How to Respond When Pre-devotional Outreach is Publicly Criticized by Senior Devotees

When some highly respected or senior devotees publicly criticize those engaged in pre-devotional outreach, it often creates confusion—especially among newer or younger devotees. Once newcomers develop faith in Srila Prabhupada, they naturally want to be faithful to him. But when they see criticism coming from senior devotees, they may either become critical of the pre-devotional outreach efforts or get caught in polarization. How can we guide such devotees in a healthy, balanced way? I’d like to share three points.

1. Space for Conservatives and Liberals in Every Tradition

Every spiritual tradition typically has conservatives and liberals.

• Conservatives are primarily concerned with preserving the best of the past and staying connected with it through faithfulness.
• Liberals focus on adapting to the present and staying connected with it through resourcefulness.

A living tradition, like ours, exists at the intersection of past and present. We must remain connected to the past (through faithfulness) and also connected to the present (through resourcefulness).

Srila Prabhupada exemplified both. He appreciated and encouraged innovation from his disciples. For example, in A Servant of the Servant, Tamal Krishna Maharaj shares how Prabhupada praised creative festival ideas, book distribution strategies, etc., saying, “Because you are sincerely trying to serve Krishna, Krishna is giving you all these ideas,” and quoting Bhagavad-gita 10.10.

Prabhupada’s own actions—like launching the first Ratha-yatra in the West using a flatbed truck—were highly resourceful. Though different from the traditional Ratha-yatra, this innovation made the festival globally recognizable. So, Prabhupada was both deeply faithful and incredibly resourceful.

If conservatism goes too far, it can become disconnected from the present and reduce the tradition to a museum piece. If liberalism goes too far, it can become mere trend-following, with no grounding. Hence, every tradition benefits from the healthy interplay between the two.

2. Understanding Different Approaches Through “JAM”

When differences of opinion arise, I use the acronym JAM—Judgment, Ability, Motive—to navigate disagreements.

• At the most charitable level, we can attribute someone’s action to a judgment error. For example, if two devotees differ in estimating the number of guests for a festival and prasad gets wasted or falls short, it’s simply a miscalculation, not malice.
• A more hurtful level is to doubt someone’s ability: “You’re incapable, so you should be replaced.” That becomes personal.
• But the most damaging is to question someone’s motive: “You wanted this event to fail,” or “You’re just after popularity.” This leads to deep polarization and resentment.

If a devotee says, “I wouldn’t do outreach that way,” that could be seen as a difference in judgment. But if they say, “You just want to be popular,” that becomes a motive attack, which is much more harmful. It’s important to remember scriptural instructions like apaiśunam (aversion to fault-finding) and anya-nindā-śūnyam (freedom from the tendency to criticize others).

We cannot know someone’s motives. Perhaps a liberal devotee genuinely believes that pre-devotional outreach is a way to bring people one step closer to Krishna. Similarly, a conservative critic may be motivated not by envy but by concern. So, the key is to give each other the benefit of the doubt and engage in respectful dialogue, not public condemnation.

3. Find Like-Minded Association and Co-exist

Each of us has a particular nature, and it’s important to find like-minded association that nourishes our faith and service. Cooperation doesn’t always mean working side-by-side. Sometimes, “cooperate” can mean “co-operate”: I operate here, you operate there.” Live and let live.

If liberals start outright condemning conservatives as out of touch or damaging, or if conservatives label liberal outreach efforts as deviations or offenses, both attitudes become divisive. Instead, we can recognize different moods within one mission.

Srila Prabhupada said he built a house in which the whole world can live. That house is big enough for both conservatives and liberals—even if they can’t live in the same room. While the mission of Srila Prabhupada was one—to raise people’s consciousness—he had many moods.

In the founding purposes of ISKCON, Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu are mentioned in only one point. Other purposes are broad: to propagate spiritual knowledge, promote cultural values, publish books and magazines, etc. These broader purposes also represent Prabhupada’s vision and were never retracted or modified.

Historical and Scriptural Precedents

Even in ISKCON’s early days, this conservative-liberal dynamic was present. New York was relatively conservative; San Francisco, led by adventurous devotees like Shyamasundar Prabhu and Mukunda Maharaj, was more liberal. Yet Prabhupada accepted service from both.

Going further back, in Gaudiya history, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was more conservative, while Nityananda Prabhu was more liberal—even going to taverns and associating with outcastes. Mahaprabhu insisted on eating only in brahmana homes; Nityananda had no such concerns. That balance is literally present on our altars today.

So, both approaches have scriptural and historical precedent. The important thing is to avoid polarization and recognize that different services attract different devotees. The key is respectful dialogue, sincere intention, and willingness to learn from one another.

Conclusion

To summarize:

• There is room within Prabhupada’s house for both conservative and liberal approaches.
• Disagreements should be seen first as differences in judgment, not as flaws in ability or motives.
• We should seek like-minded association and embrace co-existence, not condemnation.

Let us all be faithful in our own ways while remaining respectful of others who serve Krishna differently. Unity in diversity is not just a slogan—it is a necessity for a global movement founded on compassion, wisdom, and Krishna consciousness.

The post When some senior leaders publicly criticize younger people who are doing pre-devotional outreach, how can we see such unpleasant situations constructively? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Let’s understand the glory of Ratha-yatra by contemplating four aspects, centered on the acronym RATH: 

– R – Reach 
– A – Attractiveness 
– T – Transcendence 
– H – Happiness 

R – Reach of the Festival 

There are many festivals across the religious landscape of the world—and even across the landscape of Sanatana Dharma. But very few festivals attract such an enormous number of people, with almost an entire metropolitan city descending onto the town of Jagannath Puri for one day. 
 
Over the last half-century, by the vision and vigor of Srila Prabhupada and his followers, the reach of this festival has expanded far beyond India—to all corners of the world. From Boston to Belgrade, from Brisbane to Dublin, from Dubai to Durban, Ratha-yatra has inspired and infused spiritual devotion in the hearts of millions. 

A – Attractiveness of the Lord 

The Lord’s attractiveness arises not just from His six divine opulences—strength, wealth, knowledge, fame, beauty, and renunciation—but from a seventh, supremely lovable opulence: His untiring, unwavering love. 
 
It is this inexhaustible and infallible love that shines through Ratha-yatra, where the Lord comes out onto the streets—not just to bless His devotees, but to offer mercy to everyone, including those who may never come to the temple. 

We need Him, yet often don’t want Him. 
He doesn’t need us, yet always wants us. 

Although He is full in Himself, His longing to share that fullness brings Him into public view. His attractiveness is further revealed through: 
– The majesty of the chariots 
– The beauty of the ambience created by dancing and singing devotees 
– The graceful gliding of the Lord’s chariot 
– And the merciful glance He casts on one and all 

T – Transcendence Made Accessible 

The Lord, though transcendental, makes Himself eminently accessible during Ratha-yatra. 
 
When we pull His chariot, we are not just participating in a cultural ritual or celebrating a symbolic gesture of inviting God into our hearts. We are re-enacting a sacred, esoteric pastime—where the gopis of Vrindavan pulled Krishna from Kurukshetra back to Vrindavan, with the love of their hearts and the labor of their hands. 
 
Their sublimely selfless and stainless love becomes perceivable—if only in flickers—even for us, when we sing and dance in the Ratha-yatra festival. Even if we are unaware of the exalted reciprocations unfolding spiritually, we are still part of it. 
 
Participation in such a transcendental event helps awaken the soul and brings everlasting auspiciousness. 

H – Happiness That Heals and Elevates 

Ratha-yatra floods the streets—streets that are usually filled with people chasing draconian desires and paltry pleasures. 
 
Instead, this festival offers anyone with an open mind and heart a glimpse and a taste of otherworldly happiness. 
 
It beckons us to a better life— 
A richer life. 
A sweeter life. 
 
A life of the soul, 
in eternal, ecstatic love for the Lord of the Universe, 
who offers us this sacred opening… 
so we may one day make Him the Lord of our heart. 

The post The Glory of Ratha-yatra: A Journey of the Soul appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

It is a great honor, privilege, and pleasure to be here in New Jagannath Puri. The first deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in ISKCON were discovered in San Francisco in 1967. One of Srila Prabhupada’s early disciples, Malati dasi, saw a small figure in an import store, Cost Plus, and brought it to him. When Prabhupada saw the figure, his eyes opened wide. He folded his palms and bowed his head in respect. Then he said, “You have brought Lord Jagannatha, the Lord of the universe. He is Krishna.” He said that Lord Jagannatha was worshipped with two other deities: His brother, Balarama, and His sister, Subhadra. Malati confirmed that there were other, similar figures at the store, and Prabhupada asked her to go and buy them. So, she and her husband, Shyamasundar, immediately went and brought the other two figures. Srila Prabhupada placed them with Lord Jagannatha on his desk and told the devotees about Jagannatha’s appearance in India thousands of years ago, and how He was still worshipped in a great temple in Puri and taken on an annual procession with His brother and sister, each in a huge chariot, in the Ratha-yatra festival. Prabhupada chanted, jagannatha-svami nayana-patha-gami bhavatu me: “O Lord of the universe, kindly be visible unto me.” And he said that henceforth San Francisco should be called New Jagannatha Puri.

Srila Prabhupada asked if any of the devotees knew how to carve, and Shyamasundar said that he did. So Prabhupada requested him to carve three-foot-high replicas of the small Jagannatha, Balarama, and Subhadra. Shyamasundar got three large blocks of wood and, following sketches and directions that Prabhupada gave him, carved the first large deities of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra in the West.

Then Prabhupada said that the devotees should hold a Ratha-yatra festival. So, following Prabhupada’s instructions, Shyamasundar and the others arranged a flatbed truck on which they erected five tall columns and covered them with cloth to serve as a canopy over the deities. And then they decorated the “chariot” with flowers. The devotees didn’t have many vehicles then, and those they did have were pretty old and dilapidated—unpredictable in their performance.

At the time, Srila Prabhupada was unwell, and the devotees had rented a place for him to recuperate in nearby Stinson Beach. Although he was unable to attend the festival, the devotees—along with the Ratha-yatra truck, the deities, and some hippies—came to visit him the next day. They were excited and eager to report. Shyamasundar explained that while he had been driving the truck up a steep hill, the truck had stalled and that although he had tried to start the engine, he hadn’t been able to. Then the brakes had failed, and the truck had begun to roll backwards down the hill. Finally he had been able to stop it, but when he had tried to move forward, again the engine had stalled and the truck had rolled backwards. Again and again he would get it started, the truck would go forward, the engine would stall, and the truck would roll backwards. The situation had seemed hopeless, and the devotees had wondered if they would be able to finish the parade.

But somehow they had, and when they came to Srila Prabhupada to give him the report, Srila Prabhupada told them the story of how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had celebrated the Ratha-yatra in Puri. He said that in Puri too the chariot would stop, even with thousands of people pulling the ropes. The king would order powerful wrestlers and elephants to push the chariot, but still it wouldn’t move. Finally, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would put His head on the back of the chariot and push, and only then would the chariot move. “Now that Ratha-yatra has come to the West,” Srila Prabhupada said, “this pastime has come too.” And from that first Ratha-yatra, the festival has been celebrated yearly, not only in San Francisco but also in many other major cities throughout the world.

According to the Skanda Purana, the history of the installation of the Jagannatha deities in Puri goes back about a hundred and fifty-three million years. Although there is a history of how the deities came to be carved in the shapes in which they now appear, actually Lord Jagannatha and His associates are eternal. His being carved is just a pastime to facilitate His manifestation on earth. As Srila Prabhupada explains, “Fire is already present in wood, but by a certain process, fire is kindled. Similarly, God is all-pervading. He is everywhere, and since He may come out from everything, He appeared . . . Lord Nrsimha appeared from the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace, Lord Varaha appeared from the nostril of Brahma, and Lord Kapila appeared from the semen of Kardama, but this does not mean that the nostril of Brahma or the pillar of Hiranyakasipu’s palace or the semen of Kardama Muni is the source of the appearance of the Lord. The Lord is always the Lord.” (SB 3.24.6 purport)

So, Lord Jagannatha is eternal, just as Krishna is eternal. Although Krishna had His appearance pastime in the prison house of Kamsa, He resides eternally on His spiritual planet, Goloka Vrindavan, and He eternally manifests His pastimes within the material world. Lord Jagannatha also has an eternal planet in the spiritual sky. He is the source of all incarnations, and He appears in whatever form His devotee wants to see Him. Sometimes in Puri the pujaris dress Him as a demigod—such as Ganesh, with an elephant’s trunk. That is also to confirm the philosophical principle that by worshipping Lord Jagannatha—Krishna—one worships all the demigods automatically. All the demigods are included in Jagannatha, and all the expansions of Godhead are included. But Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, Gaudiya Vaishnavas, see Lord Jagannatha as Krishna. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu saw Jagannatha in Puri, He would see Krishna, Syamasundara.

The appearance of Lord Jagannatha is also mentioned in the Skanda Purana. As recounted there, Lord Jagannatha tells King Indradyumna, who had the first Jagannatha deities carved and who built the first, great temple for Lord Jagannatha in Puri, that He appeared on the full-moon day of the month of Jyestha, being pleased with the king’s devotion and sacrifices. It is on this date every year that Snana-yatra, the public bathing of Lord Jagannatha, is held.

For the Snana-yatra in Puri, Lord Jagannatha is brought into public view on a rooftop, or terrace, of the great temple and bathed. Then, as it is said, the Lord catches a cold and is removed to His private quarters—the quarters of Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, who for two weeks serves Him hand and foot.

Of course, that is another question, about His hands and feet. A disciple once asked Srila Prabhupada, “We are told to meditate on the Deity beginning with the lotus feet, but how do we begin our meditation on Lord Jagannatha? He doesn’t have feet.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “You can meditate on whatever you can see.” (Advanced devotees can see Lord Jagannatha’s lotus feet.) There are philosophical principles and specific pastimes that account for why He has no feet or hands—or why they are not visible. The Upanishads say that the Lord has no legs but that He can overcome all others running. “No hands or feet” really means that He has no material hands or feet. He has spiritual hands and feet. Still, in ecstasy, He sometimes withdraws His limbs and widens His eyes.

Krishna had so much love for the residents of Vrindavan that even in Dvaraka, in the middle of the night, He would sometimes call the names of the cowherd boys and cows, or of Srimati Radharani and the gopis, or of His mother and father, Nanda and Yashoda. Sometimes He would be so overwhelmed with ecstatic love for the residents of Vrindavan that He would not eat or sleep. It was a mystery to the residents of Dvaraka: “Who are these special people? And what is this special place, Vrindavan? What happened when Krishna was there in His childhood that makes Him so attached to them and Vrindavan?”

One person in Dvaraka had been present in Vrindavan for Krishna’s childhood pastimes—Rohini-devi, the mother of Balarama. Like Devaki, she was a wife of Vasudeva, but with all the atrocities being committed by King Kamsa, Vasudeva had arranged for her to stay in Vraja with Nanda and Yashoda, who were relatives and family friends. By the arrangement of Yogamaya, Balarama had been transferred from the womb of Devaki in Mathura to the womb of Rohini in Vrindavan, and Rohini had been present for all of Balarama and Krishna’s childhood pastimes there. Wanting to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, the residents of Dvaraka asked her, “Who are these special people? What is this special place?” She said, “I will tell you, but no one should disturb me while I am speaking.”

So, they all assembled in a large hall in Dvaraka, and Subhadra was posted at the door to make sure that no one entered. But she too wanted to hear about Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan, so she put her ear to the door. Hearing the pastimes, she became ecstatic, and in her ecstasy her eyes opened wide, her mouth smiled broadly, and her limbs withdrew into her body. She assumed the features that we see today in the deity of Subhadra.

Then Krishna and Balarama came and saw Subhadra with her ear to the door and with those ecstatic features. And They thought, “Let Us also hear what is being said inside.” So They put Their ears to the door, and when They heard the pastimes, They too became ecstatic and assumed Their own particular features, with Their limbs withdrawn and Their eyes open wide and Their mouths in broad smiles. So, that is how Their Lordships came to assume these special forms.

After the Snana-yatra, Lord Jagannatha retires for fifteen days, during which time Lakshmi serves Him day and night. In particular, she prepares various medicinal beverages, represented by fruit juices, to help Him recover from His illness. After two weeks, Lord Jagannatha feels better, and He feels separation from His other devotees. And so, taking permission from the goddess of fortune, He embarks on a journey (yatra) in a chariot (ratha) to see them. When He doesn’t come back after three or four days—especially since He had indicated that He would be gone for only one—she becomes restless and impatient. Just imagine: Lakshmi serves Him hand and foot for two weeks, He says that He wants to go out for the afternoon to see His other devotees, and days pass and He doesn’t come home. So, she exhibits an extraordinary type of transcendental jealous pride and anger (mana), and with all opulence she proceeds with her maidservants in a procession to Sundarachala to bring back Lord Jagannatha.

The Ratha-yatra begins at the Jagannatha temple in Nilachala and proceeds to the Gundicha temple in Sundarachala. Nilachala represents Dvaraka, where Krishna lives as a king and is worshipped in opulence, and Sundarachala represents Vrindavan, where Krishna is loved simply as a cowherd boy, the son of Nanda and Yashoda. [[I am unsure about these.]]

During the year, the Gundicha temple (named after the wife of King Indradyumna) is empty, and naturally dust and dirt accumulate. (In India most temples have an open style of architecture.) The day before Ratha-yatra is Gundicha-marjana, and on that day Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates would thoroughly clean the Gundicha temple. As described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Mahaprabhu would gather thousands of men, and together they would clean the temple. First, with thousands of brooms, they would sweep it—twice—and then they would wash it with thousands of pots of water. They didn’t have hoses then—only pots. They would fill thousands of pots with water and wash the temple inside and out, just to make the temple fit for the Lord.

Metaphorically, the cleansing of the Gundicha temple is the cleansing of the heart to make it a fit place for the Lord. Such cleansing is effected by hearing and chanting about Krishna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah).

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam
         (SB 1.2.17)

When a sincere devotee (satam) hears the messages of Krishna, his or her heart (hrdyantah) is cleansed (vidhunoti) of all dirty, inauspicious things (abhadrani). Similarly, by attentive chanting and hearing of the holy names of the Lord—sankirtana—one’s consciousness is also purified (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Thus Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers cleaned the Gundicha temple to make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And, as Srila Prabhupada often said, “When you clean the temple, you clean your heart.”

Five days after the Ratha-yatra, when Lord Jagannatha does not return, the goddess of fortune comes out in full force and, with her maidservants, marches on the Gundicha temple. Her maidservants arrest the servants of Lord Jagannatha and bring them before her. They beat the Ratha car with sticks and treat the servants like thieves, ridiculing and abusing them. They say, “What is wrong with your master? He abandoned the opulence of the goddess of fortune for the sake of a flower garden—a few leaves and fruits and flowers. What is wrong with Him? Now bring Him before the goddess of fortune.” “Okay, okay,” they reply. “Whatever you say. Tomorrow we shall bring Him.”

Thus pacified, Lakshmi returns to her abode. And Lord Jagannatha eventually comes—not the next day, but four days later, in the return Ratha-yatra. All this is very nice, but for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Srimati Radharani in separation from Krishna—the highest level of ecstatic love in separation—to not see Lord Jagannatha for two weeks was unbearable, and He almost went mad. When He had first arrived in Puri and entered the temple and seen the Deity of Jagannatha, He had thought, “Here is My Lord, for whom I’ve been searching.” He had run to embrace Jagannatha—Krishna—and fainted in the ecstasy of pure love. So, for Him to have achieved the Lord of His life and then lost Him (when Jagannatha went into seclusion) was intolerable. He could not remain in Puri. And so He walked fourteen miles west by foot to Alalanatha (Alarnath), in an area called Brahmagiri, which is named after Lord Brahma because Brahma is said to have come to earth and installed the Deity of Lord Narayana worshipped there.

But how could Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was in the mood of Radharani—who knows no one other than Krishna—find solace by going to Alarnath to see a four-handed Deity of Lord Narayana? Further, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu first saw the Deity and offered prostrated obeisances, the stone slab on the temple floor beneath Him melted. In the Jagannatha temple there is a pillar called the Garuda-stambha, where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu used to stand to have darshan of Jagannatha. There are imprints of His fingers on the pillar and of His lotus feet on the floor where, in great ecstasy, He would behold Lord Jagannatha. But in Alarnath we find the unique impression of His entire body, which melted the stone when He prostrated Himself in extreme ecstasy. This is all very mysterious.

Once, during His springtime rasa-lila at Govardhana Hill, Sri Krishna disappeared from the scene, suggesting that He wanted to be alone with Sri Radha. He hid in a secluded bush, waiting for Her to pass by, but in the meantime the other gopis came looking for Him. They all were in the mood of separation—mad in separation from Krishna, mad in love for Krishna—having been attracted by His transcendental beauty, His charming gestures, and His loving words. They were searching all over Govardhana for Him, and finally they sighted Him in the bush. When He saw them, Krishna became struck with emotion. He could not hide Himself, and so He assumed His four-armed Narayana form. When the gopis saw Lord Narayana, they said, “Oh, He is not Krishna; He is Lord Narayana, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” They had no interest in Lord Narayana; they were interested only in Krishna. So they offered Him respects and prayed, “Please bless us with Krishna’s association.” Otherwise, they had no use for Him. They went on searching for Krishna. Then, when Srimati Radharani came, Krishna wanted to maintain His four-armed form to joke with Her, but although He tried His best, He was unable to do so. The influence of Her ecstatic love forced Him to return to His original two-armed form. He couldn’t maintain His feature as Lord Narayana. He was conquered by Srimati Radharani’s love, and so He revealed His original form as Krishna.

rasarambha-vidhau niliya vasata kunje mrgaksi-ganair
  drstam gopayitum svam uddhura-dhiya ya susthu sandarsita
radhayah pranayasya hanta mahima yasya sriya raksitum
  sa sakya prabhavisnunapi harina nasic catur-bahuta

“Prior to the rasa dance, Lord Krsna hid Himself in a grove just to have fun. When the gopis came, their eyes resembling those of deer, by His sharp intelligence He exhibited His beautiful four-armed form to hide Himself. But when Srimati Radharani came there, Krsna could not maintain His four arms in Her presence. This is the wonderful glory of Her love.” (Ujjvala-nilamani, Nayika-bheda 7)

Transcendentally, Alarnath in Lord Chaitanya’s lila in Puri is compared to Paitha at Govardhana. It is a place of intense separation. The gopis, in separation from Krishna, roamed the forest there, looking for Him. And Paitha is the place where Lord Narayana wasn’t really Lord Narayana. He was actually Krishna assuming the form of Narayana to play a joke on the gopis—and to bring out their exclusive love for Him. Thus, although the external form of the Deity of Lord Alarnath is that of four-armed Narayana, internally He is Krishna. And the pujaris of Alarnath admit that in their worship they recite very confidential mantras to Krishna, the lover of Srimati Radharani.

During those fourteen days, called anavasara, when Lord Jagannatha retires to His private quarters and receives service from Lakshmi, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in separation, stays in Alarnath.

So, there are many deep feelings connected to Ratha-yatra. This whole pastime—like all the pastimes of Jagannatha in Puri—is very deep and full of separation. Jagannatha Puri is vipralambha-dhama. Vipralambha means “separation.” Lord Jagannatha, in His opulent temple, feels separation from Srimati Radharani and His other pure devotees in Vrindavan. And Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, in the mood of Srimati Radharani after Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura and Dvaraka, also feels separation. So, Jagannatha Puri is a place of crying. But that crying is ecstasy. That separation is ecstasy. It is not what we experience in the material world.

After this period of separation, when Lord Jagannatha finally leaves His private quarters, He emerges from the temple and mounts His chariot; and for the first time in two weeks Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the other devotees are able to see Him. So they become ecstatic. And in the Ratha-yatra, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is in the mood of Radharani bringing Krishna back to Vrindavan.

As described in Srimad-Bhagavatam, after Krishna had been living as a king in Dvaraka for many years, He was informed that there was going to be a solar eclipse. To observe the eclipse, Krishna announced that He would go to Kurukshetra, a holy place (dharma-ksetra kuru-ksetra) in North India. The Vedas recommend that one go to Kurukshetra to perform the various rituals associated with eclipses—to bathe in the sacred waters, perform sacrifices, give charity, and so on. When the news reached the residents of Vrindavan that Krishna was going to Kurukshetra, they thought, “Let us go, too.” They weren’t interested in the ritual baths or ceremonies. They were interested in Krishna. Since He had left Vrindavan, they had been feeling intense separation. Their only business had been crying for Krishna. So, they decided, “We shall also go.” And they went.

It was a very touching scene when Krishna met the residents of Vrindavan—heart rending. Although He first met the elders, beginning with Nanda and Yashoda and their associates, within His heart He was thinking of Radharani and the gopis. So, He took an opportunity to steal away from the others to meet them. Yet although Radha was seeing Krishna, it wasn’t the same. She said, “You’re the same Krishna, and I am the same Radha, but it’s not the same here. Please come back to Vrindavan. Here there are crowds of people, elephants, and horses, and the rattling of chariots. In Vrindavan there are flower gardens and the chirping of birds and the humming of bees. Here You are dressed like a royal prince with all sorts of opulent paraphernalia, accompanied by great warriors. In Vrindavan You appeared just like a cowherd boy, dressed in Your yellow dhoti (pitambara) and decorated with a peacock feather, accompanied only by Your flute. Here in Kurukshetra there is not even a drop of the ocean of transcendental happiness that I enjoyed with You in Vrindavan. So please come back to Vrindavan and let Us relish pastimes as We did in Our youth.”

