Recently I attended the yearly conference, “The Science of Consciousness”, at the Loews Ventana Canyon Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Sponsored for the past 23 years by the University of Arizona and the University of Michigan, and dedicated to “broad and rigorous approaches to conscious awareness, the nature of existence and our place in the universe”, this unique forum attracted over 1000 participants from 60 countries. Of the 500 submitted abstracts, mine was one of the 200 included in the poster session.
Here is the Abstract from my presentation:

Modes of Material Nature: A Mathematical Model of Consciousness Based on Eastern Philosophical Traditions Mauricio Garrido (Columbia University, Professional Studies; Bhaktivedanta Institute, Gainesville, New York, NY )

Consciousness is postulated by some to be a fundamental entity (Chalmers, 1996). As such, how is it affected by and how does it affect the world around us? Eastern philosophies such as Vedanta and Sankhya hold that consciousness is fundamental and explain its interactions with matter in terms of the modes of material nature, or gunas, which act as both consciousness filters and the make-up of
matter itself. Dasgupta (1961) describes the gunas as ?the universal characteristics of all kinds of mental tendencies? (p. 468). According to the Bhagavat Purana, on one hand all material elements are infused with the gunas. And on the other hand, our psycho-physical disposition consists of mixtures of the gunas (Prabhupada, 1976). Thus, more than just a personality indicator to describe an individual’s behavior - such as the Myers-Briggs Indicator (Langton & Robbins, 2007) - or perceptual sets that are created by motivation (Coon & Mitterer, 2008), the gunas have an important ontological status in the metaphysics of Vedanta and Sankhya. Although there have been studies on inter-guna correlations (Das, 1991 and Pathak et al., 1992), only until recently has a fully statistically-validated, quantitative tool been developed to assess them individually (Wolf, 1999 and Stempel et al., 2006). This tool has been used in meditation studies (Schmidt & Walach, 2014) and speech rehabilitation (Caturvedi, 2000). We now present a mathematical model of the gunas that aims at understanding the results of some of these studies, which use the tool developed by Wolf to quantify the gunas. A delineation of the different characteristics that make up the different mental faculties according to the Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavat Purana is presented to create interacting modules. The states of this machinery are then linked to the gunas and dynamics are included in this state-space. Finally, the results from some of the studies that involve guna theory are explained using this model

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33660

Tivon and Cheyenne are an African American couple in their mid-twenties. She works in a steakhouse, and he’s in marketing. Cybil, in her fifties, is a real estate agent. Jorge is a student. Lauren is a professor of music at Towson University. Maria is retired from her government agency job. Ravi is doing his postdoc in medicine at John Hopkins. Kate is a nurse and a Buddhist. And Henna works on a horse farm.  

They’re as diverse a group as possible, but they all have one thing in common: they’re all regular attendees at the recently re-opened Bhakti Lounge in Baltimore. 

Lokadhyaksha Das and his wife Vidarbha Suta Dasi, who run the Lounge, are genuinely interested in people. And people are interested in them.

They meet people at the many vegetarian and street festivals where they sell prasadam and books – including D.C. VegFest, Baltimore Vegan SoulFest, LatinoFest, and Columbia Street Festival.

“At VegFest, there was a continuous line of 25 or 30 people throughout the day for our vegan ‘hot dogs’ and samosas,” says Vidarbha-Suta, whose booths also sell Srila Prabhupada’s books. “Many want to know more, so we take their information and send them invitations to our programs.”

At Vegan SoulFest, Vidarbha recalls, while one person was writing down their information, two or three others would appear to do the same. “We told one lady, ‘We have never seen the kind of enthusiasm for spiritual knowledge that we see here in the Baltimore area.’ She replied, ‘It’s the only way we can survive.’”

From these interactions, Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha have built a pool of 750 people on their page at Meetup.com, a website where people can find weekly gatherings for things they’re interested in.

Newcomers respond positively to Srila Prabhupada's purports

Originally the gatherings were held in a tiny space – barely more than a shed. Since being restarted in October, however, the Bhakti Lounge’s home has been a handsome, two-storey residential house with a wrap-around porch and comfortable furnishings, located near the ISKCON Baltimore temple in Catonsville, Maryland.

“We wanted to create a really welcoming space where people would feel at home,” Vidarbha says.

Many people who come to the Bhakti Lounge previously purchased either Prabhupada’s books or his biography at Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha’s booth and asked questions. The Lounge meetings every Sunday are a chance for them to delve deeper. 

To guide group members, the couple have come up with a system they call “Sutra to Samadhi.” Taking various sutras often used by Srila Prabhupada – such as “raso vai sah” (Krishna is the reservoir of pleasure); “aham brahmasmi” (I am spirit soul); and “athato brahma jijnasa” (now is the time to enquire about the absolute truth) – they use them as launching pads into sections of the Srimad-Bhagavatam, Isopanisad or Bhagavad-gita where Prabhupada discusses them.

This creates dynamic focus points to study Prabhupada’s books through. “It’s really, really exciting,” Vidarbha says. “People are really liking it.”

At each meeting, members also have a kirtan, chant one round of japa together, and then chat while tucking into delicious prasadam.

“It’s so powerful to see the impact reading Prabhupada’s purports has on people,” says Vidarbha. “One lady told us, ‘At first, just the word Krishna made me so uncomfortable. I really fought the idea of a personal God. But it’s just so freaking true that I cannot fight it anymore!’ Another girl said, ‘When I hear all of this, nothing comes to me as a surprise. It all seems so obvious. But then I look outside and realize, ‘Wow, so many people don’t even think about these things!’” 

The Bhakti Lounge uses philosophical sutras as launching pads into Prabhupada's purports

Some people do struggle with different philosophical concepts or statements in Prabhupada’s books. But, Vidarbha says, there’s almost always something that connects with their hearts. And sometimes statements the devotees think will be problematic are not.

“In one passage, Prabhupada compares modern education to a dead body that’s covered with decorations, as they are in Indian funeral processions,” recalls Vidarbha. “But people didn’t seem to think it was too heavy a comparison. They actually resonated with it!” 

Next, Bhakti Lounge will release a ‘Sutra to Samadhi’ book, with a different sutra on each page. Decorated with elaborate borders and handpainted sketches, it will be made available to everyone who wants to study at the Bhakti Lounge.

In the future, Lokadhyaksha and Vidarbha-Suta hope to encourage members to start sangas in their own neighborhoods with the people in their circles. 

“Already, some of them have attended festivals at our ISKCON Baltimore temple and engaged in distributing books and prasadam,” Lokadhyaksha says. “They’ve also helped cook prasadam at the temple which we then distribute at homeless shelters – that’s something we hope to increase too.” 

Vidarbha is convinced that it is Prabhupada’s words that have touched people’s hearts and inspired them to do this service.

“I remember how when we restarted the Bhakti Lounge after a long time, there were tears in people’s eyes,” she says. “It’s amazing for us to see how powerful the knowledge that Prabhupada has given us is.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/diverse-newcomers-delve-into-prabhupadas-books-at-baltimore-bhakti-lounge,5930/

“The more one reads Bhagavad-gītā the more he gets the appetite to read and understand it, and each time he gets new enlightenment. That is the nature of the transcendental message. Similarly, we find that transcendental happiness in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, the more we become happy.” – S.B. 3.25.2 Purport
Srila Prabhupada wanted every one of us to study his books systematically for our own benefit. It is evident in many of his writings, letters and lectures. To fulfill this vision of Srila Prabhupada, Mayapur Institute manifested.
In order to reach out to students who are not able to travel to India to study the Sastric Courses, Mayapur Institute holds courses in various locations around the world upon request. 35 Students successfully completed their Nectar of Instruction unit of Bhakti Sastri Graduation Program at Gauranga Desh.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33667

Eight years after celebrated ISKCON scientist Richard L. Thompson’s (Sadaputa Dasa’s) passing, his former colleagues and some rising young Vaishnava scientists are relaunching the Bhaktivedanta Institute of Gainesville.

Their inaugural seminar, held at the Alachua Learning Center in North Central Florida on November 13th, was dubbed “Bhakti Yoga & Science in the 21st Century.”

It explored Srila Prabhupada’s vision for his Bhaktivedanta Institute – a research branch he established in 1976 to address scientific issues from a Krishna conscious perspective. It flipped on their heads some paradigms ISKCON devotees hold about Prabhupada’s attitude towards science. And it highlighted new developments from devotees at the forefront of the encounter between Krishna consciousness and the sciences today.

“The issues in front of scientists change as time goes on,” says Brahma Tirtha Dasa, who has worked with the B.I. since its beginnings. “When Srila Prabhupada wrote Easy Journey to Other Planets in 1960, the Sputnik had recently been launched, so he wrote about that. In the 1970s, the thrust of science was creating life from matter, or primordial soup – so he commented on that.”

Brahmatirtha Das introduces the conference

Today, Brahma Tirtha says, quantum physicists are discussing multiple universes and the difference between consciousness and matter. “Prabhupada remained relevant with fidelity to essential Vaishnava principles, and expected the same from us. So our goal is to present what sastra has to offer in a relevant way for the times – following in the footsteps of Srila Prabhupada, and building off of Sadaputa Prabhu’s work.”

This November’s conference was essentially a practice run to get feedback and explore what issues seemed relevant, before presenting to an external audience – so the crowd was largely made up of ISKCON devotees and friends.

Proceedings began in the morning with Dr. David Wolf (Dhira Govinda Das) speaking about his PhD thesis on how mantra meditation affects the modes of nature. Dr. Wolf also discussed how he is implementing his findings in his social work, by using the maha-mantra to improve people’s social difficulties. 

