gHari

Yes, the conspiracy that proves all the conspiracy theories. Heaven help us now. The onslaught has begun.

The following question and answer are taken from "Vedic Cosmography and Astronomy" by Dr. Richard L. Thompson (SadApUta dasa) which was published in 1989 by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (used with permission). SadApUta dasa is a founding member of the Bhaktivedanta Institute, the scientific branch of ISKCON. [From Chapter Eight - Questions and Answers] Q: Using radar and lasers, scientists have recently obtained very accurate estimates of the earth-moon distance. This distance is about 238,000 miles. How do you reconcile this with Vedic calculations? A: According to sUrya-siddhAnta [see footnote], the distance from the earth globe to the moon is about 258,000 miles. This is in reasonable agreement with the modern value. Footnote: Several times in the Caitanya-caritAmRta, Srila Prabhupada refers to the sUrya-siddhAnta which was spoken by a messenger from the sun-god, sUrya, at the end of the last Satya-yuga. It was translated into Bengali by Srila BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI. In the Caitanya-caritAmRta (Adi 1.3.8p), Prabhupada writes: These calculations are given in the authentic astronomy book known as the sUrya-siddhAnta. This book was compiled by the great professor of astronomy and mathematics Bimal Prasad Datta, later known as BhaktisiddhAnta SarasvatI GosvAmi, who was our merciful spiritual master. He was honored with the title SiddhAnta SarasvatI for writing sUrya-siddhAnta, and the title GosvAmi MahArAja was added when he accepted sannyAsa, the renounced order of life. When we consider that the Bhagavatam says that the moon is 100,000 yojanas above the rays of the sun can we really think the moon is 800,000 miles farther than the sun, in light of that 'authentic astronomy' book sUrya-siddhAnta? Above quotes from http://geocities.com/caitanyamahaprabhu/moonthing7.htm

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Sirona, You ask "Can you give me good reasons not to?" Yes, an infinite number. Krsna is God. All other religions are impotent watered-down versions of Srila Prabhupada. Our sincerity will blossom under Prabhupada's love, while it will just wither amongst the insincerity of all other show-bottle exploiters of the world. Social nonsense aside, if you really want God and perfection in your life, then there is no other way practically in this age. Krsna, Caitanya, Prabhupada are for everyone; the King, the cop, the deaf, the dumb, everyone, anyone, in any unique or average worldly situation can perfect their love for God and revel in their only one true possession, their eternal relationship with Sri Krsna. That is rather to the point and not very diplomatic, but it is the truth of this world. We cannot compare Prabhupada in the same breath to any other phenomenon. Your happiness will demonstrate the fallacy that "women are child bearers" and "women are not like men". It really has precious little to do with what's happening around you or what chariot you are riding in. It's simply about heart - cleansing the heart and developing all-consuming sincere desire to have Krsna. Living reality brings Reality to us; let the illusions fall away as they may. Wishing you all success with Sri Krsna, gHari

No one really wants to know me. Sometimes when they're obviously perturbed that the party is pooped I leave them with the Indian saying: "Never make friends with an elephant trainer unless you have room in your living room for an elephant". But yes, silence and solitude are heavenly compared to the exploiters tearing at your every second.

I just tell them I'm into God - the One on whose existence everything rests. Attempting to reveal the essence of life and religion through generic wisdom, I try to help Christians become better Christians, Muslims become better Muslims, and Swaminarayans become better vaisnavas. I don't seem to encounter Jewish people anymore.

Someone? tried to say that because maha maya was not present the jiva could not forget, but then how could the jiva forget in the brahmajyoti if indeed mahamaya is not there either? The logic that you have to be in maya before you can forget was therefore not valid. First forget, then maya comes. It is we who are at fault, not maya or any other agent outside our self.

<center>Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29.71 supti-mUrcchopatApeSu prANAyana-vighAtataH nehate 'ham iti jJAnaM mRtyu-prajvArayor api </center> supti--in deep sleep; mUrccha--fainting; upatApeSu--or in great shock; prANa-ayana--of the movement of the life air; vighAtataH--from prevention; na--not; Ihate--thinks of; aham--I; iti--thus; jJAnam--knowledge; mRtyu--while dying; prajvArayoH--or during high fever; api--also. When the living entity is in deep sleep, when he faints, when there is some great shock on account of severe loss, at the time of death, or when the body temperature is very high, the movement of the life air is arrested. At that time the living entity loses knowledge of identifying the body with the self. PURPORT Foolish people deny the existence of the soul, but it is a fact that when we sleep we forget the identity of the material body and when we awake we forget the identity of the subtle body. In other words, while sleeping we forget the activities of the gross body, and when active in the gross body we forget the activities of sleeping. Actually both states--sleeping and waking--are creations of the illusory energy. The living entity actually has no connection with either the activities of sleep or the activities of the so-called wakened state. When a person is in deep sleep or when he has fainted, he forgets his gross body. Similarly, under chloroform or some other anesthetic, the living entity forgets his gross body and does not feel pain or pleasure during a surgical operation. Similarly, when a man is suddenly shocked by some great loss, he forgets his identification with the gross body. At the time of death, when the temperature of the body rises to 107 degrees, the living entity falls into a coma and is unable to identify his gross body. In such cases, the life air that moves within the body is choked up, and the living entity forgets his identification with the gross body. Because of our ignorance of the spiritual body, of which we have no experience, we do not know of the activities of the spiritual body, and in ignorance we jump from one false platform to another. We act sometimes in relation to the gross body and sometimes in relation to the subtle body. If, by KRSNa's grace, we act in our spiritual body, we can transcend both the gross and subtle bodies. In other words, we can gradually train ourselves to act in terms of the spiritual body. As stated in the NArada-paJcarAtra, hRSIkeNa hRSIkeza-sevanaM bhaktir ucyate: [Cc. Madhya 19.170] devotional service means engaging the spiritual body and spiritual senses in the service of the Lord. When we are engaged in such activities, the actions and reactions of the gross and subtle bodies cease. Bhagavad-gita 15.7 purport [..] It is clear, however, in this verse, that the conditioned soul is covered by the material body, with the mind and the senses, and when he is liberated this material covering perishes, but his spiritual body manifests itself in its individual capacity. The following information is there in the MAdhyandinAyana-zruti: sa vA eSa brahma-niSTha idaM zarIraM martyam atisRjya brahmAbhisampadya brahmaNA pazyati brahmaNA zRNoti brahmaNaivedaM sarvam anubhavati. It is stated here that when a living entity gives up this material embodiment and enters into the spiritual world, he revives his spiritual body, and in his spiritual body he can see the Supreme Personality of Godhead face to face. He can hear and speak to Him face to face, and he can understand the Supreme Personality as He is. Excerpt from RAja-VidyA (King of Knowledge) Chapter 6 In the very beginning of Bhagavad-gItA, in the Second Chapter, KRSNa explains that what we accept as birth and death is due to the body, and as soon as we regain our spiritual body and get out of the contamination of birth and death, we should be qualitatively as good as KRSNa. That is the whole process of KRSNa consciousness--the revival of our original sac-cid-Ananda spiritual body. That body is eternal (sat), full of knowledge (cit), and blissful (Ananda).

