nirantara blog

Meaning of Guru-relationship

2011-10-28T01:34:00.000-07:00

f Shree Caitanya-caritämrita Ädi-leelä 1.45

According to the deliberate opinion of all revealed scriptures,
the spiritual master is non-different from Krishna.
Lord Krishna in the form of the spiritual master delivers His devotees.
PURPORT

The relationship of a disciple with his spiritual master is as good as his relationship with the Supreme Lord. A spiritual master always represents himself as the humblest servitor of the Personality of Godhead, but the disciple must look upon him as the manifested representation of Godhead.

How to Actually See GOD

2011-10-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

f SB 4.28.51

The appearance of an old friend in the form of a brähmana is very significant. In His Paramätmä feature, Krishna is the old friend of everyone. According to Vedic injunction, Krishna is sitting with the living entity side by side. According to the shruti-mantra (dvä suparnä sayujä sakhäyäh), the Lord is sitting within the heart of every living entity as suhrit, the best friend. The Lord is always eager to have the living entity come home, back to Godhead. Sitting with the living entity as witness, the Lord gives him/her all chances to enjoy him/herself materially, but whenever there is an opportunity, the Lord gives good counsel and advises the living entity to abandon trying to become happy through material adjustment and instead turn his/her face toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender unto Him.

When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instruction of the spiritual master. This is technically called vänee-sevä.

Shreela Vishvanätha Cakravartee Thäkura states in his Bhagavad-geetä commentary on the verse vyavasäyätmikä buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41) that one should serve the words of the spiritual master. The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Krishna's Powerful Crawling

2011-10-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

ƒ SB 10.26.7

Once, His mother tied Him with ropes to a mortar because she had caught Him stealing butter. Then, crawling on His hands, He dragged the mortar between a pair of arjuna trees and pulled them down.

ƒ SB 2.7.27 purport

So at the age of only three months He killed the Shakatäsura, who had remained hidden behind a cart in the house of Yashodämayee. And when He was crawling and was disturbing His mother from doing household affairs, the mother tied Him with a grinding pestle, but the naughty child dragged the pestle up to a pair of very high arjuna trees in the yard of Yashodämayee, and when the pestle was stuck between the pair of trees, they fell down with a horrible sound. When Yashodämayee came to see the happenings, she thought that her child had been saved from the falling trees by the mercy of the Lord, without knowing that the Lord Himself, crawling in her yard, had wreaked the havoc. So that is the way of reciprocation of love affairs between the Lord and His devotees. Yashodämayee wanted to have the Lord as her child, and the Lord played exactly like a child in her lap, but at the same time played the part of the Almighty Lord whenever it was so required. The beauty of such pastimes was that the Lord fulfilled everyone's desire. In the case of felling the gigantic arjuna trees, the Lord's mission was to deliver the two sons of Kuvera, who were condemned to become trees by the curse of Närada, as well as to play like a crawling child in the yard of Yashodä, who took transcendental pleasure in seeing such activities of the Lord in the very yard of her home.

The Super-Excellent Gopees

2011-06-13T13:59:00.000-07:00

Lord Krishna said:

"the inhabitants of vrindävana, including the gopees, cows, un-moving creatures such as the twin arjuna trees, animals, living entities with stunted consciousness such as bushes and thickets, and snakes such as käliya, all achieved the perfection of life by unalloyed love for Me and thus very easily achieved Me.
even though one engages with great endeavor in the mystic-yoga system, philosophical speculation, charity, vows, penances, ritualistic sacrifices, teaching of vedic mantras to others, personal study of the vedas, or the renounced order of life, still one cannot achieve Me.
the residents of vrindävana, headed by the gopees, were always completely attached to Me with deepest love. therefore, when my uncle akroora brought My brother Balaräma and Me to the city of mathurä, the residents of vrindävana suffered extreme mental distress because of separation from Me and could not find any other source of happiness.
dear uddhava, all of those nights in the land of vrindävana that the gopees spent with Me, their most dearly beloved, seemed to them to pass in less than a moment. bereft of My association, however, the gopees felt that those same nights dragged on forever, as if each night were equal to a day of brahmä.
my dear uddhava, just as great sages in yoga-trance merge into self-realization, like rivers merging into the ocean, and are thus not aware of material names and forms, similarly, the gopees of vrindävana were so completely attached to Me within their minds that they could not think of their own bodies, or of this world, or of their future lives. their entire consciousness was simply bound up in Me.
all those hundreds of thousands of gopees, understanding Me to be their most charming lover and ardently desiring Me in that way, were un-aware of My actual position. yet by intimately associating with Me, the gopees attained Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth."

How to Conquer the Sense Objects

2011-06-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

shree-bhagavän uväca
na rodhayati mäng yogo
na sänkhyang dharma eva ca
na svädhyäyas tapas tyägo
neshtä-poortang na dakshinä

The Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna said:

My dear uddhava, by associating with My pure devotees one can destroy one's attachment for all objects of material sense gratification. such purifying association brings Me under the control of My devotee.

An Explanation of Bg 7.14 & 18.66

2011-06-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

präyena bhakti-yogena
sat-sangena vinoddhava
nopäyo vidyate samyak
präyanang hi satäm aham

Lord Krishna said:

My dear uddhava, I am personally the ultimate shelter and way of life for saintly liberated persons, and thus if one does not engage in My loving devotional service, which is made possible by associating with My devotees, then for all practical purposes, one possesses no effective means for escaping from material existence.

this verse establishs without any doubt that Krishna is the original personality of Godhead

2011-06-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

kireetinang gadinang cakra-hastam
icchämi tväng drashtum ahang tathaiva
tenaiva roopena catur-bhujena
sahasra-bäho bhava vishva-moorte

shreela prabhupäda says:

in the brahma-sanghitä (5.39) it is stated, rämädi-moortishu kalä-niyamena tishthan: the Lord is eternally situated in hundreds and thousands of forms, and the main forms are those like Räma, Nrisingha, Näräyana, etc. there are innumerable forms. but arjuna knew that Krishna is the original Personality of Godhead assuming His temporary Universal-form. he is now asking to see the form of Näräyana, a spiritual form. this verse

"O Universal form, O thousand-armed Lord, I wish to see You in Your four-armed form, with helmeted head and with club, wheel, conch and lotus flower in Your hands. I long to see You in that form."

establishs without any doubt the statement of the shreemad-bhägavatam that Krishna is the original personality of Godhead and all other features originate from Him. He is not different from His plenary expansions, and He is god in any of His innumerable forms. in all of these forms He is fresh like a young man. that is the constant feature of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. one who knows Krishna becomes free at once from all contamination of the material world.

what it means to be initiated

2011-03-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

some time ago i sent you some quotes of Prahbupada´s regarding this very important question
i have not heard back from you
so since i am here in Chile
i feel i should answer your questions directly

yes, one should get initiated formally or as you say "officially"
Prabhupada did that himself, he himself got "officially initiated"
in one sense it is a formality, but the relationship is not
association with spiritual master is in two ways
physically and by instruction
the association with the spiritual master physically is not there so much
but association by sound, through message, through instruction
that is the real associaltion
Prabhupada himself said that his spiritual master initiated him because he liked to hear from Shreela Bhaktisiddhanta
even sometimes he could not understand what he was saying,
still he liked to hear him speak
i have said this many times in lectures over the years
you know who is your spiritual master because you love to hear from him
spiritual master can be householder, sannyasi, brahmacari... it does not matter
Lord Caitanya instructed Ramananda Raya
that the spiritual master is one who is expert in the science of Krishna consciousness
in order to be expert in that science one has to not only have the knowledge,
but has to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk"
so here is another test of who is bona fide spiritual master
¿is he someone who practices what they preach ?
Lord Caitanya also told Ramananda Raya
that anyone, from any social, material position, can be guru
in Iskcon we have several grihastha-gurus, not just sannyasis
and besides,
you always have me as your guardian angel to protect you at all times
i am acting as shiksha-guru for many people who are initiated by my Godbrothers
so you will always have me in your life, as long as you want me around
be happy in Krishna consciousness and do not let anything disturb your mind
hari bol

answering Mark's question about becoming guru

2011-03-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

yes, there are several reasons why i decided over 15 years ago not to initiate any disciples.
1) my wife does not want me to, she says i would become too puffed up and she would not be able to live with me in such a crazy condition
2) my wife does not want me to, because she doesn´t want to become a "guru-mata" and all the disciples treat her differently than they would normally. she wants to live her devotee-life very normally
3) Krishna in my heart and Shreela Prabhupada are both NOT telling me to do so
4) however, both Krishna in my heart and Shreela Prabhupada ARE confirming that they like what i have been doing now for the past 18 years, that is... simply preaching
5) i am already shiksha-guru or advising guru for so many devotees around the world, so all my desires and aspirations as a guru are already being taken care of
6) if i were to become an official initiating guru in ISKCON, they would impose so many restrictions and rules on me that it would stifle my preaching style. they would certainly demand that i stop this "rock n roll" preaching that i do because they would tell me it is not good for the "guru-profile". i know one grihastha guru right now who would immediately object and insist that i stop all this "rock n roll" preaching.
7) my wife has stipulated that she allows me to travel all over and preach without restriction, but i must never become a guru

so there you have it. 7 reasons why it is never going to happen
i will always be available to you as an advising or instructing spiritual master as long as i live
sorry to be disappointing to you
since 1994 so many people approached me to initiate them and i gave them one or more of the above reasons why i had to say "no"
hari bol
may Krishna bless you and protect you

8) reason number 8 i just now remember. i could not be so open and available to so many people around the world because my disicples would demand so much of my time and attention. my not becoming a guru means i am available to a broader clientele. i am non-sectarian in my preaching

hari bol

the fameous ätmäräma verse from Shreemad-Bhägavatam

2011-03-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

soota uväca
ätmärämäsh ca munayo
nirgranthä apy urukrame
kurvanty ahaitukeeng bhaktim
ittham-bhoota-guno harih

those who take pleasure in the Sself
also sages
in spite of being freed from all bondage
do un-alloyed devotional service unto the great Adventurer
because there is such wonderful qualities of the Lord

all different varieties of persons who take pleasure in ätmä, or spirit-self, especially those established on the path of self-realization, though freed from all kinds of material bondage, desire to render unalloyed devotional service unto the Personality of Godhead. this means that the Lord possesses transcendental qualities and therefore can attract everyone, including liberated souls.

reflections on preaching trip to North Carolina (february 21-28)

2011-03-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

an old devotee-friend from New Dvärakä in the '80s, whom i hadn't seen since then, found out i was going to preach in Präbhupäda Village in November of last year. Anädi-Krishna däsa made the necessary arrangements for me to come to the other temple in North Carolina at Hillsboro so that i could speak at the Govardhana Poojä festival. when i got back home he decided to set up a 24 hour radio station for me with my music, which is now on my website and also on mayapur.tv as well. over the past few months we planned that i would spend a week preaching here in Hillsboro, and so he bought the ticket and set up a full week of preaching engagements.

beginning with the Apperance of Bhaktisiddhänta on Tuesday (22) i gave an explanation of the 4 mantras associated with him, and an analysis of his final message to his disciples. on Wednesday we visited Vidura däsa, who is in a special school for gifted children. Vidra loves my music, and so his father arranged a performance at his school. after singing 4 songs, it ended on a very high note with all the teachers and children singing the chorus "You're One of God's Beautiful Children. in the evening i did a guitar concert in the temple room. Thursday i went to Winston-Salem to do another guitar-concert at the preaching center of my Godbrother, Dulal-candra däsa, and that was a most mystical and magical performance. the audience was with me on every song, participating and singing with fervor and attention. they want'd me to go on, but after 90 minutes i was exhausted. Friday morning i gave Bhägavatam class at Prabhupäda Village, and then in the evening did another guitar concert at the devotee gathering of Rädhänuga dd's house in Hillsboro. this time the audience was all young devotee couples and their children, and they also particpated with nice percussion and singing. Saturday morning i gave Bhägavatam class in New Golokänanda Dhäma, and in the evening we drove to Apex for a NämaHatta program at the home of Mädhava däsa, disciple of HH Gopäl Krishna Goswami.

He said to his guests that i preached to him back in 1980-81 when i began my preaching, soon after marrying Väruni dd in Montreal. that was in Vancouver when i used to host a dinner program every night. Mädhava däsa would come regularly. it was there that i introduced my style of preaching by singing my songs with the guitar.

for his program on Saturday i did my classic version of "Bhaja Hunre Mana" which was inspired by HH Acyutänanda Swami back in 1979 when he visited NY temple after leaving India. a few years ago, HH Jayapatäka Swami was amazed when he heard from one of his disciples that i had given an hour lecture on this song and so he mentioned it at a lunch he was having with HH Giriräja Swami and HH Rädhänätha Swami in New Dvärakä (that was truly a shining moment of my life to get such recognition).

