San Francisco, Calif. – Several thousand Indian Americans, along with other devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, gathered together here Aug. 14 to celebrate the 50th annual Ratha Yatra.

“I have come every year since 1994,” Mohini Raj, bearing several garlands of marigolds which she offered to Sri Jagannatha, told India-West. The elderly woman brought her young grandchildren along this year, to clap, sing and dance at the joyous festival. “This reminds me of the festivals I would go to in India,” she said.

Four colorful carriages – bearing replicas of Srila Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness; Lord Jagannatha; Nityananda Prabhu and his devotee Nitai Guaranga; and Sri Baladeva and Sri Subhadra Devi – were pulled by devotees, who wound their way down a mile-long path in the park. The red-and-gold chariots and sparkling outfits of the revelers cast a spell of sunshine onto the fog-driven morning.

The Ratha Yatra is a centuries-old festival, originating in Puri, Odisha. Devotees of Sri Jagannath – the Lord of the Universe – traditionally pull him in his current form as Krishna, back to Vrindavan.

As a child, Srila Prabhupada would recreate the festival for his neighborhood in Kolkata. Arriving in the U.S. in the mid-60s, the ISKCON founder held the first Festival of Chariots in San Francisco in 1967. Similar festivals are now held annually at more than 100 cities throughout the world.

Srila Prabhupada arrived in New York in 1965, with just $5 in his pocket, at the behest of his spiritual master who asked him to spread Krishna Consciousness throughout the world. The first Ratha Yatra was held in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury District in 1967.

“It was the summer of love,” Jagannath Swami Das, who has organized the festival for 40 years, told India-West. “There were lots more people on the street,” he said, estimating that more than 15,000 people came to the first Ratha Yatra.

The festival is smaller now, but Swami Das believes it is still relevant to present its culture. “It does a lot of good for the public. It makes everyone happy,” said the New York native, adding: “Police say there is less crime in their cities on parade day.”

“There is so much trouble in the world today, because people identify with the body too much,” said Swami Das. “But each of us have a super-soul, God in our heart. And when you chant “Hare Krishna” you are directly associating with God.”

Swami Das recalled the first time he met Srila Prabhupada, at the San Francisco airport. “He was glowing,” he recalled to India-West.

“I walked next to him, in a spiritual bubble,” said Swami Das reverently.

The 2016 procession of chariots – which began with a blow on a conch shell – ended at Golden Gate Park’s Sharon Meadow with a mela. Long orderly queues snaked around the meadow clad in colorful canopies for a free vegetarian lunch, while pizza, watermelon, samosas and lassis were also available for a price.

Several spiritual leaders of ISKCON Berkeley and Silicon Valley offered advice to those seeking it. Another booth allowed devotees to make offerings to the deities, who had been taken off the chariots and placed on seats.

Students of sitar maestro Pandit Habib Khan performed bhajans onstage. Swami Das – playing American drums – and Khan performed an East/West fusion mix.

Daly City, Calif., Mayor Sal Torres attended the festival and bestowed a proclamation. A representative of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee’s office also attended and declared Aug. 15 “Festival of Chariots” day.

“We are here in the hopes of bringing peace to our world, which is very much in need of an intervention right now,” ISKCON devotee Aditya told India-West, as he danced to the rhythm of drum-beats and temple bells co-mingling with chants of “Hare Krishna.”

“Imagine a world where every one of us daily chants for peace; what a joyful world we would be,” said the young worshipper, clad in white robes.

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30772

The Holy Appearance Day of 
His Divine Grace Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Maharaja

When Nanda Maharaja is observing a great festival for the appearance day of his beloved son, Sri Krsna, that very day Krsna’s very dear devotee, very intimate devotee, His own man, has appeared.
What is the necessity of the Vaisnavas coming here? Sadhu-vaisnavas, Krsna’s own men are always with Krsna in that sat-cid-ananda-maya-dhama. Those who have attained Krsna, only see krsna-sambandha, the relationship with Krsna. They see how everyone, everything, every object is related to Krsna. Krsna is the only relationship. Krsna nitya-sambandha — every jiva has a perfect, eternal, loving relationship with Krsna. A completely Krsna conscious person has this vision. For that premi-bhakta Krsna is his most beloved and Krsna is his object of love. Krsna prananatha — Krsna is the Lord of his heart. The premi-bhakta, Vaisnava sees that everything, every jiva is related to Krsna in this loving relationship. Therefore how can he tolerate the suffering of Krsna’s jiva? His heart bleeds seeing the jivas who are suffering because of their forgetfulness of Krsna and forgetfulness of their relationship with Him. They are bereft of Krsna consciousness therefore they are suffering. This is the only cause. Sadhu Vaisnava knows the cause very well. If they will develop Krsna consciousness, that lost consciousness and become completely Krsna conscious, then there will be no more suffering. They will go back home to Godhead.

Source : http://tvpbooks.com/2016/08/srila-prabhupadas-appearance-day/

In the chapter of the Krishna book titled “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krishna in the Womb” Srila Prabhupada cautions against the tendency to be a bit impersonal towards God. We understand that Krishna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has both personal and impersonal aspects – He is simultaneously one with everything and different from everything. It’s easy to see and appreciate the power and energy of Krishna in the world in front of us, but sometimes not so easy to see or understand Krishna as a person – who is He? What does He do?
The call of the soul, the dharma of life, is to reawaken our relationship with the person Krishna. Prabhupada says we have to have some ‘feeling for the Personality of Godhead’ and to become ‘affectionately attached’ to the Lord. How do we do that? How do we feel those feelings?
A good place to start is to ask ourselves ‘What do we love about Krishna?’. Maybe it’s His flute playing, or His dancing with the Gopis under the full moon? Perhaps it’s His love for animals and especially His affection for cows? Or His love of nature – forests and flowers, rivers and trees?
Is it the sweets He likes to eat? The kirtan of His holy name that warms our heart? Do we love His devotees who seem so happy to serve Him, or His philosophy of equal vision and spiritual consciousness? Or the incredible role He plays in the Bhagavad-gita as a friend and mentor to Arjuna?
There are so many things to love about Krishna. Read Krishna Book and be drawn to love and honor Him for who He is, not who we want Him to be. After all, He gives us our individuality and want’s us to be ‘real’ with Him. Let’s return the gesture, give Him His and allow it to nourish and grow our love for Him, for God as a Person, for Krishna.
Happy Janmastami!

Source : http://www.dandavats.com/?p=30788

janma karma me divyam

Today marks the auspicious celebration of the Appearence Day Of Lord Sri Krishna, Janmastami. We will fast all day and have a small feast at midnight. The following are some selected quotes by Srila Prabhupada on understanding Krishna.

“Let us understand Krishna. That is Krishna consciousness movement. Let us understand Krishna. And if you simply understand Krishna, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah… Tattvatah, in truth, not superficially. Learn this science of Krishna. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). This is the instruction: if you simply try to love. The process is that you worship the Deity, you take the prasadam, you chant the holy name, you follow the instruction of the spiritual master. In this way you’ll be trained up how to understand Krishna, and then your life is successful. This is Krishna consciousness movement.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, September 9, 1973)

“Some way or other, be in relationship with Krishna, and you’ll be happy. You’ll be happy, this life and next life.

yo janati tattvatah
tyaktva deham punar janma
naiti mam eti kaunteya

This is the simplest point. You simply try to understand Krishna. There is no difficulty. If you do not foolishly misinterpret Bhagavad-gita, it is very easy to understand Krishna. Very easy. There is no difficulty. But we are rascals. We misinterpret.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, January 7, 1973)

“We are wandering, life after life, in different species of life, different forms of life, in different planetary system. And that is going on. This is not progress. Where is progress? You are conditioned within this universe. Where is your progress? Suppose you… Just like if I jump with a limited space, where is my progress? Real progress is Krishna consciousness. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). If we actually want to make progress, then we must take to Krishna consciousness so that after leaving this body there is no more coming down to accept a material body. That is real progress. Otherwise, there is no progress. It is simply wandering with a limited space. That is not progress at all. But because we are in illusion, we are thinking it is progress. It is not progress.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 2, 1972)

“If you take to devotional service and simply try to understand what is Krishna, then you are no longer within the influence of this good work or bad work. You are transcendental. Immediately after death, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), you are no more subjected to this gross body.

You can understand Krishna simply by chanting Hare Krishna mantra. Sevonmukhe hi jihvadau (Brs. 1.2.234): simply by your service attitude, to serve Krishna, beginning with the tongue. It is very wonderful. By utilizing your tongue, you can achieve Krishna very easily, by the tongue. By the tongue if you simply chant, without any offense, Hare Krishna mantra, and by the tongue if you simply taste Krishna prasadam, and by the tongue if you speak about Krishna, yare dekha tare kaha krsna upadesa (CC Madhya 7.128), you understand Krishna. The three business of the tongue: tasting the prasadam, chanting Hare Krishna mantra and preaching about Krishna. By these three things you understand Krishna, and as you understand Krishna, tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9), you are transferred to the spiritual kingdom.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 19, 1972)

“So our this Krishna consciousness is next life to go back to Krishna directly. That is our program. How? Simply by knowing Krishna. That’s all. Krishna guarantees this: janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah (BG 4.9). If we want to go back to home, back to Godhead, simply try to understand what is Krishna. And He’s explaining in the Bhagavad-gita. But if you foolishly misinterpret Krishna, then you go to hell. But if you understand Krishna as Krishna says in the Bhagavad-gita, then you go back to Krishna. Where is the difficulty?” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, December 28, 1972)

“So in this way we have to understand Krishna from the sastra, from the Vedas. Then we shall understand Krishna. And once we understand Krishna, our life is successful. Janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah. Anyone who understands Krishna in truth, his life is perfect. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9). The perfection of life is that after giving up this body, we shall not accept any more material body. That is perfection. The people do not know that.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, January 1, 1973)

“Now, in our material dealings, the rasas are temporary. They’ll be finished. As soon as this body is finished, the rasa is also finished. Just like we love somebody, any way, either as friend or as child or as husband or as lover, friend, so many ways, but these rasa will be finished as soon as this body’s finished. I have got some affectionate dealings with my sons, but as soon as the son dies or I die, the rasa is finished. But if you deal in the same way with Krishna, who is the reservoir of all rasas, it will continue. If you love Krishna as a friend in this life, if you develop your consciousness, Krishna consciousness, as friend of Krishna’s, then tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9): when you go to Krishna, tyaktva deham, giving up this body, then you go there as Krishna’s friend.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 19, 1972)

