krsna

"There are nearly 1 million Muslims in the Netherlands, about 5.5 percent of the population, and recent opinion polls suggest that many Dutch citizens feel threatened by their presence."

Markine Bhagavata-dharma

(Teaching Krishna Consciousness in America)

Composed by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

at Boston Harbor, September 18, 1965

Translated from Bengali to English

My dear Lord Krsna, You are so kind upon this useless soul, but I do not know why You have brought me here. Now You can do whatever You like with me.

But I guess You have some business here, otherwise why would You bring me to this terrible place?

Most of the population here is covered by the material modes of ignorance and passion. Absorbed in material life, they think themselves very happy and satisfied, and therefore they have no taste for the transcendental message of Vasudeva. I do not know how they will be able to understand it.

But I know Your causeless mercy can make everything possible because You are the most expert mystic.

"Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [supersoul] in everyone's heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who has developed the urge to hear His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted. By regular attendance in classes on the Bhägavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact. As soon as irrevocable loving service is established in the heart, the effects of nature's modes of passion and ignorance, such as lust, desire and hankering, disappear from the heart. Then the devotee is established in goodness, and he becomes completely happy. Thus established in the mode of unalloyed goodness, the man whose mind has been enlivened by contact with devotional service to the Lord gains positive scientific knowledge of the Personality of Godhead in the stage of liberation from all material association. Thus the knot in the heart is pierced, and all misgivings are cut to pieces. The chain of fruitive actions is terminated when one sees the self as master."

He will become liberated from the influence of the modes of ignorance and passion and thus all inauspicious things accumulated in the core of the heart will disappear.

How will I make them understand this message of Krsna consciousness? I am very unfortunate, unqualified and the most fallen. Therefore I am seeking Your benediction so that I can convince them, for I am powerless to do so on my own.

Somehow or other, O Lord, You have brought me here to speak about You. Now, my Lord, it is up to You to make me a success or failure as You like.

O spiritual master of all the worlds! I can simply repeat Your message, so if You like You can make my power of speaking suitable for their understanding.

Only by Your causeless mercy will my words become pure. I am sure that when this transcendental message penetrates their hearts they will certainly feel engladdened and thus become liberated from all unhappy conditions of life.

O Lord, I am just like a puppet in Your hands. So if You have brought me here to dance, then make me dance, make me dance, O Lord, make me dance as You like.

I have no devotion, nor do I have any knowledge, but I have strong faith in the holy name of Krsna. I have been designated as Bhaktivedanta, and now, if You like, You can fulfill the real purport of Bhaktivedanta.

Signed-the most unfortunate, insignificant beggar

A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami,

on board the ship Jaladuta, Commonwealth Pier,

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

dated 18th of September, 1965

7 reasons not to argue with children

REASON ONE

A little girl was talking to her teacher about whales. The teacher said it

was physically impossible for a whale to swallow a human because even

though

it was a very large mammal its throat was very small. The little girl

stated, "Jonah was swallowed by a whale." Irritated, the teacher

reiterated

that a whale could not swallow a human; it was physically impossible. The

little girl said, "When I get to heaven I will ask Jonah". The teacher

asked, " What if Jonah went to hell?" The little girl replied, "Then you

ask

him".

REASON TWO

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of

children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to

see

each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working

diligently,

she asked what the drawing was... The girl replied, "I'm drawing God."

The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like."

Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied,

"They will in a minute."

REASON THREE

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five

and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to "honor"thy Father

and

thy Mother, she asked, "Is there a commandment that teaches us how to

treat

our brothers and sisters?" Without missing a beat one little boy (the

oldest

of a family) answered, "Thou shall not kill."

REASON FOUR

One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at

the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands

of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at

her mother and inquisitively asked, "Why are some of your hairs white,

Mom?"

Her mother replied, "Well, every time that you do something wrong and make

me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white." The little girl thought

about this revelation for a while and then said, "Momma, how come ALL of

grandma's hairs are white?"

REASON FIVE

The children had all been photographed, and the teacher was trying to

persuade them each to buy a copy of the group picture. "Just think how

nice

it will be to look at it when you are all grown up and say, 'There's

Jennifer, she's a lawyer,' or 'That's Michael, He's a doctor.'

A small voice at the back of the room rang out, "And there's the teacher,

She's dead. "

REASON SIX

A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood.Trying to

make

the matter clearer, she said, "Now, class, if I stood on my head, the

blood,

as you know, would run into it, and I would turn red in the face..Yes,"

the class said. "Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the

ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?" A little fellow

shouted, "Cause your feet ain't empty."

