TEXTS 27–28
manisino ’ntar-hrdi sannivesitam
sva-saktibhir navabhis ca trivrdbhih
vahnim yatha daruni pañcadasyam
manisaya niskarsanti gudham

TRANSLATION
Just as great learned brāhmaṇas who are expert in performing ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices can extract the fire dormant within wooden fuel by chanting the fifteen Sāmidhenī mantras, thus proving the efficacy of the Vedic mantras, so those who are actually advanced in consciousness—in other words, those who are Kṛṣṇa conscious—can find the Supersoul, who by His own spiritual potency is situated within the heart. The heart is covered by the three modes of material nature and the nine material elements [material nature, the total material energy, the ego, the mind and the five objects of sense gratification], and also by the five material elements and the ten senses. These twenty-seven elements constitute the external energy of the Lord. Great yogīs meditate upon the Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul, Paramātmā, within the core of the heart. May that Supersoul be pleased with me. The Supersoul is realized when one is eager for liberation from the unlimited varieties of material life. One actually attains such liberation when he engages in the transcendental loving service of the Lord and realizes the Lord because of his attitude of service. The Lord may be addressed by various spiritual names, which are inconceivable to the material senses. When will that Supreme Personality of Godhead be pleased with me?

PURPORT
In his commentary to this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura uses the word durvijñeyam, which means “very difficult to realize.” The pure stage of existence is described in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28), wherein Kṛṣṇa says:

“Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (9.14) the Lord says:

“Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.”

One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead after transcending all material impediments. Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa also says in the Gītā (7.3):

“Out of many thousands among men, one may endeavor for perfection, and of those who have achieved perfection, hardly one knows Me in truth.”

To understand Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one must undergo severe penances and austerities, but since the path of devotional service is perfect, by following this process one can very easily come to the spiritual platform and understand the Lord. This, too, is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (18.55), wherein Kṛṣṇa says:

visate tad-anantaram 

“One can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead as He is only by devotional service. And when one is in full consciousness of the Supreme Lord by such devotion, he can enter into the kingdom of God.”

Thus although the subject matter is durvijñeyam, extremely difficult to understand, it becomes easy if one follows the prescribed method. Coming in touch with the Supreme Personality of Godhead is possible through pure devotional service, which begins with śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ [SB 7.5.23]. In this regard, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.8.5): praviṣṭaḥ karṇa-randhreṇa svānāṁ bhāva-saroruham. The process of hearing and chanting enters the core of the heart, and in this way one becomes a pure devotee. By continuing this process, one comes to the stage of transcendental love, and then he appreciates the transcendental name, form, qualities and pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, a pure devotee, by devotional service, is able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead despite many material impediments, which are all various energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Easily making his way through these impediments, a devotee comes directly in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After all, the material impediments described in these verses are but various energies of the Lord. When a devotee is eager to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he prays to the Lord:

“O son of Mahārāja Nanda [Kṛṣṇa], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.” Being pleased with the devotee, the Lord turns all his material impediments into spiritual service. In this connection Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes a verse from the Viṣṇu Purāṇa:

In the material world, the spiritual energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is manifested as tāpa-karī, which means “causing miseries.” Everyone hankers for happiness, but although happiness originally comes from the pleasure potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the material world, because of material activities, the pleasure potency of the Lord becomes a source of miseries (hlāda-tāpa-karī). False happiness in the material world is the source of distress, but when one’s endeavors for happiness are redirected toward the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, this tāpa-karī element of misery is vanquished. An example given in this connection is that extracting fire from wood is certainly difficult, but when the fire comes out it burns the wood to ashes. In other words, experiencing the Supreme Personality of Godhead is extremely difficult for those devoid of devotional service, but everything becomes easier for a devotee, and thus he can very easily meet the Supreme Lord.

Here the prayers say that the form of the Lord is beyond the jurisdiction of material form and is therefore inconceivable. A devotee prays, however, “My dear Lord, be pleased with me so that I may very easily see Your transcendental form and potency.” Nondevotees try to understand the Supreme Brahman by discussions of neti neti. Niṣedha-nirvāṇa-sukhānubhūtiḥ: a devotee, however, simply by chanting the holy name of the Lord, avoids such laborious speculations and realizes the existence of the Lord very easily.

………………………………………………………………

HH Bhaktimarga Swami

These two verses together reveal much about Krishna Consciousness. One thing in particular that resonates with me is that Krishna Consciousness is natural. It's in there. The example is given that where you see wood, there is fire. What that means then, if we take it a step further, where there is a living entity, there is Krishna. Where there is a human being,

Krishna can be realized. In Canada, we have this very nice farm community in British Columbia. There the devotees try and sustain themselves as nature as possible. It's a nice community with lakes and it is nestled in between two mountain ranges. There are forests of Pine, Spruce, and Fir. It's an old forest grove. That means that at any moment in time, it could all go up in flames. Experts have come there and said, "You are due for a forest fire." Of course, when you have something like forests coming down, everything turns into ashes. It's very depressing to look at. When the forests and the trees have been devastated, it's really heart gripping. But then, if you stick around for a while, or you go back to where the forest fire was, twenty years later you see a whole new fresh growth of trees come up.

In our community at Saranagati, there was a major forest fire about ten years ago. All around, the trees just went up in flames. It was due to carelessness on the part of somebody with a cigarette. They threw it out, and that started the forest fire. Of course, that was not one of our devotees.

The devotees had to evacuate their homes because huge flames were coming. Somehow or the other, by Krishna's grace, the winds started to turn in the other direction. The flames just missed our community. The devotees came out unscathed.

What we can understand from wood, when we see trees, we can understand that there is fire there. When we are as a human being, the potential for realizing the super soul, in particular, as it is mentioned here, is very strong. As Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita, when the senses are under control, then the super soul can be reached.

Lord Krishna speaks about caitya-jna [caitya guru], the knower of the field of activities. There are two caitya-jna's, the individual soul and the super soul. I think that most of us would really love to be able to connect with the super soul. Someone had asked Srila Prabhupada about that. "How do we know when we are connecting with the super soul? If it's the super soul or the mind?" Srila Prabhupada said something to the effect that it's usually the mind.

Here it is said that by these very powerful mantras it is possible to ignite the fire of Krishna within. This becomes very interesting for those of us who have been working at the process for many years now. How many of you have been chanting for one year? Or how about five years? Twenty years? Thirty years? Forty years? And after forty years of chanting Hare Krishna we may wonder, "Am I making a connection? Is something happening? Where is the fire? Where is the super soul? Haribol?" And we may wonder, "Jiva Jago. Am I waking up at all? Am I still sleeping after forty years?"

We should have some consolation and in the words of Srila Prabhupada, "If the taste for sense enjoyment is diminishing, then this is a good measure that you are making some progress." When it comes to the rucci, the taste that all of the acharyas are talking about, we may wonder when it's going to happen.

I'm reminded of when Krishna is speaking to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna says that his mind is always disturbing him, and he asks, "How can I get beyond this?" Krishna says, "Don't worry. Carry on, and do so in the spirit of detachment."

There is a very popular mantra out there these days that is not the Hare Krishna mantra. I think it came out during Churchill's time in Britain during the war. You've heard it. It goes, "Keep calm and carry on."

That mantra can very much apply in our Krishna Consciousness. A devotee can be very eager for making spiritual progress. "Yes. I really want to be, really, purely, one hundred percent, cent per cent Krishna Conscious. Right now!" We can be very demanding of that. But again, keep calm and carry on. Carry on with what? Carry on with the simple processes of devotional service, beginning with hearing and chanting.

It all beings with those two in particular, of the nine processes of devotional service, śravaṇaṁ and kīrtanaṁ. If we hear enough and we absorb enough and repeat that which is worth repeating, surely it will have an effect.

Let's take an example of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Himself. In the Siksastakam He says, "I have no taste for the holy name." Nevertheless, he continued on chanting. Anyways, as far as that's concerned, I don't believe Him. I do not believe that Caitanya Mahaprabhu had no taste for the holy name. He was lying. Let's say it's a transcendental lie, something bigger than a white lie.

I think that when we see around us, so many shining examples of success in devotional life, that that encourages and inspires us to continue. When we see the fire of enthusiasm in another devotee, then surely we get excited. I always think of this one thing that Caitanya Mahaprabhu said in terms of defining what is a great devotee. Here is how He put it. "A devotee is one who, upon seeing someone else doing service, that excites you."

That is something to always bear in mind. The greatest treasure that we have in our devotional life is the devotees. In other words we can say that more important than the holy name is the devotee. Why? Because when you are in the company of a good devotee, in particular, then you will be encouraged to be connected with the holy name.

We have some examples of this where devotees made attempts, even during Prabhupada's time to be chanting solo, to not have good company around them. Do you know what happened to them in the end? They stopped Haribol-ing.

So this is the greatest thing that is there in our presence, the association with the devotees. That is where you begin your devotional service and that is where your devotional service ends. Of course, we understand that there is no end to devotional service.

Let's say that you had a wish, especially when you are going to die. You're lying there, most people die lying down, what would you like to have for that particular time? Would you like to have a pizza? Of if you're a bengali, karela sabji? Rasa gula? What is your wish that you would want to fulfill at the time of death? What do you really want? Think about it. I think that the most sober answer is to want devotees around us, loving devotees. I want devotees around me eating rasa gulas. No, I want devotees to chant.

What I always found very interesting about all spiritual movements around the world, whether it's a big time, well organized religion, or a small group, they all have one thing in common. That is sacred sound. Whether you go to mass at a Catholic church, a protestant service, a buddhist temple, the mosque, or a synagog, there is something there that is emphasized in these different traditions. That is the sacred sound vibration. There is a common ground, a common interest, in all spiritual groups, and that is sound vibration.

Our job in Krishna Consciousness is to share this sound vibration. We have a great opportunity this year, on the fiftieth anniversary of Srila Prabhupada having gone to the West, to celebrate the holy name. We can increase the output of the holy name, more kirtan melas, more melas outside. Kirtan mela is now just an inside job. More outreach, get outside, out the door. Put your shoes on, sari or dhoti, and get out the door. Be organized. We forget, people love it!

One of the nicest places for Kirtan, that I've been in, is Tel Aviv, Israel. In Israel, Tel Aviv in particular, people really respond nicely to chanting. Practically anywhere that we go. We have forgotten how people love it. I would say that, although we haven't really been as influential in the world as we could be, we have put some dents into maya. We have made some influence. But we could do a lot better.

In reflecting on fifty years since Srila Prabhupada came, what did he do for the world? We can certainly look and see what he said in the seven purposes of ISKCON. There is an observation that people's lives are imbalanced. As Mother Teresa once said, the world is spiritually sick. There is an imbalance. Krishna Consciousness can create that balance.

There was an article in a news paper last year where someone had reported on how Krishna Consciousness had an effect on the world. It was a milestone. In between my scripts for the dramas this year, I just happened to carry a hard copy of this article with me. This is one of the best articles ever written about Krishna Consciousness since it's inception. Do you mind if I just read a little excerpt?

By Brendan O'Connor. It's from a newspaper in Ireland. It is titled, "We are all Hare Krishna's now, meditation goes mainstream." I will just read part of it: "I was reading somewhere recently that while we might think of Hare Krishnas as a marginal cult, their influence on the world we live in now is enormous. The view seems to be that while the religion has not succeeded in the mainstream as such, the ideas have. Everywhere you look there is watered down Hare Krishna-ism, from the kinds of foods we eat, to the notion of sustainable, community-based living, to the whole mindfulness thing.

It seems we are all a little bit Hare Krishna now. Do you practice yoga? Are you a vegetarian? Do you believe in karma? Do you believe in positive vibes? Then, my friend, you might just be a little bit Krishna-conscious.

Even the Hare Krishnas themselves are living regular lives these days. After the usual sex scandals and so on that plague most cults and religions, many modern Hare Krishnas live what they call "householder lives", meaning they don't chant in airports anymore, instead leading lives of devotion and spirituality while holding down jobs, wearing regular clothes and raising children.

I am toying with the whole meditation idea as a way of dealing with stress and getting a bit of a guaranteed sit- down, but it kind of bothers me that it would be the equivalent of someone who doesn't believe in God praying to him just for a bit of quiet time. Or going to Mass to get a break from all the noise.

Is it really right? Is it OK that we take the trappings of spiritual techniques, just to use them as accoutrements of the modern world? Or is it actually no harm to use these ancient techniques purely as technology, without actually buying into the whole thing?

Or worse, do the Hare Krishnas and the rest of them know something we don't? Do they know that the more people they can get to chant or meditate or not eat meat or do the yoga, even if those people just do it for well- being and buns of steel, the more people they bring a little closer to Krishna.

Will we all end up in saffron robes some day?"

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/brendan-oconnor/we-are-all-hare-krishnas-now-meditation-goes-mainstream-30618281.html

Best article in fifty years.

We have an opportunity to be influential in the world. A lot of that comes about not just by being a great teacher, but also being a good example. Srila Prabhupada wanted us to be ideal ladies and gentlemen. The way we behave, dress, and eat, people are looking at us. They wonder, are we caring kind of people? Are we caring about the environment, ecological concerns? In as much as we like to try and make more devotees, we have to be a bit relevant in the lives of people and share some of the concerns that they have.

I would like to thank you very much for listening and for watching the theatrics. We would like to invite you this evening to our second drama for this festival time. It's at the Samadhi Auditorium. Doors open at 7pm.

I would like to express my thanks to our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, without whom, I would not have a life. And I would not have such nice company around me. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Hare Krishna.

Dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

After the ecstatic Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama, today all the six parties returned to Mayapur. Today also marks the beginning of festivities in Sri Mayapur. Sri Radha-Madhava Boat Festival will be celebrated in the evening, followed by other festivals like Ganga puja, Ratha yatra, Deity procession, Jhulan yatra etc. Main stage cultural program features much awaited "Blue Mystic " drama performance by Bhakti Marg Swami. Nectar of Gaura Katha in different languages by senior sanyasis is overflowing. Please visit www.mayapur.com for festival pictures and updates and www.mayapur.tv to watch the festival live. Festival free prasada has resumed after Parikrama.

We are grateful to the devotees worldwide for eagerly coming forward to contribute for Festival Prasada Seva. Jagannath Misra feast and Gaura Purnima day prasada seva are sponsored!

We have just two slots- 3rd March lunch prasada ( Rs.150,000 ) and 4th March breakfast prasada available.

Click here to reserve your day of seva at Sri Mayapur dhama: http://www.mayapur.com/serve-mayapur/gaura-purnima-2015-prasadam-sponsorship s/

Thank you

Your servant

Gopijana Vallabha das Gaura Purnima Festival Committee.

 In a gesture expressing unity of purpose for the service of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, His Grace Praghosa Das, the newly appointed Chairman of the GBC, has announced in Mayapur that 2015, the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the Western world, is the Year of the TOVP.

“Having just accepted this wonderful service as the GBC Chairman, I’d like to start my term by announcing this as the Year of the TOVP. Fortunately, since 2010, with the wonderful help of Ambarisa prabhu and his team, huge progress has been made and we just want to keep that momentum going, and that’s the idea behind the Year of the TOVP and the year that the whole of the ISKCON community and society can group together and make the TOVP a particular focus.”

To bring this focus into reality the TOVP Team, along with the GBC, will recommend some practical and implementable actions that each temple and devotee can follow. The first of such recommendations is for each temple to place a photo of the TOVP on their altar. Other ideas will follow shortly.

With this spirit of cooperation, the essence of what Srila Prabhupada said would show our love for him, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the adbhuta mandir predicted by Lord Nityananda Prabhu, will fully manifest and we will together all see the Grand Opening in 2022.

Share this message with other devotees.

Please watch the video below:

http://tovp.org/news/message-from-the-gbc-chairman-2015-year-of-the-tovp/

In a gesture expressing unity of purpose for the service of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, His Grace Praghosa Das, the newly appointed Chairman of the GBC, has announced in Mayapur that 2015, the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the Western world, is the Year of the TOVP.

Having just accepted this wonderful service as the GBC Chairman, I’d like to start my term by announcing this as the Year of the TOVP. Fortunately, since 2010, with the wonderful help of Ambarisa prabhu and his team, huge progress has been made and we just want to keep that momentum going, and that’s the idea behind the Year of the TOVP and the year that the whole of the ISKCON community and society can group together and make the TOVP a particular focus.