“So our philosophy is that once going into the ocean, no more coming back. Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti kaunteya (BG 4.9). That is our philosophy. If we once go in the spiritual world, we do not like to come back. We stay with Krishna and dance with Him, or play with Him, or serve Him as tree, as plant, as water, as cows, as land, as cowherd boys, as father, mother or as gopis. This is our philosophy. Once we go to Krishna, we live forever with Him in either of these capacity. ‘Let me live at Vrindavana in any capacity. It doesn’t matter. But live there.'” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, October 27, 1972)

“If you simply hear about Krishna. The process… to krsna-tattva-vetta means to hear about Krishna. That’s all. Try to hear about Krishna. Satam prasangad mama virya-samvidah. That is very, what is called, potential. Simply if you hear from the right source of Krishna — not from the professional or from jnanis, karmis or politicians. No. Pure devotee. Satam prasangad: in pure devotional service, in pure devotional mood. Then the potency will act and you will…, we shall become pure devotee. Khanera gita diya mora me pasile, mora me pasile. It will act. And as soon as it will act, you become Krishna conscious, then your life becomes successful, above all sinful or pious activities.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 4, 1972)

“So in order to dissipate our ignorance, we should receive perfect knowledge. Then we can stop our sinful activities. Therefore Bhagavad-gita, Bhagavan says, Krishna says, janma karma me divyam. Krishna appears, Krishna lives here, He teaches, He acts. If we simply try to understand Krishna from the devotee of Krishna, then we become perfect, so much so that after giving up this body… tyaktva deham punar janma naiti… (BG 4.9). Without being perfect, without being free from all sinful reaction, we have to undergo the tribulation of accepting different types of body. But as soon as we become perfect through the perfect knowledge, then automatically we become uncontaminated from this material world and we become liberated.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 5, 1972)

“Tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti so ‘rjuna (BG 4.9). These statements are there. If we actually take to Krishna consciousness, then maya, the laws of nature, will not act. Otherwise, we shall be put into the cycle of birth and death. So the best utilization of this human life is to elevate oneself to Krishna consciousness and, as it is stated in the Bhagavad-gita, janma karma me divyam yo janati tattvatah: if we try to understand Krishna, in truth, then tyaktva deham punar janma naiti (BG 4.9), then we’ll not have to accept any more this material body, which is full of miserable conditions. Then we go back to home, back to Godhead.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 14, 1972)

“Simply by chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra, one becomes liberated from the resultant action of sinful life, and at length he is promoted, param vrajet… tyaktva deham punar janma naiti mam eti (BG 4.9). This is the process. So this Krishna consciousness movement, Hare Krishna movement, should be spread. And that is actually auspicity for all people, all over the world.” (Srila Prabhupada lecture, November 8, 1972)

“As stated in Bhagavad-gita (4.9), janma karma ca me divyam evam yo vetti tattvatah. One should understand Krishna in truth, and this one can do only by serving a pure devotee.” (SB 7.9.24, Purport)

Source : https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/08/25/you-simply-try-to-understand-krishna/

One thing you notice is that if like me you use social media there is a lot of articles that come along and once you closely scrutinise them it becomes clear that the information contained is not what it seems to be.

So it was of interest that I found a reference to an article that caught my curiosity and so a further look and small research was undertaken and it appeared to be valid; but interestingly made me feel inspired as Sri Krishna had made the whole journey of Srila Prabhupada even more auspicious than I personally had realized.

The article claimed that the picture of the Jaladuta that Srila Prabhupada travelled on was not the actual one he would have, and indeed if you look closely at the ships records held by the Scindia S.N. Company the one we see pictured regularly was indeed scrapped in 1958.

Their is however an exciting twist to this the Jaladuat that was in service at the time coming into service in 1959 had one unique feature not carried by any previous ship; nor carried in general by the Scindia S.N. Comapny.

Yes look carefully and you will see a unique feature on the bow of the ship, it is the sacred swastika, and that for me is amazing that even the vessal that carried Srila Prabhupada was all auspicious.

My realization is that Sri Krishna always takes care of even the finest detail when it comes to his devotees who are serving him and following their guru maharaja direction.

Hare krishna

Source : http://david.deltaflow.com/?p=3379

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious. (Krsna Book Chapter 3)

Full Chapter

KRSNA, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
By His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Chapter 3

The Birth of Lord Krishna

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā, the Lord says that His appearance, birth, and activities, are all transcendental, and one who understands them factually becomes immediately eligible to be transferred to the spiritual world. The Lord’s appearance or birth is not like that of an ordinary man who is forced to accept a material body according to his past deeds. The Lord’s appearance is explained in the Second Chapter: He appears out of His own sweet pleasure. When the time was mature for the appearance of the Lord, the constellations became very auspicious. The astrological influence of the star known as Rohiṇī was also predominant because this star is considered to be very auspicious. Rohiṇī is under the direct supervision of Brahmā. According to the astrological conclusion, besides the proper situation of the stars, there are auspicious and inauspicious moments due to the different situations of the different planetary systems. At the time of Kṛṣṇa’s birth, the planetary systems were automatically adjusted so that everything became auspicious.

At that time, in all directions, east, west, south, north, everywhere, there was an atmosphere of peace and prosperity. There were auspicious stars visible in the sky, and on the surface in all towns and villages or pasturing grounds and within the minds of everyone there were signs of good fortune. The rivers were flowing full of waters, and lakes were beautifully decorated with lotus flowers. The forests were full with beautiful birds and peacocks. All the birds within the forests began to sing with sweet voices, and the peacocks began to dance along with their consorts. The wind blew very pleasantly, carrying the aroma of different flowers, and the sensation of bodily touch was very pleasing. At home, the brāhmaṇas, who were accustomed to offer sacrifices in the fire, found their homes very pleasant for offerings. Due to disturbances created by the demoniac kings, the sacrificial fire alter had been almost stopped in the houses of brāhmaṇas, but now they could find the opportunity to start the fire peacefully. Being forbidden to offer sacrifices, the brāhmaṇas were very distressed in mind, intelligence and activities, but just on the point of Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, automatically their minds became full of joy because they could hear loud vibrations in the sky of transcendental sounds proclaiming the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The denizens of the Gandharva and Kinnara planets began to sing, and the denizens of Siddhaloka and the planets of the Cāraṇas began to offer prayers in the service of the Personality of Godhead. In the heavenly planets, the angels along with their wives, accompanied by the Apsaras, began to dance.

The great sages and the demigods, being pleased, began to shower flowers. At the seashore, there was the sound of mild waves, and above the sea there were clouds in the sky which began to thunder very pleasingly.

When things were adjusted like this, Lord Viṣṇu, who is residing within the heart of every living entity, appeared in the darkness of night as the Supreme Personality of Godhead before Devakī, who also appeared as one of the demigoddesses. The appearance of Lord Viṣṇu at that time could be compared with the full moon in the sky as it rises on the eastern horizon. The objection may be raised that, since Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon, there could be no rising of the full moon. In answer to this it may be said that Lord Kṛṣṇa appeared in the dynasty which is in the hierarchy of the moon; therefore, although the moon was incomplete on that night, because of the Lord’s appearance in the dynasty wherein the moon is himself the original person, the moon was in an overjoyous condition, so by the grace of Kṛṣṇa he could appear just as a full moon.

In an astronomical treatise by the name Khamaṇikya, the constellations at the time of the appearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa are very nicely described. It is confirmed that the child born at that auspicious moment was the Supreme Brahman or the Absolute Truth.

Vasudeva saw that wonderful child born as a baby with four hands, holding conchshell, club, disc, and lotus flower, decorated with the mark of Śrīvatsa, wearing the jeweled necklace of kaustubha stone, dressed in yellow silk, appearing dazzling like a bright blackish cloud, wearing a helmet bedecked with the vaidūrya stone, valuable bracelets, earrings and similar other ornaments all over His body and an abundance of hair on His head. Due to the extraordinary features of the child, Vasudeva was struck with wonder. How could a newly born child be so decorated? He could therefore understand that Lord Kṛṣṇa had now appeared, and he became overpowered by the occasion. Vasudeva very humbly wondered that although he was an ordinary living entity conditioned by material nature and was externally imprisoned by Kaṁsa, the all-pervading Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu or Kṛṣṇa, was appearing as a child in his home, exactly in His original position. No earthly child is born with four hands decorated with ornaments and nice clothing, fully equipped with all the signs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Over and over again, Vasudeva glanced at his child, and he considered how to celebrate this auspicious moment: ”Generally, when a male child is born,“ he thought, ”people observe the occasion with jubilant celebrations, and in my home, although I am imprisoned, the Supreme Personality of Godhead has taken birth. How many millions of millions of times should I be prepared to observe this auspicious ceremony!“

When Vasudeva, who is also called Ānakadundubhi, was looking at his newborn baby, he was so happy that he wanted to give many thousands of cows in charity to the brāhmaṇas. According to the Vedic system, whenever there is an auspicious ceremony in the kṣatriya king’s palace, the king gives many things in charity. Cows decorated with golden ornaments are delivered to the brāhmaṇas and sages. Vasudeva wanted to perform a charitable ceremony to celebrate Kṛṣṇa’s appearance, but because he was shackled within the walls of Kaṁsa’s prison, this was not possible. Instead, within his mind he gave thousands of cows to the brāhmaṇas.

When Vasudeva was convinced that the newborn child was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself, he bowed down with folded hands and began to offer Him prayers. At that time Vasudeva was in the transcendental position, and he became completely free from all fear of Kaṁsa. The newborn baby was also flashing His effulgence within the room in which He appeared.

Vasudeva then began to offer his prayers. ”My dear Lord, I can understand who You are. You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul of all living entities and the Absolute Truth. You have appeared in Your own eternal form which is directly perceived by us. I understand that because I am afraid of Kaṁsa, You have appeared just to deliver me from that fear. You do not belong to this material world; You are the same person who brings about the cosmic manifestation simply by glancing over material nature.“

One may argue that the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who creates the whole cosmic manifestation simply by His glance, cannot come within the womb of Devakī, the wife of Vasudeva. To eradicate this argument, Vasudeva said, ”My dear Lord, it is not a very wonderful thing that You appear within the womb of Devakī because the creation was also made in that way. You were lying in the Causal Ocean as Mahā-Viṣṇu, and by Your breathing process, innumerable universes came into existence. Then You entered into each of the universes as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu. Then again You expanded Yourself as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu and entered into the hearts of all living entities and entered even within the atoms. Therefore Your entrance in the womb of Devakī is understandable in the same way. You appear to have entered, but You are simultaneously all-pervading. We can understand Your entrance and nonentrance from material examples. The total material energy remains intact even after being divided into sixteen elements. The material body is nothing but the combination of the five gross elements–namely earth, water, fire, air and ether. Whenever there is a material body, it appears that such elements are newly created, but actually the elements are always existing outside of the body. Similarly, although You appear as a child in the womb of Devakī, You are also existing outside. You are always in Your abode, but still You can simultaneously expand Yourself into millions of forms.

