Websites from the ISKCON Universe
By Sri Nandanandana dasa (Stephen Knapp) Not long ago I was giving a lecture to a general audience of Indians, with many Krishna devotees in the crowd. In the lecture, I raised the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, or how “the whole world is one family.” Yet many devotees had not heard of this phrase before,Where I Went and What I Did
The forty-fifth week of 2025, I lived at Viraha Bhavan, the ashram of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, my Guru Maharaja, in Stuyvesant Falls, New York. I helped his caretakers with different services like cleaning the kitchen, waking up the deities, singing for Them, and uploading dictation tapes. I increased my harinama program to chanting Hare Krishna one hour on the porch on a good day. I also did some personal service for Guru Maharaja. I attended the Chatham Wednesday Program.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and The Nectar of Devotion, and also a quote from a lecture of his at 26 Second Avenue on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita in 1966. I share quotes from One-Hour Writing Sessions by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share quotes from Consciousness and the Laws of Nature and The Nature of Biological Form by Sadaputa Prabhu. I share quotes from two famous scientists quoted by Sadaputa Prabhu, Charles Darwin and Louis de Broglie.
Many thanks to Shreyakari Devi Dasi and ISKCON Schenectady for their kind donation and for the videos of their Sunday program that I took some photos from.
Itinerary
September 12–November 23: serve Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami
November 23–December 31: NYC Harinam
– December 6: Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami Vyasa-puja / Hudson Winter Walk harinama
Chanting Hare Krishna in Upstate New York
I have no videos of the Chatham program this week as I was busy playing the instruments the whole time because the usual mrdanga player did not show up.
One of the regular attenders there, Chris, told me that he lived in Guiderland, which is just 20 minutes from Schenectady, so I invited him to our ISKCON Schenectady Sunday program and he came and had a good time.
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One older Hindu man who regularly attends the ISKCON Schenectady Sunday program and other temples as well, shared with me this nice verse from the Ramayana, Uttarakanda 116.2, about the spiritual nature of the soul.
“The individual soul or jivatma, being part and parcel of the isvara or the Supersoul, possesses these attributes: avinasi (eternal), cetana (ever conscious), amala (ever pure), and sahaja sukha rasi (ever blissful).”
Photos
Insights
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.23.8, purport:
“Love of God is not an ordinary commodity. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was worshiped by Rupa Gosvami because He distributed love of God, krishna-prema, to everyone. Rupa Gosvami praised Him as maha-vadanya, a greatly munificent personality, because He was freely distributing to everyone love of Godhead, which is achieved by wise men only after many, many births. Krishna-prema, Krishna consciousness, is the highest gift which can be bestowed on anyone whom we presume to love.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 7:
“In the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Third Chapter, verse 21, Prabuddha tells Maharaja Nimi, ‘My dear King, please know for certain that in the material world there is no happiness. It is simply a mistake to think that there is happiness here, because this place is full of nothing but miserable conditions. Any person who is seriously desirous of achieving real happiness must seek out a bona fide spiritual master and take shelter of him by initiation. The qualification of a spiritual master is that he must have realized the conclusions of the scriptures by deliberation and arguments and thus be able to convince others of these conclusions. Such great personalities who have taken shelter of the Supreme Godhead, leaving aside all material considerations, are to be understood as bona fide spiritual masters. Everyone should try to find such a bona fide spiritual master in order to fulfill his mission of life, which is to transfer himself to the plane of spiritual bliss.’”
“The beginning of Krishna consciousness and devotional service is hearing, in Sanskrit called sravanam. All people should be given the chance to come and join devotional parties so that they may hear. This hearing is very important for progressing in Krishna consciousness. When one links his ears to give aural reception to the transcendental vibrations, he can quickly become purified and cleansed in the heart. Lord Caitanya has affirmed that this hearing is very important. It cleanses the heart of the contaminated soul so that he becomes quickly qualified to enter into devotional service and understand Krishna consciousness.”
“In the Fourth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, Twenty-ninth Chapter, verse 39–40, the importance of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord is stated by Sukadeva Gosvami to Maharaja Pariksit: ‘My dear King, one should stay at a place where the great acaryas [holy teachers] speak about the transcendental activities of the Lord, and one should give aural reception to the nectarean river flowing from the moonlike faces of such great personalities. If someone eagerly continues to hear such transcendental sounds, then certainly he will become freed from all material hunger, thirst, fear and lamentation, as well as all illusions of material existence.’”
“Some way or other, if someone establishes in his mind his continuous relationship with Krishna, this relationship is called remembrance.”
“About this remembrance there is a nice statement in the Visnu Purana, where it is said, ‘Simply by remembering the Supreme Personality of Godhead all living entities become eligible for all kinds of auspiciousness. Therefore let me always remember the Lord, who is unborn and eternal.’”
“To meditate means to engage the mind in thinking of the form of the Lord, the qualities of the Lord, the activities of the Lord and the service of the Lord.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 12:
“A person who has relished the transcendental bliss of Srimad-Bhagavatam cannot be satisfied with mundane writings.”
“In many sastras (scriptures) it is said that simply by hearing, remembering, glorifying, desiring, seeing or touching the land of Mathura, one can achieve all desires.”
“A similar statement is in the Third Canto, Seventh Chapter, verse 19, of Srimad-Bhagavatam: ‘Let me become a sincere servant of the devotees, because by serving them one can achieve unalloyed devotional service unto the lotus feet of the Lord. The service of devotees diminishes all miserable material conditions and develops within one a deep devotional love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead.’”
“Even by remembering the activities of such a Vaisnava, one becomes purified, along with one’s whole family. And what, then, can be said of rendering direct service to him?” [SB 1.19.33]
“One should, therefore, be encouraged to develop his service attitude toward the Lord, because this will help him to chant without any offense. And so, under the guidance of a spiritual master, the disciple is trained to render service and at the same time chant the Hare Krishna mantra. As soon as one develops his spontaneous service attitude, he can immediately understand the transcendental nature of the holy names of the maha-mantra.”
“In the Vedic literature it is also stated, ‘How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura must be more glorious than Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of God!’”
“The same thing is confirmed in the Adi Purana by Krishna. While addressing Arjuna He says, ‘Anyone who is engaged in chanting My transcendental name must be considered to be always associating with Me. And I may tell you frankly that for such a devotee I become easily purchased.’”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 15:
“Sri Rupa Gosvami has defined ragatmika-bhakti as spontaneous attraction for something while completely absorbed in thoughts of it, with an intense desire of love.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 16:
“According to the regulative principles, there are nine departmental activities, as described above, and one should specifically engage himself in the type of devotional service for which he has a natural aptitude. For example, one person may have a particular interest in hearing, another may have a particular interest in chanting, and another may have a particular interest in serving in the temple. So these, or any of the other six different types of devotional service (remembering, serving, praying, engaging in some particular service, being in a friendly relationship or offering everything in one's possession), should be executed in full earnestness. In this way, everyone should act according to his particular taste.”