Words like never, eternally, forever are often taken for granted, as though we can really comprehend their meanings. Let us divide 100 billion by infinity. That is how long our current conditioned life has lasted as compared to eternity. We will live forever. We are unborn. Yet somehow in the middle of forever we find ourselves here ... but this will never ever happen again throughout all of the rest of forever. What are the odds?! Infinity to one? I have to assume that when Srila Prabhupada says it is round and it is triangular, that he is describing a cone ---- not that he is playing games with my head. I have to assume that when Srila Bhaktivinoda talks of a big fish swimming from one side of a river to the other, that indeed it can swim back like any normal fish can. When he says that the water on the shore sometimes covers the edge and sometimes withdraws that he means forever the shoreline will swell and withdraw. Mathematically it just makes more sense. It is certainly no proof, but perhaps it is reason to look at the definition of 'never' as applied in eternity. Psychologically I too would like to be free forever, but somehow I don't feel I can ever be as pure as Sri Krsna, that I can be so pure that I will never ever daydream there throughout all of forever. Who can be so qualified?

GOING BACK TO SOMEWHERE WE COULDN'T LEAVE IN THE FIRST PLACE MORE PARADOX Going 'back home' is found 721 times in the Vedabase. Here is a sampling: SB 2.2.21 akuNTha--back home, back to Godhead; ..... Herein akuNTha-dRSTiH is mentioned. AkuNTha and vaikuNTha convey the same import, and only one who has his aim fixed upon that spiritual world and personal association with the Godhead can give up his material connections even while living in the material world. This param and the paraM dhAma mentioned in several places in the Bhagavad-gItA are one and the same thing. One who goes to the paraM dhAma does not return to the material world. This freedom is not possible even by reaching the topmost loka of the material world. SB 1.4.12p Therefore the king's interest is to guide all subjects back to the kingdom of God. Hence the activities of the citizens should be so coordinated that they can at the end go back home, back to Godhead. SB 1.12.27p Devotional service to the Lord, while existing in the material world, is a way to practice one's transcendental relation with the Lord, and when it is matured, one gets completely free from all material attachment and becomes competent to go back home, back to Godhead. SB 1.15.41p All is manifested by the temporary embodiment of the material body, which is a production of the mind at the time of death, and if the mind is purified by practice of transcendental loving service to the Lord and is constantly engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, there is no more chance of the mind's producing another material body after death. It will be freed from absorption in material contamination. The pure soul will be able to return home, back to Godhead. SB 1.15.32 Upon hearing of Lord KRSNa's returning to His abode, and upon understanding the end of the Yadu dynasty's earthly manifestation, MahArAja YudhiSThira decided to go back home, back to Godhead. SB 1.15.50p Similarly, at the end of life, when one has to go back home, back to Godhead, everyone has to take care of himself without help rendered by another. SB 2.1.1p For instance, in the Bhagavad-gItA it is stated that simply by understanding the transcendental nature of Lord KRSNa's appearance, disappearance, and activities, one can immediately return home, back to Godhead, and never come back to this miserable condition of material existence. It is very auspicious, therefore, to hear always about KRSNa. SB 2.2.2p The real happiness is in the kingdom of God, where no one has to undergo the pangs of material existence. Therefore, the Vedic ways of fruitive activities for the living entities are misleading. One thinks of a superior way of life in this country or that, or on this planet or another, but nowhere in the material world can he fulfill his real desire of life, namely eternal life, full intelligence and complete bliss. Indirectly, SrIla Sukadeva GosvAmI affirms that MahArAja ParIkSit, in the last stage of life, should not desire to transfer himself to the so-called heavenly planets, but should prepare himself for going back home, back to Godhead. SB 2.7.30p Whoever knows the superhuman activities of the Lord, due to their very transcendental nature, becomes eligible to enter the kingdom of KRSNa, and as such, after quitting this present material body, the knower of the transcendental activities of the Lord goes back home, back to Godhead. "Back to Godhead" appears 2,907 times in the Vedabase. .

I very much doubt you know where I stand on jiva tattva. Simply more arrogance.

"There is not even a trace of maha maya in Goloka, therefore, no room for envy or forgetfulness of Krsna (even while dreaming.)" Ooops, there's that nonsense supposition again. Ain't no maya in Brahmajyoti either. Why not pick a number, Guest, that we may know which Guest you are. It's so impersonal otherwise. And you are our friend - aren't you? BTW, the anger simply comes across as arrogance. Be not attached to either side of the paradox, for neither may be totally correct without the other - like bheda and abheda.

Hayagriva dasa: "For Aquinas, [...] the living entity has to acquire an individual form in order to actualize himself. When matter unites with form, the form gives individuality and personality" This is why Srila Prabhupada spoke about 'form' - as it relates to the soul; not necessarily forms in general. Therefore he responded "Matter in itself has no form; it is the spirit soul that has form". It is not the body that has a soul; it is the soul that has a body.

How perfect do we have to be to get into Vaikuntha permanently? If not absolutely perfect, then do we lose our independence or does Krsna complete our perfection somehow? Did we ever figure out what happens to the body and service of a manjari who comes to act as guru?

