Mahabhagavat Das SDA, Servant of the Servant of God- Spiritual Reflections of a Recovering Atheist
Author: Mahabhagavat Das SDA
I am a formally initiated disciple of His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari. My spiritual master was initiated by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1971. He is the author of the famous Ultimate Self Realization Course. Check it out at www.joincourse.com.
I reflect on a transformative spiritual journey that began 25+ years ago with the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, from a monk in Mumbai. Initially skeptical, I engaged, allowing the Gita to purify my heart through countless readings. Inspired by my benefactor, I set a goal to distribute 100,000 copies of the Gita. Through persistent outreach, I have successfully shared over 10,000 copies worldwide but I recognize the challenge ahead. I invite you to join in this great mission. Can you see the potential for worldwide transformational change as each inspired individual can significantly impact countless lives? Will you help?
Approximately twenty five years ago, I was a young, haughty engineer. I was also an atheist then. I got my copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is from a monk in Mumbai (then Bombay). He gave it to me free of charge. The story of my early spiritual journey is here.
The Perfect Escape Manual
Bhagavad Gita As It Is is the perfect escape manual for those trapped in the material realm.
I had read many editions of the Gita before, but they were more or less useless. I had discarded them. I had concluded that the Bhagavad Gita was complete nonsense. I planned to read and discard this one too. So I began to try and find the faults. This book ended up finding my faults, honestly.
My Journey with the Gita
As I travelled all over the world, my Gita went with me. Reflecting on the pure instructions of Krishna cleansed my consciousness. Reading the Bhagavad Gita hundreds of times, the clear writings of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada purified my heart. I wasn’t speaking to anyone about spiritual life during those years. It was just me and the book…It was many years until I actually came into the association of the devotees. It was not just philosophy, but also a full manual to living life in a joyful spiritual way.
That interaction with our unknown hero, the Hare Krishna monk, has been the single most transformational one in my life.
Paying It Forward: The 100,000 Gita Goal
I began to gratefully consider how to respond… I didn’t know by benefactor by name or by face. I didn’t have any contact information for him. While I couldn’t do anything for him, I decided to pay it forward .
Impulsively, I think, at first, but with great conviction after, I picked a target to distribute 100,000 of those Bhagavad Gita As It Is, or equivalent. I don’t know how I came up with the number. But now it’s ingrained. I have committed this to myself. I have committed this to God. I have given my word to my Guru. I have asserted it to so many others. I’ve got to do it, or die trying.
It’s got to be done, the 100,000 Gitas or equivalent. And after 18 years of trying, I’m finally past the 10,000 mark. So 10% there. It’s not totally hopeless.
Testing a New Approach
But recently, I began to have a sneaking suspicion that I couldn’t do it alone. So I decided to test it out.
I continued to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books as I did, hand-to-hand, person-to-person. I went into apartment buildings. I went to street corners. I went to busy intersections with a lot of people milling about. I approached strangers late at night. I distributed books on buses, trains, planes. I called people. I wrote online. I mailed books to people I’d met. Sometimes they gave me a donation. At other times I covered the cost of the books myself.
As I approach the end of my corporate career, I realized something important. I can’t continue to cover the costs myself for much longer!
The Reality of Spiritual Book Distribution
I quickly discovered that it’s almost impossible to even give spiritual books away. People who are uninterested or against the ideas in the books just do not want them. And to someone who is interested, they will gladly donate generously. There are the friends and family who have donated so much. There is the lady who emptied her bank account on a late night for a book that cost $1. Recently an auto mechanic did the “give you everything in my account right now” thing.
I also compared my hand-to-hand distribution score with the score I got from others’ help. And in the last few years, others have helped me distribute more books than I have distributed myself!
So this boils down the book distribution project down to finding interested people. An interested person wants a book for themselves. Or someone interested wants to help me distribute them to others.
I can only hit the 100,000 goal with others’ help!
The Numbers Don’t Lie
On average, whenever I go out to distribute books, very few people interact with me. Usually, about one in a hundred people will engage with me in any way. The interactions are on a wide spectrum. Some are quite positive. Some are nasty. Of those who do interact in any way, about one out of ten will take a book. Mostly it’s a small book. Rarely it is a Bhagavad Gita. And even more rarely, someone will get a full set of books, like the Srimad Bhagavatam, or the Chaitanya Charitamrita. All in all, it takes me about 10,000 attempts to distribute the equivalent of a single Bhagavad Gita.
My lifetime total is 100,000 Gitas. The last time I counted, I had about 90,000 to go.
The Impossible Math
Simple Math tells me that it will take me about 900,000,000 attempts. That is 900 Million. The human population of our planet is 8.2 Billion. I will need to approach 1 out of every 9 people on this planet. All this to distribute the equivalent of 90,000 Bhagavad Gitas hand-to-hand! This still sounds possible somehow, through my website, through my various outings all over the world.
But, given that a successful book distribution takes around 10 minutes on average including the unsuccessful interactions… that is 900,000 minutes, or 15,000 hours. I can presently go out 108 times a year. If each of my outings were to last just 2 hours, I’d need to go out 7,500 times. And at my current rate, that would take me another 70 years. I’m already over fifty years of bodily age in my current lifetime… It is unlikely I will live to be 120 years old! And even if I were to live that long, my “useful lifespan” would be much shorter than that.
Long story short. I really can’t do this alone. I need help.
Why can’t everyone just get the Gita for themselves?
That’s a valid question. After all, God helps those who helps themselves, right?Why should I or anyone else go through all this trouble? There are some key reasons why someone can’t get the Gita themselves:
They don’t know about it yet – that’s why we reach out relentlessly
They haven’t found a genuine edition of the Gita yet – most versions are full of motivated concoctions – I had read so many editions before, but that monk helped me get the pure message of the Gita, so can we help others
They just can’t afford it – I know many souls who just can’t afford to buy the book, in India, in Africa, in South America, and elsewhere
They don’t realize the value of the Gita – there are many who can very well afford to buy a copy, but don’t know the value – giving them a taste of the Gita will help them tremendously, and they will support the cause themselves
A donated copy of the Bhagavad Gita removes those barriers. Distributors can freely distribute to anyone who is interested.
That monk gave me a copy of the Bhagavad Gita As It Is free of charge. Someone sponsored that copy. So I have yet another unknown benefactor!
Being an Instrument
So how to do it?
It is not that I have to personally distribute the Bhagavad Gitas myself. I just need to be an instrument in the distribution of the Gitas. We know that Krishna advised Arjuna “nimitta-mātraṁ bhava“, “be but an instrument” (BG 11.33). Since the instructions of the Gita apply to all of humanity, they also apply to me, and to you. We can all choose to be instruments in the hands of God.
How can we be an instrument?
I can be an instrument if I can inspire a lot of people, each doing a little bit! And you can be an instrument if you choose to help.
We can be like a scalpel in the hands of the expert surgeon. We can work to remove the cancer of a Godless society together.
You, my dear reader, can surely help. If you help me, then together, we can change another 90,000 lives at least. The collateral improvement from this can be much bigger. Each of those lives can impact another 90,000, and each of those another 90,000… Don’t you want to save the world with Krishna’s wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita?
We can distribute Bhagavad Gitas anywhere on the planet. Whether it is Africa, or North America, or South America, Europe, Australia, or Asia. Any country in the world. Any of the 90+ languages the Bhagavad Gita is now available in.
2025.27-68 – This is only my second Sankirtan update of 2025, and there will be just one more 2025 marathon update after this… Lots of outings, lots of classes, online articles, service, mentoring, travel, etc., no time to write about it all promptly. But more and more engaged in sadhana and service than ever before, carefully tracked and measured. Feeling very blessed and grateful for it. 68 outings this year so far, 73 classes, 1027 Bhagavad Gitas. Please could you help?
Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna! Please kindly accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I pray that you are all well and in good health and spirits. By your blessings I am able to participate in this Hare Krishna movement, despite my disqualifications. Thank you!
General Update:
You’re used to getting my Sankirtan updates via email. But it became really hard for me to manage all my different communications channels alone. So I will use my website as the primary channel and connect all other channels to it. I pray for your kind understanding. Thank you.
This is only my second Sankirtan update of 2025, and there will be just one more 2025 marathon update after this… Lots of outings, lots of classes, online articles, service, mentoring, travel, etc., no time to write about it all promptly. But more and more engaged in sadhana and service than ever before, carefully tracked and measured. Feeling very blessed and grateful for it.
Outings Outline:
2025.27 – 28 May 2025 – Old City Hall Harinam
2025.28 – 31 May 2025 – MSF Old City Hall with VB and devotees
2025.29 – 7 Jun 2025 – Waterloo Ratha Yatra Book Table
2025.57 – 7 Oct 2025 – Hyderabad Nagar Sankirtan with Vishwa Kirti Prabhu ACBSP
2025.58 – 8 Oct 2025 – Hyderabad Nagar Sankirtan with Vishwa Kirti Prabhu ACBSP
2025.59 – P&T Colony Books – counted separately
2025.60 – 9 Oct 2025 – Hyderabad Nagar Sankirtan with Vishwa Kirti Prabhu ACBSP
2025.61 – 12 Oct 2025 – ISKCON Juhu Books
2025.62 – 13 Oct 2025 – ISKCON Juhu Books
2025.63 – 16 Oct 2025 – Thiruvananthapuram Adi Keshava temple Books
2025.64 – 17 Oct 2025 – P&T Colony Books
2025.65 – 2 Oct – 18 Oct 2025 Continuous India distribution all day – counted separately
2025.66 – 26 Oct 2025 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday feast distribution
2025.67 – 30 Oct 2025 – Royal St. George College Talk & Books
2025.68 – 2 Nov 2025 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday feast distribution
New 42 2025 Outings
Total 68/108 outings in 2025
Here are just a few of interactions that stood out…
Poland was a delightful place for Sankirtan & Book Distribution!
Rahul joined me on Sankirtan one day at Old City Hall
Radhashtami blessings! Siddharth is a young man who I struck up a conversation with on Radhashtami, discussing the Bhagavatam. He surprised me with his openness and deep questions, and took a set almost right away! Doesn’t happen too often. I remain in touch with him… that day was blessed and 11 sets were distributed in that outing! Bright young people, looking for answers to the questions of life. Just the type of people Srila Prabhupada had in mind!
Ritiv, the man of questions, was referred to me because he was asking so many questions. And he joined the classes reading the books carefully and asking many questions. He writes “this class is changing me into the best version of me. I would be always grateful to Radha Rani for giving me this opportunity to better understand myself with the help of Bhagavad Gita”. Thank you Ritiv and the whole Parampara is rooting for our success, we’re only getting started!
YD Square is a loud space, Toronto version of Times Square experiences, I call it an assault on the senses. The square with gigantic screens, all sorts of sights, sounds, and smells. And a continuous stream of people moving through it in all directions. Distributing Ratha Yatra invitation cards was a fun and interesting experience there. I got to invite several who would otherwise not know about the festival. The ones I least expected to took the cards. That reminded me again that we’re not these bodies. Krishna consciousness operates on the level of the spirit soul.
The Toronto Ratha Yatra is really BIG in terms of the opportunity to distribute books. Even though we have been distributing extensively there, there are still repeat customers. And the festival gives the perfect atmosphere for spiritual discussions. It was good numbers for me personally, even though my time was fragmented in so many services.
In my first unexpected visit to Thunder Bay, I was delighted to join their Ratha Yatra celebration. With a team that is stretched thin, book distribution often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Serving souls up there in the North was very inspiring. I know this is one reason why Krishna took me from a tiny village in South India and plonked me here in Canada!
The Vaishnava Sanga festival was in Stratford this year and the Harinam was as good as it gets. There were hundreds of devotees out on the streets of Stratford. But they were light on the book distribution side – with just a few books. So I added my own personal stock to the mix and together we all distributed many books.
The ISKCON Scarborough Ratha Yatra has been steadily building up. They have a nice focus on book distribution, led by Anuttama Prabhu and my Godbrother Sudarshan Prabhu. It was a pleasure and privilege to assist them with book distribution
The Kensington market in Toronto has its own vibes. Whenever I go there, I can be sure to meet some far out folks. The total number of books distributed has somewhat reduced there. This is owing to the gentrification. But Kensington remains a great spot to go out on book distribution!
Kensington is still a fun place for Harinam Sankirtan & Book Distribution
One of the summer festivals we go to is the Cabbagetown festival. Named after its frugal inhabitants who grew cabbages in front of their homes instead of lawns, that reputation persists. We were met by this keen bargain hunter, a gentleman who wanted the Bhagavad Gita in Tamil. He came and he went. The devotee he spoke to first refused to give him a Gita… He came back, and again. Finally he got a Gita for what he thought was a bargain price. But he didn’t know that he’s bargaining with the best bargainer in the business, Sri Krishna. I got my Gita for free around 25 years ago, and look where I am!
Friend in deed! Antariksh is a young devotee in the community. He brought some of his friends to me at the book table. He then asked me to recommend some books for them, which I did after asking them a few questions. He then ensured that these young men liked the books. And then, he bought the books for them. What a friend!
My new friend with a book to sober him up
On my trip from Frankfurt to Hyderabad, I sat next to a young man. The flight was full. The cabin crew served passengers with their German efficiency. I struck up a conversation. he was an ambitious engineer. Reminded me of myself a couple of decades ago. He worked fulltime and had a business in Hyderabad. He was looking for advice in running his business. The young man, Sai, later confided in me. Among other things, he regretted getting drunk on this day. Of all days, he felt it was unfortunate since he was to sit next to me. We spoke about spiritual life, Krishna, about Karma. We spoke about chanting Hare Krishna. But anyways, he took a book, gave me a generous donation in Euros.
These boys have a Japa circle of their own at ISKCON Juhu!
India Sankirtan is always ecstatic! The Nagar Sankirtan with Vishwa Kirti Prabhu (ACBSP) was a highlight. There was also the book distribution at the ISKCON temple book stalls. It was even more exciting out on the street. Coming from the west, it is relatively hard to get the books out! But not in India. One just had to stand somewhere with the books and souls would make a beeline for the books. One just has to scratch the surface, and almost everyone in India is Krishna Conscious.
Books fly out in India
Narayana is the owner of a motorcycle repair workshop. He pulled up on his sleek motorbike and I handed him a small book. He took out his phone and transferred the entire content of his bank account to my Sankirtan account! I struggled to find books to reciprocate with his generosity! I gave him a few extra copies. Narayana said he was going to make the books mandatory reading for his “boys” back at the workshop! I look forward to visiting that transcendental workshop in my next visit!
This gentleman teaches chemistry and is preparing to serve as an officer in the government.
BACE Power! All this time, I’ve been distributing alone at my spot at the P&T Colony 5-road-intersection… But this time, all of a sudden, some boys with Tilaka came and asked if they could assist. Turns out, ISKCON Attapur has opened a BACE not too far from there. Boys stay there, work, study, and practice Krishna Consciousness. These boys enthusiastically distributed all my books in a few minutes – no donations LOL! Clearly they hadn’t been trained in the art of book distribution! We can afford to give the books away. But we try to get whatever donation we can for the benefit of the recipient. I look forward to associating more with those boys in my next visit. And I heard there is another BACE from ISKCON Hyderabad not far away. Talk about ecstatic!
My enthusiastic book distributor friends from the BACE in P&T Colony Dilsukhnagar
This young reader, Krishna, is reading Srila Prabhupada’s book. He later brought a handful of rice as a donation in exchange for the book.
I have an inspiring Godsister named Guru Vandana Devi Dasi. She is a very sincere and serious devotee. She distributed an SB set, and let me be an instrument in her distribution. Of course, Sri Adi Keshava orchestrated all this, we were all just instruments.
Sriman Padmakumar is a retired chief engineer from the Kanyakumari district. He met us at the ancient Sri Adi Keshava temple in Thiruvattaar, Tamil Nadu, right on the border with Kerala. We were on yatra there with my spiritual master and Gurumataji. There he expressed a wish to get a Srimad Bhagavatam set in English. He told Mother Guru Vandana, who passed me the lead. We only had enough time to exchange numbers. Over the next couple of days, I coordinated with Padmakumar and India BBT. With the magic of electronic messaging and transactions… while I was travelling around… Padmakumar sent me a donation, which I forwarded to the BBT. The BBT shipped an SB set! And just like that, 1 SB set distributed while on pilgrimage!
These are only a few of the many interactions… something about these stood out to me even now and I wrote them down for your pleasure. Please pray for everyone else who reciprocated with any devotee who was out on Sankirtan. They deserve your blessings. A few pictures attached.
Now, here in Toronto we have welcomed the Srila Prabhupada marathon. This is the month where we try in a concerted way to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. Especially the Bhagavad Gita As It Is, we distribute as much as possible. At least in Toronto, most of the targets are achieved through collection of funds – shaastra daan. This is a good way for those who don’t distribute books to get involved in book distribution. But for me personally, it’s about going out regularly. It is a very purifying experience, especially in the cold weather of Canada. If it was not for the kindness of the followers of Srila Prabhupada, where would I be? Probably on the other side of the marathon. So I try my best to reach as many souls as possible.
Would you like to help? I can’t hit my targets alone. But you can help. You can donate for distribution in any region of the world. I will work to get your donation to book distributors in that part of the world. This way, we can make it easier for someone to get Srila Prabhupada’s books. Will you help?
All this is possible only by your encouragement and blessings! Thank you!
Do you want to be notified when I go out? Anyone you know? When I’m going out on Harinam, book distribution, or giving a class, I send out a notification. Please let me know… let us together flood this world with Harinam Sankirtan, Krishna Katha, and Srila Prabhupada’s books!
My 2025 goals summary is
68 Sankirtan outings
73 classes delivered, and
1027 Bhagavad Gita or equivalent distributed.
My lifetime goal of being an instrument in distributing 1 Lakh Gitas tracking is at 10,195/100,000 (10.2% of goal).
My 2025 goals are,
108 Sankirtan outings
70 classes (exceeded), and being an instrument in the
distribution of 2330 Bhagavad Gitas or equivalent!
I can only set goals and pray for mercy, then try my best. But the Vaishnavas and Krishna can help fulfill the prayer, enable the effort and make the target possible to achieve. Please bless me, because your blessings are certainly potent!
40 outings to go in 2025! Please bless me, please pray for me.
Please engage in acts of Harinam Sankirtan wherever you are!
P.S: If you wish to help me distribute Bhagavad Gitas, please let me know. Distribution can be arranged in a country of your choice. You can start with as little as 1 Bhagavad Gita. There are no upper limits! 🙂
P.P.S: Please forward to as many souls as you can with your personal note, where attention goes energy flows, so more and more souls may take up Harinam Sankirtan and Srila Prabhupada’s book distribution all over the world…
Why should we avoid the terms “idol” and “mythology” when discussing Vedic culture? These terms undermine the Krishna and Vedic scriptures. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic scriptures expound the Supreme Absolute Truth and Universal history. The original misunderstanding stems from historical attacks on Vedic culture. What is actual idol worship? What is actual mythology? Read more to find out!
These two words “idol” and “mythology” should be avoided like the plague when speaking about Vedic Culture. Vedic Culture means the culture that increases our love for Krishna. Never use the words “idol” and “mythology” when speaking about Vedic culture, or Vishnu / Krishna.
Unfortunately, this happens a lot in India, which is sad.
I give dictionary meanings, before elaborating further.
Idol: /īd′l/ A false god. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.
Mythology: /mĭ-thŏl′ə-jē/ A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution.
Kṛṣṇa who is known as Govinda is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal blissful spiritual body. He is the origin of all. He has no other origin and He is the prime cause of all causes.https://vedabase.io/en/library/bs/5/1/
Krishna is the Supreme Absolute Truth.
This means that Krishna’s name, form, pastimes, paraphernalia, abode, associates, etc., are all on the Absolute platform.
नाम चिन्तामणि कृष्णस्चैतन्य रस विग्रहः | पूर्ण शुद्धो नित्य मुक्तो अभिन्नत्वं नाम नामिनोः ||
“ ‘The holy name of Kṛṣṇa is transcendentally blissful. It bestows all spiritual benedictions, for it is Kṛṣṇa Himself, the reservoir of all pleasure. Kṛṣṇa’s name is complete, and it is the form of all transcendental mellows. It is not a material name under any condition, and it is no less powerful than Kṛṣṇa Himself. Since Kṛṣṇa’s name is not contaminated by the material qualities, there is no question of its being involved with māyā. Kṛṣṇa’s name is always liberated and spiritual; it is never conditioned by the laws of material nature. This is because the name of Kṛṣṇa and Kṛṣṇa Himself are identical.’https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/17/133/
Take a second look at the dictionary meaning of “idol”…
Idol: /īd′l/ A false god. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.
Udupi Sri Krishna
Nothing about Krishna is “false”. And there can be no such thing as “blind” or “excessive” adoration of Krishna. In fact, no matter how much we adore, it is always insufficient. Our problem is that we don’t adore Krishna enough. And we don’t adore Krishna sufficiently because we are blind. If we were not blind, we would be absolutely pure in our love of Krishna.
kṛṣṇe sva-dhāmopagate dharma-jñānādibhiḥ saha kalau naṣṭa-dṛśām eṣa purāṇārko ’dhunoditaḥ
This Bhāgavata Purāṇa is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Kṛṣṇa to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purāṇa.https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/3/43/
Now, to come back to the dictionary meaning of “mythology”…
Mythology: /mĭ-thŏl′ə-jē/ A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution.
सर्वस्य चाहं हृदि सन्निविष्टो मत्त: स्मृतिर्ज्ञानमपोहनं च । वेदैश्च सर्वैरहमेव वेद्यो वेदान्तकृद्वेदविदेव चाहम् ॥ १५ ॥
sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca vedaiś ca sarvair aham eva vedyo vedānta-kṛd veda-vid eva cāham
I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. By all the Vedas, I am to be known. Indeed, I am the compiler of Vedānta, and I am the knower of the Vedas.https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/15/15/
Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra
The Vedic Scriptures explain different aspects of Krishna. The Puranas are ancient history. So ancient and so broad that they encompass the entire Universe, and go back billions, even trillions of years. Who can comprehend that Universal range and time scale with our teeny little perspective?
Now, where did this misunderstanding come from?
Where did anyone get the idea to call images of Krishna as “idols” and the Vedic scriptures as “Mythology”?
The last surviving bastion of Vedic culture is what is current-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.
Vedic culture has been under attack for well over 3000 years. It is natural, because we are in the kaliyuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Vedic culture i the opposite of quarrel and hypocrisy
First, it was the advent of Buddhism, and Jainism. These are essentially either impersonal, voidist, or both, depending on the specific flavor. Both twisted the Vedic scriptures in different ways. Both were philosophically defeated and Buddhism was mostly driven out to the far corners of the world, away from India.
Buddhism was advented by Lord Gautama Buddha to originally to drive out a corruption in Vedic culture.
Then, in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Lord Buddha, the son of Añjanā, in the province of Gayā, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued speaking to Mahārāja Parīkṣit: My dear King, the King of Koṅka, Veṅka and Kuṭaka whose name was Arhat, heard of the activities of Ṛṣabhadeva and, imitating Ṛṣabhadeva’s principles, introduced a new system of religion. Taking advantage of Kali-yuga, the age of sinful activity, King Arhat, being bewildered, gave up the Vedic principles, which are free from risk, and concocted a new system of religion opposed to the Vedas. That was the beginning of the Jain dharma. Many other so-called religions followed this atheistic system.https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/6/9/
Later invasions from the west
But then, there were the expansionist invasions by the zealots claiming to follow “Islam, the religion of peace”. Those invaders to the Holy Land of India were attracted by the wealth, the riches in the temples… But they were too uncivilized and uncultured to appreciate the nuances of Vedic culture.
So they started calling temple worship “idol worship” in their middle eastern languages, Arabic, Persian, etc. They started a systematic system of persecution, calling the followers of Vedic culture as “kafirs” or non-believers. They did not understand that Krishna is actually Allah Himself. This persecution conginues to this day, a thousand years on. For example in Pakistan and Bangladesh, followers of Vedic culture are still harshly persecuted.
The European powers made the most sophisticated attempts to culturally conquer the Vedic culture. They came to India about 600 years ago. They engaged in business and military conquest. They also sought to replace Vedic culture with barbarian European culture through an insidious system called “modern education”.
Indians have been conditioned to denigrate their own culture!
Indians began to speak Portuguese, Dutch, French, and English. They were made to forget their own languages, their own customs and refined practices. It was deeply rooted. The Europeans, especially the British, sought to vilify all Vedic practices through their Christian missionaries.
Deity worship became “Idol Worship”.
Krishna became a “tribal chieftain” or at best, a “Hindu god”.
All the ancient historical texts like the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Puranas, became “Hindu myths”.
Vedic culture will rescue with world from its dense darkness. To revive the glorious Vedic culture, we must first reject this insulting word “idol” in relation to Krishna. We must also reject the derogatory “mythology” in relation to the Vedic scriptures.
What is idol worship then?
It is the worship of politicians, business people, actors, sports people, military leaders, etc. It is the worship of TV personalities and entertainers. The western world fully engages in idol worship daily. They do this through their thousands of TV channels, their movies, their books, newspapers, magazines, their marketplaces, and living spaces.
“Western Culture”, an oxymoron, means to worship the temporary bodies, through luxurious homes devoid of a culture of Krishna Consciousness. It means lavish bathrooms and swimming pools. It means arenas to celebrate war in disguise. It means a worship of their dogs and cats. It means the killing of cows and bulls, which are dear to Krishna.
Reject idol worship, by all means, but the form of Krishna is not an “idol”.
We can use the these words instead to describe images of Krishna:
“Archa Vigraha” (अर्च विग्र:) – the Divine Worshipable Form of God
Deity
Divine Form of God
And what is mythology?
What is called “modern science” is mostly mythology. And the western version of “history” is mythology. Common uncultured rascals have been promoted as great personalities. Alexander “the great” was a looter and marauder. Napoleon was a low class murderer and looter. He conspired to become king of France after the French had executed their king and rejected the monarchy. Winston Churchill was a disgusting narrow minded bigot. He was a lying manipulator. He was not a great leader by any stretch of the imagination, because he was full of all vices.
Everything that opposes the pristine Vedic culture is mythology. This includes the spiritual texts of the Middle East, that were once great and pure. These texts like the Quran, Bible, etc., have been censored, edited and misinterpreted. They have lost spiritual value due to tampering. They are only good as political manifestos now. Even if the text is intact, the misinterpretation and misunderstanding of it has depleted its value.
So, yes, reject mythology also, but the Vedic scriptures are not mythology.
धर्म: प्रोज्झितकैतवोऽत्र परमो निर्मत्सराणां सतां वेद्यं वास्तवमत्र वस्तु शिवदं तापत्रयोन्मूलनम् । श्रीमद्भागवते महामुनिकृते किं वा परैरीश्वर: सद्यो हृद्यवरुध्यतेऽत्र कृतिभि: शुश्रूषुभिस्तत्क्षणात् ॥ २ ॥
Completely rejecting all religious activities which are materially motivated, this Bhāgavata Purāṇa propounds the highest truth, which is understandable by those devotees who are fully pure in heart. The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all. Such truth uproots the threefold miseries. This beautiful Bhāgavatam, compiled by the great sage Vyāsadeva [in his maturity], is sufficient in itself for God realization. What is the need of any other scripture? As soon as one attentively and submissively hears the message of Bhāgavatam, by this culture of knowledge the Supreme Lord is established within his heart.https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/1/2/
You can call the Vedic scriptures as:
The Yoga texts of India
Vedasor Puranas
Vedic scriptures
Vedic literature
Vedic History
Please give up the use of the words “idol” and “mythology” in relation with Vedic Culture! Hare Krishna!
Haridasa Varya Prabhu, a humble and devoted soul, exemplifies the profound impact of simple devotion. Initiated at the age of 82, he lived a quiet life in Maharashtra, embodying true spirituality through daily chanting and reading. Despite illness, his dedication never wavered, demonstrating that it’s never too late to pursue a spiritual path. Surrounded by supportive devotees, his sincere humility and consistent practice of chanting the Hare Krishna mantra brought him closer to Krishna, ultimately guiding him to spiritual perfection.
Haridasa Varya Prabhu is not a well known devotee. He is not a Guru. He is not a big leader. He does not give classes. He does not write books. He did not take any tremendous vows. He did not commit to or achieve some ambitious project. He is a simple devotee. But his simple devotion earned him a place in the spiritual realm. Read more about the simplicity of this sweet devotee that made him dear to Guru and Krishna.
Born in 1941, Haridasa Varya Prabhu left for the spiritual world in 2025 at the age of 84. He was initiated quite recently, in 2023. How did he achieve this amazing feat, and that too “so quickly”?
His Grace Haridasa Varya Prabhu
Our hero was born in a pious Marathi-speaking family. It was in a little village in the Washim District of Maharashtra. He led a very quiet and simple life. Married, early, he had two sons and a daughter. I learned about this great soul through his daughter. She is a devotee named Shyama Gauri Devi Dasi. She is a disciple of His Holiness Radhanath Swami. When she spoke about her father, I was inspired and struck by the simple devotion of her father. I had to write about it.
A map of India highlighting the Washim District of the State of Maharashtra
Once, not long ago, a visiting preacher, Ram Narayan Prabhu asked this elderly gentlemen “How many rounds are you chanting?”. The answer came back “Five”. The preacher asked “How will you reach spiritual perfection by chanting only five rounds?”. He added “If you chant a sixteen rounds, I will arrange for your initiation”. Our elderly hero was incredulous “What, even I can get initiated?” – thinking himself so unqualified for spiritual initiation, nevertheless started chanting sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Every single day our octogenarian hero would chant Hare Krishna. Minimum of 16 rounds. Every single day.
Baladev Prabhu is our hero’s spiritual guide. He served as “Atma Pradarshak Guru” and “Shiksha Guru”, the instructing spiritual master. He took great pains to craft a plan of spiritual practice suitable for an octogenarian. Another spiritual guide was Vednath Prabhu, the Bhakti Vriksha leader or the local community.
Simple things get harder in old age. That’s one reason to start as early as possible. But, our hero never skipped his rounds. Even in ill health. Even in pain. No matter how hard it got, there was no stopping until he got to the magic number 16 rounds.
When it came time to getting initiated, though, there was a problem. He couldn’t travel far. In fact, he barely traveled to a nearby village. So how would he get initiated?
His Grace Samika Rishi Prabhu is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada. When he heard about this sincere soul, he agreed to initiate him. Not only is Samika Rishi Prabhu an accomplished physician of the body, he also is a doctor for the soul. The spiritual master has over 50 years of dedicated service under his belt. He agreed to visit the little village in Washim, Maharashtra. He came just to initiate this sincere soul.
On the initiation day, everyone was moved by the sincerity of the octogenarian initiate! His simplicity and dedication were clearly seen by all. New initiates are required to take the following vows:
To chant a minimum of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra (1728 utterances of the mantra) every day.
To follow these four regulative principles
No illicit sex
No gambling
No meat eating
No intoxication
When taking the vows to follow the regulative, our hero was embarrassed. He didn’t want anyone thinking he used to do these things before and would now abstain from them! So he took the vows somewhat like this:
“I don’t partake of illicit sex, gambling, meat eating, or intoxication” – deliberately using the present tense!
That simple innocence definitely brought a chuckle to everyone present!
His Grace Samika Rishi Prabhu initiated our hero with the name “Haridasa Varya Das.” This name means “The foremost among the servants of Sri Hari.” He took his spiritual life very seriously.
This was the daily schedule of Haridasa Varya Prabhu:
7:00 AM – rise, cleanse teeth, have breakfast, take a bath, apply Tilaka, recite his mantras at the altar. The mantras starting with the Ganapati Stotra and other mantras he was used to reciting since childhood.
8:00 AM – Chant 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra on meditation beads
11 AM – Lunch
12 Noon – Nap
2 PM – Read the Srimad Bhagavatam, at least 40 pages daily – make a daily record of his reading
4PM – Watch TV, speak with other villagers
6PM – dinner
7PM – Chant Hare Krishna some more
9PM – Rest
Handwritten notes example, containing the reading progress of His Grace Haridasa Varya Prabhu around the date of his departure
When he became sick closer to departure from his body, he chanted constantly, with or without beads. Even without beads, or while “asleep”, he would “move the beads”on a piece of cloth in bed.
Just before he departed, he did this:
Asked for his beads
Asked for a picture of Krishna to be brought before him. Not just any picture of Krishna from some magazine, but a picture of Sri Radha Pandharinath from ISKCON Pandharpur.
He told his daughter-in-law “There are four personalities here. They have come to take me home”
He asked to go outside in the sun, and spoke to passersby as if saying goodbye to everyone
Took Krishna Prasadam
A neighbor who had gone to Prayagraj for the Maha Kumbha Mela gave him some Ganga Jal (water from the Ganga)
Refused to go into his bedroom to sleep
Sat down on a couch gazing at a picture of Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra from ISKCON NVCC Pune.
Told his daughter-in-law, “Yes, there are four of them who have come for me”
Took his “bath”, a sponge bath from one of his daughters-in-law
He departed just when his arms were raised to put on his shirt
Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra, ISKCON NVCC Pune
Haridasa Varya Prabhu used to love to lead Harinam Kirtan in his own special way. Someone would hold a microphone close to his mouth and he would sing a simple song or two. His sincere Kirtan was appreciated by all.
This was one of his favourite songs:
तू माझा यजमान रामा, तू माझा यजमान ||धृ||
जननी जठरी रक्षियले मज,पोसुनी पंचहि प्राण ||१||
बाहेर निघता मातेचे स्तनी,पय केले निर्माण ||२||
ऐसे असता या पोटाची,का करू चिंता जाण ||३||
मध्व मुनीश्वर स्वामी रमापती,धरी माझा अभिमान ||४||
You are my Lord Rama, You are my Lord
In the womb of my mother, you protected me, you preserved my five life airs
When I came out, you caused milk to flow from my mother’s breast
When this is so, why shall I worry for my own sustenance
He read the entire Srimad Bhagavatam and the entire Chaitanya Charitamrita. He was on his second round of reading the Srimad Bhagavatam around the date of his departure.
He leaves behind his wife, Mother Damodar Priya Devi Dasi, also initiated by Samika Rishi Prabhu.
At the end, he pulled out an ace… attained perfection… whatever he did or not, at the end, he did. – Her Grace Rukmini Devi Dasi (JPS)
Haridasa Varya Prabhu, I pray at your lotus feet the next prayer taught to me by my spiritual master. I fall down in the dust of your lotus feet while praying this prayer to you. You have shown us by your personal example of humility, eagerness, consistency, and presence of mind. You have attained pure devotional service at the lotus feet of Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra. You are very kind and merciful Vaishnava. Please grant this poor soul shelter at your lotus feet.
From Haridasa Varya Prabhu’s life, we get the following lessons:
It is never too late to start – of course, start as early as possible, but start, and GO!
When the disciple is ready, the spiritual master is sent by Krishna. In this case, Haridasa Varya Prabhu’s spiritual master came all the way from New Jersey, USA.
