Category Archives: A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Back to Godhead Magizine

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Back to Godhead Magizine

Back to Godhead Magizine

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Whenever I get nostalgic for the ‘old days’ of the Hare Krishna Movement, I re-examine the old Back to Godhead Magazines. There are a number of very good web sites where one can re-visit the whole collection of Back to Godhead Magazines. We will share with you all, some of these amazing sites.

http://btg.iskcondesiretree.com/ This is my personal favorite. All the text and images from back issues are available.

http://www.backtogodhead.in/ This is the official Krishna.com site

http://back2godhead.com/ This site is an off shoot of the Krishna.org site

http://www.prabhupada-books.de/btg-magazin.html This site offers the reader to read them in either English or German

http://www.krishnapath.org/free-ebooks-audiobooks-of-srila-prabhupada/back-to-godhead-magazine-in-pdf/ This offering is from Krishnapath.org

http://theharekrishnamovement.org/category/back-to-godhead-2/ And this one is, of course, my other site.

There are many ways to enjoy or research the back issues of Back to Godhead Magazine. We hope you will take advantage of all the work done by these various web masters, allowing us to take advantage of this most beautiful gift by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Radha and Krishna

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A Short Sketch of the Life and Teachings of Lord Caitanya

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Lord Caitanya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu

In the modern age Lord Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu preached the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam by practical demonstration. It is easier to penetrate into the topics of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam through the medium of Śrī Caitanya’s causeless mercy. Therefore a short sketch of His life and precepts is inserted herein to help the reader understand the real merit of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

It is imperative that one learn the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam from the person Bhāgavatam. The person Bhāgavatam is one whose very life is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam in practice. Since Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu is the Absolute Personality of Godhead, He is both Bhagavān and Bhāgavatam in person and in sound. Therefore His process of approaching the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is practical for all people of the world. It was His wish that the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam be preached in every nook and corner of the world by those who happened to take their birth in India.

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Vṛndāvana Bhajana

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Poetry of Srila Prabhupada

Prabhupada Damodara

Written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1958,
Published December of that Year in Gauḍīya Patrika,
The Magazine of the Gauḍīya Vedānta Samiti.

Verse 1.

I am sitting alone in Vṛndāvana-dhāma
In this mood I am getting many realizations.
I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,
But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.
Kṛṣṇa has shown me the naked form of material nature,
By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.
yasyāham anugṛhṇāmi hariṣye tad-dhanaṁ śanaiḥ
“I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful.”
How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?

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The Welfare of Others

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness, Srimad Bhagavatam, Vaisnava Devotee

315_-_BTG_Year-2000_Volume-34_Number-03_Page_12-1

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The following verse from the Srimad-Bhagavatam describes the qualities of a Vaiṣṇava, devotee of the Lord

May there be good fortune throughout the universe, and may all envious persons be pacified. May all living entities become calm by practicing bhakti-yoga, for by accepting devotional service they will think of each other’s welfare. Therefore let us all engage in the service of the supreme transcendence, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and always remain absorbed in thought of Him. (Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.18.9)

…Just like a desire tree, a Vaiṣṇava can fulfill all the desires of anyone who takes shelter of his lotus feet… he prays not for himself, but for all living entities—the gentle, the envious and the mischievous…This is the attitude of a Vaiṣṇava, who always thinks of the welfare of the entire universe.

…If the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement spreads all over the world, and if by the grace of Kṛṣṇa everyone accepts it, the thinking of envious people will change. Everyone will think of the welfare of others. (from purport)

full verse and purport Continue reading →

Srimad Bhagwatam (Free PDF Download)

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Books by Srila Prabhupada, Srimad Bhagavatam, Srimad-Bhagwatam

Srila Prabhupada with the Original Srimad-Bhawatam

Srimad Bhagwatam
By Tridani Goswami A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami

For a free download of these Original Srimad Bhagwatam’s please click on following links, please allow a few moments for them to load and then you can view or save them.

Click on following link to download Srimad-Bhagwtam First Canto, Vol. 1 Srimad Bhagwatam Vol. 1

Click on following link to download Srimad-Bhagwtam First Canto, Vol. 2 Srimad Bhagwatam Vol. 2

Click on following link to download Srimad-Bhagwtam First Canto, Vol. 3 Srimad Bhagwatam Vol.3

Srimad Bhagwatam

Srila Prabhupada On Chanting Hare Krishna

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Chanting Hare Krishna, Mantra Meditation, Philosophy of Krishna Consciousness

Srila Prabhupada chanting in park

Srila Prabhupada On Chanting Hare Krishna

As explained on the cover of the record album, this transcendental vibration– by chanting of Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare– is the sublime method for reviving our Krsna consciousness. As living spiritual souls we are all originally Krsna conscious entities, but due to our asociation with matter since time immemorial, our consciousness is now poluted by material atmosphere. In this polluted concept of life, we are all trying to exploit the resources of material nature, but actually we are becoming more and more entangled in our complexities.

This illusion is called maya, or hard struggle for existence over the stringent laws of material nature. This illusory struggle against the material nature can at once be stopped by revival of our Krsna consciousness.

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Sri Bhagavan

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavan, Krishna, Krsna

Krishna France

I still remember very clearly when I opened the book Raja-Vida by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, back in the early 70’s and read the first page…and Srila Prabhupada described very simply the definition of God…

śrī bhagavān uvāca

idaṁ tu te guhyatamaṁ
pravakṣyāmy anasūyave
jñānaṁ vijñāna-sahitaṁ
yaj jñātvā mokṣyase ’śubhāt

“The Supreme Lord said: My dear Arjuna, because you are never envious of Me, I shall impart to you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you shall be relieved of the miseries of material existence.” (Bg. 9.1)

The opening words of the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā indicate that the Supreme Godhead is speaking. Here Śrī Kṛṣṇa is referred to as Bhagavān. Bhaga means opulences, and vān means one who possesses. We have some conception of God, but in the Vedic literature there are definite descriptions and definitions of what is meant by God, and what is meant is described in one word—Bhagavān. Bhagavān possesses all opulences, the totality of knowledge, wealth, power, beauty, fame and renunciation. When we find someone who possesses these opulences in full, we are to know that he is God. There are many rich, wise, famous, beautiful and powerful men, but no one man can claim to possess all of these opulences. Only Kṛṣṇa claims to possess them in totality. (Raja-Vidya, Chapter One)

This was my first real introduction to Krishna Consciousness, and it was enough to convince me that Krishna was God. And that Srila Prabhupada was my spiritual master.

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The Symptoms of a Sadhu

Posted on by under A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Sadhu, Srimad Bhagavatam

Srila Prabhupada

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The symptoms of a sādhu are that he is tolerant, merciful and friendly to all living entities. He has no enemies, he is peaceful, he abides by the scriptures, and all his characteristics are sublime. (SB. 3,25,21)

A sādhu, as described above, is a devotee of the Lord. His concern, therefore, is to enlighten people in devotional service to the Lord. That is his mercy. He knows that without devotional service to the Lord, human life is spoiled. A devotee travels all over the country, from door to door, preaching, “Be Kṛṣṇa conscious. Be a devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. Don’t spoil your life in simply fulfilling your animal propensities. Human life is meant for self-realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” These are the preachings of a sādhu. He is not satisfied with his own liberation. He always thinks about others. He is the most compassionate personality towards all the fallen souls. (from purport)

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