gHari

Will we live the temporary illusion or the eternal reality? Will we identify moment to moment with the higher eternal self or with the lower temporary self born in clay? When we speak of death, we are viewing life, living life from the small side, the side filled with anxiety. Certainly ENDING is a most anxious proposition: it causes us to feel a need to get as much enjoyment out of every second as is possible, fearing it may all end at any moment. Yet from the other side, from the vantage of the eternal soul, from the big picture, there is no anxiety. This land of no anxiety translates in sanskrit as Vai-kuntha (the Kingdom of God, the land without anxiety). So the secret to overcoming death is to simply live reality, Reality the Beautiful. Eternal life, the everlasting life, experienced even in this temporary environment is beyond death and anxiety. No anxiety. No death. Sac-cid-ananda. Blissful reality forever. The world of words, in time, in the mind, cannot even fantacize the glory of our reality. We need only to get real, then the anxiety of death will fall away along with all the other misconceptions, misperceptions, dejections, rejections, reflections, confections, conflictions, addictions, afflictions, the affections born of clay that terrorize the day. .

I predict that you will never die.

Can we handle the truth? Not me. I'm not ready for the truth - maybe tomorrow [bG 18.28]: <center> ayuktaH prAkRtaH stabdhaH zaTho naiSkRtiko 'lasaH viSAdI dIrgha-sUtrI ca kartA tAmasa ucyate </center> ayuktaH--not referring to the scriptural injunctions; prAkRtaH--materialistic; stabdhaH--obstinate; zaThaH--deceitful; naiSkRtikaH--expert in insulting others; alasaH--lazy; viSAdI--morose; dIrgha-sUtrI--procrastinating; ca--also; kartA--worker; tAmasaH--in the mode of ignorance; ucyate--is said to be. The worker who is always engaged in work against the injunctions of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in insulting others, and who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating is said to be a worker in the mode of ignorance. PURPORT In the scriptural injunctions we find what sort of work should be performed and what sort of work should not be performed. Those who do not care for those injunctions engage in work not to be done, and such persons are generally materialistic. They work according to the modes of nature, not according to the injunctions of the scripture. Such workers are not very gentle, and generally they are always cunning and expert in insulting others. They are very lazy; even though they have some duty, they do not do it properly, and they put it aside to be done later on. Therefore they appear to be morose. They procrastinate; anything which can be done in an hour they drag on for years. Such workers are situated in the mode of ignorance . http://vedabase.net/bg/18/28/en

Friend Bipin, Sorry to burst your bubble, but you are not God. You could not even spell the word "principle" correctly, let alone create all the worlds and all the living beings. I am much greater than you; and I am nothing. We cannot even imagine how great Arjuna was, yet it was most obvious to him that Krsna was greater than everyone, and that no one could be equal to Him [BG 11.43]: <center> pitAsi lokasya carAcarasya tvam asya pUjyaz ca gurur garIyAn na tvat-samo 'sty abhyadhikaH kuto 'nyo loka-traye 'py apratima-prabhAva </center> pitA--the father; asi--You are; lokasya--of all the world; cara--moving; acarasya--and nonmoving; tvam--You are; asya--of this; pUjyaH--worshipable; ca--also; guruH--master; garIyAn--glorious; na--never; tvat-samaH--equal to You; asti--there is; abhyadhikaH--greater; kutaH--how is it possible; anyaH--other; loka-traye--in the three planetary systems; api--also; apratima-prabhAva--O immeasurable power. You are the father of this complete cosmic manifestation, of the moving and the nonmoving. You are its worshipable chief, the supreme spiritual master. No one is equal to You, nor can anyone be one with You. How then could there be anyone greater than You within the three worlds, O Lord of immeasurable power? PURPORT The Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, is worshipable as a father is worshipable for his son. He is the spiritual master because He originally gave the Vedic instructions to BrahmA and presently He is also instructing Bhagavad-gItA to Arjuna; therefore He is the original spiritual master, and any bona fide spiritual master at the present moment must be a descendant in the line of disciplic succession stemming from KRSNa. Without being a representative of KRSNa, one cannot become a teacher or spiritual master of transcendental subject matter. The Lord is being paid obeisances in all respects. He is of immeasurable greatness. No one can be greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, KRSNa, because no one is equal to or higher than KRSNa within any manifestation, spiritual or material. Everyone is below Him. No one can excel Him . This is stated in the SvetAzvatara UpaniSad (6.8): <center> na tasya kAryaM karaNaM ca vidyate na tat-samaz cAbhyadhikaz ca dRzyate </center> The Supreme Lord, KRSNa, has senses and a body like the ordinary man, but for Him there is no difference between His senses, His body, His mind and Himself. Foolish persons who do not perfectly know Him say that KRSNa is different from His soul, mind, heart and everything else. KRSNa is absolute; therefore His activities and potencies are supreme. It is also stated that although He does not have senses like ours, He can perform all sensory activities; therefore His senses are neither imperfect nor limited. No one can be greater than Him, no one can be equal to Him, and everyone is lower than Him. The knowledge, strength and activities of the Supreme Personality are all transcendental. As stated in Bhagavad-gItA ( BG 4.9 ): <center> janma karma ca me divyam evaM yo vetti tattvataH tyaktvA dehaM punar janma naiti mAm eti so 'rjuna </center> Whoever knows KRSNa's transcendental body, activities and perfection, after quitting his body, returns to Him and doesn't come back again to this miserable world. Therefore one should know that KRSNa's activities are different from others. The best policy is to follow the principles of KRSNa; that will make one perfect. It is also stated that there is no one who is master of KRSNa; everyone is His servant. The Caitanya-caritAmRta ( Adi 5.142 ) confirms, ekale Izvara kRSNa, Ara saba bhRtya: only KRSNa is God, and everyone else is His servant. Everyone is complying with His order. There is no one who can deny His order. Everyone is acting according to His direction, being under His superintendence. As stated in the Brahma-saMhitA, He is the cause of all causes. gHari

When we ask 'what is God' we are searching for ontological definitions, for indeed God is a 'who' not a 'what'. Most succinctly, God is like the thread upon which pearls are strung in a necklace [<a href =http://vedabase.net/bg/7/7/en target=new>BG 7.7</a>]. That is, it is upon His unique sole existence that everything and everyone exist. This should instill the importance of God realization in your readers, as well as impart the most important humility and motivation to take yoga very, very seriously. gHari

Most likely solution: http://www.lebensplan.com/puranas/balaram_.TTF If that fails then perhaps this is the font required. Note how it is 'installed' on your system: <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td width="40%"> </td> <td width="60%"> After you download the file, you need to UNZIP it and drag the included files to your C:\WINDOWS\FONT folder on your computer using Windows Explorer. Included in the zip file is the Tamal Font and the Inderv font, both which will be used. After dragging the fonts to the specified directory, you will need to restart your computer. DOWNLOAD NOW </td></tr></tbody></table> Failing that, here are two more font links : http://www.granthamandira.org/utilities/balaram.zip http://www.granthamandira.org/utilities/devanagari.zip Good luck

From the Teachings of Lord Kapila [16.37] atho vibhUtiM mama mAyAvinas tAm aizvaryam aSTAGgam anupravRttam zriyaM bhAgavatIM vAspRhayanti bhadrAM parasya me te 'znuvate tu loke TRANSLATION Thus because he is completely absorbed in meditation upon Me, the devotee does not desire even the highest benediction obtainable in the upper planetary systems, including Satyaloka. He does not desire the eight material perfections obtained from mystic yoga, nor does he desire to be elevated to the kingdom of God. Yet even without desiring them, the devotee enjoys, even in this life, all the offered benedictions. PURPORT [...] According to Caitanya MahAprabhu, RUpa GosvAmI in his Bhakti-rasAmRta-sindhu, NArada Muni in the NArada-paJcarAtra and BhagavAn SrI KRSNa in Bhagavad-gItA, a pure devotee never wants anything from the Lord. He does not even want liberation, to say nothing of material things. Generally, people want dharma, artha, kAma and mokSa, in that order. First of all, people want to become religious (dharma) in order to attain material opulence (artha). People want material opulence in order to gratify their senses (kAma), and when they are frustrated in their attempt to gratify their senses, they want liberation (mokSa). In this way, dharma, artha, kAma and mokSa are going on. However, a devotee is not interested in any of these. http://vedabase.net/sb/4/22/35/en http://vedabase.net/tlc/15/en http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/1/91/en http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/7/84/en http://vedabase.net/cc/adi/7/144/en http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/8/90/en http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/12/135/en http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/19/17/en http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/19/216/en http://vedabase.net/cc/madhya/19/176/en http://vedabase.net/cc/antya/8/27/en

The soul is placed in a male, then the male places it in a female. There according to its karma, it begins to build an appropriate material form. I have read more detailed explanations involving the falling of rain and then passing into grains. I forget the exact sequence, but in the end it happens like in the last paragraph. Dying means the soul (the living force) has left the body, whether in the womb or in the world.

