Festival Lectures

Introduction to chanting by Srila Prabhupada

An adaptation of a Poem i wrote when i was 18 years and only understood the meaning at 24.

There are actually 10 more verses to the song, but i didn't want to put everyone to sleep.

Limit To Love

Govinda Prabhu 12.6.20

Dhenukasura could not tolerate that they were enjoying what was meant for him. So, he came charging, screaming like an ass. He was big! He was big like mountain. And he approached Balaram and with the strength of an ass in his behind legs, he turned around and with all of his might he started kicking Balaram in the chest. And Balaram just stood there, calmly just tolerating these massive blows. And then Balaram  just was thinking, “What is this? This demon must come to an end because he is trying to enjoy the fruits of His abode. Talavan was His abode.” He considered this is mine and whatever fruits are here are mine to enjoy. This sounds familiar? This is my house and whatever is in this house is mine to enjoy. This is what we called Dhenukasura consciousness. In another words, if anyone who thinks like this, is an ass, no offense or anything. Not that any of you think like this. But it is true. What does an ass think? An ass works hard all day, foaming at the mouth, big burden on him, for what? For little sense enjoyment and he thinks that what I work for, the fruits of my action are mine to enjoy. This is animal consciousness. 
But Balaram who is represented by the spiritual master comes and kills that ass like quality in our hearts and don’t think it’s always so nice, at least to our minds. The spiritual master learns to teach us that all the fruits of our actions, all the fruits of this world are meant for Krishna’s satisfaction. And through his words and through his instructions, in so many ways, he is trying to kill this Dhenukasura ass who is living within the hearts of all of us. That what is the Dhenukasura ass? The tendency to want to be the controller, to think that this is mine to enjoy. So, Balaramji took Dhenukasura by the behind legs and started whirling him around, threw him in the trees and he was dead.  And in the same way the spiritual master, sometimes he just throws us around and we get all dizzy trying to follow his instruction but ultimately what is the purpose? To kill the ass in our heart? And in that pure heart, like the cowherd boys we simply offer all the fruits to Krishna. We enjoy with Krishna. Everything is Krishna’s.

Only Lord Balaram or The Spiritual Master Can Destroy The Demon Of Dhenukasura Within Our Heart

Festivals

Sri Radhastami - London 1969-09-18

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Appearance

Jagannath Ratha Yatra Parts 1 & 2 - London 1972-07-13

Deity Installation--Purpose of Installing the Deity-London 1973-08-21

Deity Installation--Why Krishna Comes to This World-London 1973-08-21

Deity Installation - London 1973-08-21

A day at the Temple Volume I

Prasada-seva

Sri Tulasi-puja-kirtana

Bhoga-mantra

we have to understand the value of what Krishna wants to give us. And then we perform the austerity of hearing, whether we have a taste or not a taste, we do it because it is our service, we do it because it is pleasing to our Guru Maharaj and Krishna. We do it for the purification of our heart and our soul, and also if we serve devotees nicely, if we serve vaishnavas nicely then Krishna gives us the higher taste. 
śuśrūṣoḥ śraddadhānasya
vāsudeva-kathā-ruciḥ
syān mahat-sevayā viprāḥ
puṇya-tīrtha-niṣevaṇāt
in Bhagavatam, it says that if one humbly and submissively serves the devotees, Krishna gives the higher taste to hear the glories of the Lord to that person. If you are serving vaishnavas with sincerity and attention, then Krishna will give you the higher taste for hearing his glories. So, these two things together, we must hear every day as an austerity, 
naṣṭa-prāyeṣv abhadreṣu
nityaṁ bhāgavata-sevayā
and we must serve vaishnavas to please them, to help them, then Krishna will give you that higher taste to hear the glories of the Lord. Then he is pleased with you

How To Develop The Taste For Reading Srila Prabhupada's Books?

He said, ‘I have been chanting 16 rounds for 3 years now but I never knew how to say it, because I never met a devotee. I am only saying what I am reading.’ He said, ‘but I never knew that there was such thing as devotees till I saw you.’ Somehow or other he found out about our New Vrindavan. So, He said, ‘I have come to surrender.’ He said, ‘I want to surrender everything.’ He said, ‘This is what I read that I am suppose to surrender everything.’ Then he said, ‘Sarvadharmanparityadya’ and he said it in all different ways, He said, ‘you are supposed to abandon everything and surrender to Krishna. This is what I have learned from reading this book. So, I want to surrender everything to Krishna.’ So, he had a house trailer, he had 2 cars, he had about a 50 thousand dollars with a welding equipment. He said, ‘Am I allowed to give all this to my guru? Because I read you are supposed to give everything to your guru.’ I said, ‘Yes, you are supposed to do like this.’ He said, ‘I have permission?’ I said, ‘I am Sure you can get permission.’ Now this is an example of someone who never met a devotee before but was living perfectly as a devotee for 3 years and completely and properly understood our whole philosophy, didn’t understand the proper pronunciation, just by coming in contact with one of these wonderful books. So, this is the power of transcendental knowledge. This is the greatest service that we can offer to humanity, by somehow or other influencing people’s lives by which they could live according to this transcendental knowledge. The world is suffering so terribly because of the lack of proper understanding of the goal of life.

Anecdote About Bhagavad Gita's Influence

Deity Installation--Why Krishna Comes to This World-London 1973-08-21

Srila Prabhupada Vani

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