Lecture on The Science of Consciousness by Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu on 07 Nov 2014 at Carpinteria

(Ravindra Svarupa Dasa received a BA in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966 and a Ph.D. in Religion from Temple University in 1980.)

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Lecture on Nobody to Somebody by HG Akuti Mataji on 11 Oct 2015 at ISKCON Alachua

(Bhagavad Gita Chapter 03 Text 27)

(HG Akuti Mataji is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada and the spearhead behind the new Krishna Lunch program at Santa Fe Community College. )

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Lecture on Feed the Good Starve the Bad by HG Charu Prabhu on Oct 2015

(Charu Das was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. He has been President, variously, of the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Berkeley (USA) temples. He served on the BBT library party in 1976, received Bhakti Shastra in 1979, and was Life Membership Director in Los Angeles for 10 years in the 1980's.)

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A challenge to Kadamba Kanana Swami!

Kartik vows
(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 04 October 2009, Durban, South Africa, Lecture)

So, Kartika is the time to tighten up the loose screws, of all the loose ends and to bring it back to the real standard. Kartika, is our chance! It is only one month but of course, after that month, it becomes a habit! Habits are like that. If you do something for one month then it is easy to keep on doing it. So in this way, we can take so much advantage.

I thought my main objective in this month would be meditation, to increase my remembrance of Krsna and to increase my service, both in quantity and quality. I thought I will focus on quality especially because quantity is not so easy. Already there is so much to do in a day, already such a hectic life, how much more can I physically manage? And I do not want Kartika to become a total stress situation where I am just doing these very intense vows, the kind of vows that drive me to the edge and that at the end of the month, if I make it till the end, I just hate Kartika and may be even Krsna!

Not like that! No, I will not make it a month full of stress. Therefore, I thought, this year I will not do something huge, I will not take one really big vow. I have a different strategy; I will take many little vows! Also, Krsna gave me some idea about chanting. I thought, I am going to chant extra rounds but I am not going to fix it that every day I must chant so many extra rounds but I will just fix a number for the whole month and then I can adjust it. I will have my busy days when I may chant less and on days that I have the opportunity, I will chant more; and in this way, it averages out. In this way, I will survive and I will still be chanting extra rounds. I thought it was a good idea, really!

Then I thoughtiYes, I’ll read something! I thought, every night I will read for five minutes something about Krsna. I will read Krsna Book for five minutes a night. That is nice. It is not a big Kartika vow but it is something that you know is nice but that you just get slack in! It is one thing that you do not always do! But I said, in this month of Kartik I will do it.

So many such things I will not tell you everything that I am going to do but I told you this much just to kind of inspire everyone of how we can do something. It is still early enough! After this lecture, you can quickly jot down a few things that you are going to do this month. Just a few things. And if we do that, if we really do iti then you will be surprised! You will surprise yourself! Really! You will find that your Krsna consciousness would have so much increased just from one month of practising, in the month of Kartika.

By Bhakta Nikhil

Friends, disciples and well-wishers of HH Subhag Swami Maharaj gathered in the holy land of Jaipur to participate in a festival of hearing, chanting and sadhu sanga between the dates of 15th ~ 20th October 2015. This is the 5th annual parikrama Maharaj has been holding in various holy places across India. Jaipur, also known as “Gupta Vrindavan” plays hosts to our Gaudiya Sampradaya’s most cherished deities’: Radha Govindadev and Radha Gopinath. As stated by Maharaj on a number of occasions, “Everyone in Jaipur is a devotee.” It could be for this reason that Their Lordships’ decided to make Jaipur Their permanent home.

For more pictures please see :

https://picasaweb.google.com/110438247584390173216/SadhuSangaFestivalInJaipurDham

Day 1

Devotees reached Jaipur on the 15th morning. At 2pm, Maharaj arrived and was greeted with a tumultuous kirtan and bowing of conch shells. Beautiful rangolis decorated the floor creating an auspicious atmosphere. Within an hour of Maharaj’s arrival it started to rain heavily. Anyone who stays in India knows that the chances of raining in North India during October are very meager and in Jaipur there was no sight of rain since the last month. Devotees felt that Indra along with other demigods sent blessings for an auspicious start to the festival.

The inauguration ceremony started at 7pm with sankalpa which was led by HG Shyamasundarananda das from Mayapur. Devotees promised to participate with full enthusiasm and sincerity during the allotted time here. Maharaj then addressed the assembled vaisnavas with a short but powerful class. He mentioned the importance of Jaipur for Gaudiya Vaisnavas and the meaning of parikrama: a chance for all devotees to come together and serve, share realisations and make deep friendships on a spiritual level.

Day 2

Srimad Bhagavatam class given by HG Hari das was held at 8am. Hari das, a senior disciple of HH Bhakti Svarup Damodar Swami and sanyas candidate, inspired all on the topic of Dhruva Maharaj.

A mini Kirtan Mela was held between 5pm till 7pm. At 7.15pm Maharaj held an interactive session with all the devotees. He requested them to share their experiences in Krishna Consciousness and how it had made a positive change in their lives’. Many devotees responded by expressing how they are effected less by anxiety and tension and how their lives are becoming more and more joyful. The day ended with an ecstatic kirtan led by Indonesian devotees. When Maharaj started to dance, all devotees were left in an ocean of bliss.

