krsna

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—August 19, Raksha Bandha, 2005 Sri Shukraji, with folded hands, asked, “Almighty Lord, ocean of mercy, Lord of the worlds, in Sravana-mas, Shukla Purnima on Bhriguji’s day, in the Virgo Ascendant, seeing all the people’s hearts, I wish to hear something for their benefit. O my Lord, this month is for worshiping Lord Shiva by archana, and it is also auspicious for going on pilgrimage. By these the jivas become auspicious. Your incarnation day, which is famous as Raksha Bandhan, is for explaining what is beneficial for the people. In Kali-yuga the jiva (conditioned living entity) is very unhappy. I feel that the people have so many possessions, and still they are most unhappy. I want to hear your auspicious words, which can take away their suffering.” Sri Maharishi Brghuji said, “O my son, may you be blessed. I have an intense desire that the living entities connect with the Universal Soul. I will explain this yoga. Look, Shukra, the reason for all suffering is “sambhanda-janya,” the connection with matter. If the jiva seeks pleasure within the realm of matter, then he must accept the concomitant duality of pain. This acceptance of the search for happiness within matter is a misuse of the free will. If we try to fulfill external needs but do not care for the self within, how will we ever be liberated? God has unlimited resources and qualities and is unlimitedly nectarean. This universe displays only a tiny part of His power, but few are even interested. The human mind is very degraded, and I am very upset about this. There are things much more valuable than what money can buy. First, there is gross matter; then the implements or fixtures of the universe, such as the air, water, trees. More valuable are the cows, sheep, and their by-products, such as milk and cloth. From here the human species is higher. Among humans, the most valuable species are the intelligent, and among the intelligent, higher still are the self-realized. Sleep rejuvenates one materially, but it is an enemy of Hari-bhajana. It smothers the bhajana of Lord Hari (Krishna/God). If you call on Lord Hari with love and affection, He appears before you. He does not come by ordinary punya; He is achieved by love and devotion. Don’t be attached or unattached to anything, but do your Hari-bhajana like a fixed tree. Then you will be jivan-mukta or liberated. The self never dies, though the body transforms from childhood to old age. Whether you see a man, a woman, or a wall, never change your vision. Differences are perceived because of attachment. When detached from the world, you become realized in jnana, or knowledge, and when thus situated and also attached to Lord Hari, that is called bhakti. Always do good sat-sanga. In the Kali-yuga, with but tapas (austerity) and sadhana (regulated practices), you cannot achieve this. It is by bhakti (devotion to God) and chanting that the highest goal of siddhi is achieved, and mukti (liberation) follows along. A person on the reverse path will never agree with any of this. One attached to matter can only be saved by Lord Hari. Don’t become a debtor by enjoying the pleasures of the world. Otherwise, at the end of life, you will never remember Lord Hari. Think like this, that Lord Hari is with us and we can know Him. Then Lord Hari will reveal Himself to one of such strong faith. Matter is diminishing day by day, yet we hold onto it. This is an obstacle to Lord Hari. Hearing this knowledge with strong faith is called sat-sanga. Thus the jiva is liberated from all desires and becomes vilaksana (in his true glory). This world is always entangling and degrading the jiva; but Lord Hari has unlimited love and affection, so the jiva should not entangle himself in the world of ego, violence, and attachment, thus becoming more unhappy. The human body is a chance to achieve Lord Hari through sat-sanga.”

by Sankirtana Das, ACBSP Posted November 1, 2005 In offering presentations in a variety of venues over the years, I find it's always good to try to give people a reason to invite you to speak. This coming year is the 40th anniversary of the founding of ISKCON, and that's as good a reason as any that we'll have for a while. I have already begun to contact colleges in several states in my area to offer both class room presentations and convocations, or invite them to visit New Vrindavan. In scheduling programs at colleges, conferences, churches etc, you need about 3 to 12 months lead time so that they can consider scheduling you in. The headline on my promo material declares: 40th Anniversary of Hare Krishna Movement in America. These type of milestones are very important, and institutions and movements take advantage of such occurrences to focus on themes and issues. Of course the Movement observed the 100th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's appearance. But it was more of a grand in-house anniversary, relevant to devotees and friends of the Movement, whereas the founding of the Movement in America is an event that would be considered more sociologically relevant to western culture and people in general. I encourage devotees to take advantage of this preaching opportunity, especially if you have contacts or experience in academia. Consider contacting colleges, churches, etc, in your area to offer programs and discussions. Besides Religious Studies, one can contact the Sociology Dept which often offers courses on New Religions in America, the 60's, and fringe cultures. It would be opportune for the Movement to schedule commemorative events, as well as a BTG devoted to the anniversary. Ideally, a publication should appear as early as possible in 2006 so presenters like myself might take advantage of the issue and make it available to college contacts as early as possible. In looking ahead, 2009 is the 40th anniversary of the founding of New Vrindavan and, more importantly, 2015 and 2016 are the 50th anniversaries of Srila Prabhupada's arrival in the West and his founding of ISKCON. To start thinking about this now is not too soon. The majority of Prabhupada's preaching and the rapid expansion of the Movement was done in the last ten years of his life. It's time for us to consider: What can I do in these next ten years as a fitting observance, meditation, and contribution for the 50th anniversary of Prabhupada's arrival in America. I would humbly suggest that this could be our meditation as individuals, (taking on, or adopting, individual projects and making individual statements) and as an international institution. Devotees can begin to think about projects and their target goals: what they seek to accomplish in the next one year, five years, ten years. Some of this may be going on in the Strategic Initiative Meetings, but it seems to me that the discussion is still too generic. The strategic initiatives should stem from, and be inspired by, personal initiatives - projects which devotees have personally taken on. "Think Globally, Act Locally." I'd like to hear more about the real time, local actions than about the global thinking. I know many devotees who, with a humble persistence, are working on their own projects, and when I talk with them, and hear their vision and what they're doing, I always walk away amazed and enlivened. And I think to myself, we have to be doing more of this: to hear more from one another about our individual initiatives, struggles, successes and even setbacks. This helps to inspire me and move me forward in my own initiative. These types of discussions can give more definition to projects that exist and inspire new projects. Next year, I am hoping we can have several forums to discuss these topics at NV's Festival Of Inspiration as well as at the Kuli Mela. Prabhupada said "I have given the ideas. Now you give the shape." This diversity and multidimensional application of Prabhupada's teachings is what makes the Movement attractive and vibrant, and will jettison it into the 21st century. A description of these projects/initiatives could make a fantastic resource for both within and outside the Movement. To find out more about my work and programs: www.hanover.edu/newvrindavan www.sacredvoices.com/

