A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada quotes

A collection of quotes and teachings of A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.

Since you are a living being, you must always have desires. If your desires are stopped, you become like a stone. So instead of trying to put an end to all desires, you should try to cleanse the diseased form of desire. That cleansing process is Krishna Consciousness (Bhakti).

All material activities, subtle or gross, are manifestations of various dreamlike desires. The dreamer is the factual living entity; but we say that the dream of this material world is not false – but temporary.

Therefore the dreamer has to come to the real, eternal spiritual platform so that this flickering material dreams can be extinguished.

Pleasures and pains come and go in due course, they are not the reality. So why bother about them? If I feel pain, let me tolerate it and go about my business of serving Krishna.

Real happiness means to be relieved of suffering permanently, not for just a few moments.

The person in material consciousness is convinced by false ego that he is the doer of everything. He does not know that the mechanism of body is produced by material nature, which works under the supervision of the Supreme Lord. He takes credit for doing everything independently, and that is the symptom of his nescience. He is factually bewildered by the false ego, which makes him forget his eternal relationship with the Lord.

Here are more quotes from A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). These quotes cover various aspects of his teachings on spirituality, life, and devotion:

1. If you want to be fearless, accept Krishna.
2. Chant Hare Krishna and your life will be sublime.
3. In the association of pure devotees, discussion of the pastimes and activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very pleasing and satisfying to the ear and the heart.
4. Krishna consciousness means to understand everything in connection with Krishna.
5. One who chants the holy name of the Lord is immediately freed from all the reactions of sinful activities.
6. Material advancement means to increase the degree of sensory pleasure.
7. Krishna consciousness means constantly thinking of Krishna.
8. Our philosophy is that everything belongs to Krishna. This is a fact.
9. Real intelligence means that one should always see himself as the eternal servant of Krishna.
10. One who sees everything in relation to the Supreme Lord sees all living entities as His parts and parcels and therefore is truly learned.
11. As soon as one devotes his life to the service of the Lord, he becomes dear to Krishna and Krishna takes care of him.
12. The holy name of Krishna is the most potent and effective means of deliverance in this age.
13. Life is meant for self-realization, for understanding our real identity as the eternal servant of Krishna.
14. One who has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna is not bewildered by material conditions.
15. To approach Krishna, one must become humble and serve His devotees.
16. Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind; it is the original energy of the living entity.
17. The material world is full of suffering. Our only business here is to get out and go back home, back to Godhead.
18. Devotional service is not a matter of sentimentalism; it is the science of spiritual life.
19. One who has unflinching devotion for the Personality of Godhead has all the good qualities of the demigods.
20. By serving Krishna, one automatically gains the qualities of Krishna.
21. The highest perfection of human life is to be in Krishna consciousness.
22. Human life is meant for understanding God and our relationship with Him.
23. Without becoming a devotee of the Lord, no one can achieve real success in life.
24. Krishna is like the sun, and maya is like darkness. Where there is Krishna, there can be no maya.
25. The essence of all religions is to become a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
26. The more we engage in the service of Krishna, the more we become detached from material activities.
27. One who takes shelter of the Supreme Lord has nothing to fear.
28. The process of Krishna consciousness is simple and sublime; just chant Hare Krishna and be happy.
29. To be in Krishna consciousness means to see everything as Krishna's energy.
30. Material desires are like a blazing fire; they can never be satisfied.
31. A pure devotee does not desire anything except to serve Krishna.
32. Krishna is the supreme controller, and we are all meant to serve Him.
33. The living entity is eternally a servant of Krishna.
34. There is no higher taste than chanting the holy names of the Lord.
35. In this age, the process of self-realization is chanting the holy name of the Lord.
36. Devotional service is the natural position of every living entity.
37. Our real duty is to serve Krishna and His devotees.
38. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always full in six opulences, and one who is a devotee of the Lord enjoys these opulences.
39. To be a devotee means to engage all of one's senses in the service of Krishna.
40. By associating with devotees, one becomes determined in devotional service.
41. Devotional service to Krishna is the real goal of life.
42. The highest form of yoga is to constantly think of Krishna and serve Him with love and devotion.
43. One who surrenders to Krishna is immediately freed from all the reactions of past sinful activities.
44. The ultimate goal of life is to attain love of God.
45. A devotee of Krishna is always fearless because he knows that Krishna is his protector.
46. Our business is to awaken our dormant love for Krishna.
47. The Lord's holy name is all-auspicious, and one who chants the holy name becomes purified.
48. By hearing about Krishna, one becomes free from all material contamination.
49. The real happiness is in serving Krishna and His devotees.
50. The process of bhakti-yoga is so powerful that even a little advancement on this path can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear.

These quotes reflect Srila Prabhupada's emphasis on devotion to Krishna and the transformative power of chanting the holy names.