krsna

... to digest. A: Only time will not do. These truths should be listened to again and again verbally from the mouths of true Acharyas. Some time ago Mr. Chapman (of the Imperial Library) listened for two or three hours to the philosophy of Shri Chaitanya Deva and at the end he admitted that even for a scholar like him, the philosophy was extremely difficult to enter into. So it cannot be understood without repeated hearings and with devout submission.

A: Achid-vada is materialism of the following nature as when one says, "I shall be Indra, the King of heaven" or "I shall enjoy worldly pleasures" in the vein of Charvaka, the Indian Epicurus, whose philosophy was that pleasure was the highest good or again "I shall borrow and drink and not think of discharging the debt; I shall have convenient arrangements for leading a comfortable life in this world; and to be a greater enjoyer, I shall acquire and preserve health; I shall make a proper use of the canine teeth by eating fish and meat and vigorously manage the function of youth" and so on. 'Achin-matra-vada is the name of the attempt to annihilate the sentient existence, on the ground that Achid-vada is only temporal and the sentient existence is the unavoidable root of all troubles and miseries. According to them the extinction of the sentient existence is the most laudable and valuable thing, inasmuch as existence is the root of all evils. Sakyasimha, Kapila, etc., were the propounders of this doctrine. Chinmatra-vada is the name of the attempt to merge in Brahman and thus destroy the anuchit property of jivas. Shankaracharya and, before him, Dattratreya, were the propounders of this doctrine. The different anuchetanamsas (jivas) of the Entire Chit (God) remaining ever attracted by the Vibhu-Chetana (God) show love towards Him: this is known as chit-vilasa-vaichitrya. Here the atma (soul) is ever entirely engaged in the sportive activities with the God. In it there are no sins and no spiritual offences more heinous than sins, like the covered state of the soul as in Achid-vada, the attempt to annihilate atma and Paramatma as in Achinmatra-vada, or spiritual suicide as in Chinmatra-vada. There are here the full unfolding, the full beauty and the full coalescence of Paramatma and atma.

Must be gettin' tired. (Also it sounds like a verse from Srimad Bhagavatam paraphrased.)

A: It is where there is no kuntha or the characteristic feature of measuring everything. This Vaikuntha has two petals or apartments. In the one God exists as Bhagavan with the highest Majesty. In the second apartment above the first one He is ever present with His Personality of perfect sweetness, He being the Ocean of all the sentimental succulence that gives the utmost sensation of transcendental pleasure; here He covers up that climax of Majesty with the predominance of His graceful sweetness by dint of inevitable Potency. Vaikuntha is no kind of limited region like the Swarga, of the Hindus, Bahest of the Persians, Heaven of the Christians, nor is the place, a habitation of the deities who are subject to the measuring limitations. The conception of Vaikuntha among the Vaisnavas is not like that of persons who think that as the result of virtuous acts they will go to the region of heaven and again come in contract with wives, sons and relatives connected with their bodies to remain absorbed in enjoyments as in the world. In Vaikuntha, Krishna is the only Master and all are eternally engaged in serving Him. According to the Vaishnavas, Swarga, Bahest, etc., are as false as day-dreams. We are all servants of God and God is the only recipient of our service. We are believers in Achintya-Bhedabhedavada i.e., the doctrine of the inscrutable simultaneity of distinction and non-distinction among God and His creation, animate and inanimate. We have no desire for obstructing the eternal essential virtue of chit (animation) in order to annihilate it with a suicidal policy by merging into Brahman, or, on the other hand, for being absorbed in material enjoyments in this world or in heaven etc., along with relations. We are associated counterparts of God. The modern thinkers are apathetic towards listening to Vaidic [sic] commands which have come down to us through the true line of Gurus, but they attach more value to the process of empiricism. And they are properly rewarded with punishment through that process itself. But we accept Avatara-vada, or process of Deduction. God and His devotees graciously come down to this world and give us the message of Vaikuntha. The Vaishnavas are not elevationists, following the karma-kanda, nor followers of jnana-kanda or salvationists. They are not achid-vadins, nor believers only in achit (i.e., achit-matra-vadins) nor again chinmatravadins; but they are chid-vilasa-vadins.

