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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 31
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 31: July 30–August 5, 2025)
Paris
(Sent from New Mayapur, France, on August 9, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

The thirty-first week of 2025, I mostly lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles, eighteen minutes by train north of Paris itself. In Paris I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours each afternoon, usually from 3 to 6 p.m., except on Thursday when I chanted with the book distributors at Jardin de Luxembourg from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. and with the congregational devotees who go out after work from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.

On Friday, Bhaktan Deva, who did harinama with us in New York and also in Florida, came to visit Paris for three weeks. He surprised me joining us on harinama after his overnight transatlantic flight. 

Tuesday, the last day of the week, I went with devotees from ISKCON Paris to New Mayapur for five-day New Mayapur Balarama festival, beginning with Jhulan Yatra. 

We chanted harinama in Paris from Gare du Nord to the Flixbus stop at Bercy, in the stations, on the trains, and as we walked to the bus station, getting a little over an hour of harinama in.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, The Nectar of Devotion, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and a lecture on Sri Caitanya-carirtamrita. I share a quote from Jayadvaita Swami’s kirtana standards book. I share notes on classes by Janananda Goswami, Mandakini Devi Dasi, Devaki Devi Dasi, and Vigatasu Prabhu.

Thanks to Jagattarini and Atmarama Prabhus for their very generous donation. Thanks also to Rasa Lila Devi Dasi for her donation. Thanks to Janananda Goswami for his kind donation of foreign and local currency.

Itinerary

June 19–August 19: Paris
– August 5–9: New Mayapur Balaram festival.
August 20: London harinama
August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas
August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August 24: Liverpool harinama
August 25: London harinama and flight to New York

Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris

While Yashomatinandana Prabhu was chanting Hare Krishna at Printemps Haussmann in Paris, Rama Vijaya Prabhu, noticing that the women from Denmark he was selling books to were attracted to the Hare Krishna chant, encouraged them in participating (https://youtube.com/shorts/hRseyoFyV2A):

After this young woman filmed our Hare Krishna chanting party, I offered her “On Chanting Hare Krishna”.

She replied by saying she was already Hindu and showing me a tattoo of an “oṁ” symbol on her hand. Book distributor, Ekanatha Prabhu, convinced her that there was more she could learn about Krishna, and she took a book.

She also had tattoos of Shiva and Ganesh. 

One devotee suggested she get a tattoo of Krishna.

Jiva Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hotel de Ville (https://youtu.be/LhtIO2lIrIU):

Rasa Parayana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/DBoG-Rq8_ZI):

Rasa Parayana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles, and passersby dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/V_4l1OdHdoY?feature=share):

Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles (https://youtu.be/yom_oNRvIX8):

Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who is the first expansion of Lord Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead. Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7):

yada yada hi dharmasya
  glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
  tadatmanam srjamy aham

“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.”

Krishna says, srjamy aham: “I manifest Myself.” He doesn’t take birth like an ordinary human being but manifests Himself in His original spiritual form. For what purpose?

paritranaya sadhunam
  vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
  sambhavami yuge yuge

“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (Gita 4.8) He manifests Himself to protect the devotees, annihilate the demons, and reestablish the principles of religion.

In every sphere of activity in the material world there is deterioration—everything declines. For example, a new house is very nice, but it gradually deteriorates, and eventually, when too old, it has to be rebuilt. Similarly, over time our performance of spiritual duties deteriorates, whether we are individuals, families, communities, or a society. And so the Lord comes repeatedly to reestablish religious practice. He appears in order to establish religious principles (dharma), but over time religious practice declines, and so He manifests Himself again and again. We all know how prone we are to allow our practice to deteriorate. Thus, on auspicious occasions like today, Lord Balarama’s appearance day, we can pray to the Lord to manifest Himself and help us to become reestablished in our religious principles and practice.

What Lord Krishna said in the two verses quoted from the Bhagavad-gita is explained elaborately in Srimad-Bhagavatam: When the earth was overburdened by demonic rulers who had amassed large military forces armed with deadly weapons to wage war for personal gain, Lord Brahma, the chief of the demigods in this universe, approached the shore of the ocean of milk. There, accompanied by Lord Shiva and other celestial beings, he worshipped Lord Vishnu, the supreme God of all gods. And in response, Lord Vishnu imparted instructions, which Lord Brahma in turn conveyed to the demigods. He told them that very soon the Lord would appear on earth to diminish the burden of the world and that the demigods, to assist Him, should take birth in the Yadu dynasty. Lord Brahma further stated that Lord Balarama, who is also known as Sankarsana, would precede the Lord and serve Him in every respect:

vasudeva-kalanantah
  sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
  hareh priya-cikirsaya

“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)

Lord Brahma also told the demigods that Yogamaya, the personal potency of the Lord, would also appear and assist the Lord in His mission.

Preceding the appearance of Krishna and Balarama, Vasudeva, a great devotee in the Yadu dynasty, wedded Devaki, another pure devotee. After their marriage, Vasudeva mounted his chariot with his bride to return home, and Devaki’s brother Kamsa, to please his sister, took the reins of the horses to drive the chariot. Along the way, Kamsa heard a voice from an invisible source, which told him, “You fool, the eighth child of the woman you are carrying will kill you!”

Kamsa, a great demon, became enraged and was ready to kill his own sister on the day of her marriage. But Vasudeva intervened and appealed to him to desist. He said, “How could a qualified person like you kill a woman—your own sister—on the occasion of her marriage? In any case, one day you will die, and in your next life you will have to suffer the reactions to your present activities.” Still, Kamsa was so shameless and cruel that he persisted, and Vasudeva, to save his wife from imminent death, told him, “You have nothing to fear from Devaki. According to the omen, it is her son who will kill you. So I promise to deliver all her sons, who are the cause of your fear, into your hands.” Having faith in Vasudeva’s word, Kamsa was pacified. Still, he imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki. And year after year, as their children were born, Vasudeva dutifully delivered them to Kamsa, who mercilessly killed them.

Now we shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods.”

TEXT 7

gaccha devi vrajam bhadre
  gopa-gobhir alankrtam
rohini vasudevasya
  bharyaste nanda-gokule
anyas ca kamsa-samvigna
  vivaresu vasanti hi

TRANSLATION

The Lord ordered Yogamaya: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities, go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva, is living at the home of Nanda Maharaja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also living there incognito because of fear of Kamsa. Please go there.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Nanda-gokula, the residence of King Nanda, was itself very beautiful, but when Yogamaya was ordered to go there and encourage the devotees with fearlessness, it became even more beautiful and safe. Because Yogamaya had the ability to create such an atmosphere, the Lord ordered her to go to Nanda-gokula.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

King Kamsa was such a demon that he was performing all sorts of atrocities, and Vasudeva was afraid for the safety of his wives. In Vedic culture, the kshatriyas were allowed to have more than one wife. Now that idea seems a bit odd or foreign, but it had its purpose in Vedic civilization. The kshatriyas then were powerful; they could maintain many wives. But, as predicted in Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the present age of Kali progresses, or deteriorates, a husband will have to struggle just to maintain one wife, one family, and if he is somehow able to do so nicely, he is considered a great success in life.

Previously, people were more qualified. They were more opulent. The kshatriyas could have more than one wife, though Lord Ramachandra took eka-patni-vrata, a vow to accept only one wife—Sitadevi. Vasudeva had more than one wife, but he was responsible. He didn’t want any harm to befall any of them, and he arranged for their protection. Vasudeva and Devaki had relatives, who were also family friends, in Gokula—Nanda and Yasoda. And so[,] Vasudeva placed one of his wives, Rohini, under the{ir} care[ of Nanda and Yasoda]. And after Balarama had entered the womb of Devaki, Lord Krishna ordered Yogamaya to transfer Him from the womb of Devaki into the womb of Rohini.

TEXT 8

devakya jathare garbham
  sesakhyam dhama mamakam
tat sannikrsya rohinya
  udare sannivesaya

TRANSLATION

Within the womb of Devaki is My partial plenary expansion known as Sankarsana or Sesa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of Rohini.

PURPORT

The first plenary expansion of Krsna is Baladeva, also known as Sesa. The Sesa incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead supports the entire universe, and the eternal mother of this incarnation is Mother Rohini. “Because I am going into the womb of Devaki,” the Lord told Yogamaya, “the Sesa incarnation has already gone there and made suitable arrangements so that I may live there. Now He should enter the womb of Rohini, His eternal mother.”

In this connection, one may ask how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always situated transcendentally, could enter the womb of Devaki, which had previously been entered by the six asuras, the sad-garbhas. Does this mean that the sad-garbhasuras were equal to the transcendental body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The following answer is given by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

COMMENT

As promised, Vasudeva delivered Devaki’s first six sons to Kamsa, who killed them one after the other. They were actually the six asuras who, because of events from their past life, had taken birth in Devaki’s womb to be killed by Kamsa. So, the question is, Krishna is going to enter the womb of Devaki—does that mean He is on the same level as these asuras who took birth from her womb and were killed by Kamsa? Visvanatha Cakravarti explains:

PURPORT (continued)

The entire creation, as well as its individual parts, is an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, even though the Lord enters the material world, He does not do so. This is explained by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (9.4–5):

maya tatam idam sarvam
  jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
  na caham tesv avasthitah

 na ca mat-sthani bhutani
  pasya me yogam aisvaram
bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho
  mamatma bhuta-bhavanah

COMMENT

The idea is that the Lord is everywhere within His creation but at the same time is not there. This appears to be contradictory, but the contradiction is resolved when we understand that the Lord in His original form as Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan is not in the material creation; He remains aloof, in His divine abode, enjoying sublime pastimes with His loving devotees. Still, by His expansion as the Supersoul, the Paramatma, He pervades His creation.

PURPORT (continued)

A pure devotee is always transcendentally situated because of executing nine different processes of bhakti-yoga. Thus situated in devotional service, a devotee, although in the material world, is not in the material world. Yet a devotee always fears, “Because I am associated with the material world, so many contaminations affect me.” Therefore he is always alert in fear, which gradually diminishes his material association.

COMMENT

As stated earlier, Yogamaya appeared in Gokula to create fearlessness—freedom from fear of the attacks of demons. But a pure devotee is always afraid of material contamination. Once, Srila Prabhupada gave a class at Bhaktivedanta Manor in which he told the audience, “The difference between you and me is that you can fall down but I cannot fall down.” After the class, Srila Prabhupada was praying in front of the Deities, and one disciple asked him, “What were you praying?” And Prabhupada replied, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” The disciple responded, “But in your talk you said that you can never fall down.” And Prabhupada replied, “Yes, because I am always praying never to fall down, therefore I can never fall down.” So, we should always be afraid of the material energy (maya), of being deluded by maya and being diverted from the true path of Krishna consciousness.

PURPORT (continued)

Symbolically, Mother Devaki’s constant fear of Kamsa was purifying her. A pure devotee should always fear material association, and in this way all the asuras of material association will be killed, as the sad-garbhasuras were killed by Kamsa.

COMMENT

Especially devotees in the grihastha ashrama may have to associate with the material energy—to earn money to maintain their families. Whether they like it or not, they may have to associate with materialistic people. And there is always a danger that by their associating with materialistic people, their consciousness will be affected. So they should be afraid of material association. Of course, circumstantially we have to interact with such people, and we may do so as people normally interact in the workplace. But internally we should be conscious that if we associate with them too much, in the wrong way, it can affect us, and we can become weakened in our determination to progress in Krishna consciousness. We may start to compromise in different ways, which will weaken us even more.

PURPORT (concluded)

It is said that from the mind, Marici appears. In other words, Marici is an incarnation of the mind. Marici has six sons: Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matsarya (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and envy). The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in pure devotional service. This is confirmed in the Vedas: bhaktir evainam darsayati. Only bhakti can bring one in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared from the womb of Devaki, and therefore Devaki symbolically represents bhakti, and Kamsa symbolically represents material fear. When a pure devotee always fears material association, his real position of bhakti is manifested, and he naturally becomes uninterested in material enjoyment. When the six sons of Marici are killed by such fear and one is freed from material contamination, within the womb of bhakti the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears. Thus the seventh pregnancy of Devaki signifies the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After the six sons Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matsarya are killed, the Sesa incarnation creates a suitable situation for the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, when one awakens his natural Krsna consciousness, Lord Krsna appears. This is the explanation given by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.

COMMENT

There are different stages of advancement in devotional service, and when one is completely purified, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed within the heart. That purified stage is called vasudeva, or suddha-sattva. It is the same name as that of Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, because Krishna first appeared in the purified mind of Vasudeva and then from the mind of Vasudeva He was transferred into the purified mind—and womb—of Devaki.

So, it is possible that the Lord will manifest Himself to a devotee who is sincere in the practice of devotional service. And before He manifests Himself fully, as He did for Vasudeva and Devaki and for Nanda and Yasoda, He manifests Himself as the holy name (as we all experience when we try to chant offenselessly); as holy scripture—Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, or Sri Caitanya-caritamrta; as the holy dhama—Sri Vrindavan, Mayapur, or Puri; as the Deity; and in the hearts, and words, of His pure devotees.

