Jahnava Nitai Das

satyam satyam punah satyam satyam eva punah punah vina radha prasadena mat-prasado na vidyate "Sri Krishna says: O Narada! I tell you truly truly, again truly, truly, again and again - without the mercy of Srimati Radharani, one cannot attain my mercy." - Narada Purana

There is a Vedic science focusing on the interpretation of dreams and omens. We find throughout the Puranas, Mahabharata and Ramayana references are made to such things. For example Ravana has a dream that he is riding backwards on a donkey, and this indicates something terrible is going to happen to him. In theMahabharata we have many mentionings of omens, such as the howling of jackals, etc., which indicate various things. These omens are not in dreams, but in the real world. The great saint and father of Vyasadeva, Parashara Muni, has written explaining the science behind these omens and dreams. For example if while leaving to start something, if you see someone carrying an empty pot, it is an inauspicious sign, whereas a full pot of water is auspicious. Or if a funeral procession is walking towards you and past you, it is auspicious. These are just very general examples, but Parashara goes into great detail. There are different types of dreams that one may have, and these ultimately depend on the level of consiousness one has. If one is very ignorant, and if one sleeps too much, his dreams will have no meaning at all. It will just be a combination of thoughts and experiences mixed together. For example, in the day time I may see a goat, and I may see some gold. In the night I will dream of a golden goat. It is just the combination of experiences from the wakeful state. Such dreams have no value. They are produced from the mode of ignorance. Generally in this type of dream one sees things from the angle of a video camera. You can see yourself "down there" walking around and doing whatever you are doing. You are not seeing as though you are within your body - through the eyes, but you are seeing from a distance, and your entire body is within the scene. Another type of dream occurs very early in the morning, around 2 a.m. Dreams that occur during this time have a greater chance of being "real" dreams, or dreams that foretell something. In this type of dream you see as you do in your wakeful state - out through your eyes. You can't see your body, or your face, but if you put your hands in front of your face you will see them. In other words you are "within" your body. In this type of dream it is not just a combination of thoughts, it is the subtle body actually acting and moving on the subtle plane of existence. You will notice that the experiences on this plane are as real as in the wakeful state. Since we have no experience or practice to interact on that realm, we don't get anything done and just end up waking up and forgetting what happened. It is possible to travel to other places, interact with other worlds, or even enter into other peoples bodies. But all of this requires one to possess siddhis, or perfection over such activities. Shankaracharya once used one such siddhi to enter the body of a king. Siddhis can be obtained either through mantra, tapasya or meditation. Basically it comes back to your level of consciousness. If your consciousness is elevated, you will be able to experience the subtle plane of existence as a reality. There is a third type of dream which also occurs around 2 a.m. in which things can be foretold. I have not studied this category of dream very much, so I cannot say what is the connection with it and reality, how the dream foretells events, what the mechanics behind it are, etc. But Parashara explains many different varieties of dreams and general symbols one experiences, such as snakes, elephants, etc. I have not studied this in detail, but I would conclude these dreams are not just a combination of thoughts. Most probably they occur in a subtle realm, in which such informations as future/distant events may flow more freely than in the physical realm. Thus the subconscious may be able to "receive" raw data and convert it into a symbolic dream. One such dream which everyone has is the dream where one has no clothes. Parashara says this is an auspicious dream and it indicates some good event. Another dream which is perhaps more rare is the dream of eating stool (I certainly haven't had that one yet). Parashara says if you dream of eating stool you will be crowned as the king. Like this there are a number of general categories of these dreams which are innumerated. Of course, we need to draw a distinction between this and the new age stuff going around now. Most of what goes on in the name of the "new age" is just a bunch of whackos and money-makers. All we gotta do is tune our dreams into the mothership, if ya know what I mean. Actually I don't have a clue what you mean. If someone is really interested in interpreting his dreams, or controlling them, then he should do a number of things. First you should raise your consciousness to the level of sattva-guna (goodness). Oh is that all! That's a sinch. Only when our consciousness is purified can we actually be conscious. It is something like the Paramatma in the heart, but on a lower material plane. The Paramatma is constantly speakng to all of us, but because our mind is focused externally we can not hear Him. In a similar way, there is a whole world going on around us on the mental plane of existence which we don't know is there. If we turn our senses from the external to the internal we will start to experience that realm. Hear the internal sounds, see the internal visions, experience the internal thoughts. These are the ABC's of meditation on the mechanical level. Anyway, we won't get into that or we will go way off topic, which we already are. Back to dreams. Purify your mind and consiousness. The simple process of: "Purity, humility, freedom from duplicity. You can't learn this in the university." (Swami Shivananda of Rishikesh) Second, sleep early, wake early. Early to bed, early to rise. Early to rise means 4 a.m. The "real" dreams occur around 2 a.m. If you sleep late in the morning, those thoughts will be covered too deep to remember. Third, keep a dream diary. Every morning, as soon as you get up (at 4 a.m.) reach for your notebook and start writing the dream you just had with as much detail as possible. Don't wash your face before writing. Once water touches your face the memory of the dream will be broken.

Dear Sri Manjula, The lights you are experiencing while chanting are coming from the cid-akasha, or the mental ethereal space. Generally they occur when one is doing meditation, but in your case they are probably residual from mediation and sadhana performed in your previous life. Some times you may see a blue light, which I would describe as a plasma blue light. It starts small in the center of vision and "pulses" to expand over one's entire view. I call it plasma blue, because it is almost like molten lava, but blue in color. These visions vary for each individual, so they may not be exactly the same for you. Generally the first thing to happen is everything will become black, you will become blind despite your eyes being wide open. If your concentration is very fixed, it may happen quickly. If your concentration is not very focused, your view will first become misty, smoky, or grey color. Your vision will slowly go, as though a cloud is passing in front of you. Then the misty grey color turns dark, and becomes as black as night. Sometimes this black color also pulses. For a moment you will see grey, and then a pulse of black will block everything out, and then again grey, and then again black. Once everything is fully black. The blue light will begin to appear. Starting small in the center of vision, and slightly smokey, it will begin to pulse and get bigger and brighter each time. Then the smokiness stops and it becomes a bright plasma blue color. Maybe this word plasma is not the correct word to describe it. But I remember years ago seeing a screen saver on a computer with similar extremely bright colors and it was named plasma. These colors are not static, but they do something which I can't describe - almost like the color of lava flowing. And that screen saver had a similar effect. Probably they were rotating a single color gradient through the objects. Anyway, that is where I get this name from - plasma blue. These are just signs that one's mind is beginning to tune to the subtle side of existence. There is a whole world there, not just colors. There are heavenly people, gandharvas, yakshas, bhutas, etc. They actually live there, just like we live here. As one meditates one's mind will become open to that realm. About the dreams, please read the message I just posted on dreams. It will give you a hint about it. The point is they are not just dreams, they are the reality. Whether they are Yakshinis, Apsaras, or some other entity would require a more detailed description. If you want to discuss this more you can send an email to me at jndas@. Swami Shivananda of Rishikesha has very nicely described the colored lights as follows: [begin] Various kinds of lights manifest during meditation owing to concentration. In the beginning, a bright, white light, the size of a pin's point will appear in the forehead in Trikuti which corresponds tentatively to the Ajna Chakra of the astral body. When the eyes are closed, you will notice different colored lights such as white, yellow, red, smoky, blue, green, mixed color, flashes like lightning, like fire, burning charcoal, fire-flies, the moon, the sun and stars. These lights appear in the mental space, Chidakasha. These are all Tanmatric lights. Each Tanmatra has its own specific color. Prithvi (earth) Tanmatra has a yellow light; Apas (water) Tanmatra has a white light; Agni (fire) Tanmatra has a red light; Vayu (air) Tanmatra has a smoky light; and Akasha (ether) Tanmatra has a blue light. Yellow and white lights are very commonly seen. Red and blue lights are rarely noticeable. Frequently there is a combination of white and yellow lights. In the beginning, small balls of white light float about before your eyes. When you first observe this, be assured that the mind is be coming more steady and that you are progressing in concentration. After some months the size of the light will increase and you will see a full blaze of white light, bigger than the sun. In the beginning these lights are not steady. They come and disappear immediately. They flash out from above the forehead and from the sides. They cause peculiar sensations of extreme joy and happiness and there is an intense desire for a vision of these lights. When you have steady and systematic practice for two or three hours of meditation at a stretch, these lights appear more frequently and remain steadily for a long time. The vision of the lights is a great encouragement in Sadhana. It impels you to stick steadily to meditation. It gives you strong faith in superphysical matters. The appearance of the light denotes that you are transcending the physical consciousness. You are in a semiconscious state when the light appears. You are between the two planes. You must not shake the body when these lights manifest. You must be perfectly steady in the Asana. You must breathe very, very slowly. One whose food is moderate, whose anger has been controlled, who has given up all love for society, who has subdued his passions, who has overcome all pairs of opposites (Dvandvas) and who has given up his egoism, gets a vision of a triangular light during meditation. Sometimes during meditation you will see a brilliant dazzling light. You will find it difficult to gaze at this light. You will be compelled to withdraw your mental vision of this light. This dazzling light is the light emanating from the Sushumna. You will see forms in the lights - either the lustrous forms of demigods (Devatas) or physical forms. You will se your Ishta Devata or chosen deity in handsome dress with four hands and weapons. Siddhas, Rishis and other Devatas appear before you to encourage you. You will find a huge collection of Devatas and celestial ladies (Apsaras) with various musical instruments in their hands. You will also see beautiful flower gardens, fine palatial buildings, rivers, mountains, golden temples, sceneries so lovely and picturesque as cannot be adequately described. The experiences vary with different individuals. What one man experiences, may not be experienced by another man. Many erroneously believe that they have realized the self when they get these experiences, stop their Sadhana and try to move in the society to preach a new cult and religion in the name of Loka-sangraha. This is a serious blunder. This is not realization at all. These are simple encouragements from your Ishta Devata to convince you of a higher spiritual life and push you on in your steady, systematic and incessant practice of meditation with zeal and enthusiasm. You will have to ignore these things and drive them away. You must not care a bit for the vision of lights. You must fix your attention on the Lakshya, the goal, viz., Brahman. These visions appear in some persons within a few days, while in others within six or nine months. It depends upon the state of the mind and degree of concentration. [end]

That should read "interesting".

We have added an interested article on a mystical appearance of Srila Prabhupada in South India. Go to the main page to read the article (www.indiadivine.com).