Sunday capped the week's preaching with my explanation of "the 7 principles of ISKCON". and so with singing, speaking, joking and guitaring i spent my time fully enaged in Krishna-consciousness. next month i will attempt to do the same when my wife accompanies me to Santaigo, Chile for Gaura-poonimä week. oh happy day!

some guru qualifications

2011-02-26T08:32:00.000-08:00

the whole material existence has sprung up because of sense gratification, desires based principally on the sex desire, and the result is that in spite of all advancement of knowledge, the final goal of all the activities of the living entities is sense gratification. but here is the real goal of life, and everyone should know it by inquiries put before a bona fide spiritual master expert in the science of bhakti-yoga, or from a living personality of bhägavatam-life. everyone is engaged in various kinds of scriptural inquiries, but the shreemad-bhägavatam gives answers to all of the various students of self-realization: this ultimate objective of life is not to be searched out without great labor or perseverance. one who is imbued with such sincere inquiries must ask the bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession from brahmäjee, and that is the direction given here. because the mystery was disclosed before brahmäjee by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the mystery of all such inquiries regarding self-realization must be put before such a spiritual master, who is directly the representative of the Lord, acknowledged in that disciplic succession. such a bona fide spiritual master is able to clear up the whole thing by evidence from the revealed scriptures, both direct and indirect. although everyone is free to consult the revealed scriptures in this connection, one still requires the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, and that is the direction in this verse. the bona fide spiritual master is the most confidential representative of the Lord, and one must receive direction from the spiritual master in the same spirit that brahmäjee received it from the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. the bona fide spiritual master in that bona fide chain of disciplic succession never claims to be the Lord himself, although such a spiritual master is greater than the Lord in the sense that he can deliver the Lord by his personally realized experience. the Lord is not to be found simply by education or by a good fertile brain, but surely He can be found by the sincere student through the transparent medium of the bona fide spiritual master.

acyuta

2011-02-26T08:26:00.000-08:00

brahmäjee previously told närada that the desires of brahmäjee are never un-fulfilled because he is always absorbed in the transcendental loving service of the Lord; nor has he any desire in his heart save and except the transcendental service of the Lord. that is the beauty and mystery of the process of bhakti-yoga. as the Lord's desire is infallible because He is acyuta, similarly the desires of the devotees in the transcendental service of the Lord are also acyuta, infallible. this is very difficult, however, for the layman to understand without knowledge of the mystery of devotional service, as it is very difficult to know the potency of touchstone. as touchstone is rarely found, a pure devotee of the Lord is also rarely to be seen, even amongst millions of liberated souls (kotishv api mahämune). out of all kinds of perfections attained by the process of knowledge, yoga perfection in devotional service is the highest of all and the most mysterious also, even more mysterious than the eight kinds of mystic perfection attained by the process of yogic performances.

love of Godhead can be attained only this way

2011-02-26T08:10:00.000-08:00

although He is present in every atom, the Supreme Personality of Godhead may not be visible to the dry speculators; still the mystery is unfolded before the eyes of the pure devotees because their eyes are anointed with love of Godhead. and this love of Godhead can be attained only by the practice of transcendental loving service of the Lord, and nothing else. the vision of the devotees is not ordinary; it is purified by the process of devotional service. in other words, as the universal elements are both within and without, similarly the Lord's name, form, quality, pastimes, entourage, etc., as they are described in the revealed scriptures or as performed in the vaikuntha-lokas, far, far beyond the material cosmic manifestation, are factually being televised in the heart of the devotee. the man with a poor fund of knowledge cannot understand, although by material science one can see things far away by means of television. factually, the spiritually developed person is able to have the television of the kingdom of God always reflected within his/her heart. that is the mystery of knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.

the mystery of GOD

2011-02-26T07:59:00.000-08:00

the impersonalists can imagine or even perceive that the Supreme Brahman is all-pervading, and therefore they conclude that there is no possibility of His personal form. herein lies the mystery of His transcendental knowledge. this mystery is transcendental love of Godhead, and one who is surcharged with such transcendental love of Godhead can without difficulty see the Personality of Godhead in every atom and every movable or im-movable object. and at the same time he/she can see the Personality of Godhead in His own abode, goloka, enjoying eternal pastimes with His eternal associates, who are also expansions of His transcendental existence. this vision is the real mystery of spiritual knowledge, as stated by the Lord in the beginning (sarahasyang tad-angang ca). this mystery is the most confidential part of the knowledge of the Supreme, and it is impossible for the mental speculators to discover by dint of intellectual gymnastics. the mystery can be revealed through the process recommended by brahmäjee in his brahma-sanghitä (5.38) as follows:

premäïjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santah sadaiva hridayeshu vilokayanti
yang shyämasundaram acintya-guna-svaroopang
govindam ädi-purushang tam ahang bhajämi

"i worship the original Personality of Godhead, Govinda, whom the pure devotees, their eyes smeared with the ointment of love of Godhead, always observe within their hearts. this Govinda, the original Personality of Godhead, is Shyämasundara with all transcendental qualities."

the Original Light & His reflections

2011-02-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

in the medical science of the ancient sages, known as the äyur-veda, there is definite acceptance of the Lord's supremacy. there is one Supreme Person who is the progenitor of this cosmic manifestation and Whose energy acts as prakriti, or the material nature, dazzling like a reflection. by such illusory action of prakriti, even dead matter is caused to move by the cooperation of living energy of the Lord, and the material world appears like a dramatic performance to the ignorant eyes. the ignorant person, therefore, may even be a scientist or physiologist in the drama of prakriti, while the sane person knows prakriti as the illusory energy of the Lord. by such a conclusion, as confirmed by the bhagavad-geetä, it is clear that the living entities are also a display of the Lord's superior energy (parä prakriti), just as the material world is a display of the Lord's inferior energy (aparä prakriti). the superior energy of the Lord cannot be as good as the Lord, although there is very little difference between the energy and the possessor of the energy, or the fire and the heat. fire is possessed of heat, but heat is not fire. this simple thing is not understood by the man with a poor fund of knowledge who falsely claims that the fire and heat are the same. this energy of the fire (namely heat) is explained here as a reflection, and not directly fire. therefore the living energy represented by the living entities is the reflection of the Lord, and never the Lord Himself. being the reflection of the Lord, the existence of the living entity is dependent on the Supreme Lord, who is the original light. this material energy may be compared to darkness, as actually it is darkness, and the activities of the living entities in the darkness are reflections of the original light. the Lord should be understood by the context of this verse. non-dependence of both the energies of the Lord is explained as mäyä, or illusion. no one can make a solution of the darkness of ignorance simply by the reflection of light. similarly, no one can come out of material existence simply by the reflected light of the common man; one has to receive the light from the Original Light Himself. the reflection of sunlight in the darkness is unable to drive out the darkness, but the sunlight outside the reflection can drive out the darkness completely. in darkness no one can see the things in a room. therefore a person in the dark is afraid of snakes and scorpions, although there may not be such things. but in the light the things in the room can be clearly seen, and the fear of snakes and scorpions is at once removed. therefore one has to take shelter of the light of the Lord, as in the bhagavad-geetä or the shreemad-bhägavatam, and not the reflective personalities who have no touch with the Lord.

the covering influence and the throwing influence

2011-02-25T08:31:00.000-08:00

the illusory energy has two phases of existence, namely the covering influence and the throwing influence. By the throwing influence the illusory energy throws the living entities into the darkness of ignorance, and by the covering influence she covers the eyes of men with a poor fund of knowledge about the existence of the Supreme Person Who enlightened the supreme individual living being, Brahmä

not real independence

2011-02-25T08:25:00.000-08:00

the independence of the individual living entity is not real independence, but is just the reflection of the real independence existing in the Supreme Being, the Lord. the false claim of supreme independence by the conditioned souls is illusion, and this conclusion is admitted in this verse.

both the mäyäs also have connections with the Lord because...

2011-02-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

GOD said:

“o brahmä, what-ever appears to be of any value, if it is without relation to Me, has no reality. know it as My illusory energy, that reflection which appears to be in darkness.”

shreela prabhupäda says:

in any stage of the cosmic manifestation—its appearance, its sustenance, its growth, its inter-actions of different energies, its deterioration and its disappearance—all has its basic relation with the existence of the Personality of Godhead. and as such, when-ever there is forgetfulness of this prime relation with the Lord, and when-ever things are accepted as real without being related to the Lord, that conception is called a product of the illusory energy of the Lord. because nothing can exist without the Lord, it should be known that the illusory energy is also an energy of the Lord. the right conclusion of dove-tailing everything in relationship with the Lord is called yoga-mäyä, or the energy of union, and the wrong conception of detaching a thing from its relationship with the Lord is called the Lord's daivee-mäyä, or mahä-mäyä. both the mäyäs also have connections with the Lord because nothing can exist without being related to Him. as such, the wrong conception of detaching relationships from the Lord is not false but illusory.

GOD is materially impersonal

2011-02-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

in some of the vedas it is also said that in the beginning only the impersonal brahman existed. however, according to this verse, the impersonal brahman, which is the glowing effulgence of the body of the Supreme Lord, may be called the ‘immediate cause’, but the cause of all causes, or the ‘remote cause’, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. the Lord's impersonal feature is existent in the material world because by material senses or material eyes the Lord cannot be seen or perceived. one has to spiritualize the senses before one can expect to see or perceive the Supreme Lord. but He is always engaged in His personal capacity, and He is eternally visible to the inhabitants of vaikuntha-loka, eye to eye. therefore He is materially impersonal, just as the executive head of the state may be impersonal in the government offices, although he is not impersonal in the government house. similarly, the Lord is not impersonal in His abode, which is always nirasta-kuhakam, as stated in the very beginning of the bhägavatam. therefore both the impersonal and personal features of the Lord are acceptable, as mentioned in the revealed scriptures. this Personality of Godhead is very emphatically explained in the bhagavad-geetä in connection with the verse brahmano hi pratishthäham (bg. 14.27). therefore in all ways the confidential part of spiritual knowledge is realization of the Personality of Godhead, and not His impersonal brahman feature. one should therefore have his/her ultimate aim of realization not in the impersonal feature but in the personal feature of the Absolute Truth.

why GOD may sometimes be called ‘form-less’

2011-02-25T07:59:00.000-08:00

the Personality of Godhead is never form-less. in the material world He may not be visible in His personal form to the less intelligent class of men, and therefore He may sometimes be called ‘form-less’. but actually He is always in His eternal form in His vaikuntha planets as well as in other planets of the universes as different Incarnations. the example of the sun is very appropriate in this connection. the sun in the night may not be visible to the eyes of men in the darkness, but the sun is visible wherever it has risen. that the sun is not visible to the eyes of the inhabitants of a particular part of the earth does not mean that the sun has no form.

the existence of a king implies the existence of a kingdom

2011-02-24T05:19:00.000-08:00

the Kingdom of Godhead is not void as conceived by the im-personalists. the vaikuntha-planets are full of transcendental variegatedness, including the four-handed residents of those planets, with great opulence of wealth and prosperity, and there are even airplanes and other amenities required for high-grade personalities. therefore the Personality of Godhead exists before the creation, and He exists with all transcendental variegatedness in the vaikuntha-lokas. the vaikuntha-lokas, also accepted in the bhagavad-geetä as being of the sanätana nature, are not annihilated even after the annihilation of the manifested cosmos. those transcendental planets are of a different nature altogether, and that nature is not subjected to the rules and regulations of material creation, maintenance or annihilation. the existence of the Personality of Godhead implies the existence of the vaikuntha-lokas, as the existence of a king implies the existence of a kingdom.

the faithFull & the faithLESS

2011-02-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

the Lord has unlimited numbers of transcendental qualities, and one of them is His affection for His un-alloyed devotee. in the history of the mundane world we can appreciate His transcendental qualities. the Lord incarnates Himself for the protection of His devotees and for the annihilation of the faithless. His activities are in relationship with His devotees. shreemad-bhägavatam is full of such activities of the Lord in relationship with His devotees, and the non-devotees have no knowledge of such pastimes. the Lord lifted the govardhana hill when He was only seven years old and protected His pure devotees at vrindävana from the wrath of indra, who was over-flooding the place with rain. now this lifting of the govardhana hill by a seven-year-old boy may be un-believable for the faithless, but for the devotees it is absolutely believable. the devotee believes in the almighty potency of the Lord, while the faithless say that the Lord is almighty but do not believe it. such men with a poor fund of knowledge do not know that the Lord is the Lord eternally and that one cannot become the Lord by meditation for millions of years or by mental speculation for billions of years.

the impersonal interpretation of the mundane wranglers is completely refuted in this verse because it is clearly stated here that the Supreme Lord has His qualities, form, pastimes and everything that a person has. all these descriptions of the transcendental nature of the Personality of Godhead are factual realizations by the devotee of the Lord, and by the causeless mercy of the Lord they are revealed to His pure devotee, and to no one else.

why people think GOD is formless

2011-02-23T12:12:00.000-08:00

to the faithful the Lord reveals Himself in His form, quality and pastimes. the Lord is not formless, as wrongly conceived by the impersonalist, but His form is not like one that we have experienced. the Lord discloses His form, even to the extent of measurement, to His pure devotees, and that is the meaning of yävän, as explained by shreela jeeva gosvämee, the greatest scholar of shreemad-bhägavatam. the Lord discloses the transcendental nature of His existence. the mundane wranglers make mundane conceptions of the form of the Lord. it is said in the revealed scriptures that the Lord has no mundane form; therefore persons with a poor fund of knowledge conclude that He must be formless. they cannot distinguish between the mundane form and the spiritual form. according to them, without a mundane form one must be formless. this conclusion is also mundane because formlessness is the opposite conception of form. negation of the mundane conception does not establish a transcendental fact. in the brahma-sanghitä it is said that the Lord has a transcendental form and that He can utilize any one of His senses for any purpose. for example, He can eat with His eyes, and He can see with His leg. in the mundane conception of form, one cannot eat with one's eyes or see with one's leg. that is the difference between the mundane body and the spiritual body of sac-cid-änanda . a spiritual body is not formless; it is a different type of body, of which we cannot conceive with our present mundane senses. formless therefore means devoid of mundane form, or possessing a spiritual body of which the non-devotee can have no conception by the speculative method.

how to know GOd

2011-02-23T08:43:00.000-08:00

in the vedas also it is said that a person cannot know the Absolute Truth Personality of Godhead simply by dint of mundane education or intellectual gymnastics. one can know the Supreme Truth if one has unflinching faith in the bona fide spiritual master as well as in the Lord. such a faithful person, even though illiterate in the mundane sense, can know the Lord automatically by the mercy of the Lord. in the bhagavad-geetä also, it is said that the Lord reserves the right of not being exposed to everyone, and He keeps Himself concealed from the faithless by His yoga-mäyä potency.

