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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

HH Prahladananda Swami :(Pranama Mantras)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hare Krishna. Thank you.

Devotee question:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prahladananda Maharaj:

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

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

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

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

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

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

http://youtu.be/e7E-QlPkJk8

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you. 

Your servant, 

Yudhistir Govinda Das

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ROUTE: Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir to Harihara-ksetra

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

1.Nandana Acharya Bhavan:

The place where Lord Caitanya and Lord Nityananda first met.

2.NarasimhaPalli:

Sri Narasimhahadeva rested here after killing Hiranyakasipu located at Devapalli.

3. Mandakini Lake:

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

4. Alakananda River and Harihara-ksetra

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

Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama Ki Jay!

For knowing pastimes of each place click on the topics

Easter Trip to Hare Krishna Castle in Radhadesh, Belgium

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

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

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

Hare Krishna all,

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

Good Friday 3rd April 2015

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

• Lunch/dinner will be provided upon arrival 

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

Saturday 4th April

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

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00

• Full visit of the Radhadesh grounds;

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

• the shops,

• the gardens,

• the Goshala  

• the Bhaktivedanta College

• the museums

• the restaurant!

• Lunch from 13.30 to 14.30

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

• Light refreshment of bread and milk

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

Sunday 5th April

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

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00. 

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

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

• Dinner in restaurant 16.00 to 18.00

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

Easter Monday 6th April

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

• Breakfast from 09:00-10:00.

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

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

Lecture - New York, April 27, 1966

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 35

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

Lecture - Nairobi, October 30, 1975

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

Sri Chaitanya-caritamrta - Adi 7.76

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

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

Lecture - Nairobi, October 27, 1975

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

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

VERSE 30
aviveka-kṛtaḥ puṁso hy artha-bheda ivātmani guṇa-doṣa-vikalpaś ca bhid eva srajivat kṛtaḥ

TRANSLATION
As one mistakenly considers a flower garland to be a snake or experiences happiness and distress in a dream, so, in the material world, by a lack of careful consideration, we differentiate between happiness and distress, considering one good and the other bad.

PURPORT
The happiness and distress of the material world of duality are both mistaken ideas. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Antya 4.176) it is said:

”dvaite” bhadrābhadra-jñāna, saba——”manodharma”
”ei bhāla, ei manda”,——ei saba ”bhrama”

The distinctions between happiness and distress in the material world of duality are simply mental concoctions, for the so-called happiness and distress are actually one and the same. They are like the happiness and distress in dreams. A sleeping man creates his happiness and distress by dreaming, although actually they have no existence.

The other example given in this verse is that a flower garland is originally very nice, but by mistake, for want of mature knowledge, one may consider it a snake. In this connection there is a statement by Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī: viśvaṁ pūrṇa-sukhāyate. Everyone in this material world is distressed by miserable conditions, but Śrīla Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī says that this world is full of happiness. How is this possible? He answers, yatkāruṇya- katākṣa-vaibhavavatāṁ taṁ gauram eva stumaḥ. A devotee accepts the distress of this material world as happiness only due to the causeless mercy of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. By His personal behavior, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu showed that He was never distressed but always happy in chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahāmantra. One should follow in the footsteps of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu and engage constantly in chanting the mahā-mantra—Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare. Then he will never feel the distresses of the world of duality. In any condition of life one will be happy if he chants the holy name of the Lord.

In dreams we sometimes enjoy eating sweet rice and sometimes suffer as if one of our beloved family members had died. Because the same mind and body exist in the same material world of duality when we are awake, the so-called happiness and distress of this world are no better than the false, superficial happiness of dreams. The mind is the via medium in both dreams and wakefulness, and everything created by the mind in terms of saṅkalpa and vikalpa, acceptance and rejection, is called manodharma, or mental concoction. _________________________________________ HH Niranjana Swami 

(Pranama Mantras)

First I would like to thank all of the assembled vaisnavas for this opportunity to render service. I pray to all of the vaisnavas who are here today to bless me that I may render this service with some devotion. For only then can these words be pleasing to the vaisnavas who are always eager to drink the nectar, honey, from the lotus feet of the Lord.

I just noticed this morning that this verse is, interestingly, spoken by Lord Siva. Since today is also Sivaratri, it is appropriate to say something that he has given to us. It is also the Kirtan Mela and I've been requested to say something about the chanting of the holy name. I thought this verse was very appropriate because in the purport, Srila Prabhupada speaks very clearly about the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and how the holy name of the Lord can impact our lives, spiritually.

This verse, as we said, is spoken by Lord Siva. The setting is him sitting with Parvati on Mount Sumeru. As we know, Chitraketu Maharaj had been flying above and was observing how Lord Siva was sitting with Parvati on his lap. He made some statement about that in a discouraging way. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura explains that this was arranged by the Lord so that Chitraketu Maharaj could very quickly be brought back to the spiritual world.

When Chitraketu Maharaj had spoken in this way, Parvati had heard what he had said and was very disturbed that he was speaking this way about Lord Siva. After deliberation, she decided that she should curse Chitraketu Maharaj to take birth as a demon. When Chitraketu Maharaj heard the curse, he immediately came forward before Parvati and Lord Siva and spoke in a way of complete and full acceptance of the curse. Parvati was quite astonished. "How is it that I've just cursed him to become a demon and he is so equipoised and so accepting of this curse?"

Lord Siva began to describe the characteristics of vaisnavas. He quoted the well known verse that Srila Prabhupada would often quote:

nārāyaṇa-parāḥ sarve
na kutaścana bibhyati
svargāpavarga-narakeṣv
api tulyārtha-darśinaḥ

That the devotees do not fear any condition of life. Whether they are in Heaven, Hell, or liberated, for them it is all the same. Devotees are fixed and interested in only one thing and that is to be engaged in rendering service to the Lord. Therefore Lord Siva, after speaking this verse, spoke about how the living entities who are not fixed in devotional service have to live with the conception of duality.

Then he spoke in this verse. This is the next verse which says that as one mistakenly considers a flower garland to be a snake, or experiences happiness or distress in a dream, so in the material world by a lack of careful consideration, we differentiate between happiness and distress, considering one good and the other bad.

In the eleventh canto of Srimad Bhagavatam, there is an interesting verse in this connection. This verse was spoken in a conversation between Narada Muni and Vyasadeva. Vyasadeva was inquiring about the nature of devotional service and how, by engagement in devotional service, one can become free from fear. Narada Muni quoted a conversation which had taken place earlier between the nine Yogendras and King Nimi. King Nimi had inquired in a similar way about the characteristics of devotional service. In that conversation, Kavi, one of the nine Yogendras, explained to King Nimi about the nature of fear and how it arises due to misidentification with the material body, and by being influenced by the external energy of the Lord. Then he explains that this is the nature of fear, that when one turns away from Krishna he forgets his identity as the servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

In the next verse he explains the exact same point which is mentioned in today's verse. I'll quote the verse as I remember it in English and then I'll explain it because it is very enlightening. He says that although the duality of the material world does not ultimately exist, the conditioned soul considers it to be real, under the influence of his conditioned intelligence. This imaginary experience of a world which is separate from Krishna, can be compared to the acts of dreaming and desiring.

When a conditioned soul dreams at night of something very wonderful or something very horrible, or when he daydreams of something he would like to have, or something he would like to avoid, he creates a reality that has no existence beyond his imagination. The tendency of the mind is to accept and reject things on the basis of sense gratification. The intelligent person therefore must control the mind, restricting it from the tendency of being in the illusion of seeing things separate from Krishna. When the mind is thus controlled, one will become free from all fear. That is the verse.

Now I will explain it. It is a long verse. The explanation is very interesting. When I give the explanation, I try to bring it down to something that is very tangible, something within our realm of experience. The verse is actually bringing it within our realm of experience when it talks about dreams.

Srila Prabhupada often would give an analogy about how beneficial analogies are. He gives the analogy that if one wants to see the movement of the moon in the sky, when looking at it directly, it's very difficult to see how the moon is moving. But when we look at the moon through the branches of a tree, it is much easier to see how the moon is moving. The branches are closer to us. They are closer to our experience. By seeing it through the branches we can see how it is moving.

In the same way, the sage Kavi is giving us an analogy about the duality of the material world. He's comparing it to dreams. Have any of you ever had a dream before? I think some of you may have experienced this. The next question is have any of you ever had a bad dream before? That is something within the realm of your experience.

Have any of you ever had a good dream before? Yes. Something also within the realm of your experience. The sage, Kavi, is saying that when the conditioned soul dreams at night of something very wonderful or something very horrible, or when he daydreams of something he would like to have or avoid, he creates a reality that has no existence beyond his imagination.

Now how is that? Just like, we may have a terrible dream. I've experienced it also. I fly a lot. I oftentimes experience that when I'm flying and I fall asleep I dream that the plane is dropping very fast. When I wake up, I'm happy. I feel very relieved. You may have had bad dreams. When you wake up you're very happy. You may have a good dream. I'm not going to explain what a good dream is. You have to consider it for yourself. Generally, a good dream is very enjoyable. When you wake up, "Oh, it was only a dream." You're sad. But what is the nature of that happiness and sadness? It's not connected to reality. It's connected only to a dream. It has no connection to reality. We create a reality that has no existence beyond our imagination. Now that's the night dream.

Kavi also speaks about the daydream. The daydream, as Srila Prabhupada also says right here in this purport, is no different than the night dream. During the daydream, we dream of something we would like to have or something we would like to avoid. Sometimes, the anticipation of attaining what we would like to have in our daydream brings us great happiness. After attaining it, oftentimes we realize that it's temporary and that realization in itself may lead to distress.

Similarly, in thinking to try and avoid certain things we dream, "Oh yes. I've been able to avoid suffering. Therefore, I'm happy." Some people even define their happiness by the fact that they're not suffering. Somebody asks, "Well, how are you, Prabhu?" "Oh, things are good. I'm not suffering." Therefore we live our life thinking about how to avoid suffering.

This is not a very good mission for life, simply trying to avoid suffering. There's more to life than avoiding suffering. We'll talk about that later in relationship to the holy name. The sage Kavi is explaining to us that both the happiness and the distress connected to the dream and the happiness and distress connected to the daydream creates a reality that has no existence beyond our imagination. Therefore the intelligent person must control the mind, restricting it from the tendency of seeing things separate from Krishna.

Now, it's very interesting that Srila Prabhupada has also quoted in this commentary a verse spoken by Lord Caitanya. He has quoted the verse:

'dvaite' bhadrābhadra-jñāna, saba — 'manodharma'
'ei bhāla, ei manda', — ei saba 'bhrama'

That in this material world the conceptions of good and bad are all mental speculation. Therefore to say this is good and this is bad is all a mistake. It's interesting that the word that is used here is manodharma, the religion of the mind. This is the dharma of the mind, to see duality. He's speaking this verse to Sanatana Goswami. The body of Sanatana Goswami was filled with all kinds of sores due to drinking bad water in the forest of Jarakanda. He was feeling very distressed that Lord Caitanya repeatedly seemed inclined to touch his body.

