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

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:

1. They don’t know about it yet – that’s why we reach out relentlessly
2. 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
3. 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
4. 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.

An Invitation for you to Join

य इदं परमं गुह्यं मद्भ‍क्तेष्वभिधास्यति ।
भक्तिं मयि परां कृत्वा मामेवैष्यत्यसंशय: ॥ ६८ ॥

ya idaṁ paramaṁ guhyaṁ
mad-bhakteṣv abhidhāsyati
bhaktiṁ mayi parāṁ kṛtvā
mām evaiṣyaty asaṁśayaḥ

For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/68/

न च तस्मान्मनुष्येषु कश्चिन्मे प्रियकृत्तम: ।
भविता न च मे तस्मादन्य: प्रियतरो भुवि ॥ ६९ ॥

na ca tasmān manuṣyeṣu
kaścin me priya-kṛttamaḥ
bhavitā na ca me tasmād
anyaḥ priya-taro bhuvi

There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/69/

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.

Will you please help? das@dasadas.com

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

2025.30 – 16 Jun 2025 – Warsaw Prosta & Zelezna Harinam + books

2025.31 – 18 Jun 2025 – Warsaw Old City Harinam

2025.32 – 23 Jun 2025 – YD Square Toronto RY Flyers Distribution

2025.33 – 28 Jun 2025 – Avenue & Bloor Harinam Toronto MSF

2025.34 – YD Square RY Flyer distribution

2025.35 – 7 Jul 2025 – Toronto General Hospital Kirtan with Bhaktimarga Swami & Vaishnava Prabhu

2025.36 – 12 Jul 2025 – Toronto RY Distribution

2025.37,38 – 12 Jul 2025 Toronto RY Book Tent Distribution

2025.39 ,40- 13 Jul 2025 Toronto RY Book Tent Distribution

2025.41 – 19 Jul 2025 – Thunder Bay Ratha Yatra Book Tent Distribution

2025.42 – 20 Jul 2025 – Thunder Bay Festival of Colors Book Tent

2025.43 – 2 Aug 2025 – Stratford Vaishnava Sanga Harinam & Books

2025.44 – 9 Aug 2025 – ISKCON Scarborough Ratha Yatra Book Table

2025.45 – 10 Aug 2025 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast Distribution

2025.46 – 17 Aug 2025 – ISKCON Toronto distribution

2025.47 – 23 Aug 2025 – Kensington Market MSF

2025.48 – 24 Aug 2025 – Toronto Sunday Feast Distributon

2025.49 – 31 Aug 2025 – Toronto Radhastami Distribution – SB Sets + BG

2025.50 – 6 Sep 2025 – Cabbagetown Festival Book Distribution

2025.51 – 7 Sep 2025 – Toronto Sunday Feast Bhadra Purnima

2025.52 – 14 Sep 2025 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast Distribution

2025.53 – 15 Sep 2025 – Old City Hall Harinam

2025.54 – 25 Sep 2025 – Old City Hall Harinam w/ Rahul

2025.55 – 5 Oct 2025 – Hyderabad Nagar Sankirtan with Vishwa Kirti Prabhu ACBSP

2025.56 – 6 Oct 2025 – P&T Colony Books – counted separately

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!

This is written for your pleasure. 

your servant,
Mahabhagavat Das
dasadas.com

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…

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.

Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna is known in other languages as Allah, Jehovah, Yahweh, and many other languages.

ईश्वरः परमः कृष्णः सच्चिदनन्द विग्रह:
अनदिरदिर् गोविन्दः सर्व कारण कारणं ।।१।।

īśvaraḥ paramaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ
sac-cid-ānanda-vigrahaḥ
anādir ādir govindaḥ
sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam

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 ||

nāma cintāmaṇiḥ kṛṣṇaś
caitanya-rasa-vigrahaḥ
pūrṇaḥ śuddho nitya-mukto
’bhinnatvān nāma-nāminoḥ

“ ‘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.

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.

कृष्णे स्वधामोपगते धर्मज्ञानादिभि: सह ।
कलौ नष्टद‍ृशामेष पुराणार्कोऽधुनोदित: ॥ ४३ ॥

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/

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.

तत: कलौ सम्प्रवृत्ते सम्मोहाय सुरद्विषाम् ।
बुद्धो नाम्नाञ्जनसुत: कीकटेषु भविष्यति ॥ २४ ॥

tataḥ kalau sampravṛtte
sammohāya sura-dviṣām
buddho nāmnāñjana-sutaḥ
kīkaṭeṣu bhaviṣyati

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/3/24/

The origin of Jainism was a corruption of the pure teachings and example of Lord Rishbhadeva, an incarnation of Krishna.

