Valuable instructions

Expressions researched:
"valuable instructions" |"valuable instruction" |"instructions of a devotee is more valuable" |"instructions are valuable" |"instructions are very valuable" |"instruction is valuable" |"instructions, very valuable" |"instructions are so valuable" |"instruction. They're very valuable" |"instruction is very valuable" |"instruction given by Narada was valuable"

SB Canto 1

Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching.

SB 1.13.28, Purport: One can compensate for a life of frustration by becoming a dhīra, or leaving home for good without communicating with relatives, and Vidura advised his eldest brother to adopt this way without delay because very quickly the age of Kali was approaching. A conditioned soul is already degraded by the material association, and still in the Kali-yuga the good qualities of a man will deteriorate to the lowest standard. He was advised to leave home before Kali-yuga approached because the atmosphere which was created by Vidura, his valuable instructions on the facts of life, would fade away due to the influence of the age which was fast approaching. To become narottama, or a first-class human being depending completely on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, is not possible for any ordinary man. It is stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28) that a person who is completely relieved of all taints of sinful acts can alone depend on the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead. Dhṛtarāṣṭra was advised by Vidura at least to become a dhīra in the beginning if it were impossible for him to become a sannyāsī or a narottama. Persistently endeavoring on the line of self-realization helps a person to rise to the conditions of a narottama from the stage of a dhīra. The dhīra stage is attained after prolonged practice of the yoga system, but by the grace of Vidura one can attain the stage immediately simply by willing to adopt the means of the dhīra stage, which is the preparatory stage for sannyāsa. The sannyāsa stage is the preparatory stage of paramahaṁsa, or the first-grade devotee of the Lord.

SB Canto 3

The brāhmaṇas would give their valuable instruction to the royal order on how the state and the citizens can gradually be elevated in spiritual perfection.

SB 3.21.56, Purport: When a guest comes to a friend's house, it is understood that there is some special purpose. Kardama Muni could understand that such a great king as Svāyambhuva, although traveling to inspect the condition of his kingdom, must have had some special purpose to come to his hermitage. Thus he prepared himself to fulfill the King's desire. Formerly it was customary that the sages used to go to the kings and the kings used to visit the sages in their hermitages; each was glad to fulfill the other's purpose. This reciprocal relationship is called bhakti-kārya. There is a nice verse describing the relationship of mutual beneficial interest between the brāhmaṇa and the kṣatriya (kṣatraṁ dvijatvam). Kṣatram means "the royal order," and dvijatvam means "the brahminical order." The two were meant for mutual interest. The royal order would give protection to the brāhmaṇas for the cultivation of spiritual advancement in society, and the brāhmaṇas would give their valuable instruction to the royal order on how the state and the citizens can gradually be elevated in spiritual perfection.

SB Canto 4

Dhruva Mahārāja was confident that the instruction given by Nārada was valuable, yet he could not accept it.

SB 4.8.35, Purport: In Bhagavad-gītā it is said that persons who are actually advanced in spiritual life do not care for the dual behavior of this material world. But Dhruva Mahārāja frankly admitted that he was not beyond the affliction of material distress and happiness. He was confident that the instruction given by Nārada was valuable, yet he could not accept it. The question raised here is whether or not a person afflicted by material desires is fit to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The answer is that everyone is fit to worship Him. Even if one has many material desires to fulfill, he should take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and worship the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa, who is so merciful that He fulfills everyone's desires. Through this narration it will become very clear that no one is barred from worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, even if one has many material desires.

SB 4.8.36, Translation: My dear lord, I am very impudent for not accepting your instructions, but this is not my fault. It is due to my having been born in a kñatriya family. My stepmother, Suruci, has pierced my heart with her harsh words. Therefore your valuable instruction does not stand in my heart.

SB Canto 5

In the next chapter, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva gives His sons these valuable instructions.

SB 5.4.19, Purport: The instructions of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva to His sons are very valuable if one wants to live peacefully within this world, which is full of miseries. In the next chapter, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva gives His sons these valuable instructions.

SB Canto 7

Cāṇakya Paṇḍita gives a very valuable instruction: when there are no fights between husband and wife, the goddess of fortune automatically comes to the home.

