Beggar

or: I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, whose transcendental form is full of bliss, truth, substantiality and is thus full of the most dazzling splendor. Each of the limbs of that transcendental figure possesses in Himself, the full-fledged functions of all the organs, and eternally sees, maintains and manifests the infinite universes, both spiritual and mundane.

"The Mayavadis say that the world created by maya is false, and that actually there is no living entity but only one spiritual effulgence. They further say that God is imaginary, that people think of God only because of ignorance, and that when the Supreme Absolute Truth is befooled by the external energy, maya, He becomes a jiva, or living entity. Upon hearing all these nonsensical ideas from the nondevotee, a devotee is greatly afflicted, as if his heart and soul were broken." Bhaktivedanta Purport Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya lila 2:99 ...Such persons do not accept the philosophies of the Vaisnava acaryas, which are known as suddhadvaita (purified monism), suddha-dvaita (purified dualism), visistadvaita (specific monism), dvaitadvaita (monism and dualism) and acintya-bhedabheda (inconceivable oneness and difference). Mayavadis do not discuss these philosophies, for they are firmly convinced of their own philosophy of kevaladvaita, exclusive monism. Accepting this system of philosophy as the pure understanding of the Vedanta-sutra, they believe that Krsna has a body made of material elements and that the activities of loving service to Krsna are sentimentality. They are known as Mayavadis because according to their opinion Krsna has a body made of maya, and the loving service of the Lord executed by devotees is also maya. They consider such devotional service to be an aspect of fruitive activities (karma-kanda). According to their view, bhakti consists of mental speculation or sometimes meditation. This is the difference between the Mayavadi and Vaisnava philosophies." Bhaktivedanta Purport Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi lila 7:101

Bhakti BHAKTI YOGA By O.B.L. Kapoor Bhakti cannot be easily defined, because it is transcendental. Sandilya describes it as intense loving attachment to God (paranuraktirisvare). Rupa Goswami describes it as harmonious pursuit of Krishna, unenveloped by jnana and karma and uninterrupted by the desire for anything else. Narada describes it as indescribable love of God and the most sublime of all human experiences, on attaining which man craves for nothing else. He is maddened with joy and delights in his own self. He always swims in the ocean of nectar and is not drawn to the enjoyments, either of this world or the next, which are to him like the turbid waters of a muddy pool. BHAKTI IS THE FUNCTION OF THE HLADHINI SHAKTI These descriptions, however, give us only a general idea of the character of bhakti. They do not tell us what it exactly is. No one before Jiva Goswami told us what it was. It was he, who for the first time defined it as the function (vrrti) of the Hladini Shakti of Bhagavan, the shakti that causes bliss. Bhagavan places it in the hearts of His devotees, so that they may be entranced as well as He. How do we know that Bhakti is the shakti of Bhagavan, not jiva? Sruti says that Bhagavan is eternally unmanifest (avyakta). No one can see Him without the help of His own shakti. Only he can see or know Him, whom He Himself chooses – yamevaisa vrnute tena esa labhya (Mundaka Sruti .3.2.3.). At the same time the Sruti says that hakti alone takes the jiva to Bhagavan, bhakti alone enables him to see Him – bhaktireva enam nayati, bhaktireva enam darsayati (Mathara Sruti). This makes it clear that bhakti is the shakti of Bhagavan. BHAKTI IMPLIES SELFLESS LOVING SERVICE OF BHAGAVAN Bhakti implies service. Selfless loving service of the lord is the essence of bhakti. Though the devotee serves the lord for the pleasure of the lord, pleasure comes to him automatically. Such is the very nature of bhakti. But if the devotees attitude of bhakti is tainted in the slightest degree with concealed desire for his own pleasure, he is deprived to that extent of the supreme delight that comes from suddha of pure bhakti. He condemns even pleasure that automatically comes to the devotee from an act of service, if in any manner it causes obstruction to service.It is regrettable that the idea of service is not properly understood and appreciated by those, who find it difficult to reconcile it with their ego. They think that the path of bhakti is meant exclusively for persons, who are intellectually weak and temperamentally submissive. They cannot understand that in the spiritual world, where love reigns supreme, to serve is to love and to love is to rule. In love self-sacrifice is self-realization ands self-effacement is self-fulfilment. In love there is reciprocity. Each member of the relationship of love feels deficient without the other, each wants to draw close to the other and to win the other by love and service. The lord being the other member in the relationship of love in bhakti, He feels deficient without His devotee. He draws Himself close to him to realize Himself more fully through love and service to Him. He derives greater pleasure in being controlled by His devotee than in lording it over him. http://premaprayojana.blogspot.com/

1968: "O son of Pritha, anyone who will take shelter in Mewhether a woman, or a merchant, or born in a low family, can yet approach the Supreme Destination" 1972: "O son of Prtha, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaisyas (merchants) and sudras (workers) – can attain the supreme destination."

Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's Bhagavad Gita As It Is , especially the introduction or a presentation along those lines, the first several cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam with its philosophical exlplanations (including the autobiography of Sri Narada) and the stories of the great devotees in later cantos like Dhruva Maharaja, Praladha Maharaja, Bharata Maharaja (including Jada Bharata) Abhirisa Maharaja, the story of Ajamila. Parts of Gaura lila which show the glories of the Holy Name, like the different narrations of the life of Hari das Thakur and the parts of Caitanya Caritamrta where Mahaprabhu defeats impersonalism like his talks with Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and Prakasananda Saraswati. The first half of Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur where the basic siddhanta of Gaudiya Vaisnavism are presented.

