I also met 2 men who were from Iran. I presumed that they would reject the Bhagavad Gita, however, they were so interested in meditation and yoga. “This is Really Cool.” They explained their interests and methods of meditation and had a pleasant conversation with me. They then gave me a handsome donation of $20.00. This proved to me that everyone is really a soul, beyond all doubt. The message of Bhagavad Gita is not for only one race or ethnicity. It is was spoken by the Lord for the soul purpose of elevating the one universal race and ethnicity, the Soul, which has forgotten its full potential for knowledge, bliss and eternity.

I am eternally grateful to the mercy of His Grace Vaisesika Prabhu, who is facilitating the best habitat in which devotees are fully equipped with training, experience, and sastric knowledge, by him personally. He is indeed mercifully showing and allowing us, to be the instruments of the love of Lord Nityananda and Srila Prabhupada. All glories to the Lotus Feet of Lord Nityananda! All glories to the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupad!

your servant, Priya Kishori dd

Laws of Nature

What is reincarnation?

The soul is eternal but the body is temporary. Thus when the body is finished (death), the soul must continue to exist in another body.

If a person kills and soon after dies himself. How can he be punished unless he takes birth again? If a sinner is sent to hell forever then how can God be merciful unless he is given another chance?

Once you had the body of a baby and now an adult. The baby body is gone but you still exist. This is reincarnation, changing bodies.

Just as you change bodies in this life, you will also change bodies after this life. Is this hard to accept?

Reincarnation is the passing of the soul from one body to the next. Life is truly a circle of birth, death and re-birth. We never die; we merely change our physical form. There are 8.4 million different forms of bodies; we have been through them all. Being Human is the highest form of Life on this planet.

So why do we keep coming back to life? We are re-born to exhume our Karma. We build our Karma during our life and we must come back to face the reactions to all our actions.

So you still don’t believe in reincarnation?

Is there a scientific basis for reincarnation? Indian forensic scientist Vikram Raj Singh Chauhan is trying to prove reincarnation is real. He has presented his findings at the National Conference of Forensic Scientists in India.

Chauhan has discovered a six-year-old boy named Taranjijt Singh who says he remembers his previous life. According to his parents, he’s been talking about this since he was two years old and used to run away from home. The boy knew the village he lived in during his former life, as well as his and his father’s names. He knew the name of the school he attended as well. On September 10, 1992, he was riding his bike home when he was hit by a motor scooter. He received head injuries and died the next day.

His present father, Ranjit Singh, says as the boy became more and more insistent, so he and his wife went to the village where he claimed to have lived in the past. At first, they couldn’t find anyone who resembled the descriptions of his former parents. Then someone told him to go to another nearby village, where they met a teacher at the local school who confirmed the story of the motor scooter accident. They found out where the boy had lived and went there to meet the parents.

One day we are really happy, another day we are really upset. Why? Why aren’t we happy all the time or sad all the time?

The answer is ‘Due to the Law of Karma’.

When we are happy, we are reaping the benefits of our good actions, which we took in the past. When we suffer, we are being punished for the bad actions, which we took in the past. It’s common sense really. You get what you deserve. No one is happy all the time or sad all the time, because everyone takes some good actions and some bad actions every day, the result of our good and bad actions will be happiness and suffering in the future which will be in proportion to our actions. Thus life is full of ups and downs.

Death is just around the corner.

“One who has taken his birth is sure to die, and after death one is sure to take birth again.”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 2.27)

But for some reason, you are unwilling to accept this fact?

We may think that while death may come to others, we will some how continue to live forever. We will hear about others dying, but it never comes to our mind that we could be next. The whole situation is like that of a slaughterhouse where one animal is being slaughtered and another one is busy munching grass and doesn’t realize that it will be next. This is ignorance.

“From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one, who attains to my abode, O son of Kunté, never takes birth again.”(Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-Gita 8.16)

Material life is full of calamities. The less intelligent persons try to adjust to those calamities, as they have no information on the abode of the Lord, which is full of bliss and without a trace of calamity. The intelligent persons try to give up attachment for this material world.

We may think that our life is very comfortable as we have money, big house, nice cars, beautiful partner etc.. But what is the value of this so-called comfortable life, if one day we are going to lose everything and be slaughtered by nature? What to speak of our next life, which may be in the animal kingdom?

The animals in the slaughterhouse live very comfortably, but they are only waiting to be hacked to death. The same goes for us too.

The animals cannot escape the wrath of the butcher, and we cannot escape the wrath of nature. But we have a choice of either going through the whole drama of material life (birth, old age, disease, death) again, again, and again, or become free from material life (no death, no marital problems, no taxes, no disease, no poverty, no wars, no terrorism, no anxiety and so on).

The souls in the plants and animals are on a fixed cycle of transmigration from one body to the next in the plant and animal kingdoms. They will have to go through 8 million births before they get a human birth.

The humans have been through the 8 million births in the plant and animal kingdoms. But if a human being misuses or fails to utilize the higher consciousness, then he (the soul) will once again have to go through the 8 millions births in the plant and animal kingdoms. Only a complete fool would waste this rare human birth.

Only by engaging in Bhakti Yoga (devotional service onto Lord Krishna) can a human being become free from material life and go to the kingdom of God, called Goluka Vrindavan, the abode of Lord Krishna. Where there is no old age, no disease, no taxes, no wars, no terrorism, no depression.

Where we will be in 50 years time is a serious thought to consider now, because we won’t be here.

Is there life after death?

What will happen to me after death?

The non-Vedic religions preach that this is the only life and after this life, we wait in our grave for the day of judgment and on that day we are either sent to hell or heaven forever. This means that for the sinners there is no second chance, as they will go to hell forever. They also preach that those who don’t follow their religion will go to hell forever.

This philosophy raises some serious questions:

• What happens to those who die in fires? Are they gone forever through no fault of their own?
• What happens to those who are cremated? Are they gone forever?
• If this is the only life, then why is everyone born in different conditions? Some are born rich, some poor, some healthy, some diseased, some die at an early age, some live longer, some suffer more than others, and so on.
• Out of the billions who have been dead and buried, has anyone risen (resurrected) from their grave yet?
• When will the dead rise from their grave (be resurrected)?

The good news is that there is a religion, which preaches that God is merciful to all and thus know-one, is sent to hell forever. Everyone gets not one but unlimited chances.

According to the Vedic scriptures, the oldest known to mankind. There is hell, heaven, and something beyond them, the spiritual universe called Vaikuntha. Hell and heaven are temporary but the spiritual universe is permanent.

What happens to the sinners?

After this life the sinners will take birth on one of the hellish planets and after their punishment is over they will again return to this or other Earthly planets in a suitable body (human or animal) and conditions of life (rich, poor, diseased, healthy etc..).

What happens to the good?

After this life the pious will take birth on one of the heavenly planets and when their pious credit is over, they will again return to this or other Earthly planets in a suitable body (human) and conditions of life (rich, poor, diseased, healthy etc..).

The following are statements from the Srimad Bhagavatam canto 5.

There are thousands of hellish planets. Here are the names and details of life on some of these hellish planets. Each planet is meant for punishing the humans according to their sins.

What Punishment Awaits Animal Killers?

In this life, an envious person commits violent acts against many living entities. After death, such a person is taken to hell by Yamarāja. And those living entities that were hurt by him appear as animals called rurus to inflict very severe pain upon him. This hell is called Raurava. Not generally seen in this world, the ruru is more envious than a snake.

Punishment in the hell called Mahāraurava is compulsory for a person who maintains his own body by hurting others. In this hell, ruru animals known as kravyāda torment him and eat his flesh.

For the maintenance of their bodies and the satisfaction of their tongues, cruel persons cook poor animals and birds alive. Such persons are condemned even by man-eaters. In their next lives they are carried by the Yamadūtas to the hell known as Kumbhīpāka, where they are cooked in boiling oil.

If a human being kills or torments insignificant creatures. The Supreme Lord punishes such a person by putting him into the hell known as Andhakūpa, where he is attacked by all the birds and beasts, reptiles, mosquitoes, lice, worms, flies, and any other creatures he tormented during his life. They attack him from all sides, robbing him of the pleasure of sleep. Unable to rest, he constantly wanders about in the darkness. Thus in Andhakūpa his suffering is just like that of a creature in the lower species.

Those who hunt and kill animals unnecessarily, he is placed after death into the hell known as Prāṇarodha. There the assistants of Yamarāja make him their targets and pierce him with arrows.

Do you have the answers to the following questions?

• Why are some born healthy and some with severe health problems?
• Why do some people suffer more than others?
• Why do some people live a good life and some a miserable one?
• Why is life full of ups and downs? One day we are happy, another day we are sad
• Why do some people die from diseases like cancer and some naturally?
• Why are some people born more fortunate than others?
• Why is there a difference between each person’s lives?
• Why do some children suffer from birth and die at very young age?

Sanatan Dharma is the only religion which can answer all of the above questions, and with complete satisfaction.

A Christian woman went to a Christian preacher and asked him why her young son had died at a young age. The Christian preacher could not give her an answer. She found the answer to her satisfaction in the Bhagavad-Gita.

The answers to all the above questions is:

The Law of Karma

For every action you take there will be a reaction in the future. This is the law of Karma.

• Killing is wrong, humans or animals. Thus no meat eating, no eggs, no leather goods like sofa, car seats etc. Leather is made from cows.
• Sex before marriage is wrong, sex outside marriage is wrong.
• Taking intoxications is wrong. Thus no drugs, no alcohol, and no smoking.
• Gambling is wrong. This means no betting on horses. No playing cards/games for money.
• Having disrespect for others is wrong. Everyone (regardless of religion, color, fat, thin, good looking, ugly looking, old etc.) should be greatly respected. The eldest should be given the greatest respect.
• Not being compassionate is wrong. Being compassionate is one of the most important human qualities. The first chapter of the Bhagavad-Gita is all about how compassionate Arjuna was to even those who wanted to kill him. Lord Krishna only gives divine knowledge (BG) to such compassionate people.
• Not being considerate of others is wrong. One should always be considerate of others at all times. Always consider the welfare, well-being, and safety of others before yours.
• Not being charitable is wrong. One should give a portion of all income in charity to competent temples and the poor on a regular basis (whenever the income is received). Giving charity to unworthy people or to in-competent temples is a waste.

Competent temples are those that give knowledge (preach) on a daily or weekly basis and have qualified Brahmans who are based on qualifications and not because of birth. The Bhagavad-Gita clearly states that one can only become a Brahman by qualifications and not by birth.

In-competent temples are those that give no knowledge (no preaching) and have Brahmans who are based on birth and not qualifications. (Reference ‘Courtesy of Bhagavad-Gita.ws’).

The Divine Qualities

• Non-violence
• Truthfulness
• Simplicity
• Charity
• Self-control
• Austerity
• Cleanliness
• Forgivenes

The Demonic Qualities

• Violence
• Untruthful
• Materialism
• Pride
• Arrogance
• Conceit
• Lust
• Anger
• Greed
• Harshness
• Ignorance
• Ego

GBC College for Leadership Development, Day Two at Govardhana Ecovillage in Outskirt of Mumbai

GBC College, Day Two: Up Close and Personal with Giriraj Maharaja and Bhakti Charu Maharaja

Just to clarify: The GBC College for Leadership Development isn’t specifically or exclusively designed to groom future GBCs. The intention of the GBC is to assist in creating better leaders; devotees who can deeply imbibe Srila Prabhupada’s mood and instructions and who can give shelter to devotees and help them feel happy in Krishna consciousness.

The present course is focused on preparing future Zonal Supervisors, who will help the GBC Zonal Secretaries to oversee their zones. On the other hand, the caliber of the present participants is such that the likelihood for some of them to become GBCs is very high.

Back to the day: Giriraj Swami gave the Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture
(4.16.4), focusing on the delicate balance between the need for a leader to sometimes point out shortcomings and defects in the performance of those he guides, and the importance to closely analyze his motivations for doing that, avoiding envy, false ego, pride and other contaminated drives.

Maharaja enriched his speech with anecdotes illustrating his own experience of being corrected by Srila Prabhupada. He also explained how those incidents of chastisement were, ultimately, opportunities for jubilation and great growth.

After breakfast Giriraj Maharaja asked the participants what areas they wanted to explore and then weaved those subjects into a narration of direct observations of how Srila Prabhupada interacted with various individuals in a variety of ways; from advising a budding businessman to instructing his disciples on how to deal with politicians; from reacting to demoniac opposition to empowering his followers to accomplish herculean tasks for which they didn’t feel prepared.

