Satsvarupa dasa Brahmacari Diary, 1966

The notes I keep on Swamiji’s lectures are an exercise to help me remember and understand Krishna consciousness.  Unless you hear from a pure devotee, you cannot know Krishna.  There are some books circulating in the storefront on Hinduism.  Still, the all-important thing is to hear from Swamiji.  I don’t know anything else.  I am safe as his student.  I can’t go wrong that way.

I want to read his Srimad-Bhagwatam and type for him – that is an excellent way to learn philosophy.  You can’t learn philosophy unless Krishna reveals it in the heart.  He will do that when you serve His realized pure devotee.

Notes from lecture of BG 6.40-43

He (the fallen yogi) takes birth in a brahmin’s family.  Brahmins are very pure, very clean.  Or the fallen yogi takes birth in a rich family.

Swamiji told of his own life.  His father was very pious and worshiped Krishna.  When Swamiji was 5 or 6 years old, he asked his father for Radha-Krishna deities.  His father purchased Them, and Swamiji as a child offered his food to Them in imitation of the offerings his father made.  They also visited a temple of Krishna.  Swamiji as a child watched for hours.  These are the gains of being born in a family like that.

Narada says even if you come to Krishna consciousness because you are crazy, all right, still it is good.

The third kind of family the fallen yogi is born into is a family of yogis.  This is the best kind.  The brahmin may think he has nothing to learn.  The rich man’s son may become a drunkard.  When you are born in one of these families, you start to remember what you learned of Krishna in the previous life. 

Swamiji said:  “I MAY TELL YOU THAT THOSE WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS SOCIETY, KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, VERY SERIOUSLY, THEY ARE NOT ORDINARY PERSONS.  THEY MUST HAVE HAD SUCH CULTURE IN THEIR PREVIOUS LIVES.  NOW THEY ARE AGAIN TRYING TO REVIVE IT.”  The asset is there.

That was very interesting that Swamiji said we must have been yogis in past lives and that is why we are taking to Krishna consciousness now.  I don’t remember anything from my past life, especially about Krishna, but he said so according to the Bhagwad-gita.

I want to go on carefully listening to his lectures.  Umapati keeps exact notes for publishing in BTG.  Mine are more for myself.  This is the only writing I am doing now.