Satsvarupa: They get nice attendance on Sunday. Many people come. Prabhupada: There is good hope. Satsvarupa: Oh, yes. Good book distribution here too. Prabhupada: That is the most successful. Wherever book distribution is going on nicely, that is successful, because people are in gross ignorance. They are taking this temporary life as everything. Very horrible condition. We are trying to explain what is the actual life. ….. Only hope is that you distribute books, as much as possible, whole Europe, whole America. If they come to some day, they will realize what is this value. [break] … day they will realize that what valuable books we have left for the study of the whole world. That will come. Morning walk, June 28, 1975, Denver

by Karunamayi devi dasi Posted November 1, 2005 Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. My son is turning 10 soon and has been leaning more and more towards non-devotional interests. I feel as though I am at the cross roads of *making it or breaking it*, so to speak. It is a fine line between encouraging and forcing the issues of spirituality. He is in public school and our entire extended family are non-devotees, however, respectful regarding diet. For example, we personally do not listen to non devotional music, however, he is really pressing to be able to listen to whatever he likes, within reason. Perhaps I have an illogical fear that if I give him an inch, he'll fall in. His birth father, who is not a devotee, yet generally respectful, said that if I don't allow some leniency, it will cause him to rebel all together and sneak what he wants anyways. I would appreciate hearing from parents who have experienced this realm and come through it, successfully or not, depending on how they view parenting success. Thank you so much! Your aspiring servant, Karunamayi devi dasi karunamayi.rns@gmail.com

Once, a Christian minister told the story of a council of clergy- "All these great and learned men. The keynote speaker was a very aged priest who put forward the question to the assembly- "Why did God make you a clergyman? Why have you been called?" there could be heard a great whirring of brains with thoughts of their great oratory and inter-personal skills and mastery of scripture. The old priest slammed his fist on the table and said, "The reason God made you priests is that there was no other way to save you!"

Many of us are familiar with a version of Krsna Consciousness in which “Preaching is the Essence.” But I wonder if anyone on this forum thinks about his or her spiritual life like that. I'm curious to hear different perspectives on the role of preaching in Krsna Conciousness. What role does preaching play in the life of a sadhaka? Is it the essence of sadhana? A part of sadhana? A type of service favorable to one's sadhana, without directly being an anga of sadhana? Something that can be unfavorable to sadhana? How much trouble and inconvenience should a sadhaka take for preaching? Is preaching just meant to be the bi-product of one's regular hearing and chanting? It's easy to establish from Caitanya Caritamrta that the external desire of Mahaprabhu was to preach. Sri Caitanya had a number of His associates, including the Goswami's, dedicate themselves to certain types of preaching. Jiva Goswami sent Narottama, Srinivasa and Shyamananda out for book distribution. Clearly preaching has played a role in the lives of many of our acaryas and is not outside the scope of Krsna Consciousness. Still, when I consider Srila Rupa Goswami's 64 angas of sadhana described in Bhakti rasamrta sindhu it's difficult for me to see where preaching fits in. I think that preaching is not mentioned directly anywhere in his list. I would think that if preaching were integral to spiritual advancement it would have been more explicitly described as a part of sadhana in the way, say, hearing, chanting and remembering have. Have I missed something obvious? In my own humble experience I've wondered if making big endeavors to “preach” is sometimes a type of distraction to my spiritual life. Preaching to people who have no faith in or understanding of Krsna Consciousness, or even God and religion in general, is especially challenging and may require endeavors and discussions which feel especially divorced from the activities and subjects I would like to be most focused on for my own purification and advancement. Hasn't anyone ever struggled to complete his or her nama-vrata because of being involved with some type of time-consuming “preaching program?” I'm impressed by the extent to which some of the members of this forum go to preach. Some of you have elaborate websites, publish books, write many essays and have certainly taken a lot of trouble to try to offer the gift of Sri Caitanya to others. I imagine you don't just think you are wasting your time by doing this and that you have intelligent perspectives on this subject. Would anyone care to share either personal thoughts or scriptural references on this?

As far as the bifurcating of a worm and how both halves can continue to live, I would like to make a contribution to the discussion. When a worm is cut in half, the non-atman containing half continues to show signs of life due to the nervous reflexes of electrical energy in the nervous system of the invalid half. But, because this half of the worm has all the prerequisites for sustaining life, a jivatama quickly finds this situation as being conducive and supportive of life and moves in to make this his body. The Paramatma is an unlimited source of life and energy and as such is constantly emitting jivatmas much in the same way that a light bulb emits light particles or the Sun emits light particles. As such there is an endless supply of unlimited jivas seeking to take form in the material energy. As the subjetive evolution of the soul is always in progress, there is always a jiva waiting in the wings to take his body in the evolutionary stage of a worm. As such, when a worm is cut in half, a jiva is placed in that body by the material energy under the supervision of the Paramatma, according to the laws of nature governing the worm species. This is the best explanation I can find according to the general principles of subjective evolution and the laws of material nature as they are carried out under the supervision of Paramatma. I don't like to see these complicated questions go unanswered properly when a sincerely curious person wants answers.

There are myriads of ways to ask this same question - here's another example just to illustrate the point: How can we understand the culturing of cells outside the human body and the immortilization of some of the cancer cell lines? The answer to this question is that wherever there is life there is spirit, or atman. So, if the individual cell has all the characteristics of life - birth, growth, generating by products, dwindling, death - obviously the atman is present. The basic issue for spiritualists is to understand the definition of life - spirit. Without spirit then matter will not be animated. So in the example of the worm - since both halfs go on to live and reproduce as individuals it is quite obvious that each body is animated by an atman. Your question may be - how did the atman get there if there was only one atman prior to division and now there are two? These are interesting theological questions and I suppose they would pose as stumbling blocks to some people whose faith is weak and tender and who need to have logical answers to everything. Life is mysterious both to the scientist and the spiritualist. Even the best of metanarratives will not be able to adequately explain everything. I work as a biochemist and have had plenty of time to ponder such questions. My feeling is that any cell that reproduces does so because it has life - not just the biochemical machinery to enable it to do so. That view is at odds with the general scientifiic community who understand cellular processes as chemical processes that don't require an atman to function. What we are really talking about is consciousness. Without consciousness matter will not be animated. Just like your computer will not funtion without the required electricity.