In that mood of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, dancing in front of Lord Jagannatha in the Ratha-yatra, would recite a verse from a romantic poem:

yah kaumara-harah sa eva hi varas ta eva caitra-ksapas
  te conmilita-malati-surabhayah praudhah kadambanilah
sa caivasmi tathapi tatra surata-vyapara-lila-vidhau
  reva-rodhasi vetasi-taru-tale cetah samutkanthate

“That very personality who stole away my heart during my youth is now again my master. These are the same moonlit nights of the month of Caitra. The same fragrance of malati flowers is there, and the same sweet breezes are blowing from the kadamba forest. In our intimate relationship, I am also the same lover, yet still my mind is not happy here. I am eager to go back to that place on the bank of the Reva under the Vetasi tree. That is my desire.” (Padyavali 386; Cc Madhya 1.58, 13.121)

That emotional pulling of Krishna from Kurukshetra to Vrindavan is the mood of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in the Ratha-yatra. There is so much reciprocation between Lord Chaitanya and Lord Jagannatha based on Srimati Radharani and the gopis pulling Krishna back to Vrindavan. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would go ahead and Lord Jagannatha, astonished by the dancing of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, would stop His chariot to watch. Sometimes Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would stay behind the chariot and eventually Lord Jagannatha would stop. Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come forward, and then Lord Jagannatha would move forward, too.

ei-mata gaura-syame, donhe thelatheli
svarathe syamere rakhe gaura maha-bali

“Thus there was a sort of competition between Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Jagannatha in seeing who would lead, but Caitanya Mahaprabhu was so strong that He made Lord Jagannatha wait in His car.” (Cc Madhya 13.119)

Srila Prabhupada, citing Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s commentary, explains that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s leading Lord Jagannatha toward the Gundicha temple corresponded to Srimati Radharani’s leading Krishna toward Vrindavan. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s following at the rear of the chariot indicated that Lord Jagannatha, Krishna, was forgetting the inhabitants of Vrindavan. In the role of Srimati Radharani, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was examining whether the Lord still remembered the inhabitants of Vrindavan. “When Caitanya Mahaprabhu fell behind the Ratha car, Jagannatha-deva, Krsna Himself, understood the mind of Srimati Radharani. Therefore, Jagannatha sometimes fell behind the dancing Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to indicate to Srimati Radharani that He had not forgotten. Thus Lord Jagannatha would stop the forward march of the ratha and wait at a standstill. . . . While Jagannatha was thus waiting, Gaurasundara, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, in His ecstasy of Srimati Radharani, immediately came forward to Krsna. At such times, Lord Jagannatha would proceed ahead very slowly. These competitive exchanges were all part of the love affair between Krsna and Srimati Radharani.” (Cc Madhya 13.119 purport)

Ultimately Jagannatha reaches Vrindavan, the Gundicha temple. There is so much feeling in these festivals.

Now we shall read about Snana-yatra from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, both to hear directly from Srila Prabhupada about Snana-yatra, and also to realize what an unlimited wealth of knowledge—of nectar—exists in Prabhupada’s books. I am going to read four or five verses—out of hundreds and thousands—and yet in just these few verses there is so much nectar.

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

We shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter One: “The Later Pastimes of Lord Caitanya.” In verse 121, the author, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami, mentions that Lord Chaitanya witnessed the Snana-yatra festival. He then continues:

TEXT 122

anavasare jagannathera na pana darasana
virahe alalanatha karila gamana

TRANSLATION

When Jagannatha was absent from the temple, Caitanya Mahaprabhu, who could not see Him, felt separation and left Jagannatha Puri to go to a place known as Alalanatha.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

Alalanatha is also known as Brahmagiri. This place is about fourteen miles from Jagannatha Puri and is also on the beach. There is a temple of Jagannatha there. At the present moment a police station and post office are situated there because so many people come to see the temple.

The word anavasara is used when Sri Jagannathaji cannot be seen in the temple. After the bathing ceremony (snana-yatra), Lord Jagannatha apparently becomes sick. He is therefore removed to His private apartment, where no one can see Him. Actually, during this period renovations are made on the body of the Jagannatha Deity. This is called nava-yauvana.

COMMENT

Nava-yauvana means “ever fresh,” or “always youthful.” At this time the Jagannatha Deity is fully restored to youth.

PURPORT (concluded)

During the Ratha-yatra ceremony, Lord Jagannatha once again comes before the public. Thus for fifteen days after the bathing ceremony, Lord Jagannatha is not visible to any visitors.

TEXT 123

bhakta-sane dina kata tahani rahila
gaudera bhakta aise, samacara paila

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu remained for some days at Alalanatha. In the meantime, He received news that all the devotees from Bengal were coming to Jagannatha Puri.

COMMENT

Every year, the devotees from Bengal would travel by foot to Jagannatha Puri for the Ratha-yatra and the four months of the rainy season called Chaturmasya.

TEXTS 124–125

When the devotees from Bengal arrived at Jagannatha Puri, both Nityananda Prabhu and Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya greatly endeavored to take Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu back to Jagannatha Puri.

When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu finally left Alalanatha to return to Jagannatha Puri, He was overwhelmed both day and night due to separation from Jagannatha. His lamentation knew no bounds. During this time, all the devotees from different parts of Bengal, and especially from Navadvipa, arrived in Jagannatha Puri.

TEXT 126

sabe mili’ yukti kari’ kirtana arambhila
kirtana-avese prabhura mana sthira haila

TRANSLATION

After due consideration, all the devotees began chanting the holy name congregationally. Lord Caitanya’s mind was thus pacified by the ecstasy of the chanting.

PURPORT

Being absolute in all circumstances, Lord Jagannatha’s person, form, picture, and kirtana are all identical. Therefore when Caitanya Mahaprabhu heard the chanting of the holy name of the Lord, He was pacified. Previously, He had been feeling very morose due to separation from Jagannatha. The conclusion is that whenever a kirtana of pure devotees takes place, the Lord is immediately present. By chanting the holy names of the Lord, we associate with the Lord personally.

COMMENT

This is a very important lesson. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was in such deep separation from Lord Jagannatha that He could not do anything or think of anything else. Finally, the devotees decided to perform kirtan. By chanting the holy names of Krishna, who is Lord Jagannatha, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu felt pacified, because He was experiencing the association of Jagannatha through the holy name.

As Prabhupada mentions here in the purport, the holy name of Krishna—the holy name of Jagannatha—is the same as Krishna. Seeing the form of Lord Jagannatha and hearing the name of Lord Krishna—the name of Lord Jagannatha—are the same. In one sense, all service is absolute; there is no difference between worshipping the form of the Lord and chanting the name of the Lord. But to engage in Deity worship, there are so many requirements. You need deities, you must be clean, you must be initiated, you must know the mantras, you must have the paraphernalia, the sixteen different types of items to offer—you require so many things. But with chanting you don’t require anything. As Srila Prabhupada said, all you require is your tongue and your ears. You don’t even need your mind. In fact, it is better to leave your mind out of it. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada, “What do I do with my mind when I chant?” And Prabhupada said, “Your mind? What is the question of mind? With your tongue you chant and with your ears you hear.” With our tongue we chant, with our ears we hear, and with our intelligence we remain fixed.

By kirtan, by chanting and hearing, we associate with Krishna. And all of our feelings of separation can be mitigated. The holy names of Krishna include everything. His names, His forms, His qualities, His pastimes, His paraphernalia, His entourage—all are included. Srila Prabhupada and his parampara are also included. The whole spiritual world is included. Everything is revealed when we chant and hear with attention, chant and hear with love.

Now the devotees here will be suffering in separation from Lord Jagannatha for fifteen days. But we can take shelter of the holy names of Lord Jagannatha and read the pastimes of Lord Jagannatha and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. And we can read about Srila Prabhupada and Ratha-yatra in Srila Prabhupada-lilamrta. We should read these books; they are important. Prabhupada stayed up all night to write his books. He would take rest at ten o’clock and get up at twelve to write these books, not just for us to sell—of course, it is good that we sell them—but for us to read; we should also read them. As Prabhupada said, “Distributing my books will keep them [devotees] happy, and reading my books will keep them.” Reading will keep us fixed. So we need to do all these things. We can’t afford to waste a moment. As Prabhupada said, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t waste time. If you’ve got time, chant Hare Krishna.”

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on July 13, 2008, Berkeley, California]

As those engaged in outreach today, we often find ourselves working within contemporary frameworks — such as corporate outreach — where we may be constrained and unable to directly mention Krishna. However, Srila Prabhupada was very direct in speaking about Krishna and in exposing or critiquing thought systems that diverged from bhakti. This brings up a crucial question: How do we reach specific audiences while staying faithful to Srila Prabhupada’s example?

I’ve reflected on three key factors: the subject, the audience, and the speaker. You can think of this as SAS (though admittedly, not the most elegant acronym — some might say it’s a bit “sassy”!).

Srila Prabhupada’s Guideline

Prabhupada, in the Narada-Vyasa Samvad, speaks about realization. He says we should speak the scriptural subject in a way that is interesting to the audience — but without extracting unscrupulous meanings. So while we stay true to the scripture, the presentation must resonate with the audience.

The Venn Diagram of Communication

Imagine two intersecting ellipses:

• One vertical — representing scripture, deeply rooted in the past.
• One horizontal — representing contemporary audiences and their interests.

There are topics the audience is interested in that aren’t directly addressed in scripture. And there are topics from scripture — like the meaning of Vedanta Sutras or distinctions between Vaishnava sampradayas — which may not be relevant for most people today. Realization, then, is the ability to find the intersection of these two spheres — the point where the scriptural message connects with the audience’s interest.

Not Just Bhakti — Sattvic and Rajasic Wisdom Too

Scripture contains more than just pure devotional content. It includes sattvic wisdom, and even aspects of rajasic (e.g., karmakanda) guidance. Prabhupada himself sometimes used motivational, materially relevant language.

For instance, when speaking to Indian businessmen, he once said, “I went to America with ₹40 and now I have ₹40 crores worth of temples. Doing business with Krishna is great.” This isn’t karmakanda — it’s Krishna-centered encouragement, using language the audience can relate to.

Prabhupada’s Adaptability

Although the International Society for Krishna Consciousness uses Krishna’s name explicitly, in books like Ishopanishad, Prabhupada rarely uses the name “Krishna.” He uses more general terms like “the Lord” or “the Supreme.” Why? Because Upanishadic texts often attract those from impersonal or monistic backgrounds, and using overtly sectarian language could alienate them.

Similarly, in Easy Journey to Other Planets, Prabhupada used the term “antimatter” — a then-contemporary scientific term — to describe the soul, although this is not its meaning in mainstream science.

This shows that Prabhupada’s presentation was flexible and strategic, without compromising core principles.

Prabhupada Was Bigger Than Our Conceptions

I’ve come to realize that Prabhupada was far bigger than our mental image of him. Yes, there is a version of “hardline Prabhupada” that some focus on — but that is not the only Prabhupada.

Consider the life members who helped Prabhupada in India. Many of them were followers of Mayavadi gurus. Some even had large pictures of their gurus at home. Senior devotees have told me that Prabhupada didn’t make it a point to criticize their gurus while interacting with them. He remained principled but not impractical.

Prabhupada focused not on changing their core philosophical beliefs but on engaging them in Krishna’s service. That was his priority.

Multiple Forums, Multiple Strategies

So to say that a particular modern approach is “deviant” from Prabhupada’s mood might actually limit Prabhupada. He worked with diverse audiences and used multiple strategies.

For example, when instructing scientists working in the Bhaktivedanta Institute, Prabhupada didn’t say, “Convert them to chant Hare Krishna.” He said the purpose of the Institute was to increase ISKCON’s prestige. If they become devotees, wonderful — but the immediate aim was outreach and reputation-building.

In contrast, if a preacher on a Vyasasana in a Bhagavatam class speaks with no reference to Krishna, that would be deeply concerning. That platform is meant for direct Krishna-katha. But not all platforms are the same.

Strategic Preaching in Today’s World

We live in a spiritual marketplace. If we don’t reach out to certain demographics, others — including impersonalists, Buddhists, and Christians — will. Christians have been very successful in the self-help space, starting with Norman Vincent Peale’s Power of Positive Thinking. If we ignore this space, we miss a huge demographic that is open to sattvic wisdom, though not ready for bhakti wisdom.

In fact, having devotee monks speaking in such forums boosts ISKCON’s public image. Over the past decade, the image of monks in India has changed. Publishers now want monks on book covers because it sells — and some devotee authors have contributed significantly to this shift.

Risks and Safeguards

That said, there are dangers, which I group into three categories:

1. Dilution in Devotional Forums
   If satsangs or Bhagavatam classes start featuring only pre-devotional or motivational content, it’s a problem.
2. Imitation by Other Preachers
   Popularity may tempt others to follow this model. But in my experience, this hasn’t been widespread. Not everyone has the skills — or the calling — for this kind of outreach.
3. Public Misconception
   There’s a risk that the public may think ISKCON only offers humorous or motivational speakers. But most now recognize that certain speakers represent certain styles, and ISKCON stands for something deeper.

Financial and Strategic Considerations

Interestingly, many such talks are also a means for fundraising. A common principle followed is:

• The less devotional the talk, the higher the honorarium.
• The more devotional, the lower (often zero).

Some devotee speakers earn significant funds — ₹5 to ₹15 lakhs per talk — which support temple and outreach efforts.

After all, fundraising too involves relationship building, just like this form of outreach. And how many of those we raise funds from become devotees? Very few — yet their support is valuable.

My Personal Experience

When I speak to corporate audiences — e.g., at Google or Intel — I always try to mention the concept of consciousness, if not directly the soul. I focus on the mind because it’s relatable. For instance, I use the metaphor:

• Body = hardware
• Mind = software
• Soul = user

This helps people grasp the idea of a deeper identity beyond body and mind. But I don’t mention Krishna directly — unless the forum allows for it, like in interfaith or Hindu gatherings.

I’ve even written a book called “You Are Not Your Mind, You Are Better”, to help make this connection more accessible.

Final Thought:

This is just one part of outreach — not a complete spiritual path in itself. But it plays a role in bringing people to Shraddha, the first step. And we must remember: not all devotees serve in the same way. Some plant the seed, others nurture it, and some help it blossom.

As long as devotional integrity is preserved in devotional forums, and outreach stays connected with Prabhupada’s mission, there is space for diversity in service.

The post While reaching out to contemporary audiences who may be receptive only to a pre-devotional message how can we stay faithful to Srila Prabhupada’s direct devotional approach to outreach? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

In the year 1908 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura took the external ‘vesa’ dress of a ‘babaji’ at Satasana in Puri technically which is called his accepting ‘paramahamsa-sannyasa’, among the ‘Gaudiya sampradaya’; until 1910 he would move between Calcutta and Puri, and was still writing books; but during that year he shut himself up and entered ‘samadhi’, ‘claiming paralysis’.

It was on June 23rd, 1914, just before noon at Jagannatha Puri, that Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Prabhupada left his body; on the Gaudiya Panjika this day was also the disappearance day of Sri Gadadhara Pandita. But from Orissa his bodily remains were taken back to his beloved Godruma, in the land of Nadia. Amidst ‘sankirtana’ his remains were interred in Godruma after the next solstice; the summer solstice had just begun when Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura Prabhupada had left his body.

Remembering His Divine Character.
In an obiturary about Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Sarada Carana Mitra, Calcutta High Court Judge, wrote: “I knew Thakur Bhaktivinode intimately as a friend and a relation. Even under the pressure of official work as a magistrate in charge of a heavy subdivision he could always find time for devotional contemplation and work, and whenever I met him, our talk would turn in a few moments to the subject of ‘bhakti’ and ‘achintya bheda abheda’, ‘dvaitadvaita-vada’ etc., and the saintly work that lay before him. Service of God is the only thing he longed for and service under the government, however honorable, was to him a clog.”

The observance of Gundicha-marjana, the washing and cleansing of the Gundicha temple, takes place on the day before Ratha-yatra, in preparation for the arrival of the Lord.

The history of Ratha-yatra goes back thousands of years, to a previous age, but for us, the specific significance of the Ratha-yatra and the cleaning of the Gundicha temple was shown by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu when He was residing in Jagannatha Puri five hundred years ago. In His transcendental mind, the temple of Lord Jagannatha in Nilachala represented Dvakara, or sometimes Kurukshetra, and the Gundicha temple in Sundarachala represented Vrindavan. And for Him, the Ratha-yatra was the process of the residents of Vrindavan meeting Krishna at Kurukshetra and bringing Him back to Vrindavan after a long separation.

Gundicha is the name of the wife of King Indradyumna, the great devotee who wanted to have darshan of Nila-Madhava and who, in separation from Nila-Madhava, arranged to have a deity carved—ultimately resulting in the appearance of Lord Jagannatha, along with Baladeva and Subhadra. Marjana means “cleaning,” as we sing daily in the Gurvastakam: mandira-marjanadau. The spiritual master engages the disciples in cleaning the Lord’s temple (tan-mandira-marjanadau yuktasya bhaktams ca niyunjato ’pi).

In Jagannatha Puri, eight days after the Ratha-yatra is the return Ratha-yatra. Thus, for eight days Lord Jagannatha (Krishna), along with His brother, Baladeva, and sister, Subhadra, stay in the Gundicha temple.

Four days after the first journey (yatra), Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Lord Jagannatha, comes to see the Lord. Srila Prabhupada explains, “Lord Jagannatha has left His wife, the goddess of fortune, and gone to Vrndavana, which is the Gundica temple. Due to separation from the Lord, the goddess of fortune decides to come to see the Lord at Gun[d]ic[h]a. [[maybe she meant to use the brackets around the h]] The coming of the goddess of fortune to Gundic[h]a is celebrated as Hera-pancami.” (Cc Madhya 14.107 purport) Hera means “to see” and refers to the goddess of fortune going to see Lord Jagannatha. Pancami means “the fifth day,” referring to this pastime taking place on the fifth day of the lunar cycle.

The goddess of fortune, jealous and angry because her husband has been away for so long and thus has neglected her, comes with her maidservants to the Gundicha temple to force the servants of Lord Jagannatha to bring Him back to Nilachala. “When Lord Jagannatha starts His car festival, He gives assurance to the goddess of fortune that He will return the next day. When He does not return, the goddess of fortune, after waiting two or three days, begins to feel that her husband has neglected her. She naturally becomes quite angry. Gorgeously decorating herself and her associates, she comes out of the temple and stands before the main gate. All the principal servants of Lord Jagannatha are then arrested by her maidservants, brought before her, and forced to fall down at her lotus feet.” (Cc Madhya 14.133 purport) Finally, they promise to bring their master, Lord Jagannatha, back to Nilachala.

Once, on the day of the Hera-panchami festival, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, and Srivasa Thakura had a deep and intricate discussion about different types of mana—transcendental egoistic pride and jealous anger manifested in different consorts of the Lord—because the mana exhibited by the goddess of fortune in bringing her maidservants to subjugate her husband’s servants and oblige them to bring Him back was unprecedented.

Other than the eight days between the first procession and the return procession, the Gundicha temple remains empty, and as you can imagine, during the rest of the year it accumulates all sorts of dust and dirt. Especially with the open style of architecture in India, in which the temples are exposed to the outdoors, they can become very dusty and dirty. So, in preparation for the Lord’s arrival at the Gundicha temple, Lord Chaitanya asked permission from the authorities for Him and His devotees to clean the temple. The authorities were most respectful to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His followers, most obedient, and they replied, “Yes, whatever You like we will arrange. Cleaning the temple is not a fit service for You, but if it is Your desire, we shall supply whatever You require—waterpots and brooms.”

The superintendent of the temple delivered a hundred waterpots and a hundred brooms, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu engaged hundreds of devotees in cleaning, and He personally took part Himself. He swept straw, dust, and grains of sand into one place, gathered it all in His cloth, and threw it outside the temple. Following His example, all the devotees also gathered piles of dust and straw and sand and threw them outside. Thus He and His associates removed all the debris that had accumulated in the temple complex over the previous year.

During the process, Lord Chaitanya would observe each devotee—how well each was cleaning—and if someone was cleaning well, He would praise him, and if someone wasn’t cleaning so well, He would correct him. Srila Prabhupada remarks that Lord Chaitanya was showing how an acharya must train devotees, correcting and encouraging them as appropriate. Mahaprabhu also instructed the devotees by example. He collected so much debris from the temple that His pile was larger than all of theirs put together.

After throwing out all the debris, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates cleaned the temple a second time, looking for finer grains of sand and dust that they might have missed. Then they thoroughly washed the temple. With hundreds of devotees throwing hundreds of pots of water, they cleansed the ceiling, the walls, the floor, and everything else. Sri Chaitanya Himself personally washed the sitting place of Lord Jagannatha with His own two hands.

 Even then, Lord Chaitanya was concerned that dust would again come into the temple, and so He had His devotees clean the area outside the temple as well, so that no new dust would come in.

In the course of the cleaning, Lord Chaitanya took off His own garment, the top piece of His sannyasa dress, to clean the temple. Srila Prabhupada remarks that this shows how serious He was to clean, so much so that He even used His own clothing to mop the rooms and polish the Lord’s throne. And Sri Caitanya-caritamrta says that in the end the temple was so clean and pure and cool and pleasing that it was just like the pure mind of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself—and the minds of the devotees were similarly purified.

Srila Prabhupada has commented that if you clean the temple, you clean your heart; if you polish the Deity’s paraphernalia, you polish your heart. And the activity of cleansing the Gundicha temple is taken as not only a process for cleaning a temple complex, but also as a metaphor for how we should go about cleaning our hearts. The temple was cleansed to make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. Similarly, each of us has to clean his or her own heart to make it a fit place for the Lord. Of course, the Lord always resides in the hearts of the living entities (isvarah sarva-bhutanam hrd-dese ’rjuna tisthati), but we want our hearts to be worthy places for Him to stay and enjoy His pastimes.

Srila Prabhupada has discussed elaborately, with reference to his own spiritual master’s comments, how the cleansing of the Gundicha temple is a metaphor for cleaning the heart. We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Twelve, “The Cleansing of the Gundica Temple”:

TEXT 135

ei-mata puradvara-age patha yata
sakala sodhila, taha ke varnibe kata

TRANSLATION

Outside the gateway of the temple, all the roads were also cleansed, and no one could tell exactly how this was done.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

In commenting on the cleansing of the Gundica temple, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, as the world leader, was personally giving instructions on how one should receive Lord Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, within one’s cleansed and pacified heart. If one wants to see Krsna seated in his heart, he must first cleanse the heart, as prescribed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in His Siksastaka: ceto-darpana-marjanam [Cc Antya 20.12]. In this age, everyone’s heart is especially unclean, as confirmed in Srimad-Bhagavatam: hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani. To wash away all dirty things accumulated within the heart, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised everyone to chant the Hare Krsna mantra. The first result will be that the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam). Similarly, Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.17) confirms this statement:

srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah
  punya-sravana-kirtanah
hrdy antah-stho hy abhadrani
  vidhunoti suhrt satam

 “Sri Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, who is the Paramatma [Supersoul] in everyone’s heart and the benefactor of the truthful devotee, cleanses desire for material enjoyment from the heart of the devotee who relishes His messages, which are in themselves virtuous when properly heard and chanted.”

If a devotee at all wants to cleanse his heart, he must chant and hear the glories of the Lord, Sri Krsna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah). This is a simple process. Krsna Himself will help cleanse the heart because He is already seated there. Krsna wants to continue living within the heart, and the Lord wants to give directions, but one has to keep his heart as clean as Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu kept the Gundica temple. The devotee therefore has to cleanse his heart just as the Lord cleansed the Gundica temple. In this way one can be pacified and enriched in devotional service. If the heart is filled with straw, grains of sand, weeds, or dust (in other words, anyabhilasa-purna), one cannot enthrone the Supreme Personality of Godhead there. The heart must be cleansed of all material motives brought about through fruitive work, speculative knowledge, the mystic yoga system, and so many other forms of so-called meditation. The heart must be cleansed without ulterior motive. As Srila Rupa Gosvami says, anyabhilasita-sunyam jnana-karmady-anavrtam [Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.1.11]. In other words, there should not be any external motive. One should not attempt material upliftment, understanding the Supreme by speculative knowledge, fruitive activity, severe austerity and penance, and so on. All these activities are against the natural growth of spontaneous love of Godhead. As soon as these are present within the heart, the heart should be understood to be unclean and therefore unfit to serve as Krsna’s sitting place. We cannot perceive the Lord’s presence in our hearts unless our hearts are cleansed.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

We have just read the general part of the purport; the rest contains a detailed analysis of the specific types of dirt that may sully the heart and which we must detect and remove. But the main process by which the heart is cleansed (ceto-darpana-marjanam) is the chanting of the holy names of the Lord (sri-krsna-sankirtanam). And the chanting should be done in a proper mood, in the mood to cleanse the heart and purify it of material desires. A material desire is a desire for anything other than to serve and please Krishna. Any other desire should be thrown out. But to throw out these other desires, we require a process, and the process is hearing and chanting about Krishna. Although material desires are there, we should have the intention to remove them. In other words, it is not an offense to have material attachments; it is an offense to maintain them. Although attachments are there, as devotees we have the intent to free ourselves from them, and we adopt the method by which we can be freed: hearing and chanting about Krishna (srnvatam sva-kathah krsnah).

If we are sincere in our intention, the Lord within the heart will help us. He is suhrt satam, the well-wishing friend of what Srila Prabhupada calls “the truthful devotee.” Sat means “truth,” and the truthful devotee is without duplicity. He chants and hears with a sincere intention to cleanse the heart and make it fit for the Lord. He has no duplicity. He does not make a show of being a devotee in order to achieve some selfish purpose—to get money or followers or adoration or anything else for himself—but he sincerely tries to cleanse the heart, and he works hard at it. We read in the description of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees just how hard they worked. They did a lot of cleaning—sweeping out dust and dirt and sand and straw—and a lot of carrying and throwing water.

When we first come to associate with devotees and hear their instructions and read Srila Prabhupada’s books and develop faith in the process of pure devotional service to Krishna (uttama-bhakti), we may have bad habits. Nowadays almost everyone has bad habits—even in India. And the main sinful activities, the pillars of sinful life, are eating meat, fish, and eggs; taking intoxicants; engaging in illicit sex; and gambling. So we have to give those up. And we do.

But even after following the standard practices of devotional service, there may be subtle contaminations in the heart that we also have to cleanse. And so, in the pastime of cleaning the Gundicha temple, Lord Chaitanya cleaned a second time, so that the finer pieces of dust and sand missed the first time were finally removed. In the same way, we may have bad habits, attachments to gross sinful activities, that we have to work hard to overcome, and we may actually become free from them. But even then, there may be more subtle bad habits with which we must contend.

Let us take the case of a new person who first begins to engage in temple activities. He will come to the Sunday feast, to various festivals, and take prasada, hear, chant, and start to work on his bad habits. He will want to become like the other devotees, a serious practitioner. He will work on his gross bad habits, and he will give up smoking, drinking, eating meat, and associating with women in an irreligious way. Eventually he will be ready to move into the temple and live with the devotees, chanting sixteen rounds, following the regulative principles, and attending the temple programs. But then his authority will say, “It is very nice that you are staying with us and engaging in the practices of Krishna consciousness, but you should also develop a healthy service attitude. I notice that at the Sunday feast you are very eager to sit and take prasada but that after the feast, when it is time to clean up, you are nowhere to be found. You must also develop a proper service attitude.” The devotee will take the instructions to heart, and then after the Sunday feasts he will always be there, ready to clean. And he will be very energetic and enthusiastic in his work.

But then his authority may notice something else—that the person is cleaning but making a big show of it. He wants others to see him so that he will get recognition and honor and praise. So, the authority will say, “Prabhuji, it is very good that now you are staying after the feast to clean up, but we see that you do it in such a way as to call attention to yourself, so that people will see that you are working hard and give you recognition and praise for being such a good devotee. You should work on that.”

