By Giriraj Swami

For Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja this year, I wish to tell you about his dear friend and staunch devotee Mr. P. L. Sethi. Much of what I shall narrate I experienced personally; the rest I heard from Mr. Sethi, except the description of his last days, which I heard from his family. May this story inspire you in Srila Prabhupada’s service—in Krsna consciousness.

When Srila Prabhupada first came to Bombay with his disciples from America, Mr. Sethi read a notice about them in the newspaper, which said that Srila Prabhupada had arrived with sadhus from foreign countries who chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. Mr. Sethi was part of a group that also chanted Hare Krsna, and so he wanted to meet Prabhupada, and he got the address and came to see him.

At their first meeting, Srila Prabhupada asked Mr. Sethi what he did during the day, starting from when he woke up in the morning. Mr. Sethi began, “I get up, brush my teeth, take my bath, have a cup of tea and a piece of toast, read the newspaper, and go to work.” Srila Prabhupada responded, “What is the difference between you and a pig?” Mr. Sethi thought about it and seemed to agree: there was no difference. So he asked Prabhupada, “What should I do?” And Prabhupada replied, “You should invite the devotees to Goregaon [the northern suburb of Bombay where Mr. Sethi lived] early every Sunday morning to do hari-nama-sankirtana, and then you should feed them sumptuous prasada.” And this became a regular practice.

Later, when Srila Prabhupada got the Juhu property, Mr. Sethi bought some land behind it and built a house for his family. In India people often give names to their houses and office buildings, and he named his new home “Vrndavana.”

Srila Prabhupada underwent a great struggle to get the Juhu land and then to get the permissions to build on the land. Mr. Sethi was a building contractor, and Srila Prabhupada engaged him in getting permits and doing some of the early construction. At the back of the land were six two-storey apartment buildings, and before we got permission to build the temple and main project, Mr. Sethi got permission to add one storey on top of each of the buildings at the back. The roofs of those old buildings were flat, with little white ceramic tile chips set in cement, and Srila Prabhupada said that we should keep that flooring and build the walls and roof over it.

When the first additional quarters were ready, Mr. Sethi took Srila Prabhupada on a tour. Srila Prabhupada looked at Mr. Sethi with great affection and said, “Just as you are building these rooms for my disciples here, Krsna is building your rooms for you in Vaikuntha, the spiritual world.”

But we still did not have permission to build the main project. Finally, Mr. Sethi told Prabhupada, “Unless we pay them some money, we can’t get the permission.” He wanted to know if Prabhupada was willing to do that. Srila Prabhupada asked, “How much?” Mr. Sethi said, “Five thousand rupees.” Srila Prabhupada asked, “How do we know that if we pay the money we’ll get the permission?” Mr. Sethi said, “The municipal commissioner is the final authority, and he seems to be a decent man, and this is how it works in Bombay.” Srila Prabhupada said, “Let me think about it; I will tell you tomorrow morning.”

After Mr. Sethi left, Srila Prabhupada discussed the matter with me and maybe one or two other managers of the Juhu project. “So, what should we do?” he asked. And he raised another question: “What if we give the money to Sethi and he doesn’t give it to the commissioner?” He quoted a Bengali saying that a goldsmith, while fashioning some gold his mother gave him to make into a ring, is thinking, “Should I use all the gold for the ring or put some in my pocket?” Prabhupada said that this type of cheating is so much a part of the goldsmith’s business that even if his own mother gives him gold to make an ornament, he will think, “Should I cheat and keep some of the gold for myself?” Prabhupada said that the construction business—paying bribes and getting permits—is such that someone in it will automatically think, “Should I keep some of the money for myself?”—no matter whose money it is.

So there were many factors to consider—whether Mr. Sethi would give the money, or the full amount, to the commissioner, whether the commissioner, having taken the money, would in fact give the permission, or whether he might take the amount and then ask for more and more and more—so many complexities. Finally Srila Prabhupada decided, “We will not do this.”

We were a little apprehensive about how Srila Prabhupada would present his decision to Mr. Sethi and how Mr. Sethi would take it. And the next morning we waited anxiously for Mr. Sethi to arrive. Eventually he came and, as usual, sat on the floor before Srila Prabhupada. “So, what do you think?” Prabhupada asked. “Should we do it?” Mr. Sethi replied, “Yes, because otherwise we are not getting the permission.” Prabhupada immediately said, “All right”—just the opposite of the way the discussion had been going the day before. So Prabhupada arranged the money, and we got the permission.

Srila Prabhupada, as the acarya, was teaching us. He often told us that intelligence means to see the same thing from many points of view and that we should do everything very cautiously and carefully. I do not believe that he actually doubted his dear friend and staunch devotee Mr. Sethi, but he was teaching us to be circumspect and consider every proposal with keen intelligence.

In the course of the struggle, the municipality had demolished the semi-permanent temple we had built for Radha-Rasabihari. At first, we actively campaigned to get permission to rebuild it. But eventually we concluded that we didn’t really need a permit to rebuild it, because we already had permission and the municipality didn’t actually have valid grounds for demolishing it. Still, the landlady, Mrs. Nair, somehow heard about our intention and went to the court to get an injunction to stop us from rebuilding the temple. That was on a Friday, and the judge said he would not give the injunction without hearing us. She said, “Just give a temporary injunction for the weekend and then you can decide on the permanent injunction.” But he said, “No, without hearing the other side I will not pass any judgment.” So we knew we had the weekend to rebuild the temple, because once it was rebuilt, the injunction would be meaningless.

In those days it was difficult to get cement, and a little hard to get bricks. The supply was less than the demand. And the government has imposed “cement control”: to purchase cement legally, one had to procure a government-approved quota. But Mr. Sethi brought cement and bricks from his own construction sites, so we could rebuild the temple over the weekend. While the work was going on, Mr. Mhatre, the local municipal counselor, who was in cahoots with Mrs. Nair, came to the site and demanded, “You stop the construction immediately.” Mr. Sethi replied, “No. Why should we stop?” Mr. Mhatre threatened, “Well, you can build it up, but I will come in the night with fifty gundas [hooligans] and break it down.” And Mr. Sethi turned to his son, who was by his side, and said, “Brij Mohan, bring my revolver and my rifle.” Then Mr. Sethi said to Mhatre, “Don’t bring fifty gundas. Bring a hundred. Bring two hundred. I have two hundred and fifty cartridges.” He was that staunch. Then he and his son—he with rifle in hand, his son with revolver—stayed up all night, in the pouring rain, to complete and protect the project. And no one came to disturb the work.

On Monday morning we appeared in court and told the judge that the temple had already been rebuilt. And the judge said to Mrs. Nair, “What is built is built. No one can destroy the temple.”

Eventually we did get permission to build the main complex. The question then became whether we needed piling. Piles are columns of reinforced concrete driven into the ground to support a building’s foundation. Generally, to determine if you need piles or how strong the piles must be, you hire a soil-testing company to drill into the earth and see how far down you have to go to reach bedrock. And because the Juhu land was near the beach, it was expected that the soil would be sandy, with water underneath, and that we would need piles, which would be quite an expense. Mr. Sethi approached Prabhupada, who replied, “No, we don’t require piles.” Still, Mr. Sethi had some doubt, and he didn’t want to take any chances, so he hired a soil-testing company.

When the specialized machinery was drilling into the earth and had gone only about four feet deep, it hit bedrock. In fact, when it hit the hard rock, the drill broke. Nobody had expected to hit bedrock so soon. This was one of many, many instances that increased Mr. Sethi’s faith in Srila Prabhupada. He felt that Srila Prabhupada knew everything.

Once, Mr. Sethi approached Srila Prabhupada to stage a charity benefit. The idea was that some famous artists—singers, dancers, musicians—would present an Indian cultural show, we would sell tickets, and the proceeds would go to the temple. Srila Prabhupada replied, “Yes, you can do. If you can make money from the performance, it will be most welcome.” Then Mr. Sethi added, “The only thing, Prabhupada, is we will need some devotees to sell tickets.” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Our devotees cannot sell tickets. They are meant for selling books.” He said that if Mr. Sethi and his friends promoted the program and gave the profit to the temple, he would have no objection, but that the devotees could not be directly involved.

Another time, Mr. Sethi had some ideas for other ways the devotees could make money for the project. Srila Prabhupada replied, “Your ideas may be good, but if I tell my disciples, they will think, ‘I have come for bhajana, and now he wants me to do the same business again.’” And Srila Prabhupada told a story. Once, a boy was learning algebra and his mother saw him write A + B = C. Seeing the letters A, B, and C, she exclaimed, “Oh, you have grown so much, and still you are doing the same ABC?” She could not understand there was a gulf of difference between this ABC and that ABC, between a child’s learning to write the alphabet—ABC—and an adult’s doing algebra—ABC. Prabhupada continued, “I can give my disciples so many ideas, but they will think, ‘I have come for bhajana, and again I am doing the same business?’ They cannot understand there is a gulf of difference between this business and that business—between working for Krsna and working for maya.”

Srila Prabhupada knew our consciousness, the defects in our understanding. But he did not disturb us. He encouraged us to continue in devotional service, and he maintained faith that the process of hearing and chanting about Krsna and serving Lord Krsna’s mission would purify us and enlighten us in the proper understanding of Krsna consciousness.

Eventually, we did get the permission and built the temple complex in Juhu, and Saurabha Prabhu arranged beautiful quarters for Srila Prabhupada on the top floor of the western tower, facing the sea. After Srila Prabhupada moved in, he invited Mr. Sethi to see his new accommodations. He told Mr. Sethi, “Just see what beautiful arrangements my disciples have made for me—spacious rooms with beautiful chandeliers and carved-wood furniture and marble floors.” Then Prabhupada said to Mr. Sethi, “I always wanted you to live with us, but you always felt that the conditions would be too austere for you. You weren’t used to living so simply. So you come and live here in my quarters, and I will stay somewhere else.” Mr. Sethi protested, “No, no, your disciples have made this for you.” Prabhupada said, “I am a sannyasi; I can stay anywhere. You stay here.” That was Prabhupada’s generosity of spirit and his graciousness toward Mr. Sethi.

The last incident I shall relate came toward the end, when Srila Prabhupada was really quite ill, in 1977. From before Mr. Sethi met Prabhupada he was associated with a group called the Radha Madhava Prema Sudha Sankirtana Mandala. Their guru was based in Vrndavana, and they chanted the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In Bombay, they were all householders, and every Sunday they would have a twelve-hour akhanda-hari-nama-sankirtana, unbroken, continuous kirtana, from six in the morning to six in the evening, followed by two hours of Vraja songs.

So, Mr. Sethi had the idea that instead of having the kirtana in one of their devotees’ homes, as they usually did, they could have it at Hare Krishna Land. So we arranged it, before the Deities in the small temple, beside the new complex that was nearing completion, just beneath Srila Prabhupada’s new quarters. Although the construction wasn’t finished and the lift wasn’t working, Srila Prabhupada had insisted on staying there. And ill as he was, he was listening to the kirtana, reclining or lying down. These devotees in the temple really wanted to see him, but they were too many to come up, Prabhupada was not able to come down, and anyway it would have been too taxing for him to meet them all.

