Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who
is the first expansion of Lord Krsna, the original Personality of Godhead.
As Krsna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7):

yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O
descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion–at that time I
descend Myself.” Lord Krsna says, srjamy aham: “I manifest Myself.” He
doesn’t take birth like an ordinary human being; He manifests Himself in His
original spiritual form.

For what purpose?

paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge

“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to
reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after
millennium.” (Bg 4.8)
He manifests Himself to protect the devotees, annihilate the demons, and
reestablish the principles of religion.

In every sphere of activity in the material world there is deterioration;
everything in the material world declines. A new house, for example, is very
nice, but it gradually deteriorates, and eventually, when it is too old, it
has to be rebuilt. In the same way, our performance of spiritual duties
deteriorates, whether we are individuals, families, communities, or a
society. The Lord comes in order to establish religious principles (dharma)
and practice, but over time religious practice declines, and so He manifests
Himself again and again. We all know how prone we are to allow our practice
to deteriorate. Thus, on auspicious occasions like today, Lord Balarama’s
appearance day, we can pray to the Lord to manifest Himself and help us to
become reestablished in our religious principles and practice.

Srimad-Bhagavatam, relating the appearance of Lord Balarama, elaborates on
these two Gita verses. As it states, when the earth was overburdened by
demonic rulers who had amassed large military forces armed with deadly
weapons to wage war for personal gain, Lord Brahma, the chief of the
demigods in this universe, approached the shore of the ocean of milk. There,
accompanied by Lord Siva and other celestial beings, he worshiped Lord
Visnu, the supreme God of all gods. In response, Lord Visnu gave him
instructions, which Lord Brahma in turn conveyed to the demigods. He told
them that the Lord would soon appear on earth to diminish the burden of the
world and that the demigods, to assist Him, should take birth in the Yadu
dynasty. Lord Brahma further stated that Lord Balarama, who is also known as
Sankarsana, would precede the Lord and serve Him in every respect:

vasudeva-kalanantah
sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
hareh priya-cikirsaya

“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta.
He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to
the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as
Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental
pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)

Lord Brahma told them as well that Yogamaya, the personal potency of the
Lord, would also appear and assist the Lord in His mission.

Many of you may know the history that immediately preceded the appearance of
Krsna and Balarama. Vasudeva, a great devotee in the Yadu dynasty, wedded
Devaki, another pure devotee. After their marriage, Vasudeva mounted his
chariot with his newly wedded wife to return home, and Devaki’s brother
Kamsa, to please his sister, took the reins of the horses to drive the
chariot. Along the way, Kamsa heard a voice from an invisible source telling
him, “You fool, the eighth child of the woman you are carrying will kill
you!” Kamsa, a great demon, became enraged and was ready to kill his own
sister on the day of her marriage. But Vasudeva intervened and appealed to
him to desist. He said, “How could a qualified person like you kill a
woman–your own sister–on the occasion of her marriage? In any case, one
day you will die, and in your next life you will have to suffer the
reactions to your present activities.” Still, Kamsa was so shameless and
cruel that he persisted, and Vasudeva, to save his wife from imminent death,
told him, “You have nothing to fear from Devaki, according to the omen. It
is her son that will kill you. So I promise to deliver all her sons, who are
the cause of your fear, into your hands.” Kamsa, having faith in Vasudeva’s
word, was pacified. Still, he imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki. And year after
year, as their children were born, Vasudeva very dutifully delivered them to
Kamsa, who mercilessly killed them.

Now we shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers
by the Demigods.”

TEXT 7

gaccha devi vrajam bhadre
gopa-gobhir alankrtam
rohini vasudevasya
bharyaste nanda-gokule
anyas ca kamsa-samvigna
vivaresu vasanti hi

TRANSLATION

The Lord ordered Yogamaya: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire
world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities,
go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very
beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva, is
living at the home of Nanda Maharaja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also
living there incognito because of fear of Kamsa. Please go there.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Nanda-gokula, the residence of King Nanda, was itself very beautiful, but
when Yogamaya was ordered to go there and encourage the devotees with
fearlessness, it became even more beautiful and safe. Because Yogamaya had
the ability to create such an atmosphere, the Lord ordered her to go to
Nanda-gokula.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

King Kamsa was such a demon that he was performing all sorts of atrocities,
and Vasudeva was afraid for the safety of his wives. In Vedic culture, the
ksatriyas in particular were allowed to marry more than one wife. Now that
idea seems a bit foreign or odd, but it had its purpose in Vedic
civilization. The ksatriyas then were powerful; they could maintain many
wives. But, as predicted in Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the present age of Kali
progresses, or deteriorates, a husband will have to struggle just to
maintain one wife, one family, and if he is somehow able to do so nicely, he
is considered a great success in life.

Previously, people were more qualified. They were more opulent. The
ksatriyas could have more than one wife, though Lord Ramacandra took
eka-patni-vrata, a vow to accept only one wife–Sitadevi. Vasudeva had more
than one wife, but he was responsible. He didn’t want any harm to befall any
of them, and he arranged for their protection. Vasudeva and Devaki had
relatives, who were also family friends, in Gokula–Nanda and Yasoda. And so
Vasudeva placed one of his wives, Rohini, under the care of Nanda and
Yasoda. And after Balarama had entered the womb of Devaki, Lord Krsna
ordered Yogamaya to transfer Him from the womb of Devaki into the womb of
Rohini.

TEXT 8

devakya jathare garbham
sesakhyam dhama mamakam
tat sannikrsya rohinya
udare sannivesaya

TRANSLATION

Within the womb of Devaki is My partial plenary expansion known as
Sankarsana or Sesa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of
Rohini.

PURPORT

The first plenary expansion of Krsna is Baladeva, also known as Sesa. The
Sesa incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead supports the entire
universe, and the eternal mother of this incarnation is Mother Rohini.
“Because I am going into the womb of Devaki,” the Lord told Yogamaya, “the
Sesa incarnation has already gone there and made suitable arrangements so
that I may live there. Now He should enter the womb of Rohini, His eternal
mother.”

In this connection, one may ask how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who
is always situated transcendentally, could enter the womb of Devaki, which
had previously been entered by the six asuras, the sad-garbhas. Does this
mean that the sad-garbhasuras were equal to the transcendental body of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead? The following answer is given by Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

COMMENT

As promised, Vasudeva delivered the first six sons of Devaki to Kamsa, who
killed them one after the other. They were actually the six asuras who,
because of events from their past life, had taken birth in Devaki’s womb to
be killed by Kamsa. So the question is, Krsna is going to enter the womb of
Devaki–does that mean He is on the same level as these asuras who took
birth from her womb and were killed by Kamsa? Visvanatha Cakravarti
explains:

PURPORT (continued)

The entire creation, as well as its individual parts, is an expansion of the
energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, even though the
Lord enters the material world, He does not do so. This is explained by the
Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (9.4-5):

maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv avasthitah

na ca mat-sthani bhutani
pasya me yogam aisvaram
bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho
mamatma bhuta-bhavanah

COMMENT

The idea is that the Lord is everywhere within His creation but at the same
time is not there. This appears to be contradictory. The contradiction is
resolved, however, when we understand that the Lord in His original form as
Krsna in Goloka Vrndavana is not in the material creation; He remains aloof,
in His divine abode, enjoying sublime pastimes with His loving devotees.
Still, by His expansion as the Supersoul, the Paramatma, He pervades His
creation.

PURPORT (continued)

A pure devotee is always transcendentally situated because of executing nine
different processes of bhakti-yoga. Thus situated in devotional service, a
devotee, although in the material world, is not in the material world. Yet a
devotee always fears, “Because I am associated with the material world, so
many contaminations affect me.” Therefore he is always alert in fear, which
gradually diminishes his material association.

COMMENT

As stated earlier, Yogamaya appeared in Gokula to create
fearlessness–freedom from fear of the attacks of demons. Yet a pure devotee
is always afraid of material contamination. Once, Srila Prabhupada gave a
class at the Bhaktivedanta Manor in which he told the audience, “The
difference between you and me is that you can fall down but I cannot fall
down.” Later, after the class, Srila Prabhupada was praying in front of the
Deities, and one disciple asked him, “What were you praying?” And Srila
Prabhupada replied, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” The disciple
responded, “But in your talk you said that you can never fall down.” And
Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, because I am always praying never to fall
down, I can never fall down.” So, we should always be afraid of the material
energy (maya), of being deluded by maya and being diverted from the true
path of Krsna consciousness.

PURPORT (continued)

Symbolically, Mother Devaki’s constant fear of Kamsa was purifying her. A
pure devotee should always fear material association, and in this way all
the asuras of material association will be killed, as the sad-garbhasuras
were killed by Kamsa.

COMMENT

Especially devotees in the grhastha-asrama may have to associate with the
material energy, to earn money to maintain their families. Like it or not,
they may have to associate with materialistic people. And there is always a
danger that by their associating with materialistic people, their
consciousness will be affected. So they should be afraid of material
association. Of course, circumstantially we have to interact with such
people, and we may do so as people normally interact in the workplace. But
internally we should be conscious that if we associate with them too much,
in the wrong way, it can affect us, and we can become weakened in our
determination to progress in Krsna consciousness. We may start to compromise
in different ways, which will weaken us even more.

PURPORT (concluded)

It is said that from the mind, Marici appears. In other words, Marici is an
incarnation of the mind. Marici has six sons: Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha,
Mada, and Matsarya (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and envy). The
Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in pure devotional service. This is
confirmed in the Vedas: bhaktir evainam darsayati. Only bhakti can bring one
in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality
of Godhead appeared from the womb of Devaki, and therefore Devaki
symbolically represents bhakti, and Kamsa symbolically represents material
fear. When a pure devotee always fears material association, his real
position of bhakti is manifest, and he naturally becomes uninterested in
material enjoyment. When the six sons of Marici are killed by such fear and
one is freed from material contamination, within the womb of bhakti the
Supreme Personality of Godhead appears. Thus the seventh pregnancy of Devaki
signifies the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After the
six sons Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matsarya are killed, the Sesa
incarnation creates a suitable situation for the appearance of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. In other words, when one awakens his natural Krsna
consciousness, Lord Krsna appears. This is the explanation given by Srila
Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

COMMENT

There are different stages of advancement in devotional service, and when
one is completely purified, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed
within the heart. That purified stage is called vasudeva, or suddha-sattva.
It is the same name as that of Krsna’s father, Vasudeva, because Krsna first
appeared in the purified mind of Vasudeva and then from the mind of Vasudeva
He was transferred into the purified mind–and womb–of Devaki.

So it is possible that the Lord will manifest Himself to a devotee who is
sincere in the practice of devotional service. And before He manifests
Himself fully, as He did for Vasudeva and Devaki, and for Nanda and Yasoda,
He manifests Himself as the holy name (as we all experience when we try to
chant without offense); as holy scripture–Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srimad
Bhagavad-gita, or Sri Caitanya-caritamrta; as the holy dhama–Sri Vrndavana,
Mayapur, or Puri; as the Deity; and in the hearts, and words, of His pure
devotees.

TEXT 9

athaham amsa-bhagena
devakyah putratam subhe
prapsyami tvam yasodayam
nanda-patnyam bhavisyasi

TRANSLATION

O all-auspicious Yogamaya, I shall then appear with My full six opulences as
the son of Devaki, and you will appear as the daughter of Mother Yasoda, the
queen of Maharaja Nanda.

COMMENT

This is the history. Balarama, or Sesa, first entered the womb of Devaki as
her seventh son, but by the arrangement of Krsna, through the agency of
Yogamaya, He was transferred to the womb of Rohini in Gokula. And thus it
appeared that Devaki had a miscarriage. But it is Sesa’s service to arrange
for Krsna’s comfort, and so He entered her womb first and created a
favorable situation in which Lord Krsna could reside. We always see pictures
of Lord Visnu with Sesa, who acts as the Lord’s umbrella and throne. Sesa
expands Himself in so many ways to facilitate the pleasure and comfort of
the Lord.