Lord Caitanya was trying to explain to him, "No. Your body is completely transcendental. Try to understand. Embracing your body is completely like nectar for me. I relish embracing your body. Even if your body was material, which it's not, in the material conception of life we should not think about good and bad." One verse is quoted from the Srimad Bhagavatam that anything that is not conceived in relationship to Krishna is understood to be illusion. None of the illusions either conceived in the mind or spoken by word are factual. Since illusions are not factual, there is no difference between what we think is good and what we think is bad. But when we think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead such speculations do not apply. Then He says this verse:

'dvaite’ bhadrābhadra-jñāna
saba-manodharma ‘ei bhāla ei manda’
ei saba bhrama

We should not think in terms of this is good and this is bad, when we think of it in relationship to the happiness and distress of the material world.

Therefore Srila Prabhupada has made a very interesting point in this commentary. He says that the devotee accepts the distress of this material world with happiness, only due to the causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He is not speaking about material happiness. We have already spoken about material happiness and material distress in the world of dualities. The devotee who has transcended the world of dualities knows that both the happiness and distress of this world are both miserable conditions of life. He wants nothing to do with the happiness and distress of the material world.

Rupa Goswami, in the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu, has defined three types of happiness. Happiness which is derived from sense enjoyment, happiness which is derived from liberation or from relief from the suffering of the material world, and happiness derived from devotional service. The happiness derived from devotional service is superior to the other forms of happiness. A devotee can accept the stress of this material world as happiness when he receives the causeless mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Prabhupada then quotes the verse by Prabhodananda Sarasvati Thakura:

kaivalyam narakayate tri-dasa-purakasa-puspayate
durdantendriya-kala sarpa-patali protkhata-damstrayate
visvam purna-sukhayate vidhi-mahendradis ca kitayate
yat-karunya-kataksa-vaibhavavatam tam gauram eva stumah

Anyone who receives the merciful glance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, then the conception of liberation, for him, is like hell. kaivalyam narakayate. And the pleasures of the heavenly world are like a dream. Such is the nature of the heavenly pleasures of the heavenly planets. Then he says that the venomous serpents of the senses will become like serpents with broken fangs. They will no longer have any poisonous effect. When the venomous fangs of the serpent are broken, they cannot strike on an object and have a poisonous effect whatsoever. visvam purna-sukhayate The whole universe becomes ecstatic. The positions of demigods are like positions of insects. This is the result of obtaining the merciful glance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

Of course, that merciful glance of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is also made accessible to everyone by the manifestation of His holy names. As we know, the nature of Krishna's name is

nāma-cintāmaṇe kṛṣṇa
caitanya-rasa-vigraha
pūrṇa śuddha nitya muktā
bhinnātman karuṇāmaya

The holy name of Krishna is completely transcendental. It bestows all spiritual benedictions because it is Krishna Himself, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. It is not a material name under any circumstance. It is as powerful as Krishna, Himself. It is always eternal and liberated. This is the nature of Krishna's name. Krishna has so kindly made Himself accessible in His names.

kali-kale nama-rupe krsna-avatara
nama haite haya sarva-jagat-nistara

In the age of Kali, Krishna has manifested Himself in His name. For anyone who associates with His name, it's as good as associating with Him directly. Certainly, he is delivered. So the Lord has very kindly made Himself accessible to everyone in the form of His name. As Srila Prabhupada explains in the commentary, and a very important point, that by His personal behavior, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu showed that He was never distressed, but always happy in chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. One should follow in the footsteps of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and engage constantly in chanting His names. Lord Caitanya came to teach by His example. By His example, He showed that he was always relishing the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. By relishing it, He was making the sweet taste of Krishna's name available to others. 

This was Lord Caitanya's method of distributing the holy name. This was Lord Nityananda's method of distributing the holy name. This method of distributing the holy name was by first relishing it Himself, and then giving its sweet taste to others. Right here, Lord Caitanya in the house of Srivas Thakura, would relish the holy names of the Lord every night in the association of His most confidential associates. Those who were not His confidential associates were not allowed to participate. But then after relishing the taste of these sweet names with His associates, He, along with His associates, went out and distributed that sweet taste to others.

Similarly, all of us have gathered to relish the sweet taste of Krishna's names here in the association of devotees. But as servants of the holy name, we should never try to selfishly relish that sweet taste ourselves. Our duty is to go out and to give it to others. That is the auspiciousness of this event that has been created for all of us to take part in - to go together and to relish these sweet names. If we adopt the mood so nicely described by His Holiness Sacinandana Maharaj yesterday in his wonderful Srimad Bhagavatam class, of thinking of ourselves as very fallen and very much in need of mercy, and by qualifying ourselves in some way by prayer, intense chanting, and absorption, for the Lord to come down and to extend that mercy to us.

This is how we should be very eager to obtain the darshan of the Lord. Not that we should be so eager to see Him, but we should open up and purify our hearts in such a way that He becomes very eager to see us. He will come and very kindly distribute that mercy to everyone who opens their hearts in sincere prayer and chanting the holy names of the Lord. We should pray to serve the Lord and to please Him. Not only by getting the opportunity to taste the sweet name, but eagerly being given the opportunity to distribute it for the welfare of everyone. This is real service to the holy name. This is what Srila Prabhupada also came to teach by his example.

Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.

HH Bhakti Charu Swami

Hare Krishna. When Srila Prabhupada went to the West, Krishna actually created the perfect arrangement for Srila Prabhupada. The United States of America, at that time, was in a perfect situation to receive Srila Prabhupada. If we look at the history of America, then we can see that soon after the second world war, America reached the height of it's material prosperity. At the same time, the youth of America became disillusioned. They saw that money cannot buy everything. Especially the most important need for everybody - love. Money cannot buy love. Other situations also created a situation where American youth became disillusioned and disgruntled. They started to look for a positive alternative. They started to wonder what would make their lives worth living.

In the mid 60's we see that America was going through a very special phase, like the counter culture. They were searching for a positive alternative. At that time, they were thinking to find that positive alternative through sex and drugs. Many of the youth at that time actually left a life of prosperity, comfort, and materialistic achievements. They came to the streets.

It was around that time when Srila Prabhupada arrived in America. It was a perfect situation, in 1965, the height of the counter culture movement. Srila Prabhupada gave them the real positive alternative to the materialistic way of life. What was that? Krishna Consciousness. We see that so many young American boys and girls became attracted to Srila Prabhupada. Many of them are present here. They came forward, being attracted by Srila Prabhupada's wonderful personality. This is how the Krishna Consciousness movement started in America.

At 26 Second avenue, Srila Prabhupada established the first ISKCON center. He registered the institution of ISKCON at a small little storefront, but he called it the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. We can see what a vision Srila Prabhupada had. Actually, it was really a vision, a vision into the future. Srila Prabhupada knew what was going to happen. A saintly personality like Prabhupada is a trikaladarshi. He can see the time in its three aspects: past, present, and future.

We see only the present. And the past is a hazy memory. The future lies in a dreamworld. Srila Prabhupada had a perfect vision. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness. When the movement was established in America, Prabhupada went to the West coast, San Francisco, Golden Gate Park, Haight Ashbury, the kingdom, the perfect world of the youth of America. All of the youth from America were converging in San Francisco. Srila Prabhupada saw that this was the real field for his preaching.

Srila Prabhupada went to the West coast. In that respect we must remember that Mukunda Maharaj played a very significant role. He is the one got the 26 Second Avenue storefront for Srila Prabhupada. Then Srila Prabhupada sent him to the West coast to start another center like that in the thick of the youth culture of America in Haight Ashbury. There, the youth culture of America again became naturally attracted to Srila Prabhupada.

Among them was Tamal Krishna Maharaj. He joined Srila Prabhupada in 1968. Srila Prabhupada went to a place where the young Americans were living in the redwood forest near San Francisco. He was so aloof from the materialistic culture that he was living in the forest. But Srila Prabhupada went to that place and it was just love at first sight. He left everything. Even that commune that he was living in. He came with Srila Prabhupada to San Francisco after one meeting, maybe even just one sight of Srila Prabhupada, attracted him to his lotus feet.

Then we see what an important role that he played in the Krishna Consciousness movement. It was as if he was just sent by Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist Srila Prabhupada. Actually, Srila Prabhupada at one time, I remember.one devotee was lamenting about his past. He was telling Prabhupada that his life was so sinful. Srila Prabhupada said, "As soon as I called, you came."

Whatever they were doing was not really important. They were just waiting for Srila Prabhupada to come to America and then they came. Srila Prabhupada himself said that these boys and girls were sent by his spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. These young Americans were sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist him in his mission.

When we see the life and activities of Tamal Krishna Maharaj, we see how much he had done for Srila Prabhupada. He was in the front line all of the time. At that time, in Los Angeles they had bought a Temple, a church. And who would be the President? Who did Srila Prabhupada select to be the President of the most important place for ISKCON? Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

Around that time, Shyamasundara Prabhu and Mukunda Maharaj and Gurudasa Prabhu, along with their wives Malati Mataji, Yamuna Mataji, and Janaki Mataji, had developed some relationship with the Beatles, mainly George Harrison. At that time, George Harrison and the Beatles were the most important people in the world of the youth. The whole youth of the world was bouncing with their music. This George Harrison became attracted to Krishna Consciousness. When things started to develop there in London, Srila Prabhupada sent Tamal Krishna Maharaj. Not so much to cultivate George Harrison, but to establish the Sankirtan Movement, to start book distribution. In London, then Paris, then Frankfurt, Tamal Krishna Maharaj started to establish the Krishna Consciousness movement in those areas.

This land where we are sitting, where we are situated today, initially there were a lot of difficulties to get the land because some people here did not want us to come. They did not want Srila Prabhupada to come and establish a center here. There were a lot of difficulties to get a piece of land. The buyers would come, somebody in the interest to sell the land, but then somebody would come and dissuade him from the deal. Two or three times the deals fell through. But then Tamal Krishna Maharaj was sent by Srila Prabhupada and he succeeded.

He made all of the arrangements. He came here with a lawyer, sat under a banyan tree which is by the side of the road, and signed the deal. Tamal Krishna Maharaj told me that at midnight he alerted Calcutta. Srila Prabhupada was still awake waiting for him to come back. He offered the agreement, the sell deed, to Srila Prabhupada.

I also had the good fortune of seeing Tamal Krishna Maharaj for the first time here in Mayapur. I remember my roommate was one American devotee, Tirthapada Prabhu. I saw Bhavananda Prabhu and another person, a very bright looking and handsome individual. They were walking. I remember the first sight and I immediately offered obeisances. It was so overwhelming. The sight was so impressive. My heart was immediately filled with appreciation and respect for him.

Srila Prabhupada was here at that time. That was in 1977. Tamal Krishna Maharaj became Srila Prabhupada's secretary. I was just a new devotee at that time, but during our first meeting Srila Prabhupada asked me to translate his books into Bengali. So I was translating his books and I had easy access to Srila Prabhupada. At those days, to go near Srila Prabhupada was practically impossible. Thousands of devotees were surrounding him, dying to have his darshan. So it was very difficult to get anywhere near Srila Prabhupada. Because of this service, I had the good fortune to approach Srila Prabhupada whenever I wanted it. Everybody knew that I was translating. Srila Prabhupada was actually guiding me. He was training me up.

