Audarya lila

The Dalai Lama is not a vegetarian, though I agree with you that the solution offered is simplistic and unrealistic. My son told me that he heard that people were giving out candy in Palestine and were cheering in the streets when they heard about the successful strike against the world trade center. He said they think that Americans are evil. I don't know, we are all products of our environment to a certain extent. If any of us grew up in the west bank we might have the same ideas or foster the same type of hatred. It seems to me that sadhu-sanga is the answer. I am very happy to hear that such a wonderful sadhu blessed the world trade center with his presence and that the devotees performed such a wonderful kirtan in one of those buildings just prior to this tragedy. Hate begets hate and the cycle seems endless. Who is willing to break it? I ask my kids that all the time when they are fighting. There are all types of people in this world who are influenced by different modes of nature. It crosses all cultural and religious boundaries. Some people are more influenced by goodness and are gentle by nature. Passion and ignorance are not a product of a particular religion, geographic region, skin color etc. All souls are part of Krsna and will find their proper place in his service. It is our job to devise the proper ways and means to engage all people in divine service so that all will have a chance to progress. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Make sure that the harinama party is filled with people of all colors, creeds, shapes, affiliations etc. (that is of course, if you are going to include the harinama idea) I like the idea of flowers. Doves come to mind as they have always simbolized peace. Olive branches are another. Chant and cry, Your servant Audarya lila dasa

This is a fanatical and foolish mentality. Since when is it acceptable to suggest that the previous acharya's works or other contempory Vaishnava's writings are unacceptable? This is kanistha mentality at best. These books are our wealth and heritage and by all means should be studied. Of course Rupa Goswami has said that one should not read too many books and it was the policy of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta to engage his disciples in service and limit their propensity to gather information. We should read the books of our Sampradaya with the aim of improving our bhajan, not to gather more information that remains in our heads and isn't put into practical application. Many people have not even read the books of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. They should be encouraged to do so and so should we. At some point in our development we may want to read more books such as Jiva Goswami's sat-sandarbhas or as you have noted above the Brhat-Bhagavamrta. Page after page of Srila Prabhupada's books he is laying the foundation for us in our development in Krsna consciousness. If we read these books carefully we will find all we need to know to find the impetus to surrender fully. At some point due to our love and attachment to Lord Chaitanya we will want to know more of what the six Goswami's and the other great acharyas in our line have written. It all depends on our adhikara and our ability to be honest about it. For the vast majority of us we haven't begun to digest and implement in our lives the teachings that Srila Prabhupada delivered to us. Another angle of vision is that all Vaishnava's have their unique and wonderfully individual personalities and the writings of one acharya may move us to action more than another. In that sense it may be useful to read some of the achaya's translations and commentaries of Bhagavad-gita or Srimad Bhagavatam. All glories to ALL the Vaishnava devotees of the Lord. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Maitreya, My respects to you as well. Agreed, we must tread the path carefully and thoughtfully and not all adjustments that may seem useful should be made. It is the duty of the acharya to make the appropriate adjustments. We are in the conditioned state, so how are we to judge? Even very advanced vaishnava's looked on some of the innovations that Srila Prabhupada made as deviations. We must pray for proper discretion and we must cry out for good company and the association of one or many that can help us with proper spiritual discretion. This is not an easy topic. We are certainly not incorrect to say 'follow what the acarya has said without change'. That is a good statement and to be followed for sure. Then, there is the statement of the acarya himself that some aspects of the teaching and the way it is presented are subject to change based on time, place and circumstancial considerations. We must be cautious and know our own adhikara and level of advancement. We must also know that there are those that are more advanced than us and pray for their association and advice so that we will not be fooled into thinking that whatever our minds tell us is correct. Through humble service and the good company of advanced Vaishnava's we will one day ourselves be expected to push forward this movement and make the proper adjustments necessary to reach that goal. Until that time let us all be humble and sincere and pray that Krsna give us good association. I don't know of any Gaudiya Vaishnava acharya who is sanctioning gay marriages. I also don't know any Gaudiya Vaishanva acharya who will not encourage all souls to take up Krsna consciousness and make an honest endeavor to improve themselves from wherever they are at. In reality most of us are stuck at the very beginning stages of bhakti still trying to overcome our material attachments. These attachments are not pretty no matter what they are. To some, homosexualty is repulsive which is the flip side of being attached to it. Attraction and aversion. We are after positive progressive spirituality in which we dedicate ourselves in the service of Sri Guru. This is open to all. A true sign of progress is that the practicioner is truly becoming detached from material life. This takes time and dedication. The acharya will see who we really are, not our false identities like, homosexual, heterosexual, scientist, philosopher, handsome, ugly, witty, dull - whatever. The guru sees our true prospect. Sridhara Maharaja gave the analogy that our material attachments that seem so insurmountable to us are really like mushrooms without any roots - no firm ground - they will be cleared in a short time. I really don't see why devotees have such a hard time with the idea that everyone is eligible. In fact, seeing as how many have expressed the idea that homosexuals are such sinners and the lowest etc. - we might conclude that they are most eligible for Lord Chaitanya's mercy. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Dear Karthik, My vision is certainly limited, as is any conditioned souls. That is why I have taken shelter of my Guru Maharaja whose vision is not clouded. Please read these enlightening words by Srila Prabhupada. It is certainly the perogative and necessity of the pure devotee to make adjustments to suit the times, with the aim bringing all to Krsna. Prabhupada: But the directions should be taken from scriptures. But there are many scriptures. So acarya means, just like Gosvamis, they would read all the scriptures and take the essence of it and give it to his disciples, "You act like this." Because he knows what to give, how to manipulate, so that his ekantatah sreyas will be acheived. Ultimate goal. therefore the acarya knows how to adjust things, at the same time keep pace with the spiritual interest (?). That is acarya. It is not that the same thing can be applied everywhere. He is eager to engage actually the people in the real benefit of life, but the means may be different. Just like my guru Maharaja. He is the first sannyasi to drive in a motorcar. A sannyasi never drives in a motorcar, you see? But not for sense gratification. Suppose we are going by aeroplane. A sannyasi should walk. The Jain sannyasis they never ride on a car, you know that. You know that. They will never ride in a car. But now they are also riding. But suppose we are preaching now. I came from India. If I were to say,"I am sannyasi, I will not ride in aeroplane, I must walk." Then what kind of preaching would have been? You see? So therefore it depends on the acarya how to adjust things. So, my Guru Mahraraja,"alright go on preaching on a motorcar, it doesn't matter." These Gosvamis, they went to Vrndavana, severest type of austerities. They used to live underneath a tree. Now if in this age I advise that you also live underneath a tree, then it will be difficult to preach. You see? Nobody is accustomed in that way, such severe type of austerity. They must be given, as far as possible, comfortable accomodations otherwise they will not come. They will not take. Now this.....This is adjustment. The acarya knows how to adjust things. The real purpose is how one will take to spiritual consicousness, or Krnsa consciousness. Keepng one's aim to that point some concession may be given. This is Krsna consciousness and requires some thoughtfulness and flexibility. I am not manufacturing the idea that a teacher, or acharya's function is to present the teachings according to time, place and circumstance. This is required, otherwise what kind of teacher will we have? One who doesn't understand the essence and have the ability to bring others to Krsna is not an acharya. This is a spiritual principle and is clearly enunciated by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami in the above quote. No one is advocating creating a new religion or some grand deviation. Some saw Srila Prabhupada's innovations that way, but obviously they were grossly mistaken. He came to America and he adjusted things accordingly so that the environment would be conducive to spiritual advancement. He certainly took into consideration the time, place and circumstance. These three things are in constant flux and there will forever be the need for the divine preceptor to present the teachings accordingly so that advancement in Krsna consciousness is assured. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