Question: "Was Sri Krsna's name mentioned in the Vedic literature, before his appearance on this earth?" Answer: Before getting into this particular point, we must understand that the vishnu-tattva (category of the Lord) is absolute and non different. Thus one form of the Lord and another form of the Lord are one and the same person. The difference only comes in the spiritual qualities they choose to manifest externally. Thus any name referring to a form of the vishnu-tattva is a name of Krishna and Narayana. When the name Rama is mentioned in Vedic texts, it is not that it is refering to a seperate personality. Rama is Krishna, Krishna is Narayana, and Narayana is Vishnu. When the supreme person manifests His enjoying quality, He is known as Rama. When He manifests His all attractive quality, He is known as Krishna. And when He manifests His all-pervasive quality, He is known as Vishnu. Among all of the names that refer to the vishnu-tattva, the names Rama and Krishna are topmost, as they most perfectly describe the Lord's qualities in full. Thus the Vishnu Sahasranama states: sri rama rama rameti rame rame mano rame sahasranama tat tulyam rama nama varanane "Simply by chanting the name of Lord Rama three times one attains the same results as chanting the thousand names of Lord Vishnu." Elsewhere in the Kali-santarana Upanishad the importance of the names Krishna and Rama are stated as follows: hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare iti shodashakam namnam kali-kalmasha-nashanam natah parataropayah sarva-vedeshu drsyate "These sixteen names [hare rama... hare krishna...] are the only means to counteract the evil affects of Kali yuga. In all of the Vedas it is seen that to cross the ocean of nescience there is no alternative to the chanting of the Holy Name." It is especially interesting to note that the deity of the Vishnu Sahasranama is mentioned as follows: rishir namnam sahasrasya vedavyaso mahamunih chando 'nushtup tatha devo bhagavan devakisutah "The great muni Vedavyasa is the rishi of these thousand names of Vishnu; Anushtup is its metre; and the presiding deity is Lord Krishna, the son of Devaki." Thus the personality of Lord Vishnu is non-different from that of Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna was acknowledged in the scriptures as the Supreme Lord even prior to His incarnation as the son of Devaki. In the Satya yuga, the great devotee Bhakta Prahlada mentions Lord Krishna by name many millions of years prior to Lord Krishna's incarnation: sri-prahrada uvaca matir na krishne paratah svato va mitho 'bhipadyeta griha-vratanam "Sri Prahlada said: Persons too addicted to materialistic life never develop inclinations toward Krishna, neither by the instructions of others nor by their own efforts." [bhagavata Purana 7.5.30] Lord Krishna is further glorified in practically every Purana, especially the Brahmavaivarta, Markendeya, Skanda and Bhagavata. Other texts, such as the Narada Pancharatra, Satvata Tantra, Gopala-Tapani Upanishad, Krishna Upanishad and Kali-santarana Upanishad establish Lord Krishna as the Supreme Lord. The Pancharatras describe in detail the quadruple expansion of the Lord as Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha. Beyond the four-armed Vasudeva, who is the source of this first quadruple expansion, there is Sukshma Vasudeva, a two handed form of the Lord. It is this form of the Lord who is worshipped at Sri Rangam in Tamil Nadu. Though the general public think the deity to be that of Narayana, it actually isn't so. The deity has only two hands, instead of four, and there is no Lakshmi Devi present at the feet of the deity, as is the case in other Vishnu temples. For example in the temple of Padmanabha at Trivandram in Kerala, there is a deity of Gabhodakashayi Vishnu. This is the form of Vishnu who lies in the universal waters on the snake bed of Ananta Sesha. From His navel a lotus flower sprouts, and Lord Brahma is born within this lotus. At the feet of this deity is Lakshmi Devi performing pada-seva. In other Vishnu temples we find it is the deity of Kshirodakashayi Vishnu, or the Vishnu form present in Shvetadvipa. This is also a four-armed form of the Lord with Lakshmi Devi present. Only at Sri Rangam, which is considered the most important Vishnu temple, do we find that the deity is not Vishnu. In the Satvata Tantra three expansions of Vishnu are explained: visnos tu trini rupani purusakhyany atho viduh ekam tu mahatah srastr dvitiyam tv anda-samsthitam trtiyam sarva-bhuta-stham tani jnatva vimucyate “For material creation, the Lord expands as three Visnus. The first one, Maha-Visnu, creates the total material energy, known as the mahat-tattva. The second, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, enters into all the universes to create diversities in each of them. The third, Ksirodakasayi Visnu, is diffused as the all-pervading Supersoul in all the universes and is known as Paramatma. He is present even within the atoms. By knowing these three Visnus one is liberated from material entanglement.” The deity in Sri Rangam is none of these three forms of Vishnu. The Kshirodakashayi Vishnu and Garbhodakashayi Vishnu are four-handed and are accompanied by lakshmi, whereas the Sri Rangam Vishnu deity is two handed and alone. The Maha Vishnu is also alone, but He is four handed, and He is not lying on the Ananta-sesha, whereas the Sri Rangam Vishnu is. Thus we find that the most important Vishnu deity on the planet is not a form of Narayana. He is a two armed form of the Lord known as Sukshma Vasudeva, whereas the four armed form of Narayana is known as Sthula Vasudeva. The words sukshma (subtle) and sthula (gross) clearly indicate the origin, as the gross is a manifestation of the subtle. Unfortunately, I have not been able to quote the exact text from the Pancharatras which refer to these two forms of Vasudeva, as I have misplaced the manuscript in which it comes. Hopefully I will find it and be able to present the reference to you later. Regardless, I feel it is very significant that the deity of Sri Rangam, which is considered the most important Vishnu temple, is a two handed form of the Lord lying on Ananta-sesha. Sri Rangam is the head quarters of Sri Ramanuja, the greatest devotee of Narayana, and the Sri Sampradaya, which worships Narayana as supreme, practically finds its foundation there. This is not a textual evidence (shabda-pramana), but a visual evidence (pratyaksha-pramana). In the Srimad Bhagavatam tenth canto we find the naration of how Lord Brahma kidnapped the cowherd boys, who were Lord Krishna's associates. I will not quote the entire text here, as it will be quite long. But in summary, Lord Krishna expanded Himself into hundreds of forms as cowherd boys and cows. When Lord Brahma saw the cowherd boys and cows still playing with Krishna, despite the fact that he had kidnapped them all, he became bewildered. He wondered how they had freed themsleves from captivity. At that time, all of Lord Krishna's expansions as cowherd boys and cows transformed into four-armed Vishnu forms. When Lord Brahma saw this, he immediately appeared before Lord Krishna and began offering prayers to Him, understanding Krishna to be the absolute truth. In regards to our topic, it is significant that Lord Krishna expanded as hundreds of Narayana forms. People who consider Lord Krishna to be a latter expansion of Narayana fail to understand the omnipotence of the Lord. The Lord exists beyond time and space. He can manifest any of His unlimited forms at will. There is no first or last in regards to the Lord, as He is not influenced by time. There are only degrees of manifestation in regards to the Lord's opulence. This is what we mean when we say 'original form', that form which fully manifests the Lords unlimited opulence. When the unlimited Lord chooses to manifest a different opulence in another unlimited form it is termed as an expansion. Such expansions are eternal and thus cannot be traced back in time. The Lords forms are described as: advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam Each expansion of the Lord is advaita, or nondifferent, acyutam, or infallible, and anadim, or beginningless. These three qualities perfectly define the expansions of the Lord. Just like the sun in the morning, the sun at noon, and the sun in the evening; they are different simply by name. To the sun there is no morning or evening or noon, but still we say morning sun, evening sun, and noon sun. From the Lord's perspective His unlimited forms are one, advaitam. He manifests His qualities according to the desire of the devotee, and thus He appears in unlimited forms. Which form is the highest? That form which is manifested for the topmost devotee. The topmost devotee is the one who possess unlimited unconditional love of the highest degree. The scriptures describe Srimati Radharani to be the highest devotee, and thus the form which is manifested for Her is the topmost display of the Lord's oppulence.