At one stage they were so eager that they came out of the temple and were doing kirtana beneath Srila Prabhupada’s balcony. Eventually Mr. Sethi helped Prabhupada walk to the balcony. Prabhupada glanced down upon them. They were in ecstasy. He stayed for a little while and then went back in. One highlight came at the end when a lady devotee sang, “Jaya radhe jaya radhe radhe, jaya radhe jaya sri radhe. Jaya krsna . . .” Later, Mr. Sethi told us that when Prabhupada was listening to that song, tears were streaming down his cheeks.

Soon thereafter, Srila Prabhupada left this world, but Mr. Sethi continued his service. He arranged and paid for a beautiful, ornate pure silver arati set for offering guru-puja to Srila Prabhupada. And every year on Prabhupada’s appearance and disappearance days he would sponsor a grand, opulent feast for everyone who came to the temple. Later, he created sizable fixed deposits in the bank, the interest from which would pay for opulent feasts on Prabhupada’s appearance and disappearance days in perpetuity. And he contributed for the construction of two guest rooms, the rent from which would sponsor Srila Prabhupada’s annual appearance and disappearance festivals.

Then, last year, Mr. Sethi became ill. He was eighty-eight, but he had no fear of death. He was completely detached from the body. Devotees constantly surrounded him with kirtana. His spiritual and biological families—everyone—was so attached to him. It is really powerful when the head of a family is such a staunch devotee. Sethiji’s wife is also a very good devotee. His sons and daughters and then grandchildren—the whole, large family—is Krsna conscious. Their affection for him was exceptionally strong, with a familial relationship based on his being husband, father, and grandfather, and a spiritual relationship based on his bringing them to Srila Prabhupada and inspiring them in Krsna consciousness.

Then, on February 12, he began to say, “Prabhupada is calling me. He is preparing a room for me, and when it is ready he will take me. I am going from where I came, back to my guruji.” On February 13, he insisted on going to the temple. And three days later, at 11 p.m., surrounded by devotees lovingly chanting the holy names of Krsna in kirtana, he left his body to rejoin Srila Prabhupada. He was so fixed in service and devotion to Srila Prabhupada that at the very end his mind was fixed on Srila Prabhupada.

Once, Mr. Sethi told Srila Prabhupada that sometimes devotees would ask him why he didn’t get initiated. Prabhupada replied, “You are better than initiated. An initiated disciple can serve Krsna, worship the Deity, but you are serving the servants of Krsna, and that is higher.” And he quoted the verse,

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam

“Of all kinds of worship, the worship of Lord Visnu, or Krsna, is the topmost. But above even the worship of Lord Visnu is the rendering of service to Vaisnavas, who are related to Visnu.” (Padma Purana)

And Prabhupada added, “Beside, I have much work for you. There may be things I want you to do that would be awkward for an initiated disciple, but as you are now, you can do them conveniently.”

Srila Prabhupada was very liberal. He knew the heart—the devotion, the service—of the person, and he accepted Mr. Sethi as more than an initiated disciple. And there is no doubt that Mr. Sethi’s attachment to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada’s service and his fixed consciousness on Srila Prabhupada at the end have carried him to Srila Prabhupada again.

This is the story of one sincere, humble devotee’s service to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Prabhupada’s immense mercy and blessings upon him. And somehow or other, that same, immense mercy from Srila Prabhupada is available to all of us who are serving him and his mission even now.

Hare Krsna.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Mr. Sethi ki jaya!

By Radhanatha Swami

The life Of Srila A.C.Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada:

Srila Prabhupada, when he was in his early twenties first met his beloved spiritual master Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur. At that time he was given the instruction “You are an intelligent young man so take this message of Sri Chaitanya and spread it throughout the world in the English language.” Although Srila Prabhupada was a married man with a child, he spent the rest of his life preparing for that mission. When he was in his fifties he retired from all worldly life and made his base in Sri Vrindavan dham, the holy land of Lord Krishna, the most sacred of all sacred places, where there are over five thousand temples of Krishna and everyone is chanting the names of Krishna day and night. The very place where Krishna is eternally performing His beautiful pastimes in that charming spiritual environment is where Srila Prabhupada translated the First Canto of Srimad Bhagavatam in the English language with idea that this would facilitate him for fulfilling the mission of his spiritual master. He was living as sannyasi ,therefore he had no material wealth. But he had an unlimited treasure house of love and compassion for Krishna and for every living being. He went to Bombay; in brief he actually had to sit on the steps outside the offices of the Scindia Steamship Company begging for a ticket, on a steam cargo ship to New York City. Not begging for himself, begging for you and me. Begging for all living beings. He did not need anything. He had everything. He was living in Vrindavana in divine consciousness. He was begging, humbling himself to the most insignificant position, to lead a life which is full of danger and fear, which is full of torturous conditions. He did that to give the world love of Krishna. He was given his ticket on the Jaladuta.

From Bombay he took a train to Calcutta, just a couple days before the boat was to depart. He went to Mayapur dham to visit the samadhi mandira of his guru maharaja Bhaktisiddhant Sarasvati Thakur. He spent the day praying for his blessings. He came back to Calcutta. There were five people they came to be with him to see him off. (Sena Gupta, Bhagavati, Mr. Ali, a employee of Scindia steamship line and his little son Vrindavana). He had forty rupees. Seven dollars and he boarded the boat. While in the Arabian Sea, there were great storms, sea sickness, and several heart attacks.

Prabhupada’s Struggle in New York:

Srila Prabhupada departed Calcutta on Friday the 13th of August 1965. After a 38 day life threatening journey he finally arrived in New York City where he knew no one. For those of you who have read his diary, you can do nothing but fall at his feet with gratitude in your heart. How he lived! He sometimes lived on the Bowery, where there were drunkards and prostitutes and drug addicts. Sometimes he would find somebody who took a little bit of interest in Krishna and he would stay at their house with them.

Determination Of srila Prabhupa:

He was seventy years old and he wrote to his God brothers, to some wealthy people in India and to politicians, “I want to start the first Radha Krishna temple in America. The people will be receptive. Please help me”. But everyone wrote back, “Swamiji, it is impossible. Come home.” The only thing he had of any material value whatsoever was his return ticket on Jaladuta to Bombay. But he would not use it. Even if there was no result. If you read in his diary, he considered everything the property of Krishna. He was a pure devotee; he was accountable to Krishna for everything he said, everything he did. He would note down, every expenditure and everything that came in his income. Fourteen cents for a banana and some potatoes, he spent one day. Thirty cents for bus fare. Twenty three cents for a banana and potato and an apple. He was all wrote down. And sometimes people would buy his books and he would get a little income and he would simply use it for preaching.

In various places he was staying. He was always inviting people, come. In his diary it explains that he was inviting the world to come and get the message of Krishna. One night he wrote that nobody came. So was he depressed? Somehow or other he got the little tape recorder and just did a whole program for the tape recorder. Another day he explains, three ladies and gentle man came. “And I play the tape of my chanting for them. And they like it. Therefore now I can understand that Haridasa Thakur’s prediction that the holy name of Krishna will be spread all over the whole world.” Such positive thinking.

He never gave up hope. He never gave up faith. In 1966 on most blessed of all celebrations Gaura-purnima the day of appearance of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Prabhupada writes in his diary “In Vrindavana and in Navadvipa, my God brothers and God sisters are gathered together to have glorious celebrations, but here I am ten thousand miles from the nearest Vaishnava. I am all alone with nothing. But I am very happy, because this is the message of Krishna. Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu wanted His holy name spread throughout the world and I am willing to suffer in hell to perform His will.” That is Srila Prabhupada.

Prabhupada always positive:

At one point Srila Prabhupada was homeless. So some people arranged for him a small storefront at 26 Second Avenue, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York. They would able to help with the down payment for one month, but after that they could not help him. He writes in his dairy, “We will leave it to Krishna”. And he began having Bhagavad-Gita’s classes. Soon some interested people started coming. Then he started going to park, sitting under an elm tree in Tompkins Square Park and playing a bongo drum that somebody gave him. He had no Mridanga, he had no Vedic instruments. And playing that little drum, he would chant Hare Krishna and crowds and people would come around and sing and dance with him. He would explain the message of Bhagavad-Gita.

Soon very sincere searchers for the truth were coming to him. People who are born in great wealth and affluence, who have the world at their feet materially. But they have the wisdom to understand that there is no fulfillment, there is no meaning in those things alone. There must be something higher. There must be something deeper. There must be some spiritual substance to life. They were disoriented by hypocrisy they had experienced in society, and messages that that had no satisfactory philosophy. When they heard Srila Prabhupada’s message, when they met with Srila Prabhupada’s heart, they felt here is a man that loves me. Here is a man that loves God. Here is a man who will sacrifice his life for the welfare of everyone and anyone. And they gave their lives to assisting him. Soon Srila Prabhupada’s little storefront became overflowing with sincere souls. Then he went to San Francisco, then to Montreal. And an amazing thing about Srila Prabhupada became revealed – that those who are actually grateful for what he gave them, they were empowered and inspired with the same type of fearless compassion that he had.

There were three married couples who had just been devotees for not even one year. Srila Prabhupada sent them to London to establish Krishna Consciousness there. They had no money, they did not know a single person. But they had one thing – they saw what Prabhupada did for them. And the magic of that mercy inspired them to do the same for others.

Those six people, Gurudas and Yamuna, Mukunda Maharaja and Janaki, Samsundara Prabhu and Malati – they did not have enough money to get into the country. Srila Prabhupada had to send them a money order. One couple at a time come in and showed that this is how much money I have. So they would get through, they went from the hall and over the English channel. And they mailed that cheque to the next couple, and mailed it to the next, after they were all in they mailed that cheque back to Srila Prabhupada. Malati had a little baby child that Srila Prabhupada named Sarasvati. The first child born in the Hare Krishna Movement. In history of this world. She was sometimes living in the basement of warehouse, in a brown cardboard box with her family. But they were inspired. They were ecstatic. They wanted to share the glorious gift that Srila Prabhupada gave them. They have adapted Srila Prabhupada’s spirit of fearlessness, of doing the impossible, seeing Krishna as a controller. They approached the Beatles, the most influential people in the whole western world. Impossible to meet such people. But they met them. And influenced Mr. George Harrison. Gradually they were chanting in the streets. Srila Prabhupada came to London and established Krishna Consciousness.

Srila Prabhupada’s determination finally bears fruit:

Our beloved God brother Tamal Krishna Gosvami who by Krishna’s inconceivable arrangement he left our physical association – he was another such person that could do anything and everything because he was inspired by Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. Srila Prabhupada was sending such devotees in various places of the world. And soon there were 108 thriving temples. From living in a cardboard box in a basement of warehouse, there is Bhaktivedanta Manor. From a tiny room in Vrindavana, there is the most popular temple in Vrindavana Dham, Krishna Balaram Temple.