As we progress in devotional service, we find more and more subtle contamination, and we have to keep cleaning. Lord Chaitanya, after that tremendous effort in cleaning the temple the first time, cleaned the temple a second time, to take out the finer dirt. So, we have to constantly be cleaning, because until we are completely liberated, there is always some contamination. We progress through the different stages—sraddha, sadhu-sanga, bhajana-kriya—but there are taints that remain all the way up to the stage of bhava. Of course, the disturbance is much less after anartha-nivrtti—much less—but still it is there, and we have to keep chanting and hearing.

In His instructions to Srila Rupa Gosvami, Lord Chaitanya used the metaphor of the seed of devotional service, the bhakti-lata-bija. He said that after you receive the seed you must become a gardener and plant the seed and water it by hearing and chanting, and you have to make sure that no weeds grow alongside the creeper, because if weeds come, they will drink the water meant for the plant, and they may become so strong that they can actually choke the creeper of devotion. Sri Chaitanya further instructed that you have to surround the creeper with a fence so that no mad elephant can enter. If a maddened elephant enters a garden, it can trample and uproot all the plants, and then all the effort put into carefully cultivating the garden will be lost.

The weeds are the material desires in the heart. We have to remove the weeds so that the creeper of devotion can flourish—and ultimately attain shelter under the lotus feet of the Lord. The mad elephant is vaisnava-aparadha, offenses against devotees, which destroy everything, all of our spiritual progress. And the fence that we construct around the creeper to protect it is the circle of pure devotees. We have to stay within the circle of pure devotees.

We find the same process in the cleansing of the Gundicha temple. Not only did Chaitanya Mahaprabhu clean the temple twice, but He cleaned the roads outside the temple, so that no new dust would enter. In other words, we must act to keep maya—bad association—at a distance. Otherwise, even though we have received the bhakti-lata-bija, the seed of pure devotion, and planted it and watered it by hearing and chanting, there is still a chance that weeds will come and grow and make the creeper weak. Then, in a weakened state, if we commit vaisnava-aparadha, through bad association, everything will be spoiled.

The weeds are material desires, and there are many varieties. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta discusses some of the different kinds of weeds, and we have to be able to identify them. Lord Chaitanya states that the weeds may look just like the creeper, and we must recognize them and keep them apart from the creeper. So, the discussion of the different types of weeds—the different types of dirt—is important. We must be able to distinguish pure devotional service from mixed service and from other processes altogether. And because we are conditioned and our consciousness is not completely cleansed, we may not be able to see things clearly, and we may make mistakes—we may take a weed for the creeper. But actually, the weed is unwanted; we want only pure devotion. Artha means some desirable gain, and anartha means the opposite: something that is undesirable, or unwanted.

Under all circumstances, we must continue the process of hearing and chanting—the process of cleansing the heart—which in Lord Chaitanya’s discussion with Rupa Gosvami is compared to the watering. Lord Chaitanya informs us that if we water the seed, it will sprout and become a creeper that grows stronger and stronger and taller and taller, until it pierces the coverings of the universe, penetrates the impersonal Brahman effulgence, and ultimately attains the shelter of the desire tree of the lotus feet of Krishna—because every creeper needs shelter, and the shelter for the creeper of pure devotion is the lotus feet of Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu instructs that even after the creeper attains ultimate shelter in the spiritual world, Goloka Vrindavan, still one must continue the process of watering, the process of hearing and chanting. Thus we learn that even while living in the material world, by one’s consciousness, by one’s devotion, one can be in the spiritual world. That is a very advanced stage, but it is possible that even while living in the material world, one can reach the lotus feet of Krishna in Vrindavan. And we further learn that even after attaining that exalted position, one continues the process of hearing and chanting. One never stops. Therefore Srila Prabhupada often said that in Krishna consciousness the means and the end are the same. The means is hearing and chanting about Krishna (sravanam kirtanam visnoh) and serving Him, and the end is also hearing and chanting about Krishna—and serving Him with love. It is not that we adopt the means of hearing and chanting to achieve some end and then when the goal is reached we abandon the process. The whole process is eternal.

The service of the spiritual master is also eternal. It continues even after liberation, even in the spiritual world. Srila Prabhupada was once walking with some disciples in Mayapur, and they came to an embankment. One of the disciples climbed up on the embankment and then reached out his hand to help Srila Prabhupada climb up and walk over it. But when Srila Prabhupada got to the top, he abruptly withdrew his hand from the disciple’s hand and walked ahead, completely ignoring him. Then Srila Prabhupada said, “That is what the Mayavadis do. They take help from the spiritual master to become liberated, and then when they think they are liberated, they think they don’t need the guru anymore.” Someone may think that he needs to hear and chant to attain liberation—which is true—and that he needs to serve the instructions of the guru to become liberated—which is also true—but that when he is liberated he will stop hearing and chanting and the entire process of devotional service. But it doesn’t work like that. In fact, the process is such that the devotee wants to hear and chant more and more—and all the more after liberation.

Srila Prabhupada remarked, “When you are completely liberated (paramahamsa), you can do anything and you won’t be affected by it.” So a disciple said to Srila Prabhupada, “Well, then when we are liberated, we can have sex and it won’t affect us.” And in response, Prabhupada told a story. A king liked to ride in a boat along the bank of a river. He liked to stay near the riverbank, and he engaged a servant on the bank who would pull the boat, sometimes dragging it through the reeds and other plants and things that might come in the way. The king became so pleased with this humble, attentive service that he offered, “Now you can ask from me whatever you want.” The servant replied, “I would like to have cushions along the riverbank, so when I pull the boat I will have a soft surface under my feet.” This, of course, was a foolish request, because the man didn’t have to pull the boat anymore. He could have had anything, but he was so used to thinking in terms of pulling the boat that he asked for a facility to pull the boat. So, the disciple who said, “Wow, when we are liberated, we can have sex” had such a limited (and base) conception of happiness that he could think of nothing beyond material sense-gratification—like the boatman could think of nothing beyond pulling the boat. That disciple hadn’t realized that there is another, higher standard of pleasure in Krishna consciousness. Thus Srila Prabhupada concluded, “When you are liberated, you will relish a spiritual pleasure that far exceeds any pleasure of this material world, and you will no longer care to experience sex life.” In other words, when we are liberated we will relish that pleasure of hearing and chanting about Krishna and remembering and serving Him even more.

Bhaktya sanjataya bhaktya: bhakti comes from bhakti. The means and the end are the same. The means is chanting and the end is chanting. The means is bhakti, sadhana-bhakti, and the end is bhakti, prema-bhakti. It is not that we adopt the means to achieve some end and then when we reach the goal we abandon the means. Bhakti means to serve Krishna, and the whole process of devotional service, the whole process of sadhana-bhakti, is meant to purify the service. We do not want to give up the service. We want to please Krishna, and we want to purify our service so we can please Krishna more. We want to purify it more and more so we can please Krishna more and more, and the desire to serve and please Krishna never ends. It just increases. And so, our effort to serve Krishna better ever increases, and it continues even in the spiritual world. There are no anarthas then—only pure bhakti and pure pleasure.

As the acharya, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu showed us through the example of cleaning the Gundicha temple how to clean the heart and make it a fit place for the Lord to reside. The Lord is already there, but because of the material contamination, we cannot fully appreciate His presence. We can’t see Him, and we have difficulty hearing Him. But He is there, and He wants to reciprocate with us. He wants to give us direction from within. But to be able to receive His direction, we have to cleanse the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam), to remove the contamination. Then we will see that He is there—and He will speak with us.

Once, a devotee told Srila Prabhupada that some people were saying that God instructed them from within and that therefore they didn’t need a guru. Srila Prabhupada replied, “God will talk with him? What is the condition? That is stated:

 tesam satata-yuktanam
  bhajatam priti-purvakam
dadami buddhi-yogam tam
  yena mam upayanti te

‘To those who are constantly devoted to serving Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.’ [Gita 10.10] So first of all see whether he’s twenty-four hours engaged in God’s service with love and faith. Then you can understand, ‘Yes, God is talking with him.’ But if he has no preliminary qualification and if he says, ‘I can talk with God,’ he is a nonsense. God talks with devotees, sincere devotees who are engaged in God’s service.”

Srila Prabhupada continued, “And the person who is constantly engaged in God’s service, unless he’s trained up by a spiritual master, how can he be engaged? Without a spiritual master, one cannot be engaged in devotional service, and without devotional service, nobody is eligible to talk with God.”

So, Krishna can talk to us—and He wants to talk to us—but we have to be qualified. We have to cleanse the heart so that He will talk to us, to give us direction and guidance. And so we have to be constantly engaged in His service, beginning with chanting and hearing and remembering. That process will cleanse the heart and make it a fit place for the Lord to reside, and create the condition in which the Lord can guide us—back home, back to Godhead—to the ultimate shelter of His lotus feet in Vrindavan.

Hare Krishna. Are there any questions or comments?

Dharma dasa: When I first started to try to perform devotional service, it seemed easier, and things came easier. It seemed to feel better, or the atmosphere seemed better. Then it seemed that as time went on, it got harder. You would think it would get easier, but instead it seems to have gotten more difficult. The level of feeling I had before doesn’t seem to be there. Is that because the anarthas are coming out? Is it because weeds are growing and we are watering the weeds and that is inhibiting our receptiveness or our feeling?

Giriraj Swami: Dharma Prabhu has asked a very good question, that in the beginning, when we first come to the association of devotees, we seem to relish Krishna consciousness more, and it seems so easy and natural, and then later we don’t relish as much, and the process seems more difficult. Is it because of anarthas that were there that are coming to light, or is it because we have cultivated weeds along with the creeper?

The answer could be either—or both. But one thing is that when we first come to the association of devotees, we tend to have great respect for them. When I first joined I thought all the devotees in the temple were very advanced. I took them as pure devotees. That attitude of respect and appreciation for devotees is very congenial for spiritual advancement. But then “familiarity breeds contempt.” You get to know them better, and you see things in them that you didn’t see before. And you see the things as faults, and you get disturbed. Eventually, you may even think, “If this is what being a devotee means, I don’t know if I want to be a devotee.” Of course, that is common to all traditions and groups. Christians have told me that they say the same thing: “If this is what being a Christian means, I don’t want to be a Christian.”

The process of finding faults in devotees and becoming absorbed in the faults—whether they are real or not—is very harmful for spiritual life. It creates a serious disturbance in the heart. And when we are disturbed, we can’t chant and hear and remember properly—so we don’t relish.

But the other is also possible, that there are anarthas of which we are unaware and that through the process of purification we become conscious of them. His Holiness Sacinandana Swami discussed with me once that we tend to have a linear conception of progress in Krishna consciousness. We think that we start here and go straight there and end up at the lotus feet of Krishna in Vrindavan. He told me that he has a dear friend who is a Christian priest or monk, who said that within their tradition they see progress not as a straight line but as a spiral. You are going forward, but in the process there are ups and downs. And it is not as easy as we might have imagined.

Maharaja gave the example that you are walking on the path back to Godhead, chanting your rounds and enjoying the journey, and suddenly you come to a fork in the road. Now, you didn’t know there would be a fork, and you don’t know which way to go. You have to consider, “Should I go to the left or to the right?” Anyway, you make a decision, and you go on chanting, and then suddenly there is a landslide. Boulders and rocks cascade down the mountain, and suddenly you find yourself buried. “Oh my God! How did I get into this position?” With great diligence and effort and care, you have to remove all those rocks and stones and you have to get out from under them. “Thank God!” You walk a little further, and you are chanting, and then suddenly the natives who had been hiding in the bushes come out to attack with arrows and spears. “Oh my God. I didn’t know they were going to be here.” And then you have to retreat. You have to find some shelter. You have to get some weapon. You have to defend yourself from the attacks. So you are making progress, but things happen along the way that you didn’t expect.

In the early days, devotees would chant down the street and call out, “We’re going back home, back to Godhead! Going back home, back to Godhead!” The idea was “Just join us, chant with us, be happy—and you will go back to Godhead.” And that is true. But there may be obstacles along the way. And depending on our purity, depending on our diligence and vigilance in our practice, it may be more or less difficult to overcome them. But there will be ups and downs, and in the end we will be successful—as long as we remain faithful in our practice of pure devotional service. It is like climbing a mountain: Your goal is to reach the top of Mount Everest, but there are so many peaks and valleys along the way. So, you go up, and you come down, and you go up . . . but the general trend is you are going up, and finally you will reach the top—you will reach the goal.

So, under all circumstances, we have to keep association with pure devotees. The association of pure devotees will help us in any condition. There is a verse in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta that states that the association of devotees is the root cause of devotional service (mula haya) and that even after one develops love for Krishna, the association of devotees is still essential.

krsna-bhakti-janma-mula haya ‘sadhu-sanga’
krsna-prema janme, tenho punah mukhya anga

“The root cause of devotional service to Lord Krsna is association with advanced devotees. Even when one’s dormant love for Krsna awakens, association with devotees is still most essential.” (Cc Madhya 22.83)

The association of pure devotees is a constant factor. If we stay in the association of more advanced devotees, we will continue to be associated with the process of hearing and chanting, the process of devotional service, and that will see us through whatever may happen, and we will reach the final goal. And even in the spiritual world, in Goloka Vrindavan, we will be in the association of pure devotees. And we will be hearing and chanting about Krishna.

Hare Krishna.

Nityananda dasa: One thing that I personally feel encouraged by . . .  I feel the way Dharma felt, that there are times when you feel discouraged in your Krishna consciousness. In my case, I found that when I preach and reach out to people and see the excitement in them . . . because when I first joined there was real excitement. There is no doubt about it. I was ecstatic. My hairs were standing on end. I didn’t know anything about the process, but it excited me because I saw an opportunity, a great opportunity that was well beyond me, something that I was going to get that I didn’t deserve. It was going to be really great, and I was looking forward to it.

And then engaging in it, you find the difficulties that you have to cross over. They can become distractions, but then when we preach we find that others are getting so much excitement and we realize that it is simply because we are losing sight of the opportunity that we lose our enthusiasm. But when we see the opportunity clearly in front of our eyes every day as we walk . . . Like it is said, the process is ever fresh; every time you should see something new. If I walk into this temple, it is not like I should see the same things I saw the last time I came. I notice something new whenever I see the Deities. I feel They look more beautiful than ever. I have never seen Them so beautiful. Like that, we feel this ever-freshness in what we are doing. And in my case it is the preaching that helps me keep that. It is like Srila Prabhupada said, “Preaching is life.” If you feel alive, then you preach. And if you preach, you feel alive. That is our process.

Giriraj Swami: Excellent. Nityananda Prabhu says that when he joined he had the same experience as Dharma Prabhu: everything was so full of life; everything was fresh and exciting. As Srila Prabhupada says in a purport to the Bhagavad-gita, “One enjoys life with a thrill at every moment.” And then after a while one has difficulties, and you don’t feel the same. But the one thing Nityananda Prabhu does that really keeps him enlivened and enthusiastic is preaching, because when you meet people in the world and you see how they are suffering, how they are looking for something, and then you give them Krishna consciousness and you see how they respond—that they feel they are getting what they were looking for—in that dynamic there is great encouragement, great enlivenment, and then everything is fresh.

The experience of preaching is always fresh, because there is no stereotypical way to preach. You can’t do it mechanically, because you are dealing with another person, an individual. You might think you know what to say, but the person may respond in an unexpected way, and then you have to respond. So, you have to be alive and alert and conscious; it can’t be scripted. There can be some basic idea of how to introduce the topic, but once you start to interact with people, you have to be prepared for any reaction, and then you have to respond. So, you have to be alive. You have to be alert. You have to be conscious—Krishna conscious.

Srila Prabhupada once said in a lecture, “Preaching is the best way to be Krishna conscious, because when you preach, people will ask questions, and to answer, you will have to think of Krishna.” So, you have to be Krishna conscious. Nityananda Prabhu has given the best answer: one who has life will preach, and conversely, one who preaches will have life. Thank you, Nityananda Prabhu, for that answer, and thank you, Dharma Prabhu, for your question—perfect question, perfect answer.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Gundicha-marjana in Dallas, April 28, 2007]

So I’m grateful to be here with all of you today. This section of the Bhagavatam is one of the most challenging—not just because of the complexity of what’s happening, but also because of how closely it relates to our own lives.

Whenever I’m speaking at a new place and have limited time, I like to use a framework I call the CIT framework for approaching the Bhagavatam. C stands for Context, I for Implication, and T for Takeaway.

So I’ll speak on three points:

1. What is the context—what’s going on in the story?
2. What is the implication—what does it mean for us?
3. And finally, what is the takeaway—what can we learn and apply?

This approach helps us connect the Bhagavatam’s timeless teachings to our everyday experiences.

Let’s start with the context. I’ll be writing and drawing a little as we go along.

In the Bhagavatam, the material world is described as a place of ups and downs. But sometimes the “downs” go way down—that’s what is referred to as dharmasya glāni, a severe decline in righteousness. At such times, it’s not just a problem; it becomes a crisis.

In our own lives, we often try to deal with problems ourselves. If it’s too big, we escalate—to our authorities, our seniors. But when it’s a huge crisis, we go straight to the top. Something similar is happening in this section: the demigods are facing an extraordinary threat from the demons—Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. These aren’t just ordinary demons; they’re causing devastation on an unimaginable scale.

So the devatas approach Brahma, expecting him to take the issue to Vishnu. But Brahma tells them something unexpected: There is no need to go to Vishnu right now. This whole situation is actually orchestrated by Vishnu Himself.

He then narrates the backstory of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu—that they are, in fact, the gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya who have descended into the material world due to a curse. So the destruction being caused is part of the Lord’s divine plan.

Now, let’s come to the implication.

For most of us, when we face adversity, we naturally try to solve the problem. But for devotees—those who believe in God—a deeper question often arises: Where is God in all this?

Let’s think of it this way: our existence can be viewed as being within three overlapping circles:

1. The body-mind level (Adhyātmika klesha) – problems arising from within.
2. The social level (Adhibhautika klesha) – problems caused by other people or beings.
3. The natural/environmental level (Adhidaivika klesha) – problems from natural or cosmic forces.

Now, from all these levels, we experience distress. We try to counter these in various ways: medical help, therapy, technology, policy. But sometimes, distress becomes absolutely unmanageable. When suffering seems disproportionate to any known cause, we naturally ask: Why is this happening? What did I do to deserve this?

At such times, when regular causes and explanations don’t satisfy, we begin to look upwards—toward a higher cause, toward God.

So in this story, the devatas, unable to handle the threat, go to Brahma. Brahma gives a spiritual explanation: This is the will of the Lord. The implication? Some problems are not meant to be fought—they are meant to be accepted.

If it’s the Lord’s will, then resisting it may be futile. That’s not to say all suffering is God’s will. But some exceptional circumstances may be part of a divine plan. This introduces the idea of acceptance, which is very important.

But let’s be honest. If Krishna Himself told us, “This is my will,” it would be easier to accept. But when someone else hurts us—an exploitative boss, a malicious neighbor—we struggle. Is this person’s action Krishna’s will? Or just their own malice?

That’s where things get complicated. And that’s why scriptures use various terms—daiva (destiny), kāla (time), karma, and so on. These help convey the sense of a higher order or arrangement, without directly blaming the Lord for painful events.

Let’s now turn to the takeaway—what can we learn?

I’ll share three scriptural examples and one from Srila Prabhupada’s life.

1. Bali Maharaj and Kāla

When Bali Maharaj is arrested by Vamana’s associates, the demons with him want to fight back. But he says, “No. This is kāla, an unfavorable time. Don’t resist it.” The idea is: when a force becomes unstoppable and incomprehensible, it is often best understood as a manifestation of time or destiny.

2. Rama’s Exile and Daiva

When Lord Rama is exiled, Lakshmana gets furious. He accuses Dasharatha of being blinded by attachment to Kaikeyi. Rama calmly responds, “No. Our father was simply fulfilling a vow.” When Lakshmana still argues, Rama says, “This sudden change in Kaikeyi’s heart—so unnatural—must be the will of destiny. Let us accept it.”

3. Bhishma and the Will of the Lord

When Bhishma speaks to Yudhishthira after the war, he analyses many possible causes for the devastation—greed, misjudgment, politics—but concludes: Ultimately, it was the will of the Lord. He initially refers to Krishna indirectly—as “He”—not because he doubts, but because devotees often hesitate to directly associate the Lord with painful events.

Similarly, in the Ramayana, when Draupadi is dishonored, Krishna protects her with an unending cloth. But we do not say Krishna became Dushasana. There’s a difference between Krishna’s will and Krishna’s sanction. Nothing can happen without Krishna’s sanction, but not everything that happens is Krishna’s will in the sense of desire.

Now, what can we practically take from this?

Let’s use the acronym ACD:

• A – Accept what cannot be changed.
  • Our minds often get trapped in the “what ifs”—What if I had done this? What if they had said that? These can become endless and pointless.
• C – Change what can be changed.
  • Sometimes acceptance doesn’t mean passivity. If something can be changed, we must do our duty and act.
• D – Discern between the two.
  • And this is the real challenge. When do we act, and when do we surrender?

Srila Prabhupada beautifully exemplified this. When so many challenges came—poverty, resistance, ill health—he didn’t just accept passively. He discerned: What is Krishna’s will here? And then he acted powerfully, establishing the Hare Krishna movement worldwide.

So in summary:

• The context of this Bhagavatam section is divine upheaval and the search for meaning.
• The implication is that not all problems are meant to be fought; some are meant to be accepted as Krishna’s will.
• The takeaway is to develop discernment—to know when to fight and when to surrender—and to remember that even in adversity, Krishna is with us, guiding us.

When we accept that what has happened is the will of the Lord, that acceptance stops the endless “what ifs.”
Okay, it has happened. It is the Lord’s will.
That acceptance brings closure. It enables us to move forward.

However, does that mean everything bad that happens should be accepted as the will of the Lord?
Should we never try to counter it?

It’s not that simple.

The same Lord Rama who accepted his exile as the will of destiny—daiva—did not accept Sita’s abduction in the same way. He didn’t say, “Oh, this too is destiny, let me just tolerate it.” No. He took action. He worked tirelessly to find Sita—despite being in exile, with no army or resources. He built alliances, searched across the land, and eventually fought and defeated Ravana.

He could have said, “Well, I had a wife, I lost my wife. This must be the Lord’s will.” But he didn’t. Why?

Because in that situation, his sense of dharma told him: “It is my duty to protect my wife.”

So yes, acceptance is one aspect of being aligned with God’s will—but it’s not the only aspect. Why not?

Let’s consider this carefully.

If we picture ourselves here in the world, and God above us, then one form of God’s will is what happens to us. But Krishna’s will is not meant to function only around us or upon us. It is also meant to function through us.

It is not just that what happens to us is God’s will, but sometimes what happens through us is also God’s will.

That means: sometimes, Krishna may want us to accept a situation.
But sometimes, Krishna may want us to resist or change that situation.

So just because something has come into our life as the result of destiny doesn’t automatically mean we’re meant to passively accept it. We may accept that “this is the current situation,” but how we respond to it is a different matter altogether.

Here’s another way to look at it:
We are here. Behind us is the past, and ahead of us is the future. But the human mind often operates in the most unhealthy way.

We treat the past as if it was the domain of free will—
“If only I had done this… if only she hadn’t done that…”
And we treat the future as if it is the domain of destiny—
“What if I get cancer? What if I lose my job? What if something terrible happens?”

This is an inverted and disempowering way to live.

Instead, we need to flip it:

• See the past as the domain of destiny—it has already happened, it cannot be changed.
• See the future as the domain of free will—it is open, and our actions can shape it.

Let’s understand this with an example from the Mahabharata.

Before the war begins, Vyasa comes to Dhritarashtra, along with many other sages, and pleads:
“Stop your son. Make peace with the Pandavas. Or your whole dynasty will be destroyed.”

Dhritarashtra, unwilling to act, takes shelter of a so-called spiritual excuse. He says:
“If it is the will of destiny that my dynasty be destroyed, who am I, a mere mortal, to stop it?”

Have you heard the term rationalize?

It means: telling rational lies—we use logic and philosophy not to seek the truth, but to justify our inaction or errors.

For example:
A husband promises his wife to quit smoking. She walks into his office and sees smoke everywhere. He says, “Oh no, I wasn’t smoking. I just wanted to warm up the room for you.”

That’s rationalization.

Or say, someone forgets to bring prasadam for a friend. When asked, they reply, “Actually, I think Krishna wants you to fast today.”

That’s not realization—that’s rationalization.

So Dhritarashtra was rationalizing:
“What can I do? It’s destiny.”

At that point, Vyasa becomes very serious and says:
“O King, it is very difficult to know what destiny is. But what is within our reach is our duty. Focus on your dharma.”

Vyasa doesn’t deny that destiny exists—but emphasizes that our focus should be on what is our responsibility now.

Interestingly, after the war, the same two characters—Vyasa and Dhritarashtra—have another conversation. Dhritarashtra is overwhelmed with grief: all hundred of his sons are dead.

Now Vyasa tells him:
“Don’t lament. This war was destiny. The Pandavas are demigods. Duryodhana and others were demonic beings who had descended to earth. This was a cosmic arrangement.”

So the question is—was the war destiny or not?

We don’t know. Even Krishna tried to avoid the war. He went as a peace messenger. But war still happened.

What does this mean for us?

When we are in the middle of a crisis, we don’t know if it is destiny or not. So our focus should not be: “Is this destiny?”
Instead, our focus should be: “What is my duty right now?”

That’s a powerful and practical principle.

Let’s say a king has authority and power to prevent war, but he doesn’t use it. The war happens, and later he says, “Oh, it was destiny.”
That’s not philosophy—that’s negligence.

If we’re careless or irresponsible, and something bad happens, we cannot cover it up with, “Well, maybe it was meant to be.”

Philosophy must be used not to escape responsibility, but to understand it.

Let’s also remember: philosophy is not just about knowledge (jñānam)—it’s also about purpose (jñeya – what we aim to know, and jñāna-gamya – what knowledge should lead us to).

In the Bhagavatam, Hiranyakashipu performs austerities with the aim of becoming powerful enough to kill Vishnu.

The soul is eternal—that’s correct philosophy. But he misuses that truth to pursue eternal enmity, not eternal love.

That’s a complete misuse of philosophy.

The correct use of spiritual knowledge is not to fuel our ego, justify our vengeance, or excuse our inaction—but to help us grow in love for Krishna, and act according to dharma.

So in summary:

• Accepting the will of the Lord is not the same as being passive.
• Sometimes the Lord’s will is that we fight, not freeze.
• We may not always know what destiny is, but we can always ask: What is my dharma in this moment?
• Don’t use spirituality to rationalize failure or neglect.
• Use it to find strength, clarity, and responsibility.

So the point is: we cannot separate philosophy from the purpose of philosophy.

