Websites from the ISKCON Universe
August 2025 Purpose: To clarify ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry’s position regarding the use of wigs for deities and to establish the reasons for permitting only synthetic hair, not human or animal hair, for the deities in ISKCON temples. 1. Background Within ISKCON, the dressing and ornamentation of the deity is an important part of worship.Mayapur, 19 August 2025 – HariBol Foods, India’s foremost cruelty-free food brand recognized by the World Economic Forum, has announced a landmark partnership with ISKCON Mayapur, the global headquarters of ISKCON. Together, they will implement HariBol Food’s advanced AI- and IoT-enabled cow health monitoring ecosystem at ISKCON Mayapur’s go-shala, marking the beginning of a new era of transparency and spiritual engagement in cow care.
As part of this initiative, HariBol Foods will also provide a dedicated Mobile Healthcare Van to ISKCON Mayapur. This van will expand the scope of veterinary support for Mayapur’s cows – bringing preventive care, first aid, and emergency treatment directly where it is needed. The combined approach of on-ground mobile healthcare and digital IoT monitoring ensures comprehensive welfare for the cows, while creating a living model for ISKCON’s global go-shalas.
HariBol Foods has pioneered transparent systems where consumers can trace their food back to source – whether milk, ghee, oils, or grains. At Mayapur, this same transparency will now be applied directly to cow protection.
Each cow will be equipped with an IoT-enabled collar tracking vital health parameters, with data stored securely and made available to devotees through HariBol Food’s “Live Farms” platform. Devotees will be able to view real-time updates, historical health indices, and veterinary interventions – making go-seva globally participatory.
The addition of the mobile healthcare van complements this ecosystem by ensuring that veterinary teams are always equipped to deliver timely interventions in the field. This dual model ensures that ancient principles of Ahimsa (non-violence) are safeguarded through modern systems that combine accountability, compassion, and precision.
The initiative is designed to serve as a replicable model for ISKCON go-shalas worldwide. By combining digital transparency through IoT and direct intervention via mobile healthcare, ISKCON Mayapur and HariBol Foods are setting a new standard for cow care. Smaller temples and goshalas can adopt the system at different scales – mobile vans for outreach, IoT collars for monitoring, or both – ensuring accessibility across contexts.
Beyond immediate welfare, the platform also opens opportunities for research on Ahimsa dairy, sustainability practices, and policy-level advocacy for ethical animal husbandry. In the long term, this could connect ISKCON’s go-shalas in Vrindavan, Ujjain, New Vrindaban, and beyond into a single transparent ecosystem of cow protection.
“ISKCON founder HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada envisioned that our communities would care for cows with the same devotion as Deities. By combining ancient wisdom with technology, we are making that vision accessible to every devotee worldwide. With the mobile van and IoT monitoring, care is not only heartfelt but also measurable – protecting cows in body while uplifting devotees in spirit.”
“This collaboration with ISKCON Mayapur represents a milestone for us. By providing a mobile
healthcare van alongside IoT-driven monitoring, we are building a holistic model of cow care that is both spiritual and scientific. Our vision is to see this platform become the benchmark for ISKCON’s go-shalas worldwide, blending tradition, compassion, and innovation into one seamless system.”
ISKCON Mayapur, the world headquarters of ISKCON, is home to the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium (TOVP) and one of the largest go-shalas dedicated to lifelong cow protection. It is a center of spiritual learning and practice, visited by millions of pilgrims annually.
HariBol Foods is a food innovation company inspired by ISKCON principles, dedicated to creating cruelty-free, sustainable food systems rooted in Ahimsa. Through its Live Farms technology, DNA-verified A2 milk, and traceable ecosystems for dairy and non-dairy products, HariBol Foods is reshaping how food and compassion converge in modern life.
Website – https://haribol.in/
Contact – yachneet.pushkarna@haribol.in | +91 85869 06577
Visit: www.tovp.org
Support: https://tovp.org/donate/seva-opportunities
Email: tovpinfo@gmail.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/tovp.mayapur
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/tovpinfo
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOVP2022
Telegram: https://t.me/TOVP_GRAM
WhatsApp: https://s.tovp.org/whatsappcommunity1
Instagram: https://s.tovp.org/tovpinstagram
App: https://s.tovp.org/app
News & Texts: https://s.tovp.org/newstexts
Store: https://tovp.org/tovp-gift-store/
I haven’t visited Kuala Lampur temple for many years. It has certainly changed since the last time because the old temple was completely pulled down and a new temple is now up in its place.
I was inspired to see the Their Lordships on the altars and see the magnificent temple room and all the other new facilities. I was invited to give the Sunday morning lecture, which was followed by kirtan and prasadam.
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हमको अक्सर यह बताया जाता है कि हम आध्यात्मिक जगत में थे और वहाँ से यहाँ आए। लेकिन भक्तिविनोद ठाकुर अपने तत्त्व-विचार में कहते हैं कि हम कभी भी आध्यात्मिक जगत में थे ही नहीं और वहाँ से पतन जैसी कोई चीज़ होती ही नहीं है। तो इसे कैसे समझा जाए?
असल में यह ऐसा विषय है जिसमें आचार्यों के वचनों में कुछ विरोधाभास जैसा प्रतीत होता है। इसलिए इसको समझने में सावधानी की आवश्यकता है।
अगर हम श्रील प्रभुपाद के वाक्यों को देखें तो उन्होंने भी इस विषय पर अलग-अलग स्थानों पर अलग तरह के कथन किए हैं। अधिकांश स्थानों पर वे कहते हैं कि हम आध्यात्मिक जगत से पतित होकर यहाँ आए हैं। लेकिन कुछ जगहों पर उन्होंने बहुत स्पष्ट रूप से कहा है कि आध्यात्मिक जगत से कोई पतन नहीं होता। जैसे, चौथे स्कंध में जय-विजय की लीला के प्रसंग में प्रभुपाद कहते हैं कि वैकुण्ठ से पतन नहीं होता।
इसी बिंदु को लेकर 1980 के दशक में ISKCON में काफी विवाद हुआ। तब तक प्रभुपाद इस जगत से जा चुके थे और संस्थान पूरी तरह स्थिर भी नहीं हुई थी। इसलिए यदि कोई भक्त प्रभुपाद से अलग कुछ बोलता था तो उसके विरुद्ध बहुत कठोर कार्रवाई होती थी। इसी समय दो विद्वान भक्तों ने एक पुस्तक लिखी जिसमें उन्होंने यह सिद्ध करने का प्रयास किया कि वैकुण्ठ से कभी भी कोई पतन नहीं होता। उसके उत्तर में GBC ने Our Original Position नामक एक पुस्तक प्रकाशित की।
लेकिन उसमें भी यह बात स्पष्ट नहीं हुई कि यदि हम यहाँ से वहाँ जाते हैं और फिर वहाँ से वापस पतन संभव नहीं है, तो हमारा वास्तविक आरंभ कहाँ से हुआ?
बल्देव विद्या भूषण अपनी टीकाओं में बताते हैं कि तीन बातें हैं –
तो अगर हमें कोई विशेष स्मृति नहीं है तो इसका अर्थ यह नहीं है कि वह बात असत्य है। क्योंकि भगवान की इच्छा से ही स्मृति, ज्ञान और विस्मरण प्रकट होते हैं।
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Click here for more photos A lively tapestry of vibrant music, colors, and devotion unfolded at ISKCON temple in Houston. On a warm evening, over 10,000 enthusiastic devotees gathered to celebrate Janmashtami, the divine appearance of the Supreme Lord, Krishna. “It was a really a magnificent event,” said Sarang Thakur Dasa, ISKCON Temple President. “We
Last year we observed Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasapuja at our Sri Sri Radha Gopinatha temple in Baha, Bali. This year all the devotees went to Sri Sri Radha Rasesvara temple and the celebration was in the bottom floor of the new temple building, although it is not fully complete yet.
Needless to say, it was a wonderful function with abhiseka, homages, puspanjali and Srila Prabhupada puja offered by His Holiness Subhaga Maharaja. The devotees performed ecstatic kirtan, which was followed by sumptuous prasadam that consisted of many preparations, including one of Srila Prabhupada’s favorites, tasty kachoris.
Notes on Srila Prabhupada Tributes 2025
I proofread Srila Prabhupada Tributes 2025 in two and a half days back in July. I took notes on some points that were striking to me in some way, either because they included new information or presented truths about Srila Prabhupada or his message in a creative way. I share with you to honor him on his appearance day. They are in the same order as in the book, by date of initiation, with the swamis first.
Umapati Swami:
“But, you ask, Why only Prabhupada? Other masters in our line also teach about Krishna. Yes my friend, but only one master sailed across the ocean in his old age just to deliver me. And I’m sticking with that one.”
Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:
“You turned me into a respectable person. Before I met you, I had many sinful habits, like the four sinful activities – illicit sex, meat eating, intoxication and gambling. I was a lost cause. But the first night I attended your class in the storefront on Second Avenue, I tasted bliss, and I felt I had been saved. Chanting in kīrtana with you brought me ecstasy. I was able to give up all my sinful activities in one night, and from then on, I have always tried to be a faithful servitor to you. I became your servant. I became your disciple after one night. Just by meeting you and joining you in kīrtana and listening to your lecture (although I couldn’t understand your accent so well), I became sworn to serve you always.”
Jayapataka Swami:
“We successfully registered a trust called Sarasvata Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (SGVA). Most of the Gaudiya Mathas have joined this institution, and we celebrate together the appearance day of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We are also aiming to collectively honor their disappearance days. After we do our own celebration in the morning, we gather at one Matha or another to celebrate the particular event. In this way, we are trying to unify the disciples and followers of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura Prabhupada, as per your wish.”
Kavicandra Swami:
“At one point I thought I was a devotee, sometimes even thinking I was a ‘good’ devotee. Then I thought that I was trying to be a devotee. Now I wonder if I am even trying to be a devotee.”
“We can never repay what he has given, but fortunately he will accept our efforts to serve. Srila Prabhupada taught us everything from every angle in many different ways.”
Janananda Goswami:
“May you cast your glance on France and make us dance. I pray you please shower your glance of mercy on us all that we can continue on the path of becoming your unalloyed servants – fulfilling your desires to preach the sankirtana movement without the self-aggrandizing false ego that drives me on.”
Bhakti Caitanya Swami:
“My prayer on this most sacred day is that Lord Krishna gives me more intelligence so I can appreciate you more and more and reciprocate more and more. Let that be my meditation and the foundation of my life.”
Bhaktimarga Swami:
“Some have perished, some have stayed
Some are on a climb, some are delayed
Men and women, definitely aged
Surely all will be home, fully engaged”
Bhakti Ananda Goswami:
“When I showed my Dad, Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, his reaction surprised me. He said that all of the great German physicists knew these Sanskrit literatures because ‘that is where they got their ideas from’.”
Varsana Swami:
“In your collective body of ISKCON, we have the ongoing privilege of displaying our love and loyalty by cooperating among ourselves.”
Devamrita Swami:
“Because your boundless, steadfast compassion defied all odds, your apprentices and trainees can break free of the most severe penal servitude – no longer chained by lust, anger, greed, and envy – in the ultimate maximum-security prison that is the material nature.”
Bhakti Vikasa Swami:
“Book distribution and farms: these are our solid programs. They can change the whole world. The whole foundation of animal civilization can be destroyed.” (a Prabhupada quote)
Govinda Dasi:
“This Hare Krishna Mahamantra is the only weapon to defend against the demons of this Kali Yuga. Public sankirtan melts down the sinfulness of the culture—but it must reach the masses. It must be held not only in temples and homes, but in public places. While you were here, my dear Master, we did Harinama Sankirtan at every public gathering, every war protest, every rock concert, anywhere and everywhere, and we were on the streets of every major city for 6 to 8 hours daily—except Sunday when we had your ‘Love Feast.’”
Kanchanbala Dasi:
“The Admiral happened to discover Indrayumna Maharaja’s Bhagavad-gita class in session, and he joined in to hear.
“At the end, the Admiral raised his hand and said, ‘This is what I have been looking for.’ “All of a sudden, Indradyumna Maharaja received a call to come back, Srila Prabhupada is arriving in two days to Paris, as they were quite a distance away. The Admiral caught wind of it, and asked, ‘Young man, what is a Spiritual Master?’ Maharaja said, ‘Come with me and see.’ The Admiral was so inspired and moved, spontaneously grasping an opportunity to meet Srila Prabhupada.
“When they arrived in Paris, Srila Prabhupada heard about the Admiral and sent for him to come. The Admiral came in uniform decorated with stripes and medals, sitting with His Divine Grace. Srila Prabhupada spoke with him for two hours, preaching to him very strongly, ‘You are not your body, you are not an Admiral,’ The Admiral was hearing with rapt attention. Towards the end of the meeting, the Admiral addressed Srila Prabhupada, ‘My dear Spiritual Master, what chapter of the Bhagavad-gita should I focus on?’ Srila Prabhupada said, ‘Every day for the rest of your life you read the Ninth Chapter of the Bhagavad-gita. That is my instruction to you.’ On that occasion, Srila Prabhupada didn’t mention the 4 regulative principles and chanting 16 rounds.
When the meeting came to a close, the Admiral asked Indrayumna Maharaja, ‘What should I do now?’, and Maharaja said, ‘Bow down,’ which he very readily did.
Then, eight years later, while Indrayumna Maharaja was doing sankirtana, he met the Admiral again at a Military Parade in Paris. The Admiral caught sight of Indrayumna Maharaja and said, ‘You are the one who brought me to my Spiritual Master. I read the Ninth Chapter of Bhagavad-gita every day.’ He then asked, ‘How is my Spiritual Master doing?’ It was when Srila Prabhupada had already departed a few years ago. In a devastated state, Maharaja said, ‘I am so sorry to say His Divine Grace has left this world. He has gone back to Godhead.’ Immediately, the Admiral burst into tears. All along, to the end, His Divine Grace gave the final lesson to everyone, was the art of leaving this world remembering Krishna. How Srila Prabhupada had made such a heartfelt impression in one meeting with the Admiral and then he took shelter of Srila Prabhupada’s guidance. It was just so moving to hear.”
Locanananda Prabhu:
“I had no specific qualification to engage in any particular service, but I found my place doing Harinam Sankirtana on the streets of Paris. I was the tambourine man, and it was my role to watch for approaching police vehicles and warn the leader to stop chanting until they had passed.”
Sarvamangala Dasi:
“I am praying to never be bereft of your unfathomable kindness and brilliant enlightening guidance.”
Vishnu Prabhu:
“O Gurudeva, you’ve revealed to me my true home
Within this dark world I’ve no need to roam
Your teachings are a river, flowing endlessly bright
Guiding my soul through the shadows of night
You’ve opened my eyes to the beauty of grace
In my thoughts and deeds, I feel your embrace
You’ve allowed me to take on this artist’s role
But you’ve become the painter of my soul
Your compassion knows no bounds or end
A torchlight of hope, you constantly send
In our moments of doubt, your light breaks through
In the caves of our hearts where we can find you
From the day I found you it became my call
To learn your teachings, so I wouldn’t fall
You’ve silenced the chaos, bestowed on us peace
Because of your kindness, our love will increase
Echoes of your voice resonate in my heart
With each quoted sloka, I feel a new start
You’ve lifted my spirit, dispelled all my fears,
With a love that transcends all ages and years
No foes can deter the path that you’ve set
Your blessings direct us, we’ll never forget
Your mission was a tapestry woven so fine
through Sri Chaitanya’s mercy and parampara line
Through the ancient sages, profound and wise
You’ve revealed the truth that never dies
In the tangled web of this earthly plight
Your guidance shines brightly, a relentless light
In your teachings, all Vedic truths unfold
Every verse in your books is a treasure I hold
Your purports, a beacon, illumines the way
Turning night into day, and ending dismay
You’ve removed the veil of this temporal guise
Revealing the essence, where the eternal lies
With each page I turn, my heart becomes free
Freed by your wisdom, I can finally see
O guide of my heart, forever I’ll strive
To honor your teachings which are always alive
In your divine radiance, I’ll continually bask,
For you have the answers to the questions I ask
When fear looms large and illusions take hold
Your words are the fire, freeing us from the cold
You’ve driven away the demons of deception
With knowledge as armor, you’ve given protection
In the dance of existence, through pleasure and pain
Your love for Krishna has broken the chain
You saw we were imprisoned, slaves of our strife
Then you freed us, and revealed the goal of life
You appeared as the tsunami of the Bhakti sea
My beloved Gurudeva, you’ll always be
And chanting Krishna-nama I pledge to uphold
This sacred vow is worth more than gold
We must cherish your words, like the stars in the night
They guide our devotion, as our souls take flight
With your divine knowledge, we stand ever tall
In gratitude, to your Divine Grace, I surrender my all.”