Humility is a great asset – Haridasa Varya Prabhu considered himself unfit for initiation!
Take spiritual practice seriously. It is potent. Chanting Hare Krishna. Reading Srimad Bhagavatam. Every bit counts!
Focus consciousness on what is most important, and do it every day.
Simplicity in spiritual life is a prized asset, we should cultivate this simplicity that allows us to chant always.
Krishna is very kind and merciful, and His devotee is even more so. We see this from the example of all the devotees who encouraged Haridasa Varya Prabhu.
The process of devotional service as given to us by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada works.
ये तु सर्वाणि कर्माणि मयि सन्न्यस्य मत्परा: । अनन्येनैव योगेन मां ध्यायन्त उपासते ॥ ६ ॥ तेषामहं समुद्धर्ता मृत्युसंसारसागरात् । भवामि न चिरात्पार्थ मय्यावेशितचेतसाम् ॥ ७ ॥
ye tu sarvāṇi karmāṇi mayi sannyasya mat-parāḥ ananyenaiva yogena māṁ dhyāyanta upāsate
teṣām ahaṁ samuddhartā mṛtyu-saṁsāra-sāgarāt bhavāmi na cirāt pārtha mayy āveśita-cetasām
But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
Alas, how shall I take shelter of one more merciful than He who granted the position of mother to a she-demon [Pūtanā] although she was unfaithful and she prepared deadly poison to be sucked from her breast?
This outline details the upcoming classes in India, with dates and locations specified. Any adjustments will be reflected on the webpage but will not trigger email notifications; registered participants will receive updates via WhatsApp. Locations include Hyderabad, Pune, and Mumbai, with some sessions providing audio recordings only and limited attendance. Additional information will be updated as available.
Hare Krishna!
This is an outline of the upcoming classes in India. Any changes will be updated on this page, but will not result in an update email. WhatsApp updates will be sent to those registered for that.
Hyderabad, like many other cities, is a vibrant chaos of litter. Dedicated street cleaners face a relentless battle against the chronic litterbugs who trash the city daily. Despite their morning efforts, the streets revert to their messy state by evening. This mirrors our spiritual lives where temporary cleansings fail to eliminate deeper impurities. The battle against sin and distraction is exacerbated by our habits that pollute consciousness. The antidote? Fully embrace Krishna Consciousness—an all-encompassing practice that brings clarity, purpose, and purity to both streets and spirit.
I am here in India presently, the booming bustling messy city of Hyderabad.
Every morning, I walk back from the temple after the morning program. I admire the cleaners busily cleansing the streets of all sorts of garbage… pieces of paper, plastic wrappers, cigarette butts, and more.
Street Sweepers in Hyderabad
They work quite hard, actually. They diligently sweep and clean up everything. They collect it all, put it into their carts, and take it all away. At about 8 AM in the morning, everything looks so neat and clean!
But come the afternoon, the streets look almost the same as they did before. This, despite all the hard work by the cleaners of Hyderabad!
What just happened?
Litterbug city
The culprits are the citizens (no offense intended) of Hyderabad! Most of them are chronic litterbugs… I saw one man on a motorcycle. He opens up a sachet of tobacco. He pops the contents into his mouth and discards the wrapper right there. All this while he is stopped in traffic.
A child peels the wrapper off a sweet. She pops it into her mouth. Then she discards the wrapper.
A street vendor is preparing some fruit for sale… He discards all the peels in a heap behind his cart.
A housewife has just swept her home, and she dumps the rubbish right on the street outside her house.
A man in a business suit is in a chauffeured car. He rolls down the tinted window of his fancy car. He out throws out an envelope, carefully torn into tiny bits. He spits out a stream of red tobacco induced liquid.
Boys light firecrackers on the street – it is a few weeks to Diwali. They’re getting a head start on the merriment… Every firework is left right there on the street where it went off… Bits of plastic, paper tubes, shredded paper.
Multiply that 11 Million times… the population of Hyderabad. It’s a recipe for one messy place!
Then the next morning, the cleaners will be at it again… sweep, collect, throw.
But Hyderabad looks as messy as ever, day after day. The rivers are open sewers, drains are clogged with plastic film… People have been spitting all over the place.
The cleaners don’t stand a chance, they are outnumbered!
Spiritual Cleansing, Materialistic Littering
On the spiritual path, people often engage in cleanups… Prayers, Purificatory rituals, penances, austerities… But sometimes we feel discouraged when there is no progress.
Let’s say someone prays or meditates (cleansing the consciousness) for 5 minutes, 20 minutes, or even two hours every day. Or more. What happens for the remaining time during the day?
It’s the same thing – gotta’ stop littering for the effects of the cleaning to show!
The streets of Hyderabad are cleaned each morning. But the actions of the chronic litterbugs make it seem futile. Similarly, our consciousness can be littered by where we choose to focus our attention.
It is important to focus our consciousness in a way that doesn’t litter our consciousness with more materialistic garbage.
The elephant’s bath
In a picturesque analogy from the Bhagavatam, King Parikshit makes this astute observation. He observes the souls passing in turn through regions of enjoyment and purgatory throughout the Universe. Souls are rewarded with heavenly pleasures for their pious activities, and punished for their sinful activities.
These pious and impious activities don’t cancel each other out. The after-effects of both must be experienced separately. Enjoyment for pious deeds, and suffering for the impious. And every such activity leaves behind a seed of future entanglement.
Many of us on the spiritual path are very keen to avoid the sinful activities. But all too often, we still fall victim.
क्वचिन्निवर्ततेऽभद्रात्क्वचिच्चरति तत्पुन: । प्रायश्चित्तमथोऽपार्थं मन्ये कुञ्जरशौचवत् ॥ १० ॥
Sometimes one who is very alert so as not to commit sinful acts is victimized by sinful life again. I therefore consider this process of repeated sinning and atoning to be useless. It is like the bathing of an elephant, for an elephant cleanses itself by taking a full bath, but then throws dust over its head and body as soon as it returns to the land.
Many of us do the same… we engage in purification, and then we cover our consciousness with dirt.
What is that “dirt”… It is activities which cover our spiritual consciousness with material contamination. Think television, newspapers, mundane movies, games of crickets and soccer, video games, internet gossip and worse.
Why?
It’s so important to lose the habit of littering our consciousness!
Lord Krishna says this in His Song, the Bhagavad Gita, the Song of God…
Though the embodied soul may be restricted from sense enjoyment, the taste for sense objects remains. But, ceasing such engagements by experiencing a higher taste, he is fixed in consciousness.
Only a rare person who has adopted complete, unalloyed devotional service to Kṛṣṇa can uproot the weeds of sinful actions with no possibility that they will revive. He can do this simply by discharging devotional service, just as the sun can immediately dissipate fog by its rays.
The process of Krishna Consciousness is so sublime. There is Krishna Consciousness activity to immerse ourselves twenty four hours a day.
24/7 Spiritual Engagement
We can start with rising early for Mangala Arati. We can engage in a full morning program of hearing, chanting, and worship. Our consciousness becomes charged up with Krishna. We can then insert Krishna Conscious thoughts, words, and deeds throughout the day as we go about our duties.
And of course, someone who rises early is also forced to rest early. So much trouble avoided!
And of course, genuine spiritualists do not litter. Not their consciousness, not their homes, nor their streets.
Let us take advantage of this process! Want to avoid littering your streets of your consciousness? Want to know how?
P.S: I have nothing against the city or the people of Hyderabad. It is practically the same story in every village, town, or city in the world. It is the terrible practice of littering, both spiritual and material, but especially the spiritual littering that I’m advocating against.
A devotee grapples with the weighty concerns of karma and how it burdens employers through their employees’ actions. His anxiety reflects a larger existential dilemma: can sincere devotion offset the negative karma from associates who resist spiritual growth? Replies from spiritual leaders emphasize that true surrender to Krishna liberates one from such burdens. However, they also underscore personal accountability in leadership roles, balancing professionalism and compassion. Ultimately, the discourse reveals a timeless struggle: navigating spiritual principles in the cutthroat world of business while striving to uplift those around you.
Bhakta Sunil, 29 September 2014
Hare Krishna
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Prabhu ji I have few doubts
a) How much percentage of karma does employer take of each of his or her employee
b) If employer is sincerely practising Krishna Consciousness , though not at the place of work with employee ( not with employee , but on own ) then karma from employee to employer is reduced or nullified?
I am a bit worried because we have two employees at shop. I tried many times to directly or indirectly share Krishna Consciousness with them.
Sometimes they paid attention , but one of the employee returned the book which I gave and I am not sure if they practice God Consciousness.
At times I have noticed them behaving rudely or not giving due respect to customers. So I am worried if we have to take their karma.
I have put Prabhupada’s books and photos at place of work and often played kirtana at place of work
your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Sunil
Srivatsa Das, 03 October 2014
Dear Bhakta Sunil
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Gurudeva
The employer, if he is surrendered to Lord Krishna, he need not worry about karma, or law of nature or destiny and all such complications, since Krishna has already declared that His devotee never perishes. And also in BG 18.66, Krishna tells, “Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” We will be free from fear up to the extent we have faith in the Spiritual master and Krishna. So it is very important to develop faith in them.
We cannot force anybody including our children to lead Krishna Conscious life unless they are attracted themselves to Krishna Consciousness. Everybody has been given the required free will to surrender to Krishna and they are supposed to use it for that purpose and unfortunately, they can even misuse it also by not surrendering to the Lord.
Regarding the rude behaviour, it can be due to many reasons. In this material world, a lot of people are frustrated due to many miseries, that could be one of the reason for their rude behaviour. But, in most of the cases, the problems can be solved just by hearing their worries patiently at suitable location. We need not talk in many cases, but sometimes we need to encourage them to talk. Just hear their worries patiently and attentively. Most of the times, they themselves will arrive at the solution and thank us too !!! or they will ask for some suggestion, then, at that time we can give some suggestions that can help them to lead a Krishna Conscious life. Sometimes, we may have to correct ourselves too based on their input, so we should be prepared for some adjustments. This is one way of solving the issue.
Sincerely,
Srivatsa Das
Bhakta Sunil, 04 October 2014
Thank you Srivatsa Prabhu
Superb answer!
your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Sunil
Gusti Nyoman Ambara, 04 October 2014
Hare Krishna!
Dear Sunil Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances,
All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I have no qualification at all to share my opinion with you, but I would humbly try to do it as per my capacity.
Srivatsa Prabhu have nicely given the explanation upon your doubts. It is true that if we are fully surrender to the Lord, we do not have to worry about karma and such things anymore. Always try to focus in making the Lord happy by executing our prescribed duties at our best and offered the result to Him no matter what it is. Then there will be no more anxiousness.
You also nicely show the symptom of a devotee by having compassion on your employees and try to share Krishna-consciousness to them. Indeed, it is the most important thing. I think you have correctly tried to do it by putting some Prabupada’s book and playing some kirtans at the place of work, because hearing (sravanam) is the most potent way for us to open our consciousness to Krishna. I myself also have proved this method. My mother started to chant Mahamantra on beads about a year ago. She told me that she was inspired to do so soon after she heard it played in my car stereo during our 8-hours journey from Bali to Surabaya.
If those things still do not work with your employees, I suggest you to give another try by using prasadam. It is also a powerful way to share Krishna-consciousness to the whole world. You can make some prasadam in the form of candies or sweets and put some of them at the place of work, so that your employees can have and taste them. You will gradually see the effect and surely you will no longer have any worries. Thank you very much.
your insignificant servant,
Gusti Nyoman Ambara
Bhakta Sunil, 06 October 2014
Dear Gusti Prabhu
Hare Krishna
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Thank you very much. Your answer is great!
Prabhu ji , I now understand that karma of one’s employee would not act for one who is practising Consciousness
Gusti Prabhu ki Jaya!
Your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Sunil
Tirtharaja Dasa, 07 10 2014
Hare Krishna Prabhu,
My take is from a different angle and might not be absolute but good for debate.
It is said that anybody in a position of leadership attracts both positive and negative karma in proportion to position held.
In a business situation if you are the chief executive then there definitely be a degree of karmic reaction just as much as the spiritual master who accepts a disciple has accruing karma until the disciple is liberated so in similar positions of leadership especially in situations where as devotees we are DE-facto spiritual masters, then there is definitely some accruing karma.
That’s why a devotee will not mind what position or circumstances he has in life but will always serve Lord Hari unconditionally.
Regards,
your Lowly Servant,
Tirtharaja Dasa.
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 08 October 2014
Dear Bhakta Sunil,
Hare Krishna!
All these perspectives are wonderful. What I was feeling I was unable to articulate, until I read Tirtharaja Prabhu’s masterful writing. His response is befitting a senior devotee in our movement.
What I was thinking is that all those people we interact with, either as family members, community, relatives, colleagues from school, college, or work, we are already karmically bound with them. We have taken birth in similar circumstances just to enjoy or suffer collective karmas, and also repay various karmic debts. But this is a never-ending cycle… in this lifetime, we have some set of karmic debts to pay, in another cycle, it is some other set.
So, while it is true that as long as we are on the material platform, we are exchanging karmic debts, as long as we can leverage our present circumstances to drive devotional service, the situation cannot be rectified.
On a professional level, your staff need to get good training, good pay, etc., and in the worst case, if there is no progress or improvement, they would need to be fired, let go, etc. If I pay someone for a kilo of good vegetables and the person gives me only rotten vegetables, would I continue to pay that person? So inspite of giving good training, good pay, etc., if someone is not doing what I need done, then why should I continue to pay that person? Another example, ISKCON is building the Temple of Vedic Planetarium, the world’s biggest temple, we are taking full care that the engineers are qualified, the architects are qualified, the laborers are also fully qualified, the concrete is high quality, steel is perfect, etc. Of course, even though the workers are receiving payment, they are still getting the benefit of rendering devotional service.
In ISKCON Toronto, we are working on some school projects – the administrators, teachers, etc., need to be devotees, BUT they also must be professionally qualified in their specific field and be professionally competent… you could consider that, maybe there are professionally competent devotees who can also be your employees?
However, devotee or not, in the best case, even if your staff might not know or express interest in devotional service, if they are perfectly professional, and they facilitate your involvement in devotional service, they will also get some “ajnata sukrti”, or credit obtained by performing devotional service unknowingly.
Of course, you don’t expect that we will tell you how to run your business, right? You please take all these perspectives and do what is best for Krishna consciousness.
Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
Bhakta Sunil, 18 October 2014
Thank you Tirtharaja Prabhu and Mahabhagavat Prabhu for discerning the conversation even further
I had heard in Bhagavatam lecture , that king collects karma from citizens and similarly for employers from employees
Thus I asked here to clarify
After reading Tirtharaja Prabhu and Mahabhagavat Prabhu’s reply , it further clarified what I understood in the lecture and what to do in such a situation
Tirtharaja Prabhu and Mahabhagavat Prabhu ki Jaya!
your insignificant servant,
Bhakta Sunil
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
Managing in religious organizations is uniquely challenging, with managers often facing burnout from balancing volunteer dynamics, demanding senior leaders, and resource limitations. There are other issues too, leading to dysfunctional management. This can hinder personal and spiritual growth. Implementing a rotational management system, like Madhvacharya’s, can combat burnout and foster healthier organizational environments, allowing managers, the organizaton, and the congregations to thrive.
He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system. BG 6.17
Have you ever met a dysfunctional manager?
Someone who has been managing up, managing down, managing sideways, somehow trying to get things to work but failing? In your temple, church, mosque or synagogue?
A manager can be any one of burned out, corrupt, entitled, or arrogant. It is possible that a manager in a religious organization has lost touch with the purpose of the organization… I discussed that in one of my previous posts. That article talks about whether it is possible for a genuinely spiritual organization to even exist.
Corporate vs. Religious Management
In the corporate world, managers have it relatively easy. After all, when things get sticky, they can choose to leave. They switch jobs or fire people. They can also switch roles. We concluded with the sage words of Srila Prabhupada on how to manage effectively. The essence is that the managers or leaders can’t lose sight of the spiritual goal, the main thing.
The dysfunctional manager’s dual persona
The confusing part is usually when we meet such a dysfunctional the manager as an individual. They are usually a perfectly nice person. But when we meet the individual in their role as a manager, they can be cold or calculating. They may behave as shrewd, political, or even diabolical. They might seem callous, jealous, or envious. Sometimes, they are angry, sad, frustrated, anxious, or exhibit other negative traits. Most of the time, they may come across as uninspired and uninspiring.
Challenges for Managers in Religious Organizations
Let’s face it. Managers in religious organizations have it tough.
Managing Volunteers On the one hand, they manage an organization of volunteers. Volunteers can choose to accept what the manager is telling them, or do otherwise. Volunteers are few and far between. Volunteers are hard to fire. Every religious organization needs its volunteers.
Reporting to Senior Leaders On the other hand, managers in religious organizations often report to senior religious leaders. These leaders can be very demanding and authoritarian. Some of them can be egotists, worse than leaders in the corporate or business world. After all, a person who actually believes he is worthy of his exalted position can be dangerous. This belief is downright perilous.
Resource and Donor Management
There are other constraints. Managing scarce resources is one of them. Keeping donors happy without pandering to their every whim is another difficult job.
The Consequences of Burnout Continuously managing in this way leads to burnout. Managers lose their focus, their vision, and their enthusiasm. They end up acting in petty ways or developing serious issues like abuse of power, corruption, etc. Such managers land their organizations in hot water. Then, they cease to think or act “spiritual” by any stretch of the imagination. The news headlines reveal this all too often, unfortunately.
The Neglect of Personal Well-being Mainly, the problem is that management stresses leave the managers no time and energy. Managers (often volunteers themselves) can’t take care of their own physical, mental, emotional needs. Most importantly, they can’t invest into their own spiritual needs. All too often, managers in religious organizers manage, manage, manage their way into personal destruction, disrepute, disgrace, and eventually oblivion.
The Difficulty of Finding Qualified Managers
Understandably, it is very hard to find a serious spiritualist who will take up management responsibility in a religious organization. So many individuals with integrity and capability refuse. The task is very challenging. As a result, all too often, someone ends up in the role who is not qualified to manage. This happens out of necessity or just convenience. Someone who happened to be at the right place at the right time. So, unfortunately, it so happens that a dysfunctional manager is often kept in the role for too long. To the detriment of the individual. To the detriment of the organization. And to the detriment of the congregation.
To a sincere but capable soul, accepting management responsibility with no end in sight seems like spiritual suicide.
Not just burnout…
There is a well-known saying that power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This applies to all situations where someone has some power. But it is especially applicable to managerial situations in religious organizations. After all, a manager in a religious organization does have material power. This includes access to money, people, land, and resources. But they also carry the special cachet of being close to God.
To anyone who opposes a dysfunctional manager, that is a double jeopardy… They are dealing with someone who is undoubtedly very powerful. This person is also apparently very close to God!
And of course, all members of religious organizations are instructed to be subservient to authority! See the problem?
When someone has lost the mood of a servant
In all effective organizations, the leadership must keep the mood of being a servant.
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, God Himself appearing in the form of His own devotee, famously said this:
नाहं विप्रो न च नरपति नापि वैश्यो न शूद्रो नाहं वर्णी न च गर्हपतिर्नो वनस्थो यतिर्वा | किन्तुप्रोद्यननिखिलपरमानन्दपुर्णाम्र्ताब्धेर् गोपीभर्तुः पदकमलयोर्दासदासनुदासः ||
nāhaṁ vipro na ca nara-patir nāpi vaiśyo na śūdro nāhaṁ varṇī na ca gṛha-patir no vanastho yatir vā kintu prodyan-nikhila-paramānanda-pūrnāmṛtābdher gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsānudāsaḥ
“ ‘I am not a brāhmaṇa, I am not a kṣatriya, I am not a vaiśya or a śūdra. Nor am I a brahmacārī, a householder, a vānaprastha or a sannyāsī. I identify Myself only as the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the maintainer of the gopīs. He is like an ocean of nectar, and He is the cause of universal transcendental bliss. He is always existing with brilliance.’ ”https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/13/80/
God Himself is flawless in all respects, in every role. Yet, God’s illusory energy, Maya, she, is a formidable temptress. Maya can convince anyone of that which is not. A manager or a leader can be falsely convinced that they are not a servant.
दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया । मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते ॥ १४ ॥
daivī hy eṣā guṇa-mayī mama māyā duratyayā mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te
This divine energy of Mine, consisting of the three modes of material nature, is difficult to overcome. But those who have surrendered unto Me can easily cross beyond it.https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/14/
It is very easy for anyone to fall prey to the illusory material energy. After all, religious organizations are not full of perfected beings, but those who are trying to become spiritually perfect! So, it is practically unfair for a religious organization to leave someone in a position of power for too long.
Madhvacharya’s Management Genius
Madhvacharya, an influential 13th Century Guru was a management genius. While his spiritual contributions are unparalleled, there is another amazing contribution. He presented a very intelligent management paradigm that religious organizations should take note of. He recognized all these problems and came up with a master stroke of a management strategy.
Madhvacharya disappeared from our view in the Himalayas at Badarikashram over 700 years ago. He went to associate with his Guru Sri Veda Vyasa. It is said that the spiritual master and disciple are still living there, up in the Himalayas. But the management system he put into place still continues to work in Udupi, at the Sri Krishna Matha.
The Rotating Management System What is Madhvacharya’s management genius? He built 8 management teams under 8 capable leaders. Not one, not two, but EIGHT! He then put each team in charge of management of the temple for two years, on a permanent rotation basis. So one team takes charge, manages the massive temple for two years, then hands over to the next team… continuously rotating.
Benefits of Rotation Each team gets 14 years to invest into their own physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Then they sacrifice two years to serve at the temple… and then, before any of the above negative things start happening, they exit the main stage. They are now ready to recover, recoup, and reinvest into their spiritual core. They get a good 14 years to regroup, share reflections, and prepare for their next shot at the management service.
The Impact on Manager Motivation Put yourself in their shoes. If you get 14 years to prepare for something, how eager and enthusiastic would you be? How hard-working, sincere, and serious would you be if you have just 2 years to actually do it? Many leaders don’t even get one chance to do the service, because after all, death appears to everyone. But if you do get more than one opportunity, we can be sure that the service will be always better.
The Importance of Rotation There is no burnout, and no time to get involved in any detrimental activities. There is enough time to deeply ponder the purpose and mood and mission of the service. Religious organizations should take note of this. Any organization that does not follow such a rotation policy risks making the headlines for the wrong reasons. Do not keep a manager in a management role for too long. Find others, keep switching it up. Give everyone enough time to take care of their own health, physical, mental, emotional, and above all, spiritual.
If you are a manager in a religious organization yourself, watch out!
You won’t get to your spiritual destination if you don’t take care of your spiritual growth. Managerial growth, or more fame, power, money or influence, is not the same as spiritual growth! Please guard your spiritual life with great attention!
I pray for your success!
Hare Krishna!
The author humbly expresses his gratitude to Sriman Ravindra Shyamsundar Joshi, his elder brother. His valuable feedback on this article addressed a key misunderstanding. It helped clarify that burnout was not the only cause of managerial issues in religious organizations.
The author joyfully shares his upcoming journey to India from 2-18 October 2025, where he will immerse himself in spiritual practices centered around Krishna. He plans to visit sacred sites, engage in prayers, and connect with family and friends. This enriching experience promises to deepen his devotion and foster community service. Hare Krishna!
Hare Krishna!
It is a great pleasure and privilege to be back in the holy land of Bharat Bhumi. Most of us also know this land as India.
When in India, I will be hearing and chanting about Krishna. I will visit some places of pilgrimage. Sincere and serious devotees have based their lives around hearing and chanting about Krishna in these places.
If you want to meet me when I’m in India, please write to das@dasadas.com. Meeting individually is not always possible. Nonetheless, I will try to invite you to any programs I am attending or serving at.
And just so you have some spiritual gain from viewing this post, some beautiful spiritual images to meditate on…
ISKCON Hyderabad View of the Altars
Presiding Deities of Hyderabad Sri Radha Madan Mohan
ISKCON NVCC Pune
Presiding Deities of ISKCON NVCC Pune, Sri Radha Vrindavan Chandra
Presiding Deities of ISKCON Camp, Pune, Sri Radha Kunjabihari
Courtyard of ISKCON Juhu, Mumbai
Presiding Deities of ISKCON Juhu, Sri Radha Rasabihari
Night View of ISKCON Trivandrum
Presiding Deities of ISKCON Trivandrum, Sri Krishna Balaram
Join us for an enlightening session on Srimad Bhagavatam verses 8.7.40-42 with HG Mahabhagavat Das. This uplifting discussion highlights Lord Shiva’s selfless compassion and the importance of benevolence for all living entities. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding on August 21, 2025, at 7:20 AM ET!
A class recording will be shared after.
Hare Krishna 🙏 Bhakti sanga Japa Conference Call Presents.
SPEAKER: HG Mahabhagavat Das
TOPIC:*Srimad Bhagavatam verse 8.7.40-42
DATE📆: Thursday, 21st August 2025
TIME⌚: 7:20 AM. ET USA/ 6:20 AM. CT USA/ 4:20 AM PST USA/ 12:20 PM UK/ 7:20 PM MYT/ 4:50 PM IST
puṁsaḥ — with a person; kṛpayataḥ — engaged in benevolent activities; bhadre — O most gentle Bhavānī; sarva–ātmā — the Supersoul; prīyate — becomes pleased; hariḥ — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; prīte — because of His pleasure; harau — the Supreme Lord, Hari; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; prīye — also become pleased; aham — I; sa–cara–acaraḥ — with all others, moving and nonmoving; tasmāt — therefore; idam — this; garam — poison; bhuñje — let me drink; prajānām — of the living entities; svastiḥ — welfare; astu — let there be; me — by me.
Translation
My dear gentle wife Bhavānī, when one performs benevolent activities for others, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, is very pleased. And when the Lord is pleased, I am also pleased, along with all other living creatures. Therefore, let me drink this poison, for all the living entities may thus become happy because of me.
Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: After informing Bhavānī in this way, Lord Śiva began to drink the poison, and Bhavānī, who knew perfectly well the capabilities of Lord Śiva, gave him her permission to do so.
Thereafter, Lord Śiva, who is dedicated to auspicious, benevolent work for humanity, compassionately took the whole quantity of poison in his palm and drank it.
Purport
Although there was such a great quantity of poison that it spread all over the universe, Lord Śiva had such great power that he reduced the poison to a small quantity so that he could hold it in his palm. One should not try to imitate Lord Śiva. Lord Śiva can do whatever he likes, but those who try to imitate Lord Śiva by smoking ganja and other poisonous things will certainly be killed because of such activities.
A thoughtful discussion about the impact of a cook’s consciousness on food, emphasizing the importance of Vedic principles in spiritual practice. They discuss why for tamasic foods like onions should be avoided, and how sincere prayer and love can influence family and promote a cuisine conducive to spiritual growth and devotion.
Shivani Saxena, 5 July 2014
Hare Krishna,
My respected obeisances to You,
Srila gurudev and gurumata,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Our food at home is cooked with onions, and it is prepared by a hired cook.
Prabhu, kindly explain in detail for how the consciousness of the cook reaches to the one who eats it? What can we neophytes do about it because we can not keep convincing people to avoid onion because its tamasic?
Editor’s note: Tamasic means “in the mode of ignorance or darkness”, something that decreases our chance of spiritual success.
Hari bol…
Shivani
Shridhar Das, 8 July 2014
Hare Krsna Mataji!
Please accept my humble obeisances!
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I will try answering the question to my best:
Our food at home is cooked with onions, and it is prepared by a hired cook. Prabhu, kindly explain in detail for how the consciousness of the cook reaches to the one who eats it? What can we neophytes do about it because we can not keep convincing people to avoid onion because its tamasic?
Answer. The Vedic science and explanation is a very subtle one. It is difficult to understand without purification. Most institutes do not accept it. They cannot experience it through their imperfect material senses. This inability is also the reason for the degradation of society. This can be another topic for discussion. Practicing Vedic science can confirm its validity. All the practicing souls are clearly concluding this through the results.
Our consciousness is added as an ingredient to the food. This is done by the same fire being used to cook. Exceptions include milk and fruit (Respected senior devotees kindly please confirm the same if correct). The main point is to read and understand BG 3.13.
The devotees of the Lord are released from all kinds of sins because they eat food which is offered first for sacrifice. Others, who prepare food for personal sense enjoyment, verily eat only sin. – Bhagavad Gita 3.13
Even assuming a food is free of someone’s consciousness, if it’s not offered it’s still full of sin. BG 3.13, especially the purport, needs to be carefully read and understood for the same which provides the logic behind it. But surely, subtle nature can’t directly be seen by material vision as so-called modern scientists demand.
Concerning the cook, we can beg to Lord in surrender. This allows us to receive the mercy to honor His remnants (sanctified food, prasadam). These remnants are potent in destroying innumerable sins. They are so potent that they can elevate a soul from a lower species of life. The soul can directly attain a human body. This applies to species like a bird or even lower. This is confirmed by Srila Prabhupada. Considering their other glories, why would Krsna not help the sincere devotees?
Onions are undoubtedly not good for progress in Krsna consciousness. If our family supports our path of bhakti, it can become a strong pillar for our career. It can also support any other duties of life. They will also understand how onion, garlic, mushroom, and meat act as poison to our progress. Krsna has given plenty of vegetables, fruits, milk, and grains. These can yield millions of tasty and nutritious recipes. Why focus so much on onion and garlic? They are full of stink, give foul breath, and are the source of lust. We cannot imagine offering a stink to Krsna. So by becoming convinced we may attempt to share the same with family. How to convince is another art and that is the talent of a preacher. In my case, I stopped taking any food. As a result, my parents were compelled to give up onion and garlic. I asked them to consume these but allow me to prepare my own food. However, there are better ways, as love works far better. Now I am working on the same. Senior devotees please guide on the techniques out of your experiences.
But prayers have worked for me. Even at my home, my mother was unable to cook due to medical conditions. All cooks who came and went by were meat eaters. I had no other choice but to offer. However, soon, a cook arrived who was Muslim. He rarely consumed meat and chanted the names of Allah before cooking. He recited them 500 times before sleeping. This was the best of a bad bargain. Currently, my mother is cooking as she is fine but again looking for a cook. I question every cook who approaches for cooking at our home “Do you consume meat?”. Then I received instructions from authorities. They said the cook must think that she is cooking for Krsna and be Krsna conscious. So I used to play melodious kirtans to the cook. I would talk about the Lord. Alternatively, I asked the cook to kindly adopt the required mentality. This was the toughest job. I made sincere efforts from my end. Also mataji, please read the following article. It explains why no Onions and Garlic. This will prove helpful in making efforts to avoid them.
I humbly request senior devotees to kindly put more light on this as well as correct my attempt as necessary.
your servant
Shridhar Das
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.sda-archives.com ), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
A devotee inquires about the significance of raising hands during the chant “Hari bol.” Another devotee explains that this gesture represents voluntary surrender, drawing inspiration from Lord Chaitanya. It enhances one’s connection to Krishna, fostering sincerity and devotion. Ultimately, this practice brings individuals closer to their spiritual goals with heartfelt prayer.
Shivani Saxena, 5 July 2014
Hare Krishna,
My respected obeisances to You,
Srila gurudev and gurumata,
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
If I may inquire: Why do we do hari bol in hands up position, what does it signify?
Hari bol…
Shivani
Shridhar Das, 8 July 2014
Hare Krsna Mataji!
Please accept my humble obeisances!
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva!
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I will try answering the questions to my best:
1.Why do we do Haribol in hands up position, what does it signify?
Answers. One simple explanation for raising our hands when we say Haribol is because that’s what we read from Caitanya Caritamrta. The same applies when we chant Hare Krsna Mahamantra during lectures in unison or while singing arati. We read many times about Lord Chaitanya raising his hands up and blissfully chanting. He encouraged others to follow. We also follow His footsteps to convince Him that we are eager for the same taste, although far away.
What I was explained when I joined was it’s a sign of surrender. We all know what would happen if a criminal pointed a weapon at us. We would quickly raise our hands in surrender. He would force us by shouting “Hands up!” to make sure we obey his orders. Nevertheless, in bhakti the mood is of voluntary surrender. Out of love for the Lord, in surrender one chants Haribol!! Or during arati in the most surrendered mood. This is to convey one’s heartfelt prayers if the meaning of the song is understood. In the MOST surrendered mood, one prays: “Krsna, I am so helpless and such a fallen soul! Please help me surrender unto You!” or in the mood of glorifying Lord or His devotees. Ultimately, raising hands and singing puts the singer in a more surrendered state of mind. The more we surrender, the more Krsna is pleased with our sincerity despite difficulties. This helps us get closer to the ultimate goal.
your servant
Shridhar Das
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.sda-archives.com ), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
Is “spiritual organization” a contradiction? Spirituality is all about simplicity while organizations lean towards complexity. Combining them poses risks, like losing sight of true spiritual goals. Yet, if done right, organizations can help spread spiritual teachings and drive broader impacts. It’s all about focus! Do you see problems with spiritual organizations?
“Spiritual Organization” – is that an oxymoron?
An oxymoron is when two contradictory words are used together. This can occur sometimes intentionally and sometimes by accident. Occasionally, it is not meant to be so, but hypocrisy is the cause.
In this case, we are aware of many spiritual organizations, think temples, churches, mosques, and so on… there are many. Some of them are spiritual, some religious, some both.
When I think about what spirituality is, and what organization must be, we wonder if they can ever go together.
Simplicity vs. Complexity
Spirituality means simplicity. For someone who is not simple, spiritual life is extremely complicated.
But organization means complexity… it is impossible to build and grow an organization without avoiding complexity.
On the other hand, without good organization, it is not possible to have a greater spiritual impact. Many pure saints have come and gone for thousands of years. Their existence remains a well-kept secret. They come, and they go, sight unseen. Almost no one knows about their teachings, instructions, or example.
Spiritual descendants of those simple saints often take a risk. They make the effort to organize and distribute their teachings on a wider scale. They regularly get sucked into the complexities of organizations. As a result, they sometimes lose sight of the simplicity that makes spiritual practice possible.
So this is the dichotomy… “spiritual” means simple, frugal, minimal, open, honest, etc.
But “organization” means people, money, structure, process, secrecy, and inevitably, politics.
Can spirituality exist in an organization? Can an organization fulfill spiritual goals?
How to properly understand this? How to reconcile these?
Let us examine both, and understand the risks better.
Spirituality
Spirituality means a pursuit that is non-material. A genuine spiritualist does not care for money, fame, power, influence, or any material trappings.
Organization
Organization means, fundamentally, some land or real estate, some money, and people… and some structure so that it can all be effectively governed.
In an organization, we need different types of roles. We need individual contributors. These include preachers, teachers, singers, cooks, cleaners, priests, musicians, etc. We also need managers, we need wranglers who can get things done. We need thinkers, we need executive leaders who can articulate a vision. And we need those who can execute on that vision. We need accountants, we need lawyers, we need marketing people too… we need fundraisers, we need people leaders and technically skilled leaders.