यस्य किलानुचरितमुपाकर्ण्य कोङ्कवेङ्ककुटकानां राजार्हन्नामोपशिक्ष्य कलावधर्म उत्कृष्यमाणे भवितव्येन विमोहित: स्वधर्मपथमकुतोभयमपहाय कुपथपाखण्डमसमञ्जसं निजमनीषया मन्द: सम्प्रवर्तयिष्यते ॥ ९ ॥

yasya kilānucaritam upākarṇya koṅka-veṅka-kuṭakānāṁ rājārhan-nāmopaśikṣya kalāv adharma utkṛṣyamāṇe bhavitavyena vimohitaḥ sva-dharma-patham akuto-bhayam apahāya kupatha-pākhaṇḍam asamañjasaṁ nija-manīṣayā mandaḥ sampravartayiṣyate.

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.

1. Deity worship became “Idol Worship”.
2. Krishna became a “tribal chieftain” or at best, a “Hindu god”.
3. 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:

1. “Archa Vigraha” (अर्च विग्र:) – the Divine Worshipable Form of God
2. Deity
3. 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 ॥

dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo ’tra paramo nirmatsarāṇāṁ satāṁ
vedyaṁ vāstavam atra vastu śivadaṁ tāpa-trayonmūlanam
śrīmad-bhāgavate mahā-muni-kṛte kiṁ vā parair īśvaraḥ
sadyo hṛdy avarudhyate ’tra kṛtibhiḥ śuśrūṣubhis tat-kṣaṇāt

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:

1. The Yoga texts of India
2. Vedas or Puranas
3. Vedic scriptures
4. Vedic literature
5. Vedic History

Please give up the use of the words “idol” and “mythology” in relation with Vedic Culture! Hare Krishna!

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”?

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:

1. To chant a minimum of 16 rounds of the Hare Krishna Mahamantra (1728 utterances of the mantra) every day.
2. 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

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:

1. It is never too late to start – of course, start as early as possible, but start, and GO!
2. 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.
3. Humility is a great asset – Haridasa Varya Prabhu considered himself unfit for initiation!
4. Take spiritual practice seriously. It is potent. Chanting Hare Krishna. Reading Srimad Bhagavatam. Every bit counts!
5. Focus consciousness on what is most important, and do it every day.
6. Simplicity in spiritual life is a prized asset, we should cultivate this simplicity that allows us to chant always.
7. 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.
8. 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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/12/6-7/

And this beautiful verse…

अहो बकी यं स्तनकालकूटं
जिघांसयापाययदप्यसाध्वी ।
लेभे गतिं धात्र्युचितां ततोऽन्यं
कं वा दयालुं शरणं व्रजेम ॥ २३ ॥

aho bakī yaṁ stana-kāla-kūṭaṁ
jighāṁsayāpāyayad apy asādhvī
lebhe gatiṁ dhātry-ucitāṁ tato ’nyaṁ
kaṁ vā dayāluṁ śaraṇaṁ vrajema

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?

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/2/23/

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.

Date & Time (IST)	Location	Online Link if available
Monday 6 Oct 2025, 8:15 AM	ISKCON Hyderabad SB 5.12.15	https://www.youtube.com/@ISKCONHyderabadAbids/streams
Tuesday 7 Oct 2025	ISKCON Nizamabad Sharad Purnima Special Class in Hindi
Friday 10 Oct 2025, 8:10 AM	ISKCON Pune SB 7.10.2	https://www.youtube.com/@ISKCONNVCCPune/streams
Saturday 11 Oct 2025, 7:45 AM onwards	ISKCON Hinjewadi	https://www.youtube.com/live/0FVDtFurBSg?si=nCpyyUCQ-aPTd0xF
Saturday 11 Oct 2025, 5:00 PM onwards	Nityananda Namahatta Kothrud Home Program	https://youtu.be/Ch1e-fbfVxI?si=9AAnrc90CYH9LYj_
Monday 13 Oct 2025	ISKCON Juhu Mumbai SB 10.89.18, SB 10.89.19, SB 89.20	https://youtu.be/M9Rq5L8ZC_I?si=BTJ_0ZBTXM2Bi-3p
Saturday 18 Oct 2025	ISKCON Hyderabad SB 5.13.8	https://www.youtube.com/live/GZJWAEngTI0?si=BsEewKl2ggKM52kZ

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.