Interestingly, Dr. Wolf’s research is also being quoted in academic literature, and has even made it into popular culture, with Oprah Winfrey quoting it in her own editorial promoting mantra meditation.

Krsna Krpa Das gives a heartfelt appreciation for Sadaputa Das

Next Dr. Venugopal Damerla, MD (Gopinath Das) explained how he is following up on Dr. Wolf’s work. Dr. Damerla has just received a grant from the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, and will be doing MRI scans of subjects after chanting the maha-mantra to track changes in their brains.

Dr. Gopal Gupta (Gopal Hari Das), a professor of philosophy at Florida Gulf Coast University, then presented a fascinating take on movements such as Intelligent Design. He spoke about how science-based arguments for the existence of God – using human reason and scientific observation of the natural world – have in fact backfired and bolstered the rise of modern atheism. In contrast with these arguments, he said, Vaishnava traditions receive knowledge of God through sastra pramana – scripture – and through the Guru.

Dr. Jonathan Edelmann (Janaki-Rama Das), a professor in religious studies at the University of Florida, then posited that the notion that science and religion are in conflict is based on inaccurate understandings. The relationship is more complex and multifaceted than that, he said. He also pointed out that in fact most of the arguments used against religion by scientists are against Christianity, and that from our Bhagavata Purana perspective, science and religion have more in common than they have in disagreement.

“Rather than see religion and science as adversaries,” he concluded, “We should look at science, take it a little bit seriously, and see what can be brought out of science that the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition can add to it and give it more meaning.”

Gopal Hari Das talks about science-based arguments for the existence of God

Resting their brains from such lofty topics, the assembled devotees then took a lunch break during which they enjoyed a beautiful kirtan performance by the children of Bhaktivedanta Academy North America. They also laughed uproariously at satirical songs by musician Ekendra Dasa and his alter ego Yama Niyama Das Brahmachari.

After lunch, Stitha-dhi-muni Das, who holds a PhD in the history of western science, gave a key presentation on an intriguing historical discovery. According to his research, the book Life Comes From Life, which presents conversations with Srila Prabhupada on science and religion, contains “hardly a phrase that matches the original audio recordings and transcriptions.”

Reportedly, well-intentioned devotees translated the conversations for the German edition inaccurately, misunderstanding Prabhupada’s words. Then the American BBT translated it back into English from the German, a game of telephone that left only a small percentage of Prabhupada’s original words intact.

Thus the book, Life Comes From Life – with over a million copies in print – inaccurately presented Prabhupada’s arguments in a manner that can sound simplistically hard line on science/religion debates, and often with considerable errors as found in the misquotation, “The more we kick out Darwin’s philosophy, the more we advance in spiritual consciousness.”

However in the 1990s, when the Bhaktivedanta Archives made the original recordings and transcripts available, they revealed a much more nuanced account of Prabhupada’s views on science and religion, which according to Stitha-dhi-muni were consistent with the central themes found throughout his teachings.

Dr. David Buchta speaks about the difference between smriti and sruti

“When you look at the real transcripts, Prabhupada said repeatedly in many different ways that we respect the scientists and what they do,” says Prishni Dasi, a Bhaktivedanta Institute member who holds a B.A. in math and is a longtime follower of Sadaputa’s work. “He even stated that we give them all credit. His only issue with the scientists is the atheistic conclusion that they draw from their study.”

Sometimes, Prishni explains, this can get lost when reading simplistic accounts that are all too often promoted as accurate – and devotees spread inflammatory anti-science ideas.

“But that’s not what Prabhupada had in mind when he set up the Bhaktivedanta Institute,” she says. “It was actually to have friendly and interesting dialogue with scientists, and with their research, and then to add the devotional element into it -- though he did not suffer the idea that life comes matter.”

Following Stitha-dhi-muni, Dr. David Buchta, a lecturer on Sanskrit at Brown University, spoke about the difference between smriti (Vedic texts that are attributed to an author) and sruti (Revealed knowledge passed down without change). In his talk Buchta explained that although the Srimad-Bhagavatam is technically in the smriti category, because of its particular relevance, it is considered sruti by followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Next, Dr. Mauricio Garrido (Murali Gopal Das), who holds a PhD in quantum physics, discussed Sadaputa Dasa’s approach for analyzing cosmographical perspectives of the Bhagavatam that seem to severely conflict with modern science. Drawing from Sadaputa’s book Mysteries of the Sacred Universe, he corrected misunderstandings such as the currently popular idea amongst some devotees that the fifth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam propounds a flat earth theory.

Murali Gopal Das discusses Sadaputa's approach to explaining Bhagavatam cosmography

Concluding his presentation, Dr. Garrido stated that Sadaputa left a lot of work still to be done when he passed away. “We hope that Dr. Garrido, a rising star in the world of Vaishnava scientists who is now with the Bhaktivedanta Institute, is inspired to continue Sadaputa’s work,” Prishni says.

Finally, Christopher Beetle (Krishna-Kripa Das), who served as Sadaputa’s assistant for seventeen years, gave a heartfelt appreciation of Sadaputa, speaking about what he had learned from him. “Though Sadaputa may not have always felt fully appreciated during his lifetime, and that with additional support likely could have accomplished much more, he kept diligently at work all the same,” said Krishna-Kripa. “That, I feel, was one of his greatest qualities.”

Diligently keeping on with Sadaputa’s work, members of Gainesville’s Bhaktivedanta Institute now plan to hold a larger scale conference a year from now in conjunction with a university.

Beyond that, they plan to continue exploring their theme of taking Prabhupada’s vision for the B.I. into the 21stcentury, with regular future conferences, as well as work with the next generation of devotee scientists.

They’re feeling pleased about the response to their efforts so far. “Everyone felt very refreshed and enlivened by the conference, and want us to do more,” says B.I. member Tamraparni Das. “They loved that we were able to discuss topics that don’t normally get addressed.”

Source:http://iskconnews.org/bhakti-yoga-and-science-conference-takes-bhaktivedanta-institute-into-the-21st-century,5942/

Giriraj Swami: Reading Srila Prabhupada’s Light of the Bhagavata, I was struck by text 12 and his commentary on it:
“The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.” (LOB 12)
“Because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, he is completely eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life’s events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.” (LOB 12 purport)
Hare Krishna.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33622

The word, responsibility, derives from Old French, respondre, “to answer.”

In other words, responsibility, can be literally taken as, “one’s ability to respond.”

The way we respond to what happens to us in life directly indicates the degree to which we have developed our consciousness.

As one practices devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting about Krishna, one develops the ability to respond mindfully to the events and circumstances in one’s life.

For example, Srila Prabhupada writes in his purport to Bhagavad-gita 12.15 about the way in which a Krishna conscious person interacts with others:

“Since a devotee is kind to everyone, he does not act in such a way as to put others into anxiety. At the same time, if others try to put a devotee into anxiety, he is not disturbed. It is by the grace of the Lord that he is so practiced that he is not disturbed by any outward disturbance.”

Those who wish to increase their ability to respond thoughtfully to the anxieties, changes, and provocations in their lives can daily practice chanting the maha-mantra with care and attention.

