Govindaram

January 23, 2004

Hare Krishna

"I think humility as a mundane trait in its most tamasic levels can make one prone to bullying, but coupled with proper spiritual development, it could lead one to be humble, yet an indomitable spirit"

Thats nice P.ji

January 22, 2004

Haribol!

If we be humble and people can maybe tend to walk all over you, can you not soon develop Psychological effects?..sooner or later?.i.e like in bullying

January 22, 2004

Hare Krishna

You can make vegi-pizza's easy, just get some vegi-cheese, etc, and offer it to Krishna, i make it simple, it tastes mmmm nice.

January 22, 2004

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.16.25

--

Hawaii, January 21, 1974 (excert)

His Divine Grace Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:

So these are very difficult things, but because it is the age of Kali, kalena baliyasa, as we studied yesterday, that kalena va te balinam baliyasa: time is very hard time. Therefore Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that it is very difficult time, kalau. It is not Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu's version; it is the Vedic version. Kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva. Simply chant Hare Krishna mantra. This will clarify your heart. Then you can understand who is guru, where to surrender, where to take lesson. In this way we can make... Haphazardly, if we accept, then there will be failure.

January 22, 2004

 Conditioned Souls Benefit From Hearing Vedic Literature- 

The following is a small sample of literally hundreds of statements in

Srila Prabhupada's books stressing the importance of the conditioned soul's hearing Vedic literature. Krishna-katha

 Out of compassion, Krishna compiled the Vedic literature for the liberation of the conditioned souls: 

[Lord Caitanya said,] "The conditioned soul cannot revive his Krishna consciousness by his own effort. But out of causeless mercy, Lord Krishna compiled the Vedic literature and its supplements, the Puranas. The forgetful conditioned soul is educated by Krishna through the Vedic literatures, the realized spiritual master and the Supersoul...In this way one can acquire real knowledge of his conditioned life and can come to understand how to attain liberation."

Out of His causeless mercy and compassion, Krishna has compiled various Vedic literatures in His incarnation as Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva is a Saktyavesa-avatara of Lord Krishna. He has very kindly presented these literatures to awaken the conditioned soul to his senses. Unfortunately, at the present moment the conditioned souls are guided by demons who do not care to read the Vedic literatures. Although there is an immense treasure-house of knowledge, people are engaged in reading useless literature that will give them no information on how to get out of the clutches of maya...

As the Saktyavesa-avatara Vyasadeva, Krishna teaches the conditioned soul through Vedic literatures. Krishna externally appears as the spiritual master and trains the conditioned soul to come to Krishna consciousness. When his original Krishna consciousness is revived, the conditioned soul is delivered from the material clutches. Thus a conditioned soul is always helped by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in three ways-by the scriptures, the spiritual master and the Supersoul within the heart.

Cc. Madhya 20.122-123

 By hearing the transcendental pastimes of Krishna, one goes back home, back to Godhead: 

Following in the holy footsteps of Srila Sukadeva Gosvami, we have tried to present this book Krishna for being read and heard by the conditioned souls of this age. By hearing the pastimes of Lord Krishna, one is sure and certain to get salvation and be transferred back home, back to Godhead. It is recommended by Sukadeva Gosvami that as we hear the transcendental pastimes and activities of the Lord, we gradually cut the knots of material contamination. Therefore, regardless of what one is, if one wants the association of Lord Krishna in the transcendental kingdom of God for eternity in blissful existence, one must hear about the pastimes of Lord Krishna and chant the maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

Krishna, Ch. 21

 Hearing (and chanting) the Vedic literature will bring peace and prosperity to the world: 

O King, it is therefore essential that every human being hear, glorify and remember the Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead always and everywhere.

And for hearing only, all the Vedic literatures are there, compiled by authorized persons like Vyasadeva, who is the powerful incarnation of Godhead. And as it is ascertained that the Lord is the Supersoul of everything, He should therefore be heard and glorified everywhere and always. That is the special duty of the human being. And the human being, when he gives up the process of hearing about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, becomes victim to hearing rubbish...It is said here that it is incumbent upon the human beings to hear because the scriptures like Bhagavad-gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam, etc., are made for that purpose. Living beings other than human beings have no capacity to hear such Vedic literatures. If the human society gives itself to the process of hearing the Vedic literature, it will not become victim to the impious sounds vibrated by impious men who degrade the standards of the total society. Hearing is solidified by the process of chanting. One who has perfectly heard from the perfect source becomes convinced about the all-pervading Personality of Godhead and thus becomes enthusiastic in the matter of glorifying the Lord. All the great acaryas, like Ramanuja, Madhva, Caitanya, Sarasvati Thakura or even, in other countries, Muhammad, Christ and others, have all extensively glorified the Lord by chanting always and in every place. Because the Lord is all-pervading, it is essential to glorify Him always and everywhere. In the process of glorifying the Lord there should be no restriction of time and space. This is called sanatana-dharma, or bhagavata-dharma. Sanatana means eternal, always and everywhere. Bhagavata means pertaining to Bhagavan, the Lord. The Lord is the master of all time and all space, and therefore the Lord's holy name must be heard, glorified and remembered everywhere in the world, and that will bring about the desired peace and prosperity so eagerly awaited by the people of the world.

Bhag. 2.2.36

 The purifying effect of Krishna-katha: 

Sri Sukadeva Gosvami said: My dear King, your question is glorious because it is very beneficial to all kinds of people. To hear the answer to this question is the prime subject matter of hearing, and it is approved by all transcendentalists.

The topics of Lord Krishna are so auspicious that they purify the speaker, the hearer, and the inquirer. They are compared to the Ganges waters, which flow from the toe of Lord Krishna. Wherever the Ganges waters go, they purify the land and the person who bathes in them. Similarly, Krishna-katha, or the topics of Krishna, are so pure that wherever they are spoken, the place, the hearer, the inquirer, the speaker and all concerned become purified.

Bhag. 2.1.1

 The Krishna consciousness movement gives people a chance to hear about Krishna: 

By regular attendance in classes on the Bhagavatam and by rendering of service to the pure devotee, all that is troublesome to the heart is almost completely destroyed, and loving service unto the Personality of Godhead, who is praised with transcendental songs, is established as an irrevocable fact.

Bhag. 1.2.18

All the great acaryas strongly recommend that people be given a chance to hear about the Supreme Lord. Then success is assured. The more we cleanse the dirt of material attachment from our hearts, the more we will be attracted by Krishna's name, form, qualities, paraphernalia and activities. This is the sum and substance of the Krishna consciousness movement.

Bhag. 5.18.11

 Readers of Krishna literature can attain the ultimate goal of human life: 

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is always full of six opulences-namely complete wealth, complete strength, complete fame, complete knowledge, complete beauty and complete renunciation. The Lord appears in different complete, eternal forms of incarnation. The conditioned soul has immense opportunity to hear about the transcendental activities of the Lord in these different incarnations. In the Bhagavad-gita it is said, janma karma ca me divyam [bg. 4.9]. The pastimes and activities of the Lord are not material; they are beyond the material conception. But the conditioned soul can benefit by hearing such uncommon activities. Hearing is an opportunity to associate with the Lord; to hear His activities is to evolve to the transcendental nature-simply by hearing. The conditioned soul has a natural aptitude to hear something about other conditioned souls in the form of fiction, drama and novel. That inclination to hear something about others may be utilized in hearing the pastimes of the Lord. Then one can immediately evolve to his transcendental nature. Krishna's pastimes are not only beautiful; they are also very pleasing to the mind.

