krsna

Material life means material consciousness means living a lie, a life of deception cheating and delusion. All based on this body and bodily relations So now in this human frame let me purge myself of this me,myself and I mind-set A catharsis is needed to do away with lifetimes of mental impressions of sin ,lust and madness The Holy persons recommend Harinam as the most effective and in fact the ONLY way in this Kali Age. Dear Lord let me chant heart and soul: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/ Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare/Hare

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness "Instruction alone cannot make one an expert. Unless one is blessed by the spiritual master, or the acarya, such teachings cannot become fully manifest. Therefore one should seek the mercy of the spiritual master so that the instructions of the spiritual master can develop within oneself." (Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 15)

Srila Prabhupada's lecture excerpt: Srimad-Bhagavatam 6.1.42 Los Angeles, June 8, 1976 So we have to take knowledge from sastra. And who will teach me sastra? Tad-vijnanartham sa gurum evabhigacchet [MU 1.2.12]. Go to guru. Tad-vijnanartham. Just like you go to some superior person to learn something. That is the process. Similarly, the same process... You have to go to a person who has also heard. Susruma. You go to that, not that person who says that "I suppose,I believe,Maybe." No. You go to the person who says, iti susruma: "We have heard it from authorities." You have to go to that person. Srotriyam brahma-nistham [MU 1.2.12]. Who is guru? Srotriyam: "Who has properly heard." Srotriyam. And what is the result? Brahma-nistham: by hearing, he is firmly convinced there is God. You have to go to such guru. lf you go to a fakir, what he will teach you? No. Fakir means one who talks much without any knowledge. He is called fakir.

Chant and be happy!

Assembly OK's Islamic scarf ban After fierce debate, the French Assembly votes to ban religious headgear and other symbols in schools, lest they further religious extremism. The Senate must also approve. BY MATTHEW SCHOFIELD Knight Ridder News Service The French National Assembly voted Tuesday to ban the traditional head scarf worn by Islamic women, known as the hajib, from public schools after a six-month national debate during which combatants called one another racists, sexists and oppressors. The new measure, which is almost certain to be approved by the French Senate, also would ban other religious symbols, including large Christian crosses and Jewish skullcaps, but no one in the country pretends that the target of the law is anything other than the hajib in a Europe showing growing discomfort over its burgeoning Muslim population. France -- where Muslims compose the second-largest religious group after Roman Catholics -- has the largest Muslim population in Europe, at five million. A similar plan is pending in Germany. Those wishing to ban head scarves see them as symbols of religious extremism and a sign that women occupy an inferior role in society. They say the dress divides students. Those opposing the ban say the scarves are worn voluntarily, that they show modesty and respect for their religion, and that the measure singles out Islamic traditions and is therefore discriminatory. The vote was something of an anticlimax. Only 36 members of the 577-seat assembly opposed the measure, and the streets outside were filled with tourists, not protesters. But the debate had been fierce, with an emotional timber similar to debate in the United States, for example, over whether the words ''under God'' should be in the Pledge of Allegiance. Both sides felt they had the moral high ground -- each citing the French Revolution as its authority. President Jacques Chirac proposed the measure after a six-month study by a commission headed by Bernard Stasi. Muslims said the measure would discriminate against them. Tens of thousands turned out in street protests.

OF ALL DISTRESSES, WHAT IS THE MOST PAINFUL? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu asked, "Of all kinds of distress, what is the most painful?" Sri Ramananda Raya replied, "Apart from separation from the devotee of Krsna, I know of no unbearable unhappiness." ...I can understand your feeling the absence of devotees. The best thing will be that you practice chanting, both husband and wife together, and Krishna may send some friends, who may also take part in the chanting. We have to create the atmosphere of Krishna Consciousness, and thus create devotees also. I therefore advise you to begin classes as usual, morning and evening, sitting together, husband and wife, in the front of Krishna's picture, and chant Hare Krishna and read Srimad-Bhagavatam. When I was in Los Angeles, I asked your husband to speak, and I was very glad that he speaks very nicely. So he can speak, also, in the class, and if there is none else there, he can speak to you. So don't feel lonely. Try to understand Krishna Consciousness mutually, and this will give you transcendental pleasure... ...So I think by the Grace of Krishna you are feeling well now. Please try to work hard for Krishna, and your life will be glorious. By Krishna's Grace and by His desire, you are destined to go to Germany to take up the work of BTG in German. The three boys now working there are very sincere workers. You are also very sincere boy and I am sure when you go there you will find a very nice atmosphere of ISKCON workers. I am so glad to learn that you were feeling considerable separation of ISKCON devotees. I am sorry that you could not fill up the gap of such separation in India, and I know why you couldn't... There is also a statement given in the Brihad-bhagavatamrita: "King Yudhisthira said: 'Out of all kinds of desirable things experienced in the life of a living entity, association with the devotees of the Lord is the greatest. When we are separated from a devotee even for a moment, we cannot enjoy happiness.' " Transcendental devotional service cannot be complete and cannot be relishable without the association of devotees. We have therefore established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. One can be fully satisfied simply by devotional service, and that is the result of association with a devotee. Without being blessed by a pure devotee, no one can be fully satisfied, nor can anyone understand the transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A person who is overly affected materially may take advantage of this movement and become intimately associated with it. In this way the confused and frustrated inhabitants of this material world may find the highest happiness in association with devotees. (CC Madhya 8.248, SB 4.9.11, 4.24.57, 4.30.34, Letters 3/29/68, 3/30/69) My dear Lord, Your lotus feet are the cause of all auspicious things and the destroyer of all the contamination of sin. I therefore beg Your Lordship to bless me by the association of Your devotees, who are completely purified by worshiping Your lotus feet and who are so merciful upon the conditioned souls. I think that Your real benediction will be to allow me to associate with such devotees. (Lord Shiva SB 4.24.58) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Why am I really here in this material world of birth and death?