A realization that arose is that right now on the planet there are only very few disciples of Srila Prabhupada – we can count them on the fingers of one hand – who served Srila Prabhupada in positions of leadership and were personally trained by him, and who remained exemplary throughout the years.

It has been a blessing that such leaders have agreed to get involved in this educational project; the participants certainly did appreciate the opportunity to associate with them for hours on end.

Another session that was thoroughly appreciated was the afternoon presentation by His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Within the topic of “Being a Srila Prabhupadanuga,” Maharaja launched into a comprehensive historical, philosophically and esoteric description of who really is Srila Prabhupada, of how his appearance and accomplishments fit into the context of Lord Caitanya’s descent and mission. Maharaja explained Srila Prabhupada fulfilled the desire of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura to have a collective management of the institution, and how the vaidhi and raganuga approaches naturally harmonize within Gaudiya Vaisnavism.

The participants appeared thrilled to be able to ask open, frank and profound questions to such qualified professors; the speakers also appeared inspired to be able to share such lofty principles and intimate details with such a qualified audience.

GBC College, Day One

The GBC College for Leadership Development started its first day of its first year of operations today, 8 March 2015, at the Govardhana Ecovillag on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The College has been formally established by GBC resolution last month, February 2015, with the following words:

Whereas Srila Prabhupada repeatedly indicated the need for training qualified leaders:

“There is need for intelligent young men to train them up as future leaders and preachers to go all over the world for spreading the message of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.” (Letter, 9 January 1973)

“If we simply go on expanding and there are no qualified men to lead, then everything will be spoiled eventually.” (Letter, 5 January 1973)

Whereas the GBC wishes to promote high standards of spiritual leadership and management throughout the Society

Resolved, That:

The GBC College for Leadership Development is hereby established.

The College’s primary focus shall be on contributing to prepare devotees to serve in crucial leadership roles within ISKCON.

The hand-picked selection of about 25 devotees traveled from different parts of the world to attend the course that started today. They came from as far as the United States, South American countries such as Chile and Bolivia, Europe, Africa, Russia, China, South East Asia and India.

Taking advantage of the auspicious muhurta, the GBC College was formally inaugurated right after the greeting of the presiding Deities of the Govardhan Ecovillage, Sri Sri Radha-Vrindavana-Vihari, the youthful, sweet and charming Divine Couple of Vraja. His Holiness Radhanath Swami Maharaja, local GBC and a member of the College Board of Trustees, lit the first lamp. The second lamp was lit by His Holiness Prahladananda Maharaja, Chairman of the GBC Appointment Committee, Minister for Health & Welfare and Minister for the Sannyasa Minister. Members of the GBC College’s Board of Advisors were next: Sri Nathji Prabhu, Kesava Prabhu and Vrishabhanu Prabhu.

Radhanath Maharaja gave the Srimad-Bhagavatam lecture (SB 4.16.3), opening the series of lectures from the chapter “Praise of King Prithu by the Professional Reciters,” a special selection of verses elaborating on the qualities of true leadership.

Maharaja stressed that leadership in Krishna consciousness means responsibility and sacrifice, a focus on serving others and thus a great opportunity for making spiritual advancement.

After breakfast the action moved to the seminar hall where Kaunteya das presented the orientation session, which included a history of the GBC work on zonal configuration, the birth, last year, of the position and role of Zonal Supervisor, and the creation of the GBC College for Leadership Development with its present, urgent focus on creating devotees who will assist the GBC Zonal Secretaries as Zonal Supervisors.

In the last part of the morning Radhanath Maharaja spoke on “Sadhana for Leaders” stressing the indispensable nature of focusing on hearing and chanting, and backing up his points with relevant quotations from Srila Prabhupada letters and speeches.

The spirit of the course is to offer to opportunity to existing leaders not only to refine their present administrative skills, but to also build a sense of camaraderie, a mood of mutual support and common vision. Therefore the moments outside the classroom often serve as precious time for interaction and building of personal connections. The GBC College also wishes to offer these hard-working leaders a pleasant break from their usual duties and the chance to live together, in a natural setting, taking advantage of senior and peer association to go back to their services re-energized and equipped to improve.

The afternoon section saw Radhanath Maharaja, who could be present only for the first day, answering questions from the participants. “What principles guide the leadership of your zone, arguably the most successful in the world?” “How to find clear direction when different authorities pull and push the same project in different directions?” “How to balance the need to care for devotees and constantly encourage them with the need some time to correct them?” The subject in entitled “Being a Srila Prabhupadanuga” as it focuses on imbibing the mood and instructions of the Founder-Acarya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness on how devotees should guide other devotees and their zones.

As the session progressed apparently the leaders became more and more comfortable sharing about real situations and challenges they face, possibly due to Maharaja’s expertise in answering and also because of building trust in the process of opening one’s mind in confidence and inquiring confidentially.

Their Holinesses Bhakti Charu Maharaja, also a Trustee of the GBC College, and Giriraj Maharaja, a special guest teacher and GBC Emeritus, arrived during the question and answer session and took part in the formal group photo.

For the last part of the afternoon the whole group moved up to a veranda over the large yoga studio to continue the questions and answer process, this time with a panel of four speakers: Radhanath Maharaja, Bhakti Charu Maharaja, Giriraj Maharaja and Prahladananda Maharaja. In view of the rugged, scenic mountains of this part of Maharasthra, enjoying the breeze of the early evening and going from sunset to dark, the group kept exploring the truths of devotional leadership under the expert guidance of the four sannyasis.

The section concluded with a short bhajan sang at the harmonium by Bhakti Charu Maharaja, accompanied by Giriraj Maharaja at the karatalas and Radhanath Maharaja at the mridanga.

At the end Radhanath Maharaja led everyone into the goshala where devotees spent time brushing and feeding the shining cows of Govardhan Ecovillage.

This was the first day of a 13-day residential session, which will be followed by online learning and practical application of the teachings through specific projects. In September-October there will be another residential session and the course will conclude in February 2016 with the graduation of those who successfully compete the training. In March 2016 the second batch of participants will go for their first residential and the cycle will resume. And so the GBC College started today in its mission to provide support to the precious devotees who are sacrificing their life to push forward the sankirtan movement of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Why are Women in today’s India not Safe

By Purushottam Kumar

In India the recent surge in rape cases has shaken the conscience of every right-thinking Indian. People were outraged when, in December 2012, a young girl was gang-raped in Delhi and later died. A similarly horrific incident occurred in August 2013 in Mumbai when a woman photojournalist was gang-raped. After the episode in Delhi there were widespread protests and demand for tougher rape laws, but there continue to be incidents nonetheless. Unfortunately, when such horrendous incidents occur in metropolitan areas they are widely reported, whereas in small cities and villages where these things occur just as frequently they go unnoticed. Why is it that rape cases have become so common in India? And why, despite stringent laws and social ostracization of the rapists, is the situation deteriorating? The only solution the government, the people, and the media have proposed is to enact tougher laws. sadly, the fear of punishment has however not deterred the rapists so far.

Aggravating the Disease of Lust

Women

The Bhagavad-gita (16.21) identifies lust, anger, and greed as the “three gates leading to hell.” Present-day society is unfortunately well equipped to aggravate the disease of lust. Obscenity has become so common in movies, TV, advertisements, Bollywood songs, and so on. some leading newspapers and magazines are stuffed with semi-nude pictures of women just to increase circulation. Internet and mobile pornography is at its peak. Even in cricket tournaments like IPL semi-clad cheerleaders are brought in to entice the audience. In fact, scantily dressed women are used in advertisements for virtually any and all products, be it shaving cream, shoe polish, electronics, air conditioners, or tooth paste. Women are portrayed as objects meant for gratifying the senses. Today the cheapest commodity available in India is condoms, which suggests to the populace that “You can have unlimited sex with unlimited partners, but just use condoms.” However, unrestrained sex does not satiate lust; it aggravates it, like pouring gasoline into a fire. Lust is an extremely powerful psychological and emotional force that produces intense craving. In the Bhagavad-gita (3.39) Lord Krishna explains that lust is “the eternal enemy” of all living entities because it can never be satisfied; indeed, He say that lust “burns like fire.” Vidura once told Yudhisthira that uncontrolled lust is one of the main reasons why people commit crime. sex addicts in particular will go to any extreme to satisfy their lust. On the fateful night of December 16, the perpetrators of the Delhi gang-rape were on the hunt for sexual satisfaction, and they could have targeted any woman.

If we promote, propagate, and advertise lustful tendencies so rampantly, how can we expect for sexual crimes against women to not occur?

Women, who once occupied a coveted position in Indian society, are now finding themselves in a dangerous place. Traditional Indian society, which has its roots in the Vedas, always looked at women not as objects of lust but as spirit souls, part and parcel of God.

Vedas on Women

The Vedas unequivocally attest to the fact that both men and women are children of God and have specific roles to play in this world. These wisdom literatures have always adored women’s roles as mother, wife, and social reformer. In the Vedic tradition, the onus of guaranteeing protection to women is entrusted to men. For example, we see how Lord Rama fought with Ravana to rescue Mother sita, how Bhima killed Duryodhana and Duhsasana because they tried to sully Draupadi, and how all five Pandavas took care of their mother, Kunti, and never left her unprotected.

Men and women both have distinct yet significant traits the Vedas instruct should be harnessed and harmonized. Srila Prabhupada appreciated the devotional qualities of women: “Women in general, being very simple at heart, can very easily take to Krishna consciousness, and when they develop love of Krishna they can easily get liberation from the clutches of maya, which are very difficult for even so-called along with her husband, as a queen, over the other members of the family.”

Modern Education Fails to Address the Problem

Today many are clamoring for women’s education, and this is commendable. But the schools and colleges, which are considered temples of learning, are not helping women understand their God-given virtues. Today, in the name of championing the cause of women, emphasis is placed more on making women see men as her exploiter or her competitor, and they are being trained to imitate men in toto be it in dressing, lifestyle, or type of work. such artificial emulation has hardly helped women. This idea that men and women are the same, in all ways equal, does not hold much weight. Even simple analysis shows they are different they look differently, they think differently, they behave differently, they speak differently, and their needs, wants, and concerns are also different. Real education is that which can help women understand who they are and what is their relationship with the supreme Lord. They should be taught that they are souls temporarily occupying female bodies. Thus men and women are equal only at the spiritual level.

Vedic Understanding

The Vedic school of thought always encourages both men and women to see each other as souls.

Mothers

Vedic culture pays the utmost respect to women and womanhood and considers them equal to men at the spiritual level. The role of a woman as a mother is highly revered; she is considered the child’s first guru and is entrusted with the responsibility of nurturing the child. History is filled with stories of mothers who were solely responsible for raising a child that later performed heroic deeds. Queen Kunti inculcated great virtues and a sense of valor in her five sons. And Jijabai’s inspiration and upbringing shaped the life of shivaji Maharaja, the great Maratha king. In traditional Vedic society men were taught to call all women, except their wives, “mother.” This practice is still being followed in ISKCON, wherein all the male devotees address women as “Mataji” (mother). “One who considers another’s wife as his mother, another’s possessions as a lump of dirt, and treats all other living beings as he would himself, is considered to be learned.” (Sri Canakya Niti-sastra 12.14)

As wives, Vedic women were supposed to share equally the responsibilities of their husbands and to participate in the decision making process. Mutual respect traditionally existed between the two individuals. The following quotes reflect the importance given to women:

“If one has a nice wife, he is to be considered a most fortunate man. In astrology, a man is considered fortunate who has great wealth, very good sons, or a very good wife. Of these three, one who has a very good wife is considered the most fortunate.” (Bhagavatam 3.21.15, purport)

“A wife is addressed as devi, not by her name. The husband should address his wife as devi. They must be like devi. Devi means ‘goddess,’ and the wife must address the husband as ‘lord.’ This is the system.” (Srila Prabhupada, lecture on Bhagavatam 1.15.51, Los Angeles, 28 December 1973.

Sir Monier Monier-Williams (1819–1899), an Indologist and the second Boden Professor of sanskrit at Oxford, has written: “Indian wives often possess greater influence than wives of Europeans.”

Men are not Born Rapists

The venerable position of women as depicted in the Vedas appears to be an oxymoron in today’s India. Not just rape but molestation, eveteasing, dowry deaths, bride burning, and other heinous and misogynistic crimes are also on the rise. Indian society today is failing to protect the dignity of women. Enamored by materialistic life, Indians have willfully given up Vedic standards. Materialism has spread its wings far and wide and is sowing the seeds for godless society. It is inciting people to adopt any means to satisfy their lustful desires. Men are not born rapists or molesters. The environment is mostly responsible for shaping the mindset of the people, and today the ease with which one has access to pornographic material is appalling.