TEXT 9

athaham amsa-bhagena
  devakyah putratam subhe
prapsyami tvam yasodayam
  nanda-patnyam bhavisyasi

TRANSLATION

O all-auspicious Yogamaya, I shall then appear with My full six opulences as the son of Devaki, and you will appear as the daughter of Mother Yasoda, the queen of Maharaja Nanda.

COMMENT

This is the history. Balarama, or Sesa, first entered the womb of Devaki as her seventh son, but by the arrangement of Krishna, through the agency of Yogamaya, He was transferred to the womb of Rohini in Gokula. And thus it appeared that Devaki had a miscarriage. But it is Sesa’s service to arrange for Krishna’s comfort, and so He entered her womb first and created a favorable situation in which Lord Krishna could reside. We often see pictures of Lord Vishnu with Sesa, who acts as the Lord’s umbrella and throne. Sesa expands Himself in so many ways to facilitate the pleasure and comfort of the Lord.

After being transferred to the womb of Rohini, His eternal mother, Balarama took birth in Gokula. His stay within the womb of Devaki was just a temporary arrangement to create a favorable situation for Krishna. Then Krishna Himself entered the womb of Devaki through the mind of Vasudeva and took birth.

For the duration of Their infancy, childhood, and youth, Krishna and Balarama enjoyed together in Gokula, in Vraja. Then, when They were about the age of sixteen, They went to Mathura to participate in a wrestling match arranged by Kamsa. Ultimately Krishna killed Kamsa. Krishna and Balarama did not return to Vrindavan then—They had many pastimes in Mathura and Dvaraka.

Because Krishna and Balarama had not yet received a proper, formal education, Vasudeva and Devaki arranged for Them to study under a guru, Sandipani Muni, from whom They learned sixty-four different arts and sciences. And then They went on to rule Mathura and, finally, Dvaraka.

It is, one could say, a peculiar situation that Krishna was actually the son of Vasudeva and Devaki but was raised by Nanda and Yasoda and never really spent time with His original parents until many years later. And then He was separated from the parents who had raised Him, and He didn’t see them again for many, many years.

After Krishna and Balarama left Vrindavan, the Vraja-vasis were plunged into an ocean of separation. Their only business was crying for Krishna and Balarama. Of course, their crying was not like our material crying. Theirs was transcendental ecstasy. And in that separation, they were experiencing association. Still, they were separated, and many years later, when Krishna was living in royal opulence in Dvaraka, He went to Kurukshetra for a solar eclipse, to perform sacrifices and give in charity, as advised in shastra.

At Kurukshetra there was a great reunion, not only between Krishna and Balarama and Their friends from Vrindavan, but also between Vasudeva and Devaki and Nanda and Yasoda, and between Krishna’s various wives and Draupadi. Their meetings and interactions with each other are very instructive for us—how devotees relate to each other, how they think, and how they feel.

Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Eighty-Two: “Krsna Meets the Inhabitants of Vrindavan.”

TEXTS 31–32

When Nanda Maharaja learned that the Yadus had arrived, led by Krsna, he immediately went to see them. The cowherds accompanied him, their various possessions loaded on their wagons.

Seeing Nanda, the Vrsnis were delighted and stood up like dead bodies coming back to life. Having felt much distress at not seeing him for so long, they held him in a tight embrace.

COMMENT

The Vrsnis from Dvaraka returned to life when they saw Nanda, and they embraced him affectionately.

TEXTS 33–38

Vasudeva embraced Nanda Maharaja with great joy. Beside himself with ecstatic love, Vasudeva remembered the troubles Kamsa had caused him, forcing him to leave his sons in Gokula for Their safety.

O hero of the Kurus, Krsna and Balarama embraced Their foster parents and bowed down to them, but Their throats were so choked up with tears of love that the two Lords could say nothing.

Raising their two sons onto their laps and holding Them in their arms, Nanda and saintly Mother Yasoda forgot their sorrows.

Then Rohini and Devaki both embraced the Queen of Vraja, remembering the faithful friendship she had shown them. Their throats choking with tears, they addressed her as follows.

[Rohini and Devaki said:] What woman could forget the unceasing friendship you and Nanda have shown us, dear Queen of Vraja? There is no way to repay you in this world, even with the wealth of Indra.

Before these two boys had ever seen Their real parents, you acted as Their parents and gave Them all affectionate care, training, nourishment, and protection. They were never afraid, good lady, because you protected Them just as eyelids protect the eyes. Indeed, saintly persons like you never discriminate between outsiders and their own kin.

PURPORT

As Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains, Krsna and Balarama had not seen Their parents for two reasons: because of Their exile in Vraja, and also because They are never actually born and therefore have no parents.

Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti also describes what Devaki thought before speaking this verse: “Alas, because for so long these two sons of mine had you, Yasoda, as Their guardian and mother, and because They were immersed in such a vast ocean of ecstatic loving dealings with you, now that you are once more before Them They are too distracted to even notice me. Also, you are behaving as if insane and blind with love for Them, showing millions of times more maternal affection than I possess. Thus you simply keep staring at us, your friends, without recognizing us. So let me bring you back to reality on the pretext of some affectionate words.”

COMMENT

There are many points here. First is how much Devaki appreciated Mother Yasoda for taking care of her son Krishna. Before Krishna had even seen His real parents, Yasoda and Nanda had acted as His and Balarama’s parents and cared for Them, taught Them, nourished Them, and protected Them. And thus Devaki’s sons never had any fear. She praised Yasoda for being a saintly person who never discriminated between outsiders and her own kin. Of course, on another level Krishna is the Supersoul; He is the most intimate friend and the supreme lovable object for everyone. But in terms of the pastimes, Yasoda did not discriminate that Krishna was not her own son; she and Nanda raised Him as if He were their own.

Also, Devaki was completely free from envy. She saw that Krishna (with Balarama) was so overwhelmed with love that He forgot everything. He just rushed into the arms of Mother Yasoda. And Devaki not only admitted but actually appreciated that Yasoda had more love for Krishna than even she did.

These are some of the qualities that devotees develop in Krishna consciousness. They appreciate the service of others, and they are not envious. They are happy to acknowledge when others have more love for Krishna than they do, or render better service to Krishna than they do. And they are full of love. It is described here that when the Vrsnis saw Nanda and Yasoda—even though they had the association of Krishna in Dvaraka and were with Him in Kurukshetra—they felt as if their lives had come back to them. They had so much love and affection for them, and they were most grateful to them for their service to Krishna.

PURPORT (concluded)

Then, when Devaki failed to get any response from Yasoda even after addressing her, Rohini said, “My dear Devaki, it’s impossible just now to rouse her out of this ecstatic trance. We are crying in the wilderness, and her two sons are no less bound up in the ropes of affection for her than she is for Them.”

COMMENT

Yasoda had lost consciousness of everything other than her sons, Krishna and Balarama. And again, Yasoda did not discriminate, that “Krishna is my son, but Balarama is Rohini’s.” Nor did Rohini discriminate that “Balarama is my son, but Krishna is Yasoda’s.” Both mothers were mothers to both sons, and both sons saw both as Their mothers.

This type of love develops with Krishna consciousness, but it is also something that we are meant to cultivate. In Srila Prabhupada’s last days, in Vrindavan, His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami exclaimed, “Srila Prabhupada, your disciples love you so much.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate with each other.” Many authorities, both spiritual and mundane, have commented that love is not just a sentiment but is also a process. Srila Prabhupada said that if we really loved him—if we wanted to show our love for him—we would cooperate with each other for his pleasure, which ultimately means for Krishna’s pleasure (yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado).

By cooperating for the service of Lord Balarama, the family of Vasudeva and Devaki and the family of Nanda and Yasoda were brought together. And that was one of Lord Balarama’s purposes, as foretold by Gargamuni:

       garga uvaca
ayam hi rohini-putro
  ramayan suhrdo gunaih
akhyasyate rama iti
  baladhikyad balam viduh
yadunam aprthag-bhavat
  sankarsanam usanty api

“Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohini, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rama. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families—Vasudeva’s family and the family of Nanda Maharaja—He will be known as Sankarsana.” (SB 10.8.12)

In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains: “Baladeva was actually the son of Devaki, but He was transferred from Devaki’s womb to that of Rohini. This fact was not disclosed. According to a statement in the Hari-vamsa:

pratyuvaca tato ramah
  sarvams tan abhitah sthitan
yadavesv api sarvesu
  bhavanto mama vallabhah

Gargamuni did disclose to Nanda Maharaja that Balarama would be known as Sankarsana because of uniting two families—the yadu-vamsa and the vamsa of Nanda Maharaja—one of which was known as ksatriya and the other as vaisya. Both families had the same original forefather, the only difference being that Nanda Maharaja was born of a vaisya wife whereas Vasudeva was born of a ksatriya wife. Later, Nanda Maharaja married a vaisya wife, and Vasudeva married a ksatriya wife. So although the families of Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva both came from the same father, they were divided as ksatriya and vaisya. Now Baladeva united them, and therefore He was known as Sankarsana.”

By Krishna consciousness, by cooperating to serve the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, different individuals, families, castes, and communities can all be united.

Even Balarama considers Himself to be a servant of Lord Krishna. Balarama is the first expansion of Krishna and is the original spiritual master, and He too has the sentiment that He is a servant of Krishna. In fact, every conscious being is imbued with the sentiment of being a servant of Krishna. Balarama, and all of Krishna’s expansions—Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Karanodakasayi Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, Ksirodakasayi Vishnu—all have the sentiment of being servants of Krishna.

ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya
yare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya

“Lord Krsna alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so.” (Cc Adi 5.142)

apanake bhrtya kari’ krsne prabhu jane
krsnera kalara kala apanake mane

“[Balarama] considers Himself a servant and knows Krsna to be His master. Thus He regards Himself as a fragment of His plenary portion.” (Cc Adi 5.137)

It was stated in the beginning that Balarama, or Sankarsana, would appear prior to Krishna in order to serve Krishna and please Him in every respect.

vasudeva-kalanantah
  sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
  hareh priya-cikirsaya

“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)

That is the duty of the spiritual master—to serve and please the Supreme Lord. Once, Srila Prabhupada asked some disciples, “What is the duty of the spiritual master?” And then he gave the answer: “The duty of the spiritual master is to serve Krishna. And the duty of the disciples is to assist the spiritual master.” Balarama is the original spiritual master because, as Krishna’s first expansion, He is the first servant of Krishna, and He is the first instructor about Krishna. The spiritual master is considered to be the representative of Lord Balarama, or Nityananda Prabhu.

Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate.” In other words, love is not just a sentiment; it is expressed through practical activity. Further, it is evoked by practical activity: loving sentiment is increased by devotional service. The word cooperate consists of co-, which means “together,” “jointly”; and operate, which means to “perform a function,” to “exert power or influence.” Cooperate means that together we perform some function. And we see the perfect example of cooperation in Vrindavan. Nanda and Yasoda and Rohini cooperated to raise Krishna and Balarama. In a broader sense, they cooperated with Vasudeva and Devaki to raise Them. And there was no envy.

Srila Prabhupada gave the example of the different parts of the body, such as the hands and the mouth, which, for the sake of the whole, cooperate to serve the stomach. If the different parts try to enjoy independent of the stomach, they won’t be able to. They will fail—and suffer. If there is a nice rasagulla and the hand thinks, “Why should I give all the food to the stomach? I will enjoy myself,” and then tries to enjoy directly, it won’t be able to. The food is meant to be given to the stomach, and when it goes to the stomach, all the different parts of the body benefit.

Srila Prabhupada elaborated on this analogy by saying that once, the different parts of the body went on strike, thinking, “We do all the work, and the stomach gets all the food. Why should we work for the sake of the stomach?” So they decided to go on strike. As a result, all the parts of the body suffered. They became weak. Then they had another meeting and decided, “We were better off when we were serving the stomach.” So they went back to serving the stomach.

Krishna is the focus of all devotional service. That is the meaning of bhakti—to serve and please Krishna. And the medium for that service is the spiritual master, who represents Lord Balarama, or Lord Nityananda. Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate.” That means we work together, co-operate. We perform the same function, but together, for the pleasure of guru and Krishna. And in that service there is no envy; there is only appreciation and gratitude. Each devotee thinks, “You’ve helped me so much by doing this.” That consciousness develops naturally from bhakti, but at the same time we have to practice; we are in the stage of sadhana-bhakti, devotional service in practice. When we practice cooperation, serving the other devotees and appreciating their service, bhakti develops, and ultimately Krishna manifests Himself. Krishna and all of His associates are revealed to us in that state of pure devotion.

Hare Krishna.

Are there any questions or comments?

Bhakta Adam: What does it mean when you say that Krishna and Balarama took birth from the womb? What is the childbirth process of Krishna? Does He simply appear and His mother thinks that she has gone through childbirth? Because I remember that Mother Yasoda—it says in Krsna book—Mother Yasoda was so tired from the labor of childbirth that she fell asleep and could not remember whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.

Giriraj Swami: Krishna is always everywhere, so He is already in the womb. He is in the heart of every living entity, in every atom, in the space between the atoms. He is everywhere. So He is already in the womb in His Paramatma feature, which is not different from His original feature as Krishna. The Paramatma is an expansion of His original feature. And when the time came, the original Krishna entered the purified mind, or heart, of Vasudeva, and from there He was transferred to the purified heart of Devaki. He was transferred to her womb—took up residence in her womb—where Sankarsana had already made all the arrangements. Then, after a facsimile of labor and childbirth, Krishna emerged.