After being transferred to the womb of Rohini, His eternal mother, Balarama
took birth in Gokula. His stay within the womb of Devaki was just a
temporary arrangement to create a favorable situation for Krsna. Then Krsna
Himself entered the womb of Devaki through the mind of Vasudeva and took
birth.

For the duration of Their infancy, childhood, and youth, Krsna and Balarama
enjoyed Their pastimes together in Gokula, in Vraja. Then, when They were
around the age of sixteen, They went to Mathura to participate in a
wrestling match arranged by Kamsa. Ultimately Krsna killed Kamsa, but Krsna
and Balarama did not then return to Vrndavana. They had many pastimes in
Mathura and Dvaraka. Because They had not yet received a proper, formal
education, Vasudeva and Devaki arranged for Them to study under a guru,
Sandipani Muni, from whom They learned sixty-four different arts and
sciences. And then They went on to rule Mathura and, finally, Dvaraka.

It is, one could say, a peculiar situation that Krsna was actually the son
of Vasudeva and Devaki but that He was raised by Nanda and Yasoda and never
really spent time with His original parents until many years later. And then
He was separated from the parents who had raised Him, and He didn’t see them
again for many, many, many years.

After Krsna and Balarama left Vrndavana, the Vraja-vasis were plunged into
an ocean of separation. Their only business was crying for Krsna and
Balarama. Of course, their crying was not like our material crying. Theirs
was transcendental ecstasy. And in that separation, they were experiencing
association. Still, they were separated, and many years later, when Krsna
was living in royal opulence in Dvaraka, He went to Kuruksetra for a solar
eclipse, to perform sacrifices and give in charity, as advised in sastra.

At Kuruksetra there was a great reunion, not only between Krsna and Balarama
and Their friends from Vrndavana, but also between Vasudeva and Devaki and
Nanda and Yasoda, and between Krsna’s various wives and Draupadi. Their
meetings and interactions with each other are very instructive for us–how
devotees relate to each other, how they think, and how they feel.

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Eighty-Two: “Krsna Meets the
Inhabitants of Vrndavana.”

TEXTS 31-32

When Nanda Maharaja learned that the Yadus had arrived, led by Krsna, he
immediately went to see them. The cowherds accompanied him, their various
possessions loaded on their wagons.

Seeing Nanda, the Vrsnis were delighted and stood up like dead bodies coming
back to life. Having felt much distress at not seeing him for so long, they
held him in a tight embrace.

COMMENT

The Vrsnis from Dvaraka returned to life when they saw Nanda, and they
embraced him affectionately.

TEXTS 33-38

Vasudeva embraced Nanda Maharaja with great joy. Beside himself with
ecstatic love, Vasudeva remembered the troubles Kamsa had caused him,
forcing him to leave his sons in Gokula for Their safety.

O hero of the Kurus, Krsna and Balarama embraced Their foster parents and
bowed down to them, but Their throats were so choked up with tears of love
that the two Lords could say nothing.

Raising their two sons onto their laps and holding Them in their arms, Nanda
and saintly Mother Yasoda forgot their sorrows.

Then Rohini and Devaki both embraced the Queen of Vraja, remembering the
faithful friendship she had shown them. Their throats choking with tears,
they addressed her as follows.

[Rohini and Devaki said:] What woman could forget the unceasing friendship
you and Nanda have shown us, dear Queen of Vraja? There is no way to repay
you in this world, even with the wealth of Indra.

Before these two boys had ever seen Their real parents, you acted as Their
parents and gave Them all affectionate care, training, nourishment, and
protection. They were never afraid, good lady, because you protected Them
just as eyelids protect the eyes. Indeed, saintly persons like you never
discriminate between outsiders and their own kin.

PURPORT

As Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains, Krsna and Balarama had not seen
Their parents for two reasons: because of Their exile in Vraja, and also
because They are never actually born and therefore have no parents.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti also describes what Devaki thought before
speaking this verse: “Alas, because for so long these two sons of mine had
you, Yasoda, as Their guardian and mother, and because They were immersed in
such a vast ocean of ecstatic loving dealings with you, now that you are
once more before Them They are too distracted to even notice me. Also, you
are behaving as if insane and blind with love for Them, showing millions of
times more maternal affection than I possess. Thus you simply keep staring
at us, your friends, without recognizing us. So let me bring you back to
reality on the pretext of some affectionate words.”

COMMENT

There are many points here. First is how much Devaki appreciated Mother
Yasoda for taking care of her son Krsna. Before He had even seen His real
parents, Yasoda and Nanda had acted as His and Balarama’s parents and cared
for Them, taught Them, nourished Them, and protected Them. And thus Devaké’s
sons never had any fear. And she praises Yasoda for being a saintly person
who never discriminates between outsiders and her own kin. Of course, on
another level Krsna is the Supersoul; He is the most intimate friend and the
supreme lovable object for everyone. But in terms of the pastimes, Yasoda
did not discriminate that Krsna was not her own son; she and Nanda raised
Him as if He were their own.

Also, Devaki was completely free from envy. She saw that Krsna (with
Balarama) was so overwhelmed with love that He forgot everything. He just
rushed into the arms of Mother Yasoda. And Devaki not only admitted but
actually appreciated that Yasoda had more love for Krsna than even she did.

These are some of the qualities that devotees develop in Krsna
consciousness. They appreciate the service of others, and they are not
envious. They are happy to acknowledge those who have more love for Krsna
than they do, or render better service to Krsna than they do. And they are
full of love. It is described here that when the Vrsnis saw Nanda and
Yasoda–even though they had the association of Krsna in Dvaraka and were
with Him in Kuruksetra–they felt as if their lives had come back to them.
They had so much love and affection for them, and they were most grateful to
them for their service to Krsna.

PURPORT (concluded)

Then, when Devaki failed to get any response from Yasoda even after
addressing her, Rohini said, “My dear Devaki, it’s impossible just now to
rouse her out of this ecstatic trance. We are crying in the wilderness, and
her two sons are no less bound up in the ropes of affection for her than she
is for Them.

COMMENT

Yasoda had lost consciousness of everything other than her sons, Krsna and
Balarama. And again, Yasoda did not discriminate, that “Krsna is my son, but
Balarama is Rohini’s.” Nor did Rohini discriminate that “Balarama is my son,
but Krsna is Yasoda’s.” Both mothers were mothers to both sons, and both
sons saw both as Their mothers.

This type of love develops with Krsna consciousness, but it is also
something that we are meant to cultivate. In Srila Prabhupada’s last days,
in Vrndavana, His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami exclaimed, “Srila
Prabhupada, your disciples love you so much.” And Srila Prabhupada replied,
“Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate with each other.”
Many authorities, both spiritual and mundane, have commented that love is
not just a sentiment but is also a process. Srila Prabhupada said that if we
really love him–if we want to show our love for him–we will cooperate with
each other for his pleasure, which ultimately means Krsna’s pleasure (yasya
prasadad bhagavat-prasado).

By the family of Vasudeva and Devaki and the family of Nanda and Yasoda
cooperating for the service of Lord Balarama, the two families were brought
together. And that was one of Lord Balarama’s purposes, as foretold by
Gargamuni:

garga uvaca
ayam hi rohini-putro
ramayan suhrdo gunaih
akhyasyate rama iti
baladhikyad balam viduh
yadunam aprthag-bhavat
sankarsanam usanty api

“Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohini, will give all happiness to
His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will
be known as Rama. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily
strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two
families–Vasudeva’s family and the family of Nanda Maharaja–He will be
known as Sankarsana.”(SB 10.8.12)

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains: “Baladeva was actually the son of
Devaki, but He was transferred from Devaki’s womb to that of Rohini. This
fact was not disclosed. According to a statement in the Hari-vamsa:

pratyuvaca tato ramah
sarvams tan abhitah sthitan
yadavesv api sarvesu
bhavanto mama vallabhah

Gargamuni did disclose to Nanda Maharaja that Balarama would be known as
Sankarsana because of uniting two families–the yadu-vamsa and the vamsa of
Nanda Maharaja–one of which was known as ksatriya and the other as vaisya.
Both families had the same original forefather, the only difference being
that Nanda Maharaja was born of a vaisya wife whereas Vasudeva was born of a
ksatriya wife. Later, Nanda Maharaja married a vaisya wife, and Vasudeva
married a ksatriya wife. So although the families of Nanda Maharaja and
Vasudeva both came from the same father, they were divided as ksatriya and
vaisya. Now Baladeva united them, and therefore He was known as Sankarsana.”

By Krsna consciousness, by cooperating to serve the spiritual master and the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, different individuals, families, castes, and
communities can all be united.

Even Balarama considers Himself to be a servant of Lord Krsna. Balarama is
the first expansion of Krsna and is the original spiritual master, but He,
too, has the sentiment that He is a servant of Krsna. In fact, every
conscious being is imbued with the sentiment of being a servant of Krsna.
Balarama, and all of Krsna’s expansions–Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna,
Aniruddha, Karanodakasayi Visnu, Garbhodakasayi Visnu, Ksirodakasayi
Visnu–all have the sentiment of being servants of Krsna.

ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya
yare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya

“Lord Krsna alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His
servants. They dance as He makes them do so.” (Cc Adi 5.142)

apanake bhrtya kari’ krsne prabhu jane
krsnera kalara kala apanake mane

“[Balarama] considers Himself a servant and knows Krsna to be His master.
Thus He regards Himself as a fragment of His plenary portion.” (Cc Adi
5.137)

It was stated in the beginning that Balarama, or Sankarsana, would appear
prior to Krsna in order to serve Krsna and please Him in every respect.

vasudeva-kalanantah
sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
hareh priya-cikirsaya

“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta.
He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to
the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as
Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental
pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)

And that is the duty of the spiritual master–to serve and please the
Supreme Lord. Once, Srila Prabhupada asked some disciples, “What is the duty
of the spiritual master?” And then he gave the answer: “The duty of the
spiritual master is to serve Krsna. And the duty of the disciples is to
assist the spiritual master.” Balarama is the original spiritual master
because, as Krsna’s first expansion, He is the first servant of Krsna, and
He is the first instructor about Krsna. The spiritual master is considered
to be the representative of Lord Balarama, or Nityananda Prabhu.

So, Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you
cooperate.” In other words, love is not just a sentiment but is expressed
through practical activity. Further, it is evoked by practical activity;
loving sentiment is increased by devotional service. The word “cooperate”
consists of “co-,” which means “together,” “jointly”; and “operate,” which
means to “perform a function,” to “exert power or influence.” To cooperate
means that together we perform some function. And we see the perfect example
of cooperation in Vrndavana. Nanda and Yasoda and Rohini cooperated to raise
Krsna and Balarama. In a broader sense, they cooperated with Vasudeva and
Devaki to raise Them. And there was no envy.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example of the different parts of the body, which
cooperate for the sake of the whole, to serve the stomach. If the different
parts try to enjoy independent of the stomach, they won’t be able to. They
will fail–and suffer. Srila Prabhupada gave the example that if there is a
nice rasagulla and the hand thinks, “Why should I give all the food to the
stomach? I will enjoy myself” and then tries to enjoy directly, it won’t be
able to. The food is meant to be given to the stomach, and when it goes to
the stomach, all the different parts of the body benefit.

Srila Prabhupada elaborated on this analogy by saying that once, the
different parts of the body went on strike, thinking, “We do all the work,
and the stomach gets all the food. Why should we work for the sake of the
stomach?” So they decided to go on strike. As a result, all the parts of the
body suffered. They became weak. Then they had another meeting and decided,
“We were better off when we were serving the stomach.” So they went back to
serving the stomach.

Krsna is the focus of all devotional service. That is the meaning of
bhakti–to serve and please Krsna. And the medium for that service is the
spiritual master, who represents Lord Balarama, or Lord Nityananda. So,
Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you
cooperate.” That means we work together, co-operate. We perform the same
function, but together, for the pleasure of guru and Krsna. And in that
service there is no envy. There is only appreciation and gratitude. Each
devotee thinks, “You’ve helped me so much by doing this.” That consciousness
develops naturally from bhakti, but at the same time we have to practice; we
are in the stage of sadhana-bhakti, devotional service in practice. When we
practice cooperation, serving the other devotees and appreciating their
service, bhakti develops, and ultimately Krsna manifests Himself. Krsna and
all of His associates are revealed to us in that state of pure devotion.

