The Ultimate Sanctioner

PARAMATMA / SUPERSOUL - THE DIRECTOR IN THE HEART – LESSON 12.3

2008-04-29T12:32:00.000-07:00

PARAMATMA SANCTIONS PLEASURE AND PAIN:

Who is regulating the exact amount of suffering we are supposed to incur? Who monitors the period of pain/pleasure: When the pleasure/pain should start and when should it end? Paramatma! Paramatma's job is very complicated. Sometimes you get a ulcer in your mouth and it is intensely paining. You make plans to go to the doctor so many times, but you are kept so busy (by Paramatma) that you forget everyday. After 10 days you see that the ulcer has automatically disappeared. So If you are supposed to reap a particular quantum of pleasure/pain, Paramatma will give it to you, and we have no way out to escape from it. Ten thousand lifetimes before you might have performed a particular activity for which Paramatma will give you reaction through proper instrument now. So we can imagine how much super super computer Paramatma is.

So scientists should be the greatest devotees. Although some scientists surrender to God, why majority of the scientific community has no idea about Paramatma? They have knowledge, but that knowledge is stolen by illusion: `mayaya apahrta jnana'. They have intelligence, but that is impure intelligence, which wants to manipulate matter and lord over it.

If one has to understand Krishna, then one has to surrender the intelligence at the lotus feet of Krishna, purify it and use it for understanding scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Then one will become a true scientist capable of understanding and explaining spiritual science about Krishna.

PARAMATMA : OVERSEER AND PERMITTER:

While talking about the activities of Paramatma in our body, Krishna says:

`upadrastanumanta ca bharta bhokta mahesvarah
paramatmeti capy ukto dehe'smin purusah parah'

"Yet in this body there is another, a transcendental enjoyer who is the Lord, the supreme proprieter, who exists as the overseer and permitter, and who is known as the Supersoul" [B.G.13.23].

Whatever the living entity thinks, feels and wills, Paramatma is thoroughly aware of it, because He is the overseer in the body. So no one should think: " I am alone, I can think whatever I want, I can do whatever I want". We should become aware that Paramatma is watching even our thoughts that are going on in our mind and so we should have a pure and gentle behavior even within our mind, what then to speak of our words and our action!

Paramatma has a thorough knowledge of our unlimited desires in our minds. If some Jiva desires to do pious activities, Paramatma gives him direction, and takes him to heavenly planets. If some Jiva performs some sinful activities, Paramatma takes him to hellish planets. If someone is searching for a guru who would give blessings for material prosperity, Paramatma takes that Jiva to a cheating guru, who will take some money and give blessings for material prosperity. If someone is hankering for the knowledge about Krishna, and wants to surrender to Krishna, then Paramatma gives him direction to a guru coming in a parampara. So Paramatma OVERSEES the desires of Jiva and accordingly grants PERMISSION.

To be continued… lesson 12.4: PARAMATMA: THE SUPREME PROPRIETER:

Goal Of Human Life

2008-04-29T12:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my dandavaat pranams! All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudev!

"Sri Sri Gurv-ashtaka" glorifies spiritual master as follows:-

samsaara-davanala-lidha-loka-
tranaya karunya-ghanaghanatvam
praptasya kalyana-gunarnavasya
vande guroh sri-caranaravindam

"The spiritual master is receiving benediction from ocean of mercy. Just as a cloud pours water on a forest fire to extinguish it, so spiritual master delivers the materially afflicted world by extinguishing the blazing fire of material existence. I offer my respectful obeisances unto lotus feet of such a spiritual master, who is an ocean of auspicious qualities".

This powerful verse came to my mind when our beloved Guru Maharaj instructed about the goal of human life during our recent visit. He instructed goal of human life is to Go back to Home back to Godhead, not for any other material goals. That, he explained based on nature of species in material creation. Maharaj instructed, "There are 84 lacs of different species in creation and he quoted following verse to explain existence of different species".

jalajaa nava lakshaani
staavara lakhsa vimshati
kramayo rudra sankhyaakah
pakshinaam dhasa lakshaani
manushya catur lakshaani

The above verse describes different species and its varieties as follows:-

Aquatics - 9 lakh varieties
plant - 20 lakh varieties
Insects - 11 lakh varieties
Birds - 10 lakh varieties
Cows - 30 lakh varieties
Human - 4 lakh varieties

By saying above verse, Maharaj instructed, "Human birth is attained at last after wandering through all other species mentioned above. So think how difficult it is to attain the human birth !". He further continued, "All the species will have to come to across miseries of material existence namely Birth, Death, Old age and Disease. No other species, have the consciousness of how to get rid of these miseries. Only human beings have consciousness, using that, they can go back to Home, back to Godhead, by doing devotional service sincerely. By this way, they can get rid of the miseries of material existence. So goal of human life must be to go back to Home, back to Godhead".

I sincerely pray at the lotus feet of beloved Guru Maharaj and of all Vaishnavas. With their blessing may this thought sink into my mind very deeply.

Thank you very much,
Your humble servant in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila

HISTORY OF HOLI

2008-03-21T04:54:00.000-07:00

Holi is an ancient festival of India and was originally known as 'Holika'. The festivals finds a detailed description in early religious works such as Jaimini's Purvamimamsa-Sutras and Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras. Historians also believe that Holi was celebrated by all Aryans but more so in the Eastern part of India.

It is said that Holi existed several centuries before Christ. However, the meaning of the festival is believed to have changed over the years. Earlier it was a special rite performed by married women for the happiness and well-being of their families and the full moon (Raka) was worshiped.

Calculating the Day of Holi
There are two ways of reckoning a lunar month- 'purnimanta' and 'amanta'. In the former, the first day starts after the full moon; and in the latter, after the new moon. Though the amanta reckoning is more common now, the purnimanta was very much in vogue in the earlier days.

According to this purnimanta reckoning, Phalguna purnima was the last day of the year and the new year heralding the Vasanta-ritu (with spring starting from next day). Thus the full moon festival of Holika gradually became a festival of merrymaking, announcing the commencement of the spring season. This perhaps explains the other names of this festival - Vasanta-Mahotsava and Kama-Mahotsava.

Reference in Ancient Texts and Inscriptions
Besides having a detailed description in the Vedas and Puranas such as Narad Purana and Bhavishya Purana, the festival of Holi finds a mention in Jaimini Mimansa. A stone incription belonging to 300 BC found at Ramgarh in the province of Vindhya has mention of Holikotsav on it. King Harsha, too has mentioned about holikotsav in his work Ratnavali that was written during the 7th century.

The famous Muslim tourist - Ulbaruni too has mentioned about holikotsav in his historical memories. Other Muslim writers of that period have mentioned, that holikotsav were not only celebrated by the Hindus but also by the Muslims.

Reference in Ancient Paintings and Murals
The festival of Holi also finds a reference in the sculptures on walls of old temples. A 16th century panel sculpted in a temple at Hampi, capital of Vijayanagar, shows a joyous scene of Holi. The painting depicts a Prince and his Princess standing amidst maids waiting with syringes or pichkaris to drench the Royal couple in coloured water.

A 16th century Ahmednagar painting is on the theme of Vasanta Ragini - spring song or music. It shows a royal couple sitting on a grand swing, while maidens are playing music and spraying colors with pichkaris.

There are a lot of other paintings and murals in the temples of medieval India which provide a pictoral description of Holi. For instance, a Mewar painting (circa 1755) shows the Maharana with his courtiers. While the ruler is bestowing gifts on some people, a merry dance is on, and in the center is a tank filled with colored water. Also, a Bundi miniature shows a king seated on a tusker and from a balcony above some damsels are showering gulal (colored powders) on him.

Legends and Mythology

In some parts of India, specially in Bengal and Orissa, Holi Purnima is also celebrated as the birthday of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1533). However, the literal meaning of the word 'Holi' is 'burning'. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap.

Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage on herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she enters the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.

Legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with play with colors as the Lord started the tradition of play with colours by applying colour on his beloved Radha and other gopis. Gradually, the play gained popularity with the people and became a tradition.

There are also a few other legends associated with the festival - like the legend of Shiva and Kaamadeva and those of Ogress Dhundhi and Pootana. All depict triumph of good over evil - lending a philosophy to the festival.

SRI DEVANANDA PANDITA - Disappearance day

2008-01-03T23:20:00.001-08:00

SRI DEVANANDA PANDITA

Sri Devananda Pandit used to live at Kuliya. He was a famous reciter of the Srimad Bhagavatam and many people used to study the Bhagavatam under his guidance.

One afternoon, Srivasa Pandita came to hear Devananda Pandit's recitation of the Bhagavatam. Hundreds of students were seated around the Pandit and some were following his reading in their own personal copies of the manuscript.

Srivasa Pandita was a very advanced devotee and thus, when the sweet nectar of the Bhagavatam entered his ears, his heart became softened in love of God. He started to cry and roll on the ground, his body having become agitated by the waves of ecstatic love.

When the students of Devananda saw this, they thought, "This fellow must be crazy. He is disturbing our hearing of the recitation. Get him out of here." Thus they picked him up and carried him outside. Though Devananda saw all this taking place, he didn't prevent those foolish students of his from committing this offense. As the guru was ignorant, so his students were sinful.

Srivasa said nothing, but simply went to his house feeling very sad. All of this occured before the appearance of Sri Gaurasundara.

During Mahaprabhu's exhibition of His divine position as the Supreme Personality of Godhead for twenty-one hours, He asked Srivasa if he remembered this incident.

One day, when Mahaprabhu was taking a stroll around Nadiyanagara, he came to Mahesvara Visarada Pandit's house. At that time Devananda resided there. Mahaprabhu heard him reciting the Srimad Bhagavatam from outside and became very angry.

"What purport will that rascal explain? Not in any of his births has he understood the meaning of even one verse of the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Bhagavatam is the avatara of Sri Krsna in book form. Devotion is the only subject it teaches. The four Vedas are like yoghurt and the Bhagavatam is like butter. Srila Sukadeva Gosvami did the churning and Maharaja Pariksit ate that butter. Sukadeva Gosvami is very dear to Me. He knows very well that the Srimad Bhagavatam is meant to describe the truth about Me according to My own liking. Whoever sees any difference between Me, My own devotees and the Srimad Bhagavatam simply brings destruction upon himself." [C.B. Mad 21.13]

Mahaprabhu made these statements in a voice loud enough for Devananda to hear. Then He turned to go back to His home. The devotees following Him begged for more mercy. He continued, "All the scriptures state that the Srimad Bhagavatam enunciates the highest realization. Without having understood any of this, simply for the sake of name and fame as a religionist and a scholar, he poses himself as a teacher of this great book. But he doesn't know the purport.

"Only one who has understood that the Srimad Bhagavatam is verily the inconceivable intelligence of the Supreme Lord Himself knows that the only meaning of the Bhagavatam is devotion. In order to understand the book Bhagavata, one has to serve the devotee-Bhagavata."

Devananda could hear all of these remarks from the distance, yet he thought nothing of it. After some time Gaurasundara accepted sannyasa and went to live at Nilacala. It was then that Devananda at last began to feel some remorse. "Such a great soul, totally imbued with love of God, but I never went even once to have his association."

One day Srila Vakresvara Pandita came to Kuliya to visit the house of one devotee there. In the evening he held a festival of dancing and chanting the Holy Name. Devananda was present on this occasion, and was completely stunned by Sri Vakresvara's effulgence and ecstatic chanting and dancing. As the night progressed more and more, people came to listen to his kirtana until there was finally a huge crowd. Devananda took a cane and began to control the crowd so that Vakresvara's dancing wouldn't be disturbed.

When Vakresvara fainted in ecstatic love, Devananda carefully put his head on his lap and brushed the dust from his body with his own upper cloth. Then he smeared that dust on his own body. That day his service to the devotees had its auspicious beginning.

After some days, Mahaprabhu returned to Bengal to see his mother and the holy Ganges. He also came to Kuliya. At that time thousands upon thousands of people came to have darsana of His lotus feet. All of those who had previously committed offenses against Nimai Pandita by thinking Him to be an ordinary human being now came to seek His forgiveness; Mahaprabhu forgave each and everyone of them. Among those present was Devananda, who fell down on the ground to offer his obeisances to Mahaprabhu. From that moment he became one of the Lord's foremost devotees.

Still, he felt a little hesitant, and thus upon getting up, he stood to one side. Mahaprabhu addressed him, "Because you have served My dear devotee Vakresvara, I am now pleased with you. By that service you have now been able to approach Me. Within Vakresvara's person is Sri Krsna's complete potency. Whoever serves him must receive Krsna's mercy."

Devananda, in a faltering voice replied, "You are the Supreme controller. Simply for the sake of reclaiming fallen souls You have advented Yourself here at Nadiya. I am a sinful wretch and have never served Your lotus feet and thus was cheated of Your causeless mercy for so many years. Oh my Lord, Who resides with in the heart of all living entities, You are Supremely merciful.

Only because You have shown Yourself to me have I been able to see You. O most compassionate One, please instruct me. Let me know the actual purport of the Srimad Bhagavatam."

Mahaprabhu replied, "Now hear Me, O brahmana, and know that the only way to explain the verses of the Bhagavatam is in terms of bhakti. In the beginning, middle and end of the Srimad Bhagavatam there is only one teaching: devotion to Visnu, which is eternally perfect and which is never destroyed or diminished."

"As Krsna's various incarnations such as Matsya and Kurma appear and disappear in this world by Their sweet will, in the same way, the Srimad Bhagavatam is not made or composed by any person. It makes its appearance and disappearance by its own sweet will. Due to the appearance of devotion, the Bhagavatam blossomed forth from Vyasadeva's mouth, by the mercy of Sri Krsna.