But there is a difference between Mathura and Vraja. In Mathura, Krishna appeared with four hands, holding the symbols of Vishnu, fully decorated with ornaments. And He explained His divine identity to His parents, who praised and worshipped Him with awe and reverence. And then He transformed Himself into the form of a natural human child—into His original form as Krishna.

In the loving service of Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha, the devotees are always aware of His supreme opulence as God. In Mathura, the mood is mixed. Vasudeva and Devaki had some awareness that Krishna was God—He manifested Himself in His four-armed form to show them that He was God—but they also had a mood of parental affection. Devaki’s motherly affection overtook her awareness of the Lord’s opulence, and she thought, “Oh, if Kamsa finds Krishna, he will kill Him.” So she requested the Lord to withdraw His four-handed form, to become invisible to Kamsa. Then Vasudeva carried the baby Krishna out of Kamsa’s prison, crossed the Yamuna, and came to Gokula, where Yasoda had given birth. She gave birth not only to a baby girl, Yogamaya, but also to a son, who was the original Krishna. But as you said, because she was so exhausted by the labor of childbirth, she was unable to understand what kind of child had been born to her—a boy or a girl or twins. Also, because of her pure affection for Krishna, she did not understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, when Vasudeva came with Krishna from Mathura, that Krishna was absorbed into the original Krishna who had been born to Yasoda. And in place of Krishna, Vasudeva took Yogamaya back to Mathura.

In Vrindavan, the pastimes are all humanlike, nara-lila. And the Bhagavatam says that Nanda Maharaja performed the birth (jata-karma) ceremony for Krishna. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The jata-karma ceremony can take place when the umbilical cord, connecting the child and the placenta, is cut. . . . In this regard, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura desires to prove with evidence from many sastras that Krsna actually took birth as the son of Yasoda before the birth of Yogamaya, who is therefore described as the Lord’s younger sister. Even though there may be doubts about the cutting of the umbilical cord, and even though it is possible that this was not done, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, such events are regarded as factual.” (SB 10.5.1–2 purport) The manifestation of nara-lila is so perfect and complete that even to that detail Krishna appeared to have taken birth like an ordinary child. But He never was an ordinary child, and He never had a material body.

In relation to Krishna’s birth in Mathura, the Bhagavatam describes that when Vasudeva transferred the Supreme Lord to the heart of Devaki, she became beautiful, “just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.” Later, the Bhagavatam states that “the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, appeared from the heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon.”

The moon, or the sun, always exists. The sun comes above the horizon at a certain point, which we call sunrise, but the sun always exists. It just comes into our vision at a certain time. Similarly, Krishna always exists, but He appeared from the heart, or the womb, of Devaki like the moon appears on the eastern horizon. But Krishna is always there. He always exists.

Urvasi dasi: Maharaja, a devotee should always be aware and careful of maya and contact with the material world, but then again it is said that a devotee is fearless. How do you get to that point where you can count on Krishna’s mercy and be fearless? It is so dangerous in this material world, and maya is so strong. So, how can we actually feel that we have Krishna’s mercy, so we can be fearless?

Giriraj Swami: The only thing a devotee really fears is forgetfulness of Krishna—maya. If we are always conscious of Krishna and our relationship with Him, we will not be afraid of anything else, because we know that we are not this body, that we are part and parcel of Krishna, that our real relationship is with Him, and that we are under His personal care and protection. If Krishna wants us to stay longer in this body, we will, and if Krishna wants us to leave this body, we will. We are not afraid, because we know we are under Krishna’s shelter.

Once, during the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, a reporter asked Srila Prabhupada, “Suppose a hundred pure, saintly, Krishna conscious people are meditating or discussing together, and someone comes and drops a bomb . . .” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Those who are Krishna conscious are not afraid of a bomb. When they see a bomb coming, they think that Krishna desired the bomb to come. A Krishna conscious person is never afraid of anything. Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. [SB 11.2.37] One who has the conception that something can exist outside of Krishna is afraid. But one who knows that everything is coming from Krishna has no reason to be afraid. The bomb is coming, and the devotee says, ‘Ah, Krishna is coming.’ That is the vision of the devotee. He thinks, ‘Krishna wants to kill me with a bomb. That’s all right. I will be killed.’ That is Krishna consciousness.”

Still, another time, in a different situation, someone asked Srila Prabhupada, “What if some evil person came to attack you, to kill you. Would you protect yourself?” And Prabhupada replied, “Yes. Why should I let some rascal harm Krishna’s devotee?” But that is different. That is not out of fear. That is in the mood of service, to protect Krishna’s devotee. Srila Prabhupada was not identifying with the body but was seeing himself as Krishna’s devotee who had service to do for Krishna, so he wanted to protect Krishna’s devotee from harm—for Krishna’s service. But personally, he was not afraid. The only thing a devotee fears is forgetting Krishna.

And a devotee is always satisfied; he does not want anything but devotional service. He is satisfied with devotional service but never complacent—“Now I have done enough service.” He always wants to do more and better service. But he is satisfied in the sense that he wants nothing but devotional service, and he always has service. No one can take devotional service from him, because it is ahaituky apratihata. It has no cause, and it has no impediment. It cannot be interrupted.

sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
  yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
  yayatma suprasidati

“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (SB 1.2.6)

A devotee is not afraid of anything material, because he has Krishna—but he is afraid of losing Krishna due to his own weakness. He always feels himself to be weak and dependent on the strength that comes from superior authorities such as Balarama. The Upanishads state, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah. One cannot attain the platform of self-realization without spiritual strength, which comes from Balarama. Bala means “strength”—spiritual strength, which comes from Lord Balarama, Lord Nityananda, who is represented by the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada and the parampara. So, we feel dependent on superior authorities, but we are not afraid of anything material, because we know that the only thing that really matters to us is devotional service and that nothing material can take devotional service away from us. We have nothing to lose, because we can’t lose devotional service, and we have nothing to gain, because we don’t want anything but devotional service. So why should we be afraid? We have nothing to lose or to gain from anyone.

The Bhagavad-gita (6.20–23) says that upon achieving Krishna consciousness one thinks that there is no greater gain and even in the midst of the greatest calamity one is not shaken.

yatroparamate cittam
  niruddham yoga-sevaya
yatra caivatmanatmanam
  pasyann atmani tusyati

 sukham atyantikam yat tad
  buddhi-grahyam atindriyam
vetti yatra na caivayam
  sthitas calati tattvatah

 yam labdhva caparam labham
  manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthito na duhkhena
  gurunapi vicalyate

 tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-
  viyogam yoga-samjnitam

“In the stage of perfection called trance, or samadhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This perfection is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.”

The pure devotee is fixed in consciousness because he has what he wants—Krishna—and no matter what happens externally, no one can take Krishna from him. Queen Kunti prayed to Lord Krishna for calamities, because in the midst of all her difficulties Krishna was with her and her sons. In terms of lila, Krishna was with them in Hastinapura, but when the calamities were over and Maharaja Yudhisthira was installed on the throne, Krishna was ready to leave. So Kunti prayed, “When we were in difficulty, You were with us, but now that we are happily situated in our kingdom, You are leaving us.” She prayed, “Let the calamities come again and again. I would rather have all the calamities and have You with us than be situated in material opulence and comfort and lose You.” She concluded:

vipadah santu tah sasvat
  tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
  apunar bhava-darsanam

“I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.” (SB 1.8.25)

Sometimes, being in material difficulty can serve as an impetus to Krishna consciousness. And a devotee may fear being in too comfortable a position lest he or she forget Krishna, lose his or her Krishna consciousness. That is the only fear.

Urvasi dasi: It is interesting, because in my own life, when I examine it, I feel like I am in constant fear of being distracted from Krishna. It is always check and balance, check and balance. I am afraid of my mind going away and being distracted. And yet then when I think about it, I am really not afraid of anything in the material world, because I know that everything that comes into my life is Krishna. For some reason it is being brought into my life. So it is an interesting thing, being full of fear and having no fear.

Giriraj Swami: Indeed. There is a nice verse by King Rahugana of the Sindh province. He was puffed up because he was the king, and he had forced a great devotee, Jada Bharata, a paramahamsa who had hidden his exalted position, to carry his palanquin. And when he felt that Jada Bharata was not carrying it properly, he abused, reviled, him like anything. But Jada Bharata was unaffected. Jada Bharata didn’t want to step on any insects on the way, and because he was always trying to sidestep the ants, the king was jostled inside the palanquin. So he sarcastically criticized Jada Bharata, who was actually young and strong, by saying, “You seem to be very old and weak. You can’t carry the palanquin properly.” Yet however the king tried to insult him, Jada Bharata, being completely free from bodily identification, remained undisturbed.

Eventually Jada Bharata enlightened the king with transcendental knowledge. He told him, “I am not the body; I am the soul. I am not fat or thin or weak or strong or any of the things that you said about the body, because I am the soul and have nothing to do with the body. And so I remain peaceful.” After receiving sublime spiritual instructions from his carrier, the king realized that Jada Bharata was a great paramahamsa. He descended from his palanquin and fell at Jada Bharata’s feet, desiring to be freed from his offenses against the great saint. And King Rahugana said,

naham visanke sura-raja-vajran
  na tryaksa-sulan na yamasya dandat
nagny-arka-somanila-vittapastrac
  chanke bhrsam brahma-kulavamanat

“My dear sir, I am not at all afraid of the thunderbolt of King Indra, nor am I afraid of the serpentine, piercing trident of Lord Siva. I do not care about the punishment of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death, nor am I afraid of fire, scorching sun, moon, wind, or the weapons of Kuvera. Yet I am afraid of offending a brahmana. I am very much afraid of this.” (SB 5.10.17)

So, we are not afraid of any external, material force, but we are afraid of losing our Krishna consciousness. And the quickest way to lose it is to offend a devotee. It is that same idea. We are not afraid of any material danger, but we are afraid of maya—afraid of committing offenses, especially vaisnava-aparadha, that will take us away from Krishna, from loving service to Krishna and His devotees.

Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Lord Balarama’s appearance day, August 22, 2008, Ventura, California]

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When we go on public forums such as podcasts and are asked about other teachers within the Hindu tradition, how should we respond?

Our philosophy is one of bheda-abheda—there is both difference and non-difference. At times, we emphasize the difference, and at other times, the non-difference. For example, Srila Prabhupada once wrote a letter to the Pope suggesting that all religious leaders unite to fight atheism. That was an emphasis on abheda, unity.

In general, Prabhupada emphasized that realization means connecting the message of scripture (one circle) with the interest of the audience (another circle) and speaking at the intersection of the two.

So when we are invited to public forums, it means they have provided a platform, not us. And in such cases, we need to be conscious of the four types of communication:

1. Insider to outsider – preaching (outreach to newcomers)
2. Insider to insider – internal education (e.g., Bhakti Shastri courses)
3. Outsider to outsider – reputation (how the world views us)
4. Outsider to insider – awareness (how we understand the outer world)

Historically, ISKCON primarily focused on insider to outsider communication—we are enlightened, others are ignorant, and we are here to enlighten them. Over time, we developed more insider to insider forums like Bhakti Shastri and advanced devotee classes.

Outsider to outsider communication, which relates to our reputation, is now being handled through ISKCON Communications. The purpose here is not direct preaching but creating a favorable public perception so that outreach can happen more effectively. With the rise of social media and ISKCON becoming a recognized brand, this is gaining more importance.

Outsider to insider, i.e., awareness of how the world sees us and what’s happening in the world, is something leaders generally do, but it’s rarely acknowledged. We often respond only after a backlash, realizing only then that maybe we shouldn’t have spoken the way we did.

Understanding these modes of communication is essential. When we go on public platforms outside our usual circles—like college programs, corporate events, or podcasts—we must remember: we are insiders entering outsider forums. Therefore, we should speak more like sympathetic outsiders than strict insiders.

This affects both our language and our content. In such contexts, our primary goal is reputation building, not conversion. If people are inspired to explore devotional life, that’s a wonderful outcome—but it is secondary.

Srila Prabhupada once said the purpose of the Bhaktivedanta Institute was to increase the prestige of ISKCON. He didn’t expect scientists to start chanting 16 rounds, but by engaging respectfully in scientific circles, the intellectual credibility of ISKCON increased.

That same principle applies to other outsider forums. We aim to create positive impressions, not necessarily convey every detail of our theology. Of course, that doesn’t mean we compromise our philosophy—we simply prioritize truths that are non-agitating.

Interestingly, when Krishna describes the discipline of speech in the Gita, He first mentions anudvegakaram—non-agitating speech—even before satyam—truthfulness (Gita 17.15). While that may not necessarily indicate order of priority, it does offer insight: truth should be spoken in a way that avoids unnecessary agitation.