Day 3

The day started early as buses left after Mangal arti to various temples around Jaipur. The first destination was Radha Natabara Mandir. A little known fact: after many of our acarya’s deities in Vrindavan were moved to Jaipur, they first stayed at this temple until further arrangements were carried out. A five minute walk landed us to Radha Madhava, the dearmost of Jayadeva Goswami. After a short and sweet kirtan in the courtyard, devotees proceeded to the buses which then took us to Radha Damodar. The deities of Jiva Goswami, being so small in height compared to the Radha Damodar in Vrindavan that most ISKCON devotees know, won the hearts of many. After a short walk, we visited Radha Vinodi Lal. These deities appeared before Lokanath Goswami and are said to be self-manifested. Devotees were surprised to see how similar Vinodi Lal looked compared to Radha Raman in Vrindavan. Radha Gopinath, which was worshiped by Madhu Pandit was next on the list. We reached just in time as the altar closed for the bhoga offering within a few minutes of devotees arriving. After paying our respects, we proceeded with loud kirtan to see Rupa Goswami’s Radha Govinda. We reached just in time for midday arti. With bells ringing and pilgrims glorifying Govinda with sweet songs, the spiritually surcharged atmosphere was one that devotees would not forget for a long time. Maharaj arrived shortly thereafter and gave a short class on the significance of these deities in relation with us being “Rupanugas”. He mentioned how Srila Prabhupada wanted that ISKCON should follow the deity worship standards of that in this particular temple. Devotees then headed back to our respective places and honored a sumptuous feast.

Day 4

Buses again left early in the morning to a village around an hour’s drive from Jaipur. Maharaj gave Bhagavatam class on the teachings of Prahlad Maharaj, stressing the necessity of giving the youth a spiritual education. “These are the future of ISKCON” was a phrase he repeatedly cited. At the end of the class Maharaj called all children to the front of the pandal and asked them to recite slokas from the Bhagavad Gita. The whole assembly just by seeing the youth so enthusiastically participating became inspired themselves.

In the afternoon there was kirtan, hari katha by various devotees and a wonderful drama. After afternoon prasad we headed back to Jaipur and took rest.

Day 5

Maharaj gave Bhagavatam class in the morning on the subject matter of Ambarish Maharaj, all devotees listened with rapt attention. Until Maharaj pointed it out, devotees didn’t realize that it was 45 minutes into prasadam time! Maharaj then commented,” By listening with rapt attention about the pastimes of the Lord nectar can be easily obtained.”

In the evening Maharaj held a question and answer session. At first devotees were apprehensive to ask questions but as Maharaj started to answer with enthusiasm, the questions started to flow. At the end of the class, a new book in Telegu was released entitled, “Hari Kathamritam.”

Day 6

Bhagavatam class was given by HG Ramanuja das of Manipur. He spoke extensively on the topic of Vaisnava dealings and relationships. Maharaj then spoke further on this emphasizing how Srila Prabhupada wanted this society to be based on “love and trust.”

At one o’clock a concluding ceremony took place. Devotees that played key roles in the festival spoke on their experiences during the festival and shared their realisations. Many broke into tears whilst pouring their heart to the audience. Finally Maharaj expressed his personal experience of the festival. A grand feast of 13 delicious items then awaited the devotees which officially marked the culmination of the program.

We thank all the wonderful vaisnavas who attended the festival. Many came from far-off places such as: Indonesia, Sweden, Poland, England, Spain and Italy. Special thanks to the kitchen department, many matajis helped cutting subji for hours on end. Everyone was working so enthusiastically, even the children! We would like to congratulate the managerial devotees who worked tirelessly, giving up bodily comfort to help make the program a success. Our most humble respects to HH Subhag Swami Maharaj, only by his expert guidance and dedication was the program taken from pen and paper and turned into a grand success. Last but not least we express our heartfelt gratitude to Srila Prabhupada who made a house in which the whole world can live as brothers and sisters peacefully enjoying a life of Krishna Conciousness.

ISKCON yatra ki Jay

Srila Prabhupada ki Jay

Jaipur Sadhu Sanga Mahotsava ki Jay

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=20602

By Brigid Beatty (Source: http://goo.gl/hel5gQ)

The walking monk kept to the narrow shoulder of Route 85 in Rayburn on Tuesday morning. Trucks roared by and curious motorists occasionally slowed to get a closer look at the 63-year-old man dressed in saffron robes.

Bhaktimarga Swami, a Canadian native and Hare Krishna monk, was headed toward Butler on a journey that began in Boston on Sept. 20. From Butler he plans to head back east to New York City.

“I’m walking for several purposes,” Swami said. “For personal and inner growth — to take it all in, the grueling hot days, the cold, the rain and snow and hail.”

It all helps with learning detachment from externals in order to go within and be happy, he said.

He joked that during his daily 20-mile stints through Amish country and busier neighborhoods he has had his fair share of dog encounters.

