krsna

truth is KRSNA the SPG. He is God.

Disciple: After hearing you speak, I feel like such a bad person.

Guru: Don't be bad.Be good.

Translation by Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Artwork and text from Srimad Bhagavatam, courtesy of The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International, Inc.

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The most high and beautiful lord and master,

the spiritual master who delivers KRSNA...

showers mercy on the deserving disciple

by dint of service rendered in love, affection and surrender.

Questions on atma-tattva,

"What is the Absolute Truth, dear gurudeva?"

"How can I attain the highest goal of human life, KRSNA prema?":pray:

Which Brahma are you?

<!-- end .post-top --><!-- the main section of the post goes here -->The story of Lord Brahma going to visit Krishna at Dvarka is one of my favorite stories for reminding me of my insignificance. I think of this story when I am confused with other Karnamritas. I get email for Karnamrita dasi the singer, and I get asked if I wrote the biography of Gaura-kishora das Babhaji, or other books. I am reminded of my dear friend Dr. Garuda who has to distinguish himself from another Garuda who is active on-line.

By Karnamrita dasa

So which Karnamrita am I? That is a great question with superficial and deep answers. Who are any of us?

Prabhupada initiated 3 disciples with the name of Karnamrita das, and I am the middle one. So I could answer that I am the insignificant servant of Prabhupada

(with one big head of fluff) who was initiated in Los Angeles in August 1970, or I could say I am the husband of Archana-siddhi the well know devotee therapist and BTG author, or the I am the pujari, or I am the energy healer New Agy type devotee, etc. We all have so many ways in which we may be know or designated that are to our liking or not.

Ke ami? So which one are we? Which das or dasi are you—really? Let us remember this story of Brahma:

Lord Brahma is greeted by Krishna’s doorman at one of his palaces and asks,

‘What is your name so I may tell Lord Krishna who has come, desiring his audience.’

‘I am his devotee Brahma,’ was the reply.

Brahma may have wondered how the doorman didn’t recognize him by his four heads, but perhaps this doorkeeper was inexperienced. We assume that many other demigods came to visit Shri Krishna in Dvarka, so perhaps the doorkeeper wanted to make sure he didn’t make a mistake.

After some time, the doorman returned and asked another question to the anxious Brahma, ‘Which Brahma are you’?

With the appearance of the doorman Brahma was expecting to be let in. Thus he was taken back by the question, and puzzled over the meaning. His great intelligence from his four heads was bewildered. What kind of a question was this? As far as he knew he was the only Brahma, so were there others? Brahma is not a man of few words, yet he found himself speechless in confusion. Finally, he came up with a reply.

‘I am the four headed Brahma, the father of the four Kumaras.’

After some time he was escorted in through the incredibly opulent palace to the room where the regal Krishna was sitting comfortably on a royal throne.

Upon seeing Lord Krishna, Brahma offered him obeisances and appropriate worship, and then Shri Krishna honored him with welcoming words. He inquired from Brahma about the nature of his visit.

Brahma replied that he would tell him about the nature of his visit after Krishna helped with a doubt.

Brahma questioned the Lord thus, ‘Why did you ask which Brahma had come? Kindly tell me the purpose of such an inquiry. Are their other Brahmas besides me in this universe?

Krishna smiled at Brahma’s words and called all the Brahmas from the infinite universes. Immediately unlimited Brahmas arrived wth their various numbers of heads. Some had ten, some twenty heads, fifty, a hundred a thousand, some ten thousand, one hundred thousand, some ten million and one hundred million. Their was no counting the number of heads.

Also arriving from each universe were the various manifestations of Lord Shiva with unlimited heads, and King Indra with thousands of eyes on their bodies.

Beholding the unlimited opulenses of Krishna and feeling dwarfed by the manifestation of other Brahmas, our universes Brahma felt like a rabbit amidst many elephants.

I love what Brahma says, ‘There are people who say, ‘I know everything about Krishna.’ Let them think in that way. As far as I am concerned, I do not wish to say very much about this matter. O my Lord, let me say this much. As far your opulences are concerned, they are all beyond the reach of my mind, body and words.’ [sB 10.14.38]

The ‘Law of Contrast’ is very important for all of us. Thinking of those greater than our self can help us to realize our true position, as tiny and insignificant. We all have a little bit of ‘Isha’ or controlling power, yet in comparison to the many powerful people on this planet what is our position? Then there are the devas, and the Supreme Isvara, Lord Shri Krishna.

We are never the doer, but have to be empowered to do any even simplest thing’what to speak of large accomplishments? We may appear great or devout to others and have influence, power, bhakti, wealth, education, good looks etc, yet as devotees we have to remember that whatever opulence or Krishna consciousness we have been blessed with are given to us for service, not for any selfish purpose. We are all on the path of realizing this fact: We are givers or servants, not takers or masters.

As it is said in the Christian tradition, ‘To whom much is given, much is expected.’ And for those of us living in America, Prabhupada told us something like, ‘What is the use of being American if you don’t do something wonderful.’ We could easily say that for all devotees. What is the use of being a devotee, unless we do something wonderful or become wonderful? Being wonderful means being a pure devotee imbued with Prema, or at least making steady progress in Bhakti and sharing what we have to our utmost capacity. The best use of our life energy is to chant Hare Krishna and engage in devotional service. We do our best and the results come by Krishna’s mercy.

So which Brahma are you?

At the moment of initiation:pray:

a good disciple

feels very indebted

upon receiving the greatest treasure –

the Holy name.

To express his gratitude,

the rest of the life

he uses his body, mind and words

to assist his master’s mission:pray:

and brings him glory!

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura - The Lion Guru

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During the time of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s stay on this planet the pure religion of Vaishnavism taught by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu was essentially lost and had come to be considered of the degrading standard of simply a sex religion, or at best a cult of religious fanaticism and sentimentalism. The Thakura was very sad in his heart to see this and with a desire to present the actual teachings of Sri Caitanya, he wrote and published many books in Bengali, Sanskrit and English which conclusively presented to the world and to the people of India specifically the real teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His genuine followers. He also traveled to many parts of India preaching and giving lectures to many people whose hearts became changed by seeing his pure character and shining example. Thakura Bhaktivinoda practically single-handedly revived the pure movement of Nama-sankirtana

(the congregational chanting of the holy names of God) and presented the glories of Lord Caitanya to all learned men of the world.

However, so that this preaching of Nama-sankirtana [congregational chanting of the holy names of the Lord] could go on nicely even after the Thakura left this world, he prayed to Lord Caitanya to send him an assistant and a successor from the Lord’s personal staff of preachers. Answering the prayer of the Thakura, a son was born to him on February

6th, 1874 while he was serving as the government magistrate in the holy city of Jagannatha Puri in Orissa. Through various signs the Lord showed Thakura Bhaktivinoda and his good wife that this was the great soul that had been sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to carry on the preaching work that Bhaktivinoda Thakura had started. It was witnessed by all present that when the child came out of the womb, his umbilical cord was wrapped around him like the sacred thread worn by brahmanas. Everyone was very amazed by this sign. Six months later at the annual Jagannatha Puri Rathayatra festival, the Jagannatha cart, being pulled by hundreds of people, came to a stop in front of Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s house. When all the people were trying to get the cart moving again, Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s wife took the opportunity to take the child, whose name then was Bimala Prasad, out to see Lord Jagannatha and because she was the wife of Thakura Bhaktivinoda, who was the manager of the Jagannatha temple then, everyone respected her and she was allowed on the cart for darshana of the Lord. She then placed the child at the lotus feet of the Jagannatha deity and immediately one of the huge flower garlands hanging around the neck of the Lord fell down and encircled the child. Thakura Bhaktivinoda’s heart was filled with joy, for he knew beyond all doubt that this child was the answer to his prayers.

As the boy grew, the Thakura instructed him in the science of Krishna Consciousness. At the age of only seven Bimala Prasad Datta, who was later to be known as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, had memorized all seven hundred verses of the Bhagavad-gita and could explain each one.

One day the boy took an unoffered mango from the room of the family Deity and ate it. Thakura Bhaktivinoda chastised him for it upon catching him and told him that it was not proper Vaishnava behavior to eat food that had not first been offered to the Lord. At that time Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, taking his father’s words very seriously, made a vow to Thakura Bhaktivinoda that he would never eat mango again. Through his whole life he kept this vow very faithfully. Whenever someone would offer him a mango he would say, “No, I cannot take, I am a great offender”.

At the age of ten, while attending the Serampore Missionary School, he was initiated by his father into the Hare Krishna mantra and a Narasimhadeva mantra. In school he invented a novel kind of phonetic alphabet which he called Bikranti or Bicanto. Later on he attended a special Sanskrit college where he became expert in Sanskrit grammar, Vedic shastra and different views of philosophy.

Due to his lifelong celibacy he had such a clear memory that even in his last days he could reproduce word for word any passage of any book he had read fifty years back.

At college he read all of the books in the library and made private studies into higher mathematics, international history and philosophy and Vedic astronomy. At that time he attended a cultural association in Calcutta called August Assembly and in which the study of various philosophical and theological topics was conducted. He was such a powerful debater that no one’s arguments could stand up against his vast erudition and scholarship. At the age of twenty-three in the year 1897 he opened a school in Calcutta which he called Sarasvata Chatuspathi. It was here that he began teaching Vedic astronomy. Many prominent and scholarly Calcutta gentlemen were among his students. At this time he also edited two monthly journals, the Jyotirvid and the Brhaspati and published several authoritative documents on Vedic astronomy such as the Surya-siddhanta which he had written himself. He was offered a chair at the University of Calcutta by Sir Asutosh Mukherjee, but he declined thinking that it might be too much an impediment on his devotional life. Since 1895 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was attending the meetings of his father’s Vishva Vaishnava Raja Sabha in Calcutta. In 1899 he was editing and writing for a weekly cultural magazine, the Nivedana. In 1900 he wrote and published a book on the society and different religious sects in Bengal called Bange Sama-jikata. In 1901 Srila Bhativinoda Thakura requested his son to become initiated in the Gayatri mantra and accept a spiritual master. The Thakura had one very beloved disciple, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maha? raja, a very renowned Vaishnava saint of Navadvipa. It was therefore he who the Thakura requested his son to take initiation from. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then approached the babaji for getting initiated, but Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, who hadn’t any disciples, out of his infinite humbleness refused to accept such an erudite pandita as Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, when he himself could not even write his own name. So, disappointed, Sarasvati Thakura went back to his father and related to him what had happened, but Thakura Bhaktivinoda sent him out again, and again Srila Bhaktisiddhanta came back with the same news. So this time the Thakura told his son, “Unless you take initiation from Gaurakishora dasa Babaji your life is useless and no longer may you enter this house”. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati then set off with great determination, and meeting Srila Gaurakishora dasa Babaji on a bridge along the road told him that he would jump off the bridge and kill himself if the babaji did not accept him as a disciple. He said to him, “My father has told me that human life is worthless without a spiritual master, so if you refuse to accept me as your disciple I must kill myself”. Upon hearing that and seeing the young man’s sincerity of purpose, the babaji accepted him as his only disciple.

