(Click to enlarge photo of Srila Prabhupada)
"I can understand you are planning to go on world tour, but I think there is no need for wasting your time on such world tour. Better you chant Hare Krishna sitting in one place, that is far better. What for you want to go on world tour—people everywhere are doing the same thing, eating, sleeping, mating, and defending—each in some slightly different way, but same substance is there. There are the same streets, same people, same cars, same trees, etc. everywhere, somewhere a hill, somewhere sandy, somewhere some water—but what is the profit of seeing so much scenery? It is better if you want to travel, you can travel to preach and spread this Krishna Consciousness to the suffering humanity at large. You can travel with our Sankirtana party if you like. They are presently here in Los Angeles, and they are making program to go to London, then over Europe, then eventually on to India, etc. So if you want to travel I recommend you travel with them, and chant Hare Krishna with them wherever you go. And you will profit by this sort of travel, whereas the other is a waste of time practically. So that is my opinion, that you would do far better not to waste your time in this way."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 13, 1968)
"You ask about the desire for fame. Fame is a material desire, but to desire fame in Krishna Consciousness is not bad. If you think that people may know me as a great devotee of Krishna, that they may acknowledge me a nice devotee of Krishna, that is not at all bad. But even one is highly elevated in Krishna Consciousness he should not think himself a great devotee, he should think himself always humble.
You can celebrate Rasa-lila by having nice kirtana and prasadam distribution, that is our way of celebrating.
Yes, you can pray to Krishna—Krishna may be prayed that I am unwilling to become Krishna Conscious, so you can force me to become so. You put me under certain circumstances so that I may be forced to accept Krishna Consciousness. You can pray like that. It is Krishna's special favor and mercy that He sometimes forces a devotee to surrender fully to Him."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 13, 1968)
"And your question about Bhisma deva, after he left this planet, he went to Vaikuntha. Because he was Narayana worshipper. In Bhisma's prayer, it is clear that he is worshipper of Four Handed Narayana. Although he knew that Narayana and Krishna are non-different, but his affection was for Narayana. Therefore he entered the Narayana loka.
Those who are devotees of Narayana or Krishna, they are not afraid of any planet, even they are sent in the heavenly planets or the hellish planets, because they have Narayana within their heart, they are equally situated."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 13, 1968)
"Arati is performed at 1 1/2 hour before sunrise to awaken the Deities. Each offering is made by moving it in 7 big circles, starting at the Lotus Feet of the Lord, and going clockwise round. First of all, burning camphor or ghee (5 fires if possible) is offered in this way, slowly circling them before the Lord. With left hand bell is being rung, and with right hand the offerings are made by circling. Next burning dhupa is offered. Then water is offered in a conchshell. Then a nice handkerchief is offered. Then a nice flower, as a rose. Then the Deities are offered a fan, nice peacock feather fan. And the last item is the blowing of the conch shell three times. Throughout arati there is bell ringing, cymbals, mrdanga, gong, harmonium, etc."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 14, 1968)
"You describe that you are seeing more and more how Krishna is your friend and this is very nice. The more one understands that Krishna is my friend and my duty is to serve my Dearest Friend, the more one can know that his is advancing in Krishna Consciousness.
Regarding your question about Supersoul, we take it from Bhagavad-gita philosophy that the distinction between Supersoul and individual jiva soul must always be there. The Supersoul never will fall under the clutches of this illusory maya and the jiva soul has this tendency. So there is distinction, yet, the two, Supersoul and jiva soul are also the same as much as the sunlight and the Sun are qualitatively the same. So this is Krishna's message that we are simultaneously one and different from Krishna. When the jiva soul accepts the dictates of the Supreme consciousness Supersoul, his activities will no longer be for the sake of personal sense gratification but will be only for the purpose of gratifying the senses of Krishna. This attitude of service is the perfection of the living entity."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, November 24, 1968)
"The answer to your question about the marginal energy is that the jiva soul is always called marginal energy whether he is in the spiritual world or in the material world. There are instances where marginal energy jiva souls have fallen from the spiritual world, just like Jai and Bejai. So the potency to fall under the influence of the lower energy is always there. And thus the individual jiva soul is called as Krishna's marginal energy."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 2, 1968)
"Regarding your first question, is it offensive to think of Krishna's Pastimes while chanting, I think you should know that it is not offensive, but rather it is required. One must try for the point when he simply hears Krishna and immediately all of Krishna, His Pastimes, His Form, His Quality, are in his thoughts. So to always be immersed in thoughts of Krishna this is our process. When we are full in Krishna then where there can be any chance for maya in us? So this is our duty to remember Krishna's Pastimes. One who cannot remember Krishna, let him always hear Hare Krishna and then when he has perfected this art, then always he will remember Krishna, His Activities, His Qualities, etc.
The answer to your second question is that when one becomes accustomed to inoffensive chanting, then his fruit is that he is promoted to the stage of pure Love of Godhead, or prema. This prema is the perfectional stage of consciousness and the most blissful by very far.
So far as singing of the Christian hymns, if others sing this we have no objection, it is very nice, but in these hymns they have no definite idea of what is God. We are directly approaching and praying to Krishna for the highest benediction of eternal devotional service so we do not require to repeat the Christian hymns. Our point is to always follow the example of the acaryas and this will bring us to the perfectional stages with no doubt. For the Christian hymn you describe, the example may be given of where one person is appreciating that water is very nice and another is tasting water. So when we taste water the appreciation automatically is there and when we have taste for chanting, automatically the appreciation is there for God."
(Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 4, 1968)
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