ISKCON Desire Tree's Posts (20164)

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Success Sadhana – Retrain Your Mind




We human beings have always searched for happiness, which means we know we’re not happy.

Discontent burns within us, but we search for fulfillment outside ourselves.

We’re taught that we’ll feel complete when we get the right things.

But we’re left wanting more things.

The gap between us and true happiness is wider than ever.

But closing that gap is easier than we think.

The secret is simple: Selfless Service.

By giving we grow and enjoy without limit.

Giving service to our divine source nourishes us from within, just as watering the root of a tree nourishes the whole tree.

Such service is called bhakti-yoga, the yoga of love and gratitude.

The more we practice bhakti-yoga, the more our capacity to serve and taste tangible happiness grows.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117499

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Bhakti Brihat Bhagavat Swami, introduces a series of classes about the Pancha Tattva leading up to Gaura Purnima, beginning with the glories of Lord Nityananda. He explains scriptural verses from the Chaitanya Charitamrita describing how Lord Nityananda is the same divine expansion as Balaram, who previously appeared as Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Rama.

In the Ramayana pastimes, Lakshman served Lord Rama with great devotion but often suffered internally because, as the younger brother, he could not question or oppose Rama’s decisions. Several episodes illustrate this suffering, such as losing certain services after Rama’s marriage, the events surrounding Sita’s exile, and other moments where Lakshman had to silently obey. These experiences created a deep desire in Lakshman to serve differently in the future.

When Krishna appeared, Lakshman manifested as Balaram, now the elder brother. However, this also created a challenge: due to cultural norms, Krishna would not accept direct service from his elder brother. Although Balaram still served Krishna indirectly—expanding into Krishna’s environment, paraphernalia, and even as Ananga Manjari serving Radha and Krishna—he still felt unsatisfied. These spiritual dynamics help explain the internal reason for Lord Nityananda’s appearance: he embodies the combined moods of Lakshman’s devoted service and Balaram’s role as elder brother, ultimately serving Lord Chaitanya (who is Krishna combined with Radha).

The speaker also clarifies the meaning of Pancha Tattva. It does not refer to philosophical “principles” in an abstract sense but to five divine truths or manifestations of the Absolute: Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, Advaita Acharya, Gadadhara Pandit, and Srivasa Thakur. Understanding them is not merely intellectual; real understanding comes through devotional service and relationships, not just philosophical analysis.

During the question session, the speaker emphasizes that the transcendental nature of Krishna’s activities cannot be fully grasped by intellectual reasoning alone. He uses everyday examples, such as not fully understanding family members, to illustrate how much more difficult it is to comprehend divine pastimes. He also explains that in spiritual life one may have multiple gurus in different roles (diksha and siksha), and relationships within the guru-disciple tradition are very important.

The talk concludes with a story about A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada demonstrating the unlimited mercy associated with Lord Nityananda. Even when a disciple had fallen into bad habits, Prabhupada said he could not reject anyone, emphasizing that Lord Nityananda’s compassion and mercy have no limits.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117451

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The talk focuses on the nature of spiritual leadership, especially within a devotional community. The speaker explains that true leadership is not about power or control but about service. A real leader wants others to become better than themselves and works to help people grow, become happier, and move closer to Krishna. Leadership is rewarding but also difficult, mainly because it involves guiding people with different personalities, ideas, and backgrounds.

One major challenge for leaders is bringing diverse individuals together to cooperate. Differences in culture, generation, and personal approach can create friction, so leaders must learn how to unify people despite these differences.

The speaker uses examples from the lives of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata to illustrate important lessons for leaders and for life:

Adversity is inevitable. Even righteous and capable people face difficulties. Problems are a natural part of life.

Do not hold negativity. Even when facing betrayal, criticism, or injustice, spiritually advanced people do not become bitter or seek revenge.

See opportunity in problems. Challenges can be transformed into growth, strength, or success.

Personality matters in leadership. Effective leaders combine three qualities: sensitivity (understanding others), strength (resilience and determination), and spirituality (inspiration rooted in devotion).

Unity is essential. Teams can unite through lower motives like fear or material gain, but lasting unity comes from duty and love.

The discussion continues with practical leadership advice. Leaders should build relationships with team members, communicate clearly, resolve misunderstandings, and understand people’s strengths so they can be engaged properly. When leaders say “no” to someone, they should try to offer another opportunity for service. Setting expectations and systems early can prevent conflicts.

The speaker also highlights that leadership means inspiring others through example, selflessness, and consistency. Communities grow when long-term dedication is combined with creativity and new ideas. Diversity within teams can be beneficial because different groups and individuals contribute different strengths.

Overall, the message is that leadership in a spiritual context involves humility, responsibility, unity, and the ability to uplift and inspire others despite challenges.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117455

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By Rukmini Devi Dasi 

Radha Krishna Records, the historic record label owned by ISKCON London, is celebrating its 16th year and has released a new album designed for introspection and contemplation amidst the clamor of the modern world. This stripped-back offering primarily features acoustic guitar and bansuri flute, intentionally crafted to bring the sung mantras to the forefront.

The album, entitled Mantra Vibes London, marks the start of a new series. The “Mantra Vibes” project may visit your town or city next to record a future devotional album.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/radha-krishna-records-unveils-reflective-new-album/

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Remembering His Grace Ranjit Dasa

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By Prema-vilasini Devi Dasi, 

Ranjit Dasa was born on August 31, 1945, in Pretoria, South Africa. He moved to England after graduating from college and later went to a farm near Vancouver, Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. He was initiated there in 1974 and saw Srila Prabhupada four or five times, including in San Francisco, Vrindavan, India, Dallas, and England.


His main service in Nelson was Sankirtan, book distribution, and chopping firewood. From there, he briefly went to Dallas, TX in 1976, then returned to South Africa until 1980. In South Africa, he did Life Membership, sankirtan, and bookkeeping.

His next adventure took him to Mayapur, where he stayed from 1980 to 1983. In Mayapur, he was in charge of Srila Prabhupada’s Pushpa Samadhi construction and bookkeeping.

In 1983, Ranjit worked with ITV in Los Angeles and Yadubara Das in India on videography, camera work, and movies.

Rajit Dasa then spent the next 23 years at the Bhaktivedanta Archives in Sandy Ridge, North Carolina, from 1984 to 2007. He was a member of the team that included His Grace Ekanatha Das, who also departed for the spiritual world a week prior. This team was instrumental in creating the Vedabase and scanning and preserving every image, document, and Krishna Art in existence at that time. The team published 60 volumes of Srila Prabhupada’s conversations, lectures, and other publications.