But he values the interactions he has had with people along the way. He’s chatted with Amish girls about the walnuts they were collecting and gave a blessing to a man suffering from kidney issues.

He said he is also dedicating his journey to teachers.

“These are the people who are often under appreciated, who help open us to opportunities in life,” he said. “And I’m walking for my own teacher.”

Swami said he is retracing the steps of his spiritual teacher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada, who founded the Hare Krishna movement.

He stayed for a time in Butler after coming to America from India 50 years ago.

The Beatles were among those influenced by Srila Prabhupada’s spirituality, a monotheistic tradition within Hindu or Vedic culture.

While Swami walked, he snacked on an apple picked along the way. Although this is his first journey by foot in the U.S., he has walked across Canada four times, covering more than 17,000 miles.

He has also traveled on foot through Ireland, Israel, Trinidad and the Fiji Islands.

He said he often recites a mantra while walking, and finds the pace helps him pay attention to things that can often go unnoticed.

“Walking along the way, you feel the history, you breathe it,” he said. “You notice what’s dilapidated and what was thriving at one time and wonder: ‘why is it this way now?’”

Cultivating spirituality — no matter what religion people belong to — is a good thing and can increase happiness, he said.

Swami was raised a Christian and received initiation from Srila Prabhupada in 1973.

“I never felt I left (Christianity),” he said, “I just added to it.”

His spiritual way follows universal values, he said.

“The idea is to get as squeaky clean as you can,” he said, with a smile.

“I’ve got a long road to travel to get there.”

Source: Dandavats.com

By Ajamila dasa

Sorry this is a little long but believe me itÍs worth reading it all with a huge ISKCON surprise bonus at the end of the rainbow.

The Krishnanagar Jail Preaching program yesterday, upon the invite of the Superintendent, went surprisingly far better than expected.

The one hour program commenced with 5 male and 4 female ISKCON devotees chanting on a platform with a powerful Durga Festival sound blasting system under a big shade giving tree in the centre of the huge complex that houses at this time approximately 800 prisoners.

Around 500 prisoners gathered around, including some Muslims, and actually participated in the chanting of the holy names of Krishna and Gauranga and they heard how the eternal soulÍs real jail house is this material world of birth and death..

The women prisoners, around 60, also enthusiastically attended by adding their chanting and boisterous ïhigh pitched ululationsÍ every so often expressing their appreciation when the melodious chanting crescendos peaked.

This was the real jail house rock – the entire jail was literally rocking through the getto blaster speakers with the holy name enticing prisoners and staff alike to smile and chant the holy names of the Lord.

We had a full array of devotional instruments. Sanjoy Prabhu played the mridanga wonderfully. I reportedly sang melodiously and played the harmonium, and gave intermittent philosophical pep talks that were translated into Bengali by Sanjoy Prabhu. And then Nitya Kishori MatajiÍs daughter sang sweetly to the conclusion.

Interspersed with the chanting I initiated a contest chanting KrishnaÍs names the loudest between the ladies and men. Their participation was amazingly loud and very enthusiastic on both sides but the men with their numbers advantage came out on top.

The objective of the jail preaching was to create some faith in the holy names of Krishna in the searching hearts of the prisoners; and that was achieved, at least temporarily and perhaps with just a few for a much longer period. The follow up will be more of the same on a weekly basis as per the invite of the Superintendent and his enthusiastic staff.

I was thinking: ñJust as these prisoners are enthusiastic and always thinking about getting out of the jail one day so I should always be thinking of the day I will go back to Goloka Vrindavana to serve Krishna in an eternally liberated state.î Or should I be thinking janme, janme??..
(Sometimes I do, but mostly I desire the Vaisnava liberation of wanting to get the heck out of a material body eternally.)

The Superintendent, who prides himself as a Vaisnava, and he is, has also invited ISKCON to take over the jail kitchen and supply pure vegetarian food. I replied that ISKCON will have to have these two conditions:

1. Nothing but pure Krishna prasadam can be cooked for the 1,100 jail prisoners (at peak times) on the entire premises and the cooking will be done only by ISKCON initiated devotees in good standing. No visitors can bring inmates any sort of meat. No meat can ever enter the premises 24/7 365 days a year. The jail will be declared a pure vegetarian zone for staff and inmates. (It might deter meat eating criminals.)

*The Superintendent smiled and very enthusiastically agreed. He said meat makes the prisoners aggressive whereas your pure Krishna prasadam will make our prisoners peaceful. Our jail will then truly be a ñCorrection Homeî. He said he felt we brought the ñISKCON Mayapur feelingî to the jail and gave them much relief and happiness.*

2. The government must pay for all related expenses including a brand new Vastu compliant kitchen building with all new equipment that meets the highest health and safety standards as per the Government recommendation and evaluation system.