Not necessarily. Certainly in Srimad Bhagavatm 1.1.1 we are told that the lord is independent but the autocracy of the Lord in the conception as told by Srila Sridhar Maharaj in the early 1980's may be a bit more advanced. That's Srila Sridhar Maharaj quoting Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur that the Lord can destroy the existence of the jiva. Would one tell someone this who is not even convinced of the eternality of the soul as Krsna explains in the Bhagavad Gita? So it's really not the ABC's or maybe it's the ABC's of full-fledged theism. But full-fledged theism is taught or presented in installments. Here is another example of gradation. Srila Prabhupada says (I'm being lazy and not quoting) if one does not think that they can go back to Godhead at the end of this life then they cannot make any advancement. But that implies that should desire to go back to Godhead. Then the next installment is that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed by example and taught that a Vaisnava does not want liberation but rather eternal sevice to the Lord. There are different levels of truths in Krsna Consciousness. In their own practice one must be true to their own level of attainment and be conscious of it. When preaching or explaining Krsna Consciousness one must be conscious of their own level and the level of the hearer or listerner (reader). Supposedly we are on the alert for imitation, but to ignore these principles or be unaware of them is definitely a slide down the slippery slope towards just that.

Divine service to who? Can it be interrupted or must it be constant? What if one engages in "seva" but harbors personal desires? What is the difference between divine service and what Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada calls "pure devotional service"? How would one define pure devotional service or divine service? If one has material senses how can one engage in divine (non-material) service. How does the chanting of the holy name of Krsna, the yuga dharma of this Age of Kali relate to divine service?

Your statement at first glance seems simple and straightforward but I think you need to go into more detail. Do you mean that nitya siddhas and nitya baddhas are the same? Do you mean that there is no such thing as shakti tattva? What is the meaning of guru tattva, rasa tattva, dhama tattva, siva tattva?

Here's a classic example of an argument lost in sematics. "He isn't bound by any rules or timetables". But what if He chooses to "bind" Himself to a rule or timetable? Can He do that? The answer is obvious. So what is the basis of the disagreement? Maybe over whether there can be an exception to the rule that Bhagavan comes at scheduled times as stated in sastra. Murali Mohan Prabhu, can you show from sastra an instance of when the Lord did not come at scheduled time? I don't believe that you can. So if I'm correct on this point, then where is the disagreement? I'm sure both parties accept the premise that the Lord is svarat or independent. But what is the relevance here? For instance one person could say that in Bhagavad Gita that Krsna says that the living entities are eternal. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur has stated one place (can't quote it here) that if Bhagavan desires then He can actually destroy the existence of the jiva. This illustrates the completely independent nature of His divine will. But what would be the reason to bring this up in a basic Bhagavad Gita class for beginners? Every thought or concept has its proper application. There different levels of understanding and from a didactic angle they can be called installments. For instance why should I tell a group of relative neophytes that "Vrndavana is for shallow thinkers" when they have not even digested the Vrndavana conception of Krsna to begin with? What will they get out of it except confusion? Overly stressing of one angle of vision - Angle G at the expense of another, angle B will not be a balanced approach, especially if such angles unfold progressively, that is ABCDEFG... The same thing is true about the topic of mercy. One may say that "everything depends on what type of sadhu we have connection with". But such a view must be tempered with a rather large - "on the other hand" explanation. Otherwise we will think that Mahaprabhu accepted the surrender of the kitten. The mother cat holds the kitten and therefore that kitten only depends on the mercy of the mother. But Mahaprabhu rejected this and accepted the example of the mother monkey and the baby monkey. The mother monkey holds the baby monkey when she runs, but if the baby monkey does not also hold on then he will fall. So Mahaprabhu accepted that some endeavor must come from the practitioner. Just like Mother Yasoda kept coming up two finger lengths short when she was attempting to bind Krsna. One finger represents mercy and the other represents our endeavor.

Madonna & Child

Krsna is shaktiman, or the energetic. Srimati Radharani is the "personfication of the internal energy". Sometimes it is said that "Radha and Krsna are one"; They are one as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. "Tata" the root of the word "tatastha" literally means the "place" where the sea and the shore come together, IOW the seashore. Where exactly the sea ends and the shore begins and visa versa is actually very subtle, but it is a place. You are trapped in a dualistic explanation, the jiva souls are both constantly being generated and eternal with neither a beginnning nor an end. This inconceivable, simultaneously one and different. The brahmajyoti is only impersonal in that the jivas there do not manifest their personhood of thinking, feeling and willing; but it is personal in the sense that it is the effulgence of the Lord. From that angle of vision we can understand that the origin of the jivas is not impersonal. The Vaisnavas only see the brahmajyoti as impersonal when it is put forth as the ultimate goal by "impersonal" philosopers otherwise Srimad Bhagavatam states, SB 1.2.11: Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramātmā or Bhagavān. S.B. 1.2.28-29 - Purport, These statements are outrageously apasiddhantic. Although through acintya bheda abheda philosophy we can can understand the oneness we can also understand the difference. In a way you are claiming that Srimati Radharani is purusha or a transcendental man, like Krsna. It also seems that you are stating that shakti tattva does not even exist. Who could take you seriously? You can't even properly represent your own position.Shakti tattva is the prameya or subject of the fourteenth chapter of Jaiva Dharma by Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. I don't think that you understand that you are arguing that Bhagavan or Krsna has no shakti because you seem to be saying that His shakti is only manifest in His Isvara form. This is the argument of the impersonalists and the mayavadis. I am not accusing you of this, but I don't believe that you are really thinking out what you are writing.

