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ISKCON Connection Newsletter, Issue 28, September 22, 2019
 
Prabhupada Nectar
Devotional service so nice. In one life they can be benefited with that position as cowherd boy, as he likes - as friend, as gopis. That is possible

Lectures

General Lectures

710216 - Lecture at Krsna Niketan - Gorakhpur

So if for ordinary living entity there is no death, how Kṛṣṇa can be appearing and dying? No. Therefore, janma karma me divyaṁ yo jānāti tattvataḥ (BG 4.9). One who knows in truth how Kṛṣṇa is appearing, how Kṛṣṇa is disappearing, he is learned. He is learned in the spiritual science, and for him, as soon as he becomes learned, well versed in the spiritual science, Kṛṣṇa science, he immediately becomes liberated. Caitanya Mahāprabhu confirms, yei kṛṣṇa-tattva-vettā sei guru haya (CC Madhya 8.128). Because one who has understood Kṛṣṇa in truth, he is liberated person. Therefore he is guru.

Guru cannot be a conditioned soul. Guru must be liberated. Because without complete knowledge of Kṛṣṇa, without being free from the contamination of the three modes of material nature . . . one cannot understand Kṛṣṇa on account of his being engrossed with these three material modes of nature. And Kṛṣṇa says, "One who understand Me rightly, he becomes immediately free." Tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Just like we are changing our dress or our different bodies every moment, so Kṛṣṇa says, tyaktvā deham.

The last change, last change . . . ordinarily, those who are not liberated, those who are conditioned still, they die. Die means they change this body and accept another material body. Another material body. But one who is liberated by understanding Kṛṣṇa, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, he also changes his body and he accepts immediately a spiritual body. And so long he lives, that is also spiritual body. That is spiritual body in the (this) sense, because that body is engaged in spiritual activities only. There is no material activity; therefore that is spiritual.

The same example: the iron rod, although it is rod, because it has become red hot, it is no longer rod; it is fire. Similarly, this material body becomes spiritualized when one is completely Kṛṣṇa conscious, because he has no more activity of this material body. His actions are . . . the same example, try to follow. When it has become so hot, red hot, that it is no more acting as iron rod, it is acting as fire, similarly, and when he changes this body also, he immediately . . . tyaktvā dehaṁ punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). Then he does not come in material body. Immediately, a spiritual body develops.

As this material body has developed from the spirit soul, on the platform of spirit soul, similarly, what is the difficulty to understand a spiritual body can also grow? There is no difficulty. So our this material body, everyone knows that it grows or it changes from one body to another because the spirit soul is there. Similarly, one who is fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, as it is said by Kṛṣṇa, tyaktvā deham: as soon as this body is given up, immediately, another, spiritual body is offered.

That spiritual body . . . Sanātana Gosvāmī has said that those who are being liberated from this material world, they are offered a spiritual body where Kṛṣṇa-līlā is going on. Kṛṣṇa's pastimes, Vṛndāvana-līlā, or as Kṛṣṇa manifested His different pastimes when He was present, that is going on eternally. As soon as He leaves this universe, in another universe His līlā becomes manifest. Kṛṣṇa is born . . . Kṛṣṇa is born here at Janmāṣṭamī, and as soon as Kṛṣṇa is taken to Gokula by Vasudeva, Kṛṣṇa is seen in another universe, born again.

Just like our sun. As soon as it rises at six o'clock or, say, five o'clock . . . so as soon as here five o'clock finished, in another place five o'clock begins. But it is going on. Ananta-cakra. The five o'clock is permanent. Anywhere, there must be some five o'clock. Anywhere, there must be six o'clock. Anywhere, there must be seven o'clock. Just like the twenty-four hours is going on.

You cannot say that the sun's rising at five o'clock, because it is finished within your view, it is finished. No. It is not like that. The five o'clock is permanent to the sun. If it is so possible to a material thing, why not Kṛṣṇa? Therefore it is called nitya-līlā. Nitya-līlā means eternally Janmāṣṭamī is going on. Eternally everything is going on, eternally.

So one who is liberated from this world and he is given the spiritual body, he's immediately transferred to the place where Kṛṣṇa's līlā is going on. Just like in Vṛndāvana, when Kṛṣṇa was present, all the Vṛndāvana-vāsīs, they were not ordinary men; they were liberated. They transferred to associate with Kṛṣṇa, practice.