While in North Carolina, he married Gopisvari Devi Dasi in LA, his wife of 39 years. Prema-vilasini Devi Dasi was born in 1988 and became Ethan’s kid sister.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/remembering-his-grace-ranjit-dasa/
 

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Let it out by Bhaktimarga Swami

31101225288?profile=RESIZE_400xAt 7 AM, I was at the clinic for the virechana. It involves (after some Vedic mantras) consuming a cup of herbal laxatives. Yes, this was the day I will purge – a major clean out. After an hour of a gentle swallow of the purgative, bowel movements are supposed to happen. Well, that is not a lie. Bowel motions are very apparent, almost every hour. With seven as the golden number (it was 7 bulls that Krishna fought), I came to the end result. No pun intended when I say “end result”. I felt quite lighthearted. By 5 PM, Dr. Rahul came to visit to deliver a tiffin container with kanji (boiled rice water). He also brought a bonus – a tasty pocket of tasty electrolytes in case I wanted to boost a little more energy.

My sleep for the night was fantastic and there were no naps during the day. That is progress! I asked Rahul what his experiences was with patients who after the cleanse, face the real world. “Do they stick to a regimen?” 

“Not always,” he said. I pray that I will be determined to the point that I can continue with a form of betterment after I leave this healing place. It will begin when I’m at the airport and the special ordered meal comes. Yes, it will be a fine meal and it will be hot. When I get to my home temple, there will be the temptation of the finest food, the prasadam, and I pray I can resist a good amount of what’s offered and keep things at bare minimum. I will have to warn my hosts at outings that I’m limited at what I like and can consume.

31101226058?profile=RESIZE_400xSource: https://www.thewalkingmonk.net/post/let-it-out

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Hare Krishna Devotees!

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

On Wednesday, March 11th, we will be celebrating Srivas Thakur’s appearance day. *Please join us at the temple on this special day for the program at 4pm.*

We welcome all the devotees to come hear the glories of Srivas Thakur and participate in the wonderful service of bathing Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Padukas with Ganga jal in honour of the appearance day of Srivas Thakur, by whose mercy we can receive the shelter of Lord Krsna’s lotus feet.

All devotees are also welcomed to prepare and bring bhoga for the pleasure of our Lordships Sri Sri Pancatattva.

Please join us to celebrate Srivas Thakur with your friends and families for the mercy of Panchatattva!

We will have space blocked off for all the devotees so that everyone can gather comfortably and take part in the program.

We hope to see you there!

Your servants,

Pancha-tattva festival celebration team

Source: https://www.mayapur.com/en/blog/please-join-us-for-the-appearance-day-of-srivas-thakur

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(1)
cheto-darpana-marjanam bhava-maha-davagni-nirvapanam
shreyah-kairava-chandrika-vitaranam vidya-vadhu-jivanam
anandambhdhi-vardhanam prati-padam purnamritasvadanam
sarvatma-snapanam param vijayate shri-krishna-sankirtanam

Glory to the Shri Krishna sankirtana (congregational chanting of the Lord’s holy names), which cleanses the heart of all the dust accumulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. That sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large because it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious.

(2)
namnam akari bahudha nija-sarva-shaktis
tatrarpita niyamitah smarane na kalaha
etadrishi tava kripa bhagavan mamapi
durdaivam idrisham ihajani nanuragahah

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krishna and Govinda. In these transcendental names, you have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names. O my Lord, out of kindness You enable us to easily approach you by Your holy names, but I am so unfortunate that I have no attraction for them.

(3)
trinad api sunicena
taror api sahishnuna
amanina manadena
kirtaniyah sada harihi

One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige, and should be ready to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.

(4)
na dhanam na janam na sundarim
kavitam va jagad-isha kamaye
mama janmani janmanishvare
bhavatad bhaktir ahaituki tvayi

O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want your causeless devotional service, birth after birth.

(5)
ayi nanda-tanuja kinkaram
patitam mam vishame bhavambudhau
kripaya tava pada-pankaja-
sthita-dhuli-sadrisham vichintaya

O son of Maharaja Nanda [Krishna], I am Your eternal servitor, yet somehow or other I have fallen into the ocean of birth and death. Please pick me up from this ocean of death and place me as one of the atoms at Your lotus feet.

(6)
nayanam galad-ashru-dharaya
vadanam gadgada-ruddhaya gira
pulakair nichitam vapuh kada
tava nama-grahane bhavishyati

O my Lord, when will my eyes be decorated with tears of love flowing constantly when I chant Your holy name? When will my voice choke up, and when will the hairs of my body stand on end at the recitation of Your name?

(7)
yugayitam nimeshena
chakshusha pravrishayitam
shunyayitam jagat sarvam
govinda-virahena me

O Govinda! Feeling Your separation, I am considering a moment to be like twelve years or more. Tears are flowing from my eyes like torrents of rain, and I am feeling all vacant in the world in Your absence.

(8)
ashlishya va pada-ratam pinashtu mam
adarshanan marma-hatam karotu va
yatha tatha va vidadhatu lampato
mat-prana-nathas tu sa eva naparaha

I know no one but Krishna as my Lord, and He shall remain so even if He handles me roughly by His embrace or makes me brokenhearted by not being present before me. He is completely free to do anything and everything, for He is always my worshipful Lord, unconditionally.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Source: 🗒️ अभी अपना ऑर्डर बुक करें!!! https://brajmela.com/products/hindi-krsna-book-combo

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Maharaja explains a holistic view of health based on Vedic philosophy, describing three interconnected aspects of human existence: the gross physical body, the subtle body (mind, emotions, intellect), and the atma (soul). True well-being requires caring for all three levels because they influence one another. Problems in the physical body can affect the mind and spirit, while spiritual or mental disturbances can manifest physically.

Several factors influence health across these levels:

Food: Food carries energies from nature (sun, water, earth), human preparation, and—when offered to God—spiritual energy. In the Vedic tradition, food offered to Krishna becomes sanctified (prasadam), benefiting the body, mind, and soul. Foods also reflect the three gunas:

Sattvic foods promote balance and health.

Rajasic foods stimulate passion.

Tamasic foods (e.g., intoxicants) promote ignorance and harm the body.

Exercise and Yoga: Physical activity maintains bodily health, while yoga works on deeper levels. Through postures, breathing, and meditation, yoga balances the subtle body and chakras, leading to mental peace and eventually spiritual realization.