For a long time I have heard some explanations about the nature of the atma, and a doubt come to my mind. What is the logical explanation about the position of the atma in worms ... Because if you cut the worm in two the material body continues with movement, and apparently life. ??? /images/graemlins/confused.gif

Why does famine strike a personal domain? While cool rain spills on an evergreen plain? Why do slight tremors cause A mind to bend? Though a thousand earthquakes It could easily mend? Why? When rose-gardens flourish Without a weed, Will thorns prick undaunted And a soul must bleed? Why? When reality has turned into A fairy tale, Nightmares come true Like a wicked spell? Why? Just when the heart learns to leap O'er trivial pain? Does fate turn tables Bringing abandonment again? And why? When cool rain may spill on every evergreen plain, Must famine strike a personal domain? © Rucha Gokhale

The addiction of being alone She beckons Beguiles Embraces And smiles. Her wicked Breaks homes Binds you To her rooms. An addiction She is Independence? Hah! you wish! When You abandon, She calls Traps me In her squalls. Then one day You weren't there She spied me out But I ran away. Waking I realize You're still here By my side. But how long Before The lonely temptress Will score? © Rucha Gokhale Thursday, July 28, 2005 The betrayal I waited How long I don't recall. But time flew And weariness grew. Along came The one I waited for . Eyes red, forlorn Countenance worne. Bit my tongue As tales flew Ragged. Sputtering and jerky, A heart emptied of fears. Sordid. Murky. Felt I both Betrayal and pity And I watched. The drunken stupor Of a forgotten friend From before. A voice lamented. Begged and urged "Fight on!" But tempted by such intimacy I proved once again My fallacy. © Rucha Gokhale The Sensitive Skill The difference between Me and him He's wise yet I Am wiser still. Not in the way The laureates are Simpler In a village way by far. His might herculean His mind so swift, Achilles, Alexander, Arjun like his skill. He knows not though Neither achieved the heights I've seen a dear father achieve Only just to endure my sullen whims. I know he's as deep As his heritage allows... Not deep perhaps Like the ocean of my love; Yet a wholesome smile At my warm but uncooked rice Would've made him king And earned him the land of my soul. © Rucha Gokhale A life just begun Here I was The end of a phase of a beginning Scribbling words, mundane. My feelings, hmmmm... Let me analyse them And have it done. Putting quill to paper Or fingers to keys, Stalling, procrastinating. Ah! need to fetch Such and such The larder needs stocking. Stop! get back! Back to inking Precious thoughts of past days. Paralyzed mind Furtively worked to get out of the "chore" In a million ways. Let me feel! Let me deal! Let this seem unreal! Let it be a dream! Screamed... My mind - in defense of an innocent life just begun. © Rucha Gokhale Absent Love Took the world in, Through naked eyes, But my own veiled truth Never realized. Dirt and shame grow, From root to tree, And so an absent love Begins with me. Too shallow to care, Too selfish to know, That I reap the fruits Of the seeds I sow. But for forgiveness and mercy Stirring all around, I had it not in me To stand my ground. I cannot run, And I can't hide. But I can rise above This darkness inside. I can't run But I can fly! I'll take my chances With the unknown sky. The whirling wind May bring a friend, But my loneliness I must defend. For I am at ease With an absent love, With it I'll make My home above... © Rucha Gokhale

P.A.V.A.N. - NEW MEMBER OF THE WVA by Parama Karuna D. Dear Maharajas and Prabhus, Please accept our respectful pranam. We are humbly presenting the aims, objectives and programmes of our Organisation, begging for your blessings. We started our Organisation in 1995, with the aim of helping the people of Orissa and especially of Puri (the holy place where Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the founder of all Gaudiya Maths, appeared in this world) to better appreciate the Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition and principles. We started from the vegetarian approach because we believe that, as stated in Srimad Bhagavatam (10.1.4), one who lives by killing animals is unable to understand the glories of the Supreme Lord. Even in this holy place of Jagannath Puri there is a very high percentage of non-vegetarians. Due to the mercy of the Vaishnavas, Guru and Krishna, we gradually developed and we are now starting a new ashram just outside the city of Jagannath Puri. at Piteipur, Ghatahota, Chandanpur. The new place will be gradually developed with a school, vocational training center, and charitable dispensary for the local people who will then be inspired to join in the Sankirtana prema dharma. Our plan is to make all these local people into parama vaishnavas through spiritual education such as regular pravachana, bhajana, sankirtana, and systematic class on Chaitanya Charitamrita, Chaitanya Bhagavata, etc. In the future we also plan to develop an old age home for Vaishnavas who wish to retire in the holy place of Jagannath Puri, with the affectionate assistance of devotees, first class medical help, and a peaceful, clean and spiritual environment. We would be honored to receive the blessings of a visit of the senior Gaudiya Vaishnavas for a spiritual function of inauguration, maybe for the next Ratha yatra. On that occasion we can organize some nice preaching programme. In the service of the Vaishnavas Parama Karuna D Contact: sudhadwaity@ Bhakti Sambandha Sudhadwaity Maharaja

Bhakti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 298 yAni cAtra vaiSNava-cihnAna nirmAlya-dhAraNa-caraNAmRta-pAnAdIny aGgAni teSAM ca pRthak pRthak mAhAtmya-vRndaM zAstra-sahasreSv anusandheyam | Some symptoms of a Vaishnava are the acceptance of flowers accepted by the Lord, acceptance of the nectarine water which has washed His feet, and so forth. In many many places in thousands of scriptures the multitude of their glory has been ascertained. athArcanAdhikAri-nirNayaH | Now eligibility for arcana is considered. etad vai sarva-varNAnAm AzramANAM ca sammatam | zreyasAm uttamaM manye strI-zUdrANAM ca mAna-da || [bhP 11.27.4] "Indeed, this [arcana] is befitting for members of all castes (varna) and orders (asrama) of life. O magnanimous one, in my opinion also ladies and the working class of men can attain the supreme benefit from it." sarva-varNAnAM traivarNikAnAm | tathA ca smRty-artha-sAre pAdme ca vaizAkha-mAhAtmye - All castes here refers to three varnas. In the Vaisakhya-mahatmya of Padma Purana the essence of the import of smriti is presented: Agamoktena mArgeNa strI-zUdrair api pUjanam | kartavyaM zraddhayA viSNoz cintayitvA patiM hRdi || zUdrANAM caiva bhavati nAmnA vai devatArcanam | sarve'py Agama-mArgeNa kuryur vedAnukAriNA || strINAm apy adhikAro'sti viSNor ArAdhanAdiSu | pati-priya-ratAnAM ca zrutir eSA sanAtanI || [PadmaP 6.84.48, 52-4] iti | "Through the path of the Agamas, ladies and workers may engage in the worship of Vishnu with faith, thinking of Him within their hearts. Indeed, also the working class of men can worship the Lord. The path of the Agamas, which follows the Vedas, is for everyone. Ladies who are dear and devoted to their husband are eligible for worshiping Vishnu and so forth. This is the eternal desire of the Srutis." viSNu-dharme - devatAyAM ca mantre ca tathA mantra-prade gurau | bhaktir aSTa-vidhA yasya tasya kRSNaH prasIdati || tad-bhakta-jana-vAtsalyaM pUjAyAM cAnumodanam | sumanA arcayen nityaM tad-arthe dambha-varjanam || tat-kathA-zravaNe rAgas tad-arthe cAGga-vikriyA | tad-anusmaraNaM nityaM yas tan-nAmopajIvati || bhaktir aSTa-vidhA hy eSA yasmin mlecche'pi vartate | sa muniH satya-vAdI ca kIrtimAn sa bhaven naraH || iti | In Vishnu-dharma: "Sri Krishna is satisfied with the one who is engaged in bhakti in eight ways, dedicated to the Lord, his mantra and the mantra-giving guru. (1) Being kind to His devotees, (2) Honoring and pleasing Him, (3) Regularly worshiping Him with a pure mind, (4) Renouncing hypocrisy, (5) Being attached to hearing narrations about Him, (6) Engaging all of one’s limbs in serving him, (7) Constantly meditating on Him, and (8) Accepting His name as one’s very life. These are the eight kinds of bhakti which even barbarians can adopt and become truthful sages and glorious among men." kiM ca tattva-sAgare - yathA kAJcanatAM yAti kAMsyaM rasa-vidhAnataH | tathA dIkSA-vidhAnena dvijatvaM jAyate nRRNAm || iti | Moreover in Tattva-sagara: "Just as bell-metal becomes gold when treated with mercury, so men become twice-born through the method of diksa."