Hare Krsna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Bhakta Adam: What does it mean when you say that Krsna and Balarama took
birth from the womb? What is the childbirth process of Krsna? Does He simply
appear and His mother thinks that she has gone through childbirth? Because I
remember that Mother Yasoda–it says in Krsna book–Mother Yasoda was so
tired from the labor of childbirth that she fell asleep and could not
remember whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.

Giriraj Swami: Krsna is always everywhere, so He is already in the womb. He
is in the heart of every living entity, in every atom, in the space between
the atoms. He is everywhere. So He is already in the womb in His Paramatma
feature, which is not different from His original feature as Krsna. The
Paramatma is an expansion of His original feature. And when the time came,
the original Krsna entered the purified mind, or heart, of Vasudeva, and
from there He was transferred to the purified heart of Devaki. He was
transferred to her womb–took up residence in her womb–where Sankarsana had
already made all the arrangements. Then, after a facsimile of labor and
childbirth, Krsna emerged.

But there is a difference between Mathura and Vraja. In Mathura, Krsna
appeared with four hands, holding the symbols of Visnu, fully decorated with
ornaments. And He explained His divine identity to His parents, who praised
and worshiped Him with awe and reverence. And then He transformed Himself
into the form of a natural human child–into His original form as Krsna.

In the loving service of Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha, the devotees are always
aware of His supreme opulence as God. In Mathura, the mood is mixed.
Vasudeva and Devaki had some awareness that Krsna was God–He manifested
Himself in His four-armed form to show them that He was God–but they also
had a mood of parental affection. Devaki’s motherly affection overtook her
awareness of the Lord’s opulence, and she thought, “Oh, if Kamsa finds
Krsna, he will kill Him.” So she requested the Lord to withdraw His
four-handed form, to become invisible to Kamsa. Then Vasudeva carried the
baby Krsna out of Kamsa’s prison, crossed the Yamuna, and came to Gokula,
where Yasoda had given birth. She gave birth not only to a baby girl,
Yogamaya, but also to a son, who was the original Krsna. But as you said,
because she was so exhausted by the labor of childbirth, she was unable to
understand what kind of child had been born to her–a boy or a girl or
twins. Also, because of her pure affection for Krsna, she did not understand
that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, when Vasudeva came
with Krsna from Mathura, that Krsna was absorbed into the original Krsna who
had been born to Yasoda. And in place of Krsna, Vasudeva took Yogamaya back
to Mathura.

In Vrndavana, the pastimes are all humanlike, nara-lila. And the Bhagavatam
says that Nanda Maharaja performed the birth (jata-karma) ceremony for
Krsna. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The jata-karma ceremony can take place
when the umbilical cord, connecting the child and the placenta, is cut. . .
. In this regard, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura desires to prove with
evidence from many sastras that Krsna actually took birth as the son of
Yasoda before the birth of Yogamaya, who is therefore described as the
Lord’s younger sister. Even though there may be doubts about the cutting of
the umbilical cord, and even though it is possible that this was not done,
when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, such events are regarded as
factual.” (SB 10.5.1-2 purport) The manifestation of nara-lila is so perfect
and complete that even to that detail Krsna appeared to have taken birth
like an ordinary child. But He never was an ordinary child, and He never had
a material body.

In relation to His birth in Mathura, the Bhagavatam describes that when
Vasudeva transferred the Supreme Lord to the heart of Devaki, she became
beautiful, “just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.”
Later, the Bhagavatam states that “the Supreme Personality of Godhead,
Visnu, who is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, appeared from the
heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on
the eastern horizon.”

The moon–and the sun–always exists. The sun comes above the horizon at a
certain point, which we call sunrise, but the sun always exists. Like the
moon, it comes into our vision at a certain time. Similarly, Krsna always
exists, but He appeared from the heart, or the womb, of Devaki like the moon
appears on the eastern horizon. But Krsna is always there. He always exists.

Urvasi dasi: Maharaja, a devotee should always be aware and careful of maya
and contact with the material world, but then again it is said that a
devotee is fearless. How do you get to that point where you can count on
Krsna’s mercy and be fearless? It is so dangerous in this material world,
and maya is so strong. So, how can we actually feel that we have Krsna’s
mercy, so we can be fearless?

Giriraj Swami: The only thing a devotee really fears is forgetfulness of
Krsna–maya. If we are always conscious of Krsna and our relationship with
Him, we will not be afraid of anything else, because we know that we are not
this body, that we are part and parcel of Krsna, that our real relationship
is with Him, and that we are under His personal care and protection. If
Krsna wants us to stay longer in this body, we will, and if Krsna wants us
to leave this body, we will. We are not afraid, because we know we are under
Krsna’s shelter.

Once, during the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, a reporter asked
Srila Prabhupada, “Suppose a hundred pure, saintly, Krsna conscious people
are meditating or discussing together, and someone comes and drops a bomb .
. .” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Those who are Krsna conscious are not
afraid of a bomb. When they see a bomb coming, they think that Krsna desired
the bomb to come. A Krsna conscious person is never afraid of anything.
Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. [SB 11.2.37] One who has the conception
that something can exist outside of Krsna is afraid. But one who knows that
everything is coming from Krsna has no reason to be afraid. The bomb is
coming, and the devotee says, ‘Ah, Krsna is coming.’ That is the vision of
the devotee. He thinks, ‘Krsna wants to kill me with a bomb. That’s all
right. I will be killed.’ That is Krsna consciousness.”

Still, another time, in a different situation, someone asked Srila
Prabhupada, “What if some evil person came to attack you, to kill you. Would
you protect yourself?” And Prabhupada replied, “Yes. Why should I let some
rascal harm Krsna’s devotee?” But that is different. That is not out of
fear. That is in the mood of service, to protect Krsna’s devotee. Srila
Prabhupada was not identifying with the body but was seeing himself as
Krsna’s devotee who had service to do for Krsna, so he wanted to protect
Krsna’s devotee from harm–for Krsna’s service. But personally, he was not
afraid. The only thing a devotee fears is forgetting Krsna.

And a devotee is always satisfied; he does not want anything but devotional
service. He is satisfied with devotional service but never complacent–“Now
I have done enough service.” He always wants to do more and better service.
But he is satisfied in the sense that he wants nothing but devotional
service, and he always has service. No one can take devotional service from
him, because it is ahaituky apratihata. It has no cause, and it has no
impediment. It cannot be interrupted.

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can
attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such
devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely
satisfy the self.” (SB 1.2.6) So, the devotee is satisfied with devotional
service, and he always has service. No one can take that away from him. But
he is never complacent: “Oh, I have done enough now. Let me eat and sleep.”
He always wants to do more service and better service.

So, a devotee is not afraid of anything material, because he has Krsna–but
he is afraid of losing Krsna due to his own weakness. He always feels
himself to be weak and dependent on the strength that comes from superior
authorities such as Balarama. The Upanisads state, nayam atma bala-hinena
labhyah. One cannot attain the platform of self-realization without
spiritual strength, which comes from Balarama. Bala means
“strength”–spiritual strength, which comes from Lord Balarama, Lord
Nityananda, who is represented by the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada and
the parampara. So, we feel dependent on superior authorities, but we are not
afraid of anything material, because we know that the only thing that really
matters to us is devotional service and that nothing material can take
devotional service away from us. We have nothing to lose, because we can’t
lose devotional service, and we have nothing to gain, because we don’t want
anything but devotional service. So why should we be afraid? We have nothing
to lose or to gain from anyone.

The Bhagavad-gita (6.20-23) says that upon achieving Krsna consciousness one
thinks that there is no greater gain and even in the midst of the greatest
calamity one is not shaken.

yatroparamate cittam
niruddham yoga-sevaya
yatra caivatmanatmanam
pasyann atmani tusyati

sukham atyantikam yat tad
buddhi-grahyam atindriyam
vetti yatra na caivayam
sthitas calati tattvatah

yam labdhva caparam labham
manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthito na duhkhena
gurunapi vicalyate

tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-
viyogam yoga-samjnitam

“In the stage of perfection called trance, or samadhi, one’s mind is
completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga.
This perfection is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the
pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one
is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through
transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth,
and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in
such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest
difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from
material contact.”

The pure devotee is fixed in consciousness because he has what he
wants–Krsna–and no matter what happens externally, no one can take Krsna
from him. Queen Kunti prayed to Lord Krsna for calamities, because in the
midst of all her difficulties Krsna was with her and her sons. In terms of
lila, Krsna was with them in Hastinapura, but when the calamities were over
and Maharaja Yudhisthira was installed on the throne, Krsna was ready to
leave. So, Kunti prayed, “When we were in difficulty, You were with us, but
now that we are happily situated in our kingdom, You are leaving us.” So she
prayed, “Let the calamities come again and again. I would rather have all
the calamities and have You with us than be situated in material opulence
and comfort and lose You.” She concluded:

vipadah santu tah sasvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
apunar bhava-darsanam

“I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we
could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer
see repeated births and deaths.” (SB 1.8.25)

Sometimes being in material difficulty can serve as an impetus to Krsna
consciousness. And a devotee may fear being in too comfortable a position
lest he or she forget Krsna, lose his or her Krsna consciousness. That is
the only fear.

Urvasi dasi: It is an interesting thing, because in my own life, when I
examine it, I feel like I am in constant fear of being distracted from
Krsna. It is always check and balance, check and balance. I am afraid of my
mind going away and being distracted. And yet when I think about it, I am
really not afraid of anything in the material world, because I know that
everything that comes into my life is Krsna. For some reason it is being
brought into my life. So it is an interesting thing, being full of fear and
having no fear.

Giriraj Swami: Indeed. There is a nice verse by King Rahugana of the Sindh
province. He was puffed up because he was the king, and he had forced a
great devotee, a paramahamsa who had hidden his exalted position, Jada
Bharata, to carry his palanquin. And when he felt that Jada Bharata was not
carrying it properly, he abused and reviled him like anything. But Jada
Bharata was unaffected. Jada Bharata didn’t want to step on any insects on
the way, and because he was always trying to sidestep the ants, the king was
jostled inside the palanquin. So he sarcastically criticized Jada Bharata,
who was actually young and strong, by saying, “You seem to be very old and
weak. You can’t carry the palanquin properly.” Yet, however the king tried
to insult him, Jada Bharata, being completely free from bodily
identification, remained undisturbed.

Eventually Jada Bharata enlightened the king with transcendental knowledge.
He told him, “I am not the body; I am the soul. I am not fat or thin or weak
or strong or any of the things that you said about the body, because I am
the soul and have nothing to do with the body. And so I remain peaceful.”
After receiving sublime spiritual instructions from his carrier, the king
realized that Jada Bharata was a great paramahamsa. He descended from his
palanquin and fell at Jada Bharata’s feet, desiring to be freed from his
offenses against the great saint. And King Rahugana said,

naham visanke sura-raja-vajran
na tryaksa-sulan na yamasya dandat
nagny-arka-somanila-vittapastrac
chanke bhrsam brahma-kulavamanat

“My dear sir, I am not at all afraid of the thunderbolt of King Indra, nor
am I afraid of the serpentine, piercing trident of Lord Siva. I do not care
about the punishment of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death, nor am I
afraid of fire, scorching sun, moon, wind, or the weapons of Kuvera. Yet I
am afraid of offending a brahmana. I am very much afraid of this.” (SB
5.10.17)

So, we are not afraid of any external, material force, but we are afraid of
losing our Krsna consciousness. And the quickest way to lose it is to offend
a devotee. So, it is that same idea. We are not afraid of any material
danger, but we are afraid of maya–afraid of committing offenses, especially
vaisnava-aparadha, that will take us away from Krsna, from loving service to
Krsna and His devotees.

Sri Sri Krsna-Balarama ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Sri Giriraja Govardhana ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri guru-parampara ki jaya!

