Books are the Basis
Looking for some inspiration for your reading practice? Check out these quotes I've gathered from conversations with senior devotees.
For the last four years, I've been engaged in the blissful service of encouraging devotees to read Srila Prabhupada's books more regularly. In just a few days, the 5th annual "Books Are the Basis Week" will start! (18th–24th September 2024)!
As a little appetizer, here are some inspiring words from past conversations and interviews we've organized—Drops of Nectar from "Books Are the Basis":
Reading with absorption
"This Srimad Bhagavatam is the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge. Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur comments that one must drink —rasam ālayam means we must drink through the ears, we must hear this Bhagavatam until laya is the result. Laya means until we faint. Then you cannot hear the Bhagavatam anymore, so then we have to wait till we get back to our consciousness and then we'll start reading again until we faint again. Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakur talks about absorption really, about deep absorption." — Kadama Kanan Swami
Come to the boiling point of Krsna Consciousness!
"Let us read and apply these teachings. I cannot stress enough the necessity of doing this daily, of building something up. If I go to India in the old times, where the electricity is often on and off, and there is a power cut, the water never gets to the boiling point where I need it for my peppermint tea. So in the same way, if you read sporadically from time to time, you will never come to the boiling point of Krishna consciousness." — Sacinandana Swami
The secret to an anartha-free kirtan
"Whatever little service I'm able to do in terms of kirtan, I think reading the books is inseparable. Srila Prabhupada told Yamuna Devi that the secret to an anartha-free kirtan is reading, just studying Srila Prabhupada's books, studying his books." — Bada Haridas Dasa (ACBSP)
Srila Prabhupada wants to wake us up!
"He wants us to think, you know, all these very harsh statements of Prabhupada in his books are there to shake us, to more or less wake us up, because when he says these harsh things you become offended. He’s not just petting your ego all the time. Most of the time, he's just punching your ego. But when you know his personality, you understand that that's his compassion, all this apparent harshness which is there, it's just because he is so eager to give you Krishna." — Bhakti Vijnana Goswami
At least give 12 minutes
"Studying Srila Prabhupada's books, Bhagavatam, Bhagavad Gita, Chaitanya Charitamrita, that nourishes us and keeps us stable in devotional service. So, just like we take 16 rounds of chanting as a vrata, let's take reading Prabhupada's books also as a vrata. If we allocate that time, definitely we will be able to do that. I would say you have 24 hours in a day, at least give 24 minutes for Prabhupada's books. If not, give one-fourth muhurtha, 12 minutes at least. So, that's quite possible." — Gauranga Darshan Dasa
It's not a question of propaganda, but of prema!
"It is not just a question of inspiration, if you want to increase your faith, from Shraddha to Nishtha and to Prema, you should read Prabhupada's books. It is not possible otherwise. How is it possible? It is not just like propaganda, OK, we should read Prabhupada's books. No, we should feel it. If you don't read Prabhupada's books daily and you feel everything is good, it is not normal. It is not normal." — Acyutatma Dasa, GBC Member
Krishna is like a Sweetball
"Prabhupāda looks at me and says, read. Because he knew I didn't pick a story. So as soon as he said read, I start shuffling through the pages, looking, trying to find a good story. And then he said: “read anywhere! — Krishna’s like a sweet ball, wherever you bite, he's sweet!“ — Srutakirti Dasa (ACBSP)
Srila Prabhupada started everything based on Srimad Bhagavatam
"But many times we miss that irrespective of whatever was the storm Srila Prabhupada was facing in the day, when everybody was sleeping, at night he would quietly get up and do something consistently day after day, night after night I should say, which was actually the fundamental foundation for Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, which was the foundation for printing of the books, which was the foundation for distribution of those books, which was the reason why that books distribution would get converted into a flow of money because of which then properties and temples could be constructed especially in India. So therefore Srila Prabhupada started everything based on the Srimad Bhagavatam." — Gauranga Dasa, GBC Member
Here is a person we can trust
"This was another aspect where Srila Prabhupada distinguished himself from anyone else. First of all, he was speaking from a level of authority. And then he wasn't taking personal ownership. He was constantly deferring to Kṛṣṇa and His spiritual master. And so that was also very interesting, this level of truthfulness and transparency and honesty. And what he spoke was not something different from what he did, which we saw in other people.
And that he had these books. Nobody else had anything. So this added to the conviction that he was a person we could trust. And we wanted to trust him." — Malati Devi Dasi (ACBSP), GBC Member
Why are you not spending time with Srila Prabhupada?!
"Any situation, any life circumstances, Mahavishnu Swami would just refer you to the Bhagavatam; take out this verse, take out this purport and then when we read it, we realised that Bhagavatam is alive and he would tell us: ’See, Srila Prabhupada is speaking to you. He is giving so practical points. Why are you not spending time with Srila Prabhupada?’" - Devakinandana Dasa, GBC Member
Do you feel like hearing more nectar? Please join us for the Books are the Basis Week!
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