How to Speak About Other Teachers

Rather than commenting directly on any one teacher, we can divide our discussion into categories:

• Their philosophical orientation
• Their cultural influence
• Their humanitarian work
• Their political or social impact

The safest and most respectful approach is to appreciate the good work they are doing, especially in humanitarian and cultural domains. For instance, if someone asks about a specific teacher, we could say:

“Through his teachings, many young people are being inspired to explore Indian spirituality. Those who earlier saw spirituality as outdated or irrelevant are now taking interest. That’s certainly a positive contribution.”

We can then transition to a universal principle, such as:

“Sanatana Dharma contains timeless wisdom that can enrich everyone’s lives, and we need many sincere teachers to share this knowledge effectively.”

This approach is modeled beautifully by Radhanath Maharaj in his book The Journey Home. He describes how various teachers he met offered insights into universal spiritual principles like sadhana, satsanga, and seva—without endorsing their specific theological positions, many of which were impersonal.

Even if a teacher claims to be God, or is regarded that way by followers, we need not reject everything they do. We can focus on the aspects that align with universal values and gracefully shift the conversation.

What If They Ask About Specific Teachings?

It’s rare on such forums for people to ask about specific doctrines. But if someone asks, for example, “XYZ teacher says that the soul merges into God—do you agree?” we could respond:

“The Indian tradition includes many schools of thought that have historically debated such ideas. These technical discussions are best addressed in philosophical settings. For now, let’s focus on broader spiritual principles that are relevant for everyone.”

This avoids dismissing other schools while steering the conversation toward common ground.

However, if we must respond critically, we can point out logical or scriptural concerns without making it personal:

“This is not an attack on the teacher, but a scriptural analysis of a specific idea. Throughout Indian history, spiritual teachers have debated and refined ideas through respectful dialogue. That tradition of inquiry is what we are continuing.”

When presented this way—as part of a larger intellectual tradition—it doesn’t sound like we’re claiming superiority. We are simply participating in a shared tradition of philosophical discourse

Summary: Three Guidelines for Responding on Public Forums

1. Prioritize reputation-building over precision preaching
   Focus on making a good impression. If deeper engagement follows, wonderful.
2. Appreciate what aligns with universal values
   Highlight their positive contribution to spirituality, culture, or humanitarian causes.
3. If critique is required, frame it respectfully
   Use logic and scripture, not emotion, and present it as part of the broader spiritual tradition of dialogue and inquiry.

The post If we are asked in a public forum about spiritual teachers whose philosophy is different from ours, how should we respond appropriately? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 19:

TEXT 1

vrndavaniyam rasa-keli-vartam
  kalena luptam nija-saktim utkah
sancarya rupe vyatanot punah sa
  prabhur vidhau prag iva loka-srstim

TRANSLATION

Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahma with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In exactly the same way, the Lord, being anxious to revive the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna, impregnated the heart of Rupa Gosvami with spiritual potency. By this potency, Srila Rupa Gosvami could revive the activities of Krsna in Vrndavana, activities almost lost to memory. In this way, He spread Krsna consciousness throughout the world.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord!

TEXT 114

loka-bhida-bhaye prabhu ‘dasasvamedhe’ yana
rupa-gosanire siksa kara’na sakti sancariya

TRANSLATION

Due to the great crowds in Prayaga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to a place called Dasasvamedha-ghata. It was there that the Lord instructed Sri Rupa Gosvami and empowered him in the philosophy of devotional service.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. The Supreme Lord has multipotencies, which the Lord bestows on His fortunate devotees. The Lord has a special potency by which He spreads the Krsna consciousness movement. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11): kali-kalera dharma—krsna-nama-sankirtana/ krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana. “One cannot spread the holy name of Krsna without being specifically empowered by Lord Krsna.” A devotee who receives this power from the Lord must be considered very fortunate. The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krsna. One requires Krsna’s special power in order to be able to do this. People forget their relationship with Krsna and work under the spell of maya life after life, transmigrating from one body to another. This is the process of material existence. The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna personally descends to teach people that their position in the material world is a mistaken one. The Lord again comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to induce people to take to Krsna consciousness. The Lord also empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

Lord Chaitanya met Srila Rupa Gosvami at Prayaga. Because of the great crowds that surrounded Lord Chaitanya, He took Rupa Gosvami to a secluded place called Dasasvamedha-ghata. In 1971, when Srila Prabhupada traveled to Allahabad for the Ardha-kumbha-mela, he also visited Dasasvamedha-ghata with his disciples. Lord Chaitanya empowered Srila Rupa Gosvami with His potency to revive Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan and thus spread Krishna consciousness. Only one who is empowered with the potency of the Lord, by the mercy of the Lord, can actually spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. Although Rupa Gosvami lived simply in Vrindavan, wearing a loincloth and sleeping one night under one tree and the next night under another, he wrote books that for generations have enlightened devotees all over the world. Even now we are reading The Nectar of Devotion, which is a summary study of his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, and The Nectar of Instruction, which is his Upadesamrta. And we are benefiting both from the example Srila Rupa Gosvami set when he lived in Vrindavan and from the books he wrote.

TEXT 115

krsnatattva-bhaktitattva-rasatattva-pranta
saba sikhaila prabhu bhagavata-siddhanta

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Srila Rupa Gosvami the ultimate limit of the truth about Lord Krsna, the truth about devotional service, and the truth about transcendental mellows, culminating in conjugal love between Radha and Krsna. Finally He told Rupa Gosvami about the ultimate conclusions of Srimad-Bhagavatam.

COMMENT

In His talks with Rupa Gosvami, Lord Chaitanya began with the most basic knowledge and proceeded gradually to the highest. Rupa Gosvami begins Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu a little after where Lord Chaitanya began, with pure devotional service, and he ends with the highest perfection of pure devotional service, madhurya-rasa. Although in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu he mentions madhurya-rasa as one of the five principal mellows, he describes it elaborately in another book, Ujjvala-nilamani.

TEXT 116

ramananda-pase yata siddhanta sunila
rupe krpa kari’ taha saba sancarila

 TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Rupa Gosvami all the conclusions He had heard from Ramananda Raya and duly empowered him so that he could understand them.

TEXT 117

sri-rupa-hrdaye prabhu sakti sancarila
sarva-tattva-nirupane ‘pravina’ karila

 TRANSLATION

By entering the heart of Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Sri Rupa Gosvami was personally empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

PURPORT

The principles of devotional service are only apparently under the jurisdiction of material activity. To be rightly guided, one must be personally guided by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This was the case with Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and other acaryas.

COMMENT

At the beginning of the chapter, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compares Lord Chaitanya’s empowering Rupa Gosvami to Lord Krishna’s empowering Lord Brahma with the Vedic knowledge. Because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He could start the disciplic succession, and He chose Lord Brahma, the first living entity in the universe, to be His first disciple. Similarly, Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with the authority to begin a disciplic succession, and He chose various disciples, such as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, to receive knowledge directly from Him. He entered their hearts and empowered them to understand His words and thoughts and to communicate them to others. Even Lord Krishna, to establish the principle of disciplic succession, accepted a spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, and Lord Chaitanya also accepted a spiritual master in the Madhva-sampradaya—Isvara Puri. But Lord Chaitanya’s teaching—acintya-bheda-bheda tattva, “inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference”—is unique. His philosophy goes beyond the other disciplic successions and, as our acharyas explain, includes significant elements from all four.

TEXT 118

sivananda-senera putra ‘kavi-karnapura’
‘rupera milana’ sva-granthe likhiyachena pracura

 TRANSLATION

In his book Caitanya-candrodaya, Kavi-karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 119

kalena vrndavana-keli-varta
  lupteti tam khyapayitum visisya
krpamrtenabhisiseca devas
  tatraiva rupam ca sanatanam ca

TRANSLATION

“In the course of time, the transcendental news of Krsna’s pastimes in Vrndavana was almost lost. To enunciate explicitly those transcendental pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu empowered Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami with the nectar of His mercy to carry out this work in Vrndavana.”

PURPORT

This verse and the following two verses are from Act Nine (38, 29, 30) of the Caitanya-candrodaya, by Sri Kavi-karnapura.

COMMENT

Srila Prabhupada says that the transcendental “news” of Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan was almost lost. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura decided to publish a daily newspaper in Bengal and the printer questioned whether he had enough news to publish every day, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta replied that he had enough news from the spiritual world to publish a newspaper every second but that unfortunately there were no customers.

TEXT 120

 yah prag eva priya-guna-ganair gadha-baddho ’pi mukto
  gehadhyasad rasa iva paro murta evapy amurtah
premalapair drdhatara-parisvanga-rangaih prayage
  tam sri-rupam samam anupamenanujagraha devah

 TRANSLATION

“From the very beginning, Srila Rupa Gosvami was deeply attracted by the transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus he was permanently relieved from family life. Srila Rupa Gosvami and his younger brother, Vallabha, were blessed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although the Lord was transcendentally situated in His transcendental eternal form, at Prayaga He told Rupa Gosvami about transcendental ecstatic love of Krsna. The Lord then embraced him very fondly and bestowed all His mercy upon him.”

TEXT 121

priya-svarupe dayita-svarupe
  prema-svarupe sahajabhirupe
nijanurupe prabhur eka-rupe
  tatana rupe sva-vilasa-rupe

 TRANSLATION

“Indeed, Srila Rupa Gosvami, whose dear friend was Svarupa Damodara, was the exact replica of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he was very, very dear to the Lord. Being the embodiment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love, Rupa Gosvami was naturally very beautiful. He very carefully followed the principles enunciated by the Lord, and he was a competent person to explain properly the pastimes of Lord Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expanded His mercy to Srila Rupa Gosvami just so he could render service by writing transcendental literatures.”

TEXT 122–131

The characteristics of Srila Rupa Gosvami have thus been described in various places by the poet Kavi-karnapura. An account has also been given of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed His causeless mercy upon Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami.

Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were the objects of love and honor for all the great stalwart devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

If someone returned to his country after seeing Vrndavana, the associates of the Lord would ask him questions.

They would ask those returning from Vrndavana, “How are Rupa and Sanatana doing in Vrndavana? What are their activities in the renounced order? How do they manage to eat?” These were the questions asked.

The Lord’s associates would also ask, “How is it that Rupa and Sanatana are engaging in devotional service twenty-four hours daily?” At that time the person who had returned from Vrndavana would praise Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis.

“The brothers actually have no fixed residence. They reside beneath trees—one night under one tree and the next night under another.

“Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami beg a little food from the houses of brahmanas. Giving up all kinds of material enjoyment, they take only some dry bread and fried chickpeas.

“They carry only waterpots, and they wear torn quilts. They always chant the holy names of Krsna and discuss His pastimes. In great jubilation, they also dance.

“They engage almost twenty-four hours daily in rendering service to the Lord. They usually sleep only an hour and a half, and some days, when they continuously chant the Lord’s holy name, they do not sleep at all.

“Sometimes they write transcendental literatures about devotional service, and sometimes they hear about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and spend their time thinking about the Lord.”

TEXT 132

ei-katha suni’ mahantera maha-sukha haya
caitanyera krpa yanhe, tanhe ki vismaya?

TRANSLATION

When the personal associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would hear of the activities of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis, they would say, “What is wonderful for a person who has been granted the Lord’s mercy?”

PURPORT

Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. They not only wrote books but chanted, danced, discussed Krsna, and remembered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Thus they executed devotional service.

In Vrndavana there are prakrta-sahajiyas who say that writing books or even touching books is taboo. For them, devotional service means being relieved from these activities. Whenever they are asked to hear a recitation of Vedic literature, they refuse, saying, “What business do we have reading or hearing transcendental literatures? They are meant for neophytes.”

COMMENT

When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura went to Radha-kunda, the babajis were expecting that he would speak on rasa-tattva. Instead, he spoke on the Upanishads, because he knew that so many were imitating advanced devotees or pretending to be advanced devotees. And Srila Prabhupada said that in order of advancement, Sri Isopanisad comes first, then Bhagavad-gita, then The Nectar of Devotion, then Srimad-Bhagavatam, and then Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.

PURPORT (concluded)

They pose themselves as too elevated to exert energy for reading, writing, and hearing. However, pure devotees under the guidance of Srila Rupa Gosvami reject this sahajiya philosophy. It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them, and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, one can become a rupanuga devotee.

COMMENT

It is the goal of devotees in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Rupa Gosvami to be rupanuga devotees, followers of Rupa Gosvami. In his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Rupa Gosvami describes the categories of devotional service: sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. And within each category, there are two divisions: vaidhi and raganuga. Srila Rupa Gosvami composed three very important verses about the practice of raganuga-bhakti, which are also quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. One reads,

seva sadhaka-rupena
  siddha-rupena catra hi
tad-bhava-lipsuna karya
  vraja-lokanusaratah

“The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving service should follow the activities of a particular associate of Krsna’s in Vrndavana. He should execute service externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realized position. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally and internally.” (Brs 1.2.295, quoted as Cc Madhya 22.158)

Externally, one engages in devotional service as a sadhaka, a practicing devotee, and internally, one engages in service in his perfected spiritual body. Followers of Rupa Gosvami, such as Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, have explained that externally we follow Rupa Gosvami and our spiritual master as they were and that internally we follow Sri Rupa in his eternal spiritual form as Rupa-manjari.