Yesterday’s announcement by Reuters that it has withdrawn all the pictures taken by Adnan Hajj (one of its stringers in Lebanon), following his use of Photoshop to manipulate two images, has meant all of us need to understand the processes by which these pictures are obtained and used. I asked the BBC News website's picture editor, Phil Coomes, to explain some of the background to the images we can easily take for granted. "At the BBC News website we rely on a number of international news agencies to provide us with the majority of our still images. Trusted and well established names such as the Associated Press and Agence France Press sit beside new players in the game such as Getty News Images. "All of these companies have their own staff photographers who work alongside local freelancers around the world - forwarding their pictures to an editor who will then send it on to their rs. "At the BBC we receive over 5,000 pictures per day on the picture wire service; ten years ago it would have been less than 500. News websites need vast quantities of pictures and often in real-time - the days of a photographer providing the one defining image for a newspaper front page are long gone. "All the pictures we use are checked for any obvious editing - the easiest to spot being cloning of parts of the image (which appeared to be what happened in this example). "Today a photographer working in the field is under more pressure than ever, especially in a combat zone. He or she no longer has to just take the pictures, not to mention ensure they are in the right place to begin with, but they also have to edit, caption and transmit them. "For this and other reasons photographers often work together, so at any major event you will usually have a number of sources to compare against each other - giving a good indication as to the basic truth of the picture. "The Qana pictures are interesting, in that there are many ways to interpret the images. The basic truth is undeniable, but with so many photographers all shooting the same event, and filing many alternative pictures to their agencies, the sequence of events is hard to pin down. "To some extent the presence of a camera will alter the event, but it’s up to those on the ground to work around this and present us with an objective a view as possible. "Digital photography has altered the landscape of photojournalism like nothing before it, placing the photographers in total control of their output. All the news agencies have photo ethics policies, many of which are rooted in the days of film. The standard line is that photographers are allowed to use photo manipulation to reproduce that which they could do in the darkroom with conventional film. "This usually means, colour balance, ' dodging and burning', cropping, touching up any marks from dust on the sensor and perhaps a little sharpening. If we are honest though, an accomplished darkroom technician could do almost anything and there are many historical examples of people being airbrushed from pictures. "All this sounds fine until you look at the reality - one man’s colour balancing is another's grounds for dismissal. "By definition a photograph is a crop of reality, it’s what the photojournalist feels is important. But it doesn't equate to the whole truth, and perhaps we just need to accept that." UPDATE (from Steve Herrmann): I should have said at the start - we didn't use the Reuters picture on the BBC News website. But we have had some emails about another picture we used yesterday of a Lebanese woman in front of damaged buildings. We got the picture from AP and it was dated last Saturday but a reader pointed out it bore a resemblance to another picture - which we hadn't run - attributed to Reuters and dating from July. It wasn't the same image, but conceivably could have been the same place and time. We weren't in a position to get to the bottom of this immediately ourselves so we decided to update the picture with a different, more recent image. But not before it was picked up by at least one blog.

My gut feel remains: if it feels like HOME, then it is.

I got it off-line from the Vedabase offering from Bhaktivedanta Archives. http://www.vedabase.com

Hee Haw!

Puru, it's the rest of the BTG you quoted. It is in the Vedabase (the Historical section).

Jesus is American. So is God.

Those quotes are from "The Quest for Enlightenment" (new compilation 1998) The Quest for Enlightenment [Articles from Back to Godhead magazine] His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupAda Introduction Sanskrit words have become part of our everyday speech. For example, almost no one would need to crack a dictionary to understand such phrases as "media guru,political pundit," or "bad karma." Another Sanskrit word that has established itself in the mainstream of our language is "dharma." Fans of Beat-generation writer Jack Kerouac might recall his novel Dharma Bums, and in 1997 American television viewers saw the debut of a popular sitcom with a flighty new-age heroine named Dharma. But what is dharma, really? If we consult the teachings of the sages of ancient India, we find there are two main meanings-nature and duty. Let's first consider nature. Everything has its particular nature, a unique and essential quality that defines its existence. In this sense we can say that the dharma of sugar is its sweetness, or the dharma of water is its ability to quench our thirst with its pure taste. Each of us has an essential nature, too, and if we live in harmony with our essential nature, or dharma, we feel deeply satisfied. But as human beings, what is our dharma? According to the timeless wisdom of the Vedas, our dharma is a characteristic not of our body but of our soul-the spark of divine consciousness within. Each of us has this spark within. It emanates from the Supreme Soul, KRSNa, who may be likened to a cosmic fire, the source of all the divine sparks that are our very selves. And the dharma of each spark of divine consciousness is to dance in harmony around the central fire, KRSNa, the original supreme personality. We are all unique, individual, and personal manifestations of KRSNa, but our dharma is to recognize our source, to celebrate our eternal connection with Him through loving service. In short, our dharma, as eternally conscious selves, is to love and serve KRSNa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In material consciousness we lose sight of our real nature. We forget our source and connection with KRSNa. And our original dharma of selfless service to Him transforms into the false dharma of competitive selfishness. Because we lose touch with our true dharma, we experience frustration and dissatisfaction. Dharma: The Way of Transcendence guides us back to our true nature, our original position as loving servants of KRSNa. Another meaning of dharma is "duty." In the latter part of the twentieth century we've experimented with the abandonment of a sense of duty and responsibility in favor of an ethic of self-gratification-"If it feels good, do it!" But now many of us are sensing that the experiment has failed. People are feeling that they've lost their moral bearings amidst a chaotic sea of hedonism. Duty is once again in favor. But duty to whom, and for what? We can answer these questions only by understanding the other part of dharma-our essential characteristic. If our essential characteristic is to render loving service to KRSNa, then our primary duty is to focus our attention on awakening this loving service, or bhakti, in ourselves and helping others achieve the same goal. Dharma can give us the insight and inspiritation we need. In this book, India's greatest spiritual ambassador to the world, His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupAda, takes us to the very heart of dharma, exploring its meaning in his penetrating commentary on an ancient Sanskrit book called the SrImad-BhAgavatam, renowned as the ripe fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge. In the portion of the SrImad-BhAgavatam Srila PrabhupAda comments on here, the great sage SUta Goswami concisely answers questions on dharma posed to him by an assembly of sages in the sacred NaimiSAranya Forest (in present-day northern India). There is nothing more important than understanding our dharma. This book thus stands as an enduring literary landmark for humanity as we move forward toward the new challenges and opportunities of the twenty-first century.