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 ॥

kvacin nivartate ’bhadrāt
kvacic carati tat punaḥ
prāyaścittam atho ’pārthaṁ
manye kuñjara-śaucavat

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/6/1/10/

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…

विषया विनिवर्तन्ते निराहारस्य देहिनः ।
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते ॥ ५९ ॥

viṣayā vinivartante
nirāhārasya dehinaḥ
rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya
paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/2/59/

You see, the taste for sense objects remains. There is facility, there is time, and so, we fall headlong.

But is there a way to prevent this? How to avoid the fall?

केचित्केवलया भक्त्या वासुदेवपरायणा: ।
अघं धुन्वन्ति कार्त्स्‍न्येन नीहारमिव भास्कर: ॥ १५ ॥

kecit kevalayā bhaktyā
vāsudeva-parāyaṇāḥ
aghaṁ dhunvanti kārtsnyena
nīhāram iva bhāskaraḥ

Translation

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/6/1/15/

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.

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

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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.

Sri Krishna says this in the Bhagavad Gita…

युक्ताहारविहारस्य युक्तचेष्टस्य कर्मसु ।
युक्तस्वप्‍नावबोधस्य योगो भवति दु:खहा ॥ १७ ॥

yuktāhāra-vihārasya
yukta-ceṣṭasya karmasu
yukta-svapnāvabodhasya
yogo bhavati duḥkha-hā

He who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/6/17/

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.

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.

This is my schedule

• Till 29 September 2025, Toronto
• 30 September 2025, Travel Toronto – Frankfurt
• 1 October 2025, Travel Frankfurt – Hyderabad
• 2 October 2025, Hyderabad, Vijayadashami, Dussehra, the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana, Sri Madhvacharya’s Appearance Day
• 2 – 8 October 2025, Hyderabad
• 9 – 12 October 2025, Pune
• 12 – 14 Oct 2025, Mumbai
• 15-17 October 2025, Tiruvanantapuram / Trivandrum
• 18 October 2025, Hyderabad
• 18 – 19 October, Travel Hyderabad – Delhi – Toronto
• 19 October 2025 onward, Toronto

These are the planned activities

1. Spend some time with my elderly parents.
2. Attend the full morning program.

   • Join Mangala Arati at 4:30AM .
   • Engage in Japa, or chanting Hare Krishna.
   • See Shringara Arati
   • Offer Guru Puja to Srila Prabhupada.
   • Attend classes on Srimad Bhagavatam at the nearest ISKCON temple with the devotees.

3. Distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books.
4. Read and Hear from Srila Prabhupada’s books.
5. Sing in Harinam Sankirtan.
6. Give Classes where possible.
7. Meet, serve, and hear from my Guru – spiritual master and Guru Mata.
8. Meet family and friends.

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

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

Chanting Starts at 5:00 AM EST

Join by Zoom:

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Meeting ID: 681 873 6022
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🌹Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare🌹

ŚB 8.7.40

पुंस: कृपयतो भद्रे सर्वात्मा प्रीयते हरि: ।
प्रीते हरौ भगवति प्रीयेऽहं सचराचर: ।
तस्मादिदं गरं भुञ्जे प्रजानां स्वस्तिरस्तु मे ॥ ४० ॥

puṁsaḥ kṛpayato bhadre
sarvātmā prīyate hariḥ
prīte harau bhagavati
prīye ’haṁ sacarācaraḥ
tasmād idaṁ garaṁ bhuñje
prajānāṁ svastir astu me

Synonyms

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.

ŚB 8.7.41

श्रीशुक उवाच
एवमामन्‍त्र्य भगवान्भवानीं विश्वभावन: ।
तद् विषं जग्धुमारेभे प्रभावज्ञान्वमोदत ॥ ४१ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca
evam āmantrya bhagavān
bhavānīṁ viśva-bhāvanaḥ
tad viṣaṁ jagdhum ārebhe
prabhāva-jñānvamodata

Synonyms

śrī–śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said; evam — in this way; āmantrya — addressing; bhagavān — Lord Śiva; bhavānīm — Bhavānī; viśva–bhāvanaḥ — the well-wisher of all the universe; tat viṣam — that poison; jagdhum — to drink; ārebhe — began; prabhāva–jñā — mother Bhavānī, who perfectly knew the capability of Lord Śiva; anvamodata — gave her permission.