Question: "Was Prabhu Chaitanya an incarnation of Sri Krishna and Radharani? Any Vedic reference." Answer: Sri Chaitanya is the Kali-yuga avatara, and He descended for the purpose of establishing the yuga dharma, which in this age is the chanting of Lord Krishna's names. He appeared in the guise of a devotee to perfectly show how the process of devotion should be followed and applied. It is something like a teacher drawing on the black board "A B C". We should not think the teacher is himself learning the alphabets, but he is writing it to show us how to write properly. The inner purpose of Sri Chaitanya's incarnation was to experience the devotional love that Radharani has for Krishna. He wanted to experience the process of bhakti from the side of the devotee. In other ages the Lord incarnates along with His weapons for destroying the demons, but in Kali yuga He shows special mercy to the demons by delivering them with nama-sankirtana. In the Kali-yuga there are practically only demons on this earth, so if the Lord were to kill the demons there would be nobody left. Instead He chose to kill the demoniac tendency within the heart of the demons by giving them Krishna bhakti. Sri Chaitanya is described in the following verse composed by Sri Rupa Goswami: namo maha-vadanyaya krishna-prema-pradaya te krishnaya krishna-caitanya- namne gaura-tvishe namah "I offer my respectful obeisances unto Sri Chaitanya, who is the most merciful incarnation. He has appeared in a golden color for the purpose of freely distributing pure love of Krishna." In other incarnations, Lord Krishna would require the devotee to first surrender to Him: sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja. But in the incarnation as Sri Chaitanya, He would go to the non-devotees and freely distribute krishna-prema to all. This is the unique blessing of this age of Kali. Despite it being the most sinful age, the process of self-realization is the simplest and most accessible to all classes of men. Lord Chaitanya's incarnation is mentioned and predicted in numerous scriptures. The following are some of the important references. In the Atharva Veda (Purusha-bodini Upanishad) it is said: saptame gaura-varna-vishnor ity anena sva-shaktya caikyam etya prante pratar avatirya saha svaih sva-manum shikshayati "In the seventh manvantara, the Supreme Lord will, accompanied by His own associates, descend in a golden form. He will teach the chanting of His own holy names." It is further stated in the Atharva Veda: ito 'ham krita-sannyaso 'vatarishyami sa-guno nirvedo nishkamo bhu-girbanas tira-stho 'lakanandayah kalau catuh-sahasrabdhopari panca-sahasrabhyantare gaura-varno dirghangah sarva-lakshana-yukta ishvara-prarthito nija-rasasvado bhakta-rupo mishrakhyo vidita-yogah syam "The Supreme Lord Himself says: When between four thousand and five thousand years of Kali-yuga have passed, I will descend to the earth in a place by the Ganges' shore. I will be a tall, saintly brahmana devotee of the Lord, and have a golden complexion. I will be renounced and free from all desire. I will accept the order of renunciation (sannyasa). I will be a devotee advanced in bhakti-yoga. I will chant the holy names of the Lord. I will taste the sweet mellows of My own devotional service. Only the great devotees will understand Me." In the Sama Veda the Lord states: tathaham krita-sannyaso bhu-girbano 'vatarisye tire 'lakanandayah punah punar ishvara-prarthitah sa-parivaro niralambo nirdhuteh kali-kalmasha-kavalita-janavalambanaya "To deliver the people devoured by the sins of Kali-yuga, I will, accompanied by My associates, descend to the earth in a place by the Ganges shore. I will be a brahmana avadhuta sannyasi. Again and again I will chant the holy names of the Lord." In the Krishna Upanishad it is stated: sa eva bhagavan yuge turiye 'pi brahma-kule jayamanah sarva upanishadah uddidirshuh sarvani dharma-shastrani vistarayishnuh sarvan api janan santarayishnuh sarvan api vaishnavan dharman vijrimbhayan sarvan api pashandan nicakhana "In the Kali-yuga, Lord Krishna will appear in a brahmana's family. He will teach the message of the Upanishads and the dharma-shastras. He will defeat the atheists and offenders and He will establish the truth of Vaishnava dharma." In the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam the following verse is found: krishna-varnam tvishakrishnam sangopangastra-parshadam yajnaih sankirtana-prayair yajanti hi su-medhasah "In the age of Kali, intelligent persons perform congregational chanting to worship the incarnation of Godhead, who constantly sings the name of Krishna. Although His complexion is not blackish, He is Krishna Himself. He is accompanied by His associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions." In the seventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam is the following verse describing the Lord's incarnations: channah kalau yad abhava tri-yugo 'tha sa tvam "Because in Kali-yuga You appear in a covered incarnation, you are therefore known as Tri-yuga (one who appears in only three yugas)." The incarnation of Sri Chaitanya is a hidden incarnation because He appears in the guise of His devotee. This covered incarnation is confirmed in both the Adi Purana and the Narada Purana in the following verse: aham eva dvija-shreshtho nityam pracchanna-vigrahah bhagavad-bhakta-rupena lokam rakshami sarvada "My true identity always concealed, I will assume the form of a brahmana devotee of the Lord. In this form I will deliver the worlds." In the Kurma Purana the following statement is found: kalina dahyamananam uddharaya tanu-bhritam janma prathama-sandhyayam bhavishyati dvi jalaye "To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age the Lord will take birth in a brahmana's home." In the Garuda Purana the Lord Himself states: kalina dahyamananam paritranaya tanu-bhritam janma prathama-sandhyayam karishyami dvi jatishu "To deliver the conditioned souls burning in the troubles of Kali-yuga, in the first sandhya of that age I will take birth among the brahmanas." aham purno bhavishyami yuga-sandhau visheshatah mayapure navadvipe bhavishyami shaci-sutah "In My original spiritual form, perfect and complete, I will become the son of Shachi-devi in Navadvipa Mayapura at the begining of Kali-yuga. Sri Chaitanya was born in Mayapura, a subsection of the holy town of Navadvipa, to Shachi-devi in 1486 AD, aproximately 4,500 years after the beginning of the Kali-yuga. ELsewhere in the Garuda Purana it is said: kaleh prathama-sandhyayam lakshmi-kanto bhavishyati daru-brahma-samipa-sthah sannyasi gaura-vigrahah "In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga, the Lord will assume a golden form. First He will be the husband of Lakshmi, and then He will be a sannyasi who stays near Lord Jagannatha at Puri." Sri Chaitanya first married His eternal consort Sri Lakshmi-priya Devi before taking sannyasa at the age of twenty-four. After taking sannyasa He left Navadvipa in Bengal, and resided in the holy city of Puri in Orissa. Lord Jagannatha, the presiding deity of Puri is known in the Puranas by the name daru-brahma or "the Lord who is wood". This is because the Jagannatha deities in Puri are made from Neem wood. Also in the Garuda Purana: yo reme saha-ballavi ramayate vrindavane 'har-nisham, yah kamsam ni jaghana kaurava-rane yah pandavanam sakha, so 'yam vainava-danda-mandita-bhujah sannyasa-veshah svayam, nihsandeham upagatah kshiti-tale caitanya-rupah prabhuh "The Supreme Lord who enjoyed pastimes with the gopis, who day and night filled the people of Vrindavana with happiness, who killed kamsa, and who in the war between the Kauravas made friendship with the Pandavas, will come again to the earth. Of this there is no doubt. His arm will be decorated with a bamboo danda (stick), He will be a sannyasi and His name will be Chaitanya." The custom is that one begins carrying a bamboo rod (danda) after one takes sannyasa. Sri Chaitanya was an eka-danda sannyasi, thus He carried a single bamboo rod. In the Devi Purana we find the following statement: nama-siddhanta-sampatti prakashana-parayanah kvacit sri-krishna-chaitanya- nama loke bhavishyati "The Lord will again appear in this world. His name will be Sri Krishna Chaitanya and He will spread the chanting of the Lord's holy names. Sri Chaitanya perfectly illuminated the glories of the nama-siddhanta as predicted in this verse. In the Nrisimha Purana it is mentioned: satye daitya-kuladhi-nasha-samaye simhordhva-martyakritis tretayam dasa-kandharam paribhavan rameti namakritih gopalan paripalayan vraja-pure bharam haran dvapare gaurangah priya-kirtanah kali-yuge caitanya-nama prabhuh "The Supreme Lord, who in the Satya-yuga appeared as a half-man half-lion to cure a terrible disease that had ravaged the daityas, and who in Treta-yuga appeared as Rama, a person who defeated the ten-headed Ravana , and who in Dvapara-yuga removed the earth's burden and protected the gopa people of Vraja-pura, will appear again in the Kali-yuga. His form will be golden, He will delight in chanting the Lord's holy names, and His name will be Chaitanya." In the Padma Purana we find the following statement from the Lord: kaleh prathama-sandhyayam gaurango 'ham mahi-tale bhagirathi-tate ramye bhavishyami shaci-sutah "In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga I will appear on the earth in a beautiful place by the Gange's shore. I will be the son of Shachi-devi and My complexion will be golden." In the Narada Purana the Lord says: aham eva kalau vipra nityam pracchanna-vigrahah bhagavad-bhakta-rupena lokan rakshami sarvada "O brahmana, in the age of Kali I will appear disguised as a devotee of the Lord and I will deliver all the worlds." divija bhuvi jayadhvam jayadhvam bhakta-rupinah kalau sankirtanarambhe bhavishyami shaci-sutah "O demigods, in the Kali-yuga take birth as devotees on the earth. I will appear as the son of Shachi in Kali-yuga to start the sankirtana movement." Nama-sankirtana, or the chanting of the Lord's names is the yuga dharma for the age of Kali. Establishing this was Sri Chaitanya's primary purpose for incarnating. In the Bhavishya Purana we find: anandashru-kala-roma- harsha-purnam tapo-dhana sarve mam eva drakshyanti kalau sannyasa-rupinam "O sage whose wealth is austerity, in the Kali-yuga everyone will see My form as a sannyasi, a form filled with tears of bliss and bodily hairs standing erect in ecstacy." Sri Chaitanya would always display such symptoms of pure love of Krishna. When chanting the names of the Lord tears would flow from His eyes, and the hair on His body would stand erect. In his life Sri Chaitanya personally only composed eight verses known as Shikshashtakam. In the sixth verse He states: nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira pulakair nicitam vapuh kada tava nama-grahane bhavishyati "O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?" Then in the seventh verse He says: yugayitam nimeshena cakshusha pravrishayitam shunyayitam jagat sarvam govinda-virahena me "O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like many years. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in your absence." These emotional symptoms of devotion were constantly being displayed by Sri Chaitanya. In the Matsya Purana the following statement is made by the Lord: mundo gaurah su-dirghangas tri-srotas-tira-sambhavah dayaluh kirtana-grahi bhavishyami kalau yuge "In the Kali-yuga I will take birth in a place where three rivers meet. I will be golden color and tall. I will have a shaven head. I will be very merciful, and I will eagerly chant the holy names." The place where three rivers meet is Navadvipa. It is the custom that eka-danda sannyasis completely shave their head when they take sannyasa, and Sri Chaitanya followed this principle. This same verse is also found in the Vayu Purana with just two words appearing differently. The Vayu Purana verse mentions the Ganges river instead of 'three rivers'. In the Vamana Purana the Lord says: kali-ghora-tamas-channat sarvan acara-var jitan shaci-garbhe ca sambhuya tarayishyami narada "O Narada, taking birth in Shachi-devi's womb, I will deliver the sinful people from the terrible darkness of Kali-yuga." In the Vayu Purana the Lord states: paurnamasyam phalgunasya phalguni-riksha-yogatah bhavishye gaura-rupena shaci-garbhe purandarat "In the month of Phalguna, when the star phalguni is conjoined with the full moon, I will appear in a golden form begotten by Purandara in Shachi-devi's womb." Sri Chaitanya's father was known by the names Purandara Mishra and Jagannatha Mishra. Sri Chaitanya was born on the full moon day of the month of Phalguna. svarnadi-tiram asthaya navadvipe janashraye tatra dvi ja-kulam prapto bhavishyami janalaye "I will take birth in a brahmana family in the city of Navadvipa, by the Ganges shore." bhakti-yoga-pradanaya lokasyanugrahaya ca sannyasa-rupam asthaya krishna-chaitanya-nama-dhrik "In order to show mercy to the people and engage them in devotional service, I will accept sannyasa. Then My name will be Sri Krishna Chaitanya." In the Ananta Samhita we find: svarnadi-tiram ashritya navadvipe dvijalaye sampradatum bhakti-yogam laksyanugrahaya ca "To show mercy to the people and give them devotional service, the Supreme Personality of Godhead will appear in a brahmana's home in Navadvipa by the Gange's shore." Then the Lord states: avatirno bhavishyami kalau nija-ganaih saha shaci-garbhe navadvipe svardhuni-parivarite "In Kali-yuga I will descend to the earth with My associates. In Navadvipa, which is surrounded by the Ganges, I will take birth in Shachi-devi's womb." In the Urdhvamnaya Tantra it is mentioned: kalau purandarat shacyam gaura-rupo vibhu smritah "In kali-yuga I will appear in a golden form as the son of Purandara and Shachi-devi." In the Krishna-yamala it is stated: aham purno bhavishyami yuga-sandhau visheshatah mayapure navadvipe varam ekam shaci-sutah "During the first sandhya of Kali-yuga I will descend, with all My powers and glories, to Mayapura in Navadvipa and become the son of Shachi-devi." In the Brahma-yamala: athavaham dhara-dhamni bhutva mad-bhakta-rupa-dhrik mayayam ca bhavishyami kalau sankirtanagame "I will appear on the earth in the garb of My devotee. In the Kali-yuga I will appear in Mayapura to start the sankirtana movement." kalau prathama-sandhyayam hari-nama-pradayakah bhavishyati navadvipe shaci-garbhe janardanah "In the first sandhya of kali-yuga, Lord Krishna will appear in Navadvipa, in Shachi-devi's womb. In that incarnation He will teach the chanting of Lord Hari's holy names." In the Ananta Samhita we find: gauri shri-radhika devi harih krishna prakirtitah ekatvac ca tayoh sakshad iti gaura-harim viduh "The golden Goddess Radha is known by the name Gauri and the dark Lord Krishna is known by the name Hari. Aware that both of them have combined, the wise call Him as Gaurahari." navadvipe tu tah sakhyo bhakta-rupa-dharah priye ekangam shri-gaura-harim sevante satatam muda "O beloved, assuming the forms of devotees the gopis will also take birth in Navadvipa. With great happiness they will again and again serve Lord Gaurahari, who is Radha and krishna combined in a single form." In the Krishna-yamala we further find: iti matva kripa-sindhur amshena kripaya harih prasanno bhakta-rupena kalav avatarishyati "Thinking in this way, Lord Krishna, who is an ocean of mercy, mercifully decided to appear as a devotee in Kali-yuga." gaurango nada-gambhirah sva-namamrita-lalasah dayaluh kirtana-grahi bhavishyati shaci-sutah "His limbs will be golden and His voice deep. He will be very merciful. He will yearn to taste the nectar of His own holy name. He will be attached to chanting His own holy name. He will be the son of Shachi-devi." In the Jaimini-bharata it is said: anyavatara bahavah sarve sadharana matah kalau krishnavataras tu gudhah sannyasa-vesha-dhrik "Lord Krishna descends to the world in many different forms. However in Kali-yuga, His incarnation is hidden. At that time He appears disguised as a sannyasi." In the Yoga-vashishtha we find: kaleh prathama-sandhyayam gaurango 'sau mahi-tale bhagirathi-tate ramye bhavishyati sanatanah "In the first sandhya of Kali-yuga, on the earth, by the beautiful shore of the Ganges, the Lord will appear in His eternal golden form." In the Skanda Purana: antah krishna bahir gaurah sangopangastra-parshadah shaci-garbhe samapnuyam maya-manusha-karma-krit "Outwardly of golden complexion, but inwardly Krishna, I will take My birth in the womb of Shachi-devi. Accompanied by My associates, servants, weapons, and confidential companions, I will assume the role of a human being." In the Kapila Tantra we find the following statements: kvacit sapi krishnam aha shrinu mad-vacanam priya bhavata ca sahaikatmyam icchami bhavitum prabho mama bhavanvitam rupam hridayahlada-karanam parasparanga-madhya-stham krida-kautuka-mangalam paraspara-svabhavadhyam rupam ekam pradarshaya shrutva tu preyasi-vakyam parama-priti-suchakam svecchayasid yatha purvam utsahena jagad-guruh premalingana-yogena hy acintya-shakti-yogatah radha-bhava-kanti-yuktam murtim ekam prakasayan svapne tu darshayam asa radhikayai svayam prabhuh "Then Sri Radha said to Lord Krishna: O beloved, please hear My words. I yearn to become one with you. Please show a form where You and I embrace and Our two bodies become one, a form filled with the love I bear for You, a form filled with auspicious and blissful pastimes, a form that brings bliss to the heart, a form that unites Our two natures.' "Hearing His beloved's words, which were filled with joy and love, Lord krishna passionately embraced Her. Then by the touch of His inconceivable potency Their two forms joined and became one, a single form endowed with Sri Radha's divine love and glorious splendour. In a dream Lord Krishna showed all this to Sri Radha." Other direct references are found in the Vishvasara Tantra, Kularnava Tantra, Brahma-rahasya, and Vishnu-yamala. Besides these there are complete chapters about Sri Chaitanya's incarnation in the Vayu Purana and Bhavishya Purana, which are too long to quote here. Also there is a text by the name Chaitanya Upanishad within the Atharva Veda, which explains the Lord's incarnation in Kali-yuga. I have not cited it here, as it was rediscovered in recent times, so most people will reject it's authenticity, or at least its value as evidence. Sri Chaitanya's incarnation was a hidden incarnation, thus He burried references to His appearance deep within the ocean of vedic texts. His desire was that His disguise would not be betrayed, so He made sure these references would remain hidden until after His incarnation was complete. These text's were always present, but by the inconceivable yoga-maya of the Lord, He covered His true identity even from the Vedic scholars and panditas. Only the pure devotees understood His actual identity. In the Ananta Samhita we find this very relevant statement regarding Sri Chaitanya's incarnation: aprakashyam idam guhyam na prakashyam bahir mukhe bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam bhaktam bhakti-pradam svayam man-maya-mohitah kecin na jnasyanti bahir-mukhah jnasyanti mad-bhakti-yuktah sadhavo nyasino 'malah "Those who are bewildered by My illusory potency will not understand the great secret of My appearance in this world in My personal form, in My form as the incarnation of a devotee, in My form bearing the name of a devotee, in My form as a devotee, and in My form as the giver of devotional service. This secret is not to be revealed to them. Only the saintly, pure, renounced devotees, diligently engaged in My devotional service, will be able to understand Me in these forms."