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8n devanägaré vande ’haà çré-guroù çré-yuta-pada-kamalaà çré-gurün vaiñëaväàç ca çré-rüpam sägrajätaà saha-gaëa-raghunäthänvitaà taà sa-jévam sädvaitaà sävadhütaà parijana-sahitaà kåñëa-caitanya-devaà çré-rädhä-kåñëa-pädän saha-gaëa-lalitä-çré-viçäkhänvitäàç ca The man having forgotten himself as the son of Godhead, has forsaken his real constitutional nature. He has misidentified himself with everything non-godly and therefore manipulates a material existence conducted by the mind and the six instrumental senses. He is concerned only with his material coverings of gross body and the subtle mind but cannot see either himself or his so-called numerous fellowmen. This is what we mean by Nescience which is darkness. The man having designated himself with the relation of his vehicular body and the finer elements of mind and ego etc., like the motor-car driver who has identified himself wrongly with the motor-car itself, has manufactured a civilization which is self contradictory and self denial. His so-called rationality having not gone far above the rationality of the lower animals, he laments at the death of his fellowmen or at the loss of his own things which he has never witnessed by real experience. This is what we mean by Nescience which is darkness. He slightly feels only and that after the death of his fellowmen that the body loses something that moves it just like the driver moves the motor-car, but still due to the darkness of Nescience he never concerns himself with the driver of the body but takes care superficially only for the body or the mechanical car. In the darkness of Nescience he is fully amazed with mechanism of the gross body just like a boy who is amazed with mechanism of the motor-car, but he hardly tries to understand that without a driver any amount of astounding mechanical arrangement of the motor-car or that of the human body, it cannot move either of them even by an inch. This is what we mean by Nescience which is darkness. The defect of the present day civilization is just like the above. This is actually the civilization of Nescience or illusion and has, therefore, civilization been turned into militarization. Every one is fully concerned with the comforts of the body and everything related with the body and no body is concerned with the Spirit that moves the body although even a boy can realise that the motor-car mechanism has little value if there is no driver of the car. This dangerous ignorance of humanity is a gross Nescience and has created a dangerous civilization in the form of militarization. This militarization which, in softer language, is nationalization, is an external barrier to come to an understanding of human relation. There is no meaning in a fight where the parties do fight only for the matter of different coloured dresses. There must be therefore an understanding of human relation without any consideration of the bodily designation or coloured dresses. "BACK TO GODHEAD" is a feeble attempt by the undersigned under the direction of His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada, the celebrated founder and organiser of the Gaudiya Math activities—just to bring up a real relation of humanity with central relation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That there is a great and urgent need of a literature like this is keenly felt by the leaders of all countries and the following statements will help much in the procedure. Some time back a bold statement by the Metropolitan of India in the form of Moral and Spiritual Re-armament movement, was published in the Hindusthan Standard, in which the reverend Bishop declared that "INDIA GUIDED BY GOD CAN LEAD THE WORLD BACK TO SANITY." The President of the United States of America in a message to the Senate stated that "the underlying strength of the world consists in the moral fibre of citizens. A programme therefore of moral re-armament for the world cannot fail, to lessen the dangers of armed conflict. Such moral re-armament, to be most highly effective, must receive support on a world wide basis." The Ex-president of the United States of America Mr. Herbert Hoover sent a message in a citizen's meeting in New York which included the following words. "What the world needs today is to return to sanity and moral spiritual ideals. At the present moment, nothing so concerns mankind." Some 236 members of the British House of Commons jointly affirmed that spiritual principles which are common heritage of all people, are more fundamental than any political or economic issue. They also strongly affirmed that there is urgent need to acknowledge the sovereign authority of God in home and nation to establish that liberty which rests on the Christian responsibility to all one's fellowmen and to build a national life based on usefulness, unity and faith. Sir Stafford Cripps the Lord Privy Seal of Britain in a meeting of Christians sometimes in the month of September 1942, said that the Kingdom of God would be accomplished through the Divine Power of love and he declared that "the tasks before us are, first so to conduct ourselves as individual Christian that in spite of the difficulties of our surroundings, we may work towards the establishment of the Kingdom of God throughout our country and the world and second, so to influence and change our social-economic and political environments as to encourage both ourselves and others to take to the Christian way of life." The horrors of the war are pinching every one and all in the world and a statement of Mr. Windel Wilkie after his return from Russia, will tell the story of all other countries in the world. He stated that "Five million Russians have been killed, wounded or missing. At least sixty million Russians are slaves in the Russian territories controlled by Hitler. Food in Russia this winter will be scarce, perhaps worse than scarce. Fuel will be little known this winter in millions of Russian homes. Clothing except for the army and for essential war workers has nearly gone. Many vital medical supplies just do not exist." What is true for the Russian people is also true for other people, as we Indians are feeling the same scarcity, the same want and the same disgust. The disgust of the war is well summarized by the Foreign Secretary of Britain Mr. Anthony Eden who said that "this time we have to finish the job properly. We will not tolerate this business every twenty years. When the job is finished we must see that they cannot start it again. That is the will of the nation and the united nation." The Archbishop of Canterbury in his recent broadcast in London said, "In every quarter of earth men long to be delivered from the curse of War and to find in a world which has regained its peace, respite from the harshness and bitterness of the world they have known till now. But so often they want the Kingdom of Heaven without its King. The kingdom of God without God. And they cannot have it." "OUR RESOLVE MUST BE BACK TO GOD. We make plans for the future for peace amongst the nation and for civil security at home. That is quite right enough and it would be wrong to neglect it. But all our plans will come to ship-wreck on the rock of human selfishness unless we turn to God. BACK TO GOD, that is the chief need of England and of every nation." And lately Sir Francis Younghusband while speaking at World Congress of Faiths said that, "that now religion is everywhere attacked brutally, we, look to India the very home of religion for a sign." Sir Francis pleaded that India, by her example might show the world how religion can be the most potent of all uniting forces in the conduct of human affairs." Sir Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan the great Hindu philosopher addressing a crowded public meeting in Calcutta recently, observed: "At a time like this when there is poverty, malnutrition of body and mind, when many people do not know what it is to have a cooked meal, or to lie on soft bed, when millions of homes turn into homes of hunger and prisoners of poverty, religious men will have to address themselves to the task of removing them." "Today the world was noisier, more controversial and violent. There was more hope and more uncertainty, more aspirations and more frustration. And the years that intervened (from the last war) showed the bankruptcy of any spiritual value. The Versailles Treaty, the League of Nations, and the Disarmament Conference failed because they had not the back ground of public opinion to sustain them. This war, when it would be won, would prove to be the breeding ground of other wars if the peace was not saved. It could happen only if powerful nations ceased to take pride and glory in their possessions which were based on labour and tribute of other weaker nations. This perhaps was what Sir Harcourt Butler meant when he said that the principles of Hinduism contained the essential elements for the saving of world civilizations." In another meeting the same philosopher pointed out, "We have to defeat tyranny in the realm of thought and create a will for world peace. Instruments for training the mind and educating human nature should be used to develop a proper social outlook without which institutional machinery was of little use." These psychological movements of the leaders of all countries—combined with the orders of my Divine Master Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada has led me to venture to start a paper under the above name and style "BACK TO GODHEAD" which implies all the words that we may intend to say in this connection. India has been politically subjugated so to say for the last one thousand years but very few have been able to exploit her spiritual resources up