Gauracandra

I'm must say the one thing that surprised me the most in reading this "critical" review of Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-Gita translation, was how little there is to the review. Rather than a deeply thoughtful analysis, the reviewer comes off more like a freshman college student than the "scholar" someone claims he is. He strings together a thin (very thin) argument, and then fills in the outside with superfluous insults and meanderings. I remember these sorts of essays in college. In fact I'm sure most of us have done this a few times. When confronted with an essay we don't know what to do with, we talk around the issue, we fatten it up, in order to fill up the page, hoping our Professor will let us slip past. This is what this review reminds me of. It is sad to think that some people think this is deep and "scholarly". I can only conclude that such an individual must be pretty shallow. But then again there are 6 billion people on this planet. And here is one reviewer that doesn't like the Bhagavad-Gita translation by Srila Prabhupada. Does it really matter? Not really. The review is quite disposible and the reviewer inconsequential. Hare Krsna. Gauracandra

There will always be differences of opinion among various schools as to who is bonifide. As I understand it, Sri Caitanya took 2 points of philosophy from each of the 4 Vaisnava sampradayas to signify the unity of all Vaisnavas, as well as adding his own point, thus comprising the 9 points of philosophy Gaudiyas follow. Not all followers of Madhvacharya feel that way of Srila Prabhupada's teachings. As I understand it Srila Viswesha Tirtha Maharaja, one of the foremost followers of Madhvacharya, is very appreciative of the service Srila Prabhupada has performed. And there are others. And this wasn't just being politically respectful. In fact, I read that one of the most prominent followers of Madhvacharya (I'm not sure it was Srila Viswesha Tirtha Maharaj or someone else) made a very provocative statement. On one of the key anniversaries of Madhvacharya, all of his most senior followers gathered to celebrate the appearance of Madhvacharya. At this gathering, one very prominent follower stood up and said "All of us in this room, combined, are not equal to even a speck of dust at the feet of those followers of Srila Prabhupada who are preaching sanatan dharma all over the world." I don't remember the person's name, but it was very profoundly moving when I read it. So just because one reviewer doesn't like Srila Prabhupada's teachings is of no real consequence. Simply try to remain humble, let others criticize, and push forward in trying to alleviate the material suffering of others. Those that want to criticize will, and those that see one's true sincerity will be appreciative and kind. Gauracandra

We had this discussion a little while back. I'm not sure we came to any consensus. My view is that it all depends on how you define the word 'Hindu'. The word Hindu to me has always been a catch all phrase to describe the sheer variety of religious expression in India. So is a Shakta follower hindu? Yes. Is a Sri Vaishnava follower hindu? Yes. Do the Shakta follower and Sri Vaishnava believe in the same things? No. I think you could also put Sikhs, Jains, Hatha Yogis etc.... and label them all as Hindus. I'm not positive on the historical basis of the word. I've been told it was developed by the muslims as a way of categorizing those in India who weren't mohammedan. They couldn't very well unite their people against 10,000 different faiths so they called the 10,000 different faiths 'Hindu' so as to have something to unite against. Some people will say you are born hindu, some will say you aren't. We run into problems with semantics, when two people are using the same word but have different definitions of it, and so can't reach any conclusions. Hinduism can be monotheistic, atheistic, polytheistic. But you'll notice that no Indian scripture uses the word 'hindu' anywhere. I don't know if I answered your question, but these are a few of my thoughts. Gauracandra

"In one website(neardeath.com), most of people who had near-death experience saw Jesus Christ. I remember having read a book that described near-death experiences of hindus. Most of them had seen lots of hindu gods with cloths and jewelleries as we have seen in pictures." Krsna states in the Bhagavad Gita that that which one worships one will obtain. If one worships the ancestors, then at the time of death one will go the the ancestors. If one worships the demigods, then one will attain the abode of the demigods. And if one worships Krsna, one will attain Him. It is not that all paths lead to the same result. So Christians worship Christ and so at the time of death see Christ etc....Consider the universal form of the Lord that Arjuna saw. Within it he saw all the gods, planets etc.... This is one of the great strengths of Vedantic philosophy - it doesn't feel the need to dismiss other culture's mystical experiences. Gauracandra