UNICEF Accused of Ignoring Hindu, Sikh Festivals http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_561918,00050003.htm LONDON, U.K., February 5, 2004: A major controversy has erupted after UNICEF's UK branch printed a diary ignoring Hindu and Sikh religious festivals while listing religious festivals from Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Swami Nathan from the World Hindu Mahasangam explained, "I wrote to them three years in a row. .... They have not responded to any of my letters.The irony is that the very first message in the UNICEF diary requests people to donate money to help education in India," said Venilal Vaghela, Chair of the Hindu Council of Brent. "India is the land where Hinduism originated, and yet they choose to ignore our feelings completely.Besides Christmas and Easter, the diary lists over 20 days related directly to Christian saints of different denominations. Surely they ought to afford at least three or four days for Hinduism," commented Swami Nirliptananda, Chair of HINCOM. "Their refusal to even reply to Swami Nathan's letters only highlights the Judeo-Christian bias of some of our world organizations." When contacted by Ramesh Kallidai, General Secretary of the Hindu Centre for Communications, UNICEF's Press Officer Joanna Robert told him, "I spoke to the person responsible for the diaries yesterday and she was very apologetic. It seems that she recently took over the project, and copied the important religious days from the previous edition and she was unaware that the Hindu dates had not been included. This has been a breakdown in communications, for which we apologize. We would like to point out that all other UNICEF diaries and calendars contain Hindu dates."

To the core hrdya gratis-tight knotted material desires all twisted and intertwined one into the other. or like a shaft peircing me day and night caustic mental and psychic pain making normal breathing difficult I know not merely a physical phenomena the soul diseased the Holy Name bitter to chant Meeting devotees causes distress the Dieties become stone the Bhagavat myth the sadhus all tricksters---- Am i a candidate for hell ? /images/graemlins/confused.gif krsnadas

patram puspam ...?

My wife keeps nagging me to get off the internet. How have I become addicted to communicte via the web? I feel this is the only way i can reach out to people nowadays. Especially as a way to associte with devotees. She tells me I need help; go see a cousellor. Am I hooked to the white screen or what?

WHO IS MOST GLORIOUS AND FAMOUS? Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu then asked Ramananda Raya, "Out of all glorious activities, which is the most glorious?" Ramananda Raya replied, "That person who is reputed to be a devotee of Lord Krsna enjoys the utmost fame and glory." The greatest reputation a living being can have is to be a devotee of Krsna and to act in Krsna consciousness. In the material world everyone is trying to be famous by accumulating a large bank balance or material opulence. There is a steady competition among karmis attempting to advance in a wealthy society. The whole world is turning in accordance with that competitive mood. But this kind of name and fame is temporary, for it lasts only as long as the temporary material body exists. One may become famous as an impersonalist scholar, or one may become a materially opulent person. In either case, such reputations are inferior to the reputation of Krsna's devotee. In the Garuda Purana it is said: "In this Age of Kali, the fame of one who is known as a great devotee is very rare. However, such a position is superior to that of the great demigods like Brahma and Mahadeva. This is the opinion of all spiritual masters." It was Lord Shiva who said: "I do not know the truth about Krsna, but a devotee of Lord Krsna knows all the truth. Out of all the devotees of Lord Krsna, Prahlada is the greatest." Above Prahlada, the Pandavas are supposedly more advanced. Above the Pandavas are the members of the Yadu dynasty, who are even more advanced. In the Yadu dynasty, Uddhava is the furthest advanced, and above Uddhava are the damsels of Vraja-dhama, the gopis themselves. In the Adi Purana the Supreme Personality of Godhead himself says, "Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva, the goddess of fortune and even My own self are not as dear to Me as the gopis." Of all the gopis, Srimati Radharani is the topmost. Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami are the most exalted servitors of Srimati Radharani and Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Caitanya-chandramrta (26) gives the following statement about Srila Rupa Goswami: The qualities of one engaged in the service of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu-such as reputation, austerities, penances and knowledge-are not to be compared to the good qualities of others. Such is the perfection of a devotee always engaged in the service of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Transcendental students not only must hear about the activities of the Lord, but they must also hear about the transcendental qualities of the devotees who are constantly thinking of the lotus feet of the Lord within their hearts. Such pure devotees of the Lord are as glorious as the Lord; they are, in fact, recommended by the Lord as more worshipable then He Himself. The spiritual master is honored as much as the Supreme Lord because he is the most confidential servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged in all revealed scriptures and is followed by all authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of my spiritual master, who is a bona fide representative of Sri Hari. (Srila Visvanatha Chakravarti Thakura's Gurv-astaka) Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

I have a friend who is terminally ill, the doctors give him only a few more months to live. Is it the best thing for me to encourage him to go to Vrindavan and leave his diseased body there?

Mooooooooooooooooooooooo...