Question: "Was Brahma Samhita authored by Lord Brahma?" Answer: The Brahma Samhita contains prayers offered by Lord Brahma to Lord Krishna prior to his act of creation. This text was lost for thousands of years, and was only rediscovered aproximately 500 years ago when Sri Chaitanya found it in South India. Sri Chaitanya was visiting the Adi Keshava temple in Kerala, and after chanting and dancing before the Lord, He was invited to visit the house of a brahmana devotee. When Sri Chaitanya took His seat in the house of the devotee, He began to feel ecstatic symptoms (bhava). He told the devotee to begin digging under His seat. Within the mud they found an ancient manuscript of the Brahma Samhita which had been almost completely eaten by white ants. All that was left was a single chapter out of the 100 chapters. Since this book was lost for many thousands of years, naturally there is no reference to it in the writings of the acharyas. Thus it is not possible to either confirm or deny its authenticity based on historical statements. Since the text was found within one sampradaya, it is natural that that sampradaya will utilize it most, whereas other lineages will not. This is not the only instance of an ancient vedic text being rediscovered. Sri Madhva rediscovered the Aitareya Upanishad, and because of this the Madhva sampradaya gives great importance to it, whereas other lineages do not. In such cases we can authenticate the text based on several secondary aspects. First, we must see what is the qualification and authority of the personality finding the text. In the case of Brahma Samhita, we should see who is Sri Chaitanya. We have mainly three possible circumstances: First, Sri Chaitanya may be a cheater and may have manufactured this text Himself. Second, Sri Chaitanya may be honest, but He may have been fooled by a false text. Third, Sri Chaitanya may be honest and the text may be authentic. The first possibility indicates Sri Chaitanya was a fallen conditioned soul polluted by lust, envy and greed. His aim was to mislead the public. The second possibility indicates Sri Chaitanya was not influenced by lust, anger and greed, but still He was ignorant and covered by illusion, just like the common man. There are four defects of a conditioned soul: He possesses a cheating propensity, has imperfect senses, is subject to commit mistakes, and is invariably illusioned. The first two possibilities above are symptomatic of a conditioned soul. To overcome the first two possibilities, we must establish that Sri Chaitanya is not an ordinary man. His minimum qualification must be that of a realized saint, situated above the four defects of conditioned consciousness. Our actual contention is that Sri Chaitanya was not just a saint, but the direct incarnation of Lord Krishna, the Kali-yuga avatara. We shall substantiate this claim with references from the scriptures. If Sri Chaitanya is established as an incarnation of the Lord, then the authenticity of this text is automatically established. Another aspect that we must judge is the consistency of the author. If Lord Brahma is offering prayers to Lord Krishna, we should compare it to other texts where Lord Brahma offers prayers. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, tenth canto chapter fourteen, we find prayers offered by Lord Brahma to Lord Krishna. Lord Brahma tried to bewilder Krishna by stealing His cowherd friends and calves. But by a slight exhibition of Krishna's own mystic potency, Brahma himself was completely bewildered. Subsequently, Brahma surrendered to Lord Krishna and out of humility and devotion began composing prayers glorifying the Lord. If one studies these prayers from the Bhagavatam, one will see that they contain the same conclusions as found in the Brahma Samhita. A third aspect we must judge is the authenticity of the subject matter in a text in relation to other established scriptures. There are two categories of authenticity to a pramana (evidence). The first authenticity is that it is accepted as pramana in other books, which are themselves accepted as pramana for various other reasons. For example, there may be a reference to Bhagavata Purana found within Matsya Purana. This is one type of evidence to establish the authenticity of a scripture. The second authenticy is that the conclusions present within established scriptures are presented and harmonized within the text in question. Though the Brahma Samhita is not mentioned in other texts (because it was lost), the prayers offered by Lord Brahma in Brahma Samhita perfectly establish and harmonize the Bhagavatam's descriptions of the Lord. The tree of Vedic literature is extremely vast, yet what is available to us today is but a fraction of the original texts that existed in the past. If we take different categories of books, such as Upanishads, we find that there are thousands of upanishads among which 108 are considered chief. Most of these Upanishads exist today in name only. In the category of texts known as Puranas it is a similar case. There are 18 maha-puranas, each of which has 18 subsidiary upa-puranas. Each upa-purana has 18 subsidiary upakhyanas. Thus the category of texts known as Puranas contain thousands of books, but most of these are lost. Even if we take a single text like Srimad Bhagavatam, we find that there are various versions given for different species of humans. Our Srimad Bhagavatam has only 18,000 verses, but the Srimad Bhagavatam given to Yama has millions of verses. The same is the case for all Vedic scriptures. The inhabitants of the higher planetary systems have much larger texts, whereas we have the abridged versions. Our Srimad Bhagavatam describes only 24 categories of incarnations. The Srimad Bhagavatam possessed by Yama describes the Lord's incarnations in all 8,400,000 species of life. There is a mosquito incarnation, a chicken incarnation, a worm incarnation, we can only imagine it! Such is the nature of Vedic knowledge. Thus one cannot deny a text's authenticity simply because it isn't common and well-known. The situation surrounding its appearance must be systematically studied, and then a proper conclusion may be had. If one has the blessed association of a liberated soul (muktatma), this entire process becomes much simpler. With guidance from a guru situated beyond illusion one can receive perfect knowledge, for he has actually seen the truth. This is Lord Krishna's instruction in Gita: upadeksyanti te jnanam jnaninas tattva-darsinah "The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth." This is the Vedic method. Either we can rely on our own imperfect senses to judge truth from illusion, or we can learn to see truth as revealed by the saints.