"In one website(neardeath.com), most of people who had near-death experience saw Jesus Christ. I remember having read a book that described near-death experiences of hindus. Most of them had seen lots of hindu gods with cloths and jewelleries as we have seen in pictures." Krsna states in the Bhagavad Gita that that which one worships one will obtain. If one worships the ancestors, then at the time of death one will go the the ancestors. If one worships the demigods, then one will attain the abode of the demigods. And if one worships Krsna, one will attain Him. It is not that all paths lead to the same result. So Christians worship Christ and so at the time of death see Christ etc....Consider the universal form of the Lord that Arjuna saw. Within it he saw all the gods, planets etc.... This is one of the great strengths of Vedantic philosophy - it doesn't feel the need to dismiss other culture's mystical experiences. Gauracandra

My thoughts are that technology is neither good nor bad, just the people who use it. Technology can, in the long run, if used responsibly, help alleviate these problems. With the advent of computers, and email etc... not only do we get our messages out faster, but there is no need to cut down trees to produce paper. But still we should beware of the short term allure of technology. One such case is the so called "terminater seed" (I think thats what environmentalists are calling it). Basically some very clever geneticists have found a way to produce a seed that will double the amount it would normally produce, but renders all seeds from that plant sterile. The concern is that big agri-business in western countries will sell these seeds to poorer countries, who in the short run will get great yields of produce (corn, tomatoes, cotton etc... all will double). But once those nations have used up all of their current stockpile of seeds, then they will be dependent on buying the "terminator seeds" every year from these multinational companies. Thus their people will be at the mercy of western powers just for something as simple as eating. So we can use technology for good, and in a society of law, it will usually turn out alright. Still it is important to guard against any abuse such technology can bring about. Gauracandra

“If I were part of an organised belief, then like you, I would have been very restricted too.” I find it curious that you use the word “organized” belief. I find this curious because all belief has been organized for you. You simply want to pretend that religion is organized belief while everything else is people coming to “their” own conclusions. There was a television series in the 1960s called The Prisoner. It was sort of a spy, science fiction, allegory on society. Really weird and esoteric. The point of the show was that no one is a man unto themselves. The problem I have with what you are saying is that you wish to set yourself above all this. “Yes you are all restricted because you belong to a system of belief. But I don’t belong to a system of belief so I am not restricted.” Or as you stated “…how you should think has already been defined by other people before you.” As though “How YOU think hasn’t been defined by other people before you.” You want to pretend you’re not bounded, that you set your beliefs while others have their beliefs set for them. Nonsense. You’re just as much bounded as everyone else. Don’t fool yourself. I’m reminded of that posting a while back where it was stated “Just remember to think for yourself, just like I taught you.” I’m also reminded of a conversation I had with a co-worker on me being vegetarian. He was shocked. He said “So you think I’m doing something bad” and I said “Yes”, and he said “You think I’m commiting sin by eating meat” and I said “In all honesty Yes”. To which he replied “Well you’re just saying that because you’re vegetarian.” Yeah, I suppose in some sense that’s true. I’m part of “the vegetarian system”. He seemed to imply by this statement that “I’m not restricted in my beliefs. I eat meat and vegetables. As such I can see the meat perspective, and the broccoli perspective.” What he doesn’t realize is that he is part of the “meat and brocolli system of thinking”. This sort of argument is fallacious. It infects our U.S. politics all the time. “Oh I’m pro-choice. If someone wants an abortion, ok, if not don’t have an abortion. You see I’m not restricted by a “one-sided view against abortion”.” Or how about marriage “Hey if a man and woman want to get married, fine. If an man and man want to get married, ok. You see I’m not restricted by a “one-sided view of marriage””. This sort of argument extends all over as though not being “restricted” actually allows you to see both sides of an argument. It doesn’t. Those who stand for nothing like to think themselves wise and “above it all”, unrestricted by society, and considering the issues from “their” own perspective. They have the COURAGE to stand for nothing (beyond the principle of standing for nothing). Gauracandra