Association: The people we associate with influence our subtle body through their thoughts, emotions, and energies. Negative associations can spread harmful mental states, while spiritual association (satsanga) elevates consciousness and strengthens devotion.

Environment: Surroundings affect physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Natural and spiritual environments are considered more sattvic, whereas modern urban environments—with pollution and electromagnetic radiation—may disturb bodily and subtle energy systems.

Spiritual Practice: The most powerful practice emphasized is chanting the holy names of Krishna (Hare Krishna mantra), especially congregational chanting (kirtan), taught by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Chanting benefits all levels: it promotes mental peace, can produce measurable physical health effects, and ultimately awakens spiritual love for God.

Scientific studies mentioned suggest that practices like meditation, plant-based diets, exercise, relaxing music, and chanting can improve biological markers such as telomeres, which are associated with longevity and health.

The talk concludes that the Hare Krishna mantra is a simple and accessible practice that benefits the body, mind, and soul, leading ultimately to spiritual realization and eternal bliss.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117512

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31101071685?profile=RESIZE_710xDevotees across several Middle Eastern countries have faced a week of uncertainty amid rising regional tensions. In a report sent from Abu Dhabi, Tapana Misra Dasa, GBC for the region, shared that devotees in Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Lebanon, and even Saudi Arabia have experienced disruptions in recent days, while devotees in Pakistan have encountered minor difficulties.

“The last seven days have been a period of much turmoil for the devotees in this zone,” Tapana Misra Dasa shared. “By Lord Krishna’s grace, as of this writing, none of our devotees are hurt.” He expressed gratitude to devotees worldwide who have been praying for the community during the crisis. “Your prayers have offered much strength and protection to the devotees here,” he said.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/devotees-in-middle-east-remain-safe-amid-regional-tensions/

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31101066063?profile=RESIZE_584xBy Kulavati Krishnapriya Devi Dasi, 

Jayapataka Swami has become the first devotee in ISKCON history to receive the Bhakti Sarvabhauma degree, the highest academic qualification of the ISKCON Board of Examinations, earning an A+ grade from the Mayapur Institute.

A Vision Rooted in Srila Prabhupada’s Instructions

The degree system that Jayapataka Swami has now completed at the highest level was established directly by Srila Prabhupada. In a letter to Svarupa Damodara dated January 10, 1976, Prabhupada laid out the full framework:

“I have also suggested for the GBC’s consideration that we introduce a system of examinations for the devotees to take… Bhakti-sastri: (for all brahmanas) based on Bhagavad-gita, Sri Isopanisad, The Nectar of Devotion, Nectar of Instruction, and all the small paperbacks. Bhakti-vaibhava: the above plus first six Cantos of Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhakti-vedanta: the above plus cantos 7–12 Srimad-Bhagavatam. Bhakti-sarvabhauma: the above plus Caitanya-caritamrta.”

The responsibilities Srila Prabhupada attached to these qualifications were clear. In a letter to all Governing Body Commissioners on January 6, 1976, he wrote: “Anyone wishing to be initiated as a brahmana will have to pass the Bhaktisastri exam and anyone wishing to take sannyasa will have to pass the Bhaktivaibhava examination as well…Any sannyasis or brahmanas already initiated who fail to pass the exams will be considered low class or less qualified.”

His deepest aspiration, however, went even further. As he expressed as early as 1969: “I want that all of my spiritual sons and daughters will inherit this title of Bhaktivedanta, so that the family transcendental diploma will continue through the generations.”

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/jayapataka-swami-becomes-first-to-receive-bhakti-sarvabhauma-degree/

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When we arrived here I was struck by the beautiful Sahyadri Mountains. And operations here are clean, which is impressive. My next door neighbour, Vrndavanath, who interacts with me everyday, is a serious studier of the Bhagavatam. He is at it for hours every day. I was concerned though about something. “Prabhu, do you have some balance in your day? I applaud you for your being so studious, but what else is going on?” 

“Well, you notice how clean the place is?” 

“Yes!” 

“That’s because someone keeps it that way.” 

“Oh! That’s you!” (Hugs!!) He went back to his studying.

On that first day of arrival to Room 3, I noticed one of the fire extinguishers on the veranda with a wind chime wrapped around it. I didn’t think it was a wise arrangement from a safety point of view, so after four days of this I inquired from the maintenance guy. He kindly took that chime and hung it outside our room to do its job. Now, the occupants of the other rooms enjoy the pleasing sound of the wind mildly hitting that ornamental instrument, adding something musical to the atmosphere.

This was my first day to get back to eating a more regular meal. Twice today I was permitted to indulge in veggies (subjis), rice, chapatis, dahl. Tomorrow, however, will be different. I will partake in virechana, purgation, the real cleaning. That should be interesting.

Source: https://www.thewalkingmonk.net/post/let-the-wind-chime

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Udaipur by Ramai Swami

31101065058?profile=RESIZE_400x31101075279?profile=RESIZE_400xUdaipur is known as the city of beautiful lakes. It is said that once during his hunting expedition, Maharana Udai Singh met a holy sage in the Aravalli ranges. The sage directed the king to create a kingdom in this fertile valley, which would be protected by the high-rising Aravallis.

Consequently, Maharana Udai Sing established Udaipur in 1553 AD. It was also constructed for better defense against Mughal expansion.

We had the opportunity to visit the famous Jagdish temple in the city palace complex. It was built in 1651 by Maharana Jagat Singh 1 and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. A premier example of wonderful architecture, featuring intricate carvings, a 79-foot spire, and a bronze image of Garuda.

31101074896?profile=RESIZE_400x31101075454?profile=RESIZE_400xSource: https://ramaiswami.com/udaipur/

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Hare Krishna, Ireland Sanga



This film is about three Hare Krishna devotees in Ireland and how the Vedic philosophy has changed their lives. Srila Prabhupada, who brought these teachings to the West in 1965, has given the answers to the major questions of life, which are mainly about birth, old age, disease and death. The Bhagavad-gita is the most important book for explaining who we are.
These three Hare Krishna devotees were some of the first to start practising bhakti yoga in Ireland.

Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117509

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In his 2026 Gaura Purnima message, Madhusevita Dasa, serving as the new GBC Chairman, offered condolences and spiritual resolve at what he describes as a “difficult and sad time,” noting the recent departures of three of his senior godbrothers dear to Srila Prabhupada: Badrinarayan Swami (GBC), Ekanatha Dasa, and Ranjit Dasa. He encouraged devotees to pray for their mercy and, in particular, to draw strength from their example of courage in devotional service.