Madonna & Child

Each and every living entity is originally attached to a particular type of transcendental service because he is eternally the servitor of the Lord. Lord Caitanya says that the living entity is eternally a servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna. Therefore, every living entity has a particular type of service relationship with the Lord, eternally. This particular attachment is invoked by practice of regulative devotional service to the Lord, and thus the devotee becomes attached to the eternal form of the Lord, exactly like one who is already eternally attached. (3.9.11) TRANSLATION The Kumaras said: In the Vaikuntha world there is complete harmony between the residents and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, just as there is complete harmony within space between the big and the small skies. Why then is there a seed of fear in this field of harmony? These two persons are dressed like inhabitants of Vaikuntha, but wherefrom can their disharmony come into existence? (3.15.33) PURPORT The principle of creation is that the Supreme Lord, the Personality of Godhead, is by nature joyful, and He becomes many in order to enhance His transcendental joy. The living entities like ourselves, being part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, are meant to satisfy the senses of the Lord. Thus, whenever there is a discrepancy in that harmony, immediately the living entity is entrapped by maya, or illusion.., In the Vaikuntha world there is no disharmony between the Lord and the residents. Therefore God's creation in the Vaikuntha world is perfect. There is no cause of fear. The entire kingdom of God is such a completely harmonious unit that there is no possibility of enmity. Everything there is absolute. Just as there are many physiological constructions within the body yet they work in one order for the satisfaction of the stomach, and just as in a machine there are hundreds and thousands of parts yet they run in harmony to fulfill the function of the machine, in the Vaikuntha planets the Lord is perfect, and the inhabitants also perfectly engage in the service of the Lord. (3.15.33) From Vedic scriptures it is understood that sometimes even Brahma and Indra fall down, but a devotee in the transcendental abode of the Lord never falls. (3.15.48) After finishing their mock fighting, both the devotee and the Lord are again associated in the spiritual planets. That is very explicitly explained here. The conclusion is that no one falls from the spiritual world, or Vaikuntha planet, for it is the eternal abode. (3.16.26) This material world is not created for those who do not want to enjoy sense gratification, who constantly remain in transcendental loving service and who are eternally Krsna conscious. For them, the spiritual world is eternally existing, and they enjoy there. (3.21.20) Sometimes it is asked how the living entity falls down from the spiritual world to the material world. Here is the answer. Unless one is elevated to the Vaikuntha planets, directly in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is prone to fall down, either from the impersonal Brahman realization or from an ecstatic trance of meditation. (3.25.29) The pure status of consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, exists in the beginning; just after creation, consciousness is not polluted. The more one becomes materially contaminated, however, the more consciousness becomes obscured. In pure consciousness one can perceive a slight reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As in clear, unagitated water, free from impurities, one can see everything clearly, so in pure consciousness, or Krsna consciousness, one can see things as they are. One can see the reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and one can see his own existence as well. This state of consciousness is very pleasing, transparent and sober. In the beginning, consciousness is pure. (3.26.22) In the beginning, from clear consciousness, or the pure state of Krsna consciousness, the first contamination sprang up. This is called false ego, or identification of the body as self. The living entity exists in the natural state of Krsna consciousness, but he has marginal independence, and this allows him to forget Krsna. Originally, pure Krsna consciousness exists, but because of misuse of marginal independence there is a chance of forgetting Krsna… From the status of pure consciousness, the false ego is born because of misuse of independence. We cannot argue about why false ego arises from pure consciousness. Factually, there is always the chance that this will happen, and therefore one has to be very careful. (3.26.23-24) There are different kinds of individual living beings-some of them are in this material world, and some are in the spiritual world. Those who are in the spiritual world are known to be completely self-realized because on the spiritual platform the living entity is not forgetful of his service to the Lord. Therefore in the spiritual world all those who are in the devotional service of the Lord are eternally fixed, for they understand the position of the Supreme Being, as well as their individual constitution. (4.24.33) It is clearly explained that Lord Krsna has multi-energies, which can be grouped into three: namely the external energy, the internal energy and the marginal energy. There are also different cosmic manifestations-namely the spiritual world and the material world-as well as different types of living entities. Some living entities are conditioned, and others are eternally free. The eternally free living entities are called nitya-mukta, for they never come in contact with the material energy. However, some living entities are conditioned in this material world, and thus they think themselves separated from the Supreme Lord. (4.24.61) According to this explanation, one can clearly understand that originally the living entity was as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead in his pure, spiritual existence. However, when the mind becomes polluted by desires for sense gratification in the material world, the living entity drops into the material conditions, as explained in this verse. Thus he begins his material existence, which means that he transmigrates from one body to another and becomes more and more entangled in material existence. (4.29.75) This ordinary living being is of two kinds-nitya-baddha or nitya-mukta. One is eternally conditioned and the other eternally liberated. The eternally liberated living beings are in the Vaikuntha jagat, the spiritual world, and they never fall into the material world. Those in the material world are conditioned souls, nitya-baddha. The nitya-baddhas can become liberated by controlling the mind because the cause of conditioned life is the mind. (5.11.12) All the residents of Vaikunthaloka know perfectly well that their master is Narayana, or Krsna, and that they are all His servants. They are all self-realized souls who are nitya-mukta, everlastingly liberated. Although they could conceivably declare themselves Narayana or Visnu, they never do so; they always remain Krsna conscious and serve the Lord faithfully. Such is the atmosphere of Vaikunthaloka. (6.1.34-36) From authoritative sources it can be discerned that associates of Lord Visnu who descend from Vaikuntha do not actually fall. They come with the purpose of fulfilling the desire of the Lord, and their descent to this material world is comparable to that of the Lord. The Lord comes to this material world through the agency of His internal potency, and similarly, when a devotee or associate of the Lord descends to this material world, he does so through the action of the spiritual energy. Any pastime conducted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead is an arrangement by yogamaya, not mahamaya. Therefore it is to be understood that when Jaya and Vijaya descended to this material world, they came because there was something to be done for the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Otherwise it is a fact that no one falls from Vaikuntha. (7.1.35) The purport is that the personal associates of Lord Visnu in Vaikunthaloka are always liberated souls. Even if sometimes cursed or blessed, they are always liberated and never contaminated by the material modes of nature. Before their liberation to Vaikunthaloka they possessed material bodies, but once they come to Vaikuntha they no longer have them. Therefore even if the associates of Lord Visnu sometimes descend as if cursed, they are always liberated. (7.1.37) Those who successfully practice bhakti-yoga go directly to the spiritual world after giving up this present body, and there they become situated in one of the Vaikuntha planets. The inhabitants of Vrndavana are all pure devotees. Their destination after quitting the body is Krsnaloka. They even surpass the Vaikuntha-lokas. The fact is that those who are always engaged in Krsna consciousness and mature, pure devotional service are given the chance, after death, to gain Krsna’s association in one of the universes within the material world…The mature devotees, who have completely executed Krsna consciousness, are immediately transferred to the universe where Krsna is appearing. In that universe the devotees get their first opportunity to associate with Krsna personally and directly. (Krsna Book, Ch 28) The gopis who were gathered there had almost all been followers of the Vedas. In their previous births, during Lord Ramacandra’s advent, they had been Vedic scholars who desired the association of Lord Ramacandra in conjugal love. Ramacandra had given them the benediction that they would be present for the advent of Lord Krsna and He would fulfill their desires. During Krsna’s advent, the Vedic scholars took birth in the shape of the gopis in Vrndavana; as young gopis, they got the association of Krsna in fulfillment of their previous birth’s desire. (Krsna Book, Ch. 32) The gopi associates of Krsna who assembled in the place where Krsna was appearing were from different groups. Most of the gopis were eternal companions of Krsna. As stated in the Brahma-Samhita, ananda-cin-maya-rasa-pratibhavitabhis: in the spiritual world the associates of Krsna, especially the gopis, are manifestations of the pleasure potency of Lord Krsna. They are expansions of Srimati Radharani. But when Krsna exhibits His transcendental pastimes within the material world in some of the universes, not only the eternal associates of Krsna come but also those who are being promoted to that status from this material world. So some of the gopis who joined Krsna’s pastimes within this material world were coming from the status of ordinary human beings. If they had been bound by fruitive action, they were fully freed from the reaction of karma by constant meditation on Krsna…The conditioned soul is subjected to birth and death, either by pious or sinful activities, but the gopis who began to meditate on Krsna transcended both positions and became purified and thus elevated to the status of the gopis already expanded by His pleasure potency. (Krsna Book, Ch. 29) Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur has written on the nature of jiva as follows: "Before acquiring material designations, the living entity is supremely pure. Even though he is not engaged in serving the Supreme Lord, he remains situated in the neutral position of santa-rasa due to his marginal nature. Though the living entity born from the marginal potency does not at that time exhibit a taste for serving the Lord due to a lack of knowledge of self-realization, his direct propensity of serving the Supreme Lord nevertheless remains within him in a dormant state. Though the indirect propensity of material enjoyment, which is contrary to the service of the Lord, is not found in him at that time, indifference to the service of Hari and the seed of material enjoyment, which follows that state of indifference, are nevertheless present within him. The living entity, who belongs to the marginal potency, cannot remain indifferent forever by subduing both devotional and non-devotional propensities. He therefore contemplates unconstitutional activities from his marginal position. As a sleeping person dreams that he is active in the physical world without actually being involved in activities, when the dormant indifferent living entity of the marginal potency exhibits even a little apathy to the service of the Supreme Lord and situates himself in a neutral, unchanging condition for even a little time, he is infected by impersonalism. That is why the conditioned soul desires to merge in the impersonal Brahman, thus exhibiting his mind's fickle nature. But due to neglecting the eternal service of the Lord and thereby developing the quality of aversion to the Lord, he cannot remain fixed in that position. In this way aversion to the Lord breaks his concentration of mind and establishes him as the master of this world of enjoyment. (From 'Brahmana & Vaisnava')