“This development of conjugal love can be possible only with those who are already engaged in following the regulative principles of devotional service, specifically in the worship of Radha and Krishna in the temple. Such devotees gradually develop a spontaneous love for the Deity, and by hearing of the Lord’s exchange of loving affairs with the gopis, they gradually become attracted to these pastimes.”
“This development of conjugal love for Krishna is not manifested in women only. The material body has nothing to do with spiritual loving affairs. A woman may develop an attitude for becoming a friend of Krishna, and, similarly, a man may develop the feature of becoming a gopi in Vrindavana. How a devotee in the form of a man can desire to become a gopi is stated in the Padma Purana as follows: In days gone by there were many sages in Dandakaranya. Dandakaranya is the name of the forest where Lord Ramacandra lived after being banished by His father for fourteen years. At that time there were many advanced sages who were captivated by the beauty of Lord Ramacandra and who desired to become women in order to embrace the Lord. Later on, these sages appeared in Gokula Vrindavana when Krishna advented Himself there, and they were born as gopis, or girlfriends of Krishna. In this way they attained the perfection of spiritual life.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 17:
“It is essential, therefore, that one constantly associate with pure devotees who are engaged morning and evening in chanting the Hare Krishna mantra. In this way one will get the chance to purify his heart and develop this ecstatic pure love for Krishna.”
“In the Padma Purana there is the story of a neophyte devotee who, in order to raise herself to the ecstatic platform, danced all night to invoke the Lord’s grace upon her.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 18:
“Emperor Bharata provides a typical example of detachment. He had everything enjoyable in the material world, but he left it. This means that detachment does not mean artificially keeping oneself aloof and apart from the allurements of attachment. Even in the presence of such allurements, if one can remain unattracted by material attachments, he is called detached. In the beginning, of course, a neophyte devotee must try to keep himself apart from all kinds of alluring attachments, but the real position of a mature devotee is that even in the presence of all allurements, he is not at all attracted. This is the actual criterion of detachment.”
“The strong conviction that one will certainly receive the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is called in Sanskrit asa-bandha. Asa-bandha means to continue to think, ‘Because I’m trying my best to follow the routine principles of devotional service, I am sure that I will go back to Godhead, back to home.’”
“When one is sufficiently eager to achieve success in devotional service, that eagerness is called samutkantha. This means ‘complete eagerness.’ Actually this eagerness is the price for achieving success in Krishna consciousness. Everything has some value, and one has to pay the value before obtaining or possessing it. It is stated in the Vedic literature that to purchase the most valuable thing, Krishna consciousness, one has to develop intense eagerness for achieving success.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19:
“In the Narada Pañcaratra it is clearly stated that when lust is completely transferred to the Supreme Godhead and the concept of kinship is completely reposed in Him, such is accepted as pure love of God by great authorities like Bhisma, Prahlada, Uddhava and Narada.
“Great authorities like Bhisma have explained that love of Godhead means completely giving up all so-called love for any other person. According to Bhisma, love means reposing one’s affection completely upon one person, withdrawing all affinities for any other person. This pure love can be transferred to the Supreme Personality of Godhead under two conditions—out of ecstasy and out of the causeless mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.”
“In the Narada Pañcaratra Lord Siva therefore tells Parvati, ‘My dear supreme goddess, you may know from me that any person who has developed the ecstasy of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who is always merged in transcendental bliss on account of this love, cannot even perceive the material distress or happiness coming from the body or mind.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.20–21:
“In the beginning of this narration, simply by remembering the spiritual master, the devotees of the Lord, and the Personality of Godhead, I have invoked their benedictions. Such remembrance destroys all difficulties and very easily enables one to fulfill his own desires.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.35:
“If one desires unalloyed devotional service, one must associate with devotees of Sri Krishna, for by such association only can a conditioned soul achieve a taste for transcendental love and thus revive his eternal relationship with Godhead in a specific manifestation and in terms of the specific transcendental mellow (rasa) that one has eternally inherent in him.”
“One should always remember that a person who is reluctant to accept a spiritual master and be initiated is sure to be baffled in his endeavor to go back to Godhead. One who is not properly initiated may present himself as a great devotee, but in fact he is sure to encounter many stumbling blocks on his path of progress toward spiritual realization, with the result that he must continue his term of material existence without relief. Such a helpless person is compared to a ship without a rudder, for such a ship can never reach its destination. It is imperative, therefore, that one accept a spiritual master if he at all desires to gain the favor of the Lord. The service of the spiritual master is essential. If there is no chance to serve the spiritual master directly, a devotee should serve him by remembering his instructions. There is no difference between the spiritual master’s instructions and the spiritual master himself. In his absence, therefore, his words of direction should be the pride of the disciple. If one thinks that he is above consulting anyone else, including a spiritual master, he is at once an offender at the lotus feet of the Lord. Such an offender can never go back to Godhead. It is imperative that a serious person accept a bona fide spiritual master in terms of the sastric [scriptural] injunctions.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 1.46, purport:
“A spiritual master is not an enjoyer of facilities offered by his disciples. He is like a parent. Without the attentive service of his parents, a child cannot grow to manhood; similarly, without the care of the spiritual master one cannot rise to the plane of transcendental service.”
From a lecture on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.245–255 in New York on December 17, 1966:
“When there is too much foolishness, so there is need of avatara, incarnation, to correct. Yada yada hi dharmasya glanir bhavati. Whenever there is, I mean to say, discrepancies in the maintenance of law and order of this material nature, there is need of avatara, incarnation. Because it is God’s kingdom, it is also secondary kingdom—real kingdom in the spiritual world—so God comes in different avatara.”
“We are seeing that a flower is being produced automatically, so nicely painted, so nicely colored. But because we are fools, therefore we think it is being produced automatically. No. It is produced by the kriya-sakti, by the active potency of God, kriya-sakti. Jñana-sakti: and there is such perfect knowledge that nobody can see any defect.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
From One-Hour Writing Sessions:
“The Hindi lecturer over the P.A. system is listened to by his immediate audience, but also by 250 squirrels and two billion ants.”
“He said I think there is a bacterium in Vrindavana with my name on it, and it’s just a matter of time until it catches up to me.”
“You are sad there is nothing new, can’t change yourself or the world quicker than it’s already changing. Better accept what comes, and let it flow through you.”
Sadaputa Prabhu:
From Consciousness and the Laws of Nature (Bhaktivedanta Institute Monograph 3), Chapter 1:
“Since the time of Newton all major scientific theories of nature have been
characterized by two assumptions:
(1) All of the significant features of nature can be described by
numbers.
