krsna

Thank you for your books Srila Prabhupada

 

by Makhanchor dasa

 

 

Dear Srila Prabhupada,

 

 

 

Please accept my obeisances All glories to your Divine Grace!!!

 

 

 

I remember one of the first times I came into contact with devotees was in Chicago's O'hare airport. I was on a stopover and went into the terminal to kill some time. A devotee came up to me and put Bhagavad Gita As It Is in my hands. I remember when I saw the Sanskrit I was very intrigued and wanted to read some of it, but then the devotee turned to the pictures and flipped through them as he talked to me. I remember very much that I wanted that book. I felt instinctively that there was something in there that was valuable, ancient wisdom handed down untainted by the author's personal motivations. As it was I didn't have enough money for the Bhagavad Gita that day.

 

 

 

I am very grateful that Krsna gives many chances for one to become Krsna conscious, and I ended up with a copy of that book that I so desired. It is one of my most cherished possessions. It is always available for me as a touchstone of pure knowledge to give me peace in times of distress. Because of you Srila Prabhupada I know what is right and what is wrong, what is good and what is bad, and more importantly, what is the process of self-realization in this age. I may struggle with living up to the high standard of truth you have given, but I know it is, in fact, the absolute truth, and that the wanting is with me and not with what you have given.

 

 

 

Thank you for your books Srila Prabhupada. They have given me life. They have given me hope. They have given me a purpose. They are truly the gems of literature. Nothing else comes close.

 

 

 

On this day of your appearance I am reminded of the truly great gift you have given to the world. I am always in your debt, and will always try to in turn help others become Krsna conscious.

 

 

 

Your servant,

 

Makhanchor dasa

 

 

 

Nayanam galad asru dharaya

 

Vadnam gadgada ruddhaya gira

 

Pulakair nicitam vapu kada

 

Tava nama grahane bhavisyati

 

 

 

"Oh my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and the hairs on my body stand on end as I chant Your holy names?"

 

Latest Indian Census Reports Increased Rate of Growth for Muslim

Community

Rajiv Malik, HPI Correspondent

 

NEW DELHI, September 7, 2004: "In terms of growth of different

religious communities, Hindus showed a decline over the previous

decade, their population growing by 20.3% during 1991 and 2001 as

compared to 25.1% during 1981-91. The Muslim population on the other

hand, grew by 36.0% during 1991-2001, compared to 34.5% during

1981-91." These statistics were revealed in a report entitled "2001

Census Data On Religion" released at a crowded press conference held in

New Delhi's prestigious Vigyan Bhawan Annexe on the afternoon of

September 6th, 2004. The report containing data on religion as

collected during the 2001 Census for the country as a whole and for

each state and union territory by districts was released by Census

Commissioner J. K. Banthia who presented a copy to Chairman of

Minorities Commission Shri Tarlochan Singh. Noted social scientist and

demographer Prof. Ashish Bose was also present at the event.

 

The report has create a political controversy in India over this high

Muslim growth rate, so much so that it has been withdrawn temporarily.

 

Following are some of the excerpts from the report-

 

Out of the total population of 102.8 crore (or 1.028 billion) in the

country as at the 2001 Census, the Hindus were 82.7 crore (or 827

million) in number and constituted 80.5% of the population of the

country. The Muslim population stood at 13.8 crore (or 138 million)

comprising of 13.4% of the population. The next in size are the

Christians (2.4 crore or 24 million), followed by Sikhs (1.9 crore or

19 million), Buddhists (79 lakh or 7.9 million), Jains (42 lakh or 4.2

million) and those following "Other" religions and persuasions

including the tribal religions, etc. (66 lakh or 6.6 million).

 

Among Buddhists also there has been a sizeable decline in the growth

rate from 35.3% during 1981-91 to only 24.5% during 1991-2001. Also

though there is slight increase in the growth rate of the Christians

(from 21.5% to 22.6%), there is noticeable decline of Sikh growth rate

from 24.3% in 1981-91 to only 18.2% during 1991-2001. Most prominent in

the 2001 Census data released is the growth rate of Jains (26.0%)

during 1991-2001 as compared to their growth of only 4.6% during the

previous decade 1981-91.

 

As regards the disparity of the absolute and relative number of male

and female population in the society, expressed in terms of sex ratio

or number of females per thousand males, the Hindus (931) were slightly

below the national average of 933, whereas Muslims returned 936. The

sex ratio among the Christian population grew from 994 in 1991 to 1009

in 2001. Among Sikhs, as was also noted earlier while releasing data on

total population in Punjab, the sex ratio was the lowest (893). For the

Buddhists and the Jains the sex ratio remained almost the same at 953

and 950.

 

Literacy rate for all the religious groups, as revealed again for the

first time in 2001 Census, were very encouraging, shattering many myths

in circulation earlier when such a dataset was not available for the

country as a whole. The literacy rate among Hindus (65.1%) was slightly

better than the national average (64.8%) for all religious groups

combined. Among Muslims the literacy rate is 59.1%, below the national

average. The highest literacy rate is recorded among the Jains (94.1%),

followed by Christians (80.3%), Buddhists (72.7%) and Sikhs (69.4%).

 

Against the existing popular perceptions, the female literacy rate

among different religious groups does not show wide variation. Among

the Muslims, for instance, the literacy rate among the females was

returned as 50.1%, below the national average of 53.7%. Slightly better

is the female literacy rate among the Hindus (53.2%), again below the

national average. The highest literacy rate among the females was

recorded among the Jains (90.6%), like their male counterparts. Female

literacy rate among Christians was 76.2%, followed by Sikhs (63.1%) and

Buddhists (61.7%).

 

For more details please visit the Census Commissioner, India's website

http://www.censusindia.net.

High-Tech Hope

More People Banking on Medical Breakthroughs to Help Cheat Death

 

By Gregory M. Lamb

 

 

Aug. 6, 2004 — Ray Kurzweil plans to live forever. To that end, he carefully chooses what he eats and drinks. On top of that he keeps his weight down, exercises, and takes dietary supplements — about 250 a day.

 

 

 

 

He feels his strategy is working. Though he was born 56 years ago, a recent exhaustive physical examination revealed that his body is that of a 40-year-old, he says.

 

So far, so good.

 

Kurzweil, a successful inventor, entrepreneur, and futurist, knows even his most rigorous efforts to preserve his body won't by themselves lead to physical immortality. But his plan is to live in good health long enough, perhaps another 30 years, that future scientific advancements can take him the rest of the way.

 

It's a vision with extraordinary appeal. As the nation's 76 million baby boomers march toward retirement — the first boomers turn 65 in 2011 — many are beginning to cast sidelong glances at what's come to be known as the life-extension movement.

 

Already in 2002, Americans spent about $43 billion on anti-aging products and treatments — and that figure may rise to $64 billion by 2007, according to the market research company FIND/SVP. The bodies of more than 70 people in the United States, including baseball great Ted Williams, have been frozen in anticipation of future life-reviving technology.

 

There's little evidence so far that any of these strategies and treatments will work, scientists point out. Even the breakthroughs of the 20th century have done little to allow seniors to live longer.Still, skeptics admit that life-extension technologies will eventually emerge. And recent advances in genetics have generated a growing faith that such technologies will appear in decades rather than centuries.

 

Religious Focus

 

Some observers call this faith a new religion.

 

"These people are saying, 'I don't want to die, and I'm going to do something about it,' " says Brian Alexander, author of Rapture: How Biotech Became the New Religion. They were raised in the post-World War II era of a booming economy, grew up watching the wonders of science fiction, and were told they lived in a world where everything was going to be possible. "And then they're faced with death," he says. "That makes them angry."

 

There's a sense that they may be the last generation that is going to have to die, that they might just miss out on immortality, Alexander adds. "And that's going to be enormously frustrating."

 

Big advances in biotechnology in recent years, such as deciphering the human genome, may have also inflated expectations, says S. Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Chicago and an internationally recognized expert on aging.

 

In some ways, the current movement echoes the early 20th-century eugenics movement, he says, which followed scientific advances in the understanding of genetics and also sought to perfect humans through genetic manipulation."When we acquire the ability to modify something that kills us, we become giddy and begin to believe that if we can modify this, we can modify that," says Olshansky, coauthor of the book The Quest for Immortality. "And that has always been the belief that we can modify aging."

 

Today, "we're getting giddy again," he adds.

 

Extreme Diets, Small Robots

 

While it's true that the average life expectancy of an American rose from 47 years to 77 years during the 20th century, experts on aging point out that most of that increase was due to reducing deaths at early ages. The upper limit hasn't really changed. "A hundred years ago, a thousand years ago, there were people who made it out past 100 years of age," Olshansky says. "If you brought someone from 5,000 years ago into the present and gave them the lifestyles we have today, they would live equally long. We haven't changed at all biologically."

 

Even today's medical advances may be overstated. Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Laurie Garrett has pointed out that the invention of antibiotics and other 20th-century medical "marvels" have contributed less than 4 percent to the total improvement in life expectancy since the 1700s. Instead, she calculates, longer average life spans are due to better basic public-health measures, including providing clean water, sewage systems, and better nutrition for the poor.

 

The life-extension argument, then, really centers on views of the future, the potential for breakthroughs, and the speed with which they might arrive.

 

"Everything they say about life extension is going to become true — and we're all going to be dead by then," says Alexander, who's been called a "fence sitter" on the question of life extension. "It may be 100 years, 500 years, who knows when it's going to happen. But there is a picture emerging now that there will be a thing called radical life extension, and people will live to be a couple of hundred years or more."

 

But life-extension advocates say that Alexander's time frame is much too long. It fails to take into account the fact that the pace of scientific discovery is quickening.

 

"Until recently, there wasn't much you could offer people" to radically extend life, says James Hughes, executive director of the World Transhumanist Association, which advocates the ethical use of technology to overcome the limits of the human body. Now research into areas such as mineral supplements and the benefits of restricting the intake of calories is going to "cascade in the next couple of decades to the point where life extension will begin to radically extend," says Hughes, who teaches bioethics at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.

 

For example: Years of research on animals have suggested that cutting intake of calories in half increases their life span. Few people are willing to endure semistarvation to follow this regimen. However, within the next decade, drugs that mimic the effects of a restricted-calorie diet may become available, Hughes says. "We're very close to being able to have a genetic therapy or a pharmaceutical treatment which will turn on those mechanisms in the body and hopefully gain a one-third to 50 percent increase in life expectancy."

 

Further into the future, but still in this century, nanobots — tiny robots the size of molecules — may be able to do tasks such as replacing white or red blood cells, he predicts, fighting diseases and carrying oxygen much more efficiently than their biological counterparts and extending life even more dramatically.

 

Senior Citizen Boom?

 

Others don't share this techno-exuberance, remaining firmly in the "show me" camp. Upgrading the human body from Version 1.0 to Version 2.0, as computer whiz Kurzweil suggests, may run into unexpected challenges. So far, modifying genes in animals has almost always resulted in negative tradeoffs, Olshansky says. A turkey altered to have more white meat, for example, might also develop problems with infections.

 

"We may have to pay a price, and the price we pay may be something we don't like," he says. He adds that he'd be "absolutely ecstatic" if science could lengthen the average life span by 10 years.

 

If lives were ever extended dramatically, bioethicists foresee a number of disruptive questions that will emerge, ranging from practical issues like its effects on government retirement programs and overpopulation to profound philosophical questions about whether there is a natural, even beneficial, shape to human lives. Mortality may provide an urgency to our endeavors and drive humans to achieve, they say.

 

Alexander sees the search for life extension as a kind of new religion. "What religion has promised to give us is trial and tribulation now, but a reward at the end," he says. "And we will have everlasting life, and we will have happiness, and we'll have enhanced bodies and minds.

 

"Well, if we can give ourselves these things, why do we need to wait for God to give them to us? That's quite a challenge."

 

If long-lived humans in the future were just like those of today, after "500 years or 1,000 years we would develop a deep ennui, a profound despair by having more time than we know how to deal with," Kurzweil concedes. But that won't happen.

 

"We're also going to be expanding our mental horizons during that time," he says. "I think this is our destiny. This is the whole point of our evolution. This is the next step in evolution." Being human, he says, means to "expand our horizons." Humans have learned how to fly and even how to leave this planet. "We didn't stay within the limits of our biology … We're going to expand our thinking beyond that."

 

Afterlife … on Ice

 

Cryonics (not to be confused with cryogenics) refers to the freezing and resuscitation of organisms.

 

Some reptiles freeze in solid blocks of winter ice and revive when they thaw. Their secret: high levels of glucose — a natural antifreeze — in their blood.

 

R. Ettinger's 1962 book The Prospect of Immortality began the cryonics movement. His Cryonics Institute preserves clients in liquid nitrogen. Cost per person: $28,000.

 

More than 70 people are frozen in the US, including a man from 1967.

 

Many scientists — such as plant cryo-preservation expert Paul Lynch of England's University of Derby — call human resurrection an impossibility.

 

SOURCES: University of Florida, cryonics.org, Derby Evening Telegraph.

 

 

Noah's Ark plan from top Moon man

 

 

By Pallab Ghosh

BBC Science Correspondent

 

 

The European Space Agency's chief scientist has said that there should be a Noah's Ark on the Moon, in case the Earth was destroyed by an asteroid or nuclear holocaust.

 

 

Europe's first lunar probe is due to land in November

Speaking exclusively to BBC News at the British Association Science Festival, Dr Bernard Foing said that the ark should be a repository for the DNA of every single species of plant and animal.

 

Dr Foing is head of Europe's Moon missions, so his thoughts on matters lunar should be taken seriously.

 

He is concerned that if the Earth were destroyed, there would be little or nothing left of the rich diversity of life on the planet.

 

His solution is to build a DNA library on the Moon.

 

"If there were a catastrophic collision on Earth or a nuclear war you could place some samples of Earth's biosphere, including humans, [on the Moon]," he said.

 

"You could repopulate the Earth afterwards like a Noah's Ark," he said.

 

For the time being though, Dr Foing is awaiting the arrival of Europe's first probe to the Moon.

 

That mission is due to arrive ahead of schedule in November.

 

It is the first of what he hopes will be a fleet of of robotic spacecraft sent to the Moon.

 

They would be used to build a lunar colony.

 

 

We shall always remember Srila Prabhupada, our eternal father, as the empowered representative of the most glorious and beautiful queen of Sri Vrndavana, Srimati Radharani, and we shall forever aspire for the shelter of his lotus feet. What follows are eight transcendental remembrances of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's manifest pastimes in Sri Chaitanyadeva's ongoing sankirtana-lila, all of which point to his eternal service in the camp of Sri Radha.

 

His Birth

An Eternal Resident of Goloka Vrndavana

 

It was Nandotsava, the day after Janmastami, the advent day of Lord Krsna, when Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world in a small village on the outskirts of Calcutta. It was a very auspicious day and all the people in the three worlds were engaged in a wonderful festival celebrating the birth of Sri Krsnachandra, who had advented at Sri Vrndavana Dhama almost five thousand years before. At this auspicious time, Srimati Radharani, the queen of Vrndavana, called her dear servant and said, "Please go to earth and give them Krsna's mercy." Thus her own servant was sent to this world to spread Krsna-consciousness in every town and village. Who else but the dearmost servant of Srimati Radharani could be worthy fo such a task?

 

The same year as Srila Prabhupada's appearance (1896), Srila Thakura Bhaktivinode's introductory book in English, Sri Chaitanya: His Life and Precepts, appeared at Mc.Gill University in Canada. This was the first book about Sri Chaitanya to reach Western shores. Shortly after that, Bhaktivinode also predicted that a great soul would soon come to fulfill Sri Chaitanya's prediction from Chaitanya-Bhagavata: prthivite ache yada nagaradi-grama sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama. "In every town and village in the world, the holy name of Krsna will be sung."

 

That Thakura Bhaktivinode's first publication came to the West in the same year that Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world as "the ambassador to fulfill the prediction of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu" is felt in the hearts of Srila Prabhupada's eternal servants as an eternal transcendental truth.

 

Srila Prabhupada is always situated in eternal pastimes of the divine couple Sri Sri Radha-Govinda in the transcendental realm of Goloka Vrndavana. Thus the place of Srila Prabhupada's appearance in this mundane world is considered nondifferent from Goloka Vrndavana.

 

"To teach others by example how to be a faithful disciple of sri guru, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu visited the birthplace of Isvara Puri at Kamarhatty and collected some earth from his birthsite. This Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu kept very carefully, he used to eat a small portion of it daily." (Chaitanya-Bhagavata Ch. 12)

 

Let us therefore eternally worship the auspicious day and the auspicious place where Srila Prabhupada manifest his humble appearance in this world.

 

His Father

A Pure Devotee of Krsna

 

Gour Mohan De, a pure devotee of Krsna, desired the very best for his son. "Please bless him," he used to say, whenever holy men used to visit his home. "Please bless my son that he will become a great devotee of Srimati Radharani."

 

Srila Prabhupada said, "My father also trained me and instructed me to his best capacity, and he prayed for me that Radharani may be pleased upon me, and I think by my father's blessings and grace, I may have come to this position, and I have gotten into relationship with His Divine Grace Om Visnupada Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Goswami Maharaja also by his mercy. So it is Krsna's grace that I got a good father and also a good spiritual master."

 

What else did Gour Mohan desire for his son? "He should learn to play mrdanga very nicely and he should engage in the worship of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda."

 

Srila Prabhupada's father made all these arrangements: mrdanga lessons and Deities of Radha-Govinda for Srila Prabhupada's childhood worship. In due course of time, everything became wonderfully manifest in Srila Prabhupada, as per his father's transcendental desires.

 

What wonderful arrangements the Lord makes for his pure devotees. Let the holy remembrance of Sri Gour Mohan De, the father of Srila Prabhupada and a pure devotee of Krsna, be ever present in our thoughts.

 

His Guru

My Guru Maharaja was a Vaikuntha Man

 

Srila Prabhupada said, "The ideas I imbibed from my father in my childhood days were later on solidified by my spiritual master, the eternal father, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura."