Narayani Dasi:
“Nanda devi dasi came to Vrindavan to leave her body but it took 20 years for her to leave. Because of her disease, she could not chant properly, finish her rounds or go to the temple. Just before she left her body, she had a vision. She was walking on the path back to Godhead, and Srila Prabhupada was walking next to her. On both sides of the path were people criticizing her, saying things like, she didn’t chant her rounds properly, she is a woman so she can’t go back to Godhead, she didn’t go to the temple regularly… But then Srila Prabhupada turned to the people and said, ‘It’s ok. She is with me.’ Then the people on both sides of the path started praising her.”
Somadas Prabhu:
“I heard later when some of your disciples asked you if it was ok to pray to Lord Nrsiṁha Deva for your protection. You said we should pray to him for the protection of the spiritual master, for the protection of ISKCON, and the protection of all the devotees in ISKCON. . . . Also, I pray that all living entities become members of ISKCON so they get that protection. And I wish that all living entities develop pure love for Krishna and chant 16 rounds without offense and follow the four principles, Krishna if You so desire.”
Vishnugada Prabhu:
“During one reading of the Lilamrta, we came across an exchange between you and a professor during your visit to Philadelphia in 1975 to attend the first large Ratha Yatra festival on the East Coast. The professor entered your darshan with some of his students. When he was introduced as a professor of religion you requested he tell you his understanding of religion. He responded saying ‘no’ and that it would be better for you to tell him your understanding. At that, you turned to Svarupa Damodara Prabhu, sitting nearby, and said: ‘What do you make of this, a religion professor who can’t explain religion?’ Svarupa Damodara said: ‘I think this is a cheater Srila Prabhupada.’ At that there erupted a heated exchange between the two of you and the professor left.
“A devotee attending the reading became disturbed and confused hearing the pastime. He asked me: ‘What kind of Vedic hospitality is this, inviting someone to your place and then insulting him? Aren’t we supposed to treat even enemies with respect when they come as our guests?’ I responded that it was a good question, and I didn’t have a good answer. However, I suggested there was likely more to the story than what was included in the Lilamrta. I encouraged him to call Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu, who was present during the incident, since he might be able to give a more complete description of what went on. The call was made.
“Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu admitted he was the one who invited the professor. The professor’s name was actually Dr. Yadav, indicating he was a descendant of the Yadu dynasty, the family of Lord Krishna. Ravindra added that the next morning when he accompanied you on your morning walk, he apologized for inviting a professor who was not very respectful. You just chuckled, saying it was your business to chastise rascals.
“Ravindra Svarupa Prabhu then mentioned that some time later he met the same professor in Philadelphia. The professor eagerly inquired about you. When Ravindra updated him, professor Yadav spontaneously exclaimed: ‘Your guru saved me!’ and proceeded to explain that despite being born in an exalted family he had become involved in all kinds of degraded activities. But upon meeting you, Srila Prabhupada, your strong words shook him out of his illusion and were instrumental in bringing him back to an appreciation of the Bhagavat dharma of his roots. He then profusely thanked Ravindra Svarupa for inviting him for your darshan.
“We had a golden opportunity to learn from this encounter. It demonstrated to us that you are always fully transcendental and acting for a person’s ultimate benefit, even when we may not understand how. Although you are usually a cordial, charming, and attentive host, when the opportunity arose to elevate someone in Krishna Consciousness, that purpose was paramount. It was even more important than adhering to the rules of etiquette. The incident reminded us of your commentary when Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya asked Lord Caitanya why Sripad Isvara Puri kept Govinda, a person from a sudra background, as a disciple. You noted: ‘An authorized spiritual master is as good as Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If Hari is free to act as He likes, the empowered spiritual master is also free. As Hari is not subject to the criticism of mundane rules and regulations, the spiritual master is also not subjected.’ (CC Madhya 10.136) Like Narada Muni cursing the sons of Kuvera to extract them from their intoxicated lifestyle facilitating their meeting with Lord Damodara, your strong words brought the professor to his right consciousness.”
Sankarshan Prabhu:
“As a hippy singer/songwriter, I was on a mission to deliver the world from chaos. For this purpose, I wrote hundreds of songs and sang them in many different venues. But, because I was totally in a state of chaos myself, lost in material sense gratification, there was no question of my being able to do anything at all to deliver the world from chaos. After two years I finally realized my lost state. In an attempt to free myself from chaos, I was inspired by Lord Jesus, who prayed to be able to serve God’s will instead of his own will. Thus, I prayed to God to guide me how I could become His perfect servant. Krishna heard and answered my sincere prayer by sending your representative, His Holiness Vishnujana Swami, to Austin to open an ISKCON center. That most glorious sannyasi expertly guided me how to practice the sublime science of Krishna consciousness.”
Anuttama Prabhu:
“Srila Prabhupada, with each year that passes it becomes more and more obvious how dependent we are on your mercy, your teachings, and your example.”
“Thank you for guiding us via hundreds of recorded lectures, in which you at once plead, coach, embrace, and call out to each of us to come closer to you and to Lord Krishna.”
“But sadly, the world around us impels us to hurt ourselves and others. The world impels us to cheat. The world impels us to be full of hate and anger and jealously and envy. It is practically demanding that we do so. It is tempting us to do so. It is prodding us to do so. But you have given us the secret to rising beyond all that, the Lord’s holy name:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama
Rama Rama Hare Hare”
“Srila Prabhupada, you were and are the perfect manifestation of authenticity. This is one of your greatest qualities – one that attracted thousands and today attracts millions to take shelter of you. If we want to be counted as among your followers, if we want to preach and teach and serve you and follow you, we too need to become authentic. Not shallow, and not proud; but to become humble Vaishnavas, trying our utmost to respect all others, to be kind to all others, and to be servants of all others.”
Jitamitra Dasi:
“I can thank you every day for having the great compassion to accept and trust me to be your disciple despite not knowing me personally. I will continue to try to personalize my relationship with you by always taking guidance through your instructions and by keeping my initiation vows as my most treasured possession that cemented our relationship in love and trust.”
Janakaraja Prabhu:
“Every time I chant, my faith is restored, my conviction that you have given the greatest gift that can heal the desert-like hearts of us conditioned souls.”
Vaisnavananda Prabhu:
“In July 1975, at an arrival address in San Francisco, he said that just as Krishna is in anxiety regarding the welfare of His devotee, so the spiritual master is in anxiety regarding the state of his disciples. Prabhupada told us that if we sincerely maintain our practice of Krishna consciousness but fail to return back home back to Godhead in this lifetime, that he will take as many births as needed to come back for us, but that we should not abuse that privilege and become serious in our sadhana bhakti.”
Ali Krishna Devi Dasi:
“First, you gave us yourself, a unique personality, full of countless exceptional qualities. You gave us the vision of your beautiful, timeless face, a face both old and young at the same time. You gifted us with your oceanic smile and your seriousness, your humor, and your gravity.”
“Another beautiful gift you gave us is our names. You gave each of us new names to call one another so that we could remember our true origin and the bond that unites us.”
“There’s some who claimed you bent the rules
To spread the yuga-dharma
Yet millions more you’ve lifted
From the wreck of Kali’s drama
And countless souls around the world
Are touched by your compassion
As they chant Lord Krishna’s holy name
Untouched by fad or fashion”
Badarayana Prabhu:
“There is the internal path of cultivation of bhakti, and there is the external path of delivering the conditioned souls. You desired that we cultivate these two paths simultaneously with tivrena bhakti-yogena, great force, intensity and dedication. You set the example as the acarya that we do so until our dying day. Your mood was imbued with love, compassion and urgency.”
“We now see that prophecy being realized with Tulsi Gabbard, a serious Vaishnavi, not only having run for POTUS [President of the United States], but now holding the highest position in US intelligence agencies. And Kashyapa Patel, as the head of the FBI, who in his first Congressional acceptance hearing declared for all the world to hear, “Jaya Sri Krishna.” Another powerful Vaishnava. And there’s Usha Vance, the vegetarian Hindu/Vaishnava wife of the current vice president JD Vance. How could it be that there are so many Vaishnavas in top positions of US government, who themselves have had their own internal great awakening, if not by the mercy, will and plan of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu Himself the Supreme Personality of this age?”
Kadamba Devi Dasi:
“Thank you for your gift that I can never repay. Let my understanding and love for Krishna flourish under your guidance and protection.”
Citraka Prabhu:
“We are but fallen souls striving to follow your footsteps. We face internal challenges, grapple with the complexities of maintaining the integrity of your institution, and struggle with our own imperfections.
“We pray for your mercy to overcome these obstacles, to remain united as a spiritual family, and to continue expanding your mission with sincerity and dedication. We seek your guidance to navigate the turbulent waters of Kali-yuga, to deepen our sadhana, and to develop a genuine taste for the holy name.”
Govardhan Devi Dasi:
“Like the maha-mantra, your glories grow sweeter the more they are sung. What a gift you have given the world!”
“You told us that your Bhaktivedanta purports were your ‘emotional ecstasies’. I’ve always thought of that as referring particularly to the purports where you reflect on the Lord’s pastimes. It strikes me now, though, that your constant urging, through your Bhaktivedanta purports, that we strive to leave this material world and return back to Godhead is just as much a part of your repeated ecstasy.”
Dravida Dasa:
“The Hare Krishna movement’s a desire tree, whose fruits
Are all the splendid ways Lord Gaura’s army wins recruits.
To plant that tree upon the earth, from Krishna’s realm he came—
To Srila Prabhupada I bow, his glories I proclaim.”
“There have been many ups and downs, still, the unseen power, compassion of the Lord and of you, dear Srila Prabhupada, has kept me in the association of devotees.”
“ISKCON is the manifestation of your love for us and all the other parts and parcels of Lord Krishna.”
“The lesson I learned from associating with devotees is that humility is the greatest asset one can imbibe. Humility is the solution to all problems of life one has to solve in one’s sojourn.”
“On one of those days, as you sat serenely on your vyasasana, you told us while looking directly at me, ‘So one day you may feel no desire to chant Hare Krishna and no desire to do any service.’ This statement shocked me greatly because I wanted to do nothing else at that time. And then you continued, ‘Then you can pray to Mother Radharani, “My dear Radharani, I am feeling no desire to chant my japa and no desire to do any service. But please bless me that I may chant just one more round of japa and do some little service.”’ ‘If you can get a taste for that,’ you said, ‘you will never fall down.’ This made perfect sense to me. You continued and said something incredibly amazing to me still:
“‘Actually, that is the highest taste.’”
Ksetrajna Prabhu:
“One by one as they approached you out of curiosity or to inquire or to speak, they were won over to the path of devotion to Krishna.
“Thank you for allowing me to be amongst your miracles.”
Taraka Prabhu:
“Your blessings, too vast to ever recount,
Flow through our lives in an endless amount,”
“With boundless compassion, he reached every shore,
Welcoming all to Vaikuntha’s door.
Regardless of background, caste, or creed,
He called every heart to the spiritual need.”
“Yet never swayed from the truth’s clear stand,
Even among the elite of the land.
Like Vyasadeva, he built a family vast,
Disciples of disciples, a lineage to last.”
“To the spiritual master, our eternal guide,
Who channels Vyasadeva’s wisdom far and wide,
We offer our thanks, our obeisances pure,
For the path of truth that shall always endure.”
“Fortunate are we to serve your feet,
In your mission, our lives complete,
Your presence lingers, far and wide,
In words, in deeds, and by your side.
“In every book, in every line,
Your spirit lives, your truth divine,
In countless languages, your words do fly,
Transforming hearts, lifting them high.”
Trilokanatha Prabhu and Mahojjvala Devi Dasi:
“The sweetness of God is yours to bestow:
Like Mahaprabhu, you give the high to the low.
This understanding is what keeps us afloat.
In this material ocean, you captain our boat.”
“As we stumble and fall, in the midst of this maze,
Your words ring so true ‘be surprised at who stays!’
And still, amid grace, we fume, and we fuss.
Our prayer is that you will be patient with us.”
Moksalaksmi Devi Dasi:
“Thank you for all the incredible life experiences I have had because I chose to join and stay in your movement. It’s been an incredible life spent trying to serve you in some way or another.”
“You can either love it or hate it or both at the same time as you hate that you can no longer have those intimate quiet moments with the deities but you love the fact that your preaching, Srila Prabhupada, has been an unparalleled success. You have single-handedly put Vrindavan well and truly back on the map. You have reminded the whole of India about Krishna and turned Vrindavan from a quiet forgotten village into a hub of countless souls seeking out the mercy of Krishna and the incalculable benefits of Sri Vrindavan Dham.”
Sandamani dd:
“New devotees come from all walks of life
See the mundane world with its hatred and strife
Krishna Consciousness is the true alternative
Whether one is moderate, liberal or conservative.”
Satyaraja Prabhu:
“Clearly you are still with us, for you live in your instructions, and if you were not in some sense here, how could we write Vyasa-puja offerings? These offerings themselves are one of the many ways that your presence can still be felt throughout the world.”
Sriniketan Prabhu:
“Although for a conditioned soul the path back to Godhead appears very difficult, by the mercy of a bona fide acarya like yourself, the process becomes simple and blissful. In fact it is so completely satisfying that we don’t even care so much about going back to Godhead, as long as we can stay in your service and association. Because when we are in your association – you who are always absorbed in transcendental activities to please Krishna – this is actually as good as being back to Godhead.”
Narakantaka Prabhu:
“You once recounted how a priest, acting on his own accord, approached you and said, ‘Swamiji, I see a brightness in the faces of your students. How have you created this brightness?’ (Room Conversation with Dr. Karan Singh, November 25, 1971, Delhi).
I know precisely why: because you dwell within our minds.
Indeed, you own our minds.
That is why your devotees now possess such ‘bright faces.’ It is your brightness that shines through!”
Jagannathesvari dd:
“Every time I write a Vyasa-puja offering to you, it means one more year as your disciple. Each passing year tightens the bond and brings me closer to you and further away from distant memories of previous lifetimes in the material world. Every year increases my amazement at my good fortune to be your disciple. What are the odds? How is it possible that I have become an initiated disciple of the Jagat Guru, the person chosen by Lord Chaitanya to spread Krishna consciousness all over the world? It is inconceivable to my tiny brain. Every year increases my wonder, awe, gratitude and love for you.”
Atitaguna dd:
“In Kali-yuga there are not many good qualities. You gave us the only good qualities we have in this life.”
Gopimata dd:
“Thank you for your kindness and compassion. Thank you for your ability to see right through the tamasic layers that cover our pure soul. To us, these layers appear to be very complicated and important, but you see that they can be easily removed.”
My dear Srila Prabhupada,
Please accept my prostrated obeisances at your divine, merciful lotus feet. All glories to Your Divine Grace.
When I joined the Boston temple in 1969, Satsvarupa dasa was the temple president and also the editor of BTG, and he always wanted articles for the magazine. So I wrote one, entitled “The Genuine Spiritual Master,” and by the time the issue with my article reached you, in February of 1971, I was with you in Gorakhpur, India.
After reading my article, you called for me. The temple room was dimly lit—only some narrow shafts of light pierced through the slim openings in the wooden shutters along the side. Sitting alone on your raised cushion at the far end of the room, you were the very image of the eternal spiritual master, and your voice resonated with the truth of eternal time. I sat at your feet, eyes and ears wide open.
“I saw your article in Back to Godhead,” you said. “It was very nice. You should write. This is your first business. Go on writing. We require many, many such articles about Krishna consciousness. So you should devote yourself to writing.”
“I will try,” I said. “But why are you asking me? I have no special qualification.”
“We require many to do this work, and we need you also. So, you travel with me and I will guide you. You come and stay with me.”
I felt thrilled and honored. You had never before given me a direct instruction. In fact, we had hardly ever spoken, and now you were inviting me to stay with you so you could guide me in writing.
Over the years, you repeated your instruction for me to write. In a letter to me dated August 12, 1971, you wrote, “In the midst of your heavy duties, go on writing something glorifying the Lord and put our philosophy into words. Writing articles means to express oneself how he is understanding the whole philosophy. So this writing is necessary for everyone.”
In 1973 I sent you my Vyasa-puja offering, and on August 23, from Bhaktivedanta Manor, you sent me an encouraging note: “I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and the nice Vyasa-puja offering you sent. I have sent it to Satsvarupa Goswami for printing in the BTG. Writing is a very important part of our work, and Satsvarupa is always anxious to have new material from the devotees for expanding the BTG. You have a nice talent for writing, and practice makes perfect, so continue. It will be appreciated.”
