Tag: allah

2024.26-69: Spring & Summer Explosion, Temple Sankirtan, India

This is a Sankirtan Update, covering outings from Spring through Fall 2024. Many encouraging interactions with blessed souls. Covers, Toronto, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mantralayam and other interactions. Hare Krishna!

Dear Devotees,

Hare Krishna!

Please kindly accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

I pray that you are all well and in good health and spirits.

By your blessings I can join in this Hare Krishna movement, despite my disqualifications. Thank you!

It is hard to believe that it is the end of October. This is only my second Sankirtan update for 2024!

The next things have compressed my Sankirtan reports writing time, so this is inevitable:

1. More classes online and in person this year. There will be nearly 60 in 2024, double of 2023. This number is nothing for the great preachers. Still, for someone like me, it takes a lot of time to prepare for the classes. I also spend a lot of time going to the various places, etc.

2. More posts published to my website www.dasadas.com… 30+ articles, again nothing for the great preachers, but a lot of time spent in writing, researching, revising, etc.

3. Added to the temple services at ISKCON Toronto, which takes up 1 evening every week.

4. My Gurudeva ordered me to finish the Ultimate Self Realization Course Bhagavad Gita weekly lesson project. It is a great honour to serve my spiritual master Srila Sankarshan Prabhu on this.

5. Missed recording some outings and book count at the time… but I’m not going to speculate about those… best to count them as “not done” and do a bit more.

6. In several MSFs, focus on the Kirtan. Let other newer sankirtan warriors distribute books. Everyone needs to get the experience of distributing books. They should feel that ecstasy and surge of energy from book distribution. I felt privileged to support their distribution with my Kirtan, but of course, my personal book count was zero then.

I started writing this update in spring. I picked out this verse, which is not relevant any more. This is because it is now autumn/fall here in Toronto! Better late than never!

Spring Update

bṛhat-sāma tathā sāmnāṁ
gāyatrī chandasām aham
māsānāṁ mārga-śīrṣo ’ham
ṛtūnāṁ kusumākaraḥ

Of the hymns in the Sāma Veda I am the Bṛhat-sāma, and of poetry I am the Gāyatrī. Of months I am Mārgaśīrṣa [November-December], and of seasons I am flower-bearing spring.  BG 10.35

Spring had certainly arrived in Toronto. The flowers were in full bloom and the cold winter has given way to a more pleasant spring. Of course, this is all short-lived, so I’m trying my best to make the most of it! With spring, the people are out. I am noticing that they are in a better mood. They are more likely to engage in a spiritual conversation.

Everything has gotten busier, of course. Sankirtan powers my spiritual life along with hearing and chanting. I make sure to go out regularly.

Summer & Fall Update

In summer, there were many outings, personally, as well as in a group. In the late summer/fall, there was a trip to Sri Bharat Bhumi, also called India in modern times… I came back with a severe flu. It took me time to regain lung capacity. Eventually, I was able to go out on Harinam and do both call and response myself!

There was quite a bit of book distribution in India, as you can see below. Now I look forward to rounding out the year with Harinam and Book Distribution outings in Toronto. This is my seva spot for now…

Please feel free to share this Sankirtan report with others… If it inspires even one soul to go out on Harinam or Book Distribution, we will all benefit. Even just once more will bring benefits for everyone. If one more spiritual book is distributed as a result, we will all benefit!

General Update

The number of devotees out on Sankirtan in and around Toronto has increased significantly. This comes after a bit of a dip. We have the young folks from Bhakti Academy going out more often. I was pleasantly surprised to find one young devotee in Brampton. His name is Saahil. He is very fired up for book distribution and goes out regularly. He sends me his updates and they greatly engladden and inspire me. In general, as long as this Sankirtan continues, the future of this world is very bright.

Sankirtan and book distribution in India is booming. It is really heartwarming to see just how many souls are taking Srila Prabhupada’s books. There are no lengthy conversations before a book changes hands there. Devotees go to Vrindavan, Mayapur, and other places of pilgrimage to recharge themselves spiritually. In the same way, I often draw great inspiration from Sankirtan in India… especially after the austere lonely Harinamas here in cold Toronto 🙂

Outings Summary

  • 01 May 2024 – Old City  Hall Harinam
  • 10 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
  • 12 May 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday feast distribution
  • 17 May 2024 – Union Station Sankirtan with Bhakta Venkatesh – Bhakti Prabhava Swami reception
  • 20 May 2024 – Home Program with Bhakti Prabhava Swami
  • 24 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
  • 25 May 2024 – Waterloo Class & MSF
  • 27 May 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
  • 3 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
  • 5 Jun 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
  • 15 Jun 2024 – Markham Music Festival
  • 16 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast Distribution
  • 18 Jun 2024 – Union Statation RY Invitations
  • 22 Jun 2024 – ISKCON Barrie RY Books Distribution
  • 24 Jun 2024 – YD Square RY Invitations
  • 29 Jun 2024 – Toronto MSF
  • 1 Jul 2024 – Canada Day Harinam
  • 8 Jul 2024 – YD Square RY Card Distribution
  • 13 Jul 2024 – RY Parade Distribution
  • 13 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
  • 14 Jul 2024 – RY Book Stall distribution
  • 21 Jul 2024 – Ottawa Parliament Hill Hill Harinam & Books
  • 27 Jul 2024 – Ottawa RY parade & book stall distribution
  • 10 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Scarborough RY Book Stall Distribution
  • 17 Aug 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam & Books
  • 20 Aug 2024 – Pearson Airport Distribution
  • 22 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
  • 23 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
  • 24 Aug 2024 – Anantagiri Padmanabha Swamy Temple Distribution
  • 26 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Hyderabad Distribution
  • 27 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad SPL Sets Distribution
  • 29 Aug 2024 – P&T Colony Post Office Distribution
  • 30 Aug 2024 – ISKCON Juhu Book Stall Distribution
  • 8 Sep 2024 – Mantralayam Book Distribution
  • 9 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SPL Distribution
  • 13 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
  • 14 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Hyderabad Book Stall Distribution
  • 17 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad SB Set Distribution
  • 18 Sep 2024 – Hyderabad Travel Distribution
  • 20 Aug – 19 Sep 2024 – India Daily Continuous Books Distribution
  • 28 Sep 2024 – Old City Hall Toronto MSF
  • 29 Sep 2024 – ISKCON Muskoka BG class + distribution
  • 23 Oct 2024 – Old City Hall Harinam
  • 27 Oct 2024 – ISKCON Toronto Sunday Feast distribution

New 44 2024 outings, Total 69/108 outings in 2024

It is now Oct 28, 2024 as I write this… I am 39 outings short of my annual target!

Here are some interactions that stood out…

Toronto Conversations

In Toronto, out on MSF, we meet many wonderful souls… one such soul was visiting from Paris. She stopped to chat with me. Her flight was leaving in less than 3 hours. When I reached Hyderabad, I shipped her some French Language books I had. The books included a note by His Grace Anandamaya Prabhu. He is a disciple of Srila Prabhupada from France and has lived and served Srila Prabhupada in Hyderabad for decades. No picture unfortunately, but this is what she wrote back:

“Dear Das, Wouahhh I don’t have the words and thanks a lot“. May she be blessed by Srila Prabhupada’s divine vani.

