Tag: muslim

“Idol” and “Mythology” – Two words that are offensive to Vedic culture

Why should we avoid the terms “idol” and “mythology” when discussing Vedic culture? These terms undermine the Krishna and Vedic scriptures. Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Vedic scriptures expound the Supreme Absolute Truth and Universal history. The original misunderstanding stems from historical attacks on Vedic culture. What is actual idol worship? What is actual mythology? Read more to find out!

These two words “idol” and “mythology” should be avoided like the plague when speaking about Vedic Culture. Vedic Culture means the culture that increases our love for Krishna. Never use the words “idol” and “mythology” when speaking about Vedic culture, or Vishnu / Krishna.

Unfortunately, this happens a lot in India, which is sad.

I give dictionary meanings, before elaborating further.

Idol: /īd′l/ A false god. One that is adored, often blindly or excessively.

Mythology: /mĭ-thŏl′ə-jē/ A body or collection of myths belonging to a people and addressing their origin, history, deities, ancestors, and heroes. A body of myths associated with an event, individual, or institution.

Radha Krishna and the 8 Topmost Gopis
Radha Krishna and the 8 Topmost Gopis

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.

Udupi Sri Krishna
Udupi Sri Krishna

Nothing about Krishna is “false”. And there can be no such thing as “blind” or “excessive” adoration of Krishna. In fact, no matter how much we adore, it is always insufficient. Our problem is that we don’t adore Krishna enough. And we don’t adore Krishna sufficiently because we are blind. If we were not blind, we would be absolutely pure in our love of Krishna.

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/

Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra
Krishna and Arjuna on the Battlefield of Kurukshetra

The Vedic Scriptures explain different aspects of Krishna. The Puranas are ancient history. So ancient and so broad that they encompass the entire Universe, and go back billions, even trillions of years. Who can comprehend that Universal range and time scale with our teeny little perspective?

Now, where did this misunderstanding come from?

Where did anyone get the idea to call images of Krishna as “idols” and the Vedic scriptures as “Mythology”?

The last surviving bastion of Vedic culture is what is current-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, etc.

Vedic culture has been under attack for well over 3000 years. It is natural, because we are in the kaliyuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy. Vedic culture i the opposite of quarrel and hypocrisy

First, it was the advent of Buddhism, and Jainism. These are essentially either impersonal, voidist, or both, depending on the specific flavor. Both twisted the Vedic scriptures in different ways. Both were philosophically defeated and Buddhism was mostly driven out to the far corners of the world, away from India.

Lord Buddha

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.

Lord Rishabhadeva instructing His sons

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.

Sports fans indulging in Idol Worship

“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.

False history propagated by the Europeans

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!

What is the religion of eating our mother and father, brother and sister?

How can we take the cow’s milk, and then kill her? Which religion supports this kind of ingratitude? How can we be so inhuman as to kill and eat the flesh of cows, bulls, and calves? Do we not see how this is causing havoc in human society? Please protect cows, and be peaceful and happy!

Sometimes, we see that people eat meat of animals, and that makes us sad.

We are sad because the killer becomes responsible for being killed. This cycle of violence can continue endlessly.

Sometimes we are shocked to see that they eat the meat of cows and bulls, calves too. It’s called “beef”.

They don’t seem to feel anything about this. Sometimes they even say their religion “supports” or “encourages” such meat eating.

But do you know that the cow is our mother? The bull is our father. All the calves are our brothers and sisters.

Sounds strange?

Well, when you were born, did you take the milk of your mother? Did your father contribute to your birth in this world? At least some of you have brothers and sisters older or younger to you? Do you kill them and eat their flesh?

Most of us take cow’s milk when we are babies. We continue when we are children. In most cases, we even continue as adults. We take yoghurt, buttermilk, cheese, milk sweets, and so many preparations made with cow’s milk.

If we take the cow’s milk, is the cow not our mother? Do we not owe a debt of gratitude to mother cow in return for her milk? How can we take the cow’s milk, then slaughter her?

The cow gives milk when she gives birth to a calf… then is the calf not our brother or sister?

The bull is responsible for making the cow pregnant. So, is the bull not our father?

What civilization is this? In our modern “animalization”, we have forgotten these debts to so many living entities.

We mercilessly slaughter the poor cow and her family.

But beware my dear reader – what goes around, comes around, it’s the law of karma.

We are cruelly slaughtering the cows, bulls, and calves. Similarly, our other “brothers and sisters” will slaughter us.

It will happen as war, it will happen through exploitation, it will happen as mass shootings. But happen it will.

War - especially unnecessary war is a result of karmic reactions. As you sow, so shall you reap.

For every hair on each body of every cow, bull, or calf we have killed, we will face the consequences. We have killed them unnecessarily. We will suffer slaughter ourselves. We will endure the same fate.

  • The war in Palestine is a result of cow killing.
  • The war in South Sudan is a result of cow killing.
  • The war in Ukraine is a result of cow killing.
  • Do we want more?
Why are there so many mass shootings in America? Is it not the cruelty we perpetrate every day that comes back to claim our own lives? The lives of our children?

Which religion allows you to kill and eat your father, your mother, your brothers and sisters?

No religion of God!

