That if one is chanting the holy name, they are taking shelter of the real shelter and we should appreciate that and we should respect that. That is how we take shelter of them. Even if they are not following very strictly still in our heart we have to appreciate that here is Krishna's servant, somehow or the other by good fortune they are taking that much shelter of Krishna and I should appreciate them for doing it

Srila Prabhupada is saying that the artificial arrangement of divorce system is not approved in the Vedic sastras. It is not a flat outright saying but i think it is very serious and very important as far as serving the Absolute Truth is concerned this principle which is enunciating the Absolute Truth cannot be violated. So it has to be understood in proper perspective. Many times we say that time, place and circumstances - change the rule. Rule cannot be changed. Application can be changed. The rule cannot be violated

It is like in the 1920's in the United States of America. At the end of the 1920's there was a huge crisis economically and practically the whole country went down. And people who had fortunes lost everything practically overnight. And it is reported that many people were jumping out of windows committing suicide simply for something that really - a devotee understands what the value of such things is

In order to get to Vaikunthaloka the verse is saying only persons who constantly engage in the welfare activities can reach the Vaikuntha planets. We have to reach some understanding what it means to reach Vaikuntha. First of all you can perform austerities and penances, you can go but in Vaikuntha and also Vraj you must actually have the invitation of a devotee

Persons who are peaceful, equipoised, cleansed and purified, and who know the art of pleasing all other living entities, keep friendship only with devotees of the Lord; they alone can very easily achieve the perfection of going back home, back to Godhead

We are all swimming upstream. Everybody else in this world is going down, down, down. If they don't take up Krishna consciousness, take advantage of the opportunity Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement Srila Prabhupada said that one will not get another opportunity for millions of kalpas

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur said to chant 64 rounds but Srila Prabhupada said only sixteen rounds. How it is possible that by chanting sixteen round one can return back to Godhead? But Srila Prabhupada gave us guarantee. He told us, "I am not cheating."

Therefore we should genuinely desire to go back to Godhead to get out of this material world. Krishna promises that, "Having once come to that abode of Mine you will not return here again."

So in this way we see throughout the Vedic literatures there are so many examples which tell us how to prepare to leave our bodies very blissfully while meditating upon the lotus feet of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha Madhava. But as I said it doesn't happen by our own endeavor

This is why Srila Prabhupada wanted this Mayapur festival, this Vrindavan festival to that we can cultivate the association of as many devotees, Vaisnavas as possible and receive their blessings. Then there is great hope that we can do something wonderful when we co-operate with each other

If everything is going very nicely in our lives we should understand that Krishna is simply giving us the opportunity To serve Him better, to spread the sankirtana movement and become a better instrument to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His transcendental servants hands

Srimad-Bhagavatam has always been a problem for mundane scholars. From the first time that they laid eyes on it during the days of early British colonialism in India they had a problem with Srimad-Bhagavatam because of what they considered stupendous or just totally out of the ordinary, beyond material conception

This is the Hare Krishna Movement with this mission to learning to agree with the Lord and to disagree with the Lord's external energy, disagree with maya and agree with Krishna. If we do that then we are in business then same thing happens as Prabhupada says could happen to everybody. Everyone has a chance

So when I was living in Berkley, California I would take prasadam out every day to a park named People's Park where the strangest people of the world were living [Laughter] and on the way to the park I would pass vendors on the street. There was one Muslim vendor. H had his Muslim hat on and he had the calama written on his table...

So if we want to go to the spiritual world definitely we have to use the scripture and if we are using the scripture then we have to see which scripture gives the best result. The highest result is given through the Srimad Bhagavatam and what is that? Worship of Krishna! Then we have all the different rasas culminating in worship of Radha and Krishna in Vrindavan.

Srila Prabhupada has assured the devotees again and again that yes if you practice diligently, attentively, follow the process then you also can come to that stage of going back to Godhead just as so many other great devotees have done in the past. So thank you very much

So whether we are a GBC member or guru, a sannyasi, a temple president, a sankirtana leader, a brahmacari, a grhasta, a teacher, a student, a mother, a father, pot washer - whatever our situation is we are actually one in our identity. These things are all externals

How can a sick person enjoy? One who is sick, you have a severe headache and if you see food it is very irritating. Isn't it? A sick person cannot enjoy. Therefore the conditioned soul is not an enjoyer. Enjoyment is for the greater souls. Enjoyment is for pure devotees

In Indonesia we had President Suharto who was eighty or ninety years old. He had to be dragged down. Amassed millions of dollars, overseas accounts we saw with Ferdinand Marcos and recently with Hosni Mubarak in Egypt - eighty two or eighty three years old and clinging to power to the very end

That a devotee who subhasubha-parityagi, that a devotee renounces both auspicious and inauspicious things. A devotee's position is very, very elevated. It is actually not so easy to be subhasubha-parityagi. Bhaktiman yah sa me priyah - then one becomes very dear to Krishna as soon as we renounce both auspicious and inauspicious activities