One day while I was translating, Srila Prabhupada gave me a stack of Bengali letters. He asked me to reply to them. When I finished replying to those Bengali letters, Srila Prabhupada gave me a stack of Hindi letters to reply to. Srila Prabhupada used to give me the dictation and I used to handwrite them. Then Srila Prabhupada used to sign them.

In this way, when I started to reply to those letters, one day Srila Prabhupada told me that he was appointing me as his secretary for Indian affairs. Then he called Tamal Krishna Maharaj, who was his secretary at that time. He called Tamal Krishna Maharaj and told him about the appointment and suggested that I move into the room where Tamal Krishna Maharaj was staying. So that gave me another inconceivable good fortune - to be with Tamal Krishna Maharaj.

It was on top the Lotus building where we were sharing one room. That was an inconceivable good fortune for me. I had the good fortune of being trained up by him. He was so exemplary. I remember he used to get up every day at three o'clock. When he would get up, he would switch on Srila Prabhupada's tape. He would go to the bathroom and this tape was playing. I used to wake up hearing it. It was so nice to wake up lying in the bed listening to Prabhupada's tapes. Then Tamal Krishna Maharaj used to come out of the bathroom and then I would go.

We had a very wonderful relationship. I always treated him like my elder brother. He was so senior. Although, according to materialistic calculations, he is six months younger than me. I was born in September of 1945. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was born in March of 1946. So in that way it made him six months junior. When he found out, he was kind of joking, he said, "You're a senior to me, but I treat you like my junior." I used to tell him that, "You are so far advanced, so much senior to me." He was serving Srila Prabhupada so nicely.

This is how I had the good fortune of sharing a room with him wherever we went. From Mayapur we went to Bombay, from Bombay we went to Rishikesh, from Rishikesh we went to Vrindavan. Wherever we went we would always stay in the same room. Even if I said, "No, no, you stay in that room by yourself," he insisted that I come stay with him.

Even after Srila Prabhupada left, when Tamal Krishna Maharaj would come to Mayapur, he would share the room with me. He used to come and stay in my room until he got his room here in the Conch building. Although I always had a lot of respect for him, he would treat me like a friend.

I remember in Rishikesh sometimes we used to go for a walk. Srila Prabhupada was in Rishikesh. A few of us were with Srila Prabhupada. Sometimes in the afternoon Tamal Krishna Maharaj and I would go for a walk. We used to go across the Lakshman Jhula, across the Ganges, and then would go upstream. One day we walked like that and then we sat on a boulder on the bank of the river. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was telling me, "You're so fortunate to be born in India. Just to take your birth in India, you have come so close to the Vedic culture and to Krishna Consciousness."

I said, "Well that may be, but that's not me." I was not at all close to Indian culture in those days before I came to Krishna Consciousness. We were brought up with the understanding that the West is the best. So that was the culture. I was telling him, "The way you are serving Srila Prabhupada, I can very clearly see that you have been sent by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to assist Srila Prabhupada." He laughed and said, "You don't know my background."

Sometimes we had some very nice encounters also. Tamal Krishna Maharaj was known for his temper. He had another name which was Hot Tamale, because he has such a hot temper. When he used to get angry it was really something. He didn't get angry with me so often though.

In those days, I was a brahmacari. From Mayapur we went to Bombay. He was a little annoyed with me. I don't want to go into the details. He started to blast me. Finally he said, "I curse you that you'll get married!" In those days, for us to get married was something like the worst thing that could happen to a brahmacari. I was completely devastated. I went to Srila Prabhupada and told him that Tamal Krishna Maharaj cursed me that I would get married. Prabhupada replied, "You're already married. Go tell him that you're already married to Krishna."

In this way, we had so many wonderful encounters with him. At the bottom of it, the reality of it is that he was very affectionate to me, and I had a lot of respect for him. We had a deep bond between us. Sometimes there was an expression, "Tamal's man." I feel proud to admit that I am "Tamal's man." He was always very protective.

So today is Tamal Krishna Maharaj's disappearance. I want to end the class with one point. Tamal Krishna Maharaj's disappearance was very sudden. For six years, Tamal Krishna Maharaj did not come to Mayapur to attend the GBC meeting. He was studying. First, he did his undergraduate course in America. Then, he was doing his PhD in Cambridge. After completing that, he came to Mayapur after six years. He had so many ideas. He wanted to set up a University in Calcutta and eventually extend it to Mayapur. But all of a sudden, he was gone. Some of us had the feeling that Tamal Krishna Maharaj knew that he was going to leave.

I had an experience just about two or three days before Tamal Krishna Maharaj left his body. We were chanting together in his room. Tamal Krishna Maharaj stopped and said, "Take care of those boys in Calcutta." He had a few disciples there. "You are their father." I said, "No, I am the uncle. You are the father." He said again, "No, no. You are their father." He went on like that for some time. I could not understand why he was speaking like that because every body knows that the spiritual master is the father and that his godbrothers are the uncles.

This was one indication that I had that he knew that he was going to leave. He was requesting that I take care of his boys. All glories to His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami Maharaj. Gaura Premanande Haribol.

From Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir

Date: February 17, 2015 Speaker: HH Sacinandana Swami

VERSE 26 

namany anantasya hata-trapah pathan
guhyani bhadrani krtani ca smaran
gam paryatams tusta-mana gata-sprhah
kalam pratiksan vimado vimatsarah 

TRANSLATION

Thus I began chanting the holy name and fame of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are benedictory. So doing, I traveled all over the earth, fully satisfied, humble and unenvious.

PURPORT

The life of a sincere devotee of the Lord is thus explained in a nutshell by Narada Muni by his personal example. Such a devotee, after his initiation by the Lord or His bona fide representative, takes very seriously chanting of the glories of the Lord and traveling all over the world so that others may also hear the glories of the Lord. Such devotees have no desire for material gain. They are conducted by one single desire: to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course on quitting the material body. Because they have the highest aim of life, going back to Godhead, they are never envious of anyone, nor are they proud of being eligible to go back to Godhead. Their only business is to chant and remember the holy name, fame and pastimes of the Lord and, according to personal capacity, to distribute the message for others' welfare without motive of material gain. _________________________________________

HH Sacinandana Swami

(Pranama Mantras)

My dear devotees, it is a great honor to address you all here in Sri Dhama Mayapur. It is a dream come true. But I need your blessings upon me. I am not as good of a person, so deeply advanced, to sit on this elevated seat. So if you kindly shower your blessings so that the subjects which will be discussed today will have a surge of potency to reach our hearts.

This verse appears in the conversation between Narada Muni and Vyasadeva. It comes in a series of verses. I feel it is beneficial for all of us to know the vital contents in order to then understand this verse in this context. As we all know, Narada Muni had left his home and went to the jungle. There, under a banyan tree, he sat down and meditated according to the means of four great saints who had visited his home. While Narada Muni was meditating under the banyan tree, the Lord appeared to him and told him something.

When Narada Muni was overwhelmed by the darshan of the Lord, he became so absolutely moved that he lost the vision of both himself and the Lord. Everything disappeared. Then the Lord said something to him. This verse is the conclusion of what Narada Muni did after the Lord spoke to him words of consolation. We will read the verse now.

(read verse and purport)

Beautiful verse and purport. For those of you who would like to read it again, please take note it is from the first canto, chapter six, verse twenty-six. It is a summary of devotional life in our line of Krishna Consciousness.

When Narada Muni had the darshan of the Lord, and subsequently the Lord disappeared from him, something very important spiritually, happened. Something which the Lord explains. It is a foundational principle of Bhagavata philosophy. As we shall see, Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s movement embodies this particular principle. In this lecture, we will hear how the pastimes and teachings of Caitanya Mahaprabhu are an exposition of the Srimad Bhagavatam. Thus they are grounded in the amala purana which spreads the light in Kali yuga when Krishna is absent. By understanding this foundational principle, you will also be able to spread light in Kali yuga. I request you to listen carefully, with rapt attention, so that maybe something can be gained from these topics of the Bhagavatam and Mahaprabhu’s illustration of them, for your own Krishna Consciousness.

When the Lord had disappeared, Narada Muni was thrown into an ocean of abject inner pain. Imagine that a poor man receives a touchstone which can fulfill all of his desires, and then all of a sudden looses it. What will this poor man do? For the rest of his life, he will try to again find this jewel.

So the Lord is talking now about this. He says, “I regret that during this lifetime you will not be able to see Me anymore. Those who are incomplete in service and are not completely free from all material things can hardly see Me. Oh Narada Muni, you are virtuous. Only once you have seen Me in person, and I did this to you just to increase your desire for Me because the more you hanker for Me, the more you will be freed from all material desires.” The Lord says here that, “I appeared before you and then I withdrew so that something would happen in you spiritually. You will start to desire, very strongly, My presence again. This strong desire, this fire of spiritual desire, will counter act the fire of material desires so that you will be free from this.”

In other words, the Lord told him, “I’ve done you a very special favor by showing Myself to you just once. I did this to increase your desire to come to Me. For the more you hanker after My association, the more quickly you will become free from all that binds you here, from all material desires." Then, as if to solace him and wipe the tears of separation out of Narada Muni’s eyes, He says, “Rest assured, this is sure. There is no need of any doubt. By My mercy, neither your advancement in Krishna Consciousness nor your remembrance will ever be impeded. Even at the time of creation and annihilation. In other words, come hell or heaven, high tide or low tide, whatever happens, this image that is implanted on your heart, this desire for My association will always be with you and never leave you.” This is the Lord’s dealings.

At the Sravan Utsav Festival we talked a little bit about this. This is so important.

Krishna personally repeated the same message to His dearest devotees. After Krishna had called the gopis for the rasa dance, they had arrived in the middle of the night. But when the Lord said, “You can go home now. I think you came here just to see the beauty of Vrindavan’s forest in the night.” He spoke like He always speaks. “You can go home now, mission completed.” The gopis felt, “My Lord, we have given up everything to be with You.” And then on top of this, Krishna heard their pleas but then He ran away.

Later, when the Lord could not keep Himself separated any longer and appeared, the gopis asked Him a question. “Why did you deal like this with us? First you call us. You make us give up everything, including everything which a woman has, a good reputation in society. You made us come to the jungle. Then you disappeared from us. Do you have a problem? Some character problem? Make yourself understandable. What kind of lover are you?” They gave Him multiple choice, three choices. They thought he had only one choice - He is an ungrateful person. “Is this your character, that you are ungrateful to the devotees?”

Krishna said something very beautiful. Something which we all need to understand in order to understand His mind. In the paraphrased words of Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura’s Sarartha-darshini 10.32.20, He said, “Oh gopis who cannot understand My real intention, listen now very carefully. For those surrendered souls who worship Me through nama kirtan and other means, I do not respond in order to make their worship more perfect.”

Krishna disappears also from those who go to the Kirtan Mela. They will have some feeling of appreciation maybe, but then they will go through the dryness of the desert of no taste. “Ah, when will this ever end. The minutes don’t go by. What’s wrong with the clock?” And so on.

Krishna appears to all of His devotees on all of the levels, not just the highest ones. He appears to the young ones in the beginning of their Krishna Consciousness by giving them some taste which is so strong that they leave the material world. Otherwise we could not do anything. He is present to some degree or another when we read the Bhagavata Purana. It says that by reading this the Lord comes into the heart. To some degree or another, it may be small, but just some understanding that Krishna is wonderful. In this way, He is there.