Reflecting on global instability and the pressures of Kali-yuga, he noted that the world feels increasingly uncertain as conflict and upheaval continue to escalate. In that setting, he points to Lord Caitanya’s mercy as the sure shelter, describing it as uniquely generous, reaching even the most fallen souls.

Finally, he framed Gaura Purnima as a call to action: having received this mercy, devotees protect it “within the heart” by distributing it to others. Emphasizing obedience to Lord Caitanya, the parampara, and Srila Prabhupada’s mission, he urged devotees to remain disciplined, intelligent, enthusiastic, and steady in their service so that “Kali will not be able to penetrate” the movement. To hear his full message, click here.

Source: https://iskconnews.org/new-gbc-chairman-calls-iskcon-to-courage-and-steadiness/

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By Atma Tattva Das, 

The upcoming BhaktiFest 2k26 is poised to draw more than 200 young adults to a four-day residential spiritual retreat over the Easter weekend, from April 3-6, 2026. Hosted on a private island venue near Sydney, this event marks the continuation of what has quickly become a signature youth engagement initiative within the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Australia and neighboring regions.

Read more: https://iskconnews.org/task-create-a-headline-and-three-paragraph-article-summarizing-this-video-https-www-youtube-com-watchvsnler8e-t38-instruction-before-responding-make-sure-to-perform-a-web-search-to-find-releva/

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31099369673?profile=RESIZE_400x31099369877?profile=RESIZE_400xFaithfully, I have been making my way to the ayurvedic clinic and today was my last day for the snehapanam, intaking ghee with salt. Dr. Rahul is my medicine consultant, who makes regular visits to the ashram to check on me. I told him that I’m on a full day fast and that I’m not really hungry, although admittedly, the image of a wholesome veggie burger flashed through my mind. Overall, I’ve been doing relatively well, despite the whopping 35°C temperature. I’m reaching my quota for the minimal number of 10,000 footsteps per day.

It somehow happened in the course of the day that Gauranga Pran and I watched the bulk of The Life of Pi. There is some good spiritual content in it. In the meantime, my friend, also a film maker, Yadubara, was chatting with some Russian actors over the upcoming film, Caitanya.

My other assistant, Suta Goswami Das, who is my link to the Kolkata devotees, had me Zoom in with two bhakti groups. I looked a bit weak in appearance due to lack of nourishment, nevertheless, I gave a mini class with a big blessing to these sweet and simple folks, all bright faced.

I met a group of devotees from New York at the goshala section where the bulls and old cows are sheltered, ‘chowing the cud’. That’s an old term back from my childhood days on the farm.

Being Saturday night, it makes no difference for those on the spiritual track, but for outsiders, the party music goes on in the distance, right up until 4:30 AM from the neighbours. I’m glad I’m spared of that lifestyle. Thanks to the devotees who scooped me up when I was young and confused.

Source: https://www.thewalkingmonk.net/post/let-the-ghee-flow

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Providing a strong challenge to established academic perception and methodology, Drutakarma Dasa presents the Vaisnava Hindu worldview on the fundamental concepts to the approach to and interpretation of the archaeological record. His presentation is articulate and thorough and the extensive research he has undertaken to support his thesis is very impressive. He contrasts the currently accepted time concept, which closely resembles the Judaeo-Christian model, with the ancient Puranic model and shows us how each tends to supports its own world view. But Drutakarma argues that the evidence offered by the archaeological record does not actually support the presently accepted model and thus questions its value in accurate historical analysis.

The time concept of modern archaeology and anthropology resembles the general cosmological-historical time concept of Europe ‘s Judaeo-Christian culture. Differing from the cyclical cosmological-historical time concepts of the early Greeks in Europe , and the Indians and others in Asia , the Judaeo- Christian cosmological-historical time concept is linear and progressive. Modern archaeology also shares with Judaeo-Christian theology the idea that humans appeared after the other major species. The author subjectively positions himself within the Vaisnava Hindu worldview, and from this perspective offers a radical critique of modern generalisations about human origins and antiquity. Hindu historical literature, particularly the Puranas and Ithihasas , place human existence in the context of repeating time cycles called yugas and kalpas , lasting hundreds of millions of years. During this entire period, according to the Puranic accounts, humans coexisted with creatures in some ways resembling the earlier tool-making hominids of modern evolutionary accounts. If one were to accept the Puranic record as objectively true, and also take into account the generally admitted imperfection and complexity of the archaeological and anthropological record, one could make the following prediction. The strata of the earth, extending back hundreds of millions of years, should yield a bewildering mixture of hominid bones, some anatomically modern human and others not, as well as a similarly bewildering variety of artefacts, some displaying a high level of artistry and others not. Given the linear progressivist preconceptions of generations of archaeologists and anthropologists, one could also predict that this mixture of bones and artefacts would be edited to conform to their deeply rooted linear-progressive time concepts. A careful study of the archaeological record, and the history of archaeology itself, broadly confirms these two predictions. Linear-progressivist time concepts thus pose a substantial barrier to truly objective evaluation of the archaeological record and to rational theory- building in the area of human origins and antiquity.

The practically employed time concept of the modern historical scientist, including the archaeologist, strikingly resembles the traditional Judaeo-Christian time concept, and equally strikingly differs from that of the ancient Greeks and Indians.

This observation is, of course, an extreme generalisation. In any culture, the common people may make use of various time concepts, both linear and cyclical. Among the great thinkers of any given period, there may be many competing views of both cyclical and linear time. This was certainly true of the ancient Greeks. It can nevertheless be safely said that the cosmological concepts several of the most prominent Greek thinkers involved a cyclic or episodic time similar to that found in the Puranic literature of India . For example, we find within Hesiod’s Works and Days, a series of ages (gold, silver, bronze, heroic and iron) similar to the Indian yugas . In both systems, the quality of human life becomes progressively worse with each passing age. In On Nature (Fragment 17), Empedocles speaks of cosmic time cycles. In Plato’s dialogues there are descriptions of revolving time (Timaeus 38 a) and recurring catastrophes that destroy or nearly destroy human civilisation (Politicus , 268 d ff). Aristotle repeatedly mentioned in his works that the arts and sciences had been discovered many times in the past (Metaphysics, 1074, b.10; Politics, 1329, b.25) In the teachings of Pythagoras, Plato and Empedocles regarding transmigration of souls, this cyclical pattern is extended to individual psychophysical existence.