Source:https://bhaktiyoga.wordpress.com/transcribed-lectures/lord-balaramas-appearance-day-a-talk-by-giriraj-swami/

Once upon a time, Vasudeva, the son of Surasena, just after marrying Devaki, was going home on his chariot with his newly wedded wife. At that time, Kamsa, the son of Ugrasena, in order to please his sister, Devaki, had voluntarily taken the reins of the horses of Vasudeva’s chariot and was driving. While the bride and bridegroom were passing along on the chariot, suddenly a miraculous sound vibrated from the sky which announced that the eighth child of Devaki will kill Kamsa. Immediately Kamsa caught hold of Devaki’s hair and was about to kill her with his sword. But Vasudeva intervened and promised that he would present all the children born of Devaki to Kamsa.

When the first child was born, Vasudeva immediately brought the child before Kamsa. Kamsa returned the child to Vasudeva because according to the prophecy, the danger was from the eighth child. But when he learnt from Narada that all the demigods are born in the family of Vrishnis, he became alarmed. He arrested Vasudeva and Devaki and put them behind prison bars. He also decided to kill all the babies who took birth from Devaki and Vasudeva. Thus he killed the first six babies. Lord Balarama appeared as the seventh son in the womb of Devaki.

At this time, Krishna, the Supreme Lord, ordered the appearance of Yogamaya, His internal potency. Yogamaya is the principal potency of the Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord ordered her to transfer Lord Balarama from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini. Rohini was one of the wives of Vasudeva and she was residing at the house of Nanda Maharaja and Yashoda in Vrindavana. As ordered by the Supreme Lord, Yogamaya transferred Lord Balarama from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini. On account of being forcibly attracted to the womb of Rohini, He is also known as Sankarshana.

Thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yogamaya circumambulated the Lord and then appeared within this material world according to His order. When Yogamaya, the supreme power of the supremely powerful Personality of Godhead, transferred Lord Sesa from the womb of Devaki to the womb of Rohini, both Devaki and Rohini were under Yogamaya’s spell, which is called yoga-nidra. When this was done, people thought that Devaki’s seventh pregnancy had been a miscarriage. Thus although Balarama appeared as the son of Devaki, He was transferred to the womb of Rohini to appear as her son.

Lord Balarama did not participate in the fratricidal war in Kurukshetra. He went for a pilgrimage and visited many sacred places in India. This pilgrimage is elaborately explained in the 79th chapter of the Krishna Book. A brief account of the same is presented here.

Lord Balarama took permission from the brahmanas assembled at Naimisharanya and, accompanied by other brahmanas, went to the banks of the River Kausiki. After taking His bath in this holy place, He proceeded towards River Sarayu and visited the source of the river. Traveling on the banks of the Sarayu River, He gradually reached Prayaga, where there is a confluence of three rivers — the Ganges, Yamuna and Sarasvati. Here also He took His bath, and then He worshiped in the local temples of the demigods and, as enjoined in the Vedic literature, offered oblations to the forefathers and sages. He gradually reached the ashrama of the sage Pulaha and from there went to the rivers Gandaki and Gomati. After this He took His bath in the river Vipasha and in Sona River. (The Sona River is still flowing as one of the big rivers in Bihar.) He continued His journey and reached the city of Gaya, where there is a celebrated Vishnu temple. According to the advice of His father, Vasudeva, He offered oblations to the forefathers in this Vishnu temple. From here He traveled to the delta of the Ganges, where the sacred river Ganges mixes with the Bay of Bengal. This sacred place is called Gangasagara, and at the end of January every year there is still a great assembly of saintly persons and pious men, just as there is an assembly of saintly persons in Prayaga every year called the Magha-mela fair.

After finishing His bathing and ritualistic ceremonies at Gangasagara, Lord Balarama proceeded towards the mountain, Mahendra Parvata, where He met Parashurama, an incarnation of Lord Krishna, and offered Him respect by bowing down before Him. After this Lord Balarama turned towards southern India and visited the banks of the River Godavari. After taking His bath in the River Godavari and performing the necessary ritualistic ceremonies, He gradually visited the other rivers — the Vena, Pampa and Bhimarathi. Then, Lord Balarama gradually proceeded to Sailapura, a pilgrimage city in the province of Maharashtra.

Lord Balarama then proceeded towards Dravida-desa and visited the temple of Balaji in Venkatachala. Then He proceeded towards Vishnukanchi, and also visited Shivakanchi. Lord Balarama took His bath in the River Kaveri; and then reached Rangakshetra, the temple of Ranganatha. Then, Lord Balarama visited Madurai, commonly known as the Mathura of southern India. After visiting this place, He went towards Setubandha, the place where Lord Ramachandra constructed the stone bridge from India to Sri Lanka (Ceylon). In this particularly holy place, Lord Balarama distributed ten thousand cows to the local brahmana priests. Lord Balarama then proceeded towards the Kritamala and Tamraparni rivers. These two rivers are celebrated as sacred, and Lord Balarama bathed in them both. He then proceeded towards Malaya Hill. This hill is very great, and it is said to be one of seven peaks called the Malaya Hills. The great sage Agastya used to live there, and Lord Balarama visited him and offered His respects by bowing down before him.

After taking the blessings of sage Agastya, Lord Balarama, with the sage’s permission, proceeded towards the Indian Ocean. At the point of the cape (known as Cape Comorin) is a big temple of goddess Durga, who is known there as Kanyakumari. From there, Lord Balarama went on to visit the pilgrimage city known as Phalguna-tirtha, which is on the shore of the Indian Ocean, and Panchapsarasa. From Cape Comorin, Lord Balarama turned towards Kerala. After visiting this place, He came to Gokarna-tirtha, where Lord Shiva is constantly worshiped. Balarama then visited the temple of Aryadevi, which is completely surrounded by water. From that island He went on to a place known as Surparaka. After this He bathed in the rivers known as Tapi, Payosni and Nirvindhya, and then He came to the forest known as Dandakaranya. Lord Balarama next came to the bank of the River Narmada, the biggest river in central India. On the banks of this sacred Narmada is a pilgrimage spot known as Mahismati-puri. After bathing there according to regulative principles, Lord Balarama returned to Prabhasa-tirtha, from where He had begun His journey.

Lord Balarama is the first expansion of Lord Sri Krishna. The Supreme Lord, although one without a second, expands Himself in many forms. The vishnu-tattva forms are expansions of the Supreme Lord, and all of them are qualitatively and quantitatively equal with the Lord. This is described in Brahma Samhita as follows:

diparcir eva hi dasantaram abhyupetya
dipayate vivrta-hetu-samana-dharma
yas tadrg eva hi ca visnutaya vibhati
govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

The light of one candle being communicated to other candles, although it burns separately in them, is the same in its quality. I adore the primeval Lord Govinda who exhibits Himself equally in the same mobile manner in His various manifestations.

Lord Balarama is as good as Krishna Himself, the only difference being that the bodily hue of Krishna is dark and that of Balarama is fair. Although Balarama is non-different from Lord Sri Krishna, He expands Himself in various other forms to render service to the Supreme Lord. In His form as Sesha Naga (Ananta Sesha) He supports unlimited number of universes on His hoods. He constantly glorifies the Supreme Lord with His thousand tongues. Sesha is also called Ananta, or unlimited, because He assists the Personality of Godhead in His unlimited expansions by performing an unlimited variety of services.

Srila Yamunacharya (the spiritual master of Sri Ramanujacharya) describes this: nivasa-sayyasana-padukamsuko-padhana-varsatapa-varanadibhih [Stotra Ratna 37] Although Lord Balarama is the transcendental personal expansion of the Supreme Lord, He has accepted the service of the Supreme Lord in the form of nivasa (residence), shayya (bed), asana (seat), paduka (slippers), amshuka (garments), padhana (pillow) and varshatapa (umbrella). Therefore He is appropriately known by people as Sesha.

Lord Balarama is the mercy incarnation of Lord Sri Krishna. He is described as the protector of the devotees of the Lord. He acts as the spiritual master of all devotees. In the Mundaka Upanishad (3.2.4) it is said: nayam atma bala-hinena labhyo. One cannot attain the goal of life without the mercy of Balarama. In this Kali-yuga, He appeared as Nityananda Prabhu, an associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and delivered the conditioned souls.

The all blissful Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally young and not plagued by any imperfections, not plagued by an old cranky body and not ugly either. Some incarnations of God are certainly not the most beautiful. It is said that various incarnations of the Lord have different qualities of the Lord. Maharaj Pritu had the pālana-śakti, he was empowered with the power to protect the earth. Mohini-murti and Balarama represent the beauty of the Lord. Nrsimhadev is the protector of the devotees. So different incarnations represent different features of the Lord. 

The operative word in Krishna Consciousness is “faith”. In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna uses the word “shraddha” at least ten times in different places in His conversation with Arjuna. In these places, Krishna clearly stresses the importance of faith in knowing Him. In chapter six text 47, there is a clear indication to this point. Srila Rupa Goswami, the leader for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, explains that “shraddha” or “faith” is the preliminary ingredient to understand and love God. Having said that, Srila Prabhupada in his introduction to Bhagavad Gita explains the difference in faith within sanatana dharma and faith in sectarian religion. Below is his quote;

The English word religion is a little different from sanātana-dharma. Religion conveys the idea of faith, and faith may change. One may have faith in a particular process, and he may change this faith and adopt another, but sanātana-dharma refers to that activity which cannot be changed…Those belonging to some sectarian faith will wrongly consider that sanātana-dharma is also sectarian, but if we go deeply into the matter and consider it in the light of modern science, it is possible for us to see that sanātana-dharma is the business of all the people of the world – nay, of all the living entities of the universe. Non-sanātana religious faith may have some beginning in the annals of human history, but there is no beginning to the history of sanātana-dharma, because it remains eternally with the living entities…Yet man professes to belong to a particular type of faith with reference to particular time and circumstance and thus claims to be a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist or an adherent of any other sect. Such designations are non–sanātana-dharma. A Hindu may change his faith to become a Muslim, or a Muslim may change his faith to become a Hindu, or a Christian may change his faith and so on. But in all circumstances the change of religious faith does not affect the eternal occupation of rendering service to others. The Hindu, Muslim or Christian in all circumstances is a servant of someone. Thus, to profess a particular type of faith is not to profess one’s sanātana-dharma.

“Faith” or “belief” is a common word and has to be understood properly. When it is used purely on a sentimental platform fully dependent on the words of the speaker or a book such as the Bible or Koran or Gita etc, then it is considered “sentimental faith”. But that “faith” which motivates the soul to express his or her inherent nature of selfless and timeless service to God and all beings is considered “realized faith”.

When one’s faith is enriched with realization versus mere sentiment, there is harmony within and without followed by peace and inner joy!

Hare Krishna.

By Bhanu Swami

Karma – Activities of the Conditioned Soul

• Ignorance of Krsna

• Desire to Enjoy

• Material body

• Identity with body

• Desire to enjoy in body

• Action to get enjoyment

Immediate Experience

Of enjoyment

Or suffering

Attachment to objects

causing enjoyment

Repulsion to objects

of suffering

(samskara)

Desires or hatred Restrictions

in next life (vasana) in next life (karma)

Free will, intelligence

Action

Tama Raja Sattva

Misery Immediate Detachment

Pleasure Peace

Action: Prakrti in combination with previous samskaras and vasanas stimulates man to action, to obtain enjoyment.

Immediate Result: The action leads to immediate success or failure in getting the expected happiness depending on karma ( past ), present effort and intelligence.

Samskara: The happiness or distress and how one achieved it produces an impression (samskara) on the individual, which is causes desire (vasana) for objects in this life and next.

Aprarabdha and Prarabdha karma:

The action produces a reaction in future birth: a new situation in the world of matter, according to the quality of the initial act. This is called karma phala.

Action: The individual in that situation, stimulated by prakrti and samskaras, acts again.

Free Will: The individual can activate or deactivate his samskaras and vasanas by his choice of association and place. He can use his intelligence to control feeling (samskara and vasana) for attaining his chosen goal. Then he can act according to choice, not feeling. By intelligent acts he can alter his present and future karma.

