Pariprashnena — Q&A Archive

SB 3.27.7: In executing devotional service, one has to see every living entity equally, without enmity towards anyone yet without intimate connections with anyone. One has to observe celibacy, be grave and execute his eternal activities, offering the results to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

He knew of the conspiracies of certain disciples to become spiritual masters before time,such as Kirtanananda.
He could see how difficult were the instructions of his spiritual master to bring the highest philosophy to the lowest of mankind[mlecchas]as most prefered to go back to Maya,even after his encounter.
Pure devotees are never sad,though they may appear so:he replied to such question once and said he was actually in ecstasy!
Do torrents of tears from realised souls -in ecstasy -mean sorrow?

How do explain to newcomers/materialists transc. sadness or crying of the Lord or His devotees in CC 2.2.27, 3.8 (Madhavendra Puri vs Ramacandra Puri), 3.18.9, etc.? Prabhupada felt sad when he got news of his disciples having problems or leaving d.s. (letter to Brahmananda, San Francisco, 3 April 1969; letter to Bhanutanya dasi, Hyderabad, 18 Novemeber 1972).

" so:he replied to such question once and said he was actually in ecstasy! ", yes I have heard this also, I think He said something like
"...this is my ecstacy. " or " ...that is my ecstacy. " .

Personally, I thought he looks seriously and deep in thought.

If I am not mistaken, the picture used as an example is a still shot from the video of Srila Prabhupada speaking with the gentlemen in the garden of the Los Angeles Temple. Still shots from videos can catch someone in some unusual expressions and make them appear to be in a mood other than what was truly the case. If this is from that film, he was speaking on some very serious subject matter.

Basically, still shots from videos might not represent the whole picture (no pun intended) or mood of the moment.

[quote][cite] VEDA:[/cite]How do explain to newcomers/materialists transc. sadness or crying of the Lord or His devotees in CC 2.2.27, 3.8 (Madhavendra Puri vs Ramacandra Puri), 3.18.9, etc.? Prabhupada felt sad when he got news of his disciples having problems or leaving d.s. (letter to Brahmananda, San Francisco, 3 April 1969; letter to Bhanutanya dasi, Hyderabad, 18 Novemeber 1972).[/quote]

The soul is sat-cit-ananda: eternal-full of knowledge and full of bliss!We are souls,not the mind or the body,that is destined to get decomposed by worms,or destroyed by fire! The flickering mind is also unstable:sometimes we wish to love our wives,sometimes we wish to kill her!:)
Problems are followed by solutions....
When will be the day that we[souls] will serve without fail, the Supreme Lord,who is all- soul?[not covered by material body]

many ones are not so truthfull to the father and to this srila prabhupada was a slayer master, he was and is still used to this preaching work. so he was and or could have been very grave and serious on the matter concern. in that video he has got to deal with atheists and theolsofists of the sort, alas alas, the way of realizing God through love'b4s yogic power shows of the pun not to remember human beings but the all pervaiding super soul of whom example we can be thought after as all th masters aappear to be at the feets of Srila Prabhupada...

Hare Krsna !.

I think the word is grave.

He looks grave on his pictures.

and he is not sad,... GRAVE, devotees are GRAVE or serious very serious.
yes, hare krsna

I think a key word might be "Empathy"
Or simply this could be externalised, displeasure
However sometimes a devotee may simply want to make a point though that medium....
Although Grave, i think we should build our desire to absorb the Gurus mood because this will allways benifit the devotees.
Hare Krsna.

[quote][cite] mishra:[/cite]How you explain to newcomers or outsiders?[/quote]

The question "Why does he look sad?" seems to be based on the premise that "a spiritual person should always look the same" or "a spiritual person should always be happy/equanimous" (an impersonalist tendency).[br]
So, IMO, the things to understand here are that 1. we are persons; 2. persons have emotions; 3. persons have emotions even when they are spiritual.[br]
One doesnt cease to be a person once one "becomes spiritual"; when "becoming spiritual", one still has needs, interests and concerns.