Amidst all of this, there is also a class of bureaucrats… people who can figure out a system and work it, to their advantage, to others’ disadvantage. There is also a rise of the people who don’t really contribute to the mission of the organization. They broker relationships, they broker rewards, they broker power and peddle influence. They also broker corruption. It is unavoidable, in any organization, even a spiritual organization. Even if there are parasites. Yes, we can strive to root them out, but it is often hard to tell. So we often tolerate them.
Why? Because a genuine spiritual process can transform even the most hardened materialist. So we have hope for them, even if we see through them. Even if we see their machinations, their schemes. Even if we must tolerate their shenanigans, while continuing to cultivate spiritual purity ourselves.
Srila Prabhupada spoke about this…
Just like a ripe mango and green mango. Green mango is the cause of ripe mango. But to taste ripe mango is better than unripe mango. Similarly, before attaining love of Godhead, you have got different stages. Just like the same mango, it passes through different stages, then one day it comes nice yellow color, fully ripened, and taste is so nice.
The same mango. The mango does not change, but it comes to the mature stage. So this . . . as this example, the mango is in the beginning a flower, then gradually a little fruit. Then gradually it grows. Then it becomes very tight, green, and then, gradually, it becomes little, little yellowish, and it becomes fully ripe.
This is the process of everything. In material world also, there are six processes, and the last process is vanquish. This mango example or any other material example, we can accept it so far the growth is required, concerned, but material example is not perfect. Just like mango, when it is ripe, somebody eats, that’s all right.
Otherwise it will overripe, it will decompose, it will fall down and finish. That is material. But spiritual is not like that. It is not finished. If you once come to the stage of mature stage of love, then that perfectional stage continues eternally, and your life is successful. Premā pum-artho mahān
It is tempting to think in that way… no organizations, no money, no power, no corruption, no bureaucrats, no parasites, right?
The power, the money, the powerful, the influential, the famous, and the stars. We all know fame corrodes and power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
No, because despite it all… Despite many challenges. By organizing ourselves better, we can help more souls advance spiritually. It is worth all the effort. Organization, sacrifices, and compromises make it possible, but only when we haven’t lost sight of the goal. Working together towards a common goal makes it possible, even if it is difficult to do so.
After all, one lone saintly person, how much can he do? How many souls can he reach?
So many saints have come and gone. Many have cried in the wilderness. Most are unknown. Those saints who took the time and trouble to organize did something tangible. Even if they had to distract themselves with the mundane temporarily, their efforts were worthwhile.
There is every risk that an organization becomes ineffective… That is a risk for any organization. Not just a danger for spiritual organizations.
I had written about this before. Srila Prabhupada wisely warned us against thinking that simply by being part of some organization we can advance spiritually…
But if we want to go to the spiritual platform, then these bodily demands, at least for the present, we have to regulate. We cannot enjoy material life without any restriction and at the same time we can stand on the spiritual platform. That is the whole thing. The difficult problem is there: we want to be spiritualist by speculation only. That is the whole tendency.
People are much interested in philosophical speculation without any practical life. In the modern world it is said, yaśo ‘rthe dharma-yajanam. This is the symptom of this age. Yaśaḥ arthe. I want to associate with some organization, spiritual, just for the sake of name: “Oh, I am attached to that such big organization.” But, so far my life is concerned, it is as it is. https://vanisource.org/wiki/660418_-_Lecture_BG_02.59-69_-_New_York?hl=organization
So? What is the conclusion?
Spiritualists, organize properly!
But how?
By making sure to keep the main thing the main thing!
I leave you with profound instructions from the great His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
The point is to be engaged in doing something for Krishna, never mind what is that job, but being so engaged in doing something very much satisfying to the devotee that he remains always enthusiastic.
He will automatically follow the regulative principles because they are part of his occupational duty–by applying them practically as his occupational duty, he realises the happy result of regulative principles.
So the future of this Krishna Consciousness movement is very bright, so long the managers remain vigilant that 16 rounds are being chanted by everyone without fail, that they are all rising before four morning, attending mangal arotik–our leaders shall be careful not to kill the spirit of enthusiastic service, which is individual and spontaneous and voluntary.
They should try always to generate some atmosphere of fresh challenge to the devotees, so that they will agree enthusiastically to rise and meet it.
That is the art of management: to draw out spontaneous loving spirit of sacrificing some energy for Krishna.
But where are so many expert managers? All of us should become expert managers and preachers. We should not be very much after comforts and become complacent or self-contented.
There must be always some tapasya, strictly observing the regulative principles
Krishna Consciousness movement must be always a challenge, a great achievement to be gained by voluntary desire to do it, and that will keep it healthy.
So you big managers now try to train up more and more some competent preachers and managers like yourselves.
We wake up to horrible headlines every day. People in leadership roles, people who are “highly educated” act in terrible ways.
We come up with band-aid solutions every day, whack-a-mole style. But have we examined the root cause of the problems we face in our world?
Could there be a problem with our education system?
What does it mean to be “educated”? What is the standard of education? What is the bar? How do we know if someone is educated or not?
I was shocked and disgusted to see news like this in the media…
Bengaluru student raped, blackmailed by college professors; three arrested
Former professor charged with raping multiple victims from El Salvador
Two women say Stanford and UC Berkeley professors raped them
UP professor booked for raping female students
Muslim Schoolteacher rapes and marries 12-year old student
Mumbai Teacher Gave Student Anti-Anxiety Meds, Sexually Assaulted Him
How is it that teachers and professors did this to their own students?
We are very proud of our education system in the modern world.
We gush about our kindergarten, primary, secondary, tertiary education… about Montessori and Waldorf, and other types of education.
We talk about degrees, undergraduate, graduate, PhDs.
We talk about vocational training, we laud the trades.
And yet, on a daily basis, we see scandals in the world around us. They occur in the corporate world, the medical profession, business, and government…
There are many band-aid solutions floating around, but do we know the real cause?
Our education system is a failure
Why do I say that?
Because education is meant to produce cultured individuals of high character. Someone objects that this is a subjective thing. Who can define what is a “cultured” individual with “high character”?
That is yet another failure of our education system. We don’t even know what the definition of simple things is.
The definition of “well educated” has been known for millions of years.
If someone does not trust the pedigree of Vedic culture, there is more recent definition. More than 1,500 years ago, the great thinker Chanakya Pandit wrote:
mātṛvat para-dāreṣu para-dravyeṣu loṣṭravat ātmavat sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ paśyati sa paṇḍitaḥ
“One who considers another’s wife as his mother, another’s possessions as a lump of dirt and treats all other living beings as he would himself, is considered to be learned.”
But there is hardly such a person trained by the modern education system… And if you can actually find such a person, that is in spite of their education. It is not because of their education.
We don’t teach such things in our education system. What do we teach?
We teach how to compete, how to defeat, how to win at any cost. We teach how to beg, borrow, or steal. We teach how to be passionate or ignorant, but never how to be “good”. We simply teach people how to make a dollar, or a rupee, or a pound or euro. That is not education!
Education means to raise a student above their low class impulses, to be good in the face of temptation! But it is impossible for our education system today to do any better.
The very definition of “goodness” is unknown in the modern world!
Here are a few definitions of “goodness” from the Vedic scriptures…
nitya–sattva–sthaḥ — in a pure state of spiritual existence BG 2.45
ūrdhvaṁ gacchanti sattva-sthā – Those situated in the mode of goodness gradually go upward to the higher planets BG 14.18
sattva–saṁśuddhiḥ — purification of one’s existence BG 16.1
sāttvika – that which increases the duration of life, purify one’s existence and give strength, health, happiness and satisfaction BG 17.8
na dveṣṭy akuśalaṁ karma kuśale nānuṣajjate tyāgī sattva-samāviṣṭo medhāvī chinna-saṁśayaḥ
The intelligent renouncer situated in the mode of goodness, neither hateful of inauspicious work nor attached to auspicious work, has no doubts about work. BG 18.10
There are many many wonderful definitions of what it means to be “good” in Vedic literature. When we look at the few definitions of “goodness” above, we see that our education system does not touch these at all:
Spirituality
Understanding of the evolution of the qualities of life
Purification of our very existence
Renunciation, Contentment, etc.
As a result, no matter how educated someone is, they inevitably indulge in this:
Look upon other women (or men) as objects of their own gratification
Covet others’ wealth and try to make it their own
Emphasize and amplify the differences between others and oneself, treat others differently from how one would like to be treated
There is plenty of evidence to support the above claims.
Do you not see how things are in this world? Everyone is searching after one sexual experience after another… constantly, in real life, in the media, on social media, on the Internet… our society has become a cesspool of illicit sexual indulgence.
The men do not see other women as mothers. Nor do the women hold themselves in high enough regard to act and behave as mothers should. In fact, there is hardly any understanding of the exalted nature of mothers in our world! Some women, even elderly women, balk at being called “mother”, preferring to remain sex objects or identify with other designations.
With wealth, it is a free-for-all, “finders keepers losers weepers” goes the saying taught to tiny tots these days! No one sees others’ possessions as good as worthless. They are constantly envious of what others have, and how to take it from them, by hook or by crook. This goes all the way from individuals to corporations to countries!
And almost everyone treats everyone else differently from how they would like to be treated… There is widespread harassment, racism, sexism, ageism, nationalism, ableism, classism, and so much more.
The education sytem does not teach that we are all spirit souls, equal spiritually!
So, dear reader, our education system has failed.
We need to bring it back to this standard of education.
“One who considers another’s wife as his mother, another’s possessions as a lump of dirt and treats all other living beings as he would himself, is considered to be learned.”
All teachers, lecturers, instructors, professors, and other educators who can’t uphold this principle must be educated. They must reach the right standard before being trusted to educate anyone.
Until then, the education system will stay broken… and we will continually experience fresh horrors from the “products” of this demonic education system we push.
Anyone who can’t uphold the above principles must be seen as uneducated. They should not be given any position of leadership in any part of society.
Most of the modern leaders, including are uneducated, unfortunately. This includes this representative sample of those who lead our society today.
Special Programs in Ottawa, Toronto and nearby areas from May 30 – June 8 2025…
His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada since 1971, has contributed significantly to ISKCON for over 50 years, authoring over 10 books and creating the popular Self Realization Course with 29,000 subscribers. Her Grace Vishnupriya Mataji, an ISKCON member since 1978, mentors many and excels in devotional arts.
Two wonderful visiting devotees will be giving a series of lectures in and around Ottawa, Canada. They will also lecture in Toronto, Canada. The programs are from May 30 – June 8, 2025.
Please attend these programs in person or online. Below a short summary of these two exalted personalities.
His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari, (Srila Gurudeva) is a disciple of His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada since 1971 – he started chanting Hare Krishna in 1969. Having served in Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON for over 50 years, he has rendered many valuable services. He has authored more than 10 books, including his autobiography “Divine Love Memoir“. His ultimate Self Realization Course features a daily thought and a Q&A. It also provides a weekly lesson on the Bhagavad Gita and the Bhagavata Online Academy. The course has over 29,000 subscribers worldwide. The course is translated into various languages including Hindi, Gujarati, Tamil, Russian, Lithuanian, Odia, etc. It is the longest running Internet course in the Bhakti Community Worldwide. Join today at www.joincourse.com.
Her Grace Vishnupriya Mataji (Srimati Gurumata), is a guide and mentor to thousands of souls around the world. She joined ISKCON in 1978. She adopted Krishna Consciousness as a schoolgirl. She dedicated herself fully to Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON at a very young age. She is an expert in many devotional arts. These include deity worship and cooking for Krishna. She reads and explains Srila Prabhupada’s books in a most practical and profound way. She assists Sankarshan Prabhu with his services and also serves as the Temple President of ISKCON Austin.
Is spiritual advancement not possible for someone who has not done good deeds before? The discussion emphasizes that devotional service is accessible to everyone, regardless of past karma. The mercy of a pure devotee is crucial for spiritual growth, allowing even those with sinful backgrounds to engage in devotion. Ultimately, faith and appreciation can be cultivated through this divine grace, inspiring a hopeful journey toward Krishna Consciousness. Won’t you try? Hare Krishna!
Bhakta Sunil, 9 December 2015
Hare Krishna every one
Please help understand the following lines from Bhagavatam 2.7.15 Purport :
Every living entity is always distressed in this material world because this place is such that at every step one has to meet with some kind of distress. But one who is supported by his past good deeds engages himself in the devotional service of the Lord, as confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.16). Those who are supported by impious acts cannot be engaged in the devotional service of the Lord, even though they are distressed. This is also confirmed in the Bhagavad-gita (7.15)
Does this mean, one has to have past good karma in order to engage in devotional service?
Thanks in anticipation
your insignificant servant, Sunil
Sudarshan Das, 9 December 2015 Hare Krishna,
Prabhuji, Devotional service is for everybody. Bhagavad Gita and the Maha Mantra is freely available to the people of the world because of Srila Prabhupada’s mercy. Srila Gurudev extends this mercy via the free online course. But does everybody take it? You are such an enthusiastic preacher and I am sure you talk about Krishna Consciousnesses to many people, but how many of them take it?
For a soul to be able to appreciate devotional service, they should at least be in mode of goodness in some form or the other. This consciousnesses is defined by past deeds. Lord Buddha preached non-violence to the people, so that they will at least leave the sinful life of meat eating and come to goodness so that they appreciate devotional service and take it up. That sukriti is required, it can be a agyat sukriti also, one that you get unknowingly like appreciating a devotee for the amazing kirtan he did..
To conclude, for one to appreciate and take up devotional service, good karmas create a favorable situation. If one has the causeless mercy of the Lord then the soul will surrender under any situation. 🙂
your servant, Sudarshan Das
Amala-Purana Das, 9 December 2015 Hi Sunil,
In response to your question: Does this mean, one has to have past good karma in order to engage in devotional service?
Answer: No. one does not need to have past good karma to engage in devotional service. It’s only the mercy of a pure devotee that one can take to devotional service and become a pure devotee. Pious persons are qualified to take to devotional service not exactly because of their piety, but because piety attracts a pure devotee’s mercy. It is the mercy of the Lord’s devotee and nothing else that destroys sins and establishes faith in bhakti
Srila Prabhupada informs us in BG 7.16 Purport: “When these four kinds of persons come to the Supreme Lord for devotional service and are completely purified by the association of a pure devotee, they also become pure devotees. As far as the miscreants are concerned, for them devotional service is very difficult because their lives are selfish, irregular and without spiritual goals. But even some of them, by chance, when they come in contact with a pure devotee, also become pure devotees.”
Also, Lord Krishna confirms in BG 4.36: “Even if you are considered to be the most sinful of all sinners, when you are situated in the boat of transcendental knowledge you will be able to cross over the ocean of miseries.”
Hope it helps
your servant, Amala-Purana Das
Amala-Purana Das, 9 December 2015 Adding further:
In Caitanya lila, we see how most sinful of all sinners, Jagai and Madhai were delivered by the mercy of Lord Nityananda
Also, there is a famous verse in Caitanya Caritamrta (Madhya 19.151), quoted often by Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva,
brahmāṇḍa bhramite kona bhāgyavān jīva guru-kṛṣṇa-prasāde pāya bhakti-latā-bīja
“According to their karma, all living entities are wandering throughout the entire universe. Some of them are being elevated to the upper planetary systems, and some are going down into the lower planetary systems. Out of many millions of wandering living entities, one who is very fortunate gets an opportunity to associate with a bona fide spiritual master by the grace of Kṛṣṇa. By the mercy of both Kṛṣṇa and the spiritual master, such a person receives the seed of the creeper of devotional service.”
your servant,, Amala-Purana Das
Bhakta Sunil, 12 December 2015 Jaya Sudarshan Prabhu and Amala-Purana Prabhu. The doubts have been dispelled
Sudarshan Prabhu, I also remember your enthusiasm of how you had helped another member in this forum, by giving analogy of ceiling fan taking time to come to halt after switching it off
Amala-Purana Prabhu, both of your answers have successfully vanquished the doubt
your insignificant servant, Bhakta Sunil
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com ), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
Our society is plagued by rampant nationalism. The behavior of humans mirrors that of barking dogs. Dogs are fiercely protective of their perceived territories, and humans are behaving just like dogs. This disturbing behavior reveals a mindset rooted in bodily identity. This has overshadowed our shared spiritual essence. We are all spirit souls. We share the same heavenly father. But we are just focused on temporary external designations. Dogs will be dogs, but humans do not have to be dogs. Rejecting these divisive instincts will surely bring true unity among us all.
In the last Christmas/New Year’s holiday season, we went up to Huntsville, a town further north from Toronto. I was scheduled to deliver a class there. We decided to make a mini-holiday in the winter wonderland that is Muskoka.
During a snowstorm, I decided to take a short walk around the cottage. Big snow! I was practically wading through it. Out of nowhere, this fierce barking dog started chasing me! I kept walking along the road, the dog ran towards me and then started running parallel to me! He was barely 3 feet from me. The fellow kept barking fiercely, teeth bared. Something, almost magical, kept the dog away from me. I was thinking at least I had winter gear on – it won’t be as painful… Later I realized it was an “invisible fence” that saved me.
The dog barked and barked until I left it’s “territory”, continuing on my walk, quietly chanting the names of God.
What made the dog behave like that? What had I done to it? Did I not look right to him? Did I not smell right? But I was just a harmless tourist, renting a cottage a few doors down. I’d be gone in a couple of days.
People behave just like that… especially at the border. Bow-wow, where are your papers? Do you have your passport? Do you have a visa? Do you have enough money to spend while you’re here? When will you leave? Why are you here? What are you bringing with you?
But ordinary people also behave like that. Decades ago, when I was a young software engineer in Germany for a project, nice old ladies on the train would ask me questions. Hallo, ver do you come from? Vot verk do you make hier? Ent, ven you go beck? Almost every person would ask me that, first three questions. Some continued to speak further, but most people would stop after those three questions.
Nationalism is seeing a surge around the world these days. It is not a very spiritual thing.
nationalism /năsh′ə-nə-lĭz″əm, năsh′nə-/ noun
Devotion, especially excessive or undiscriminating devotion, to the interests or culture of a particular nation-state.
The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals.
The belief that a particular cultural or ethnic group constitutes a distinct people deserving of political self-determination.
If someone is not a nationalist, they are looked down upon.
Now, I will say something that is unpopular…
What is the difference betweeen the behavior of a nationalist, and a dog?
Let’s say a new dog or cat or a person came into the “territory” of the dog. What would the dog do?
Bow-Wow! Grrrooowwwl! Teeth bared. What are you doing here? This is MINE! GO away!
Maybe the dog goes on the attack! Tries to rip the intruder apart!
Let’s say the dog’s master comes into the “territory” of the dog. What would the dog do?
Wag tail. Jump high. Happy little barks, squeals too. Lick, lick. Welcome home sir, what can I do for you?
Now, if I ask you again, what is the difference between a nationalist, and a dog?
I have nothing against dogs! Dogs will be dogs. They have no choice in the matter as long as they are in the body of a dog. But us, humans? Why do we have to be like dogs?
But the thing is, nothing “belongs” to the dog! In fact, the dog, as an animal, belongs to his human owner.
We are exactly the same. We “belong” to God!
क्षेत्रज्ञं चापि मां विद्धि सर्वक्षेत्रेषु भारत । क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोर्ज्ञानं यत्तज्ज्ञानं मतं मम ॥ ३ ॥
kṣetra-jñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarva-kṣetreṣu bhārata kṣetra-kṣetrajñayor jñānaṁ yat taj jñānaṁ mataṁ mama
O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its knower is called knowledge. That is My opinion.
Because each individual soul has his individual capacity for lording it over material nature, there are different bodies. But the Supreme also is present in them as the controller. The word ca is significant, for it indicates the total number of bodies. That is the opinion of Śrīla Baladeva Vidyābhūṣaṇa. Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul present in each and every body apart from the individual soul. And Kṛṣṇa explicitly says here that real knowledge is to know that the Supersoul is the controller of both the field of activities and the finite enjoyer. – A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in purport to https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/13/3/
Lest someone thinks that they “own” something, they do not. God, Krishna is the owner of everything, and only a small portion is assigned as our “quota”. We have no right to claim something that belongs to God, like the nationalists do.
Now, let’s say a friendly dog comes to the dog’s area… again, a similar welcome.
Everything animate or inanimate that is within the universe is controlled and owned by the Lord. One should therefore accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.
A nationalist competes fiercely against those of other nations. A nationalist is so entrapped in the material identity that they cannot see others as spiritual beings, even if they are in human bodies!
But what is this “devotion” and “love” based on? It is simply based on a bodily identity. I am Indian, I am Pakistani, I am Chinese, Russian, American, you name it!
How are you, dear Indian, different from the Pakistani? You eat practically the same food, you talk practically about the same things, you even speak the same languages sometimes. You follow the same type of religion. You worry about the same things. You have brown skins, both Indians and Pakistanis. Yes, there are some differences. One of you bears a Pakistani Passport, and the other bears an Indian passport. Yes, those pieces of paper are different. But when you come to America you will be treated the same, whether you are Indian or Pakistani. And thanks to the different papers, bow wow, how dare you.
Same with the Russians and the Ukranians.
Same with the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Same with the Dinka and the Nuer in South Sudan.
The problem? Bodily Consciousness.
The thinking that I am this body and everything related to this body is mine.
यस्यात्मबुद्धि: कुणपे त्रिधातुके स्वधी: कलत्रादिषु भौम इज्यधी: । यत्तीर्थबुद्धि: सलिले न कर्हिचि- ज्जनेष्वभिज्ञेषु स एव गोखर: ॥ १३ ॥
yasyātma-buddhiḥ kuṇape tri-dhātuke sva-dhīḥ kalatrādiṣu bhauma ijya-dhīḥ yat-tīrtha-buddhiḥ salile na karhicij janeṣv abhijñeṣu sa eva go-kharaḥ
One who identifies his self as the inert body composed of mucus, bile and air, who assumes his wife and family are permanently his own, who thinks an earthen image or the land of his birth is worshipable, or who sees a place of pilgrimage as merely the water there, but who never identifies himself with, feels kinship with, worships or even visits those who are wise in spiritual truth — such a person is no better than a cow or an ass.
The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.
It should be understood that all species of life, O son of Kuntī, are made possible by birth in this material nature, and that I am the seed-giving father.
विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि । शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन: ॥ १८ ॥
vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini śuni caiva śva-pāke ca paṇḍitāḥ sama-darśinaḥ
The humble sages, by virtue of true knowledge, see with equal vision a learned and gentle brāhmaṇa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].
And this is the only way to be happy and peaceful…
ब्रह्मभूत: प्रसन्नात्मा न शोचति न काङ्क्षति । सम: सर्वेषु भूतेषु मद्भक्तिं लभते पराम् ॥ ५४ ॥
brahma-bhūtaḥ prasannātmā na śocati na kāṅkṣati samaḥ sarveṣu bhūteṣu mad-bhaktiṁ labhate parām
One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful. He never laments or desires to have anything. He is equally disposed toward every living entity. In that state he attains pure devotional service unto Me.
This article was inspired by the following excerpt of a conversation with Srila Prabhupada, the Guru of my Guru.
Prabhupāda: Ah. The bodily consciousness is also material. That is also one. And the soul consciousness, spiritual, that is also one. That is ekatvam. So for a learned person there is no defect. Vidyā-vinaya-sampanne brāhmaṇe gavi hastini, paṇḍitaḥ samaḥ (BG 5.18). This is the . . . so anyone who is under the bodily conception of life, either human being or dog, they are the same. But that upādhi amongst human being is stronger than the cats and dogs. The human being, being advanced in consciousness, they are making this nationalism. But it is nothing but dogism. Is it not? That’s all. The so-called national people are sacrificing so many lives, so many politicians, Napoleon and these big, big leaders. But what is their business? Business is that doggish mentality, “I am this body.” So it is very difficult to give up this doggish mentality that, “I am this body.” Very, very difficult.
Dr. Patel: That is ahaṅkāra.
Prabhupāda: False ahaṅkāra. Because he is not body, it is false ahaṅkāra. So śāstra therefore says, bhagavad-bhakti hīnasya jātiḥ japas tapaḥ kriya (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 3.11). A person who has not developed Kṛṣṇa consciousness, for him this advancement of nationality, big work, industry, so on, so on, so on, jati japas tapaḥ kriya . . . Kriya, these act . . .
Dr. Patel: Activities.
Prabhupāda: What are these? Aprāṇasya hi dehasya maṇḍanaṁ loka-rañjanam. It has no value. It has no value. But people are enamored by these things, “I belong to great nation. I am American. We have got so many industries. We have got so many cars.” Attachment. So it is very difficult. Sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ (CC Madhya 19.170). One, after becoming completely freed from all these false designations, to become a devotee is very, very difficult. There is no education. https://vanisource.org/wiki/751112_-_Morning_Walk_-_Bombay?hl=dogism
Dear Reader, please be who you are, an eternal, blissful and knowledgeable Spirit Soul, a part-and-parcel of God.
This article contains a series of questions and answers… it explores the essence of selfless service, emphasizing that true selfless action arises from a pure devotee’s desire to please Krishna, devoid of personal gain. It highlights how harmonious relationships are built on mutual respect. It also discusses how the Internal process of chanting Hare Krishna mbrings peace in challenging times. Understanding the difference between karmic reactions and divine mercy (kripa) allows devotees to perceive their experiences as opportunities for growth. Ultimately, it reinforces the concept of humility and service, reminding individuals of their role as servants of the lowliest servants in devotion to Krishna.
QUESTION 1) We talk a lot about selfless service, but can you pls tell one action devoid of gain in return?
MBD: Selfless service is not possible unless for a pure devotee, who does service for service sake. In all lower states of Bhakti, all service benefits the performer, even if it may benefit others. The higher the stage of the performer’s advancement, the more it benefits others. It benefits the performer less than it benefits others. Take any service. Krishna’s service to the living entities is always selfless. He does not need anything from anyone in return. Same with the spiritual master. He only seeks Krishna’s pleasure.
1.1) Can there be an action without result?
MBD: When you say result, do you mean “karmic” result? All action that is not purely transcendental has karmic reactions… everything in the modes. Devotional service has no karmic results. Still, there are devotional results. These start with the pleasure of Krishna and the purification of the heart of the devotee, etc.
(The question above is from before our discussion today.)
From what I have learned/heard: Anand/ Sukh (Bliss / Pleasure) is the ultimate goal of every action. So if the action is intended for the pleasure of the Lord, it is selfless. But if it is directed towards sense gratification or tries to satisfy sego, then it is selfish action.
MBD: Yes, you have the right understanding.
QUESTION 2) Does the phrase “amanina man dena…” apply in a husband/wife relationship?
MBD: Yes, it applies to all relationships. If 2 souls are perfectly in amanina (not expecting any respect), they experience a state of harmony. When they are in manadena (giving all respect), they are also in perfect harmony with the will of Krishna. They are thus very happy. Easier said than done.
QUESTION 3) In the most unbeatable calamity, what is your internal process in terms of Krishna Consciousness? What is the first thing that comes to your mind?
MBD: I chant Hare Krishna, if I can chant at all. In general, we are in good shape if we can make chanting the Lord’s name a reflex action. This should apply to anything that happens, whether good or bad. We can test how far we have come when something unexpected happens, good or bad.
QUESTION 4) How do we distinguish between the reactions of Karma from Kripa?
MBD: Kripa is undeserved, no one in material consciousness deserves it. For example getting Krishna Prasadam is a great privilege. You may have the karmic credits to be able to eat, digest, etc., but there is no karmic action that can “earn” you Krishna Prasasdam. Whatever our prarabdha is must be experienced without fail. Even pure devotees apparently enjoy or suffer karmic reactions. But Krishna gives them whatever is needed for others’ sake. This is to teach others by personal example. For devotees in the middle, Krishna can use karmic reactions to pat us on the back. He can also kick us in the butt, through maya or yogamaya. All devotional experiences, in general, are purely Kripa.
From what I have learned/heard: If something is happening to me/happened with me, it MUST be my prarabdh karma. But interpreting it as the mercy of the Lord helps. He is “kartum akartum anyatha kartum.” This helps to remain Krishna conscious in the moment. It erases the distinguishing line between karma and kripa.
MBD: That is where the attitude comes in. Whatever happened is by Krishna’s sanction. The devotee will see Krishna’s hand and understand the takeaway. The nondevotee will only try to adjust the situation to “avoid/improve/prevent/etc.” You are on the right track.
QUESTION 5) Do we really have freewill? (If Lord is the enjoyer/doer of all actions, and we are but a medium) So whatever “we think” has been done by us has actually been done by Him, no?
MBD: Knowing what you will do, and forcing you to do it are two different things. It’s like a parent. The parent knows what the child will do in a given situation. Nonetheless, they leave the child free in a limited way. This freedom allows the child to learn. In the material sense, Krishna is a non-doer. The 3 modes of material nature are set in motion by Krishna. They are the doer. In the devotional sense, Krishna does not know how exactly the devotee is going to serve Him. When Radharani cooks something, Krishna knows it will be amazing, but does not know what exactly it will be. He can know it if He wants, but Yogamaya overpowers His knowability. It is like Krishna’s Sarvajnata (all-knowing nature) and mugdhata (innocence) exist together. This would be a contradiction normally, but all contradictions converge and are resolved in Krishna.
QUESTION 6) What is that ONE anchor point to be aware of every time?
MBD: I am a servant of the servant of the servant. I serve at least as far as the extent of the current disciplic succession of Krishna. But I am a servant of all devotees, past, present, and future.
Are you living the football experience? Are you constantly driven by desires and impulses like lust and anger? Despite life’s turmoil, there’s hope for liberation through spiritual practice. By seeking connection with genuine spiritual guidance, you can experience true freedom and purpose, transcending the endless kicking in material existence. Want to try it out?
A football (soccer ball) is kicked around on a field, from one side to the other. Sometimes one team has the ball, sometimes another. Sometimes it’s thrown in from the sidelines, sometimes it’s kicked out of bounds. Rarely, it ends inside the net of the goalpost… Sometimes it’s held in the armpit of the referee… If a football match lasts ninety minutes, then football is constantly moving around, from here to there, to another place…
Now suppose the football claims that it is moving by it’s own free will. The football claims that it is bouncing around from here to there on it’s own accord. Would you agree with the football?
No, you would say to the football, you’re being kicked and thrown around by the players. You have no free will, some will add.
We are all like that football. We get kicked around all over the place. Yet we claim that our trajectory is by free will! Actually, we’re kicked around due a misuse of free will! More on that in a moment.
How am I being kicked around, do you ask?
`Well, we have the feelings of lust and anger. Lust means the intense greed to have or own something. Lust means the urge to please my senses and mind. That lust propels us to great lengths. So we can say that the lust is kicking us around. And if the lust is fulfilled? Then we want more, naturally. More and more. Stronger kicks. But if the lust is not fulfilled? Then anger takes over! More kicking!
We can also see that we have 6 senses, including the mind. The eyes, ears, tongue, skin, and nose… plus the most insistent of them all, the mind. The eye wants to see something? Kick. The tongue wants to taste something? Kiick. The skin wants to touch something? Kiiick! The nose wants to smell something? Kiiiick! The ears want to hear something? Kiiiiick! And of course, the most resounding kick comes from the mind! Of course, the biggest kicks are from the mind… Out of bounds!
Sometimes we are kicked by our own mind and body, but sometimes we are impelled by others… A swarm of mosquitoes? A bed full of bugs? Cockroaches or rats anyone? Teeming, jostling, pushing crowds of people? Black flies, bears, you name it!
Sometimes we’re impelled by the forces of nature. A kick from a flood, maybe. Or a kick from fire. Worse, a kick from a hurricane, or an earthquake even.
Sometimes we’re impelled by illusion, sometimes by envy. Sometimes we’re compelled greed or madness. And all of these kick us around, from one end of the world to another. From one lifetime to another sometimes. Again and again.
Being kicked for ever. Ad infinitum.
All of this kicking, and we say we’re doing everything “by my own sweet will”?
In the famous Frank Sinatra Song, a misguided protagonist foolishly croons…
And now, the end is near And so I face the final curtain My friend, I’ll say it…And more, much more than this clear… I did it my way
Regrets, I’ve had a few …I did what I had to do …And more, much more than this… I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew When I bit off more than I could chew… …And did it my way
I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried I’ve had my fill, my share of losing And now, as tears subside …Oh, no, oh, no, not me…I did it my way
For what is a man, what has he got? …The record shows I took the blows And did it my way
Yes, it was my way – Frank Sinatra “My Way”
Does that sound familiar?
It’s the football, even though getting kicked around all over the place, claiming “I did it my way”. Poor football!
But, there is hope, for all of us footballs in the material world.
কাম-ক্রোধের দাস হঞা তার লাথি খায় । ভ্রমিতে ভ্রমিতে যদি সাধু-বৈদ্য পায় ॥ ১৪ ॥ তাঁর উপদেশ-মন্ত্রে পিশাচী পলায় । কৃষ্ণভক্তি পায়, তবে কৃষ্ণ-নিকট যায় ॥ ১৫ ॥
“In this way the conditioned soul becomes the servant of lusty desires, and when these are not fulfilled, he becomes the servant of anger and continues to be kicked by the external energy, māyā. Wandering and wandering throughout the universe, he may by chance get the association of a devotee physician, whose instructions and hymns make the witch of the external energy flee. The conditioned soul thus gets into touch with devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa, and in this way he can approach nearer and nearer to the Lord. – https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/22/14-15/
Srila Prabhupada, the spiritual master of my spiritual master comments in a lecture on these verses…
Very nice. In this way we are being kicked up. The freedom of football. The football is kicked from this party and thrown to the other party. The other party kicks and it comes. The football thinks . . . if the football thinks that, “I am in freedom movement,” so what is that freedom? Kicked from this party to that party and that . . . so here the same thing is said, kāma-krodhera dāsa hañā tāra lāthi khāya.
Just like the football players—the football is under the kicking method of two parties—similarly, we are under the kicking method of two things, lust and anger. We are lusty, and when our lust is not fulfilled, then we become kicked by anger. Two things. Just like the football is kicked by this party and that party, similarly, our position is we are being kicked sometimes by lust and sometimes by anger. So we are going on leading our life in this way. – His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada https://vanisource.org/wiki/670109_-_Lecture_CC_Madhya_22.11-15_-_New_York?hl=football
I am a spirit soul. So are you, dear reader. As spirit souls, we’re not meant to be footballs of lust or anger. We are not meant to be subjected to the vagaries of the misuse of free will. As part-and-parcels of Krishna, we have free will. When used properly, it results in a loving harmonious life. This life is rich with ecstatic relationships with Krishna and with each other.
If we act genuinely as a spirit soul, then there is no more getting kicked around.
My dear reader, please pray with me… My dear Lord Sri Krishna, for ages, countless eons, and trillions of lifetimes I am kicked around. I have been struggling with my own lust and anger.