If someone takes advantage of hearing the pastimes of the Lord, the material contamination of dust, accumulated in the heart due to long association with material nature, can be immediately cleansed...Conditional life is due to this contamination only, and as soon as it is cleared off, then naturally the dormant function of the living entity-rendering service to the Lord-awakens. By developing his eternal relationship with the Supreme Lord, one becomes eligible to create friendship with the devotees. Maharaja Pariksit recommended, from practical experience, that everyone try to hear about the transcendental pastimes of the Lord. This Krishna treatise is meant for that purpose, and the reader may take advantage in order to attain the ultimate goal of human life.

Krishna, Ch. 7

 By hearing Srimad-Bhagavatam all miseries are uprooted, and the Supreme Lord is established within one's heart: 

Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhagavata Purana propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhagavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyasadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhagavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.

Bhag. 1.1.2

taken from the folio Infobase

January 22, 2004

thankyou,

so doesn't saying swami-narayana contradict?

I mean to say, and I hope I am not being offensive but, everybody knows Narayana is in the trancendental position, so adding Swami to somebodys 'spiritual name' means the person in question is of a material body right?

Sorry again for my offences, please forgive this fool.

January 22, 2004

Not sure who I am asking but, doesn't SWAMI denote being the servant of somebody? So Swami-Narayana means, servant of Narayana, I'm trying to make a point you can see:)

January 22, 2004

Hare Krishna

From the above books..

Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrita, Nectar of Devotion,

at what point should we read NOD? Any devotees know?

January 22, 2004

Hare Krishna

(Mode of ignorance).First floor-*ping*

(Mode of passion).Secound floor-*ping*

(Mode of goodness).Third floor-*kerching*

By following Four regs, you can come to the stage of understanding Lord Sri Krishna, in it's place you put Harinama. simple eh?..don't forget about Mr.Free will /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

'just do it'-(jaya prabhupada)

January 21, 2004

Hare Krishna

It must be due to my innumerable past-lives, sin after sin, that made me dream of fishes, or maybe it was just because I had some cheese before bed /images/graemlins/grin.gif

The only flashbacks I have, are in the jokes section, I have no idea where I came up with them LOL /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

January 21, 2004

Hare Krishna

Approach the Gita with humility, worship it, offer prayers to it, it is non-different from Krishna. goodluck.

The best example..

His Divine Grace:

Posted Image

January 21, 2004

Lord Krishna says..

Bg.3.13

" The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin ".

---

Why or how can eating be sinful /images/graemlins/confused.gif

January 20, 2004

Back To Godhead Magazine

Volume 3, Part 6, May 20, 1956

VOLUME III PART VI

Delhi, Sunday 20th May 1956

By Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:

How to broadcast the teaching of Bhagwat Geeta

[This is the first part of the Gita Nagari series-Ed. note]

1. The Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna appears Himself in this mortal world by dint of his Internal Potency in order to be visible to the conditioned souls and specially to human being, although in essence He is eternally unchangeable Supreme Truth and Absolute Lord of the visible and invisible worlds. He is ever existent prior to the creation of the manifested world. The Vedas are known to be transcendental because they were impregnated in the heart of Brahma by Sree Krishna after creation of the universes and as such Vedic knowledge has descended in a transcendental process of aural reception from Sree Brahma to Narada, from Narada to Vyasa, from Vyasa to Sree Sukhdeva Goswami and Sree Sukhdeva Goswami to other disciples by succession. The Vedic knowledge is famous as Sruti because it has descended in the above process of hearing only. But the original Teacher of such knowledge is nobody else than Sree Krishna Himself.

2. Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta and the transcendental knowledge thereof has also descended in the above process of aural reception from Vaivaswata Manu but when the chain of disciplic succession was broken at the beginning of the Kali Yuga by the influence of the External Energy of the Personality of Godhead known as Maya, it was again reincarnated by the Supreme Authority of Sree Krishna Himself at the battlefield of the sacred place of Kurukshetra in the presence of His most beloved friend and devotee Sree Arjuna. He summarised the full text of the Vedas and Upanishads in the teachings of Sree Bhagwat Geeta in order to give facility to the people of the present age, who are mostly affected by the influence of Kali Yuga or the age of quarrel and disagreement.

3. The summumbonum teaching of Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta is that RELIGION means the art and science of learning the transcendental process of surrendering unto the Lotus Feet of the Absolute Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna. The purity of such religious knowledge becomes polluted when conditioned souls become too much influenced by the External Energy of Godhead as they forget their eternal relation with Him and thereby become too much addicted to the material process of sense gratification which is the lowest and crude form of human existence. When such irreligious life of the people in general flourished by the influence of External Energy of Godhead, the world at large suffers terribly in all directions in the way of challenging the very existence of Godhead.

4. The Personality of Godhead and His transcendental utterances as sounded in the Bhagwat Geeta are identical. Sreemad Bhagwat Geeta is therefore eternally the Personality of Godhead Himself with full potency and therefore when the transcendental knowledge of Bhagwat Geeta is received in the manner as it was received by Sree Arjuna we can be equally enlightened as Arjuna was. When the law-abiding devotees of Godhead become disturbed by the unlawful activities of the Ashuras i.e. those who are averse to acknowledge the Supreme Authority of Godhead, at such critical time either the Personality of Godhead or His counterpart Form of transcendental Sound appears in this mortal world in order to save the faithful and annihilate the unbelievers. As such Bhagwat Geeta descended directly from the utterances of the Personality of Godhead in order to save the faithful and to annihilate the unbelievers at the juncture of disappearance of the Dwapara Yuga and appearance of the Kali Yuga in the battlefield of Kurukshetra, which was fought between two rival political parties namely the Kurus and the Pandavas.

At the present age the same fight between two rival parties of politicians without any guidance of the transcendental direction of Godhead is merrily going on at the expense of the innocent poor people of the world and as such Sree Krishna has descended again in the shape of Geeta Nagari with the same purposes of saving the faithful and annihilating the unbelievers as He did in the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

5. The Geeta Nagari will therefore be the main preaching centre of the Supreme Authority of Sree Krishna the Personality of Godhead. It shall be proclaimed from that place that Sree Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the Absolute Enjoyer of all benefits derived from all kinds of work, sacrifice, cultivation of knowledge; that He is the Absolute Proprietor of all the manifested universes and that He is the unalloyed friend and philosopher of all living entities namely the gods or rulers, the general people, the beasts, the birds, the reptiles, the plants and trees or the aquatic animals residing in every nook and corner of the great universe. When such knowledge will be fostered from the vantage of Sree Geeta Nagari, at that time only, real peace and prosperity will usher in the world so anxiously awaited by all kinds of people. Unfortunately the present trend of human civilization is conducted just on the opposite direction of the above views. The human being has declared himself as the supreme enjoyer of everything and the proprietor of the world. He has declared himself foolishly as the friend and philosopher of the people in general enamoured by material power and wealth, which is bringing in ruination for himself and his followers. Every human being is imagining himself as an independant God (?) and foolishly trying to guide the activities of his so-called followers without knowing the art and science of such leadership business. Such leadership for the actual benefit of the people in general can effectively be conducted when the leaders themselves will know the art and science of surrendering unto the lotus feet of Sree Krishna and shall be able to convince their followers that God alone has the absolute prerogative in the above-mentioned three main functions.