A society devoid of cow protection and brahminical culture is not under the direct protection of the Lord, just as the prisoners in the jails are not under the protection of the king but under the protection of a severe agent of the king. https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/1/14/34/ Purport

Why is the middle east always in turmoil? Why is Africa always so violent? Why are the Muslims killing the Christians, the Christians killing the Muslims? The Jews killing the Muslims, the Muslims killing the Jews? Why are the Muslims killing each other?

Is a Muslim who kills unnecessarily even a Muslim?

Is a Jew who kills unnecessarily even a Jew?

Is a Christian who kills unnecessarily even a Christian?

Are Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists who tolerate such killing even Hindus, Sikhs, or Buddhists?

Is it really necessary to kill the cows, bulls, calves in the presence of so much other less violent food?

Why is the middle east always in turmoil? Why are the Muslims killing the Christians, the Christians killing the Muslims? The Jews killing the Muslims, the Muslims Killing the Jews? Why are the Muslims Killing each other?

Only a demonic understanding of religion would allow you to kill your own mother, father, brother, and sister, and eat their flesh.

If your “religion” is encouraging you to kill your family members, then it is questionable. What type of religion promotes such acts?

Do you regularly eat the flesh of your mother, father, brothers, and sisters in the form of beef? Can you answer whose religion you are following?

Look deeper into your respective scriptures, find gratitude and compassion

Stop it! I implore you! Most of the heinous violence in the world is caused by this… until we stop killing cows, bulls, and calves, there will never be peace on earth.

God Loves Cows! God does not like to see cows killed. Please protect cows!

God says, in His Song of God (Bhagavad Gita)

कृषिगोरक्ष्यवाणिज्यं वैश्यकर्म स्वभावजम् ।

Farming, cow protection and business are the natural work for the vaiśyas…

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/18/44/

See “cow protection” above?

Please see the International Society for Cow Protection for more information on how you can help.

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!

Why Religious Conversion Does Not Equal True Transformation

A reflection on the nature of religious conversion… does it often lack genuine transformation? What is religious conversion driven by? Let us not ignore the importance of personal development and the cultivation of qualities such as compassion, truthfulness, and humility, rather than merely changing religious labels!

A Hindu can convert to Islam or Christianity. A Christian can convert to Hinduism or Islam. And of course, a Muslim can give up his faith to become an agnostic or Hindu or Christian. Replace any label with any other label, an “X” can convert to “Y”.

When someone converts, then some rejoice, and others fret and fume. One lady once said to me, after revealing to me her previous background “don’t reveal this to anyone, those people, they will kill me if they find out.”. I was quite saddened to hear that someone could be so barbaric as to try and kill her.

Neither is religious conversion of any value, nor should we worry about it. Rest assured, it will have no effect whatsoever. Religious conversion is a farce. It is a political move at best. Why is that?

The work we do inside a trligious tradition matters, not just professing some faith!

What is The Purpose of Religious Tradition?

Because, religious traditions, are like universities or other educational institutions. You don’t “convert” from Stanford to Yale, for example. Neither do you “convert” from computer science to mathematics.

Yes, you can transfer credits from one program to another, you can even switch from one university to another, but it is laughable to say that you have “converted” from studying to be, say, a doctor, to studying to be a medical researcher.

No matter if you are a doctor, or a lawyer, or a medical researcher or a mathematician or a software engineer or whatever… ultimately the result of your work is an income, which you use to meet your needs and wants. A religious tradition is similar, in it that you are meant to use your religious tradition to get closer to God! So don’t use your religious tradition for political purposes or any other lesser purpose!

Now, after an academic transfer, if you actually complete the requirements of your new program and put your acquired knowledge and experience to do better than before, then maybe the transfer was worthwhile, otherwise, it is like the farce of enrolling into a program, and doing nothing to actually fulfill the requirements!

Conversions Galore, and Re-Conversions Too!

I come from India, and throughout my history lessons, I studied how, starting about 2,500 years ago, “Hindus” were converting to Buddhism. Then, I read how, as the philosophy of Buddhism was defeated by great Acharyas such as Adi Shankaracharya, Sripad Ramanujacharya, and Sri Madhvacharya… all those former Buddhists reconverted to “Hinduism”.

Then later on, the Muslims invaded India from Central Asia, the Middle East, and those parts of the world… and they “converted” many of the “Hindus” into “Muslims”. Some of those “Muslims” later reconverted to being called “Hindus” while others adopted their new identities.

After a few hundred years, the Christian missionaries came to India, and began to “convert” Hindus, Muslims, and even the remaining Buddhists, into “Christians”. Some convert back, or to something else!

And this conversion roulette continues to be played today.

It is a farce. A person who professes some label, now claiming to profess some other label doesn’t change anything!

rotten fruit juice is no nectar

Labels Labels Everywhere

If you took some rotten fruit juice and put it into a different bottle labeled something… will the rotten fruit juice be transformed into nectar? No, rotten will remain rotten, maybe even become more so!

You can take an animal, let’s say, a dog, and you can label him a cat, but does he change to being a cat? Can you label a bird as a fish and now the “bird-labeled-fish” will be able to breathe under water and swim around like a fish?

Yes, you could try to indoctrinate the dog all you want… you could tell him “ok, now you are a cat… cats are ‘yours’ and dogs are the enemy”… will it work? No, the next time that dog sees a cat, he will be after it, barking away.

a dog is a dog, in any dress or conditioniong

Similarly, if you take a person who is unable to, say, practice the high Brahminical standards… and you convert that person into, say, a Christian. Will there be any transformation in the person based on this conversion? No, that person will still not be able to follow the highest tenets of Christianity!