Associates of Sri Caitanya: APPEARANCE OF THE DIVINE The appearance of Godhead in this world implies the co-appearance of all His Divine paraphernalia. Godhead must not be conceived as in any way separable from His entourage. Godhead shorn of any of His paraphernalia is a delusion. In the same way the appearance of divine paraphernalia involves the appearance of the divinity. The two are distinct yet inseparable forms of the one Supreme. Sri Caitanya is the Divine Personality Himself. His associates share His divine nature. Sri Krsna Caitanya is an extended subject. All the six divine forms have to be worshipped if is the intention to worship Sri Caitanya. The guru is one of His constituents. It is necessary to receive initiation from him. It is also necessary to be instructed by Him. As teacher, the guru has two forms. He guides from within. He also appears as a guide and instructor existing outside his disciples. Initiation is received from one person only. Instructions may be had form many gurus. Sri Kaviraja Goswami himself was instructed by the famous six Goswamins. GUIDE TO THE ABSOLUTE The Guru is the embodiment of the manifestation of the divinity to the pure receptive spiritual essence of the disciple. The guru is the real and original recipient of the Truth. He communicates his knowledge to the disciple. The disciple is too small a particle to be able by himself to receive the whole truth. He is enabled tot receive Him through the power of the guru. The guru as it were, takes the disciple by the hand and guides his every step on the plane of the Absolute. It is perpetual tutelage on the part of the disciple. This fact may be expressed in another way. The cognitive faculty of the individual soul can have no ground to stand upon unless the Divinity Himself condescends to be the legs as well as the ground on which he is to stand to function at all. This function of the divinity is performed by the guru. As a matter of fact the Divinity actually reveals Him only to Himself. The individual soul is a separable constituent of the guru. It is only when he happens to be associated by his own free choice with the guru in a completely dependent manner that he can be on the plane of the guru's service of the Divinity. He may or may not choose to be associated. The guru may or may not chose to admit him to his association. When there is active willing assent to such association on the part of both then it is possible for the individual souls to attain to the service of the Divinity in the really conscious form. ALONE FIT TO INSTRUCT Every one who is cognizant of the true nature of Krsna is alone fit to instruct another in the knowledge of Krsna The Divine paraphernalia area the gurus of all individual souls. In this sense all the six divine categories are identical with the guru. It can be so by reason of the fact that on the plane of the Absolute there is no separative difference. On that perfectly wholesome plane there is distinction without difference. But there is also the distinctive function of the guru which must be considered as also simultaneously distinct from that of any of the other categories. One who neglects to seek the special favor of the guru and to enter into the relation of disciple ship with the spiritual guide will miss entry to the spiritual plane. Nityananda is the Primary Manifestive Constituent of the Divinity. Nityananda alone possesses the distinctive function of the guru. In Nityananda the function is embodied. Nityananda is the servant-God. He serves Sri Gaurasundar by the distinctive method of reverential servitude. He is identical with Sri Balarama of krsna-lila. Sri Balarma is not the chum of Krsna, but His respected elder brother. It is intimate relationship characterized by becoming reserved on one side and of respectful deference on the other. Individual souls are under the directions of Nityananda. They receive their service of Sri Gaurasundara i.e. of Krsna, at His hands. Nityananda is not a jiva. He is Divinity. He is the ultimate source of the jiva. The jiva is a potency of Nityananda. No jiva can be the medium of the service of the Absolute to another jiva. The Absolute alone may communicate. His service to the separable constituents of Himself. This is the real nature of the function of the guru. NEVER TOUCHED BY MAYA But all jivas are not liable to be eclipsed by the deluding potency. Those who are so liable are again distinct from the eternally free jivas. The eternally free jivas are inseparable associates of Nityananda. They are integrated part and parcels of Himself. They never fall into the clutches of maya. When Nityananda manifests His appearance on the mundane plane His inseparable constituents also appear in His company. They sometimes manifest their functions on this lower place in a visible form on the errands of Nityananda. They are Vaisnavas whose subordination to Nityananda is natural and ingrained in their nature. It is not necessary for such souls to undergo the process of enlightenment for being restored to the spiritual plane. Unless this fact is born in the mind the conditioned soul may be tempted to undervalue the constant guidance of the guru on the hypocritical plea of following in the footsteps of the eternally free pure devotees. Those, therefore, who suppose that deliverance from the bondage of this world should be practicable without the constant guidance of the spiritual preceptor, confound the conditioned state with the free. The guidance of the guru is no curtailment of one's spiritual freedom. Those who are eternally free also follow his guidance by the spontaneous undeviating impulse of their perfectly pure nature. Guidance of the guru is the only divine guidance. Only atheists who are by their choice opposed to the service of Godhead, can be consistent opponents of the obligation to serve the guru in the same unconditional way as one should be prepared to serve Godhead Himself. There is no difference between the two functions. If the claim of the one is denied it necessarily involves the denial of the claim of the other. Nityananda and His companions form one of the five groups of the associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya, whose distinctive function is that of the guru. SRIMATE RADHIKA But Nityananda does not directly instruct in the confidential service of Krsna. Srimate Radhika is the guru of the inner circle of the servants of Krsna. Srimati, however, accepts the offer of service of only those souls who are specially favored by Nityananda and are deemed by Him to be fit for Her service. There is, therefore a most intimate relationship between the function of Nityananda and that of Srimati which is at once supplementary and inclusive of the former. The guru admits to the service of Krsna. The next divine category is the bhakta or devotee. In this case also as in that of the guru, service of the divinity, which is the distinctive function of the bhakta, is not confined to him only. The servants have been divided into two classes viz., (1) servants other than consorts and (2) consorts. The guru has distinctive function as master. The servant has no distinctive function as master. This distinguishes the guru from the bhakta. The bhakta is also Godhead in the distinctive form of this servant to whom the guru manifests the divinity. The mercy of the bhakta enables the dissociable soul to receive the mercy of the guru. The guru and the bhakta are the inseparable divine counterparts of one another. The guru and the bhakta are thus two distinct entities forming the five categories. The avataras (descending divinities) are the third category. They have their distinctive functions in the maintenance and deliverance of jivas inclined to divine service. They have distinctive functions as master. The difference between the avataras and the divinity as master consists in this that the avataras are derivatives from the divinity possessing the plenary divine nature. The relation between the two is analogous to that between the original self-existing source-light and other shining lamps that have been lighted from the source. There is no substantive or magnitudinal difference between the two. But there is distinctiveness in function. The avataras have distinctive natures of their own. But the divinity is their common source possessing all their distinctive functions in a synthesis which distinguishes Him from the avataras without suffering any diminution of His divinity by the eternal parallel coexistence of the distinctive activities and personalities of the avataras as divinities. Another divine category is the group of the divine manifestations. The manifestations are divine forms who are either identical with that of the divinity or of a distinctive nature. Krsna can appear simultaneously in the same form or in different forms to different persons and also simultaneously retain His own form. All these other forms are His own manifestations. The fifth divine category is divine power. Divine power is the Predominated Moiety of the divinity who is Predominating, Whole. Sri Radhika is the predominated Counter-Whole of Sri Krsna. Sri Radhika has Her duplicates and constituents who are also of the nature of plenary powers of the divinity. She also directly serves Sri Krsna in an infinity of ways in Her countless distinctive plenary and secondary forms. NECESSITY TO SERVE THROUGH AN ASSOCIATE OF MAHAPRABHU The associates of Sri Krsna Caitanya are made up of the five divine categories. If any one of these categories be left out the Truth who is indivisibly one, refuses to present Himself to the arrogant aptitude of the pedant who does not fully submit to be enlightened by grace regarding the necessity of serving the divinity in and through the distinctions. The pedant is disposed to be skeptical by reason of a lurking belief that it is the look-out of the divinity to make Himself known to Him. But the jiva is a dissociable particle of the divine essence with the onus of choosing for himself from among the alternatives of a serving, a neutral and disobedient career, his own relationship to the divinity. He cannot escape the privilege of exercising his responsibility except by conscious self-deception or by hypocrisy. MARGINAL POTENCY The dissociable individual soul is distinct from the divine categories. He is a particle of the marginal potency of the divinity. Sri Nityananda who is identical with Balarama is the ultimate source of the jiva. The conditioned souls is a particle of the marginal potency, who has been sent into this world by the wil of the Purusa, viz., Visnu reposing in the Causal Ocean, who is a plenary part of Nityananda exercising the divine function of crrator of all mundane existence including the conditioned state without Himself belonging to the mundane plane."

