Dear devotees, dandavats pranam! AGTSP! Hare Krsna!

We are very happy to invite devotees world wide to join the most merciful Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama 2016.

We kindly request you to publish our invitation and Promotional Movie.

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thank you very much,

Your servant,

Sri Gaura Sundara das

*Sri Navadvipa Mandala Parikrama team*

 Source: http://www.mayapur.com/2016/54164/

This morning in Sri Mayapur Dham devotees celebrated the flat lifting for the start of Gaura Purnima festival month.

As a special offering to Srila Prabhupada to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of ISKCON, 50 National flags were put up in the park and 50 lamps were offered. Then as the flags reached the top of their poles, thousands of colorful flower petals came down from the sky showering all devotes present, with sweet Bliss. Beautiful sanayasis broke coconut as an auspicious way to officially begin the festival in front of hundreds of cheering devotees. Loud kirtan could be heard from far away and devotees could be seen dancing all around the flags. This was the official start but here in Sri Mayapur dham, it is always festival, there is so much happening at the same time, anyone can constantly be plunge deep into the spiritual world. Everywhere we look something spiritual is happening, and on top of being already in the Spiritual world, For the last week now, we have been blessed with Sravan utsava . This most amazing festival with all day long special classes one after the other. HG Madhavananda das, HH Bhakti Purusottam Maharaj, HH Nrsimha Maharaj, HH Bhakti Vinod Maharaj, HH Bhakti Rasamrita Maharaj, HH Lokanath Maharaj and HH Bjakti Charu Maharaj all gave amazing divine discourse .

Be prepared, as this is only a beginning… Tonight immediately after we finish drinking the nectar coming from the lips of HH Lokanath Maharaj in the last class of Sravan utsav, devotees will have to run to the temple room where Kirtan Mela Adhivas will be starting. Not a moment of rest, always running after more nectar.

This is life in the Holy Dham…

I sincerely hope all devotees take advantage of each second in the Dham and get surcharged with Spiritual energy.

Haribol, Haribol

Jay Srila Prabhupada

Source: http://m.dandavats.com/?p=19520

Dear Devotees,

Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!  All glories to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga! 

Saksi Gopala Temple is a very important temple located almost midway between Jagannatha Puri Dhama and Bhubaneswar, in a town called Saksi-gopala, about 20 km west of Jagannatha Puri Dhama. The Saksi-gopala Deity here, being 5000 years old, is an exceptionally special one. It is said that Vajranabha, Lord Sri Krishna’s great-grandson, installed two Gopala Deities in Vraja Mandala namely Saksi-gopala and Madana Gopala (Madana Mohana). The Saksi-gopala Deity is the life-size Gopala Deity who walked from Vrindavana to Vidyanagara, a town located 20 to 25 miles from Rajahmundry on the banks of Godavari River in South India. A great fair is annually held here on the Anla Nabami day in the month of Kartika. Saksi-gopala temple is easily reachable by taxi, bus or Puri-Bhubaneswar train.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gives the following summary of the fifth chapter in his Amrta-pravaha-bhasya. After passing through Yajapura, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu reached the town of Kataka (Cuttack) and there went to see the temple of Saksi-gopala. While there, He heard the story of Saksi-gopala from the mouth of Sri Nityananda Prabhu.

Once there were two brahmanas, one elderly and the other young, who were inhabitants of a place known as Vidyanagara in South India. After touring many places of pilgrimage, the two brahmanas finally reached Vrindavana. The elderly brahmana was very satisfied with the service of the young brahmana, and he wanted to offer him his youngest daughter in marriage. The young brahmana received the promise of his elder before the Gopala Deity of Vrindavana. Thus the Gopala Deity acted as a witness. When the two brahmanas returned to Vidyanagara, the younger brahmana raised the question of this marriage, but the elderly brahmana, due to obligations to his friends and wife, answered that he could not remember his promise. Because of this, the younger brahmana returned to Vrindavana and narrated the whole story to Gopalaji. Thus Gopalaji, being obliged by the young man’s devotional service, accompanied him to southern India. Gopalaji followed the youngerbrahmana, who could hear the tinkling sound of Gopalaji’s ankle bells. When all the respectable gentlemen of Vidyanagara were assembled, Gopalaji testified to the promise of the elderly brahmana. Thus the marriage was performed. Later, the king of that country constructed a fine temple for Gopala.

Afterwards, King Purusottama-deva of Orissa was insulted by the King of Vidyanagara, who refused to give him his daughter in marriage and called him a sweeper of Lord Jagannatha. With the help of Lord Jagannatha, King Purusottama-deva fought the King of Vidyanagara and defeated him. Thus he took charge of both the King’s daughter and his kingdom as well. At that time, Gopalaji, being very much obligated by the devotional service of King Purusottama-deva, was brought to the town of Kataka.

After hearing this narration, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu visited the temple of Gopala in great ecstasy of love of God. From Kataka He went to Bhuvanesvara and saw the temple of Lord Siva. In this way, He gradually arrived at Kamalapura, and on the banks of the Bhargi River He came to the temple of Lord Siva, where He entrusted Hissannyasa staff to Nityananda Prabhu. However, Nityananda Prabhu broke the staff into three pieces and threw it into the Bhargi River at a place known as Atharanala. Being angry at not getting His staff back, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu left the company of Nityananda Prabhu and went alone to see the Jagannatha temple.

The Activities of Saksi Gopala

[Reference: Sri Caitanya Caritamrta Madhya lila Chapter 5, translation and purport by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acarya of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)]

I [Krsnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami] offer my respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of God [brahmanya-deva], who appeared as Saksi-gopala to benefit a brahmana. For one hundred days He traveled through the country, walking on His own legs. Thus His activities are wonderful. All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda Prabhu! All glories to Sri Advaita Prabhu! And all glories to all the devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

Transcendental Journey

Walking and walking, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His party finally arrived at Yajapura, on the river Vaitarani. There He saw the temple of Varahadeva and offered His obeisances unto Him. In the temple of Varahadeva, SriCaitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in chanting and dancing and offered prayers. He passed that night in the temple.

Afterwards, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to the town of Kataka to see the temple of the witness Gopala. When He saw the Deity of Gopala, He was very much pleased by His beauty. While there, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu engaged in chanting and dancing for some time, and being overwhelmed, He offered many prayers to Gopala. That night Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed in the temple of Gopala, and along with all the devotees, He heard the narration of the witness Gopala with great pleasure.

Previously, when Nityananda Prabhu had toured all over India to see different places of pilgrimage, He also had come to see Saksi-gopala at Kataka. At that time, Nityananda Prabhu had heard the story of Saksi-gopala from the townspeople. He now recited this again, and Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the narration with great pleasure.

Purport: The Saksi-gopala temple is situated between the Khurda Road railway station and the Jagannatha Puri station. The Deity is not presently situated in Kataka, but when Nityananda Prabhu traveled there, the Deity was present. Kataka is a town in Orissa situated on the Mahanadi River. When Saksi-gopala was brought from Vidyanagara in southern India, He stayed for some time at Kataka. Thereafter, He was situated for some time in the Jagannatha temple. It seems that in the temple of Jagannatha there was some disagreement between Jagannatha and Saksi-gopala, a disagreement called prema-kalaha, a quarrel of love. In order to settle this love quarrel, the King of Orissa constructed a village about eleven miles from Jagannatha Puri. The village was called Satyavadi, and Gopala was stationed there. Thereafter, a new temple was constructed. Now there is a Saksi-gopala station, and people go to Satyavadi to see the witness Gopala.

Formerly at Vidyanagara in South India there were two brahmanas who made a long tour to see different places of pilgrimage. First of all they visited Gaya, then Kasi, then Prayaga. Finally, with great pleasure, they came to Mathura. After reaching Mathura, they started visiting the different forests of Vrindavana and came to Govardhana Hill. They visited all twelve forests [vanas] and at last came to the town of Vrindavana.

Purport: The five forests situated on the eastern side of the river Yamuna are Bhadra, Bilva, Loha, Bhandira and Mahavana. The seven forests situated on the western side of the Yamuna are Madhu, Tala, Kumuda, Bahula, Kamya, Khadira and Vrindavana. After visiting all these forests, these pilgrims went to a place known as Pancakrosi Vrindavana. Out of the twelve forests, the Vrindavana forest extends from the town of Vrindavana up to Nanda-grama and Varsana, a distance of thirty-two miles, within which the Pancakrosi Vrindavana town is situated.

In the village of Pancakrosi Vrindavana, at the site where the Govinda temple is now situated, there was a great temple where gorgeous worship of Gopala was performed. After taking baths at different bathing places along the river Yamuna, such as Kesi-ghata and Kaliya-ghata, the pilgrims visited the temple of Gopala. Afterwards, they took rest in that temple.

The beauty of the Gopala Deity stole away their minds, and feeling great happiness, they remained there for two or four days. One of the two brahmanas was an old man, and the other was young. The young man was assisting the old one. Indeed, the young brahmana always rendered service to the older one, and the old man, being very satisfied with his service, was pleased with him.

Grateful Acknowledgment

The older man told the younger, “You have rendered various types of service to me. You have assisted me in traveling to all these places of pilgrimage. Even my own son does not render such service. By your mercy, I did not become fatigued while on this tour. If I did not show you any respect, I would be ungrateful. Therefore, I promise to give you my daughter in charity.”

The younger brahmana replied, “My dear sir, please hear me. You are saying something very unusual. Such a thing never happens. You are a most aristocratic family man, well-educated and very rich. I am not at all aristocratic, and I am without a decent education and have no wealth.

Purport: Due to pious activities, one can be enriched by four opulences: one may obtain birth in an aristocratic family, become highly educated, become very beautiful or get a sufficient quantity of riches. These are symptoms of pious activities performed in one’s past life. In India it is still current for an aristocratic family never to consider a marriage with a common family. Though the caste may be the same, to maintain the aristocracy such marriages are rejected. No poor man will dare marry the daughter of a rich man. Because of this, when the elderly brahmana offered the young brahmana his daughter, the young brahmana did not believe that it would be possible to marry her. Therefore he asked the elderly brahmana why he was proposing something unprecedented (asambhava). It was unheard of for an aristocratic person to offer his daughter to a person who was both uneducated and poor.

Sir, I am not a suitable bridegroom for your daughter. I render service to you only for the satisfaction of Krishna.

Purport: Both brahmanas were pure Vaisnavas. The younger man took special care of the older one simply to please Krishna. In Srimad-Bhagavatam (11.19.21) Krishna says, mad-bhakta-pujabhyadhika: “It is better to render service to My devotee.” Thus, according to the Gaudiya-Vaisnava philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, it is better to be a servant of the servant of God. One should not try to serve Krishna directly. A pure Vaisnava serves a servant of Krishna and identifies himself as a servant of a servant of Krishna. This is pleasing to Lord Krishna. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura confirms this philosophy: chadiya vaisnava-seva nistara peyeche keba. Unless one serves a liberated Vaisnava, he cannot attain liberation by directly serving Krishna. He must serve the servant of Krishna.

Lord Krishna is very much pleased by service rendered to brahmanas, and when the Lord is pleased, the opulence of one’s devotional service increases.”

Purport: In this regard, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura comments that the younger brahmana rendered service to the older one with the purpose of pleasing Krishna. It was not a matter of ordinary worldly dealings. Krishna is pleased when a Vaisnava is rendered service. Because the younger brahmana served the older one, Lord Gopala agreed to become a witness of the marriage negotiation in order to maintain the prestige of both devotees. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would certainly not have liked to hear about marital dealings unless such dealings were exchanged between two Vaisnavas. Marriage arrangements and ceremonies belong to ordinary material karma-kanda sections of the scriptures. The Vaisnavas, however, are not interested in any kind of karma-kanda dealings. Srila Narottama dasaThakura says: karma-kanda jnana-kanda kevala visera bhanda. For a Vaishnava, the karma-kanda and jnana-kanda sections of the Vedas are unnecessary. Indeed, a real Vaisnava takes these sections as a poison pot (visera bhanda). Sometimes we take part in a marriage ceremony for our disciples, but this does not mean that we are interested in karma-kanda activities. Sometimes, not knowing the Vaisnava philosophy, an outsider criticizes such activity, maintaining that a sannyasi should not take part in a marriage ceremony between a young boy and a young girl. However, this is not a karma-kanda activity, because our purpose is to spread the Krishna consciousness movement. We are giving all facility to the general populace to take to Krishna consciousness, and in order to fix the devotees in concentration on the service of the Lord, marriage is sometimes allowed. We have experienced that such married couples actually render very important service to the mission. Therefore, one should not misunderstand when a sannyasi takes part in a marriage ceremony. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu took great pleasure in hearing about the marriage ceremony between the young brahmana and the daughter of the elderly brahmana.

