# Preaching in the West Instructions from Śrīla Prabhupāda's letters about spreading Krsna consciousness in the Western countries. --- ## The Krsna Consciousness Philosophy ![[letters/1967/670609_mr._and_mrs._renovich._and_mrs._renovich._taber|Our movement for Krishna Consciousness is to turn the present polluted senses into its original pure form]] —Mr. Taber, 9 June, 1967 --- ![[letters/1967/671224_nandakisora|all these changes of lives, one after another, are considered to be dreams. Less intelligent persons are very much interested in dreaming life]] —Nandakisora, 24 December, 1967 --- ![[letters/1968/680126_krsna_devi|So this life of material existence is just like hard wood and if we can carve Krsna out of it, that is the success of our life.]] —Krsna devi, 26 January, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680413_yadunandana|material manifestation is temporary, as it stated in the Bhagavad-gita, that the material manifestation at times comes into being and it at times vanquishes]] —Yadunandana, 13 April, 1968 --- ![[letters/1969/690122_vilasavigraha|You have asked me how one can know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead?...Similarly, to know Who is the Supreme Personality you have to take evidence from the Vedic authorities, great personalities, and the Spiritual Master.]] —Vilasavigraha dasa, 22 January, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/690125_mahapurusa|the so called love which goes on in the material world is simply a perverted form of dasya rasa. Everything in this world is a perverted form of rasa.]] —Mahapurusa, 25 January, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/690128_hansadutta|In the material world, the three modes of nature which are named ignorance, passion and goodness, are always found mixed up together. In other words, these modes are never found pure]] —Hansadutta, 28 January, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/690314_rupanuga|When we put ourselves in the position of enjoying good or bad reaction, then we suffer or enjoy. But action in Krishna Consciousness has nothing to do with such material suffering or enjoying]] —Rupanuga, 14 March, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/691003_bali-mardana_sudama-mardana_sudama-mardana_sudama|The sum and substance of our philosophy is to love Krishna. Actually, we have got our inherent love propensity for Krishna, but due to our contact with material energy, that loving spirit is being overtaken by Maya.]] —Bali-mardana and Sudama, 3 October, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/691027_sai|if you read our Srimad-Bhagavatam you will find there what is the distinction between realization of Brahman, Paramatma (Impersonal Supersoul) and the Personality of Godhead.]] —Sai, 27 October, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/691102_arundhati|Regarding your final question, Krishna is the Cause of all causes. That is a fact. But we being subordinate to Krishna, sometimes we create our cause under Krishna's sanction only.]] —Arundhati, 2 November, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/691204_bhadra_bardhan|the impersonal Brahman effulgence is emanating from Bhagavan, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.]] —Bhadra Bardhan, 4 December, 1969 --- ![[letters/1970/700102_bhagavan|If people do not take to Krishna and simply want to utilize the Goddess of Fortune for sense gratification, as it was the policy of the demons like Ravana and Hiranyakasipu, then the finishing touch will certainly culminate in releasing the nuclear weapon exactly like Ravana was vanquished by such policy.]] —Bhagavan, 2 January, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/700302_bhagavan|our philosophy is that things employed in Krsna's service have no more influence of maya.]] —Bhagavan, 2 March, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/701003_professor_s._c._chakravarti._c._chakravarti._c._chakravarti|I am so glad to learn that you are interested in the matter of Vaisnava philosophy. Vaisnava philosophy is very simple: that God is great and everyone is His servant. Nobody can be equal to or greater than God. They are simultaneously one and different. In quality they are one, but in magnitude they are different.]] —Professor S. C. Chakravarti, 3 October, 1970 --- ![[letters/1971/710529_gaura_hari|Universal form is a person also, and from that universal form so many things are appearing.]] —Gaura Hari, 29 May, 1971 --- ![[letters/1971/711212_danavir|Actually, philosophy means practical application—if it is mere theory then it has no value. But our Krishna philosophy is working now in modern society to solve all kinds of problems all over the world]] —Danavir, 12 