Nothing's bigger than Jesus Pop culture looks to Jesus Christ for inspiration Babiak The Edmonton Journal Friday, February 06, 2004 Henry Ian Cusick stars as Jesus Christ in The Gospel of John, just one of several upcoming Christ-related cultural confections. CREDIT: Brooke Palmer EDMONTON - Jesus is a dangerous man. He is a gentle god. He is a blasphemer and a saviour and the spiritual boss of the most powerful social and political force in the western world. Saint Paul, the converted Jew who created a religion out of Jesus, was one of the greatest storytellers in human history. If we can call Jesus a literary character, he sits in the top five, up there with Moses and Satan and Hamlet. The historical Jesus, living in the fearful shadows of Christianity, remains a mystery. So we shouldn't be surprised that Jesus is omnipresent in art and entertainment. But why this winter? Felicity? Divine judgment? A lack of any better ideas? Either way, according to our religious orientation, we will be offended, fascinated or inspired this winter. We will be anything but bored. "When you work on this sort of project, you are dealing with one of the most interesting figures in the history of the world," said Canadian producer Garth Drabinsky. Drabinsky produced the other film about Jesus in theatres this month, The Gospel of John, opening in Edmonton next Friday. "What we're releasing is a faithful, word-by-word adaptation of the most well-read, well-quoted, most beloved book of the New Testament." Drabinsky is Jewish, and insisted on a rather obvious yet essential preface before the beginning of the film: Jesus and all his followers were Jewish. The gospels were written a couple of generations after the death of Jesus, at a time of great dispute between Judaism and early Christianity; forces within Christianity were battling for supremacy. To fortify its forceful break with Jewish law and competing versions of the new religion, The New Testament is polemical. In The Gospel of John, the Jewish religious authorities are cast as the bad guys. "The only way to combat anti-Semitism is to have a greater understanding of the issues," said Drabinsky. "There are anti-Judaic aspects in the gospel and in the film. Of course there are. There were splinter groups everywhere at the time. Jesus had radical ideas about Judaism." The Gospel of John will be in theatres for a week and a half before Mel Gibson's steamroller of controversy hits theatres on Ash Wednesday, February 25. The Passion of the Christ isn't the word-for-word rendering of an 1,800-year-old document. It is a fictional account of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus. But don't expect to hear the word "fictional" in the publicity materials. Gibson, who produced and directed the film, has called Passion authentic and biblically accurate. In an underground publicity campaign, it is being promoted and presented as fact. Linked evangelical churches across the continent are directing their parishioners to see the film. Passion promoters giddily claimed that Pope John Paul II said, "it is as it was," after a screening of the film, though Vatican officials have denied these reports. Over the last few months, preview screenings of Passion have rolled out across North America. Invited guests saw the film in Edmonton in January, but media were not invited. As in most major cities, Jewish leaders weren't invited to the film either. Since a leaked copy of the screenplay surfaced in April of last year, there has been speculation that Passion could stir anti-Semitic sentiments. Concentrating on the bloody and humiliating final 12 hours in the life of Jesus is the most dramatic choice for Gibson, but not necessarily the most revealing. It makes Hollywood sense, as the bad guys are most clearly bad in the last 12 hours and the good guy is at his most vulnerable and mysterious. If Jesus hadn't died, the religion would be completely different or not a religion at all. However, after watching their Lord and Saviour pummelled and poked and insulted, evangelical Christians might not be in the mood to hug a Jew after they leave the theatre. The Anti-Defamation League, worried about the centuries-old charge of deicide against the Jewish people, has asked Gibson to add a postscript to the film, and Gibson has apparently edited out a potentially inflammatory scene in which the high priest Caiaphas curses the Jewish people. Drabinsky, who has seen Passion, won't comment on it. "All I'm saying is that in our movie, the exquisite writing of the Bible comes forth. It's not being played with by a Hollywood screenwriter. We're not proselytizing or theorizing." Theorizing about the historical Jesus is almost as popular and almost as controversial as presenting the gospels in whole or in part. Dan Brown's mega-bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code has been a bestseller in the U.S. and Canada for almost a year. Playing off conjectures in the quasi-historical non-fiction book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh, released in the early 1980s, the novel supposes that Jesus wasn't the Son of God but rather a genius who married and had children with Mary Magdalene. This secret, according to these books and plenty of others, has been protected by a devoted society of artists and leaders, including Leonardo Da Vinci. For those who enjoy imagining that Christianity, as we know it, is based on a series of falsehoods, there are more books to come. Thanks to the riotous success of The Da Vinci Code, the upcoming publishing seasons will cast Jesus as a pagan god, as a gnostic Jewish philosopher and as the originator of a completely different religion, led by his brother James the Just. Not that Jesus can't also be the king of fun. The play Bigger than Jesus, which toured through Edmonton last weekend, considered the iconography of the Last Supper as a production number using Star Wars action figures. And next week, the power of song will compete with the elusive power of truth at the Jubilee Auditorium's staging of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar. As Judas sings in the first act: If you strip away the myth from the man You will see where we all soon will be. Jesus!