 

Who was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the spiritual master of our beloved spiritual master? The eternal ego of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura is disclosed here in these two beautiful prayers:

 

ati-laukika-gati-taulika-rati-kautuka-vapusam

ati-daivata-mati-vaisnava-yati-vaibhava-purusam

sa-sanatana-raghu-rupaka paramanuga-critam

su-vicaraka iva jivaka iti sadhubhir-uditam

subhadodaya-divase vrsa-ravija-dayitam

pranamami ca caranantika-paricaraka-sahitam

 

"O Dayita dasa, your divine personality exists within the spiritual realm, and your manner of movement is quite gentle while your divine figure fondly engages in the Lord's srngara-rasa pastimes. In addition, your external appearance radiates the prestige of a dignified renunciate-far superior to any class of demigod-and possesses the intelligence of a pure devotee. Every aspect of your distinct personality is exactly parallel with those magnificent devotees Srila Sanatana, Srila Raghunatha Dasa, and Srila Rupa Goswami. Due to your wonderful and precise judgement, the devotees have declared that you are the life-image of Srila Jiva Goswami. On your auspicious appearance day, I humbly offer my respects unto the tips of your lotus toes in the association of your favorite servitors. O Gurudeva, you are the dearmost object of King Vrsabhanu's daughter, Srimati Radharani."

 

nite yasmin nisante nayana-jala-bharai snata-gatrarbudanam

ucchair utkrosatam sri-vrsa-kapi-sutaya-dhiraya sviya-gosthim

prthivi gadhandhakarair-hrta-nayana-manivavrta yena hina

yatrasau tatra sighram krpana-nayana he niyatam kinkaro 'yam

 

"At the close of night, early morn, there were thousands of devotees freshly bathed and loudly wailing, their eyes overflowing with sorrowful tears of hopelessness. Srimati Radhika, that radiantly beautiful queen of Vraja and daughter of King Vrsabhanu, had summoned her intimate servant Sri Dayita dasa to return to her divine camp, their personal family. Now in the absence of Nayana-mani-manjari, the earth planet has been vacuumed into the deepest, vacant darkness. Oh! With no further delay, kindly accept this fallen soul as your servant. O Dayita dasa, I am hoping against hope to be embraced within the fold of your divine company." (Srila Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Deva Goswami Maharaja)

 

Let the transcendental memory of Srila Prabhupada as the eternal servant of the servant of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda become our exclusive meditation and bhajana.

 

His Guru's Instructions

Radha-kunda-Print Books

 

Srila Prabhupada often spoke about the instructions of his Guru Maharaja to preach and publish Krsna-conscious literature. Srila Prabhupada was especially fond of mentioning the story of how he received his most important instructions from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura at Sri Radha-kunda. Srila Prabhupada recalled that at the time Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was feeling some dissatisfaction in regard to some disciples competing over who would live in which rooms in the newly constructed temple in Calcutta.

 

While walking along the banks of Radha-kunda, the place of the most intimate pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura revealed his mind. "I think it would be better to sell this temple and the marble and print books." Then, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura turned to Srila Prabhupada and said, "If you ever get money, print books."

 

Srila Prabhupada told this story many times and he would usually add these words: "And so, I am doing. Printing books is our first business. Print books and distribute them all over the world and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura and Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu will bless you."

 

In great humility Srila Prabhupada used to say that his only qualification was that he had firm faith, guru-nistha, in the order of his spiritual master.

 

The ultimate conception of the spiritual master in the Gaudiya-sampradaya is that the guru is the representative of Srimati Radharani. Srila Prabhupada saw his Guru Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, in that way and that is the standard that we are to adopt if we are to enter deeply within the ocean of Krsna-consciousness.

 

Let us always worship the holiest of holy places, Sri Radha-kunda, and let us always remember the instructions of Srimati Radharani to her most confidential servant at that most holy place.

 

His Holy Place of Bhajana

The Radha-Damodara Temple

 

Once in Vrndavana Srila Prabhupada informed a small group of his devotees of something very sublime, "I live eternally in my rooms at the Radha-Damodara temple." The real substance of this statement is of course only fully known to Srila Prabhupada himself, but we can feel with our heart that this clearly indicates that Srila Prabhupada is an eternal member of the camp of Srila Rupa Goswami.

 

In his small rooms overlooking the samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami, Srila Prabhupada used to execute his daily bhajana of chanting the holy name of Krsna and writing the Bhaktivedanta purports in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada also informed us that, "I got inspiration for going to the West simply by performing my bhajana and praying before the samadhi of Srila Rupa Goswami." There he did his bhajana and there he daily sang Narottama dasa Thakura's song "Sri Rupa Manjari . ." It is in this song that we find the highest aspiration of the followers of the Rupanuga sampradaya in the service of Sri Radha.

 

The Radha-Damodara temple is located within the rasa-mandala of Sri Vrndavana Dhama and it occupies a most exalted position as the place of highly confidential lila of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. It was here also that the renowned devotee Srila Jiva Goswami prepared transcendental literature on the science of Krsna-consciousness.

 

Damodara generally means bound by the ropes of love of Mother Yasoda. But there is another meaning of Damodara which is known only to the followers of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Damodara means bound by the love and affection of Srimati Radharani. So great is Srimati Radharani's love for Krsna that she has captured Krsna and bound her Lord making him Her exclusive property and servitor.

 

The Radha-Damodara temple now stands at that place where Lord Krsna became a slave to the love of Srimati Radharani, where he bowed to her holy feet in radha . seva, and this also is the eternal place of service and bhajana of Srila Prabhupada.

 

Let us always remember the Radha-Damodara temple, the place of holy bhajana of Srila Prabhupada and let us never forget his most exalted position as a servant of Srimati Radharani in the camp of Srila Rupa Goswami.

 

His Arrival

You Will Obtain Your Good Fortune

 

When the good ship Jaladutta was crossing the Atlantic Ocean en route to Boston Harbor on Sept. 13, 1965, Srila Prabhupada composed a beautiful prayer in his native Bengali language. The refrain appeals to Sri Krsna, who is bound by Radharani's love.

 

krsna taba punya habe bhai

e-punya koribe jabe radharani khusi habe

dhruva ati boli toma tai

 

Commenting on Srila Prabhupada's poem, Srila Sridhara Maharaja once said, "I consider him to be a saktyavesa-avatara and this is confirmed in his writings on his spiritual journey through the Atlantic. How he arrived in America, the nature of his beginning the movement, his intense degree of dependence and dedication to Krsna, and how much he made himself empty of any other desire than the order of his gurudeva corroborate that Krsna came down to help him. In his poem Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krsna , we find him pleading with Krsna, 'My dear brother, your good fortune will come to you only when Srimati Radharani becomes pleased with you.' Seeing his gurudeva, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, as Radharani's delegation and his order as her divine service, he humbly submitted that he did not feel himself worthy or fit to discharge the divine service, so he enlisted Krsna in the service of his guru. He had completely dedicated himself to the purpose; he was so earnest in his prayer to Krsna that divine force came down to help him. Otherwise, it is impossible. It is not an ordinary thing that anyone can do, rather the highest thing was extensively taken down to the lowest position, to the fallen souls. It cannot but be the divine power, embodied and in a great intensity and magnitude! So, saktyavesa-avatara, I cannot but take him to be so."

 

The longest journey begins with the first step and certainly any and all progress in Krsna-consciousness begins by first approaching Srimati Radharani. Just as all the planets revolve around the pole star, Dhruvaloka, so divine service revolves around Sri Radha. Therefore, with emphasis (dhruva) Prabhupada wrote, dhruva ati boli toma tai, emphatically imploring Krsna, "you will only be happy if Radharani is pleased; therefore, you must help me to do her service."

 

It is the desire of Srimati Radharani to spread Krsna-consciousness all over the world and it is the desire of Sri Krsna to spread the glories of Srimati Radharani amongst the surrendered souls. Both these elements are present in the very beginning of Srila Prabhupada's attempt to start the Krsna-consciousness movement in the Western world.

 

Once Srila Prabhupada commented that, "Krsna alone is not so beautiful." The meaning is that without Srimati Radharani by his side Krsna is incomplete. The ultimate truth is that Radha and Krsna are together eternally-they actually never separate even for a moment. As Krsna never takes even a step out of Vrndavana, similarly Krsna never leaves the side or Srimati Radharani even for a moment. The two are eternally united.

 

The pure devotees of Krsna never desire to enjoy separately with Krsna-rather they eternally desire to serve the divine couple Sri Sri Radha-Krsna by attending to all their needs or transcendental necessities.

 

Let us always remember the lotus feet of our divine master Srila Prabhupada who has obtained the greatest fortune from the Supreme Lord Krsna by the grace of Srimati Radharani and who is eternally engaged in their most intimate service.

 

His Message-A Matchless Gift

We Have Come Here to Receive the Greatest Gift

 

The matchless gift that Srila Prabhupada so graciously gave to his disciples, followers, and ultimately the whole world is nicely expressed by Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami in the following prayer to his spiritual master. What we find expressed here by Srila Raghunatha Dasa Goswami is truly the essence of the mission of Srila Prabhupada and the most refined understanding of the substance of our Gaudiya-sampradaya.

 

nama-srestham manum api saci-putram atra svarupam

rupam tasyagrajam uru-purim mathurim gostavatim

radha-kundam giri-varam aho radhika-madhavasam

prapto yasya prathita-krpaya sri gurum tam nato 'smi

 

Here Dasa Goswami prays to his gurudeva, and if we can understand the things represented in this verse, we can say that we have understood Srila Prabhupada's message. By the grace of Srila Prabhupada, we have received the highest conception of the Holy Name of Krsna and the shelter of Sri Chaitanya. Sri Chaitanya's personal secretary, Svarupa Damodara, is none other than Sri Lalita Sakhi, the closest friend of Sri Radha, who canvasses widely on her behalf. By Srila Prabhupada's grace, we have come to her shelter and also the shelter of Sri Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis. By their grace we can become acquainted with our eternal place of service at Govardhana and sometimes be called to Radha-kunda in the service of Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

 

Let us always remember the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada, who is the giver of the matchless gift of eternal joy in the hearts of his surrendered servants and who is a torchlight of inspiration to all the members of the Gaudiya-sampradaya in the matter of spreading Krsna-consciousness all over the world.

 

His Departure

Govardhana & Karttika

 

After preaching Krsna-consciousness around the world fifteen times in only twelve years, Srila Prabhupada lastly returned to Sri Vrndavana Dhama where he manifest his final pastimes before our eyes and gave us his last instructions.

 

Srila Prabhupada showed us many things by his personal example and inspired us to continue preaching this Krsna-consciousness movement all over the world. Then in the month of Karttika a few days before Govardhana-puja, Srila Prabhupada suddenly manifest a great desire to go to Govardhana Hill. It came almost as a shock to the devotees who could not tolerate the idea that Srila Prabhupada might make such an arduous journey. Then with the help of Krsna Dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Prabhupada's desire was relaxed, at least from the external point of view.

 

What was it that Srila Prabhupada was teaching us or what did he actually express by telling us that he wanted to go to Govardhana Hill? It was not simply Govardhana Hill that can be reached by either car or bullock cart to which Srila Prabhupada desired to go, but it was the infinite play of his eternal Lord in the service of Sri Radha at Govardhana to which he desired to return. As Dasa Goswami realized when Sri Chaitanya gave him the Govardhana sila and gunja-mala, "Mahaprabhu has given me a place at Govardhana in the service of Sri Radhika," so Srila Prabhupada instructed us about these truths through his disappearance.

 

Karttika is the most revered time of year in Vrndavana because it represents the month of Srimati Radharani, and Sri Govardhana Hill is the place of unlimited eternal, intimate pastimes of the Divine Couple Sri Sri Radha-Govinda. Srila Prabhupada was being called to return to those wonderful pastimes of divine love.

 

The days and moments past and the devotees stood by helplessly--then suddenly the only meaning in our poor lives disappeared from our sight. Our most beloved guide, master, father, and friend had returned to the side of his most worshipful Lord--simultaneously, he had entered our hearts forever. The devotees shed an ocean of tears, yet to this day we have not extinguished the fire of separation felt for his affectionate and reassuring presence. How shall we maintain our lives now?

 

Srila Prabhupada expressed his inner desire to go to Govardhana Hill and he chose the time of Karttika, the month of Srimati Radharani, for his departure from this world. Thus he has shown us the way and he has drawn the whole world to Govardhana Hill and the Karttika festival. This we have understood by our practical experience, as yearly thousands of devotees from all over the world celebrate Karttika in Vrndavana and circumambulate Govardhana Hill.

 

Let us always remember our Divine Master, Srila Prabhupada, as an eternal servant and resident of the eternal pastimes of Sri Sri Radha-Govinda and let us carry the impression of his lotus feet and his instructions in the core of our hearts and continue on, as he so strongly desired, to become pure devotees and to spread the Krsna-consciousness movement to every corner of the world.

 

Everything is possible by the will of Radha and Krsna, and His Divine Grace is also always present before us. Srila Prabhupada has given us the assurance and blessing that through his instructions he will be by our side at every moment. May we all be blessed with his everlasting memory and his transcendental association via faith, surrender, and transcendental loving service.

 

Vaisnava Ke?"Who is a Real Vaisnava?"

 

by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

 

dusta mana! tumi kiser vaisnava?

pratisthar tare, nirjaner ghare,

tava hari nama' kevala kaitava'

 

1) O wicked mind! What kind of Vaisnava do you think you are? Your pretentious show of chanting Lord Hari's holy name in a solitary place is only for the sake of attaining the false prestige of a worldly reputation—it is nothing but pure hypocrisy.

 

ader pratistha, sukarer vistha,

jano na ki taha mayar vaibhava'

kanaka kamini, divasa-yamini,

bhaviya ki kaja, anitya se saba

 

2) Such materialistic prestige is as disgusting as the stool of a hog. Do you not know that it is only a mere illusion cast by the potency of Maya? What is the value of contemplating day and night your plans for enjoying wealth and women? All these things are only temporary.

 

tomär kanaka, bhoger janaka,

kanaker dvare sevaho madhava'

kaminir kama, nahe tava dhama,

tahar—malika kevala yadava'

 

3) When you claim wealth as your own, it creates in you ever-increasing desires for material enjoyment. Your riches should be used for serving Madhava, the Lord of all wealth. Neither is it your proper place to indulge in lust for women, whose only true proprietor is Lord Yadava.

 

pratisthasa-taru, jada-maya-maru,

na pela ravana' yujhiyä raghava'

vaisnavi pratistha, tate koro nistha,

taha na bhajile labhibe raurava

 

4) The demon Ravana (lust-incarnate) fought with Lord Ramachandra (love-incarnate) in order to gain the tree of worldly reputation—but that oasis turned out to be but a mirage cast in the desert wasteland of the Lord's illusory material potency. Please cultivate fixed determination to attain only the steady and solid platform whereupon a Vaisnava ever stands. If you neglect worshiping the Lord from this position, then you will ultimately attain a hellish existence.

 

harijana-dveña, pratisthasa-klesa,

koro keno tabe tahar gaurava

vaisnaver pache, pratisthasa ache,

ta'te kabhu nahe anitya-vaibhava'

 

5) Why do you needlessly suffer the torment of blaspheming the devotees of Lord Hari, attempting to achieve their eminence, thereby only proving your own fruitless foolishness? The desire for spiritual eminence is easily fulfilled when one becomes a devotee of the Lord, for eternal fame automatically follows the heels of a Vaisnava. And that fame is never to be considered a temporary worldly opulence.

 

se hari-sambandha, sunya-maya-gandha,

täha kabhu noy jader kaitava'

pratistha-candali, nirjanata-jali,

ubhaye janiho mayika raurava

 

6) The relationship between a devotee and Lord Hari is devoid of even a trace of worldly illusion; it has nothing to do with the materialistic cheating propensity. The prestige of so-called popularity in the material realm is compared to a treacherous dog-eating witch, and the attempt to live in solitude to supposedly engage in unalloyed bhajan is compared to an entangling network of distraction. Please know that anyone striving in either of these ways verily lives in the hell of Maya's illusion.

 

kirtana chadibo, pratistha makhibo,

ki kaja dhudiya tadrisa gaurava

madhavendra puri, bhava-ghare curi,

na korilo kabhu sadai janabo

 

7) "I shall give up chanting the Lord's name publicly in kértan and retire to solitude, thus smearing myself with worldly honor." Dear mind, what is the good of seeking such so-called glory? I will always remind you that the great soul Madhavendra Puri never deceived himself in that regard by committing theft in his own storehouse of perception the way you do.

 

tomar pratisha,—sukarer vistha'

tar-saha sama kabhu na manava

matsarata-vase, tumi jada-rase,

majecho chadiya kirtana-saustava

 

8) Your cheap reputation is equal to the stool of a hog. An ordinary ambitious man like you can never be equated with a devotee of Madhavendra Puri's eminence. Under the sway of envy, you have drowned yourself in the filthy waters of material enjoyment after having abandoned the excellent perfection of congregational kértan.

 

tai dusta mana, nirjana bhajan,'

pracaricho chale kuyogi-vaibhava'

prabhu sanatane, parama jatane,

siksa dilo yaha, cinto sei saba

 

9) Truly, O wicked mind, the glories of so-called solitary worship are propagated only by false yogis using unscrupulous means to deceive others. To save yourself from these pitfalls, please contemplate the instructions that the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu kindly gave us while addressing Srila Sanatana Goswami with the utmost care.

 

sei du'ti katha, bhulo' na sarvatha,

uccaih-svare koro hari-nama-rava'

phalgu' ar yukta,' baddha' ar mukta,'

kabhu na bhaviho, ekakar saba

 

10) Do not forget for a moment the two most valuable concepts that He taught: 1) the principle of dry, apparent renunciation as opposed to real, appropriate renunciation; and 2) the principle of a soul being trapped in the bondage of matter as opposed to a soul who is liberated. Don't ever make the mistake of thinking that these conflicting concepts are on the same level. Please remember this while engaging yourself in chanting the Lord's holy names as loud as you possibly can.

 

kanaka-kamini,' pratistha-baghini,'

chadiyache jare, sei to' vaisnava

sei anasakta,' sei suddha-bhakta,'

samsar tatha pay parabhava

 

11) One is truly a Vaisnava who has given up the habit of falling victim to the ferocious tigress of wealth, beauty, and fame. Such a soul is factually detached from material life, and is known as a pure devotee. Someone with this consciousness of detachment has thereby become victorious over the mundane world of birth and death.

 

yatha-yogya bhoga, nahi tatha roga,

anasakta' sei, ki ar kahabo

asakti-rohita,' sambandha-sahita,'

visaya-samuha sakali madhava'

 

12) One is indeed detached who moderately partakes of worldly things that are deemed necessary for living in devotional service; a devotee acting in that manner does not fall prey to the disease of material infatuation. Thus devoid of selfish attachment, and endowed with the ability to see things in relation to the Lord, all sense objects are then directly perceived as being Lord Madhava Himself.