Published: 01 November 2005 1: SET LEGALLY BINDING ANNUAL CO2 REDUCTION TARGETS New law to commit the UK Government to reducing CO2 every year by a fixed amount - say, 3 per cent - audited by an independent body. A radical programme would then have to be implemented to meet the target. 2: DECENTRALISE THE ENERGY SUPPLY SYSTEM Do away with the vast power stations serving the national grid: think microgeneration. Give every city, every town, every village, its own power station, fitted with a combined heat and power (CHP) system, which cuts CO2 3: ALL NEW BUILDINGS TO BE CO2-FREE Put a power station in every basement: change building regulations to make all new buildings provide their own power, with solar panels, mini-wind turbines and CHP systems to soak up wasted heat. 4: INSIST ON USE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHT BULBS Ban standard light bulbs all over Britain and force us to use energy-saving bulbs instead, which soak up less than a quarter of the electricity. Hugely symbolic gesture which would save enormous quantities of CO2. 5: BOOST NEGLECTED RENEWABLES; SOLAR, WAVE, TIDE POWER Start giving proper funding and backing to renewable energy other than wind: solar power, and power from the waves and tides. These have vast potential to supply CO2-free electricity, yet are underdeveloped. 6: FOCUS AGAIN ON OFFSHORE WIND POWER Renew the impetus behind wind farms based in the sea with £1bn of subsidy: after a good start, development is slowing, because of technical and financial difficulties, yet we have unparalleled offshore wind resources. 7: GET RADICAL WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY Make sure every house in Britain that can be properly insulated is insulated; bring in much more rigorous labelling that can enable any consumer to see how much energy is used by a product. 8: TACKLE THE GAS GUZZLERS Raise vehicle excise duty (VED) on cars such as 4x4s; make it more than £1,000 per vehicle and set it to rise further. If you want to be radical, insist on a health warning on the side: This Vehicle Damages The Environment. 9: CURB THE GROWTH IN CHEAP FLIGHTS Raise air passenger duty to end the cheap flight bonanza, as CO2 emissions from aircraft are the most rapidly rising in Britain and also the most damaging: they go straight into the stratosphere. A vote loser and a tough choice. 10: HAVE A LATE-NIGHT TALK WITH GEORGE BUSH Do anything you can to get George Bush to change his mind about climate change. The world needs America, the biggest CO2 emitter, to lead the fight against global warming. The President is denying the evidence.

New Website San Diego Book Distribution by Bhakta John Posted October 30, 2005 Website Featuring videos and pictures of San Diego Book distribution effort. http://bookdistribution.ageofkali.com/

A New Face for VCal by GBC Vaisnava Calendar Committee Posted October 31, 2005 VCal, the calendar calculation program, originally written by Shyamasundara Das and later substantially upgraded with the additional efforts of Markandeya Rishi Das, has been with us for more than 20 years. It was a real ISKCON pioneer, making it possible, quite early in the movement's history, for devotees in far-flung areas of the world to know when to celebrate all the vaisnava holy days -- when to fast and when to feast. Before VCal came to our rescue, every year there was a big mystery -- which day will be Rama Navami, Janmastami, etc.? No one knew until the day of Gour Purnima. Then, the Caitanya Math would publish its Sri Navadwip Panjika in Bengali. There was a mad rush to the Yogapith to get a copy. Then Bhakticaru Maharaja and others would painstakingly translate it into English, and slowly it would travel by post around the world to the major centers, etc. Usually you had to guess the day of Papamocani Ekadasi, the first of the year, and if you were lucky you got the posted calendar in time so you didn't miss observing Rama Navami. With the advent of VCal, things improved greatly. The BBT in Sweden would calculate the holy days for all the established ISKCON centers and send the printouts by post, well in advance of the vaisnava new year on Gour Purnima. Not only that, but the calculations were customized for each location. We now could observe Ekadasi fasting and other days when we were supposed to according to the scriptural rules, instead of when our unvaisnavic Western calendars dictated. Later, as computers became more common, the BBT allowed us to have our own copy of the VCal program and run it at our convenience. And that system has served us well for many years. But the pioneer has gotten old. Because VCal was written in the early 80's, its programming language is out of date, and it no longer makes sense to maintain and update the code. So, the GBC Vaishnava Calendar Committee has embarked on a modernization process. The first step in this process can be seen at: vcal.iskcongbc.org Along the way we have also made some adjustments to the calculation system used by VCal in order to take advantage of our very latest research. A full explanation of the adjustments is available at the site. So devotees are encouraged to use this site now, whenever possible, for their calendar calculation needs. Contact email: vcal@iskcongbc.org And if you need festival reminders sent to your inbasket, or if you use one of the common desktop calendar programs to inform you of the holy days, you'll want to visit www.vaisnavacalendar.info/. This site is fully synchronized with vcal.iskcongbc.org/, whereas other vaisnava reminder programs available on the web are not.

Paribhasa-sutra "seed" or "theme" verse of every scripture revealing its topic (SB 1.3.24 - krsnas tu bhagavan svayam)

And then share with one and all my heart's conviction that Sri Krsna is the cynosure of everyone's minds and eyes. (Krsnas tu bhagavan svayam) Krsna is the One whom we should all become lovingly attracted to as He is indeed the root of all attraction. By His Divine Grace I've become magnitized by His Pure Devotee Servant and thus no longer have any choice in the matter of attraction; I've become eternally Krsna's magnitized devotee servant of His beloved servant.