“One has to understand Your appearance with great intelligence because the material energy is also emanating from You. You are the original source of the material energy, just as the sun is the source of the sunshine. The sunshine cannot cover the sun globe, nor can the material energy–being an emanation from You–cover You. You appear to be in the three modes of material energy, but actually the three modes of material energy cannot cover You. This is understood by the highly intellectual philosophers. In other words, although You appear to be within the material energy, You are never covered by it.”

We hear from the Vedic version that the Supreme Brahman exhibits His effulgence, and therefore everything becomes illuminated. We can understand from Brahma-saṁhitā that the brahmajyoti, or the Brahman effulgence, emanates from the body of the Supreme Lord. And from the Brahman effulgence, all creation takes place. It is further stated in the Bhagavad-gītā that the Lord is also the support of the Brahman effulgence. Originally He is the root cause of everything. But persons who are less intelligent think that when the Supreme Personality of Godhead comes within this material world, He accepts the material qualities. Such conclusions are not very mature, but are made by the less intelligent.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is directly and indirectly existing everywhere; He is outside this material creation, and He is also within it. He is within this material creation not only as Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu; He is also within the atom. Existence is due to His presence. Nothing can be separated from His existence. In the Vedic injunction we find that the Supreme Soul or the root cause of everything has to be searched out because nothing exists independent of the Supreme Soul. Therefore the material manifestation is also a transformation of His potency. Both inert matter and the living force–soul–are emanations from Him. Only the foolish conclude that when the Supreme Lord appears He accepts the conditions of matter. Even if He appears to have accepted the material body, He is still not subjected to any material condition. Kṛṣṇa has therefore appeared and defeated all imperfect conclusions about the appearance and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

“My Lord, Your appearance, existence and disappearance are beyond the influence of the material qualities. Because Your Lordship is the controller of everything and the resting place of the Supreme Brahman, there is nothing inconceivable or contradictory in You. As You have said, material nature works under Your superintendence. It is just like government officers working under the orders of the chief executive. The influence of subordinate activities cannot affect You. The Supreme Brahman and all phenomena are existing within You, and all the activities of material nature are controlled by Your Lordship.

”You are called śuklam. Śuklam, or ’whiteness’ is the symbolic representation of the Absolute Truth because it is unaffected by the material qualities. Lord Brahmā is called rakta, or red, because Brahmā represents the qualities of passion for creation. Darkness is entrusted to Lord Śiva because he annihilates the cosmos. The creation, annihilation and maintenance of this cosmic manifestation is conducted by Your potencies, yet You are always unaffected by those qualities. As confirmed in the Vedas, harir hi nirguṇaḥ sākṣāt: the Supreme Personality of Godhead is always free from all material qualities. It is also said that the qualities of passion and ignorance are nonexistent in the person of the Supreme Lord.

“My Lord, You are the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead, the supreme great, maintaining the order of this cosmic manifestation. And in spite of Your being the supreme controller, You have so kindly appeared in my home. The purpose of Your appearance is to kill the followers of the demoniac rulers of the world who are in the dress of royal princes but are actually demons. I am sure that You will kill all of them and their followers and soldiers.

”I understand that You have appeared to kill the uncivilized Kaṁsa and his followers. But knowing that You were to appear to kill him and his followers, he has already killed so many of Your predecessors, elder brothers. Now he is simply awaiting the news of Your birth. As soon as he hears about it, he will immediately appear with all kinds of weapons to kill You.“

After this prayer of Vasudeva, Devakī, the mother of Kṛṣṇa, offered her prayers. She was very frightened because of her brother’s atrocities. Devakī said, ”My dear Lord, Your eternal forms, like Nārāyaṇa, Lord Rāma, Śeṣa, Varāha, Nṛsiṁha, Vāmana, Baladeva, and millions of similar incarnations emanating from Viṣṇu, are described in the Vedic literature as original. You are original because all Your forms as incarnations are outside of this material creation. Your form was existing before this cosmic manifestation was created. Your forms are eternal and all-pervading. They are self-effulgent, changeless and uncontaminated by the material qualities. Such eternal forms are ever-cognizant and full of bliss; they are situated in transcendental goodness and are always engaged in different pastimes. You are not limited to a particular form only; all such transcendental eternal forms are self-sufficient. I can understand that You are the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu.

“After many millions of years, when Lord Brahmā comes to the end of his life, the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation takes place. At that time the five elements–namely earth, water, fire, air and ether–enter into the mahat-tattva. The mahat-tattva again enters, by the force of time, into the nonmanifested total material energy; the total material energy enters into the energetic pradhāna, and the pradhāna enters into You. Therefore after the annihilation of the whole cosmic manifestation, You alone remain with Your transcendental name, form, quality and paraphernalia.

”My Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because You are the director of the unmanifested total energy, and the ultimate reservoir of the material nature. My Lord, the whole cosmic manifestation is under the influence of time, beginning from the moment up to the duration of the year. All act under Your direction. You are the original director of everything and the reservoir of all potent energies.

“Therefore my Lord, I request You to save me from the cruel hands of the son of Ugrasena, Kaṁsa. I am praying to Your Lordship to please rescue me from this fearful condition because You are always ready to give protection to Your servitors.” The Lord has confirmed this statement in the Bhagavad-gītā by assuring Arjuna, “You may declare to the world, My devotee shall never be vanquished.”

While thus praying to the Lord for rescue, mother Devakī expressed her motherly affection: “I understand that this transcendental form is generally perceived in meditation by the great sages, but I am still afraid because as soon as Kaṁsa understands that You have appeared, he might harm You. So I request that for the time being You become invisible to our material eyes.” In other words, she requested the Lord to assume the form of an ordinary child. “My only cause of fear from my brother Kaṁsa is due to Your appearance. My Lord Madhusūdana, Kaṁsa may know that You are already born. Therefore I request You to conceal this four-armed form of Your Lordship which holds the four symbols of Viṣṇu–namely the conchshell, the disc, the club and the lotus flower. My dear Lord, at the end of the annihilation of the cosmic manifestation, You put the whole universe within Your abdomen; still by Your unalloyed mercy You have appeared in my womb. I am surprised that You imitate the activities of ordinary human beings just to please Your devotee.”

On hearing the prayers of Devakī, the Lord replied, “My dear mother, in the millennium of Svāyambhuva Manu, My father Vasudeva was living as one of the Prajāpatis, and his name at that time was Sutapā, and you were his wife named Pṛśni. At that time, when Lord Brahmā was desiring to increase the population, he requested you to generate offspring. You controlled your senses and performed severe austerities. By practicing the breathing exercise of the yoga system, both you and your husband could tolerate all the influences of the material laws: the rainy season, the onslaught of the wind, and the scorching heat of the sunshine. You also executed all religious principles. In this way you were able to cleanse your heart and control the influence of material law. In executing your austerity, you used to eat only the leaves of the trees which fell to the ground. Then with steady mind and controlled sex drive, you worshiped Me, desiring some wonderful benediction from Me. Both of you practiced severe austerities for twelve thousand years, by the calculation of the demigods. During that time, your mind was always absorbed in Me. When you were executing devotional service and always thinking of Me within your heart, I was very much pleased with you. O sinless mother, your heart is therefore always pure. At that time also I appeared before you in this form just to fulfill your desire, and I asked you to ask whatever you desired. At that time you wished to have Me born as your son. Although you saw Me personally, instead of asking for your complete liberation from the material bondage, under the influence of My energy, you asked Me to become your son.”

In other words, the Lord selected His mother and father–namely Pṛśni and Sutapā–specifically to appear in the material world. Whenever the Lord comes as a human being, He must have someone as a mother and father, so He selected Pṛśni and Sutapā perpetually as His mother and father. And on account of this, both Pṛśni and Sutapā could not ask the Lord for liberation. Liberation is not so important as the transcendental loving service of the Lord. The Lord could have awarded Pṛśni and Sutapā immediate liberation, but He preferred to keep them within this material world for His different appearances, as will be explained in the following verses. On receiving the benediction from the Lord to become His father and mother, both Pṛśni and Sutapā returned from the activities of austerity and lived as husband and wife in order to beget a child who was the Supreme Lord Himself.

In due course of time Pṛśni became pregnant and gave birth to the child. The Lord spoke to Devakī and Vasudeva: “At that time My name was Pṛśnigarbha. In the next millennium also you took birth as Aditi and Kaśyapa, and I became your child of the name Upendra. At that time My form was just like a dwarf, and for this reason I was known as Vāmanadeva. I gave you the benediction that I would take birth as your son three times. The first time I was known as Pṛśnigarbha, born of Pṛśni and Sutapā, the next birth I was Upendra born of Aditi and Kaśyapa, and now for the third time I am born as Kṛṣṇa from you, Devakī and Vasudeva. I appeared in this Viṣṇu form just to convince you that I am the same Supreme Personality of Godhead again taken birth. I could have appeared just like an ordinary child, but in that way you would not believe that I, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, have taken birth in your womb. My dear father and mother, you have therefore raised Me many times as your child, with great affection and love, and I am therefore very pleased and obliged to you. And I assure you that this time you shall go back to home, back to Godhead, on account of your perfection in your mission. I know you are very concerned about Me and afraid of Kaṁsa. Therefore I order you to take Me immediately to Gokula and replace Me with the daughter who has just been born to Yaśodā.”

Having spoken thus in the presence of His father and mother, the Lord turned Himself into an ordinary child and remained silent.

Being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vasudeva attempted to take his son from the delivery room, and exactly at that time, a daughter was born of Nanda and Yaśodā. She was Yogamāyā, the internal potency of the Lord. By the influence of this internal potency, Yogamāyā, all the residents of Kaṁsa’s palace, especially the doorkeepers, were overwhelmed with deep sleep, and all the palace doors opened, although they were barred and shackled with iron chains. The night was very dark, but as soon as Vasudeva took Kṛṣṇa on his lap and went out, he could see everything just as in the sunlight.