Solemn Vow

The older brahmana replied, “My dear boy, do not doubt me. I will give you my daughter in charity. I have already decided this.”

The young brahmana said, “You have a wife and sons, and you have a large circle of relatives and friends. Without the consent of all your friends and relatives, it is not possible to give me your daughter in charity. Just consider the story of Queen Rukmini and her father, Bhismaka. King Bhismaka wanted to give his daughter, Rukmini, in charity to Krishna, but Rukmi, his eldest son, objected. Therefore he could not carry out his decision.”

Purport: As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 10 chapter 52 verse 25:

bandhunam icchatam datum krsnaya bhaginim nrpa
tato nivarya krsna-dvid rukmi caidyam amanyata

King Bhismaka of Vidarbha wanted to offer Krishna his daughter, Rukmini, but Rukmi, the eldest of his five sons, objected. Therefore Bhismaka withdrew his decision and decided to offer Rukmini to the King of Cedi, Sisupala, who was a cousin of Krishna’s. However, Rukmini conceived of a trick: she sent a letter to Krishna asking Him to kidnap her. Thus in order to please Rukmini, who was His great devotee, Krishna kidnapped her. There ensued a great fight between Krishna and the opposing party, headed by Rukmini’s brother Rukmi. Rukmi was defeated and, because of his harsh words against Krishna, was about to be killed, but he was saved at the request of Rukmini. However, Krishna shaved off all of Rukmi’s hair with His sword. Sri Balarama did not like this, and so to please Rukmini, Balarama rebuked Krishna.

The elderly brahmana said, “My daughter is my own property. If I choose to give my property to someone, who has the power to stop me? My dear boy, I will give my daughter to you in charity, and I will neglect the position of all others. Don’t doubt me in this regard; just accept my proposal.”

The younger brahmana replied, “If you have decided to give your young daughter to me, then say so before the Gopala Deity.”

Coming before Gopala, the elderly brahmana said, “My dear Lord, please witness that I have given my daughter to this boy.”

Purport: In India it is still the custom for a daughter to be offered to someone simply by word. This is called vag-datta. This means that the father, brother or guardian of a girl has given his word that she will be married to a certain man. Consequently, that daughter cannot be married to anyone else. She is reserved by virtue of the honest words of the father or guardian. There are many instances in which the parents of a female child have given someone a verbal promise that their daughter will be married to his son. Both parties agree to wait until the boy and girl are grown up, and then the marriage takes place. Following this custom, which is very old in India, the elderly brahmana promised to give his daughter to the younger brahmana in charity, and he promised this before the Gopala Deity. In India the custom is to honor any promise made before the Deity. Such a promise cannot be canceled. In Indian villages, whenever there is a quarrel between two parties, they go to a temple to settle the quarrel. Whatever is spoken in front of the Deity is taken to be true, for no one would dare lie before the Deity. This same principle was followed in the Battle of Kuruksetra. Therefore in the very beginning of the Bhagavad-Gita it is stated: dharma-ksetre kuru-ksetre.

By not becoming God conscious, human society is deteriorating to the lowest standard of animal life. This Krishna consciousness movement is very essential to reviving God consciousness among the general populace. If people actually become God conscious, all quarrels can be settled outside of court, as happened in the case of the two brahmanas whose disagreement was settled by the witness Gopala.

Then the younger brahmana addressed the Deity, saying, “My dear Lord, You are my witness. I shall call for You to testify if it is necessary later on.”

After these talks, the two brahmanas started for home. As usual, the young brahmana accompanied the elderlybrahmana as if the older brahmana were a guru [spiritual master] and rendered him service in various ways. After returning to Vidyanagara, each brahmana went to his respective home. After some time, the elderlybrahmana became very anxious. He began to think, “I have given my word to a brahmana in a holy place, and what I promised will certainly come to pass. I must now disclose this to my wife, sons, other relatives and friends.”

Ominous Threat

Thus one day the elderly brahmana called for a meeting of all his relatives and friends, and before them all he narrated what had taken place in front of Gopala. When those who belonged to the family circle heard the narration of the old brahmana, they made exclamations showing their disappointment. They all requested that he not make such a proposal again. They unanimously agreed, “If you offer your daughter to a degraded family, your aristocracy will be lost. When people hear of this, they will make jokes and laugh at you.”

The elderly brahmana said, “How can I undo the promise I made in a holy place while on pilgrimage? Whatever may happen, I must give him my daughter in charity.” The relatives unanimously said, “If you give your daughter to that boy, we shall give up all connection with you.” Indeed, his wife and sons declared, “If such a thing happens, we shall take poison and die.”

The elderly brahmana said, “If I do not give my daughter to the young brahmana, he will call Sri Gopalaji as a witness. Thus he will take my daughter by force, and in that case my religious principles will become meaningless.”

His son replied, “The Deity may be a witness, but He is in a distant country. How can He come to bear witness against you? Why are you so anxious over this? You do not have to flatly deny that you spoke such a thing. There is no need to make a false statement. Simply say that you do not remember what you said. If you simply say, ‘I do not remember,’ I shall take care of the rest. By argument, I shall defeat the young brahmana.”

Purport: The son of the elderly brahmana was an atheist and a follower of the Raghunatha-smrti. He was very expert in dealing with pounds-shillings-pence, but he was fool number one. Consequently, he did not believe in the spiritual position of the Deity, nor did he have any faith in the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, as a typical idol worshiper, he considered the form of the Lord to be made of stone or wood. Thus he assured his father that the witness was only a stone Deity and was not capable of speaking. Besides that, he assured his father that the Deity was situated far away and consequently could not come to bear witness. In essence, he was saying, “Have no anxiety. You do not have to lie directly, but you should speak like a diplomat, like King Yudhisthira when he spoke to Dronacarya - asvatthamahata iti gajah. Following this principle, simply say that you do not remember anything and are completely unaware of the statements given by the young brahmana. If you make the background like that, I shall know how to fill in the argument and defeat him by word jugglery. Thus I shall save you from having to give your daughter to him. In this way, our aristocracy will be saved. You have nothing to worry about.”

Hopeful Plea

When the elderly brahmana heard this, his mind became very much agitated. Feeling helpless, he simply turned his attention to the lotus feet of Gopala.

The elderly brahmana prayed, “My dear Lord Gopala, I have taken shelter of Your lotus feet, and therefore I request You to please protect my religious principles from disturbance and at the same time save my kinsmen from dying.”

The next day, the elderly brahmana was thinking deeply about this matter when the young brahmana came to his house. The young brahmana came to him and offered respectful obeisances. Then, very humbly folding his hands, he spoke as follows.

“You have promised to give your daughter in charity to me. Now you do not say anything. What is your conclusion?”

After the young brahmana submitted this statement, the elderly brahmana remained silent. Taking this opportunity, his son immediately came out with a stick to strike the younger man. The son said, “Oh, you are most degraded! You want to marry my sister, just like a dwarf who wants to catch the moon!”

Seeing a stick in the hand of the son, the younger brahmana fled.

Sensitive Inquiry

The next day, however, he gathered together all the people of the village. All the people of the village then called for the elderly brahmana and brought him to their meeting place. The young brahmana then began to speak before them as follows.

“This gentleman has promised to hand over his daughter to me, yet now he does not follow his promise. Please ask him about his behavior.” All the people gathered there asked the elderly brahmana, “If you have already promised to give him your daughter in charity, why are you not fulfilling your promise? You have given your word of honor.”

The elderly brahmana said, “My dear friends, please hear what I have to submit. I do not exactly remember making a promise like that.”

When the elderly brahmana’s son heard this, he took the opportunity to juggle some words. Becoming very impudent, he stood before the assembly and spoke as follows. “While touring various holy places of pilgrimage, my father carried much money. Seeing the money, this rogue decided to take it away. There was no one besides this man with my father. Giving him an intoxicant known as dhutura to eat, this rogue made my father mad. Having taken all my father’s money, this rogue claimed that it was taken by some thief. Now he is claiming that my father has promised to give him his daughter in charity. All of you assembled here are gentlemen. Please judge whether it is befitting to offer this poor brahmana my father’s daughter.”

Hearing all these statements, all the people gathered there became a little doubtful. They thought it quite possible that because of attraction for riches one might give up his religious principles.

Absolute Arrangement

At that time the young brahmana said, “My dear gentlemen, please hear. Just to gain victory in an argument, this man is lying. Being very satisfied with my service, this brahmana said to me of his own accord, ‘I promise to hand over my daughter to you.’ At that time I forbade him to do this, telling him, ‘O best of the brahmanas, I am not a fit husband for your daughter. Whereas you are a learned scholar, a rich man belonging to an aristocratic family, I am a poor man, uneducated and with no claim to aristocracy.’ Still this brahmana insisted. Again and again he asked me to accept his proposal, saying, ‘I have given you my daughter. Please accept her.’ I then said, ‘Please hear. You are a learned brahmana. Your wife, friends and relatives will never agree to this proposal. My dear sir, you will not be able to fulfill your promise. Your promise will be broken.’ Yet, again and again the brahmana emphasized his promise. ‘I have offered you my daughter. Do not hesitate. She is my daughter, and I shall give her to you. Who can forbid me?’ At that time I concentrated my mind and requested the brahmana to make the promise before the Gopala Deity. Then this gentleman said in front of the Gopala Deity, ‘My dear Lord, please bear witness. I have offered my daughter to this brahmana in charity.’ Accepting the Gopala Deity as my witness, I then submitted the following at His lotus feet. ‘If this brahmana later hesitates to give me his daughter, my dear Lord, I shall call on You as a witness. Please note this with care and attention.’ Thus I have called upon a great personality in this transaction. I have asked the Supreme Godhead to be my witness. The entire world accepts the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

Purport: Although the young brahmana described himself as having no claims to aristocracy and being an uneducated common man, still he had one good qualification: he believed that the Supreme Personality of Godhead was the topmost authority, he accepted the words of Lord Krishna without hesitation, and he had firm faith in the Lord’s consistency. According to Prahlada Maharaja, another authority on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, such a staunch and faithful devotee of the Lord must be understood to be a most learned scholar: tan manye ’dhitam uttamam (Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.5.24). A pure devotee who has firm faith in the words of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is to be considered a most learned scholar, the topmost aristocrat and the richest man in the whole world. All godly qualities automatically exist in such a devotee. In the preaching work of the Krishna consciousness movement, we, as the servant of the servant of the servant of the servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, fully believe in the words of Krishna and His servants, the disciplic succession. In this way we are presenting the words of Krishna throughout the world. Even though we are neither a rich man nor a very learned scholar, and even though we do not belong to any aristocracy, this movement is still being welcomed and is very easily spreading all over the world. Although we are very poor and have no professional source of income, Krishna supplies money whenever we need it. Whenever we need some men, Krishna supplies them. Thus it is stated in the Bhagavad-Gita 6.22: yam labdhva caparam labham manyate nadhikam tatah. Actually, if we can attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, we do not need anything else. We certainly do not need those things which a mundane person considers to be material assets.

Taking this opportunity, the elderly brahmana immediately confirmed that this was really true. He said, “If Gopala personally comes here to serve as a witness, I shall surely give my daughter to the young brahmana.”

Purport: The elderly brahmana’s son immediately confirmed this, saying, “Yes, this is a very nice settlement.”

As the Supersoul within the heart of all living entities, Krishna knows everyone’s desire, everyone’s request and everyone’s prayer. Although all these may be contradictory, the Lord has to create a situation in which everyone will be pleased. This is an instance of a marriage negotiation between an elderly brahmana and a youthful one. The elderly brahmana was certainly willing to give his daughter in charity to the young brahmana, but his son and relatives became impediments to this transaction. The elderly brahmana considered how to get out of this situation and still offer his daughter to the young brahmana. His son, an atheist and a very cunning fellow, was thinking of how to stop the marriage. The father and son were thinking in a contradictory way, yet Krishna created a situation wherein they agreed. They both agreed that if the Gopala Deity would come and serve as a witness, the daughter would be given to the young brahmana.

The elderly brahmana thought, “Since Lord Krishna is very merciful, He will certainly come to prove my statement.”

The atheistic son thought, “It is not possible for Gopala to come and bear witness.” Thinking thus, the father and son agreed.