Book Distribution:

When Srila Prabhupada began his book distribution he was the only distributor. He would take his magazines and just go from tea shop to store at his old age trying to convince people to accept the message of Krishna in the form of Back To Godhead Magazine. And in a few years he created the largest publisher in Indian literature in the history of the world. Hundreds, of millions of books have been distributed. Sometimes tens and thousands of Bhagavad-Gita distributed in one day, by those who are touched by his spirit of compassion. We can speak on this subject for many many hours, days, weeks, months, years and life times. What was Srila Prabhupada’s motivation? Selfless, unconditional love for Krishna. Selfless unconditional love and compassion for you and me to share the highest treasures of the spiritual world, which can be easily attained by simply orchestrating our propensities and life, in a spirit of devotion, toward Krishna and chanting his holy names. On the basis of the holy scriptures, Srila Prabhupada established everything he said.

harer nāma harer nāma
harer nāmaiva kevalam
kalau nāsty eva nāsty eva
nāsty eva gatir anyathā

[Caitanya-caritamrita. Ädi 17.21]

Chanting The Holy Name In the Age Of Kali:

In this age of Kali there is one most beneficial, simple method by which we can attain the highest perfection of spiritual realization, to realize our eternal loving relationship with Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri Krishna. And that method is to chant the holy names. Srila Prabhupada inspired small children, the old people on the verge of death, ladies and gentlemen, rich and poor, Asian, African, American, European – there was no discrimination. Prabhupada showed compassion to everyone. Srila Prabhupada showed compassion even to the most insignificant living entity. Because he had the faith. Simple chant the holy names, clean your heart and feel the real joy of life. So let us today, on this glorious occasion of the appearance of Srila Prabhupada, take his mercy to our heart by simply accepting as a priority in our life the chanting of the names of the God and try to share that great fortune with others. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.” Thank you very much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

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

• What is Janmashtami?
• How is Janmashtami Celebrated?
• How to Celebrate Janmashtami at Home
• Celebrating Janmashtami with the Krishna.com/BTG Staff
• More Things To Think About When Thinking About Krishna’s Appearance

What is Janmashtami?

Janmashtami commemorates the earthly appearance of Krishna, who is described in India’s sacred writings as God Himself. One of the biggest religious festivals in the world, it is celebrated by nine hundred and thirty million people around the world–and two million in the US alone. To devotees, it’s Christmas and New Year’s in one, a day of deep spiritual renewal and celebration that effectively finishes an old year and begins a fresh one.

But why Janmashtami, you may ask? What’s so special about Krishna, as opposed to any other form of God? It’s His personable-ness. He reciprocates in unique, personal ways with every devotee who offers Him love—He is the most adorable, mischievous son, the most romantic lover, the most compassionate friend. And on Janmashtami, devotees celebrate Krishna in all of these aspects. For just as Krishna reciprocates individually with His relatives and confidantes, he responds to the distinct feelings and desires held most deeply in the heart of every single worshipper.

So remember that whatever way you worship Krishna on Janmashtami, He will reciprocate with you accordingly. It’s a meditation that makes for an extremely rewarding devotional experience.

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How is Janmashtami Celebrated?

Where Vaishnava temples exist, festivities begin before dawn and extend all day until midnight, the exact moment of the anniversary of Krishna’s appearance. Events include kirtan, singing the Lord’s name along with other devotees; and japa, private, more intimate prayer. Some devotees cook a feastof over one hundred dishes, while others perform drama and dance. Some clothe and decorate thedeity of Krishna while others string enormous flower garlands and other decorations for the temple. Incense burns, scriptures are read, and all but the young and the infirm fast all day. The deities are also bathed with a variety of auspicious liquids in a kind of ablution ceremony called abhisheka.Sometimes taking over two hours, this is performed with great pomp.

Finally, at midnight, priests pull apart the curtains to reveal the
freshly dressed deity of Krishna on a creatively festooned and colored
altar. The excitement builds, and a rousing kirtan ensues.

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How to Celebrate Janmashtami at Home

Brought to you by Krishna.com

But what if you don’t live near a temple? What if you can’t make it to a major celebration Does that mean you can’t observe Janmashtami? Of course not. It is our sincere devotion that pleases Krishna most, and this can be offered anywhere. So to help you feel more connected to the Lord and His devotees on this special day, here are Krishna.com’s tips on how to celebrate Janmashtami at home:

• Children also enjoy dressing up as Radha, Krishna and their associates, and re-enacting Krishna’s pastimes. This helps to create a very festive mood.

As you celebrate Janmashtami, remember that just as we enjoy the attention and fun on our birthday, so the Lord also enjoys our attention and gifts on His appearance day. The difference between us and Krishna is that He is able to reciprocate perfectly with each one of us. In the transcendental realm, everything that we offer to the Lord with love and devotion will benefit us unlimitedly, and those benefits will stay with us for eternity.

Sri Krsna Janmastami
A Talk by Giriraj Swami
September 2, 2007 Ojai, California

We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.”

TEXT 18

tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam samahitam sura-sutena devi dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam kastha yathananda-karam manastah

TRANSLATION

Thereafter, accompanied by plenary expansions, the fully opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-auspicious for the entire universe, was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki. Devaki, having thus been initiated by Vasudeva, became beautiful by carrying Lord Krsna, the original consciousness for everyone, the cause of all causes, within the core of her heart, just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

As indicated here by the word manastah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the core of Vasudeva’s mind or heart to the core of the heart of Devaki. We should note carefully that the Lord was transferred to Devaki not by the ordinary way for a human being, but by diksa, initiation. Thus the importance of initiation is mentioned here. Unless one is initiated by the right person, who always carries within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot acquire the power to carry the Supreme Godhead within the core of one’s own heart.

The word acyutamsam is used because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sad-aisvarya-purna, full in the opulences of wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, beauty, and renunciation. The Supreme Godhead is never separated from His personal opulences. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.39), ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is always situated with all His plenary expansions, such as Rama, Nrsimha, and Varaha. Therefore the word acyutamsam is specifically used here, signifying that the Lord is always present with His plenary expansions and opulences. There is no need to think of the Lord artificially as yogis do. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.1). Yogis meditate upon the Supreme Person within the mind. For a devotee, however, the Lord is present, and His presence need only be awakened through initiation by a bona fide spiritual master. The Lord did not need to live within the womb of Devaki, for His presence within the core of her heart was sufficient to carry Him. One is here forbidden to think that Krsna was begotten by Vasudeva within the womb of Devaki and that she carried the child within her womb.

When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the pure, unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama. Dhama refers not only to Krsna’s form, but to His name, His form, His quality, and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously.

Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun’s rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east.

Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva. He was beyond the conditions of the ordinary living entity. When Krsna is there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations like Lord Nrsimha and Varaha, are with Him, and they are not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was within the house of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot or is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of Kamsa’s palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Commenting upon this verse, Sri Viraraghava Acarya writes, vasudeva-devaki jatharayor hrdayayor bhagavatah sambandhah. The Supreme Lord’s entrance into the womb of Devaki from the heart of Vasudeva was a heart-to-heart relationship.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We have gathered here at the lotus feet of Lord Krsna to remember and celebrate His appearance within the world. According to Vedic literature, Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam). He is the Absolute Truth, the origin of all that exists. And He is realized in three features, nondual (advaya), as explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam
(1.2.11):

vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate

“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.”

Brahman is the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental form of the Lord, Paramatma is the localized feature of the Lord, within the heart, and Bhagavan is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krsna Himself, full in six opulences.

The form of Krsna is not material. Our bodies are material, distinct from the soul, which is spiritual. The Bhagavad-gita (2.13) explains,

dehino ‘smin yatha dehe kaumaram yauvanam jara tatha dehantara-praptir dhiras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” The soul is a nonphysical, nonchemical particle of spiritual energy, and it is the soul that animates the body. As long as the soul is in the body, we say the body is alive. Actually, the body is never alive; the body is just a machine. But it appears to be alive when the soul is present to animate it. And when the soul leaves the body, the body has no capacity to act, to function, and then we say that the body is dead. In conditioned beings, such as us, there is a distinction between the body, which is made of material energy, and the soul, which is composed of spiritual energy. But in the case of Krsna, there is no difference between His body and soul. Being absolute, His body and He are the same. In our case there is a difference between us and the body, because our real identity is the soul. If someone’s father passes away, he or she will cry, “Oh, my father has left. My father is gone.” Although the body of the father is there, why do we say, “My father has gone”? Intuitively we know, especially at a time like death, that the body that’s lying there in the room is not the person. The body is just a bag of chemicals. The real person is the soul who has left the body, and so the children and other relatives and friends cry, “Oh, he’s gone,” because he is the soul, not the body.

But in the case of Krsna, He and His body are not different because He is absolute. There is no difference between His inside and His outside. He is completely spiritual. The Brahma-samhita says, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: “Krsna is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body.” Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam: “He is the origin of all, but He Himself has no origin. He is the prime cause of all causes.” That is Krsna.

Everything we see in the material world has a cause. On a simple level we can say, “I am caused by my parents” (or “my body is caused by my parents”). They, in turn, were caused by their parents, who, in turn, were caused by their parents. And if we keep going back, further, further, further, eventually we will come to the original cause, and that is Krsna
(sarva-karana-karanam). He is the cause of everything–the cause of all causes. But He Himself has no cause.

This is hard for us to understand in the conditioned state, because everything material has a cause. Everything has a beginning and an end, but Krsna has no beginning and no end. He is eternal (sanatana). “Eternal” means “no beginning and no end.” Even we, as spirit souls, are also eternal. We have no beginning and no end. Our life in a particular body has a beginning, which we call “birth” (or “conception”), and it has an end within a particular body, which we call “death.” But we, as spirit souls, have no beginning and no end, because we are parts and parcels of Krsna. We are of the same quality as Krsna, just in different quantity. The Lord says,

mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati

“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Bg 15.7)

The living entity is an eternal, fragmental part of Krsna. This is the sublime philosophy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: the “inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference” of the living entity and the Supreme Lord. We are one in quality with the Lord but different in quantity–He is infinite and we are infinitesimal. Because we have the same qualities, we can have a relationship with Him. Unless there is some commonness, we can’t have a relationship. And because of the difference in quantity–He is the whole and we are the part–our relationship is one of service. It is the natural function of the part to serve the whole. For example, the hand is part of the body, so the function of the hand is to serve the body. If the hand doesn’t serve the body, there is something wrong; it is diseased or dead. So, our natural function is to serve Krsna (jivera ‘svarupa’ haya–krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’). And we are eternal, as Krsna is eternal, and our relationship, our service, is also eternal. It never ends.

Earlier we mentioned the three features of the Absolute Truth: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. There are different classes of transcendentalists, who have different spiritual aspirations. Most people are materialists. They are not even interested in spiritual life. They just want to enjoy the world. But when one becomes a little more elevated, a little more purified in consciousness, one thinks of improving oneself spiritually. And when one becomes serious enough, one will actually enter into a discipline in a particular school of thought and practice. So, one category of transcendentalists is the jnanis. Their goal is to merge and become one with Brahman, the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental body of Krsna. And higher than the jnanis are the yogis. They want to realize the localized feature, the Lord within the heart
(dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah). And the highest are the bhaktas. They want to enter into a loving relationship with Bhagavan, Sri Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Although in one sense, because the Absolute Truth is nondual (advaya), all transcendentalists are the same, still, from an analytical or objective point of view there are degrees of realization. As stated earlier, Krsna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Sat means “eternal,” cit means “cognizant,” and ananda means “blissful.” The jnanis who attain impersonal Brahman realize only the sat feature, eternal existence. The yogis who realize Paramatma have perception of sat (eternity) and cit (knowledge), because they apprehend the individuality of the Lord in the heart. And the bhaktas have full realization of sat, cit, and ananda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss), because real happiness comes from loving relationships. Although one may say that there is a sort of bliss in impersonal Brahman, compared with the ecstatic happiness of loving service to Krsna, it is insignificant. There are many statements in the sastra, the Vedic scriptures, to the effect that the happiness realized in relationship to Krsna is like an ocean and that the happiness of merging (or trying to merge) into impersonal Brahman is like a puddle of water in comparison.

tvat-saksat-karanahlada- visuddhabdhi-sthitasya me sukhani gospadayante brahmany api jagad-guro

“My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman, to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.” (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 14.36) Practically, there is no comparison.