"As the truths regarding the Supreme Authority are inconceivable, so are the truths of Srimad Bhagavatam. Many may pretend to know its meaning but they have no real grasp of the evidence the Bhagavatam presents. But whoever who simply remembers the Srimad Bhagavatam while admitting himself to be ignorant can understand the real meaning.

"The Bhagavata, which is saturated with loving devotion for Krsna, is an expansion of Krsna Himself and contains descriptions of His most confidential pastimes." [C.B. Ant. 3.505-516]

"Now you should beg forgiveness by catching hold of Srivasa Pandit's feet. The book Bhagavata and the devotee Bhagavata are not different. If the devotee Bhagavata is merciful to us, then the book Bhagavata manifests its true meaning."

Then Devananda fell at Srivasa Pandita's feet and begged forgiveness. Srivasa embraced him and his offense retreated far away. All the devotees shouted in ecstasy, "Hari bol! Hari bol!"

His disappearance is on the 11th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Pausa.

Saphalaa Ekadasii (Pausha-krishna Ekadasii)

2008-01-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

Story Source: Bhavisya-uttara Purana

Yudhisthira Maharaj said, O my Dear Lord Sri Krishna, what is the name of that Ekadasi that occurs during the dark fortnight of the month of Pausha (December-January)? How is it observed, and which Deity is to be worshipped on that sacred day? Please narrate these details to me fully, so that I may understand Oh Janardana.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna then replied, O best of kings, because you desire to hear, I shall fully describe to you the glories of the Pausha-krishna Ekadasi. I do not become as pleased by sacrifice or charity as I do by My devotee's observance of a full fast on Ekadasi. To the best of one's ability, therefore, one should fast on Ekadasi, the day of Lord Hari. O Yudhisthira, I urge you to hear with undivided intelligence the glories of Pausha-krishna Ekadasi, which falls on a Dwadasi.

As I explained previously, one should not differentiate among the many Ekadasis. O king, to benefit humanity at large I shall now describe to you the process of observing Pausha-krishna Ekadasi. Pausha-krishna Ekadasi is also known as Saphalaa Ekadasi. On this sacred day one should worship Lord Narayana, for He is its ruling Deity. One should do so by follow the previously described method of fasting. Just as among snakes Shesha-naga is the best, and among birds Garuda is the best, among sacrifices the Ashvamedha-yajna is the best, among rivers Mother Ganges is the best, among gods Lord Vishnu is best, and among two-legged beings the brahmins are the best, so among all fasting days Ekadasi is by far the best.

O foremost of kings who took your birth in the Bharata dynasty, whoever strictly observes Ekadasi becomes very dear to Me and indeed worshipable by Me in every way. Now please listen as I describe the process for observing Saphalaa Ekadasi.

On Saphalaa Ekadasi My devotee should worship Me by offering Me fresh fruits according to time, place and circumstance, and by meditating on Me as the all-auspicious Supreme Personality of Godhead. He should offer Me jaambira fruit, pomegranate, betal nuts and leaves, coconut, guava, varieties of nuts, cloves, mangoes, and different kinds of aromatic spices. He should also offer Me incense and bright ghee lamps, for such an offering of lamps on Saphalaa Ekadasi is especially glorious. The devotee should try to stay awake the Ekadasi night.

Now please hear with undivided attention as I tell you how much merit one gets if he fasts and remains awake throughout the entire night singing and chanting the glories of Narayana. O best of kings, there is no sacrifice or pilgrimage that yields merit that is equal to or better than the merit one gains by fasting on this Saphalaa Ekadasi. Such fasting particularly if one can remain awake and alert the entire night long, bestows the same merit upon the faithful devotee as the performance of austerity for five thousand earthly years.

O lion among kings, please hear from Me the glorious history that made this Divine Ekadasi famous. Once there was a City called Champaavati, which was ruled by the saintly King Maahishmata. He had four sons, the eldest of whom, Lumpaka, always engaged in all manner of very sinful activities – illicit sexual encounters with the wives of others, gambling, and continual association with known prostitutes. His evil deeds gradually reduced the wealth of his father, King Maahishmata. Lumpaka also became very critical of the numerous devas, the empowered universal attendants of the Lord, as well as toward the brahmins, and every day he would go out of his way to blaspheme the Vaishnavas.

At last King Maahishmata, seeing the unrepentant brazen fallen condition of his son, exiled him to the forest. Out of fear of the king, even compassionate relatives didn't come to Lumpaka's defense, so angry was the king toward his son, and so sinful was this Lumpaka.

Bewildered in his exile, the fallen and rejected Lumpaka thought to himself, 'My father has sent me away, and even my kinsmen do not raise but a finger in objection. What am I to do now?' He schemed sinfully and thought, 'I shall sneak back to the city under cover of darkness and plunder its wealth. During the day I shall stay in the forest, and as night returns, so shall I to the city.'

So thinking, the sinful Lumpaka entered the darkness of the forest. He killed many animals by day, and by night he stole all manner of valuable items from the city. The city-dwelling folk apprehended him several times, but out of fear of the king they left him alone. They thought to themselves that it must have been the accumulated sins of Lumpaka's previous births that had forced him to act in such a way that he lost his royal facilities and became to act so sinfully like a common selfish thief.

Though a meat-eater, Lumpaka would also eat fruits every day. He resided under an old banyan tree that unknown to him happened to be very dear to Lord Vaasudeva. Indeed, any worshipped as the demi-god (representative departmental head) of all the trees in the forest. In due course of time, while Lumpaka was doing so many sinful and condemnable activities, the Saphalaa Ekadasi arrived.

On the eve of the Ekadasi (Dasami) Lumpaka had to pass the entire night without sleep because of severe cold that he felt due to his scanty bedclothes (bedding). The cold not only robbed him of all peace but almost of his very life. By the time the sun rose, near dead, his teeth chattering and near comatose. In fact all that Ekadasi morning, he remained in that stupor and could not awaken out of his near comatose condition.

When midday of the Saphalaa Ekadasi arrived, the sinful Lumpaka finally came to and managed to rise up from his place under that banyan tree. But with every step he took, he stumbled and fell to the ground. Like a lame man, he walked slowly and hesitantly, suffering greatly from hunger and thirst in the midst of the jungle. So weak was Lumpaka that he couldn't even concentrate to nor muster strength to go and kill even a single animal that whole day.

Instead, he was reduced to collecting whatever fruits had fallen to the ground of their own accord. By the time he returned to his banyan tree home, the sun had set. Placing the fruits on the ground next to him (at the base of the sacred banyan tree), Lumpaka began to cry out, 'O, woe is me! What should I do? Dear father, what is to become of me? O Sri Hari, please be merciful to me and accept these fruits as an offering!'

Again he was forced to lie awake the whole night without sleep, but in the meantime the all merciful Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Madhusudana, had become pleased with Lumpaka's humble offering of forest fruits, and He accepted them. Lumpaka had unwittingly observed a full Ekadasi fast, and by the merit he reaped on that day he regained his kingdom with no further obstacles. Listen, O Yudhisthira, to what happened to the son of King Maahishmata when but a fragment of the merit spouted up within his heart.

As the Sun beautifully rose in the sky on the day following Ekadasi, a handsome horse approached Lumpaka as if seeking him out, and stood next to him. At the same time, a voice suddenly boomed out from the clear blue-sky saying, 'This horse is for you, Lumpaka! Mount it and ride swiftly out of this forest to greet you family! O son of King Maahishmata, by the mercy of the Supreme lord Vaasudeva and the strength of the merit you acquired by observing Saphalaa Ekadasi, your kingdom will be returned to you without any further hindrances. Such is the benefit you have gained by fasting on this most auspicious of days. Go now, to you father and enjoy your rightful place in the dynasty.'

Upon hearing these celestial words resounding from above, Lumpaka mounted the horse and rode back to the city of Champaavati. By the merit he had accrued by fasting on Saphalaa Ekadasi, he had become a handsome prince once more and was able to absorb his mind in the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari. In other words, he had become My pure devotee.

Lumpaka offered his father, King Maahishmata, his humble obeisances and once more accepted his princely responsibilities. Seeing his son so decorated with Vaisnava ornaments and tilak (udhvara pundra) King Maahishmata gave him the kingdom, and Lumpaka ruled unopposed for many, many years. Whenever the Ekadasi came, he worshipped the Supreme Lord Narayana with great devotion.

And by the mercy of Sri Krishna he obtained a beautiful wife and a fine son. In old age Lumpaka handed his kingdom over to his son – just as his own father, King Maahishmata, had handed it over to him. Lumpaka then went to the forest to dedicate his concentrate attention to gratefully serve the Supreme Lord with controlled mind and senses. Purified of all material desires, he left his old material body and returned back to home, back to Godhead, attaining a place near the lotus feet of his worshipful Lord, Sri Krishna.

O Yudhisthira, one who approaches Me as Lumpaka did will become completely free of lamentation and anxiety. Indeed, anyone who properly observes this glorious Saphalaa Ekadasi – even unknowingly, like Lumpaka – will become famous in this world. He will become perfectly liberated at death and return to the spiritual abode of Vaikuntha. Of this there is no doubt.

Moreover, one who simply hears the glories of Saphalaa Ekadasi obtains the same merit derived by one who performs a Rajasurya-yajna, and at the very least he goes to heaven in his next birth, so where is the loss?

Thus ends the narration of the glories of Saphala Ekadasi or Pausha-krishna Ekadasi taken from the Bhavishya-uttara Purana of Srila Krishna Dwaipayana Vedavyasa.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura’s Disappearance Day

2008-01-03T23:17:00.000-08:00

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's Disappearance Day
A Lecture by Giriraj Swami
December 19, 2005
San Diego

We are gathered on the most auspicious occasion of the disappearance anniversary of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja Prabhupada, the spiritual master of our Srila Prabhupada. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was born in Jagannatha Puri as the son of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, who was a magistrate and the superintendent of the Jagannatha temple in Puri. At that time, during the British rule, the position of magistrate was very important, and rare for an Indian to hold.

Srila Prabhupada told us that Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a ray of Visnu, a liberated soul sent by Krsna. He took birth in the material world for a divine purpose, specifically to assist Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura in his work and to carry on his mission. And soon after Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's birth, during the Ratha-yatra, the chariot stopped in front of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's house, and his mother took him onto the chariot; and a garland from Lord Jagannatha fell directly onto the baby--blessings.

Later, as a preacher, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was a great innovator, and seeing the way he conducted his missionary activities, we can better appreciate the line in which Srila Prabhupada is coming, how Srila Prabhupada is really continuing in the same spirit as his guru maharaja.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura taught that one must engage in bhagavata-marga and pancaratriki-vidhi at the same time. Bhagavata-marga means hearing and chanting the pastimes of the Lord and the devotees as they are described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, and pancaratrika-marga means Deity worship. The logo of the Gaudiya Matha is a circle; on one side is a picture of an arati bell and lamp, with the caption pancaratrika-marga, and on the other side are a mrdanga and a printing press, with the caption bhagavata-marga. Although to make steady progress devotees in general must follow bhagavata- and pancaratriki-vidhi simultaneously, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta gave more emphasis to bhagavata-marga--preaching. He called the printing press the brhat-mrdanga and instructed our Srila Prabhupada, "If you ever get money, print books." Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave the highest importance to producing and distributing books.

For Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati's appearance day celebrations in 1936, Srila Prabhupada wrote a poem and delivered an address at the Bombay Gaudiya Matha. The poem included this verse:

Absolute is sentient
Thou hast proved,
Impersonal calamity
Thou hast moved.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was most pleased with this couplet, and he showed it to various confidential disciples. Somehow, Srila Prabhupada was able to understand his spiritual master's mission and mood. Thereafter, Srila Prabhupada was given the nickname kavi, or poet, and later he produced many books that established Krsna as the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Absolute Truth, and defeated the Mayavadis' impersonal nonsense.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura built a grand temple in Bagh Bazaar in Calcutta, but later he lamented that his disciples hadn't really used the project for the purpose for which it was intended. They became attached to the opulence and fought over who would occupy which office. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta wanted to use the temple to preach, but there is a risk that neophyte devotees will become attached to the opulence and the prestige that come with a big temple and take advantage of the temple for their own personal gain--for power and prestige, money and facility. So, that is a risk. Srila Prabhupada, following his spiritual master, also built big temples, and devotees here are working to build a major temple outside San Diego. We should pray to be proper instruments of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, that we may use the temples for the purposes for which they are intended--to practice and preach pure devotional service--and not be distracted.

Srila Prabhupada constructed grand temples in select places--specifically in Bombay, Vrndavana, and Mayapur--and they have proven to be very successful in attracting people. But what happens to the people once they come? That is our challenge: to actually give them the message of Krsna consciousness, the message of pure devotion, so that they actually surrender to the process of Krsna consciousness and engage in unmotivated devotional service.

Otherwise, people may come, but they will have different mentalities and motives. Some will come just to offer obeisances to the Deities and pray, put some money in the box and leave feeling good. Many engage in such service or ritual with material motives. They give money in the hope that they will get some return. The famous example in India is the Balaji temple at Tirupati. The Deity, Balaji, has the reputation that if you give Him so much, you will get so much in return. Or, some people go and try to strike a deal with the Deity: "I will give you such and such donation if You give me such and such a result."

In India there is even a joke about this. Before going to play the races, a man went to a temple and prayed to the Deity, "Lord, if I win one lakh of rupees [one lakh is one hundred thousand], I will give You fifty thousand." So he went to the races, bet on his horse, and won fifty thousand. So he went back to the Deity and said, "Lord, you didn't trust me. You took Your half first." [laughter] So, they come to do business with the Deity, and sometimes they even try to cheat.