In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that Kṛṣṇa is just like sunlight, and wherever there is Kṛṣṇa, the illusory energy, which is compared to darkness, cannot remain. When Vasudeva was carrying Kṛṣṇa, the darkness of the night disappeared. All the prison doors automatically opened. At the same time there was a thunder in the sky and severe rainfall. While Vasudeva was carrying his son Kṛṣṇa in the falling rain, Lord Śeṣa in the shape of a serpent spread His hood over the head of Vasudeva so that he would not be hampered by the rainfall. Vasudeva came onto the bank of the Yamunā and saw that the water of the Yamunā was roaring with waves and that the whole span was full of foam. Still, in that furious feature, the river gave passage to Vasudeva to cross, just as the great Indian Ocean gave a path to Lord Rāma when He was bridging over the gulf. In this way Vasudeva crossed the river Yamunā. On the other side, he went to the place of Nanda Mahārāja situated in Gokula, where he saw that all the cowherd men were fast asleep. He took the opportunity of silently entering into the house of Yaśodā, and without difficulty he replaced his son, taking away the baby girl newly born in the house of Yaśodā. Then, after entering the house very silently and exchanging the boy with the girl, he again returned to the prison of Kaṁsa and silently put the girl on the lap of Devakī. He again clamped the shackles on himself so that Kaṁsa could not recognize that so many things had happened.

Mother Yaśodā understood that a child was born of her, but because she was very tired from the labor of childbirth, she was fast asleep. When she awoke, she could not remember whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.

Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Third Chapter of Kṛṣṇa, “Birth of Lord Kṛṣṇa.”

Source : https://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/08/25/the-birth-of-lord-krishna-2/

I've taken the auspicious opportunity of Srī Krishna Janmāṣṭhamī to resume my work on presenting Canto Four of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam, in the same manner as I have so far managed, despite myself, to present the first three. I resume from the very beginning of Chapter 22:

Just as the citizens finished expressing their appreciation to King Pṛthu, four sages entered the arena, descending from the sky and shining as brilliantly as the sun. The King and his retinue recognized them as Brahma’s original quadruplet children. They all stood up to greet the sages, as eagerly and naturally as the senses arise to greet their desired sense objects.

The most significant thing here is that Prthu’s expression of respect towards the sages came “as eagerly and naturally as the senses arise to greet their desired sense objects.” (indriyeśo guṇān iva)

What does this show?

First, it shows that the four sages were obviously respectable – as much as a voluptuous woman is obviously desirable and attractive, there is no denying it. There is a lot of artificial respect given these days, because no one really has many genuine good qualities. Therefore rules and traditions and cultural morrays have to be put into place and enforced to insure that the people who thrive on respect continue to get it. This is the system of respect that flourishes in kali-yuga, in the absence of truly respectable people. When a person is truly respectable, we automatically respond accordingly; just as our saliva starts to flow upon seeing and smelling a wonderfully delish, fresh, hot plate of excellent food.

Second, it shows that King Pṛthu was not “diseased.” Excellent sense objects do not always arouse the senses, for example, if the senses are weak and ill. A diseased person does not have the spontaneous reaction to delicious food that a healthy person has. Similarly, in kali-yuga we are all diseased in our interest of what sages have to offer. Therefore even if a self-evidently exalted sage comes into our midst, we do not respond. We prefer instead to continue offering our pretentious respects to the powerful personalities officially endorced by the leaders of our organizations and societies – because we are diseased; we do not have interest in the wisdom of sages, we have interest in obtaining better chapattis and more comfortable coushins, and maintaining a roof over our head and meals in our plates.

So, two things are required: an excellent sense object and healthy senses. Then there can be enjoyment, and the senses spontaneously awaken for it. Similarly there must be a genuine sage with, and there must be a person sincerely interested in true wisdom. Then the sage will be happily and warmly welcomed and wisdom can flourish.

Under the influence of their glorious nature, the civilized king approached them with humble posture, and very respectfully welcomed them properly with offerings and seats. He personally washed their feet, and then bathed the knot of hair atop his own head with that water. He did this in front of everyone, so that everyone would know his opinion of the exalted sages, and the proper behavior even a king should show to the wise.

 – Vraja Kishor dās

Source : https://vicd108.wordpress.com/2016/08/25/respect-comes-naturally/

Source : http://thoughtsutras.blogspot.in/2016/08/krsna-lives-in-our-heart-or-leaves-our.html

By Kripamoya das

I went to the Bhaktivedanta Manor this afternoon. It was a hot summer’s day for England, but a team of dedicated volunteers were underneath a marquee surrounded by chopping tables and hot gas stoves, preparing food for the 30,000 pilgrims that will be arriving on Thursday for Lord Krishna’s birthday. Just last month our teams prepared hot meals for 17,000 in Trafalgar Square. In Glastonbury the Hare Krishna tent fed 15,000 hungry mouths over the festival, and the same team prepare 900 meals daily for the homeless and hungry students.

Besides singing and dancing in public places, or distributing books, giving out blessed food or prasadam is the activity for which ISKCON is known. Today, 50 years after it started, that essential activity of cooking in large quantities has been raised to a fine art. It takes some feat of organisation to prepare food for thousands of people but it seems to be one thing that ISKCON does well.

Here’s how the National Geographic Channel picked up on one such ‘mega-kitchen’ this week:

On the 6th of August, the capital of Croatia – Zagreb – welcomed Lord Jagannatha with the Ratha-yatra festival for the first time.

A big, colorful procession of around 350 people with the wonderful Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra deities joyfully resting on a chariot beautifully decorated with flowers and cookies began its way at the Europski square, proceeding through the main square and finally reaching Zagreb’s biggest city park, Zrinjevac, where kirtan and book and prasadam distribution went on. From the chariot the deities were transported into the beautiful renaissance gazebo pavilion of Zrinjevac, from where They could easily be seen by everyone.  

The festival was enriched by the presence of six of Srila Prahupada's disciples: Prahladananda Swami, Bhakti Vikasa Swami, Smita Krishna Swami, Kratu Das, Amrita Keli Dasi and Manidhara Das. Prahladananda Swami and Bhakti Vikasa Swami gave short and very inspiring speeches to the Zagreb audience. Also many devotees and kirtan players from Czech Republic came and led ecstatic kirtans.

This historic Ratha-yatra was held with the kind help of the Indian Embassy and the City of Zagreb. Mr. Sandeep Kumar, the Indian ambassador in Croatia, gave a very nice speech in which he expressed his gratitude and happiness about this festivity, and all the speakers expressed a desire that this tradition would become an annual event.

The Zagreb audience had a chance to see the traditional Orissa dance performed by Anuradha Dasi. Devotees distributed more than 150 Srila Prabhupada's books, 2,000 sweet balls, 300 prasadam boxes, and 500 Jagannatha sweets. Both locals and tourists reacted in a very positive way, seeming open and welcoming.

In Rijeka – another big city in Croatia – the Ratha–yatra festival is regularly being held for 14 years already, and now Zagreb, too, got this unique and precious opportunity. This was ISKCON Zagreb’s offering to Srila Prabhupada for the 50 golden years of his International Society for Krishna Conciusness. 

Celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON are here and ISKCON Cape Town hosted a formal banquet in honour of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary with around 120 attendees. This included VIPs, influential friends of ISKCON in Cape Town and religious leaders. The evening was a wonderful combination of information sharing about Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON as well as entertainment, over a sumptuous dinner of Krishna prasadam.

The venue was beautifully decorated and the guests were seated at round tables. Subhag Swami was the first keynote speaker who introduced the evening with information sharing about Srila Prabhupada and ISKCON while sprinkling gems of spiritual enlightenment into his presentation to the assembled guests and devotees.

Among the participants of the event was  Alderman J P Smith and Councillor Xanthea Limberg, both Cape Town Mayoral Committee members, Dr Brandon Jung the national director of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), Minister Anroux Marais who is the Western Cape Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Puneet Kundal the Consul General of India and Councillor Ian Iverson, the councillor for the ward in which the venue is situated. There were also a great variety of local religious leaders from various religious denominations.

Alderman J P Smith, Councillor Xanthea Limberg, Dr Brandon Jung and Minister Anroux Marais all addressed the assembled guests and devotees wishing ISKCON well in its 50th anniversary celebration. They were all awed by the values and contributions ISKCON, who is often thought of as minority group, has made to society. Medhavi Dasa who is the Regional Secretary of ISKCON South Africa and disciple of Srila Prabhupada also addressed the gathering.

There was a screening of “Hare Krishna – Fifty years of Joy and Service” showcasing ISKCON’s achievements around the world, which all the guest enjoyed. Smita Krishna Dasa gave a presentation about the history of ISKCON in South Africa from the time of the earliest visits by devotees. His presentation also documented Srila Prabhupada’s visit to South Africa in 1975 and the development of the ISKCON Cape Town temple from the beginning to the present time.

The banquet proved to be a great success and the guests left with a deep impression of the glory of Srila Prabhupada and the achievements of ISKCON locally and around the world. 

By Giriraj Swami

Today is Guru-purnima. Srila Prabhupada has explained that the system of honoring the spiritual master is current in all sections of Vedic followers. In the Mayavadi (impersonalist) sects, the disciples offer respect to the spiritual master every year on Guru-purnima. And in the Gaudiya Vaisnava sampradaya, the disciples offer homage annually on the appearance day of the spiritual master; this occasion is called Vyasa-puja, because the spiritual master represents Vedavyasa, the empowered incarnation of Krsna who compiled the Vedic literatures, and the bona fide spiritual master presents the same knowledge through disciplic succession. Yet although Guru-purnima is generally observed by the Mayavadi groups, because today has been announced as Guru-purnima, we shall take the opportunity to discuss the principle of guru–and glorify the acarya-sampradaya.

Guru is a deep subject. We sing, vande ‘ham sri-guroh sri-yuta-pada-kamalam sri-gurun vaisnavams ca. We offer respects to the spiritual master in singular, to the spiritual masters in plural, and to all Vaisnavas. The singular spiritual master is our personal spiritual master, the plural spiritual masters are the predecessor acaryas, and the Vaisnavas are the followers of the spiritual master. We offer respects to them all, because they all come in the same line, the disciplic succession (parampara) from Krsna Himself.

Srila Prabhupada explains, “The offering of respect to the spiritual master means offering respect to all the previous acaryas. Gurun means plural number. All the acaryas, they are not different from one another, because they are coming in the disciplic succession from the original spiritual master and they have no different views.” Thus we offer respects to the predecessors.

