“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)…

Everything that we do, especially as humans, has consequences. There's a sequence that takes place when we enact anything—say any word, think any thought, perform any action, or do any work. There's a consequence; there's a sequence that unfolds. The most important of all consequences come from the chanting of The Holy Name.Another point is that if…

We have to tolerate the extremes in the world, and toleration is one of the ways that Krishna recommends throughout the Bhagavad Gītā to be steady in spiritual consciousness. Don't give in to the extremes and the changes of the external world. Also, notice that if you pursue the pleasure of the senses in this world, then the result of it will be—al…

If you just look around, and you're not looking around with an eye to do some service, or you don't have a mission when you're looking at anything, you're scrolling. We're scrolling all the time. Kṛṣṇa consciousness means to be conscious of what you're looking at and why you're doing it.And then, of course, there's what's called atyāhāra. 'Ati' mea…

“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)…

This is a very exciting time. Find a service to assist in expanding it around the Bay Area and make history. Now is a good time. And yes, of course, everyone has some anxiety. You can count on that. There's going to be problems you have to worry about when you wake up at one o'clock in the morning and you think, "Why did that guy say that to me? Wh…

As we go on chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, it's very natural that our Kṛṣṇa consciousness will awaken, step by step, by the force of the spiritual energy that's coming from Kṛṣṇa. No question about it; absolutely certain, 100%. So we have to be patient, and we have to continue with the process and be very, very confident that everything will happen by Kṛṣṇa'…

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 18.66)By Krishna’s Mercy

For the recipients of great mercy, Kṛṣṇa has the Karunya Shakti, through which He delivers those who are not deserving. Anyone who feels that they’re not deserving of Kṛṣṇa's mercy, please raise your hand! Then you’re eligible for this special stimulus package issued by Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu to save people who don’t have any spiritual wealt…

“O best among the glorious ones, all of this has been achieved by me through the divine grace of You and Your brother. One who does not repay the favors offered to him certainly is considered a disgrace among men.” (Sugriva speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Kishkindha Kand, 38.26)By Krishna’s Mercy

Circa 1973, there was a precipitous rise in book distribution. Just the conditions were all coming together where it was ready to take off. One of the leaders of book distribution, who was the head of the BBT in Los Angeles at that time, was giving very pointed classes related to Caitanya-caritāmṛta and these sections about the ways in which devote…

One could also argue, using the things Prabhupāda said and what the śāstras say, that chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa is our primary business. After all, in taking Dīkṣā or Harinām initiation, one promises to chant The Holy Name. One doesn't promise, you know, other kinds of services necessarily, but that's the main thing that we say, "we'll do every day, with…

“Lord Krishna saw 16,100 young princesses, who had been kidnapped and held captive there. When the princesses saw the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, enter the palace, they immediately became captivated by the beauty of the Lord and prayed for His causeless mercy. Within their minds, they decided to accept Lord Krishna as their husband wit…

Question: What instruction would you give to the next generation? Do you see that it's important for us to develop a personal relationship with Śrīla Prabhupāda? Do you see any instruction that you would like to give us, any suggestion, any guidance that you would like to share with us?"Nirakula Dasi: Well, not so much an instruction. I'm grateful …

I'm going to read one small section from Prabhupada's teachings on The Holy Name. This is from a lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritāmṛta. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu has five features. What are these? Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa manifestation, Kṛṣṇa incarnation. Kṛṣṇa is different, potency in this way. And Kṛṣṇa, the source of devotional service. He is Kṛṣṇa. Caitan…

“In the conditional state, every living being is envious of another living being, but in the liberated state there is an absence of animosity. Prahlada Maharaja was tortured by his father in so many ways, yet after the death of his father he prayed for his father’s liberation by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He did not ask any benediction tha…

As souls, we need loving relationships, and we have that eternal loving relationship with Krishna. But we're not at that point yet (I should speak for myself). I'm not at that point where I can always feel that love of Krishna. So, I feel His love through His reciprocation with me, through the devotees.And one of those ways is through acts of kindn…

There's a very famous book called the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, and it's supposed to be the cream of all the teachings of these ancient literatures. It starts with a king who's famous, and he gets cursed to die in seven days.As soon as he found out he had seven days to live, he left his kingdom. He went to a sacred place and sat down and he got a pad of p…

The more we give, the more we grow. It's spiritual mathematics. People mostly miss that class when they're going through grammar school and high school, and so it's a natural phenomenon that when we think about doing good for others, then we become more expansive. And The Holy Name, actually Lord Nityānanda, rewards those who are thinking about how…

“When Lord Brahma was perplexed about how to construct the material manifestations in the universe and went down within the water to find out the means and the source of his lotus seat, he heard the word tapa vibrated twice. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. The word upashrinot is very significant. It is similar …