In this case, the religious conversion was just to avoid following higher standards. In this way, conversion for the sake of some temporary economic benefit, or social pressure, or frustration with the community – these are the signs of a farcical conversion!

Someone may convert to Christianity because of promise of money or a job or some gifts, like a blanket or a pot or a stove… some convert to Christianity to get access to an addiction recovery service.

After all, how many Christians can follow the ten commandments? In fact, most of the Christians were so incapable of following the ten commandments that they had to water them down! And still they are hard to follow for most people who profess Christianity.

Embodying the Essence!

But to a dedicated follower of the Vedic Principles, the ten commandments are nothing, merely common sense, not even some great philosophical revelation! They have no trouble naturally following the ten commandments!

So what is the real deal? The real deal is when a person’s consciousness is transformed, taking it from animal-like consciousness to a divine state of consciousness!

That is the test. When someone tells me “I am X” or “I am Y”… I look at whether the person has actually developed a love for God, a love for their fellow beings, and not just humans of a certain label. I look for qualities like compassion, cleanliness, truthfulness, punctuality, honesty, and so on. In fact, these are the qualities I try and cultivate within myself…

kṛpālu, akṛta-droha, satya-sāra, sama
nidoṣa, vadānya, mṛdu, śuci, akiñcana
sarvopakāraka, śānta, kṛṣṇaika-śaraṇa
akāma, anīha, sthira, vijita-ṣaḍ-guṇa
mita-bhuk, apramatta, mānada, amānī
gambhīra, karuṇa, maitra, kavi, dakṣa, maunī

SYNONYMS
kṛpālu—merciful; akṛta-droha—not defiant; satya-sāra—thoroughly truthful; sama—equal; nidoṣa—faultless; vadānya—magnanimous; mṛdu—mild; śuci—clean; akiñcana—without material possessions; sarva-upakāraka—working for the welfare of everyone; śānta—peaceful; kṛṣṇa-eka-śaraṇa—exclusively surrendered to Kṛṣṇa; akāma—desireless; anīha—indifferent to material acquisitions; sthira—fixed; vijita-ṣaṭ-guṇa—completely controlling the six bad qualities (lust, anger, greed, etc.); mita-bhuk—eating only as much as required; apramatta—without inebriation; māna-da—respectful; amānī—without false prestige; gambhīra—grave; karuṇa—compassionate; maitra—a friend; kavi—a poet; dakṣa—expert; maunī—silent.

TRANSLATION
”Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless, magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work for everyone. They are peaceful, surrendered to Kṛṣṇa and desireless. They are indifferent to material acquisitions and are fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six bad qualities—lust, anger, greed and so forth. They eat only as much as required, and they are not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are friendly, poetic, expert and silent.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/madhya/22/78-80/

In fact, the Bhagavatam goes on to say this…

ŚB 5.18.12
यस्यास्ति भक्तिर्भगवत्यकिञ्चना
सर्वैर्गुणैस्तत्र समासते सुरा: ।
हरावभक्तस्य कुतो महद्गुणा
मनोरथेनासति धावतो बहि: ॥ १२ ॥

yasyāsti bhaktir bhagavaty akiñcanā
sarvair guṇais tatra samāsate surāḥ
harāv abhaktasya kuto mahad-guṇā
manorathenāsati dhāvato bahiḥ

Synonyms
yasya — of whom; asti — there is; bhaktiḥ — devotional service; bhagavati — to the Supreme Personality of Godhead; akiñcanā — without any motive; sarvaiḥ — with all; guṇaiḥ — good qualities; tatra — there (in that person); samāsate — reside; surāḥ — all the demigods; harau — unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead; abhaktasya — of a person who is not devoted; kutaḥ — where; mahat-guṇāḥ — good qualities; manorathena — by mental speculation; asati — in the temporary material world; dhāvataḥ — who is running; bahiḥ — outside.

Translation
All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities. Even if he is adept at the practice of mystic yoga or the honest endeavor of maintaining his family and relatives, he must be driven by his own mental speculations and must engage in the service of the Lord’s external energy. How can there be any good qualities in such a man?

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/5/18/12/

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada clarifies more…

The Qualities of an Advanced Spiritualist

In the Ādi-līlā of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Chapter Eight, there is a description of some of the qualities of devotees. For example, Śrī Paṇḍita Haridāsa is described as being very well-behaved, tolerant, peaceful, magnanimous and grave. In addition, he spoke very sweetly, his endeavors were very pleasing, he was always patient, he respected everyone, he always worked for everyone’s benefit, his mind was free of duplicity, and he was completely devoid of all malicious activities. These are all originally qualities of Kṛṣṇa, and when one becomes a devotee they automatically become manifest. Śrī Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja, the author of Caitanya-caritāmṛta, says that all good qualities become manifest in the body of a Vaiṣṇava and that only by the presence of these good qualities can one distinguish a Vaiṣṇava from a non-Vaiṣṇava. Kṛṣṇadāsa Kavirāja lists the following twenty-six good qualities of a Vaiṣṇava:

(1) He is very kind to everyone.

(2) He does not make anyone his enemy.

(3) He is truthful.

(4) He is equal to everyone.

(5) No one can find any fault in him.

(6) He is magnanimous.

(7) He is mild.

(8) He is always clean.

(9) He is without possessions.