On the other hand the natives of India only have the prerogative to understand this position of Godhead from the pages of Bhagwat Geeta and they are alone able to preach this truth throughout the whole world. It is therefore desired that the authorities who shall guide the activities of the Geeta Nagari may make such organised effort as will help this mission of the Geeta Nagari on a permanent basis.

The pangs of a demoralised type of civilization designed by the demoniac principled leaders are being felt keenly by the people in general and to save them from that untold miseries of life is to take shelter of the transcendental message of Bhagwat Geeta.

A vivid picture of the demoniac principled leader is given in the pages of Bhagwat Geeta in the sixteenth chapter as follows:

We can know the real heart of an 'Ashura' in the statement of Bhagwat Geeta. At the present moment practically every man is infected with a sense of false prestige, pride, anger, vanity, cruelty and similar qualities born of poor fund of knowledge. There area always two classes of men of which the one is known as the Devas or the gods and the other is known as the Ashuras or the demons. The Ashuras are unable to realise what should be done or what should not be done in the human form of life. Those who are qualified with godly qualities generally do perform charities, possess controlling power of the sense organs, perform sacrifices, practice penance and non-violence, love, truth, learn toleration, remains peaceful, refrain from speaking ill of others, become kindly in behaviour, eradicate lust and hankering, practice patience and purify habits. These are some of the many godly qualities of men known as gods. But unfortunately these godly qualities are rarely experienced in the character of the present generation and in most cases the qualities of the demons are vivid in all directions. Such men of demoniac principle are generally unclean in habits. They do not believe in the Supreme authority of God and they think without any reason that desire or necessity is the ultimate cause of creations, without knowing that disposal is more important cause than desire. The demoniac observations are always imperfect in fact and practice.

People addicted to demoniac principles, devoid of transcendental knowledge, imperfectly educated and inventors of violent work leading to miseries and destruction of the world have greatly developed in this age. Although these people indirectly realise that their mode of activities had already diminished the duration of life of the people in general, yet they consider the advancement of material knowledge as progress of life, dictated by a strong sense of vanity under the cover of unclean habits. The effect of this pernicious type of material civilization is that people have almost forgotten the question of life after death and thus have taken to an irresponsible way of life leading to untold miseries and distress of material existence. The demoniac way of thinking has covered their unsatiated desire for work and enjoyment till the end of material existence. These people are embarrassed with such thousand and one desires enlarging the circle of exploiting habits in greater and greater circumference. They have now become mad so to say for such enlarged activities of material civilization. Such people think unrestrictedly and at all times like this. "I have accumulated so much wealth just now and in the next I am going to accumulate more wealth. I am god (?) and nobody is equal to my position."

"I have killed this enemy and I am arranging to kill the other one. I am god and I am the enjoyer of everything. I am happy and I am perfect. I do not think anybody else is richer than me. I can perform all sorts of sacrifices and by doing so I can purchase all virtues." The Ashuras therefore exhibit a feat of their unalloyed foolishness by such contemplations as above mentioned.

Saintly politicians of modern age like Mahatma Gandhi and others inspired by the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta, although imperfectly, have tried to lead such politicians of demoniac principle, as they may be influenced by the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta. Mahatma Gandhi's movement in the political field such as non-violence, non-cooperation, truthfulness, sacrifice etc. are some of the brilliant examples for subduing the demoniac tendency of the people in general. Such example in the life of Mahatma Gandhi made him well recognised all over the world in spite of their being temporary measures and it may safely be concluded that Mahatma Gandhi's success in such movements was solely and wholly dependant on the inspiration of Bhagwat Geeta. Leaving aside his all other activities in the political field, the four following principles which he adopted sincerely in his mature old age are in essence derived from the teachings of Bhagwat Geeta for practical application for social and spiritual upliftment in the present order of things. They are as follows:-

A.Leaders and politicians may take lessons from the life of Mahatma Gandhi, who was undoubtedly a great and busy politician, in respect of his daily evening prayer meetings and regular recitation of Bhagwat Geeta. He followed this principle of life most faithfully even up to the last moment of his lamented life. People in general and the leaders in particular may follow this footprints of Mahatma Gandhi if they at all want to do some good to their followers. Such regular habit of reciting the readings of Bhagwat Geeta makes one able to get rid of the demoniac way of life and gradually rising up to the plane of pure devotional life of the gods. When such devotional life is enriched by recitation of the readings of Bhagwat Geeta, all the good qualities of the saints and gods automatically overcome the reciter without any extraneous effort on his part. And a person however qualified he may be in the mundane sense of the term, if he is devoid of the principles of devotional life as above mentioned, he shall surely hover in the mental plane of uncertainty and as such will always fail to enter into the noumenon existence of life. Those who have developed such noumenon existence of life generally known as spiritual life are called Mahatmas in the language of Bhagwat Geeta. The definition of real Mahatmas are given below from the reading of Bhagwat Geeta.

B.The temple entry movement of Mahatma Gandhi is another attempt to deliver people in general from spiritual degradation and by such movement the mass of people can be saved from gliding down to the lowest status of demoniac life. Even when he was at Noakhali (Pakistan) during the dark hours of the partition days, he never hesitated to reinstall the deities of Sree Sree Radha Govinda Sreemurties there and by such examples he had done immense good for the people in general. Leaders and politicians may take lessons from this particular incidence of his life. It may be said in this connection that there are thousands and thousands of Vishnu temples or other temples all over India. And these temples were originally the centres of spiritual enlightenment which helped subduing the demoniac way of life of the people in general and thereby they would live in peace and prosperity. At the present moment in most cases those spiritual educational centres have been rendered into rendezvous of demoniac dance for want of culture of the teachings Bhagwat Geeta. They have become on the contrary so many plague spots for preaching atheism and advancement of demoniac principles for want of proper and regular spiritual propaganda under able leadership. The mission of Geeta Nagari must have its aim amongst others to rectify the anomalies that have entered into the life of these centres of spiritual education and regenerate them to the sense of spiritual life through the exemplary life of devotees that may be created from the practical life of Sree Geeta Nagari. The Bhagwat Geeta [bg. 9.25] encourages us in such spiritual culture as follows:-

Janti Devabrata Devan,

Pitrin Janti Pitribrata

Bhutani, Janti Bhutejya,

Janti Madjajina, Api, mam.

C.Mahatma Gandhi started the Harijan movement in order to raise the status of the fallen people either by social injustice or otherwise. But such movement may not be restricted only amongst the Bhangis and Chamars who are proclaimed as such by social injustice but such movement may be extended amongst those also are passing in the society as Brahmins and Kshatriyas etc. but in practice their mentality is more degraded than the lowest of the Bhangis and Chamars. Harijan means the associate of God himself. Chamars and Bhangis or for the matter of that, people of the mentality of the Chamars and Bhangis, can never be promoted to the position of the Harijan, unless and until such persons are helped to go up to the place of the Harijan by methods approved by the Harijans such as Arjuna, Prahlad, Dhrubamoharaj, Yamaraj, Bhisma, Janaka, Narada, Vyasa etc. There is no bar for anyone to rise up to that position of Harijans as it is stated in the Bhagwat Geeta in the following lines:-[bg. 9.32]

Mam, Hi, Partha, Byapashritya, Jey, Api, Syu, Papa, Yonaya, Striya, Vaishya, Tatha, Sudra, Te, Api, Janti, Param, Gati.