If we seriously want to put a stop to these horrific incidents, then there should be laws to check vulgarity and obscenity. As we campaign against drug addiction, we should similarly campaign against lust addiction. sadly today’s educational institutions do not teach students to control their lusty propensities. Srila Prabhupada, one of the foremost saints of the modern era, explains in his Bhagavad-gita As It Is (4.1, purport): “The kings of all planets are especially meant for the protection of the inhabitants, and therefore the royal order should understand the science of Bhagavad-gita in order to be able to rule the citizens and protect them from material bondage to lust.”

Building a society in which Women Can Live with Dignity

The following three steps can help build a safe and secure environment for women:

1. Ban on Pornography: Pornography has been one of the major reasons for the increase in crimes against women. “The free availability of pornographic movies, on the internet and otherwise, as well as the sale of illicit liquor have both contributed to the recent rise in sexual crimes against women, says a survey by Delhi police.” (“Free porn, illicit liquor behind rise in rapes: Delhi Police survey” Hindustan Times) (http:// www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/ NewDelhi/Free-porn-illicit-liquorbehind-rise-in-rapes-Delhi-Policesurvey/ Article1-1063212.aspx). Two young men who raped a five-year-old girl in New Delhi have attested that it was a pornographic movie they were watching that instigated their crime. The government should enforce a complete ban on all sorts of pornography.

2. Emphasis should be on Value Education: In today’s competitive environment, schools and colleges focus mostly on making their students materially competent. Negligible importance is given to imparting ethical and moral values. The infamous Delhi Public school MMs sex scandal is testimony of the fact that even school students are indulging in unethical activities. Values and principles espoused by scriptures like the Bhagavad-gita, Sri isopanisad, and so on need to be included in academic curriculums. Once a person develops strong character by imbibing the pristine message of these sacred texts, his conscience will never allow him to indulge in any obnoxious activities. Lust should be nipped in the bud so that it does not escalate to sexual crimes.

3. Establishing Krishna-centered spiritual society: In a spiritual society all individuals have the deepest respect and love for each other and understand that each one of them is a child of God. Men in such societies do not see women as objects of enjoyment or exploitation but consider them spirit souls in female bodies. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The only way to permanently change the criminal habit is to change the heart of the criminal. As you well know, many thieves are arrested numerous times and put into jail. Although they know that if they commit theft they will go to jail, still they are forced to steal, because of their unclean hearts. Therefore without cleansing the heart of the criminal, you cannot stop crime simply by more stringent law enforcement. The thief and the murderer already know the law, yet they still commit violent crimes, due to their unclean hearts.” Chanting the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the most potent way to cleanse the heart of lust, greed, and anger. In a Krishna centered society, women live with honor and dignity and have complete surety of safety and security.

I’ll tell one verse from Caitanya Caritamrta but this verse if quoted from Srimad Bhagavatam. As all of you know Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu He has not written any books upon His teachings except Siksastakam. So but He has by His discussions with different personalities, the five most important discussions took place, it is between Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Srila Rupa Goswami; Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Sanatana Goswami; Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Raya Ramananda; Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Prakasananda Sarasvati; and Caitanya Mahaprabhu-Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya.

So through His discussions with these personalities Mahaprabhu has given a very revolutionary teachings to the people of this earthly planet. Through his teachings he has described from A to Z about dharma, some concept of dharma which was never revealed before.

cirad adattam nija-gupta-vittam sva-prema-namamrtam aty-udarah (CC Madhya 23.1)

Being very merciful He has revealed very confidential subject matters about the highest dharma. Same time He has described very simple subject matters also. So today we will read one verse that has been quoted in Caitanya Caritamrta, when Mahaprabhu instructing to Sanatana Goswami.

So Srila Krishnadas Kaviraja Goswami he has inserted this verse from Srimad Bhagavatam to explain that how the living entity forgets Krishna,'

krsna bhuli’ sei jiva anadi-bahirmukha ataeva maya tare deya samsara-duhkha (CC Madhya 20.117)

How living entity forgets Krishna and suffers in this material world and from time immemorial,

kabhu svarge uthaya, kabhu narake dubaya dandya-jane raja yena nadite cubaya (CC Madhya 20.118) Sometimes he goes to higher planetary systems, sometimes lower planetary systems, just like in previous times the kings they would punish the criminals by drowning them into the river and then bringing them up, like that.

So in this regard in Caitanya Caritamrta one verse has been quoted from Srimad Bhagavatam 11th Canto Chapter 2, Text 37, we will read this verse, translation and purport and then we will enter into the discussion of the subject matter.

bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syad  
isad apetasya viparyayo ’smrtih
tan-mayayato budha abhajet tam  
bhaktyaikayesam guru-devatatma

Translation: “ When the living entity is attracted by the material energy, which is separate from Krsna, he is overpowered by fear. Because he is separated from the Supreme Personality of Godhead by the material energy, his conception of life is reversed. In other words, instead of being the eternal servant of Krsna, he becomes Krsna’s competitor. This is called viparyayo ’smrtih. To nullify this mistake, one who is actually learned and advanced worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his spiritual master, worshipful Deity and source of life. He thus worships the Lord by the process of unalloyed devotional service.’

Purport:
  “This is a quotation from Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.2.37). It is an instruction given by Kavi Rsi, one of the nine saintly personalities called the nine Yogendras. When Vasudeva, Krsna’s father, asked Devarsi Narada in Dvaraka about devotional service, it was mentioned that previously King Nimi, who was the King of Videha, was instructed by the nine Yogendras. When Sri Narada Muni discoursed on bhagavata-dharma, devotional service, he indicated how a conditioned soul can be liberated by engaging in the loving transcendental service of the Lord. The Lord is the Supersoul, spiritual master and worshipable Deity of all conditioned souls. Not only is Krsna the supreme worshipful Deity for all living entities, but He is also the guru, or caittya-guru, the Supersoul, who always gives the living entity good counsel. Unfortunately the living entity neglects the Supreme Person’s instructions. He thus identifies with the material energy and is consequently overpowered by a kind of fear resulting from accepting himself as the material body and considering paraphernalia related to the material body to be his property. All types of fruitive results actually come from the spirit soul, but because he has forgotten his real duty, he is embarrassed by many material consequences such as fear and attachment. The only remedy is to revert to the service of the Lord and thus be saved from material nature’s unwanted harassment.”

HH Bhakti Purusottam Maharaj:
So this verse explains very nicely what happens to living entity when he forgets Krishna, then how he will go back to Krishna. bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syad. Fear arises from, dvitiyabhinivesatah syad, when the living entity contemplates upon the secondary objects upon his body or identifies himself with the body forgetting Krishna, isad apetasya. Isa means isvara bhagvan, apetasya means turns his face away from bhagavan, then viparyayo ’smrtih, asmrtih forgetfulness of his relationship with Krishna puts him into very precarious position. This is how the living entity comes to this material world.

And how that happens? tan-mayaya, that happens because of maya sakti of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. That’s why budha abhajet tam, those who are very intelligent, they worship Him, bhaktyaikayesam guru-devatatma, so in this way they worship Supreme Personality of Godheas as spiritual master, worshipable deity and source of life.

So in this verse describes how maya acts upon the living entity. And prior to this verse it has been stated very clearly, you see, though there is controversy whether living entity came from spiritual world or they were here. But it sure as Caitanya Mahaprabhu has stated,

ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram patitam mam visame bhavambudhau (CC Antya 20.32)

patitam mam visame bhavambudhau, we have fallen into the material existence, whether it is from Vaikuntha, Goloka Vrindavana, spiritual kingdom or it is from the border of spiritual and material world or it could be understood from spiritual consciousness to material consciousness. In any case we are fallen to this material world or material consciousness. And the cause of this fall down has been explained, krsna-bahirmukha haña bhoga-vañcha kare nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare (Prema vivarta)

When the living entities they forget Krishna, they develop desire to enjoy separately from Krishna so maya catches. That’s why Bhagavad Gita explaining that two kinds of living entities as, ksara and aksara. ksara living entities they are prone to fall down, they are prone to fall down, so they develop this desire thinking that I will go enjoy separately from Krishna and though Krishna forbids him but still he wants to come. Prabhupada saying, Krishna is greatest friend of the living entity. Just like a friend always likes to fulfill the desire of his friend, then Krishna reluctantly He wants to fulfill the desire of this living entity and living entity wants to come to this material world thinking I will enjoy, I will enjoy more in this material world.

But what exactly happens? The living entity comes to this material world, living entity does not enjoy, dukhalayam asasvatam, the place of suffering, punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi jananii jathare shayanam,

this Adi Sankaracarya has stated, the living entity has to go through the cycle of birth and death,

janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi- duhkha-dosanudarsanam (BG 13.9)

So that’s why this material cosmic manifestation is regarded as or named as dukhalayam, the place of suffering, samsara karagara, the material world a prison house of material existence - samsara karagara; bhava sagara – the ocean of material existence; bhava kupa – the dark well of material existence; bhava atavi- the tree of material existence; samsara davanala – the forest fire of material existence.

So many ways the scriptures describing the precarious miserable situation of this material existence. But interesting thing is living entities when they come to this material platform and they suffering, suffering and suffering. They are suffering here then why we don’t want to go back to Godhead? What makes us not to desire to go back to Godhead? That is very interesting part that maya roles in our lives.

You see, you set fire to big building, building is burning and you take ten twenty people and throw into that fire, in that house, what they will do immediately? What they will try for? To run away! You don’t have to go, give them class, seminar, power point presentation – Please run away! Run away! You don’t have to do that. Automatically they run away! But why that happens to us? Why don’t we try to run away from here? What makes us to stick, no no let me stay here, so nice, let me stay here, I am burning in the fire. What makes us that to happen?

So this maya has been described in our Vedic literature very elaborately. How the mechanism of maya is very interesting. Like Prabbhupada also described in Caitanya Caritamrta that when a living entity develops a desire to enjoy separately from Krishna and comes to this material world, but if he would recognize his suffering, he would desire to go back immediately. But a kind of maya acts upon him.

So as all of you are very acquainted with this word maya. I remember before I joined ISKCON, as Indians we know maya, maya is very common, maya. But when I joined ISKCON as a new bhakti, book distributor, that time this maya word was very famous. New bhakta incharge, sankirtana incharge anything you do wrong – oh Prabhu you are in maya prabhu! You don’t get up mangala arati – oh Prabhu you are in maya prabhu! You don’t like to go for book distribution – you are in maya prabhu! Sometimes you would hear in a day more ‘maya’ than ‘Krishna’. (laughter)

But what is this maya? We have a common concept of maya illusion, but maya has different meanings. Our acaryas describing that maya the common meaning of maya in general is energy that is sakti, maya. Maya means icchha the desire. Maya refers to svarupa sakti the internal potency of Krishna. Maya also refers to pratarana the cheating, cheating means maya. Then another meaning of maya is krpa also, the mercy. Maya means we think ignorance but maya means also knowledge jnana. Maya means dambha deceit. Maya means also intelligence, knowledge and intelligence.

So in this way maya has different meanings. Maya means ignorance and maya means intelligence. Maya means knowledge, maya means mercy. As Bhagavad Gita Krishna saying that,

naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah (BG 7.25)

ajo ’pi sann avyayatma
bhutanam isvaro ’pi san
prakrtim svam adhisthaya
sambhavamy atma-mayaya (BG 4.6)

atma mayaya, our acaryas, each and every acarya is giving so elaborate explanation upon this one word maya, Ramanujacarya, Jiva Goswami, Visvanath, maya they are explaining how sambhavamy atma mayaya, He is incarnating into this material world, earthly planet atma maya.

So to be merciful upon the living entities, so maya word has been described very nicely in that verse. So as we know maya the energy, maya the divine energy of the Supreme. Maya, there are two kinds of maya all of you know. One is yoga-maya and another is maha- maya. Yoga-maya which is known as svarupa sakti which is there within Krishna, svarupa sakti or internal potency or cit sakti, like this. This is called svarupa sakti or antaranga sakti. That is svarupa sakti or yoga-maya which has three components hladini, sandhini and samvit. So that section I am not going to discuss today.

I will discuss the other aspect of maya as maya whether yoga-maya or maha-maya, they are two side of one coin. Prabhupada saying just like electricity, the one energy and used for two purpose – gives heat and gives cold also. So we will focus on maha -maya specially.

So maya divided yoga-maya and maha-maya. This maha-maya works upon these living entities and maha-maya divided into two portions. The jiva-maya and guna-maya. I will describe to you what is this jiva-maya and guna-maya and how so cooperatively they work with each other so that the existence of the conditioned soul will continue in this cosmic manifestation.