So we have to elevate the people. It is a gradual process, we know, but somehow we have to make the effort and give them, without compromise, the message of pure devotion. In Madras--I suppose it was the first time I was on my own in India--I was meeting people and preaching just the way I had heard Srila Prabhupada preach. But gradually I heard from some of our friends that there was an undercurrent of protest against the way I was preaching. I heard it, and I was surprised, but I didn't really make any change; I just heard it. Then one of our best friends, in whose home I had stayed for two weeks--serving in Madras for about two months, I stayed in different places--said the same thing. He said, "You shouldn't criticize others. Just say what you want about Krsna consciousness and don't say anything negative about others. Don't criticize." And he gave the example of the Gaudiya Matha. He said, "They have Janmastami, and thousands of people come, but they don't criticize like you do. They just present their own activities."

So I thought about it, and I considered, "Does Srila Prabhupada really want us to be like the Gaudiya Matha? I don't think so." Anyway, I kept going. Then another friend, whose brother had actually offered to sponsor Srila Prabhupada's program in Madras, also said the same thing: "All right, you worship Krsna. You can worship Krsna, but don't say that Krsna is better than Siva or Ganesa. You do bhakti. That's all right, but don't say that bhakti is better than karma-yoga or jnana-yoga or . . ."

I kept getting it. Wherever I went, I was getting it. So I thought, "Maybe Krsna is trying to tell me something. Maybe I should listen to what they are saying." So I made a resolution: "I am just going to present Krsna consciousness. I'm not going to criticize, not going to offend people anymore."

Soon thereafter, I had an appointment with a big industrialist. I showed him the pictures of our activities, showed him the books, took out the life membership form, explained the benefits, and asked him to sign. And he said, "What about Sankaracarya? He is one of the great acaryas of India. You haven't said anything about him." [laughter] So I said, "Yes, he is one of the great acaryas of India. Yes." "But you haven't said anything about him. What about him? What about his teachings?" I tried to avoid getting into an argument, so I said something very general and vague. But he kept pushing. He kept probing. And finally it all came out. I told him that actually, Sankaracarya is an incarnation of Siva. As such, we give him all respect. But he came with a special purpose, to present an imagined, monistic interpretation of the Vedas and thus bewilder ignorant people. I even took out the Teachings of Lord Caitanya--we didn't have Caitanya-caritamrta then--and read the verses from the Padma Purana and Siva Purana about Lord Siva taking the form of a brahmana, preaching the false doctrine of Mayavada philosophy, which is covered Buddhism, and promoting atheism. Yet Sankara's ultimate purpose was to bring the Buddhists, who were atheists, to accept the authority of the Vedas. It was a strategy. And then Lord Caitanya came and taught the proper understanding of the Vedas.

Things became tense. The gentleman put forward a lot of arguments, and I thought, "I really didn't want to get into an argument, but somehow I did anyway." And that was the end of the discussion. Dejected, I put away the pictures, put away the books, put away the membership form, closed my briefcase, and was ready to go. As I was just about to leave--he had quite a large compound, which included his factory and office and residence--he said, "Before you go, I would like you to see my temple." I thought, "Oh, no. There is going to be a siva-linga. He is going to want me to bow down, and if I don't he is going to be even more offended." I looked at him, and he looked at me, and I could see he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So I said, "All right."

He escorted me to his temple room. It was quite a large room, as personal temples go. And facing us at the opposite end was the altar. So, I walked in. It was a marble room, all white marble, with the altar on an elevated platform, and on top of the platform were large marble Deities of Radha and Krsna. Boy, was I ever happy to see Radha and Krsna! [laughter] I hadn't seen Them for a long time, because even the Vaisnava temples in Madras were almost all Visnu. And there was the famous temple of Partha-sarathi, which was just Krsna alone.

So I was delighted. I offered my obeisances and prayers, and then I looked at our friend with an expression that asked, "What is happening here?" He looked at me straight in the eyes and said, "I am a devotee of Krsna, and my whole family are devotees. For many generations, we have been devotees of Krsna. . . . Actually, I was just testing you. And you did not compromise. So I am very pleased, and I will be honored to become your life member."

We went back to his office, I took out the forms [laughter], he took out his check book, and he paid the whole amount in one installment and became a life member. So then I was really confused. I started thinking, "Well, maybe I haven't been doing the wrong thing after all"--but I still wasn't quite sure.

Then, when I got back to the room where I was staying, there was a letter from Srila Prabhupada. Receiving any letter from Srila Prabhupada was a great occasion. I opened the letter, and the words just jumped out of the page: "The fact is that I am the only one in India who is openly criticizing, not only impersonalism and demigod worship, but everything that falls short of complete surrender to Krsna." Prabhupada's words continued: "My guru maharaja never compromised in his preaching, nor will I, nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and that all others are His part and parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krsna as Supreme Lord." So, I got my answer from Prabhupada. [laughter]

That was Srila Prabhupada's mood--his guru maharaja's mood and his mood--and that was the mood he wanted us to have. Just before we opened the temple in Juhu, one friend, a most intelligent gentleman, Brijratan Mohatta, said to Srila Prabhupada, "If you want to get a lot of money in the donation box, you have to start spreading rumors that people who give money to these Deities get good results. They get a lot of benefit from it." And Srila Prabhupada said, "No. We don't make business with our God."

So, I would say--although it is hard to imagine, because we know who and what we are--but I think overall, Srila Prabhupada and his guru maharaja are pleased with our efforts. When we first arrived in India, we observed Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's disappearance day in Surat, and Srila Prabhupada began his talk, "The sunrise and the sunset, both are beautiful. Similarly, both the appearance and the disappearance of a Vaisnava are beautiful. So there is no cause of lamentation." Then, on Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's appearance day, in Gorakhpur, Srila Prabhupada really wanted a big celebration. He told the devotees to break the fast at noon but to organize a big function and feast for the evening, and to invite all the people from the Gita Press. So we invited them, and it was a nice occasion.

After the program in the temple, we all went downstairs for the feast, which happened to be full of oil, because in those days we couldn't get cow's ghee in India. We could find buffalo ghee, but even that wasn't the best, and it was sort of expensive. So every feast was a mixed occasion of joy and anxiety that we were going to get upset stomachs. Anyway, when we were almost finished with the feast, Nanda Kumar Prabhu, who was Srila Prabhupada's servant then, came down. In general, when he would remove the plate with Srila Prabhupada's remnants, he would go into a room and, no matter what had been on the plate before, emerge with three slices of ginger, a little pile of salt, and some lime. And he would say, "Does anyone want any maha-prasada?" [laughter]

So, he came downstairs. He didn't bring much more than that, but he did deliver two messages. He told us that Srila Prabhupada had said two things. One was that the feast was so good that he couldn't control his senses and so he overate. [laughter] And the second was "My guru maharaja is very pleased with all of you." So I think that is true, even now.

One other part of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura's mission that was taken up by Srila Prabhupada and in turn has come to us is the Mayapur project. Of course, the previous acaryas envisioned a Krsna conscious city there, with a wonderful temple, and a beginning was made after Bhaktivinoda Thakura discovered Lord Caitanya's birthplace and built a temple there. In time, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati instructed his disciples to build houses, and there are a few that his grhastha followers built. But the dream of the spiritual city hasn't yet been fully realized. And then there is the idea of building a wonderful temple--Srila Prabhupada definitely wanted to build a spectacular temple there.

This may just be my own impression or realization, but once, on Navadvipa parikrama, we went to Godrumadvipa, across the river from Mayapur, to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's house, which also served as a residence for Sarasvati Thakura. Each had a room, and you can see the bed and table and chair and other paraphernalia of each. Anyway, I went out on the balcony of the house, and I was looking across to Mayapur. It is said that Bhaktivinoda Thakura looked across the river to Mayapur and had a vision of this wonderful temple and Vedic city. From the same balcony, I saw Srila Prabhupada's samadhi, the dome of Prabhupada's samadhi. Now, the architecture of the puspa-samadhi in Mayapur is not exactly Bengali. I even heard one senior devotee comment, "We should have done it in the same style as the rest of the temples, Bengali style." But somehow, the impression I got at the time, the intuition, was that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was actually pleased, because he wanted devotees from all over the world to come to Mayapur and chant "Hare Krsna! Haribol!" and dance together. And that architecture, which combined elements of various styles, was the visible manifestation of the fulfilment of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's vision and desire that devotees from all over the world should join together in Mayapur in service to Mahaprabhu.

Once, Srila Prabhupada came to Calcutta from London. He had stopped over in London for some days, and there he had personally designed the first building for Mayapur. He was so enthusiastic; he was just beaming. He had the blueprints with him, and he showed them to us. He was just so excited and enthusiastic. He had the devotees in his room--a few of us, whoever was there--and he was talking about the Mayapur project. But then he raised the question of the flooding. He asked, "What if we build this temple and there is flooding? It could be ruined. Then what?" And he started suggesting, "Maybe we should build it somewhere else, not in Mayapur." And he suggested Birnagar, which is the birthplace of Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

So he was practical. He had ideals, but he was also practical. And what he said really had our minds spinning, because all along we had identified the big temple with Mayapur. The way he dealt with us reminded me of Lord Caitanya with His devotees. Lord Caitanya would take one position, and He would convince all the devotees of that position. And then he would take the opposite position and convince all the devotees of that position. So it was like that with Prabhupada. Somehow he convinced us that we shouldn't build the temple in Mayapur, and then he turned the argument around and convinced us we should build it in Mayapur. But I think the real lesson--and it was a lesson that he repeatedly taught us--was that we shouldn't take anything for granted. When we are dealing with the material world, we shouldn't take anything for granted. He often defined intelligence as the ability to see the same thing from different angles of vision. So he wanted us to consider things with our intelligence and be open to different conclusions.

But whatever it is--wherever it ends up being--he told us very emphatically, "If you build this temple, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead." It was definitely an encouragement.

So, we can't really separate them, their missions. There is Bhaktivinoda Thakura, then Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, then Srila Prabhupada--that is our line. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura is one of our predecessor acaryas, and Srila Prabhupada was carrying forward his line, which came to him through Srila Sarasvati Thakura.

On the subject of not taking anything for granted, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura was very innovative in his preaching. He had the idea that there should be a boat and that devotees should travel from port to port and spread Krsna consciousness. He had the idea of a theistic exhibition with doll exhibits, which was probably as progressive then as IMAX or animatronics now. Also, he interacted with the Britishers. There are pictures of him wearing a long, double-breasted coat, with long stockings and shoes. He looked just like a distinguished Britisher, but with the touches of a dhoti and a turban. And he would ride in a limousine. Now, when I arrived in India in 1970, only the richest people had cars; mainly, they had small Fiats and Ambassadors, and only the very richest had larger, imported cars. That was in 1970, so what would have been the situation in 1930? Practically no one would have had a car, not even the wealthiest. But Bhaktisiddhanta had a limousine. And he was a sadhu! You can see pictures of him in a limousine, very nicely dressed. Sometimes he would entertain important government officers and scholars. There is a picture of him and his disciples receiving some British dignitaries in Mayapur, and the disciples were wearing uniforms--dark pants, dark vests, dark jackets, dark turbans, dark shoes and socks, and white shirts with high collars, with chains draped across their vests (perhaps attached to timepieces). They looked a bit like Christian priests, with elements of Indian princes. Personally, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was extremely austere, but when it came to spreading Krsna consciousness, he was ready to use anything and everything.

By any means, yena tena prakarena, somehow or other, we want people to fix their minds on Krsna. Tasmat kenapy upayena manah krsna nivesayet: Somehow or other, one must fix the mind on Krsna. Somehow or other. Big temples, big festivals, museums, movies--whatever. Of course, the basics will always be there: kirtana and philosophy and prasada. But that is the merciful mood of our acaryas--not to be complacent, not to sit in the temple and eat rice and dal and ring the bell. Go out. Think of ways to somehow or other engage people in Krsna consciousness.

So we have a great lineage, and we have a big challenge. But I think we have a lot of good material too. I think we can do it. Srila Prabhupada said, "By the mercy of my guru maharaja, I did a hundred times more than he did. Similarly, I want you all to do a hundred times more than me."

We pray for the mercy of our predecessor acaryas that we can be empowered by their mercy to carry on their mission and really help people--help ourselves and help others.

Hare Krsna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Madhumangala dasa: Some devotees differ on this. The covers of our books today and the covers that we had twenty years ago--some covers have been changed. I would maintain that we should change our covers. The lifestyle of the seventies and sixties and eighties is totally different from now. So, how do you feel about this? What should we do?

Giriraj Swami: Srila Prabhupada said about his presentation of Krsna consciousness that it was old wine in a new bottle. So to follow in Srila Prabhupada's footsteps, or to follow in the footsteps of our previous acaryas, means to keep the substance the same but, if required, to change the packaging so that people will take it. That is what every acarya has done. Now, great acaryas like Srila Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura can make more drastic changes, because they are empowered to do that. We may not be allowed to make major changes, but we can certainly make adjustments in terms of the presentation.

For example, a very successful book distributor, when he would put a book in people's hands, would say, "This book teaches you how to live in harmony with nature, so that you feel peaceful and satisfied in life." Some other devotees thought, "He is compromising. He is not really presenting the message like Srila Prabhupada did." So they went to Srila Prabhupada and questioned what the other devotee was doing. And Srila Prabhupada replied, "That's what I say [laughter]--except that he has made it sweeter, like a suka [parrot]." So we shouldn't be fanatical. We should understand the purpose. Niyamagraha: we shouldn't act whimsically or independently, but we shouldn't act fanatically either.

Guest: There seemed to be some hesitation to bow down to Lord Siva in case there was a siva-linga in the temple room, as you were saying in the story. When I go to another Hindu temple, sometimes I just go straight to the Deities of Lord Krsna and Radha and bow down there, thinking that all the other deities are included in my worship of Lord Krsna.

Giriraj Swami: That is true.