SB 7.11.25, Purport: It is very important for peaceful householder life that a woman follow the vow of her husband. Any disagreement with the husband's vow will disrupt family life. In this regard, Cāṇakya Paṇḍita gives a very valuable instruction: dampatyoḥ kalaho nāsti tatra śrīḥ svayam āgatāḥ. When there are no fights between husband and wife, the goddess of fortune automatically comes to the home. A woman's education should be conducted along the lines indicated in this verse. The basic principle for a chaste woman is to be always favorably disposed toward her husband. In Bhagavad-gītā (1.40) it is said, strīṣu duṣṭāsu vārṣṇeya jāyate varṇa-saṅkaraḥ: if the women are polluted, there will be varṇa-saṅkara population. In modern terms, the varṇa-saṅkara are the hippies, who do not follow any regulative injunctions.

SB Canto 9

Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.

SB 9.4.63, Purport: All the great stalwart personalities in the universe, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, are fully under the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully under the control of His devotee. Why is this? Because the devotee is anyābhilāṣitā-śūnya; in other words, he has no material desires in his heart. His only desire is to think always of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and how to serve Him best. Because of this transcendental qualification, the Supreme Lord is extremely favorable to the devotees—indeed, not only the devotees, but also the devotees of the devotees. Śrīla Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says, chāḍiyā vaiṣṇava-sevā nistāra pāyeche kebā: without being a devotee of a devotee, one cannot be released from material entanglement. Therefore Caitanya Mahāprabhu identified Himself as gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ [Cc. Madhya 13.80]. Thus he instructed us to become not directly servants of Kṛṣṇa but servants of the servant of Kṛṣṇa. Devotees like Brahmā, Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva Gosvāmī are directly servants of Kṛṣṇa, and one who becomes a servant of Nārada, Vyāsadeva and Śukadeva, like the six Gosvāmīs, is still more devoted. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura therefore says, yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādaḥ: ** if one very sincerely serves the spiritual master, Kṛṣṇa certainly becomes favorable to such a devotee. Following the instructions of a devotee is more valuable than following the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.

CC Adi-lila

Verses from the Bhagavad-gītā or any other Vedic literature give valuable instructions on the occasion of someone’s passing away.

CC Adi 16.23, Purport: “As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.” Such verses from the Bhagavad-gītā or any other Vedic literature give valuable instructions on the occasion of someone’s passing away. By discussing such instructions from the Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a sober man can certainly understand that the soul never dies but rather passes from one body to another. This is called transmigration of the soul. A soul comes into this material world and creates bodily relationships with a father, a mother, sisters, brothers, a wife and children, but all these relationships pertain to the body, not the soul. Therefore, as described in the Bhagavad-gītā, dhīras tatra na muhyati: one who is sober is not disturbed by such phenomenal changes within this material world. Such instructions are called tattva-kathā, or real truth.

Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead

Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied to Akrura, "I can understand that your instructions are valuable."

Krsna Book 49: Akrūra continued: “My dear Dhṛtarāṣṭra, I beg to advise you not to be blind to the facts of material existence. Material, conditioned life, either in distress or in happiness, is to be accepted as a dream. One should try to bring his mind and senses under control and live peacefully for spiritual advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.” In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that except for persons in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, everyone is always disturbed in mind and full of anxiety. Even those trying for liberation, or merging into the Brahman effulgence, or the yogīs who try to achieve perfection in mystic power cannot have peace of mind. Pure devotees of Kṛṣṇa have no demands to make of Kṛṣṇa. They are simply satisfied with service to Him. Actual peace and mental tranquillity can be attained only in perfect Kṛṣṇa consciousness. After hearing these moral instructions from Akrūra, Dhṛtarāṣṭra replied, “My dear Akrūra, you are very charitable in giving me good instructions, but unfortunately I cannot accept them. A person destined to die does not utilize the effects of nectar, although it may be administered to him. I can understand that your instructions are valuable. Unfortunately, they do not stay in my flickering mind, just as the glittering lightning in the sky does not stay fixed in a cloud. I can understand only that no one can stop the onward progress of the supreme will. I understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, has appeared in the family of the Yadus to decrease the burdensome load on this earth.”

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

These instructions are very valuable. Whatever is supplied by Kṛṣṇa, be satisfied.