My wholehearted agreement there. I am certainly an offender myself as judged by my own lack of devotion and the fact that tears don't come to my eyes at the recitation of Krsna's name. It's really not so easy, I know. We may speak out, but in doing so we may really be adding fuel to the fire and cause a person more harm than good. Let us all pray for mercy and beg to become specks of dust at the feet of a pure Vaishnava. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Here is the URL to a nice article written by Sripad Narasingha Maharaja regarding whether or not the guru is omniscient. http://www.gosai.com/krishna-talk/omniscience.html Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Thank you for the kick Valaya, you are certainly most correct in your assessment of my fallen nature. You should note, just for reference sake, that I was paraphrasing what Srila Prabhupada has said regarding humility and also what other great vaishnava's have said. We should be humble ourselves and not be disturbed by those who speak ill of us, but we should always speak out against villification of other devotees, regardless of our fallen nature. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Dear Atma, I will try to answer these questions to the best of my ability. I know it is off the topic of the thread, but since you raised it here I hope that the readers will excuse us both and forgive the interruption. I cannot answer for anyone but myself. I am not out to 'blast' anyone at every chance I get. JNdas has kindly provided a place for gentle discussion of spiritaul topics. He is doing a valuable service in that regard and I thank him wholeheartedly for his sincere efforts and time. The recent rash of offense talk was triggered by a thread started by Brahma dasa for the purpose of discussing the ideas presented in the GALVA web site. All of the posts are available for all to read and judge for themselves what is what. My problem with JNdas and some of his posts is that he chose to villify my spiritual guide and call him a pretender based on limited information on his part and his perceptions based on the philosophical issues being discussed. There is no substance to his accusations and they are certainly offensive. Tripurari Swami joined the mission of Srila Prabhupada in the early 70's and has been a exemplary devotee from the very beginning. When others could not distribute Srila Prabhupada's books he found a way. In fact, Prabhupada was so pleased with him that he called him the incarnation of book distribution. When Tripurari Swami found in Sridhara Maharaja the same pure teachings and devotion that he had found in A.C. Bhaktivedanta and was told to leave Iskcon if he persisted in following his heart. He chose to follow his heart and the orders of his spiritual masters. Tripurari Swami is well respected by leading members of all Gaudiya Vaishnava missions following the teachings of Bhaktivinoda Thakur as presented by Srila Bhakisiddhanta Saraswati. Beyond that he is a wonderfully humble and exemplary vaishnava. Now, you may say as JNdas has, that I am his follower and I am blind - and there is some truth to that, but just as Arjuna did in the Bhagavad-gita when he accepted Krsna as Sri Bhagavan and cited other autorities and their opinions, I am leaving it to all here to decide for themselves not on my testimony but I will cite others for you as well. A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami said of Tripurari Swami: Nov. 12, 1974 Srila Prabhupada writes to H.H. Swami Tripurari, "Organize freely. You are the incarnation of book distribution. So take the leadership and do the needful." Sridhara Maharaja gave all his blessing unto Tripurari Swami and requested him to preach and make disciples. Many, many of Maharaja's god brothers respect him deeply and know him to be and exemplary Vaishnava. Some of the stalwart Vaishnava's that he is closely associated with are Narasingha Maharaja, Swami B.V. Vishnu Swami, and Paramdvaiti Maharaja. I live in southern California and attend programs with Giriraja Swami on a fairly regular basis. He has expressed his appreciation for Tripurari Swami to me on numerous occasions. The list could go on, but I hope that the readers here get the gist of this - Maharaja is an exemplary Vaishnava and should not be slandered. Now on a philosophical level we should all know that if we are chanting and tears are not coming to our eyes it is because of offenses. I am in the offensive stage myself. I am trying, by practice and keeping good company to move beyond it, but I am also honest about my own position. My own view of JNdas is that he is sincere and trying to make advancement. Because he made offensive statements due to limited knowledge and ignorance doesn't change that. We all make mistakes. When we recognize them, we try to atone for them. I have hope for all of us. Many devotees were harmed by false propaganda against Sridhara Maharaja and harbored ill will toward him and those who chose to follow him. I am one of them. I have realized the problem within myself in that regard and I pray whole heartedly for forgiveness. I disagree with JNdas regarding Bhakti Caru Swami's apology to Tripurari Swami. His apology was heart felt and sincere, not politically motivated as alluded to by JNdas. I have known Bhakti Caru Swami for over 20 years and I have always found him to be a very gentle, humble vaishnava. He made a mistake, recognized it, publicly apologized for it and moved on. That is wonderful exemplary Vaishnava behavior. Please be very clear on this point, I am not asking anyone here to submit themselves for guidance as I have to Tripurari Swami. I am pointing out that it is wrong to villify a devotee who has dedicated his life to preaching the message of Lord Chaitanya and spreading the glories of the Holy Name. We will all choose for our guides those who move our hearts and that is as it should be. We must be careful that in doing so we don't become fanatic and offend others who have chosen differently from ourselves. Krsna is unlimited and has the ability to present himself to each of us in the appropriate way to attract us. We should be happy that there are so many wonderful Vaishnava's that are so devoted that they can inspire devotion in others. We are all called to share ourselves and our realizations with others. That you see this as propaganda is fine, really. Everyone has an agenda. Our only hope is to find someone whose only agenda is to serve Krsna and then make our agenda his or her service. We should all encourage each other in this regard, that is what we all need. I hope I have not offended anyone by my response. I also pray and hope that in some small way I can be of some help in facilitating and encouraging the celebration of unity in diversity. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Thank you Valaya, a very good instruction that we all need to think about and place into action. However, off the topic somewhat but related, if we hear slander of another devotee or of our spiritual guides we are not called to be humble and tolerant. We are called to defend their dignity and present the truth regardless of it's consequences. On another note, no one will do themselves any good or do good to others by being fault finders - especially when it comes to finding fault with devotees - rather we should try to see our own faults and work on them - one of which you have very nicely pointed out for all the gentle readers here may be false pride. thank you Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Dear Stonehearted (surely you must have a nicer name than this), As you know the whole book is nectar and a must read for all of us. In fact, we should read it again and again and try to understand the seriousness of Vaishnava-aparadha. The story of Sacidevi is illustrative. It is related in the Caitanya-Bhagavata, Madhya as the Mahaprakasa-lila (The Great Revelation). I don't have the time to type out the whole section of the book covering this pastime but I will relay in short form some of the key points. Lord Chaitanya had seated himself on the deity throne and explained how one day he was floating on the ocean of milk and was awakened by Advaita Acharya's thunderous calls. He explained that he had descended at his request to inundate the world in a flood of Krsna-prema. The Lord began to dispense boons for attaining pure devotion. Seeing the Lord flood everyone with Krsna-prema, Srivasa Thakur requested that he shower prema-bhakti on his mother Sacidevi. Mahaprabhu replied, "O Srivasa, donot make such a request. I will not offer her the ecstasy of divine love. She has commited Vaishnava-aparadha and is being denied entry into the realm of divine love." Of course, everyone who heard this was shocked and dismayed. How could this be? It turns out that the history of the event is such that Mother Saci was very sorry to have had her son Visvambara take sannyasa and leave her. She felt that it was due to the influence of Advaita Acharya. When she saw that Nimai was asscociating closely with Advaita Acharya she became worried and thought negatively about him. She never uttered a word about it, she only thought negatively toward him. This was enough to cause Mahaprabhu to without prema-bhakti from her. In this regard Srila Bhaktisiddhanta has commented that if the Lord will withhold prema-bhakti from Saci for such an offense, what will be the fate of an ordinary soul? Lord Chaitanya's pastimes are filled with lessons for us and mark the path to take to attain pure devotion. Lord Chaitanya told Srivasa that he could not remove the aparadha but that he could tell how to do it. He told him that Mother Saci would have to take the foot dust of the offended Vaishnava on her head, in this case Advaita Acharya. The case of Durvasa Muni was cited in this regard. Thank you for bringing up this wonderful pastime Prahbu. Mahalo and Hari bol to you. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

I'm sorry. I recieved the text as a macintosh file and converted it to word. I didn't look at the way it came out before I posted it. I hope that the edited version is an easier read. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Only in the sense that if you follow a certain process you will get a certain result. The scientific process is one in which a hypothesis is made and experiments are designed and performed in order to investigate if the hypothesis fits with observable data. If one says that hypotheses are generated by inspiration from the supersoul then in that sense also krsna consciousness may be likened to the scientific process. 'Spiritual scientists' who have received inspiration from Krsna experiemented with their consciousness and received data that fit with their inspiration and if we follow the road that they have laid out in the form of the scriptures we will recieve 'data' in the form or altered/spiritualized consciousness which will confirm for us the experience of these great spiritual scientists. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

In light of the recent rash of slanderous posts and self-righteous justification of false propaganda meant to defame other vaishnava's I am posting a excerpt from a wonderful book published by Mandala titled, 'The Heart of Krishna', sy Bhakti Promode Puri Goswami Maharaja Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah INTRODUCTION The etymological development of the word aparadha is radhat arthat aradhanat-apagatah, which means "to be distanced from worship." Offenses committed at the lotus feet of Vaishnavas, the Devotees, distance one from devotional service to the Supreme Lord. But in a higher sense, it means to be removed from the service of Sri Radha. All divine service to Krishna is being conducted under her direction. To offend her servitors is to make one unfit for her divine service. The whole aim of Krishna consciousness is radha-dasyam, the divine service of Sri Radha, and offenses at the lotus feet of Vaishnavas make one unfit for such service. The Lord is overly protective of his devotees (bhakt-vatsala). He cannot tolerate any offenses against them. They have bhakti (devotion), and they can awaken it within us. Bhakti is the sole means to attract Krishna, who is a slave of devotion. The same is true of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Caitanya-Bhagavata states: "A person can attain the shelter of Mahaprabhu only by the grace of a higher Vaishnava. Religious practices and even chanting the Holy Name without devotion is useless." Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Prabhupada writes in his commentary: "Without developing a spirit of serice, chanting the Holy Name is vain. Real devotion can only be cultivated when one receives the blessings of an unalloyed devotee." Bhakti means devotion. Vrndavana dasa Thakur says: "If a person commits an offense at the lotus feet of a Vaishnava, even though he may have received Krishna's mercy, he will never attain divine love, prema." Srila Prabhupada writes: "Even if one is a Vaishnava, if he commits offenses to the Holy Name, he becomes unfit to render pure devotion. Although it may appear that he is still being shown favor by the Lord as he continues to make a show of chanting without difficulty, the Lord is actually very displeased with him because of his antagonism toward devotees. Therefore, to guve up nama-aparadha we must first give up sadhu-ninda or fault finding with devotees." Regarding the phrase Krsna krsp hoiles ('even though he may receive Krishna's mercy"), Srila Saraswati Thakur comments: "People may think that because an offender appears to continue to chant without difficulty, the Lord must still favor him, but they are wrong. The Lord is not even slightly moved by their sham devotion." The author of Sri Caitanya-Bhagavata, Vrndavana dasa Thakur, says that these statements are not his alone; they are the verdict of the Vedas. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur did not tolerate any disrespect towards genuine Vaishnavas. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu aso emphatically denounced any insults directed at Vaishnava devotees. To understand the seriousness of vaisnava-aparadha, offending devotees, one must grasp the multi-dimensional nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu is the source of all incarnations in Kali-yuga and the savior of all souls. He is Krishna, the son of Maharaja Nanda, fully enriched with the mood and radiance of Sri Radha. Srila krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami offers prayers to all of these manifestations in the preface of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta: vande gurun isa-bhaktan isam isavatarakan tat-prakasams ca tac-chaktih krsna-caitanya-samjnakam "I offer my obeisances unto all the gurus, the devotees, the Lord's avatars, his expansions, his saktis (energies), and the primeval lord himself, Sri Krishna Chaitanya." In the same way that Mahaprabhu is Krishna, he expands as Nityananda Prabhu (prakasa,) who is Balarama. Balarama's partial expansion is Sadasiva, Maha-Vishnu Avatar, whose counterpart in Chaitanya-lila is Advaita Acarya. Whis it left of Sri Radhika after Krishna has plundered her emotions and lustre is Sri Gadadhara Pundit. Sri Gadadhara and Svarupa Damodara are his sakti (energies). Bhakta means Srivasa Thakur who is Sri Narada Muni in Krishna Lila. Isa, Divinity means Mahaprabhu himself. The complete conception of Divinity must include the predominating moiety and the predominated moiety. The slightest disregard to any one of these is equal to disregarding the Supreme Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu himself. There are two aspects to the guru principle: the siksa or instructing guru, and the diksa or initiating guru. Both are represented in Srivasa Thakur. In the beginning of the second chapter of the Antya-lila of the Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja offers the following invocation: vande ham sri-guroh sri yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca sri-rupam sagrajatam saha-gana-raghunathanvitam tam sa-jivam sadvaitam savadhutam parijana-sahitam sri-krsna-caitanya-devam sri-radha-krsna-padan saha-gana-lalita-sri-visakhanvitams ca "I offer my obeisances unto the lotus feet of my Guru and to all the preceptors on the path of devotion. I offer my obeisnaces unto all the Vaishnavas and to Sri Rupa Goswami and his associates Raghunatha dasa, and Sri Jiva. I offer my obeisances to Advaita Acarya, Nityananda Avadhuta, Gadadhara Pundit, and to Sri Chaitanyha Mahaprabhu with all his devotees, headed by Srivasa Thakur. I then offer my obeisnaces to the lotus feet of Sri Radha and Sri Krishan, and all the gopis headed by Lalita and Visakha." In the above invocatory prayers (mangalacarana), the Vaishnavas are venerated. Kaviraja Gowami writes further: "Before beginning the narration of the pastimes of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, simply by meditating on Sri Guru, the Vaishnavas, and Divinity, I invoke their benediction. such meditation destroys all detriments on the spiritual path, and helps one to fulfill all their desires." We must note very carefully that the Vaishnavas have been included within the full conception of Divinity. These writings describe the Vaishnava's extraordinary qualities, and the spiritual benefit resulting from serving them. There are also several warnings regarding the disastrous effects of vaisnava-aparadha. The Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 19.156 states: "If a devotee commits vaisnava-aparadha, his offense is like a mad elephant uprooting and trampling his creeper of devotion; afterwards the creeper's leaves dry up and become lifeless." Please take some time and reflect on these beautiful words of love and warning. Great care and attention will be necessary on all of our parts if we are to make any real tangible spiritual progress in this life. We want to call ourselves devotees but we must first be humble and recognize all other devotees, otherwise what is the meaning of our devotion? Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Dear Random axis - BB, So your problem with Tripurari Swami is that he offended Sridhara Maharaja? How many people do you offend on a daily basis? You claim to have a diksha guru and many siksha gurus but your heart does not appear to have been softended due to their company or instructions. Tripurari Swami was accepted fully by Sridhara Maharaja and had a very loving relationship with him. I told you before and I will say it again - maybe this time you will listen - wonders never cease - if Tripurari did say something that was offensive about Sridhara Maharaja as you say, do you not think he has dealt with that? He was a leader in Iskcon and the climate was very anti-Sridhara Maharaja if you will recall. So if he was caught up in the propaganda, as most were, until they ventured to hear from Sridhara Maharaja himself is that some great unforgivable offense? One can judge by what one does, says, etc where a person's heart is and what their level of advancement is. You need to move on and start putting into practice some of the wonderful teachings of our acharyas. I think the potatoes are going to your head. Are you having a relationship with Mr. Potatoe head? Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Here is a talk given by Sripad B.V. Tripurari Swami in glorification of his eternal Master. The Soul of Srila Prabhupada By Swami B.V Tripurari If, as Srila Prabhupada said, his International Society for Krishna Consciousness was his body, I venture to assert that book publishing was his soul. This body/soul metaphor leads naturally to the conclusion that book publishing, the soul of Srila Prabhupada, is more important than his corporate institution. Spiritual though it may be, the institution is so only in as much as it conforms with and serves to facilitate the dissemination of the ideal embodied in the revealed scripture. To the extent that it ceases to do so, it becomes irrelevant. In the language of His Divine Grace, "Books are the basis." Srila Prabhupda's actions speak louder than my words in this regard. When he formed his Krishna consciousness movement, he was careful to establish the corporate structure of the society and that of his book trust as separate entities. His reason for this was to protect the eternal teachings and insure their dissemination, should the body of his formal society become diseased. As we know, the soul is independent of the body. Should the body die, the soul lives on, creating new bodies through which to express itself. In this metaphor, the new bodies appear as institutions to help those externally oriented approach the absolute. The value of the institution is realized in as much as it effectively draws its members to experience the inner ideal that the literature more closely resembles. Since the time of Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, the Srila Prabhupada of our Srila Prabhupada, book publishing has been further distinguished from temple worship in our sampradaya. Prabhupada's ISKCON is the spiritual child of the institution of another Prabhupada: the Gaudiya Math, formed by his gurudeva in pursuit of the vision of Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Gaudiya Math had as its logo a symbol, in which one half was decorated with icons representing the devotional path of ritualistic bhakti (vaidhi marg), the other half icons representing spontaneous passionate love of God (raga marg). Our beloved Srila Prabhupada, following in his gurudeva's footsteps, painted that same logo on the front gate of his world headquarters in Sri Dhama Mayapur. In Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati's logo, items necessary for temple worship represented the path of ritualistic bhakti, while the printing press among other things represented spontaneous devotion. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura further coined the phrase, "brhat mridunga," or great drum" with reference to the printing press. He reasoned that the small clay drum used in congregational chanting could be heard only a short distance, while the big drum of the printing press could be heard around the world. In his vision, we glimpse a dynamic and living conception of what it means to engage in kirtan, the best remedial measure for our present times. Chanting Hare Krishna loudly is highly praised in all the revealed literature of sacred India, for it has a twofold effect of purifying the chanter as well as those who hear the chanting, and thus brings further transcendental merit to the chanter. We can hardly imagine the position then of one such as our Srila Prabhupada, who through his international campaign of book publishing in effect conducted the largest and longest kirtan in recorded history. Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura's insight with regard to the printing press and its relationship with spontaneous love was novel. In his classic Saranagati, Bhaktivinoda Thakura describes kirtan rasa or the aesthetic experience of chanting thus: while lifting the soul to the highest transcendental experience, it impels the devotee to dedicate his life to making this experience available to all souls, declaring in Bhaktisiddhanta's words, "totalitarian war against illusion and all other theistic conceptions " short of that which was taught by Sri Caitanya—the path of spontaneous love of God. This is not a sectarian outlook, rather the ensuant ecstasy of the experience of kirtan rasa, in which the holy name of Krishna is the object of love (visaya alambana vibhava) and Sri Caitanya the shelter of that love (asraya alambana vibhava). The udippina vibhava or stimulus of this experience is the sound of the drum, or in the dynamic sense the sound of the booting of the brhat mridunga, Macintosh or Windows. The anubhavas or ensuant ecstasies include ministering to the fallen souls. Auxiliary emotions (sancari bhavas) include humility, madness and a host of others. All of the involuntary transformations (sattvika bhavas) are manifest, and the dominant emotion(stayi bhava) is either servitude, friendship, parental or conjugal love. It is not that other paths have no validity. Yet when with the yardstick of objectivity we go to measure the depths of penetration into transcendence that the various ego effacing traditions afford, none reaches further into that great unknown than the cult of Sri Caitanya. From deep within transcendence his missionaries return here to tell us more about its nature, and the possibilities that lie there beyond the mere cessation of material existence, and reverential love of God. The teachings and example of Sri Caitanya afford us a glimpse and ultimately access to the intimate social life of God, to the embrace of the personification of Joy, Sri Krishna, who is God when he wants to be himself. As joy is at the heart of the life of the absolute, the person of Krishna represents the absolute in its ultimacy, enjoying intimately with those souls who's love knows no distinction between God's desires and their own. Such is the fruit of adherence to the Bhagavata Purana that Sri Caitanya held so dear, and that was the very life of Srila Prabhupada, that which he embodied. Srila Prabhupada arrived in Boston Harbor in 1965 carrying with him several copies of his edition of the first canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. This was published in India in three volumes. In these three books he elaborately explained the devotional conclusion of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, fearing while doing so that he would not live long enough to complete the entire work of twelve cantos. As he envisioned it, this was a vast undertaking, each volume replete with original devanagari script, English transliteration, word for word definition, translation, and purport. At that time he was already late in age at 70 years and his health hardly robust. He was correct in his suspicion as to the limits of his time on earth and the strong possibility that he would not complete the task. Yet he gave us much more than these three volumes of the Bhagavatam, and there is significance as well with regard to just where in the Bhagavata his relentless voice of urgency and love fell silent, his dictaphone immortalized. Srila Prabhupada gave us not less than fifty volumes, ornamented with all of the previously mentioned embellishments. This is hard to fathom even for those of us