But it is easy to misunderstand and misrepresent the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and in Vrindavan there are many sahajiyas who do that, though they claim to be Sri Rupa’s followers. They try to follow Rupa-manjari and other associates of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna with their physical bodies. They do not follow the behavior of Rupa Gosvami and the Gaudiya Vaishnava acharyas, but they imitate Rupa-manjari and other internal associates of Radha and Krishna. For example, in krsna-lila the residents of Vrindavan do not observe Ekadasi. But Rupa Gosvami, with reference to authoritative scriptures, has instructed in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that we must observe Ekadasi, and Lord Chaitanya Himself personally observed Ekadasi. But sahajiyas consider themselves to be Vraja-vasis like Krishna’s associates in krsna-lila—or they want to imitate the Vraja-vasi associates of Krishna—so they do not observe Ekadasi. But, following the verses of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Prabhupada explains in The Nectar of Devotion that one should continue to follow the regulative principles—just like a neophyte devotee, or any devotee who adheres to the standard Srila Prabhupada gave for ISKCON.

When we were in Allahabad for the Kumbha-mela in 1977, His Holiness Lokanath Swami came to meet Srila Prabhupada. Like all of us, Prabhupada lived in a tent, and though his tent was a little bigger and had a heater, it was cold and austere, and he became sick. Sometimes in the afternoon there was sun, and he used to come outside into a courtyard, and I would often sit there with him.

Prabhupada had been encouraging Lokanath Swami to travel by bullock cart throughout India and preach. But Gopal Krishna Maharaja had instructed Lokanath Swami to stay in Bombay to take care of new bhaktas. Lokanath Swami repeated Gopal Krishna’s arguments to Prabhupada, including Gopal Krishna’s description of Lokanath Swami as a “key devotee.” “What is this ‘key devotee’?” Lokanath wondered. Prabhupada replied, “No, you should travel with bullock cart and preach.” Then Lokanath Swami asked, “What about the program for new devotees?” Prabhupada answered, “Our regular program is for new devotees. Our program is the same for all devotees; we don’t have any different program for new devotees.” Then Lokanath Swami explained that some of the devotees had joined because he had preached to them and that they were attached to him personally and might not be able to continue without him. “Those who are very much attached to you personally may accompany you in the bullock cart,” Prabhupada replied, “and you can have the same program in the bullock cart as you travel.”

So, when we quote Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Devotion that externally one continues to act as a neophyte, we mean that one continues to follow the regular program Prabhupada gave for all devotees, beginning with the new ones. And as one adheres to the morning program and other principles, one can feel the results—favorable results. But if a devotee is fortunate enough to have some specific taste for some specific service, he is also encouraged to serve according to his taste, while continuing to observe the regulative principles.

Srila Prabhupada concludes the purport by saying that if a devotee writes and publishes and distributes books, he is actually following Rupa Gosvami, and thus one can become a rupanuga devotee. So, Srila Prabhupada’s blessing is upon us if we write, publish, and distribute transcendental literature.

TEXT 133

caitanyera krpa rupa likhiyachena apane
rasamrta-sindhu-granthera mangalacarane

TRANSLATION

Srila Rupa Gosvami has personally spoken about the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his auspicious introduction to his book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu [1.1.2].

TEXT 134

hrdi yasya preranaya
  pravartito ’ham varaka-rupo ’pi
tasya hareh pada-kamalam
  vande caitanya-devasya

 TRANSLATION

“Although I am the lowest of men and have no knowledge, the inspiration to write transcendental literatures about devotional service has been mercifully bestowed upon me. Therefore I am offering my obeisances at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given me the chance to write these books.”

Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhu ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Rupa Gosvami’s disappearance day, August 23, 1999, Carpinteria, California]

By Vishalgauranga dasa Reading, July 26 – The ISKCON Reading congregation marked a milestone with the celebration of their 12th annual Rathayatra, attracting more than 7,000 visitors throughout the day. The festivities began in Forbury Gardens, where the beautifully decorated chariot of Lord Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra Devi set off on a joyful procession through
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We have started using photo enhancement tools powered by artificial intelligence to improve image quality by upscaling resolution, reducing noise, sharpening details, and restoring lost or missing content. These tools have proven especially valuable in our prepress work for offset printing, where image quality is typically compromised due to the inherent limitations of rasterization and
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At the North European BBT, we have begun using artificial intelligence (AI) as a tool in the translation and editing of Srila Prabhupada’s books from English into other languages. Naturally, this raises important questions among devotees – about AI’s accuracy, interpretive ability, and the spiritual integrity of the resulting texts. AI is not intended to
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By Brahma Muhurta dasa and Kaisori dasi All our mass-distribution titles are simultaneously produced as print books and ebooks, and we’re now working on the audiobooks. The ebook team is also converting our entire back catalog of over 1,000 titles in 45 languages into ebooks. We now have 244 ebooks in 25 languages, each in
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By Sukanti Radha dasi HG Praghosa Das (GBC UK & IRL) and the ISKCON UK & IRL Congregation are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Govindas London on the grand opening of their second branch today at Govindas Holborn , 57 Theobalds Rd, WC1X 8SP! This remarkable achievement is not just a testament to
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It’s been more than twenty years since I last visited our Jagannatha temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Since that time, the old building was pulled down and a new bigger temple was put up in its place.

The deities looked magnificent and the temple room, as well as other areas, have expanded so much that I could hardly recognise what was there before.

I was asked to lead kirtan and give class on the Sunday morning, which was when most of the devotees were able to attend. It was wonderful to have their association and meet some old devotee friends as well.

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Hare Krishna. Nestled amidst the serene countryside of Lanchang, Pahang, Malaysia, lies a sacred jewel ISKCON Malaysia’s New Godruma Dhama Farm which propagates cow protection and farming projects in its humble attempt as envisioned by the divine teachings of His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada. Named after Godruma, the sacred island of Navadvipa
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Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 30

By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 30: July 23–29, 2025)
Paris
(Sent from Sarcelles, France, on August 2, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

The thirtieth week of 2025, I lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles, eighteen minutes by train north of Paris itself. In Paris I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours each afternoon, usually from 3 to 6 p.m., except Thursday when I chanted with the book distributors from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Boulevard Haussmann and then from 6:30 to 8 p.m. with a group of devotees who did harinama after work at Hôtel de Ville.

Monday we chanted at Bastille, an important site during the French Revolution.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and The Nectar of Devotion. I share quotes from Bhaktivedanta Institute legacy talks by Hridayananda dasa Goswami and Akhandadhi Prabhu. I share notes on morning classes by Devarsi, Rama Vijaya, Aksayananda, Rasa Parayana, and Ramatanu Prabhus in Paris. 

Thanks to Marat, a regular on harinama, for his photo of the rest of our harinama party at Bastille.

Itinerary

June 19–August 19: Paris
August 5–9: New Mayapur Balaram festival.
August 20: London harinama
August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas
August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August 24: Liverpool harinama
August 25: London harinama and flight to New York

Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris

Patita Pavana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hotel de Ville in Paris (https://youtu.be/kIYwlplyeFc):

Rohininandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and passersby dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/NTPgq-nFWgU?feature=share):

A woman from Uruguay enjoys playing shakers and dancing as Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville in Paris (https://youtube.com/shorts/K9Iu2n20lrE?feature=share):

The woman who danced asked for the video I took, and when I sent it, she replied, “Hello!! Thank you very much for the video and your message. Since we met and give me the booklet I’ve been reading a bit about the Hare Krishna mantra and listening to it with an open heart. I didn’t know anything about it before, imagine now I’m in Medjugorje as a follower of the Blessed Mother jajaja. But I could even feel a parallel with the rosary, the repetition, the devotion, the langing to connect to the most sacred. Thank you for sharing that light. I carry the joy of that moment in Paris. With gratitude and love, Tatiana”

Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville, and a woman dances across the street (https://youtube.com/shorts/-3yy-fEo1Tw?feature=share):

Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hôtel de Ville in Paris, and passersby dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/yLVUb4RWfis?feature=share):

Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at La République in Paris, and a devotee kid dances (https://youtu.be/sYon8ciLo4k):

Premamoya Narottama Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at La République in Paris, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/G1-47J33rKQ):

Rohininandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at La République in Paris, and a kid dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/9k-GKm7kQmk):

Rasa Parayana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at La République in Paris, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/boCWX8C8CVg):

Vidjai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at La République in Paris (https://youtu.be/mJMRBhOaL7M):

Amshumati Radhika Devi Dasi chants “Jaya Prabhupada” at La République in Paris (https://youtu.be/FB4jaRndi_8):

Brahmacari at La République with orange shakers and an orange ice pop.

Rama Vijaya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Sarcelles Market on Sunday (https://youtube.com/shorts/IlRa3yNuEYw):

While Rama Vijaya Prabhu was leading, some vendors clapped (https://youtu.be/FWdiSABIStM):

Also during Rama Vijaya’s kirtan, a small girl did an amazing dance (https://youtube.com/shorts/Kho9ZYmfDNs):

Her surprised mom filmed her.

Many people were happy to see the devotees.

One person I saw at the Sarcelles Market

reminded me of Srila Prabhupada in the early days.
She had a shirt saying Bowery Street Manhattan!

A potential problem of market harinamas is the

tendency to try on different attractive items and

fall victim to shopping instead of chanting.

Vidjai Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Sarcelles Market on Sunday (https://youtu.be/HNUe1HVRRxU):

Yashomatinandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the way to the temple after our Sarcelles Market harinama, and a man chants and dances (https://youtube.com/shorts/veMYUz978cc?feature=share):

Later as we past an apartment, Sarcelles kids danced to the harinama (https://youtube.com/shorts/69ZwgtAHV-k?feature=share):

As we approached the temple, more passersby participated (https://youtube.com/shorts/89VNZITQL8o):

On Monday we chanted Hare Krishna at Bastille, I for the first time this year and the others for the first time ever. Within 45 minutes, three groups of people played the shakers and danced, some even chanting the mantra! One couple did not want to appear on social media, but the others appear in the videos below.

Even before we finished the introductory mantra and began chanting Hare Krishna, four youths asked if they could have their picture taken with us. We encouraged them to play the shakers, and they really got into it.

Here Yashomatinandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Bastille, and four young people participate by playing the shakers, chanting, and dancing (https://youtube.com/shorts/8VgeYiUd3yQ):

Yashomatinandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Bastille, and a family participates (https://youtube.com/shorts/DuZuDbcrSCM):

Marat chants Hare Krishna at Bastille (https://youtu.be/rvaaaHawdXQ):

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.4.25, purport:

“The servants of the Lord are actually the servants of society. They have no interest in human society other than to enlighten it in transcendental knowledge; they are interested in imparting knowledge of the relationship of the living being with the Supreme Lord, the activities in that transcendental relationship, and the ultimate goal of human life. That is the real knowledge which can help society achieve the real aim of human welfare. Knowledge in the matter of the bodily necessities of eating, sleeping, mating and fearing, transformed into various branches of advancement of knowledge, is all temporary. A living being is not the material body but an eternal part and parcel of the Supreme Being, and thus revival of his self-knowledge is essential. Without this knowledge, the human life is baffled. The servants of the Lord, Vishnu, are entrusted with this responsible work, and so they wander over the earth and to all other planets in the universe.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.2, purport:

“From the Ksirodakasayi Vishnu, many Vishnu incarnations expand at different ages in the duration of the cosmic manifestation. They are expanded only for the transcendental happiness of the pure devotees.”

“In the Transcendence there is no chance of material contact by any means.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.3:

[Lord Brahma prays:] “O my Lord, I do not see a form superior to Your present form of eternal bliss and knowledge. In Your impersonal Brahman effulgence in the spiritual sky, there is no occasional change and no deterioration of internal potency. I surrender unto You because whereas I am proud of my material body and senses, Your Lordship is the cause of the cosmic manifestation and yet You are untouched by matter.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.5, purport:

“The relationship of the pure devotees with the Lord develops because of devotional service to the Lord on the authentic basis of Vedic authority. Such pure devotees are not mundane sentimentalists but are factually realists because their activities are supported by the Vedic authorities who have given aural reception to the facts mentioned in the Vedic literatures.”

“Para bhakti, or spontaneous love of God, is the basis of an intimate relationship with the Lord. This highest stage of relationship with the Lord can be attained simply by hearing about Him (His name, form, qualities, etc.) from authentic sources like the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam, recited by pure, unalloyed devotees of the Lord.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.9:

[Lord Brahma prays:] “O my Lord, the material miseries are without factual existence for the soul. Yet as long as the conditioned soul sees the body as meant for sense enjoyment, he cannot get out of the entanglement of material miseries, being influenced by Your external energy.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.9, purport:

“The whole trouble of the living entity in material existence is that he has an independent conception of life. He is always dependent on the rules of the Supreme Lord, in both the conditioned and liberated states, but by the influence of the external energy the conditioned soul thinks himself independent of the supremacy of the Personality of Godhead. His constitutional position is to dovetail himself with the desire of the supreme will, but as long as he does not do so, he is sure to drag on in the shackles of material bondage.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.10, purport:

“Actual religion is very confidential because as soon as one is conversant with the real principles of religion one is liberated and enters onto the path to the eternal life of bliss and knowledge.”

