Once a teacher asked her students to fill up a glass jar with gravels, sand, pebbles and rocks.  The children first filled it with layer of sand, then the pebbles, followed by gravel and the rocks and found that they were not able to fit the big rock.

Srila Prabhupada says very nicely - Everyone fears death. However, one who seeks shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be saved from death. Then Prabhupada is asking the question, "Does the devotee not die?" And he gives the answer also.

Prahlad Maharaj has clearly explained why the saints were happy. His demoniac father was more dangerous than snake or scorpion since he was envious of Suprme Lord.  The saints knew that Lord has saved Hiranyakashipu from performing further sinful deeds by killing him.

Krishna has provided us so many facilities in this material world.While using it for our existence, we should always remember and thank Him for the same. Also we must try to use as much as possible in His service. Instead if we forget our limitations and misuse them we are sure to suffer.

I first came across the Sanskrit word "yoga-ksemam vahaamy aham" while I was in Bombay. It is used by the LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) for propagating their insurance policies. Until I joined the Krishna Conscious movement, I neither knew the meaning nor the origin of those words.

When we are engaging in devotional service, we need to ensure that we don't neglect our prescribed duties. We should not be lazy and neglect work due to our lethargic attitude. We need to expertly manage our time and perform our work efficiently and spend as much time as possible in devotional service.

With the advent of technology, now there are so many source of lierature available both in the form of books and in the internet. The vastness of these literatures bewilders our mind. There is a famous quote , "Tell me about your friend and I will say who you are".

The Lord is very much pleased with those who are "compassionate"  to other living entities  and engage themselves in  preaching about Him.  So I pray at the lotus feet of Supreme Lord Krishna to bestow this compassionate nature in all of us.

When we worship with trust, Lord is pleased and He would help us in reaching His abode. On the other hand lack of proper faith, will throw us in darkness of illusion and we would be drowned in the ocean of material miseries.  The following incident from Ramayana shows the power of faith.

something extraordinary happened in my home town, we have been blessed by Shri Shri Sitadevi and Lord Ramachandra presence here in the land of mlechas and yavanas where 90% of population are muslims, where we are very few devotees - without temple and deities.

One can achieve the nucleus of the devotional service of the Lord by the mercy of the spiritual master and the Personality of Godhead. The spiritual master is the manifested representative of the Lord to help one achieve ultimate success.

Srila Prabhupada influenced everyone he was with. Traveling with him was an enlightening experience. While visiting various temples, it was ecstatic to see how he lifted everyone's spirits  to the transcendental realm.

So if you send the typewriter to the heaven, what does it mean? It is to be worked as typewriter. Does it mean because it has gone to heaven, the work has changed? No. The work will continue. Either in this hell or heaven, typewriter will kat, kat, kat, kat.

In the purport Srila Prabhupada says, 'Sad-dharma, or duty performed for going back to Godhead and thus becoming His unalloyed devotee, is the only pious activity; all others may pretend to be pious, but actually they are not.

In the ninth canto Srimad Bhagavatam, in the pastimes of Parasurama, Srila Prabhupada explains the importance of forgiving. He quotes the statement of Chanakya Pandita that an ugly man becomes beautiful by education and the brahmana becomes more powerful by his quality of forgiveness.

Last week we began a humble program at our home for children aging between 5 to 10 years. Some parents approached us with interest to teach slokas from Bhagavat-gita to their kids. We taught them the first of the seed verses in Bhagavad Gita (10.8) last week and the next one  (10.9) this week.

Today advancements in technology is causing things to be done at a great speed - be it buying a train ticket or paying the bills for electricity or phone. But one of the subtle effects of all these advancements is that it has brought down the level of patience in us.

We can see that in  Bhagavad Gita Lord has repeatedly stressed on the importance of  not to be disturbed by happiness and sadness. When there is happiness we may remain calm and thank God for it.

Once I met an old man in advanced age who bragged that he did enormous charities in his life to brahmanas and others but never uttered even once the holy name of Lord Krsna as he considered little significance in chanting and simply thought that charities will satisfy Lord Krsna.

It does not matter what one is. One must dedicate everything in the service of the Lord. If one is a learned scholar, scientist, philosopher, poet, etc., then he should employ his learning to establish the supremacy of the Lord. Try to study the energy of the Lord in every sphere of life.

If someone gives up self-gratificatory pursuits and works in Krishna consciousness and then falls down on account of not completing his work, what loss is there on his part? And, what can one gain if one performs his material activities perfectly?

I started the devotional service with full enthusiasm and satisfaction, but as time progressed I find the same devotional service seems to be mechanical or sometimes a burden. I used to wonder, whether this devotional service is really working for me or not.

There are few important points which we should remember while preaching. We must not expect the people to whom we are preaching need to listen and follow what we say, right away. When we are in that mood, we would forget the main purpose of our preaching.

Due to lack of these qualities, I could see that I was not doing things on time. As a result,  I took more time to complete my prescribed duties, and chant my rounds late in night.

The beauty of these bhajans is that they are very simple and easy to understand but at the same time are in-line with the message of Srimad Bhagavatam. As Maharaj was dictating the bhajan, we could easily find out equivalent verses from Bhagavat-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam for pretty much every line.

Srila Prabhupada has also emphasized that "suppose a woman is trying to become man artificially, how long it will go on? How she can be happy?" Furthermore , he adds that "in our villages, our woman class remains satisfied. There is one quality of shyness in them."

Everything in the material world (including our income) is contaminated and has impurities(especially in Kali Yuga). The way to remove them is to give charity. Charity purifies everything. Charity should be given in a proper way and Krishna nicely explains the method to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita 17.20

Nobody is perfect because to err is human and only by worshiping Krishna one can become perfect and attain divine qualities.  Krishna supports the same point in Bhagavad Gita verse 9.30 by saying, 

There is a famous quote - "Tolerant people will rule over the earth". In Krishna Consciousness, it is said "Tolerant devotee will reach the abode of Lord Krishna".

The following conversation in car in New Vrindavan on June 21, 1976 between Srila Prabhupada and his devotees reveals us his drdha-vrataah nature and how he was able to become successful even amidst trying circumstances.

Best way to maintain enthusiasm is by regular chanting with the devotees together in the temple and by having festivals. So you should immediately have one festival then everyone will be busily engaged. There are so many festivals that I can give you one for every day.