Temporary Notes

• The highest perfectional project of philanthropic activities is to engage everyone in the act of preaching bhakti-yoga all over the world because that alone can save the people from the control of mäyä, or the material nature, represented by käla, karma and guëa SB 1.13.46 P
• Due to the growth of the asuras, the mass of people, who are generally devoted to the Lord by nature, and the pure devotees of the Lord, including the demigods in higher planets, pray to the Lord for relief, and the Lord either descends personally from His abode or deputes some of His devotees to remodel the fallen condition of human society, or even animal society. SB 1.13.50 P
• "To pacify the mourning Mahäräja Yudhiñöhira, Närada first of all spoke from the philosophical point of view, and then he began to describe the future movements of his uncle, which he could see by his foreseeing powers. Thus he spoke as follows." - this means that we should first clear someone's doubt philosophically and then describe the actual situation or incident. SB 1.13.51 P
• Devotees shouldn't be like ostrich - unaware of what's going on in the world. They should be aware of the world's situation so that they can act accordingly for KC movement. [1]
• A Krsna conscious person is always satisfied whether in Vaikuntha or in hell. His satisfaction is not the place but his sincere service attitude towards Krsna. (SPL to Gargamuni, 13th November, 1967)
• In fact, unless our brahmacaris are very adamant remaining as brahmacari, I shall recommend everyone to marry. Because these girls generally come to our Society to find a suitable husband, so there is no harm to live as husband and wife. (SPL to Brahmananda, 6th October, 1968)
• "Regarding your enemy, Mr. Lust: I have noted the difficulties, but we should always remember that Krsna is stronger than any demon, and Mr. Lust, or his father or his grandfather, nobody can do anything provided we take shelter of Krsna very tightly. Now so far your personal matter is concerned, you are a brahmacari, you can marry at any time, and in New York, all the nice girls, they are actually very suitable for our students, and I encourage that all the brahmacaris may be very responsible, and marry one of the girls. Because generally the girls desire good husbands, a good home, children, that is their natural propensity, so we want to show some ideal householders also. But the proposal that marriage will solve the question of lust, is not practical. Neither the wife should be accepted as a machine for satisfying our lust. The marriage tie should be taken as very sacred. One who marries for subduing lust is mistaken. Because lust cannot be satisfied simply by indulging in sense gratification. It is compared with that extinguishing the fire with large amount of petrol. For the time being, the fire may appear to be extinguished by pouring a large quantity of petrol, but the petrol itself is so dangerous that at any time, it can be in flame. (SPL to Hayagriva, 7th October, 1968)
• If you decide to marry, there are many devotee girls, and one of them may be a very nice companion for your devotional life. You prefer to be free but a devotee wife is as good as freedom. (SPL to Hayagriva, 8th November, 1968)
• We require so many householders to set the example for others, how in Krsna consciousness we can live peacefully and sanely, even in married life. Also, we require so many Krsna conscious children to show how nicely and beautifully a child can develop when he is following the principles of God consciousness. (SPL to Krsna dasa, 11th December, 1968)
• A brahmacari is good for living a life of celibacy, but a person who can live a life of celibacy in the presence of a beautiful and obliging wife is more than a brahmacari. Of course, anyone who is stuck up with only one wife is also called brahmacari. (SPL to Hamsaduta, 12th January, 1969)