One day, I was out on Harinam Sankirtan at Old City Hall in Toronto. It was a beautiful afternoon and I got many nice responses from passersby. But the best response was from these 4 Muslim girls dressed in colourful clothes and headscarves… they walked by, looked at me, without looking at me, in the way of girls trained in modest behavior… then they went a few steps away. They took the obligatory pictures in front of the big red building known as Old City Hall. They discussed something amongst themselves, and a chosen representative asked “Excuse me, but what are you doing”… I paused, told them “Chanting the names of God. God is One, but our languages are many. I am chanting the names of God in Sanskrit, an ancient language.” I asked them where they were from, they said Lahore… I said I was from Bombay, practically a twin city of Karachi in so many ways. Their next question was “Why are you doing this here?” I answered “See, we are fighting with each other all over the world. We are focused on our differences, which come from bodily consciousness. If we come together and chant the names of the One God, we will overcome those differences. This can happen even if it’s in our own languages. We will achieve this by the mercy of God. God is fully present in His Names. The Quran lists at least 99 names. We know so many more from our scriptures.” We had a few more Q&A. Then the girls said “we love your message, can we offer you a donation”. They did make a donation. I showed them the books I had… they looked at each one carefully. They asked me “but these books, do they go against the Quran?” I told them, “If you see a name of God you don’t recognize, read it as Allah. It could also be Rahman, Rahim, or any other name you know.” Knowledge is knowledge. There is no such thing as Hindu knowledge or Muslim knowledge. Just like there is no Pakistani sun or Canadian sun.” They agreed with me. They selected “Beyond Birth and Death.” They told me, “We also believe that life exists after death.” And they did read some parts from each book. How pure is Srila Prabhupada! His words and instructions can inspire devout Muslim girls. They approached a strange man on the street to get a book! “We like your message”, they said before leaving. I then continued chanting blissfully. I rejoiced at the pure seed of Srila Prabhupada’s love for Krishna. It had been planted in their midst.

Another young man was from South America. He studied here in Canada for a semester. He went back home despite having good grades in his program. This was because he just couldn’t find a suitable part-time job to pay his school fees. But he went home with Srila Prabhupada’s books, and even though he was broke, carefully counted out a good donation! Picture attached.

One gentleman was railing against all the injustice heaped upon him. I connected with him by explaining that seeing others on a spiritual level prevents such things from happening. The Bhagavad Gita helps us achieve this understanding, so he took a Gita. Photo attached.

Mantralayam nuggets

One man in Mantralayam said he wanted to go to ISKCON Bangalore to get himself a Bhagavad Gita, but couldn’t. He was regretting his misfortune. Now he was here in Mantralayam and a Bhagavad Gita was waiting for him!

One lady in Mantralayam wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, wanted a Gita, but didn’t have any money… I thought it was an excuse to not get it, one of many. But I was wrong. About 20 minutes later, the lady’s daughter ran up with a handful of cash. She took the Gita from me. Inside the Mantralayam temple, my wife witnessed the family taking selfies. The main sanctum was the background. Their brand new Bhagavad Gita was the foreground!

After my time budget in Mantralayam, I still had a couple of boxes of books left… and no vehicle nearby. The policemen on duty allowed my vehicle to drop me off with my boxes of books. However, they didn’t allow the vehicle to stay or park anywhere nearby…  Now I was stuck, and couldn’t carry the boxes due to back issues… I approached two men nearby… they agreed to help me carry my books outside of the enclosure. I thought they might each carry a box. But no, one of them showed up with a motorbike. The books were safely transported. At the end of their seva, we got talking. Turns out both of them were off-duty policemen, relatively new in their careers. They both took books and made generous donations.

Hyderabad Interactions

I met a Muslim Security Poet Saintly Soul in Hyderabad… works at the Hyderabad Metro. I took rikshaws and cabs at first. Then I discovered how convenient and inexpensive the Metro was. It also offers so many book distribution opportunities! As soon as he got a book, this gentleman started composing poetry glorifying Sri Krishna right on the spot… At first, I didn’t know he was Muslim. When I found out, I said “I don’t know why people argue so much when He is One”… right after that, he was so warm and friendly. Our interactions were nectarean and he took books and Prasadam. I  met him almost every day and every day he had some beautiful thing to say about Krishna. Photo attached.

A deaf and dumb store assistant was helping us find clothes for our son… When I showed him a book, he was so very enthusiastic to read it! Photo attached. Srila Prabhupada’s books are for everyone! Just because someone cannot speak or hear doesn’t mean they can’t read.

During my various travels, I faced baggage weight restrictions and non-availability of languages in temples. Because of this, I didn’t always have specific books in specific languages with me… so I took down addresses and shipped them when I got to a place where books were available… Shipping books in India is really inexpensive, BTW! Of course I made friends with many postal clerks… the one at the P&T Colony post office was really fascinated with my seva. As soon as I showed up with packages of books, this gentleman would make everyone else wait. He would skip me right to the front of the line. Of course he took books and made generous donations too. Photo attached.

Every time I was able to go out, a group of young men were quickly drawn to Srila Prabhupada’s books. Some would take them. Others would ask questions… At any given time, there were some young people in the scrum… Pictures attached.

On festival days, the crowds in the Indian temples were enormous. This made book distribution in the usual way impossible. When it was possible, they did BIG sponsorship campaigns, for example on Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa Puja… many sets were distributed by devotees who could afford to buy sets, and given to those who could not. A picture is attached. Shravana Bhakti Radha Mataji, a servitor of Sri Radha Madan Mohan, sponsors a set for another devotee.

These are only a few of the stories… I couldn’t capture and share all the interactions. Many people only took small books, and there were so many. In any case, Krishna has orchestrated and recorded all those interactions and will help us all come closer to Him.

All this is possible only by your encouragement and blessings! Thank you!

If you or anyone you know wants to be notified if I’m going out on Harinam or giving a class, please let me know. Let us together flood this world with Harinam Sankirtan, Krishna Katha, and Srila Prabhupada’s books!

My 2024 goals summary so far is 69 outings, 47 classes delivered, and 307 Bhagavad Gita or equivalent distributed.

My lifetime goal of being an instrument in distributing 1 Lakh Gitas tracking is at 8,100/100,000 (8.1% of goal).

I can only set goals and pray for mercy, and try my best. But the Vaishnavas and Krishna can help fulfill the prayer, enable the effort and make the target possible to achieve. Please bless me, because your blessings are certainly potent!

Please engage in acts of Harinam Sankirtan wherever you are!

Happy Srila Prabhupada Marathon coming up!

This is written for your pleasure.

Hare Krishna!

How can Krishna and Allah be the Same Person?

How can Krishna and Allah be the same person, when so many Muslims see the followers of Krishna as “kafirs” or non-believers worthy of being put to death?

Sri Krishna with Srimati Radha
Sri Krishna with Srimati Radha
Allah, the primary name of God from the Quran, written in Arabic script

Question

Hare krishna prabhuji!
Please accept my humble obeisances
All glories to Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada and Sankarshana Das Adhikari Maharaj have said time and again that Krishna and Allah are the same. I do understand both of them have dedicated all of their time to Bhakti yoga and hence have reached this understanding, however I don’t think I am able to wrap my head around this.

The thing is, the Quran talks about how all kafirs(non muslims) should be killed and so many things. Personally, I don’t believe that those fanatics who so-call kill in the name of Allah go to Jannah. I don’t think those people who destroyed a location of ISKCON Bangladesh and harassing the devotees there will get a place even in heaven. They also talk about eternal damnation for kafirs. I don’t believe in eternal damnation just cause you don’t follow this and that. Isn’t our karma that decides the country and religion we are born in? Those people who act like this are just fanatics ( religion with no philosophy). Krishna in BG says He is our friend, well wisher and more. He even sits in our heart even if we are demons. But in Quran, Allah is someone who would rather choose a sinful muslim than a pious kafir. How can we say Krishna and Allah are same? I am just not able to find any answer that puts me at ease. Why are there different religions in this world? Sorry to say, but wouldn’t the world be a better place if there was only Sanathana Dharma? This entire Allah and Krishna topic drives me crazy..

I would like to get the answers to my questions. Kindly forgive me for my offenses that I have inadvertently done 🙏.

Your confused servant…

Answer:

Hare Krishna!

I have read the Quran. It is a delightful text. Yes, there are some verses which can cause misunderstanding, but this is true also of Vedic scriptures… so therefore we have the GPS of Guru (spiritual master in disciplic succession), Sadhu (community of saintly souls), Shaastra (scripture)… in the Abrahamic cultures, only Shaastra – scripture is remaining… the Guru (disciplic succession) and Saadhu (communities of saintly souls) pillars have been destroyed by thousands of years of violence.

We need to understand this on the level of our highest understanding… for example, someone might think that Krishna is a “Hindu god”… but we know that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Similarly, we have a better understanding of Allah than most Muslims… we understand that Allah is an impersonal name for Krishna.

