This book teaches Krsna consciousness because the speaker is Lord Krsna and the subject matter is our relationship with God. Krsna means “all-attractive,” and it is the perfect name of God. Unless the Supreme Person is all-attractive, He cannot be God.
Human life is meant for cultivating transcendental knowledge. By the process of evolution we have passed through so many kinds of bodies and have now come to this human form. Now is our opportunity to get out of the cycle of birth and death. This is our real goal of life.
For centuries, people throughout the world have known that extremely salty, acidic, or sweet foods don’t spoil. And for centuries people have employed various techniques to preserve, or pickle, their foods.
Lord Caitanya broadcast His message with mrdanga drums and hand cymbals and traveled on foot. He did not spread His movement outside of India, although His plan was that all the peoples of the world would one day take up chanting the holy names and thus awaken their dormant love of God.
Word spread quickly about the exotic and delicious vegetarian feasts the Hare Krsna devotees were having. Before long, each Sunday the small temple room and courtyard would fill with guests eager to try the delicacies the devotees were generously serving.
For the soul, there is never birth or death. Nor, having once been, does he ever cease to be. He is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, undying, and primeval. He is not slain when the body is slain.
Karma is not dependent on whether we choose to accept it or to reject it. It’s not under our control, something we can have made to order. It’s a law of nature, just like the law of gravity. And to change its workings is completely beyond us.
Indians have neglected God consciousness. The British introduced materialism, and Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, simply followed this policy, although his spiritually inclined mentor, Mahatma Gandhi, was opposed to it.
Werkie parathas are deep-fried so they turn out more like a pastry than a flat bread. They’re multilayered and have a rich, buttery flavor. They’re ideal as a breakfast treat or an afternoon snack. But werkies are for those who want a culinary challenge: they’re tricky to make.
To practice yoga you need a secluded place. Traditionally, yogis have retired to Himalayan caves, to remote corners of dense, unexplored jungles, even to the depths of an ocean or river. The great yogi Saubhari Muni meditated for many years within the Yamuna River.
Hare Krsna devotees don’t eat meat, fish, or eggs, they don’t have to worry about cholesterol in fried foods. A tablespoon of ghee contains only 31 milliliters of cholesterol—nothing compared to the 274 milliliters in just one egg.
Lord Caitanya stated that anyone born in India has the responsibility to take up this chanting of Hare Krishna and spread it, and He has quoted scripture to state there is no alternative for spiritual realization in this age than chanting the holy name of God.
We have traveled throughout India—to Calcutta, Bombay, Delhi, and to smaller cities too. Practically everybody is won by kirtana—the sound representation of Krsna.
The tour of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada throughout India attracted much daily news coverage, and many major magazines ran features about Srila Prabhupada and his foreign disciples.
The Indian reporter asked why Americans and Europeans are becoming Hindus. Srila Prabhupada said, “Krsna is not Hindu—you won’t find the word Hindu anywhere in Vedic literature.”
Advaita Acarya offered to the Deity of Lord Krsna the feast his wife had prepared. Pleased to see the gorgeous arrangement for Krsna’s pleasure, Lord Caitanya expressed His great satisfaction. Then He humbly sat down to one side, expecting to take a small portion of the offering.
News of tragedy from India shocked the world—first, the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi followed by mass murders and mayhem, then, hardly a month later, the catastrophic poisonous gas leak at the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.
From the highest planet in the material world, down to the lowest, all are places of misery, where repeated birth and death take place.
Even if one has achieved great success in business, or has amassed great wealth, a nice family, fame, or any amount of worldly or mystical power, still dissatisfaction at the inner core of one’s being is liable to occur.
Everyone is hankering after happiness and pleasure, and when one’s existence is purified he will be placed on the transcendental platform and will be able to enjoy eternal happiness.