I used to be a missionary preacher distributing Srila Prabhupada's books far and wide to hundreds of souls, but now since I've gotten married and had kids I just want to save myself and do solitary bhajan. Did I go wrong somewhere? krsnadas

Srila Gour Govida Swami Maharaja regarding ISKCON.: Devotee: You have to give us your blessings Maharaja. Gour Govinda Swami: I have this blessing, get the blessings of my Guru Maharaja, Srimad A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupadji Maharaja. Be a member of ISKCON the society he founded worldwide, international society. Serve him. Remain in the society, serve guru and gauranga. This is my blessing. Nothing else. This is everything. Thank you. - Darsan South London. 29 Sept. 1991

G * G * S * M * P * T INVITATION HARE KRSNA ! Dearest Chairman and Members of GBC, including GBC for Orissa (HH Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami); Dearest Followers and Well-wishers of Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Mahasaya; ALL Our Dearest Godbrothers and Godsisters, Please accept our humble obeisances. All Glory to Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. All Glory to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga. With deep humility and great earnestness, the Chairman and Fellow-Trustees of SRI SRI GOUR GOVINDA SWAMI MAHASAYA PURVASRAMA TRUST are honoured to sincerely extend our warmest heartfelt invitation to one and all of you to the Holy Inauguration Ceremony in Everlasting Memory of Our Dearmost Spiritual Master HIS DIVINE GRACE 108 SRI SRIMAD GOUR GOVINDA SWAMI GURUDEVA with a grand and tumultuous PURVASRAMA-PRAVESANAM MAHOTSAVA! [PURVASRAMA-INAUGURATION FESTIVAL] DATE: It is significant to note that this Unique Festival will be held to coincide with HIS DIVINE GRACE 108 SRI SRIMAD GOUR GOVINDA SWAMI GURUDEVA’s Holy Disappearance Anniversary, on Wednesday, 11th February 2004. PLACE: Srila Gurudeva’s HOLY APPEARANCE HOME in a quaint little village named JAGANNATHPUR (about 20 km from ISKCON’s Sri Sri Radha-Gopaljiu Mandir in Gadeigiri in the same District JAGATSINGHPUR, ORISSA). ACCOMMODATION: FREE, at Sri Sri Radha-Gopaljiu Mandir. TRANSPORT: FREE Bus to-and-fro between Gadeigiri and Jagannathpur. PURVASRAMA-PRAVESANAM FESTIVAL PROGRAMME: Wednesday, 11th February 2004: 1. Gurupuja of Srila Gurudeva at his Holy Birthplace : 10.00 a.m. 2. Puspanjali : 10.30 a.m. 3. Yajna : 10.45 - 12.00 noon. 4. Glorification of Srila Gurudeva by Senior devotees and God- brothers of Srila Gurudeva : 12.00 noon - 1.00 p.m. 5. Prasadam : 1.00 p.m. 6. Harinam (Nagar Sankirtan) with Srila Gurudeva’s portrait : From 4.00 p.m. 7. Glorification of Srila Gurudeva : 5.30 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. 8. Video show of Srila Gurudeva’s preaching in different countries of the world : 7.30 p.m. 9. Prasadam : 9.00 p.m. OUR (four) HUMBLE APPEALS: Appeal No [1] Please make very serious efforts to spare the time, travel-fare and effort to come and be an important part of this most rare and memorable festival JUST FOR THE SUPREME PLEASURE OF OUR MOST MUNIFICENT WELL-WISHER AND ETERNAL BENEFACTOR, HIS DIVINE GRACE 108 SRI SRIMAD GOUR GOVINDA SWAMI GURUDEVA! It has been so long since his widespread spiritual family members, friends and well-wishers got together. OH! HOW WE LOVE HIM. OH! HOW WE MISS HIM. YET WE HAVE FORGOTTEN HOW TO MAKE HIM REALLY HAPPY. In his prakata-lila, he was happiest when all his children, forgetting personal differences and joyfully associating with one another, huddled around his lotus feet for his endless nectarean Krsna-Katha. We heeded his repeated advice and admonishments to tolerate and cooperate. In his aprakata-lila, sadly, without realizing his eternal presence, we have polarized into umpteen factions. Forgetting to tolerate and cooperate, we are only interested in our own sadhana. Does that alone make him happy? Surely there’s more to it than that. Let’s all simply congregate and do kirtana. FOR HIS PLEASURE! Closing his prakata-lila in Mayapur, Srila Gurudeva’s very last order was: “NAM KORO!” The forthcoming PURVASRAMA-PRAVESANAM MAHOTSAVA will fall on the anniversary of that final order. Let’s show him we care. Let’s carry out that order…as one big reunited family! Let’s not miss the opportunity. Let’s meet at his ‘birth-place’ which he has so kindly left for ALL of us. Appeal No [2] To facilitate our humble service to look after you during that Mahotsava, we beg you to kindly let us know if you will attend, via e-mail as soon as possible, before Wednesday 4th Feb 2004. Appeal No [3] As we do not have everyone’s address, please forward this invitation to all those whose names do not appear among our addressees. Appeal No [4] Donations*, if any, may be made in favour of “Gour Govinda Swami Mahasaya Poorvashrama Trust” and sent to its official address c/o Sri Sri Radha-Gopaljiu Mandir in Gadeigiri. [ * HARIBOL!! Please note that we sincerely solicit your presence and association very much more than your donations! ] SRI PURVASRAMA-PRAVESANAM MAHOTSAVA KI JAI! SRILA GURUDEVA’S HOLY DISAPPEARANCE DAY MAHOTSAVA KI JAI! LOOKING ANXIOUSLY FORWARD TO OUR RENEWED ASSOCIATION AND OUR SINCERE DESIRE TO SERVE YOU ALL TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, THEREBY GIVING IMMENSE HAPPINESS, JOY AND PLEASURE TO OUR PRANADHANA GURUDEVA, WE REMAIN, YOUR MOST HUMBLE SERVANTS, [signed] Caitanya Candra Dasa, Chairman, For and on behalf of my fellow-trustees of Sri Sri Gour Govinda Swami Mahasaya Purvasrama Trust. Dated 28th November 2003. ___________ cc: Dear Editors of Magazines and Websites You are also most cordially invited, please. As it is the first event of its kind in ISKCON, it must be of journalistic on top of spiritualistic interest to you. So please come. You would find the story most novel and hence worthy of publication in your magazine/websites, for the benefit of your readers/surfers worldwide. For a start, we would appreciate it very much if, space permitting, you would kindly include this invitation in your publications/websites as soon as possible. Thank you. HARI-HARIBOL!! Your humble servant Caitanya Candra dasa--Ch’man, GGSMPT.