"If Krishna considers ladies as lower birth or sinner..." The translation you had quoted is gramatically correct and does follow certain patterns observed in Vedic culture and found in Vedic texts, such as the Manu Samhita. We must note that this verse does not say women, vaishyas and shudras are sinful people. It says one who was sinful in the past will have received a body of a women, vaishya or shudra as a result. Women, vaishyas and shudras undergo more difficulties in life due to various factors. Difficulties are generally the result of sinful reactions. There can be cases when a person is born as a women, vaishya or shudra for some other reason, but the general principle is as mentioned above. Before going any further we must first state that we are not this body, either male or female, and anyone who thinks himself a man (or woman) is a fool covered by the darkness of avidya. This is the message of the Upanishads. On the other hand, anyone free from false identification is situated beyond a material comparison - good or bad. "Birth" itself is ignorance, thus to say you belong to a high birth or a low birth is ultimatley meaningless. They are gradations of ignorance. The biggest fool is he or she who stands up to proclaim their ignorance to the world by identifying the body for the self. On the conventional platform, the vedic culture restricts certain people from engaging in aspects of ritual worship. For example, women are not given gayatri upadesha in the Vedic culture. Women are not allowed to recite the texts of the four vedas. Women are not permitted to perform yaga or puja in a temple as a priest. Women are not allowed to accept the sannyasa ashrama. And likewise shudras also are not given gayatri upadesha, are forbidden from reciting the vedas, and not permitted to perform sacrificial ceremonies. This does not mean they are not able to perform worship, devotion, or sadhana! Even Mrigari the cruel hunter was made a pure devotee by chanting the name of Rama. And once Mrigari was transformed into the great saint Valmiki, he was accepted as the highest Rishi, beyond even the designation of a brahmana. But please note, Narada did not instruct Mrigari the hunter to perform ritual sacrifice, or to chant gayatri mantra, or to recite the vedic texts on the basis that he was an atma - he simply had him chant the holy name of Rama. He followed the proper conduct according to Mrigari's level of consciousness. After Mrigari was purified of his contamination, and after he became self realized, situated beyond the bodily conception, at that time the entire world accepted him as their guru. There are many cases of saints having the bodies of women. But by virtue of their self-realization they are not seen in terms of the external body. For them there is no restriction for their conduct based on their body, as they have factually realized themselves to be spirit souls. The great saint Gargi is an example of a women who attained the highest state of self realization. "If He [Krishna] considers Sudra as lowest birth why should He take birth in Yadava kula which is consider to be Sudras?" This is an irrelevant point as the premise is based on fallacy. The Yadava line does not belong to the shudra class. Yadava refers to the descendants of Yadu, who was the son of Yayati and Devayani. Yayati, a kshatriya, was the son of king Nahusha. His wife Devayani is the daughter of Shukracharya, a great brahmana and guru of the asuras. Most of the descendants of Yadu were kshatriyas, but some were cowherd men and thus belonged to the vaishya class. There are also some Yadavas who were brahmanas, such as the great saint Garga Muni, who performed the name giving ceremony to Lord Krishna. "Krishna took birth in all varnas to show that He is beyond everything." Krishna is beyond everything, and His birth is not material: janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. He tells us we must understand His birth and activities to be transcendental. Generally when He incarnates he takes his birth in the surya vamsha (sun dynasty) or in the chandra vamsha (moon dynasty). But sometimes He belongs to no family or dynasty. Which lineage did Narasimha belong to? He appeared from a pillar. As Matsya He appeared in a handful of water. Varaha appeared from the nose of Brahma, so maybe literally He was a brahmana. It really doesn't matter. His body is spiritual, sac-cid-ananda vigraha. Our body is composed of mucus (kapha), bile (pita) and air (vayu); but just see the spiritual "elements" making up the Lord's form - eternality (sat), knowledge (cit) and bliss (ananda). The appearance of such a spiritual entity is just like the sun. The sun may appear to rise in the east, but factually the sun is always existing. It is not actually originating from the ocean as it appears. Lord Hari is eternally existing in His spiritual abode of Vaikuntha. But it appears that He takes His birth from a particular family. We find the description of His divine appearance in the Bhagavatam. It is described He manifested fully dressed in beautiful yellow garments, with gold jewels decorating His body, and with long beautiful hair. If my memory serves me right, when I was born I wasn't decorated with jewels, gold, and silk. There were some other not so nice smelling liquids covering my body. That's probably why His appearance is called jayanti, whereas mine is not. Some people may claim Lord Krishna was an ordinary man, who was born just like you or me, but the Bhagavatam says otherwise. If the Bhagavatam's description of Lord Krishna's appearance is not accepted as true, then the description of Lord Krishna's very existence should also be rejected. Why take half and reject the rest. Either the statements of scripture are absolute truth, or they are lies. If they contain even one false statement, then their value as shabda-pramana is lost. "He said Radha is His dearest devotee to show that there is no difference between men & women as far as devotion is concerned." Devotion is a quality possessed by the soul. Bhakti-yoga is the process of linking the atma and the Lord through loving devotion. It has no connection with this illusory body, either male or female. Anyone who thinks I am a male (or female) is a fool. We need to go back and start at the ABC's again. Lesson one: We are not this body, we are a spirit soul - aham brahmasmi. Ultimately all matter is equally illusory, whether it is gold or stool. Still on the conventional platform we consider gold to be pure and stool to be impure. What is gold? Nothing but a combination of earth (bhumi), water (apa), fire (anala), air (vayu) and ether (akasha). And what is stool? It is the same five elements combined in a different proportion. On the fundamental level how can one be called pure and one impure? But how many of us will take a bath in stool? On the conventional platform we interact with matter in a relative manner. "Like dress, the body is changed that is all. He [Krishna] should not have meant that lady's birth is because of sin." Krishna 'should not' have meant that or 'did not' mean that? Sometimes verbal slips are reflections of our subconscious mind, other times they are just careless mistakes. All births within this material world are due ultimately to the sins of kama (lust), krodha (anger) and lobha (greeed). According to Lord Krishna this world is dukhalayam, the place of suffering. Why would anyone be here? Let us imagine a person in this dukhalayam, suffering reactions to his previous actions. Why is he suffering? Because he has performed great saintly acts! He is suffering because he was a great devotee! He is suffering because of his selfless endeavour to help all... Well, maybe not. Maybe he wasn't a saint, maybe he wasn't a great devotee, maybe he was actually suffering because of his sins. You can decide. The fact that we are born bound by matter means we are the criminals. Some of us are more criminally inclined than others, so there are various grades of cells, which we call as bodies. According to the influence of the modes of nature we are given the appropriate cell to serve our term in. If we are very ignorant, we are given a body among the lower species of life. If we are slightly better behaved criminals we are given accomodation in the minimum security zone of svarga. All of these births are due to our sinful tendancies to exploit matter in various degrees. Still on the conventional platform we say this one is good and that one is bad. The scriptures say a human birth is good... but the fact that we are born means we are not good, we are bound by the illusion of maya. Still, among all the bad births, the human birth is the best, as it provides us with the facilities to progress in spiritual life and free ourselves from bondage. Thus the great devotee Bhakta Prahlada says: durlabham manusham janma "This human life is very difficult to receive." It is something like almost getting parol from the prison. They have transfered you to the minimum security wing, and if you behave well your case will be brought before the parol board. Its your big chance to become free. But most of us cannot give up our criminal nature, and we end up back in the maximum security wing. And once you fall from the minimum security wing back to the maximum security wing, it will be a real, real long time before you are given a second chance. There are 8,400,000 species of life to go through. Step by step, one body at a time we have to work our way back towards that valuable human form of life. Please forgive me if I have offended anyone.

It is sad that some people for whatever reason hold hate within themselves. They have a tendency to bring up their object of hate when ever a conversation comes up, regardless of the topic. Krishna explains in the Gita that anger (krodha) comes from lust (kama). Only by becoming free from our material attachment and desire can we become free from anger. Ultimately religion is meant to bring us to that point of giving up material desire. Sadhana helps us in becoming free from anger and lust by purifying our heart of contamination. We should all try it.

"We can not argue with immatured people." Mature people don't argue.

The reason why the Ramayana is present in every asian country is because the pastimes of Ramachandra took place in each of those countries in different Treta yugas. Rama's incarnation takes place in every Treta yuga, and in each incarnation the pastimes have slight variations, including the location of Ravana's kingdom. The most recent incarnation of Rama is recorded in the Valmiki Ramayana, in which Ravana's kingdom was the island of Lanka. The ancient island of Lanka actually has no connection with the present island of Ceylon. According to the Ramayana of Valmiki, Sri Lanka was located 800 miles south of the the Indian coast. If we take into account the geography mentioned in various puranas and ancient histories, we also see that the southern coast of India previously extended much further than it does at present. For example, there were three different cities that had the name Madurai in different periods. As the coast receded, each city became submerged in water, and a new "Madurai" was formed further inland. Thus, the exact location of where Sri Lanka was will be hard to ascertain, but certainly it was a distant land. That island of Lanka is no longer present, as it was submerged within the ocean. In other Treta yugas, Ravana's kingdom was located in other places, such as Indonesia and China. In Indonesia Ravana's main form was that of a bear, and in China he utilized the body of a dragon. In Valmiki Ramayana we find that Ravana had a wife from every species of life, and he assumed suitable bodies to interact with them. But his original form in this Treta yuga was human-like. In the other Treta yugas his original form was not always human-like, as was the case in China and Indonesia. In the Puranas we also find descriptions of Rama avataras from other Treta yugas. There is even a conversation between Sita Devi and Rama, where Rama is refusing to allow Sita to enter the forest with Him. In response Sita Devi says, "If you don't let me come, You will be the first Rama who doesn't allow His wife to accompany Him into the forest." There are several other places where such conversations take place. The basic reason why the Ramayana is present in each asian country is because it is their own ancient history, whereas the Mahabharata and the Puranas are more centered on India. Even in the case of Mahabharata you find Russian tales about a man corresponding to Bhima. This is because Bhima visited Russia while collecting taxes for Yudhisthira's sacrifice.

I am not trying to establish anything in this message, but I am just mentioning a verse based on which some people conclude that Krishna is the original form of the Lord. Whether we think Krishna is the original, or Narayana is the original is not so important. At least we can all agree that the vishnu-tattva is supreme. The Srimad Bhagavatam states: ete camsha-kalah pumsah krishnas tu bhagavan svayam indrari-vyakulam lokam mridayanti yuge yuge "All of the above mentioned incarnations are either plenary portions or portions of the plenary portions of the Lord, but Lord Sri Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead. All of them appear on planets when there is a disturbance created by the demons. The Lord incarnates to protect the theists in different ages." Basically this verse says the 24 categorical incarnations mentioned in the preceding texts are either amsha or kala, whereas Krishna is not a amsha or kala but svayam bhagavan, or the Lord's own original form. Amsha and kala are highly technical words in this regard and can't be fully understood literally. But regardless, the literal meaning at least gives us some general concept of what is being conveyed. The words "portion" and "part" may be used, but the technical meaning is quite different. The fact the word "tu" (but) is used clearly indicates Krishna is something distinct from the other incarnations. The relevant rough translation is, "These incarnations are parts and portions of God, _but_ Krishna is svayam bhagavan, or God's own form." Again I say the words used in this text are technical words and cannot be translated so simply. Acharyas have written whole books explaining what is an amsha, what is a kalah, etc. There are many other texts that establish Krishna as the source of all incarnations, including the Maha Vishnu, but that is not my aim here. I am just indicating there are schools of Vaishnavism who accept Krishna as the original form, and they use verses like the one above to substantiate their claims. The Lord's incarnations manifest necessary potency according to the circumstances. In your house you may be using a 40 watt light bulb, but we shouldn't foolishly think the power house only possesses 40 watts of power. The same unlimited power house can run huge machineries as well. According to the necessity the power is deployed. According to some, Lord Krishna's form displays the Godhead's full potency perfectly, whereas some other of His forms display his potency in various degrees.

Just a small clarification on my use of the word 'impersonalists'. An 'impersonalist' by the nature of his advancement in sadhana is naturally engaged in the welfare work of all living entities. This is what Lord Krishna describes when He says 'sarva-bhuta-hite ratah'. Thus an impersonalist is actually a very rare and great soul, one out of thousands, according to the Gita: manusyanam sahasresu kascid yatati siddhaye "Out of many thousands of men, hardly one tries for perfection." One does not become an 'impersonalist' simply be denying the existence of the Lord's form, just as one does not become a devotee simply by accepting the Lord's form. Only through true practice of sadhana, culminating in 'sarva-bhuta-hite ratah', welfare work to all living entities, does one actually become an impersonalist. When I see such great saints, I immediately fall to the ground like a stick, out of respect for their austerities and dedication. Others, who also reject the Lord's spiritual form but who do not practice the disciplines of sadhana, are more aptly described as arm chair philosophers. They quote from Bhagavad Gita in between the commercial breaks of Kaun Banega Crore Pati to describe how everything is ultimately illusion.