Lecture on BG 4.21 -- Bombay, April 10, 1974: Māyāvādī philosophers, they do not know that there is relationship that the Parabrahman and Brahman can be engaged in loving transaction. That they do not understand. They think that Brahman, when merges into the existence of Parabrahman, then business is finished. No. Business is not finished. Because we are individuals. It is not possible to remain without any activity. That is theory, that without any activity we can remain. That is not possible. And if we have no information of the spiritual activity, then we have to come back again to this material activity. That is practical example. There are many sannyāsīs. They so-called merging into Brahman, but they come back in material activities, in politics, in sociology and so on. So therefore these instructions are very valuable. nirāśīr yata-cittātmā tyakta-sarva-parigrahaḥ śārīraṁ kevalaṁ karma. Śārīra, just to maintain your body. Be satisfied. Whatever is supplied by Kṛṣṇa, be satisfied. Don't aspire more and more. Save time for advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.... [break].... so that you can, with great enthusiasm, you can make progress in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Śārīraṁ kevalam. Not for sense gratification.

Because Kṛṣṇa is complete in knowledge, His instruction is valuable.

Lecture on BG 6.32-40 -- New York, September 14, 1966: So one who possesses all these six things in complete, He is God. This is the definition of God. Complete strength, complete beauty, complete knowledge, complete riches, and complete renunciation. In the moment renounced... Everything... Suppose I have got ten dollars, and if you ask, "Oh, give me all these ten dollars," oh, I shall ten times think before renouncing these ten dollars. But Kṛṣṇa, He is the proprietor of all riches, but He can renounce anything. So these are the definition of bhagavān. Here it is, the bhagavān word is, used; therefore I give you a little definition of bhagavān. So bhagavān uvāca. Now, because He is complete in knowledge, therefore His instruction is valuable. Our knowledge is not complete. Now, we are taking knowledge from Bhagavad-gītā, from bhagavān, but there is no history that Kṛṣṇa had this knowledge from any spiritual master. No. He had not to go because He is complete. There was no need of Kṛṣṇa for going to any spiritual... Arjuna has come to Kṛṣṇa for knowledge because He is complete always.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from spiritual world. But there is no customer. Otherwise, so valuable instruction, so much information, all fact, dhruvam.

Lecture on SB 2.3.14-15 -- Los Angeles, May 31, 1972: There are so many cities, but there are so many newspapers. Not only one edition; two, three editions. If they can give so many news from this one point, now, how much news we have got? That is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, from spiritual world. But there is no customer. That is the difficulty. Otherwise, so valuable instruction, so much information, all fact, dhruvam. Dhruvam means fact, not fictitious. So there would have been many, many customers. And because there is no Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is no culture, these literatures, they are not appreciated.

These are the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instructions, very valuable.

Lecture on SB 3.1.10 -- Dallas, May 21, 1973: So Vidura was so expert advisor, counselor, that there was a statement, vaidurikam. Just like the cāṇakya-śloka. On ordinary things, cāṇakya-śloka is evidence. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said... I think you can introduce cāṇakya-śloka amongst the students. Cāṇakya Paṇḍita said that vidvatvaṁ ca nṛpatvaṁ ca naiva tulyaṁ kadācana. A man who is learned, and man who is very rich, so how they should be compared? The Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says, "There is no comparison." Comparison must be there when there is points of similarity. Just like we say, "Your face is just like moon." So if the face is actually similar to the moon, then we can say. Points of similarity. Analogy means there must be points of similarity. The largest number of similarity makes the analogy perfect. This is logical rules. So Cāṇakya Paṇḍita says that to a rich man and a learned man, there is no comparison. They are different categories. Why? Sva-deśe pūjyate rājā vidvān sarvatra pūjyate. A rich man, a king, may be very respectful, respectable, in his own country amongst his own men, but a vidvat, a learned scholar, he is respected all over the world. Tri-bhuvane mānyau. So if one is respected all over the world and if one is respected in his own village, so how there can be any comparison? These are the Cāṇakya Paṇḍita's instructions, very valuable.

Prahlāda Mahārāja's prayers, his instructions are so valuable that even simply by reciting this Prahlāda Mahārāja's stotra, the most wretched demon can become a great devotee.

Lecture on SB 7.9.13 -- Mayapur, February 20, 1976: The Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, this, kurutānurāga. Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga. Caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāga. Sādhava sakalam eva vihāya durāt caitanya-candra-caraṇe kurutānurāgam. This is the instruction of Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī, one of the great devotees of Lord Caitanya. So they are of the same opinion. There is no difference, opinion, between the modern devotee and the old devotee. A devotee is devotee, as there is no difference between modern gold or old gold. Gold is gold. So we should take the path of devotional service, following Prahlāda Mahārāja, and his prayers, his instructions are so valuable that even simply by reciting this Prahlāda Mahārāja's stotra, this stotra... This prayer of Prahlāda Mahārāja is very, very important. You read it carefully and try to understand. Even the most wretched demon can become a great devotee.