Ultimately, what is the purpose of philosophy? It is to help us:

• do dharma,
• do seva,
• practice bhakti,
• and ultimately move closer to Krishna.

Yes, anyone can take any philosophical concept and use it to justify anything. But the question is:
“Is this philosophy taking me closer to Krishna?”
“Is it helping others come closer to Krishna?”

That is the real test. That’s why, for us, the principle is to accept what is favorable and reject what is unfavorable for bhakti.

Let me share a practical example.

I wrote a book titled Demystifying Reincarnation. Once, after giving a seminar on reincarnation in America—which was a more scientific kind of talk—a young man came up to me and said, “Can you pray for me?”

I was a bit surprised. I said, “What do you want me to pray for?”

He said, “I’m in love with a girl. We’ve been trying for 2–3 years, but neither my parents nor hers are agreeing. So… can you please pray that I can marry her in my next life?”

Now, see what happened here. The knowledge of the soul, which is meant to raise us to the spiritual platform, is being used to extend a material attachment into the next life. Instead of thinking about our eternal relationship with Krishna, we are reinforcing temporary relationships at the bodily level.

This is what happens when knowledge is used to defeat the purpose of knowledge.

So yes, we can speak about destiny, daiva, Krishna’s will, etc. But what truly matters is:
“What is my duty in this situation?”
“Is this decision taking me closer to Krishna, or away from Him?”

Let’s consider Srila Prabhupada’s example.

Before he went to America, Prabhupada tried preaching in India for decades. People weren’t taking his words seriously. He wasn’t getting followers or support.

His spiritual master had told him: “Even if no one comes to hear you, speak to the walls.” Prabhupada could have thought, “Maybe this is Krishna’s will—that I just speak to the walls for the rest of my life.”

He could have resigned himself to that.
But did he? No.

Prabhupada accepted the past—yes—but he didn’t stop pursuing the future. He remained peaceful about the past, but purposeful about the future.

So for us, as devotees, this is a crucial lesson:

• With respect to the past, we need to be peaceful.
  “Whatever happened—people did this, I did that—it’s done. It was Krishna’s will or destiny.”
  If we don’t make peace with the past, then there will always be a worthless war going on within us.

Yes, there are worthwhile wars to be fought, but if we are constantly fighting with the past—“They said this… I did that… they didn’t support me…”—then that war becomes pointless.

I’ve been traveling and meeting devotees around the world for many years now. I’ve seen something again and again:
So many sincere devotees are doing wonderful services with enthusiasm, creativity, and dedication—by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, their gurus, and our sampradaya.

But here’s the tragic pattern I often observe:

The more energy a devotee has to do something wonderful for Krishna, the more likely they also carry resentment or bitterness toward those who didn’t support them.

• “I wanted to do this service, but my temple president didn’t support me…”
• “That leader didn’t understand my vision…”
• “This devotee blocked me…”

And it’s understandable—everyone feels hurt or unsupported at times. But here’s the irony:
In our effort to offer the world to Krishna, we’re letting our heart get filled with bitterness—so much so, that our heart becomes unofferable to Krishna.

We want to offer the world to Krishna—but Krishna also wants our heart.
And the way to offer the heart is often through offering the world—through service.

So ideally, we do both:

• Offer the world to Krishna through service
• Offer the heart to Krishna through surrender

But if we’re offering the world while holding back the heart—if our service is outwardly productive but inwardly resentful—then we’ve missed something.

That’s why Srila Prabhupada’s mood is so instructive.

Even when things weren’t working out, he was never bitter. He worked with his godbrothers, even when they didn’t support him. He tried various efforts for nearly 40 years with minimal results. But he didn’t get stuck in resentment.

He was peaceful about the past—but purposeful about the future.

So for us too:

• Let philosophy help us be peaceful about the past
  (“That was Krishna’s will. It happened. I accept it.”)
• But let bhakti inspire us to be purposeful about the future
  (“I have a purpose—to serve Krishna—and I will keep going, no matter what.”)

When Srila Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta, what did he have?
No money, no followers, no institutional support. But he had one thing:
The unwavering desire to serve Krishna.
And that was enough.

So destiny helps us come to peace with the past, but bhakti keeps us purposeful about the future.

Let me conclude with one final framework I like to call A-C-T:

• A: Accept – Accept the situation. Don’t fight endlessly with what cannot be changed.
• C: Contemplate – Reflect deeply. What does Krishna want me to do now?
• T: Transform – Based on that reflection, transform something:
  • Sometimes, we can transform the world around us.
  • Sometimes, we can transform our corner of the world.
  • Sometimes, we can only transform our consciousness.

Which of these to do depends on the situation.

Sometimes, service requires us to fight and change the situation.
Sometimes, it requires us to wait, to be patient, and let Krishna change things in due course.

But in every case, a devotee never loses the sense of purpose.
“Whatever the situation, I will serve Krishna.”

Let’s consider:

• Prahlada Maharaj – He was purposeful, yet his way of purposefulness was to accept the situation and remember Krishna. He didn’t pick up weapons, but he didn’t forget Krishna either.
• Arjuna, on the other hand, was also purposeful—but for him, dharma meant fighting. He didn’t accept the injustice silently—Krishna told him to counter it.

So different devotees respond differently based on their dharma, their role, and Krishna’s will for them.

And for us too, the key is not just to ask, “Is this God’s will?”
But to ask,
“What does Krishna want me to do now? And how can I offer my heart through this situation?”

Understanding Krishna’s Role in Adversity – A Balanced Perspective

Let’s take the example of Arjuna. At the end of the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna doesn’t just surrender to Krishna in a passive way. His surrender is active. He accepts the responsibility to change the situation of adharma that is present around him.

So, sometimes, serving the Lord may mean saying, “I can’t do anything about this situation; let me simply focus on practicing bhakti peacefully.”
And sometimes, it may mean saying, “It’s my responsibility to take action and fix this.”

Now, how do we decide between these two responses?

Let’s be clear: both Prahlada and Arjuna are great devotees. It’s not that one is greater and the other lesser. Their choices were guided by two things:

1. Guna – Our disposition or nature
2. Karma – Our position or responsibility

Let’s understand this with a simple example.

Suppose we’re in charge of the kitchen and we’ve prepared prasadam for 30 people—but suddenly, 70 people show up. Can we just say, “It’s destiny, what can I do?”
No! If we’ve taken that responsibility, we need to act. Maybe we make extra kichdi, or arrange something quickly.

Now, someone who is not officially responsible but has a service attitude might say, “Oh, I have some food at home, I’ll go get it.” That’s great too! But the primary duty falls on the one who holds the position.

So, both our guna and karma help determine how we should respond.

Krishna tells Arjuna in the Gita that not acting can itself be wrong. If there’s a riot and the police simply stand aside peacefully while chaos unfolds, they can’t say, “I didn’t do anything.” That’s exactly the problem! They were meant to do something.

If someone doesn’t want to act, that’s fine—but then, don’t take that position of responsibility.

So, if we’ve accepted a role, then we must also accept the responsibility that comes with it.

Take the case of Sita and Jatayu. When Ravan was abducting Sita, she saw Jatayu and called out to him. Although she knew Jatayu was old and unlikely to stop Ravan, she still said, “Please don’t fight him—just inform Rama.”

But Jatayu couldn’t just watch. He thought, “How can I live with myself if I see Sita, like my daughter, being abducted and I do nothing?” So, despite his age and weakness, he fought Ravan with everything he had. He lost—but not without trying his best.

Jatayu wasn’t officially appointed Sita’s protector, nor was he a close relative. But his heart was in the mood of protection. He felt a personal responsibility and responded according to his guna and karma.

So here’s the concluding reflection:

When a difficult situation comes into our life, we can accept that it is Krishna’s will. But how we respond to that situation—that is our responsibility. Two devotees in the same situation may respond in entirely different ways:

• One may say, “This is Krishna’s will. I won’t interfere.”
• Another may say, “Fixing this is my service to Krishna. I must act.”

Both are valid, if done with the right mood.

However, while trying to serve Krishna, we must be careful not to forget Krishna. Sometimes, we get so caught in fixing the situation that we become anxious, angry, or bitter:

• “Why isn’t Krishna helping me?”
• “Why aren’t the devotees cooperating?”

But Krishna doesn’t always fix situations through us. Sometimes He may fix them without us, or not fix them at all because He has a higher plan.
The key is: Don’t become bitter in the name of being responsible.

Take Srila Prabhupada’s example.

• In Jhansi, when there was a conspiracy to take the land from him, he accepted it as Krishna’s will and moved on.
• In Juhu, when a similar conspiracy happened, he didn’t accept defeat—he fought tooth and nail.

In both cases, he remained fixed in devotion to Krishna.

So today, I’ve been discussing the topic:

“Understanding Krishna’s Role in Adversity.”

Let me summarize with a framework I call CIT and ACT.

CIT Framework

C – Context:
Sometimes, scripture tells us to accept adversity as Krishna’s will. Like in the Bhagavatam, Brahma tells the devatas, “This is Krishna’s arrangement.”

What should we take from that?

ACT Framework

1. A – Accept:
   • Whatever has happened is sanctioned by Krishna.
   • Terms like daiva, kaala, or Bhagavan point to the same reality—Krishna’s will is behind the events of life.
   • Acceptance means making peace with the past.
   • And that means stopping the endless “what ifs”:
     “If only I had done this… If only they hadn’t done that…”
2. C – Contemplate:
   • Krishna’s will is not just about what happens to us.
   • It’s also about what Krishna wants to do through us.
   • Ask:
     “What is my dharma here?”
     “How can I best serve Krishna in this situation?”
   • We may want to change the world around us, and that’s good. But at the very least, let’s change our heart.
     • Ideally, offer both your heart and your service to Krishna.
     • But even if the world isn’t changing, ensure your heart becomes more Krishna conscious.
3. T – Transform:
   • Sometimes we transform the world around us.
   • Sometimes we transform just our corner of the world.
   • Sometimes all we can do is transform our own consciousness.

Examples:

3. Prahlad Maharaj accepted the situation and remembered Krishna.
4. Arjuna chose to change the situation through battle.
5. Prabhupada accepted Jhansi, resisted Juhu—but remained steady in devotion throughout.

So we evaluate based on our guna (nature) and karma (role):

• Am I meant to act or wait?
• Should I speak up or stay silent?
• Can I fix the situation, or should I grow through it?

Conclusion:

We should be:

• Peaceful about the past
• Purposeful about the future

By doing so, we remain instruments of Krishna’s will, without becoming bitter or disconnected from Krishna in the process.

So let’s not just ask,
“Is this Krishna’s will?”
Let’s also ask,
“How can I serve Krishna through this situation?”

That is the path of mature bhakti.

Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.

The post Should we accept all misfortune as God s will Mayapur Bhagavatam class – Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Host:
Maharaj, my humble obeisances. Thank you so much for joining us on the Monks Podcast. It’s been a long-cherished aspiration for me to have you here. The blend of analytical rigor and devotional depth that you bring to your talks and writings is something I have deeply appreciated.

Many devotees who find inspiration in my classes have also expressed how much they value the deep insights and thoughtful analysis in your presentations. The integration of head and heart that you embody is rare—it’s easy to veer to one extreme or the other, but you harmonize both beautifully.

So, I’m grateful not just for what you do, but for who you are. I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity to serve you today. I recently came to know about your book on healing prayers, and I thought we could explore the topic of prayer broadly, with a specific focus on this work.

Welcome once again, and thank you very much.

Maharaj:
I’m happy to be with you this evening—or whatever time of day it is for your listeners. And yes, I appreciate your talks as well. I’ve listened to some of them and read your book on reincarnation. So we already have mutual respect, even though this is our first personal interaction.

Thank you.

Regarding the title of my book—it’s called Healing Prayers. This book is a translation from Russian, and the original title in Russian more accurately captures the core idea. The English title conveys the essence to a fair extent, though it’s not a perfect match.

At the beginning of the book, I describe three types of prayers. I analyze them in the context of devotional development. The first type is called Samprārthanātmikā. The word prārthanā means prayer, and sam comes from Sanskrit samyak, meaning “completely” or “fully.” So, this type of prayer refers to a mood where we fully surrender to the Lord—with our thoughts, our speech, and our actions.

This idea of completeness is central to the book. In the Russian title, “healing” is linked to restoring our wholeness—our completeness. What happens through our karmic experiences is that we become divided. A part of us—the spiritual essence—wants to draw closer to God and reestablish our lost relationship with Him. But another part—our material side—pulls us in a different direction.

These pulls may come from sinful impressions or even just worldly attachments—not necessarily sinful, but still material. So we become fragmented. The Samprārthanātmikā prayer is meant to heal this fragmentation—to restore the completeness of our being. That’s what “healing” means in this context: to heal our inner division, to bring us back into wholeness.

That’s the central theme of the book. It resonates with many because we all feel that inner dissonance. There is something broken, something unsettled within us. Healing, in this sense, is the process of becoming spiritually whole again.

Host:
That’s such a beautiful theme. As you were speaking, I was reminded that the words healing and whole actually come from the same root in English. The old English word “hælan” means to make whole, cure, or restore to health. And whole itself refers to being entire, unbroken, or unhurt.

So yes, the idea behind healing is really restoring the wholesomeness of our being. To become whole again—that’s the underlying purpose.

Maharaj:
Exactly. And that’s the idea behind the title. It’s about offering the whole being to God. But, as you rightly noted, before we can offer the whole being, that being must become whole. It must become integrated.

That’s what Samprārthanātmikā is about—prayers of complete surrender. But surrendering completely is not easy when we ourselves are incomplete. We can only surrender the part that wants to surrender—while other parts resist. So first, we need to reassemble ourselves—to gather and reintegrate the divided parts. Only then can we sincerely surrender.

Host:
That’s a profound insight. In modern English, there’s an expression: “That person really has it together,” meaning they’re composed and integrated. That idea of inner “togetherness” or composure is valued.

Also, the word integrity reflects the same idea—inner coherence or unity. Integration is necessary for integrity. It reminds me of the Bhagavad-gītā verse (2.41): vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kurunandana—being one-pointed, undistracted by fragmentation.

Maharaj:
Yes, exactly. And that’s why integrity—inner unity—is so essential for authentic devotion. When we’re fragmented, it’s hard to focus or offer ourselves completely. Healing prayers aim to restore that inner coherence.

Host:
Now Maharaj, in the Indian context, the words “healing” and “prayer” often carry a different connotation. With concerns about religious conversions, prayer and healing are sometimes associated with marketing tactics—especially when there are claims of miraculous physical healing. This creates skepticism.

But the healing we’re talking about here is spiritual, not physical—right?

Maharaj:
Yes, absolutely. We are not referring to physical healing in the miraculous sense. Physical illness may result indirectly from the unwholesomeness of our being, and when we restore our inner balance, some physical healing may follow. But that’s not the aim.

The focus here is spiritual healing. I definitely do not intend to bring into our tradition the kind of miracle-based “healing ministries” we sometimes see elsewhere. I want to distance myself clearly from that sensationalism.

Host:
Thank you for clarifying that. That brings me to another common question. Most people, even devotees, tend to pray more when something goes wrong in their material life.

For example, I met a devotee in the UK. Her newborn child was very sick. She said, “I feel I should pray to Krishna. But is that a material prayer? Should I be praying for something spiritual instead?”

But that child’s health was what was foremost in her heart. If she didn’t take that to Krishna, wouldn’t that mean hiding her heart from Him?

I shared some thoughts, but I’d love to hear your perspective. I said that “material” is a broad category. Praying for the destruction of someone out of jealousy—that’s completely anti-devotional. Praying for wealth or fame is generally considered material too, especially if it becomes the goal.

However, praying for strength to fulfill one’s dharma—like caring for one’s child—is different. That’s aligned with our responsibilities. And if we can think of Krishna while doing it, that becomes pro-devotional. As Prabhupāda often said: “Somehow or other, fix the mind on Krishna.”

Maharaj:
I completely agree. That’s a well-balanced explanation.

Satva-guṇa is a necessary springboard toward śuddha-bhakti. And before reaching pure devotion, we must be situated in dharma. So, if our prayers are linked with our dharmic responsibilities and ultimately aimed at bringing us closer to God, then they are harmonious with bhakti.

Also, we must remember—we are human. We have emotions, we have desires. Life itself means having desires. Only a stone is desireless.

If we can dovetail our desires with our devotion—as Śrīla Prabhupāda taught—then even seemingly material desires can become part of our devotional life.

So, when someone’s child is sick, or they themselves are suffering, and they feel compelled to pray—it’s not wrong. As long as they retain the devotional mood, there’s nothing inappropriate.

And as Prabhupāda would often guide, we can always pray:
“If You so desire, my dear Lord..

Host:
So, the phrase “if You so desire” means that we place the Lord’s will above our own. Our desire is secondary—present, yes, but subordinated. If our desire aligns with the Lord’s will, if it’s harmonious with His plan, then the prayer is fine. And if not, we give the Lord complete freedom not to fulfill it, knowing that ultimately, He is in control.

In this way, our prayer doesn’t interfere with our understanding of our position as His servant. So, that’s another angle from which we can view this issue.

Essentially, we pray, “My dear Lord, if You so desire, please…” This is something important to me—something I can’t just dismiss. But still, “if You so desire” remains a vital part of that prayer.

Maharaj:
Yes, that phrase gives the prayer its devotional character. And as you said, it also gives the devotee breathing space. We can express our heartfelt concerns while staying anchored in spiritual alignment.

The essence of prayer is to invest the heart. What is the point of mechanically praying for “pure devotion” when it doesn’t yet resonate deeply within? If I’m only repeating words that don’t reflect my present reality, my prayer becomes hollow.

But if my heart is genuinely yearning for something—something meaningful—then connecting that desire to the path of bhakti allows me to pray sincerely. That sincerity brings life to the prayer.

Host:
That’s such a vital point. Prayer is the language of the heart—it’s where the human heart reaches out to the divine heart. If we pray for something that’s not in our heart at that moment, the prayer becomes superficial.

So Maharaj, moving forward, you chose to focus on the prayers of Queen Kunti in your book. Was there a particular reason for choosing those prayers? They are exalted, pure devotional prayers—some are at a very high level. But how do you see their relevance in terms of the emotional investment you just spoke about?

Maharaj:
Yes, I chose those prayers because I believe they’re deeply relevant—even today.

In fact, this book originated from a seminar I gave to an audience that had gone through traumatic events—specifically, in Ukraine. I won’t go into details, but the audience had experienced bewilderment, pain, and deep questioning: “Why is this happening to us? Why on such a scale?”

My seminar aimed to address their emotional state and to help them make sense of what they were feeling. Queen Kunti’s prayers resonated strongly because, though she prayed from a highly exalted state, she too went through profound difficulties.

Sometimes we think our life is hard. But then we see the lives of the great devotees—and realize they went through much worse. Yet they continued to pray, to serve, to persevere. That makes their prayers deeply relatable.

Host:
Yes, that makes sense. So even though their consciousness was higher, the emotions they expressed can be shared by us at our level. Would you be able to share a particular prayer that speaks to feelings like abandonment or bewilderment? Something that helps devotees connect the words of the prayer to their own emotions?

Maharaj:
Certainly. At the very beginning of her prayers, Queen Kunti is standing before Krishna, who is about to leave Hastinapur. She runs to Him and begins offering prayers. Though she is Krishna’s aunt—a close relative—she begins by saying, “I cannot understand You.”

Now, we don’t even see Krishna directly, and we may doubt our connection to Him. But for Kunti, there was no doubt—He was her nephew, her protector, her well-wisher. And still, she says, “I am bewildered. I don’t understand what You’re doing.”

And rightly so. Krishna saved Arjuna and saved Maharaja Parikshit, but He didn’t save Abhimanyu—Arjuna’s son and Kunti’s grandson. Nor did He protect Draupadi’s sons after the war was over.

Kunti stood before Krishna with tears in her eyes, expressing gratitude despite her confusion. She didn’t demand an explanation—she began praying. And as her prayers progressed, we see a transformation. She began with bewilderment but gradually moved toward clarity and deeper understanding.

So, in a way, her prayers are an example of how prayer itself can help us understand what’s happening in our lives. It may not change the situation externally, but it brings peace and understanding internally.

Host:
That’s a powerful point—that prayer is not just for solving a problem, but for understanding it. Often, people think prayer is a way to persuade God to do what we want. One devotee once told me, “I’m afraid to pray because if Krishna doesn’t answer, my faith might get shaken.”

But prayer, as one of the nine limbs of bhakti, is meant for connecting with Krishna—not manipulating Him. When we pray with that mood, we don’t always get the result we expected, but we get a sense of Krishna’s presence. And that presence itself gives us relief.

Maharaj:
Exactly. Most of the time, the external problem doesn’t get “solved” in the way we imagined. But the real problem is often the condition of our heart.

When prayer purifies the heart, the problem is resolved at a deeper level. We often think the issue is out there, in the world—but often, it’s in here, within us.

Host:
That’s so true. And regarding extending the scope of scriptural prayers, sometimes when we study a verse, we may not relate directly to its literal meaning. But we can still find ourselves reflected in its broader spirit.

For example, when Queen Kunti says, “I cannot understand You,” that can certainly be interpreted philosophically as Krishna’s inconceivable nature. But at a more emotional level, it reflects our own confusion: What is Krishna doing in my life? Why is this happening? That emotional connection makes the verse meaningful.

Maharaj:
Yes, exactly. That’s the point I’m making in the book. If we analyze Kunti’s prayers, we see that before she asks Krishna for anything, she spends a long time expressing her understanding of Him.

Only at the very end does she offer a personal petition—for restoring her inner wholeness. But even that is framed within her understanding of Krishna’s nature.

This is important. If we immediately start asking someone for something without showing that we understand or appreciate them, even if the request is granted, the relationship doesn’t deepen.

But when we express our understanding first, it becomes a respectful and intimate exchange. That’s what prayer really is—a relationship.

And when someone feels understood, they are more likely to give—more likely to reciprocate. That’s true even in our human relationships.

So before asking, Queen Kunti expresses her understanding. That makes her prayer both legitimate and satisfying—not just for her, but for Krishna.

Host:
That’s such an important insight. Many scriptural prayers in the Bhagavatam follow this pattern: a long, heartfelt invocation before any request is made. As you explained, that invocation is not mere formality—it’s an expression of understanding and alignment.

Only then comes the petition: “Within Your purpose, my Lord, here is what I feel I need.” That transforms the prayer from a demand into a dialogue.

Maharaj:
Yes, and that’s what gives the prayer its beauty and its power—not just asking for something, but first expressing, “My Lord, I understand You. I trust You. I know who You are.”

Only then do we say, “Now, if You so desire…”

Host:
Yeah. So this would actually be a fascinating exercise—to look at many of the prayers in the Bhagavatam from that perspective.

My understanding is that before offering a petition, these prayers often begin by glorifying the Lord. It reminds me of that common saying: “Don’t tell God how big your problems are—tell your problems how big God is.”

So, many of the prayers that speak about God’s greatness are really a way of reminding ourselves that God is bigger than our problems—and that He has dealt with far greater issues before.

In that sense, these prayers are not just personal reminders, which we could easily do mentally; but by verbalizing them in a prayerful mood, we demonstrate that we understand who the Lord is and what His mission is.

Maharaj:
Yes, it’s very important to restore our proper perspective before we start praying. The natural human tendency is to see reality through a distorted lens—where things that emotionally agitate us seem exaggerated, and things that are actually important may seem trivial.

So before offering prayers, we need to correct our vision and bring reality into proper focus. That’s precisely what Queen Kunti does. Again and again, she reminds herself—and by extension, all of us—what the true perspective is: who we are and who the Lord is.

That is the essence of proper prayer: aligning our perception with reality.

Host:
That’s interesting—Prabhupada writes in Chapter 10 of the Bhagavad-gita that “intelligence means to see things in proper perspective.” And here you’re explaining how one of the purposes of prayer is also to restore proper perspective.

Later in that chapter, Krishna says: “dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yenamām upayānti te”—that when one serves with love, Krishna gives the intelligence to approach Him. So in a way, prayer helps us begin by remembering God is bigger than the world. And as we continue praying, that understanding becomes more deeply embedded within us.

Maharaj:
Exactly. Beautifully said.

Host:
Continuing on this theme, we often talk about scriptural prayers and personal prayers. Sometimes, the prayers we compose ourselves—based on our immediate situation—feel more spontaneous and emotionally real.

So, how important are scriptural prayers in our tradition? And how much room is there for personal prayers?

Maharaj:
Actually, all prayers must be personal. There’s no such thing as an impersonal prayer.

Even if we’re repeating a prayer composed by someone else, it must become our own prayer. If it doesn’t become personal—if it doesn’t connect to our heart—it’s not really a prayer. It’s just a parrot-like repetition of someone else’s words.

So yes, scriptural prayers are very valuable because they teach us how to pray. There’s a certain etiquette, a mood, a structure. I speak about this in my book as well.

But even then, we must try to connect with the emotional condition of the one who originally offered the prayer. At least we should attempt to cultivate similar emotions, even if they’re not fully developed within us yet.

And once we understand what it means to pray properly, we can compose our own prayers—spontaneously and sincerely. But again, both types must be personal. Impersonal prayers have no spiritual value.

Host:
That’s a powerful insight. “Personal” can refer to both the source of the prayer and the emotional investment in it. You’re emphasizing that emotional investment is non-negotiable.

We see this in Srila Prabhupada’s own life. When he arrived in America, he composed a deeply moving prayer aboard the Jaladuta. That prayer gives us a glimpse into his heart in a way that much of his formal writing doesn’t always show so vividly.

So while we have the Sanskrit scriptural prayers and the Bengali Vaishnava songs, Prabhupada’s English prayers also stand out because they feel more emotionally relatable.

Would you say that the more recent vernacular-language prayers are more relatable mainly because of the language, or is there something about the text itself?

Maharaj:
Yes, you’re absolutely right. The language and cultural context both make a difference.

Recent prayers, written in modern or vernacular languages, are usually easier to relate to. That’s understandable—they reflect our cultural environment, our emotional vocabulary.

But that’s also the job of the commentator—to remove the barriers between us and the scriptural prayers: language barriers, cultural barriers, emotional barriers. It’s not just about the prayers—even understanding sacred texts in general can be difficult due to these differences in time, culture, and worldview.

But a good commentator bridges that gap by helping us see how a text is still relevant.

Of course, the original Sanskrit texts are far more profound. They carry deep, multidimensional meanings. So although they’re harder to access, the reward of understanding them is also far greater.

That’s why Srila Prabhupada was so meticulous. He translated every single word and wrote extensive purports. He was trying to remove the barriers.

But often we’re just lazy—we say, “I can’t relate to this.” But the reality is, we haven’t labored enough to uncover the depths of these texts.

