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[You find the second part of this lecture here.]

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

"By rendering devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna, one immediately acquires causeless knowledge and detachment from the world."

—Srimad Bhagavatam 1.2.7

Those who consider devotional service to the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna to be something like material emotional affairs may argue that in the revealed scriptures, sacrifice, charity, austerity, knowledge, mystic powers, and similar other processes of transcendental realization are recommended. According to them, bhakti, or the devotional service of the Lord, is meant for those who cannot perform the high grade activities.

by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

The material existence of the living being is a diseased condition of actual life. Actual life is spiritual existence, or brahma-bhuta (SB 4.30.20) existence where life is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. Material existence is temporary, illusory, and full of miseries. There is no hap- piness at all. There is just the futile attempt to get rid of the miseries, and temporary cessa- tion of misery is falsely called happiness. Therefore, the path of progressive material enjoyment which is temporary, miserable, and illusory, is inferior.

[Part of IPM's Freedom Newsletter January–March 2008]

by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Second Chapter of "The Science of Self Realization"

om ajnana-timirandhasya
jnananjana-salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena
tasmai sri-gurave namah

"I was born in the darkest ignorance, and my guru, my spiritual master, opened my eyes with the torch of knowledge. I offer my respectful obeisances unto him."

The word ajnana means "ignorance" or "darkness." If all the lights in this room immediately went out, we would not be able to tell where we or others are sitting. Everything would become confused. Similarly, we are all in darkness in this material world, which is a world of tamas. Tamas or timira means "darkness." This material world is dark, and therefore it needs sunlight or moonlight for illumination. However, there is another world, a spiritual world, that is beyond this darkness.

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of welcoming this grave charge. All the audience have accepted ordinary seats, I alone have been provided with a lofty seat. All are being told in effect 'Do have a look at a big animal from the Zoo-gardens. What arrogance! So foolish! So wicked! Have you ever seen such a big brute? Garlands of flowers have been put round his neck! What laudations! What bombastic long-drawn, and hyperbolic adjectives! And how complacently too he is listening to the praise of his own achievements, how intently, and with his own ears! He also evidently feels delighted in mind! Is he not acting in plain violation of the teaching of Mahaprabhu? Can such a big brute, so selfish and insolent, be ever reclaimed from brutishness?'

I happen to be one of the greatest of fools. No one offers me good advice on account of my arrogance. Inasmuch as nobody condescends to instruct me I placed my case before Mahaprabhu Himself. The thought occurred to me that I would make over the charge of myself to Him and see what He would advise me to do. Then Shri Chaitanyadeva said to me:

"Whom-so-ever thou meet'st, instruct him regarding Krishna, By My command being Guru deliver this land; In this thou wilt not be obstructed by the current of the world; Thou wilt have My company once again at this place." In these verses is to be found the proper explanation of the apparent inconsistency noticed above.

by Srila Prabhupada

Introduction by Kaunteya Das

I just discovered and read "Contribution of Lord Chaitanya to the People of the World" from the section "Books, Essays and Articles (pre-1967)" of the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase (FOLIO). I am not sure how Srila Prabhupada planned to use it, but it appears as having been an article, or an outline for an article or a speech, specifically designed to encourage the people of Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, to "take shelter under the lotus feet of Sree Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" to "awake the dormant sleeping lion," the embodied soul, afflicted by the maladies of nescience. He cajoles them, simultaneously truthfully and tactfully, reminding them of the true glory of their city, "the birthplace of the seeds of transcendental Love of Godhead as they were implemented here first in the heart of Srila Rupa Goswami." 

It's interesting how Srila Prabhupada refers to words by Jawaharlal Nehru, a previous resident of Allahabad (he once visited Srila Prabhupada's pharmacy and asked for a donation for his political activities, which Srila Prabhupada granted) who at that time was Prime Minister of the Republic of India (post that he held from 1947 to 1964). Srila Prabhupada links Nehru's analysis of the ills of humanity to Lord Caitanya's previous (and of course more complete and farseeing) appraisal of the same situation. Srila Prabhupada seems to attempt to appeal to people's natural allegiances and somehow connect that to Lord Caitanya's remedy, the chanting of the holy name.