But then He leaves. Don’t become hopeless at that time. Understand something important which is said here. “Not seeing Me, those who surrender develop deep humility, feeling.” “Alas, alas. Everything I have done has been useless. Because I am such an offender, Krishna has not shown even the slightest favor toward me. Let me be damned.” This is humility actually. Feeling really wretched. “By constantly thinking in this way, those who have not yet developed mature love of Me will become free from lust and anger and awaken pure devotion, full of power and brilliance.”

Srila Prabhupada commented on this. It is known in Christian theology as the “dark night of the soul.” You feel desperate because you don’t feel any love left. But the Lord has His eye on you and His mercy falls on you. He said that at that time, the devotee is desperate. Will he say “Oh, I’ll get another Lord. This is too much for me.” Or will he understand “I need to become purified now. There is a reason why the Lord is like this. He wants to increase my hankering for Him. By this, He wants that the small traces of material attachment.” Let us say it like this. Whatever is in the heart that should not be there, let it go by this mood of separation.

It’s something which appears throughout the Srimad Bhagavatam again and again. This is also the lesson of Caitanya Mahaprabhu. The foundation of our movement rests on this principle - developing the mood of humility with a deep yearning and longing for Krishna in the mood of separation.

When Caitanya Mahaprabhu met Isvara Puri in Gaya, He received the Gopal mantra. As a result, He wanted to run to Vrindavan to meet His Lord. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that this mantra makes the soul run after Krishna. But the devatas said, "My Lord, if you wish, please first start your sankirtana movement. Then go to Vrindavan. If you wish. We are just saying, as your service."

The Lord, in this way, did not go to Vrindavan. He went back to Navadvipa to start the sankirtana movement. He met first His relatives and told them about His experience in Gaya. Then He had a meeting with the devotees on the bank of the Ganga. It was during this meeting that the Lord explained His heart. The devotees could not recognize Him.

Before He went to Gaya, He was appearing like an arrogant pandit. In English you would call it a "know it all." He would engage with the different people that He met in debate, which made them look extremely foolish. He would say, "What is the explanation of this part of the sastra?" Pandit said, "This is the explanation according to naya." Then Lord Caitanya would say, "You are wrong. You are so wrong. This is the right explanation." And the pandit would say, "Yes. I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Then Lord Caitanya would say, "How can you be so foolish to accept my wrong explanation? This is an entirely wrong explanation! You are doubly foolish! First by making your explanation and second by accepting my wrong explanation." They were totally intimidated. Then Lord Caitanya said, "Again, you are wrong."

In this way He would jump back and forth and give this very intellectual warning. He had a mission in showing this. He wanted to say that material knowledge without bhakti is inconclusive. Apparently, He just pulled the ears of the pandits. So this was the impression. The bhaktas who saw Him were running away from him because they thought He was just going to entangle them again.

Now, He had come back from Gaya and He was crying, "Krishna! Krishna! Where are you?" It didn't make sense for them. The Lord told them, "I will explain what is in my heart. Come to where I am staying." There He explained what had happened to Him. He explained the same thing which we are discussing from the Bhagavatam. He said that on his way back, He came to Kanai Natshala and there, I will read now from Caitanya Bhagavata:

"There I saw a young, beautiful boy, with a glowing, dark complexion, blackish like the bark of a tamal tree. His enchanting curly hair was decorated with fresh flowers." Then he gives an explanation about Krishna. He had a colorful peacock feather, dazzling bright jewels on His arms, the mark of Srivatsa, kaustubha gem. He said, "I cannot describe it to you how He wore His yellow garment, His dhoti." Why is this in this Bhagavata? It looks like a moving flash. Do you have an idea about a garment which moves like an electrical flash? Of course not, it's inexplainable. "Then He disappeared. He embraced Me and then He disappeared."

Lord Caitanya crashed to the ground. The devotees were all very concerned. He had fainted. He was laying there like a dead person. Call in His ear, "Krishna! Krishna!" They pacified Him and brushed the dust off of His lips. The Lord was a little pacified, but then He started crying torrents of tears. He cried and said, "Where is Krishna? Where is Krishna?" When the devotees heard this, they became very satisfied. "Nimai Pandit has become a great devotee," they said. And then they said to Him, "For one who associates with You, what is the value of Vaikuntha? A single moment with You gives us the fruit of devotion. We are now all dependent on You. You are our leader now. You lead us in Kirtan."

This is how it all started. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu then started his nocturnal kirtans in the house of Srivasa Pandit and chanted throughout the whole night. He said, "Why should we waste our nights with sleeping?" Imagine at the end of Kirtan Mela, it's ten o'clock and everyone is just very much thinking, "We made it. We made it another day." And then the announcement would come from Yashomati, "What is the use of sleeping?" And Dayal Gauranga would also be there, the organizer of the Kirtan Mela. He would say, "Prabhus and Matajis, why waste our nights with sleeping? We should all continue to chant!" This is what Caitanya Mahaprabhu said to the devotees and they chanted all night.

I once spoke with His Holiness Sivarama Maharaj. He said that, "To join Caitanya Mahaprabhu's movement of chanting, you need a spiritual body." Very well observed. At the least, we need spiritual enthusiasm.

So this is how it all started, my dear devotees. This is the underlying mood, the mood of separation. In the words of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, "Where is Krishna?" If you forget everything else from this lecture, remember this one sentence. "Where is Krishna?" This is serious business. It has to come from the heart. That is the feeling which is required.

Now this feeling of the mood of separation from Krishna is possible for the conditioned soul. There are four moods of separation. Of these four, one is appropriate for the conditioned soul who is in this material world because he has turned away from Krishna. It is called in Sanskrit purvara, the anticipation of "I will meet in the future." How do you come to this mood that, "Krishna, I really need You." It's only by these things. You must hear from the Bhagavatam about Krishna. In this way develop some rucchi for this katha, some taste. Also, you must learn to serve the Bhagavatas, the devotees who talk about this message. You must do menial service for them because this will purify the heart. You will develop a taste for Krishna.

You can also develop this mood by being before your deities. By praying to Them, "Oh, my dear Lord, You are there and I am here. "ayi nanda-tanuja" Take me from this ocean of misery and fix me as one of the specs of dust at your lotus feet. You have feet of lotus. Your lotus feet have pollen."

Pollen is like this dust, you know this little yellow color when the wind comes. This dust waves over the Ganga, or the lakes where the lotus flowers are there. So the pollen belongs to the lotus feet. The devotee says, "I belong to You. This is unnatural that I am separated from You. Like the pollen dust belongs to the lotus, I belong to Your lotus feet. But I am now here and You are there. I cannot come to you on my own. Please give some mercy and pick me up and lift me. I cannot go on my own. This is the ascending path. You come down, You must reach Your hand. Remember that lizard who had fallen in the well? You saved him once. You extend Your hand and pick me up. Very important. You must take the initiative. I am powerless." This is how the devotee prays, ayi nanda-tanuja. My dear Lord, please pick me up.

The conclusion of Narada Muni is to take shelter. It is interesting to note that Narada Muni called the Lord navalinga,personified sound, and alinga, unseen by the eyes. This is a subtle point. He calls the Lord unseen, but His form can be perceived through sound. In another place in the Srimad Bhagavatam, Narada Muni gives another description of the Lord. He says the Lord has no material form. Srila Prabhupada says it's the form representation of transcendental sound. Or to put it in simple words, the Lord can be perceived as His holy name.

Narada Muni, knowing well that the Lord would not appear again to him, made a conclusion. "Thus, I began chanting the holy name form of the Lord by repeated recitation, ignoring all of the formalities of the material world. Such chanting and remembering of the transcendental pastimes of the Lord are blessing one and all. In doing so, I travel all over the world, fully satisfied, humble, and unenvious."

Here, Narada Muni gives a way of how one can kirtaniya sada hari, always chant kirtan. If you go through this sanskrit, you will find that Caitanya Mahaprabhu is talking about the same things. He says, "tusta-mana. I was fully satisfied, I was completely freed from all material desires, I was without pride, and I was not envious." These are picked up by Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He says:

trinad api sunicena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harihi

He gives these two principles. You must be free from pride like the straw on the street that people trample on. Then you must be non envious. In Mahaprabhu's words, you must respect others, not be envious and disrespect them. Not like a social requirement where I give you respect and now you give me respect. Like, when I go to someone I say, "Oh, Sannyasi Maharaj, you are the best! Now say something to me, please." It's not good. You respect everyone without wanting money or respect in return. It's very important. Now kirtaniya sada hari, one can do chanting, always. This was Narada Muni's conclusion, to go like this through the world without being proud or envious. Srila Prabhupada said in the purport that these devotees who feel like this have no desire for material gain. Why should we have fame or material gain? Why should I be envious of someone? They are conducted by one single desire to go back to Godhead. This awaits them in due course upon leaving the material body.

My dear devotees, the next time you are disrespected, next time someone hurls an insult upon you, understand that it's not worthwhile to fight. You want something higher. Do you want to be right? Or do you want to get blessings? Blessings are better on the spiritual path. Move forward as a humble person.

I would like to now bring this to the conclusion. Caitanya Mahaprabhu elaborates on this point. His elaboration is known as His eight instructions on how to enter the world of the holy name. Do you know the sanskrit name of this composition? The Siksastakam. In Srimad Bhagavatam a seed is given and Mahaprabhu takes this seed of instructions on how to chant and move forward and then meet the Lord again. Meet Him in the holy name.

My dear devotees, there is one work, Harinam Cintamani, which I guess most of you here know. There comes a verse where Haridas Thakur says, "The holy name is the greatest treasure in Lord Krishna's treasure house." Imagine that the Lord has a treasure house with so many treasures inside. The best treasure is not the gold. The best treasure in Lord Krishna's treasure house is the holy name. A little later there comes a very nice sloka which says what we are to do with this treasure. You need to accept this treasure from Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. You need to beg Him for this treasure. The Lord has come to give this most precious jewel in His treasure house to all of the conditioned souls. This is Lord Caitanya's special mercy. All you need to learn now is to accept it. How you do it is you need to bind your mind firmly to the holy name. You can learn this during the Kirtan Mela. There is so much chanting going on. You can do it for twelve hours. Just find it.

Haridas Thakura says, "Simply, by ones own endeavor, no one can control the restless mind." The mind will not like to be bound. It's like a child. Try to bind a child with a rope. "Come here! Stay here!" He will run. Or a little dog, also. The mind will not like to be bound. But you try again and again to bring the two together. You and the holy name. This is explained also. In this world of birth and death, the individual soul and Lord Krishna's holy name alone are spiritual. All else is material.

My dear devotees, now I will say something strong because you are well prepared for this. Fasten your seat belts. It will be a little intense. We can be in Krishna Consciousness for a long time and have kalpana, imaginations about ourselves, concepts, theories, philosophies, which are not digested as long as the heart remains impure. These concepts, even of good things, will not be more (or less) than just concepts about good things. They will not transform the heart very easily. The heart gets transformed only by Krishna.