Similarly, we offer respects to the followers. Srila Prabhupada explains further, “Spiritual master means they must have many followers, who are all Vaisnavas. They are called prabhus, and the spiritual master is called Prabhupada, because at his lotus feet there are many prabhus. Pada means ‘lotus foot.’ All these Vaisnavas are prabhus. So they are also offered respectful obeisances–not the spiritual master alone, but along with his associates. And these associates, his disciples, are all Vaisnavas. Therefore they should also be offered respectful obeisances.” (SP comment on Mangalacarana, January 8, 1969)

For us in ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada is the main guru; he is the founder-acarya. But he also has his associates–Sripada Gour Govinda Swami, Sripada Tamal Krishna Goswami, Sripada Sridhar Swami, Sripada Bhakti Tirtha Swami, Sripada Bhaktisvarupa Damodara Swami–to name some prominent ones who have departed. And of course, Prabhupada is being served by so many others today, and we can serve and learn from all of them.

“One who teaches can be treated as spiritual master. . . . So if we take instruction from them, all senior godbrothers may be treated as guru. There is no harm. Actually, you have only one spiritual master, who initiates you, just as you have only one father. But every Vaisnava should be treated as prabhu, master, higher than me, and in this sense, if I learn from him, he may be regarded as guru.” (Srila Prabhupada letter dated November 20, 1971)

The original guru is Krsna. He speaks the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita and enunciates the principles of religion. Dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: the principles of dharma–bhagavata-dharma, prema-dharma–are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We cannot manufacture dharma. In reality, dharma means “the laws of God,” or “the orders of God.” So, dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam: the principles of religion are enacted by the Lord Himself. We cannot make religious principles any more than we can make our own laws. Srila Prabhupada gave the example that you can’t just get together with some friends and pass your own laws. “Okay, now I think we should legalize marijuana. Everyone agree? Good. Passed.” Law means that it must be enacted by the government, by the parliament or legislature. Similarly, dharma is enacted by God.

dharmam tu saksad bhagavat-pranitam na vai vidur rsayo napi devah na siddha-mukhya asura manusyah kuto nu vidyadhara-caranadayah

“Real religious principles are enacted by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although fully situated in the mode of goodness, even the great rsis who occupy the topmost planets cannot ascertain the real religious principles, nor can the demigods or the leaders of Siddhaloka, to say nothing of the asuras, ordinary human beings, Vidyadharas, and Caranas.” (SB
6.3.19)

The conclusion of the Bhagavad-gita is sarva-dharman parityajya mam ekam saranam vraja–to give up all varieties of dharmas and just surrender to Krsna. And to understand the confidential truths about religious principles and the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita, we need the help of mahajanas, authorities in Krsna consciousness–gurus.

svayambhur naradah sambhuh kumarah kapilo manuh prahlado janako bhismo balir vaiyasakir vayam

dvadasaite vijanimo dharmam bhagavatam bhatah guhyam visuddham durbodham yam jnatvamrtam asnute

“Lord Brahma, Bhagavan Narada, Lord Siva, the four Kumaras, Lord Kapila [the son of Devahuti], Svayambhuva Manu, Prahlada Maharaja, Janaka Maharaja, Grandfather Bhisma, Bali Maharaja, Sukadeva Gosvami, and I myself [Yamaraja] know the real religious principle. My dear servants, this transcendental religious principle, which is known as bhagavata-dharma, or surrender unto the Supreme Lord and love for Him, is uncontaminated by the material modes of nature. It is very confidential and difficult for ordinary human beings to understand, but if by chance one fortunately understands it, he is immediately liberated, and thus he returns home, back to Godhead.” (SB
6.3.20-21)

This confidential knowledge is given by God in scriptures and passed down through disciplic succession (evam parampara-praptam) to great souls who in turn impart the knowledge to their eager followers. And of all scriptures, Srimad-Bhagavatam is considered the most important, the ripened fruit of the tree of Vedic knowledge.

nigama-kalpa-taror galitam phalam suka-mukhad amrta-drava-samyutam pibata bhagavatam rasam alayam muhur aho rasika bhuvi bhavukah

“O expert and thoughtful men, relish Srimad-Bhagavatam, the mature fruit of the desire tree of Vedic literatures. It emanated from the lips of Sri Sukadeva Gosvami. Therefore this fruit has become even more tasteful, although its nectarean juice was already relishable for all, including liberated souls.” (SB 1.1.3)

This nectarean fruit is passed down to us through disciplic succession. In commenting on this verse, Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura gives the example of a mango tree. To get a ripe mango from the top of a tree, different boys climb onto different branches. The boy at the top plucks the fruit and hands it to the boy on the next branch down, that boy hands it to the one on the next branch, and so on, until finally it reaches the boy on the ground–in the same perfect condition as when it was at the top of the tree. It hasn’t been bruised or broken but has been delivered intact, just as it was.

At the top of the tree is Krsna, and He passes down the knowledge to Brahma. Brahma passes it to Narada, and Narada passes it to Vyasa. (Today is also called Vyasa-purnima because Vyasadeva, who compiled the Vedic literature, appeared on this day.) Vyasa passes it to Madhvacarya, and so on–Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Six Gosvamis, and further down, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji Maharaja, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Prabhupada. And now the followers of Srila Prabhupada are presenting the same knowledge. They follow and present the same teachings–that is their qualification.

About Vedavyasa, Srila Prabhupada wrote: “Vyasadeva was a real person accepted by all authorities, and anyone can judge how wonderful he was to have compiled the Vedic literatures. He is therefore known as Mahamuni. Muni means ‘thoughtful’ or ‘great thinker’ or ‘great poet,’ and maha means still greater. There is no comparison of Vyasadeva with any other writer or thinker or philosopher. Nobody can estimate the scholarly importance of Srila Vyasadeva. He composed many millions of Sanskrit verses, and we try to receive just a fragment of the knowledge in them by our tiny efforts. Srila Vyasadeva therefore summarized the whole Vedic knowledge in Srimad-Bhagavatam, which is known as the ripened fruit of the desire tree of Vedic knowledge. The ripened fruit is received hand to hand through disciplic succession, and anyone who does this work in disciplic succession from Srila Vyasadeva is considered a representative of Vyasadeva, and as such the bona fide spiritual master’s appearance day is worshiped as Vyasa-puja.” (Srila Prabhupada letter dated August 25, 1970)

Not only is today Vyasa-purnima, the appearance day of Vedavyasa, but it is also the disappearance day of Srila Sanatana Gosvami, the seniormost of the Six Gosvamis of Vrndavana. His book Brhad-Bhagavatamrta was the first major work of the Six Gosvamis. Sanatana Gosvami also comes in the disciplic succession from Lord Krsna to Brahma, but he is especially significant because he is a direct follower of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who is Krsna Himself. Because Lord Caitanya is Krsna, He is capable of beginning His own disciplic succession, but because He was acting as a devotee, He chose to take initiation in the disciplic succession from Krsna and Brahma. Still, He is God, and the process by which He imparted knowledge to His immediate followers–Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami–is comparable to the way Lord Krsna imparted knowledge to Brahma. Srila Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, in his Caitanya-caritamrta, writes of Sanatana’s younger brother Rupa:

vrndavaniyam rasa-keli-vartam kalena luptam nija-saktim utkah sancarya rupe vyatanot punah sa prabhur vidhau prag iva loka-srstim

“Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahma with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In exactly the same way, the Lord, being anxious to revive the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna, impregnated the heart of Rupa Gosvami with spiritual potency. By this potency, Srila Rupa Gosvami could revive the activities of Krsna in Vrndavana, activities almost lost to memory. In this way, He spread Krsna consciousness throughout the world.” (Cc Madhya 19.1) Lord Caitanya also empowered him to write books on bhakti-yoga, and the same could be said about Sanatana Gosvami.

We are followers of the Six Gosvamis–followers of their followers. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura prays,

ei chaya gosai yara-mui tara dasa tan’-sabara pada-renu mora panca-grasa

“I am the servant of that person who is a servant of the Six Gosvamis. The dust of their holy feet is my five kinds of foodstuffs.”

And:

tandera carana sevi-bhakta-sane vasa janame janame hoy ei abhilasa

“This is my desire, that birth after birth I may live with those devotees who serve the lotus feet of the Six Gosvamis.”

A few weeks ago we were fortunate to have four devotees from Dallas–disciples of Tamal Krishna Goswami–visit us in Santa Barbara. At the same time, Mayapur dasa, Sridhar Swami’s personal servant for many years, was also with us. So we thought it a good occasion to remember these two stalwart servants of Srila Prabhupada, these two powerful preachers, Tamal Krishna Goswami and Sridhar Swami. And it was very enlivening and purifying. All of the devotees spoke so beautifully–each and every one–and one could really feel Tamal Krishna Goswami’s and Sridhar Swami’s presence and really feel united with Srila Prabhupada and his associates. Niranjana Swami also spoke very beautifully and led kirtana.

I do feel that these leaders of the movement . . . Although we are all godbrothers in that we were all initiated by Srila Prabhupada, still, among Srila Prabhupada’s followers, there are some who were–and are–really leading the movement and showing the way for others to follow. Certainly Tamal Krishna Goswami was a great pioneer, and Sridhar Swami and the others I mentioned. And even now devotees are following Srila Prabhupada and leading us and showing us the way. We also are trying to make our little contributions, but still, there are some who are ahead of us, showing the way and making it easier for us to follow. And that is natural. It will always be that way.

At the same time, it is also very personal and individual–through whom Krsna speaks to whom. It is not that everyone has to follow only one particular person. Krsna can manifest Himself–Srila Prabhupada can manifest himself–through different servants, different Vaisnavas, and we should be open to that flow of mercy however, and through whomever, it comes. It is not stereotyped or fixed or rigid. That mercy can come in different ways, and we should be open to it. That is really the principle of guru: Krsna’s instructions come to us through some servant of Krsna, some representative of Krsna–and it is not limited to only one. Krsna can speak to us through many mouths, through many personalities, and we should be open to that guidance. We should take His instructions on our head and follow them. That is how Krsna guides the conditioned souls back home, back to Godhead. He can engage any number of His servants to help us; and God knows we need all the help we can get. So we shouldn’t be sectarian. We shouldn’t cut ourselves off from any flow of mercy that may come to us by the arrangement of the Lord, or the arrangement of Srila Prabhupada, or the arrangement of any of our spiritual masters.

I always think of the example of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, because he had so many gurus. Of course, he was a direct associate of Lord Caitanya Himself, but even then, he was helped by so many well-wishers and guides. First, He was initiated by Yadunandana Acarya, Raghunatha’s family’s spiritual master. Yadunandana Acarya himself was a great Vaisnava, an initiated disciple of Advaita Acarya and an intimate student of Vasudeva Datta. And Balarama Acarya, a dear associate of Haridasa Thakura, was Raghunatha’s family’s priest. Raghunatha learned from him too. Balarama Acarya and Yadunandana Acarya were friends, and both used to host Haridasa Thakura at their homes. For some time, Balarama Acarya provided Haridasa with a thatched hut and prasada, and at that time, while still a student, Raghunatha visited Haridasa Thakura daily, and it is said that because of the mercy Haridasa showed him then, Raghunatha later attained the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Once, Balarama Acarya invited Haridasa Thakura to speak in the assembly of Raghunatha’s family, the Majumadaras, and thus Raghunatha heard from him again, about the glories of the holy name.

