know the science of Krishna

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Bhaktisiddhanta-Sarasvati Thakura Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada (1874-1937) the spiritual master of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, and thus the spiritual grandfather of the present day Krsna consciousness movement. A powerful preacher, he founded sixty four missions in India; The transcendentally empowered son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura appeared in this world on February 6, 1874. His father was deputy magistrate of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa at this time. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had been very concerned about unauthorized pseudo-Vaisnavas who were usurping the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and therefore had begun a revival of the sahkirtana mission. Though very busy with his profession, he wrote profusely about all aspects of Krsna consciousness. He prayed constantly for someone to boldly preach his writings. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's prayers were answered in Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. When he was six months old, the Ratha-yatra festival of chariots was held in Puri. Lord Jagannatha's chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda's house, which was on the main road between the temple and the Gunḍica mandira. The chariot stayed there for three days. On the third day, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's mother brought the child out to see the Lord. The pūjaris picked him up and put him on the cart. He crawled to the base of Lord Jagannatha, touching His lotus feet. Simultaneously a garland fell from the neck of the Lord and landed around the child. The pūjaris exclaimed that this child was especially blessed by the Lord. The boy grew up to be a great scholar in many fields of learning. But when he reached twenty-two, he left his studies at college, vowing to never take to householder life. For three years, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura held the post of raja-panḍita (royal scholar) of the Vaisnava king of Tripura. Thereafter he took initiation from Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji. Srila Gaurakisora was a Vaisnava renunciate who had fully absorbed himself in the worship of Krsna at Vrndavana for a long time. Then he settled at the holy city of Navadvipa on the bank of the Ganges. By this time Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had retired from his government work and was worshiping Lord Krsna in a small house near Navadvipa, at Godruma. Every day he gave Srimad-Bhagavatam class there. Srila Gaurakisora used to attend these classes. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura told his son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, to accept Srila Gaurakisora as his initiating spiritual master. He received the name Varsabhanavi-devi-dayitaya dasa. Thereafter Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave up all other activities to chant 194 rounds daily for seven years. He stayed in a kutira (hut) but did not take time to repair the roof; if it rained, he just used an umbrella. In 1918 he opened the first center of the Gauḍiya Mission in Ultadanga Road in Calcutta. He was then forty-four. All across India he established Lord Caitanya's teachings as the most excellent spiritual philosophy. He started his mission in the midst of war and political agitation for national liberation. He was uncompromising in his disregard of such mundane concerns. The most important thing is to invoke the spirit of devotion to the Supreme Lord; this concern lies far above any material consideration. Many leaders objected that he was diverting too many young men from India's national interests, but he paid them no heed. In this period, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada visited Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura on the rooftop at Ultadanga Road. Srila Prabhupada, at that time known as Abhay Caran De, was an adherent of Gandhi's svaraja movement. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura convinced him in just one sitting of the vital necessity of Lord Caitanya's mission over everything else. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura departed this world in 1936. Two weeks before leaving his body, he instructed Srila Prabhupada to introduce the sahkirtana mission to the Western world. See Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Krsna. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the foremost Vaisnava acarya in the modern age. In 1896, he appeared in this world as Abhay Caran De in Calcutta, where he received an English-language education. He first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in 1922. At their first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura requested Srila Prabhupada to broadcast Vedic knowledge through the English language. In 1933, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura initiated Srila Prabhupada as Abhaya Caranaravinda dasa. In the years that followed, he wrote a commentary on the Bhagavad-gita, assisted the Gauḍiya Mission in its work, and in 1944 started Back to Godhead, an English fortnightly magazine, still continued by his disciples today. He received the title Bhaktivedanta in 1947 from the Gauḍiya Vaisnava Society. In the 1950's, Srila Prabhupada retired from family life, accepting the vanaprastha order. Thus he was able to devote more time to his studies and writing. He came to Vrndavana to live humbly at the historic medieval temple of Radha-Damodara. After several years of deep absorption in Krsna consciousness, Srila Prabhupada accepted the order of sannyasa from his Godbrother Kesava Prajna Maharaja, in 1959. It was then that he began to work on his life's masterpiece: a multivolume translation of and commentary on the eighteen-thousand verse Srimad-Bhagavatam. After publishing three volumes of the Bhagavatam in India, Srila Prabhupada came to the United States in 1965. After great difficulty, with no initial financial resources, he established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in New York in July, 1966. The residents of that great metropolis of materialism were astounded as the youthful American followers of Srila Prabhupada danced and chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra in their midst, that eternal Vedic sound echoing between the glass and steel skyscraper canyon walls. The Krsna consciousness movement soon spread to San Francisco, where the Ratha-yatra festival of the chariots was held for the first time outside of India. A group of American disciples started a branch in London, where George Harrison of the Beatles became a life-long follower of Srila Prabhupada. From England the movement went to Germany, Holland, France, and other European countries. It likewise flourished in Canada, Latin America, Australia and Africa. Simultaneously, Srila Prabhupada personally established several multi-million-dollar ISKCON temple and guesthouse projects in India at Bombay, Vrndavana, Mayapur and Hyderabad. But Srila Prabhupada considered his most significant contribution to be his books, which form a veritable library of Vedic philosophy, religion, culture and literature. Highly respected by the academic community for their authority, depth and clarity, they serve as standard textbooks in numerous college courses. His writings have been translated into more than eighty languages. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, established in 1972 to publish his works, is the world's largest publisher in the field of Vedic studies. In the twelve years after his first arrival in America up to his departure from this world in 1977, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe fourteen times on lecture tours that took him to six continents. Even in his physical absence, his great mission continues to move forward. With the collapse of the Soviet Empire that Srila Prabhupada predicted during his 1972 visit to Moscow, Krsna consciousness is vigorously blossoming throughout Eastern Europe, Russia, a (More...)