Guest: What should be our position on Siva being a Vaisnava? Should we bow down if there is a deity of Lord Siva in a temple, like in some Hindu temples in India?

Devotee: We have the instance of Caitanya Mahaprabhu visiting some of the Siva temples.

Giriraj Swami: Yes, it is a subtle point. Vaisnavanam yatha sambhuh: "Lord Siva is the greatest among Vaisnavas." So we offer him respect as a Vaisnava. But the problem is that people accept ISKCON devotees as authorities, and although we may bow down thinking of Siva as a Vaisnava, others may see us and think, "Oh, they bow down to Siva. They bow down to Krsna. All the gods are the same. They are all one." That is the difficulty. Yes, internally we do offer him respect as a Vaisnava, but others don't know he is a Vaisnava. They think he is one of the gods. And if they see us worship him, they may think he is an equal god to Krsna. And that is an offense. Sivasya sri-visnor ya iha guna-namadi-sakalam/dhiya bhinnam pasyet sa khalu hari-namahita-karah: "To think that the names of demigods such as Lord Siva are equal to, or independent of, the name of Lord Visnu is blasphemous."

When Srila Prabhupada eventually came to Madras, we were invited to a special program. The host was quite a wealthy person, and he was inaugurating a temple in his house. And the main deity in his temple room was a siva-linga. Many dignitaries were there, including Srila Prabhupada. The host passed out flower petals to all the guests, and at the appropriate time they all showered the flower petals on the siva-linga. And we were outside the deity room. The room couldn't accommodate all the devotees, but while everyone else was throwing their flowers on the siva-linga, we saw Srila Prabhupada throw his petals in the corner. So, when everyone came out, we went in, and we looked in the corner, and there we saw a Deity of Krsna. [laughter]

So we have to be conscious that we are representing our acaryas and that in our own way we are functioning as acaryas. We can't just act on our own internal mood without being conscious of what effect our actions may have on others. That is why we have to be very careful. We know that Siva is a Vaisnava, and we can offer him respect as a Vaisnava, but people may misunderstand. So I think it is good if there is a clear differentiation, externally, between the way we honor Krsna and the way we honor Siva in public situations.

Guest: Could you elaborate further on Siva as a Vaisnava? How do you convey that to people who are exposed to Indian religion and veering toward Mayavada and Saivite philosophy? What passages are there, and how do you win over, so to speak, a Saivite by explaining to him our philosophy?

Giriraj Swami: It is a matter of authority. We are talking about Siva. You don't know Siva, and I don't know Siva. You don't know Krsna, and I don't know Krsna. We are speaking of what we have heard. Although we may have some realization, basically we are speaking from what we have heard and read. So it is a question of whose authority we accept.

Now, there are many Vedic literatures. We don't have the time to read them all. Nobody does. In fact, very few people have the knowledge of Sanskrit to be able to read them, what to speak of the time or inclination. But every acarya has accepted the Bhagavad-gita as authority. The Bhagavad-gita is considered the essence of Vedic knowledge. If you read just the Bhagavad-gita, you get the essence of all the Vedic knowledge. And in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says, aham sarvasya prabhavo mattah sarvam pravartate: "I am the origin of everything. From Me everything emanates." Aham adir hi devanam. "I am the origin of the devas." Referring to this verse, Srila Prabhupada remarked that the three main devas in India are Brahma, Visnu, and Mahesh, and that Krsna is the origin even of Visnu, what to speak of Brahma and Siva.

There are many such verses in the Bhagavad-gita, but if you go further you come to Srimad-Bhagavatam. Srila Jiva Gosvami, whom Srila Prabhupada said is the greatest philosopher of all time, has established in his Sandarbhas, with reference to Vedic scriptures, that Srimad-Bhagavatam is the supreme authority in Vedic knowledge. In the Bhagavatam there are descriptions of Lord Siva and his relationship with Visnu, or Krsna. Siva is a devotee. He is subordinate to and dependent on Lord Krsna. There is just no doubt about it.

And Lord Siva himself, in various slokas accepted by our acaryas, has proclaimed the supremacy of Krsna and Krsna consciousness. He said, aradhananam sarvesam visnor aradhanam param: "Of all types of worship, the worship of Visnu is the topmost." And rama rameti rameti rame rame manorame: "I chant the holy name of Rama, Rama, Rama, and thus enjoy this beautiful sound." Both Visnu and Rama are direct expansions of Krsna.

So Siva is a devotee, a Vaisnava, and there are even other, circumstantial types of evidence. Srila Prabhupada was very fond of telling the story of a foreigner who came to India looking for God. He went all over India visiting all sorts of temples, and finally he came to Srila Bhaktisiddhanta's temple, and he saw Radha and Krsna. When he did, he bowed down, and he proclaimed, "Now I have found God." The devotees asked, "How did you conclude that this is God?" And he replied, "Because in every other temple, the deity is doing some sort of work, or some sort of practice"--like Siva sitting in meditation or chanting on mala. In pictures of Siva, you see him either in meditation or chanting. "But in your temple, the Deity is just dancing, playing on His flute and dancing with Radharani. So He must be God, because He has nothing to do except enjoy."

That is the truth. And as you go deeper and deeper in the Vedic scriptures, you will find more and more evidence.

Guest: What is that scene in the Mahabharata where Rama is worshiping the linga? Can you explain that? It has been told to me. Is that a valid passage in the Mahabharata?

Giriraj Swami: Yes. It may not be in the Mahabharata--it may be the Ramayana--but the idea is that the Lord likes to serve His devotees. He likes to worship His devotees. On the cover of almost every Bhagavad-gita there is a picture of Krsna driving the chariot of Arjuna. It doesn't mean that Arjuna is greater than Krsna or that Arjuna is supreme. But the Lord takes pleasure in serving His devotee. When Sudama Brahmana came to visit Lord Krsna in Dvaraka, Krsna received him, seated him on His own bedstead, and washed his feet--not because Sudama Vipra is greater than Krsna or because Sudama Vipra is supreme, but because the Supreme likes to worship His devotee.

When Nanda Maharaja orders Krsna, "Bring my shoes," Krsna carries his shoes to him on His head--out of love. And therefore one devotee prays:

srutim apare smrtim itare bharatam anye bhajantu bhava-bhitah
aham iha nandam vande yasyalinde param brahma

"Let others, fearing material existence, worship the Vedas, the Vedic supplementary Puranas, and the Mahabharata, but I shall worship Nanda Maharaja, in whose courtyard the Supreme Brahman is crawling." (Padyavali 126)

Lord Siva himself confirms the value of worshiping devotees, Vaisnavas:

aradhananam sarvesam
visnor aradhanam param
tasmat parataram devi
tadiyanam samarcanam

[He told the goddess Durga:] "My dear Devi, although the Vedas recommend worship of demigods, the worship of Lord Visnu is topmost. However, above even the worship of Lord Visnu is the worship of Vaisnavas, who are related to Visnu." (Padma Purana)

Srila Prabhupada explains, "Anyone who is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very dear to Lord Siva. Not only are the devotees dear to Lord Siva, but he respects them as much as he respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Similarly, devotees of the Supreme Lord also worship Lord Siva as the most dear devotee of Lord Krsna. They do not worship him as a separate Personality of Godhead. . . . A devotee should be offered respect on the level of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and sometimes even more respect. Indeed, Lord Rama, the Personality of Godhead Himself, sometimes worshiped Lord Siva. If a devotee is worshiped by the Lord, why should a devotee not be worshiped by other devotees on the same level with the Lord?" (SB 4.24.30 purport)

And so we take the opportunity to worship the great devotees in the line, our previous acaryas, and today, in particular, Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!
Gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

Pearls of Wisdom - Part 1

2008-01-03T23:16:00.001-08:00

Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev!

It has been our greatest good fortune that our beloved spiritual master H.H. Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj was here in Abudhabi from 29th of November to 3rd December, immersing all of us in transcendental bliss with his nectarean instructions. We have very limited capacity to even collect the pearls of wisdom that were flowing from his lotus mouth. Whatever we could assimilate, according to our limited capacity, we would like to share with all the members of this wonderful Granthraj forum. In the Mangala aarati program on 30th November, Maharaj asked us to recite the ten offences against the Holy name. As soon as the first offence was recited, Maharaj gave a wonderful insight into it and gave a lot of practical instructons on the ways to avoid this great offence.

THE FIRST OFFENCE: To blasphame the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

Maharaj categorically stated that devotees do not criticize anybody. By doing this, we save half our life. When two people meet, we always have the tendency to talk about and criticize the third one and this has to be avoided. He quoted the following verse from Mahabharat and everyone of us should remember this always in order to get out of the pitfall of criticizing others.

dharmam bhajasva satatam
tyaja loka dharmaan
sevasva saadhu purusaan
jahi kama trsnaan
anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa
sevaa katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam

1. dharmam bhajasva satatam: One should always focus and speak about dharma. Here the verb 'bhajasva' indicates an order and it is not a request. Dharma refers to the religion that links us to the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. We are all eternal servants of the Lord and this dharma is our constitutional position. Every part has to serve the whole. The soul, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, can never survive on its own. That is why the supersoul never leaves the individual soul. If every soul is part and parcel of Krishna, we have no right to criticize anyone. This is the practical application of the knowledge. Unless the knowledge is realized and applied, it becomes mere speculation. Here it is mentioned 'satatam', which means that the religious principles have to be practised all the time. A grain of practise is more valuable than tons of knowledge. By not criticizing anybody, we are observing the austerity of speech. Speaking is a very easy activity and that is why we criticize. Our body is so formed, that we can see only other's face and we cannot see our own face. We are not aware of our own defects and we talk about others. By always performing the religious principles, we avoid this pitfall.

2. tyaja loka dharmaan: we should abandon the general meaning of religion. People are running after so many demigods, other living entities and so many rituals without actual knowledge of real religion which is to glorify the supersoul. Here again the verb ' tyaja' indicates an order to abandon and is not a request. Time is running out and we should not be running after false things. We either use the time or lose it.

3.sevasva sadhu purushaan: All through our life, we are serving our mind, greed, envy, our wife, children-everything else other than Krishna. we should serve the sadhus who are simple people who have taken shelter of Krishna. A sadhu is a renounced person, but we should be clear that renunciation is not only the showy fervor, but the actual realization must be there that ' everything here is temporary'. We should always seek the association of the sadhus. There are three things.

1. sanga - association
2. satsanga - good association
3. prasanga - prabhu's (Lord's) association.(prabhu's sanga is prasanga)

We should always seek prasanga. In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.19.16, King Parikshit prefers this prasanga when he prays 'ratih prasangas ca tad-aashrayeshu'. Krishna consciousness flows from one living entity to another and this is the value of prasanga . By this prasanga, we save ourselves from the pitfall of criticism. Any talk, other than about Krishna, affects our blood ciriculation and hampers our devotional service. If our goal is constant remembrance of Krishna, then our tongue is automatically controlled. The more we concentrate on the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita, the less we talk about others. In prasanga we relish His association and this brings us satisfaction. Thus our health definitely depends upon 100 percent Krishna consciousness.

4. jahi kaama trshnaan: We have to stop all material desires. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3.39, Krishna instructs,

aavrtam jnaanam etena / jnaanino nitya vairinaa
kaama-rupena kaunteya duspurenaanalena ca

"Thus the wise living entity's pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."

Devotional life means all transcendental and hence all the material desires have to be given up.

5. anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa: We should not think about other's bad and good qualities. We should concentrate on our own bad qualities and try to improve our qualities and behaviour. Our minds are always wandering thinking about so many things. We have already wandered through 84 lacs of species completing at least one round, but even now our mind wanders. we should stop this wandering of the mind.

6. seva katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam: we should drink regularly the nectarean juice of Krishna's topics. so many times we say that Bhagavad gita is non- different from the Lord, but again we do not focus on bhagavad gita, and we talk so many other things. We have to change our nature and habituate ourselves to studying the scriptures. ' pibatvam' means 'you drink' which means that we should seclude ourselves for one or two hours and read and understand the scriptures.

In conclusion, for our own health we should stop criticizing. Maharaj was giving practical instructions on avoiding the other offences also, and I shall try my best to post them in the ensuing mails.

Thank you very much.
Trying to be a servant in the service ofSrila Prabhupada and Gurudev

Pearls of Wisdom - Part 2

2008-01-03T23:15:00.000-08:00

Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev!

In continuation of the mail on the first offence against the holy name, I shall try to write herewith the practical instructions imparted by our beloved spiritual master in regard to the other offences.

Second offence : To consider the names of demigods like Lord Shiva or Lord Brahma to be equal to, or independent of the name of Lord Vishnu.

Maharaj gave a very broad perspective of this particular offence when he said that we respect everybody, but our whole concentration is on the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. Maharaj quoted the following verse from Srimad Bhagavatam 5.18.32,

jaraayujam svedajam andajodbhidam
caraacaram devarsi-pitr-bhutam aindriyam
dyauh kham ksitih saila-sarit-samudra
dvipa-graharksety abhidheya ekah

"My dear Lord, You manifest Your different energies in countless forms: as living entities born from wombs, from eggs and from perspiration; as plants and trees that grow out of earth; as all living entities, both moving and standing, including the demigods, the learned sages and the pitas; as outer space, as the higher planetary system containing the heavenly planets, and as the planet earth with its hills, rivers, seas, oceans and islands. Indeed, all the stars and planets are simply manifestations of Your different energies, but originally You are one without a second. Therefore there is nothing beyond You. This entire cosmic manifestation is therefore not false but is simply a temporary manifestation of Your inconceivable energy. "

The realization from this knowledge is that if everything is His energy, then we should not get stuck with His energies, but go to the energetic. Energy is always completely under the control of the energetic. All His energies are serving Him according to His order. Service means movement. There should always be movement, right from when we get up at 4.00 a.m. As soon as movement is stopped, difficulty starts. Srimad Bhagavatam advises us that the best way to counteract the miseries arising out of body is yogic exercises (aatmajam yoga viryena 7.15.24) and exercise means movement. So any society which has 'movement', it progresses. Hence it is our duty to increase this Krishna conscious 'movement'.