(2) All of the phenomena of nature are governed by laws which can
be described by very simple mathematical equations relating
these numbers to one another.
Furthermore, throughout the history of modern science, scientists have strongly
tended to assume that all phenomena can be accounted for (at least in principle)
by the accepted laws of their day.
These assumptions form the foundation for the modern scientific view of
the absolute truth. The absolute truth can be defined as the ultimate causative
principle or agency underlying all of the phenomena of nature; and the understanding
of this fundamental cause can be seen as the goal of all fundamental
research in science. However, conditions (1) and (2) impose a very severe a
priori restriction on the nature of the absolute truth. There is no particular
reason to suppose that every significant feature of nature can be described
by numbers, or that those which can be so described are governed by simple
equations. Our thesis is that nature cannot actually be understood within the
framework imposed by these conditions.”
“We are proposing that the phenomenon of consciousness cannot be described by numbers, and that the behavior of matter is less and less amenable to description by simple equations the more intimately it is associated with consciousness.”
“Just as the electrons interact with other matter through the agency of the electric
field (in the standard theory), so the individual conscious entities, or ‘quanta’
of consciousness, interact with matter through the agency of absolute consciousness.”
From Consciousness and the Laws of Nature (Bhaktivedanta Institute Monograph 3), Chapter 7:
“The basic philosophical presupposition of modern science is that all the
effects of nature are the consequences of a few simple laws capable of mathematical
expression. Our thesis is that this presupposition has by no means
been established. Indeed, as stated by the physicist D. Bohm in a discussion of
this point, ‘the historical development of physics has not confirmed the basic
assumptions of this philosophy, but rather has continually contradicted them.’”
“Throughout its struggles with the nature of matter, modern science has neglected
consciousness almost completely, even though this phenomenon is the most
primary feature of our existence as living beings. Indeed, the very existence of
consciousness has proven to be a great embarrassment to the theoreticians of
quantum mechanics. Some physicists, such as Niels Bohr, have been content to ignore, or “renounce,” the very question of understanding consciousness.
“Others, such as von Neumann and Wigner, have recognized that consciousness
lies outside the domain of their theories, but must be taken into account if a
true understanding of nature is to be reached. However, they have not been able
to introduce consciousness into their theoretical picture in a satisfactory way.”
“From a calculated list of numbers corresponding to some physical behavior, what can we say about the awareness that may or may not have been associated with that behavior? It remains a complete mystery.”
“The theory of quantum mechanics has left our understanding of matter rather ‘fuzzy’ to say the least. It is capable to some extent of being described by various mathematical laws. However, it is evident that matter is still in many respects a mystery to modern science.”
From The Nature of Biological Form:
“While evolutionists often speak of changes in the size and shape of existing organs, they still can do very little but make vague suggestions about the origin of the organs themselves.”
“The geneticist Richard Goldschmidt once gave a list of seventeen organs and systems of organs for which he could not even imagine the required transitional forms. This list included hair in mammals, feathers in birds, the segmented structure of vertebrates, teeth, the external skeletons and compound eyes of insects, blood circulation, and the organs of balance.”
Charles Darwin:
From On the Origin of Species:
“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications. my theory would absolutely break down.”
Louis de Broglie, French theoretical physicist:
[Quoted in Consciousness and the Laws of Nature, Bhaktivedanta Institute Monograph 3, by Sadaputa Prabhu]
“It is premature to reduce the vital process to the quite insufficiently developed conception of 19th and even 20th century chemistry and physics.”
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Remembrance of the Supreme Lord frees us from our karma (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.2.15) and helps awaken the love of God dormant in our spiritual self. This remembrance of the Lord is so wonderfully auspicious that this verse appears in the Vishnu Purana:
sa hanis tan mahac chidram
“If even for a moment remembrance of Vasudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is missed, that is the greatest loss, that is the greatest illusion, and that is the greatest anomaly.” (quoted in Srimad-Bhagavatam 2.9.36, purport)
Don’t make that mistake!
tomāra icchaya nāśa
māyār paraśa
It is, O Lord, by your benediction,
That all may break free from illusion.
My dear Lord, help me appreciate your supreme controllership, which Srila Prabhupada acknowledges by declaring that everything rests on your will—even the success of his mission to bring souls from illusion back to you.
O Almighty Lord, guide me to understand from Srila Prabhupada’s example when to emphasize which factor in analyzing the success of any action, such as outreach. Does it succeed because of the seeker’s sincerity, the teacher’s potency, or your mercy? In truth, all three intertwine—yet Srila Prabhupada reminds us which one is supreme. When he emphasizes your mercy, he does not deny the soul’s free will; he highlights that even when one chooses to act sincerely and wisely, it is still you, O Lord, who pave the way.
O all-attractive Lord, when Srila Prabhupada attributes to you all doership and all credit for the deliverance of souls, he humbly downplays his own role and expresses his utter dependence on you. He sees himself not as the cause, but as the channel of your grace.
Grant me, O my eternal protector, a similar divine consciousness, that in my outreach I may be guarded from two dangers: if it fails, I won’t blame my audience as insincere, and if it succeeds, I won’t take inordinate credit and become arrogant. That way, whatever the fate of my outreach, my inreach to you will always be safe and secure.
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This is an AI-generated transcript and it might not be fully accurate:
So, how important is the focus during our sadhana for us to get the rewards? See, basically it is our consciousness which has to be available for the fresh impressions to be formed. If we are sleeping and the consciousness itself is not there, then what happens is that fresh impressions are not formed. Like the mother is giving medicine to the child, but the child doesn’t want to take the medicine, the child just goes to the bowl or the child keeps shaking the head.
If the child keeps shaking the head, the mother’s giving the medicine is not just a ritual or you know, I put two spoons. If the two spoons go inside the belly, that’s the important thing. It’s not just giving the two spoons.
So, if our consciousness is not there, then also some effect will be there. Because it’s not that it’s zero. The child is shaking his head, I don’t want to drink, I don’t want to drink.
But then suddenly the mother tries to hold it and what happens, the child is drinking and saying no, no, no, I don’t want to drink. And somehow a little bit taste goes and then, hey, I feel better. No, no, no.
I want to drink. It will become like that. So, broadly speaking, the impressions that are formed inside us, the impressions, we want to make ourselves mentally fit.
So, we want to become fitter, like I talked about muscles improving. So, to become fit, there are three factors that matter. The frequency, how often we do something, the intensity, how much are we involved in doing that thing and how long do we do that thing.
The frequency, intensity and time duration, these three determine how much the samskaras are changed inside us. So, I was visiting a city in America, so I’m reconnecting with many of my school and college friends. So, one college friend said, no, I literally go to the Iskcon Temple.
