So even 5000 years ago and in fact history goes way back when this Sivaratri festival celebrations started

Why, someone please explain to me the arrogance of the modern materialist, why everything is subordinate to my perception. If I can't see it, if I can't smell it, if I can't chop it into tiny pieces, if I cannot control and manipulate it, then it doesn't exist. Why? Please tell me why there can't be higher beings

So our acaryas of course have said that though the 10th canto is actually the essence of the Bhagavatam, it’s about Krsna directly, and His pastimes and His qualities and therefore it’s ultimately the most attractive thing, still we cannot reject the subject matter of the other cantos

One should not become a father, one should not become a mother, one should not become a guru, one should not become a husband, one should not become a worshipable demigod and one should not become a father and mother unless one is prepared to deliver one's disciples or followers from the path of repeated birth and death

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told that one cannot understand the truth or the essence of the religious principles by all sorts of argumentations and discussions, even by extensive study of the Vedas or any other means, except to follow in the footsteps on the progressive path of the great souls

In Srila Prabhupada's teachings, just like in this verse and specifically Srila Prabhupada's purport again the importance is being emphasized 'to cooperate' but we have to do it! We have to learn how to do it. And it is so exciting that I think it is for the first time in history of ISKCON that leading senior members of this movement, GBC members, gurus, sannyasis, senior devotees they all came together

I only desire that you all continue singing the deeds of Lord Visnu let my consciousness be absorbed in Krsna, and if you will do that, if you will pour the nectar of Krsna katha in my ears the externals of what is going on, whether it be a snake bird or whatever, I don't care

Today we are going to discuss about a person Bhagavata HDG Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur. Today is his divine appearance day that's why we have selected a special verse to discuss about

One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod

We see here, as we said this is all the context of ultimately of strategic planning really, and the strategic planning endeavor of the GBC body, that we want to develop the Krishna consciousness movement in more strategic, systematic and intelligent Krishna conscious ways so that everything increases very positively including the preaching as such

And because you are submissive, your spiritual masters have endowed you with all the favors bestowed upon a gentle disciple. Therefore you can tell us all that you have scientifically learned from them

May the Supreme Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Saci-devi be transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart. Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation has ever offered before: the most sublime and radiant mellow of devotional service, the mellow of conjugal love

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also notes that the word druta-cittah or "with a melted heart," indicates that one's heart, melted by the fire of anxiety to see the Lord, becomes like Jambunadi, a river of roseapple juice. The acarya further points out, nama-kirtanasya sarvotkarsam: the present and previous verse clearly distinguish the exalted position of sravanam kirtanam visnoh [SB 7.5.23], chanting and hearing the name and glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead

So there are many lessons we have to learn but most of all we have to see Srila Prabhupada and then how to see Krishna. Then how to see our self and then how to see others? When we see properly we are not going anywhere. We are going to stay in Iskcon and dedicate our whole life without any regrets

So even pious people approach God with this idea, "Please God make me happy in this world. Let me be comfortable. Let me enjoy family, society and love and I will be pious. I will obey You and will try to serve You." So this religion is materially motivated and it is condemned in the Bhagavatam as a cheating religion

Here's one thing. Iskcon is what Prabhupada had to do to make Bhagavatam happen. It wasn't enough that he brought the books. He also had to create the authorised hearers. Then with Prabhupada as the authorised speaker and people in Iskcon as the authorised hearers then Bhagavatam can happen. It can take place

Somehow or the other as conditioned living entities we hope, with our conditioning of thinking that, we are the Supreme Lord we hope to be victorious all the time. We kind of count on it. It is the subconscious mentality of every living entity. We just want to be victorious and when something goes wrong in our life we immediately become dejected and because it always goes wrong then we are always dejected

In keeping with the theme of the ILS, the International Leadership Sanga, I was requested to speak on the character of a leader. I selected a verse which epitomizes the mood of a leader, namely the bearer of the will and the instructions of those more elevated than oneself

Prabhupada told us emphatically, "Don't make the same mistake that my god brothers made after Guru Maharaj's disappearance. Guru Maharaj told them to come and manage the society through a governing body. They did not. They rather appointed an acarya. When the acarya fell down, the whole structure collapsed." Then he said, "Don't make the same mistake." And we can see about thirty-five years after Srila Prabhupada's disappearance Iskcon is not only there but Iskcon is growing, Iskcon is expanding, Iskcon is becoming more and more wonderfully established...

So Krishna is the ideal leader because He meets everybody's expectations. Whatever you can imagine is in Krishna - everything wonderful. That is of course in the Nectar of Devotion. Rupa Goswami gives sixty-four qualities of Krishna. Of course He has four special qualities but even the fifty qualities are very wonderful. We don't expect to find all these fifty in any of our leaders in the modern world or whatever. We don't find all of those fifty qualities which should be there in a good jiva

Srila Prabhupada endured heart attacks, sea sickness, strokes, poverty to begin this movement what to speak of after people like us started to become devotees, what he had to tolerate! He gave his life. He told us that he had shed buckets of blood for every devotee. He said that in the spirit of how important it is to take care of each other and to honor and respect each other

One thing is that Prabhupada wanted the devotees to attend the regular Gaura-purnima festival every year. One of the GBC's said, "Prabhupada (At that time it cost $500. Now it is more expensive.)Each year thousands of devotees go and they pay $500 each. That is $500 000. We could build a temple. (In those days.)" Prabhupada said, "Yes. The devotees eat so much [Laughter] If they didn't eat we could have so much money. [Laughter] The GBC shut up