So jiva-maya, jiva-maya is there within the living entities and jiva-maya works in two different ways called as avaranatmika-maya and praksepatmika-maya. I am explaining these things to you that it will be clear to you how living entity comes to this material platform, how it gets entrapped in this material world and how it becomes impossible,

daivi hy esa guna-mayi mama maya duratyaya (BG 7.14)

impossible, what makes it impossible for living entity to get out of this precarious situation.

So this avaranatmika-maya and praksepatmika-maya. Prabhupada explaining this avaranatmika-maya what it does. As soon as the living entity develops the desire to enjoy separately from Krishna, avaranatmika means covers, the avaranatmika-maya covers the intelligence of the living entity. As a result the living entity completely forgets his relationship with Krishna, completely forgets his constitutional position. So that is the business of avaranatmika-maya. It does not let living entity to understand his relationship with Krishna, that disconnects from Krishna.

So when avaranatmika-maya disconnects living entity from Krishna then this praksepatmika maya acts upon him. Praksepatmika-maya it diverts his attention, praksepatmika-maya helps diverting the attention of the living entity from Krishna to the material objects.

As this verse has described, bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syad, that fear arises when one contemplates on the secondary objects. So this praksepatmika sakti has been described like this. While avaranatmika potency covers knowledge, the praksepatmika potency fills the the conditioned living entity with misconception. What is that misconception? We will discuss.

Because of this praksepatmika maya the illusioned jiva mistakenly thinks the material body to be the self. This creates a desire for sense gratification, diverts the desires of conditioned living entities towards material objects meant for enjoyment. So these two energies of Krishna very important – avaranatmika and praksepatmika.

And easy to understand avaranatmika, avaranatmika means the covers the intelligence or knowledge, covers the understanding, that avaranatmika maya from within the soul covers the conditioned living entities svarupa jnana or its knowledge about its constitutional position. This avaranatmika potency does not allow the jiva to know constitutionally it is spiritual not material.

So one helps to forget Krishna and another helps to connect to material world. So this how these two energies belongs to jiva-maya they work.

So as I had explained to you maya divided into yoga-maya and maha-maya. Maha-maya divided into jiva-maya and guna-maya. Jiva-maya divided into avaranatmika sakti and praksepatmika sakti.

And what is guna-maya? Guna-maya is trigunatmika-maya. daivi hy esa guna-mayi, the trigunatmika-maya. This guna-maya has a very bigger role than the creation of this cosmic manifestation, this material world guna-maya. In Srimad Bhagavatam, Caitanya Caritamrta this creation has been described in so elaborately, how maya, different maya, prakrti, pradhana, suksma prakrti, ahankara tattva, all these things have been described very nicely in First Canto and Second Canto.

But briefly this guna-maya, sattva guna, rajo guna, tamo guna that helps in creation that is one function, and another function is this trigunatmika maya is responsible for giving the living entity a particular type of apparent pleasure which keeps the living entities from understanding, oh I am enjoying, irrespective of what he is eating, how he is living does not matter. But he feels I am enjoying. It gives a pleasure, trigunatmika maya gives a pleasure to the living entities so what is enjoyable and what is sufferings. It’s a very relative subject matter, what is good, what is bad. Something you like very much to eat, I may not like. Always I give this example of American people they like to eat salad, bread and all these things. You give to Bengali boys they will cry what are all these things. I remember when I went in 1981 with my Guru Maharaj world tour, first time I went out of India. That time we did not have so many Indian devotees in western countries, all pure European and Americans, only white. Now so many Indians are there. For four five days they were giving me only bread and this salad. What grass they are eating, I never ate salad before, this is grass. So I could not tolerate that.

So among the human beings the likings are different. What Americans like the Indians they don’t like. What south Indians like the Bengalis they don’t like. A pig, what a pig will like to eat. Nice morning stool, nice breakfast. A pig you give nice banana dipped with honey, will turn his face and run away. Where this concept comes from? I give this example, in Rangoon Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Prabhupada had a Gaudiya math. During festival days they would cook different kinds of foodstuffs with ghee. They would fry puris in ghee, nice sweet smell would come and all the villagers would become very angry what this sadhus are cooking this bad smell we cannot tolerate. They come with lathi to fight with devotees. Ghee smell they cannot tolerate. But what they like you know. Every village they have a stone pot. So throughout the year all the animals – dogs, cats, jackals, they will die. They will preserve in that. All rotting, rotting, juice coming from their body. Then one day big festival, they will come with pot and equally they will divide ah so nice! This is trigunatmika maya does not matter what you are eating, what you are doing. Always the impression oh you are enjoying.

All these maya they act very cooperatively that you will not feel to get out of this place. Another example given by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saravati Prabhupada maya has different way to keep us here. There was one beggar. The beggar was very hungry, very hungry. So he was getting very stomach pain. So sometimes we get stomach pain we push our stomach with a pillow or something then we get little relief from stomach pain. So this beggar went to a temple, there was a pillar. So he pressed his belly to the pillar and standing like this. So his pain is reduced, his pain is reduced. So people are by passing by, so he asked one mataji, so he asked everybody I am very hungry give me something to eat. So one mataji was little compassionate upon him. She was returning from temple offering some puffed rice. So mataji said ok you take this puffed rice and eat. But this man is holding this pillar like this because he is getting relief from stomach pain so he doesn’t want to release the pillar. Mataji is saying take this puffed rice, he is saying no no no if I release this pillar I will get pain. How will you eat? So the man is saying you give me this puffed rice here. So she put puffed rice here. So how will he eat? Pillar is here and if he keeps his hand like this all the puffed rice will fall down. Stuck now. So we are like that. So that little relief that he is getting by pressing his belly into pillar he doesn’t want to get out of that, that little relief.

So this material world is designed in such a way we are constantly suffering but maya has arranged to give us some relief. Prabhupada saying in material world there is no sukha, there is no happiness, reductions of suffering. Reductions of suffering is material pleasure and absence of suffering is brahmananda. Neither when we are in this material world nor we are liberated. None of these things gives us real pleasure. Both misconception – the material world when we are conditioned we are thinking the reductions of sufferings as happiness; when we get liberation there we think the absence of sufferings is happiness. Both way we are fooled.

So this is how this material world we get confused. We think, asatyere satya kori mani. what is not truth we think it is truth, anitya nitya mani, temporary we think permanent, anatma atma buddhi, what is dead body we think this is real, our real svarupa. So in this way maya first gives us some relief and makes us think oh this is goal of my life and second way also maya always gives us hope. Oh we have just about to enjoy, just about to enjoy.

The great example given by Srila Prabhupada. The donkey ass very lazy, does not want to work, washerman has to make him work, put a bundle of cloth, beat him, beat him. He will not move one inch. Then what washerman will do, put a stick, a bunch green grass one feet away. Then ass will say ah! So beautiful grass! I go one feet I will get it! He will walk one feet forward. Then what will happen? The grass will go one feet. So in this way whole day he is looking at that oh! I will get it! I will get it! Whole day! Maya same way, Prabhupada saying, whole day work like donkey, evening time he will go to she ass for sense gratification and she ass will kick on his face, oh! So nice! So nice! Let me enjoy! So maya is dealing with us like that.

And our acaryas are saying,

jada-vidya jata, mayara vaibhava, tomara bhajane badha moha janamiya, anitya samsare, jivake koraye gadha. (Bhaktivinoda Thakura song)

gadha means ass; we say false attachment to this material world and makes us all gadha makes us hope that you will be happy, you will be happy. And also, there are many many examples like this. Just like all of you must have heard that man who was walking through the dark forest fell into a very deep well. So he just hold something between to protect himself and thinking oh I saved now. Holding some rope or grass, then he is thinking to escape. Upwards he saw big tiger sitting there to eat him. No no no I should not go upwards. I should bottom and hide myself. So he looked downwards what was there? Big python was there. No no no I don’t go upwards, don’t go downwards, this is my safest place. I hold it and hang here. He is holding and after some time he found two rats are cutting. White rat and black rat. White mouse and black mouse they are cutting. So this is the situation, bhava kupa, we have fallen into the bhava kupa. Upwards liberation tiger is sitting there, downward kala sarpa death is sitting there and ayuh that life span that we are hanging holding that, every day and night passing means black rat and white rat, day and night they are making our life span thinner and thinner and thinner. Anytime we will get into the mouth of this snake but what happened to this man? The beehive on the top, something fell on his head, what is falling? Put his face one drop of honey fell into his mouth, wow! Very tasty! So he is focusing on that honey beehive. How that drop will fall into his mouth, sometimes falling into he mouth, sometimes nose. He is so much concentrating on that he completely forgot his precarious situation.

Our situation is like this. We are so much contemplating on this drop of honey, we completely forgetting,

punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi jananii jathare shayanam, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi- duhkha-dosanudarsanam (BG 13.9) oh no problem I am enjoying the honey now. This is another how maya works. So these are the different way maya is working upon us. Now time also finish. So before I end my class, maya is working upon on all of us. Its nothing surprising. But what about the great personalities, muni, rishis. Maya also work upon them. They are all great saintly personalities. How, abrahma stamba paryanta sarva jagat maya-mayam (Sri Harer Namastakam) starting from a blade of grass all the way up to Brahma, abrahma stamba paryanta sarva jagat maya mayam, how maya influences everybody, how maya so interesting way acts in this material world, so wonderfully. Sastra says if you understand how the wonderfully external energy of Krishna, then try to understand how wonderful it will not be the internal potency of Krishna, His svarupa sakti will be, how vaicitra maya variegated will be there. So the last thing I will tell you to make you understand. There is one, how philosophically maya works, our acaryas have described very practical way how maya works upon each and every living entity through the examples.

So one day Vyasadeva was giving dictation and Jaimini one of Vyasadeva’s foremost disciple he was writing. At one time Vyasadeva said that muner api mati brahma (?), that maya is so powerful even if a great saintly personalities they will be bewildered. Then Jaimini rsi stopped writing. Said Gurudeva, how is it possible? We are all muni, rishis. We know everything the truth, how maya can attack us. Vyasadeva said I tell, you just write it, whatever I say. Then Jaimini said how can I write. I don’t accept. We are all great saintly personalities. We know maya, we kno bhagavan, we know the truth, how we will get into maya? Then whatever Vyasadeva tried to convince he did not want to write. Vyasadeva said ok you pack the book today, tomorrow you come we’ll write.

Then Jaimini rsi went back to his asrama. Nighttime heavy storm rain, lightning. Jaimini was sleeping. He could hear somebody screaming shouting, save me, save me, protect me. Who is this midnight, dark night? Jaimini rsi he opened the window of his cottage. When he opened the dark night, when he opened the window actually that time lighting came. In that lightning Jaimini saw very beautiful lady, very helplessly shouting and screaming help me help me. Jaimini opened the door. What you want? Dark night, lightining I want some shelter. Ok no problem, you stay tonite in my asrama. Tomorrow morning you go back. Jaimini rsi gave a room to her, said you lock this door from inside, never open the door. If anyone calls, anybody calls don’t open. Even if I call don’t open also this door. You stay there, when sun rises you get out of this place.

This lady said ok thank you very much for giving me shelter. The lady went to sleep. Jaimini went to bed but he could not sleep. Why he could not sleep you know. That for one moment he saw during the lightning that form of that lady always coming to his mind. He is trying to sleep sleep he could not sleep. Then finally he came to this lady’s room. Knocking on her door. Open the door! Open the door! The lady is not opening! Banging. Open the door, open the door. Lady saying no Jamini muni has told me not to open the door! Then Jaimini rsi said, arre! I am Jaimini you open the door! The lady saying Jaimini rsi said even if I call you you don’t open the door. So he became even more impatient, banging, no no you open the door. Finally this lady opened the door. What you want? Jaimini rsi said if you don’t mind I want to marry you. The lady said oh I am so fortunate. I will marry, I will become wife of a great saintly personality like you. I have no problem with that. But there is a condition. I had one vow, the vow is whoever will want to marry me, the condition is, he has to crawl, like become a horse, I have to ride on top of him and there is a Durga temple nearby one or two kilometers from here. So if you become horse, I will sit on top of you, you carry me upto the Durga temple, then you can marry, you are eligible to marry me. Then Jaimini said, that’s all, that’s all! No problem! Then immediately he became horse and this fat lady sat upon him, dark night. Then Jaimini rsi like a horse crawling. So much stones, so much spines (?) Jaimini rsi could not recognize any pain out of it. Top is sitting mayadevi you know, deriving so much pleasure. And when that moment will come I will reach that Durga temple.