*The Superintendent replied that the government will be very willing because ISKCON Banglaore (temporarily hijacked by Madhu Pandit) is already providing pure vegetarian food for 4,000 inmates in the Central Jail of Bangalore from a 1st class kitchen.*

The difference will be that ISKCON Mayapur will have only ISKCON initiated devotees cooking whereas Madhu Pandit I suspect has resorted to non-initiated professional cooks. The devotional purity of the cooks determines the purifying power of the prasadam which Srila Prabhupada described as our ñsecret weaponî. Another difference is that prisoners who have become devotees will be rewarded periodically with ñgenuineî Radha Madhava Maha Prasadam from Mayapur.

3. All prisoners MUST observe every Ekadasi by nicely taking a delicious anukalpa feast with many varieties. Inmates will be encouraged to fast according to their abilities. But grains will be strictly forbidden on Ekadasi and appearance days of the Lord. I will provide the fasting days for each year in advance.

The end goal preaching plan is that they will come into the jail as criminals – 30-40% are falsely implicated – and go out as fully trained devotees ready to take initiation. The entire jail can be turned into a devotee making bhakta program. :-)) If you would have seen their eager participation yesterday you would know that what is being proposed can be done. Being stuck in jail gives a reformable person strong impetus to reform which can be nicely directed to Krishna consciousness.

The Superintendent’s main conditions are as follows:

1. All prasadam must be cooked on the premises by ISKCON cooks who have been registered and duly checked. ItÍs a strict security measure that any cooked food from outside cannot enter the jail.

2. There cannot be any mismanagement on the part of ISKCON in terms of the cooks not turning up and the proper bhoga not being purchased or any impropriety on the accountability of the funds, or keeping to strict schedules, and so on. (There is no room here for any mismanagement from ISKCON.)

Srila Prabhupada will be immensely pleased if we can execute the above.

The next step will be for me to draw up a business plan with a detailed scope of works and formulate a draft agreement between the Krishnanagar Correction Home and ISKCON.

I’ll first run it past the Superintendent Mr Shyamal to ensure his demands and conditions are met and then run it past the ISKCON Mayapur management for approval and then finally hand it all over to ISKCON to take full responsibility for the entire preaching project.

ISKCON Hyderabad are keen to see what we do with this fully sponsored preaching opportunity so that he might do the same in his area. It could be similarly implemented all over India in jails near ISKCON centres.

According to HG Hari Sauri Prabhu Srila Prabhupada himself established a jail preaching program in Delhi.

If all that wasn’t enough good news here is the icing on the cake:

The very pious Superintendent said he has inherited from his grandfather 5.3 acres of prime land in Dwaraka near the ocean and that he wants to donate it for a temple. Having seen my design work for a temple in the Philippines he asked me to do the temple design. I said you must first give that land to ISKCON and he agreed. That land is worth in the region of 3.5 million US $. More on that later.

Amazing what Krishna can provide when we preach.

Source: Dandavats.com

Lecture on Specializing in the Impossible by HG Charu Prabhu on Oct 2015

(Charu Das was initiated by Srila Prabhupada in 1970. He has been President, variously, of the Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Berkeley (USA) temples. He served on the BBT library party in 1976, received Bhakti Shastra in 1979, and was Life Membership Director in Los Angeles for 10 years in the 1980's.)

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Lecture on Relishing Krishna Katha by HG Urmila Mataji on 24 July 2015 at Hawaii

(Urmila Devi Dasi (Dr. Edith Best) joined ISKCON in 1973 in Chicago. She received first initiation in 1973 and second initiation in 1975 from His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. In 1996, Urmila and her husband, Pratyatosa, entered the renounced order of vanaprastha.)

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Lecture on Grihastha Ashram Part 02 by HG Prema Manjari Mataji on 26 Sep 2015 at Singapore

(HG Prema Manjari mataji joined ISKCON in 1992 during her MBBS days and received her first initiation from HH Radhanath Swami maharaj in 1996. She has set an example for others to follow by wonderfully balancing between her hectic professional life as a radiologist and spiritual life.)

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Lecture on Three special results of loving Krishna-PSI-Purification, Satisfaction, Illumination by HH Chaitanya Charan Prabhu

(HG Chaitanya Charan Prabhu is a celibate spiritual teacher (brahmachari) at ISKCON, Pune. He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Govt College of Engg, Pune. He is a member of ISKCON's topmost intellectual body)

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This essay was originally an answer of Suhotra Prabhu to a question about the “fairness” of our falldown to the material world.

=========

First of all we strongly suggest those who have a specific interest in the falldown of the spirit soul from the spiritual world to acquire the book entitled Our Original Position, which is available from the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. It is a very elaborate treatment with much quotations from sastra.

I find a refrain in the “condemned,” “pretty unfair,” “felix culpa,” “how could I know” and “bad mistake” arguments that is typical of persons for whom the “original falldown” is a major philosophical stumbling block. And that is, “It’s not my fault. It must be Krishna’s fault.”

You have to face this point unflinchingly: it *is* your fault.

And you have to face this next point unflinchingly: as long as you entertain the notion that it could be Krishna’s fault (that He’s “pretty unfair”), you will remain in this material world, birth after birth.

Accepting that it is your fault that you are fallen into the cycle of birth and death is what surrender is all about. It is only by accepting this that we can sincerely accept the Lord’s help in getting ourselves delivered from this fallen state. Logically, if it is not your fault, then you are not really fallen. Just like, if you end up in prison for a crime you did not deliberately commit (maybe you were just a victim of association, but you personally did not intend harm), then you are not really a criminal, are you?

But the fact is, we *are* criminals. And we can’t be reformed until we admit it wholeheartedly.

Now, zeroing in on the crux of your doubt — that we fell out of krishna-lila because of some unexpected flare-up of envy, and so how can we be eternally condemned for something over which we had no control — you’ve missed the real controller, Krishna. It is a fact that I, as a tiny spirit soul, have no power to control the ebb and flow of emotional states. But Krishna, the parama-isvara (supreme controller), does.

So there are two implications I wish to draw your attention to.

If your idea is that we fell because of an emotional flare-up, then behind that idea is a lack of faith in Krishna’s control over those emotions. To be surrendered to Krishna means to place oneself completely under Krishna’s control. So why would Krishna permit the emotions of His surrendered devotee to flare up in some spiritually detrimental manner? Therefore, 1) either Krishna doesn’t really have control over the ebb and flow of emotions that affect living beings, or
2) He does but He takes pleasure in allowing these emotions to cast someone down into darkness. I.e. Krishna doesn’t always have our best interests in mind. Or worse, He has a malicious streak.

The adoption of either of these two positions is uncalled for. If you find one, the other or both reasonable, then why trouble yourself with following the Vedic scriptures? The Vedic scriptures state: isvara parama krsna: “Krishna is the supreme controller.”

So then how did we fall victim to uncontrolled emotions?

The answer is that *first* we assumed a position of independence from Krishna’s control. Our assuming that position was not prompted by some flood of emotions. It was a conscious choice. As Srila Prabhupada writes:

“Anandamayo ‘bhyasat (Vedanta-sutra 1.1.12). Both the Lord and the living entity, being qualitatively spirit soul, have the tendency for peaceful enjoyment, but when the part of the Supreme Personality of Godhead unfortunately wants to enjoy independently, without Krishna, he is put into the material world, where he begins his life as Brahma and is gradually degraded to the status of an ant or a worm in stool.”
(Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.24.58, purport)

So the uncontrolled emotions that wind us up in lower forms like ants and worms come later. First comes the exalted post of Brahma, who manifests the full potency of a jiva (a liberated spirit soul). Brahma is situated in brahma-varcasa, the Brahman effulgence. Therefore Bhagavatam 2.3.2 states that those who wish to attain the divine light of Brahman should worship Brahma. But Brahma thinks himself
*independent* of Krishna.

“That Brahma becomes liberated is known to everyone, but he cannot liberate his devotees. Demigods like Brahma and Lord Shiva cannot give liberation to any living entity. As it is confirmed in Bhagavad-gita, only one who surrenders unto Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, can be liberated from the clutches of maya. Brahma is called here adyah sthira-caranam. He is the original, first-created living entity, and after his own birth he creates the entire cosmic manifestation. He was fully instructed in the matter of creation by the Supreme Lord. Here he is called veda-garbha, which means that he knows the complete purpose of the Vedas. He is always accompanied by such great personalities as Marici, Kasyapa and the seven sages, as well as by great mystic yogis, the Kumaras and many other spiritually advanced living entities, but he has his own interest, separate from the Lord’s. Bheda-drstya means that Brahma sometimes thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, or he thinks of himself as one of the three equally independent incarnations. [“Three equally independent incarnations” means Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma… but actually Brahma is not independent, because he is a jiva (fragmental soul, a constitutional servant of God), whereas Vishnu and Shiva are both classified as isvara (Lords).]” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.32.12-15, purport)

And, so, as Srila Prabhupada continues in this same purport:

“Here the word bheda-drstya occurs because Brahma has a slight inclination to think that he is as independent as Rudra. Sometimes Brahma thinks that he is independent of the Supreme Lord, and the worshiper also thinks that Brahma is independent. For this reason, after the destruction of this material world, when there is again creation by the interaction of the material modes of nature, Brahma comes back. Although Brahma reaches the Supreme Personality of Godhead as the first purusa incarnation, Maha-Vishnu, who is full with transcendental qualities, he cannot stay in the spiritual world.”

Please digest the full implications of the above quotation. Brahma, the post occupied by the jiva upon his assumption of independence from the Lord, is a liberated personality. He is not dashed here and there by hot fluxes of emotions, whether envy or anything else. Brahma *knows* fully well the Supreme Lord as Maha-Vishnu. He returns to Him after his period of duty as the creator of the universe. But Brahma also has a tendency, due to his conception of independence, to become attached to his post as the creator… so that when again Vishnu breathes out the universes, Brahma leaves Him to take up the post of a lord of creation again. This second returning to the material world is considered to be his falldown — the falldown of the jiva. Here you see an emotional element creeping in… attachment, prestige, etc, which brings him back to the material world even after his assignment is completed. This is the sign of growing ignorance. That is confirmed thusly later in the same purport:

“The specific significance of his coming back may be noted. Brahma and the great rsis and the great master of yoga (Shiva) are not ordinary living entities; they are very powerful and have all the perfections of mystic yoga. But still they have an inclination to try to become one with the Supreme, and therefore they have to come back. In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is accepted that as long as one thinks that he is equal with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is not completely purified or knowledgeable. In spite of going up to the first purusa-avatar, Maha-Vishnu, after the dissolution of this material creation, such personalities again fall down or come back to the material creation.”

The falling down of the jiva into material creation therefore has little in common with the scenario of his being carried away willy-nilly by some unfortunate gush of feelings.

It is the result of a deliberate, conscious and informed choice.

Perhaps you still have a doubt about how a soul comes to think himself independent. It can be postulated that before he assumed the post of Brahma, that soul must have been with Krishna in His pastimes within the eternal realm of Goloka. How is it that this particular soul goes from there to the post of Brahma?

The answer is that Krishna’s pastimes are expansive. As Krishna expands His pastimes, so also the souls expand within Him into further realms of His divine lila or play. The creation of the material world is one more expanded lila. Thus the Lord Himself personally enters the material world, and so also do His devotees. Even the eternal residents of Goloka Vrindavan enter the material world at the time Krishna personally descends Himself, as He did 5000 years ago in Bhauma Vrindavan (the Vrindavan on earth, in India, 90 miles south of New Delhi). Some of these residents assume forms different than their Goloka identities. Narada Muni, for instance, the sage who preaches bhakti throughout the 3 worlds, is originally Madhumangala, a friend of Krishna’s in Goloka. And Narada is the son of Brahma. Brahma is a role a jiva can get in the Lord’s pastime of creation if that jiva is interested in participating in the creation-lila from a position apparently as independent as that of God Himself. This particular position (Brahma) is the one from which a soul *may* fall (it is not guaranteed he will) from the Lord’s association into enmeshment in creation. In other words, rather than simply participating in creation from a transcendental position (as do the residents of Vrindavan and Narada Muni), such a soul, by attachment to his lordly position, becomes *part* of the creation… life after life.

By Urmila devi dasi

I watch the sun rising over the horizon where the Pacific Ocean touches the sky. In the beauty of its red glow painting sea, sky, and clouds, I chant the Brahma gayatri mantra, a meditation on the sun. Receiving and chanting this mantra is an essential part of diksa, initiation into the succession of spiritual teachers and disciples from the beginning of universal creation. Those unfamiliar with gayatri might wonder why modern educated people would mediate on the sun, having been taught that only primitives engage in sun worship. Increasingly, however, people interested in yoga and enlightenment have heard of this queen of mantras which allows entrance into advanced wisdom and realization. Srila Prabhupada’s translation of the Sanskrit of the Brahma gayatri is: “Let us meditate on that worshipable effulgence of the divine sun who enthuses our meditation.”

In the sacred Bhagavatam we find that great saints such as Bharata regularly mediated on a sun mantra. Srila Prabhupada comments (SBp 5.7.13), “The predominating Deity within the sun is Hiranmaya, Lord Narayana. He is worshiped by the gayatri mantra. He is also worshiped by other hymns mentioned in the Rg Veda, for instance: dhyeyah sada savitr-mandala-madhya-varti. Within the sun Lord Narayana is situated and He has a golden hue.” And in his comment on the next verse Prabhupada writes, “Actually Narayana within the sun is maintaining the entire universe. Therefore, Narayana should be worshiped by the gayatri mantra or the Rg mantra.”

Not only have saintly persons throughout history chanted this mantra, but the Supreme Lord Krishna Himself chants the gayatri mantra. In the cities of Dwaraka and Mathura, it’s a part of His daily activities. Although Krsna is the source of the mantra, in the Lord’s pastimes Garga Muni initiated Krsna into the gayatri, and gave Him the sacred thread. This thread crosses the upper body and gets wrapped around one’s fingers while chanting gayatri and thus indicates a person who has been initiated into gayatri. Worship of the sun also exists in Vrndavana where Krishna’s consort Radharani worships the sun daily. The sacred Yamuna River in Vrndavana is the daughter of the sun god. Her twin brother is Yamaraja the lord of death.

What is the benefit for which we are chanting this Brahma gayatri mantra? And why does it give us this kind of benefit? In answering these questions we will examine the nature and origin of the mantra.

Benefit of chanting the Brahma gayatri
In his purport in the Bhagavad Gita (10.35) Prabhupada says that chanting this gayatri mantra is meant for realization of the Supreme Lord. In the first verse of the Bhagavatam, the words satyam param dhimahi indicate that the entire Bhagavatam is an expansion on the Brahma gayatri mantra, which also contains the word dhimahi. In commenting on this verse, Srila Prabhupada says that by chanting the Brahma gayatri, one gains spiritual realization which is a prerequisite for entering into the lilas or sporting pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. Sometimes in a college or school a course has prerequisites—in order to study one course you may already have had to have studied something else. So in order to, as Prabhupada puts it, “relish” Krsna’s lila, one needs purification which is attained by the chanting of the Brahma gayatri mantra. Also Prabhupada says, in 4.21.22 of the Bhagavatam, that by chanting this gayatri mantra one will maintain spiritual strength. People often ask how they can be steady in spiritual practice. The main source of such spiritual strength is Balarama, the original guru. Gayatri’s giving spiritual strength is connected to the fact that one can only receive the fruits of chanting this Brahma gayatri mantra upon receiving it from a guru. If someone just reads the mantra from, say, searching for it on the Internet, or listening to some musical performance of somebody singing it, there will not be any benefit. A genuine guru should only give the gayatri mantra to “spiritually advanced people” for whom it is meant. (Bg 10.35) The spiritual strength found in chanting the mantra, therefore, comes from guru as well as from the mantra itself.

The nature and power of the Brahma gayatri
Why does the gayatri mantra give the benefit of being able to realize God, and the purification that one can then relish Krsna lila? Krsna says in the tenth chapter of Bhagavad Gita that the gayatri mantra is He Himself in poetic form. So gayatri is God as poetry. Also Prabhupada says there in the purport that gayatri is the sound incarnation of Brahman (all pervading spirit) and therefore allows us to realize aham bhrmasmi: I am a spiritual being separate from the body and mind. Interestingly enough, although in the Bhagavad Gita it says gayatri is the sound incarnation of Krsna, in the Bhagavatam (3.13.35), it says that Krsna is the incarnation of the gayatri mantra. That’s because they are non-different, and can be looked at from either perspective.

The Brahma gayatri is complete knowledge. Caitanya Mahaprabhu, speaking to His disciple Sanatana Goswami, (CC Madhya lila 25.147), says gayatri contains sambanda and abedeya, or identity and the process to realize it. Our identity is that we are a part of the Supreme Truth and our process is to mediate on that Truth. The Brama gayatri also contains prayojana, or the result of such meditation, a condition of joyfulness and enthusiasm.

In the Bhagavatam’s description of Krishna’s incarnation as Varaha, the sages say that the gayatri mantra is the touch of the skin of the Lord (3.12.45). Krsna’s skin is very soft. It is described in the Bhakti-rasamrita Sindhu that if the Lord just brushes against a plant, His skin will change color; it’s so delicate. There are many descriptions in sacred writings, especially in Ananda vrindavanacampu, about how the Lord’s skin is soft like butter. One can feel the touch of the Lord simply by chanting the gayatri mantra. Krsna’s touch is described as follows:

By the touch of Lord Krsna’s hand (in His form of Nṛsiṁhadeva) on Prahlāda Mahārāja’s head, Prahlāda was completely freed of all material contaminations and desires, as if he had been thoroughly cleansed. Therefore he at once became transcendentally situated, and all the symptoms of ecstasy became manifest in his body. His heart filled with love, and his eyes with tears, and thus he was able to completely capture the lotus feet of the Lord within the core of his heart.
SB 7.9.6

The gayatri mantra is also the sound of the Lord’s flute which we can hear if we meditate on this mantra. At the dawn of cosmic creation, Krsna played His flute, the sound of which entered into the ear holes of Brahma, the universal engineer. After entering into his ears, the flute sound came out of his mouth as the gayatri mantra. From that mantra, all the sacred literatures of the Vedas expanded, so gayatri is the essence of the Vedic mantras, like boiled down milk fudge (burfi) is the essence of milk. In that way, Krsna’s flute sound manifested the spiritual teachings of humankind. In this world people sometimes become mesmerized when listening to especially beautiful music, so what to speak of a flute song that God Himself plays! One of the many descriptions of Krsna’s flute song is as follows:

The beauty of Kṛṣṇa’s smile is the sweetest feature of all. His smile is like a full moon that spreads its rays throughout the three worlds—Goloka Vṛndāvana, the spiritual sky of the Vaikuṇṭhas, and Devī-dhāma, the material world. Thus Kṛṣṇa’s shining beauty spreads in all ten directions. His slight smiling and fragrant illumination are compared to camphor, which enters the sweetness of His lips. That sweetness is transformed and enters into space as vibrations from the holes of His flute. The sound of Kṛṣṇa’s flute spreads in the four directions. Even though Kṛṣṇa vibrates His flute within this universe, its sound pierces the universal covering and goes to the spiritual sky. (CC Mad 21.139-141)

Considering the many ways in which the Brahma gayatri is described, it is not astonishing that chanting this mantra will bring us realization of Krsna and qualify us to relish Krishna’s pastimes.

Attaining enlightenment
The Brahma gayatri is generally understood, as said earlier, as worship of the sun. The mantra is a request to be illuminated, enthused, with the light of spiritual knowledge, like the sun lights up the cosmos. To be enlightened, in one sense, means to be able to see. If the electricity goes off night, we can’t see anything or do anything. Even materially without the sun, what can we do? Most people go to work when the sun comes up. That’s how we do our activities. Therefore, the sun is not just symbolically but literally giving us clear vision. We can see things as they are. Ultimate seeing and enlightenment is to realize, “Who am I? What is the nature of this world? Who is God? What do I do? What is the best course of action?”

We need clear vision to know how to define ourselves and success, as well as to see the most effective path to that success. All of these answers come with light or enlightenment, as Krsna says, “jnana-dipena bhasvata (Bg 10.11)” I, dwelling in their hearts, destroy with the shining lamp of knowledge the darkness born of ignorance. The Brahma gayatri mantra is a powerful way for this shining light to bring us to knowledge. The mood of chanting the mantra is one of petitioning for grace. As Prabhupada writes:

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna, cannot be understood by the individual soul through mental, physical or intellectual exercises. It is by the grace of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the individual soul is enlightened. Therefore, the Lord is described here as atma-pradipa [who gives enlightenment to the living entities]. The Lord is like the sun, which illuminates everything and cannot be illuminated by anyone. Therefore, if one is serious about understanding the Supreme, one must receive enlightenment from Him. (purport SB 8.3.10)

In addition to the fiery sphere of the sun and its effulgence, the saint Jiva Gosvami has explained the Brahma gayatri as indicating Krsna and His energy Radha. Similarly, Srila Prabhupada (CC Mad 8.265p) said that the sun mentioned in the Brahma gayatri is Lord Krishna in His form of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the ultimate sun. Certainly the ultimate sun, the ultimate light, is God Himself. Krsna says in the Bhagavad gita, “I am the light of the sun.” And in the Bhagavatam’s 8th canto, Krsna’s disc, sudarsana, is also identified as the sun. Both the sun and the sudarsana disc are called the “eye of the Lord.” Sudarshana means auspicious vision, and when one is enlightened one gets a vision of reality, which is all auspicious.

Through study of the benefits and nature of the Brahma gayatri, those of us who already have received this mantra from a bona fide guru can deepen our meditation when we chant daily at sunrise, noon, and sunset. Those of us who haven’t received the gayatri mantra can meditate thrice daily on the light of the sun as Krsna, the eye of the Lord that is actually sustaining everything. To qualify ourselves for initiation into chanting the gayatri mantra, we can have a life filled with light, with goodness. As the Vedas say: Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, which means “Do not remain in darkness, come to the light.” (lecture Bhagavad-gita 2.16 — Mexico City, February 16, 1975). Krsna in the Gita describes goodness as being symptomized by all the gates (senses) of the body are illumined by knowledge. In a practical sense, such a life means we only allow illuminating, enlightening, uplifting things to enter our senses. For example, one eats only vegetarian food offered to Krsna.Then one has a life that is filled with light.

Beyond goodness, one who wants to be qualified to chant gayatri should aim for a life filled with transcendent light. In this regard, there is a song by Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Mama Mana Mandire, in which he asks Krsna to enter into the temple of his heart. Bhaktivinoda writes about receiving Krsna with the arti ceremony, a welcoming ritual where the most important element is a lamp with a flame. There is a hotel in America that has their slogan, “We leave the lights on for you.” When the lights are on, you know someone’s home. If you want to deter criminals you leave the lights on. When there are big festivals, we have lights. Every culture in the world has a festival that has something to do with lights, or fireworks, or light decorations, or lighting lamps. Even for birthday parties in the West we light candles. So, light is for receiving, welcoming, loving. Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “What kind of lamp am I going to greet you with my dear Lord, when you enter into the temple of my mind?” Prema pradip, the light of love. When we fill our heart with the light of love of God we are truly enthused in our mediation—the goal of the Brahma gayatri.

Note:

The three parts of the gayatri mantra are described in Bhagavatam 5.9.5 in this way: vyāhṛtibhiḥ sapraṇava-śiras tripadīṁ sāvitrīṁ. Sāvitrīṁ is another name for the sun and refers to the fact that this mantra focus on that source of light and enlightenment. Vyāhṛtibhiḥ means the planetary systems. The sages divide the planets and stars in the universe into groups of 14 or 3 or sometimes 7. In gayatri they are divided into three: bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ: Earth, the heavenly planets, and the planets of the sages. Sometimes the acaryas explain that these three divisions are elements of our own embodiment. As the mystic yogis know, the universal body exists in a microcosom in our own body, just like the universe is the body of Lord Brahma. We have, also, a little universe in our own body. Sometimes bhūr is considered the gross body, bhuvaḥ the mind, and svaḥ the intelligence. Then the next word in this verse is Sa meaning that, and then the words praṇava-siras. Siras means head or chief, and pranava indicates Omkara. The word praṇava is understood as a joining of pra an d nu.The simplest meaning of “nu” is simply to make a sound. The prefix pra- has a sense something like “forth” So, praṇava would be the bringing forth of a sound, especially a humming or droning sound. Since “om” is, in one sense, the most fundamental sound, it is called praṇava. However, because there could be many essential sounds, om is here referred to as the sapraṇava-śiras, the chief of all sounds. Then tripadīṁ means three steps or three feet. In fact, gayatri indicates that meter used in poetry. However, if you count the syllabus in the rest of the Brahma gayatri, the first line actually has seven, it doesn’t have eight; so seven, eight, eight. The total structure of the Brahma gayatri, therefore, is that after saying the chief of all sounds, om, and then the names of the three planetary systems, the core of the gayatri mantra is three lines of eight syllables each.

Source: http://urmiladasi.com/enlightenment-brahma-gayatri-mantra/