Vaisesika Dasa

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33637

It was Ford and Reuther, and the ceremony was covered by Time magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press!
Udayananda: We had kirtan competitions. Devotees from the Chicago temple would do their thing, the L.A. devotees would do their thing, the Radha-Damodar party would do their thing and the London devotees would do their thing, like that.
Everyone was fired up about chanting. But one of our God-brothers didn’t like it.
He was in Prabhupada’s room with the Radha-Damodar boys and he said, “Prabhupada, it’s getting completely crazy out there, all the dancing like wildmen.”
Prabhupada stopped him and said, “Yes. When you become a lover of Krishna, you dance just like a madman.” All the Radha-Damodar boys went, “Haribol!”
Bhakti-caru Swami came in early 1977 and Prabhupada immediately gave him first and second initiation and said, “He is not a new man in this movement.”
Then a couple weeks later, Prabhupada was walking on the roof of the Lotus Building with Bhakti-caru Swami when Prabhupada said to him,
“You have had billions of births. All of us have had billions of births, and we have always given those lives simply to sense gratification. If you give one birth to Krishna you will not be the loser. Just give one to Krishna. And if you’re not satisfied, you still get more births.”
Prabhupada spoke matter-of-factly, just like saying the sun rises every day. He was considering transmigration, “Don’t worry, you can get billions of more births. But give one to Krishna and see what happens.”
A week later Bhakti-caru Swami took sannyas, and he’s maintained his sannyas vows ever since.
He’s given this one birth to Krishna. At any point in time we can also give our life to Krishna and that’s what I’m hoping to do.
Once, not long before Prabhupada left his body, he called Bhakti-caru Swami over.
Maharaj went to Prabhupada with a humble service mood and Prabhupada talked to him in Bengali.
Bhakti-caru Swami smiled sweetly and laughed and Prabhupada smiled and laughed, enjoying this rasa with him. I was completely envious.
They were sharing an intimate Bengali moment and I thought, “He’s so fortunate, he can talk to Prabhupada in his native tongue. I wonder what that joke was about.”
Finally Prabhupada said, “Look at this body, it’s completely useless. I am practically proving that life does not come from a bag of bones.”
We half chuckled and were half stunned in amazement. Srila Prabhupada transcended the whole situation.
He defied the “logic” of science by saying, “I am practically proving that life does not come from a bag of bones.”
Govardhan das and I arrived in Vrindavan and checked into a room in the Krishna-Balaram guesthouse.
Three minutes later Upendra knocked on the door and said, “Prabhupada wants to see you right away.”
Prabhupada had asked for Govardhan because in Detroit, where he was temple president, they’d just had a magnificent wedding for Lekhasravanti, Walter Reuther’s daughter. Ambarish was the best man.
So it was Ford and Reuther, and the ceremony was covered by Time magazine, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Detroit Free Press— there was tremendous publicity throughout the country and it was a magnificent preaching opportunity.
We were on our way to Prabhupada’s room when Tamal Krishna Maharaj stopped us and said,
“You’ve never seen Srila Prabhupada look the way he does now. He’s not robust and healthy and it might be a shocking and painful sight for you. But don’t cry and don’t say anything negative. Just say encouraging things.”
Maharaj didn’t want Prabhupada to be anxious. He said, “We’re trying to encourage Prabhupada, to uplift his spirits, to make him enthused to go on preaching for at least another 10 years. So don’t look shocked, don’t be sad.”
We thought, “Okay, we’re prepared to do this.”
Prabhupada was lying in his bed and we offered our obeisances. Then we stood at Prabhupada’s feet and saw him. We were shocked.
Govardhan immediately lost it and quietly sobbed, covering his mouth with his chaddar.
Prabhupada smiled and said, “Who has come?” Tamal said, “It’s Govardhan and Udayananda from Detroit, Prabhupada.”
Prabhupada said, “Are your accommodations in the Krishna-Balaram guesthouse okay? Did you get prasadam? Are you comfortable? Is everything all right?”
Govardhan, who was saddened by Srila Prabhupada’s condition, couldn’t talk, so I said, “Yes, Srila Prabhupada, it’s first class. Thank you for taking such good care of us.”
Prabhupada said, “Are the devotees in Detroit happy in Krishna consciousness? And how are Lekhasravanti and Ambarish? How is the temple and how is the Deity worship? Are you preaching in the neighborhood?”
Prabhupada went on talking about everyone else’s well-being.
The kaviraj who was treating Srila Prabhupada had treated thousands of people with the same condition and he had said,
“This disease is so painful that others have writhed in pain—they can barely tolerate the pain—and they become incoherent, delirious.”
But Prabhupada’s consciousness was crystal clear and he was simply concerned about the well-being of others.
Never once did he say, “Look at my condition. Look at how I am suffering.” I was trying to wrap my mind around how a person in such a condition could be so selfless.
My God-brother Praghosa Prabhu went to Washington, D.C. to distribute books at the airport and when he came back from sankirtan one day, Srila Prabhupada saw him and said, “Where have you been?”
Praghosa offered his obeisances and said, “I’ve been distributing books, Srila Prabhupada.”
Prabhupada said, “Come with me,” and together they went into Prabhupada’s room.
Prabhupada said, “Where are you doing your service these days?” Praghosa said, “I’m in New York, Prabhupada, in the 55th Street temple.”
Prabhupada said, “Oh, you’re in New York? I also started in New York” as if every single devotee in the movement did not know everything about Prabhupada, especially where he started.
In his last days, Prabhupada talked about going on parikrama around Govardhan, but he wasn’t focused only on Govardhan.
When news and letters arrived about the preaching and the book distribution that was going on, Prabhupada became inspired and once he said,
“I should give up lying here in Vrindavan and go out and preach. You should take me to the New York temple. And if I die, put my tomb on top of the Radha-Govinda temple on 55th Street. I want to die preaching with my New York preachers.”
—Udayananda
Excerpt from “Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint” 
by Siddhanta das

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33641

From Back to Godhead

By Urmila Devi Dasi

Because sexual desire has a spiritual origin, the practices of bhakti-yogacan recover its pure eternal purpose.

Bhakti-yoga gives us the key to the origin of sexuality and its means of total fulfillment. Yoga literally means “union.” Bhakti means loving service.Bhakti-yoga, therefore, means the loving union of the soul with the Supreme Soul. The soul’s deepest desire is for this loving union.

Whenever the Lord is pleased in any way, He and His pleasure energy reciprocate. Krishna is the ultimate masculine, and His pleasure energy is His feminine counterpart, Radharani. When there is yoga, or union, of the Supreme Soul with His pleasure energy, this yoga also gives full enjoyment to all the minute spiritual parts (us) who facilitate it. The sacred sound om shows this process, as it is a blend of the Sanskrit letters a(pronounced like the u in but), u (pronounced like the u in push) and m (a resonant nasal sound like in the French word bon). The a indicates the Supreme Soul, the u His pleasure energy, and the m individual souls like us. As illustration, the great devotee Hanuman aids the union of Rama and Sita, and in doing so feels continuously expanding pleasure himself.

The souls who refuse to exult in the Lord’s pleasure pastimes envy His central position. The utmost expression of that foolish rebellion twists the natural and intrinsic pleasure seeking of the soul into what we know in the world as sexual desire. Mundane sexuality is, therefore, a perversion of a desire that exists in our original, spiritual bodies. For this reason, all attempts to abolish sexuality result in failure. We cannot kill desires that are part of our very self.

When males and females touch each other’s bodies, their lusty desires naturally awaken. It appears from this verse that there are similar sensations in spiritual bodies. Both Lord Ananta and the women giving Him pleasure had spiritual bodies. Thus all sensations originally exist in the spiritual body. This is confirmed in the Vedanta-sutra: janmady asya yatah. Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura has commented in this connection that the word adi means adi-rasa, the original lusty feeling, which is born from the Supreme. However, spiritual lust and material lust are as completely different as gold and iron. (Srimad-Bhagavatam5.25.5, Purport)

The desire for enjoyment is present both in Krishna and in His parts and parcels, the living entities. In the spiritual world, such desires are also spiritual. No one should mistakenly consider such desires to be material. In the material world, if one is sexually inclined and enjoys sex life, he enjoys something temporary. His enjoyment vanishes after a few minutes. However, in the spiritual world the same enjoyment may be there, but it never vanishes. It is continuously enjoyed. In the spiritual world such sex pleasure appears to the enjoyer to be more and more relishable with each new feature. In the material world, however, sex enjoyment becomes distasteful after a few minutes only, and it is never permanent. (Chaitanya-charitamrita, Madhya 8.138, Purport)

The only ultimate cure for mundane sexuality – which entices us, embarrasses us, drives us, frustrates us, and provides us at best with fleeting, temporary, and decreasing pleasure – is to regain the original form of that pleasure through a union of love and service with our source, Krishna. The process to achieve that is bhakti-yoga, which includes a variety of practices, the chief of which is to chant the names of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama and Their pleasure energy, Hare. Because the names of the Lord and His energy are identical with them, the total yoga between the soul, the Lord, and the pleasure energy is accomplished as soon as a soul is immersed in that sound with a mood of dependent love and service.

Therefore, when chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, one feels great happiness on a platform higher than that of the mind and senses. As a practitioner gradually deepens in bhakti-yoga, all mundane sexual desires are transformed back into genuine spiritual love, krishna-prema.

However, achieving the full purification necessary to return our original state of utmost bliss is generally a gradual process. Therefore, material sexual desires demand some outlet until they are fully back in their primal spiritual condition. The scriptures prescribe two righteous outlets that give the student of bhakti-yoga support along the route to transcendence.

Two Supports for Bhakti-yogis

The astonishing beauty of each of these supports is how Krishna uses the epitome of the soul’s rebellion against Him – mundane sexuality – to bring that soul back to the spiritual bliss of yoga. Because Krishna has linked material sexuality with reproduction, a human being who allows that link to remain intact is pulled to the path of sacrifice and dharma from which spiritual life is natural. In the Gita’s third and twelfth chapters, therefore, Krishna recommends dutiful sacrifice and charity, even for those not yet conscious of their relationship with God. As the “all-pervading transcendence is eternally situated in acts of sacrifice” (Gita 3.15), sacrifice directed by the scriptures gives a satisfaction beyond selfishness. Such satisfaction may lead a soul to search out the supreme object of sacrifice, Krishna.

The link between sex and reproduction requires one of two sacrifices – the sacrifice of celibacy, or the sacrifice of marriage and parenting. Each of these types of support for material sexuality involves unique pleasures and austerities. Because of the soul’s past deeds, each person in this material world has a predestined amount of pleasure and austerity in this life, which is mostly fixed. However, we can usually change the type. People can, therefore, choose the way of dealing with mundane sexuality that is in harmony with their nature, age, and circumstance. When one is getting the pleasures suited for one’s own nature and time of life, the concomitant austerities are bearable and often even joyful. As Krishna explains in the third chapter of the Bhagavad-gita, only one who accepts the austerities of a position has a right to enjoy the pleasures of that position. Indeed, one who tries to take the pleasures without the austerities will find those pleasures to be an empty shell only. “One who does not follow in human life the cycle of sacrifice thus established by the Vedas certainly leads a life full of sin. Living only for the satisfaction of the senses, such a person lives in vain.” (Gita 3.16)

The Sacrifice of Celibacy

The first support system for those aspiring for perfection through bhakti is celibacy. This support is appropriate for those who feel energized without sex, even in subtle emotional forms. The Supreme Lord, who when He descends sets the example for how to live, lives as a celibate in His incarnation of Nara-Narayana Ṛshi. Celibacy is often prescribed in the scripture as a great help for various types of yoga. Therefore, everyone should embrace the celibate life before marriage and, after the time of reproduction is passed, even within marriage. For a few people, lifetime celibacy without marriage is the most suitable support.