From that year, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta traveled with Thakura Bhaktivinoda in his pilgrimages to all the principle holy places in India. During this time he compiled a Vaishnava encyclopedia named Vaisnava-manjusha. In 1900 he was staying in Puri where he began to publicly preach the holy precepts of Srimad-Bhagavatam. In 1904 Srila Sarasvati Thakura traveled in East Bengal. In 1905 he travailed to the far southern provinces of India, lecturing, preaching, writing, debating, fully absorbed in the fire of propagating the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. In the South he traveled to places such as Simachalam, Madras, Tirupati, Kanchipura and many other places of pilgrimage. His strong preaching gave him such a reputation that his very name would strike terror into the hearts of his philosophical adversaries. The perverted and immoral so-called religious activities of different nonsense cults and sects were doomed forever in the presence of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

In 1911 at an All-India Conference of Panditas at Midnapore, presided over by Pandita Vishvambharanandadeva Gosvami, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, taking the place of Thakura Bhaktivinoda who was ill at the time, lectured to an astounded audience on the comparative position of a brahmana and a Vaishnava. After the discourse all the people came forward to offer him respect and touch his lotus feet. The president of the conference called him the other self of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. The lecture was subsequently published as a book in Bengali.

In 1912 Srila Bhaktisiddhanta traveled and preached in different parts of Bengal. In 1913 he established the Bhagavat Press in South Calcutta which was later moved to Mayapur and then to Krishnanagar, where he began to publish his many carefully edited books. Altogether he published, edited and wrote about sixty-one works as well as eight different journals. Once when he was asked how it was possible to publish a journal every month just about God, he replied that here in this world there are thousands of newspapers and magazines reporting the stale repetitious happenings of this limited space, so for reporting the news of the unlimited spiritual realm concerning the eternal, ever-fresh Supreme Personality of Godhead, we could publish a magazine at every second, what to speak of monthly.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada made special studies of the Vaishnava literature of south India and was the first to introduce Bengali translations of the works of the Madhvacharya Sampradaya to the public in Bengal. In his teachings he has dealt with the relative positions of different Vaishnava and non-Vaishnava schools of philosophy and he has brought out the difference between empiric and revealed methods of spiritual understanding. He always stressed the importance of publishing and distributing Vaishnava literature as a means of educating the mass of ignorant humanity and in order to facilitate the printing of books and journals he established four printing presses: the Gaudiya Printing Works in Calcutta (1923), the Nadiya Prakash Printing Works at Mayapura (1928), the Bhagavat Press in Krishnagar (1914-15), and the Paramarthi Printing Works at Cuttack (1936). He called these presses the big mridungas (clay drums used for large congregational singing groups) because the sound that they would produce would be heard all over India.

In 1914 on the disappearance of Thakura Bhaktivinoda from this mortal world, the task to carry on the movement of Sri Caitanya now lay in the hands of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada. He took over as the editor of his father’s journal, the Sajjanatoshani, a monthly Vaishnava paper in Bengali. Later on in 1927 he converted it into an English fortnightly called the Harmonist.

In 1918 at the age of fourty-four, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati accepted the title Gosvami Maharaja by taking the renounced order of life, sannyasa. On that same day he established his first Vaishnava monastery, the Caitanya Math at Sridhama Mayapura which became his preaching headquarters. Later that year one important figure in a popular religious organization met Srila Bhaktisiddhanta SarasvatI Thakura and was so impressed by his power of purity that he immediately begged to become a disciple. He would arrange for Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s transportation between Mayapura and Calcutta and he rented him a small house for him in Calcutta for expanding the preaching of Sri Caitanya’s teachings. The house became known as “Bhaktivinoda Agana” and was later known as Sri Gaudiya Math when it was later moved to a large marble building in the Baghbazaar of North Calcutta in 1930. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura then in quick succession after that spread his Gaudiya Mission to every part of India attracting thousands of disciples to the banners of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. At the time of his passing from this world he had opened sixty-four Gaudiya Maths for the propagation of spiritual life and Bhagavata philosophy. In all these maths he established the worship of the archa-vigraha (Deity) form of the Lord so that his disciples wouldn’t become impersonalists. This deity worship was executed according to the principles of Sanatana Gosvami’s book of Vaisnava activities, Sri-hari- bhakti-vilasa.

One time a very important gentleman approached Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada and said that your Gaudiya Math is so nice you should open up temples in all cities of the world, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta replied, “My real business is to establish temples in everyone’s heart”.

He was such a powerful and bold preacher that he became known as the lion guru. Sometimes on walks in the early morning he would come across some big Mayavadi (impersonalist) sannyasi and he would physically grab him and shake him while verbally chastising him. Thereafter whenever any Mayavadi’s saw him coming, they would flee in fear of him. One time a big impersonalist Vedanta society in Calcutta invited him to a debate, on the condition that he could not use Srimad-Bhagavatam as scriptural evidence and so he agreed to come to the debate. Then after a short time they called him again and said he could not speak on Mahabharata, Ramayana, or any of the Puranas or Pancharattnas. He also agreed to come on those conditions. Then they called him and said that he could not use as evidence any of the Vedas, Upanisads or smriti texts, but could speak only from the Vedanta-Sutras. And so he agreed to that also. Then they called him up and said that he could not come at all.

From the years 1919-1929 he was constantly traveling all over India lecturing to crowds of thousands, debating, destroying various bogus religious sects and performing parikrama (walks to the holy places) with his disciples to different sacred sites, seeking to improve and preserve them. During these travels he installed foot? prints of Lord Caitanya in one hundred and eight places where the Lord had traveled during His sannyasa life. At those spots he also recorded the date when Sri Caitanya had been there.

In 1919 he completed his preaching tour over North and East Bengal and in

1920 he toured more extensively in East Bengal. In 1920 he also toured the provinces of Bihar, Orissa and the Sonthal Parganas establishing temples in some of these places, and in 1922 he visited Vrindavana, the place of Lord Krishna’s pastimes. On this Braja Mandal Parikrama he went with hundreds of disciples and gave lectures at all the major temples and places of the Lord’s pastimes. In the year 1925 His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, along with a large group or disciples went on an extensive tour of Bengal. On this Gauda Mandala Parikram Srila Bhaktisiddhanta visited all the holy places connected with the pastimes of Sri Caitanya. In the early part of 1926 he toured in some places in Assam. His tours during the years 1926-1928 marked a very important place in the Gaudiya movement of Sri Caitanya and in the history of India as well. He brought about changes and improvements in various ways in all the sacred places as well as brought about a new spiritual insight in the minds and lives of many followers of different religious sects, and brought them all under the banners of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhn’s sankirtana movement. Wherever Srla Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura would go he was received as a savior, religious reviver and prophet by all who came in contact with him. In most states he was received as an honored state guest and in many places was presented with public addresses of reception.

From 1928-1929 he again traveled to places from Assam to Punjab. During these tours he gathered a large number of authentic manuscripts of ancient Vaishnava writings which he started publishing, but left unfinished,

All these tours were highly successful, but were not without their problems. Because many of Srila Sarasvati Thakura’s disciples, although initiated as brahmanas and sannyasis, were not born in brahmana families, along the way while traveling, the so-called brahmana shopkeepers would close their shops and refuse to sell provisions to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and his disciples. Srila Sarasvati Thakura would always preach very strongly against the nonsense philosophy of these proud and arrogant caste brahmanas. He always emphasized the needlessness of material qualifications to receive spiritual life. Anyone, regardless of caste, sex, nationality, past background, etc., who was sincere to have spiritual life, he would give it to them.

These caste brahmanas were very much in an uproar about his turning those not born in brahmana families into brahmanas better than them. The Nityananda-vamsas especially plotted to assassinate him and went to the local police magistrate to bribe him so he wouldn’t apprehend them after the murder. The police magistrate told them that although he usually accepts bribes, he could not be connected with the killing of a Sadhu, a holy man. The police magistrate then immediately informed Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and in this way Srila Saraavati Thakura’s life was saved.

In 1930 and 1931 a new kind of spiritual education was exhibited for the benefit of the public and especially the illiterate masses. Srila Bhaktisiddanta Sarasvati Prabhupada demonstrated the import and teachings of the Vedic literature by means of huge exhibitions in which pictorial representations by means of dioramas and dolls in life-like manner were employed. These wonderful exhibitions attracted thousands of people. One was on the property of the Calcutta Gaudiya Math in 1930 and in 1931 on the Calcutta corporation grounds. The exhibitions would draw at least one hundred thousand visitors daily during a month time period.

In 1933, eager to spread Lord Caitanya’s message beyond the borders of India, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Thakura sent some of his sannyasa disciples to England to preach and open up Gaudiya Maths in the West, but not being able to convince the Westerners to take up spiritual life, they returned to India unsuccessful. Fortunately for the benefit of all people of the world, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhuipada’s most beloved disciple, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada carried out his Guru Maharaja’s order and has spread Lord Caitanya’s Nama-sankirtana movement to every corner of the globe, and is now being assisted by thousands of disciples in this preaching work,

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada has so glad to reveal the transcendental glories of Lord Krishna that whenever he found an eager listener he would go on speaking, not knowing the bounds of time and space. Disregarding the requests of his medical advisors, up to the last moment be continued to deliver the message of the Supreme Lord to all people. This was the only purpose of his divine appearance in this world. He did not appear here by being forced by the laws of nature as an ordinary living being appears. He worked until the last moment of his life without any reservation, disregarding physical pleasure, comfort or relief to himself. His whole life was absorbed in a mood of loving devotion to the Lord. He was fully devoted to the propagation of the teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The noble example of his life and conduct, his powerful speeches and numerous publications are evidence to this fact.