Acts of Violence (for one`s own enjoyment) leads to suffering (papa)

• short life span

• Disease

• Poverty

• Bad family

• Legal cases

• No education

Acts of Compassion (for others enjoyment) leads to happiness (punya)

• Long life span

• Good health

• Wealth

• Good family

• Intelligence

How to act:

• Punya increases your material happiness in a sattvika mode in future life, and as prayascitta will mitigate present suffering due to papa.

• Negative: Attachment to sattva

• Tapas (renunciation of action and sense control) can gradually reduce future karmas.

• Negative: Difficult for common man

• Niskama Karma, acting without self interest, gradually frees one from bondage.

• Negative: Gradual process

• Jnana, and meditation on the self, can eliminate future karmas. One can get free from gross and subtle bodies.

• Negative: Indifference to world, inactive, no spiritual body

• Bhakti, unmotivated Love of God, can eliminate present and future karmas, free one from gross and subtle bodies, and manifest a spiritual body for service to the Lord.

Purpose of Karma: Karma is not a punishment but a chance to recognize the responsibility we have for our acts. It is learning through material experience. If we commit violence we suffer violence. The condition of suffering is a message for us to rectify our exploitative mentality, and act according to compassion rather than passion. We must learn to change our actions from service to self to service to other. This is the first step in purification of the jiva.

The Law of Karma when joined to the eternal soul produces effects in future bodies. This extension of karma is called Reincarnation. Reincarnation is a series of opportunities for us to learn the same lessons if we fail and to learn new lessons if we pass.

Laws of Description Lesson

Desire Desires produce Actions, which produce Impressions, which produce DesiresWe can redirect desire with intelligence and higher taste

Karma or Responsiblity The results of our actions on others produce equal reactions upon ourselfPerform acts, which do not violate others. Perform acts, which give benefit to others

Compassion Acting with compassion for others with no self-interest yields optimum material Condition for the humanEven in optimum material condition we cannot escape suffering and dissatisfaction

Identity Mistaken identity gives dissatisfaction, therefore we seek knowledge of spirit Self is not matter but eternal spirit, we must make a commitment to achieve spirit

Spirit Like attracts like, spiritual interest generates spiritual association and action God acts as the guide to lead us to him when we develop desire to contact him

Love Love means complete surrender to God’s interest Unconditional love of God is our eternal condition

Verses:

“The living entity in the material world carried his different conceptions of life from one body to another as the air carried aromas. Thus he takes one kind of body and again quits it to take another.” –Ch.13.8

“Whatever state of being one remembers when he quits his his body, O son of Kunti, that state he will attain without fail.” – Ch.8.6

“Therefore, Arjuna, you should always think of Me in the form of Krsna and at the same time carry out your prescribed duty of fighting. With your activities dedicated to Me and your mind and intelligence fixed on Me, you will attain Me without doubt.”- Ch.8.7

“Thus I have explained to you knowledge still more secret. Deliberate on this fully, and then do what you wish to do.” – Ch.18.63

Facts about the subtle body called Mind

According to Modern Experience

APerceptions of energy

All matter is energy vibration.

Mind creates, transssmits, transforms, and receives energy:

The mind’s thought forms are real.

The thought forms can materialize in our world.

There are many different worlds of different vibrational frequency.

Mind can receive and send information or feelings to different levels of existence, and journey there if qualified by similar energy level.

Prayer: for spiritual benefit of the receiver, without personal motive of prayer, sincere

Negative energy , or curse can also be sent to you.

Mind travels instantaneously in time and space. It can recall events from any time and place, including ones own life.

All thoughts, words and deeds get recorded.

Every material human has a subtle body which continues after death.

After death, it achieves a place and state which is the sum total of vibration level through its actions during life, either higher or lower

Sinful violent people have difficulty leaving their gross bodies.

No one gets condemned forever. Our acts will decide.

Selfless spiritual activities increase the vibration and brightness of the subtle body.

Unconditional love is the strongest positive force.

Responsibility is the lesson we must learn.

Whatever quality of energy you expend, that quality you receive back.

Giving even one person real spiritual knowledge gives you unlimited blessings.

Preventing spiritual knowledge will give great negative reactions.

Proofs:

Out of body experience:

A most highly credible scientist, Dr Robert Cookall analysed over 700 reports of OBE’s. He found that 81% of those who had experienced them had a firm conviction of life after death owing to their personal experience. What astounded Crookall, a meticulous scientist, was the consistency of the reports of OBE’s coming from all over the world with near death experiences and with the communications coming from high level mediums (Crookall 1970).

Remote viewing

Major David A Morehouse, a highly decorated U.S. army officer, was from 1987 to 1991 assigned to several highly classified special access programs in the US Army’s Intelligence Security Command
and Defence Intelligence Agency. In his book Psychic Warrior- The True Story of the CIA’s Paranormal Espionage Program he quotes key figures in the program as follows.

The secret is out: remote viewing exists, it works, it has been tested, proven and used in intelligence for over two decades. The recent government admissions concerning the use of psychic warfare are crucial, irrefutable testimony that what I have said here is the truth. The government of the most powerful nation on the face of the earth has admitted that it knows humans can transcend time and space to view distant persons, places, things and events, and that information thus gathered can be brought back. I hope you comprehend the significance of this information.’ (Morehouse 1996 )

Regardless of one’s a priori position, however, an unimpassioned observer cannot help but attest to the following fact. Despite the ambiguities inherent in the type of exploration covered in these programs, the integrated results appear to provide unequivocal evidence of a human capacity to access events remote in space and time, however falteringly, by some cognitive process not yet understood. My years of involvement as a research manager in these programs have left me with the conviction that this fact must be taken into account in any attempt to develop an unbiased picture of the structure of reality.

H.Putoff., Stanford

University

Experiments is Psi

The deviations achieved in any given run are practically immeasurable but the results of half a million test runs show an unmistakable signature of an effect the researchers attribute to human consciousness. Detailed mathematical analysis suggests that a minute perturbation of the “elementary binary probability” is involved, as if the mind were ever so slightly nudging the electronic dice in the desired direction.

An even more puzzling result of the experiments is that the effect can be produced even if the experimenter is several thousand miles away from the random device, and perhaps even over significant intervals of time. In the most extreme case an experimenter in Europe on Monday might concentrate on producing the effect, but the actual measurements on the device are, by prior agreement, not carried out until Friday in Princeton.

Speculating on the phenomenon Jahn states, “All forces known to physics, like gravity for example, diminish with distance. And no forces in physics operate freely across time like this. It’s as if consciousness is somehow able to direct its influence directly across space and time, and understanding that certainly poses a challenge for science.”

And Dunne adds: “This is similar to what mystics have claimed through the ages, but now we have scientific evidence.”

Prof Robert Jahn , Princeton University

Near Death Experience

Dr. Moody:

A strange sound. A buzzing or ringing noise, while having a sense of being dead

Peace and painlessness. While people are dying, they may be in intense pain, but as soon as they leave the body the pain vanishes and they experience peace.

Out-of-body experience. The dying often have the sensation of rising up and floating above their own body while surrounded by a medical team and watching it down below, feeling comfortable. They experience the feeling of being in a spiritual body that looks like a sort of living energy field.

The tunnel experience. The next experience is that of being drawn into darkness through a tunnel, at an extremely high speed, until reaching a realm of radiant golden-white light.

Rising rapidly into the heavens. Instead of a tunnel, some people report rising suddenly into the heavens and seeing the earth and the celestial sphere as they would be seen by astronauts in space.

People of light. Once on the other side of the tunnel, or after they have risen into the heavens, the dying meet people who glow with an inner light. Often they find that friends and relatives who have already died are there to greet them.

The being of light. After meeting the people of light, the dying often meet a powerful spiritual being whom some have called God, Jesus, or an angel. Also, although they sometimes report feeling scared, they do not sense that they were on the way to hell or that they fell into it.

The life review. The being of light presents the dying with a panoramic review of everything they have done. In particular, they relive every act they have ever done to other people and come away feeling that love is the most important thing in life.

Reluctance to return. The being of light sometimes tells the dying that they must return to life. Other times, they are given a choice of staying or returning. In either case, they are reluctant to return. The people who choose to return do so only because of loved ones they do not wish to

In 1977, Dr. Kenneth Ring, a brilliant young professor of psychology at the University of Connecticut, read Dr. Moody’s book Life After Life and was inspired by it. However, he felt that a more scientifically structured study would strengthen Moody’s findings. He sought out 102 near-death survivors for his research.

One. Those cases who came closest to death or were clinically dead, just as Moody’s cases reported, told of being outside of their bodies, of moving through a void or dark tunnel toward a luminous light, of meeting with departed relatives and friends, of having a feeling of great comfort and bliss and of being surrounded by compassionate love, a feeling so beautiful they longed to remain, and when they returned to the “earthly” realm, were affected by this feeling the rest of their lives.

Two. No one type of person was especially likely to have this experience. It cut across race, gender, age, education, marital status, and social class.

Three. Religious orientation was not a fact affecting either the likelihood or the depth of the near-death experience. An atheist was as likely to have one as was a devoutly religious person.

Four. Regardless of their prior attitudes – whether skeptical or deeply religious – and regardless of the many variations in religious belief and degrees of skepticism from tolerant disbelief to outspoken atheism – most of these people were convinced that they had been in the presence of some supreme and loving power and had a glimpse of a life yet to come.

Five. Drugs, anesthesia and medication did not seem to be a factor in inducing these impressions and exquisite feelings of the near-death experience. Indeed, drugs and anesthesia seemed to be more likely to cause a person to forget such a near-death experience.

Six. He definitely concluded near-death experiences were not hallucinations since hallucinations are rambling, unconnected, often unintelligible and vary widely, whereas near-death experiences all tend to have similar elements of a clear, connected pattern.

Seven. Based on the information of those who had reported such incidents, the moment of death was often one of unparalleled beauty, peace and comfort – a feeling of total love and total acceptance. This was possible even for those involved in horrible accidents in which they suffered very serious injuries. Dr. Ring found there was a tremendous comfort potential in this information for people who were facing death.

Eight. After going through a near-death experience, people reported a loss of fear of death as well as a greater appreciation of life. They also reported stronger feelings of self-acceptance and a greater concern and sense of caring for other people. They had less interest in material things for their own sake. Many tended to become more spiritual – though not necessarily more involved in organized religion.

Nine. Almost all who experienced the near-death experience found their lives transformed and a change in their attitudes and values, and in their inclination to love and to help others. Dr. Ring was convinced that these were absolutely authentic experiences and noted that since returning, many of them had occasion to think about ‘what might have been.’ And their subsequent lives were powerful testimony to our common ability to live more deeply, more appreciatively, more lovingly, and more spiritually.

Past life memories:

Ian Stevenson

The causes of most birth defects are also unknown. About 35% of children who claim to remember previous lives have birthmarks and/or birth defects that they (or adult informants) attribute to wounds on a person whose life the child remembers. The cases of 210 such children have been investigated. The birthmarks were usually areas of hairless, puckered skin; some were areas of little or no pigmentation (hypopigmented macules); others were areas of increased pigmentation (hyperpigmented nevi). The birth defects were nearly always of rare types. In cases in which a deceased person was identified the details of whose life unmistakably matched the child’s statements, a close correspondence was nearly always found between the birthmarks and/or birth defects on the child and the wounds on the deceased person. In 43 of 49 cases in which a medical document (usually a postmortem report) was obtained, it confirmed the correspondence between wounds: and birthmarks (or birth defects). There is little evidence that parents and other informants imposed a false identity on the child in order to explain the child’s birthmark or birth defect.

It was a spectacular day for women across Durban who attended a high tea party hosted by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple in Chatsworth, on Tuesday, August 9.

The day was held to commemorate National Women’s Day. The fundamental aspect of the morning was holistic nourishment as spirituality and meditation plays a vital role in enhancing peace, love and positivity through one’s daily life. Some of the highlights of the brunch were the guest speakers, who spoke about women health and empowerment.

There were also prize giveaways and games as well as a Vedic Fashion show, which showcased the timeless traditions of ancient India and how exotically beautiful they remain today.