In general, if we are talking of a Supreme Person, and they are talking of a Supreme Person, then they must be the same person, because there cannot be 2 Supremes. Otherwise we end up with the 6 blind men situation… https://dasadas.com/2022/07/28/the-ultimate-synthesis-of-advaita-dvaita-achintya-bheda-abheda/

If someone regards the devotee of Krishna as a kafir (non-believer), then that person is in ignorance because they don’t know who is a kafir and who is not. An atheist is a kafir… but we can’t expect everyone to understand… According to the Abrahamic traditions, we see that Muslims, Christans, and Jews are all called “brothers of the book” because their scriptures are practically all the same… and still they fight like cats and dogs. This is not the fault of their respective religious traditions or scriptures but that they have lost the context and culture that comes from Parampara – disciplic succession. For example the one of the ten commandments is “Thou Shalt Not Kill” and all the Christians do morning, evening, and night is kill, kill, kill, for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Simply scripture alone can be easily weaponized… “Shastra” (weapon) and “Shaastra” (scripture) can be used in similar ways. Both of these can be used to protect or to destroy… recall that a knife in the hands of a surgeon is different from a knife in the hands of a criminal.

Now, as far as the Quran (scripture followed by Muslims) is concerned, it was taught to people who were not very advanced… for example the Quran contains instructions that from this day henceforth, no Muslim shall have a sexual relationship with his mother. Why is such an instruction given? Because such things were happening back then!

But it is not that the Quran does not contain the pathway to the highest instructions… In the conversation between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Chand Kazi (See https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/17/), they argued on the basis of the respective Vedic and Islamic scriptures, and a common understanding was reached by mutual loving enlightened discussions. I have met many many advanced Muslims, who see Krishna as Allah Himself. In particular I have met at least 2 “Muslim Brahmins” in Hyderabad myself, and have interacted with many such saintly souls.

As far as Bangladesh goes, many more people have been killed in their recent riots, of all religious backgrounds, and to be honest, their sufferings are unfortunately going to be heavy… we should be compassionate upon them and not be caught up in the cycle of hatred. It is 100% sure that everyone gets their just dues. The low-class rascals who destroyed an ISKCON temple in Meherpur, Bangladesh will face the wrath of Allah, because know it or not, Lord Jagannath (Lord of the Universe) is Allah Himself, and ignorance of the law is no defense.

Also, you should know that I have met foolish so-called adherents of Sanatan Dharma also… they are no better than animals in human form… Such people, whether they called themselves Sanatan Dharmis or Muslims or Christians or Sikhs or any other designation does not matter, because they are still in animal consciousness… however, they can follow whatever they can manage to follow and gradually they will be elevated – we cannot judge the value of the tradition they are claiming to follow just by seeing that they are not very advanced.

So, in conclusion, as Srila Gurudeva has said, the perfectly Krishna Conscious person is simultaneously the best Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Sikh, Jew, and whatever other bona fide system of religion exists… Sanatana Dharma is not outside of these traditions… the perfection of those traditions is in Sanatana Dharma.

Don’t think that the average “Hindu” is properly following Sanatana Dharma (The Eternal Nature), most of them don’t even understand the meaning of Sanatana Dharma! 🙂 They think Sanatana Dharma is some sectarian religion followed only by Hindus!

I have written many articles on this subject matter, in general:

Allah is not your God? Krishna is not your God?
Satan as Competitor to God, what an absurdity!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?
Taj Bibi – Mughal Queen, Pure Devotee of Krishna
God has no shortage of sons (and daughters)
Dear Pope Francis, how many apologies to go?
Muslim Brahmin in Hyderabad
What do we call persons who don’t recognize their own suffering?
Enrollment alone will not help us progress to perfection
No eternal damnation

My humble request to you is to get fully immersed in Krishna Consciousness, so that we all can have the same vision as Srila Gurudeva Sankarshan Prabhu and Srila Prabhupada have. Are you already initiated in the disciplic succession of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples and grand-disciples? If not, what is your personal plan to get to that point?

Make full use of the context and culture which we still do have available!

I hope this helps.

What do we call persons who don’t recognize their own suffering?

What do we call someone who does not recognize that they are suffering? What do you call someone who does not recognize the root cause of their suffering? What do you call someone who refuses to accept the cause of their suffering? We call them innocent, just like children, just like animals. And then we see them as spirit souls, and we try to serve them on their spiritual journey. Hare Krishna!

Have you ever seen an animal that is about to be slaughtered? In the modern world, that includes most chickens, goats, sheep, pigs, cows, fish, and buffaloes.

Sheep, to the slaughter

These sheep are being led to slaughter

Animals cannot see their impending doom

I have spent much time in the South Indian City of Hyderabad. This city has a large Muslim population. The Muslims celebrate a festival called Bakri-eid, when many Muslims sacrifice a goat to Allah. It is a common sight to see a Muslim man leading a goat somewhere just before Eid, or even on the day of.

Charminar, Old City, Hyderabad, India

As a child, I was tempted to innocently call out to the goat “run away goat, run away, you are about to be slaughtered”. But no, neither do I have the power to make a goat understand that his life is in danger, nor does the goat have the intelligence to understand his fate.

Even right before being slaughtered, the animal can be seen calmly gobbling up grass here and there, oblivious.

Goat chewing and chewing, oblivious

We can extrapolate… think about the animals being transferred in trains or trucks from one place to another. They are all going to be slaughtered, sooner or later.

Cows being transported for slaughter

What about us? Can we see our own sufferings?

As we go about the world, we see so many suffering souls. Some are hungry, some others are unclothed, hot, or cold… yet others are diseased. And everyone is striving, struggling, to solve these problems of life, food, shelter, and clothing, medical treatment, and so on.

Struggling human, sisyphean effort

It is of course, natural for a human being or an animal to mitigate an immediate danger. For example, once an animal senses that someone is causing it harm, for example the pain of a hook in it’s mouth, or a botched attempt at slaughter, it will flap about, bleat, moo, or make some other frantic sounds, maybe try to fight it’s attacker, and even try to run away, but alas, by then it is usually too late.

Goat, about to lose it's life

Similarly, we see human beings trying to mitigate their sufferings in so many ways.

But do they really recognize the actual cause of their suffering?

Man getting medical treatment

Does that woman who is being wooed ardently by that handsome, passionate, suave, smooth-talking man realize that once the man has had his fill of sensual gratification, she will be left behind after an “it’s not you, it’s me conversation.”?

Young man wooing a girl with sweet words and flowers

Does that hard-working employee staying late and working long hours realize that a business change means he is to be on the next list of employees to be laid off due to a “Reduction in Force” or “Headcount cut” or “Re-organization”?

Hardworking employee, doesn't know he is just one step away from being fired

Does that person suffering poverty, pestilence, or war realize that they have created their own situation with their own past actions?

तत्तेऽनुकम्पां सुसमीक्षमाणो
भुञ्जान एवात्मकृतं विपाकम् ।
हृद्वाग्वपुर्भिर्विदधन्नमस्ते
जीवेत यो मुक्तिपदे स दायभाक् ॥ ८ ॥

tat te ’nukampāṁ su-samīkṣamāṇo
bhuñjāna evātma-kṛtaṁ vipākam
hṛd-vāg-vapurbhir vidadhan namas te
jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk

My dear Lord, one who earnestly waits for You to bestow Your causeless mercy upon him, all the while patiently suffering the reactions of his past misdeeds and offering You respectful obeisances with his heart, words and body, is surely eligible for liberation, for it has become his rightful claim.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/14/8

Suffering Child. Who creates our suffering for us?

How can we help everyone understand how to end this cycle of suffering?

Sometimes, not being satisfied with trying to please the senses, an intellectual may, instead, choose to live within the mind, for example in the realm of art, literature, poetry, scientific or mathematical endeavours, maybe even philosophy and speculation about God?

Intellectuals, lost in the world of trying to satisfy the mind

Does the frustrated intellectual, who has given up on gross materialistic gratification and is now involved in trying to satisfy the mind realize that he’s only headed towards insanity?

Mad Scientists. What will they not do?