the secret of success

2011-02-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

the secret of success in understanding the intricacies of knowledge of the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is the causeless mercy of the Lord. even in the material world, the father of many sons discloses the secret of his position to the pet sons. the father discloses the confidence unto the son whom he thinks worthy. an important man in the social order can be known by his mercy only. similarly, one must be very dear to the Lord in order to know the Lord. the Lord is unlimited; no one can know Him completely, but one's advancement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord can make one eligible to know the Lord. here we can see that the Lord is sufficiently pleased with brahmäjee, and therefore He offers His causeless mercy to him so that brahmäjee may have the factual realization of the Lord by His mercy only.

spiritual evolution, not darwinian

2011-02-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

when Shree Krishna by His own internal pleasure appears on earth, He does so by the agency of His internal potency. the attractive features of his transcendental body are desired in all the three worlds, namely the upper, middle and lower planetary systems. nowhere in the universe are there such beautiful bodily features as those of Lord Krishna. therefore His transcendental body has nothing to do with anything materially created.

arjuna is described here as the conqueror, and Krishna is described as his intimate friend. bheeshmadeva, on his bed of arrows after the battle of kurukshetra, is remembering the particular dress of Lord Krishna which He put on as the driver of arjuna's chariot. while fighting was going on between arjuna and bheeshma, bheeshma's attraction was drawn by the glittering dress of Krishna, and indirectly he admired his so-called enemy arjuna for possessing the Lord as his friend. arjuna was always a conqueror because the Lord was his friend. bheeshmadeva takes this opportunity to address the Lord as vijaya-sakhe (friend of arjuna) because the Lord is pleased when He is addressed conjointly with His devotees, who are related with Him in different transcendental humors.

while Krishna was the charioteer of arjuna, sun rays glittered on the dress of the Lord, and the beautiful hue created by the reflection of such rays was never forgotten by bheeshmadeva. as a great fighter he was relishing the relation of Krishna in the chivalrous humor. transcendental relation with the Lord in any one of the different rasas (humors) is relishable by the respective devotees in the highest ecstasy. less intelligent mundaners who want to make a show of being transcendentally related with the Lord artificially jump at once to the relation of conjugal love, imitating the damsels of vraja-dhäma. such a cheap relation with the Lord exhibits only the base mentality of the mundaner because one who has relished conjugal humor with the Lord cannot be attached to worldly conjugal rasa, which is condemned even by mundane ethics. the eternal relation of a particular soul with the Lord is evolved. a genuine relation of the living being with the Supreme Lord can take any form out of the five principal rasas, and it does not make any difference in transcendental degree to the genuine devotee. bheeshmadeva is a concrete example of this, and it should be carefully observed how the great general is transcendentally related with the Lord.

sweetest class

2011-02-19T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna, Nirantara Dasa,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Please forgive any offenses in my correspondence. It has been a very long time since I have written to a devotee of our Lord.

I had the opportunity to see and hear on LALive your Lecture on 110216-000_Khoda_Nitai(NewDvaraka) It was amazing and filled me up so much. I have received some of Krsna's mercy recently as has happened over the past five years or so since I left the Temple in LA. At least two to three times a year, even though I have fallen so far down into the material world, Krsna calls to me and I cannot deny the attraction. I read again, chant again, but only temporary and cannot sustain.

You are such a kind and sincere devotee. I always loved your lectures as you easily made me understand Krsna and my purpose in this life. Now that Krsna has led me to LALive I can see the Lord again and be filled up with the beautiful sound of the Holy Names! Ki Jaya!

Once again please forgive any offenses.
Your servant,
Guy

how to understand the vedas

2011-02-18T09:53:00.000-08:00

incidents mentioned in the vedic literatures, such as the puränas, mahäbhärata and rämäyana are factual historical narrations that took place sometime in the past, although not in any chronological order. such historical facts, being instructive for ordinary men, were assorted without chronological reference. besides that, they happen on different planets, nay, in different universes, and thus the description of the narrations is sometimes measured by three dimensions. we are simply concerned with the instructive lessons of such incidents, even though they are not in order by our limited range of understanding.

why GOD puts a devotee into trouble

2011-02-18T09:45:00.000-08:00

Tribulations imposed upon the devotees by the Lord constitute another exchange of transcendental bhäva between the Lord and the devotees. The Lord says "I put My devotee into difficulty, and thus the devotee becomes more purified in exchanging transcendental bhäva with Me." Placing the devotee into material troubles necessitates delivering him/her from the illusory material relations. The material relations are based on reciprocation of material enjoyment, which depends mainly on material resources. Therefore, when material resources are withdrawn by the Lord, the devotee is cent percent attracted toward the transcendental loving service of the Lord. Thus the Lord snatches the fallen soul from the mire of material existence. Tribulations offered by the Lord to His devotee are different from the tribulations resulting from vicious action.

a devotee's duty

2011-02-17T16:20:00.000-08:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

the popular saying is that a house-wife teachs the daughter-in-law by teaching the daughter. similarly, the Lord teaches the world by teaching the devotee. the devotee does not have to learn anything new from the Lord because the Lord teaches the sincere devotee always from within. when-ever, therefore, a show is made to teach the devotee, as in the case of the teachings of bhagavad-geetä, it is for teaching the less intelligent men. a devotee's duty, therefore, is to un-grudgingly accept tribulations from the Lord as a benediction.

the pändavas were advised by bheeshmadeva to accept the responsibility of administration without hesitation. the poor subjects were without protection due to the battle of kurukshetra, and they were awaiting the assumption of power by mahäräja yudhishthira. a pure devotee of the Lord accepts tribulations as favors from the Lord. since the Lord is absolute, there is no mundane difference between the two.

the best policy

2011-02-17T15:53:00.000-08:00

na hy asya karhicid räjan
pumän veda vidhitsitam
yad vijigyäsayä yuktä
muhyanti kavayo 'pi hi

bheeshmadeva told yudhishthira

o king, no one can know the plan of the Lord [Shree Krishna]. even though great philosophers inquire exhaustively, they are bewildered.

shreela prabhupäda says:

the bewilderment of mahäräja yudhishthira over his past sinful acts and the resultant sufferings, etc., is completely negated by the great authority bheeshma (one of the twelve authorized persons). bheeshma wanted to impress upon mahäräja yudhishthira that since time immemorial no one, including such demigods as shiva and brahmä, could ascertain the real plan of the Lord. so what can we understand about it? it is useless also to inquire about it. even the exhaustive philosophical inquiries of sages cannot ascertain the plan of the Lord. the best policy is simply to abide by the orders of the Lord without argument.

the sufferings of the pändavas were never due to their past deeds. the Lord had to execute the plan of establishing the kingdom of virtue, and therefore his own devotees suffered temporarily in order to establish the conquest of virtue. bheeshmadeva was certainly satisfied by seeing the triumph of virtue, and he was glad to see king yudhishthira on the throne, although he himself fought against him. even a great fighter like bheeshma could not win the battle of kurukshetra because the Lord wanted to show that vice cannot conquer virtue, regardless of who tries to execute it. bheeshmadeva was a great devotee of the Lord, but he chose to fight against the pändavas by the will of the Lord because the Lord wanted to show that a fighter like bheeshma cannot win on the wrong side.

why the pändavas suffered so many practical reverses

2011-02-17T15:34:00.000-08:00

yatra dharma-suto räjä
gadä-pänir vrikodarah
krishno 'stree gändivang cäpang
suhrit krishnas tato vipat

bheeshmadeva said to yudhishthira

¡o how wonderful is the influence of inevitable Time! it is irreversible-otherwise, ¿how can there be reverses in the presence of king yudhishthira, the son of the demigod controlling religion; bheema, the great fighter with a club; the great bowman arjuna with his mighty weapon gändeeva; and above all, the Lord, the direct well-wisher of the pändavas?

shreela prabhupäda says

as far as the material or spiritual resources were required, there was no scarcity in the case of the pändavas. materially they were well equipped because two great warriors, namely bheema and arjuna, were there. spiritually the king himself was the symbol of religion, and above all of them the Personality of Godhead, Lord Shree Krishna, was personally concerned with their affairs as the well-wisher. and yet there were so many reverses on the side of the pändavas. despite the power of pious acts, the power of personalities, the power of expert management and the power of weapons under the direct supervision of Lord Krishna, the pändavas suffered so many practical reverses, which can only be explained as due to the influence of käla, inevitable Time. käla is identical with the Lord Himself, and therefore the influence of käla indicates the inexplicable wish of the Lord Himself. there is nothing to be lamented when a matter is beyond the control of any human being.

why bad things happen to "good people"

2011-02-17T15:12:00.000-08:00

sarvang käla-kritang manye
bhavatäng ca yad-apriyam
sapälo yad-vashe loko
väyor iva ghanävalih

bheeshmadeva told yudhishthira

in my opinion, this is all due to inevitable Time, under whose control everyone in every planet is carried, just as the clouds are carried by the wind.

shreela prabhupäda says

there is control by Time all over the space within the universe, as there is control by Time all over the planets. all the big gigantic planets, including the sun, are being controlled by the force of air, as the clouds are carried by the force of air. similarly, the inevitable käla, or Time, controls even the action of the air and other elements. everything, therefore, is controlled by the supreme käla, a forceful representative of the Lord within the material world.

thus yudhishthira should not be sorry for the inconceivable action of Time. everyone has to bear the actions and reactions of Time as long as one is within the conditions of the material world. yudhishthira should not think that he had committed sins in his previous birth and is suffering the consequence. even the most pious has to suffer the condition of material nature. but a pious man is faithful to the Lord, for he is guided by the bona fide brähmana and vaishnava following the religious principles. these three guiding principles should be the aim of life. one should not be disturbed by the tricks of eternal Time. even the great controller of the universe, brahmäjee, is also under the control of that Time; therefore, one should not grudge being thus controlled by Time despite being a true follower of religious principles.

comment by my producer

2011-02-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna
I have been wanting to tell you this but keep forgetting, so here it is. Your presentation is spiritual and transcendental. I have watched them so many times and each time I get new realizations and see pictures in new ways.

Haribol
Kamlesh Patel

this is called ‘His causeless mercy’

2011-02-15T07:17:00.000-08:00

the words tato 'si bhagavän prabhuh mean: "therefore You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of everyone". the Supreme Personality of Godhead is endowed with all six opulences in full, and more-over He is extremely kind to His devotee. although He is full in Himself, He none-the-less wants all the living entities to surrender unto Him so that they may engage in His service. thus He becomes satisfied. although He is full in Himself, He none-the-less becomes pleased when His devotee offers Him patrang pushpang phalang toyam [bg. 9.26]—a leaf, flower, fruit or water—in devotion.

some-times the Lord, as the child of mother yashodä, requests His devotee for some food, as if He were very hungry. some-times He tells His devotee in a dream that His temple and His garden are now very old and that He can-not enjoy them very nicely. thus He requests the devotee to repair them. some-times He is buried in the earth, and as if un-able to come out Himself, He requests His devotee to rescue Him. some-times He requests His devotee to preach His glories all over the world, although He alone is quite competent to perform this task.

even though the Supreme Personality of Godhead is endowed with all possessions and is self-sufficient, He depends on His devotees. therefore the relationship of the Lord with His devotees is extremely confidential. only the devotee can perceive how the Lord, although full in Himself, depends on His devotee for some particular work. this is explained in Bhagavad-geetä (11.33), where the Lord tells arjuna, nimitta-mätrang bhava savyasäcin: "o arjuna, merely be an instrument in the fight." Lord Krishna had the competence to win the battle of kurukshetra, but none-the-less He induced His devotee arjuna to fight and become the cause of victory. Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu was quite competent enough to spread His name and mission all over the world, but still He depended upon His devotee to do this work.

considering all these points, the most important aspect of the Supreme Lord's self-sufficiency is that He depends on His devotees. this is called ‘His causeless mercy’. the devotee who has perceived this causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by realization can understand the master and the servant.

Q:How Do I Percieve Mäyä's Influence?

2011-02-04T08:55:00.000-08:00

unless we are actively engaged in direct Krishna conscious activitys, such as hearing, chanting, praying, remembering, worshiping Krishna, etc, then it is to be assumed at that time we are under the influence of the material energy. as Prabhupäda once told his disciple: "no, you are always in mäyä, but sometimes you fall into Krishna!" in order to perceive this you have to become expert at seeing the shästras at all times. in other words, you have to know Bhagavad-geetä, Shreemad-Bhägavatam, Nectar of Instruction, etc. so well, that at every moment you are remembering and 'seeing' these books in action moment to moment. that is why you always hear me say "study Prabhupäda's books as much as you can every day and chant incessantly". that is how to get out of mäyä. there is no other way, there is no other way, there is no other way.

nirantara radio comment

2011-01-20T11:10:00.000-08:00

I am very happy with the launch of Nirantara Radio. Let us awake the world, good work Prabhu. Let all of us serve Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada ki Jaya.

Sunil From Holland

email response to one of my secretarys

2011-01-19T09:49:00.000-08:00

although i cannot remember the quotes you are referring to, i still agree with your analysis. actually we are just trying to please Shreela Prabhupäda by our service. we do not know anything about what pleases Krishna; all we know is what Prabhupäda has given us. so does Prabhupäda accept my preaching? does Prabhupäda approve of my methods? who can say? nobody can say "i know for certain that Prabhupäda approves or disapproves". somehow or other i have gotten to this point, and practically, all i can go by is that there are some nice, sincere devotees who like what i am doing. therefore i am preaching only for those who like what i am doing. as soon as there are no more devotees on line listening, then the webcast will no longer exist. but if there is ONE soul out there who wants to listen and hear from me, i will spend whatever time and energy it takes to do these webcasts.

appreciation

2011-01-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Please accept my humble obeisances. All Glories to our Beloved Srila Prabhupada.

Ever since I bought your Bhagavad-gita DVD from Krishna.com two years ago, I wondered about you, who you were, where you were and what you were doing. Somehow I was attracted to you. In the mean time, I went to India for seven months then came back to the US.