Somehow or other carrying carrying carrying he made to reach that Durga temple. By that time it was, darkness was almost removed, almost, you can see little bit. Jamini rsi managed to reach Durga temple, so he is very happy, oh I have made it now, now she is my wife, she will marry me, very blissful mood. She got down from his back, Jaimini rsi stood up. Oh I made it! So he immediately went to embrace her. So when he went to embrace her Jaimini was very surprised to see this lady has big beard on her face. Jaimini was surprised how she has beard now? By that time it was more clear now. Then Jaimini rsi saw that was Vyasadeva not any lady. (laughter)

So he was very embarrassed. So Vyasadeva made all these things. You don’t want to write that, even muni, rsis will be bewildered, you don’t want to write. Then he felt very ashamed. Then Vyasadeva smiled, patted on his back. Jaimini are you ready now to write that line I told you to write. Yesterday you did not write! Yes my dear Guru Maharaj now I will write.

So this is maya’s influence, from blade of grass all the way to Brahma we cannot escape from this. So there are so many different aspects of maya but I don’t want to delay you your prasadam and keep you in maya. But very interesting… but three years before I gave some class in maya by which time I did not know everything that I presented to you now. That time I was thinking to write a book on maya. So after three years finally this maya book has come out, released. It is an interesting book. I have written a few more books but this is the only book that I am reading again after writing because when I wrote I did not understand what I am writing. After publishing now I am reading to understand what it is.

So this is interesting book just published. Any of you want it will be available in this festival booth. You can take this book and I am sure when I read the book, I will be truthful to you, I developed more faith on Krishna. I think He is acting in such a systematic way, its not some bogus things, it cannot be bogus things like this. And how the whole mechanics works behind this, whole creation things, how He keeps people, how the living entities get delivered, tat maya…… it happens by the supreme energy, different aspects of maya that we can understand.

So that’s why Caitanya Mahaprabhu is so merciful. He came to delver us from the entanglement of this material existence. So He came to this special abode. What is this place name? Mayapur. When I was in my previous asrama, I was planning to join ISKCON, come to Mayapur. So I was reading Prabhupada’s books. One day my mother told me why you want to go to Mayapur, its maya, don’t go there! Since then I was thinking why this name is given Mayapur. Ok we have heard this yoga-maya, why not yoga Mayapur then? Why only Mayapur? Then when I was writing this Navadvipa Parikrama book then I found that when Parvati Devi met Caitanya Mahaprabhu, she came to Simantadvipa, then Mahaprabhu appeared and she started to cry. And Mahaprabhu said why are you crying, you should be happy? I am crying because You are coming and everybody will get Krishna prema except me. Why you will not get? Because everybody is saying krsna surya sama maya haya andhakara, jahan krsna tahan nahi mayar adhikara. You are like sun,I am darkness, wherever You, I cannot be there. So how I will get your blessings.

Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave whole explanation how you are expansion of Radharani, you are acting, serving Me as Paurnamasi. Here also you will serve Me as praudhamaya, you will stay here in Navadvipa dhama as praudhamaya and as Simantini. And what will be your service to Me here? You will do your act as maya also but those who are pasandi’s non-believers, Vaisnava offenders, you make sure the glories of My dhama will not be manifested to him.

naham prakasah sarvasya yoga-maya-samavrtah (BG 7.25)

So that aspect of My maya sakti you will do here. So in this way Caitanya Mahaprabhu is giving us a chance to surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna through sadhu, guru, vaisnava. So definitely we will go back to Godhead and get Krishna prema.

Jaya Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu ki jaya!
Samabheda bhaktavrnda ki jaya!
Gaurapremanande hari haribol!

Rajan Jani prabhu, an ISKCON devotee from Kenya Africa, donates for a Golden Gratitude Coin ($108,000 U.S.) and promises another $400,000 before the finish of the project. He has been a great supporter of many ISKCON projects and now feels the ISKCON Mayapur temple is a crown that will decorate the body of ISKCON for the coming years. His message to the world is everyone should feel blessed to participate in building this temple. He has also encouraged his son to donate a large amount of money to the project.

Coloring India - ISKCON Chowpatty celebrated Holi festival in a grand way

6th March 2015 

This festival of colors, Holi, is being celebrated all over India since ancient times.  And celebration for devotees means another chance to offer a service to Radha Krishna. Thus at Radha Gopinath temple we play this festival with dry natural colors and colored water by smearing them at our Radha Gopijanavallabha Deities.

At Radha Gopinath temple we celebrate this festival the very next day of Gaur Poornima (appearance day of Lord Chaitanya). Like Every year today happens to be the day when we celebrated the color festival. In the morning we started the preparation and by evening everyone was eagerly waiting for entry of little decorated deities with colorful clothes and flower jewelry. Finally, deities arrived with a Kirtan party and everyone bows down to welcome them. They are placed on the alter and dozens of plates filled with natural colors are placed in front of them. This time we also had HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj who joined us in this festivals of Color.

HH Radhanath Swami begin the celebration when he came ahead and started smearing colors from a distance with the help of a brush. Every stroke of colors that falls on them is accompanied by a loud Hari Bol from all the devotees. One by one the guests come ahead and smear the Lords with different colors. The Kirtan starts intensifying and reached another level, and when fragrant colored water buckets arrived with water cannons, Kirtan becomes thunderous. Once again devotees pick up water cannons and soak deities. It’s a heavenly pleasure to watch deities’ enjoying colors. It appears as if they are melting in different colors one after another.

It is believed that tradition of playing with colors on this day draws its roots from the pastime of Radha and Krishna. Once young and dark complexioned Krishna who was jealous of Radha’s fair complexion questioned his mother Yashoda on the darkness of his complexion. Yashoda, teasingly asked him to color Radha’s face in colors of his choice. In a mischievous mood, Krishna applied color on Radha’s face. We can’t imitate this mood but devotees also participate in this loving exchange of applying colors and express love for each other.

For Short Video in Youtube ClickHere

For Entire Photo Album of Holi Festival in Facebook Click below Facebook link

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152782363743226.1073742178.54260993225&type=1

For Entire Photo Album of Holi Festival in www.iskcondesiretree.com Click below Link

http://www.iskcondesiretree.com/photo/albums/holi-celebration-with-small-deities-radha-gopijana-vallabha-at

Sannyasa Waiting List By HH Prahladananda Swami

As on 1 March, 2015, the following are the candidates for sannyasa along with their respective waiting periods:
Adi Purusa Das (GGS) (Bhubaneswar) 1 year
Adwaitacharya Das (GGS) (Bhubaneswar) 2 years
Agnideva Das (ACBSP) (Caribbean) 2 years with conditions
Akincana Das (BSDS) (Odisha) 2 years
Amala Bhakta Das (ACBSP) (Los Angeles) this year with conditions
Ambarish Das (GKG) (Russian Federation) 1 year
Ananda Caitanya Das (BCAIS) (Baltics/Russia/US) this year
Ananda Vardhana Das (BVG) (Baltics/Finland/Europe) 3 years
Asit Krsna Das (GGS) (India/Hong Kong/China/Taiwan) 2 years
Bhaktipada Das (SRS) (Hungary/Romania/Turkey) 3 years
Carudesna Das (BTS) (Ivory Coast) this year
Dayavan Das (BVG) (Russia) 1 year
Deva Deva Das (GGRS) (South America) 3 years
Dhirasanta Das (ACBSP) (UK/Ukraine/Baltics) this year
Ekalavya Das (LOK) (India/Middle East/North America) 3 years
Ganga Narayan Das (BCS) (India/South Africa) this year
Gaura Chandra Das (JPS) (Mayapur) 3 years
Gaura Krishna Das (RGS) (India) this year
Halayudha Das (RGS) (Odisha/India) 1 year
Hari Das (BSDS) (Manipur) 2 years
Hari Vilas Das (ACBSP) (North America) 2 years
Lilasuka Das (BCS) (UK, Europe) this year
Madhu Sevita Das (ACBSP) (Italy, France, Benelux) 2 years
Mahadyuti Das (ACBSP) (Europe/Russia/South America) 2 years
Mahat Tattva Das (BVS) (North America/Europe) 1 year
Mahaprabhu Das (SRS) (Hungary/Romania) 3 years
Markandeya Risi Das (PVS) (Malaysia) 2 years
Nabadvip Dvija Gouranga Das (JPS) (Bangladesh) 2 years with conditions
Nitaidaya Das (JPS) (Bosnia/Europe) 4 years
Pritivardhana Das (BVPS) (Mayapur/India) 4 years
Puspashila Das (JPS) (Bangladesh) 3 years
Raghava Pandit Das (GKG) (India) 2 years with conditions
Rupa Raghunatha Das (LOK) (Europe/South America/ India) 2 years with conditions
Sankirtan Das (LOK) (China) this year
Uttamasloka Das (IDS) (Europe/North America/Australia/Russia) 1 year
Vasudeva Datta Das (JPS) (South America) 4 years
Venudhari Das (JPS) (India) 4 years
Vishvavasu Das (NIR) (Germany/Baltcis/Russia) 3 years
Yamunacarya Das (HDG) (South America) this year

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=15917

A Very Exclusive video of Sannyasa Initiation of His Holiness Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaj (H G Ganganarayan Prabhu) on 5th March 2015 Gaur Purnima Day at ISKCON Ujjain. HH Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaj is a Disciple of HH Bhakti Charu Swami Maharaj. 

His Grace Ganga Narayan Prabhu received initiation in the family of JagatGuru Srila Prabhupada from His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaj . He came in Krishna Consciousness in 1994 .Since 1994 , when he was 27 ,he is serving in the mission of His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada . He sings Vaisnav Bhajans melodiously and beautifully explains their purports .He focuses on establishing loving relationship with devotees and everyone else. He preaches in English , Hindi and Bengali in Ujjain and many other places of Madhya Pradesh especially to college students.Very humble by nature ,currently he is serving as a Temple President of ISKCON UJJAIN, Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Temple, UJJAIN , MADHYA PRADESH,INDIA .ISKCON UJJAIN consist of a marvellous temple , a separate Lord Jagannath temple , Food for life center , vedic city , international guest house and a future vision to construct a Hospital , IT park ,school etc in the service of Srila Prabhupada.

For more audios of His Holiness Bhakti Prema Swami Maharaj (H G Ganganarayan Prabhu) Click Here http://bit.ly/1BTHxuT

So we would like to welcome everyone to our class this morning. We have chosen something from the Caitanya Caritamrta and also we will be reading something from the Sri Caitanya Bhagavata, since today is a very auspicious day. We are very fortunate as Vaisnavas to have many festivals.

So three things that we will dwell on in the next 45 minutes. First of course is Santipura because today is Santipura festival. Many devotees have left by bus a little while ago. We will all together by the chariot of the mind all go to Santipura also. We will reach there before them. (laughter)

And second thing of course we will talk about, Santipura means especially Srila Madhavendra Puri and the second most important personality Srila Advaita Acarya.

So we will just read what is on the board, just two verses actually from the Caitanya Caritamrta.

santipura aila advaitacaryera ghare purira prema dekhi’ acarya ananda antare (CC Madhya 4.110)

Translation:  “When Madhavendra Puri arrived at the house of Advaita Acarya in Santipura, the Acarya became very pleased upon seeing the ecstatic love of Godhead manifest in Madhavendra Puri.”

Just a little background here, although today is the disappearance of Srila Madhavendra Puri, this verse is talking about his appearance in Santipura.

tanra thañi mantra laila yatana kariña calila daksine puri tanre diksa diña (CC Madhya 4.111)

Translation: Advaita Acarya begged to be initiated by Madhavendra Puri. After initiating Him, Madhavendra Puri started for South India.

Purport:  In this connection, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that Advaita Acarya took initiation from Madhavendra Puri, who was a sannyasi in the disciplic succession of the Madhva-sampradaya. According to Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu:

kiba vipra kiba nyasi sudra kene naya,
yei krsna-tattva-vetta, sei ‘guru’ haya

“A person may be a brahmana, a sannyasi, a sudra or whatever, but if he is well conversant in the science of Krsna, he can become a guru.” (Cc. Madhya 8.128) This statement is supported by Sri Madhavendra Puri. According to the pañcaratra injunction, only a householder brahmana can initiate. Others cannot. When a person is initiated, it is assumed that he has become a brahmana; without being initiated by a proper brahmana, one cannot be converted into a brahmana. In other words, unless one is a brahmana, he cannot make another a brahmana. A grhastha-brahmana partaking of the varnasrama-dharma institution can secure various types of paraphernalia to worship Lord Visnu through his honest labor. Actually, people beg to be initiated by these householder brahmanas just to become successful in the varnasrama institution or to become free from material desires. It is therefore necessary for a spiritual master in the grhastha-asrama to be a strict Vaisnava. A spiritual master from the sannyasa order has very little opportunity to perform arcana, Deity worship, but when one accepts a spiritual master from the transcendental sannyasis, the principle of Deity worship is not at all neglected. To implement this conclusion, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu gave us His opinion in the verse kiba vipra kiba nyasi, etc. This indicates that the Lord understood the weakness of society in its maintaining that only a grhastha-brahmana should be a spiritual master. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu indicated that it does not matter whether the spiritual master is a grhastha (householder), a sannyasi or even a sudra. A spiritual master simply must be conversant in the essence of the sastra; he must understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Only then can one become a spiritual master. Diksa actually means initiating a disciple with transcendental knowledge by which he becomes freed from all material contamination.”