Please place me as one of the atoms at your lotus feet. Then, I can experience true free will in Your service.
During a serene lunch break by Lake Ontario, a spontaneous encounter with a young man named George transformed a potentially uneasy moment into a thoughtful exchange about spirituality. Embracing the opportunity, I conveyed some nuggets of spiritual knowledge, fostering connection and understanding. Then I chanted my mantras. Ultimately, I left the encounter gratefully, having made a new friend.
I sat at one end of the bench and prepared to chant my Gayatri mantras. This big burly young man came and plonked himself right on the other end. The whole bench shook with the force of his landing. All other benches were empty, and this man chose to sit on the same one I was on.
The unkempt, untidy, muscular fellow was looking at me with some unusual interest… I wondered if I should move… was it going to be trouble? But I decided to stay there and chant my Gayatri mantras there anyways. After all, Krishna is non-different from His Names. I was in safe hands, come what may.
To make matters worse, this young man lit a cigarette. Oh no, I thought, how can I chant here amidst all the smoke? But still I resisted the urge to move. There was after all a reason why the Paramatma, the Supersoul in his heart inspired him to sit there. On the lone occupied bench on the entire pier.
All this happened one afternoon earlier this week, on my lunch break. Mantras on the pier that looks onto Lake Ontario – a typical lunch time routine for me. I took a slow walk, beads in hand, softly chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Then I chose an empty bench, which was not hard to do. Even though it was bright and sunny, it was still cold, about plus two degrees Celsius. So I had the pier all to myself, or so I thought. Krishna clearly had other plans!
Thus the intelligent person who places his faith in the Paramātmā or the Supreme Personality of Godhead begins to advance toward a blissful eternal life of knowledge.
Suddenly he asked me, interrupting, “Are you praying to the the Buddha?”. I said I was chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. He said “I believe it all, the cross, Buddha, all”.
So then George, who is from Greece, and I had a nice little chat. We spoke about how there is only one God and we know the same God by different names. I chanted peacefully. George just sat there, taking a puff, looking at me, taking a puff…
As he smoked, I was hoping the smoke didn’t blow my way, and it didn’t, for the most part. Except for the last puff – the wind changed directions that moment. But then, he threw away the cigarette, and with a “be well, my friend” got up walked away.
Why had I wanted to avoid the interaction? What was the difference between this brief interaction and the ones that we view as more significant? Yes, the time span was different. This one was a few minutes, the others, a few hours, days, weeks, months, years, or even decades.
But no matter what, we have to part ways, is it not? We sometimes meet each other again, our paths cross again… but is it guaranteed that they will? So why did I want to get away from George? It was the mind that was playing tricks, that’s all!
Thereafter, Devayānī, the daughter of Śukrācārya, understood that the materialistic association of husband, friends and relatives is like the association in a hotel full of tourists. The relationships of society, friendship and love are created by the māyā of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly as in a dream. By the grace of Kṛṣṇa, Devayānī gave up her imaginary position in the material world. Completely fixing her mind upon Kṛṣṇa, she achieved liberation from the gross and subtle bodies.
सा सन्निवासं सुहृदां प्रपायामिव गच्छताम् । विज्ञायेश्वरतन्त्राणां मायाविरचितं प्रभो: ॥ २७ ॥ सर्वत्र सङ्गमुत्सृज्य स्वप्नौपम्येन भार्गवी । कृष्णे मन: समावेश्य व्यधुनोल्लिङ्गमात्मन: ॥ २८ ॥
It is best to serve another soul whenever we get a chance. No postponing. After all, who knows if and when our paths will cross again?
I don’t know why George chose to sit next to me. I wonder if he just wanted to have an interaction with another human. But I feel that Krishna, God, inspired George. I hope I served the soul passing for George for the brief length of our interaction! I hope that the few nuggets of spiritual knowledge was pleasing to the soul in the body called George. I pray that my effort was pleasing to Krishna, who sits in my heart as well as George’s as Paramatma, the Supersoul.
I am glad I overcame my preconceived notions about this young man. It was by Krishna’s grace. Otherwise I would have missed the service opportunity, maybe even conveyed some misunderstanding to George. It is not very pleasant when someone tries to avoid you, especially if you don’t know why.
Too often, spiritual people end up pushing others away. This is because we are not in tune with the dictations of God sitting within our heart. It is because we fall prey to the urges of the mind.
I then chanted my Gayatri in peace. I continued chanting the Mahamantra after. Finally, it was time to get back to the office for a quick lunch and my next meeting.
It all ended well. I made a new friend, George from Greece. I prayed that he also experience Krishna in the form of His His Names, some day.
How can we take the cow’s milk, and then kill her? Which religion supports this kind of ingratitude? How can we be so inhuman as to kill and eat the flesh of cows, bulls, and calves? Do we not see how this is causing havoc in human society? Please protect cows, and be peaceful and happy!
Sometimes, we see that people eat meat of animals, and that makes us sad.
We are sad because the killer becomes responsible for being killed. This cycle of violence can continue endlessly.
Sometimes we are shocked to see that they eat the meat of cows and bulls, calves too. It’s called “beef”.
They don’t seem to feel anything about this. Sometimes they even say their religion “supports” or “encourages” such meat eating.
But do you know that the cow is our mother? The bull is our father. All the calves are our brothers and sisters.
Sounds strange?
Well, when you were born, did you take the milk of your mother? Did your father contribute to your birth in this world? At least some of you have brothers and sisters older or younger to you? Do you kill them and eat their flesh?
Most of us take cow’s milk when we are babies. We continue when we are children. In most cases, we even continue as adults. We take yoghurt, buttermilk, cheese, milk sweets, and so many preparations made with cow’s milk.
If we take the cow’s milk, is the cow not our mother? Do we not owe a debt of gratitude to mother cow in return for her milk? How can we take the cow’s milk, then slaughter her?
The cow gives milk when she gives birth to a calf… then is the calf not our brother or sister?
The bull is responsible for making the cow pregnant. So, is the bull not our father?
What civilization is this? In our modern “animalization”, we have forgotten these debts to so many living entities.
We mercilessly slaughter the poor cow and her family.
But beware my dear reader – what goes around, comes around, it’s the law of karma.
We are cruelly slaughtering the cows, bulls, and calves. Similarly, our other “brothers and sisters” will slaughter us.
It will happen as war, it will happen through exploitation, it will happen as mass shootings. But happen it will.
For every hair on each body of every cow, bull, or calf we have killed, we will face the consequences. We have killed them unnecessarily. We will suffer slaughter ourselves. We will endure the same fate.
The war in Palestine is a result of cow killing.
The war in South Sudan is a result of cow killing.
The war in Ukraine is a result of cow killing.
Do we want more?
Which religion allows you to kill and eat your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters?
No religion of God!
A society devoid of cow protection and brahminical culture is not under the direct protection of the Lord, just as the prisoners in the jails are not under the protection of the king but under the protection of a severe agent of the king. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/14/34/ Purport
Why is the middle east always in turmoil? Why is Africa always so violent? Why are the Muslims killing the Christians, the Christians killing the Muslims? The Jews killing the Muslims, the Muslims killing the Jews? Why are the Muslims killing each other?
Is a Muslim who kills unnecessarily even a Muslim?
Is a Jew who kills unnecessarily even a Jew?
Is a Christian who kills unnecessarily even a Christian?
Are Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists who tolerate such killing even Hindus, Sikhs, or Buddhists?
Is it really necessary to kill the cows, bulls, calves in the presence of so much other less violent food?
Only a demonic understanding of religion would allow you to kill your own mother, father, brother, and sister, and eat their flesh.
If your “religion” is encouraging you to kill your family members, then it is questionable. What type of religion promotes such acts?
Do you regularly eat the flesh of your mother, father, brothers, and sisters in the form of beef? Can you answer whose religion you are following?
Look deeper into your respective scriptures, find gratitude and compassion
Stop it! I implore you! Most of the heinous violence in the world is caused by this… until we stop killing cows, bulls, and calves, there will never be peace on earth.
God Loves Cows! God does not like to see cows killed. Please protect cows!
God says, in His Song of God (Bhagavad Gita)
कृषिगोरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।
Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaiśyas…
At a funeral in Toronto for a man from Kazakhstan, the author, even though unfamiliar with the deceased, reflects on his unexpected role in the cremation, arising from a shared devotion to Krishna. Krishna is the All-Knowing, All-Powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead. This unexpected connection demonstrates Krishna’s omniscience and the surprising spiritual connections that intertwine our lives.
I stood at the funeral home, my finger poised on the button, ready to press it. The button was connected to the circuit that would ignite the fire. The flames would transform the lifeless body to ashes. The material elements would be consumed. The spirit soul that once inhabited the body, freed from it’s current bondage, would be free to move on.
Normally, this service of offering fire at the end of life is reserved for the son of the deceased. But this was not my father. In fact, before the funeral, I had never met him personally for a long time. We had seen each other in the past. In 2012 or 2013, but no significant interactions after that, just once, a short conversation. Victor recalled me asking him if he’d read the Bhagavad Gita, and turns out, he had!
The departed gentleman was from Kazakhstan, and I am from India. The funeral was being conducted in Toronto. The gentleman had two daughters, and no sons.
So how was it that his daughter, Lilamayi, no (bodily) relation to me, picked me to serve her father in this way?
It turns out that both of us, the daughter of the man, and I are devotees of Krishna. We are both initiated into spiritual life by disciples of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. Her spiritual master is His Holiness Sacinandana Swami, and my spiritual master is His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari.
And we have both served in the Krishna Consciousness Movement, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, for many years. I saw the young lady first come into our community. I happily witnessed her journey, deeper and deeper involved in hearing and chanting about Krishna. She is a noted kirtan leader today, Her Grace Lilamayi Devi Dasi.
Who arranged all this?
Krishna arranged all this. It seemed like it was “right at the last minute” to us. But Krishna knew who the gentleman was. Krishna knows who I am. Krishna knows who his daughter is. Krishna knew what my service to these souls would be. All this, well before we even came together. Krishna knows what that soul’s future trajectory is. Krishna knows mine too.
वेदाहं समतीतानि वर्तमानानि चार्जुन । भविष्याणि च भूतानि मां तु वेद न कश्चन ॥ २६ ॥
vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna bhaviṣyāṇi ca bhūtāni māṁ tu veda na kaścana
O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/26/
Dear Sri Krishna, you are omniscient. You are Omnipotent. You are the Supreme Well-wisher of us all.
A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
My Dear Sri Krishna, I pray to remain your surrendered servant, and the servant of your servants. What shall I do for your devotees Krishna?
Who was Victor before? What is my connection to him? Only you know, Dear Krishna. You remember everything, and I, almost nothing. Surely you had mapped out an auspicious trajectory for Victor. Why else were there so many Vaishnavas chanting Your Holy Names at Victor’s funeral?
I pray never to forget you, Dear Krishna. Please help me to always remember You.
Victor gained a son after his death, and I, service to someone dear to Krishna.
I now recall the same prayers I offered on behalf of Victor, the fortunate soul You had me serve. It was my good fortune that You gave me this service. May I never forget Your magnanimity.
Let this temporary body be burnt to ashes, and let the air of life be merged with the totality of air. Now, O my Lord, please remember all my sacrifices, and because You are the ultimate beneficiary, please remember all that I have done for You.
अग्ने नय सुपथा राये अस्मान् विश्वानि देव वयुनानि विद्वान् । युयोध्यस्मज्जुहुराणमेनो भूयिष्ठां ते नमउक्तिं विधेम ॥ १८॥
agne naya supathā rāye asmān viśvāni deva vayunāni vidvān yuyodhy asmaj juhurāṇam eno bhūyiṣṭhāṁ te nama-uktiṁ vidhema
O my Lord, as powerful as fire, O omnipotent one, now I offer You all obeisances, falling on the ground at Your feet. O my Lord, please lead me on the right path to reach You, and since You know all that I have done in the past, please free me from the reactions to my past sins so that there will be no hindrance to my progress.
Recently returning from a transformative trip to India, I found jet lag to be an unexpected ally in my spiritual journey. Embracing early mornings, I engaged in meditation, reading, and serving Krishna. Instead of viewing jet lag negatively, I was able to leverage it to enhance my devotional practices and enrich my daily routine. What a blessing! Jet lag? Bring it on!
I have recently returned to Toronto from a hectic, exhausting, yet ecstatic trip to Bharat Bhumi, also known as India. I was away for a total of 14 days. Out of those, I got to spend 11 in the holy land.
The privilege of meeting, hearing from, and serving the sincere devotees of Krishna is, as always, a life changing experience.
I visited…
Frankfurt
Mantralayam
Hyderabad
Bengaluru
Pune
Mumbai
With a 10.5 hour time zone difference between Toronto and India, that is just enough to get jet lagged. Jet lag gets a bad rap… because the body clock is set to some other time zone. It wakes up at odd hours. It feels sleepy at odd hours and so on. There’s an entire cottage industry to help people cope with and overcome jet lag.
I even tried this app called “Timeshifter” but it was totally impractical for my lifestyle… for example it contained advice to use caffeine, which I avoid like the plague, and melatonin… It required specific times to go to sleep and wake up. There were also specific times to “see” light and to avoid it. This was almost like trying to hack the body and mind. It didn’t sit right with me. Was it really necessary to “overcome” jet lag? I wondered if jet lag can be leveraged for Krishna, for spiritual growth.
When I was in India, the jet lag was a great asset! I managed to wake up early enough to attend Mangala Arati. I completed my Sadhana. I got by with a short nap for the rest of the day. Early mornings, late nights, and the rest of the time spent in serving Krishna and His devotees, perfect!
When I got back to Toronto, for example this morning, I was up at 2AM. I wondered if I should try to go back to sleep… then I remembered that my Guru and Gurumata usually rise at this hour. They complete their japa, meditation on the Holy Names of Krishna on their beads, well before others rise… and then they can spend their whole day serving others on their spiritual journey.
So I decided to follow in their footsteps. After completing my meditation, I still had time to read, not one but parts of 2 books! Anyone who has a corporate career and a family understands the challenge. Finding quality time to read is incredibly hard. I still had enough time to complete Mangala Arati. Then I performed deity worship before getting an early start to the day!
In this way I will leverage jet lag to serve Krishna. And when the jet lag ends? I will simply go back to my earlier routine to serve Krishna!
Jet lag? Bring it on!
Of course, in all success, the credit goes to Guru and Krishna, as long as we are ready to be an instrument!
Now, in case you think that this idea to leverage jet lag in Krishna’s service somehow is mine… it is not.
Srila Rupa Goswami enunciated the principle of “avyartha–kālatvam — being free from wasting time”, this was over 500 years ago…
“ ‘When the seed of ecstatic emotion for Kṛṣṇa fructifies, the following nine symptoms manifest in one’s behavior: forgiveness, concern that time should not be wasted, detachment, absence of false prestige, hope, eagerness, a taste for chanting the holy name of the Lord, attachment to descriptions of the transcendental qualities of the Lord, and affection for those places where the Lord resides — that is, a temple or a holy place like Vṛndāvana. These are all called anubhāva, subordinate signs of ecstatic emotion. They are visible in a person in whose heart the seed of love of God has begun to fructify.’
My spiritual master has indeed planted the seed of pure devotional service in my heart. However, I cannot claim any success in cultivating devotional service. I am just sincerely trying to practice sadhana bhakti.
And I have examples of great Vaishnavas who travel around the world…
So I brought Prabhupada his breakfast, and then when he was finished I came and took everything out and Prabhupada laid down. So I went back, I said, “Prabhupada’s resting.” So Paramahamsa and I, we laid down. Of course, we fell asleep, we were out, and Prabhupada maybe took 15 minutes or something and he was up. So finally I heard a bell ring. So I went into Prabhupada’s room, and it happened a few times where I would literally try to wake up as I was offering obeisances and exercise my eyes so Prabhupada couldn’t tell that I was sleeping. I sat up, and as soon as I sat up he said, “Why are you sleeping? You’re like dead men. Everyone is awake. The karmis are all at work but not the devotees. No, they’re sleeping.” He said, “They’re sleeping very soundly. Why are you sleeping?” And, of course, when Prabhupada asked why were you doing something wrong, I never had a response because whatever you said, he would just take that apart. So I just said, “Prabhupada, I’m sorry.” “What about Paramahamsa? Why is he sleeping?” He said, “Call him in here.” He goes in and immediately Prabhupada says, “You are a sannyasi. Your business is to minimize bodily demands, minimize sleeping, minimize eating. Why are you sleeping?” Paramahamsa said, “Prabhupada, I have jet lag,” and I thought, “Oh, no!” And Prabhupada said, “Jet lag?” He said, “Well, we just flew from here and done this,” and Prabhupada said, “So I am also flying, I am doing the same thing. I am awake.” Then he said, “All right, go on. Go sleep if you want.“
Srila Prabhupada circled the globe twelve times in less than 10 years… and no one ever recalls a time when he was jet lagged.
Gopal Krishna Goswami, a dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, traveled from continent to continent. He was always on the altar offering Mangala Arati to the local deities at the temple he was staying at. This was regardless of which time zone he came in from and which time zone he traveled to. I have personally witnessed this, arrived at midnight, 1AM, 2AM, but no, at 4:30am he was on the altar.
My own spiritual master, Srila Sankarshan Das Adhikari, has circled the globe more than 50 times. My Gurumataji Srimati Vishnupriya Devi Dasi has accompanied him. They have never let jet lag stand in the way of their service to Krishna. They are both up early. They chant their rounds and offer their service to Sri Sri Radha Damodar. Then, they follow a full schedule of service all day, working 12-16 hours most days.
So why should I not try to follow in their illustrious footsteps?
A Brahmachari is like a spiritual athlete, dedicated to serving the Supreme Truth, while a Bhramachari chases illusions—basically like a spiritual couch potato, confusing the finish line for a mirage in a desert. We dive into how society’s roles, like Brahmanas and Shudras, fit into this divine quest, reminding us that serving God is the real goal, whether you’re a householder or a renounced sage. Remember, folks: always be a Brahmachari, not a Bhramachari—that’s the real spiritual workout!
A Brahmachari is a person who is dedicated to the pursuit and service of the Supreme Absolute Truth.
ब्रह्म आचरति इति ब्रह्मचारी
brahma ācarati iti brahmacāri
And a Bhramachari is a person is the exact opposite.
The Sanskrit word “bhrama” means “illusion”.
So, someone who chases after illusory happiness is the opposite of someone who dedicates themselves to the Absolute Truth.
What got me thinking was a typo. The person writing was referring to a gentleman who is solidly dedicated to the Supreme Absolute Truth. At first I chuckled, but then I started thinking about the difference between the two.
I concluded that I can be one or the other at any given time, either I am engaged in the service of the Supreme Absolute Truth, or I am engaged in something frivolous that is temporary at best, illusory in nature.
Human society is divided by God into 4 natural orders of spiritual life, and 4 social orders, according to the natural qualities and work performed by the various people. And Brahmacharis can exist in all spiritual and social orders. This natural division is clearly visible in the nature and activities of people, it’s not the birth-based caste system as it has degenerated to.
According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/13/
The 4 Social Orders are:
Brahmanas: The intelligent class, the “head” of society
Kshatriyas: The administrator class, the “arms” of society
Vaishyas: The mercantile community, merchants, traders, farmers, the “belly” of society
Shudras: The worker class, the “legs” of society
And then there are the 4 spiritual orders:
Brahmachari: The celibate student
Grihastha: The householder family man
Vanaprastha: The former householder, retired from family life
Sannyasa: The fully renounced order of life
However, no matter which social or spiritual order one may be situated in…
अत: पुम्भिर्द्विजश्रेष्ठा वर्णाश्रमविभागश: । स्वनुष्ठितस्य धर्मस्य संसिद्धिर्हरितोषणम् ॥ १३ ॥
O best among the twice-born, it is therefore concluded that the highest perfection one can achieve by discharging the duties prescribed for one’s own occupation according to caste divisions and orders of life is to please the Personality of Godhead. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/2/13/
All these 4 orders of society are meant to serve God in their own way, just like the different parts of the body serves the whole – the hand feeds the stomach, the leg moves the body, and the brain regulates the hand, stomach, and legs. One without the others is a handicapped body, not very effective. Neither is one more or less important than others.
By following the activities according to one’s own nature, and offering that in the service of God, one can indeed attain perfection.
By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, a man can attain perfection through performing his own work. https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/46/
Which now brings us to the main topic of our discussion…
No matter where we might fit into society, we are all meant to serve God with all our faculties, with all our gifts, with all our abilities, and all our resources.
This is how one may remain a Brahmachari, no matter where one may be situated in…
Brahmacharis in the Brahmachari Ashrama – these are either students or those dedicated to spiritual life without deviation, and/or preparing themselves for the renounced order, usually younger men, but also many older men. Being in young bodies or being inexperienced does not mean they can pursue unrestricted sense enjoyment.
Grihastha Brahmacharis, or those who pursue spiritual life even while accepting the responsibilities of householder or family life. It’s not that taking on family responsibilities give the person to pursue illusion in an unrestricted manner.
Vanaprastha Brahmacharis, or those who have retired from family life, or decided to marry a like-minded person dedicated to spiritual life – even while living as a married couple, they have no family responsibilities. However, just because they are not directly responsible for their family doesn’t mean they don’t accept responsibility for other Grihasthas and Brahmacharis. The dedicate themselves to being on “constant pilgrimage” and leveraging their life experience and spiritual knowledge to benefit others.
Sannyasa Brahmacharis, or those who are in the renounced order of life, with no family or social connections. But just because someone is in the renounced order of life doesn’t mean they don’t do anything. In fact, they adopt the whole world as their family, meeting others just so they can convey God Consciousness, Krishna Consciousness to them, and staying just long enough to deliver the message and keep moving on.
Importantly, one needs to remain focused on the goal of life, which is to attain spiritual perfection. The way one expresses one’s Brahmacharya, or dedication to spiritual advancement, may look different depending on which Varna and Ashram one is in, but the principles of a regulated spiritually focused life remain.
No matter if you are a man or woman, young or old, whether you wear white, or saffron, or any other colour… If you’re serious about spiritual life, then you must be a Brahmachari, in every thought, word, and deed.
So we have a choice, no matter what our official social and spiritual status might be. At every moment, with every thought, word, and deed, we all need to be Brahmacharis, not Bhramacharis.
This article explores the profound concept of Vaishnava Compassion through the examples of Jesus Christ, Vasudeva Datta, Ramanuja Acharya, and Srila Prabhupada. Each figure exemplifies immense compassion, willing to suffer for the sake of others. Their teachings inspire us to embody such selflessness and understanding in our own lives.
In the earlier two parts of this series of articles, we examined
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father who is in heaven.” Mathew 16.17
God is perfect in every respect. God is full of all opulence. The compassion of Jesus is even more adorable because he is a son of God and not God Himself.
Jesus Christ appeared in a most desolate place, the dry and foreboding desert, at a time of great turmoil, the decay of the Roman empire, amidst the most wretched of all people, and tried to help them understand God consciousness. But the people of that day and age were so fallen that they tried to crucify their savior. Still, what Jesus has taught continues to resonate with so many souls, even though most misunderstand his teachings.
We adore Lord Jesus Christ is a Vaishnava Acharya. Why do I say that?
I will leave you with some quotes of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada…
The Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states that any bona fide preacher of God consciousness must have the qualities of titikṣā (tolerance) and karuṇā (compassion). In the character of Lord Jesus Christ we find both these qualities. He was so tolerant that even while he was being crucified, he didn’t condemn anyone. And he was so compassionate that he prayed to God to forgive the very persons who were trying to kill him. (Of course, they could not actually kill him. But they were thinking that he could be killed, so they were committing a great offense.) As Christ was being crucified he prayed, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they are doing.”
…Of course, the message that Christ preached was just according to his particular time, place, and country, and just suited for a particular group of people. But certainly he is the representative of God. Therefore we adore Lord Jesus Christ and offer our obeisances to him.
Once, in Melbourne, a group of Christian ministers came to visit me. They asked, “What is your idea of Jesus Christ?” I told them, “He is our guru. He is preaching God consciousness, so he is our spiritual master.” The ministers very much appreciated that.
Actually, anyone who is preaching God’s glories must be accepted as a guru. Jesus Christ is one such great personality. We should not think of him as an ordinary human being. The scriptures say that anyone who considers the spiritual master to be an ordinary man has a hellish mentality. If Jesus Christ were an ordinary man, then he could not have delivered God consciousness. (Science of Self Realization, Chapter 4, “Understanding Krsna and Christ)
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
2. Vasudeva Datta – relatively unknown, but even greater compassion
It is tempting to think that Lord Jesus Christ is one of a kind. Such mercy as shown by Jesus Christ is practically unparalleled. But such personalities have been repeatedly sent by God all over the world. Before Jesus, after Jesus, and such personalities continue to walk the earth with us even today. Most of us do not have the eyes to see such great personalities for who they are. But thanks to revealed scripture, we know of many such personalities.
One great example is Vasudeva Datta, an eternal associate of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Lord Chaitanya is Krishna Himself, God in the form of His own pure devotee.
Jesus Christ takes the sins of anyone who believes in Him or surrenders to him. But Vasudeva Datta wanted to indiscriminately take on the sinful reactions of all the living entities in this Universe!
I will quote an interaction from the Chaitanya Charitamrita…
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu then embraced Vāsudeva Datta and began to speak of his glories as if He had a thousand mouths.
When Caitanya Mahāprabhu glorified him, Vāsudeva Datta immediately became very much embarrassed and shy. He then submitted himself, touching the Lord’s lotus feet.
Vāsudeva Datta told Caitanya Mahāprabhu, “My dear Lord, You incarnate just to deliver all conditioned souls. I now have one petition, which I wish You would accept.
“My Lord, You are certainly able to do whatever You like, and You are indeed merciful. If You so desire, You can very easily do whatever You want.
“My Lord, my heart breaks to see the sufferings of all the conditioned souls; therefore I request You to transfer the karma of their sinful lives upon my head.
“My dear Lord, let me suffer perpetually in a hellish condition, accepting all the sinful reactions of all living entities. Please finish their diseased material life.”
When Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu heard Vāsudeva Datta’s statement, His heart became very soft. Tears flowed from His eyes, and He began to tremble. In a faltering voice He spoke as follows.
Accepting Vāsudeva Datta as a great devotee, the Lord said, “Such a statement is not at all astonishing because you are the incarnation of Prahlāda Mahārāja. It appears that Lord Kṛṣṇa has bestowed complete mercy upon you. There is no doubt about it.
“Whatever a pure devotee wants from his master, Lord Kṛṣṇa doubtlessly grants because He has no duty other than to fulfill the desire of His devotee.
“If you desire the deliverance of all living entities within the universe, then all of them can be delivered even without your undergoing the tribulations of sinful activity. Text 168: “Kṛṣṇa is not incapable, for He has all potencies. Why would He induce you to suffer the sinful reactions of other living entities?
“Whosever welfare you desire immediately becomes a Vaiṣṇava, and Kṛṣṇa delivers all Vaiṣṇavas from the reactions of their past sinful activities.
“ ‘Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, who regulates the sufferings and enjoyments due to fruitive activity. He does this for everyone — from the heavenly King Indra down to the smallest insect [indra-gopa]. That very Personality of Godhead destroys the karmic reactions of one engaged in devotional service.’
“Because of your honest desire, all living entities within the universe will be delivered, for Kṛṣṇa does not have to do anything to deliver all the living entities of the universe.
“Just as there are millions of fruits on the uḍumbara tree, millions of universes float on the waters of the river Virajā.
“The uḍumbara tree is filled with millions of fruits, and if one falls down and is destroyed, the tree does not even consider the loss.
“In the same way, if one universe is vacated due to the living entities’ having been liberated, that is a very little thing for Kṛṣṇa. He does not take it very seriously.
“The entire spiritual world constitutes the unlimited opulence of Kṛṣṇa, and there are innumerable Vaikuṇṭha planets there. The Causal Ocean is considered the surrounding waters of Vaikuṇṭhaloka. Text 176: “Māyā and her unlimited material universes are situated in that Causal Ocean. Indeed, māyā appears to be floating like a pot filled with mustard seeds.
“Of the millions of mustard seeds floating in that pot, if one seed is lost, the loss is not at all significant. Similarly, if one universe is lost, it is not significant to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
“To say nothing of one universal mustard seed, even if all the universes and the material energy [māyā] are destroyed, Kṛṣṇa does not even consider the loss.
“If a person possessing millions of wish-fulfilling cows loses one she-goat, he does not consider the loss. Kṛṣṇa owns all six opulences in full. If the entire material energy is destroyed, what does He lose?”
Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu continued, “ ‘O my Lord, O unconquerable one, O master of all potencies, please exhibit Your internal potency to conquer the nescience of all moving and inert living entities. Due to nescience, they accept all kinds of faulty things, thus provoking a fearful situation. O Lord, please show Your glories! You can do this very easily, for Your internal potency is beyond the external potency, and You are the reservoir of all opulence. You are also the demonstrator of the material potency. You are also always engaged in Your pastimes in the spiritual world, where You exhibit Your reserved, internal potency, and sometimes You exhibit the external potency by glancing over it. Thus You manifest Your pastimes. The Vedas confirm Your two potencies and accept both types of pastimes due to them.’ ”
In both of the above cases, the compassion of Jesus and Vasudeva Datta was certainly great.
But the great Vaishnava Acharya Sri Ramanuja exhibited even greater compassion. He showed the way by which anyone can be freed from the effects of bondage due to sinful reactions.
Among many instances of Ramanuja’s vast compassion, here is just one.
Ramanuja was advised to get education from a highly respected teacher of the times, Goshtipurna, based in Tirukostiyur. Ramanuja was then based in Srirangam. Over 100 kms away. When Ramanuja approached him after his 100+km walk, Goshtipurna asked Ramanuja to come back another day. Ramanuja was disappointed but went back and came another day, walking all the way. This happened once, twice, a total of 18 times! This was just to test the earnestness of the aspiring disciple, Ramanuja. However, Ramanuja rose to the expectations and Goshtipurna gave him the mantra at last.
Just imagine, Ramanuja walked well over 3600 kms to get the mantra!
When the great teacher imparted the well-known mantra, he commanded Ramanuja to keep it an absolute secret. The reason was that those who heard it would be liberated. But if imparted to unworthy persons, Ramanuja would go to hell. Ramanuja considered this for some time. He then hastened to a nearby temple, quickly climbed to the top of its tower. Ramanuja then called out to the people to assemble there and loudly imparted the mantra to everyone.
When Goshtipurna got the news, he was furious. He called for his errant disciple right away. Ramanuja humbly expressed his willingness to go to eternal hell. He said he would reside in hell with great joy. Since so many others people who, otherwise might not progress to liberation would now surely get it, he was happy. Goshtipurna realized the magnanimity of Ramanuja and fell at his feet, giving him the title “Emperumanar” – He who is the most compassionate.
Ramanuja Acharya and his followers have popularized the mantra all over!
4. Srila Prabhupada – a modern example of Vaishnava Compassion
The glories of Srila Prabhupada are limitless! He appeared in this world 1896, and re-entered the spiritual realm in 1977.
Hundreds and Thousands of souls have written about this great modern-day saint. Writings about Srila Prabhupada will continue at least for the next 10,000 years.
Here is one little pastime that illustrates Srila Prabhupada’s most perfect example of Vaishnava Compassion.
When Srila Prabhupada was winding up his pastimes on our planet, he was apparently very ill.
One doctor, a very learned traditional healer, came to see Srila Prabhupada. He had an urgent, important piece of information that could prolong Srila Prabhupada’s life!
He said that when an Acharya allows a deity of himself to be worshipped while he is still in a living body, when people offer obeisances to that deity and touch the feet of the deity, the karmic reactions of the worshiper enter the living body of the Acharya.
In other words, Srila Prabhupada was accepting the sinful reactions of thousands upon thousands of people every day.
The doctor made an urgent request – he said, remove that deity, let people not worship you in deity form, and you will be immediately healed, cured from your ailment.
Srila Prabhupada refused. He softly muttered “do you not know why I have come?”
Srila Prabhupada came to take away our sufferings, and was willing to suffer, exactly in the mood of Jesus Christ, of Vasudeva Datta, of Ramanuja Acharya.
Such compassion is rare indeed, in our world.
We cannot imitate it, but we can certainly try to follow in their footsteps.
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.
If Buddhi means intelligence, and Jnana means knowledge, then to use one’s intelligence, does it means to speculate on the knowledge?
What does Krishna mean by “Buddi Yoga”?
Buddhi-Yoga is not just mundane intelligence! It’s the ultimate key to true devotion and liberation. Mixed with speculative knowledge however, Jnana dilutes pure bhakti, making it a distant dream. Real progress in spiritual pursuits demands a focus on Krishna alone, stripping away distractions, and achieving clarity in devotion. Are you ready to commit to the pursuit of spiritual perfection?
Bhakta Sunil, 26 February 2021
Please accept my humble obeisances All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Does Buddhi-Yoga mean utilizing one’s intelligence to serve the Lord? If yes , is Buddhi Yoga the same as Gyaan-Yoga-Mishrit-Bhakti?
What is the difference between Buddhi-Yoga and Gyaan-Yoga-Mishrit-Bhakti?
your servant, sunil
Bhakta Sunil, 12 March 2015 Hare Krishna
To rephrase / add to the query : Can a person do Buddhi-Yoga if his bhakti is tinged with mental speculation?
your servant, sunil
Shridhar Das, 13 March 2015 Hare Krishna Sunil Prabhu, Please accept my humble obeisances! All Glories to his Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada!
“Buddhi-yoga itself is action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that is the highest intelligence.” “When one tries to go back home, back to Godhead, and takes fully to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service, his action is called buddhi-yoga. In other words, buddhi-yoga is the process by which one gets out of the entanglement of this material world.”(From the Purport)
“I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise” [budha] “who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.” (BG 10.8)
As per His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada:
Intelligence means to know how to go back to home, back to Godhead.
Buddhi means intelligence and buddhi yoga is apt for bhakti yoga only because in various other yogas, the spiritualists are taking so much pain by changing their positions, locations, shelters, what not, but failing to realize – Krishna is complete, Krishna is everything and the only shelter.
For the same reason Krishna states – I will give you the “intelligence” by which you can come to me, hence this is real intelligence, real buddhi and hence buddhi yoga is bhakti yoga.
A broader understanding of buddhi yoga – To be able to discriminate whether our acts are on the platform of pure consciousness (pleasing Guru and Krishna) or on the platform of body? This technique of being able to rectify our own act is also buddhi yoga as per His Divine Grace.
Interestingly, this also connects with BG 2.49 and confirms buddhi yoga:
“O Dhanañjaya, keep all abominable activities far distant by devotional service, and in that consciousness surrender unto the Lord. Those who want to enjoy the fruits of their work are misers.” (BG 2.49)
I personally also relate this with vyavasaya-atmika buddhir (BG 2.41) – resoluteness in Krishna consciousness.