Sukadeva Goswami wants to make this point at the end of the Bhagavatam. It says that mantras, philosophy, and visiting holy places will not work in Kali Yuga to purify the impure heart. Only the Lord's holy name will do it. He's not only making some phonetic statement. He gives a reason for this. The reason is because the Lord is the holy name and He can enter the impure heart and drive the impurities out. It is impossible to do this alone. You need the Lord to do this.

His example is how when gold, which is a pure metal, is mixed with an alloy, an impure metal, you can blow on it a little bit to get the iron out of the gold. You can also pour a little water on it to get the bronze out of the gold. This is like so many spiritual practices, yoga and all of this. You need fire. The fire touches the gold and melts to separate the iron and the dirt from the gold. In the same way, when the holy name is received by a sincere vaisnava, all of that which should not be there in the heart will slowly become separated from the purity which is there constitutionally. We are, for all eternity, Krishna's part and parcel. This separation is not done by some "this or that," it is happening through the holy name, alone.

Therefore this Kirtan Mela is a very serious effort. I would like to just speak a personal observation now. I find that in this Kirtan Mela, there is something which was not there in the first two Kirtan Mela's. I was only there in the first two. Then there was a third Kirtan Mela that I was unable to attend. But in the first two, there was not this atmosphere of focus. Now, have you noted when our Niranjana Maharaj spoke his favorite quote about chanting yesterday, that there was silence in this room. There was a focused atmosphere. This is so important if you want to receive the holy name. You have to be focused because you need to bring the mind into connection with Krishna. You need to actually hear the mantra and be with it all the time. It requires some focus, willingness, and prayer.

You're doing excellent already on the first day. Today is the second day. Please continue your good efforts like this. Do not relax your effort, but pace yourself. Rest enough, do everything that is needed to keep your body and mind working, but then spend maximum time in kirtan for the next few days. You will receive the best of Krishna's treasures from His treasure house. Do you know who will give it? Gauranga Mahaprabhu, in front of whom we are chanting. Gauranga Mahaprabhu with Nityananda, Advaita, Gadadhara, and Srivas Pandit, are all willing to give this treasure to the conditioned souls. We just must receive it. We just need to be there and try our best.

Thank you very, very much for your attention. Gaura Premanande, Haribol

"It is to be concluded that while conceiving a child one's mind must be very sober and devotional. For this purpose the Garbhadhana-samskara is recommended in the Vedic scriptures. If the mind of the father is not sober, the semen discharged will not be very good. Thus the living entity, wrapped in the matter produced from the father and mother, will be demoniac like Hiranyaksa and Hiranyakasipu. The conditions of conception are to be carefully studied. This is a very great science." (Srila Prabhupada, Purport to Srimad Bhagavatam, 3.16.35)

Gabhadhana-samskara, the first and most important of all the purificatory processes in the tradition of Sanatana dharma is yet either less prevalent today or almost extinct. Such a sacred practice remains obscure, less propagated and even less understood.

The new publication titled, "Garbhadhana-samskara, The Science of Vedic Family Planning" humbly attempts to fills this gap. A snapshot from the Table of Contents is given below.

The book is available in the print version as well as in the Epub format.
Visit: www.cteindia.weebly.com/publications.html
Or write to: forcteindia@gmail.com

REVIEWS AND BLESSINGS: There is an urgent need for all to learn about the vital importance of Garbhadhana-samskara to ensure good progeny for present and future
generations to come.
Sripad Bhakti Raghava Swami

This book is essential for all young people, both who are married and those
who soon will be.
Sripad Bhakti Vikasa Swami

This compilation is of great value to not only for the young couple but for
all concerned about the fate of the world.
Sripad Bhakti Rasamrita Swami 

This book fills the lacuna by gathering into one volume the knowledge for
creation of highly evolved progeny.
Sri Shyamasundara Dasa

It seems that such a detailed description about practice of getting good
progeny is available for the first time in English language!
Sri Gadadhara Pandit Dasa

No of pages: 316, thickness: 0.8 inch, weight:350gms

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Chapter 1:Concepts of Vedic Family Planning
1. Defining Garbhadhana
2. Importance of Garbhadhana-samskara
3. Goals of Vedic Family Planning
4. Proper age for Garbhadhana-samskara
5. Defining Rtukala, artava, sukra, yoni and linga
6. Defining Garbha
7. Factors that determine health, character and gender of the child

Chapter 2:Determining the right day and time for Garbhadhana-samskara
1. Determining the right date
2. Determining the auspicious time

Chapter 3: Vows and Preparations related to Vedic Family Planning
1. Putrotpatti vrata
2. Rajasvala vrata
3. Goseva vrata
4. Payovrata
5. Pumsavana vrata
6. Hari-vamsa sravana vrata
7. Sri Krsna Janmastami vrata
8. Prior preparations for Garbhadhana-samskara

Chapter 4: Process of Garbhadhana-samskara
1. Blessings from Deities, Guru, Vaisnavas and Gomata
2. Rules governing performance of Garbhadhana-samskara
3. Preparations one day prior to the scheduled date of Garbhadhana-samskara
4. Activities on the day of Garbhadhana-samskara, niseka or union at night and thereafter
5. Signs of conception

Chapter 5: Vows after conception and Diet during pregnancy
1. Vows to be followed by pregnant mother (Garbhini stri dharma)
2. Vows to be followed by husband of the pregnant mother (Garbhini pati dharma)
3. Diet during pregnancy

Chapter 6:Sins of Contraception, Abortion and Sterilization

Chapter 7: Timeless stories from Puranas
1. Aditi performs Payovrata
2. Kasyapa Muni and Diti's wrong union
3. Diti performs Pumsavana vrata
4. Lord Kapila appears in Devahuti's womb
5. King Rtumbhara's story
6. King Dilip's service to Mother Cow
7. Appearance of Lord Ramachandra
8. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krsna's appearance
9. Story of Vidula
10. Appearance of Srila Madhvacharya
11. Appearance of Srila Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Thakura

Appendices:
1. Godly and demoniac qualities
2. Grhastha and grhamedhi 3.
14 Principles of Vedic Family Life
4. Vedic embryology
5. Dietetic rules
6. Krsna Astottara stotra
7. Moksavimsaka stotra
8. Performing acamana

Epilogue
yasmin grhe pandu putra likhyate devaki vratam na tatra mrta niskrantir na garbha patanam tatha na ca vyadhi bhayam tatra bhaved iti matam mama na vaidhavyam na daurbhagyam na dambhah kalaho grhe O son of Pandu, in that house where discussions of My appearance from the womb of Devaki takes place, and are kept in the form of a book, no son will be born dead, and there will be no fear of miscarriage, disease, or widowhood, as well as no misfortune, pride, or quarrel.(Hari Bhakti Vilasa, 15.293-294) 

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On coming Sunday, the 22nd of Feb we will conduct a very special program in connection with the Institute for Spiritual Culture.

It will begin in the afternoon, at 4:45 pm in the open area of the Goshala in Mayapur.

PLEASE COME AND JOIN US IN

CELEBRATING THE GLORIES OF OUR MOTHERS!

As we know, out of our seven mothers five of them are human:

- the physical mother
- the wife of a brahmana
- the wife of Guru (including Siksa Guru)
- the wife of a king
- the nurse

And within spiritual culture they are highly respected and honored.....

Highlights of the program

* Hear enlightening words of wisdom
* Hear realizations of our mothers
* Watch humerous skits and role plays
* Chant in Kirtan
* Take prasadam

Chief Guests:
* HH Sivarama Maharaja
* HH Candramauli Maharaja
* HH Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja
* HH Bhakti Vaibhava Maharaja will lead the final kirtan We look forward to receive you in Vaisnava hospitality.....!

The program will also be broadcast on Mayapur.TV

Your servant, Devaki dd

His Grace Jnanagamya Prabhu (John Partin) has left this world from Sri Dhama Mayapur this morning, February 17th 2015 at 9 am. Very devoted Prabhupada Man! Please join us in prayers for him.

Jnanagamya Prabhu had joined Srila Prabhupada’s Hare Krishna movement in 1972. He had served in numerous ways, from leading sankirtan parties, maintaining and designing temples, producing graphics, exhibits, supervising construction, teaching to cooking chapatti. He was engaged in the production of a film about the process of becoming a devotee of Krishna called MONKS IN MANHATTAN (Everything You Never Wanted to Know About the Hare Krishnas). For more details about the movie project - www.monksinmanhattan.com

Audio lectures - www.iskcondesiretree.info

Videos - YouTube.com - ISKCON Desire Tree channel

Leave your tributes - here (only for desire tree members)

Sravan Utsav ended on 15th Feb. There was 8 hour of daily katha from 12th to 15th February 2015. Many sanyasis like HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj, HH Bhakti Vighna Vinasa Narasimha Swami, HH Jay Pataka Maharaj, HH Radhanath Maharaj and HH Sacinandana Maharaj gave lectures during the event. The lecture topics included pastimes of Lord Gauranga and Nityananda, Harinaam sankirtan and also topics that are normally not heard. For instance, HH Bhakti Charu Maharaj gave lectures on Brihat Bhagavatammritam. HG Radhika Ramana Prabhu came from USA especially for the event and gave lectures on Sad Sandharbhas (his PhD topic at Oxford University). Today, HH Bhakti Purusottama Swami thanked him during morning announcements for his visit.

There was an enthusiastic response from the audience despite warm weather. Here are some of the Pictures of Sravan Utsav 2015 at Mayapur

tokanam pitarau bandhu drsah paksma striyah
patih patih prajanam bhiksunam grhy ajnanam budhah suhrt

TRANSLATION
As the father and mother are the friends and maintainers of their children, as the eyelid is the protector of the eye, as the husband is the maintainer and protector of a woman, as the householder is the maintainer and protector of beggars, and as the learned is the friend of the ignorant, so the king is the protector and giver of life to all his subjects. The trees are also subjects of the king. Therefore they should be given protection.

PURPORT
By the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead, there are various protectors and maintainers for helpless living entities. The trees are also considered prajas, subjects of the king, and therefore the duty of the monarch is to protect even the trees, not to speak of others. The king is duty-bound to protect the living entities in his kingdom. Thus although the parents are directly responsible for the protection and maintenance of their children, the duty of the king is to see that all parents do their duty properly. Similarly, the king is also responsible for overseeing the other protectors mentioned in this verse. It may also be noted that the beggars who should be maintained by the householders are not professional beggars, but sannyasis and brahmanas, to whom the householders should supply food and clothing.

_________________________________________

HH Radhanath Swami

(Pranama Mantras)

I am very grateful to be given this opportunity to serve you today. I’ll try to speak something from Srila Prabhupada’s purport in Srimad Bhagavatam. We are reading from the fourth chapter of the sixth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam. We have heard from previous speakers what brings us to the verse today.

The King Pracinabarhi was a descendent of Dhruvha Maharaj. He was a very religious man, but was attached to the materialistic aspects of religion. Still, he had the intelligence to know that in order for his children to be proper leaders, they had to perform tapasya and get the mercy and blessings of the Lord.

He sent his ten sons, the Pracetas, into the wilderness. Eventually, they performed tapasya to Lord Vishnu under the guidance of Shiva. They did this under the water of the ocean. They were powerful yogis. Meanwhile, Narada muni came and gave really extraordinary instructions according to time, place, and circumstance, to their father, the King.