Before reading from the Caitanya Bhagavata just a little bit of additonal background information. Srila Madhavendra Puri today being his dissapearance we will talk about both his advent in Santipura and also some small lila in connection with his disspearance as well.

Actually Srila Madhavendra Puri who is one of our major acaryas in the Madhva Gaudiya sampradaya that we belong to, he was one of the first personalities who actually developed the seed of pure love of Radha and Krishna. And the story is narrated in the Caitanya Caritamrta, how he was feeling very sad because so few people in the world were Krishna conscious. That is one of the most important characteristics of a Vaisnava. He is titiksavah karunikah (SB 3.5.21) full of mercy and compassion for the fallen condtioned souls.

So Srila Madhavendra Puri could not find anyone with whom he could associate. And therefore he was wandering and finally came to Vrindavana and that whole lila is there of Madhavendra Puri who had taken a vow, a very serious vow, of never asking anyone for anything including food. And that is when of course a young cow herd boy had appeared or brought him some milk and later on that same cowherd came in his dream and given him an order to fetch some sandalwood.

So it was after installing Gopala on Govardhana Hill along with the inhabitants of Vrindavana that he had another dream where Gopala was sending him actually to get some sandalwood which was at that time available in Jagannath Puri. So it was at that time travelling from Vrindavana to Jagannath Puri, he stopped in Santipura.

Simulataneously as Srila Madhavendra Puri was also feeling great seperation from the Lord and great sadness at seeing the condition in the world Advaita Acarya was also having the same emotions. And when, because to go to Jagannath Puri traditionally people would follow the rivers, the path along the rivers and therefore anyone who goes to Santipura will see the place where the Ganga used to pass right beside the residence of Advaita Acarya.

When Srila Madhavendra Puri arrived in Santipura, the whole village actually is the place of brahmanas, that’s why it is called Santipura, the pura of Shanti (laughs), where everyone is peaceful because they are in the mode of goodness. And somehow Srila Advaita Acarya came in contact with him and they both, because they were on the same transcendental platform, they both became ecstatic. Just like when we meet a devotee, if we haven’t been associating with devotees, we become very happy, they became extremely ecstatic and Advaita Acarya as we heard a few minutes ago he immediately requested “Please intitaite me.’ (chuckles).

And then as if there were no wedding periods at that time for initiation as we have in our ISKCON society especially for such personalites, and after that Srila Madhavendra Puri he left Santipura and he went to Jagannath Puri. So just we will hear a few verses from Sri Caitanya Bhagavata which is the antya kanda section, this is of course by Srila Vrndavana Das Thakura describing the worship of Sri Madhavendra Puri. This because a personality like Vrndavana Das Thakura can describe much more eloquently than I can the qualities and wonderful character of Srila Madhavendra Puri.

So this begins from text 399. Just listen nicely and try to appreciate this wonderful description by Srila Vrndavana Das Thakura. And even if we don’t understnd Bangla, Bengali because Bengali like Sanskrit actually is very melodious and sweet language…one time Prabhupada explained that even if we don’t understand those languages they have a purifying effect on our heart.

“it is a certain fact that Sri Gaurasundara constantly resided in the body of Srila Madhavendra Puri. To preach the glories of the Supreme Lord in this world Sri Gaurasundara appeared within Madhavendra Puri and preached pure devotional service. Srila Madhavendra Puri was always invested with the full potency of the Supreme Lord. His incomparable service attitude is beyond the description of human language.”

“Madhavendra Puri’s devotional service to Visnu is indescribable. He was always fully empowered.”

“Now hear atentively the auspicious narration of how Advaita became his disciple.”

“Before the advent of Lord Caitanya the entire world was devoid of devotional service to Visnu.”

“Yet by the mercy of Lord Caitanya even at that time Madhavendra Puri he floated in an ocean of ecstatic love.”

“His body was always decorated with hairs standing on end. Tears, shivering, roaring and thundering…”

…means all the ecstatic symptoms that we hear about in someone who is totally self realised.

Just a few more verses, I will read the English,

“Even while walking on the road he would dance in ecstacy and chant the name of Hari. Sometimes he would lose consciousness in ecsatcy for six to nine hours. Sometimes while absorbed in feelings of seperation he would shed tears like streams of the Ganges. Such topics are certainly wonderful. Sometimes he would laugh loudly and sometimes in the mellows of ecstatic love he would forget to dress. In this way Madhavendra enjoyed the happiness of Krishna consciousness. Yet he was most unhappy to see that the world was devoid of devotional service.”

So of course this gives us a little glimpse, a little idea of the level of devotional service practiced by Srila Madhavendra Puri. And therefore he immediately could recognize similar symptoms in the body of Advaita Acarya. Actually Srila Madhavendra Puri even before the advent of Lord Caitanya was displaying actually the mood of Lord Caitanya in terms of wanting to save the conditioned souls. And of course we know how after sometime Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu advented Himself and Srila Advaita Acarya came when He was born and so many other occasions he met Him. And later on Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu of course so many pastimes are there, came to Santipura right after taking sanyas.

Actually Srila Advaita Acarya you could say was the first grhastha, first householder who had the great privilege of having Lord Caitanya come to his residence after immediately taking sanyas. And Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu specifically in terms of the dissapearance of Srila Madhavendra Puri, He happened to come when Srila Advaita Acarya was celebrating the dissapearance of his spiritual master. At that time Srila Advaita Acarya made so many elaborate arrangements to commemorate this event of his spiritual master’s disspearance. And He spent some time in Santipura along with Nityananda Prabhu, these three great personalities, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabu, Advaita Acarya and Nityananda Prabhu they spent time in Santipura discussing about the preaching mission.

So in other words such great personalities they are constantly meditating how to find ways and means by which we can bring people to Krishna consiousness. Just like the Goswamis in Vrindavana they would meet and discuss, of course a lot had to do with Krishna katha, part of that Krishna katha was how to preach, how to spread the holy name, how to spread the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabu.

I have heard how when our own Srila Prabhupada, our founder acarya Srila Prabhupada before leaving for America, maybe a little bit less known…….we all know that Srila Prabhupada came to Navadvipa, isnt it, to have darshan of Lord Caitanya and also the samadhi of his Guru Maharaj. Because Srila Prabhupada knew that I am now about to embark in a great mission, I am leaving India, I am going to an unknown country and I have no friends, therefore I must get all the mercy that I can to be successful in this mission. Not only did Srila Prabhuapda come to Mayapur, he also went to Santipura because it is in Santipura that Srila Advaita Acarya as we know was in great feelings of seperation and anxiety about the condtion of fallen souls, prayed very loudly for the advent of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

And therefore he wanted to get the mercy of Srila Advaita Acarya who at that time was having the association of both Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityanand Prabhu.

Actually some years back some devotees, a number of devotees made research into various places where Srila Prabhupada performed his different pastimes. And one of the most important places of course was in Vrindavana when Srila Prabhupada was residing in the Sri Sri Radha Damodar temple. Srila Prabhupada was also having intense feelings that how this missioin of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu can be spread and he could understand even more that - no one is taking it up, I have to take it up.

Srila Prabhupada as we know was for many years residing in the Radha Damodar temple, right beside the samadhi of Srila Jiva Goswami and he would in the evening unknown to most people, evening means at night time…..the story is narrated as follows. That at night time sometimes people would be hearing some loud noises as if somebody was crying and howling. So this devotee actually narrated this because he met the person who narrated that story of who was actually howling and crying. So this person actually came out to see who was making this noise and he saw it was Srila Prabhupada who was cleaning actually the courtyard around the samadhi of Srila Jiva Goswami and in that great intensive mood would actually be loudly crying. So in other words Srila Prabhupada was in a similar way as Advaita Acarya also demonstrating that a vaisnava must develop these deep emotions in order to attract the attention of the Lord. It is just like a child, a child in order to get the attraction of the mother will start crying. So this is described by many of our acaryas, it is part of the mood that we need to develop actually as preachers in order to attract the attention of the Lord, in order to get the mercy of the Lord.

So this pastime of Santipura is helping us to remember such great personalities as Srila Advaita Acarya and Srila Madhavendra Puri and to develop that same intense desire. Actually there has to be an intense desire to want to preach Krishna consiousness. First to understand deeply what is Krishna consciousness, what is the desire of our acaryas. All of our great personalities, so many great acaryas, so many great associates of the Lord, they had that very intense feeling of wanting to assist the Lord in his mission.

Of course there are so many unlimited ways that we can engage ourselves, somehow we should pray to the Lord, we should pray to Srila Prabhupada, we should pray to the acaryas, to become inspired in taking up some aspect of Lord Caitanya’s mission. Actually all of us as devotees, there are certain words, actually there are many words that should immediately evoke many thoughts and many feelings within us. Words like dharma, words like tattva, they are full of unlimited meanings. Actually the world is devoid of this understanding, the world largely is devoid of Krishna consciousness.

And we know as devotees we have this great fortune because we have come in contact with personalities Srila Advaita Acarya, Srila Prabhupada and other such personalities. The knowldege that we have received is helping us understand that unless one knows about Krishna consciousness one can never be happy in this world.

So in this way Srila Prabhupada has given all of us a tremendous mission, actually the mission of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and we should try to follow in the footsteps of these personalities. They were constantly taking inspiration especially from the, our more recent acaryas they are constantly taking inspiration from the writings of the Goswamis. Our acaryas as we know the Goswamis of Vrindavana have been deputed by Lord Caitanya to give us the cream and the essence of the Vedic knowledge. And these great personalities like Srila Madhavendra Puri and Advaita Acarya they fully imbibed actually this knowledge and therefore they were constantly inspired to very forcefully preach Krishna consciousness. So likewise as followers of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu we have these great personalities that we can look up to and in this way try to execute more and more the mission of Lord Caitanya.

Actually I just wanted to comment on one or two small things. These personalities Srila Madhavendra Puri, Srila Advaita Acarya and Nityananda Prabhu they are of course completely absorbed and situated in the prema level or pure love of Krishna. They have already realized the third level, what we call third level of knowledge isnt it, sambandha, abhideya and prayojana. They are on the level of prayojana. Now it is…of course our goal as well is to reach that platform of pure devotional service. But the science of bhakti, the science of devotional service it is very vast and very deep. And especially Srila Jiva Goswami who as we know is known as the acarya in terms of tattva. And he has given us, summarized actually this tattva in what is called the Sat Sandarbhas.

And actually if we analyze not only the Sat Sandarbhas of Srila Jiva Goswami, if we analyze the writings of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura our acaryas have written many things in regard to, before the highest level of Krishna prema. The initial phase of Krishna consciousness sometimes we want to go a little too fast. The initial phase of Krishna consciousness is actually the most important. It has to do with sambandha. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura actually in his small book called dasa mula tattva, seven of those ten topics deal with sambandha. So sambandha of course as we know in itself a very big topic, it has to do with our identity and our relationship.

So this first level we in our ISKCON society we have experienced, we still do experience quite a bit of challenge in terms of this level actually in relationships. And to a large extent that is because we are not living as naturally as we should be living. Actually during the pastimes of Lord Caitanya lets say in Santipura, society was very different from as we know them today. And many of these aspects of tattva actually can only be understood when we live that more simplified natural lifestyle.

So the point is that there are many aspects in terms of Krishna consciousness, many aspects in terms of tattva. We should be patient in terms of gradually rising to the higher platforms. Our goal of course is to come to that level where personalities like Advaita Acarya, and Madhavendra Puri are fully understanding and absorbing the mission of the Lord. And the more we are engaged in the activities of devotional service this understanding will gradually come.

