Wednesday 30 July 2014

Srila Prabhupada on Self Sufficiency and Farm Communities

Quotes from Srila Prabhupada
Self Sufficiency

Room Conversation with Professor Durckheim German Spiritual Writer -- June 19, 1974, Germany
Prabhupāda: My idea is that all our centers should be self-supported. We do not like that idea that for your support you have to go 100 miles to get your bread. That is a very dangerous drawback. You produce your food locally and then support yourself. The main problem is what to eat, where to sleep. So we get some place and support ourself by producing our own food. We have already begun in New Vrindaban, New..., West Virginia, Virginia, and similarly in other centers, we are producing our food, grains, vegetables, fruits and milk. That is sufficient. But we don't kill any animals. That we don't do.

Letter to Yasomatinandana -- 14 October, 1976
But we are not going to develop a competitive farming enterprise for making money. The basic principle is to become independent of artificial city life, working in factories producing nut and bolts. Gandhi has this idea, the one defect was that there was no Krsna in the center. So the same village organization, but keeping Krsna in the center should be introduced on our farm projects.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Mayapur 21 February, 1976
Yes, this supplying of milk to the temple is wanted. Thank you. In the way that Atlanta is doing, every center must have a farm so we can get all milk and if possible vegetable, even fruit, flowers and milk.

Lecture - SB 1.8.35 -- Mayapura, October 15, 1974
Here it is said that avidyā-kāma-karmabhi. By ignorance, they are thinking by opening factories they will be happy. That is avidyā. He does not know that this is ignorance. Why you should open factory? That is... This is called ugra-karma. There is no need of opening factory. You have got land. Here are so many lands. You produce your food grains. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni (BG 3.14). You eat sumptuously food grain, milk, and that will be available without any factory. The factory cannot produce milk or food grain. The present scarcity of foodstuff means everybody is engaged in the city, producing bolts and nuts. Who is producing food grain? This is the solution of economic problem. Annād bhavanti bhūtāni. Therefore we are trying to engage our men to produce their own food. Be self-sufficient so that these rascals may see that how one can live very peacefully, eating the food grains and milk, and chant Hare Krishna. This is our mission.

Letter to Subhavilasa -- Mayapur 16 March, 1977
Whatever is available easily we can use. There is no objection to using electricity. But we should not be dependent upon it. Produce oil from castor seeds and stock the oil sufficiently. It can be used in so many ways—for burning, grease, cooking, and as a purgative to cure all diseases. And oxen can be used for driving carts and go preaching village to village. What is the question of killing them? Here in India our Lokanatha Maharaja has successfully organized such a program and it is a great success. He has traveled all over India and everywhere they distribute books, prasadam and perform kirtana. Each night they stop at a different village. We can introduce many millions of such carts all over the world.

As far as possible try to adjust to a natural way of life free from dependence on machines. But our principle should be that we are against nothing and for nothing. Only for Krishna. We want whatever is favorable for Krishna. From the farms we should get sufficient foodstuffs and these can be sent to be used at our restaurants. Along with the restaurants there can be "Bhaktivedanta Reading Room" where all my books can be kept and people can come and sit comfortably and read. The people will like these restaurants and reading rooms. They will take them as non-sectarian.

Letter to Satyabhama, 30th March, 1969
The basic principle of our life in Vrindaban will be cow keeping. If we can keep cows sufficiently and grow our necessary foodstuffs, then we shall show a new way of life to your countrymen . . . completely spiritual life in healthy atmosphere in divine consciousness. And you will have ample opportunity to educate children and write books for them because there is sufficient matter for publishing such books from the Puranas, Mahabharata, Srimad-Bhagavatam, and many other allied literatures. There are thousands of ideal historical events, which if we can put with suitable pictures, it will be a great idea and people will like to have such literature.

Letter to Mahamsa Swami, 19th January, 1975
“Now we should have self sufficiency. This means to make our own food grains grow and weave our own cloth-like Mayapur. If we have good grains,milk, and cloth life becomes easy and we can save time for preaching and chanting.

Letter to Hayagriva, 7th October, 1968
“Regarding hippies, I know hippies have no money. But in New Vrindaban, our program is that the inhabitants should produce their own food, somehow or other they should be self-independent. Otherwise, what is the use of occupying such great tract of land? If we can think of starting a small institution, I think we shall get help from government and many foundations, if they understand that we are actually training people for building up character and health along with imparting education.

Letter to Hladini -- Calcutta 28 January, 1973
"This modern civilization is always artificial. You are actually learning in New Vrindaban the self-sufficient mode of living, simple living, high thinking, that is our policy, and as long as Krsna remains in the center of all these activities, then you are actually in Vrindaban. And the more you please the Deities there with your service, the more they shall reciprocate by bestowing upon you love for Sri Sri Radha Krsna."
Economic Solution

SB 3.2.29, Purport
With only these two things, cows and grain, humanity can solve its eating problem. Human society needs only sufficient grain and sufficient cows to solve its economic problems. All other things but these two are artificial necessities created by man to kill his valuable life at the human level and waste his time in things which are not needed.

Lecture on BG 16.10 -- Hawaii, February 6, 1975 
Prabhupāda: And it is said by Cānakya Pandita that if you want worldly happiness, then these things are required. Mūrkha yatra na pūjyante. Don't worship rascals and fools, mūrkha. Mūrkha yatra na pūjyante dhanya yatra susañcitam:(?) "And food grains are properly stocked." That is the Vedic civilization, that you work for three months, not very hard, simply till the ground and sow some food grain seed, and within three months it will grow, and you will have ample food grains, and you'll keep it in stock. And keep some cows. Dhanena dhanavān. They say that a rich man means one who has got sufficient stock of food grains. Food grains. Dhanena dhanavān. That is Vedic economic system. Gavaya dhanavān. Gavaya means by possessing some number of cows one is supposed to be rich. It is actually the fact. Everyone should possess some land for growing food grains and some cows to take milk. Then the whole economic problem is solved. But the asuras, they, as we have discussed in the previous verses, ugra-karmā... Where is that verse?

Letter to Yasomatinandana -- Vrindaban 28 November, 1976
You say we must have a gosala trust, that is our real purpose. krsi-goraksya-vanijyam vaisya karma svabhava-jam, (Bg 18.44). Where there is agriculture there must be cows. That is our mission: Cow protection and agriculture and if there is excess, trade. This is a no-profit scheme. For the agriculture we want to produce our own food and we want to keep cows for our own milk. The whole idea is that we are Iskcon, a community to be independent from outside help. This farm project is especially for the devotees to grow their own food. Cotton also, to make their own clothes. And keeping cows for milk and fatty products.

Our mission is to protect our devotees from unnecessary heavy work to save time for advancing in Krsna consciousness. This is our mission. So there is no question of profit, but if easily there are surplus products, then we can think of trading. Otherwise we have no such intention. We want a temple, a gosala and agriculture. A community project, as in Europe and America.

Address to Indian Association -- Columbus, May 11, 1969
So our program is to live there, depending on agriculture and cow, cow protection and agriculture. That should be the economic solution. And peacefully be in Krishna consciousness, chant Hare Krishna. That is the Vrndāvana scheme. Yuktāhāra-vihārasya yogo bhavati siddhidah. This human form of life is not meant for increasing artificial needs. We should be satisfied just to maintain the body and soul together, and balance time we should save for enhancing our Krishna consciousness, or spiritual consciousness, so that after this body we haven't got to make another material body, but we go back to home, back to Godhead. That should be the motto of human life.

Lecture 11/04/66 New York
“A man was considered to be rich man if he has sufficient quantity of grains in his possession. Similarly, if one has sufficient number of cows in his possession, he was considered rich man. Not that bank balance. There was no such bank, neither this paper money. They actually possessed the foodstuff and milk. And actually this is economic solution. If you have got sufficient milk, then you can make so many nice nutritious, full of vitamin values preparation and grains. There is no question of economic starvation if you have got simply grains and cows. So that was the standard of economic solution in days yore.”

SB 1.10.4, Purport
The basic principle of economic development is centered on land and cows. The necessities of human society are food grains, fruits, milk, minerals, clothing, wood, etc. One requires all these items to fulfill the material needs of the body. Certainly one does not require flesh and fish or iron tools and machinery. During the regime of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, all over the world there were regulated rainfalls. Rainfalls are not in the control of the human being. The heavenly King Indradeva is the controller of rains, and he is the servant of the Lord. When the Lord is obeyed by the king and the people under the king's administration, there are regulated rains from the horizon, and these rains are the causes of all varieties of production on the land. Not only do regulated rains help ample production of grains and fruits, but when they combine with astronomical influences there is ample production of valuable stones and pearls. Grains and vegetables can sumptuously feed a man and animals, and a fatty cow delivers enough milk to supply a man sumptuously with vigor and vitality. If there is enough milk, enough grains, enough fruit, enough cotton, enough silk and enough jewels, then why do the people need cinemas, houses of prostitution, slaughterhouses, etc.? What is the need of an artificial luxurious life of cinema, cars, radio, flesh and hotels? Has this civilization produced anything but quarreling individually and nationally? Has this civilization enhanced the cause of equality and fraternity by sending thousands of men into a hellish factory and the war fields at the whims of a particular man?