who had a hand in assisting him. When the tradition attributes the writing of all of the Vedic literature to the legendary Vyasa, the academic community looks on in utter disbelief at what they see as the blind spot of the devoted. To pacify those who illogically insist that all, even soul and God must answer to ultimately to reason, we can further add that Vyasa was assisted in this enormous task by his disciples, Jaimini, Vaismpayana, etc. He spoke, while Ganesh acted as the scribe. Yet all of this does not go far in the way of convincing the scholars that the entirety of the Vedas and Puranas, the most voluminous body of literature known to humanity, should be attributed to one person that the devotees considered was empowered by God, if not God himslef. Better we cite the example of Srila Prabhupada, who in twelve years while circling the globe constantly, opened over 108 temples, staffed them with trained priests, initiated thousands of disciples whose correspondence with him alone gave rise to enough letters in response to fill six hardbound volumes. This he did and more all in the course of writing the fifty plus books already mentioned, while seeing to their translation further into numerous languages and their distribution to the tune of 64,000,000 books by the time he left us in 1977. As he liked to say quoting Napoleon, "Impossible is a word in a fools dictionary." That we are—fools—to think that God and his representative must conform to our frame of reference in order to be validated. Understanding God is not easy. Understanding Krishna is still more difficult. It is possible, however, to love Krishna, yet in order to do so we must have some knowledge about him. In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna tells us something about himself. Srila Prabhupada called this most famous of all Vedic texts the ABC's of spiritual life. His edition of the text, Bhagavad Gita As It Is, has sold more copies than any other translation to date. More impressive than the shear volume of its circulation, however, is the number of persons who, having read it, became devotees of Krishna themselves. Whenever Srila Prabhupada met someone familiar with the Gita, he was quick to ask if such persons knew the conclusion of the text. From the editions they had read, most of these persons had not realized there was a conclusion. Indeed there is, and it is man manah bhava mad bhakto, Krishna instructs us, "Fix your mind upon me, become my devotee," this is the most confidential knowledge. Out of more than fifty available translations that I am aware of, I know of no persons who, having become devotees of Sri Krishna, attribute their conversion to or inspiration for devotional life of Krishna bhakti to any of these translations. Yet I know thousands of devotees who are quick to point to Srila Prabhupada's edition as a major factor in the unfolding of their sraddha, their faith. Srila Prabhupada's phrase, "As It Is", which he attached to the title of his Gita edition is significant. Being acquainted with the Gita's speaker on the intimate terms Sri Krishna lays down as the adhikari or qualification for entering the mystery of the text, Srila Prabhupada, as a friend and devotee, bhakto si me sakha ceti, knew in effect the mind of Krishna when he spoke the Gita. If we know someone intimately, when they speak we will understand the intentions behind their words. Knowing the mind of the author is the most comprehensive means of understanding that which he or she writes. It is this approach to understanding the Bhagavatam that Sri Jiva Goswami four plus centuries ago adopted to penetrate the mystery of Srimad Bhagavatam in his treatise on the same entitled Tattva sandarbha. Therein Sri Jiva has demonstrated the clear and indisputable means to sort out the essential message of all revealed scripture—examining the mind of its author (Vyasa), revealed as it is within the essence of all revealed scripture, Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada's term, As It Is, thus follows the lead of none other than the immortal Jiva Goswami, the greatest philosopher in Indian religious history, if not the world over. Sri Gita leads us to the Bhagavatam, and the Bhagavata to the Sri Caitanya. Thus Srila Prabhupada called the Bhagavatam and the life and precepts of Sri Caitanya found in Caitanya Caritamrita the graduate and post graduate studies of Krishna consciousness respectively. Although the Bhagavatam is the most important work for the Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Caitanya Caritamrita brings out the deepest meaning of the Bhagavatam, as do the other works of the legendary Six Goswamis of Vrindavana and their followers. Srila Prabhupada rendered the immortal Caitanya Caritamrita into seventeen English volumes. Just how they came into print is significant in terms of the influence Srila Prabhupada had over his disciples. Srila Prabhupada had completed his translation of Caitanya Caritamrita, yet his disciples had not managed to publish a single volume of the work due to preoccupation with Srila Prabhupada's ongoing translation of the Bhagavatam. His disciples working directly in the field of publishing in Prabhupada's BBT, were producing one volume of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavatam rendering per month, no small task for a small crew of largely self taught devotee publishers. When Prabhupada brought to their attention the fact that they were falling behind him, his disciples stayed up all night, presenting Srila Prabhupada with a plan for publishing the entire seventeen volumes in nine months, two volumes per month. They planed to continue to publish at the same time one volume of Prabhupada's Bhagavatam translation per month. This was indeed ambitious. Srila Prabhupada, however, was not satisfied with this plan. When he heard all seventeen volumes would be published in nine months, two books per month, he replied " I want all books in two months." Flabbergasted, his disciples surprised no one more than themselves when they accomplished this task, imbibing the spiritual power to do so from Srila Prabhupada's order itself. Other than the books already mentioned, Srila Prabhupada also gave us a summary study of Srila Rupa Goswami' s magnus opus, Bhaktirasamrita-sindhu. This work is based squarely upon the Srimad Bhagavatam's rasa theology. The text discusses at length the abhideya or means by which love of Krishna can be realized. Prabhupada appropriately termed it the science of bhakti yoga. It is indeed the original handbook of devotional life, and thus indispensable for anyone who cares to tread the bhakti marg. Beginning with a generic description of bhakti, followed by a lengthy discussion of vaidhi and then raganuga sadhana, Rupa Goswami delineates his theory of bhakti rasa, aesthetic experience in transcendence. In doing so he supports all of his rasa theology, in which the object of all aesthetic experience or love is Sri Krishna, with examples primarily from Srimad Bhagavatam. He thus demonstrates that the notion of Krishna is not a sectarian one, rather "Krishna" means the perfect object of love. And it is because the absolute is such that he is depicted and indeed appears eternally in the particular form that he does, head adorned with peacock feather, complexion like that of the monsoon rain cloud, bearing the flute as his constant companion. Acquaintance with Indian aesthetic theory and Vedanta philosophy as taught by Srila Rupa Goswami and represented by Srila Prabhupada in his Nectar of Devotion summary study reveals that, were one to enter all that the perfect object of love would embody into one's computer, the print out would be the two syllables kr sna, the asraya or ultimate shelter for all described in Srimad Bhagavatam. While Srila Prabhupada completed his Gita edition, the Caitanya Caritamrita , Bhaktirasamrita-sindhu summary study, and a host of lesser works, as mentioned earlier, he did not complete his translation and commentary on Srimad Bhagavatam. Falling ill in the spring of 1977, Srila Prabhupada continued to translate in his labor of love the work that is the foundation of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as well as its penthouse sweet. Srimad Bhagavatam is both a philosophical treatise par excellence, as well as a book of savor, relish, the aesthetic experience of rasa that escapes definition, yet is at the same time the essence of reality, raso vai sah. Srimad Bhagavatam is both Vedanta and bhakti, Bhaktivedanta. While Bhaktivedanta Swami, our beloved Srila Prabhupada continued to translate in spite of his failing health, his disciples world wide distributed his books against all odds, accomplishing with all of its shortcomings in terms of methodology something truly remarkable. As Srila Prabhupada once said regarding the distribution of his books, "I do not think that ever before in the history of the world have so many books about God been distributed in such a short period of time." Living in a spiritual bubble, I for one, and I know I speak for many others involved in the service of distributing his books, never thought he would leave us, not to speak of failing to complete