 

se yukta-vairagya,' taha to' saubhagya,

taha-i jadete harir vaibhava

kirtane jahar, pratistha-sambhar,'

tahar sampatti kevala kaitava'

 

13) This is the standard of befitting renunciation, and one who realizes this is most fortunate indeed. Everything involved in such a devotee's life represents Lord Hari's personal spiritual opulence as manifest in the world of matter. On the other hand, one who engages in chanting the Lord's name with hopes of enhancing his own material reputation finds that all his activities and paraphernalia represent only the riches of hypocrisy.

 

visaya-mumuksu,' bhoger bubhuksu,'

du'ye tyajo mana, dui avaisnava'

krishner sambandha,' aprakrita-skandha,

kabhu nahe taha jader sambhava

 

14) O mind, please reject the company of two types of persons—those desiring impersonal liberation from the material world, and those who desire to enjoy the pleasure of material sense objects. Both of these are equally non-devotees. The things that are used in relation to Lord Krishna are objects belonging directly to the transcendental realm, and thus having nothing to do with matter they cannot be either owned or forsaken by persons interested in mundane enjoyment or renunciation.

 

mayavadi jana,' krishnetara mana,

mukta abhimane se ninde vaisnava

vaisnaver das, tava bhakti-as,

keno va dakicho nirjana-ahava

 

15) An impersonal philospher is opposed to thinking of Krishna as an object of devotion, and thus being puffed up with the false pride of imaginary liberation he dares to criticize the true devotees of the Lord. O mind, you are the servant of the Vaisnavas, and you should always hope for attaining devotion. Why then do you make such a loud commotion by calling to me and trying to prove the supposed supremacy of your practice of solitary worship?

 

je phalgu-vairaga,' kohe nije tyagi,'

se na pare kabhu hoite vaisnava'

hari-. chadi', nirjanata badi,'

labhiya ki phala, phalgu' se vaibhava

 

16) One who falsely gives up things that could actually be used in the Lord's service proudly calls himself a renunciate,' but unfortunately he can never become a Vaisnava by such an attitude. Abandoning his servitorship to the lotus feet of Lord Hari, and resigning himself to his solitary home—whatever is gained by that exercise can only be the worthless treasure of deception.

 

radha-dasye rohi', chadi bhoga-ahi,'

pratisthasa' nahe kirtana-gaurava'

radha-nitya-jana,' taha chadi' mana,

keno va nirjana-bhajana-kaitava

 

17) Ever engage yourself in the service of Sri Radha, and keep aloof from the vicious snake of materialistic sense gratification. The glory of participating in the Lord's kértan is not meant to bolster anyone's ambitions for personal recognition. O mind, why then have you abandoned the identity of being Radha's eternal servant in favor of retiring to a solitary place to practice the cheating process of so-called bhajan?

 

vraja-vasi-gana, pracaraka-dhana,

pratistha-bhiksuka ta'ra nahe sava'

prana ache ta'r, se-hetu pracar,

pratisthasa-hina-'krishna-gatha' saba

 

18) The most valuable treasures amongst the Lord's preachers are the eternal personalities residing in Vraja-dham. They never occupy themselves with begging for worthless material reputation, which is cherished only by the living dead. The Vraja-vasis are truly infused with life, and therefore they preach in order to give life to the walking corpses of the mundane world. All the songs that the Vraja-vasis sing about the glories of Lord Krishna are devoid of any tinge of desire for fame.

 

Sri-dayita-das, kirtanete as,

koro uccaih-svare hari-nama-rava'

kirtana-prabhave, smarana svabhave,

se kale bhajana-nirjana sambhava

 

19) This humble servant of Radha and Her beloved Krishna always hopes for kirtan, and he begs all to loudly sing the names of Lord Hari. The transcendental power of congregational chanting automatically awakens remembrance of the Lord and His divine pastimes in relation to one's own eternal spiritual form. Only at that time does it become possible to go off to a solitary place and engage in the confidential worship of Their Lordships.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3632462.stm

The Mad Elephant - a lecture given by

 

Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja:

 

Mahaprabhu says:

 

yadi vaisnava-aparadha uthe hati mata

upade va chinde, tara sukhi; yaya pata

 

If the devotee commits an offense at the feet of a vaisnava while cultivating the creeper of devotional service in the material world, his offense is compared to a mad elephant that uproots the creeper and breaks it. In this way the leaves of the creeper are dried up.

 

tate mali yatna kari; kare avarana

aparadha-hastira yaiche na haya udgama

 

The gardener must defend the creeper by fencing it all around so that the powerful elephant of offenses may not enter.

 

One very, very wicked, very dangerous animal comes. That is a mad elephant. This is vaisnava-aparadha. Vaisnava-aparadha is a mad elephant. This dangerously wicked animal can still come. Even at this stage, if some sadhu or vaisnava commits aparadha at the lotus feet of such a dear vaisnava, then this mad elephant comes, breaks their fences, enters into their garden, and completely devastates everything. This elephant pulls the creeper out from its root and throws it away ; finished. upade va chinde, tara sukhi; yaya pata ; Completely uprooted, the creeper becomes dried up. So one should be most careful that this dangerous and wicked animal should not enter into your garden. Take the utmost care to maintain this bhakti-lata creeper.

 

Sin and Offense

 

At this point I want to mention something about papa and aparadha. One should understand that there is a difference between sinful activity and offense. One may be a greatly sinful person who has committed many sinful activities in this life and previous lives, but all of these sinful reactions are like dhuli-lepa, layers of dust. They can be washed off very easily. But aparadhas are like vajra-lepa, very strong layers like a thunderbolt. They cannot be washed off. This is the difference. The reaction to sinful activities can be easily washed off. If you merely chant Hare Krishna and attain the stage of namabhasa, then karmic reactions are washed away. The example is Ajamila. He was a very sinful person. Chitragupta, who records all of the sinful activities of the conditioned souls, had made a very big book for him. When the Yamadutas came to take him, Ajamila uttered the name of Narayan. He was only calling his son, yet he attained the stage of namabhasa and his sins were completely washed off, finished. So, sin is like dhuli-lepa, a layer of dust, which is very easily washed off. But aparadha is a layer like a thunderbolt.

 

Even the Supreme Lord tells Durvasa Muni, ;I cannot wash it off. No. It is vajra-lepa, a very strong layer; If the Supreme Lord says He cannot wash it off, then who can? Only that vaisnava at whose feet you have committed aparadha can excuse you.

 

Jiva Goswami says that if a thorn has pierced your body on the heel, do you think that it will come out from the shoulder? It will only come out from where it was pierced ; the same heel. That means you must go and approach that vaisnava at whose lotus feet you committed the offense. Only he or she can excuse you. No other vaisnava can excuse you. Even the Supreme Lord cannot excuse you.

 

Even Lord Siva

 

Sulapani, Sivaji, is a very powerful person. He is so powerful that he drank an ocean of poison. He has such potency. However, Vrindavan Das Thakur has said:

 

sula-pani-sama yadi vaisnavere ninde

tathapiha nasa paya, ; kahe sastra-vrnde

 

iha na maniya ye sujana-ninda kare

janme janme se papistha daiva-dose mare

 

Even if a person is as powerful as sula-pani, Sivaji, still if he commits vaisnava-aparadha, if he criticizes a vaisnava, sadhu, who is dear to Krishna, then he falls down from his most elevated position and he perishes.

 

If someone cannot understand this and still blasphemes such a vaisnava, sadhu, then life after life he;ll go to hell and suffer ; janme, janme.

 

Mahaprabhu describes what punishment is awaiting such an offender:

 

prabhu bale, vaisnava nindaye yei jana

kustha-roga kon ;ra sastiye lekhana

 

apatatah sasti kichu haiyache matra

ara kata ache yama-yatanara patra

 

caurasi-sahasra yama-yatana pratyakse

punah-punah kari; bhunje vaisnava-nindake

 

It is written in the scriptures that one who blasphemes the vaisnavas will suffer from leprosy, after which he will be punished by the agents of Yamaraj again and again, in 84,000 births.

 

This is awaiting the person who does vaisnava-ninda, who blasphemes a vaisnava, sadhu. Not only do they go to hell but also all of their pitr-purusa, their forefathers, will also go to hell. Skanda Purana describes:

 

nindam kurvanti ye mudha vaisnavanam mahatmanam

patanti pitrbhih sardham maha-raurava-samjnite

 

hanti nindati vai dvesti vaisnavan nabhinandati

krudhyate yati no harsam darsane patanani .

 

There are six types of vaisnava aparadha: (1) One who kills a vaisnava. He is a great offender. (2) One who blasphemes a vaisnava. (3) One who upon seeing a vaisnava does not offer obeisances. (4) One who gets angry at a vaisnava, krodha kare. (5) One who upon seeing a vaisnava does not feel delighted. (6) Dvesti, one who thinks ill of a vaisnava in the mind. He does not speak anything but in the mind thinks, ;Oh, who is that?; Skanda Purana says, patanti pitrbhih sardham maha-raurava-samjnite ; Not only does such an offender go to hell but generations of his ancestors do also.

 

Hearing is an Offense

 

Srila Jiva Goswami has written, vaisnava ninda sravane ;pi dosa uktah ; If you hear someone criticizing, speaking ill of a vaisnava, then you also commit offense. The Bhagavatam says:

 

nindam bhagavatah srnvams tat-parasya janasya va

tato napaiti yah so ;pi yaty adhah sukrtac cyutah

 

Anyone who fails to immediately leave the place where he hears criticism of the Supreme Lord or His faithful devotee will certainly fall down, bereft of his pious credit.

 

In Bhakti-sandarbha Jiva Goswami has commented on this Bhagavatam verse:

 

tato ;pagamas casamarthasyaiva; samarthena tu nindaka-jihva chettavya; tatrapy asamarthena sva-prana-parityago ;pi kartavyah

 

Sastra says that if you hear such criticism then you will commit aparadha. It is better on your part to leave that place, I won;t hear; If you cannot leave, and if you have the power to cut out the tongue of the person who is blaspheming a vaisnava, then he will never say such things again. But if you cannot cut off the tongue of that blasphemer and you cannot leave the place, then it is better to kill yourself. Otherwise you will be an offender.

 

The example is given in the sixth canto of Bhagavatam of Sati, the wife of Sivaji and the daughter of Daksha Prajapati. vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh . Sivaji is a great vaisnava. His father-in-law, Daksha, criticized him, and thereby committed aparadha. Daksha was performing a sacrifice. He invited all of his daughters and sons-in-law, but he didn't invite Sati. Sati wanted to go there but Sivaji said, Don't go. We are not invited. Sati said, What invitation is required to go to the father's house. So Sati went. But there she heard her father Daksha criticizing Sivaji, vaisnavanam yatha sambhu. What should Sati do? She could not cut off the tongue of her father, and she could not leave the place, so she committed suicide and left her body. Vaisnava-aparadha is so serious, so dangerous. One should not commit it. It cannot be washed away. It is vajra-lepa, like a layer of thunderbolt. Papa, sinful activities, are like a dhuli-lepa, a layer of dust. They are very easily washed off. But this vajra-lepa, the layer like a thunderbolt, cannot be washed off. Only the vaisnava whom you offended can excuse you. Otherwise it cannot be washed off. Even the Supreme Lord says, "I cannot remove it."

 

The Lord tells Durvasa Muni, Go beg excuse from Ambarish Maharaja. If he will excuse you then you will be free from danger and this sudarsana-cakra will let you go. Otherwise the cakra won't leave you.

Questions

 

Devotee 2: Devotees sometimes think, 'This devotee is not really a vaisnava, he is only a neophyte, therefore if I think something bad of him it is all right.'

 

Gour Govinda Swami: Don't hear such a thing.

 

Devotee 1: It is very difficult to not hear such talk.

 

Gour Govinda Swami: Do you think it is easy to get Krishna? It is very difficult and it is very easy. You think, 'I will do all nonsense and I will get Krishna.' What is this? Day-dreaming! It is not so easy!

 

Devotee 2: So anyone could be a vaisnava.

 

Gour Govinda Swami: The jiva is vaisnava! jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa ,the svarupa of the jiva is vaisnava. But we have no such vision. We cannot see, because we are such rascals, degraded fellows. We are blind. We have no proper vision. So how can we see the svarupa? We only see the outward, nasty things, the outer body. We have no vision to see. But every jiva is a servant of Krishna , jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya-dasa, That is what Mahaprabhu has said. But we cannot see it. A real sadhu, paramahamsa, pays respect to one and all. amani manada Don't demand respect for yourself, rather, pay respect to one and all. A sadhu doesn't even disrespect an ant. He sees him as a jiva. You should know that before you offer respect to a sadhu, the sadhu has already paid respect to you in his mind. For practical dealings we have this consciousness of superior and inferior. But a sadhu offers respect to one and all. Seeing the jiva soul within, he doesn't disrespect even an ant.

 

Is Begging Forgiveness Enough?

 

The fourth canto, second chapter of Srimad Bhagavatam describes how Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma, organized a great sacrificial ceremony, but in the process committed an offense to the topmost vaisnava Lord Siva. Sivaji did not take Daksha's offense seriously and afterwards Daksha cried, begged forgiveness from Siva, and was forgiven. By the blessings of Lord Siva, Daksha was able to complete his sacrifice. However, in spite of achieving the forgiveness, Daksha had to suffer a reaction for his offense. Srimad Bhagavatam (4.30.48) describes:, yasyam mahad-avajnanad ajany ajana-yonijah . As a result of his offense to Lord Siva, Daksha had to take birth again, this time in a ksatriya family, a lower birth. In that next birth Daksha also committed an offense at the lotus feet of Sri Narada Muni. Jiva Goswami comments that this offense to Narada was an additional fruit of Daksha's previous offense to Lord Siva. His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada describes this in his purport to Bhagavatam 4.4.13:

 

He [Daksha] offended the lotus feet of Lord Siva because he thought that his body, being the father of the body of Sati, was superior to Lord Siva;s. Generally, less intelligent men misidentify in that way, and they act in the bodily concept of life. Thus they are subject to commit more and more offenses at the lotus feet of great souls.

 

So if Lord Siva forgave Daksha, how is it that Daksha still had to suffer these multiple reactions? Why didn;t Lord Siva;s forgiveness forestall all reactions to the offense?

 

Earlier in the same purport, Srila Prabhupada gives a hint:

 

A great soul may forgive offenses, but Krishna does not excuse offenses to the dust of that great soul;s feet...

 

In his Bhakti-sandarbha (265.57-8), Srila Jiva Goswami says:

 

.-prabhrtisv aparadhe tu tat-santosanartham eva santata-nama-kirtanadikam samucitam ... uktas ca nama-kaumudyam — mahad-aparadhasya bhoga eva nivartakah tad-anugraho va

 

In order to be free from offenses unto great souls, one should please that same personality whom one originally offended through constantly engaging in the process of bhakti, beginning with the chanting of the holy names.... Nama-kaumudi confirms this as follows: 'Offenses to great devotees may be relieved either by experiencing the calamities they bring or by attaining the favor (anugraha) of the offended devotee.'

 

If Daksha had achieved the favor of Lord Siva then there should have been no reaction whatsoever. But Bhagavatam 4.7.16 describes that he only achieved the forgiveness of Lord Siva (ksama), and not his favor (anugraha). Because he retained the concept of being the father-in-law of Lord Siva, he could not see Lord Siva in a superior position as an advanced vaisnava and achieve his favor by bowing down to touch his feet.

 

One mundane example may serve to illustrate this important distinction. Suppose you lend some money to someone else, then later they come to you, apologize, and say that they are unable to repay you. You may say, ;OK, you are relieved of the debt; But are you satisfied by such behavior? No. Satisfaction can only come through being repaid the debt as originally promised. Similarly, begging for and acquiring forgiveness for an offense is not the same as achieving the blessings and favor of the offended vaisnava. If one actually achieves the favor of the offended vaisnava then one will be protected from Krishna;s displeasure.

 

In contrast to the behavior of Daksha, when Durvasa Muni realized that he needed to achieve the favor of Maharaja Ambarish in order to become free of his offense, he bowed down and touched the feet of that great vaisnava, and immediately he was delivered. This he did even though he was a famous sadhu while Maharaja Ambarish was merely a king.

 

Another example is found in the pastime of Srila Gadadhar Pandit and Pundarik Vidyanidhi as described by Srila Vrindavan Das Thakur (Cb. madhya 7.44-113). Upon seeing the material opulence of Srila Pundarik Vidyanidhi, some doubts came to the mind of Gadadhar Pandit. Later when he realized the exalted position of Vidyanidhi Mahasay, Gadadhar felt great remorse and felt it necessary to take initiation from Pundarik in order to become free from what he considered to be his offense.

Introduction

The Heart of Krsna

 

 

(Vaishnava Aparadha &

The Path of Spiritual Caution)

 

 

by

His Divine Grace

Om Visnupad

Srila Bhakti Promod

Puri Goswami Maharaja

 

 

 

__

THE ETYMOLOGICAL development of the word aparadha is radhat arthat aradhanat- apagatah, which means "to be distanced from worship."

 

Offenses committed at the lotus feet of Vaishnavas, the Devotees, distance one from devotional service to the Supreme Lord. But in a higher sense it means to be removed from the service of Sri Radha. All divine service to Krishna is being conducted under her direction. To offend her servitors is to make one unfit for her divine service. The whole aim of Krishna consciousness is radha-dasyam, the divine service of Sri Radha, and offenses at the lotus feet of Vaishnavas make one unfit for such service.

 

The Lord is overly protective of his devotees (bhakta-vatsala ). He cannot tolerate any offenses against them. They have bhakti (devotion), and they can awaken it within us. Bhakti is the sole means to attract Krishna, who is a slave of devotion. The same is true of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Caitanya-Bhagavata states:

 

A person can attain the shelter of Mahaprabhu only by the grace of a higher Vaishnava. Religious practices and even chanting the Holy Name without devotion is useless.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada writes in his commentary:

 

Without developing a spirit of service, chanting the Holy Name is vain. Real devotion can only be cultivated when one receives the blessings of an unalloyed devotee.