The young brahmana took this opportunity to speak: “Please write this down on paper in black and white so that you may not again change your word of honor.” All the assembled people got this statement down in black and white and, taking the signatures of agreement from both of them, served as the mediators.

The young brahmana then said, “Will all you gentlemen present please hear me? This elderly brahmana is certainly truthful and is following religious principles. He had no desire to break his promise, but fearing that his kinsmen would commit suicide, he deviated from the truth. By the piety of the elderly brahmana, I shall call the Supreme Personality of Godhead as a witness. Thus I shall keep his truthful promise intact.”

Hearing the emphatic statement of the younger brahmana, some atheists in the meeting began to cut jokes. However, someone else said, “After all, the Lord is merciful, and if He likes, He can come.”

After the meeting, the young brahmana started for Vrindavana. Upon arriving there, he first offered his respectful obeisances to the Deity and then narrated everything in full detail.

Selfless Request

He said, “My Lord, You are the protector of brahminical culture, and You are also very merciful. Therefore, kindly show Your great mercy by protecting the religious principles of us two brahmanas. My dear Lord, I am not thinking to become happy by getting the daughter as a bride. I am simply thinking that the brahmana has broken his promise, and that is giving me great pain.”

Purport: It was not at all the intention of the young brahmana to get the daughter of the elderly brahmana in marriage and thus enjoy material happiness and sense gratification. It was not for that reason that the young brahmana went to Vrindavana to ask the Supreme Personality of Godhead to act as a witness. His only concern was that the elderly brahmana had promised something, and if Gopala did not bear witness to that transaction, then the older brahmana would incur a spiritual blemish. Therefore, the young brahmana wanted protection and help from the Deity. The young brahmana was thus a pure Vaisnava, and he had no desire for sense gratification. He wanted only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the older brahmana, who was also a Vaisnava and very much devoted to the Lord.

The young brahmana continued, “My dear Sir, You are very merciful and You know everything. Therefore, kindly be a witness in this case. A person who knows things as they are and still does not bear witness becomes involved in sinful activities.”

Purport: The dealings between a devotee and the Lord are very simple. The young brahmana said to the Lord, “You know everything, but if You do not bear witness, You will be involved in sinful activities.” There is no possibility, however, of the Lord’s being involved in sinful activities. A pure devotee, even though he knows everything of the Supreme Lord, can speak with the Lord exactly as if He were a common man. Although the dealings between the Lord and His devotee are always very simple and open, there is formality. All these things happen because of the connection between the Lord and the devotee.

Lord Krishna replied, “My dear brahmana, go back to your home and call a meeting of all the men. In that meeting, just try to remember Me. I shall certainly appear there, and at that time I shall protect the honor of both you brahmanas by bearing witness to the promise.”

The young brahmana replied, “My dear sir, even if You appear there as a four-handed Visnu Deity, still, none of those people will believe in Your words. Only if You go there in this form of Gopala and speak the words from Your beautiful face will Your testimony be heard by all the people.”

Lord Krishna said, “I’ve never heard of a Deity’s walking from one place to another.”

The brahmana replied, “That is true, but how is it that You are speaking to me, although You are a Deity? My dear Lord, You are not a statue; You are directly the son of Maharaja Nanda. Now, for the sake of the old brahmana, You can do something You have never done before.”

Gracious Consent

Sri Gopalaji then smiled and said, “My dear brahmana, just listen to Me. I shall walk behind you, and in this way I shall go with you.”

Purport: The conversation between Lord Sri Krishna and the brahmana is proof that the Lord in His arca-murti, or form made of material elements, is not material, for those elements, although separated from the Lord, are also a part of the Lord’s energy, as stated in the Bhagavad-Gita. Because the elements are the Lord’s own energy and because there is no difference between the energy and the energetic, the Lord can appear through any element. Just as the sun can act through the sunshine and thus distribute its heat and light, so Krishna, by His inconceivable power, can appear in His original spiritual form in any material element, including stone, wood, paint, gold, silver and jewels, because the material elements are all His energy. The sastras warn, arcye visnau sila-dhih . . . naraki sah: one should never think of the arca-murti, the Deity within the temple, as stone, wood or any other material element. Because of his advanced devotional position, the younger brahmana knew that although the Deity of Gopala appeared to be stone, He was not stone. He was the son of Nanda Maharaja, Vrajendra-nandana Himself. As such, the Deity could act exactly as the Lord does in His original form as Krishna.

Lord Krishna was talking to the young brahmana just to test his knowledge about the arca-vigraha. In other words, those who have understood the science of Krishna - Krishna’s name, form, qualities and so forth - can also talk with the Deity. To an ordinary person, however, the Deity will appear to be made of stone, wood or some other material. In the higher sense, since all material elements ultimately emanate from the supreme spiritual entity, nothing is really material. Being omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, Krishna can deal with His devotee in any form without difficulty. By the mercy of the Lord, the devotee knows perfectly well about the Lord’s dealings. Indeed, he can talk face to face with the Lord.

The Lord continued, “Do not try to see Me by turning around. As soon as you see Me, I shall remain stationary in that very place. You will know that I am walking behind you by the sound of My ankle bells. Cook one kilo of rice daily and offer it. I shall eat that rice and follow behind you.”

Lord’s journey from Vrindavana to Vidyanagara in South India

The next day, the brahmana begged permission from Gopala and started for his country. Gopala followed him, step by step. While Gopala followed the young brahmana, the tinkling sound of His ankle bells could be heard. The brahmana became very pleased, and he cooked first-class rice for Gopala to eat.

The young brahmana walked and walked in this way until he eventually arrived in his own country. When he neared his own village, he began to think as follows. “I have now come to my village, and I shall go to my home and tell all the people that the witness has arrived.”

Lord’s Arrival at Vidyanagara to Give His Witness for His Pure Devotees

The brahmana then began to think that if the people didn’t directly see the Gopala Deity, they would not believe that He had arrived. “But even if Gopala stays here,” he thought, “there is still nothing to fear.”

Thinking this, the brahmana turned to look back, and He saw that Gopala, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was standing there smiling.

The Lord told the brahmana, “Now you can go home. I shall stay here and shall not leave.”

The young brahmana then went to the town and informed all the people about Gopala’s arrival. Hearing this, the people were struck with wonder. All the townspeople went to see the witness Gopala, and when they saw the Lord actually standing there, they all offered their respectful obeisances.

When the people arrived, they were very pleased to see the beauty of Gopala, and when they heard that He had actually walked there, they were all surprised.

Then the elderly brahmana, being very pleased, came forward and immediately fell like a stick in front of Gopala. Thus in the presence of all the townspeople, Lord Gopala bore witness that the elderly brahmana had offered his daughter in charity to the young brahmana.

After the marriage ceremony was performed, the Lord informed both brahmanas, “You two brahmanas are My eternal servants, birth after birth.”

Purport: Like these two brahmanas of Vidyanagara, there are many devotees who are eternal servants of the Lord. They are specifically known as nitya-siddha, eternally perfect. Although the nitya-siddhas appear in the material world and seem to be common members of the world, they never forget the Supreme Personality of Godhead in any condition. This is the symptom of a nitya-siddha.

There are two kinds of living entities - nitya-siddha and nitya-baddha. The nitya-siddha never forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality, whereas the nitya-baddha is always conditioned, even before the creation. He always forgets his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Here the Lord informs the two brahmanas that they are His servants birth after birth. The phrase birth after birth refers to the material world because in the spiritual world there is no birth, death, old age or disease. By the order of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the nitya-siddha remains within this material world like an ordinary man, but the only business of the nitya-siddha is to broadcast the glories of the Lord. This incident appears to be an ordinary story about a marriage transaction involving two ordinary people. However, Krishna accepted the two brahmanas as His eternal servants. Both brahmanas took much trouble in these negotiations, just like mundane people, yet they were acting as eternal servants of the Lord. All nitya-siddhas within this material world may appear to toil like ordinary men, but they never forget their position as servants of the Lord.

Another point: The elderly brahmana belonged to an aristocratic family and was learned and wealthy. The young brahmana belonged to an ordinary family and was uneducated. But these mundane qualifications do not concern a nitya-siddha engaged in the service of the Lord. We have to accept the fact that the nitya-siddhas are completely distinct from the nitya-baddhas, who are ordinary human beings. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura confirms this statement:

gaurangera sangi-gane, nitya-siddha kari’ mane,
se yaya vrajendra-suta pasa
sri-gauda-mandala-bhumi, yeba jane cintamani
tara haya vraja-bhume vasa

One who accepts the associates of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu as nitya-siddhas is certain to be elevated to the spiritual kingdom to become an associate of the Supreme Lord. One should also know that Gauda-mandala-bhumi - those places in Bengal where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu stayed - are equal to Vrajabhumi, or Vrindavana. There is no difference between the inhabitants of Vrindavana and those of Gauda-mandala-bhumi, or Sridham Mayapur.

The Lord continued, “I have become very much pleased by the truthfulness of you both. Now you can ask for a benediction.” Thus with great pleasure the two brahmanas begged for a benediction.

The brahmanas said, “Please remain here so that people all over the world will know how merciful You are to Your servants.”

Lord Gopala stayed, and the two brahmanas engaged in His service. After hearing of the incident, many people from different countries began to come to see Gopala. Eventually the King of that country heard this wonderful story, and he also came to see Gopala and thus became very satisfied. The King constructed a nice temple, and regular service was executed. Gopala became very famous under the name of Saksi-gopala [the witness Gopala]. Thus Saksi-gopala stayed in Vidyanagara and accepted service for a very long time.

Purport: This city of Vidyanagara is situated in Trailanga-desa, South India, on the bank of the river Godavari. The place where the Godavari flows into the Bay of Bengal is called Kotadesa. The Orissa kingdom was very powerful, and Kotadesa was the capital of Orissa. It was then known as Vidyanagara. Formerly this city was situated on the southern side of the river Godavari. At that time King Purusottama-deva managed to control Orissa and appoint a government. The present city of Vidyanagara is on the southeast side of the river, only twenty to twenty-five miles from Rajahmundry. During the time of Maharaja Prataparudra, Sri Ramananda Raya was the governor there. Vijaya-nagara is not identical with Vidyanagara.

King Purusottama-deva of Orissa

Later there was a fight, and this country was conquered by King Purusottama-deva of Orissa. That King was victorious over the King of Vidyanagara, and he took possession of his throne, the Manikya-simhasana, which was bedecked with many jewels.

King Purusottama-deva was a great devotee and was advanced in the civilization of the Aryans. He begged at the lotus feet of Gopala, “Please come to my kingdom.”

When the King begged Him to come to his kingdom, Gopala, who was already obliged for his devotional service, accepted his prayer. Thus the King took the Gopala Deity and went back to Kataka. After winning the Manikya throne, King Purusottama-deva took it to Jagannatha Puri and presented it to Lord Jagannatha. In the meantime, he also established regular worship of the Gopala Deity at Kataka.

A Wish Come True

When the Gopala Deity was installed at Kataka, the Queen of Purusottama-deva went to see Him and, with great devotion, presented various kinds of ornaments. The Queen had a very valuable pearl, which she wore on her nose, and she wished to give it to Gopala. She then began to think as follows. “If there were a hole in the Deity’s nose, I could transfer the pearl to Him.”

Considering this, the Queen offered her obeisances to Gopala and returned to her palace. That night she dreamed that Gopala appeared and began to speak to her as follows.

“During My childhood My mother made a hole in My nose and with great endeavor set a pearl there. That very hole is still there, and you can use it to set the pearl you desired to give Me.”

After dreaming this, the Queen explained it to her husband, the King. Both the King and the Queen then went to the temple with the pearl. Seeing the hole in the nose of the Deity, they set the pearl there and, being very pleased, held a great festival. Since then, Gopala has been situated in the city of Kataka [Cuttack], and He has been known ever since as Saksi-gopala.

Thus Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the narration of Gopala’s activities. Both He and His personal devotees became very pleased. When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was sitting before the Gopala Deity, all the devotees saw Him and the Deity as being of the same form. They were of the same complexion, and both had gigantic bodies. Both wore saffron cloth, and both were very grave. The devotees saw that both Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Gopala were brilliantly effulgent and had eyes like lotuses. They were both absorbed in ecstasy, and both Their faces resembled full moons.

When Nityananda saw the Gopala Deity and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in that way, He began to exchange remarks with the devotees, all of whom were smiling. Thus with great pleasure Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu passed that night in the temple. After seeing the mangala-arati ceremony in the morning, He started on His journey.