"What I am saying is when a person belongs to a belief system, he can only follow this rule during discussion" Shvu, I think you are making a fairly weak argument here. Everyone belongs to a "system" even if they claim they belong to no system. An atheist is not by nature a more "open minded" person. He has his beliefs that have been formed but culture, society, fellow atheists etc.... A while back on C-Span (this is a tv channel in the U.S. covering politics) they showed one of the funniest things I've ever seen. It was an election/convention for the Anarchist Party. The Anarchist Party is not part of "THE SYSTEM" and yet they have a head of the party. Its nonsense. You have a system of belief, and I dare say I doubt you are any more open minded than Sumeet. Gauracandra

Prior to meeting Srila Prabhupada, Srila Gaur Govinda Swami worked as a school teacher. At the age of 45, in 1974, he gave notice at his position and renounced the world to seek a divine guru to guide him. The following is the recollection of one of his students of that day when Brajbandhu Manik, renounced the world and took the name Gaura Gopala, later to be given sannyasa by Srila Prabhupada as Gaura Govinda: “I heard that Gurudeva had left his family life and his position as a teacher and had gone to the Kakudia Math. The day after he left home I went to Kakudia Math to see him. When I arrived he was sitting and looking at a picture of Gopal and singing over and over again, “Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala, Gopala” In the afternoon a group of teachers and students from the high school arrived to meet him. They were stunned by his sudden renunciation. They asked him, “Why have you left your job and your home?” Gurudeva then asked me to recite Manabodha-cautisa, “Instructions to the Mind”, a song by the Oriya Vaishnava Bhakta Charan Das: I say to you, O mind: Obey my order! Let us go and see the beautiful black-faced one [Lord Jagannath] For how long will you remain bound in material life? At the end of your life, what will you take with you? Piece by piece your ribs will be distributed Amongst the dogs and jackals. O mind, you are now sleeping comfortably on a nice mattress, But after death your body will give off a terrible smell. How many of your friends and family have already died? How much of their wealth could they bind in a cloth to take with them? You have never uttered the names of guru and Govinda! Always deeply absorbed in thinking how to gather wealth, You are acquiring so many things like house and family! But when your life is gone, all will cry “Ghost!” The ladies of the house will close up the doors. And only after the recommended period of purification will Your relatives be considered freed from contamination. Gurudeva was listening intently to the song. When I came to the last line he fainted and fell back unconscious against me.

Ajay, I don't know of one, but we used to have a poster around here named Viji who would quote from it. Perhaps she will know of one. Gauracandra

After some time Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja moved onto the land that had been donated to Iskcon at Nayapalli Village in Bhubaneswar. With his own hands he constructed a thatched hut on the donated property from the donations he had collected. The property then was a dense bushy jungle full of poisonous snakes, scorpions, insects, ghosts and dacoits. Even in the middle of the day no rickshaw walla or taxi driver would venture to go there out of fear. Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja stayed there alone. Years later he would tell devotees how by his chanting Hare Krsna all the ghosts fled. Once Sacinandana Dasa asked him, “How can you stay in this place?” Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja replied with a big wonderful smile, “Wherever Krsna has placed me to stay, I must accept that situation with love in order to serve the cause of guru. Krsna’s will is supreme, and we must accept it with joy, without the least hesitation.” Considering the desire of Srila Prabhupada as his very life and soul, Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja was undaunted and worked with unwavering determination to fulfill it. In early 1977 Srila Prabhupada came to Bhubaneswar. Although the arrangement had been made for Srila Prabhupada to stay comfortably in the government state guesthouse, Srila Prabhupada at once rejected this proposal, “I will only stay where my disciple child Gaur Govinda has built a mud hut for me.” Srila Prabhupada stayed in Bhubaneswar for seventeen days, during which he layed the foundation stone of the temple-to-be on the auspicious occasion of Lord Nityananda’s appearance day. This was Srila Prabhupada’s last founded project. [Note: In February 1996 Srila Gaur Govinda Swami was placed in samadhi in the simple mud hut he built for his spiritual master nearly 20 years earlier.]