“A person in ignorance of the principles of religion who therefore does nothing in the matter of religion is far better than a person who misguides others in the name of religion without reference to the factual religious principles of devotional service. Such so-called leaders of religion are sure to be condemned by Brahma and other great authorities.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.11:

“O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.11, purport:

“Every living entity has a particular type of service relationship with the Lord, eternally. This particular attachment is invoked by practice of regulative devotional service to the Lord, and thus the devotee becomes attached to the eternal form of the Lord, exactly like one who is already eternally attached. This attachment for a particular form of the Lord is called svarupa-siddhi.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.9, Chapter Summary:

“He [King Amsuman] could understand that everything in this material world is insignificant, and thus he fully engaged in worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari.”

From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 48:

“It is to be understood that any person who is constantly engaged in chanting the holy names of the Lord—Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare—has attained a transcendental affection for Krishna, and as such, in any condition of life, he remains satisfied simply by remembering the Lord’s name in full affection and ecstatic love.”

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.48–50:

“On seeing Visvambhara’s most enchanting form, beautiful limbs, and smiling face, the sannyasi in great satisfaction, offered Him various benedictions, ‘May You achieve wealth, family, good wife, and learning.’

“The Lord said, ‘O Gosañi, this is not a benediction. Rather you should say, “May you attain the mercy of Krishna.” The benediction of devotional service to Vishnu is inexhaustible and indestructible. Whatever you have said, O Gosañi, does not befit you.’”

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.50, purport:

“Wealth, children, beautiful wife, and material education are all temporary,

whereas Lord Vishnu is eternal, the Vaisnavas are eternal, and the Vaisnavas’

devotional service to Vishnu is eternal.”

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.60, purport:

“Mahaprabhu said, ‘Living entities will get the opportunity of receiving unsolicited foodstuffs as a result of their respective karma. Food will certainly come automatically, just as a newborn baby automatically gets its mother’s milk as food without endeavor.’”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

From Am I a Demon or a Vaishnava?:

“I will write on the basic principle that the Supreme Lord is concerned with this world (although He is aloof from its laws of karma). He does come to the world, as stated in Bhagavad-gita, whenever there is a decline in religion and a rise in irreligion. I want to encourage people, whether they are demigods or demons, with the reminder from scripture that the Lord will appear and is already here in His name and teachings, and in the form of His pure devotees. People are oppressed and looking for relief.”

Hridayananda dasa Goswami:

From a BI legacy talk entitled “Where Do We Go from Here?”:

“But even if you value science, the value placed on it is not science, it’s metaphysics. Values are not physical, values are metaphysical, and so even saying: I do science because I value science – that’s a metaphysical claim, and therefore it’s a philosophical claim, which can be challenged or problematized or explored in different ways.”

Akhandadhi Prabhu:

From a BI legacy talk entitled “Science and Philosophy Initiative”:

“It’s a common theme that I have come across regularly, that devotees who are scientists seem to have to switch off between their devotional world and their science world. As the quote said: he fears reading the Bhagavatam because that doesn't fit with his science, and he fears his science because it doesn't fit with the Bhagavatam. I feel that the mission of the BI is to bring these together: that actually the science of the Srimad-Bhagavatam is brilliant, and it addresses the issues of modern science, the big questions that are still out there.”

Devarsi Prabhu:

From the pastime of Chota Haridas we can understand that sannyasa is not a joke.

There are many countries with no devotees at all. So if you like adventure . . .

In the Congo there is a minor king who is favorable to the devotees and is willing to give them some land in his village and allow them to take over the educational system.

In the village in the Congo, they had never seen a white person before.

Dancing is no problem for them there.

There are many countries where people are waiting for us.

We do not know how the plan of the Lord will unfold.

One retired Indian family started a school in the Congo and after a year had 250 students.

Srila Prabhupada said when a devotee leaves it is 50% his fault and 50% the fault of the devotees around him.

In the Vedic study it is explained how to become convinced.

In Africa in the temple there are no ladies, but in other countries like China, the women are prominent.

Preaching means to inject Krishna consciousness into the heart of the person, not just to speak some words.

It is important to internalize Krishna consciousness and to do that requires introspection.

Many devotees have some good qualities but they also have limitations, thus we need to take inspiration from a variety of devotees.

Conviction is related to realization.

From a Sunday feast lecture:

Rama Vijaya Prabhu:

France is an international place. You can meet people of all colors. I met people from North Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and even South Africa.

Krishna left for the spiritual world, and before he left He gave us Srimad-Bhagavatam.

We need to attend Srimad-Bhagavatam class because we are in a diseased condition of life, and this is part of the treatment Srila Prabhupada, who is our doctor, has given us. Chanting Hare Krishna, attending mangala-arati, and taking Krishna prasadam are also integral part of the treatment given by Srila Prabhupada.

Between birth and death, there are old age and disease.

In the material world, Srila Prabhupada said, the remedies people take are worse than the disease.

We have to represent the spiritual master and Krishna as His devotees.

We always have to make sure that we are following the six items of surrender, and that therefore, we are therefore surrendered.

The best way to deliver our family members and forefathers is to completely surrender to Krishna.

When people see the devotees fully engaged in devotional service, it increases their faith.

Srila Prabhupada explained our main business is distributing Krishna consciousness.

In Krishna consciousness we have three products, the books, the holy name, and prasadam.

Even Muslims take books in Paris because they want to know what is there in our books.

If we just try to follow, we will be successful because we are taking the right medicine.

There are many challenges, and you have to tolerate. Whoever tolerates is a winner.

Comment by Rama Tanu Prabhu: Unless the leader pushes people to a higher level, people will stagnate and not really develop.

Once Srila Prabhupada told Giriraj Swami, “The order of the spiritual master can be suspended, but it cannot be neglected.”

Comment by me: Srila Prabhupada demonstrated that in his own life. He did not execute his guru’s order to preach in the English-speaking countries immediately, but he never forgot the instruction, and he ultimately carried it out.

Aksayananda Prabhu:

Sva-bhava manifests under certain conditions.

A devotee who is influenced by the three modes of nature, invites those modes into the temple. If other devotees resonate with them, this influence can expand.

The presence of Krishna is the best place for our sva-bhava to manifest.

Consciously executing the instructions of the guru promotes the manifestation of our sva-bhava.

Avidya is actually knowledge, but it is false knowledge.

The four Kumaras are in santa-rasa, and Narada Muni is in dasa-rasa.

Mother Yasoda’s sattvika-bhava was so intense the tears from her eyes completely soaked her sari.

Lord Caitanya repeatly asked Gadadhara Pandit to tell the pastime of Prahlada because he greatly relished it personally.

Before Lord Caitanya philosophers accepted either bheda or abheda, but Lord Caitanya accepted the truth in both.

We can only think of something that we have knowledge of us.

Every day we should engage our intellect in the name, form, and pastimes of Krishna.

It is the presence of Krishna that makes the devotee feel and express exalted devotional sentiments.

Comment by Rasa Lila Devi Dasi: When we hear the expressions of a humility of a devotee, we think of the devotee as humble but he does not think of himself as humble.

Krishna reveals Himself and conceals Himself as He pleases.

We should strongly desire that Krishna reveal Himself to us, because Krishna doesn’t reveal Himself to people are not interested in Him, but when He does so is up to Him.

Once Srila Prabhupada asked a disciple if he was understanding the lecture, and he admitted that he was not. Srila Prabhupada asked him if he wanted to understand, and the disciple said he did. Srila Prabhupada was pleased to continue the lecture.

Rasa Parayana Prabhu:

I am insignificant, but this subject matter is the most significant and profound.

Krishna killed the witch, Putana, at age six.

In Goloka Vrindavan, Krishna is a sixteen-year-old boy. So these childhood pastimes cannot go on there.

Everything in this world can give us only limited pleasure.

Krishna was so beautiful even on the battlefield that soldiers shooting arrows at Arjuna would be mesmerized by Krishna’s beauty, and while in that stunned condition, they would be struck by Arjuna’s arrows and attain the spiritual world.

Ramatanu Prabhu:

Some people think that God cannot be seen and that it is blasphemous to speak of seeing him.

Everything is a manisfestation of God, but there are different levels of divinity. We are divine, but not as divine as God.

You will feel the presence of the Lord in the deity if we are practicing promptly.

Sometimes we are pushing people to do more and more service, saying that by this they will attain everything, but they end up getting burned out. Why? Because they do not inquire from their gurus about what they are doing wrong.

The Mayavada philosophy puts everything on the same level as matter.

If you do not feel gratitude about the service you are given, you will not be able to feel the Lord’s presence in it.

Serving the Vaishnavas is harder than serving the Lord.

If we are on the platform of the mind, we have to execute varnasrama.

You cannot perform austerity unless you are in sattva-guna.

Always occupy the mind with what to do.

Always check your attitude.

Siksa gurus can save your Krishna consciousness.

Comment by Jiva Prana Prabhu: We are so conditioned that to change a habit is difficult, and therefore it is important we have people who can help us.

Comment by Premamoya Narottama: Making changes in small steps helps.

Comments by me:

Krishna mentions in the Gita in many places engaging the mind and intelligence in His service, in additional to engaging the senses.

I know what you meant about developing negative attitudes to the devotees. I have a negative attitude toward the devotees who contributed to my being late for my trains to harinama last week. Yesterday I went out alone so I was on time!

The psychologists say it take just 30 days to change a habit.

I asked Radhanath Swami how to get a taste for serving the Vaishnavas.

He said, “By serving the Vaishnavas.”

There are some Vaishnavas who genuinely do not want to be served.

-----

This verse reveals the importance of Srimad-Bhagavatam. That book is Krishna’s arrangement to enlighten the people of this age. If you take the Bhaktivaibhava course, it is a required verse to memorize.

krishne sva-dhamopagate

dharma-jñanadibhih saha
kalau nasta-drisam esa
puranarko ’dhunoditah

“This Bhagavata Purana is as brilliant as the sun, and it has arisen just after the departure of Lord Krishna to His own abode, accompanied by religion, knowledge, etc. Persons who have lost their vision due to the dense darkness of ignorance in the Age of Kali shall get light from this Purana.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 1.3.43)

The story of Tulsi is often presented only in part, which can lead to misunderstandings. However, when we explore various Puranas and consider the broader context, a deeper picture emerges.

Tulsi was a virtuous and deeply devoted devotee of Vishnu. In her early youth, she received a boon that her chastity would grant invincibility to her husband—as long as she remained chaste to him.

A powerful demon named Jalandhar came to know of this and cunningly exploited it. He pressured, tempted, and deceived Tulsi’s father into giving her in marriage to him. Tulsi, being a noble and dharmic woman, remained completely faithful to Jalandhar. This chastity of hers effectively became Jalandhar’s armor—granting him near-immortality.

Empowered by this, Jalandhar began unleashing terror across the universe. He killed innocents and waged war against the Devatas. His tyranny grew unbearable, and the cosmic balance was under threat.

In order to stop him, Vishnu assumed the form of Jalandhar and approached Tulsi. The moment he united with her, her chastity was broken—and with it, Jalandhar’s invincibility. At that very moment, Jalandhar, who had been mocking the Devatas in battle, suddenly became vulnerable. The arrows that had been powerless until then now struck him fatally.

Now, if we isolate the act of Vishnu disguising himself and uniting with Tulsi, it might appear morally questionable—even scandalous. However, viewed in the full context, it was an act to protect the world from a merciless tyrant who had weaponized a woman’s virtue to serve his brutality.

The deeper question here lies within the concept of Dharma—which is not always black and white. Dharma is multi-layered. On one hand, preserving a woman’s chastity and the sanctity of marriage is undoubtedly Dharma. On the other hand, protecting the universe from a demonic oppressor is also Dharma—and in this case, it was the higher Dharma.

Often in Puranic literature, the conflict is not between Dharma and Adharma, but between competing Dharmas. Choosing the higher Dharma in such situations requires both wisdom and courage. It does not negate the importance of the lower Dharma, but prioritizes a greater good.

When Tulsi realized what had happened, she was shocked and heartbroken. Even though she knew her husband was a demon who tormented others, he was still her husband. Feeling betrayed, she cursed Vishnu, saying, “You tricked me—you were stone-hearted. So now, become a stone.”

Vishnu accepted the curse, but reassured her with love. He acknowledged her devotion and said, “You were trapped in an abusive marriage, and while you may feel what I did was wrong, it was not only for the good of the world—it was also for your good.”

He blessed her, saying that she would eternally remain with him—thus, Vishnu became Shalagram, and she became Tulsi, eternally worshipped together.

This story is not about Vishnu seeking selfish pleasure or acting out of lust. Rather, it reflects the difficult decisions sometimes required to uphold the greater good. The action is questionable, yes—but to call it simply wrong would be an oversimplification.

When one Dharma must be set aside for a higher Dharma, it is not a denial of value but an act of discernment.

That’s a broad overview of the story. I’ll share a link where I explain it in more detail, and we can definitely discuss it further when we connect next.

The post Was Vishnu immoral to violate the chastity of Tulsi? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

So now, moving on to the question about the Puranas. Yes, the Puranas can indeed be a confusing body of knowledge. Often, even exalted beings like the Devatas seem to act in morally questionable ways. Why is that?

In my understanding, three key factors are at play here.