Third offence : To disobey the orders of the spiritual master.

Disciple always means discipline. We have to become seriously disciplined in our lives. We should always be ready to learn. Our brain is like a sponge and because of the presence of the transcendental soul and Supersoul, we can learn so much. Scientists have found out that in the whole of our lifetime, we utilize only 10% of our brain capacity and the balance 90% we surrender at the time of death. The sponge-like brain has to be refreshed always with the learning of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita. As soon as we stop learning or speaking about Krishna, we glide down to sense gratification and everything collapses. Voluntary control will help us to survive very happily in this world and this is the Vedic culture. The less the material touch, the better it is. Nowadays advancement means stopping movement. Anything which is detrimental to seva-katha-rasam (nectarean topics and service of Krishna), must be avoided. Austere life is always full of movement.

Fourth offence: To blaspheme the Vedic literature or literatures in pursuance of the Vedic version.

If we do not understand the Vedic literature, then we start blaspheming. We should not lose faith in the scriptures. The transcendental topics are beyond our power of conception and we have to take the shelter of the scriptures. As Prajapati Daksha prays to the Supreme Lord in Srimad Bhagavatam 6.4.29,

yad yan niruktam vacasaa nirupitam
dhiyaakshabhir vaa manasota yasya
maa bhut svarupam guna-rupam hi tat tat
sa vai gunaapaaya-visarga-lakshanah

"Anything expressed by material vibrations, anything ascertained by material intelligence and anything experienced by the material senses or concocted within the material mind is but an effect of the modes of material nature and therefore has nothing to do with the real nature of the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. The Supreme Lord is beyond the creation of this material world, for He is the source of the material qualities and creation. As the cause of all causes, He exists before the creation and after the creation. I wish to offer my respectful obeisances unto Him. "

Our duty is to continue to chant the Holy names, and in due course of time, the jiva gets the energy from Him and whatever he speaks becomes authority.

Fifth offence: To consider the glories of chanting Hare Krishna to be imagination.

We are all concocting and we have to stop this mental concoction. In family also, transcendence is very important. With all the transcendence also, we have so many difficulties. One is considered to be a failure in his life as long as he makes no inquiry about his real identity. Engrossment in sense gratification entails transmigration from one body to another and the engrossment has its source in mental concoction. Hence this mental concoction has to be avoided.

I shall try to post the other points in the forthcoming mails.

Thank you very much,
Trying to be your servant in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,

PRIDE: 1st Symptom of Spiritual Falldown

2008-01-03T23:13:00.002-08:00

" Pride is the first symptom of spiritual falldown. When a devotee becomes proud, he ceases to fear the material energy and imagines himself advanced in devotional service. Thus he considers himself sufficiently advanced to become independent from the order of the spiritual master and the association of the devotees. This puts him firmly under mäyä's control and he is then fallen from the path of pure devotional service.

A devotee should fear being falsely proud; should fear the contamination of the material illusion. Krishna conscious fear is the safeguard which protects the devotee from many pitfalls on the path of pure devotional service. "

Soaps: Clean and Dirty

2008-01-03T23:13:00.001-08:00

Soaps: Clean and Dirty

Soap gets you clean, Right?

Maybe not. Soap is made with fatty oils of various kinds, both vegetable and animal. But for devotees of the Lord, smearing the body with soap made from the fat of a slaughtered animal is not the best way to get clean.

Which soaps have animal fat, and which don't? Here is the list of soaps with and without animal fat.

Company Name	Soaps with Animal Fat	Soaps without Animal Fat
Lever Brothers	Lux, Dove, Shield, Caress, Lifebuoy, Dove Beauty Wash , Lever 2000, Lever 2000 Liquid (These all contain sodium tallowate - beef fat. )	None
Jergens	Jergens, Jergens Liquid, Jergens Mild, Jergens Mild Anti-bactarial Deodorant Soap,Gentle Touch, Aloe and Lanolin soap,Vitamin E and Lanolin soap (These all contain tallow - 100% beef.)	Body Shampoo
Colgate-Palmolive	Octagon, Irish Spring, Cashmere Bouquet, Liquid Irish Spring, Palmolive Bar Soap, Palmolive Gold Deodorant Soap. (for some products, not sure)	Softsoap, Sensitive Skin Cleansing Liquid Palmolive Gold,Palmolive lassic, Cashmere Bouquet Beauty Bar,Irish Spring Bar, all ariants,Vel Mild Skin Care Bar
The Dial Corporation	Dial, Tone, Spirit, Dial Plus, Dial Liquid,Pure and Natural (These all contain beef tallow.)	Boraxo Powdered Hand Soap
Procter & Gamble	Zest, Coast, Lava, Ivory, Safeguard	Kirk's Castile , Liquid Ivory, Liquid Safeguard
Clear and Natural	None	Clear and Natural,Clear and Natural Liquid
Shaklee	None	Meadowblend Bar, Liquid Meadowblend

Soaps for which the ingredients include tallow or tallowate are almost certainly made with animal fat. Soaps found at health-food stores are animal-free when so marked; otherwise you can't be sure. A special mention for Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soaps---animal-free and much loved for the metaphysical ratings on the labels.

In the UK
Among animal-free soaps to be had in the UK: Pears Transplant soap, Boots Pure Vegetable Oil Soap, and any soap from The Body Shop or Beauty Without Curelty.

Iraq Preaching Report

2007-12-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Maharaja's and Prabhu's, Please accept my obeisnaces, all

glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Hare Krsna... here is my report to the GBC on my preAching activities
in Iraq. I have set up book stands in 4 differnnt locations on the
base and every 3 days they are dry.... all gone. At the moment we are
approaching 700 books out. So nectar!!! We also have 12 bhaktas that
are reading and chanting regularly. Our programs are spreading, now
I host a mantra meditation class once a week and also Mondays and
Fridays I have a small program of bhajans and prasadam. We are also
distributing cookies on 3 different base camps thanks to Ratna
Bushana Prabhu with an average of 1000 cookies out a week. Recently I
reached out to the Indians that work here and am having a weekly
program with them as-well. I am giving a presentation on the Lord's
lifting of Gorvadhana Hill on Sat, 10 Nov to about 200-300 Indian
body contract workers. My diet is ok; mostly I am eating raw and dry
fruits, dahl with only turmeric, cumin, and small amounts of salt,
very simple food (maybe because I cannot get anything else). I also
am following caturmasya this year strictly and for the Kartika, I
have increased the number of rounds I am chanting and my reading as
my vrata. And have never missed a round of japa since arriving here.
Bhakti Sastri is moving along and am not in the 6th chapter soo much
nectar. The Ratha Yatra was all set to go, but Krsna had another
plan.. so now the hard date is Jan, which is great because all the
Indian's want to be involved.
But like in all areas of the material world.... there are bad
times... one of my soldiers died in my arms, that hit hard because he
did service for my Lord. But I was told he said Krsna before he
left, so that gives some solance. Also I have been hit with a lot of
iEDs, took a round, lost some hearing and some more and I am only 5
months in. Also Krsna gave me the strength to lead my team through a
mass casualty event, where after suicide attacks in the North, we had
to treat over 60 men, women and choldren. The real material world.
nothing more sobering then having to put some little child's brain
matter back in their head while still trying to focus on speaking
Krsna Katha to the dying child. Some died but l always carry Sri
Ugraji with me and His smile was seen by them before they left their
bodies. So powerful this movement, this process. Krsna is helping me
here and showing me how special this life is.
Here is my report, submitted at your lotus feet. I pray that Krsna
helps me out of this situation and I can help others outside the
military come to Srila Prabhupada's feet.

Pictures & video of Puri Jagannatha Snana Yatra

2007-12-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,

We have added a new picture gallery showing photographs of Lord Jagannatha in Puri during the annual Snana Yatra festival, as well as a short video clip of Lord Jagannatha dressed in the famous hativesh, "elephant dress".

Once a year the deities of Lord Jagannatha, Balabhadra and Subhadra in Puri are taken out of the temple for a bathing ceremony. This occurs approximately two weeks before the Ratha Yatra festival. Please visit the following two links to view pictures and video of this festival:

Pictures of Puri Jagannatha on Snana Yatra

Video of Lord Jagannatha on Snana Purnima

Today`s Pic (Radhey Radhey)

2007-12-29T21:05:00.001-08:00

PREACHERS EVERYWHERE

2007-12-29T21:03:00.001-08:00

In spring of 1967, Srila Prabhupada became very ill and appeared to have a stroke. He was taken to the hospital and remained there for some days. He considered the hospital an unhealthy place and expressed his wishes to go to the seashore. Often he described that his guru maharaja lived by the seashore on Puri when he was in ill health and he considered the seashore a healthy place to recover.

Srila Prabhupada would say: "The ocean air is full with vitamins. It is rich in iron, it is very nutritious". So a place in Long Branch, New Jersey, was rented for his recovery spot. It was a two bed room cottage apartment upstairs, just by the seashore and Gaurasundara and I were sent there to clean and prepare the apartment for his arrival. When Srila Prabhupada arrived, though to climb up the stairs was difficult for him, he seemed to quickly gain strength from the healthy atmosphere. During the 3 weeks we lived with him at New Jersey seashore, his strength seemed to increase daily and our spiritual joy increased as well. Being in his company was a daily wonder as there were always new things to learn and to remember. Here are some of the things I remember and always try to recall of our days at the New Jersey seashore: I try to remember them in my daily life. Maybe they can help others to remember Srila Prabhupada as well and if so that is the greatest blessing.

Each day, Gaurasundara and I and Keith would go out to the beach, spread blankets on the sand and sit with Srila Prabhupada. It was a very blissful experience to simply sit and chant japa with him by the seashore. He was weak, so he talked less but as he grew stronger he seemed to enjoy teaching us different things about the world we live in. One day he was looking at the vast expanse of Sandy Beach and noting that there were tiny insects - crabs, ants, and bugs - crawling here and there. Srila Prabhupada would say: "Just see, they say there is no life on other planets but we can see there is life everywhere, even on this barren sand. There are small creatures here and there. How can there be any part of God's creation without life?

There is life everywhere. The form may be different but there is life." When I see small crabs or ants on the beach or in the dessert, I think of Srila Prabhupada sitting calmly chanting Hare Krsna and viewing the New Jersey beach with understanding and detachment, explaining to us how life is everywhere and am reminded of how kind you are, Srila Prabhupada to come into this dessert-like material world in order to teach us bug-like living entities who are foolish enough to believe that our tiny world is the only world.

Warm water and the prevention of heart attacks

2007-12-29T21:01:00.000-08:00

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.
A cardiologist says if everyone who reads this message sends it to 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this & Send the link to a friend. It could save a life. So, please be a true friend and send this article to all your friends you care about.

Devotion for personal gain or for Lord

2007-12-29T20:59:00.000-08:00

In the Bhagavad-gita it is said that four kinds of men who had performed pious activities in the past take to the devotional service of the Lord. They are the distressed, the poverty stricken, the learned and the inquisitive. The distressed man takes to devotional service with a view to receive some favor from the Lord. The poverty stricken also takes to devotional service to remove his adversities. The learned man takes to devotional service, not for any material gain but for spiritual salvation, and the inquisitive takes to devotional services to know only the principles of theism etc. All these devotees are not pure devotees because all of them take to such devotional activities with an intention of personal gain.

Detachment Should be Our Nature

2007-12-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev.

The recent mail from Shri Kalachakra Prabhuji titled, "Removing the Trash in Our Mind" is nice to meditate and apply in our lives. We were extremely fortunate to associate with our Gurudev, and by His Holiness' presence we were completely oblivious of this temporary material world and were immersed in the transcendental topics of Srimad Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. Today (4/12/07) our Guru Maharaj has left Abudhabi and I was discussing with H G Girivaradhari prabhu while entering our office that we are once again back to the material contamination unless we put into practice the wonderful practical instructions of Srila Gurudev. On 4th Dec 07 our Guru maharaj was explaining on two words from 5.18.2 verse - dharmaaya and aatma-vishodhanaaya.

bhadrashravasa ucuh
om namo bhagavate dharmaayaatma-vishodhanaaya nama iti

"The ruler Bhadrashravaa and his intimate associates utter the following prayer: We offer our respectful obeisances unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the reservoir of all religious principles, who cleanses the heart of the conditioned soul in this material world. Again and again we offer our respectful obeisances unto Him. "

dharmaaya – Source of all religious principles.
atma visodhanaaya - Who purifies us of material contamination.

Maharaj was explaining the process of clearing our material contamination from the Source of all religious principles with down-to-earth practical realizations for us to imbibe and put into practice.

1. Detachment will lead to Pleasing attitude.
2. Pleasing attitude will lead to understanding of Religious Principles.
3. Religious principles makes you very active because it is essential for our bodies.
4. Such Active Religious principles will automatically purifies our body of all contamination.

Detachment
A detached person never cares. As it is "DETACHMENT SHOULD BE OUR NATURE" . This is as plain as daylight. Manage whatever is there and be detached. The main reason for not having pleasing attitude is on account of anger, especially suppressed anger is very dangerous. It can break the nerves of the brain (which are as thin as our hair) and may lead to tension which in turn will lead to brain hemorrhage. Detachment is a must because we are going to go away and all our relatives are not going to help you at the time when you are in death bed. They are more interested in our wealth and nothing else. Therefore detachment will lead to pleasing attitude.