So I would like to take this opportunity actually because our festival is close, you know, Gaura Purnima is just in a few days, it is actually very inspiring to see so many devotees coming to Sridhama Mayapur. Devotees are able to share many of the activities that are ongoing around all over the world. Srila Prabhupada wanted that we come to Sridhama Mayapur to actually we could say recharge ourselves again and become more and more inspired so that we can also become very enthusiastic, inspired in preaching more and more Krishna consiousness.

So we shoud pray for the mercy of Srila Madhavendra Puri and Srila Advaita Acarya so that we can also get the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Jaya Srila Madhavendra Puri ki jaya!

Jaya Srila Advaita Acarya ki jaya!

Jaya Santipura dhama ki jaya!

Jaya Nitai Gaurapremanande hari haribol!

Any questions or comments?

Devotee: Can you describe how sambandha jnana can be understood in a natural lifestyle.

Maharaj: Very quickly. Two things. Sambandha jnana has to do with our spiritual identity. A more natural lifestyle on the spiritual level is bhakti, devotional service. And sambandha jnana also has to do with understanding our natural lifestyle on the material level. This has to do with what is called sva-dharma. We have a spiritual sva-dharma what is bhakti and we have a material sva-dharma. We have a material sva dharma which is connected with varanasrama. Both are eternal principles. Both are based on eternal principles established by the Lord Himself, Krishna.

So natural lifestyle on the material level means specifically two things, actually three. It is summarizing in our Vedic sastra what is called science of economics and that natural lifesytle means connected with the land, connected with the cows and connected with Krishna. Part of our preaching mission, part of dharma, part of part of Lord Krishna’s mission is, Lord Caitanya’s mission as well, because Lord Caitanya comes to follow and establish Krishna’s mission is to understand these two levels of dharma actually and to make them happen. Actually both are science sciences within themselves, the science of bhakti – the science of devotional service, the science of spiritual sva-dharma is a science in itself and the other one the science varnasrama is also a science in itself.

And of course at the end of the class we cant start talking about that very much but that’s I would say the gist of it.

Any other? Devotee: I know Maharaj you have got ten self sufficient communities and I have myself lived in a self sufficient house in New Govardhana just for a few years. But when you live in the city or you live in Mayapur its connected to electricity, everything not running self sufficiently. So if you wanted to live a self sufficient lifestyle how would you be able to do that when you are living in these different places?

Maharaj: If one is living in different places like cities how to manifest self sufficiency? Well, Vedic culture is teaching us simple living. The principles of simple living can be applied anywhere. But it is more of a challenge in the cities as they are constructed at present. The cities we should know that are presently existing are not ideal cities. Not only are they not ideal but they are actually very detrimental in many ways for our, you know, for promoting Krishna consiousness. So Srila Prabhupada wanted that we be in the cities but for giving a message. (chuckles) Those of us who are in the cities for preaching purposes, we should understand primarily it should be preaching purposes and we should avoid becoming overly entangled. Part or our mission, part of Srila Prabhupada’s mission is to actually understand the Vedic norm in terms of how the vast majority of people are meant to live and the vast majority of people are not meant to live actually in the cities.

So those of us who are in the cities we should, there are different ways that we can minimize accumulating too many material things, only whatever we are needing for our living, for our preaching. And we should, Srila Prabhupada gave this instruction many years ago, we should be connected with a rural community. (chuckles) Something very practical where we can get wholesome food or where we can get pure milk, things like that. And Srila Prabhupada gave a very important instruction also which is part of our Vedic culture that the vast majority of house holders they should be connected with agriculture, but those in the cities at least they should be connected with prasadam. Connected with prasadam doesn’t mean just eating prasadam, or taking prasadam but means developing catering services, offering prasadam, distributing prasadam.

Yes Srila Prabhupada wanted that, he gave many instructions in that regards for those who are, of course there are many other preaching activities, for example those who are involved in book distribution or preaching to congregation. Whatever preaching activity we can do that’s fine but we should avoid becoming overly entangled basically.

I will close on this one point which some of you might find a little difficult to either understand or digest. That those devotees, listen carefully, (laughs) those devotees who are living in the cities, and I know that’s a vast majority of you sitting here but who are not engaged in front line preaching actually don’t belong in the cities, should not be living in the cities. Our cities should be our preaching bases. I repeat - our cities should be our preaching bases where we are engaged in preaching first and foremost.

And the second part of the mantra is that our living bases should be rural communities. We should be living in the country, we should be living actually in villages, that is the Vedic norm. And then the question you are asking, sambandha relationships will take completely a different dimension. And that is one of many reasons why we have many complicated situations in our lives as devotees actually.

Its like when somebody doesn’t know about Krishna he is maya isnt it? Before we all came to Krishna consciousness I was in maya like probably most people. So we can be in maya in two ways, actually more than two ways, but two major ways. One we don’t know about Krishna and number two we don’t know what is the natural way to live. When we are disconnected with the land and the cows we are disconnected with Krishna. Or put it in another way our connection with Krishna is not complete.

Those of us who are here, that means all of us who are here in the material world, its like we have this material body, everyday we have to provide for this material body. Krishna has given a way and a system, Krishna has given us all ideal perfect complete systems. Yes, even this pastime of Srila Madhavendra Puri both in Vrindvana for example is connected with cows because this cow herd boy brought him milk. When Srila Madhavendra Puri stopped in Remuna his pastime is also connected with cows – Ksiracora Gopinath.

So actually we are past our time, kindly excuse me for going over time. Once again thank you very much. Have a wonderful Santipura festival today.

Jaya Srila Advaita Acarya ki jaya!

Jaya Srila Madhavendra Puri ki jaya!

Jaya Samasta Gaura bhakta vrnda ki jaya !

Nitai Gaurapremanande hari haribol!

Calf slaughter banned in Maharashtra

Calf slaughter is finally banned in Maharashtra — a move that took almost two decades to materialize and was initiated during the previous Sena-BJP government.

The Maharashtra State Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill (1995) which came into existence during the previous Sena-BJP government — pending for approval for last 19 years (possibly one of the longest pending Bills) — has finally secured the assent of President Pranab Mukherjee.

A letter submitted to Maharashtra Governor C. Vidyasagar Rao by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs mentions that Mr. Mukherjee has given his assent to the Bill on February 26.

The Bill was first submitted to the President for approval on January 30, 1996. Over that period several correspondences were exchanged between Maharashtra government and the Centre for clarifications and also to study the effects of the implementation of the Bill on agriculture and farming. However, subsequent governments at the Centre, including the BJP led NDA stalled it and did not seek the President’s consent. Repeated demands of the State BJP to formulate the law went unheard during the 15-year tenure of the Congress-NCP in the State.

Cow slaughter is already banned in the State under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act (MAPA) but right-wing groups have for decades fought to extend the prohibition to the killing of calves, which could be slaughtered after acquiring the ‘Fit for Slaughter’ certificate from civic authorities.

Maharashtra Chief Minsiter Devendra Fadnavis, whose government had within weeks of coming into power stepped into action to secure the ban, expressed his gratitude to Mr. Mukherjee. “Our dream of ban on cow slaughter becomes a reality now,” Mr. Fadnavis said on Twitter.

While BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari told The Hindu that the party’s efforts to seek a ban on slaughter of calves should not be viewed with a communal lens but keeping in mind the “interests of agrarian communities,” critics have termed it the party’s clear appeasement of right-wing groups. The VHP congratulated the Maharashtra government on securing a ban on calf slaughter.

Barely two weeks after coming to power, on November 12, 2014 the Fadnavis government initiated a move to send the Bill, with all its clarifications, for the President’s consent. The following day Mahesh Pathak, the secretary of animal husbandry department, wrote to the Union ministry of home affairs expressing the State government’s wish to follow up on the bill and urging the Centre to obtain the President’s consent at an early date.

Amid continuous clamour by the BJP’s MLAs and Ministers in Maharashtra for a ban of calf slaughter, on Thursday seven party MPs led by Kirit Somaiya, MP, Mumbai North-East, met Mr. Mukherjee in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum to him seeking his assent to the ban on slaughter of calves in the State.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/calf-slaughter-banned-in-maharashtra/article6952083.ece

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj's Meeting with the Hon’ble President of India

On February 28th, 2015 we met the Hon’ble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi. We were scheduled to meet him at 6.30 pm. We reached Rashtrapati Bhavan at 6.15 p.m. His Holiness Radhanath Swami, Gauranga Prabhu and Radharaman Prabhu accompanied me for the meeting. As we arrived at Rashtrapati Bhavan the Hon’ble Presidents officers gave us warm reception. Then sharp at 6.30 pm we entered the President’s room. He greeted all of us and offered us seats. His Holiness Radhanath Swami presented him Lord Narshimhadev’s Maha flowers bouquet & Sri Sri Radha Parthasarthi Mahaprasad. Then His Holiness Radhanath Swami presented his autobiography “The Journey Home” to the Hon’ble President.

His Holines Radhanath Swami thanked the Hon’ble President for inaugurating the ISKCON temple at Pune and Maharaj informed him that thousands of visitors are coming to the temple daily and getting the blessings of the Lord. The Hon’ble President was very happy to hear that and he started glorifying Srila Prabhupada. He said that Srila Prabhupada’s contribution to the world is unique and ISKCON is doing great service to humanity and the world by spreading the message of Bhagavad Gita and teachings of Lord Chaitanya.

Mr. President then recollected his visit to Mayapur and staying in the guest house in 1999 during elections. He also recollected inaugurating the Kolkata Rathayatra. His Holiness Radhanath Swami then presented him the booklet about Govardhan Eco Village at Mumbai. His Grace Gauranga Prabhu explained to the Hon’ble President how GEV project is helping the villagers. President was very happy to go through the booklet and with great interest he noted the work done by ISKCON in reviving the economic prosperity of farmers, preserving the eco system, organic farming etc.

Radharaman prabhu presented special sweet brought from a particular sweet shop which President loves in Kolkata. President was very happy to receive them.

ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission confirmed the Sannyasa applications for two senior disciples of HH Bhakti Charu Swam Maharaj: HG Ganganarayan Prabhu and HG Lilasuka Prabhu. This is the culmination of so many years of patiently waiting and their dedicated service to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON and their Spiritual Master. The news was met with great jubilation here at Sridham Mayapur. Please shower them with your best wishes and prayers. 

Maharaj has fixed the dates when he wishes to conduct the special Sannyasa ceremonies as follows: 

• HG Ganganarayan Prabhu will be taking Sannyasa on 5th March 2015 (Gaura Purnima) at ISKCON Ujjain, India. 

Ganga Narayan Das, born on 31st December 1967, came in contact with ISKCON in 1994 and joined as a full‐time devotee in 1995 in Mayapur. He received initiation in the family of Jagat  Guru Srila Prabhupada from His Holiness Bhakti Caru Swami Maharaj. He came in Krishna Consciousness in 1994. Since 1994 , when he was 27, he is serving in the mission of His Divine    Grace Srila Prabhupada. He sings Vaisnav Bhajans melodiously and beautifully explains their purports. He focuses on establishing loving relationship with devotees and everyone else. 

• HG Lilasuka Prabhu will be taking Sannyasa on 29th May 2015 (Nirjala Ekadasi) at Radhadesh, Belgium. 

 Lilasuka Prabhu, born in Belgium, in 1960, met devotees in Ghent in the summer of 1992. From 1992 to 1996 he was active in Nama Hatta preaching in Ghent, and joined the Radhadesh  temple in 1996. In 1994 he met His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami who accepted him as his disciple and gave him first initiation on 12 March 1998 and second initiation on 25 August 1999.  Right after his first initiation he became the first secretary for the newly formed European RGB. He organized the first European Leaders Meetings (ELM) and went on several missions for  the European RGB. In 2004 Lilasuka Dasa was requested to become to Secretary for the Global GBC Body and the Secretary for the GBC Executive Committee. He fulfilled that role until  September 2009. 

yad yan niruktam vacasa nirupitam  
dhiyaksabhir va manasota yasya
ma bhut svarupam guna-rupam hi tat tat  
sa vai gunapaya-visarga-laksanah

Translation: 
Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him.

Purport: 
One who manufactures names, forms, qualities or paraphernalia pertaining to the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot understand Him, since He is beyond creation. The Supreme Lord is the creator of everything, and this means that He existed when there was no creation. In other words, His name, form and qualities are not materially created entities; they are transcendental always. Therefore by our material concoctions, vibrations and thoughts we cannot ascertain the Supreme Lord. This is explained in the verse atah sri-krsna-namadi na bhaved grahyam indriyaih.