By popular demand I have gathered stories of Srila Gaur Govinda Swami, which I'll post here. I hope you enjoy them. ********************************************* In the early days of the Bhubaneswar temple, the prasadam used to be very austere and small in quantity. It consisted mainly of kichari, dalma, and rice. In those days Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja was only eating once a day. The cook used to offer him a small glass of fresh cow’s milk every day. Once a grhastha devotee came to Gurudeva and complained, “I am not getting milk every day, but you are getting milk.” In this way he found fault with Guru Maharaja. On that day Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaja took a vow never to take milk again. He strictly followed that vow throughout the rest of his life. *********************************************

“The existence of Jesus of Nazareth is available thru multiple sources [excluding the NT].” I’m sorry Shvu this is simply not true. There is no historical evidence for the existence of Jesus outside of the New Testament. “The Jews have a record written soon after his death, where they have written unfavorable things about Jesus.” What do you mean by “soon” after his death. Even the New Testament (written by those who would like to document the life of Jesus) wasn’t written for 50-75 years after the events that were to have taken place. Do you know how the Bible came to be? I was watching a program on T.V. called “From Jesus to Christ” which explained the entire process. Basically, most of the books of the New Testament were scattered over hundreds of miles in the middle east. There were small clusters of Christians each with their own “version”. One group might have had “Mark” another “Luke” etc… These books were all written atleast 50-75 years after the events in question. There was the Gospel of Mary Magdelene (excluded from the final Bible), Gospel of Mark etc…. Well over 100 years after the events in question, the existing church started to gather all of these different stories from around the area spanning hundreds and hundreds of miles. They brought the stories together and decided which ones were “authentic” and which were not and put them into The Bible. The excluded ones became part of the apocrypha or simply vanished over time. The fact is the Jews did not write about Jesus in any unfavorable way until Christianity became a force to be reckoned with. There were many Jewish people claiming to be the Messiah at the time of Jesus. But the Jews never mentioned Jesus. Some people even claim that Jesus might have been an amalgamation of various charismatic figures of the time. I don’t believe this. I accept Christ as a divine historical person. “The Romans have an entry in their history about the prosecution of Christus, the creator of the name by Pilot.” No they don’t. That’s the point. Scholars have searched and searched but have come up empty handed. The Romans recorded everything. They have records of every crucifixion and there is NO mention of a man named Jesus. None. Again the early Christian church was nothing amazing. It was comprised of a few people. The Romans really could have cared less about them since they were no threat to the empire. I believe Jesus Christ was crucified based on the testimony of his disciples, but they were a small group, not even worth mentioning by the Roman authorities. “And for those who doubt the existence of jesus, there is proof, if they are willing to investigate.” Sorry there is none. Jesus Christ never personally wrote anything. Jesus Christ never left anything behind. Again, the church was nothing when it started. Who would have recorded anything on it. No one did. Not even those who wrote their stories did for 50-75 years. It wasn’t like today where we can just hop over to the store and pick up a pad of paper and pen and write their experiences. Very few people had the access to writing materials or the talent to write down the stories. “Yet you can not offer any more proof that Christ existed than you expect others to provide with regard to Krsna. Sorry again...There is proof for the existence of Jesus while there is absolutely none for Krishna.” Sorry, but there is no proof of Jesus Christ outside of the New Testament. We only have the scriptures written about him and the testimony of saints. Anything else was written long after the events in question. “Yes, but there is a limit to how much of manipulation that the winner can introduce. If things were that way, probably the British would have ended up claiming that the Vedas were written after the Christ.” You’re not far off the mark with that statement. As I’ll post later, the British were trying to claim that Christ was the inspiration for Krsna, and that Indians stole the idea of Avatars from the descent of Christ. I’ll post it shortly. Gauracandra PS Let me state that I do accept Christ as a divine historical person. And the above posting is in no way meant to offend Christians. However, it should be noted that the only evidence we have for Christ is the existence of Christians. I accept the testimony of the saints as proof of Christ’s existence. For me that’s all I need. The fact that many were willing to die and undergo persecution for their beliefs in the early church is a testimony to the power that Jesus Christ had on their lives.