In 1936 he was residing in Jagannatha Puri and on December 31st,

1936 at the age of sixty-two he left this mortal world and again re- entered the loving pastimes of Sri Sri Radha and Krishna in the sweetness of Braja Dham, the spiritual atmosphere.

con't

This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Krsna conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there. (3.21.20)

Sometimes it is asked how the living entity falls down from the spiritual world to the material world. Here is the answer. Unless one is elevated to the Vaikuntha planets, directly in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is prone to fall down, either from the impersonal Brahman realization or from an ecstatic trance of meditation. (3.25.29)

The pure status of consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, exists in the beginning; just after creation, consciousness is not polluted. The more one becomes materially contaminated, however, the more consciousness becomes obscured. In pure consciousness one can perceive a slight reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As in clear, unagitated water, free from impurities, one can see everything clearly, so in pure consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one can see things as they are. One can see the reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one can see his own existence as well. This state of consciousness is very pleasing, transparent and sober. In the beginning, consciousness is pure. (3.26.22)

In the beginning, from clear consciousness, or the pure state of Krsna consciousness, the first contamination sprang up. This is called false ego, or identification of the body as self. The living entity exists in the natural state of Krsna consciousness, but he has marginal independence, and this allows him to forget Krsna. Originally, pure Krsna consciousness exists, but because of misuse of marginal independence there is a chance of forgetting Krsna… From the status of pure consciousness, the false ego is born because of misuse of independence. We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. (3.26.23-24)

There are different kinds of individual living beings-some of them are in this material world, and some are in the spiritual world. Those who are in the spiritual world are known to be completely self-realized because on the spiritual platform the living entity is not forgetful of his service to the Lord. Therefore in the spiritual world all those who are in the devotional service of the Lord are eternally fixed, for they understand the position of the Supreme Being, as well as their individual constitution. (4.24.33)

It is clearly explained that Lord Krsna has multi-energies, which can be grouped into three: namely the external energy, the internal energy and the marginal energy. There are also different cosmic manifestations-namely the spiritual world and the material world-as well as different types of living entities. Some living entities are conditioned, and others are eternally free. The eternally free living entities are called nitya-mukta, for they never come in contact with the material energy. However, some living entities are conditioned in this material world, and thus they think themselves separated from the Supreme Lord. (4.24.61)

According to this explanation, one can clearly understand that originally the living entity was as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his pure, spiritual existence. However, when the mind becomes polluted by desires for sense gratification in the material world, the living entity drops into the material conditions, as explained in this verse. Thus he begins his material existence, which means that he transmigrates from one body to another and becomes more and more entangled in material existence. (4.29.75)

This ordinary living being is of two kinds-nitya-baddha or nitya-mukta. One is eternally conditioned and the other eternally liberated. The eternally liberated living beings are in the Vaikuntha jagat, the spiritual world, and they never fall into the material world. Those in the material world are conditioned souls, nitya-baddha. The nitya-baddhas can become liberated by controlling the mind because the cause of conditioned life is the mind. (5.11.12)

All the residents of Vaikunthaloka know perfectly well that their master is Narayana, or Krsna, and that they are all His servants. They are all self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. Although they could conceivably declare themselves Narayana or Visnu, they never do so; they always remain Krsna conscious and serve the Lord faithfully. Such is the atmosphere of Vaikunthaloka. (6.1.34-36)

From authoritative sources it can be discerned that associates of Lord Visnu who descend from Vaikuntha do not actually fall. They come with the purpose of fulfilling the desire of the Lord, and their descent to this material world is comparable to that of the Lord. The Lord comes to this material world through the agency of His internal potency, and similarly, when a devotee or associate of the Lord descends to this material world, he does so through the action of the spiritual energy. Any pastime conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an arrangement by yogamaya, not mahamaya. Therefore it is to be understood that when Jaya and Vijaya descended to this material world, they came because there was something to be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a fact that no one falls from Vaikuntha. (7.1.35)

The purport is that the personal associates of Lord Visnu in Vaikunthaloka are always liberated souls. Even if sometimes cursed or blessed, they are always liberated and never contaminated by the material modes of nature. Before their liberation to Vaikunthaloka they possessed material bodies, but once they come to Vaikuntha they no longer have them. Therefore even if the associates of Lord Visnu sometimes descend as if cursed, they are always liberated. (7.1.37)

Those who successfully practice bhakti-yoga go directly to the spiritual world after giving up this present body, and there they become situated in one of the Vaikuntha planets. The inhabitants of Vrndavana are all pure devotees. Their destination after quitting the body is Krsnaloka. They even surpass the Vaikuntha-lokas. The fact is that those who are always engaged in Krsna consciousness and mature, pure devotional service are given the chance, after death, to gain Krsna’s association in one of the universes within the material world…The mature devotees, who have completely executed Krsna consciousness, are immediately transferred to the universe where Krsna is appearing. In that universe the devotees get their first opportunity to associate with Krsna personally and directly. (Krsna Book, Ch 28)

The gopis who were gathered there had almost all been followers of the Vedas. In their previous births, during Lord Ramacandra’s advent, they had been Vedic scholars who desired the association of Lord Ramacandra in conjugal love. Ramacandra had given them the benediction that they would be present for the advent of Lord Krsna and He would fulfill their desires. During Krsna’s advent, the Vedic scholars took birth in the shape of the gopis in Vrndavana; as young gopis, they got the association of Krsna in fulfillment of their previous birth’s desire. (Krsna Book, Ch. 32)

The gopi associates of Krsna who assembled in the place where Krsna was appearing were from different groups. Most of the gopis were eternal companions of Krsna. As stated in the Brahma-Samhita, ananda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis: in the spiritual world the associates of Krsna, especially the gopis, are manifestations of the pleasure potency of Lord Krsna. They are expansions of Srimati Radharani. But when Krsna exhibits His transcendental pastimes within the material world in some of the universes, not only the eternal associates of Krsna come but also those who are being promoted to that status from this material world. So some of the gopis who joined Krsna’s pastimes within this material world were coming from the status of ordinary human beings. If they had been bound by fruitive action, they were fully freed from the reaction of karma by constant meditation on Krsna…The conditioned soul is subjected to birth and death, either by pious or sinful activities, but the gopis who began to meditate on Krsna transcended both positions and became purified and thus elevated to the status of the gopis already expanded by His pleasure potency. (Krsna Book, Ch. 29)

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur has written on the nature of jiva as follows:

"Before acquiring material designations, the living entity is supremely pure. Even though he is not engaged in serving the Supreme Lord, he remains situated in the neutral position of santa-rasa due to his marginal nature. Though the living entity born from the marginal potency does not at that time exhibit a taste for serving the Lord due to a lack of knowledge of self-realization, his direct propensity of serving the Supreme Lord nevertheless remains within him in a dormant state. Though the indirect propensity of material enjoyment, which is contrary to the service of the Lord, is not found in him at that time, indifference to the service of Hari and the seed of material enjoyment, which follows that state of indifference, are nevertheless present within him. The living entity, who belongs to the marginal potency, cannot remain indifferent forever by subduing both devotional and non-devotional propensities. He therefore contemplates unconstitutional activities from his marginal position. As a sleeping person dreams that he is active in the physical world without actually being involved in activities, when the dormant indifferent living entity of the marginal potency exhibits even a little apathy to the service of the Supreme Lord and situates himself in a neutral, unchanging condition for even a little time, he is infected by impersonalism. That is why the conditioned soul desires to merge in the impersonal Brahman, thus exhibiting his mind's fickle nature. But due to neglecting the eternal service of the Lord and thereby developing the quality of aversion to the Lord, he cannot remain fixed in that position. In this way aversion to the Lord breaks his concentration of mind and establishes him as the master of this world of enjoyment. (From 'Brahmana & Vaisnava')

Beauty of Math!

... don't leave out the dots if you say KRSNA...

...

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gHari thank you so much for helping all the assembvled devotees in cyber loka!!!

Hari bol

All Glories to Sri KRISHNA!!! :)

Here is what he is referring to in the writings of Sri Jiva Goswami from Paramatma Sandarbha:

evam ekasya purusasya nanatvam upapadya tasya punar amsa vivriyante. atra dvi-vidha amsah svamsa vibhinnamsac ca. vibhinnamsas tatastha-cakty-atmaka jiva iti vaksyate. svamsas tu guna-lila dy-avatara-bhedena vividhah. tatra lila dy-avatarah prasagga-saggatya sri-krsna-sandarbhe vaksyante.

evam thus; ekasya - of one; purusasya - purusa-avatar; nanatvam - variety; upapadya - is explained; tasya - of Him; punar - again; amsa - parts; vivriyante are explained; atra - here; dvi-vidha - two kinds; amsah - parts; svamsa - own parts; vibhinnamsac - separated parts; ca. - also; vibhinnamsas separated parts; tatastha-cakty- atmaka - marginal potency; jiva - individual souls; iti - thus; vaksyate. - will be explained; svamsas own parts; tu - but; guna- lila dy-avatara-bhedena - with differences oif guna and lila avataras; vividhah. - various; tatra - there; lila dy- avatarah beginning with lila avataras; prasagga-saggatya - by contact; sri-krsna-sandarbhe - in Sri Krsna-sandarbha; vaksyante. - will be explained; gunavatara guna avataras; yatha as.

"In this way it has been explained that although the purusa- avatara is a single person, He nevertheless expands in many different forms. The Supreme Personality of Godhead has two kinds of expansions: 1. svamsa (personal expansions), and 2. vibhinnamsa (separated expansions). The Lord's separated expansions are the individual spirit souls, who are all the Lord's marginal potency (tatastha-sakti). The Lord's personal expansions are His many incarnations, such as His guna-avatars and lila-avataras. The Lord's lila-avataras and other incarnations will be described later in the Sri Krsna-sandarbha.

tad evam ananta eva jivakhyas tatasthah caktayah. tatra tasam varga-dvayam. eko vargo 'nadita eva bhagavad-unmukhah. anyas tv anadita eva bhagavat-paragmukhah. svabhavatas tadiya- jnana-bhavat tadiya-jnanabhavac ca.

tat - that; evam - thus; ananta - limitless; eva - inded; jivakhyah - called individual souls; tatasthah - marginal; caktayah. - potencies; tatra - there; tasam - of them; varga-dvayam. - two groups; ekah - one; vargah - group; anadita - from time immemorial; eva - indeed; bhagavad-unmukhah. - favorable to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; anyah - others; tv - but; anadita - from time imemmorial; eva - indeed; bhagavat-paragmukhah. - averse to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; svabhavatah - by nature; tadiya - of Him; jana - knowledge; bhavat - because of the nature; tadiya - of Him; jnana - the knowledge; abhavat - because of the absence; ca - also.