• So to marry and to become an exemplary householder is the ideal life of Krsna consciousness. If the girl who is willing to marry you becomes Krsna conscious, and as I think you are already Krsna conscious, it will be a nice combination, provided you live under bona fide guidance. I am very much pleased that you wish to live under my guidance, and if you actually follow then I can nicely direct you, even in your married life." (SPL to James Doody, 10th July, 1969)
• But any order of life suitable for a particular person in which he can most favorably execute his Krsna consciousness is the best position to take up. Generally if one can remain a brahmacari, it is very convenient, and from brahmacari one can take sannyasa. But in this Age of Kali, Bhaktivinoda Thakura recommends that it is better to cultivate Krsna consciousness as a householder." (SPL to Mandali Bhadra, 2nd November, 1969)
• Regarding your marriage, it is my open opinion that if anyone can remain a brahmacari all the time, without being disturbed by sex urge, or who can tolerate such urges, there is not any need for him to marry and take some extra responsibilities. But one who is disturbed in mind, he must get himself married. Therefore, it has to be decided by oneself if he should marry or not marry. (SPL to Gopala Krsna, 26th November, 1969)
• Marriage or no marriage, that is not our problem. If we find it suitable that by marrying one will be able to serve better than by not marrying, then one must marry—that is our principle. (SPL to Tamala Krsna, 4th March, 1970)
• So far your marriage is concerned, I have no objection, but you must agree that you will never separate but work cooperatively throughout your lives in Krsna consciousness. This marriage ceremony is serious business and not to be taken lightly. You must remain strong in Krsnas service, then household life is very nice; otherwise to be cast adrift by maya's influence is a piteous thing. So stay strong in Krsna's service by chanting your sixteen rounds of beads without fail, reading our literatures, going for street sankirtana, etc. In this way be engaged fully in Krsna's service and you will be happy in life and in the end go back home, back to Godhead." (SPL to Batu Gopata, 8th July, 1971)
• anyone proposing to marry must produce some outside income and live outside the temple, they must know this in advance and be prepared to carry such burden. Let them be married, but at their own risk. I cannot sanction anymore. My Guru Maharaja never allowed, but when I came to your country it was a special circumstance so I gave concession, but I am not so much inclined anymore, so I shall not sanction, but they may marry on their own risk of knowing that such arrangement is always troublesome." (SPL to Harsarani, 28th February, 1972)
• I note that you are requesting to take the sannyasa order of life. But if you have got wife, that will be difficult. If someone devotee has got wife, that will not become a very popular policy to grant so easily sannyasa. And if your wife wants many children, that is the only purpose for getting married to wife, to have facility for sex-life, otherwise what is the use for taking so much botheration of married life? So now you are married man, that decision you have made. That is great responsibility, and that should not become so light matter that anyone may think, 'Oh!!, let me get married and if I don't like my wife, or there is anything difficulty, I will write Prabhupada for taking sannyasa, finished. Never-mind wife, let her go to hell.' That is not very nice proposal. Married life is serious business. If you have taken wife, you must be completely responsible for her throughout your life. She shall always serve and obey you without fail, and you shall instruct her in Krsna consciousness and act as her spiritual master. Otherwise, without husband, women have great difficulty to make spiritual advancement.