Eventually, Raghunatha dasa met Nityananda Prabhu at Panihati and got His benediction to become free from all obstacles and attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Soon, Raghunatha escaped from home, traveled by foot to Puri, and attained the merciful shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu–by the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu. Then Caitanya Mahaprabhu entrusted Raghunatha dasa to Svarupa Damodara Gosvami: “I entrust Raghunatha to you. Please accept him as your son or servant.” Raghunatha was very young then; he was only about twenty-two. Then the Lord took Raghunatha’s hand and personally placed him in the hands of Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. And so Raghunatha became Svarupa Damodara’s assistant. Svarupa Damodara was Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s secretary, and Raghunatha dasa in effect became assistant secretary.

After Caitanya Mahaprabhu left this world, followed by Svarupa Damodara and almost all of His other intimate associates, Raghunatha dasa felt bereft: “I am all alone. There is no reason to live. How can I live without my prabhus, without all of my masters?”

Raghunatha dasa felt so much separation that he decided to go to Vrndavana to see the lotus feet of Rupa and Sanatana and then give up his life by jumping from Govardhana Hill. But the two brothers did not allow it. They prevailed upon him to stay with them and speak about Mahaprabhu’s later pastimes. “You should not give up your life,” they told him. “You were with Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri and were witness to so many of His intimate pastimes. You should stay with us and tell us about your experiences with Him.” And they accepted him as their third brother.

Especially Sanatana Gosvami gave him shelter and took care of him. At first, when Raghunatha dasa Gosvami was doing bhajana at Radha-kunda, he didn’t have any residence. And while doing his bhajana, he was pretty much oblivious to everything else. He would chant, but he could hardly chant sometimes, because he would go into trance. Still, he did chant at least one lakh names every day. But it could happen that he would chant one name and then go into deep trance, and the pastimes of Krsna would play in his mind. Like that, he was chanting Krsna’s name and remembering Krsna’s pastimes one day, and the hot sun was beating down on his head. Srimati Radharani Herself then came and held a cloth over his head, but he didn’t know it, because he was in deep meditation. But Sanatana Gosvami understood, and he personally built a bhajana-kutira for Raghunatha dasa Gosvami. He took care of Raghunatha dasa in every respect.

In his book Vilapa-kusumanjali, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami begins by offering respects to his gurus. In Sanskrit devotional works, authors begin by offering respects to their gurus and worshipable Deities. So at the beginning he offers respects to Sanatana Gosvami:

vairagya-yug-bhakti-rasam prayatnair apayayan mam anabhipsum andham krpambudhir yah para-duhkha-duhkhi sanatanas tam prabhum asrayami

“I was unwilling to drink the nectar of devotional service possessed of renunciation, but Sanatana Gosvami, out of his causeless mercy, made me drink it, even though I was otherwise unable to do so. Therefore he is an ocean of mercy. He is very compassionate to fallen souls like me, and thus it is my duty to offer my respectful obeisances unto his lotus feet.”
(Vilapa-kusumanjali 6)

In this verse, Raghunatha dasa Gosvami describes Sanatana Gosvami with a phrase that Srila Prabhupada often quoted (for all compassionate Vaisnavas): para-duhkha-duhkhi–“he felt sorrow in the sorrow of others.” Raghunatha dasa says, vairagya-yug-bhakti-rasam prayatnair–he gave me the nectar of devotional service enriched with renunciation; anabhipsum andham–but I was unwilling (anabhipsum) to drink it, because I was blind (andham) to my spiritual well-being; so apayayan mam–he forced me to drink it. Sanatana Gosvami is an ocean of mercy (krpambudhi), and therefore I offer my respectful obeisances to him. I take shelter of him, my master (prabhum asrayami).

Srila Prabhupada paraphrased this verse in composing a verse to honor his sannyasa-guru, Srila Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. He used almost the same words. The idea is that it is very hard to become free from the shackles of family life. Of course, one can be a pure devotee in the grhastha-asrama–that is another thing–but to preach, sannyasa may be advised.

As Srila Prabhupada describes it, he was having dreams–one might say recurring nightmares–that his guru maharaja was calling him to follow him and preach. And as Prabhupada describes it, he would wake up horrified: “How can I take sannyasa and become a mendicant? How can I leave my wife and children? What will happen then?” It’s a long story, but eventually Prabhupada accepted vanaprastha. He went to Jhansi and began the League of Devotees there. But there was some politics. The wife of the governor wanted the property that Srila Prabhupada had been using for the League of Devotees. She made all efforts to get it for some ladies’ program, and because she was so influential, Prabhupada decided not to fight against her. So he left and went to Mathura, where he stayed in the matha of his godbrother Bhaktiprajnana Kesava Gosvami Maharaja. And Kesava Maharaja insisted, “You must take sannyasa.” To fully take up the order of the spiritual master and preach, one must accept the renounced order of life. And Prabhupada did it. He took sannyasa.

Then, in 1968–the early days of the movement in the West–in Seattle, Srila Prabhupada got news that His Holiness Kesava Maharaja had passed away. So he held a meeting with the disciples there and spoke about the history, how his guru maharaja and his godbrother had “forced” him to take sannyasa: “My godbrother insisted. Not he insisted–practically my spiritual master insisted through him, that ‘You accept.’ He wanted me to become a preacher, so he forced me through this godbrother: ‘You accept.’ So, unwillingly I accepted.”

Srila Prabhupada saw his guru maharaja working through his godbrother, speaking through his godbrother–another Vaisnava–and he composed this verse, very similar to the one Raghunatha dasa composed for Sanatana Gosvami–but for Kesava Maharaja. Apayayan mam anabhipsum andham. “I was unwilling to take the medicine of bhakti with detachment because I was blind. I could not see my future, that spiritual life is the brightest future. So the Vaisnavas, the spiritual master, they force: ‘You must drink.’ ” Sri-kesava-bhakti-prajnana-nama krpambudhir yas tam aham prapadye: “Sri Bhaktiprajnana Kesava is an ocean of mercy, and I offer my respectful obeisances unto him.”

So, Sanatana Gosvami was a great shelter to Vaisnavas in Vrndavana. He was not only intelligent–all the Gosvamis were most intelligent–but he was very shrewd, or clever. He understood politics and diplomacy. It is said that Rupa Gosvami was very simple but that Sanatana Gosvami was very astute; he could understand people’s motives and intentions. So he was able to protect devotees in the most practical ways, because he had that type of intelligence. And he protected Raghunatha dasa Gosvami on every level.

Then, on the day of Guru-purnima, because Sanatana Gosvami was the seniormost of the Gosvamis and the siksa-guru of almost everyone in Vrndavana, the Vaisnavas went to Govardhana to offer him respects. Upon their arrival at his bhajana-kutira at Manasa-ganga, they saw that he was in trance. He didn’t move at all. So they waited. They didn’t want to disturb him.

Eventually they understood that he had left, and they all were overwhelmed with separation. They took him on parikrama of Govardhana Hill. He would faithfully do parikrama of Govardhana Hill every day. Then they weren’t sure where to place his body. And Jiva Gosvami, who was the leader after Sanatana, decided that they should bring him back to Vrndavana, close to the temple of the Deity of Madana-mohana, who was so dear to him. So, that took place on Guru-purnima.

We can see how the devotees helped each other. Everyone helped everyone. In Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, we find that all the Vaisnavas were always helping each other. And we should learn from their example. We should develop that mood. Of course, help can come in different ways. Sometimes it comes in terms of instruction, and sometimes it comes in practical ways, like Sanatana Gosvami’s building Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s bhajana-kutira. These exalted devotees were always serving each other–serving Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and serving each other. And that should be our mood: to serve each other, actually help each other–and to learn from each other.

In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn how an avadhuta brahmana took lessons from others, twenty-four siksa-gurus: from material elements, natural phenomena, plants, animals–even from a prostitute. By his intelligence, he learned from all of them, and he accepted them all as his gurus. For example, he learned from the mountain that a saintly person should devote all his efforts to the service of others and make their welfare the sole reason for his existence (as we learn from Govardhana Hill). From the python he learned that one should give up material endeavor and accept what comes of its own accord–one should remain peaceful and steady, indifferent to material gain but always alert to self-realization. Even from Pingala, a prostitute, he learned. Because she had no other source of income, she was very anxious for customers. One night she was waiting, waiting, waiting, and still no customer came. Finally, at the end of the night, she felt disgusted with her situation and thus became detached. From Pingala he learned detachment–and attachment for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whom she accepted as her ultimate shelter and object of love.

So we can learn from anyone and anything. If we are sincerely trying to serve Krsna and to understand how best to serve Him, the Lord in the heart will give us the intelligence how to learn from others–even from trees and grass. Caitanya Mahaprabhu glorified the trees and grass, for from them we learn how to be tolerant and humble. So we can learn from anyone and everyone, and everything.

We can learn even from demons–and we are surrounded by them. Big business people, with their advertising and other strategies, are so clever. We should be that shrewd and clever for Krsna. Materialistic leaders figure out how to trap people in their nets and pull them in and keep them. We can learn from such powerful materialists how to attract people and keep them, for Krsna–how to be organized and intelligent, for Krsna. If we are in the proper mood, anything can remind us of devotional service and be used for Krsna’s benefit. Anyone can be a siksa-guru for us if we are absorbed in the mood of serving Krsna, fixed in Krsna consciousness.

But in particular, and especially on occasions like today, we are enjoined to offer respectful obeisances unto our diksa- and siksa-gurus in disciplic succession, from Krsna to Brahma to Narada to Vyasa, from Caitanya Mahaprabhu to Sanatana Gosvami, from Srila Prabhupada to his followers, which include all of you.

Thank you very much.