Furthermore, to realize impersonal Brahman is very difficult, especially in the present age. And even if one succeeds–or imagines that one has succeeded–there is every chance that one will fall down.

ye ‘nye ‘ravindaksa vimukta-maninas tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah patanty adho ‘nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah

“O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.” (SB 10.2.32)

More likely, they just imagine that they have realized Brahman, but whether they have actually realized it or just imagine they have, because they have neglected the service of the lotus feet of Krsna they fall down (patanty adhah).

We, conditioned souls, are rotating in the cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara), and our goal is to gain release from this samsara-cakra. Such liberation is called mukti, or moksa. The impersonal type of liberation, in which the individual soul merges into the spiritual light, is very hard to achieve–if one can achieve it at all. But even if one does, it doesn’t last. Therefore the Bhagavatam says patanty adhah: they fall down. Why? Because they have no engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

Impersonal liberation is like going to sleep. Intelligent people can perceive that there is misery in material existence, and they want relief. That is one factor that may lead someone to consider spiritual life. So, a person trying to achieve impersonal liberation is similar to someone who is suffering and tries to escape the suffering by sleeping–“The world is too much.” Well, all right, you can temporarily escape the misery by going to sleep, but how long can you remain asleep? Eventually you will wake up, and the same miseries will be there.

And being suspended in the impersonal Brahman effulgence can be boring. It is a relief–it is definitely a relief to be out of the material world–but eventually it can get boring. Someone may go on a cruise: “Oh, boy, I need to get away from things. Let me go on a cruise. I want to enjoy the sea.” And it may be nice for a while, but eventually one gets bored–just water and waves and wind. Eventually one wants to go back on dry land–even though the land is what he wanted to get away from. Although there was frustration and misery on the land, at least there was some stimulation, some variety.

So the impersonal jnanis who want to merge and become one with Brahman eventually fall down (patanty adhah), because they become restless. They want some activity, and because they have no idea of the spiritual activities of Krsna consciousness, devotional service to Krsna, patanty adhah–they fall into material activities, and again they suffer, because the result of material activity is material misery.

So, why does the Lord descend? He is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha: eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He lives in His spiritual abode, where everything is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He is served by great souls completely free of material contamination, liberated from the material bodies that cause so much pain. So why should the Lord come here at all? What does He have to gain?

Personally, He has nothing to gain. But He comes out of His mercy, to deliver us. The material world is compared to a prison house, and we, conditioned souls, are the prisoners. We are restricted, like prisoners. We can’t just go anywhere and everywhere, wherever we want. Liberated souls can travel anywhere in the universe. They don’t need spaceships or any other such contraptions. They can move about freely. But we, conditioned souls, are bound. We are not allowed to leave this planet very easily, and even if we do, we don’t really have any other place to stay. So we are bound, and at the same time we have to suffer.

I mentioned the body, that there is so much pain in the body. So someone might think, “This swami is very negative about the body.” But the Bhagavad-gita says, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam: one should always perceive the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. You might say, “Why does the swami have to be so negative? I want to enjoy the body. I want to enjoy life. I want to enjoy the here and now”–which is good in a certain context–but if I ask any of you, “Truthfully, do you want disease?” “No.” “Do you want old age?” “No.” “Do you want death?” “No.” Well, that is what comes with the body. When you get a material body, those come in the package; they are what you get with it. You may think, “But there is so much happiness in the body. I can go surfing, I can go hiking, I can eat ice cream, I can drink and eat and enjoy with the body.” Well, yes, but it is not actually the body that enables you to enjoy; it is the soul within the body. All the parts of the body may be there when the soul departs, but where is the enjoyment? There is no enjoyment in the body after the soul leaves. We may think that we are enjoying with the senses, but it is actually because of the presence of the soul that we are able to enjoy and work and live.

The body is the medium for the conditioned soul’s experience. For example, I have these eyeglasses. I see through the eyeglasses–the eyeglasses themselves don’t see. Similarly, we have these senses–eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin–and we perceive through them. The senses themselves cannot actually perceive. It is the soul that perceives–through the senses of the body. But we don’t actually need the body to perceive happiness. With the body, there is some perception of happiness–but with lots of pain.

There are different schools of philosophy–sad-darsana–and one of the philosophers has analysed and concluded that the body is meant for misery. He gives the example of your little finger. How many ways can your little finger enjoy? Not many. And how many ways can it feel pain? So many. Even a little sliver or blister can be so painful. And the finger can be cut, burned, crushed. The body is so vulnerable. But the soul is not. As the Gita says, it can’t be cut, it can’t be burned, it can’t be wet, it can’t be withered–it is beyond the range of material elements.

nainam chindanti sastrani nainam dahati pavakah na cainam kledayanty apo na sosayati marutah

“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” (Bg 2.23) Without the body, the soul can enjoy freely, in every way, but without the pain.

And because the soul is part and parcel of Krsna, it derives its real happiness in relation to Krsna. We now are like fishes out of water, because originally we come from Krsna, from the spiritual atmosphere, and we have come into the material world and are suffering in a foreign atmosphere. We are always restless, anxious, and fearful.

So, why does Krsna come? He comes to reclaim us, His lost children, to bring us back home, back to Him. That is why He comes. There is no other reason. There is nothing for Him here. He comes only for our sake.

Although He comes into the material world, He doesn’t come in a physical body. He comes in His original, spiritual form (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha). And Krsna in particular comes in a form that resembles a human being. “Man is made in the image of God.” That Krsna comes in a humanlike form is very good for us, because it makes it easier for us in human bodies to relate to Him.

anugrahaya bhaktanam manusam deham asthitah bhajate tadrsih krida yah srutva tat-paro bhavet

“When the Lord assumes a humanlike body to show mercy to His devotees, He engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become dedicated to Him.” (SB 10.33.36) He comes to reclaim us and deliver us, his lost children and devotees.

And how does He come? He does not take birth like ordinary human beings, by seminal discharge. Rather, He manifests Himself, or appears.

ajo ‘pi sann avyayatma bhutanam isvaro ‘pi san prakrtim svam adhisthaya sambhavamy atma-mayaya

“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” (Bg 4.6)

And that is what we read tonight. It is a very esoteric subject, how the Lord appears. But He chooses a completely purified devotee and enters the mind of that completely purified devotee. The name of the devotee whose mind Krsna entered is given here–Vasudeva. And the state that enabled him to receive Krsna within his pure mind is called vasudeva, which means completely beyond the three modes of material nature, completely transcendental–the state of pure goodness, suddha-sattva. As stated in Srimad-Bhagvatam, sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam: completely pure consciousness is known as vasudeva.

sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam yad iyate tatra puman apavrtah sattve ca tasmin bhagavan vasudevo hy adhoksajo me manasa vidhiyate

“The condition of pure goodness, suddha-sattva, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed without any covering, is called vasudeva. In that pure state the Supreme Godhead, who is beyond the material senses and who is known as Vasudeva, is perceived by my mind.” (SB 4.3.23, quoted as Cc Adi 4.66)

After Vasudeva received Krsna within his purified mind or heart, he, by his spiritual power, transferred Him into the purified heart of Devaki. There was no seminal discharge here. And the process by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the heart of Vasudeva to the heart of Devaki is called diksa. Diksa means “spiritual initiation.” Diksa takes place between the teacher, or guru, and disciple. When the guru is qualified enough, he can carry Krsna within his heart. And when the disciple is qualified enough, he can receive Krsna from the guru–through an exchange called diksa.

The process of diksa is essential for the realization of God (Krsna). There is an entire science of bhakti-yoga, described in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, and it begins with this process. Guru-padasrayas tasmat: “One must accept shelter at the lotus feet of a spiritual master.” Krsna-diksadi-siksanam: “One must take initiation from him and receive instruction from him.” And visrambhena guroh seva: “One must serve him with intimacy.”

We cannot attain Krsna by our own efforts. We have to receive Krsna by the mercy of one who has Him. Thus Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual teacher, prays to the pure devotee:

krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro, tomara sakati ache ami to’ kangala, ‘krsna’ ‘krsna’ boli’, dhai tava pache pache

“Krsna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, ‘Krsna! Krsna!'” (Saranagati, “Ohe! Vaisnava Thakura”)

This act of diksa, as described in today’s verse, is really the culmination of a gradual process. It is not so easy that we just decide, “Oh, let me find a guru who has Krsna, and he will give Him to me, and my business will be finished.” We have to be qualified to receive Krsna, and the process of becoming qualified proceeds gradually. We have to work to come to that stage of purity where we can receive Krsna in our hearts–and not just receive Him in our hearts, but actually see Him face to face. After residing for some time in the heart of Devaki, Krsna came before her, and they saw each other face to face. She saw Him face to face, and He saw her. That is the perfection of Krsna consciousness.

So, we have to qualify ourselves. We have to cleanse the mirror of the heart
(ceto-darpana-marjanam).

The process of purification varies from age to age. Although the basic process is the same–Krsna consciousness–in the present age the specific process recommended is to chant the holy names of the Lord:

harer nama harer nama harer namaiva kevalam kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva gatir anyatha

“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Lord Hari [Krsna]. There is no other means, no other means, no other means for success in this age.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)

Chant is repeated three times for emphasis. “You must do it, you must do it, you must do it.” There was once a cartoon in a newspaper, which depicted an elderly man sitting across from his wife. She was requesting him, “Chant, chant, chant,” and he was replying, “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” That is our misfortune. Sastra, scripture, tell us, “Chant, chant, chant” (harer nama harer nama harer nama), and for no good reason–just some causeless aversion–we say (not necessarily by our words but by our behavior), “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” “Can’t, because I am too busy.” “Can’t, because I prefer other things.” “Can’t, because . . .”–because, because, because. So harer nama harer nama harer nama is emphatic: chant, chant, chant. And kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva: there is no other way, no other way, no other way. Now, that phrase might conjure up images of a fanatical Christian insisting, “Jesus is the only way.” But this nasty eva, the “only way,” is a little different. (And we don’t want to presume that there is anything wrong with “Jesus is the only way,” either.) But in this context, nasty eva, “no other way,” has a special meaning.

In different ages different methods for self-realization were recommended–in Satya-yuga it was meditation, in Treta-yuga Vedic sacrifice, and in Dvapara-yuga opulent temple worship. In the present age, however, harer nama, chanting the holy names of God, is prescribed. So, nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva means “not by silent meditation, not by elaborate sacrifices, not by ritualistic temple worship,” but by chanting the holy names.

But the holy names are not sectarian. In fact, there are Christian sects in which practitioners constantly repeat the name of Jesus. We don’t say that you have to chant only the holy name of Krsna. You may chant any name of God. Because God is absolute, any name of God is as good as any other. But you should chant some name. The Muslim tradition also recommends chanting the name of God, of Allah. In Pakistan I came across a book titled, Ninety-Nine Names of Allah. In the Vedic tradition there is Visnu-sahasra-nama, “A Thousand Names of Visnu.” So the principle of chanting the names of God is current in every tradition, but it is often overlooked. Then again, in any tradition, the majority are conventional. It is only the minority who are really mystical, or spiritual. But within the mystical, spiritual traditions, the chanting of God’s names is advised.