Pleasing Attitude
Once we are pleased then our mind becomes clear and brightness will glow. This will enable us to understand the religious principles. Religious principles are meant for human beings or otherwise we are considered as animals. Therefore our body requires religious principles. In order to use our body to perform religious principles we need to be active. Therefore religious principles means being active always.

Religious Principles Impels Us to be Active
Religious life will propel the cleaning process. Religious principles makes us active and that will impel the circulation of blood nicely in the body which will enable us to be at ease always. The movement should increase rapidly and we should be very active in Krishna consciousness and other necessary material engagements. Unless the body is alright we may not be able to perform religious principles. In order to be always active we have to do penance. Penance only purifies our existence ( tapo divyam putrakaa ena sattvam shuddhayed yasmaat brahma saukhyam tu anantam). It is very important that we should wake up for mangalara arati at 4.00 am and retire to sleep at 9.00 pm. This is a must for a devotee. Penance include sitting on the ground and sleeping on the mat and not on bed. There is no mention in the scripture for double cot bed. This leads to laziness and relaxation which stops the circulation of blood in our body. The moment the movement stops the disease starts creeping in. In the names of Yukta vairagya don't get allured by good life and increase your artificial necessities. It is very imperative that we should have active life full of penance. As a devotee we should have unflinching faith in the religious process. The moment there is a small disturbance in our body we immediately go to the doctor. Instead of natural medicines like ginger, cinnamon ,turmeric etc, we take artificial medicines which impels our blood circulation artificially and may cause various damages to body. There is a book written in America which talks about how to save ourselves from the trap of these modern day medicines which are killing thousands of human beings. Maharaj was saying that the moment you see a doctor please take a bath. It is full of contamination.

Purification of Material Contamination
Once we imbibe and put into practice the above religious principles it works as a perfect purificatory medicine for even one who is in deathbed. Anything regarding Lord Krishna is fully perfect and pure and therefore it is incumbent on our part to sincerely strive for concrete progress on this process of purification of existence and not perform showy fervor.

Since I am in the process of purification I may not have assimilated and transcribed fully the transcendental instructions of our Gurudev and please forgive my deficiency.

I sincerely pray to the Supreme Lord, Prabhupada and Gurudev to shower their causeless mercy on me to understand and imbibe in my life for my complete purification of existence.

Service and Sadhana

2007-12-29T20:52:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev.

On days when we work for extended hours, we would find it very difficult to chant our regular rounds. Sometimes we are bewildered as to whether we need to continue work or to give up. It becomes a challenge as to what needs to be prioritised. His Divine Grace very nicely replies on this matter in one his letters to his disciple as follows -

"There is no difference between chanting Hare Krishna or Sankirtana and doing one's assigned work in Krishna Consciousness. Sometimes we have to do so much managerial or office work, but Lord Caitanya promises us that because in the Kali yuga this is required for carrying on our preaching mission. He gives assurance that we will not become entangled by such work. When the work has to be done, do it first, then chant. But you must fulfill at least 16 rounds daily. So if necessary sleep less but you have to finish your minimum number of rounds."

In Bhagavad Gita verse 3.31, Lord Krishna says,

ye me matam idam nityam / anutishthanti maanavaah
shraddhaavanto 'nasuyanto / mucyante te 'pi karmabhih

"Those persons who execute their duties according to My injunctions and who follow this teaching faithfully, without envy, become free from the bondage of fruitive actions."

Firm faith in teachings of Guru and Krishna is the key for one's progress in spiritual life. Whether one is materially qualified or not, if one simply places his faith on the words of scriptures, Guru and Krishna and strictly follows their injunctions, then they would be blessed with the ability to perform the service and also be freed from all sorts of bondages. In his purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada assures that, "In the beginning of Krishna consciousness, one may not fully discharge the injunctions of the Lord, but because one is not resentful of this principle and works sincerely without consideration of defeat and hopelessness, he will surely be promoted to the stage of pure Krishna consciousness."

I seek the blessings of Gurudev and Gauranga, so that I am able to execute my duties at work and also perform sadhana regularly.

The Significance of Bhagavad Gita

2007-12-29T20:50:00.000-08:00

The Significance of the Bhagavad-gita by Thomas Merton

The word Gita means "Song." Just as in the Bible the Song of Solomon
has traditionally been known as "The Song of Songs" because it was
interpreted to symbolize the ultimate union of Israel with God (in
terms of human married love), so The Bhagavad Gita is, for Hinduism,
the great and unsurpassed Song that finds the secret of human life in
the unquestioning surrender to and awareness of Krishna.

While The Vedas provide Hinduism with its basic ideas of cult and
sacrifice and The Upanishads develop its metaphysic of contemplation,
The Bhagavad Gita can be seen as the great treatise on the "Active
Life." But it is really something more, for it tends to fuse worship,
action and contemplation in a fulfillment of daily duty which
transcends all three by virtue of a higher consciousness: a
consciousness of acting passively, of being an obedient instrument of
a transcendent will. The Vedas, The Upanishads, and The Gita can be
seen as the main literary supports for the great religious
civilization of India, the oldest surviving culture in the world. The
fact that The Gita remains utterly vital today can be judged by the
way such great reformers as Mohandas Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave both
spontaneously based their lives and actions on it, and indeed
commented on it in detail for their disciples. The present translation
and commentary is another manifestation of the permanent living
importance of The Gita. Swami Bhaktivedanta brings to the West a
salutary reminder that our highly activistic and one-sided culture is
faced with a crisis that may end in self-destruction because it lacks
the inner depth of an authentic metaphysical consciousness. Without
such depth, our moral and political protestations are just so much
verbiage. If, in the West, God can no longer be experienced as other
than "dead," it is because of an inner split and self-alienation which
have characterized the Western mind in its single-minded dedication to
only half of life: that which is exterior, objective, and
quantitative. The "death of God" and the consequent death of genuine
moral sense, respect for life, for humanity, for value, has expressed
the death of an inner subjective quality of life: a quality which in
the traditional religions was experienced in terms of
God-consciousness. Not concentration on an idea or concept of God,
still less on an image of God, but a sense of presence, of an ultimate
ground of reality and meaning, from which life and love could
spontaneously flower.

Realization of the Supreme "Player" whose "Play" (Lila) is manifested
in the million-formed, inexhaustible richness of beings and events, is
what gives us the key to the meaning of life. Once we live in
awareness of the cosmic dance and move in time with the Dancer, our
life attains its true dimension. It is at once more serious and less
serious than the life of one who does not sense this inner cosmic
dynamism. To live without this illuminated consciousness is to live as
a beast of burden, carrying one's life with tragic seriousness as a
huge, incomprehensible weight (see Camus' interpretation of the Myth
of Sisyphus). The weight of the burden is the seriousness with which
one takes one's own individual and separate self. To live with the
true consciousness of life centered in Another is to lose one's
self-important seriousness and thus to live life as "play" in union
with a Cosmic Player. It is He alone that one takes seriously. But to
take Him seriously is to find joy and spontaneity in everything, for
everything is gift and grace. In other words, to live selfishly is to
bear life as an intolerable burden. To live selflessly is to live in
joy, realizing by experience that life itself is love and gift. To be
a lover and a giver is to be a channel through which the Supreme Giver
manifests His love in the world.

But The Gita presents a problem to some who read it in the present
context of violence and war which mark the crisis of the West. The
Gita appears to accept and to justify war. Arjuna is exhorted to
submit his will to Krishna by going to war against his enemies, who
are also his own kin, because war is his duty as a Prince and warrior.
Here we are uneasily reminded of the fact that in Hinduism as well as
in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, there is a concept of a "Holy
War" which is "willed by God" and we are furthermore reminded of the
fact that, historically, this concept has been secularized and
inflated beyond measure. It has now "escalated" to the point where
slaughter, violence, revolution, the annihilation of enemies, the
extermination of entire populations and even genocide have become a
way of life. There is hardly a nation on earth today that is not to
some extent committed to a philosophy or to a mystique of violence.
One way or other, whether on the left or on the right, whether in
defense of a bloated establishment or of an improvised guerrilla
government in the jungle, whether in terms of a police state or in
terms of a ghetto revolution, the human race is polarizing itself into
camps armed with everything from Molotov cocktails to the most
sophisticated technological instruments of death. At such a time, the
doctrine that "war is the will of God" can be disastrous if it is not
handled with extreme care. For everyone seems in practice to be
thinking along some such lines, with the exception of a few sensitive
and well-meaning souls (mostly the kind of people who will read this
book).

The Gita is not a justification of war, nor does it propound a
war-making mystique. War is accepted in the context of a particular
kind of ancient culture in which it could be and was subject to all
kinds of limitations. (It is instructive to compare the severe
religious limitations on war in the Christian Middle Ages with the
subsequent development of war by nation states in modern times-backed
of course by the religious establishment. ) Arjuna has an instinctive
repugnance for war, and that is the chief reason why war is chosen as
the example of the most repellent kind of duty. The Gita is saying
that even in what appears to be most "unspiritual" one can act with
pure intentions and thus be guided by Krishna consciousness. This
consciousness itself will impose the most strict limitations on one's
use of violence because that use will not be directed by one's own
selfish interests, still less by cruelty, sadism, and mere blood lust.

The discoveries of Freud and others in modern times have, of course,
alerted us to the fact that there are certain imperatives of culture
and of conscience which appear pure on the surface and are in fact
bestial in their roots. The greatest inhumanities have been
perpetrated in the name of "humanity," "civilization," "progress,"
"freedom," "my country," and of course "God." This reminds us that in
the cultivation of an inner spiritual consciousness there is a
perpetual danger of self-deception, narcissism, self-righteous evasion
of truth. In other words the standard temptation of religious and
spiritually minded people is to cultivate an inner sense of rightness
or of peace, and make this subjective feeling the final test of
everything. As long as this feeling of rightness remains with them,
they will do anything under the sun. But this inner feeling (as
Auschwitz and the Eichmann case have shown) can coexist with the
ultimate in human corruption.

The hazard of the spiritual quest is of course that its genuineness
cannot be left to our own isolated subjective judgment alone. The fact
that I am turned on doesn't prove anything whatever. (Nor does the
fact that I am turned off.) We do not simply create our own lives on
our own terms. Any attempt to do so is ultimately an affirmation of
our individual self as ultimate and supreme. This is a self-idolatry
which is diametrically opposed to "Krishna consciousness" or to any
other authentic form of religious or metaphysical consciousness.

The Gita sees that the basic problem of man is his endemic refusal to
live by a will other than his own. For in striving to live entirely by
his own individual will, instead of becoming free, man is enslaved by
forces even more exterior and more delusory than his own transient
fancies. He projects himself out of the present into the future. He
tries to make for himself a future that accords with his own fantasy,
and thereby escape from a present reality which he does not fully
accept. And yet, when he moves into the future he wanted to create for
himself, it becomes a present that is once again repugnant to him. And
yet this is precisely what he has "made" for himself-it is his own
karma. In accepting the present in all its reality as something to be
dealt with precisely as it is, man comes to grips at once with his
karma and with a providential will which, ultimately, is more his own
than what he currently experiences, on a superficial level, as "his
own will." It is in surrendering a false and illusory liberty on the
superficial level that man unites himself with the inner ground of
reality and freedom in himself which is the will of God, of Krishna,
of Providence, of Tao. These concepts do not all exactly coincide, but
they have much in common. It is by remaining open to an infinite
number of unexpected possibilities which transcend his own imagination
and capacity to plan that man really fulfills his own need for
freedom. The Gita, like the Gospels, teaches us to live in awareness
of an inner truth that exceeds the grasp of our thought and cannot be
subject to our own control. In following mere appetite for power, we
are slaves of our own appetite. In obedience to that inner truth we
are at last free.

Anxiety To Know About The Absolute Truth

2007-12-29T20:48:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna Prabhus and mathajis!

Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupad and Gurudev!

Often when sitting in Bhagavatam class, after half an hour or sometimes less than that my legs start giving trouble and I find it hard to concentrate on hearing. When the morning class goes on for over an hour or two then hunger creeps in or I start thinking about other things. All this goes to show the interest I have in hearing the message of Bhagavatam. In the verse SB 1.1.12

suta jaanasi bhadram te / bhagavaan saatvataam patih
devakyaam vasudevasya / jaato yasya cikirshayaa

"All blessings upon you, O Suta Gosvami.You know for what purpose the Personality of Godhead appeared in the womb of Devaki as the son of Vasudeva."

In his nectarean purport to this verse Srila Prabhupad says: - bhadram te or "blessings upon you" indicates the sages' anxiety to know the Absolute truth from the speaker. So unless this anxiety is there all the troubles mentioned above would keep coming up while hearing Bhagavatam class. In the next verse the sages further say -

tan nah shushrusamaanaanaam / arhasy angaanuvarnitum
yasyaavataaro bhutaanaaam / kshemaaya ca bhavaaya ca

"O Suta Goswami, we are eager to learn about the Personality of Godhead and His incarnations. Please explain to us those teachings imparted by previous masters [acharyas], for one is uplifted both by speaking them and by hearing them."

This eagerness and anxiety to know about the Absolute Truth made it possible for the sages at Naimisaaranya to hear about Srimad Bhagavatam for 1000 years. Even in the instance, when Parikshit Maharaj first heard the Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami, he and the sages gathered at the bank of Ganges heard Bhagavatam with rapt attention, so much so that none of them were touched by hunger, thirst, fear or lamentation for all the 7 days.

Narada Muni very nicely confirms the above truth to King Prachinabarhi through the following verses (4.29.39-40) in Srimad Bhagavatam as follows,

yatra bhaagavataa raajan / saadhavo vishadaashayaaha
bhagavad-gunaanukathana / shravana-vyagra-cetasah

tasmin mahan-mukharita madhubhic-caritra-
piyusha-shesha-saritah paritah shravanti
taa ye pibanty avitrsho nrpa gaadha-karnais
taan na sprshanty ashana-trd-bhaya-shoka-mohaah

"My dear King, in the place where pure devotees live, following the rules and regulations and thus purely conscious and engaged with great eagerness in hearing and chanting the glories of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in that place if one gets a chance to hear their constant flow of nectar, which is exactly like the waves of a river, one will forget the necessities of life—namely hunger and thirst—and become immune to all kinds of fear, lamentation and illusion."