It is said here that the cows used to moisten the pasturing land with milk because their milk bags were fatty and the animals were joyful. Do they not require, therefore, proper protection for a joyful life by being fed with a sufficient quantity of grass in the field? Why should men kill cows for their selfish purposes? Why should man not be satisfied with grains, fruits and milk, which, combined together, can produce hundreds and thousands of palatable dishes. Why are there slaughterhouses all over the world to kill innocent animals? Mahārāja Parīkṣit, grandson of Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, while touring his vast kingdom, saw a black man attempting to kill a cow. The King at once arrested the butcher and chastised him sufficiently. Should not a king or executive head protect the lives of the poor animals who are unable to defend themselves? Is this humanity? Are not the animals of a country citizens also? Then why are they allowed to be butchered in organized slaughterhouses? Are these the signs of equality, fraternity and nonviolence?

Therefore, in contrast with the modern, advanced, civilized form of government, an autocracy like Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira's is by far superior to a so-called democracy in which animals are killed and a man less than an animal is allowed to cast votes for another less-than-animal man.

We are all creatures of material nature. In the Bhagavad-gītā it is said that the Lord Himself is the seed-giving father and material nature is the mother of all living beings in all shapes. Thus mother material nature has enough foodstuff both for animals and for men, by the grace of the Father Almighty, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. The human being is the elder brother of all other living beings. He is endowed with intelligence more powerful than animals for realizing the course of nature and the indications of the Almighty Father. Human civilizations should depend on the production of material nature without artificially attempting economic development to turn the world into a chaos of artificial greed and power only for the purpose of artificial luxuries and sense gratification. This is but the life of dogs and hogs.
Cow protection

SB 1.14.34, Purport
The Lord is the protector of cows and the brahminical culture. A society devoid of cow protection and brahminical culture is not under the direct protection of the Lord, just as the prisoners in the jails are not under the protection of the king but under the protection of a severe agent of the king. Without cow protection and cultivation of the brahminical qualities in human society, at least for a section of the members of society, no human civilization can prosper at any length. By brahminical culture, the development of the dormant qualities of goodness, namely truthfulness, equanimity, sense control, forbearance, simplicity, general knowledge, transcendental knowledge, and firm faith in the Vedic wisdom, one can become a brāhmana and thus see the Lord as He is.

SB 1.16.18 Text & Purport
“The personality of religious principles, Dharma, was wandering about in the form of a bull. And he met the personality of earth in the form of a cow who appeared to grieve like a mother who had lost her child. She had tears in her eyes, and the beauty of her body was lost. Thus Dharma questioned the earth as follows.”

Purport: "The bull is the emblem of the moral principle, and the cow is the representative of the earth. When the bull and the cow are in a joyful mood, it is to be understood that the people of the world are also in a joyful mood. The reason is that the bull helps production of grains in the agricultural field, and the cow delivers milk, the miracle of aggregate food values. The human society, therefore, maintains these two important animals very carefully so that they can wander everywhere in cheerfulness. But at the present moment in this age of Kali both the bull and the cow are now being slaughtered and eaten up as foodstuff by a class of men who do not know the brahminical culture. The bull and the cow can be protected for the good of all human society simply by the spreading of brahminical culture as the topmost perfection of all cultural affairs. By advancement of such culture, the morale of society is properly maintained, and so peace and prosperity are also attained without extraneous effort. When brahminical culture deteriorates, the cow and bull are mistreated, and the resultant actions are prominent by the following symptoms.”

SB 10.6.19, Purport
There are so many facilities afforded by cow protection, but people have forgotten these arts. The importance of protecting cows is therefore stressed by Krishna in Bhagavad-gītā (krsi-go-raksya-vānijyam vaiśya-karma svabhāvajam (BG 18.44)). Even now in the Indian villages surrounding Vrndāvana, the villagers live happily simply by giving protection to the cow. They keep cow dung very carefully and dry it to use as fuel. They keep a sufficient stock of grains, and because of giving protection to the cows, they have sufficient milk and milk products to solve all economic problems. Simply by giving protection to the cow, the villagers live so peacefully. Even the urine and stool of cows have medicinal value.

SB 1.17.3 Text and Purport
"Although the cow is beneficial because one can draw religious principles from her, she was now rendered poor and calfless.  Her legs were being beaten by a sudra.  There were tears in her eyes, and she was distressed and weak.  She was hankering after some grass in the field."

Purport: "The next symptom of the age of Kali is the distressed condition of the cow.  Milking the cow means drawing the principles of religion in a liquid form.  The great rsis and munis would live only on milk.  Srila Sukadeva Goswami would go to a householder while he was milking a cow, and he would simply take a little quantity of it for subsistence.  Even fifty years ago, no one would deprive a sadhu of a quart or two of milk, and every householder would give milk like water.  For a Sanatanist (a follower of Vedic Principles) it is the duty of every householder to have cows and bulls as household paraphernalia, not only for drinking milk, but also for deriving religious principles.  The Sanatanist worships cows on religious principles and respects brahmanas. The cow’s milk is required for the sacrificial fire, and by performing sacrifices the householder can be happy.  The cow's calf is not only beautiful to look at, but also gives satisfaction to the cow, and so she delivers as much milk as possible. But in the Kali-yuga,the calves are separated from the cows as early as possible for purposes which can not be mentioned in these pages of Srimad Bhagavatam.  The cow stands with tears in her eyes, the sudra milkman draws milk from the cow artificially, and when there is no milk the cow is sent to be slaughtered.  These greatly sinful acts are responsible for all the troubles in present society.  People do not know what they are doing in the name of economic development.  The influence of Kali will keep them in the darkness of ignorance.  Despite all endeavors for peace and prosperity, they must try to see the cows and bulls happy in all respects.  Foolish people do not know how one earns happiness by making the cows and bulls happy, but it is a fact by the law of nature.  Let us take it from the authority of Srimad Bhagavatam and adopt the principles for the total happiness of humanity."

SB 8.24.5 Text & Purport
"Sri Sukadeva Goswami said: O king, for the sake of protecting the cows, brahmanas, demigods, devotees, the Vedic literature, religious principles, and principles to fulfill the purpose of life, the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts the forms of incarnations."

Purport: "The Supreme Personality of Godhead generally appears in various types of incarnations to give protection to the cows and brahmanas.  The Lord is described as go-brahmana-hitaya ca; in other words, He is always eager to benefit the cows and brahmanas.  When Lord Krsna appeared, He purposefully became a cowherd boy and showed Personally how to give protection to the cows and calves.  Similarly, He showed respect to Sudama Vipra, a real brahmana.  From the Lord's personal activities, human society should learn how to give protection specifically to the brahmanas and the cows.  Then the protection of religious principles, fulfillment of the aim of life and protection of Vedic knowledge can be achieved.  Without protection of cows, brahminical culture cannot be maintained; and without brahminical culture the aim of life cannot be fulfilled.  The Lord therefore is described as go-brahmana-hitaya because His incarnation is only for the protection of the cows and brahmanas.  Unfortunately, because in Kali-yuga there is no protection of the cows and brahminical culture, everything is in a precarious position.  If human society wants to be exalted, the leaders of society must follow the instructions of Bhagavad-gita and give protection to the cows, the brahmanas and brahminical culture."

CC Adi-Lila 17.110-111
“When the astrologer was speaking so highly of Him, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stopped him and began to smile. " My dear sir," he said, "I think you do not know very clearly what I was, for I know that in My previous birth I was a cowherd boy."

"In My last birth I was born in the family of cowherd men, and I gave protection to the calves and cows.  Because of such pious activities, I have now become the son of a brahmana."

Purport: "The words of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the greatest authority, herein clearly indicate that one becomes pious simply by keeping cows and protecting them.  Unfortunately, people have become such rascals that they do not even care about the words of an authority.  People generally consider cowherd men lowly members of society, but herein Chaitanya Mahaprabhu confirms that they are so pious that in their next lives they are going to be brahmanas.  The caste system has a specific purpose.  If this scientific system is followed, human society will get the greatest benefit. Heeding this instruction by the Lord, people should serve cows and calves, and in return get ample quantities of milk.  There is no loss in serving cows and calves, but modern human society has become so degraded that instead of giving protection to the cows and serving them, people are killing them.  How can they expect peace and prosperity in human society while committing such sinful activities?  It is impossible."
Farm Communities
Letter to Satyabhama, 27th December 1968
"I thank you very much for your taking my time in this way.  May Krsna be pleased upon you; both you and your good husband will be more and more spiritually happy by your nice service attitude in Krsna consciousness.  Actually I have no desire to start the school in any city. City life, especially in this age of Kali-yuga, is very much polluted.  Poet Cowper stated that the city is made by man and the village is made by God.
 So in the village there is a natural tendency for Krsna consciousness, so we want to develop such atmosphere in New Vrndavana. Your cooperation in this matter will very much encourage me." 

Letter to Nityananda -- Bombay 12 April, 1977
Yes, if our householders cannot distribute books, then let them live in the farm communities. They can produce thread for cloth, spinning, and other such activities. But they must do something, not sit idly, for an idle brain is the devil's workshop.

Garden Conversation -- June 14, 1976, Detroit
Prabhupāda: Yes, increase farm projects. It is very nice project. Self-dependent. Very good. Krishna personally, He lived in village, farm, cows, calves, land, Govardhana Hill. It is very nice. Land, in America, you have got so much land. Produce vegetable, grains, milk, eat sumptuously, no economic question. Prepare very nice product. And make some money by sending ghee in the city.