[In his book Caitanya-bhagavata] Srila Vrindavana dasa Thakura has very vividly described the places visited by the Lord on the way to Bhuvanesvara.

            (This article was written in 1956 by Sri Navinacandra Cakravarti, a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura. There are many stories of Ekadasi in the Puranas, but most explain the material benefits and blessings one gets from observing Ekadasi. This article, based on the conversation between Srila Vyasadeva and Jaimini Rishi, gives the real spiritual reason for following the vow of Ekadasi as emphasized by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and later by Srila Prabhupada.)

            Many devotees are very inquisitive about the appearance of Sri Ekadasi and about her special characteristics. Therefore I am presenting this description from the 14th chapter of the Padma Purana, from the section entitled “Kriya-sagara-sara”.

            Once the great sage Jaimini Rishi said to his spiritual master, “O Gurudeva! Previously, by your mercy, you described to me the history of the Ganga River, the benefits of worshiping Vishnu, the giving of grains in charity, the giving of water in charity, and the magnanimity of drinking water that has been used to wash the feet of the brahmanas. O best of sages, Sri Gurudeva, now, with great enthusiasm, I desire to hear of the benefits of fasting on Ekadasi and of the appearance of Ekadasi.”

            “O Gurudeva! When did Ekadasi take birth and from whom did she appear? What are the rules of fasting on the day of Ekadasi? Please describe the benefits of following this vow and when it should be followed. Who is the utmost worshipable presiding deity of Sri Ekadasi? What are the faults in not observing Ekadasi properly? Please bestow your mercy upon me and tell about these subjects, as you are the only personality able to do so.”

            Srila Vyasadeva, upon hearing this inquiry from Jaimini Rishi, became situated in transcendental bliss. “O brahmana sage Jaimini! The results of following Ekadasi can be perfectly described by the Supreme Lord, Narayana, because Sri Narayana is the only personality capable of describing them in full. But I will give a very brief description in answer to your question.”

            “At the beginning of the material creation, the Supreme Lord created the moving and non-moving living entities within this world made of five gross material elements. Simultaneously, for the purpose of punishing the evil human beings, He created a personality whose form was the embodiment of the worst kinds of sin (Papa-purusha). The different limbs of this personality were constructed of various sinful activities. His head was made of the sin of murdering a brahmana, his two eyes were the form of drinking intoxicants, his mouth was made from the sin of stealing gold, his ears were the form of the sin of having illicit connection with the spiritual master’s wife, his nose was of the sin of killing one’s wife, his arms the form of the sin of killing a cow, his neck was made of the sin of stealing accumulated wealth, his chest of the sin of abortion, his lower chest of the sin of having sex with another’s wife, his stomach of the sin of killings one’s relatives, his navel of the sin of killing those who are dependent on him, his waist of the sin of egotistical self-appraisal, his thighs of the sin of offending the guru, his genitals of the sin of selling one’s daughter, his buttocks of the sin of telling confidential matters, his feet of the sin of killing one’s father, and his hair was the form of all sorts of less severe sinful activities. In this way, a horrible personality embodying all sinful activities and vices was created. His bodily color is black, and his eyes are yellow. He inflicts extreme misery upon sinful persons.

            “The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vishnu, upon seeing this personality of sin began to think to Himself as follows: ‘I am the creator of the miseries and happiness for the living entities. I am their master because I have created this personality of sin, who gives distress to all dishonest, deceitful and sinful persons. Now I must create someone who will control this personality’. At this time Sri Bhagavan created the personality of Yamaraja and the different hellish planetary systems. Those living entities who are very sinful will be sent after death to Yamaraja, who will in turn, according to their sins, send them to an appropritate hellish region to suffer.

            “After these adjustments had been made, the Supreme Lord, who is the giver of distress and happiness to the living entities, went to the house of Yamaraja, with the help of Garuda, the king of birds. When Yamaraja saw that Lord Vishnu had arrived, he immediately washed His feet and made an offering unto Him. He then had Him sit upon a golden throne. The Supreme Lord Vishnu became seated upon the throne, whereupon He heard very loud crying sounds from the southern direction. He became surprised by this and inquired of Yamaraja, ‘From where is this loud crying coming?’

            “Yamaraja in reply said, ‘O Deva! The different living entities of the earthly planetary systems have fallen to the hellish regions. They are suffering extremely for their misdeeds. The horrible crying is because of suffering from the inflictions of their past bad actions.’

            “After hearing this the Supreme Lord Vishnu went to the hellish region to the south. When the inhabitants saw who had come they began to cry even louder. The heart of the Supreme Lord Vishnu became filled with compassion. Lord Vishnu thought to Himself, ‘I have created all this progeny, and it is because of Me that they are suffering.’”

            Vyasadeva continued: “O Jaimini, just listen to what the Supreme Lord did next. After the merciful Supreme Lord thought over what He had previously considered, He suddenly manifested from His own form the deity of the lunar day Ekadasi. Afterward, the different sinful living entities began to follow the vow of Ekadasi and were then elevated quickly to the abode of Vaikuntha. O my child Jaimini, therefore the lunar day of Ekadasi is the selfsame form of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, and the Supersoul within the heart of the living entities. Sri Ekadasi is the utmost pious activity and is situated as the head among all vows.

            “Following the ascension of Sri Ekadasi, that personality who is the form of sinful activity gradually saw the influence that she, Ekadasi, had. Thus, he approached Lord Vishnu with doubts in his heart and began offering many prayers, whereupon Lord Vishnu became very pleased and said, ‘I have become very pleased by your nice offerings. What boon is it that you want?’

            “The Papa-purusha replied, “I am Your created progeny, and it is through me that you wanted distress given to the living entities who are very sinful. But now, by the influence of Sri Ekadasi, I have become all but destroyed. O Prabhu! After I die all of Your parts and parcels who have accepted material bodies will become liberated and return to the abode of Vaikuntha (the spiritual domain). If this liberation of all living entities takes place, then who will carry on Your activities? There will be no one to enact the pastimes in the earthly planetary systems! O Keshava! If you want these eternal pastimes to carry on, then You please save me from the fear of Ekadasi. No type of pious activity can bind me. But Ekadasi only, being Your own manifested form, can impede me. Out of fear of Sri Ekadasi I have fled and taken shelter of men; animals; insects; hills; trees; moving and non-moving living entities; rivers; oceans; forests; heavenly, earthly and hellish planetary systems; demigods; and the Gandharvas. I cannot find a place where I can be free from the fear of Sri Ekadasi. O my Master! I am a product of Your creation, so therefore very mercifully direct me to a place where I can reside fearlessly.’”

            Vyasadeva then said to Jaimini, “After saying this, the embodiment of all sinful activities (Papa-purusha) fell down at the feet of the Supreme Lord Vishnu, who is the destroyer of all miseries and began to cry.

            “After this, Lord Vishnu, observing the condition of the Papa-purusha, with laughter began to speak thus: ‘O Papa-purusha, rise up! Don’t lament any longer. Just listen, and I’ll tell you where you can stay on the lunar day of Ekadasi. On the date of Sri Ekadasi, which is the benefactor of the three planetary systems, you can take shelter of foodstuffs in the form of grains. There is no reason to worry about this any more, because My form as Sri Ekadasi will no longer impede you.’ After giving direction to the Papa-purusha, the Supreme Lord Vishnu disappeared and the Papa-purusha returned to the performance of his own activities.

            “Therefore, those persons who are serious about the ultimate benefit of the soul will never eat grains on Ekadasi. According to the instructions of Lord Vishnu, every kind of sinful activity that can be found in the material world takes its residence in this place of (grains) foodstuff. Whoever follows Ekadasi is freed from all sins and never enters into the hellish regions. If one doesn’t follow Ekadasi because of illusion, he is still considered the utmost sinner. For every mouthful of grain that is eaten by a resident of the earthly region (on Ekadasi), one receives the effect of killing millions of brahmanas. It is definitely necessary that one give up eating grains on Ekadasi. I very strongly say again and again, ‘On Ekadasi, do not eat grains, do not eat grains, do not eat grains!’ Whether one be a kshatriya, vaishya, shudra, or of any family, he should follow the lunar day of Ekadasi. From this the perfection of varna and ashrama will be attained. Especially since if one (even) by trickery follows Ekadasi, all his sins become destroyed and he very easily attains the supreme goal, the abode of Vaikuntha.”

Additional Information

            From the above article and story we can understand that Ekadasi is a form of Lord Vishnu, and by observing the Ekadasi vow, it not only decreases the amount of sin (bad karma) we imbibe, but it also eats up sinful reactions to help pave our way back to the abode of Lord Vishnu, Vaikuntha. This is also why Ekadasi is called “The mother of devotion”. It helps remove the obstacles on our path of devotional service to the Lord.

            Ekadasi generally falls on the 11th day after the new moon, and the 11th day after the full moon. Eka means one and dasi is the feminine form of dasa, which means ten. Together it means eleven. Only occasionally may it fall on a different day. So it is on these days that devotees and devout Hindus will follow the vow of Ekadasi and not eat any beans or grains, or products with such substances in them. Thus, the diet is expected to be simple and plain as part of the mood of renunciation, and preferably only once in the day if possible. Other recommendations include that the food should be made of vegetables, fruit, water, milk products, nuts, sugar, and roots that are grown underground (except beet roots). Restrictions include spinach, eggplant, asafetida, and sea salt, but rock salt is alright.

            Since there are 12 months in a year, with two Ekadasis in each month, there are 24 Ekadasis in each year. Each Ekadasi has a name, that are Utpanna, Mokshada, Saphala, Putrada, Shat-tila, Jaya, Vijaya, Amalaki, Papamocani, Kamada, Varuthini, Mohini, Apara, Nirjala, Yogini, Padma (Devashayani), Kamika, Putrada, Aja, Parivartini, Indira, Papankusha, Rama, and Haribodhini (Devotthani). Occasionally there are two extra Ekadasis that happen in a lunar leap year, which are Padmini and Parama.

            Each Ekadasi day has particular benefits and blessings that one can attain by the performance of specific activities done on that day. By engaging in the extra study to learn what these are, one can derive even more benefit from each particular Ekadasi. Books devoted to Ekadasi are available that contain such information, so we will not include it here. However, reading the glories of each Ekadasi day, along with all the names of these days, will also achieve a similar goal of observing the Ekadasi vow. This also means that we are encouraged to increase our spiritual activities that day, which are centered around the chanting of the holy names of the Lord. Charity, especially to advanced devotees and preachers of the dharma, or directly engaging in activities of Krishna consciousness, Deity worship, chanting the purusha-sukta hymns, or other spiritual activities on Ekadasi are also highly recommended and brings great spiritual benefits to the performer.

            It is said that even if one mistakenly misses the observance of an Ekadasi, he or she may make up for it by observing it the very next day on Dvadasi, and then break one’s fast from grain on the next day, Trayodasi. One may also observe the special fast on Nirjala Ekadasi. This is also called Bhima Ekadasi. This is because the Pandava brother known as Bhima was so strong and had such a voracious appetite that he could not observe Ekadasis twice a month. He could not fast because he was too hungry. So Lord Krishna told him to merely observe one Ekadasi a year, which is the Nirjala Ekadasi. Nir jala means no water. So he had to observe at least one Ekadasi a year, and on that day he had to abstain from not only beans and grains, but from all foods, even water. So devotees who miss an Ekadasi day often observe a complete fast from all food and liquids on the Nirjala Ekadasi, which is usually sometime in June, and thus make up for whatever was missed. However, this is a very potent Ekadasi, so a complete fast on this day gives one who observes this many pious credits.

            Sometimes there is a day called Mahadvadasi. This is when Ekadasi is astronomically combined with Dvadasi, or the twelfth day of the full moon or new moon lunar cycle. This is called a pure Ekadasi and the observance is often started the evening before Mahadvadasi and through the next day with the basic Ekadasi fast.

            Breaking the Ekadasi fast on the next day with some foodstuffs made from grains is usually done two-and-a-half hours or shortly thereafter from the time of the sunrise.

            In the Caitanya-caritamrita (Adi-lila, 15-9-10), Sri Caitanya begs his mother to follow Ekadasi, as was expected of all His followers. And in the purport to this verse Srila Prabhupada explains that even though devotees eat food cooked for and offered to Lord Vishnu, prasada, which is spiritually potent and free from all karma, even on Ekadasi a devotee does not eat even maha-prasada that has grains in it, even though it can be saved for the next day.