his translation of Srimad Bhagavatam. Yet he did apparently fail to do so, but his so called failure is instructive to us all, and it serves to underscore that which he labored so hard to establish. Srila Prabhupada fell silent in the middle of the Bhagavatam's discussion of the brahma vimohana lila. This lila covers three chapters of the Bhagavatam that are in one sense the most important chapters of the Purana. Although all agree that the rasa pancadhyaya, the five chapters discussing the rasa lila of Radha Krishna constitute the essence of the work, without understanding the brahma vimohana lila one can not properly understand the rasa pancadhyaya. It is in the brahma vimohana lila more than anywhere else that the truth of the ultimacy of Sri Krishna is established. This section is thus relied heavily upon in Krishna das Kaviraja's second chapter of the Adi lila of Caitanya Caritamrita, wherein he establishes the supremacy of Sri Krishna above all as well as the identity of Sri Caitanya with Sri Krishna. Understanding the brahma vimohana lila, one can proceed with the required adhikary, aprakrita sraddha, or transcendental faith in the ultimacy of Sri Krishna to take advantage of the love lila of Radha Krishna described in the rasa pancadhyaya. Thus Srila Prabhupada's departure from our mortal vision in he midst of the brahma vimohana lila serves to underscore that which he labored so hard to impress upon the world. His message: Love of Krishna is the goal of life. The transcendental relish of madhurya rasa, or conjugal love in relation to Sri Sri Radha Krishna is the zenith of transcendental culture. Yet there is considerable qualification one must acquire in order to take advantage of it. Without understanding Radha and Krishna's love dance by way of hearing about it from the guru parampara, which awakens aprakrita sraddha, these lilas will serve only as the uddipina vibhava for a life of lust. Hearing about them through the life and teaching of mahbhagavata the likes of Srila Prabhupada on the other hand, will stimulate the highest love of God. Let us all offer our pranams at his lotus feet on this occasion, and pray that we may be blessed to take advantage of the literary legacy he has left behind. It is not enough to say that everything is in his books. We must read them and more, practice that which they teach. The reality of Srila Prabhupada's greatness will be realized only by those who seek experiential spiritual life, and not mere theory. It is not enough to exclaim amar guru jagat guru, "My guru is the guru of the unifiverseMy guru is best." Even if it were so, that one guru could be objectively the "best," and he or she was our guru, pointing this out in words says little to those who can see that such a guru's disciples have themselves not experienced the truth he represents. This is the message of Srimad Bhagavatam, and this is what we are to learn from the person of Srila Prabhupada, the person Bhagavatam. All of us must understand the urgency of he task at hand, take inspiration from the life example of His Divine Grace, and, to quote Srila Prabhupada in a famous letter he once wrote to me, "Take the necessary steps and do the needful." The path of spontaneous love is open to all by the mercy of Sri Caitanya. It is the special message of the Bhagavatam and thus the ideal of all Gaudiya Vaishnava institutions. As many of us here years ago embraced the body of Srila Prabhupada in the form of his ISKCON, let others today embrace the particular mission of their choice. If anyone should raise the objection that the body/soul metaphor I began with is not valid, claiming that it does no apply because the body of Srila Prabhupada in the form of Iskcon is a spiritual one, non-different from its soul, then let them see things in that way. And let us ask them to see the other institutions that have arisen and gained prominence due to Srila Prabhupada's extensive preaching campaign as his vaibhava prakash, or expansions of his own form just suited to express his multidimensional personality in the diversity he so stressed spiritual life was about. And in the embrace of one or another of these institutions, let us unite on the platform of the soul through the common tie we all have to the message of Srimad Bhagavatam, its philosophy and its ecstasy, both in its manifestation in literature and the person of Srila Prabhupada. [This message has been edited by Audarya lila (edited 09-09-2001).]

JNdas, Stop the name calling and look in the mirror. Are you perfect? If not, then work on yourself and stop thinking that you are in a position to judge others. Give up the false pretense of being a great 'defender of the faith' and stop villifying others. If someone is pretending, Krsna will take care of it. If someone is not, and you go around accusing him - you will certainly be the loser. How will you please Prabhupada? How will you please Krsna? Certainly not by insulting their confidential devotees. What is the meaning of Guara Bhakta Vrnda? All glories to all the vaishnava devotees of the Lord. We will always be in a safe position if we are humble and recognize Krsna in others. Krsna will not forgive offenses to his confidential servants. For that one will have to beg forgiveness from the one he/she is offending. Please note Durvasa Muni and Ambarisa Maharaja. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

I've stayed out of this discussion for the most part because devotees seem to have such strong feelings about this that rationality and compassion is thrown to the wind. (notice the moderator's need to eliminate certain posts) Jndas, you said on the other thread that you feel it is only the samshtapaka-acharya who can make adjustments to teachings according to time, place and circumstance. Can you provide any sastric evidence for such a statement? You have said that the acharya must follow and has no ability to make adjustments - otherwise he is a pretender. Again, I ask you where is the sastric evidence supporting this statement. Acharya means to teach by example. If the acharya is not competent to make adjustments according to time, place and circumstance what is the meaning to his teaching or of his functioning as a teacher? If he is not competent to make adjustments, he certainly is no teacher. I'll give you a mundane example. I am a biochemist and I have occasion to train others in such things as protein purification. I don't teach others based on the 'exact' methods I was first taught. I teach based on principles which must be applied to changing technology and advances in science. The spiritual master teaches spiritual principles and is an expert at applying these principles according to time, place and circumstance. There will always be a need for advanced devotees to apply the principles according to changing times and to reinvigorate the tradition and make the teaching relevant to the generation at hand. Just because there are plenty of bad examples like Kirtananada doesn't mean that we must bury our heads in the sand and say - see 'he wasn't competent to make adjustments - therefore no one is'. What are the two over-riding rules for all devotees? Always remember Krsna and never foget him! Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati was prepared to serve meat to guests in order to get them to hear the message of Lord Chaitanya. Our vision is limited, but our acharyas are calling all souls to engage themselves in devotional service. As a matter of principle I would like to ask a question to all the readers here. What is better, in your opinion, a pretender who covers all his/her faults and makes a show of being something and somewhere he/she isn't and fails to make tangible progress due to denial and lying to themselves or someone who is honest about their conditioning and faults and strives from their actual position to make real progress? Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

I doubt that jndas keeps the posts, but I have to agree with Maitreya - they have been numerous and blatant. Vaidhi bhakti ritualists, offenders - blah blah blah. There is no denying that she did post such nonsense. There is also no denying that she has a lot to offer in terms of scriptural knowledge and her own spiritual development. If she could abide by the rules of conduct as outlined by the administrator of this site she would never have been banned. She apparantly has never attempted to apologize for her mis-conduct, nor has she expressed interest in being re-instated as a member of this forum. Being the kind hearted and liberal vaishnava that jndas has shown himself to be, I am quite sure that if she saw the error in her posts, apologized for going outside the boundaries, and asked to be re-instated - she would be. In her defense, I will say that she was harrassed by many devotees on VNN and Dharma-mela and her choice of spiritual guide was also severely criticized by many. I am quite sure that her conduct was partly due to this poor behaviour and treatment of her. At any rate, for what it is worth - I really don't think that the codes of conduct that are required here are all that difficult to follow and for those who don't wish to follow them the internet is a big place and they can find a place to speak out elswhere. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Whatever works for focusing the mind on Krsna. Bhaktivinoda Thakur recommended putting a bag over your head in Hari-nama Cintamani. Generally, it is recommended to sit in a quiet place and chant. A place where we know we won't be disturbed. In the Bhagavad-gita it is recommended to sit in the forest on a high seat of kusha grass. The high seat may be recommended here so that the meditator won't be disturbed by bugs or small animals on the forest floor. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