till now which are measured unlimited by the spiritual masters. Politically India may ask all so-called foreigners to quit the shores of India but spiritually she did never ask any body to do so nor she will do so even now. She will rather invite all the so-called foreigners to come and exploit the spiritual resources of India's advancement and this transcendental exploitation will not only enhance the glory of India but will also enrich the glory of the whole world for unity, faith and humanity. It may not be out of place to mention herein that His Divine Grace Sri Srimad Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswaty Goswami Prabhupada, just before his departure from this mortal world, wrote me a letter from Puri dated the 3rd December, 1936 directing me towards my duty in fulfilling His mission in the world for propagating the religion of Divine Love as propounded by Lord Chaitanya. In course of writing that letter, He wrote the following lines amongst other things. "I am fully confident that you can explain in English our thoughts and arguments to the people who are not conversant with the languages of other members." "This will do much good to yourself as well as your audience." "I have every hope that you can turn yourself a very good English preacher if you serve the mission to inculcate the novel impression to the people in general and philosophers of modern age and religiosity." And when I was consulting my well wishers and friends who are able to help me in this great adventure, all of them encouraged me in this connection. His Grace Sripad Bhakti Saranga Goswami Moharaj the Preacher-in-charge for the Western countries appointed by His Divine Grace who has recently returned from London preaching work to his headquarter, very kindly sent his blessing from Sri Nityananda Gaudiya Math in his letter dated the 15-3-43 in the following words amongst other things:— "I know that His Divine Grace used to admire your intelligence and it was His earnest desire that the world outside be benefitted through your writings in English." Under the circumstances since 1936 up to now, I was simply speculating whether I shall venture this difficult task and that without any means and capacity; but as none has discouraged me including late Prof. Nishikanto Sanyal and Spd. Vasudev Prabhu (now Puri Moharaj), I have now taken courage to take up the work. Late Prof. Sanyal used to encourage me always by publishing my articles in his "Harmonist" and sometime back he wanted to give me the charge of the paper which I could not accept due to personal considerations. But at the present moment my conscience is dictating me to take up the work although the difficulties are not over for the present situation arising out of War conditions. I wish that every one who is enlightened and educated of all nationality, may take active interest in this periodical publication for wide circulation as this paper will contain only the transcendental messages of the great savants of India and specially of Lord Chaitanya, the Godhead Incarnate Who descended for the deliverance of all fallen souls in the present age. My duty will be simply to repeat in the "BACK TO GODHEAD" just like an interpreter what I have heard from and what I have been ordered to deliver by my great spiritual master H.D.G. Bhakti Siddhanta Saraswati Goswami Prabhupada. Nothing will be manufactured by me by my mental concoction. Such words will descend as Sound Transcendental and when they are given proper serving reception by the aural channel, surely they will act like medicine to carry all back to home and "BACK TO GODHEAD." It is proposed that at least part by part issues of this literature shall be published every year and the subscription is fixed up at Rs. 6/- per annum in India or fifteen shillings per annum abroad. The writers of this paper will be mostly those who have dedicated their lives, resources, intelligence and speeches for the service of the Absolute Personality of Godhead and for the welfare of all entities. The readers will therefore derive the highest amount of benefit by their association if they will simply sacrifice a little time for the service of Godhead as will be directed in this paper from time to time. Surely they will go back to Godhead and the present rotten world will be transformed into the Kingdom of God as they will learn to acknowledge the sovereign authority of God in home and outside. The subject matters delineated in the pages of "Back to Godhead" may seem to be very dry in the beginning as the messages are from a different sphere altogether but still we have to give attention to the messages if we really mean to cure the disease of Nescience and go "BACK TO GODHEAD." Sugar-candy is never sweet to those who are suffering from the disease of the bile. But still sugar-candy is the medicine for bilious patients. The taste of sugar-candy will gradually be revived if the bilious patient goes on taking sugar-candy regularly for the cure of the disease. We recommend the same process to the readers of "Back to Godhead." Godhead is One without a second and all living entities are His eternal subordinate transcendental servitors. Realisation of this transcendental relation, will be the attempt of this paper and therefore there is no bar for any one in the world irrespective of colour, creed and nationality, to go back to Godhead. Abhay Charan De, Editor and Founder. Godhead and His Potentialities In the Padmapuranam the Absolute Truth is compared with the Fire. As the Fire illuminates by diffusion of its rays, although it is situated in one place, so also the Absolute Truth, although situated far beyond the reach of our imperfect vision, is omnipresent in all directions by distribution of His varied energies. These energies or potentialities of the Absolute Truth, are innumerable and immeasurable in quantity and quality but primarily all of them can be grouped into three principal divisions under the following headings, viz., (1) Internal Potency or "Chit Potency" (2) Marginal Potency or "Tatastha Potency" (3) External Potency or "Maya Potency" The Absolute Truth is omnipresent everywhere and anywhere represented by all these potencies by a transcendental process which is inconceivable by any mental speculation. As the fire expands its heat as its natural potentiality, so also the Absolute Truth, call Him the Impersonal "Brahman", Localised Aspect of Godhead "Paramatman" or the Personality of Godhead "Bhagwan"—in all such manifestations, He manifests His different potentialities in respect of creation, destruction and maintenance of the universe or the entities within the universe. These are quite natural to Him as the heat is to the fire. The Material Nature as we try to explain by our imperfect mental speculation, is only the External Nature or External Potency of the Absolute Truth whereas the living entities represented by different species of Spirit embodied, which are eighty four lacs of varieties—are but innumerable manifestations of His Marginal Potency as separate individual portions. The actions of the Internal Potency technically called the Chit potency, is almost similar to the activities of the External Potency technically known as "Maya" or illusion. The difference between "Chit" potency and the "Maya Potency" is of quality and quantity. The manifestations of the "Maya" potency by creation of the innumerable universes like one as we can see presently, is said to be one-fourth quantity (portion) of the whole creation. The creation of the "Chit" potency is three-fourth of the whole creation and is the Kingdom of God or technically called "Baikuntha". Herein lies the difference in quantity of "Maya" and "Chit" Potencies. The other difference is one of the quality namely the creation of the "Chit" potency is non-destructible and eternal while the creation of the Maya Potency is destructible and temporary technically called the material Nature.(1) The former is real while the latter is unreal or shadow. The one is light(2) while the latter is darkness. In the darkness one cannot find out what he wants. And in the material nature also one cannot find what he searches out throughout the whole span of his life. From the darkness one however can make out a guess for the light and from the shadow one can make out an idea of the origin. The real is technically known as Transcendence or Noumenon as opposed to the shadow technically called the mundane or phenomenon. But all the same we must not misunderstand them as one and the same as sometimes it is wrongly interpreted by imperfect speculation. Thus lies the qualitative difference between the "Chit" and the "Maya" potencies. The creations of the marginal potency technically called the "Tatastha" Potency—are the numberless individual living souls trying to lord it over the Material Potency (Maya). The difference between the "Chit" Potency and the "Tatastha" potency is one of quantity only but almost not of quality as opposed to the difference with the "Maya" potency both in quality and in quantity. In other words quantitatively there is much difference between the "Chit" and the "Tatastha" potencies but qualitatively there is almost no difference.(3) Therefore "Tatastha" potency is in all respects superior to the "Maya" potency in relation with the "Chit" Potency. We can see therefore a perpetual endeavour on the part of the living souls to lord it over the material nature or "Maya".(4) The living entities therefore being one with the Transcendence in quality, are also indestructible and eternal. This fact is elaborately corroborated in the Geeta as follows (Bg. 11) "The soul or the spirit of the living entity is never born nor does it ever die. It was never created in the past nor it is created at present neither it shall be created in the future.