It is a small temple over there. So, almost everybody knows everyone over there on a very large school. So, I asked the community leader who was hosting me, have you seen it? He said, no, I’ve never seen it.
So, I asked him, okay, you come regularly. How regularly do you come up with that? He says, I come every year in March to me without me. Now, it’s good.
He’s coming every year in March to me. But if it’s that occasional, it’s not really going to create any deep impressions in the mind. So, frequency.
So, how often do we do it? How much are we involved in doing it? Like if you’re absent-minded, then the impressions won’t be formed. And how long do we do it? So, the more quality time we spend, like in the browser, that’s why there’s a difference between the mind and the browser. The browser doesn’t really care after you open the window whether you watch the window out.
It’s that you can keep the window open only. And you might go away from your screen and do it somewhere else. But the browser will store it and revisit it with that particular website.
But with our mind, the impressions that are formed depend on how much are we involved in it. How much are we in use? That’s why if we can increase the frequency, we can increase the intensity, we can increase the time duration. That is very helpful.
So, many times when you go for yatras, or you go for youth retreats, you go for camps, you’ll find that that will give a lot more spiritual energy than just coming for a weekly program. Why? Because there, the time duration becomes more. It’s not just a couple of hours a week.
It’s two, three days fully or immersively also. And then everybody around is spiritual. So, the intensity also becomes more.
So, in that way, we can see if we want to faster purify ourselves, see what we can do more. Can we increase the frequency? Can we increase the intensity? Can we increase the time duration?
The post During our sadhana why is focusing important for getting results ? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Braja Vilasa prabhu gives us a construction update on the Main Wing of the TOVP, while taking us on a tour of some of the important areas where work is going on 24/7 for the next two years as we approach the Grand Opening.
From elaborately designed marble pillars and columns, to amazing jari work in-between the pillars, to acoustic-enabled ceilings with gold-leafed lattice work and lighting panels, to the immense marble Das Avatar Murtis situated throughout the temple room, to the huge, elaborately arrayed teak double-doors along the parikrama path around the temple room, to magnificent inlaid marble floors, the work continues unabated daily. As explained by Braja Vilasa:
Everything is being done to create an atmosphere of devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Every element, every design, every column, every beam, everything is perfectly designed to invoke emotions to the Lord.
We hope that this video will inspire you, our readers, to continue your support of the TOVP either by fulfilling your pledge, making another donation or giving for the first time. The TOVP is now scheduled to open during a three-month celebration starting on Srila Prabhupada’s 50th Disappearance Anniversary, November 1, 2027. We need your determined support.
Please visit the TOVP Marathon 2027 page for sponsorship options and give your best for Srila Prabhupada’s most cherished project. Ambarisa prabhu is matching $10 million during the next two years.
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Kaliya Krishna Das was known throughout the three worlds. One can attain Gaurachandra through remembrance of him. (Chaitanya Bhagavat 3.5.740)
In Vraja, Kala Krishna Das was Krishna’s cowherd friend named Lavanga. (Gaura-ganoddesha-dipika 132). Lavanga Sakha is one of the twelve Gopals. His Shripata is in the town of Akai Hata, within the jurisdiction of Katwa, just off the road which leads from Navadwip to Katwa.
On the twelfth day of the dark moon in the month of Chaitra, Shri Kaliya Krishna Dasa Thakura disappeared. He left his body while doing bhajana in Vrindavana.
This is not the same Kaliya Krishna dasa who accompanied Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to South India. At present, Kaliya Krishna das’s descendants live in different holy places in Bengal.
Dear Godbrothers, Godsisters, and well-wishers of HH Niranjana Swami, Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada. Two days ago, Maharaja had an angiography performed in Kolkata to determine the extent of blockage in his arteries. The result of the procedure showed that there is significant blockage in three of his arteries. To
Witness the latest progress of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium as TOVP presents the November 2025 Construction Update of the Main Wing. In this video H.G. Braja Vilasa prabhu, TOVP Vice Chairman, will give you a detailed look at the ongoing developments, structural advancements, and the milestones reached as the TOVP moves closer to
By Premanjana Das Stephen Knapp, also known by his spiritual name Sri Nandanandana Dasa (Śrī Nandanandana Dāsa), is an American author, spiritual practitioner, researcher, and lecturer on Vedic culture (Sanātana Dharma) and philosophy. He is associated with the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) and is a disciple of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Knapp
By Matsya Avatar Das Srila Prabhupada repeatedly taught that Krishna consciousness must be presented in ways that uplift society, illuminate universal spiritual values, and open the door for people of all backgrounds to discover Dharma. He emphasized that genuine spiritual outreach includes demonstrating how Vedic principles naturally harmonize with the highest expressions of human ethics—compassion, dignity, protection of life, and the cultivation of wisdom. Continue reading "When Enlightenment Meets Dharma: Universal Values Through the Lens of Krishna Consciousness
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Shri Narahari Sarkar Thakura was born at Shri Khanda. Shri Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami describes that the residents of Shri Khanda formed a branch of the desire tree of love of God.
“Shri Khan davasi (the residents of Shri Khanda) Mukunda and his son Raghunandan were the thirty ninth branch of the tree, Narahari was the fortieth, Chiranjiva the forty first and Sulochana the forty second. They were all big branches of the all merciful tree of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. They distributed the fruits and flowers of love of Godhead anywhere and everywhere.”
Shri Narahari Sarkar Thakura participated in all of Shri Gaurasundara’s pastimes. Bhakti Ratnakara states: “Shri Sarkar Thakura’s glories are most uncommon. In Braja he is known as Madhumati, whose good qualities are unlimited.”
One day, Nityananda Prabhu arrived at Shri Khanda and said to Narahari, “All right, we know who you are. So where’s the honey, Madhu’ ?” In Krishna-lila, Narahari is the sakhi Madhumati, whose service is to supply honey for Shri Shri Radha-Govinda and Their associates. So he immediately went to a nearby pond and filled a pot which immediately turned into honey of the most nectarean kind. Nityananda Prabhu and His associates drank from this pot to their full and unlimited satisfaction.
Narahari dasa Sarakara was a very famous Devotee. Lochana dasa Thakura, the celebrated author of Shri Chaitanya-mangala, was his disciple. In the Chaitanya-mangala it is stated that Shri Gadadhara dasa and Narahari Sarakara were extremely dear to Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
Shri Lochana dasa Thakura was the dear disciple of Shri Narahari Sarkar. In his book Chaitanya mangala he introduces his guru in this way:
“My Thakur (spiritual master) is Shri Narahari das Thakura, who is very influential amongst the medical caste. He is continuously absorbed in Krishna-prema, and in fact his body knows nothing but Krishna. To his followers he speaks about nothing other than love of Krishna. He was previously known in Vrindavana-lila as Madhumati and was a storehouse of sweetness (honey), and very dear to Radharani. Now he is now present in Kali-yuga with Shri Gaurasundara as Shri Narahari. He is the keeper of the storehouse of love of Radha and Krishna.” [Shri Chaitanya Mangal, Sutrakhanda]
Shri Narahari Sarkar Thakura was a very expert singer as well as poet. He has composed many songs about the pastimes of Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda. He composed a Sanskrit work entitled Shri Bhajanamrta.