1. Relatable Stories in Extraordinary Settings

The Puranas are filled with a multitude of stories that, while fantastical in terms of abilities and arenas, are deeply human in terms of emotions and dilemmas. Even the Devatas often behave like humans, making choices, facing temptations, and dealing with consequences.

As I’m writing in more detail in my upcoming book on the Ramayana, both the Ramayana and Mahabharata present characters with superhuman powers—shape-shifting, celestial weapons, and more. Their environments also seem extraordinary. However, what remains consistent is that every character, no matter how powerful, operates under certain constraints.

In today’s world, while we may have gained tremendous technological abilities, we too operate under limitations. And just like the characters in these texts, we make choices—and our choices have consequences.

2. Illustrating the Power of Maya Through Extremes

A recurring theme, especially in the Puranas, is the power of Maya (illusion). Even beings who are more powerful and virtuous than us are shown to succumb to temptation. These actions are not praised—in fact, they are often strongly condemned. But the primary focus is not to criticize the character, but to highlight the insidious potency of Maya.

It’s a cautionary lesson: if such elevated souls can fall prey to illusion, so can we. Therefore, everyone needs to be vigilant.

This leads us to a principle of effective storytelling and instruction: lessons are often best learned through extreme examples. Consider films that portray “common men”—they are usually portrayed by strikingly attractive actors. Or think of financial failures: if an ordinary person loses money, it’s not notable. But if a billionaire loses everything due to a poor investment, it becomes a striking lesson.

Similarly, when a highly respected Devata like Indra or Brahma falters, the lesson about vigilance against illusion becomes far more memorable and impactful.

3. Contextual Morality, Not Absolute or Relative

A long-standing debate in ethics is: is morality absolute or relative? For example, is lying always wrong? Or can it sometimes be the right thing to do?

Modern society leans increasingly towards moral relativism—what’s right for one may not be right for another. But even today, there are certain acts (like child abuse) that are universally condemned. Historical events like the Holocaust led to the recognition of moral absolutes—no excuse, including “following orders,” can justify mass murder.

In Vedic philosophy, morality is contextual, not entirely absolute nor wholly relative. There are universal principles, but their application must be understood in light of the context.

Thus, when the Devatas perform questionable actions, some may be contextualized, while others are simply wrong—and the tradition does not shy away from acknowledging that. However, the focus remains on learning from these events, not on permanently condemning the individuals involved.

Long-Term Perspective in Vedic Time

Another important point is the scale of time in which these stories unfold. The Puranas describe events across thousands or even millions of years—spanning different Yugas and Kalpas. If a police officer behaves inappropriately twice in a 40-year career, those incidents must be addressed, but we shouldn’t reduce the entire career to just those lapses.

Similarly, when we read about a Devata’s lapse, it must be seen in the broader context of their vast lifespan and service.

Summary of the Three Points:

1. Human-Like Choices in Superhuman Settings: The Puranas use relatable stories to show that even exalted beings face challenges, make choices, and deal with consequences.
2. Extreme Examples for Memorable Lessons: Stories of even powerful beings succumbing to Maya illustrate the universal danger of illusion and serve as cautionary tales.
3. Morality is Contextual: While some moral values are universal, their application is nuanced. The tradition acknowledges wrong actions, but emphasizes learning rather than lifelong condemnation.

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Leaders from around Indonesia gathered for the ISKCON annual general meeting that was held at our beautiful temple in the Bahar area of Denpasar. Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha, Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra and Gaura Nitai are the presiding deities.

A new Executive committee was chosen this year and the positions were mostly taken up by our younger devotees who were eager to oversee the functions of ISKCON. Many topics were discussed including the positives and negatives and the challenges ahead.

So if if you are involved in the in the medical profession and how to counsel women, especially who who want to prevent pregnancy or terminate pregnancy quite often because, say, they have had already a pregnancy and now soon they’re becoming pregnant. Sometimes they take emergency things which are risky for them. And, often the mainstream method is to, talk about more long term, more safe methods of contraception. But from a perspective of scripture, as we have learned, You know, if both of short term or long term, both are not recommended. So what can we tell them?

The people who come to us. I’ll talk about this at three different levels. First is that understanding our role. Second is understanding society. And third is understanding the person who is coming.

So our role is that we play multiple roles or we put on as we say multiple hats. So we are devotees. That’s our personal spiritual journey. But we have particular roles in society. So if somebody may be aware of that, say, you mean the medical care provider, you’re a doctor.

So how much should we bring our spirituality into our workplace? In a that is a question which everybody has to negotiate. Everybody who is doing a spiritual role are playing a professional role while being a spiritualist. And, I wouldn’t say there is any one zero kind of, understanding about this. Ideally speaking, devotees shouldn’t be involved in professions where the four executive principles are directly being broken.

So, for example, if a devotee is a gynecologist, and a major source of their earning comes from abortions, so what do they do? In the Bhaktiand Hospital, we have a system that it’s a it’s a hospital run by the devotees in Mumbai, where we have a system where we don’t do any abortions, and all the, consultants who come there have to promise that they are themselves not going to do abortion in the private practice also. So that’s where it’s it’s called culture compliance. And some people accept that, some people don’t, and then they can’t work over there. So this is where and you could say the larger so for somebody who’s a gynecologist and becomes a devotee is going to be a serious challenge.

But that’s their only source of livelihood, and they really can’t manage, then it’s up to them. So if a devotee is running a restaurant which sees non non vegetarian food, they may not be able to come out of the restaurant immediately. So this is largely my point I’m making is by this example, it’s largely individual decision, how much we bring our spiritual values into our workplace. When the workplace culture, the workplace expectations are quite different. Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita chapter that that every endeavor is covered by fault, just as fire is covered doesn’t work.

So we cannot avoid certain problems in workplaces. So ideally speaking, devotees can try to choose professions where these tensions are as less as possible, but we cannot avoid. At the first point, individually, we have to take responsibility to decide. Now as far as society is concerned, we we we wanna practice, but we deal with larger society. A larger society has certain policies, certain mainstream concerns.

And, can social policy be changed? It does seem that the world is not going in that direction at all. And, while in the West now, there is an increasing concern about depopulation, they feel the population is decreasing rather than concerned about population exposure which is there in India. Still, the problem is still that that has not led to any translation in terms of emphasis on on natural self control, basically. So overall, the mainstream society is not encouraging this, whether it comes in the culture where there is so much sexual glamorization and there is increasing acceptance of, of extramarative, premarital sex.

Sexuality is becoming more and more prominent in society. And, by end, Movies don’t openly at least in India, I don’t think they openly champion abortion, but, I don’t think it’s a top topic that is stubborn. It is something which is understood. It happens, and people don’t talk about it. In the West, it is glamorized.

There are Instagram where there are whole pages and this, shout your abortion. So So women come for it. It’s a matter of pride. I did this abortion. So it’s a quite a crazy thing over there.

So we can’t change the way society is going. And, we sometimes had to make the best of a bad bargain and do the best we can within the limitation that’s society has for us. So my third point is that with respect to people who are coming, but they have an immediate need, and we need to address that need. Now if we have a relationship with them, we can, we can, talk about talk to them about something spiritual. But often, self control, or that kind of thing is not something which gives the decision of only one partner.

So both partners, if only they’re coming and if they are understanding, then it is possible. And for many people, it seems to be like an intrusion into their private life. Who are you to tell us about that? So sometimes trying to do that can backfire if they complain to our authorities and, they those we face professional trouble because of that. So if we can, if we have a relationship, say, if we are a little older and, people respect us to some extent because of age and then thought, then it’s possible to give that kind of advice.

And how do what extent is practical that people will decide? But as as devotees, we all have to choose our battles. Choose our battles means decide where we want to focus our energies. So ideally speaking, you might say that even through our profession, we should try to be preaching. And some people can do that in some ways.

Somebody might have tuition classes. And while they’re teaching professional subjects, they may also have a place where they conduct special talks or they create a special ambiance over there. Some professions might allow preaching a little more easily. Somebody’s a mental health counselor. And they are quite open that I’m going to make a fundamental counseling from a yoga perspective, Vedic perspective, Indian non assistance perspective.

And then that could work. But some professions may not, make it that easy. But make it so may make it much more difficult. So in those situations, it’s important that we see our profession primarily as a source of livelihood. And, you know, quantity, that’s a society life of source of respectability in society.

And based on that, we focus on our, sharing sharing of Krishna consciousness through other forms. So if suppose we get to a very begin very influential position in the future where we can influence that, that’s okay. But in general, in a professional role, we need to provide what the profession requires first, and then spirituality afterwards. Say if somebody, Sachin Tendulkar, or now he’s retired or Virat Kohli, he’s also retired. I suppose, suppose in World Cup final.

And this person has become a devotee, and India loses the World Cup finals. And in the post match interview, suppose he’s the captain, he’s asked, why did India lose? And he replies that, oh, with loss, all this is just temporary. Ultimately, she’ll just chant the aggression and be happy. That person will be destroyed on social media.

Oh. You cannot actually imagine a worse form of antiquity through a statement that is actually philosophically true. But the point is if you’re a cricketer, you you’re being paid and celebrated for being a cricketer, then you have to be a cricketer. And on top of that, if you have your spirituality, you can talk about it. But don’t let don’t use your cricketing preach your spirituality at the cost of the platform.

So if somebody succeeds in winning the World Cup, and then he says that, Yay, Shri Krishna, this is Krishna’s not his God’s mercy, this is Krishna’s mercy on me. Or he says that because I was chanting and that that kept helping me to stay cool or something like that. That could work. But our spirituality in our profession should be above and beyond our professional competence. Even not everybody can have professional excellence, but we all need to have at least professional competence.

That’s, that’s the broad principle. So to summarize, the individual level, how much to bring our spirituality into our profession is a personal decision that has to be taken on Deshikaal Patra. When we live in larger society, we can’t change the way society is functioning. Although if there are some trends of something changing, then we can work with those trends. For example, in America, some places they have tried to not ban abortion, but ban late term abortion.

And but then that also has backfired. And, the Republican party is not really pushing that. So it may be, but we cannot change the way larger society works. So in our profession, we choose our battles. We see how much we can bring spirituality into our profession, in the specific profession, but that should be over and above the professional competence, not at the cost of it.

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Shri Mukunda Dasa, Shri Madhava Dasa and Shri Narahari Sarakara Thakura were three brothers who lived in Shri Khanda. Shri Mukunda Dasa Thakura’s son was Shri Raghunandan Thakura. Mukunda Dasa Thakura was the doctor in the court of the muslim king. He was always absorbed in Krishna, whatever work he did.

Every year Mukunda Dasa, Madhava Dasa and Narahari Sarakara would go to Jagannatha Puri to take darshan of the holy feet of Shri Chaitanya and to dance and chant in Rathayatra kirtan.  One day, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu affectionately asked Mukunda Dasa, “Mukunda! between you and Raghunandan, who is the father and who is the son?” 

Mukunda said, “Raghunandana is my father. Through him I have found  Krishna consciousness, so he is really my father.” The Lord said, “Your judgement is correct. Whoever gives us Krishna-bhakti is our guru and our father.” The Lord ordered Raghunandana to serve the deity, without thinking of anything else. 

When he was a boy, Raghunandan used to make the deity eat laddu.

According to certain authorities, Shri Raghunandana Thakura was Kandarpa Manjari. According to others, he was one of Krishna’s sons in Dvaraka whose name was Kandarpa. This is on the basis of Kavi Karnapura’s Gaura-Ganodesha-dipika.

 Raghunandana Thakura had a son named Kanai Thakura.  The descendants of Raghunandan Thakura’s line live today in Shri Khanda.  One of the most famous of them is a person by the name of Panchanana Kaviraja, who was born in the line of Shri Raghunandana.  Raghunandana Thakura was born in the Saka year 1432.

Raghunandan Thakur bequeathed the service of his Gaura-Gopal deity to his son Kanai Thakur and then left this world on the fourth day of the waxing moon in the month of Shravan. Kanai Thakur gave a feast as a part of his father’s last rites:

Raghunandan slowly became hidden to mortal eyes while repeating again and again the names of Sri Krishna Chaitanya.

I haven’t visited our Radha Govinda temple in Puncak, Indonesia for a while so it was great to take darshan of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Govinda, Gaura Nitai and Lord Nrsimha Deva.

Puncak is nestled is the hills outside of Jakarta and is a beautiful area. Unfortunately, because of traffic, especially on weekends, the area has become a little polluted. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience.

The devotees grow most of their vegetables, flowers, fruits and keep a cow and bull in the goshalla. The grounds and temple are kept clean and the deities are nicely worshiped.

 Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 29

By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 29: July 16–22, 2025)

Paris, London, Newcastle

(Sent from Sarcelles, France, on July 26, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

The twenty-ninth week of 2025, I mostly lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles, eighteen minutes by train north of Paris itself, except Sunday and Monday, when I visited the UK for a Ratha-yatra and a harinama. In Paris I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours each afternoon, usually from 3 to 6 p.m., except Thursday when we chanted from 5 to 8 p.m. with a group of devotees who do harinama after work. After chanting four days in Paris, on Sunday I flew to Birmingham and took a train to London, arriving just in time for the ecstatic London Ratha-yatra with amazing devotee participation and a stage show with a lot of kirtan. Monday I did harinama in Newcastle with two devotees before flying to Dublin and then to Paris. The last day of the week I did harinama in Paris with Marat at Les Halles.