BY BABHRU DAS — About 500 years ago, Lord Krsna personally appeared as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the place of the avatar for the age of Kali. Lord Caitanya had two purposes for coming: to experience first-hand the bliss of serving Krsna and to spread pure love for Krsna, which is very rare. Writing about Lord Caitanya's plan for making His mercy widely available, Srila Krsna das Kaviraja Gosvami says, "sri-krsna-caitanya-daya karaha vicara, vicara karile citte pabe camatkara: If you are indeed interested in logic and argument, kindly apply it to the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If you do so, you will find it to be strikingly wonderful." Actually, Lord Caitanya revolutionized vaisnavism. He took Krsna consciousness into the streets when He inaugurated the congregational chanting of Krsna's holy names and deputed bands of devotees to widely preach the glories of sa"kirtana and pure devotional service. He Himself traveled all over India preaching Krsna consciousness. He specifically deputed Lord Nityananda to preach in Bengal. Whereas Lord Caitanya's direct followers came mostly from the higher social classes, Lord Nityananda made absolutely no distinction. He approached and anyone and everyone, as demonstrated in His pastime with Jagai and Madhai, and implored them to take up devotional service to Krsna accompanied by chanting Hare Krsna. In the mid-nineteenth century, Srila Saccidanana Bhaktivinoda Thakura saw that Lord Caitanya's teachings had become distorted in several ways and had fallen into disrepute. He conceived a dynamic plan to spread the glories of devotional service to everyone around the world. Part of his program was a modern approach to presenting Krsna consciousness. He presented the philosophy of Srimad-Bhagavatam in a way that even those who were influenced by modern Western philosophies, both in India and abroad, could appreciate it. Essential to Bhaktivinoda's revolutionary view was the understanding that Lord Caitanya was not exaggerating when He said that His name would be sung in every town and village around the world. Bhaktivinoda wrote in his monthly journal Sajjana-tosani, "Sriman Mahaprabhu did not descend with His associates to deliver a certain number of human beings in the land of India, but rather His purpose was to deliver and uplift all living beings in all countries of the world by practicing the eternal religion of all souls." He quoted a verse from Caitanya-bhagavata in which the Lord predicted, "My name will be preached in all the countries and towns that exist throughout the world." Bhaktivinoda Thakura then expressed his heart's desire: "There are many kinds of religion in the world, and among all of them the highest development of religion is the congregational chanting of the Supreme Lord's divine names. Of this there is no doubt. Alas! When will that day come when greatly fortunate souls in countries such as England, France, Russia, Prussia, and America will take up banners, kettle drums, måda"gas and karatalas and thus cause the ecstatic waves of Harinama-kirtana and the singing of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's Holy Name to rise in the streets of their towns and cities? O when will that day come, when pure and transcendental Vaisnava-prema will be the only religion of all souls and all tiny sectarian religions will meet in the unlimited and universal religion of Vaisnavism as rivers merge into the great ocean? O when will that day come?" Bhaktivinoda Thakura's plan for propagating Krsna consciousness also included reviving a scientific daivi-varnasrama system to help make society more conducive to spiritual culture. He passed this vision of preaching Krsna consciousness to his son and siksa disciple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, who extended Bhaktivinoda's revolution by taking concrete steps to reinstitute varnasrama-dharma. Asserting that vaisnavas are as good as brahmanas, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati gave his disciples the sacred thread at initiation, regardless of their family lineage. He also reintroduced the asrama of tridandi-sannyasa to Gaudiya vaisnavism. Moreover, he created an organized institution for systematically propagating Krsna consciousness and trained his disciples to aggressively confront all forms of false religion. Throughout his preaching career, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati exhorted everyone he met to help spread Krsna consciousness to the entire world. His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada recounted that when he first met his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta immediately challenged him and his friends, as educated young men familiar with English, to take Caitanya Mahaprabhu's mission seriously and teach it to those who spoke English. In his last days, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati told his disciples to, above all, work cooperatively to continue and expand the systematic preaching he had begun, following Bhaktivinoda's instructions. Among Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's many disciples who were working to spread Lord Caitanya's message as broadly as they could, Srila Prabhupada worked steadily toward further extending this transcendental revolution. We know now how he persisted over the years to satisfy Bhaktivinoda's and Bhaktisiddhanta's desire for systematically making Krsna consciousness available to everyone everywhere in the world. He worked with his Godbrothers for decades, published Back to Godhead single-handedly and distributed it himself, wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets, translated Srimad-Bhagavatam, and coaxed Sumati Morarji to give him passage on a freighter to New York, where he arrived practically penniless at the age of 70. After suffering two heart attacks on the ship, Srila Prabhupada struggled in New York to distribute his books and establish the International Society for Krsna Consciousness. He worked tirelessly for twelve years to translate, publish, and distribute many authentic Vedic literatures, establish temples on every continent except Antarctica, and train thousands of disciples to carry on his work. In 1976, while Srila Prabhupada was staying in Honolulu, some friends of mine spent a night in the temple's front yard. Unable to sleep, they stayed up until mangala-arati chanting japa and watching the window of Srila Prabhupada's room. He was up all night working on his books, occasionally stopping to chant devotional bhajans with his harmonium. Although he was almost 80 years old, he worked through the night to satisfy the desires of his spiritual master and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Looking back, one of Srila Prabhupada's prominent Godbrothers concluded that Srila Prabhupada had been personally empowered by Lord Nityananda to give Krsna consciousness to everyone everywhere in the world. After reading the poems Srila Prabhupada had written aboard the Jaladuta and on his arrival at Boston Harbor, he reasoned that Srila Prabhupada had emptied himself of all desires except to spread Caitanya Mahaprabhu's message. And very much like Lord Nityananda, who gave anyone he encountered the most valuable treasure of the chanting of Hare Krsna in exchange for only a little faith, Srila Prabhupada freely distributed the holy name of Krsna to anyone who showed even enough faith to stop and listen for a moment. Lord Nityananda distributed what amounted to free samples of the highest spiritual realization, confident that those who tried the sample would want to buy his product, possibly becoming steady customers. Srila Prabhupada also gave out free samples of harinama, advertising it with the slogan, "Chant Hare Krsna, and your life will be sublime." Consequently, millions who tried it became at least lifetime customers, if not distributors. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati had implored his disciples to work vigorously to spread Krsna consciousness everywhere, thus satisfying the desires of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Bhaktivinoda Thakura. "The line of Bhaktivinoda will never be closed," he wrote. "With even more enthusiasm you should become engaged in preaching the desire of Bhaktivinoda's heart." He also figuratively exhorted all his disciples to "be prepared to shed two hundred gallons of blood for the nourishment of the spiritual corpus of every individual of this world." Considering objectively what Srila Prabhupada did in his lifetime, we can safely conclude that he set the perfect example of sacrificing everything to satisfy Krsna. It's clear that he understood the revolutionary desires of Lord Caitanya, Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura and worked to bring about what Srimad-Bhagavatam calls "a revolution in the impious lives of this world's misdirected civilization." Whoever applies their powers of logic and argument to considering the mercy of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada will certainly find it strikingly wonderful.