I pray to Guru Maharaj and Krishna so that I can develop this interest for hearing Bhagavatam forever.

Pearls of Wisdom

2007-12-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Prabhujis and Mathajis,

Hare Krishna! Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev!

It has been our greatest good fortune that our beloved spiritual master H.H. Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj was here in Abudhabi from 29th of November to 3rd December, immersing all of us in transcendental bliss with his nectarean instructions. We have very limited capacity to even collect the pearls of wisdom that were flowing from his lotus mouth. Whatever we could assimilate, according to our limited capacity, we would like to share with all the members of this wonderful Granthraj forum. In the Mangala aarati program on 30th November, Maharaj asked us to recite the ten offences against the Holy name. As soon as the first offence was recited, Maharaj gave a wonderful insight into it and gave a lot of practical instructons on the ways to avoid this great offence.

THE FIRST OFFENCE: To blasphame the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord.

Maharaj categorically stated that devotees do not criticize anybody. By doing this, we save half our life. When two people meet, we always have the tendency to talk about and criticize the third one and this has to be avoided. He quoted the following verse from Mahabharat and everyone of us should remember this always in order to get out of the pitfall of criticizing others.

dharmam bhajasva satatam
tyaja loka dharmaan
sevasva saadhu purusaan
jahi kama trsnaan
anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa
sevaa katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam

1. dharmam bhajasva satatam: One should always focus and speak about dharma. Here the verb 'bhajasva' indicates an order and it is not a request. Dharma refers to the religion that links us to the Supreme Personality Of Godhead. We are all eternal servants of the Lord and this dharma is our constitutional position. Every part has to serve the whole. The soul, which is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, can never survive on its own. That is why the supersoul never leaves the individual soul. If every soul is part and parcel of Krishna, we have no right to criticize anyone. This is the practical application of the knowledge. Unless the knowledge is realized and applied, it becomes mere speculation. Here it is mentioned 'satatam', which means that the religious principles have to be practised all the time. A grain of practise is more valuable than tons of knowledge. By not criticizing anybody, we are observing the austerity of speech. Speaking is a very easy activity and that is why we criticize. Our body is so formed, that we can see only other's face and we cannot see our own face. We are not aware of our own defects and we talk about others. By always performing the religious principles, we avoid this pitfall.

2. tyaja loka dharmaan: we should abandon the general meaning of religion. People are running after so many demigods, other living entities and so many rituals without actual knowledge of real religion which is to glorify the supersoul. Here again the verb ' tyaja' indicates an order to abandon and is not a request. Time is running out and we should not be running after false things. We either use the time or lose it.

3.sevasva sadhu purushaan: All through our life, we are serving our mind, greed, envy, our wife, children-everything else other than Krishna. we should serve the sadhus who are simple people who have taken shelter of Krishna. A sadhu is a renounced person, but we should be clear that renunciation is not only the showy fervor, but the actual realization must be there that ' everything here is temporary'. We should always seek the association of the sadhus. There are three things.

1. sanga - association
2. satsanga - good association
3. prasanga - prabhu's (Lord's) association.(prabhu's sanga is prasanga)

We should always seek prasanga. In Srimad Bhagavatam 1.19.16, King Parikshit prefers this prasanga when he prays 'ratih prasangas ca tad-aashrayeshu'. Krishna consciousness flows from one living entity to another and this is the value of prasanga . By this prasanga, we save ourselves from the pitfall of criticism. Any talk, other than about Krishna, affects our blood ciriculation and hampers our devotional service. If our goal is constant remembrance of Krishna, then our tongue is automatically controlled. The more we concentrate on the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam and Bhagavad Gita, the less we talk about others. In prasanga we relish His association and this brings us satisfaction. Thus our health definitely depends upon 100 percent Krishna consciousness.

4. jahi kaama trshnaan: We have to stop all material desires. In Srimad Bhagavad Gita 3.39, Krishna instructs,

aavrtam jnaanam etena / jnaanino nitya vairinaa
kaama-rupena kaunteya duspurenaanalena ca

"Thus the wise living entity's pure consciousness becomes covered by his eternal enemy in the form of lust, which is never satisfied and which burns like fire."

Devotional life means all transcendental and hence all the material desires have to be given up.

5. anyasya dosha guna cintanam aashu muktvaa: We should not think about other's bad and good qualities. We should concentrate on our own bad qualities and try to improve our qualities and behaviour. Our minds are always wandering thinking about so many things. We have already wandered through 84 lacs of species completing at least one round, but even now our mind wanders. we should stop this wandering of the mind.

6. seva katha rasam aho nitaraam pibatvam: we should drink regularly the nectarean juice of Krishna's topics. so many times we say that Bhagavad gita is non- different from the Lord, but again we do not focus on bhagavad gita, and we talk so many other things. We have to change our nature and habituate ourselves to studying the scriptures. ' pibatvam' means 'you drink' which means that we should seclude ourselves for one or two hours and read and understand the scriptures.

In conclusion, for our own health we should stop criticizing. Maharaj was giving practical instructions on avoiding the other offences also, and I shall try my best to post them in the ensuing mails.

Counteraction to Kali

2007-12-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

In this age of Kali the propensity for mercy is almost nil. Consequently
there is always fighting and wars between men and nations. Men do not
understand that because they unrestrictedly kill so many animals, they also
must be slaughtered like animals in big wars. This is very much evident in
the Western countries. In the West, slaughterhouses are maintained without
restriction, and therefore every fifth or tenth year there is a big war in
which countless people are slaughtered even more cruelly than the animals.
Sometimes during war, soldiers keep their enemies in concentration camps and
kill them in very cruel ways. These are reactions brought about by
unrestricted animal-killing in the slaughterhouse and by hunters in the
forest. Proud, demoniac persons do not know the laws of nature, or the laws
of God. Consequently, they unrestrictedly kill poor animals, not caring for
them at all. In the Krsna consciousness movement, animal-killing is
completely prohibited. One is not accepted as a bona fide student in this
movement unless he promises to follow the four regulative principles: no
animal-killing, no intoxication, no illicit sex and no gambling. This Krsna
consciousness movement is the only means by which the sinful activities of
men in this Kali-yuga can be counteracted.

Ref. VedaBase --> SB 4.26.5

Worth Reading: Becoming mature in Krsna consciousness

2007-12-29T20:42:00.000-08:00

Becoming mature in Krsna consciousness

It's time to become mature - high time. All around us the signs are clear.Crystal clear. The winter of kali-yuga is increasing its intensity. If we do not become mature soon, our life will freeze on the the banyan tree of this world.What exactly does it mean to become mature?Immediately two answers come to mind:1. to develop a new set of desires and a new orientation in life2. to become enjoyable for others.Let us consider the example of a young immature boy or girl. When they become physically mature, they see each other in a different light.Previously they had thought any member of the opposite sex as foolish,uninteresting and not good to play with. Upon physical maturity they develop different outlook - they become attracted, even infatuated. And new, previously unknown desires arise in them.The same is true for a devotee who becomes mature. He or she will find new or previously unknown desires enter his or her mind. "Oh, I wish to really serve Krsna! Oh, I really wish to satisfy Him and when, oh when will I develop my relationship, my loving fulfilling relationship with the Lord."Often Krsna helps His devotee to mature by sending him a challenging situation which all of a sudden changes his perspective on life. At such a time new perspectives and desires arise in the mind. A little while ago I received the following very inspiring letter by a nice devotee who wrote a prayer to Krsna one day before a risky operation. As you will see the prayer is highly inspired by his reading the Saranagati of Bhaktivinodha Thakura:"I beg you, Krsna, when will the day come when I will stop committing offenses and Your holy name finally enters into my heart? When will I genuinely pray for the mercy of the vaisnavas?When will the tide of divine love overflow my heart?Because of my offenses, bad character and attachment to the opposite sex, this body has become an abode of pain and suffering.But even if through the operation I should get rid of the pain, as long as my soul is covered by impurities I will continue to act improperly and suffer the reactions.Oh, My Lord, when oh when will I get rid of my enjoying mentality? I am desperate, my body is exhausted from drinking the deadly poison of material desires.My mind is also exhausted. Dressed in the ropes of lust, I am expecting Your holy name to break through my layers and enter my heart. When will this cheater put down all his disguises and become your servant?When will the attachment for the beautiful members of the opposite sex turn into the swan of love for you?
Oh, Krsna, I know that You are here beside me, even in this hospital.But again and again I forget You and repeat my best story - cheating myself and others.But please don't forget this fool that is still floating in the ocean of his material desires and emotions. I do not know if I will live the next morning.Please if I have to leave this body during the long night of pain (the writer refers to his operation), please give me the opportunity to remember You one more time."In this little article I would like to concentrate on another aspect of maturity: To become pleasing for others. Let us consider the example of a fruit which matures. Previously it was hard and sour, but upon maturation it becomes sweet and enjoyable for others.The same holds true for a devotee. He or she becomes the source of encouragement and inspiration for others and ultimately very pleasing for Krsna because of his or her service attitude.

Not long ago, people in America wanted to find out who is actually happy in this world. The result was astonishing for them: They found out that those who serve others are the happiest people in the world.To illustrate this point, please allow me to present a little story which I wrote being inspired by a sufi story*Lessons From A Tea Cup - A True Story:

Once there was a young man, rather immature in his life, but ready to learn. He had a strong liking for antique things and was happy to visit different antique stores in all European countries he went to for holidays. Over the time he developed a strong interest in antique pottery and especially in tea cups. He felt - they all had their unique stories to tell.Once while he was in an old fortress in Serbia which had been partiallytransformed into a museum, he spotted an exceptional tea cup in a dusty antique store which clearly had Turkish influences. He asked the bespectaled seller:"May I see that exceptionally beautiful tea cup over there? It seems to come from Turkey..."

As the man handed him the tea cup, our young man suddenly heard the tea cup speak up:"You don't understand," it said, "I have not always been a tea cup. There was a time when I had no idea what service meant. I was just a dumb lump of red clay. Let me tell you my story, you will learn from it. I've lived for many, many thousands of years. I've witnessed wars and peace coming and going. Whole civilizations rolled over me as I sat there waiting... For what I don't know."Then one day my master came. He took me, brought me home, rolled and pounded me on a wooden table. Again and again, he poked his fingers into me until finally I yelled out: ,Don't do that!' Imagine someone would take you like this. ,Leave me alone!' But he only smiled and gently said: ,Not yet!"The tea cup became more and more alive as he spoke to the shocked young man:"Then, whoommmm! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly spun around and around and around until I lost all my sense of direction: ,Stop it,don't you see that I'm getting sick? Quickly, take me from the spinning wheel!' But the master only nodded in understanding and quietly said: ,Not yet!' He only bent me in and out of shape to suit his plan with me and then..."Then he placed me carefully into an oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door: ,It is hotter than hell - I'm burning to ashes. Please get me out of here before it is too late.' I could see him through a tiny hole. I could only read his lips as he shook his head from side to side and silently pronounced ,Not yet!'

When I thought I could not bear the heat for another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on a shelf where I began to cool. It felt so good to be left alone."But more was going to come. After I had cooled down he carefully picked me up, looked at me and brushed some dust away. Then ... he brought the colours! And something transparent - the glaze. The fumes were horrible! I thought I would gag! ,Please,... you have no mercy! Don't you understand my misery? Please, please give up on me! Please! Stop it!'But he only shook his head and said: ,Not yet, you're not yet ready!' "Then unexpectedly and very quickly he put me back into the oven. Only it was about twice or trice as hot as the first time - this was the most intense. From the beginning I felt... this is my death... I begged... I pleaded ... I threatened ... I screamed ... Finally, I cried without tears. Not even hot tears. I was convinced I will never make it. I was ready to give up."Just then - in the last second as I was slowly fainting, the door opened and he took me out. And again placed me on the shelf - where I cooled and waited... and waited ... and waited."What was going to be next? An hour or later he came back and placed a mirror before me and said: ,Look at yourself!' And I did.

"What I saw, amazed me. It is what you see now. ,That's not me!' I said.That cannot be me... It is too beautiful, too ...""With a very compassionate voice he spoke: ,This is what you are meant to be.', and then he explained: ,I know it hurt you when I rolled and kneaded you on the table. But if I had not gotten the air out of you, you would have broken.'"I knew you must have lost all your sense of orientation when I was spinning you. But without this you would never have come into this form. I know the fumes of the colours in the glaze were intolerable when I painted you all over. But if I had not done that, you would not have had any colour in your life and you would not have hardened. And when I placed you in the second oven I knew that this would be the most severe part. But without it you would have broken very easily when the realities of life would have come. Believe me, all I did was for your good. Now you are what I had in mind when I first saw you on the ground. Now you are a finished product."With this the tea cup stopped speaking - but there was a tear of gratefulness coming from its beautiful rim.

The young man purchased the tea cup and only used it when he offered something to God. He never forgot the lesson he received from it. And whenever he himself was in a difficult situation and he felt like calling out ,Stop it! Leave me alone!', he remembered the words of the tea cup-maker: "Not yet...!" However, he also became grateful - for he knew that everything that happened was designed by the Lord to make him what he was meant to become: a pleasing servant.And he had trust. God knows what He is doing for each of us. He is the potter and we are the clay. He will mold us and make us ready. And He will expose us to just enough pressures of just the right kinds that we will become a perfect piece of His liking.