            In this way, by the observance of the special Ekadasi day and its special fast, a person can accelerate their spiritual growth and awareness, and free themselves from negative karma that will only further bind them to the continuous rounds of birth and death.

Vratas - what to do / auterities: 
From Pancharatra Pradipa - Appendix 3

Notes on Ekadasi…

The Hari-bhakti-vilasa gives many rules for observing Ekadasi…, and these are discussed at length in Volume II of Pancharata-Pradipa. Here, however, we will mention only a few points concerning Ekadasi in relation to general standards of Deity worship in ISKCON:

Offering Grains to the Spiritual Master and Lord Caitanya

In a conversation, Srila Prabhupada said that grains should not be offered to either the spiritual master or Lord Caitanya and His associates on Ekadasi

Devotee: On Ekadasi, we can offer the Deity grains? 
Prabhupada: Oh, yes. But not guru. Ekadasi observed by jiva-tattva, not by Vishnu. We are fasting for clearing our material disease, but Radha-Krsna, Caitanya Mahaprabhu . . . Caitanya Mahaprabhu also may not be offered grains because He is playing the part of a devotee. Only Radha-Krsna, Jagannatha can be offered grains. Otherwise, Guru-Gauranga, no. And the prasadam should not be taken by anyone. It should be kept for the next day. [Srila Prabhupada Room Conversation, Tokyo, April 22, 1972]

If there is only one plate for all Deities and the main Deity is Krsna or Jagannatha, grains should be offered as on normal days. If the main Deities are Gaura-Nitai, offer only non-grain preparations.* It is best to replace the normally offered grain preparations with non-grain preparations so that there are the same number of preparations as on normal days. If, however, grain preparations are being cooked for Krsna or Jagannatha, it may be difficult to cook additional non-grain preparations for the spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai. In that case serve larger quantities of the non-grain preparations to the spiritual master and Gaura-Nitai, and prepare the offering plate for Krsna or Jagannatha as on normal days.

* If you are cooking for a restaurant where grains will be served on Ekadasi, you may offer the grains to Gaura-Nitai with the understanding that They will offer the bhoga to Krsna.

What Constitutes "Grains" on Ekadasi?

Srila Prabhupada specified foodgrains and beans (pulses) as foods that must be avoided on Ekadasi. One may use spices for cooking, although mustard seeds should be avoided.* You should not use powdered asafatoeda (hing), since it (generally) contains grains. Sesame seeds are also to be avoided, except on Satila Ekadasi, when they may be offered and eaten. 
Do not use any cooking ingredients that might be mixed with grains, such as ghee that has been used to fry puris, or spices touched by hands dusted with chapati flour.

There is absolutely NO doubt about what is NOT permissable to eat on Ekadasi. 
ANNA. However it is how you translate this word that makes the difference. I 
once again submit what Pradyumna Prabhu told me Srila Prabhupada told him many 
years ago. When asked by Pradyumna what we could eat Srila Prabhupada said 
"Fruits, Roots, Nuts, Milk". If you stick to these  types of foods you should 
be fine. Of course the sure way is to fast completely. Water of course can be 
taken. Except if you wish to do Nirjala. (Gaura Keshava dasa. 3rd Oct 1998. [Text 1740554 from COM]) 

* Someone who is very strictly observing Ekadasi should avoid all spices except pepper, rock salt and cumin. He should also eschew certain vegetables, such as tomatoes, cauliflower, eggplant, and leafy vegetables. Temple kitchens need not follow these strictures, since Srila Prabhupada did not establish them. Individual devotees may observe these rules if they choose, either making their own arrangements for cooking on Ekadasi, eating uncooked foods such as fruit, or observing full fasting. These arrangements should not interfere with the temple cooking schedule.

Mahaprasadam on Ekadasi:

On Ekadasi, strict followers of Vaishnava regulations avoid eating any mahaprasada from an offering that includes grains.. The shastra explains that the papa-purusha (sin personified) takes shelter in grains on Ekadasi, and therefore we avoid grains at all cost on that day, not even risking taking non-grain preparations of mahaprasada from an offering plate containing grains. Ekadasi mahaprasada  should be stored until the next day; if that is not possible it can be distributed to persons not strictly following Vaishnava regulations or to animals. In fact, mahaprasada maintains its purity on Ekadasi despite the presence of the papa-purusha, and therefore it will purify anyone who eats it. Nevertheless, the followers of Caitanya Mahaprabhu, being strict followers of Vaishnava regulations, avoid mahaprasada on that day because their strict sadhana will be hampered by the presence of the papa-purusha.

Srila Prabhupad took peanuts and raisins, and mustard seeds, and sesame seeds on Ekadasi. The recipes he used for some preps are to be found in Yamuna's cookbook. Jagdish prabhu was personally shown how to make peanuts and raisins prep' for Prabhupad on Ekadasi by Prabhupad (Jagdish maharaj then, told me, JTCd that in Auckland 1992.)

Jet airways is not a “budget” carrier. Having run a successful travel business for almost two decades, we come across clients asking – “Is it safe to fly with them?” This is a type of question that comes up when someone is inclined to choose to fly with a “cheap” airlines. Almost always, our answer to such questions has been – “Nothing is safe in this world”! We also tell them how in the past many reputed airlines flights have crashed killing all passengers or having sudden technical glitches sending shivers down their spine.

Jet airways, a well-known name in India’s aviation industry, said in a statement:

Besides sympathy towards and prayers for those affected, here is a suggestion that may come handy while making a purchase: not all that is expensive is guaranteed to be safer. If this accident had to happen with some other cheapo carrier, there would have been propaganda how people should only fly with reputed airlines, how life is more important than money, and so on.

Needless to say we do not have any personal issue against Jet airways. The point is, “budget” carriers don’t always kill. At the same time it is also true that they don’t kill, but if they do, expensive carriers do it too. The same goes with other things like electronic gadgets, clothes, shoes, cars and so on. After all that is the nature of this world where, as mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam, difficulties are at every step.

As many as 127 passengers onboard a Jet Airways plane from New Delhi had a close shave after its main landing gear collapsed when it landed here.

All the passengers deplaned safely, Jet Airways said in a statement.

The incident resulted in the blocking of the main runway, forcing Mumbai authorities to shift flight operations to the secondary runway, sources said.

Jet Airways said its engineering team was working on towing away the Boeing 737 aircraft from the taxiway.

“Airways flight 9W 354 on landing in Mumbai reported a technical fault with the main landing gear. All 127 passengers have been safely disembarked,” the airline said. Jet Airways plane’s main landing gear collapses, close shave for 127 passengers | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

Source: http://mayapurvoice.com/svagatam/shocker-127-passengers-jet-airways-planes-main-landing-gear-collapses/

This is one of my favorite songs in the Vaisnava Songbook. This morning it became my meditation.

Vṛndāvana
by Narottama das Thakura

Vrndavan is a transcendental beautiful place. It is the spiritual sky, where everything is made of touchstone, which fulfills all desires. All the temples there are bedcked with costly jewels, In that far distant place is the River Yamuna, which is full of lotus flowers, In the midst of that throng of lotus flowers there is a golden boat, appearing like another big lotus flower, with eight petals, who are none but the eight chief gopis who always surround Radha and Krishna, In the surrounding petals there is a golden throne where the two transcendental lovers, namely Radha and Krishna are seated, but of all of them the governing Deity is Srimati Radharani. There is no comparison to Radharani’s beauty and the luster of Her transcendental body. The so-called beauty of the moon has fallen on the ground in the presence of Radharani’s beauty. In that assembly of Radha-Krishna and their principal associates there is a flood of laughing and joking as they address one another. Narottama das says that the eternal pastimes of Radha-Krishna from day to day are full of transcendental pleasure, Let us all remember them now and then and thus become happy even in this material world.

Full Song Lyrics

Vṛndāvana
by Narottama das Thakura

vṛndāvana ramya-sthāna dibya-cińtāmaṇi-dhāma
ratana mandira manohara
abṛta kālindī-nīre rāja-haḿsa keli kare
tāhe śobhe kanaka-kamal

vṛndāvana—Srī Vṛndāvana; ramya-sthāna—beautiful abode; divya— transcendental; cintāmaṇi-dhāma—full of gems; ratana—jewelled; mandira—temples; manohara—enchanting; abṛta—surrounded; kālindīnīre—the waters of Yamunā; rāja-haḿsa keli kare—the swans are sporting; tāhe śobhe—in that water; kanaka—golden; kamala—lotus;

Beautiful Vrndavana is filled with cintamani gems and many jewel palaces and temples. Many regal swans play in the waters of the Yamuna, and in those waters a splendid golden lotus flower grows.

tār madhye hema-pīṭha aṣṭa-dale beṣṭita
aṣṭa-dale pradhāna nāyika
tār madhye ratnāsane ba’si āchen dui-jane
śyāma-sańge sundarī rādhikā

tā’ra madhye—in the middle of that lotus; hema-pīṭha—golden altar; aṣṭa-dale beṣṭita—surrounded by eight petals; aṣṭa-dale—eight petals; pradhānā nāyikā—principal sakhīs; tā’ra madhye—in the midst of them; ratnāsane—on a golden throne; ba’si āchen—are seated; dui-jane—both of Them; śyāma-sańge—along with Syāmasundara; sundarī rādhikā— beautiful Srī Rādhikā;

In the middle of that lotus is a golden place surrounded by eight petals. On these eight petals the eight principal gopis reside, and in the centre Lord Syamasundara and beautiful Srimati Radharani sit on a jewel throne.

o-rūpa-lābaṇya-rāśi amiyā pariche khasi
hāsya-parihāsa-sambhāṣaṇe
narottama-dāsa koy nitya-līlā sukha-moy
sadāi sphurūk mora mane

o-rūpa-lābaṇya-rāśi—the beauty and sweetness; amiya pariche khasi—shower of nectar; hāsya—smiling; parihāsa— teasing; sambhāṣaṇe—conversing; narottama-dāsa—Narottama dāsa; kaya—says; nitya-līlā—eternal pastimes; sukha-maya—full of bliss; sadāi—always; sphurūka—manifest; mora mane—in my heart

The great beauty of the Divine couple and Their charming joking and laughter continually showers nectar everywhere. Narottama dasa says: I pray that these blissful eternal transcendental pastimes of the Divine Couple may be always manifest in my heart.

Purport found in the 1974 Edition of the “Songs of the Vaisnava Acaryas”

Vrndavan is a transcendental beautiful place. It is the spiritual sky, where everything is made of touchstone, which fulfills all desires. All the temples there are bedcked with costly jewels, In that far distant place is the River Yamuna, which is full of lotus flowers, In the midst of that throng of lotus flowers there is a golden boat, appearing like another big lotus flower, with eight petals, who are none but the eight chief gopis who always surround Radha and Krishna, In the surrounding petals there is a golden throne where the two transcendental lovers, namely Radha and Krishna are seated, but of all of them the governing Deity is Srimati Radharani. There is no comparison to Radharani’s beauty and the luster of Her transcendental body. The so-called beauty of the moon has fallen on the ground in the presence of Radharani’s beauty. In that assembly of Radha-Krishna and their principal associates there is a flood of laughing and joking as they address one another. Narottama das says that the eternal pastimes of Radha-Krishna from day to day are full of transcendental pleasure, Let us all remember them now and then and thus become happy even in this material world

Source: http://theharekrishnamovement.org/2016/03/03/vrndavana-2/

As we were driving through West Bengal, I spotted a newly built house, with two words painted in large black letters across the entry portico – God Gift (written as spelled :). I imagined how every day the family would get this message as they arrived home and could not help but smile.

It also reminded me of a quote posted at one of the seminars at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga last week – Interrupt anxiety with gratitude. Anxiety is a given in most of our lives. It seeps in all over the place, in small and big ways, and triggers various reactions.

First is our effort to quell it. To run, hide, or avoid what is making us anxious. Cover it up and bury it deep within. We may also try to soothe anxiety with distraction, in both healthy and unhealthy ways.

Anxiety is connected to not being in control and especially where there is personal difficulty or failure, or the anticipation of that. From the moment we wake up, our mind can begin it’s tap tap tapping on the anxiety button. If and when that happens here’s a few things we can do.

Interrupt the anxious thoughts with grateful ones. it really does work magic. No matter what, there is always something to be grateful for. And even if our situation is very desperate, expressing gratitude for something can help us through.

Another anxiety interrupter is having a place to take shelter. With Krishna, the feeling of shelter is almost immediate. When we say Krisna’s name, we can feel strength, relief, solace, hope, and a knowing that all will be well. That’s why getting some japa meditation done first thing in the morning is one of the best ways to control the mind.