Mahatma Gandhi did not approve of the present system of castes as is prevailing in India and there is ample support of this movement of casteless society in the Bhagwat Geeta in its own way. Casteless society does not mean that there will remain no section or subsection of social division because without that no society can exist; but there may not be any caste simply for the sake of birthright accidents. Bhagwat Geeta approves of the caste system in terms of mundane quality acquired but not in terms of accidents of birth. (To be continued.)

January 20, 2004

Hare Krishna

" All the divine qualities are there in the spirit soul. Therefore as

we come closer to our spiritual identity, these qualities naturally

become manifest. "

from the Hari Bhakti Vilas or the Nectar of Devotion.

Sorry, I don't have the exact reff.

---

" Srila Prabhupada's reputation depends on our behaviour. In his

compassion he lifted us up from very degraded backgrounds. He was

even criticized by the less intelligent in India for doing so. In

order to maintain Srila Prabhupada's good name our behaviour should

be very exemplary. "

from Book Vaishnava Ettiquette by Bhakti Caru Swami

January 20, 2004

Hare Krishna

Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Krishna, so you should offer at His feet(Lord Caitanya), sometimes tulasi leafs are placed in the hand of Srimari Radharani to offer to Lord Krishna, why would you want to put a garland on Sri Sri Gaura-nitai's wrists, I don't understand /images/graemlins/confused.gif

January 20, 2004

Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.7.13-14

--

Vrindavana, September 12, 1976

Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:

A brahmana will never speak lies. That is the first qualification. So who is going to take training in that way? Nobody is interested. This is Kali-yuga. We are trying to train people "No illicit sex, no meat-eating, no gambling, no intoxication." Still, there are some failures. And if we teach in our institution, "Please do not speak lies," people will laugh: "What is this nonsense? Nowadays is it possible to remain in this society without speaking lies?" This is the position. This is called Kali-yuga. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a brahmana. Nobody is interested to be trained up as a ksatriya, neither as a vaisya. They are all sudras. Therefore it is said, kalau sudra-sambhavah. There is no training. It is very very difficult to train them to become purified by training. These statuses of life were different status of training so that ultimately one can become brahmana, and when he's fully trained up as a brahmana then he transcends the brahmana's position, and he becomes a Vaisnava.

So to become Vaisnava is not so easy thing. One has to become brahmana, then when he surpasses the stages of becoming brahmana then he becomes a Vaisnava. Suddha-sattva. Sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam. Then Krishna is born. When one comes to the Vaisnava stage, then he can understand what is Krishna.

January 20, 2004

Teaching and Study Guide to Bhagavad-gita As It Is (new98)

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Translation and Commentary by

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

guide prepared by Subhananda dasa brahmacari, Bh.S.

Editor, Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

(For further explanations, consult the verse(s)-with "purports" cited at the conclusion of each answer.)

Chapter One

Q1. Why does Arjuna decide not to fight in the Battle of Kuruksetra?

A. When Krishna, in response to Arjuna's request, draws Arjuna's chariot between the opposing armies, Arjuna sees his relatives and friends assembled in the ranks of both armies. Seeing their militant spirit and foreseeing their imminent death, Arjuna is overwhelmed with grief and compassion and decides not to fight. Not yet understanding the higher purpose of the battle (that Krishna desires the demoniac armies annihilated), Arjuna analyzes the entire situation in terms of his own interests. He thus decides that he is not interested in achieving military victory and winning a kingdom at the expense of the lives of his friends and relatives and the welfare of society. (1.21-46)

Chapter Two

Q1. What does Krishna mean when He tells Arjuna, "While speaking learned words you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief"?

A. Krishna is intimating that it is the eternal soul (self), and not the temporary material body, which is ultimately important. Arjuna's compassion for his relatives was misdirected, being aimed exclusively at their temporary bodily welfare. Because of identifying the outward material body with the self, Arjuna had forgotten that the actual self, the soul, being spiritual and eternal, cannot be slain. Only the temporary material body is slain. Therefore, Arjuna's lamenting the death of the opposing soldiers was due only to illusion. (2.11)

Q2. What is the nature of the soul as distinct from the body?

A. The soul, or self, is beginningless, eternal and unchanging. It cannot be destroyed or altered by any means, material or spiritual. Being transcendental and atomic, the soul cannot be perceived, ascertained, measured or apprehended by material senses or instruments. Each soul is eternally a distinct and individual conscious entity. (2.11-30)

Q3. What is transmigration (reincarnation)?

A. "Transmigration" means change of body. When situated within a temporary material body, the eternal, unchanging soul transforms (ages) from childhood to adulthood to old age. Even during the life cycle of a particular body, therefore, the soul is transmigrating. When the material body, through disease, old age, or other circumstances, becomes uninhabitable for the soul, the soul leaves the body ("dies") and enters a new body within the womb of a mother and "takes birth." (The transmigrating soul is awarded a new body by nature in accordance with his karma, or activities.) (2.13, 22)

Q4. How does Krishna describe the person in "transcendental consciousness"?

A. Such a person, fully cognizant of his spiritual identity and separateness from matter, is not interested in material pleasure. Thus he controls his outward senses. With controlled senses and with mind and intelligence fixed on the Supreme, he is unaffected by material dualities such as happiness and distress, loss and gain. Such a person, at the end of the present body, attains the spiritual world. (2.54-72)

Chapter Three

Q1. Can one achieve freedom from karmic reactions by abstaining from activity?

A. No. The soul is active by nature; it can never remain inactive. In the conditioned state of material existence, the modes of material nature force the embodied soul to act under their control. One can be released from karmic reactions, however, by engaging in active "works of devotion," or karma-yoga. (3.4-8)

Q2. What is karma-yoga?

A. In his conditioned state, the jiva performs self-centered activities directed toward bodily gratification. Under the law of karma, he has to suffer or enjoy the reactions to the pious and impious acts he performs in the pursuit of sense gratification. These karmic reactions force him to take repeated births in the material world. Karma-yoga, "the art of work," is a means by which he can escape this material entanglement. In karma-yoga, one performs duties according to the directions of the scriptures (the Vedas). Such activities purify and elevate the performer to the platform of performing activities for the satisfaction of Visnu (Krishna). Selfless activity, performed in the service of the Supreme, yields no material reactions and thus frees one from bondage to matter. (3.1-3, 9-35)

Q3. What does Krishna call "the destroyer of knowledge and self-realization"?

A. Kama, or lust, the desire for material sense gratification, impels the conditioned jiva to try to enjoy and exploit material sense objects. In the pursuit of sense gratification, the bound jiva performs sinful acts, which bind him to repeated birth and death. The more materially absorbed he becomes, the more he forgets his position as a transcendental living entity. Understanding the transcendental nature of the soul, one should conquer lust, Krishna tells Arjuna, by controlling the senses. (3.36-43)

Chapter Four

Q1. What is the nature and purpose of Krishna's descending to the material world ?

A. Whereas the ordinary conditioned jiva is forced to assume a material form under the supervision of the law of karma, Krishna descends to the material world in His own eternal, transcendental form by His independent will. He appears in the material world in His original form as an incarnation or expansion whenever it is necessary to reestablish the principles of religion (dharma). Krishna states that one who understands the nature of His appearance and activities reaches the spiritual world. (4.4-9)

Q2. How does transcendental knowledge free one from karmic reactions?

A. "Transcendental knowledge," or the understanding that the self is not material but eternal and transcendental to matter, frees one from karmic reactions because when situated in that knowledge one ceases to perform fruitive activities directed toward material sense gratification One realizes sense gratification to be merely temporary and illusory pleasure. In the absence of fruitive activities to gratify the senses, there are no karmic reactions to bind one. (4.18-24, 36-42)

Q3. Why and how does one approach a spiritual master? What is the criterion of a genuine guru?