The celibate uses sexual energy – which includes creativity, enthusiasm, expansion, attraction to beauty, and the urge to connect with life – to accept all living beings as family and work innovatively for the ultimate good of others. Indeed, the saffron-colored clothing worn by celibates in Vedic culture is of the same hue as the sacred fire, agni-paricchadan(Bhagavatam 7.12.21). Freedom is one of the primary pleasures of a celibate life lived according to shastric guidelines. Celibacy also makes it easy to live shastrically according to one’s tastes without having to be overly concerned with pleasing family members. Other pleasures are simplicity and a satisfaction in the accomplishment of sense control. Without the need to impress potential mates, there is peacefulness and satisfaction. Less time and energy are needed for basic maintenance, and so one can more easily choose work for personal fulfillment and meaning rather than necessity.

The austerities of the celibate life involve not only sexual abstinence, but also the renunciation of subtle, emotional, quasi-sexual exchanges such as flirting and frivolous talks. A celibate should limit wealth, food, and possessions to basic needs.

The dharma of a celibate includes a focus on scripture study, prayer, and purification of existence. The youthful celibate focuses on spiritual study; the older celibate on producing literary works and holding learned discourses. (Bhagavatam 2.2.5, Purport)

Because the pleasures of channeling sexuality into a celibate life are sweet and enticing, a parody of it exists in modern society. Unfortunately the imitation, which seeks the pleasures without the austerity and is not based on the sacred, aggrieves individuals and society, harming rather than helping spiritual life. This modern “single life” is a parody of the celibate life, as it advertises the celibates’ freedom and simplicity – but without the celibacy that makes such pleasures possible. This parody consists either of no marriage or of delaying marriage and childbearing well past the time of desire and peak fertility. During this time, people may have one or more sexual partners, using contraception and even abortion to keep their so-called single status. Even those who abstain from sex often absorb their minds and hearts in the romance prevalent in various forms of media.

The Sacrifice of Marriage

The second support is marriage. Most people cannot live a scripturally directed celibate life during their youth and require the support of marriage. The incarnation of the Lord who sets the example of monogamous marriage is Lord Ramachandra and His wife, Sita, who remained faithful through many trials. The married couple use their sexual energy to produce children they raise in spiritual consciousness. Family members help each other and work as a team to meet material demands, have a pleasing emotional connection, and encourage each other in spiritual life. Companionship, stability, and security are some of the primary pleasures of married life guided by scripture. Regulated sexual life and home-cooked food please the senses, as does a home filled with comfortable furniture, art, and music. Married persons seek freedom through social status and wealth, which allow them a wide range of choices. Growing children fascinate and amuse the parents, while offering scope for a variety of affectionate exchanges. In marriage one attempts to accumulate enough wealth to have the pleasure of giving in charity to worthy causes, which gives a deep sense of meaning and of contributing to society. The austerities of marriage include limiting one’s sexual relationship to one person for life regardless of changing circumstances, working for income, tolerating the personality differences and conflicts within the family, dealing with envy and competition from neighbors, friends, and co-workers, arranging for children’s education, maintaining a home, and so forth. The dharma of marriage focuses on charity, honesty, and sense control.

The pious and stable sexual gratifications of family life have induced a parody in modern society, as married couples seek to separate sex from reproduction. Through contraceptives and abortion, they seek to capture the pleasures without the austerity. The result in many countries, such as Italy, is birthrates so low that the government has become concerned that the whole culture will collapse. In these parodies of family life, people buy more than they can afford through irresponsible debt, and spend far more on the family than on charity. For example, Americans – residents of the most generous country in the world in terms of donations of time and money – give an average of only 3% of their income to charity. With an entertainment center as the home “altar,” their family life becomes an entangling snare of materialism. Another parody is cohabitation without marriage, which sometimes produces children, and generally ends in a breakup. Northern Europe seems to favor unmarried temporary families, with 28% of children in Sweden in 2010 born to cohabiting unmarried parents. In America 40% of children are now born out of wedlock, compared to 4% in 1960.

The Need for Honesty

In considering which support system to use at what point in our lives, we need to be very honest. One of the most damaging tendencies to our spiritual advancement is deceit, according to Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, an associate of Lord Chaitanya. A deceitful person tries to take the pleasures from one or more support systems, with none of the austerities. Honest people admit what kind of pleasures they want and then take up the corresponding austerities. A gift-giving exchange of love can then occur between the soul and Supreme Soul. One offers the austerities to Krishna as a way to express loving gratitude and responsibility. And one accepts the concomitant pleasures as His loving gift, using them to glorify Him further.

The system of ashrama given in the scriptures prescribes celibacy until marriage, family life until around age fifty, and celibacy again until leaving this world. In the latter period of celibacy, married couples may opt to stay together but retire from occupations and from sex both physical and subtle. This ashrama system, while not possible for everyone today, works in synergy with the natural life cycle to engage mundane sexuality in ways appropriate to biology and psychology. Those who can engage their sexuality in this ashrama system generally find the practice of bhakti-yogamuch easier.

A Loving Exchange with Krishna

Whether as a celibate or a married person, the bhakti-yogi acts in the way Prabhupada’s guru, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, describes here: “If whatever is accepted be received as favor vouchsafed by the Supreme Lord, the worldly activity will cease to be such and will turn into service of Godhead (bhakti).” (Brahma-samhita 5.61, Purport)

Prabhupada explains the same principle:

Whatever Krishna gives us . . . Just like a master. A master allots something to the servant. “You can enjoy this.” That prasadam. You understand. “Everything belongs to Krishna, even my hands and legs. They also belong to Krishna, all the parts of my body. They belong to Krishna. Then they should be used for Krishna.” That is called bhakti. (Lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.9–10, Delhi, November 14, 1973)

When one acts on this principle, then “matter dovetailed for the cause of the Absolute Truth regains its spiritual quality.” (Gita 4.24, Purport).

When people live in this mood of a loving exchange with Krishna, the intrinsically spiritual processes of bhakti-yoga such as hearing and chanting about Krishna, along with an individually appropriate support system for mundane sexuality, unify in transcendence, as explained in theGita (4.24): “A person who is fully absorbed in Krishna consciousness is sure to attain the spiritual kingdom because of his full contribution to spiritual activities, in which the consummation is absolute and that which is offered is of the same spiritual nature.”

As bhakti-yogis mature, gradually material sexuality becomes as unattractive as someone’s spit-out chewing gum lying on the ground. There is no hatred for sex per se, which is simply a biological function. Nor is there hatred for those who may be objects of sexual attraction, as they are simply other embodied souls. However, there is repulsion from lust, which is the drive to gain happiness for one’s senses and mind by using the energy of the Lord and other beings. Mundane sexual lust gradually and proportionally transforms back into its original nature and becomes love of God. Then the need for a support system of a celibate or marriedashrama starts to pale. One may still live in one of those ashramas, but as a service to Krishna and an example to others, not because of a personal need to do so.

The enlightened devotee’s detachment derives from the superior satisfaction of spiritual love. The rising tide of spiritual love gradually increases to a flood. This love, real love, means giving rather than taking. It means giving oneself for the pleasure of God. It means being an agent to unite the Lord and His energy of pleasure – Krishna with Radha, Narayana with Lakshmi, Rama with Sita. Of course, the Lord and His eternal consort do not depend on a tiny soul to aid their union. It is the kindness of the Lord that He engages the expanded living beings in this way so as to share His bliss. The finite soul, thus linked with the infinite through loving service, eternally experiences ever-expanding ecstasy. Such is our natural, constitutional, inherent nature. Let us take daily steps toward regaining our nature and letting go of its pale reflection.

Krishna Kshetra Swami: Yesterday I gave a 2-hour lecture at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (Faculty of Religion) here in Beijing. My lecture title: “Translating 'Dharma’ and the Dharma of Translation” (focusing on the Bhāgavatam). Nice, bright group of students and scholars, some of whom I met last year.

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33620

“The mountains, although being struck by torrents of rain during the rainy season, are not shaken, just as those whose hearts are dedicated to the transcendental Personality of Godhead are never disturbed, even when harassed by great misfortune.” (LOB 12)

“Because a person who is spiritually advanced accepts any adverse condition of life as the mercy of the Lord, he is completely eligible to enter into the spiritual kingdom. Even though a person takes to the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, he may sometimes become diseased, impoverished, or disappointed by life’s events. A true devotee of the Lord always considers these sufferings to be due to past sinful activities, and thus without becoming disturbed he patiently awaits the mercy of the Supreme Lord. Such devotees are compared to high mountains, which are never agitated in any way, even when struck by powerful torrents of rain in the rainy season. Rather, such devotees remain humble in spiritual enlightenment. Free from pride and envy, they easily gain the mercy of the Lord and go back home, back to Godhead.” (LOB 12 purport)

—Giriraj Swami

Source: http://www.girirajswami.com/?p=11501

Important temples in and around Kanchipuram:

1. Sri Deepa Prakasar Perumal Temple (or Thiruthanka)

2. Sri Ashtabujam Perumal Temple (or Sri Aadhikesava)

3. Sri Azhagiya Singar Perumal Temple (or Thiru Velukkai)

4. Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple (or Thiru Kanchi)