General Lectures

Kṛṣṇa has given us this valuable instruction. We should accept it as it is.

Address to Rotary Club -- Chandigarh, October 17, 1976: So under the circumstances, it is out of Kṛṣṇa's kindness that making Arjuna as a target of His instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, He has given us this valuable instruction. We should accept it as it is. Therefore we are presenting Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, without any malinterpretation. Take Bhagavad-gītā As It Is. You'll be benefited. And so far as brahma-jijñāsā, the Kṛṣṇa begins with this aphorism of brahma-jijñāsā. When Arjuna submitted to Kṛṣṇa that "I am Your now disciple. There is no need of friendly talks. You can give me instruction seriously because I am surrendered to You, and You give me the real instruction," so the first instruction was, as soon as Arjuna submitted... Because unless you submit, it is useless to talk because you'll not hear. Therefore to accept an authority is submission.

Kṛṣṇa personally came and left behind Him so valuable instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, why you are refusing?

Lecture -- Bombay, March 26, 1977: So He is always prepared. Kṛṣṇa comes for this purpose, to give us the real knowledge. Yadā yadā hi dharmasya glānir bhavati bhārata tadātmānaṁ sṛjāmy aham [Bg. 4.7]. Why don't you take this opportunity? That is our lamentation. Especially in India, where Kṛṣṇa personally came, where He gave..., left behind Him so valuable instruction, Bhagavad-gītā, why you are refusing? Why you are misinterpreting and spoiling your life and spoiling others'? Don't do it. Take it very seriously. And as soon as we are engaged-teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam [Bg. 10.10]—as soon as we submit to Kṛṣṇa and serve Him, prīti-pūrvakam, with love and affection... Not officially. Kṛṣṇa understands everything, that who is worshiping Him with love and affection and who is worshiping Him for some material gain. Kṛṣṇa is nobody's servant. He cannot be order-supplier. You must be prepared to supply His order or to obey His order. Then prīti-pūrvakam: then He will give you instruction. What instruction? Yena mām upayānti: "Again come back home."

1971 Conversations and Morning Walks

Canakya Paṇḍita has got some moral instruction. They're very valuable, still going on.

Conversation with Prof. Kotovsky -- June 22, 1971, Moscow:

Prabhupāda: Yes. He was a great politician, brāhmaṇa. And under whose name in New Delhi all the foreign embassies, they are flocked together. Yes. It is called Canakya Purī.

Prof. Kotovsky: Hm hm. Canakya Purī, yes, I know.

Prabhupāda: So this Canakya Paṇḍita was a great politician and brāhmaṇa. And as brāhmaṇa, he was vastly learned. He has got some moral instruction. They're very valuable, still going on. In India school children are taught. So this Canakya Paṇḍita, although he was prime minister, he maintained his brahminical spirit. He was not accepting any salary, yes, because for brāhmaṇas to accept salary, it is understood that he becomes a dog. That is stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavata. He can advise, but he cannot accept. So he was living in a cottage, but he was prime minister. So this brahminical culture, the brahminical brain, is the standard of Vedic civilization. Just like Manu-smṛti. Manu-smṛti... You do not know. You cannot trace out the history, when Manu-smṛti was written. But Manu-smṛti is considered so perfect that it is the Hindu law. The Hindus are governed by Manu-smṛti. There was no need of passing daily a new law by the legislative assembly to adjust this social order. You see? The law given by Manu was so perfect that it can be applicable for all the time. This is perfect. Tri-kāla-jñāḥ. The word is there, tri-kāla-jñāḥ, past, present, future.

1968 Correspondence

Prahlada Maharaja's instruction is very valuable.

Letter to Jadurani -- Los Angeles 13 January, 1968: So long we have got materialistic view the serpent is fierce. When Prahlada Maharaja saw Lord Nrsimhadeva, he was not at all afraid of the fierceful feature of the Lord. The big jaws and nails of the Lord Nrsimhadeva and fiery tongue of the Lord, and gigantic Lion's Head did not create any fierceful havoc before Prahlada Maharaja. He said, "My Dear Lord, I am not afraid of this your fierceful feature, but I am afraid of the repeated cycle of birth and death in the material existence." In our material existence, we are always in dangerous and fierceful condition, but by the spell of Maya, we do not take it very seriously. The Serpent-like feature of the Lord is another expansion of the Lord, to provide His Place on the Ocean. He is not at all fierceful to the devotees.