Evening Darsana -- February 15, 1977, Mayapura
Prabhupāda: Farm project is very nice. Krishna gives. Krsi-go-raksya-vānijyam vaiśya-karma svabhāva-jam (BG 18.44). This is economic problem solved. And brāhmana, brain problem solved, and ksatriya, protection problem solved, and śūdra, labor problem solved. Four things combined together, live peacefully, happily. Chant Hare Krishna. Introduce this farm project. In America there is enough scope. So much land is lying vacant. And if there are jungles, cut the jungles; use the wood. Just like our Virginia. Big, big jungles. You cut the woods, you get ground, open field, and utilize the logs for house-making. Food, shelter, everything there. In Africa, everywhere, the nature's way. Pūrnam idam (Īśopanisad, Invocation). Everything, complete arrangement by Krishna. We have to little work.

Letter to Nityananda -- Denver 1 July, 1975
This farm project you should consider very important. The idea is that people can be self sufficient and raise their own foodstuffs and have sufficient milk to save time and chant Hare Krishna. Why should they work so hard in the hellish factories? Let everyone live simply and be Krsna conscious.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Bombay 18 December, 1974
Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self-sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible. They should be developed as an ideal society depending on natural products not industry. Industry has simply created godlessness, because they think they can manufacture everything that they need. Our Bhagavad-gita philosophy explains that men and animals must have food in order to maintain their bodies. And the production of food is dependent on the rain and the rain of course is dependent on chanting Hare Krsna. Therefore let everyone chant Hare Krsna, eat nicely and keep their bodies fit and healthy. This is ideal life style. We do not condemn modern civilization but we don't like to get it at the cost of God Consciousness, that is suicide.

Letter to Kartikeya, 19th October, 1975
Now our next program will be to organize farming land to set an example to the whole world how people can be peaceful, happy and free from all anxieties simply by chanting Hare Krsna maha-mantra and living an honorable life in Krsna consciousness.

Letter to Uthal -- Allahabad 13 January, 1977
Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Dec. 31st and have noted the contents. I do not think this ship will be successful. Getting and managing a farm is a good proposal. I am encouraging farm projects everywhere. That is a very important, solid program. So do this enthusiastically and Krsna will be pleased.

Letter to Von Paul Reed, January 2nd, 1972
“Whenever we get some land available we should take the opportunity to develop it into an ideal community as envisioned for New Vrndavana. We can have a great many such communities all over the world so that the people everywhere can see how, by leading a pure and simple life of Krsna consciousness, all one’s needs in life can be satisfied. Actually, the so-called civilization of the Kali-yuga with its all over industrialization, has not been able to give man the happiness he is seeking. So as you say that your land is very suitable for cow protection and for Tulasi to grow, then Krsna is giving you the opportunity to develop the program. Protect some cows, grow crops, and if possible provide fresh milk and butter for the temples nearby.

Letter to Mahamasa Swami, 2rd August, 1975
“Of course you should not be thinking to sell any of the crops for profit. That is not our purpose. The village organization is that the local people produce their necessities like grain, vegetables, milk, and cloth; for recreation they have the chanting of Hare Krsna. They should live there comfortably and have spiritual recreation. They should not come to the cities. I wish to introduce this ideal now. Then if we are successful this cheating civilization will stop. They have made these cities as hell. If people do no cooperate with them, then how will the factories run on?

01/77 room conversation in Bhubaneshwar
“The potential is wonderful, so why are they not attracted to live in the farm and be self-independent and chant Hare Krishna? That is our farm project. Our farm project is that they should be satisfied with simple living. That is nice living. If you get milk, if you get fruit, if you get grain and open air, it is very healthy life. Why they should not be attracted?”

Letter from Tamal Krsna Goswami, Secretary to Srila Prabhupada, August 10th, 1977
(to Hari Sauri Das, ISKCON Melbourne, sent from Krsna Balarama Mandir, Vrndavana)
“Srila Prabhupada always enjoys hearing from you as you have gained an eternal position at His Divine Grace’s lotus feet. Srila Prabhupada appreciated your opening prayers.

“Srila Prabhupada was most enlivened to hear the report of New Govardhana Farm. His Divine Grace in the last month or so has been stressing the importance of these farm projects, and said, “This is the next aspect of Krsna consciousness which I wish to push forward. If I am able to travel again, then I shall visit the farms and make them perfect. On these farms we can demonstrate the full varnasrama system. If these farms become successful then the whole world will be enveloped by Krsna consciousness.

“From your letter I can understand how nice this farm is. I am very happy to see fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, grains, the devotees taking sumptuous prasadam and chanting Hare Krsna. This is the actual meaning of human life. It is a very good farm, from your letter I can understand. Whatever you build, get the building materials locally. If you can manufacture tiles locally, then your house problem is solved. Build up bamboo frame, and on it place tiles. In any event get everything locally. I wish to make a farm tour and then I shall surely visit your farm.”

“I suggested to Srila Prabhupada that he was the Farm Acarya, but Srila Prabhupada said, “Krsna is the Farm Acarya. Baladeva is holding a plow, and Krsna is holding the calf. Krsna advised Nanda Maharaja not to perform Indra puja but to worship the land, Govardhana because it was supplying all foodstuffs for the residents of Vrndavana and the cows as well.” So Srila Prabhupada wants you to develop this farm very nicely as it will be the future program to present to the world as the ideal of Krsna consciousness. In the cities, we are interested for preaching but we cannot present the ideal varnasrama system, this is only possible at the farms, so they are very important.”

Conversation New Vrindaban, West Virginia, June 24, 1976
Therefore, for the sake of the people in general, I am requesting you to pursue this farming life with great enthusiasm. Help people to see this traditional, natural way of living. You must help them see how they can become happy, how they can go back to Godhead.

So advance this project -- plain living, high thinking. This modern civilization is so nasty, A nasty civilization, artificially increasing the so-called necessities of life. Anartha -- unwanted; unbeneficial "improvements."

Letter to Rayarama dasa, 17 October, 1968
Better one should be satisfied with agricultural produce than go into large cities to be engaged in industry. Peaceful life depending on agricultural produce can bring him real happiness and prosperity, not otherwise. The more persons will be satisfied at their home, with home economics, not to go outside the home, that is peaceful life.

Vrindaban in June of 1976
Kulashekara Dasa: Once, at John Lennon’s estate in London, you said that the tractor is the cause of so much of the trouble today. It took all the work from the young men and forced them to go to the city for work, and they became entangled in sense gratification. I’ve noticed that life in the country is simpler, more peaceful. It’s easier to think of spiritual life.

Srila Prabhupada: Yes. The country is less disturbing, less taxing on the brain. Just work a little for your food, and the rest of the time engage yourself in Krishna consciousness. This is ideal life.

Letter to Rupanuga -- Ahmedabad 29 September, 1975
The people are innocent. The rascal leaders say it is primitive to remain on the farm, but to do business in the city and become rogue and rascal, that is advanced. They have dog race, horse race, gambling, coca cola, pepsi cola—all unnecessary. There is no use for it but the business is going on. They take to cigarette and T.V. because they have no good engagement. They are chewing the already chewed

Room Conversation with Richard Webster, chairman, Societa Filosofica Italiana -- May 24, 1974, Rome
Yogeśvara: But ultimately isn't our idea that the city complexes shouldn't remain, that things should become more spread out to farm and rural areas?

Prabhupāda: Yes, naturally. If this man is fed up with this industry, he can go back to village and produce his own food. But he is attached to this industrial activity because he is thinking that "We are getting more money for wine and woman and meat. Let me enjoy." That is the perfect, imp... But if he chants Hare Krishna mahā-mantra, his consciousness will be purified and he will be made not interested this kind of work. He will go back to village and produce food.

Letter to: Bahudak, Bombay, 15 December 1974 
I am very glad to hear about your new farm-asrama existing there. We want to develop many such farms all over the world. You are enthusiastic and intelligent and it appears that you are managing it nicely. Why not call it New Gokula instead of New Mayapur. I think that is better. It is all right that you have purchased machinery and are using on the farm but if you can do without as much as possible that is better. It sounds as if the living conditions there may be a little extreme. But if the devotees can learn to tolerate as you say they are determined, and can stay and work there that is very good. And I give all encouragement to them.

Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, ch.2, text 14; matra-sparsas tu kaunteya, sitosna-sukha-duhkha-dah, agamapayino'nityas, tams titiksasva bharata O son of Kunti, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed. So remember Krishna's instructions in the Bhagavad-gita and continue to work with all enthusiasm and encourage the others also to do the same.

As far as you opening a local Gurukula program there, I have no objection if it can be done nicely. So consult with Satsvarupa Maharaja for further instructions.

To develop a farm community such as the one you are doing, it requires much hard work and endurance. But if you work sincerely then Krishna will give you all facilities and men. Therefore continue working and follow the good example that the devotees in New Vrndavana have set and everything will go very nicely. If you have any specific questions you can refer to New Vrndavana and they may be able to help you.

Simple Living

Room Conversation -- January 31, 1977, Bhuvanesvara
Prabhupāda: We should not be attracted by the modern city life. Simplified life. Save time and utilize for advancing in Krishna consciousness. That is perfect life. Just like Vrndāvana. Vrndāvana life means agriculturist, cowherd boys, uneducated girls, cows and calves, and tree, fruits. This is Vrndāvana. The center is Krishna.

Yogeśvara: Simple living.