When Judaeo-Christian civilisation arose in Europe , another kind of time became prominent. This time has been characterised as linear and vectorial . Broadly speaking, this concept involves a unique act of cosmic creation, a unique appearance of the human kind and a unique history of salvation, culminating in a unique denouement in the form of a last judgement. The drama occurs only once. Individually, human life mirrored this process; with some exceptions, orthodox Christian theologians did not accept transmigration of the soul.

Modern historical sciences share the basic Judaeo-Christian assumptions about time: that the universe we inhabit is a unique occurrence and that humans have arisen only once on this planet. The history of our ancestors is regarded as a unique, although unpredestined , evolutionary pathway. The future pathway of our species is also unique. Although this pathway is officially unpredictable, the myths of science project a possible overcoming of death by biomedical science and mastery over the entire universe by evolving, space-travelling humans. One group, the Santa Fe Institute, who have sponsored several conferences on ‘artificial life’, predicts the future transferral of human intelligence into machines and computers displaying the complex symptoms of living things (Langton 1991, p.xv ) ‘Artificial life’ thus becomes the ultimate transfiguring salvation of our species.

One is tempted to propose that the modern human evolutionary account is a Judaeo-Christian heterodoxy, which covertly retains fundamental structures of Judaeo-Christian cosmology, salvation history and eschatology, while overtly dispensing with the scriptural account of divine intervention in the origin of species, including our own.

This is similar to the case of Buddhism as Hindu heterodoxy. Dispensing with the Hindu scriptures and God concepts, Buddhism nevertheless retained basic Hindu cosmological assumptions such as cyclical time, transmigration and karma.

Something else the modern human evolutionary hypothesis has in common with the earlier Christian account is that humans appeared after the other life forms. In Genesis, God created the plants, animals and birds before human beings. For strict literalists, the time interval is short – humans are created on the last of six of our present solar days. Others have taken the Genesis days as ages. For example, around the time of Darwin European scientists with strong Christian leanings proposed that God had gradually brought into existence various species throughout the ages of geological time until the perfected earth was ready to receive human beings (Grayson, 1983). In modern evolutionary accounts, anatomically modern humans retain their position as the most recent major species to occur on this planet, having evolved from preceding hominids within the past 100,000 or so years. And despite the attempts of prominent evolutionary theorists and spokespersons to counteract the tendency, even among evolution scientists, to express this appearance in teleological fashion (Gould 1977, p. 14), the idea that humans are the crowning glory of the evolutionary process still has a stronghold on the public and scientific minds. Although anatomically modern humans are given an age of about 100,000 years, modern archaeologists and anthropologists, in common with Judaeo-Christian accounts, give civilisation an age of a few thousand years and, again in common with Judaeo-Christian accounts, place its earliest occurrence in the Middle East .

I do not here categorically assert a direct causal link between earlier Judeao -Christian ideas and those of the modern historical sciences. Demonstrating that, as Edward B. Davis (1994) points out in his review of recent works on this subject, needs much more careful documentation than has yet been provided. But the many common features of the time concepts of the two knowledge systems suggest these causal links do exist, and that it would be fruitful to trace connections in sufficient detail to satisfactorily demonstrate this.

I do, however, propose that the tacitly accepted and hence critically unexamined time concepts of the modern human sciences – whether or not causally linked with Judaeo-Christian concepts – pose a significant unrecognised influence on interpretation of the archaeological and anthropological record. To demonstrate how this might be true, I shall introduce my own experience in evaluating this record from the alien standpoint of the cyclical time concepts and accounts of human origins found in the Puranas and Itihasas of India.

My subjective path of learning has led me to take the Vaisnava tradition of India as my primary guide to life and the study of the visible universe and what may lie beyond. For the past century or so, it has been considered quite unreasonable to bring concepts from religious texts directly into the realm of the scientific study of nature. Indeed, many introductory anthropology and archaeology texts make a clear distinction between ‘scientific’ and ‘religious’ knowledge, relegating the latter to the status of unsupported belief, with little or no utility in the objective study of nature (see, for example, Stein and Rowe 1993, chapter 2). Some texts even go so far as to boast that this view has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court (Stein and Rowe 1993, p. 37), as if the state were the best and final arbiter of intellectual controversy. But I propose that total hostility to religious views of nature in science is unreasonable, especially for the modern historical sciences. Despite their pretensions to a religious objectivity, practitioners unconsciously retain or incorporate into their workings many Judaeo-Christian cosmological concepts, especially concerning time, and implicitly employ them in their day to day work of observation and theory building. In this sense, modern evolutionists share some intellectual territory with their Fundamentalist Christian antagonists.

But there are other ways to comprehend historical processes in nature. How this is so can be graphically sensed if one performs the mental experiment of looking at the world from a radically different time perspective, that of the the Puranic time concept of India . I am not alone in suggesting this. Gene Sager, a professor of philosophy and religious studies at Palomar College in California, wrote in an unpublished review of my book Forbidden Archaeology (Cremo and Thompson, 1993): ‘As a scholar in the field of comparative religion, I have sometimes challenged scientists by offering a cyclical or spiral model for studying human history, based on the Vedic concept of the kalpa . Few Western scientists are open to the possibility of sorting out the data in terms of such a model. I am not proposing that the Vedic model is true … However, the question remains, does the relatively short, linear model prove to be adequate? I believe Forbidden Archaeology offers a well researched challenge. If we are to meet this challenge, we need to practise open-mindedness and proceed in a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary fashion’ (personal communication, 1993). The World Archaeological Congress provides a suitable forum for such cross-cultural, interdisciplinary dialogue.

This cyclical time of the Puranas operates only within the material cosmos. Beyond the material cosmos lies the spiritual sky, or brahmajyoti . Innumerable spiritual planets float in this spiritual sky, where material time, in the form of yuga cycles, does not act. Each yuga cycle is composed of four yugas . The first, the Satya-yuga , lasts 4 800 years of the demigods; the second, the Treta-yuga , lasts 3 600 years of the demigods; the third, the Dvapara-yuga , lasts 2 400 years of the demigods; and the fourth, Kali-yuga , lasts 1 200 years of the demigods (Bhagavata Purana , 3.11.19). Since the demigod year is equivalent to three hundred and sixty earth years (Bhaktivedanta Swami 1973, p. 102), the lengths of the yugas in earth years are, according to standard Vaisnava commentaries, 432 000 years for the Kali-yuga , 864 000 years for the Dvapara-yuga , 1 296 000 years for the Treta-yuga and 1 728 000 years for the Satya-yuga . This gives a total of 4 320 000 years for the entire yuga cycle. One thousand of such cycles, lasting 4 320 000 000 years, comprises one day of Brahma, the demigod who governs this universe. A day of Brahma is also called a kalpa . Each of Brahma’s nights lasts a similar period of time. Life is only manifest on earth during the day of Brahma. With the onset of Brahma’s night, the entire universe is devastated and plunged into darkness. When another day of Brahma begins, life again becomes manifest.