"a) These people having experience NDE never speak about frightening situation" Hi Dasha, Actually this is not correct. I have seen programs before on near death experiences and there have been people who have described very frightening experiences. Such that when they returned they completely changed their lives. I don't recall the details of one in particular (the opposite of the white light) but I did see a program with an individual who did attest to this frightening experience. Gauracandra

Haribol, I will post more from Srila Gaur Govinda Swami if you'd like. I don't have access to his diaries but hopefully one day his disciples will make a publication with many of his diary entries. In the meantime I can put up some excerpts from his "The Embankment of Separation" or other materials. I wouldn't want to violate his copywrite so only portions would be posted to encourage those who read it to pick up the full copy (atleast thats my excuse ) Gauracandra

"Brain damage destroys memory. There is no memory during sleep." This is simply incorrect. We all have first hand experience of memory during sleep. For example, we dream of things we have seen or experienced while we were conscious. Also, after we wake up we can remember our dreams. Memory is obviously working when we are awake and when we are dreaming. Besides, it has been clearly determined that the brain is active when we sleep. Neurologists can even determine different stages of memory and dreaming by measuring the electrical impulses produced during sleep. How can we even have a discussion on the mind after this life, if we can't understand something so simple as the fact that there is memory during sleep. Something to consider. Gauracandra

Hi Shvu, You have mentioned in a previous post that Rama and Krishna are mythical characters while Buddha and Jesus are historical characters. Yet you offer no proof that either the Buddha or Jesus ever actually existed or performed the activities attributed to them. While you may question the existence of Krsna I can assure you there are other ‘Shvu’s’ of the world who question the very existence of Jesus Christ. The reason why you accept Christ as an historical personage, is not because there is proof of his existence [in point of fact there is no historical proof that he existed at all] but because western civilization, the dominant civilization today, accepts his existence. Let me state that I personally accept Jesus Christ as a divine historical figure. Yet you can not offer any more proof that Christ existed than you expect others to provide with regard to Krsna. I will not outline the debate on the historicity of Christ here, as it would take a long time to develop, but simply leave with this parting thought. What some consider to be mythology others consider to be history. The winner writes the history books. The dominant civilization today is western civilization and as such its stories are considered to be “true”. Unfortunately, due to cultural imperialism the history of other cultures has been subjugated and relegated to “mythology”. Gauracandra

Hi Ajay, As far as I can tell this website is independent of any religious institution. While it is true the editor is an Iskcon devotee he has defined the scope of this website as "The complete encyclopedia of hindu beliefs etc....". As such it seems to me he wants to have as much information as possible on divinity in India (IndiaDivine). Not just Gaudiya vaishnava, but Sri Vaishnava etc... Tantric, various yoga systems, Indian philosophy, art etc.... If someone is curious, here is a website on it. The editor seems very knowledgeable on these various esoteric subjects and so provides the information. These are my thoughts. Gauracandra