And as you know from your own study of the Bhagavad-gita, when we go back to these texts again and again, new insights emerge. We see things we didn’t see before. It’s like a miracle—something we thought we already understood suddenly reveals a new layer.

That’s the nature of scripture, especially Sanskrit scripture.

Vernacular languages like Bengali, Hindi, or English are much less profound—they often convey just one layer of meaning. But a single Sanskrit word can carry so many dimensions. That’s why the labor is harder, but the reward is deeper.

Host:
Thank you, Maharaj. Two of your points stand out. First, when we talk about expanding the ambit of scripture—making scriptural prayers personal—we can do so legitimately as long as we remain rooted in the mood of the original.

And second, it’s the role of commentators to help us overcome obstacles to personalizing these prayers. Srila Prabhupada removed many obstacles for his generation. But today, we may face new challenges in relating to scripture.

So it becomes our responsibility to understand what blocks us—or others—from developing a personal connection with scripture, and then work to remove those blocks.

Otherwise, scripture becomes like a museum artifact—something we admire from a distance but don’t experience as living and relevant.

Maharaj:
Exactly. That’s a great analogy. You go to a museum and see some ancient artifact in a glass case. It’s old, it’s valuable, but it’s dusty, lifeless—and it doesn’t touch your heart.

Unfortunately, some translations of scripture by so-called “academic scholars” feel exactly like that—something that has no connection to your life.

That’s why the job of a commentator is to bring life into the words of scripture—by showing their relevance.

And that’s not a one-time task. It has to be done again and again as time passes and cultures change.

Scriptures live only in a commentarial tradition. Without commentaries, they become lifeless. That’s why commentaries must continue to be written—to make the eternal truths of scripture relevant for the current audience.

Host:
That’s such a profound point. Just as the spiritual master lives on through their followers and their words, the scriptures live on through living commentarial traditions.

So maybe one last question, Maharaj. When we speak of relevance, how do we know whether we are genuinely drawing out something from scripture—or whether we are reading into it something that isn’t there?

For example, there was a commentator who tried to present the Gita as a book promoting nonviolence. Now while the Gita does touch on nonviolence, that’s clearly not its central theme.

So what guidelines can help us avoid reading our own ideas into scripture?

Maharaj:
For that—we must pray.

The human tendency is to read our own ideas into the text. As Srila Prabhupada warned, many people exploit Krishna’s words to support their personal agendas.

Why? Because they want their ideas to be seen as authoritative. And since Krishna is the highest authority, they try to use Him to validate their own thinking.

But Krishna is not here to be exploited. He is here to enlighten us.

That’s why Srila Prabhupada emphasized: Bhagavad-gita As It Is. He insisted on preserving the original intent with integrity.

So yes, we must be cautious, humble, and prayerful—because without sincerity and surrender, it’s very easy to distort scripture, even with good intentions.

I don’t want to show off my own erudition or scholarship. I don’t want to impose my own ideas onto the scriptures. That’s a matter of integrity.

And to maintain that integrity, again, we need to pray. That’s actually the meaning behind the title of the book—Prayers That Restore Integrity—because they help us realign ourselves with truth, rather than project our biases onto it.

Otherwise, yes, the temptation is always there—to insert our own ideas into scripture, to put our words into Krishna’s mouth. But I don’t think Krishna will be very pleased with that.

After all, Krishna enjoys the sweets cooked by Mother Yashoda—not thoughts and words cooked in our own minds!

Host:
(laughs) That’s a beautiful image! Thank you, Maharaj. So through prayer, we can learn how to pray—and also how not to pray.

Would you like to offer any concluding words—about your book or the broader topic of prayer?

This has been an incredibly illuminating discussion for me personally, and I’m sure it will be for all the viewers as well. I feel deeply inspired to read your book. We’ll include the book’s details and purchase link in the video description too.

Maharaj:
Thank you. As I mentioned, the book was originally written in Russian—Russian is my mother tongue. I’m much more comfortable writing and expressing myself in Russian.

This is the first time the book has been translated into English, so I’m kind of holding my breath. I don’t know how it will be received—but I hope readers will approach it kindly.

I’ve received some positive reviews so far, which is encouraging. But more than that, I wrote this book because I felt very deeply that this is an important topic to reflect upon and explore further.

Of course, any topic in the Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is profound. But meditating on the prayers of Queen Kunti—thinking about them deeply—definitely enhanced my own understanding.

It also gave me a lot of positive emotions while writing. And I sincerely hope that a reflection, even a small echo of those emotions, will reach the readers.

If someone finds faults in the book, I fully accept that. I’m just… doing my best.

Host:
Maharaj, you’re being very humble! You mentioned only a few positive reviews—but almost everyone in our movement who has read the book has given glowing praise, and those endorsements are right on the cover!

I’m confident this book will illuminate many devotees’ hearts and help them connect more personally with Krishna.

Usually, at the end of the podcast, I try to summarize our discussion. If it’s okay with you, I’d like to do that now in a few minutes—and then, if you’d like, you can share any closing reflections.

Maharaj:
Yes, of course. Please go ahead.

Host:
Thank you, Maharaj.

So today we explored the topic of prayer, particularly its connection to healing and wholeness.

We began by recognizing that we often feel fragmented—scattered by our various desires and disconnected from our spiritual center. Healing, in the deepest sense, is becoming whole again. When we are whole, our existence becomes wholesome.

In Russian, the words for “healing” and “wholeness” are more closely related, but even in English, the connection is there at the root level.

Now, when we speak of healing prayers, we’re not necessarily talking about miraculous physical cures. Instead, we’re referring to spiritual healing—restoring our connection with Krishna.

Of course, if someone is facing serious problems, it’s their dharma to address those practically—that’s not incompatible with spiritual life. As you noted, we should conclude our prayers, as Prabhupada advised, with “If You so desire, my Lord…” That mood of surrender is crucial.

Rather than categorizing prayers strictly as “material” or “spiritual,” we can understand that any prayer becomes spiritual when it is connected with Krishna in the right mood.

You mentioned how this book was born out of addressing devotees who were desolate, disturbed, and disoriented—and how, even though Queen Kunti is personally with Krishna, she still feels she can’t fully understand Him.

That feeling of incomprehension, even in the presence of the divine, is something all of us can relate to when life feels overwhelming or confusing.

Prayer, then, is not just about getting Krishna to act according to our desires—but also about understanding what He is doing and why.

You explained how Vedic prayers often begin with long introductions—glorifying the Lord—before any request is made. This reminds Krishna (and us) that we are praying with awareness of who He is, not simply demanding things like a list of errands.

Otherwise, prayer becomes transactional: “Give me this, give me that.” That kind of interaction doesn’t bring us closer to the Lord.

But when our prayer demonstrates understanding of Krishna’s nature and mission, then the act of praying itself draws us nearer to Him.

We also discussed how to make prayers personal. You emphasized that if there’s no emotional investment, it’s not a real prayer—it’s just parroting.

Helping others (and ourselves) invest emotionally in prayer is the role of a commentator. You said Srila Prabhupada did this beautifully for us—and now we must continue that work for others.

In that way, scripture becomes personal for us, and our connection deepens.

Finally, we discussed the fine line between reading from the scripture versus reading into it. You emphasized that we must approach scripture with integrity of intent—not trying to impose our own agendas, but rather trying to understand Krishna’s message.

You said, “To maintain that integrity, we must pray.” That really stayed with me.

And in that spirit, your book—which started as a Russian manuscript and is now available in English—is not just a scholarly work. It’s a spiritual journey.

I’m personally looking forward to reading it—and I hope we’ll have more interactions in the future. This has been an extremely stimulating and illuminating discussion.

Thank you so much for your time, Maharaj.

Would you like to share any final words?

Maharaj:
Thank you very much, Chaitanya Prabhu, for inviting me.

Yes, it’s always a joy to speak about Krishna consciousness—especially with devotees who are thoughtful and sincere.

I really appreciated your questions. They were deep and honest—not just formal or academic. That made the discussion very enlivening for me.

So I’m feeling joyful and grateful in my heart. Thank you again for having me on your podcast. Hare Krishna.

The post Bhakti Vijnana Maharaj Monks Podcast 209 – Healing prayers – Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

हरे कृष्णा।
आज हम भगवद्गीता के पाँचवें अध्याय पर चर्चा कर रहे हैं। अब तक की चर्चा को संक्षेप में देखें, तो भगवद्गीता की शुरुआत दूसरे अध्याय के सातवें श्लोक से होती है, जहाँ अर्जुन भगवान से एक मौलिक प्रश्न पूछते हैं — “मैं आपके शरणागत शिष्य के रूप में पूछ रहा हूँ, कृपया निश्चित रूप से बताइए कि मेरे लिए क्या श्रेयस्कर है?” और भगवान पूरे गीता में उसी प्रश्न का उत्तर विस्तार से देते हैं।

दूसरे अध्याय में भगवान विभिन्न दृष्टिकोणों से अर्जुन को कर्तव्य करने के लिए प्रेरित करते हैं, विशेष रूप से कर्मयोग के माध्यम से। तीसरे अध्याय में भगवान पुनः कर्मयोग की व्याख्या करते हैं — इस बार वे उसकी तुलना कर्मकांड से करते हैं, जहाँ व्यक्ति फल की आशा में यज्ञ करता है। लेकिन भगवान बताते हैं कि कर्मयोग उससे उच्चतर है, क्योंकि उसमें त्याग की भावना होती है।

चौथे अध्याय में, भगवान ज्ञान पर बल देते हैं — यह ज्ञान व्यक्ति को यह समझने में मदद करता है कि उसे कर्मयोग कैसे करना है। यानी “ज्ञान से कर्मयोग कैसे किया जाए।”
यहाँ हम एक उदाहरण से समझ सकते हैं — जैसे कोई दवाई हमें दी जाए। हम सबसे पहले उसका परिणाम देखना चाहते हैं: इससे बीमारी ठीक होगी या नहीं? फिर हम देखते हैं कि इसमें क्या-क्या सामग्री है। फिर, यदि हममें रुचि हो, तो यह भी देखते हैं कि किस कंपनी ने इसे बनाया है।
उसी तरह, भगवान भी कर्मयोग का विश्लेषण अलग-अलग दृष्टिकोण से करते हैं:

1. तीसरे अध्याय में – कर्मयोग का परिणाम (किया जाए या न किया जाए तो क्या होगा),
2. चौथे अध्याय में – कर्मयोग का ज्ञान (कैसे करना है),
3. और पाँचवें अध्याय में – कर्मयोग की चेतना (किस भावना से करना है)।

अब प्रश्न आता है — भगवान बार-बार एक ही बात क्यों कह रहे हैं?

इसका उत्तर अर्जुन के प्रश्न में छिपा है। पाँचवें अध्याय की शुरुआत अर्जुन के इस श्लोक से होती है:
“संन्यासं कर्मणां कृष्ण पुनर्योगं च शंससि।
यत् श्रेय एतयोरेकं तन्मे ब्रूहि सुनिश्चितम्।।”
(हे कृष्ण! आप कभी कर्म का त्याग बताते हैं, कभी कर्मयोग की महिमा गाते हैं — कृपया सुनिश्चित रूप से बताइए कि इन दोनों में से कौन-सा मेरे लिए श्रेयस्कर है?)

अर्जुन जानते हैं कि दोनों रास्ते अच्छे हैं — कर्मयोग भी और कर्मसंन्यास भी। लेकिन वे पूछते हैं कि इन दोनों में से बेहतर क्या है? यह प्रश्न उनकी परिपक्वता दर्शाता है। सामान्य व्यक्ति को पहले यह समझाना पड़ता है कि कुछ चीज़ें प्रेयस (तात्कालिक सुखद) हैं और कुछ श्रेयस (दीर्घकालिक कल्याणकारी)। लेकिन अर्जुन इस स्तर से आगे बढ़ चुके हैं — वे यह नहीं पूछ रहे कि क्या सुखद है, बल्कि पूछ रहे हैं कि इन दो शुभ मार्गों में से श्रेष्ठ कौन-सा है?

यह ठीक वैसा ही है जैसे कोई व्यक्ति यह नहीं पूछता कि “मैं पैसा खर्च करूं या सेविंग करूं?” बल्कि पूछ रहा हो: “सेविंग करूं तो किस योजना में करूं — FD में या mutual fund में?” — यानी वह जानता है कि सेविंग आवश्यक है, लेकिन बेहतर विकल्प जानना चाहता है।

तो भगवान अर्जुन के इसी गहन प्रश्न का उत्तर पाँचवें अध्याय में देते हैं — लेकिन केवल एक उत्तर देकर नहीं, बल्कि विभिन्न दृष्टिकोणों से। क्योंकि यदि कोई उत्तर पहली बार समझ में न आए, तो उसी बात को नए दृष्टिकोण से कहने पर वह समझ में आ सकती है।

भगवान वही बात अलग-अलग कोण से कहते हैं:

• कभी परिणाम के आधार पर (Third chapter),
• कभी ज्ञान के आधार पर (Fourth chapter),
• और कभी इंटेंट और चेतना के आधार पर (Fifth chapter)।

भगवान ने अर्जुन को ज्ञान की “तलवार” से युद्ध करने के लिए कहा — यह प्रतीकात्मक भाषा है। सवाल आता है — क्या अर्जुन को सच में शस्त्र उठाकर युद्ध करना है या केवल आत्मज्ञान के स्तर पर युद्ध करना है?

चौथे अध्याय में भगवान युद्ध का कोई प्रत्यक्ष उल्लेख नहीं करते। वास्तव में, भगवद्गीता में युद्ध का उल्लेख बहुत कम है — जबकि गीता रणभूमि में कही गई थी! 8.7 में और 18.17 जैसे कुछ श्लोकों में ही युद्ध का स्पष्ट उल्लेख आता है। इसका कारण है — भगवान मुख्य रूप से आंतरिक युद्ध पर ध्यान केंद्रित कर रहे हैं, जहाँ व्यक्ति को अपने संशयों, अज्ञान और वासनाओं से लड़ना है।

भगवान अर्जुन को कर्म करने की प्रेरणा दे रहे हैं — पर वह कर्म केवल बाहरी नहीं है, वह आंतरिक भी है।
इसलिए पाँचवां अध्याय इस बात को और स्पष्ट करता है कि सच्चा त्याग कर्म से नहीं, भावना से होता है। भगवान कहते हैं कि जो व्यक्ति फल की आसक्ति त्यागकर कर्म करता है, वही सच्चा संन्यासी है — और यही कर्मयोगी भी है।

जो पहले सुना है, वह अकसर भूल जाते हैं।
अगर हम किसी देश के बारे में अभी कोई बुरी खबर सुन लें, तो हम यह भूल जाते हैं कि उस देश ने पहले कितने अच्छे काम भी किए होंगे। वही मानसिकता अर्जुन के साथ हो रही है। गीता का ज्ञान गहरा और जटिल है। अर्जुन ने बहुत कुछ सुना, लेकिन जो हाल में सुना है, वही उनके मन पर प्रभाव डाल रहा है।

उन्हें याद है कि भगवान ने पहले कर्मसंन्यास की प्रशंसा की, लेकिन फिर भगवान ने कर्मयोग को करने के लिए प्रेरित किया। तो अर्जुन भ्रमित हो गए — “आप वास्तव में चाहते क्या हैं? मैं त्याग करूं या कर्म करूं?”

भगवान उत्तर देते हैं:
“सन्न्यासः कर्मयोगश्च निःश्रेयसकरावुभौ।
तयोस्तु कर्मसन्न्यासात् कर्मयोगो विशिष्यते।।”
(दोनों ही मार्ग कल्याणकारी हैं, लेकिन उनमें कर्मयोग श्रेष्ठ है।)

अब पाँचवें अध्याय की बात करें — इसमें कुल 29 श्लोक हैं। यह गीता के छोटे अध्यायों में से एक है। इस अध्याय में कई ऐसे श्लोक हैं जिन्हें हम अक्सर उद्धृत करते हैं — जैसे:

• “ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः”,
• “युक्तः कर्मफलं त्यक्त्वा शान्तिमाप्नोति नैष्ठिकीम्”,
• “पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा”,
• “भोक्‍ता‍रं यज्ञतपसां” आदि।

इस अध्याय की सबसे महत्वपूर्ण बात है — “बन्धन और मुक्ति” का निर्धारण हमारी बाहरी क्रिया से नहीं, हमारी आंतरिक चेतना से होता है।

भगवान पहले बता चुके हैं कि हम कर्म करने से बच नहीं सकते। “Do nothing” का अर्थ यह नहीं है कि हम TV देखें, games खेलें या gossip करें — यह तो भी एक तरह का activity ही है। “कर्म न करने का प्रयास भी एक कर्म ही है।”
हमारी इंद्रियाँ हमेशा क्रियाशील रहती हैं — उन्हें निष्क्रिय बनाना संभव नहीं।

भगवान कहते हैं —
“ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः।”
(जो व्यक्ति अपने कर्मों को ब्रह्म में समर्पित करके, आसक्ति को त्यागकर कार्य करता है…)

इसका अर्थ यह है कि — शरीर की इंद्रियाँ स्वभाव से क्रियाशील हैं, वे अपने विषयों से संपर्क करेंगी, परंतु यदि हमारी चेतना भोग की भावना से रहित है, तो वह कर्म बन्धन नहीं उत्पन्न करता।

इंद्रिय-विषय यानी “sense-objects” — यह शब्द अपने-आप में नकारात्मक नहीं है। यह केवल दर्शाता है कि इंद्रियाँ किससे संपर्क करती हैं:

• आँखें — रूप से,
• कान — ध्वनि से,
• जीभ — स्वाद से।

अब स्वाद अच्छा हो सकता है, बुरा हो सकता है, या तटस्थ भी हो सकता है (जैसे वाहन का हॉर्न — न अच्छा, न बुरा, बस जानकारी देता है)।
तो हमें इंद्रियों से भागना नहीं है, बल्कि इंद्रियों का उपयोग नियत उद्देश्य से करना है।

जैसे कोई वाहन चला रहा है, तो वह आँखें बंद करके नहीं चला सकता। उसे इंद्रियों का उपयोग करना ही पड़ेगा, परंतु “भोग” के लिए नहीं, “कर्तव्य” के लिए।

भगवान यही कहते हैं —
अगर इंद्रियाँ उनके स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करें और मनुष्य उनसे आसक्त न हो, तो वह कर्म में रहते हुए भी मुक्त रह सकता है।

यही सच्चा कर्मयोगी होता है — जो कर्म करते हुए भी उसमें बंधता नहीं है, क्योंकि वह कर्म भगवदर्पण बुद्ध्या करता है।

इस अध्याय में आगे भगवान बताएंगे कि ऐसा कर्मयोगी कैसा होता है:

• वह शांत रहता है,
• सभी प्राणियों को समभाव से देखता है,
• और आत्म-साक्षात्कार के माध्यम से पूर्ण शांति को प्राप्त करता है।

इसलिए, पाँचवां अध्याय हमें यही सिखाता है —
“मुक्ति क्रिया से नहीं, चेतना से आती है।”
कर्तव्य करें, पर आसक्ति से मुक्त होकर करें — यही जीवन में संतुलन का मार्ग है।

Non-intrusive जांच और कार्य में भोग की भावना का अभाव:

आजकल हवाई अड्डों पर सुरक्षा जांच करते समय अधिकारी शरीर का निरीक्षण करते हैं, पर एक खास मर्यादा के साथ।
Non-intrusive का अर्थ है — ऐसा स्पर्श जिसमें व्यक्ति की गोपनीयता का सम्मान बना रहे।
इसलिए अमेरिका में सुरक्षा अधिकारी जब शरीर को जांचते हैं तो हाथ की पीछली तरफ (back side of the hand) से स्पर्श करते हैं — यह स्पष्ट संकेत है कि यह स्पर्श भोग के लिए नहीं, कर्तव्य के लिए है। इसे हम कह सकते हैं:
“Functional, not sensual.”

इसी तरह, गीता में भगवान कहते हैं कि जब हमारी इंद्रियाँ इंद्रिय-विषयों से संपर्क करें, तो उसमें भोग की भावना न हो, केवल कर्तव्य की भावना हो।
जैसे कोई डॉक्टर मरीज़ का परीक्षण करता है — वह स्पर्श है, पर उसमें कोई इंद्रिय-तृप्ति की भावना नहीं होती।
कर्म का मूल्य उस कर्म के पीछे की चेतना से तय होता है।

भगवान कहते हैं:

“ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः…”
(जो व्यक्ति अपने कर्मों को ब्रह्म में समर्पित करके, आसक्ति रहित होकर कार्य करता है…)

तो कार्य होते हुए भी यदि चेतना भोग से रहित है — वह कर्म बंधन नहीं बनता।

पद्मपत्र पर जल की तरह…

भगवान यह स्थिति एक सुंदर उपमा से समझाते हैं:

“पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा”
जैसे कमल-पत्र पर जल टिकता नहीं है, वैसे ही योगी भौतिक वस्तुओं के संपर्क में तो रहता है, पर उनमें आसक्त नहीं होता।

जैसे अर्जुन युद्ध कर रहे हैं, पर उनका उद्देश्य न बदला लेना है, न घृणा करना है, बल्कि समाज की रक्षा के लिए अपने क्षत्रिय-कर्तव्य का पालन करना है।

शांति का रहस्य:

भगवान इस अध्याय में “शांति” शब्द बार-बार दोहराते हैं। क्यों?
क्योंकि अर्जुन का युद्ध बाहर नहीं, भीतर चल रहा है।
बाहर का युद्ध तो तय था — कौरवों से — पर जब अर्जुन ने अपने स्वजनों को देखा, तो उनके मन में द्वंद्व उत्पन्न हो गया।

भगवान समझाते हैं — यदि तुम इस ज्ञान और चेतना से कर्म करोगे, तो जो भीतर का अशांत युद्ध है, वह शांत हो जाएगा।

“युक्तः कर्मफलं त्यक्त्वा शान्तिमाप्नोति नैष्ठिकीम्”
(जो युक्त है — जो योग में स्थित होकर फल की आसक्ति त्याग देता है — वही निश्चल शांति प्राप्त करता है।)

बाहरी यात्रा और अंदरूनी यात्रा:

बाहरी कार्य भले संसार में हो, पर यदि उद्देश्य आत्म-शुद्धि है, तो वह हमें भगवान के और करीब ले जाता है।

जैसे कोई गृहस्थ परिवार की सेवा के लिए नौकरी करता है — वह बाहर तो घर से दूर जाता है, पर वास्तव में अपने परिजनों के लिए ही जाता है। ऐसे ही जब हम भक्ति के उद्देश्य से कार्य करते हैं, तो बाहर संसार में रहकर भी हम भगवान के करीब जाते हैं।

उदाहरण:
हनुमान जी राम के संदेश के लिए लंका गए। भले वह भौगोलिक रूप से राम से दूर गए, पर अपने सेवाभाव से वह राम के और करीब आ गए।
प्रभुपाद जी वृंदावन से अमेरिका गए, पर वहां जाकर उन्होंने संसार भर में हजारों लोगों को वृंदावन से जोड़ा।

तो दिशा नहीं, चेतना निर्णायक है।

कर्म के तीन कारक – जीव, जगत, जगदीश:

भगवान आगे बताते हैं कि कोई भी कार्य तीन तत्त्वों से पूर्ण होता है:

1. जीव – अर्थात हमारी स्वतंत्र इच्छा (free will)
2. जगत / प्रकृति – परिस्थिति, संसाधन, शरीर आदि
3. जगदीश / ईश्वर – परमेश्वर की अनुमति और संकल्प

उदाहरण:
एक चोर चोरी करता है – यह उसकी स्वतंत्र इच्छा है।
पुलिस उसे पकड़ती है – यह जगत की व्यवस्था है।
जज उसे सज़ा सुनाता है – यह जगदीश की स्वीकृति है।

तीनों कारक मिलकर ही सज़ा (या फल) मिलती है।
यदि केवल चोर है, पर पुलिस नहीं पकड़ती, या जज सज़ा नहीं सुनाता, तो वह जेल नहीं जाता।
इसलिए भगवान कहते हैं —
कोई भी कर्म फल तभी देता है जब तीनों कारक सक्रिय हों।

अंत में एक प्रश्न:
कभी लोग पूछते हैं — यदि कोई आत्महत्या करना चाहता है, तो हर कोई कर क्यों नहीं पाता?
कई बार प्रयास करने के बावजूद व्यक्ति बच जाता है।

क्यों?
क्योंकि केवल व्यक्ति की इच्छा पर्याप्त नहीं —
यदि जगत की परिस्थिति और ईश्वर की अनुमति न हो, तो वह कार्य सिद्ध नहीं होता।

क्या जो हुआ वही उचित था? — नियति, इच्छा और जिम्मेदारी

कभी लोग पूछते हैं –
“अगर कोई कार्य हो गया और वह सफल हो गया, तो क्या इसका अर्थ यह है कि वह कार्य नियति के अनुसार ही होना था? और यदि नियति के अनुसार हुआ था, तो फिर उसे पाप क्यों माना जाए?”

यह प्रश्न गूढ़ है, लेकिन समझने योग्य है।
हां, कुछ बातें नियति से घट सकती हैं।
लेकिन जो हुआ, वह नियति से हुआ — इसका अर्थ यह नहीं कि वही करना हमारे लिए धर्म-सम्मत था।

यह विचार थोड़ा जटिल लग सकता है, पर एक उदाहरण से यह स्पष्ट हो सकता है:

महाभारत में अठारहवीं रात, जब युद्ध समाप्त हो गया था और पांडवों का शिविर विश्राम कर रहा था,
अश्वत्थामा चोरी से शिविर में घुसकर सभी को नींद में मार डालता है।
उसे लगता है कि उसने पांडवों को मार डाला, जबकि वास्तव में उसने उनके पुत्रों और बाकी सैनिकों की हत्या की।

लेकिन इस भयावह कर्म से पहले ही अश्वत्थामा को एक विचित्र, भयानक रूप दिखाई देता है —
जिसे वह पहचान नहीं पाता और तीर चलाने लगता है, पर उस पर कोई असर नहीं होता।
वह जान जाता है कि यह शिवजी का रूप है।
वह उनके चरणों में गिरकर कहता है,
“मैं जो करने जा रहा हूं, वह बहुत पाप है — मुझे क्षमा करें।”

शिव जी स्पष्ट करते हैं — यह विचार ही पापपूर्ण है,
“शत्रु को भी नींद में मारना अधर्म है।”

अश्वत्थामा जवाब देता है:
“जब अर्जुन और अन्य पांडवों ने मेरे पिता द्रोणाचार्य को ध्यान की अवस्था में मार दिया,
तो मैं क्यों न वैसा ही करूं?”