 

Bhakti means devotion. Vrndavana dasa Thakur says:

 

If a person commits an offense at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava, even though he may have received Krishna's mercy, he will never attain divine love, prema. (Chaitanya-bhagavata Madhya-lila 22.8)

 

Srila Prabhupada writes:

 

Even if one is a Vaishnava, if he commits offenses to the Holy Name, he becomes unfit to render pure devotion. Although it may appear that he is still being shown favor by the Lord as he continues to make a show of chanting without difficulty, the Lord is actually very displeased with him because of his antagonism toward devotees. Therefore, to give up nama-aparadha we must first give up sadhu-ninda or finding fault with devotees.

 

Regarding the phrase krsna krpa hoileo ("even though he may receive Krishna's mercy"), Srila Saraswati Thakur comments:

 

People may think that because an offender appears to continue to chant without difficulty, the Lord must still favor him, but they are wrong. The Lord is not even slightly moved by their sham devotion.

 

The author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, Vrndavana dasa Thakur, says that these statements are not his alone; they are the verdict of the Vedas. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur did not tolerate any disrespect towards genuine Vaishnavas. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also emphatically denounced any insults directed at Vaishnava devotees. To understand the seriousness of vaisnava-aparadha, offending devotees, one must grasp the multi-faceted, multi-dimensional nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu is the source of all incarnations in Kali-yuga and the savior of all souls. He is Krishna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, fully enriched with the mood and radiance of Sri Radha. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami offers prayers to all of these manifestations in the preface of Sri Caitanya-caritamarta:

 

vande gurun isa-bhaktan

isam isavatarakan

tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih

krsna-caitanya-samjnakam

 

I offer my obeisances unto all the gurus, the devotees, the Lord's avataras, his expansions, his saktis (energies), and the primeval Lord Himself, Sri Krishna Chaitanya. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila 1.1)

 

In the same way that Mahaprabhu is Krishna, he expands as Nityananda Prabhu (prakasa ), who is Balarama. Balarama's partial expansion is Sadasiva, Maha-Vishnu Avatara, whose counterpart in Chaitanya-lila is Advaita Acarya. What is left of Sri Radhika after Krishna has plundered her emotions and lustre is Sri Gadadhara Pundit. Sri Gadadhara and Svarupa Damodara are his sakti (energies). Bhakta means Srivasa Thakur who is Sri Narada Muni in Krishna-lila. Isa, Divinity means Mahaprabhu Himself. The complete conception of Divinity must include the predominating moiety and the predominated moeity. The slightest disregard to any one of these is equal to disregrading the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself. There are two aspects to the guru principle: the siksa or instructing guru, and the diksa or initiating guru. Both are represented in Srivasa Thakura.

 

In the beginning of the second chapter of the Antya-lila of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja offers the following invocation:

 

vande ham sri-guroh

sri yuta-.-kamalam

sri-gurun vaisnavams ca

sri-rupam sagrajatam

saha-gana-raghunathan vitam tam sa jivam

sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam

sri-krsna-caitanya-devam

sri-radha-krsna-padan

saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca

(Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 2.1)

 

I offer my obeisances unto the lotus feet of my Guru and to all the preceptors on the path of devotion. I offer my obeisances unto all the Vaishnavas and to Sri Rupa Goswami and his associates Raghunatha dasa, and Sri Jiva. I offer my obeisances to Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Avadhuta, Gadadhara Pundit, and to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with all his devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakura. I then offer my obeisances to the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna, and all the gopis headed by Lalita and Visakha. (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 2. 1)

 

In the above invocatory prayers (mangala-carana ), the Vaishnavas are venerated. Kaviraja Goswami writes further:

 

Before beginning the narration of the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, simply by meditating on Sri Guru, the Vaishnavas, and Divinity, I invoke their benediction. Such meditation destroys all detriments on the spiritual path, and helps one to fulfill all their desires.

 

We must note very carefully that the Vaishnavas have been included within the full conception of Divinity.

 

These writings describe the Vaishnava's extraordinary qualities, and the spiritual benefit resulting from serving them. There are also several warnings regarding the disastrous effects of vaisnava-aparadha.

 

The Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 19.156 states:

 

If a devotee commits vaisnava-aparadha, his offense is like a mad elephant uprooting and trampling his creeper of devotion; afterwards the creeper's leaves dry up and become lifeless.

 

There are three categories of Vaishnavas: kanistha (neophyte), madhyama (intermediate), and uttama (advanced) described in the Caitanya-caritamrta. Kaviraja Goswami states that to gain shelter of a Vaishnava, it is imperative to first receive the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu:

 

All of the Vaishnavas who live in Vrndavana are absorbed in singing the all-auspicious name of Sri Krishna. Sri Mahaprabhu and Nityananda are their life and soul. They do not know anything but devotion to Sri Radha and Krishna. My shelter at the Vaishnavas' lotus feet has been granted only by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu.

 

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prahhupada corroborates this fact:

 

All of the Vaishnavas living in the holy dhama of Sri Vrndavana are very fortunate souls. They have taken shelter in the Holy Name of Krishna. Sriman Mahaprabhu and Nityananda are their life and soul. They know nothing but the eternal service of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna.

 

Krishna's mercy descends only through the Vaishnavas.

 

Srila Bhaktivinode Thakura, a nitya-siddha (eternal associate) of the Lord, instructs the devotees to pray to Mahaprabhu. He says that we should seek shelter in the shade of a Vaishnava's lotus feet, shed tears of remorse with total humility, submitting to him the plight of our material existence, which is the result of turning away from Krishna. The Vaishnava is an ocean of compassion and feels the pain of others. When he pleads on our behalf to the Lord, Krishna responds and kindly accepts us as the followers of his favorites. Krishna's mercy descends only through the Vaishnavas.

 

There is Krishna and karsna. Krishna's mercy is embodied in pure devotees, who are known as karsna. The lotus feet of a Vaisnava guru represents the mercy of the Lord. Krishna is the priceless treasure enthroned in Sri Guru's heart. The Lord can easily give this treasure to those who are surrendered to his devotees. There is no other way to receive Krishna's grace than to serve and take shelter at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava. Sri Kaviraja Goswami discusses the importance of honoring the Vaishnava's remnants, using the example of Sri Kalidasa, the uncle of Raghunatha Dasa Goswami:

 

Taking the food remnants of Vaishnavas is so potent, it forced Mahaprabhu to give his mercy to Kalidasa. Don't hesitate-eat the Vaishnava's remnants, and you will fulfill your heart's desire.

 

Food offered to Krishna is called maha-prasadam. After maha-prasadam is taken by a devotee, his remnants are glorified as maha-maha-prasadam. The dust of a pure devotee's feet, the water of his foot bath, and his food remnants are three extremely potent spiritual substances. By honoring these three, one will be filled with ecstatic love for Krishna. All the scriptures declare this again and again. My dear devotees, please hear me: believe in these three and honor them in a mood of service, and you will achieve the purpose of your existence-ecstatic love of Krishna. This is the greatest mercy of Krishna, and Kalidasa is living proof.

 

In Kalyana-Kalpataru, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur writes:

 

When will Mahaprabhu shower his mercy upon me so I may have shelter in the shade of the Vaishnava's lotus feet? I will humbly stand before the Vaishnava holding a straw between my teeth, weeping I will tell him of my miserable life, and I shall give up all self-deception. I will admit that my life is one never-ending misery and beg him to put an end to all of this. The kind Vaishnava will beg Sri Krishna with all his might, and Krishna, moved by the Vaishnava's sincerity, will shower his divine grace.

 

And in Saranagati, Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur writes:

 

O Vaishnava, you are an ocean of mercy. Please shower your compassion upon me. Give me the shade of your lotus feet and purify my polluted heart. I am following you, begging-Sri Krishna is yours-you have the power-give him to me!

 

Narottama dasa Thakura sings a similar song:

 

I am so sinful; how can I possibly serve the Lord? I have no love for my guru. I have no love for the devotees and I am constantly deluded. I am so absorbed in material life that I have forgotten who I am. The witch Maya is waiting to hang a noose around my neck. I have no power to resist her on my own. I am helpless without your mercy. I know that you never see the faults of anyone, so I'm begging you-please save me." (Prarthana )

 

Narottama's songs are filled with wonderful glorification of Vaishnavas. They are treasured by all devotees as priceless instructions for increasing one's devotion. From his childhood, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada chose Narottama's songbook as his constant companion on the path of devotion. Vrndavana dasa Thakura considered himself to be the last direct servant of Nityananda Prabhu. He has glorified the Vaishnavas throughout his masterpiece Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata. In his introduction he writes:

 

I first offer my unlimited obeisances at the feet of Sri Krishna Chaitanya's dearest associates, the devotees. And then I pray to him, who appeared in Nabadwip and was also known as Visvambhara.

 

Sri Vrndavana dasa offers his humble obeisances unto Mahaprabhu's devotees, and then to Sri Mahaprabhu. He explains:

 

The Supreme Lord has boldly declared in all the scriptures that 'The worship of my devotees is higher than worshipping me.' By first glorifying the Vaishnavas, I am guaranteed success in writing my book. (This statement was made by Krishna to Uddhava in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.)

 

The next statement is from the Itihasa-Samuccaya :

 

If one wants God's mercy, he must first serve his devotees. Only this will satisfy the Lord; of this there is no doubt.

 

The following verse, from the Pausayana-Sruti, is quoted in Srila Madhvacarya's commentary on the Brahma-Sutra :

 

Worship the devotees, serve them, hear from them, and they will protect you.

 

The Mundaka-Upanisad states:

 

If you want the real treasure of liberation you must serve the Lord's pure devotee.

 

In his Govinda-Bhasya commentary, Baladeva Vidyabhusana quotes Srimad-Bhagavatam :

 

jnane prayasam-udapasya namanta eva

jivanti sanmukharitam bhavadlya-vartam

sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir

ye prayas'o 'jita jito'py asi tais tri-lokyam

(Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.14.3)

 

Brahma prayed to Krishna,

 

My dear Lord, those who have given up abstract thinking and armchair philosophizing, start hearing about you from devotees and begin divine service with their body, mind, and words. Although you are unconquerable and rarely attained, you are conquered by them.

 

In the Padma Purana, Shiva says to his wife Parvati:

 

O Goddess, higher than the worship of all the gods and goddesses is the worship of the Supreme Lord Vishnu. But higher still is the worship of everyone and everything that is dear to Him, including Ganga devi, Tulasi devi, the book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata.

 

Vrndavana dasa cautions us against seeing Vaishnavas externally. Such superficial vision is condemned:

 

In order to teach us the absurdity of judging devotees externally according to race, color, family, or other considerations, the Supreme Lord arranged for Haridasa Thakura to take birth in the lowest section of society. All the scriptures emphasize that if a pure devotee appears even in the lowest social circumstances, he is still to be worshipped by everyone.

 

A Vaishnava may appear in any family or section of society, yet he is still the most elevated person by the decree of the scriptures.

 

God is the protector of all living entities, and he cannot tolerate insults and disrespect shown to his devotees. Extremely mindful of his dear devotee's well-being, he refuses to accept any worship from those who slight them. The Lord loves his devotees so much that he not only accepts food and gifts from them, but sometimes he even steals their offerings! Whereas he is repulsed by offerings from a non-devotees.

 

In one pastime, Krishna was very eager to eat plain chipped rice cooked by Vidura's wife, and ignored a royal feast set by Duryodhana. Similarly the Lord could not resist eating the few morsels of flat rice offered by Sudama. He told him:

 

O Brahmin! What wonderful things have you brought for me from your home? Even a small offering from a devotee is a grand feast for me, whereas a non devotee's feast cannot satisfy me in the least. Anything offered to me with love, I accept with love.

 

Sriman Mahaprabhu quotes from the Itihasa Samuccaya, recorded by Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja:

 

A person may learn all the Vedas, but if he has no devotion, how can he be my devotee? Whereas if a person born into the lowest section of society has devotion, he is very dear to me. All respect must be given to such an elevated soul. His offerings must be accepted by all, for he is as much worthy of worship as I am.

 

Mahaprabhu also quotes Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya:

 

A Brahmin's sins are burnt to ashes by the powerful fire of krsna-bhakti. Whereas if a Vedic scholar is an atheist, he is derided. Anyone devoid of devotion may take birth in a great family or nation, have extensive knowledge of the scriptures, perform austerities, or chant Vedic mantras, but such things are like ornaments on a dead body. Only fools will be impressed.

 

When Mahaprabhu went to embrace Haridasa Thakura, with all humility Haridasa said to him:

 

My dear Lord, please do not touch me. I am most fallen, the lowest of men. Mahaprabhu replied: I want to touch you just to purify myself. You are so pure, it is as if at every moment you are bathing in all the sacred rivers, visiting all the holy places of pilgrimage, and performing every sacrifice, austerity, and charity imaginable. You are more exalted than any Brahmin or sannyasi.

 

The Lord then recited this sloka from the Srimad Bhagavatam:

 

One who always chants your Holy Name, even though born in the worst circumstances, is a saint. We can understand that he must have performed all austerities and sacrifices, bathed in all the holy rivers, and mastered the Vedas. Therefore he is a true Aryan (one who is pure).

 

In the Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda, it is declared:

 

When a person is admitted into Vishnu's family, he is called a Vaishnava. It has been said that of all people, the Vaishnava is certainly the most exalted.

 

The Dvaraka-Mahatmya states:

 

A person who is devoted to Janardana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a saint even if he is born into a low-class family; whereas if a person is born into an aristocratic family of noble lineage and is not a devotee of the Lord, he is of bad blood.

 

Any association with non-Vaishnavas or with Brahmins who lack devotion is categorically denounced. The Padma Purana states:

 

The association of meat-eaters is strictly prohibited because their lifestyle goes against scriptural regulations; in the same manner, contact with a non-Vaishnava Brahmin must be avoided. Whereas a Vaishnava-one who is initiated and who is affectionate to the Lord and his devotees--even if born into a low-class family, is capable of purifying all three worlds.

 

Vrndavana dasa says that intimate association with non-Vaishnavas, regardless of their parentage, is suicidal. According to the Padma Purana, the characteristics of a Vaishnava are as follows:

 

One who is dedicated to worshipping Vishnu, who has received initiation into a Vishnu-mantra, is classified as a Vaishnava by spiritual preceptors; all others are non-Vaishnavas." (Hari-bhakti-vilasa 1.55)

 

Those who are simply born into a Brahmin family but are non-Vaishnavas, and who are inimical towards Vishnu and Vaishnavas, are condemned. Vrndavana dasa cries out against these namesake Brahmins, citing the Varaha Purana:

 

In Kali-yuga, demons will be born in smarta Brahmin families to harass and torture the righteous devotees of the Lord. The demons choose Kali-yuga to be born in, so they can torment those rare persons who adhere to the path enunciated by the Vedas (sruti ). They viciously attempt to disrupt the devotee's service to the Supreme Lord.

 

These Brahmin impostors view Vaishnavas who have a bad background with contempt. They scoff at their spiritual practices, or when they see them receive honor and respect, they vainly try to expose the Vaishnava's background, and other mundane trivialities. The Brhad Aranyaka Sruti describes them, saying:

 

One who leaves the world fully understanding the Absolute Truth is honored as a Brahmin, but one who does not has wasted his life.

 

According to Sri Krishnadasa Kaviraja, not only should one not consider the form of God to be mundane, but the same is true of his devotees.As written by Srila Krishna-Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, the author of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

There is no greater blasphemy than to think that the body of Vishnu is material. And Mahaprabhu says: The Vaishnava's body is never mundane; it is supramundane, and supercharged with ecstasy. (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 7.155, Antya-lila 4.191)

 

The use of the term atmasama does not imply that pure devotees are equal to the Supreme Lord in every respect. The Supreme Lord is the only one who possesses transcendental qualities to an infinite degree. The jiva can only possess these qualities to a finite degree.

 

Mahaprabhu says: "The finite and the Infinite can never be considered equal, just as a tiny spark is never equal to a fire." The following verse is found in the Bhagavat Sandarbha and also in Sridhara Swami's commentary to the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

The Supreme Lord is the embodiment of etenality, knowledge, and bliss. Two of his multifarious spiritual energies are: hladini-sakti, the pleasure-giving potency, and samvit, perfect knowledge of the self and all other things, while the jivas are cocooned in ignorance, and deeply anchored in suffering.

 

Only by taking complete shelter of Sri Radhika and her serving group, the hladini sakti, can we realize our innate spiritual identity and service to the holy lotus feet of Sri Guru, Gauranga, and Krishna. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja explains further why a pure Vaishnava's body is aprakrta, or supramundane:

 

At the time of diksa (initiation), the devotee surrenders to Krishna with body and soul. In reciprocation, Krishna accepts him, elevating him, body and soul, to a status equal to his own. The Lord transforms the Vaishnava's body and makes it a repository of transcendental emotions." (Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila 8. 192-193)

 

He then quotes the Srimad-Bhagavatam:

 

When people reject materialism and conduct their lives under my direction, they attain immortality. They become eligible to be with me and share spiritual emotions (rasa ) with me in their spiritual identity." (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.29.34)

 

But what is meant by surrender, Srila Saraswati Prabhupada writes in his Anubhasya commentary:

 

Although one who has completely renounced the world (akincana ) and one who is completely sheltered in Krishna (saranagatah ) may appear to be the same externally, the devotee who has given up the world has also offered his soul. At the time of initiation, the devotee gives up material conceptions while he begins to understand sambandha-jnana, one's eternal relationship with God and those who are part of the family of God. When the devotee gives up the shelter of maya, he takes shelter of Krishna and is Krishnized. At this stage, the devotee's delusion as enjoyer of material pleasures dissipates, and his real self merges with his new identity as an eternal servant of Krishna. The devotee attains his spiritual body (sac cid ananda svarupa )and his eternal service to Krishna, serving him in his own transcendental form. The pure devotee's ecstatic service is an elevated stage of devotion which is often misinterpreted and misunderstood by those unacquainted with the science of devotion. For this kind of aparadha one is deprived of the shelter of a Vaishnava guru." (Anubhasya, Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya 4.193)

 

Mahaprabhu taught everyone that a Vaishnava's transcendental body is unlike that of an ordinary person, or even an extraordinary person. The Lord did not view personalities like Haridasa Thakura, who took birth in a low-class family, or Sanatana Goswaml, whose body was diseased, or Vasudeva Vipra, who was suffering from acute leprosy, as social outcasts or disease ridden beggars. Instead he embraced them, proving that a pure devotee's body is never impure. The pure devotee's body is transcendental, infused with spiritual bliss, and best suited to serve Krishna. As the Lord himself says:

 

mad-bhakta-pujyabhyadhika

sarva-bhutesu man-matih

 

The worship of my devotees is the real worship of me. In fact it is higher than worshipping my very self. (Bhag. 11.19.21)

 

My dear devotees, please read and listen carefully to the divine stories and instructions that follow, and pray to the Supreme Lord and his devotees-the Vaishnavas-that we may always worship and adore them, and thereby enter The Heart of Krishna.