Each day of Brahma is divided into fourteen manvatara periods, each one lasting seventy-one yuga cycles. Preceding the first and following each manvatara period is a juncture (sandhya ) the length of a Satya-yuga (1 728 000) years. Typically, each manvantara period ends with a partial devastation. According to Puranic accounts, we are now in the twenty-eight yuga cycle of the eighth manvatara period of the present day of Brahma. This would give the inhabited earth an age of 2.3 billion years. Interestingly enough, the oldest undisputed organisms recognised by palaeontologists -algae fossils such as those from the Gunflint formation in Canada – are just about that old (Stewart, 1983, p. 30). Altogether, 524 yuga cycles have elapsed since this day of Brahma began. Each yuga cycle involves a progression from a golden age of peace and spiritual progress to a final age of violence and spiritual degradation. At the end of each Kali-yuga , the earth is practically depopulated.

During the yuga cycles, human species coexist with other human-like species. For example, in the Bhagavata Purana (9.10.20) we find the divine avatara Ramacandra conquering Ravana’s kingdom Lanka with the aid of intelligent forest dwelling monkey men who fought Ravana’s well-equipped soldiers with trees and stones. This occurred in the Treta-yuga , about one million years ago.

Given the cycle of yugas , the periodic devastation at the end of each manvatara , and the coexistence of civilised human beings with creatures in some ways resembling the human ancestors of modern evolutionary accounts, what predictions might the Puranic account give regarding the archaeological record? Before answering this question, we must also consider the general imperfection of the fossil record (Raup and Stanley, 1971). Hominid fossils in particular are extremely rare. Furthermore, only a small fraction of the sedimentary layers deposited during the course of the earth’s history have survived erosion and other destructive geological processes (Van Andel , 1981).

Taking the above into account, I propose the Puranic view of time and history predicts a sparse but bewildering mixture of hominid fossils, some anatomically modern and some not, going back tens and even hundreds of millions of years and occurring at locations all over the world. It also predicts a more numerous but similarly bewildering mixture of stone tools and other artefacts, some showing a high level of technical ability and others not. Given the cognitive biases of the majority of workers in the fields of archaeology and anthropology over the past one hundred and fifty years, we might also predict that this bewildering mixture of fossils and artefacts would be edited to conform with a linear, progressive view of human origins. A careful investigation of published reports by myself and Richard Thompson (1993) offers confirmation of these two predictions. What follows is only a sample of the total body of evidence catalogued in our lengthy book. The citations given are for the single reports that best identify particular finds. Detailed analysis and additional reports cited elsewhere (Creme and Thompson, 1993) offer strong confirmation of the authenticity and antiquity of these discoveries.

Incised and carved mammal bones are reported from the Pliocene (Desnoyers , 1863; Laussedat , 1868; Capellini , 1877) and Miocene (Garrigou and Filhol , 1868; von Ducker, 1873). Additional reports of incised bones from the Pliocene and Miocene periods may be found in an extensive review by the overly sceptical de Mortillet (1883). Scientists have also reported pierced shark teeth from the Pliocene period (Charlesworth 1873), artistically carved bone from the Miocene (Calvert 1874) and artistically carved shell from the Pliocene (Stopes , 1881). Carved mammal bones reported by Moir (1917) could be as old as the Eocene.

Very crude stone tools occur in the Middle Pliocene (Prestwich 1892) and from perhaps as far back as the Eocene (Moir , 1927; Breuil , 1910, especially p. 402). One will note that most of these discoveries are from the nineteenth century. But such artefacts are still being found. Crude stone tools have recently be reported from the Pliocene of Pakistan (Bunney , 1987), Siberia (Daniloff and Kopf, 1986) and India (Sankhyan , 1981). Given the current view that tool-making hominids did not leave their African centre of origin until about one million years ago, these artefacts are somewhat anomalous, what to speak of a pebble tool from the Miocene of India (Prasad 1982).

More advanced stone tools occur in the Oligocene of Europe (Rutot , 1907), the Miocene of Europe (Ribeiro , 1873; Bourgeois, 1873; Verworn 1905), the Miocene of Asia (Noetling 1894), and the Pliocene of South America (F. Ameghino , 1908; C. Ameghino , 1915). In North America , advanced stone tools occur in California deposits ranging from Pliocene to Miocene in age (Whitney 1880). An interesting slingstone , at least Pliocene and perhaps Eocene in age, comes from England (Moir 1929, p. 63).

More advanced artefacts have also been reported in scientific and non-scientific publications. These include an iron nail in Devonian Sandstone (Brewster 1844), a gold thread in Carboniferous stone (Times of London, June 22, 1844), a metallic vase in Precambrian stone (Scientific American, June 5, 1852), and a chalk ball from the Eocene (Melleville 1862), a Pliocene clay statue (Wright 1912, pp. 266-69), metallic tubes in Cretaceous chalk (Corliss 1978, pp. 652-53), and a grooved metallic sphere from the Precambrian (Jimison 1982). The following objects have been reported from Carboniferous coal: a gold chain (The Morrisonville Times, of Illinois, U.S.A., June 11, 1891), artistically carved stone (Daily News of Omaha, U.S.A., April 2, 1897), an iron cup (Rusch 1971), and stone block walls (Steiger 1979, p. 27).

Human skeletal remains described as anatomically modern occur in the Middle Pleistocene of Europe (Newton, 1895; Bertrand, 1868; de Mortillet , 1883). These cases are favourably reviewed by Keith (1928). Other anatomically modern human skeletal remains occur in the Early and Middle Pleistocene of Africa (Reck , 1914; L. Leakey, 1960d; Zuckerman, 1954, p. 310; Patterson and Howells, 1967; Senut , 1981; R. Leakey, 1973); the Early Middle Pleistocene of Java (Day and Molleson , 1973), the Early Pleistocene of South America (Hrdlicka 1912, pp. 319-44); the Pliocene of South America (Hrdlicka 1912, p. 346; Boman 1921, pp. 341-2); the Pliocene of England (Osborn 1921, pp. 567-9); the Pliocene of Italy (Ragazzoni , 1880; Issel , 1868). the Miocene of France and the Eocene of Switzerland (de Mortillet , 1883, p. 72), and even the Carboniferous of North America (The Geologist, 1862). Several discoveries have also been made in Californian goldmines that range from Pliocene to Eocene (Whitney, 1880). Some of these samples have been subjected to chemical and radiometric tests which showed that they are ages younger than suggested by their stratigraphical position. But when the unreliability and weaknesses of the testing procedures are measured against the very compelling stratigraphic observations of the discoverers, it is not at all clear that the original age attributions should be discarded (Cremo and Thompson, 1993, pp. 753-94).