पर यह तथ्यात्मक रूप से गलत था।
द्रोणाचार्य को मारने की कोई सामूहिक साज़िश नहीं थी।
केवल धृष्टद्युम्न ने उन्हें मारा था, और अर्जुन सहित कई योद्धा उस पर क्रोधित भी हुए थे।
अतः अश्वत्थामा की यह सोच दुष्प्रेरित और झूठी धारणा पर आधारित थी।

उसका इरादा बदले का था – और वह भी अंधा बदला।

जब वह शिवजी से शक्ति पाता है और उसे तलवार मिलती है,
तो उसे लगता है — “अब मेरे पास शक्ति है, इसका अर्थ है मैं सही हूं।”

यह वही अहंभाव है जैसे “I have the power” वाले कॉमिक्स में दिखाया जाता है।
परन्तु “शक्ति होना” और “धर्मसंगत होना” एक ही बात नहीं हैं।

क्या शक्ति मिलना प्रमाण है कि कार्य सही है?

मान लीजिए कोई लड़का गुस्से में है, और किसी आतंकवादी संगठन से उसे बंदूक मिल जाती है।
तो क्या केवल इस शक्ति को प्राप्त कर लेना उसे सही कर देता है? नहीं।

Success ≠ Righteousness

एक कार्य सफल हो गया — इसका यह अर्थ नहीं कि वह धर्मसम्मत भी था।

उदाहरणस्वरूप, अश्वत्थामा को तलवार मिल गई, उसने सबको मार डाला —
पर उसका मूल इरादा क्या था?
व्यक्तिगत क्रोध और बदला।
और इसी कारण उसे पाप का कठोर फल भोगना पड़ा।

कार्य की सफलता किन पर निर्भर है?

शास्त्र बताते हैं कि कोई भी कार्य तभी सिद्ध होता है जब तीन चीज़ें साथ आती हैं:

1. जीव की इच्छा (Free Will)
2. प्रकृति की सुविधा (Means & Circumstances)
3. ईश्वर की अनुमति (Sanction by the Lord)

उदाहरण के लिए:
एक व्यक्ति आत्महत्या करना चाहता है।
कभी वह सफल होता है, कभी कोई आ जाता है और वह बच जाता है।
तो इच्छा थी, पर शायद ईश्वर की अनुमति नहीं थी, या प्रकृति ने साथ नहीं दिया।

तो जब कोई कार्य सिद्ध होता है — वह इन तीनों के समन्वय से होता है।

किंतु आरंभ कहां से होता है?

सबसे पहले जीव की इच्छा से।
यही आधार है – उसी के अनुसार ईश्वर अनुमति देते हैं और प्रकृति साधन देती है।

परन्तु — केवल सफलता से यह नहीं सिद्ध होता कि कार्य धर्मसंगत था।
क्योंकि नियति का एक पक्ष समय और परिस्थिति से जुड़ा होता है,
पर धर्म का निर्धारण होता है चेतना और उद्देश्य से।

जीव, ईश्वर और प्रकृति – गीता का दृष्टिकोण:

गीता के अनुसार:

• जीव चाहता है
• ईश्वर अनुमति देते हैं
• प्रकृति उस इच्छा को साकार करती है

मान लीजिए आत्मा एक ड्राइवर है और शरीर एक गाड़ी है —
अब बैलगाड़ी की सीमाएँ अलग होती हैं, हवाई जहाज़ की अलग।
ड्राइवर दोनों को हवाई जहाज़ की तरह नहीं चला सकता।
पर ड्राइवर तय करता है कि गाड़ी को कहाँ ले जाना है।

इसी तरह — हम शरीर और प्रकृति की सीमाओं के भीतर रहकर
अपनी इच्छा, चेतना, और उद्देश्य के अनुसार गति की दिशा तय करते हैं।

भगवान कहते हैं – “नवद्वारे पुरे देही न कर्वं न कारयन्।”

इस शरीर को एक नगर के समान समझो। जैसे किसी शहर में बहुत कुछ घटता है – लोग आते हैं, जाते हैं, कुछ काम होता है, कुछ नहीं होता – वैसे ही इस शरीर में भी अनेक क्रियाएँ होती हैं। लेकिन जैसे हम शहर में आने-जाने वाले हर व्यक्ति से न तो मिलते हैं और न ही उनके जाने पर दुखी होते हैं, वैसे ही इंद्रियों के माध्यम से आने वाली सभी जानकारी या अनुभवों को हमें भोग की दृष्टि से नहीं देखना चाहिए।

जब कोई अनुभव आता है, हमें देखना चाहिए – क्या यह अनुभव मुझे सेवा के लिए प्रेरित कर रहा है? क्या इससे मेरा शुद्धिकरण हो रहा है? यदि हम ऐसा दृष्टिकोण अपनाते हैं, तो प्रकृति अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करेगी, लेकिन हम उस कार्य से बंधेंगे नहीं। इस संपूर्ण प्रक्रिया में सबसे महत्वपूर्ण तत्व है – “हमारी इच्छा।” हमारी इच्छा हमारे नियंत्रण में है; भगवान की स्वीकृति और प्रकृति की व्यवस्था हमारे नियंत्रण में नहीं हैं।

इसी आधार पर भगवान आगे बताते हैं – जब कोई यह समझता है कि शरीर और आत्मा अलग हैं, और कार्य के फल से आसक्त हुए बिना सेवा भावना से कार्य करता है, तब वह विद्या-विनय-सम्पन्न श्लोक की भावना को प्राप्त करता है – सबको समभाव से देखता है। यह दृष्टिकोण liberation (मुक्ति) की दृष्टि है।

यह विभाग (17–26) दो हिस्सों में बँटा है:

• 17–19: व्यक्ति की चरम (peak) चेतना कैसी होनी चाहिए – परम सत्य पर केंद्रित, सबमें आत्मा का दर्शन।
• 20–26: इस चेतना तक पहुँचने की प्रक्रिया – सुख-दुख में समभाव, इच्छाओं को सहना, अंतःमुख होना और अंत में ब्रह्मनिर्वाण की प्राप्ति।

फिर भगवान कहते हैं – जो इस चेतना में स्थिर हो जाता है, वह सबके लिए कल्याणकारी बन जाता है और भगवत्प्राप्ति की दिशा में आगे बढ़ता है। और पाँचवें अध्याय के अंतिम श्लोकों (27–29) में भगवान छठे अध्याय का पूर्वावलोकन (preview) देते हैं – कि कैसे कर्मयोगी आगे चलकर ध्यानयोग या भक्तियोग की ओर बढ़ सकता है।

पाँचवा अध्याय अब तक के अध्यायों में सबसे “गंभीर तत्वज्ञान” वाला अध्याय है। जहाँ पहले अध्यायों में कर्म और ज्ञान का सामान्य विवेचन हुआ, वहीं यहाँ पर भगवान कार्य के कारणों (causality/etiology) और कर्म के पीछे के तत्वों – जीव, ईश्वर और प्रकृति – के समन्वय की विस्तृत विवेचना करते हैं।

इस अध्याय का सार इस प्रकार है:

1. कर्मयोग, संन्यास से श्रेष्ठ क्यों है? – क्योंकि कर्मयोगी भीतर से अनासक्त रहते हुए बाहर से कर्म करता है और यह अनासक्ति व्यक्ति को मुक्ति की ओर ले जाती है।
2. कर्म के पीछे की संरचना (causality): कोई भी कार्य तभी सफल होता है जब जीव इच्छा करता है, ईश्वर अनुमोदन करते हैं और प्रकृति उसे कार्यरूप में परिणत करती है।
3. व्यक्ति के नियंत्रण में क्या है? – केवल अपनी इच्छा। बाकी दो (ईश्वर की अनुमति और प्रकृति की क्रिया) व्यक्ति के बस में नहीं हैं।
4. ज्ञान और समदृष्टि का योग: जब व्यक्ति इस तत्वज्ञान को आत्मसात करता है, तो सबमें आत्मा का दर्शन करता है और उसकी चेतना परमात्मा की ओर उन्मुख होती है।
5. कर्मयोग का परिपाक: अंततः कर्मयोग व्यक्ति को ध्यानयोग या भक्तियोग की ओर अग्रसर करता है।

यह अध्याय जीवन के बाहरी कर्म और आंतरिक चेतना के बीच संतुलन का बेजोड़ उदाहरण प्रस्तुत करता है – जैसे हनुमान जी राम के लिए लंका गए थे, राम से दूर होते हुए भी राम के और निकट हो गए। वैसे ही जब चेतना शुद्ध होती है, तो व्यक्ति जगत में रहते हुए भी भगवान के और पास पहुँचता है।

“क्षेत्र” का अर्थ है कार्य करने की या प्रभाव डालने की सीमा — यानी area of influence।
कुछ लोगों का क्षेत्र छोटा होता है — जैसे मुझे गुस्सा आए, तो शायद मैं केवल कुछ कठोर शब्द बोल दूं।
किसी पुलिस अधिकारी को गुस्सा आए तो शायद वह किसी पर लाठी चला दे।
किसी सैनिक को गुस्सा आए तो वह गोली चला सकता है।
और अगर किसी देश के राष्ट्रपति को गुस्सा आए — जैसे अमेरिका या रूस के — तो शायद वह परमाणु बटन दबा दे, जिससे लाखों लोगों की मृत्यु हो सकती है।

तो गुस्सा सबको आता है, पर उसके परिणाम क्षेत्र की सीमा पर निर्भर करते हैं।

जिसका influence बड़ा है, उसके कर्मों का प्रभाव भी उतना ही बड़ा होगा। और लोगों को यह बड़ा क्षेत्र क्यों मिला है? — उनके पूर्वकर्मों के कारण।
यदि कोई राजा, लखपति, या राष्ट्रपति बना है, तो यह उसके पिछले पुण्य कर्मों का फल है। परंतु उस शक्ति का प्रयोग वह कैसे करता है — यह उसकी वर्तमान स्वतंत्र इच्छा (free will) पर निर्भर है।

भगवान क्षेत्र देते हैं, पर उसमें हस्तक्षेप नहीं करते।
जैसे कोई व्यक्ति मेहनत से पैसा कमाता है — अब वह उस पैसे से शराब पिए या बचत करे, यह उसका व्यक्तिगत निर्णय है। सरकार उसमें हस्तक्षेप नहीं करती।
वैसे ही यदि किसी ने पूर्वकर्मों से एक बड़ा क्षेत्र पाया है और वह उस क्षेत्र में दुरुपयोग करता है, तो भगवान उसे रोकते नहीं हैं — क्योंकि भगवान ने हर जीव को स्वतंत्र इच्छा दी है।

पर इसका यह अर्थ नहीं है कि उसे कर्मफल नहीं मिलेगा।
कर्म का फल मिलेगा, पर वह तुरंत नहीं आ सकता। जैसे कोई बैंक अकाउंट में बहुत पैसा रखता है — वह अय्याशी करता है, फिर भी कुछ समय तक उसका प्रभाव नहीं दिखता।
पर वही व्यक्ति जिसका अकाउंट खाली है, वह छोटी-सी गड़बड़ी से तुरंत कंगाल हो सकता है।
तो कभी-कभी पूर्वकर्म हमारे वर्तमान दुष्कर्मों के फल को टाल देते हैं, लेकिन टालते हैं, मिटाते नहीं।

जैसे कोई दसवीं मंज़िल से कूदे तो कुछ ही सेकंड में नीचे गिर जाएगा। लेकिन कोई हवाई जहाज़ से कूदे, तो गिरने में ज़्यादा समय लगेगा।
हो सकता है गिरते समय उसे हवा भी अच्छी लगे, पर अंत निश्चित है — गिरना और टूटना।

तो इससे क्या समझ आता है?

God’s sanction ≠ God’s intention.

भगवान की अनुमति और भगवान की इच्छा में अंतर है।
भगवान कभी यह इच्छा नहीं रखते कि कोई आतंकवादी आकर निर्दोष लोगों को मार डाले।
लेकिन अगर वह व्यक्ति ऐसा करना चाहता है, और उसे वैसा करने की क्षमता मिली है, तो भगवान उसकी स्वतंत्रता का उल्लंघन नहीं करते।

कुछ लोग कहते हैं, “सब भगवान की इच्छा से होता है।”
पर यह शास्त्रसम्मत नहीं है। ऐसा कोई श्लोक नहीं है जो कहे कि हर कार्य भगवान की इच्छा से होता है।
हाँ, भगवान सर्वोच्च नियंत्रक (supreme controller) हैं, पर वे अकेले नियंत्रक (sole controller) नहीं हैं।
जीव, ईश्वर और प्रकृति — ये तीनों मिलकर इस जगत को संचालित करते हैं।
भगवद-गीता (13.23) में भगवान कहते हैं:

“उपद्रष्टा अनुमन्ता च भर्ता भोक्ता महेश्वरः…”
— मैं सब देखता हूं, अनुमति देता हूं, लेकिन कर्म में बंधता नहीं हूं।

भगवद-गीता 9.6 में भगवान कहते हैं:

“यथा आकाशस्थितो नित्यं वायुः सर्वत्रगो महान्।”
— जैसे वायु आकाश में विचरण करती है पर आकाश उसे रोकता नहीं, वैसे ही आत्मा इस शरीर रूपी क्षेत्र में विचरण करती है।

तो जैसे आकाश वायु को अनुमति देता है लेकिन उसे दिशा नहीं देता, वैसे ही भगवान sanction तो करते हैं, पर हर क्रिया की intention उनकी नहीं होती।

अतः जब कहा जाता है — “Not a blade of grass moves without God’s will” — तो उसमें “will” को समझना ज़रूरी है:
वह “will” sanction है, intention नहीं।

प्रैक्टिकल निष्कर्ष:
हमें सत्संग में आते रहना चाहिए, जैसे आप आ रहे हैं। भक्तों से जुड़िए, मार्गदर्शन लीजिए। जब हम स्वयं में गिरावट अनुभव करते हैं, तब भी resilient रहिए — यानी, गिरें लेकिन उठें भी।
कभी हम consistent नहीं रह पाते — यानी लगातार उच्च भाव में नहीं रह पाते — तब भी persistent बने रहिए।
शुद्ध भावना से सेवा की इच्छा ही हमारी सबसे बड़ी संपत्ति है — और भगवान उसी को देखते हैं।

तो जब भी हम गिरें, तुरंत रुकें और स्वयं को बदलने का प्रयास करें।
Resilience का अर्थ है — हम गिरेंगे, लेकिन तुरंत उठेंगे।
और जब हम यह अभ्यास करते रहेंगे, तो धीरे-धीरे हम समझ जाएंगे कि किस परिस्थिति में हम बार-बार गिरते हैं।
तब हम अधिक सजग और सावधान रहकर उस परिस्थिति में गिरने से बच सकते हैं।

कभी-कभी ऐसा भी होता है कि समस्या क्यों आ रही है — यह समझना कठिन होता है।
जैसे समुद्र में लहरें क्यों आती हैं? यह हम नहीं जान सकते।
लहरें आना तो सामान्य है, पर कभी-कभी कोई लहर इतनी बड़ी होती है कि वह किसी को बहाकर ले जा सकती है।

तो हम क्या करें?
हम लहरों को रोक नहीं सकते, लेकिन हम लंगर (anchor) से खुद को बाँध सकते हैं।
अगर समुद्र में कोई मज़बूत लंगर है और हम उसे पकड़ना सीख लें, तो चाहे कितनी भी बड़ी लहर आए, वह हमें डगमगाएगी ज़रूर, पर बहुत दूर नहीं बहा पाएगी।

इसलिए चिंता मत करो अगर कभी-कभी कुछ गलत हो जाए।
प्रश्न यह नहीं है कि हम गिरे या नहीं।
प्रश्न यह है कि गिरने के बाद हम क्या करते हैं?

हम माया को नहीं पकड़ सकते — वास्तव में माया ही हमें पकड़ती है।
माया को रोकना कठिन है, लेकिन भगवान को पकड़ना संभव है।
क्रोध आएगा, लोभ आएगा, ईर्ष्या भी आएगी — और कभी-कभी हम उनसे प्रभावित होकर कुछ गलत कर भी देंगे।
लेकिन अगर हम भगवान को थामे रहें, तो वह प्रभाव सीमित रहेगा।

If we hold on to Krishna long enough, nothing else can hold on to us for that long.
— यदि हम कृष्ण को पर्याप्त समय तक थामे रखें, तो कोई भी चीज़ हमें उतने समय तक थाम नहीं सकती।

क्योंकि हमारा कृष्ण के साथ का संबंध शाश्वत है, अनित्य चीज़ें केवल थोड़े समय तक ही हमें प्रभावित कर सकती हैं।

और यही सबसे महत्वपूर्ण है।

(थोड़ी देर हो गई है, लेकिन यह बात मन से मन तक की थी।
अब हम यहीं इस कक्षा को विराम देते हैं।)

श्रीमद् भगवद-गीता की जय!
श्रील प्रभुपाद की जय!
सभी भक्तवृन्द की जय!

The post Hindi – Chapter 5 Bhagavad Gita And Decision Making Bhagavad Gita Overview Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Question: In our Gaudiya tradition, is perfection attained by Sadhana Siddhi or Kripa Siddhi?

When it comes to technical questions like this, opinions often become strongly polarized, depending on which particular scriptural references are prioritized by which devotees. Broadly speaking, if a system of classification has not been repeatedly emphasized by our Acharyas, then—according to my understanding—we should avoid becoming too fixated on it. Especially, we should not make such classifications central to either our philosophy or our practice.

If we examine the broader body of writings by Srila Prabhupada, Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, or Bhaktivinoda Thakur, this particular categorization (Sadhana Siddhi vs. Kripa Siddhi) is not a major theme in their teachings.

That said, we can analyze this topic from four perspectives:

1. As involving two different processes,
2. As referring to two different sets of individuals,
3. As reflecting two different emphases, and
4. As corresponding to two different stages of spiritual growth.

Let me explain these one by one.

1. Two Different Processes?

Are Sadhana Siddhi and Kripa Siddhi referring to two entirely different processes? I don’t think that is stated anywhere in our tradition. It’s not that if you follow a particular guru or chant a certain mantra or perform a specific puja, then you’re on the path of Sadhana Siddhi, whereas another practice would put you on the path of Kripa Siddhi.

2. Two Different Categories of Individuals?

Do these terms refer to two different kinds of people—some who attain perfection through sadhana and others purely through mercy? That seems more plausible and does align with some scriptural references. However, there is no clear description suggesting that one can shift from one category to the other.

If this classification is meant to describe people who are already liberated, then it serves more as historical information for us and carries little practical relevance. Moreover, this view raises philosophical questions: Is God partial in bestowing mercy on some without any effort on their part, while requiring great endeavor from others? And are those who receive mercy without effort completely devoid of any personal initiative?

We might consider Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, such as with Jagai and Madhai. One could argue they received mercy without effort. Yet, they engaged in sincere endeavor after receiving that mercy, demonstrating their gratitude. This suggests that effort and mercy are interconnected rather than mutually exclusive.

3. Two Different Emphases?

Rather than seeing Siddhi as some mystical state, we can understand it as the culmination of a pure and deep relationship with Krishna. All of us have an eternal relationship with Him, and perfection lies in restoring that relationship. As with any genuine relationship, reciprocity is essential. We strive to serve Krishna, He is pleased, and He reciprocates by revealing more of Himself.

This reciprocity can be:

• Transactional: Like with devata worship, where we give something and get something in return.
• Transformational: As seen in loving exchanges (dadāti pratigṛhṇāti etc.), where mutual giving leads to deeper love.

In either case, effort and mercy are both involved. The onus in a relationship cannot rest solely on one party. While no one denies the role of endeavor or mercy, some scriptural stories highlight extraordinary mercy without prior effort—but such cases are rare and not meant to be normative.

4. Two Different Stages?

Could it be that Sadhana Siddhi and Kripa Siddhi refer to different stages of spiritual growth? During our purification stage, sadhana is certainly essential, though grace (kripa) also plays a part. Then, perhaps at the stage of spiritual revelation—when our eternal svarupa is manifest—only kripa operates.

In our Gaudiya tradition, especially post Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur, the system of Siddha-pranali, where a practitioner meditates on a specific associate’s form and service in a particular rasa, is not emphasized. So, how exactly one’s svarupa is revealed is not extensively discussed in the writings of Srila Prabhupada or Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.

In fact, when Prabhupada was asked about the meaning of “nikunja-yuno rati-keli-siddhyai”, he humbly replied, “That is none of your business.” He didn’t speak much even about his own svarupa. At the same time, he did affirm, “I have given you everything to go back to Godhead,” indicating that revelation will come by mercy and we don’t need to perform specific sadhana for that stage.

Concluding Thoughts:

So finally, while both sadhana and kripa are important, their relative emphasis may vary depending on the context. In the Damodar Lila, the two fingers—endeavor and mercy—both had to come together for the rope to bind Krishna. Similarly, when Kala Krishnadas fell away despite being in Mahaprabhu’s association, Srila Prabhupada commented that even the Supreme Personality of Godhead cannot help us if we are not determined. Mercy cannot substitute for free will or determined effort.

Yet, in other cases—like Putana—where the effort was minimal or even malicious, mercy still prevailed. She could have come to kill Krishna in many ways, but came disguised as a motherly figure—and for that, she was elevated.

Hence, Kripa Siddhi and Sadhana Siddhi may reflect different emphases rather than rigid categories. If such categorizations are not central to our acharyas’ teachings, we should avoid making them central to our own philosophy or practice. If others strongly adhere to specific views based on certain scriptural references, it may be difficult—if not impossible—to challenge or change their perspective.

Therefore, it is often wiser to adopt the understanding that is most reasonable for us, while recognizing that others may operate with different conceptions. As long as those conceptions are aligned toward Krishna and spiritual progress, sometimes the best way to co-operate is to co-operate—that is, to operate differently but in the same direction.

Thank you.

The post Which is the path to perfection Kripa Siddhi or Sadhana Siddhi in the Gaudiya tradition? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Recently, I was in New York for the 50th annual Rathayatra down the city’s grand 5th Avenue, while on our TOVP fundraising tour. During my visit I also attended the welcome ceremony of Srila Prabhupada’s life-sized murti to the first temple in New York at 26 Second Avenue, now a museum and sacred tirtha for devotees to visit. For those who don’t know, in 1966 this storefront came with a prophetic sign above its front window that read, ‘Matchless Gifts’.

The kirtan was blissful, and speeches by Radhanath Swami and other Prabhupada disciples were inspiring. Many spoke about their realizations of the early ISKCON days and Srila Prabhupada’s mood. I was also asked to speak about Srila Prabhupada, and one of the things I mentioned is that the TOVP is actually the Greater Matchless Gifts.

The smaller Matchless Gifts was a tiny, insignificant storefront on the lower East side of Manhattan, but the Greater Matchless Gift that was born from this will be the largest temple in modern India, and the epicenter of kirtan and spiritual education and practice for the universe. This Matchless Gifts is the expansion of the smaller version, and is poised to bring the gift of Krishna prema to every soul in the entire world.

As the new devotees in 1966 could not recognize the significance of Srila Prabhupada’s arrival in the western world, and how the Hare Krishna explosion would reach every country within the next twelve years producing over 5000 initiated disciples and more than one hundred temples worldwide, we are also limited in our understanding and realization of the significance of the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium. Srila Prabhupada, however, had this universal vision, and carrying out his order with faith to manifest this project is our bounden duty.

The TOVP will deliver the matchless gift of Krishna consciousness to millions of souls, directly and indirectly, influencing the masses of people to take up the yuga dharma and go back to Godhead for an eternal life of knowledge and bliss in the pastimes of Sri Krishna.

Please do your part to help complete the construction of this historic project. It’s scheduled to open in 2027, the 50th Disappearance Anniversary year of Srila Prabhupada during a three-month-long celebration that will astound the world.

You can help by visiting the TOVP website Seva Opportunities Page and selecting an option within your reach. If you have already given, please make an offering again into this transcendental yajna of service.

You can also view our Campaigns-At-A-Glance brochure and select your seva option from there.

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The ISKCON Mayapur Master Plan office joyfully offers the free, online flipbook “Biodiversity in Bhakti Yoga” — a heartfelt visual and meditative offering designed to reconnect hearts with the sacred natural world of Sri Mayapur Dhama.

Featuring over 500 breathtaking images of local flora and fauna, accompanied by spiritual insights from Srila Prabhupada’s teachings, this offering invites viewers to see nature through the lens of Krishna consciousness. As part of the ‘CONNECT with Sri Mayapur-dhama’ project, it encourages us to perceive and remember the Lord in every aspect of creation—promoting mindful devotion, compassionate living, and a deep spiritual bond with Mother Earth as an expression of our bhakti.

READ FLIPBOOK

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Store: Posted byTemple of the Vedic PlanetariumJune 24, 2025Posted inUncategorized

Sri Gadadhara was the consant companion of Mahaprabhu from the time of their childhood. His father’s name was Sri Madhva Misra and his mother’s name Sri Ratnavati-devi. They lived very near the house of Sri Jagannatha Misra in Mayapura. Ratnavati-devi thought of Saci-devi as her own sister, and always used to visit her.

During their childhood, Sri Gaura Hari and Gadadhara would play together, sometimes at Mahaprabhu’s house and sometimes at Gadadhara’s house. They both studied together at the same school. Gadadhara was a few years younger then Nimai. Nimai couldn’t remain without Gadadhara even for a moment and Gadadhara likewise couldn’t stand to be separated from Nimai.

In the Gaur-ganoddesa-dipika, it is described that that person who in Vraja was the daughter of Sri Vrsabhanu Raja, namely Srimati Radharani, is now celebrated as Sri Gadadhara Pandita.

Gadadhara was from his very childhood very serene, patient, calm, quiet, fond of solitude and very renounced. Nimai Pandit during the time of His precocious youth would ask his fellow studentsmeaningless, fallacious questions in logic.

Gadadhara however, was not especially fond of this pastime, and therefore he sometimes used to remain at some distance from Nimai. But Nimai wouldn’t allow him to get away. He would tell him – “Gadadhara! In a very short time I’ll become such a Vaisnava that Lord Brahma and Lord Siva themselves will come to My door.”

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, upon going to Gaya Dham, first began to manifest Krsna-prema. There he enacted the pastime of accepting the shelter of Sri Isvara Puri. After returning to His house He began to exhibit a new life.

Day and night He floated in the ocean of love of Krsna. Gadadhara, upon seeing the Lord showering of tears in love for Krsna, also began to cry in ecstatic love. From this time, Gadadhara Pandita was always at Mahaprabhu’s side.

One might ask a question, if Lord Chaitanya is Radha and Krsna combined, where is the necessity for the appearance of Gadadhara Pandit?

The answer to this is that it has been explained that Mahaprabhu is Krsna in search of the loving sentiment of Radha for Krsna. Sri Gadadhara Pandita represents that bhava personified, and thus he has appeared to be at the side of Mahaprabhu to assist him in his search. In this explanation, Gadadhara gives his unalloyed love to Lord Gauranga willingly.