REASON SEVEN

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary

school

for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun

made

a note, and posted on the apple tray: "Take only ONE. God is watching."

Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a

large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take

all

you want. God is watching the apples.

Scientists Develop System to Convert Diesel Fuel to Hydrogen

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Clean-Diesel.html

IDAHO FALLS, IDAHO, USA, November 1, 2004: (

remarkable scientific advancement.)

Scientists at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental

Laboratory say they have developed the first system to convert dirty

diesel fuel into a quiet, self-contained and efficient energy source.

The system is the product of six years of research and a $25 million

joint effort between the Office of Naval Research and fuel-cell company

SOFCo-EFS. In the future, the Navy's destroyers could run quieter,

require half the fuel, pollute less and have a smaller heat signature

for enemies to detect. The system converts diesel fuel into a 30

percent hydrogen mixture. By using the diesel to run a fuel cell

instead of burning it, the system produces twice the energy output,

without sulfur or nitrous oxide pollution. About two weeks ago, the

experimental system started running a 5-kilowatt fuel cell. "We see

this as the start of a new technology that will greatly improve on

where we are today," said Rodger McKain, president of SOFCo-EFS, a

fuel-cell company that split the project's cost with the U.S. Navy.

Although the process of getting hydrogen from diesel is not new, it has

never been done before on such a large scale. It is also the only

system specifically designed to run on high-sulfur content diesel,

which the Navy can buy around the world.

Click http://www.inel.gov/featurestories/2004-03-hydrogen.shtml for the

Lab's web site and detailed PDF report on this system.

The technology could be installed anywhere people want to have quiet,

self-contained energy systems instead of diesel generators. Dennis

Witmer, a technology specialist at the University of Alaska in

Fairbanks, wanted to see if the system could be used in remote Arctic

villages that aren't connected to a power grid. As with any new

technology, the main obstacle is the cost. The 5-kilowatt experimental

fuel cell that is running at the INEEL costs $200,000, and that doesn't

include the cost of a system to isolate hydrogen from diesel. Studies

have shown that if the cost of the system came down to about $3,500,

and could provide 5 kilowatts of electricity, plus heat, there would be

a huge market among homeowners, Witmer said.

If you think of me and work for me, then I am in your heart. If you love somebody he is in your heart. It is common thing, everyone understands it.

Srila Prabhupada letter

New Vrindaban, September 4, 1972

<font color="blue"> "Krsna's darsana can only be attained through the medium of the ear as one hears Hari-katha from pure Vaisnavas, there is no other way." </font color>

The Upadesavali of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada

Try to understand our mission of Krsna consciousness. The world is all going to hell. They do not know what is the value of life. Like blind sheep following a blind leader, they are all going to the slaughterhouse. Human life is meant for saving, but instead the leaders are keeping the people in darkness. This is suicidal. Let us try to save them. Christian, Hindu, or Muslim, it doesn't matter.

Room Conversation

Bombay, April 5, 1977

Guest: I would like to ask, Swami, would you pray for me?

Devotee: He wants you to pray for him.

Prabhupada: I am praying for everyone. That is my business. Otherwise why I have come here?

Room Conversation with writer, Sandy Nixon

Philadelphia, July 13, 1975

"Krsna is prepared to bestow His mercy upon all living entities, and as soon as a living entity desires the Lord's mercy, the Lord immediately gives him an opportunity to meet a bona fide spiritual master. Such a person is fortified by both Krsna and the spiritual master. He is helped from within by Krsna and from without by the spiritual master. Both are prepared to help the sincere living being become free from this materal bondage."

(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 19.151, Purport)

Devotee: Srila Prabhupada, if we think about our spiritual master, is that as good as thinking about Krsna?

Prabhupada: Hm?

Devotee: If we think about our spiritual master, is that as good as thinking of Krsna?

Prabhupada: Yes, because it is said, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah: "If you can please your guru, then you please Krsna." So if you make always this plan, "How to please my guru," then you'll please Krsna.

Bhagavad-gita 7.2

Nairobi, October 28, 1975

samsara-davanala-lidha-loka-

tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam

praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya

vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

Thus the spiritual master is offered obeisances: "Sir, you have brought mercy from the Supreme Lord; therefore, we are much obliged to you. You have come to deliver us, so we offer our respectful obeisances." That is the meaning of this verse: the first qualification of the spiritual master, or guru, is that he brings you the message to stop the blazing fire in your heart. This is the test.