Dear Janus, I couldn't help but respond to your provocative post. This is a delicate topic indeed and we would all do well to tread carefully. I agree with the concept of a spiritual master being capable of making mistakes such as seeing a snake where there is only a rope. On the other hand, the spiritual master is not to be seen as an ordinary person, just as the deity is not to be seen as a material object such as wood or stone. The spiritual master has two sides, the divine/inspired side and the devotional sadhaka side. He is both human and divine. We who are inspired by a particular teacher will naturally be more focused on his/her divine side. Those who are not so closely associated or inspired will have more of a tendency to see the 'human side'. Balance is necessary, but certainly hard to maintain. Wherever we see Krsna coming and feel inspiration we should bow our heads there. In the highest sense, of course, the spiritual master is incapable of making a mistake because his/her every act is an act of dedication and even though it may appear to be faulty because it is directed with love toward Krsna it is without fault. Sridhara Maharaja has instructed his sisyas to be faith makers not faith breakers. We should have the same generous spirit towards those who are inspired by others whose views are not wholly in accord with our own. For certain we can all find fault with anyone and everyone - that is not a difficult task. This is the realm of faults. What is more difficult is to see the divine in all. That is what we should strive for. Criticism and genuine inquiry is one thing. Meanness and derogatory statements meant to hurt are something totally different. I do agree with you that Lord Chaitanya's movement will not be taken seriously unless we ourselves take it seriously and apply the precepts in our own lives with sincerity. There are many saintly devotees, but there are also many who certainly fall far short and seem to reflect badly on this choice of lifestyle. Still, one good example outshines thousands and thousands of bad ones. Let us all pray that we will become good examples ourselves someday and that until such time we will love and honor and defend the dignity of those who are and find ourselves in their company and service. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

I agree with these sentiments, but I defer to Jnana dasa as it is his site and as such he sets the rules. Jaya Sri Radhey is not silenced. She voices her opinions and posts on others sites on the web quite freely. Personally, I find the rules set down by Jnana dasa to be easy to follow and I believe that he is not biased in his application of justice. Having said that, I also feel that everyone deserves a chance. Jaya Sri Radhey has a wonderful capacity to post inspiring scripture. If she could control herself from personal attacks, I for one would welcome her back. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

S a n g a Saturday, August 11, 2001 resanga@escribe.com Re: Prasada: 'his kindness and grace' Sunday, July 12, Sri Krsna Janmastami. Birth of Lord Krsna. Monday, July 13, Sri Nandotsava. Appearance of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. "Prasada is the solution to all of our perceived problems. Without prasada, we are left to create havoc in the environment, exploiting others in the name of self-preservation. Prasada means 'kindness, grace.'" Q&A discussion with Swami B.V. Tripurari. Q. Why is it OK to eat plants? Don't they have emotions and feelings of pain like animals? A. Plants are lower down on the food chain and although they are sensitive to pain, they are much less sensitive or conscious of pain than animals. To live in this world one has to cause pain. Therefore we recommend that one learn to transcend material existence even while being present in the material world. With regard to eating. this is accomplished by offering one's food to Krsna and partaking of the remnants (prasada). Bhaktivinoda Thakura surmised that if we take that which we have in common with other species, our primal animalistic necessity of self-preservation, and spiritualize it, humanity can easily realize its potential for love. Prasada, he taught, is the solution to all of our perceived problems. Without prasada, we are left to create havoc in the environment, exploiting others in the name of self-preservation. Prasada means 'kindness, grace.' If we learn to plant, cultivate, prepare, and offer food to Krsna before taking any ourselves, we will convert out primal animal necessity into spiritual experience and realize the zenith of human potential. The act of offering our food to Krsna brings our primal material necessity of self-preservation in conjunction with our spiritual capacity for love. This has the power to transform our entire life - to uproot our domination over others and replace it with dependence upon God. All of the reactions for our life of domination, our habitual consumption, can be overcome by this practice. We must grow, collect, prepare, and offer ingredients for the satisfaction of Krsna. This is the first consideration, the substance of the transaction. Secondarily, because our entire life is engaged in his service, he energizes our efforts through his remnants, his kindness and grace - prasada. Not only will no adverse reaction come to us if we conduct our lives in this manner, but we will become true Vaisnavas - agents of good will for others. Q. Why do we find so many contradictory statements in the scriptures of India? Sometimes Visnu is glorified as the supreme, sometimes Krsna and sometimes the impersonal feature. It all seems very ambiguous. Q. Sastra speaks directly and indirectly about one subject. Vyasa attempted to demonstrate this in his sutras on Vedanta, Vedanta-sutra. Therein he puts forth his logic. The book consists of numerous topics (adhikarnana/nyaya) that lead logically from one to another each of which consists of five elements: thesis (visaya), doubt (samsaya), antithesis (purva-paksa), synthesis or proper conclusion (siddhanta), and consistency (sangati) with all that proceeds and follows. This sangati is further subdivided into consistency with the entirety of scripture (sastra sangati), with the entirety of the book itself (adhyayaa sangati), and with the entire chapter (pada sangati). This approach was also used by Jiva Goswami in his Sat sandarbha, in which he attempts to demonstrate the import of the scripture based on the evidence found in Srimad Bhagavatam, his primary pramana. Great souls have thus dealt with this issue systematically and reached a reasonable conclusion. For the most part they all agree on the common human malady of material attachment and the need to transcend it. However, it is true that in doing so great souls, while finding considerable common ground with one another, have also reached slightly different conclusions. Thus we have different lineages. Insignificant persons like ourselves should follow the lead of those particular saints who have inspired us, while knowing that there are other logically valid ways of interpreting scripture. In following our own saints, we should practice and acquire our own spiritual experience as to the nature of reality. Q. Why do the scriptures use a symbolic language that can be interpreted in innumerable ways according to the intention of the interpreter? A. It is not the defect of scripture that it speaks of ultimate reality in poetic and symbolic language. What other language could come close to doing it justice? God is beyond the words of scripture, which while indicating something about him, implore us to reflect upon those words and thereby know and love. The apparent ambiguity of scripture is a testament as to the diversity of the Godhead. The gem of life has many facets. Q. Could you clarify the terms suddhadvaita, visistadvaita, dvaitadvaita and acintya bhedabheda? A. Suddhadvaita refers to the pure monism of the Vallabaha or Visnu Swami/Rudra sampradaya. Visistadvaita refers to the qualified monism of the Ramanuja/Sri sampradaya. Dvaitadvaita refers to the dualism of the Madhva/Brahma sampradaya, and acintya bhedabheda refers to Sri Jiva Goswami's explanation of Sri Caitanya's Vedanta. There are two other well know systems of Vedanta, those of Nimbarka, known as behdabheda (not to be confused with acintya bhedabheda), and Sankara's advaitavad monism. The first five systems are Vaisnava views of Vedanta, while Sankara's advaita is not acceptable from the Vaisnava point of view. The acintya bhedabhdea of Sri Caitanya