Thus the Lord's marginal [tatasthah] potencies, who are called the individual spirit souls are limitless in number. Still, they may be divided into two groups: 1. the souls who, from time immemorial, are favorable to the Supreme Lord, and 2. the rebellious souls who, from time immemorial, are averse to the Supreme Lord. This is because one group is aware of the Lord's glories and the other group is not aware of them.

tatra prathamo 'ntaragga-sakti-vilasanugrhito nitya- bhagavat-parikara-rupo garudadikah. yathoktam padmottara-khande tri-pad-vibhuter lokas tu ity adau bhagavat-sandarbhodahrte. asya ca tatasthatvam jivatva-prasiddher isvaratva-kotav apravecat.

tatra - there; prathamah - first; antaragga-sakti - internal potency; vilasa - pastimes; anugrhitah - attained the mercy; nitya - eternal; bhagavat - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; parikara-rupah - the form of associates; garudadikah. - beginning with Garuda; yatha - as; uktam - said; padmottara-khande - in thje Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda; tri-pad-vibhuteh - of three fourths of the Lord's potencies; lokah - the world; tu - indeed; iti - thus; adau - beginning; bhagavat-sandarbhodahrte - dessribed in the Bhagavat-sandarbha; asya - of this; ca - also; tatasthatvam - the state of ebing the marginal potency; jivatva-prasiddheh - of the proof of being the individual spirit souls; isvaratva - of the status of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; kotau - on the edge; apravecat - because of not entering.

The first group consists of Garuda and the other eternal associates of the Lord, These devotees take shelter of the Lord's internal potency and enjoy pastimes with Him. They reside in the spiritual world, which will be described in the Bhagavat- sandarbha (anuccheda 78) where the following words of Padma Purana, Uttara-khanda are quoted:

"Countless blissful spiritual planets are in the spiritual sky, which is three fourths of the entire creation."

Thus, although the nature of the individual souls is on the borderline of the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the individual souls do not enter that nature. Thus they remain different from the Lord.

tad evam paramatmanas tatasthakhya saktir vivrta. antaraggakhya tu purvavad eva jYeya. atha bahiraggakhya vivriyate

tat - that; evam - thus; paramatmanah - of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; tatasthakhya - called the marginal potency; saktih - potency; vivrta. - revealed; antaraggakhya - called the internal potency; tu - indeed; purvavat - as before; eva - indeed; jYeya - should be known; atha - now; bahiraggakhya - called the external potency; vivriyate - is revealed.

In this way we have described the Lord's marginal potency. we have already described the Lord's internal potency."

• 
  
  This is from the 14th chapter of the Jaiva Dharma version from the Gaudiya Math:

   

  "Lord Krishna is the master of potencies in His perfect, original form. Srimati Radhika is the potency in its perfect, original form. Srimati Radhika is the original manifestation of the Lord's internal, spiritual potency. As musk is not different from its fragrance, and as fire is not different from its power to burn, so Radha and Krishna, who enjoy the nectar of transcendental pastimes together, are eternally different and not different from each other. From the internal potency, Sri Radha, are manifested the three potencies 'cit-shakti' (spirit), 'jiva-shakti' (the individual souls), and 'maya-shakti' (matter). These three are seen to be three different kinds of kriya-shakti (potency of action). The cit-shakti is also called 'antaranga-shakti', and the jiva shakti is also called 'tatastha-shakti'."

  
  

   

   

  And this is the same from HH Narayana Maharaja:

  • 
    "As Sri Krsna is the complete saktiman-tattva, Srimati Radhika is His complete sakti. She can be called the complete svarupa-sakti. So that They can enact and relish Their lila, Srimati Radhika and Krsna are eternally separate, but They are also eternally inseparable, just as musk and its scent are mutually inseparable, and fire and its heat cannot be separate from each other. That svarupa-sakti, Srimati Radhika, has three kinds of potency of activity (kriya-sakti). They are known as: cit-sakti, jiva-sakti and maya-sakti. The cit-sakti is also called the internal potency (antaranga-sakti); maya-sakti is called the external potency (bahiranga-sakti); and the jiva-sakti is called the marginal potency (tatastha-sakti)."
    

   

   

  So Balavidya Dasa presents a convoluted concoction as the basis for his thesis that there are no contradictions in what Srila Prabhupada wrote and said. He then tells us:

  • 
    "When the above paradigm of the creation is understood, then we can see that all Srila Prabhupada's statements concerning the "fall of the jiva" must be related to those jivas either within (2) the Casual Ocean, or (3) within Brahma-dhama, according to their particular context. If these "fall statements" are applied to the jivas within (4) the Paravyoma, the Abode of the Lord, then we will misunderstand and as a result perceive apparent contradictions within the teachings of the Vedas and Srila Prabhupada."
    

   

   

  How does this from a letter to Jagadisa fit into the above scenario:

  • 
    "Regarding your several questions: Where are the spirit souls coming from that are taking microbe bodies? It is not a matter of any particular body. These spirit souls and all spirit souls are coming from Vaikuntha, but in these material worlds they are taking various grades of bodies according to their material activities. There is no 'new' soul. 'New' and 'old' are due to this material body, but the soul is never born and never dies, so if there is no birth how there can be new soul?"
    

   

   

  Or this from a Bhagavad-Gita class:

  • 
    "We have also come down from Vaikuntha some millions and millions of years ago... "
    

   

   

  Or this letter:

  • 
    "We are all originally situated on the platform of Krsna consciousness in our eternal personal relationship of love of Krsna. But due to forgetfulness we become familiar with the material world or Maya. As soon as one chants the Hare Krsna Mantra with sincerity and without offense (you know there are ten kinds of offenses to the Holy Name which we are to avoid very, very carefully) his original Krsna consciousness is immediately revived. Krsna consciousness means to be always remembering Krsna in some way or other, just like we are immediately thinking of Krsna when we chant His Name, Krsna, and we are always thinking how we can do something nice to please Krsna with some service or other, or we are reading literature about Krsna or speaking about Krsna. In this way we are always remembering Krsna and that is our natural conscious state. So naturally everything about Krsna is originally known to us all and as soon as we begin to associate with the devotees of the Lord and chant His Holy Name, this memory gradually becomes stronger as we remember our constitutional position of always serving Krsna in different ways."
    

   

   

  Or this from Bhagavad-Gita class:

  • 
    "After all, the living entity falls down from the spiritual world. Just like Jaya Vijaya. There is possibility, if you do not stick to the spiritual principle, even if you are in Vaikuntha, you will fall down, what to speak of this material world? Because in the Vaikuntha or in the spiritual world, no contaminated soul can stay there. He will fall down."
    

   

  I don't think that devotees who see a contradiction in what Srila Prabhupada wrote or said, or who believe that Srila Prabhupada taught that the jivas in the material world have fallen from lila pastimes, should be seen as rascals and fools. This topic of the origin of the jiva is not so easily understood. If you strongly believe that the jivas were all originally in lila pastimes, then everything Srila Prabhupada wrote on this topic, even if it is deeply metaphorical (which oftentimes it is) you will see there what you want to see. And the places where Srila Prabhupada was more straightforward and literal when claiming the jiva came from Vaikuntha, if you strongly disagree with that, then you will see what you want to see. From my perspective this whole controversy is Krsna's arrangement in order that devotees will study very deeply the philosophy so that they can become better educated and more deeply in tune with the teachings brought by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Whether or not we came from lila doesn't change anything about our present circumstances, but studying the controversy can. So there should be no animosity between Vaisnavas over this topic, it is really just a philosophical exercise, and shouldn't be taken or used as some political tool in some foolish ego driven agenda.

Contradictory Statements on Fall of Jiva

BY: SHIVA DASA

Jan 8, MAUI, HAWAII (SUN) — Balavidya dasa has written what he considers to be the final word on the topic of the "Origin of The Jiva". He starts by first excoriating Deenanath dasa for this claim:

• 
  "It is a documented fact that Prabhupada made apparently contradictory statements regarding the origin of the jiva. Why he did so, only he knows. In such cases, it is not only prudent but essential to refer back to the statements of previous acaryas to resolve the issue. In terms of this issue, no other acaryas I am aware of have indicated that the origin of the jiva was in Krishna lila, other than those jivas who have been specifically deputed by Krishna for a specific purpose, as in the example of Jaya and Vijaya. Kailasa Candra prabhu's article documents that fact that there are no sastric verses to support the fall from Vaikuntha argument. Based on the sastric evidence and collated statements of various acaryas, one can conclude that his presentation is unbalanced and not a correct representation of the philosophy."
  

He then goes into a harangue about how there is really no contradiction in what Srila Prabhupada has spoken and written. Deenanath dasa was responding to Kailasa Candra dasa, who was making the case that the jiva was originally in Goloka or Vaikuntha. The first major problem is Balavidya's assertion that there are no contradictory statements by Srila Prabhupada on this topic. There are many quotes from Srila Prabhupada saying that the jiva was originally in Vaikuntha, there are also many quotes from Srila Prabhupada, other acaryas, and sastra which say that no one falls from the spiritual world. Clearly there are contradictory statements. But Balavidya dasa says those seeming contradictory statements are really not so. He then tries to prove his point. He says:

• 
  
  "The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode." Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.26
  Now is there anything clearer than the above? After reading the above, only a dumb fool or mischievous rascal will assert that the great acarya has not given a clear "conclusion" on the matter. Those who knowingly do not accept the above "conclusion" should not posture and parade themselves as disciples of Srila Prabhupada. They are deviants from Srila Prabhupada's "conclusion". And it is their misinterpretation of certain particular statements of Srila Prabhupada that is the cause of any "apparent contradiction", not the original teachings of Srila Prabhupada. "
  

This kind of rhetoric gives us a taste of the dismal philosophical outlook to follow in Balavidya's thesis. He simply dismisses everyone as fake disciples, rascals, and dumb fools, if they do not accept the above statement from Srila Prabhupada as the sole final word on the matter. Well, what about the countless times Srila Prabhupada said that the jiva was originally in Vaikuntha? I guess that doesn't matter to Balavidya dasa. Nevertheless those statements are real and are not the product of stupid people's fantasies. Do we get some type of reason to consider that all of those statements by Srila Prabhupada which are contradictory to the above statement should be neglected? Or that they mean something other then what Srila Prabhupada said? In his own way I guess the next part of his thesis is Balavidya's attempt to reconcile the apparent contradictory claims on the origin of the jiva by Srila Prabhupada.