Then I heard someone singing a beautiful bhajan during sayana aroti on at New Dwaraka on LAlive.us, but I couldn't see who it was because you were on the preaching asana and the camera was focused on the altar and Deities. But afterwards, when I saw it was you who had been singing, I was so surprised. Then you gave a wonderful class. Since then, about the past five months, I've been very happy to get to "know" you in this way. hearing your bhajans and classes on LAlive. And then Padyavali mataji, who is my good friend from the LA chat and on Facebook, encouraged me to see your shows on Mayapur.tv. I have for some time, but just recently I finally got a log in, so I was able to be there in the chat on your show tonight. It was great. I had been feeling somewhat low in spirits today, but when I joined your show I became very happy. Thank you so much.

Will you please put me on your mailing list? I'd be very grateful.

I think the service you're doing is fantastict. The more ways we can preach Krishna consciousness the better. So many different kinds of people are in this world, lost in the illusion of thinking this world is the all-and-all, so in whatever way we can save them it is a great service to Srila Prabhupada and Lord Sri Krishna!

Jaya! All glories!

yhs,
Lelihana dd

GOD's special mercy

2011-01-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

the demi-gods pray:

in india [bhärata-varsha], there are many worshipers of the demigods, the various officials appointed by the Supreme Lord, such as indra, candra and soorya, all of whom are worshiped differently. the worshipers offer the demigods their oblations, considering the demigods part and parcel of the whole, the Supreme Lord. therefore the Supreme Personality of Godhead accepts these offerings and gradually raises the worshipers to the real standard of devotional service by fulfilling their desires and aspirations. because the Lord is complete, He offers the worshipers the benedictions they desire even if they worship only part of His transcendental body.

the Supreme Personality of Godhead fulfills the material desires of a devotee who approaches Him with such motives, but He does not bestow benedictions upon the devotee that will cause him/her to demand more benedictions again. however, the Lord willingly gives the devotee shelter at His own lotus feet, even though such a person does not aspire for it, and that shelter satisfies all one's desires. that is the Supreme Personality's special mercy.

the demi-gods approve of sankeertana-yagya

2011-01-08T07:07:00.000-08:00

the demi-gods pray:

an intelligent person does not take interest in a place, even in the topmost planetary system, if the pure ganges of topics concerning the Supreme Lord's activities does not flow there, if there are not devotees engaged in service on the banks of such a river of piety, or if there are no festivals of sankeertana-yagya to satisfy the Lord [especially since sankeertana-yagya is recommended in this age].

bhärata-varsha offers the proper land and circumstances in which to execute devotional service, which can free one from the results of gyäna and karma. if one obtains a human body in the land of bhärata-varsha, with clear sensory organs with which to execute the sankeertana-yagya, but in spite of this opportunity one does not take to devotional service, he/she is certainly like liberated forest animals and birds that are careless and are therefore again bound by a hunter.

why demi-gods would rather be human beings

2011-01-08T06:58:00.000-08:00

shukadeva gosvämee says:

since the human form of life is the sublime position for spiritual realization, all the demigods in heaven speak in this way:

how wonderful it is for these human beings to have been born in the land of bhärata-varsha. they must have executed pious acts of austerity in the past, or the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself must have been pleased with them. otherwise, ¿how could they engage in devotional service in so many ways? we demigods can only aspire to achieve human births in bhärata-varsha to execute devotional service, but these human beings are already engaged there.

after performing the very difficult tasks of executing vedic ritualistic sacrifices, undergoing austerities, observing vows and giving charity, we have achieved this position as inhabitants of the heavenly planets. but what is the value of this achievement? here we are certainly very engaged in material sense gratification, and therefore we can hardly remember the lotus feet of Lord Näräyana. indeed, because of our excessive sense gratification, we have almost forgotten His lotus feet.

a short life in the land of bharata-varsha is preferable to a life achieved in brahma-loka for millions and billions of years because even if one is elevated to brahma-loka, he/she must return to repeated birth and death. although life in bhärata-varsha, in a lower planetary system, is very short, one who lives there can elevate himself to full Krishna-consciousness and achieve the highest perfection, even in this short life, by fully surrendering unto the lotus feet of the Lord. thus one attains vaikuntha-loka, where there is neither anxiety nor repeated birth in a material body.

the real path of liberation

2011-01-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

shukadeva gosvämee says:

after many, many births, when the results of one's pious activities mature, one gets an opportunity to associate with pure devotees. then one is able to cut the knot of bondage to ignorance, which bound one because of varied fruitive activities. as a result of associating with devotees, one gradually renders service to Lord Väsudeva, who is transcendental, free from attachment to the material world, beyond the mind and words, and independent of everything else. that bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Lord Väsudeva, is the real path of liberation.

the beauty of Forgiveness

2010-12-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

rudra uväca
tava varada varänghräv äshishehäkhilärthe
hy api munibhir asaktair ädarenärhaneeye
yadi racita-dhiyang mävidya-loko 'paviddhang
japati na ganaye tat tvat-paränugrahena

lord shiva said:

"my dear Lord, my mind and consciousness are always fixed on Your lotus feet, which, as the source of all benediction and the fulfillment of all desires, are worshiped by all liberated great sages because Your lotus feet are worthy of worship. with my mind fixed on Your lotus feet,

i am no longer disturbed by persons who blaspheme me, claiming that my activities are not purified. i do not mind their accusations, and i excuse them out of compassion, just as You exhibit compassion toward all living entities.

shreela prabhupäda says:

lord shiva expresses herein his regret at having been angry and having disturbed the sacrificial activities of daksha. king daksha had insulted him in many ways, and thus he had become angry and had frustrated the entire sacrificial ceremony. later, when he was pleased, the yagya-performances were re-instituted, and therefore he regretted his activities. now he says that because his mind is fixed on the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord, Vishnu, he is no longer disturbed by the ordinary critics of his way of life.

from this statement by lord shiva it is understood that as long as one is on the material platform one is affected by the three modes of material nature. as soon as one is in Krishna-consciousness, however, one is no longer affected by such material activities. one should therefore always be fixed in Krishna-consciousness, busy in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. it is guaranteed that such a devotee will never be affected by the actions and reactions of the three modes of material nature.
this fact is also corroborated in bhagavad-geetä: anyone who is fixed in the transcendental service of the Lord has surpassed all the material qualities and is situated in the status of Brahman-realization, in which one is not afflicted by hankering for material objects.
the recommendation of the shreemad-bhägavatam is that one should always be Krishna-conscious and should never forget one's transcendental relationship with the Lord.
this program has to be followed strictly by every-one. from the statement of lord shiva it is understood that he was always in Krishna-consciousness, and thus he remained free from material affliction. the only remedy, therefore, is to continue Krishna-consciousness rigidly, in order to get out of the contamination of the material modes.

Don't Be Puffed-up

2010-12-26T06:15:00.000-08:00

the power and energy which were bestowed upon arjuna were required for fulfillment of the mission of the Lord, but when His mission was fulfilled, the emergency powers were withdrawn from arjuna because the astounding powers of arjuna, which were astonishing even to the denizens of heaven, were no longer required, and they were not meant for going back home, back to Godhead. if endowment of powers and withdrawal of powers by the Lord are possible even for a great devotee like arjuna, or even the demigods in heaven, then what to speak of the ordinary living beings who are but figs compared to such great souls.

the lesson is, therefore, that no one should be puffed up for his/her powers borrowed from the Lord. the sane man should rather feel obliged to the Lord for such benefactions and must utilize such power for the service of the Lord. such power can be withdrawn at any time by the Lord, so the best use of such power and opulence is to engage them in the service of the Lord.

Feedback from Geetä-yagya 2010

2010-12-15T12:09:00.000-08:00

i think you did an outstanding job as usual.  i need to improve my end.  We did not have enough chairs set up and the tent needed to be put up ahead of time.  i am writing my own notes to remember these details for next year.
_Pävaka devee däsee(Los Angeles, USA)

Thank you very much. You must have put a lot of thought into writing that [sub-titles for each section within each chapter]. I am going to print it out and put the copy in my Geetä, maybe even write it in at the various places with a pencil.It will help me to study better.
I liked the recitation very much. I have to confess I have not recited the entire text in about eight years or so. This time I did and I could feel the shakti of it all day long today. Your choice of commentary was classic Shreela Prabhupäda. I would only like to suggest that when you start out on chapter one perhaps you could be a little more personal in order to help people feel like they can handle the austerity of it.We are a team trying to accomplish the recitation together. I felt a little bewildered and rebellious at first as to whether or not I could stick it out. I also felt embarrassed that I could not chant so fast or pronounce everything so quickly. So how people who are fairly new to the Geetä must feel? So maybe you could explain to the devotees that you don't have to be perfect, that at least someone in the crowd is getting it right at any given time, so Krishna accepts our group effort, our sankeertana. Sorry I love to opine.
_Karuna Dhärinee däsee (Los Angeles, USA)

I was online for about an hour for the Geetä-yagya... the audio quality wasn't very good... there was a lot of background noise. Wanted to stay online longer but had to go out so couldn't..... It was a nice rock n roll look you had with your head covered and dark glasses. Your web page too has a new look... nice :)
_Sannam Kaajal Manghnani  Sammohinee (Santiago, Chile)

Next year we need to pay attention to your background. At least some kind of cloth, or maybe a poster or painting, rather than an open mailbox... I just saw a very nice display of Arjuna/Krishna on a chariot with horses in Sura's office. It would be perfect next to your computer.
_Mäyäpur-shashee däsa (Los Angeles, USA)

Thank you very much for your kind words and encouragement.  Your recitation of Bhagavad-geetä was most impressive.  You were speaking the shlokas better than I could read English!  I"m so fallen that I have difficulty pronouncing many words in Sanskrit.  Therefore, I decided to just hear.  I missed chapters 7-10 for lunch.
_Mahesh Soni (Orange, USA

You did a great job! I like your format of reading relevant quotes at the beginning and end of each chapter. A few people did say that they wanted the recitation to be a little slower but I think your speed choice was good and correct. It forces one to concentrate more. And since you ended just on time slower wouldn't have worked!
_Arcita däsa

when Krishna returned to vrindävana

2010-12-04T07:51:00.000-08:00

shreela vishvanätha cakravartee gives the following elaborate commentary on this section of shreemad-bhägavatam 10.78.16:

concerning the killing of dantavakra, the uttara-khanda (279) of the padma puräna contains further details in the following passage:

"then, hearing that shishupäla had been killed, dantavakra went to mathurä to fight against Krishna. when Krishna, more-over, heard of this, He mounted His chariot and went to mathurä. between the two of them—dantavakra and Lord Väsudeva—there then began a battle at the gate of mathurä that lasted all day and night. finally Krishna struck dantavakra with His club, at which point dantavakra fell life-less to the ground, all his limbs smashed like a mountain shattered by a lightning bolt. dantavakra achieved the liberation of gaining a form equal to the Lord's, and thus he also achieved the Lord's eternal, supreme abode, attainable by perfect yogees, which bestows the happiness of everlasting spiritual bliss. so it was that jaya and vijaya—apparently because of being cursed by sanaka and his brothers but actually to facilitate the Supreme Lord's pastimes—descended to this material world and in three consecutive life-times were killed by the Lord Himself. then, at the completion of these three life-times, they attained liberation.
"and after killing vidooratha, Krishna crossed the yamunä and went to the cowherd village of nanda, where He honored and consoled His aggrieved parents. they drenched Him with tears and embraced Him, and then the Lord offered obeisances to the elder cowherd men and gratified all the residents with abundant gifts of clothing, ornaments and so on. Lord Keshava sported continuously with the cowherd women on the kälindee's charming bank, which was filled with pious trees. thus the Supreme Lord, assuming the appearance of a cowherd, resided there for two months, enjoying the pleasure of intimate pastimes in various moods of loving reciprocation. then, by Lord Väsudeva's grace, nanda and all the other residents of that place, together with their children and wives, assumed their eternal, spiritual forms, boarded a celestial airplane and ascended to the supreme vaikuntha planet [goloka vrindävana]. Lord Krishna, however, after bestowing on nanda gopa and all the other inhabitants of vraja His own transcendental abode, which is free of all disease, traveled through the sky and returned to dvärakä as demigods chanted His praises."

this is the secret of devotional service

2010-12-04T07:33:00.000-08:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

Lord Krishna told king yudhishthira that He is conquered by the love of one who has conquered his/her senses. one who has not conquered the senses can-not conquer the Supreme Personality of Godhead. this is the secret of devotional service. to conquer the senses means to engage them constantly in the service of the Lord. the specific qualification of all the pändava brothers was that they always engaged their senses in the Lord’s service. one who thus engages his/her senses becomes purified, and with purified senses the devotee can actually render transcendental loving service to the Lord and conquer Him.

A Glimpse Into Krishna's Mind

2010-12-02T04:12:00.000-08:00

shreela krishnadäsa kaviräja gosvämee says:

the scriptures proclaim that Lord Krishna previously descended to take away the burden of the earth. to take away this burden, however, is not the work of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. the maintainer, Lord Vishnu, is the one who protects the universe. but the time to lift the burden of the world mixed with the time for Lord Krishna's incarnation. when the complete Supreme Personality of Godhead descends, all other incarnations of the Lord meet together within Him. Lord Näräyana, the four primary expansions [Väsudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna & Aniruddha], Matsya and the other leelä-incarnations, the yuga-avatäras, the manvantara-incarnations and as many other incarnations as there are_all descend in the body of Lord Krishna. in this way the complete Supreme Godhead, Lord Krishna Himself, appears. at that time, therefore, Lord Vishnu is present in the body of Lord Krishna, and Lord Krishna kills the demons through Him.

shreela krishnadäsa kaviräja gosvämee continues:

thus the killing of the demons is but secondary work. i shall now speak of the main reason for the Lord's incarnation. the Lord's desire to appear was born from two reasons: 1) the Lord wanted to taste the sweet essence of the mellows of love of God, and 2) He wanted to propagate devotional service in the world on the platform of spontaneous attraction. thus He is known as supremely jubilant and as the most merciful of all.