'Do not practice the craft of a Guru for the purpose of injuring others through malice. Do not adopt the trade of a Guru in order to get immersed in the slough of this world. But if you can, indeed, be My guileless servant you will be endowed with My power - then you need not fear.' ?????

From ,"Organized Religion" The church that has the best chance of survival in this damned world is that of atheism under the convenient guise of theism. The churches have always proved the staunchest upholders of the grossest form of worldliness from which even the worst of non-ecclesiastical criminals are found to recoil.

"Just always chant Hare Krsna." Never mind whether you are in a factory or in hell, in a shack or in a skyscraper-it doesn't matter. Just go on chanting Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. There is no expense, there is no impediment, there is no caste, there is no creed, there is no color-anyone can do it. Just chant and hear." from 'On the Way to Krsna'

By Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Published in The Harmonist (Sree Sajjanatoshani) Q: Please tell me in brief the doctrine of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. A: There is an old Shloka which says "Bhagavan Krishna's (Son of the Chieftain Nanda of Braja) own place Vrindavana is the object of worship according to the example of the cowherd-wives of Braja which is glorified in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the stainless Puranam, and Love of God is the highest thing for attainment." This is the doctrine of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, for which we have the greatest regard and not for anything else. The fullest development of the idea about Godship is in Shri Krishna. He reveals Himself to His devotees of different competences in three Forms. All these three are perfect conceptions, not like the partial one of Paramatma and the incomplete one of Brahman. These three perfect conceptions are full, fuller and fullest. These three are revealed in Dwaraka, Mathura and Vrindavana. At Dwaraka Krishna's manifestation is full, at Mathura it is fuller and in Braja (including Vrindavana) it is the fullest. We are living in the Bhuloka, one out of the fourteen worlds comprising the seven lower worlds and seven higher ones. Of the latter, this world (Bhuloka) is the first. The Bhu (earth) Bhuvah (between heaven and earth) and Svah (heaven) are the regions of enjoyment for householders performing virtuous deeds with desire; the remaining higher regions, viz., Mahah, Janah, Tapah and Satya are attainable by non-householders. Of these four, the first is meant for those who live and study in the preceptor's house and intend to become house-holders after paying the preceptor a ceremonial present; the second is for the celibates who live with the preceptor for good and ever observe the rules of religious austerities; the third is for the hermits, who after retirement from worldly life live in the forest or in seclusion for meditation; and the fourth for the sanyasis (roaming mendicants). But the devotees of God, who have not the inordinate desire for worldly enjoyments or for merger in Brahman, attain to Shri Vaikuntha which is inaccessible to others. Even beyond that Vaikuntha, there is Dwaraka; higher than that is Mathura and above that too is Goloka-Vrindavana. These regions are manifested by the potency of existences lying in God's Esoteric Personality. The places that are there in the transcendental Region are revealed in the mundane region. What is non-existent in that region cannot be found in this one. The manifestation of the non-apparent sports of Vrindavana is Goloka. Just as the lotus remains in a lake without connection with water, so does Goloka stay in the world without any touch of the earth. Those whose mind is not prone to offer service (to God) cannot feel the transcendentality of the region descended on the mundane plane. Ayodhya, Dwaraka, Shri-Purushottam Kshetra of Shri Jagannath etc., are different provinces of Shri Vaikuntha. The bliss available in Ayodhya is better than that in Vaikuntha; the bliss in Dwaraka is superior to that in Ayodhya; and the bliss of the denizens of Goloka is the climax of all bliss. The difference in the degree of a particular Rasa or sentimental mellowness is the cause of the difference in the degree of the bliss. Even the afflictions and distresses that may be there in Goloka dance on the crest of all forms of blisses and happinesses; these are rather nourishers of the highest form of bliss. Shri Chaitanya Deva has demonstrated the superiority of researching the services of the Lord of Vrindavana or of Gokula. Shri Krishna is God Himself from Whom have emanated all the Incarnations of Vishnu. That Krishna manifests Himself as the Lord of Dwaraka, or of Gokula. Shri Chaitanya Deva has said about Lord Krishna of Gokula: "In Krishna are present all the five principal Rasas (forms of sentimental mellowness). He is Himself the Ocean of Rasas."