5. Sri Yatoktakari Temple (or Thiru Vekka)

6. Sri Ulagalantha Perumal Temple (or Thiru Ooragam) and Sri Thirukkaar Vaanar Temple (or Thirukkaar Vaanam)

7. Sri Vaikunda Perumal Temple (or Thiruparameshwara Vinnagaram)

8. Sri Pandava Dhootha Temple (or Thiru Paadagam)

9. Sri Pachai Vannar Temple and Sri Pavalai Vannar Temple (or Thiru Pavala Vannan)

10. Sri Ekambaranathar Temple and Sri Nilathingal Thundathan Perumal Temple

11. Sri Kamakshi Temple and Sri Aadhi Varaha Perumal Temple

12. Sri Vijayaraghava Perumal Temple (or Thiruputkuzhi)

13. Sri Koorathazhwan Temple at Kooram

14. Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya, 32km from Kanchipuram)

15. Sri Veeraraghava Perumal Temple (or Tiruvallore)

16. Sri Bhatavatsala Perumal Temple (or Thiru Nindravoor)

17. Hare Krishna (ISKCON) Chennai Temple - Sri Sri Radha-Krishna Temple

18. Srinivasa Perumal Temple at Elanagar

19. Ramanujar Sannidhi at Sevilimedu

20. Ranganathar Temple at Nathamedu

21. Sri Lakshmi Narayana Perumal at Pulikkundram

22. Sri Adhi Kesava Perumal Temple at Kazhiyur

Other temples: Sri Muktheeswarar temple, Sri Kachapeswarar temple, Sri Kumarakottam temple, Sri Kailasanathar temple

Kanchipuram, also known as Benares of Southern India or The City of Temples, is one of the most ancient and sacred cities of India. Kanchipuram is an eternally holy place and has some of the most magnificent temples. The Garuda Puranaenumerates seven sacred cities (sapta-moksha puri) as giver of moksha. They are Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kasi, Kanchipuram, Avantika (Ujjain) and Dwarka. Kanchipuram is one of among such holy place. It is 75km from Chennai, 130km from Tirupati and 32km from Sriperumbudur (birthplace of Sripad Ramanujacarya). 

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited Kanchipuram in year 1511 A.D. during His South India tour as mentioned in Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70. Lord Balarama visited Kanchipuram as mentioned Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 Chapter 79 verses 11-15. Lord Nityananda Prabhu also visited Kanchipuram during His pilgrimage to holy places. Great Vaishnava acarya, Sripad Ramanujacarya, spent a number of years in Kanchipuram in practising and preaching Vaishnava philosophy and rendering loving devotional services to Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy (the principal Deity of Kanchipuram) and the Vaishnavas. Many great devotees like Kanchipurna and others also spent most of their life at Kanchipuram. Kanchipuram city is divided into two parts: the Little Kanchi (or Vishnu Kanchi) surrounding Sri Varadaraja Perumal Temple, and the Big Kanchi (or Siva Kanchi) surrounding Sri Ekambaranathar Temple. Kanchipuram is also prominently known for silk industry. Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta Madhya lila 9.68-70 mentions: Arriving at Siva-kanci, Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the deity of Lord Siva. By His influence, He converted all the devotees of Lord Siva into Vaishnavas. The Lord then visited a holy place known as Visnu-kanci. There He saw Laksmi-Narayana deities, and He offered His respects and many prayers to please Them. Visnu-kanci is situated about 5 miles away from Kanchipuram. It is here that Lord Varadaraja, another form of Lord Visnu, resides. There is also a big lake known as Ananta-sarovara. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at Visnu-kanci for 2 days, He danced and performed kirtana in ecstasy. When all the people saw Him, they were converted into devotees of Lord Krishna.

Lord Brahma’s penance and Appearance of Sri Varadaraja Perumal

[Reference: His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaj’s South India Yatra 2005]

It is only by the causeless infinite mercy of our beloved Guru Maharaj, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and our most merciful previous acaryas that today, we are blessed with the benediction of being in this eternally holy place, Kanchipuram. In the Sri Sampradaya, there are three most holy and important deities; 

o   Sri Ranganatha Swamy in Srirangam, Sri Varadaraja Perumal in Kanchipuram and Sri Venkateswara Balaji in Tirupati.

In the histories of the Azhwars, there are profuse prayers glorifying these forms of the Lord, especially in the life of Sripad Ramanujacarya. The more we dive deeply into these most illuminating pastimes, the more our hearts over flood with gratitude, to have the opportunity to be here in this holy place and have the darshan of the Lord in this form.

In the Satya Yuga, Lord Brahma wanted to have the darshan of Lord Narayana and worship him with love and devotion. He performed penance for this purpose, and the Lord appeared in the form of the forest of Naimisharanya. Brahma wanted to see the personal form of the Lord. He carried on with his tapasya. In reciprocation, the Lord appeared in the form of water, the holy place Pushkar. Still, Brahma wanted to see the form of the Lord. The original, transcendental form of the Lord.This is not something easy to achieve. Brahma was told that he would have to perform 1000 Ashvamedha yajnas, in order to receive this benediction. Lord Brahma, he pleaded, he begged. "This will take a very long time, and it's very difficult." He was given a benediction. "Go to Kanchipuram, where any spiritual act of devotion is multiplied by 1000 times over other places. If, there you do one Ashvamedha yajna, you will have the darshan of Lord Narayana." Lord Brahma came here. He invited Saraswati Devi, his consort, but her inconceivable pastimes regarding the Lord's pastimes, she was not accessible. 

Lord Brahma began the yajna. Like any yajna, impediments will come. It is the mercy of the Lord. In the age of Kali, there was only one yajna that is recommended in the Vedas, to achieve the ultimate goal of life. It is not the fire yajna, it is the yajna of the chanting of the holy names. In fact, Srila Prabhupada in Vrindavana, he had the high priests, monks, the Brijwasis to perform days and days of yajnas. In the meanwhile, the devotees were off to the side doing Nama Sankirtana. Prabhupada writes and purport that, "The real installation that invited the deities to come, was the sincere devotional chanting of the holy names of the devotees."

Krishna-varnam tvisa Krishnam  sangopangastra-parsadam
yajnaih sankirtana-prayair  yajanti hi su-medhasah 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 11 chapter 5 verse 32)

In this age of Kali, the Yuga avatar appears to teach the Yuga Dharma: Harinama Sankirtana.

We all have experienced that, when we perform Harinama Sankirtana, do our Japa,many impediments will come, to try to stop our progress. The impediments come from within, impediments come from without. Those impediments are coming by the will of the Lord because in the face of those impediments, we either have to perish, remain lukewarm neophytes, or we have to surrender to the Lord. There is no other alternative. We have to take shelter of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. Therefore, Caitanya Mahaprabhu told His devotees that, "Obstacles are the servants of the Lord. Obstacles in the path of devotion are necessary, because human nature is to be complacent. Human nature is to be ritualistic." Even in a spiritual life, it is a strong tendency and none of us are exempt. We all have this human nature, that we take sacred things to be ordinary. And even when we perform our religious duties, they become routine, they become ritualistic. We chant the names of the Lord just to get the number done, without really taking shelter. We come before the deity in a lackadaisical way.

vipadah santu tah sasvat tatra tatra jagad-guro

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 8 verse 25)

This was Kunti Devi's prayer. That, "Let calamities, let unbearable obstacles come in my life, because then I have no other alternative but to really take shelter of you in great need." When everything is going very nicely, it is an opportunity to sincerely surrender. When things go against the grain of our plan or expectations, when there's crisis, disaster, great impediments, a sincere devotee does not lose faith, does not lose enthusiasm. A sincere devotee understand, this is a benediction. Now I have no alternative, but to take shelter, to surrender.

Factually, that is what Bhakti is about, taking shelter of the Lord Krishna. I am not the doer, Lord Krishna is the doer. To acknowledge that fact is very difficult for a conditioned soul. We can do it verbally and mentally, but from the heart, our tendency is to complain, our tendency is to find fault in others. Our tendency is to blame, either the environment or people around us for the inadequacies we have. Yes, you can complain and you can convince the whole world of the truth that justifies your dilemma, but there is a problem. You make Zero spiritual advancement by doing so. Why should we try to convince people of this world, how we are right and how the difficulties I am going through, are not my fault? We get nowhere. 

tat te ’nukampam su-samiksamano  bhunjana evatma-krtam vipakam

hrd-vag-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te  jiveta yo mukti-pade sa daya-bhak

“My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.” 

(Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 chapter 14 verse 8)

This was spoken by Lord Brahma. He knows, when difficulties come, we have to, with folded palms, thank God, thank Krishna. Now for difficulties to actually be difficulties. It cannot be the difficulties that we select. "Krishna, I will surrender to you with this difficulty or that difficulty. I have a whole list of difficulties, and which will help me surrender." The problem is this. If it is on your list, it is not really a difficulty. The real difficulties are things that come, that really we don't want, really we didn't expect. Even if we did expect it, it was what we were praying not to happen.

Getting stripped naked in the assembly of gurus was not on Draupadi's list, but it was worse than death. She took shelter of Krishna. Being bereft off all of his wealth, his reputation. Be rejected by his family members and all of his friends, was not on the list of the Avanti Brahmana. It was just the medicine that the doctor ordered, for him to surrender to Krishna wholeheartedly. Follow in the footsteps of the great souls. Today, it is very hot in this very beautiful mandap. There is not much circulation of air. Are any of you suffering? This might not be what you travelled all across the world for, to come to South India, to be under the cool ocean breezes, under the palm trees. It is a perfect arrangement, to take shelter of hearing the glories of the Lord.

Many obstacles came in Lord Brahma's execution of his yajna. First, the great river came, the massive river, massive river that was just going to wash away the entire yajyashala. Then Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and Lord Narayana appeared as Vega Sethu. The Lord appeared as a deity sleeping on Ananta-Sesa. He was like a dam that stopped the flow of the river, Meghavati River.