Prabhupāda: But they are the topmost devotees. These (chuckling) uneducated, without any town life, cow-men, they are Krishna's best friend. Unsophisticated, no education, but love intense—that is perfect. That attracted Krishna more. Vrndāvanam parityajya na padam ekam (sic:) na kartavya... Krishna is so much attached to Vrndāvana that He goes nowhere... What is that? They are not educated girls, up-to-date fashion, (indistinct) or nothing. Crude. As soon as there was blowing of the flute, immediately they began to run towards Krishna. Somebody is taking care of children, somebody is engaged in boiling milk, and somebody was even lying down with her husband. Still, immediately... Very crude, unsophisticated, but intense love for Krishna—that is Vrndāvana. We want to introduce this farm project means intense love for Krishna. And other things—very simple: little milk, little food grain, little vegetable, that's all.

Letter to Rupanuga dasa, 4th September, 1974
“Regarding the Buffalo project, New Vrndavana is the example. You should develop in a similar way. Have milk, vegetables, simple living, and chanting Hare Krsna. The whole world is engaged in unnecessary hard labor with their factories. It is a brain killing civilization. Let them come to free life, spend time chanting Hare Krsna, reading books and making their life successful. This is very essential propaganda. People must be informed.

Letter to Rupanuga das, 29th September, 1975
“Now, our next program will be to organize farming land to set an example to the whole world how people can live peaceful, happy and free from all anxieties simply by chanting Hare Krsna maha-mantra and living an honorable life in Krsna consciousness.

Letter to Tusta Krsna dasa, 23rd August, 1976
“You can visit our farm project at New Vrndavana and the New York Farm in Port Royal,Pennsylvania. They do everything very nicely and you can develop your farm on their model. That you are growing all your own grains is very good. It is my ambition that all devotees may remain self independent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits, flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in handlooms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra.

Letter to Kirtanananda Maharaja, 27th July, 1973
“Yes! Go on acquiring the surrounding lands and in this way we will establish a local self governing village and show all the world a practical example of spiritual life as Krsna Himself exhibited in Vrndavana. Agriculture and protecting the cow, this is the main business of the residents of Vrndavana and above all simply loving Krsna. The cows, the trees, the cowherd men and gopis, their chief engagement was loving Krsna, and in New Vrndavana we want to create this atmosphere and thereby show the whole world how practical and sublime our movement is.

Letter to Rupanuga dasa, 29th September, 1975
“So you get from all the farms your necessities, then it will be successful. Fodder, milk, grains, vegetables, and animals and man will be satisfied, and you can chant Hare Krsna. No unnecessary cow killing and no unnecessary needs of the body.”

Letter to Syamasundarji,Sri Purusottama Math, Puri, 15th November, 1976
“As we are doing in Mayapur and many other places, I want to develop self-sufficient centers with cloth and food production by devotees locally and save time as much as possible to devote themselves to chant Hare Krsna”

Morning Walk -- October 28, 1975, Nairobi
So similarly, in villages, everyone, if he has got some land, he can live simply without any gorgeous building. What is the use? Just have a cottage and have garden. You'll live very peacefully. But they're constructing big, big skyscraper building in the downtown, and they will have to come here by car for some peace of mind, and in the meantime, accident, police. This is the civilization, nonsense civilization. At weekend they will go to the village, country, and during the week-time they will work hard. This is their civilization, with the risk of life, running motor car eighty miles' speed. Every moment there is risk. What is this civilization? Most ludicrous civilization. So farming means if you live in a farm... Just like in New Vrndavana they are doing. Produce your own food, live peacefully, fresh vegetable, fresh grains, fresh milk, and prepare so many nice milk preparation, kachori, halavā with ghee. Offer to the Deity. Eat sufficiently. What is the use of going outside? Simple life and chant Hare Krishna

Grow food first of all to feed yourself sumptuously. You must get strength, and that is needed. But not for trade. The policy should be that you should be self-sufficient and save time for advancing in Krishna consciousness. That is wanted.

Interview with Newsday Newspaper – July 14, 1976, New York
Interviewer: Are they working farms, producing farms?
Prabhupada: Yes, there are many farms in your country. Just now I am coming from New Vrindaban in West Virginia. They are living. If you go sometime, you can see how independently they are living. And there are other farms, New Orleans, and just now we are going tomorrow...
Ramesvara Pennsylvania.
Prabhupada: Pennsylvania. So there is no economic problem. So we get enough milk, enough food grains, enough fruits. So there is no economic problem. Our purpose is to save time from unnecessary necessities of life, from unnecessary necessities of life, to save time and utilize the time for developing Krishna consciousness. And so far the body is concerned, as much as it is required take and maintain the body. That's all."

Letter to Hayagriva -- Montreal 17 August, 1968
"My idea of developing New Vrndavana is to create an atmosphere of spiritual life where people in bona fide order of social division, namely, Brahmacaris, Grhasthas, Vanaprastha, Sannyasis, or specifically Brahmacaris and Sannyasis, and Vanaprasthas, will live there independently, completely depending on agricultural produce and milk from the cows. The life should be simplified without being hampered by laboring day and night for economic development, without any spiritual understanding."

"The New Vrndavana idea is that persons who live there will accept the bare necessities of life to maintain the body and soul together and the major part of time should be engaged in development of Krishna Consciousness. The whole Vedic principle is to develop Krishna Consciousness, without creating much botheration for the program of sense gratification."

Letter to Radha Krishna Dhawan -- Honolulu 10 June, 1975
"Yes, we are trying to set a perfect example according to the Bhagavad-Gita as it is, how to execute simple living and high thinking. We are not interested in any material comforts of life, which are limited and temporary. We are interested in solving the real problems of life, birth, death, old-age, and disease."

Lecture on SB 7.12.4 -- Bombay, April 15, 1976
"So if you want to be peaceful, happy, you have to again bring in the Vedic culture, simple life and high thinking. That is wanted. If you introduce more and more anarthas only, unwanted things, how you can be happy? We have to minimize even whatever we absolutely require. Absolutely we require ahara nidra bhaya maitunam ca. It has to be curtailed. That is civilization, not that increasing. This is a misguiding civilization."
Modern society

Morning Walk, Delhi, November 29, 1975
Civilization will collapse very soon, all over the world. It will collapse. Either you bring this 'ism' or that 'ism', this civilization will collapse. People will become mad, being harassed in so many ways. When one is harassed in so many problems, he commits suicide. So that position is coming."

Gokularanjana das Prabhu memories vol 3 tape 44
With his cane Srila Prabhupada pointed to the skyline and said, ‘Do you see this city? This city and all cities will collapse very soon. Do you know why?’ Everyone hesitated, wondering. But Tamal Krishna quickly said, ‘Because the people here don’t know how to grow food.’ Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Yes.’ Growing food is the whole purpose of our farm communities and we are still trying to grasp their importance.”

Lecture at World Health Organization -- Geneva, June 6, 1974
Prabhupāda: No. The new thing is that they do not go outside for bread. That is the new thing. Here, at the present moment, in every big, big city, they are coming from hundred miles to the office. Now there was railway strike in Bombay. I was there at that time. Oh, people are suffering so much. You see? From five o'clock in the morning, they are standing in queue for catching one... Not bus, it is truck. The buses on strike. So people are so much in difficulty. And if one train or two train was running, so many people smashed the... They were on the top of the train. So the problem is why one should be induced to go hundred miles off from his home for earning his livelihood? This is a very bad civilization. One must have his food locally. That is good civilization.

Guest (5): Yeah. What do these people do for a living? Only grow food?

Prabhupāda: No. Grow food for eating, and then they read all these books. They become spiritually advanced. That's all. Deity worship.

Letter to Satyabhama, 27th December, 1968
City life,especially in this age of Kali-yuga, is very much polluted. Poet Cowper stated that the city is made by man and the village is made by God. So in the village there is a natural tendency for Krsna consciousnes, so we want to develop such atmosphere in New Vrndavana.

Letter to Kurusretha, 23rd July, 1973
“Yes, the city will be more dangerous place as Kali-yuga advances. It will be very deteriorating. The modern civilization is so corrupt and as sinful activities are more and more committed, the people will be forced to face more troubles, by natures order. Our business, however is to simply take shelter of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra and pray to the holy name to give us protection.

Letter to Balavanta, April 28th, 1974
“Yes, inflation is due to paper currency. As for land ownership, in Vedic civilization the land was given to the people for cultivation, not for ownership, and a tax was collected which was twenty-five percent of the person’s income. The land belonged to the state and the man would cultivate it and pay twenty-five percent to the sate. If he has no income then he doesn’t have to pay. One cannot get land from the government unless he agrees to produce something and if everyone produces food then there is no scarcity. At least he has his own food produced by himself. Now people are educated as sudras. They are going to work to produce what is not urgently needed society.”

Conversation New Vrindaban, West Virginia, on June 24, 1976
Srila Prabhupada: Yes. In the city, people must naturally fall into the mode of passion: constant anxiety due to needless lusting and striving. In the city we are surrounded by all sorts of artificial things for agitating our mind and senses. And naturally, when we have this facility we become lusty. We take to this passionate mode and become filled with anxiety.