That is the problema how to overcome this dastardly ego and viscious hate How can "devotees"have such wicked qualities?

BY PRTHA DEVI DASI Why so much focus is regularly being placed on the role of the wife is strange and often another form of maya. It has been gong on in this movement almost since the beginning of ISKCON and yet we more often see men who have avoided the *full* responsibilities of their role and not so much the women at all. Still, some find a way, even through other women, to keep the focus off them and on the ladies. This religious guilt and shame placed on the females of this movement only makes our devotee society sick. It does not make anyone behave correctly though it is an escape for misbehavior by some men. -- “Certainly woman needs protection but let us not confuse protection with control. ” -- Women have been the backbone, the strength of this movement and as much as some men don't like women to be around unless they can enjoy them/get women to serve them in one form or another, without the ladies to offer a balance there would not be much of a movement or a weak one as best. We must stop making this a *man's* movement and make it correctly accessible and attractive too all, including the more intelligent class of women (doctors, lawyers, etc.) who will not join something that reduces their all ready obvious intelligence level. This is a preaching movement and everyone is invited to join. Not that women join to serve man, but to serve God. Certainly woman needs protection but let us not confuse protection with control. They are two different words with two different meanings and it seems some devotees don't want to understand that. I suggest they use the dictionary. And let us not forget that the simple brahmacari, men, also needs protection! Next, let's not minimize or underestimate the protection Prabhupada has given women. Not only via brahmacarini ashrams but also by just taking shelter of his lotus feet. Women who are devotees are NOT prone to the weakness of the mundane woman, usually proclaimed by some men as exceptional lust. For that matter we see much molestation has gone on in this movement by men - of children and of their own wife's! While some have painstakingly taken the time to point out the bad qualities of womanhood they do so in such a way as to indicate men do not have similar shortcomings. Not true. "According to scriptural injunctions, one is forbidden to engage with any woman other than ones wife. All other women are to be considered as one's mother. But in spite of such injunctions, a man is still inclined to have sex relationships with other women. BG 3.34 "Those whose senses are very much uncontrolled especially try to hunt for many women." SB 4. 26. 4 Purport To continue, if one wants to follow Western society or Eastern society, there will always be much to discuss. Big topic. But how about one who wants to follow transcendence and do something above Eastern vs. Western? We came to this movement to practice yoga, bhakti yoga. Suddenly society and *roles* have become more important? It just more bodily concept, the very thing we were trying to leave behind when we renounced our karmi life styles. Let's not find an angle to do the same old thing, thus keeping us here birth after birth. "We don't discard that 'This American Society' or 'This European Society' 'This is Indian Society' ..... No, all human being. All human being. It doesn't matter what he is." SB 1974 Lecture "If, however, one is fortunate enough to transcend the designation of birth in a society or community by being elevated to the standard of spiritual identity, than he is sva-dharma, or duty, is solely that of serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The actual duty of one who is advanced in Krishna Consciousness is to serve the Lord. As long as one remains on the bodily concept of life, he may act according to the duties of social convention, but if one is elevated to the spiritual platform, he must simply serve the Supreme Lord, that is the *real* execution of sva-dharma." SB 3.28.2 Prabhupada came here to give us something higher than duties of social convention, roles and so on. Of course, sublime knowledge is there. One can take it or look for loopholes. Let's try to keep in mind that our real duty is to learn how to love and actively serve Krishna. "My dear Friend, if you desire to enjoy the company of material society, friendship and love, then please do not go to see this smiling boy Govinda, who is standing on the bank of the Yamuna and playing His flute, His lips brightened by the beams of the full moonlight." Krsna Book, The Rasa Dance - Introduction, Ch 29 We can find many examples in the shastra of the mundane duty of a wife to *please* her husband but what about the entanglement of married life? Let us not present this householder ashram as the all and all, which is what happens when husband worship is gong on. Let us also remember that most quotes to support the *role* of a woman to serve the husband are varna's and ashrams, again not transcendence. So yes, if one is not ready or willing to fully apply themselves in transcendental Krishna Consciousness cent per cent, by all means, follow those other quotes Prabhupada gives woman about her position. But for those who want to get out of the material world let us remember that Prabhupada says many things: "A woman, therefore, should consider her husband, her house and her children to be the arrangement of the external energy of the Lord for her *death,* just as the sweet singing of the hunter is death for the deer." [sB 3.31.42] "A man within the material world is just like a *dead body*. In fact, superficially, the living entity is covered by this body, which is nothing but a bag of skin decorated with a beard and mustache, hairs on the body, nails on the fingers, and hairs on the head. Within this decorated bag are bunches of muscles, bundles of bones, and pools of blood. always mixed with stool, urine, mucous, bile and polluted air and enjoyed by different kinds of insects and germs. A foolish woman accepts such a dead body as her husband and, in sheer misunderstanding, loves him as her dear companion. This is possible only because such a woman has never tasted the ever-blissful flavor of Your lotus feet." KB, Ch 59, Talks Between Krsna and Rukmini. Not to misunderstand. Certainly we want happy and responsible marriages in Krishna Consciousness but let's remember, it is a temporary ashram and women too are meant to get beyond it just as much as men, and ultimately serve ONLY Krishna. If one puts too much attention into the grhasta ashram it is the same as putting too little attention on it and leads to fall down. There are many ways to be married and anything that works for anyone is all that matters. If someone is in a happy, successful and Krishna Conscious in their marriage but do not fit into the eastern role, who dares to say they are in the wrong? And who dares to say they may not have come even further in their relationship, behaving toward each other in a transcendental manner, which some offensively or mistakenly mistranslated as a western relationship. We didn't come to this movement to learn how to be married. That information is available in many places. We came here to learn how to love God and think of Him all the time. 24/7. This information is not available in other places! A woman's interest is not so different from her husbands as long as they both want to serve Krishna. It is not that the man wants to own her, take away her intelligence, do her thinking and choice making for her, telling her what to do. For a