And if God wanted you to be an ant for some unknown reason, would you gladly come back as an ant to please Him? This is the question. Is it about Him or is it about you and your suffering? What do you want from Him? What price have you put on your affection?

Some seems right, yet some seems backwards like: "Thus from Paramatma realization of Bhagavan, one works upwards to Brahman realization of Bhagavan" and then "without proper cultivation of the consciousness of Paramatma and later Brahman realization, the neophyte does not progress". Srila Prabhupada explains how we are all going to Krsna, and as we progress toward the goal we see Him more clearly in more detail: "He has got three features: impersonal feature, localized feature and personal feature. So brahmeti paramAtmeti bhagavAn iti zabdyate [SB 1.2.11]. All of them are the same truth, spiritual truth, but different phases or different features. The example is given, just like you see one mountain from a very distant place, very distant place, you see the hazy something like cloud. Then you come nearer, you see something green, there are trees, like that. And if you will come still nearer, you will see, 'No. It is not only trees and hazy but there are houses, there are men, there are animals.' So actually the same thing, the mountain from a distant place, but because one is far away from the mountain, he sees the same mountains are impersonal, and if he comes little nearer, then he sees ParamAtmA, personal within, present everywhere. And when he comes again still, he sees the same person is still there; He is dancing and playing. This is the difference." I'm afraid I never did understand her concept of two different Brahman realizations. Maybe that was why some seemed contradictory, and alien to my understanding and experience.

The closest thing that's free I can think of is http://vedabase.net/en/ where you can click on sanskrit words and find many verses that use that word. Reading several verses often clears up the meanings of difficult passages. Here is an example from BG 10.10 where you can click and find more information: teṣām — unto them; satata-yuktānām — always engaged; bhajatām — in rendering devotional service; prīti-pūrvakam — in loving ecstasy; dadāmi — I give; buddhi-yogam — real intelligence; tam — that; yena — by which; mām — unto Me; upayānti — come; te — they. If you have money, and if you are really serious about knowing Krsna, then I would recommend purchasing the Vedabase which is a searchable collection of Srila Prabhupada's books, lectures and conversations: http://www.vedabase.com/ It was $500US when I bought it in another more opulent life, but I've never regretted a penny. In fact, it's a real thing, that doesn't fade in interest like cars and bars and babes and clothes - all that other 'essential' stuff that rusts and molds so quickly and is cast away when the playing is over.

Bartering love for release from the wheel is commerce. There is a higher sentiment, a purer love. Go further. Selfless love with no expectation of reward in return, as exhibited by the gopis of Vrindavana, is the highest expression of our true nature.

The recreation of the mind, the throne of ahankara, is a difficult thing to relinquish. But somehow we must make room for Krsna. Accept the mercy as graciously as possible. The attachment to other things, even chores: well, just try to keep your priorities straight. God knows we have to eat and clothe ourselves; that will all happen - do not fear. We are the enjoyed, not the enjoyer. Surrender includes the mind, but ahankara will fight hard for its seat as lord of the mind.