In recent years I have edited Life’s Final Exam: Death and Dying from the Vedic Perspective and written Watering the Seed—With Teachings from His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada; Many Moons: Reflections on Departed Vaishnavas; I’ll Build You a Temple: The Juhu Story; and Dancing White Elephants: Traveling with Srila Prabhupada in India, August 1970–March 1972. This year I submitted two articles to BTG, which have been accepted for publication, and I am in the last stages of completing my latest book, about meeting you and the devotees in Boston, April 1969–October 1970.
On this occasion I pray to you to bless me that I can continue to serve you, the devotees, and the world by writing about Krishna consciousness in the right consciousness. As you wrote in your commentary on Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya 19.132, “It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mṛdaṅga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī, one can become a rūpānuga devotee.”
I am assisted in my work by a team of expert editors, headed by Kalachandji dasa, and I request you to kindly bless them too.
Thank you very much.
Hare Krishna.
Your eternal, grateful servant,
Giriraj Swami
By Chintamani dasi Everyone always wanted Srila Prabhupada to come to their temple, especially if it was Janmashtami and Vyasa puja. We often didn’t know where Srila Prabhupada would go next, sometimes there wasn’t much warning. It was either by a letter or phone call to our Japanese temple that we found out the goodWhere I Went and What I Did
The thirty-second week of 2025, I spent five days in New Mayapur, attending the Balarama festival and staying for the initiation ceremony the following day. The first three days I was unable to go on harinama because I had no transportation, but the last two days I did harinama with Harinama Ruci. On Balarama Purnima we chanted in Tours for almost two hours, and a lot of people interacted with us. The next day we chanted in Amboise for about an hour and a half, and then I chanted for another forty minutes on my way to and at the train station. The last two days, I lived at ISKCON Paris in Sarcelles, eighteen minutes by train north of Paris itself. In Paris I chanted Hare Krishna for three hours each afternoon, usually from 3 to 6 p.m.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita and The Nectar of Devotion. I share notes on classes by Janananda Goswami, Agnideva Prabhu, Mandakini Devi Dasi, Devaki Devi Dasi, and Vigatsu Prabhu. I share quotes from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati.
Thanks to Jiva Prana Prabhu, president of ISKCON Paris, for sponsoring my train from Amboise to Paris, so I could attend the harinama with Harinama Ruci there. Thanks to Devaki Devi Dasi for giving me a complimentary copy of her book, Sheltering Relationships. Thanks to Parividha Prabhu for taking the video of me dancing in kirtan.
Itinerary
June 19–August 19: Paris
August 20: London harinama
August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas
August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August 24: Manchester harinama
August 25: London harinama and flight to New York
Chanting Hare Krishna in New Mayapur
Handicapped people and their caretakers chant Hare Krishna and dance with Harinama Ruci in Tours (https://youtube.com/shorts/KI8uS-29iZc?feature=share):
Jivananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with Harinama Ruci in Amboise, and people chant and dance (https://youtu.be/lSHR9HYh6U0):
Rati Manjari Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna during midday arati at ISKCON Paris (https://youtu.be/dADVF7DTCyo):
Parividha Prabhu chants on a suburban train en route to Paris with Amsterdam and Paris devotees (https://youtu.be/aJLWrMjEbtU):
Photos
Insight
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.15:
“Let me take shelter of the lotus feet of Him whose incarnations, qualities and activities are mysterious imitations of worldly affairs. One who invokes His transcendental names, even unconsciously, at the time he quits this life, is certainly washed immediately of the sins of many, many births and attains Him without fail.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.9.15, purport:
“The activities of the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are a kind of imitation of the activities going on in the material world. He is just like an actor on a stage. An actor imitates the activities of a king on stage, although actually he is not the king. Similarly, when the Lord incarnates, He imitates parts with which He has nothing to do. In the Bhagavad-gita (4.14), it is said that the Lord has nothing to do with the activities in which He is supposedly engaged: na mam karmani limpanti na me karma-phale sprha. The Lord is omnipotent: simply by His will He can perform anything and everything. When the Lord appeared as Lord Krishna, He played the part of the son of Yasoda and Nanda, and He lifted the Govardhana Hill, although lifting a hill is not His concern. He can lift millions of Govardhana Hills by His simple desire; He does not need to lift it with His hand. But He imitates the ordinary living entity by this lifting, and at the same time He exhibits His supernatural power. Thus His name is chanted as ‘the lifter of Govardhana Hill,’ or Sri Govardhana-dhari. Therefore, His acts in His incarnations and His partiality to the devotees are all imitations only, just like the acts of an expert dramatic player on a stage. His acts in that capacity, however, are all omnipotent, and the remembrance of such activities of the incarnations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is as powerful as the Lord Himself. Ajamila remembered the holy name of the Lord, Narayana, by merely calling the name of his son Narayana, and that gave him a complete opportunity to achieve the highest perfection of life.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.23:
“Engaged constantly in chanting and hearing about Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the sadhus do not suffer from material miseries because they are always filled with thoughts of My pastimes and activities.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.12.5, purport:
“Krishna comes down to teach us how we can enjoy with Him on the spiritual platform, in the spiritual world. Not only does He come, but He personally displays His pastimes in Vrindavana and attracts people to spiritual enjoyment.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 13.79:
“Lord Sri Krishna is He who is known as jana-nivasa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devakinandana or Yasoda-nandana, the son of Devaki and Yasoda. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopis of Vrindavana. May He be all glorious and happy!” [Srimad-Bhagavatam 10.90.48]
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 19:
“In the Narada Pañcaratra Lord Shiva therefore tells Parvati, ‘My dear supreme goddess, you may know from me that any person who has developed the ecstasy of love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who is always merged in transcendental bliss on account of this love, cannot even perceive the material distress or happiness coming from the body or mind.’”
The humble servants of Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.6.46:
“Simply by decorating ourselves with the garlands, fragrant oils, clothes, and ornaments that You have already enjoyed, and by eating the remnants of Your meals, we, Your servants, will indeed conquer Your illusory energy.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.11.34–41:
“My dear Uddhava, one can give up false pride and prestige by engaging in the following devotional activities. One may purify oneself by seeing, touching, worshiping, serving, and offering prayers of glorification and obeisances to My form as the Deity and to My pure devotees. One should also glorify My transcendental qualities and activities, hear with love and faith the narrations of My glories and constantly meditate on Me. One should offer to Me whatever one acquires, and accepting oneself as My eternal servant, one should give oneself completely to Me. One should always discuss My birth and activities and enjoy life by participating in festivals, such as Janmastami, which glorify My pastimes. In My temple, one should also participate in festivals and ceremonies by singing, dancing, playing musical instruments and discussing Me with other Vaishnavas. One should observe all the regularly celebrated annual festivals by attending ceremonies, pilgrimages and making offerings. One should also observe religious vows such as Ekadasi and take initiation by the procedures mentioned in the Vedas, Pañcaratra and other, similar literatures. One should faithfully and lovingly support the installation of My Deity, and individually or in cooperation with others one should work for the construction of Krishna conscious temples and cities as well as flower gardens, fruit gardens and special areas to celebrate My pastimes. One should consider oneself to be My humble servant, without duplicity, and thus should help to clean the temple, which is My home. First one should sweep and dust thoroughly, and then one should further cleanse with water and cow dung. Having dried the temple, one should sprinkle scented water and decorate the temple with mandalas. One should thus act just like My servant. A devotee should never advertise his devotional activities; therefore his service will not be the cause of false pride. One should never use lamps that are offered to Me for other purposes simply because there is need of illumination, and similarly, one should never offer to Me anything that has been offered to or used by others. Whatever is most desired by one within this material world, and whatever is most dear to oneself—one should offer that very thing to Me. Such an offering qualifies one for eternal life.”
Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.113:
“Lord Gaurasundara will deliver everyone except the sinful people who blaspheme Vaishnavas.”
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:
From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.113, purport:
“Sri Gaurasundara’s preaching of devotional service is meant to deliver everyone in the world, but Mahaprabhu did not display any compassion for delivering the sinful Mayavadis who indulge in blaspheming Vaishnavas. Rather, He enacted the pastime of accepting the hospitality of a drunken debauchee. Yet He did not award the Mayavadi Vedantists who were envious of Vaishnavas the good fortune of attaining His darsana.”
Janananda Goswami:
From a class on Balarama Purnima at New Mayapur on August 9, 2025:
Balarama was a great friend of the Kuru dynasty.
Srila Prabhupada said that Duryodhana is eternally a devotee of Lord Balarama. He was just playing a part of a demon.
namas te halagrahanamas te musalayudha
namas te revati-kantanamas te bhakta-vatsala
namas te dharani-dharanamas te balanam srestha
pralambare namas te ’stuehi mam krishna-purvaja
“Obeisances to You, O holder of the plow. Obeisances to You, O wielder of the mace. Obeisances to You, O darling of Revati. Obeisances to You, O kind benefactor of Your devotees. Obeisances to You, O upholder of the earth. Obeisances to You, O best of the strong. Obeisances to You, O enemy of Pralamba. Please come to me, older brother of Krishna.”
We wish Lord Balarama would smash our anarthas with His club and drag us back to Godhead with His plow.
The enemies of Krishna consciousness are in our hearts.
Srila Prabhupada bowed down to the printing press once, because it was printing his books.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura had the deity at one end of the temple room and the printing press at the other end.
From a class on August 10:
Sometimes we emphasize the secondary characteristic of devotional service of freedom from designations because we are so absorbed in our designations in our conditioned life.
Srila Prabhupada would always chant this mantra at initiation ceremonies:
om apavitrah pavitro va
sarvavastham gato ’pi va
yah smaret pundarikaksam
sa bahyabhyantarah sucih
“Either pure or impure, or having passed through all conditions of material life, if one can remember the lotus-eyed Krishna, he becomes externally and internally clean.”
After that he said we should chant ‘Sri Vishnu Sri Vishnu Sri Vishnu’ because Vishnu is mentioned only indirectly by the name Pundarikaksa in the mantra, which could be interpretted to mean someone else.
About five years ago, Ramadasa Abhiramadas, along with his wife, Dhrti devi dasi, painted this picture of Krishna Balarama, which is hanging in the back of the temple to the right of Srila Prabhupada. Then he left his body about a year later.
Modern religion is all naimittika dharma, temporary religion.
Change of heart means we change the way we react. It happens naturally. We do not have to try for it. Then we are not disturbed by disturbances.
Srila Prabhupada says in a lecture we have two states either (1) conditioned or (2) liberated.
We are not here to do what we want but what Krishna wants.
We have to always remember Krishna to become pure.
We have to hear from those are free from anarthas to become free from anarthas.
We get what we desire and what we deserve. We do not blame anyone.
We have to keep ourselves busy in one of the nine items of devotional service.
Maya is always waiting for us as soon as we turn away from Krishna.
Sometimes our conception of life is “I will satisfy my senses in the Krishna consciousness movement.”
Initiation means to accept the path of purification.
It is important to control the tongue by not talking prajalpa. [Sometimes Bhaktimarga Swami includes a fifth prohibition, no gossiping. - kkd]
By exposure to the holy name we are purified from material contamination.
The Mayavada mentality is worse than sinful activity.
Srila Prabhupada said the Bible and Koran are leading to the Vedic conclusion.
Just because many people abandon their initiation vows does not mean that we should not take initiation. Just because many drop out of college does not mean one should not enroll. Taking initiation is part of the practice of devotional service to Krishna. We do not serve Krishna directly but through the guru.
It is Kali-yuga, and now people have yajnas [sacrifices] for new cars.
You can use bananas instead of coconuts in the arena of the fire sacrifice.
We would never get out of the bathroom if we followed all the Vedic injunctions.
Srila Prabhupada suggested devotees might chant 25 rounds on a Ekadasi, but it was not a rule.
We have to practice remembering how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to serve Krishna.
Initiates, their glories, and their new names:
Vijaya Krishna Prabhu: His father was Bengali, and his mother was British Jewish. He works in the kitchen and Food for Life.
New name: Vijaya Gauranga Dasa
Although he looks younger, he is a senior citizen, over 65. Later you can ask him his secret.
Anton and Dasya, along with their five children, are from Ukraine. Three years in France and one in New Mayapur. They are both qualified lawyers but are taking care of the guest house. They are honest, reliable, dedicated, and responsible.
New names: Aravinda Dasa and Draupadi Dasi
Draupadi had five husbands. You stick to one.
Agnideva Prabhu:
The pastimes of Lord Caitanya are always going on. Srila Prabhupada wrote that this movement is a pastime of Lord Caitanya.
Narottama preached in Manipur and converted the king to Vaishnavism, and thus the whole kingdom became followers of Narottama Dasa.
Srila Prabhupada said the songs of Narottama Dasa are as good as the Vedas. Do not neglect them.
We do not want remain as we are. Not that we joined, we got initiated, and that’s it.
On the last day of Srila Prabhupada’s stay in Los Angeles one year, the Vaikuntha Players did a drama called “The Pandavas Retire Timely,” and Srila Prabhupada watched it with rapt attention and liked it. A devotee put Srila Prabhupada’s poem, “Markine Bhagavata Dharma,” to music. Yadabara Prabhu showed a film he had done about New Vrindaban. Srila Prabhupada spoke about the poem, saying that he knew what he was getting into when he came to the West and that he thought that when he told people to give up meat eating, intoxication, gambling, and illicit sex, people would say, “Swamiji, go home.”
If we do not give up our bad habits we will not be able experience Vrindavan as something other than just another place in India.
In 1977 after we were in Mayapur with Srila Prabhupada, he advised us all to go to Bombay and see the project which was 75% complete, so we altered our itinerary to spend a day in Bombay before going to Vrindavan.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati requested that Sridhara Maharaja sing “Sri Rupa Manjari” just prior to his departure from this world. He began singing. He wasn’t really a singer, and one sannyasi suggested that Puri Maharaja sing instead, so Puri Maharaja took over. Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura noticed the change in the voice, and requested that Sridhara Maharaja continue, saying he did not want to hear his voice, but he wanted to hear his heart.
The maha-mantra was already there in the Vedas, but Lord Caitanya brought it out and showcased it.
Srila Prabhupada said, “You have to be convinced that there is no better thing than this chanting.”
We are caught in the net of maya. We are like fishes that are caught in a net and are struggling to get out but cannot do so.
From a class on Balarama Purnima:
Srila Prabhupada liked us to sing “Dasavatara Stotra” on the appearance days of the avatars.
We become devotees by the mercy of Lord Balarama.
Srila Prabhupada that Jayadeva Goswami speaks of three Ramas, (1) Parasurama, (2) Ramacandra, and (3) Balarama.
As devotees we seek the mercy of Balarama so we can be strong in Krishna consciousness.
This is not our first birth as some people think, and this is not our only birth as some people think, but it can be our last birth.
I was preaching to some young people at Laguna Beach about how the material world is a miserable place, but they could not understand that because it did not seem so to them. Thus I decided to talk about how it is temporary.
From a class on SB 9.9.18 in Paris on August 11, 2025:
When Yudhisthira, after losing everything in gambling, decided to bet their mutual wife, Draupadi, Bhima and Arjuna were ready to knock his block off.
As a grhastha, Srila Prabhupada thought that first he would make money, and then he would preach. But Krishna had another idea, and arranged that his lucrative business would fail and his family would lose interest in him.
Our troubles are never over in the material world.
Srila Prabhupada explained all a devotee wants is time to chant Hare Krishna, a place to lie down, and some Krishna prasadam, and if there is some service, he is happy to do it.
Yamuna asked Srila Prabhupada what his favorite bhajana was, and he said, “Hari Hari Biphale.”
When I came to NYC in 1970, I became aware of more kinds of music than we had in Trinidad. I still remember one line from Joni Mitchell, “there must be more to living that a mortgage and a lawn to mow.” I felt that too, that something was missing.
Even during Srila Prabhupada’s time there were not slaughterhouses in India. When Indira Gandhi became prime minister, she sanctioned slaugherhouses. Ultimately, she and her son had horrible deaths.
Question by me: Do you think one lesson to learned from the Pandava’s losing in gambling is that gambling is not a good thing?
Answer: Yes. We say no meat eating, illicit sex, intoxication and gambling.
Question by Devaki Devi Dasi: Is playing the stock market gambling?
Answer: Yes. I know a devotee who made a lot on the stock market, and then he kept playing and lost everything.
I learned simplicity in living from watching Srila Prabhupada.
Mandakini Devi Dasi:
Srila Prabhupada asked the devotees, “Who is stronger Krishna or Balarama?”
He answered himself by saying, “Krishna is stronger because Balarama resting on Krishna.”
Krishna’s paraphernalia is a manifestation of Lord Balarama, and therefore, we should take care of it.
Although Balarama knows of the superexcellent power of Krishna, He plays the role of His protector.
Lord Caitanya did not take sankirtana out to the streets until Balarama, in the form of Lord Nityananda, appeared to assist Him.
Balarama is the ultimate of companion of Krishna in intimate friendship.