husband to make decisions about the wife's spiritual advancement is to place himself on a pedestal as well as to take away her self esteem and her ability to know who she is, thus putting all this power in his hands. Any sane man will not want that, as sooner or later (years) it will backfire since such a man would be pretending to be more advanced than he really is. Therefore the karmic bill will catch up with him. He will be lucky if his marriage survives it, and if it does, that is not to promise they will remain a happy couple after he tried to take away her sense of self in the name of religiosity. Thus one of the causes for the high divorce rate in ISKCON - too many men lording it over the wife. Fact is, there is not a *pati-guru* (husband as guru) in this age. No human man is this wonderful. Such husbands who think they are so great will have to step down and let Prabhupada be guru of the women. He would not have initiated women if he thought husbands could do the job. After all, he is not effected by their gender whereas the husband is. It is not that women can't be more advanced than the men they marry and must do what they are told. That could cause her to go backwards spiritually. The brahmanas' wife's were superior to their husbands. Though women are not claiming to be on that platform the example is still there that women are not automatically inferior, especially in an agewhere men have comedown to the same level as women. "Kalau sudra sambhavah." In this age of kali everyone is sudra. So let us all take instruction from Prabhupada and not selectively. Not that which pleases the senses but instead that which gets us out of the material world. Some think they are automatic advanced devotee because they are brahmana. However, brahmana is merely one who is in the mode of goodness, not one who is transcendentally situated. So one can follow the role of a brahmana or try to get above that. "The highest qualification of a person in the *material* world is to be brahmana. But since a brahmana is in the mode of goodness, to be a brahmana is *not sufficient* for becoming a representative of the Lord. One has to transcend the mode of goodness also and be situated in unalloyed goodness, unaffected by any of the qualities of material nature."SB 3.4.31 "But if you be engaged in *devotional service,* then immediately you transcend all the qualities. You become *more than* brahmana -- Vaishnava. Vaishnava means he is transcendental to the brahminical qualities also." SP lecture, 1973 A woman's first desire who has sincerely surrendered to Srila Prabhupada and to Sri Sri Radha Krishna are to serve and please Them. Her first duty is to understand she is not a woman. As long as one thinks of themselves as a woman or as long as a husband too much thinks of his wife as woman, all will act on the bodily platform, desiring this mundane thing or that mundane thing, even sex indulgence. To hold the expectation that all women to act, for example, as Pishima did when the husband falls into big maya is to open the door for men to make excuses to deviate and turn around and blame the wife if she leaves when he makes that choice to deviate. (Convenient double standard.) This is not helping the husband but harming him. I am not suggesting she should leave over fickleness, but no one should think the wife should stay unconditionally. To be unconditional is Gods job. Ours it to protect our soul and get out of the material world. I am not speaking of small maya a husband may be in but when he goes over board he should not think he has every right to do whatever he wants yet she is not a *good* wife if she does not tolerate it. After all, no one is as advanced as Pishima, a pure devotee, and to try to be will only lead to fall down, for the husband too. Besides, all a man has to do to keep a wife is to behave in a truthfully and purely Krishna Conscious manner. Only men who want to do nonsense and get away with it preach about unfair and unrealistic expectations of women in such ways. However, what does Prabhupada say for women devotees in this age? "My Dear Caitanya Dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated April 23, 1973, and I have noted the contents. I am very much disturbed to hear of Kanupriya's activities, and I advise you that so long he is engaged in these nonsense activities, you should not have any association with him." SPL Los Angeles, 25 April, 1973 "My dear Kusha devi dasi, Please accept my blessings. I am in due receipt of your letter dated Jan. 30, 1975 and have noted the contents. I have studied your situation carefully and I encourage you to live in the temple in the association of fixed up devotees who are following my teachings strictly. If your husband cannot follow our principles properly, you are not to think that you should let that hamper your spiritual life. You should stay with us and cultivate spiritual life peacefully under Krishna's protection and care. If he is not interested in spiritual life, let him do as he pleases. I have given all of my disciple instructions to follow for making spiritual advancement, but if they do not have the desire to follow, then what can I do? Anyone who is unwilling to follow our regulated principles, you should not live or associate closely with such a person." SPL 3 February, 1975 Honolulu Prabhupada never took *freedom* away from women any more than he took it away from his male disciples as the word *disciple* means discipline. A man who has let his senses go wild, starting with the mind, has too much freedom and ends up acting on it. Srila Prabhupada had many women go out onto the streets and talk to men, distribute books, drive cars to get there and so on. It seems he trusted them to do this and did not consider such freedoms something devotee women could not handle. Yet the self-discipline of some men (and not all) in this movement is sorely lacking. Prabhupada spoke often of the importance of book distribution and Sankirtan in general. Let us not play that down or ignore it to sweep it under the carpet and replace it with the role of woman in marriage. "So we want accommodations for at least forty men and *women* which will constitute the Sankirtana Party." SPL to Sriman Radharama Sharanji 70-6-25 "Jaudarani has now become a nice *preacher,* I have report from Satsvarupa that she *gives lectures* very nicely. If we open a pavilion, I shall take Jaudarani also at that time so she will deliver nice lectures." SPL Mahapurusa, 1968 "I am especially pleased to learn that you are introducing my books as textbooks in the colleges. We especially have to try to attract the *educated* young men *and women* in your country so that in future there will be many strong *leaders* to keep our Krsna Consciousness Movement strong." SPL, Govinda dasa, New York, 4/7/73 book distribution So by all means, let us do our best to keep out of the divorce courts but let us not, in an effort to resolve that, confuse the highest teachings given on Krishna Consciousness with marriage. "This is a *new thing* in the history of the sankirtana movement. In India all the acaryas and their dependents later on only acted from the man's side. Their wives were at home because that was the system from old times. BUT in Bhagavad-gita we find that women are also *equally* competent like the men in the matter of Krishna Consciousness movement. Please therefore carry on these *missionary* activities, and prove it by practical example that there is no bar for anyone in the matter of preaching Krishna Consciousness." SPL to Himavati 69-12-20 Prabhupada's Sankirtana movement ki jai! Your Servant, Prtha devi dasi