Translation

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.

ŚB 8.7.42

तत: करतलीकृत्य व्यापि हालाहलं विषम् ।
अभक्षयन्महादेव: कृपया भूतभावन: ॥ ४२ ॥

tataḥ karatalī-kṛtya
vyāpi hālāhalaṁ viṣam
abhakṣayan mahā-devaḥ
kṛpayā bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

Synonyms

tataḥ — thereafter; karatalī–kṛtya — taking in his hand; vyāpi — widespread; hālāhalam — called hālahala; viṣam — poison; abhakṣayat — drank; mahā–devaḥ — Lord Śiva; kṛpayā — out of compassion; bhūta–bhāvanaḥ — for the welfare of all living entities.

Translation

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.

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

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

“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 

https://vanisource.org/wiki/681018_-Lecture-_Seattle?hl=ripe|mango

Should we do away with organizations?

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.

Forget this centralizing and bureaucracy.

https://vanisource.org/wiki/721222_-_Letter_to_Karandhara_written_from_Bombay?hl=individual|spontaneous|voluntary

This is a cautionary note for all spiritual organizations.

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.”

quoted by Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/10/27/

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:

1. Spirituality
2. Understanding of the evolution of the qualities of life
3. Purification of our very existence
4. Renunciation, Contentment, etc.

As a result, no matter how educated someone is, they inevitably indulge in this:

1. Look upon other women (or men) as objects of their own gratification
2. Covet others’ wealth and try to make it their own
3. 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.

• Teachers
• Professors
• Politicians
• Business leaders
• Government leaders
• Scientists
• Researchers
• Doctors
• Military Leaders
• Engineers
• Architects
• Judges
• Lawyers
• Police Officers
• Accountants
• IT Professionals
• Corporate Leaders
• Social Workers
• Economists
• Religious Leaders

Can we wake up to the real standard of education?

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.

Please write to das@dasadas.com for more information

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.

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

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

1. Devotion, especially excessive or undiscriminating devotion, to the interests or culture of a particular nation-state.
2. The belief that nations will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals.
3. 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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/13/3/

Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport…

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.

ईशावास्यमिदँ सर्वं यत्किञ्च जगत्यां जगत् ।
तेन त्यक्तेन भुञ्जीथा मा गृधः कस्य स्विद्धनम् ॥ १॥

īśāvāsyam idaḿ sarvaṁ
yat kiñca jagatyāṁ jagat
tena tyaktena bhuñjīthā
mā gṛdhaḥ kasya svid dhanam

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/iso/1/

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/84/13/

To be a nationalist, is, really, to be an animal in human form.

We can rise above this, and see each other as spirit souls. Each of us is a part-and-parcel of God.

ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूत: सनातन: ।
मन:षष्ठानीन्द्रियाणि प्रकृतिस्थानि कर्षति ॥ ७ ॥

mamaivāṁśo jīva-loke
jīva-bhūtaḥ sanātanaḥ
manaḥ-ṣaṣṭhānīndriyāṇi
prakṛti-sthāni karṣati

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/15/7/

Not just human beings, but all species are descended from the same seed-giving Father, God!

सर्वयोनिषु कौन्तेय मूर्तय: सम्भवन्ति या: ।
तासां ब्रह्म महद्योनिरहं बीजप्रद: पिता ॥ ४ ॥

sarva-yoniṣu kaunteya
mūrtayaḥ sambhavanti yāḥ
tāsāṁ brahma mahad yonir
ahaṁ bīja-pradaḥ pitā

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/14/4/

How to see each other?

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].

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/5/18/

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/54/

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.

Hare 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.

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 ॥

kāma-krodhera dāsa hañā tāra lāthi khāya
bhramite bhramite yadi sādhu-vaidya pāya
tāṅra upadeśa-mantre piśācī palāya
kṛṣṇa-bhakti pāya, tabe kṛṣṇa-nikaṭa yāya

“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.

Hare Krishna!

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.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/13/23/

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 ॥

sā sannivāsaṁ suhṛdāṁ
prapāyām iva gacchatām
vijñāyeśvara-tantrāṇāṁ
māyā-viracitaṁ prabhoḥ

sarvatra saṅgam utsṛjya
svapnaupamyena bhārgavī
kṛṣṇe manaḥ samāveśya
vyadhunol liṅgam ātmanaḥ

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/9/19/27-28/

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.