As the original spiritual master, Balarama is inspiring everyone to engage in devotional service to Krishna, both in the material and spiritual.
Although it was very hard both in Paris and New Mayapur several years ago, now both Paris and New Mayapur have been revived. This is the mercy of the original guru, Balarama, coming through the disciplic succession through Janananda Goswami the current spiritual master.
In Ratha-yatra, Lord Balarama clears the path for Subhadra and Jagannatha.
Laksmana, the younger brother of Lord Rama, was engaged by Him in the service of telling Sita that she was banished for the sake of the kingdom. He did not like that service, and said in the next incarnation he would play the role of Krishna’s eldest brother so he did not have to obey Krishna’s order.
If one perseveres, difficulties are opportunities to grow, if we maintain our faith and gratitude.
Q (Harini): What to do when impurities arise?
A: We should not be surprised because we have been in the material world a very long time. For example, if we have envy we should serve the person we are envious of. Also we can pray to Krishna.
A (by Janananda Goswami): When impurities come, it is a great opportunity to teach shelter of Krishna, and that is what we are supposed to be doing, not aspiring for a comfortable life.
Vasudeva Prabhu:
from his video about Govardhan Hill:
In 24 years Govardhan has gone from 6,000 to 25,000 people.
Govardhan is more popular than Vrindavan.
Guru Purnima in July is the most popular time to visit.
It is said that if you circumambulate Govardhan Hill, Giriraja will follow you around the hill and ask you what you want.
A swami: Whenever I go around Govardhan, I feel a surge of devotion in my heart.
Pundarika Goswami of Radha Ramana: By circumambulating Govardhan, we are putting Krishna in the center of our lives.
Buddhist proverb: “When the iron bird flies, the dharmas of the east will go West.”
Sanatana dharma is there in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism.
56 hours is the time of dandavat parikrama. Otherwise it is 6 hours.
Some people do dandavat parikrama with 108 obeisances at each place. They say it takes four or five years. Couples get the same benefit in half the time. Some people do 1008 times.
Radhanath Swami: If you think you are great, you have zero standing in Vrindavan.
Vaisesika Prabhu: As the sun rises Govardhan Hill, its color changes to pink and then purple, and then everything comes to life. We did Govardhan parikrama in 3:27 hours.
Indian lady: The consciousness of the world is higher so more people are attracted to Krishna’s land.
Radhanath Swami: While some people were circumambulating Govardhan Hill, Srila Prabhupada was circumnavigating the world, 11 times.
Vaisesika Prabhu: I come to experience the magic that everyone comes here to experience.
At Govardhan people feel satisfied at heart which is rarely found in the West.
Madhava: I recommend dandavat parikrama to those with a strong mind . . . and a strong body.
Author: The spirit of self-sacrifice there in all religions, is especially present in India.
Some people rolls in the dust around the hill.
Sadhu: The most I prostrate my body, the better for the soul.
Srimati: One pilgrim had intestinal cancer that disappeared after a month of parikrama in a very painful state.
Rupa Raghunatha Prabhu’s Sandipani Muni schools operated by Food For Life in Vrindavan teaches kids spiritual culture and practical skills so they can maintain themselves as adults.
Madhukari
One person doing madhukari does not take food from outside Braj.
I feed the sadhus. My parents did it. My grandparents did it.
One sadhu does three times around the hill each day. He wants more bhakti. The more love you have, the more you want.
There is a special antelope that lives on Govardhan Hill which is very shy and not so often seen.
The gopis glorify Giriraj as the best of Krishna’s devotees because he nourishes Krishna and His friends.
Radhanath Swami: I drank the milk offered on Govardhan Hill that ran into the gutter, and it was nectar.
Kusum Sarovar is the largest pond and the most visited.
Ramesvar of Nimbarka: “We are fighting to save the Braja and Braja culture.” He leads a leads 10,000 people around Govardhan every year.
Srivatsa Goswami, head of one of five families in charge of Radha Ramana temple, a Vrindavan sadhu: Radha tastes the bliss of Krishna and passes it on. Radha is the channel for Krishna’s grace to flow to us. Every leaf is speaking Radhe, Radhe, Radhe.
Devaki Devi Dasi:
I spend twenty years spending time in Bangladesh and thus I came to appreciate this Vedic culture by experiencing it. Now I try to share that through books and seminars.
From a seminar “Meeting Death with Joy”, Day 1, in New Mayapur, on August 6, 2025:
We have to be detached enough from our plan, so we can accept Krishna’s plan.
Having had cancer twice, really shook me up and changed my outlook on life.
As vanaprasthas, finally we can do all these things we could not do when we had small kids.
I worked as a physiotherapist. When I worked in the hospital I saw so many people die, and it intrigued me. What actually happens at death?
I could see that my treatments could not give real happiness.
We get the notice of death from all sides, but we are so expert in counteracting these warnings, the teeth falling out, the face wrinkling, the hearing going.
In obituaries, often it is said the person died “unexpectedly,” but actually we should expect “death” at any moment.
You would think if something is 100% sure, we would inquire into it.
We make so many arrangements to live nicely, but we should make arrangements to die nicely. And if we make arrangements to die nicely, we will also live nicely.
If we confront the topic of death, we will lose our fear. It is a mysterious transition. It is a journey into an unknown service situation.
For a devotee death is a glorious moment. Time to get on a plane back to Godhead. Preparing for it, is like preparing for an exam. If you prepare, you will not be anxiety.
Death is like a test. Is Krishna the most important person in my life? Or is it someone else?
That we have to remember Krishna alone makes it clear it requires lifetime preparation.
Remembrance is not in our hands. We can serve nicely and hope that Krishna kindly appears in our minds.
There are people in India who four or five thousand years ago wrote accounts of people’s lives who would live in the future on palm leaves, and they have palm leaf libraries. These people know who your mother and father are, details from your previous lives, and how many more lives you have to live.
What is the use of all of our preaching if at the time of someone’s death we cannot be with them.
Comment by me: That the lady with the stroke could not remember her name nor her language but she could remember Hare Krishna mantra means that memory of Krishna is on the platform of the soul not the platform of the brain nor the mind.
From a seminar “Meeting Death with Joy”, Day 2, in New Mayapur, on August 7, 2025:
People are often more worried about the pain of death than death itself. If our minds are absorbed in something else, we will not feel pain.
It is important to have the association of one empowered devotee during the end of our life.
Radhanath Swami helped Bhakti Tirtha Swami remember Krishna during the end of of his life with bone cancer.
Bhakti Tirtha Swami say toward the end, “Life cannot be better than this. We are not reading Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, we are entering Sri Caitanya-caritamrita.”
Chemotherapy was an opportunity to give prasadam to the doctors and hospital staff. I even did a program for a hospital staff about the science of the soul.
By nature animals that are dying go into the forest, separating themselves from the others. Domesticated animals, however, are not allowed that space, and thus it is difficult for them to die. Thus vets often have to given them injections.
It is important to be sensitive to the wishes of the dying person and not try to control the situation according to our own desire.
It is better just to have small team of caretakers, that we choose, who are not emotional and sentimental, at least two or three people.
The last one or two weeks it is better if the family members are not there except in the case of a devotee child taking care of a nondevotee parent, in which case the child can help the parent.
Kadamba Kanana Swami came to the point as he was approaching death: I want no more women around me because the male-female attachment is so deep rooted. You do not want risk come back because of some attachment.
At the moment of death, all external things are very insignificant.
Think of what community you want to leave your body in. Then go there and serve ahead of time. People will feel indebted to you and want to take of you.
Better to die in India, Russia, or Ukraine, because the culture of taking care of people is still intact.
Those surviving should not burden the dying person with their grief because of attachment.
It is a blessing to get a warning, for example, the fourth stage of cancer.
To give spiritual knowledge is helpful, even for nondevotees. People are very grateful when they get some knowledge, especially if it is given humbly, simply, and carefully. Who else has this knowledge?
There should always be some transcendental sound, especially when people leave their bodies.
Some people think that when someone is in a coma you should play transcendental sound very loudly, but actually in a coma the hearing is quite acute, and there are cases where people in a coma for months heard the doctors talking about their case.
Fasting from food and drink is the most dignified way to leave. You save yourself from so much trouble.
My mother passed away in four days by fasting from food and drink.
Dangers of taking morphine: It gives you a sense of happiness and comfort. It makes it very difficult to leave. You get attached to the comfort. If there is pain, better take pain killers, and not morphine.
In the West, if you have no relatives, the government decides, how you will be cared for at the end.
Comment by Citraratha: Sometimes morphine can make people depressed.
Comment by me: You are reminding us that Krishna advises at the time of death to remember him alone. In my attempts at japa reform, I consider japa a practice of remembering Krishna alone. Just focus on the holy name, considering the holy name Krishna Himself, and do not let the mind wander to anything else. It is very powerful, and I encourage others to try it.
Another comment by me: One hospice worker told us, “Some dying people want everyone to be around them, and others want no one to be around them.”
From a questions and answers session in New Mayapur, August 7, 2025:
The families of the father and mother of Lord Caitanya, Rupa and Sanatana Goswami, Srivasa Thakura, Narottama Dasa Thakura, Pundarika Vidyanidi, Vasudeva Datta, and Mukunda Datta all came from East Bengal, now Bangladesh.
It is a blessing that Bangladesh is a Muslim country, because the Western culture has not taken over there as much.
I have not studied the Vedic culture. I have experienced the Vedic culture there in Bangladesh. It is Vaishnava culture. It is Krishna’s culture.
In Bangladesh, they know which type of sak (spinach) Lord Caitanya liked best, and they are really cooking for Lord Caitanya.
On the mundane plane tolerance is seen as weakness, but on the spiritual plane it is seen as a progressive quality.
We have to keep in mind that what this materialistic civilization considers valuable is most likely an impediment to bhakti.
The mother keeps the spiritual focus in the home.
I was able to train up many devotees in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings on deity worship and book distribution in Bangladesh without any official position in the ISKCON hierarchy simply because mothers are respected and listened to in Bangladesh.
I was many years on the devotee care community of the strategical planning of the GBC.
The preaching committee had two moods. One to get more devotees, and another to worry about all the devotees who left. People in the second group transformed into the devotee care committee.
Mentorship, or sheltering relationships, are essential to devotee care. We need people who have no other interest than our spiritual growth and development. Without this we just stay in our comfort zone.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has a quote from his Amrita Vani: “One who gives personal instruction to each and everyone does more for others than the platform speakers do. Generally, whatever platform speakers say cannot solve the problem of everyone in the audience, nor can it always benefit every individual. A person’s defects are better rectified in a private tutorial class or private coaching than in hearing lectures in a school or college. Therefore those who instruct particular persons separately can award them something more permanent.”
The essence of devotee care is to become more people focused than project focused.
Niranjana Swami says that devotee care means nourishing and protecting a devotee’s faith in Krishna consciousness.
Bharata Maharaja’s problem is that he did not have a mentor to tell him that he was becoming too attached to a deer and should return to his spiritual practice. That should be a warning to us, how important it is to have a mentor.
Forty years ago almost every temple had a brahmacarini ashram. It is meant to be a preparation for the grhastha ashram. They learn all the techniques of sadhana-bhakti. Traditionally this role was played by the women in the family, a setting where they also got more emotional support. In the brahmacarini ashram after six months, or a year, or maybe two, the women suffer from a lack of emotional fulfillment. I recommend to all young girls to spend some time in the brahmacarini ashram. In this way, they can get some taste for the chanting of the holy name. Otherwise when they get pregnant and have children, they can forget about their practice of chanting the holy name. When the children are grown up, the women can get back in the chanting and service that they got a taste for as brahmacarinis.
Every community should have a match making service. If that is not there, that is where all the unchaste behavior and dressing comes from.
In my book I go so far as to say that if a temple has a brahmacarini ashram, they must have a match making service. Otherwise it is exploitative, just using the women for service but not taking care for their future.
From a seminar “Meeting Death with Joy”, Day 3, in New Mayapur, on August 8, 2025:
Because family attachment is very difficult to give up is not a reason not to get married.
If our family life is not ashram, the married devotees may not get the required realizations, and then instead of becoming naturally renounced they will get married again when they are sixty-nine.
I see sannyasa is for very rare souls, but vanaprastha is a necessity for anyone who wants to go back to Godhead.
The brahmacari-brahmacarini time is important for successfully transitioning to vanaprastha life.
Srila Prabhupada could not establish the vanaprastha ashram because there were not people that age during his time.
Often these topics are spread over twelve cantos, so we do not take them so seriously.
If people do not retire until they are seventy-five years old, a whole generation loses an opportunity, because they are also meant to retire at fifty.
Imagine how much manpower we could have if people took vanaprastha and shared their wisdom and gave their service in the temple.
Mentorship is the most important service of the vanaprastha ashram. And if the need for mentorship is not recognized, how can the vanaprastha ashram be established.
In the vanaprastha ashram our attractiveness should be coming from the purity of the soul.
One Prabhu said, “My wife has a whole wardrobe of nothing to wear.”
Have a base where you spend three or four months a year and become dear to the devotees by your service, and they will automatically care for you in your old age.
Comment by me:
Devamrita Swami will not let his Ukrainian disciples serve him in Australia because they will become distracted by sense gratification.
Vigatasu Prabhu:
The Ninth Canto has especially amazing stories, even scandalous stories.
For us, we should not be concerned about the people in these stories, but rather how we have the same issues in ourselves.
Rupa Goswami says that there must be good stories to attract the conditioned souls. There must be stories of chivalry and romance. So you find this in the Ninth Canto.
The Bhagavatam is teaching us how we can take complete shelter of the Lord as the residents of Vrindavan.
During Srila Prabhupada’s time, one devotee woman was crossing the street to attend a kirtan, but a truck was coming and killed her. The case was described to Srila Prabhupada, and he said she would definitely attain the spiritual world because she was hearing the kirtan at the time of her death by Krishna’s grace.
We think that we have just solved one problem, but the next problem is right around the corner.
In this temple so many people are doing so much service to the Lord that when people come here they will be positively influenced.
Gangadevi worried being overloaded with the reactions of sinful people, but that is just her humility. Her water comes from lotus feet of the Lord, so how can it be contaminated?
In the Third Canto, the Sankhya philosophy decreases our attraction to the material world by breaking it up into its component parts and revealing that there is nothing of value there.
Third Canto shows that bad result of greed in the story of Hiranyaksa.
Srila Prabhupada said that Thailand is a place of Vedic sense gratification.
Mixed devotees have a mixed experience.
It is said that if someone dies within a mile and a half of a salagram-sila.
The Ninth Canto begins by several chapters describing the kings of the Surya-vamsa and then later several chapters describings the kings of the Soma-vamsa, leading up to the appearance of Lord Krishna.
In the Bhagavatam, the stories of devotees who have different challenges are explained in the mood of compassion.
Do not under estimate the problem of lust.
“I want this. I want that.” – that is lust. “I want more.” – that is greed. Then if I do not get it, I become angry.
In the Ninth Chapter, the main story in the beginning is the Ambarisa Maharaja and the main story in the end is the story of Maharaja Yayati. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said those two kings were contemporaries, and it was by the mercy of Ambarisa that Yayati was able to become renounced after his life of sense enjoyment.
We think that we can counteract attachment by aversion, but the story of the brahmacari Raghava reincarnating as a Indian woman because having a argumentative relationship with Indian woman show that is not a good idea.
There has to be intense greed to go back to Godhead.
Comments by me: You speak of giving up dirty coal to accept a valuable jewel. That reminds me once on harinama, we met a person whose hands were so full he had to give up his cigarette to accept the sweets we were giving out. In the Bali Maharaja lila there is one verse glorifying the sankirtana of the holy name.
Svarupa Damodara Prabhu:
We need spiritual strength from Balarama to get beyond our attachments to our past activities.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says that in addition to anartha-nrvrtti, giving up unbeneficial activities there is artha-pravrtti, acceptance of beneficial activities.
Balarama gives us the strength to remove the anarthas from our hearts.
Dhenukasura represents the anartha of wanting to carry our own ignorance.
We pray to Balarama to remove this anartha from our heart.
Sometimes we do not even have a desire to say no to Maya.
Maha-Vishnu comes from the second Sankarsana.
Balarama gives us the cognizance of Krishna as the spiritual master.
When Ambarisa, the grandson, of Henry Ford, was introduced as such to Srila Prabhupada, Srila Prabhupada said, “So where is Henry Ford now?”
Balarama once teased Krishna, saying, “Krishna, how is it that I am fair in color, your mother is fair, and your father is fair, but you are dark. I think you are not their son, but that you have been purchased.” Krishna said, “Marry me to Radharani then, and although I am dark, at least I will have a fair girl.”
Balarama in the form of Ananga-manjari, the little sister of Radharani, assists in Krishna’s conjugal pastimes, thus Balarama is the only person who enjoys all five rasas with Krishna.
