A Day in the Life of Srila Prabhupada - February 21

February 20 - February 22

Srila Prabhupada's letters, lectures and conversations throughout consecutive years

Click on the year dates to go to the Timeline of Srila Prabhupada's Life for that year.

The Days in the Life of Srila Prabhupada presents 2200+ of his lectures; 905+ of his conversations; 490+ of his morning walks; 65+ of his interviews and 6,570+ of his letters.

This listing covers all available material and includes:

10,300+ links to Vanisource - our repository of all of Srila Prabhupada's words;
450+ short audio clips - Nectar Drops from Srila Prabhupada sprinkled throughout the months;
1,080 short video clips extracted from lectures, conversations, morning walks and interviews, with subtitles in up to 88 languages, sprinkled throughout the months;
13,350+ concise statements, drawn from Srila Prabhupada's lectures, conversations and letters, highlighted within quoteboxes;
For further study on the different subjects addressed, each statement links to the various categories in our thematic section of Vanipedia named Vaniquotes.

These statements from the Days in the Life of Srila Prabhupada offer unparalleled insights into his devotional character; his vision to re-spiritualize human society; his dedication to translate, publish & distribute his books; his expertise to tirelessly lead & manage his worldwide movement; his empowered ability to encourage, care for, train & clearly communicate the disciplines he expects from all his disciples as he engages them in their pursuit of Krsna consciousness & performance of missionary activities. Through all these situations one can also experience how Srila Prahhupada consistently represents the pure teachings of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates.

See also: A Month in the Life of Srila Prabhupada.

1957 - February 21

Letter to K. M. Munshi written from Bombay

vanipedia.org

The Mayavadi philosophy having killed the spiritual variegatedness of the Supreme Being—the people are generally attracted in the variegatedness of material existence. In the vedanta sutras, we have direct information of how a spiritual entity is joyful—full of spiritual bliss. This idea of enjoyment is focussed through a material _ and as such the spiritual focus is reflected in a perverted manner.

1967 - February 21

Letter to Brahmananda written from San Francisco

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I am glad to know that the "Happiness On Second Avenue" film has come out very happy.

Letter to Gargamuni written from San Francisco

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Since Neal is not available here, I am sending the recorded tapes to New York for typing as you have the Dictaphone there.

Letter to Rayarama written from San Francisco

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Unless there is written order by me Back to Godhead should regularly be printed from New York. There is no question of its being printed here. So go on printing it right time. You can send the copies here with bill and I shall see that it is duly paid.

1968 - February 21

Letter to Jadurani written from Los Angeles

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In my opinion your guiding the girls working under you for painting is very important, and if this business doesn't suffer, you can think of going to S.F. for organizing the asrama. If all the Brahmacarini's gather together and work under your guidance, at any place, I will prefer that proposition.

Letter to Mr. David J. Exley written from Los Angeles

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It is not a sectarian movement meant for a certain class of men, but it is a necessary movement for all humanity irrespective of caste, creed, or color. So far I am concerned, I am a humble disciple of His Divine Grace, Om Visnupad Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Maharaja, who was the original pioneer of spreading this movement in the Western world.

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I am recognized Acarya of this movement, as will be evidenced by the enclosed copies of different branches of the Gaudiya Math institutions. The certificates enclosed herewith are signed by my God-brothers, who have now different branches of the same Gaudiya Math Institution which I am now spreading in this country.

Letter to Satsvarupa written from Los Angeles

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Yes, the general principle is that one is sent to the particular type of hell, and when he is practiced to suffer the hellish condition, he is given a similar body as reaction. These hell planets are described in the 5th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam; there is no question of imagination. One who is particular about this may read the different descriptions of hells in the 5th Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

1969 - February 21

Lecture BG 06.46-47 - Los Angeles

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Bhakti-yoga is the highest platform of yoga principles. So Kṛṣṇa says here, "And of all yogis." There are different kinds of yogis. "Of all yogis, he who always abides in Me," - in Kṛṣṇa. Me means, Kṛṣṇa says "in Me." That means one who is keeping always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. "Abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga, and is the highest of all."

vanipedia.org

At the right moment, his spiritual master said through that prostitute, "Oh, you are so much attached with this flesh and bone. If you had been attached so much with Kṛṣṇa, how good you could have achieved." Immediately he took to that position. So that responsibility is for the spiritual master. But we should not take advantage of that. That is not very good. We should try: yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ. We should not try to put our spiritual master in a position that he has to reclaim me from prostitute's house. But he has to do it. Because he accepts his disciple, he has got the responsibility like that.

vanipedia.org

Those who have lost their sense, bewildered by lust, they go to worship demigods, with a motive. So when we speak of worship, there is motive. But when we speak of service, there is no motive. Service is love. Just like mother renders service to the child. There is no motive. It is love only.

vanipedia.org

We have fallen down. Being rebelled against the principles of God consciousness, we are all fallen down. So if we want to revive our original position, we must be placed again into that service attitude. That is the perfect cure. Otherwise we shall suffer pain and God will be suffering pain on account of us. Just like if your son is not good, you suffer and the son suffers.