Anxiety will never be far from us as we interact with the world. Too much of it can wear us down, zap our energy, and make us chronically ill. We may feel obliged to be anxious, that we are not a good person if we don’t. Interrupt that thought, and anxiety in general, as often as you can. The nature of the soul is happiness. Lord knows, life doesn’t often match that, but still we should remember it and let gratitude and Krishna’s name bring it out.

Source: http://iskconofdc.org/interrupt-anxiety-with-gratitude/

This Sacred Sound retreat provides the opportunity to step out of the complexity of modern life and immerse oneself in the transcendental and uplifting world of Kirtan.

Set in the beautiful surrounds of Mount Warning, Sacred Sound offers hours of maha-mantra Kirtan with some of the best Kirtan artists in the world, inspirational sadhu sanga, sumptuous meals and a restorative time for sadhana.

When:

Easter Long Weekend
Friday 25th – Monday 28th March 2016

Where:

New Govardhana Farm – 525 Tyalgum Rd Murwillumbah NSW 2484

For bookings and more informations check out the event page

Recently, the office wing of the temple building and the apartment building II went through roof transformations. Yoder Amish Roofing Company began replacing the temple’s office wing roofing on Monday, February 29th, 2016 and replaced the apartment building II roofing on Tuesday, March 1st, 2016.

The crew of about 8-10 men stripped old shingles, laid new plywood, added top quality synthetic underlayment and finished with a layer of lifetime duration shingles onto the temple roof.

The new office wing roof.

Five beautiful Swiss Velux skylights were installed in the prasadam hallway.

Above, the roofing company stripped and replaced the metal panel roofing on the apartment building II.

The apartment building II roof is now complete.

Source: http://www.brijabasispirit.com/2016/03/03/new-roofs-on-temple-and-apartment-building-in-new-vrindaban/

Reading from the Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 1 chapter 19 ‘The Appearance of Sukadeva Goswami’, Text 12 

sukhopavistesv atha tesu bhuyah  krta-pranamah sva-cikirsitam yat vijñapayam asa vivikta-ceta  upasthito ’gre ’bhigrhita-panih 

Translation: “After all the rsis and others had seated themselves comfortably, the King, humbly standing before them with folded hands, told them of his decision to fast until death.” 

Hare Krishna! It is an honour and privilege to have the opportunity to speak something about Krishna in the assembly of Vaisnavas and here in Sri Mayapur Dhama. Before I begin therefore I beg the blessings and good wishes of all the assembled Vaisnavas and particularly my seniors, superiors who are present here in large numbers. With all of your blessings, I hope I can speak something that is meaningful and constructive. 

Because this is the last day of the ISKCON Leadership Sanga, in the last few days we have been hearing much about leadership. I was also asked to speak something in connection with leadership or the qualities of a leader. I thought I would focus on how a leader or anyone for that matter should consult authorities before taking important decisions in life. Important decisions in any sphere of activity, whether its one’s personal life, one’s family life, one’s temple activities, temple management, whatever it may be. There is a process for arriving at decisions, an authorised process. And here we see King Pariksit setting the example. He comes here in a very humble spirit with folded hands in front of the assembled Vaisnavas and asks them for their opinions on the decision that he has contemplated. Even though he has decided he wants to do that but he nevertheless wants to ask them is that right, is that the right thing I am doing. Of course King Pariksit was confronted with the mother of all decisions because when we confront death we have to take a decision on how we are going to do it, what should we think about, what should be worship, who should we remember at this time. So all of us are confronted with decisions, small decisions, big decisions, important decisions, not so important decisions, every day of our life. Right from the prasadam time, should I take one more chapati or not, we have to think - is it good for me is it not; right down to big decisions in life and all these devotees are taken by devotees in consideration of one thing and one thing alone - whether immediately or remotely or ultimately. And that is how is it going to affect my Krishna consciouness? How is it going to affect my service to Krishna? If I eat one more chapati am I going to fall asleep in my japa or whatever it is? We always think is it going to affect my health and then I wont be able to serve Krishna better. So we are always taking decisions all day long throughout our life and many of these decisions are not easy. I remember on one particular day two different devotees approached me, a couple of hours apart. One devotee said, ‘I want your advise. 

I am thinking of becoming a brahmacari but I am in doubt! I am not confident whether I can make it! It seems a risky decision, should I do it or should I not!’ Well I took him through a process for some time. And then after some hours I met another young man who came and said, ‘I want your advise. I am thinking of getting married but I am not sure will it work, will it not work! Its a risk!’ So being a brahmacari is a risk, being a grhastha is a risk. Actually everything in this material existence is a risk. Breathing is a risk especially when you go to major metropolitan cities where there is so much pollution. Certainly coming to Mayapur from Calcutta is a risk. 

Getting into a car, walking on the street, flying an airplane, doing anything in this material world is a risk. But what to do! We have to survive, so we have to take decisions. So we have to take decisions that are right. Right decisions means decisions according to guru, sadhu, sastra. According to what Krishna wants us to do! Of course that we say because we are devotees. Not everybody thinks like that because they may not be devotees. So if all the decisions that we have made in our life, some are good decisions, and some perhaps in retrospect we may imagine they are not such good decisions that we made. We may regret, we may lament about them. But I will ask you one question. 

And that question is common to every single of us sitting here in this room. What is the best decision that you ever made in your life? And that answer will be common to everyone of us here. What is that best decision that you made, ever made, and possibly ever could make? We became devotees! That is the best decision we could ever have made in our life. 

And that is the injunction of the scriptures - You must become a devotee of Krishna! There is that verse from the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu which Srila Prabhupada used to quote often, smeram bhangi-traya-paricitam saci-vistirna-drstim vamsi-nyastadhara-kisalayam ujjvalam candrakena govindakhyam hari-tanum itah kesi-tirthopakanthe ma preksisthas tava yadi sakhe bandhu-sange ’sti ran (1.2.gah239) This is one gopi telling another gopi, ‘My dear friend, if at all you value your material life, if you value all your relationships in this world, then beware. Don’t you dare go the banks of the Yamuna on the Kesi ghata, where there is that person called Govinda, who is standing there in a three-fold bending form, placing His flute to His lips and His face is shining, radiant in the light of the full moon and He is standing there with His sidelong glance, smiling very beautifully. Don't go there!’ So the acharyas have explained that this is an example of a literary ornament called a ‘vyaja stuti’ stuti means ‘to praise’.

So vyaja stuti is when you praise that which is to be condemned and you condemn that which is to be praised with the understanding that the audience is going to understand that. So it is meant for a certain caliber of audience. So Rupa Goswami here is saying or he is quoting the gopi’s as saying that actually you should be doing that, you must do that, it is an imperative. Imperative is something that doesn't give you a choice. So through the vyaja stuti you condemn something that actually you should be doing, thats the most admirable thing and desirable thing in life. So approaching Govinda is the primary decision of our life, the most important thing we could ever do in our life. Of course there will be others who will tell us, not in vyaja stuti but will tell us - Don’t go to Krishna! Don’t go to ISKCON! Don’t go to the devotees! But as Narada Muni says in the Seventh Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam when we get such advise then we should simply say, yes, yes yes but do what we have to do. In any case, so we become devotees and we may think, well you are saying that the best decision in life is to become a devotee and you’ve talked about risky decisions in life but it appears that becoming a devotee is also risky. What if one falls down from Krishna consciousness? Its a risk! There is a risk of failure. But of course Krishna has mentioned in the Second Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, nehabhikrama-naso ’sti pratyavayo na vidyate sv-alpam apy asya dharmasya trayate mahato bhayat (Bg 2.40) There is no loss, no diminution, in taking to Krishna consciousness. 

Even if there is a calamity one doesn't lose what one has gained in Krishna consciousness. And this is exactly what Narada Muni tells Vyasadeva in the First Canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam, tyaktva sva-dharmam caranambujam harer bhajann apakvo ’tha patet tato yadi yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim ko vartha apto ’bhajatam sva-dharmatah (SB 1.5.17) A very important verse for us, which would give us inspiration to go on in Krishna consciousness despite our struggles and failures that may come sometimes. And Narada Muni gives a very sage advise. He says for a person who has given up worldly responsibilities, the varnasrama dharma duties, sva-dharma tyaktva, means to give up, for what purpose, caranambujam harer, to accept the shelter of the lotus feet of Hari or Krishna, even if, yadi, yadii means if, not that necessarily that has to be, but even if there is some kind of a fall down in the process, what is the fault, yatra kva vabhadram abhud amusya kim, what is the fault, what is the loss even if one takes to Krishna consciousness having given up all sorts of material duties, and one fails, one falls down from the path, what is the loss? On the other hand, if one has not taken shelter of Krishna and one has achieved much on the material platform, what has one actually gained? Nothing, because all the things that we have gained materially will perish. Whereas what we have gained spiritually by taking to Krishna consciousness will endure for ever. 

Its like a spiritual bank account which keeps growing and you can never withdraw from it. You just keep adding and adding and adding till a time comes when that bank account becomes large enough for us to be transported to the spiritual kingdom of Krishna. So that said, alright its the most risk free activity that we can ever do, the best decision in life, but it is not enough to take a decision to become a devotee and become one. One has to continue to remain one till the end of life, till we attain complete success in life. And as we become devotees very soon we realise, its not just about me, its about others as well. We are in a preaching mission. 

When we become devotees we understand this is the best thing we have done and we must share it with others. So therein begins our responsibility for others. Caitanya Mahaprabhu has said in the Caitanya Bhagavata when He talks to Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura, suno suno nityananda, suno haridas sarvatra amar ajna koroho prakash prati ghare ghare giya koro ei bhiksa bolo `krsna', bhajo krsna, koro krsna- siksa “Nityananda, Haridasa, please listen to Me. 

Go everywhere and broadcast My instruction.” What is My instruction? “Go to every home and request them to chant the names of Krishna, to worship Krishna and to accept the instructions of Krishna in their life.” So when we become devotees we understand its not just about me becoming a pure devotee, its equally about helping others to become pure devotes. And thats where the leadership question comes in. Therefore every devotee is a leader in that sense. Because ultimately what is a leader? There may be different definitions technically speaking of what a leader is, but the simplest definition of a leader is one who is in a capacity or a position to influence others. Very simple. It could be positively, it could be negatively, thats another thing. But we are in a position to influence the minds and activities of others. Whether its a parent for a child, or guru for a disciple, or a teacher, or a preacher to another person, we are all in a responsible position because now when we have become devotees we realise whatever decisions I take, there are repercussions that will be there not just for me but for others as well. So we are all leaders. So the choices we make, the decisions we make are going to have ramifications. 

So how do we make all these decisions? Making decisions of course is not easy many times and especially when it comes to tricky things, troublesome things, then its extremely, its a topic of anxiety, how should one do this, how should one do that, in trying to further the preaching mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in Prabhupada’s house of ISKCON, there are many anxieties that may come. The decisions that we have to take from the smallest decisions to the biggest ones may be fraught with so many risks and consequences that we may have to consider. Let me cite a little example from the Ramayana and you may be surprised to know that I am quoting as an authority none other than Ravana. Ravana was a demon of course. He was a great scholar. Being a great scholar doesn't stop one from being a demon. One may be a great scholar and not a devotee of the Lord. One may be a great devotee and not apparently a scholar. So scholarship is not really the thing.

The point is to become a pure devotee. In Ravana’s case we see that he was scholarly in terms of many many scriptures. So when he was faced with the prospect of Lord Rama attacking Lanka with His army of monkeys and bears and Hanuman had already wrecked havoc in Lanka, and set fire to Lanka and Ravana had got some taste of what was to come, then he became nervous. Otherwise he was fearless. But now after Hanuman’s depravations in Lanka, he became a little nervous. And he called his raksasa friends, his ministers, his councillors and began to speak like a wise man. Now for the moment we will forget that it is Ravana speaking. Just take the content of his speech, ok! Now Ravana says, ‘My dear friends, it is said in the scriptures that one should never take important decisions without good counsel. Therefore you are my dear friends. I have called you to consult you about what should be the course of action now. You know that Rama is on the other side of the sea. 

And sooner or later He will get here. What should we do?’ And then he said, ‘there are three kinds of people in this world - superior, mediocre, and inferior - uttama, madhyama, kanistha.’ These three Sanskrit words we will hear many times in different contexts when different phenomena or examples are being analysed. ‘So the superior person is one who takes decisions especially before he is able to embark on a very important task, he consults superiors and friends who have a common interest. In accordance with the advise he receives, he proceeds with full energy depending on destiny for the result.’ 