Judge For Yourself -- Srila Prabhupada on the Jiva Issue BY: SUNANDA DAS (ACBSP) Jan 13, NEW YORK (SUN) — As we all know, Srila Prabhupada said everything is in his books. We also know he said his books would be the lawbooks for mankind for the next 10,000 years. We also know that in any forum of discussion, at least in ISKCON, his books, including legal documents for specific purposes, rate as the highest level of authority concerning the siddhanta of our disciplic succession, with lectures, letters and conversations following suit in that order. Over the last three years I have re-read the entire Srimad Bhagavatam, including Krsna Book, with particular attention to seeing what Srila Prabhupada, in his purports, had to say about the fall of the jiva, one way or the other. And, while many of the quotes below are familiar to those who have studied this topic, many may be new. However, when read as a whole, they take on a form of their own, one confirming the other in an almost check and balance fashion that impresses the reader with an undeniable impression of the truth in this matter. And although some of the quotes could be interpreted either way on their own, when read in conjunction with the others, the need for interpretation, and all misunderstanding disappears. A transcendental light comes on in your head that clears away the ignorance. I too, as a new devotee, was taught that we fell from the abode of the Lord and our particular inherent rasa with him due to envy. For years I never questioned that. I also understood that it really didn’t matter how I got here, the point was to get out. So I never thought much about it. I just followed orders and worked hard for Srila Prabhupada and Krsna. I can’t complain about that. They were the best days of my life. But there comes a point in your devotional life where it’s really important and helpful to understand the nuances of our disciplic siddhanta in detail. Without a clear understanding we might find ourselves preaching incorrectly and that would certainly be a disservice. And with all the deviations of various sorts going on nowadays it seems even more important that we need to have a solid grasp of the conclusions of our siddhanta as well as the instructions of Srila Prabhupada. The quotes below are in chronological order starting with the First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam and represent everything that I could find related to the issue. For all practical purposes, no stone was left unturned. There are quite a few so sit back, relax and read to your heart’s content. The concluding quote is taken from Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati’s article, “Brahmana and Vaishnava”. It speaks for itself. So His expansions of various forms which take place via the internal energies are superior forms, whereas the expansions which take place via the external energies are inferior forms. The living entities are also His expansions. The living entities who are expanded by His internal potency are eternally liberated persons, whereas those who are expanded in terms of the material energies are eternally conditioned souls. (1.2.28-29) As we have discussed several times, there are two types of living entities. Most of them are ever liberated, or nitya-muktas, while some of them are ever conditioned. The ever-conditioned souls are apt to develop a mentality of lording over the material nature, and therefore the material cosmic creation is manifested to give the ever-conditioned souls two kinds of facilities. (1.10.22) The destination of the devotee (the bhagavata) is to enter into one of the Vaikuntha planets, in each of which the Personality of Godhead, in His unlimited personal expansions, enjoys Himself in the association of unlimited numbers of pure devotee associates. The conditioned souls in the material world, after gaining emancipation by devotional service, are promoted to these planets. But the number of ever-liberated souls is far, far greater than the number of conditioned souls in the material world, and the ever-liberated souls in the Vaikuntha planets never care to visit this miserable material world. (2.2.31) Such planets, being spiritual, are in fact transcendental to the material modes; therefore they are constituted in the mode of unalloyed goodness only. The conception of spiritual bliss (brahmananda) is fully present in those planets. Each of them is eternal, indestructible and free from all kinds of inebrieties experienced in the material world. Each of them is self-illuminating and more powerfully dazzling than (if we can imagine) the total sunshine of millions of mundane suns. The inhabitants of those planets are liberated from birth, death, old age and diseases and have full knowledge of everything; they are all godly and free from all sorts of material hankerings. They have nothing to do there except to render transcendental loving service to the Supreme Lord Narayana, who is the predominating Deity of such Vaikuntha planets…The Lord and His eternal servitors in the transcendental kingdom all have eternal forms which are auspicious, infallible, spiritual and eternally youthful. In other words, there is no birth, death, old age and disease. That eternal land is full of transcendental enjoyment and full of beauty and bliss. This very fact is also corroborated in this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and the transcendental nature is described as amåta. As described in the Vedas, the Supreme Lord is the Lord of immortality, or in other words, the Lord is immortal, and because He is the Lord of immortality He can award immortality to His devotees. In the Bhagavad Gita (8.16) the Lord also assures that whoever may go to His abode of immortality shall never return to this mortal land of threefold miseries. (2.6.18) The living entities, as distinguished from incognizant matter, may be qualitatively equal to the Lord in cognizance, but the living entity can never be equal to the Lord in full knowledge of past, present and future. And because the living entity is partially cognizant, he is therefore sometimes forgetful of his own identity. This forgetfulness is specifically manifested in the field of the ekapad-vibhuti of the Lord, or in the material world, but in the tripad-vibhuti field of actions, or in the spiritual world, there is no forgetfulness by the living entities, who are free from all kinds of contaminations resulting from the forgetful state of existence. (2.6.21) In the liberated state of affairs, the full-fledged affection for the Lord is awakened. As such, there is an unlimited flow of everlasting happiness, without the fear of its being broken as we have experienced here in the material world. The relationship with the Lord is never broken; thus there is no grief and no fear…All the senses, both of the Lord and of the devotees, are without material contamination. They are so because they are beyond the material cause and effects, as clearly mentioned herein (sad-asatau param). The illusory, material energy cannot work there, being ashamed before the Lord and His transcendental devotees. (2.7.47) The progressive devotee of the Lord must inquire from the bona fide spiritual master how living entities merged in the body of the Lord again come back at the time of creation. There are two kinds of living entities. There are the ever-liberated, unconditioned living beings as well as the ever-conditioned living beings. (2.8.22) The external energy is controlled by the Lord, and the living entities are controlled by the external energy-by the will of the Lord. Therefore, although the living entity is purely conscious in his pure state, he is subordinate to the will of the Lord in being influenced by the external energy of the Lord…Now the next question automatically made will be why the Lord influences the living entity to such consciousness and forgetfulness. The answer is that the Lord clearly wishes that every living entity be in his pure consciousness as a part and parcel of the Lord and thus be engaged in the loving service of the Lord as he is constitutionally made; but because the living entity is partially independent also, he may not be willing to serve the Lord, but may try to become as independent as the Lord is…In his pure consciousness, however, there is no such misconceived dream, and in that pure conscious state the living entity does not forget that he is never the Lord, but that he is eternally the servitor of the Lord in transcendental love. (2.9.1) As we have discussed several times, there are two types of living entities. Most of them are ever liberated, or nitya-muktas, while some of them are ever conditioned. The ever-conditioned souls are apt to develop a mentality of lording over the material nature, and therefore the material cosmic creation is manifested to give the ever-conditioned souls two kinds of facilities. (2.10.6) An eternally liberated soul is a devotee of the Lord who never forgets Him. (3.2.2) Amongst the devotees of the Lord there are several divisions, mainly nitya-siddhas and sadhana-siddhas. The nitya-siddha devotees never fall down to the region of the material atmosphere, even though they sometimes come onto the material plane to execute the mission of the Lord. The sadhana-siddha devotees are chosen from the conditioned souls. (3.3.26) The Lord wanted to create the cosmic manifestation to give another chance to the conditioned souls who were dormant in forgetfulness. The cosmic manifestation gives the conditioned souls a chance to go back home, back to Godhead, and that is its main purpose… The whole process is to enliven the sleeping conditioned souls to the real life of spiritual consciousness so that they may thus become as perfect as the ever-liberated souls in the Vaikunthalokas. (3.5.24) A pure living entity in his original spiritual existence is fully conscious of his constitutional position as an eternal servitor of the Lord. All souls who are situated in such pure consciousness are liberated, and therefore they eternally live in bliss and knowledge in the various Vaikuntha planets in the spiritual sky. When the material creation is manifested, it is not meant for them. The eternally liberated souls are called nitya-muktas, and they have nothing to do with the material creation. The material creation is meant for rebellious souls who are not prepared to accept subordination under the Supreme Lord. (3.5.29) The consciousness of the living being is always present and never changes under any circumstances, as above mentioned…How then can the living entity become forgetful of his real identity as pure spirit soul and identify with matter unless influenced by something beyond himself? The conclusion is that the living entity is influenced by the avidya potency, as confirmed in both the Visnu Purana and the beginning of Srimad-Bhagavatam. (3.7.5) Therefore, spiritual nature is called avabodha-rasa, or avarodha-rasa. Avarodha means "that which completely nullifies." In the Transcendence there is no chance of material contact by any means. (3.9.2)