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Varnasrama, the consideration of four varnas and four asramas prevails. Until this system is established it is dog society. This too has to be given up. First we should give up this doggish and sheepish propensity and by culture one should claim to be a brahmana, ksatriya, vaisya and sūdra. By culture. That also has to be given up. And that is called sarva-dharman parityajya [Bg 18.66] So long one is situated in the four varnas, varnasrama, that is also a material platform. That too has to be abandoned. The Supreme Lord said sarva-dharman parityajya, the point He is making is that you are proud of being American, Indian, brahmana, ksatriya, white, black and the activities you are pursuing accordingly, all that has to be given up. That is called amanitvam. Adambhitvam. This manitvam or false prestige that I am brahmana, I am ksatriya, I am American, this false prestige everybody is having. That I am great and everyone else is insignificant. This is a material disease. That has to be given up, adambhitvam or prestigious position. It has to be given up. Amanitvam adambhitvam ahimsa, ahimsa, if we try to explain each words it will take whole night even if I will try to explain briefly. We have to acquire this ahimsa. Actually if you notice these four or five slokas beginning from eight to twelve it is filled with complete knowledge. It is a platform of jnana-yoga. Complete knowledge. Take any religious system, take any moral instruction, everything is available here. Ahimsa. Ahimsa is possible only when you have acquired amanitvam adambhitvam. Otherwise it is useless. The Supreme Lord Himself is describing. Ahimsa can be accomplished when you are amanitvam adambhitvam. The general meaning of ahimsa is not to become envious of anyone unnecessarily. That is called ahimsa. Without any cause. Just like kill the animals and eat it. If you have got nice foodstuffs to eat by which your body will be nourished then why do you unnecessarily kill a poor animal? This is called jnana. When the Supreme Personality of Godhead has supplied us wheat, rice, ghee, milk, fruits, vegetables with which we can prepare delicious foodstuffs. We can offer that food to the Supreme Lord and take His remnants, prasada then why you uselessly kill a poor animal. That is called ahimsa. We won't die of starvation. This is in the sastra. If you can spare someone then spare him. That is ahimsa. Nowadays human society has become uncivilized. When they don't know how to grow rice, they live in the forest. They cannot clear the jungle and grow rice. If they kill animal and eat that is not sinful. God has given you plenty of food grains you eat and live. Why do you kill animals? When you learn to do it that is called ahimsa. The Supreme Lord says, patram puspam phalam toyam. [Bg 9.26] (More...)

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So there is no bar for anyone, that one cannot become the spiritual master. Everyone can become spiritual master, provided he knows the science of Krsna. That is the only qualification. And that is very reasonable. If you do not this, do not know the subject matter, how can you be a teacher? Eh? A teacher means he knows the thing. He knows the science. So only qualification of the spiritual master, as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu says, kiba sūdra, kiba vipra, nyasi kene naya, yei krsna-tattva-vetta: "Anyone who knows the science of Krsna..." This is the science of Krsna, this Bhagavad-gita. If anyone knows perfectly, then he becomes the spiritual master. (More...)

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So how you can practice this yoga? This yoga system is that yogam yunjan mad-asrayaḥ, and in the previous verse it is said that mad-gatena antar-atmana. If you keep Krsna always within your heart in this way, mayy asakta-manaḥ, the mind being..., thus being attached, mayy asakta, this is yoga. This yoga has to be practiced, how to keep Krsna always within your heart. That is first-class yoga. Mayy asakta-manaḥ partha. Yogam, this yogam yunjan mad-asrayaḥ. And this yoga practice can be possible by the process mad-asrayaḥ. Mad-asrayaḥ means "one who has taken shelter of Me." Mat means "Me," and asrayaḥ means to take shelter. That means devotee. Or mad-asrayaḥ means one who has taken the shelter of a devotee. A devotee is also mad-asrayaḥ. A devotee means who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krsna completely. So either you... Of course, it is not possible to take the shelter of Krsna directly. That is not possible. May be possible by Krsna's special mercy, but general process is you have to go through the mercy or process of accepting a guru. Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum eva abhigacchet [Munḍaka Upanisad ]. (More...)

