(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada taking darshan of Radha Rasabihari, Bombay)
"If you follow Krishna's instruction, you'll always be happy. And if you create your own plans, then you'll be unhappy. This is the whole instruction. Sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja: (BG 18.66) 'You give up your own plans, nonsense plan. You take My plan. You'll be happy.' This is the whole purpose of Bhagavad-gita. You take Krishna's plan and you'll be happy."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Melbourne, April 22, 1976)
"God has given freedom: 'All right.' Yathecchasi tatha kuru (BG 18.63). Krishna said in the Bhagavad-gita after explaining Arjuna everything, then He asked, 'What you have decided? Your plan or My plan?' So Krishna said, 'I am giving you freedom. Whatever you like, you can do.' The plan is there.
Now it is up to us to accept it or reject it. If you reject, you suffer. If you accept, you become happy. So we are requesting people, 'Accept it.' This is Krishna consciousness movement. 'Then you'll be happy.' But who cares for us? He is making his own plan. Therefore he must suffer. Nature's law he cannot avoid. That's not possible."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Vrindavan, November 6, 1976)
"Krishna said, 'My dear Arjuna, you are thinking that you'll save your relatives, but you are wrong. It is already planned. Those who have come here, they must be killed. That is already My plan. You simply become a instrument.' Nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin. So when Arjuna understood that 'It is the Krishna's plan. Then I am servant of Krishna; I must satisfy Krishna,' Krishna therefore asked Arjuna, 'Now, after hearing My instruction in the Bhagavad-gita, what you are going to do?' Krishna said..., Arjuna replied, nasto mohah smrtir labdha: 'My Lord Krishna, my illusion is now over.' Smrtir labdha, 'I have got my remembrance. Everything belongs to You. For Your satisfaction everything must be done.' Karisye vacanam tava (BG 18.73). 'Yes, I'll fight.' This is Krishna consciousness."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bombay, September 29, 1973)
"Krishna never said to Arjuna that 'You haven't got to fight. You sit down, I shall do everything.' He never said that. 'You have to fight.' Nimitta-matram bhava savyasacin (BG 11.33). 'And the result is already created by Me, but you have to make a manifestation of fighting.' Just like our Krishna consciousness movement. Within eight or ten years we have developed so much. Is it humanly possible? It is Krishna's plan. But Krishna says that 'You go and preach. Take the credit.' Yes. It is His plan. Actually everything is done by Krishna. He gives the credit to His devotee, that's all."
(Srila Prabhupada Conversation, New Vrindavan, June 24, 1976)
"Our plan should be to accept Krishna's plan, that's all. Approved, authorized plan. That is very easy. Take any words of Krishna, it is very easy."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Tehran, August 12, 1976)
"So except the devotee of Krishna, everyone is simply giving Krishna trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble. Therefore, they are called duskrtina. Duskrtina, most miscreant, the miscreants. Don't make any plan. Accept Krishna's plan. That will be simply giving trouble to Krishna. Therefore, a devotee does not pray even for his maintenance. That is pure devotee. He doesn't give trouble to Krishna even for his bare maintenance. If he has no maintenance, he'll suffer, fasting; still, he'll not ask Krishna, 'Krishna, I am very hungry. Give me some food.' Of course, Krishna is alert for His devotee, but a devotee's principle is not to place any plan to Krishna. Let Krishna do. Simply we have to do according to the plan of Krishna.
So what is our plan? Our plan is... Krishna says, sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam (BG 18.66). Man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. So our plan is the same thing. We are simply canvassing for Krishna, that 'You become Krishna conscious.' We have to show our example, how we are becoming Krishna conscious, how we are worshiping Krishna, how we are going on the street for vibrating Krishna's name, transcendental name. Now we are distributing Krishna's prasadam. As far as possible, our business is to induce persons how he becomes Krishna conscious. That's all. For that reason, you can make your plan, because that is Krishna's plan. But that should also be sanctioned by Krishna. Don't make your own manufactured, concocted plan. Therefore, to guide you, a Krishna's representative required. That is spiritual master."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Gorakhpur, February 15, 1971)
"We chant Hare Krishna, everything will come out very good. But the rascals will not do that. That is the difficulty. They will make plan. Krishna's plan they will not take. That is the difficulty."
(Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Ahmedabad, September 27, 1975)
"Outwardly you become a very big man—minister, president and so on—and God is seeing within what you are. Within. Isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese 'rjuna tisthati (BG 18.61). Within you are a dog, and outside if you are a president, that will not help you. That will not help you. Abodha-jatah. Therefore whatever plan they are making, that's all defeat. Plan-making is already there. Krishna has given plan gradually. The last plan is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja (BG 18.66). This is real plan. Krishna has given so many plans: karma-yogi, dhyana-yogi, this yogi, that. But everywhere He has concluded that the real plan is how to become Krishna conscious. That is real plan."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 27, 1976)
"So far your thinking about things and making so many plans, that is all right, but our first business is Krishna's plan. That is the only plan, and no matter how many schemes we employ to adjust things in this material world, if they have no solid basis in Krishna's plan, they remain merely dreams of phantasmagoria. So in this Krishna Consciousness Movement, I am training boys and girls all over the world how to act nicely by practically serving Krishna in their everyday lives. That is more important than trying for something which I may like to do but which will never happen."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, April 10, 1972)
"So do not feel discouraged at all. By Krishna's Plan everything will come out for the best. We have only to work very sincerely, depending fully on the Mercy of the Lord, and in this consciousness we can make very quick advancement in Krishna Consciousness."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, July 31, 1969)
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