Srila Prabhupada disciple, Hladini Devi Dasi, was a great devotee of Jagannatha, Baladeva, and Subhadra. Once she was given a large jar of honey. She knew Balarama liked honey, so she put the jar next to him. Later she saw that Balarama’s face and hands were smeared with honey, and half the pot was empty.
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Sometimes devotees are too depressed that they still have material desires and lose enthusiasm. This verse spoken by Krishna Himself to Uddhava is very encouraging.
“Having awakened faith in the narrations of My glories, being disgusted with all material activities, knowing that all sense gratification leads to misery, but still being unable to renounce all sense enjoyment, My devotee should remain happy and worship Me with great faith and conviction. Even though he is sometimes engaged in sense enjoyment, My devotee knows that all sense gratification leads to a miserable result, and he sincerely repents such activities.” (Srimad-Bhagavatam 11.20.27–28)
We read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods for Lord Krsna in the Womb.”
TEXT 18
tato jagan-mangalam acyutamsam
samahitam sura-sutena devi
dadhara sarvatmakam atma-bhutam
kastha yathananda-karam manastah
SYNONYMS
tatah—thereafter; jagat-mangalam—auspiciousness for all living entities in all the universes of the creation; acyuta-amsam—the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is never bereft of the six opulences, all of which are present in all His plenary expansions; samahitam—fully transferred; sura-sutena—by Vasudeva, the son of Surasena; devi—Devaki-devi; dadhara—carried; sarva-atmakam—the Supreme Soul of everyone; atma-bhutam—the cause of all causes; kastha—the east; yatha—just as; ananda-karam—the blissful (moon); manastah—being placed within the mind.
TRANSLATION
Thereafter, accompanied by plenary expansions, the fully opulent Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-auspicious for the entire universe, was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki. Devaki, having thus been initiated by Vasudeva, became beautiful by carrying Lord Krsna, the original consciousness for everyone, the cause of all causes, within the core of her heart, just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
As indicated here by the word manastah, the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the core of Vasudeva’s mind or heart to the core of the heart of Devaki. We should note carefully that the Lord was transferred to Devaki not by the ordinary way for a human being, but by diksa, initiation. Thus the importance of initiation is mentioned here. Unless one is initiated by the right person, who always carries within his heart the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot acquire the power to carry the Supreme Godhead within the core of one’s own heart.
The word acyutamsam is used because the Supreme Personality of Godhead is sad-aisvarya-purna, full in the opulences of wealth, strength, fame, knowledge, beauty, and renunciation. The Supreme Godhead is never separated from His personal opulences. As stated in the Brahma-samhita (5.39), ramadi-murtisu kala-niyamena tisthan: the Lord is always situated with all His plenary expansions, such as Rama, Nrsimha, and Varaha. Therefore the word acyutamsam is specifically used here, signifying that the Lord is always present with His plenary expansions and opulences. There is no need to think of the Lord artificially as yogis do. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah (Srimad-Bhagavatam 12.13.1). Yogis meditate upon the Supreme Person within the mind. For a devotee, however, the Lord is present, and His presence need only be awakened through initiation by a bona fide spiritual master. The Lord did not need to live within the womb of Devaki, for His presence within the core of her heart was sufficient to carry Him. One is here forbidden to think that Krsna was begotten by Vasudeva within the womb of Devaki and that she carried the child within her womb.
When Vasudeva was sustaining the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within his heart, he appeared just like the glowing sun, whose shining rays are always unbearable and scorching to the common man. The form of the Lord situated in the pure, unalloyed heart of Vasudeva is not different from the original form of Krsna. The appearance of the form of Krsna anywhere, and specifically within the heart, is called dhama. Dhama refers not only to Krsna’s form, but to His name, His form, His quality, and His paraphernalia. Everything becomes manifest simultaneously.
Thus the eternal form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead with full potencies was transferred from the mind of Vasudeva to the mind of Devaki, exactly as the setting sun’s rays are transferred to the full moon rising in the east.
Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, entered the body of Devaki from the body of Vasudeva. He was beyond the conditions of the ordinary living entity. When Krsna is there, it is to be understood that all His plenary expansions, such as Narayana, and incarnations like Lord Nrsimha and Varaha, are with Him, and they are not subject to the conditions of material existence. In this way, Devaki became the residence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is one without a second and the cause of all creation. Devaki became the residence of the Absolute Truth, but because she was within the house of Kamsa, she looked just like a suppressed fire, or like misused education. When fire is covered by the walls of a pot or is kept in a jug, the illuminating rays of the fire cannot be very much appreciated. Similarly, misused knowledge, which does not benefit the people in general, is not very much appreciated. So Devaki was kept within the prison walls of Kamsa’s palace, and no one could see her transcendental beauty, which resulted from her conceiving the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Commenting upon this verse, Sri Viraraghava Acarya writes, vasudeva-devaki jatharayor hrdayayor bhagavatah sambandhah. The Supreme Lord’s entrance into the womb of Devaki from the heart of Vasudeva was a heart-to-heart relationship.
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
We have gathered here at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna to remember and celebrate His appearance in this world. According to Vedic literature, Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead (krsnas tu bhagavan svayam). He is the Absolute Truth, the origin of all that exists. And He is realized in three features, nondual (advaya), as explained in Srimad-Bhagavatam (1.2.11):
vadanti tat tattva-vidas
tattvam yaj jnanam advayam
brahmeti paramatmeti
bhagavan iti sabdyate
“Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this nondual substance Brahman, Paramatma, or Bhagavan.”
Brahman is the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental form of the Lord; Paramatma is the localized feature of the Lord, within the heart; and Bhagavan is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Krishna Himself, full in six opulences.
The form of Krishna is not material. Our bodies are material, distinct from the soul, which is spiritual. The Bhagavad-gita (2.13) explains,
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.” The soul is a nonphysical, nonchemical particle of spiritual energy, and it is the soul that animates the body. As long as the soul is in the body, we say the body is alive. Actually, the body is never alive; the body is just a machine. But it appears to be alive when the soul is present to animate it. And when the soul leaves the body, the body has no capacity to act, to function, and then we say that the body is dead.
In conditioned beings, such as us, there is a distinction between the body, which is made of material energy, and the soul, which is composed of spiritual energy. But in the case of Krishna, there is no difference between His body and soul. Being absolute, His body and He are the same. In our case, there is a difference between us and the body, because our real identity is the soul. If someone’s father passes away, the son or daughter will cry, “Oh, my father has left. My father is gone.” Although the body of the father is there, why do we say, “My father has gone”? Intuitively we know, especially at a time like death, that the body lying there in the room is not the person. The body is just a bag of chemicals. The real person is the soul who has left the body, and so the children and other relatives and friends cry, “Oh, he’s gone,” because he is the soul, not the body.
But in the case of Krishna, He and His body are not different, because He is absolute. There is no difference between His inside and His outside. He is completely spiritual. The Brahma-samhita says, isvarah paramah krsnah sac-cid-ananda-vigrahah: “Krishna is the Supreme Godhead. He has an eternal, blissful spiritual body.” Anadir adir govindah sarva-karana-karanam: “He is the origin of all, but He Himself has no origin. He is the prime cause of all causes.” That is Krishna.
Everything we see in the material world has a cause. On a simple level, we can say, “I am caused by my parents” (or “my body is caused by my parents”). They in turn were caused by their parents, who in turn were caused by their parents. And if we keep going back, further, further, further, eventually we will come to the original cause, and that is Krishna (sarva-karana-karanam). He is the cause of everything—the cause of all causes. But He Himself has no cause.
This is hard for us to understand in the conditioned state, because everything material has a cause; everything has a beginning and an end. But Krishna has no beginning and no end; He is eternal (sanatana). Eternal means “no beginning and no end.” Even we, as spirit souls, are also eternal. We have no beginning and no end. Our life in a particular body has a beginning, which we call “birth” (or “conception”), and it has an end within a particular body, which we call “death.” But we, as spirit souls, have no beginning and no end, because we are parts and parcels of Krishna. We are of the same quality as Krishna, just in different quantity. The Lord says,
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
“The living entities in this conditioned world are My eternal fragmental parts. Due to conditioned life, they are struggling very hard with the six senses, which include the mind.” (Gita 15.7)
The living entity is an eternal, fragmental part of Krishna. This is the sublime philosophy of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu called acintya-bhedabheda-tattva: the “inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference” of the living entity and the Supreme Lord. We are one in quality with the Lord but different in quantity—He is infinite and we are infinitesimal. Because we have the same qualities, we can have a relationship with Him. Unless there is some commonness, we can’t have a relationship. And because of the difference in quantity—He is the whole and we are the part—our relationship is one of service. It is the natural function of the part to serve the whole. For example, the hand is part of the body, so the function of the hand is to serve the body. If the hand doesn’t serve the body, there is something wrong; it is diseased or dead. So, our natural function is to serve Krishna (jivera ‘svarupa’ haya—krsnera ‘nitya-dasa’). And we are eternal, as Krishna is eternal, and our relationship, our service, is also eternal—it never ends.
Earlier we mentioned the three features of the Absolute Truth: Brahman, Paramatma, and Bhagavan. There are different classes of transcendentalists, who have different spiritual aspirations. Most people are materialists. They are not even interested in spiritual life. They just want to enjoy the world. But when one becomes a little more elevated, a little more purified in consciousness, one thinks of improving oneself spiritually. And when one becomes serious enough, one will actually enter into a discipline in a particular school of thought and practice. So, one category of transcendentalists is the jnanis. Their goal is to merge and become one with Brahman, the impersonal effulgence that emanates from the transcendental body of Krishna. And higher than the jnanis are the yogis. They want to realize the localized feature, the Lord within the heart (dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa pasyanti yam yoginah). And the highest are the bhaktas. They want to enter into a loving relationship with Bhagavan, Sri Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Although in one sense, because the Absolute Truth is nondual (advaya), all transcendentalists are the same, still, from an analytical or objective point of view there are degrees of realization. As stated earlier, Krishna is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha. Sat means “eternal,” cit means “cognizant,” and ananda means “blissful.” The jnanis who attain impersonal Brahman realize only the sat feature, eternal existence. The yogis who realize Paramatma have perception of sat (eternity) and cit (knowledge), because they apprehend the individuality of the Lord in the heart. And the bhaktas have full realization of sat, cit, and ananda (eternity, knowledge, and bliss), because real happiness comes from loving relationships. Although one may say that there is a sort of bliss in impersonal Brahman, compared with the ecstatic happiness of loving service to Krishna it is insignificant. There are many statements in the shastra, the Vedic scriptures, to the effect that the happiness realized in relationship to Krishna is like an ocean and that the happiness of merging (or trying to merge) into impersonal Brahman is like a puddle of water in comparison.
tvat-saksat-karanahlada-
visuddhabdhi-sthitasya me
sukhani gospadayante
brahmany api jagad-guro
“My dear Lord, O master of the universe, since I have directly seen You, my transcendental bliss has taken the shape of a great ocean. Being situated in that ocean, I now realize all other so-called happiness, the pleasure derived from impersonal Brahman, to be like the water contained in the hoofprint of a calf.” (Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya 14.36) Practically, there is no comparison.
Furthermore, to realize impersonal Brahman is very difficult, especially in the present age. And even if one succeeds—or imagines that one has succeeded—there is every chance that one will fall down.
ye ’nye ’ravindaksa vimukta-maninas
tvayy asta-bhavad avisuddha-buddhayah
aruhya krcchrena param padam tatah
patanty adho ’nadrta-yusmad-anghrayah
“O lotus-eyed Lord, although nondevotees who accept severe austerities and penances to achieve the highest position may think themselves liberated, their intelligence is impure. They fall down from their position of imagined superiority because they have no regard for Your lotus feet.” (SB 10.2.32)
More likely, they just imagine that they have realized Brahman, but whether they have actually realized it or just imagine they have, because they have neglected the service of the lotus feet of Krishna they fall down (patanty adhah).
We, conditioned souls, are rotating in the cycle of repeated birth and death (samsara), and our goal is to gain release from this samsara-chakra. Such liberation is called mukti, or moksha. The impersonal type of liberation, in which the individual soul merges into the spiritual light, is very hard to achieve—if one can achieve it at all. But even if one does, it doesn’t last. Therefore the Bhagavatam says patanty adhah: they fall down. Why? Because they have no engagement in the transcendental loving service of the Lord.
Impersonal liberation is like going to sleep. Intelligent people can perceive that there is misery in material existence, and they want relief. That is one factor that may lead someone to consider spiritual life. So, a person trying to achieve impersonal liberation is similar to someone who is suffering and tries to escape the suffering by sleeping—“The world is too much.” Well, all right, you can temporarily escape the misery by going to sleep, but how long can you remain asleep? Eventually you will wake up, and the same miseries will be there.
And being suspended in the impersonal Brahman effulgence can be boring. It is a relief—it is definitely a relief—to be out of the material world, but eventually it gets boring. Someone may go on a cruise: “Oh, boy, I need to get away from things. Let me go on a cruise. I want to enjoy the sea.” And it may be nice for a while, but eventually one gets bored—just water and waves and wind. Eventually one wants to go back on dry land, even though the land is what one wanted to get away from. Although there was frustration and misery on the land, at least there was some stimulation, some variety.
The impersonal jnanis who want to merge and become one with Brahman eventually fall down (patanty adhah), because they become restless. They want some activity, and because they have no idea of the spiritual activities of Krishna consciousness, devotional service to Krishna, patanty adhah, they fall into material activities, and again they suffer, because the result of material activity is material misery.
So, why does the Lord descend? He is sac-cid-ananda-vigraha: eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He lives in His spiritual abode, where everything is eternal, full of knowledge and bliss. And He is served by great souls completely free of material contamination, liberated from the material bodies that cause so much pain. Why should the Lord come here at all? What does He have to gain?
Personally, He has nothing to gain. But He comes out of His mercy, to deliver us. The material world is compared to a prison house, and we, conditioned souls, are the prisoners. Like prisoners, we are restricted. We can’t just go anywhere and everywhere, wherever we want. Liberated souls can travel anywhere in the universe. They don’t need spaceships or any other such contraptions. They can move about freely. But we are bound. We are not allowed to leave this planet very easily, and even if we do, we don’t really have any other place to stay. So we are bound, and we have to suffer.
I mentioned the body, that there is so much pain in the body. Someone might think, “This swami is very negative about the body.” But the Bhagavad-gita says, janma-mrtyu-jara-vyadhi-duhkha-dosanudarsanam: one should always perceive the miseries of birth, death, old age, and disease. You might say, “Why does the swami have to be so negative? I want to enjoy the body. I want to enjoy life. I want to enjoy the here and now”—which is good in a certain context—but if I ask any of you, “Truthfully, do you want disease?” “No.” “Do you want old age?” “No.” “Do you want death?” “No.” Well, that is what comes with the body. When you get a material body, those come in the package; they are what you get with it. You may think, “But there is so much happiness in the body. I can go surfing, I can go hiking, I can eat ice cream, I can drink and eat and enjoy with the body.” Well, yes, but it is not actually the body that enables you to enjoy; it is the soul within the body. All the parts of the body may be there when the soul departs, but where is the enjoyment? There is no enjoyment in the body after the soul leaves. We may think that we are enjoying with the senses, but it is actually because of the presence of the soul that we are able to enjoy and work and live.
The body is the medium for the conditioned soul’s experience. For example, I wear eyeglasses. I see through the eyeglasses—the eyeglasses themselves don’t see. Similarly, we have these sense organs—eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin—and we perceive through them. They themselves cannot actually perceive. It is the soul that perceives—through the senses of the body. But we don’t need the body in order to perceive happiness. With the body, there is some perception of happiness—but with lots of pain.
There are different schools of philosophy—sad-darsana—and one philosopher has analyzed and concluded that the body is meant for misery. He gives the example of your little finger. How many ways can your little finger enjoy? Not many. And how many ways can it feel pain? So many. Even a little sliver or blister can be so painful. And the finger can be cut, burned, crushed. The body is so vulnerable. But the soul is not. As the Gita says, it can’t be cut, it can’t be burned, it can’t be made wet, it can’t be withered—it is beyond the range of material elements.
nainam chindanti sastrani
nainam dahati pavakah
na cainam kledayanty apo
na sosayati marutah
“The soul can never be cut to pieces by any weapon, nor burned by fire, nor moistened by water, nor withered by the wind.” (Gita 2.23) Without the body, the soul can enjoy freely, in every way, but without the pain.
And because the soul is part and parcel of Krishna, it derives its real happiness in relation to Krishna. We now are like fish out of water, because originally we come from Krishna, from the spiritual atmosphere, and we have come into the material world and are suffering in a foreign atmosphere. We are always restless, anxious, and fearful.