This is the decision taken or the manner in which a course of action is decided by the superior person. ‘The mediocre person thinks over the matter himself or herself. Then considers things in the light of his intelligence and acts accordingly.’ ‘The inferior person, the kanistha, he has no faith in God,’ this is Ravana speaking, ‘he has no faith in God, he acts whimsically, he has no sense of duty, he doesn't have sense of judgement of what is beneficial and what is harmful and he embarks on a course of action saying, I will do it no matter what, without consulting anyone.’ So these are the three kinds of people in this world. 

And then Ravana goes on to say, ‘There are three kinds of advise. The first kind of advise is superior advise. Superior advise is that which is obtained by careful objective consideration of the circumstances, in accordance with religious principles. Mediocre advise is that which is given after heated discussion and which is more often than not based on self interest rather than religious principles. And the lowest form of advise, bad advise is that which is made out of a sense of false pride, or wanting to flatter somebody, without any consideration of the consequences of one’s actions.’ Very wise actually. 

So in one sense Ravana’s words have wisdom, if you just keep aside the fact that his heart was full of anarthas, that drove him to act the way he did. But if you just take this section that he is speaking on because he is quoting from the scripture, it makes sense, its very wise advise for all of us. And although Ravana doesn't say it but if we apply our mind from the principles of Bhagavad Gita we can see the three modes of nature here. So the superior person is acting in the mode of goodness, because he is very thoughtful, consults everybody, gets different opinions, understands things, see if they are in accordance with dharma or not and then proceeds after thoughtful consideration. A person in the mode of passion is generally proud. So out of his pride he thinks I can deal with it myself. I am intelligent enough, I am capable enough and even though he actually may be so, he may be intelligent and capable but that action may not be the wisest thing to do. Because although one may be intelligent, one is not perfect. So thats the person in the mode of passion. And as far as the mode of ignorance, yes, a person in the mode of ignorance doesn't believe in God, he doesn't have a sense of duty, acts whimsically, doesn't know whats beneficial, and whats not. If you just look at the Sixteenth Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, its exactly the description of a person with a demoniac tendency. And then what about the transcendental decisions which go beyond the three modes of nature. 

We put Krishna in the center and devotees in the center. So what applies to decisions in the mode of goodness now, will also apply for transcendence when we keep Krishna and the devotees. So we come together with the devotees and consult. Yes there is guru, sadhu and sastra but then there are times when we are not able to ascertain very clearly specifically what guru, sadhu, sastra would enjoin in a particular circumstance. That is when we need to sit together with the devotees, a churning process takes place which may sometimes not be very pleasant and something emerges by the collective wisdom of the devotees. 

Now one time in New Mayapur, France, probably in 1975, in a conversation, Srila Prabhupada was saying, ‘You must form..’ yeah I think it was in New Mayapur, ‘You must form a committee, a committee, and then take decisions.’ Sorry that was in New Vrindavana I think. In any case, Prabhupada said, ‘You must form a committee and take decisions.’ And then devotee protested ‘But Prabhupada that is democracy. You have criticised democracy so much by calling it demon crazy and so on. You have spoken about enlightened monarchy.’ And then Prabhupada gave a surprising answer. He said, ‘No, monarchy is out of date!’ Surprising! He said, ‘Monarchy is out of date!’ So although Prabhupada has said so much about monarchy in all his teachings, 

in his lectures and so on to give us the principles of leadership and how real leaders were and should be but he also recognised that in this age of Kali where would you find the right candidate to become a qualified monarch like King Yudhisthira or King Pariksit, very hard to find. So therefore collective decision making is the way to go , thats the process. So then he said, ‘Yes, you make a committee. You decide. If you have to live together, you have to work together.’ In this way Prabhupada emphasised the need for everyone coming together, making decisions together. Another point that comes up, the last point before I conclude. And this was in New Mayapur France. Somebody asked Prabhupada, he said, ‘Prabhupada you say that we should take decisions in our life with reference to authority. 

But what if we have to take decisions at a time when there is no authority available. Then Prabhupada said, ‘Krishna will give. He will give intuition.’ He used the ‘intuition’. He said, ‘If a devotee is really sincere, then Krishna from within will give the intuition, give the understanding’ and then he quoted the Bhagavad Gita verse from the Tenth Chapter, tesam satata-yuktanam bhajatam priti-purvakam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te (Bg 10.10) For one who is constantly devoted to Me and absorbed in service to Me, I give him the intelligence by which he can come to Me.’ So this is the principle. 

So the more Krishna conscious we become, the clearer our head becomes. The fog of indecision and confusion in the lower modes of nature get dissipated and the clear conclusions of Krishna consciousness emerge. So therefore we need to emphasise on our sadhana so that all of us become more and more Krishna conscious, come together, deliberate, do what is best for our individual and collective progress in Krishna consciousness and also for the furtherance of the Krishna consciousness movement by preaching. Thank you very much! Hare Krishna! I will just take one comment or question if any. Yes? Question: (audio indistinct) Maharaja: (repeats the question) The question is how does one understand whether it is our unwillingness to accept an authority or the absence of an authority especially in a multi inspirational scenario. Thats not very difficult. If there are authorities around, there are authorities around. So when there are senior devotees around or even contemporaries around, we can always consult them on the basis of guru, sadhu, sastra. Thank you very much! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Gaurapremande Hari Haribol!

tasmin kute ’hite naste  krtta-mule vanas-patau vitapa iva susyanti  visnu-prana divaukasah (SB 7.1.9) 

Translation: “When the root of a tree is cut and the tree falls down, its branches and twigs automatically dry up. Similarly, when I have killed this diplomatic Visnu, the demigods, for whom Lord Visnu is the life and soul, will lose the source of their life and wither away.” 

tavad yata bhuvam yuyam  brahma-ksatra-samedhitam sudayadhvam tapo-yajña-  svadhyaya-vrata-daninah (SB 7.1.10) 

Translation “While I am engaged in the business of killing Lord Visnu, go down to the planet earth, which is flourishing due to brahminical culture and a ksatriya government. These people engage in austerity, sacrifice, Vedic study, regulative vows, and charity. Destroy all the people thus engaged!”

Life is all about making plans. The demons have their plans, the devotees have their plans. At the end of Bhagavad Gita Krishna famously asks, 

sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja (Bg 18.66) 

Abandoning all varieties of dhama can also be paraphrased as abandoning all plan making and accept Krishna’s plan. Material existence is all about an idea, a plan that conditioned souls have in their mind. They see opportunity, they see possibilities and therefore they make plans. When Krishna says, abandon all varieties of religion, this includes a request for us to shut down our plan making factory. (laughs) And that feels tough to us often. Shut down our plan making factory and accept Krishna’s plan. 

Hiranyakasipu is setting a plan into action. His demoniac associates will humbly take Hiranyakasipu’s order of devastation upon their heads and proceed to execute it. What is the root of this plan? Yudhisthira Maharaja enquired from Narada Muni, ‘Why such enmity between Hiranyakasipu and his own son Prahlada? Whats the cause of this?’ Narada Muni is explaining that because Visnu killed Hiranyakasipu’s brother Hiranyaksa, therefore by Prahlada’s siding with Visnu, he became such an enemy to his own father, that his father wanted to kill him. So at the root of this situation we have extreme envy and this envy will be more developed in the present chapter the verses. Hiranyakasipu had a vision for peace for himself. He is enraged that Visnu has killed his brother. He is vowing that I will personally kill Visnu and destroy the spiritual world. He is staring up into the sky as if he can see Vaikuntha. He is vowing I am going to finish off Vaikuntha. 

What is his peace formula? When I cut off the head of Visnu, and the blood of Visnu starts to run, this will please my brother and I shall also be pleased, I will be pacified. Our dilemma in material existence is that we always think that by our fulfilling material desires we will be pacified. We have this notion in our mind and it seems quite clear at times. All I have to do is seek my own happiness, seek my own pleasure and then I will be peaceful. Those who don’t get in the way of my seeking my own happiness, they are friends, even lovers. Those who interfere or impede my quest for happiness, they are known as enemies. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that actually love in the material world means, look you don’t interfere with my sense gratification, I love you! (laughs) You are a supporter of my sense gratification, I love you. This is Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s statement. (laughs) Hiranyakasipu not only had a plan for his achieving peace but he also had a plan how to destroy the earth. This is his version of watering the tree at the root and all the branches blossom. You know that verse in the Fourth Canto, we often quote, by giving the food to the stomach the whole body becomes energised. By watering the tree at the root all the branches blossom. Similarly by serving the Supreme Personality of Godhead everything is taken care of. Hiranyakasipu had his own version of that. Uproot, pull out the root and then the tree is finished. His main focus, his main strategy was on killing Visnu. At the same time however he had a secondary strategy and he is employing his demoniac associates to do the secondary strategy, which is go to earth and destroy all principles of spiritually progressive civilisation, especially brahminical culture and genuine ksatriya government. 

He particularly fingered those two components. What Hiranyakasipu is trying to do is destroy the traditional basis of human happiness. His strategy will go even to the extent of environmental terrorism. His associates are going to burn cities, farms, kill brahmanas, kill cows. The devastation was so great that even the demigods came to earth invisibly to see what is this calamity and what are we gong to do! We spoke about how Hiranyakasipu’s main plan is he himself would kill Visnu but he also as we said had a secondary plan. By destroying brahminical culture he felt the demigods would be weakened. And by the demigods being weakened automatically there will be a domino effect and that would also get back at Visnu. So he had a main plan and he had a secondary plan. Amidst all this mayhem and we shouldn't take this mayhem as something outlandish that well at least human beings today aren't this bad! Just consider, there is one particular nation in this world, I wont mention its name, although I happen to have taken birth there (laughs), it has proposed that for the upliftment of peace and the stability of the world, over the course of the next thirty years, 1 trillion dollars should be spent upgrading the nuclear arsenal, 1 trillion dollars! All for the sake of peace! Srila Prabhupada explains in Bhagavad Gita that this is demoniac. 

He declares straightforwardly these weapons are not for peace. We have to think twice about that because perhaps we have been brainwashed, the nuclear weapons are there to maintain world peace. Therefore the governments have to spend on this. Srila Prabhupada assures us they are not meant for peace! They are actually the result of envy against living entities. I live you die! and there is some strange perverse envious satisfaction in having the ability to annihilate other creatures. Envy has a different meaning in the sastra besides just one on one enviousness which is bad enough - You are rising up! I cant tolerate that! Your rise, whether its material or spiritual, we’ve got to do something to cut you down! Yes that is envy but there’s also the envy manifesting on a broad scale. So Srila Prabhupada instructs us in Srimad Bhagavatam that the demoniac governments actually are waging envy on a mass scale by making life practically impossible for spiritual development. In Bhagavad Gita Krishna speaks about those envious of the Supersoul within so much so they torture their own bodies. You have to really think about this to catch the perversion. We can perhaps see this more clearly in Kamsa’s response, once he took shelter of his demoniac advisers. You know that after Kamsa in the prison cell saw Durgadevi, he begged forgiveness so pathetically from Vasudeva and Devaki -Look destiny! I am not actually the killer! Its destiny that brings everyone their fate! And Vasudeva and Devaki they actually forgave him for killing so many of their babies! Sincerely they forgave him! At the same time we must remember they are ksatriya’s. So they are thinking, - Yes we wholeheartedly forgive you but guess what! The eighth child, its already been born! (laughs) You are dead man! We forgive you! At the same time they genuinely 100% forgave him. Its hard for us to understand how both these streaks can be accommodated. So Kamsa left them and reported to his advisers. We heard yesterday in the class by HH Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, how Ravana had his advisers and he could give advise, about taking advise. So Kamsa also had his advisers and he presented the whole situation to them, what happened the day before. His advisers knew exactly what to do. It is plan making time. 

It is time for strategic planning - All right Kamsa, here is what we see as the situation. The demigods are always afraid of you, we all know that. You’ve smashed the demigods before and indeed in other sastra’s you have accounts of Kamsa defeating, at least temporarily, the demigods. The demigods, if they just hear you pull your bow string, they are afraid. They cant face you in battle, they run away. Even though they are defeated, by cowardice you dont attack them. You are so righteous! You follow the principles of battle - when the foe is afraid, when the foe has dropped the weapon, you are not supposed to attack such an incompetent foe - and you follow those guidelines, Kamsa! (laughs) But now is not the time for dharma! Now is not the time for religious principles! In fact Kamsa, because you’ve followed religious principles and not killing the demigods when they were afraid, therefore we have the situation we have today, in which the demigods have increased in their strength. 