"The Qualifications of the Spiritual Master"

Back to Godhead magazine (Vol. 13, No. 1-2)

Yes,you can buy Krsna at the marketplace cheap,yes???

Why not ? It makes good business sense, that you can purchase Krsna from the fancy-free and foot-loose sadhus.

Money is the honey that is in the jar. No use lickin the outside of the jar. Leave that for the poor folks who can't afford the price of admission for those 'bhakti' seminars.

/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Man invented..

Man discovered WEAPONS and invented HUNTING,

Woman discovered HUNTING and invented FURS.

Man discovered COLORS and invented PAINT

Woman discovered PAINT and invented MAKEUP.

Man discovered the WORD and invented CONVERSATION

Woman discovered CONVERSATION and invented GOSSIP.

Man discovered AGRICULTURE and invented FOOD

Woman discovered FOOD and invented DIET.

Man discovered FRIENDSHIP and invented LOVE

<font color="red"> Woman discovered LOVE and invented MARRIAGE </font color> .

Man discovered TRADING and invented MONEY

Woman discovered MONEY and that's when it all got worse...

Srila Prabhupada finished off all the stonys with his merciful smile.

/images/graemlins/smile.gif

http://prabhupadaconnect.comprabhupada_golden_hue.jpg

0he! Vaisnava Thakura

by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura

(1) 0 venerable Vaisnava. 0 ocean of mercy, be merciful unto your servant. Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify me. I hold on to your lotus feet.

(2) Teach me to control my six passions; rectify my six faults, bestow upon me the six qualities, and offer unto me the six kinds of holy association.*

(3) I do not find the strength to carry on alone the sankirtana of the holy name of Hari. Please bless me by giving me just one drop of faith with which to obtain the great treasure of the holy name of Krsna.

(4) Krsna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, "Krsna! Krsna!"

* The six passions are those pertaining to words, mind, anger, tongue, stomach and genitals.

The six faults are overeating, attachment to material things, inability to follow regulative principles, sense gratification, useless idle talk, and impure habits.

The six positive qualities are enthusiasm in practicing devotional service, firm faith in devotional service, a strong desire to attain prema-bhakti, a favorable service attitude, avoidance of nondevotees, and appreciation of the company of devotees.

The six kinds of holy association are to go to an assembly of devotees, to invite devotees into one's home, to discuss and hear devotional topics, to take the prasada (spiritual food) of devotees and to offer prasada to devotees.

The story of Baby Krsna

<font color="red"> "My dear friends, Krsna is so beautiful that the goddess of fortune always remains on His chest, and He is always adorned with a golden necklace. Beautiful Krsna plays His flute in order to enliven the hearts of many devotees. He is the only friend of the suffering living entities. When He plays His flute, all the cows and other animals of Vrndavana, although engaged in eating, simply take a morsel of food in their mouths and stop chewing. Their ears raise up and they become stunned. They do not appear alive but like painted animals. Krsna's flute playing is so attractive that even the animals become enchanted, and what to speak of ourselves."

</font color>

(Krsna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Chapter 35)

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

In this age of Kali, real religious propaganda should induce people to chant the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. This is possible for someone who is especially empowered by Krsna. No one can do this without being especially favoured by Krsna. 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)

So my request is that you continue your devotional service very faithfully and rigidly, then in this life you will be able to see Krsna face to face. That is a fact. So you follow the advice, as given by Rupa Gosvami, utsahat. The first thing is enthusiasm, that "I must see Krsna." You are seeing Krsna. The Deity of Krsna and Krsna is not different. But even personally we can see. Simply we have to continue the enthusiasm.

Departure Lecture

Caracas, February 25, 1975

Just like we are sitting face to face, Krsna is like that. You can have that opportunity. Just like Arjuna had the opportunity. Similarly you'll have the opportunity. You have to take the opportunity. You'll see Krsna face to face, talk with Him face to face, play with Him face to face. It is so nice, Krsna consciousness.

Bhagavad-gita 2.20-25

Seattle, October 14, 1968

/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Sri Guru: Free from Karma

BY SWAMI B.V. TRIPURARI

EDITORIAL, Oct 27 (VNN) — Q & A with Swami B. V. Tripurari

"The guru, being free from karma, does not again come under the influence of karma when he or she initiates disciples. Nor does the guru have to suffer karma."

Q. My understanding is that the guru should be one's best friend. I do not want a guru who has the mood that, "I'm up here and you're way down there." Rather I seek a relationship wherein both the guru and disciple can speak their minds freely, without concern for formalities. I have a relationship like that with a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. We are great friends and are completely honest with each other. However, he is reluctant to initiate me or even consider himself my guru. Can I accept my best friend as my guru?