(5) That is the soul is transcendental to physical time, represented by Past, Present and the Future. The spirit is therefore unborn, indestructible, eternal, the oldest but always fresh, it is never put to annihilation even after the destruction of the body and the mind." "Thus one who knows the soul to be non-destructible and eternal—can he ever kill any other soul or does he order to kill others." "Transmigration of the soul from one body to the other after the destruction of the body, is just like one's changing an old garment for a new one. The non-destructible soul simply changes its material body but is never killed or put to death as we generally misunderstand." "No weapon can penetrate the soul, no fire can burn it, no water can moisten it and no air can dry it up." "The soul is impenetrable, incombustible, incapable of being moistened or dried up. It is permanent, constant, immovable and eternal." "The soul is declared to be incomprehensible, invisible, immeasurable and knowing the soul to be so, one has nothing to lament for, Oh Mighty armed." The living entity is therefore permanently related with the "Chit" potency as opposed to its temporary relation with the material nature or the "Maya" potency. His relation with the material nature is casual and the cause for such accidental relation is the forgetfulness of his real nature. The living entities are just like sparks of the fire (the fire being compared with The Absolute Truth) or the molecules of the rays of the Sun (the Sun being compared with The Absolute Truth). Qualitatively there is no difference between the fire and its sparks or the Sun and its molecules of rays but quantitatively there is a gulf of difference between them. The living entity therefore when he forgets his real nature as one with the "Chit" potency and identifies himself as one of the creations of the material nature or the "Maya" potency by his tendency of forgetfulness—is as a matter of consequence, put into the various material afflictions represented by the threefold miseries of material existence. These threefold miseries are:— (a) Misery pertaining to the material body and the mind such as perceptions of cold and heat and conceptions of distress and happiness. (b) Misery pertaining to the awards of other living entities such as an attack by the enemies, bites by the animals etc. © Misery pertaining to the controlling powers of gods such as occurrences of earthquakes, famines, wars, pestilence etc. A temporary relievement from one of the above threefold miseries is known to us as happiness (?). Negation of distresses is undoubtedly called happiness but all happinesses in the material nature, are adjusted by the "Maya" potency and as such all such happinesses are conditional as much as they again await the onslaught of another distress. In the material nature, all so-called happinesses or the so-called distresses are of temporary nature. As such temporary happinesses cannot satisfy the living entity, the latter's nature being one with the "Chit" potency i.e., non-destructible and permanent. The tendency of the living entities, is therefore a hankering after eternal happiness and non-destructible existence. The entire activities of living beings are directed towards this end. But as they are under the conditions created by the 'Maya' Potency which is itself destructible and temporary, the desire for a happiness of permanent nature, remains ever unfulfilled in the Material Nature. The exodus of the residents of Calcutta to other places out of fear of being raided by the Japanese bombs, is due to the same tendency of non-destructible existence. But those who are thus going away, do not remember that even after going away from Calcutta saved from the raids of the Japanese bombs, they are unable to protect their bodies as non-destructible at any part of the material universe, when the same bodies will be raided by the bombs of material nature in the forms above threefold miseries. The Japanese also who are threatening the Calcutta people with ruthless air-raids for increasing their own happiness by possession of lands—do not know that their happiness is also temporary and destructible as they have repeated experience in their own fatherland. The living beings, on the other hand, who are designed to be killed, are by nature eternal, impenetrable, invisible etc. So all those living entities who are threatened to be killed as well as those who are threatening to conquer are all alike in the grip of the "Maya" potency(6) and are therefore in the darkness. The Hindu conception of the Goddess "Kalika Devi" is the symbolised representation of the darker manifestation of the Absolute Truth and in that darkness—destruction, annihilation, death and miseries are the only concomitant factors as we can observe in the grim—Figure of the Goddess "Kalika Devi" in an attitude, always threatening with destruction. Leaders of materialistic civilization take shelter in this darker Aspect of the Absolute Truth or the Goddess of darkness in order to dissipate the present and temporary distresses without knowing that darkness cannot be removed by an unscientific handling of the darkness itself but it can be removed only by the scientific handling of the Light only. Without light any amount of speculation of the human mind (which is also a creation of the material nature) can never restore the living entities to permanent happiness. In that darkness any method of bringing peace in the world which will stand eternally, be it nonviolent or violent, can bring only temporary relief or distress as we can see all creations of the External Potency. In the darkness non-violence is as much useless as violence while in the light there is no need of violence as much as of non-violence. Without entering into the details of these, we may take it for granted that fear of being destroyed and killed is an outcome of our association with material nature while in reality we are one with the transcendence. As such we have nothing to fear nor to be destroyed. The body is destructible but the spirit is not. The living entity in the darkness of the Absolute Truth, wrongly identifies with the material nature or "Maya" and concludes himself to be destructible. This causes his fear of being destroyed while actually he is not to be so. Forgetfulness of the Almighty Father is the cause of such misidentification. Intelligent persons therefore should approach to the bonafide spiritual master and accepting him to be nondifferent with the Lord, will devote himself cent per cent in the transcendental service of the Lord. <B>This is what we mean by going "Back To Godhead."</B> Forgetfulness of the transcendental loving service of the "Chit Potency" of the Personality of Godhead Sree Krishna, is the cause of fall-down of the living entities. Reinstallation of the relation of the "Chit" Potency shall therefore be the ultimate goal of human life. If the living entity therefore somehow or other comes in touch with a bonafide saint and scriptures and thus becomes eager for revival of his lost relation of the "Chit" potency, he can then only be liberated from the clutches of the "Maya" potency and then only all creation of the material nature appears to him as insignificant, temporary and illusion. At this state of being related with the internal potency of the Absolute Truth, THE LIVING ENTITY DOES NOT HANKER AFTER UNNECESSARY ACCUMULATION OF MATERIAL WEALTH FOR UTILISING THEM IN THE SERVICE OF THE EXTERNAL POTENCY NAMELY "MAYA" FOR DESTRUCTION AND DARKNESS; nor does he lament for any so-called material loss. He looks at that time on all other entities in a spiritual light, as one and the same, covered only in different material encagement of different names under the influence of "Maya." The beginning of such spiritual existence thus ushered forth by the Divine Grace—makes the liberated soul turn towards the transcendental loving service of the Personality of Godhead under the influence of His "Chit" Potency in place of his (soul's) engagement in the temporary service of the "Maya" potency as above-mentioned. This fact is corroborated in the Bhagwat Geeta by Lord Sree Krishna as follows:— "One who is situated in the Transcendence and is fixed up in his mind, he is always untroubled and does not rejoice by attainment of what is desirable nor does he lament by attaining what is undesirable." (Geeta 5.19.) "Unsurmountable are the ways by which one can get rid of the 'Maya' potency with her threefold modes, but one who surrenders unto Me (Sree Krishna) he only can get rid of the clutches of 'Maya.'" (Geeta 7.14.) When the living entity becomes overwhelmed in the engagement of his service of the "Maya" potency, he forgets altogether his divine relation with the Godhead. This horrible state of life is technically called the Asurik i.e., the life of a demon. The name of demon as we often hear in different scriptures, does not mean any horrible figure of extraordinary dimension as the artist generally paint by imagination, but demon is a man who is godless.