Disciple: The country is more peaceful. It's easier to think of spiritual life.
Grow our own Food

Morning Walk -- October 19, 1975, Johannesburg
Prabhupāda: Huh? What is that economical progressing? So that means busy fool. Fool, they do not know how to satisfy the economic problem. That is recommended in the Bhagavad-Gita, annād bhavanti bhūtāni: [Bg. 3.14] You grow food grains. Then all economic question... But why you are not producing food grains? Why you are producing iron stools and instruments and motor and tire and collecting petrol far away from Arabia? That is... Krishna never says that "You do all this nonsense." H Be said, "Grow food grains." Why don't you do that? That means fools. After all, you have to eat. So you are not busy in growing your food, but you are busy in producing tire tubes, motor cars, stools and instruments. Then how you will get your food? Where is your economic? First economic is, first necessity, you must eat.

Pusta Krishna: But with the tire tubes and nuts and bolts they can make a tractor. And the tractor can help produce food, they think, much faster.

Prabhupāda: No, that is waste of energy. Because you are eating the bulls, therefore you require a tractor. Otherwise you don't kill the bulls. This animal will do the business of tractor.

Lecture on SB 1.10.4 -- London, November 25, 1973
Just see how the economic problems will be solved simply by one movement, this Krishna consciousness movement. Try to understand. Mahī. Because mahī will produce everything. Just like here in this Letchmore Heath there are so many, so much land lying vacant. You produce your own food. Why you are going to London, to the factories? There is no need. This is wrong civilization. Here is land. You produce your food. If you produce your food, there is no need of going hundred miles, fifty miles on your motorcycle or motor to earn your livelihood. Why? There is no need. Then you require petrol. And petrol there is scarcity. Then you require so many parts, so many That means you are making the whole thing complicated unnecessarily. Unnecessarily. There is no need. Simply you keep to the land and produce your food, and the cows are there. They will supply you milk. Then where is your economic problems. If you have sufficient grains, sufficient vegetables, sufficient milk from the land where you are living, where your economic problem? Why you should go to other place? That is Vedic civilization. Everyone should remain in the spot and produce everything as he requires, and God will help you. Because you can produce from the land anywhere. The rainfall is there. If you have got land and the rainfall is regular, then you can produce anything

SB 1.9.26, Purport
For a human being, agricultural produce, fruits and milk are sufficient and compatible foodstuffs. The human society should give more attention to animal protection. The productive energy of the laborer is misused when he is occupied by industrial enterprises. Industry of various types cannot produce the essential needs of man, namely rice, wheat, grains, milk, fruits and vegetables. The production of machines and machine tools increases the artificial living fashion of a class of vested interests and keeps thousands of men in starvation and unrest. This should not be the standard of civilization.

Lecture - SB 6.1.49 -- New Orleans Farm, August 1, 1975
Why should you go in the city, hundred miles in car and again hundred miles come back and take unnecessary trouble? Stick to this spot and grow your own food, your own cloth, and live peacefully, save time, chant Hare Krishna. Very nice program. This is actual life. What is this nonsense life, big, big cities and always people busy?

Room Conversation -- October 5, 1975, Mauritius
Prabhupada: The idea which I am giving, you can start anywhere, anywhere, any part of the world. It doesn't matter. Locally you produce your own food. You get your own cloth. Have sufficient milk, vegetables. Then what you want more? And chant Hare Krishna. This is Vedic civilization: plain living, high thinking. And poor thinking, poor in thought, poor in behavior, and living with motorcar and this, that, nonsense. It is all nonsense civilization.

Letter to Kirtanananda, 31st July, 1969
The whole idea of New Vrndavana is that men who are living there should produce their own food, of which milk is the principles thing. Unless that position is achieved it will not be advisable to ask anyone to go there. Better to ask them to go there if they are willing to work and produce their own food.

Conversation New Vrndavana, West Virginia, on June 24, 1976
Anyway, learn to love this natural mode of life, life in a wide-open space. Produce your own grain. Produce your own milk. Save time. Chant Hare Krishna. Glorify the Lord's holy names. At life's end, go back to the spiritual world to live forever. Plain living, high thinking -- ideal life.

Lecture - Bhagavad-gita 13.35 Geneva, June 6, 1974 
Ksetra means field of activities. Just like in agricultural land. You get a piece of land, and you produce your own food grain, or as you like. The government gives you a piece of land, and you have to pay a little tax, and you can grow your food grains as you like.

The same example: You are given a field, a piece of land. You can grow twice, thrice in a year very nice foodstuff, sometimes pulses, sometimes paddy, sometimes the mustard seed. Any land... In India, we have seen that a cultivator produces three, four kind of food grains in a year. That is the system... (Aside:) Not this...

That is the system that in India every man is producing his food grains independently. Now it is stopped. Formerly, all these men, they used to produce their food grain.

So they used to work for three months in a year, and they could stock the whole year's eatable food grains. Life was very simple. After all, you require to eat. So this Vedic civilization was that keep some land and keep some cows. Then your whole economic question is solved.

The whole economic question can be solved. If you have got excess, then you can trade, you can send to some place where there is scarcity. But every man should produce his own food. That is Vedic culture. You get a piece of land and produce your family's foodstuff.

So this example is given: idam sariram ksetram. That means to own a certain piece of land is the basic civilization. Everyone must have a portion of land to produce his food. There will be no economic problem.

So anyway, the whole world situation is degrading, that people are not producing their own food. This is the problem, real problem. Ksetra-ksetrajna. This example is given. As every man must possess a piece of land... Therefore this... Because it is very common thing, this example has been given. Ksetra-ksetrajnah.

Morning Walk, April 1, 1975
Satsvarupa: So if all the land belongs to God, then who decides who will distribute it to the people?
Prabhupada: You don't distribute. You live only, till the ground and take your food. Where is the question of distribution? Whatever you can till, you take so much land. God has enough land. Why do you possess more? One acre of land is sufficient for producing your food. Why do you take more?

Tuesday 29 July 2014

Dog is "Untouchable”—SP

Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada who is trying to wash off all our kali yuga dirt !!

Below you will find 6 very potent quotes by Srila Prabhupada regarding the keeping of dogs
 and cats in ones home or in his/her life.

The dog is UNTOUCHABLE according to Vedic civilization because
it is so nasty of an animal and yet so many of our "devotees" keep them living with them in their homes.
I have also included a letter at the end from Ameyatma and his experiences with devotees and cats or dogs and how unclean these people are-especially when serving out prasadam at a temple.
I received many comments from my last article entitled cats n' dogs and mleccha man and below are some of them for your perusal and consideration.
For those  of us who consider ourselves "devotees", I humbly submit they should carefully read the statements given by our Srila Prabhupada regarding how to develop at least material purity, what to speak spiritual cleanliness.

Hare Krsna
your humble servant,
Damaghosa das
-------------------------------------

1) SB 7.14.11 P               Ideal Family Life             
   Although in modern society the dog is accepted as part of one's
household paraphernalia
in the Vedic system of household life the dog
is untouchable
as mentioned here, a dog may be maintained with proper
food, but it cannot be allowed to enter one's house, what to speak of
the bedroom.
 Outcastes or untouchable candalas should also be provided
with the necessities for life. The word used in this connection is
yatha, which means "as much as deserved." The outcastes should not be
given money with which to indulge in more than they need, for otherwise they will misuse it.

2) 741009SB.MAY                   Lectures                
Canakya Pandita says, candala-vesmani. Candala means untouchable, the
dog-eaters. In the Vedic conception, the dog-eaters are untouchable.
Actually they should be untouchable. Meat-eaters are untouchable.

 
3) 720413SB.MEL                   Lectures                 
Surabhir abhipalayantam. Here you have got a hobby to keep dogs, "gow,
gow, gow!" And Krsna has no hobby? He has got hobby, to keep cows
.
Surabhir abhipalayantam. You have imitated that hobby, and instead of
keeping cows, they are keeping, "how!, how!," dogs. 
That is your
capability, a nonsense which is untouchable. Dog is untouchable
according to Vedic literature, and they are being kept. And cows?
Killed. And cruelty to animals means not to be cruel to the cats, not
cats. Yes, cats and dogs. And for the cows, "Oh, there is no question
of cruelty. He has no soul. Kill him." This is your civilization, Dog
civilization. You see? You keep dogs, "gow! gow! gow!"
, and if
somebody comes to your home, to your country, you also make "gow! gow!
gow! Why you have come?" Immigration department. "Please go out.
Please go out." This is civilization.

4) b751015rc.joh                Conversations               
Prabhupada: Syphilis. In Ayur-Vedic it is called phairanga, means this
disease is imported from Western countries. Every dog has syphilis,
and they contaminate the woman, and that is distributed to man.
According to Vedic civilization, dog is untouchable. Now in India
also, to keep a dog is aristocracy. 
Yes. Especially the tail cut. Now
half-cut tail, that is aristocratic dog. Now they are making dog show
in New Delhi.

