Photographs or pictures of Krsna can help us remember Him at every moment. Srila Prabhupada once said, “There is no difference between Him and His picture.” (from a lecture, September 8, 1973, at Upsala University, Stockholm).

The residents of both heaven and hell desire human birth on the earth planet because human life facilitates the achievement of transcendental knowledge and love of Godhead, whereas neither heavenly nor hellish bodies efficiently provide such opportunities. (Srimad Bhagavatam, ll.20.12).

Just as we aspiring transcendentalists should, and do have, goals and visions of what lies ahead, great materialists also glimpse the future. In Divine Nature,” Drutakarma prabhu refers to the scientist, Francis Bacon: “In the seventeenth century, Bacon listed in ‘The New Atlantis’ some of the inventions he could foresee: ‘The prolongation of life … means to convey sound in trunks and pipes in strange lines and distances … flying in the air … ships and boats for going under water..instruments of destruction as of war and poison… engines of war, stronger and more violent, exceeding our greatest cannons.'”

Often the term “magic” is used to portray something wonderful, something misunderstood or not understood, something illusory, or something extraordinary. But the greatest magic of all is that performed by the Supreme Lord. That is real magic. Srila Prabhupada says this about magic: “The yogis want to get these siddhis and declare that he has become God. The same, like the jnani, people are hankering after this magic.” (From a lecture in Mumbai on 24 November 1975).

Love and affection, often thought to be the exclusive province of sentimentalists, “bleeding-heart liberals,” lilly-livered cowards and the like, is why Srila Prabhupada sometimes left it out of the equation when propagating Krsna consciousness institutionally (form). One of the ways Srila Prabhupada showed that love and affection (substance) would always have to be an essential component in preaching is found in an instruction he once gave to Prabhavisnu Maharaj. He told him to “preach with the courage of a British soldier and the heart of a Bengali mother.”

In a recent issue of the American Association for Retired People’s magazine, its editor says that “intergenerational harmony is the future.” Judging from the talent, careful planning, work, output and long-term vision of many so called second-generation devotees, ISKCON has a bright future. Srila Prabhupada’s vision and purity created a hopeful future for his movement.

“So much control means no control,” said Srila Prabhupada, speaking of the human desire to control the environment or create comfort zones. The conversation revolved around this incessant desire to be the controller. He made it clear that the more one thinks he or she is the controller, the more they are being controlled by Krishna’s material energy. (18 January 1974, Hawaii)

It was the brainstorm of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati to produce a “spiritual newspaper” called Nadia Prakash. Apparantly someone had once challenged him that it would not be possible to produce news of the spiritual world frequently and regularly. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati is said to have replied that there is enough news from the spiritual world to result in a newspaper being published every second. “The fallen souls are very eager to receive novel information every day, and the transcendentalists like Vyasadeva or Narada can supply such eager people in general with unlimited news from the spiritual world.” (excerpt from Srila Prabhupada in conversation, June 25, 1976, New Vrndavan, USA).

Blue skies and clear weather can be compared to purity, and overcast or cloudy skies can be compared to polluted consciousness. Through a cloudless sky one can see millions of miles. Through clear consciousness, one can see reality far more clearly.

“Our span of life on earth is short. Our life will be crowned with success if the body wears out with constant discourses on Hari.” (from the booklet “Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura,” published by Janananda das, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)