(10) He works for everyone’s benefit.

(11) He is very peaceful.

(12) He is always surrendered to Kṛṣṇa.

(13) He has no material desires.

(14) He is very meek.

(15) He is steady.

(16) He controls his senses.

(17) He does not eat more than required.

(18) He is not influenced by the Lord’s illusory energy.

(19) He offers respect to everyone.

(20) He does not desire any respect for himself.

(21) He is very grave.

(22) He is merciful.

(23) He is friendly.

(24) He is poetic.

(25) He is expert.

(26) He is silent.

So let us all, with every means offered to us by our own religious tradition, strive to inculcate these qualities.

Let us not be a disgrace to our teachers, prophets, saints, philosophers, Gurus, Acharyas, Rabbis, Mullahs, Imams, Priests, Mentors, Pastors, Sangomas, and so on.

Let us not be a disgrace to our leaders. And it will be worse if we ourselves are the leaders!

In fact, it will be an even bigger disgrace if we ourselves are in such a respectable position as to advise others, and we ourselves have none of the transformation, none of the qualities mentioned above.

Let us all be converted in the only way that matters, develop pure Love for God.

Srila Prabhupada, a pure lover of God.

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.

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!

Feasting on the Holy Name

Many spiritualists fast. Especially Vaishnavas on Ekadasi day… but Ekadasi is meant for feasting. So how is it that someone can be simultaneously fasting and feasting at the same time?

తెలుగు (Telugu) translation

In most religious traditions, there is a concept of fasting… whether it is fasting from vice, or fasting from food and water… For example, the Christians fast for 40 days during Lent. Muslims fast for a month during Ramadan/Ramzan… and many other traditions have similar fasts.

In the Vaishnava tradition which I practice, we fast once approximately every 14 days, on a day called Ekadasi or Ekadashi. Usually this is the eleventh day of the waxing or waning moon. Usually, because there are some details when the fasting is a day later, but we won’t get into all that right now.

However, some advanced Vaishnavas say that Ekadashi is meant to be a day of feasting, not fasting.

But…

One should fast on the two Ekādaśī days, which fall on the eleventh day of the waxing and waning moon, and on the birthdays of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Rāma and Caitanya Mahāprabhu. There are many such fasting days.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/3/27/22/

Huh?

If Vaishnavas are fasting from grains, beans, and in some cases from all food, and from all water too for some… then what are they feasting on?

Well, new practitioners may find it hard to fast from food, being how intricately attached we are to our bodies, minds, and serving them constantly. For such Vaishnavas, it is advised that they can eat as much as they need to, except no grains and beans… and all that they eat must be first offered to Krishna. This helps them regulate their senses at least on that level.

But many Vaishnavas often fast from much more than just grains and beans, so how is it that they can feast?

Let us take the example of Rupa Goswami and Sanatana Goswami, great Goswamis of Vrindavan… they had obtained exalted birth, a very sharp intelligence and tremendous knowledge, and were serving as the ministers of the Nawab of Bengal. Rupa Goswami’s life savings in gold coins filled up an entire boat with gold!

But these same two brothers, when in Vrindavan, had no fixed residence, spending each night under a different tree, with barely enough clothing to cover themselves, and austere food, spent all their time hearing and chanting about Krishna. How could they do that?

tyaktva turnam asesha-mandala-pati-srenim sada tuccha-vat
bhutva dina-ganesakau karunaya kaupina-kanthasritau
gopi-bhava-rasamritabdhi-lahari-kallola-magnau muhur
vande rupa-sanatanau raghu-yugau sri-jiva-gopalakau

I offer my respectful obeisances unto the six Gosvamis, namely Sri Rupa Gosvami, Sri Sanatana Gosvami,
Sri Raghunatha Bhatta Gosvami, Sri Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, Sri Jiva Gosvami, and Sri Gopala Bhatta
Gosvami, who kicked off all association of aristocracy as insignificant. In order to deliver the poor
conditioned souls, they accepted loincloths, treating themselves as mendicants, but they are always merged in
the ecstatic ocean of the gopis’ love for Krishna and bathe always and repeatedly in the waves of that ocean.

Verse 4 https://iskcondesiretree.com/page/shad-goswamy-ashtakam

How is it possible for such persons accustomed to royal pleasures to give them up?

It understand by spiritualists that the objects of the senses, the experiences we chase, the possessions we crave, the sensory satisfaction we seek, are compared to toys and children… the child is attached to the toy, but can be induced to give up the toy if offered a higher and better experience.

What could be a higher and better experience than all the pleasures of material life? Especially, how can one give up that most basic of bodily needs – food?

What does food do for us?

  • Food satisfies the tongue – this hankering of the tongue is practically unconquerable, no matter if we need the food or not, the tongue will never say no.
  • Food nourishes the body – we feel strength from the food.
  • Food produces renunciation from food – as we get full, we hanker for food less and less.

भक्ति: परेशानुभवो विरक्ति-
रन्यत्र चैष त्रिक एककाल: ।
प्रपद्यमानस्य यथाश्न‍त: स्यु-
स्तुष्टि: पुष्टि: क्षुदपायोऽनुघासम् ॥ ४२ ॥

bhaktiḥ pareśānubhavo viraktir
anyatra caiṣa trika eka-kālaḥ
prapadyamānasya yathāśnataḥ syus
tuṣṭiḥ puṣṭiḥ kṣud-apāyo ’nu-ghāsam

Devotion, direct experience of the Supreme Lord, and detachment from other things — these three occur simultaneously for one who has taken shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the same way that pleasure, nourishment and relief from hunger come simultaneously and increasingly, with each bite, for a person engaged in eating.