A. Srila Rupa Goswami says, "One should serve one's guru with affectionate confidence--visrambhena guroh seva." The word visrambha indicates deep and abiding. It also implies the kind of confidence that comes from a sense of equality. This equality derives largely from embracing the same inner mood as one's guru, which is indicative of the disciple's spiritual advancement.

Thus one's relationship with one's guru should ultimately be an affectionate one arising out of deep and abiding faith that includes awe and reverence. Reverence is appropriate because of the nature of the gift that the guru is giving to the disciple. If the disciple fully takes advantage of this gift by following the guru's instructions, his or her awe and reverence will eventually turn to affection, and in spiritual perfection the disciple will feel a qualified sense of equality with the guru, even while being an eternal servant. Again, the sense of equality derives from being similarly spiritually situated.

The service of the guru is to facilitate the spiritual elevation of the disciple. It is not the business of the guru to keep the disciple down and at a distance, but rather to bring the disciple up to where he or she is. So you are correct when you say that one should think of one's guru as one's best friend, but to do this in a spiritual sense involves making advancement. To the extent that one does not make advancement, the full sense of spiritual friendship will be lacking. Still, the guru will view the student in terms of his or her potential, showing much affection for the disciple, even when this seems unwarranted in as much as the spiritual distance between the two remains great. This is the guru's prerogative, not the disciple's.

While your friend may be wise and helpful, he may not be all that spiritually advanced; that is, he may not be advanced enough to serve you affectionately in the capacity of a sat-guru. Therefore, it is likely that his reluctance to initiate you involves to some extent personal integrity on his part. However, being aware of his own lack of qualification, it would be more helpful if he made that clear to you.

He would serve you best by qualifying the relationship as being one that while affectionate and helpful is not exactly analogous to that of guru and disciple. In this way, he would have instructed you by his words and example to look for elements from your relationship with him and more in a relationship with a sat-guru.

Q. I don't find authoritarian power trips at all attractive; therefore, I am reluctant to be reverential toward sadhus and gurus. Is this wrong?

A. Caution is not wrong, but at the same time it is important to be respectful toward a genuine sadhu or guru. A genuine guru is the representative of Krsna. Thus Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura writes that the guru is to be worshiped as saksad-dharitvena. Realization of this means that reverence for the guru will naturally be there in the beginning, and will remain for the sincere student as long as the guru actually commands it by his or her realization. However, students who are not well informed or spiritually mature may be reverential to an unworthy person. Later when the mistake is realized, they may be unwilling or unable to show respect even to those who are actually worthy of reverence. In this way they deceive themselves by thinking that no one is worthy of respect, that there are no true saints or gurus.

Only sincerity can save a person from this situation. Bhagavad-gita says that sincerity is invincible--na hi kalyana-krt kascid durgatim tata gacchati. Vaisnava aparadha (disrespecting a Vaisnava) is not just a card that authorities play to control people, although the term may be abused in this way. Vaisnava aparadha is a sin of the soul, and its most detrimental form is in relation to a qualified guru. To avoid this offense you should scrutinize the scriptures, clean your heart by chanting Krsna Nama, and pray for the ability to identify which sadhus and gurus are genuine. Respect for genuine sadhus and gurus will call your progress, whereas caution alone, especially if it is mixed with irreverence, will not help you spiritually.

Q. In his book Harinama Cintamani, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that the guru reveals the disciple's the spiritual identity (svarupa), but if the disciple is not satisfied with it the guru may make necessary adjustments. How is this reconciled with the idea that the svarupa of the jiva is inherent and cannot be changed?

A. What Bhaktivinoda Thakura is writing about in this section of Harinama Cintamani is the manifestation of the disciple's inherent svarupa, which is being perceived to some extent by both the guru and his disciple. As the disciple's inherent svarupa manifests, the guru helps to identify it. In doing so, the guru questions the disciple and makes suggestions, and the disciple responds, much like a doctor questions a patient and adjusts the diagnosis in consideration of the patient's feedback. So it is not that the disciple's svarupa changes, but rather in identifying it there is a period of examination that may lead at first in one direction and then another until both parties are satisfied that the proper conclusion has been reached.

Q. It has been said that the guru takes the disciple's karma at initiation. Does this mean that the guru will physically suffer if the disciples are not keeping the vows they took at initiation?

A. Karma in the life of a devotee is a very complex subject. In sastra it is said that chanting a mere reflection of the holy name of Krsna (namabhasa) has the power to destroy one's manifest (prarabdha) karma.