Then, demons created complete darkness. How do you perform yajna in complete darkness? Lord Brahma took shelter of the Lord, and the Lord appeared in another form, Deepak Prakash, and created wonderful light. Then the demons sent a ferocious beast, Sharabha (snake) and the Lord appeared with eight arms (Ashtabhuja) and killed the demon in the form of Ashtabhuja. Then all the other demons were just gathered around, just harassing Brahma, trying to do everything possible to stop this yajna. Lord Nrsimhadeva appeared on the call of Brahma. These are self-manifesting deities, of all of these forms of the Lord, here in Kanchipuram. With Lord Krishna's grace, we will visit some of these temples. 

Most importantly, Brahma continued performing his yajna. At the successful conclusion of the yajna in which he prayed with pure devotion for Lord Vishnu to appear, because please understand, it is not just the ritual of the yajna that invokes the presence of the Lord. It is the feeling, the intention in which it is being offered. That is why yajnas by Brahmans who really don't care anything about you, are just doing it for money, the affect is very minimal. Brahmanas who are performing in a spirit of compassion, to help you. Who are doing it with great faith and devotion,their offerings are very pleasingly accepted by the Lord. 

Srila Prabhupada says that "Lord Krishna does not accept what you offer Him. Krishna accepts the purpose in which something is offered. Krishna accepts the intention of your heart." Therefore it is very important to have very pure-hearted priests and very pure-hearted pujaris, because the intentions and the purpose and the purity of their offerings is very much, what the Lord is accepting.

Lord Brahma completed his yajna, and from the fire came a magnificent Vimana. Within that Vimana, was the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in His beautiful four-arm form. Because He came to the world to be the king of all bestowers of blessings, His name is Varadaraja.

It is this Varadaraja Swamy who is the predominating deity of Vishnu Kanchi. Everyone, please be sure you do go for the darshan and offer your prayers of love and devotion because Lord Varadaraja will bestow blessings upon us. What should we ask for? We should not ask the absolute truth for mundane things of this world. We should ask the absolute truth Sri Varadaraja, for the highest blessing. The blessing of eternal service to His devotees, the blessing of pure, unalloyed love, unconditional in all circumstances. From that time of Satya Yuga, Lord Sri Varadaraja Swamy is one of the most prominent deities on earth, worshiped by great acaryas. Sri Ramanujacarya resided, here in Kanchipuram. He daily worshiped Sri Varadaraja with great love and devotion. 

Kanchipuram was the historical capital of the Pallavas. It was under Pallavas from 6th to 8th century A.D. and later became the citadel of Cholas and Vijayanagar kings. During the 6th and 7th centuries, the Pallavas built some of the best temples in the city. Kanchipuram was also a great seat of learning. many scholars both in Sanskrit and Tamil flourished here. Yuan Chwang, a famous Chinese traveller visited the city in the 7th century and said that this city was 6 miles in circumference and famous for piety and veneration for spiritual learning. Kanchipuram is the birthplace of Canakya Pandita, author of Niti-sastra (civic laws) and minister of the Maurya empire.

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Srila Prabhupada’s Humility
by Padmapani das

“Although my Guru Maharaja ordered me to accomplish this mission, I am not worthy or fit to do it. I am very fallen and insignificant. Therefore, O Lord, now I am begging for Your mercy so that I may become worthy, for You are the wisest and most experienced of all.”(Prayer to the Lotus Feet of Krishna, on board the ship Jaladuta, September 13, 1965)

“It is all Krishna’s Grace that He has sent such a nice assistants to me, for executing the mission of my Spiritual Master. Personally, I am nonentity; I have come here on the order of my Spiritual Master, and He has kindly sent you all boys to assist me. So whatever is being done, there is no credit for me, but all the credit goes to my Spiritual Master, because He has arranged everything, and I am simply to abide by His order.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, October 16, 1968)

“I am just trying to disseminate this message of my Spiritual Master and if there’s any credit for this service, everything goes to Him.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 14, 1969)

“Practically there is no credit for me, if there is any credit it goes to my Spiritual Master, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Goswami Prabhupada, Who is helping me by sending so many good souls like you in this movement. Whatever is being done, it is due to His Divine Grace only. So my business is just to carry out His order. That is the way of disciplic succession; and as you have all come to help me, if you also follow the same principles then our combined effort to serve Lord Krishna will be surely successful.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 26, 1969)

“This is the prediction of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. As many towns and villages are there all over the world, this Krishna consciousness movement will be spread. So there is no credit for me, but it is only a teeny attempt, and humble attempt. So if one man could do, if you say, some success, why not all of us?” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 18, 1976)

“Actually I am dependent on your mercy. If you kindly follow my instructions and continue to push on Krsna consciousness, that will make me very happy.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, August 28, 1976)

“Actually, whatever is happening it is due to His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada because personally I am completely incapable.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 21, 1970)

“When I left your country on the 22nd of July, I had very little hope to come back again. But Krishna informed me that I’m not going to die immediately; therefore, I have come back again to get inspiration of Krishna Consciousness from you all good souls. Although officially I am your Spiritual Master, I consider you all students as my Spiritual Master because your love for Krishna and service for Krishna teach me how to become a sincere Krishna Conscious person.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 16, 1967)

“As far as knowing Krsna, I am not so fortunate that I claim like that. But still, as a child, I claim the Person Krsna is reality. My estimation may be childish. Just like our Syamasundara’s daughter Sarasvati, she believed: ‘You know who Krsna is? He is the Supreme Personality of Godhead!’ Like a child.

Yes, I prayed like that in Sydney: ‘I can’t do anything good to them. But somehow or other I have brought them to You Sir. Now You make them Krsna conscious. Otherwise, how can I do anything? It is beyond my power.’ When I left Krsna in that condition and when again came back I saw Krsna was doing everything. He is so kind. Krsna can do wonderful things. In Bombay He has done the most wonderful things. Everyone, the whole Bombay appreciates how wonderful. If Krsna likes He can do anything. Now in our New York court case the judge has declared that Krsna consciousness is a genuine religion and has dismissed the case. Is it not Krsna’s great blessing?

Be blessed by Krsna. Your sentiments are all very nice. Krsna will help you.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 18, 1977)

“And because you are already acquainted with Krishna, I have no objection to accepting you as my disciple. Practically, I do not have any disciples; I select so many masters to train them in the service of the Lord. Your natural attraction for Krishna makes it show that in your previous birth you have cultured this science of Krishna Consciousness.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 18, 1968)

“From my personal point of view, I think that I am so sinful that I cannot even approach Krishna to show me any favor. But I have only one hope — my Spiritual Master — He is very kind. So someway or other He is dragging me towards Krishna. That is the only hope. Sri Caitanya Caritamrta says therefore: Guru Krishna. By the mercy of the Spiritual Master, and by the mercy of Krishna, one gets into Krishna Consciousness. Narada Muni is our original Spiritual Master and he has dragged so many fallen souls towards Krishna, and we are also hoping to be dragged by Him through the disciplic succession. Otherwise, if we study our own qualifications, there is none — rather I have got so many disqualifications.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 10, 1969)

“The kindly words that you have used in this connection are very much pleasing, but all the credit goes to my Guru Maharaja. He asked me to take up this job as soon as I met Him in 1922; unfortunately I was so worthless that I delayed the matter until 1965, but He is so kind that by force He engaged me in His service; and because I am very much worthless, therefore He has sent me so many of His nice representatives — the beautiful American boys and girls like you. I am so much obliged to you that you are all helping me in the discharge of my duties towards my Spiritual Master, although I was so much reluctant to execute it. After all, we are the eternal servants of Krsna, and by the Divine Will of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura we are now combined together, although originally we are born in different parts of the world, unknown to one another.

This is the way of Krsna transaction; so let us, with great enthusiasm, preach this cult all over the world and make the people happy. They are missing the central point, Krsna, and our duty is to remind them — then everything will be alright. So follow the path chalked out by our predecessors, and success is sure.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, March 12, 1970)

“Yes, I thought that… Guru Maharaja wanted and these Gaudiya Math people did not do anything, so let me try in this old age. The inspiration came, and I went. By his grace it has become little successful, that’s all. I have no credit. It is all the blessings of guru and Vaisnava, that’s all. I have no credit. I do not know how things are happening, because I am not at all bona fide position. But it is truly chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara payeche keba.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Mayapur, March 17, 1973)

“Actually I am not worthy of any one of the words spoken by you but all of them are due to my Spiritual Master Who was so kind to me. In fact I am a worthless person because my Spiritual Master ordered me to take up this work in 1922 but I did not carry his order until 1958, when I was obliged to carry out His order by His arrangement only. This means although I was not very enthusiastic to carry out His order He forced me circumstantially to accept it. So this is His special mercy upon me and I always think about this with gratitude to this exalted personality coming directly from Vaikuntha World and we had the great fortune to meet Him. I think that is the only credit on our part that we happened to meet Him by some ‘ajnata sukriti’ or unknown auspicious activities. He is so kind upon me that when I came to your country, where I was completely unknown, He sent to me some good souls like you unsolicited. So I accept you all as assistants or representatives of my Guru Maharaja Who is still helping me because I am so feeble and unworthy. Anyway, the business which we have taken to work together is neither your business nor my business as far we are personally concerned, but it is the business of Lord Caitanya and His bona fide servants like my Guru Maharaja. Therefore it is the duty of all of us to execute it as nicely as far as possible within our capacity. In other words, we shall just try to discharge our responsible duties faithfully and seriously, then all facilities will come for our help.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, January 14, 1970)

“I am in receipt of your note and gift of one ring. Just now I am wearing it. Because you have sincerely offered, I must accept on behalf of my Guru Maharaja although I am not worthy.” (Srila Prabhupada Letter, December 8, 1973)

Devotee: You must be higher than the paramahamsa stage, Prabhupada.