So, if someone obtained an experience that fulfilled all three needs – satisifed the tongue, satisfied the bodily need for nourishment, and produced renunciation from the hankering for food, then that experience can replace food!

https://vedabase.io/en/library/sb/11/2/42/

Such is the chanting of the Holy Name of God.

This Hare Krishna Mahamantra

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

The Hare Krishna Mahamantra

This Mahamantra, when chanted purely, produces such an experience and beyond.

In fact, advanced spiritualists have tried to describe the experience of chanting Hare Krishna…

tuṇḍe tāṇḍavinī ratiṁ vitanute tuṇḍāvalī-labdhaye
karṇa-kroḍa-kaḍambinī ghaṭayate karṇārbudebhyaḥ spṛhām
cetaḥ-prāṅgaṇa-saṅginī vijayate sarvendriyāṇāṁ kṛtiṁ
no jāne janitā kiyadbhir amṛtaiḥ kṛṣṇeti varṇa-dvayī

“I do not know how much nectar the two syllables ‘Kṛṣ-ṇa’ have produced. When the holy name of Kṛṣṇa is chanted, it appears to dance within the mouth. We then desire many, many mouths. When that name enters the holes of the ears, we desire many millions of ears. And when the holy name dances in the courtyard of the heart, it conquers the activities of the mind, and therefore all the senses become inert.”

Rupa Goswami https://vedabase.io/en/library/cc/antya/1/99/

Is it any wonder that if a Vaishnava experiences even a tiny drop of a fraction of the ecstasy that the Holy Name generates, that they can abstain from food?

So should the rest of us go and imitate these Vaishnavas and fast from food and water willy nilly, even if the body is hurting?

अशास्त्रविहितं घोरं तप्यन्ते ये तपो जना: ।
दम्भाहङ्कारसंयुक्ता: कामरागबलान्विता: ॥ ५ ॥
कर्षयन्त: शरीरस्थं भूतग्राममचेतस: ।
मां चैवान्त: शरीरस्थं तान्विद्ध्यासुरनिश्चयान् ॥ ६ ॥

aśāstra-vihitaṁ ghoraṁ
tapyante ye tapo janāḥ
dambhāhaṅkāra-saṁyuktāḥ
kāma-rāga-balānvitāḥ

karṣayantaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
bhūta-grāmam acetasaḥ
māṁ caivāntaḥ śarīra-sthaṁ
tān viddhy āsura-niścayān

Those who undergo severe austerities and penances not recommended in the scriptures, performing them out of pride and egoism, who are impelled by lust and attachment, who are foolish and who torture the material elements of the body as well as the Supersoul dwelling within, are to be known as demons.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/17/5-6/

Of course, advanced Vaishnavas are not masochists or sadists, certainly not demons, and they don’t accept torturing their bodies, even if they have transcended the body… This is because the advanced Vaishnava sees the body as the property of Krishna.

In fact, when an advanced Vaishnava is seen by Krishna to be accepting too much austerity, Krishna gives that person more nourishment and opulence.

Take Krishna’s friend, the pure-hearted Brahmana named Sudama… Krishna gave him all opulence even though he didn’t ask for it!

This is one of Krishna’s most famous promises…

अनन्याश्चिन्तयन्तो मां ये जना: पर्युपासते ।
तेषां नित्याभियुक्तानां योगक्षेमं वहाम्यहम् ॥ २२ ॥

ananyāś cintayanto māṁ
ye janāḥ paryupāsate
teṣāṁ nityābhiyuktānāṁ
yoga-kṣemaṁ vahāmy aham

But those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form – to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.

https://vedabase.io/en/library/bg/9/22/

So, coming back to our original question… when a Vaishnava fasts, how is it that they are still feasting while fasting?

Simple. They feast on the Holy Name of Krishna

(1)
Of sweet things, it’s the sweetest you will taste at any time;
Of things that bring good fortune, it’s good fortune’s paradigm;
Of things that purify, it purifies most powerf’lly;
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(2)
From Brahma’s realm atop the sky down to the lowly grass,
Illusion reigns in Maya-devi’s treacherous morass.
The truth, the truth, the only truth: the Name of Sri Hari.
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(3)
He’s the guru, he’s the father, he’s the friend most true,
And she’s the real mother who most kindly teaches you
To always chant and hear the Holy Name of Sri Hari.
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(4)
Remember that our final breath may come at any time,
No matter if we’re old and sick or in our youthful prime.
So young and old alike should chant the Name incessantly.
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(5)
Lord Sri Hari forever dwells wherever devotees
Whose hearts are fixed on Him and free of all impurities
Uplift their voices high and sing His Name in ecstasy.
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(6)
Alas! What sorrow! What great pain! The worst calamity-
For people to forget the Holy Name of Sri Hari!
Although the Name’s a priceless gem, mere broken glass they see.
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(7)
Just fill your ears, just fill them with the Name of Sri Hari!
Just chant the Name, just chant the Name with all sincerity!
Just sing the Name, just sing the Holy Name eternally!
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(8)
It makes this world appear like bits of straw upon the ground;
It splendorously reigns supreme-divinity in sound;
It’s filled with transcendental bliss and peerless purity;
The Holy Name of Sri Hari is surely all that be.
(9)
Inspired to glorify the Holy Name of Sri Hari,
A certain sage composed this hymn in Sanskrit poetry.
I pray that those who read this lowly version made by me
Will chant the Holy Name of Sri Hari in ecstasy.