With regard to British Indologists using their position to convert Indians to Christianity I would like to reference a passage from "Vedic Archeology": ********************************************* The attempt to edit the [Mora Well] inscription is instructive. Many early archeologists in India were Christian - and they made no bones about their motivation. In the early 1800s, for instance, some of the greatest progress in the field of Sanskrit and Indological study was made at Oxford University. H.H. Wilson became the first Boden Professor of Sanskrit at that particular school. His successor, the famous professor M. Monier-Williams, has clearly delineated the original purpose and motivation for Indological study: "I must draw attention to the fact that I am only the second occupant of the Boden Chair, and that its founder, Colonel Boden, stated most explicitly in his will (dated August 15, 1811) that the special object of his munificent bequest was to promote the translation of scriptures from Sanskrit - so as to enable his countrymen to proceed in the conversion of the natives of India to the Christian religion." ********************************************* Just something to think about when discussing European views of Indian History. Gauracandra

Hi Ajay, I don't know much about this kind of meditation but you can check out the front page. There are some articles under Mysticism and Meditation that discuss various such techniques. Gauracandra

The following is an article I found on the internet. ********************************************* Teen proves hard rock's bad for you LORRAINE EATON The Virginia-Pilot SUFFOLK, Va. - Your mom was right. Rock 'n' roll really does rot your brain. That's according to David Merrell, a 16-year-old Nansemond River High School student whose science experiment supports what parents have been saying for years: Hard rock taints the brain - well, at least the brains of mice. Using 72 male laboratory mice, a stopwatch, a 5- by 3-foot maze and the music of Mozart and Anthrax, David worked with an Old Dominion University statistician to establish that hard rock impedes learning. In the process, the rising junior captured top honors in regional and state science fairs and earned accolades from the Navy and the CIA. "Don't let your kids listen to hard rock music," he said. "I think it has a major negative effect." To prove his point, David assembled three separate groups of 24 mice: a control group, a hard rock group, and a classical group. To ensure scientific validity, each white mouse weighed between 15 and 20 grams, was 4 to 6 weeks old and was bred to ensure no genetic abnormalities existed. The mice spent the first week getting used to their controlled environment in David's parent's basement. They received measured feedings and 12 hours of light each day. Each mouse navigated the maze to establish the base time of about 10 minutes. Then David started piping in music 10 hours a day. The control group navigated without music. He put each mouse through the maze three times a week for three weeks. The results: The control group shaved five minutes from its original time. The mice that navigated the maze with Mozart knocked 8 1/2 minutes off their time. But the group listening to hard rock bumped through the maze, dazed and confused, taking an average of 30 minutes, tripling the amount of time it previously took to complete the maze. Most noticeably, the hard rock mice didn't sniff the air to find the trails of others that came before them. "It was like the music dulled their senses," David said. "It shows point-blank that hard rock has a negative effect all around. I can't think of a positive effect that hard rock has" on learning. In fact, David thinks that the negative effects go well beyond learning. During the four-month experiment David housed each mouse in separate aquariums. That's because last year, for a similar project, he kept each group together. The results were horrific. "I had to cut my project short because all the hard rock mice killed each other," David said. David's awards include first place in the behavioral science division at the Virginia State Science and Engineering Fair and the Tidewater Science Fair. He also won Northern Virginia Community College's Veterinary Technology Award and accolades from the Newport News Art Commission, the Science and Humanitarian Symposium at James Madison University, the Navy, and the CIA.

The most recent edition of the newletter for this site was dedicated to the nature of sound in Vedantic philosophy. This got me thinking of various studies I've read about in the past that show this power of sound on our consciousness. I've read of controlled studies before where plants (a fairly low level of consciousness) are surrounded by different kinds of music. The study is controlled in that the plants all use the same type of soil, same exposure to sunlight, same amounts and kinds of water etc.... However, one group of random plants is exposed to very melodious music, one to no music, and another group to heavy metal music. The ones I've read in the past clearly indicate that those plants that are exposed to melodious music grow and develop the healthiest, while those exposed to heavy metal music whither and die. I found it very interesting because such studies show the power of sound on consciousness that has been a fundamental basis of Vedantic thought. Gauracandra