He takes to the writings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in order to prove his point, specifically Jaiva Dharma. First off I would like to know whose translation he is using. The translations available for free on the Internet (one by the Gaudiya Math and another by HH Narayana Maharaja) is not the translation he is using. Both of those translations are similar, but they differ a bit in the wording. The translation Balavidya dasa is using differs profoundly from those translations. In fact, the translation he is using is putting forth a philosophy which seems to me to be contradictory to basic Gaudiya tattva. For example he writes:

• 
  "In Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Fifteen, Srila Bhaktivinoda describes three points of origin for the jiva. The jivas manifest (1) from Balaram in Goloka; (2) from Ananta in Vaikuntha; and (3) from Maha-Visnu in the Casual Ocean [see Appendix 2]. Those emanated from Balarama and Ananta-Sesa within the Paravyoma, the spiritual world, never fall for they have "attained the abode of the Lord". However, those emanated by Maha-Visnu within the Casual Ocean are not within the planetary "abodes of the Lord". They are the tatastha-sakti-jivas, who are balanced between the material world and the higher spiritual region, which are on either side of the Casual Ocean. Amongst them, those jivas that choose service to the Lord go directly to the spiritual world and thus never fall. And those jivas that choose service to themselves in rebellion to the Lord's supremacy "fall" to the material world [see Appendix 3]. Thus the initial fall of the tatastha-sakti-jiva is from the Casual Ocean, wherein the tatastha-jiva manifests from Maha-Visnu as an individual soul situated within His brahman effulgence."
  

Here he is making a distinction between "tatastha-sakti-jivas" and other types of jivas. He asks us to refer to the following quote from the translation of the Jaiva Dharma he is using in order to validate his claim:

• Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 15
  "As Sri Krsna, in Vraja, He brings into existence everything that is fully and wholly spiritual. In Vraja, expanded as Sri Balarama, He generates the nitya-siddha-parsada, the eternally liberated associates and servitors, who execute the eight types of devotional service to Him as Sri Krsna in Vraja. In Vaikuntha, Sri Balarama expands as Saìkarsana, Ananta Sesa, to generate the nitya-siddha-parsada of Sri Narayana who accomplish the eight kinds of service to Him as Sri Narayana in Vaikuntha. Sri Saìkarsana then further expands as Maha Visnu to preside over the maya-sakti. Maha Visnu generates the tatastha-sakti-jivas, borderline potency souls, who are susceptible to the influence of maya, and further expands accepting the form of Paramatma as the heart of the tatastha-sakti-jivas."
  

In the 2 other translations of the Jaiva Dharma we get a completely different understanding. This is the Gaudiya Math version of the above:

• 
  "In Vraja He appears in His original form, as Krishna, a form manifested by His complete potency. Appearing as Baladeva, He manifests His sesa-tattva (nature of Lord Sesa). In this way He manifests the eight kinds of services the eternally liberated associates offer to Him. Again in Vaikuntha He appears as Sesa-Sankarsana and manifests the eight kinds of service His eternal associates offer to Lord Narayana. Lord Sankarsana incarnates as Maha-Visnu. He becomes the resting-place of the jiva-shakti and appears as the Supersoul in the hearts of all the individual souls residing in the material world. All these individual souls are attracted to maya. As long as they do not attain the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and take shelter of the Lord's spiritual hladini-shakti, they are defeated by Maya. Numberless souls are defeated by Maya and cast into Her prison. They are the followers of Maya's three modes. The conclusion is this: the individual souls are manifested by the jiva-shakti. They are not manifested by the cit-shakti."
  

And here is HH Narayana Maharaja's translation:

• 
  "In His Krsna form in Vraja, He manifests all the spiritual affairs to the superlative degree. In His Baladeva svarupa as sesa-tattva, He manifests nitya-mukta-parsada-jivas, eternally liberated associates, who render eight types of service to Krsna sesitattva-svarupa, the origin of sesa-tattva. Again, as sesa-rupa Sankarsana in Paravyoma, He manifests eight types of servants to render eight kinds of services as eternally liberated associates of sesi-rupa Narayana. Maha-Visnu, who is an avatara of Sankarsana, situates Himself in the jiva-sakti, and in His Paramatma svarupa, He manifests the jivas who have the potential to be involved in the material world. These jivas are susceptible to the influence of maya, and unless they attain the shelter of the hladini-sakti of the cit-sakti by Bhagavan's mercy, the possibility of their being defeated by maya remains. The countless conditioned jivas who have been conquered by maya are subordinate to the three modes of material nature. Bearing all this in mind, the siddhanta is that it is only the jiva-sakti, and not the cit-sakti, that manifests the jivas."
  

Of the above 3, the first one of unknown origin presents obvious apasiddhanta, as will be shown. The other 2 have some difference between them, but neither makes the implication that the jivas in the spiritual world are not tatastha-sakti, and that tatastha-sakti refers solely to conditioned souls.

Let's examine Balavidya's version. The part I put in bold above reads:

• "Maha Visnu generates the tatastha-sakti-jivas, borderline potency souls, who are susceptible to the influence of maya, and further expands accepting the form of Paramatma as the heart of the tatastha-sakti-jivas."

• 
  
  Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya 20.108-109:
  
  jivera 'svarupa' haya -- krsnera 'nitya-dasa' krsnera 'tatastha-sakti' 'bhedabheda-prakasa' suryamsa-kirana, yaiche agni-jvala-caya svabhavika krsnera tina-prakara 'sakti' haya
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  jivera -- of the living entity; svarupa -- the constitutional position; haya -- is; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; nitya-dasa -- eternal servant; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; tatastha -- marginal; sakti -- potency; bheda-abheda -- one and different; prakasa -- manifestation; surya-amsa -- part and parcel of the sun; kirana -- a ray of sunshine; yaiche -- as; agni-jvala-caya -- molecular particle of fire; svabhavika -- naturally; krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; tina-prakara -- three varieties; sakti -- energies; haya -- there are.
  
  TRANSLATION
  
  "It is the living entity's constitutional position to be an eternal servant of Krsna because he is the marginal energy of Krsna and a manifestation simultaneously one with and different from the Lord, like a molecular particle of sunshine or fire. Krsna has three varieties of energy.
  
  PURPORT
  Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains these verses as follows: Sri Sanatana Gosvami asked Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Who am I?" In answer, the Lord replied, "You are a pure living entity. You are neither the gross material body nor the subtle body composed of mind and intelligence. Actually you are a spirit soul, eternally part and parcel of the Supreme Soul, Krsna. Therefore you are His eternal servant. You belong to Krsna's marginal potency. There are two worlds -- the spiritual world and the material world -- and you are situated between the material and spiritual potencies. You have a relationship with both the material and the spiritual world; therefore you are called the marginal potency. You are related with Krsna as one and simultaneously different. Because you are spirit soul, you are one in quality with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but because you are a very minute particle of spirit soul, you are different from the Supreme Soul. Therefore your position is simultaneously one with and different from the Supreme Soul. The examples given are those of the sun itself and the small particles of sunshine and of a blazing fire and the small particles of fire." Another explanation of these verses can be found in Adi-lila, Chapter Two, verse 96."
  

Here we are being told in no uncertain terms that the "constitutional position", the "svarupa" of the jiva, is tatastha-sakti. What is meant by "constitutional"? Since it is describing the jiva, it is being used as an adjective, which has the following meaning:

Forming an essential element, as arising from the basic structure of an individual, inherent, constituting or forming part of the essence of something.

The word "constitutional" is used as a translation of "svarupa" within the context of the verse. Usually svarupa is translated as "form' or "true self" or "identity" etc. The basic idea of the verse is in telling us that the jiva's true self or identity, or that which is inherent and essential to the jiva, is that the jiva is a servant of the Lord because the jiva is the tatastha-sakti of the Lord.

• 
  
  Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 2.96:
  
  krsnera svarupa, ara sakti-traya-jnana yanra haya, tanra nahi krsnete ajnana
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  krsnera -- of Lord Krsna; sva-rupa -- the real nature; ara -- and; sakti-traya -- of the three energies; jnana -- knowledge; yanra -- whose; haya -- there is; tanra -- of him; nahi -- there is not; krsnete -- in Lord Krsna; ajnana -- ignorance.
  
  TRANSLATION
  
  "One who knows the real feature of Sri Krsna and His three different energies cannot remain ignorant about Him.
  
  PURPORT
  
  Srila Jiva Gosvami states in his Bhagavat-sandarbha (16) that by His potencies, which act in natural sequences beyond the scope of the speculative human mind, the Supreme Transcendence, the summum bonum, eternally and simultaneously exists in four transcendental features: His personality, His impersonal effulgence, particles of His potency (the living beings), and the principal cause of all causes. The Supreme Whole is compared to the sun, which also exists in four features, namely the personality of the sun-god, the glare of his glowing sphere, the sun rays inside the sun planet, and the sun's reflections in many other objects. The ambition to corroborate the existence of the transcendental Absolute Truth by limited conjectural endeavors cannot be fulfilled, because He is beyond the scope of our limited speculative minds. In an honest search for truth, we must admit that His powers are inconceivable to our tiny brains. The exploration of space has demanded the work of the greatest scientists of the world, yet there are countless problems regarding even fundamental knowledge of the material creation that bewilder scientists who confront them. Such material knowledge is far removed from the spiritual nature, and therefore the acts and arrangements of the Absolute Truth are, beyond all doubts, inconceivable.
  
  The primary potencies of the Absolute Truth are mentioned to be three: internal, external and marginal. By the acts of His internal potency, the Personality of Godhead in His original form exhibits the spiritual cosmic manifestations known as the Vaikunthalokas, which exist eternally, even after the destruction of the material cosmic manifestation. By His marginal potency the Lord expands Himself as living beings who are part of Him, just as the sun distributes its rays in all directions. By His external potency the Lord manifests the material creation, just as the sun with its rays creates fog. The material creation is but a perverse reflection of the eternal Vaikuntha nature.
  
  These three energies of the Absolute Truth are also described in the Visnu Purana, where it is said that the living being is equal in quality to the internal potency, whereas the external potency is indirectly controlled by the chief cause of all causes. Maya, the illusory energy, misleads a living being as fog misleads a pedestrian by blocking off the light of the sun. Although the potency of maya is inferior in quality to the marginal potency, which consists of the living beings, who are part and parcel of the Lord, it nevertheless has the power to control the living beings, just as fog can block the actions of a certain portion of the sun's rays although it cannot cover the sun. The living beings covered by the illusory energy evolve in different species of life, with bodies ranging from that of an insignificant ant to that of Brahma, the constructor of the cosmos. The pradhana, the chief cause of all causes in the impersonal vision, is none other than the Supreme Lord, whom one can see face to face in the internal potency. He takes the material all-pervasive form by His inconceivable power. Although all three potencies -- namely internal, external and marginal -- are essentially one in the ultimate issue, they are different in action, like electric energy, which can produce both cold and heat under different conditions. The external and marginal potencies are so called under various conditions, but in the original, internal potencies there are no such conditions, nor is it possible for the conditions of the external potency to exist in the marginal, or vice versa. One who is able to understand the intricacies of all these energies of the Supreme Lord can no longer remain an empiric impersonalist under the influence of a poor fund of knowledge."
  