5) 760421mw.mel                Conversations               
Devotee (1): Prabhupada, last night you were describing how people
serve their dogs. And now, in the Western countries, they have
restaurants where you can take your dog, and he sits at the table with
you and they serve a meal for him. And they have catering services.
You can call up, and they will bring a special meal to your dog, so he
can eat at his home. They have beauty parlors for dogs, everything.
Prabhupada: Yes, they have taken dogs as God. According to Vedic
civilization, dog is untouchable
. (break)

6) 770111tt.ida                                            
Prabhupada: Yes. We are brainwashing from bad to good. That is our
business. We are washing the brain from all rascaldom. That is our
business. You are... Your brain is filled up with all rubbish things:
meat-eating and illicit sex, gambling. So we are washing them.
Ceto-darpana-marjanam. Srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
punya-sravana-kirtanah, hrdy antah-stho abhadrani. Abhadrani washing.
Abhadrani means bad things. The bad things should be washed off. Don't
you cleanse your home? Don't you cleanse your room? Is not that
brainwashing? So if you wash your room very cleansed, who blames you?
But you are so rascal that "Why you are washing this garbage?" you are
protesting. You are such an intelligent man. We are washing the
garbage;
 you are protesting, "Why you are washing the garbage?" This
is your intelligence. But intelligent men wash the garbage
. That is
the law of nature, cleanse. That we are doing.
According to Vedic
civilization, you are actually untouchable. Now we have come to touch
you; therefore wash you must first. You are untouchable. In Indian

civilization, dog is untouchable
, and that is your best friend. So you
are not touchable
. Therefore we have to wash you. And unless your
brain is washed, you cannot understand Krsna. So it is necessary
. Is
that all right? Dog is your best friend. In India dog is untouchable.
So "Man is known by his company." If your best friend is dog, then
what you are? We can understand your position because you sleep with
dog, you eat with dog, your best friend is dog, so what you are? You
must be washed. It is a fact. Every woman, every man, has some dog.
Jagadisa: Dog or cat.
Prabhupada: Mostly dog. So "Man is known by his company." Your
constant company is dog, so what you are? These are the way. Actually,
according to Vedic... Why they do not allow Europeans in the
Jagannatha temple? Because they are untouchable. According to Vedic
civilization, Europeans are untouchable. Muslims and..., untouchable.
Not only foreigners, even in their own country,those who are not very
cleansed, they are untouchable
. Another's eatable things, they're
untouchable. Just like hog. If you give him halava, he will not take
it. He will eat stool. Therefore hog is so abominable....
-----------------------------
(Feedback below from those receiving my previous letter---)

1)  a letter from Jai in Singapur---..."I heard a Sri Vaishnava scholar, Velukkudi Krishnan present a discourse and he said that Parasara Muni tells in Sri Vishnu Purana that anyone who keeps a dog goes to hellish planets.."

2) a letter from Ameyatma in New Mexico---

Damoghosh Prabhu
Not that I consider this topic more important than others (I haven't replied to many lately), but, just had a moment so I'll reply

When I was in Alachua, this is like 15 yrs ago, our devotee neighbors had a dog they called 'Puri', the boy, 15 yr old, who took care of the dog proclaimed his dog was a 'Devotee' and a strict 'Vegetarian' since it was born. It loved puris and was raised on them in NV, which is why he called him Puri.  We saw when the boy came home his dog was so happy to see him,  and he was so happy to see his 'dog' - he would let the dog lick his face and mouth...    I felt like vomiting. 

I told the boy,   this dog is not a human,  it is a 'dog'.    My kids were small, still in diapers then.   One day our garbage bin was out at the road-side, long driveway, so i just set a garbage bag of dirty diapers on our screened-in porch to get it out of the house until i brought the bin back.   It was tied, we got no smell from it.     We went to the temple and came back a few hours later.     'Puri', the 'vegetarian' dog was in our front yard digging a hole with a diaper in it's mouth.   It was trying to bury the diaper to save the tasty treat for later.  I got to the porch, the screen door was torn,  Puri had 'let himself in' - the smell of fresh human stool (although the bag was sealed) was too great for him to resist.   There were torn diaper and stool all over the porch.    I called the 15 yr old owner of the dog and taught him a lesson in being responsible for his pet,   he cleaned the whole porch and repaired the screen door.    But, he insisted human stool still didn't disqualify his 'dog' from being a 'vegetarian'.  (sheesh,   it sure isn't a vegetable).  

Then,  a few weeks later I found a squirrel had died in my backyard.  It wasn't smelling yet.   I took a shovel and dug a hole,   which i found out was too shallow, less than a foot deep.    I took the shovel and put the dead squirrel in it.  Some days later Puri was in the backyard,   he 'smelled' the rotting meat.   He dug up the dead squirrel, which now was full of maggots, and went running back to his home with the dead rotting squirrel in his mouth.     I told the boy,    a dog is a dog -  by their nature they want to eat flesh.   He is no more a vegetarian or a 'devotee' then any other dog in this world.   Still,   he was insistant that 'his dog' was special,   he would bark when he hears kirtan...   so he claims his dog is chanting....       really....    The real problem,    since SP there is no one LEADING the devotees.   No guru speaks out,   no GBC,   they don't want to offend anyone.  No one is teaching even common sense.

Also in Alachua the temple has many 'temple' cats that wonder the property.   Many hang around the temple area, especially at feast times.  So, the young girls would often pick up the cats and pet them.  I was training my kids NOT to do so.   One day my daughter, when she was about 12 or so, one of her friends picked up a cat and after petting them,   went to help serve out Prasad.  My daughter told her, 'Go Wash Your Hands FIRST'.    Many of the girls claim,   their parents told them, that cats are cleaner then people, they are always Washing and cleaning themselves.    

I read report years ago, many people are allergic to cats and for years everyone thought it was their fur.   But, on closer examination they found the actual cat hair was not an allergen,   instead, it was all the cat stool coating the fur.   When a cat passes stool it licks it's anus,  then licks all over it's fur,   spreading small pieces of cat stool all over it's body.   When the stool dries, aside from all the infectious germs it carries, the dried stool gets air-born and that is what people have allergic reactions to.      After my daughter told me about the girl not washing her hands after handling the cat,   i took notice and saw this was a 'Regular' occurrence during Sunday or festival feast times.  Many girls pet and cuddle the cats,   then go serve prasad (and cat stool) to the devotees without washing their hands first.   Or they eat prasad (and cat stool) without washing their hands.    This is Sick,  why no one is following Srila Prabhupad?

Devotee: Man's best friend.
Prabhupada: Hmm. Because he has no knowledge who is the best friend. According to the quality, friend is selected.Karandhara: And one is known by the company he keeps.
Prabhupada: Yes. Karanam guna-sango 'sya [Bg. 13.22]. The best friend will lead him to take birth in that family. He'll help him next birth because he'll always think of dog, so next birth, dog. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, if you are attached to something then you'll think of it, and next birth is that.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Morning Walk -- May 14, 1973, Los Angeles

That is explained in the Bhagavad-gita. Karanam guna-sango 'sya. As you have infected yourself with a particular type of modes of nature, you will get a body. That's all. If you have infected to get the body of a dog, you must be infected. People who are keeping dog, that means he is being infected by the germs of dog. Next life he will become a dog. He is infected. What he will think at the time of death? If he has got a beloved dog, he will think of... Somebody... In your country, they bequeath great, I mean to say, wealth, for the dog. That means at the time of death, at the time of death he is thinking of his beloved dog. So he must be a dog. So all his wealth goes to the dog and he goes to become a dog. This science is unknown to the rascals. Yam yam vapi smaran bhavam tyajaty ante kalevaram [Bg. 8.6]. At the time of death, your position of the mind will create the next body. This is the science. So if you create your the position of the mind, Krsna conscious, then you will get a body like Krsna, sac-cid-ananda-vigraha [Bs. 5.1]. This is Krsna consciousness movement, that "Why you shall love dog and cats? Love God, Krsna, and you get the next body like Krsna." Sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam [Bs. 5.1]. This is Krsna consciousness movement, how to think of Krsna at the time of death. Then your life is successful.
>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.3 -- Los Angeles, December 31, 1973

Lastly, another time, 20+ yrs ago I was in Bhaktivedanta Village, in Three Rivers Calif (when it was still an ISKCON school).  One devotee had a dog, a big 'farm' dog that was used to shepard the cows.   The devotees assured me this dog was soo well behaved,   he loved children, and played with the devotee kids.    But,   it's a 'dog',  I would argue.      Anyway, one day i was walking to the temple and the dog came up wagging it's tail and body,   wanting me to pet it.   I wasn't afraid of the dog ,    not at first,   I was in clean dhoti and didn't want him to touch me or my clothes,   so i tried to move away as the dog approached.   The dog mistook that i was 'afraid' of it,   and immediately switched from being playful, to this mean growl.   It hunched down and growled and snarled at me.  Then, I did get a little scared because no one else was around,     It was getting ready to attack me.   So, I prayed to Nrsingha, and thinking of Nrsingha I made a fierce face and roared like a lion,    the dog got scared and ran off.     Still,   that playful - wouldn't harm a flea - good to kids - 'dog' was ready to attack me just because I backed away from it not wanting it to touch my clean cloth.       Then,   shortly after this we read in the local paper how a farmer had shot his neigbhors family dog.    The farmer had been losing calves,    'something' a dog, a wolf, 'something' had been going out at night attacking and killing the calves.   He told his neighbor he suspected his family dog was the culprit.  The neighbor insisted, his dog was the most loving pet in the world.  It was so playful around his kids,  no way.   So, the farmer stayed up all night out in the field and when he heard the cries of a calf being attacked, took his rifle and shot the dog.   It was the neighbor's family dog.  The dog that wouldn't hurt a flea.   The reporter interviewed the local vetenarian who said,    most people just don't get it,   but,   dogs are dogs.     and by nature they are flesh eaters,  hunters, attackers.   They kill their prey to eat.   Even the most domesticated dog, he said, can not shake this nature, it is their nature.   So, when their is some opportunity they will take it.   