By Indradyumna Swami By the time our parikrama group of 250 devotees arrived in Jagannatha Puri, there was only one week left of the auspicious month of Kartika. We had spent the first three weeks visiting holy places in Vrindavan and Mayapura. It had been intense, traveling in India with so many devotees. Facilities were not always the best, and large crowds in the holy places had made it difficult to move around. Nevertheless, we had enjoyed it immensely, as we had spent many days hearing the Lord’s pastimes and having extended bhajans in each and every sacred place. All of us were eager to visit Jagannatha Puri as it is one of the holiest places in India and, being on the shore of Indian Ocean, a very relaxing place. Upon arriving, a devotee asked shyly if he could swim in the sea. “Oh yes,” I replied, “bathing in this ocean is a transcendental experience. Before placing the great saint Haridas Thakur in samadhi, Lord Caitanya bathed him in these waters.” haridase samudra jale snana karaila prabhu kahe, “samudra ei ‘maha tirtha’ ha-ila” “Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bathed the body of Haridasa Thakura in the sea and then declared, ‘From this day on, this sea has become a great pilgrimage site.’” [CC Antya 11.64] The day after our arrival, I spoke to our guide, Madhavananda dasa, a disciple of Gaura Govinda Maharaja. “Let’s go on parikrama early in the morning,” I said, “so we can see as many holy places as possible before it gets too hot.” “Where would you like to go in particular?” he asked. I thought for a moment. “Let’s just wander around,” I said. Traveling in auto rickshaws, we arrived at a temple unknown to most ISKCON devotees. “This is the temple of Radha Kanta,” said Madhavananda. “The Deity here is one of six originally installed by the great saint Srila Narottam das Thakur at the first Gaura Purnima festival in Bengal 400 years ago.” I had visited the temple years ago in a search for those famous Deities, but the rest of the devotees were unaware of its existence. When we entered we all paid our obeisances and went forward to the altar to take darsan of the Deity. As we stood before the Deity I spoke to the devotees: “This beautiful Deity of Radha Kanta, the Deity of Vraja Mohan in Vrindavan and a Deity of Lord Caitanya in Bengal are the only Deities I’ve been able to trace out of the original six installed by Narottam das Thakur. I’ve been searching for almost 20 years.” As we sat down to have bhajan, one of the local priests, who had overheard me, came and began whispering in my ear. “The chief priest here, who oversees the worship of Radha Kanta, may be able to tell you where the other three Deities are,” he said. “He’s an old sadhu in his 80s and very learned in the Vaisnava tradition.” “Please!” I said excitedly.” Can you arrange for me to meet him?” “Let me see,” said the priest. As we began the bhajan I looked at Radha Kanta and prayed He would reveal where the other Deities were being worshiped. Twenty minutes later, as we continued to chant, the priest returned. “Maharaja has agreed to meet you in 10 minutes,” he said. He pointed to a small room near the altar. “Just over there,” he said. A few minutes later I moved quickly towards the room. Fifteen or twenty devotees followed me. Suddenly the old sadhu appeared at the door. He was a rather large man with a serious expression, wearing only a loincloth. He saw that we wouldn’t all fit in his room, so he asked for a chair and sat down with us. We bowed and offered our respect. “Maharaja,” I said, “we are all devout followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and thus His devotee Srila Narottam das Thakur is very dear to our hearts. We wanted to thank you and your disciples for taking such nice care of his Deity, Radha Kanta.” He looked at us curiously, as if he had never seen Western devotees before. “What is it that you admire in Sri Thakur Mahasaya [Narottam das Thakur]?” he said. “His deep devotion to the Lord,” I replied, “as expressed in his works Prema Bhakti Candrika and Prarthana and the fact that he was a stalwart preacher of the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” The old sadhu smiled and nodded his head in approval. “We are doing our best to take care of Radha Kanta,” he said. “The important thing is devotion. Some facility is here, but it means nothing unless we offer it in devotion.” “And there is a wonderful pastime that took place here” he continued with a smile. The devotees moved in closer. “Five hundred years ago Lord Nityananda visited this very place, which was only jungle at the time. He was joined by a group of children, and they had a wonderful kirtan that went on for many hours. Later when Lord Caitanya came here he declared that there are two places in Jagannatha Puri where love of Godhead is easily available: the temple of Tota Gopinath and this spot, where Lord Nityananda danced in ecstasy with the children. “Some years later when Narottam das Thakur came here on pilgrimage, one of his disciples, Seva das, asked if he could remain and perform bhajan. Some time later Narottam ordered that Radha Kanta be sent here to be worshiped by Seva das.” The sadhu fell silent. I felt it was the right time to ask my question. “Maharaja,” I said, “After the departure of Lord Caitanya, Radha Kanta was installed by Narottam das Thakur at the famous Keturi festival in Bengal, along with five other Deities. One was a golden Deity of Lord Caitanya, who is now being worshiped in a village north of Kolkata. Among the other four Deities of Krsna, one, Vraja Mohan is presently being worshiped in Vrindavan. Do you know here the other three Deities are?” The sadhu looked surprised. “You know these things?” he said. “I’ve been trying to find these Deities for 20 years,” I replied. Then I chanted one of my favorite mantras, with the names of all six Deities. gauranga vallabhi kanta sri krsna vraja mohan radha raman he radhe radha kanta namo stu te The sadhu’s eyes opened wide. “I know where They are,” he said softly. I couldn’t believe my ears. “Maharaja!” I said, “Please tell us where They can be found.” He began slowly. “As you stated,” he said, “Gauranga is being worshiped in Bengal at the ancestral home of Ganga Narayana Chakravarti, the chief disciple of Narottam das Thakur. Vallabhi Kanta is being served in a temple in Dwarka, though I’m not sure of His exact whereabouts. Sri Krsna was worshiped by a king in East