The Bhagavad Gita describes ahankara as follows: ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate "Being bewildered by ahankara, the foolish soul thinks 'I am the cause'." What is ahankara? The conception that "I am (aham) the cause (kara)" Thus when the transcendentalist comes to the point of 'karta aham iti manyate', thinking, "Ultimately I am the cause of all causes," he is factually on the platform of 'ahankara-vimudha atma', a foolish soul completely bewildered by ahankara. In attempting to become free from the conditionings of ahankara (false ego), the impersonalists have expanded their false identification to the superlative degree, by imagining themselves to be the absolute truth. In the Bhagavad Gita Lord Krishna explains the ahankara-prakriti: bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha "Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence and ahankara - all together these eight constitute My separated material energies." Ahankara is not just a conception, but a factual subtle element that pollutes the original consciousness of the soul, just as dirt pollutes water. As water may be filtered to return it to its original pure state, so in the same manner the consciousness may be cleansed by the process of sadhana: ceto darpana marjanam. We must cleanse the mirror of the consciousness from the accumulated dust of countless lives. When the ahankara - or false identification is removed - the true conception of self remains. This is atma-vidya, or knowledge of the self. Those who have not purified themselves of the ahankara remain in the grips of illusion. They are described by Lord Krishna as follows: ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham ca samsritah mam atma-para-dehesu pradvisanto ’bhyasuyakah "Bewildered by ahankara, strength, pride, lust and anger, the demons become envious of Myself, even though I am situated in their own bodies and in the bodies of others, and blaspheme Me." The conception that 'I am the doer' bewilders the living entity. Why? Because at every moment we are completely at the mercy of the material nature. Factually we are not the doers. This is the illusion of maya. karya-karana-kartrtve hetuh prakrtir ucyate purusah sukha-duhkhanam bhoktrtve hetur ucyate "Nature is said to be the cause of all material causes and effects, whereas the living entity is the cause of the various sufferings and enjoyments in this world." How many people realize the functionings of the modes of nature? When I decide to raise my arm, my arm raises. Thus I am fooled into thinking that I have raised my arm. Factually this is not the case. The gunas are carrying out the movement. The soul conditioned by ahankara desires to raise his hand. The nature then alligns the desire with the individual's karma. If they are compatible, the nature raises the hand of the living entity. If they are not compatible, the desire does not fructify into an action. prakrteh kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvasah ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate "The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of ahankara thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature." The soul is actually inactive in the material sphere of existence. That is why he is described in the Gita as 'acalah'. He is a non-mover. Why? Because he is spiritual in nature, he is not a product of the material energy. The soul does not occupy or possess material space (akasha), thus he cannot move. Movement is shifting from one point in space to another. The soul is not situated within material space, and thus cannot move to another space. Without movement, there is no question of being the doer of action. Therefore the idea that the soul is the 'karta' (or 'I am the cause', aham-kara) is absolutely false. Thus ahankara is a false identification or a false ego. In the Gita Krishna tells us we must become free from this ahankara in order to attain self-realization: ahankaram balam darpam kamam krodham parigraham vimucya nirmamah santo brahma-bhuyaya kalpate "One who is free from false ego, false strength, false pride, lust, anger, and acceptance of material things, free from false proprietorship, and full of peace - such a person is certainly elevated to the position of self-realization." What is the qualification for self-realization? 'Nirmamah' and 'nirahankarah' - Freedom from false proprietorship and false identification. If one becomes free from the identification with the body, one will be able to sever the false conception that the possessions of the body are mine. This is 'nirmama'. If one does not become free from ahankara, he will have no hope on the path of self-realization, this is the conclusion of Lord Krishna in the Gita: mac-cittah sarva-durgani mat-prasadat tarisyasi atha cet tvam ahankaran na srosyasi vinanksyasi "If you become conscious of Me, you will pass over all the obstacles of conditioned life by My grace. If, however, you do not work in such consciousness but act through false ego, not hearing Me, you will be lost." The false ego is the concept that I am the doer - aham kara; the true ego is that I am a spirit soul, part and parcel of Krishna - aham brahmasmi. When one comes to the platform of aham brahmasmi, by the purifying process of sadhana, then one is able to attain ultimate peace: vihaya kaman yah sarvan pumams carati nihsprhah nirmamo nirahankarah sa santim adhigacchati "A person who has given up all desires for sense gratification, who lives free from desires, who has given up all sense of proprietorship (nirmamah) and is devoid of false ego (nirahankarah) - he alone can attain real peace."

I heard one saint describe ahankara (false ego) in the following manner. "False ego means accepting this body as oneself. When one understands that he is not his body and is spirit soul, he comes to his real ego. Ego is there. False ego is condemned, but not real ego. In the Brhad-aranyaka Upanisad 1.4.10 it is said, aham brahmasmi: I am Brahman, I am spirit. This “I am,” the sense of self, also exists in the liberated stage of self-realization. This sense of “I am” is ego, but when the sense of “I am” is applied to this false body it is false ego. When the sense of self is applied to reality, that is real ego. There are some philosophers who say we should give up our ego, but we cannot give up our ego, because ego means identity. We ought, of course, to give up the false identification with the body."

Question: "I have seen many scholars and devotees of Krsna suggest that the Lord does not have any form. They suggest that 5000 years ago the Lord incarnated as Krsna, however, this form of Krsna is not the original form of the Lord. The Lord does not have any definite form." Answer: This debate has gone on from time immemorial, as to whether the absolute truth is formless or whether He possesses an eternal spiritual form. The root of this doubt comes from the envy within the hearts of the conditioned living entity. Ultimately it is the living entity refusing to accept that we are subserviant to the Lord, and trying to establish ourselves as the same one supreme absolute. The Vedic texts state in very clear terms the supreme position of Lord Krishna and the eternality of His spiritual form. In the Gopala Tapani Upanishad we find the following verse: tam ekam govindam sac-cid-ananda-vigraham "Govinda is the one Absolute Truth. He possesses a spiritual body composed of eternality, knowledge and bliss." Elsewhere it is stated: om sac-cid-ananda rupaya krishnaya namah "I offer my obeisances unto Lord Krishna who possesses a spiritual form of eternality, knowledge and bliss." The Upanishad goes on to clearly describe the transcendental form of the Lord. In the Sri Brahma Samhita a similar verse is found: isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam "Krishna who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes." In the Srimad Bhagavatam we learn that the Absolute Truth possesses three features: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate "The Absolute Truth is realized in three phases of understanding by the knower of the Absolute Truth, and all of them are identical. Such phases of the Absolute Truth are expressed as Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan." The impersonal, all-pervasive aspect of the Absolute Truth is the brahma-jyoti. One who realizes this feature of the Lord experiences the quality of eternality (sat). The localized presence of the Lord within the hearts of all living entities is the Paramatma. The yogis who realize this form of the Lord experience the qualities of eternality and knowledge (sat and cit). The personalized form of the Lord in the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha is the Bhagavan feature.. The devotees who realize this form of the Lord experience the qualities of eternality, knowledge and bliss (sat, cit and ananda). The complete understanding of the Absolute Truth entails comprehension of all three aspects of the Lord. In the Bhagavad Gita (14.27) the Lord declares Himself to be the source of the impersonal Brahman: brahmano hi pratisthaham "I am the foundation of the impersonal brahman." It is not that Krishna is manifesting from the impersonal, but the impersonal brahmajyoti is manifesting from Lord Krishna. Elsewhere in the Gita Krishna firmly establishes the spirituality of His form. avajananti mam mudha manusim tanum asritam param bhavam ajananto mama bhuta-mahesvaram "Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature as the Supreme Lord of all that be." The impersonalists fail to comprehend the existence of spiritual form. Their experience of material form has led them to believe form is the cause of material suffering. Having seen that form has brought them so much suffering, they are eager to become free from all forms and designations. As such they cannot accept that the Absolute also possesses a form. But the form of the Lord is transcendental to this mundane existence and is not limiting as our own material forms are. This is why Lord Krishna describes Himself as follows: janma karma ca me divyam "My birth and activities are transcendental." In the Brahma Samhita we find the following statement: advaitam acyutam anadim ananta-rupam "The Lord possesses unlimited spiritual forms, all of which are beginingless." The Lord's forms are anadih, without any beginging. It is not that the Lord assumes a form. These forms are eternally existing in the spiritual realm. In the Gita Krishna confirms this: na tv evaham jatu nasam na tvam neme janadhipah na caiva na bhavisyamah sarve vayam atah param "Never was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be." Here Lord Krishna establishes the eternality of each and every individual. If they were all parts of the nondual absolute, Krishna could simply have said, "Never was there a time when I did not exist." But he says, "Nor you, nor all these kings." And in the future non of them shall cease to be. Their individuality is eternal. Never was there a time when Lord Krishna did not exist, nor in the future will He cease to be. Lord Krishna's personality is eternal, as confirmed throughout the Vedic texts. There is no truth higher than Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna is not manifesting from some higher impersonal truth. Krishna is the Absolute Truth, as He Himself says: mattah parataram nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva "O conqueror of wealth, there is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." Throughout the Bhagavad Gita Krishna repeatedly uses the words "Me" and "I". He says "surrender to Me", "worship Me", "I am the source of everything", "I am the supreme truth", etc. We don't find him saying, "Surrender to the unmanifested truth within Me, from which I came, into which I will go, the formless, tasteless, deaf, dumb, and lame brahman within my kidney." And on practically every page of the Gita we find the phrase "sri bhagavan uvaca" -"The Supreme Personality of Godhead said". It is Bhagavan who is speaking, the personal form of the Lord. So when he says surrender to Me, the direct meaning is surrender to Bhagavan, the supreme person. And this is how Arjuna understood it, because he says it himself: param brahma param dhama pavitram paramam bhavan purusam sasvatam divyam adi-devam ajam vibhum ahus tvam rsayah sarve devarsir naradas tatha asito devalo vyasah svayam caiva bravisi me "Arjuna said: You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ultimate abode, the purest, the Absolute Truth. You are the eternal, transcendental, original person, the unborn, the greatest. All the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Vyasa confirm this truth about You, and now You Yourself are declaring it to me." This is Arjuna's conclusion as to who is Krishna. He begins by saying Krishna is param brahma - the Supreme Absolute Truth. The Vedic texts state that everything is brahman - sarvam khalv idam brahma. Everything is ultimately belonging to the spiritual nature on the absolute platform, because it is all an emanation from the Absolute. Though they are all brahman (spiritual in nature), there is a difference between the emanation and the source. Therefore Arjuna uses the words param brahma. If there is only nonduality, where is the question of qualifying it with the word "supreme" (param)? Good, better and best can only be used when there is variety. Otherwise one can refer to the same supreme brahman as the worst brahman. For nonduality, both statements are equally meaningless. Arjuna refers to Krishna as param dhama, the supreme abode. In the Gita Krishna says "Everything is resting on Me as pearls are strung on a thread." Krishna is then described as pavitram paramam, or supremely pure. This confirms that Lord Krishna's body was spiritual and not the manifestation of the sattva-guna, as claimed by impersonalists. The Lord is nirguna, not contaminated by the modes of material nature (sattva, rajas and tamas). His body is completely spiritual and transcendental to this material realm. Then Arjuna uses the words purusham shashvatam divyam. This is as clear as it could possibly be. "You are the eternal transcendental person." The Lord's personality is eternal and spiritual. And this is not just Arjuna's conclusion, but that of all the great sages such as Narada, Asita, Devala and Sri Vyasadeva, the compiler of all Vedic knowledge. Ultimately one can understand Krishna only through devotion, as stated in the Gita: bhaktya mam abhijanati yavan yas casmi tattvatah "One can understand Me as I am, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, only by devotional service." By denying the supremacy of Lord Krishna's personality, the impersonalists lose the ability to perform true devotion to the Lord. Lacking devotion, they fail to understand Krishna in truth, and take shelter of speculative thoughts and philosophies which further deny His personality. Thus they are unable to understand the Absolute Truth in three features, and are ultimately bewildered into considering themselves as the supreme. This is the last snare of maya which catches the spiritualist on the path of self realization. In attempting to become free from the conditionings of ahankara (false ego), they have expanded their false identification to the superlative degree. The Bhagavad Gita describes this: ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate "Being bewildered by ahankara, the foolish soul thinks 'I am the cause'." What is ahankara? The conception that "I am (aham) the cause (kara)" Thus when the transcendentalist comes to the point of 'kartaham iti manyate', thinking, "Ultimately I am the cause of all causes," he is factually on the platform of 'ahankara-vimudhatma', a foolish soul completely bewildered by ahankara. -------- Question: "Are there any clear and definite references in the Vedic literature which can clearly show that Krsna is the original form of the Lord and that the Lord does have a personal form eg dark blue colour, has flute, and carries a peacock feather on his head etc." Answer: There are countless verses which describe the appearance of the Lord. All ready this is quite long, so I will avoid listing many quotes and just quote one line: yam shyamasundaram acintya-guna-svarupam "The Lord's original form is a beautiful dark blue color and He possesses unlimited wonderful qualities." ----- Question: "In Bhagavad Gita is Sri Krishna asking Arjun to focus on Sri Krsna's personal form?" Answer: Krishna is asking Arjuna to focus his mind on His own form, His sva-rupa, which was standing there before Arjuna. It is impossible to perform anusmaranam on something that possesses no qualities. To think of the nonexistent or that which is beyond qualities is impossible. You can confirm this yourself by trying it. Think of something which doesn't exist. Now analyse that thought in terms of its individual qualities. Every single individual quality is already existing. You have only combined many existing entities together, you have not thought of something that does not exist. You may think of a gold mountain, but gold exists, as do mountains. It is impossible to think of something that does not exist. Now try to think of something without qualities. How is it visualized in your mind? What is it that creates a thought? A combination of qualities is the basis of a thought. It is simple to make a statement like "meditate on the unmanifested within your heart", but it is impossible to accomplish. You can simply meditate on what the unmanifested is not, not what it is. Thus the Upanishads utilize the 'neti' process. "It is not this, it is not that."