 

The Benefits & Dangers Of Spiritual Community - by Asoka Selvarajah, Ph.D

 

 

 

 

Being involved with a spiritual group has many tremendous benefits over going it alone, but it can also have many pitfalls. On the one hand, you have the benefit of interacting with people of like mind to your own. However, on the other hand, you have the many frustrations and challenges that come with participating in a group of diverse individuals, each with a separate opinion of what constitutes a correct approach to the spiritual path.

 

One danger we can very easily fall prey to is that of comparing ourselves to others. Of course, each of us has spent a large portion of our lives making endless comparisons of just about everything. However, when this is applied in a negative fashion to the spiritual arena, it can have dire consequences.

 

Many people quietly ask themselves, "what's wrong with me?", and can make themselves very depressed by doing so. It seems that other people are making good progress in their spiritual growth, but when you look at yourself in the mirror, not a lot is changed. This problem is also magnified by the fact that many individuals in spiritual circles like to parade their supposed achievements, sometimes subtly but often quite blatantly, and let everybody know just how advanced they are. Hence, sensitive souls, who insist on comparing themselves to such people, can undermine whatever growth they have achieved. Indeed, they can even cause themselves psychological problems in the process; depression being the most common of these.

 

This is why it is often best to keep your counsel. Spiritual work is best kept secret and personal. It is not intended to be a beauty competition. Otherwise, there is a tendency towards making negative comparisons. At the other extreme, it is also possible to develop spiritual pride and boastfulness through some imagined superiority of your own.

 

Neither extreme is of any benefit to your spiritual life. Therefore, if you give away some money to a worthy cause, keep it to yourself. Should you one day see a vision of Christ or Krishna during your meditation session, only you and your spiritual diary should know anything about it. if you do share your insights with another person, ensure that you only do so in order that the other may benefit, or because you are genuinely uncertain about your experience and need clarification from someone further along the path than yourself.

 

Comparisons can be most valuable if used in the correct way. By comparing yourself to those who have attained what you seek, you see where you are lacking and are given a role model whom you can seek to emulate, however imperfectly at first. Thus, Christ, Krishna, Buddha, and others have been used as role models to the great benefit of those who have done so. By studying the lives of such people - by pondering on their thoughts, words and teachings - you inspire yourself to want to be more like them, and actually accelerate the process of doing so.

 

Actions do speak louder than words in the context of spiritual society. Words are cheap and easily spoken. They are no measure whatsoever as to the spiritual progress of the individual speaking. Mere head knowledge of the esoteric is no guide either, since books are plentiful these days and anyone who wants to can rapidly obtain a "spiritual Ph.D" in esoteric chatter! Sadly, the spiritual arena does attract many psychologically maladjusted individuals, whose greatest pleasure is vaunting themselves up on the good opinions of others. It is important that you are not easily fooled, and especially that you are not depressed and discouraged, by their antics and claims.

 

However, actions that are sincerely motivated speak clearly of what lies deep within the heart. There is a lot of hypocrisy going on within spiritual groups. You may find one person making all kinds of spiritual pronouncements, and yet this same person will quite thoughtlessly walk past a beggar in the street without even thinking of helping in any way. Here is an actual example of this kind of behavior. A yoga teacher was preparing to send cash donation overseas to a worthwhile charitable course. She mentioned this to her class and asked if anyone else would like to contribute too. The silence was deafening!

 

As you observe spiritual people in such groups and communities, you will see many such examples. However, the point is not to become judgmental or regard yourself as superior. Rather, you should observe and be aware. Guard against falling into the same trap yourself.

 

It is also vital to respect your spiritual teacher, and listen sincerely to the teachings, without crossing the line into worshipping your teacher or regarding him/her as having descended from heaven. This can lead to tremendous disappointment, and has done so for many followers in many different places and times. It is always wonderful to find a perfect teacher giving perfect teachings. All too often though, the teacher you end up with is just as human and fallible as the rest of us. Moreover, the greater the degree of advance, the greater the distance there is to fall, should it happen. Spiritual teachers have been known to "come off the rails" and get involved in sexual affairs, or other such behaviors which their disciples would regard as improper. Others engage in ashram/temple politics, apparently for their own self-aggrandizement.

 

Hence, it is always a good idea to use discernment at all times. If the teachings are valuable and true, then heed them. However, if the teacher should ever bitterly disappoint your expectations one day, beware of throwing out the teachings with the teacher! This is what many disappointed aspirants do. They give up their practice and drift away disillusioned forever.

 

If you are a teacher in a spiritual community, it is quite common to find people in the group who do not respect you, and who seek to undermine your authority, or belittle you in subtle ways. In such instances, it is wise to remember that in any spiritual group, there will always be sheep, as well as wolves in sheep's clothing. It is not your job to sort them out. Rather than become discouraged, or get into a bickering contest, focus instead on always giving of your very best, regardless of praise or appreciation. Your chief point of comparison should be yourself, and how well you are holding to your own values. Let the world's opinion come and go.

 

Spiritual groups can truly be a wonderful place to grow, and to meet other people of like mind. If used in this way, they can be a tremendous spur to your inner development. However, it is always wise is to remember that no group is perfect. You are dealing with real and fallible people, no matter how they might like to represent themselves or be thought of. Therefore, rather than focus on the imperfections and get distracted by them, approach the spiritual group or teacher with realistic expectations. Since the whole point of a spiritual community is to aid growth, it should never be a cause of disillusionment and sorrow. By working within a group in this manner, and by never neglecting your own vital individual practice, you set yourself up for success and steady advancement upon the spiritual path.

 

 

Maths holy grail could bring disaster for internet

 

Two of the seven million dollar challenges that have baffled for more than a century may be close to being solved

 

Tim Radford, science editor

Tuesday September 7, 2004

The Guardian

 

Mathematicians could be on the verge of solving two separate million dollar problems. If they are right - still a big if - and somebody really has cracked the so-called Riemann hypothesis, financial disaster might follow. Suddenly all cryptic codes could be breakable. No internet transaction would be safe.

On the other hand, if somebody has already sorted out the so-called Poincaré conjecture, then scientists will understand something profound about the nature of spacetime, experts told the British Association science festival in Exeter yesterday.

 

Both problems have stood for a century or more. Each is almost dizzyingly arcane: the problems themselves are beyond simple explanation, and the candidate answers published on the internet are so intractable that they could baffle the biggest brains in the business for many months.

 

They are two of the seven "millennium problems" and four years ago the Clay Mathematics Institute in the US offered $1m (£563,000) to anyone who could solve even one of these seven. The hypothesis formulated by Georg Friedrich Bernhard Riemann in 1859, according to Marcus du Sautoy of Oxford University, is the holy grail of mathematics. "Most mathematicians would trade their soul with Mephistopheles for a proof," he said.

 

The Riemann hypothesis would explain the apparently random pattern of prime numbers - numbers such as 3, 17 and 31, for instance, are all prime numbers: they are divisible only by themselves and one. Prime numbers are the atoms of arithmetic. They are also the key to internet cryptography: in effect they keep banks safe and credit cards secure.

 

This year Louis de Branges, a French-born mathematician now at Purdue University in the US, claimed a proof of the Riemann hypothesis. So far, his colleagues are not convinced. They were not convinced, years ago, when de Branges produced an answer to another famous mathematical challenge, but in time they accepted his reasoning. This time, the mathematical community remains even more sceptical.

 

"The proof he has announced is rather incomprehensible. Now mathematicians are less sure that the million has been won," Prof du Sautoy said.

 

"The whole of e-commerce depends on prime numbers. I have described the primes as atoms: what mathematicians are missing is a kind of mathematical prime spectrometer. Chemists have a machine that, if you give it a molecule, will tell you the atoms that it is built from. Mathematicians haven't invented a mathematical version of this. That is what we are after. If the Riemann hypothesis is true, it won't produce a prime number spectrometer. But the proof should give us more understanding of how the primes work, and therefore the proof might be translated into something that might produce this prime spectrometer. If it does, it will bring the whole of e-commerce to its knees, overnight. So there are very big implications."

 

The Poincaré conjecture depends on the almost mind-numbing problem of understanding the shapes of spaces: mathematicians call it topology. Bernhard Riemann and other 19th century scholars wrapped up the mathematical problems of two-dimensional surfaces of three dimensional objects - the leather around a football, for instance, or the distortions of a rubber sheet. But Henri Poincaré raised the awkward question of objects with three dimensions, existing in the fourth dimension of time. He had already done groundbreaking work in optics, thermodynamics, celestial mechanics, quantum theory and even special relativity and he almost anticipated Einstein. And then in 1904 he asked the most fundamental question of all: what is the shape of the space in which we live? It turned out to be possible to prove the Poincaré conjecture in unimaginable worlds, where objects have four or five or more dimensions, but not with three.

 

"The one case that is really of interest because it connects with physics, is the one case where the Poincaré conjecture hasn't been solved," said Keith Devlin, of Stanford University in California.

 

In 2002 a Russian mathematician called Grigori Perelman posted the first of a series of internet papers. He had worked in the US, and was known to American mathematicians before he returned to St Petersburg. His proof - he called it only a sketch of a proof - was very similar in some ways to that of Fermat's last theorem, cracked by the Briton Andrew Wiles in the last decade.

 

Like Wiles, Perelman is claiming to have proved a much more complicated general problem and in the course of it may have solved a special one that has tantalised mathematicians for a century. But his papers made not a single reference to Poincaré or his conjecture. Even so, mathematicians the world over understood that he tackled the essential challenge. Once again the jury is still out: this time, however, his fellow mathematicians believe he may be onto something big.

 

The plus: the multidimensional topology of space in three dimensions will seem simple at last and a million dollar reward will be there for the asking. The minus: the solver does not claim to have found a solution, he doesn't want the reward, and he certainly doesn't want to talk to the media.

 

"There is good reason to think the kind of approach Perelman is taking is correct. However there are some problems. He is very reclusive, won't talk to the press, has shown no indication of publishing this as a paper, which you would have to do if you wanted to get the prize from the Clay Institute, and has shown no interest in the prize whatsoever," Dr Devlin said.

 

"Has it been proved? We don't know. We have good reason to assume it has been and within the next 12 months, in the inner core of experts in differential geometry, which is the field we are speaking about, people will start to say, yes, OK, this looks right. But there is not going to be a golden moment."

 

The implications of a proof of the Poincaré conjecture would be enormous, but like the problem itself, very difficult to explain, he said. "It can't fail to have huge ramifications: not only the result, but the methods as well. At that level of abstraction, that level of connection, so much can follow. Differential geometry is the subject that is really underneath understanding everything about space and spacetime."

 

Seven baffling pillars of wisdom

 

1 Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture Euclid geometry for the 21st century, involving things called abelian points and zeta functions and both finite and infinite answers to algebraic equations

 

2 Poincaré conjecture The surface of an apple is simply connected. But the surface of a doughnut is not. How do you start from the idea of simple connectivity and then characterise space in three dimensions?

 

3 Navier-Stokes equation The answers to wave and breeze turbulence lie somewhere in the solutions to these equations

 

4 P vs NP problem Some problems are just too big: you can quickly check if an answer is right, but it might take the lifetime of a universe to solve it from scratch. Can you prove which questions are truly hard, which not?

 

5 Riemann hypothesis Involving zeta functions, and an assertion that all "interesting" solutions to an equation lie on a straight line. It seems to be true for the first 1,500 million solutions, but does that mean it is true for them all?

 

6 Hodge conjecture At the frontier of algebra and geometry, involving the technical problems of building shapes by "gluing" geometric blocks together

 

7 Yang-Mills and Mass gap A problem that involves quantum mechanics and elementary particles. Physicists know it, computers have simulated it but nobody has found a theory to explain it

 

 

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The sin he committed was killing someone else in a previous life.

 

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God ,sounds like the Lord is soooo cruel here.Where is the place for the dispensation of divine mercy and compassion !

 

 

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Yasodanandana: Before you came, many gurus came, but they did not make any pure devotee of Krsna.

 

Prabhupada: How they can? HE IS NOT PURE DEVOTEE OF KRSNA. HOW CAN HE DO? Krsna-sakti vina nahe nama pracara: "WITHOUT BEING EMPOWERED BY KRSNA NOBODY CAN TURN A PERSON TO BECOME DEVOTEE OF KRSNA." It is not... ARTIFICIALLY, YOU CANNOT MAKE. HE MAY MAKE A SHOW of gold manufacturing, but HE CANNOT MAKE A DEVOTEE OF KRSNA. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. (750203mw.haw)

 

 

"...Because ONE WHO HAS UNDERSTOOD KRSNA PERFECTLY... THIS IS THE QUALIFICATION OF GURU. So that qualification, to attain, is not very difficult. BUT BECAUSE WE ARE RASCALS, WE DO NOT TRY TO TAKE THE QUALIFICATION. THAT QUALIFICATION IS VERY SIMPLE. One... Who can understand Krsna? KRSNA IS NOT SO CHEAP THING. He has said already that yatatam api siddhanam kascin mam vetti tattvatah. SO IT IS NOT VERY EASY. BUT IT IS VERY EASY IF YOU TAKE THE PROCESS, easiest process. What is that easiest process? That easiest process: YOU DON'T TALK NONSENSE; YOU SIMPLY TALK WHAT KRSNA HAS SAID. THAT'S ALL. And many times they give me very great credit that I have done wonderful. Yes, I have done wonderful. But what is the reason? Because I AM NOT A RASCAL. I SPEAK WHAT KRSNA HAS SPOKEN. THAT'S ALL. VERY EASY. EVERYONE CAN DO THAT. NOT ONLY I. ANY OF YOU, YOU CAN DO THIS. SIMPLY SPEAK what is..., WHAT KRSNA HAS SAID. That's all. DON'T MAKE ADDITION, ALTERATION. Then you become rascal. Immediately you become rascal." (740810SB.VRN)

 

 

 

"...Therefore real, steady bhava is definitely displayed in the matter of CESSATION OF MATERIAL DESIRES (ksanti), UTILISATION OF EVERY MOMENT IN THE TRANSCENDENTAL LOVING SERVICE OF THE LORD (avyartha-kalatvam), EAGERNESS FOR GLORIFYING THE LORD CONSTANTLY (nama-gane sada ruci), ATTRACTION FOR LIVING IN THE LAND OF THE LORD (pritis tad-vasati sthale), COMPLETE DETACHMENT FROM MATERIAL HAPPINESS (virakti), and PRIDELESSNESS (mana-sunyata). One who has developed all these transcendental qualities is really possessed of the bhava stage, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE STONEHEARTED IMITATOR OR MUNDANE DEVOTEE." (SB 2.3.24)

 

"This is the injunction, Vedic. If you want to know things which is beyond your conception, beyond your sense perception, then you must approach a bona fide spiritual master. What is the symptom of bona fide spiritual master? EVERYONE WANTS TO BECOME SPIRITUAL MASTER. So that is also stated. Sabde pare ca nisnatam. One who has taken complete bath in the ocean of the Vedic literature, sabde pare ca nisnatam. Just like if you take bath, you become refreshed. If you take nice bath, you feel refreshed. Sabde pare ca nisnatam. Without refreshness, one cannot understand this sublime subject matter. And the guru, or the spiritual master, should be refreshed by taking bath in the ocean of Vedic knowledge. And what is the result? Sabde pare ca nisnatam brahmany upasamasrayam. By, after such cleanliness, he has taken shelter of the Supreme Absolute Truth, without any material desires. HE HAS NO MORE ANY MATERIAL DESIRES; HE'S SIMPLY INTERESTED IN KRSNA, or the Absolute Truth. These are the symptoms of guru, or spiritual master." (720908BG.PIT)

 

"...There may be many great souls--jnanis, yogis... Bhaktas, or pure devotees, are also called great souls--but THEY ARE VERY RARELY FOUND. One can find many great souls amongst yogis and jnanis, but a truly great soul, A PURE DEVOTEE OF THE LORD, WHO IS FULLY SURRENDERED TO THE LORD, IS VERY RARELY FOUND (sa mahatma sudurlabhah, Bg. 7.19). A DEVOTEE'S MIND IS ALWAYS CALM, QUIET AND DESIRELESS because he is always anyabhilasita-sunyam, HAVING NO DESIRE OTHER THAN TO SERVE KRSNA as His personal servant, friend, father, mother or conjugal lover. Due to his association with Krsna, a devotee is always very calm and cool..." (SB 4.24.20)

 

"'A SOBER PERSON WHO CAN TOLERATE THE URGE TO SPEAK, THE MIND'S DEMANDS, THE ACTIONS OF ANGER, AND THE URGES OF THE TONGUE, BELLY, AND GENITALS IS QUALIFIED TO MAKE DISCIPLES ALL OVER THE WORLD.' In this verse Rupa Gosvami mentions six "pushings" (vegam). This pushing is a kind of impetus. For instance, when nature calls, we have to go to the toilet, and we cannot check this urge. So this urge is called vegam, a kind of pushing. According to Rupa Gosvami, there are six vegams. Vaco vegam is the urge to talk unnecessarily. That is a kind of pushing of the tongue. Then there is krodha-vegam, the urge to become angry. When we are pushed to anger, we cannot check ourselves, and sometimes men become so angry that they commit murder. Similarly, the mind is pushing, dictating, "You must go there at once," and we immediately go where we are told. The word jihva-vegam refers to the tongue's being urged to taste palatable foods. Udara-vegam refers to the urges of the belly. Although the belly is full, it still wants more food, and that is a kind of pushing of the belly. And when we yield to the pushings of the tongue and the belly, the urges of the genitals become very strong, and sex is required. If one does not control his mind or his tongue, how can he control his genitals? In this way, there are so many pushings, so much so that the body is a kind of pushing machine. Rupa Gosvami therefore tells us that ONE CAN BECOME A SPIRITUAL MASTER ONLY WHEN HE CAN CONTROL ALL THESE URGES." (PoP 5)

 

 

 

"Gosani means gosvami. A person who has full control over the senses and mind is called a gosvami or gosani. ONE WHO DOES NOT HAVE SUCH [sENSE] CONTROL IS CALLED GODASA, OR A SERVANT OF THE SENSES, AND CANNOT BECOME A SPIRITUAL MASTER. A spiritual master who actually has control over the mind and senses is called gosvami." (Adi 7.13)