In Alachua they also have a dog to herd the cows,   and i told them,    this is not good,   told some devotees that story,  and they insisted 'their dog' would never do such a thing.   The same thing the owner of the dog in Three Rivers insisted,   not 'his' dog.  

I am not against animals.   In Alachua there was a cat that hung around our house.    At first it wanted to come in the house, and would sit outside the porch winning.   We set  out left overs,  now and then.   Once it tried to come in the house.   I made the Nrsingha face and roar and it NEVER tried to come in the house EVER again.  In fact, it would see me and run like a scared rabbit - for years after that.   But, we put out scraps so it would stay around   -  because cats keep down field mice population, and they scare away snakes -      So,  i didn't mind it stayed - around - just as long as it knew to keep its proper distance.      

--ameyatma das
---------------------
(And finally here are some comments from those too sentimentally attached to cats and dogs.)

1) I'm sorry but I  desagree about what you said about  Animals.we need to love all animals.(cat and Dog).
we can get  more disease with  humans...illness,and not much illness from animals........
when I do my japa...(maha mantra);my cat come to me and seat on my kness. now he pass a way 17 with me at my home.
the lord  sri Krishan say  that Hi is in the Heart of all living beings.
"When you develop a firm faith in God, you will never have any fear whatsoever;(desease-illness-from Cat and dogs)); you will recognize that the God you worship is the One who is present everywhere in everyone and in everything, and also in yourself".

with respect your humble servant.
Swarupa Damodara-Das.
hare Krishna.

  2)   I have a dog at my home.  Dogs, unlike cats, are omnivores.  Cats need meat or they will die but dogs will eat anything and will never starve themselves to death.  Yesterday, my dog had offered goat’s milk and eggplant pakoras (made like Hansadutta’s famous cauliflower pakoras).  For desert he had vanilla yoghurt.  Along with the prasadam I gave him some vegan dog kibble mixed up with crunchy tostada shells and grated vegetarian mozzarella cheese.  I am hesitant to offer the vegan kibble mix, however J .he is allowed on only one piece of furniture, a couch (we have 2, one for people who are queasy about dog germs).  As a puppy, and even to this day, when I feed him, sometimes I purposefully put my hand in his mouth while he is chewing to train him to always be totally careful with his teeth around people.  One devotee said, “Mahasana, how can you do that, that is yucky”.  I said that I wanted Sama to never be the least aggressive and if he is submissive with his prize possession (food) then he will be submissive with everything.  So far so good.Sama will sit with me when I chant my rounds, all 16, and although he doesn’t have the facility to chant, I swear I have heard him say rrrrrRama… Sama is very clean, for a dog, and rarely licks his pee-pee and never his butt.  Of course not all dogs are as clean as Sama.  Some eat their own stool, but most dogs shun it.  They do smell each other’s butts upon first meeting each other and this I find amusing.  People shake hands, which may be less hygienic, but more polite.I consider Sama to be my child, but I wash my hands a lot, recognizing what is moochie, and I don’t sleep with him.  As I think about it, human babies are pretty moochie too.
Your Godbrother,Mahasana dasa

CONCLUSIONS--

So we have heard from Srila Prabhupada, and he gives SO MUCH evidence about why and how a devotee or even any "Hindu" would not have a dog or cat living in his home. It is just simply NOT part of the Vedic culture which aims at self purification thru various methods and having a  contaminated   animal like a dog or cat in ones home is counterproductive to this transcendental end. We also heard from a couple of devotees who gave their practical experiences with other devoteeswho dont take cleanliness seriously-and that's one reason why we take births  from within a mleccha "culture". And we also heard from those who are too much attached to these animals, despite the animals so called good qualities. There is no doubt about it, the dog has some good qualities,and Canakaya pandit mentions it, but so does a tiger an elephant and a mosquito-but that doesn't mean we live with them  in our homes.   I am sure there will still be many devotees out there who will not agree with this letter, and will argue against what Srila Prabhupada tells us, even though they will be thinking in their minds that they are devotees, and they love Srila Prabhupada, even though they will refuse to follow this order to us, his disciples. They are devotees, no doubt, but what grade of devotee?

So for them, I offer my humble respects, but will not want to visit them at their home or let their "pets" jump up on me, or for that matter even take the food they cook at home, with dog/cat looking on. This is not an elitist mentality or a hatred for animals, it is simply taking the words of Srila Prabhupada into my heart and trying to apply them in my  life. Thats all.

Hare Krsna
Damaghosa das

Sunday 20 July 2014

Food offered thru bogus iskcon gurus-is not Krsna Prasadam


 
Hare Krsna to all
Pranams
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Below we have a concise analysis (from Prabhupada's quotes) that food offered thru bogus iskcon gurus-is not Krsna Prasadam. Sound alarming? Then please read further.....

Over the years, we have all seen a lot of damage to the once prestigious worldwide Iskcon organization. Now, it is only a mere shadow of its past glory. And here below is one key reason. The present leaders of iskcon have minimized the actual instructions of Srila Prabhupada, and created their "own" version of Bhakti Tattva.
Starting every day with the offering of bhoga to turn it into Krsna Prasadam thru the un-authorized gurus of iskcon, everyone there is eating sinful foodstuffs, and not Krsna prasadam. See the proof below.

Hare Krsna,
Damaghosa das
--------------------------


760613mw.det                Conversations              
Prabhupada: Who is my disciple? First of all let him follow strictly
the disciplined rules.
Devotee (2): As long as one is following, then he is...
Prabhupada: Then he is all right.

69-07-11.Jay              Letter: Jayapataka          
Master. Out of the ten kinds of offenses, the number one offense is to
disobey the orders of the Spiritual Master. The instructions given to
the disciple by the Spiritual Master at the time of initiation should
be strictly followed. That will make one advance to the spiritual
path. But if one deliberately defies such instructions, then his
advancement is hampered from the very beginning. This defying means to
disconnect the relationship with the Spiritual Master. And anyone who
defies and therefore disconnects the relationship with the Spiritual
Master can hardly expect the assistance of the Spiritual Master life
after life. I hope this will clear up this question sufficiently for you.'
-----------------------------


Without going into all the hundreds of changes the iskcon GBC's have authorized, merely changing
whimsically ,only ONE instruction, disconnects themselves from the param para and renders that "service" useless. What to speak of main instructions-like first of all-HOW TO OFFER  FOOD TO GOD !! Now here below is the actual words of Srila Prabhupada , where he tells his early disciples the process of offering bhoga or food to God, Krsna. And there are many other quotes like this one.
-----------------------------

16 June, 1969
New Vrindaban
Letter to Arundhati

"Regarding your question about offering Prasadam, whatever is offered to the Deity actually it goes through the Spiritual Master. The Spiritual Master offers to Lord Caitanya, and Lord Caitanya offers it to Krishna. Then Radha Krishna eats, or Jagannatha eats, then Caitanya Mahaprabhu eats, then the Spiritual Master eats, and it becomes Mahaprasadam. So when you offer something, you think like that and chant the Gayatri mantra, and then everything is complete. At last, ring the bell, take out the plate and wipe the place where the plate was kept."
Vrndavana, India
August 1967
Letter to: Devotee & Hamsaduta

"One who understands and appreciates the disciplic succession is certainly advanced, and we should always be very careful to give full respect to those who have so carefully handled this Divine Fruit of transcendental knowledge before us. Even a slight change will spoil it. That is why I have always been so careful to give you only those things which I have heard from my Guru Maharaja
73-01-04.Dhr             Letter: Dhruvananda            
The greatest danger to our movement will come when we manufacture and
create our own process for worshiping the deities. So don't ask any
more new questions, whatever is going on, follow it just to the exact
standard as I have given you, that's all.

The reason Iskcon, thru Gaura Keshava, and before that, all the Gaudiya matha in India, have taken to this system of offering bhoga to Krsna is because they have disobeyed the orders of their own Acarya-both Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Maharaj and our Srila Prabhupada in the matter of who is to become "guru" or Acarya of the institution when the real acarya departs. Since both the Gaudiya matha and Iskcon disobeyed their Acaryas orders (Gaudiya matha was to not elect any Acarya but work together and an Acarya (Srila Prabhupada) would emerge amongst themselves, and Iskcons order from Srila Prabhupada was to have ritvik priests take on the business of initiating new disciples on behalf of Srila Prabhupada--because neither of these organizations did what they were told to do, the result was so many falldowns amongst their so called guru leaders, that they were forced to amend the offering process  so that food would be offered first to God, or Krsna and not to fallen gurus, so that way they felt, everybody would be "assured" of having only Krsna Prasadam to take.

Only thing is-its all wrong !! One doesn't go to God directly, but has to go thru His representative-for everything !! .Even the Christians know this as Jesus said"only thru me can you go to the Father".  Therefore, the conclusion is- it is not acceptable by Krsna because they have not followed His order and system to approach Him.
This approach, Iskcon's way, is very arrogant since they think they can directly go to God and bypass their own guru. Since iskcon's own "gurus" are constantly falling down, then how can the blind followers be assured the offerings they personally make to Krsna, thru their own iskcon guru actually go to God, or Krsna?
This is a big problem for the GBC. So what do they do? They change it all around to fix their current problem-gurus who are constantly falling down, by saying-No we dont offer to guru first but to Krsna, then it comes back to us as "Prasadam".
The only thing  is all they are getting- is contaminated kali yuga "prasadam" and not pure 100% transcendental Krsna Prasadam.