Hare Krsna

Tonight I Dined: Govinda’s Houston
Govinda’s opened this summer at the ISKCON Hare Krishna temple in the Houston Heights. The facility was always worth a visit because of the beautiful architecture, and now it’s definitely worth a visit since the opening of this vegetarian restaurant! They are opened for a lunch buffet and a dinner buffet with a mix of Indian and American cuisine. There is a small salad bar and about 8 hot offerings. Everything is labelled, and most of the offerings are labelled vegan. I got two American dishes: pasta and BBQ tofu. The pasta was just ok, I like it more al dente, but the sauce flavor was really good. The pasta seems like a good option for a family dining here with a picky kid. The BBQ tofu texture was really chewy and great, the sauce was tangy, but I wish the flavor was more developed. For the Indian cuisine I tried: Aloo Baingan (potato and eggplant), kidney bean curry, fried cauliflower, papadum (cracker), tamarind sauce, and mint chutney. The fried cauliflower was my favorite thing on the plate, and tasted amazing dipped in the tamarind and mint chutney (which was actually very spicy!). My second favorite was the aloo baingan, it was perfectly spiced and very filling. The red kidney bean curry was also amazing, and a dish I had never tried before! The interior is well decorated and very modern (and quite large, so it would be good for groups). I would definitely recommend this restaurant to vegans, because it is one of the few places in Houston that serves Indian food that labels items as vegan and you don’t have to inquire about the ingredients!
Read more: http://goo.gl/952xsT

32.741 rounds chanted from Krishna Katha Desh devotees for World Holy Name Week and Iskcon’s 50th anniversary.
Krishna Katha Desh celebrated WHNW by chanting for 50 hours non-stop this year to mark 50 years of Iskcon along with World Holy Name Week. All the Devotees started chanting at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday 11th August 2016. They continued chanting till Saturday 13th August 2016, 9:00 p.m. 412 Devotees participated in this Japathon and chanted 32,741 rounds. Many Devotees are on vacation else the rounds chanted would have been higher. Please accept this small/tiny offering from Krishna Katha Desh Yatra.

Aloha! Dear community members just to let u know that we recently received the award from the HONOLULU MAGAZINE for GOVINDA’S VEGETARIAN BUFFET located at 51-Coelho way.
Thank you all for your support and coo-operation.
A review: Govinda’s is such an exotic, out-of-the-ordinary experience for me living in Hawaii. Located in an old Nu'uanu mansion is a Hare Krishna temple serving the most delicious and spiritually refreshing food on the island. You can tell just by stepping in the door that this will not be your average dining experience, because not only are shoes not required, you are expected to leave them at the door (like any local household- but not restaurant!). Entering the house you are greeted by Hindu art and the sounds of Indian music coming from the gift shop where you pay ($10 for all you can eat). I came at about 1pm on a Wednesday and the buffet had 8 choices of hot items and a salad station. Some of the food (fried cauliflower and lasagna) was running low but it was quickly replaced. I loaded my plate with salad, saffron rice, dal (lentil soup), mild veggie curry, fried cauliflower, steamed veggies, and of course the lasagna. Poured myself a cup of the fresh ginger lemonade and my mother and I went outside to sit beneath the massive banyan tree.
The surreal experience continued as we ate, as each bite brought exotic spices, flavors and delicious new tastes into my mouth. There was no dish I did not love (my mom thought the lasagna was a little spicy). The garden/yard area was so serene and soothing and feeling the grass between my toes as I ate was great. We even had a little friend (black and white cat) visit us and share some love. After I finished my plate I went back for the dessert of halva. I had never had it before and it was like a sweet polenta textured pudding flavored with cinnamon and cardamom with raisins and coconut. It was so delicious! I ate my fill but did not feel overly stuffed, just satisfied, and my mother and I walked through the gift shop looking at jewelry and skirts and sari type clothing. 
I had such a great time here I felt so removed from the hustle and bustle of Honolulu and got a great dose of culture and spirituality I was not familiar with. It almost felt like I was experiencing part of an ashram type lifestyle, the gardens would be perfect for meditation and quiet reading. I picked up a Krishna brochure on my way out to try and learn more about this interesting culture, so different from my own religious beliefs, and as a bald Krishna devotee sitting on the stairs said goodbye to us, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would be back to satiate the urges of my wanderlust disease.
Read more reviews here: https://goo.gl/a0oINa

By Kripamoya Das

Every year the disciples and followers of Srila Prabhupada, the founder-acarya of ISKCON, compose written tributes in celebration of the day of his birth. This year (2014) I was asked to write ‘The Meaning of Vyasa Puja’ for the international book. Here is what I wrote:

Earlier this year, I visited the city of Kolkata and was taken by a kind devotee to an old building on a short backstreet known as Ultadanga Junction Road. I had never been there before, but had heard about the place for forty years. The square, brown brick, rather plain three storey building was formerly known as Bhaktivinoda Asana and it was here, on the flat roof-top, that Srila Prabhupada met his spiritual master for the first time. I had always been intrigued by the idea of a sacred meeting place up on a roof, and it had a special relevance for me, too. In September 1977, Srila Prabhupada came to Bhaktivedanta Manor on what was to be his last visit. I had been sitting close to Srila Prabhupada when, during the Vyasa Puja ceremony, Tamala Krishna Goswami began recounting events from his spiritual master’s early life. He faltered when he couldn’t recall the date of this roof-top meeting. Even though Srila Prabhupada had said nothing until this point, and was in some obvious physical discomfort, he smiled and said “1922” drawing a cheery “Jaya!” from all of us disciples. I was a direct recipient of what had developed since that meeting, and it was because of what transpired on that Kolkata roof-top that I was now sitting before Srila Prabhupada.

The connection of guru and sisya comes after much searching on the part of the disciple and much compassion on the part of God. Srila Prabhupada explained that for the meeting of the disciple with his guru, God Himself makes the arrangements. He said:

“So guru is also incarnation of God, mercy incarnation of God. Guru means that… God is within you, caitya-guru, the guru, or the spiritual master, within your heart. Īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ‘rjuna tiṣṭhati. So this Paramātmā is also incarnation of God. And the same Paramātmā, when He comes before you, being very much merciful upon you, to teach you from outside, that is guru.” (Lecture on SB 1.3.26 October 1, 1976)

“Therefore God is called caitya-guru, the spiritual master within the heart. And the physical spiritual master is God’s mercy. If God sees that you are sincere, He will give you a spiritual master who can give you protection. He will help you from within and without. Without in the physical form of spiritual master, and within as the spiritual master within the heart.” (Conversation on May 23, 1974)

On Vyasa Puja Day we worship Srila Prabhupada as the manifested compassion of the Supreme Lord, and we give thanks for the day he appeared in this world, as well as the blessed day we met him and heard his words for the first time.

* * *

And what are those words? The spiritual master teaches everything we need to know about the Lord who dwells within us, that one supreme person who is unseen by our eyes. As the external manifestation of the Paramatma, the guru teaches the Vedas, the sound manifestation of God. He teaches the Vedas, the Vedanta, the Puranas, and he does it as a messenger of the Lord’s incarnation, Srila Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa. Srila Vyasadeva is the original spiritual preceptor for all men. And all other preceptors are to be considered his representative.

Only by learning, understanding, living and teaching the Vedas is a person a spiritual master; and only being voiced through the spiritual master can the Vedas become fully manifested and understood in this world. The result of this successful combination – between God, the Vedas, the guru and the disciple – is that the cleansing of the heart takes place; the hard knot of material attraction is loosened; lifetimes of karma-phala are dissolved and the happiness of loving service to the Supreme Lord is established.

The spiritual master is a guru because he is heavy with knowledge and unmovable by any other, lighter arguments. He is an acarya because he moves and lives completely in accordance with the Vedas and teaches the deeper meanings of the scriptures to others. As the Manu Samhita states:

upaniya tu yah sisyam veda-madhyapayed dvijah

sankalpam sa-rahasyam ca tam acaryam pracaksate

One who confers the sacred thread, trains his disciples in sacrifice and teaches them the confidential meaning of the Vedas is known as an acarya, according to saintly authorities. (2.140)

Such a spiritual master is a rare personality indeed, and is someone whose very life contributes the best of all fortune to all those who seek his company. His presence in our life is so valuable because it gives us the greatest possible life: a life lived as a preparation for returning to our eternal home. Through the gifts of knowledge, guidance, encouragement and correction, the spiritual master takes us personally over the darkest valley of repeated birth and death and sets us up in the highest, most glorious place.

When the great Sri Vaishnava poet, Vedanta Deshika (1268-1370) was writing a book about the transmission of spiritual knowledge, he was trying to think of an analogy for the importance of the acarya, the foremost spiritual preceptor, when he remembered something his nephew, Mudaliyantan, had said to him:

“When a lion leaps from one hill to another, the little ants on its body are transported with him. Similarly, when Ramanujacarya leaped over this world of repeated birth and death, we were saved because of our connection with him.”

Srila Prabhupada has similarly leaped over the world of repeated birth and death, and we tiny souls have somehow or other been transported with him.

On Vyasa Puja Day we try to understand our incalculable good fortune of being connected with such an acarya as Srila Prabhupada. He not only carried the message of Srila Vyasadeva but showed us how to live it. He continues to personally lead us from this world of darkness to the world of eternal light. We give thanks for his boundless compassion and never-ending efforts to save us, and we think that through him, we have come to understand the meaning of the term ‘His Divine Grace’.

* * *

‘The juiciest, sweetest mango is always in the sunshine at the very top of the tree.’ Thereby begins the classic analogy of how the highest spiritual teachings are brought down from ancient times to today. A chain of ‘fruit-pickers,’ sitting in the branches of the mango tree, carefully hand down the delicate fruit from higher to lower branches until it reaches the ground. Similarly, the compassionate preceptors always ensure that the teachings are handed down to the next generations. Yet it is no easy task, and even Lord Krishna says that He must come to the Earth, age after age, to re-establish the teachings that have been lost. One essential component of preserving the living message is therefore the chain of teachers – the parampara.

The greatest spiritual master is moved by compassion to make the teachings of the Vedas accessible to as many as possible. Without compromising their integrity he renders them intelligible and accessible to contemporary listeners, protects them from adulteration, and preserves them by creating the next generation of teachers. Srila Vyasa codified, compiled and protected the entire Vedas and is therefore known forever as the ‘literary incarnation of God.’ The Srimad Bhagavatam provides a description of how the sage divided the responsibility for the preservation and extension of Vedic knowledge:

“Paila Rsi became the professor of the Rg Veda, Jaimini the professor of the Sama Veda, Vaisampayana protected the Yajur Veda, and Angira Muni the Atharva Veda. Romaharsana Suta was entrusted with the Puranas and historical records.” (1.4.21-22)

The illustrious son of Romaharsana Suta, the grand-disciple of Srila Vyasadeva, Suta Goswami, then assumed responsibility for protecting the Puranas.