Finally, Srila Prabhupada again specifies Buddhi yoga from BG 10.10:
So what is that buddhi-yoga? Krsna says, tesam satata-yuktanam: “Persons who are twenty-four hours engaged,” satata… Satata means always. Engaged. What kind of engagement? Bhajatam priti-purvakam. This engagement means always trying to render some service to the Lord. How? Priti-purvakam: “with love and faith.” Not that “Oh, I have to do it? All right, let me do.” No. “Oh, I have to do it? Let me do it nicely.”(September 12, 1973, London)
I hope this helps us conclude clearly what Buddhi yoga ultimately means.
Regarding difference between the 2 yogas, Srila Prabhupada states:
All other yoga system, there is little tinge of vasudeva-bhakti, but not cent percent pure. It is mixed. Misra-bhakti. Misra-bhakti will not be immediately fruitful. It will take long, long time. Bahunam janmanam ante jnanavan mam prapadyate [Bg. 7.19]. Everything, there is some bhakti-yoga, but if it is not pure.then it will take very, very, very, very long time, bahunam janmanam. One janma means hundreds of years.
Jnana-misra-bhakti means affinity for scriptural knowledge or tendency towards monistic liberation among sadhakas. Instead of trying to serve, to know and to experience, we are more in the mood of trying to be a pandita without following. We already know pure devotional service is anyabhilasita sunyam jnana-karma-adi anavrtam – free of all desires except the desire to please Krishna.
I also had read Uddhava was among jnana-misra-bhakta, being a disciple of Brihaspati. For the same reason Lord Krishna chose him for Vrindavan so that he may take to pure devotional service while associating with the Vrajavasis, especially the gopis. However, position of Uddhava having Lord’s personal association is not to be considered as a subject of comparison.
Personally sharing, when I was researching the strict differences and understandings between jnana and jnana-misra-bhakti yoga an year ago, which has scholarly been distinguished by Srila Vishvanath Chakravarti Thakur and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, I ultimately concluded – Let me take shelter of that which will help with my current struggle against the dirt in my heart and mind. If Krishna wants, He shall drag me to all these studies in future.
your servant, Shridhar Das
Bhakta Sunil, 16 March 2015 Hare Krishna Shridhar Prabhu
Please accept my humble obeisances All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Prabhu amazing knowledge you shared
my , any doubts on this topic have been dispelled
All Glories to your enthusiastic endeavor
in humble mood, sunil
Mahabhagavat Das, 17 March 2015 Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna!
As I was reflecting to find a concise way to describe the difference between Buddhi Yoga (Yoga of Intelligence) and Jnana-Mishra-Bhakti (Devotional Service tinged with the desire to become One with the Supreme), and very much inspired by Shridhar Prabhu’s’ answer, I also came across this wonderful purport by Srila Prabhupada in my regular study, it was very profound, and this is from the purport to SB 7.2.47:
“The living entity is bound by the subtle body, consisting of the mind, intelligence and false ego. At the time of death, therefore, the position of the mind becomes the cause for the next body. As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (8.6), yaṁ yaṁ vāpi smaran bhāvaṁ tyajaty ante kalevaram: at the time of death the mind sets the criteria for the spirit soul’s being carried to another type of body. If a living being resists the dictation of the mind and engages the mind in the loving service of the Lord, the mind cannot degrade him. The duty of all human beings, therefore, is to keep the mind always engaged at the lotus feet of the Lord (sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayoḥ). When the mind is engaged at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the intelligence is purified, and then the intelligence gets inspiration from the Supersoul (dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam). Thus the living entity makes progress toward liberation from material bondage.”
What jumped out at me was “If a living being resists the dictation of the mind and engages the mind in the loving service of the Lord, the mind cannot degrade him.”, and then ” When the mind is engaged at the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, the intelligence is purified, and then the intelligence gets inspiration from the Supersoul (dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ tam). Thus the living entity makes progress toward liberation from material bondage.”
In other words, as stated by Srila Prabhupada in the purport to BG 10.10, as referred by Shridhar Prabhu:
“In this verse the word buddhi-yogam is very significant. We may remember that in the Second Chapter the Lord, instructing Arjuna, said that He had spoken to him of many things and that He would instruct him in the way of buddhi-yoga. Now buddhi-yoga is explained. Buddhi-yoga itself is action in Kṛṣṇa consciousness; that is the highest intelligence. Buddhi means intelligence, and yoga means mystic activities or mystic elevation. When one tries to go back home, back to Godhead, and takes fully to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in devotional service, his action is called buddhi-yoga. In other words, buddhi-yoga is the process by which one gets out of the entanglement of this material world. The ultimate goal of progress is Kṛṣṇa. People do not know this; therefore the association of devotees and a bona fide spiritual master are important. One should know that the goal is Kṛṣṇa, and when the goal is assigned, then the path is slowly but progressively traversed, and the ultimate goal is achieved.”
So therefore, I would summarize that Buddhi Yoga means Bhakti Yoga, or pure devotional service, and every other mixup is an unfortunate distraction.
Sincerely, Mahabhagavat Das
Sudarshan Das, 20 March 2015 Hare Krishna,
I also had been thinking on the question and the following translations by His Divine Grace caught my attention which further supports Mahabhagavat Prabhuji’s mail.
BG 2.44:
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
“In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.”
“A man engaged in devotional service rids himself of both good and bad reactions even in this life. Therefore strive for yoga, which is the art of all work.”
Here: buddhi-yuktaḥ — one who is engaged in devotional service
your servant, Sudarshan Das
Bhakta Sunil, 21 March 2015 Amazing finds Sudarshan Prabhu
Jaya
All Glories to your sincere endeavour
your insignificant servant, Bhakta Sunil
Shridhar Das, 21 March 2015 Hare Krishna!
All Glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji!
One time I had a good fortune to be near Srila Gurudeva while Srila Gurudeva was singing “Jaya Radhe Jaya Krishna Jaya Vrindavan” while departing from Gokula Vrindavan. Then when “Mahavan” was sung in the bhajan (kalindi jamuna jaya jaya mahavan”), Srila Gurudeva searched for Mahavan in Vedabase and further shared of the 12 forests, 5 situated in East and 7 in the West, separated by Yamuna, Mahavan maybe situated in the East. Then Srila Gurudeva shared few pastimes of Lord Krishna which connected with Mahavan. Then Srila Gurudeva asked me all that I remembered from the first part(which I typed above).
Srila Gurudeva inspired me to refer to Vedabase and research on topics although I had Vedabase 2014 lying on laptop desktop unused for a long time. Now these questions, an amazing one such as yours, are helping me to use Vedabase nicely and conclude as per acharyas. Therefore All Glories to Srila Gurudeva and your (Sunil Prabhu) question which are allowing me to follow my heart, at least begin with it in some way.
Mahabhagavat prabhuji, you have shared the dividing line and the science that takes from mishrit to shuddha bhakti from such a sublime purport from His Divine Grace that would have not sparked a bulb in my mind. Glad to have your association. Additions from Sudarshan Prabhu makes us seem that we had an essence conclusion of what buddhi-yoga is.
your servant, Shridhar Das
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com ), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
Does birth matter in the eyes of God? What does it mean to be lowborn? Are women lowborn? Are merchants lowborn? Are workers lowborn? And if someone does happen to be “lowborn”, are they rejected by God?
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna emphasizes that all individuals, regardless of social standing or gender, have the potential for spiritual elevation through devotional service. True worth is defined by one’s internal consciousness, not external circumstances. By taking shelter in Krishna, everyone can attain the supreme destination, fostering hope for all.
Question:
B.G 9.32 says women are considered as low born. I answered this but somehow I am not satisfied with my answer. Please guide me on this.
Answer:
You are referring to the this verse from the Bhagavad Gita…
māṁ hi pārtha vyapāśritya ye ’pi syuḥ pāpa-yonayaḥ striyo vaiśyās tathā śūdrās te ’pi yānti parāṁ gatim
Synonyms
mām — of Me; hi — certainly; pārtha — O son of Pṛthā; vyapāśritya — particularly taking shelter; ye — those who; api — also; syuḥ — are; pāpa-yonayaḥ — born of a lower family; striyaḥ — women; vaiśyāḥ — mercantile people; tathā — also; śūdrāḥ — lower-class men; te api — even they; yānti — go; parām — to the supreme; gatim — destination.
Translation
O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth – women, vaiśyas [merchants] and śūdras [workers] – can attain the supreme destination.
In this verse above, Krishna is covering over 90% of the human population, including men! So should we all take offense that Krishna is saying this?
Srila Prabhupada writes this in his purport:
It is clearly declared here by the Supreme Lord that in devotional service there is no distinction between the lower and higher classes of people. In the material conception of life there are such divisions, but for a person engaged in transcendental devotional service to the Lord there are not. Everyone is eligible for the supreme destination. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.4.18) it is stated that even the lowest, who are called caṇḍālas (dog-eaters), can be purified by association with a pure devotee. Therefore devotional service and the guidance of a pure devotee are so strong that there is no discrimination between the lower and higher classes of men; anyone can take to it. The most simple man taking shelter of the pure devotee can be purified by proper guidance. According to the different modes of material nature, men are classified in the mode of goodness (brāhmaṇas), the mode of passion (kṣatriyas, or administrators), the mixed modes of passion and ignorance (vaiśyas, or merchants), and the mode of ignorance (śūdras, or workers). Those lower than them are called caṇḍālas, and they are born in sinful families. Generally, the association of those born in sinful families is not accepted by the higher classes. But the process of devotional service is so strong that the pure devotee of the Supreme Lord can enable people of all the lower classes to attain the highest perfection of life. This is possible only when one takes shelter of Kṛṣṇa. As indicated here by the word vyapāśritya, one has to take shelter completely of Kṛṣṇa. Then one can become much greater than great jñānīs and yogīs.
Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.
“Energy” indicates that the energy belongs to the “energetic”. For example, the sunshine is an energy of the sun. A living entity’s core nature is as a part-and-parcel of God. The living entities are “energies” of God. This is true whether someone is in a male body or a female body. The energetic is called “male” and the energy is called “female”. The “minute energy” is not the Supreme Energetic, God. Then, the only true “male” is God Himself, or Krishna, because other than God everyone is an energy.
In the same verse, Vaishyas and Shudras are also considered to be lowborn, and that includes men also. Why are Vaishyas included here? Vaishya means business person. If a business person cares only about money, and not about spiritual advancement, then are they not lowborn? A Shudra is a person who cannot do anything independently. A Shudra laments unnecessarily over inconsequential things. A Shudra lacks higher training. When a Shudra is not interested in spiritual advancement, then are they not lowborn?
A person who considers themselves a woman is definitely lowborn. A woman who they are a spirit soul in the body of a woman is elevated. The same thing applies to men also… For example a person who works for a salary is a Shudra, a worker. This is not dependent on their birth. Socially speaking, they are employed, so they are Shudra. A person who works in abominable professions is worse than a Shudra. If such a person uses their time and money to advance in Krishna Consciousness, they are ONLY externally a Shudra. Internally they are advancing spiritually. Thus, they are a Vaishnava. The internal consciousness of a person trumps the externals.
But the focus of the verse is not that someone is lowborn or highborn etc. It does not matter who or what someone is externally. Anyone can be elevated to the highest platform by devotional service to Krishna. We should not lose focus of what Krishna is saying and focus tangentially extracting some obscure meaning.
I leave you with this paraphrased quote of Krishna. Please try to understand it in the proper context
Those who take shelter in Me … Reach the supreme destination. – Lord Krishna
Srila Prabhupada, a great teacher, wrote prolifically. Even though his works are lucid and clear, there are many misunderstandings about his writings. One is that he insulted Lord Shiva. Is this true?
Question:
A devotee who has been with ISKCON for 7 years has asked this question… he says he does not agree with Srila Prabhupada’s purport to BG 2.62.
Lord Śiva was deep in meditation, but when Pārvatī agitated him for sense pleasure, he agreed to the proposal, and as a result Kārtikeya was born.
He says that this is not the real story also he doesn’t agree that Lord Shiva can be agitated.
Answer:
Thank you for writing to me about this. It is an important thing.
First and foremost we have to understand who is Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada is a pure devotee. As a pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada has no envy in his heart. Srila Prabhupada has no desire to criticize someone unnecessarily. He also has no tendency to try and pull someone down. In fact, Srila Prabhupada is on the Uttama Adhikari platform. As an Uttama Adhikari, he feels that everyone else is serving Krishna except himself. But Srila Prabhupada came down to the Madhyama Adhikari platform. On this platform, he suppressed his ecstatic emotions and took the role of a teacher of Krishna Consciousness. Thus he preached to us poor lost souls in the material world. Srila Prabhupada undertook an austerity for us. Just like Lord Shiva drank up the ocean of poison, Srila Prabhupada tolerated the poisonous nature of this material world. His sacrifice saves us all.
Great personalities accept voluntary suffering for the benefit of others
“tapyante loka taapena”, this is a verse from the Bhagavatam glorifying personalities like Lord Shiva and Srila Prabhupada.
tapyante loka-tāpena sādhavaḥ prāyaśo janāḥ paramārādhanaṁ tad dhi puruṣasyākhilātmanaḥ
It is said that great personalities almost always accept voluntary suffering because of the suffering of people in general. This is considered the highest method of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is present in everyone’s heart.
A devotee behaves differently with different kinds of personalities. A Madhyama Adhikari is a teacher/preacher… and his mission is to guide souls to spiritual perfection.
To Supreme Personality of Godhead or His plenary expansions, he offers prayers
To the devotees of Krishna, he makes friendship
To the innocent, he preaches Krishna Consciousness
Those envious of Krishna, he avoids
ईश्वरे तदधीनेषु बालिशेषु द्विषत्सु च । प्रेममैत्रीकृपोपेक्षा य: करोति स मध्यम: ॥ ४६ ॥
īśvare tad-adhīneṣu bāliśeṣu dviṣatsu ca prema-maitrī-kṛpopekṣā yaḥ karoti sa madhyamaḥ
An intermediate or second-class devotee, called madhyama-adhikārī, offers his love to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is a sincere friend to all the devotees of the Lord, shows mercy to ignorant people who are innocent and disregards those who are envious of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.
In the Brahma Samhita (kshiram yatha dadhi vikaaram) it is stated that Lord Vishnu transforms as Lord Shiva when Lord Vishnu is “in touch” with material energy. This is just like how milk turns to curds when touched with tamarind. In other words, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva have no difference of opinion. Krishna desires everyone to be His pure devotee. Similarly, Lord Shiva desires everyone to be Krishna’s pure devotee.
क्षीरं यथा दधि विकारविशेषयोगात् सञ्जायते न हि ततः पृथगस्ति हेतोः । यः शम्भुतामपि तथा समुपैति कार्या- -द्गोविन्दमादिपुरुषं तमहं भजामि ॥ ४५ ॥
kṣīraṁ yathā dadhi vikāra-viśeṣa-yogāt sañjāyate na hi tataḥ pṛthag asti hetoḥ yaḥ śambhutām api tathā samupaiti kāryād govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Just as milk is transformed into curd by the action of acids, but yet the effect curd is neither same as, nor different from, its cause, viz., milk, so I adore the primeval Lord Govinda of whom the state of Śambhu is a transformation for the performance of the work of destruction.
In fact, without the mercy of Lord Shiva, no one can become a Vaishnava. Lord Shiva and Parvati Devi are regarded as the father and mother of the material world. As you know, father and mother are the first teachers of every child.
As such, Lord Shiva is beyond all criticism. And as Lord Shiva is a pure devotee, Srila Prabhupada would never criticize Lord Shiva.
Srila Prabhupada is stating the fact.
Lord Kartikeya was born of Shiva and Parvati’s union. Lord Brahma, who is Lord Vishnu’s son is born directly from Himself without the help or assistance of Lakshmi Devi.
In the Valmiki Ramayana, Kartikeya is mentioned as the son of Rudra and Parvati. Agni and Ganga Devi aided in his birth. We accept Valmiki Muni as an utmost authority.
In the Mahabharata, Kartikeya is mentioned as the son of Shiva and Parvati. He emerged as a result of Lord Shiva’s sexual union with Parvati Devi. The details I will not mention here. Ganga Devi cultivated the seed of Lord Shiva. Agni Deva, the demigod in charge of fire, kept it warm.
Now, there is a third story, from the Shiva Purana… Lord Shiva was meditating. Parvati Devi was trying to attract him. Kamadeva tried to help but was burned to ashes by the wrath of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, being merciful, then paid attention to Parvati Devi. He married her, and Kartikeya was conceived.
There is additionally a Tamil version of the Skanda Purana in which another story is presented. I read that story in the Amar Chitra Katha comics as a child. Only later I learned where the story came from. The demigods prayed to Lord Shiva and pleased Him. As a result, Lord Shiva manifested 5 additional heads. From each head came one spark. Vayu Deva, the demigod in charge of the wind, carried these sparks and handed them to Agni Deva. Agni Deva then carried the sparks to Ganga Devi, who took them to Saravana lake. There, 6 boys were born. The 6 boys were merged into one by Krittika Devi. This marked the appearance of Kartikeya. He then defeated the demons Surapadma and Simhamukha. These demons surrendered to Kartikeya and became his assistant associates.
Valmiki Ramayana is the Absolute Truth. Mahabharata is also composed by Veda Vyasa. Therefore, we have 2 authoritative references to support Srila Prabhupada’s statement about Lord Shiva in BG 2.62.
Srila Prabhupada is a highly empowered Vaishnava Acharya who has presented Krishna Consciousness in the Brahma Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya. Why should anyone accept an objection raised by an uncontrolled mind? Instead, whenever we hear the instruction of the Acharya, we should strive to understand how it is true. It’s not about whether it is true or not, but how it is true. This is called surrender. It may take time. It took me many years to surrender to my Guru Maharaja, but eventually I did. Whenever I had any doubts about Srila Prabhupada’s words, my spiritual masters helped me. They guided me with proper understanding to overcome that doubt.
To “disagree” with an Acharya, is simply immaturity.
Sometimes Acharyas disagree with each other. This is alright if they are of an equal stature. In that case, the rest of us must try to understand how they are right, all of them! Spiritual reality is truly wonderful. It is not one dimensional.
Puranic stories sometimes differ because they describe one kalpa (a day of Brahma) or another. On different days of Lord Brahma, there can be variations in some details.
Lord Shiva’s agitation by Parvati is not an insult to Lord Shiva.
Instead, it glorifies his great devotion to Sri Krishna. By personal example, Lord Shiva is showing how great Lord Krishna is. Lord Krishna remained without agitation even when surrounded by 3 Billion beautiful young gopis. The gopis were ready to do anything for Krishna. Krishna is an eternal Brahmachari, and the proof of this statement is Sri Bhishmadeva who has stated this personally!
Does this help?
Glossary – Personalities & Concepts mentioned in the article:
Acharya – A teacher in one of 4 authorized disciplic successions from God, who teaches by personal example
Bhishmadeva – Among the 12 greatest spiritual authorities of our universe, played a pivotal role in the Mahabharata, sometimes referred to as “grandsire” or “grandfather”
Brahma – The creator of this universe, son of Lord Vishnu
Brahma Samhita – The composition of Lord Brahma is a 100-chapter book. Only Chapter 5 is available. It can be found online at https://vedabase.io/en/library/bs
Deva – “Demigod”, also used as an honorific for divine personalities
Ganga – The most sacred river in our Universe, a liquid form of God
Gopis – The topmost saints, devotees of Krishna
Guru – Spiritual Master, also “heavy”
Kalpa – A day of Brahma, 4.32 Billion Years long
Kama – Literally “lust”, used to refer to the demigod in charge of love
Kartikeya – Son of Shiva and Parvati, the military commander of the demigods
Krishna – The Supreme Personality of Godhead, source of both spiritual and material realms, the One and Only appearing Himself in different forms and with different names
Krittika Devi – a demigoddess
Madhva Gaudiya Sampradaya – A current unbroken line of disciplic succession from God Himself, included below for reference
Madhyama Adhikari – defined above
Maharaja – King among men, used to refer to royalty and to renounced or exalted souls
Parvati – The consort of Lord Shiva, expanded as the material energy
Purana – Authorized history of the Universe, there are 18 such histories, 6 meant for those in the mode of goodness, 6 for those in the mode of passion, and 6 meant for those in the mode of passion
Ramayana – The pastimes of Lord Rama, the Personality of Godhead
Rudra – A son of Lord Brahma, born of his anger from his forehead
Simhamukha & Surapadma – Former demons who accepted the shelter of Kartikeya and became his assistants
Shiva – The auspicious one, also referred to as Rudra
Shiva Purana – The scripture describing the pastimes of Lord Shiva, meant for the benefit of those situated in the mode of ignorance
Sri – Opulence, refers to the Goddess of Fortune, or someone blessed with some extraordinary opulence
Uttama Adhikari – defined above
Valmiki – The author of the original Ramayana, disciple of Narada
Vayu Deva – The demigod in charge of the air and wind
If someone practices spiritual practices, then should their karmic reactions not get destroyed? Why do they suffer? Though the spiritual path can lead through suffering, it’s seen as a test of devotion rather than a punishment. Suffering serves to deepen one’s faith and understanding. Embracing challenges as divine mercy can transform experiences, encouraging resilience and growth. Ultimately, the journey fosters strength, love, and connection to God.
Jaanvi, 22 September 2014 Dear All,
Could you please tell me why do some people who are on the spiritual path i.e. going to temple, satsang, kirtan, seva and praying, get seriously ill and need to be hospitalized and suffer terribly.
Now, despite being on the Godly path..why so much suffering, I would assume the karmic reactions should be nullified for such people?
Hare Krsna. Jaanvi
Anuja Raghuvanshi, 23 September 2014 Dear Jaanvi Mataji,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to Srila Praphupada.
The problem you have mentioned has happened to me but i did not get seriously ill. I had fever and i had sore throat for a month, but i got over it. I realized in my mind that I was feeling an absolute lack of love in my life. Emotionally, it was like I needed a shelter.
I have always known that it’s an emotional lag in me. It created that upsurge internally. I consciously put in my 100% in Sri Krsna. I begged for his mercy to cleanse all my sins and bestow unlimited love.
I became absolutely all right and stronger. Sri Krsna, under his mercy, got me upright and fresh. It was almost as if he took my hand and drove me out of that dark night of my soul. Swami Radanath jee mentioned in one of his books that even if we feel loveless, it’s a dark night of the soul. We may feel dry during this time. At that time, one almost feels as if no Krsna exists. Krsna does exist, and we just have to keep strong and ask for his mercy.
I am sorry i am unable to quote the exact book in which i read this particular colored reference. Tomorrow I will be able to tell you better where exactly I read this above reference. Since I gave you my personal experience, I hope you can wait.
Hare Krsna ,
Warm Regards, Anuja Raghuvanshi
Rathin Mandal, 23 September 2014 Hare Krishna,
Please accept my humble obeisances, All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Gurumataji, All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This is a nice question. And the answer to this also have very deep meaning. I can share my thoughts with my realizations.
It is true that even advance devotees seems to suffer like ordinary people externally. But it is not like the suffering of ordinary people. It is like when you switch off the fan, it loses its rotating energy. But still the fan makes few more revolutions before coming to a full stop. Similarly the suffering of a pure devotee is only residual. While a karmi is destined to suffer perpetually.
But we should not always see the suffering as a pain. There are devotee who embrace that suffering. After all that happened, Mata Kunti still prays to Sri Krishna. She says, “It is better to suffer so that I can remember you.” A pure devotee enjoys whatever he gets. Whether it is good or bad, doesn’t matter to them. MayaDevi may test the devotee. She wants to see if his devotion is sincere towards Sri Krishna. It checks if he is just faking it. During a test is becomes easier to see who a pure devotee. Otherwise, people will exploit it as a business. They will think that I chant Hare Krishna and expect Sri Krishna to do the work for me.
I can tell you a incident that I witnessed. Some Devotee’s house was burned down in lightening, he said that he any-ways wanted to remodel the house. So Sri Krishna has made it easier for him now. 🙂 We don’t hear this from regular people. 🙂
your servant Rathin
Jaanvi, 23 September 2014 Dear Matajis,
Thanks so much for your reply and experience.
However, what if the living entity is unable to tolerate the height of pain and suffering?
At that time, any other material person would say it is better to be attached to material life. They would argue this rather than follow the spiritual path.
Hare Krsna. Jaanvi
Mahabhagavat Das, 24 September 2014 Dear Mother Jaanvi,
Hare Krishna!
It is said that one definition of madness is to do the same thing and expect a different result. If I keep doing the same thing, what right do I have to expect a different result? If following the material path ensured avoidance of suffering, that may have been a reasonable strategy. Regardless of someone’s material expertise, suffering is inevitable. It arrives inevitably, like night follows day.
In the material world, sufferings are inevitable. No one can be spared this. This material world is a prison, it is not a pleasant place. If it were completely pleasant, it could not be material. That is the definition of the spiritual world “vaikuntha”, “vai + kuntha” or “vai=without + kuntha=suffering”.
To the materialist, the suffering is just reward. In trying to avoid the suffering, the materialist digs themselves deeper into the net. To the spiritualist, the suffering is motivation to hasten the journey back to Krishna. So the spiritualist simply tolerates and changes course to spiritualize all thoughts, words, and deeds.
When advanced spiritualists apparently suffer, it is to teach others who to behave in such situations. Krishna provides a token reaction when beginning spiritualists suffer. This reminds them that past actions have resulted in current misery. Therefore, they should not return to their previous pattern of lifestyle.
A person who cannot genuinely take responsibility for their own suffering often returns to a materialistic life. This is similar to an alcoholic or drug addict. Instead of actively facing life’s problems, they choose to remain in a drunken stupor to forget. However, “material intoxication” also causes suffering. This happens because everything one is attached to is snatched away at the moment of death. This occurs no matter how “important” someone may be.
The wise person prepares for this eventual forced eviction from this body here and now.
Sincerely, Mahabhagavat Das
Kamal Caran Das, 28 September 2014 Hare Krsna.
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva & Srila Prabhupada. All glories to Sri Gaur Nitai.
Sri Krsna very nicely explains in very first stage of Gita that all the sufferings are due to the assumption of that self is the body (BG 2.13 & 14 ). Further He explains that never try to have right over the fruits of action as well never consider yourself the cause of the result ( BG 2.47 ).
Next He explains that what so ever is happening around us is the ‘act’ of the three modes of nature, which are under direct supervision of Supreme I.e. Himself (BG 3.27 & 7.14 ).
He also ensures that “ananyas cintanto mam, ye janah paryupaste; yes nitya abhiyuktanam, Yog ksemam vahami aham”..
If we carefully ponder this with all our experiences openly, while keeping hari nam japas regular, we can easily see the real picture of the material world. This helps us develop the strength to face any tough situation in life.
One shall not think that he will get rid of suffering because he is doing bhakti. This is the most important thing. Thinking so will not n bhakti but business. Running away of sufferings is the by product only.. Not the right but the causeless Mercy…
Please forgive me for the errors in message & may correct me..
Hare Krsna. your servant. Kamal Caran Das
Sacinandana Das, 8 November 2014 Hare Krishna Dear Devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudev and Srimati Gurumata. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
This material world is like a jail. How can we expect good things happening in jail. This material world is full of suffering. If we are expecting good result while doing some devotional services, it is not pure devotional service. It was our choice to become God. That is the reason why we have to come to this material world. Now we have to suffer like anything. Actually its horrible. A pure devotee takes everything as a mercy of the Lord. Actually suffering is also a mercy of the Lord. We all should become pure devotees for the pleasure of Sri Guru, Krishna and Vaishnavas.
your servant, Sacinandana Das
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com ), written fresh every day from his travels around the world sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
Suppose you want to help someone. Very noble! First do no harm. How can you tell if you are helping or hurting? Suppose we want to act with compassion… should we not understand what compassion is first? Here is a discussion about hte complexity of compassion and how well-intentioned actions in passion and ignorance cause harm. Effective compassion must be in the mode of goodness. But charity begins at home. If we are not compassionate with ourselves, we cannot be compassionate towards others. And how to be compassionate with ourselves?
This is part Two of a Series of Articles on Compassion. Part 1 is here. Part 3 is here
Let’s say we do somehow get past the most obvious schadenfreude for others. How to act with compassion?
How do we know if something is helping or hurting?
It is said, first, do no harm.
Take these situations… how would you “help” in these situations?
A crying, tantrum-throwing child is being firmly dealt with by a parent
A patient is on a very strict diet to allow their quick recovery
A homeless substance abuser is begging for money on the street
Would it be “compassion” to intervene in the first example of the child above? Should we stop the parent from being firm? No! The parent knows what the child needs. Maybe the child is hungry, maybe the child is tired and sleepy. The parent is being compassionate with that child, even if it’s not all kisses and hugs!
There is a second example of a sick friend on a strict diet. The patient asks you to sneak in a rich meal, they want to escape their bland, boring diet. You are his buddy. You really want your friend to have some great food! Would you be acting with compassion? No, you end up killing your friend with your “act of compassion”!
In the third example, the drug addict is on the street begging you for money. If you gave it to them, would that be compassionate? No, the person doesn’t know what is good for them! They will use your charity to hurt themselves, dig deeper into addiction! Maybe even die of an overdose!
Everything we experience in this world is composed of what is known as the modes of material nature. This includes substances, personalities, habits, and activities. It also encompasses the time of day or night, music, writing, and entertainment. Indeed, we can understand that these are the fundamental ingredients of material nature.
We can consider that trying to help someone is an intentional action. Being compassionate towards someone means acting to help that person. Being compassionate takes the form of charity.
Actions in the mode of passion give results that are sweet to start, but have a bitter end. Actions in the mode of ignorance bring results that are bitter in the beginning and bitter in the end.
The modes of material nature are three in number:
Goodness
Passion
Ignorance
Only actions in the mode of goodness produce a desirable result. They may taste bitter to start. This bitterness nevertheless, is only if someone is not situated in the mode of goodness.
The result of charity is highly misunderstood in our world. Not everything we consider charitable is actually beneficial! There are three kinds of charity defined by Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.
Charity in the Mode of Goodness
Charity in the Mode of Passion
Charity in the Mode of Ignorance
Charity given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person is considered to be in the mode of goodness.
But charity performed with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for fruitive results, or in a grudging mood is said to be charity in the mode of passion.
And charity performed at an impure place, at an improper time, to unworthy persons, or without proper attention and respect is said to be in the mode of ignorance.
The mode of goodness way to deal with an upset child is to let a parent handle the situation. This parent knows what the child actually needs. Others should not interfere.
The mode of goodness way to deal with a patient is to follow the physician’s prescription with food and medicine. This is true no matter how dissatisfied the patient is with a bland diet.
The mode of goodness way to deal with a drug addict on the street is to get them professional help. Seek assistance from those who are trained and qualified to help them.
How to “help” someone and not push them deeper into a hole?
Charity begins at home! To be compassionate with anyone else, I need to be compassionate with myself first!
What is that compassion? First, I must know the difference between what is compassion and what is not!
In a desert, say there is a mirage. If someone races towards that mirage, should I let them just run? Or should I stop them?
“trushna” is a Sanskrit word that indicates extreme thirst. This is a thirst that can never be quenched. An animal in the desert, running towards a mirage can never quench it’s thirst. In fact it will run to its death.
Similarly, conditioned souls in the material world are running, running running… Running with their tongues out, trying to get some taste, to quench their thirst. This they’re trying to do by pursuing sense gratification.
The conditioned living entities try to satisfy themselves by trying to satisfy the senses. At the extreme, this is hedonism. Everyone is on that trip, more or less.
Compassion is definitely not about gratifying the senses of a suffering soul.
The senses are like a fire! They can never be satisfied by giving them more gratification!
Think of it this way. If there’s a blazing fire, can it be put out by adding more fuel to it? No! A fire can be put out by cutting the supply of fuel and oxygen. But only an expert firefighter knows how to put out a really bad fire.
The senses are like fire, and sense gratification is like fuel. The senses can’t be satisfied, no matter how much we try to gratify them. They must be controlled for the soul to be satisfied.
Just like the expert firefighter, there are great souls who manifest compassion. They know actually what it means to “help” someone. We can learn from them and follow the process they have given us.
क उत्तमश्लोकगुणानुवादात्पुमान् विरज्येत विना पशुघ्नात् ॥ ४ ॥
nivṛtta-tarṣair upagīyamānād bhavauṣadhāc chrotra-mano-’bhirāmāt ka uttamaśloka-guṇānuvādāt pumān virajyeta vinā paśughnāt
Glorification of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is performed in the paramparā system, that is, it is conveyed from the spiritual master to disciple. Such glorification is relished by those no longer interested in the false, temporary glorification of this cosmic manifestation. Descriptions of the Lord are the right medicine for the conditioned soul undergoing repeated birth and death. Therefore, who will cease hearing such glorification of the Lord except a butcher or one who is killing his own self?
tad viddhi praṇipātena paripraśnena sevayā upadekṣyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninas tattva-darśinaḥ
Just try to learn the truth by approaching a spiritual master. Inquire from him submissively and render service unto him. The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the truth.
This is a Sankirtan Update, covering outings from Spring through Fall 2024. Many encouraging interactions with blessed souls. Covers, Toronto, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mantralayam and other interactions. Hare Krishna!
Dear Devotees,
Hare Krishna!
Please kindly accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
I pray that you are all well and in good health and spirits.
By your blessings I can join in this Hare Krishna movement, despite my disqualifications. Thank you!
It is hard to believe that it is the end of October. This is only my second Sankirtan update for 2024!
The next things have compressed my Sankirtan reports writing time, so this is inevitable:
1. More classes online and in person this year. There will be nearly 60 in 2024, double of 2023. This number is nothing for the great preachers. Still, for someone like me, it takes a lot of time to prepare for the classes. I also spend a lot of time going to the various places, etc.
2. More posts published to my website www.dasadas.com… 30+ articles, again nothing for the great preachers, but a lot of time spent in writing, researching, revising, etc.
3. Added to the temple services at ISKCON Toronto, which takes up 1 evening every week.
4. My Gurudeva ordered me to finish the Ultimate Self Realization Course Bhagavad Gita weekly lesson project. It is a great honour to serve my spiritual master Srila Sankarshan Prabhu on this.
5. Missed recording some outings and book count at the time… but I’m not going to speculate about those… best to count them as “not done” and do a bit more.
6. In several MSFs, focus on the Kirtan. Let other newer sankirtan warriors distribute books. Everyone needs to get the experience of distributing books. They should feel that ecstasy and surge of energy from book distribution. I felt privileged to support their distribution with my Kirtan, but of course, my personal book count was zero then.
I started writing this update in spring. I picked out this verse, which is not relevant any more. This is because it is now autumn/fall here in Toronto! Better late than never!
Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring. BG 10.35
Spring had certainly arrived in Toronto. The flowers were in full bloom and the cold winter has given way to a more pleasant spring. Of course, this is all short-lived, so I’m trying my best to make the most of it! With spring, the people are out. I am noticing that they are in a better mood. They are more likely to engage in a spiritual conversation.