Narada Muni knew that if he came right out and told the King, “You are in maya. You are wasting your life,” that the King was very cultured and would have respectfully listened, but would not have heard a word that he said. As a genuinely compassionate preacher, Narada Muni started talking about another king, and how he was in maya. King Pracinabarhi was very enthusiastic to listen to this. It was a very elaborate story about King Puranjana.

Eventually, King Pracinabarhi realized that they were talking about him. By the time he understood that, his heart was completely transformed. That’s called preaching according to time, place, and circumstance. He gave the most powerful medicine of the siddhanta of renunciation with the anesthesia of apparently talking about somebody else. It was a successful surgery, and the king left home to give his one hundred percent total attention to pure bhakti, worshipping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, knowing that Krishna will take care of everything else.

Lord Vishnu appeared to the Pracetas and personally gave the sons of King Pracinabarhi His blessings. He told them that, “I am very pleased with your affectionate, friendly, relationships that you have with each other.” When the Pracetas came out and it was their time to rule the world, they saw what happened when there was no king at all.

The natural quality of material existence, like the laws of gravity, is that everything is pushed down. If I’m not holding this item, it falls. We are now looking at the TOVP. Those who are the architects and builders, structurally their main meditation is how to counteract the laws of gravity. The tendency of everything is to collapse. Therefore they have to organize a structure to keep the building up. Unless, over the generations, people keep restoring it and renovating it, it will definitely fall down.

Especially in this age of Kali, the natural energy of this world is to get to a lower and lower state of consciousness of passion and ignorance and to get us to speak and act in useless ways.

nashta-prayeshv abhadreshu
nityam bhagavata-sevaya 

Therefore it’s important that every day we hear from Srimad Bhagavatam. Srila Prabhupada wrote in one purport that maya is very strong. Unless one is carefully and attentively chanted ones sixteen rounds every day, one can fall victim to maya at any moment. Only by the shelter of the Lord can we maintain our spiritual integrity.

daivi hy esha guna-mayi
mama maya duratyaya

Material nature is very strong. Only if we take shelter of Krishna, can we make progress. Otherwise, if we are not making progress, we will be smashed down.

So when the Pracetas came out, because there was no king organizing the world, trees and weeds grew everywhere. Because there was an absence of any organizational development, what happened is that there were no agricultural fields for food to grow. When the Pracetas saw this, out of duty and compassion on behalf of Krishna to all of the citizens, they became very angry. They reacted. By their yogic powers the caused very high wind and fire to blaze from their mouths. They were burning every tree in the world.

At that time Soma, the great deva, came to try to give them some deeper wisdom. It’s interesting to understand this principle. Even though the Pracetas are very highly realized souls, still, they were living according to natural human tendencies. It’s natural to be an extremist. We like black and white. Either all trees or no trees. Sometimes in situations where things are not right, we react in a very extreme way. Prahlada Maharaj describes how without sober Krishna Consciousness, the solutions to our problems are often creating bigger problems than the original problem.

So Soma taught them a balanced approach. There should be forests and their should be agricultural paths. He based this balanced approach on the spirit of compassion. That if we are Krishna Consciousness, if we understand our own eternal soul and our relationship with Krishna:

vidya-vinaya-sampanne
brahmane gavi hastini
suni caiva sva-pake ca
panditah sama-darsinah 

We will recognize that every living being is part of Krishna and everything that exists is Krishna’s property. That consciousness is the only state of mind that can bring true and complete compassion. When one is Krishna Consciousness in this way, compassion becomes so natural.

Some examples: as a mother or father protects their child. When a little baby is in danger, the mother will instinctively do anything to protect the child. She doesn’t have to start looking in the scriptures to find out if she should help her child or not. There is a sense of love, a feeling of identity with that child in that love.

This next example is very interesting. As the eyelid protects the eye, unless the eyelid moistens the eye, the eye dries up. When was the last time you had to intellectually make a plan that, “My eyelid is feeling a little dry. I should blink it at least twenty-eight times every thirty seconds.” Suddenly a wind comes and do you think that you have to close your eyes? No, it closes instinctively. When we are Krishna Consciousness our compassion for others has that same spontaneous nature.

Srila Prabhupada is explaining here how the King’s duty is by his example and by the decisions that he makes to actually make sure that everyone is protected. That those who are supposed to protect others are performing their service. What is the result? Srimad Bhagavatam tells the story of Rantideva. He was fasting for so many days until he and his whole family were on the verge of death. He was in some distant forest and somebody brought a big plate of prasadam and some water to save their lives. Then a brahman came and said, “Give me food. I’m hungry.” So many people started coming. One man came with a pack of dogs and said, “I’m hungry and all of my dogs are hungry. Feed us.” He fed them all. And he fed his family, too. But he didn’t take anything himself. All that was left was a single cup of water to keep him alive. And a chandala came, a most sinful type of person. He said, “King, I’m thirsty. Give me water.”

If he gave that water, he would die. He offered a prayer to Krishna. Rantideva prayed, “My dear Supreme Personality of Godhead, I do not ask from you the benediction for great material wealth, or mystic siddhis, or even liberation from this world. I only ask one benediction. In every birth I take, let me give up my life in compassion for others. By giving this chandala my water, I will never find hunger, thirst, moroseness, or lamentation ever again. And he gave the water. Then all of these different personalities who came to him reappeared as demigods. They gave him nice prasad. We just wanted to show the world what a real King, a real leader is. Sukadeva Goswami says that because of King Ranti’s compassion and great devotion to the Supreme Lord, everyone in the kingdom was a great devotee.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura told our Srila Prabhupada on their first meeting that without Krishna Consciousness, the problems of the world cannot be solved. If we water the root of the tree, we solve the problems of water for all parts of the tree. So a devotee sees this whole picture in every situation. This is the single message of Srimad Bhagavatam

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

The supreme purpose of life is loving devotional service to the Supreme Lord. Such loving devotion to Krishna must be unmotivated by selfishness or egoism and uninterrupted by ever changing circumstances to actually satisfy the self.

We heard from HH Badrinarayan Maharaj that we cannot control circumstances all of the time. But we have the free will to control how we respond. We heard from HG Vaisesika Prabhu that we should be humble and forgiving. He gave us that mantra that, “I live to be corrected.” I felt a little corrected by listening to your class.

Krishna, in Srimad Bhagavatam, teaches through so many examples this principle - Prahlad, Ambarish, the Pracetas, Pariksit Maharaj. Even in the most difficult circumstances, they maintained this vision, because of their deep remembrance of Krishna.

samsiddhir hari-tosanam

The perfection of whatever we do is that it please Krishna. The only way to know what pleases Krishna is to hear from Krishna. Parampara is where Krishna reveals to those loving devotees what pleases him. Sri Caitanya Mahaprahu is Krishna himself in the mood of Sri Radha to teach the world how to please Krishna.

Srimad Bhagavatam is the incarnation of Krishna. Lord Caitanya is the Srimad Bhagavatam personified, teaching us how to understand the Srimad Bhagavatam.

susrusoh sraddadhanasya
vasudeva-katha-rucih
syan mahat-sevaya viprah
punya-tirtha-nisevanat

While we serve great souls, those who love Krishna, great service is done. And then by Krishna’s being pleased by being servant of the servant, He awakens within us the taste for hearing about Him. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was living in Navadvip Dhama, Lord Gauranga, He taught us this lesson very profoundly in the lila I’m going to narrate.

Lord Gauranga was walking with some of His devotees. They were in the area of Kuliya near Vidyanagar. They heard the most famous speaker of Srimad Bhagavatam giving his narration. His name was Devananda Pandita. Devananda Pandita was completely pious. All his life he controlled his mind and senses. He was a very staunch brahmacari. He was a learned scholar. When he spoke from Srimad Bhagavatam he mesmerized people. They came to learn from him.

When Lord Caitanya heard it, He became angry. You see, anger has its great purpose when it’s used in Krishna’s service. He screamed out quite loudly, “This rascal has no right to speak from Srimad Bhagavatam. He has no devotion. He’s not speaking of devotion to Krishna. Simply karma and jnana.”

Srimad Bhagavatam is the essence of all the vedas. Lord Gauranga said that the four vedas are like yogurt. Srimad Bhagavatam is butter, the essence. Sukadeva Goswami is the one who churned that butter. And Pariksit Maharaj relished it and was nourished by it. The essence of all vedas is pure unalloyed devotional service to Sri Krishna. He is not giving this to anyone. Therefore he has no right to read this Srimad Bhagavatam. I will tear up his book. He ran to do it. But devotees stopped him.

Devananda Pandita heard this but he couldn’t understand because he had years before created an aparadha to a devotee, Srivas. Because he had offended a devotee he had displeased Krishna, even though he was reading the same verses we read. He couldn’t understand what it meant.

One time, Lord Caitanya was walking with His devotees in that area. They came by a tavern where people were drinking and getting drunk. Lord Caitanya smelled the alcohol and he entered the mood of Balarama and said, “Varuni! I will go in!” Srivasa said, “No, no you can’t go in there.” Lord Caitanya said, “I’m going in!” Srivasa said, “If you go in, nobody will understand this.” Lord Caitanya said, “I’m going in!” Srivasa said, “If you go in, I will drown myself in the Ganga.” Lord Gauranga gave up His Balarama mood and said, “I will not go in.”

Actually, He was going in to deliver the people inside. But just by His desire, someone looked outside and saw Him. As soon as they saw Lord Caitanya they said, “Hari Hari. You dance so nice, and you chant so nice.” That person started to chant, “Hari.” He became so intoxicated with Hari. All of the other drunken people in that bar thought that they want to be drunk like this. They all left the bar and started having sankirtan. Following Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu they became completely sober from all material attachments and were intoxicated with chanting Krishna’s holy names. Lord Caitanya smiled. Srivasa Thakura, seeing the nature of His compassion, cried.

The next moment, they saw Devananda Pandita walking down the road. Lord Caitanya just gave such mercy to these rascal, immoral, drunkards. Now here was this learned, pious, brahman, brahmacari. Lord Caitanya chastised him. “You have offended Srivasa. You don’t understand anything about the Srimad Bhagavatam. You are useless. You are cheating.” Devananda was confused, but embarrassed.

Soon after that, Lord Caitanya took sannyasa. In order to reach the whole world in Krishna Consciousness. After many years of traveling around South India and living at Jagannatha Puri, he decided to go to Navadvipa. It is described by Vrindavan Das Thakura that when Lord Caitanya left Navadvipa to go to Puri, the river Ganga was flowing very enthusiastically in separation to merge into the ocean so that she could serve Him in Puri. Lord Caitanya was longing to go to Navadvipa to see the Ganga. This is the love between the Lord and His devotees. He came to Vidyanagara to Vidya Vachaspati’s home. He is the brother of Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya. It’s a long story, but I’m going to have to go really fast and make it short.

When He came there Vidya Vachaspati was so happy. He said, “My Lord, my home, this whole life, everything belongs to you.” Lord Caitanya said, “Just keep me here secretly.” But when the sun rises, it’s hard to keep it secret. So all of the people of Navadvipa heard that Lord Caitanya has returned. He had made so many people devotees, but still there were so many people who were offensive or indifferent to Him. But after He took sannyasa, all of the people realized, “What have we done? We lost the opportunity of the lifetime.” Millions of people were rushing to beg forgiveness and receive the mercy of Lord Caitanya.