by----Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja We will speak this for the pleasure of Krishna. Sravana and kirtana,hearing and chanting, are both service for the pleasure of the Lord. You are hearing,so you are doing seva for guru,Gouranga, and Krishna. You should not hear for your own pleasure. No! We should hear for the pleasure of Guru and Gouranga.One who speaks should speak, or do kirtana,for the pleasure of guru, Gouranga and Krishna. For Their pleasure I am doing this. This is the purpose.

WHO REALLY HEARS? by ----- Sri Srimad Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja Although many persons may come to hear Srimad Bhagavatam, who is actually hearing? To whose ears do these words penetrate and go deep into the heart? There are many that are posing to be hearing, but actually they are not hearing. The words are entering into one ear and going out the other. It never penetrates to the heart because they have no faith. They are crooked persons. They are not simple. This is the only reason. They have no faith in the revealed scripture. They are doubtful persons, so how can they get the result? There was a village where Bhagavatparaya was going on, recitation of Srimad Bhagavatam for seven days, saptaha. Many people from neighboring villages came to hear the recitation from seven o’clock to nine o’clock each evening. There were two women who were regularly coming. One was an old woman about seventy years old with gray hair. The other was a young girl sixteen years old. She was the daughter-inlaw of the elderly woman. One day in his lecture the speaker sang in Oriya, ananda bolo hari hari, hari karibe upaya — “Chant the name of Lord Hari with pleasure! Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari! That Lord Hari will enable you to cross over the dreadful ocean of material existence.” Both the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law heard the speaker, but from that very moment the daughter-in-law started chanting, “Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!” She put complete faith in those words. Although both of them heard, the mother-in-law did not sing the song. Why is it that the daughter-in-law was able to put full faith in the words of Srimad Bhagavatam and start chanting, “Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!” from that very moment while the old experienced mother-in-law could not do so? Because the old lady was not simple, she was crooked. She had no faith in what she heard. This is a question of samsayatma doubt. She was a doubtful person. The young girl was very simple. She was not crooked, so immediately she put faith in what she heard and started chanting, “Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!” When the recitation finished, the ladies had to return to their home. On the way there was a tidal river that they had to cross. When they had first come the water was knee-deep, but when they were returning it was neck-deep. The daughter-inlaw was walking ahead and the mother-inlaw was following her. Chanting, “Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!” while she was walking, the daughter-in-law easily crossed over the river and stood on the other bank. Meanwhile, the mother-in-law was drowning in the middle of the river. She shouted, “Oh! Oh! Daughter-in-law! You are there on the other bank! I am drowning here in the river!” The young girl replied, “You should chant, ‘Hari! Hari! Hari! Hari!’” The mother-in-law replied, “You rascal! Are you my master? Are you teaching me? I am your master! You are my daughter-in-law, I am the mother-in-law!” The young girl said, “Didn’t you hear? That speaker said, ananda bolo hari hari, hari karibe upaya — ‘Chant the name of Hari with pleasure. That Hari will enable you to cross over the dreadful ocean of material existence.’ So what is this tiny river? Why will Lord Hari not be able to help you cross this small river?” The mother-in-law got angry. This is a practical consideration of faith and simplicity. The young woman was simple, so immediately she was able to put faith in the speaker’s words and by chanting she easily crossed the river. The old woman was faithless and doubtful. Although she was experienced and old, she was a crooked person. There was no simplicity in her heart. This is the point. The only thing required is to be simple. Give up all of your crookedness and put full faith in Krishna. Put full faith in His words, put full faith in the revealed scriptures, and put full faith in the words of acaryas, sadhus, and mahajanas. Then you will achieve success. This is most important. You should be as simple as a child. By nature a child is very simple. But when he grows up he becomes crooked. Why? Because of association with crooked persons. Some people will say, “Oh, if we become so simple then we will be cheated. Therefore we will not be simple, we will be crooked”. But Krishna says, nayam loko ’sti na paro na sukham samsayatmana: — “If you have no faith then you cannot get any happiness, either in this life or in the next.” [bg. 4.40] Why should you be crooked? Will it bring you some happiness? Will it keep you from being cheated? You are being cheated, and you are not getting happiness, why? Why not be simple and put faith in Krishna’s words and achieve success in life? Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu likes those who have simplicity. They are natural vaisnavas. Simplicity is vaisnavism. - — From an evening lecture in Perth, Australia, 22 November 1990.