Book distribution stories in Srila prabhupada times

2007-12-29T20:41:00.000-08:00

Read these inspiring incidents(attachment) of book distribution during srila prabhupada times . the the determination & enthusiasm of the devotees for distribution of these transcendental literature was amazing during those days & that is still continuing till date.

"The Sankirtana devotees(BOOK DISTRIBUTORS) are very very dear to Krishna.
Because you are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has
immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during war time, a
farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes to fight for his country on the front,
immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. So Krishna
immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna consciousness who takes all
risks to deliver his message." SP letter, 11/12/75

Here's nice story from 1975 Thanksgiving Day in America. Ramesvara had sent a report about book distribution in America (this is a little long but its well worth the read): December 9, 1975 — Vrindavana

"Ramesvara concluded enthusiastically, "Our only desire is to surrender our lives to help publish and distribute millions of Your Divine Grace's wonderful books. Here in LA they are selling over 200,000 BTGs this month of December, more than even the entire Radha-Damodara party combined. Of course Radha-Damodara is selling more big books than anyone else. Devotees are more enlivened in the USA than I have ever seen for distributing your books. This will be the biggest month ever. Already one million BTGs is not enough for this month."

"Nothing pleases Srila Prabhupada more than hearing how his books are being printed and sold. He wrote back, "You keep your enlivened position. I was just talking to Hansaduta about the good fortune of America that Krishna consciousness is there; and if you can cover the whole America with Krishna consciousness that will be good for the whole world."

"Then Hamsaduta prabhu read out an ecstatic report by Uttamasloka dasa, the president of the Chicago temple, although it was not directly addressed to Srila Prabhupada. It described the efforts of the devotees in the recent record-breaking, Thanksgiving-day book-distribution competition. Out of 5,000 books sold by the three temples, Chicago, assisted by nine Radha-Damodara traveling sankitrana party brahmacaries, sold over 2,000. The letter was written to Ramesvara prabhu and sent on. Hamsaduta read it out loud as Prabhupada listened, eyes sometimes wide with amazement and appreciation at the incredible effort and risk his disciples are taking to distribute his books throughout this world of darkness:

"We took the challenge seriously—not that we were puffed up and over confident of victory—for we knew that anything could happen by Lord Caitanya's mercy. Then the first crew left—16 men and women—they were distributing by about 6:30 a.m. Later a small party went out by about 10:00 a.m. with more books and prasadam, and later on in the day several others came out. Altogether there were about 25 devotees at the airport throughout the day. Sripati and I sort of floated about helping in different ways, like you did. There were the 17 regular distributors plus Tripurari Swami and a couple of weekend regulars and a few more new comers.

"In the first hour and half most of the distributors had done 15 to 25 books, so by the time we got out (about 11:00 a.m.) they had already done about 300-400 books! The mornings are always good. Things were quiet; not too many announcements and no break ups or hassles. We all met together for lunch at 1:00 p.m. and took a preliminary count: over 750 books—we were close to breaking the world's record half way through the day. By 1:00 p.m. Manusuta dasa had already done 100!!!!!! Praghosa dasa 80!!!! and Tripurari Swami 70!!!!! Our hairs began to stand on end a little as we speculated about the potential results and everyone was back distributing by 1:30 p.m. "Basically we distribute two terminals… there is a corridor about 25ft. wide that the people funnel through after coming from the 'fingers'… All of the passengers come through there on their way to the baggage claim and also on their way to a flight…. We found out from the paper next morning that over 220,000 people came through the airport that day!!!!

"At about 4:00 p.m…. a demon worker of the airlines came up to one devotee and punched him in the face; the men were stunned. Then he went up to another devotee and punched him in the face! The men and karmis began to congregate. Tripurari Swami came running to see what was happening; the demon punched him in the face!!! All of the devotees immediately jumped on the demon and began beating the stool out of him!!!!!!! There was a huge crowd all around and the devotees were shouting for the police to stop this man. There was blood on his face and on the ground. Praghosa's punch had drawn blood and there were drops of blood on Praghosa's clothes and drops of perspiration on his face: he was feeling very blissful!!"

"Prabhupada's eyes opened wide at the description of the fight. "Accha!" he said in surprise, shaking his head in wonder at the risks his men were taking on his and Krishna's behalf. Hamsaduta was laughing and shaking his head in awe and he read on. "Half the crowd was in our favor and the other half against. The police came in and the demon said that we had given him a book and then taken it back and started a fight. The police arrested the devotees! This is typical of all the incidents—they attack us and we get arrested! Anyway somehow or another, by Krishna's grace, the devotees were released and back distributing in 20 minutes.

"Around 6:00 p.m. I took a preliminary count… I sat in the phone booth and added the score. As I added my eyebrows began to raise higher and higher! My eyes began to bulge from their sockets!! My mouth dropped open! I was speechless! Tears actually began to flow from my eyes! We had broken 1400 books! I couldn't believe it; I was stunned and took another count to be sure, and sure enough, it was right. I began to shout in ecstasy 'Hari Bol, Hari Bol, Hari Bol!' All the karmis were looking at me through the phone booth with screwed up faces of bewilderment… .

"When I got back there had been another incident… A couple of plainclothers (cops) had tried to set up one of the women for an arrest and she tried to get one of the men to help her. One of the men tried to intervene and they arrested him and took him downstairs. Another mother went down to find the girl whom they tried to arrest and when the cops saw her they said "Where's the other girl?" "I don't know" she said. "OK, then we'll arrest you instead!" "Hey, let me go! I didn't do anything!" Two small scuffles broke out with the two devotees and the police. Another devotee came in to stop it… and the police turned on him and the three of them mercilessly beat him up on the floor in front of many bystanders! One of the policemen's guns fell out during the scuffle and books were scattered every where. The devotees were then taken to jail downtown (the two men devotees). Of course this knocked at least 100 books off our score."

Prabhupada was listening with rapt attention to the whole description, occasionally raising his eyebrows in surprise and shaking his head and smiling in appreciation. He was aglow with obvious pride at the determination of his disciples to sell his books despite all obstacles, and he listened to the entire report, blow by blow.

"While we listened to this incident and took prasadam, a demon who had found three books ripped them up and threw them in our midst. Unaffected, a little tired, but undaunted in their determination, the devotees went back to distribute. Meanwhile a huge blizzard began and traffic started jamming both on the roads and in the air.. At 10:30 p.m. I got a report from Sripati: over 1700 books—we might break 2,000!!!! This is incredible!! Who can imagine the mercy of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu? All but four of the men were coming back at 11:30 p.m.—Manusuta w/191; Praghosa w/153; Tripurari Swami w/135 and Ranganatha w/120…. The first crew returned in the blizzard by 2:00 a.m. and the four others left about 1:30 or 2:00 a.m. Everyone struggled to get up for mangala arati (the four latecomers didn't even go to sleep) and after an ecstatic kirtana I ran around to get the final scores… On Thursday we fasted from breakfast and chanted and slept till noon arati when we had a big arati kirtana and after a nice feast!!!!

"Thank you for inspiring us to compete for the mercy of the Spiritual Master. If it weren't for you we wouldn't know what to do. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! Your servant, Uttamasloka dasa."

"Another page carried the totals for each distributor. Two men did over 400 between them: Manusuta set a new individual world's record with 210 books, Pragho a was just behind with 200. Another seven, Tripurari Swami, Ranganatha, Romapada, Buddhimanta, and Preraka prabhus, including two women, Sa bhuja and Jagaddhatri das…s, broke the one-hundred—book mark. The grand total was 2,042 hardbound books.

"At the bottom of the list Uttamasloka added a note to Ramesvara: "My humble suggestion and request is that you read this letter and all of its contents to the assembled devotees of New Dvaraka Dhama. Even though it is irregularly composed and full of mistakes and errors, it is still very transcendentally pleasing and will be relished by all."

"At the top of the letter Ramesvara had written in large clear capital letters, "THE MOST ECSTATIC SKP NEWSLETTER OF ALL TIME! SHOULD BE READ ALOUD TO ALL OF THE ASSEMBLED DEVOTEES!"

"When Hamsaduta finished, Srila Prabhupada had a huge smile on his face, clearly pleased and obviously enjoying transcendental ecstasy. He dictated his reply, not to Ramesvara but to Uttamasloka. "Please accept my blessings. I read your sankirtana newsletter with great relish. Europe and America are in great danger, this Hare Krishna movement is enveloping them. The sankirtana devotees are very, very dear to Krishna. Because they are doing the field work of book distribution, Krishna has immediately recognized them as true servants. Just like during the war time, a farm boy or ordinary clerk who goes out to fight for his country on the front, immediately becomes a national hero for his sincere effort. So Krishna immediately recognizes a preacher of Krishna consciousness who takes all risks to deliver his message.

"It is called dhira bratta—determination. These boys and girls are mahatmas-mahatmanas tu mam partha, daivim prakrtim asritah, bhajanty ananya manaso, jnatva bhutadim avyayam:—'O son of Prtha, those who are not deluded, the great souls, are under the protection of the divine nature. They are fully engaged in devotional service because they know Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, original and inexhaustible.' This verse is applicable here. If these boys were under the material nature they would not take so much risk. They are mahatma, they are real mahatma, not that long beard and saffron cloth mahatma. They are unswerving in their determination, dhira bratta. All glories to the American devotees! "I hope this letter finds you and all the sankirtana devotees well, Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami."

THE MADNESS OF MODERN MORALITY

2007-12-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

When the RSPCA decided yesterday to ignore the protestations of her devotee carers and "put down" the ailing Gangotri–a 13 year-old cow living at Bhaktivedanta Manor–they were moved by compassionate considerations. Their spokesperson said, "We do understand and respect religious beliefs but at the heart of our organisation is the belief that animals should not suffer." In their view the pain she felt from "infected sores" was such that the only answer was to kill her by lethal injection, which they duly administered as the horrified devotees looked on.

Though it is claimed to be compassion, killing as a response to suffering is not something readily countenanced when it comes to humans. In Britain at least euthanasia is a crime, even if the suffering person desires his or her own death. Even in cases where the suffering is acute or there is terminal illness, killing is not allowed. Care will be administered to give the patient the best possible quality of life till death naturally occurs.

However, in the case of animals, as the instance of poor Gangotri illustrates, the feelings are different. At some point–in this case on the behest of three vets–death will be decreed. This is more or less universally accepted as the right way to treat animals. Even our beloved pets will be "put to sleep" when we think their pain is too great.

From a moral point of view then we have to ask what it is that distinguishes humans from animals. Why do we treat them differently? As far as Vedic theology is concerned all creatures are spiritual equals, eternal souls occupying different bodies. All life therefore has equal value and is entitled to equal protection under law. If the RSPCA truly did respect religious beliefs then this is the first thing they should have respected. But even if they felt they had the right to impose their own moral imperatives on the devotees, then they and the society that supports them should at least show us the consistent moral case.

But can they? I don't think so. First of all, why do we wish to prolong human life for as a long as possible? Western society as a whole does not function on any overt religious assumptions. It is really just about enjoying life, and if anything we work according to the utilitarian principle of achieving "maximum happiness". All our endeavours are basically about this; increasing our happiness.

But animals also enjoy. They eat, sleep and mate just like us. They enjoy the sunshine and running free in the fields. They play, fight, talk among themselves and have their societies just as we do. Really, if we take away religious sentiment regarding the higher spiritual purpose of life, about which animals have no notion, then we will be hard pressed to find any difference at all between man and beast.

We might argue that animals have no art, science and philosophy, but if these are divorced from spirituality then again they are simply about increasing our enjoyment and happiness. Even if we argue that such things give greater meaning and value to humanity then what about a less intelligent person who cannot appreciate these so called finer aspects of life? Can we treat them like animals? If a man is intellectually challenged in some way then can we kill him when he has painful, infected sores?

If life is all about sensual and mental pleasures then we simply cannot present any clear moral case for distinguishing man and animal. We have to take recourse to the religious argument before we can make any distinction. Which brings us back to the so-called "respect" that the RSPCA, and indeed everyone else are always so quick to declare for others' beliefs. Except when it is time to act on that respect, of course. When those beliefs of other people in some way contradict our own then they can be completely ignored.

And that is exactly how the Krishna devotees are feeling today. Completely disrespected and marginalized. While we can respect the compassion that drives organisations like the RSPCA, do they not think that we too have such feelings? Could they not see that we were caring for Gangotri in such a careful and loving way? Obviously we only wanted her well-being and according to our own belief structure we did not see that killing her would in any way enhance her welfare.

But did anyone bother asking us why? Did anyone ask us why we especially respect the cow, a gentle creature that does nothing but eat grass and provide us with her wonderful milk? A creature that society as a whole sees fit to slaughter in countless millions in order to eat her flesh. Where are the compassionate RSPCA then? When the poor cows are being dragged, crying piteously, to a terrible death at the hands of the butchers? When their baby calves are taken away for slaughter, leaving the griefstricken mothers wailing through the day and the night? Who cares about that suffering? It seems that economics and our liking for roast beef and hamburgers put a swift and convenient end to our so-called "belief that animals should not suffer."

The RSPCA might argue that they do intervene in the meat industry when they see excessive abuse, which is fine, but the level of extreme misery they happily ignore can hardly be compared with the tolerable pain that Gangotri was suffering. She certainly was not howling with tears in her eyes, as we will see animals doing any day of the week in the slaughter house.

Today the devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor are heartbroken and mortified. When will the madness end? When will we recognise that animals, like us, are eternal parts of God and killing them wantonly for any reason brings in its wake terrible consequences? Our own legal structures may be fallible and ineffective, but God's laws never fail. As Srila Prabhupada writes, "The material world is itself a place always full of anxieties, and by encouraging animal slaughter the whole atmosphere becomes polluted more and more by war, pestilence, famine and many other unwanted calamities."

We would perhaps do well to heed his warning.