka: They are going everywhere. The Bengalis are going mainly to our temple. But they've come so far, they see everywhere, naturally. But also our temple without fail. (break) The Nabadwip Commissioner came and he was so impressed. Now he is thinking.... He is trying to.... He is a little bit greedy that so many things are going in Māyāpur. He is trying to think how he can include Māyāpur within Nabadwip municipality.
Prabhupāda: How it can be done?
Jayapatāka: That he is failing to do, but he is thinking, anyway. He told me. So many taxes.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Material conception.
Jayapatāka: Bribe.
Prabhupāda: Thinking of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa līlā, that is in liberated stage, not in the conditioned stage.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I could never understand, Śrīla Prabhupāda, why, I was always wondering why in all of your books you're always blasting so much time on the sahajiyās, and I was not.... Now I see why, because the tendency is so easy. I could never, I'd always think, "Why is Prabhupāda saying so much? Because they're only in India."
Rāmeśvara: He's thinking that this is a small group.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Yes, in India, but now I see it's an easy mentality for anyone's mind that can be adopted. That's why Prabhupāda was stressing.
Rāmeśvara: And as our movement gets more and more members, there will be more and more people who will be exhibiting this sahajiyā tendency.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: That's why it's in every book Prabhupāda speaks about it without fail.
Prabhupāda: Anyway, keep your movement very pure. You don't mind if somebody goes away. Don't mind. But we must keep our principles pure.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I always remember that you said that in the battle sometimes some men may be lost.
Prabhupāda: Yes, that is natural.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Natural. Of course we don't want to lose men, but it's natural.
Rāmeśvara: Śrīla Prabhupāda, when the devotee is in the original relationship with Kṛṣṇa, his siddha-deha, why is it that he sometimes changes his original rasa with Kṛṣṇa?
Prabhupāda: Hm?
Rāmeśvara: Each one of us has an original relationship with Kṛṣṇa, some as plant, some as tree, some as cow, some as cowherd boy. So if that is re-established, why should the devotee desire to change it?
Prabhupāda: Well, that is spiritual kingdom. You can change if you like.
Prabhupāda: This is natural. So how to deal with this?
Mahāṁśa: So we have both. We can get outsiders to come and stay here who we can give prasādam, make them chant, and give them mahā-prasādam. They love it. In the morning. We used to give them a little mahā-prasādam in the morning. They like it very much. By that, we gain their confidence.
Prabhupāda: We shall like that they will come here and stay and remain our twenty-four hours' son. That is very good also.
Mahāṁśa: Only thing is that in the beginning, because they do not know us very well, they will demand some salary. I told you previously that now I am paying them hundred rupees and 125 rupees for family.
Prabhupāda: So why 125? Hundred rupees sufficient. If they are eating and we are giving shelter, then a hundred rupees sufficient.
Mahāṁśa: Hundred rupees... If they have a family, then his wife works also and his children who are grown up, they all work. Everyone works.
Prabhupāda: So they'll also work. So that you have to decide. Manage so that there is no misunderstanding. Simply management required. So you... The best thing is that you should sit together...
Tejas: Without fail we have to meet every evening. There shouldn't be any... Without fail every evening we should meet.
Prabhupāda: Yes. That will be all right.
1977 Conversations and Morning Walks
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: I think that our being here and chanting before you is spreading this movement, because the more we chant, the more love and dependence we develop for you, and that's making us strong in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore our movement is getting stronger. Every day that we stay here, we become stronger in our devotion for you and dependence on you. (pause) I think that I should just tell them to end their meeting now. They're waiting for me, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Then I'll come back in a little while and chant. Actually you have to get better, Śrīla Prabhupāda. Kīrtanānanda Mahārāja has built this palace. It's only meant for you. We were seeing pictures of it today. It is so beautiful. It is exactly the place that you want to retire in and translate. And this community of Gītā-nagarī will be just proper place to give direction how to establish nice spiritual community. These two places are very close to each other-New Vrindaban and Gītā-nagarī. They're only three hours away from each other. Two very good communities for showing the example how to spread ideal Vedic life. We were discussing that actually it is not anything new that Kṛṣṇa can make His devotee better, because we were reading before in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta how sometimes Lord Caitanya would bring back to life someone who had even expired. And His associates were able to do that. And there is many cases. I think if we are very determined, then Kṛṣṇa will surely fulfill our desire.
Prabhupāda: Without fail.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: What, Śrīla Prabhupāda?
Prabhupāda: Without fail.
Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: Without fail. And I can see even though this is a difficult time, actually it's still very sublime, because... This is wonderful, that all of your senior disciples are coming and we're all chanting and you're hearing and we're hearing. And actually it's a very wonderful... Even though it's critical, it's very wonderful, because we're all chanting the holy name. And then gradually Kṛṣṇa will answer our prayers. And in the meantime we're becoming purified by chanting like this, and you're pleased by hearing our chanting. Most people, when they are ill, everything is very horrible. But this is very different. It's all spiritual. So we're very satisfied. Of course, we want you to get better immediately. But still, as long as it takes, we're very satisfied to remain chanting and expecting Kṛṣṇa's mercy at every moment. Jaya, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I'll come back in a little while, Śrīla Prabhupāda. I'll just end that meeting.
| Page Title: | Without fail (Conversations) |
| Compiler: | Alakananda, MayuriSakhee |
| Created: | 13 of Aug, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=8, Let=0 |
| No. of Quotes: | 8 |