The last message of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Thakur before His disappearance on 23 December, 1936 at Sri Gaudiya Math, Bagbazar, Calcutta. "I have given trouble to many persons. As I have been compelled to speak the undeceitful truth, and have urged persons to worship God (Sri Hari) sincerely without deceitfulness, many persons may even have considered me to be their enemy. By inspiring them to be eagerly devoted to Sri Krishna sincerely without ulterior desires and deceitfulness, they will someday be able to understand why I have given trouble to them. All should propagate the teachings of Sri Rupa and Raghunatha with great enthusiasm. Our highest and ultimate goal of life is to become the holy dust-particles of all the devoted successors of Srila Rupa Goswami. All of you should remain intimately united with whole-hearted allegiance to the Grace-Incarnate-Form-Gurudeva-(the Absolute Counterpart of the Supreme Lord) with the purpose of propitiating Him, Who is identical with Absolute Undivided Knowledge. All should live in this most perishable world somehow within limited means only for the object of worshipping Sri Hari. Don't give up Haribhajan in spite of hundreds of calamities, hundreds of scoldings and hundreds of harassments. Don't be disheartened to see that most of the conditioned souls of the world are not adoring the message of unadulterated pure devotion to Sri Krishna. Don't give up hearing and chanting 'Krishna-katha' (the glories of Sri Krishna- His Name-Form-Attributes-Pastimes), which is the life and only wealth of a true devotee. Always chant Harinam being humbler than a blade of grass and more forbearing than tree. We cherish the desire of dedicating this body, which is equal to an inert mass of matter, a product of the material energy of the Lord, for oblation to Sankirtan-yajna of Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu along with His personal associates. We are not desirous of getting the worldly name and fame of becoming a renowned man of action (Karmabir), or a god of piety (Dharmabir), but rather, we want to be the dust of the lotus feet of Srila Rupa Goswami, which is our actual wealth and our 'be-all and end-all'. The pure devotional channel of the flow of succession of Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur will never be stopped. All of you should take the vow of propagating this pure devotional flow of thought with more earnestness and perseverance to fulfil the desire of Srila Bhakti Vinode Thakur. Amongst you there are many deserving proficient persons who are competent to do this- We pray repeatedly by holding grass between our teeth- 'We only want to be the dust particles of the lotus feet of Sri Rupa Goswami in every birth'. As long as we are in the grip of the shackles of non-eternal relations of this world prison-house, there will be, inevitably, numerous inconveniences and difficulties but we should neither be infatuated by those discomfitures nor should we think that our object of life is only to endeavour to remove disadvantages. It is necessary for us to have a clear conception of what our objective will be during our very existence in this world and how our eternal life will be after the removal of all worldly drawbacks and difficulties. It is also expedient that we should have a solution for whatever problems we face in this world in regard to attraction and repulsion, that is to say, whatever we want and whatever we do not want. As much as we shall remain aloof from the Lotus Feet of Sri Krishna, as much will be the grip of worldly attractions and repulsions. We can realise the transcendental sweetness of the loving service of Sri Krishna when we are eligible to perform chanting of the transcendental Holy Name- 'Sri Krishna' that is beyond the domain of worldly attraction and repulsion. Krishna-katha apparently seems startling and perplexing. All so-called human beings are struggling more or less, knowingly or unknowingly, to eliminate obstacles causing hindrance to our realisation of the Eternal Objective. Our only necessity is to have access into the Blissful Transcendental Abode, transcending all feelings of conflict. We have no attachment or detachment to anybody in this world. All arrangements in this world are momentary. It is essential for everybody to get the Highest Objective- Absolute Bliss. Let all of you be blessed by getting the service of the Original Absolute Counterpart- Grace Incarnate Form of the Supreme Lord by means of the attributes of one-pointed devotion and concord. Let the holy stream of the sacred devotional thought of the associates of Srila Rupa Goswami continue to flow uninterruptedly. We should never be indifferent under any circumstances to Sri Krishna Sankirtan-yajna, which can bestow sevenfold principal attainments. When there will manifest increasing devout devotion to Sankirtan, we will achieve all attainments. Let all of you propagate the teachings of Sri Rupa-Raghunatha with great enthusiasm and undaunted spirit, taking absolute shelter of the personal associates of Sri Rupa Goswami".