Prabhupada: I am lower than you. I am lower than you.

Devotee: You are so beautiful. You are paramahamsa, but still, you are preaching to us.

Prabhupada: No, I am lower than you. I am the lowest of the all creatures. I am simply trying to execute the order of my spiritual master. That’s all. That should be the business of everyone. Try best. Try your best to execute the higher order. That is the safest way of progressing. One may be in the lowest stage, but if he tries to execute the duty entrusted upon him, he is perfect. He may be in lowest stage, but because he is trying to execute the duty entrusted to him, then he is perfect. That is the consideration.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Surat, December 19, 1970)

Dr. Patel: I want to learn from you.

Prabhupada: I am not guru. I am… I am… This is… The guru has no material body. Just like the statue is not material, similarly, guru’s body is not material.

Dr. Patel: You say that those gurus who appear as material body, you are not to take it as a material body. Say that way. Because we are little…

Prabhupada: No, no, no. Not to take it. It is actually. If it is material body, then how they are getting benefits? If it is a material body. The same example: if it is iron rod, how it is burning? It is fire. When there is burning, you must assume it is fire. Why do you take, ‘Oh, it is iron rod’? Phalena pariciyate. Phalena pariciyate. By the result you have to… Therefore it is said, yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasadah. We, we have no direct contact with Bhagavan, but guru, being representative of Bhagavan, if we satisfy guru, then Bhagavan becomes identical.” (Srila Prabhupada Morning Walk, Bombay, February 23, 1974)

“But I am not the greatest. I have got my spiritual master. He has got his spiritual master. He has got a spiritual master. In this way, we go up to Brahma. Brahma is the original spiritual master within this universe, who gave us the Vedic knowledge.” (Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Los Angeles, May 21, 1972)

“On this occasion, therefore, I am praying to my spiritual master to give me strength to finish this work. I am neither a great scholar nor a great devotee; I am simply a humble servant of my spiritual master, and to the best of my ability I am trying to please him by publishing these books, with the cooperation of my disciples in America. Fortunately, scholars all over the world are appreciating these publications. Let us cooperatively publish more and more volumes of Srimad-Bhagavatam just to please His Divine Grace Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 8.1, Summary)

Devotee: … you Srila Prabhupada. Only by your mercy you have brought us to this Krishna consciousness movement.

Prabhupada: Yes. I am simply messenger. Mercy is of Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Srila Prabhupada. Before your coming they predicted, that ‘Somebody will bring.’ Maybe that somebody I am. Bhaktivinoda Thakura predicted.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Mayapur, March 23, 1975)

“Guru Maharaja liked me. I know. By his blessing it is, everything has happened. I was not worth. What did I…? I do not know why he liked. I was not worth. There were so many disciples. And still, he liked me.

Devotee: He could see how pure you were.

Prabhupada: Maybe. Out of his affection, it is his good will. He can like anyone, any dog, doesn’t matter. But I know he liked me. Anyone, by his choice of free will, he can love any damn thing. It doesn’t matter. That is called krpa-siddhi. ‘I like this man. This man must be prominent.’ That is his will. It doesn’t matter on qualification. So all these people, they liked me not on my qualification, but out of affection, out of good will.” (Srila Prabhupada Conversation, Mayapur, February 20, 1977)

“It is very well known that whatever Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught in His life as acarya, He Himself practiced. When He was preaching as a devotee, although He was detected by several great personalities to be the incarnation of Krishna, He never agreed to be addressed as an incarnation. Even though one may be an incarnation of Krishna, or especially empowered by Him, he should not advertise that he is an incarnation. People will automatically accept the real truth in due course of time.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.22.5, Purport)

Source:https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/11/22/srila-prabhupadas-humility/

The verb, prepare, means: to make something ready for use or consideration.

Great thinkers everywhere speak enthusiastically about the power of preparation.

For instance, George Clason writes:

“Opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared.”

And William Shakespeare remarks:

“All things are ready, if our mind be so.”

Wise people know that one’s destiny in this life and the next are dependent on the way in which one prepares oneself in the present.

Or stated concisely:

Our preparation leads us to our destination.

The great master teachers of bhakti similarly direct us to prepare ourselves during our short lives for going to the highest destination, the spiritual world.

Srila Prabhupada:

“According to our activities in this life, we either rise or sink. This life is a preparation for the next life. If we can prepare, therefore, in this life to get promotion to the kingdom of God, then surely, after quitting this material body, we will attain a spiritual body just like the Lord’s.” (Bhagavad-gita As it Is; introduction.)
Vaisesika Dasa

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33604

I was showing the Bhagavad-gita to one gentleman, he expressed his interest but said he was a Christian. He said, “If you can show me in this book where Jesus is praised I’ll take it.” I showed him 11.55 purport where Prabhupada says, “There are many examples in history of devotees of the Lord who risked their lives for the spreading of God consciousness. The favorite example is Lord Jesus Christ. He was crucified by the nondevotees, but he sacrificed his life for the spreading of God consciousness.”
He said, “Alright you got me.”
A guy came to my table and said, “Three years ago you showed me the Bhagavad-gita and I really wanted it and told you I would be back to get it. When I returned you were gone. But now I have money I would like to get it.“
Delayed book distribution.
Two guys came to my table joking. One of them, Doug, said to me, “I think my friend here, Alex, is ready to become a Hare Krsna.” Then he started chanting Hare Krsna. Going along with their joking I said, “No, I don’t think he’s ready yet, he’s got to many material desires.” Then I got serious and started showing them the BG.
Then Doug said, “You know this is interesting but I don’t have any money.”
Alex then said, “I can get it for you.”
I said, “Most people are giving $10.” He gave $20. So I said, “You gave a nice donation you take one also.”
“No, I’m an atheist, I’d never read it.”
“Could you give it to a friend or someone?” “
“Yea, OK I can do that.”
He took it and as he was walking away he saw a man coming to my table in a hasty way. So Alex said to him, “Do you want this book? And handed it to him. The guy couldn’t believe that someone had just given him such a nice book.
Lord Caitanya is so amazing, Doug is an atheist but he bought a book for a friend and distributed another one to a total stranger. An atheist became a book distributor.
Your Servant,
Vijaya Das

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33607

We all want to know who we really are, what role we are meant to play in God’s plan, what contribution we are meant to make to God’s work. And, by God’s grace, we may get a sense of our calling, what we are meant to do in His service. But even then, we may shrink from what we know is our duty, shirk what we know is our responsibility. We may fear the challenges ahead and retreat into what we imagine will be a safer, more comfortable place. We always have that choice–to face God and the mission he ordains for us, or to flee from Him, and in doing do, depart from our true self.

Especially as we grow older, we may wonder what fruits our efforts will bear, whether we should even bother to make the effort. Even those who have labored faithfully in the service of the Lord may wonder what will come of the efforts they have made, the projects they have undertaken.

Recently, I came across some words by Oscar Romero, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of El Salvador, spoken shortly before his death:

“It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

Although these words did raise some questions in my mind, they also touched my heart and inspired me to dedicate–or rededicate–myself fully to what I believe is my service to my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and to his mission–in general terms, the work of experiencing true Krsna consciousness and sharing it with others. And so, after a day of much prayer and contemplation, I wanted to share with you these reflections–and inspiring words.

Source:http://m.dandavats.com/?p=25668

By Chandan Bhatia

As a child, Nimai cried a lot and would not stop until everyone sang “HAR! HARI!” and clapped their hands. His golden ankle bells tinkled as He kicked His legs while an Sachimata’s lap and as He took His first faltering steps while learning to walk. Being promised sweets and ksira, the ladies coaxed Nimai to dance for them. That same Supreme Lord who is unapproachable even to great sages and demigods, danced awkwardly on His short chubby legs and smiled sweetly at the ladies as they chanted “HARI” and clapped their hands.

Two thieves attempt to steal the Lord’s ornaments

One day two thieves saw the Nimai roaming about the streets alone. Seeing His fine ornaments, they conspired to steal them. One of the thieves picked Him up saying “O dear! O dear!” while the other joined him saying, “Where have You been for so long?”

“Come quickly home, dear,” the thieves said. The Lord smiled and replied, “Yes, let us go home.” Quickly the two thieves left with the Lord in their arms, while the onlookers ignorantly thought that the rightful guardians had taken their child. Thousands of people were on the streets, but they were all strangers to each other. The thieves were happy with themselves and with the ornaments on the child.

Overtaken by greed, the thieves were dreaming of their new found riches, thinking they would surely steal the golden bangles. Keeping the Lord on their shoulders, the thieves went toward hideout, while the child Nimai laughed to Himself while enjoying the ride. One thief passed a sandesa into the Lord’s hand, while the other said comfortingly, “We have almost reached home.”

As the child Nimai was thus being kidnapped, His relatives missed Him and began to search throughout the neighbourhood. “Visvambhara! Come home, Nimai!” they shouted. Everyone grew frantic and restless like fish out of water. At last, everyone became very fearful so that the search became more frantic. In their minds, they began to take shelter of Lord Govinda.

Meanwhile, by the influence of Lord Nimai’s illusory energy, maya, the thieves mistook the way to their hideout. In fact, the deluded thieves came right back in front Sri Jagannatha Misra. The bewildered thieves thought they were in their own house, so they busied themselves trying to remove the Lord’s ornaments.