The process of chanting (sankirtana) cleanses the heart
(ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. That is what we have to do to prepare to receive Him. We have to chant. And chanting is pleasant, as I hope you all experienced. It is pleasurable. That’s the other thing: although the results of Krsna consciousness are the highest, the process is also the easiest and most sublime. It’s almost too good to be true, but it is true. Chanting is easy and joyful, and at the same time it cleanses the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And that process is accomplished through diksa, the continuing process of diksa, which culminates in perfect realization of Krsna. And then, when one is fully purified and realized, Krsna can’t contain Himself within your heart. He becomes so pleased with your service and so eager to see and embrace you that He comes out of your heart. (Of course, at the same time, He also stays there.) In His own way, He comes out of your heart to look at you and touch you and embrace you and take you by the hand and invite you to come with Him to His eternal abode.

That is the perfection of Krsna consciousness, and it is possible for each and every one of us. We just have to make the effort to chant without offense, and remain encouraged and steady in that effort. So we need association. In every endeavor, one needs association. In every field there are associations of people engaged in the same endeavor, because they support each other. There is the chamber of commerce, the diabetes society, the birdwatchers association–there are societies for everything, because in association with others who are pursuing the same goal, we get encouragement to stay on the path and we learn from them, from their experiences, how to improve in our own efforts and quicken our progress. It is a natural thing. And association is essential. Once we become a little serious, once we develop a little faith and attraction, the next stage is to associate with devotees (adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah). That association will really help us.

Chanting is simple, but the real art of chanting is to hear the chanting. Anyone can chant mindlessly, “Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna . . .” and look at the trees, look at the moon, look at the newspaper, look at the television, but that’s not real chanting. Real chanting means to hear with one’s mind fixed on the sound. This is meditation, mantra meditation, and it takes practice. If you chant for five minutes, will you be able to keep your mind fixed on the sound of the holy name? It will be a challenge. Even one minute is a challenge, because the nature of the mind is to flicker. It is restless. It always wants to go every which way–like the wind. In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna says that it is as hard to control the mind as to control the wind.

cancalam hi manah krsna pramathi balavad drdham tasyaham nigraham manye vayor iva su-duskaram

“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” (Bg
6.34)

How can you control the wind? It is always going here and there. No one can stop it. So how can we control the mind? We can’t. Still, the Bhagavad-gita says it is possible–by practice (abhyasa) and detachment.

asamsayam maha-baho mano durnigraham calam abhyasena tu kaunteya vairagyena ca grhyate

“It is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” (Bg 6.35)

And this is the suitable practice: hearing about Krsna consciousness and then chanting–and hearing–Lord Krsna’s name. We chant and we hear. We practice fixing our mind on the sound of the holy name of the Lord. That is our sadhana; that is our practice. And it is serious business, and hard work. As our spiritual master Srila Prabhupada said, “Chanting is easy”–anyone can articulate the sounds of the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna–“but the determination to chant [and hear with attention] is not so easy.” So that is what we need. We need that determination
(drdha-vratah). And that determination develops in the association of devotees who are serious about chanting and hearing. Therefore the association of devotees is so valuable, and it is most important to maintain favorable relationships with devotees.

There are different offenses to be avoided when one chants. The main offense is to be inattentive while chanting, but another is to offend devotees. Devotees are our best well-wishers. They give us the holy name. They give us support in our efforts to chant. And if we offend them, we cut ourselves off from our best well-wishers, our best friends, our best support for the chanting. We cut ourselves off from the mercy that we so desperately need to progress. But if we pay attention to these two points–chanting attentively and maintaining favorable relationships with devotees–then gradually we can come to the stage of perfection. It takes time, but we can actually come to that stage when Krsna will enter our hearts. He is there already, but He will manifest Himself fully to us, and then, eventually, we will see Him face to face. So we should always, every spare moment, kirtaniyah-sada-harih, chant Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Whatever you do when you are not chanting should be to place you in a position where you can chant. You may say, “I can’t chant all the time. I have to work. I have to earn money. I have to pay the bills.” That is true, but what is the goal of it all? Why do you want a roof over your head? Why do you want food on your plate? Ultimately, it should be to keep your body and soul together so you can chant the holy names and realize God. That is kirtaniyah-sada-harih, to “always chant the name of God.” We have the body. We must take care of it. We must bathe and dress and eat and sleep. We must get the necessities of life. We must do it all. But why are we doing it? The goal should be to chant the holy names of Krsna and realize Krsna.

So, Krsna comes to give us this message, and if from this occasion, Sri Krsna Janmastami, we can just take this message–take it in our heart–that will be the beginning of our perfection. We must take it in our heart and practice it and repeat it to others–repeat it both for the benefit of others and for our own sake. And the results will be glorious. Krsna’s purpose in appearing in this world will be fulfilled, and our purpose as human beings will be fulfilled. And we will all be happy in Krsna consciousness together. Hare Krsna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Guest (1): I always ask myself a question. Christians believe in resurrection, and Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation, but personally, I always ask myself, “What is the meaning of starting something and ending something? What is the meaning of several or many lives when we can be comfortable with maybe just one life? Why we are reaching perfection through many lives?

Giriraj Swami: That is a very good question. Miguel says that Christians believe in resurrection and Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation, but what is the need of passing through many lifetimes if you can realize God in one lifetime?

We agree with you completely. That is the whole idea. Especially now that we have come to this human form of life, which is achieved after many lifetimes, and especially now that we have come in touch with devotees who tell us about Krsna and the process of bhakti-yoga, we can and should complete our purpose in this world in this life.

labdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante manusyam artha-dam anityam apiha dhirah turnam yateta na pated anu-mrtyu yavan nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat

“After many, many births one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life before his body, which is always subject to death, falls away. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being.” (SB 11.9.29)

And if we chant seriously–chant and hear and follow the regulative principles that support the chanting and hearing–we can achieve complete success in the same lifetime. And that should be our determination.

Still, the Bhagavad-gita explains that if by chance you are not completely successful, then in your next life you continue from where you left off in this one. You don’t have to start all over again. With anything material, you have to start all over again in the next life. In this life you might know seven languages, but in your next life, when you are born, all you can say is “Ga, ga, ga,” and you don’t even know ABC. Materially, whatever you acquire in this life is lost at the time of death. But whatever you gain spiritually through the practice of bhakti-yoga continues in the next life. Suppose in this life you complete only 50 percent; then in the next life you begin from 51 percent. You don’t have to start again from the beginning.

But still, we have the human form of life, and the association of devotees, so why should we take any chances? We should have that determination to be completely successful in this life, just like you said.

Guest (1): Why did we come here in the first place? Why do we have to go through so many lives?

Giriraj Swami: Actually, as mentioned, we all come from Krsna, but when we turn away from Him–when we forget Him and want to enjoy apart from Him–we come under maya and suffer in the material world.

krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga-vancha kare nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare

“When the living entity desires to enjoy separately from Krsna and turns away from Him, the illusory potency of the Lord, maya, immediately takes the soul in her clutches.” (Prema-vivarta)

But in that process, we don’t start at the bottom; we start at the top. We start as an elevated being on a higher planet. So we can reverse the process from that position and go back to Godhead. We don’t start as a germ or an amoeba. But if we are careless, we can keep declining and end up as an amoeba, in the body of an amoeba. But we don’t start at the bottom. We actually start at the top, and if we are attentive and vigilant, we can reverse the whole process in one lifetime. We don’t have to pass more than one life, and we don’t have to see any lower form of life.

Guest (1): Can we say that everything around us is energy–the material world? Animals, vegetables, minerals–everything is life, even if it doesn’t have consciousness by itself?

Giriraj Swami: Well, that is true–everything is energy–but as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there are two kinds of energies. One is the material energy, and the other is the spiritual energy. The spiritual energy is conscious, alive. And the material energy is dull, dead.

bhumir apo ‘nalo vayuh kham mano buddhir eva ca ahankara itiyam me bhinna prakrtir astadha

“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego–all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” (Bg 7.4)

apareyam itas tv anyam prakrtim viddhi me param jiva-bhutam maha-baho yayedam dharyate jagat

“Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Bg 7.5)

What we see alive in the material world is really a combination of the spiritual and material energies–the spiritual spark within the physical body. And as long as the soul is present, there is consciousness. But an inanimate object–say this piece of metal–has no consciousness. Of course, in an ultimate sense, we could say that there is consciousness everywhere, because Krsna is everywhere. He is expanded within the atoms and in the space between the atoms throughout the entire universe
(andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). But practically, in terms of individual consciousness, animals and vegetables have souls; they are a combination of matter and spirit. Minerals do not have souls; they are material energy. And then there is Krsna, who is completely spiritual.

Guest (1): Are there other forms of intelligence on other planets in the universe, or is it just here on our own planet?

Giriraj Swami: There is, in fact, even more advanced intelligent life on planets other than the earth. Everything is the creation of God. We don’t believe that anything has happened by accident or chance. God has created all these planets to provide different environments for different types of people. Just as there are different relativities on earth–Ojai or Santa Barbara may be relatively more congenial than Alaska or Antarctica–so there are relativities within the universe. Some planets are more heavenly, and some are more hellish. The earth is considered to be in the middle, though a little on the lower side. But there is intelligent life everywhere–and suffering everywhere–and everyone is ultimately meant to become God conscious and go back home, back to Godhead

a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah punar avartino ‘rjuna mam upetya tu kaunteya punar janma na vidyate

[The Supreme Lord Krsna said:] “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Bg 8.16)

Guest (2): You said that the only practice we need to do is chant the name of God. That seems to be asking God to receive from Him the grace of the holy name. But what can we do to prepare ourselves in everyday life to better understand and receive this grace?

Giriraj Swami: Yes, there are practices. Although the chanting in and of itself is enough, there are disciplines that we can undertake to make it easier for us to get the full benefit of the chanting, to get the full grace of the Lord. There are certain personal restrictions. But the beauty of the chanting is that even if it is hard at first to accept these restrictions, the process of chanting itself, the process of purification itself, will make it easier to accept them–to the point where we won’t even want to indulge in such adverse activities anymore.

The first restriction is no eating meat. The second is no taking intoxicants. The third is no illicit sex–no sex outside of marriage, no frivolous sex. And the fourth is no gambling. If we are able to follow these regulative principles, our chanting will be more quickly effective, and we will be better receptacles for God’s grace.

And there are other things as well, such as getting up early in the morning. “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The early hours of the morning, especially before sunrise, are considered the best for spiritual practice, and therefore we generally rise early. Some devotees, when feasible, get up at two. They may take rest at eight and get up at two. Otherwise, we try rise by four. Initiated disciples have a certain quota of chanting, which takes about two hours to complete. So they rise by four and complete their quota of rounds between five and seven and still have the rest of the day ahead of them.

And the more serious you are, the more things you can learn to improve your practice. But if you can just manage those four restrictions–and get up early–you will be off to a good start. And if you want to know more, we have volumes of books . . .

Guest (2): Hard news. Thank you.

Giriraj Swami: I was going to ask if you were ready for the answer before I gave it, but I figured that you asked, and you seemed sincere, so I just said it.

But again, the good news is that if you chant, all the other things will become easier. That’s why we don’t emphasize the restrictions at first, because we know that if people just chant, they will lose interest in those indulgent acts, and they will become more and more eager to advance in Krsna consciousness.

Guest (2): Inshallah.