A. Since transcendental knowledge is beyond the range of material sense perception and empiric speculation, one has to approach a guru, one who has realized the truth in a line of "disciplic succession" originating with God. The disciple approaches a bona fide guru in a submissive attitude, always prepared to render service and eager to submit humble inquiries regarding spiritual advancement. When the student is thus qualified, the guru imparts transcendental knowledge to him. (4.34)

Chapter Five

Q1. What are the characteristics of the devotional worker (karma-yogi)? What are his realization, his mode of activity and his ultimate destination ?

A. The person acting in karma-yoga does not identify with the actions of his body, mind and senses, for he understands his real position as transcendental to the material body. Understanding further that he and everything in his possession belong to Krishna, he engages his body, senses, mind and intellect in His service. Acting in such an unattached, devotional manner, rather than acting for personal sense gratification, he is unaffected by reactions to work. Thus his work elevates him to the position of full enlightenment regarding his self and the Supreme Self (Krishna), and he proceeds "straight on the path of liberation." (5.7-17)

Q2. What are the characteristics of the self-realized person (the "humble sage,liberated person,perfect mystic," Brahman-realized or Krishna conscious person) ?

A. The self-realized soul is not illusioned by the false identification of the material body with his true self. He realizes himself to be a fragmental part of God. His mind is steady because he is not disturbed by temporary gains and losses of material things. Fixed in transcendental knowledge, he views all beings with equal vision and works for their ultimate spiritual welfare. Unattracted by material sense pleasure, he enjoys "the pleasure within," concentrating on the Supreme. (5.18-28)

Q3. The self-realized person, Krishna tells Arjuna, is "always busy working for the welfare of all sentient beings." What is the nature of such welfare activity?

A. In light of the temporality of the material body and the eternality of the real self, the self-realized person views bodily oriented welfare activity as insufficient. Attributing suffering to a lack of consciousness of God (Krishna), he works to instill God consciousness in others. (5.25)

Chapter Six

Q1. In yoga practice, what is the purpose of controlling the mind?

A. The soul is entrapped by matter because of the conditioned mind's attraction to material nature. The uncontrolled mind intensifies the soul's material bondage. The purpose of yoga is to control the mind (with the intelligence) and to draw it away from attachment to material sense objects. Krishna advises Arjuna (at the end of Chapter Six and also later in the Gita) to control the mind by concentrating it on Him in devotional service (bhakti-yoga). (6.5-7, 26, 36)

Q2. What is dhyana-yoga? How is it performed?

A. Dhyana means "meditation." Dhyana-yoga (technically known as asöaìga-yoga, or "the eightfold path") is a mechanical system for controlling the mind and senses through restraining one's breath, focusing one's mind, and so on. This culminates in samadhi, or mental absorption in the Supreme, specifically in Paramatma, the form of Krishna within the heart. In a secluded place, the dhyana-yogi sits on a particular type of seat, assumes the proper meditational posture and stares at the tip of the nose with half-closed eyes. Then, "with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life," the yogi meditates on Paramatma, making Him "the ultimate goal of life." (6.10-19, 31)

Q3. Why does Arjuna reject the meditational system described by Krsna ?

A. Arjuna says, "The system of yoga which You have summarized appears impractical and unendurable to me, for the mind is restless and unsteady." The requirements of dhyana-yoga (leaving home, finding a completely secluded place, mechanically controlling the mind, and so on) seem to Arjuna too difficult for him, or for any ordinary man. (6.33-36)

Q4. Which yoga system does Krishna recommend to Arjuna as the foremost, at the conclusion of the chapter? Why?

A. Krishna says, "Of all yogis, he who always abides in Me with great faith, worshiping Me in transcendental loving service, is most intimately united with Me in yoga and is the highest of all." Krishna thus extols bhakti-yoga, the devotional path, because bhakti (devotion to Krishna) is, according to the Gita, the sanatana-dharma (eternal constitutional position) of the living entity. (6.47)

Chapter Seven

Q1. What are Krishna's two basic energies, and what is their interrelationship? What is Krishna's relationship with these two energies?

A. Krishna's "inferior" energy (matter, or apara prakrti) consists of eight gross and subtle material elements: earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intellect and false ego. It is the "stuff" of the material world. Krishna's "superior" energy (spirit, or para prakrti) consists of the living entities (jivas), who are qualitatively one with Him. Under the influence of material nature, the jivas identify with the material energy and try to predominate and enjoy matter. When freed from this influence, the jiva attains mukti, or liberation. Krishna is the origin and controller of both energies. (7.4-7)

Q2. What are the four kinds of "miscreants" who don't surrender to Krishna and the four kinds of pious men who do?

A. The four classes of miscreants are (1) the mudhas, grossly foolish, hard-working fruitive workers, (2) naradhamas, those who follow regulative principles of social and political life but do not follow religious principles, (3) mayayapahrta-jnanis, those who are highly educated or learned but are illusioned by maya, and (4) asuram bhavam aSritas, those who are openly atheistic.

The four classes of pious men are those who approach the Supreme Lord because (1) they are distressed, (2) they need money, (3) they are inquisitive, or (4) they are searching for knowledge of the Absolute Truth. (7.15-18)

Q3. Why does Krishna criticize the worshipers of demigods?

A. "Those whose minds are distorted by material desires" worship demigods to win material benedictions. Because such worshipers seek material gains, which are limited and temporary, they are "men of small intelligence." They do not know, Krishna declares, that He is the source of their faith in the demigods as well as the actual bestower of the demigods' favors (7.20-23)

Chapter Eight

Q1. What is the significance of the time of death for the embodied jiva?

A. The quality of the jiva's consciousness at death determines his next birth: "In whatever condition one quits his present body, in his next life he will attain to that state without fail." (8.6)

Q2. What advise does Krishna give Arjuna regarding the time of death? What will be the result of following that advise?

A. Krishna tells Arjuna that one who leaves the body remembering Him attains His abode. Because the quality of one's consciousness at death is influenced by one's consciousness and activities during his life, Krishna instructs Arjuna to practice remembering Him while performing his prescribed duties. By such remembrance, "one is sure to achieve the planet of the divine, the Supreme Personality." (8.5, 7-8)

Q3. According to Krishna, how should Arjuna meditate on Him?

A. Krishna tells Arjuna, "Think of the Supreme Person as one who knows everything, who is the oldest, who is the controller, who is smaller than the smallest, who is the maintainer of everything, who is beyond any material conception, who is inconceivable, and who is always a person. He is luminous like the sun, beyond this material nature, transcendental." (8.9)

Q4. What is the nature of the spiritual world, and how is it attained?

A. Beyond the material world, which undergoes a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction, is the eternal, spiritual world, which is "transcendental to this manifested and nonmanifested matter" and is never annihilated. This "highest destination" is attained, Krishna says, by "unalloyed devotion." Once it is attained, one never returns to the material world. (8.17-22)

Chapter Nine

Q1. How does Krishna describe His relationship with His creation (the cosmic universe)?

A. Krishna is the source, maintainer and controller of the universe. In a perpetual cycle of creation and destruction, He manifests the material world and, after a long period, absorbs it back into His nature. When manifested, the entire cosmic creation rests within Him, while He simultaneously pervades the universe through His diverse potencies. Although maintaining and pervading the universe through His different potencies and energies, He remains transcendental, separate and independent in His personal form. All material activities (such as the embodiment of living beings) are carried out by the material nature, which acts under His supreme direction. (9.4-10)

Q2. Who are "the foolish," and who are "the great souls"?

