(Srila Prabhupada's guru maharaj, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Prabhupada)
"My Guru Mahārāja, my spiritual master, used to say that you have to select a spiritual master not by seeing but by your ear, but by hearing. And you don't select a spiritual master who has got a very good hair or beard or some very beautiful feature, 'Oh, he is a very good, nice looking.' No. You must hear. Tad viddhi praṇipātena (BG 4.34). Śruti. The whole process is śruti. The Vedas are called śruti. The ear has to aural reception."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, August 12, 1966)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'Don't try to see God. You work in such a way that God will see you. God will take care of you. Don't try to see God.' This is the process. 'I want to see God. Oh, God please come and stand before me,' oh, just like He's my servant. God is no one's servant. You have to oblige Him by your love, by your service. That is the process. Here it is..., tasyāhaṁ sulabhaḥ pārtha. Anyone who is engaged in that way, in that submissive way, always, constantly, without any deviation, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, oh, for him, God is very cheap, although He's not..., He is unconquerable."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, November 16, 1966)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that if one is inclined to collect money by showing Deity, it is better to become a sweeper in the street. It is better to become a sweeper in the street, because he's earning his livelihood honestly. And this man who is keeping a temple and doing all nonsense, simply by showing Deity, collecting some money, this class of men, they're most sinful. That you cannot do."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Calcutta, March 8, 1972)
"So if you want to understand Kṛṣṇa, then you have to take the life of devotion. And one who does not take to this life of devotion, he cannot understand Kṛṣṇa or Kṛṣṇa-philosophy, Bhagavad-gītā. It is far, far away. It is... My Guru Mahārāja used to say, 'It is just like licking the honey bottle.' One may come to the bottle filled with honey, but simply by licking the bottle, what taste he will get? The honey must be opened. Then if you taste, you will know what is honey. Similarly, simply by taking Bhagavad-gītā and trying to understand it by so-called scholarship is licking up the honey bottle. That's all. There will be no taste. There will be no taste. You go on for many millions of years, licking up that bottle. You'll never understand."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Ahmedabad, December 10, 1972)
"You are getting money, very good. What is that money? A paper. You are being cheated. It is written there 'hundred dollars.' But what is that hundred dollars? It is cheap of..., piece of paper only. But because we are so fool, we are accepting a piece of paper, 'hundred dollars,' and the struggle for existence for a piece of paper. Why don't you be intelligent—'Why shall I take the piece of paper? Give me food'? But that intelligence you have lost. Therefore my Guru Mahārāja used to say the present human society is combination of cheaters and cheated, that's all. No intelligent person. Formerly money was gold and silver coins. It had some value. But what is the present currency? Simply piece of paper, bunch of papers. During the last war the government failed in Germany, and these bunch of papers were thrown in the street. Nobody was caring. Nobody was caring."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Melbourne, April 22, 1976)
"The piling of woods and stone is not advanced civilization. My Guru Mahārāja used to say, kāṭh pāthare mistri. If you are simply engaged how to have a skyscraper building, then we become craftsmen only, how to handle woods and stones. That's all; so much success. But what we'll do with this woods and stones? You are spirit soul. Woods and stone will not give you any pleasure. That is not possible. You are not wood and stone, you are spirit soul; you must have spiritual food. Therefore in America especially, despite all material opulences there, you are becoming confused and frustrated and disappointed. Because woods and stone will not satisfy you. You must have spiritual food. That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, New York, July 6, 1972)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'I don't find any scarcity within this world except Kṛṣṇa consciousness.' Actually, that is the fact. There is no scarcity all over the world. In India there may be scarcity, but outside India still there are so much vacant places, especially in Africa, in America, in Australia, in New Zealand, that ten times of the population of the whole world can be fed. Still. There is so much potency of producing food grains, milk and other things. Profusely. In America, they throw away so many grains and vegetables daily. It is simply mismanagement. Otherwise, there is no question of scarcity or poverty. There is no question. It is simply propaganda. Because they cannot manage, the foolish people, they present the population has increased and the foodstuff is not properly supplied. Foodstuff is always sufficient. But when there are demons, the supply is restricted by nature."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 21, 1972)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'You do not try to preach for getting some money. Money will come automatically. On your feet money will say, Please accept me.' You should preach very sincerely. That is your business. Never bother that 'Where is money? Where is money, money, money?' "
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, April 10, 1976)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say, prāṇa ache yara sei hetu pracāra. A preacher can, a person can become a preacher if he has got life. A dead man cannot become a preacher. So you must be very enthusiastic that 'I shall preach the glories of the Lord to my best capacity.' It is not that one has to become very learned scholar to become a preacher. Simply it requires enthusiasm, 'My Lord is so great, so kind, so beautiful, so wonderful. So I must speak something about my Lord.' This is the qualification, enthusiasm. You may not know Kṛṣṇa very perfectly. It is not possible to know Kṛṣṇa very perfectly. Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. We cannot know Kṛṣṇa cent percent. That is not possible. But Kṛṣṇa reveals as far as possible you can understand. So if we are sincere servant of Kṛṣṇa, utsāhān, and if we serve patiently, then Kṛṣṇa reveals."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, October 20, 1972)
"My Guru Mahārāja used to say that 'Do not try to see Kṛṣṇa. Render your service in such a nice way that let Kṛṣṇa see you.' When Kṛṣṇa sees you, then your mission is perfect. We cannot see... Ataḥ śrī-kṛṣṇa-nāmādi na bhaved grāhyam indriyaiḥ (CC Madhya 17.136). We cannot perceive Kṛṣṇa by our senses, but when our senses are engaged in satisfying Kṛṣṇa, then Kṛṣṇa sees us. Svayam eva sphuraty adhaḥ. And when Kṛṣṇa sees us, then our life is successful. And how Kṛṣṇa can see us? Simply by our devotional service. Otherwise, you cannot satisfy Kṛṣṇa by opulence, by education, by scholarship, by beauty, riches. No. These things Kṛṣṇa has all perfectly. He's full with all these opulences. Bhaktyā mām abhijānāti (BG 18.55). If you want to attract Kṛṣṇa, then be engaged in pure devotional service."
(Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Vrindavan, November 3, 1972)
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