  
  Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Adi 2.101-104:
  
  cic-chakti, svarupa-sakti, antaranga nama tahara vaibhava ananta vaikunthadi dhama
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  cit-sakti -- spiritual energy; svarupa-sakti -- personal energy; antah-anga -- internal; nama -- named; tahara -- of that; vaibhava -- manifestations; ananta -- unlimited; vaikuntha-adi -- Vaikuntha, etc.; dhama -- abodes.
  
  TRANSLATION
  
  "The cit-sakti, which is also called svarupa-sakti or antaranga-sakti, displays many varied manifestations. It sustains the kingdom of God and its paraphernalia
  
  maya-sakti, bahiranga, jagat-karana tahara vaibhava ananta brahmandera gana
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  maya-sakti -- the illusory energy; bahih-anga -- external; jagat-karana -- the cause of the universe; tahara -- of that; vaibhava -- manifestations; ananta -- unlimited; brahma-andera -- of universes; gana -- multitudes.
  
  TRANSLATION
  
  The external energy, called maya-sakti, is the cause of innumerable universes with varied material potencies.
  
  jiva-sakti tatasthakhya, nahi yara anta mukhya tina sakti, tara vibheda ananta
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  jiva-sakti -- the energy of the living entity; tata-stha-akhya -- known as marginal; nahi -- there is not; yara -- of which; anta -- end; mukhya -- principal; tina -- three; sakti -- energies; tara -- of them; vibheda -- varieties; ananta -- unlimited.
  
  TRANSLATION
  
  The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies, which have unlimited categories and subdivisions.
  
  e-mata svarupa-gana, ara tina sakti sabhara asraya krsna, krsne sabhara sthiti
  
  SYNONYMS
  
  e-mata -- in this way; svarupa-gana -- personal forms; ara -- and; tina -- three; sakti -- energies; sabhara -- of the whole assembly; asraya -- the shelter; krsna -- Lord Krsna; krsne -- in Lord Krsna; sabhara -- of the whole assembly; sthiti -- the existence.
  
  TRANSLATION
  These are the principal manifestations and expansions of the Personality of Godhead and His three energies. They are all emanations from Sri Krsna, the Transcendence. They have their existence in Him."
  

The idea that tatastha-sakti only refers to a jiva in the material world is a concoction. All jivas are the tatastha-sakti of the Lord.

From Mahaprabhura Siksa: The Teachings of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu by Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

• 
  
  Sri Jiva says:
  
  tad evam ananta eva jivakhyas tatasthah saktayah tatra tasam varga-dvayam eko vargo' nadita
  
  eva bhagavad-unmukhah anyas tv anadita eva bhagavat-paranmukhah svabhavatas tadiya-jnana-bhavat tadiya-jnanabhavat ca tatra prathamo' ntaranga- sakti vilasanu grhito nitya-bhagavat-parikara rupo garudadikah asya ca tatasthatvam jivatva-prasiddher isvaratva-kotav apravesat aparam tu tat paranmukhatva- dosena labdha-chidraya mayaya paribhutah samsari
  "The number of jivas is unlimited. They are divided into two classes. One class is favorable to the Lord without beginning. The other class is averse to the Lord without beginning. The first class is favorable to the Lord because of knowledge of relationship with the Lord. The second class is averse to the Lord because of lack of that knowledge. The favorable jivas are all recipients of the Lords splendid internal energy. They are the eternal associates of the Lord, such as Garuda. They are not in the category of the Lord, as in shown by the scriptures. They are still tatastha or jiva. The second class of jivas is devoid of the help of the internal energy as they are averse to the Lord. Because of this lack, they are overwhelmed by maya and take repeated birth in the material world."
  

KRISHNA or

KRSNA

For preaching? For us teeny devotees?

Which form do you prefer?

No Contradiction in Teachings of Srila Prabhupada on the Fall of the Jiva

BY: BALAVIDYA DASA

Jan 7, USA (SUN) — In the 'fall of the jiva' discussion, Deenanath dasa has asserted that "Prabhupada made apparently contradictory statements regarding the origin of the jiva". Such assertion that the statements of the great Acarya on this topic are somehow or other "contradictory" is quite thoughtless. At the very least, upon hearing apparently contradictory statements, we should intellectually step back and consider the possibility that the "contradiction" might be within our understanding, not the statements of Srila Prabhupada. However, few writers on this topic do so, and so it has become a common assertion that the statements of Srila Prabhupada on this topic actually are "contradictory". However those that have studied Srila Prabhupada over many years will know that his teachings are certainly characterized by a brilliant clarity, rather than any "apparent contradiction". In fact, an undoubted genius of Srila Prabhupada was his ability to present Vedic siddhanta with striking precision and lucidity. With this in mind, writers on this topic would do better to consider with humility that the source of the apparent contradiction is within their immature grasp of siddhanta rather than the statements of Srila Prabhupada.

• 
  "The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode."
  Purport, Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.16.26
  

Now is there anything clearer than the above? After reading the above, only a dumb fool or mischievous rascal will assert that the great acarya has not given a clear "conclusion" on the matter. Those who knowingly do not accept the above "conclusion" should not posture and parade themselves as disciples of Srila Prabhupada. They are deviants from Srila Prabhupada's "conclusion". And it is their misinterpretation of certain particular statements of Srila Prabhupada that is the cause of any "apparent contradiction", not the original teachings of Srila Prabhupada.

These confused deviants have invented a phrase to serve their egoistic motives; this term is "Prabhupada siddhanta". Like the bogus Rtviks, they claim that because Srila Prabhupada is such a great acarya he can give a conclusion that is in opposition to the Vedas. These deviants are so stupid that they cannot see that this idea is not praise, but rather an insult to a great acarya. Great acaryas never stray from the conclusions of guru, sadhu and sastra. And to imply that Srila Prabhupada invented a new original "Prabhupada siddhanta" that differs from the Vedas is offensive and ridiculous. Moreover, in the light of the above quotation from his purport, it is groundless.

The Vedic conclusion is that no-one upon attaining the spiritual world will fall from that Supreme Eternal Abode:

• 
  "That which the Vedantists describe as unmanifest and infallible, that which is known as the supreme destination, that place from which, having attained it, one never returns-that is My supreme abode."
  Bhagavad-gita 8.21
  

Sri Krsna's above statement is one of a great many throughout the Vedas that consistently elucidate that no one falls from that Supreme Eternal Abode. The Vedanta-sutra of Veda-Vyasa even ends on this very point. [Kindly see Appendix One as below.]

Therefore, the intelligent faithful devotee will understand that there are no internal contradictions within Srila Prabhupada's teachings, and furthermore no contradiction between the conclusion of Srila Prabhupada and the Vedic conclusion. Of course.

However, for the thoughtful devotee upon reading the appendix below and the previous quotes, a question may arise: Srila Prabhupada certainly explains that the jiva "falls" into the grip of the material energy. Therefore, if he has not fallen from the spiritual world, then from where has he fallen?

For those who consider that there is only (1) the spiritual world; and (2) the material world, this question certainly creates a conundrum. With their poor fund of knowledge, they consider that the only place to fall into the material world is from the spiritual world. Thus they perceive a "contradiction". Actually, with this perception, the "contradiction" they perceive is not only in Srila Prabhupada's writing but also within the Vedas. To put it simply, the perceived contradiction is that if no one falls from the spiritual world, then how are souls falling into the material world?

The root of this perceived contradiction is the mistaken premise is that there is only (1) the spiritual world; and (2) the material world. This dual division is in fact a very immature and crude vision of the Lord's multifarious creation. The acaryas and the Vedas do not propound such a simplistic paradigm. In the Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Thirty-One, Srila Bhaktivinoda elucidates the actual divisions through which a devotee should view the Lord's creation:

• 
  "This is an extremely esoteric subject. You already know that Krsna's vibhuti, divine opulence, is divided into four parts. Three parts are displayed in the spiritual world and the remaining one part in the material world. This single part, the domain of the maya-sakti, manifests the entire material cosmos, consisting of the fourteen planetary systems. Between the material world, on one side, and the spiritual world, on the other, a mass of water churns known as the Viraja River. The cit-jagat, spiritual world, is surrounded on all sides by the brilliant peripheral zone known as Brahma-dhama, beyond which, in the paravyoma, spiritual sky, the spiritual planets of Vaikuntha are situated."
  

Srila Bhaktivinoda thus gives four distinct divisions of creation: (1) the material world; (2) the Viraja, the Casual Ocean; (3) Brahma-dhama, the abode of the brahmajyoti; (4) the Paravyoma, the spiritual sky, wherein the various abodes of the Lord are situated, which culminate in the Goloka planet.

No one, of course, falls from (1) the material world, for that is the already fallen condition. No one falls from (4) the spiritual world, the Paravyoma, for that is the abode of the Lord from where no one falls, as the Vedas and Srila Prabhupada inform above. This leaves (2) and (3). The errant souls fall into the material world from both these places. Having attained (3) Brahma-dhama through impersonal sadhana in the material world, or through being killed by the Lord, souls fall from this region of the brahmajyoti to the material world, for they lack devotion to the Lord. However, this is not their initial fall. The initial fall takes place from (2), the Casual Ocean.

In Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Fifteen, Srila Bhaktivinoda describes three points of origin for the jiva. The jivas manifest (1) from Balaram in Goloka; (2) from Ananta in Vaikuntha; and (3) from Maha-Visnu in the Casual Ocean [see Appendix 2]. Those emanated from Balarama and Ananta-Sesa within the Paravyoma, the spiritual world, never fall for they have "attained the abode of the Lord". However, those emanated by Maha-Visnu within the Casual Ocean are not within the planetary "abodes of the Lord". They are the tatastha-sakti-jivas, who are balanced between the material world and the higher spiritual region, which are on either side of the Casual Ocean. Amongst them, those jivas that choose service to the Lord go directly to the spiritual world and thus never fall. And those jivas that choose service to themselves in rebellion to the Lord's supremacy "fall" to the material world [see Appendix 3]. Thus the initial fall of the tatastha-sakti-jiva is from the Casual Ocean, wherein the tatastha-jiva manifests from Maha-Visnu as an individual soul situated within His brahman effulgence.