ISKCON communications officer, Krsangi Radhe Dasi said, “The day was a grand success as there was almost 300 women in attendance. It was an honour to put a smile on their faces. Women in today’s modern society are faced with many challenges, therefore we need to celebrate and acknowledge their struggles.”

Speakers at the event included Karunamayi Devi Dasi (womens’ health), Haripriya Dasi (art of forgiveness), Krsangi Radhe Dasi (organiser) and Champkalata Dasi (women empowerment).

Experts are saying consciousness continues even when the heart has stopped beating after a study shows people continue experiencing awareness for up to three minutes after death.

The most significant finding of the study is that of a 57-year-old man believed to be the first confirmed out-of-body experience in a patient. After suffering a cardiac arrest, the patient revealed he was able to recall what was taking place around him with eerie accuracy after temporarily dying.

head researcher Dr Sam Parnia said: “Contrary to perception, death is not a specific moment but a potentially reversible process that occurs after any severe illness or accident causes the heart, lungs and brain to cease functioning.”

“This is paradoxical,” Dr Parnia said, “Since the brain typically ceases functioning within 20-30 seconds of the heart stopping.”

Out of the 2,060 patients from Austria, America and the UK interviewed for the study who had survived cardiac arrests, 40 per cent said they were able to recall some form of awareness after being pronounced clinically dead.

The recalled experience surrounding death merits a genuine investigation without prejudice. Dr Jerry Nolan, Editor-in-Chief of Resuscitation, the journal in which the research was published, stated: “The AWARE study researchers are to be congratulated on the completion of a fascinating study that will open the door to more extensive research into what happens when we die.”

http://www.southampton.ac.uk/news/2014/10/07-worlds-largest-near-death-experiences-study.page

Hare Krsna Mantra – meaning of the mantra
Meaning as explained by Gopala Guru Gosvami, disciple of Svarupa Damodara of Puri:
The word “hare”: 
hari harati papani dusta cittair api smrtah
anicchayapi samsprsto dahaty eva hi pavakah
vijnapya bhagavat tattvam cid ghanananda vigraham
haraty avidyam tat karyam ato harir iti smrtah
“Just as the fire, on contacting an object, automatically burns it, so the name of Hari takes away (harati) or burns up all ht esins of the people with materialistic hearts. It removes (harati) all ignorance and reveals the transcendental, blissful form of the Lord. Also, ‘hari’ means that personality who attracts (harati) the minds of all the people in the universe when they hear stories of His transcendental qualities; or, He who attracts the minds of people by His beautiful youthful form. 'Hari’ in the grammatical form of address, the vocative, or calling out to a person, becomes 'hare’.”
The word 'hare’ has another meaning:
svarupa prema vatsalyair harer harati ya manah
hara sa kathyate sadbhih sri radha vrsabhanuja
Hara is Srimati Radhika, daughter of Vrsabhanu, who steals (harati) the mind of Hari, Krsna, by her unalloyed love. Hara, in the form of address, also becomes 'hare’.
The word 'Krsna’:
krsir bhu vacakah sabdo nas cananda svarupakah
tayor aikyam param brahma krsna ity abhidhiyate
“The word 'krsna’ is composed of the root 'krsi’ meaning 'bhu,’ the shelter of all existence and the word 'na’ meaning 'nivriti’ or the form of supreme bliss. Combined they form the word 'krsna’ which signifies the param brahma, the supreme personality of Godhead with blissful form.”
Krsna in the form of address remains as 'krsna.’
The word 'Rama’:
ramante yogino 'nante nityanande cidatmani
iti rama padenaiva param brahmadbhidhiyate
“The param brahma is known as Rama because the yogis take pleasure (ramante) in meditating on His eternal, blissful form.”
vaidagdhi sara sarvasva murti liladbhidevatam
sri radham ramayan nityam rama ity abhidhiyate
“The Supreme Lord is called Rama because He carries out pastimes of pleasure with the most beautiful Sri Radha.”
Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Oh Radha, please attract my mind, and free me from this material world.
Oh Krsna, please attract my mind.
Oh Radha, attract my heart by showing your sweetness.
Oh Krsna, purify my mind by giving knowledge of how to perform worship of You through Your pure devotee.
Oh Krsna, give me steadiness to appreciate Your name, qualities and pastimes.
Oh Krsna, may I develop a taste for serving You.
Oh Radha, please make me qualified for your service.
Oh Radha, please instruct me on how I can serve you.
Oh Radha, let me hear of your intimate pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Rama (Krsna), let me hear of Your intimate pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Radha, reveal to me your pastimes with your beloved.
Oh Rama, reveal to me Your pastimes with Your beloved.
Oh Rama, engage me in remembering Your name, form, qualities and pastimes.
Oh Rama, please make me qualified for your service.
Oh Radha, be pleased with me.
Oh Radha, be pleased with me.

It is written that the
color of Krishna
is like a monsoon cloud
dark bluish grey
like the heavy rains
gathering at the edge
of an unbearably hot day
or at the edge of an
unbearable time of our life
a low rumbling of cool relief
that we know is going to
change things
change us.

Monsoon Krishna
is known as Syamasundar
the beautiful Syama
the color of love, joy, hope
the color of mystery, movement, and depth
the color of life – rich, full, and ready to overflow
when the cloud bursts
upon us all.

Can we receive?
Can we hold?
Can we stand outside
our protective layers
trusting the goodness
of that dark cloud?
We need to let that happen.
We need to dance and sing
and be swept away
with joyful abandon
in the monsoon rains of Krishna’s love.

We need this weather, this rain. We need this love.

The great Sankirtan Movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu is a great gift to the world and a very rare event! 
Gauragopala dasa: Many could take it for granted without realizing how rare Lord Caitanya’s appearance actually is as He comes once in every day and night of Brahmā. That is once every 2000th Kali-yuga in the cycle of Maha Yugas, there are 4 Yugas to a Maha Yuga, Lord Caitanya appears “once” in a Kali-yuga with His Sankirtan Movement out of every two thousand.
There are 4,320,000 human years in a Maha Yuga multiply that by 2000 (that equals 8 billion 640 million years) and you will see that Lord Caitanya’s appearance is very rare as He comes once over that enormous period of time
Krishna also comes once every 2000 Maha yugas or every 8 billion 640 million years at the end of Dvarpara-yuga just before Lord Caitanya’s appearance 4,500 years into the Kali-yuga
In this rare Kali-yuga there there is a 10,000 years Golden Age of the Sankirtan Movement of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu or the congregational chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha mantra, the previous 1,999 Kali-yugas had no Lord Caitanya or Golden Age of Sankirtan.
The Four Yugas
The four yugas make up a cycle called Divya-yuga or Maha-yuga, which lasts 4,320,000 years.
One thousand of these yugas equal one day of Brahma, which is called a kalpa and another one thousand makes up a night.
Brahma’s lifespan is 100 years of his time and 311 Trillion 400 billion years of our time.
SATYA YUGA - (sometimes also called krta-yuga): The golden age lasts 1,728,000 years. The process of self-realization in this yuga is meditation on Vishnu. During this yuga the majority of the population is situated in the mode of goodness and the average life span at the beginning of the yuga is 100,000 years.
TRETA YUGA - Also called the silver age, lasts 1,296,000 years and the process of self realization is the performance of opulent yajnas(sacrifices). The average life span is 10,000 years and the godly qualities decrease one fourth compared to the Satya yuga.
DVARPARA YUGA - Or the bronze age, lasts 864,000 years and the process of self realization is the worship of the deities within temples. Godly qualities are reduced to 50% by now and the average life expectancy is only 1000 years. Krishna in His originally Form comes at the end of Dvarpara-yuga but not every Dvarpara-yuga as He only comes once in a day of Brahma which is only every 2000th Dvarpara yuga
KALI YUGA - The iron age of hypocrisy and quarrel lasts 432,000 years. Lord Krsna appeared in His original, transcendental form right before the beginning of a Kali-yuga at the end of Dvarpara-yuga in one day of Brahma which is every 2000 cycles of the four yugas. Both Krishna in His original Form and Lord Caitanya do NOT appear in every Maha-yuga. Krishna does not appear at the end of every Dvarpara-yuga and Lord Caitanya does NOT appear in every Kali-yuga as explained above

For many years, ISKCON’s Gita Nagari farm community in Pennsylvania has held annual Labor Day retreats, on topics from improving japa meditation to understanding the nature of the guru.

This year’s retreat, set to run from Friday September 2nd to Monday September 5th, will tackle an intriguing subject: Varnashrama Dharma.

Varnashrama generally refers to a social structure consisting of four varnas, or occupational groups, and four ashramas, or stages of life. However there are many nuances to it, with seemingly contradictory statements on it running through Srila Prabhupada’s works. There have also been debates in the devotee community over the years as to how it can be applied in modern times, or even if it can be applied.

Significantly, though, Varnashrama was clearly very important to Srila Prabhupada, who in his later days stated that fifty per cent of his work remained unfinished because he had not implemented Varnashrama Dharma.

 “We aim for our conference at this retreat to have a broad and balanced, rather than a one-sided or narrow approach to the topic,” says GBC Romapada Swami, who was inspired to make the event happen. “Because it’s a topic that needs multiple perspectives to understand what it is and how to apply it.”

Romapada Swami hopes that through the retreat, devotees will gain a deeper understanding of Varnashrama and feel inspired to begin the process, something that has still not been practically realized by Prabhupada’s disciples and grand-disciples.

At the conference, entitled “Exploring Varnashrama,” ISKCON Laguna Beach temple president Tukarama Das will bring his exhaustively researched approach to the questions “Did Srila Prabhupada want Varnashramam? And if so, what did he mean by ‘varnashrama’?” In his talk, Tukarama will present Prabhupada’s quotes on the topic, and attempt to harmonize the varying statements he made on issues like Varnashrama and Bhagavata Dharma, Brahmanas and Vaishnavas, etc.

Tukarama -- who has concluded that for Srila Prabhupada, the first step in Varnashrama is farms centered around cow protection -- will also discuss how to take that first step in a practical way. It’s something he has first-hand experience in, heading up the ISKCON Escondido farm which supplies the San Diego and Laguna Beach temples with protected cow milk and many varieties of vegetables.

Braja Bihari Das, who handles mediation and conflict resolution in ISKCON, will also attempt to reconcile seemingly contradictory statements on Varnashrama by Srila Prabhupada. And he’ll ask, “What are the questions we should be asking regarding Varnashrama? Why are there different opinions? And how can we have fruitful discussions on topics we have varying opinions on?”

Romapada Swami (right) and Ravindra Svarupa Das speak at last year's Gita Nagari Labor Day retreat

Meanwhile Sivarama Swami, who is behind the New Vraja Dhama farm in Hungary which has been vastly successful in both spiritual and simple living efforts, will give a talk entitled “Varnashrama: Why devotees need to adopt it, and the first steps to doing so.”

He’ll discuss Prabhupada’s statements on the feasibility of Varnashrama today, the qualities devotees must develop in order to be eligible for the Varnashrama system, and the challenges in changing to a lifestyle that’s very different from that of the world around us.

Devamrita Swami will speak about the Amish as an example of a different social order sustaining over time in modern America and Canada.

Abhirama Das will share personal instructions Prabhupada gave him on Varnashrama, and talk about co-existing with other communities, like the Amish, who have similar simple-living-based lifestyles. He’ll also talk about how to get started on Varnashrama, and how to develop a Varnashrama community connected to a city preaching center, something he hopes to do himself with his New York City-based Harinama ashram.

Kaunteya Das will take an academic look at the different responses in ISKCON to the idea of Varnashrama, and like other speakers will also look at reconciling Prabhupada’s apparently icongruent statements on the topic.

Finally, Dhruva Das and his wife Parijata Dasi, who are currently heading up Gita Nagari’s resurgence in cow protection, milk production, and local food production, will talk about Prabhupada’s paper on spiritual rural communities, “The Conception of Gita Nagari.”

They’ll also discuss how to create successful collaborations between farm and city ISKCON centers, which they are currently doing. And they will talk about how whether or not a community has defined social orders, we invariably act in various capacities or service roles anyway, such as deity worship, administration, trade, cow protection and more.