Giriraj Swami: When you said “inshallah” it reminded me of a group of Ahmadiyya Muslims who would sometimes meet me at our Juhu Beach temple. They told me the same thing, that the prayers offered before sunrise–almost like we say, beginning an hour and a half before sunrise–are heard by God more than prayers offered later in the day.

Inshallah, or insha’Allah, means “if Allah wills.” Allah is a name of God, so insha’Allah means “God willing.” Of course, we also accept the name Allah. Allah is the same as Krsna. But our devotees in Pakistan, instead of “insha’Allah,” would sometimes say, “insha Krsna,” to mean the same thing–“God willing.”

Krsna Bamani dasi: Maharaja, I was just going to give an example. In the beginning some people think, “Oh, I have to be a vegetarian” when they hear all the negative restrictions. But the process of spiritual life is so pleasant that they experience a higher taste. They actually prefer our food, prasada, to other things they used to eat. And it is kind of like that with all of the seeming restrictions. As we chant and associate with devotees, we develop a higher taste.

Giriraj Swami: Good point.

Krsna Bamani dasi: I was going to say one more thing. You already explained it. But in today’s world, fanatical Muslims or fanatics in any religion–they may be chanting God’s names, yet so much violence is going on. They may chant, for example, “Allah, Allah,” yet engage in so much violent activity. They are “God’s warriors,” so to speak. So, you have explained that there are ways to chant God’s names properly.

Giriraj Swami: Correct. One must avoid that offense of offending devotees, and devotees are there in every tradition. One may take the name of God in one’s own tradition, but if he is inimical to devotees in other traditions, that is an offense, not only against the devotees but against the holy name. And if one commits offenses against the holy name, one doesn’t get the benefit. In fact, it is described that when you offend devotees, the holy name is offended and withdraws its mercy. So even though such fanatics are mouthing God’s name, it is almost as if God has left. He has withdrawn His mercy from them, because they are offensive.

Of course, offending devotees is the worst, but offending anyone–causing pain to any living entity–is prohibited. That is the complete injunction. And that is one reason why we don’t kill animals or eat flesh.

So, it is not just a question of mouthing God’s name. One should be in the proper consciousness, the proper mood of service to God and to the devotees of God–in whatever tradition, culture, or community they may be. We should respect and appreciate all genuine devotees, servants of God, and encourage the devotees and chant the holy names. That will bring us all success, and one day the holy name will reveal Himself to us, and we will see Krsna face to face.

prabhu kahe,–“vaisnava-seva, nama-sankirtana dui kara, sighra pabe sri-krsna-carana”

The Lord [Sri Krsna Caitanya Mahaprabhu] said, “You should engage yourself in the service of the servants of Krsna and always chant the holy name of Krsna. If you do these two things, you will very soon attain shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet.” (Cc Madhya 16.70)

Hare Krsna!

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

From Ananda Vrindavan Champu by Srila Kavi Karnapura Translated by Bhanu Swami & Subhaga Swami.

Now we will discuss the truth about the transcendental birthplace of Bhagavan and the appearance of Lord Sri Krishna. Once upon a time, Bhumi, the predominating deity of the earth, felt overburdened by different demons posing as members of the royal order. Feeling aggrieved upon seeing her miserable condition, the lotus-born Brahma appealed to Ksirodakasayi Visnu, the maintainer of the universe, saying, “Please deliver Goddess Bhumi who is feeling greatly distressed by these demoniac kings. Only You can remove this terrible influence from the earth.”

The time for an appearance of the Lord coincided with two internal desires of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. First the Lord desired to descend on earth to increase the fortune of Yasoda and Nanda. Also at that time Krishna wanted to relish the sweet mellow of smgara rasa (paramour love) while enacting His worldly pastimes. For these two reasons the Lord appeared within the material creation on Bhuloka, (earth planet), along with His parents, friends, and other eternal associates.

Another distinction of Lord Krishna’s earthly pastimes is that when the eternally liberated gopis such as Srimati Radharani, Candravali, and others appeared, the Srutis personified also appeared in the homes of other gopis,because they had previously cultivated the desire to serve Sri Krishna as Vraja gopis. The Dandakaranya sages, upon seeing the svakiya bhava (the sweet conjugal relationship) of Lord Ramacandra and Sitadevi, desired to have the same relationship with their Lord Madana Gopala. Upon attaining perfection in their sadhana they achieved the fortunate position of appearing as gopis in Vrindavan. Yogamaya, Lord Krishna’s pastime potency who possesses unlimited abilities, appeared invisibly in Gokula to arrange this, and perform other difficult tasks on behalf of the Lord.

Sri Nanda, Yasoda, and others appeared in Brhadvana (Mahavana) before the Lord. The gopas, gopis, and other eternally liberated associates appeared after the Lord. Then those who had attained perfection by sadhana, namely the sruti-caris and muni-caris, took birth in Vrindavan.

Learning of Krishna’s imminent appearance, the earth personified, feeling like a wife happily greeting her husband after a long separation, immersed in unlimited joy. At the time of Krishna’s birth the general mass of people tasted the inner bliss that devotees forever relish. Auspicious signs abounded everywhere. As Visnu’s conchshell Pancajanya opens in a clockwise fashion, similarly, auspicious sacrificial fires glowed in all directions. Pure gentle breezes brought a refreshing coolness like devotees who satisfy and sanctify everyone with their calm, sweet, and affectionate behavior.

The whole atmosphere became as completely purified as the heart of a devotee. The devotees once again found peace and prosperity in worshiping the lotus feet of Lord Hari. Fruits filled the jubilant trees. But the envious demons exhibited various inauspicious signs of degradation such as rapidly aging bodies and symptoms of imminent death. The desire vines of the celestial denizens seemed to be hanging in the air as if eager to produce fruits. At that time all the directions became felt as pure and joyful as the mind of a devotee who has received the mercy of Lord Hari. Just as gems, mantras, or medicines can a remove a poisonous disease from the body of a man, the advent of the Lord relieved the world from the contamination of material existence and the sinful effect of the demons. Happiness gradually replaced the distress in everyone’s hearts.

The bodies of all creatures manifested extraordinary beauty and youthful vitality. Men felt extremely joyful and displayed virtuous qualities. Throughout the world people behaved cordially and interacted amicably. Happiness twinkled in everyone’s eye. At the end of Dvapara-yuga, which completely destroys faults and doubts, an auspicious, favorable, obstacle-free time appeared on the eighth day of the waning moon in Bhadra month. Just at that sweet moment the Rohini Naksatra, along with the good qualities of the moon and an auspicious conjunction of stars called Ayusman, appeared in the sky to give shelter to gentle persons.

As the living entity comes out from the womb of his mother and the moon appears on the lap of the eastern direction, Yogesvara Sri Krishna, the personification of complete bliss, appeared amidst great festivities. As the moon appears in the lap of the eastern direction, which is like a beautiful bride, Krishna manifested the wonderful pastime of His appearance out of His love and compassion for the conditioned souls.

Due to austerities performed in previous lives, Vasudeva and Devaki received the opportunity to momentarily relish parental affection for Lord Sri Krishna when He appeared before them in His form as Vasudeva. Thereafter in fear of Kamsa, Vasudeva brought Vasudeva Krishna to Gokula. There the Supreme Lord appeared as Govinda before Nanda and Yasoda, His eternal parents who have been smothering Him with the sweetest form of parental love since time immemorial. The four symbols of Visnu (sankha, cakra, gada, padmd) adorned His hands and feet. The flute, flower garland, and kaustubha mani, although present within Him, had not yet manifested.

In fear of cruel Kamsa, Vasudeva decided to transfer all his wives except Devaki to Gokula. He sent Rohini to the house of Vrajaraja Nanda. By the sweet will of the Lord, Yogamaya arranged for the seventh child of Devaki (Balarama) to enter the womb of Rohini. As a result, Balarama appeared in the home of Vrajaraja Nanda before the birth of Krishna.

Lord Hari, who is bliss personified, appeared in the home of Nanda Maharaja, the king of Vrindavan for three reasons: to engage the self satisfied sages in devotional service, to please the devotees by performing sweet transcendental pastimes, and to relieve the earth’s burden caused by the demons. At the time of His majestic birth Krishna employed His inconceivable powers to appear in a body of eternity, bliss and knowledge. Everyone in the maternity room swelled with joy upon seeing the Lord’s exquisite transcendental form that looked like a creeper of beauty.

Mother Yasoda resembled a lake of spiritual ecstasy in which a brilliant blue lotus of personified bliss had appeared. Neither the wind nor the bees relished the fragrance of that blue lotus. That unborn lotus was never touched by the waves of the modes of nature. Even Lord Brahma could not see it, what to speak of ordinary men.

After Yasoda and her family members fell asleep in the maternity room, Hari cried beautifully like a newborn baby. His crying sounded like the maha-vakya omkara announcing the auspicious arrival of His pastimes. Omkara is a transcendental vibration that had previously emanated from the mouth of Lord Brahma. When the ladies of Vrindavan heard the sweet sound of Krishna’s crying, they woke up and ran to see the Lord. With the mellow of their matchless overflowing affection they anointed His body.

The natural fragrance of Krishna’s body smelled just like musk. After the ladies bathed Krishna hi sweet ambrosia, He looked cleansed and beautiful. Then they smeared His body with fragrant sandalwood pulp. The presiding deity of the house sent a campaka flower resembling the flame of a lamp into the maternity room to worship that ornament of the three worlds. With the strength of His little arms, delicate as the tender leaves of a tree, Krishna made all the lamps in the maternity room look like a garland of lotus flower buds.

The ladies of Vrindavan saw baby Krishna like a blossoming flower made of the best of blue sapphires, or like a newly unfurled leaf of a tamala tree. Krishna looked like a fresh rain cloud decorated with the musk tilaka of the goddess of fortune of the three worlds. The ointment of the greatest auspiciousness lined His eyes. His presence filled the maternity room with good fortune. Although a mere baby, Krishna had a head full of curly hair. To hide the unique signs on His hands (goad, fish, conch etc.) the Lord folded His delicate petal-like fingers into His lotus palm. At that time Krishna laid on His back with His eyes closed.

Mother Yasoda awoke amidst the joyous chattering of the elderly gopis. Leaning over the bed she admired her gorgeous son. But upon noticing her own reflection on Krishna’s body, she imagined it another woman. Thinking that a witch had assumed her form to kidnap Krishna, Yasoda became bewildered and yelled, “Get out of here! You go away!” Spontaneously she cried out to Nrsimhadeva to protect her precious son. Beholding Krishna’s tender face, Yasoda showered tears of affection that looked like an offering of a pearl necklace.

Yasoda saw Krishna’s body as a mound of dark blue musk, softer than the butter churned from the milk ocean. Overflowing with nectar, His charming body appeared like the foam of milk, but being dark blue in color it seemed the foam was full of musk juice. Admiring the supremely delicate form of her son, Yasoda worried about His safety and feared the touch of her body might hurt his tender body.

As she leaned over the bed Yasoda bathed Krishna with the milk dripping from her breasts. The elderly gopis instructed Yasoda how to caress the baby in her lap, and affectionately push the nipple of her breast into Krishna’s mouth to feed Him. Due to Yasoda’s intense love, personified bliss flowed from her breasts as steady streams of milk. When milk sometimes spilled out of Krishna’s bimba fruit red lips onto His cheeks, Mother Yasoda would wipe His face with the edge of her cloth. After feeding her son, Yasoda gazed affectionately at Him in wonder.