Assuming Responsibility of Being Guru -- [ An essay by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati ] We have taken upon ourselves the responsibility of welcoming this grave charge. All the audience have accepted ordinary seats, I alone have been provided with a lofty seat. All are being told in effect 'Do have a look at a big animal from the Zoo-gardens. What arrogance! So foolish! So wicked! Have you ever seen such a big brute? Garlands of flowers have been put round his neck! What laudations! What bombastic long-drawn, and hyperbolic adjectives! And how complacently too he is listening to the praise of his own achievements, how intently, and with his own ears! He also evidently feels delighted in mind! Is he not acting in plain violation of the teaching of Mahaprabhu? Can such a big brute, so selfish and insolent, be ever reclaimed from brutishness?' I happen to be one of the greatest of fools. No one offers me good advice on account of my arrogance. Inasmuch as nobody condescends to instruct me I placed my case before Mahaprabhu Himself. The thought occurred to me that I would make over the charge of myself to Him and see what He would advise me to do. Then Shri Chaitanyadeva said to me: "Whom-so-ever thou meet'st, instruct him regarding Krishna, By My command being Guru deliver this land; In this thou wilt not be obstructed by the current of the world; Thou wilt have My company once again at this place." In these verses is to be found the proper explanation of the apparent inconsistency noticed above. He whose only teaching is humility greater than that of a blade of grass, said "By My command being Guru save this land!" In this instance Mahaprabhu Himself has given the command. His command being 'Perform the duty of the Guru, even as I do it Myself. Also convey this command to whom-so-ever you chance to meet.' Chaitanyadeva says, 'Tell them these very words viz, by My command being Guru save this land. Deliver the people from their foolishness.' Now who-so-ever happens to hear these words would naturally protest with palms joined - 'But I am really a great sinner; how can I be Guru? You are Godhead Himself, the Teacher of the world. You can be Guru.' To this Mahaprabhu replies: "In this thou will not be obstructed by the current of the world; Thou wilt have My company once again at this place." 'Do not practice the craft of a Guru for the purpose of injuring others through malice. Do not adopt the trade of a Guru in order to get immersed in the slough of this world. But if you can, indeed, be My guileless servant you will be endowed with My power - then you need not fear.' I have no fear. My Gurudeva has heard this from his Gurudeva. And it is for this reason that my Gurudeva has accepted even such a great sinner as myself and has told me: 'By My command being Guru save this land.' It is only those who have never heard these words of Gaursundar who say 'How odd! to listen to one's own praise!' While the Guru is instructing his disciple in the eleventh Skandha of the Bhagavatam what a great sin, in their opinion, is he not perpetuating! What is the Acharya to do when he has to explain the Shloka 'Acharya Mam Vijaniyat: Never disregard the Acharya; never entertain the idea that the Acharya is your equal in any sense.' These are the words of Shri Krishna Himself by which the jiva is to be benefited. Is the Guru to take himself off, to desert his seat the seat of the Acharya - from which these words are to be explained? That office his Gurudeva has conferred on him. If he does not act up to its requirements he is doomed to perdition by reason of his offense against the holy Name in the shape of disrespect towards the Guru. He has to do it in spite of the fact that such procedure is apparently open to the charge of egoism. When the Guru imparts the mantram to the disciple should he not tell him by this mantram to worship the Guru? Should he say instead, 'Give the Guru a few strokes of the shoe or the horse-whip?' The Guru is never to be decried. The Guru is the abode of all the gods. Should the Gurudeva abstain from communicating these words to his disciple while reading the Bhagavatam to him? 'To him alone who possesses guileless spiritual devotion, similar to the transcendental devotion that is due to Krishna Himself, to the Gurudeva, the holy mysteries are manifested.' Is the Gurudeva not to tell these things to his disciples? 'Athau Gurupuja: the worship of the Guru has precedence over all others. The Guru is to be served just as Krishna is served. The Guru is to be worshipped in a particular way. Is the Guru to desert his seat without telling all these things to the disciple? In the angle there is always the defect in the shape of absence of the fullness, the evenness of level, of 180 degrees or of 360 degrees. But in the plain surface, in 360 degrees, there is no such defect. That in the emancipated state no defect is possible, this simple truth ordinary foolish people entirely fail to grasp. As the saying goes, 'having started on the dance it is no use to draw close the veil.' I am doing the duty of the Guru, but if I preach that no one should shout 'Jai' to me, that is to say, if I say in a round about way, 'sing Jai to me,' it would be nothing short of duplicity. Our Gurudeva has not taught us such insincerity. Mahaprabhu has not taught such insincerity. I have to serve God in the straightforward way. The word of God has come down to the Gurudeva; I have to obey it in all sincerity. I will not disrespect the Guru at the instance of any foolish or malicious sectarians. Especially as Shri Gurudeva has directed me saying, 'By My command being Guru save this land.' This command has my Gurudeva preached. My Gurudeva in his turn has conveyed the command to me. I will not be guilty of any insincerity in carrying out that command. In this matter I will not accept the ideal of ignorant, insincere, pseudo-ascetic sectarianism. I will not learn insincerity. The worldly-minded, the malicious, the pseudo- renunciationists, the selfish cannot understand how the devotees of God, spurning at everything of this world by command of God, never, not even for a second, deviate from the service of God through all the twenty-four hours. Hypocritical sectarians, pseudo-Vaishnava sects, those sects that cherish internally the longing for earthly fame, naturally enough think 'what a shame it is for one to listen to the eulogies of disciples occupying the seat of the Guru.' But every Vaishnava regards everyone of the Vaishnavas as the object of his veneration. When Thakur Haridas exhibits the attitude of humility Mahaprabhu says - 'You are the greatest of the world, the crest-jewel of the world. Be agreeable, let us have our meal together.' He carried in His arms the body of Thakur Haridas which is eternally existent, self-conscious and full of spiritual bliss. In the community that follows Shri Rupa, the qualities of desiring no honor for oneself and of readiness to duly honor others are fully present. Those who detect any disparity are, like the owl, blind while the sun shines. They commit an offense by such conduct. If I disobey the law which has come down to me through the chain of preceptorial succession, the offense due to omission to carry out the command of the Guru will sever me from the lotus-feet of Shri Gurudeva. If in order to carry out the command of the Vaishnava Guru I have to be arrogant, to be brutish, to suffer eternal perdition, I am prepared to welcome such eternal damnation and even sign a pact to that effect. I will not listen to the words of other malicious persons in lieu of the command of the Gurudeva. I will dissipate with indomitable courage and conviction the currents of thought of all the rest of the world, relying on the strength derived from the lotus-feet of Shri Gurudeva. I confess to this arrogance. By sprinkling a particle of the pollen of the lotus-feet of my Preceptor scores of people like you will be saved. There is no such learning in this world, no such sound reasoning in all the fourteen worlds, in no man-gods, that can weigh more than a solitary particle of the dust of the lotus-feet of my Gurudeva. Gurudeva in whom I have implicit trust can never spite me. I am by no means prepared to listen to the words of any one who wants to hurt me or to accept such a malicious person as my preceptor.