(7) Description of such godless man is given in detail in the sixteenth chapter of the Bhagwat Geeta. A godless man does not know what shall he do and what he shall not. He is mostly unbeliever in the teachings of the different scriptures and is generally atheist by nature. In his opinion, religion is superfluous and an unnecessary engagement and as such he attacks religion specially in the most brutal manner. He does not follow any injunction of the scriptures but commits all kinds of sins which he could not have done by following the order of scriptures. He follows his own path and does not accept any authority. In his opinion there is no cause of the creation of the universe except a desire of passion, as a child is born by the passion of a man and a woman. He does not find therefore any design behind the creation of the universe, and thus says that there is no Creator whatsoever. The universe is a product of Nature's fortuitous course and there is no ultimate controller of Nature. He finds every day that matter is unable to take any initiative out of its own will and thus the world is produced by a chance assembly of atoms and so forth. Without any fear of the Authority therefore, he finds it easier to preach his own way of thinking that there is no God at all. He says that every one can manufacture his own religion and thus the process of religiosity so sublime and so divine becomes a subject for his recreation. He preaches that there should be as many religions as there are men on the surface of the globe and there is no necessity of accepting the fact that God is one and religion is one. In the opinion of a godless man, conception of Godhead is the product of Devil's workshop in the idle brain. God is manufactured by designing brain of the professional class (?) and thus everyone and anyone can manufacture his own God and follow his own way of religiosity for so-called salvation. Thus concluding the godless man in demonic propensity, engages himself in the service of the "Maya" potency for the destruction of the world. Devoid of spiritual knowledge, he is less intelligent and works out foolish designs out of his foolish brain, in order to create trouble in the world. He considers himself over intelligent and by his over intellectual method he brings disaster on the tranquility of the world peace. He becomes a leader of similar less intelligent persons and leads them also towards destruction like a blind man leads another blind man to get themselves both fallen in the ditches. The motive power for such unlawful leadership is nothing but an unquenchable thirst for power, desire for domination and unconquerable passion. This is hankering for recognition and drunkenness of power. Moved by such unholy passions he starts all sorts of agitation for the fulfillment of his manufactured ideals of world leadership. And thus proceeding on his onward march, he is met with another demon of the like nature and thus a clash begins between the rival demons. Both of them being godless, the "Maya" potency of Godhead takes them to task, like the demon "Mohisasur" The Goddess engages such demons in fighting with one another until they are individually or collectively vanquished by their own unholy engagements. She engages them just like a school teacher engages naughty boys in the business of pulling each other's ears by each of them. The demons are thus punished in their vain search out for recognition by the "Maya" potency. The godless man is always overwhelmed with material thoughts of unlimited measure. He not only thinks for his own sense-gratification but for the sense-gratification of his family, society, country, nation and so on and that not only for one decade but also for all the time to come after his death. He does not, however, understand that after his own death he has to change all the details of his calibre. Ignorantly situated, thus he accumulates wealth for the respective welfare works by committing all kinds of sins. For such welfare works he does not hesitate to do harm to others in respect of his own self, family, society, country or nation. Thus he becomes an ill-conceived leader of his family, society or nation in order to satisfy an unquenchable desire for self-gratification without knowing the modes of nature by whom he is engaged in such unholy task up to the destruction of the creation and without caring for the Supreme Authority Who is competent and able to take care of all families, societies, countries or nations without any distinction of caste, creed and colour.(8) The godless man is bound up with many hopes based on self gratification and anger and for the satisfaction of his such unholy desires, he continues to accumulate worldly riches and powers by all possible means. The godless man thinks like this. "I have got this thing today and thus my mind is satisfied for the present. I have got so much and in the near future this shall be increased again and again. I have killed my that enemy and my other enemies shall be killed in due course. There is no God (?) and if there is any God at all, He is my order-supplier or it is I. (?) I am therefore Godhead (?) enjoyer, perfect, powerful and happy etc. I am recognised by all men on the earth and who is there who can be my rival in so many respects? I shall therefore hoard up wealth for the benefit of me and my men." Thus he becomes more and more overwhelmed with the darkness of the Goddess "Kalika Devi" or the "Maya" potency in order to perpetuate his life of darkness until the end of creation. The godless man also sometimes poses himself as a pseudo religious man. He engages his men and money with pride and vanity in the so-called spiritual activities or religious ceremonies. By such performances he wants to demonstrate the grandeur of his wrongly accumulated wealth in order to be recognised as a great devotee of God (?) not for the sake of Godhead (as he does not believe in the existence of Him) but for the sake of his kinsmen, friends, flatterers dictated by a false sense of respectability and aristocracy. Such godless man however, envies the All-pervading Godhead situated along with him as also with other living entities. He thus makes unlawful animal sacrifices and if any saintly man advises him not to commit such sinful acts, he casts aspersions on such saintly persons propelled by his ill-acquired self sufficiency, power, pride, passion and anger, etc. Such hellish godless persons are gradually forced to go down and down in the domain of darkness and in the kingdom of demons, so that perpetually they may suffer the pangs of the threefold miseries as above mentioned by the unfailing stroke of the trident in the hands of the "Maya" potency. In other words such people are themselves responsible for gliding down to such a horrible state of life without any hope of deliverance from the clutches of Nescience. But the All-merciful Personality of Godhead is so kind to us that He has sent forth through His authorised agents scriptures like the Vedas and the Puranas. These transcendental sounds when admitted by aural reception in a submissive mood by any man in the world, he can realise Godhead in the form of Scriptures and Saints and then only he comes to his senses that it is Godhead or His authorised agents only that can deliver him from all miseries and no one else. Therefore the highest form of philanthropic or altruistic service that a man can render to his fellow brethren—is the propagation of transcendental service of the Personality of Godhead by awakening the spiritual sense of all sleeping men caught hold of by the grip of the "Maya" Potency. The easiest method for reviving such spiritual sense in the heart of all fallen souls, was taught by Lord Chaitanya who took compassion with the fallen souls of the present age, as congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Godhead. He saw that fallen souls of the present age are always engaged in a habit of quarrelling with one another in the fields of sociology, politics, economics, philosophy and religion and as such they have no hope of deliverance by the practice of good works, cultivating spiritual knowledge or by means of performing costly sacrifices. He therefore inaugurated the movement of the transcendental "Samkirtan" or congregational chanting of the Names of Godhead. This process of reviving the sense of spirituality in human society is the most potent and universal form of religion in which everyone can take part irrespective of caste, creed and colour distinctions. It is assured by the Lord that by this method only one will be able to attain to all spiritual perfections. So everyone must help in the propagation of such transcendental movement for the supreme benefit of mankind nay all living entities. Amongst the innumerable transcendental Names of the Godhead, Lord Chaitanya has prescribed the following sixteen words composed of thirty-two Sanskrit letters,—as the most potent sounds in the "Kali" age. As uttered by the Lord Himself—men may take advantage of repeating the following transcendental sounds every day in an assembly of family members both male and female at least once in every evening or at any time conveniently for his own as well as other's benefit without any grudge. The sixteen words run as follows:— Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare (1) "But above this visible nature there exists another transcendental nature which is unseen but eternal and which does not perish even when all other created things of material nature perish." (Bg. 8.20). (2) Description of the Mundak Upanishad (3.9.10). (3) This part is well explained by Lord Chaitanya in His doctrine of "Achinata Vedaveda" i.e., simultaneously one and different. (4) "Living entities are My parts and parcels and they are eternal. But they are undergoing prisoner's life bound up by the material nature of mind and the six senses." (Bg. 15.7) (5) It is futile attempt therefore to produce life-substance in the laboratory of scientists. (6) All works are entirely done under the influence of the modes of Nature (Maya) and the living entity bewildered by false vanity thinks that he is the performer. (Bg. 3.27) (7) Vishnubhakta vabet daiva asura tad viparjaya. (8) "Those men who devoutly seek refuge unto Me (Sree Krishna the Godhead) and always think of Me without a pause of a second, I personally carry their necessities of life." (Bg. 9.12) Theosophy Ends in Vaishnavism