Neither the mind, nor the senses can ever be satisfied, as much as a fire can never be extinguished by giving it more fuel.

lust cannot be satisfied by any amount of sense enjoyment, just as fire is never extinguished by a constant supply of fuel. In the material world, the center of all activities is sex, and thus this material world is called maithunya-āgāra, or the shackles of sex life. In the ordinary prison house, criminals are kept within bars; similarly, the criminals who are disobedient to the laws of the Lord are shackled by sex life.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/3/39, purport

Blazing fire, no amount of fuel will extinguish it!

We try and we try and we try to help everyone understand that they are not their mind, that they are not this body, not the senses… we try and try to help them understand that actually they are the spirit soul.

Hare Krishna Monk tries to distribute spiritual literature

But unfortunately, most of the souls we come in contact with are not interested. They are content to pursue that next gourmet meal, that next sensual experience, that holiday, that next acquisition, be it a house or a car or some other shiny object. They are content to chase job after job, climbing the ladder to nowhere (more on that another time).

What do we call such a soul, even if in a human body?

Are we cultivating the consciousness of animals. Then what is our destination?

We call such a person an animal in human form. You may be shocked at this. How dare I call a human being an animal? How arrogant and conceited of me! What sort of spiritualist am I, this Das?

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

My dear reader, please understand that a spiritualist is just like an honest doctor. An honest doctor is not afraid to observe carefully and make the right diagnosis. From the doctor’s diagnosis comes a treatment plan, including diet, rest, exercise, and medicine. And from this comes a prognosis, some hope of hope, possibly.

But a doctor who sweeps the symptoms under a rug and pretends everything is just fine, is no doctor. Such a “doctor” is really an enemy in disguise.

A doctor must be honest!

And therefore, out of abundant compassion, we call such a human an animal. So that we may develop even more patience and compassion. After all, there is no point being too harsh with an animal or a child. We then try to coax and cajole and convince in this way or in that way.

Physician Heal Thyself

First things first. As a spiritualist, I seek to spot the times when I myself behave as if I were my mind or my body. And I strive to disassociate myself, my self interest from the urges of the body or the mind. If I can be honest with myself, then I will have a deep sense of humility and understanding as to why this is so difficult for me. My conditioning in the material world makes it extremely difficult, and I have been trying for decades!

So, what should I do? First and foremost, look in the mirror and be honest with myself at all times, places, and circumstances.

I cannot be like this kitten here!

Compassion and Equal Vision!

Just as we need to see ourselves and where we are, we need to see everyone with an equal vision, and understand that every spirit soul is precious!

Not all souls can be served in the same way… I cannot discuss philosophy with a dog, nor can I get a pig to appreciate delicious food.

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

For 99% of the population, we just try to engage in the chanting of God’s names. We give them Krishna Prasada, sanctified food, which has been lovingly cooked for and offered to Krishna. We then drip in a little bit of the medicine of the philosophy, you are not this body, you are not this mind, you are a spirit soul.

Hare Krishnas out on Harinam Sankirtan, out to save us all!

And so the effort continues, many, many spiritual warriors trying to save one soul, lifetime after lifetime, in a concerted harmonious effort.

The merciful Srila Prabhupada distributes Krishna Prasada generously to one and all.

My dear soul, please help us with this greatest of all causes, please do your bit for yourself, and then turn to serve others and help them get on and stay on a spiritual journey. Hare Krishna!

Taj Bibi – Mughal Queen, Pure Devotee of Krishna

Taj Bibi was a Mughal queen. A wife of the great Mughal Emperor Akbar himself. But she is also a great Vaishnava saint. Her devotional songs are sung to this day. Her tomb is in Vrindavan. How did she make the journey from a mere Mughal Queen to an exalted pure devotee of Krishna?

It is often misunderstood that Krishna is the “God of the Hindus”, or “Hindu God”, or worse “A Hindu god”.

Nothing could be further from the truth, first of all, God is neither Hindu nor Muslim nor Christian nor Jewish nor any other designation you can think of.

God is God.

What to speak of God, even the devotee of God is beyond all material designations!

The very definition of devotion to God by the great Vaishnava saint Srila Rupa Goswami makes this abundantly clear.

সর্বোপাধিবিনির্মুক্তং তৎপরত্বেন নির্মলম্ ।
হৃষীকেণ হৃষীকেশ-সেবনং ভক্তিরুচ্যতে ॥ ১৭০ ॥

sarvopādhi-vinirmuktaṁ
tat-paratvena nirmalam
hṛṣīkeṇa hṛṣīkeśa-
sevanaṁ bhaktir ucyate

“ ‘Bhakti, or devotional service, means engaging all our senses in the service of the Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all the senses. When the spirit soul renders service unto the Supreme, there are two side effects. One is freed from all material designations, and one’s senses are purified simply by being employed in the service of the Lord.’

https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/19/170/

In other words, devotion to God is not possible for someone who is under material designations like Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Jew, or Indian, Pakistani, Chinese, American, African, Canadian.

By corollary, anyone who identifies with any material designation, has no devotion to God.

And when someone truly awakens to the Love of God, then nothing can stop them. Not the religion of their birth, not their gender, not their social or economic status, or their education. When Love of God awakens, it is a force that no other power can stop.

स वै पुंसां परो धर्मो यतो भक्तिरधोक्षजे ।
अहैतुक्यप्रतिहता ययात्मा सुप्रसीदति ॥ ६ ॥

sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhokṣaje
ahaituky apratihatā
yayātmā suprasīdati

The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/2/6/

Take the example of Taj Bibi, a great saint in the Bhakti tradition.

I first heard of Taj Bibi in a Youtube lecture series on Sri Radha Govindaji by His Holiness Indradyumna Swami, a former US Marine turned Vaishnava monk. He is a wonderful, inspiring, saintly Vaishnava.

Taj Bibi was born in a devout and well educated Muslim family. She was the daughter of a Maulvi, a Muslim priest well-connected to the Emperor Akbar. Practically, her father was one of Akbar’s spiritual advisors.

Growing up, she had a fascination for Allah that went beyond the instruction of the Quran. She wanted to see and serve Allah personally. She asked repeatedly if Allah could be seen… and all the Muslim religious leaders told her that if she went to Mecca and Medina on Hajj then she could see Allah. But she was dissuaded for being too young.

She was also exceedingly beautiful. When her father, Fadan Khan died, the Emperor Akbar married her and she became a respected Mughal Queen.

Taj Bibi, Mughal Queen and Vaishnava Saint

One day, on her way to Agra to see Emperor Akbar, she heard the bells of the famous Govindaji temple in Vrindavan. She asked her palanquin bearers what the sound was.

Little Allah!

Those are the bells of the temple of Govindaji, came the reply. She then asked who Govindaji was. The head Muslim Palanquin bearer answered “Oh, he is a little god of the Hindus”. Taj Bibi exclaimed “Oh! Chhota Allah”, which means “Little Allah”. She insisted on being taken to the temple.

Sri Govindaji, who now resides in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He was originally in Vrindavan, but the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb wanted to desecrate the temple. After a spell-binding adventure, Sri Govindaji reached Jaipur over 400 years ago.

When she reached there, because she was Muslim, she wasn’t allowed entry into the temple. So she sat at the doorway, mesmerized by the sight of Govindaji. She sat there and sang and sang and sang.

The palanquin bearers reminded her that the Emperor was waiting. She ordered the palanquin bearers to inform the emperor to release her from the marriage. Akbar, being an evolved spiritualist himself, agreed.

Taj Bibi then made Vrindavan her home and entered deep into the love of her Allah, she knew Allah as Krishna and saw Him personally in meditation every day.

She also received Vaishnava initiation from her spiritual master Sri Vitthalnath ji, a disciple of Sripada Vallabhacharya of the Pushtimarga Sampradaya.

She spent her life immersed in loving devotional service and wrote many many songs, written in the agony of separation from her beloved, Krishna, or Govindaji. Her songs are sung by devotees to this very day.

In fact, she left her mortal body behind one day, in the sacred land of Vrindavan, eager to catch Krishna who was close by, playing Holi (the festival of colours) with His dearest associates. She went to meet her Beloved in her spiritual form, leaving her mortal body behind.