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Without knowing the supreme position of the Lord. Cheaply, cheaply they select God. God has become so cheap. "I am God, you are God." What is the meaning of God? Do you know? If I am God, you are God, then what is the meaning of God?

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In the Vedas also it is said: simply through bhakti, devotional service, you can attain to the highest perfectional stage. Other yoga system there must be mixture of bhakti. But bhakti-yoga is unadulterated devotion. Therefore this direct process of bhakti-yoga is recommended for this age, because they haven't got sufficient time to execute all the paraphernalia, any other system of yoga.

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Hare means addressing the energy of the Lord; and Kṛṣṇa, the Lord; Rāma, the Lord. Why? Please engage me in your service, that's all. That should be the demand. Please engage me in Your service. Because the whole disease is that we have forgotten to serve God. Because we are thinking, "I am God. What is any other God that I have to serve? I am myself God." That is the only disease.

vanipedia.org

I am giving them the right information - that service you have to render. But instead of serving your senses, please serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then you'll be happy. Your position of servant remains the same, but I'm offering a good service. If you don't serve Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, then you have to serve your senses, māyā. So your service position will remain.

vanipedia.org

A devotee in love, wants to love Kṛṣṇa in His original form. This Viśvarūpa is not His original form. He can appear in any form, that is His all-potency. But the lovable form is Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmasundara.

vanipedia.org

Prabhupāda: By bhakti-yoga you can understand Lord, the Supreme Lord, God. But in Buddha philosophy there is no God? That you know? So where is bhakti-yoga?
Devotee: In the case of Christians, some of them worship Jesus Christ.
Prabhupāda: That is bhakti-yoga. Because they accept God. Unless you accept God there is no question of bhakti-yoga. So Christian religion is also Vaiṣṇavism, because they accept God.

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"Why should I act in such a way that my spiritual master has to take the trouble to reclaim me again? Let my business be finished in this life." That should be the right way of thinking. Not that, "Oh I am sure my spiritual master will come, let me do all nonsense." No. So if you have got any, I mean to say, affection for the spiritual master, then you should finish your business in this life so that he may not come again to reclaim you.

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Every conditioned soul has natural inclination. Pravṛtti. But one has to control that. That is human life. If you put yourself in the waves of natural inclination, that is not human life. You have to restrict. The whole human life is meant for learning restriction. That is human life.

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Samādhi means to absorb the mind with Viṣṇu. That is samādhi. So if you absorb your mind with Kṛṣṇa then it is samādhi.

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You have got all the instruments with you. You haven't got to purchase or hire from anywhere. You have got the tongue and you have got the ear. Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and use this instrument to hear. Finished. All perfection is there.

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They formally say "God is great." But, when actually he thinks, "Oh, how much great He should be? I cannot do this. How Kṛṣṇa can do." But formally, "Oh, God is great." They have no idea how far God is great. That we'll find in Bhagavad-gītā. Therefore the superexcellence of this science of God. Akhilātma-bhūtaḥ (BS 5.37). If you want to know how God is great then you have to take reference of this Vedic literature. No other literature.

vanipedia.org

It is medical advice, that there are two kinds of mistakes in eating. Over-eating and under-eating. So under-eating mistake for old man is very good. And over-eating mistake for boys, that is good. So you can overeat. I cannot.

vanipedia.org

Being rebelled against the principles of God consciousness, we are all fallen down. So if we want to revive our original position, we must be placed again into that service attitude. That is the perfect cure. Otherwise we shall suffer pain, and God will be suffering pain on account of us. Just like if your son is not good, you suffer and the son suffers. Similarly, we are all sons of God. So when we are painful, God is also painful. The best thing is to revive our original Kṛṣṇa consciousness and be engaged in the service of the Lord. That is natural life, and that is possible in the spiritual sky or in the Goloka Vṛndāvana.

Letter to Arundhati written from Los Angeles

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Your desire to serve me is very praiseworthy. But because I am the humble servant of Krishna I cannot accept any service on my account. So what I say you follow so you may advance in Krishna Consciousness. That is your service and I accept it on behalf of Krishna. This is a very good attitude, and your wish to serve me actually means to serve Krishna.

Letter to Hansadutta written from Los Angeles

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So far as the bowing down in Deity worship, before opening the door you should bow down. Then turn on the light and bow down again. There is no restriction on bowing down. As many times as you can is all right. Of course, your clothes and under garments should always be as clean as possible.