His disappearance is on the Ekadasi tithi day, of the dark fortnight, in the month of Agrahayon (Mrigashir – Nov-Dec).
By Radha Mohan Das National Interfaith Week provided a wonderful opportunity for the children of Gurukula – The Hare Krishna Primary School to deepen their appreciation of other faith traditions while grounding their learning in Vaishnava values of respect, empathy, and unity. Across the school, students took part in meaningful visits, thoughtful discussions, and inspiringBy Radha Mohan Das National Interfaith Week provided a wonderful opportunity for the children of Gurukula – The Hare Krishna Primary School to deepen their appreciation of other faith traditions while grounding their learning in Vaishnava values of respect, empathy, and unity. Across the school, students took part in meaningful visits, thoughtful discussions, and inspiringtomāra icchāya saba
hoy māyā-baśa
It is, O Lord, by your arrangement
That all fall to illusion’s enticement
My dear Lord, Srila Prabhupada articulates a profound truth about reconciling the mighty power of illusion with your almighty will. You are always the well-wisher of every living being, desiring only good for all and harm for none.
O compassionate Lord, why then do we fall into illusion? It is not because you do not care for us; it is because you care so much that you honor our autonomy. You have given each of us free will, and free will would be meaningless without an arena to exercise it. Therefore, you provide the material world as an arena where we may live apart from you—or even oppose you—if we so choose.
O supremely wise Lord, between your benevolent supreme will and our ignorant free will lies a volatile tension. Just as a teacher sets an exam with wrong options—not to mislead but to test—so too do you permit illusion. Yet, like a perfect teacher, you also guide us—through saints, scriptures, and the whisper of conscience. Thus, by your compassion, you transform this domain of illusion into a domain of education.
My beloved Lord, Srila Prabhupada’s mission itself is an expression of your compassion—inspiring those devoted to you to dedicate themselves to the liberation of lost souls. O Lord who respects my free will, please inspire me to use it freely and fully for loving and serving you.
The post 6.1 Only by your power, O Almighty, is illusion mighty appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
This is an AI-generated transcript and it might not be fully accurate:
So, are our thoughts a part of our karma? Well, yes and no. Broadly speaking, if we see, okay, let me start with this. I was in Australia a couple of months ago, not a couple of years ago, and one young man came to me and he said, I have a serious philosophical question.
Okay. If I insult someone, and that person does not get the insult, then do I get the karma? So, my first thought was that if you are aware of the principle of karma, why take the risk? But what the Mahabharata says is that when we talk about right or wrong action, how is it decided? There are probably three things. There is the content of the action, what we do, there is the intent of the action, why we did it, and there is the effect of the action.
So, right or wrong action is to be determined by these three factors. What did we do? Why did we do it? And what was the result? So, consider a doctor, give some medicine and there is a side effect and the patient’s health becomes complicated. Maybe the patient dies.
Now, okay, the medicine was wrong. Now, if the patient had some complication from the past and the doctor did not know about it, doctor did not bother to know about it, then the doctor would be health responsible. But that particular medicine was contraindicative with that particular condition that is not known in the research itself.
Then, although the effect was bad, the doctor cannot be health responsible. The medical community will try to learn and integrate that into their future treatment. The doctor cannot be health responsible.
So, when you say, so the idea is that each of these three are important in their own way. So, now, when you say something is happening at the level of thoughts, that is the level of intent. So, when we think of doing something, so does the intent itself lead, make us culpable? Not immediately.
The intent to do a crime is not itself a crime. But then, if we intend to do a crime, we do a crime and we hurt someone, then it becomes, the intent leads to content leads to effect, then it becomes much bigger. So, the idea is that we all have a certain level of leeway given to us that by nature, that the thoughts, the emotions and the desire that pop up inside us, we have the capacity to keep them inside us.
That is not hypocrisy, that could be just discipline, that could be culture. Anybody angry with someone, but if that person is elder to us, culture would mean that we would not yell at that person. So, we have the capacity that what is inside, it might pop up inside, but we can keep it inside.
And if we do that, then we are not held responsible. I was doing one relationship seminar and one person told me that if only I could look into this person’s mind, I would understand that person and I would be able to work so much better with that person. And I told him that if we could start seeing each other’s thoughts, not a single relationship would be maintained.
He said, no, because we all have thoughts and emotions and desire that we are not proud of. So, the intent, what happens inside us, we are not held karmically responsible for that. But at the same time, we cannot be nonchalant because what is the intent? If we keep meditating on it, it will lead to action.
And they say thought is the ancestor to the deed. So, we can say thought itself is a deed. That is true at one level, but that is not a deed which is consequential in a significant way beyond just inside our head.
The post By our thoughts, are we creating fresh karma? || Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees, which exist for maintaining others, no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are the caves of the mountains now closed? Or above all, does the Almighty Lord not protect the
In the Bhakti tradition, we learn that there are three desires which spring forth from the soul and which can be fulfilled by a very special personality: the desire to see the divine rasa dance, to attain the kingdom of the Lord — the eternal spiritual world, Vrindavan — and to lovingly serve the divine
Discover the construction of our new eco-house in New Mayapur. Built with 220 locally sourced straw bales on a wooden structure, this low-carbon design offers durability and high thermal resistance. The oak and pine beams come directly from the New Mayapur forest, combining traditional techniques with modern technology. This project uses both concrete and foundationThe blast in Delhi has sent shockwaves throughout India and beyond.
How do we make sense of such an atrocity?
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that the cause for every event can be seen at three levels—the human, the natural, and the divine.
These correspond to the three components of reality:
Jiva — the living being,
Jagat — the material world,
and Jagdish — the Supreme Lord.
When we reduce causality to just one factor,our understanding becomes fragmented—sometimes even distorted.
Let’s consider each of these causes one-by-one.
1. The Human Cause
The Gita (chapter 16) describes people with demoniac natures—those who delight in destruction (16.9),
who scheme devilishly to cause suffering (16.14),who consider such successful scheming as trophies to their smarts (16.15).
Such people must be restrained, resolutely and even ruthlessly.
Gentleness or forgiveness in the face of wickedness is foolishness that only feeds and furthers that wickedness.