On February 9th, 1996, on the holy appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur Prabhupada, Srila Gour Govinda Swami Maharaja left this world while delivering Krsna katha in midst of his disciples and friends. When Maharaja uttered the words: "Eye to eye union", his voice choked and he could not speak on. His last instruction to his disciples was: " Nama koro! Nama koro! " (Chant the holy Name! Chant the Holy Name!) HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

Plain as day; post-samadhi ritvik was never the topic Why is it that they cannot see that this is in fact the greatest danger to one's spiritual life? Is it that they value more the smooth running of the Iskcon institution that rtvik initiations purportedly claim will happen over the spiritual needs of the aspiring sadhaka ? Plain as day; post-samadhi ritvik was never the topic

Sri Srimad Gaura Govinda Swami: One thing is important: We don't' know who is a real, bona fide guru. Can you know? Can you measure? Can you see with your material vision? You can't see. You can't measure him. Krsna is adhoksaja. He cannot be measured by the defective material senses. Similarly, His true representative the bona fide guru, the dear devotee who is very intimate and very confidential, cannot be measured by your defective senses. You cannot see him with your material vision. You can only see the outward body of flesh, bones, marrow, blood, and urine. In the 11th Canto Krsna says that the guru acarya is as good as He Himself. acarya-mam vijaniyan navamanyeta karhicit na martya-buddhyasuyeta sarva-deva-mayo guruh One should know the acarya as Myself and never disrespect him in any way. One should not envy him, thinking him to be an ordinary man, for he is the representative of all the demigods. (Bhag. 11.17.27) In addition, in Guruvastaka (Verse 7) we chant: saksad-dharitvena samastra-sastrair uktas tatha bhavyata eva sadbhih kintu prabhor yah priya eva tasya vande guroh sri-caranaravindam Every day you sing saksad-dhari, and Krsna says the same thing: acaryam mam vijnaniyan-"He is as good as Myself." Na martya-buddhyasuyeta-"Don't think of him as an ordinary mortal human being." Sarva-deva mayo guruh- "No, all the demigods are there in him." This is guru tattva. How can you see such a guru with your material vision? As you cannot see Krsna with material vision, you cannot see the guru with material vision. You will only see the outward thing, which is not guru. Only if the guru showers his mercy on you can you be endowed with the vision to see his true form. By the mercy of guru you can see guru, otherwise you cannot see. This vision is only obtained by crying and crying and crying before Krsna: "Oh Krsna, I don't know who is your real representative who can deliver You to me cent percent. I want you cent percent, O Krsna." If you cry before Krsna then Krsna will make an arrangement. He is there in the heart as Paramatma. He will understand, "Now he's crying for Me, so I must help him." He will make an arrangement that you meet a bona fide guru, a genuine representative of Krsna. Otherwise it is not possible. This is the only process. But in our case we try to measure everything. We measure the Lord. We measure the guru. We try to see the Lord with our vision, with our defective senses. Therefore our acaryas and sastras say that the guru is the seer, drasta, and you should put yourself in the position as the object to be seen, drsta. It is very difficult to understand this point because almost everyone thinks just in the reverse. You think you are the seer and the Lord or guru are drsta, the objects to be seen. No! It is the complete opposite. The Lord is the seer and the guru is the seer. You are not the seer. You are the object to be seen by guru or seen by the Lord. Do you understand? This is a very deep philosophy. Cry For Guru What I am saying is from the previous acaryas. Nothing is mine, not a single letter. I follow the path the acaryas have shown. I have done that in my life and therefore I got my guru. That is my experience. Following what our acaryas say, what sastra says, sadhu-sastra-guru-this is the process. But you have never followed it. I think you cannot understand it clearly. Try! It is a simple thing. You cry before Krsna, cry before Mahaprabhu, "Please help me, please help me, please help me!" Krsna is the heart and can understand, "Oh, now he is crying." He will help you. He will make arrangements that you can get a bona fide guru who is Krsna's true representative, a confidential, intimate associate if the Lord-and then your life will be successful. Don't be desperate. There is no question of despondency on this path. There is no pessimism here. It is all optimism. Mahaprabhu is so merciful-maha-vadanyaya avatara. Srila Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya Caritamrta has used the word adbhuta, wonderful three times; adbhuta-karunya, adbhuta-vadanya, adbhuta-audara, wonderfully munificent, wonderfully merciful, wonderfully magnanimous. This is Sriman Mahaprabhu. Cry before Him. Cry before Krsna to shower His mercy on you. It is the only thing required. Don't try to measure Krsna or His representative the guru with your defective senses. You will only be cheated. You should have complete, unflinching faith in Mahaprabhu, Krsna and sadhu. There is no other way.