So if we have to develop a perfect society of scientific arrangement for making spiritual progress, then so many women will be there, so what shall they do? They have also come to Krsna, we cannot reject them. Therefore I have advised my students to get themselves married. I was householder, my Guru Maharaja was life-long brahmacari. But we are doing the same work of preaching Krsna consciousness, so what is the difference, grhastha and brahmacari? Actual sannyasa means that he has given everything to Krsna, so practically you are already sannyasa. But if you have got wife, and if she is very desirous to raise children, she will not be very happy if you go away. That is not our business, to create havoc, no. If wife is very strong, she will appreciate if you take sannyasa, but if there is question at all, that should be avoided. Just like I never liked my wife, but I knew it was my duty to stick until my sons were grown-up, then I left. But if you give your wife one child, then she will be happy and she will have some life-long occupation, that you must consider. But at least you can wait until I come there next time, then we shall see further." (SPL to Danavir, 17th December, 1972)

• We should never think of our so-called advancement as being conditioned by or dependent upon some set of material circumstances such as marriage, vanaprastha, or this or that. Mature understanding of Krsna consciousness means that whatever condition of life I am in at present, that is Krsna's special mercy upon me, therefore let me take advantage in the best way possible to spread this Krsna consciousness movement and conduct my spiritual master's mission. If I consider my own personal progress or happiness or any other thing personal, that is material consideration.........One mistake of judgement often made by the neophyte devotees is that any time there is some disturbance or some difficulty they are considering that the conditions or the external circumstances under which the difficulty took place are the cause of the difficulty itself. That is not the fact. In this material world there is always some difficulty, no matter in this situation or that situation. Therefore simply by changing my status of occupation or my status of life, that will not help anything. Because the real fact is that if there is any difficulty with others, that is my lack of Krsna consciousness, not theirs......And being the weaker sex, women require to have a husband who is strong in Krsna consciousness, so that they may take advantage and make progress by sticking tightly to his feet....We are supposed to take husband or wife as eternal companion or assistant in Krsna consciousness service, and there is promise never to separate.....But if it becomes so easy for me to get married and then leave my wife, under excuse of married life being an impediment to my own spiritual progress, that will not be very good at all. That is misunderstanding of what is advancement in spiritual life. Occupational duty must be there, either this one or that one, but once I am engaged in something occupational duty, then I should not change that or give it up, that is the worst mistake. Devotional service is not bound up by such designations. Therefore once I have chosen, it is better to stick in that way and develop my devotional attitude into full-blown love of Godhead. That is Arjuna's understanding." (SPL to Madhukara, 4th January, 1975)
• There is no impediment for grhasthas to become fully Krsna conscious. All of Caitanya Mahaprabhu's associates were grhasthas and all of them helped Caitanya Mahdprabhu in His missionary activities. Later on He took sannyasa and specifically He was assisted by Svarupa Damodara, but still He had intimate relations with grhasthas like Advaita Acarya, Nityananda, Gadadhara, and Srivasa Thakura." (SPL to Karandhara dasa, 31st August, 1976)
• From hygienic point of view, the boy should be at least five years older than the girl. If the boy is weaker then the progeny will be weaker sex or females and the man will get still weaker. (SPL to Hamsaduta, 18th April, 1970)
• It should be made under the guidance of the guardians and the selection should be made on the basis of astrological equilibrium. So it is not possible to introduce such system in the present age. The only selection is that both the boy and the girl should be Krsna conscious, and the boy may be older than the girl by at least two to five years." (SPL to Gurudasa, 16th May, 1970)
• Prabhupada's style of answering - first shows gratitude. then says philosophy, then practical step: Regarding your prediction of cataclysmic earthquakes in this side of your country, your fear of my life is certainly natural. I was pet child of my father whom I lost in 1930, and since then nobody was taking care of me as affectionate son. But Krsna has sent me so many fathers to take care of me in a far distant place in USA. So I am fortunate enough that you are all so anxious, but we must always depend on Krsna. Rest assured that this nonsense idea of cataclysmic earthquakes will never take place. And even if it takes place, why should we be afraid of it? As soon as there is sign of such earthquake, we shall sit down together and chant Hare Krsna. So it will be a great opportunity of meeting death while chanting Hare Krsna. If one dies in sound condition of body and mind chanting Hare Krsna, he is the most fortunate man. There is a proverb in which it is said, 'My dear royal prince, please do not die. My dear brahmacari, you die immediately. My dear saintly person, you die or live it is all the same. My dear butcher, you do not die and do not live'.

So we are neither butcher nor royal prince, some of us are brahmacaris, and some of us are supposed to be saintly persons, so if the brahmacari dies, he immediately goes to Vaikuntha, and if the saintly person dies, he is all the same—he is engaged here in Krsna's work and he will be engaged in Krsnas work there also. So don't bother about this earthquake business. Chant Hare Krsna peacefully and do your duty nicely. Of course, if there is such danger, I must take care like others. It is not good however unnecessarily [to] risk my life, but I think the predictions given by so many astrologers are not sound. I take your advice that as soon as there are series of minor tremors I must leave for your shelter." (SPL to Rayarama, November 19th, 1968)