Letter to Syama written from Los Angeles

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Regarding the ailments with your finger, I am describing here a treatment for it. Take turmeric powder and add the same quantity of limestone. Then mix with water and boil it to a paste. Then apply that paste while it is hot. I understand that Hayagriva had some backache so for him you take one part of a crushed to a powder red-pepper and add to it five parts of rubbing alcohol. Keep this for twenty four hours, then strain and add one part camphor. When it is mixed, just apply it on the painful part of the back three times daily.

1970 - February 21

Letter to Manmohini written from Los Angeles

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You know that as my initiated disciple you must chant regularly sixteen rounds of beads daily and follow the four restrictions; namely no eating of meats, fish or eggs; no illicit sex life; no taking of any kinds of intoxicants; and no gambling or mental speculation. If you stick to these principles and chant the Holy Name avoiding the ten offenses in the matter of chanting you will become steady and rapidly advanced in Krsna Consciousness.

Letter to Syamasundara written from Los Angeles

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Every living entity has a dormant propensity of love for somebody else. That is exhibited not only in human society, but also in the animal society. That love is exhibited primarily in five kinds of relationship—especially as master and servant, as friend and friend, as parents and children, and as lover and beloved. This stock of love in every living entity is dormant eternal love for Krsna, but because the living entity has forgotten Krsna since a very, very long time, even before this creation was manifested, therefore all of us are misplacing that dormant love in a perverted way.

1971 - February 21

Letter to Citsukhananda written from Gorakhpur

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It is very good news that your Temple has attracted so many sincere, intelligent and enthusiastic devotees. Please see them all trained nicely in devotional service and let them continue to follow the regulative principles and work on patiently. Patience is required for the successful discharges of Krsna conscious duties. Krsna is pleased to award benediction upon the aspiring devotee engaged in His service with patience determination and regularity.

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Patience is required for the successful discharges of Krsna conscious duties. Krsna is pleased to award benediction upon the aspiring devotee engaged in His service with patience determination and regularity.

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It is our main consideration in the development of our centers that the people should be attracted to this Krsna consciousness Movement one way or another. So we inform them of Lord Caitanya's sublime message which easily enables any man to overcome the difficulties of materialistic existences and graduate to the pure transcendental platform where he finds shelter from the ravages of birth, death, disease and old-age.

1972 - February 21

Lecture at Andhra College - Visakhapatnam

Nectar Drops from Srila Prabhupada

"Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad-gītā says;

māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya

ye 'pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ

striya vaiśyās tathāśūdrās

te 'pi yānti parāṁ gatim

(BG 9.32)

The thing is one has to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness then it doesn’t matter where he is born. He can be elevated to the highest position of transcendental life."

720221 - Lecture at Andhra College - Visakhapatnam

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These boys and girls although their father are atheist by nature they have come out very theist, high class God conscious students. So there is no question of disappointment if we take to the process the asuras can be changed into suras or devata.

Letter to Bhakta dasa written from Calcutta

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I especially appreciate your attitude toward increasing more and more the sales of our books, that will sanctify all other activities of preaching because preaching means selling books.

Letter to Unknown written from Calcutta

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There is a Bengali proverb "When you pay the price it becomes purified", just like if I purchase something and it is unclean in so many ways, but, because I have paid, it becomes purified.

Letter to Vaikunthanatha written from Calcutta

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You may send to ISKCON Press for any small literatures which are available, such as "Easy Journey" and "Topmost Yoga." I am told that ISKCON Press has recently printed a large stock of these two books.

1973 - February 21

Lecture BG 02.13 - Auckland

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This Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is meant for creating some brāhmaṇas, or the most intelligent class of men. There is no hindrance. Anyone can become brāhmaṇa. Just like in education anyone can become engineer, anyone can become medical practitioner or anyone can become lawyer if he takes such education from the very beginning, similarly, brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, śūdra, there are natural division of the society.

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We commit mistake. Every one of us who are sitting in this meeting, nobody can say that "I have never committed any mistake." That is not possible. We commit mistake, everyone. We commit mistakes and we are sometimes illusioned. Illusioned. That we can make experiment, that every one of us at the present moment is illusioned. How it is? That I have...I am not this body, but I am accepting this body as "I am." The whole world is—I may say whole world, but at least the majority portion—everyone is under the impression that "I am this body." But I am not this body. I am soul.

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If you inquire whether I am perfect or my disciples who are preaching this Krsna conscious movement, they are perfect, we may be imperfect. We are imperfect. We accept we are imperfect. But we are distributing the perfect knowledge.

Lecture SB 06.01.13-15 - Auckland

Nectar Drops from Srila Prabhupada

"It is the duty of the father, it is the duty of the mother, it is the duty of the government, the state, to raise the children very nicely. Now how horrible civilization it is that instead of raising them to perfect their human life they are being killed in the womb. Oh, how much horrible civilization this is, just imagine. It is simply horrible to think that the duty of the parents is to raise the child to the highest perfection of life; instead of doing that they are being killed in the womb of the mother."

730221 - Lecture SB 06.01.13-15 - Auckland