October 10, 1973 Today there was a mahotsava, a festival. Prasadam was distributed and bala-gopala-lila, Your childhood pastimes, were recited. Prabhu Gopal, for a long time I have had a desire to hear songs of mana-bhanjana-lila, stories of how Krishna breaks the sulkiness of Srimati Radharani. Prema-mayi Radharani had developed abhiman, loving pride, and Krishna was experiencing intense viraha-katara, pangs of separation, because Radha would not permit Him to see Her. Therefore there was a need for mana-bhanjana. Today, by the mercy of Prabhu, it happened. Vrndavana-bihari, Krishna, became radha-prema-bhikari, a beggar of Radha’s love. My Gopal dressed up like a sannyasi to beg prema-dhana from Radharani. O Prabhu Gopal, please make me a yogi, sannyasi like that! I don’t need anything, Prabhu. I am not asking You for material opulence, respect, glory or anything else. You may give those things to my younger brother Kripa-sindhu. Let him maintain Your family. Make me a samsara-vairagi-yogi, a renunciate of family life. Let me beg that prema-dhana, that wealth of love of Godhead! Let me distribute prema and ananda! Let me serve You! Please shower this mercy on me, Prabhu! Please bless me with prema-bhakti, ecstatic love for You!

October 9, 1973 By the mercy of Prabhu Gopal, on the last two days our Gita recitation program was finished here in my ista-deva’s [Gopal’s] temple. Prabhu Sri Gopal, O You who are known as premananda, as prema-maya-purusa, as vrndavana-bihari, and as radha-kanta! By Your mercy this Gita program was finished with ananda and prema. Prabhu, may Your place be joyful! May prema and ananda, love and bliss, be distributed! Make me Your servitor! Give me an opportunity to distribute that prema and ananda!Don’t cheat me! Because You are antaryaminatha, the Lord of my heart, You know my desire. And I am begging that from You! Please give me that prema and ananda! Let me get it and let me distribute it!

“From my boyhood this deity has occupied my heart. Everywhere I look I am seeing Him.” – Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaj on his childhood diety Gopal Jiu I feel inspired having posted the transcendental passing of Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaj. Then I realized that his disappearance day is coming up. Because of this I wanted to share some nectar about him. Srila Gaur Govinda Maharaj always kept a diary (his final diary was number 70). Each entry would begin, prabhu gopala krparu, kona si mate dinoti koti gala – “By the mercy of Prabhu Gopal, this day was spent thus…” The entries would end with a prayer to Gopal, “Please give me prema-bhakti, ecstatic love of God.” The following are some samples from his personal diary. October 1, 1973 On account of the Durga-puja festival, school will be closed for some time [Note:he was a school teacher at the time]. It will be reopened on Thursday 18 October 1973. Today I saw a picture of Sri Chaitanya in Banambara’s shop. In that picture I saw Mahaprabhu clutching the feet of the prema-maya-yugala-murti, the divine loving couple. Sri Chaitanya Dev started chanting divya-prema-nama, Krishna’s divine ecstatic names. He rejected suska-jnana, dry knowledge. He preached divya-nama-prema. He gave nama-prema to all indiscriminately. Prema-taranga, the waves of prema, spread everywhere. Wherever He was going, prema was following. Even the hard-hearted got a touch of that prema and their hearts were changed. This is the wonderful power of prema! By seeing that picture of Sri Chaitanya Dev I got a sparsa, a touch of that prema. How can I get a picture of that Sri Chaitanya Dev? By seeing His picture I’ll get a touch of prema and from prema I’ll get wonderful inspiration and bliss. Then I can give bliss to others. Prabhu Gopal, please shower this mercy on me! Give me shelter at the prema-kutir of Sri Premanandaji! I must drown in that divya-prema and, giving prema to others, pacify the fire in their hearts!