The prayers of Bhakti Tirtha Swami by Bhakti Tirtha Swami Posted December 15, 2004 By now you have heard that I had to go back into the hospital. During my stay there, I received two blood transfusions and a series of additional tests. The sonogram and CAT scans gave us information of what is directly going on with the cancer. The other tests were to find out why I am always extremely tired and having constant breathing problems. I seem to be always gasping for breath, even when I brush my teeth or shave. The foot is still swelling; actually, I am unable to walk due to pain in the foot and the breathing problem. Of course the good thing is that the cancer that was in the liver when I arrived in Mexico has disappeared from doing the alternative treatments. The cancer that was suspected to be in the lungs was also negative from the test results. However, we are now back to the original problem: heavy concentration of melanoma in the foot and lymph nodes in the groin. Our present plan is for me to get stronger, to build up my immune system in preparation for amputation of the leg, although there is still a 50 percent possibility that the cancer can still spread. However, if I am to stay in this body, then I will have the amputation close to the knee. Of course in these last two days a miracle can happen. At the same time, I am seeing that some miracles have already happened. For example, the cancer did not spread to other parts of the body, and Srila Prabhupada and Krsna sent so many caring doctors and nurses that went out of their way to assist me. An even greater miracle is the large number of devotees around the world who have been praying for me and sending their love. I am so fortunate; I am constantly feeling the love from the Vaisnava community. I am sure I will still find a way to dance if the operation is successful; I will get a flamboyant prosthesis that will have mystical powers. (smile) My constant mantra now is: "I am blessed by the best and praying to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna that I pass all the tests." I do have a more conditional prayer that is posted in my bathrooms in Maryland and Gita Nagari. I would like to share this prayer with all of you (at the bottom). This prayer is in no way as simple as the prayer I offered to Srila Prabhupada and Krsna asking them to let me experience whatever I need to experience to become a better servant of theirs and the Vaisnavas. A couple days ago, I was still thinking that I would simply go to Mayapura and fast to make a quick transition from the body, but I realized this would be imposing my own will on Krsna's plan. With so much suffering from the body, it is easy to get excited with the opportunity to get out of the body. Daily Prayers My dear Lord Syama, please kindly hear my cry. Grant my devotional desires and eliminate my undevotional desires. I am your instrument; please make me worthy enough to serve You in all circumstances. May the Lord, who is known as Maniman, protect my thighs. Protect them from evil, from Maya, and give them protection so that the mind does not allow them to be a source of captivating the opposite sex. May Lord Visnu, who is known as Yajna, protect my legs. Let my legs do only duties that are meant for Your glorification and for the glorification of Srila Prabhupada. Dear Sweet Lord, please direct them in auspicious directions. May Lord Acyuta protect my arms. Use them only for Your divine service and nothing more. Dear Lord, please protect them from all unnecessary and inauspicious activities. May Lord Hayagriva protect my abdomen. Dear Lord, let it be used for eating only things offered at Your Lotus Feet and please protect whatever I take into it. Allow me to eat only things that can sustain me to serve You more and serve You better. May Lord Kesava protect my heart. Please Lord, make my heart an eternal dwelling place of the Sweet Love of the Divine Couple. Please make my heart an abode of surrender, humility, dedication, and selflessness. Make my heart grow only in love of Your Supreme Majesty and allow Your pastimes to eternally remain blissful in my heart. May Lord Isvara protect my head. May He only allow me to use my head in working for His glorification. Bless this lowborn head of mine and give me knowledge of how to serve and please You better. May Lord Cakradhara protect my front and may Lord Gadadhara protect my back. More at this time of chaos and problems in the movement. Please dear Lord, kindly protect me from all material influences from any direction. Protect me with Your love and Divine Strength. May Lord Visnu, with His conchshell, protect my left side. May the Supreme Godhead Upendra protect me from above and may Lord Tarksya protect me from below the Earth. May Lord Haladhara protect me from all sides. May Lord Madhusudana, who carries a bow in His hand, protect my eyesight. The eyes are the major object of false gratificationa quick route to hell. Please dear Lord, kindly guide my vision. Protect my eyes from Maya, and please protect them from the scenes that can pollute my mind and make it go crazy. Please put them under Your full protection and divine control. May the Supreme Lord, in His Hrsikesa form, protect all my senses. May He engage all my senses only in service. Protect them from all contamination and entangling pleasures. Let them be used only to please You. Tie them against any material nonsense and release them only when they are to serve You. May Lord Narayana protect my breath. May He encourage me to only use my breath for appreciating things offered at Your Divine Feet. May Lord Yogesvara, in His divine mystic potentiality, protect my mind and intelligence. This is the greatest of all senses. Please dear Lord, control this rascal entity and make it a place where only Your pastimes are being relished and appreciated. Dear Lord, close up all false entrances of my mind. Cleanse it of all inauspicious thoughts and always check any such thoughts, as I am a fool who does not know how auspicious and purifying it is to meditate on Your Divine Form. Dear Lord Krishna, please protect my soul. While sleeping, may Lord Madhava protect me from all dangers and may the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His Nrshma form, protect me from all evils, all danger, all inauspiciousness, and all illusions. Dear Lord, I humbly beg that You daily and eternally hear these my prayers and ultimately make me Your useful, dedicated eternal servant and a devoted son of my beloved Spiritual Master, Om Visnupada Paramahamsa His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada. May his love be my source of inspiration and may I learn eternally to be a humble servant of my beloved spiritual master.