Pracetasa, Daksa, herein offers prayers unto the Transcendence, not to anyone within the material creation. Only fools and rascals think God a material creation. This is confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (9.11):

avajananti mam mudha  
manusim tanum asritam
param bhavam ajananto  
mama bhuta-mahesvaram

“Fools deride Me when I descend in the human form. They do not know My transcendental nature and My supreme dominion over all that be.” Therefore, one must receive knowledge from a person to whom the Lord has revealed Himself; there is no value in creating an imaginary name or form for the Lord. Sripada Sankaracarya was an impersonalist, but nevertheless he said,

narayanah paro ’vyaktat: Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is not a person of the material world. We cannot assign Narayana a material designation, as the foolish attempt to do when they speak of daridra-narayana (poor Narayana). Narayana is always transcendental, beyond this material creation. How can He become daridra-narayana? Poverty is found within this material world, but in the spiritual world, there is no such thing as poverty. Therefore the idea of daridra-narayana is merely a concoction.

Daksa very carefully points out that material designations cannot be names of the worshipable Lord: yad yan niruktam vacasa nirupitam. Nirukta refers to the Vedic dictionary. One cannot properly understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead merely by picking up expressions from a dictionary. In praying to the Lord, Daksa does not wish material names and forms to be the objects of his worship; rather, he wants to worship the Lord, who existed before the creation of material dictionaries and names. As confirmed in the Vedas, yato vaco nivartante/ aprapya manasa saha: the name, form, attributes and paraphernalia of the Lord cannot be ascertained through a material dictionary. However, if one reaches the transcendental platform of understanding the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he becomes well acquainted with everything, material and spiritual. This is confirmed in another Vedic mantra: tam eva viditvati mrtyum eti. If one can somehow or other, by the grace of the Lord, understand the transcendental position of the Lord, one becomes eternal. This is further confirmed by the Lord Himself in Bhagavad-gita (4.9):

janma karma ca me divyam  
evam yo vetti tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma  
naiti mam eti so ’rjuna

“One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.” Simply by understanding the Supreme Lord, one goes beyond birth, death, old age and disease. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami therefore advised Maharaja Pariksit in Srimad-Bhagavatam (2.1.5):

tasmad bharata sarvatma  
bhagavan isvaro harih
srotavyah kirtitavyas ca  
smartavyas cecchatabhayam

“O descendant of King Bharata, one who desires to be free from all miseries must hear, glorify and also remember the Personality of Godhead, who is the Supersoul, the controller and the savior

from all miseries.” -----------------------------------------

HH Bhakti Saran Santi Goswami: (invocation prayers)

So in these instructions Lord Caitanya to Sanatana Goswami mentions that our eternal relationship with Krishna is real, jivera svarupa haya krsnera nitya dasa, that we are all eternally parts and parcels of Supreme Personality of Godhead and that is a fact.

So we have lost that eternal relationship and somehow or other we have got to revive it. And therefore it is recommended by Rupa Goswami. He defines sadhna bhakti, that sadhana bhakti means engaging the mind and the senses in devotional service we can revive that lost dormant love and relationship with Krishna.

Just like a mother she is confident in teaching or training her child to walk. She is confident that that at some point my child will walk! So Lord Caitanya, the Six Goswamis and our acaryas, they are also similarly confident that if we follow this sadhana bhakti process then we will also be able to revive this eternal relationship with Krishna.

So Krishna consciousness itself Prabhupada said is very easy, the difficulty is that we have brought into Krishna consciousness all complications. Therefore Prabhupada has given us a very nice formula that specifically that if we engage the tongue, you know both chanting and taking prasadam, then this will begin the reawakening process and revive our Krishna consciousness.

Because the tongue is the most voracious and difficult to control, it must be engaged first. Therefore these two activities, specifically these two activities, using the tongue for chanting the Hare Krishna mantra and using the tongue for taking bhagavata prasadam.

There was an incident in middle 70’s when Prabhupada was in Hyderabad. He was observing while he was there the distribution of prasadam. And he got very very very upset. He got upset because the devotees were distributing dry khichadi and it was cooked by a nondevotee. He called the leaders to his room and for at least one hour the preached to them the importance of preparing opulent prasadam. He pointed out,

“Do you think that people are coming to this temple to hear philosophy? And even if they hear the philosophy do you think they all understand the philosophy? No, they will come and they will go and be discouraged. You must attract them with kirtana and prasadam.”

And he pointed out, “This is Lord Caitanya’s program, it is not my program, I have not invented this. This is Lord Caitanya’s program. Why are you trying to disrupt what I have created? Tomorrow I want at least five opulent preparations served to the guests that come to our temple. And if you don’t have any money in the temple, then I will give you money from the BBT.”

So he was that concerned.

I remembered I joined specifically because of taking the Sunday Feast. I did also not understand the philosophy, it was way above my head, the kirtana was too noisy but as soon as they placed that feast plate in front of me, I perfectly understood. (laughter)

What was on that plate? Two subji’s, kofta, puris, puspanna rice, samosa, chutney, and laddu, burfi, sweet rice, and halwa with a cup of nectar. I felt rejuvenated even after the first plate. So when the devotees encouraged me: yes you come every Sunday, I came every Sunday. After some time they said, now you come every day for lunch too. And I said, why not! So in that way for three months, three or four months I was simply coming to the temple to take prasadam. And in those three months I stopped taking drugs, stopped eating meat and all kinds of other nonsense things that I was doing.

And then one day I was going home from the temple I was traveling on a double decker bus. Double decker means top deck, bottom deck. I was on the top deck. No one else was there and something very mysterious happened. I will demonstrate.

Krishna! Krishna! Hare Krishna!

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna KrIshna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare And I could not stop chanting. I chanted all that evening, I practically chanted myself to sleep. (applause) and the next morning I went to the temple and asked to see the temple president.

I said to him I have a problem.

He said what is your problem?

I keep chanting your mantra. I can’t stop.

So he laughed. He said, do you realize what you have been eating the last three months?

I said good food.

Prasadam is Krishna, Krishna is prasadam. You have eaten so much prasadam that your tongue has now been purified and now Krishna is dancing on your tongue and forcing you to chant Hare Krishna.

Haribol!

So this is an example. I am sure all of you have your stories. But only from that platform would I then appreciate kirtana and philosophy and begin to understand what is this Hare Krishna movement.

So I’d like, personally I would like to see in all ISKCON centers this unique Sunday Feast revived. I am going to be reading a few examples of how when we sometimes try to add something or subtract something, or speculate or misinterpret what the acaryas have given us. . . let me first read this verse which was mentioned in Prabhupada’s purport.

“Therefore material senses cannot appreciate Krishna’s holy name, form, qualities and pastimes. When conditioned souls awaken to Krishna consciousness and renders service by using his tongue to chant the holy name and to taste the remnants of food the tongue is then purified. And one gradually comes to understanding who Krishna really is.”

So its of paramount importance that we try to stick to the practices and principles and instructions that Prabhupada and our spiritual masters have given us, without adding anything, without subtracting anything, without some deviations, some short cuts, creating short cuts.

But I will read some of these, these are activities or pastimes of the devotees back in the early days where we tried to change things, we tried to deviate from the instructions that Prabhupada gave us.

The first one was actually with regards to chanting Hare Krishna. This was in Hyderabad on a morning walk where Prabhupada that particular morning wasn’t saying anything and so he instructed the devotees as we are walking, chant Hare Krishna. So one German devotee started the kirtana but he was not chanting properly. He was singing,

bhaja Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna KrIshna Hare Hare bhaja Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

And Prabhupada stopped him. He said, “What is this ‘bhaja’? Hare Krishna, bas! No adding no subtracting!”

Actually that particular morning that was just the beginning of a devastation that happened. Prabhupada got so angry with us that he walked away from his class, he was like a thunderbolt. But I won’t go into the details of that particular story.

Anyway subtracting, sometimes we like to subtract. Srila Prabhupada wanted the devotees to visit Mayapur and Vrindavana every year. He wanted us to come for the purpose of recharging and rejuvenating so that we could go back out and preach. But at some point one temple president came to Prabhupada and said,

“You know we have a big temple and if I send all my devotees to India each year that would be very expensive. So I have an idea that we stop the practice of sending devotees to the Mayapur and Vrindavana festivals and instead use that money for preaching.”

And Prabhupada said, “No actually there are better ideas of saving money. You stop eating! You just do your service but don’t eat!”

But his point was that just as much as we need to take prasadam every day to nourish our bodies so that we can have strength to serve, we also need to come to the holy dham every year at least on a regular basis to feed the soul.

Sometimes we also try to find short cuts within Krishna consciousness. I remember when I first joined there was one devotee. He heard in a morning class from the temple president, “You should always remember Krishna and never forget Krishna.” So he was thinking, “Hmm…always remember Krishna, never forget Him.” So he had this brilliant idea. In those days there were musicians that played the guitar and at the same time played harmonica.

So anyway he bought a stand, he couldn’t buy the musical instrument, he just bought the stand and he put a picture of Radha and Krishna on that stand. This way he could do his service and ever so often look at his picture of Radha and Krishna and always remember Krishna. Haribol! Problem solved!

He lasted two weeks and then we did not see him again. We thought he was unique. He had this picture and when he was peeling potatoes he would be peeling one potato and put in in the basin and he would come back to Radha and Krishna and then peel another potato and then come back again.

There was another devotee who came to Prabhupada and said, ”Prabhupada I want to go to Radha kunda and chant 64 rounds everyday.”

And Prabhupada said, “No! There are already so many monkeys there.” (laughter)

So this was an instance when we try to imitate the six Goswamis or whatever, prematurely trying to do something which we cannot possibly do. You know if you go you will last one week, two weeks, one month and then you will give it up.

There was another devotee who was introduced to Prabhupada. He was the first devotee in ISKCON that had memorized the whole of Bhagavad Gita. So he was introduced to Prabhupada, “Prabhupada, this is your disciple such and such, he has learnt the whole of the Bhagavad Gita, memorized the whole thing.”

And Prabhupada didn’t even look at him. He said to the servant, “Make sure that he is engaged in some devotional service while he is here in Vrindavana.”

Which is you know, we sometimes think that academic study is more important than devotional service.

This is not a process of academic study. Just like in a university, you study, study, study and to the degree that you study, to that degree you get your diploma. So we did both. We study, there is some academic study involved in devotional service but side-by-side we must perform devotional service. “We work in such a way that everything depends on us but we pray in such a way or we serve in such a way that everything depends on Krishna.” So we are waiting, not only are we serving, not only are we practicing but we are also waiting for grace.

In another instance when Prabhupada was giving a lecture a devotee made an inquiry: “You mentioned in your lecture there are giant eagles who fly from planet to planet.” And then he said “It is very difficult to believe this.”

And Prabhupada said, “What do you know, you are just, you are still in the womb of your mother! “Don’t try to see God but act in such a way that God can see you.”

So these are just some examples of how we try to change or try to find some more simpler way to achieve this perfection of our relationship with Krishna.

And I recently came across one article from his HH Giriraja Swami. In 1970 he was invited to Nellore to a convention where they were celebrating Gita Jayanti. But he was quite disturbed by the fact there was no picture of Krishna. They were actually celebrating Gita Jayanti and there was no picture of Krishna and instead they were using a candle. He said, “Yesterday I went to Gita Jayanti. There is a lamp. Why is there a lamp instead of Krishna? Therefore I say it is being wrongly preached. Why is there a lamp? Bhagavad Gita is spoken by Krishna so why is there no picture of Krishna? That means they have not understood Krishna. Therefore their so-called Gita society is not bona fide. Therefore we are, so our position is to rectify this wrong propaganda.”

So anyway in this verse today we are trying to ascertain what is, who is Krishna and what is our eternal relationship with Krishna. But there is a process which is being offered to us and we must try to stick to that process. It is a science, it is not a mechanical process. It is said that, if one has faith in Guru and Krishna, then all the imports of the Vedas are revealed to that devotee. By regularly hearing the Bhagavatam and rendering service to the pure devotee all that is inauspicious in your heart is destroyed.

And finally just a few verses from the Bhagavad Gita.

“I shall declare unto you in full knowledge both phenomenal and nominal, knowing which there shall be remain nothing further to be known. “ (Bg 7.2)

“That very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend. Therefore you can understand the transcendental mysteries of this science. (Bg 4.3)

And finally: The Supreme Lord said, “Because you are never envious of Me, O Arjuna, I shall give you this most secret wisdom, knowing which you will relieved from all miseries of material existence.”

So let us try our best to follow the guidelines which have been set, given to us, without any mental speculation or try to change in any way, add or subtract, to be in line with our acaryas. We will then transcend the modes of material nature and senses will become illuminated and our mind will become peaceful. Then Krishna will be understood.

Hare Krishna! Thank you very much! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

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!