It has also been explained that Krsna has stolen the bhava of Radha and appears as Mahaprabhu, Radha Krsna combined. Gadadhara represents that which is left of Radha after Krsna steals her bhava.

There’s a story in connection with Sri Gadadhara Pandit that when He was very old and trying to render service to Tota-Gopinath, He couldn’t reach to put the garland around the neck of the Deity.

To reciprocate with His loving service, the Deity knelt down to accept the flower garlands of His beloved Gadadhar, who is none other than His beloved Srimati Radharani incarnate as mentioned previously.

To this day the Deity of Tota-Gopinath in the temple remains in a kneeling position to accept the eternal service of His beloved Gadadhara. A slight crack which is still to be found near the right knee of Sri Gopinathji is the spot where Mahaprabhu is said to have entered the Deity.

Srivasa Pandita is one of the members of the Pancha-tattva:sri-krsna-caitanya prabhu-nityananda sri-advaita gadadhara srivasa. Vedic authorities state that in the current Age of Kali, Krishna came as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Balarama came as Sri Nityananda Prabhu. Similarly, Maha-vishnu appeared as Advaita Acharya, Srimati Radharani as Gadadhara Pandita, and Narada Muni as Srivasa Pandita.

panca-tattvatmakam krsnam
  bhakta-rupa-svarupakam
bhaktavataram bhaktakhyam
  namami bhakta-saktikam

“I offer my obeisances unto the Supreme Lord, Krsna, who is nondifferent from His features as a devotee, devotional incarnation, devotional manifestation, pure devotee, and devotional energy.” (Cc Adi 1.14)

Panca-tattvatmakam: The Pancha-tattva comprise one truth on the absolute platform. Lord Chaitanya is bhakta-rupa, Krishna in the form of a devotee. Lord Nityananda is svarupakam, the expansion of a devotee. Advaita Acharya is bhaktavataram, the avatar of a devotee. Srivasa Thakura is bhakta, a devotee. And Gadadhara Pandita is bhakta-saktikam, the energy of the Supreme Lord who supplies energy to the devotees—the devotional energy, Srimati Radharani.

In the Adi-lila of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami describes the tree of Lord Chaitanya. The tree itself is Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and at the same time Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the gardener who tends to the tree. This tree, like any tree, has a trunk, limbs, and branches. The limbs and branches and leaves are devotees—the devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami says that he is listing such devotees for his own purification, just to glorify them, and that he cannot distinguish between who is higher and who is lower; he wants to glorify them all. And Srila Prabhupada remarks that this is the attitude of a pure devotee. A pure devotee respects all devotees. He does not distinguish that some should be respected and some not; he respects all of them.

Srila Prabhupada also mentions that ISKCON is a branch of the Chaitanya tree. In reality, Prabhupada himself is a most important branch of the Chaitanya tree, but in his humility he says that ISKCON is a branch. So, all the devotees in ISKCON, who are attached to ISKCON, are leaves on the Chaitanya tree. And we should respect and honor them all.

After introducing the Chaitanya tree, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami begins to describe specific devotees, and the first he describes is Srivasa Thakura. For our purification, we shall read now the first verses of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Adi-lila, Chapter Ten, “The Trunk, Branches, and Subbranches of the Caitanya Tree.” And then we shall discuss more about Srivasa Thakura.

TEXT 1

sri-caitanya-padambhoja-
  madhupebhyo namo namah
kathancid asrayad yesam
  svapi tad-gandha-bhag bhavet

TRANSLATION

Let me repeatedly offer my respectful obeisances unto the beelike devotees who always taste the honey of the lotus feet of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. If even a doggish nondevotee somehow takes shelter of such devotees, he enjoys the aroma of the lotus flower.

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The example of a dog is very significant in this connection. A dog naturally does not become a devotee at any time, but still it is sometimes found that a dog of a devotee gradually becomes a devotee also. We have actually seen that a dog has no respect even for the tulasi plant. Indeed, a dog is especially inclined to pass urine on the tulasi plant. Therefore the dog is the number one nondevotee. But Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s sankirtana movement is so strong that even a doglike nondevotee can gradually become a devotee by the association of a devotee of Lord Caitanya. Srila Sivananda Sena, a great householder devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, attracted a dog on the street while going to Jagannatha Puri. The dog began to follow him and ultimately went to see Caitanya Mahaprabhu and was liberated. Similarly, cats and dogs in the household of Srivasa Thakura were also liberated. Cats and dogs and other animals are not expected to become devotees, but in the association of a pure devotee they are also delivered.

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

This is an important verse to begin the description of the Chaitanya tree. The tree describes the devotees, and here Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami glorifies the power of the devotees: by their power, even a doglike nondevotee can become a devotee and taste the nectar at the lotus feet of the Lord.

In six days we shall observe Jagannatha Ratha-yatra, and that date is also the disappearance day of Srila Svarupa Damodara Gosvami and Srila Sivananda Sena. Every year, Sivananda Sena would take a party of devotees from Bengal to Orissa for the Ratha-yatra, and one year a dog joined them. Sivananda Sena was so merciful that he accepted the dog as part of his party, so much so that when they had to cross a river by boat, he paid the boatman extra to take the dog.

One day, when Sivananda Sena had to attend to some work, his servant forgot to feed the dog. And when Sivananda came and inquired, “Did you feed the dog?” he discovered that it had not been given its meals. Sivananda Sena immediately sent ten men to find the dog, but they could not find it. And Sivananda Sena felt so sorry, he fasted.

The next day too they did not see the dog, but when they reached Puri they saw it sitting a little distance from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was throwing it remnants of green coconut pulp and requesting it to chant the holy names “Hari,” “Krishna,” and “Rama.” Sivananda Sena, out of his humility, offered obeisances to the dog, feeling that he had been an offender, because he had neglected to serve it properly. The following day, however, no one saw the dog, for it had been liberated and gone back home, back to Godhead, by the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the holy names.

This is the strength of the mercy of a pure devotee. By the mercy of such a devotee, one gets the association of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—the opportunity to chant the holy names of Krishna—and in the end goes back home, back to Godhead.

TEXT 2

jaya jaya sri-krsna-caitanya-nityananda
jayadvaitacandra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda

TRANSLATION

All glories to Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaita Prabhu, and all glories to the devotees of Lord Caitanya, headed by Srivasa!

TEXTS 3–6

The description of Lord Caitanya as the gardener and the tree is inconceivable. Now hear with attention about the branches of this tree.

The associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu were many, but none of them should be considered lower or higher. This cannot be ascertained.

All the great personalities in the line of Lord Caitanya enumerated these devotees, but they could not distinguish between the greater and the lesser.

I offer my obeisances unto them as a token of respect. I request them not to consider my offenses.

TEXT 7

vande sri-krsna-caitanya-
  premamara-taroh priyan
sakha-rupan bhakta-ganan
  krsna-prema-phala-pradan

TRANSLATION

I offer my obeisances to all the dear devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the eternal tree of love of Godhead. I offer my respects to all the branches of the tree, the devotees of the Lord who distribute the fruit of love of Godhead.

TEXT 8

srivasa pandita, ara sri-rama pandita
dui bhai—dui sakha, jagate vidita

TRANSLATION

The two brothers Srivasa Pandita and Sri Rama Pandita started two branches that are well known in the world.

PURPORT

In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (90), Srivasa Pandita (Srivasa Thakura) is described as an incarnation of Narada Muni, and Sri Rama Pandita, his younger brother, is said to be an incarnation of Parvata Muni, a great friend of Narada’s. Srivasa Pandita’s wife, Malini, is celebrated as an incarnation of the nurse Ambika, who fed Lord Krsna with her breast milk, and as already noted, his niece Narayani, the mother of Thakura Vrndavana dasa, the author of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, was the sister of Ambika in krsna-lila. We also understand from the description of Sri Caitanya-bhagavata that after Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s acceptance of the sannyasa order, Srivasa Pandita left Navadvipa, possibly because of feelings of separation, and domiciled at Kumarahatta.

COMMENT

Sivananda Sena resided at Kumarahatta, and Srivasa Thakura came to live near him. Later, Vasudeva Datta also took up residence there.

Kumarahatta is a very important place. It is the birthplace of Isvara Puri, whom Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted as His guru. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu went there on pilgrimage and visited His guru’s birthplace, and He took dirt from the ground there and kept it in His cloth, and every day He would eat a little bit of the dirt. Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (Adi-khanda 17.98–103) describes:

“The Supreme Lord, Sri Caitanya, personally visited the birthplace of Isvara Puri. The Lord said, ‘I offer My obeisances to the village of Kumarahatta, where Sri Isvara Puri appeared.’ He cried profusely at that place and spoke nothing other than the name of Isvara Puri. He took some dust from the birthplace of Isvara Puri and tied it in His cloth. The Lord said, ‘The dust from the birthplace of Isvara Puri is My life, wealth, and living force.’ The Lord exhibited such affection for Isvara Puri, because He takes pleasure in increasing the glories of His devotees.” Even today, devotees take dirt from the same place.

It is said that, following the example of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, every disciple should visit the birthplace of his spiritual master. Last November, His Holiness Radhanath Swami and I visited Srila Prabhupada’s birthplace in Calcutta. Srila Prabhupada took birth under a jackfruit tree, and we visited the tree. We also saw the Deities and temple that his mother would visit. I imagined how she would pray to that Deity of Krishna for the child in her womb and how after the child’s birth she and all the relatives would pray for his well-being.

TEXT 9

sripati, srinidhi—tanra dui sahodara
cari bhaira dasa-dasi, grha-parikara

TRANSLATION

Their two brothers were named Sripati and Srinidhi. These four brothers and their servants and maidservants are considered one big branch.

TEXT 10

dui sakhara upasakhaya tan-sabara ganana
yanra grhe mahaprabhura sada sankirtana

TRANSLATION

There is no counting the subbranches of these two branches. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu held congregational chanting daily at the house of Srivasa Pandita.

COMMENT

This sankirtana that Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu performed at Srivasa-angana is significant. There is a parallel between the pastimes of Sri Krishna Chaitanya and the pastimes of Krishna, and the nocturnal kirtan at Srivasa-angana in gaura-lila corresponds to the rasa-lila in Krishna’s pastimes. It was the highest ecstasy. To enable Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His confidential devotees to enter deeply into the kirtan and relish its mellows without disturbance, Srivasa Thakura would lock the door to his house. Only the most confidential devotees were allowed.

Srila Prabhupada comments that to spread Krishna consciousness, when we have large-scale congregational chanting of the holy name, we keep our doors open for everyone to participate, and that by the grace of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu this policy has brought good results. But the special kirtans held at Srivasa Thakura’s residence at night were reserved for only the most intimate devotees, so that they could freely experience and manifest their ecstasy, which they could do only in the association of devotees. A pure devotee will not do that if there are outsiders.

Srila Prabhupada’s disciple Gargamuni dasa once told Prabhupada that sometimes he felt like crying in the kirtan. Prabhupada replied, “That’s all right, because you are chanting with devotees and they will understand.” Otherwise, devotees don’t manifest such symptoms of ecstasy.

TEXT 11

cari bhai sa-vamse kare caitanyera seva
gauracandra vina nahi jane devi-deva

TRANSLATION

These four brothers and their family members fully engaged in the service of Lord Caitanya. They knew no other god or goddess.

PURPORT

Srila Narottama dasa Thakura has said, anya-devasraya nai, tomare kahinu bhai, ei bhakti parama-karana: if one wants to become a pure, staunch devotee, one should not take shelter of any of the demigods or -goddesses. . . .

COMMENT

This is an important point, especially for Hindus who are used to worshipping gods and goddesses. Sometimes even after such people come to the association of devotees and hear the philosophy of Krishna consciousness and to some extent understand it, they are reluctant to give up their worship of demigods. They may think, “Our ancestors worshipped demigods, so how can we stop?” Sometimes their deities have been passed down through generations in their family and they are afraid that they will displease their ancestors or deities if they stop the worship—that Lord Shiva or Durga or whoever will be displeased. But according to the Bhagavad-gita, one should not worship gods and goddesses. Rather, one should take full shelter of the Supreme Lord Krishna, and if one does so, the demigods too will be pleased. Lord Krishna states,

ye ’py anya-devata-bhakta
  yajante sraddhayanvitah
te ’pi mam eva kaunteya
  yajanty avidhi-purvakam

“Those who are devotees of other gods and who worship them with faith actually worship only Me, O son of Kunti, but they do so in a wrong way.” (Gita 9.23)

sarva-dharman parityajya
  mam ekam saranam vraja
aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
  moksayisyami ma sucah

“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear.” (Gita 18.66)

To engage fully in the service of Krishna or Krishna Chaitanya and to know no other god or goddess is an important qualification. Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami could have mentioned many other qualities of Srivasa Thakura and his family, but he specifically mentioned that they had full faith in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and did not worship any devas or devis.

Five thousand years ago, Lord Krishna exhibited the pastime of lifting Govardhana Hill. The residents of Vrindavan were used to worshipping Indra, who is the king of heaven and demigod in charge of rainfall. Lord Krishna told them to take the paraphernalia that they had gathered for the indra-yajna and use it instead to worship Govardhana Hill, the cows, and the brahmans. And because the Vraja-vasis had simple faith in Lord Krishna, they did what He said.

Due to some false pride and illusion, Indra became angry when his worship was stopped. But what was the result? Although Indra became angry and sent torrents of rain to inundate Vrindavan, Lord Krishna lifted Govardhana Hill and held it up as an umbrella to give shelter to all the residents of Vrindavan. And the result was that they were able to be with Krishna continuously for one week, 24/7. Every day, under ordinary circumstances, they would be with Him for some time but then they would be separated. In the early morning, for example, Krishna and Balarama would be with Their mother and father, but then They would go out to the fields to tend to the cows and Their parents would be separated from Them. Almost all of the residents of the Vrindavan village would be separated from Them during the day; only the cowherd boys would be with Them. But in the late afternoon, when Krishna came back from the pasturing grounds, He would again enter His home and be with Nanda and Yashoda and others there, and He would be separated from the cowherd boys. Then in the middle of the night He would sneak out to meet the gopis, and then He would sneak back before His mother came to wake Him up in the morning. And then he would be separated from the young gopis.

When the gopis gazed at Krishna as He returned from the pasturing grounds in the late afternoon, they would curse the creator, Brahma, for creating eyelids. Even the momentary blinking of their eyes, that momentary separation from the sight of Krishna, felt like yugas, like many thousands of years, because they had such intense attachment (anuraga) for Him. And so the gopis prayed to Krishna,

atati yad bhavan ahni kananam
  truti yugayate tvam apasyatam
kutila-kuntalam sri-mukham ca te
  jada udiksatam paksma-krd drsam

“When You go off to the forest during the day, a tiny fraction of a second becomes like a millennium for us because we cannot see You. And even when we can eagerly look upon Your beautiful face, so lovely with its adornment of curly locks, our pleasure is hindered by our eyelids, which were fashioned by the foolish creator.” (SB 10.31.15)

So, there was constant meeting and separation, and the separation was terrible for the Vraja-vasis, because they had such deep love for Krishna. But during the govardhana-lila the Vraja-vasis could be with Krishna continuously. The gopis, the elder cowherd men and ladies, the cowherd boys, the servants, and the animals all got to be with Krishna continuously. So, by giving up their worship of Indra and following Krishna’s instruction to worship Govardhana Hill (which is nondifferent from Krishna), they did not lose. Rather, they gained continuous, close association with Krishna. So, if we give up the worship of demigods or goddesses and take fully to the service of Krishna, we will not lose. Rather, we will gain in the most wonderful way.

Because Srivasa Thakura would lock the doors of his house during the kirtans, some people became angry. The Caitanya-caritamrta describes that, being excluded, some of these nonbelievers (pasandis) burned with envy and plotted against Srivasa Thakura. The leader of the nonbelievers was a brahman named Gopala Chapala, and he assembled paraphernalia for the worship of the goddess Bhavani (Durga) and placed it outside Srivasa Thakura’s door to defame him, because generally the worshippers of the goddess Bhavani, Durga, or Kali, are considered lower class. They drink wine and eat meat. For a Vaishnava, such things are anathema. So, Gopala Chapala wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura, and alongside the paraphernalia for the worship he placed a pot of wine.

In the morning, when Srivasa Thakura opened the door and saw all the paraphernalia, he immediately called for the respectable gentlemen of the neighborhood. He told them, “Just see, here is the paraphernalia for the worship of Bhavani.” There was a banana leaf and some rice and red sandalwood paste—and the jug of wine. He said, “Every night I worship the goddess Bhavani. Now all you respectable gentlemen can understand my actual position—who I really am—and you can take whatever action you deem fit.”

Of course, the respectable brahmans and other members of the higher castes could understand what had happened, that some envious person had wanted to defame Srivasa Thakura and desecrate his house. So they called for a sweeper, a hadi, to dispose of all those untouchable things and purify the place by mopping it with a mixture of water and cow dung.

Three day later, Gopala Chapala was afflicted with leprosy. Blood oozed from sores all over his body, and he was attacked by germs and insects. The position of a devotee is such that anyone who offends any devotee suffers. And that is also the Lord’s mercy. By punishing the offender, He simultaneously protects His devotees from being offended further and prevents the offender from committing more offenses. He helps the offender realize his mistake and make progress in spiritual life. So Gopala Chapala was burning with leprosy, suffering unbearable pain.

One day when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu passed nearby, Gopala Chapala appealed to Him, “You are an incarnation of God. You have come to deliver the fallen souls. I am very fallen and wretched. So please deliver me.” Of course, it is true that Lord Chaitanya came to deliver the fallen souls, but He really came to deliver them from material existence altogether—not from any particular condition—by distributing the holy name and krsna-prema. Srila Narottama dasa Thakura prayed,

golokera prema-dhana, hari-nama-sankirtana,
           rati na janmilo kene taya
samsara-visanale, diva-nisi hiya jvale
           judaite na koinu upaya

“The treasure of divine love in Goloka Vrindavan has descended as the congregational chanting of Lord Hari’s holy names. Why did my attraction for that chanting never come about? Day and night my heart burns in the fire of the poison of worldliness, and I have not accepted the means for relieving it.”

vrajendra-nandana yei, saci-suta hoilo sei,
             balarama hoilo nitai
dina-hina yata chilo, hari-name uddharilo,
             tara saksi jagai-madhai

“Lord Krishna, the son of the King of Vraja, became the son of Saci, and Balarama became Nitai. The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this.”

Lord Chaitanya brought the practice of chanting the holy name—the treasure of krsna-prema—and delivered all who were sinful and fallen, even Jagai and Madhai. Although this Gopala Chapala was very sinful and insulting, he had one good quality: he was simple. He accepted Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead and had faith that Mahaprabhu could deliver him. So he appealed to Him, and Mahaprabhu called him a sinner and told him, “Because of your sins, you are suffering.” And that is a fact: whatever suffering we experience in this world is due to our sins. The Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu explains that suffering is due to sin and that sin is due to ignorance. Thus the only way to really become free from suffering is to become free from sin and ignorance—in other words, to become enlightened in transcendental knowledge, engage in devotional service, and ultimately go back to Godhead.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told him, “You are envious of pure devotees. That is the worst sin. I shall not deliver you. Rather, I shall see you bitten by these germs for millions of years. Srivasa Thakura is My pure devotee, and for your offense against him, you will fall into hellish conditions for millions of lifetimes.” After some time, Gopala Chapala actually took shelter of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and the Lord mercifully instructed him, “If you approach Srivasa Thakura and get his mercy—and if you do not commit such sins again—you will be freed from the effects of your offenses.”

That is the only way to be relieved from vaisnava-aparadha—to go to the Vaishnava you have offended, throw yourself at his feet, and beg for forgiveness. Gopala Chapala did that. He took shelter of the lotus feet of Srivasa Thakura, and by Srivasa’s mercy he was freed from all sinful reactions.

Then there was another person, a brahmachari who practiced austerities and ate only milk and fruits. Repeatedly, daily, he begged Srivasa Pandita, “Please allow me to witness the sankirtana in your house at night. I will be ever grateful to you.” He begged and pleaded, and finally Srivasa Pandita relented: “I know you are a good soul. You are a strict brahmachari and eat only fruit and milk. I think you are eligible to see the Lord’s dancing, but you will have to remain hidden, because the Lord has ordered that no one be allowed in the house.”

Srivasa Pandita secretly brought the brahmachari inside the house and hid him. During the kirtan, Lord Chaitanya and His other associates chanted and danced, but they did not experience their usual ecstasy. After a while, the Lord remarked, “Today I do not feel the same ecstasy while dancing. Perhaps someone is hiding inside the house. Please tell the truth.”

Srivasa Pandita became afraid and said, “My Lord, I assure you that there are no nonbelievers in the house—only a brahmachari, a qualified, sinless brahman who eats only milk and fruits. He had a strong desire to see You dance. Still, You are right, my Lord. He is hiding here.”

The Lord became furious and said, “Take him out of this house immediately. What is his qualification to see My dancing? How can one develop devotion to Me simply by drinking milk?”

“Just by drinking milk no one can attain Me,” the Lord declared. “A person may be a renunciant without mundane attachment, but if he does not surrender to Me I do not accept him. On the other hand, even a low-caste dog-eater who takes full shelter of Me I accept.”

Hearing all this, the brahmachari was trembling with fear, and he came out of hiding. Still, he thought, “I was so fortunate to see the Lord dance. And now I am receiving the appropriate punishment.” He accepted the Lord’s chastisement as mercy. And the Lord, understanding the brahmachari’s heart, blessed him. He told him, “Do not try to attain power through penances and austerities. Rather, render loving service unto the Supreme Lord Krishna. That is the highest activity.” And the Lord placed His lotus feet on the brahmachari’s head.

Another brahman came to witness the kirtan at Srivasa-angana, but because the door was locked, he could not enter, and he returned home disappointed. The next day, he met Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, broke his brahman thread, and cursed Him: “You will never enjoy material happiness.” When Lord Chaitanya heard this curse, He felt great jubilation. He took it as a blessing: “I will be free of material enjoyment.”

Even the cats and dogs in Srivasa Thakura’s house were delivered. In Caitanya-bhagavata, after Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard Srivasa Thakura speak with great faith and love for Nityananda Prabhu, He blessed him, “Everyone in your household, including your pet dogs and cats, will find complete shelter in My devotional service.”

Srivasa Thakura had a Muslim tailor. (We also had a Muslim tailor, Abdul, at our Juhu temple, and he sewed our cloth.) This tailor stayed near Srivasa-angana and used to sew garments for Srivasa Thakura and his family. One day the tailor saw Chaitanya Mahaprabhu dancing. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chanted and danced in ecstasy not only in His private kirtans but on other occasions as well, and the tailor, seeing the Lord’s dancing, became enchanted. Lord Chaitanya understood the tailor’s mind and mercifully showed him His original form as Krishna. Then the tailor began to shout, “Dekhinu! Dekhinu!”—I have seen! I have seen! In ecstatic love, he danced with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and he became a first-class Vaishnava and prominent devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Anyone who takes shelter of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu can be delivered. It does not matter if one is a brahman, a brahmachari, a milk-drinker, a meat-eater, or a Muslim. These are not qualifications or disqualifications. Anyone who takes shelter of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu or, better yet, His devotee (the tailor was a servant of Srivasa Pandita) can get the mercy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and obtain love for Krishna.

In His ecstatic mood, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu asked Srivasa Thakura, “Please bring My flute,” because He was in the mood of Krishna. But Srivasa replied, “The gopis have stolen it.” When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard this, He became ecstatic. He said, “Please say more. Please say more.” Srivasa Thakura began to describe the mellows of Krishna’s Vrindavan pastimes, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu said, “Please say more. Please say more.” Then Srivasa Thakura described more—how Krishna played on His flute and the gopis wandered in the Vrindavan forest, and how Krishna celebrated the rasa dance and played in the Yamuna. “Please say more. Please say more.” Srivasa spoke more and more about the mellows and pastimes of Krishna in Vrindavan, especially the rasa-lila. Thus the two of them passed the entire night, and when morning came, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu embraced Srivasa Thakura and Srivasa was satisfied.

These are some of the earlier pastimes, from when Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu resided in Navadvipa. Eventually Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, left Navadvipa, and settled in Jagannatha Puri, and Srivasa Thakura, in separation from Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, moved to Kumarahatta.

Every year, Sivananda Sena would lead a party of devotees from Bengal to Orissa to meet Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, participate in the Ratha-yatra, and stay with Him for caturmasya, the four months of the rainy season. One year, Srivasa Thakura observed the Hera-panchami festival with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Svarupa Damodara Gosvami. Hera-panchami is a very special festival. Two weeks before Ratha-yatra is Snana-yatra, the public bathing of Lord Jagannatha, after which Lord Jagannatha retires to His private quarters and for two weeks does not see His devotees. It is said that He caught a cold from the Snana-yatra, and so for two weeks His wife Lakshmi, the goddess of fortune, serves Him faithfully, giving Him special drinks and infusions, represented by fruit juice, to help Him recover and feel better.

After two weeks, feeling separation from His other devotees, Lord Jagannatha takes permission from Lakshmi to go out. Really, He wants to meet and reciprocate with His devotees in Vrindavan. So, in the Ratha-yatra, He proceeds on His chariot from Nilachala, which is like Dvaraka (or Kurukshetra), down the road to Sundarachala, to the Gundicha temple, which is considered to be Vrindavan.

The day before the Ratha-yatra is Gundicha-marjana, during which Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees clean the Gundicha temple to make it fit to receive the Lord. And the next day is the Ratha-yatra procession. Then, for about eight days, Lord Jagannatha stays in the Gundicha temple. But after four or five days, Lakshmi becomes impatient: “Where is my husband? He said He was just going out for a ride. Where is He? He should be back.” Restless and angry, she takes her maidservants and travels to Sundarachala in her own procession. At the gate of the Gundicha temple, she sends her maidservants to arrest the principal servants of Lord Jagannatha, which they do. They bind the servants around the waist and make them fall down at her lotus feet. And they berate the servants, making them the butt of jokes and loose language.

