View source for Severe penances (Conversations)

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[[Category:Severe Penances|1]]
[[Category:Compilations from Conversations]]
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<div id="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="section" sec_index="5" parent="compilation" text="Conversations and Morning Walks"><h2>Conversations and Morning Walks</h2>
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<div id="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="7" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1974 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1974 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="MorningWalkApril101974Bombay_0" class="quote" parent="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="59" link="Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay" link_text="Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay|Morning Walk -- April 10, 1974, Bombay]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Dr. Patel: (Hindi) ...he worships like anything. Then he... We have an assembly, and they passed by majority vote that I should refrain from coming here, but I somehow or other came.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: But I saw and offer my obeisances to your motorcar. (laughter) I was thinking that "Dr. Patel's representative, the car is here."</p>
<p>Dr. Patel: (Hindi) Because we are trained to all the accredited saints of India, to whatever opinion...</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: Our business is to point out who is not a saint.</p>
<p>Dr. Patel: But don't point us out. We want the tree to be a saint.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That is our business. Preacher must be. (Hindi) (break) ...can I speak something? Because their position is to take Ramakrishna as a saintly person. Saintly person there may be. Just like Rāvaṇa. He also underwent severe penances, but just to fulfill his personal desire, or Rāvaṇa was so devotee of Lord Śiva that he was cutting his head and offering to the Deity. Is it? You know, everyone?</p>
<p>Dr. Patel: Yes.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So why he is called rākṣasa, not a saintly person? What is the reason?</p>
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<div id="MorningWalkApril131974Bombay_1" class="quote" parent="1974_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="62" link="Morning Walk -- April 13, 1974, Bombay" link_text="Morning Walk -- April 13, 1974, Bombay">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Morning Walk -- April 13, 1974, Bombay|Morning Walk -- April 13, 1974, Bombay]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Prabhupāda: All the leaders.</p>
:piśācī paile yena mati-cchana haya
:māyār grasta jīvera se dāsa upajaya
<p>(break) ...must have undergone severe austerities and penances and developed his spiritual consciousness. Then he can be priest. Not any man with a sacred thread and ganta, belling, becomes a priest. (break) ...priestly class, all rotten class. In Christian world also—drunkards, nonsense, woman-hunters, and they are priests. So also in India. Any man with a two paisa worth sacred thread, he becomes a brāhmaṇa and priest. How the people will be guided? The priest... The exact Sanskrit name is purohita, who can actually...</p>
<p>Indian Man (1): Puru bhagata.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: No, not puru bhag. Pura, yes, purabhaga, for welfare. By his advice... Just like Gargamuni is called for the advice, future of the child.</p>
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<div id="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="9" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1976 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1976 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="RoomConversationwithLifeMemberMrMalhotraDecember221976Poona_0" class="quote" parent="1976_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="350" link="Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona" link_text="Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona|Room Conversation with Life Member, Mr. Malhotra -- December 22, 1976, Poona]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Mr. Malhotra: To tells to others that they saw something.</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: That's it. Similarly you will find the so-called sannyāsīs, not bhaktas, they undergo severe austerities, penances, but after some time they come to the worldly atmosphere. Because they could not get any place, therefore they come down. Just like the Māyāvādī sannyāsīs they say that this duniyā, (world) jagat mithyā. If jagat is mithyā, you have left it, then why you come again to give some philanthropic service? If it is mithyā, then why you come again after so much? Is it not nonsense? If jagat is mithyā why you are coming again to this mithyā? That means you could not get place in the satya. Therefore you come down again. That is stated in the śāstra. Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padam ([[Vanisource:SB 10.2.32|SB 10.2.32]]). Although with severe austerities and penances (he) might go to the paraṁ pada, patanty adhaḥ, anādṛta-yuṣmad, because he could not get shelter at the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, he falls down. He must fall down to the material activities. Patanty adhaḥ. That is adho patha. As soon as a person, after undergoing severe austerities, becomes very highly elevated in the sannyāsa stage, but if he cannot get shelter at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, then surely he shall fall down for these material activities, material enjoyment. That is the sign that he's fallen down.</p>
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<div id="1977_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" class="sub_section" sec_index="10" parent="Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" text="1977 Conversations and Morning Walks"><h3>1977 Conversations and Morning Walks</h3>
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<div id="EveningDarsanaMay151977Hrishikesh_0" class="quote" parent="1977_Conversations_and_Morning_Walks" book="Con" index="171" link="Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh" link_text="Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh">
<span class="link">[[Vanisource:Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh|Evening Darsana -- May 15, 1977, Hrishikesh]]: </span><div class="text"><p style="display: inline;">Tamāla Kṛṣṇa: "Kṛṣṇa is light..." "Godhead is light. Nescience is darkness. Where there is Godhead, there is no nescience."</p>
<p>Prabhupāda: So this is direct process. Because Kali-yuga, they cannot actually undergo severe austerities, penances, vairāgya. Little difficult. Not difficult. Very difficult. But that is a special concession for this age. Because we are very fallen, we cannot undergo severe austerities, penances, yamena niyamena vā, brahmacarya. Very, very difficult. So Bhāgavata, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, recommends that "Kali-yuga is full of faults." Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājan: "It is a ocean of fault. But there is one great opportunity." Kaler doṣa-nidhe rājann asti hy eko mahān guṇaḥ. Specially for this age. What is that? Kīrtanād eva kṛṣṇasya mukta-saṅgaḥ param: ([[Vanisource:SB 12.3.51|SB 12.3.51]]) "Simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa he can become liberated and go back to home, back to God..."</p>
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