As Draupadi told Yudhishthira during their conversation at Dvaitavana in the Mahabharata, the vicious equate kindness with powerlessness and become more vicious.
At the same time, the Gita (18.42) also honors protectors—those who preserve order and safety.
They must be trusted, empowered, and held accountable.
The fact that a nationwide conspiracy, where multiple attacks were planned, was thwarted deserves deep appreciation.
The Bhagavad Gita 3.20 teaches that, each of us must play our role in maintaining the world’s order —what the Gita calls loka-saṅgraha.
For citizens, this means being aware and alert, ready to report responsibly whenever something seems amiss.
2. The Natural Cause
The Gita puts specific incidents of distress in a broader perspective when it (8.15) calls this world duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam —a place of distress and impermanence.
The Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) adds, padam padam yad vipadām —there is danger at every step.
These truths are not meant to make us fatalistic.
They are meant to make us realistic.
They remind us that life has always been fragile,
that suffering is woven into material existence,
that brutality has always existed throughout human history.
Such awareness protects us from two extremes —fear and paranoia on one side, revenge and scapegoating on the other.
The balanced path is resourcefulness —to respond, not react.
To analyze carefully till we zero in on an actionable cause and to act courageously to neutralize that cause, firmly and forcefully.
That was the Pandavas’ path with the Kauravas:they neither caved in before injustice nor became consumed by hatred while opposing it.
3. The Divine Cause
The Gita declares that Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is never the cause of evil.
He is the comfort amid distress and the cure beyond it.
Evil arises not from God, but from the illusions that dominate when people turn away from him —and sometimes even justify that turning away by imagining a sectarian god who hates those whom they themselves hate.
That is not the God of the Gita.
The Gita reveals God to be the universal well-wisher of all beings, who seeks the upliftment of everyone (5.29).
God is our comfort amid suffering, the Gita assures in (18.58).
When we remember him, he steadies our mind and strengthens our heart.
His presence brings clarity amid confusion, and courage amid crisis.
God is also our cure, as he declares in (11.33):we are his instruments, and through our actions, his purpose unfolds.
When we do our part within our limits, he does his part beyond them.
That is the partnership between the human and the divine, as celebrated in the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita (18.78) —our effort empowered by his grace can herald an era of greater peace, harmony and flourishing.
So, God is never the cause of evil.
He is the comfort through it.
And the cure beyond it.
Conclusion
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to face atrocity not with despair but with depth, not by giving in to hatrehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdnB2DAGIRAd but by growing to reciprocate rightly with both facets of humanity: demonic and divine.
May our devotion empower us to find comfort amid pain and progress toward a cure that uproots pain.
The post Delhi Blast & the Gita’s Three Levels of Causes appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
The blast in Delhi has sent shockwaves throughout India and beyond.
How do we make sense of such an atrocity?
The Bhagavad Gita teaches that the cause for every event can be seen at three levels—the human, the natural, and the divine.
These correspond to the three components of reality:
Jiva — the living being,
Jagat — the material world,
and Jagdish — the Supreme Lord.
When we reduce causality to just one factor,our understanding becomes fragmented—sometimes even distorted.
Let’s consider each of these causes one-by-one.
1. The Human Cause
The Gita (chapter 16) describes people with demoniac natures—those who delight in destruction (16.9),
who scheme devilishly to cause suffering (16.14),who consider such successful scheming as trophies to their smarts (16.15).
Such people must be restrained, resolutely and even ruthlessly.
Gentleness or forgiveness in the face of wickedness is foolishness that only feeds and furthers that wickedness.
As Draupadi told Yudhishthira during their conversation at Dvaitavana in the Mahabharata, the vicious equate kindness with powerlessness and become more vicious.
At the same time, the Gita (18.42) also honors protectors—those who preserve order and safety.
They must be trusted, empowered, and held accountable.
The fact that a nationwide conspiracy, where multiple attacks were planned, was thwarted deserves deep appreciation.
The Bhagavad Gita 3.20 teaches that, each of us must play our role in maintaining the world’s order —what the Gita calls loka-saṅgraha.
For citizens, this means being aware and alert, ready to report responsibly whenever something seems amiss.
2. The Natural Cause
The Gita puts specific incidents of distress in a broader perspective when it (8.15) calls this world duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam —a place of distress and impermanence.
The Bhāgavatam (10.14.58) adds, padam padam yad vipadām —there is danger at every step.
These truths are not meant to make us fatalistic.
They are meant to make us realistic.
They remind us that life has always been fragile,
that suffering is woven into material existence,
that brutality has always existed throughout human history.
Such awareness protects us from two extremes —fear and paranoia on one side, revenge and scapegoating on the other.
The balanced path is resourcefulness —to respond, not react.
To analyze carefully till we zero in on an actionable cause and to act courageously to neutralize that cause, firmly and forcefully.
That was the Pandavas’ path with the Kauravas:they neither caved in before injustice nor became consumed by hatred while opposing it.
3. The Divine Cause
The Gita declares that Krishna, the Supreme Lord, is never the cause of evil.
He is the comfort amid distress and the cure beyond it.
Evil arises not from God, but from the illusions that dominate when people turn away from him —and sometimes even justify that turning away by imagining a sectarian god who hates those whom they themselves hate.
That is not the God of the Gita.
The Gita reveals God to be the universal well-wisher of all beings, who seeks the upliftment of everyone (5.29).
God is our comfort amid suffering, the Gita assures in (18.58).
When we remember him, he steadies our mind and strengthens our heart.
His presence brings clarity amid confusion, and courage amid crisis.
God is also our cure, as he declares in (11.33):we are his instruments, and through our actions, his purpose unfolds.
When we do our part within our limits, he does his part beyond them.
That is the partnership between the human and the divine, as celebrated in the conclusion of the Bhagavad Gita (18.78) —our effort empowered by his grace can herald an era of greater peace, harmony and flourishing.
So, God is never the cause of evil.
He is the comfort through it.
And the cure beyond it.
Conclusion
The Bhagavad Gita teaches us to face atrocity not with despair but with depth, not by giving in to hatrehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdnB2DAGIRAd but by growing to reciprocate rightly with both facets of humanity: demonic and divine.
May our devotion empower us to find comfort amid pain and progress toward a cure that uproots pain.
The post Delhi Blast & the Gita’s Three Levels of Causes appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Jaya Jagannatha! Save the date - Join us for our Grand Annual Rathayatra on Queen Street in Auckland's CBD.
Be a part of this magnificent festival, and participate by pulling the grand chariot of Sri Jagannatha, Baladev & Subhadra. Come witness this joyous procession accompanied by kirtan, and dancing all for the pleasure of Their Lordships.