[Lord Krishna thought:]

"all the universe is filled with the conception of My majesty, but love weakened by that sense of majesty does not satisfy Me. if one regards Me as the Supreme Lord and him/herself as a subordinate, I do not become subservient to one's love, nor can it control Me. in what-ever transcendental mellow My devotee worships Me, I reciprocate with him/her. that is My natural behavior.

'in what-ever way My devotees surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. everyone follows My path in all respects, o son of prithä.' [bg 4.11]

"if one cherishes pure loving devotion to Me, thinking of Me as one's son, friend or beloved, regarding him/herself as great and considering Me one's equal or inferior, I become subordinate to him/her.

'devotional service rendered to Me by the living beings revives their eternal life. o My dear damsels of vraja, your affection for Me is your good fortune, for it is the only means by which you have obtained My favor.' [10.82.44]

"mother some-times binds Me as her son. she nourishes and protects Me, thinking Me utterly helpless. My friends climb on My shoulders in pure friendship, saying, 'what kind of big man are You? You and i are equal.' if My beloved consort reproaches Me in a sulky mood, that steals My mind from the reverent hymns of the vedas. taking these pure devotees with Me, I shall descend and sport in various wonderful ways, un-known even in vaikuntha. I shall broadcast such pastimes by which even I am amazed. the influence of yogamäyä will inspire the gopees with the sentiment that I am their paramour. neither the gopees nor I shall notice this, for our minds will always be entranced by one another's beauty and qualities. pure attachment will unite us even at the expense of moral and religious duties [dharma]. destiny will some-times bring us together and some-times separate us. i shall taste the essence of all these rasas, and in this way I shall favor all the devotees. then, by hearing about the pure love of the residents of vraja, devotees will worship Me on the path of spontaneous love, abandoning all rituals of religiosity and fruitive activity."

Surrender

2010-11-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

Lord Krishna here confirms that the conditioned soul can reach the highest perfectional stage by surrendering to Him. One must give up all other responsibilities. This complete surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the most auspicious path for the conditioned soul because the Supreme Lord is the supreme objective of love. Everyone is loving his/her self according to the advancement of one's knowledge. Ultimately, when a person comes to understand that his/her self is the spirit soul and that the spirit soul is nothing but a part and parcel of the Supreme Lord, one recognizes the Supreme Lord as the ultimate goal of love and then surrenders unto Him. This surrender is considered auspicious for the conditioned soul. Our life, property, home, wife, children, house, country, society and all paraphernalia which are very dear to us are expansions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the central object of love because He gives us all bliss, expanding Himself in so many ways according to our different situations, namely bodily, mental or spiritual.

On the Road Report

2010-11-22T03:53:00.000-08:00

the month of kärtika ended on Sunday, November 21 for me here in Panama City, the capital of the country known as Panama. the Dada Vaswani group held a festival at a university to promote vegetarianism on the occasion of the founder's birthday. my band consisted of Durmada-damana däsa, disciple of H.H. GuruPrasädaSwami, and the guitar player, Jesus Almenas, is a friend of ISKCON and has played with me every-time i go to Panama. with myself on bass guitar and vocals, and Durmada also singing, we performed 6 songs on stage. "My Sweet Lord", "Lord Gauränga", "All Across the World" and the featured "Have Mercy on the Animals" were very warmly received by the audience consisting of local Panamanians and landed Indians.

Durmada-damana däsa spent over 12 hours in three days to learn each song perfectly on drums, as well as sing key portions of each song. his sacrifice was great because my music is not his own style of drumming, so he had to learn a completely new methodology. yet by show-time he had not only perfected the rhythms, but exceeded my expectations. bravo for a job well-done! Jesus had played most of the songs before, as he always accompanies me when i play in the temple room here in Panama whenever i come. But he did have to learn two new songs in one rehearsal and of course, he mastered it within one or two "takes".

on stage the band shined. the voices could be heard loud and clear, and the instruments blended as if in a studio mixed for final mastering. Durmada is quite the networking-preacher. the sound-technician for the venue was known to him, so we got the best possible mix for the occasion. also, another acquaintance of his recorded most of the songs. i will be waiting for a finished cd sometime next month. Jesus is what i call "guitar-avatära": he can play any style of music, he can play it masterfully, and he has no false-ego. during the two hour rehearsal on Saturday night, i was emotionally moved to offer obeisances after each and every song. he knows exactly how and what to play for each song of mine, and he knows just when to give it the proper accentuation and fortissimo. he is the best musician i have ever played with.

my prayer is that i could someday bring these two here to Los Angeles for Ratha-yäträ. that would be the perfection of service i have done for so many years. but Durmada-damana gets all of the credit as he put it all together for me; even to the extent of shelling out almost $100 of his own money for equipment and rehearsal renting, what to speak of driving me here, there and everywhere. may Krishna bless him more and more in his pursuit of pure Krishna-consciousness.

this was the best music i have performed in a live venue ever in my life. i am so happy. i feel i have died and gone to heaven. in fact, i do not want to do anything now except play with these two musicians for the rest of my life. but don't worry, i am coming back to preach on Tuesday in SoCal as promised. hari bol

This Letter Made Me Cry

2010-11-19T06:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Nirantara Prabhu,
My name is Acyuta Gopi. I was born in the movement as Acyutapriya to two old school New York devotees, Adideva Das and Antaranga Devi Dasi ,who took initiation from HH Gour Govinda Swami after lamenting their great misfortune and praying for many years, due to not having taken shelter of Srila Prabhupada formally when he was here on the planet after joining the movement in 1974. In 2007 I took initiation from HH Radhanath Swami and have been trying before as well as ever since to continue to stay inspired within my Krsna-consciousness and to develop firm, unflinching faith in the Holy Name and the most munificent Sri Nama Prabhu.

Yesterday evening I was returning from work and my husband was listening to a series of lectures from an online streaming radio website. We came across one lecture that you gave on the poem that Srila Prabhupada wrote upon arriving in Boston. Unfortunately on the website it did not list the speaker of the lecture and so we had to go on a little bit of a search to find out who you were. That lecture has been added to the favorites that I have heard over the years. It was wonderful to hear Prabhupada Katha spoken so nicely and sweetly. I really appreciated that lecture and the way you were able to give me yet another connection to appreciate and learn from my spiritual grandfather. For about seven or eight years I have been trying to go deeper into Srila Prabhupada's books and try to know him better. He is my savior, the savior of my parents, the savior of my beloved spiritual master and I felt that I really needed to connect with him and to ask him for his blessings and his encouragement within my spiritual life.

Since then I have been learning so much and your class really added to it. Thank you so much. Sometimes the second generation doesn't exactly express the sentiment they feel when they hear a lecture or their appreciation of the first generation devotees so I knew I needed to write you and express my gratitude. I've been listening to a few of the other classes that you have given and I really enjoy your style of lecturing. I've been to LA many times for Ratha Yatra and I have also been once for the Prabhupada festival and I'm just amazed that somehow I didn't get to meet you when I was there.

At any rate, I'm glad that you're so accessible and that you are open to letters. Thank you again for enlivening my kartik month and really connecting me once again with my grandfather who I love and owe my life to.

All Glories to your service.
I pray that beautiful Sri Sri Radha Govinda here in NY and merciful
Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarkadish there in LA keep you always in their service and continue to give you all blessings.

Yours in the service of the Holy Name,
Acyuta Gopi DD

North Carolina Feedback

2010-11-13T12:38:00.000-08:00

Hare Krishna
Your class at New Goloka today (11/07/10) was the best class I've ever heard! Thank you. Have you ever been to Japan? My dad is from Japan. There are very nice devotees there.
Sincerely
Kapila Baba (12 years old)

The Fruit of Preaching

2010-10-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

dear nirantara prabhu, I am just feeling very inspired to write you an email. I wanted to share with you that I am feeling very happy. After I sent that email to HH Devamrita Swami my life changed. I don't know what is going on, but I am feeling so satisfied. I have been listening to lectures of Devamrita Swami and I am finding great pleasure in listening to him. I am also beginning to understand things I never could understand before. Devamrita Swami told me in his email to use my energies in chanting. So that's what I did. Every week I have been increasing 2 rounds. This week I am at 8 rounds, and for some reason I am being steady at it.

I have thought about all the things that lead me to this point and I can not stop thinking about you and how kind you were during my first years even up to these days. I remember I attended so many namahattas and you always treated me like a son. I am aware I have been so offensive at times. I don't know how you put up with me. I feel so ashamed. I will never forget what you have done for me.

Today I got a new mp3 player and the first songs and lectures I downloaded were yours and Devamrita's. Actually I am listening to Merciful Prabhupada right now while I am writing this. I also put your picture. It almost makes me want to cry, I know you changed my life. This is why I am feeling so inspired to do some service for you. So far I have always been the one asking for favors, blessings, guidance, etc etc but never have asked if I could do some service for you. Please let me know what kind of service I can do and I will do everything that it is in my power to make it happen.

thank thank thank a trillion and more times for all you have done for me. :D

thank you Nirantara Prabhu,

Hare Krsna!!!

A Most Wonderful Reference-letter

2010-10-05T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here are the leaders who received the message below:

Sivarama Swami / Hungary___Madhusevita prabhu / Italy-Spain-France-Holland___Bir krsna Maharaj / former Yugoslavia___Prabhavisnu Swami / Russia__Gopal Krishna Maharaja / Russia___Bhakti Chaitanya Swami / Russia___Bhakti Vijnana Maharaja__Acyuta Priya prabhu / Ukraine___Niranjana Maharaja / Ukraine___Praghosa prabhu / UK and France.

Hare Krishna. I am writing to introduce Nirantara prabhu. He is a Srila Prabhupada disciple and long time senior preacher here in Southern California. He has was the membership director in New Dwaraka for a number of years and has maintained a set of very enthusiastic nam hatta groups throughout the LA and Orange county areas. Over the last few years he has begun traveling more: around the USA, across Canada, and in parts of Canada. The devotees are universally pleased by his visits and he is developing a circuit due to return initiations.

Nirantara prabhu is a very energetic and entertaining speaker. He also speaks strongly, clearly, and strictly according to our siddhanta. I am reminded of the saying "Give me that old time religion". He is by no means a fanatic or rigid. Rather, he makes his points maturely and thoughtfully but also in a very warm and down-to-earth way. The devotees and congregation are laughing and nodding their heads in agreement and walk out the door after his talks with conviction to surrender and serve more and that they definitely did the right thing by becoming ISKCON devotees.

He is also a very talented musician. He has a stable and happy marriage and has raised a very good daughter.

Nirantara prabhu and I were at a nam hatta program just the other night and I was thinking how he would be a real spark plug at the large festivals held in Russian and Europe. I asked him how he felt about this and, true to his nature, Nirantara prabhu said "Send me a ticket and I am ready to go."

I asked him to write up a little description of his service and you will find that below. If you are looking for strong, mature, entertaining speakers, with engaging stage presence, I guarantee that you will not be disappointed by inviting Nirantara prabhu.

You can reach him at: nirantara@juno.com

Feel free to contact me if you would like more information.

Your servant,
Badrinarayan dasa

The Vishnu-dootas Explain the Glorys of Chanting the Holy Name of GOD

2010-09-23T04:10:00.000-07:00

the vishnu-dootas informed the yama-dootas:

the chanting of the Holy Name of Lord Vishnu is the best process of atonement for a thief of gold or other valuables, for a drunkard, for one who betrays a friend or relative, for one who kills a brähmana, or for one who indulges in sex with the wife of his guru or another superior. it is also the best method of atonement for one who murders women, the king or his father, for one who slaughters cows, & for all other sin-full men. simply by chanting the Holy Name of Lord Vishnu, such sin-full persons may attract the attention of the Supreme Lord, Who therefore considers, ‘because this man has chanted My Holy Name, My duty is to give him protection'.

by following the vedaic ritualistic ceremonies or under-going atonement, sin-full men do not become as purified as by chanting once the Holy Name of Lord Hari. although ritualistic atonement may free one from sin-full re-actions, it dos not awaken devotional-service, un-like the chanting of the Lord’s names, which reminds one of the Lord’s fame, qualities, attributes, pastimes & paraphernalia.