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[break] ...pravartate, iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitaḥ [Bg 10.8]. So if you take this, that Krsna is the beginning of everything-iti matva-by understanding this, if anyone engages himself in krsna-bhakti, bhajante mam, that is bhakti. Budha bhava-samanvitaḥ. He has come immediately to the bhava stage. Means he's budhaḥ. He is actually. He has actually understood the thing. So that is visvasa. In Caitanya-caritamrta it is said visvasa..., sraddha-sabde visvasa kahe sudrḍha niscaya, krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya [Cc Madhya 22.62]. Krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya. This is visvasa. Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja [Bg 18.66]. I am thinking, "I have got so many other things. Simply why shall I surrender?" That is not visvasa. Visvasa means "Krsna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam. I'll accept." Krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta. That is visvasa. Sudrḍha niscaya. Sraddha-sabde visvasa sudrḍha niscaya, krsne bhakti kaile sarva-karma krta haya. That is visvasa. That visvasa wanted, not that I manufacture something. It is useless. Moghasa mogha-karmano mogha-jnana vicetasaḥ [Bg 9.12]. (More...)

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Prabhupada: If you want to learn something, so you must learn from a person who knows that something. The spiritual master's business is that he knows Krsna well. So you try to understand Krsna through him. This is the idea. Yes? (More...)

Sometimes we display our foolishness by accepting someone who is barely educated as a spiritual master.

Although the reflectory energy of the Lord displays various illusions to the eyes of persons with a poor fund of knowledge, the sane person knows clearly that the Lord can act, even from far, far beyond our vision, by His different energies, just as the fire can diffuse heat and light from a distant place. In the medical science of the ancient sages, known as the Ayur-veda, there is definite acceptance of the Lord's supremacy in the following words: "jagad-yonir anicchasya cid-anandaika-rūpinaḥ pumso 'sti prakrtir nitya praticchayeva bhasvataḥ acetanapi caitanya-yogena paramatmanaḥ akarod visvam akhilam anityam nataka-krtim." There is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation, whose energy acts as prakrti, or the material nature, dazzling like the reflection. By such illusory action of the prakrti, even the dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes. The ignorant person, therefore, may even be a scientist or physiologist in the drama of prakrti, while the sane person knows the prakrti as the illusory energy of the Lord. By such a conclusion, and as is confirmed by the Bhagavad-gita, it is clear that the living entities are also a display of the superior energy (para prakrtiḥ) of the Lord, just as the material world is a display of the inferior energy (apara prakrtiḥ) of the Lord. The superior energy of the Lord cannot be as good as the Lord, although there is very little difference between the energy and the possessor of the energy, or the fire and the heat. Fire is possessed of heat, but heat is not fire. This simple thing is not understood by the man with a poor fund of knowledge who falsely claims that the fire and heat are the same. This energy of the fire (namely heat) is explained here as a reflection, and not directly fire. Therefore the living energy represented by the living entities is the reflection of the Lord, and never the Lord Himself. And as the reflection of the Lord, the existence of the living entity is dependent on the Supreme Lord, who is the original light. This material energy may he compared with darkness, as actually it is darkness, and the activities of the living entities in the darkness are reflections of the original light. The Lord should be understood by the context of this verse. Nondependence of both the energies of the Lord is explained as maya, or illusion. No one can make a solution of the darkness of ignorance simply by the reflection of light. Similarly, no one can come out of the material existence simply by the reflected light of the common man, but one has to receive the light from the original light itself. The reflection of sunlight in the darkness is unable to drive out the darkness, but the sunlight which is outside the; reflection can drive out the darkness completely. In darkness no one can see the things in a room. Therefore a person in the dark is afraid of snakes and scorpions, although there may not be such things. But in the light the things in the room can be clearly seen, and the fear of snakes and scorpions is at once removed. Therefore one has to take shelter of the light of the Lord, as in the Bhagavad-gita or the Srimad-Bhagavatam, and not the reflective personalities who have no touch with the Lord. No one should hear Bhagavad-gita or Srimad-Bhagavatam from a person who is a nonbeliever in the existence of the Lord. Such a person is already doomed, and any association with such a doomed person makes the associater also doomed. (More...)

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