Everything has gotten busier, of course. Sankirtan powers my spiritual life along with hearing and chanting. I make sure to go out regularly.
Summer & Fall Update
In summer, there were many outings, personally, as well as in a group. In the late summer/fall, there was a trip to Sri Bharat Bhumi, also called India in modern times… I came back with a severe flu. It took me time to regain lung capacity. Eventually, I was able to go out on Harinam and do both call and response myself!
There was quite a bit of book distribution in India, as you can see below. Now I look forward to rounding out the year with Harinam and Book Distribution outings in Toronto. This is my seva spot for now…
Please feel free to share this Sankirtan report with others… If it inspires even one soul to go out on Harinam or Book Distribution, we will all benefit. Even just once more will bring benefits for everyone. If one more spiritual book is distributed as a result, we will all benefit!
General Update
The number of devotees out on Sankirtan in and around Toronto has increased significantly. This comes after a bit of a dip. We have the young folks from Bhakti Academy going out more often. I was pleasantly surprised to find one young devotee in Brampton. His name is Saahil. He is very fired up for book distribution and goes out regularly. He sends me his updates and they greatly engladden and inspire me. In general, as long as this Sankirtan continues, the future of this world is very bright.
Sankirtan and book distribution in India is booming. It is really heartwarming to see just how many souls are taking Srila Prabhupada’s books. There are no lengthy conversations before a book changes hands there. Devotees go to Vrindavan, Mayapur, and other places of pilgrimage to recharge themselves spiritually. In the same way, I often draw great inspiration from Sankirtan in India… especially after the austere lonely Harinamas here in cold Toronto 🙂
Outings Summary
01 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
10 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
12 May 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday feast distribution
17 May 2024 – Union Station Sankirtan with Bhakta Venkatesh – Bhakti Prabhava Swami reception
20 May 2024 – Home Program with Bhakti Prabhava Swami
24 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
25 May 2024 – Waterloo Class & MSF
27 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
3 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
5 Jun 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
15 Jun 2024 – Markham Music Festival
16 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast Distribution
18 Jun 2024 – Union Statation RY Invitations
22 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Barrie RY Books Distribution
24 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
29 Jun 2024 – Toronto MSF
1 Jul 2024 – Canada Day Harinam
8 Jul 2024 – YD Square RY Card Distribution
13 Jul 2024 – RY Parade Distribution
13 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
14 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
21 Jul 2024 – Ottawa Parliament Hill Hill Harinam & Books
27 Jul 2024 – Ottawa RY parade & book stall distribution
10 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Scarborough RY Book Stall Distribution
17 Aug 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam & Books
20 Aug 2024 – Pearson Airport Distribution
22 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
23 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
24 Aug 2024 – Anantagiri Padmanabha Swamy Temple Distribution
26 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Hyderabad Distribution
27 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad SPL Sets Distribution
29 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Post Office Distribution
30 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Juhu Book Stall Distribution
8 Sep 2024 – Mantralayam Book Distribution
9 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SPL Distribution
13 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
14 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
17 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SB Set Distribution
18 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad Travel Distribution
20 Aug – 19 Sep 2024 – India Daily Continuous Books Distribution
28 Sep 2024 – Old City Hall Toronto MSF
29 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Muskoka BG class + distribution
23 Oct 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
27 Oct 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast distribution
New 44 2024 outings, Total 69/108 outings in 2024
It is now Oct 28, 2024 as I write this… I am 39 outings short of my annual target!
Here are some interactions that stood out…
Toronto Conversations
In Toronto, out on MSF, we meet many wonderful souls… one such soul was visiting from Paris. She stopped to chat with me. Her flight was leaving in less than 3 hours. When I reached Hyderabad, I shipped her some French Language books I had. The books included a note by His Grace Anandamaya Prabhu. He is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada from France and has lived and served Srila Prabhupada in Hyderabad for decades. No picture unfortunately, but this is what she wrote back:
“Dear Das, Wouahhh I don’t have the words and thanks a lot“. May she be blessed by Srila Prabhupada’s divine vani.
One day, I was out on Harinam Sankirtan at Old City Hall in Toronto. It was a beautiful afternoon and I got many nice responses from passersby. But the best response was from these 4 Muslim girls dressed in colourful clothes and headscarves… they walked by, looked at me, without looking at me, in the way of girls trained in modest behavior… then they went a few steps away. They took the obligatory pictures in front of the big red building known as Old City Hall. They discussed something amongst themselves, and a chosen representative asked “Excuse me, but what are you doing”… I paused, told them “Chanting the names of God. God is One, but our languages are many. I am chanting the names of God in Sanskrit, an ancient language.” I asked them where they were from, they said Lahore… I said I was from Bombay, practically a twin city of Karachi in so many ways. Their next question was “Why are you doing this here?” I answered “See, we are fighting with each other all over the world. We are focused on our differences, which come from bodily consciousness. If we come together and chant the names of the One God, we will overcome those differences. This can happen even if it’s in our own languages. We will achieve this by the mercy of God. God is fully present in His Names. The Quran lists at least 99 names. We know so many more from our scriptures.” We had a few more Q&A. Then the girls said “we love your message, can we offer you a donation”. They did make a donation. I showed them the books I had… they looked at each one carefully. They asked me “but these books, do they go against the Quran?” I told them, “If you see a name of God you don’t recognize, read it as Allah. It could also be Rahman, Rahim, or any other name you know.” Knowledge is knowledge. There is no such thing as Hindu knowledge or Muslim knowledge. Just like there is no Pakistani sun or Canadian sun.” They agreed with me. They selected “Beyond Birth and Death.” They told me, “We also believe that life exists after death.” And they did read some parts from each book. How pure is Srila Prabhupada! His words and instructions can inspire devout Muslim girls. They approached a strange man on the street to get a book! “We like your message”, they said before leaving. I then continued chanting blissfully. I rejoiced at the pure seed of Srila Prabhupada’s love for Krishna. It had been planted in their midst.
Another young man was from South America. He studied here in Canada for a semester. He went back home despite having good grades in his program. This was because he just couldn’t find a suitable part-time job to pay his school fees. But he went home with Srila Prabhupada’s books, and even though he was broke, carefully counted out a good donation! Picture attached.
One gentleman was railing against all the injustice heaped upon him. I connected with him by explaining that seeing others on a spiritual level prevents such things from happening. The Bhagavad Gita helps us achieve this understanding, so he took a Gita. Photo attached.
Mantralayam nuggets
One man in Mantralayam said he wanted to go to ISKCON Bangalore to get himself a Bhagavad Gita, but couldn’t. He was regretting his misfortune. Now he was here in Mantralayam and a Bhagavad Gita was waiting for him!
One lady in Mantralayam wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, but didn’t have any money… I thought it was an excuse to not get it, one of many. But I was wrong. About 20 minutes later, the lady’s daughter ran up with a handful of cash. She took the Gita from me. Inside the Mantralayam temple, my wife witnessed the family taking selfies. The main sanctum was the background. Their brand new Bhagavad Gita was the foreground!
After my time budget in Mantralayam, I still had a couple of boxes of books left… and no vehicle nearby. The policemen on duty allowed my vehicle to drop me off with my boxes of books. However, they didn’t allow the vehicle to stay or park anywhere nearby… Now I was stuck, and couldn’t carry the boxes due to back issues… I approached two men nearby… they agreed to help me carry my books outside of the enclosure. I thought they might each carry a box. But no, one of them showed up with a motorbike. The books were safely transported. At the end of their seva, we got talking. Turns out both of them were off-duty policemen, relatively new in their careers. They both took books and made generous donations.
Hyderabad Interactions
I met a Muslim Security Poet Saintly Soul in Hyderabad… works at the Hyderabad Metro. I took rikshaws and cabs at first. Then I discovered how convenient and inexpensive the Metro was. It also offers so many book distribution opportunities! As soon as he got a book, this gentleman started composing poetry glorifying Sri Krishna right on the spot… At first, I didn’t know he was Muslim. When I found out, I said “I don’t know why people argue so much when He is One”… right after that, he was so warm and friendly. Our interactions were nectarean and he took books and Prasadam. I met him almost every day and every day he had some beautiful thing to say about Krishna. Photo attached.
A deaf and dumb store assistant was helping us find clothes for our son… When I showed him a book, he was so very enthusiastic to read it! Photo attached. Srila Prabhupada’s books are for everyone! Just because someone cannot speak or hear doesn’t mean they can’t read.
During my various travels, I faced baggage weight restrictions and non-availability of languages in temples. Because of this, I didn’t always have specific books in specific languages with me… so I took down addresses and shipped them when I got to a place where books were available… Shipping books in India is really inexpensive, BTW! Of course I made friends with many postal clerks… the one at the P&T Colony post office was really fascinated with my seva. As soon as I showed up with packages of books, this gentleman would make everyone else wait. He would skip me right to the front of the line. Of course he took books and made generous donations too. Photo attached.
Every time I was able to go out, a group of young men were quickly drawn to Srila Prabhupada’s books. Some would take them. Others would ask questions… At any given time, there were some young people in the scrum… Pictures attached.
On festival days, the crowds in the Indian temples were enormous. This made book distribution in the usual way impossible. When it was possible, they did BIG sponsorship campaigns, for example on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja… many sets were distributed by devotees who could afford to buy sets, and given to those who could not. A picture is attached. Shravana Bhakti Radha Mataji, a servitor of Sri Radha Madan Mohan, sponsors a set for another devotee.
These are only a few of the stories… I couldn’t capture and share all the interactions. Many people only took small books, and there were so many. In any case, Krishna has orchestrated and recorded all those interactions and will help us all come closer to Him.
All this is possible only by your encouragement and blessings! Thank you!
If you or anyone you know wants to be notified if I’m going out on Harinam or giving a class, please let me know. Let us together flood this world with Harinam Sankirtan, Krishna Katha, and Srila Prabhupada’s books!
My 2024 goals summary so far is 69 outings, 47 classes delivered, and 307 Bhagavad Gita or equivalent distributed.
My lifetime goal of being an instrument in distributing 1 Lakh Gitas tracking is at 8,100/100,000 (8.1% of goal).
I can only set goals and pray for mercy, and try my best. But the Vaishnavas and Krishna can help fulfill the prayer, enable the effort and make the target possible to achieve. Please bless me, because your blessings are certainly potent!
Please engage in acts of Harinam Sankirtan wherever you are!
If you’re trapped in a cycle of self-sabotage, fully aware of your weaknesses, fully aware of what needs to be done, yet indulging in meaningless distractions. The remedy? Consistent dedication to Krishna through disciplined practice. Just like a sick person must stick to their medicine, embrace the struggle. Transformation may not be instantaneous, but it’s inevitable for those who truly commit.
Question
Hare Krsna Prabhu I have a question. I know what is good for me, what is right and wrong and the ISKCON philosophy. But i give in to my sense gratification. Instead of reading the Gita I read other novels for entertainment or be on my phone. Not able to put my 100% free time into reading Prabhupada’s books. Why is this. I find more ruci (taste) in mundane material temporary things even though i know the truth. How can I change my self. I am not able to control my mind. Its very much spiritual suicide my actions.
Answer
Hare Krishna!
Congratulations! Do you know that if you know the problem then that is half the solution? It is also like “well begun is half done”.
Most people don’t even know the problem. But you do! That is very fortunate!
Thank you for your nice question. The answer will benefit many more also. Of course, your identity will never be disclosed whenever you ask a question, especially if the question is sensitive…
All of us who are in the material realm in material consciousness have one thing in common. Those in the spiritual realm, or in spiritual consciousness do not have this problem.
We have tried for a very long time to forget Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. So, over these millions of lifetimes, we have developed our false sense of identity… that we are this mind or body that covers us. So, we feel that satisfying the mind or satisfying the senses will actually give us pleasure.
If this were true, then all of us in the material world would be extremely ecstatic… After all, so many of us of us are able to fulfill so many of our material desires on a daily basis!
Srila Rupa Goswami, in the Nectar of Instruction, compares our condition to that of a jaundiced person… I had jaundice once, everything sweet tasted bitter. When I was feeling unwell recently, even the sweetest of drinking water tasted bitter! But in a healthy condition of life, we know that water is not bitter. We also know that sweet things are not bitter. When the illness subsides, then we begin to taste everything as it is.
Similarly, Srila Rupa Goswami Prabhupada advises us…
The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidyā [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root. – https://vedabase.io/en/library/noi/7/
Please read that verse, translation, and purport before you continue further… Please read the verse and purport. The following will make sense only if you have done this now 🙂
So, now what is to be done?
Just as a sick person needs to take their medicine and follow a strict diet, we need to carefully follow the rules of Sadhana Bhakti.
Daily chant a minimum of 16 rounds attentively or as best as possible
Follow the regulative principles carefully
Read Srila Prabhupada’s books prayerfully
Sing the songs of the Vaishnava Acharyas regularly
Memorize chant the verses of the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam as much as possible
Serve Krishna and His devotees as much as possible
On a practical level, “where attention goes, energy flows”… so when we pay attention to Krishna, then our energy also flows to Krishna. When we pay attention to Maya’s toys, then our attention also goes there.
The weight of our spiritual practices sinks into our consciousness… if I am less conditioned, then it happens very quickly… like those disciples of Srila Prabhupada who started chanting 16 rounds from one day to the next… or who surrendered immediately… but if I am more heavily conditioned, then it may take some time.
But rest assured, like millions of souls have attested and continue to profess, the process of Bhakti Yoga works unfailingly on everyone who sincerely tries. It is a scientific process, which means that when the process is followed without deviation, the result is sure. Srila Prabhupada says “Success is certain for the rigid practitioner.”
So, my request to you is not to get discouraged… sincerely try, just as a child learning to walk does not give up trying to walk.
Compassion is a complex and often misunderstood concept, as it calls for empathy towards all individuals, regardless of their circumstances. Balancing compassion for various groups can present challenges, especially when faced with conflicting needs and situations. Ultimately, striving for universal compassion is essential, despite the inherent difficulties in this pursuit. However, if we want to act with universal compassion, we should start with understanding what compassion is not! Schadenfreude, certainly not. Alas, it is more common than we think!
Compassion, this word is used very often. Someone wants us to have compassion upon the downtrodden and poor. Someone else wants us to have compassion upon the rich and powerful. Some want to be compassionate towards people with black skin. Others want to be compassionate upon the war veterans. Someone is working intently upon manifesting compassion towards those battling cancer.
This is part 1 of a 3 series of articles. Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here.
I agree with them all. We should be compassionate with everyone in the whole world.
Do you agree that all those living entities mentioned above deserve to be treated with compassion? What about those not mentioned above? Do they deserve to be treated with compassion?
But for example, suppose I dedicate my life to, say, feeding hungry people. Now, all of my efforts are spent in finding the hungry, acquiring food and feeding them… how would I help the sick children, the war veterans, the people with black skin, and the cancer patients?
Or, if I invest all my time in trying to find a cure for Cancer… now how would I feed the hungry, take care of the sick children, the war veterans, the people with black skin?
Or maybe I do a little bit to help them all… donate to feed a few hungry people, donate to a charity helping war veterans, volunteer for a hospital that treats people with cancer… but then I notice that there are many more hungry, many more war veterans, many with cancer and many disadvantaged people with black skin!
What’s more, I find that the charity feeding the hungry is slaughtering innocent animals… the war veterans who are injured actually committed atrocities upon other people who are left in worse shape than them, some of the the people with cancer happened to be those who smoked all their lives, and some of the people with black skin are of poor character and have harmed many others…
Now what do I do?
Do I prioritize the “innocent” disadvantaged over those with a criminal background? Do I overlook Diabetes or Hypertension in my obsession over cancer? Do I ignore the elderly in my quest to help the children?
It appears that being compassionate is more difficult than it sounds at first!
It’s all extremely confusing and difficult to sort through!
I am just one teeny little soul, a tiny jiva, one little spirit soul among unlimited spirit souls. I have limited energy, limited time in this life, and very limited resources, power and influence in the world. And yet I want to be compassionate to all.
I don’t want to be compassionate to one group of living entities, say, sick children, and not be compassionate, say, to poor children who are not sick but lack education. I don’t want to be compassionate upon the hungry people of the world, and end up slaughtering animals to help temporarily prevent their hunger.
Do I have any hope of attaining my goal of being compassionate towards everyone then?
Can I be compassionate towards ALL souls?
Yes, in the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna speaks about compassion for all souls.
दया भूतेषु – dayā bhūteṣu – compassion for all living entities
More specifically, Krishna stresses that this quality, among a total of twenty size qualities, belong to those godly souls endowed with a divine nature.
So, clearly it is not hopeless to strive to be compassionate towards one and all.
In our present context though, we may not be “godly souls”, and we may not (yet) be endowed with a “divine nature”… what can we do?
First and foremost, we need to understand what compassion is not!
Yes, if we understand what is not compassion, then we should be able to steer our thoughts, words, and deeds in the direction of compassion.
Let’s look at the most obvious example of what is NOT compassion.
The American Heritage Dictionary Defines Schadenfreude as follows:
schadenfreude /shäd′n-froi″də/
noun
Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
Malicious enjoyment derived from observing someone else’s misfortune.
Delight in another person’s misfortune.
We can safely say that someone who is feeling schadenfreude is not being compassionate!
Hey, I’m not like that!
So we may think. But here are just a few examples when we indulge in Schadenfreude…
Sports – what happens when a team you support wins, and a team you oppose loses? Do you feel happy?
Exams/Competition/Contests – what happens when you beat other competitors in an exam or competition? Do you feel elated?
Business – what happens when you defeat a competitor, win a contract from an opponent, or put another company out of business? Do you celebrate?
War – say the country you live in is at war with another country… no matter whose “fault” it was… if your army scores a “win”, does that not mean that someone on the other end is mourning a loved one?
Politics – say the party you support wins an election and comes to power… does that mean that the defeated parties had nothing good to offer to the world at all?
When we examine our world, we find that…
In fact, our whole world, our society is built on top of deriving pleasure from the misfortunes of others.
Where does it all come from, one would wonder…
Schadenfreude comes from envy… “I wish that you don’t have what you have, I wish I have it instead, and you don’t”… it originally begins with Envy of God, but that is a discussion for another article.
Where there is envy, there can never be true co-operation, there can only be competition, sometimes, cut-throat.
Countries, communities, clubs, societies, networks, organizations are formed on the basis of envy against others. The envy may be based on race, religion, nationality, language, education, political, cultural or economic factors. It does not matter what the criteria separating the “us” and “them” are. And all of them engage wholesale in this schadenfreude.
We’re all members of such propagators of schadenfreude whether unwillingly or not!
So we can think about how to live in a world where competition is the name of the game!
Compassion means the exact opposite of Schadenfreude… to feel pain at the sufferings of others.
OK, let’s say we do somehow get past the most obvious schadenfreude. How to act with compassion?
For example, what if I’m trying to “help” someone, but I only end up hurting the person I’m trying to help?
How do we know if something we are thinking, feeling, willing, saying, or doing is helping or hurting?
A reflection on the nature of religious conversion… does it often lack genuine transformation? What is religious conversion driven by? Let us not ignore the importance of personal development and the cultivation of qualities such as compassion, truthfulness, and humility, rather than merely changing religious labels!
A Hindu can convert to Islam or Christianity. A Christian can convert to Hinduism or Islam. And of course, a Muslim can give up his faith to become an agnostic or Hindu or Christian. Replace any label with any other label, an “X” can convert to “Y”.
When someone converts, then some rejoice, and others fret and fume. One lady once said to me, after revealing to me her previous background “don’t reveal this to anyone, those people, they will kill me if they find out.”. I was quite saddened to hear that someone could be so barbaric as to try and kill her.
Neither is religious conversion of any value, nor should we worry about it. Rest assured, it will have no effect whatsoever. Religious conversion is a farce. It is a political move at best. Why is that?
What is The Purpose of Religious Tradition?
Because, religious traditions, are like universities or other educational institutions. You don’t “convert” from Stanford to Yale, for example. Neither do you “convert” from computer science to mathematics.
Yes, you can transfer credits from one program to another, you can even switch from one university to another, but it is laughable to say that you have “converted” from studying to be, say, a doctor, to studying to be a medical researcher.
No matter if you are a doctor, or a lawyer, or a medical researcher or a mathematician or a software engineer or whatever… ultimately the result of your work is an income, which you use to meet your needs and wants. A religious tradition is similar, in it that you are meant to use your religious tradition toget closer to God! So don’t use your religious tradition for political purposes or any other lesser purpose!
Now, after an academic transfer, if you actually complete the requirements of your new program and put your acquired knowledge and experience to do better than before, then maybe the transfer was worthwhile, otherwise, it is like the farce of enrolling into a program, and doing nothing to actually fulfill the requirements!
Conversions Galore, and Re-Conversions Too!
I come from India, and throughout my history lessons, I studied how, starting about 2,500 years ago, “Hindus” were converting to Buddhism. Then, I read how, as the philosophy of Buddhism was defeated by great Acharyas such as Adi Shankaracharya, Sripad Ramanujacharya, and Sri Madhvacharya… all those former Buddhists reconverted to “Hinduism”.
Then later on, the Muslims invaded India from Central Asia, the Middle East, and those parts of the world… and they “converted” many of the “Hindus” into “Muslims”. Some of those “Muslims” later reconverted to being called “Hindus” while others adopted their new identities.
After a few hundred years, the Christian missionaries came to India, and began to “convert” Hindus, Muslims, and even the remaining Buddhists, into “Christians”. Some convert back, or to something else!
And this conversion roulette continues to be played today.
It is a farce. A person who professes some label, now claiming to profess some other label doesn’t change anything!
Labels Labels Everywhere
If you took some rotten fruit juice and put it into a different bottle labeled something… will the rotten fruit juice be transformed into nectar? No, rotten will remain rotten, maybe even become more so!
You can take an animal, let’s say, a dog, and you can label him a cat, but does he change to being a cat? Can you label a bird as a fish and now the “bird-labeled-fish” will be able to breathe under water and swim around like a fish?
Yes, you could try to indoctrinate the dog all you want… you could tell him “ok, now you are a cat… cats are ‘yours’ and dogs are the enemy”… will it work? No, the next time that dog sees a cat, he will be after it, barking away.
Similarly, if you take a person who is unable to, say, practice the high Brahminical standards… and you convert that person into, say, a Christian. Will there be any transformation in the person based on this conversion? No, that person will still not be able to follow the highest tenets of Christianity!
In this case, the religious conversion was just to avoid following higher standards. In this way, conversion for the sake of some temporary economic benefit, or social pressure, or frustration with the community – these are the signs of a farcical conversion!
Someone may convert to Christianity because of promise of money or a job or some gifts, like a blanket or a pot or a stove… some convert to Christianity to get access to an addiction recovery service.
After all, how many Christians can follow the ten commandments? In fact, most of the Christians were so incapable of following the ten commandments that they had to water them down! And still they are hard to follow for most people who profess Christianity.
Embodying the Essence!
But to a dedicated follower of the Vedic Principles, the ten commandments are nothing, merely common sense, not even some great philosophical revelation! They have no trouble naturally following the ten commandments!
So what is the real deal? The real deal is when a person’s consciousness is transformed, taking it from animal-like consciousness to a divine state of consciousness!
That is the test. When someone tells me “I am X” or “I am Y”… I look at whether the person has actually developed a love for God, a love for their fellow beings, and not just humans of a certain label. I look for qualities like compassion, cleanliness, truthfulness, punctuality, honesty, and so on. In fact, these are the qualities I try and cultivate within myself…
SYNONYMS kṛpālu—merciful; akṛta-droha—not defiant; satya-sāra—thoroughly truthful; sama—equal; nidoṣa—faultless; vadānya—magnanimous; mṛdu—mild; śuci—clean; akiñcana—without material possessions; sarva-upakāraka—working for the welfare of everyone; śānta—peaceful; kṛṣṇa-eka-śaraṇa—exclusively surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; akāma—desireless; anīha—indifferent to material acquisitions; sthira—fixed; vijita-ṣaṭ-guṇa—completely controlling the six bad qualities (lust, anger, greed, etc.); mita-bhuk—eating only as much as required; apramatta—without inebriation; māna-da—respectful; amānī—without false prestige; gambhīra—grave; karuṇa—compassionate; maitra—a friend; kavi—a poet; dakṣa—expert; maunī—silent.
TRANSLATION ”Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities—lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.
Synonyms yasya — of whom; asti — there is; bhaktiḥ — devotional service; bhagavati — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akiñcanā — without any motive; sarvaiḥ — with all; guṇaiḥ — good qualities; tatra — there (in that person); samāsate — reside; surāḥ — all the demigods; harau — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; abhaktasya — of a person who is not devoted; kutaḥ — where; mahat-guṇāḥ — good qualities; manorathena — by mental speculation; asati — in the temporary material world; dhāvataḥ — who is running; bahiḥ — outside.
Translation All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?
In the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Eight, there is a description of some of the qualities of devotees. For example, Śrī Paṇḍita Haridāsa is described as being very well-behaved, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous and grave. In addition, he spoke very sweetly, his endeavors were very pleasing, he was always patient, he respected everyone, he always worked for everyone’s benefit, his mind was free of duplicity, and he was completely devoid of all malicious activities. These are all originally qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and when one becomes a devotee they automatically become manifest. Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava:
(1) He is very kind to everyone.
(2) He does not make anyone his enemy.
(3) He is truthful.
(4) He is equal to everyone.
(5) No one can find any fault in him.
(6) He is magnanimous.
(7) He is mild.
(8) He is always clean.
(9) He is without possessions.
(10) He works for everyone’s benefit.
(11) He is very peaceful.
(12) He is always surrendered to Kṛṣṇa.
(13) He has no material desires.
(14) He is very meek.
(15) He is steady.
(16) He controls his senses.
(17) He does not eat more than required.
(18) He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy.
(19) He offers respect to everyone.
(20) He does not desire any respect for himself.
(21) He is very grave.
(22) He is merciful.
(23) He is friendly.
(24) He is poetic.
(25) He is expert.
(26) He is silent.
So let us all, with every means offered to us by our own religious tradition, strive to inculcate these qualities.
Let us not be a disgrace to our teachers, prophets, saints, philosophers, Gurus, Acharyas, Rabbis, Mullahs, Imams, Priests, Mentors, Pastors, Sangomas, and so on.
In fact, it will be an even bigger disgrace if we ourselves are in such a respectable position as to advise others, and we ourselves have none of the transformation, none of the qualities mentioned above.
Let us all be converted in the only way that matters, develop pure Love for God.
It’s the Festival of Lord Ganesha! Millions of people are praying for all sorts of benedictions. Do you know what Lord Ganesha’s highest blessing is? What will you ask for?
As I write this, today is an auspicious day known as Ganesh Chaturthi. It’s the 4th day of the month of Bhadra, according to the Luni-Solar Vedic calendar.
On this day, millions of people in India and other parts of the world worship Lord Ganesha, known by many names like Ganapati, Lambodara, Vakratunda, Mahakaya, Vighneshwara, Vinayaka, etc.
Lord Ganesha is a universal favourite, even among those who don’t follow the Vedic tradition. His rotund figure, his elephant head with big ears, tusks, long trunk and cheerful disposition makes him a very lovable deity.
Lord Ganesha, pictured with his Mother Parvati Devi, and Father Lord Shiva.
Lord Ganesha is the son of Mother Parvati and Lord Shiva, who are practically the parents of the material world. He is a very special deity, in charge of elimination of obstacles. Obstacles may be in many forms, and he is tasked with the service of removing them. And this is how Lord Ganesha is empowered…
yat-pāda-pallava-yugaṁ vinidhāya kumbha- dvandve praṇāma-samaye sa gaṇādhirājaḥ vighnān vihantum alam asya jagat-trayasya govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
Synonyms yat — whose; pāda-pallava — lotus feet; yugam — two; vinidhāya — having held; kumbha-dvandve — upon the pair of tumuli; praṇāma-samaye — at the time of offering obeisances; saḥ — he; gaṇa-adhirājaḥ — Gaṇeśa; vighnān — obstacles; vihantum — to destroy; alam — capable; asya — of these; jagat-trayasya — three worlds; govindam — Govinda; ādi-puruṣam — the original person; tam — Him; aham — I; bhajāmi — worship.
Translation I adore the primeval Lord Govinda, whose lotus feet are always held by Gaṇeśa upon the pair of tumuli protruding from his elephant head in order to obtain power for his function of destroying all the obstacles on the path of progress of the three worlds.
There are very grand celebrations all over… attracting millions of souls. The opulence of these celebrations is hard to describe in words.
A temporary Opulent Ganesh Pandal setup in India.
Many souls undergo tremendous austerities and penances during this festival, which can span from 1 to 12 days. In return for these efforts, they ask for blessings which are often granted, depending on whether a person deserves those or not.
However, most of these blessings are temporary, like someone asking for more money, offspring, a better home, health, and so on…
Lord Ganesha accompanied by thousands of devotees, in procession
However, many of the “worshipers” also degrade themselves by indulging in low class activities like materialistic movie songs, partaking of meat, and intoxicants like tobacco, alcohol, and in these modern days, even hard drugs.
Then, in that intoxicated state, they dance for hours and hours, part of long processions.
What really saddens me though, is that most people don’t realize that the greatest blessing of Lord Ganesha are contained within the great magnum opus Mahabharata, as the 700-verse Bhagavad Gita.
Veda Vyasa recited the Mahabharata, all of 100,000 verses, and Lord Ganesha acted as His scribe… and in this way, the treatise became available to us, unfortunate conditioned souls.
Veda Vyasa Recites the Mahabharata, containing the Bhagavad Gita and Lord Ganesha serves as the scribe.
Within those 700 verses, one can learn about:
One’s own spiritual identity
The purpose of human life
The cause of one’s material bondage in the cycle of birth, death, old age, disease
The identity of the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna
One’s relationship with Krishna, and
The way to end this material tribulation once and for all
In fact, the Bhagavad Gita covers these main topics, covered in my Introduction to Bhagavad Gita series of classes, contact me to join:
Jiva – the spirit soul
Karma – the cycle of action and reaction
Prakriti – this material nature we currently inhabit
Kala – The Time Factor that moves everything
Bhagavan – the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna
Anyone who carefully studies and acts on the instructions of the Bhagavad Gita will not have any more obstacles… not just temporarily, but for all of eternity!
mat-karma-kṛn mat-paramo mad-bhaktaḥ saṅga-varjitaḥ nirvairaḥ sarva-bhūteṣu yaḥ sa mām eti pāṇḍava
My dear Arjuna, he who engages in My pure devotional service, free from the contaminations of fruitive activities and mental speculation, he who works for Me, who makes Me the supreme goal of his life, and who is friendly to every living being – he certainly comes to Me.
As I pass by the various installations of Lord Ganesha during my travels in the Holy Land of India, what I will be praying for? That all the obstacles in my pathway to understanding the Bhagavad Gita may be removed, and that I may serve Lord Ganesha in propagating the Bhagavad Gita all over the world, in every town and village.
How can we elevate those who are unfortunate and bereft of good sense? How can we make their lives auspicious and allow them to enjoy unending, ever increasing bliss for ever?
Hare Krishna!
In this most intriguing and enlightening conversation called the Srimad Bhagavatam, the tricky topics of attaining to the Supreme Absolute Truth are discussed in great detail.
In fact, the Bhagavatam says this “The highest truth is reality distinguished from illusion for the welfare of all.” SB 1.1.2 (fragment)
Relative truths may be good for some time, some place, and some circumstance, but that is not good enough because such partial truths leave out some section of living entities.
Join to find out!
TOPIC: ISKCON Mayapur English Bhagavatam Class
LOCATION: ISKCON Mayapur Campus, West Bengal, India
DATE📆: Monday, 2nd Sep 2024
TIME⌚: 10:30 PM. ET USA+Canada/ 8:30 PM. CT USA/ 8:30 PM PST USA/ 2:30 AM UK/ 11:30 AM MYT/ 8:00 AM IST
I will record audio, and the class will also be broadcast online on the ISKCON Mayapur English Channel.
दैवेन ते हतधियो भवत: प्रसङ्गा- त्सर्वाशुभोपशमनाद्विमुखेन्द्रिया ये । कुर्वन्ति कामसुखलेशलवाय दीना लोभाभिभूतमनसोऽकुशलानि शश्वत् ॥ ७ ॥
daivena te hata-dhiyo bhavataḥ prasaṅgāt sarvāśubhopaśamanād vimukhendriyā ye kurvanti kāma-sukha-leśa-lavāya dīnā lobhābhibhūta-manaso ’kuśalāni śaśvat
Synonyms daivena — by fate of misfortune; te — they; hata-dhiyaḥ — bereft of memory; bhavataḥ — of You; prasaṅgāt — from the topics; sarva — all; aśubha — inauspiciousness; upaśamanāt — curbing down; vimukha — turned against; indriyāḥ — senses; ye — those; kurvanti — act; kāma — sense gratification; sukha — happiness; leśa — brief; lavāya — for a moment only; dīnāḥ — poor fellows; lobha-abhibhūta — overwhelmed by greed; manasaḥ — of one whose mind; akuśalāni — inauspicious activities; śaśvat — always.
Translation O my Lord, persons who are bereft of the all-auspicious performance of chanting and hearing about Your transcendental activities are certainly unfortunate and are also bereft of good sense. They engage in inauspicious activities, enjoying sense gratification for a very little while.
Purport The next question is why people are against such auspicious activities as chanting and hearing the glories and pastimes of the Lord, which can bring total freedom from the cares and anxieties of material existence. The only answer to this question is that they are unfortunate because of supernatural control due to their offensive activities performed simply for the sake of sense gratification. The Lord’s pure devotees, however, take compassion upon such unfortunate persons and, in a missionary spirit, try to persuade them into the line of devotional service. Only by the grace of pure devotees can such unfortunate men be elevated to the position of transcendental service.
How can Krishna and Allah be the same person, when so many Muslims see the followers of Krishna as “kafirs” or non-believers worthy of being put to death?
Sri Krishna with Srimati Radha
Question
Hare krishna prabhuji! Please accept my humble obeisances All glories to Srila Prabhupada
Srila Prabhupada and Sankarshana Das Adhikari Maharaj have said time and again that Krishna and Allah are the same. I do understand both of them have dedicated all of their time to Bhakti yoga and hence have reached this understanding, however I don’t think I am able to wrap my head around this.
The thing is, the Quran talks about how all kafirs(non muslims) should be killed and so many things. Personally, I don’t believe that those fanatics who so-call kill in the name of Allah go to Jannah. I don’t think those people who destroyed a location of ISKCON Bangladesh and harassing the devotees there will get a place even in heaven. They also talk about eternal damnation for kafirs. I don’t believe in eternal damnation just cause you don’t follow this and that. Isn’t our karma that decides the country and religion we are born in? Those people who act like this are just fanatics ( religion with no philosophy). Krishna in BG says He is our friend, well wisher and more. He even sits in our heart even if we are demons. But in Quran, Allah is someone who would rather choose a sinful muslim than a pious kafir. How can we say Krishna and Allah are same? I am just not able to find any answer that puts me at ease. Why are there different religions in this world? Sorry to say, but wouldn’t the world be a better place if there was only Sanathana Dharma? This entire Allah and Krishna topic drives me crazy..