I share a quote from a Srila Prabhupada Ratha-yatra lecture in San Francisco. I share notes on classes by Janananda Goswami in London, and Agnideva and Bhavasindhu Prabhus in Paris.

Thanks to the devotee who gave me a plate of prasadam after the London Ratha-yatra, so I did not have to wait in line. Many, many thanks to Madhava Kumar Prabhu and the Manchester devotees for giving me a ride to Manchester after the Ratha-yatra and letting me stay overnight in their temple, before taking a bus to Newcastle. Thanks to Vasu Shrestha Prabhu for the wonderful Ekadasi lunch and dinner and for joining me on harinama in Newcastle along with his friend, Unnimaya. Thanks to Marat for joining me on harinama in Paris.

Itinerary

June 19–August 19: Paris

August 5–9: New Mayapur Balaram festival.

August 20: London harinama

August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas

August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra

August 24: Liverpool harinama

August 25: London harinama and flight to New York

Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Rue de Caumartin, and Patita Pavana Prabhu plays harmonium (https://youtu.be/I0lJjRw7Zpc):

Next Patita Pavana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna there (https://youtu.be/vpwhVz52aoI):

While Patita Pavana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, the devotees, along with a passerby, danced in a circle (https://youtu.be/WzM7txrsEVY):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris (https://youtu.be/aYCttm55a0k):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and Patita Pavana Prabhu plays harmonium (https://youtu.be/3t7Zwz2qhRw):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a passerby plays karatalas and chants (https://youtu.be/1CG7-1aJl9A):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna, and a young woman plays the shakers and dances (https://youtu.be/pFuXjJyljIM):

Rohininandana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles (https://youtu.be/MivBLY0yxfk):

While Rohininandana Prabhu was chanting, a passerby danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/ryYrv85kqsU?feature=share):

Agnideva Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Les Halles in Paris, and two guys chant (https://youtube.com/shorts/to3lcO0uZjo?feature=share):

Patita Pavana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Saint-Michel (https://youtu.be/LrpJFjEUeO4):

While Patita Pavana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, devotees danced (https://youtube.com/shorts/dobxA0UwDqA?feature=share):

Chanting Hare Krishna in London

I wasn’t planning to attend London Ratha-yatra, but as I looked at Lord Jagannatha in Paris three days before the event, I decided if I could get from Paris to London for under £50 each way I would go. I found I could fly from Paris to Birmingham for €19.99 and take a train from Birmingham to London for £20.90. And I found although there were no cheap flights from London, I could fly from Newcastle to Dublin for £19.99 and Dublin to Paris for €19.99. Thus I decided it was meant to be, and I thanked Lord Jagannatha when I returned. It was my 11th Ratha-yatra this year.

During the Ratha-yatras with three carts, I dance in front of Jagannatha’s cart, play the shakers, and give out the free literature.

People would watch the procession from the top level of the double decker buses and take videos.

The procession started amid sprinkles of rain, but by the end the sun came out.

I decided the stage show program was so short I did not want to waste time in the prasadam queue. I thought if someone offered me prasadam I would accept it, but I did not want to wait in the line. About ten minutes later, a devotee lady offered me a plate of prasadam.

There was a lot of kirtan in the stage show. Here are some videos of it.

Chanting Hare Krishna in Newcastle

Here I chant Hare Krishna with Vasu Shrestha Prabhu and Unnimaya on Northumberland Street in Newcastle in the North of England, and many passersby joyfully interact (https://youtu.be/7kP7iDnLxiQ):

Vasu Shrestha Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on Northumberland Street in Newcastle, and Unnimaya plays harmonium (https://youtu.be/5T63vVhSYQ8):

Photos

I met Shyama Priya Devi Dasi on harinama in Thessaloniki in 2008. She was chanting Hare Krishna so blissfully she reminded me of Sacinandana Swami. When I told my friend Tara Prabhu that, he said, “She is a disciple of Sacinandana Swami.” Years later she moved to Newcastle, and I would see her when I visited there. She is an artist, and she showed me her latest pictures:

She also showed me her Radha Krishna deities.

She also showed me her altar, which also has personalities from the Christian tradition she was brought up in and which she feels helped her on the spiritual path.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From a lecture at the 1969 San Francisco Ratha-yatra:

“Today this inauguration of Rathayatra ceremony will bring a new chapter in the history of the world. It is stated in the Vedic literature that anyone who sees Lord Jagannath seated on this car will no more have to take birth within this miserable world. It is that potent. This Krishna consciousness movement is to take you to the highest state of eternal bliss and knowledge. It is not a sentimental movement, but is the practical means of perfect spiritual realization. If within this life you practice Krishna consciousness, then you will very easily be able to go to Goloka Vrindaban, and you will have your blissful life, eternal and full of knowledge. So today you should start this process. Simply chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. I request you that you follow this car of Lord Jagannath, and make progress in your life to Goloka Vrindaban.”

Janananda Goswami:

From a lecture in London on July 20, 2025:

At Ratha-yatra at least distribute one book.

If you understood that Srila Prabhupada is there dancing on the Ratha-yatra, would you be on your mobile phone?

These devotees like Parasurama and Titiksu Prabhus, who are organizing Ratha-yatras all over the country, are definitely going back to Godhead.

Srila Prabhupada wanted to go to as many Ratha-yatras as possible. If you wanted Srila Prabhupada to come, you would organize a Ratha-yatra.

Agnideva Prabhu:

It takes a pure devotee to understand a pure devotee.

Although Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya knew so much Vedic knowledge, he could not understand that Lord Caitanya was the Supreme Lord until the Lord showed him some mercy.

Bhavasindhu Prabhu:

Here we see of the Godbrothers of Lord Caitanya, Kasisvara was bodyguard of Lord Caitanya and Govinda was the Lord’s servant. Thus everyone is the servant of the servant of the Lord, and they are given different services.

There is a connection between Krishna-lila and Lord Caitanya’s pastimes.

The disciples of Srila Prabhupada were considering that they were in dirty place in New York City, but Srila Prabhupada told his followers that they were in the spiritual world.

ISKCON is meant to benefit everyone in society.

In more than one of the seven purposes of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada uses the world “together.” This indicates that we should always be working together.

ISKCON is an invitation for people to escape from the darkness of the material world and to remain in the purity and light of the spiritual world.

-----

This prayer appears in a purport to Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.8.24, which we were reading in Paris. It is also spoken by Rupa and Sanatana Goswamis and Ramananda Raya in Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 1.206 and Madhya 8.73. It is included by Srila Yamunacarya in his Stotra-ratna (43). It is a prayer to the Lord expressing a desire for the joyful state of spiritual perfection:

bhavantam evanucaran nirantarah

prasanta-nihsesa-manorathantarah

kadaham aikantika-nitya-kinkarah

praharsayisyami sanatha-jivitam

“By serving You constantly, one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?”

Submitted by Govinda-nandini Dasi | VaishnavasCARE Volunteer & Healthcare Chaplain In a groundbreaking step toward promoting spiritual inclusivity and holistic patient care during hospital stays, Vaishnavas CARE was invited to present a specialized educational session to the spiritual care staff at Sunnybrook Hospital in Ontario, Canada. The presentation, titled “Incorporating Hindu Spirituality within Compassionate Healthcare:
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When I go to Jakarta I always visit our Jagannatha temple in Pasar Baru. The name “Pasar Baru” translates to “New Market”, which in one sense is strange because it is one of the oldest markets in the city.

It is also known as “little India” because of the many Indian shops and was one of the biggest for textile and fashion products, before online markets became famous.

There is a small but growing community of devotees who serve Their Lordships and attend programs. Prasadam is served downstairs in the restaurant. Devotees told me of their many activities such as, food for life, home preaching, Rathayatra and book distribution.

ICJ14_05_Krishna_Dharma_ISKCON’s_initiation_system_v4-1

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by Jaya Sacinandana dasa It was two o’clock in the morning. My airplane from Frankfurt had arrived in Delhi one hour late. Would my taxi still be waiting? Going through customs was quick, so I rushed out through the main gate and saw a man motioning toward me. He recognized Prabhupada’s white elephant! Within minutes,
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“War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” So sang Edwin Starr back in 1970, when the US was embroiled in the Vietnam conflict. Sadly, his impassioned message seems to have fallen on deaf ears, as we have seen one war after another since then. Hundreds of thousands have died and continue to do so. It is painfully tragic seeing the images of the victims, just going about their lives, and suddenly caught up in a fearful conflagration.

So, what do Krishna’s teachings have to offer as solutions to these terrible events? Well, the first and perhaps most important message from Krishna, found in the Bhagavad-Gita, is that we don’t belong in this world. We are eternal beings meant to be in the eternal atmosphere, where death and suffering are entirely absent. Conversely, Krishna describes this world as temporary and full of misery. That is surely self-evident. Even if we somehow manage to avoid the worst of it, we must inevitably face old age, disease and death. And for most of us, there are numerous difficulties along the way.

What, then, are we doing here? More importantly, how do we get out? Such deep philosophical questions are precisely what we should be asking, according to Krishna. Anything else is pretty much tantamount to arranging deck chairs on the Titanic, as they say. Whatever material progress we make will be destroyed by time, along with us. You cannot find permanent happiness in temporary things, which include the very body we inhabit.

The solution to this conundrum is there for those willing to undergo the learning process that Krishna teaches in the Gita. As Christ said, “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened.” It all begins with recognising our eternality, that we are something different from the body we inhabit. Again, this should be evident. The body changes, but we remain the same person. As I reach old age, I feel exactly as I did when I was a youth, internally, at least, although my body is not the force it once was. Along with everything around me, it is in constant flux. I look at a picture of myself as a three-year-old and wonder where that body went. It exists now only in photos, but I am still here, soldiering on. I am something quite apart from all the different bodies I have occupied. Therefore, says Krishna, when the body dies, you continue to exist. You cannot be destroyed. You will get another body, as you have done countless times before.

This might be some comfort for those facing the imminent possibility of bodily destruction, but the real lesson is to recognise what real happiness is. Gratifying bodily demands cannot satisfy us, the spiritual being. We are part of something far greater, of the Supreme Spirit, who is full of bliss. Somehow, we have forgotten that truth and have become disconnected, vainly striving to be happy in this mortal realm of misery. And as this realm is one of limited resources, our struggles to exploit and enjoy it will inevitably clash with those of others. Hence our wars.

Let us stop for a moment, then, and consider the bigger picture. Ask the big questions and put a permanent end to all our suffering.

How can we overcome envy for others?
There are three key things we can do to deal with envy: change our vision of Divinity, change our vision of Others, and change our vision of Self. We can remember this with the acronym DOS — Divinity, Others, and Self.

1. Divinity

If we understand that everything happens according to a divine plan, and that everyone has their own time to flourish, we can avoid becoming emotionally overwhelmed with negativity when others seem to be thriving while we are struggling.

Consider life as a multi-stage play, where different characters have prominent roles at different points. God is like the director of this play. Instead of resenting that others are getting bigger roles than we are right now, we can focus on playing our part well, knowing that our time will come. Everyone will have their moment — we just need to be patient and stay prepared.

2. Others

We usually envy others’ achievements — their success, recognition, or possessions. But instead of focusing on their outcomes, we can shift our attention to their commitment.

When we see someone being praised or succeeding, we may feel irritated, thinking, “They don’t deserve it,” or “I deserved it more.” But in most cases, success isn’t easy to achieve. Even if someone is highly talented or unusually fortunate, it’s often because of effort they’ve put in — either in this life or as a result of their past karma.

By recognizing the hard work and dedication behind others’ success, we can choose to be inspired rather than envious. This shift in vision helps us learn and grow instead of burning in negativity.

3. Self

When it comes to ourselves, we need to move away from insecurity and toward a sense of purpose. If we truly believe that everyone has a role to play and a time to play it, we can stop comparing and start contributing.

We can focus on discovering the gifts we have, developing those gifts through disciplined effort, and finally directing them in a spirit of service and contribution. This will give us a deep sense of satisfaction — one that isn’t dependent on being better than others, but on becoming the best version of ourselves.

In summary:
To overcome envy, we must recognize that in the divine plan, there is a role, a place, and a time for everyone. Others are playing their part with commitment, from which we can learn. And we can look at ourselves positively and purposefully, choosing to discover, develop, and direct the gifts we’ve been given.

Thank you.

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“I, the undersigned, A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, disciple of Om Visnupad Paramhansa 108 Sri Srimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaj Prabhupada, came in the United States in 1965 on September 18th for the purpose of starting Krishna Consciousness Movement.

For one year I had no shelter. I was travelling in many parts of this country. Then in 1966, July, I incorporated the Society under the name and style the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, briefly ISKCON. The lawyer was Mr. J. Goldsmith. Gradually the Society increased, and one after another branches were opened.“

As stated by Srila Prabhupada above, he incorporated the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Inc., or briefly ISKCON, on July 13, 1966, under the Religious Corporation Law (RCL) of New York State (NYS).