 

 

 

"It appears from this statement that Sanatana Gosvami, who was formerly a minister of the Nawab, was trying to cheat the Mohammedan superintendent. A jail superintendent had only an ordinary education, or practically no education, and he was certainly not supposed to be very advanced in spiritual knowledge. However, just to satisfy him, Sanatana Gosvami praised him as a very learned scholar of the Scriptures. THE JAILKEEPER COULD NOT DENY THAT HE WAS A LEARNED SCHOLAR BECAUSE WHEN ONE IS ELEVATED TO AN EXALTED POSITION, ONE THINKS ONESELF FIT FOR THAT POSITION..." (Madhya 20.6)

 

"So these are to be practiced. Etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah: 'One who has become successful in controlling the urges of all these things,' prthivim sa sisyat, 'now he's free to make disciples all over the world.' And they're not, that... I CANNOT CONTROL EVEN MY TONGUE AND CONTROL MY GENITAL, AND I BECOME SPIRITUAL MASTER? THIS IS NONSENSE. THIS IS NONSENSE. YOU LEARN FIRST OF ALL. TRY TO CONTROL. BECOME FIRST-CLASS CONTROLLER, dhirah. That is called dhirah, not disturbed by any urges. Etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah. Dhiras tatra na muhyati. This word is used, dhirah. DHIRAH MEANS VERY SOBER, FULLY CONTROLLED. That is called dhirah. Dhiras tatra na muhyati. UNLESS YOU BECOME DHIRAH, YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT IS SPIRITUAL LIFE. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. Therefore Krsna says in the Bhagavad-gita, tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati. Dhiras tatra na muhyati." (740116SB.HAW)

 

 

 

"..In the latter days of my Guru Maharaja he was very disgusted. Actually, he left this world earlier, otherwise he would have continued to live for more years. Still he requested his disciples to form a strong Governing body for preaching the cult of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. HE NEVER RECOMMENDED ANYONE TO BE ACARYA OF THE GAUDIYA MATH. BUT ______ _____ IS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISOBEYING THIS ORDER of Guru Maharaja, and he and others who are already dead unnecessarily thought that there must be one acarya. IF GURU MAHARAJA COULD HAVE SEEN SOMEONE WHO WAS QUALIFIED AT THAT TIME TO BE ACARYA HE WOULD HAVE MENTIONED... SO ______ _____ and his two associate gentlemen UNAUTHORIZEDLY SELECTED ONE ACARYA AND LATER IT PROVED A FAILURE. THE RESULT IS NOW EVERYONE IS CLAIMING TO BE ACARYA EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY BE KANISTHA ADHIKARI WITH NO ABILITY TO PREACH. In some of the camps the acarya is being changed three times a year. THEREFORE WE MAY NOT COMMIT THE SAME MISTAKE IN OUR ISKCON CAMP....

 

 

 

"THE JAILKEEPER COULD NOT DENY THAT HE WAS A LEARNED SCHOLAR BECAUSE WHEN ONE IS ELEVATED TO AN EXALTED POSITION, ONE THINKS ONESELF FIT FOR THAT POSITION..."

 

"In the Bhagavad-gita (18.5), Krsna clearly states that sacrifice, charity, and penance are never to be given up by a transcendentalist. If he is at all intelligent he must continue these three activities, even if he is highly elevated. A DEVOTEE IS NATURALLY VERY HUMBLE, AND EVEN IF HE IS HIGHLY ELEVATED HE DOES NOT CONSIDER HIMSELF TO BE SO. A practical example is found in the life of the author of the Caitanya-caritamrta, Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami. He was a vastly learned scholar and a first-class devotee, yet he still referred to himself as the lowest of mankind, lower than the bacteria in the stool. He wrote that he was so sinful that no one should even utter his name, lest that person fall down! Of course, when a great devotee speaks this way, we should not believe that he is actually in the lower status of life; we should rather take it as evidence that out of humility A PURE DEVOTEE NEVER THINKS HE IS ELEVATED. HE ALWAYS THINKS HE IS IN THE LOWEST STATUS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE." (NBS 13)

 

 

 

"OTHERWISE DON'T TRY TO BECOME GURU. Impersonalists, half-understood, partially understood, HE CANNOT BECOME GURU. This is the Caitanya Mahaprabhu's formula. Therefore FIRST OF ALL TRY TO UNDERSTAND KRSNA. YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IN SUCH A WAY THAT YOU CAN REFUTE ALL OTHERS' ARGUMENT, ALL OTHERS' OPPOSITION. THERE ARE SO MANY OPPOSING ELEMENTS. THEN YOU ARE GURU. OTHERWISE YOU CANNOT BECOME A GURU. GURU IS NOT SO TEENY THING OR TRIFLE THING THAT EVERYONE BECOMES GURU MAHARAJA, no. THAT IS NOT GURU. Sa mahatma... Vasudevah sarvam iti sa mahatma sudurlabhah. (750128BG.TOK)

 

"One who cannot deliver his dependents from the path of repeated birth and death should never become a spiritual master, a father, a husband, a mother or a worshipable demigod." (770217rc.may)

 

"...The conditioned souls, therefore, must hear with appreciation and devotion the Lord's pastimes in relationship with the external energy, and such acts are as good as the hearing of rasa-lila in the liberated stage. A CONDITIONED SOUL SHOULD NOT IMITATE THE ACTIVITIES OF LIBERATED SOULS. Lord Sri Caitanya never indulged in hearing the rasa-lila with ordinary men." (SB 2.7.53)

 

 

 

"Those who are always engaged in bhajana--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare--they are mahatmas. Mahatmanas tu mam partha daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanty ananya-manasah. This is bhajana--Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama... There is mahatma. So mahat-sevam dvaram ahur vimukteh. IF YOU SERVE SUCH A MAHATMA, JUST LIKE HARIDASA THAKURA, WHO IS ALWAYS ENGAGED IN CHANTING HARE KRSNA, HARE KRSNA, THEN YOUR PATH OF LIBERATION IS OPEN. And tamo-dvaram ahur yositam sangi-sangam. AND IF YOU ASSOCIATE WITH MATERIALISTIC PERSONS WHO ARE AFTER SENSE GRATIFICATION, then your tamo-dvaram... THAT IS THE WAY TO DARKNESS. The life's business is not tamo-dvaram. Tamasi ma jyotir gama. Jyotir gama, go to the light. Don't remain in... This is Vedic instruction." (741120SB.BOM)

 

 

 

"Therefore, THE GURU IS ALWAYS ENGAGED IN CHANTING. Mahaprabhoh kirtana-nrtya-gita--chanting and dancing. UNLESS HE PERFORMS IT HIMSELF, HOW CAN HE TEACH HIS DISCIPLES? So his first symptom is that he will give you such instructions that IMMEDIATELY YOU WILL FEEL RELIEF FROM ALL ANXIETY, and his second symptom is that HE IS ALWAYS PERSONALLY ENGAGED IN CHANTING THE HOLY NAME OF THE LORD AND DANCING. Mahaprabhoh kirtana-nrtya-gita vaditra-madyan-manaso rasena--the spiritual master enjoys transcendental bliss within his mind by chanting and dancing. Unless you become blissful, you cannot dance. You cannot dance artificially. When devotees dance, it is not artificial. They feel some transcendental bliss, and therefore they dance. It is not that they are dancing dogs. No. Their dancing is performed from the spiritual platform... "The spiritual master is always thinking of the pastimes of Krsna with His consort--Srimati Radharani--and the gopis. Sometimes he is thinking about Krsna's pastimes with the cowherd boys. This means that he is always thinking of Krsna engaged in some kind of pastime. Pratiksanasvadana-lolupasya. Pratiksana means he is thinking that way twenty-four hours a day. That is Krsna consciousness. ONE MUST BE ENGAGED TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY IN THINKING OF KRSNA. You have to make yourself a program like this. We, at least, have made such a program--ALL THE BOYS AND GIRLS IN THE KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS MOVEMENT ARE ENGAGED TWENTY-FOUR HOURS DAILY--not just officially, not that once a week they meditate or go to some temple. No, THEY ENGAGE TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY." (JSD 4.2)

 

 

"Just like anger, tongue. then jihva-vegam. Then udara-vegam. From tongue come little down. Udara means belly. The belly is already filled up, still I want to fill it more. That is called vegam, pushing of the belly. And when there is so much pushing of the tongue and pushing of the belly, the next underneath the genital, there is force of the genital. Then I require some sex. If I eat more, if I use my tongue unnecessarily, if I allow my mind to do anything and everything, then I cannot check my genital also. There will be sex urge which I cannot check. In this way there are so many pushing. Rupa Gosvami says ONE WHO HAS CONTROL OVER ALL THIS PUSHING MACHINE, HE CAN BECOME SPIRITUAL MASTER. NOT THAT SPIRITUAL MASTER IS MANUFACTURED. ONE HAS TO LEARN THIS. How to check the pushing of these things. Etan vegan yo visaheta dhirah. ONE WHO CAN CONTROL OVER THESE PUSHINGS AND REMAIN DHIRAH, STEADY, prthivim sa sisyat: HE CAN MAKE DISCIPLES ALL OVER THE WORLD. Open. Yes. (690218BG.LA)

 

 

 

"As Brahma, the first created being, had to undergo tapasya to get information from the Supreme... The Supreme Lord is within you. He's there. But He will advise. When you are fixed up by tapasya, determined with vow, then He will talk to you. He's ready to talk, but you require to acquire the qualification to hear Him. And what is that qualification? This Krsna consciousness, devotional service. As it is said in the Bhagavad-gita, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam. Such persons... Tesam satata-yuktanam. SATATA MEANS ALWAYS, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS, NOT THAT FIVE MINUTES I MEDITATE AND REST OF THE TIME I LIVE LIKE CATS AND DOGS. No. This kind of meditation will not help you. Krsna says, satata. Satata means twenty-four hours. YOU HAVE TO MOLD YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS YOU'LL THINK OF KRSNA. THIS IS KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS. IF YOU THINK, 'NOW I HAVE CHANTED MY SIXTEEN ROUNDS. NOW I'VE FINISHED MY BUSINESS. NOW I CAN DO WHATEVER NONSENSE I LIKE, 'NO'. KRSNA SAYS NO. Satata. THEREFORE WE HAVE TO PLAN OUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT WE HAVEN'T GOT ANY OTHER ENGAGEMENT THAN SERVICE OF KRSNA. THIS IS REQUIRED. Tesam satata-yuktanam. SATATA MEANS TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. Yukta means engaged. WHAT FOR? What is that engagement? Bhajatam. Bhajatam, bhaja sevayam: TO SERVE KRSNA. Bhajatam. How? Priti-purvakam. Not that 'Oh, Krsna has said. All right, let me do.' No. WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION. Then you'll get attachment. UNLESS YOU DEVELOP LOVE FOR KRSNA, YOU CANNOT BE ENGAGED TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. Therefore it is said, priti-purvakam: NOT OFFICIALLY, BUT WITH LOVE. If you acquire this qualification, then you will talk with Krsna who is within your heart." (750403CC.MAY)

 

"According to your recommendation I am accepting for second initiation Amala-harinama das Brahmacari and Viraja dasi. Now hold a fire ceremony for attendance of devotees only. YOU MUST BE SURE THAT THESE DEVOTEES ARE VERY STRICTLY FOLLOWING THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES AND CHANTING A MINIMUM OF SIXTEEN ROUNDS DAILY. THEY MUST BE FULLY ENGAGED IN DEVOTIONAL SERVICE, 24 HOURS PER DAY. Please find enclosed two gayatri mantra sheets and one sacred thread. After the fire sacrifice, play the tape of me reciting the gayatri mantra into the right ear of these initiates and show them how to count on their fingers." (76-10-24.Rad)

 

"...A PURE DEVOTEE MUST ENGAGE IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY, WITHOUT CESSATION; HIS LIFE IS SO MOLDED THAT AT EVERY MINUTE AND EVERY SECOND HE ENGAGES IN SOME SORT OF DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD." (SB 3.29.11-12)

 

"Thus discussion of Srimad-Bhagavatam, which describes the character and pastimes of devotees and the Lord, is very quickly effective. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness has been organised for this purpose. IN EVERY CENTER OF THIS SOCIETY--NOT ONLY IN THE MORNING, EVENING OR NOON, BUT PRACTICALLY TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY--THERE IS CONTINUOUS DEVOTIONAL SERVICE GOING ON. Anyone who comes in contact with the Society automatically becomes a devotee. We have actual experience that many karmis and others come to the Society and find a very pleasing and peaceful atmosphere in the temples of ISKCON." (SB 4.12.48)

 

"Smrtya means remembering Krsna always. LIFE SHOULD BE MOLDED IN SUCH A WAY THAT ONE CANNOT REMAIN ALONE WITHOUT THINKING OF KRSNA. We should live in Krsna so that while eating, sleeping, walking and working we remain only in Krsna. OUR KRSNA CONSCIOUS SOCIETY RECOMMENDS THAT WE ARRANGE OUR LIVING SO THAT WE CAN REMEMBER KRSNA. In our ISKCON society the devotees, while engaged in making Spiritual Sky incense, are also hearing about the glories of Krsna or His devotees. The sastra recommends, smartavyah satatam visnuh: LORD VISNU SHOULD BE REMEMBERED ALWAYS, CONSTANTLY. Vismartavyo na jatucit: VISNU SHOULD NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. THAT IS THE SPIRITUAL WAY OF LIFE. Smrtya. THIS REMEMBRANCE OF THE LORD CAN BE CONTINUED IF WE HEAR ABOUT HIM CONSTANTLY. It is therefore recommended in this verse: mukundacaritagrya-sidhuna. Sidhu means "nectar." To hear about Krsna from Srimad-Bhagavatam or Bhagavad-gita or similar authentic literature is to live in Krsna consciousness. SUCH CONCENTRATION IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS CAN BE ACHIEVED BY PERSONS WHO ARE STRICTLY FOLLOWING THE RULES AND REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES. We have recommended in our Krsna consciousness movement that a devotee CHANT SIXTEEN ROUNDS ON BEADS DAILY AND FOLLOW THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES. That will help the devotee be fixed in his spiritual advancement in life." (SB 4.22.24)

 

"In order to be recognized by Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, ONE SHOULD CHANT THE HOLY NAME OF THE LORD CONTINUOUSLY, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY. Unfortunate persons who cannot accept this formula prefer to execute some type of pseudomeditation, without accepting the other processes of austerity. The fact is, however, that one must accept either the severe method of austerity described above to become purified or take to the process of devotional service recommended for pleasing the Supreme Lord, Krsna. The person who is Krsna conscious is most intelligent because in Kali-yuga it is not at all possible to undergo such severe austerities. We need only follow great personalities like Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In His Siksastaka, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wrote, param vijayate sri-krsna-sankirtanam: all glories to the holy names of Lord Krsna, which from the very beginning purify the heart and immediately liberate one. Bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam. If the real purpose of all yoga is to please Lord Krsna, then this simple bhakti-yoga system recommended for this age is sufficient. IT IS NECESSARY, HOWEVER, TO ENGAGE CONSTANTLY IN THE SERVICE OF THE LORD." (SB 4.23.7)

 

"'King Ambarisa always fixed his mind on the lotus feet of the Lord and talked of Him only.' (Bhag. 9.4.19) We should also take this opportunity in life to become as good as a great saint simply by NOT TALKING UNNECESSARILY WITH UNWANTED PERSONS. WE SHOULD EITHER TALK OF KRSNA OR CHANT HARE KRSNA UNDEVIATINGLY. This is called muni-vrata. The intelligence must be very sharp (samahita-dhiyah) and should always be acting in Krsna consciousness. The words etad abhyasatadrtah indicate that if one takes these instructions from a spiritual master with great reverence (adrta) and practices them accordingly, he will find this bhakti-yoga process to be very, very easy." (SB 4.24.71)

 

"This Krsna consciousness movement is therefore the greatest boon to humanity because it keeps one always engaged in Krsna's service. THE DEVOTEES THINK OF KRSNA, ACT FOR KRSNA, EAT FOR KRSNA, SLEEP FOR KRSNA AND WORK FOR KRSNA. THUS EVERYTHING IS ENGAGED IN THE SERVICE OF KRSNA. A total life in Krsna consciousness saves one from material contamination." (SB 4.30.19)

 

"Why should you try for any hard process? Simply chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare. Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. And YOU CAN CHANT TWENTY-FOUR HOURS A DAY. THERE ARE NO RULES OR REGULATIONS. EITHER IN THE STREET OR IN THE SUBWAY, AT YOUR HOME OR IN YOUR OFFICE--THERE IS NO TAX, NO EXPENSE. WHY DON'T YOU DO IT?" (JSD 5.2)

 

"Asakrt means continuously. NOT THAT PERFORM KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS FIFTEEN MINUTES' MEDITATION, AND THEN DO ALL NONSENSE THINGS, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. NO, NO, NO, NO. NOT THAT KIND OF... TWENTY-FOUR HOURS ENGAGED IN KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, THAT IS WANTED. That is called asakrt. Twenty-four. SO YOU HAVE TO MAKE YOUR FORMULA OF LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT NOT A SINGLE MOMENT IS GONE WITHOUT KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS.. Avyartha-kalatvam. This is Rupa Gosvami's... A devotee, A PURE DEVOTEE OF KRSNA, HE ALWAYS SEES: "WHETHER MY TIME IS WASTED UNNECESSARILY?" He should be very much alert: "WHY I'M SLEEPING SO MUCH, WASTING SO MUCH TIME?" That is devotees, Krsna conscious. "OH, I AM WASTING SO MUCH TIME WITHOUT ANY ENGAGEMENT OF KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS?" That is called asakrt." (741022SB.MAY)

 

"We take up the principle, to THINK OF KRSNA ALWAYS, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS. Satatam cintayanto, kirtayanto mam. If you CHANT KRSNA'S NAME, then satatam, TWENTY-FOUR HOURS... THAT IS POSSIBLE. Just like Haridasa Thakura used to do. Then you think of Krsna without fail, and OTHER THINGS AUTOMATICALLY COME. Man-mana bhava mad... WHO CAN DEVOTE SO MUCH TIME FOR THINKING OF..., UNLESS HE HAS BECOME A DEVOTEE? So man-mana bhava mad-bhakto mad-yaji. And a devotee is always ready to worship Krsna, offer Him obeisances, however big he may be. In this way, we can attain this position of Maharaja Yudhisthira or Yasodamayi when Krsna, the Ajita, could be controlled, even by the devotee." (741025SB.MAY)