So, why does Krishna come? He comes to reclaim us, His lost children, to bring us back home, back to Him. That is why He comes. There is no other reason. There is nothing for Him here. He comes only for our sake.
Although He comes into the material world, He doesn’t come in a physical body. He comes in His original, spiritual form (sac-cid-ananda-vigraha). And Krishna in particular comes in a form that resembles a human being. “Man is made in the image of God.” That Krishna comes in a humanlike form is very good for us, because it makes it easier for us in human bodies to relate to Him.
anugrahaya bhaktanam
manusam deham asthitah
bhajate tadrsih krida
yah srutva tat-paro bhavet
“When the Lord assumes a humanlike body to show mercy to His devotees, He engages in such pastimes as will attract those who hear about them to become dedicated to Him.” (SB 10.33.36) He comes to reclaim us and deliver us, His lost children and devotees.
How does He come? He does not take birth like an ordinary human being, by seminal discharge. Rather, He manifests Himself, or appears.
ajo ’pi sann avyayatma
bhutanam isvaro ’pi san
prakrtim svam adhisthaya
sambhavamy atma-mayaya
“Although I am unborn and My transcendental body never deteriorates, and although I am the Lord of all living entities, I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.” (Gita 4.6)
That is what we read tonight. It is a very esoteric subject, how the Lord appears. But He chooses a completely purified devotee and enters the mind of that completely purified devotee. The name of the devotee whose mind Krishna entered is given here—Vasudeva. And the state that enabled him to receive Krishna within his pure mind is called vasudeva, which means completely beyond the three modes of material nature, completely transcendental—the state of pure goodness, suddha-sattva. As stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam, sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam: completely pure consciousness is known as vasudeva.
sattvam visuddham vasudeva-sabditam
yad iyate tatra puman apavrtah
sattve ca tasmin bhagavan vasudevo
hy adhoksajo me manasa vidhiyate
“The condition of pure goodness, suddha-sattva, in which the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed without any covering, is called vasudeva. In that pure state the Supreme Godhead, who is beyond the material senses and who is known as Vasudeva, is perceived by my mind.” (SB 4.3.23, quoted as Cc Adi 4.66)
After Vasudeva received Krishna within his purified mind, or heart, he, by his spiritual power, transferred Him into the purified heart of Devaki. There was no seminal discharge. The process by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead was transferred from the heart of Vasudeva to the heart of Devaki is called diksa. Diksa means “spiritual initiation.” Diksa takes place between teacher, or guru, and disciple. When the guru is qualified enough, he can carry Krishna within his heart. And when the disciple is qualified enough, he can receive Krishna from the guru—through an exchange called diksa.
The process of diksa is essential for the realization of God (Krishna). There is an entire science of bhakti-yoga, described in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, and it begins with this process. Guru-padasrayas tasmat: “One must accept shelter at the lotus feet of a spiritual master.” Krsna-diksadi-siksanam: “One must take initiation from him and receive instruction from him.” And visrambhena guroh seva: “One must serve him with intimacy.”
We cannot attain Krishna by our own efforts. We have to receive Krishna by the mercy of one who has Him. Thus Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, a great spiritual teacher, prays to the pure devotee:
krsna se tomara, krsna dite paro,
tomara sakati ache
ami to’ kangala, ‘krsna’ ‘krsna’ boli’,
dhai tava pache pache
“Krishna is yours; you have the power to give Him to me. I am simply running behind you shouting, ‘Krishna! Krishna!’ ” (Saranagati, “Ohe! Vaishnava Thakura”)
This act of diksa, as described in today’s verse, is really the culmination of a gradual process. It is not so easy that we just decide, “Oh, let me find a guru who has Krishna, and he will give Him to me, and my business will be finished.” We have to be qualified to receive Krishna, and the process of becoming qualified proceeds gradually. We have to work to come to that stage of purity where we can receive Krishna in our hearts—and not just receive Him in our hearts, but actually see Him face to face. After residing for some time in the heart of Devaki, Krishna came before her, and they saw each other face to face. She saw Him face to face, and He saw her. That is the perfection of Krishna consciousness.
So, we have to qualify ourselves. We have to cleanse the mirror of the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam).
The process of purification varies from age to age. Although the basic process is the same—Krishna consciousness—in the present age the specific process recommended is to chant the holy names of the Lord:
harer nama harer nama
harer namaiva kevalam
kalau nasty eva nasty eva
nasty eva gatir anyatha
“One should chant the holy name, chant the holy name, chant the holy name of Lord Hari [Krishna]. There is no other means, no other means, no other means for success in this age.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126)
“Chant” is repeated three times for emphasis. “You must do it, you must do it, you must do it.” There was once a cartoon in a newspaper, which depicted an elderly man sitting across from his wife. She was requesting him, “Chant, chant, chant,” and he was replying, “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” That is our misfortune. Shastra, scripture, tells us, “Chant, chant, chant” (harer nama harer nama harer nama), and for no good reason—just some causeless aversion—we say (not necessarily by our words but by our behavior), “Can’t, can’t, can’t.” “Can’t, because I am too busy.” “Can’t, because I prefer other things.” “Can’t, because . . .”—because, because, because. So harer nama harer nama harer nama is emphatic: chant, chant, chant. And kalau nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva: there is no other way, no other way, no other way. Now, that phrase might conjure up images of a fanatical Christian insisting, “Jesus is the only way.” But this nasty eva, the “only way,” is a little different. (And we don’t want to presume that there is anything wrong with “Jesus is the only way,” either.) But in this context, nasty eva, “no other way,” has a special meaning.
In different ages, different methods for self-realization were recommended—in Satya-yuga it was meditation, in Treta-yuga Vedic sacrifice, and in Dvapara-yuga opulent temple worship. In the present age, however, harer nama, chanting the holy names of God, is prescribed. So, nasty eva nasty eva nasty eva means “not by silent meditation, not by elaborate sacrifices, not by ritualistic temple worship,” but by chanting the holy names.
The holy names are not sectarian. There are Christian sects in which practitioners constantly repeat the name of Jesus. We don’t say that you have to chant only the holy name of Krishna. You may chant any name of God. Because God is absolute, any name of God is as good as any other. But you should chant some name. The Muslim tradition also recommends chanting the name of God, of Allah. In Pakistan I came across a book titled, Ninety-Nine Names of Allah. In the Vedic tradition there is Visnu-sahasra-nama, “A Thousand Names of Vishnu.” So the principle of chanting the names of God is current in every tradition, but it is often overlooked. Then again, in any tradition, the majority of people are conventional. It is only the minority who are really mystical, or spiritual. But within the mystical, spiritual traditions, the chanting of God’s names is advised.
The process of chanting (sankirtana) cleanses the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. That is what we have to do to prepare to receive Him. We have to chant. And chanting is pleasant, as I hope you have all experienced. It is pleasurable. That’s the other thing: although the results of Krishna consciousness are the highest, the process is also the easiest and most sublime. It’s almost too good to be true, but it is true. Chanting is easy and joyful, and at the same time it cleanses the heart (ceto-darpana-marjanam) and makes it a fit place for the Lord to reside. And that process is accomplished through diksa, the continuing process of diksa, which culminates in perfect realization of Krishna. And then, when one is fully purified and realized, Krishna can’t contain Himself within your heart. He becomes so pleased with your service and so eager to see and embrace you that He comes out of your heart. (Of course, at the same time, He also stays there.) In His own way, He comes out of your heart to look at you and touch you and embrace you and take you by the hand and invite you to come with Him to His eternal abode.
That is the perfection of Krishna consciousness, and it is possible for each and every one of us. We just have to make the effort to chant without offense, and remain encouraged and steady in that effort. And for that, we need association. In every endeavor one needs association. In every field there are associations of people engaged in the same endeavor, because they support each other. There is the chamber of commerce, the diabetes society, the birdwatchers association—there are societies for everything, because in association with others who are pursuing the same goal, we get encouragement to stay on the path and we learn from them, from their experiences, how to improve in our own efforts and quicken our progress. It is a natural thing—and essential. Once we become a little serious, once we develop a little faith and attraction, the next stage is to associate with devotees (adau sraddha tatah sadhu-sangah). That association will really help us.
Chanting is simple, but the real art of chanting is to hear the chanting. Anyone can chant mindlessly, “Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna . . .” and look at the trees, look at the moon, look at the newspaper, look at the television, but that’s not real chanting. Real chanting means to hear with one’s mind fixed on the sound. This is meditation, mantra meditation, and it takes practice. If you chant for five minutes, will you be able to keep your mind fixed on the sound of the holy name? It will be a challenge. Even one minute is a challenge, because the nature of the mind is to flicker. It is restless. It always wants to go every which way—like the wind. In the Bhagavad-gita, Arjuna says that it is harder to control the mind than to control the wind.
cancalam hi manah krsna
pramathi balavad drdham
tasyaham nigraham manye
vayor iva su-duskaram
“The mind is restless, turbulent, obstinate, and very strong, O Krsna, and to subdue it, I think, is more difficult than controlling the wind.” (Gita 6.34)
How can you control the wind? It is always going here and there. No one can stop it. So how can we control the mind? We can’t. Still, the Bhagavad-gita says it is possible—by practice (abhyasa) and detachment.
asamsayam maha-baho
mano durnigraham calam
abhyasena tu kaunteya
vairagyena ca grhyate
“It is undoubtedly very difficult to curb the restless mind, but it is possible by suitable practice and by detachment.” (Gita 6.35)
This is the suitable practice: hearing about Krishna consciousness and then chanting—and hearing—Lord Krishna’s name. We chant and we hear. We practice fixing our mind on the sound of the holy name of the Lord. That is our sadhana; that is our practice. And it is serious business, and hard work. As our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, said, “Chanting is easy”—anyone can articulate the sounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra, Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna—“but the determination to chant [and hear with attention] is not so easy.” So that is what we need. We need that determination (drdha-vratah). And that determination develops in the association of devotees who are serious about chanting and hearing. Therefore the association of devotees is so valuable, and it is most important to maintain favorable relationships with devotees.
There are different offenses to be avoided when one chants. The main offense is to be inattentive while chanting, and another is to offend devotees. Devotees are our best well-wishers. They give us the holy name. They give us support in our efforts to chant. And if we offend them, we cut ourselves off from our best well-wishers, our best friends, our best support for the chanting. We cut ourselves off from the mercy that we so desperately need to progress. But if we pay attention to these two points—chanting attentively and maintaining favorable relationships with devotees—then gradually we can come to the stage of perfection. It takes time, but we can actually come to that stage when Krishna will enter our hearts. He is there already, but He will manifest Himself fully to us, and then, eventually, we will see Him face to face. So we should always, every spare moment, kirtaniyah-sada-harih, chant Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Whatever you do when you are not chanting should be to place you in a position where you can chant. You may say, “I can’t chant all the time. I have to work. I have to earn money. I have to pay the bills.” That is true, but what is the goal of it all? Why do you want a roof over your head? Why do you want food on your plate? Ultimately, it should be to keep your body and soul together so you can chant the holy names and realize God. That is kirtaniyah-sada-harih, to “always chant the name of God.” We have the body. We must take care of it. We must bathe and dress and eat and sleep. We must get the necessities of life. We must do it all. But why are we doing it? The goal should be to chant the holy names of Krishna and realize Krishna.
Krishna comes to give us this message, and if from this occasion, Sri Krishna Janmashtami, we can just take this message—take it in our heart—that will be the beginning of our perfection. We must take it in our heart and practice it and repeat it to others—repeat it both for the benefit of others and for our own sake. And the results will be glorious. Krishna’s purpose in appearing in this world will be fulfilled, and our purpose as human beings will be fulfilled. And we will all be happy in Krishna consciousness together. Hare Krishna.
Are there any questions or comments?
Guest (1): Christians believe in resurrection, and Buddhists and Hindus believe in reincarnation, but personally, I always ask myself, “What is the meaning of starting something and ending something? What is the meaning of several or many lives when we can be comfortable with maybe just one life? Why do we reach only after many lives?”
Giriraj Swami: That is a very good question. We agree with you completely. That is the whole idea. Especially now that we have come to this human form of life, which is achieved after many lifetimes, and especially now that we have come in touch with devotees who tell us about Krishna and the process of bhakti-yoga, we can and should complete our purpose in this world in this life.
labdhva su-durlabham idam bahu-sambhavante
manusyam artha-dam anityam apiha dhirah
turnam yateta na pated anu-mrtyu yavan
nihsreyasaya visayah khalu sarvatah syat
“After many, many births one achieves the rare human form of life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection. Thus a sober human being should quickly endeavor for the ultimate perfection of life before his body, which is always subject to death, falls away. After all, sense gratification is available even in the most abominable species of life, whereas Krsna consciousness is possible only for a human being.” (SB 11.9.29)
And if we chant seriously—chant and hear and follow the regulative principles that support the chanting and hearing—we can achieve complete success in the same lifetime. And that should be our determination.
Still, the Bhagavad-gita explains that if by chance you are not completely successful, then in your next life you continue from where you left off in this one; you don’t have to start all over again. With anything material, you have to start all over again in the next life. In this life you might know seven languages, but in your next life, when you are born, all you can say is “Ga, ga, ga,” and you don’t even know ABC. Materially, whatever you acquire in this life is lost at the time of death. But whatever you gain spiritually through the practice of bhakti-yoga continues in the next life. Suppose in this life you complete only 50 percent; then in the next life you begin from 51 percent. You don’t have to start again from the beginning.
But still, we have the human form of life, and the association of devotees, so why should we take any chances? We should have that determination to be completely successful in this life, just like you said.
Guest (1): Why did we come here in the first place? Why do we have to go through so many lives?
Giriraj Swami: Actually, as mentioned, we all come from Krishna, but when we turn away from Him—when we forget Him and want to enjoy apart from Him—we come under maya and suffer in the material world.
krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga-vancha kare
nikata-stha maya tare japatiya dhare
“When the living entity desires to enjoy separately from Krishna and turns away from Him, the illusory potency of the Lord, maya, immediately takes the soul in her clutches.” (Prema-vivarta)
But in that process, we don’t start at the bottom; we start at the top. We start as an elevated being on a higher planet. So we can reverse the process from that position and go back to Godhead. We don’t start as a germ or an amoeba. But if we are careless, we can keep declining and end up as an amoeba, in the body of an amoeba. But we don’t start at the bottom. We actually start at the top, and if we are attentive and vigilant, we can reverse the whole process in one lifetime. We don’t have to pass more than one life, and we don’t have to see any lower form of life.
Guest (1): Can we say that everything around us is energy—the material world? Animals, vegetables, minerals—everything is life, even if it doesn’t have consciousness by itself?
Giriraj Swami: Well, that is true—everything is energy—but as stated in the Bhagavad-gita, there are two kinds of energies. One is the material energy, and the other is the spiritual energy. The spiritual energy is conscious, alive. And the material energy is dull, dead.
bhumir apo ’nalo vayuh
kham mano buddhir eva ca
ahankara itiyam me
bhinna prakrtir astadha
“Earth, water, fire, air, ether, mind, intelligence, and false ego—all together these eight constitute My separated material energies.” (Gita 7.4)
apareyam itas tv anyam
prakrtim viddhi me param
jiva-bhutam maha-baho
yayedam dharyate jagat
“Besides these, O mighty-armed Arjuna, there is another, superior energy of Mine, which comprises the living entities who are exploiting the resources of this material, inferior nature.” (Gita 7.5)
What we see alive in the material world is really a combination of the spiritual and material energies—the spiritual spark within the physical body. And as long as the soul is present, there is consciousness. But an inanimate object—say, this piece of metal—has no consciousness. Of course, in an ultimate sense, we could say that there is consciousness everywhere, because Krishna is everywhere. He is expanded within the atoms and in the space between the atoms throughout the entire universe (andantara-stha-paramanu-cayantara-stham). But practically, in terms of individual consciousness, animals and vegetables have souls; they are a combination of matter and spirit. Minerals do not have souls; they are material energy. And then there is Krishna, who is completely spiritual.
Guest (1): Are there other forms of intelligence on other planets in the universe, or is it just here on our own planet?
Giriraj Swami: There is, in fact, even more advanced intelligent life on planets other than the earth. Everything is the creation of God. We don’t believe that anything has happened by accident or chance. God has created all these planets to provide different environments for different types of people. Just as there are different relativities on earth—Ojai or Santa Barbara may be relatively more congenial than Alaska or Antarctica—so there are relativities within the universe. Some planets are more heavenly, and some are more hellish. The earth is considered to be in the middle, though a little on the lower side. But there is intelligent life everywhere—and suffering everywhere—and everyone is ultimately meant to become God conscious and go back home, back to Godhead
a-brahma-bhuvanal lokah
punar avartino ’rjuna
mam upetya tu kaunteya
punar janma na vidyate
[The Supreme Lord Krishna said:] “From the highest planet in the material world down to the lowest, all are places of misery wherein repeated birth and death take place. But one who attains to My abode, O son of Kunti, never takes birth again.” (Gita 8.16)
Guest (2): You said that the only practice we need to do is chant the name of God. That seems to be asking God to receive from Him the grace of the holy name. But what can we do to prepare ourselves in everyday life to better understand and receive this grace?