Now I know why I'm so addicted to finding faults in others !!! ***************************************** As long as we're engaged in seeking out the defects of others, we're devoid of the quality of humility greater than that of a blade of grass. Because I'm full of faults, I'm attracted to finding fault with others. In this way, I lose the opportunity to serve the spiritual master. We need to sit at the lotus feet of the spiritual master and be constantly made aware of our own innumerable defects and be cautioned about the possibility of fall down. Rather than discussing the faults of others, we should speak about Krishna's glories. **********************************************

BE HUMBLER THAN A BLADE OF GRASS A synopsis of two lectures by Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur The perfection of life is for everyone to cooperate in Krishna's service. This is an open invitation. Although service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the highest of all activities, it can be performed by one and all. Many people worship for material gain or to attain liberation in God's effulgence. Loving devotional service is not to be confused with such worship. It's the pure transcendental position of the spirit soul. A real spiritual master is one who dispels the darkness of ignorance by the torchlight of knowledge and elevates his or her disciples to the platform of love. Such a teacher has no personal motivation except to do God's will. In this way, one presents universal religion. We're infinitesimal. God is infinite. We can't approach God by our senses, mental speculation, or austerities. When we become free of selfish desires and cultivate the spirit of unconditional surrender, God gives us mercy and reveals God’s self. Krishna sends his representative to help us attain this realization. The spiritual master is indispensable for spiritual progress and is the transparent medium through which the Absolute is revealed. We should give up material attachments and the association of people who aren't interested in serving Krishna. We need to serve and love the devotees, encourage them in their service and never be envious of them. Sri Chaitanya said, "One who is humbler than a blade of grass, who is more tolerant than a tree, and who does not expect personal honor yet is always prepared to give all respect to others, can very easily always chant the holy name of God." We must establish the genuine feeling of humility if our chanting is to have potency. We're helpless and require God's grace. God is inclined towards humble devotees. God is not attracted by a mere show of humility which is nothing but insincerity or hypocrisy. We must also be patient if we're to approach God. This requires being free of any desire other than Krishna and Krishna's service. We fall into the jaws of death due to our ignorance. Material knowledge will not help us become free. It is essential to hear from the spiritual master and follow the master’s orders. Even to learn material skills, one must have a teacher--what to speak of learning the highest spiritual science. Material knowledge produces meager temporary results. Spiritual knowledge produces the highest eternal benefit, love of God. We have to be able to tell a real spiritual master from a false one. The real spiritual teacher is the servant of God and is able to save us from the clutches of death and addiction to things other than Krishna and Krishna's service. We fall into the jaws of death due to our ignorance. Material knowledge will not help us become free. The words of the spiritual master will. Therefore, we should worship the guru’s lotus feet every moment of our lives. The spiritual master is one but appears in many forms. The guru is our only shelter. As soon as we fall away from the lotus feet of the spiritual master or forget them, we fall away from the Truth. We immediately become preoccupied with material activities. We may also become subject to the bad desire of seeking to be worshipped by others as spiritual master. Krishna as Object of Worship is one half, and as Support of His Worshipper, he himself is the other half of the Whole. It's like the hand of God reaching down to massage his feet. The spiritual master is present in everything as the supporting principle. The guru appears as initiator, instructor, and indwelling spiritual masters. We should consider all devotees of God to be our masters; therefore, we address each other as "Prabhu." Sometimes devotees criticize other devotees. Srila Raghunath Bhatt Goswami never listened to the faults of devotees. It was enough for him to know that they were engaged in Krishna's service. We become agitated by small insufficiencies. Even when we see the devotees engaged in their service of God, we think they should be doing so much more. Their service is so great, but we're busy looking for defects. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita 9:30-31, "Even if one commits the most abominable actions, if one is engaged in devotional service, one is to be considered saintly because one is properly situated. One quickly becomes righteous and attains lasting peace. 0 son of Kunti, declare it boldly, that my devotee never perishes." In the Fifth Text of his Sri Upadeshamrita, Srila Rupa Goswami says, "One should mentally honor the devotee who chants the holy name of Lord Krishna, one should offer humble obeisances to the devotee who has undergone spiritual initiation and is engaged in worshipping the deity, and one should associate with and faithfully serve that pure devotee who is advanced in undeviated devotional service and whose heart is completely devoid of the propensity to criticize others.” As long as we're engaged in seeking out the defects of others, we're devoid of the quality of humility greater than that of a blade of grass. Because I'm full of faults, I'm attracted to finding fault with others. In this way, I lose the opportunity to serve the spiritual master. We need to sit at the lotus feet of the spiritual master and be constantly made aware of our own innumerable defects and be cautioned about the possibility of fall down. Rather than discussing the faults of others, we should speak about Krishna's glories. Hearing and chanting is the only way to realize Krishna. The genuine spiritual master's chanting is able to actually awaken our remembrance of God. Through submissive aural reception, the desire to chant is aroused in us. By means of the transcendental sound, we can rise above the conditioned ego. In material consciousness, we're in a masculine ego state thinking ourselves to be the master and enjoyer. Our spiritual ego is feminine and knows itself to be a servant of Krishna meant for his enjoyment. We're in a lamentable condition due to misidentification with our gross and subtle bodies under the influence of the illusory energy of Godhead. The cause of this fall is to think we're equal or even superior to the Godhead, his devotees, and the spiritual guide. We're arrogant sinners if we think we can worship Krishna and avoid worshiping his devotees who are as worshipable as God. When we try to become master, we become slaves of sorrow, infatuation and fear. We can only become free through the devotional attitude. We become eligible to serve God by submitting to God with heart, speech, and body, realizing God’s mercy in the sufferings brought about by our own actions. This is the only way of deliverance from this world. Whatever God does is for our good. We'll be saved if we see God’s mercy in every event and activity. If we notice any defect or cruelty in God’s works, it's sure to hamper our spiritual progress. All our trouble is due to the fact that we're engrossed in activities other than the service of Krishna. We'll be fortunate if our taste for his service increases daily. It's the spiritual master who inspires us in such activity. We should be prepared to carry out the guru’s orders without hesitation. My guru wanted his disciples to preach Krishna consciousness and deliver the world from Godlessness. Worldly obstacles can't stop this preaching movement since Sri Chaitanya also desired it to spread throughout the world. A guru should not interested in having thousands of useless followers like the innumerable stars in the sky which aren't able to dissipate the darkness by their twinkling. One moon is much more powerful than all the stars. We should become moons and destroy the dark­ness of ignorance. To do this, we shouldn't merely imitate the conduct of pure devotees, but we should follow their line of thought. We had best scrutinize our own ineligibility for the mission and seek to rectify our own faults. Then we'll see that we're lower than the straw in the street and become eligible for receiving the mercy of God and God’s devotees. Why should a person be anxious to pry into the defects of others when one doesn't examine their own conduct? Is this the disposition of a devotee? The acts and expressions of the pure devotees cannot be understood even by the wise. Let us not be misled by external appearances. If we offend the devotees of God, we will "be cast into the pursuit of material objects, name, fame, etc. Service of the devotees is the best thing we can do. We don't find God in this world. The devotees of God show themselves to us by their mercy. We'll be wise to follow their conduct and teachings. This is the only path to our well being.