His Grace Pragosh prabhu To bring this focus into reality the TOVP Team, along with the GBC, will recommend some practical and implementable actions that each temple and devotee can follow. The first of such recommendations is for each temple to place a photo of the TOVP on their altar. Other ideas will follow shortly.

With this spirit of cooperation, the essence of what Srila Prabhupada said would show our love for him, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the adbhuta mandir predicted by Lord Nityananda Prabhu, will fully manifest and we will together all see the Grand Opening in 2022.

Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 6, Chapter 4 (The Hamsa-guhya prayers),

Text 26
yadoparamo manaso nama-rupa-  
rupasya drsta-smrti-sampramosat ya iyate kevalaya sva-samsthaya  
hamsaya tasmai suci-sadmane namah

Translation: 
When one’s consciousness is completely purified of the contamination of material existence, gross and subtle, without being agitated as in the working and dreaming states, and when the mind is not dissolved as in susupti, deep sleep, one comes to the platform of trance. Then one’s material vision and the memories of the mind, which manifests names and forms, are vanquished. Only in such a trance is the Supreme Personality of Godhead revealed. Thus let us offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is seen in that uncontaminated, transcendental state.

Purport: 
There are two stages of God realization. One is called sujñeyam, or very easily understood (generally by mental speculation), and the other is called durjñeyam, understood only with difficulty. Paramatma realization and Brahman realization are considered sujñeyam, but realization of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is durjñeyam. As described here, one attains the ultimate realization of the Personality of Godhead when one gives up the activities of the mind — thinking, feeling and willing — or, in other words, when mental speculation stops. This transcendental realization is above susupti, deep sleep. In our gross conditional stage we perceive things through material experience and remembrance, and in the subtle stage we perceive the world in dreams. The process of vision also involves remembrance and also exists in a subtle form. Above gross experience and dreams is susupti, deep sleep, and when one comes to the completely spiritual platform, transcending deep sleep, he attains trance, visuddha-sattva, or vasudeva-sattva, in which the Personality of Godhead is revealed.

Atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih: as long as one is situated in duality, on the sensual platform, gross or subtle, realization of the original Personality of Godhead is impossible. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau svayam eva sphuraty adah: but when one engages his senses in the service of the Lord — specifically, when one engages the tongue in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and tasting only Krsna prasada with a spirit of service — the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed. This is indicated in this verse by the word suci-sadmane. Suci means purified. By the spirit of rendering service with one’s senses, one’s entire existence becomes suci-sadma, the platform of uncontaminated purity. Daksa therefore offers his respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is revealed on the platform of suci-sadma. In this regard Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes the following prayer by Lord Brahma from the Srimad-Bhagavatam (10.14.6): tathapi bhuman mahimagunasya te viboddhum arhaty amalantar-atmabhih. “One whose heart has become completely purified, my Lord, can understand the transcendental qualities of Your Lordship and can understand the greatness of Your activities.”

HH Dhira Damodar Swami: I am feeling very uncomfortable, shy to speak in presence of exalted senior devotees. But because it is a service I will try to say something.

Daksa is offering his heartfelt prayers for Lord Krishna in this sloka. He is offering his prayers out of deep realization of the position of Lord Krishna. Here he said, those who are trying to search for Krishna through mental speculation will never get Krishna because that is the cheap way to search for Krishna. Again,

atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih (Brs 1.2.234)

Lord Krishna is beyond our senses, beyond our mind and inteligence. Therfore it is not possible for conditional soul to atain Krishna by the strength of intelligence, mind or the senses. So the process of Paramatma and Brahman realization is a cheap process. So it is said here, it is sujñeyam, very easily understood. There is another process to attain Krishna which is, durjñeyam, very difficult to attain. It is difficult becase it is not cheap. One has to undergo a little discipline to come to the stage of realizing Krishna as He is. That is towards the process of bhakti, devotion to Lord Krishna.

Bhakti holds (?) love, not selfishness. The process of Paramatma and Brahman realization is a process of selfishness. They are simply concerned with their own gratification, not Krishna’s gratification. So it is a cheap process. The process of Bhagavan realization it is meant for those who are looking for the interest of Krishna. That is recommended here by Srila Prabhupada in the purport –

“…when one engages his senses in the service of the Lord — specifically, when one engages the tongue in chanting the Hare Krsna mantra and tasting only Krsna prasada with a spirit of service…”

service for the pleasure of Lord Krishna. That is devotion and that is the only process Krishna can reveal Himself. Because the process of bhakti purifies the heart from all the contamination of the heart. Our minds are contaminated by the desires the living entites has, which has nothing to do with Krishna, both gross and subtle, they are material. Physcially we have gross material desires and we also have subtle desires. Both of them are contaminations of the soul. Bhakti has the strength to destroy all the contaminations of the heart.

Lord Krishna explained that in the Eleventh Canto to Uddhava –

“My dear Uddhava, pure devotional service is like a blazing fire. Anything which is offered in the fire will be turned to ashes”

Therefore the devotees of Krishna can attain perfection because they are burned by the fire of bhakti, which is indicated in this way, suci-sadmane….

“By the spirit of rendering service with one’s senses, one’s entire existence becomes suci-sadma, the platform of uncontaminated purity.”

Therefore Daksa having understood the position of Krishna through devotional service is offering his prayers for Lord Krishna here. And then Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, he said,

“One whose heart has become completely purified, my Lord, can understand the transcendental qualities of Your Lordship and can understand the greatness of Your activities.”

Like HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj said,

“If devotional service, Krishna consciousness is a job, I wouldn’t take the risk I took in this movement. If it is a paid job, I wouldn’t take the risk I took in this movement.”

Why did he take risk?

He said,

‘I want to show to the devotees my conviction in Krishna consciouness. That Krishna consciousness works and according to the level of our purity we are going to serve Krishna on that platform.”

Krishna is understood at different levels. And according to the level of our knowledge we also sacrifice like that. So HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj took a lot of risk in his Krishna consciousness in Africa. He took a lot of risk.

In Africa he has different ways of preaching Krishna consiousness. He preaches radio, television, newspapapers, magazines, in the temple, in churches, mosques and group spiritual debate where all the religious leaders will come together to disuss who is God. He would select a topic, who is God and then different organizations would bring their pholosophy. Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj would present the Krishna conscious philosophy. And others will stop speaking. He would take the class to the end. (laughter) Other groups would feel very embarassed, they have nothing to offer. At the end all the questions are directed towards him.

One day one of them said,

“Why you sitting so high more than all of us?” (laughter) “Why you are sitting so high, come down to our level ?”

He said,

“No, this is my position. I cannot come to your level.” (laughter)

This he preached many times. In television he was very very popular. Everybody knows him. So one day, HH Kavichandra Maharaj came and I was taking him to a different city. In Nigeria we have domestic flights, you don’t have to book. You can just go there and take any one available and fly. So that day I didn’t book on time. I was planning that we will go ahead of time to the airport so that I can book the flight which is available at that time. Somehow or other Maharaj told me when we are about to leave he wants to see another friend. My heart caught, because I knew by the time we finish with this friend I get to the airport we will be late. I was also having no courage to tell Maharaj, no! no! better go to the airport.

So we went, my heart was going everywhere in the world. Because I was in anxiety. We went to the friend, when we finished we went to the airport, no flight! I went to the counter. I said, we are travelling. They said, no we are closed. So I didn’t know what to say. I came back to Kavichandra Maharaj, I don’t know what to say. I was seeing the lady.

Kavichandra Maharaj said, Haribol!

I looked back and out of a sudden a lady just said, Hare Krishna!

And I look at her. She said, “Where is your Guru? I love him. Everytime he is on television I will stop everything to watch what he has to say. Now I want to see him in person.”

By then Gurudeva has already left the planet.

So immediately I told her, “He is not here now but his brother is here and he has no flight. Can you help me?”

Immediately the lady said, “Come with me.”

So she took Kavichandra Maharaj to travel. Because of Gurudeva’s preaching, I was saved from the difficulty. He was so popular. People know him, even today…..because of his popualarity in presenting, preaching Krishna consciouness.

Another time, I want to tell you the difficulties he passes through. Everytime we hear about how he is having kirtana, how he is preaching, how he is capturing people’s mind, he is also having so many difficulties in preaching in Africa.

A God brother has difficulty in following principles. Gurudeva removed him from his service. He became very angry and he started negotiating with other devotees who have same difficulty like him. And then they met one of our members who has material position at that time. He was in the Government. So he started attacking Gurudeva physically by assaulting him, he wrote letter to GBC body, and so many people were sent to go and investigate him. But he was never disturbed.

For Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj difficulties are very very good. He doesn’t see anything which is difficult. He likes difficulties. Why? That is the time for him to prove his faith in Krishna. How much faith I have in Krishna is proved not at the time of peace but when things are difficult. He said like this and lives his life like that. He said,

“Devotees cannot make advancement at peaceful times. Advancement comes only at difficult times.”

When you have challenges that is the time to prove how much faith you have in Krishna. So he told one devotee,

“How is your temple?”

“Gurudeva there are so many difficulties!”

He said, “Yes, that is very good!” (laughter) I would have created problems for you if you didn’t have difficulties in the temple.” (laughter).

Because if there are no difficultes the tendency is to relax. Everything nice and comfortable. When times of difficulty, at that time devotees prays to Krishna for help. So he liked challenges. Challenges he enjoyed. So when he was having these difficulties he didn’t see it as anything disturbing. And the difficulty continued and build up to become a serious problem, the temple was divided into two. One party was following him and other party was following the other devotee.

So one day I asked him,

“Don’t you think that this movement is going to close here? Because we are small, the other pary they are big, they have money, they have material positions and we have no money, don’t you think that the society will close?”

So he looked at me, he said,

“No! I give you only two weeks, they will finish.” (laughter)

And that’s what happened. After two weeks they fought with each other and that was the end.

I was thinking that this would disturb him from continuing his preaching in Africa. No! He went and he came back.

So I said,

“Gurudeva, don’t you think it is risky for you?” He said, “Srila Prabhupada sent me here! I am not here on my own. I am here to represent Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada told me ‘go and open the door’. I was hesitant. He said, ‘go and open the door’. When I opened the door there were so many people that came inside. So Prabhupada sent me here and nothing can stop me from my preaching.”

So he preached Krishna consciousness till he left this world. Today is the 10th yr he left this planet. Sorry… this year is the 10th year of his leaving the planet. But today is his vyasa puja. So we are having the ceremony at the community hall and invite you all to come.

HH Bhakti Tirtha Maharaj ki jaya!

Comments questions, we have two minutes!

Devotee: Maharaj, you said that Paramatma realization and Brahman realization is selfish and devotional service is not selfish. Can you please explain?

Maharaj: Paratma realization is not complete. Brahman realization is not complete. So it is described here to be very cheap process. Because it is easy. But Krishna cannot be gotten easily. Our heart needs to be purified. To purify the heart is not an easy thing because the mind is absorbed in material activity since time immemorial.

Being cheap here means the thing that is the way to get (?) Krishna. The way to get Krishna is different. We need to be purified. With a purified heart we can serve Krishna. Devotional service begins at the purified stage. So when we say devotee, we are talking about pure devotee. One whose activites give Krishna pleasure, not the practioner, a pure devotee. His activites have no contamination. His activity will please Krishna because it is rendered out of love for Krishna. Not with the intention of getting something from Krishna. So Bhagavan realization is complete. It is durjñeyam process but difficult.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Nitai Gaurapremanande Hari Haribol!

TEXT 25
deho ’savo ’ksa manavo bhuta-matram atmanam anyam ca viduh param yat sarvam puman veda gunams ca taj-jno na veda sarva-jnam anantam ide

TRANSLATION
Because they are only matter, the body, the life airs, the external and internal senses, the five gross elements and the subtle sense objects [form, taste, smell, sound and touch] cannot know their own nature, the nature of the other senses or the nature of their controllers. But the living being, because of his spiritual nature, can know his body, the life airs, the senses, the elements and the sense objects, and he can also know the three qualities that form their roots. Nevertheless, although the living being is completely aware of them, he is unable to see the Supreme Being, who is omniscient and unlimited. I therefore offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

PURPORT
Material scientists can make an analytical study of the physical elements, the body, the senses, the sense objects and even the air that controls the vital force, but still they cannot understand that above all these is the real spirit soul. In other words, the living entity, because of his being a spirit soul, can understand all the material objects, or, when self-realized, he can understand the Paramatma, upon whom yogis meditate. Nevertheless, the living being, even if advanced, cannot understand the Supreme Being, the Personality of Godhead, for He is ananta, unlimited, in all six opulences.

......................

HH Kadamba Kanana Swami

Pranama Mantras

Before focusing on the content of the verse, I thought we could look a little bit at the context of these Hamsa-guhya prayers. It is described that this section of the Bhagavatam deals with Daksa in three chapters. It is described that Daksa, in a previous verse, was the direct son of Lord Brahma, one of the mental sons of Lord Brahma. We remember that Daksa disrespected and offended Lord Siva and was punished for a very long duration of time with the head of a goat. For an entire kalpa he had to wear the head of a goat.

He gave up that body and, subsequently, in the beginning of this chapter, there is a description of the Prachetas who had performed austerities under water for a very long time. They came out of the water and saw that the Earth was overgrown by trees. They realized that the Earth had not been protected by dharmic kings who would have reserved land for agriculture. In a spirit of anger, they were burning those trees by mystic power.

It is said that then the deity that protects the trees came to them and asked them to refrain from this. He offered them the daughter of the trees in marriage. The daughter of the trees was a beautiful apsara who had been cared for by the trees. Therefore, the Prachetas were very impressed.

The marriage took place and Daksa became the son of this union. Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that Daksa subsequently performed austerities for a period of five Manvantaras. That is the same as seventy cycles of four yugas. It is a very long time for Daksa to perform austerities.

Daksa then recited these Hamsa-guhya prayers. They were ancient prayers at that time of Vedic origin. The purpose of Daksa was to please the Supreme Personality of Godhead so that he could take up his mission of populating the universe.

The Brihad Bhagavatamrita gives us some interesting details about the situation of the universe.

It describes that, according to how living beings relate to sexuality, they are placed somewhere within the planetary system of the universe. It is stated that those who engage in sexuality according to the mode of goodness can take birth on the heavenly planets. Being in the mode of goodness means that they are committed to the principles of dharma. Those who are in the mode of passion, and therefore by nature, not inclined to his dharma, take birth on this planet. The principles are fundamentally difficult for the members of this planet. The more pious and more detached souls take their birth above the heavenly planets. They appear on the Mahar, Jana, and Tapa Lokas.

The Brihad Bhagavatamrita describes that the Mahar Loka is the residence of the Prajapatis. It says that the Prajapatis engage in sexuality, but their interest is very much to produce suitable offspring. Generally, their activity is to perform austerities for purification so that they will be qualified for this mission of populating the universe. In this, I wanted to show the other side of Daksa. As soon as we hear the name Daksa, generally we think of vaisnava aparadha and the personification of aparadha. I wanted to highlight the extraordinary piety of Daksa. For example, it is mentioned that Aditi, who is the mother of the demi gods, is the daughter of Daksa. We can understand that Daksa was certainly a very exalted personality. This, of course, also indicates that even exalted personalities can make big mistakes.

Going beyond that, in this case, Daksa was preparing for his mission. He was assisting Lord Brahma in fulfilling the secondary creation of the universe. As such, Daksa was performing austerities and offering prayers to please the Lord.

So Hamsa-guhya - guhya means "secret." Hamsa means "swan" or "transcendentalist." The secrets of the transcendentalists are being revealed in these prayers. We can see here that there is a description of material existence. Dehah, the body is mentioned; asavah, the life airs, are mentioned; aksah, the different senses, are mentioned; manavah, the mind, the intellect, the ego. The five gross material elements, the buta, and also the sense object, the matram, are mentioned.

All of these are various levels of our material existence. We simultaneously exist on various levels. We exist here on the gross, bodily, platform. Through the senses we are relating to the gross, physical, reality. We are physically present in this Bhagavatam lecture. At the same time, our mind is, in between the words of the speaker, traveling all over the universe. So we have these two separate existences, the physical existence and the mental existence.