acknowledges two things from each of the other four Vaisnava sampradayas. From suddhadvaita Caitanya Mahaprabhu embraced raga marga and exclusive dependence on Krsna, from bhedabheda he embraced their emphasis on Radha and the gopi's love. From visistadvaita he embraced Vasinava seva and pure devotion free from the influences of karma and jnana. And from dvaitadvaita he embraced the refutation of advaitavad and the eternality of the Deity of Krsna. Each of these schools of thought are well reasoned understandings of reality based on sastra pramana (scripture). Q. Do you have to pay the price for sins committed by the mind but not committed in reality? A. Sins committed in the mind generally lead to sins of the flesh. Therefore we are advised to control our minds. While contemplating sinful thoughts one cannot be happy. Thus one does suffer for this kind of contemplation. As for any future ramifications of inappropriate contemplation, Krsna instructs us that our mental preoccupation determines our next birth. So called idle thoughts are not independent of karma. They are active in the psychic dimensions and lead to karmic reactions. Strive to control your mind. This is central to yoga practice. Q. I have a Bala Krsna deity. Do you know any mantras for worshipping it? I also live in a bad neighborhood. The situation is intolerable. I need a miracle. Can you advise me? A. In order to properly worship the Deity of Krsna one needs to receive the appropriate mantras for such worship from a guru. The process of Deity worship (arcana) is generally reserved for initiated devotees. Given your situation, the best thing you can do for your Deity, yourself and your neighbors is to hold Krsna kirtan in your home. Just sit or stand and sing aloud the Hare Krsna maha mantra. Don't be concerned about the initial reaction of others. Just go on chanting at a regular times throughout the day and expect a miracle. Q. Why is there such an uneven distribution of spiritual fortune in the world? Why was only India chosen to be the fountainhead of spiritualism where all the great incarnations appeared? A. Wherever God manifests, that place becomes sanctified and the entire Earth is blessed. It is also said that Bharata (India) was much larger in the past, and many of the Puranic tales describe lands outside of India proper. Thus the Puranas speak more of a world culture. Try to appreciate God's descent in Bharata from a planetary viewpoint. The word 'India' is not mentioned anywhere in the scripture. Furthermore, it is quite possible that at the present time God is more present in other parts of the world, as India either turns her back on her spiritual heritage altogether, or misidentifies spirituality with misunderstood Hindu culture, superstition, and religious dogma. Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada expressed this at one point in his campaign. Indeed it is the Western interest in Bharata's spirituality that is spreading it all over the world. Wherever the interest in God is greater, that is where he is most present. As many of Caitanyadeva's eternal associates did not take birth in Navadwipa Dhama, but rather outside of the Dhama for the sake of distributing love of God all over the world, devotees of Sri Caitanya are taking birth all over the world to continue this effort. In doing so they can appreciate the spirituality of other traditions in the spirit of essence seeking (saragrahi) Vaisnavas. Questions or comments may be submitted at the Q&A Forum http://dailysanga.com/, or email editors@dailysanga.com.

I find this to be a very interesting topic. Thank you Atma for bringing it up. I am married with two children and don't plan on having any more children. My wife and I love and respect each other very much and our sexual relations have always been more about expressing that love than satisfying our senses. We both realize that the ideal is to be totally devoted and surrendered and have every action we take be a total commitment to serving God, but we also realize who we are and where we are along the spiritual path and we are trying together to make tangible progress. I have always felt that it was one of the symptoms of a disfunctional spiritual society that alienates most of it's members by constantly hammering on them and telling them what maya they are in and how useless they are. It, in my opinion, is one of the reasons for the overwhelming feeling of impersonal and non-caring relationships that permeate Iskcon. I think that the goal and the ideal should always be understood and strived for, but we should also encourage one another and be thankful for where we are and what progress we have made. Iskcon would be a lot larger and filled with more psychologically sound individuals if honesty and sincerity replaced show bottle renunciation and loud talk that isn't matched by action. What happened in Iskcon is that not only was sex a dirty word, but any relation with the opposite sex was maya and looked down upon. This led to viewing others as objects of disdain rather than seeing the beauty of the heart of all sincere devotees. Why is it that all the family relations we read about in Krsna lila and Guara lila relect what we really feel human and family relations should be all about yet we are preached to by some that 'it is all maya'. We are personalists and we should learn to love and care about each other. We must learn to express our emotions and embrace them as given by Krsna and see them as they relate to other servants of Krsna. We have given up material life and a pursuit of happiness through 'only sense pleasure and family relations'. We have put Krsna in the center and now we should learn that what that means is we truly love each other in that relationship. Sridhara Maharaja has said that Krsna consciousness means proper adjustment, that's all. So we have to readjust and realize that treating people poorly and seeing them as objects of maya is an incorrect adjustment and is not Krsna conscious. One time when Sridhara Maharaja was giving sanyasa to one devotee he told him, 'So, you are prepared to deal with the ladies?' The devotee and many others in the assembly were taken by suprise - they were thinking just the opposite - now he doesn't have to 'deal with the ladies'. But Sridhara Maharaja was giving Krsna consciousness and he saw what the proper adjustment was. We have to be prepared to see everything and everyone in relation to Krsna and see the harmony in the environment. He wasn't giving a danda and expecting his disciple to function as a false renunciate - he wanted him to be Krsna conscious and realize his duty to serve all others. Besides all of this I think that the shock value of these type of graphic statements about sex and it's abominable nature have passed their usefulness and it is time that devotees mature and seek a more balanced approach to preaching. We have to learn from history and history tells us that the expectation that devotees will be able to follow the edict of sex only for procreation is unrealistic for all but a few. So let's be honest and quit trying to force people into roles they don't fit and trying to make them feel bad because of it. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was prepared to serve meat to his vistitors in order to get them to hear about Krsna and take up the path of bhakti. Shocking isn't it? He was practical and he wanted to spread Krsna consiciousness and he was prepared to do it at all costs. The negative impetus only works for so long. Better to encourage devotees and those who would practice devotion to take it up practically and honestly and progress steadily. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa

It is a natural feeling within all of us to have compassion on all living beings and to try to avoid causing pain to others. If we extend this to our eating habits, which of course we must if we are thoughtful about it, then we will naturally choose a vegetarian lifestyle. We will also tend to eat only what is required for our sustenance and gravitate toward foods which are thoughtfully grown and tended such that the earth remains healthy and vital. The Srimad Bhagavatam tells us that one living entity is food for another - so if we choose to live, we must thereby deny another entities life. That is why Krsna says that food which is not offered first in sacrifice is a great source of sin. We are all called to be progressive and thoughtful in our approach to life and to try our best to treat our environment with love and respect. What I am talking about here are two types of consciousness which are not unrelated. The first is a consciousness of our world and all life within it and trying to be a good steward to that life and world such that we oursleves are a source of rejuvination and life giving rather than a source of death and decay. The second is understanding the ground upon which all life rests - spirit. When we move in that direction and try to serve our spiritual natures we will see that the two are indeed related and the first finds it natural fullfillment in the second. Your servant, Audarya lila dasa [This message has been edited by Audarya lila (edited 08-02-2001).]