Hare Krishna Dear Devotees, Friends & Well-Wishers,
ISKCON Auckland humbly invites you and your family to celebrate Sri Gita Jayanti on Sunday 30th November 2025. Experience a day full of Bhagavad Gita recitation from 9:30am followed by Prasadam Feast. All are welcome to participate.
This auspicious day honours the advent of Srimad Bhagavad-gita when Lord Sri Krishna imparted the essence of Vedic knowledge to Arjuna and enlightened him about the ultimate goal of life.
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada! This month Mayapur, Mumbai-Juhu, and Bhaktivedanta Manor were the top three large temples. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru-South and London-Soho were the top three medium temples. Chandigarh, Surat and Toronto were the top small temples and Calgary, Madrid and Kishinev were the top maha-small temples this month. Over
While some may think that building the TOVP is just building another temple, this is far from the truth. In reality, it is the greatest act of compassion upon Building the TOVP – The Supreme Act of Compassion – Temple of the Vedic Planetarium
We actually do not die. At death, we are merely kept inert for some time, just as during sleep. At night we sleep, and all our activities stop, but as soon as we arise, our memory immediately returns, and we think, “Oh, where am I? What do I have to do?” This is called suptotthita-nyāya.
Standing on his chariot, Arjuna took up his bow and drove off the valiant fighters and palace guards who tried to block his way. As her relatives shouted in anger, he took Subhadrā away just as a lion takes his prey from the midst of lesser animals. H.G. Tejo Prakash Prabhu || SB – 10.86.10
I was invited to visit the Sri Sri Radha Madhava temple in Manila. It is still in the old temple building I visited years ago but the temple will move to a new property in about 3 months. I was fortunate to go and have a look and it is certainly a big upgrade.
While there, a harinama was organized for a downtown area. Manila is a mega city of 15 or 20 million and there are 17 smaller cities within it. The kirtan started with a sit down in a park where I gave a lecture and then we headed through the streets for an ecstatic parade.
By Partha Sarathi Das Goswami Gokulendra Prabhu, also known as Greg, met Ksudhi Prabhu either in 1972 or 1973. At that time, he was a student at Rhodes University, which was then one of the most prestigious universities in South Africa. Greg would finish his lectures on a Friday night and would hitchhike all theThe post By our thoughts, are we creating fresh karma? || Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
ki bhāve bujhāle tārā
bujhe sei rasa
How will they come to understand,
The taste of your love so deep, so grand?
My dear Lord, Srila Prabhupada highlights the vast gulf between the materially infatuated and the spiritually dedicated. Those who are constantly seeking, scheming, and dreaming of sensual pleasures often have no inner space left to perceive spiritual joy.
O Lord of all joys, sensual pleasures are gross in both form and feel—loud in their visibility, insistent in their contact between senses and sense objects. They parade before us, demanding attention. Yet where the world sees luxury, the saint sees loss.
In stark contrast, spiritual pleasures are subtle and invisible to the materially conditioned eye. During his tumultuous journey to America, while still recovering from two heart attacks, Srila Prabhupada was nourished by reading your pastimes. The tender ways you love your devotees, and the countless ways they love you, are nearly impossible to grasp without saintly association.
O merciful Lord, through the words and lives of saints such as Srila Prabhupada, the inaccessible tastes of devotion become not just accessible but irresistible. Bless me, O Lord, to taste that devotion myself, and let its sweetness flow through me to awaken others.
The post 5.1 Lift me from material infatuation to spiritual dedication appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
Anuttama Prabhu begins with light-hearted remarks and kirtan, then reads and explains Srimad Bhagavatam 3.31.14, where the soul in the womb prays to the Lord, realizing its separation from Him due to being trapped in a material body made of the five elements. Main Themes The Soul and the Lord The soul (jiva) is spiritual
And I’m like oh okay this is nice. Some people are rejecting me. This is nice. Why is it nice? Because sometimes we think oh yeah I know something. I know a few shlokas right? I can do this and then people say hey get out of my way you know like I’m not interested
The process is simple. But the application is difficult. Most people they like to hear about the political conversations the news but when invited to attend a meeting of the Shrimage Bavatam you people don’t come. So we must try to convince them from the be and those who are interested. They they find that
With great respect, King Rantideva offered the balance of the food to the dogs and the master of the dogs, who had come as guests. The King offered them all respects and obeisances. Thereafter, only the drinking water remained, and there was only enough to satisfy one person, but when the King was just aboutIn a recent WhatsApp post, our respected ISKCON Vaishnava sadhu and pundit Sriman Pran Govinda das from Alachua, Florida quoted some important instructions from Lord Caitanya and Bhaktivinoda Thakur regarding compassion:
Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said that the Vaishnava movement is made of three things:
Jive Daya – compassion to all living beings
Nama Ruchi – a taste for chanting the holy name of Krishna
Vaishnava Seva – service to the Vaishnavas
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur, the great-grandfather of the Krishna consciousness movement, said:
“Shri Krishna is very quickly satisfied with persons who have compassion towards all others, and do not cause them any pain and anxieties. Compassion is the foremost quality of the Vaishnavas. Compassion is their main dharma.”
(Jaiva Dharma, Chapter 20)
He explained further:
“Compassion and compassionate actions help us to forget our ego-centered world. Compassionate actions therefore give rise to self-realization and then God realization.”
The Thakur then gives three meditations to help us develop compassion:
While some may think that building the TOVP is just building another temple, this is far from the truth. In reality, it is the greatest act of compassion upon the fallen jivas, giving them the most rare opportunity to come in contact with Lord Caitanya’s movement of Harinam sankirtan to engage in the yuga dharma, develop the highest sentiment of love for God (namo maha vadanyaya, krishna prema pradaya te), and ultimately return home, back to Godhead in this very life.
Building the TOVP is actually the highest welfare work for humanity at large on all levels, mental, physical and spiritual because it presents to the world the model and blueprint for a perfect civilization based on God consciousness according to the principles of our acharyas.
Let us all follow Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s advice “to make a determined effort and take concrete measures to help others and eradicate their misery” by building the TOVP, now scheduled to open on Srila Prabhupada’s 50th Disappearance Anniversary on November 1, 2027, during a three-month-long celebration.
Please review all our donation Seva Opportunities on the TOVP website and sponsor something within your reach or give a general donation. We highly recommend sponsoring the new Prabhupada 50 KRISHNA Ring, a replica of Srila Prabhupada’s personal KRSNA ring. Ambarisa prabhu is matching up to $10 million over the next two years as we approach the grand opening.
Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
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Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
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While recuperating from his stroke at Stinson Beach near San Francisco, Srila Prabhupada found the climate unsuitable due to insufficient sunlight. Deciding to return to India for better health, he planned a route from San Francisco → New York → London → Moscow → Delhi. Initiations at Stinson Beach Unable to travel to the templeThis is an AI-generated transcript and it might not be fully accurate:
So, when the Gita says that we should not disturb others’ minds, 3.26, na buddhi-bhedam janayet, ajnanam karma-sangeenam, joshyet sarva-karmani vidwanikta-samajam. So when we go out to distribute books, no, we are not letting people live their lives comfortably, we are trying to give Krishna to them. So is that disruption? Not necessarily.
If you look at what Krishna is saying in this verse, is that there are two levels. There is a level of, the level of people who are vidwan, who are wise and who are yuktaha, they are spiritually connected. In terms of intelligence and action, vidwan and yuktaha.
And the opposite is, na buddhi-bhedam janayet, ajnanam. Ajnanam is ignorant. And there is ajnanam karma-sangeenam, so karma-sangee is attached.
So there are attached ignorant people and there are wise and connected people. So now if we to some extent are here and there is somebody who is here, now we would like people to rise to the well-connected spiritual level. But sometimes it may happen that when we want people to rise all the way up here, that may become too much for them.
It becomes too much, they try to go up and they end up going further down. So for example, say somebody is worshipping Ganesh. We tell them, oh you worship only Krishna.
And we quote Shastra and they go and talk with their relatives and they find this, Shloka says Ganesh is supreme and this is Shloka says Krishna is supreme and they say that, you know, this whole religion business is very confusing. So better I become an atheist. Then what has happened is, we have ended up doing a disservice.
So when somebody is at a particular level, we want to elevate them from that level to a higher level. If they cannot come to a higher level right away, most people are here Indians from a Hindu background more or less. So there is only one country in the world where ISKCON is officially banned and that is Singapore.
And the reason it happened is that when our devotees, first generation devotees, mostly westerners, they came to Singapore and the devotees were welcoming the people over there. The Hinduism is officially recognized religion and the Hindus were very impressed. All these western people are practicing bhakti.
They invited them to temples to give classes and there are Ayyappa temple and Ganesh temple and Kartikeya temple and in those temples our devotees started saying, oh, Alpamitasa, you are less intelligent if you are worshipping devtas. And that created such a disturbance for them. They told the government that these people are disturbing our religious faith and the government banned us.
So now, if we are going to their forum, we have to speak a message that is acceptable for them. No Hindu will say Krishna is not God. The problem is not that Krishna is God.
The problem is Krishna alone is God. Now we have to be incremental. Instead of, it’s just not proper etiquette.
If we go to somebody else’s organized forum and criticize their beliefs over there, that if they are providing us a forum, then we have to present in a way that is acceptable for them. So if I am invited to Ganesh puja kind of programs, then I glorify a lot of Ganesh, talk some life lessons from him and then I talk about how Ganesh’s signature contribution is that he offered his own task to write the Mahabharata and the Mahabharata is the Bhagavad Gita. So this is a labor of love, this book that has been written.
So let us read that book. And when they read that book, they will get higher truths. So the point is that we need to create incremental pathways with steps.
People can get to the higher level. And different people may require a different degree of steps also. So some people may rise up, it will be Bahunam Janmanam But you will see that actually Srila Prabhupada himself, if you see among Srila Prabhupada’s followers, there were Srila Prabhupada’s disciples who just gave their life to Krishna.
They left everything and came to Krishna. But Srila Prabhupada also had life members. The life members did not become dedicated followers.
Very few of them became initiated. But they did a lot of service at that particular time. And Prabhupada created a place for them.
So that when we go for books, certainly we want to open the door for people to come to a higher level. And that’s what we do. But we don’t have to disrespect or insult their beliefs at that time.
If they have some other conception, we don’t have to criticize their conception at that particular time. We can just find some common ground and encourage them to dive deeper and end the interaction on a positive, favorable note. So to create a disturbance means what? That everybody has some worldview which makes some sense for them.
Now, it’s like somebody is very poor and they are on the streets, they are homeless, and they are having a very thin, torn, tattered kind of cloth with which they are protecting themselves from cold. And we tell them, I’ll give you this thick comforter. Just take this, throw away your tattered sheet and I’ll give you the comforter.
Now, that tattered sheet is the only relief from cold that they have experienced. If they don’t know how the comforter feels, they may not be ready for it. And if we try to pull that sheet away from them, they will fight against us with their life itself.
So whatever the worldview that a person may have, their worldview is like that cloth that is helping them make some sense of life. Giving them some protection from the chilling cold of an utterly meaningless life. So what we need to do is not pull away the cloth that is sheltering them right now.
Rather, that cloth might be there, we can put the comforter on top of it. That means give them an opportunity to experience Krishna. Give them an opportunity to understand Krishna’s wisdom.
They don’t need to confront and confound, confuse or confound them right now. There is a time that is required, but the appropriate time will come up. So don’t disturb people’s mind being that we should not act in a way that pushes people away from Krishna.
We may want to push them toward Krishna, but we push so much that we push them away from Krishna. So that is what we should not do. Thank you for that question.
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eta kṛpā koro prabhu
kori nija-baśa
Grant this mercy on me, O Lord Omnipotent
Take charge of me and make my words potent
Active surrender in service
My dear Lord, this verse reveals the mood of active surrender that defines Srila Prabhupada’s devotion. While he candidly acknowledges that the task before him is impossible without your mercy, he is not asking you to do a miracle while he passively watches. He is prayerfully ready—asking you to take charge of him and to speak through him.
O Lord Almighty, even when I am ready to do your will, that does not bring the results into my control. What remains in my control is my effort, as you instruct in the Gita (2.47): to focus on action, not on results. He does not seek control of outcomes; he seeks alignment of will. Srila Prabhupada exemplifies this mood by praying that you take control of him—not that you magically change the circumstances around him. His focus is on endeavor—on making his heart receptive to transmit your message.
O merciful Lord, his subsequent actions reveal how he remains practically steady—continuing his service of speaking spiritual wisdom for as long as required and as long as he is capable, leaving it to you to decide if, when, and how results will manifest.
O unfailing Lord, when I face formidable challenges, please bless me to remain similarly ready and steady—ever prayerfully ready to do my part and ever practically steady in surrender to yours.
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Having achieved love of Godhead, the devotees sometimes weep loudly, absorbed in thought of the infallible Lord. Sometimes they laugh, feel great pleasure, speak out loud to the Lord, dance or sing. Such devotees, having transcended material, conditioned life, sometimes imitate the unborn Supreme by acting out His pastimes. And sometimes, achieving His personal audience,
Chanting the holy name of Krishna is the highest spiritual process. In Kali-yuga, the Lord has made the path simple: through sankirtan one can achieve peace, liberation, and pure love of God, surpassing all other methods of previous ages. The true devotee does not seek release from suffering but only the privilege of serving and