His Grace Sriman Dravida Dasa ACBSP English rendering of Sri Kevalastakam of Sri Nilakanta Goswami

What to speak of food for a day, the advanced Vaishnava can give up this entire material world!

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.

Is Lord Jesus Christ an incarnation of Krishna?

Bhakta Sunil, 28th December 2014

Hare Krishna everyone

Please accept my humble respects
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Have a Krishna Conscious Christmas!

Please tell whether Lord Jesus Christ is an incarnation in the mood of Son of Lord Krishna? like Lord Gauranga is incarnation in mood of devotee

Or

Is Lord Jesus Christ a confidential servant of Lord Krishna?

Sincerely,
Bhakta Sunil

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 28th December 2014

Dear Sriman Sunil,

Hare Krishna!

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

Lord Jesus Christ ki jaya! 🙂

The information about Lord Chaitanya is not a matter of opinion but statements of the scriptures. Lord Chaitanya is not an “incarnation” of Krishna, but directly Sri Krishna Himself in the mood of Srimati Radharani. This is confirmed in various scriptures including Chaitanya Charitamrita.

We are informed by our Acharyas that Lord Jesus Christ is a devotee in the mood of servitorship, worshipping God as His father with awe and reverence. It is certainly true that he is an empowered personality, who else in known modern history has had just 3 years to preach with such a massive effect on the global consciousness? Lord Jesus Christ, his preaching mission, from the time he started, to the time he was crucified, lasted approximately 3 years. Of course, it is superficial to understand that he was killed. First and foremost, it is understood that Lord Jesus Christ had attained many yogic perfections (such as being lighter than the lightest – to be able to walk on water, such as being smaller than the smallest, to be able to escape a cave covered with a massive rock, etc.). Plus, Lord Jesus Christ, like Haridas Thakura afterwards, had the power to feign death and make people believe that they were killed, whereas this was not true.

Anyway, to make it clear, Lord Jesus Christ is not a svamsha (direct expansion) or kala (indirect expansion) expansion of Krishna, but a vibhinnamsha (separated expansion) jiva (a living entity), a super pure devotee of God. Just as we worship the spiritual master to be as good as God, similarly, Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of such worship.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhakta Sunil, 29th December 2014

Hare Krishna Mahabhagavat Prabhu Dandavat Pranams Thank you The point in query is clear by your reply Jaya
Premananda das, 01st January 2015

What it means that Lord Jesus Christ and later Haridas Thakur could feign death ?

your servant
primal

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 03rd January 2015

Dear Premal,

Hare Krishna.

Approximately 2000 years ago, some envious fools were trying to kill Jesus Christ. So they crucified him, after forcing upon him torture after torture… They drove big sharp nails through hands and feet/ankles, and made the cross stand up. The plan was that this public “humiliating punishment” would cause Lord Jesus Christ to die of hunger, thirst, bleeding, and pain. So, to continue the divine pastimes, Lord Jesus Christ pretended to “die”, manifested the symptoms of dying. Then what the fools thought was his dead body was put into a cave and covered with a big rock. But in 3 days they found the “body” missing, even though the rock covering remained intact. But, being a greatly surrendered devotee of God, it is superficial to understand that he felt any pain or “died”. The “killers” of Jesus Christ, meanwhile, could not stop his mission, which continues (though most of Lord Jesus Christ’s followers are not really his followers) to this day.

Similarly, approximately 500 years ago, Haridas Thakur was punished by severe dragging/beating/whipping in 22 marketplaces. The intent of the Muslim kazi was that all Muslims and Hindus would see what a painful death awaits anyone who takes to Krishna consciousness after being born in a Muslim family. But Namacharya Srila Haridas Thakura who was in the deep ecstasy of Krishna consciousness, did not feel any pain, he went on chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra. Finally, the guards got afraid for their own lives, begged Haridas Thakura that if he did not die, the kazi would kill the guards as punishment for not doing their job. So Haridas Thakura, out of mercy for the guards, manifested the symptoms of death, was publicly pronounced dead, and his body was thrown in the Ganga (and not buried, because the Muslim kazi did not want him to “go to heaven”). Anyway, Haridas Thakura regained consciousness and continued his preaching a little downstream. After this incident, no one dared to interfere with Srila Haridas Thakura.

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

premananda das, 03rd January 2015

Jai Srila Hari das Thakur! Jai lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you Mahabhagavat  prabhuji for sharing this incident about feigning death by exalted devotees.

your servant
Premal

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Should we worship the Demigods for Material Gains?

Manmohan, 19th January 2012

Dear Mahabhagavat Prabhu
 Please Accept My Humble Obeisances
 I have one query…
 We should worship Krishna for Spritual gains only can we pray the demigods for material benefits…
 What one should do if he is in needs of money to maintain his material and spiritual life…
 Manmohan.