A. The foolish are those bewildered persons who, ignorant of Krishna's transcendental nature and supreme dominion, deride His personal humanlike form. Such persons are "attracted by demoniac and atheistic views." That is, they consider Krishna's personal form material and therefore subordinate or inferior to His impersonal feature as the all-pervading Brahman. The "great souls" are those who are fully aware of Krishna as "the Supreme Personality of Godhead" and who worship Him with devotion. (9.11-14)

Q3. How does Krishna advise Arjuna to become free from karmic reaction?

A. Arjuna will be freed from "all reactions to good and evil deeds" by making Krishna the object and beneficiary of all actions, offerings and austerities. Although Krishna is neutral, anyone who renders Him such service in devotion "is a friend, is in Me, and I am a friend to Him." (9.26-29)

Chapter Ten

Q1. Whom does Krishna enlighten?

A. Those who know Krishna as the source of everything surrender unto Him with pure devotion. To those who are so devoted, Krishna tells Arjuna, "I give the understanding by which they can come to Me. Out of compassion for them, I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance." (10.8-11)

Q2. What is the lesson Arjuna is to learn from Krishna's revelation of His divine opulences?

A. By giving Arjuna a small indication of His specific opulences as He manifests them in His all-pervading energies, Krishna demonstrates that all wondrous phenomena manifesting great power, beauty, grandeur and sublimeness, in either the spiritual or material world, are merely fragmental manifestations of His divine energies and opulences. As the supreme cause of all causes, therefore, Krishna is the supreme object of worship for all beings. (10.19-41)

Q3. After Krishna reveals His opulences, what is His final teaching to Arjuna?

A. Krishna says, "But what need is there, Arjuna, for all this detailed knowledge? With a single fragment of Myself, I pervade and support this entire universe." In other words, more important than knowledge of His separate opulences is the understanding that these and all things exist because of Krishna's entering them as Paramatma (Supersoul), by which He pervades and supports the entire universe. (10.42)

Chapter Eleven

Q1. What is the universal form (visva-rupa) revealed by Krishna to Arjuna?

A. The universal form is a colossal, terrifying, yet temporary vision of Krishna's power and opulence in His form as the cosmic universe and His destructive form as Time. In this spectacular vision, Arjuna can see "the unlimited expansions of the universe situated in one place, although divided into many, many thousands." (11.9-49)

Q2. Why does Arjuna request Krishna to reveal His universal form?

A. Although he himself fully accepts Krishna as the Absolute Truth and the source of everything, Arjuna fears that in the future others might consider Him an ordinary person. Therefore, to establish Krishna's divinity, he requests Krishna to reveal His universal form to show how He controls the universe although He is apart from it. Arjuna prays, "O greatest of all beings, O supreme form, though I see here before me Your actual position, I yet wish to see how You have entered into this cosmic manifestation; I wish to see that form of Yours." (11.1-3)

Q3. After He returns to His original, two-armed form as Krishna, what qualification does Krishna cite as necessary to see and understand His humanlike form ?

A. Krishna states, "My dear Arjuna, only by undivided devotional service can I be understood as I am, standing before you, and can thus be seen directly. Only in this way can you enter into the mysteries of My understanding." He further states that one thus engaged in pure devotional service "certainly comes to Me." (11.54-55)

Chapter Twelve

Q1. What does Krishna say in response to Arjuna's inquiry about the relative positions of the devotee engaged in Krishna's service (bhakti) and those who worship Brahman, the impersonal form of Krishna?

A. Krishna replies to Arjuna, "He whose mind is fixed on My personal form, always engaged in worshiping Me with great and transcendental faith, is considered by Me to be most perfect." But "for those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome." Although the "impersonalists" eventually achieve Him, their path, being indirect, is more difficult. For the devotee who has fixed his mind upon Krishna, however, worshiping Him in devotional love and service, Krishna is "the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death." (12.1-8)

Q2. How does Krishna describe the devotee who is "very dear" to Him?

A. The devotee is free from material desires, material dualities and possessiveness, false ego, anxiety and envy. He is "a kindly friend to all creatures,equal to both friends and enemies," and "equal in both happiness and distress," and he engages in devotional service with determination, with mind and intelligence fixed on Krishna. (12.13-20)

Chapter Thirteen

Q1. What are the three subjects discussed in this chapter? What is their relationship?

A. Chapter Thirteen is concerned with the material body, the soul and the Supersoul (Paramatma) and their relationship. The body is composed of twenty-four gross and subtle material elements. It is the ksetra, or "field" of activities, for the soul, who is therefore the ksetra-jna, or "knower of the field." The material body is animate only because of the presence of the living spiritual soul. Beyond the soul is the Supersoul, an expansion of Krishna who simultaneously appears in all bodies, accompanying the individual soul as the indwelling witness, maintainer and guide. This Supersoul is transcendental to the modes of nature and is the supreme knower in all bodies. (13.1-7, 13-35)

Q2. What is the result of understanding these three items and their relationship ?

A. By analytically understanding the body, the soul and the Supersoul, the embodied jiva can understand (and execute) the process of liberation from the body and return to the spiritual world. (13.24, 35)

Chapter Fourteen

Q1. What are "the modes of material nature"? What are the characteristic effects of each of the three modes on the conditioned jiva?

A. The living entity is by nature transcendental, but when conditioned by the material world, he acts under the spell of material nature, which is divided into three qualities, or "modes" (gunas): the mode of goodness (sattva-guna), the mode of passion (rajo-guna) and the mode of ignorance (tamo-guna). These three conditioning forces, acting individually or collectively, influence the conditioned jiva's psychophysical condition and his actions. The mode of goodness is illuminating and leads one to self-knowledge and happiness. Conditioning by the mode of passion is characterized by fruitive activities impelled by intense desire for material enjoyment, the end result being distress. Those influenced by the mode of ignorance are characterized by ignorance, indolence, sleep and madness. (14.6-18)

Q2. How can the conditioned jiva transcend the influence of the modes?

A. "One who is engaged in full devotional service, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman." Since knowledge (jnana) is a component of devotion (bhakti), devotional service (bhakti-yoga) enlightens one with knowledge of the workings of nature's modes, and it enables one to understand his own eternal position as transcendental to the modes. With that realization, one transcends the conditioning influence of the modes. (14.19, 26)

Q3. What is the "Brahman platform," and what lies beyond it?

A. "Brahman" means "spiritual." The Brahman platform is the preliminary spiritual position reached by the jiva when he has become free from material conditioning by the influence of the modes of nature. A person on the Brahman platform, in full realization of his transcendental position, is unconcerned with and unaffected by material dualities. He does not engage in material activities. Beyond the Brahman platform is Krishna Himself, who says, "I am the basis of the impersonal Brahman." After attaining the Brahman platform, the liberated jiva becomes qualified to engage in the devotional service of Parabrahman (the Supreme Brahman), Krishna. (14.22-27)

Chapter Fifteen

Q1. What does Krishna explain about the dynamics of transmigration?

A. Krishna explains to Arjuna that one's consciousness, particularly one's consciousness at the time of death (which has been fashioned during life), determines the type of material body one will have next. "The living entity in the material world carries his different conceptions of life as the air carries aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another." Assuming a new body equipped with a particular set of senses, he proceeds to enjoy a particular set of sense objects. Krishna further explains that the foolish cannot understand the process of transmigration, whereas the wise can. (15.8-11)

Q2. What is "the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures"?

