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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
To express one’s humility in front of an atheist who is envious of śrī guru and the Vaiṣṇavas, in front of a demoniac person like Rāvaṇa or in front of a pretentious brāhmaṇa, is not vaiṣṇava-sevā, nor is it tṛṇād api sunīcatā....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
A person such as this, who is free from envy and false pride in his caste, education and so on, despite being blessed with all virtue, never craves recognition or adoration from others. Thus he is amani, one who does not expect honour from anyone. That person, being free from envy, always feels happiness in the happiness of others, and pain in their sorrow. And so, he treats all living beings with due honour (manada)...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
There is one person whose name is never mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. And yet Bhāgavatam’s steadfast readers constantly nurture the ardent hope of becoming that person’s devout, one-pointed servant. May that person, who means everything to Śrī Bhagavān, kindly destroy our false ego in all its various forms and bestow upon us the shelter of Her lotus feet. Today is the day of Her advent....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
We are given to understand that no foreign thing should be included in the transcendental region, and we do not find the unalloyed position of transcendence in this world. We are mistaken when the idea comes that we are part and parcel of this universe; merely adjuncts to the phenomenon in which we now experience our conditioned life....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
However, by its very nature, lila is beyond the reach of the material senses and even beyond anything the material mind can conceive. It is never tainted by anything mundane, nor is it subordinate to anything mundane....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Ordinarily the mind controls our senses and the soul is lying in a dormant condition. The soul has delegated its power of transacting with the external world to the mind, and the mind has five ministers to help in the administration of the phenomenal world. But the mind is a not a dutiful agent of the soul. It always tries to injure the interest of the soul....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Śrī guru is not mortal. He is an eternal, immortal being. Śrī guru is eternal, service to him is eternal, and his servants are all eternal; therefore so much hope and shelter exists for us. There is nothing such as death for us....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
There is no other alternative for getting rid of our measuring temperament. We are now equipped with senses that are incapable of leading us to the Truth. We are liable to be deluded by the influence of māyā, and māyā is but a trap. If we want to avoid that trap, we are to submit to Him unconditionally. So prapatti, which means full submission, is the essential thing....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
The extent to which I am deprived of the lotus feet of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, my accomplishment in service is lacking. Only those in exclusive subservience to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī are the rightful owners of absolute wealth. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī is the epitome of kṛṣṇānuśīlanam....
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
We deprive ourselves for hundreds and hundreds of lifetimes by busying ourselves in acquiring temporary things. There are countless examples of people bravely overcoming severe obstacles and even sacrificing their lives for petty mundane things. In light of this, can not intelligent persons – those with the extreme fortune of being devotees – dedicate their brief lifetime, bravely overcoming any number of problems, to serve that Supreme Lord, who was the Absolute Truth before time began, who is the Absolute Truth in the present, and who will be the Absolute Truth for all eternity?...
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by Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda
Sacrificing himself to the desire of his guru was in no way his exclusive aim. Some argue that, in the end, Ekalavya made no objection to the strict instruction of his guru, and in fact, executed his order with joy. However, by reflecting upon this matter with gravity and a little subtlety, we can see that even in this instance, rather than actually valuing transcendental devotion to his guru, Ekalavya considered mundane ethics to be of utmost importance....
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by Śrīla Bhakti Prajṅāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja
An intelligent lover who is adored by many will speak to a gathering in a general way about affectionately serving him. But when his beloved is also present, in the midst of general topics, he will hint to her in a hidden way about how to please him in a special way. Ordinary people, in this scenario, would be unable to understand such hints, but those who are extraordinarily dear to him would certainly be able to comprehend them....