Can you quote the referenced verses from the Vachanamritam?

In Bhagavad-gita 9.17, God tells Arjuna that He is OM: pitAham asya jagato mAtA dhAtA pitAmahaH vedyaM pavitram oMkAra Rk sAma yajur eva ca pitA--father; aham--I; asya--of this; jagataH--universe; mAtA--mother; dhAtA--supporter; pitAmahaH--grandfather; vedyam--what is to be known; pavitram--that which purifies; oM-kAra--the syllable oM; Rk--the Rg Veda; sAma--the SAma Veda; yajuH--the Yajur Veda; eva--certainly; ca--and. I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oM. I am also the Rg, the SAma and the Yajur Vedas. PURPORT The entire cosmic manifestations, moving and nonmoving, are manifested by different activities of KRSNa's energy. In the material existence we create different relationships with different living entities who are nothing but KRSNa's marginal energy; under the creation of prakRti some of them appear as our father, mother, grandfather, creator, etc., but actually they are parts and parcels of KRSNa. As such, these living entities who appear to be our father, mother, etc., are nothing but KRSNa. In this verse the word dhAtA means "creator." Not only are our father and mother parts and parcels of KRSNa, but the creator, grandmother and grandfather, etc., are also KRSNa. Actually any living entity, being part and parcel of KRSNa, is KRSNa. All the Vedas, therefore, aim only toward KRSNa. Whatever we want to know through the Vedas is but a progressive step toward understanding KRSNa. That subject matter which helps us purify our constitutional position is especially KRSNa. Similarly, the living entity who is inquisitive to understand all Vedic principles is also part and parcel of KRSNa and as such is also KRSNa. In all the Vedic mantras the word oM, called praNava, is a transcendental sound vibration and is also KRSNa. And because in all the hymns of the four Vedas--SAma, Yajur, Rg and Atharva--the praNava, or oMkAra, is very prominent, it is understood to be KRSNa. MORE: http://vedabase.net/o/om