*
the ritualistic ceremonys of atonement recommended in the religious-scriptures are in-sufficent to cleanse the heart absolutely because after atonement one’s mind again runs toward material-activities. consequently, for one who wants liberation from the fruitive re-actions of material-activities, the chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra, or glorification of the name, fame & pastimes of the Lord, is recommended as the most perfect process of atonement because such chanting eradicates the dirt from one’s heart completely.
*
one who chants the Holy Name of the Lord is immediately freed from the re-actions of un-limited sins, even if one chants in-directly [to indicate some-thing else], jokingly, for musical entertainment, or even neglect-fully. this is accepted by all the learned scholars of the scriptures.
*
if one chants the Holy Name of Hari & then dies because of an accidental mis-fortune, such as falling from the top of a house, slipping & suffering broken bones while traveling on the road, being bitten by a serpent, being afflicted with pain & high fever, or being injured by a weapon, one is immediately absolved from having to enter hellish life, even though he/she is sin-full.
*
authorities who are learned scholars & sages have care-fully ascertained that one should atone for the heaviest sins by under-going a heavy process of atonement & one should atone for lighter sins by under-going lighter atonement. chanting the Hare Krishna mantra, how-ever, vanquishes all the effects of sin-full activities, regard-less of whether heavy or light.
*
as a fire burns dry grass to ashes, so the Holy Name of the Lord, whether chanted knowingly or un-knowingly, burns to ashes, with-out fail, all the re-actions of one’s sin-full activities.
*
if a person un-aware of the effective potency of a certain medicine takes that medicine or is forced to take it, it will act even with-out his/her knowledge because its potency dos not depend on the patient’s understanding. similarly, even though one dos not know the value of chanting the Holy Name of the Lord, if one chants knowingly or un-knowingly, the chanting will be very effective.

the Lord's favor

2010-09-21T13:48:00.000-07:00

shree-bhagavän uväca
brahman yam anugrihnämi
tad-visho vidhunomy aham
yan-madah purushah stabdho
lokang mäng cävamanyate

the Supreme Personality of Godhead said:

"My dear lord brahmä, because of material opulence a foolish person becomes dull-witted and mad. thus he/she has no respect for anyone within the three worlds and defies even My authority. to such a person I show special favor by first taking away all one's possessions.
*
"while rotating in the cycle of birth and death again and again in different species because of one's own fruitive activities, the dependent living entity, by good fortune, may happen to become a human being. this human birth is very rarely obtained.
*
"if a human being is born in an aristocratic family or a higher status of life, if he/she performs wonderful activities, if one is youthful, if one has personal beauty, a good education and good wealth, and if one is none-the-less not proud of his/her opulences, it is to be understood that he/she is especially favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

"although aristocratic birth and other such opulences are impediments to advancement in devotional service because they are causes of false prestige and pride, these opulences never disturb a pure devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

shreela prabhupäda says:

a civilization that has become gGod-less because of material advancement in opulence is extremely dangerous. because of great opulence, a materialist becomes so proud that he/she has no regard for anyone and even refuses to accept the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. the result of such a mentality is certainly very dangerous. to show special favor, the Lord sometimes makes an example of someone like bali mahäräja, who became bereft of all his possessions.

the first duty of everyone

2010-09-21T13:34:00.000-07:00

shukadeva gosvämee said

Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Näräyana, thereafter addressed shukräcärya, who was sitting nearby in the midst of the assembly with the priests [brahma, hotä, udgätä, adhvaryu]. o mahäräja pareekshit, these priests were all brahma-vädees, followers of the vedic principles for performing sacrifices.

“o best of the brähmanas, shukräcärya, please describe the fault or discrepancy in your disciple bali mahäräja, who engaged in performing sacrifices. this fault will be nullified when judged in the presence of qualified brähmanas.”

shukräcärya said:

“my Lord, You are the enjoyer and law-giver in all performances of sacrifice, and You are the Yagya-purusha, the person to whom all sacrifices are offered. if one has fully satisfied You, where is the chance of discrepancies or faults in his performances of sacrifice?

mantratas tantratash chidrang
desha-kälärha-vastutah
sarvang karoti nishchidram
anusankeertanang tava

“there may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. but when Your Lordship's Holy Name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.

“Lord Vishnu, i must none-the-less act in obedience to Your order because obeying Your order is most auspicious and is the first duty of everyone.”

any method other than devotional service is useless

2010-09-21T13:25:00.000-07:00

shukadeva gosvämee continued:

when kashyapa muni was thus requested by aditi, he slightly smiled. "alas," he said, "how powerful is the illusory energy of Lord Vishnu, by which the entire world is bound by affection for children! what is this material body, made of five elements? it is different from the spirit soul. indeed, the spirit soul is completely different from the material elements from which the body is made. but because of bodily attachment, one is regarded as a husband or son. these illusory relationships are caused by misunderstanding.
*
"my dear aditi, engage in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the master of everything, who can subdue everyone's enemies, and who sits within everyone's heart. only that Supreme Person_Krishna, or Väsudeva_can bestow all auspicious benedictions upon everyone, for He is the spiritual master of the universe.
*
"the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Who is very merciful to the poor, will fulfill all of your desires, for devotional service unto Him is infallible. any method other than devotional service is useless. that is my opinion.”

Krishna’s flute is represented by the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra

2010-09-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

the vibration of Krishna’s flute is always prominent in the ears of the gopees. naturally they cannot hear anything else. constant remembrance of the Holy Sound of Krishna’s flute keeps them enlightened and enlivened, and they do not allow any other sound to enter their ears. since their attention is fixed on Krishna’s flute, they cannot divert their minds to any other subject. in other words, a devotee who has heard the sound of Krishna’s flute forgets to talk or hear of any other subject. this vibration of Krishna’s flute is represented by the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra. a serious devotee of the Lord who chants and hears this transcendental vibration becomes so accustomed to it that he/she cannot divert his/her attention to any subject matter not related to Krishna’s blissful characteristics and paraphernalia.

Krishna’s flute

2010-09-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu informed sanätana gosvämee

the sound of Krishna’s flute spreads in the four directions. even though Krishna vibrates His flute within this universe, its sound pierces the universal covering and goes to the spiritual sky. thus the vibration enters the ears of all inhabitants. it especially enters goloka vrindävana-dhäma and attracts the minds of the young damsels of vraja-bhümi, bringing them forcibly to where Krishna is present. the vibration of Krishna’s flute is very aggressive, and it breaks the vows of all chaste women. indeed, its vibration takes them forcibly from the laps of their husbands. the vibration of His flute attracts even the goddesses of fortune in the vaikuntha planets, to say nothing of the poor damsels of vrindävana. the vibration of His flute slackens the knots of their under-wear even in front of their husbands. thus the gopees are forced to abandon their household duties and come before Lord Krishna. in this way all social etiquette, shame and fear are vanquished. the vibration of His flute causes all women to dance. the vibration of His flute is just like a bird that creates a nest within the ears of the gopees and always remains prominent there, not allowing any other sound to enter their ears. indeed, the gopees cannot hear anything else, nor are they able to concentrate on anything else, not even to give a suitable reply. such are the effects of the vibration of Lord Krishna’s flute.”

sweeter than sweet

2010-09-18T07:06:00.000-07:00

Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu said:

the transcendental form of Lord Shree Krishna is compared to an ocean. a particularly extraordinary vision is the moon above that ocean—Shree Krishna’s face—and an even more extraordinary vision is His smile, which is sweeter than sweet and is like shining beams of moonlight.”

the author, krishnadäsa kaviräja gosvämee, says

while speaking of these things with sanätana gosvämee, Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu began to remember one thing after another. moving His hands in ecstasy, He recited a verse.
*

‘o my Lord, the transcendental body of Krishna is very sweet, and His face is even sweeter than His body. but His soft smile, which has the fragrance of honey, is sweeter still.’

Krishna’s body is a city of attractive features, and it is sweeter than sweet. His face, which is like the moon, is sweeter still. and the supremely sweet gentle smile on that moon-like face is like rays of moon-shine. the beauty of Krishna’s smile is the sweetest feature of all. His smile is like a full moon that spreads its rays throughout the three worlds—goloka vrindävana, the spiritual sky of the vaikunthas, and devee-dhäma, the material world. thus Krishna’s shining beauty spreads in all ten directions. His slight smiling and fragrant illumination are compared to camphor, which enters the sweetness of His lips. that sweetness is transformed and enters into space as vibrations from the holes of His flute.

"the creator is only a dry manufacturer"

2010-09-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu informed sanätana gosvämee

if by devotional service one gets the results of pious activities and sees Lord Krishna’s face, what can he/she relish with only two eyes? one's greed and thirst increase two-fold by seeing the nectarean face of Krishna. due to his/her inability to sufficiently drink that nectar, one becomes very un-happy and criticizes the creator for not having given more than two eyes. when the on-looker of Krishna’s face becomes dissatisfied in this way, he/she thinks, ‘why didn’t the creator give me thousands and millions of eyes? why has he given me only two? even these two eyes are disturbed by blinking, which keeps me from continuously seeing Krishna’s face.’ thus one accuses the creator of being dry and taste-less due to engaging in severe austerities. ‘the creator is only a dry manufacturer. he does not know how to create and set things in their proper places. ‘the creator says, “let those who will see Krishna’s beautiful face have two eyes.” just see the lack of consideration exhibited by this person posing as a creator! if the creator took my advice, he would give millions of eyes to the person who intends to see Shree Krishna’s face. if the creator will accept this advice, then i would say that he is competent in his work.

24½ moons

2010-09-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

käma-gäyatree-mantra-rüpa, haya krishnera svarüpa,

särdha-cabbisha akshara tära haya

se akshara ‘candra’ haya, krishne kari’ udaya,

trijagat kailä kämamaya
Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu informed sanätana gosvämee

“Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is identical with the Vedic hymn known as the käma-gäyatree, which is composed of twenty-four and a half syllables. those syllables are compared to moons that arise in Krishna. thus all three worlds are filled with desire. the face of Krishna is the king of all moons, and the body of Krishna is the throne. thus the king governs a society of moons. Krishna has two cheeks that shine like glowing gems. both are considered full moons. His forehead is considered a half moon, and the spot of sandalwood there is considered a full moon. His fingernails are many full moons, and they dance on the flute in His hands. their song is the melody of that flute. His toenails are also many full moons, and they dance on the ground. their song is the jingling of His ankle bells. Krishna’s face is the enjoyer king. that full-moon face makes His shark-shaped earrings and lotus eyes dance. His eyebrows are like bows, and His eyes are like arrows. His ears are fixed on the string of that bow, and when His eyes spread to His ears, He pierces the hearts of the gopees. the dancing features of His face surpass all other full moons and expand the marketplace of full moons. although priceless, the nectar of Krishna’s face is distributed to everyone. some purchase the moon-rays of His sweet smiles, and others purchase the nectar of His lips. thus He pleases every-one. Krishna has two reddish, widely spread eyes. these are ministers of the king, and they subdue the pride of cupid, who also has beautiful eyes. that face of Govinda, which is full of happiness, is the home of the pastimes of beauty, and it is very pleasing to everyone’s eyes.

the easiest way to attain spiritual elevation

2010-09-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

shukadeva gosvämee said:

the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krishna, is the bestower of many benedictions, including liberation [kaivalya], or oneness with the brahman-effulgence. for that Personality of Godhead, the gopees always felt maternal love, and Krishna sucked their breasts with full satisfaction. therefore, because of their relationship as mother and son, although the gopees were engaged in various family activities, one should never think that they returned to this material world after leaving their bodies.

shreela prabhupäda says:

the advantage of Krishna-consciousness is described herein. Krishna-consciousness gradually develops on the transcendental platform. one may think of Krishna as the Supreme-personality, one may think of Krishna as the Supreme-master, one may think of Krishna as the Supreme-friend, one may think of Krishna as the Supreme-son, or one may think of Krishna as the Supreme-conjugal-lover. if one is connected with Krishna in any of these transcendental relationships, the course of one's material life is understood to have already ended. as confirmed in bhagavad-geetä (4.9), tyaktvä dehang punar janma naiti mäm eti: for such devotees, going back home, back to Godhead, is guaranteed.

this verse also guarantees that devotees who constantly think of Krishna in a particular relationship will never return to this material world. in this material world of sangsära, there are the same relationships. one thinks, ‘here is my son’, ‘here is my wife’, ‘here is my lover’, or ‘here is my friend’. but these relationships are temporary illusions. agyäna-sambhavah: such a consciousness awakens in ignorance. but when the same relationships awaken in Krishna-consciousness, one's spiritual life is revived, and one is guaranteed to return home, back to Godhead.

even though the gopees who were friends of rohinee and mother yashodä and who allowed their breasts to be sucked by Krishna were not directly Krishna's mothers, they all had the same chance as rohinee and yashodä to go back to Godhead and act as Krishna's mothers-in-law, servants and so on.

the word sangsära refers to attachment for one's body, home, husband or wife, and children, but although the gopees and all the other inhabitants of vrindävana had the same affection and attachment for husband and home, their central affection was for Krishna in some transcendental relationship, and therefore they were guaranteed to be promoted to goloka-vrindävana in the next life, to live with Krishna eternally in spiritual happiness. the easiest way to attain spiritual elevation, to be liberated from this material world, and to go back home, back to Godhead, is recommended by bhaktivinoda thäkura. one should give up all sinful activities and remain in the family of Krishna. then one's liberation is guaranteed.

even from a material point of view

2010-09-09T11:50:00.000-07:00

na yatra shravanädeeni
raksho-ghnäni sva-karmasu
kurvanti sätvatäng bhartur
yätudhänyash ca tatra hi

my dear king, wherever people in any position perform their occupational duties of devotional service by chanting and hearing [shravanang keertanang vishnoh], there cannot be any danger from bad elements. therefore there was no need for anxiety about gokula while the Supreme Personality of Godhead was personally present.

shreela prabhupäda says:

shukadeva gosvämee spoke this verse to mitigate the anxiety of mahäräja pareekshit. mahäräja pareekshit was a devotee of Krishna, and therefore when he understood that pütanä was causing disturbances in gokula, he was somewhat perturbed. shukadeva gosvämee therefore assured him that there was no danger in gokula.

shreela bhaktivinoda thäkura has sung: nämäshraya kari' yatane tumi, thäkaha äpana käje. everyone is thus advised to seek shelter in the chanting of the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra and remain engaged in his/her own occupational duty. there is no loss in this, and the gain is tremendous. even from a material point of view, everyone should take to chanting the Hare Krishna mantra to be saved from all kinds of danger. this world is full of danger (padang padang yad vipadäm). therefore we should be encouraged to chant the Hare Krishna mahä-mantra so that in our family, society, neighborhood and nation, everything will be smooth and free from danger.

mäyä-mohita

2010-09-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

although pütanä was an out-sider and although she personified fierce death because the determination within her heart was to kill Krishna, when she directly came and placed the Child on her lap to offer Krishna her breast to suck, the mothers were so captivated by her beauty that they did not prohibit her.

sometimes a beautiful woman is dangerous because everyone, being captivated by external beauty (mäyä-mohita), is un-able to understand what is in her mind. those who are captivated by the beauty of the external energy are called mäyä-mohita.

here, of course, the two mothers rohinee and yashodä were not mäyä-mohita, deluded by the external energy, but to develop the pastimes of the Lord, they were captivated by yoga-mäyä. such mäyä-moha is the action of yoga-mäyä.

you never know who is going to be inspired by your preaching

2010-08-19T10:12:00.001-07:00

Hare Krishna prabhu,
please accept my humble obeiscences, all glories to Guru and Gauränga!
Nirantra prabhu, i wanted to tell you how excited i am to hear that you are coming here to vancouver, canada next week for Balaräma's appearance day.
since i was 12, i've been doing book distribution - being trained by Vedavyäsa däsa here in vancouver. I am now 29 years old, and the reason i am telling you this is - for 17 years - i have been listening to your music. vedavyäsa had a few tapes, and cds and with those i grew closer to Krishna and my service.
however, in moving away for school - one of the boxes were misplaced and i missed a few cds. if would are bringing some cds with you here to vancouver - i would love to purchase some from you.
you have been a great inspiration to me, and to be honest - when i need a pick me up, or something to solidify my faith - your music has always been there to save me time and again.
thus prabhu, i wanted to say thank you for your service and inspiration. I am sure you get messages like these everyday - but i also want you to know you helped me greatly as well.
your servant
Krishna Caitanya däsa

2010-08-12T11:56:00.000-07:00

yasya deve parä bhaktir
yathä-deve tathä gurau
tasyaite kathitä hy arthäh
prakäsante mahätmanah

yasya—of whom; deve—in the Supreme Lord; parä—superior; bhaktih—devotion; yathä-deve—as in the Supreme Lord; tathä—in the same way; gurau—in the spiritual master; tasya—to him/her; ete—these; kathitäh—as described; hi—certainly; arthäh—the imports; prakäsante—are revealed; mahät-manah—of those great souls.

Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.

Question & Answer

2010-08-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

Question

I know you're pretty tired of all this, but there are so many videos, on Youtube about WW3 and that Britain and America will come under fire. I feel that i have been very sinful despite growing up with ISKCON, i haven't been a too great devotee, but i have changed alot since 2 years. The mormons are saying i should get baptized in order to be saved, and I feel there isn't any spiritual master that i can get initiated from. Are you able to give me any advice?

My Answer

first of all, every religion, regardless of who it is, is going to say that their method is the ONLY WAY. i don't care if it is Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Buddhist... everyone says it is my way or else....

so you have to ask yourself the following questions, and only you can answer them, nobody else.

1) of all the religions and groups, who seems to have the best practicioners, who seems to have the best examples of Godliness?

2) which religious process has the most information, the most practical approach, the easiest access?

3) which religion touches your heart?

4) which religion satisfies you the most?

then make the best, intelligent decision you can and go for it. i did that back in 1973 and i am satisfied. as far as initiation, that is not as important as actually following the process. just because someone is initiated or baptized does not guarantee anything. whatever process you choose, you still have to follow it whole-heartedly.first decide which process you want to choose and then follow it with heart and soul. no matter what, i can still act as a guide or helper, regardless of what path you choose. i do not have any disciples, but i assist and train and help others in their path. i see myself as a "life-coach" or a "spiritual trainer". you can always email me with any question and i will always try to help you in some way or other. hope this helps you. you can email me as much as you like, whenever.

hari bol

when Hell becomes Heaven (and vice versa)

2010-08-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

the inhabitants of vrindävana said,

“by the will of the Supreme Authority and according to the results of our own work, we may take our birth any-where. it doesn’t matter where we are born, but our only prayer is that we may simply be engaged in Krishna-consciousness.”

shreela prabhupäda says:

a pure devotee of Lord Krishna never desires to be promoted to the heavenly planets, or even to vaikuntha or goloka vrindävana, because he/she has no desire for one's own personal satisfaction. a pure devotee regards heaven and hell to be on an equal level. without Krishna, heaven is hell; and with Krishna, hell is heaven.

caturmäsya_week #1/16 : notes

2010-08-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

well after one week, i am very encouraged. my diet consists of unspiced kitchre. i cook my rice & dahl together in the same pot without any butter, ghee or oil. this is the same diet the gopees had when they worshiped goddess kätyäyanee for one month in order to get Krishna as their husband. i also eat avacados and drink butter milk. other than that i eat fruits and drink water. so far so good. my blood pressure has gone down tremendously. if i can continue you this diet, then after four months i will be completely off my blood pressure medication. but that would me i would have to continue this diet permanently. and that is my resolve. so i hope you understand that when i come to your house you will respect my vrata and allow me to continue without reservation. actually it is a matter of life or death, literally both materially and spiritually.

Ratha-yäträ realizations

2010-08-02T10:00:00.000-07:00

so many devotee-friends came to my tent area at the small stage. next year Värunee says she will set up 3 tents. this year we had two at the small stage, and one at the main stage. one devotee named Candra däsa told me very sincerely how much he appreciates my webcasts, and so i am encouraged to continue. my band performed better than ever. all of the band members sang whenever there was Hare Krishna maha-mantra. my lead guitar player, Jayadeva dasa Boswell played his guitar very expertly. my keyboard-player Tim added just enough to fill in the holes, the bass player, Geoff kept the groove going with his solid lines, and my new drummer played as if he were my very self. Nitäi-cand däsa from Rival Sons joined us for the last two songs and took us over the edge. i also played some lead guitar for the first time, and for my virgin voyage i was pleased (but of course, there is a lot of work to be done). my wife's devotee-friend from Toronto, who is also a GBC secretary for Canada, appreciated our lyrics and music. next year i will be performing for the Toronto Ratha-yäträ along with my wife. Titikshava-kärunikäh däsa, my long time music-friend, honestly critiqued my set, as i did for him. one of the bands that was supposed to perform never showed up (which is good because i was praying that would happen). so next year i plan on having the same lineup, and all of the songs we played will remain and i will add one new song as well. things to work on for next year: get a better guitar sound, and rest my voice so i have full power for the perfomance.

nirantara's prayer

2010-07-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

närada muni told Lord Krishna in dvärakä

my dear Lord, You are worship-able by all, and demigods and predominating deities of all fourteen planetary systems are completely aware of Your transcendental fame. now please give me Your blessings so that i may be able to travel all over the universes singing the glories of Your transcendental activities.”

närada's prayer

2010-07-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

närada replied to Lord Krishna in dvärakä,

“my dear Lord, You have very kindly asked what You can do for me. in answer to this i simply request that i may not forget Your lotus feet at any time. i do not care where i may be, but i pray that i constantly be allowed to remember Your lotus feet.”

the sign of perfect knowledge

2010-07-15T17:27:00.000-07:00

although the brähmana-of Lord Krishna was a house-holder, he was not busy accumulating wealth for very comfortable living; therefore he was satisfied by the income which automatically came to him according to his destiny. this is the sign of perfect knowledge. a man in perfect knowledge knows that one cannot be happier than he is destined to be. in this material world, everyone is destined to suffer a certain amount of distress and enjoy a certain amount of happiness. the amount of happiness and distress is already predestined for every living entity. no one can increase or decrease the happiness of the materialistic way of life. the brähmana, therefore, did not exert himself for more material happiness; instead, he used his time for advancement of Krishna-consciousness. externally he appeared very poor because he had no rich clothes and could not provide rich clothes for his wife. because their material condition was not very opulent, they were not even eating sufficiently, and thus both he and his wife appeared very thin. the wife was not anxious for her personal comfort, but she felt concerned for her husband, who was such a pious brähmana. she trembled due to her weak health, and although she did not like to dictate to her husband, she spoke to him.

only through devotional service can one understand GOD

2010-07-15T17:20:00.000-07:00

the im-personal view of the Absolute Truth is accepted by less intelligent men, because unless one is engaged in the service of the Lord one cannot understand how the Supreme is acting—one cannot even know the Lord’s Name. everything about the Lord’s activities and personal features is revealed to the devotee only through a loving service attitude.

only through devotional service can one understand how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by His in-conceivable potencies, simultaneously acts im-personally and as a person. He acts just like the supreme emperor, and many thousands of kings and chiefs work under Him. the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the supreme independent controlling person, and all the demigods, including lord brahmä, lord shiva, indra (the king of heaven), the king of the moon planet and the king of the sun planet, work under His direction.

the Vedas confirm that it is out of fear of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that the sun is shining, the wind is blowing, and fire is distributing heat. the material nature produces all kinds of movable and im-movable objects within the material world, but none of them can independently act or create without the direction of the Supreme Lord. all of them act as His tributaries, just like subordinate kings who offer their annual taxes to the emperor.

why the materialists accept GOD as im-personal

2010-07-15T16:23:00.000-07:00

the fact is that ultimately the Absolute Truth is the Supreme Person. but because He acts through His different potencies, which are impossible for the gross materialists to see, the materialists accept Him as im-personal.

for example, one can observe the personal artistic work in a painting of a flower, and one can understand that the color adjustment, the shape and so on have demanded the minute attention of an artist. the artist’s work is clearly exhibited in a painting of different blooming flowers. but the gross materialist, without seeing the hand of God in such artistic manifestations as the actual flowers blooming in nature, concludes that the Absolute Truth is im-personal.

actually, the Absolute is personal, but He is independent. He does not require to personally take a brush and colors to paint the flowers, for His potencies act so wonderfully that it appears as if flowers have come into being without the aid of an artist.

another pastime of GOD

2010-07-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

The creation of the material world can therefore be taken as one of the pastimes of the Lord; it is called one of the Lord’s pastimes because He creates this material world whenever He desires. This desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is also extreme mercy on His part because it gives the conditioned souls another chance to develop their original consciousness and thus go back to Godhead. Therefore no one can blame the Supreme Lord for creating this material world.

God's creating compared to a cloud

2010-07-15T16:16:00.000-07:00

one may argue that because this material world is created by the Lord, He is therefore responsible for its condition. certainly He is indirectly responsible for the creation and maintenance of this material world, but He is never responsible for the different conditions of the living entities. the Lord’s creation of this material world is compared to a cloud’s creation of vegetation. in the rainy season the cloud creates different varieties of vegetation. the cloud pours water on the surface of the earth, but it never touches the earth directly. similarly, the Lord creates this material world simply by glancing over the material energy.

this is confirmed in the Vedas: “God threw His glance over the material nature, and thus there was creation.” in the Bhagavad-geetä it is also confirmed that simply by God’s transcendental glance over the material nature, He creates different varieties of entities, both movable and im-movable, living and dead.

God, the father

2010-07-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

in the Bhagavad-geetä the Lord says, “I am the seed-giving father of all living entities.” it is very simple to understand that the father gives birth to the children but the children act according to their own desires. therefore the father is never responsible for the different futures of his children. each child can take advantage of the father’s property and instruction, but even though the inheritance and instruction may be the same for all the children, out of their different desires each child creates a different life and thereby suffers or enjoys.

similarly, the Bhagavad-geetä’s instructions are equal for everyone: everyone should surrender unto the Supreme Lord, and He will take charge of one and protect one from sinful reactions. the facilities of living in the creation of the Lord are equally offered to all living entities. whatever there is, either on the land, in the water or in the sky, is equally given to all living entities. since all living beings are sons of the Supreme Lord, everyone can enjoy the material facilities given by the Lord, but unfortunate living entities create unfavorable conditions of life by fighting among themselves. the responsibility for this fighting and creating favorable and unfavorable situations lies with the living entities, not with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. therefore, if the living entities take advantage of the Lord’s instructions as given in the Bhagavad-geetä and develop Krishna-consciousness, then their lives become sublime, and they can go back to Godhead.

päpa-beeja

2010-07-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

the seeds of our desires are varied. every living entity has a different type of desire, and that desire is the seed which causes his growth in a certain type of body. this is explained by roopa gosvämee by the word päpa-beeja. päpa means 'sinful'. all our material desires are to be taken as päpa-beeja, or the seeds of sinful desires. the Bhagavad-geetä explains that our sinful desire is that we do not surrender unto the Supreme Lord. the Lord therefore says in the Bhagavad-geetä, “I shall give you protection from the reactions of sinful desires.” these sinful desires are manifested in different types of bodies; therefore, no one can accuse the Supreme Lord of partiality in giving one type of body to a certain type of living entity and another type of body to another living entity. all the bodies of the 8,400,000 species are created according to the mental condition of the individual living entities. the Supreme Personality of Godhead, purushottama, only gives them a chance to act according to their desires. therefore, the living entities act by taking advantage of the facility given by the Lord.

why God creates the material world

2010-07-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

We should definitely know that both the Lord and the living entities are eternally cognizant. There is no birth and death for either the Lord or the living entities. When creation takes place, this does not mean that the living entities are created. The Lord creates the material world to give the conditioned souls a chance to elevate themselves to the higher platform of Krishna-consciousness. If a conditioned soul does not take advantage of this opportunity, after the dissolution of this material world he enters into the body of Näräyana and remains there in deep sleep until the time of another creation.

God is "pro-choice"

2010-07-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

The question may be raised as to why the living entities have fallen by chance into different conditions of life. To answer this question, we first have to understand that there cannot be any influence of chance for the living entities; chance is for non-living entities. According to the Vedic literature, living entities have knowledge, and thus they are called cetana, which means 'in knowledge'. Their situation in different conditions of life, therefore, is not accidental. It is by their choice, because they have knowledge.

In the Bhagavad-geetä the Lord says, “Give up everything and just surrender unto Me.” This process of realizing the Supreme Personality of Godhead is open for everyone, but still it is the choice of the particular living entity whether to accept or reject this proposal. In the last portion of the Bhagavad-geetä, Lord Krishna very plainly says to Arjuna, “My dear Arjuna, now I have spoken everything to you. Now you may choose to accept it or not.” Similarly, the living entities who have come down to this material world have made their own choice to enjoy this material world. It is not that Krishna sent them into this world. The material world was created for the enjoyment of living entities who wanted to give up the eternal service of the Lord to become the supreme enjoyer themselves.

According to Vaishnava philosophy, when a living entity desires to gratify his/her senses and forgets the service of the Lord, he/she is given a place in the material world to act freely according to his/her desire, and therefore he/she creates a condition of life in which he /she either enjoys or suffers.