Mahabhagavat Das, 26th January 2012

Dear Bhakta Manmohan,
Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Good question! Understandable also why someone may ask this question.
The demigods are to be respected, never disrespected, but there is no need to worship them for any reason whatsoever, especially if one is in devotional service. They are like the individual government servants – what is it called when someone pays a policeman or government official to expedite some job for them? It is called bribery, corruption, etc.
It is not unreasonable to desire facility for spiritual life, BUT, for a devotee, there is no such thing as material life. Even though a devotee may appear to be doing the same things as a materialist, and externally appears to have the same outcomes, the consciousness of the devotee is different – the results are offered back up to Krishna always. The home is a temple, free time is opportunity to learn more, read more, teach more, chant more, serve more, no material sense gratification involved, even subtly. Of course, this is the goal, in our neophyte stage we may not always be 100% spiritual in focus, but we should certainly try and remind ourselves. In this connection, I learned a lesson today from my wife. She is away in South Africa caring for her father who is ill, and supporting her mother and brother with spiritual strength. She said today to me in a phone call “I was thinking that I hadn’t remembered Krishna for 15 minutes, or 30 minutes, so it was time to remember something about Him now”. So she is trying very hard even though it may get difficult sometimes. I will seek to emulate that exemplary behavior.

Krishna says this in the Bhagavad Gita:
kāńkṣantaḥ karmaṇāḿ siddhiḿ
yajanta iha devatāḥ
kṣipraḿ hi mānuṣe loke
siddhir bhavati karma-jā

Men in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore they worship the demigods. Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work in this world. BG 4.12
Please read the purport, Srila Prabhupada writes strongly.
kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ
prapadyante ‘nya-devatāḥ
taḿ taḿ niyamam āsthāya
prakṛtyā niyatāḥ svayā
Those whose intelligence has been stolen by material desires surrender unto demigods and follow the particular rules and regulations of worship according to their own natures. BG 7.20
Srila Prabhupada writes in the purport (I have made some portions *bold* for emphasis):
Those who are freed from all material contaminations surrender unto the Supreme Lord and engage in His devotional service. As long as the material contamination is not completely washed off, they are by nature nondevotees. *But even those who have material desires and who resort to the Supreme Lord are not so much attracted by external nature; because of approaching the right goal, they soon become free from all material lust. In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam it is recommended that whether one is a pure devotee and is free from all material desires, or is full of material desires, or desires liberation from material contamination, he should in all cases surrender to Vāsudeva and worship Him.*
As stated in the Bhāgavatam (2.3.10):
akāmaḥ sarva-kāmo vā
mokṣa-kāma udāra-dhīḥ
tīvreṇa bhakti-yogena

yajeta puruṣaḿ param
Less intelligent people who have lost their spiritual sense take shelter of demigods for immediate fulfillment of material desires. Generally, such people do not go to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, because they are in the lower modes of nature (ignorance and passion) and therefore worship various demigods. Following the rules and regulations of worship, they are satisfied. *The worshipers of demigods are motivated by small desires and do not know how to reach the supreme goal, but a devotee of the Supreme Lord is not misguided. Because in Vedic literature there are recommendations for worshiping different gods for different purposes (e.g., a diseased man is recommended to worship the sun), those who are not devotees of the Lord think that for certain purposes demigods are better than the Supreme Lord.* But a pure devotee knows that the Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is the master of all. In the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.142) it is said, ekaleīśvara kṛṣṇa, āra saba bhṛtya: only the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is master, and all others are servants. Therefore a pure devotee never goes to demigods for satisfaction of his material needs. He depends on the Supreme Lord. And the pure devotee is satisfied with whatever He gives.”
Therefore, simply depending on Krishna for everything is the best policy, even if we are not yet pure devotees…
Please let us know if there is any doubt. Bringing a doubt up against the light of the scripture extinguishes the doubt, just as light finishes darkness.
Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Bhavani devi dasi (SDA), 26th January 2012

Hare Krsna,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
All glories to Sri Sri Guru & Gauranga
 
Thank you Mahabhagavat Prabhu for such a comprehensive answer to this most important question, that arises many times during discussions.  I greatly appreciate all the illuminating questions and answers here and want to thank everyone for their interaction.  Thank you.  Hare Krsna!  All glories to our beloved Srila Gurudeva.
Your servant,
Bhavani devi dasi (SDA)

Manmohan, 27th January 2012

Dear Mahabhagavat Prabhu
 Please accept my humble  obeisances
 bahot dhanyavad prabhu  ( Thank you very much Prabhu ) …
 Infact I was given a mantra by someone and i started chanting that…. but i was not feeling good from within and stopped chanting that mantra….
 Things are very clear now…
 Dandavat..
 Your Servant
 Manmohan

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 27 January 2012

Very good Manmoham Prabhu, Hare Krishna Mahamantra includes all the Vedic mantras inside it, and by chanting you are in touch with the Boss of bosses of CEOs  of cosmic administration. 🙂 “krishna bhakti kaile sarva karma krita hoy” – Devotional service includes the benefits of all the other services.
Nothing else is necessary.

Premal, 05th February 2012

Hare Krishna Prabhuji
All glories to Swami Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances
Prabhuji would impersonal liberation for people who want and worship different ways not knowing Krishna is the goal.