When the above paradigm of the creation is understood, then we can see that all Srila Prabhupada's statements concerning the "fall of the jiva" must be related to those jivas either within (2) the Casual Ocean, or (3) within Brahma-dhama, according to their particular context. If these "fall statements" are applied to the jivas within (4) the Paravyoma, the Abode of the Lord, then we will misunderstand and as a result perceive apparent contradictions within the teachings of the Vedas and Srila Prabhupada. A number of persons are obviously in this mistaken condition and are foolishly asserting that the contradictions are caused by Srila Prabhupada statements. Actually, their confusion is rooted in their immature realization based on a poor fund of knowledge. Instead of humbly accepting this lack of knowledge as the cause of the apparent contradiction, they foolishly challenge the authority of the Vedas by declaring that jivas are falling from the transcendental abode of the Lord and compound their misbehavior by then declaring that Srila Prabhupada's teachings are "apparently contradictory".

For the sake of brevity, we have tried to be as concise as possible in this essay. The following appendixes expand and support the matter. However those who are interested in contemplating this interesting point of siddhanta in even more depth are encouraged to read the Jaiva-dharma, particularly the Fifteenth Chapter. Srila Prabhupada recommends the Jaiva-dharma:

• 
  "So Bhaktivinoda Thakura happens to be acaryas, one of the acaryas. And he has left behind him many books. Caitanya-siksamrta, Jaiva Dharma. These are very important books."
  Srila Prabhupada, London, 9.3.1971
  

Finally, one should note that those persons who do not accept the conclusions of the acaryas and the Vedas are known as pasandis, atheists. And thus their association should be avoided.

We hope this is found helpful, Your servant,

Balavidya dasa

<CENTER>Appendix 1

Vedanta-sutra, 4th Adhaya, Pada 4, Adhikarana 11

The Liberated Soul Never Returns</CENTER>

Introduction by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana

Now will be explained the truth that the liberated soul has the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead eternally.

Visaya (the subject to be discussed): All scriptural statements describing the soul's entrance into the spiritual realm of the Supreme Lord are here the subject of discussion.

Samsaya (doubt): Does the liberated soul stay in the spiritual world eternally, or does he not stay there eternally?

Purvapaksa (the opponent speaks): The spiritual world is a place like Svargaloka or any other place. As one may fall down from Svargaloka, so one may also fall down from the spiritual world. Therefore the liberated soul does not necessarily stay in the spiritual world eternally.

Siddhanta (conclusion): In the following words the author of the sutras gives His conclusion.

Sutra 22

<CENTER>anavrttih sabdad anavrttih sabdat </CENTER>

an-without; avrttih-return; sabdat-because of the scriptures.

No return, because of the scriptures. No return, because of the scriptures.

Purport by Srila Baladeva Vidyabhusana

A devotee who faithfully worships and serves the Supreme Lord and then goes to the Lord's spiritual world, never returns. How is that known? The sutra explains, "sabdat" (because of the scriptures). In the Chandogya Upanisad (4.15.6) it is said:

<CENTER>etena pratipadyamana imam manavam avartam navartante </CENTER>

"They who enter the spiritual world never return to the world of men."

In the Chandogya Upanisad (4.15.1) it is said:

<CENTER>sa khalv eva vartayan yavad ayusam brahmalokam abhisampadyate. na ca punar avartate. </CENTER>

"Leaving this life, he enters the spiritual world. He never returns."

In the Bhagavad-gita (8.15 and 16) Lord Krsna declares:

<CENTER>mam upetya punar janma

duhkhalayam asasvatam

napnuvanti mahatmanah

samsiddhim paramam gatah </CENTER>

"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection.*

<CENTER>a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah

punar avartino 'rjuna

mam upetya tu kaunteya

punar janma na vidyate </CENTER>

"From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again."*

In the Bhagavad-gita (8.15 and 16) Lord Krsna also declares:

Here someone may express the following fear: Lord Hari is all-powerful, the master of all, perhaps at some point in time He may throw the liberated soul out of the spiritual world. Or perhaps the liberated soul may at some time voluntarily leave the spiritual world.

There is no need to fear in this way, for Lord Krsna has explained in Bhagavad-gita (7.17):

<CENTER>priyo hi jnanino tv artham

aham sa ca mama priyah </CENTER>

"Of these, the wise one who is in full knowledge in union with Me through devotional service is the best. For I am very dear to him, and he is very dear to Me."

Lord Krsna also declares in Srima-Bhagavatam (9.4.68):

<CENTER>sadhavo hrdayam mahyam

sadhunam hrdayam tv aham </CENTER>

"The pure devotee is always in the core of My heart, and I am always in the heart of the pure devotee. My devotees do not know anything else but Me, and I do not know anyone else but them."

In these words the mutual love of the Lord and His devotee is described.

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (9.4.65) Lord Krsna declares:

<CENTER>ye daragara-putraptan

pranan vittam imam param

hitva mam saranam yatah

katham tams tyaktum utsahe </CENTER>

"Since pure devotees give up their homes, wives, children, relatives, riches, and even their lives simply to serve Me, without any material improvement in this life or in the next, how can I give up such devotees at any time?"

In Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.8.6) it is also said:

<CENTER>dhautatma purusah krsna-

pada-mulam na muncati

mukta-sarva-pariklesah

panthah sva-saranam yatha </CENTER>

"A pure devotee of the Lord whose heart has once been cleansed by the process of devotional service never relinquishes the lotus feet of Lord Krsna, for they fully satisfy him, as a traveler is satisfied at home after a troubled journey."

In this way the scriptures explain that the Supreme Personality of Godhead will never abandon His devotee and the devotee will always ardently love the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always truthful and His desires are always at once fulfilled. He is an ocean of love for they who take shelter of Him. He washes away the ignorance that made His devotees turn from Him. Once He brings back to Himself His dear devotees, who are His parts and parcels, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not again let them go.

In the same way the individual soul, who had been searching for happiness and who finally has turned from the pathetic, wretched, pale reflection of happiness he had for many births sought in the material world in many ways, and who now, by the mercy of the bona-fide spiritual master has understood the truth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, of whom he is a part and parcel, who now has no desire apart from the Supreme Lord, who is now purely engaged in devotional service to the Supreme Lord, and who has now attained the Supreme Lord, whose spiritual form is filled with limitless bliss, and who is the merciful friend and master, will never desire to leave such a Lord. In this way the truth is understood from the scriptures. This truth is understood only by taking shelter of the scriptures. The words of the sutra are repeated to indicate the conclusion of the book.

<CENTER>Appendix 2

Jaiva-dharma, Chapter 15</CENTER>

"As Sri Krsna, in Vraja, He brings into existence everything that is fully and wholly spiritual. In Vraja, expanded as Sri Balarama, He generates the nitya-siddha-parsada, the eternally liberated associates and servitors, who execute the eight types of devotional service to Him as Sri Krsna in Vraja. In Vaikuntha, Sri Balarama expands as Saìkarsana, Ananta Sesa, to generate the nitya-siddha-parsada of Sri Narayana who accomplish the eight kinds of service to Him as Sri Narayana in Vaikuntha. Sri Saìkarsana then further expands as Maha Visnu to preside over the maya-sakti. Maha Visnu generates the tatastha-sakti-jivas, borderline potency souls, who are susceptible to the influence of maya, and further expands accepting the form of Paramatma as the heart of the tatastha-sakti-jivas."

<CENTER>Appendix 3

Jaiva-dharma, Chapter Fifteen</CENTER>

In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad, 2.2.20, we find:

<CENTER>yathagneh ksudra visphuliìga vyuccaranti evam

evasmad atmanah sarvani bhutani vyuccaranti </CENTER>

"'Just as innumerable sparks cascade out of a flame, similarly, from Sri Krsna, who is the Atma, the Universal Soul, the jivas emanate who are His separated parts and parcels.'

"In another part of the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad, 4.3.9, we find:

<CENTER>tasya va etasya purusasya dve eva sthane bhavata

idam ca paraloka-sthanam ca sandhyam trtiyam

svapna-sthanam tasmin sandhye sthane tisthan ete

ubhe sthane pasyati idam ca paraloka-sthanam ca </CENTER>

"'The jiva has access to two places, both of which he may seek, this material world and the spiritual realm. He is situated in svapna-sthanam, the dream-like third state, on the margin of these two worlds. From that middle position he is able to see both the material and the spiritual worlds.'

"Further, the following statement from the Brhad-aranyaka, 4.3.18, describes the nature of the marginal position of the jiva:

<CENTER>tad yatha maha matsya ubhe kule'

nusancarati purvam ca param caivam

evayam purusa etav ubhav antav

anusancarati svapnantam ca buddhantam ca </CENTER>

"'The symptoms of the marginal existence are like those of a huge aquatic who is capable of living on both the eastern and western sides of the river at his own will. Similarly, the jiva soul, situated within the waters of the Causal Ocean, which lies between the material and spiritual worlds, is able to reside in both the dream world of matter and the spiritual world of divine wakefulness."

<CENTER>Aum Tat Sat</CENTER>

WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS?

Is it a bogus quote?

Tell the truth, where did you find this?

 

awaiting confirmation,

Bhaktajan

 

Allow me to paraphrase: "If you give away sastra without a donation, they will think it is cheap and therefore, they will not read."

 

please correct me.

Srila Prabhupada October 27, 1968

"If anybody calls for meeting and lecturing, we must charge. And if they want to hear free, they may come to our temple. Don't become cheap. My Guru Maharaja used to say: "If somebody becomes cheap, then nobody hears him.":deal:

The best years of my life

<!-- end .post-top --><!-- the main section of the post goes here -->By Svarupa dasa

The following is an interesting story I heard I would like to share with all the devotees -

“I first saw the devotees in 1967 on TV; I was in year eight at school and was immediately attracted. In 1970, while coming down from an acid trip, someone handed me a BTG. In 1971 I watched Srila Prabhupada arriving at Sydney also on TV and the next day was on my way to Sydney. Feeling unqualified, I went bush to mediate and chant Hare Krishna, I learnt the chant from the Radha Krishna Album and the Beatles.

Arriving in Sydney I went to the Paddington Temple and to me it was like the top of a huge mountain. Eventually I went in and Upananda prabhu spoke to me and asked me to read Krsna Book while he and Caru cooked. It would take another year before I moved into the Temple after becoming materially exhausted and praying for guidance and ending up on the steeps of the Melbourne on Lord Caitanya’s appearance day 1972; I was initiated by Srila Prabhupada on July 10th 1972, then received 2nd initiation in early 73.

The best years were those early years of Book distribution, Street Sankirtan and prasadam. You know, we never even drank a soft drink in those days, if it was not prepared by devotees and offered to the Dieties, then we would not eat.