“The essential thing is that devotees are utilizing their natures in service to Krishna,” they write in their summary of their upcoming talk. “Equally important is mutual respect among the devotees carrying out these services. And, of course, remembering the paradoxical teaching that devotees are understood to be transcendental to the varnas.”

While the adults are chewing on all this brain food, their children aged 5-12 will also be engaged in Varnashrama themed activities, including a visit to an Amish farm, an evening campfire, verse recitation, and identifying and learning about local plants.

The 200 or so devotees expected to attend from the U.S., Canada and Europe will also participate in absorbing kirtans with senior devotees like Sivarama Swami, Vatsala Das, Satarupa Dasi, and Abhirama Das.

“We hope that after attending this retreat, devotees will understand more about what Prabhupada wanted in relation to Varnashrama,” concludes Romapada Swami.

To register for the retreat, please click here: http://goo.gl/forms/pNS4AiFsOydr4sgI2

Alternatively, you can email organizer Satya-sara das at reachsarva@hotmail.com

Modern materialistic science is not sure about the origin and nature of most psychic phenomena including dreams. This information can be found in Vedic scriptures.
Srimad Bhagavatam 6.16.53-54, 7.7.25 or 7.15.61 describes three material states of consciousness:
1. jagrata, awakened state (beta, 14 - 20 Hz)
2. svapna, dreaming state (alfa, 7 - 14 Hz)
3. susupti, deep sleep (theta, 4 - 7 Hz)
Beyond them is the fourth state (turya) which is non-material (SB 6.5.12, 7.9.32, 7,15.54). On this level the Supreme Lord can be perceived. Gaudiya Vaisnavas describe another, fifth state (turyatitah), dimension of love between the jiva and Krsna.
What follows are paraphrases of Vedanta-sutra (by Suhotra Swami) and corresponding Srimad Bhagavatam verses:
Dreams are created by the Supersoul to award the living entity with the results of insignificant karma. (Vs 3.2.1) SB 6.16.55
The Supersoul causes objects of desire to appear in dreams as they do in other situations (e.g. the waking state). (Vs 3.2.2) SB 11.13.32
Dreams are features of the Supreme Lord’s maya. (Vs 3.2.3) SB 11.13.33
Some dreams are omens; sastra and experts so declare. (Vs 3.2.4) SB 10.42.26-27
Objection: When one awakes from dreaming, he knows that his dreams were unreal. Therefore no value should be imparted to dreams.
Reply: The manifestation and the withdrawal of the dream world within the consciousness of the living entity is effected by the Lord. In the same way, bondage and liberation proceed from him also. (Vs 3.2.5) SB 3.7.10-12
The state in which consciousness is focused on the physical body (the waking state) is created by the Supreme Lord. (Vs 3.2.6) SB 6.16.53-54
Different statements in the Upanisads indicate that deep sleep is the result of the soul entering 1) the nadis (subtle channels that pervade the body from the center of the heart), 2) the pericardium, or 3) the Supersoul. The resolution is that the soul sleeps within the bed of the Supersoul, after having entered the palace (the pericardium) through the door of the nadis. (Vs 3.2.7) SB 11.3.35, 1.10.21
Because the Supersoul is the resting place of the soul in deep sleep, it is the Supersoul alone who awakens the sleeping soul. (Vs 3.2.8) SB 3.26.71
[Koran 6.60: “And He is it who takes your souls at night (in sleep), and He who knows what you acquire in the day (…).”]
When the living entity awakes from deep sleep, he is the same person. This is certain because of four proofs: 1) the living entity continues his unfinished karma, 2) he retains memory of his identity, 3) the scriptures so describe him as returning to the same body, and 4) he is bound by the scriptural injunctions (i.e. it is enjoined that the jiva cannot attain liberation while in the state of deep sleep, so he is obliged by sastra to return to the body from that state). (Vs 3.2.9) SB 11.3.39, 11.13.27,28
The state of swoon (mugdha) is midway between deep sleep and wakefulness. That is to say, the soul partially attains rest in the Supersoul. (Vs 3.2.10) SB 7.13.5

I certainly seem to have a funny longstanding and tidal relationship with Hollywood. Last Friday, I went to watch the premiere of the new movie that I’m a small part of. It’s called 10,000 Saints and stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood right now – Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch, Hailee Steinfeld, Asa Butterfield. It also happens to star a bunch of the devotees from the Bhakti Center in New York – Doyal Gauranga, Chaitanya Kapadia, Vinay Vanodia, and a bunch of other handsome and beautiful devotees of Krishna. I play the illustrious role of, “Hare Krishna priest”  and I get to live out one of my long-time dreams of chanting mantras about Krishna in a Hollywood film. I chose to sing the prayers of Lord Brahma (also called the Brahma Samhita) where he describes the supreme beauty and attractiveness of Govinda and his spiritual world. Seems a fitting offering to an industry so captivated by beauty and love. At the end of each stanza Emile Hirsch and Hailee Steinfeld toss handfuls of grains into the fire and sing “Swaha” as they pretend to get married at the temple.

I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who plans to see it, so I’ll just say the basics. It centers around a young man and his Journey to find himself in the 1980s straight edge hard-core scene in New York City. There’s a lot of graphic drug use (especially in the beginning of the film) sexual overtones, and spicy language so I wouldn’t enthusiastically recommend my gentle hearted, sattvic, spiritual friends should all go see the film. But if you’re one of those bhaktas who enjoys binge watching lowbrow, high-entertainment shows like Game of Thrones after you finish your 16 rounds, then by all means feel free. It’s definitely enjoyable to see the Bhakti Center and the beautiful atmosphere of flower garlands, colorful saris and ecstatic Kirtan captured for posterity in this independent film. When I went to the DC premiere of this movie Eleanor Henderson, the author of the book the film is based on, told me the scenes at the temple are her favorite scenes in the film.

And be careful not to blink or you might miss the future nominee for the Oscar for “Best Turban Worn By An Actor Portraying a Hare Krishna Priest in a Film About the Hard-core Punk Rock Scene in 1980s New York.” 

ॐ
—
Gaura Vani

Source:http://www.gauravani.com/5236-ten-thousand-saints

Namaste, I am delighted to send my best wishes to everyone at Bhaktivedanta Manor in what is a very special year for all those associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON).

For fifty years since its foundation by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the men and women behind ISKCON have dedicated their lives to the words of Lord Krishna to achieve peace and unity.

ISKCON can be proud that in that time it has grown the world over, setting up over 500 centres and 50 schools.

In celebration of the birth of Lord Krishna, it is wonderful to see so many in the Hindu community flock once again to Bhaktivedanta Manor to be part of the Janmashtami celebrations.

I am delighted to see festivities on such a scale take place, reminding us all of the great number of people from diverse backgrounds throughout this country.

As you gather to celebrate in the beauty of the Manor’s surroundings, let me wish you all a spectacular Janmashtami festival , and of course, pay tribute to the thousand and more volunteers who have given their precious time to make this year’s festival a memorable one.

Theresa May MP
PRIME MINISTER

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30430

August 12, 2016. Dear Friends, Hare Krsna. I thought you might be interested to see this page from the August 2016 issue of Oprah Magazine. The article references the studies on the Hare Krsna Maha Mantra that I conducted in the 1990s. Hare Krsna.
Sincerely, Dhira Govinda das
To read the entire article click here: http://goo.gl/62JUs5

Source:http://www.dandavats.com/wp-content/uploads5/Mantram%20in%20Oprah%20August%202016.pdf

Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi has congratulated ISKCON on its 50th anniversary, praising its accomplishments in a way that shows a strong understanding of ISKCON's  core message and efforts. We hope its Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada, who always tried to reach the leaders of society, is pleased.

The Prime Minister's letter, released on August 8th, reads in full:

"I am delighted to learn that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

"Over the last five decades, the journey of ISKCON has been one of selfless service to society.

"The ISKCON family has emerged at the forefront of the quest to create a more peaceful, harmonious and compassionate society. ISKCON's journey has been a manifestation of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.' Integration has been at the core of your philosophy.

"ISKCON's story has been the story of the determination and devotion of lakhs of devotees spread across the world. Inspired by the teachings of Lord Krishna, they spread His message far and wide. The efforts of the ISKCON family in sectors like education, publishing and disaster-relief are commendable.

"On this occasion, I convey my best wishes to the ISKCON family and hope they continue to serve humanity with the same enthusiasm and diligence as they have been doing for the last five decades. May this family of devotees be agents of change in creating a better tomorrow.

"Jai Shri Krishna!

"Signed, Narendra Modi

"New Delhi

"08 August, 2016"

The Prime Minister's letter

Source:http://iskconnews.org/indian-prime-minister-commends-iskcon-on-its-50th-anniversary,5748/

Here is another fine article compiled by Vidura Mahatma Prabhu, which appeared in my mailbox some time back. Some very nice quotes.

The Cause of Confusion and Dissension in the Krishna Consciousness Movement
by Vidura Mahatma Das

“When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 12.9 purport)

“All the devotees connected with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure.”
(Chaitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 25.278 : Purport by Srila Prabhupada)

“The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless.” (CC Adi 12.10)

1. Not following Srila Prabhupada’s orders/discipline

“When disciples do not stick to the principle of accepting the order of their spiritual master, immediately there are two opinions. Any opinion different from the opinion of the spiritual master is useless. One cannot infiltrate materially concocted ideas into spiritual advancement. That is deviation. There is no scope for adjusting spiritual advancement to material ideas.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 12.9 purport)

“The Māyāvādī philosophers, they want to become one. “One” means you agree to the Supreme. That is oneness. Just like we are conducting this international society. We have got many workers, many disciples, but we are one. “One” means they are carrying their spiritual master’s order. Therefore they are one.” (Lecture on SB 3.26.25 — Bombay, January 2, 1975)

“Unless one is firmly fixed in the regulative principles, one may perform mischievous acts, even if one is a member of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. We therefore advise our disciples to strictly follow the regulative principles; otherwise the most important movement for the upliftment of humanity will be hampered due to dissension among its members. Those who are serious about pushing forward this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement should remember this and strictly follow the regulative principles so that their minds will not be disturbed.” (SB 5.14.35 : PURPORT)

“Śrī Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī, at the time of his passing away, ordered all his disciples to work conjointly to preach the mission of Caitanya Mahāprabhu all over the world. Later, however, some self-interested, foolish disciples disobeyed his orders. Each one of them wanted to become head of the mission, and they fought in the courts, neglecting the order of the spiritual master, and the entire mission was defeated.” (CC Adi 7.95-96, Purport)

“Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, at the time of his departure, requested all his disciples to form a governing body and conduct missionary activities cooperatively. He did not instruct a particular man to become the next ācārya. But just after his passing away, his leading secretaries made plans, without authority, to occupy the post of ācārya, and they split into two factions over who the next ācārya would be. Consequently, both factions were asāra, or useless, because they had no authority, having disobeyed the order of the spiritual master. Despite the spiritual master’s order to form a governing body and execute the missionary activities of the Gauḍīya Maṭha, the two unauthorized factions began litigation that is still going on after forty years with no decision.” (CC Adi 12.8, Purport)

CC Adi 12.10, Translation and Purport: The order of the spiritual master is the active principle in spiritual life. Anyone who disobeys the order of the spiritual master immediately becomes useless.
Here is the opinion of Śrīla Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja Gosvāmī. Persons who strictly follow the orders of the spiritual master are useful in executing the will of the Supreme, whereas persons who deviate from the strict order of the spiritual master are useless.