Without teaching his disciples, empowering them to become advanced in spiritual practise and also engaging them in teaching and preaching, the acarya’s work is not complete. Only when he has safeguarded the message of the Vedas for the next generation – both in precept and example – can he be satisfied that he has offered the world what his own preceptor offered him. As the Vayu Purana explains:

Acinoti hi sastrarthan acare sthapayatyapi

svayam acarate yasmad acarya stena kirtitah

“The acarya is thus called because he has studied and understood the meaning of the scriptures, he practises what he preaches, and he establishes this meaning in the behaviour of others.”

The spiritual master not only comes in parampara, but he ensures that the parampara continues by making the Vedas accessible and intelligible, the essential spiritual techniques practicable, and by fully initiating and training his disciples. He encourages his students to do the same for their countrymen and the next generation. In this way the ancient knowledge and tradition is preserved yet always kept fresh. Thus the sacred mango gets passed down the tree to the next level and to the human society that is yet to come.

On Vyasa Puja Day we honour Srila Prabhupada as one who preserved Vedic knowledge and made it accessible to a fresh, new audience. We honour him as one who explained the deeper meanings of the scriptures and demonstrated by his example the efficacy of the spiritual techniques described in them. We honour him as one who walked through the Earth establishing the sacred arca-vigraha, restoring brahminical culture and arguing for cow protection – the hallmarks of civilized human life. We give thanks that he initiated and trained many disciples to carry forward his messages and preserve the chain of teachers.

* * *

On February 5th, 1919, just three years before Srila Prabhupada met him, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur performed one more duty of an acarya. He gave a human and organisational shape to the mission to perpetuate the parampara. Although the parampara will continue to exist whenever and wherever there is teaching of the Vedas, training and mantra-giving, it is such a delicate structure that sometimes it may not even be located by those who are any less than supremely dedicated. When an organised mission is established there can be greater strength. When disciples gather into groups, each with a specific task, the mission to serve the predecessor gurus can be done with improved efficacy. Yes, there is always danger that the power so accrued by such an efficient organisation may turn the heads of even the most devoted disciple, but done well and with devotion to the spiritual master, it will serve his purposes well.

The Six Goswamis of Vrindavan had similarly organised themselves and their followers and called their assembly the Visva Vaisnava Raja Sabha. Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur had also revived the mission of the Goswamis as a human organisation. In 1919 Srila Saraswati Thakur gave a human shape to what he described as the ‘third descent’ of the Visva Vaisnava Raja Sabha. Speaking at the property known as ‘Bhaktivinode Asana’ at Ultadanga Junction Road in Calcutta, before a large assembly of Vaishnavas, he said:

“Even though this Sabha is eternally established, it has descended into the world three times. Eleven years after the disappearance of Shri Mahaprabhu, when the world was beginning to darken, six wonderfully bright stars arose in Sri Vraja-mandala and were engaged in the service of Gaurachandra…

“Sri Chaitanyadeva is Krishnachandra Himself—the King of all the Vaisnavas in the world (Visva Vaisnava Raja). The gathering of His devotees is the Sri Visva Vaisnava Raja Sabha; the foremost ministers amongst the members of the society are Sri Rupa Gosvami and his honoured Sri Sanatana Gosvami. Those who consider themselves to be the followers of Sri Rupa are the members of this Sri Visva Vaisnava Raja Sabha.”

A guru lives to give systematic knowledge, relevant guidance and inspirational encouragement to all who wish to receive it from him and who are qualified to become disciples. He gives whatever he has with compassion, love and discipline, and he sets before his grateful receivers a living example of what it means to be in consciousness of God and His laws. To better share his gifts with others, the guru invites them to come and live with him.

Yet the guru’s mission is also to broadcast and propagate the teachings to as many newcomers as possible. Even to those who cannot live with him. That enormous task requires the training of future travelling teachers, preparation of various types of publications, and the building of temples and other venues so that people can congregate and become educated and inspired, no matter what their level of spirituality or commitment and no matter where they live. It involves organising groups and devotee farms and villages so that future would-be disciples can be part of a social network and helped toward discipleship. Existing disciples and their families can also live peacefully and be supported through the inevitable challenges of life. The disciple’s role in all this is to help the guru and to alleviate his burden. When this larger mission of the guru is understood by the disciple, he or she will participate in the mission of the guru by offering energy, time, intelligence and resources.

It is a privilege to be even a small part of such a glorious movement for the spiritualisation of human society. Although to mundane vision ISKCON may be perceived as merely a human institution, with transcendental vision it can be seen as a compassionate vehicle of Srila Prabhupada’s divine grace, the most important institution in the world, and an excellent means to accomplish the complete manifestation of the desire of the Six Goswamis.

Vyasa Puja is an opportunity for all of us gathered here today to reflect upon the mission and movement of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. It is a movement of inspired devotees of Krishna, established to make tangible the hopes of all the predecessor acaryas. It began on a suburban Kolkata roof-top in 1922 with a simple instruction to teach the message of the Vedas in the English language. Our appreciation for everything we have received from Srila Prabhupada, of how it has transformed our life, and our display of gratitude, must surely be to continue the mission and message of this most extraordinary of all representatives of Srila Vyasadeva. May we honour him today and always, and work together to share him with the world.

In 1977, I started to take interest in Krsna consciousness but then, in the same year, one after the other, both my parents died. It was such a family drama, I just had to put everything aside and deal with that situation. So, I joined in 1978.

It would sound, at least to me, it would sound very ridiculous to say that I never met Prabhupada because I know more about Prabhupada than I do about my own biological father and Prabhupada has completely taken control of my life. How can I say I never met him? It does not make sense. I met him in service. I met him in mercy from his followers. So, all of you can also have a direct relationship with Srila Prabhupada. If you think I am speculating then Prabhupada himself said that by reading the books of Rupa Goswami, you can directly associate to Srila Rupa Goswami. Still today, everyone can have a relationship with Prabhupada and still today, everyone must have a relationship with Prabhupada – not to the exclusion of our own spiritual masters but that relationship must be there, nonetheless, with Prabhupada.

So let us find out more and more who was Srila Prabhupada, who is Srila Prabhupada, what did he desire, what did he say, and once we have studied all the instructions then let us not make the mistake to become proud and think, “I know!” Let us remain humble and ready to hear from others what Srila Prabhupada really wanted. All of that will be our saving grace!

An excerpt from the Prabhupada Lilamrta about Srila Prabhupada’s mother, Srimati Rajani Devi.

Abhay’s mother, Rajani, was thirty years old when he was born. Like her husband, she came from a long-established Gaudiya Vaisnava family. She was darker-skinned than her husband, and whereas his disposition was cool, hers tended to be fiery. Abhay saw his mother and father living together peacefully; no deep marital conflict or complicated dissatisfaction ever threatened home. Rajani was chaste and religious-minded, a model housewife in the traditional Vedic sense, dedicated to caring for her husband and children. Abhay observed his mother’s simple and touching attempts to insure, by prayers, by vows, and even by rituals, that he continue to live.

Whenever he was to go out even to play, his mother, after dressing him, would put a drop of saliva on her finger and touch it to his forehead. Abhay never knew the significance of this act, but because she was his mother he stood submissively “like a dog with its master” while she did it.

Like Gour Mohan, Rajani treated Abhay as the pet child; but whereas her husband expressed his love through leniency and plans for his son’s spiritual success, she expressed hers through attempts to safeguard Abhay from all danger, disease, and death. She once offered blood from her breast to one of the demigods with the supplication that Abhay be protected on all sides from danger.

At Abhay’s birth, she had made a vow to eat with her left hand until the day her son would notice and ask her why she was eating with the wrong hand. One day, when little Abhay actually asked, she immediately stopped. It had been just another prescription for his survival, for she thought that by the strength of her vow he would continue to grow, at least until he asked her about the vow. Had he not asked, she would never again have eaten with her right hand, and according to her superstition he would have gone on living, protected by her vow.

For his protection she also put an iron bangle around his leg. His playmates asked him what it was, and Abhay self-consciously went to his mother anddemanded, “Open this bangle!” When she said, “I will do it later,” he began to cry, “No, now!” Once Abhay swallowed a watermelon seed, and his friends told him it would grow in his stomach into a watermelon. He ran to his mother, who assured him he didn’t have to worry; she would say a mantra to protect him.

Srila Prabhupada: Mother Yasoda would chant mantras in the morning to protect Krsna from all dangers throughout the day. When Krsna killed some demon she thought it was due to her chanting. My mother would do a similar thing with me.

His mother would often take him to the Ganges and personally bathe him. She also gave him a food supplement known as Horlicks. When he got dysentery, she cured it with hot puris and fried eggplant with salt, though sometimes when he was ill Abhay would show his obstinacy by refusing to take any medicine. But just as he was stubborn, his mother was determined, and she would forcibly administer medicine into his mouth, though sometimes it took three assistants to hold him down.

Srila Prabhupada: I was very naughty when I was a boy. I would break anything. When I was angry, I would break the glass hookah pipes, which my father kept to offer to guests. Once my mother was trying to bathe me, and I refused and knocked my head on the ground, and blood came out. They came running and said, “What are you doing? You shall kill the child.”

Abhay was present when his mother observed the ceremony of Sadha-hotra during the seventh and ninth months of her pregnancies. Freshly bathed, she would appear in new clothing along with her children and enjoy a feast of whatever foods she desired, while her husband gave goods in charity to the local brahmanas, who chanted mantras for the purification of the mother and the coming child.

Abhay was completely dependent on his mother. Sometimes she would put his shirt on backwards, and he would simply accept it without mentioning it. Although he was sometimes stubborn, he felt dependent on the guidance and reassurance of his mother. When he had to go to the privy, he would jump up and down beside her, holding her säré and saying, “Urine, mother, urine.” “Who is stopping you?” she would ask. “Yes, you can go.” Only then, with her permission, would he go.

Sometimes, in the intimacy of dependence, his mother became his foil. When he lost a baby tooth and on her advice placed it under a pillow that night, the tooth vanished, and some money appeared. Abhay gave the money to his mother for safekeeping, but later, when in their constant association she opposed him, he demanded, “I want my money back! I will go away from home. Now you give me my money back!”

When Rajani wanted her hair braided, she would regularly ask her daughters. But if Abhay were present he would insist on braiding it himself and would create such a disturbance that they would give in to him. Once he painted the bottoms of his feet red, imitating the custom of women who painted their feet on festive occasions. His mother tried to dissuade him, saying it was not for children, but he insisted, “No, I must do it, also!”

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Our respectful obeisances to Srimati Rajani Devi who so tenderly raised “Abhay” who went on to became the Founder Acarya of ISKCON, the greatest Acarya of modern times

By His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada