Qualifications of Acharya / Tribulations for a preacher [SP Quotes] 04 15 24

PADA: More ISKCON folks are watching PADA videos on youtube and so on, and we just got a nice report from some of them. We are making progress. 

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Qualifications of an Acharya [Mahesh Raja]

Bhagavad-gita 4.19 - Transcendental Knowledge

Articles Features Srila Prabhupada Guru tattva ISKCON Guru Fallacy News & Reports

Bhagavad-gita 4.19 - 

Transcendental Knowledge

Because the person in Krishna consciousness is devoid of all kinds of sense-gratificatory propensities, it is to be understood that he has burned up the reactions of his work by perfect knowledge of his constitutional position as the eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Nectar of Instruction 5

A madhyama-adhikari has received SPIRITUAL INITIATION from the spiritual master and has been FULLY ENGAGED BY HIM IN THE TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE OF THE LORD.

Antya 4.192 - Sanatana Gosvami Visits the Lord at Jagannatha Puri

DIKSA-KALE bhakta kare atma-samarpana
sei-kale krsna tare kare atma-sama

“AT THE TIME OF INITIATION, when a devotee fully surrenders unto the service of the Lord, Krishna accepts him to be as good as Himself.

Antya 4.193 - Sanatana Gosvami Visits the Lord at Jagannatha Puri
“When the devotee’s body is thus transformed into spiritual existence, the devotee, in that transcendental body, renders service to the lotus feet of the Lord.

Antya 4.194 - Sanatana Gosvami Visits the Lord at Jagannatha Puri
”The living entity who is subjected to birth and death, when he gives up all material activities dedicating his life to Me for executing My order, and thus acts according to My direction, at that time he reaches the platform OF IMMORTALITY, AND BECOMES FIT TO ENJOY THE SPIRITUAL BLISS OF EXCHANGE OF LOVING MELLOWS WITH ME.”

Antya 4.194 - Sanatana Gosvami Visits the Lord at Jagannatha Puri
This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.29.34). At the time of initiation, a devotee gives up all his material conceptions. THEREFORE, BEING IN TOUCH WITH THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, HE IS SITUATED ON THE TRANSCENDENTAL PLATFORM. THUS HAVING ATTAINED KNOWLEDGE AND THE SPIRITUAL PLATFORM, HE ALWAYS ENGAGES IN THE SERVICE OF THE SPIRITUAL BODY OF KRISHNA. 

When one is freed from material connections in this way, his body immediately becomes spiritual, and Krishna accepts His service. However, Krishna does not accept anything from a person with a material conception of life.

Note: ONLY a Mahabhagavata CAN TRANSFER Krishna in another's heart: DIKSHA
your constitutional position ETERNAL SERVITIOR (SVARUPA) IS REVEALED when YOU SEE Krishna. When it is dark you can NOT see who YOU are but when SUN comes out YOU can SEE who YOU are.

Srimad Bhagavatam 10.2.18 -

Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb

As indicated here by the word manastah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was TRANSFERRED from the core of Vasudeva’s mind or heart to the core of the heart of Devaki. We should note carefully that the Lord was transferred to Devaki not by the ordinary way for a human being, BUT BY DIKSHA, INITIATION. THUS THE IMPORTANCE OF INITIATION IS MENTIONED HERE. UNLESS ONE IS INITIATED BY THE RIGHT PERSON, WHO ALWAYS CARRIES WITHIN HIS HEART THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD, ONE CANNOT ACQUIRE THE POWER TO CARRY THE SUPREME GODHEAD WITHIN THE CORE OF ONE’S OWN HEART.

SB 4.29.79 - Talks Between Narada and King Pracinabarhi

SELF-REALIZATION, UNDERSTANDING ONESELF AS BRAHMAN, OR SPIRIT SOUL, IS VERY DIFFICULT IN THE MATERIAL CONDITION. However, if we accept the devotional service of the Lord, the Lord will gradually reveal Himself. In this way the progressive devotee will gradually realize his spiritual position. We cannot see anything in the darkness of night, not even our own selves, but when there is sunshine we can see not only the sun but everything within the world as well.

Lectures, April 27, 1974, Hyderabad

So actually, this is the problem of living entities. That knowledge can be acquired in the human form of life and it can be solved, not that simply we get the knowledge, but it can be solved. So therefore, real business of human life, to understand oneself, that is called self-realization, brahma-bhuta, and find out the remedy and act accordingly. 

That is the mission of human life. Not like to dance like cats and dogs with a nice dress. That is not human life. This is the subject matter of Bhagavad-gita, our whole Vedic instruction. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. This is God consciousness, Krishna consciousness, or self-realization. 

SELF-REALIZATION MEANS EITHER YOU SEE YOURSELF OR SEE THE SUPREME LORD, EITHER WAY. BUT WITHOUT SEEING THE SUPREME LORD, YOU CANNOT SEE YOURSELF. Just like without seeing the sun in the darkness… Just like it is now night. There is no sun. So I cannot see also. In darkness I cannot see also myself. But when there is sun in the morning, I can see the sun and I can see myself also. This is the theory. So if we want to understand ourselves rightly, that “I am spirit soul,” aham brahmasmi, then we must take to Krishna consciousness.

Letter: Vilasavigraha, January 22, 1969

IN REGARD TO YOUR NEXT QUESTION, SELF REALIZATION MEANS GOD REALIZATION, AND GOD REALIZATION MEANS SELF REALIZATION. JUST LIKE TO SEE THE SUN MEANS TO SEE ONESELF, AND TO SEE ONESELF MEANS TO SEE THE SUN. SELF REALIZATION DEPENDS COMPLETELY UPON GOD REALIZATION, OR ELSE IT IS NOT COMPLETE. ONE MUST KNOW HIS RELATIONSHIP TO THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH TO FULLY KNOW HIS POSITION.

Note: Srila Prabhupada gives Divya-jnana (DIKSHA). Divya means TRANSCENDENTAL and Jnana means KNOWLEDGE. Hrde means heart and prokasito means revealed just as in prakasa – manifested Krishna becomes manifest in the heart of the Pure Devotee.

Lectures, July 11, 1976, New York

Prabhupada: Divya-jnana hrde prokasito. What is that divya-jnana? Divya-jnana is that we are all SERVANT OF KRISHNA, and our only business is to serve Krishna. Divya-jnana. This is divya-jnana. It is not difficult at all. Simply we have… We have become servant of so many things -- servant of society, servant of community, servant of country, servant of wife, servant of children, servant of dog and so many. “Now let me become servant of Krishna.” THIS IS DIVYA-JNANA. DIKSA MEANS FROM THIS DIVYA-JNANA. That is di. And ksa means ksapayati, expands.

When at the stage of Madhyama Adhikari one is RECIPIENT of THAT Diksha in the HEART from SRILA PRABHUPADA he becomes a SERVANT OF KRISHNA. He relishes a particular mellow (Rasa) of his relationship with Krishna. This point HE SEES KRISHNA and HIS RELATIONSHIP (svarupa) is established. So it is not so CHEAP to be Diksha guru.

Madhya 8.83 - Talks Between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Ramananda Raya
The purport in presenting this verse necessitates explaining the comparative positions of the transcendental mellows known as SANTA, DASYA, SAKHYA, VATSALYA AND MADHURYA. All these rasas, or mellows, are situated on the TRANSCENDENTAL PLATFORM. Pure devotees take shelter of one of them and thus progress in spiritual life. 

ACTUALLY ONE CAN TAKE SHELTER OF SUCH SPIRITUAL MELLOWS ONLY WHEN ONE IS COMPLETELY UNCONTAMINATED BY MATERIAL ATTACHMENT. WHEN ONE IS COMPLETELY FREE FROM MATERIAL ATTACHMENT, THE FEELINGS OF THE TRANSCENDENTAL MELLOWS ARE AWAKENED IN THE HEART OF THE DEVOTEE. THAT IS SVARUPA-SIDDHI, THE PERFECTION OF ONE’S ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SUPREME LORD. 