She saw her child’s body as made of dazzling blue sapphires. His mouth resembled a red bimba fruit and His hands and feet looked like exquisite rubies. Krishna’s nails shone like precious gems. In this way, Yasoda thought her child was completely made of jewels. Then she perceived that His naturally reddish lips looked like bandhuka flowers, His hands and feet resembled Java flowers, His nails looked like maJlika flowers. Yasoda then thought, “Krishna’s whole body seems to be made of blue lotus flowers. He does not appear to be mine.” After thus deliberating within herself Yasoda became stunned in amazement.

The beautiful, soft curly hairs on the right side of Krishna’s chest resembled the tender stems of a lotus. Seeing the mark of Srivatsa on His chest, Yasoda thought it was breast milk that had previously spilled out of His mouth. She tried unsuccessfully to remove these ‘milk stains’ with the edge of her cloth. Struck with wonder, Yasoda thought this must be the sign of a great personality. Observing the sign of Laksmi (a small golden line) on the left side of Krishna’s chest, Yasoda thought a small yellow bird had made a nest amidst the leaves of a tamala tree. Could this be a streak of lightning resting on a rain cloud, or could it be the golden streaks marking a black gold-testing stone? Krishna’s delicate, leaf-like hands and feet, glowing pink like the rising sun, looked like clusters of lotus flowers floating in the Yamuna.

Sometimes Yasoda saw the curly, dark blue locks of baby Krishna as a swarm of bumblebees surrounding His face. Intoxicated from drinking too much honey nectar, the bees just hovered in the sky. His thick, beautiful blue hair appeared like the dark night. The two lotus eyes of Krishna looked like a pair of blue lotus buds. His cheeks resembled two huge bubbles floating in a lake of liquefied blue sapphires. Krishna’s attractive ears looked like a pair of fresh unfurled leaves growing on a blue creeper.

The tip of Krishna’s dark nose appeared like the sprout of a tree, and His nostrils looked like bubbles in the Yamuna River, the daughter of the sun god. His lips resembled a pair of red Java flower buds. Krishna’s chin rivaled a pair of ripe, redjambu fruits. Seeing the extraordinary beauty of her son fulfilled the purpose of her eyes and submerged Yasoda in an ocean of bliss. The elderly Vrajavasi ladies addressed Vrajaraja Nanda, “O most fortunate one, you fathered a son!” Previously Nanda Maharaja had felt deeply aggrieved over his long-standing inability to obtain a son. His heart was like a small lake that had completely dried up during a long hot summer. But when Nanda Maharaja heard of his son’s birth he felt as if the dry lake of his heart had been blessed with a sudden downpour of nectar. The gentle sound of Krishna’s voice removed all his grief and lamentation. Now he bathed in the rains of bliss, swam in the ocean of nectar, and felt embraced by the joyful stream of the celestial Ganges.

Eager to see his son, Nanda’s body thrilled with astonishment and waves of ecstasy as he stood outside the maternity room. Because he had accumulated heaps of pious activities, it appeared that the King of Vrindavan was now shaking hands with the personification of pious deeds. Anxiously standing in the background, Yogamaya induced Nanda Maharaja to enter the maternity room. He rushed in to see his son, the personified seed of condensed bliss. It seemed that all the auspiciousness of the three worlds now resided within Krishna, the original cause of everything. Nanda saw his son as a perfectly charming person. The kajala around Krishna’s eyes looked like lines on a black creeper of beauty. As the very embodiment of Nanda’s good fortune, Sri Krishna bloomed like a beautiful flower in a garden of desire trees.

The aparajita flower is compared to the body of the Queen of Vrindavan. Her son is like the representative of the Upanisads that are compared to the fruit of the desire creepers. By seeing his glorious son Nanda felt that he had attained happiness, perfection, and the fulfillment of all his desires. Meeting that embodiment of bliss overwhelmed Nanda with immeasurable satisfaction. He stood motionless, stunned; his hair stood erect and tears flowed from his eyes. He appeared like a person carved in stone or a figure drawn in a painting. For some time Nanda Maharaja remained in this semi-conscious state like a sleeping man about to awaken.

Upananda, Sunanda, and other relatives felt extremely joyful while observing the best of brahmanas perform the rites of purification for Krishna’s birth. To insure his son’s welfare Nanda Maharaja donated newborn calves to each and every brahmana, thus turning their homes into abodes of surabhi cows. These cows had gold and silver plated horns and hooves, and jeweled necklaces adorning their necks. In addition, Vrajapati Nanda filled the courtyards of their homes with hills of gold, jewels, and sesame seeds. While Nanda distributed charity, the kamadhenus, touch- stones, and desire-trees lost their power to produce valuable items. Even the jewel-producing oceans lost their stock of jewels, and the goddess of fortune, the abode of lotuses, had but one lotus in her hand. The auspicious news of Krishna’s wonderful appearance spread in all directions by word of mouth. Delight danced in the hearts of Nanda, his brothers Upananda and Sunanda, and all the other gopas. The gopas brought many varieties of delicious dairy products such as milk, yogurt, butter, wet cheese, and hard cheese in jewel-studded pots. The pots were tied to the ends of bamboo poles with jute straps and carried on their shoulders. Bedecked with many precious jeweled ornaments, the gopas appeared very handsome. They dressed in beautiful yellow cloth defeating the brilliance of lightning, and held staffs topped with gold and jewels in their lotus hands. As a great ocean spreads its waves in all directions, the birth of Krishna filled the Vrajavasis with unbounded bliss. The gopas and gopis enjoyed a grand festival by happily eating and by splashing each other’s bodies with a mixture of yogurt, butter, milk, and condensed milk. The society girls visiting Nanda Maharaja’s house experienced more happiness than they had ever felt since their birth. Their minds saturated with joy and satisfaction. Hearing the delightful description of Krishna’s birth carried away the chariots of their minds and made them abandon all other duties. They became possessed with the desire to see Krishna.

Sparkling rubies hung from the necklaces adorning the society girls. Their diamond-studded armlets shown more beautifully than drops of crystal clear water. Their jewel inlaid golden bangles boasted unparalleled elegance. For this unique festival they took out some highly ornamental waist-belts from their jewel boxes and tied them around their hips. The sweet jingling of the waist-bells resting on their broad hips enhanced the beauty of these society girls. They attracted the minds of everyone with their bulky golden anklets, loosened hair braids, and graceful gait, which resembled the smooth gliding of swans. Their minds entered a state of enchantment as they gazed upon the captivating beauty of Krishna’s transcendental body. To worship Krishna they brought golden trays full of auspicious articles such as fruits, flowers, yogurt, durva grass, uncooked rice, and jewel bedecked lamps. They covered the offering plates with splendid yellow silk cloth and held them in their soft lotus hands. Their jeweled ankle-bells vibrated pleasantly as they walked.

Beholding the astounding beauty of the delicate baby, the society girls considered the purpose of their eyes fulfilled. They perceived Krishna’s perfect birth to be like the appearance of the leaves of an important herbal medicine. Krishna resembled a blue lotus floating hi the lake of His parent’s affection. After bestowing their blessings for Krishna’s prosperity, they worshiped Krishna with fresh flowers and a constant shower of loving glances. With great enthusiasm the society girls glorified Vrajesvari Yasoda since she had attained the essence of all good fortune by having Krishna as her son. Leaving the maternity room, the society girls entered the assembly hall of Nanda Maharaja’s palace. Their faces looked exceedingly beautiful as they sung melodious songs, which resembled the soft sweet humming of bees moving amidst a cluster of lotus flowers. All the guests bathed in a nectar shower produced by these soothing sounds. Overwhelmed with love, they filled then- lotus palms with fragrant oil, turmeric paste, and fresh butter and started smearing each other’s faces and bodies. They looked very attractive with then* smiling faces and glittering white teeth.

Then: red lips seemed more beautiful than red bandhuka flowers. This incredible display of elegance smashed the pride of the goddess of fortune of the three worlds. Carried away with joy over Krishna’s birth, they fearlessly threw cheese balls, butter, and yogurt at each other. One could mistake the white balls of cheese for hailstones, solidified moonlight, or white mud from the floor of the milk ocean. Then they showered each other with buttermilk, aromatic oils, and water mixed with turmeric.

Cymbals, damru drums, bherries, and big drums vibrated auspicious sounds hi specific melodies. A celestial concert of precise poetical meters, proper rhythms, and metrical compositions suddenly manifested there. The musical ensemble inspired the society girls to sing and dance in mirth and merriment. Though not good singers, by the will of the Lord they sang with great virtuoso. Then” wonderful songs filled Nanda Maharaja’s heart with joy. The combined vibrations of brahmanas’ chanting Vedic hymns, the recitation of Purank lore, and the panegyrists’ prayers transformed the ethers into sabda brahman,

The joy of Krishna’s birth celebration taxed the drains of Nanda’s capital city as they swelled to the brim with milk, yogurt, and other auspicious liquids. Soon rivers of this nectar flooded the streets of the town and permeated the entire atmosphere with a sweet fragrance. Disguising themselves as birds, the demigods descended to Vrajapura to happily drink the flood of nectar. The Vrajavasis decorated their cows with gold and jeweled ornaments. Then in great excitement they smeared them with oil, fresh butter, and turmeric paste. Beholding Krishna in their hearts, these fortunate cows looked like the essence of the earth’s auspicious-ness. The whole world resounded with their jubilant bellowing. Absorbed in the ecstasy of Krishna’s birth, they forgot about eating and drinking.

The festival drowned the gopis in an ocean of joy. After offering oil, vermilion, garlands, and utensils in charity to all the assembled gopis, Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva, asked them to bless Krishna, Upon completion of the sacrifice, Upananda and the other relatives felt constant happiness while taking their baths. Keeping the King of Vrindavan in the front,Nanda’s relatives offered opulent cloth, jeweled ornaments, tambula, garlands, and sandalwood pulp to the guests. Then they humbly requested all in attendance to bless that wonderfully auspicious boy who had just appeared in Vrindavan.

By Radhacaran das (on behalf of the Chinese yatra)

What a more auspicious day than Janmastami day to leave this mortal world, surrounded by loving family, devotee friends and the holy names of Krishna. This is the atmosphere in which Sankirtan Prabhu departed on September 5th 2015 at 10.15am, at his sister’s home, Vanamali devi dasi, in Lungern outside Zurich, Switzerland, his native country. The last words Sankirtan Prabhu uttered as he prepared for departure were, “When I hear Srila Prabhupada’s bhajans and his singing I feel that he is calling me to…”

Sankirtan Prabhu met the devotees while traveling around the world in the early 1980s when he came across Srila Prabhupada’s books in Peru, Bolivia. He later travelled to Australia and New Zealand and finally met his initiating spiritual master, Lokanath Swami. Naturally he spent long periods on Padayatra and it was in 1988 that he embarked on a special service that would become his life contribution. At that time, Srila Tamal Krishna Goswami was expending his service in Mainland China and attracted several daring Vaisnavas for pioneer preaching. Sankirtan Prabhu was one of them who from the onset embraced this adventure wholeheartedly. Little that we know, in those days, going into China traditionally dressed as Vaisnavas was a novelty but welcome by most people in the background of their restricted lifestyles. But after June 1989, things changed and devotees had to continue their activities underground. For Sankirtan Prabhu, the pioneer spirit in his heart just kept burning, very much akin to the traditional missionary monks who would leave everything and dedicate their lives to spread the glories of God in Godforsaken lands. He learned Chinese and travelled the length and breadth of the vast Chinese land countless times to help train the devotees and bring new ones to the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada. He spent 30 years doing nothing but that. His service also expended to preaching in Taiwan and Hong Kong but Sankirtan Prabhu also had two activities very dear to his heart. One was education and the other was spending quality time in the holy dhams of Mayapur and especially Vrindavan. He thus travelled to different countries, including China, to teach bhakti sastri and the disciple course. He was always enthusiastic to take part in street chanting as well. In Vrindavan, his favourite place was at the feet of Sri Govardhan. This is where he requested his ashes to be placed.