It is described that the roads were filled with hundreds of hundreds of hundreds of thousands of people. But nobody else could fit on the roads so they started going through the forests. Then the forests were totally filled with people. Ultimately they came to the river Ganga. They were so enthusiastic to see Lord Caitanya that even though thorns were ripping them, they didn’t even feel it. They had no wounds.

Now my experience, even today, is that there are very few people in India who know how to swim. Sometimes we take people on yatras and there will be a big river that’s flowing. I say, “How many people know how to swim?” Out of thousands of devotees, there’s usually not more than about twenty who know how to swim.

When they came to the Ganga and they had to cross it to get to Vidyanagara, they were so enthusiastic. There were big boats and small boats. Within seconds, thousands of people were on each boat. The boat man was saying, “No, no! It’s already full! No more people!” They just kept coming and coming and coming and the boat just fell apart. They were so enthusiastic that in this laulyam, this eagerness some of them were just grabbing a clay pot to hold between their arms and float across the Ganga. Others took a trunk of a banana tree and started using that to cross the river. People were so enthusiastic to serve the Lord that they forgot that they didn’t know how to swim. So they swam across the whole Ganga.

Now there were millions of people around Vidya Vachaspati’s house. According to our sastra, thousands were going on a single tree to be able to see the Lord. None of the trees fell. Hundreds of people were crowded on a little straw roof of a hut, and the hut remained. Everyone was so eager to see the Lord that they were loudly chanting the holy names Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare! Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came out of the house. Everyone was offering their dandavat obeisances from the trees. Lord Caitanya smiled upon them.

They were all crying out from their hearts, “Please forgive us. We offended your devotees. We offended you. We offended so many people. We want to surrender.” Lord Caitanya said, krsneti o matih,

Always keep your mind fixed on Krishna. Chant Krishna’s names. Worship Krishna. Hear about Krishna’s qualities and holy names. Krishna is your life. Krishna is your wealth. Krishna is your very soul.” In this way, there was a beautiful kirtan.

Then Lord Caitanya disappeared. Even Vidya Vachaspati didn’t know what happened. He was looking everywhere. Lord Caitanya was gone. Vidya Vachaspati was in total separation looking at the sky crying. Everyone was in the same condition. There were people coming to him saying, “I’m all alone. Just bring me to see the Lord. We know He’s hiding in your house.” Others were saying, “I’m so sinful. I’m so fallen. I must have His mercy. I won’t tell anyone. Just let me in.” He kept saying, “I don’t know where He is.” People were so eager. The word started spreading. Soon all of these millions of people were thinking “Vidya Vachaspati is deceiving us! He’s keeping the Lord for himself only. A devotee is supposed to be compassionate and merciful to others! Even an ordinary man, if he has a whole pile of sweets, he doesn’t eat them all himself. He shares them. But this Vidya Vachaspati is lying to us. He’s deceiving us just so he can have Lord Caitanya for himself.”

Vidya Vachaspati was confused. Then a brahman whispered in his ear, “Lord Gauranga has gone to Kulia.” Vidya Vachaspati said, “Our Lord has gone to Kulia! Everyone, let us go to Kulia!” But they had to cross the Ganga again. By this time the crowd was thousands of times bigger because the word was spreading. It was mad, you couldn’t even see the Ganga. All you could see were humans. Some were with boats. Some were with pots. Some were with trunks. Some were swimming. The scripture tells us that not a single person drowned.

Now they are in Kulia. But Vidya Vachaspati didn’t know where Lord Caitanya was. Lord Caitanya knows the heart of his devotees. He sent a messenger to Vidya Vachaspati. Vidya Vachaspati offered beautiful prayers to Lord Caitanya. He said, “Now everyone is against me. They think I’m a liar. They don’t believe I’m a brahman anymore. Please, at least for one second show Yourself so that they know I was not hiding You.”

The Lord was in someone’s house. He heard literally millions of people crying out the holy names. Along with Lord Nityananda, He appeared before all of them. He raised His long, golden arms. In seeing these countless people all with such eager and humble hearts crying out Krishna’s names, He became so happy. Simultaneously there were thousands of kirtan parties. Lord Gauranga was going to different kirtan parties and dancing with the common people. By His all attractive, inconceivable potency, everyone could see Him dancing. Everyone could see tears of love and compassion like the Ganga flowing from His lotus-like eyes. In this way, the entire universe was trembling with the joy of nama sankirtana.

After this kirtan, Lord Caitanya sat down. So many people came who had offended Lord Caitanya in the past, and who had offended the devotees, came to beg for His mercy. Among them was Devananda Pandita. He offered his obeisances, and from a distance he just stood there.

Now, I’m going to briefly tell what happened in the life of this person. Because he had offended Srivasa, neither faith in Lord Caitanya or the path of bhakti could awaken in his heart, even though Srimad Bhagavatam was the only scripture that he read or spoke from. But after Lord Caitanya took sannyasa, he was shaken.

One day, he met a great devotee, Vakresvara Pandita. He was so attracted by the compassion and devotion of Vakresvara Pandita that he wanted to serve him. He invited Vakresvara Pandita to live in his ashram. When Vakresvara Pandita would perform kirtan, he would stand with a stick to make sure that nobody crashed into him or disturbed his dancing. When Vakresvara Pandita in ecstasy would fall, he would catch him. He would clean his body with his own hands.

Because he was deeply appreciating the qualities of a Vaisnava, his heart was transformed. Lord Caitanya saw him standing and said, “Devananda, come. Sit beside Me. Because you have appreciated and served Vakresvara Pandita, I forgive you for all of your offenses and I give you all of My blessings. Krishna always lives in the heart of Vakresvara Pandita. Wherever he chants and dances, Krishna is dancing. Wherever he goes, all of the holy places are present. Because you have served My beloved servant, I forgive you of all of your offenses. I accept you.” Devananda Pandita offered prayers and said, “Please instruct me. How should I speak from the Srimad Bhagavatam?” Lord Caitanya told him, “From the beginning to the middle to the end of Srimad Bhagavatam only speaks of one essential subject. Prema bhakti.

Pure, unalloyed, loving, devotional service to Sri Krishna. It is the culmination of all dharmas. It is the very essence of life. Therefore, whenever you speak Srimad Bhagavatam, in every sentence you should glorify the path of pure, loving, devotional service to Sri Krishna.” Devananda Pandita became such a great devotee that we even celebrate every year on the Vaisnava calendar his relationship with Lord Caitanya.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught us this. What the essence of Srimad Bhagavatam is and how to actually realize it. He is Krishna who has come to taste the sweetness of Radha’s love and to give that love freely without discrimination of who is fit or unfit. Simply live a life in the mood of the servant of the servant of the servant without envy. Live with this character, please the Vaisnavas and chant the holy names, and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu has promised to give us this crest jewel of all treasures, prema bhakti. Srila Prabhupada had total faith in His mercy. Fifty years on this year, 2015, we are celebrating Srila Prabhupada boarding Jaladuta in Calcutta. On Friday, the 13th of August 1965, Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta to sail across the world with the message of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There will be a glorious festival on that day and before and after in Calcutta. We invite you to please come if possible.

He came with this message. In his prayers he was quoting Srimad Bhagavatam. He wrote that by loving devotional service, by Krishna’s grace, one can rise above the passion and ignorance of this world. Only through pure devotion can one actually be happy. Srila Prabhupada personified the very essence of what Lord Caitanya exemplified as the essence of Srimad Bhagavatam, which we are reading about in today’s verse. He was compassionate to every living being. Even to the trees. He gave us all a chance to be a part of that great mission of Mahaprabhu’s by coming together in Mayapur and inspiring one another in the true essence of the gift of Lord Caitanya. By reading these beautiful books of Srila Prabhupada together, by chanting the holy names together, and by sharing this message, we can attract the unlimited monsoon rainstorm of Krishna and Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s blessings.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Gaura Premanande Haibol!

VERSE 10
yuyam ca pitranvadista deva-devena canaghah praja-sargaya hi katham vrksan nirdagdhum arhatha

TRANSLATION:
O pure-hearted ones, your father, Pracinabarhi, and the Supreme Personality of Godhead have ordered you to generate population. Therefore how can you burn to ashes these trees and herbs, which are needed for the maintenance of your subjects and descendants?

VERSE 11
atisthata satam margam kopam yacchata dipitam pitra pitamahenapi justam vah prapitamahaih

TRANSLATION:
The path of goodness traversed by your father, grandfather and great-grandfathers is that of maintaining the subjects [prajas], including the men, animals and trees. That is the path you should follow. Unnecessary anger is contrary to your duty. Therefore I request you to control your anger.

PURPORT:
Here the words pitra pitamahenapi justam vah prapitamahaih depict an honest royal family, consisting of the kings, their father, their grandfather and their great-grandfathers. Such a royal family has a prestigious position because it maintains the citizens, or prajas. The word praja refers to one who has taken birth within the jurisdiction of the government. The exalted royal families were conscious that all living beings, whether human, animal or lower than animal, should be given protection. The modern democratic system cannot be exalted in this way because the leaders elected strive only for power and have no sense of responsibility. In a monarchy, a king with a prestigious position follows the great deeds of his forefathers. Thus Soma, the king of the moon, here reminds the Pracetas about the glories of their father, grandfather and great-grandfathers.

____________________________________________________________________________

HH Badrinarayan Goswami:(Pranama Mantras)

We're actually going to read the purport to verse eleven. But I want to say something about verse ten.

I was on a morning walk with Srila Prabhupada in Chicago. I forget the year. We were walking in Lakeshore Park, Lake Michigan. Srila Prabhupada swung his cane and said, "What is this, fruit or flower?" Everyone else was silent. I knew a little bit about gardening. I said, "Prabhupada, that's called a Holly bush. It makes a little red berry that the birds can eat." He walked a little bit further, swung his cane, and said, "What is this, fruit or flower?" I said, "Prabhupada, that's a Camellia. It has a nice flower, but no fragrance." Prabhupada said, "A flower with no fragrance is like a handsome man with no good qualities." Prabhupada began walking again, swung his cane and said, "What is this, fruit or flower?" I said, "Srila Prabhupada, it's useless." Srila Prabhupada said, "No, you're useless." Which was true on many levels. Prabhupada said, "The plant has a use. You just don't know it." He said that every plant has a use. Krishna doesn't want to waste. Either it's used for fuel, for food, it is medicinal or it creates a fruit or flower. It has a use. So Srila Prabhupada said, "The plant ;does have a use. You don't know the use so you're the one that's useless."

Now, for text eleven, let's read the purport.

(Read purport above)

So we have a theme today. "We have a choice". We each have a choice. We can choose what kind of world we live in, how we see the world, how we experience the world. We have a choice. As we know, there are different factors in action. There is the sanction of Super Soul, Krishna. We cannot always control the circumstances. Prabhupada says we are being tossed, kicked like in football, soccer. We cannot control, ultimately, the circumstances. We have full control over how we react to circumstances. We have a choice.