Svarupa-siddhi, the eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, may be situated in one of the transcendental mellows.

Note: ONE spiritual master who CAN transfer Krishna in your heart is Maha-Bhagavata. Kanistha is incapable and Madhyama is the RECIPIENT of Diksha. Madhyama is MIDDLE stage so he does NOT give Diksha he is the RECIPIENT of Diksha.

Krishna Book 80 - The Meeting of Lord Krishna with Sudama Brahmana
Our next spiritual master is he who initiates us into transcendental knowledge, and he is to be worshiped as much as I am. The spiritual master may be more than one. 

The spiritual master who instructs the disciples about spiritual matters is called shiksha-guru, and the spiritual master who initiates the disciple is called diksha-guru. Both of them are My representatives. THERE MAY BE MANY SPIRITUAL MASTERS WHO INSTRUCT, BUT THE INITIATOR SPIRITUAL MASTER IS ONE.

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**Topic**-Tribulation in the Service of Krsna - the Cost of Successful Preaching.......

Prabhupada: So when I was publishing this Back to Godhead from Delhi, one day one bull thrashed me, and I fell down on the footpath and I got severe injury. I was alone. So I was thinking, "What is this?" So I had many days of very tribulations, but it was all meant for good. So don't be afraid of tribulations. You see? Go forward. Krsna will give you protection. That is Krsna's promise in the Bhagavad-gita. [Bg. 9.31]

[He quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. O son of Kunti, declare it boldly that My devotee never perishes.]>>> Ref. VedaBase => Lecture -- April 17, 1969, New York

Prabhupada: One who has taken Krsna as the Supreme Lord, Krsna as the Supreme Person, he has to tolerate so many things -- so many criticism, so many tribulations.>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 7.1 -- January 13, 1973, Bombay

Prabhupada: Because a devotee has to suffer so many tribulation. That is the history of all devotees. But he's never angry. He's never angry. Then he falls down. Just like Lord Jesus Christ. He was being crucified; he still, he was praying, "God, these people, they do not know what they are doing." Never angry. If he becomes angry, then who he'll preach? >>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 -- April 13, 1975, Hyderabad

Prabhupada: This is maya's arrangement. Maya, as soon as she sees that "This man is going out of my hand," she will put so many tribulations, and we have to tolerate them.>>> Ref. VedaBase => Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.32 -- November 19, 1976, Vrndavana

Prabhupada: So in every kind of miseries we have to depend on Krishna and we should not be too much disturbed when such miseries come upon us. You have shown very great example in sticking yourself to chanting Hare Krishna while you were in tribulation. Follow this practice all along your life, and surely Krishna will accept you into the Kingdom of God, Back to Godhead.

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Upendra -- Los Angeles 13 February, 1968

Prabhupada: A devotee is pleased when there is difficulty, for in these difficulties he is forced to remember Krsna. We cannot expect that the people of Kali-yuga will welcome our attempt to spread Krsna consciousness. It is just like a lunatic asylum: The patients are running around madly and when the doctor tries to give them treatment, they insist that they are not crazy. Sometimes the patient even strikes the doctor. So our task is like that. We cannot stand to see people suffering due to ignorance.>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: German Disciples -- Bombay May 6, 1977

Prabhupada: So devotees, even they are in distressed condition, they know, "It has come due to my bad activities in the past. It will go away. Let me suffer and finish it." Just like if you become, all of a sudden, infected with some disease. So what? You'll go mad? No. You know that "I have infected this disease. Let me suffer a few days. It will go." That's all. This is the mentality of the devotees. They are not disturbed. And if he's not disturbed, then he's fit for becoming liberated.>>> Ref. VedaBase => Room Conversation -- September 18, 1973, Bombay

Prabhupada: Caitanya Mahaprabhu advises We must be tolerant like the tree and humble like the blade of grass. Such persons can chant the Hare Krishna mantra and preach. In Bombay we are undergoing so many tribulations. What can be done?>>> Ref. VedaBase => Letter to: Subala -- Bombay 25 November, 1974