December, 1971 --- ![[letters/1972/720228_caturbhujaa|Thank you very much for your questions. You enquire about the mode of goodness, and why such people do not worship Krishna. Actually, this is not the final stage, one has to go further ahead to suddha sattva.]] —Caturbhuja, 28 February, 1972 --- ![[letters/1975/751217_mahamsa|Lord Caitanya never spoke philosophy in public. When he met big scholars like Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya he spoke philosophy, otherwise for the mass of people, kirtana and prasada distribution.]] —Mahamsa, 17 December, 1975 --- ![[letters/1975/751218_acyutananda_yasodanandana|For the mass of people this is the only medicine. Lord Caitanya never spoke philosophy in public, he held kirtana and distributed prasadam. When he met Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya he talked high philosophy, otherwise—chanting and prasadam distribution.]] —Acyutananda and Yasodanandana, 18 December, 1975 --- ![[letters/1976/760509_sri_k.k._joshi.k._joshi.k._joshi|Immediately, of course, we do not insist on philosophy, but if people join sankirtana, chanting and dancing and taking prasadam, then immediately we can begin cooperating without any distinction]] —Sri K.K. Joshi, 9 May, 1976 --- ![[letters/1976/761217_vegavan|In the human form the soul can decide whether to go back to home, back to Godhead or return to birth and death...Our movement is for this purpose, to offer all human beings a chance to go back home, back to Godhead.]] —Vegavan dasa, 17 December, 1976 --- ## About Being the Body ![[letters/1968/680326_yadunandana|it is quite natural to become sympathetic when one's body is put into such horrible condition, but if you are firmly convinced that this body is separate from the soul, then we may not be distracted.]] —Yadunandana, 26 March, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680317_satsvarupa|The evening twilight first appeared as a beautiful girl to attract the demons but later on turned to be evening twilight. There is no reality in the material beauty. What you think as real that is also unreal because everything material transforms into matter at the ultimate stage. It is the spirit soul who is beautiful and not the matter]] —Satsvarupa, 17 March, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680601_upendra|Similarly, when one is purely in Krishna Consciousness, it may appear that he is within the material existence, but actually he has nothing to do with it. He is dried up, like the coconut fruit]] —Upendra, 1 June, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680712_cidananda|consciousness is pure spiritual, but when the consciousness desires to enjoy matter, it becomes cloudy and dusty, or contaminated. And then at that time, thinking, feeling and willing, everything becomes polluted.]] —Cidananda, 12 July, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680822_daniel|Liberation means to be situated in one's original position.]] —Daniel, 22 August, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/681112_malati|The change of soul is like that water which becomes ice in contact with a refrigerator.]] —Malati, 12 November, 1968 --- ![[letters/1970/700205_anil_grover|the soul itself is the controller of the mind and intelligence.]] —Anil Grover, 5 February, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/700415_syamasundara|When at the last stage of a man's life the doctor is feeling the pulse and then the beating stops he says, 'He is gone now.' Who is gone?]] —Syamasundara, 15 April, 1970 --- ![[letters/1971/710120_dr._bigelow._bigelow._bigelow|it is not possible for the material scientist to capture the soul. You can simply accept the soul's existence by taking it from authority.]] —Dr. Bigelow, 20 January, 1971 --- ![[letters/1974/740501_markandeya_rsi|You have asked what is the origin of the black race. This is not an important question. Why should you be curious about the temporary body?]] —Markandeya Rsi, 1 May, 1974 --- ![[letters/1975/750623_svarupa_damodara|Those who are not sober cannot understand how the spirit soul is changing from one body to another.]] —Svarupa Damodara, 23 June, 1975 --- ![[letters/1975/750909_ed_gilbert|unless one is raised to spiritual understanding, there is no question of equality on the bodily platform. This is a scientific calculation.]] —Ed Gilbert, 9 September, 1975 --- ![[letters/1975/750928_prem_j._batra._batra._batra|So mind and intelligence are already there in the soul, but in the conditional stage the same mind and intelligence become polluted as false egotism or enjoyer.]] —Prem J. Batra, 28 September, 1975 --- ## And the Results ![[letters/1967/670804_brahmananda|I am glad that you had a demonstration of kirtana