Essence of Pure Devotion (Part V) Preaching and Self-Practice by Srila Bhakti Promod Puri Goswami Maharaja During His tour of South India Sriman Mahaprabhu had converted many local people of that part of that country into Vaishnavism by distributing love of Godhead, purifying such places with the resounding chant of the Holy Names of God. He, finally in His wanderings came to the place called Kurma. And as a matter of due course He took the audience of the presiding Deity, Lord Kurma Deva. Sri Srila Prabhupada [His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura] writes in his commentary with regard to this place: "The place Sri Kurmam is 8 miles east V.N.R. line, Ganjam Jela, Cika Kola Road Station. This is the most famous pilgrimage spot in the area where this Deity of Kurma is present." During the 11th century, Sri Ramuna Acarya [Ramanujacarya] being flung or transported out from Puri by Lord Jagannatha landed in this very place. Initially believing the presiding Deity to be Lord Siva he began to practice several vows like fasting in indignation. But later in his meditations he came to realize this Deity was none other than that of Lord Visnu and began to serve this Deity with enthusiasm. A pious Brahman named 'Kurma' living at that place had invited Sriman Mahaprabhu, and with other members of his family, attended to Him with the most loving service and care. At the time of Sriman Mahaprabhu's departure this good soul was overcome by the pangs of loving separation which made him implore Sriman Mahaprabhu to take him along on His journey. Sriman Mahaprabhu in being satisfied with the nature of his kind service and adoration remarked gravely: Prabhu kahe- eche bata kabu na kahiba grhe rahi krsna nama niranta loiba yare dekha tare kara krsna upadesa amara anjaya guru hoiya tara ei desa kabu na baddhibe tomaya visaya taranga punar api ei thani pabe mora sanga Sriman Mahaprabhu who had performed the pastime of taking alms from the Brahmin's house gravely told this Brahmin to take the Holy Names constantly and side by side to preach this Name to others. In this way if he will engage in the welfare activities for others, the material energy will not be able to influence him in any way and he would be able to associate with the Lord in the near future. Likewise Sriman Mahaprabhu Himself traveling from the holy place of Nilacala right up to Setu Bandhu, preached the Holy Names in every village along the way making all dance to the sound of the Holy Names in spiritual ecstasy. Sriman Mahaprabhu, after staying one night in the house of the Brahmin, in the following morning after His daily purificatory activities took his leave, with His good host following Him for some distance. After biding farewell to the Lord and returning to his house, the Brahmin noticed nearby another Brahmin named Vasudeva who had been afflicted with an abominable disease, leprosy in its latent stage. He as beating his breast and rolling on the ground with grief in not having had the audience with the Lord which he had eagerly anticipated. Lord Gaura Sundara had already gone some distance ahead, yet being the innermost dweller in the hearts of all beings, returned to that very place to bestow His mercy upon this Brahmin. Not only was the Brahmin Vasudeva awarded the sight of His transcendental form, he was also embraced with great affection by Lord Gauranga. Miraculously, all the symptoms of this despicable disease disappeared from the body of the Brahmin and he regained his beautiful appearance on contact with the spiritual body of Sriman Mahaprabhu. The wonder-struck Brahmin Vasudeva, with tears in his eyes, then began to quote verses from the Srimad Bhagavatam 10 / 81 / 16 as was spoken by the devotee Sudama: kvaham daridram papiyan kva krsnah sri-niketanah brahma bandhuriti smaham bahubhyam parirambhitah Meaning: Sudama said: - "I am nothing but the most sinful and lowly Brahmin and how could I possibly compare in any way to the Lord of all opulence, Sri Hari. Nevertheless, He with His two arms has embraced this most lowly person." Then he, Vasudeva, crying in sobbing tones again spoke: "Only the original Lord, the Savior of the fallen and lowly can perform this most magnanimous deed. I have been afflicted with this disgusting disease and the odor of my affected limbs would even make the lowliest person flee from me. Still, the Independent Controller whose nature is to be distressed at witnessing the misery of others, has mercifully embraced my in my wretched condition. Oh Lore Hari! I deem my former untouchable state more superior position for now the knowledge of my high birth could give vent to false pride which will make me forget the shade of Your lotus feet:". Hearing these gentle words, Sriman Mahaprabhu consoled him, saying: (M 7 / 147 -148) kabu tomara na habe abhimana nirantara kaha tumi krsna krsna nama "Chant the Holy Names constantly and deliver the Holy Names to others and in this way no pride will affect you. Lord Sri Krishna will definitely accept you if you follow these instructions. After comforting him in this way, Sriman Mahaprabhu disappeared, leaving the two Brahmins to embrace and weep in the mood of separation. In Caitanya Caritamrta this incident is referred to as the deliverance of Vasudeva. Here we have seen specifically, how Sriman Mahaprabhu had given instructions to the Brahmins to chant the Holy Names constantly, and preach it with showing proper example to others." The most worshipable Sri Srila Prabhupada comments: "One who surrenders to Sriman Mahaprabhu and decides to serve Him, Lord Gaura Sundara surely accepts their devotional service. But there are certain rules to be strictly observed. While in household life, one should practice chanting, giving up the false pride of being a great devotee. Further he should, in the proper mood, remain intent on the preaching of the Holy Names of Krishna, for the welfare of others. He should never think that his devotional service would be impaired by the growth of pride in making disciples and preaching, but continue preaching humbly and faithfully." Consequently, he would be benedicted in the sense that false prestige and material desire would never overcome him. Many stalwart devotees like Sri Narottama Das Thakura, Ramanujacarya, etc. have been criticized by ignorant people for accepting many disciples who view this as a sign of material desire and not conducive for proper devotion. This category of foolish people thus incurs offense at the lotus feet of the pure devotees of the Lord. These offenders should bear these specific instructions of Sriman Mahaprabhu in mind and try to progress by following in his footsteps namely, by preaching the Holy Names and giving up all sense of false humility. This parting instruction of the Lord was specifically meant for their ears. Lord Caitanya, by His wide preaching, did reinstate the proper consciousness of the fallen souls. They in turn too carried on this preaching work to revive other conditioned souls and in this way, Sriman Mahaprabhu gradually expanded the 'Acyuta; dynasty in the pursuance of pure devotion. On the other hand, there are many who, not understanding the purpose of the Lord's instructions to become guru and deliver the land, instead, become inflated with arrogance and false pride in an artificial limelight. These misguided people would have to surely glide downwards into the hellish regions. One has to take the role of the servant of the servant of the devotees, guru and Supreme Lord and in complete submission to bear their instructions upon one's head. One practicing model conduct appropriate to these instructions will mean no question of demoniac tendencies being developed in any one. Sriman Mahaprabhu has placed the actual identity of every living entity as not belonging to any particular class or creed, but as the servant of the servant of the husband of the gopis (Lord Krishna). When this concrete realization eventually awakens with the solid desire to execute welfare activity for others, then there is no anxiety of falling down. ami to'vaisnava ei buddhi hoile amani na haba ami pratisthasa asi Hrydaya dusibe hoibe nirayagami One should never have the false prestige that he is a great devotee but know this as the doorway to hell Even after accepting disciples, one should be careful to be free from pride. Offenses are incurred in not obeying the instructions of the great souls. Simply giving lip service to such instructions but internally maintaining pride in one's heart would ultimately mean sure defeat by the power of illusory energy. Nobody can cheat the omniscient Lord present in the heart of all others! The desire of Lord Gaura hari is that the task of preaching should go side by side with one's personal character and example. pratyaha kara tina-laksa nama-sankirtana sabara age kara namera mahima kathana apane acare keha, na kare pracara pracara karena keha, na karen acara 'acara', 'pracara',----namera karaha 'dui' karya tumi----sarva-guru, tumi jagatera arya (Cc. Antya 4 / 101-103) "Here, Srila Sanatana Goswami addresses Nama Acarya Srila Haridas Thakura, saying that daily you have to chant three lakhs of the Holy Names. Some people have good character but do not preach while other preachers have no personal example of their own. One has to execute both of these activities in a proper measure to do the work of an 'Acarya.' " Sri Srila Prabhupada writes: "Srila Haridas Thakura was the guru of the whole world. Chanting the Holy Names in a manner after having properly been initiated was his constant daily example to others and by deliberately chanting the Holy Names in a loud manner was able to deliver all the living beings by initiating them into the sound of the Holy Names. Therefore his model behavior coupled with the propagation of the Name was the best example of one who conducts both these activities. Sriman Mahaprabhu's famous declaration: (Cc. Adi 3 / 20-21) apani karimu bhakta-bhava angikare apani acari' bhakti sikhamu sabare