We don't need people who are seeking a kind of military discipline to come and live in our maths, nor those who are looking for gentile society. Only devotees of Krishna should live in the math. If we can one by one get rid of all those people who have taken residence in the math, but are still attached to the belly and the genitals, the debauches and gluttons, then not only will our costs go down, but the whole world will be better off. Those who live in the math but do not accept the philosophical principles or follow the monastic rule are neither submissive to the spiritual master nor do they possess humility. We should send all such independent and arrogant people home. If this means our numbers will decrease, so be it. If someone has not come here to honestly serve the Supreme Lord, but harbors desires for profit, adoration and prestige, or secretly hopes to win female admirers or make a living for himself, they should not be kept in the math. This is because ultimately they are the enemies of the math. If someone thinks, "I have lived in the math for a long time and performed so much service, so I deserve to eat nicely and dress in good clothes. I should get to play the boss. I want respect and I want to be given an important position in the temple management," these are all attitudes that are inimical to devotion and should not be tolerated. These attitudes arise out of spiritual doubt, criticism of others and gossip. We should not becoming intoxicated with the idea that we are the greatest experts, that we are very intelligent, that we are great speakers or great singers. The real devotional attitude is one of absolute humility. If someone attacks me or criticizes me, I should chant the Holy Name and try to bear the test on my patience. One should think that Mahaprabhu has mercifully given me the chance to act according to his teachings and think of myself as lower than the straw in the street. Thus if anyone personally insults me or calls me names, I should recongnize that they have been sent by Krishna to help me advance spiritually.

All quotes by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta .The original source of these quotes is not given. They were compiled by Sri Bhakti Mayukh Bhagavata Maharaj. The edition used is published by Sri Bhakti Sarvasva Tirtha Maharaj of the Sri Gauranga Math in Raipur, Birbhum.Translated into English by Jagat das.

There is a very nice video tape series called "Memories of Prabhupada" which is basically a compilation of many devotee's memories/thoughts of Srila Prabhupada. On number 27 Shyamasundar tells of how Prabhupada once told him that (and this is paraphrasing of course) "The more one has faith in Krsna, the bigger risks one will take for Krsna. And because one does this, Krsna must, HE HAS NO CHOICE, help his devotee. Krsna will personally come down to help his devotee. He is bound by the love of His devotee."

k /images/graemlins/confused.gif Krsna called Arjuna a fool for trying to speak so-called learned words using Vedic philosophy . Hearing Arjuna out and being his eternal well-wisher and friend, Krsna gave him all good advice. In the end Krsna said, "Do what you wish to do." /images/graemlins/cool.gif

a verse by Srila Prabhodananda Sarasvati: prema-namadbhutarthah sravana-patha- gatah kasya namnam mahimnah ko vetta kasya vrndavana-vipina-maha madhurisu pravesah ko va janati radham parama-rasa-camatkara-madhurya-simam ekas caitanya-candrah parama-karunaya sarvam aviscakara O brother! Who had heard of the supreme objective of human life called prema? Who knew the glories of the name of Hari? Who was able to enter the sweetness of Vrndavan? Who knew about the supreme energy, Radhika, the perfection of the wonderful madhurya rasa? Only the most merciful Caitanya has uncovered all of these topics for the jivas. Caitanya Candramrta 130

The Treasure of Bhakti by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura "This form of Bhakti is fit to be cultured. Being duly cultured it gives rise to Rati (the natural tendency of the soul towards Krsna, or the basic principal of Love). Condensed Rati is Prema. By the process of gradual augmentation Prema becomes Sneha, Mana, Pranaya, Anuraga, Bhava and Mahabhava. A good analogy is furnished by the series of processes in the refining of raw juice of sugarcane. First there is juice, then molasses, raw sugar, residual sugar, refined sugar, white sugar and icing sugar. These are varieties of the basic principle (Sthayibhava) in the operations of the mellow liquid (Rasa) of the Service of Krsna. If the basic principle is conjoined with higher principles known as Vaibhava, Anubhava, Satvika and Vyabhachari then the operations of the liquid mellow of the service of Krsna exhibits the most exquisite nectarean taste. Just as the treatment of curd with sugar, ghee, pepper and camphor produces a most tasty composition."