Recently when I was very ill, the only remembrance I had was from 1972 to 74, they where the best years, the years that left the most blissful impressions. Always meeting Srila Prabhupada at the Airport, The first Rathayatra that I helped organise with Upananda prabhu, the first travelling Temple, the beginning of book distribution, the most amazing, blissful, ecstatic atmosphere Srila Prabhupada’s chanting created at 14 Burnett St in St Kilda that has never been repeated to this day. Going to the Airport to pick up yjr first full version of Bhagavad gita as it is on Australian soil!

The dancing with Prabhupada at the 73 and 74 Rathayatra, the book distribution with the great Buddimanta prabhu (an amazing devotee to watch how he distributed books) Tripurari, who was/is so attached to always chanting japa and also a brilliant humble book distributor. Hari Sauri, Balarama, Gopinathacharya, Yasomatinandana, Gopi kanta, Chittahari, Sanak, Dvaipayana, the best halava maker in the movement!, Gauramandalabhumi, Antaratma, Samjata, Kurma the great cook of Basmati rice, Sahadeva, Shivinath, (who made the best ’simply wonderfuls’) Jayadharma who managed Spiritual Sky, Dhoumya (who made the first four meter (12 feet) tall Deity of Lord Caitanya in Australia for the 1972 Rathayatra festival and who chanted with me for what was the first time for devotees in Adelaide in 1972). Ganesa (who once sold all of Prabhupada’s books to an out back aboriginal who was on his way to the market with the aboriginal communities monthly allowance, Ganesa got it all! Although Madhuvisa eventually gave the money back and told them to keep the transcendantal Books), Kuntibhoja, who was on that first travelling Temple.

Also there was Bhakta Phil (now Subhapati who went on to establish the Murwillumbah Hare Krishna community New Govardhana), a young Bhakta called John, who I showed how to play the mrdanga drum in Hobart Tasmania, (now Ramai Swami and GBC member). Prabhupada even wrote a letter thanking us for taking his books and the chanting of Hare Krishna to the very ends of the planet (Tasmania also known as Van Demons land!). Also, who could ever forget the Kirtans from (the then) Emperor of Kirtan Madhuvisa Swami and the first ever Travelling Temple in 1972.

And many, many more ISKCON pastimes, like the fantastic women book distributors like Subhalaksmi devi-dasi and Gopala devi-dasi. I once drove a van load of them from Melbourne to Sydney chanting Hare Krishna all the way, every service station and Town we stopped in they were not satisfied until they distributed some of Prabhupada’s books. The memories, too many to write here, flowed through me that I was in tears, even though alone without any associating of present day devotees, I still had Prabhupada. I listed to Prabhupada chanting, that’s all I had, the 1966 Hare Krishna mantra. It was, as if he was saying to me, ‘just love me and I will protect you from all this’

ALSO A FOOT NOTE ON THE 1976 STORY

Many years later in 1990 the head Catholic fundamentalist Christian that threatened Srila Prabhupada’s life and Melbourne devotees, had become very ill and was dying, he had already had the bottom part of one leg amputated. One afternoon, the then Temple President Balarama Prabhu got an unusual phone call; it was from this man Erickson. He told Balarama what he did was wrong and felt ashamed and sorry for his actions. Balarama forgave the man and told him there is no difference between his God and Lord Krishna. The man replies ‘I think I understand that now’ The mercy of the devotees are boundless!!”

When's the Time for Raganuga, Anyway?

by Niscala dasi

Posted on chakra.org January 6, 2008

In Srila Prabhupada's books we see a stress on the need for following sadhana bhakti- up to a point- and then rejecting rules and regulations in favor of the spontaneous loving platform. The difficulty is knowing exactly when to make the transition, and again Srila Prabhupada's books have the answer- when one is pure, free from material desires. But this presents another problem- devotees never think themselves pure, or advanced. So does this mean that by definition, devotees never approach raganuga? That cannot be right as the implication of this would render meaningless much of Srila Prabhupada's teachings and that of the line of acaryas before him. How can one approach raganuga while still maintaining the vaisnava standard of humility? Is it that when one is free from material desires one is automatically in raganuga, without even knowing it? That cannot be so, for then there would be no meaning to the instruction to give up rules and regulations. Clearly there must be a conscious deliberate move towards it, and one not based on an assessment of one's personal level of purity. What then is the basis of this conscious decision to move towards spontaneity?

Fortunately Srila Prabhupada gives some enlightening examples of spontaneous service. A servant is forbidden to enter the king's bed chamber and on no account is he to wake the king- that is his firm instruction. One night, however, he notices the chamber is on fire and he spontaneously breaks all rules to serve the king. Then there is the example of the gopis and elderly cowherd women, who broke religious rules that forbid one to act disrespectfully towards the Lord, by offering Him their foot dust, scolding him and so on. Similarly, the servant of Ramanuja Acarya was given a firm instruction not to lie on his master's bed, yet he was found to do so- with the reason that he wanted to make sure it was comfortable enough to sleep on. In these examples, there is never an assessment of "I have served these regulations for 25 years. Now it is time to become spontaneous". Such a calculation is like saying I will become wet by staying dry. Calculation does not enter into spontaneity, by definition. Should we then wait for some event to happen that spurs us on towards spontaneity? Is that all that is required? Why then an instruction to give up rules and regulations at some point, if all that is required is for the right event to occur? Indeed, the Brahmans were given the same opportunity as the gopis to offer their foot dust and they refused. Some may say that they didn't have the mercy of the Lord, which is not true, for soon after they realized their mistake. They could not have gotten this realization without the Lord's mercy.

Let us return to the first example. Clearly the servant is breaking the letter of the law to serve the spirit of the law which is the wellbeing of the king. Similarly, the gopis scolded Krsna and gave Krsna their foot dust, and even broke all the religious regulations for married women, specifically for the purpose of serving the very spirit and essence of religion- expressing love for God. It seems that while following rules and regulations, these servants of the Lord did not consider them very important, and certainly did not consider them the basis of their love. Yet in our temples we see, painted all over, the assumption that one can judge a person's merit by how many mangalarati's he attends each week, and, generally speaking, how strictly he follows all the rules and regulations, right up to how perfect he has applied his tilaka.

Yet it is not right either to assume that everyone who is following strictly is "stuck in the rut" and "following the rules and regulations for the sake of following". That is not the import of these stories. Rather, they show that possessing a strong desire to cultivate the spirit and essence of the rules is part of, and precedent to, spontaneity. One who is trying to be spontaneous does not try see a rule on its own, but in its relation to the spirit and essence of a thing, which sometimes it may serve, and sometimes not. It is not hard to see from even a brief perusal of our books that the essence of our practice is love for Krsna, and that part of that essence is to love His devotees, and all things associated with Him- which are expressions of his creative delight. In order to develop this love, and avoid the anarthas which choke it, one requires a vigilance which gives birth to the qualities of a devotee- one tolerates, humbles oneself, subdues ones passions, works for another's benefit, to this end. One attempts to love and serve all living entities because they are related to the Lord, being inseparable from Him. To the extent that one focuses on this inner development, to that extent he sees the rules and regulations as external. Thus, even as the devotee is performing them, he is ready to give them up at any time, if for example, they are found to be infusing a sense of pride and superiority, or are procuring for him the undesirable situation of being adored and honored as very advanced. He may miss mangalarati or even the whole morning program just to counsel or offer comfort to a fellow devotee who is having a crisis of faith, or is distressed in some way. This is a good example of spontaneous love.

After all, the process we are following is about purification- and it is specifically purification of motives. If ones is following the rules and regulations to please the Lord, it is not an impediment, but if one is doing it just to please the Lord, it is unlikely that one will always follow, as there are other ways to please the Lord, which at times become apparent to the devotee. They may not be apparent to others though, and for this the inner followers may be judged by others to be not so strict- maybe even a "fringie" but he cares not. Even Prabhupada was judged by his god brothers to be a "rotten grihasta" but he was not discouraged. The desire for fame as a great devotee is a poison we must be vigilant to avoid, as Bhaktivinode Thakura warned us that it lingers on even after gross sex desire has waned. Taking all this into consideration, let us examine again the question "When's the Time for Raganuga?". It appears the time is now, in fact, don't waste a minute, but not because you are pure, but because you have started to cultivate an understanding of the spirit of vaisnavism, as opposed to all its rules, to the letter. Don't give them up prematurely, but don't make them your foundation, for they are not. The foundation is love and all the qualities that nurture it. If you cannot love, try to, for even the attempt is loving. Then Krsna will help you from within. It might be that you need to take his mercy in the form of helping words from a counselor or psychotherapist, to find out what history of abuse you suffered long ago, that now impairs your ability to give yourself to others, which is your inner nature. It might break the rule of "avoiding association of non-devotees" but it might be, in this case, a rule that needs to be broken. And who is a non-devotee anyway, someone who helps devotees to find their hidden inherent nature, or someone who judges everyone by appearance alone- like at 4.30 am?

Bg 5.2 Purport:

Therefore, jïäna (or knowledge that one is not this material body but spirit soul) is not sufficient for liberation. One has to act in the status of spirit soul, otherwise there is no escape from material bondage. Action in Kåñëa consciousness is not, however, action on the fruitive platform. Activities performed in full knowledge strengthen one's advancement in real knowledge. Without Kåñëa consciousness, mere renunciation of fruitive activities does not actually purify the heart of a conditioned soul. As long as the heart is not purified, one has to work on the fruitive platform. But action in Kåñëa consciousness automatically helps one escape the result of fruitive action so that one need not descend to the material platform. Therefore action in Kåñëa consciousness is always superior to renunciation, which always entails a risk of falling. Renunciation without Kåñëa consciousness is incomplete, as is confirmed by Çréla Rüpa Gosvämé in his Bhakti-rasämåta-sindhu (1.2.258):

präpaïcikatayä buddhyä

hari-sambandhi-vastunaù

mumukñubhiù parityägo

vairägyaà phalgu kathyate

"When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete." Renunciation is complete when it is in the knowledge that everything in existence belongs to the Lord and that no one should claim proprietorship over anything. One should understand that, factually, nothing belongs to anyone. Then where is the question of renunciation? One who knows that everything is Kåñëa's property is always situated in renunciation. Since everything belongs to Kåñëa, everything should be employed in the service of Kåñëa. This perfect form of action in Kåñëa consciousness is far better than any amount of artificial renunciation by a sannyäsé of the Mäyävädé school.

Srila Prabhupada October 27, 1968

 

"If anybody calls for meeting and lecturing, we must charge. And if they want to hear free, they may come to our temple. Don't become cheap. My Guru Maharaja used to say: "If somebody becomes cheap, then nobody hears him."

"Just see, if you are completely sincere and genuine, then you do not have to find Guru, he will find you”