Whether the gross body, or the subtle material body, it all remains within the realm of matter. Matter is by nature described as chalda, as dull. As Srila Prabhupada said, "Life comes from life." Matter has no life. Therefore, matter cannot "know."

I saw in the news that Bill Gates was in anxiety about a possible take over by the computers. It is a fact that, in some sense, computers are taking over our lives. That electronic gadgets are highly addictive. They lock people into all kinds of compulsive behaviors. "I have to look.." all of the time. One has to fight it. One has to limit oneself. We are, every day, very religiously, checkin in on the internet. Maybe even before we put our hand in our bead bag.

Back to the topic. Bill Gates' fear is contradicted in this verse. Matter can never ultimately control spirit. Matter has no independence. Matter is moved by spirit. That is the principle.

In his introduction to the Caitanya Caritamrita, Srila Prabhupada is making this point that behind all movement, there is spirit. Therefore, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sometimes referred to as the prime mover who started the process of endless changing manifestations of the material energy.

In this verse it is described that ultimately the soul is the knower. However, in the conditioned state, the soul becomes covered.

avrtam jnanam etena
jnanino nitya-vairina
kama-rupena kaunteya
duspurenanalena ca (Bg 3.39)

It is explained that the cause for being covered is lust. It says, "which burns like fire," or to say it in a more modern way, which becomes obsessive. In this way, the living being becomes forgetful of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Thus, he can no longer know the Supreme Lord.

It is stated that the living being, when his original consciousness becomes awakened through the process of devotional service,

nitya-siddha krsna-prema ‘sadhya’ kabhu naya
sravanadi-suddha-citte karaye udaya 

(CC Madhya 22.107)

When his original consciousness becomes awakened, then the living being is always in direct contact with the super soul. He becomes like the instrument of the Supreme Lord. He becomes the external manifestation of the super soul.

It is said that Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura is taking those words tat jna as being in touch with the super soul. Therefore, knowing all things about material nature, knowing the real purpose of things. Just as that story where Srila Prabhupada was approached by a journalist who had done some homework before starting the interview.

The journalist prefaced his question and said, "I have heard that the pure devotee knows the answers to all questions. Is this correct?" Srila Prabhupada said, "Yes." Then, the journalist said, "Then how many windows are there in the Empire State Building?" Srila Prabhupada said, "How many drops of water in a mirage?" In that way, giving the perfect answer from the pure, spiritual platform.

One who is situated in transcendental knowledge, indeed, has the answer to all questions. He knows everything because he sees everything in its relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, he knows the purpose of everything. He knows the roots of everything. In that way, he knows everything.

In another way, how can one know the Supreme Lord? As it is mentioned in the tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, the Supreme Lord does not even know the limit of His own qualities. Therefore, one can never know the Supreme Lord in full. na veda sarva-jnam anantam ide (SB 6.4.25) na veda, that one cannot know. The Supreme Lord is omniscient. He is present everywhere, unlimited. One can only offer obeisances in reverence to that unlimited Supreme Lord.

That is basically what Daksa is doing in this prayer. It may not be a prayer composed by him, but it is his identification. He is seeing the unlimited greatness of the Lord and offering his obeisances. In the back of his mind is the thought, "My dear, unlimited, Lord, You are unlimitedly great. Please bless me that I will be successful in my mission to create suitable progeny to populate the universe."

Daksa's aims were noble. He wanted that great, elevated personalities would populate the universe so that the principles of dharma could disseminate throughout the universe. But Daksa was not a pure devotee. Daksa saw the unlimited nature of the Lord and bowed down before Him in awe and reverence. But he approached the Lord with a personal agenda. He approached the Lord to fulfill his own purposes. He did not approach the Lord in that spirit to fully dedicate all of his energy in service to the Lord for the satisfaction of the Lord.

Therefore, Daksa was not worshiping the Supreme Lord in love, unlike the followers of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu who are approaching the Supreme Personality of Godhead in that mood. These followers know that Krishna is unlimitedly powerful, but especially like His personal form, and the amazing pastimes that He performs with His personal devotees in Vrindavan. There, the Supreme Lord deals in a very intimate way with His devotees. Unlike the relationship in awe and reverence, which is a relationship at great distance, the relationship in Vrindavan is very intimate.

In that way, in these verses, Srimad Bhagavatam is preparing the ground. In these verses, Bhagavatam has not yet fully disclosed the ultimate conclusion that simply, pure, devotional service to Krishna for His pleasure is the only aim in life. Srimad Bhagavatam is leading up to that understanding.

First, in these Hamsa-guhya prayers, we are totally reminded of how we are not this body, not 'that' we are not this body, but 'how' we are not this body.

That is very important. The tendency to identify with the body is so strong. Sometimes, even a great devotee will be influenced by the bodily relationship.

Arjuna became influenced by bodily relationships. His bow was slipping from his hand. Yudhisthira Maharaj became influenced when Dhritarashtra left home. Then Yudhisthira Maharaj felt great sadness, after all, he was the one who had brought him up. Bhagavad Gita calls for that broader vision; that vision of our eternal relationship with Krishna. That vision where, as spirit souls, we don't actually have a relationship with this material body. In these verses, the same message is reiterated to us in preparation to unalloyed, pure, devotional service which will be elaborately revealed in the conclusion to Srimad Bhagavatam.

Devotee:
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, there are so many topics that are complex and seemingly not connected to pure devotional service. But we hear that every sloka in the Srimad Bhagavatam is about pure devotional service. How do we understand this?

HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in the Caitanya Bhagavat, makes that statement. He says that the Srimad Bhagavatam, in the beginning, in the middle, and at the end is all dealing with pure devotional service. We must read each verse in the context of the whole book. The modern academic was of reading is to read each verse separately. We see that Srila Prabhupada and the acharyas read each verse in the context of the entire text.

Sometimes, Srila Prabhupada is criticized for his translations because they say he writes words in there which are not given in the original sanskrit. They say that he adds things and gives a twist to what is pure devotional service. While some of these verses are not at all about pure bhakti. So they say. But this is the reading of the shallow reader who reads texts out of context.

The texts are all part of the same work, Bhagavatam. And the texts are all supporting the conclusion of the Bhagavatam. Therefore, all of the texts provide the context for pure devotional service.

Just as I explained that this verse is also leading up to pure devotional service. Studying the situation of Daksa in his great piety, engaged in a noble mission to help disseminate dharma throughout the universe. And yet we see that Daksa turns to the Supreme Personality of Godhead and offers his obeisances, but the mood is still limited. He is doing so in reverence, and with some other motive. With this, we are highlighting the path towards pure devotional service and how we are to rise above. Through this Hamsa-guhya prayer, we see how we are to rise above the bodily platform. We are to rise above the fruitive platform and even the pious platform; even above the platform of awe and reverence to the platform of pure devotional service.

We look at every verse with its relationship to pure devotional service. Then, the true meaning becomes clear. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu explains to Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya the atmarama verse in so many different ways, he commented at the end. He said that actually, every verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam has unlimited meaning. The gross materialist cannot see the bhakti meaning of many verses. Maybe our impure intelligence also cannot see the bhakti meaning in all of the verses.

As Srila Prabhupada mentioned on several occasions, that his purports are more important than the verses. By reading the verses, we may not get the message of pure devotional service. By reading the purports, you cannot miss it. Therefore, by the grace of Srila Prabhupada's purports, we can see how every verse is dealing with pure devotional service.

Thank you very much. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

TEXT 18
yatha sasarja bhutani
dakso duhitr-vatsalah
retasa manasa caiva
tan mamavahitah srnu

TRANSLATION
Sukadeva Goswami continued: Please hear from me with great attention how Prajapati Dakna, who was very affectionate to his daughters, created different types of living entities through his semen and through his mind.

PURPORT
The word duhitṛ-vatsalaḥ indicates that all the prajās were born from Dakna’s daughters. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says that apparently Dakna had no son.

TEXT 19 
manasaivasrjat purvam
prajapatir imah prajah
devasura-manusyadin
nabhah-sthala-jalaukasah

TRANSLATION
With his mind, Prajapati Dakna first created all kinds of demigods, demons, human beings, birds, beasts, aquatics and so on.

TEXT 20 
tam abrmhitam alokya
praja-sargam prajapatih
vindhya-padan upavrajya
so ’carad duskaram tapah

TRANSLATION
But when Prajapati Dakna saw that he was not properly generating all kinds of living entities, he approached a mountain near the Vindhya mountain range, and there he executed very difficult austerities.

TEXT 21 
tatraghamarsanam nama
tirtham papa-haram param
upasprsyanusavanam
tapasatosayad dharim

TRANSLATION
Near that mountain was a very holy place named Aghamarnaṇa. There Prajapati Dakna executed ritualistic ceremonies and satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, by engaging in great austerities to please Him.

TEXT 22
astausid dhamsa-guhyena
bhagavantam adhoksajam
tubhyam tad abhidhasyami
kasyatusyad yatha harih

TRANSLATION
My dear King, I shall fully explain to you the Haṁsa-guhya prayers, which were offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by Dakna, and I shall explain how the Lord was pleased with him for those prayers.

PURPORT
It is to be understood that the Haṁsa-guhya prayers were not composed by Dakna, but were existing in the Vedic literature.

TEXT 23 
sri-prajapatir uvaca
namah parayavitathanubhutaye
guna-trayabhasa-nimitta-bandhave
adrsta-dhamne guna-tattva-buddhibhir
nivrtta-manaya dadhe svayambhuve

TRANSLATION
Prajapati Dakna said: The Supreme Personality of Godhead is transcendental to the illusory energy and the physical categories it produces. He possesses the potency for unfailing knowledge and supreme willpower, and He is the controller of the living entities and the illusory energy. The conditioned souls who have accepted this material manifestation as everything cannot see Him, for He is above the evidence of experimental knowledge. Self-evident and self-sufficient, He is not caused by any superior cause. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. 

PURPORT
The transcendental position of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is explained herewith. He is not perceivable by the conditioned souls, who are accustomed to material vision and cannot understand that the Supreme Personality of Godhead exists in His abode, which is beyond that vision. Even if a materialistic person could count all the atoms in the universe, he would still be unable to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As confirmed in

Brahma-Samhita (5.34):

The conditioned souls may try to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead for many billions of years through their mental speculative processes, traveling at the speed of the mind or the wind, but still the Absolute Truth will remain inconceivable to them because a materialistic person cannot measure the length and breadth of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s unlimited existence. If the Absolute Truth is beyond measurement, one may ask, how can one realize Him? The answer is given here by the word svayambhuve: one may understand Him or not, but nevertheless He is existing in His own spiritual potency.

—————————————————————-

HG Anuttama Das 
(Pranama mantras) 

We are continuing with the story of Daksa. He is a very colorful character in the Bhagavatam. We all know the story how previously he had offended Lord Siva and lost his head and got the head of a goat. He died and now he's back again. In later purports, it's explained by the acharyas that he maintained his material desires for sex life and to populate the world. We are reading in todays verses because he was not fully capable of performing those duties. He has now undergone many austerities to become purified to please the Lord and to gain some strength to perform his service.

Starting with this verse twenty-three that we're reading today, he will offer very elaborate and deeply philosophical prayers. Later, Lord Visnu will actually appear before him and offer him benedictions. What is kind of interesting is to note that he pleases the Lord, he gets the blessings of the Lord, he gets all of his desires fulfilled, and then he commits more offenses. He is a very interesting person. And he is a very complicated personality.

I was speaking this morning with Krishnadas Kaviraj about Daksa and he said, "Yes. He is a very complicated personality." I was thinking that Krishnadas Kaviraj is an actor, and he was maybe thinking how difficult it would be to portray this person on stage.

We learn from Daksa how complicated this material world can be. He was a devotee doing great austerities. He had important service to do. He pleased the Lord. And he still made big mistakes. We learn from him, and we can see in our own lives, how our situation is very complicated in this material world. Our situation is similarly complicated.

Bhagavad Gita describes that this whole world is like a banyan tree. Sometimes in Mayapur we see relatively small banyan trees. As it is described, sometimes you cannot tell where it starts and where it ends. Is this the trunk? Was that the first trunk? Or did the trunk start over here? Where does it start and where does it end? The Bhagavatam also describes how our situation is involved with so much karma that it's like a spider's web. The spider's web is very complicated, entangling, and sticky. Once it sticks to you, you can't get it off.

I don't live in Florida, but I visit there sometimes. On the side of the house is a big spider web. They also have big spiders. When something flies into the web, it's finished.

This world is so complicated. Our existence is very complicated. So what are we to do? If we hear this story of Daksa, it's actually a little scary. He was also serving and praying. We are serving and praying. He underwent austerities. The Lord even appeared and talked to him. I think it's safe to say that for most of us, the Lord has not appeared and talked to us yet. But he still got in trouble. What lessons can we draw and how can we avoid Daksa marga? We do not want to follow the path of Daksa. We want to learn from him.

I was thinking that there are three things in particular that came to mind in studying these verses. First is that we all have to be very careful in the execution of our devotional service. Daksa was also performing devotional service. He was asked by his superiors to help populate the world. He was performing his yajna to try and please the Lord. But he was not careful.

Srila Prabhupada has told us that spiritual life is like a razor's edge. It is very easy to become cut. It is very easy to have bloodshed. We see that even in our movement. We have practical examples. Srila Prabhupada even said sometime, at least once, "Don't be surprised who leaves. Be surprised who stays. So difficult."

Daksa was very highly positioned, but what happened? He became a little proud. He became proud in his relationship with Lord Siva. Later, he became proud in his relationship with Narada Muni. He lost everything. Yesterday, Chandramauli Maharaj very nicely spoke about the importance of avoiding offenses. He quoted from Bhaktivinoda Thakura about some of those offenses to be avoided. One thing that we should keep in mind as a general principle, is that often offenses come from a lack of knowledge, but generally, a big factor is pride. Daksa became proud, and therefore he became offensive.

It is described in the Bhagavad Gita that the first quality of knowledge is humility. If we cultivate humility, then the chance of becoming proud automatically goes down. Lord Caitanya instructed us that we should always ourselves as the servant of the servant of the servant, seven times removed.

This is the first lesson that we can draw here. We should be very careful in the execution of our service. We should not think that now, "I am the assistant to the assistant to the assistant to the kitchen in charge. Now I am a very special devotee. Everyone should treat me with respect." Or we should not think, "Now I am a grihastha. I don't have to sleep in a room with ten men. Now I only have to worry about how to pay for that room." We should not become proud in that way. Or we should not think that, "Now I am temple president. Now I am GBC. Now I am sannyasi. Now I am guru." In any of those positions, if we become full of pride, then our position is very dangerous. So we should be careful in the execution of devotional service. We should learn this from Daksa.

The second point is kind of unique with Daksa's situation. It is similar to the first, but it is also different. We should try very, very hard to not be self absorbed. The nature of the material world is to be self absorbed. Instead of Krishna Conscious, we become me conscious. We bring this into our mentality in devotional service because we are just coming out of material existence.

We have this tendency to think that my way is the best. My service is the best service. My ashram is the best ashram. My temple is the best temple. My culture is the best culture. My style is the best style. My guru is the best guru. On the global stage we see that my nation is the best nation. Or that my religion is the best religion. But if mine is best, then yours is less. My service is best, your service is less. My ashram is best, yours is less. My gender is best, yours is less. My language is best, yours is less. This is self absorption.

It is not actually self absorption. Self absorption means that I am the lowest of the lowest of the lowest servant of Krishna. That is the real self. Therefore, because you are a devotee of Krishna, whatever your situation is, you are higher than me. I am your servant. I should appreciate you. I should appreciate your service. Not only appreciate it - that is like neutral rasa. I should become higher than that. I want to actively serve you in whatever way that I can.

We should remember that Daksa was not a demon. He was a highly evolved person. His son in law was Siva. Not to offend any of the grihasthas here, I am sure you have very exalted sons in law. But you do not have Lord Siva as your son in law. He was the leader of the brahman community. In so many ways Daksa was such an exalted person. Even the Lord appeared in front of him. But he committed offenses. He was thinking that his position was the most important.