“Get down now. We are home.” said the thieves, and the Lord replied, “Yes, put Me down.” Inside Sri Jagannatha Misra’s house everyone sat around with their heads in their hands in utter despair. As soon as Nimai was on the ground He ran straight to His father. A joyous uproar shook the house as the relatives loudly chanted, “Hari! Hari!” in great ecstasy. Feeling as if life had returned to their bodies, the people felt indescribable happiness.

The thieves finally realized that the house was not their own, but they could not recognize where they were. Taking advantage of the commotion, the fearful thieves stealthily left the place without being noticed by anyone. Reflecting on the strange and wonderful incident, the thieves thought, “Who is playing tricks with us?”

After reaching a faraway place, the thieves concluded, “Candidevi (goddess Durga) certainly saved us today!” Feeling relieved and happy, they embraced each other. Actually the two thieves gained immeasurable good fortune by carrying the Lord on their shoulders.

Within Jagannatha Misra’s house, the people said, “Who brought the child back? We should offer him nice gifts and tie a turban on his head.” Someone said, “I saw two men come with Nimai. After putting Him down, they left, and I do not know where they went.” Everyone was surprised that whoever brought the child back did not stay to be acknowledged. They turned to Nimai and asked, “Our dear child, tell us who brought You back. We are puzzled.”

The Lord replied, “I went to the banks of the Ganges, but I lost my way home and was roaming about in the town. Two persons took Me in their arms and brought Me home.” “The words of the scriptures are never wrong, The unseen hand of God always protects children, old persons, and the helpless,” they all said. Being bewildered by Yogamaya, the relatives conjectured in many ways.

In this way Lord of Vaikuntha performed His wonderful pastimes. Who can understand them without the Lord’s mercy? Although these narrations are a mystery even to the Vedas, simply by hearing them one can easily achieve undeviating devotion to Lord Caitanya’s lotus feet.

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=7445

How to see or know God? People often challenge, "show me God!". But according to the vedic paradigm, the way one can know God first is through hearing or sravanam. Hence the vedas has another name called sruti. So through hearing eventually we will be able to see God face to face.

Life is not always straightforward as we wish it to be. To some, life is a well planned journey with a defined goal and to some it is like a football with no specific direction. To some it is as involving as writing a beautiful poetry while to others it is just as boring as typing out a company’s terms and conditions. To some it is enjoyable as enacting a drama and to others it is as difficult as resolving a tough mathematical equation. Whatever it may be, every life is full of actions. Actions that we planned and actions that were unplanned. When we plan a long-term action, oftentimes we get a question- where to start?

There are times in our life when we want to do a lot or say a lot but do not know where to start from. In a cycle of events, the first thing is always a thought. When we dwell on a particular thought it grows into a desire which, if pursued further, takes the shape of an action in due course of time. This is thinking, feeling, willing and finally doing.

However, every action requires a beginning and, at times, beginning is the most difficult part of an action. There are plenty of instances starting from a child wanting to climb a ladder to a teenager struggling to choose his career, one’s embarking on a business venture or entering a relationship and getting married, and so on. At times, opening a public address and even starting to write an article also gets difficult. It is not only about where to start but also how to start.

A few conventional solutions include taking advice from senior well-wishers, sharing thoughts with trusted friends, talking to those who have experience dealing with such scenarios, and so on. But what to do when none of them seem to work?

While all of us are not the same, there are similarities of life events in this world. People are found to have similar thinking patterns. Common sense may not be always common, certain tricks do work, almost always, for almost everyone.

First we need to understand what prevents us from taking the first step. The reason  behind hesitation is nothing else but the unknown future that remains a mystery to us. We are not sure if we take the first step, what will be our second, third and forth step. We are unaware of what we will need to do if we get stuck at the fifth step. We are unaware whether stepping back will help or hurt.

Is this due to lack of self confidence? No. Is it pessimism? No. Is the very question, where to start, some sort of mental weakness? No.

Some think that optimism is the way and prefer to deal with problems as they surface. Others wisely look at the risk factors before jumping into an unknown domain of uncertainties. It is better to be safe than sorry. When starting gets difficult, hold back and think why it is so. Is it just your fear, lack of experience, undue hesitation, or is it a warning from a superior being who is aware of your future?

First we need to acknowledge that no matter how much we wish and how much we profess, we are not the controller. This remains true for a child as well as for the president of a country. If human beings were the sole controller, the world would have ceased to exist long ago. Human beings are simply allowed to control certain things for a certain period of time. In other words, their ability to control is borrowed.

Those who control human beings, the devas, or the demigods, are also not independent controllers as they follow the rules made by the supreme controller, who is referred to as Parameshvara in the Bhagavad Gita and other Vedic scriptures. Let it be clear that the reason Vedic scriptures sometimes refer to all living entities as ishvara is because we, being the part and parcel of Parameshvara, have received some ability to control, albeit in a minute quantity, just like a drop of ocean water has the quality of the ocean.

Once this is understood the answer to our question becomes simple. Three beautiful verses spoken personally by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita summarize the answer in a simplest way. You may have read them number of times or may have even memorized them. If that is the case, the only thing you now need to do is put your learning in practice and you are almost there. These verses do not only tell us where to start but also tell us how to start, where to end and how to end. It’s a complete solution to all our problems in terms of work.

raso ’ham apsu kaunteya prabhasmi ssashi-suryayoḥ
praṇavaḥ sarva-vedeshu shabdaḥ khe paurusham nrshu

Translation: O son of Kunti, I am the taste of water, the light of the sun and the moon, the syllable om in the Vedic mantras; I am the sound in ether and ability in man. (B.G. 7.8)

prakrteḥ kriyamanani gunaih karmani sarvashah
ahankara-vimudhatma kartaham iti manyate

Translation: The spirit soul bewildered by the influence of false ego thinks himself the doer of activities that are in actuality carried out by the three modes of material nature. (B.G. 3.27)

Note how the above two verses explain how things work in this world regardless of who carries them out. Even the demigods like Moon and the Sun do not have their own powers what to speak of ability in man. This verses make it clear that no one can do anything without the help of the Supreme Lord. It is also explained that only fools think of themselves to be the doers when it is the modes of nature that work behind the scene.

This, however, does not absolve us from the responsibility of our karma because it is we who desire a particular action. Modes of nature simply execute the work on the sanction of the Supreme Lord. Again, this does not mean the modes of nature and Paramatma work as per our desires. Paramatma hears our desires and out of His love for us and out of His sweet will, orders the material nature to fulfill them. It is said that not even a blade of grass moves without the sanction of God. This is a reality of life that all cannot easily digest but nonetheless are forced to follow.

Behind every action is our desires which we cultivate by associating with the modes of material nature. By contemplating on our desires we gradually mold our life. Life does not necessarily mean one lifetime. Life is a continuous journey from one body to another. Just like a movie is a combination of thousands of image frames, what we call life is a combination of changing bodies. Living in one body we define our goals and chase them while meeting failures and successes. Whatever remains undone during the duration of one body, or one lifetime, gets carried forward into the next life. This is an inescapable karmic cycle which all conditioned souls are going through without any exception.

The third verse, perhaps the most famous one, concludes the answer.

karmany evadhikaras te ma phaleshu kadachana
ma karma-phala-hetur bhur ma te sango ’stv akarmani

Translation: You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself the cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing your duty. (B.G. 2.47)

What to do when we do not know where to start? Remember the above three verses and mediate on your role. Is it you who can decide on your own where to start, or is it the ability in you, given by the Supreme Lord, that helps you decide where to start? Even if it is only the ability in you that helps you decide where to start and how to go about the process, how can you make the material nature initiate the work without the sanction of the Supreme Lord? And even after it gets sanctioned by the Lord, it is you who is going to enjoy or suffer the reaction. This fact could again cause hesitation and you might get back to square one asking the same question- what to do and where to start.

The verse above is the key to get rid of all fears and confusion. As mentioned earlier, the reason we get stuck at the first step is our ignorance of the future. This is natural as the question “where to start?” is connected to the question “what to do the next?”. But if we can offer the result of our actions to God we have nothing to worry. One important factor, however, is that giving away the fruit of hard work to someone else is only possible if we love that person. Working for a beloved also helps us carry out the actions with utmost sincerity as we want to offer the best.

In conclusion, if we can understand our position as the eternally dependent children of the Lord, if we understand how His energies function, and if we can love Him, all our confusion is over as we will start our work and end our work for His pleasure. The anxiety as to where to start is only manifested because we falsely think of ourselves to be the doers and enjoyers. By giving up this tendency we can quickly rise to the spiritual platform thus achieving higher goals without getting entangled in the karmic cycle.

Source:http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/not-know-start/

Devotee: “I asked Prabhupada the other day: ‘Because Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, ‘Forget the past that sleeps, and of the future never dream at all. Live in times that are with thee, and progress thee shall call’; does this mean that it’s possible to forget the past?
“Srila Prabhupada answered, ‘No, that would not be possible, but we can think like this: ‘I have done so many foolish things,’ and then rectify them. Not that we should remain fools. Then what would be the value of our experience?”
“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?”
– L.M. Montgomery
“If you make a mistake and do not correct it, this is called a mistake.”
– Confucius
“Was it you or I who stumbled first? It does not matter. The one of us who finds the strength to get up first, must help the other.”
–Vera Nazarian
“One should not be discouraged in the discharge of devotional service. Failures may not be detrimental; they may be the pillars of success.”
–A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (Light of the Bhagavata 43)
Om Tat Sat

Vaisesika Dasa

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=33546