A. There are two classes of beings: the "fallible" (the conditioned souls in the material world) and the "infallible" (the liberated souls in the spiritual world). Beyond them both, however, is Krishna Himself, who maintains both the material and spiritual worlds. Thus He is "celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person." Whoever knows Him as such is "the knower of everything." Thus he engages in devotional service to Krishna. This knowledge "is the most confidential part of the Vedic scriptures," Krishna says. "Anyone who understands this will become wise, and his endeavors will know perfection." (15.16-20)

Chapter Sixteen

Q1. What is the difference between those of "divine" qualities and those of "demoniac" qualities?

A. The godly, or those of divine qualities, are those who live regulated lives, abiding by the authority of scripture. Such persons attain liberation from the material world. On the other hand, those possessing demoniac qualities are those who live unregulated lives, acting whimsically for sense gratification, disregarding the injunctions of scripture. Such persons are further bound by material nature. (16.5, 23-24)

Q2. What are the divine (transcendental) qualities?

A. "The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, sense control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity, simplicity, nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger, renunciation, peacefulness, aversion to faultfinding, compassion toward every living entity, freedom from greed, gentleness, shyness, determination, vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, and freedom from both envy and the passion for honor-these are the transcendental qualities, born of the godly atmosphere, O son of Bharata." (16.1-3)

Q3. What are the characteristics of those of demoniac qualities? What is their fate?

A. The demoniac are atheistic and materialistic. Conceiving the world to have no foundation or purpose, they act whimsically and destructively. Their ultimate goal of life being gratification of the senses, they are absorbed in impermanent, material things. Bound by multitudinous material desires, they obtain money by any means. The demoniac are conceited, lusty, complacent and impudent. There is no end to their anxiety. Such demoniac persons take birth in various lower species of life and "sink down to the most abominable position of existence." They can never approach Krishna. (16.6-18)

Chapter Seventeen

Q1. What are the three kinds of food, sacrifice, austerity and charity in each of the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance) ?

A. See Chapter Seventeen, verses 7 through 22. http://www.asitis.com/17/7.html

Q2. What is the difference between faith in the lower modes of nature (passion and ignorance) and faith in the mode of goodness?

A. When performed in passionate and ignorant faith, activities such as sacrifice, penance and austerity are enacted selfishly for material benefits such as wealth, power and honor. Such acts of faith, performed without faith in the Supreme and in violation of the scriptures, yield only impermanent, material results and are therefore useless. On the other hand, acts of faith performed in the mode of goodness are executed according to duty and scriptural regulations, without selfish, fruitive intentions. Such acts are performed for the satisfaction of the Supreme, and thus they purify and elevate the performer and gradually lead him to the platform of pure faith and devotion to Krishna. Such Krishna-bhakti (devotion to Krishna) is transcendental faith, beyond the modes of nature. (17.23-28)

Chapter Eighteen

Q1. What are the three kinds of knowledge, action, workers, intelligence, determination, and happiness in each of the three modes of material nature?

A. See Chapter Eighteen, verses 19 through 40. http://www.asitis.com/18/19.html

Q2. What are the four social orders, and what are the qualities of their respective modes of work? How does a person attain perfection by acting in his particular social order?

A. According to the material modes one has assumed, one naturally conforms to one of four fundamental occupational divisions of human society: brahmanas (teachers and priests), ksatriyas (rulers and warriors), vaiSyas, (farmers, traders, etc.) and Sudras (laborers). Krishna enumerates the qualities of these orders as follows: "Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, wisdom, knowledge and religiousness-these are the qualities by which the brahmanas work. Heroism, power, determination, resourcefulness, courage in battle, generosity and leadership are the qualities of work for the ksatriyas. Farming, cow protection and business are the qualities of work for the vaisyas, and for the Sudras there is labor and service to others."

By working in accordance with his respective social duty, the conditioned soul can ultimately transcend the modes and attain spiritual perfection by offering the results of his work to God. (18.41-48)

Q3. What does Krishna tell Arjuna is the only way to understand Him? What is the result of such understanding?

A. Krishna says, "One can understand the Supreme Personality as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God." (1 8.55)

Q4. What is Krishna's final and conclusive instruction to Arjuna?

A. Krishna says, "Give up all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall protect you from all sinful reactions. Therefore you have nothing to fear." Krishna thus instructs Arjuna to abandon all religious processes and duties (viz., karma-yoga, jnana-yoga, dhyana-yoga, the socio-religious duties of the social orders, endeavor for attainment of Brahman and Paramatma, and so forth) and simply surrender unto Him and engage, as His pure devotee, in eternal, transcendental loving service-the eternal and supreme dharma. Krishna has described the nature of that pure devotion in the previous verse: "Always think of Me, become My devotee, worship Me, and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail." (18.65-66)

Q5. At the conclusion of the dialogue, what does Krishna inquire of Arjuna, and how does Arjuna answer?

A. "[Krishna said:] O conqueror of wealth, Arjuna, have you heard this with your mind at perfect attention? And are your ignorance and illusion now dispelled? Arjuna said, My dear Krishna, O infallible one, my illusion is now gone. I have regained my memory by Your mercy, and now I am steady and free from doubt and am prepared to act according to Your instructions." (18.72-73)

http://www.asitis.com

January 19, 2004

Vrndavana Bhajana(8 of 27)

Written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in 1958,

Published December of that Year in Gaudiya Patrika,

The Magazine of the Gaudiya Vedanta Samiti.

1.

I am sitting alone in Vrndavana-dhama

In this mood I am getting many realizations.

I have my wife, sons, daughters, grandsons, everything,

But I have no money so they are a fruitless glory.

Krishna has shown me the naked form of material nature,

By his strength it has all become tasteless to me today.

yasyaham anugrhnami harisye tad-dhanam sanaih

"I gradually take away all the wealth of those upon whom I am merciful."

How was I able to understand this mercy of the All-merciful?

2.

Everyone has abandoned me, seeing me as penniless,

Wife, relatives, friends, brothers, everyone.

This is misery, but it gives me a laugh. I sit alone and laugh.

In this maya-samsara, whom do I really love?

Where have all my loving father and mother gone to now?

And where are all my elders, who were my own folk?

Who will give me news of them, tell me who?

All that is left of this family life is a list of names.

3.

Like the froth on the sea water mixes again in the sea,

Maya's samsara's play is just like that.

No one is mother or father, or personal relative,

Just like the sea-foam they remain but a short time,

Just as the froth on sea water mixes again in the sea,

The body made of five elements meets with destruction.

How many bodies does the embodied soul take in this way;

His relatives are all simply related to this temporal body.

4.

But everyone is your relative, brother? on the spiritual platform.

This relationship is not tinged with the smell of maya.

The Supreme Lord is the soul of everyone,

In relation to Him, everyone in the universe is the same.

All your relatives, brother! All the billions of jivas.

When seen in relation to Krishna they are all in harmony.

Forgetting Krishna, the jiva desires for sense gratification,

And as a result he is firmly grasped by maya.

5.

As a result of past activities he takes on different types of body.

Absorbed in that dress he remains forgetful of Sri Hari.

Therefore maya gives him so many kinds of miseries

And although he bobs up and down in this ocean of misery,

he still thinks that he is happy.