I would like to get the answers to my questions. Kindly forgive me for my offenses that I have inadvertently done .
Your confused servant…
Answer:
Hare Krishna!
I have read the Quran. It is a delightful text. Yes, there are some verses which can cause misunderstanding, but this is true also of Vedic scriptures… so therefore we have the GPS of Guru (spiritual master in disciplic succession), Sadhu (community of saintly souls), Shaastra (scripture)… in the Abrahamic cultures, only Shaastra – scripture is remaining… the Guru (disciplic succession) and Saadhu (communities of saintly souls) pillars have been destroyed by thousands of years of violence.
We need to understand this on the level of our highest understanding… for example, someone might think that Krishna is a “Hindu god”… but we know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Similarly, we have a better understanding of Allah than most Muslims… we understand that Allah is an impersonal name for Krishna.
If someone regards the devotee of Krishna as a kafir (non-believer), then that person is in ignorance because they don’t know who is a kafir and who is not. An atheist is a kafir… but we can’t expect everyone to understand… According to the Abrahamic traditions, we see that Muslims, Christans, and Jews are all called “brothers of the book” because their scriptures are practically all the same… and still they fight like cats and dogs. This is not the fault of their respective religious traditions or scriptures but that they have lost the context and culture that comes from Parampara – disciplic succession. For example the one of the ten commandments is “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and all the Christians do morning, evening, and night is kill, kill, kill, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Simply scripture alone can be easily weaponized… “Shastra” (weapon) and “Shaastra” (scripture) can be used in similar ways. Both of these can be used to protect or to destroy… recall that a knife in the hands of a surgeon is different from a knife in the hands of a criminal.
Now, as far as the Quran (scripture followed by Muslims) is concerned, it was taught to people who were not very advanced… for example the Quran contains instructions that from this day henceforth, no Muslim shall have a sexual relationship with his mother. Why is such an instruction given? Because such things were happening back then!
But it is not that the Quran does not contain the pathway to the highest instructions… In the conversation between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chand Kazi (See https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/17/), they argued on the basis of the respective Vedic and Islamic scriptures, and a common understanding was reached by mutual loving enlightened discussions. I have met many many advanced Muslims, who see Krishna as Allah Himself. In particular I have met at least 2 “Muslim Brahmins” in Hyderabad myself, and have interacted with many such saintly souls.
As far as Bangladesh goes, many more people have been killed in their recent riots, of all religious backgrounds, and to be honest, their sufferings are unfortunately going to be heavy… we should be compassionate upon them and not be caught up in the cycle of hatred. It is 100% sure that everyone gets their just dues. The low-class rascals who destroyed an ISKCON temple in Meherpur, Bangladesh will face the wrath of Allah, because know it or not, Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) is Allah Himself, and ignorance of the law is no defense.
Also, you should know that I have met foolish so-called adherents of Sanatan Dharma also… they are no better than animals in human form… Such people, whether they called themselves Sanatan Dharmis or Muslims or Christians or Sikhs or any other designation does not matter, because they are still in animal consciousness… however, they can follow whatever they can manage to follow and gradually they will be elevated – we cannot judge the value of the tradition they are claiming to follow just by seeing that they are not very advanced.
So, in conclusion, as Srila Gurudeva has said, the perfectly Krishna Conscious person is simultaneously the best Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jew, and whatever other bona fide system of religion exists… Sanatana Dharma is not outside of these traditions… the perfection of those traditions is in Sanatana Dharma.
Don’t think that the average “Hindu” is properly following Sanatana Dharma (The Eternal Nature), most of them don’t even understand the meaning of Sanatana Dharma! 🙂 They think Sanatana Dharma is some sectarian religion followed only by Hindus!
I have written many articles on this subject matter, in general:
My humble request to you is to get fully immersed in Krishna Consciousness, so that we all can have the same vision as Srila Gurudeva Sankarshan Prabhu and Srila Prabhupada have. Are you already initiated in the disciplic succession of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and grand-disciples? If not, what is your personal plan to get to that point?
Make full use of the context and culture which we still do have available!
What is the best way to understand Bhagavad Gita? Chant Hare Krishna! Doesn’t sound reasonable? How can chanting a mantra over and over again help me understand the Bhagavad Gita? What is the proof of the pudding? Is it not in the eating? Read more to find out how this works! Do you have questions?
Hare Krishna!
For those of you trying to understand Bhagavad Gita… here is a tip.
Bhagavad Gita is a study of consciousness… lower consciousness, higher consciousness, human, animal, or divine consciousness… and then, when one understands, then to practice, uplift our consciousness and act in the best possible way…
The only way to understand Bhagavad Gita better and better is to sharpen, refine, and clarify our own consciousness… it’s like if you have a blunt knife, it is hard to cut away impurities or imperfections, say, in a fruit or vegetable… but with a sharp knife, one can easily cut away undesirable portions…
So then, the question becomes… “How to sharpen, refine, and clarify my consciousness?”
The short answer? Chant the Hare Krishna Mahamantra!
Why? There is a lot of theory, and a lot of information about this, but it is not something that can be understood theoretically.
Why?
Because it is a practical, experiential thing!
Just like eating when you are hungry… no amount of theoretical reasoning can give you that feeling of satisfaction or fullness… but a simple plate of Krishna Prasada can satisfy you in all respects when you are hungry.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu summarized this in his famous 8-verse prayer, the Shikshashtakam… “cheto darpana marjanam”… cleansing the mirror of the consciousness… is what Sri Harinam does, first and foremost.
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaṁ śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaṁ vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaṁ prati-padaṁ pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaṁ sarvātma-snapanaṁ paraṁ vijayate śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam Synonyms cetaḥ — of the heart; darpaṇa — the mirror; mārjanam — cleansing; bhava — of material existence; mahā-dāva-agni — the blazing forest fire; nirvāpaṇam — extinguishing; śreyaḥ — of good fortune; kairava — the white lotus; candrikā — the moonshine; vitaraṇam — spreading; vidyā — of all education; vadhū — wife; jīvanam — the life; ānanda — of bliss; ambudhi — the ocean; vardhanam — increasing; prati-padam — at every step; pūrṇa-amṛta — of the full nectar; āsvādanam — giving a taste; sarva — for everyone; ātma-snapanam — bathing of the self; param — transcendental; vijayate — let there be victory; śrī-kṛṣṇa-saṅkīrtanam — for the congregational chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa.
Translation “ ‘Let there be all victory for the chanting of the holy name of Lord Kṛṣṇa, which can cleanse the mirror of the heart and stop the miseries of the blazing fire of material existence. That chanting is the waxing moon that spreads the white lotus of good fortune for all living entities. It is the life and soul of all education. The chanting of the holy name of Kṛṣṇa expands the blissful ocean of transcendental life. It gives a cooling effect to everyone and enables one to taste full nectar at every step.’
ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaṁ … cetaḥ — of the heart; darpaṇa — the mirror; mārjanam — cleansing;
What is the proof of this? I can cite my personal example… I got my Bhagavad Gita As It Is in my early twenties, and I had already read so many other editions without understanding anything… I read hundreds of times, without understanding much… for years and years, I read, thinking I had understood… but didn’t understand much, because my actual life didn’t change much… the proof of understanding is what we do with the knowledge, is it not?
But the moment I started chanting Hare Krishna, in 2005, things started falling into place, and my life was transformed. The process continues to this day.
So, what can you do to understand the Bhagavad Gita? Chant Hare Krishna!
Ask me if you don’t know… Do you know how to chant Hare Krishna?
Is there a festival that doesn’t exclude someone? Is there a festival that benefits everyone who comes across it? Is there such a festival at all?
Hare Krishna!
There are different kinds of festivals. Some celebrate their culture, some celebrate nationality, yet others celebrate a religious event.
Some festivals appeal to, say, Africans, or Indians, or Chinese people… yet other festivals appeal to those who like to drink a particular beverage or eat some particular food.
Some festivals are for children, some are for youth, some are for people pursuing a particular profession or professing a particular cause.
But is there a festival that is for all? Is there a festival that doesn’t exclude anyone?
If there is such a festival, it is called the Jagannatha Ratha Yatra, or the Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath.
Ah, you may say, that’s an Indian festival… and that may be so, but for the last 50+ years, this festival has expanded to the Americas, Europe, Australia, Africa, every inhabited continent.
You might be forgiven for thinking this is a bunch of sentimental people pulling a cart with a rope, while singing, and dancing, and then feasting…
But there is a deep significance for anyone who comes across even just one of these festivals…
Someone may know nothing about Lord Jagannath or Krishna or any other spiritual matters
Someone may be a highly advanced spiritualists, practically at the cusp of spiritual perfection…
And someone may be someone in between…
This festival has something for everyone, the highest possible opportunity. What is that?
Join to find out!
TOPIC: ISKCON Ottawa Sunday Feast Class
LOCATION: 212 Somerset St E, Ottawa, Canada K1N 6V4
DATE📆: Sunday, 21st July 2024
TIME⌚: 3:30 PM. ET USA+Canada/ 2:30 PM. CT USA/ 12:30 PM PST USA/ 8:30 PM UK/ 4:30 AM MYT/ 2:00 AM IST
I will record audio, and the class will also be broadcast online on zoom.
One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.
Purport
The Lord’s descent from His transcendental abode is already explained in the sixth verse. One who can understand the truth of the appearance of the Personality of Godhead is already liberated from material bondage, and therefore he returns to the kingdom of God immediately after quitting this present material body. Such liberation of the living entity from material bondage is not at all easy. The impersonalists and the yogīs attain liberation only after much trouble and many, many births. Even then, the liberation they achieve – merging into the impersonal brahma-jyotir of the Lord – is only partial, and there is the risk of returning to this material world. But the devotee, simply by understanding the transcendental nature of the body and activities of the Lord, attains the abode of the Lord after ending this body and does not run the risk of returning to this material world. In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.33) it is stated that the Lord has many, many forms and incarnations: advaitam acyutam anādim ananta-rūpam. Although there are many transcendental forms of the Lord, they are still one and the same Supreme Personality of Godhead. One has to understand this fact with conviction, although it is incomprehensible to mundane scholars and empiric philosophers. As stated in the Vedas (Puruṣa-bodhinī Upaniṣad):
“The one Supreme Personality of Godhead is eternally engaged in many, many transcendental forms in relationships with His unalloyed devotees.” This Vedic version is confirmed in this verse of the Gītā personally by the Lord. He who accepts this truth on the strength of the authority of the Vedas and of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and who does not waste time in philosophical speculations attains the highest perfectional stage of liberation. Simply by accepting this truth on faith, one can, without a doubt, attain liberation. The Vedic version tat tvam asi is actually applied in this case. Anyone who understands Lord Kṛṣṇa to be the Supreme, or who says unto the Lord, “You are the same Supreme Brahman, the Personality of Godhead,” is certainly liberated instantly, and consequently his entrance into the transcendental association of the Lord is guaranteed. In other words, such a faithful devotee of the Lord attains perfection, and this is confirmed by the following Vedic assertion:
tam eva viditvāti mṛtyum eti nānyaḥ panthā vidyate ’yanāya
“One can attain the perfect stage of liberation from birth and death simply by knowing the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and there is no other way to achieve this perfection.” (Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad 3.8) That there is no alternative means that anyone who does not understand Lord Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is surely in the mode of ignorance and consequently he will not attain salvation simply, so to speak, by licking the outer surface of the bottle of honey, or by interpreting the Bhagavad-gītā according to mundane scholarship. Such empiric philosophers may assume very important roles in the material world, but they are not necessarily eligible for liberation. Such puffed-up mundane scholars have to wait for the causeless mercy of the devotee of the Lord. One should therefore cultivate Kṛṣṇa consciousness with faith and knowledge, and in this way attain perfection.
Ambitions are something everyone has, someone has high ambitions, someone has low ambitions, someone has ordinary ambitions, someone has extraordinary ambitions.
Someone wants to be very famous… someone wants to be very rich… someone wants to be very knowledgeable… someone aspires for strength and power…. someone may have a combination of different categories of ambitions.
But if we take all ambitions into account, what is the ultimate goal of all ambitions?
What is a worthy ambition and what is an unworthy ambition?
If we take “ambitions” as a broad category, then what is the ultimate goal of all ambitions?
Hare Krishna!
Ambitions are something everyone has, someone has high ambitions, someone has low ambitions, someone has ordinary ambitions, someone has extraordinary ambitions.
Someone wants to be very famous… someone wants to be very rich… someone wants to be very knowledgeable… someone aspires for strength and power…. someone may have a combination of different categories of ambitions.
Why does someone have any ambition?
What is a worthy ambition and what is an unworthy ambition?
If we take “ambitions” as a broad category, then what is the ultimate goal of all ambitions?
What is the ultimate goal of all ambition?
TOPIC: Srimad Bhagavatam verse 6.18.75
DATE📆: Sunday, 21st July 2024
TIME⌚: 7:30 AM. ET USA+Canada/ 6:30 AM. CT USA/ 4:30 AM PST USA/ 12:30 PM UK/ 8:30 PM MYT/ 5:00 PM IST
The class will be available on ISKCON Toronto’s Youtube Channel, and I will also record audio separately.
Please join online if you’re interested in joining this class, or let me know if you want to get a link to the recording.
Diti Vows to Kill King Indra
This chapter gives the history of Diti, the wife of Kaśyapa, and how she followed a vow to have a son who would kill Indra. It also describes how Indra attempted to foil her plan by cutting to pieces the son within her womb.
In relation to Tvaṣṭā and his descendants, there is a description of the dynasty of the Ādityas (sons of Aditi) and other demigods. Pṛśni, the wife of Aditi’s fifth son named Savitā, had three daughters — Sāvitrī, Vyāhṛti and Trayī — and very exalted sons named Agnihotra, Paśu, Soma, Cāturmāsya and the five Mahāyajñas. Siddhi, the wife of Bhaga, had three sons, named Mahimā, Vibhu and Prabhu, and she also had one daughter, whose name was Āśī. Dhātā had four wives — Kuhū, Sinīvālī, Rākā and Anumati — who had four sons, named Sāyam, Darśa, Prātaḥ and Pūrṇamāsa respectively. Kriyā, the wife of Vidhātā, gave birth to the five Purīṣyas, who are representatives of five kinds of fire-gods. Bhṛgu, the mind-born son of Brahmā, took his birth again from Carṣaṇī, the wife of Varuṇa, and the great sage Vālmīki appeared from Varuṇa’s semen. Agastya and Vasiṣṭha were two sons of Varuṇa and Mitra. Upon seeing the beauty of Urvaśī, Mitra and Varuṇa discharged semen, which they kept in an earthen pot. From that pot, Agastya and Vasiṣṭha appeared. Mitra had a wife named Revatī, who gave birth to three sons — Utsarga, Ariṣṭa and Pippala. Aditi had twelve sons, of whom Indra was the eleventh. Indra’s wife was named Paulomī (Śacīdevī). She gave birth to three sons — Jayanta, Ṛṣabha and Mīḍhuṣa. By His own powers, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Vāmanadeva. From His wife, whose name was Kīrti, appeared a son named Bṛhatśloka. Bṛhatśloka’s first son was known as Saubhaga. This is a description of the sons of Aditi. A description of Āditya Urukrama, who is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, will be offered in the Eighth Canto.
The demons born of Diti are also described in this chapter. In the dynasty of Diti appeared the great saintly devotee Prahlāda and also Bali, Prahlāda’s grandson. Hiraṇyakaśipu and Hiraṇyākṣa were the first sons of Diti. Hiraṇyakaśipu and his wife, whose name was Kayādhu, had four sons — Saṁhlāda, Anuhlāda, Hlāda and Prahlāda. They also had one daughter, whose name was Siṁhikā. In association with the demon Vipracit, Siṁhikā bore a son named Rāhu, whose head was severed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛti, the wife of Saṁhlāda, bore a son named Pañcajana. Hlāda’s wife, whose name was Dhamani, gave birth to two sons — Vātāpi and Ilvala. Ilvala put Vātāpi into the form of a ram and gave him to Agastya to eat. Anuhlāda, in the womb of his wife, Sūryā, begot two sons, named Bāṣkala and Mahiṣa. Prahlāda’s son was known as Virocana, and his grandson was known as Bali Mahārāja. Bali Mahārāja had one hundred sons, of whom Bāṇa was the eldest.
After describing the dynasty of the Ādityas and the other demigods, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Diti’s sons known as the Maruts and how they were elevated to the position of demigods. Just to help Indra, Lord Viṣṇu had killed Hiraṇyākṣa and Hiraṇyakaśipu. Because of this, Diti was very envious, and she was eager to have a son who could kill Indra. By her service, she enchanted Kaśyapa Muni in order to beg from him a greater son to do this. In corroboration of the Vedic injunction vidvāṁsam api karṣati, Kaśyapa Muni was attracted to his beautiful wife and promised to grant her any request. When, however, she requested a son who would kill Indra, he condemned himself, and he advised his wife Diti to follow the Vaiṣṇava ritualistic ceremonies to purify herself. When Diti, following the instructions of Kaśyapa, engaged in devotional service, Indra could understand her purpose, and he began observing all her activities. One day, Indra had the opportunity to see her deviating from devotional service. Thus he entered her womb and cut her son into forty-nine parts. In this way the forty-nine kinds of air known as the Maruts appeared, but because Diti had performed the Vaiṣṇava ritualistic ceremonies, all the sons became Vaiṣṇavas.
The ultimate goal of all ambitions is to become a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If an intelligent man serves the most dear Lord, who gives Himself to His devotees, how can he desire material happiness, which is available even in hell?
Purport
An intelligent man will never aspire to become a devotee to achieve material happiness. That is the test of a devotee. As Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu teaches:
na dhanaṁ na janaṁ na sundarīṁ kavitāṁ vā jagad-īśa kāmaye mama janmani janmanīśvare bhavatād bhaktir ahaitukī tvayi
“O almighty Lord, I have no desire to accumulate wealth, nor do I desire beautiful women, nor do I want any number of followers. I only want Your causeless devotional service birth after birth.” A pure devotee never begs the Lord for material happiness in the shape of riches, followers, a good wife or even mukti. The Lord promises, however, yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham: “I voluntarily bring everything necessary for My service.”
Why the different deities have different roles? Aren’t they all one- svayam bhagwan krsna? Is Gopinath vigraha superior to all deities?
“Śrīla Sanātana Gosvāmī is the ideal spiritual master, for he delivers one the shelter of the lotus feet of Madana-mohana. Even though one may be unable to travel on the field of Vṛndāvana due to forgetfulness of his relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he can get an adequate opportunity to stay in Vṛndāvana and derive all spiritual benefits by the mercy of Sanātana Gosvāmī. Śrī Govindajī acts exactly like the śikṣā-guru (instructing spiritual master) by teaching Arjuna the Bhagavad-gītā. He is the original preceptor, for He gives us instructions and an opportunity to serve Him. The initiating spiritual master is a personal manifestation of Śrīla Madana-mohana vigraha, whereas the instructing spiritual master is a personal representative of Śrīla Govindadeva vigraha. Both of these Deities are worshiped at Vṛndāvana. Śrīla Gopīnātha is the ultimate attraction in spiritual realization.”
Answer:
Yes, Krishna is one. Just like a multi-faceted diamond shines in different colours, similarly Krishna manifests differently according to the need and desire of the devotee…
Take for example, a man… in the business world he may be called as “Mr. Rana”, by his friends as “Arpit”, by his wife as “honey” by his juniors as “sir”, by his friends as “Arpi”, by his kids as “dad”… and so on. It is not that the person is different, he is the same person, but manifesting differently to different people… he’s doing business in one place, obeying instructions in another place, and so on…
For example, we have Sri Radha Khirchor Gopinath on the altar, but to the person who is an atheist They manifest as a statue, to a person fearful of his mistakes, They appear as the Lawgivers… to a person in the mood of awe and reverence or not yet pure devotee… as Sri Lakshmi Narayana, in Their opulence etc.
What to speak of the deity… even Krishna will manifest Himself as the ishta deva of His devotee… for example to Murari Gupta, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu manifested as Lord Ramachandra as Murari Gupta is an incarnation of Hanuman… to one devotee as Varahadeva, to another as Narasimhadeva… when Krishna disappeared during the Rasa Lila, He tried to conceal Himself by appearing as Four-handed Narayana… but the Gopis’ love was so intense he couldn’t contain himself and appeared as Shyamasundar Krishna!
You will find many such instructions in the scriptures.
Please continue reading scrutinizingly and in a prayerful mood… does this help? Are there any other questions?
Lord Chaitanya Instructs Sanatana Goswami
Sri Radha Madana-Mohana, now in Karauli, Rajasthan, India
Sri Radha Govindaji, now in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Sri Radha Gopinath, now in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Many of us are enrolled in various programs… the program is designed to help us progress… but most of those enrolled don’t make any progress. Is enrollment alone sufficient to make progress?
My dear reader… consider this… suppose a student enrolls in a course of study at a prestigious university… Everywhere our student friend goes, they advertise… “I’m a student of such-and-such-course in so-and-so university”. Our student friend is met with pats on the back, and nods of approval… “yes”, everyone seems to say “that is a fantastic program at a great university”, and our student friend is quite pleased at this.
That’s it, our student friend is content with enrollment. Post-enrollment, apart from the bragging about the program they are enrolled in, we find that our student does not do anything else…
Attends no classes
Reads no textbooks
Does no research
Submits no assignments
Works on no projects
Does no practical work
Learns nothing about what they’re supposed to learn in that program
…
Now, my dear reader, would you expect our student friend to graduate, or even be allowed to stay on in the program?
Not at all! At minimum, our friend the student would forfeit their fees, potentially be kicked out of the program, and most definitely not get to see graduation!
We all would agree that this kind of enrollment in a program with no work done is of no real benefit.
And yet, the world is full of such students, enrolled in various Universities…
Hinduism
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Buddhism
Jainism
Sikhism
this-ism
that-ism
…
Yes, my dear reader, all of these are universities… meant to teach us most important things:
Who we are, Be who we are
Know God, Love God
Know that everything and everyone is God’s, to love, cherish, and engage in the service of God
Each of these “universities” was created to cater to a particular set of persons, in a particular time, place, and circumstance.
And yet, there are so many who are “enrolled”, but are not doing any of the work needed to actually graduate.
What is graduation? Graduation means spiritual perfection, which is an eternally ever-increasing thing, there is no limit to perfection. Perfection is a journey.
According to this Vedic injunction, simply by understanding Kṛṣṇa one understands Brahman, Paramātmā, prakṛti, the illusory energy, the spiritual energy and everything else. Everything will be revealed.
The nectar of Your words and the descriptions of Your activities are the life and soul of those suffering in this material world. These narrations, transmitted by learned sages, eradicate one’s sinful reactions and bestow good fortune upon whoever hears them. These narrations are broadcast all over the world and are filled with spiritual power. Certainly those who spread the message of Godhead are most munificent.
Alas, despite the world being filled with people professing all kinds of faith, there are so few who broadcast the glories of the Lord in this way.
We see persons of all kinds of faith lacking the basic qualities that their tradition aims to inculcate… persons of “faith” but without compassion, without tolerance, without understanding, without knowledge, without purity, without simplicity, without love, without care, without human qualities even!
So what is to be done, my dear reader?
Go deep, deep, deeper into the University you are enrolled in.
In general, you may find you are at one of these levels:
Dutiful Religion – Where God is adored and worshipped out of Duty
Pure Love of God – Where God is Loved and Served in Loving Devotion
Different “Universities” cater to different profiles of students… you have the ones for really bright students, the ones where you can get a sports scholarship, ones where the standards aren’t that high, the ones meant for rich people, and so on… ultimately, you need to decide how far your University can take you.
If you find that your institution is a vocational college and not really very deep in terms of giving you full spiritual perfection, then, search out that deeper place, where all the information about God is fully available, and you get the pure unadulterated knowledge… and you get theory, practice, and examples of role models actually practicing perfection.
But, coming back to the original point, simply labeling yourself as a Hindu, Muslim, Christian, or any other “ism” is not sufficient. You need to actually go deep into your tradition and learn everything there is to learn, experience everything there is to experience, serve in every possible way, and strive for spiritual advancement at every step. You cannot afford to be complacent, because human life is rare, and human life is short.
Here are some humble suggestions from this servant of the servant of God…
Know that Religion, singular, is one… Religions, plural, is another name for politics
Read your scripture
Understand it deeply by discussion, don’t be lazy about it
Follow your religious tenets carefully, pragmatically, not fanatically
Read scriptures from other traditions
Observe the principles, don’t get hung up on the details of the differences
Be tolerant, patient, enthusiastic, and compassionate to others
Practice your faith, every moment, every day
Try and understand other traditions by principles
Focus on the common denominator in spiritual life
Know that God is the God of all creatures, not just people, not just your faith tradition
Proof of the pudding? Do you love God? Do you love all that is God’s?
Are you just enrolled, or are you on your way to graduating?
Lakshmi Puja is an essential aspect of Hindu Ritualistic practices, especially during Diwali or Deepavali. Lakshmidevi is worshipped as the Goddess of Fortune, and prayers are made to bestow wealth upon the worshippers. However, Lakshmidevi is also the wife of Lord Narayana. Should we attend, or should we avoid as a materialistic practice?
Hemanga Das, 15 August 2014
Hare Krishna Devotees!
Please accept my obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada
The practice of performing Laxmi puja by householders in India is pretty common.My question is, What is the best thing to do when invited to Laxmi puja?
Can we attend these Pujas with an understanding that Laxmi is the wife Lord Narayana (One of Krishna’s incarnation) or should we see it as a demigod worship and refuse the invitation?
Thank you in advance.
your servant,
Hemanga Das
Bhakta Sunil, 19 August 2014
Hare Krishna
Please accept my humble obeisances
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada
Prabhu ji , this may not be answer to your question : Regarding Laxmi Puja during Diwali , I remember having heard that one should worship both Laxmi Mata and Narayana Bhagavan. I mean worship , not only Laxmi Mata during Laxmi Puja , but both Laxmi Mata and Narayana Bhagavan in the Laxmi Puja
Requesting readers to correct me if I am wrong
Humbly,
Sunil
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 20 August 2014
Dear Hemanga Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
It is true that it is not necessary for us to engage in demigod worship. The so-called Lakshmi Puja is essentially a prayer to the Goddess of wealth to please give wealth so that the worshiper may engage in sense gratification with the money. People want Lakshmi, but they don’t understand that where Lord Narayana goes, Lakshmidevi follows her husband.
However, as devotees in general society, if we outright reject all these things, then we will be seen as fanatics and we will not be effective in sharing Krishna consciousness with anyone.
So, since I know you are personally a fixed-up devotee, and I personally don’t see any risk if you go… I would say, weigh carefully all the pros and cons, and decide for yourself. Here are some advantages of going:
1. You make friendships with others and strengthen your relationships
2. You get a chance to share Krishna consciousness with others who may not come to temple etc.
3. You can pray to Lakshmidevi to please give you mercy so you can be a pure devotee – as long as you don’t pray to any demigod for sense gratification or consider any demigod the Supreme, you are fine.
You can take some books of Srila Prabhupada with you also, as presents for those who might not have them, on the auspicious occasion of Lakshmi Puja.
Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
P.S: Srimati Lakshmidevi is also the primary link of the Sri Sampradaya, of which Sri Ramanujacharya is a great Vaishnava Acharya. We follow his instructions to this day!
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com), written fresh every day from his travels around our world and into the spiritual world, sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
When one tries to offer wisdom to an envious fool, the fool only becomes angry just as feeding a poisonous snake only increases his venom. Hiranyakashipu, the world’s topmost atheist was furious with his saintly son Prahlada, and prepared to kill his five year old son with his own sword. What happened at that time?
Hare Krishna!
The Bhakti Sanga Japa Group connects Krishna conscious devotees from across the world, be it a neophyte, serious sadhaka, or just someone with a casual interest in spirituality, through online conference calls! Bhakti Sanga group facilitates devotee association with several classes and japa sessions during the day. Classes include lectures on Srimad Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya Caritamrta, Children’s sessions on scriptures, festival/holy days and assorted spiritual topics. The Bhakti Sanga group provides an informal setting where devotees can seek answers regarding their sadhana, spiritual topics and practices. Come experience Krishna consciousness in the association of devotees, from the very convenience of your home, just a phone call away!
TOPIC: Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.8.14-15
DATE📆: Tuesday, 11th June 2024
TIME⌚: 7:20 AM. ET USA/ 6:20 AM. CT USA/ 4:20 AM PST USA/ 12:20 PM UK/ 8:20 PM MYT/ 4:50 PM IST
The class will be available on Zoom and later uploaded online on their Youtube Channel.
Please join online if you’re interested in joining this class, or let me know if you want to get a link to the recording.
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him.
Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy’s statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist.
As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiṁha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man. The Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers. When there was no one else to fight, the Lord, roaring with anger, sat down on Hiraṇyakaśipu’s throne.
The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitās, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Manus, the prajāpatis, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the Kimpuruṣas, the Vaitālikas, the Kinnaras and also many other varieties of beings in human form. All of them stood not far from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and began offering their prayers unto the Lord, whose spiritual effulgence was brilliant as He sat on the throne.
ŚB 7.8.14
एवं दुरुक्तैर्मुहुरर्दयन् रुषा सुतं महाभागवतं महासुर: । खड्गं प्रगृह्योत्पतितो वरासनात् स्तम्भं तताडातिबल: स्वमुष्टिना ॥ १४ ॥ evaṁ duruktair muhur ardayan ruṣā sutaṁ mahā-bhāgavataṁ mahāsuraḥ khaḍgaṁ pragṛhyotpatito varāsanāt stambhaṁ tatāḍātibalaḥ sva-muṣṭinā Synonyms evam — thus; duruktaiḥ — by harsh words; muhuḥ — constantly; ardayan — chastising; ruṣā — with unnecessary anger; sutam — his son; mahā-bhāgavatam — who was a most exalted devotee; mahā-asuraḥ — Hiraṇyakaśipu, the great demon; khaḍgam — sword; pragṛhya — taking up; utpatitaḥ — having gotten up; vara-āsanāt — from his exalted throne; stambham — the column; tatāḍa — struck; ati-balaḥ — very strong; sva-muṣṭinā — by his fist.
Translation Being obsessed with anger, Hiraṇyakaśipu, who was very great in bodily strength, thus chastised his exalted devotee-son Prahlāda with harsh words. Cursing him again and again, Hiraṇyakaśipu took up his sword, got up from his royal throne, and with great anger struck his fist against the column.
तदैव तस्मिन्निनदोऽतिभीषणो बभूव येनाण्डकटाहमस्फुटत् । यं वै स्वधिष्ण्योपगतं त्वजादय: श्रुत्वा स्वधामात्ययमङ्ग मेनिरे ॥ १५ ॥ tadaiva tasmin ninado ’tibhīṣaṇo babhūva yenāṇḍa-kaṭāham asphuṭat yaṁ vai sva-dhiṣṇyopagataṁ tv ajādayaḥ śrutvā sva-dhāmātyayam aṅga menire Synonyms tadā — at that time; eva — just; tasmin — within (the pillar); ninadaḥ — a sound; ati-bhīṣaṇaḥ — very fearful; babhūva — there was; yena — by which; aṇḍa-kaṭāham — the covering of the universe; asphuṭat — appeared to crack; yam — which; vai — indeed; sva-dhiṣṇya-upagatam — reaching their respective abodes; tu — but; aja-ādayaḥ — the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā; śrutvā — hearing; sva-dhāma-atyayam — the destruction of their abodes; aṅga — my dear Yudhiṣṭhira; menire — thought.
Translation Then from within the pillar came a fearful sound, which appeared to crack the covering of the universe. O my dear Yudhiṣṭhira, this sound reached even the abodes of the demigods like Lord Brahmā, and when the demigods heard it, they thought, “Oh, now our planets are being destroyed!”
Purport As we sometimes become very much afraid at the sound of a thunderbolt, perhaps thinking that our houses will be destroyed, the great demigods like Lord Brahmā feared the thundering sound that came from the pillar in front of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Jayananda Prabhu, or formally Jayananada Das Brahmachari is a legendary Vaishnava for anyone familiar with the Hare Krishna movement.
A disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jayananda Prabhu became dear to everyone he met.
I once met an old hippie in Puerto Rico who had met Jayananda, and this old gentleman couldn’t stop talking about him, well over 50 years after he’d last met him!
Often referred to as “Johnny Ananda” Or “Joy Ananda”, even “Jolly Ananda”, Jayananda’s infectious enthusiasm brought many lost souls to the spiritual path. His deep humility continues to inspire millions around the world even today, over 50 years after his departure.
Jayananda Prabhu was not a “big leader” or a “Guru”, and didn’t hold any official position. But anyone who served with him revers him to this day.
Jayananda Prabhu, or formally Jayananada Dasa Brahmachari or Sri Srimad Jayananda Prabhu, is a legendary Vaishnava for anyone familiar with the Hare Krishna movement.
A disciple of His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Jayananda Prabhu became dear to everyone he met, even to those who were initially antagonistic towards him!
I once met an old hippie in Puerto Rico who had met Jayananda, and this old gentleman couldn’t stop talking about him, “the saint in your movement” well over 50 years after he’d last met him! A hard-nosed city official famous for browbeating the devotees, refusing permission, hassling them, when she learned that Jayananda had departed, broke down and cried!
Often referred to as “Johnny Ananda” Or “Joy Ananda”, even “Jolly Ananda”, Jayananda’s infectious enthusiasm brought many lost souls to the spiritual path, starting with lines like “hey, can you hold this nail for me?” while under a cart with only feet visible. His deep humility and pioneering service continues to inspire millions around the world even today, over 50 years after his departure.
Jayananda Prabhu was not a “big leader” or a “Guru”, and didn’t hold any official position. But anyone who served with him reveres him to this day.
These are some of Jayananda Prabhu’s divine qualities:
Attraction for Sri Krishna
Ever Enthusiastic
Deep Humility
Service Attitude
Freedom from Fault-finding
Loved – Dear to Everyone
Inclusive – Expert at Engaging Everyone
Frugality
Driven to Organize Ratha Yatra
Solid Relationship with Guru
Fearlessness
Ever Surrendered to Guru and Krishna
In this ISKCON Oakville Sunday Feast Class, we will learn more about this divine personality who departed young, before his spiritual master, starting with a prayer for his mercy.
Jayananda Prabhu earned a degree as a Mechanical Engineer, but preferred to drive a cab instead!
He gave everything he had to his spiritual master, because “I knew he didn’t want to cheat me so I wanted to work for him.”. And work he did!