http://vedabase.net/bg/10/10/en

The following was spoken by Srila Sridhara Maharaja, an intimate friend of Srila Prabhupada: Reality the Beautiful Ramananda Raya was a married man, but he was recognized by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as a master of his senses to the extreme degree. Once a brahmana priest named Pradyumna Misra came to Mahaprabhu and told Him, "I would like to hear about Krsna from Your lips." Mahaprabhu said, "I do not know anything about Krsna, but Ramananda Raya knows. Go to him and hear about Krsna. Take My name, and perhaps he will talk with you." Pradyumna Misra was hesitant, but he went and observed Ramananda Raya for some time and then returned and reported to Mahaprabhu. Mahaprabhu asked him, "Have you heard about Krsna from Ramananda? "No.Why?I saw him engaged in something objectionable. I watched for some time, and then returned here.What did you see?" Pradyumna Misra said, "I saw Ramananda Raya training some young dancing girls!" Girls who are generally devoted to the service of the Jagannatha Deity from a young age are known as deva-dasis. They do not marry, and sometimes their character is not very good. Pradyumna Misra saw Ramananda Raya training deva-dasis in a very objectionable way. He was showing them how to go before the Jagannatha Deity and dance and sing. He showed them how their posture should be, how they should gesture, and how their looks should be enticing. And for such training he would sometimes even touch their private parts. So Pradyumna Misra told Mahaprabhu, "Seeing Ramananda doing all these things, I had no regard for him, so for some time I saw him busily engaged in that matter, and then I went away." Master of the Senses Mahaprabhu told him, "Don't underestimate Ramananda Raya. He is the master of his senses. There is not a tinge of craft in him. Even I feel trouble from sense disturbance within Me, but Ramananda has no such trouble. We have no direct experience that a stage can be attained where it is possible to be above mundane sense pleasure, but we have only heard through the scriptures that there is a stage when a man may transcend all these gross attachments. This is mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavatam (10.33.39): vikriditam vraja-vadhubhir idam ca visnoh sraddhanvito 'nusrnuyad atha varnayed yah bhaktim param bhagavati pratilabhya kamam hrd-rogam asv apahinoty acirena dhirah "One who hears with firm faith the supramundane amorous affairs of Lord Krsna and the gopis, as described by a pure devotee of the Lord, soon becomes freed from mundane lust and achieves divine love of Krsna." One may be engaged bodily in such activities, while his heart is elsewhere. And there is only one who is of that type: Ramananda Raya. There are not big numbers of Ramanandas; there is only one Ramananda, who has acquired such a stage because he is well-versed in the kind of sentiment and realization which is necessary for the service of Krsna and the gopis. His heart is completely dedicated to the cause of Krsna; He has no selfish interest. He is always in Krsna consciousness, and whatever he does is for Krsna's satisfaction, so don't think ill of him. Go there again." Mad for Krsna Then Pradyumna Misra again went to see Ramananda Raya, and Ramananda began their conversation by saying "Oh, on that day I could not oblige you. But again you have come to hear about Krsna. How fortunate I am!" In the morning, Ramananda Raya began to speak, and when the afternoon came, still he was madly talking about Krsna. He completely forgot about eating, bathing, or anything else. He was mad, incessantly speaking of Krsna. Then, when it was late, his servants came twice, thrice, to ask him to take bath and eat his dinner, and finally, he had to leave the talk and go. Then Pradyumna Misra returned to Mahaprabhu and said, "Yes, I have heard from Ramananda Raya, and my heart is full from hearing about Krsna from him." Mahaprabhu Himself had heard from Ramananda Raya, and He said, "Ramananda knows what is Krsna. What I taught to Rupa and Sanatana, I heard from Ramananda." It is mentioned that Mahaprabhu took diksa, initiation, from Isvara Puri; for preaching purposes he took sannyasa, the renounced order, from Kesava Bharati; and for entrance into the transcendental pastimes of Krsna in Vrndavana, He took raga marga initiation from Ramananda Raya. Of course, Isvara Puri, Kesava Bharati, and Ramananda Raya never thought of themselves as the guru of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But it was seen that Mahaprabhu treated Ramananda with some respect. It is mentioned in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 8.204) that if one wants to enter into the spontaneous devotion of Krsna's pastimes in Vraja, it is required that he take shelter of a confidential maidservant in conjugal mellow, madhurya rasa (sakhi vina ei lilaya anyera nahi gati).They are masters of that situation. The whole storehouse of this madhurya lila is in the hands of those maidservants. Only they can give it to others. In madhurya rasa, the guru is seen in the form and spirit of a sakhi, a maidservant of Radharani (guru rupa sakhi). Ramananda Raya was Visakhasakhi, the right-hand personal attendant of Srimati Radharani. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gives us a hint of the necessity of approaching a confidential associate of Srimati Radharani when he says to Ramananda kiba vipra, kiba nyasi sudra kene naya, yei krsna-tattva vetta sei 'guru' haya: "Why do you shrink away from instructing Me? I am learning so much from you. You are well-versed in the affairs of Krsna, so you are guru; therefore I am hearing from you. Whoever is the master of that storehouse of krsna-lila, and whoever can distribute it - he is guru; of this, there is no doubt." The famous talks between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu took place on the banks of the Godavari river. The name Godavari is significant, for it indicates that place where the highest fulfillment of our spiritual senses was given. The fullest engagement of all our senses was announced there on the banks of the Godavari: "Your senses are not to be rejected. If you can give up the spirit of exploitation and renunciation, then your senses will have their fulfillment with Krsna. Those tendencies bar your approach to Krsna; to properly approach Krsna, you will have to utilize your senses to the fullest extent." That was dealt with on the banks of the Godavari. The Ultimate Goal of Life There, in his famous conversations with Ramananda Raya, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began the approach to pure devotional service in a general and comprehensive way. This is recorded in the Madhya-lila of Caitanyacaritamrta (8.51-313). He asked Ramananda Raya, prabhu kahe, - "pada sloka sadhyera nirnaya": "What is the ultimate goal of life? I not only want to hear your statements, but also evidence from the scriptures." The answer came from Ramananda Raya: raya kahe, - "sva-dharmacarane visnu-bhakti haya." "Discharge your own duty, without expecting anything in return." Sva dharma means varnasrama dharma, Vedic social stratification. "You are posted in your present position by your previous karma. According to your present position, you have to discharge your duties on one condition: you must do them without remuneration. If you go on with your duties in varnasrama dharma, without any mundane aim, you can achieve visnu-bhakti, devotion to God. This is confirmed in the Visnu Purana (3.8.9): varnasramacaravata purusena parah puman visnur aradhyate pantha nanyat tat-tosa-karanam "The only way to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Visnu, is to worship Him by properly executing one's prescribed duties in the social system of varna and asrama." Here, Ramananda Raya says that visnu-bhakti, adherence to the Lord who is permeating everything, is the object and ultimate destination of our life. This is the Vasudeva conception: everything is in Him, and He is everywhere. Ramananda explained that from our local interests, we must come to embrace the general interest, and that must reach the level of Visnu consciousness: visnubhakti. Our submission to Visnu, the internal spirit who is everywhere, is the object of life. We must connect with Him and live accordingly; not a phenomenal life, but a spiritual life pertaining to a deeper, more subtle plane. Devotion Mixed with Desires Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "This is superficial; go deeper." Of course, it may be thought that actual theistic life begins from here, giving up the special, local purpose, and acting for a universal purpose, as already ordered and programmed in the Vedas and Upanisads. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "This is superficial; go deeper." Then, Ramananda Raya said, krsne karmarpana - sarvasadhya-sara: "To offer the results of one's activities to Krsna is the essence of all perfection." In varnasrama dharma, it is the fashion that people are generally engaged in external activities and do not care to give up the fruits of their action. Even if they do, they have no direct consciousness of Visnu or Krsna. They worship the goddess Durga, perform the sraddha funeral ceremony and execute so many other religious practices. Indirectly, it is ultimately connected with Visnu. They may or may not know how, but the link is there. That is the general conception of varnasrama, but here, Ramananda says that it will be better to have direct consciousness that Krsna is the authority. All the results of whatever we do within the varnasrama social system must be given to Krsna. If we perform all our physical, social, national and spiritual activities in Krsna consciousness, then we can approach the fulfillment of our goal in life. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said "This is superficial; go deeper." Then Ramananda Raya revealed new light, (quoting the Bhagavad-gita (18.66): sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja, "Give up all your duties, and just surrender to Me." We must be particular with the object of life; not the external activities of varnasrama. Less importance should be given to the form of our activity: whether I am a king, a brahmana intellectual, or a worker does not matter. We may think, "I have this sort of duty, I have that sort of duty," but that does not matter very much. We must have no attachment for that. The king may leave his kingdom and take to a brahmanic life of renunciation and austerity. A sudra may give up his labor, become a beggar, and chant the name of Krsna. A brahmana may give up his performance of sacrifice and become a mendicant. So, we are to be particular about the aim of life; not the form of our duty. We must exclusively devote ourselves to the cause of the Lord, ignoring our present paraphernaliaand duty. Knowledge and Devotion Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "This is also superficial; go ahead - deeper." Then, Ramananda Raya explained jnana-misra bhakti, devotional service mixed with knowledge, by quoting from the Bhagavad-gita (18.54) where Krsna says: brahma-bhutah prasannatma na socati na kanksati samah sarvesu bhutesu mad-bhaktim labhate param One who has come to the stage of identifying himself with spirit above matter has nothing to do with this mundane world. Any loss or gain in this mundane world is of no use to him. He is spirit; his prospect is in the world of soul, and he has nothing to do with this material world, whether it is laudable or blamable. He is already settled in the consciousness that he is soul proper and has nothing to do with matter, so within himself he feels satisfaction. He is atmarama: selfcontent; he neither mourns, nor aspires for anything. If something is lost, does he mourn? No. He thinks, "This is nothing; it is only matter." And when something is gained, he is not overly cheerful, because it is only matter; it is unnecessary and unimportant. Now true devotional service can begin; his soul can begin living in the spiritual plane, with a pure serving attitude, unmixed with any mundane aspiration. When one attains the spiritual platform, he gets the opportunity to practice a higher type of service. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "This is also superficial. Such a person is only on the verge of devotional service; he has no substantial touch of devotion. He has not entered the domain of bhakti; he is just waiting in the marginal position, at the door. He may attain bhakti, but he has not yet achieved it. His negative forces are finished, but still, he is just at the door; he has not yet entered. He may enter; he may not enter. From there, if he gets anything, it will be pure, but he is still at the door. Beyond Spirit "Go Deeper'' Ramananda Raya then said, jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva: "It is a very difficult thing to cross the charm of knowledge." We think, "I want to understand everything first, and then I shall act." Calculation and an underlying suspicion is there. Before we act, we want to know everything fully; only then will we risk our capital. The ego, the "I" is very strong, and he wants to have an account of his loss and gain. He thinks, "I am the master. The key is in my hand, I want to test everything, I want to know it all. I know what is good for me." So, we think ourselves masters, not servants, and from the position of a master we make our inquiry. But this calculating mentality must be given up if we at all want to enter into the domain of the Lord, where everything is superior to us. No one there will care to come to us with an explanation, thinking that we are their master. They will not reassure us by saying, "Yes, there will be no loss; your gain will be big." We may think, "I am an independent separate entity, so in my account there must be no loss. I must stand here with my head erect," but that won't do. We are to go there as slaves, not masters. That sort of mentality is necessary: we must bow down our heads. Not that with our heads erect we will march over everything, but everything there is superior in quality to us. Divine Slavery So, we have to enter into that transcendental land, where even the earth, water, air, and whatever we will find, is made of higher materials than we ourselves are made of. They are all guru, and we are disciples. They are all masters, and we are servants; we have to enter the land where everything is our master. We will have to submit; that will be our real qualification. What we will be ordered to do, we will. have to do. We are not to exercise our brain so much there. The brain has no room there; they are all brainier than we. Our brain is unnecessary there; only our hands are necessary. Menial labor is necessary there. Brain there is enough. We are to enter that land if we like. It is a land of slavery for us. So, we are to hatefully dismiss our brains, and taking only out hearts, we must approach and enter that land. We should think, "I am as insignificant as a mosquito," just as Lord Brahma did when he went to Dwaraka to visit Lord Krsna. And it is not only for the time being; not that one will accept a humble attitude, finish his work and then come back. No. We will have to accept such an insignificant position eternally. Of course, we may expect to be educated about Krsna consciousness: how it is good, how it is great, how it is useful to us. We will be allowed pariprasna: honest inquiry. In the transcendental realm, everyone is our friend. They will come to help us, to make us understand that devotional service is beautiful, and that Krsna consciousness is the best form of life. Our aspiration and purity of purpose is to be valued; not our external position. The recruiters from that side will consider our purity of purpose, not so much our present position and capacity. And although apparently it seems that we are going to be slaves, the result is just the opposite. If you can accept such an attitude of surrender and slavery, then He who can never be conquered will be conquered. Friends will come and help you, the sadhus will come and make you understand that we should become slaves, that Krsna likes His slaves very much. He is the master of slaves, and sometimes He wants to become the slave of His slaves (gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah). This is the key to success, and we can achieve the highest gain through this attitude. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Ramananda Raya, "Yes, this is true. The unconquerable is conquered by surrender. We can capture Him. I accept this as the beginning plane of divine love: by giving we can get as much as we risk. As much as we risk to give ourselves, so much we can demand from that unconquerable infinite." Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "I accept this as the beginning of suddha-bhakti, pure devotional service. But go farther." The Science of Rasa Ramananda Raya explained that from there pure devotional service develops in a crude form, in a general way, and when it is more mature, it must take the shape of santa, neutrality, dasya, servitorship, sakhya, friendship, vatsalya, paternal affection, and madhurya rasa, conjugal love. In santa rasa, there is adherence, nistha: one thinks, "I cannot withdraw myself from this consciousness of continuous submission to the truth. Neutrality develops into dasya rasa, the desire to do some service. When a devotee is not satisfied by only sitting, showing loyalty to the Supreme Authority, he wants to be utilized by Him. He awaits the Lord's order, praying that the Lord may give him some engagement. When a devotee has such deep penetration that he wants to be utilized in any way by the Lord, that is known as dasya rasa, or devotion in the mood of service. Then there is sakhya rasa: devotional service in friendship. God the Friend When, in dasya rasa, confidence is added to service, then it becomes a little superior. Generally old servants who are faithful become confidential servants, so when the confidential stage is added to service, it becomes sakhya rasa, or devotional service as a friend of the Lord. First there is nistha, adherence, submission, then the devotee wants to be utilized for His satisfaction, then there is confidential utilization, and then it comes to friendly service, sakhya rasa. In Vaikuntha, where Lord Narayana is served in calculative devotion, only santa rasa, dasya rasa, and half of sakhya rasa are seen. Full confidence is not possible there. Awe, reverence, splendor, grandeur, pomp, apprehension - all these vanish when we develop a more confidential relationship with the Supreme Lord. At that time, the object of our worship or love changes in another way. Then from Vaikuntha, we feel attraction for Ayodhya, the divine abode of Lord Ramacandra, where there is neutrality, servitorship, and friendship with Vibisana and Sugriva. There, we can also trace vatsalya rasa, parental love of Godhead. God the Son In vatsalya rasa, confidence has developed to the peculiar stage in which the servitors think themselves promoted to the post of protecting the object of their veneration. Filial affection is also service. Although it seems that the parents are masters of the situation, controlling the Lord as their son, sometimes chastising and punishing Him, this is a superficial view. If we can enter into the depth of their service, we shall find an incomparable love of a most peculiar type. On the surface, they are engaged in punishingand rebuking the Lord; underground, they are full of interest for the welfare of the object of their service. Vatsalya, or parental love of Godhead, is a peculiar type of divine love. We see a very light type of vatsalya in Ayodhya, so it is almost ignored. Mathura: The Krsna Conception Rupa Goswami leaped from Vaikuntha to Mathura in one stride. In his Upadesamrta (9), he writes: Vaikunthaj janito vara madhu-puri tatrapi rasotsavad. " Mathura is superior to Vaikuntha because Lord Sri Krsna appeared there." It is there that everything is shown in a clear and substantial way. In Mathura we find the Krsna conception of Godhead. In one stride he has come from Vaikuntha to the Krsna conception, but Sanatana Goswami has filled up the gap. In his book, Brhad-bhagavatamrta, he says that on the way to Mathura there is Ayodhya, the spiritual kingdom of Lord Rama, and there we find sakhya and vatsalya rasa. But Rupa Goswami goes to Mathura at once. He says, "Come to Mathura; here you will find sakhya and vatsalya rasa clearly visible. He has shown how sakhya rasa service is present there. The devotees there are playing with Krsna, sometimes climbing on His shoulders, and perhaps sometimes even giving Him a slap. But, although they may mix with Him in this way, their heart is full of a peculiar type of service attitude. That is the criterion: they may give up their lives a thousand times to take a thorn out of His sole. They can sacrifice themselves a thousand times for the slightest satisfaction of their friend. They consider Him a thousand times more valuable than their own life. In vatsalya rasa also, the criterion is similar: for the slightest interest of the object of their veneration they can give their lives millions of times. Such affection is found there. And then, from vatsalya, it progresses to conjugal love (madhurya rasa), the all-comprehensive rasa which includes adherence (santa-nistha), service (dasya), friendly confidence (sakhya), and parental love (vatsalya rasa). But the wholesale dedication of every atom of our existence for Krsna's satisfaction is found in madhurya rasa, which includes all other rasas. Conjugal Mellow And madhurya rasa is more enhanced when it is couched in the form of parakiya, or paramour relationship. In parakiya rasa, the gopis risk everything for the service of Krsna. Parakiya rasa takes two forms: in one, there is no obligation of anything; the union may happen or may not happen. So, because their meeting is very rare, it becomes even sweeter. There is another kind of parakiya rasa: we are told that ordinary food is not palatable to Krsna, but when He takes food by stealing, that is more tasteful to Him. If we can follow this art, that may also be applied in the case of parakiya rasa. "I am deceiving the party, getting what I want. I am stealing the property of someone else." That sort of posing becomes more tasteful to the subjective party. And the dedicated party risks everything: their good name, society, future, and even the dictation of the religious scriptures. They