We also have a choice about the world we live in, the external world. Picture for a moment, a bucket of water and the water line, halfway up the bucket. If I put my hand in that bucket, what happens to that waterline? The waterline goes up. What happens when you take your hand out? The waterline goes back to the exact same place.

Now should we live in the same way in this world? If we take up some space on planet Earth, we take up some oxygen. Srimad Bhagavatam says that dogs and hogs discharge some semen to maintain and families. When we die, which is inevitable, six months after we die maybe five or six people on the planet remember us if they have a photograph. Is that all that life is about?

We have a choice. We can just be neutral, static, carried like flotsam and jetsam through the world--or we can make a difference. We have a choice.

The verse begins by talking about the path of goodness. But goodness can be defined relative to one's situation. I could be a member of Doctors Without Borders, fighting Ebola in West Africa. I swear to you I got this in the mail as a fundraising appeal. "Save the pregnant penguins." So all of those are relative, different types of goodness.

Krishna describes to Nanda Maharaj for the Govardhana lila that there's a difference between an activity performed in ignorance and an activity performed in knowledge. Srila Prabhupada tells an instructive story. There are two boys in a family, an older boy and a younger boy. The older boy was very sick. Therefore he was on a strict diet of only barley water. You can imagine, anyone who knows young boys, they are always hungry. They want to eat. The older boy got nothing sweet, nothing nice. The younger boy loved his older brother. So the parents went out for a short errand. They asked the younger boy to please keep an eye on his older brother. They'd be back soon. The parents went out and immediately the older boy said, "Get me something sweet to eat!" The younger brother who loved his older brother and wanted to satisfy him immediately got some gulabjamans, rasgula, whatever, and shoveled it into his older brother. The older brother almost died. So motive and intent are not enough. One has to act in knowledge.

In the verse, it's talking about the blinding force of anger. We know from Bhagavad Gita the sequence that from contemplation attachment develops, from attachment comes lust, from frustration of lust comes anger. And of course then comes bewilderment of memory, loss of intelligence, and one falls into the material pool.

I want to talk just for a minute about the setup and sequence from that contemplation and attachment. The underpinnings of that dynamic that leads to anger are that we expect the world to go our way. We think that the default mood of this material nature is that, "I should be enjoying." There are still in this world a few hippies. Vaisesika Prabhu gave us a an example that in San Francisco, hippies exist. They're an endangered species, but they're still there. Who knows? Along with the appeal for pregnant penquins, I may get a fundraising appeal some day to save the hippies.

I was at one of our temples. The archetype hippies showed up with bells and long hair in a pony tail. It was a husband and wife, couple. The wife's name was Wish. His name was Comet. So naturally I asked, "Where did you get those names?" They said that they gave them to themselves. So naturally I asked why. The wife said, "Because I'm always saying that I wish I had this, I wish I was there, I wish, I wish, I wish." So naturally I asked the husband, "Where'd you get the name Comet?" He said, "I'm flying around the world this way and that way, trying to fulfill her wishes." I thought here you go. I'm wishing I had this, I wish I had that. And we're flying like a comet zipping around, I wish, I want, I need, I have to have.

Talking about choice, and different ways to see the world. I was sitting in the room and Srila Prabhupada said, "You have your plan. I have my plan. And Krishna has His plan." Guess who's plan happens? Instead of our trying to push material nature into a form, it's described in the Srimad Bhagavatam that this material world is a river of names, only. As the Buddhist say, "Nothing is certain, but change." So we're wishing, flying around like a comet, trying to push material nature into a permanent form. How many things are wrong in this picture?

Srila Prabhupada talks about the peace formula. bhoktaram yajna-

tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram (BG 5.29)
In connection to that verse, Srila Prabhupada was in his car looking out the window and he saw an advertisement for Allstate Insurance. The advertisement has cupped hands with the house, the wife and two kids, and in America, the faithful dog, Fido. Srila Prabhupada said yoga-ksema vahamy aham BG 9.22. Krishna is the master of all mystics. He's the sarva-loka-mahesvaram, suhrdam sarva-bhutanam. Krishna is maintaining all the unverses. He won't maintain us?

Suppose I'm climbing up a steep hill. It's a matter of vantage point. Just picture yourself walking up a hill. There are so many bushes. It's a steep hill. I can only see what's immediately in front of me. There's some bush, there's some rock. Only as I move incrementally do I see little by little what's in front of me. Picture yourself on top of the hill, looking down. One who is looking up can only see the immediate foreground. But if you're at the top and looking down, you can see the whole field, the whole area. Thus, we don't know whether to go left or go right. There is some canyon, there is some crevice, there is some snake, there is some cactus. We don't know. But the one who's looking down can say, "No, no. Go to the left, don't go to the right." They can easily guide you up the hill.

As it says here, he's taking the advice of his forefathers. One professor said to Srila Prabhupada, "As far as I knowi Well, as far as I know." Finally, Srila Prabhupada said, "That's my point. How far do you know?" So how far do we actually know?

Let us think for a moment about our place in the universe. Srila Prabhupada quotes Canakya Pandit. He says that as soon as the child comes out of the womb, the mothers breasts fill with milk. Jesus Christ says, "Behold the lilies of the field. They spin not, nor work." The point is that Krishna is maintaining every living entity perfectly. It should give assurance. It should give us support. It should give us shelter.

Back to the trees and the plants in our previous verse. Just see Krishna's intelligence. He takes sinful, rascal, living entities. Like if you have a miscreant child you say, "Just sit down." So He takes sinful living entities and puts them stationery in plants, bushes, and trees. Even though they are prisoners who are meant to suffer, they are also providing service: roots, flowers. So one purpose is fulfilled and yet they are also serving so many other purposes. We should have faith that Krishna is in charge and that He knows what He is doing. Therefore, being like Wish and Comet, who are flying around trying to find happiness, is simply a waste of time.

Srila Prabhupada was on a morning walk. This was in Detroit. They were under a street light. It was summertime so there were so many bugs at night flying around the light. The bugs had been flying around the light and had died. There was a pile of bugs. Should we live our lives like that? We're active and at the end you get swept up and thrown in a dump.

I was at a funeral with one of our devotee priests. They were having the eulogies where they spoke about the dearly departed. They were kept saying that whenever you needed him, you could reach out and call him. They were saying that you could call him in the middle of the night and he would answer. You could call him from the hospital and he would answer. You could call him from the far corners of the world and he would answer. Just then, in the middle of everyone speaking, there was a phone ringing. Everyone was looking around. Turns out that the ringing was coming the coffin. They had dressed the dead body in his favorite suit and the man's cell phone was in the suite pocket. rom a phone in the dearly departed's. I was thinking, "That's one call he's not getting. He's out of range." We will all come to that stage.

Suppose you go out to your mailbox once a month. There's a thousand dollar check in the mailbox. It's coming anonymously. You don't know who it's from. Every month on the first of the month there's a thousand dollars in the mail. Anyone with a brain would think, "Where's it coming from? Is there any obligation? By taking this money, am I somehow becoming indebted to whomever is sending it?"

We can't even make a drop of milk. We can't even make a square inch of fresh air. My father used to joke, but he was serious, "Buy real estate. They're not making any more of it." We are dependent at every moment. Krishna is providing. What is our obligation?

It talks in these two verses about the duty to give protection, the duty to give shelter. People are suffering. There is no question about it.

The devotees in Washington, DC, in the USA, were doing motel Gita. They get sponsors and then they put Gitas in different motels in the US. The devotees went to see one motel owner and he was not interested. He was quite cool and distant. Finally the devotees asked if they could just put a few Bhagavad Gitas on the reception desk. Practically, just to get rid of them, the man agreed.

A few days later, the same motel owner called the devotees. He said, "I want three cases of Bhagavad Gita. Bring them today." The devotees said, "Are you the same man we met a couple of days ago? Do you have a twin brother? What's going on here?" The now very humble and soft spoken hotel owner told them this. Yesterday, a business man checked into my motel. He was distracted and not very friendly. He was absorbed in his own thoughts. He saw the Bhagavad Gita on the counter and asked if he could take it.

The next morning that same man, when he checked out, apologized for being so cold and impersonal. Actually he had checked into the motel to commit suicide. While he was waiting for the room to fill up with gas, carbon monoxide, he started reading the Bhagavad Gita. The man said, "Wait, there's truth, there's meaning, there's beauty. I'm not crazy. The world is crazy." He shut off the gas and kept reading. This kind of life saving event repeats itself again and again around the world.

We're talking about a choice and what we do with our lives. They have a saying that we are just about as happy as we choose to be. When I give class, I am expected to least one joke. Here we go. But my point is: what do we do with our life? "Arthada"--this valuable artha human form of life can give us the greatest benefit.

There was a mean, old man. He kicked dogs and triped old ladies. He stole out of the church box. He was a real skunk. So one day, the man steps across the street, is hit by a bus, and dies. In America, in many places, after they bury the man, the family gathers together and tries to say something nice. Some solace to the wife and family. They say some sweet words. But in this man's case nobody could think of a good thing to say. It was an awkward silence. Everyone was looking around at the guy next to him saying "think of something". The priest said, "Come on now, somebody say something." Still no one could think of a thing. Finally one guy in the back said, "His brother was worse!"

When we die, which is inevitable, they say we are not remembered for what we have. We are remembered for what we gave. Have you seen the trailer for that acharya film by Yadubara and Vishaka? I have a hard heart. But even I almost cried. We have a chance to change the world. Vaisesika Prabhu told me that Bhaktivinode Thakura writes that these people are doing so many sinful things. When you open the door it's, "Oh my God, what are they doing in there?" But in the core of their heart, they are thinking, "What is this empty life?" They are looking out their window and down the street, and they're wondering, "When will Lord Caitanya's devotees come and save me?" We have been given a choice to live a life like Wish and Comet, to take up space on this earth and then be swept up like bugs and thrown in the dust bin. We have a choice.

The sewer line under the brahmacari ashram in San Diego broke. The entire brahmacari ashram underneath was deep in raw sewage. Liquid beauty, fully manifest. We called a plumber. He had to climb under the house to find the leak. So you know devotees were trying to save money. They asked for an estimate first. This man climbed under the house through that raw sewage and I heard swear words that I have never heard in my life. Unique combinations that I'd never heard. It came out like a storm. He managed to extricate himself covered in the stuff and told us "Six thousand dollars, minimum." So the devotees said, "Too much, can't pay."

So we sent a surrendered, humble, saintly named Rupa Goswmi, who is also a plumber, under the house. He also verbally expressed his grief. The difference was that he was calling out "Oh Govinda, Oh Keshava, Oh Shyamasundar." He practically chanted Vishnu sahasranamam. The point is, same circumstance, completely different reaction.

Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita that what is night for the conditioned soul is a time of awakening for the self realized. We can live petty, putrid, pale, pernicious, paltry lives. We can live lives of darkness and despair, or we can live a life of light and happiness and compassion. Srila Prabhupada said his disease is "I cannot think small." This ISKCON is not meant for small things. Our life is not meant for small things. If we take up the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, we can and will change the world. In the course of that surrender, instead of spending our time haggling over the petty details of life, if we have confidence that Krishna will maintain me, we will live a life of happiness and light. The choice is ours. Thank you very much. Hare Krishna.