Sorry for the mix up. I will correct that.

"Why is the tilaka different for different Sampradayas, even though all sampradayas lead to Krishna. Also if Gaudiya Vaishnavas are an off shoot of Madhva Sampradaya, why is the tilaka of Madhvacarya differentfrom Gauranga?" Thank you for your questions. The tilak is an external symbol of our surrender to Krishna, or to our object of worship. The shape and material used may differ according to the particular process of surrender the sampradaya follows. In the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya the tilak is made out of the white mud found in anthills. The scriptures tell us that the mud from the base of a Tulasi plant and the white mud from within the ant hill are both pure and best for making tilak. The Sri Vaishnavas will draw two lines representing the feet of Sri Narayana, and in the middle they will put a red line to represent Lakshmi Devi. The red line was originally made from a red stone found within the ant hill. The ants would usually make their ant hill on top of these red stones. When you rub the stone in water, a red color paint is formed. The category of Shakti is generally represented with the color red in all lines, both Vedic and Tantrik. Because the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya begins with Sri Lakshmi Devi, and because they approach Narayana only through Lakshmi, their tilak reflects this process of surrender. The tilaks of each sampradaya actually depict the siddhanta of the sampradaya. In the Vallabha sampradaya the tilak worn is generally a single vertical red line. This line represents Sri Yamuna Devi. The form of Krishna worshipped in the Vallabha line is Sri Nathji or Govardhana. The consort of the Govardhana hill is the river Yamuna. Their process of surrender goes through Sri Yamuna Devi. In the Madhva sampradaya the tilak is made out of Gopichandana mud from Dwaraka. Two vertical lines are made out of Gopichandana to represent the feet of Lord Krishna. This gopichandana tilak is nearly identical to that used in the Gaudiya sampradaya. In between a vertical black line is made from the daily coal of the yajna-kunda. In their sampradaya, the process of worship involved nitya-homa, or daily fire sacrifices to the Lord. The remnant coal of the puja was taken each day to mark the forehead. Underneath the black line, a yellow or red dot was put to indicate Lakshmi or Radha. Those who did not perform daily fire sacrifice would only put the simple gopichandana tilak. In the Gaudiya sampradaya the tilak is usually made out of the Gopichandana mud. Some lineages prefer to use the mud from Vrindavana. The main tilak is basically identical to the Madhva tilak. The slight difference arises due to the emphasis on nama-sankirtana, or the chanting of the Lord's names. In Sri Chaitanya's line, nama-sankirtana is the yajna to be performed in kali yuga, and not the daily fire sacrifice performed in the Madhva sampradaya. As such, the black line made from the ash of the fire sacrifice is not applied in the Gaudiya sampradaya. The second difference arises due to Sri Chaitanya's process of approaching the Lord. In the Gaudiya line one does not approach Srimati Radharani directly, but always indirectly through the servant. To indicate this, the red dot representing Radha is replaced with a tulasi leaf offered at the base of the Lord's feet. Only with the mercy of Tulasi Devi can we develop pure devotion to Sri Sri Radha and Krishna. In the scriptures there are very general descriptions of the procedure for applying tilak. For example it is mentioned that the tilak should be urdhva-pundra, or vertical lines; the body should be marked in twelve locations, etc. But these instructions are very general and leave a lot of the details to the acharyas. Even in a simple point, such as the location of the tilak, one person may interpret the 'shoulder' to start from the arm, where as another may interpret it to start higher up near the neck. This is actually the case in the two branches of the Sri Vaishna sampradaya. The actual design of the tilak will manifest either through divine revelation or through scientific study. An example of divine revelation is the Gaudiya lineage of Sri Shyamananda. Radharani revealed a portion of her broken bangle to Sri Shyamananda, which he used in applying tilak to his forehead. As a result, his followers apply a unique design of tilak from other branches of the Gaudiya sampradaya. In other cases, an acharya may scientifically analyze the sampradaya siddhanta and compare its compatibility with the tilak they wear. The external purpose of the tilak is to differentiate the followers of a sampradaya from other classes of philosophers, just as one branch of the armed forces wears a uniform to differentiate itself from the other branches. In such a case, the tilak may change when there occurs a shift or branching of the sampradaya due to philosophical views. The newly formed branch may re-analyse the tilak in connection with its siddhanta and make changes that fully reflect their process of surrender. Such is the case among the two branches of the Sri Vaishnava sampradaya. Due to a difference of opinion in regards to the process of surrender, two distinct tilaks emerged. In any case, the ultimate purpose of tilak is to sanctify oneself and mark the body as the temple of the Lord. The scriptures do not specify in detail the manner that this should be done, and as such it is the acharyas who crystalize the procedures while adhering to the general prescriptions given in the scriptures.

The ball shaped building in Auroville is the Matri Mandir ("Temple of the Mother"). I am not sure as to who came up with the design, but the original concept was by the "Divine Mother", the disciple of Sri Aurobindo. When you enter the building there is a spiral walkway that moves upward going around the sides of the "ball". In the center of the building, you enter a dark meditation room. In the middle of the meditation room is a large round crystal, which is supposed to draw positive energy and aid you in your meditation. Everyone sits around the crystal silently and meditates. It is quite a large room. Outside of the Matri Mandir there is a large banyan tree where Aurobindo had done meditation. Some people feel that tree to be more powerful in aiding meditation than the crystal inside the temple. Today Auroville is quite independent from the Ashram. It is more of a commune, with each person living their own lifestyle and doing their own thing. There is no living guru in the ashram, and as such, everyone basically does what they like. As far as I have observed, no one practices the yoga that Aurobindo himself practiced. He was the last follower in his own line.

Those stories about the Alvars are from a series of lectures given by Atmatattva Das (A.T.Das) in Mayapur. It was a seminar on the four sampradayas. It would be nice to have the transcriptions of the other lectures (stories of the other three sampradayas), but I don't know if anyone has them.

The sanskrit word for meat is "mamsah" which is divided as mam - sah.

The following question and answer was from the recent issue of Tattva Prakasha. To go to the main page (www.indiadivine.com) and enter your email address. "I am interested to know why Hinduism has more than 1,000 gods. Even though, I have been answered that different people pray to god in different forms, one in shiva, another in vishnu. This is not convincing. " What you say is correct. Such arguments are not at all convincing. The very minimal definition of God must include "supreme". In Sanskrit God is described as "asamaurdhva" which means "none equal and none above". There can never be the existence of two supremes, as they would mutually contradict each other's supremacy. To understand the actual position of the Absolute Truth we must take guidance from the divine words of the shastras. In the ancient text known as Brahma Samhita we find the following definition of God: isvarah paramah krishnah sac-cid-ananda vigrahah anadir adir govinda sarva karana-karanam "The Supreme Controller is Krishna. He possesses a spiritual body composed of eternality, knowledge and bliss. He has no beginning, yet He is the first. He is the cause of all causes." The first line, isvarah paramah krishnah, establish who is the ultimate controller. At present do not be stuck on the name Krishna, as it will only divert your mind from the answer. First understand the system of control, and then everything will become clear. The Vedic texts describe 330 million devatas, or universal controllers, but we should not confuse these beings with God. God is beyond the purview of the material universe. The devatas are controllers of various aspects of nature within the material realm. For example, the scriptures describe a personality named Agni who is incharge of the element of fire. Likewise, there is the description of the personality named Indra who controls the rain. And finally there is the greatest personality Siva (Maha-deva) who is in charge of material destruction. All of these controllers (isvaras) belong to God's natural system of material administration. Within the material realm God has arranged a hierarchy of control for automatic administration of nature. Each of these personalities (numbering 330 million) can be called a controller (isvara) as they are each in charge of a particular aspect of nature. They are actually secondary controllers. It is exactly like a government that has many levels of control, such as Prime Minister (national controller), Chief Minister (state controller) and District Magistrate (district controller). To an uneducated person, the District Magistrate is supreme. If one gets his blessings, any governmental work one needs to get done will be accomplished. But he is only supreme within his district. Above him there is a higher controller, who controls the entire state. If one surrenders to the state controller and receives his blessings, one need not fear the district controller. Thus one may think the Chief Minister of a state is actually supreme. But above him is the Prime Minister, who controls the entire country. According to one's level of knowledge, one will identify a particular level of supremacy. But factually there is only one supreme authority situated above all others. Thus this verse begins with the words isvarah paramah krishnah - "The supreme controller among all controllers is Sri Krishna." This is confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita as follows: mattah paratamam nanyat kincid asti dhananjaya mayi sarvam idam protam sutre mani-gana iva "There is no truth superior to Me. Everything rests upon Me, as pearls are strung on a thread." ne me viduh sura-ganah prabhavam na maharshayah aham adir hi devanam maharshinam ca sarvasah "Neither the hosts of devatas nor the great sages know My origin or opulences, for, in every respect, I am the source of the devatas and the great sages." We must understand when we use the word Krishna, it refers not only to the personality present before Arjuna, but to the entire category of God known as Vishnu-tattva. God, being absolute, has unlimited names, the chief most of which is Krishna. The name Krishna means "One who attracts everyone." This is the supreme quality of God. Similarly the name Rama means "the supreme enjoyer", and the name Vishnu means "One who has entered everywhere." As the Paramatma, God is present within every atom, within the heart of all living entities, and between. This category of Vishnu-tattva includes all of the incarnations of Narayana, the various Vishnu expansions (Maha Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, and Kshirodakasayi Vishnu), and the Lords eternal forms in the spiritual realm. These various Vishnu forms are one and the same supreme personality. The second line of this verse, sac-cid-ananda vigrahah, further defines what differentiates Krishna from the other devatas. Krishna has a spiritual body composed of sat (eternality), cit (complete knowledge), and ananda (spiritual bliss). Within this material world everyone takes birth according to one's karma. When we take birth within matter, we are conditioned and bound within a body composed of material elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false identification). By combination of these elements we have a body of skin, blood, bones, vital organs, etc. Our true identity is as a spirit soul, completely independent from the material body. The nature of this body is actually opposite from the qualities of the soul. The soul's nature is sat (eternality), cit (complete knowledge) and ananda (bliss), but the qualities of the material body are asat (temporary), acit (full of ignorance), and nirananda (full of suffering). Krishna, or God, possesses a spiritual body, beyond material influence. He is neither born, nor does He die. There is no separate body and self for Krishna, as He is not conditioned by the material coverings. This is what separates Krishna from the 330 million devatas within this material world. The devatas, though very powerful entities, are ultimately embodied beings just as we are. The various devatas are actually posts of control, and not individual eternal entities. According to one's karma, one is situated within the universe either in higher or lower planetary realms. Those who are highly qualified with goodness (sattva guna) take birth in the higher realms of existence as devatas. They attain a post as controller within the material realm. But that post, being within the purview of the material energy, must ultimately come to an end. Just as we are an eternal spirit soul, covered by a human body due to illusion, in a similar way, even Indra, Ganesha and Brahma are eternal spirit souls covered by a devata body due to illusion. The only difference is the quality of illusion that is conditioning us. We are conditioned more by the lower gunas of rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance) whereas they are conditioned by the higher quality of sattva guna (goodness). Everyone within this material world (including the devatas), up to the topmost planet of Brahma Loka must ultimately face death. In the Gita this is described as follows: a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino 'rjuna mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate "From the highest planet in the material world, Brahma Loka, down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains My abode never takes birth again." This is the definition of God. He must be situated beyond time. The higher controlling devatas (Agni, Ganesha, Subrahmanya, etc.) have a life span of one kalpa (4,320,000,000 years). Brahma, the topmost material entity, has a life span equal to the life of the universe. When the universe is destroyed by Lord Shiva, even Brahma must face death and his karma, as all living entities do. Despite their tremendously long lives, still, having taken birth, they must also face death. Lord Krishna is "ajah" or unborn: ajo 'pi sann avyayatma. Whereas the devatas possess material bodies composed of subtle elements, Krishna's body is completely spiritual and not different from His self. Thus He is situated beyond birth and death. Lord Krishna's body is eternality (sat), knowledge (cit) and bliss (ananda). The final two lines of this verse further describe the qualities of God: anadir adir govinda sarva karana-karanam He is anadih, without beginning. Krishna is situated beyond the limitations of time and space. Yet he is also adih, the source of everything. In the Vedanta-sutras, the absolute truth, Brahman, is defined as janmadyasya yathah - "From whom everything emanates." In the Gita Krishna also confirms this as follows: aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate iti matva bhajante mam budha bhava-samanvitah "I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts." Thus Krishna is the cause of all causes, sarva karana-karanam. Within a government each level of administration is providing facilities to the citizens, but ultimately all of the facilities are coming from the central government. The state administrator may be providing roads and other facilities, but the funds have been allocated from the central government. The ultimate cause is the central government, and the immediate cause is the state government. Lord Krishna is the ultimate cause of all causes, and the devatas are the immediate causes. This is described in more detail in the Narayana Upanishad. Those who have a very limited vision think the immediate cause to be supreme, and thus they create a cult of devotion around a particular deity and proclaim them to be the supreme absolute truth. Krishna describes such people in the Bhagavad Gita as follows: antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam devan deva-yajo yanti mad-bhakta yanti mam api "Men of small intelligence worship the devatas, for their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the devatas go to the planets of the devatas, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme abode." Why these people are described as alpa-medhasam (of small intelligence) is because the fruits they attain are temporary. The devatas whom they are worshiping are themselves temporary, what to speak of their benedictions and blessings. Why they take to this worship is also explained by Lord Krishna: kamais tais tair hrita-jnanah prapadyante 'nya-devatah "Because their intelligence has been stolen by material desires they surrender unto various devatas." One can test this statement of Lord Krishna's. Go to a temple, any temple, and ask the visitors why they have come to worship. You will receive an assortment of answers, but they will all revolve around one principle - expectation. Someone wants a seat in a college, someone has taken an IAS exam, someone wants a nice wife, someone wants money, someone else wants his difficulties removed. Everyone is approaching "God" simply to gratify their senses. We are so foolish that we offer 5 paisa worth of incense to Ganesha and expect him to make us win the lottery! Such blind ritual benefits no one. We are enjoying and suffering according to our karma built up over many lives, yet we believe by offering a stick of incense, all of the reactions we have built up will simply be brushed aside and we will be given a special area within the material nature for unlimited enjoyment. The fact is Ganesha has no interest whether we become an IAS officer or not. And the "devotees" actually do not believe there is a personality named Ganesha. They will say it is only an image imagined to focus our concentration. Then why ask it for blessings? Will an imagined entity who does not factually exist be able to help us? The truth is these personalities are as real as you and I. Ganesha is living in his abode of Kailasa just as I am living in this ashram in Mysore. The Vedas describe 64 dimensional planes of existence, of which we can experience only three. On the higher realms of existence, higher entities live, less limited by the matter - but still limited. The scriptures describe 400,000 species of human life, both higher and lower than our own. Species such as the vanara, gandharva, apsara, kimpurusha, kinnara, yaksha, rakshasa, etc., up to the topmost material species of Brahma - whose species contains only one entity. On the higher planes of existence these entities live. Sometimes species from the fourth or fifth dimension will interact with our third dimension. Thus all of the cultures of the world have stories of unknown beings such as ghosts, goblins, and alien life. These are nothing more than yakshas, pisacas, bhutas, and even lower entities. Just as they exist, so too do the higher devatas. But such powerful exalted personalities have little interest to interact with the degraded people of this age. Through meditation one can perceive these higher entities - the gandharvas, apsaras, yakshas, and devatas. By purifying our consciousness we can enter these higher dimensional planes through our sukshma-sarira (subtle body composed of mind, intelligence, and identification) and see these beings face to face, just as I can see you if you are standing before me. Ultimately such experiences serve no spiritual purpose. We have simply raised our consciousness to a higher material plane. Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: yanti deva-vratan deva. "Those who worship the devatas attain to the abode of their object of worship." This worship is not the common worship we see in temples, where a person simply tells, "Give me this, give me that." Deva-vrata must be with full surrender to the particular devata. If one surrenders unto Lord Shiva or Ganesha, one will attain to the abode of Kailasa in the next life. In that abode the enjoyment and oppulences are thousands of times greater than on this earthly plane. But from there one will again return to this earthly planet by the destructive influence of eternal time. Thus one would have simply succeeded in wasting his valuable time, while neglecting the actual goal of human life - self realization. True religion or spirituality must be selfless and without material motive. We must actually dedicate ourself to God, and not to external rituals. In the Gita Krishna says: manushyanam sahasreshu kascid yatati siddhaye "Out of many thousands of men, hardly one will endeavour for perfection." We must become like Arjuna, who became the topmost yogi and bhakta while fighting a war on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. How can one engaged in killing his enemies be absorbed in complete meditation on God? If such a feat is possible, then it is certainly possible for us to elevate ourselves while working within this world. Only we must cultivate the spiritual knowledge of Bhagavad Gita and be fixed in the understanding of the tattvas. Just as you have brought forth this question about the devatas, your mind should be trained to think and churn forth thousands of questions about reality. Through internal meditation and self study the Paramatma will reveal answers within your heart and you will advance on the spiritual path.

Sri Hanumatpresaka Swami is contributing a series of weekly articles on Bhagavat Dharma for the IndiaDivine website. We will start posting them from Sunday (to the website), and will add one every week. The essays are from a book that Swamiji is writing to increase our interest in reading and studying the Vedic scriptures as presented by his spiritual master, Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. The first chapter is a general discussion of the Vedic description of material nature in comparison to the Western view. The second chapter explains the epistemology or basic understanding of guru-tattva. And the third Chapter starts to discuss the practical application of these principles in the supreme yoga mysticism, bhagavat dharma.

Vishnu actually refers to a category known as Vishnu-tattva, or the category of God. There are many definitions of the name Vishnu, but the basic is "He who has entered everywhere", in reference to God's omnipresence as the paramatma. Within the category of Vishnu-tattva are included all of the unlimited incarnations and expansions of God. There are some expansions that also bear the particular name "Vishnu", three of which you have mentioned, the Kshirodakasayi Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, and the Karanadakasayi Vishnu. The Karanodakasayi Vishnu is the first Purusha avatar who is lying on the causal ocean (karana-udaka). From him the innumerable universes manifest as he exhales. And into Him the universes are destroyed as He inhales. He expands into each universal shell as the Garbhodakasayi Vishnu. This Vishnu is lying on the universal waters then originate from His persperation, and which fill the universe half way. In his navel is a lake, and from that lake grows a lotus stem. Lord Brahma is born within that lotus. Inside the stem of the lotus are the fourteen planetary systems. This Vishnu expands as Kshirodakasayi Vishnu who resides in Sveta Dvipa on the milk ocean. This planet is actually a Vaikuntha planet that the Lord manifests within the material universe. In reality it is more like a window through material covering, which allows one to see a portion of the spiritual realm. It is an eternal abode, and it continues to exist even after the destruction of the universe. This third purusha avatara is whom we commonly refer to as Vishnu in reference to the trinity - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. It is this form of Vishnu who expands as paramatma within everyone's heart. The system of the Lord's incarnations is that all incarnations come through the form of Kshirodakasayi Vishnu in sveta-dvipa. Lord Brahma along with the devas stand on the shore of the milk ocean and pray to the Lord to incarnate. They are not able to see the Lord, but Lord Brahma receives confirmation from within his heart. Factually there is no difference between one Vishnu form and another, as they all belong to the same category of Vishnu-tattva - the Supreme Person. Krishna is not a different personality from Rama, and Rama is not a different personality from Narayana. They are one and the same. The only difference is in what they choose to manifest to their devotees. We can understand this from a simple example. A man is having a wife and children. When the man is addressed by the wife, he acts in a particular way. When the child approaches the father, he acts in yet another way. And when the workers under him approach him, he responds in a completely different way. Thus one personality is taking three forms according to the people whom he is interacting with. The office manager is not a different person from the husband, nor from the father, yet they act completely different. The supreme category of Vishnu-tattva takes different appearances according to the mood of the devotees approaching him. There is no higher and lower capacity among the expansions and forms of God. But some forms of God choose to withhold certain aspects of their oppulences.