Giriraj Swami: Yes, there are practices. Although chanting in and of itself is enough, there are disciplines that we can undertake to make it easier for us to get the full benefit of the chanting, to get the full grace of the Lord. There are certain personal restrictions. But the beauty of chanting is that even if it is hard at first to accept these restrictions, the process of chanting itself, the process of purification itself, will make it easier to accept them—to the point where we won’t even want to indulge in adverse activities anymore.
The first restriction is no eating meat. The second is no taking intoxicants. The third is no illicit sex—no sex outside of marriage, no frivolous sex. And the fourth is no gambling. If we are able to follow these regulative principles, our chanting will be more quickly effective, and we will be better receptacles for God’s grace.
And there are other things as well, such as getting up early in the morning. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.” The early hours of the morning, especially before sunrise, are considered the best for spiritual practice, and therefore we generally rise early. Some devotees, when feasible, get up at two. They may take rest at eight and get up at two. Otherwise, we try to rise by four. Initiated disciples have a certain quota of chanting, which takes about two hours to complete. So they rise by four and complete their quota of rounds between five and seven and still have the rest of the day ahead of them.
And the more serious you are, the more things you can learn to improve your practice. But if you can just manage those four restrictions—and get up early—you will be off to a good start. And if you want to know more, we have volumes of books . . .
Guest (2): Hard news. Thank you.
Giriraj Swami: I was going to ask if you were ready for the answer before I gave it, but I figured that you asked, and you seemed sincere, so I just said it.
But again, the good news is that if you chant, all the other things will become easier. That’s why we don’t emphasize the restrictions at first, because we know that if people just chant, they will lose interest in those indulgent acts, and they will become more and more eager to advance in Krishna consciousness.
Guest (2): Inshallah.
Giriraj Swami: When you said “inshallah,” it reminded me of a group of Ahmadiyya Muslims who would sometimes meet me at our Juhu Beach temple. They told me the same thing, that the prayers offered before sunrise—almost like we say, beginning an hour and a half before sunrise—are heard by God more than prayers offered later in the day.
Inshallah, or insha’Allah, means “if Allah wills.” Allah is a name of God, so insha’Allah means “God willing.” Of course, we also accept the name Allah. Allah is the same as Krishna. But our devotees in Pakistan, instead of “insha’Allah,” would sometimes say, “insha Krishna,” to mean the same thing—“God willing.”
Krishna Bhamini dasi: Maharaja, I was just going to give an example. In the beginning, some people think, “Oh, I have to be a vegetarian” when they hear all the negative restrictions. But the process of spiritual life is so pleasant that they experience a higher taste. They actually prefer our food, prasada, to other things they used to eat. And it is kind of like that with all of the seeming restrictions. As we chant and associate with devotees, we develop a higher taste.
Giriraj Swami: Good point.
Krishna Bhamini dasi: I was going to say one more thing. You already explained it. But in today’s world, fanatical Muslims, or fanatics in any religion, may be chanting God’s names, yet so much violence is going on. They may chant, for example, “Allah, Allah,” yet engage in so much violent activity. They are “God’s warriors,” so to speak. So, you have explained that there are ways to chant God’s names properly.
Giriraj Swami: Correct. One must avoid that offense of offending devotees, and devotees are there in every tradition. One may take the name of God in one’s own tradition, but if one is inimical to devotees in other traditions, that is an offense, not only against the devotees but against the holy name. And if one commits offenses against the holy name, one doesn’t get the benefit. In fact, it is described that when you offend devotees, the holy name is offended and withdraws its mercy. So even though such fanatics are mouthing God’s name, it is almost as if God has left. He has withdrawn His mercy from them, because they are offensive.
Of course, offending devotees is the worst, but offending anyone—causing pain to any living entity—is prohibited. That is the complete injunction. And that is one reason why we don’t kill animals or eat flesh.
So, it is not just a question of mouthing God’s name. One should be in the proper consciousness, the proper mood of service to God and to the devotees of God—in whatever tradition, culture, or community they may be. We should respect and appreciate all genuine devotees, servants of God, and encourage the devotees and chant the holy names. That will bring us all success, and one day the holy name will reveal Himself to us, and we will see Krishna face to face.
prabhu kahe,—“vaisnava-seva, nama-sankirtana
dui kara, sighra pabe sri-krsna-carana”
The Lord [Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu] said, “You should engage yourself in the service of the servants of Krsna and always chant the holy name of Krsna. If you do these two things, you will very soon attain shelter at Krsna’s lotus feet.” (Cc Madhya 16.70)
Hare Krishna!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami, September 2, 2007, Ojai, California]
Jaya Sri Rama! ISKCON Auckland invites you and your family to celebrate Sri Rama Vijayotsava 2025 at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple on Saturday 4th October 2025 with the burning of Ravana's Effigy from 7:30pm onwards.
Hare Krishna! On the auspicious occasion of Sri Radhastami, ISKCON Auckland invites you to join us for the special temple extension ground breaking ceremony on Sunday 31st August 2025, with special guest His Holiness Bhakti Vinod Maharaj.
By Maharishi Das Every single day I get calls from new and old customers looking for the ultimate in sound perfection as they all understand that great sound helps transport them to another place. While for many this music may not be spiritual but they certainly experience spiritual bliss, they can still understand for an
As devotees and well-wishers around the world commemorate this special day with kirtan, abhishek, homages and feasting, we welcome you to join us on Sunday 17th August 2025 at ISKCON Auckland's Sri Sri Radha Giridhari temple to honour the life and teachings our beloved ISKCON Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's Appearance Day.
Dear Devotees; Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada With Srila Prabhupada’s 129th Vyasa-puja just a few days away, you are cordially invited to download and read the 2025 Vyasa-puja book which was created as a result of your sincere and devoted offerings: https://vyasapuja.com/vyasapuja-book-2025.pdf Please also share this link with one andDiary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 31
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 31: July 30–August 5, 2025)
Paris
(Sent from New Mayapur, France, on August 9, 2025)
Where I Went and What I Did
We chanted harinama in Paris from Gare du Nord to the Flixbus stop at Bercy, in the stations, on the trains, and as we walked to the bus station, getting a little over an hour of harinama in.
I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam, The Nectar of Devotion, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Teachings of Lord Caitanya, and a lecture on Sri Caitanya-carirtamrita. I share a quote from Jayadvaita Swami’s kirtana standards book. I share notes on classes by Janananda Goswami, Mandakini Devi Dasi, Devaki Devi Dasi, and Vigatasu Prabhu.
Thanks to Jagattarini and Atmarama Prabhus for their very generous donation. Thanks also to Rasa Lila Devi Dasi for her donation. Thanks to Janananda Goswami for his kind donation of foreign and local currency.
Itinerary
June 19–August 19: Paris
– August 5–9: New Mayapur Balaram festival.
August 20: London harinama
August 21–22: Liverpool harinamas
August 23: Liverpool Ratha-yatra
August 24: Liverpool harinama
August 25: London harinama and flight to New York
Chanting Hare Krishna in Paris
While Yashomatinandana Prabhu was chanting Hare Krishna at Printemps Haussmann in Paris, Rama Vijaya Prabhu, noticing that the women from Denmark he was selling books to were attracted to the Hare Krishna chant, encouraged them in participating (https://youtube.com/shorts/hRseyoFyV2A):
She also had tattoos of Shiva and Ganesh.
Jiva Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Hotel de Ville (https://youtu.be/LhtIO2lIrIU):
Here Vidjai Prabhu chants (https://youtu.be/V27lp3m2BTM):
Often children are attracted as here when Rama Vijaya Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna, and a little girl played the gong (https://youtu.be/SJDcnJHoPVk):
Chanting Hare Krishna in New Mayapur
Nitai Sacisuta Prabhu chants Hare Krishna during Jhulan Yatra at New Mayapur in France (https://youtu.be/_Jk9rsGfizc):
Insight
Srila Prabhupada:
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.7.42:
“In this material world, every materialist desires to achieve happiness and diminish his distress, and therefore he acts accordingly. Actually, however, one is happy as long as one does not endeavor for happiness; as soon as one begins his activities for happiness, his conditions of distress begin.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 7.15.17:
“For a person who has suitable shoes on his feet, there is no danger even when he walks on pebbles and thorns. For him, everything is auspicious. Similarly, for one who is always self-satisfied there is no distress; indeed, he feels happiness everywhere.”
From Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.24.62:
“Simply by receiving the glories of the Lord through purified transcendental ears, the devotees of the Lord are immediately freed from strong material desires and engagement in fruitive activities.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Preface:
“A living entity cannot steadily remain either in sense enjoyment or in renunciation. Change is going on perpetually, and we cannot be happy in either state, because of our eternal constitutional position.”
“Bhakti-rasa, however, the mellow relished in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, does not finish with the end of life. It continues perpetually and is therefore called amrita, that which does not die but exists eternally.”
“Adoption of bhakti-rasa, or Krishna consciousness, will immediately bring one to an auspicious life free from anxieties and will bless one with transcendental existence, thus minimizing the value of liberation. Bhakti-rasa itself is sufficient to produce a feeling of liberation, because it attracts the attention of the Supreme Lord, Krishna.”
“When the purified senses are employed in the service of the Lord, one becomes situated in bhakti-rasa life, and any action performed for the satisfaction of Krishna in this transcendental bhakti-rasa stage of life can be relished perpetually. When one is thus engaged in devotional service, all varieties of rasas, or mellows, turn into eternity. In the beginning one is trained according to the principles of regulation under the guidance of the acarya, or spiritual master, and gradually, when one is elevated, devotional service becomes automatic and spontaneous eagerness to serve Krishna. There are twelve kinds of rasas, as will be explained in this book, and by renovating our relationship with Krishna in five primary rasas we can live eternally in full knowledge and bliss.”
“The basic principle of the living condition is that we have a general propensity to love someone. No one can live without loving someone else. This propensity is present in every living being. Even an animal like a tiger has this loving propensity at least in a dormant stage, and it is certainly present in the human beings. The missing point, however, is where to repose our love so that everyone can become happy. At the present moment the human society teaches one to love his country or family or his personal self, but there is no information where to repose the loving propensity so that everyone can become happy. That missing point is Krishna, and The Nectar of Devotion teaches us how to stimulate our original love for Krishna and how to be situated in that position where we can enjoy our blissful life.”
“But the loving propensity is not satisfied even by loving all human society; that loving propensity remains imperfectly fulfilled until we know who is the supreme beloved. Our love can be fully satisfied only when it is reposed in Krishna. This theme is the sum and substance of The Nectar of Devotion, which teaches us how to love Krishna in five different transcendental mellows.”
“The root cause of our dissatisfaction is that our dormant loving propensity has not been fulfilled despite our great advancement in the materialistic way of life. The Nectar of Devotion will give us practical hints how we can live in this material world perfectly engaged in devotional service and thus fulfill all our desires in this life and the next.”
From The Nectar of Devotion, Chapter 18:
“In this connection, one prayer by Rupa Gosvami is sufficient to exemplify this hopefulness. He says, ‘I have no love for Krishna, nor for the causes of developing love of Krishna—namely, hearing and chanting. And the process of bhakti-yoga, by which one is always thinking of Krishna and fixing His lotus feet in the heart, is also lacking in me. As far as philosophical knowledge or pious works are concerned, I don't see any opportunity for me to execute such activities. But above all, I am not even born of a nice family. Therefore I must simply pray to You, Gopijana-vallabha [Krishna, maintainer and beloved of the gopis]. I simply wish and hope that some way or other I may be able to approach Your lotus feet, and this hope is giving me pain, because I think myself quite incompetent to approach that transcendental goal of life.’”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 7.112–118:
“Whatever I have stated about the beginning of the Lord’s tour should also be understood to hold for as long as the Lord toured South India. When Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came to the holy place known as Kurma-ksetra, He saw the Deity and offered prayers and obeisances. While at this place, Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was in His usual ecstasy of love of Godhead and was laughing, crying, dancing and chanting. Everyone who saw Him was astonished. After hearing of these wonderful occurrences, everyone came to see Him there. When they saw the beauty of the Lord and His ecstatic condition, they were all struck with wonder. Just by seeing Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, everyone became a devotee. They began to chant ‘Krishna’ and ‘Hari’ and all the holy names. They all were merged in a great ecstasy of love, and they began to dance, raising their arms. Always hearing them chant the holy names of Lord Krishna, the residents of all the other villages also became Vaishnavas. By hearing the holy name of Krishna, the entire country became Vaishnava. It was as if the nectar of the holy name of Krishna overflooded the entire country.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 7.147–148:
“To protect the brahmana [Vasudeva], Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu advised him to chant the Hare Krishna mantra incessantly. By doing so, he would never become unnecessarily proud. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu also advised Vasudeva to preach about Krishna and thus liberate living entities. As a result, Krishna would very soon accept him as His devotee.”
From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 7.148, purport:
“That is the process of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Each and every member of this Society was rescued from a very abominable condition, but now they are engaged in preaching the cult of Krishna consciousness. They are not only cured of the disease called materialism but are also living a very happy life. Everyone accepts them as great devotees of Krishna, and their qualities are manifest in their very faces. If one wants to be recognized as a devotee by Krishna, he should take to preaching work, following the advice of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Then one will undoubtedly attain the lotus feet of Sri Krishna Caitanya, Lord Krishna Himself, without delay.”
From Teachings of Lord Caitanya, Chapter 18:
“A bona fide spiritual master chants the holy names Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare, and the transcendental sound vibration enters the ear of the disciple, and if the disciple follows in the footsteps of his spiritual master and chants the holy name with equal respect, this chanting constitutes worship of the transcendental name. When the transcendental name is worshiped by the devotee, the name Himself spreads His glories within the heart of the devotee. When the devotee is perfectly qualified in chanting the transcendental vibration of the holy name, he is quite fit to become a spiritual master and to deliver all the people of the world. The chanting of the holy name is so powerful that it gradually establishes its supremacy above everything in the world.”
From a class on Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 20.105 in New York on July 11, 1976:
“Self-made guru, that is not guru.”
“Caitanya Mahaprabhu, He is authorizing Sanatana Gosvami.”
“Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission is that to preach Krishna consciousness all over the world.”
“Savadhana means very carefully, not whimsically.”
“But the miracle of spiritual master is yanhara prasade bhai, ei bhava toriya yai. This is miracle: no more material existence.”
“Krishna-prapti hoy yaha haite. That is spiritual master, one who can give you Krishna.”
“One who has got little favor of Krishna, he knows Krishna-tattva.”
“The yogi’s main business is to control the senses. That is real yoga. Yoga indriya-samyamah. Controlling the senses so that mind can be in a peaceful condition... Without controlling your senses, mind cannot be. Then you can apply this mind for meditation. If the mind is agitated, what is this nonsense meditation? First of all control the mind; then think of meditation. Dhyanavasthita-tad-gatena manasa. We have to meditate with the mind. But if the mind is agitated, where is the question of meditation? It is all bogus. . . . So for a yogi the first business is yama-niyama, asana, pranayama, dhyana, dharana, pratyahara-asta, astanga-yoga. Then one’s mind is controlled. Then dhyanavasthita. Then he can remain in trance, always thinking of Vishnu. That is yoga.”
“If you expand this Krishna consciousness movement, you'll find whole world full of happiness. Visvam purnam sukhayate.”
“So today Sanatana Gosvami’s birthday? Disappearance. Disappearance and appearance the same. His disappearance here, appearance somewhere. Just like sunset somewhere is immediately, sunset and sunrise, simultaneously.”
“Guru-mukha-padma, cittete, ara na kariya mane. Don't spoil yourself by manufacturing ideas. Take word from him [guru].”
“Divya-jñana is that we are all servant of Krishna, and our only business is to serve Krishna. Divya-jñana. This is divya-jñana. It is not difficult at all. Simply we have... We have become servant of so many things—servant of society, servant of community, servant of country, servant of wife, servant of children, servant of dog and so many. ‘Now let me become servant of Krishna.’”
Analogy: As in Vedic culture, girl practices serving her husband as a child, she spontaneously serves her husband when she matures. Similar we practice devotional service, which matures into love.
“Unless we are free from this nescience of material existence, there is no question of Krishna prema. Two things cannot go.”
“The more we advance in Krishna-bhakti, you’ll have no more material desires.”
“So this is the relationship, Sanatana Gosvami and Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Study all of them very nicely and be advanced in Krishna consciousness.”