“We have got practical experience how a great institution was lost by whimsical ways. Without carrying out the order of the spiritual master, they manufactured something and the whole thing was lost.” (Lecture on SB 1.2.11 — Vrndavana, October 22, 1972)

“The central point is the order of the Spiritual Master, and I am very glad that you are trying to give importance to this aspect of management. The difficulty is sometimes things are interpreted in a manner dovetailing one’s own sense gratification. I have got this personal experience in my Guru Maharaja’s institution. Different Godbrothers took the words of Guru Maharaja in different interpretations for sense gratification and the whole mission disrupted. This is still going on for the last 40 years without any proper settlement.” (Letter to disciple — Tittenhurst 18 October, 1969)

“There may be different orders for different disciples, but a disciple should take the order of the spiritual master as his life: “Here it is, the order. So let me execute it without any deviation.” That will make him perfect. Just see, the Caitanya Mahāprabhu’s, this is His instruction. He says, ei ājñā pāñā nāma la-i anukṣaṇa. He did not think, “Oh, My spiritual master thought Me a fool, rascal (CC Adi 7.71). Oh, why I am rascal? Let Me see Vedānta-sūtra. Why shall I not see?” Oh, that is rascaldom again. That is rascaldom again. You cannot deviate the order of the spiritual master by an inch if you really want success.” (Lecture on CC Adi-lila 7.76-81 — San Francisco, February 2, 1967)

2. Not reading Srila Prabhupada’s books / Hearing from Srila Prabhupada

“All the devotees connected with this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement must read all the books that have been translated (Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and others); otherwise, after some time, they will simply eat, sleep and fall down from their position. Thus they will miss the opportunity to attain an eternal, blissful life of transcendental pleasure.”
(Chaitanya-caritamrta Madhya-lila 25.278 : Purport by Srila Prabhupada)

“I think that the best thing for you is to study our books very carefully and then try to write something. Do not try to concoct your own theories. This is not the process. You must write just as you have heard from your Guru and nothing else. Otherwise, your writing is useless.” (Letter to: Bhakta Dennis — Mayapur 8 April, 1975)

“First thing is that one must understand Srimad-Bhagavatam fully. The first verse, if you simply explain, will take volumes and volumes. So, please study my books intensely and do not fail to chant 16 rounds daily following the four regulative principles strictly. This will make everything perfect.” (Letter to: Aticandra — Bombay 4 January, 1975)

“The service of the spiritual master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual master’s instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple.” (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi 1.35 Purport)

“If one thinks that there are many pseudo devotees or nondevotees in the Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Society, one can keep direct company with the spiritual master, and if there is any doubt, one should consult the spiritual master. However, unless one follows the spiritual master’s instructions and the regulative principles governing chanting and hearing the holy name of the Lord, one cannot become a pure devotee. By one’s mental concoctions, one falls down. By associating with nondevotees, one breaks the regulative principles and is thereby lost.” (Cc Madhya-lila 19.157)

3. On the whole: Not serious about Krishna Consciousness

Bhagavad-gita As It Is
Chapter 2 Tex 41

vyavasāyātmikā buddhir
ekeha kuru-nandana
bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca
buddhayo ‘vyavasāyinām

vyavasāyātmikā—resolute Kṛṣṇa consciousness; buddhiḥ—intelligence; ekā—only one; iha—in this world; kuru-nandana—O beloved child of the Kurus; bahu-śākhāḥ—various branches; hi—indeed; anantāḥ—unlimited; ca—also; buddhayaḥ—intelligence; avyavasāyinām—of those who are not in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

TRANSLATION

Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.

PURPORT
A strong faith in Kṛṣṇa consciousness that one should be elevated to the highest perfection of life is called vyavasāyātmikā intelligence. The Caitanya-caritāmṛta states:

‘śraddhā’-śabde viśvāsa kahe sudṛḍha niścaya
kṛṣṇe bhakti kaile sarva-karma kṛta haya

Faith means unflinching trust in something sublime. When one is engaged in the duties of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need not act in relationship to the material world with obligations to family traditions, humanity, or nationality. Fruitive activities are the engagements of one’s reactions from past good or bad deeds. When one is awake in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, he need no longer endeavor for good results in his activities. When one is situated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, all activities are on the absolute plane, for they are no longer subject to dualities like good and bad. The highest perfection of Kṛṣṇa consciousness is renunciation of the material conception of life. This state is automatically achieved by progressive Kṛṣṇa consciousness. The resolute purpose of a person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is based on knowledge (“Vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti sa mahātmā sudurlabhaḥ”) by which one comes to know perfectly that Vāsudeva, or Kṛṣṇa, is the root of all manifested causes. As water on the root of a tree is automatically distributed to the leaves and branches, in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, one can render the highest service to everyone—namely self, family, society, country, humanity, etc. If Kṛṣṇa is satisfied by one’s actions, then everyone will be satisfied.

Service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness is, however, best practiced under the able guidance of a spiritual master who is a bona fide representative of Kṛṣṇa, who knows the nature of the student and who can guide him to act in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. As such, to be well-versed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness one has to act firmly and obey the representative of Kṛṣṇa, and one should accept the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master as one’s mission in life. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākur instructs us, in his famous prayers for the spiritual master, as follows:

yasya prasādād bhagavat-prasādo
yasyāprasādānna gatiḥ kuto ‘pi
dhyāyaṁ stuvaṁs tasya yaśas tri-sandhyaṁ
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam.

“By satisfaction of the spiritual master, the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes satisfied. And by not satisfying the spiritual master, there is no chance of being promoted to the plane of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. I should, therefore, meditate and pray for his mercy three times a day, and offer my respectful obeisances unto him, my spiritual master.”

The whole process, however, depends on perfect knowledge of the soul beyond the conception of the body—not theoretically but practically, when there is no longer chance for sense gratification manifested in fruitive activities. One who is not firmly fixed in mind is diverted by various types of fruitive acts.

Also:

“After receiving the spiritual master’s mercy, one must repeat his instructions, and this is called śravaṇa-kīrtana-hearing and chanting. One who has not properly heard from the spiritual master or who does not follow the regulative principles is not fit for chanting (kīrtana). This is explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.41): vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana. One who has not listened carefully to the instructions of the spiritual master is unfit to chant or preach the cult of devotional service. One has to water the bhakti-latā-bīja after receiving instructions from the spiritual master.” (CC Madhya 19.152)

The quotes used in this compilation have been taken from Srila Prabhupada’s original, unrevised books and teachings.

By Kripamoya das

Two weeks ago at Bhaktivedanta Manor, a new garden was dedicated to Srila Prabhupada and his disciples. Since it was the week in which we were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the formal establishment of ISKCON, I gave the following speech:

If you would please look up and cast your eyes behind me towards this sequoia tree. It’s at least 100 feet high. It was planted here in the 1880s by a gardener who never got to see it the way we can see it today. This tree is one of 183 trees here at the Bhaktivedanta Manor. I’d like to think it has its own personality. Certainly it has heard more kirtan than most sequoias.

At sometimes 200 – 300 feet high, the sequoia tree is one of the largest living things in the world and can live for more than three thousand years. A tree like this can produce 250 seeds from every cone. And a mature tree can produce thousands of cones.

Now, the seed of the sequoia is tiny – only 5 millimetres long. Yet inside a tiny seed is everything needed to grow an entire tree. Think of that for a while. An entire tree inside a tiny seed. Something that will live for three thousand years, inside a tiny seed. Inside the cone is a special chemical which only allows the seeds to fall when the moisture level is just right. Inside the seeds there are so many working parts with wonderful names: vacuoles, ribosomes, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum. And inside them there is intricate coding – every single detail of the future tree is there.

So within the seed is both the essence of the sequoia tree – the essence that will make it different from all other trees – as well as the specific coding that will form the trunk, branches, twigs and cones, coding that will help the tree to grow, stand tall, and endure for centuries. The essence and the structure – both are needed.

In any area of human life, when someone begins an endeavour – especially one they hope will endure for a long time, they are, in effect, planting a seed. By their aspirations, their vision of the final result, and by their determination, they plant a seed. And, provided the conditions are right, it will grow.

The growth of a spiritual movement, such as ours, depends on the flow of grace from the divine source and the aspirations and channelled energy of the spiritual seeker. It is said that God reaches down to the soul and the soul reaches upwards to God. And where they meet is called the guru.

The interplay between guru and disciple allows for the transmission of intricate spiritual coding. By sincere enquiry and service, by following the compassionate guidance of the guru and making himself a vessel for the guru’s wisdom and grace, the disciple can begin to grow upwards. But through the disciples the guru also grows. His ability to help the world grows as his disciples reach out to others. They multiply his ability to give Krishna. Guru and disciple together make a spiritual movement.

In the case of a tree, in the beginning there is but a small stirring in the soil. But as the years pass the small sapling grows into a magnificent, tall tree with many branches and hundreds of twigs on every branch. In the case of a spiritual movement, inspired followers attract more followers and a small band of disciples grows into a movement. It takes time, and the growth may not always be apparent, but it grows.

From this small seed comes a tree that can grow to three hundred feet and last for thousands of years. With the establishment of ISKCON Srila Prabhupada planted a seed for centuries to come.

50 years ago, our founder and acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada planted a seed. He brought into existence a society whose specific name he chose and whose specific shape he carefully formed. The original group of early followers might have been bemused to learn the name of the organisation typed up on the deeds of incorporation: the International Society for Krishna Consciousness – ISKCON. There were no assets to speak of and with only one room in a back street of New York there was no way it could be described as even the New York State Society for Krishna Consciousness, what to speak of the American Society for Krishna Consciousness. And international? What a preposterous and utopian idea!

Yet with the signing of that document – the planting of the seed for his future organisation – Srila Prabhupada gave all the natural coding for the growth that was to come. The love and gratitude of his disciples, their enthusiasm to do his bidding, and his daily teaching and careful guidance, all formed the perfect setting for growth to take place.

There is an old Irish story of a farmer who looks up from his field towards the nearby road and sees a saintly man walking. “Where are you going, sir?” he asks. “Oh, I’m going to start a religious movement,” replies the saint. Then the farmer sees the devil walking some yards behind and asks him: “Why are you following the saint?” “Oh, I’m going to help him organise his religious movement,” he replies with a grin.

We don’t trust organisations. They can be very tricky things. It’s not always easy for human beings to work together as an organisation – we are all independent and we are needy in so many ways. Yet an organisation is, in effect, nothing more than a living organism- like this tree – but made up of humans. An organism is something alive that contains organs – parts that perform certain functions for the welfare of the whole body. An organisation is an organism where those organs are made up of teams of humans working together.

Now, it is true that sequoia trees, or anthills, or beehives, function much better as living systems than humans do when they try to work together. We just don’t get along like ants or bees, or like the living organism of the tree. A survey conducted by Yale University found that in the 20th century the lifespan of the average S&P Index listed American company fell from 67 years to just 15. So at 50 years old, ISKCON is already bucking the odds by a factor of three.

Our company, ISKCON, is by ordinary calculation a company that should either be struggling or have gone out of business already. Consider the fragility of an organisation that promotes education in spiritual values, pays its members no dividends and depends mainly on voluntary contributions; that extols virtues that most of the world considers vices, and that runs counter to many of the intellectual notions held sacred by the world. Surely such an organisation should have collapsed by now.

Yet against all the odds, and despite some irregularities, Srila Prabhupada’s movement has endured, grown and prospered – and has reached its half century. This is something to be applauded. The secret of ISKCON’s success so far is an open secret: Srila Prabhupada planted the seed and the information content of that seed was very high. Not only the Sanskrit texts and teachings of ancient wisdom, but the careful guidance of how the structure was to grow, flourish and expand. How the members of his movement should work together, and how the resulting movement would spread and sweep up many more people in its embrace.

At the heart of it is the relationship of those early disciples with their master; a special friendship grounded in the sincere exchange of enquiry and revelation. From the master came wisdom so encouraging that it changed their young lives, and they offered grateful service to a person who they knew loved them. It was the oldest of all relationships, the guru-sisya sambandha.

Disciples gave their entire youth to Srila Prabhupada. The years normally spent in learning and making a home were sacrificed so that the seed of his divine tree, ISKCON, could be planted. We who enjoy membership of ISKCON today know that without those early disciples and their love for their spiritual master, we would not be here. So today we salute them and we thank them for their life of service. Some of them are gathered here today. We thank you and applaud your gift to us. This garden, thisguru-sisya udyana, is dedicated to you and your relationship with Srila Prabhupada. Let this garden always remind us of how you served him, of the divine exchange between guru and disciple, and of the efforts you took to bring us all to Srila Prabhupada, and the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Source: https://deshika.wordpress.com/2016/08/11/learning-from-a-tree/