Nectar of Instruction Thematic Lecture #6 - The Transcendental Teachings of HH Bhaktividyā Pūrṇa Svāmī

This course is part of Sastra-Caksus, Year 2 and consists of 25 lectures, available on:

Given in Bhaktivedanta Academy, Sridham Mayapur November-December 2011

The following are lecture notes briefly delineating its contents.

Various subjects not connected to Krishna have no importance.
The prajalpa itself is not of any value, but if various topics are connected to Krishna consciousness, such talk is accepted.
One discusses topics that are useful for oneself and for others. Useful means it is connected to the Lord.
Involvement in duality will increase duality.
Srila Prabhupada expected temple leaders to be up-to-date with news, but simply for the purpose of finding opportunities for preaching, e.g. whether there is some upcoming festival in the town etc. But for most devotees paying attention to news is prajalpa.
Krishna consciousness movement is anything in connection to Vaishnavism for the benefit of oneself and others. Lord Caitanya's movement is Gaudiya Vaishnavism. ISKCON is part of Lord Caitanya's movement under the guidance of Srila Prahupada.

NIYAMAGRAHA

Rules that are according to our level of development should be able to be applied without difficulty.
We should do out duties for the present moment, even though we might have had other duties in the past.
When no devotees are there to serve prasadam, the function of serving is just transferred to everybody. It's one of the lower grades of interaction and culture.
Prasadam serving - proper and buffet style. High class people, even materialists, have properly served dinner.
We should perform those duties that correspond to our present level.
Steadiness in one's own position is actual piety.
In modern times, only labels have changed, but the same Vedic rules apply always. People's mentality has changed - they are now unwilling to follow authority.
We don't accept the Vedic definition of piety, but accept the modern.
Favorable and unfavorable is defined according to what is good for Krishna consciousness.
Taking prasadam buffet style may be devotional in that it is prasadam, but it is not favorable for proper devotee association.
The mind tricks us into what is important for our conditioned nature and makes us think that it is primary.
Temple programs according to Pancaratra were introduced around 1970. Before that, devotees were just engaged in Harinama.
Management simply establishes situation, but the proper mood to operate in the situation is very rarely dealt with.