Bengal for some time and later given to a brahmana family. It would take more research to find where He is now. “You mentioned that Vraja Mohan is worshiped in Vrindavan. I’ve heard that Radha Raman is also being served somewhere there as well. “And of course Radha Kanta is here,” he said. “You may be surprised to learn that out of the six Deities that Narottam installed, Radha Kanta was personally worshiped by him for the remainder of his life.” I sat there stunned. In one minute, twenty years of research had borne fruit. After relishing the moment, we all thanked the sadhu profusely, paid our obeisances, and left. We walked out of the temple and started down the street. “Maharaja,” Madhavananda said, “I have another amazing place to take the devotees.” I shook my head. “What could be more amazing than what we just experienced?” I said. Madhavananda smiled. “A long-lost temple,” he said. “It was discovered not long ago right in the heart of Jagannatha Puri.” “A lost temple?” I said. “How could a temple be lost in the middle of Jagannatha Puri?” As we walked along, Madhavananda told the story to me. “Five hundred years ago,” he began, “when Lord Caitanya was living in Puri, He stayed at the house of his devotee Kasi Misra. That house, which is still standing, later became the famous Gambira Temple, where Kasi Misra’s personal Deities of Radha Kanta were worshiped. Because of the strictness of the culture at the time, women were not allowed to render personal service to temple Deities. But Kasi Misra’s wife had a strong desire to serve the Lord in His Deity form, so her husband arranged a beautiful set of Radha Krsna Deities for her to worship in her very own personal temple, which he had built. Throughout most of her life she served those Deities with great devotion. Unfortunately, as centuries passed, that small temple was abandoned and fell into disrepair.” “How could a sacred temple be abandoned?” I said. Madhavananda shook his head. “Kali Yuga,” he said. “Two years ago,” he continued, “a pujari at Gambira Temple had a dream in which the Deities of Kasi Misra’s wife appeared to him. “‘We are standing under water,’ They said. ‘We are surrounded by garbage and filth, behind a wall near Gambira Temple. Please come and rescue us.’ “The pujari awoke with a start. He gathered some friends and tools, and they ran to the place indicated by the Deities. It was a place where people had been throwing their garbage over a wall into a neglected jungle area for years. “They climbed up the wall and over a huge pile of refuse, and they spotted an area thick with trees and vines. They chopped away and discovered the ruins of a small temple. When they forced open the door, a flood of water poured out. When they walked in, they were stunned to see large Deities of Radha and Krsna standing on the altar. It took weeks to restore the Deities to Their original beauty. After the area was cleaned nicely and the temple rebuilt, the worship of Radha and Krsna began again.” “That’s another amazing story,” I said. “I thought things like that only happened in previous ages. I can’t wait to see those Deities. And I’d really love to meet that pujari.” Just as I spoke we reached the old temple on the edge of a sprawling neighborhood. I walked in, quickly paid my obeisances to the Deities, and stood before Them reverentially, appreciating Their beauty and Their pastime of revealing Themselves to the world again. As the devotees sat down to hear Madhavananda relate the pastime, I walked behind the temple with Gaura Hari das to chant Gayatri mantra in a quiet place. We were accompanied by a young man, a resident of Puri, who was helping us with translations that day. Just as we had finished Gayatri, I saw an old man come out of a room in a small building adjacent to the temple. I was immediately attracted by his saintly appearance, and I spontaneously offered obeisances to him. I got up and started walking towards him. “Who is this blissful sadhu?” I said to our translator. “He’s obviously old, but appears youthful by his effulgent countenance.” The translator stood with palms joined, looking at the sadhu. “This is the pujari who had the dream about the Deities in this temple,” he said. “Out of love for Them he now resides nearby.” I couldn’t believe our good fortune. Bowing before the sadhu, I asked him to put his hands on my head and bless me. Like all Vaisnavas, he was of a merciful nature. Smiling broadly, he put his two hands firmly on my head and said loudly: “harer nama harer nama harer nama eva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha” (”In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy, the only means of deliverance is the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way.”) [brhad-naradiya Purana 3.8.126] I thanked him again and again. For the second time that morning I found myself expressing deep gratitude to a saintly person. We paid our obeisances again and returned to our group of devotees. As the devotees sat spellbound hearing Madhavananda’s narration, I turned to Gaura Hari. “Since we’ve already heard the story,” I said, “let’s take our translator and wander around the neighborhood to see what we can see.” We walked outside and turned down a narrow street. Our translator told us we were in an old part of town, where the brahmanas from the main temple lived with their families. As we walked along, I was awestruck by the antiquity of the surroundings. As we rounded a corner, we saw an old woman sitting on the porch of her house eating prasadam from a small clay bowl on the ground. She was taking each bite slowly and with deep respect. “That’s a great photo,” I said to Gaura Hari, as I took out my camera and photographed her. Just then a man who appeared to be in his late 60’s came out of the house. Seeing us he immediately smiled. He was dressed in a dhoti, with a small chaddar over his neck and his brahmana thread draped over his shoulder. “That’s my mother,” he said. “She’s honoring Lord Jagannatha’s prasadam.” “He’s one of chief priests in the temple,” our translator said softly. “Every day he receives some prasadam that has been offered to Lord Jagannatha on a special golden plate. The prasadam is prepared separately and by the best cooks in the temple.” The priest came over to speak to us. “Are you Vaisnavas?” he said. “Yes, Maharaja,” I replied. “By the mercy of our spiritual masters we are servants of the Lord. We have come to Jagannatha