Therefore the conclusion, the siddhanta is obvious. This is not the time for dharma. Now is the time to just unleash massive destruction. How does this destruction begin? First we obviously have to kill all children born around the ten past days. But that strategy is not completely effective. Why? Because you are dealing with Visnu. What is Visnu’s situation! He is hidden in everyone’s heart. You know the famous analysis. We don't have to worry about Shiva, he is out in the forest. We don’t have to worry about Brahma, he is performing severe austerities and penances. We actually don't have to worry ordinarily about Visnu because He is buried in the hearts of everyone and cant get out. But we do want to kill Him! The problem in killing Visnu is, His hiding in the heart. So therefore we have to adopt another tactic. What is another tactic! We kill the children, then we kill all the cows because the cows provide ghee for yajna and yajna’s are what brahmanas do. So we lill the cows, and we also then persecute saintly persons, persecute the brahmanas. Because they are responsible for the progressive elements of a spiritually focussed civilisation. 

By getting rid of the cows, the brahmanas and all that brahmanas stand for, Vedic knowledge, austerity, penances, by getting rid of all that, then you’ve got Visnu. Because Visnu is all bound up with all this good stuff! (laughs) So their strategy was a bit different from Hiranyakasipu’s. Remember Hiranyakasipu’s strategy was I am going to kill Visnu directly. Meanwhile demons you go destroy brahmana, ksatriya culture on the earth. And thats kind of a secondary strategy. But Kamsa’s advisers, their strategy was - You cant get your hands on Visnu, He is too slippery, He is hidden in the hearts! We have got to have a policy of attacking Him from another direction. When we finish off brahmana culture, the demigods are finished! And because all these are components of Visnu’s body, then Visnu will be dead! (laughs) Now we are thinking, these guys are quite extreme. Fortunately in the world today we have moderation, we have balance, we have equipoise. 

Actually there hasn't been wholesale slaughter for what 70 years now. Therefore certainly humanity has become progressive. 70 years ago also 50 million people died in a war. It hasn't happened yet. How great we are! But just consider this. There are 16000 nuclear weapons in the world. 94% of them are in the hands of the Americans and Russians, all governments of course that we can trust! (laughs) 100 and growing are in Pakistan and about a 100 are in India. In 10 years the number three nuclear power in the world will be a very trusted government - it will be Pakistan! So you might say, alright, if there is a nuclear exchange between Pakistan and India, it wont affect the rest of the world. Its just a local regional affair! No! Scientists have pointed out that if there are just 100 nuclear missiles launched, India launches 50, Pakistan launches 50, that is enough to bring about a climate change that recorded history has never seen. Whats a hundred when there are 16000 of such weapons. Yet somehow or other the human beings they have a sense of peace, advancement, modernity. Then when we hear about Kamsa and Hiranyakasipu, we say. ‘Oh! How extreme! How grotesque!’ Such maha demons have their plans. Actually everyone has a plan, how to enjoy, how to exploit the material world. 

The latest conception for materially progressive human beings is something called ‘sustainable happiness’ That means instead of the kind of endeavours of happiness that cause such obvious destruction, instead of that, you try for happiness that doesn't negatively affect other people, the environment or the coming generations. Young persons today, their future is going to be in a world that hasn't been recorded in the annals of history - rising sea levels, disappearing species, fresh water supplies becoming scarce. The material conception of sustainable happiness is that its not enough just to be materially happy in your own way, take into account other people, take into the environment, take into account even other species of life, understand interdependence. But that interdependence never goes as far as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In fact often it doesn’t go to even other species. Yet this is considered progressive. Whenever you make an endeavour for happiness, think how is this affecting other people, how is this affecting the environment, its a step in the right direction but the point of Srimad Bhagavatam is that as long as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is not in the equation your efforts are futile. This may seem a bit severe. 

Whats wrong with acting for progress even though such endeavours are disconnected. Can it be that such endeavours are illustrious and dignified on their own even though we admit they have no connection to the Supreme Personality of Godhead? Lets go at this issue from another angle, atma-tattva because later in this chapter Hiranyakasipu is going to give his lamenting associates, they are lamenting over the death of Hiranyaksa, he is going to give them profound knowledge of atma-tattva, we are not the body, we are spirit soul but he leaves it right there. He doesn't go any further. This presentation can be compared to mayavada philosophy which proclaims we all are spirit soul but thats it, it doesn't go any further. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura explains that the soul has no other propensity except to connect to the Supreme Soul. 

Once you talk about the soul, you must talk about the Supreme Soul. Material life means that that only propensity of the soul becomes dormant. Dormant and the energy of the soul comes out in a perverted way although the soul itself if never contaminated. Disconnection from Krishna is the problem. We cant just erase that, or push it to the side. How can there be sustainable happiness, how can there be genuine human progress when there is total disconnection from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. We have our plans and Krishna has His plans. Everyone is making plans. There are demoniac plans, there are lila plans. Sometimes in Krishna’s pastimes the lila sakti, His pastime energy arranges things to such an extent that even Krishna is wondering - Whats going on! (laughs) We are not against plans.

But as bhakti yogis we always want to be aligned with Krishna’s plan. Thats Krishna’s message to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita - You shut down your plan making factory. You take My master plan! Dont worry about any reactions! I will take care of all that! One morning, actually the day before, Krishna decided no breakfast at home, lets have a picnic in the forest! The acharyas point out He made that plan the day before and the next morning He activated it by blowing on His bugle in such an inconceivably beautiful way. Hearing the sound of Krishna’s bugle countless cowherd boys amassed with countless calves. And they all headed to the forest. This was Krishna’s plan. Balarama wanted to come but Rohini actually forcibly kept Him at home for purificatory rituals. Sporting in the forest they came upon what would turn out to be Aghasura. The cowherd boys discussed amongst themselves, they consulted with each other, they took the advise of senior cowherd boys - What is this here? This looks like a natural scenic spot in Vrindavana meant for our pleasure. Others said - No! No! Some tried to run - This is a fierce snake with the bottom of his mouth on the ground, the top of his mouth high in the sky! They had a discussion. They assured the cowherd boys who were trying to run away - No! No! No! Lets come back and discuss! What was the conclusion? Actually it is a big snake and he wants to swallow us! What fun! (laughs) They looked over and they saw Krishna! They saw Krishna’s beautiful face and they knew exactly what to do! March right into the mouth of Aghasura because Krishna is here! How can any harm come to us! Krishna has already killed so many demons! Krishna will take care of us! And this is a way to have a pleasure pastime. Another pastime, if there is danger Krishna will save us! So lets enjoy with Krishna! They marched into Aghasura’s mouth clapping their hands, cheering loudly, showing we are courageous! (laughs) We have no fear! They even brought their calves along with them. By clapping hands the calves were moved along even though the calves were frightened! But still the boys were so enthusiastic, lets go! lets go! into the mouth! come on! (laughs) 

So Krishna is watching all this. He wants to stop it. Thats His plan! He knows whats going on! But He is momentarily stunned! What to do here? The boys are inside, the calves are inside the mouth of Aghasura. How do I kill Aghasura and at the same time protect the boys and calves? This is Krishna’s ecstasy in problem solving. If He is om purnam, perfect and complete, He also has to relish the joy of solving problems. So His pastime energy arranges that - Krishna, here is a problem and for your enjoyment don't come up with a solution right away! (laughs) This is the Supreme Enjoyer! This is perfect and complete enjoyment! So momentarily Krishna is stymied what to do. Can you say that Krishna, His will was thwarted, satya sankalpa sakti, whatever He wants He gets, but He couldn't stop the cowherd boys. Whats going on here? Krishna was trumped, His will was superseded by the cowherd boys desire to have pastimes because Krishna is conquered by His devotees. So Krishna’s plan was superseded by His foremost plan that He is always coming under the control of the pure love of His devotees. Everyone makes plans. We need to look at what our plan is, how does it harmonise, our personal life’s plan, how does it harmonise with Krishna’s pleasure. The non devotees have their plan. They meet, they strategise. 

I have heard, I have explained before maybe some years ago here in Mayapur, I have heard from world planners both in the academic world, part of think tanks managing the future of the world, I have heard it from political leaders who will admit, yes there is world syndicate for trying to push things a certain way. They had even told me, if you are smart enough to figure this out, become one of us. (laughs) Otherwise just enjoy your television, enjoy your sports and dont worry about it! (laughs) Many of them have explained to me, these are academics from Harvard and Yale that look, we used to be idealistic, we used to think that such syndicates were very unhealthy, unwholesome for the future of the world. But this is the way it works! What can we do! And again, if you are actually smart enough to figure out whats going on, then just become one of the controllers because someone has to be in control. So everyone is making their plans. The demons are making their plans, the devotees are making their plans. Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Nityananda, ‘Sripada, holy man, I have got a plan for You! Dont come to Jagannath Puri every year. I need someone to spread Krishna bhakti in Bengal. Except for You there is no one else who can do this task! You can do something even I cant do! You've already demonstrated that by not only saving the lives of Jagai and Madhai but You initiated their spiritual advancement! You, Nityananda Prabhu, can spread Krishna bhakti far and wide to everyone!’ And what was Nityananda’s response to this plan? ‘I am the body, You are the life! Both the body and the life are important. But of the two the life is most important! I will do whatever Your inconceivable sakti arranges for Me to do! I’ll follow Your plan!’ Similarly at the end of Bhagavad Gita Arjuna says to Krishna, I’ll follow Your plan. 

My illusion is gone, nasto mohah smrtir labdha, karisye vacanam tava (Bg 18.73). I’ll accept Your plan. The ultimate solution to a devotees dilemma of what, how to best please Krishna, what is the best way to serve Krishna, the ultimate solution is the guidance of the Lord in the heart. Hiranyakasipu was enraged that Visnu had given up His role of equanimity as Paramatma. He accepted that there is Paramatma, he accepted that Visnu is equal to all living entities including the demons but something happened. So remember Kamsa’s advisers problem was, as they saw it, the Lord is hidden in the heart. Hiranyakasipu’s problem, as he saw it, was that the Lord in the heart has become greedy for puja and therefore He has become inequitable, He has become unbalanced. And what is the proof of His lack of justice, even though generally He is equal? The proof is what you see right before you, He has become affected by the demigods just because they offer puja and then what do you see? He took the form of animal, need I say anything more! He is obviously under the influence of the material energy. Not only did He take the form of an animal but He took the form of a boar, the most lowest of creatures! It is obvious He is no longer fit to be Paramatma! (laughs) Plan making is the essence of human life. 

What are the plans for? If we do not have a plan how to go deeper in our spiritual life, which is ongoing process of our life time career, to increase our bhakti, if we dont have such a plan, we can be sure that the material energy, those who are under its influence, their plans will be wearing us down. There is no plateau in this world. This world is dynamic! The spiritual energy can uplift us and material energy can bring us down. Therefore as individuals, individual devotees, if we are going to be able to survive the ravages of demoniac plan making, if we are going to avoid feeling secure, peaceful, and stable in such a world, our only protection is to take shelter of Krishna’s plan and in our individual life try to continuously increase our spiritual potency. Our goal is that we can hear from Krishna what to do next, how to serve Him best. Srila Prabhupada would plainly declare when asked, how do you make decisions? He would say, Krishna tells me! Krishna tell me directly! teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ bhajatāṁ prīti-pūrvakam dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ (Bg 10.10) Once we capture Krishna’s attention due to our service, Krishna promises, I will give you customised instructions! This is the solution to our dilemma of how to be spiritual in the material world, how to decide what gives Krishna the most pleasure, what gives Krishna the less pleasure. 

We must make plans but our plan is to surrender to Krishna’s plan. We want to shut down our plan making factory and we are begging Krishna - We want to accept Your plan! Thank you very much! Hare Krishna! Devotee: (audio inaudible) Maharaja: We don’t want to engage Krishna in our service therefore we take all necessary precautions as far as possible. Only then we are entitled to depend on Krishna. But we have to use whatever intelligence we have, how to respond to situations in such a way that Krishna’s purposes can be achieved. The cowherd boys, they are another level! (laughs) They know what they are doing! They are giving Krishna pleasure! There is no trace of selfishness when the cowherds they say - We’re just going to march into that mouth! We are going to have a good time! They are thinking Krishna is going to enjoy this! If we one day can approach that standard of purity how wonderful our life will be! Thank you very much! Hare Krishna!