Later, with Narada Muni, he was thinking that his service was the most important. He was one of the prajapatis. He was supposed to fill the universe. That was his duty. Narada Muni's duty was to empty the universe. But he did not appreciate Narada Muni's service. He thought that, "My service is very important. Your service is nonsense." So he cursed him because he was so proud. "My service is important and your service is not."

So we do not want to follow Daksa marga. If we are book distributors, we should value the service of the pujaris who are so nicely decorating the Lord and inspiring us in our service. If we are pujaris, we should value the service of the book distributors because they are bringing people to see the Lord. Similarly, grihasthas should value the brahmacaris. We need their enthusiasm. We need to have their association and their one pointed attention on service. For the brahmacaris, we need the balance of the grihasthas, their wisdom and their support.

So many different services and so many different ashrams are all meant to support each other. Therefore, Srila Prabhupada said that we need the principle of unity in diversity. He told the GBC that they should come to Mayapur every to discuss this topic, unity in diversity.

This is the second very important lesson here from Daksa. We are the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the American Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Bengali Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Sannyasi's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Ladies Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Men's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Young People's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Prabhupada's Diksa Disciple's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Liberal's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are not the Conservative's Society for Krishna Consciousness. We are the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. To keep that international society together, we need to appreciate each other.

We need to be very careful in the execution of our service, and that in our enthusiasm for our style, our method, our focus, we don't minimize others. There are many ways to serve the Lord. There is no one right way to serve the Lord. There are some wrong ways. But there is no one right way.

Rupa Goswami explains in the Nectar of Devotion that the principles of Krishna Consciousness are there, but there are differences in the details. That is ok. That is a good thing. That strengthens us. It is to be expected. When we look on the alter, the astasakhi are there and they are not all wearing the same saris. They are not all offering the same flowers. They are not all singing the same songs. There is variety. Krishna wants variety. He is not threatened by variety. He created the variety. The question is do we offer it to Him?

For example, let's say family life. The principle of family life is to cooperate together to serve the Lord. That is the principle. The details may vary. You can have a big house or a little house. You can have ten children or you can have no children. It does not matter. The principle is the same - cooperate to serve the Lord. In one family, the wife may be at home very nicely serving the deities and taking care of the home. In the other family, the wife may be an astro physicist. We have astro physicists helping to build the TOVP. Is that wrong? In some situations the husband may work and have a very nice job to provide for the family. In other families, the husband may be a simple pujari who just gets a little place to stay from the temple.

Is one right and one wrong? Only if the principle is violated. If they are focused on Krishna, and she's happy and he's happy, the children are happy, they are serving their guru to the best of their ability, they are saving everything that they can to support the Lord's service, if the principle is there and their life is God centered, then it is positive. Success is guaranteed.

Daksa's problem is he was thinking that, "My service is the right service and yours is wrong." We should be careful to avoid that path. Not demand that you serve the way that I do. Not demand that your mood is the same as my mood. I like to wear colored kurtas. Prabhuji is wearing a white kurta. Not so good, prabhu. Who cares? He is serving Krishna nicely. I am trying to serve Krishna nicely. So let me encourage you to fulfill your capacity to serve the Lord, and please help me to serve in my humble capacity.

The third point that I will make briefly from this story is about how merciful the Supreme Personality of Godhead is. Daksa was such an offender. He offended Siva. He practically caused a civil war between the planets. He had his head cut off. He's so bad that he comes back with the head of a goat. He gets another chance. He worships the Lord. More prayers. More benedictions. He had so many children. Narada Muni comes and convinces him to go back to Godhead. Mirroring many modern materialistic parents, he gets angry. Something is missing. He worshiped the Lord. You'll see in these prayers how he talks about how material life is useless and it's all about going back to Godhead. But then when his sons go back to Godhead, they take off to perform austerities, he gets upset. He is such a fool. But Krishna still accepts him. Krishna gives him another chance. In this way, we do follow Daksa marga. Not to offend anyone, but generally, we tend to make a lot of mistakes. We tend to still maintain some material desires in our hearts. Sometimes we even offend Sri Sri Radha Govinda, Radha Madhava. But Srila Prabhupada explains in the Krishna book that the most important quality of Krishna is His forgiveness, His mercifulness. He is so kind that He picks us up from the lowest stages of existence and has brought us to the shelter of His lotus feet. We have made so many mistakes in this life and in countless previous lives. Still, He allows us to serve Him.

We have this wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord and to serve His devotees. Srila Prabhupada said that if we understood this opportunity, we would never waste a moment. We would actually run from service to service to service. As he said, when we become Krishna Conscious, he used this beautiful English expression, you will enjoy life with a thrill at every moment. What a wonderful idea - to enjoy life with a thrill at every moment. To be excited, "Oh it's time for mangala arotika. Now we can have Lord Nrsimhadeva's darshan. Now Tulasi puja. Now we get to chant japa. Now we can hear Bhagavatam." The next part is easy. "Now I can take prasadam! Now I can do service. Now I can go out and sell books and be offended by so many materialistic people. Now I can go in the office and worry about how I can pay the bills for Radha Govinda, Radha Madhava. Now I can go home and try to teach my rascal teenager how to give something to Krishna."

We are so fortunate. This year, we are especially fortunate. 2015 and 2016 may be the most important years of our lives. At least in one way. This is the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's leaving India to go to the West. And next year is the anniversary of his founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, without which, we would not be here. Radha Madhava would not be here. The Temple of the Vedic Planetarium would not be here. Who knows where we would be. Most of us shudder at the thought of where we would be if Srila Prabhupada had not gone to the West. Then, of course, he went back again to India, and from there, all over the world.

We need to understand this great and wonderful quality of the Lord. He is unlimitedly merciful, forgiving, and has unlimited love for each one of us despite all of our warts, spots, sins, envy, lust, and greed, He sees right through that. Srila Prabhupada says that Krishna wants us to go back to Him more than we can even desire. So understanding that Krishna's desire and Srila Prabhupada's desire are so great for us to come back to Him.

We should be very careful in the execution of our devotional service. Avoid this razor's edge. Do not become proud over illusory things. Be very careful to not become so absorbed in our own concepts. Did I unnecessarily criticize others? To caution others in our service, that is a good thing. To share with others our own enthusiasm of our own realization of Krishna, that is a very good thing. But to demand that others see and serve the Lord the same way I do, this can ultimately be not a good thing. To remember how merciful Krishna is.

To see that in these two years, 2015 and 2016, each and every one of us has a special opportunity to tell people about the Lord. New audiences are going to want to hear about the Hare Krishna movement. They are going to say, "You've been around for fifty years? I didn't know you have been here that long. What do you do, anyway? What's your message? What are you doing to contribute to the world?"

We are naturally going to have the attention of governments and the media. We will have the attention of our neighbors, religious leaders, and scholars. They are going to take a look at our society more closely. It is going to give us a chance to tell the glories of Srila Prabhupada and the nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. How he loves each and every one of them so much that He sent His pure devotee just to engage them in the Lord's service.

We have Bhaktimarga Swami here. He is planning to walk from Boston, where Srila Prabhupada landed, to Butler, PA where he went, and then to New York to awaken people to Srila Prabhupada's glories. Next year, if he does not run out of shoes first, he is going to walk from New York all the way to the West Coast, just as Srila Prabhupada traveled to the West Coast, San Francisco. In every town and village, people will ask, "Who are you? What is this Krishna? Who is this swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada?"

It's a great opportunity for us to preach more vigorously. To do that effectively, we have to make sure that our own hearts are pure. We are very careful about the execution of devotional service that we do not become proud, that we value the service of every vaisnava. We encourage every vaisnava that we meet. If we always remember how loving and lovable Sri Krishna is, then our preaching potency will be very strong. So many people will be moved by our words, and even more than our words. When they visit our communities, they will see how loving and supportive our people are. They will see that we generally feel ourselves to be servants of each other and help each other. We do not unnecessarily criticize each other. Just like in the book, they'll read how the gopis are pushing everyone to Krishna. "They are just like their book. They have integrity. I can trust these people. I can learn from these people. I can follow these people. I want to be like these people."

In this way, Srila Prabhupada's family will grow more and more and more. Lord Caitanya's desire that the world is flooded with love of Krishna, and His name will be chanted in every town and village, will manifest more and more, unlimitedly.

By our humble efforts to assist, we will get a little, tiny bit of credit. We will attract the loving glance of Srila Prabhupada, our gurus, and the Lord. We will be filled with happiness and enjoy life with a thrill at every moment. We will always be blessed with the association of the vaisnavas. At the end, we will go back home, back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Sri Sri Radha Madhava ki jaya! Gaura Premanande Haribol!

Devotee: I'd just like to say thank you for such a common sense class which I can empathize with from beginning to end. I love when I hear that the Srimad Bhagavatam is brought to life like this in a way that I can relate with. In a way that I believe that it's really something that I can be a part of, even if I have something small to offer, it's significant. So I've taken a lot away from this mornings class, mainly knowing that Krishna Consciousness has got to be based on pure, common sense. Thank you very much.

Anuttama Das: Let me just share two quick stories. I remember when I was first a devotee. I was a brahmacari for about ten years. One of the first times I was asked to give class, I gave a pakka brahmacari class. There was not a single woman or grihastha in the room who was not thoroughly discouraged. The temple president spent some time afterwards trying to broaden my vision.

A few years later I went to an Indian program. I had the opportunity to hear a sannyasi speak who was outside of our lineage. He was a vaisnava. He spoke very nicely. I noticed that all of the women, grihasthas, and brahmacaris were all encouraged by his class. I remember thinking, why are my classes not like this? Why are other devotees classes sometimes not like that? It does not mean that we do not speak the truth. Sometimes we have to cut.

We know from Srila Prabhupada's perfect example that everyone was enlivened.

Devotees talk about how even when Srila Prabhupada would chastise them, they were enlivened. If in some little way this class inspired you, then I will try and take that as encouragement for myself to try to do that.

Thank you all very, very much for your service to Srila Prabhupada. Everyone is extremely valuable. I pray that Krishna will inspire you more and more every single day. ISKCON founder acharya, BBT founder acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Dear devotees,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Devotees are being tossed in the waves of ecstasy and Gaura- prema as they traverse the places of pastime of Lord Caitanya and His associates in Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama. Around 5000 devotees in five different groups which also contains Russians is jubilantly enjoying with transcendental singing and dancing , engaging in nine process of devotional service . They are doing the parikrama covering the seven islands in their footsteps from one island to other and staying overnight in the holiest islands with the association of sadhu’s and vaishnavas – a truly transcendental experience & a perfect setting to enter into the faultless mood of celebrating the appearance of Lord Gauranga.

In Pancaveni, confluence of five holy rivers, Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswathi, Alkananda and Bagirathi , His Holiness Bhakti Purusottama Swami very sweetly narrated the pastimes why she stopped at Navadvipa and how she requested King Bagirath to allow her to stay for a month as Lord Gauranga would appear and She wanted to celebrate Lord’s appearance day.

Every one of us, in the footsteps of Ganges, are now anxiously counting the days to welcome the Lord on Gaura Purnima and the following day is a grand celebrations to all the inhabitants of Navadvip, as Jagannath Misra festival Caitanya Caritamrta describes,

“Sacidevi and Jagannatha Misra, having obtained a son who was the husband of the goddess of fortune, had all their desires fulfilled. Their house was always filled with riches and grains. The news spread that Jagannatha Misra and Sacimata had given birth to a baby boy, all sorts of respectable brahmana gentlemen and ladies came with gifts and blessed the newborn child. Even the wives of the demigods came disguised as the wives of brahmanas and presented various gifts.

“Whatever riches Jagannath Misra collected in the form of gifts and presentations, and whatever he had in his house, he distributed among the brahmanas, professional singers, dancers, bhatas and the poor. He honored them all by giving them riches in charity.

Thus the day after the purnima there was a great celebration at Jagannatha Misra’s home.” The same day is celebrated now as Jagannatha Misra Festival –

Vaisnava New year starts from that day. The day is filled with lots of activities, lectures followed with sumptuous prasadam a greatest feast of Lord Gauranga’s mercy, blessings distributed to all the devotees, well-wishers, visitors to Mayapur, a holy Dham.

Many of you may be longing to associate in the event by visiting the Dham, but not everyone is able come to Mayapur and are tasting the day in separation – but fortunately you got the greatest opportunity to participate in the rarest of rare service by sponsoring the great feast of festival prasad.

Doing a devotional service in separation, “offering the Prasad by way of sponsorship to the pleasure of Lordship” is considered as highest form of perfection in devotional service

The INSTANT MERCY is knocking at your door steps and waiting for you to avail and such service performed at holy Dham Sri Mayapur for the pleasure of Lord Gauranga earns 1000 times more spiritual benefit

For more details on the 2 days of Festival Prasad and Jagannath Misra feast,

please visit here to reserve your seva :
http://www.mayapur.com/2014/gaura-purnima-2015-sponsorships/

“The fortunate town of Navadvipa still remains on the earth. The Ganges remains. The same people still live here. The saintly devotees who have taken shelter of Lord Gauranga’s feet remain. Alas! I do not see anywhere see the same kind of festival of pure love for Lord Hari.”

Thank you

Your servant

Gopijana Vallabha das

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Day 4

HOLY PLACES VISITED on Day 4 Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 

1. Samudragada: King Samudra Sena used to live here.
2. Campahati: Gaura Gadadhara Mandir, Residence of Dvija Vaninatha.

3. Ratupura: Replica of Radha-kunda
4. Vidyanagar: Birth place of Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya and residence of his Brother Vidyavacaspati.

We are on the 24th verse of this chapter that is entitled the “Hamsa-guhya Prayers”

SB 6.4.24

na yasya sakhyam puruso ’vaiti sakhyuh  
sakha vasan samvasatah pure ’smin
guno yatha gunino vyakta-drstes  
tasmai mahesaya namaskaromi

Translation: 
As the sense objects [form, taste, touch, smell and sound] cannot understand how the senses perceive them, so the conditioned soul, although residing in his body along with the Supersoul, cannot understand how the supreme spiritual person, the master of the material creation, directs his senses. Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto that Supreme Person, who is the supreme controller.

Purport: 
The individual soul and the Supreme Soul live together within the body. This is confirmed in the Upanisads by the analogy that two friendly birds live in one tree — one bird eating the fruit of the tree and the other simply witnessing and directing. Although the individual living being, who is compared to the bird that is eating, is sitting with his friend the Supreme Soul, the individual living being cannot see Him. Actually the Supersoul is directing the workings of his senses in the enjoyment of sense objects, but as these sense objects cannot see the senses, the conditioned soul cannot see the directing soul. The conditioned soul has desires, and the Supreme Soul fulfills them, but the conditioned soul is unable to see the Supreme Soul. Thus Prajapati Daksa offers his obeisances to the Supreme Soul, the Supersoul, even though unable to see Him. Another example given is that although ordinary citizens work under the direction of the government, they cannot understand how they are being governed or what the government is. In this regard, Madhvacarya quotes the following verse from the Skanda Purana:

yatha rajñah priyatvam tu
bhrtya vedena catmanah
tatha jivo na yat-sakhyam
vetti tasmai namo ’stu te

“As the various servants in the different departments of big establishments cannot see the supreme managing director under whom they are working, the conditioned souls cannot see the supreme friend sitting within their bodies. Let us therefore offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme, who is invisible to our material eyes.”

HH Sivarama Swami: Hare Krishna! (repeats translation)

(invocation prayers)

These Hamsa-guhya prayers are, as Srila Prabhupada earlier said, they are already existing Vedic prayers, they had already been assimilated by Daksa at some previous, earlier time. If you remember that Daksa was already a brahmana before he was decapitated. And so there is every likelihood that this is actually something that he is already carrying over from a previous life. But there is no necessarily indication of that. In any case he is repeating prayers that he has learnt. And these prayers are very philosophical. So this is not necessarily a easy going class.

Still Kaviraja Goswami says, siddhanta …that even though philosophical topics may be challenging, we shouldn’t really shirk from them. So it’s a very….here the Supersoul is the object of worship for Daksha. He is offering his respectful obeisances to that Supreme Lord who is dwelling within all of us.

andantara-stha-paramanu (BS 5.35)

He is not just within us but He is actually even within an atom. But still we can’t see Him. And the example is being given here that sense objects just like this microphone don’t really have a awareness or perception that they are being used. I am looking at the column over there but the column is not aware that I am looking at it. And of course that’s an obvious statement because the column is not conscious; nor this microphone is conscious.

So in one sense this analogy is somewhat derogatory because it’s saying, and in the same way we human, conscious human beings, we are not conscious of that Supreme Lord living within our hearts. We are conscious and yet despite the fact that we have consciousness, something that is so very obvious, that someone else living in our body and we are not aware of it. If someone just sat in your lap you would be very much aware of the fact that he is there or she is there. Or as in the case of all the mosquitoes that are flying around, as soon as those mosquitoes alight on you, especially when they start to bite you become very aware that they are there.

But now here we have somebody who is living within our hearts, which is about as close as you can get. Even we the spirit soul we are situated within the area, the region of the heart and despite the fact that someone is sitting right beside us, we are not conscious. We are not conscious of His presence which according to this analogy makes us no better than this microphone or that pillar.

So Daksa here is therefore is offering namaskaromi, I am offering my obeisances because by that type of offering at least I recognize the fact that someone is there who I may not be directly perceiving. Of course in our culture, which is Gaudiya Vaisnava culture, and actually in the greater Vedic culture and even in the aVedic culture, the concept of seeing is not necessarily considered to be very important. Rather the process of hearing is considered to be much more to the point.

susrusoh sraddadhanasya vasudeva-katha-rucih (SB 1.2.16)

That hearing is the proper way, vasudeva-katha-rucih is the proper way of really connecting with somebody. But we live in this sort of empiric world where we have been brainwashed with this statement – if I cant see it, I don’t believe it! And if you just as readily ask whoever, because when you are preaching you come across that type of statement often. We have got other senses than just sight. So what’s so special about seeing? And as Srila Prabhupada would often say, “what can you see?” Can you see your eyelids? Can I actually see what this book is made of? It looks like paper, feels like paper but it’s not paper. These are atoms, atoms and molecules. I don’t see atoms and molecules, I see paper. So if I am really looking to find out well what is this book then I get one perspective of it but its not the real perspective.

So why so much emphasis on seeing, what has sort of degraded all the other four senses and their types of perception to some kind of lower status that all of a sudden hearing is not good. For instance some one may be around the corner, I can’t see them! But if they make a noise by hearing I get a better idea where they are! So hearing is also a good source of information.

But of course all types of empiric sensory perception is imperfect in the ultimate sense. Aroha pantha, avaroha pantha, but that process of hearing where transcendental perfect knowledge comes through the auditory senses, that is the perfect way of knowing about something.

So here Daksa is offering his obeisances to the Supersoul who he has heard about. And because, for instance say in the Western philosophy and in certain branches of Indian philosophy also, the concept of Supersoul is not accepted, therefore reality and how we perceive it doesn’t really get defined properly. This became known in more recent times by a French mathematician as, whose name was Descartes, as the “mind and body problem”. There were philosophers who conceived of a soul as being distinct from mind. But generally people accept the fact that we have got a body and aside from that we have a thinking mechanism that we call the mind. And the nature of the two are quite different. One is very gross and one is very subtle.

And some branches of philosophers they will misconstrue that actually the mind is actually spiritual. So even when you have Indian philosophies who accept the existence of the soul, how does the spiritual thing interface with the material thing? So here is the body which is a very gross material thing and here is the soul which is or the mind which is a spiritual or transcendental or at least something that is vastly different than this body. So and this is where thinking, feeling and willing take place in the soul or the mind.

So how does my desire to talk manifest into actual physical action? How does it actually take place? And when you say that there is a connect between the spiritual or the mental and the physical, then how is it that that connection point does not become compromised? Does the spiritual become material or the material become spiritual? And then both of them become impure, they lose their nature.

So this has become the mind and body problem, because what is it that is the intermediary between thinking and willing and the actual action itself. And of course that’s not always guaranteed. Because a paralyzed person may want to move but it doesn’t matter how much he wills he can’t do it. A blind person may want to see but just because he wants to see doesn’t necessarily mean that that happens.

So ultimately at least by inference and of course through the process of aural reception we learn that there must be someone else there who is the controller of both. Someone who is in touch with the thinking, feeling, willing person and who also has control over matter. And so here it says, maha-isaya, He is the supreme controller. He is not just the isaya or the controller but He is the maha-isaya, and that is the Supersoul.

So there has to be someone who is controlling matter, who is also controlling and in touch with spirit and who is aloof or transcendental, He doesn’t become contaminated by touching matter. So in Thirteenth Chapter Krishna says

upadraṣṭānumantā ca bhartā bhoktā maheśvaraḥ paramātmeti cāpy ukto (BG 13.23)

That this is the, He is the supreme permitter and He is the one who enables. So He is permitting and He is enabling. Or at least the enabling is what takes place first.

Prabhupada here writes, “The conditioned soul has desires and the Supreme Soul fulfills them.” I have a desire to lift my arm and Supersoul fulfills that desire. But He is also the permitter. That means that He is not obliged to lift my arm. He is not obliged to move the senses so that my arms actually..…my muscles, so that my arms can lift up. And so what determines that someone can lift their arms and some else cant? And then that will be the karma. So you have your free will, oh yes, I want to do something. And then the Supersoul takes that into consideration, and says this person deserves to lift his arm. And if He thinks that it is permitable then upadraṣṭānumantā ca, then yes then He will permit you to lift.

So these are the topics that Arjuna is looking after in the beginning of the Thirteenth Chapter. He is asking after six particular topics. He wants to know,

prakrtim purusam caiva
ksetram ksetra-jñam eva ca
etad veditum icchami
jñanam jñeyam ca kesava (bg 13.1)

So in short Arjuna is asking he wants to know about prakrti-nature; purursa –the enjoyer; the field and the knower of the field; and of knowledge and the object of knowledge. And then Krishna replies, idam sariram kaunteya (bg 13.2), this body is called the field, and one who knows this body is called the knower of the field. This becomes the first two answers that Krishna gives. So we are not the knower, we are aware, we are conscious, we are conscious at least to a certain extent we are conscious of what’s going on in this body. We feel, we can feel pain, we can hear our senses function in a certain way. We are not aware of everything, I don’t know what my blood pressure is at the present time, I don’t know how my other organs are functioning. I am not aware of everything in the body. I may be catching a cold due to the draft, there are so many other things may be going on but I am not aware. But still I am considered to be a knower of the body because I know something. But then in the next verse, Krishna immediately qualifies, He says, 

ksetra-jñam capi mam viddhi sarva-ksetresu bharata (bg 13.3)

He says but I am also the knower of the field. And of course here becomes the real distinction between one knower and the other knower. So Krishna says sarva-ksetresu, sarva means, but I know all the fields. I know every body and I know every body in full. So starting from Lord Siva, Lord Brahma, all down every living entity, Supreme Lord knows everything that’s going on in every body’s body.

Interestingly recently I was just reading how Jiva Goswami explains that the Supersoul is a different expansion for different personalities. For instance he says for Lord Siva the Supersoul is Sankarsana. And I think for Lord Brahma its either Pradyumna or Aniruddha and for someone else, for Manu and living entities. In any case He is in the heart of every living entity and He is sarva-ksetresu bharata. He knows what’s going on in the heart of every living entity. And upadrastanumanta ca bharta bhokta mahesvarah (BG 13.23)

as the mahesvara, as the great controller, same terminology is being used here, He is the person who also facilitates everyone and also gives the permission according to each individual persons karma.

And then you know in the Second Canto of the Bhagavatam, there is this fantastic explanation of how through intellectual analysis one can infer the presence of the Supersoul. And I remember when I was reading that Second Canto and I was, that was before I had even moved into the temple. Before I moved into the temple I had a lot of time to read. I was reading about six eight hours a day. That stopped when I joined the temple. (laughter) I came in the evening and the next morning after morning program I sat down at a desk and I started reading, and the temple President came and he said,

“Bhakta Peter, what are you doing?” (laughter)

I said, “I am reading.”

He said, “No! No! No! Its time to go out on book distribution.” (laughter)

Anyway Srila Prabhupada there in the purport, he gives a very detailed purport of how, one cannot, I think its in the sixth chapter, how…..2.2.35, and that how any man, any intelligent man can understand this, or does it say ordinary man…common man, any common man. And I read that purport about 50 times because I was hoping I wasn’t a common man, I was something a little better but still couldn’t really quite grasp it. It was Srila Prabhupada’s conception of what a common man is, is a little different than our conception of a common man. Just like Prabhupada would say, “any child can understand that you are not this body.” And then we are a little older than children and we are still having difficulty coming to grips with this body problem.

So there is a need, by the process of elimination, the only way that you can explain how it is that our subtle thinking, feeling, and willing translates into action, is that there has to be a mahesvara, there has to be someone else who is in touch with these things. And it’s not me! It’s someone else. And of course that someone else is someone who is mahesvara, who is a supreme controller and someone whom we should not equate with ourselves.

And at this point of course the whole issue of are we actually equal to the Supersoul and the whole concept of mayavadi philosophy comes in and mayavadis often reinterpret these slokas to say just that. Here is one ksetrajna and here is another ksetrajna. But when you actually destroy that illusion that distinguishes the two, then you also become the knower of all bodies.

But then when he is analyzing these verses Jiva Goswami points out that it doesn’t work in terms of either the logic or the language of Bhagavad Gita and you cant interpret it like that. So in any case even though we don’t see but still namaskaromi, we offer our obeisances. And this awareness of the presence of the Supersoul is very much a sobering phenomenon.

And Srila Prabhupada really emphasized a lot on the sort of Supersoul consciousness especially in the initial years of his preaching, although of course it is there everywhere throughout his books and of course one important thing to take from that is that wherever we go we may be ignorant of the Supersoul’s presence but He is not. He is aware of what we are doing. And of course this analogy of the two birds within the tree of the body. Why are we unaware of the Supersoul? Because we have turned away from Him, krsna bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare, you turn away from someone there, its almost as if they don’t exist.

So He sees what we are doing, He knows what we are thinking, He knows what our misbehavior is, we are not getting away with anything. So at least that’s one lesson that we can take from amongst many from this verse, is that even though we may not be aware of the presence of the Supersoul, He is there. And He really knows what’s going on.

So when we come in front of RadhaMadhava then we are on our best behavior. But if we are in that consciousness that wherever we go RadhaMadhava is actually within our hearts, and they are witnessing everything then we will continue to be in our best behavior. No room for misbehavior. And when we misbehave then He will actually have the right and He will take away upadrastanumanta, some permission, He will not necessarily allow us to relish all of the things that we can or should be from the practice of our devotional activities. In the same way that He can also take away or measure out what we deserve in terms of our karma and either he can make us be acrobats or he can turn us into cripples.

Hare Krishna! That’s it for time. Thank you very much!

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Sri Sri RadhaMadhava ki jaya!
Jaya Nitai Gaurapremanande Haribol!

TEXT 15
alam dagdhair drumair dinaih khilanam sivam astu vah varksi hy esa vara kanya patnitve pratigrhyatam

TRANSLATION:
There is no need to burn these poor trees any longer. Let whatever trees still remain be happy. Indeed, you should also be happy. Now, here is a beautiful, well-qualified girl named Marisa, who was raised by the trees astheir daughter. You may accept this beautiful girl as your wife.

TEXT 16
ity amantrya vararoham kanyam apsarasim nrpa somo raja yayau dattva te dharmenopayemire

TRANSLATION:
Sukadeva Gosvami continued: My dear King, after thus pacifying the Pracetas, Soma, the king of the moon, gave them the beautiful girl born of Pramloca Apsara. The Pracetas all received Pramloca’s daughter, who had high, very beautiful hips, and married her according to the religious system.

TEXT 17
tebhyas tasyam samabhavad daksah pracetasah kila yasya praja-visargena loka apuritas trayah

TRANSLATION:
In the womb of that girl the Pracetas all begot a son named Daksa, who filled the three worlds with living entities.

PURPORT:
Daksa was first born during the reign of Svayambhuva Manu, but because of offending Lord Siva he was punished by having the head of a goat substituted for his own head. Thus insulted, he had to give up that body, and in the sixth manvantara called the Caksusa manvantara, he was born of the womb of Marisa as Daksa. In this connection Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura quotes this verse: caksuse tv antare prapte prak-sarge kala-vidrute yah sasarja praja istah sa dakso daiva-coditah

"His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Daksa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Caksusa manvantara." (SB 4.30.49) Thus Daksa regained his previous opulence and again begot thousands and millions of children to fill the three worlds.

____________________________________________________________________________

HH Candramauli Swami: (Pranama Mantras)

We are hearing about Daksa in this particular verse which begins somewhat of a different theme here. Daksa, in his previous manifestation as a Prajapti, committed a very serious offense. What was his position? He had a lot of responsibility and a lot of qualifications to go along with those responsibilities. He was well learned in the sastras and he had sixteen daughters. One was Sati, the personification of the illusory energy of the Lord. He was very handsome. He had all good qualities and a big service, to populate the universe. He was honored and respected for his position and his amazing qualities.

One day, he walked into an assembly of greatly learned and respectable sages, saints, and even Lord Brahma and Lord Siva. Everyone got up to honor Daksa's presence. It is explained in the Srimad Bhagavatam that they automatically rose, simply by seeing him. It was by spontaneous impetus. In other words, they did not think. It just happened. They rose simply because of his presence. Except for one person, Lord Siva.

Now for Siva, it was not that he did not want to honor Daksa. He was just absorbed in meditation on the lotus feet of the Lord. In one sense, he was not even aware of the external environment. He was simply absorbed in his devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. But Daksa could not see this. He became unhappy. He then became outspoken about his unhappiness.

I won't narrate all of the details, but in essence he began to speak negatively and offensively of Lord Siva, his own son in law. At that time, the assembly became quite divided. Some were becoming very upset and some remained silent. Lord Siva did not say anything. Why did Daksa do such a thing? Because of pride.

It is explained that there are six enemies of the conditioned soul: lust, anger, greed, illusion, pride, and envy. Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that in anger, lust is there. In greed, lust and anger are there. In illusion, lust, anger, and greed are there. In pride, lust, anger, greed, and illusion are there. In envy, you get the whole package. So Daksa, also, was affected by envy. But at the same time, he was so proud. Because he had so many good qualifications. He did not understand the principle of how to honor a great personality. Because he got so much respect, honor, and attention, and had so many good qualities, he committed an offense to a great soul. Not only a great soul, but a person who is practically on the same level as Lord Visnu.

Siva is exalted in all aspects because he is practically non different than the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here, as is mentioned, because of this offense, there was great turmoil in the whole assembly. The assembly was disbanded. Later on there was a great fight and Daksa ended up loosing his head.

I'd like to speak a little bit about offenses. There are four categories of offenses that the vaisnavas and Bhaktivinoda Thakura explain. There are offenses to the Lord in His deity form. There are offenses to the holy name, which is non different from Krishna. There are offenses to vaisnavas. There are also offenses to living entities who are not devotees.

Somehow or other, by the mercy of the Lord, one can rectify and nullify the effects of offenses to the Lord and the holy name by absorbing oneself in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. But when it comes to offenses to vaisnavas, even the holy name cannot fully alleviate the effects and reactions of that type of offense.

It is also mentioned by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in another sastra that there are six ways to offend a vaisnava. Would you like to hear these six? They are quite scary. But it's good to know because we should be very careful when it comes to dealing with vaisnavas. The most serious and grievous of all vaisnava aparadha is to kill a vaisnava. So some of you are laughing because no one would think of doing that, but it's happened in our society. I do prison preaching so I know many devotees who are in jails who have committed some pretty grievous offenses. So that is the most severe for of vaisnava aparadha. It's an offense on all levels of existence, materially and spiritually and legally.

Daksa did not do that. What was his offense? The next one down. He blasphemed a great soul. What is blasphemy? A question was asked to Srila Prabhupada in one discussion. "What does it mean to blaspheme? How does it differ from criticism?" Srila Prabhupada said that, "Blaspheme means that you have all good qualities, but that the offender looks for some negative quality and makes that the character description." So by trying to find some little fault, or whatever fault you may create, and making that the character description of that person, that's called blasphemy. That was Daksa's offense.

Down from that is to become envious of the vaisnavas. To become angry with the vaisnavas. To not honor the vaisnavas. The last one, and least offensive, but still an offense, is to not become happy upon seeing a vaisnava. So what do you do in that case? When you see a vaisnava and you do not become happy, you should immediately offer your obeisances. That counteracts the tendency for that offense to take effect.

The essence of the consciousness which helps us to avoid offenses is respect. We should respect vaisnavas no matter what category or level of spiritual practice that they are in, respect should be given accordingly. In fact, our how society is based, at least in its social essence, and the interaction of its spiritual practice, on the culture of respect. Respect is given, understood, and enhanced by how we address each other.

For instance, we address ladies as "Mother." This is a term of respect. It is a term of honor. It is a term for seeing the ladies as someone who is honorable and worshipable. One who is called Mother, that terminology, has such deep affectionate and spiritual affection of regard for that living entity who has taken the body of a lady. I'm speaking on this because today is Mother's Day. Did you know that? Tonight we are going to have a program to honor the mothers. Bhakti Purushottam Maharaj made an announcement today that today we will honor our ladies as mothers. This is a moment to moment process of honoring those living entities who are in female bodies.

Here is a verse from the Taittiriya Upanisads from the shikshavalli 1.20. "Be one for who the mother is God. Be one for who the father is God. Be one for who the teacher is God. Be one for who the guest is God." In other words, mother comes after Krishna.

I remember growing up that there would be a Mother's Day and a Father's Day. This is in the USA. Mother's Day was always the second Sunday in the month of May. And Father's Day, we couldn't remember when it was. Somebody would say, "Oh it's Father's Day." "Oh. Really?" But we never forgot Mother's Day. In all cultures, even though western culture does not really know how to respect and honor the women, Mother's Day is still considered a time when you honor that personality who has given you the body in this particular birth.

My point is that the culture of respect denotes reverence to different types of entities by giving them honor by calling them in a way that is respectful and honorable. I'll give you a little story on something that is very much related. How the Vedic culture really only adheres to the principle of giving respect according to title or category.

In one ashram, the brahmacaris are encouraged to call each other prabhu. If you're not doing that, you'll be corrected. So there were two boys who had grown up and joined the ashram together. One boy was practically in tears when he heard that he had to call his best friend, who he had grown up with, prabhu, master. He came crying to the devotees to express his feeling. He said, "I grew up with this person. How can I call him prabhu? He's my friend, not my prabhu."

The point I'm trying to make is that the terminology that we use to address each other is the way to show respect and avoid coming down to this platform of ordinary and material. When we address the ladies as Mother, we are seeing that personality as a mother.

I'll read one thing. This is interesting. This is Brahmananda Prabhu speaking to Srila Prabhupada. He says, "In your lecture, you quoted Chanakya Pandit that a man must see every woman other than his own wife as mother. How should a woman see another man?" Srila Prabhupada answered, "As son." Brahmananda, "That was my idea." Srila Prabhupada said, "Yes. If I see a woman as mother, she must see me as son. That's all. That is the system. The brahmacaris, the sannyasis, go begging alms from door to door. 'Mother, give me some baksheesh, alms.' In this way, the duty of the grihasthas is to treat brahmacaris and sannyasis as their sons." The conversation goes on and then finally a devotee says, "When you address a woman, do you use the word Mataji? Is that the proper word for her?" Srila Prabhupada said, "Yes. Mataji. Very good. Mother. Alright. Chant Hare Krishna."

It helps and encourages us to get off of the bodily platform. That is what we are trying to do in all aspects of our devotional service. These terminologies help us to show respect and to get away from the sensual platform. On the sensual platform, the mind becomes disturbed and one cannot think of Krishna.

The culture of respect goes for all categories, but especially towards the ladies. The woman has a source of energy and strength. So the more we honor our ladies and respect them, the more they will accept that and give strength, honor, encouragement, nourishment, and affection to all aspects of our devotional process.

This is a broad subject. We will discuss it in detail this evening at a program at the goshala at 4:45 this evening. If you have time in your schedule, please come. With the limited time now, I will stop here and see if there are any questions.

Dhanesvara Das: Maharaj, you mentioned in class about offenses. But we didn't hear about dhama aparadha.

Caandramauli Swami: Bhaktivinoda Thakura talks about the anarthas. He mentions sixteen types of anarthas in categories of four. These are the four he mentions in terms of aparadhas. But that's the fifth category. It wasn't mentioned by Bhaktivinoda Thakura in this particular case. I just quoted what he had written.

If you are committing any of the other offenses in the dhama, then you are committing dhama aparadha also. It goes along.

Gaurangi devi dasi: One devotee, younger than me, I called my dear son. He got all offended and said, "No, you call me Prabhu." So we need to be clear, you know. If he's my son, he's my son, you know? It's not enough to just call Mataji. You have to see the rest of it.

Candramauli Swami: You have to say it, and mean it. Not just "Prabhu, you're in maya. Mataji, what are you doing here?" It's not like that. It's not a terminology that we just throw around because it's convenient. The terminology helps bring about the proper mood. If we do not develop that proper mood then the terminology itself is not enough.

You responded according to sastra. What does Chanakya Pandit say? Who is a learned person? Srila Prabhupada says that a learned person is not one who has all kinds of degrees and education. Srila Prabhupada quotes Chanakya Pandit many times: matrvat para-daresu,para-dravyesu lostravat. He says that a learned person has three qualities. A learned person, in this verse, the last line is that he's a pandit. He's actually a great scholar. What is that? It is to see all women, other than ones wife, as mother. Not only to see it, but to treat them in that same way. You see other peoples property as something that you are simply not interested in, garbage in the street.

In America we have a saying: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We call it the golden rule. Srila Prabhupada uses the example that if I pinch you, that hurts. I don't want anybody to pinch me, so why would I do it to you? I do not want it, myself. Therefore you should treat others as you would have them treat you.

This is the quality of a learned person. Give respect to everyone. What are we respecting in them? Really, when we give respect to another living entity, it is explained by Srila Prabhupada that you are actually respecting Krishna within the heart of that living entity. When one disrespects, minimizes, neglects, or commits an offense to another, it also goes to the heart of that living entity where super soul resides.

This is a very broad topic. It's a very important topic, this mood of respect. In our day to day practice, to respect women is considered to be glorious.

Krsnaupa DD: Thank you very much, Maharaj. It's a point of some contention within ISKCON amongst women. We are very confused, or some of us are, about how to address each other. I was raised in ISKCON in the early 70's that everyone was prabhu. As time progressed, then you could no longer call women prabhu. So then we have to call them mataji. I still feel a bit odd calling women, especially younger women, mataji. Then a learned sannyasi suggested, a godbrother of mine, then why don't you say prabhvi, which is the female form of prabhu. So I would be interested in your opinion on what's the proper way to address women, junior women and your peers, and senior women.

Candramauli Swami: I have heard from senior ladies who have also discussed this that the word mother includes the word prabhu. It is a sign of both reverence and affection. It is not devoid of the principle of honor which is also there within the word prabhu. So a mother is also a prabhu, but a prabhu is not a mother.

Srila Prabhupada has given us that even young girls, we see, even though a person may be older, it is written that they address even younger girls as mother. My feeling is that we should stick with Srila Prabhupada's directions. It may seem a little bit awkward because we are not accustomed to it, but if we practice, it is actually very pleasing to both the ladies, and those who express that feeling.

I think that we are minimizing the role of ladies when we call them prabhu. It brings them down instead of glorifying them. I'll probably get smashed for that, but anyway.

Devotee: Thank you for your wonderful lecture, Maharaj. As you mentioned, that ladies should be respected as mother, I would request you to put some light on how mother's should be responsible in a cultured way. So how should a woman, if she thinks that she should be respected, how should she be cultured and responsible. What is the duty of a woman also, to be dressed nicely, respectfully. To be cultured in a society and as per the scripture notes.

Candramauli Swami: What is the culture of a mother? What is the culture of a vaisnava? The first duty is that she is a servant of Krishna. Her bhakti is first. She should make that her first priority, how to develop her Krishna Consciousness by following the processes given by the acharyas. How she exhibits that is according to her womanly qualities and characteristics.

We are not this body. Still, for the sake of social function, etiquette, and practice, we have to act accordingly with the body that we have been given. Do you want to hear a revolutionary statement? I know I'm going to get smashed for this one! Generally, a married woman does not talk to any other man besides her husband. If she has to, it is very brief and to the point. Does that help? That is Vedic culture. A woman's power is her shyness and her chastity. A woman's power is her devotion.

Who are the best devotees? The alter has nine women and one man on there. I think they are called Krishna's eternal parts and parcels who are His intimate associates in Madhurya bhava, called the gopis. Women have so many outstanding qualities. When they exhibit that, they give strength to everything around them, including and especially the men. If somehow or the other they use their feminine charm in an attractive way to allure the attention of men, then everything goes down. That's why we say that shyness is the power of a lady.

Still, ladies can have all kinds of responsibilities as far as service is concerned. They can do all of the services, while still keeping their feminine quality, the characters, and expressions that they have to do in terms of their service. This is socially revolutionary. We can discuss this topic for days.

The main point is to learn how to respect each other. Each of us become respectable when we act according to how we are supposed to act. A brahmana is respected for his knowledge, a ksatriya for his prowess, a vaisya for his ability to increase the economic substance of a society, and sudra is respected for his dedication to those three higher orders in his service.

Even in the varnashram system, the quality of respect is given according to the power of that living entity to exhibit those qualities. The more that a woman exhibit those qualities, the more powerful she becomes, spiritually, materially, and devotionally.

Dhanesvara Das: Srila Prabhupada sometimes addressed his female disciples as daughter. So what about older men addressing very much younger women as daughter? Or older women addressing very much younger girls as daughter?

Candramauli Swami: That's guru - disciple. Srimati, Jagaddhatri, Pashupati, Salogati and Prema devi dasi. "My dear daughters," in Srila Prabhupada's letter. "Please accept my blessings." And then he goes on to write his letter explaining to them how they should behave on sankirtan. So he addresses his disciples as daughters. A spiritual master's relationship with his female disciples is like father to daughter.

Anuttama Das: Maharaj, just so I'm clear, I was always trained as a man that it was at least my equal responsibility to not daly with or talk whimsically with the ladies. It wasn't so much that the ladies have to be quiet and the men can speak to the women whenever they want, or assume that they are the quiet ones and I'm supposed to be the verbose one.

Then the second part of my question is how does this formula work? For instance, I can say that I'm in Washington, DC. At this time, we have a woman temple president. In all honesty, I don't agree with everything that she does. I'm her GBC and I don't agree with everything that she does. But I would say that in the last fifteen years, she's the best temple president that we have had. So, how would she understand that, "Don't talk." I would think there would be some special context for that. I wouldn't want the ladies to think that if they have a position that they are supposed to, you know, write on chalkboards or something. I'm not disagreeing with the principle. I'm wondering if you can expand a little bit on how it might apply in different circumstances.

Candramauli Swami: The etiquette for carrying out devotional service according to our responsibilities should be done graciously and with respect. It's not that men don't talk to women, but only for the sake of devotional service. I think that if the element of respect is always there then there is no difficulty. As soon as we loose respect, or start seeing each other on the bodily platform, that's when we start loosing respect, when things become ordinary again.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Day 3

HOLY PLACES VISITED 

1. Hansa-vahana: Lord Siva rode on Lord Brahma’s swan in order to reach the place where Suta Gosvami was describing the glories of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

2. Gomati River and Brahma Puskara

3. Kuruksetra and Naimisaranya

4. Pancaveni (Confluence of five holy rivers): Crossing Ganga by boat.

5. Praudha-Maya Mandir.

6. Bhajan Kutir of Jagannatha dasa Babaji Maharaj7. Sri Dhamesvara Mahaprabhu: Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s Deity worshiped by His consort Srimati Visnupriya-devi

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Day 2

Godrumadvipa (Process: kirtanam)

Route : Harihar-kshetra to Swarup Ganj

HOLY PLACES VISITED on Day 2 Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 

1.Am-ghata: Here Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu planted a mango seed whichimmediately developed into a tree bearing ripe fruits.

2. Suvarna Vihar: Site of the capital city of King Suvarna Sena, who laterappeared as Buddhimanta Khan, an associate of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

3. Gauradaha.

4.Svananda Sukhada Kunja: Gaura Gadadhara Temple, residence andSamadhi of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

5. Surabhi Kunja: Lord Indra came with Surabhi and worshiped Lord Caitanya to seek pardon for his offense (it happened in Dvapara Yuga). Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura started the head office of the Nama-Hatta preaching program here.

6. ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Arogya Asrama with deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Sri Gaura Nitai.

VERSE 13
antar dehesu bhutanam atmaste harir isvarah
sarvam tad-dhisnyam iksadhvam evam vas tosito hy asau

TRANSLATION:
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is situated as the super soul within the cores of the hearts of all living entities, whether moving or nonmoving, including men, birds, animals, trees and, indeed, all living entities. Therefore you should consider every body a residence or temple of the Lord. By such vision you will satisfy the Lord. You should not angrily kill these living entities in the forms of trees.

PURPORT:
As stated in Bhagavad-gita and confirmed by all the Vedic scriptures, isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd dese ’rjuna tisthati the Super soul is situated within everyone’s heart. Therefore, since everyone’s body is the residence of the Supreme Lord, one should not destroy the body because of unnecessary envy. That will dissatisfy the super soul. Soma told the Pracetas that because they had tried to satisfy the super soul, now they should not displease Him.

VERSE 14
yah samutpatitam deha akasan manyum ulbanam atma-jijnasaya yacchet sa gunan ativartate

TRANSLATION:
One who inquires into self-realization and thus subdues his powerful anger—which awakens suddenly in the body as if falling from the sky—transcends the influence of the modes of material nature.

PURPORT:
When one becomes angry, he forgets himself and his situation, but if one is able to consider his situation by knowledge, one transcends the influence of the modes of material nature. One is always a servant of lusty desires, anger, greed, illusion, envy and so forth, but if one obtains sufficient strength in spiritual advancement, one can control them. One who obtains such control will always be transcendentally situated, untouched by the modes of material nature. This is only possible when one fully engages in the service of the Lord. As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gita 14.26

mam ca yo ’vyabhicarena bhakti yogena sevate
sa gunan samatityaitan brahma bhuyayah kalpate

“One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the spiritual platform.” By engaging one in devotional service, the Krsna consciousness movement keeps one always transcendental to anger, greed, lust, envy and so forth. One must perform devotional service because otherwise one will become victimized by the modes of material nature. ____________________________________________________________________________

HH Prahladananda Swami :(Pranama Mantras)

I'm happy to have this opportunity to say something about Krishna Consciousness. In these two verses it mentions that we should see everyone equally. Although externally we see so many different bodies, internally there is a soul. Along with the soul, there is the super soul. The whole world is manifested according to the desires of the soul through the agency of material nature, which is directed by the super soul.

Krishna knows our desires, just like one can understand the flavor of a flower by smelling it. He's arranging everything accordingly. Specifically, in the human form of life, we have a choice. We have a choice to orientate our desires towards life, towards the spiritual conceptions of life. Or we can remain in the ignorant misconceptions of misidentifying ourselves and others with the gross material body. If one orientates himself towards the light, then gradually one will come to the light.

Krishna tries to convince Arjuna from the very beginning of Bhagavad Gita that we are not the body. Not only are we not our body, but no one is their body. Although we seemingly have a very intimate relationship with this body, it is all due to a kind of imagination. It is a virtual reality that we are observing and experiencing, but actually it has nothing to do with our spiritual personality.

The material world, as we have heard before, is just like a dream for the soul. Not a very pleasant dream, it's more like a nightmare. We are dreaming that we are going through birth, old age, and disease, and then we are dreaming that we are dying. The dream repeats itself over and over again in 8,400,000 species of life. The soul, more or less, is trying to experience some kind of happiness in this material existence. pumsah striya mithuni-bhavam etam (SB 5.5.8) The whole material happiness is based upon "I am male, you are female. I am Tarzan. You are Jane. I am Mickey Mouse. You are Minnie Mouse. I am Romeo. You are Juliet. I am Krishna. You are Radha." So everyone is dreaming like that and trying to squeeze some pleasure out of our so called lila in the material world.

One time, Srila Prabhupada was coming back from a doctors appointment in Los Angeles. On the way back, he saw the title of a movie called, "Is there sex after death." When Srila Prabhupada came back to the Temple, he gave a lecture. In the lecture he mentioned that he had seen the title of the movie, "Is there sex after death." Srila Prabhupada said to his disciples that they should go and tell everyone that there is sex after death, in 8,400,000 species of life. Srila Prabhupada said that if the materialists understand that, they won't be afraid of death anymore.

We are trying to create this imaginary world where we are in the center and the rest of the world revolves around us. The sun comes up in the morning to shine on us, and the moon comes up in the evening to shine on us. Everyone else is more or less an actor in our grand play. This is known as illusion. Krishna says that actually:

anaditvan nirgunatvat paramatmayam avyayah sarira-stho ’
pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate
(BG 13.32)

Those who can see with the eyes of eternality can see that the soul is eternal, transcendental, and beyond the modes of material nature, despite contact with the material body, oh Arjuna. The soul is neither entangled, nor is he doing anything. Of course we are doing something. We are desiring. The only problem in this world is that we do not know what to desire. According to our circumstances, if we desire to serve Krishna, dadami buddhi-yogam tam (BG 10.10), then Krishna will supply the intelligence by which we will be able to serve Him. What is that service? There are nine processes of devotional

service. sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam pada-sevanam
arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam

These are the nine methods or activities that we can perform in order to serve Krishna. Even more important than any of these particular types of service, is the mentality of being Krishna's servant. It is not only externally doing some activity, but is doing it in the mood of service. Therefore Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said that:

naham vipro na ca nara-patir napi vaisyo na sudro naham varni na ca grha-patir no vanastho yatir va kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramananda-purnamrtabdher gopi-bhartuh pada-kamalayor dasa-dasanudasah (CC Madhya 13.80)

This is Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is God, Himself. His mood is that He is the servant of the servant of the servant of Krishna. Who are the servants of Krishna?

samam sarvesu bhutesu tisthantam paramesvaram vinasyatsv avinasyantam yah pasyati sa pasyati (Bhagavad Gita 13.28)

One who can see the super soul accompanying all living entities in all bodies and knows that neither the soul nor the super soul in the destructible bodies is ever destroyed, actually sees.

We may see with the vision that, "I am this body. I am male. I am female. I am born in this country. I have these particular qualities." It is all an imagination. The imagination is not that there doesn't exist the body, rather the misidentification with the body is an illusion. If I want to utilize my body in order to play the pastime of trying to become Radha or Krishna, then the result is that I simply remain in illusion. If I want to enter into the pastimes of Radha and Krishna, then I, nimitta-matram bhava savya-sacin, (BG 11.33) become an instrument for Krishna's service. What is that service?

yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa
amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa
(CC Madhya 7.128)

Whoever we meet, we should try to help them become conscious of Krishna. As soon as we meet anyone, immediately our first thought is, "My dear Lord, please give me the intelligence to help this particular soul advance in their relationship with Krishna."

It's not that we don't see externally what particular body or mentality that someone has. Obviously there are different bodies. There are different mentalities. That does not mean that we are not their servant, the servant of the soul and the super soul. How we serve will depend upon time, place, and audience. That service has to be directed by guru, sadhu, and sastra. Our aim, whatever we do, is to try to help them invoke their awareness of and love for Krishna.

It is not only certain persons within our society who have the role of guru. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has asked every human being in this universe to become guru. He did not say that guru means sitting on a big chair handing out beads to people. He said that guru means that whoever we meet, we try to help them become conscious of their relationship with Krishna. That is actual guru. We may take different positions or identities, but they are simply to help us help others become conscious of Krishna.

gurur na sa syat sva-jano na sa syat
pita na sa syaj janani na sa syat
daivam na tat syan na patis ca sa syan
na mocayed yah samupeta-mrtyum
(SB 5.5.18 )

That anyone, if we are a guru, teacher, if we have some relatives, if we're a father or a mother, if we're an important person, we should tell them about Krishna. Somehow or another we should help them make some advancement, give them some prasadam. Give them the holy name. Give them one of Srila Prabhupada's books. Smile at them and think of Krishna.

Somehow or another, when we meet our wife, we should not think "I am husband. I am controller. Just see my prowess." When we meet our husband, we should not think, "What can I get from him? How can I trick him? I love you." We should immediately think, "I am your servant. How can I serve you? How can I help you become Krishna Conscious?"

Then Krishna says dadami buddhi-yogam tam (Bg 10.10). I'll give you intelligence so that twenty-four hours a day you cannot help but think about me. Then the whole world turns into Krishna's pastimes because we are actively engaged in Krishna's pastimes. This is the lila of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. It is not some small little lila where there are some unusual people called the Hare Krishnas, or the hairless Krishnas. It is not some unusual group of people with some unusual dress and lifestyle that keep on chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna. They can't stop because they have no brains.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

"Excuse me, sir?" "No, I can't. I have to keep on chanting. Hare Krishna Hare Krishna.as soon as I stop chanting I start thinking. If I start thinking, who knows what's going to happen!" No, it is not some unusual group of people murmuring some words because they have no brains. We are actually giving people Krishna directly.

nama cintamanih krsnas caitanya-rasa-vigrahah
(CC Madhya 17.133)

Krishna and His name are non different. We are not simply chanting Hare Krishna. We are asking Krishna to engage us in His loving service. But that's what it is. It's loving service. That service is all pervading. We cannot love Krishna without loving all living entities. We cannot love all living entities unless we are actually trying to give them Krishna. If we meet a devotee, especially, if we're not enlivened and happy then that means that we are in maya.

In other words, especially when we meet the devotees, we immediately have to remember Krishna and Krishna's service. As we become absorbed in that meditation and that service attitude, then Krishna will be there. As soon as we forget that actually, I own nothing, I'm not this body, this body belongs to Krishna, all the things that I have belong to Krishna, I belong to Krishna. Therefore whenever I meet someone, I offer them my service to help them become Krishna Conscious. Then naturally, I'll remember Krishna.

If it's in the mood of devotion, in the mood of service, guided by guru, sadhu, and sastra, then the result is that we will remember the ecstatic acharyas in our disciplic succession. We will remember the ecstatic six goswamis. We will remember the ecstatic Pancha Tattva. We will remember the ecstatic residents of the spiritual world. And in every moment, in that way, we will actually be making progress in going back to the spiritual world. The more consistent and enthusiastic that mediation becomes, then the more Krishna will give us the intelligence of how to perform that service with more enthusiasm and determination. Then all of the anarthas and aparadhas will simply vanish in the ecstasy of devotional service.

When we chant Hare Krishna we will actually mean it. We'll actually believe that there is a Krishna. There is a Srimati Radharani. And there is something called Their loving service. Gradually, we will develop that desire to obtain their loving service. That's the whole purpose of what we are doing, to increase our desire to enter into the loving service of Krishna and His associates. That opportunity is at every moment. We don't have to wait until tomorrow, or for better circumstances. At every moment we have that opportunity. It's simply a question of taking advantage of the great opportunity that we have in each moment, especially in the sankirtan movement, as given to us by Srila Prabhupada by the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Although we may not be very much enlightened or enlivened, but if we chant Hare Krishna and actually ask Krishna pleadingly, "Please engage me in Your loving service." We may not have any idea what that means. But because we heard that it's very nice then we can ask Krishna, "My dear Krishna, I don't know what Your loving service is or who You are, or Srimati Radharani. I don't know how to serve Your associates. Please reveal all of this to me. Without Your mercy, I have no opportunity to learn how to understand any of these things. By the mercy of Your representative, I have learned something, at least theoretically. Please make all of this realized so that I can actually do something for my spiritual master and the disciplic succession. So that I actually become enlivened and enlightened in devotional service, and neither pretend that I'm Radha and Krishna, or Tarzan or Jane, or pretend that I'm some great devotee, some realized soul handing out benedictions to the audience."

Actually, one should think, "I have no devotion. What do I know about Krishna or His loving service? But I'm begging my spiritual master and Krishna to reveal these things to me." When Krishna sees that we are actually taking the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu seriously, and introducing the chanting of Hare Krishna to others with devotion and determination, then gradually Krishna will reveal Himself through His holy name.

As soon as we forget that, then at once we will say, "Oh, here's my friend, here's my enemy. Here's a good person, here's a bad person. Here is someone I like, someone I do not like." At once we are in a whole different world of imagination.

sanaih sanair uparamed buddhya dhrti-grhitaya
atma-samstham manah krtva na kincid api cintayet
(BG 6.25)

Gradually, step by step with determination and full conviction, we have to withdraw our minds from these misconceptions and practice this art of devotional service. It is not that when we try, Maya says automatically, "Oh, you are such a nice devotee. Now you can think of Krishna forever." Wherever the mind wonders to due to its flickering and unsteady nature, bring it back to Krishna's service and into the service of helping others become Krishna Conscious. It's guaranteed that Krishna will give us all of His mercy. It will gradually become easier and easier to remember the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

mat-karma-krn mat-paramo mad-bhaktah sanga-varjitah
nirvairah sarva-bhutesu yah sa mam eti pandava
(Bg 11.55)

"My dear Arjuna, one who is absorbed in my pure devotional service with devotion, without any material misconceptions, becomes a real friend to every living entity and becomes everyone's servant by giving them the best service." They give them the source of all knowledge, all beauty, all fame, all renunciation in the form of the holy name, Srila Prabhupada's books, prasadam, and by simply being kind to people and helping them make advancement in Krishna Consciousness. This will transform the world.

We can organize the sankirtan movement but the basis of it has to be that service to Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement. Srila Prabhupada once wrote to me. He said, "I don't want buildings, I don't want money, I don't want any of these things. I simply want to see that my books are being distributed. Because you are doing this, I am pleased."

So we should live in Srila Prabhupada's books. We should distribute them in many different ways. That will please Srila Prabhupada and the previous acharyas. It will please Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers. That will please Radha and Krishna and Their associates. That will please everyone. Above everything, it will help us return to our eternal relationship with Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada once wrote to me. He said, "The boys and girls in your country are generally good souls. That's why they have taken birth in such a nice country. So now let them utilize everything in Krishna's service. That will make their life perfect. As Krishna sees that you are working seriously to help bring His other children back to the spiritual kingdom, then He will bestow all of His blessings upon you. Krishna is never ungrateful for our efforts to serve Him. Rest assured."

Let us take that opportunity with whoever we meet today. Let's have that meditation of how we can help. "Please, Krishna, please Srila Prabhupada, please devotees, please spiritual master and others, give me the intelligence by which I can serve this soul and help them to become Krishna Conscious." That will transform our society and eventually the whole world.

Hare Krishna. Thank you.

Devotee question:

The devotees, do they want to stay in this world or do they want to go back to Godhead? What is their actual desire?

Prahladananda Maharaj: If one is engaged in preaching the mission of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then one is already in the Spiritual World. Tripurari Maharaj once asked Srila Prabhupada, "If we distribute your books, will we develop love of God?" Srila Prabhupada's answer was, "Because you love Krishna, therefore you are distributing my books."

The more we do these activities, one day we will realize that we are already in the Spiritual World. It's simply a question of unalloyed, uninterrupted service to Krishna. Whether in Goloka Vrindavan, here in Mayapur, or in Brooklyn, NY

narayana-parah sarve na kutascana bibhyati
svargapavarga-narakesv api tulyartha-darsinah
(SB 6.17.28)

As Lord Siva told Parvati, "Whether the devotee is in heaven or in hell, it makes no difference to him because he has taken shelter of the lotus feet of Krishna." For us, it means that we are spreading the sankirtan movement all over the world. If not all over the world, then at least with our family, friends, and whoever we meet. Then we will become perfect.

Devotee question: Maharaj, you mentioned misidentification with the material and subtle bodies. Can you explain how we misidentify with the subtle body? I can understand with the material body.

Prahladananda Maharaj:

We simply like what the mind is telling us. As soon as the super soul sees that we are attached to what the mind is telling us, then He puts us in illusion. Srila Prabhupada writes that, "As soon as the soul decides he wants to enjoy the material energy, then he is supplied with lusty intelligence to make plans of how to enjoy and avoid suffering. Then the lusty intelligence acquires a false ego. Therefore one misidentifies himself with the mind and senses. He thus becomes entangled in the activities of sense gratification."

Thank you very much. Srimad Bhagavatam ki jaya. Srila Prabhupada ki jaya.
Gaura Premanande Haribol.

In a gesture expressing unity of purpose for the service of ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, His Grace Praghosa Das, the newly appointed Chairman of the GBC, has announced in Mayapur that 2015, the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the Western world, is the Year of the TOVP. 

“Having just accepted this wonderful service as the GBC Chairman, I’d like to start my term by announcing this as the Year of the TOVP. Fortunately, since 2010, with the wonderful help of Ambarisa prabhu and his team, huge progress has been made and we just want to keep that momentum going, and that’s the idea behind the Year of the TOVP and the year that the whole of the ISKCON community and society can group together and make the TOVP a particular focus.” 

To bring this focus into reality the TOVP Team, along with the GBC, will recommend some practical and implementable actions that each temple and devotee can follow. The first of such recommendations is for each temple to place a photo of the TOVP on their altar. Other ideas will follow shortly.

With this spirit of cooperation, the essence of what Srila Prabhupada said would show our love for him, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium, the adbhuta mandir predicted by Lord Nityananda Prabhu, will fully manifest and we will together all see the Grand Opening in 2022. 

http://youtu.be/e7E-QlPkJk8

The third day of the ISKCON GBC’s Annual General Meetings opened with a presentation by Madhavananda Dasa, a member of the ISKCON Chowpatty in Mumbai. He informed the GBC body of a mega kirtan festival, Chant for a Change, being planned in Jagannath Puri to coincide with the Navakalevara festival wherein the deities of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra are changed once in 16 years. 

The most unique element of this kirtan festival would be the spiritual leaders and members of the four Vaishnava sampradaya coming together to glorify the names of Lord Krishna. The Chant for a Change festival which is being held in collaboration with the Odisha Tourism is expected to attract nearly 200,000 guests. Anuttama Dasa, GBC Chairman and a member of the Chant for a Change organizing committee, requested the GBC members to bless the initiative. 

The Temple of Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) has been making steady progress since the construction began few years ago. Sadbhuja Dasa, Managing Director of the project, updated the members on the progress made in the last one year and additional developments that are taking place in other departments of TOVP including lighting, altar designs, and acoustics. After introducing the devotees who have been serving the project, Sadbhuja Dasa went on to display several unique technologies that are being incorporated in this flagship project of ISKCON.

The GBC members where then taken on a tour of the TOVP and requested to offer their feedback on the mock altar that has been prepared in what would be the future temple hall. 

On the invitation of the students and teachers, the GBC members then visited Sri Mayapur International School (SMIS) to participate in their annual Open Day celebrations. After welcoming the guests, the students melodiously sung Srila Prabhupada’s famous prayer, Markine Bhagavata Dharma enchanting the audience. 

The evening session began with an enlivening presentation by Manorama Dasa who serves as ISKCON’s Youth Minister. His Ministry works to inspire, train, engage and empower youth in Krishna consciousness, especially the children of ISKCON devotees. Programs by the Youth Ministry such as Bhagavad Gita study groups, Harinamas, Weekend Trips and Retreats have been successful over the years in providing meaningful engagement to the youth members of ISKCON. The Youth Bus Tours (YBT), perhaps its most famous program offers a month long Krishna Conscious travel adventure with Harinamas, organizing festivals and association with senior devotees. YBT has so far covered North America, Mexico, Europe, South America and Australia.

Manorama Dasa emphasized the need to further develop avenues for active engagements of children who grow up in ISKCON communities, without which they seek out jobs in non-devotional environment. After a round of discussion, one of the solutions that came up was to have to an apprenticeship program with the temple/project leaders, department heads and sannyasis which would provide the children growing up in ISKCON communities with valuable training to take up further responsibilities in ISKCON. 

The effectiveness of this process can be seen in successful events such as Toronto Rath Yatra, Radhadesh Mellows, Kirtan London which are organized primarily by the younger generation. 

Concluding the day three of the AGM was a presentation by Nrisimha Kavaca Dasa, Minister for Deity Worship. The Ministry facilitates and encourages the maintenance and development of deity worship according to Srila Prabhupada’s example and teachings by offering education, resources and guidance to inspire and nourish devotees’ desire to worship the deity form of the Lord. 