During this pastime Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, and Srivasa Thakura had a discussion. Srivasa Thakura, as the incarnation of Narada Muni, a great devotee of Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha, became ecstatic seeing the opulence of the goddess of fortune, the eternal consort of Lord Narayana. He told Svarupa Damodara, “Just see how opulent my goddess of fortune is. Vrindavan’s opulence consists of a few flowers and twigs, some minerals from the hills, and a few peacock feathers. When Jagannatha was in Vrindavan, Lakshmi wondered, ‘Why did Lord Jagannatha give up so much opulence and go to Vrindavan?’ Then, to make Him a laughingstock, she decorated herself and brought her maidservants to deride Him and His servants. Finally, His servants submitted to her and promised to bring Lord Jagannatha before her the very next day, and the goddess of fortune, being pacified, returned to her apartment.” Thus Srivasa Thakura joked with Svarupa Damodara, as described in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya 14. 213–215):

amara laksmira sampad—vakya-agocara

“ ‘Just see! My goddess of fortune is opulent beyond all description.

dugdha auti’ dadhi mathe tomara gopi-gane
amara thakurani vaise ratna-simhasane

“ ‘Your gopis are engaged in boiling milk and churning yogurt, but my mistress, the goddess of fortune, sits on a throne made of jewels and gems.’

arada-prakrti srivasa kare parihasa
suni’ hase mahaprabhura yata nija-dasa

“Srivasa Thakura, who was enjoying the mood of Narada Muni, thus made jokes. Hearing him, all the personal servants of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began to smile.”

Then Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu Himself spoke.

prabhu kahe,—srivasa, tomate narada-svabhava
aisvarya-bhave tomate, isvara-prabhava

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu told Srivasa Thakura, ‘My dear Srivasa, your nature is exactly like that of Narada Muni. The Supreme Personality of Godhead’s opulence is having a direct influence upon you.

inho damodara-svarupa-suddha-vrajavasi
aisvarya na jane inho suddha-preme bhasi’

“ ‘Svarupa Damodara is a pure devotee of Vrndavana. He does not even know what opulence is, for he is simply absorbed in pure devotional service.’ ” (Cc Madhya 14.216–217)

Then Svarupa Damodara Gosvami, who is an incarnation of the gopi Lalita-devi, one of Srimati Radharani’s most confidential girlfriends, glorified Vrindavan’s opulence. He said that the natural opulence of Vrindavan is like an ocean and that the opulence of Dvaraka and Vaikuntha cannot be compared even to a drop of that ocean. He said that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, full in all opulences, and that His opulences are fully manifest only in Vrindavan. He paraphrased and elaborated upon a verse from Sri Brahma-samhita (5.29):

cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa-
  laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam
laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam
  govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami

“I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, the first progenitor, who is tending the cows, yielding all desire, in abodes built with spiritual gems, surrounded by millions of purpose trees, always served with great reverence and affection by hundreds of thousands of laksmis, or gopis.” Govinda, Krishna, the cowherd boy, is served by hundreds of thousands of laksmis in the form of gopis. In fact, these gopis are considered super laksmis. The laksmis in Vaikuntha are only expansions of these gopis. In Vrindavan, the houses and land are made of cintamani stones; the trees are kalpa-vrksas, wish-fulfilling desire trees; and the cows are surabhis, who deliver oceans of nectar-like milk.

Svarupa Damodara then quoted a related verse by Bilvamangala Thakura, to glorify the opulence of the gopis and Vrindavan:

cintamanis carana-bhusanam angananam
  srngara-puspa-taravas taravah suranam
vrndavane vraja-dhanam nanu kama-dhenu-
  vrndani ceti sukha-sindhur aho vibhutih

“The anklets on the damsels of Vraja-bhumi are made of cintamani stone. The trees are wish-fulfilling trees, and they produce flowers with which the gopis decorate themselves. There are also wish-fulfilling cows, which deliver unlimited quantities of milk. These cows constitute the wealth of Vrndavana. Thus Vrndavana’s opulence is blissfully exhibited.” (Brs 2.1.173, Cc Madhya 14, 228)

And he quoted another verse from Sri Brahma-samhita (5.29):

sriyah kantah kantah parama-purusah kalpa-taravo
  druma bhumis cintamani-gana-mayi toyam amrtam
katha ganam natyam gamanam api vamsi priya-sakhi
  cid-anandam jyotih param api tad asvadyam api ca

“The damsels of Vrndavana, the gopis, are super goddesses of fortune. The enjoyer in Vrndavana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. The trees there are all wish-fulfilling trees, and the land is made of transcendental touchstone. The water is all nectar, the talking is singing, the walking is dancing, and the constant companion of Krsna is His flute. The effulgence of transcendental bliss is experienced everywhere. Therefore Vrndavana-dhama is the only relishable abode.” (Bs 5.56, Cc Madhya 14.227)

Actually, the opulence of Vrindavan is greater than that of Vaikuntha. But the special quality of Vrindavan is that its opulence is covered by an exquisite sweetness so powerful that the pure devotees in Vrindavan forget that Krishna is God. In Vaikuntha the devotees are aware of the Lord’s opulence and worship Him with awe and veneration. They act as His servants (dasya-rasa) or at most as reverential friends (gaurava-sakhya-rasa); there is no sense of equality with the Lord. But in Vrindavan the devotees are able to enjoy ecstatic, intimate relationships with Krishna, with full freedom, because they forget that He is God.

If the residents of Vrindavan were conscious that Krishna is God, the cowherd boys could never play with Him as equals like they do. Sometimes Krishna and the cowherd boys compete in sport, and if Krishna loses, He has to carry the other boy on His shoulders. This is unheard of in Vaikuntha; if someone got up on Lord Narayana’s shoulders, he would immediately be expelled. And Krishna’s parents, Nanda and Yashoda, and others in the parental mood, such as Ambika, feel that Krishna is dependent on them. Ambika is Krishna’s nurse in Vrindavan; she suckles Krishna. And Malini, Srivasa Thakura’s wife, is her incarnation. So she has that maternal mood. Such devotees, in vatsalya-rasa, feel that they have to take care of Krishna. The cowherd boys feel that they are Krishna’s equals, His friends, and the elders feel like they are Krishna’s parents and guardians, that Krishna is dependent on their care and protection.

In fact, Krishna is providing everything for everyone. Nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam: He is the singular eternal one among so many eternal beings, and He is the singular conscious entity among so many conscious entities. Eko bahunam yo vidadhati kaman: He is the one, singular, eternal conscious being who is providing all the necessities and fulfilling all the desires of the many, plural, eternal conscious beings. He is providing for everyone, but still Mother Yashoda is thinking, “He is my son. If I don’t feed Him, He will starve.” She can think that way because her attachment for Him as a mother for her son is stronger than her awareness of His divine opulence. Most of the time she forgets; she is not even conscious that He is the Lord. And most of the time, the residents of Vrindavan forget.

Sometimes Krishna enacts deeds that remind them of His godly opulence, such as when He lifted Govardhana Hill. After He did so, the elder cowherd men were confused and approached Nanda Maharaja. “Your Krishna is no ordinary boy,” they said. “He lifted a great mountain and held it in one hand for seven days. And as a mere infant, He sucked out the life of the powerful demoness Putana. And He killed many powerful demons and performed many wonderful feats. He is no ordinary person. He might be a demigod—or even Lord Narayana Himself.” They weren’t sure. “Still,” they continued, “we have constant affection for your son—and He has natural attraction for us.” They were bewildered. But when they thought of Krishna’s humanlike pastimes, they became overwhelmed with parental affection. They thought of all the times He had become frightened, the times He had felt hungry, the times He had done mischief. And they remembered how He had become happy when they had coddled Him and sad or angry when they had neglected Him. Thinking of Krishna’s childlike, humanlike behavior (nara-lila), they became overwhelmed with parental affection and forgot His divine opulence.

Once, Mother Yashoda looked into Krishna’s mouth. Krishna and Balarama were playing with Their friends, and all the boys joined with Balarama to complain to Mother Yashoda that Krishna had eaten earth. Sometimes, when children are at a certain age, they put anything into their mouths. Krishna said, “No, Mother. They are lying.” Yashoda replied, “But even Your brother Balarama says that You ate dirt.” Krishna said, “He is lying, too. But if you have any doubt, you can look.” “All right. Open Your mouth. I will see.”

So, Krishna opened His mouth, and Mother Yashoda looked inside, and there she saw the entire cosmic manifestation. She saw all moving and nonmoving entities, all directions, the material elements, the sky and stars and planetary systems. She saw the living entities, the modes of nature, time, and karma. She saw everything. She even saw herself and the land of Vraja. And she was struck with doubt and wonder. Was she dreaming, or hallucinating, or being mystified by some illusion of the material nature, perhaps created by the demigods? Or was she having a vision caused by her son’s mystic power? “All right,” she said. “Close Your mouth. Just don’t do it again.” Even then, she still thought of Krishna as her son. Although Krishna is always full in all opulences, His display of opulence does not diminish His pure devotees’ love for Him—as a son or a friend or a beloved. That is vraja-bhakti.

In this discussion with Srivasa Pandita, Svarupa Damodara glorified the opulence of Vrindavan, but that opulence is covered by the sweetness of these intimate relationships, in which the devotees forget that Krishna is God and, to reciprocate with His devotees’ love, Krishna also forgets that He is God. When Mother Yashoda threatens Krishna with a stick and Krishna becomes afraid, He is not pretending. He actually feels like a child, and He feels afraid. In her prayers, Queen Kunti remarks that she sees the image of Krishna with Mother Yashoda standing with ropes to bind Him: Krishna is crying, and His tears are washing the mascara around His eyes. The same Krishna who is feared by fear personified is afraid of Mother Yashoda. And thinking of this contradiction, Kunti becomes bewildered.

gopy adade tvayi krtagasi dama tavad
  ya te dasasru-kalilanjana-sambhramaksam
vaktram niniya bhaya-bhavanaya sthitasya
  sa mam vimohayati bhir api yad bibheti

“My dear Krsna, Yasoda took up a rope to bind You when You committed an offense, and Your perturbed eyes overflooded with tears, which washed the mascara from Your eyes. And You were afraid, though fear personified is afraid of You. This sight is bewildering to me.” (SB 1.8.31)

These are elevated, transcendental topics—not easy to understand. Although we may have theoretical knowledge, we still tend to identify with the body and act on the bodily platform: “I” and “mine.” Still, hearing these topics is part of the process of purification. By offenseless hearing of the Lord’s activities, even without complete understanding, we can become attracted and purified. And we want to be attracted, to desire to serve in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes, and ultimately in Krishna’s pastimes. We do not want to remain bound to temporary, material affairs and engrossed in ephemeral, mundane relationships.

One night, during the kirtan at Srivasa-angana, a calamity took place. One of Srivasa Pandita’s sons, who had been ill, died. Naturally, Srivasa’s wife, Malini, and others were distraught, but Srivasa said, “Keep quiet. We must not disturb Mahaprabhu’s kirtan.” So, nobody cried or said anything. After the kirtan was over, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (who is God and knows everything) said, “There must have been some calamity here.” When Srivasa told Him, “My son died,” Sri Chaitanya replied, “Why did you not tell Me earlier?” He went to the place where the son was lying dead and asked him, “Why are you leaving Srivasa Thakura’s home?” The son replied, “I stayed here as long as my destiny allowed. Now that the time is over, I must proceed to my next destination, according to Your order. I am Your eternal servant, a dependent living being, and I move by Your desire.”

By this exchange between Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srivasa Pandita’s dead son, everyone in the household was enlightened with spiritual knowledge. There was no cause for lamentation. They realized the knowledge of the Bhagavad-gita (2.13):

dehino ’smin yatha dehe
  kaumaram yauvanam jara
tatha dehantara-praptir
  dhiras tatra na muhyati

“As the embodied soul continuously passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. A sober person is not bewildered by such a change.” Actually, everyone changes his or her body even in the same lifetime. Just as one has a baby’s body, then a youth’s body, and eventually an old person’s body, similarly, at the time of death, one accepts another body. And dhiras tatra na muhyati: the sober are not bewildered by such a change.

The body is like dress. Just as one discards an old and useless garment and puts on a new one, similarly, when the body is old and useless, the soul leaves it and takes on a new body.

vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya
  navani grhnati naro ’parani
tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany
  anyani samyati navani dehi

“As a person puts on new garments, giving up old ones, the soul similarly accepts new material bodies, giving up the old and useless ones.” (Gita 2.22)

Ultimately, everything is under the control of the Lord, and all the more so in the case of devotees. Everything and everyone is under the control of the Lord, and these principles were manifested in the exchange between the dead son of Srivasa Pandita and his eternal Lord and master, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Then Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Srivasa Pandita (and Malini), “You have lost one son, but Nitai and I are your eternal sons, and We shall never leave you.” Malini is Ambika in krsna-lila, so she is in the mood of a mother, or nurse. But whoever we may be, if we just surrender to Krishna and offer everything to Him, we will not lose. Rather, we will gain unlimitedly. Srivasa and Malini lost one son, who was encaged in a temporary, miserable body, but they gained two sons who are eternal.

Srila Prabhupada advises that instead of being absorbed in these temporary relationships that last only as long as the body (at most), we should rather develop our relationship with Krishna, or Sri Krishna Chaitanya, which is eternal, blissful, and full of knowledge. This relationship develops by offenseless chanting and hearing of the holy names and pastimes of the Lord. Offenseless, attentive chanting cleanses the dust from the mirror of the mind (ceto-darpana-marjanam), and thus one is able to realize one’s constitutional position as an eternal servant of Krishna, an eternal servant of Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. One still does one’s duties in the world—that is another thing—but one gives one’s heart to Krishna, to one’s relationship with Krishna, and realizes eternal, blissful, spiritual love.

jnane prayasam udapasya namanta eva
  jivanti san-mukharitam bhavadiya-vartam
sthane sthitah sruti-gatam tanu-van-manobhir
  ye prayaso ’jita jito ’py asi tais tri-lokyam

[Lord Brahma said to Krishna,] “Those who, even while remaining situated in their established social positions, throw away the process of speculative knowledge and with their body, words, and mind offer all respects to descriptions of Your personality and activities, dedicating their lives to these narrations, which are vibrated by You personally and by Your pure devotees, certainly conquer Your Lordship, although You are otherwise unconquerable by anyone within the three worlds.” (SB 10.14.3)

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu noticed that Srivasa Thakura never went to earn anything for his family’s maintenance. So one day He asked, “Srivasa, I see that you never go anywhere. How will you maintain your family?” Srivasa replied, “I do not want to go anywhere.” Mahaprabhu said, “But you have a big family. What will happen to them?” “Whatever is destined will come,” he replied. “If that is your mentality,” Mahaprabhu said, “then you should take sannyasa.” “I am not ready for sannyasa,” Srivasa objected. “I do not have the power to take sannyasa.” “Then how will you maintain your family?” Mahaprabhu asked. “These days, if you do not make some effort, nothing will come. Then what will you do?” Srivasa clapped his hands thrice and said, “One. Two. Three.” Mahaprabhu asked, “What does that mean?” Srivasa Thakura replied, “If for three days no food comes and I have to fast, I will tie a rock around my neck and drown myself in the Ganges.”

When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard this, He became agitated and roared, “Srivasa, what are you saying? Why should you fast three times? Have you forgotten My words in the Bhagavad-gita (9.22)—ananyas cintayanto mam ye janah paryupasate / tesam nityabhiyuktanam yoga-ksemam vahamy aham: ‘Those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have’? Not even once will you be lacking. Even if the goddess of fortune herself becomes poverty-stricken—even if she becomes a beggar—your house will never know want. I will personally bring whatever you need.”

Of course, what the Lord says in the Gita is true, though such constant concentration on Krishna is not so easy. But if one does come to the stage of always meditating on Krishna without deviation, the Lord will arrange whatever one needs. In that stage, one depends completely on the mercy of the Lord. Ye yatha mam prapadyante tams tathaiva bhajamy aham—as people surrender to Krishna, He rewards them accordingly. If one thinks, “I will make my own arrangement,” the Lord will think, “All right, he’s making his own arrangement, so I need not worry about him.” The Lord reciprocates according to our degree of surrender.

It could be said that previously the culture was more conducive to a brahminical way of life, and that is true, but still, what Lord Chaitanya said is also true.

There is a famous story of a brahman who was reading the Bhagavad-gita, and when he came to the verse in which Krishna says, “To those who concentrate on Me exclusively, I preserve what they have and carry what they lack (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham),” he thought, “Well, no. Krishna might send it through somebody, but He will not come personally.” (Chaitanya Mahaprabhu told Srivasa Thakura, “I will come personally if need be.”)

ananyas cintayanto mam
  ye janah paryupasate
tesam nityabhiyuktanam
  yoga-ksemam vahamy aham

“Those who always worship Me with exclusive devotion, meditating on My transcendental form—to them I carry what they lack, and I preserve what they have.” (Gita 9.22)

When the brahman came to the words vahamy aham, “I carry,” he scratched them out with red ink. He did not believe that Krishna would personally carry what the devotee required.

Later, the brahman went out to beg alms. There are different ways by which brahmans maintain themselves, and one is to go out and beg alms. So, while the brahman was gone, a young boy came to the brahman’s house with a rod across his shoulders, and suspended from the ends of the rod were baskets full of rice, dal, flour, ghee, and vegetables—everything one needed to prepare a feast. It was such a heavy load that the boy could hardly carry it. He barely managed to reach the door. The lady of the house, the brahmani, asked, “Who are you?” He said, “Your husband sent me. I have brought all these ingredients for you. He will be coming soon. Please cook a nice feast for him. He will be hungry.” She cooked a big feast and invited the boy to stay. But the boy replied, “No, if I take too long, your husband becomes angry with me, so I will have to go.” And when he turned to leave, she saw slashes on his back—wound marks—which were red with blood.

Eventually the husband returned, dejected. He said, “I tried all day, and not one person gave me anything. I did not get even one grain of rice. Today we shall have to fast.” She said, “No, you sent that boy with so many provisions. I have already cooked a big feast.” “No, I didn’t send any boy.” “You did. He brought all these ingredients. But when I asked him to stay, he said that if he delayed, you would become angry with him. He already had wounds from you on his back.”

The brahman thought of the Bhagavad-gita. He looked in his copy to where he had cut the words vahamy aham, and he saw that the red ink was gone. Then he knew: “That boy was Krishna.” The Bhagavad-gita is the Lord Himself. By cutting those words in the Gita, he had cut the body of the Lord. And he understood that Krishna, true to His word, had come personally and carried what His devotee lacked (yoga-ksemam vahamy aham).

That is a high level of Krishna consciousness—to always be absorbed in Krishna, without deviation—but that is our goal. And the more we have faith in Krishna, the more we will be able to chant and hear about Krishna with exclusive attention. We won’t be distracted, worrying, “From where will the money come? How will we pay the bills?”—or whatever—so many anxieties. As we develop more faith in Krishna, we are able to surrender more, to Krishna and to the process of bhakti-yoga, to chanting and hearing the holy name and glories of the Lord and serving the Lord’s devotees. We are confident that Krishna will take care of us.

Devotees never go hungry. Once, many years ago, I asked a senior disciple of Srila Prabhupada, “Krishna consciousness is so nice—just chanting, dancing, feasting, and philosophy, with no anxiety—is there any austerity?” And he replied, “The austerity is that there is too much to eat. To honor the prasada and to please the devotees, we may have to eat more than we want.”

We have much to learn from the example of Srivasa Thakura, from his dealings with Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and His devotees. And we have much to learn from all the members of the Pancha-tattva, and from all the devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu—from the branches, subbranches, and leaves of the Chaitanya tree, including the present members of ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada’s spiritual family and transcendental household.

Sri Srivasa Thakura ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Gaura-bhakta-vrnda ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srivasa Pandita’s disappearance day, June 28, 2008, Moorpark, California]

srivas-pandito dhimaan yah pura narado munih

purvataakhyo muni-varo ya aasin narada-priyah

sa rama-panditah srimams tat-kanistha-sahaodarah

“Intelligent Srivaasa Pandita had previously been Narada Muni, the best of the sages. Srivaasa’s younger brother, Sriman Rama Pandita, had previously been Narada’s close friend Parvata Muni” (Gaura Ganodesh Dipika 90.)

Srila Vrindavana dasa Thakura, the Vyasadeva of Sri Gaurasundara’s pastimes, has sung the praises of Srivasa Pandita in this way:

“It was in Srivasa Pandita’s house that Sri Caitanya enacted His pastimes of sankirtana. Those four brothers (Srivasa, Sri Rama, Sripati and Srinidhi) were continuously engaged in singing the names of Sri Krsna. They worshipped Sri Krsna and bathed in the Ganges thrice daily.”

These four brothers previously lived in the district of Sri Hatta. Later on they came to reside on the banks of the Ganges. There they regularly used to attend the assembly of devotees who gathered at Sri Advaita Acarya’s house to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam and engage in congregational chanting of the Holy Names. Gradually the brothers became very close friends of Sri Jagannatha Misra, with whom they would chant and listen to the Bhagavatam.

In all matters Srivasa was the leader of the four brothers. By the strength of his devotion, he could understand that Sri Krsna was going to appear in the house of Jagannatha Misra.

Srivasa Pandits’s wife’s name was Sri Malinidevi. She was a very close friend of Sri Sacidevi and was always very helpful to her. Srivasa and Malini gave Sacidevi and Jagannatha much advice how to raise their new son. Srivasa and Malini were just like a mother and father to Sri Gaurasundara.

After Mahaprabhu took sannyasa, Srivasa Pandit came to live at Kumarhatta. Every year he would go with His brothers to see Mahaprabhu at Puri. He also regularly came to see Sri Sacimata in Navadwip and would spend a few days there during those times.

When Mahaprabhu came from Nilacala to see His mother and the river Ganges, He also stopped at Kumarhatta to see Srivasa.

The post How to live materially to grow spiritually Chowpatty Mumbai – Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The post Hindi – Chapter 4 Bhagavad Gita And Decision Making Bhagavad Gita Overview – Chaitanya Charan Das appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

When the goal matters more than the credit, creativity takes over.

When Lakshmana was dying and the Sanjeevani herb was urgently needed, Hanuman didn’t waste time identifying the exact plant.

He lifted the entire mountain.

Not perfect. But effective.

Leadership Lesson:

Impact > Perfection. Action > Analysis.

Sometimes, “done” is better than “just right.”

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders:

If you’re unsure which detail matters most—bring the whole mountain.

Serve the mission, not your ego.

The post Hanuman: Mission Over Method appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Join us in celebrating Sri Krishna Janmashtami at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple (ISKCON Auckland) on Saturday 16th August 2025 starting with a special candlelit Maha Mangal Arati. This festival commemorates Lord Krishna's Divine Appearance with fasting, chanting, Krishna katha, arati, kirtan and joyous midnight celebrations at 1229 Coatesville Riverhead Hwy, in Kumeu. All are welcome! Hare Krishna.

Today is the appearance day of Sri Vakresvara Pandita, one of Lord Chaitanya’s most dear associates. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Adi 10.17–20) states, “Vakresvara Pandita, the fifth branch of the [Caitanya] tree, was a very dear servant of Lord Caitanya’s. He could dance with constant ecstasy for seventy-two hours. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu personally sang while Vakresvara Pandita danced, and thus Vakresvara Pandita fell at the lotus feet of the Lord and spoke as follows. ‘O Candramukha! Please give me ten thousand Gandharvas. Let them sing as I dance, and then I will be greatly happy.’ Lord Caitanya replied, ‘I have only one wing like you, but if I had another, certainly I would fly in the sky!’ ”

In his purport to text 17, Srila Prabhupada writes, “In the Gaura-ganoddesa-dipika (71) it is stated that Vakresvara Pandita was an incarnation of Aniruddha, one of the quadruple expansions of Visnu (Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Aniruddha and Pradyumna). He could dance wonderfully for seventy-two continuous hours. When Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu played in dramatic performances in the house of Srivasa Pandita, Vakresvara Pandita was one of the chief dancers, and he danced continuously for that length of time. Sri Govinda dasa, an Oriya devotee of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, has described the life of Vakresvara Pandita in his book Gaura-krsnodaya. There are many disciples of Vakresvara Pandita in Orissa, and they are known as Gaudiya Vaisnavas although they are Oriyas. Among these disciples are Sri Gopalaguru and his disciple Sri Dhyanacandra Gosvami.”

A contemporary of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu named Devananda Pandita had no faith in Mahaprabhu and thus avoided Him, but fortunately, Devananda Pandita developed great faith in Vakresvara Pandita and rendered service to him. And by Vakresvara Pandita’s mercy, Devananda Pandita developed faith in Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and ultimately achieved His shelter.

Concerning this incident, Sri Caitanya-bhagavata (Antya 3.485–487) confirms the efficacy of serving pure devotees and the results one attains by doing so: “The service of Vaishnavas is superior to the service of Krishna. All scriptures, headed by Srimad-Bhagavatam, confirm this. There may be a doubt whether the servants of the Supreme Personality of Godhead will attain perfection, but there is absolutely no doubt that those who are attached to serving the Lord’s devotees will attain perfection. Therefore service to the Vaishnavas is the best means of deliverance.”

Hare Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada expressed his appreciation for his father in his dedication to his book Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead: “To My Father, Gour Mohan De (1849-1930)—A pure devotee of Krsna, who raised me as a Krsna conscious child from the beginning of my life. In my boyhood ages he instructed me how to play the mrdanga. He gave me Radha-Krsna vigraha to worship, and he gave me Jagannatha ratha to duly observe the festival as my childhood play. He was kind to me, and I imbibed from him the ideas later on solidified by my spiritual master, the eternal father.”

As devotees, we try to encourage and facilitate our children’s Krishna consciousness, as Prabhupada’s father did with him—an effort that is solidified when our children find their eternal spiritual masters.

Later, Srila Prabhupada wrote one of his disciples, “You have accepted me as father, so I have also accepted you as my dear and real son. Relationship of father and son on spiritual platform is real and eternal; on the material platform such relationship is ephemeral and temporary. Although I cannot give you anything as father, still I can pray to Krishna for your more and more advancement in Krishna consciousness. Your sincerity and service mood will always help you in advancing your genuine cause.”

We are indebted to all our fathers, biological and preceptorial. To those still with us, we wish you Happy Father’s Day. To those who have left us, we love you and miss you, and we shall try to act in such a way as will please you—and Krishna, the Supreme Father.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

Sri Vakresvara Pandit was present with Sriman Mahaprabhu during His pastimes in Navadwipa and after his acceptance of Sannyasa he also accompanied Him to Jagannath Puri.

During the time of the Lord’s residence in Puri he continued to live with Him there as well. Sri Vakresvara Pandit took birth in the village of Guptipara near Triveni. He was an especially proficient dancer and kirtaniya and could dance continuously for 72 hours.

When Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu began His pastimes of congregational chanting of the Holy Name of Sri Hari in Navadvipa, Sri Vakresvara Pandit was an important singer and dancer in that assembly.

Vakresvara Pandit’s worshippable deity is Sri Sri Radha-kanta, whom he worshipped in Kasi Misra’s house, which was also the residence of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (Gambhira).These Deities are still being worshipped there to this day.

Here is a link to an article I wrote for the 2023 ISKCON Communications Journal:

ICJ14_05_Krishna_Dharma_ISKCON’s_initiation_system_v4-1

[Missing pdf file]