And after this complete practice, they were transferred to the Goloka Vṛndāvana. So therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī says about the boys, cowherd boys, playing with Kṛṣṇa, kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ. Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ: "Oh, how much these boys have accumulated their pious activities! Now they are transferred here to play with Kṛṣṇa." Kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ.

itthaṁ satāṁ brahma-sukhānubhūtyā
dāsyaṁ gatānāṁ para-daivatena
māyāśritānāṁ nara-dārakeṇa
sākaṁ vijahruḥ kṛta-puṇya-puñjāḥ
(SB 10.12.11)

"Oh, these boys, it appears that they are cowherd boys playing with Kṛṣṇa," appreciating, Śukadeva Gosvāmī. "Oh, how much they have accumulated their pious activities so that now they have got chance to play with Kṛṣṇa personally!" They are not ordinary cowherd boys.

So similarly, all the gopīs, all the cowherd boys, they are not ordinary men. They're given chance after many, many births accumulating the devotional service. Devotional service so nice. In one life they can be benefited with that position as cowherds boy, as he likes—as friend, as gopīs. That is possible.

Therefore, the devotees are so much austere, so much, I mean to say, penanceful that, "This life we shall attain this position." One is hoping to be Kṛṣṇa's friend, one is hoping to be gopī, one is hoping to be friends of Yaśodā. So everything is possible, pañca-rasa, the five rasas in Vṛndāvana. One is hoping to be a tree there, a grass there, a flower there.

So this is possible. So . . . and Kṛṣṇa says, mad-yājino 'pi yānti mām. Yānti deva-vratā devān pitṟn yānti pitṛ-vratāḥ mad-yājino . . . (BG 9.25): "Those who are cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness, they come to Me. They come to Me." So where is the difficulty to understand the whole philosophy of Kṛṣṇa consciousness? It is very simple. Everything is there. We have to understand, and we have to be very serious and sincere. The thing is there.

Thank you very much.

 

 

 

 

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Courtesy of iskconnews.org

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Dandavats

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Prabhupada Memories
Prabhupada Memories


Prabhupada Memories DVD 61
Badarayana, Jananivas, Jaya Jagadish, Nagapatni dasi, Surabhir Prabhu

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TOVP News

Courtesy of tovp.org

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TOVP & Vedic Science Channel Present
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​A seminar with Dr. Richard L. Thompson (Sadaputa Dasa)

Radhadesh Seminar #1 - Artificial Intelligence
Durbuy, Belgium, 1988

“Can a computer have intelligence as we understand it in human beings?” To answer this question, Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson) explores the depths of human understanding and discovers many subtle, yet undeniable, features which defy any kind of algorithmic explanation. For instance, creativity, facial recognition, language, and learning ability, all seem to require the input from some sort of “programmer” existing outside the mechanical system.

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Srila Prabhupada: 
founderacharya.com, vanipedia.org

The official ISKCON website: iskcon.org,

Find your nearest temple: centres.iskcon.org

ISKCON leadership: gbc.iskcon.org

Education such ar Bhakti-shastri, Bhaktivaibhava etc: Mayapur Institute, Vrindavan Institute for Higher Education, Bhaktivedanta College Europe

News: news.iskcon.org, dandavats.com,

BBT books: bbt.org, krishna.com, vanisource.org, vedabase.com, bbtmedia.com

World Sankirtan Newsletter: wsnl.net/wsnhome.htm

Temple of Vedic Planetarium: tovp.org

Deity Worship and courses: deityworship.com, Mayapur Academy 

Inspiration & Sadhana: 
mayapur.tv, iskcondesiretree.com

Vaishnava Calendars: 
ISKCON GBC Vaishnava Calendar Comitee, GCAL (Gaurabda Calendar, a program for calculation of the calendar for vaisnavas, according Gaudiya-Vaisnava tradition.)

These dates and timings are for Sri Mayapur Dhama. Find timings for your location at the Vaishnava Calendar links.

15 December, 2025 (Monday)
Sri Devananda Pandita -- Disappearance

16 December, 2025 (Tuesday)
Dhanus Sankranti (Sun enters Sagittarius on 16 Dec, 04:10
Fasting for Saphala Ekadasi
Paksa vardhini Mahadvadasi

17 December, 2025 (Wednesday)
Break fast 06:11 - 09:45 (Local Mayapur Time)
Sri Mahesa Pandita -- Disappearance
Sri Uddharana Datta Thakura -- Disappearance

21 December, 2025 (Sunday)
Sri Locana Dasa Thakura -- Appearance

Address: ISKCON GBC Office
P.O. Sri Mayapur, Nadia, WB 741313, India

Email: office@iskconconnection.org

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