Importance of Reading Prabhupada's books

Opening prayers and mantras

0:00Nārāyaṇaṁ namaskṛtya naraṁ chaiva narottamaṁ devīṁ sarasvatīṁ vyāsaṁ tato jayam udīrayet Namo Viṣṇu-pādāya Kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale Śrīmate Bhaktivedānta Svāmin iti nāmine Namaste Sarasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracārine nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tārine

0:24Jaya Śrīla Prabhupāda! Masth, Sara Swati Devi Gurahani Prachari, Nirvi Shay Sha Sriavadhi Paschatya De Sha Tari Pancha Kapada Bhishakri Basim Buddeva Chava Krishna Krishna Krishna. I am very happy to be with you today.

1:08Sila Prabhupada established this International Society for Krishna Consciousness to help us to become lovers of God. We all want to become happy. And in this Kali Yuga people are trying very hard to become happy.

1:39They invent new ways to become happy. Sometimes very perverted ways to become happy. Sahasranam Prabhu today told me that even the you know homosexual marriages now allowed in India. This is Kali Yuga.

Transformative influence of Srila Prabhupada

2:13So everything is becoming degraded. And Srila Prabhupada came in the midst of this Kali Yuga to give us the pure way. It's amazing how he could influence all these degraded people in America, all these hippies.

2:41And he was very bold. He was very daring. Very long design. He would say to all these hippies, no illicit sex, no drugs, no meat eating, nothing. And that was the power of his influence.

3:04All these people would become transformed because of his influence. So the main teaching which he gives to us is the importance of sadhu sangha. If we don't have sadhusangha we will not be able to change our lives.

3:36But uh even with little sadhu sanga we can completely change our lives. People go to these holy places, to Rāmėśvaram, to Jagannātha Purī, to Badrinath, to Dwaraka, to Vrindavan.

4:01And they do different rituals, they do this, you know, bathing in twenty-two wells in Rameshwaram just to purify them. But actually, in reality, The only purifying force in this creation is the association with the saints.

4:46You can bathe in all the holy places and still sinful desires will still be in your heart. You will do all this Punya Tīrthā-snāna, but still puṇya will not come to your heart.

5:12And Papa will remain in your heart. But if you get little association with the real saint like Srila Prabhupada, Then all the sins will flee in different directions. Because they are afraid of the saintly person of the sadhus.

Direct and indirect sadhu sangha

5:47And Prabhupada said that the only purpose of this society is to give people the chance to associate with sādhus. And Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says that there are two kinds of sādhu-saṅgas. Nārottama dāsa sā-kāma-saṅgaḥ.

6:08One when we directly associate with the saint, we see him, we hear him, we serve him. And that is not always possible. Śrīla Prabhupāda is not with us anymore.

6:29Of course his disciples are with us, but still even they are rare. But Narottama dāsa Ṭhākura says there is a second kind of sādhu-saṅga.

6:46If you read the books which are written by sādhus, and if you read the books, it's practically the same uh if you associate with the sādhu. It will purify your heart and it will make you happy. And Krishna will be pleased.

7:18Kṛṣṇa nā rā-saṅtā. When Krishna sees that somebody reads Prabhupada's books, he is very happy. Kṛṣṇa ye tomāra, bhaktāra vaśila, Prabhupāda kṛṣṇa paḍiyā pātra pāvarāẏā. And if Krishna is happy, you are also happy.

7:35And if you are happy, everyone around you will also become happy.

Purification through reading sacred books

7:41So just read Prabhupada's books and become happy. Today was this verse 730 and then this verse Prabhupada says that the association,

7:54the essence of the seventh chapter of Bhagavad-gītā is the association, Prabhupāda said, even if you don't understand anything in my books, still read them.

8:10Śrīla Prabhupāda gustāva padīṣya would go to Purī, you know, paḍyā. Sometimes Śrīla Prabhupāda would give darśana and he would speak in Hindi or in Bengali. Śrīla Prabhupāda was sometimes darśana would have been in a local language, and his Western disciples would not understand, would not understand what he is talking about.

8:37And he would they would stand up and would go out. And Śrīla Prabhupāda said, you're fools. Even if you don't understand anything, just sit there. And you will get purified, you will get benefited.

8:57So and we have this opportunity to get benefit by reading Prabhupada's books every day, even if we don't understand anything. And gradually, gradually we will understand everything.

9:15In the beginning we may not understand much, but ultimately we will understand the main thing. Krishna is Supreme Personality of Godhead. Purushotama and we are his eternal servant. This is our natural position.

9:40Natural position. And if we occupy another unnatural position, we become unhappy. So thank you very much. Take prasāda and become happy. Prasāda sambhrama. Okay.