Puri on parikrama with a large group of devotees from the West.” He stood for a moment observing us and then quietly turned and walked up onto the porch where his mother was taking prasadam. He reached down, respectfully took some of the prasad in his hand, and walked back to where we were standing. Then he reached out and put some of the prasadam in our hands. Taken aback by his generosity, we stood there not knowing what to do next. He smiled again. “Take prasadam,” he said. Looking at his mother, who continued to relish the prasadam on her plate, I put Lord Jagannatha’s prasadam in my mouth with as much devotion as I could muster. “I’ve never tasted anything like this in my entire life,” I said to Gaura Hari. “It’s heavenly.” As the brahmana went back to his duties, we found ourselves bowing down and once again thanking a sadhu for his kindness upon us. “This is the mercy of this holy dhama,” I said to Gaura Hari as we walked back to meet our party. “The sadhus who live here kindly share their good fortune with others. That is why we must visit such holy places as many times as we can during our lifetime.” “I agree,” Gaura Hari said enthusiastically. “Experiences like we’re having today in Jagannatha Puri,” I said, “give me faith that one day I might even attain the rarest treasure of love of God.” As we walked down the road, I remembered a beautiful verse: idam sena bhagyam bhavati sulabham yena yuvayos chatapy asya premnah sphurati na hi suptav api mama padarthe smin yusmad vrajam anunivasena janitas tathapy asa bandhah parivrdha varau mam dradhayati “The splendor of pure love, which makes the good fortune of direct service to You easy to obtain, is not mine, even in dreams. Still, O king and queen, simply living in your Vraja gives me great hope.” [utkalika-vallari, verse 64 ] We met up with our parikrama group and started back in the direction where we were staying. When we reached Satpa Rsi road, not far from our destination, I took the devotees to the temple of Jagadananda Pandit, another important associate of Lord Cairtanya. In the temple I spoke to the devotees: “Jagadananda Pandit wrote a book called Prema Vivarta, in which he analyzes the subject matter of divine love in great detail. Kaviraja Goswami says in Caitanya Caritamrta: jagadanandera ‘prema-vivarta’ sune yei jana premera ’svarupa’ jane, paya prema dhana “‘Anyone who hears about the loving exchanges between Jagadananda Pandita and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, or who reads Jagadananda’s book Prema-vivarta, can understand what love is. Moreover, he achieves ecstatic love of Krsna.’” “It’s something we hope to achieve in the future,” I said with a smile, “after we’re successful in conquering over our material desires. Now let’s proceed back to our asrama.” I kept it short. I could see the devotees were getting tired. As we were leaving the temple I looked across the road and saw the famous temple of Brahmananda Bharati Maharaja, another great associate of Lord Caitanya. The temple was undergoing renovation and I was curious to see the work, so I took the hand of my disciple Narottam das Thakur das, and we ducked under the scaffolding and went inside. The temple is 500 years old and looks every bit of its antiquity. There were no windows or lighting inside, but with the sun filtering through the entrance we could see very beautiful Deities of Radha and Krsna on the altar. “These were the personal Deities of Brahmananda Bharati Maharaja,” said a pujari coming in from behind us. “With the help of several ISKCON devotees we are renovating the temple to its original glory. Let me show you the salagram silas that have been worshiped here since the time of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” He went onto the altar, picked up a wooden box full of silas, and brought them forward, right before our eyes. “They’re very beautiful,” I said. Suddenly I noticed a small black stone with a beautiful white line circling around it several times. “That’s a Siva lingam, Lord Siva himself,” I whispered to Narottam das. “Previously sadhus worshiped Siva in that form. Nowadays you only see such lingams in temples. They are very rare.” I paused for a moment. “I’ve always longed to have one,” I said, “to complete the worship on my altar.” “But why would we, as devotees of Krsna, worship Lord Siva?” Narottam asked. “Sastra says he’s the greatest Vaisnava,” I replied. “And only by the mercy of Vaisnavas can we serve the Supreme Lord.” I quoted Bhakti Ratnakara: srimad gopisvaram vande sankaram karuna mayam sarva klesa haram devam vrindaranya rati pradam “I offer my respectful obeisances to Gopiswara, who is Lord Siva himself. He is very merciful, removes all troubles, and grants spiritual love in Vrindavan.” [bhakti Ratnakara 5.3741] I looked longingly at the sila. “But I won’t ask for it,” I thought. “Maybe another time. The pujari probably wouldn’t give him to me anyway.” I thanked the pujari for the special darsan and turned to Narottam. “Let’s go,” I said. The front entrance was closed so I walked carefully through the darkness towards the door. When I found the handle I turned it and walked out into the bright sunshine. I gathered the devotees and spoke for some time about Brahmananda Bharati Maharaja and then announced that we would continue back to our asrama. Suddenly I realized Narottam wasn’t there. “Where’s Narottam?” I asked the devotees. Just at that moment he appeared. “Sorry I’m late, Guru Maharaja,” he said. He paused. “But I don’t think you’ll mind,” he continued, “because I have something very special for you.” He put the beautiful Siva lingam in my hand. “Narottam!” I said. “How did you get him?” “It was simple,” he replied. “I told the pujari that it was you and some of your disciples who have been the main contributors in renovating that temple over the years. When he heard that he gave the sila with gratitude and love.” That night at the ashram I remembered something said by Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Madhavananda das in an interview with Yadubara das. He was talking about Srila Prabhupada’s 1971 parikrama of Vrindavan with his Western disciples: “When we arrived in Vrindavan, I remember walking into Prabhupada’s room and offering my obeisances. I said, ‘Srila Prabhupada, what should we do now?’ “He looked down at me and said, ‘Just wander.’” Email: Indradyumna.swami@pamho.net Website: www. traveling-preacher. com