Lying on a bed, suffering greatly, having been sick a long time

"I am very well today," he says laughing.

I get a laugh out of his "feeling very well"

This is the way the soul conditioned by maya feels "well"

6.

How many plans they have to remain "well"

But time and time again nature destroys them.

daivi hy esa gunamayi that is the Supreme Lord's maya.

Try to understand exactly the meaning of their "feeling well";

No one is well in the whole world, but still they are saying

In this way maya cheats the conditioned soul.

But, ignoring that he is being cheated, he remains absorbed in maya;

And although maya kicks him, he will not give up his mistaken conception.

7.

Again and again making plans, and again and again they are destroyed.

Sometimes he falls on the dry earth and sometimes in the mud.

In this way the universe is filled with wandering jiva souls

who finally by the grace of Guru and Krishna get bhakti --the eternal wealth.

Gaining that wealth if they can give up all other so-called wealth,

Then very easily he crosses over the ocean of samsara.

There on the other side is unparalled spiritual variegatedness.

There he enjoys in eternal happiness and peace.

8.

The mad say, "There everything is formless,

Without special feature like a kind of nothing."

He is actually the storehouse of spiritual tastes-- raso vai sah

The intelligent knowers of tastes serves him becoming his subordinate

Santa, dasya, sakhya, vatsalya are those tastes and

The best of all, madhurya, is the essence of them all.

But in the spiritual world all these tastes are relishable,

Whereas the material tastes are just shadow reflections and are all contemptible.

January 19, 2004

Hare Krishna

Thats the answer I was looking for, thankyou.

Ps. I'm surprized no-one made the joke

'govindaram sleeps with the fishes' /images/graemlins/mad.gif /images/graemlins/crazy.gif

January 19, 2004

Morning Walk

--

August 11, 1976, Tehran (excert)

 Atreya Asi: Is it true, Srila Prabhupada, that Krishna is testing us every day? We're having tests, opportunities...

Prabhupada: No, just like if you want responsible post, then there is question of test. If you want to become a vagabond, remain vagabond. Where is question of test?

Atreya Asi: No, for devotees.

Prabhupada: Ah, for devotees, there is test. For devotees there is test. We see from the devotee's life, Prahlada Maharaja, how much severe test he had to pass through. Bali Maharaja, Narada Muni.

Atreya Asi: And the most advanced the devotee is, the more severe the test is, the more chance.

Prabhupada: No, after you pass the examination, there is no more test. But before coming to the post of recognized devotee, Krishna tests very severely. That one has to pass.

Hari-sauri: I read once in the Bhagavatam in one of your purports, you said that maya is there to test the sincerity of the candidate.

Prabhupada: Yes, we see from the life of Bali Maharaja, how he was put into difficulty. Even his spiritual master cursed him. [break] ...put into test and still he remains in his determination, then he's passed. That is very natural. And there is a word, "acid test"?

Hari-sauri: Yes.

Prabhupada: For ascertaining real gold, the acid test one has to pass to become real gold.

Nava-yauvana: [break] ...this test depends on one's faith in Krishna?

Prabhupada: Faith in Krishna? What do you mean by faith?

Hari-sauri: If you want to pass the test, he says, does that depend on one's faith?

Prabhupada: What does that faith mean?

Atreya Asi: Conviction.

Prabhupada: What is that conviction? Describe it.

Atreya Asi: That Krishna is the controller.

Prabhupada: Krishna is controller. You may have faith or no faith, that doesn't matter.

Hari-sauri: If one is convinced that Krishna will always protect him.

Nava-yauvana: When he's convinced to abide by the instructions of...

Prabhupada: Faith means that you are meant for giving some service to Krishna. You should stick to that service, that path, in spite of all impediments. That is the passing of test. Generally, just like we are meant for preaching Krishna consciousness. So there may be severe test, but still we shall remain determined. That is wanted. There may be so many impediments, punishment, still you should do that. That is wanted. That is test. Not that as soon as there is some difficulty I give it up. There may be severe test, but still we shall not give it up. We must go on. That is determination.

Nava-yauvana: Passing the test means executing the order of the spiritual master.

Prabhupada: Yes, that is spiritual life. One has to take order from the spiritual master and execute it, despite all impediments. That is determination.

January 19, 2004

Hare Krishna

I had a dream about some fish (very colourful), flying without water, on the wall, i have heard this is sort of a spiritual dream, but have no idea what it means, any ideas prabhus?

January 19, 2004

I should give better advice than my previous attempt,

In a lecture once 'aimless prabhu, i heard His Divine Grace say "'there HAS to be programme for srimad bhagavatam' otherwise after a while everything is lost and you will be discusted", so from this you can see that reading regular i.e 1 hour a day, is very important. To build your faith, hope this has helped. Haribol.

January 19, 2004

to congratuate you on your findings of your MIND, it has been thinking to much lately (FOOL!), hit it with a big old broomstick!

January 18, 2004

Hare Krishna

Why are we drawn to this krishna consciousness movement?

Lord Krishna says in the Gita, 4 types of peoples inquire about Krishna, inquisitive, the distressed, etc, and render service unto Him. ...which one are you?

January 18, 2004

Bhagavad-gita 13.1-2

--

Bombay, December 29, 1972 (excert)

Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:

And Krishna being satisfied with you love... Because real thing is bhakti. Bhaktya mam abhijanati [bg. 18.55]. Patram puspam phalam toyam yo me bhaktya prayacchati. Patram puspam phalam toyam. Here we are offering a little food, little leaf, little flower. But what is the essence? What is the value of flower? Value, there is practically no value. But yo me bhaktya prayacchati. The real value is that the flower is offered with devotion, the food is offered with devotion.

Therefore the devotee gradually realizing that, "Yes, I am offering this flower directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I am offering the food directly to the Supreme Personality of Godhead." He is eating. He is perceiving. He is taking the prasadam. He's advancing. He's chanting Hare Krishna mantra. It is self-evident. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. This devotional service is directly appreciated. You haven't got to take certificate from others. If you be engaged in devotional service, you actually realize. Therefore it is called pratyaksavagamam dharmyam. Other things will remain in theoretical, but this is such a nice thing, devotional service, that you directly understand how much you are making progress, how much you have appreciated God, how much you have understood Krishna. Pratyaksavagamam dharmyam su-sukham. Su-sukham.

And also there is no trouble. Very easily and very happily it is performed. Just like the devotional service. One may be illiterate, one may be having no qualification, but the process is so nice, to prepare flower garland for Krishna, to prepare food for Krishna, for chanting Krishna, for reading books for Krishna, for hearing about Krishna. You simply hear, you don't do anything. Simply if you hear, sravanam kirtanam visnoh [sB 7.5.23], you become devotee. Simply by hearing. Sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhih. You remain in your place. It doesn't matter what you are, but if you simply hear about Krishna, then you become devotee. It is so nice. You don't require any education. You don't require any money, don't require anything. You simply hear. That is also confirmed in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

srnvatam sva-kathah krsna

punya-sravana-kirtanah

hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani

vidhunoti suhrt satam

[bhag. 1.2.17]

Suhrt satam. He is special friend of the devotee. Suhrt satam. Satam means those who are devotees Asatam means nondevotee. So He is suhrt satam. So He is sitting within your heart.

----

Bg.9.26

"If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit, or water, I will accept it."

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Govindaram

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Posts posted by Govindaram

Psychological effects of being humble??

Psychological effects of being humble??

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SURRENDER

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Can Swami Narayan be Krsna?

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