Regional Ministers who work along with the National Bodies/RGB in improving the deity worship standards in their regions have gone up to 10 with the addition of 3 new representatives. 

The Ministry’s training academy in Mayapur is into its eighth year and with a staff of 18 devotees has helped train more than 600 devotees in the science of worshiping the deities. Along with these training programs, it has also been helping temple develop the necessary requirements and facilities before installing deities.

Future projects include coming out a detailed two volume book on the method of worship which would help standardize deity worship across ISKCON as per Srila Prabhupada’s instructions. This book would also be available in a e-book format.

To view photographs of the meeting, please visit: http://goo.gl/Kj1nHj

Thank you. 

Your servant, 

Yudhistir Govinda Das

The fifth day of the Annual General Meeting of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission focused on celebrating the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s incorporation in 2016. 

Pancaratna Dasa, a member of the 50th Anniversary International Steering Committee, presented an elaborate report on the progress made so far along with the list of events being planned. As this year also marks the 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s departure to the West, devotees in Kolkata and Mayapur have been working on organizing ‘Srila Prabhupada’s Legacy Night’ in a stadium in Kolkata along with a mega Padayatra from Mayapur to Kolkata. 

Similar preparations have begun in Cochin, the South Indian city where Srila Prabhupada picked up the boxes containing Srimad Bhagavatam. The Zonal Secretary for the region, Bhakti Vinoda Swami, would be organizing a cultural festival involving the eminent personalities of Kerela who would participate in the launch of Malayalam translation of Srimad Bhagavatam. A few days later, an Ecological conference is being organized by ISKCON at the reputed Indian Institute of Management (IIM). The conference would see ISKCON devotees along with Ministers, Scientists and Businessmen address the concept of ‘Simple Living, High Thinking’.

Celebrations will continue to follow Prabhupada’s path when devotees in Boston – who have always commemorated the ISKCON Founder’s arrival at Commonwealth Pier – will organize their biggest event yet on September 17th, in honor of the day when he arrived at age 69 with just $7 and a box of books. A special VIP event will be held at historic Fanniel Hall, as well as a tour boat ride for several hundred in the Boston Harbor to commemorate Prabhupada’s arrival.

On the same day, Yadubara Dasa, one of ISKCON’s well-known film makers, would be releasing his new film – Acharya: One Who Teaches by Example. The much anticipated 90 minute HD quality film which is being produced using archival films, interviews, locations shoots and re-enactments, will depict the incredible story of Srila Prabhupada’s mission to re-spiritualize humanity. The film will be offered to major US networks Showtime, Discovery, the History Channel and PBS, as well as other networks worldwide. 

Meanwhile, ISKCON’s Ministry of Communications plans to bring out a 50th anniversary special edition magazine that would offer the readers with information on ISKCON and its activities over the last fifty years. 

Bhakta Dasa, Director of ISKCON Communications in Australia, who is heading this project, introduced his team of writers, proofreaders, photographers and layout artists, many of whom are highly respected professionals in their fields. He then presented the GBC members with mock designs of the magazine along with a list of topics, drawing applause from the members who acknowledged the need to have such a resourceful material which could be shared with guests, devotees and even at outreach event. 

The magazine would be printed by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust and has so far received pre-orders for more than 150,000 copies. 

Celebrations in 2016 include Hare Krishna festivals in Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi, each of which is expected to be attended by nearly 15,000 people. Temple openings dedicated to the 50th anniversary are being planned in Jaipur and New Delhi. ISKCON communities in Pune and Kanpur known for their active youth programs would hold mega-youth festivals and smaller events in various colleges in their surroundings. 

In Australia, temples inaugurations are being planned in Sydney and Brisbane along with a special 50th anniversary bus tour that would travel around the country presenting dramas and exhibitions. Major park festivals would be held in several parts of Australia to help reach out to the people. 

Cities in the United States including Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Washington DC, have presented their plans for holding different events as per the audiences including major festivals in their temples.

Anuttama Dasa, whose GBC zone covers cities on the East coast, informed the GBC body of an academic conference that would hosted by a Ivy League university which would see reputed academicians and historians coming together to discuss and recognize ISKCON’s contributions to the society in the last fifty years 

The other major area of focus would be the large scale prasadam distribution that would take place around the world through the Hare Krishna Food for Life program.

To stay updated with the developments taking place, please visit:
http://fb.com/iskcon50

Godrumadvipa (Process: kirtanam)
“Millions and Millions of Cintamani jewel may meet together in some other place. Lord Hari may personally appear in some other place before everyone’s eyes. Still, my body darkened with Godruma’s dust will never go to anywhere else.”

ROUTE: Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir to Harihara-ksetra

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Day 1 Godrumadvipa (Process: Kirtanam)
HOLY PLACES VISITED on DAY 1

1.Nandana Acharya Bhavan:

The place where Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda first met.

2.NarasimhaPalli:

Sri Narasimhahadeva rested here after killing Hiranyakasipu located at Devapalli.

3. Mandakini Lake:

In this lake Sri Narasimhahadeva washed His nails which were tainted by Hiranyakasipu’s blood.

4. Alakananda River and Harihara-ksetra

(half Vishnu, half Siva deity which is non different from Sada shiva at Kasi and if any one left his body, lord shiva comes and says hari bol in his ear)

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Ki Jay!

For knowing pastimes of each place click on the topics

Easter Trip to Hare Krishna Castle in Radhadesh, Belgium

Have you ever lived in a castle? Which is also a temple and home of wonderful Deities and devotees! Radhadesh is truly amazing, surrounded by beautiful mountains and valleys ! Check out the website: www.radhadesh.com and discover for yourself the setting and open the attachment for the proposed itinerary.

This all inclusive trip is only £250/person and children up to 12’s years old are £200/child only !

Delicious food, excellent accommodation, safari visit, great spiritual atmosphere and a lot more

Hare Krishna all,

The itinerary for the Easter 2015 tour to Radhadesh (which is right in the middle of the very touristic and beautiful area of the Ardennes) www.radhadesh.com is as follows

Good Friday 3rd April 2015

• Coach leave from South London Temple at 6am. Arrival at Radhadesh at 3pm. Lots of lively kirtan with Radha Londoniswara prabhu and Krishna Prema Das en route.

• Lunch/dinner will be provided upon arrival 

• Arati at 7pm, followed by kirtan led by the youth over there in the temple

Saturday 4th April

• The whole morning program in the temple, mangala arti, japa time, Guru puja, Bhagavatam class goes from 04:30 to 09:00 and everyone is welcome. 

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00

• Full visit of the Radhadesh grounds;

• this includes the majority of the castle and its tower,

• the shops,

• the gardens,

• the Goshala  

• the Bhaktivedanta College

• the museums

• the restaurant!

• Lunch from 13.30 to 14.30

• Kirtan with Radha Londonishwara and Interactive seminar on practical application of spiritual life in everyday situations – with ISKCON senior devotee (to be confirmed) 15.00 – 18.00

• Light refreshment of bread and milk

• Arati at 7pm, followed by kirtan led by the young devotees

Sunday 5th April

• The whole morning program in the temple, mangala arti, japa time, Guru puja, Bhagavatam class goes from 04:30 to 09:00 and everyone is welcome. 

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00. 

• Visit to local town (perhaps the extremely famous and small medieval town of Durbuy) 10.00 to 12.00

• Visit to Safari Parc Monde Sauvage (yet to be confirmed) 12.00 to 16.00 – packed lunch to be provided

• Dinner in restaurant 16.00 to 18.00

• Arati at 7pm, followed by kirtan led by the youth over here in the temple

Easter Monday 6th April

• The whole morning program in the temple, mangala arti, japa time, Guru puja, Bhagavatam class goes from 04:30 to 09:00 and everyone is welcome. 

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00.

• Depart for London at 11am– scheduled arrival at 6pm. Lots of lively kirtan with Radha Londoniswara prabhu and Krishna Prema Das en route.

HH Bhakti Chaitanya Swami awarded the order of sannyasa today Feb 21st 2015 to two Iskcon devotees, Dhirashanta dasa who is from England standing to the left of HH Bhakti Chaitanya Swami and Ananda Chaitanya dasa who is from Lithuania standing to the right of HH Bhakti Chaitanya Swami, in Sri Dham Mayapur.

Lecture - New York, April 27, 1966

So here it is said, rasa-varjam raso 'py asya param drstva nivartate [Bg. 9.59]. One who is forcibly refrained from material enjoyment, oh, that sort of forcibly material enjoyment cannot last. There are many examples. There was a great muni, great sage, whose name was Visvamitra Muni. He was formerly a very powerful king. Now, in his later life he gave up everything and he wanted to be a transcendentalist and great meditator in the yoga principle of life. He was a great yogi. Now, this Visvamitra was performing meditation in the forest very supremely. Now, Indra, the King of heaven, he became frightened: "So, this man is performing so much penance. So he might come. He might ask from God and claim my seat. So just wake him. Just detach him from this purpose." So he had many beautiful women at his control, one of whose name was Menaka. So Menaka was ordered that "You go there and try to induce him to have your association." Because in this world our real bondage is this... Either for man or woman, this is the real bondage, the sex life. So the Menaka was sent to Visvamitra, and Visvamitra was meditating, but his eyes were closed.

So that woman made some sound of his (her) bangles, and Visvamitra thought, "Oh, in front me, a very nice beautiful woman, very young." Now, that woman was sent for that purpose, so he became implicated in that woman, and a girl was born out of that combination. That girl's name is Sakuntala. That's a famous name. There is a book of Sakuntala. That is the daughter of that combination. Now, here is the example, that he was a great meditator, a great yogi. But the inner implications of enjoying sex life or material enjoyment, that did not go. That was by force. By force it was submerged. That sort of forcing, forcing our senses not to act, that will not be suitable. We have to see something more beautiful than this material life. Then we can be refrained, acting material; otherwise not. Otherwise it is not possible.

So we have to learn that thing, that how we have to see the beauty of spiritual life. Then, naturally, we shall be refrained from material activities. Just like a child, a boy. He is all day mischief-making and playing, but if he is given some good engagement... There are now so many devices by the educational department, kindergarten system or this system or that system. But if he's engaged, "Oh, form 'A,' form 'B.' " So he learns at the same time ABC, and at the same time refrains from his mischievous activities. Similarly, there are things, kindergarten system of spiritual life. If we engage our activity in that spiritual activities, then only it is possible to refrain from these material activities. Activities cannot be stopped. Just the same example, that the Arjuna... Rather, before hearing Bhagavad-gita, he became inactive, not to fight. But after hearing Bhagavad-gita, he became more active, but transcendentally active. So spiritual life, or transcendental life, does not mean that we are free from activity. Simply artificially, if we sit down, "Oh, no more I shall do anything material. I shall simply meditate," oh, what meditation you will do? Your meditation will be in a moment broken just like even Visvamitra Muni, he could not continue his meditation. We have to always, cent percent, be engaged in spiritual activities. That should be the program of our life. Rather, in spiritual life you will hardly find any time to get out of it. You have got so much engagement. Rasa-varjam. And that engagement can only be possible when you find some transcendental pleasure in it.

So that will be done. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Spiritual life begins, first of all, sraddha, some faith. Just like you are coming here kindly to hear me. You have got little faith.

This is the beginning. Without faith, you could not spare your time here because here there is no cinema playing, there is no political talks, nothing of the... It may be, to some it is very dry subject. Very dry subject. (chuckles) But still, you come. Why? Because you have got some little faith, "Oh, here is Bhagavad-gita. Let us hear it." So the faith is the beginning. The faithless cannot have any spiritual life. Faith is the beginning. Adau sraddha. Sraddha. And this faith, faithfulness, as much as it is intensified, you make your progress far. So this faith has to be intensified. The beginning is the faith. And now, as you make your faith intensified, so you become progressive in the spiritual path.(?) (life?) Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. If you have got some faith, then you will find out some sadhu, sadhu or some saint, some sage, who can give you some spiritual enlightenment. That is called sadhu-sanga [Cc. Madhya 22.83]. Adau sraddha. The basic principle is sraddha, and the next step issadhu-sanga, association of spiritually realized persons. That is called sadhu... Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya. And if there is actually association of spiritually self-realized persons, then he will give you some process of spiritual activities. That is called bhajana-kriya. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tatah anartha-nivrttih syat. And as you are more and more engaged in spiritual activities, so, proportionately, your material activities and affection for material activities will diminish. Counteraction. When you engage in the spiritual activities, your material activities diminishes. But just mind that. Material activities and spiritual activities, difference is that... Suppose you are engaged as a medical man. You don't think that "If I become spiritually engaged, then I have to give up my profession." No, no. That is not. You have to spiritualize your profession. Just like Arjuna, he was a military man. He became a spiritualist. That means he spiritualized his military activity.

So these are the techniques. So adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah atha bhajana-kriya tatah anartha-nivrttih syat [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Anartha means that creates my miseries. Material activities will continue to increase my misery. And if you adopt spiritual life, then your material miseries will be gradually decreased, and practically it will be nil. And when we are actually free from material affinity, then your real spiritual life begins. Athasakti. You become attached. You cannot give up any more. When your anartha-nivrtti, when your material activities are completely stop, then you cannot give up. Athasakti. Adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sango 'tha bhajana-kriya tato 'nartha-nivrttih syat tato nistha [Cc. Madhya 23.14-15]. Nistha means your faith becomes more firm, fixed up, steady. Tato nistha tato rucih. Ruci. Ruci means you will simply hanker after spiritual things. You won't like to hear anything except spiritual message. You won't like to do anything except spiritual activities. You won't like to eat anything which is not spiritualized. So your life will be changed. Tato nistha athasaktih. Then attachment, then bhava. Then you will be transcendentally, I mean to say, ecstaticized. There will be some ecstasy. These are the different steps for highest platform of spiritual life. Tato bhavah. Bhava, that bhava stage, is the right platform from where you can directly talk with the Supreme Lord.

Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 35

Without worshiping the arca-vigraha, the form or Deity of the Lord, one cannot understand such literature as Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.

Lecture - Nairobi, October 30, 1975

So the temple worship is essential. So those who are against temple worship, Deity worship, they are not very intelligent class of men, foolish, mudha.

Sri Chaitanya-caritamrta - Adi 7.76

To chant the holy name of the Lord, one need not depend upon other paraphernalia, for one can immediately get all the desired results of linking with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It may therefore be questioned why there is a necessity for initiation or further spiritual activities in devotional service for one who engages in the chanting of the holy name of the Lord. The answer is that although it is correct that one who fully engages in chanting the holy name need not depend upon the process of initiation, generally a devotee is addicted to many abominable material habits due to material contamination from his previous life. In order to get quick relief from all these contaminations, it is required that one engage in the worship of the Lord in the temple. The worship of the Deity in the temple is essential to reduce one’s restlessness due to the contaminations of conditioned life. Thus Narada, in his pancaratriki-vidhi, and other great sages have sometimes stressed that since every conditioned soul has a bodily concept of life aimed at sense enjoyment, to restrict this sense enjoyment the rules and regulations for worshiping the Deity in the temple are essential.

Srila Rupa Gosvami has described that the holy name of the Lord can be chanted by liberated souls, but almost all the souls we have to initiate are conditioned. It is advised that one chant the holy name of the Lord without offenses and according to the regulative principles, yet due to their past bad habits they violate these rules and regulations. Thus the regulative principles for worship of the Deity are also simultaneously essential.

Lecture - Nairobi, October 27, 1975

So these are all facts, that Krishna is everywhere, Krishna is within your heart, Krishna is within the atom. Andantara stha-paramanu-cayantara-tham. That's a fact, but where is your realization? Therefore you have to begin realization by arcana. That is very essential. Then more you become expert in arcana, ye yatha mam prapadyante[Bg. 4.11], the more you become realized, then more you become advanced. So therefore, for kanistha-adhikari, he has to raise himself.

CONCLUSIONS
The process of becoming happy in this age is to daily chant Hare Krishna maha mantra and after one has become accustomed to this simple practice, one should daily worship the Supreme Lord in his or her home by the authorized system of Deity worship. In this way, one gradually becomes purified of all material contamination and get the taste for spiritual life and then can give up all material affinities. These are the instructions of our Acarya, Srila Prabhupada.