 

"So we have to STICK TO THESE PRINCIPLES to keep ourselves on the transcendental platform, RISING EARLY IN THE MORNING, OFFER MANGALA ARATI, THEN GRADUALLY, ONE AFTER ANOTHER, ATTENDING CLASS, GURU-PUJA, AND SO ON, SO ON. UP TILL YOU GO TO BED, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BE ENGAGED. Then you will be above these three gunas...So our these rules and regulation, restriction, means to keep one on the vasudeva platform. We should remember always that. And if you keep yourself on vasudeva platform, these things will not entice you. Otherwise we shall be enticed and fallen down." (750828SB.VRN)

 

 

 

"It is said that one who has unflinching faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead, which means unflinching faith in the Vaisnava or the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord, develops all the good qualities of the demigods. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavaty akincana. sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah (Bhag. 5.18.12). Prahlada Maharaja also said, naisam matis tavad urukramanghrim (Bhag. 7.5.32). UNLESS ONE TAKES THE DUST OF THE LOTUS FEET OF A PURE VAISNAVA ON ONE'S HEAD, ONE CANNOT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD IS, and unless one knows the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one's life remains imperfect. A GREAT SOUL WHO HAS FULLY SURRENDERED TO THE SUPREME LORD AFTER UNDERSTANDING HIM FULLY and after repeatedly undergoing austerities and penances for many, many lives IS VERY RARE." (SB 4.21.43)

 

"So that is the position of guru. Guru is respected as good as God. Why? Only for this qualification, that HE DOES NOT SPEAK ANYTHING NONSENSE. HE SPEAKS ONLY WHAT HE HAS HEARD FROM THE ACARYA..." (760904SB.VRN)

 

 

"...You can thin milk by adding water and you can make it thick by boiling. Now is the time for us to begin the boiling process. Now you know everything how to be a Vaisnava brahmana, now YOU MUST PRACTICE THESE THINGS OR THE WHOLE THING WILL BE A SHOW ONLY. BETTER TO DEVELOP THE SMALL NUMBER OF DEVOTEES WE HAVE, MAKE THEM TRULY KRISHNA CONSCIOUS BOYS AND GIRLS THAN TO GO ON GETTING MANY FOLLOWERS WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND AND PRACTICE THE REAL PRINCIPLES. BETTER ONE MOON THAN MANY STARS. (72-05-09.Dam)

 

"This is instruction, that anyone who has become competent to control the tongue, to control the mind, to control the anger, to control the belly and control the genital..., if six kind of control is there, he is fit for becoming spiritual master; he can make disciples all over the world. AND IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL YOUR TONGUE, IF YOU CANNOT CONTROL YOUR ANGER, CONTROL YOUR MENTAL CONCOCTION, THEN HOW YOU CAN BECOME EVEN A SPIRITUAL MASTER? THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE. Prthivim sa sisyat. One who did... That is called gosvami, gosvami or svami, master of the senses. Master of controlling these six kinds." (730804BG.LON)

 

 

 

"It is said that A SINGLE PURE DEVOTEE OF THE LORD CAN DELIVER ALL THE FALLEN SOULS OF THE WORLD. Thus one who is actually in the confidence of a pure devotee like Narada or Sukadeva Gosvami and thus is empowered by one's spiritual master, as Narada was by Brahmaji, can not only deliver himself from the clutches of maya, or illusion, but CAN DELIVER THE WHOLE WORLD BY HIS PURE AND EMPOWERED DEVOTIONAL STRENGTH..." (SB 2.8.5)

 

"So sometimes people give me very much credit that I have done wonderful throughout the whole world. But I do not know that I am wonderful man. But I know one thing, that I AM SPEAKING WHAT KRSNA HAS SPOKEN. THAT'S ALL. I AM NOT MAKING ANY ADDITION, ALTERATION. Therefore I am presenting Bhagavad-gita as it is. This credit I can take, that I don't make any nonsense addition or alteration. And I see practically it has become successful. I have not bribed so many Europeans and Americans. I am poor Indian. I came to America with forty rupees with me, and now I possess forty crores. So there is no magic. So this is the secret, that if you want to become guru honestly... If you want to cheat, that is another thing. There are so many cheaters. People also want to be cheated. As soon as we say that "IF YOU WANT TO BECOME MY DISCIPLE, YOU WILL HAVE TO GIVE UP FOUR THINGS: NO ILLICIT SEX, NO INTOXICATION UP TO DRINKING TEA AND SMOKING CIGARETTE, NO MEAT-EATING AND NO GAMBLING," and they criticize me, "Swamiji is very conservative." And if I say that "You can do all nonsense, whatever you like. You simply take this mantra and give me $125," they will like. Because in America, $125 is nothing. Any man can pay immediately. SO I WOULD HAVE COLLECTED MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IF I WOULD HAVE CHEATED LIKE THAT. BUT I DO NOT WANT THAT. I WANT ONE STUDENT WHO FOLLOWS MY INSTRUCTION. I DON'T WANT MILLIONS. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara-sahasrasah. If there is one moon in the sky, that is sufficient for illumination. There is no need of millions of stars. SO MY POSITION IS THAT I WANT TO SEE THAT AT LEAST ONE DISCIPLE HAS BECOME PURE DEVOTEE. Of course, I have got many sincere and pure devotees. That is my good luck. But I would have been satisfied if I could find out one only. There is no need of so-called millions of stars." (750715AR.SF)

 

 

 

"Well, this is a very difficult job, naturally. We don't have a large number of followers. AS SOON AS YOU TRY TO SELL A DIAMOND, YOU CANNOT EXPECT MANY CUSTOMERS. NONETHELESS, A DIAMOND IS A DIAMOND, EVEN IF THERE ARE NO CUSTOMERS. The number of customers is not the test. THE CUSTOMER MUST PAY THE VALUE OF THE ITEM. IN THIS SOCIETY WE PROPOSE THAT YOU GIVE UP ILLICIT SEX, MEAT-EATING, INTOXICATION AND GAMBLING. WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THIS, THEY GO AWAY SAYING, 'OH, SWAMIJI IS VERY CONSERVATIVE.' But I cannot become liberal and tell everybody, 'Go ahead and do all nonsense and you can become God conscious.' I cannot possibly recommend that. THEREFORE MY FIRST CONDITION IS THAT IF SOMEONE WANTS TO BECOME MY STUDENT HE HAS TO FOLLOW THESE FOUR REGULATIVE PRINCIPLES. CONSEQUENTLY I DO NOT HAVE MANY FOLLOWERS, BUT I DO HAVE A SELECT FEW. BECAUSE THEY ARE SELECT, THEY WILL BRING ABOUT A REVOLUTION IN THE WORLD. One moon is sufficient to dissipate darkness. IF THERE IS ONE MOON, THERE IS NO NEED FOR MILLIONS OF STARS. IT IS USELESS TO EXPECT A LARGE NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS. WE WANT ONLY ONE GOOD FOLLOWER. IF I CAN GET ONE MAN TO BECOME KRSNA CONSCIOUS, I WILL CONSIDER MY MISSION FULFILLED. If you talk to whatever small number of followers I have, you will find that they talk better than any great philosopher, better than any scientist or politician. That is the quality of my students. What's the point in talking nonsense? ONE'S WORDS MAY BE SIMPLE, BUT THEY SHOULD BE VALUABLE. Every day your employer is printing so many newspapers. On Sunday, especially, the paper is so big that one can hardly carry it. But after reading it an hour, people throw it away. Here is this book, BHAGAVAD-GITA, and PEOPLE KEEP IT AND READ IT FOR A LIFETIME, and in this way it has been read for the past 5,000 years. GIVE SUCH LITERATURE AND IT WILL BE TAKEN AND KEPT FOREVER." (720902iv.nv)

 

"No, we don't take that, by number of people. ... Ekas candras tamo hanti: 'IF ONE MAN ACCEPTS, THEN HE CAN BECOME THE BRIGHT MOON.' Na ca tarah sahasrasah: 'THE SO-CALLED STARS HAVE NO VALUE.' ONE MOON IS SUFFICIENT. So our preaching is: Let one man understand Bhagavad-gita As It Is. WE DON'T WANT DISCIPLES. I NEVER COLLECTED DISCIPLES. I NEVER COMPROMISED that "You can do whatever you like, and you become my disciple. "No. YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS. Now also, this morning, I accepted so many... 'First promise whether you are going to do this. Then I initiate.' This is my policy. IF I WOULD HAVE SAID, 'NO, YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU LIKE, AND GIVE ME SOME MONEY. I SHALL GIVE YOU MANTRA,' THEN YOU WOULD HAVE SEEN MILLIONS, BUT I ACCEPT VERY SELECTED DISCIPLE, not that anyone, everyone comes, and I accept disciple. No. HE IS FIRST OF ALL TRAINED UP SIX MONTHS. THEN, WHEN HE IS ABLE TO PROMISE TO FOLLOW THE REGULATIVE [PRINCIPLES]...." (750520rc.mel)

 

"I don't make any compromise with these rascals. No words. No, no. I never made that. Even if I don't get any disciples, I'll be satisfied. But I can't make any compromise like these rascals. I cannot make. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tara sahasrasah. IF I CREATE ONE MOON, THAT IS SUFFICIENT. I DON'T WANT MANY STARS. THAT WAS MY GURU MAHARAJA'S PRINCIPLE, AND THAT IS MY PRINCIPLE. WHAT IS THE USE OF HAVING NUMBER OF FOOLS AND RASCALS? IF ONE MAN UNDERSTANDS RIGHTLY, HE CAN DELIVER THE WHOLE WORLD." (740323mw.bom)

 

"...how to love God. It is not our proposition that you are Christian, you become Hindu, or you are Mohammedan, you become Christian, increase our numerical strength. We don't want. WE DON'T WANT ANY NUMERICAL STRENGTH. WE WANT ONE SINCERE PERSON WHO HAS LEARNED TO LOVE GOD, KRSNA. That's all. I have come to your country with this mission, and if I find one or two boys or girls sincerely have learned how to love God, Krsna, then my mission is successful. I'm not after any number of... Because IF I CAN TURN ONE SOUL TO THIS KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, HE'LL DO TREMENDOUS WORK, BECAUSE HE'LL BE FIRE. You see? He can do tremendous work. Ekas candras tamo hanti na ca tarah sahasrasah. ONE MOON IS COMPLETE TO DRIVE AWAY THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT, NOT MILLIONS OF STARS REQUIRED. WHAT THESE MILLIONS OF STARS CAN DO? One moon is sufficient. So our propaganda is to create one moon. You see? But fortunately, by Krsna's grace, many moonlike boys and girls have come to me. You see? Many moons. (chuckles) I was thinking of having only one moon, but Krsna... I AM HOPEFUL THAT THERE ARE MANY MOONS, and in future they'll be doing very nice. This is para-upakara. To spread this Krsna consciousness movement is the best service to the humanity. Please try to understand this. It is not a bluffing thing. To love God, prema pumartho mahan... Caitanya Mahaprabhu said that the highest achievement in the human form of life is to attain perfectional stage to love God. That is the highest. Not dharmartha-kama-moksa." (690412LE.NY)

 

 

 

"One also has to associate with such a mahatma who has accepted Krsna as the supreme source of the entire creation. WITHOUT BEING A MAHATMA, ONE CANNOT UNDERSTAND KRSNA'S ABSOLUTE POSITION. A MAHATMA IS RARE AND TRANSCENDENTAL, AND HE IS A PURE DEVOTEE OF LORD KRSNA. Foolish people consider Krsna a human being, and they consider Lord Krsna's pure devotee an ordinary human being also. Whatever one may be, ONE MUST TAKE SHELTER AT THE LOTUS FEET OF A DEVOTEE MAHATMA AND TREAT HIM AS THE MOST EXALTED WELL-WISHER OF ALL HUMAN SOCIETY. We should take shelter of such a mahatma and ask for his causeless mercy. ONLY BY HIS BENEDICTION CAN ONE BE RELIEVED FROM ATTACHMENT TO A MATERIALISTIC WAY OF LIFE. When one is thus relieved, he can engage in the Lord's transcendental loving service through the mercy of the mahatma." (Madhya 22.51)

 

"The perfection of transcendental life can be achieved simply by touching the holy dust of the lotus feet of a holy man. In the Bhagavatam it is said, mahat-.-rajo-'bhisekam, which means to be blessed by the holy dust of the lotus feet of a mahat, a great devotee. As stated in Bhagavad-gita, mahatmanas tu: those who are great souls are under the spell of spiritual energy, and their symptom is that they fully engage in Krsna consciousness for the service of the Lord. Therefore they are called mahat. UNLESS ONE IS FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE THE DUST OF THE LOTUS FEET OF A MAHATMA ON ONE'S HEAD, THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF PERFECTION IN SPIRITUAL LIFE." (SB 3.22.6)

 

 

"'ANY PERSON WHO SERIOUSLY DESIRES TO ACHIEVE REAL HAPPINESS MUST SEEK OUT A BONA FIDE SPIRITUAL MASTER AND TAKE SHELTER OF HIM BY INITIATION. THE QUALIFICATION OF HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER IS THAT HE MUST HAVE REALIZED THE CONCLUSION OF THE SCRIPTURES BY DELIBERATION AND BE ABLE TO CONVINCE OTHERS OF THESE CONCLUSIONS. Such great personalities, who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters.' Similarly, Visvanatha Cakravarti, a great Vaisnava, also advises, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah:'By the mercy of the spiritual master one receives the mercy of Krsna.' This is the same advice given by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (guru-krsna-prasade paya bhakti-lata-bija). This is essential. ONE MUST COME TO KRSNA CONSCIOUSNESS, AND THEREFORE ONE MUST TAKE SHELTER OF A PURE DEVOTEE. Thus one can become free from the clutches of matter." (SB 5.14.41)

 

 

 

"'Only unto one who has unflinching devotion to the Lord and to the spiritual master does transcendental knowledge become automatically revealed.' SUCH RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE DISCIPLE AND THE SPIRITUAL MASTER IS ETERNAL. ONE WHO IS NOW THE DISCIPLE IS THE NEXT SPIRITUAL MASTER. AND ONE CANNOT BE A BONA FIDE AND AUTHORIZED SPIRITUAL MASTER UNLESS ONE HAS BEEN STRICTLY OBEDIENT TO HIS SPIRITUAL MASTER. Brahmaji, as a disciple of the Supreme Lord, received the real knowledge and imparted it to his dear disciple Narada, and similarly Narada, as spiritual master, handed over this knowledge to Vyasa and so on. THEREFORE THE SO-CALLED FORMAL SPIRITUAL MASTER AND DISCIPLE ARE NOT FACSIMILES OF BRAHMA AND NARADA OR NARADA AND VYASA. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAHMA AND NARADA IS REALITY, WHILE THE SO-CALLED FORMALITY IS THE RELATION BETWEEN THE CHEATER AND CHEATED. It is clearly mentioned herewith that Narada is not only well behaved, meek and obedient, but also self-controlled. ONE WHO IS NOT SELF-CONTROLLED, SPECIFICALLY IN SEX LIFE, CAN BECOME NEITHER A DISCIPLE NOR A SPIRITUAL MASTER. One must have disciplinary training in controlling speaking, anger, the tongue, the mind, the belly and the genitals. One who has controlled the particular senses mentioned above is called a gosvami. Without becoming a gosvami one can become neither a disciple nor a spiritual master. THE SO-CALLED SPIRITUAL MASTER WITHOUT SENSE CONTROL IS CERTAINLY THE CHEATER, AND THE DISCIPLE OF SUCH A SO-CALLED SPIRITUAL MASTER IS THE CHEATED." (SB 2.9.43)

 

"...In this verse, yogesvara-upasana means to render service to a pure devotee. Thus Narottama dasa Thakura says, chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba: WITHOUT SERVING A PURE DEVOTEE, ONE CANNOT ADVANCE IN SPIRITUAL LIFE." (SB 4.22.22)

 

 

 

"Lord Caitanya then asked Ramananda Raya, "Out of many so-called liberated souls, who is actually liberated?" Ramananda replied that HE WHO IS ACTUALLY COMPLETELY SATURATED WITH THE DEVOTIONAL LOVE FOR RADHA AND KRSNA IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE BEST OF ALL LIBERATED PERSONS. It is stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam (6.14.4) that A DEVOTEE OF NARAYANA IS SO RARE THAT ONE CAN ONLY FIND HIM OUT OF MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF PEOPLE." (TLC 32)

 

 

 

"...In the Garuda Purana IT IS said to be MORE RARE TO BE A FAMOUS DEVOTEE OF THE SUPREME LORD IN THE AGE OF KALI THAN TO BE A DEMIGOD such as Brahma or Lord Siva..." (TLC 32)

 

 

"Thus Lord Caitanya told Sanatana Gosvami that ALL SCRIPTURES STRESS ASSOCIATION WITH PURE DEVOTEES OF THE GODHEAD. THE OPPORTUNITY TO ASSOCIATE WITH A PURE DEVOTEE OF THE SUPREME LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF ONE'S COMPLETE PERFECTION. This is also confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.18.13) where it is said that the facilities and benedictions which one achieves by association with a pure devotee are incomparable. They cannot be compared to anything--neither elevation to the heavenly kingdom nor liberation from material energy. Lord Krsna also confirms this in the most confidential instruction in Bhagavad-gita...:" (TLC 11)

 

 

 

"...This is simply a bodily concern. Here Dhruva Maharaja plainly says that a devotee has no more bodily interest. HE KNOWS THAT HE IS NOT THE BODY. From the very beginning, therefore, without wasting time in bodily exercises, A DEVOTEE SEARCHES OUT A PURE DEVOTEE and simply by his association becomes more advanced in spiritual consciousness than any yogi. BECAUSE A DEVOTEE KNOWS THAT HE IS NOT THE BODY, HE IS NEVER AFFECTED BY BODILY HAPPINESS OR DISTRESS. He is not interested in bodily relationships with wife, children, home, bank balance, etc., or in the distress and happiness which come from these things. This is the special advantage of being a devotee. THIS STATUS OF LIFE IS POSSIBLE ONLY WHEN A PERSON IS INTERESTED IN ASSOCIATING WITH A PURE DEVOTEE, who always enjoys the fragrance of the lotus feet of the Lord.