In his book Madhurya Kadambini, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura also describes how prarabdha karma is eradicated through the perfection of sadhana bhakti. This is in keeping with the idea that one's karma is destroyed at the time of initiation, in as much as initiation being part of sambandha-jnana is completed when one graduates from sadhana bhakti. According to Sri Jiva Goswami, prarabdha karma is the last vestige of karmic bondage that a devotee must undergo. In other words, the unmanifest stages of a devotee's karmic bondage are destroyed first, and the prarabdha karma is the last to be removed by the grace of Bhakti devi.

What happens to a devotee who has become free from the fetters of karma but has not yet developed pure love of Krsna (prema)? The Lord takes over the devotee's body and sustains it himself so that the devotee can further cultivate prema. This, however, does not mean that such a devotee will be free from sickness, calamity, or distress. It means that none of these are due to prarabdha karma. They are the special arrangement of the Lord to make his devotee more dependent on him, to increase the devotee's eagerness and love.

Therefore, a fully qualified Vaisnava guru does not suffer from karma.

If the guru has attained the stage of nistha (fixed devotion), hindrances resulting from good and bad karma are completely eradicated (purna-nivrtti), although there is still the minute possibility that anarthas arising from karma may reemerge. When he or she attains asakti, the last stage of sadhana bhakti wherein the mind is completely attached to Krsna, karmic impediments are absolutely eradicated (atyantiki-nivrtti). This is the terminology of Sri Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura. Sri Rupa Goswami has also explained that sadhana bhakti frees one from all distress (klesaghni) appearing in the form of karma, the root of which is ignorance (avidya). How so? Bhakti is the highest knowledge (raja vidya).

Although it is said that the guru takes the karma of the disciple, this means that the guru takes it away by engaging the disciple in sadhana bhakti and blessing him or her. Hearing and chanting about Krsna under the guidance of Sri Guru combined with the guru's grace destroys one's karma. Of the two, effort in sadhana and the grace of the guru, the latter is more important, linga bhuyastvat tad hi baliyah tad api (Vs.3.3.45). Thus the guru must have the power to bless the student and engage him or her in sadhana bhakti. Such a qualified guru does not have to experience the karma of the students in a Christ-like fashion.

Srila Prabhupada has said, "This is Christian theory. 'You do something, and I suffer for that.' No. You have to suffer. You have done something wrong; you must suffer. This is the real philosophy." He also said, "He (someone) committed the murder, but he thinks his father should suffer the punishment! Is that a sane proposal? 'No, you have committed the murder; you must be hanged.' Similarly, when you commit sinful activities, you must suffer--not Jesus Christ. That is God's law."

This tells us that the guru, being free from karma, does not again come under the influence of karma when he or she initiates disciples. Nor does the guru have to suffer karma. However, Rupa Goswami says that if the guru accepts too many unqualified disciples this constitutes an offense that can disturb bhajana. This means that should the guru's disciples misbehave the guru will have to deal with their misbehavior, and that will make the guru's work that much more difficult. Also, if the disciple leaves the guru's service, karma that has been suspended so that the disciple can engage in sadhana bhakti will again come to arrest such a wayward disciple. This will certainly trouble the guru's mind and heart. In these ways, the guru's bhajana may be disturbed. One should not burden the guru in this way.

Sometimes Srila Prabhupada humbly spoke like this about himself, saying that he accepted too many unqualified disciples and had to suffer as a result. Certainly it was clear that he was disturbed by some of their activities. Yet if one scrutinizes his teaching, it also becomes clear that the karma of the disciple is gradually destroyed in proportion to his or her adherence to the guidelines of Sri Guru. Thus if the guru is qualified, the onus is on the disciples to follow sincerely. If they do so, the disciples will themselves become free from karma as they attain Krsna consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada states, "An initiated devotee is given the chance for becoming free from the entanglement of karma wheel. Initiated means beginning, not perfection. The spiritual master's business is to guide him to the perfectional point. But if one does not strictly follow the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, his initiation does not bear any meaning. The initiation performance is an agreement by the disciples to abide by the order of the spiritual master. Therefore, if the spiritual master is bona fide and the disciple is serious to abide by his order, then the success is sure. But if a disciple follows strictly the devotional way of life, he is no longer a karmi and all his activities, which may appear to be like ordinary work, or it may be activity according to scriptural injunction, are counted as devotional service. And devotional service in all circumstances is free from the actions and reactions of karma." Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum http://www.swami.org/sanga/ or email sangaeditor@swami.org.