It's not that everyone who is steadily chanting Harē Kṛṣṇa or reading feels like doing it all the time, especially in the beginning. And for whatever reason, it could be the punishment-reward system that you had, as you mentioned. It could be subliminal. And the way to deal with that in the beginning of the practice, as I'm sure you know from ma…

It's so clear in the teachings of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu that He brought it out through His own teacher, Śrīla Īśvara Purī, who instructed Him upon initiation into the process of chanting Hare Krishna:harer nāma harer nāmaharer nāmaiva kevalamkalau nāsty eva nāsty evanāsty eva gatir anyathāThat you don't have to look anywhere else. It's all here. …

“Those who sing of the auspicious occasion of the initiation and the wedding of Sita and Rama with excitement get countless auspicious blessings day after day, says Tulsi.” (Janaki Mangala, Chand 24.2)By Krishna’s Mercy

These verses have spiritual power in them. Puṇya, śravaṇa-kīrtana. Puṇya! Everyone wants some puṇya, but what’s the best way to get puṇya? By just staying in contact with these ślokas. They’re pregnant with puṇya. And when one reads them, hears them, memorizes them, it comes out because they are transcendental. "Itaṁ bhūta-guṇo Hari"—they have the …

To connect with His Grace Vaiśeṣika Dāsa, please visit https://www.fanthespark.com/next-steps/ask-vaisesika-dasa/------------------------------------------------------------Add to your wisdom literature collection: https://iskconsv.com/book-store/https://www.bbtacademic.com/books/https://thefourquestionsbook.com/------------------------------------…

Once in Detroit, Michigan, there was a large assembly of devotees. 99.9% of them were brahmacārīs, because that's what the constitution of ISKCON used to be. There were a couple of householders here and there; they were outliers. And there was this very sincere man who was sitting amidst a sea of brahmacārīs. He wasn't a brahmacārī; he had a house …

Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches actually that The Holy Name is very merciful and descends for our benefit, but we mustn't take it for granted. Not taking it for granted means giving full attention to the chanting. If we do that, we'll find for ourselves what is called nāma-bala, or strength that we get from the name. We'll understand that even chanting…

“O friend. Sita now wishes to give to your wife a pearl necklace, a string of gold and a girdle. O gentle one, please take them.” (Lord Rama speaking to Suyajna, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 32.7)By Krishna’s Mercy

List of verses:https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/1/4/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/1/13/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/1/16/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/2/30/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/2/32/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/2/36/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/2/37/https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/8/4/h…

What I've talked about today is being renounced where it counts. And there is a lesson to be learned in this world, because the whole world is available to us through our senses in various ways. Our responsibility is to learn which things to leave behind and which things to pick up. Make a list. In fact, I wrote it in my book. This one I keep with …

“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful form through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)…

As far as trust goes, it's the most valuable element that we can procure. I say that sort of metaphorically, as if you could procure it. But as we know from any relationship, it comes over time. We find that when we interact with others and we see them in various situations, we come to know their nature. It takes time to trust. You may not trust so…

And he (Prabhupada) said, 'Similarly, by spiritual sound vibration, then all spiritual paraphernalia necessary for your advancement will come together as well. And therefore, by very deliberately chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and purifying one's consciousness by that process, there's a natural way in which one's spiritual life evolves.' And one last point is…

“One time, that wicked king of the Daityas saw his son of lotus-like face and beautiful eyes, surrounded by women, having returned from the home of the guru. In his hand, that boy was holding a slate which had the mark of a chakra at the top and the name of Krishna written with great adoration.” (Narasimha Purana, 41.35-36)…

Excerpted from the Brihat-bhagavatāmṛta about the power of Saṅkalpa:"My dear boy, whatever you desire while chanting your mantra, by its power, you will fully achieve. Indeed, you will attain more than you desire."Commentary: Before performing any religious ritual, including the chanting of mantras, one should solemnly formulate one's saṅkalpa (int…

“When Lord Brahma was perplexed about how to construct the material manifestations in the universe and went down within the water to find out the means and the source of his lotus seat, he heard the word tapa vibrated twice. Taking the path of tapa is the second birth of the desiring disciple. The word upashrinot is very significant. It is similar …

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught, as did Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākur, passing on the teachings of the Bhāgavatam, that if you had faith, śraddhā—if you had an abiding desire in your heart to know the supreme, and when you heard a little bit about it, you embraced it—this is called śraddhā. Śraddhā means "the heart" and is an active verb; it means "where you …

And of course, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught us a couple of principles to make the experiment in our lives and the transformation effective. As all of you have, I'm sure, done labs in the past, the conditions have to be right. So one of the conditions is that one has to have a humble heart, a humble heart and mind, in approaching The Holy Name. An…