From the Great Favor, a Harmonist article, by Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada: "A chanter of the Kirtan of Hari is necessarily the uncompromising enemy of wordliness and hypocrisy. As chanter of the Kirtan of Hari, it is the constant function to dispell all misconceptions by the preaching of the truth in the most unambiguous form without any respect of person, place or time. That form is to be adopted which is least likely to be misunderstood. It is his bounden duty to oppose clearly and frankly any person who tries to deceive and harm himself and other people by misrepresenting the Truth due to malice or bonafide misunderstanding. This will be possible if the chanter of Kirtan is always prepared to submit to be trodden by thoughtless people if any discomfort to himself will enable him to do good to his persecutors by chanting the Truth in the most unambiguous manner. If he is unwilling or afraid of considerations of self-respect or personal discomfort to chant the Kirtan under all circumstances he is unfit to be a preacher of the Absolute Truth. Humility implies perfect submission to the Truth and no sympathy for untruth. A person who entertains any partiality for untruth is unfit to chant the kirtan of Hari. Any clinging to untruth is opposed to the principle of humility born of absolute submission to the truth. Those who serve the Truth at all time, by means of all their faculties, and have no hankering for the trivialities of this world, are always necessarily free from malice born of competing worldliness and are, therefore, fit to admonish those who are actively engaged in harming themselves and others by the method of opposing or misrepresenting the Truth in order to attain rewards of such policy in the shape of a perpetuation of the state of misery and ignorance. The method which is employed by the servant of the good preceptor for preventing such misrepresentation of the truth is a part and parcel of the truth itself. It may not always be pleasing to the diseased susceptibilities of deluded minds and may even be denounced by them as a malicious act with which they are only too familiar, but the words of truth from the lips of a loyal and humble servant of Hari possess such beneficent power that all effort to suppress or obstruct them only serves to vindicate to impartial minds the necessity of complete submission to the Absolute Truth as the only cure of the disease of wordliness. Humility that is employed in the unambiguous service of the Truth is necessarily and qualitatively different from its perverted prototype which is practised by the cunning people of this world for gaining their worldly ends. The professors of pseudo-humility have reason to be afraid of the preachings of the servants of Hari -- one of whose duties is to expose the enormous possibility of mischief that is possessed by the forms of so-called spiritual conduct -- when they are taken to task for serving the untruth. Shrila Saccidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura quotes: Patrikara Uddesya, Sajjana Tosani: "In the name of bhakti in many places people are engaged in illicit or anti-bhakti activities in the name of practicing bhakti. If one does not expose those issues (cases) very clearly, then pure-bhakti will never be victorious or be established." Bheka-dharana, Sajjana Tosani. "One should compulsorily engage in endeavouring to trying to uplift the Vaisnava-dharma from the mud of contamination and trying to free it from all kinds of dauratmya (wrong ideas and practices)."

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments in this regard in his Anubhasya, wherein he quotes a verse from Narayana-samhita: "In Dvapara-yuga, devotees of Lord Visnu and Krsna rendered devotional service according to the principles of pancaratrika in this age of Kali, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is worshipped simply by the chanting of His holy names.', Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then comments: "Without being empowered by the direct potency of Lord Krsna to fulfil His desire and without being specifically favoured by he Lord, no human being can become the spiritual master of the whole world. He certainly cannot succeed by mental concoction, which is not meant for devotees or religious people. Only an empowered personality can distribute the holy name of the Lord and enjoin all fallen souls to worship Krsna. By distributing the holy name of the Lord, he cleanses the hearts of the most fallen people; therefore he extinguishes the blazing fire of the material world. Not only that, he broadcasts the shining brightness of Krsna's effulgence throughout the world. Such an acarya, or spiritual master, should be considered non-different from Krsna--that is, he should be considered the incarnation of Lord Krsna's potency. Such a personality is krsnalingita-vigraha--that is, he is always embraced by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Such a person is above the considerations of the varnasrama institution. He is the guru or spiritual master for the entire world, a devotee on the topmost platform, the maha-bhagavata stage, and a paramahamsa-thakura, a spiritual form only fit to be addressed as paramahamsa or thakura." (C.C. Mad 25.9)

To regard oneself as a guru of Vaisnavas is an impediment to one’s humility. Those who do not listen to the instructions of Siksataka set forth by Srî Gaurasundara, who are forgetful of their actual spiritual identity, who are greedy for prestige and material gain and who are thus anxious to obtain the status of Vaisnava or guru to satisfy their senses, can never chant the holy name of the Lord. A disciple who has faith in the kîrtana performances of such persons also cannot obtain qualification for hearing the holy name. Therefore, one should chant the holy name of the Lord while considering oneself lower than the straw in the street, being more tolerant than a tree, devoid of false prestige and offering all respect to others.

What the unalloyed devotees of the Supreme Lord say is all true and is independent of any consideration of unwholesome pros and cons. There is, however, an element of mystery in the verbal controversies that are sometimes seen to arise between them. Those whose judgment is made of mundane stuff, being unable to enter into the spirit of the all-loving controversies among pure devotees due to their own want of unalloyed devotion, are apt to impute to the devotees their own defects of partisanship and opposing views. — Purport to Sri Brahma-samhita 5.37.

k

k /images/graemlins/confused.gif Arjuna is confused. He's showing compassion for the body but not the soul. So it's up to Sri Krsna to enlighten Arjuna by giving him a pep talk on Soul. /images/graemlins/cool.gif