In addition, human-like footprints have been found in the Carboniferous of North America (Burroughs, 1938), the Jurassic of Central Asia (Moscow News 1983, no.4, p. 10) and the Pliocene of Africa (M. Leakey, 1979). Shoeprints have also been reported from the Cambrian (Meister, 1968) and the Triassic (Ballou , 1922).

In the course of negotiating a fashionable consensus that anatomically modern humans evolved from less advanced hominids in the Late Pleistocene, scientists gradually rendered unfashionable the considerable body of compelling contradictory evidence summarised above. It thus became unworthy of discussion in academic circles. Richard Thompson and I have concluded (1993) that the muting of this evidence was accomplished by application of a double standard, whereby favoured evidence was exempted from the severely sceptical scrutiny to which disfavoured evidence was subjected.

One example from the many that could be cited to demonstrate the operation of linear progressive preconceptions in the editing of the archaeological record, is the case of the auriferous gravel finds in California . During the days of the California Gold Rush (which started in the 1850s), miners discovered many anatomically modern human bones and advanced stone implements in mineshafts sunk deeply into deposits of gold-bearing gravel capped by thick lava flows (Whitney, 1880). According to modern geological reports (Slemmons , 1966) the gravel beneath the lava dated back from nine to fifty-five million years ago. These discoveries were reported to the world of science by J. D. Whitney, state geologist of California , in a monograph published by the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Harvard University . From the evidence he compiled, Whitney came to a non-progressivist view of human origins – the fossil evidence he reported indicated that the humans of the distant past were like those of the present.

Responding to this thesis, W. H. Holmes (1899, p. 424) of the Smithsonian Institution stated: ‘Perhaps if Prof. Whitney had fully appreciated the story of human evolution as it is understood today, he would have hesitated to announce the conclusions formulated, notwithstanding the imposing array of testimony with which he was confronted, an attitude that still prevails even today. For example, in their college textbook on anthropology, Stein and Rowe assert that ‘scientific statements are never considered absolute’ (1993, p. 41). However, in the same textbook they also make this very absolute statement: ‘Some people have assumed that humans have always been the way they are today. Anthropologists are convinced that human beings . have changed over time in response to changing conditions. So one aim of the anthropologist is to find evidence for evolution and to generate theories about it.’ Apparently, an anthropologist, by definition, can have no other view or purpose. One should keep in mind, however, that this absolute commitment to a linear progressive model of human origins, ostensibly areligious , may have deep roots in Judaeo-Christian cosmology.

One of the things Holmes found especially hard to accept was the similarity of the purportedly ancient stone implements to those of the modern Indians. He wondered how anyone could take seriously the idea that ‘the implements of a Tertiary race should have been left in the bed of a Tertiary torrent to be brought out as good as new, after the lapse of vast periods of time, into the camp of a modern community using identical forms?’ (1899, pp. 451-2). The similarity could be explained in several ways, but one possible explanation is the repeated appearance in the same geographical region of humans with particular cultural attributes in the course of cyclical time. The suggestion that such a thing could happen is bound to strike those who see humans as the recent result of a long and unique series of evolutionary changes in the hominid line, as absurd ― so absurd, in fact, as to prevent them from considering any evidence as potentially supporting a cyclical interpretation of human history.

It is noteworthy, however, that a fairly open-minded modern archaeologist, when confronted with the evidence catalogued in my book, brought up, in a somewhat doubting manner, the possibility of a cyclical interpretation of human history to explain its occurrence. George F. Carter, noted for his controversial views on early man in North America, wrote in a letter to me dated 26 January 1994: ‘If your table on page 391 were correct, then the minimum age for the artefacts at Table Mountain would be nine million [years old]. Would you think then of a different creation – [one that] disappeared – and then a new start? Would it simply replicate the archaeology of California nine million years later? Or the inverse. Would the Californians nine million years later replicate the materials under Table Mountain?’

This is exactly what I do propose – that in the course of cyclic time, humans with a culture resembling that of modern North American Indians did, in fact, appear in California millions of years ago, perhaps several times. In his letter, Carter confessed that he found great difficulty with this line of reasoning. But that difficulty, which encumbers the minds of most archaeologists and anthropologists, may be the result of a rarely recognised and even more rarely questioned commitment to a culturally acquired linear progressive time sense.

It would, therefore, be worthwhile to inspect the archaeological record through other time lenses, such as the Puranic lens. Many will take my proposal as a perfect example of what can happen when someone brings their subjective religious ideas into the objective study of nature. Jonathan Marks (1994) reacted in typical fashion in his review of Forbidden Archaeology: ‘Generally, attempts to reconcile the natural world to religious views end up compromising the natural world.’

But until modern anthropology conducts a conscious examination of the effects of its own covert, and arguably religiously derived, assumptions about time and progress, it should put aside its pretensions to universal objectivity and not be so quick to accuse others of bending facts to fit religious dogma. Om Tat Sat .

This paper was delivered at the Third World Archaeological Congress, New Delhi , India , 4 -11 December 1994.

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Von Ducker, Baron. ‘Sur la cassure artificelle d’ossements recuellis dans le terrain miocene de Pikermi ‘. Congres International d’Anthropolgie et d’Archeologie Prehistoriques . Bruxelles 1872, Compte Rendu , 1873, pp. 104-7.

Whitney, J. D. ‘The auriferous gravels of the Sierra Nevada of California’. Harvard University , Museum of Comparative Zoology Memoir 6(1), 1880.

Wright, G. F. Origin and Antiquity of Man . Oberlin: Bibliotheca Sacra, 1912.

Zuckerman, S. ‘Correlation of change in the evolution of higher primates’ in Huxley, J., A. C. Hardy and E. B. Ford (eds.) Evolution as a Process. London : Allen and Unwin , 1954, pp. 300-52.