Her tomb in Raman Reti bears witness to the life of this great saint who fell in love with Krishna despite being born a Muslim and being in the materially exalted position of being a queen of the great Mughal emperor Akbar.

The tomb of the great Mughal Queen and Vaishnava Saint, Taj Bibi.

Bhakti knows no barriers.

Not very long ago, when I gave a Bhagavatam class at ISKCON Hyderabad, there was one young lady who was asking me some very intense questions. I learned that she was a girl from a Muslim family, and her teachers were discouraging her from practicing Krishna Bhakti. I said to her that Allah was standing in front of her in the form of Sri Radha Madan Mohan, and He was visible as He is to those whose eyes are tinged with the salve of Love of God. She was clearly very moved by Sri Radha Madan Mohan, as she stood in front of Him with tears in her eyes.

And of course, many readers have expressed appreciation for the Muslim Brahmin in Hyderabad.

Allah stands in the form of Sri Radha Madan Mohan in ISKCON Hyderabad, for thoe who have the eyes to see Him.

And how can you develop the eyes to see God?

Chant the names of God, even if according to your own tradition. If you are actually chanting the names of God, then you will see God everywhere, including in His deity form, and in every genuine name of God, you will feel ecstatic love.

एतन्निर्विद्यमानानामिच्छतामकुतोभयम् ।
योगिनां नृप निर्णीतं हरेर्नामानुकीर्तनम् ॥ ११ ॥

etan nirvidyamānānām
icchatām akuto-bhayam
yogināṁ nṛpa nirṇītaṁ
harer nāmānukīrtanam

O King, constant chanting of the holy name of the Lord after the ways of the great authorities is the doubtless and fearless way of success for all, including those who are free from all material desires, those who are desirous of all material enjoyment, and also those who are self-satisfied by dint of transcendental knowledge.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/2/1/11/

If you would like to taste genuine spiritual bliss, please chant this mantra constantly:

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

There are many great saints, born in Muslim families, but who developed great devotion to Krishna and are exemplary in their devotional service. I will write about some of them in due course of time.

Do you have a question? Feel free to write to me!

How George Harrison found complete satisfaction

Why can we not find satisfaction? A poor person, middle class person, and rich person all are dissatisfied. Even the richest person sometimes wants a carefree life of the poor… how to get satisfaction in life?

Nisarga, 30 June 2020

When a poor man sees a middle class person he wishes that if I atleast have a life like him I will be satisfied. Similarly that middle Class person will find his happiness in a rich person’s life and the rich person also won’t be that satisfied or happy in his life…he will sometimes wish that he had a life to live like that poor man without any worries .why does this happen and how do we break this loop and find satisfaction and happiness within oneself.

Nisarga

Mahabhagavat Das, 08 September 2020

Dear Nisarga,

Hare Krishna!

A spirit soul is purely spiritual. But when the spirit soul identifies with matter, then the soul seeks satisfaction in material sense gratification. But because the soul is spiritual, everything material does not satisfy.

Actually, the spirit soul is in search of Krishna, as said perfectly by George Harrison…

quote

Everybody is looking for KRISHNA. Some don’t realize that they are, but they are.

KRISHNA is GOD, the Source of all that exists, the Cause of all that is, was, or ever will be. As GOD is unlimited HE has many Names. Allah-Buddha-Jehova-Rama: All are KRISHNA, all are ONE.

God is not abstract; He has both the impersonal and the personal aspects to His personality which is SUPREME, ETERNAL, BLISSFUL, and full of KNOWLEDGE. As a single drop of water has the same qualities as an ocean of water, so has our consciousness the qualities of GOD’S consciousness… but through our identification and attachment with material energy (physical body, sense pleasures, material possessions, ego, etc.) our true TRANSCENDENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS has been polluted, and like a dirty mirror it is unable to reflect a pure image. With many lives our association with the TEMPORARY has grown. This impermanent body, a bag of bones and flesh, is mistaken for our true self, and we have accepted this temporary condition to be final.

Through all ages, great SAINTS have remained as living proof that this non-temporary, permanent state of GOD CONSCIOUSNESS can be revived in all living Souls. Each soul is potentially divine. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita: “Steady in the Self, being freed from all material contamination, the yogi achieves the highest perfectional stage of happiness in touch with the Supreme Consciousness.” (VI,28)

YOGA (a scientific method for GOD (SELF) realization) is the process by which we purify our consciousness, stop further pollution, and arrive at the state of Perfection, full KNOWLEDGE, full BLISS.

If there’s a God, I want to see Him. It’s pointless to believe in something without proof, and Krishna Consciousness and meditation are methods where you can actually obtain GOD perception. You can actually see God, and Hear Him, play with Him. It might sound crazy, but He is actually there, actually with you.

There are many yogic Paths–Raja, Jnana, Hatha, Kriya, Karma, Bhakti–which are all acclaimed by the MASTERS of each method. SWAMI BHAKTIVEDANTA is as his title says, a BHAKTI Yogi following the path of DEVOTION. By serving GOD through each thought, word, and DEED, and by chanting HIS Holy Names, the devotee quickly develops God-consciousness. By chanting:

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna – Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare

Hare Rama, Hare Rama – Rama Rama, Hare Hare

one inevitably arrives at KRISHNA Consciousness. (The proof of the pudding is in the eating!)

I request that you take advantage of this book KRISHNA, and enter into its understanding. I also request that you make an appointment to meet your God now, through the self liberating process of YOGA (UNION) and GIVE PEACE A CHANCE

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE (KRISHNA) HARI BOL.

GEORGE HARRISON 31/3/70

unquote

The only satisfaction is in pure Krishna Consciousness.

Does this help?

Sincerely,

Mahabhagavat Das

dasadas.com

Nikhil Mishra, 08 September 2020

Jai..Hari Bol. Thanks for quoting George Harrison.

I guess Swami Prabhupada must be very pleased with the services of

George Harrison. I have heard that in his last days, Prabhupada asked

caretaking devotees to give his ring to Mr. (Bhakta) George Harrison.

Sincerely

Nikhil

Reason and Love : “Reason helps Love to maintain its proper bounds in the Spiritual world. Love often tends to degrade itself by exercising its function on objects other than God and converts itself into lust for women, wine, meat and gold. Here Reason advises her to rise higher till she reaches her proper sphere above.”

– Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Mahabhagavat Das, 09 September 2020

Yes, George Harrison is a great Vaishnava. He has done tremendous services in the Krishna Consciousness movement when it was needed the most. He chanted Hare Krishna right till the end of his body. Srila Prabhupada surely has arranged for his onward journey. Now it is time for us to strive hard, get out of complacency and be truly Krishna conscious, and give this one life to Krishna. What are we waiting for? 

Mahabhagavat Das, dasadas.com

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Muslim Brahmin in Hyderabad

Can a Muslim be a Brahmin? Can a Vaishnava be as good as a Mullah or Rabbi or Christian priest? Here are some great insights from a Maulvi in Hyderabad!

Not long ago, I was out on the street distributing the Bhagavad Gita in the South Central Indian City of Hyderabad. Hyderabad, like most cities in India, is a beautiful confluence of many cultures. Specifically, in Hyderabad, there is a significant mix of Hindu, Muslim, and Christian populations, and the history of the city has a strong Muslim flavour. For the most part, people have lived in harmony for hundreds of years. There have been flash-points and incidents of hatred, but relatively rare.

One day, as I stood on the street, I saw an elderly gentlemen, clearly Muslim from his long white beard with moustache shaved off, a baggy light-coloured Salwar Kameez, and a distinctive skull cap. He walked slowly, with a walker, that he gently placed in front of him, and then moved his legs closer to the walker, shuffling by slowly. I respectfully made way for this gentleman and greeted him with a little bow.

He passed back-and-forth a few times, and seeing his friendly countenance, I asked him if he would read the Bhagavad Gita. He said he most certainly would, if I had a Hindi version available. He then told me that he had been to the ISKCON Radha Madan Mohan temple in Abids, Hyderabad several times for the Sunday feast program, and had participated in Harinam Sankirtan, and taken Prasad many times at the temple. The surprise must have been clear on my face, because he then said “Do you know that I am a Brahmin?”.