Continuity

2010-07-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

The living entities merged into the Supreme at the time of dissolution are compared to honey. In the honeycomb, the tastes of different flowers are conserved. When one drinks honey, one cannot distinguish what sort of honey has been collected from what sort of flower, but the palatable taste of the honey presupposes that the honey is not homogeneous but is a combination of different tastes.

Another example is that although different rivers ultimately mix with the water of the sea, this does not mean that the individual identities of the rivers are thereby lost. Although the water of the Ganges and the water of the Yamunä mix with the water of the sea, the river Ganges and river Yamunä still continue to exist independently.

The merging of different living entities into Brahman at the time of dissolution involves the dissolution of different types of bodies, but the living entities, along with their different tastes, remain individually submerged in Brahman until another manifestation of the material world. As the salty taste of seawater and the sweet taste of Ganges water are different and this difference continuously exists, so the difference between the Supreme Lord and the living entities continuously exists, even though at the time of dissolution they appear to merge.

The conclusion is, therefore, that even when the living entities become free from all contamination of material conditions and merge into the spiritual kingdom, their individual tastes in relationship with the Supreme Lord continue to exist.

anädi-karma... un-trace-able

2010-07-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

The theory of the asuras is that the living entities are born of material nature, or prakriti, in touch with the purusha. This theory also cannot be accepted, because both the material nature and the Supreme Personality of Godhead are eternally existing. Neither the material nature nor the Supreme Personality of Godhead can be born. The Supreme Lord is known as aja, or un-born. Similarly, the material nature is called ajä. Both these terms, aja and ajä, mean 'un-born'.

Because both the material nature and the Supreme Lord are un-born, it is not possible that they can beget the living entities. But it is accepted in the Vedic literature that as water in contact with air sometimes presents innumerable bubbles, so a combination of the material nature and the Supreme Person causes the appearance of the living entities within this material world. As bubbles in the water appear in different shapes, the living entities also appear in the material world in different shapes and conditions, influenced by the modes of material nature. As such, it is not improper to conclude that the living entities appearing within this material world in different shapes, such as human beings, demigods, animals, birds and beasts, all get their respective bodies due to different desires. No one can say when such desires were awakened in them, and therefore it is said, anädi-karma: the cause of such material existence is un-trace-able. No one knows when material life began, but it is a fact that it does have a point of beginning because originally every living entity is a spiritual spark. As a spark’s falling onto the ground from a fire has a beginning, so a living entity’s coming to this material world has a beginning, but no one can say when. Even though during the time of dissolution all the conditioned living entities remain merged within the spiritual existence of the Lord, as if in deep sleep, their original desires to lord it over the material nature do not subside. Again, when there is cosmic manifestation, they come out to fulfill the same desires, and therefore they appear in different species of life.

We Are All Female!

2010-06-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

Krishna is the original purusha, and the living entities are prakriti. thus Krishna is the enjoyer, and all living entities are meant to be enjoyed by Him. therefore any woman who seeks a material husband for her protection, or any man who desires to become the husband of a woman, is under illusion. to become a husband means to maintain a wife and children nicely by supplying wealth and security. however, a material husband cannot possibly do this, for he is dependent on his karma; his circumstances are determined by his past fruitive activities. therefore if one proudly thinks he can protect his wife, he is under illusion. Krishna is the only husband, and therefore the relationship between a husband and wife in this material world cannot be absolute. because we have the desire to marry, Krishna mercifully allows the so-called husband to possess a wife, and the wife to possess a so-called husband, for mutual satisfaction. in the eeshopanishad it is said that the Lord provides everyone with his/her quota. actually, however, every living entity is prakriti, or female, and Krishna is the only husband. Krishna is the original master or husband of everyone, and all other living entities, having taken the form of so-called husbands, or wives, are dancing according to His desire. a so-called husband may unite with his wife for sense gratification, but his senses are conducted by Hrisheekesha, the master of the senses, Who is therefore the actual husband.

The Real Husband

2010-06-14T17:23:00.000-07:00

in this verse, lakshmeedevee (ramä) shows compassion toward women who worship the Lord for the benediction of possessing a good husband. although such women desire to be happy with children, wealth, a long duration of life and everything dear to them, they cannot possibly do so. in the material world, a so-called husband is dependent on the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. there are many examples of a woman whose husband, being dependent on the result of his own fruitive actions, cannot maintain his wife, her children, her wealth or her duration of life. therefore, factually the only real husband of all women is Krishna, the Supreme Husband.

because the gopees were liberated souls, they understood this fact. therefore they rejected their material husbands and accepted Krishna as their real husband. Krishna is the real husband not only of the gopees, but of every living entity. everyone should perfectly understand that Krishna is the real husband of all living entities, who are described in the bhagavad-geetä as prakriti (female), not purusha (male). in bhagavad-geetä (10.12), only Krishna is addressed as purusha: "You are the Supreme Brahman, the ultimate, the supreme abode and purifier, the Absolute Truth and the eternal divine person. You are the primal God, transcendental and original, and You are the unborn and all-pervading beauty."

'how is it that this sinful man is enjoying whereas a pious man is suffering?’

2010-06-14T17:20:00.000-07:00

when a sinful man enjoys material facilities, foolish people sometimes think, ‘how is it that this sinful man is enjoying whereas a pious man is suffering?’ by the will of the Supreme, a sinful man is some-times given the chance to enjoy the material world as if he were not under the clutches of material-nature, just so that he may be fooled. a sinful man who acts against the laws of nature must be punished, but some-times he is given a chance to play, exactly like hiranyakashipu when he was released from the hands of Nrisinghadeva. hiranyakashipu was destined to be ultimately killed by Nrisinghadeva, but just to see the fun, the Lord gave him a chance to slip from His hands.

by being a very obedient servant of the Supreme Lord, one becomes extremely powerful in bodily strength, influence and effulgence, whereas the fate of demoniac upstarts is ultimately to fall down like hiranyakashipu. hiranyakashipu and persons like him may be very powerful for some time, but the obedient servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead like the demigods remain powerful always. they are victorious over the influence of hiranyakashipu by the grace of the Supreme Lord.

The Lord Is Always Beautyfull

2010-06-14T17:12:00.000-07:00

the word priyatama (dear-most) is very significant in this verse. each devotee regards a particular form of the Lord as most dear. because of an atheistic mentality, some people think that the Tortoise, Boar and Fish incarnations of the Lord are not very beautiful. they do not know that any form of the Lord is always the fully opulent Personality of Godhead. since one of His opulences is infinite beauty, all the Lord's incarnations are very beautiful and are appreciated as such by devotees. non-devotees, however, think that Lord Krishna's incarnations are ordinary material creatures, and therefore they distinguish between the beautiful and the not beautiful. a certain form of the Lord is worshiped by a particular devotee because he/she loves to see that form of the Lord. the very beautiful form of the Lord is always youthful. sincere servants of a particular form of the Lord always see that form as very beautiful, and thus they engage in constant devotional service to Him.

This Answers a Lot of Questions

2010-05-27T14:05:00.000-07:00

material achievements are not the ultimate goal of devotional service. the ultimate goal of devotional service is love of Godhead. therefore although prahläda mahäräja, dhruva mahäräja, ambareesha mahäräja, yudhishthira mahäräja and many devotee kings were materially very opulent, they accepted their material opulence in the service of the Lord, not for their personal sense gratification. of course, possessing material opulence is always fearful because under the influence of material opulence one may be mis-directed from devotional service. none-the-less, a pure devotee is never mis-directed by material opulence. on the contrary, what-ever he/she possesses one engages 100% in the service of the Lord. when one is allured by material possessions, they are considered to be given by mäyä, but when one uses material possessions fully for service, they are considered God's gifts, or facilities offered by Krishna for enhancing one's devotional service.

Mark's Appreciation

2010-05-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

Hare Krsna. I am now listening to the recording of tonight's show. I am loving the tune, Mother Yashoda! Really loving it. That's awesome. Good job!

Usually when I record the online lectures I am unable to listen to them live. That's why I don't comment. I just press the record button and then deal with the tasks of taking care of my kids. Usually its just me at home with them alone. Then later I am able to listen to it.

Life in North Dakota is going well. I wish there was a temple here though. That would be be nice

Please don't feel like you have to repay or reciprocate for the service I am doing. My service is nothing compared to yours. And I am not just saying that to sound humble. I'm just happy to be on your team. Thanks for letting me do this.

That's great to hear that your Indian friend likes the website. It's always nice to know that someone is noticing the hard work we do even though we are supposed to be detached.

I'll have this evening's lecture up on your site sometime within the next day or so.

Thanks again for your enthusiasm in preaching. I didn't know Prabhupäda (obviously) but I am sure he would be very very proud of what you do. Your lectures are leaps and bounds ahead of some others I've heard speak. I'm really happy to be a small part of what you do. Thank you so much.

Feedback from Alachua Preaching Tour

2010-05-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

It was great having you visit, please do come again, and again. You're a great preacher and a great example, and that is very enlivening for all. I bet you feel welcomed wherever you go, because the devotees who know you really love you.

The Vacuum Felt by Vyäsadeva

2010-05-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

perfection is never attained until one is satisfied at heart. this satisfaction of heart has to be searched out beyond matter.

the vacuum felt by vyäsadeva was not due to his lack of knowledge. bhägavata-dharma is purely devotional service of the Lord to which the monist has no access. the monist is not counted amongst the paramahangsas (the most perfect of the renounced order of life). Shreemad-Bhägavatam is full of narrations of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead. although vyäsadeva was an empowered divinity, he still felt dissatisfaction because in none of his works were the transcendental activities of the Lord properly explained. the inspiration was infused by Shree Krishna directly in the heart of vyäsadeva, and thus he felt the vacuum as explained above. it is definitely expressed herewith that without the transcendental loving service of the Lord, everything is void; but in the transcendental service of the Lord, everything is tangible without any separate attempt at fruitive work or empiric philosophical speculation.

The Purpose of the Mahäbhärata

2010-05-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

the less intelligent classes of men, namely women, shoodras and unqualified sons of the higher castes, are devoid of necessary qualifications to understand the purpose of the transcendental vedas. for them the mahäbhärata was prepared. the purpose of the mahäbhärata is to administer the purpose of the vedas, and therefore within this mahäbhärata the summary veda of Bhagavad-geetä is placed. the less intelligent are more interested in stories than in philosophy, and therefore the philosophy of the vedas in the form of the Bhagavad-geetä is spoken by the Lord Shree Krishna. vyäsadeva and Lord Krishna are both on the transcendental plane, and therefore they collaborated in doing good to the fallen souls of this age. the Bhagavad-geetä is the essence of all vedic knowledge. it is the first book of spiritual values, as the upanishads are. the vedänta philosophy is the subject matter for study by the spiritual graduates. only the post-graduate spiritual student can enter into the spiritual or devotional service of the Lord. it is a great science, and the great professor is the Lord Himself in the form of Lord Shree Caitanya Mahäprabhu. and persons who are empowered by Him can initiate others in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.

Why the Vedas Were Edited

2010-05-07T09:31:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

the vedas are subjects which had to be explained even to brahmäjee by the Supreme Lord. therefore the subject matter is understood by persons with exceptional qualities of goodness. persons who are in the modes of passion and ignorance are unable to understand the subject matter of the vedas. the ultimate goal of vedic knowledge is Shree Krishna, the Personality of Godhead. this Personality is very rarely understood by those who are in the modes of passion and ignorance. in the satya-yuga everyone was situated in the mode of goodness. gradually the mode of goodness declined during the tretä and dväpara-yugas, and the general mass of people became corrupt. in the present age the mode of goodness is almost nil, and so for the general mass of people, the kindhearted, powerful sage shreela vyäsadeva divided the vedas in various ways so that they may be practically followed by less intelligent persons in the modes of passion and ignorance.

Quotes for the Day

2010-05-07T09:10:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

the people in general in this age of kali are too much interested in matter, which is temporary. because of ignorance they are unable to evaluate the assets of life and be enlightened in spiritual knowledge.

devotees of the Lord, are always eager to render welfare service to the people in general. they are the real friends of the people in general, not the so-called public leaders who are unable to see what is going to happen five minutes ahead. in this age the people in general as well as their so-called leaders are all unlucky fellows, faithless in spiritual knowledge and influenced by the age of kali. they are always disturbed by various diseases.

the unfortunate men of this age are always reluctant to give a reception to the transcendentalists who are representatives of shreela vyäsadeva and selfless workers always busy in planning something which may help everyone in all statuses and orders of life. the greatest philanthropists are those transcendentalists who represent the mission of vyäsa, närada, madhva, Caitanya, roopa, sarasvatee, etc. they are all one and the same. the personalities may be different, but the aim of the mission is one and the same, namely, to deliver the fallen souls back home, back to GODhead.

Realization Is More Important Than Parrot-like Chanting

2010-05-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

there is no difference also between the vedic mantras and what is explained in the puränas and itihäsa. according to shreela jeeva gosvämee, it is mentioned in the mädhyandina-shruti that all the vedas, namely the säma, atharva, rig, yajur, puränas, itihäsas, upanishads, etc., are emanations from the breathing of the Supreme Being. the only difference is that the vedic mantras are mostly begun with pranava ongkära, and it requires some training to practice the metric pronunciation of the vedic mantras. but that does not mean that Shreemad-Bhägavatam is of less importance than the vedic mantras. on the contrary, it is the ripened fruit of all the vedas, as stated before. besides that, the most perfectly liberated soul, shreela shukadeva gosvämee, is absorbed in the studies of the Bhägavatam, although he is already self-realized. shreela soota gosvämee is following his footsteps, and therefore his position is not the least less important because he was not expert in chanting vedic mantras with metric pronunciation, which depends more on practice than actual realization. realization is more important than parrot-like chanting.

No Business with Householders

2010-05-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

shreela prabhupäda says:

shukadeva gosvämee is an ideal preacher established in the transcendental position. from his activities, those who are in the renounced order of life and dedicated to the mission of preaching the message of GODhead should learn that they have no business with householders save and except to enlighten them in transcendental knowledge.