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Becoming Free From The Flaw Of Envy

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“The word ‘envy’ is applied in many places and is used in connection to various things – envy of another’s good fortune, being disturbed at seeing the wealth of others, displeasure and jealousy etc. are some of the various examples. Wherever the word ‘matsarya’ (envy) has been explained in the Vaisnava scriptures, it is fully understood that its influence is the competitor of divine love (prema).

dharmah projjhita-kaitavo ‘tra paramo nirmatsaranam satam

“The path described in the Bhagavatam is entirely devoid of any dishonest purpose. It is held in adoration by those who are free of the flaw of envy.” (Bhag.1.1.2)

In these words of the Srimad Bhagavatam, it has been revealed who is eligible to receive the highest conception of dharma. In the scriptures, it is indicated that prema-rasa is the topmost dharma. One who is non-envious is eligible to receive that. The quality of non-enviousness is called nirmatsarata. Although respected commentators have explained matsarya as feeling miserable at seeing the happiness of others and taking pleasure in the sufferings of others, nevertheless, they have not revealed the broader meaning of this word and the general populace cannot understand it.

The ignorant baddha-jivas are tightly bound in the material world by six things – lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness and envy. These are said to be the six categories. These are the transformations of the fivefold miseries – ignorance, forgetfulness, self-absorption, attachment and jealousy. Absorption in material objects in relation to the origin of lust has been explained in Srimad Bhagavad-gita (2.62-63):

sangat sanjayate kamah kamat krodho’bhijayate
krodhad bhavati sammohah sammohat smrti-vibhramah
smrti-bhransad buddhi-naso buddhi-nasat pranasyati

In association with material attachment, lust develops; from lust anger arises. From anger, delusion appears. Delusion means unlawful material greed. From material greed, moha or bewilderment of memory appears. From moha, intelligence is destroyed, which means that one becomes mad and bereft of the understanding of what is right and wrong. By madness one is destroyed which means that the living entity becomes ruined by envy. This instruction has also been mentioned (Gita 3.43):

evam buddheh param buddhva samstabhyatmanam atmana
jahi satrum maha-baho kama-rupam durasadam

“O mighty armed Arjuna, knowing that individual unit of consciousness to be superior to the intelligence, steady the mind with firm intelligence and conquer this indomitable enemy in the form of lust.”

Considering the jiva as fully spiritual, beyond intelligence, with determination and through proper siddhanta, by subduing the mind, one must conquer the formidable enemy of lust.

From all of these instructions, it can be understood that this sprout of lust, arising due to the misconception of one’s own svarupa, in due course of it’s development, becomes transformed into the tree of enviousness, and thereby the dharma of the jiva, which is prema, remains inapproachable. There is lust in anger, and in greed there is anger as well as lust. In illusion there is anger and lust. In madness there is greed, anger and lust. In enviousness there is madness, illusion, greed, anger and lust. We may understand that the word ‘mada’ (insanity) refers to the six types of bewilderment which includes being intoxicated by one’s beauty, one’s caste, one’s education etc.

All sufferings of the jiva arise due to enviousness. Ignorance, the desire to commit sin, sin, the desire to perform pious activities and pious activities – all of these are included within envy. On one side is Vaisnava dharma, which refers to service to the Vaisnavas, mercy to the living entities and a taste for the Holy Name – on the other side, is enviousness. Whoever feels pleasure at the distress of others can never display mercy to the jivas. The sweet mood of love for the Lord cannot arise within him. He has innate hatred or enmity towards the Vaisnava. Only those who are without envy can fully accept the purport of the trnad api verse. Sriman Mahaprabhu has spoken (in the third verse of Siksastakam):

trnad api sunicena taror api sahisnuna
amanina manadena kirtaniyah sada harih

“One who is humbler than a blade of grass, more forbearing than a tree who gives due honour to others without desiring it for himself is qualified to always chant the holy name of Krsna.” (Siksastakam 3)

One who is devoid of envy cannot have false pride due to wealth, material beauty, caste, education and material strength; therefore he knows himself to be lower than a blade of grass. A non-envious person cannot be dominated by anger and cannot be envious towards others; therefore he is more tolerant than a tree. In other words, he is most munificent. Being devoid of all false conceptions due to caste, education etc. a non-envious person becomes endowed with all good qualities and thus has no desire for name and fame. Thus he never expects any respect for himself. An non-envious person finds happiness in the happiness of others and is sad at the miseries of other; therefore he gives proper honour to all living beings. Generally, with mercy he shows respect to all jivas; with proper honour he respects the brahmanas; he appropriately satisfies those within the cultured section of society who have become somewhat inclined towards Vaisnavism, and he serves the lotus feet of the Vaisnavas.

By his very nature, the person who is without envy –

1) Does not make offences to sadhus.

2) Does not consider the demigods to be independent, for his intelligence is absorbed only in Krishna, yet he does not disrespect them.

3) Shows appropriate respect to the spiritual preceptors.

4) Appropriately honours the bhakti-sastras which includes the srutis etc.

5) Gives up unnecessary arguments and develops the faith that nama and nami are non-different. He considers the Holy Name as the highest worshipable reality.

6) Does not engage in sinful activities on the strength of the Holy Name.

7) Does not consider pious activities such as dharma, vows, austerities etc. to be equal to the Holy Name.

8) Makes an effort to develop faith in the faithless, but does not instruct them about the Holy Name until that faith has awakened.

9) Has complete faith in the glories of the Holy Name that is described in the sastras.

10) Does not identify himself with material conceptions.

O readers! Non-enviousness alone is liberation and enviousness is entanglement. Thus, in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 9. 361) it is said:

caitanya-caritra suna sraddha bhakti kari
matsarya chadiya mukhe bala hari hari

Endowed with full faith and devotion, listen to the lifework of Sri Caitanya… Cast aside envy and let your mouth sing, Hari, Hari!”

(From Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakurera Prabandhavali)

 

Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=85034

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31096194682?profile=RESIZE_584xTemple President Her Grace Visakha dasi was invited to join a panel of representatives at a Hertsmere Community Conference, in the Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar.

The Community Conference brought together a wide range of delegates, from all sections of Hertsmere’s community to collectively learn, network and explore opportunities for collaboration. They discussed how to collectively come together to build a more cohesive community. It was chaired by the Leader of Hertsmere Council, Cllr Jeremy Newmark.

Commenting on local faith issues, Visakha dasi quoted the Gaudiya Vaishnava Acharya, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur:

“When I see the churches, mosques and temples of other faiths, I think: ‘They are also worshiping my Lord — but in a different way.’ Because of this, I feel great love and reverence for them.”

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur also expressed a broader principle in his writings, that a sincere devotee should honour all genuine religious paths that cultivate love of God, while remaining firmly devoted to their own tradition.

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Source: https://www.dandavats.com/?p=117489

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