Now here below we hear from Krsna's actual representative, Srila Prabhupada, where he explains that if a guru is bogus, (which he becomes- simply by changing only one item of devotional service, what to speak of hundreds of other changes) then how can anyone go forward to Krsna, with any kind of devotional service or bhakti yoga from that incorrect starting point??? If you add 2+2 and get 5, even if you do everything correct after that, its still all----- WRONG !!

Now let us hear what the real Acarya A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada has to say on this important matter.....

701223SB.SUR                   Lectures                
Devotee (3): In regard to worshiping arca-vigraha form, you have
explained that if one receives a mantra from a spiritual master who is
not bona fide, that mantra has no effect. So I would like to ask if
one is worshiping a Deity and his spiritual master is not bona fide,
so that Deity cannot be considered the Supreme Lord?
Prabhupada: Well, first of all, thing is if the spiritual master is
not bona fide, how his mantra can be bona fide? Your statement is
contradictory. If you say the spiritual master is not bona fide, then
how his mantra becomes bona fide? If he is bona fide, then his mantra
is bona fide.
Devotee (3): Then why is he giving instruction to worship the Deity?
If the spiritual master is not bona fide, then is the Deity also not
bona fide?
Prabhupada: I do not follow. What does he say?
Tamala Krsna: His idea is that if one receives a mantra from a
spiritual master, if the spiritual master is not bona fide...
Prabhupada: Then there is no question of mantra. There is no question
of worshiping Deity. These are all bogus things. If you are not...
Just like here is a young medical man. If he has not received
instruction from a bona fide medical college, so what is the value of
his medical, being... That is... What is called? What is the technical
name?
Devotee (4): Quack.
Prabhupada: Quack! (laughter) (pronounces like "quark")

761101SB.VRN                   Lectures                
   So for that there are so many practices, regulative principles,
mentioned here. The first thing is hamse gurau mayi bhaktyanuvrtya.
This is religion. Adau gurvasrayam. If you do not get a qualified
guru, then everything is bogus. If you, by good fortune, if you get
the association of a guru, qualified hamsa, paramahamsa... Paramahamsa
guru means sannyasi's last stage is paramahamsa. Kuticaka, bahudaka,
parivrajakacarya, and paramahamsa, these are the different stages.
.....then he is paramahamsa. So one must find out a guru who is
paramahamsa. Neither kuticaka, nor bahudaka, nor parivrajakacarya.
Paramahamsa.

701219SB.SUR                   Lectures                
So we have to accept religious principles from the leaders of the sampradayas.
Otherwise it is useless. Sampradaya-vihina ye mantras te viphala
matah: "If you do not accept mantra initiation from the disciplic
succession of the sampradaya, then it will be useless."
Sampradaya-vihina ye. So people are manufacturing religion without any
reference to these authorities.

69-10-31.Din                Letter: Dinesh            
Regarding the disciplic succession coming from Arjuna, disciplic
succession does not always mean that one has to be initiated officially. Disciplic
succession (also known as initiation) means to accept the disciplic conclusion. Arjuna was a
disciple of Krishna and Brahma was also a disciple of Krishna. Thus
there is no disagreement between the conclusions of Brahma and Arjuna.
Vyasadeva is in the disciplic succession of Brahma. The teachings to
Arjuna was recorded by Vyasadeva verbatim. So according to the
axiomatic truth, things equal to one another are equal to each other.
We are not exactly directly from Vyasadeva, but our Gurudeva is a
representative of Vyasadeva. Because Vyasadeva and Arjuna are of equal
status, being students of Krishna, therefore we are in the disciplic
succession of Arjuna. Things equal to the same thing are equal to one
another
--------------------

So, if one has a guru (in iskcon) who is not authorized by Srila Prabhupada and/or his
instructions are contrary to Srila Prabhupadas, then how the offerings made are Prasadam?)
And on the other hand, if you DO follow Srila Prabhuadas instructions, then the result is
Bhakti yoga or pure devotional service if done under his instructions.

---------------------
68-08-19.Tam             Letter: Tamala Krsna          
The chanting Hare Krishna is our main business, that is real
initiation. And as you are all following my instruction, in that
matter, the initiator is already there. Now the next initiation will
be performed as a ceremony officially, of course that ceremony has
value because the name, Holy Name, will be delivered to the student
from the disciplic succession, it has got value, but in spite of that,
as you are going on chanting, please go on with this business
sincerely and Krishna willing, I may be coming to you very soon.
------------------------

Similarly here, because if one follows the real gurus orders, then he is
present there and the food offered does go to Krsna and return to
us as prasadam. Unlike the iskcon scenario where the link to God,
Krsna, has been cut or severed by their unauthorized methodology
of first offering to God. As Prabhupada says-"these are all bogus things"


74-06-30.Bal              Letter: Bal Krsna            
   Allow me to congratulate you and your wife for giving birth to a
new child. Now see that she is raised in Krsna Consciousness so that
at the end of this life she can go back to Home, back to Godhead. As
far as my blessing is concerned it does not require my physical
presence. If you are chanting Hare Krishna there and following my
instructions, reading the books, taking only Krsna prasadam etc., then
there is no question of your not receiving the blessings of Lord
Caitanya whose mission I am humbly trying to push on.


OK, now let us depart to a slightly different topic. Assuming we are all on the "same
page" with the above, let us see about accepting foodstuffs from impure places and
people, and whether or not THAT is acceptable by Krsna??
--------------------

Antya 6.275    " 'My consciousness is impure because I (Raghunatha das Goswami) accept all these goods from people who are interested only in pounds, shillings and pence.
Therefore by this kind of invitation I only get some material
reputation.

                               PURPORT

   Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura remarks that people who are
under the bodily conception of life are called materialists. If we
accept the offerings of such people, place them before the Lord and
invite Vaisnavas to partake of the prasada, that attempt will gain us
only a material reputation, not the actual benefit of service to a
pure Vaisnava. One should therefore try to serve the Supreme
Personality of Godhead by fully surrendering at His lotus feet. If one
engages for the service of the Lord whatever money one has honestly
earned, that is spiritual service to the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, the spiritual master and the Vaisnavas.

Antya 6.276  " 'At my request Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu accepts the invitations
because He knows that a foolish person like me would be unhappy if He
did not accept them.'

                               PURPORT

   Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that people who are
advanced in learning but attached to material enjoyment, who are
puffed up by material possessions, by birth in an elevated
aristocratic family or by education, may offer showbottle devotional
service to the Deity and also offer prasada to Vaisnavas. Because of
their ignorance, however, they cannot understand that since their
minds are materially polluted, neither the Supreme Personality of
Godhead, Lord Krsna, nor the Vaisnavas accept their offerings. If one
accepts money from such materialistic persons to offer food to the
Deity and Vaisnavas, a pure Vaisnava does not accept it. This causes
unhappiness for the materialists because they are fully absorbed in
the bodily conception of life. Therefore they sometimes turn against
the Vaisnavas.

Antya 6.278    "When one eats food offered by a materialistic man, one's mind
becomes contaminated, and when the mind is contaminated, one is unable
to think of Krsna properly.

                               PURPORT

   Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura suggests that people who
are materialistically inclined and sahajiyas, or so-called Vaisnavas
who take everything very casually, are both visayi materialists.
Eating food offered by them causes contamination, and as a result of
such contamination, even a serious devotee becomes like a
materialistic man. There are six kinds of association--giving charity,
accepting charity, accepting food, offering food, talking
confidentially and inquiring confidentially. One should very carefully
avoid associating with both the sahajiyas, who are sometimes known as
Vaisnavas, and the non-Vaisnavas, or avaisnavas. Their association
changes the transcendental devotional service of Lord Krsna into sense
gratification, and when sense gratification enters the mind of a
devotee, he is contaminated. The materialistic person who aspires
after sense gratification cannot properly think of Krsna.

Antya 6.279    "When one accepts an invitation from a person contaminated by the
material mode of passion, the person who offers the food and the
person who accepts it are both mentally contaminated.

                               PURPORT

   Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that there are three varieties of
invitations--those in the mode of goodness, those in passion and those
in ignorance. An invitation accepted from a pure devotee is in the
mode of goodness, an invitation accepted from a person who is pious
but materially attached is in the mode of passion, and an invitation
accepted from a person who is materially very sinful is in the mode of
ignorance.

730506SB.LA                    Lectures                
  . So do not think that "We have made such nice, sumptuous plate for Krsna. Krsna must eat." No. There
is no such thing, "must." You cannot make Krsna must. That is not
possible. So Krsna will see how much you have love for Him. Then He
will accept. Otherwise He'll reject. Therefore, it is forbidden, those
who are nondevotee, those who are not initiated, those who are not
chanting regularly, their offering to Krsna will not be accepted. We
must be very careful. We must know our position, whether I am
sincerely following the principles of devotional service. Then Krsna
will accept. Yo me bhaktya prayacchati. The real thing is bhakti. So
either you offer Krsna prayers or you offer foodstuff, everything must
be along with bhakti, devotion, love. Then Krsna will accept.

Conclusion----Srila Prabhupada has said, spiritual life is like a razors edge !!

We have to be so careful and conscious , as he says above, of what we are doing....
Chant Hare Krsna and Be Happy !!
Damaghosa das