apane na kaile dharma sikhana na yaya ei ta' siddhanta gita-bhagavate gaya "I shall accept the role of a devotee, and I shall teach devotional service by practicing it Myself. Unless one practices devotional service himself, he cannot teach it to others. This conclusion is indeed confirmed throughout the Gita and Bhagavatam." In Srimad Bhagavad-Gita Lord Krishna tells Arjuna: yad yad acarate srestas tad tad evataro janah sa yat pramanam kurute lokastad anuvartate "Whatever is established by the learned people is accepted by the common people." This word 'srestas' denotes the 'Acarya' or one who personally guides people by his behavior. Their conduct will usually be followed by the masses. In the Mahabharata, Yuddhisthira Maharaja, in reply to Lord Dharma's question as to what is the best possible path quotes: mahajan vena gatah sa panthah. The best recourse is to implicitly follow the path chalked out by the great souls. The four common faults are not present in these great souls. These faults are namely illusion which is mistaking something which is not true as real, carelessness or instability of mind, imperfection of the senses, as in the seeing of mirages and the usual cheating tendency which is to insist you know something when you do not. In this regard, the great souls who are well versed in the highest truths and have knowledge of the scriptures are free from these four faults. They are by nature equipped with good conduct and completely devoid of enviousness, enmity, anger and hypocrisy. The profound truthful words of such teachers are regarded as 'evidence'. On the other hand, if a person is learned in different scriptures and erudite in speech, still if his character is devious then his instructions to others are of little use. In short, preaching the holy messages without personal example and practice is of little gain. King Pariksit, in disciplining the Personification of Kali, submitted to his earnest plea and granted him five places for his residence, irreligion to flourish. These are namely gambling, liquor and all other stimulants, illicit sexual intercourse, violence (brutal killing of defenseless creatures) and gold (money used in the service of the Lord properly does not fall into this category). The practice of gambling breeds dishonesty, drinking of intoxicants and taking of stimulants lead to loss of austerities. Mingling with women leads to a loss of cleanliness. Violence to living creatures leads to a temperament devoid of compassion all together. Thus all forms of irreligiousness spring up from these vices. In fact, the greed or illegal accumulation of money or gold is the cause of the other four vices though by itself is in the fifth position. Hence those desiring their highest welfare should not indulge in any of these sinful activities at all, especially the religious minded person. A King and spiritual leader or 'guru' should shun all such activities from a distance. Such indulgence in irreligion will only deteriorate the character of the individual and all his so called preaching will be of no avail. Sriman Mahaprabhu to Sanatana Goswami says: asat-sanga-tyaga-ei vaisnava-acara 'stri-sanga-eka asadhu, 'krsna abhakta' ara Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura comments: in a direct way Vaishnava conduct is the association of the pure devotees and indirectly under this principle, there is the rejection of bad association. Bad association is of two types: association with women and their playmates and also with the non devotees of Sri Krishna. The sincere devotees should vigilantly endeavor to avoid such bad association. Sri Srila Prabhupada comments: the gist of proper Vaishnava conduct is the rejection of the non devotees. They are listed as those who consort with women against scriptural injunctions and people averse to Lord Krishna. Those who normally consort with women are twofold: firstly one who liaises with his wedded wife consistent with the householder life 'varnashrama system', and secondly one who deceitfully indulges in illicit connection causing a disruption in the established law and the main reason for future hellish births. One who indulges and relishes sinful activities can hardly be termed as a 'vaisnava.' Piousness, wealth, sense satisfaction are restricted by this type of bad conduct, The ideal fourth objective of human life which is liberation is barred too, by illegal association with women and in another sense more implicating and derogatory because it stifles the natural urge for pure devotion to Sri Krishna. The fruitive worker tries to enjoy the material world for personal sense gratification while the Impersonalist renounces the material world for his own salvation. In this sense, both are guilty of independent and selfish motives within the context of hypocrisy. We cannot term such people as servant as of Lord Krishna i.e. they are non-devotees. As Lord Kapila informs His mother Devahuti (3 / 31 /34-35): tesv asantesu mudhesu khanditatmasv asadhusu sangam na kuryac chocyesu yosit-krida-mrgesu ca na tathasya bhaven moho bandhas canya-prasangatah yosit-sangad yatha pumso yatha tat-sangi-sangatah "Truthfulness, internal and external cleanliness, generosity, intelligence, modesty, fame, perseverance, control of the mind and sense dwindle in the association of women. One should never associate with those in the bodily concept of life or with one who is a toy in the hands of women. Such unholy association should be shunned from a distance. There is no greater misery than association with those who consort with women or their playmates. Conclusively however intelligent, erudite or learned speaker one may be, if he exhibits the following bad characteristics or bad conduct he will never be able to preach the name, fames pastimes of Lord Krishna. As Srila Narottama Das Thakura warns us in the "Prema Bhakti Chandrika: karma kanda jnaan kanda, kevalam visera bhanda amrta baliya yera khaya Meaning: speculative knowledge and fruitive activity is as dangerous as poison for they lead us away from the pure goal. Further, Srila Narottama continues to warn us against mystic yogis like those who practice meditation and other futile practices, dry logicians worshipers of the Demigods who are all to be avoided as non-devotees." The books of our predecessor Gurus contain many simplified extracts which are the essence of Vaishnava conclusions. Taking the shelter of the bona fide Guru and studying all these devotional literatures while constantly following proper conduct will help one in contributing to the task of preaching. Books like 'Prathana", 'Prema chandrika' by Narottama Das Thakura, 'Saranagati', 'Kalyana Kalpataru', 'Gita vali' and 'Gita mala' by Bhaktivinoda Thakura contains the essence of all the scriptures. The song 'Sarangati' runs as follows: sri krsna caitanya prabhu jive doya kari sva parsada sviya dhama saha vatari "The purport of this song is that without surrender nobody raises himself to the highest stage, nor will he be able to preach the Holy Names, form and pastimes of Sri Krishna effectively." Lord Krishna had descended to re-enact His wonderful pastimes tinged with absolute sweetness in the association of His confidential associates in the material world. In Kali Yuga immediately after that, the Supreme Lord Gaura Hari appeared as the most magnificent incarnation to distribute the sweet mellows of devotion after relishing it Himself. It is in order to help people to attain this highest stage that Sriman Mahaprabhu has instructed all of us to take up exclusive self-surrender. In Vaishnava Tantra this is mentioned: anukulyasya sankalpah pratikulyasya varjanam raksisyati iti visvaso goptrtve varanam tatha atma-niksepa karpanya sad-viddha saranagatih "Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura writes in his commentary the following symptoms of surrender which are as follows: To resolve to accept that which is favorable for devotional service (I definitely have to accept it) To strictly reject all that is unnecessary for proper execution of devotion (I definitely have to renounce this). Firm faith that only Lord Krishna can protect me (not any form of monistic theories can help me overcome death). None other than Lord Krishna is my maintainer and supplier (not taking help from demigods or others) I am not independent but solely dependent on the will of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. The feelings of meekness and humility by devotees in conjunction with humility and self -surrender. In the long run, Lord Krishna is very affectionate to His surrendered servants and ready to bestow upon them all desirable ends up to the spontaneous devotion of the residents of Vraja. Sri Srila Prabhupada has sung: prana ache tanhara sehetu pracara: "Only one who has life can preach". Conclusively, in taking to the above injunctions of self-surrender to the Lord as the first and foremost part of self-conduct only, can one successfully preach the devotional conclusions of Sriman Mahaprabhu. Otherwise, like a dead body, one will neither benefit one's self not anyone else by his preaching. For our higher spiritual goals, the common striving for the lesser pursuits of profit, distinction and fame is not at all conducive. In Sri Srila Prabhupada's words: sri-dayita dasa kirtanete asa kara ucchahsvare harinama rava "Sri Srila Prabhupada was always aspiring to hear the loud chanting of the Holy Names which was the life and soul of the surrendered devotees. Those without life cannot take either the chanting of the Holy Names, or preach effectively." At the time of spiritual initiation, the devotee should surrender wholeheartedly to the lotus feet of the spiritual master if he wishes to receive the mercy of the Supreme Lord. In thinking the spiritual master as a mere mortal, one will not be able to preach. Only by being the proper RECIPIENT of the guru's mercy, with the maintenance of personal conduct with proper strength and intelligence can one be able to preach effectively.