Example Jains,Buddha they think we ourselves are capable of God.
Are they lower than demigods worshippers?
Similarly nowadays Christians and Muslims and the Jews also feel differently like Christians have changed the scripture and the old scripture is not practised lately these people also are lower than the worshippers of demigods?
Jews I am not aware of their religion and Muslims have also majority now eat meat and worship impersonal Allah newly created by the people are they lower than demigod worshipers?
Ys servant
Premal

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 06th February 2012

Hare Krishna Premal Prabhu,
Please kindly accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
As far as I understand, both the Jain and Buddhist traditions are impersonalist and voidist. But both of them are skilful ways to elevate persons gradually. For example, Srila Gurudeva often says in his lectures that Buddha, he played a trick. He attracted those who did not want to follow God, but he tricked them into following Him, an incarnation of God, so a little bit, their atheism was replaced by some little bit of faith.
Anyone who thinks that oneself is capable of being God, is in actuality, an atheist. This is according to Srila Prabhupada. We pray to him as someone who came to vanquish this nonsense “nirvishesha shunyavaadi” concepts.
Still, Srila Prabhupada respects the impersonalists also as transcendentalists, because at least they are above the level of animals in human form… even all genuine impersonalists strictly follow the 4 regulative principles of human life.
There is no point discussing too much who likes impersonal liberation, etc., it is sufficient for us to know that many of the demons who are killed by Krishna get impersonal liberation. So what is the value of this impersonal liberation if a demon can get it simply by being killed by Krishna? So why should I meditate and so on just to get the same destination as the demons liberated by Krishna? I have demoniac tendencies but I am not a demon by the mercy of Srila Gurudeva. So I shall simply serve Krishna and His devotees sincerely without worrying about ANY kind of liberation. One who serves 100% dedicated is factually liberated.
You have mixed some concepts…
The original teachings of Lord Jesus Christ are in line with the principles of pure Bhakti. Lord Jesus Christ is a pure devotee of Krishna. If someone has changed, that is their problem, not the problem with the faith as taught by Lord Jesus Christ. If someone is claiming to be following Lord Jesus Christ and is eating meat, as discussed on another thread, then they are simply still in the cycle of karma – karma chakra. They are simply getting good and bad reactions according to their activities, sometimes born as humans, then as animals until they exhaust their karmic debts to the souls they inconvenienced, plus any special treatments from Yamaraja’s department.
The Qu’ran teaches that God is a person, but the so-called scholars who claims that Allah is impersonal are not very well-versed with their own scripture. See this statement by Srila Gurudeva, answer to a question by a Muslim person “Why do you worship the form of God in the temple when God is formless?”
Srila Gurudeva wrote on 25th January 2012:
“If a Muslim asks such a question, he is not learned in his own scripture, the Qur’an clearly states as follows::
Wa lillaahil – Mashriqu wal-Magrib: Fa- ‘aynamaa
tu-walluu fa-samma Wajhul-laah
“To Allah belong the East and the West, and wherever you turn there is Allah’s face.”
–Qur’an 2.115
That Allah or God has a face means that He has a form because someone who is formless must also be faceless. God’s form-possessing nature is also confirmed in the Bible and in the Vedic scriptures.
Besides a wealth of scriptural evidence establishing that God has a form, we can also understand through logic that God must have a form. The logic is very simple: We cannot exceed God in any way. Therefore we cannot possess something that He does not possess. It’s not that we can have a form and He cannot. He must also have form. The difference is that His form is unlimited while our forms are limited. His form is the source of everything, and our forms come from His form.”
As to whether someone is lower or higher, we should know that everything other than Pure Bhakti, is “lower” and we should strive to raise ourselves to the platform of Pure Unmotivated Bhakti to Krishna in any of His names.
Hope this helps.
Questions for you, Bhakta Premal, in the spirit of helping you find answers to your own questions from inside, to be free from all doubts:

1. Are you chanting a minimum of 16 rounds per day of Hare Krishna Mahamantra? If not, what is your plan to get there?
2. Are you reading Srila Prabhupada’s books for minimum 30 minutes a day? If not, when can you start?
3. Are you following the 4 regulative principles of freedom? This is personal question for you, answer honestly in your heart.
4. Are you taking only Krishna Prasadam? If not, what is your plan to get there?

Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das
 
Premal, 07th February 2012

Hare Krishna Prabhuji
All glories to Swami Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances
Prabhuji as you mentioned atheist is a person who thinks he can become god .
But does not impersonal and voidist claim to be becoming god these paths prabhuji are teachings to become god?
Ys servant
Premal

Mahabhagavat Das SDA, 07th February 2012

Hare Krishna Premal Prabhu,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Gurudeva.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
There is a subtle difference between impersonalism and voidism. Impersonalism means God is just energy, and to merge into that energy and lose our individuality.
Voidism means there is nothing, they claim that we think that something exists because we are in illusion, they want to make everything zero, become zero, end everything by becoming null, nil, void.
Both impersonalists and voidists, if they are even somewhat pious, can be rescued by Krishna consciousness from their ocean of ignorance.
So, are you asking these questions theoretically or do you have some impersonalists and voidists whom you want to attract to Krishna Bhakti? Every question, in order to personally realize the answer, must be followed by some action, to implement the answer. What is your action following these questions?
Sincerely,
Mahabhagavat Das

Premal, 07th February 2012

Hare Krishna Prabhuji
All glories to Swami Prabhupada
Please accept my humble obeisances
Prabhuji my actions are when impersonal path people take I was confused as impersonal was to merge with Krishna or the schools which say there is impersonal energy and they do not mention it as Krishna impersonal energy but just a formless energy and we can become god.
So the confusion was like this in my mind.
Ys servant
Premal