at the home of the Consul General. Whenever you meet you should strictly speak the Truth without any consideration of future material gains. If we are sincere servants of Krishna, our material necessities will never be hampered.]] —Brahmananda, 4 August, 1967 --- ![[letters/1967/671216_subalaab|Success or failure does not matter. On the Absolute world there is no such relativities as a success and failure. The one thing in the Absolute world is to serve Krishna.]] —Subala, 16 December, 1967 --- ![[letters/1968/680429_nandarani_dayananda|Simply by this attempt you will get superior strength and knowledge about Krishna Consciousness. It doesn't matter whether a man is convinced or not, but your sincere attempts to convince others will help you progress.]] —Nandarani and Dayananda, 29 April, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/680505_subala|So do your duty is to continue as you are doing, even though nobody is coming in the morning. Lord Jagannatha will hear your kirtana, because we are always in the company of the Lord of the Universe.]] —Subala, 5 May, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/681113_tosana_krsna|Even if somebody looks shabby and unclean, if he simply says this Krishna Consciousness is very nice thing, even he is not able to take full advantage of it at the time, still he is far more fortunate than any Rockefeller.]] —Tosana Krsna, 13 November, 1968 --- ![[letters/1968/681015_mukunda|Even if somebody does a small amount of service, and not even very willingly, still, he is assured to get a human body in next birth, and a chance to execute some service further.]] —Mukunda, 15 October, 1968 --- ![[letters/1969/690213_krsna_dasa|Your efforts to repeat the philosophy as it is will be successful by two things; the mercy of Krishna and the mercy of the Spiritual Master. These will keep us always fit in speaking the right thing.]] —Krsna dasa, 13 February, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/690919_giriraja|I am receiving very encouraging reports from all our centers, including yours, so we should know definitely that Krishna is giving us all opportunities to serve Him more enthusiastically. Actually, the whole universe is Krishna's property.]] —Giriraja, 19 September, 1969 --- ![[letters/1969/691113_gaurasundara|So gradually I am getting to be an old man. I have given you the formula how to preach; you are young boys and girls, our future hope. Now you follow the principles, apply your intelligence, and everything will come out successful by the Grace of our Lord Krishna.]] —Gaurasundara, 13 November, 1969 --- ![[letters/1970/700217_sudama|The potency of spreading Krsna consciousness is everywhere the same. That was experimented by me in your country, where I came alone without any support]] —Sudama, 17 February, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/700218_kirtanananda|Your touring in different places and preaching Krsna consciousness is fulfilling my dream. May Krsna bless you on and on for being engaged in such exalted work. In the Bhagavad-gita, last portion of Eighteenth Chapter, it is said that nobody is dearer to Krsna than anybody on the earth except the person who is engaged in preaching the most confidential philosophy of life, namely surrendering unto Krsna, leaving aside everything material or spiritual.]] —Kīrtanānanda, 18 February, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/700710_jayapataka|After all it is not the question of the place, but it is the person who chants which is important. A sincere soul like you, so much devoted to spiritual master and Krsna is sure to be successful anywhere.]] —Jayapataka, 10 July, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/701104_karandhara|He is God, so it will happen, that is a fact. So if we take advantage then we may take the credit, but if we do not someone else will. You are right to just depend on Krsna.]] —Karandhara, 4 November, 1970 --- ![[letters/1970/701113_tirthapada|The test of preaching ability is whether one is making some disciples or not. So it appears that your preaching is going on nicely. The standard of purity which I have introduced in the Krsna consciousness movement will give you the real spiritual strength needed to preach. If you will simply stick to your principles, you will gain the respect of the whole world and our preaching work will be successful.]] —Tirthapada, 13 November, 1970 --- ![[letters/1971/710111_rupanuga|I have just received a letter from Bhavananda from New York and it appears that there are many persons regularly attending our classes and following the regulative principles as well as chanting Hare Krsna mantra. That is the success of our preaching work when there is this result