 

"Bhattacarya offered him his due respect and replied, "My dear Gopinatha Acarya, it is through your mercy that I have received the mercy of the Supreme Lord." THE MERCY OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD CAN BE OBTAINED BY THE MERCY OF A PURE DEVOTEE. Lord Caitanya's mercy was bestowed upon Bhattacarya because of Gopinatha Acarya's endeavour. 'You are a great devotee of the Lord,' Bhattacarya continued, 'and I was simply blinded by my academic education. Yes, I have obtained the mercy of the Lord through your agency only.' Lord Caitanya Himself was greatly pleased to hear Bhattacarya say that a man can obtain the mercy of the Lord through the agency of a devotee. He appreciated his words and embraced Bhattacarya, confirming his statement." (TLC 26)

 

 

 

"There are many liberated souls and perfected souls, but out of all of them he who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is best. THE DEVOTEES OF THE SUPREME LORD ARE ALWAYS CALM AND QUIET, and THEIR PERFECTION IS VERY RARELY SEEN. EVEN IN MILLIONS OF PERSONS." Prakasananda also quoted another verse (Bhag. 10.4.46) in which it is stated that ONE'S DURATION OF LIFE, PROSPERITY, FAME, RELIGION AND THE BENEDICTION OF HIGHER AUTHORITIES ARE ALL LOST WHEN ONE OFFENDS A DEVOTEE. Prakasananda also quoted another verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam (7.5.32) which said that all the misgivings of the conditioned soul disappear at the touch of the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, ONE CANNOT TOUCH THE LOTUS FEET OF THE SUPREME LORD UNLESS ONE RECEIVES THE BENEDICTION OF THE DUST OF THE LOTUS FEET OF THE LORD'S PURE DEVOTEE. In other words, ONE CANNOT BECOME A PURE DEVOTEE OF THE SUPREME PERSONALITY OF GODHEAD UNLESS HE IS FAVOURED BY ANOTHER PURE DEVOTEE of the Lord." (TLC 22)

 

by Gour Govinda Swami

 

If you are very greedy, very eager to have sadhu-sanga, sat-sanga, the association of grantha-bhagavata and bhakta-bhagavata, first of all you have to give up duhsanga or asat-sanga. What is association? One may say that to come in close proximity to a person is association. But that is not the fact. Association takes place in the mind, in the heart. As long as there are desires for material enjoyment, desires for liberation, desires for mystic perfections, and other desires in your heart, then you are doing asat-sanga. Even though you may come and sit here, and even though you may be staying in the temple, if all these thoughts and desires are in your mind, you are doing asat-sanga, duhsanga. You are not doing real sadhu-sanga.

 

If your heart is not crying how to have the real association of grantha-bhagavata and bhakta-bhagavata, then you cannot get their association. Even if you don't go anywhere, if you just sit in one place, still you will have duhsanga. The example is Saubhari Muni. He entered into the water of the Yamuna and stayed there for thousands of years, but still he had duhsanga. In our minds there are hundreds and thousands of desires giving duhsanga to us. Is your stupid mind thinking about Krishna? Is your stupid mind thinking about the instructions of sadhu-guru-vaisnava? Is your stupid mind thinking about the instructions of Mahaprabhu and His dear devotees? If the stupid mind is not thinking these things, then you are doing duhsanga, asat-sanga. You are not doing sadhu-sanga at all. Externally or apparently you are staying in the temple but you are really doing asat-sanga.

 

<font color="red"> We should think about it: Are these thoughts pleasing to Krishna? Are these thoughts pleasing to guru and Gauranga? Krishna gave His most confidential instruction, man-mana bhava - "Only think of Me" </font color> [bg. 18.65].

 

Sriman Mahaprabhu gave the same instruction:

 

ki sayane ki bhojane, kiba jagarane aharnisa cinta krsna, balaha vadane

 

Whether asleep, awake, or eating your meals, think only of Lord Krishna day and night. With your mouths speak only of Him. [Cb. madhya 28.28]

 

Day and night, twenty-four hours, cinta-krsna, balaha vadane - think of Krishna and utter His name - in all conditions, whether sleeping, waking, or even when taking food. This is Mahaprabhu's instruction. So we should analyze what we are thinking about. Srila Kaviraj Goswami describes what is duhsanga:

 

'duhsanga' kahiye--'kaitava', 'atma-vancana' krsna, krsna-bhakti vinu anya kamana

 

Cheating oneself and cheating others is called kaitava. Associating with those who cheat in this way is called duhsanga, bad association. Those who desire things other than Krishna's service are also called duhsanga, bad association. [Cc. madhya 24.99]

 

Duhsanga means desiring things other than Krishna and krsna-bhakti. That is atma-vancana, cheating yourself, not cheating anyone else. If we don't think of the happiness and pleasure of Krishna, if we don't think of krsna-bhakti, if we think of something else and try to fulfill that desire, then even though we may be staying in the temple it is duhsanga. With this frame of mind or heart one cannot have the association of bhakta-bhagavata or grantha-bhagavata and one cannot render service unto guru, bhakta-bhagavata, or grantha-bhagavata.

 

Guru-.-padma is very heavy, not light. Guru means heavy. He is gambhira-vastu - very grave. We cannot approach him. We cannot go to him. If we are fortunate and we can go, then it is to be understood that there will be no more material attachment, no more material world. Thereby we will enter into Vaikuntha. There will be no more dense darkness in our hearts, no more of these other thoughts in our minds, no more contamination. There will be no more duplicity, crookedness, and desire for name, fame, and prestige.

 

We should think deeply about it. We should make a self-inquiry: "Have we reached guru-.-padma? Have we entered into his heart? Is he really merciful towards us? Is he really giving his darsana to us?" If he gives his darsana then there will be no more duhsanga! We are only pretending that we have done atma-nivedana, that we have surrendered. But we have not really surrendered. We have only been pretending, pretending, pretending for so many years, and also for so many years to come in the future. As long as we continue to act artificially we cannot approach guru, sadhu or vaisnava. We cannot get their mercy at all and therefore we cannot see their real form.

 

We will be cheated. We will get all external things.

 

- Lecture in Bhubaneswar 28 September 1995.

Satyam, there is no truthfulness. And the first-class life means the brahmana life. Satyam saucam tapo. The beginning is satyam. The asuric life is no satya, no truth, and the first-class life in human society, the brahmanas, is satyam saucam tapo, and titiksa arjavah astikyam jnanam vijnanam. This is first-class life. So our Krsna consciousness movement is to create a class of men ideal, first-class men with satyam saucam tapo samah damah titiksah, this is godly civilization.

 

(Prabhupada's Lec. 1975 BOM)

 

But an ideal class of brahmana must be there to guide the society. This is Krsna consciousness movement.

 

(Prabhu-.'s Lec. Bhag. 1975.BOM)

 

(The) Krishna Consciousness Movement is for training men to be independently thoughtful and competent in all types of departments of knowledge and action, not for making bureaucracy. Once there is bureaucracy the whole thing will be spoiled. There must be always individual striving and work and responsibility, competitive spirit, not that one shall dominate and distribute benefits to the others and they do nothing but beg from you and you provide. No.

 

(Letter to Karandhara 1972)

 

Point is that everyone should be guided by the brain. Therefore the brain must be maintained. That is our point.

 

(Conversation, Geneva 1974)

 

 

So at the present moment the education department does not distinguish who is a brahmana, who is a ksatriya, who is a vaisya or a sudra. And because the things have topsy-turvied, there is chaos all over the world, not only here or there, because the division of labor or the division of working has been overlapped. Now this Krsna consciousness movement is meant for creating some brahmanas, or the most intelligent class of men. . . Brahmana means who has got very nice intellectual brain, who can understand the Absolute Truth. He is called brahmana. (Lec. Bg. 1973 )

 

 

Regarding the controversy about book distribution techniques, you are right. Our occupation must be honest. Everyone should adore our members as honest. If we do something which is deteriorating to the popular sentiments of the public in favor of our movement, that is not good. Somehow or other we should not become unpopular in the public eye. These dishonest methods must be stopped. It is hampering our reputation all over the world.

 

(Letter to Rupanuga 1975)

 

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Srila Prabhupada in New Orleans in 1975:

 

In this way organize. Avoid machine. Keep everyone employed as brahmana, as ksatriya, as vaisya. Nobody should sit down. Brahmanas, they are writers, editors, lecturers, instructors, worshiping Deity, ideal character. They have no anxiety for food, for clothing. Others should supply them. They haven't got to work. Sannyasi is always preaching, going outside. In this way keep everyone fully engaged. Then it will be ideal.

 

 

--------------------------

 

Prabhupada: Irresponsible life.

 

Svarupa Damodara: Yes, meaninglessness. No meaning. So it has no purpose because of this very concept. So at least there's a strong influence, especially in the colleges and the university circles, the students...

 

Prabhupada: Educational circles. Yes. In the education circles they are made fools. Education means he's a more fool, that's all. That is education. Mudha. Mayayapahrta-jnana. These fools and rascals, their actual knowledge is taken away, and they are coming out as educated. That we are protesting.

 

Hari-sauri: You once called them slaughterhouses. Slaughterhouses of education.

 

Prabhupada: (laughs) Yes, I have said, yes. Means whatever little education he has, that is also finished. (Conversation July 3, 1976)

 

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(Bg.18.42):

 

samo damas tapah saucam ksantir arjavam eva ca

jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam

 

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness—these are the natural qualities by which the brahmanas work.

 

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(Bhag.11.25.2):

 

samo damas titikseksa tapah satyam daya smrtih

tustis tyago 'sprha sraddha hrir dayadih sva-nirvrtih

 

Mind and sense control, tolerance, discrimination, sticking to one's prescribed duty, truthfulness, mercy, careful study of the past and future, satisfaction in any condition, generosity, renunciation of sense gratification, faith in the spiritual master, being embarrassed at improper action, charity, simplicity, humility, and satisfaction within oneself are qualities of the mode of goodness.

 

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First of all it is the business of brahmana to understand. So if you cannot understand, then you do the business of ksatriya. If you cannot do that, then do the business of a vaisya. And if you cannot do that, then remain as a worker. Assist others. Assist the brahmana, the ksatriya. So everyone will be engaged.

 

(Lec. Bg. 1974 Bombay)

 

Darsana means seeing. So, in order to see the Absolute Truth, one has to come to the platform of goodness. Tamasas tu rajas tasmat sattvam yad brahma-darsanam. Yad sattvam, the platform which is called goodness. And in that platform you can see God, or you can realize what is Absolute Truth.

 

(Lec. 1972 LA)

 

We must come to the platform of sattva-guna, goodness, the brahminical stage. Then our life, our evolutionary process will be successful. Tamasas tu rajas tasmat sattvam yad brahma-darsanam.

 

(Lec. 1972 LA)

 

Therefore the first-class civilization is that which associates with the modes of goodness. That is, means, brahminical civilization. Truthful, satya sama dama titiksa arjava, jnanam vijnanam astikyam brahma-karma svabhava-jam. This is first-class civilization. People must be truthful, they must be equipoised, not disturbed, not being disturbed by different situations. They must learn how to control the senses. They must learn how to control the mind. Sama dama ti.., They must be tolerant, titiksa. Arjava, they must be very simple, no duplicity. Arjava. Jnanam. They must know everything in full knowledge. Vijnanam, apply the knowledge in practical life. Astikyam. They must believe in the Vedic injunctions. Astikya. That is called astikya. The atheist and, and theist. The theist believes in the Vedic injunction. Vedais ca sarvair aham eva vedyah. That is theist. Not that "I believe in God." They must believe in the injunction of the Vedas; what is said in the Vedas, one must believe.

 

(Lec. 1972 Vrn)

 

 

 

My way of joking is to tell the truth.

 

It's the funniest joke in the world.

 

—G.B. Shaw

 

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This piece is meant for self-analysis for those afflicted by egotism:

 

 

 

 

You are a small fish in a large pond. Your chlidishness is your sole resort when dealing with those who you have philosophical differences with.Your age can be taken into account, and of course as is so often the case of the intellectual, they become legends...in their own minds.

 

Your crass and infantile demeanor is appalling, yet like a car crash, strangely entertaining, kind of like watching someone slip on a banana peel, they feel pain, but still it's funny.

 

So watching you trying to assert your dominion over everything and everyone, is like that, morbidly funny. Your only hope is to move to Radha Kunda and do bhajan. Your path seems to lead to a deeper sense of self entitlement, and to an ever expanding aggressive egotistic aparadha.

 

A lot of this can be blamed on the yourthfull egotism that young white males in wealthy countries, seem to possess in spades. Knowing sanskrit has sent you over the edge of reason. Your descent into megalomaniacism is an all to often a curse of the Brahmin psyche when it is not softened with the pre-requisite experience, detachment, and the subsequent humility.

 

 

Instead you pride yourself on what you have no real control over. Like the madness of the ignorant soul who sees the body as the self, the under educated self important Brahmin falls victim to identifying his mind as his self. You may understand philosophically that the mind is not the self, but in practical terms, you make no such distinction on a moment to moment basis.

 

In this way you are a prisoner of your mind, which is domineered over by your ego. Your desire for dominance leaves Paramatma no choice but to let you live the fool, savoring the idolization of your intellect, thinking yourself to be the mind, the thoughts, and the ego. If you could step back from your mind, detach your sense of self from thoughts in your head, humility and grace may be gained. An insight into the true nature of reality awaits you, but first you need to leave behind the curse of the Brahmin i.e egotism. It leads to delusions of grandeur. It leads to the darkness of ignorance. It leads to ignoring Paramatma, instead relishing the sounds of ones mind as the self, and then to try and gain accolades for those thoughts, mistaking them to be himself.

 

Anyone and anything that differs from the worshipable thoughts and ego, those things are the enemy, they are less then, they are errors and misdeeds. In this way the ego builds a delusional reality.

 

All the while Paramatma waits, waiting for the fool, lost in the mind.

susrusoh sraddadhanasya

vasudeva-katha-rucih

syan mahat-sevaya viprah

punya-tirtha-nisevanat

 

O twice-born sages, by serving those devotees who are completely freed from all vice, great service is done. By such service, one gains affinity for hearing the messages of Vasudeva.

 

 

Srila Sarasvati Thakura's translation (rendered into English from the Thakura's Bengali):

 

 

O Saunaka and other sages, attachment to topics of Sri Hari arises in those who have faith in the words of sadhu, guru and sastra and who desire to hear about the Lord, as the result of visiting the holy places connected to Lord Visnu, serving the bona fide spiritual master and serving the saintly devotees of Krsna.

 

From Srila Sarasvati Thakura's explanation:

 

...The heart of a devotee of the Supreme Lord is a holy place, as is the place where he lives. These two kinds of holy places stimulate the awakening of taste for the topics of the Lord. Besides the tirtha-seva, another reason for awakening this taste is mahater-seva, a service to great personalities. Yasyasti bhaktir bhagavad akincana sarvair gunais tatra samasate surah / harav abhaktasya kuto mahad-guna mano-rathenasati dhavato bahih (SB 5.18.12).

... <font color="red"> When one thoroughly discards bad association and associates with saintly great souls, then his bad taste transforms into taste for the topics of the Lord. ... By serving the great souls, the proper behavior of the living entity is manifested, and he leaves aside the path of logic and reasoning. Then, accepting the path of hearing hari-katha, he takes shelter in devotional service called kirtana. </font color>

 

The performer of kirtana ceases to consider the Lord and His illusory energy to be the same, and he exclusively dedicates himself to the service of the Lord.

http://prabhupadaconnect.com/Remembering26.html

Russians seek answers after siege

 

By Steven Eke

BBC correspondent in Moscow

 

 

 

Muscovites prayed for the victims of the school siege

In Moscow the horror of the events in Beslan is still being digested by a population that has also experienced suicide attacks this year.

Children occupy a special place in Russian life and there is particular revulsion that they were specifically targeted.

 

Russian analysts have suggested only religious fanaticism can explain the brutality of Beslan.

 

That ties in with the official conviction here that Islamic extremism, and not the Chechen territorial dispute, is at the root of the unprecedented violence.

 

Revenge warning

 

Information from the judicial authorities has been patchy, but it suggests that there were more than 30 hostage-takers in total, including an estimated nine Arabs and at least one African.

 

Officials say they hope to identify the masterminds behind the operation quickly.

 

Their immediate suspicion has fallen on Shamil Basayev, one of the top Chechen field commanders still at large and a man known to have links with radical Islamist organisations.

 

Politicians in Moscow have welcomed President Vladimir Putin's promise of tougher security measures.

 

Meanwhile a top representative of Moscow's Chechen community described the hostage-takers as non-humans, with neither faith nor nationality, and warned that there is now a real possibility of violent revenge attacks against ethnic minorities.

 

 

Sanskrit Manuscripts Should be Digitized

http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/05/stories/2004090511540500.htm

 

CHENNAI, INDIA, September 4, 2004: Sanskrit manuscripts should be

collected, microfilmed and digitized for posterity. The country had

lost valuable manuscripts and steps should be taken at least to

preserve the scripts available in vidyapeeths and mutts (academic

centers and monasteries) said speakers at the diamond jubilee

celebrations of the Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institute here today.

Kapila Vatsyayan, chairperson, India International Centre, New Delhi,

in her presidential address, attributed a steady decline in the number

of students studying Sanskrit to a sustained campaign against the

language over the years. Sanskrit, she said, was not an ordinary

language and it was the culture and civilization of the country. Hence

it was the duty of everyone to preserve the language, she added. V.R.

Panchamukhi, Chancellor, Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth, Tirupati,

appealed to the Centre to set up another Sanskrit Commission as the

earlier one failed to complete many assigned tasks. He was for a

national, regional and local-level interaction among Sanskrit

vidyapeeths to discuss the problems confronting them and steps to solve

them. Justice B. N. Srikrishna, Supreme Court judge, said there was

immense scope for research on how to preserve the Vedas.

 

 

"In the Naradiya Purana there is a statement about bowing down and offering respect to the Deity. It is said there: 'A person who has performed a great ritualistic sacrifice and a person who has simply offered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lord cannot be held as equals.' The person who has executed many great sacrifices will attain the result of his pious activities, but when such results are finished, he has to take birth again on the earthly planet; whereas the person who has once offered respects, bowing down before the Deity, will not again come back to this world, because he will go directly to the abode of Krsna."

 

 

 

(Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 9)

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