He then explained “I am the Maulvi of this mosque around this corner. I have dedicated my life to Allah. I don’t eat meat and I don’t drink alcohol. I teach the scripture. So how am I not a Brahmin?”. He then added “The Gita was spoken by Allah and the Q’uran was spoken by Allah, so why would I read one but not the other?“. I was very much gladdened by his mature understanding. This is exactly our Vaishnava understanding too.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna describes the qualities of a Brahmin…

शमो दमस्तप: शौचं क्षान्तिरार्जवमेव च ।
ज्ञानं विज्ञानमास्तिक्यं ब्रह्मकर्म स्वभावजम् ॥ ४२ ॥

śamo damas tapaḥ śaucaṁ
kṣāntir ārjavam eva ca
jñānaṁ vijñānam āstikyaṁ
brahma-karma svabhāva-jam

Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas work.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/42/

So, if we see any living entity from any cultural background or any religious orientation who has these qualities, we must accept them as good as Brahmins. Of course, Krishna also says that Brahmin is not only by quality, but also by the work they do…

चातुर्वर्ण्यं मया सृष्टं गुणकर्मविभागशः ।
तस्य कर्तारमपि मां विद्ध्यकर्तारमव्ययम् ॥ १३ ॥

cātur-varṇyaṁ mayā sṛṣṭaṁ
guṇa-karma-vibhāgaśaḥ
tasya kartāram api māṁ
viddhy akartāram avyayam

According to the three modes of material nature and the work associated with them, the four divisions of human society are created by Me. And although I am the creator of this system, you should know that I am yet the nondoer, being unchangeable.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/4/13/

Srila Prabhupada describes the 6 duties of a Brahmin…

Brāhmaṇas are supposed to acquire six kinds of auspicious qualifications: they become very learned scholars (paṭhana) and very qualified teachers (pāṭhana); they become expert in worshiping the Lord or the demigods (yajana), and they teach others how to execute this worship (yājana); they qualify themselves as bona fide persons to receive alms from others (pratigraha), and they distribute the wealth in charity (dāna).

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/17/11/

Based on instructions from the Vaishnava Acharyas, the great saintly teachers, we accept that Prophet Muhammad is an empowered messenger sent directly by God, practically, speaking a “shaktyavesha avataar” or a living entity but with the power to act in a way empowered by God. We accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God, a pure devotee fully dovetailed with the desire of God. We accept that there is only one God, known by different names and different degrees of understanding, as an impersonal spirit (Brahman), as a localized supersoul (Paramatma), and as the Personality of Godhead (Bhagavan).

When our constitutional position, or dharma, is deteriorated due to the contaminations of matter, the Lord Himself comes as an incarnation or sends some of His confidential servitors. Lord Jesus Christ called himself the “son of God,” and so is a representative of the Supreme. Similarly, Mohammed identified himself as a servant of the Supreme Lord. Thus whenever there is a discrepancy in our constitutional position, the Supreme Lord either comes Himself or sends His representative to inform us of the real position of the living entity.

On the Way to Krishna, Chapter 2

I offered my deepest respects to that great Maulvi, that Muslim priest, who has realized the essence of Allah Consciousness in principle. Surely, he is very very close to Allah. By speaking his sweet realized words, he gave me hope that this world can be rectified from its current sectarian path.

In the same way, all the Muslims should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Maulvis and Hazrats.

The Christians should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own nuns, monks, and priests.

The Jews should accept the advanced Vaishnavas as good as their own Rabbis.

This is the principle. One God. Many scriptures according to time, place, and circumstance.

So, what was our conclusion as we parted ways? We concluded that the genuine mature follower of any genuine faith tradition is very similar, they love God, and they love all of God’s creation. They see God everywhere, and see everyone as God’s children, to be loved and served. But the follower-in-name, a materialist or religion-politician of any faith is equally sectarian or in many cases, inhuman, and unfortunately, also evil.

Pursuing the Highest Instruction of your Scripture

Every scripture has higher and lower instruction. Pursue the highest instruction always. The lower instructions are for animal-like humans… we should strive to go deeper, higher.

I was out a couple of days ago, looking to meet people interested in spiritual life. I do this often, and especially in December every year, I’m in marathon mode.

It was in Kensington market in Toronto, I was out with my son.

We met a gentleman who introduced himself as Altaf. Altaf Bhai is from Pakistan and also has some Agra connections. He told me he is a yogi, even though he is a Muslim. I thought why not, yoga means to reconnect to God, so why can a Muslim not be a yogi. He started speaking some intricate philosophy. But I could see that there were many gaps in his knowledge. He was secretly trying to convince me to become a Muslim. I’m OK with that, but I’m not OK with ignorance.

As the conversation progressed, however, he began to say things that were insulting to another very very great personality, Lord Shiva. He said that Lord Shiva was actually satan. I had to stop him there. It is one thing to not know something, but for someone like me who knows better, it is a crime to stand there and listen to such things. According to the Vedic texts, the personality known as Satan in the Koran and Bible is actually the personality named Kalipurusha. Not to be confused with the goddess Kali devi, this personality is in charge of the current age of quarrel and hypocrisy. But I couldn’t get in a word edgewise with Altaf – he just didn’t want to hear anything.

He then mentioned sacrificing cows. He said that the Quran does permit sacrificing cows. He said that Allah gave us all the animals for our enjoyment.

A yogi who recommends cow slaughter? A yogi who does not know the basics of yoga? Hmmm… this was very fishy.

Every scripture has higher instructions and lower instructions. The lower instructions are meant so that humans who are on the level of animals may find something to adhere to, and rise higher, and when they do rise higher, then there are higher instructions to follow.

For example, there is also an instruction in the Quran that one should not have sexual relationships with one’s mother, or with the father’s wife. Why was this instruction present? Because at that time and in that place, there were men who did not hesitate to do so. So the Prophet had to include that instructions, just to civilize those animal-like men.

The highest instruction, of course, is to see every woman who is not your wife as your own mother. It does not matter if she is younger or older or what – if she is not your wife, she is as good as your own mother. Treat her with respect. That will resolve a lot of problems at one stroke, but that is another topic for another day.

Similarly, the instruction about ritual sacrifice of animals was in a place where food was hardly available – it was the barren desert after all. The instruction of ritual sacrifice and to cause the least amount of pain to the animal was there because there were people who took sadistic pleasure in torturing animals. This does not mean that the Quran encourages opening of slaughter-houses and killing of animals on a large scale. I couldn’t convince him, but this message is for him and other Altaf’s of the world.

It is not necessary to be a bloody thirsty animal killer to follow Islam, to be a Muslim. Meat is not for spiritualists, unless it is a question of absolute necessity.

I did not have the heart to tell Altaf about the hellish punishments given in the Vedic scripture for killing a cow. And I don’t want to shock my dear readers too. But it is not good, not in this world, nor in the next.

One of the greatest Muslims in the history of the world was Haridas Thakur. Born in Bengal, he is recognized as one of the greatest spiritual leaders of the world. He chanted the Hare Krishna Mahamantra constantly, and was able to convince Muslims with arguments from the Koran that he was doing the highest thing. If you want to read about Haridas Thakur, this book is highly recommended. http://torchlightinternational.com/shop/namacarya/.

Haridas Thakur was disliked by both the Muslims and the Hindus, because he knew both scriptures better than most and he personally followed both scriptures perfectly. Indeed, a Qazi had him whipped in 22 marketplaces, and while most people would die after 1-2 such beatings, Haridas Thakur felt no pain. He was praying for his assailants to be forgiven all the while!

In every scripture, including the Bhagavad Gita, there are higher and lower instructions, for example in the twelfth chapter of the Gita, Krishna says the following:

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.

Just fix your mind upon Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and engage all your intelligence in Me. Thus you will live in Me always, without a doubt.

My dear Arjuna, O winner of wealth, if you cannot fix your mind upon Me without deviation, then follow the regulative principles of bhakti-yoga. In this way develop a desire to attain Me.