Sankirtan Prabhu lived a very simple life. He was austere and was an exemplary sadhaka. He never sought out comfort for himself but did all it took to reach to the Chinese devotees who lived in difficult conditions. With the soft opening of China to the world came many opportunities for preaching which inspired Sankirtan Prabhu to bring yoga students to the holy dham and also to write bridging books for Chinese people to understand better what yoga is and in particular, bhakti yoga. His ultimate desire was to settle in the mountains and live in full contemplation on the holy names and Srila Prabhupada’s teaching and by doing so, attract people to come and discover the pure goodness of Krsna consciousness as many Chinese often appreciate in their own traditions.

Two years ago, in October 2013, a tumour appeared in Sankirtan Prabhu’s throat, which developed into a malignant cancer. He tried several natural treatments in vain, and then came to Beijing for a more aggressive treatment. His dear sister Vanamali devi dasi dedicated herself entirely to looking after him in the best natural environment until it was clear that he would not be able to win this battle. It is clear however, and from the auspicious way that he departed, in fully clarity of spirit, that he had won the battle in this material world and returned to Krsna on His appearance day.

There are no words to describe how pleasing it is to the spiritual master, the guru parampara and Lord Caitanya when a vaisnava such as Sankirtan Prabhu dedicate his life to go places where no one else will, where there are no temples and no association and where Krsna consciousness is not accepted. The risks taken and the austerities that come with it make one very dear to Lord Krishna. As such Sankirtan Prabhu was due to embrace the renounced order life, sannyasa, as approved during the last 2015 Mayapur GBC meeting, though he lived like a proper sannyasi for many years. May his memories inspire many to take up the banner of preaching and be as exemplary as he was.

The main dome stainless steel superstructure is now completed! This was a major undertaking and is a milestone in the progress of the TOVP.

Visually we can now admire its perfect roundness and how every segment and ring fits like a glove. Such a task and structure has never been accomplished anywhere else in the world; it is unique to the TOVP.

We would especially like to thank Mr. Chaudhuri, our senior engineer, for making every single section of the dome perfect.

The next challenging phase will be the mounting of the Kalash and, finally, the Chakra, which must be accomplished with as much precision and perfection as the dome. May we all pray together for the successful completion of this endeavor.

The most cinematic aerial footage of TOVP shot by Prananatha Das (Paul Tuffery) in September of 2015 in Mayapur, India.

The main dome of the TOVP is now complete in regard to the installation of the panels. This short clip gives a birds eye view of TOVP on Janmastami day, 2015.

Golden Age Media is proud to announce, in association with HG Siddhanta Prabhu (ACBSP), the publication of the "Memories-Anecdotes of a Modern-Day Saint" series in English for exclusive distribution in India @ very subsidized price. This beautiful 3 volume set includes the entire library of interviews of Srila Prabhupada's disciples about their time in his association. HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaj unveiled the set on the auspicious occasion of Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja Pandal program at ISKCON-Delhi.

You will hear from over 400 devotees and almost 15,000 anecdotes within its 1500 Nectar-filled pages. Thousands of stories to inspire you daily! Its 59 chapters took almost 25 years in making!! This set is a definite “Page Turner” as we guarantee a story on every page that will inspire and educate every reader.

The following are a few sample stories:

“In one lecture, Prabhupada said, ‘This is a movement for the living entity.’ I was thinking how generally we talk about saving the human beings, but he was describing the movement as a movement for all living entities. That struck me.”

“A challenging reporter asked Prabhupada, ‘What do you do? You walk on water? Do you turn water into wine?’ Prabhupada said, ‘There can be a beautiful woman here naked—you will be attracted, I will not.’”

“One devotee asked, ‘Why do we say we’re living in a world of maya when it feels so real? I know that I’m here. This isn’t a dream. I’m seeing it.’ Prabhupada replied, ‘When you sleep at night, do you dream?’ The devotee said, ‘Yes.’ Prabhupada then said, ‘The only reason why you think the daytime dream is more real than the nighttime dream is that you send more time awake.’”

“I cannot think of anything small, that is my disease. Everything must be big.”

One day Prabhupada said, “I’ve given you this big ISKCON movement. If you can, please expand it.” He said, “At least maintain it. Don’t let this decrease.” Then he said, “Please cooperate,” as he said so many times before. And then Prabhupada started to cry. Everyone in the room started crying. That was probably the most painful moment of my life, to see Prabhupada cry. So we have this movement. It’s Prabhupada’s movement. We have the good, we have the bad, and we have the ugly. But we just have to be determined to never leave the ISKCON movement. We just have to always try to push it forward. If there’s a problem, push it forward. Because when you leave ISKCON, you make Prabhupada cry. So let’s make Prabhupada happy and push on Krishna consciousness to every town and village.

"As Krishna gave us Srimad-Bhagavatam, which has all kinds of stories about Him so that we can develop not just knowledge of Him and His teachings, but also an attraction for His personality, similarly, by hearing these beautiful stories about Srila Prabhupada, we can love Srila Prabhupada. Prabhupada explains that unless there is love, we cannot fix the mind. We cannot fix the mind on something we don't love. So we must love Srila Prabhupada. And one of the ways to love him is to hear about him. The stories we hear are significant because they teach us the heart of the pure devotee and the concerns of the pure devotee. And they can melt our reluctance to surrender."

“?It’s like having Srila Prabhupada's association again. Not only is it a living testimony of the remarkable transcendental personality of Srila Prabhupada, but we are also reminded of the wonderful association of our God brothers. These remembrances make our short time with Srila Prabhupada seem so real and personal. We are reminded again and again that not only was he the Founder-Acarya, but also our loving father and humorous best friend. The association of a pure devotee is exceedingly rare and unique. Whatever we can do to capture the experience for future generations is an invaluable service.”

“?If we look at ISKCON as Prabhupada’s body, and we’re all helping to carry that body, we all have to cooperate in order that Prabhupada’s not inconvenienced at any point. We have to really work together. It doesn’t matter about our size, shape, when we came, what our different services might be – they all have to be coordinated in such a way that as Prabhupada’s movement grows, Prabhupada’s not inconvenienced to the point where he becomes upset by the way we act and treat each other.”

*If you order the “Memories” Set now, we will give at discounted price of Rs.1500/- only (MRP Rs.1675/-).

*Loose Volumes are also available @ Rs.600/- each volumes.

*This set can also be delivered to your doorstep at an extra cost of Rs.350/- for the set and Rs.120/- for each Loose Volume (By AIR).

This Offer Ends on October 1, 2015

**Special Discounts for Temple BBTs/ Congregations/ Namahattas for Bulk Purchases.

Yesterday Srila Lokanath Swami Maharaj has offered his new book "Vraj Mandal Darshan" to Srila Prabhupad on  the auspicious day of Srila Prabhupad's Vysapuja in Sri Vrindavan Dham. I am attaching some of the wonderful moments with maharaj.

The Lord's mercy upon the fallen souls is equally distributed. He has no one as the specific object of hostility. The very conception of the Personality of Godhead as a human being is misleading. His pastimes appear to be exactly like a human being's, but actually they are transcendental and without any tinge of material contamination. He is undoubtedly known as partial to His pure devotees, but in fact He is never partial, as much as the sun is never partial to anyone. By utilizing the sun rays, sometimes even the stones become valuable, whereas a blind man cannot see the sun, although there are enough sun rays before him. Darkness and light are two opposite conceptions, but this does not mean that the sun is partial in distributing its rays. The sun rays are open to everyone, but the capacities of the receptacles differ.

Purushottam Nitai Das: How many of us remember our days in our mother’s womb? Although we spent 9 months there but we remember nothing. How many of us can recollect each and every moment of our life which we have spent till now? Of course we can remember in bits and pieces but not in entirety. In fact if we retrospect our life’s spent moments then it will pass in a flash. What does it convey? That the moment which is very precious to us now will lose its relevance in future and we will forget it. Not that we forget many incidents of this life but the Vedic books tells us that we have forgotten many lives which we have lived here in different forms and in different species. This is why when Arjuna, at the onset of the Mahabharata war, bemoans that his relatives will die then Krishna reminds him that as soul all living beings are eternal and so they will never die. When a soul loses its current bodily dress made of flesh then according to his karma he gets a new dress made of flesh. This repeated cycle of birth and death (soul getting new bodies) continues as long as we are in this world and here we have to work very hard for survival.

Krishna, the all good benevolent God does not like to see us in this precarious situation so he comes in this world with a solution which can eliminate all our sufferings for ever. One of the reasons for Krishna’s appearance is that he comes to annihilate the miscreants but most importantly he appears in this mortal world to disseminate the information about the secret of eternal happiness. He being the supreme controller, it is not very difficult for him to extricate the world from unworthy beings and he may accomplish it without descending in this world. But just like a caring father who can chat with his child who is in a hostel on skype where he can hear and see him but he still loves to go and meet his child and tries his best to make life comfortable for him, similarly Krishna comes in this world to meet us, his children, and invite us back to the spiritual world which is free from all sufferings – there is no death, no disease, no mental and physical suffering.

The ephemeral pleasure of this mortal world never satiates our heart. Moreover since our body deteriorates daily so our capacity to enjoy this world also diminishes day by day. This is why Krishna tells us not to be so obsessed with the worldly happiness and distress but to focus on permanent salvation. And for this, we can make the spiritual world our eternal home where happiness is everlasting. Krishna in Gita says that those who become part of his spiritual kingdom never come back to this material world, “Those who reach it never return to this material world” (Bhagavad Gita 15.6). This is the promise of Krishna, whom the Vedic books declare as the Supreme God – Krishna tu bhagavan svayam (Srimad Bhagavatam 1.3.28)

So why let go this wonderful opportunity. We should in fact utilize each and every moment of our life to purify our existence so that we gain the eligibility to become part of Krishna’s abode. On Krishna’s auspicious appearance day we can make a vow to bring Krishna in our life. And the best way to do is to start chanting sincerely the Hare Krishna Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare/Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. We should not waste our time waiting for the right opportunity to start practicing devotional life because in this world there won’t be any perfect moment, we will always find ourselves busy in something or deprived of something. For e.g. a teenager has lots of time, lots of energy but hardly any money. A youth has money, energy but no time. And an old person has time and money but no energy. We will never find a favourable time to do the right thing. A boatman does not always wait for the wind to blow in a particular direction; instead he channelizes the energy of the wind to reach his desired destination. Similarly we can use any opportunity to spiritualize our life. Krishna’s invitation to return to his kingdom needs our immediate attention. In fact if we have a strong desire to spend rest of our life with Krishna then he promises that he will give us the know-how by which we can attain him – To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me (Bhagavad Gita 10.10)

(Purushottam Nitai Das works in Tech Mahindra, Milton Keynes, UK, as “Associate Solution Designer”. Check his blog http://krishnamagic.blogspot.in/)