take a wholesale risk, just as one time, when we were in Madras, the King of Jaipur gave some money for the construction of a temple. The money was sent to our head office in Calcutta. Out of 5,000 rupees, the first installment was 1,000 rupees, and the construction work was begun by sending a worker from our main center. Then, Madhava Maharaja and I were sent to Madras, where we heard that the king would soon come. In order to show him that some work had been done we raised the construction to some extent, so the king could be told, "Your money has been spent, and now the next installment is necessary." In order to do this, we incurred a debt. We took a loan for bricks and other things and raised the construction to a higher level. When we wrote this to our guru maharaja, we had some apprehension that he would chastise us: "Why have you taken this loan?" Instead of that, he gave us his appreciation: "You have risked your future in the service of Krsna. You have taken a loan, and that means you have to pay off that loan, so you have engaged your future energy in the service of Krsna. You will have to collect money and pay off the loan, so there is service with risk of the future." The gopis consciously risked their future: "We have disobeyed our superior persons and the directions of the Vedas; what we do is neither approved by society, nor by the religious books. Our future is dark." Still, they could not but serve Krsna. So, vaikunthaj janito vara madhu-puri tatrapi rasotsavad. Janito means vatsalya rasa and madhurya rasa in Vrndavana: radha-kundam ihapi gokula-pateh. In the madhurya rasa also, three groups are shown: Vrndavana in general, selected groups in Govardhana, and the highest group in Radha-kunda. All these things have been shown in the conversation between Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Radha: Queen of the Gopis After this, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu said, "Go further." Then, Ramananda Raya began to explain the kind of service rendered by Radharani in madhurya rasa . Her devotional service is categorically higher than that of all the other gopis. Radham adhaya hrdaye tatyaja vraja sundarih (Gitagovinda 3.1 Jayadeva Goswami). The whole group of gopis can be canceled only for one: Srimati Radharani. What peculiar type of service may come from Her? And Krsna, the Original Personality of Godhead (svayam rupa) is only by the side of Radharani. By the side of other gopis, that is prabhava prakasa, a plenary expansion; not svayam rupa, the original form. Such is the quality of Srimati Radharani. We should show our highest reverence to this highest ideal of devotional service. Radha-Krsna: Union in Separation Then the last question came from Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu: "Can you think of anything more than this?" Then, Ramananda Raya said, "You asked me to quote scripture to support whatever I say, but here I won't be able to quote scripture from anywhere. Still, I have a new feeling within me, and if You would like to know that, I can explain it to You." In this way, one song was composed by Ramananda Raya. He introduced this song by saying, "Whether or not it will be pleasing to You, I do not know, but it seems to me that there is a stage which is even better than the meeting of Radha and Govinda." There is a stage where both of Them, the positive and negative are combined, no individual consciousness is clear, and one is searching another in self-forgetfulness. This searching of one party by the other is very strong and intense. This seems to be a more highly elevated love: union in separation. Radha and Govinda are so intense in Their search of one another that even They have no consciousness of whether They have each other. Radharani sometimes experiences that even while Krsna is present before Her, She fears losing Him; that feeling becomes as intense as if She has lost Him. They are together, but the apprehension that one may lose the other makes their meeting intolerably painful, just as a mother is always alert about the safety of her son (anistasankini bandhu-hrdayani bhavanti hi). A mother thinks, "Oh, my son is out - is he in an accident?" This fear of separation is the symptom of deep love. Sri Caitanya Avatara Ramananda Raya's composition gave a hint about the divine appearance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in which both Radha and Govinda are combined, and it is as if they are unconscious of Their separate existence. One is searching the other, Krsna Himself is overflowing with the feelings of Radharani, and They are so deeply embraced that one is lost in the other. Then, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu put His palm over the mouth of Ramananda Raya, and told him, "No further." Rasa-raja maha bhava - dui eka rupa. Lord Sri Krsna is the fountainhead of all pleasure, and Srimati Radharani is the embodiment of ecstatic love of Godhead. These two forms are united as one in Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Rasaraja: Ecstasy Himself Mahaprabhu replied, "Oh, because you are a cent percent devotee, wherever you cast your glance you see only Krsna; nothing else. The object of your interest is represented everywhere." Ramananda Raya said, "My Lord, don't deceive me in this way. You have come here so graciously to purify this mean person, and if You act diplomatically now, it will not look well for You. I won't hear what You say; come out with Your real position.Who are You?" Mahaprabhu said, "By dint of your loving devotion, you can know everything in this world; nothing can be concealed from your loving eye." Premanjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena. Then, Mahaprabhu revealed Himself: "When you see Me to be externally of a golden color, it is not so. It is by the touch of the color of Radharani. And who can Radharani touch and closely embrace? She will never touch anyone except Krsna. So, now you know who I am: Rasaraja - ecstasy Himself, and Mahabhava - the one who can taste that highest rasa. See how They mingle together! Ramananda Raya fainted and fell flat on the floor. He could not keep his senses. Then by the touch of His hand, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu again brought him to his senses. Ramananda returned to his previous stage of consciousness and saw a sannyasi sitting before him. After a short pause, Mahaprabhu said, "Remain here, I am going." Afterwards, Ramananda Raya and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had some other talks, and Mahaprabhu said, "Ramananda, as long as I live I want your company." Ramananda replied, "Yes, I must take shelter of Your Divine feet and live there for the rest of my life." Ramananda later made arrangements with the King of Orissa to retire from his post as Governor of Madras and came to Jagannatha Puri. For almost two years, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu wandered about the holy places of Southern and Western India and at last returned to Puri. There they again met. Transcendental Madness After this, Mahaprabhu went to Vrndavana through Bengal. Six years passed, and Advaita Prabhu almost gave leave to Mahaprabhu, saying, "Our pastimes of introducing the chanting of Hare Krsna are finished." Then Mahaprabhu continuously showed Radharani's mood of tasting krsnaprema, ecstatic love of Krsna, for twelve years. Svarupa Damodara and Ramananda Raya, who are Lalita and Visakha, the two principle gopi assistants of Radharani, were Mahaprabhu's most important company during that time. There, so many things about the deep feelings of Divine love have been shown. It has never been found in the history of the world, or even expressed in any scripture how such intense love within can produce such corresponding symptoms on the surface. That was shown by Radharani and later shown by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It was shown by Mahaprabhu in His practices also, how krsna prema, love of Krsna, can play a man like a doll. Sometimes His legs and hands would enter inconceivably into His body, and sometimes His joints would disconnect and His transcendental body would appear elongated. Sometimes His whole body would become white, and He would lay unconscious, breathing so slowly that His breath could not be traced. In this way, He exhibited many amazing symptoms of ecstasy. Svarupa Damodara, the personal secretary of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has explained the meaning of His appearance in his memoirs, which were recorded in the Caitanya-caritamrta of Kaviraja Goswami. He writes: radha krsna-pranaya-vikrtir hladini saktir asmad ekatmanav api bhuvi pura deha-bhedam gatau tau caitanyakhyam prakatam adhuna tad-dvayam caikyam aptam radha-bhava-dyuti-suvalitam naumi krsna-svarupam Sometimes Radha and Krsna are combined; sometimes They are separate. They are separate in Dvapara-yuga, and in Kali-yuga they are combined as Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Both are eternal expressions of the same Absolute Truth. Summer, autumn, winter, and spring continue in a cyclic order; it cannot be said that summer is the beginning and winter comes later. So, the pastimes of Sri Radha and Krsna are eternally being enacted. In ancient times, sometimes Radha and Krsna divided Themselves and showed Their pastimes; again both of Them, the potency and the owner of the potency, are combined and closely embraced as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The predominating and the predominated moiety are mixed, and an extraordinary ecstatic feeling is there. Krsna is overpowered by His potency, and He Himself is searching after His own Self: krsnasya atmanusandhana. Krsna Himself is engaged in the search for Sri Krsna, Reality the Beautiful. The influence of Radharani over Krsna has transformed Him into a devotee, and He is searching Himself. Sweetness is tasting Itself and becoming mad. And it is living sweetness; not dead or static, but dynamic ecstasy - sweetness endowed with life. And He is tasting Himself, the personification of happiness, ecstasy, and beauty, and dancing in madness, and His performance of kirtana means distributing that ecstasy to others. The ultimate sweetness, or ananda, is such that no other thing exists that can taste itself and express its own happiness with such intensity. I have described Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in the Prema Dhama Deva Stotram: atma-siddha-sava lila-purna-saukhya-laksanam svanubhava-matta-nrtya-kirtanatma-vantanam advayaika-laksya-purna-tattva-tat-paratparam prema-dhama-devam-eva naumi gaura-sundaram "The highest conception of the Absolute Truth must also be the highest form of ananda, ecstasy. Mahaprabhu's dancing indicates that He is full of ecstasy, and His kirtana is distribution of that rasa. So, if we scientifically search out who Mahaprabhu is, we cannot but find that He is the Ultimate Reality. He is mad in tasting His own internal nectar, and His dancing is the outcome of His transcendental ecstasy. And He is chanting, distributing that to others. So, studying quite closely the character of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we cannot but think that He is the Supreme Absolute Truth, in its fullest, and most dynamic expression."

As a very special gift on my sixtieth birthday, I received a glimpse of Srila Sridhara Maharaja's translation of the Bhagavad-gita verse BG 7.3 as referenced in volume one of his book, Sermons of the Guardian of Devotion: <center>manuSyANAM sahasreSu kazcid yatati siddhaye yatatAm api siddhAnAM kazcin mAM vetti tattvataH (Bg. 7.3) </center> "Out of countless souls, some have reached the human form of life, and among many thousands of human beings, some endeavor to attain direct perception of the individual soul and the Supersoul; and among many thousands of such aspirants who have attained to seeing the soul and the Supersoul, only a few receive actual perception of Me, Syamasundara. When we do the math, (i.e. many thousands times many thousands = one billion; six billion humans on earth divided by one billion = six), we can see that there are likely several completely realized souls present on the planet. How do we know? Are we worthy of knowing? Perhaps only the last question matters, for Sri Krsna always gives us what we need.

From every reference I saw, the marginal energy was never considered a place or even a temporary condition. It seems it is the jiva, established as independent entities by the creation of free will (marginality). The quotes are all consistent: Madhya 8.151 - kRSNera ananta-zakti, tAte tina----pradhAna ‘cic-chakti', ‘mAyA-zakti', ‘jIva-zakti'-nAma kRSNera--of Lord KRSNa; ananta-zakti--unlimited potencies; tAte--in that; tina--three; pradhAna--chief; cit-zakti--spiritual potency; mAyA-zakti--material potency; jIva-zakti--marginal potency, or living entities; nAma--named. TRANSLATION "KRSNa has unlimited potencies, which can be divided into three main parts. These are the spiritual potency, the material potency and the marginal potency, which is known as the living entities. SB 2.10.3p - The parts and parcels of the internal potency which react in contact with the external potency are called the marginal potency, or the living entities. Adi 2.103 - "The marginal potency, which is between these two, consists of the numberless living beings. These are the three principal energies, which have unlimited categories and subdivisions. Adi 5.45 - There is one marginal potency, known as the jIva. MahA-saGkarSaNa is the shelter of all jIvas. Madhya 6.163 - "In the Bhagavad-gItA the living entity is established as the marginal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Yet you say that the living entity is completely different from the Lord. SB 10.87.20p - According to SrI NArada PaJcarAtra, yat taTa-sthaM tu cid-rUpaM sva-saMvedyAd vinirgatam raJjitaM guNa-rAgeNa sa jIva iti kathyate "The marginal potency, who is spiritual by nature, who emanates from the self-cognizant saMvit energy, and who becomes tainted by his attachment to the modes of material nature, is called the jIva.'' Although the jIva soul is also an expansion of Lord KRSNa, he is distinguished from KRSNa's independent ViSNu expansions by his constitutional position on the margin between spirit and matter. As the MahAvarAha PurANa explains, svAMzaz cAtha vibhinnAMza iti dvidhA za iSyate aMzino yat tu sAmarthyaM yat-svarUpaM yathA sthitiH tad eva nANu-mAtro 'pi bhedaM svAMzAMzinoH kvacit vibhinnAMzo 'lpa-zaktiH syAt kiJcit sAmarthya-mAtra-yuk "The Supreme Lord is known in two ways: in terms of His plenary expansions and His separated expansions. Between the plenary expansions and Their source of expansion there is never any essential difference in terms of either Their capabilities, forms or situations. The separated expansions, on the other hand, possess only minute potency, being endowed only to a small extent with the Lord's powers." The conditioned soul in this world appears as if covered by matter, internally as well as externally. Externally, gross matter surrounds him in the forms of his body and environment, while internally desire and aversion impinge upon his consciousness. But from the transcendental perspective of realized sages, both kinds of material covering are insubstantial. By logically eliminating all material identities, which are misconceptions based on the soul's gross and subtle coverings, a thoughtful person can determine that the soul is nothing material. Rather, he is a pure spark of divine spirit, a servant of the Supreme Godhead. Understanding this, one should worship the Supreme Lord's lotus feet; such worship is the fully bloomed flower of the tree of Vedic rituals. One's realization of the splendor of the Lord's lotus feet, gradually nourished by the offering of Vedic sacrifices, automatically bears the fruits of liberation from material existence and irrevocable faith in the Lord's mercy. One can accomplish all this while still living in the material world. As Lord KRSNa states in the GopAla-tApanI UpaniSad (Uttara 47), mathurA-maNDale yas tu jambUdvIpe sthito 'tha vA yo 'rcayet pratimAM prati sa me priyataro bhuvi "One who worships Me in My Deity form while living in the district of MathurA or, indeed, anywhere in JambUdvIpa, becomes most dear to Me in this world." SrIla SrIdhara SvAmI prays, tvad-aMzasya mamezAna tvan-mAyA-kRta-bandhanam tvad-aGghri-sevAm Adizya parAnanda nivartaya "My Lord, please free me, Your partial expansion, from the bondage created by Your MAyA. Please do this, O abode of supreme bliss, by directing me to the service of Your feet." SB 7.3.34 - Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who in his unlimited, unmanifested form has expanded the cosmic manifestation, the form of the totality of the universe. He possesses external and internal energies and the mixed energy called the marginal potency, which consists of all the living entities. PURPORT The Lord is endowed with unlimited potencies (parAsya zaktir vividhaiva zrUyate [Cc. Madhya 13.65, purport]), which are summarized as three, namely external, internal and marginal. The external potency manifests this material world, the internal potency manifests the spiritual world, and the marginal potency manifests the living entities, who are mixtures of internal and external. The living entity, being part and parcel of Parabrahman, is actually internal potency, but because of being in contact with the material energy, he is an emanation of material and spiritual energies. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is above the material energy and is engaged in spiritual pastimes. The material energy is only an external manifestation of His pastimes. BG 9.13p - Being marginal potency, as soon as the living entity is freed from the control of material nature, he is put under the guidance of the spiritual nature. BG 18.78p - Because the living entities are the marginal energy of KRSNa, they have a tendency to be in contact either with the material energy or with the spiritual energy. In other words, the living entity is situated between the two energies of the Lord, and because he belongs to the superior energy of the Lord, he has a particle of independence. By proper use of that independence he comes under the direct order of KRSNa. Thus he attains his normal condition in the pleasure-giving potency. SB 1.1.31p - One should know, therefore, that the Lord is never on the level of the living beings, who are but expansions of His marginal potency, and one should never equalize the potent and the potency, although there is very little difference of quality between the potent and the potency. SB 1.1.39p - When the Lord descends, He does so along with His entourage to display a complete picture of the transcendental world, where pure love and devotion for the Lord prevail without any mundane tinge of lording it over the creation of the Lord. Such devotees of the Lord are all liberated souls, perfect representations of the marginal or internal potency in complete negation of the influence of the external potency. SB 1.13.48p - The Supreme Lord Personality of Godhead is one without a second, but He manifests Himself by different energies because He is by nature blissful. The living beings are also manifestations of His marginal energy, qualitatively one with the Lord, and there are innumerable living beings both within and without the external and internal energies of the Lord. Since the spiritual world is a manifestation of the Lord's internal energy, the living beings within that internal potency are qualitatively one with the Lord without contamination from the external potency. Although qualitatively one with the Lord, the living being, due to contamination of the material world, is pervertedly manifested, and therefore he experiences so-called happiness and distress in the material world. SB 1.14.32p - The PANDavas are also liberated souls who descended along with Lord KRSNa to serve Him in His transcendental pastimes on this earth. As stated in the Bhagavad-gItA (4.8), the Lord and His eternal associates, who are also liberated souls like the Lord, come down on this earth at certain intervals. The Lord remembers them all, but His associates, although liberated souls, forget due to their being taTasthA zakti, or marginal potency of the Lord. That is the difference between the viSNu-tattva and jIva-tattva. The jIva-tattvas are infinitesimal potential particles of the Lord, and therefore they require the protection of the Lord at all times. And to the eternal servitors of the Lord, the Lord is pleased to give all protection at all times. The liberated souls never, therefore, think themselves as free as the Lord or as powerful as the Lord, but they always seek the protection of the Lord in all circumstances, both in the material world and in the spiritual world. This dependence of the liberated soul is constitutional, for the liberated souls are like sparks of a fire that are able to exhibit the glow of fire along with the fire and not independently. Independently the glow of the sparks is extinguished, although the quality of fire or the glowing is there. Thus those who give up the protection of the Lord and become so-called lords themselves, out of spiritual ignorance, come back again to this material world, even after prolonged tapasya of the severest type. That is the verdict of all Vedic literature. SB 2.2.14p - The spiritual world is the manifestation of His internal potency, and the material world is the manifestation of His external potency. The living entities are also His marginal potency, and by their own choice they can live in either the transcendental or material worlds. The material world is not a fit place for living entities because they are spiritually one with the Lord and in the material world the living entities become conditioned by the laws of the material world. SB 2.4.7p - So all living entities, both in the conditioned state and in the liberated state, are maintained by the Almighty Supreme Lord. Such maintenance is effected by the Lord through His different expansions of Self and three principal energies, namely the internal, external and marginal energies. The living entities are His marginal energies, and some of them, in the confidence of the Lord, are entrusted with the work of creation also, as are BrahmA, MarIci, etc., and the acts of creation are inspired by the Lord unto them (tene brahma hRdA). The external energy (mAyA) is also impregnated with the jIvas, or conditioned souls. The unconditioned marginal potency acts in the spiritual kingdom, and the Lord, by His different plenary expansions, maintains them in different transcendental relations displayed in the spiritual sky. So the one Supreme Personality of Godhead manifests Himself in many (bahu syAm), and thus all diversities are in Him, and He is in all diversities, although He is nevertheless different from all of them. That is the inconceivable mystic power of the Lord, and as such everything is simultaneously one with and different from Him by His inconceivable potencies (acintya-bhedAbheda-tattva). SB 2.5.14p - The living entity is known as the marginal potency of the Lord. But in all circumstances, neither the material ingredients nor the spiritual parts and parcels are independent of the Personality of Godhead VAsudeva, for all things, whether products of the external, internal or marginal potencies of the Lord, are simply displays of the same effulgence of the Lord, just as light, heat and smoke are displays of fire. None of them are separate from the fire--all of them combine together to be called fire; similarly, all phenomenal manifestations, as well as the effulgence of the body of VAsudeva, are His impersonal features, whereas He eternally exists in His transcendental form called sac-cid-Ananda-vigrahaH [bs. 5.1], distinct from all conceptions of the material ingredients mentioned above. SB 2.5.19 - These three modes of material nature, being further manifested as matter, knowledge and activities, put the eternally transcendental living entity under conditions of cause and effect and make him responsible for such activities. PURPORT Because they are between the internal and external potencies, the eternally transcendental living entities are called the marginal potency of the Lord. Factually, the living entities are not meant to be so conditioned by material energy, but due to their being affected by the false sense of lording it over the material energy, they come under the influence of such potency and thus become conditioned by the three modes of material nature. This external energy of the Lord covers up the pure knowledge of the living entity's eternally existing with Him, but the covering is so constant that it appears that the conditioned soul is eternally ignorant. Such is the wonderful action of mAyA, or external energy manifested as if materially produced. By the covering power of the material energy, the material scientist cannot look beyond the material causes, but factually, behind the material manifestations, there are adhibhUta, adhyAtma and adhidaiva actions, which the conditioned soul in the mode of ignorance cannot see. The adhibhUta manifestation entails repetitions of births and deaths with old age and diseases, the adhyAtma manifestation conditions the spirit soul, and the adhidaiva manifestation is the controlling system. These are the material manifestations of cause and effect and the sense of responsibility of the conditioned actors. They are, after all, manifestations of the conditioned state, and the human being's freedom from such a conditioned state is the highest perfectional attainment. SB 2.5.25 - From the darkness of false ego, the first of the five elements, namely the sky, is generated. Its subtle form is the quality of sound, exactly as the seer is in relationship with the seen. PURPORT The five elements, namely sky, air, fire, water and earth, are all but different qualities of the darkness of false ego. This means that the false ego in the sum total form of mahat-tattva is generated from the marginal potency of the Lord, and due to this false ego of lording it over the material creation, ingredients are generated for the false enjoyment of the living being. The living being is practically the dominating factor over the material elements as the enjoyer, though the background is the Supreme Lord. Factually, save and except the Lord, no one can be called the enjoyer, but the living entity falsely desires to become the enjoyer. This is the origin of false ego. When the bewildered living being desires this, the shadow elements are generated by the will of the Lord, and the living entities are allowed to run after them as after a phantasmagoria. SB 3.27.17 - SrI DevahUti inquired: My dear brAhmaNa, does material nature ever give release to the spirit soul? Since one is attracted to the other eternally, how is their separation possible? PURPORT DevahUti, the mother of Kapiladeva, here makes her first inquiry. Although one may understand that spirit soul and matter are different, their actual separation is not possible, either by philosophical speculation or by proper understanding. The spirit soul is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, and matter is the external potency of the Lord. The two eternal potencies have somehow or other been combined, and since it is so difficult to separate one from the other, how is it possible for the individual soul to become liberated? By practical experience one can see that when the soul is separated from the body, the body has no real existence, and when the body is separated from the soul one cannot perceive the existence of the soul. As long as the soul and the body are combined, we can understand that there is life. But when they are separated, there is no manifested existence of the body or the soul. This question asked by DevahUti of Kapiladeva is more or less impelled by the philosophy of voidism. The voidists say that consciousness is a product of a combination of matter and that as soon as the consciousness is gone, the material combination dissolves, and therefore there is ultimately nothing but voidness. This absence of consciousness is called nirvANa in MAyAvAda philosophy. SB 4.28.53p - "O scion of Bharata [Arjuna], O conqueror of the foe, all living entities are born into delusion, overcome by the dualities of desire and hate." This is an explanation of how the living entity falls down into this material world. In the spiritual world there is no duality, nor is there hate. The Supreme Personality of Godhead expands Himself into many. In order to enjoy bliss more and more, the Supreme Lord expands Himself in different categories. As mentioned in the VarAha PurANa, He expands Himself in viSNu-tattva (the svAMza expansion) and in His marginal potency (the vibhinnAMza, or the living entity). These expanded living entities are innumerable, just as the minute molecules of sunshine are innumerable expansions of the sun. The vibhinnAMza expansions, the marginal potencies of the Lord, are the living entities. When the living entities desire to enjoy themselves, they develop a consciousness of duality and come to hate the service of the Lord. In this way the living entities fall into the material world. SB 4.31.13p - The living entity is the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord, although there is factually no difference between the energy and the energetic.

So this life is meant for brahma-jijJAsA. This life, this human life, is meant for brahma-jijJAsA. Other jijJAsA, inquiries, that is in the cats and dogs and hogs and crows and everywhere. So don't be bothering. "If I don't bother, then how shall I eat?" No, that people generally says, that "Everyone becomes KRSNa conscious, how we shall eat? How things will go on?" Now, we are KRSNa conscious, practical example. Are we not eating? Are we not sleeping? What business is stopped? We have no business; we simply beg. There is no certainty that "Tomorrow I shall go there. I'll get this money." There is no certainty. We do not know. We are eating in the morning. We do not know whether there will be food in the evening. If KRSNa gives, then we can eat. You know it very well. We have no business. We are not professional men. We are not going to the market for what is bao.(?) Ke bao haya?(?) So are you not eating? We are eating. Not only eating, we have got hundred and two branches, and every branch there are at least one hundred men. They're all eating. Why? Because we know, "KRSNa will give us. KRSNa giving food to the ants, to the elephant. Why not to His servant? We have no..." If you have got this confidence, then... The zAstra says, tasyaiva hetoH prayateta kovidaH. You should simply try for perfection of life, brahma-jijJAsA. AthAto brahma jijJAsA. JanmAdy asya yataH [sB 1.1.1]. This is the only... JIvasya tattva-jijJAsA. This is the only business. "What I am?" The answer is ahaM brahmAsmi, so 'ham, "I am same, Brahman.So then, what is my relation with the Parabrahman?" JijJAsuH zreya uttamam. Now, when there is question of jijJAsA, brahma-jijJAsA, then we inquire from a person who knows. Therefore it is said that tasmAd guruM prapadyeta jijJAsuH zreya uttamam: [sB 11.3.21] "If you are actually interested in inquiring about Brahman, then you must go to guru who knows Brahman." TasmAd guruM prapadyeta. You cannot understand Brahman realization alone. Therefore, according to VaiSNava philosophy, Adau gurvAzrayam. The first business is to take shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. If you want... Not only brahma-jijJAsA--any. You must go to the perfect person who knows things. If you wandering on some street you do not know, you ask somebody, "Where shall I go? In this way or that way?" So this is natural. So about Brahman, jijJAsuH... Brahma-jijJAsA means... That is not ordinary jijJAsA. It is called uttamam. Uttamam means transcendental to this material world, which is full of darkness, ignorance. That is called ut. Ud-gata tama yasmAd iti uttama. There is no more darkness, simply light. If you, at night, you inquire about something, then it is very difficult. But if you go in the daytime... And at night if you got up on your roof and want to see where is Bombay or where is Santa Cruz, it is very difficult. But daytime, you can see. Similarly, uttamam. You must go out of this darkness, come to the light, and then you will see. <B>So that light is given by guru. AjJAna-timirAndhasya jJAnAJjana-zalAkayA. That light is given not by bringing one torchlight, but jJAnAJjana-zalAkayA, the light of knowledge. The light of... JJAnAJjana-zalAkayA. CakSur unmIlitaM yena tasmai zrI-gurave namaH. Guru's business is to give you light by knowledge. Then you understand. TasmAd guruM prapadyeta jijJAsuH zreya uttamam [sB 11.3.21]. How the jJAna, knowledge, light is given? SAbde pare ca niSNAtaM brahmaNy upazamAzrayam. This is the guru's system, guru's symptom, what is guru. SAbde pare ca niSNAtam. He has completely assimilated the Vedic essence of life. That is called guru. And what is zabda? SAstra, or Vedas. Sruti-zAstra. Sruti means Veda, knowledge. Veda means knowledge. Or knowledge is received through ear, by hearing. That is real knowledge. Not by experimental knowledge. You cannot understand which is beyond your sense perception by experiment. Just like you cannot understand who is your father by experimental knowledge: "Let me make experiment and find out who is my father." That is not possible. Because it is beyond your experience. Your father was existing when you were not existing. Then how you can understand by experimental knowledge? The authority is mother. Therefore Vedic knowledge is the mother; the PurANas are the sisters. They are explained like that. You should understand from the Vedas what is the ultimate knowledge. And KRSNa says, vedaiz ca sarvair aham eva vedyaH: [bg. 15.15] the ultimate knowable objective is KRSNa. </b> So simply by understanding KRSNa... Kasmin tu bhagavo vijJAte sarvam idaM vijJAtaM bhavati. If you can simply understand KRSNa, then you understand everything. You haven't got to understand separately KRSNa's enlightenment. TeSAm aham... What is that verse? SamuddhartA. KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA, teSAm evAnukampArtham aham ajJAna-jaM tamaH nAzayAmy Atma-bhAva-stho jJAna-dIpena bhAsvatA [bg. 10.11] If you actually come in contact with KRSNa, and KRSNa is within your heart... KRSNa is not far away. KRSNa is everywhere. But He's still nearer. He is within your heart. IzvaraH sarva... So if you become attached to KRSNa... When KRSNa sees now you are attached to KRSNa, then hRdy antaH-stho hy abhadrANi vidhunoti suhRt satAm. He is friend of the devotees. He's friend of everyone, but a special friend of the devotees. SuhRt satAm. Therefore you have to become a devotee. Therefore it is said, na yujyamAnayA bhaktyA. BhaktyA means devotee. Who, who performs devotional service unless he's a devotee? KRSNa says in the Bhagavad-gItA, bhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti [bg. 18.55]. So if we become devotee, if we take to devotional service, then KRSNa says, teSAm evAnukampArtham [bg. 10.11], for special favor. Special favor. What is that? TeSAm evAnukampArtham aham ajJAna-jaM tamaH nAzayAmi. KRSNa says, "I kill all kinds of ignorance." So simply this qualification required, that you become perfect devotee of KRSNa. Then you perfectly become jJAnI. JJAna is there. Simply it is covered by the curtain of ignorance. Just like in darkness. Everything is there. The light is there, everything is there. But as soon as it is dark, we cannot see where the things are there. So KRSNa says that anyone can understand Himself, anyone can understand KRSNa and the relationship, provided the darkness of ignorance is taken away. That is required. That is done by KRSNa personally. For whom? TeSAm evAnukampArtham [bg. 10.11]. TeSAM satata-yuktAnAM bhajatAM prIti-pUrvakam. Those who are engaged twenty-four hours with love and faith in devotional service. TeSAM satata-yuktAnAM bhajatAM prIti-pUrvakam, dadAmi buddhi-yogaM tam. The buddhi-yogam. He directs, "Do like this, do like that." Then... What for buddhi? Yena mAm upayAnti te. Then, gradually, you come to KRSNa, back to home, back to Godhead. Therefore it is recommended here, na yujyamAnayA bhaktyA bhagavaty akhilAtmani, sadRzo 'sti zivaH panthA. Siva means auspicious. Siva means auspiciousness. So if you actually interested for self-realization, if you want to become perfect in this life, zivaH panthA, the most auspicious, most perfect panthA is... What is that? Now, bhaktyA bhagavati. You just become a devotee and engage yourself in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Not the so-called rascal BhagavAn, but bhagavaty akhilAtman. One, the..., that BhagavAn who is present everywhere. That BhagavAn. Not this false bhagavAn. AkhilAtmani. These are the shastric injunction. So that BhagavAn... "I don't find that BhagavAn." No. That BhagavAn is within your heart. IzvaraH sarva-bhUtAnAm [bg. 18.61]. That is real BhagavAn. So as soon... Tene brahma hRdA Adi-kavaye. That BhagavAn is always acting. He instructed BrahmA. BrahmA, the lord of the universe, he got instruction from KRSNa, and he created the whole universe, and what to speak of you? He'll also give instruction to you, provided you take to the devotional service, bhaktyA. BhaktyA mAm abhijAnAti [bg. 18.55]. Thank you very much. (end)

SvetAzvatara UpaniSad 6.23 [cited: SrImad-BhAgavatam 7.7.17] oM ajJAna-timirAndhasya jJAnAJjana-zalAkayA cakSur unmIlitaM yena tasmai zrI-gurave namaH ‘‘I offer my respectful obeisances unto my spiritual master, who, with the torchlight of knowledge has opened my eyes, which were blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

http://pdftohtml.spiritofanime.com/pdf2html.php?url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/15_09_06_pope.pdf

The only thing worse than a crazed zealot, is a stupid crazed zealot.

buddhi-yogam — real intelligence [<a href=http://vedabase.net/bg/10/10/en target=new>BG 10.10-11</a>] Manna - our daily manna from God

a = 2, b= 3; therefore c = 36733.

http://vedabase.net/bs/5/23/en

No. No. You are neither Hindu, nor Terrence. I saw you yesterday in the Kingdom of God. Your name is Shaambhaava . You are dreaming now, Shaam. Wake up from your nightmare.