This is what Srila Prabhupada wrote in his Preface to the Nectar of Devotion:
The Nectar of Devotion is specifically presented for persons who are now engaged in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. I beg to offer my sincere thanks to all my friends and disciples who are helping me to push forward the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement in the Western countries, and I beg to acknowledge, with thanks, the contribution made by my beloved disciple Śrīman Jayānanda Brahmacārī. My thanks are due as well to the directors of ISKCON Press, who have taken so much care in publishing this great literature. Hare Kṛṣṇa.
In fact, Jayananda Prabhu is a great saint born in America, and we should aspire to follow in his footsteps, so we pray that he may be merciful unto us all.
Surrender is terrible in the material world. It implies humiliation. But surrender is no bad word in the spiritual realm. Spiritual Surrender is victory! Surrender must be done intelligently though. And Surrender means Loving Devotional Service. How to do it though?
No one can swim out of the middle of the ocean
Yamini, 20 December 2014
Hare Krishna devotees, Please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Gurudeva and Srimati Guru Mataji.. All glories to Srila Prabhupada….
How can we completely surrender ourselves unto the lotus feet of our spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead?
Please allow me to become eternal servant and serve all of you and serve Srila Gurudeva…
your servant, Yamini
Lalit, 22 December 2014 Hare Krishna! Surrendering to Krishna doesn’t require any special effort if it is the real yearning from within.
Surrender not out of fear, desire, expectation or momentary disinterest in the world but surrender only by choice.
Surrender in absolute is becoming a non judgemental observer.
Let him steer.
Lalit
Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 23 December 2014 Dear Mother Yamini,
Hare Krishna!
If surrendering to Krishna did not require any special effort, every single person on the planet would be Krishna conscious. But it does require a conscious effort.
The thing is, most of us are conditioned souls – conditioning removes all element of choice, we simply act like robots, according to our conditioning… here comes sense gratification, and there goes the sense gratifier running after the sense gratification. Just like a dog runs after the bone… did the dog “choose” to go after the bone? No, it is a reflex due to the dog acting out of conditioned consciousness.
Similarly, practicing devotional service in spite of all material distractions means to develop, as Devamrita Swami Maharaja says “choice muscles”. Our conditioning is forcing us to go towards sense gratification, but we are still choosing to go towards Krishna.
What Bhakta Lalit said re “Let Krishna steer” is correct. How? Krishna has left clear unambiguous instructions in the Bhagavad Gita, and we are fortunate to have those instructions clearly explained in Bhagavad Gita As It Is by Srila Prabhupada. For example He says to work in Krishna consciousness without any expectations of results, to surrender results to Krishna. So it is not simply an empty “sit around and observe everything without judging” as the Mayavadis sometimes say, which is often just an excuse not to do any practical service to Krishna. It is an active engagement in the practice of Krishna consciousness, as you are doing.
Simply by following the instructions of the spiritual master sincerely, without doing so as a blind follower – in other words, strive to understand the spirit behind the spiritual master’s instructions while sincerely trying to follow, is key.
Srila Gurudeva mentions that we use the 3 main “GPS triangulation points” of Guru, Sadhu, Shastra and act accordingly.
Sincerely, Mahabhagavat Das
Please subscribe to daily inspirational emails from His Grace Sriman Sankarshan Das Adhikari (Writings and lectures archived at www.ecstaticmedia.com), written fresh every day from his travels around our world and into the spiritual world, sharing the highest spiritual knowledge with everyone. Sign up now at www.joincourse.com
The Names of God are Unlimitedly Sweet. Purandara Dasa, who was a multi-billionaire, gave up the sweeter than honey money to taste the delicious names of God.
He wrote a beautiful song about the sweetness of the Lord’s Names…
To the Milk of Rama’s Name, add the Sugar of Krishna’s Name
Add the Ghee* of Vitthala’s Name, and Smack your Lips!
Bring the Wheat of Single-Mindedness, Grind with the Stones of Renunciation
Draw out the Fine Flour of Simplicity, and Roll into Thin Vermicelli
In the Pot of your Heart, with the Green Gram of your Faith
Cook it all down with your Intelligence, and Serve to Hari’s plate
Oh Joy Oh Bliss when you Experience, and Let Out Satisfied Burps
Then remember Our Lord Eternal Vitthala, the Form of Eternal Bliss!
In Feasting on the Holy Name, I offered a glimpse of how those dedicated to the spiritual path can avoid things like eating and sleeping.
Here in this article, I offer a tangible example of a great soul who actually could taste the holy name… and convey that to those of us who may not yet be tasting.
There are many great souls with a tangible taste of the Holy Name of God, for example, the great saint Rupa Goswami wrote this verse…
“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.” – https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/antya/1/99/
Where I come from, we know a great saint named Purandara Dasa.
Purandara Dasa was born Srinivasa Nayaka, son of a rich diamond merchant. Srinivasa was trained in the fine arts and received a solid spiritual education, but as he grew up, he morphed into a ruthless businessman, business above all else, shrewd, calculating, though completely honest. He was a famed jeweller and he had business interests in mortgages, real estate, farmland, and much much more… all this over 500 years ago!
His net worth was said to be the equivalent of 90 million gold coins. If one gold coin was just 10 grams, then that means he owned the equivalent of 900,000 kilograms of gold. In today’s price of gold, Srinivasa Nayaka had an estimated net worth of slightly over USD 68 Billion, or with the current exchange rate!
For the sake of my readers in India, that is Five Lakh Forty Seven Thousand Crore Rupees as of today, or 5,47,000 Crore Rupees!
But, God had delicious plans for Srinivasa Nayaka! He appeared in very interesting disguises to Srinivasa Nayaka. Once there was an intriguing pastime of the nose ring of his wife, Saraswati… and completely bewildered and smitten, when our hero was hopelessly in love with God, he was instructed by God to give away all his wealth and focus exclusively on devotional service. Srinivasa Nayaka had to part with his dearest possession, his wealth, to gain the wealth of God!
How often do we find a Billionaire who gives away $68Bn of wealth and engage himself as a Haridasa, a fully surrendered servant of God?
Srinivasa Nayaka did that, and received initiation from Vyasa Tirtha, a pre-eminent saint in the line of Sri Madhwacharya. Sripad Vyasa Tirtha happens to the the grand-spiritual master of Sripad Madhavendra Puri of the Brahma-Madhwa-Gaudiya Sampradaya, into which this humble author has received initiation from Sripad Sankarshan Das Adhikari, disciple of Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
Initiated as Purandara Dasa, and given the “pen name” of “Purandara Vitthala”, Purandara Dasa is said to have composed more than 475,000 “kritis” or songs. Unfortunately for us, we have only a few known to us today, approximately 1000. Purandara Dasa, like many other pure devotees, Haridasas, spontaneously composed beautiful songs.
His songs are collectively referred to as “Purandaropanishad”… which can be translated as the eternal instructions that bring us closer to the Lord.
His songs explain the most esoteric of concepts in a very simple way, and even ordinary souls such as myself can understand, appreciate, and relish them. The result of meditating on his songs is that our devotional service becomes stronger.
One of my favourite songs of Purandara Dasa is about the most delicious Names of God…
The Names of God are sweeter to Purandara Dasa, whereas to ordinary souls, Money is sweeter than honey, but Purandara Dasa gave all his vast wealth away to obtain the wealth of the Names of God
Rama Nama Payasake – To the Milk of Rama’s Name…
In Kannada Script, the song looks like this:
ರಾಮನಾಮ ಪಾಯಸಕ್ಕೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣನಾಮ ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ವಿಠಲನಾಮ ತುಪ್ಪವ ಬೆರೆಸಿ ಬಾಯಿ ಚಪ್ಪರಿಸಿರೊ
ಒಮ್ಮನ ಗೋಧಿಯ ತಂದು ವೈರಾಗ್ಯ ಕಲ್ಲಲಿ ಬೀಸಿ ಸುಮ್ಮನ ಸಜ್ಜಿಗೆ ತೆಗೆದು ಸಣ್ಣ ಸೇವೆಗೆ ಹೊಸೆದು
ಹೃದಯವೆಂಬೊ ಪಾತ್ರೆಯೊಳಗೆ ಭಾವವೆಂಬೊ ಎಸರು ಇಟ್ಟು ಬುದ್ದಿಯಿಂದ ಪಕ್ವವ ಮಾಡಿ ಹರಿವಾಣದೊಳಗೆ ನೀಡಿ
ಆನಂದ ಆನಂದವೆಂಬೊ ತೇಗು ಬಂದ ಪರಿಯಲಿ ಆನಂದಮೂರುತಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಪುರಂದರವಿಠಲ ನೆನೆಯಿರೊ
I will try to offer a translation for those who may not be conversant with Kannada…
To the Milk of Rama’s Name, add the Sugar of Krishna’s Name
Add the Ghee* of Vitthala’s Name, and Smack your Lips!
Bring the Wheat of Single-Mindedness, Grind with the Stones of Renunciation
Draw out the Fine Flour of Simplicity, and Roll into Thin Vermicelli
In the Pot of your Heart, with the Green Gram of your Faith
Cook it all down with your Intelligence, and Serve to Hari’s plate
Oh Joy Oh Bliss when you Experience, and Let Out Satisfied Burps
Then remember Our Lord Eternal Vitthala, the Form of Eternal Bliss!
– Purandara Dasa’s Rama Nama Payasake, translation by Mahabhagavata Dasa
* Ghee – Clarified Butter, a delicacy used to enhance the flavour of various dishes. Like most Bhakti experiences, it must be tasted and experienced in that way, there is no theoretical way to understand this flavour, the aroma, etc.
Now, my dear reader, please allow me to introduce the deep eternal spiritual truths contained in this simple 4-stanza song.
The Name of God is Sweet!
Is there any doubt about this Yes, beginners may not experience the sweetness, but it is not for lack of sweetness in the Lord’s names, but for the diseased tongue of the beginner to spiritual life… Rupa Goswami Says:
स्यात् कृष्णनामचरितादिसिताप्यविद्यापित्तोपतप्तरसनस्य न रोचिका नु । किन्त्वादरादनुदिनं खलु सैव जुष्टा स्वाद्वी क्रमाद्भवति तद्गदमूलहन्त्री ॥ ७ ॥
syāt kṛṣṇa-nāma-caritādi-sitāpy avidyā- pittopatapta-rasanasya na rocikā nu kintv ādarād anudinaṁ khalu saiva juṣṭā svādvī kramād bhavati tad-gada-mūla-hantrī
The holy name, character, pastimes and activities of Kṛṣṇa are all transcendentally sweet like sugar candy. Although the tongue of one afflicted by the jaundice of avidyā [ignorance] cannot taste anything sweet, it is wonderful that simply by carefully chanting these sweet names every day, a natural relish awakens within his tongue, and his disease is gradually destroyed at the root.
vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-śākhā hy anantāś ca buddhayo ’vyavasāyinām
Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
bhogaiśvarya-prasaktānāṁ tayāpahṛta-cetasām vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
In the minds of those who are too attached to sense enjoyment and material opulence, and who are bewildered by such things, the resolute determination for devotional service to the Supreme Lord does not take place.
Those who are not faithful in this devotional service cannot attain Me, O conqueror of enemies. Therefore they return to the path of birth and death in this material world.
indriyāṇi parāṇy āhur indriyebhyaḥ paraṁ manaḥ manasas tu parā buddhir yo buddheḥ paratas tu saḥ
The working senses are superior to dull matter; mind is higher than the senses; intelligence is still higher than the mind; and he [the soul] is even higher than the intelligence.
In the purport to the above verse, Srila Prabhupada writes…
With intelligence one has to seek out the constitutional position of the soul and then engage the mind always in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. That solves the whole problem. A neophyte spiritualist is generally advised to keep aloof from the objects of the senses. But aside from that, one has to strengthen the mind by use of intelligence. If by intelligence one engages one’s mind in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, by complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then, automatically, the mind becomes stronger, and even though the senses are very strong, like serpents, they will be no more effective than serpents with broken fangs. But even though the soul is the master of intelligence and mind, and the senses also, still, unless it is strengthened by association with Kṛṣṇa in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there is every chance of falling down due to the agitated mind. – BG 3.42 purport by A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada
Spiritual Perfection Must be Offered to God
Srila Prabhupada summarizes, in his Nectar of Devotion…
By the process of executing regulated devotional service, one is actually elevated to the transcendental stage, beyond the material modes of nature. At that time one’s heart becomes illuminated like the sun. The sun is far above the planetary systems, and there is no possibility of its being covered by any kind of cloud; similarly, when a devotee is purified like the sun, from his pure heart there is a diffusion of ecstatic love which is more glorious than the sunshine. Only at that time is the attachment to Kṛṣṇa perfect. Spontaneously, the devotee becomes eager to serve the Lord in his ecstatic love.
O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.
But we can see which taste is more delicious… the taste of untold wealth, or the taste of the Holy Names of God.
Purandara Dasa is the example.
Purandara Dasa is also known as the Father of Carnatic Classical Music, but above mere music is His simple devotion, which he expressed through music.
What will we give up to taste the most unlimitedly delicious sweet clear pure Names of God?
What if all you had to do was to chant this Mantra without giving anything else up?
My Dear Reader, would you please chant this Mantra even just once?
Purandara Dasa is a Mahabhagavata, a mighty pure devotee of the Lord, and this Mahabhagavata Dasa aspires to be the servants of his servants, and hankers to taste their delicious remnants.
Prahlada was a boy saint, all of 5 years old when his loving devotion attracted the Lord, known as Narasimha, to appear in His half-man half-lion incarnation. We will discuss the life, character, and instructions of Prahlada…
Hare Krishna!
ISKCON Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge is hosting a program on the occasion of Sri Narasimha Chaturdashi, the appearance of the half-man half-lion incarnation of God.
Prahlada dancing and chanting and instructing his classmates
DATE📆: Saturday, 25th May 2024
TIME⌚: 12:30 PM ET USA/ 11:30 AM CT USA/ 9:30 AM PST USA/ 6:00 PM UK/ 10:00 PM IST
PLACE: 405 King St N Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
The class will be available in person, broadcast online, and later as a recording. If you don’t know how to access the online broadcast, please contact.
Please join in person or online if you’re interested in joining this class, or let me know if you want to get a link to the recording.
Please read this summary from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 7 (The Science of God), Chapters 5-10, for more information about the subject matter of the class.
Prahlāda Mahārāja, the Saintly Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu
Prahlāda Mahārāja did not carry out the orders of his teachers, for he was always engaged in worshiping Lord Viṣṇu. As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu tried to kill Prahlāda Mahārāja, even by having a snake bite him and by putting him under the feet of elephants, yet he was unsuccessful.
Hiraṇyakaśipu’s spiritual master, Śukrācārya, had two sons named Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, to whom Prahlāda Mahārāja was entrusted for education. Although the teachers tried to educate the boy Prahlāda in politics, economics and other material activities, he did not care for their instructions. Instead, he continued to be a pure devotee. Prahlāda Mahārāja never liked the idea of discriminating between one’s friends and enemies. Because he was spiritually inclined, he was equal toward everyone.
Once upon a time, Hiraṇyakaśipu inquired from his son what the best thing was that he had learned from his teachers. Prahlāda Mahārāja replied that a man engrossed in the material consciousness of duality, thinking, “This is mine, and that belongs to my enemy,” should give up his householder life and go to the forest to worship the Supreme Lord.
When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard from his son about devotional service, he decided that this small boy had been polluted by some friend in school. Thus he advised the teachers to take care of the boy so that he would not become a Kṛṣṇa conscious devotee. However, when the teachers inquired from Prahlāda Mahārāja why he was going against their teachings, Prahlāda Mahārāja taught the teachers that the mentality of ownership is false and that he was therefore trying to become an unalloyed devotee of Lord Viṣṇu. The teachers, being very angry at this answer, chastised and threatened the boy with many fearful conditions. They taught him to the best of their ability and then brought him before his father.
Hiraṇyakaśipu affectionately took his son Prahlāda on his lap and then inquired from him what the best thing was that he had learned from his teachers. As usual, Prahlāda Mahārāja began praising the nine processes of devotional service, such as śravaṇam and kīrtanam. Thus the King of the demons, Hiraṇyakaśipu, being extremely angry, chastised the teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, for having wrongly trained Prahlāda Mahārāja. The so-called teachers informed the King that Prahlāda Mahārāja was automatically a devotee and did not listen to their instructions. When they proved themselves innocent, Hiraṇyakaśipu inquired from Prahlāda where he had learned viṣṇu-bhakti. Prahlāda Mahārāja replied that those who are attached to family life do not develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness, either personally or collectively. Instead, they suffer repeated birth and death in this material world and continue simply chewing the chewed. Prahlāda explained that the duty of every man is to take shelter of a pure devotee and thus become eligible to understand Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
Enraged at this answer, Hiraṇyakaśipu threw Prahlāda Mahārāja from his lap. Since Prahlāda was so treacherous that he had become a devotee of Viṣṇu, who had killed his uncle Hiraṇyākṣa, Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his assistants to kill him. The assistants of Hiraṇyakaśipu struck Prahlāda with sharp weapons, threw him under the feet of elephants, subjected him to hellish conditions, threw him from the peak of a mountain and tried to kill him in thousands of other ways, but they were unsuccessful. Hiraṇyakaśipu therefore became increasingly afraid of his son Prahlāda Mahārāja and arrested him. The sons of Hiraṇyakaśipu’s spiritual master, Śukrācārya, began teaching Prahlāda in their own way, but Prahlāda Mahārāja did not accept their instructions. While the teachers were absent from the classroom, Prahlāda Mahārāja began to preach Kṛṣṇa consciousness in the school, and by his instructions all his class friends, the sons of the demons, became devotees like him.
Prahlāda Instructs His Demoniac Schoolmates
This chapter describes Prahlāda Mahārāja’s instructions to his class friends. In speaking to his friends, who were all sons of demons, Prahlāda Mahārāja stressed that every living entity, especially in human society, must be interested in spiritual realization from the very beginning of life. When human beings are children, they should be taught that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the worshipable Deity for everyone. One should not be very much interested in material enjoyment; instead, one should be satisfied with whatever material profits are easily obtainable, and because the duration of one’s life is very short, one should utilize every moment for spiritual advancement. One may wrongly think, “In the beginning of our lives let us enjoy material facilities, and in old age we may become Kṛṣṇa conscious.” Such materialistic thoughts are always useless because in old age one cannot be trained in the spiritual way of life. Therefore, from the very beginning of life, one should engage in devotional service (śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ). This is the duty of all living entities. Material education is infected by the three modes of nature, but spiritual education, for which there is a great need in human society, is transcendental. Prahlāda Mahārāja disclosed the secret of how he had received instructions from Nārada Muni. By accepting the lotus feet of Prahlāda Mahārāja, who is in the paramparā succession, one will be able to understand the mode of spiritual life. In accepting this mode of activity, there is no need for material qualifications.
After Prahlāda Mahārāja’s class friends had listened to Prahlāda Mahārāja, they inquired how he had become so learned and advanced. In this way the chapter ends.
What Prahlāda Learned in the Womb
In this chapter, to dissipate the doubts of his class friends, the sons of the demons, Prahlāda Mahārāja states how, within the womb of his mother, he had heard from the mouth of Nārada Muni, who had instructed him in bhāgavata-dharma.
When Hiraṇyakaśipu left his kingdom and went to the mountain known as Mandarācala to execute severe austerities, all the demons scattered. Hiraṇyakaśipu’s wife, Kayādhu, was pregnant at that time, and the demigods, mistakenly thinking that she carried another demon in her womb, arrested her. Their plan was that as soon as the child took birth they would kill him. While they were taking Kayādhu to the heavenly planets, they met Nārada Muni, who stopped them from taking her away and took her to his āśrama until Hiraṇyakaśipu’s return. In Nārada Muni’s āśrama, Kayādhu prayed for the protection of the baby in her womb, and Nārada Muni reassured her and gave her instructions on spiritual knowledge. Taking advantage of those instructions, Prahlāda Mahārāja, although a small baby within the womb, listened very carefully. The spirit soul is always apart from the material body. There is no change in the spiritual form of the living entity. Any person above the bodily conception of life is pure and can receive transcendental knowledge. This transcendental knowledge is devotional service, and Prahlāda Mahārāja, while living in the womb of his mother, received instructions in devotional service from Nārada Muni. Any person engaged in the service of the Lord through the instructions of a bona fide spiritual master is immediately liberated, and being free from the clutches of māyā, he is relieved of all ignorance and material desires. The duty of everyone is to take shelter of the Supreme Lord and thus become free from all material desires. Regardless of the material condition in which one is situated, one can achieve this perfection. Devotional service is not dependent on the material activities of austerity, penance, mystic yoga or piety. Even without such assets, one can achieve devotional service through the mercy of a pure devotee.Text 1: Nārada Muni said: Although Prahlāda Mahārāja was born in a family of asuras, he was the greatest of all devotees. Having thus been questioned by his class friends, the sons of the asuras, he remembered the words spoken to him by me and replied to his friends as follows.
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva Slays the King of the Demons
As described in this chapter, Hiraṇyakaśipu was ready to kill his own son Prahlāda Mahārāja, but the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared in front of the demon as Śrī Nṛkeśarī, half lion and half man, and killed him.
Following the instructions of Prahlāda Mahārāja, all the sons of the demons became attached to Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When this attachment became pronounced, their teachers, Ṣaṇḍa and Amarka, were very much afraid that the boys would become more and more devoted to the Lord. In a helpless condition, they approached Hiraṇyakaśipu and described in detail the effect of Prahlāda’s preaching. After hearing of this, Hiraṇyakaśipu decided to kill his son Prahlāda. Hiraṇyakaśipu was so angry that Prahlāda Mahārāja fell down at his feet and said many things just to pacify him, but he was unsuccessful in satisfying his demoniac father. Hiraṇyakaśipu, as a typical demon, began to advertise himself as being greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but Prahlāda Mahārāja challenged him, saying that Hiraṇyakaśipu was not God, and began to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead, declaring that the Lord is all-pervading, that everything is under Him, and that no one is equal to or greater than Him. Thus he requested his father to be submissive to the omnipotent Supreme Lord.
The more Prahlāda Mahārāja glorified the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the more angry and agitated the demon became. Hiraṇyakaśipu asked his Vaiṣṇava son whether his God existed within the columns of the palace, and Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately accepted that since the Lord is present everywhere, He was also present within the columns. When Hiraṇyakaśipu heard this philosophy from his young son, he derided the boy’s statement as just the talk of a child and forcefully struck the pillar with his fist.
As soon as Hiraṇyakaśipu struck the column, there issued forth a tumultuous sound. At first Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, could not see anything but the pillar, but to substantiate Prahlāda’s statements, the Lord came out of the pillar in His wonderful incarnation as Narasiṁha, half lion and half man. Hiraṇyakaśipu could immediately understand that the extraordinarily wonderful form of the Lord was surely meant for his death, and thus he prepared to fight with the form of half lion and half man. The Lord performed His pastimes by fighting with the demon for some time, and in the evening, on the border between day and night, the Lord captured the demon, threw him on His lap, and killed him by piercing his abdomen with His nails. The Lord not only killed Hiraṇyakaśipu, the King of the demons, but also killed many of his followers. When there was no one else to fight, the Lord, roaring with anger, sat down on Hiraṇyakaśipu’s throne.
The entire universe was thus relieved of the rule of Hiraṇyakaśipu, and everyone was jubilant in transcendental bliss. Then all the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, approached the Lord. These included the great saintly persons, the Pitās, the Siddhas, the Vidyādharas, the Nāgas, the Manus, the prajāpatis, the Gandharvas, the Cāraṇas, the Yakṣas, the Kimpuruṣas, the Vaitālikas, the Kinnaras and also many other varieties of beings in human form. All of them stood not far from the Supreme Personality of Godhead and began offering their prayers unto the Lord, whose spiritual effulgence was brilliant as He sat on the throne.
Prahlāda Pacifies Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva with Prayers
As related in this chapter, Prahlāda Mahārāja, following the order of Lord Brahmā, pacified the Lord when the Lord was extremely angry after having killed Hiraṇyakaśipu.
After Hiraṇyakaśipu was killed, the Lord continued to be very angry, and the demigods, headed by Lord Brahmā, could not pacify Him. Even mother Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, the constant companion of Nārāyaṇa, could not dare come before Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva. Then Lord Brahmā asked Prahlāda Mahārāja to go forward and pacify the Lord’s anger. Prahlāda Mahārāja, being confident of the affection of his master, Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, was not afraid at all. He very gravely appeared before the Lord’s lotus feet and offered Him respectful obeisances. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva, being very much affectionate toward Prahlāda Mahārāja, put His hand on Prahlāda’s head, and because of being personally touched by the Lord, Prahlāda Mahārāja immediately achieved brahma-jñāna, spiritual knowledge. Thus he offered his prayers to the Lord in full spiritual knowledge and full devotional ecstasy. The instructions given by Prahlāda Mahārāja in the form of his prayers are as follows.
Prahlāda said, “I am not proud of being able to offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. I simply take shelter of the mercy of the Lord, for without devotion one cannot appease Him. One cannot please the Supreme Personality of Godhead simply by dint of high parentage or great opulence, learning, austerity, penance or mystic power. Indeed, these are never pleasing to the Supreme Lord, for nothing can please Him but pure devotional service. Even if a nondevotee is a brāhmaṇa qualified with the twelve brahminical symptoms, he cannot be very dear to the Lord, whereas if a person born in a family of dog-eaters is a devotee, the Lord can accept his prayers. The Lord does not need anyone’s prayers, but if a devotee offers his prayers to the Lord, the devotee benefits greatly. Ignorant persons born in low families, therefore, can sincerely offer heartfelt prayers to the Lord, and the Lord will accept them. As soon as one offers his prayers to the Lord, he is immediately situated on the Brahman platform.”
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva appeared for the benefit of all human society, not only for Prahlāda’s personal benefit. The fierce form of Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva may appear most awful to a nondevotee, but to the devotee the Lord is always affectionate as He is in other forms. Conditioned life in the material world is actually extremely fearful; indeed, a devotee is not afraid of anything else. Fear of material existence is due to false ego. Therefore the ultimate goal of life for every living entity is to attain the position of being servant of the servant of the Lord. The miserable condition of the living entities in the material world can be remedied only by the mercy of the Lord. Although there are so-called material protectors like Lord Brahmā and the other demigods, or even one’s own father, they are unable to do anything if one is neglected by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. However, one who has fully taken shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet can be saved from the onslaught of material nature. Therefore every living entity should be unattracted by material so-called happiness and should take shelter of the Lord by all means. That is the mission of human life. To be attracted by sense gratification is simply foolish. Whether one is a devotee of the Lord or is a nondevotee does not depend upon one’s birth in a high or low family. Even Lord Brahmā and the goddess of fortune cannot achieve the full favor of the Lord, whereas a devotee can very easily attain such devotional service. The Lord’s mercy is bestowed equally upon everyone, regardless of whether one is high or low. Because Prahlāda Mahārāja was blessed by Nārada Muni, Prahlāda became a great devotee. The Lord always saves the devotee from impersonalists and voidists. The Lord is present in everyone’s heart as the Supersoul to give the living being protection and all benefits. Thus the Lord acts sometimes as the killer and sometimes as the protector. One should not accuse the Lord for any discrepancies. It is His plan that we see varieties of life within this material world. All of them are ultimately His mercy.
Although the entire cosmic manifestation is nondifferent, the material world is nonetheless different from the spiritual world. Only by the mercy of the Supreme Lord can one understand how the wonderful material nature acts. For example, although Lord Brahmā appeared from the lotus seat that had grown from the abdomen of Garbhodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, he could not understand what to do after his appearance. He was attacked by two demons, Madhu and Kaiṭabha, who took away Vedic knowledge, but the Lord killed them and entrusted to Lord Brahmā the Vedic knowledge. Thus the Lord appears in every millennium in the societies of demigods, human beings, animals, saints and aquatics. All such incarnations are meant to protect the devotees and kill the demons, but this killing and protecting does not reflect any sense of partiality on the part of the Supreme Lord. The conditioned soul is always attracted by the external energy. Therefore he is subjected to lust and greed, and he suffers under the conditions of material nature. The Lord’s causeless mercy toward His devotee is the only means by which to get out of material existence. Anyone engaged in glorifying the Lord’s activities is always unafraid of this material world, whereas one who cannot glorify the Lord in that way is subjected to all lamentation.
Those interested in silently worshiping the Lord in solitary places may be eligible for liberation themselves, but a pure devotee is always aggrieved to see others suffering. Therefore, not caring for his own liberation, he always engages in preaching by glorifying the Lord. Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, had tried to deliver his class friends by preaching and had never remained silent. Although being silent, observing austerities and penances, learning the Vedic literature, undergoing ritualistic ceremonies, living in a solitary place and performing japa and transcendental meditation are approved means of liberation, they are meant for nondevotees or for cheaters who want to live at the expense of others. A pure devotee, however, being freed from all such deceptive activities, is able to see the Lord face to face.
The atomic theory of the composition of the cosmic manifestation is not factual. The Lord is the cause of everything, and therefore He is the cause of this creation. One should therefore always engage in devotional service by offering respectful obeisances to the Lord, offering prayers, working for the Lord, worshiping the Lord in the temple, always remembering the Lord and always hearing about His transcendental activities. Without these six kinds of activity, one cannot attain to devotional service.
Prahlāda Mahārāja thus offered his prayers to the Supreme Lord, begging His mercy at every step. Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva was pacified by Prahlāda Mahārāja’s prayers and wanted to give him benedictions by which Prahlāda could procure all kinds of material facilities. Prahlāda Mahārāja, however, was not misled by material facilities. Rather, he wanted to remain always a servant of the servant of the Lord.
Prahlāda, the Best Among Exalted Devotees
This chapter describes how the Supreme Personality of Godhead Nṛsiṁhadeva disappeared, after pleasing Prahlāda Mahārāja. It also describes a benediction given by Lord Śiva.
Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva wanted to bestow benedictions upon Prahlāda Mahārāja, one after another, but Prahlāda Mahārāja, thinking them impediments on the path of spiritual progress, did not accept any of them. Instead, he fully surrendered at the Lord’s lotus feet. He said: “If anyone engaged in the devotional service of the Lord prays for personal sense gratification, he cannot be called a pure devotee or even a devotee. He may be called only a merchant engaged in the business of give and take. Similarly, a master who wants to please his servant after taking service from him is also not a real master.” Prahlāda Mahārāja, therefore, did not ask anything from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Rather, he said that if the Lord wanted to give him a benediction, he wanted the Lord to assure him that he would never be induced to take any benedictions for the sake of material desires. Exchanges of devotional service for lusty desires are always very prominent. As soon as lusty desires awaken, one’s senses, mind, life, soul, religious principles, patience, intelligence, shyness, beauty, strength, memory and truthfulness are all vanquished. One can render unalloyed devotional service only when there are no material desires in one’s mind.
The Supreme Personality of Godhead was greatly pleased with Prahlāda Mahārāja for his unalloyed devotion, yet the Lord provided him one material benediction — that he would be perfectly happy in this world and live his next life in Vaikuṇṭha. The Lord gave him the benediction that he would be the king of this material world until the end of the manvantara millennium and that although in this material world, he would have the facility to hear the glories of the Lord and depend fully on the Lord, performing service to Him in uncontaminated bhakti-yoga. The Lord advised Prahlāda to perform sacrifices through bhakti-yoga, for this is the duty of a king.
Prahlāda Mahārāja accepted whatever the Lord had offered him, and he prayed for the Lord to deliver his father. In response to this prayer, the Lord assured him that in the family of such a pure devotee as he, not only the devotee’s father but his forefathers for twenty-one generations are liberated. The Lord also asked Prahlāda to perform the ritualistic ceremonies appropriate after his father’s death.
Then Lord Brahmā, who was also present, offered many prayers to the Lord, expressing his obligation to the Lord for having offered benedictions to Prahlāda Mahārāja. The Lord advised Lord Brahmā not to offer benedictions to asuras as he had to Hiraṇyakaśipu, for such benedictions indulge them. Then Lord Nṛsiṁhadeva disappeared. On that day, Prahlāda Mahārāja was installed on the throne of the world by Lord Brahmā and Śukrācārya.
Thus Nārada Muni described the character of Prahlāda Mahārāja for Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja, and he further described the killing of Rāvaṇa by Lord Rāmacandra and the killing of Śiśupāla and Dantavakra in Dvāpara-yuga. Śiśupāla, of course, had merged into the existence of the Lord and thus achieved sāyujya-mukti. Nārada Muni praised Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja because the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, was the greatest well-wisher and friend of the Pāṇḍavas and almost always stayed in their house. Thus the fortune of the Pāṇḍavas was greater than that of Prahlāda Mahārāja.
Later, Nārada Muni described how the demon Maya Dānava constructed Tripura for the demons, who became very powerful and defeated the demigods. Because of this defeat, Lord Rudra, Śiva, dismantled Tripura; thus he became famous as Tripurāri. For this, Rudra is very much appreciated and worshiped by the demigods. This narration occurs at the end of the chapter.
The rules and regulations of the scripture are meant for purification. But all rules and regulations are within the mercy of the Lord, in other words, God is not a mechanical robot who prescribes punishments for unavoidable or accidental oversight of the rules. One should remember that God is not trying to catch us doing something wrong. We are almost always doing something or the other wrong. God is trying to catch us doing something right.
Question:
I did Ekadasi fast yesterday and time to end the fast was this morning – I hope I didn’t make a big mistake but I broke fast about 3 minutes after window of time.
Please can you advise how to not be punished too much for this as I’ve done most fasting for years and within prescribed times.
Demigods pray to Lord Vishnu at the boundary of the milk ocean
Background:
Spiritualists from all traditions have some form of fasting as part of their spiritual practices… Some Muslims fast for the month of Ramadan. Some Christians fast for Lent, before Easter. Some Jews fast on Yom Kippur and other days.
Vaishnavas, or those who follow the ancient texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, fast on several occasions, such as Ekadasi, the 11th day of each fortnight of the waxing and waning moon. There are specific rules for such fasting, such as the time when one ends the fast.
Answer:
Srila Prabhupada didn’t emphasize the time of ending one’s fast. We do try, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
For example yesterday I was in service from 4:45am-10pm, almost practically continuously. Then this morning I was in service again from 4:30am till now, approximately 5pm. There is still chanting to complete and the evening service of the Lord. I could only take breakfast at 7:45am, more than an hour after the official time to end fast today.
I’m not telling you all this for any other reason except to ask you… What sort of merciful Lord is Sri Krishna who gave the position of His Mother to Putana who came to kill Him disguising herself as a mother but smearing deadly poison on her breast?
So why will Krishna overlook your daily worship and sadhana and instead make you liable for a 3min delay in ending your fast? Can you see I’m trying to help you see the sweet merciful character of Sri Krishna who is all-merciful?
That is really the difference between Karma Kanda and Bhakti. In Bhakti we take shelter of the causeless mercy of the Lord.
And even if Krishna wants to use something that is like sinful reactions for my purification, my Lord is my best well-wisher so whatever He is is for my own best benefit. Please take full shelter of the lotus feet of Sri Krishna. Depend upon Him.
Freedom through Genuine Spiritual Progress 