If you cannot practice the regulations of bhakti-yoga, then just try to work for Me, because by working for Me you will come to the perfect stage.

If, however, you are unable to work in this consciousness of Me, then try to act giving up all results of your work and try to be self-situated.

 If you cannot take to this practice, then engage yourself in the cultivation of knowledge. Better than knowledge, however, is meditation, and better than meditation is renunciation of the fruits of action, for by such renunciation one can attain peace of mind.

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

Do you see how the highest goal may be unattainable for most? So Krishna gives alternatives. But those alternatives are not the highest thing. The highest thing is what Krishna mentioned first.

Similarly, in the Quran also there are lower and higher instructions, meant for people of different kinds.

I have many Muslim friends who are both Muslim and Vegetarian. In fact, many are vegan. See https://veganmuslims.com/ for a more background on that.

As I told Altaf, I was neither rejecting him, nor was I rejecting Prophet Muhammad, and I certainly am not rejecting Allah. What I am emphatically rejecting is his ignorance, and I am even more strongly rejecting words that are supposedly sacred but are actually meant to spread ignorance around. This applies to anyone from any tradition. I could not give him anything else except a vibration of the Mahamantra – Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare. May Altaf find peace in this life and the next.

My plea to all my Muslim brothers and sisters is this – please dear souls, please go higher in your knowledge and adherence of your own scripture. Follow the highest instruction of your scripture. Continuously chant the names of Allah with pure love and devotion, and you will find you will lose all taste for blood and flesh.

This is my prayer to everyone else, to Buddhists, to Christians, and to Jews. Thou Shalt Not Kill.

Christians, please don’t blaspheme God The Father

Why should we blaspheme other religious traditions? Why can’t we learn from them? Why can we not increase each other’s knowledge and faith instead?

I am past labels. I don’t particularly care if you are following the Christian traditions or the Islamic Traditions or if you are Sikh or consider yourself a Hindu.

I do care about the principles you follow. For example, do you really love God? Do you treat God’s creation with love, care, and respect? Do you treat other living entities with kindness? Do you serve God with your every thought, word, and deed, or at least strive to?

I also care about your knowledge about these Universal Principles.

For example, you may know God with different names.

But when you come across other traditions, are you big enough to learn from them? Or are you so insecure in your own faith that you have to bash other religious traditions?

I have met many Christians who have been misguided with regard to Krishna. Some are taught that Krishna is a “false god”. Some are taught that Krishna is a devil. Some are taught that servitors of Krishna are satan-worshippers. There are so many misconceptions. There is one website called gotquestions dot org that purports to answer your questions about various religious traditions. But you know, they simply spread their ignorance all around, and they make great offenses to God.

For example, Krishna is known in the Vedic Scriptures as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna’s appearance was predicted well before He arrived in this world, 5000 years ago. Krishna is always Krishna, He did not have to learn how to become God. As a little baby, He dispatched many demons who were sent to kill Him. The demons always try to measure God against themselves… so they think that by perfecting this, that, or the other power, they will be able to kill God. But no one succeeded. Krishna lifted a mountain with the little finger of His left hand for 7 days and 7 nights. Krishna satisfied over 3 billion young girls without getting agitated Himself. He married 16,108 wives, kept them in 16,108 palaces, and expanded Himself into 16,108 forms to satisfy each of them, giving each of them 10 sons and 1 daughter. Krishna organized many demons and demoniac armies to be destroyed. Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita. Krishna is accepted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead by many, many sages throughout history, including Jews, Christians, Sikhs, and Muslims.

Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He prays “My Father, Thought Art in Heaven, Hallowed Be Thy Name”. Who is the father of Jesus Christ?

Krishna.

Krishna is the Heavenly Father of Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus didn’t have enough time to give those desert-dwellers all this information… just 3 years, he was only able to cover the basics… But another topic for another day is that Krishna is a great Yogi, a Vedic sage, and Jesus lived on this planet long after he was crucified.

So when the Christians blaspheme Krishna, they are greatly displeasing Lord Jesus Christ. Would you be happy with me if I blasphemed your father? Such persons who blaspheme God or any personality dear to God will never make it to the Kingdom of God, no matter what.

So dear spirit souls. Follow any genuine tradition, understand its principles deeply. When you meet someone from another tradition, help them strengthen their faith, find something in common, and together, let us get down to our actual business, glorification of God, whether you know God as Allah, Jehovah, or Krishna.

Krishna says this.

अहं सर्वस्य प्रभवो मत्त: सर्वं प्रवर्तते ।
इति मत्वा भजन्ते मां बुधा भावसमन्विता: ॥ ८ ॥

ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo
mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate
iti matvā bhajante māṁ
budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ

I am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who perfectly know this engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/10/8/

But you should know that even when Krishna was personally on this planet, there were fools who refused to accept Him. Krishna personally acknowledged this:

नाहं प्रकाश: सर्वस्य योगमायासमावृत: ।
मूढोऽयं नाभिजानाति लोको मामजमव्ययम् ॥ २५ ॥

nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya
yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ
mūḍho ’yaṁ nābhijānāti
loko mām ajam avyayam

I am never manifest to the foolish and unintelligent. For them I am covered by My internal potency, and therefore they do not know that I am unborn and infallible.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/7/25/

Please don’t remain misled by these pretenders and politicians, masquerading as religious leaders. Please break free and know the Supreme Absolute Truth as the One who has unlimited names and forms.

गुणात्मनस्तेऽपि गुणान् विमातुं
हितावतीर्णस्य क ईशिरेऽस्य ।
कालेन यैर्वा विमिता: सुकल्पै-
र्भूपांशव: खे मिहिका द्युभास: ॥ ७ ॥

guṇātmanas te ’pi guṇān vimātuṁ
hitāvatīṛnasya ka īśire ’sya
kālena yair vā vimitāḥ su-kalpair
bhū-pāṁśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ

In time, learned philosophers or scientists might be able to count all the atoms of the earth, the particles of snow, or perhaps even the shining molecules radiating from the sun, the stars and other luminaries. But among these learned men, who could possibly count the unlimited transcendental qualities possessed by You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have descended onto the surface of the earth for the benefit of all living entities?

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/14/7/

Do you have more questions about this? Please contact me.

The religion of fire, the religion of water, and the religion of the soul

What is your religion? What is the religion of fire? What is the religion of water?

What is your religion, people ask me sometimes. I tell them I’m beyond labels. They sometimes don’t understand. Sometimes they misunderstand.

What is the religion of fire?

What is the religion of water?

Fire gives heat, and fire gives light. And fire burns, whether you know how to handle it or not. Whether the fire is in a spaceship or in Australia, or in a submarine in the Pacific, fire is fire. If a fire doesn’t give heat or light, it is in an unnatural state.

Water is liquid, water quenches thirst, water wets, and water drowns also. No matter where the water is, water is water. When the water is vapour or has frozen to ice, it is in an unnatural state.

I am a living entity. You are a living entity. We are both living entities.

My religion is the same as yours, service, service to the Supreme’s little sparks, service to the Supreme.

We are pleased only when we serve. In fact, we find greater pleasure in service than we do in any form of gratification for ourselves. This is why if we don’t have any humans to serve, we seek out dogs and cats and ferrets.

But the problem with ordinary service to any other living entity is that this service is not always reciprocated, and almost never perfectly. There are mothers who served their children really sincerely but their children didn’t reciprocate with them. There are men who served women, women who served men, and they were not treated well or just tossed out.

There are people who have served organizations, and organizations who have served people.

In the best of situations, no one feels satisfied with this service.

But no one is fully satisfied by serving anyone else other than God.

Why is that?

Because God can reciprocate fully with all of us. Yes, even when billions and trillions of souls serve God simultaneously, God has the capacity to reciprocate with each of us as if we were the only one.

As if I were the only one.

Lovers aspire for this, “feel what I feel” closeness, but on the material level, it is all too fleeting, only to be replaced by heartbreak, disappointment, or just plain indifference.

We desire to be special, to be unique, to be one-of-a-kind. Someone special to someone special, forever. But we already are! Every single living entity is unique, that the specific flavour, the specific mellow of service, the specific mood is unique and irreplaceable.