• The so called institution of free love marriage is ruining the human society and it is our duty therefore to re-establish the correct procedure of human life in the matter of encouraging our disciples who wish to marry, to enter into a contract of spiritual wedlock. Such contract is made on the basis of compatible service to the Lord, because such mutual cooperation in serving the advancement of Krsna consciousness minimizes the illusion of material compatibility and incompatibility.(SPL to Gaura Hari, 20th November, 1970)
• thus if a girl gets a good husband—one who has accepted a bona fide spiritual master and is firmly fixed up in his service, automatically the wife of such a good husband inherits all the benefits of his spiritual advancement. So you are fortunate. Go on in this present attitude, serve your husband always and in this way your life will be perfect, and together husband and wife go back home—back to Godhead." (SPL to Naiskarmi devi dasi, 28th July, 1973)
• If you have taken a wife for grhastha life, why are you neglecting? That is not Vaisnava. Vaisnava means he is very much responsible, and if he is householder, then he must be responsible. I cannot give sannyasa to any devotee who has not proven himself to be responsible in all respects. Better you prove yourself first by being ideal householder and forget all this nonsense." (SPL to Mahatma, 16th July, 1972)
• "The wife is maya but at the same time a great friend. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu remarked that the wife is the goddess of fortune somewhere and somewhere she is a witch. Anyway, you are very strong and an ideal grhastha and therefore instead of being influenced by your wife, you have influenced her to take to Krsna consciousness. I expect every one of my students to come to your standard and remain steadfast in pushing on this movement of Krsna consciousness. (SPL to Rupanuga, February 19th, 1971)
• "Always be engaged in serving the Deity; nice dress, nice jewellery, nice prasadam. Let Hamsaduta go for sankirtana and take care of him. Your husband is one of my foremost disciples. His life is very important, so take care of him nicely; that is your duty. He should live healthfully and peacefully, so see to it. That is my request. And together you should develop Hamburg center very nicely. There is certainly enough work there now." (SPL to Himavati, August 27th, 1971)
• "I have instructed Sridhama, that if he is willing then the match may take place. However I must caution that we must be careful to avoid, so far as possible, affection for family based on sense gratification. Be happy in your family life by working cooperatively to please Krsna, and she should be your assistant. We must always feel the grave responsibility of serving Krsna.'' (SPL to Srutasrava, November 18th, 1971)
• "Another item is, you are married wife, so in that position you should serve your husband nicely, always being attentive to his needs, and in this way, because he is always absorbed in serving Krsna, by serving your husband you will also get Krsna, through him. He is your spiritual master, but he must be responsible for giving you all spiritual help, teaching you as he advances his own knowledge and realization. That is the Vedic system. The wife becomes a devotee of her husband, the husband becomes a devotee of Krsna; the wife serves her husband faithfully, the husband protects his wife by giving her spiritual guidance. So you should simply do whatever your husband instructs you to do, however he may require your assistance. Of course, the nature of woman is to be attached to her husband and family, so our system is to minimize this attachment by making the ultimate goal of our activity the pleasure of Krsna. Just try to please Krsna always, and no material circumstances will be able to cause you any discomfort." (SPL to Saucarya devi, 23rd October, 1972)
• And the psychology is the first boy that a girl accepts in marriage, that girl will completely give her heart to, and this attachment on the girls side for her husband becomes more and more strong, thus if a girl gets a good husband—one who has accepted a bona fide spiritual master and is firmly fixed up in his service, automatically the wife of such a good husband inherits all the benefits of his spiritual advancement. So you are fortunate. Go on in this present attitude, serve your husband always and in this way your life will be perfect, and together husband and wife go back home—back to Godhead." (SPL to Naiskarmi devi dasi, 28th July, 1973)
• "Generally it is not good for the women with babies to worship the Deity, because a baby means uncleanliness. You have to touch the baby and there is so much dirtiness, so how can you remain sanctified? But if you are doing it nicely, then it is okay. But, if you have to take care of the baby, then it is not good." (SPL to Laksmimoni, 23rd June, 1975)
• It is the duty of all parents to make every child Krsna conscious, so that the fortunate child born of Krsna conscious parents may not have any more to take birth in this material world." (SPL to Nandarani, 9th June, 1967)

Reference

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Why Farm Communities Matter for ISKCON’s Future - 2026-06-27 | Śivarāma Swami