This philosophy is commonly know as Mayavada.

Communist Propaganda left over from the Soviet Era!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Satsvarupa, he was a friend of mine And he could write a poem His heart in every line Satsvarupa wrote of the joy and pain He opened up our minds And I still can hear him say Aw, talk to me so you can see What's going on Say you will write your poems Forevermore, evermore Gonna be some sweet japa reform coming down On the nightshift I bet you're chanting proud Oh, I bet you'll haul a crowd Gonna be a long night, it's gonna be all right On the Route 19 nightshift Oh you found another home, I know you're not alone On the nightshift Bhagavan, hey what you doing now It seems like yesterday When we were pick'in out Bhagavan, you set your zone on fire You came and preached to us Your class, it lifted us higher and higher Keep it up and we'll be there At your side Oh say you will sing your bhajan songs Forevermore, evermore Gonna be some sweet japa coming down On the nightshift I bet you're chanting proud Oh, I bet you'll pull a crowd Gonna be a long night, it's gonna be all right On the nightshift Oh you found another home, I know you're not alone On the nightshift

After the GBC makes SDG get a job he returns after driving a bus on the night shift: "Alice, I'm home!!!"

Wait a minute, near the end of that purport, look at this: "In the Sāńkhya-kaumudī it is stated that unalloyed goodness or transcendence is just opposite to the material modes. All living entities there are eternally associated without any break, and the Lord is the chief and prime entity." I know Sarva gattah is going to say that they are just dreaming that there is a break in their association with the Lord. But then why would such a thing be stated in the first place? It wouldn't make any sense to write such a thing. This proves that your "dreamer" theory is itself a dream.

Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.16.26 Bhaktivedanta Purport,

Off point. The issue is where the fall takes place.