My dear reader, please serve God as He wants to be served. That is your religion, as is mine. And when you find someone serving God in another way than you were taught according to you tradition, don’t think they are of another religion. Instead, rejoice.

I know God as Krishna. Someone knows Him as Allah. Someone else, as Jehovah or Christ. Someone loves Rama, someone loves Yahweh. Someone adores Adonai. Someone follows Jesus, yet another follows Nanak.

When you meet someone, anyone, serving God, you have met your kin.

Rejoice. And serve them in their service as much as you can.

राजविद्या राजगुह्यं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ।
प्रत्यक्षावगमं धर्म्यं सुसुखं कर्तुमव्ययम् ॥ २ ॥

rāja-vidyā rāja-guhyaṁ
pavitram idam uttamam
pratyakṣāvagamaṁ dharmyaṁ
su-sukhaṁ kartum avyayam

This knowledge is the king of education, the most secret of all secrets. It is the purest knowledge, and because it gives direct perception of the self by realization, it is the perfection of religion. It is everlasting, and it is joyfully performed.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/2/

One God. One Religion. Service to God.

Allah is not your God? Krishna is not your God?

Are you a follower of Allah? Are you a follower of Krishna? Are you a follower of Rama? Are you a follower of Jehovah? Did you answer no to any of these questions but yes to at least one of these questions? Then read on!

In the world today, there is great strife between the followers of different spiritual and religious traditions about the name of God. In fact, some are so frustrated by this bickering that they take to atheism because at least the atheists agree that there is no God whatsoever.

Some say Allah is the Only God and there is none other. They say that Allah has 99 names and any other name does not refer to Allah.

Yet others say that Lord Rama or Lord Krishna is the True God.

Yet others say that Yahweh, not Krishna or Rama is THE name of God.

There is all this terrible discussion about “false gods”, and how the follower of this or that tradition is surely going to hell!

But you know, when a follower of Rama disparages Allah, they are disparaging their own beloved Rama?

When a follower of Jehovah disparages Krishna, do you know they are actually blaspheming Jehovah Himself?

Do you know that a person who commits sacrilege against the names Rama and Krishna are actually blaspheming Allah Himself?

Blasphemy of Any name of God is a blasphemy of All names of God. Be careful!

ŚB 10.14.7

गुणात्मनस्तेऽपि गुणान् विमातुं
हितावतीर्णस्य क ईशिरेऽस्य ।
कालेन यैर्वा विमिता: सुकल्पै-
र्भूपांशव: खे मिहिका द्युभास: ॥ ७ ॥ guṇātmanas te ’pi guṇān vimātuṁ
hitāvatīṛnasya ka īśire ’sya
kālena yair vā vimitāḥ su-kalpair
bhū-pāṁśavaḥ khe mihikā dyu-bhāsaḥ

In time, learned philosophers or scientists might be able to count all the atoms of the earth, the particles of snow, or perhaps even the shining molecules radiating from the sun, the stars and other luminaries. But among these learned men, who could possibly count the unlimited transcendental qualities possessed by You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have descended onto the surface of the earth for the benefit of all living entities?

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/10/14/7/

No one tradition knows everything possible about God, because God is infinite! We all stand to gain from sharing the unlimited glories of God with each other.

This is called Sankirtan, or “samyak kirtan”, “complete glorification of God”.

Any name of God from a bona fide historical scripture that refers to the Supreme Absolute Truth refers to the exact SAME person!

Don’t believe me?

American English: sun
Arabic: شَمْس
Brazilian Portuguese: sol
Chinese: 太阳
Croatian: sunce
Czech: slunce
Danish: sol
Dutch: zon
European Spanish: sol
Finnish: aurinko
French: soleil
German: Sonne
Greek: ήλιος
Italian: sole
Japanese: 太陽
Korean: 태양
Norwegian: sol
Polish: słońce
European Portuguese: sol
Romanian: soare
Russian: солнце
Latin American Spanish: sol
Swedish: sol
Thai: พระอาทิตย์
Turkish: güneş
Ukrainian: сонце
Vietnamese: mặt trời

Would it make sense for the Vietnamese person to say that mặt trời does not mean the same as the Ukranian word сонце or the Japanese word 太陽?

There is only ONE source to the Universe.

All of us from different spiritual traditions are but emanations of that ONE personality.

Krishna, for example means, “The All-Attractive One”. Is Allah not All-Attractive? So is Allah not Krishna? Is Jehovah not All-Attractive? So then, is Jehovah not Krishna?

The word Rama means “The source of All Pleasure”… Are Allah or Jehovah not the source of all pleasure? So are Allah and Jehovah not Rama?

Why fight over differences in language? Let’s learn each others’ languages! Use the comments section… What is the name of God in your language? And what does this name mean?

Love or Lust, take your pick

Radha Krishna, our Best Friend and Supreme Well-Wisher

Love, Love, Love!

Who doesn’t want to love and who doesn’t want to be loved!

Much desired, much discussed, fantasized about, hankered for, in songs, literature, poetry, even science.

Here is what a great saint says about Love:

ātmendriya-prīti-vāñchā — tāre bali ‘kāma’
kṛṣṇendriya-prīti-icchā dhare ‘prema’ nāma

The desire to gratify one’s own senses is kāma [lust], but the desire to please the senses of Lord Kṛṣṇa is prema [love].https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/adi/4/165/

Looking at it deeper, it means that whenever one desires someone or something for one’s own pleasure, that is not Love, that is Lust.

When we reflect on everything that has been given to us, air, water, this body, the ability to reflect, consciousness, the freedom to act, sunshine, food, and relationships… everything under the sun and beyond, we see that the source of it all deserves gratitude, and Love.

Krishna is the name for that Supreme Source, and Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, Rama, Yahweh, all refer to that one Supreme Soul, the Source of Everything that exists.

It is alright if you take exception to the above statement and disagree with me there. No matter what your own nomenclature for the Single Supreme Source of All is, whether it be Allah, Christ, Jehovah, Buddha, or some other name… When you try to gratify that Supreme Being’s senses, that is Love, and everything else is merely Lust.

All those love songs, all of those poems and ballads, dramas and theatre, perfumes and fantasies, they are actually of Love only when directed to the Supreme Divine, and lust otherwise.

I had a wonderful experience of this, traveling once with a sincere, loving, generous and humble saint, His Holiness Amala Bhakta Swami, from Toronto to Los Angeles, and he was clearly in ecstasy about something he was listening to. When I looked at him inquiringly, he took out one of his ear buds connected to his phone, and gave it to me… and he pressed play, I heard this song for the very first time in my life…

Unforgettable, that’s what you are
Unforgettable though near or far
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you does things to me
Never before has someone been more

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that’s how you’ll stay
That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

Unforgettable in every way
And forever more, that’s how you’ll stay
That’s why, darling, it’s incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too

-Nat King Cole (also performed by Barbara Streisand and others)

Think about this. While one can be forgiven for being carried away by temporary waves of emotion for our “TSO” – “temporary significant other” (phrase courtesy His Holiness Devamrita Swami), that song only consistently and forever makes sense when in relation to God. Because God stays in our heart and keeps us alive, gives us consciousness, even if we may have chosen to forget. Even though we may forget God, God never ever forgets us. I will never forget Amala Bhakta Swami Maharaja’s gift to me, in being able to relate everything wonderful and unforgettable back to the Supreme Divine, Krishna.

In fact, life after life, God travels in our heart, in His expansion as “Super Soul” or “Paramatma”

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति । भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८.६१ ॥ īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ
hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati
bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni
yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy. –https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/61/

No matter if a soul is in the body of a worm, an ant, a fish, a vulture, a hog, a dog, a camel, or an ass… or a human being, the Supreme Divine accompanies us all.

That is Love.

And to express affection back, and to render service to He who has never abandoned me, despicable me, who let my Best Friend and Well-Wisher down originally, and over and over again, but not again now, is worthy of my Love. Not “gimme this gimme that gimme gimme gimme” but “What can I do for you my dearest friend?”

Love or Lust, what will it be for you?

Love is what I seek to give, so please help me God.

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