of more persons joining, so I am confident that things are going on.]] —Rupanuga, 11 January, 1971 --- ![[letters/1971/710824_gargamuni|If one or two men come to you that is sufficient for the present. In this way when you have gathered at least one or two local sympathizers then you can try and chant on the street.]] —Gargamuni, 24 August, 1971 --- ![[letters/1972/720105_jagadisa|a Japanese philosopher who has predicted that our Krishna Consciousness Movement will become the world religion by 1981.]] —Jagadisa, 5 January, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/720110_kulasekhara|Our business is simply to plant the seed of devotional service wherever we go and to give everyone a taste of this transcendentally relishable activity of life.]] —Kulasekhara, 10 January, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/720221_bhakta_dasa|I especially appreciate your concern towards increasing more and more the distribution of our books, that will sanctify all other activities of preaching because preaching means selling books.]] —Bhakta dasa, 21 February, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/720505_danavir|'Who God is' can be summed up in only five words: Krsna is the Supreme Controller. If you become convinced of this, and preach it enthusiastically, success is assured, and you will be doing the greatest service for all living entities.]] —Danavir, 5 May, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/721111_yadubara|improve your preaching work, distribute all the books, and print more, and in this way, Krishna is the husband of the Goddess of Fortune, you will get as much money and as many big buildings as you need]] —Yadubara, 11 November, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/721223_sudama|But Krishna was all along preparing something I could not see, and He brought you to me one by one, sincere American boys and girls, to be trained-up for doing the work of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Now I can see that it is a miracle.]] —Sudama, 23 December, 1972 --- ![[letters/1972/721231_revatinandana|By this traveling and preaching in the schools, colleges, youth clubs, like that, selling books, this program is very, very much appreciated by me, and I think that you are accomplishing more good preaching result than anyone.]] —Revatinandana, 31 December, 1972 --- ![[letters/1973/730215_satsvarupa|You should not be discouraged if people are not coming to your meetings...My Guru Maharaja said it does not matter if anyone comes to hear. You go on with your chanting. If no one hears you the walls will hear.]] —Satsvarupa, 15 February, 1973 --- ![[letters/1974/740614_aksayananda_pancadravida|More important than the results is the activity. Krsna wants to see that you are fully engaged with all sincerity in preaching His glories; that will please Him, not a certain amount of money.]] —Aksayananda Maharaja and Pancadravida Maharaja, 14 June, 1974 --- ![[letters/1974/741121_tamala_krsna|So go on with your preaching solidly. Krishna will be pleased and Caitanya Mahaprabhu will be kind. He is already kind. You simply have to go village to village, and your life will be perfect.]] —Tamala Krsna, 21 November, 1974 --- ![[letters/1974/741126_saurabha|So it is up to you Europeans and Americans to push it all over the world, and one day you will be the leaders of the world. It is not difficult. You just have to work sincerely and intelligently. Krishna will do everything.]] —Surabhi dasa, 26 November, 1974 --- ![[letters/1974/741209_sama|It is the sincerity of the attempt that is the important thing.]] —Sama dasa Adhikari, 9 December, 1974 --- ![[letters/1976/760924_yasomatinandana|So if we work sincerely, the Krishna Consciousness Movement is non-different from Krishna.]] —Yasomatinandana, 24 September, 1976 --- ![[letters/1976/761109_b.s._bodhayana_maharaja.s._bodhayana_maharaja.n._sharma|I don't think there is any other institution throughout the whole world which can take charge of a weaker section and raise them to the standard of most exalted persons.]] —S.N. Sharma, 9 November, 1976 --- ![[letters/1976/761220_tamala_krsna|you can take charge of the government. And, as soon as in America the Krsna conscious boys are in power the whole world will be changed.]] —Tamala Krsna, 20 December, 1976 --- ![[letters/1977/770116_prapujaka_avinasa_candra|Yes, go on with your preaching work, Krsna will bless you. A little attempt is required, then all other things will come from Krsna. This is my practical experience: I made a little attempt and Krsna has sent me so many representatives like you to help me.]] —Prapujaka dasa and Avinasa Candra dasa, 16 January, 1977 --- **[← Back to Śikṣāmṛta](wiki/compile/siksamrita)**