Jayadvaita Swami:
From Srila Prabhupada’s Kirtana Standards:
“A classic guide to writing says, ‘Writing improves in direct ratio to the number of things we can keep out of it that shouldn’t be there.’ One might say the same thing about kirtana. After all, what is purity? It’s having nothing there that shouldn’t be there. Water is pure when there’s nothing in it but water, gold when there’s nothing in it but gold. Similarly, kirtana is pure when there’s nothing extra in it — no tricks, no gimmicks, no inventions or concoctions, nothing picked up from the street, no displays of false ego, only the pure holy name of the Lord, as received through the line of pure devotees.”
Janananda Goswami:
There are four things to spiritualize your home: Make an altar, offer your food, chant Hare Krishna, and study the sastra together.
The brahmana lost all interest in material happiness having the association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. There no comparison between spiritual and material happiness. Material happiness is like a drop, and spiritual happiness is like an ocean.
How many problems does a dead body half? Zero. That you have some problems is proof that you are alive. There are problems in family life and problems in brahmacari life, but the more we chant the holy name the fewer problems we will have.
Lord Caitanya gave the Kurma brahmana this instruction for all people in family life:
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Sri Krishna as they are given in the Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 7.128)
I think at 50% of what keeps marriages together is the wife’s cooking.
Just offer something to Krishna, and distribute it. The garbage man comes by and man comes by to check the electricity, and you can give them prasadam.
We get the mercy of the Lord by preaching His glories.
All our problems are due to pride which manifests as a desire for respect, name, fame, etc. The whole universe functions around this principle.
Even as beginning spiritualists we tend to see ourselves in the center instead of Krishna.
Our material disease continues until one takes up Krishna consciousness.
Please join this blissful party and share the joy of Krishna’s holy names.
From a class in New Mayapur on August 6, 2025:
These eternal associates of Lord Caitanya teach religious principles, especially by their example. Lord Caitanya said that religious principles are found in the lives of the pure devotees.
Mandakini Devi Dasi told for two hours about the history of the Russian yatra at a Prabhupada disciple gathering in Lincoln, England, and the devotees were in tears hearing her presentation.
We all have exalted spiritual qualities but there are just covered over.
Lord Caitanya made life-sized neem Gaura Nitai deities for Gauridas Pandit because of his great devotion. These Gaura Nitai manifested amazing dress and ornaments to please Gauridas Pandit. Caitanya Dasa, a principle disciple of Gauridas, was leading a kirtan that was so ecstatic that Gaura Nitai deities jumped off the altar and joined the chanting and dancing. When he saw the deities missing from the altar, Gauridas took a stick to chase the deities, and they entered the heart of Caitanya Dasa, and Gauridas praised his disciple’s good fortunte and renamed him Hridaya Caitanya.
Srila Prabhupada makes it clear in The Nectar of Devotion that we are followers of Rupa Goswami.
Prahlada Maharaja says to bathe in the dust of feet of great devotees is the way to attain Krishna.
Knowledge, application of knowledge, and realization of knowledge as a result its application are required.
Sambandha is like the foundation of a house. You cannot build a house without a foundation.
Lord Caitanya called Rupa Goswami rasa-acarya because he knew all the rasas, and he wrote about them in Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu.
Humility, whatever you want me to do, is the secret of spiritual life. We are here to serve.
One of the prime teachings of Rupa Goswami is that all can become devotees, regardless of their material backgrounds.
Our samskaras or material impressions are so deep and hard to remove they are like internal tatoos.
Jagai and Madhai were very quickly delivered, but we are dragging on for so many years.
Srila Prabhupada is really patita-pavana for he has delivered millions of people.
Comment by Parividha Prabhu: When devotees describe themselves as very lowly, I feel I can trust them. You naturally like to serve the humble.
Devotees, especially those with families, have so many external duties, but within they are advised to always remember Krishna.
Radha-Damodara temple, where Srila Prabhupada and translated the First Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, is the center or hub of our Krishna consciousness movement.
Mandakini Devi Dasi:
We may think the list of names is boring, but it is all nectarean because they are pure devotees of Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
What is special about Sri Caitanya-caritamrita is seeing the relationships between Lord Caitanya and His devotees.
Govinda Dasi, who was engaged in painting pictures of Lord Caitanya’s pastimes, suggest to Srila Prabhupada that he write a book about Lord Caitanya. He chose Sri Caitanya-caritamrita over Sri Caitanya-bhagavata, because that book contains more of the philosophy of Lord Caitanya.
Lord Caitanya begged everyone in the universe to assist Him in distributing His fruits of love of God.
Jagannatha Puri has the glories of all the dhama. His has the sweetness of Vrindavan, the infinite mercy of Mahaprabhu, and the deep profound feelings of separation from Krishna which is there in the Ratha-yatra.
When devotees heard I was going to Puri for Ratha-yatra, they urged me not to go into the crowd, but to watch from a hotel. But I thought this is a once in a lifetime experience. How can I watch from a hotel?
Because of Srila Prabhupada’s wonderful preaching, Krishna consciousness is really fourishing in India.
The Siberians are descendents of the Sabaras who worshiped the form of Nila Madhava, who appeared before Lord Jagannatha. The Puri pandas are therefore worried when Russians, especially Siberians come to Puri, that they may steal Jagannatha away.
It was predicted to be 50 degrees C during the Puri Ratha-yatra, but clouds protected the Lord and His devotees from the sun and offered occasional sprinkles of rain.
Devaki Devi Dasi:
Krishna is the only one who has no duties. All the demigods have some duty.
Many demigods are attached to be worshiped. They give benedictions to insure their worship continues.
We chant every morning “I don’t want any number of followers,” and yet we are after followers on our Facebook page!
Srila Prabhupada makes the point that Ravana was a famous devotee of Lord Shiva and Hiranyakasipu was a famous devotee of Lord Brahma yet they are considered asuras [demons]. Only the devotees of Vishnu
If we have to share our honor with similarly qualified people, we can see how much we are affected by the false ego.
Radhanath Swami has this formula for association: 60% should be spend with equals, 20% with juniors and 20% with superiors.
It is important to not avoid opportunities to associate with equals.
If we want others to flourish and to surpass ourselves, we have to be free from envy.
Krishna can be equal to all because He is not actually to being worshiped.
We should practice being equal to all, not having our followers that we give special privileges to so we continue to be honored.
Running after followers on your Facebook page is the path of becoming demigods.
Comment by Mandakini Devi Dasi: At the end of the life of Bhakti Tirtha Swami, he realized that he would have to relinquish his identity as the famous sannyasi Bhakti Tirtha Swami to go back to Godhead.
We should plan for our death. Krishna may accept our plan or have his own plan for us, but we should all have a plan.
If the culture of Krishna consciousness is lived by the parents, and it is not just rules and regulations,
In India, people are considering only caste and money in matchmaking, and thus many Indian marriages are also ending in divorce.
In my book on the false ego, I have a chapter on how to glorify devotees without boosting their false ego.
The women are very powerful. They can bring out the best in a man, or they can ruin his life forever.
False ego:
Every life a nonsensical stage performance.
At the moment of death all these things we think are so important are all finished.
KC brings about a change in our perception of reality.
Bg. 18.58 Krishna gives us two choices.
When we act as servant of Krishna I am free.
If we are attached our position as temple president, when the GBC wants to put someone else in, we will fight it. I know communities that split in half because of that.
We need a mentor, a well-wisher friend, who can help us when we are blinded by false ego. We have lost so many devotees because of a lack of realization of the importance of having a mentor.
I had no desire to be a traveling preacher or to write books, I just had a desire to do some service.
We accomplish anything in Srila Prabhupada we need mercy, and seeing we have an attitude of doing service, Krishna will give us mercy.
Vaishnava etiquette can be a saving grace from false ego, and also the deep chanting of the holy name.
Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura says we should chant the name longing to serve, otherwise it is useless. Chanting the name longing to serve establishes us in dasya.
From a class on the holy name:
By chanting the holy name we can get the same benefit as meeting Krishna face to face.
Bhaktivinoda Thakura says the inattentiveness in chanting is the main problem:
This inattention is on three levels: On the level of the body, the mind, and the heart.
1. Body: We do something else with our body, like shopping, driving, or watching a movie, while chanting.
2. Mind: Making plans or jumping from one thing to another.
3. Heart: Srila Prabhupada said we should chant like a child crying in helplessness and desperation for its mother, addressing the Lord with feeling: Please accept me.
Chanting with a clicker is nonsense. One click here, and one click there. It encourages inattention.
Sometimes those who do other kinds meditation are much more serious about them than we are.
If we chant with our heart, something will happen in our relationship with Krishna.
We chant to reestablish our lost and forgotten relationship with Krishna.
Being mindful of Krishna’s presence in our lives is the beginning of developing our relationship with Krishna.
If I give you a relection of a piece of cake, will it satisfy you? Similarly, chanting the reflection of the holy name will not satisfy your soul.
Sacinandana Swami likens the chanting the holy name without attention to taking capsules without medicine in them.
I do holy name retreats and sometimes Prabhupada disciples with tears in their eyes realize they have not even begun chanting after 45 or 50 years.
In the beginning of japa I call out to Lord Nrsimha to destroy my demoniac qualities. Then I call out to Srila Prabhupada for some mercy. Then call out to our favorite sadhus. And then Krishna and then Radharani.
So we can allow our mind to wander a little bit but not outside of divine personalities.
Q: It seems we can only seriously cry out to Krishna when we have a real calamity.
A: It is true, but there is enough reason for us to cry out now, since death can come at any time and because we have ignored Krishna for so long we can feel bad about that. If we acquire knowledge of sambandha, we will realize that there is reason to cry out to Krishna because we do not want to come back here.
From a class on Srimad-Bhagavatam 9.9.8:
We are not convinced that material happiness ends in suffering so we continue to endeavor for it.
So much of our happiness is just relief from distress.
Although there is a whole realm of spiritual happiness, most people are unaware of it.
The bill for our sense gratification may come ten years later.
Learn to tolerate. Otherwise we will be tossed around by happiness and distress.
A devotee in distress takes more shelter of Krishna, and thus he experiences the bliss of Krishna’s association.
If we are preoccupied with our own position, we cannot really care for others.
For me, the program at the festival is not the real festival but all the extra opportunities for voluntary service.
From a seminar “Meeting Death with Joy”, Day 1, in New Mayapur, on August 6, 2025:
We have to be detached enough from our plan, so we can accept Krishna’s plan.
Having had cancer twice, really shook me up, and changed my outlook on life.
Finally we can do all these things we could not do when we have small kids.
When I worked in the hospital I saw so many people die, and it intrigued me. What actually happens at death?
Vigatasu Prabhu:
The Ninth Canto has especially amazing stories, even scandalous stories.
For us, we should not be concerned about the people in these stories, but rather how we have the same issues in ourselves.
Rupa Goswami says that there must be good stories to attract the conditioned souls. There must be stories of chivalry and romance. So you find this in the Ninth Canto.
The Bhagavatam is teaching us how we can take complete shelter of the Lord as the residents of Vrindavan.
During Srila Prabhupada’s time, one devotee woman was crossing the street to attend a kirtan, but a truck was coming and killed her. The case was described to Srila Prabhupada, and he said she would definitely attain the spiritual world because she was hearing the kirtan at the time of her death by Krishna’s grace.
We think that we have just solved one problem, but the next problem is right around the corner.
In this temple so many people are doing so much service to the Lord that when people come here they will be positively influenced.
Gangadevi worried being overloaded with the reactions of sinful people, but that is just her humility. Her water comes from lotus feet of the Lord, so how can it be contaminated?
In the Third Canto, the Sankhya philosophy decreases our attraction to the material world by breaking it up into its component parts and revealing that there is nothing of value there.
Third Canto shows that bad result of greed in the story of Hiranyaksa.
Srila Prabhupada said that Thailand is a place of Vedic sense gratification.
Mixed devotees have a mixed experience.
It is said that if someone dies within a mile and a half of a salagram-sila.
The Ninth Canto begins by several chapters describing the kings of the Surya-vamsa and then later several chapters describings the kings of the Soma-vamsa, leading up to the appearance of Lord Krishna.
In the Bhagavatam, the stories of devotees who have different challenges are explained in the mood of compassion.
Do not under estimate the problem of lust.
“I want this. I want that.” – that is lust. “I want more.” – that is greed. Then if I do not get it, I become angry.
In the Ninth Chapter, the main story in the beginning is the Ambarisa Maharaja and the main story in the end is the story of Maharaja Yayati. Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura said those two kings were contemporaries, and it was by the mercy of Ambarisa that Yayati was able to become renounced after his life of sense enjoyment.
Comments by me:
You speak of giving up dirty coal to accept a valuable jewel. That reminds me once on harinama, we met a person whose hands were so full he had to give up his cigarette to accept the sweets we were giving out.
In the Bali Maharaja lila there is one verse glorifying the sankirtana of the holy name: “There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.” (SB 8.23.16)
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This is a beautiful quote from the Vedic literature describing the unique position of the one Supreme Lord. What monotheistic tradition cannot accept this?
nityo nityanam cetanas cetananam
“Among all the eternal, conscious beings, there is one who supplies the needs of everyone else.” (Katha Upanisad 2.2.13)
“The wise souls who worship Him in His abode attain everlasting peace. Others cannot.”
Today is the appearance day of Lord Balarama, the Personality of Godhead who is the first expansion of Lord Krishna, the original Personality of Godhead. Krishna states in the Bhagavad-gita (4.7):
yada yada hi dharmasya
glanir bhavati bharata
abhyutthanam adharmasya
tadatmanam srjamy aham
“Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion—at that time I descend Myself.”
Krishna says, srjamy aham: “I manifest Myself.” He doesn’t take birth like an ordinary human being but manifests Himself in His original spiritual form. For what purpose?
paritranaya sadhunam
vinasaya ca duskrtam
dharma-samsthapanarthaya
sambhavami yuge yuge
“To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear, millennium after millennium.” (Gita 4.8) He manifests Himself to protect the devotees, annihilate the demons, and reestablish the principles of religion.
In every sphere of activity in the material world there is deterioration—everything declines. For example, a new house is very nice, but it gradually deteriorates, and eventually, when too old, it has to be rebuilt. Similarly, over time our performance of spiritual duties deteriorates, whether we are individuals, families, communities, or a society. And so the Lord comes repeatedly to reestablish religious practice. He appears in order to establish religious principles (dharma), but over time religious practice declines, and so He manifests Himself again and again. We all know how prone we are to allow our practice to deteriorate. Thus, on auspicious occasions like today, Lord Balarama’s appearance day, we can pray to the Lord to manifest Himself and help us to become reestablished in our religious principles and practice.
What Lord Krishna said in the two verses quoted from the Bhagavad-gita is explained elaborately in Srimad-Bhagavatam: When the earth was overburdened by demonic rulers who had amassed large military forces armed with deadly weapons to wage war for personal gain, Lord Brahma, the chief of the demigods in this universe, approached the shore of the ocean of milk. There, accompanied by Lord Shiva and other celestial beings, he worshipped Lord Vishnu, the supreme God of all gods. And in response, Lord Vishnu imparted instructions, which Lord Brahma in turn conveyed to the demigods. He told them that very soon the Lord would appear on earth to diminish the burden of the world and that the demigods, to assist Him, should take birth in the Yadu dynasty. Lord Brahma further stated that Lord Balarama, who is also known as Sankarsana, would precede the Lord and serve Him in every respect:
vasudeva-kalanantah
sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
hareh priya-cikirsaya
“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)
Lord Brahma also told the demigods that Yogamaya, the personal potency of the Lord, would also appear and assist the Lord in His mission.
Preceding the appearance of Krishna and Balarama, Vasudeva, a great devotee in the Yadu dynasty, wedded Devaki, another pure devotee. After their marriage, Vasudeva mounted his chariot with his bride to return home, and Devaki’s brother Kamsa, to please his sister, took the reins of the horses to drive the chariot. Along the way, Kamsa heard a voice from an invisible source, which told him, “You fool, the eighth child of the woman you are carrying will kill you!”
Kamsa, a great demon, became enraged and was ready to kill his own sister on the day of her marriage. But Vasudeva intervened and appealed to him to desist. He said, “How could a qualified person like you kill a woman—your own sister—on the occasion of her marriage? In any case, one day you will die, and in your next life you will have to suffer the reactions to your present activities.” Still, Kamsa was so shameless and cruel that he persisted, and Vasudeva, to save his wife from imminent death, told him, “You have nothing to fear from Devaki. According to the omen, it is her son who will kill you. So I promise to deliver all her sons, who are the cause of your fear, into your hands.” Having faith in Vasudeva’s word, Kamsa was pacified. Still, he imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki. And year after year, as their children were born, Vasudeva dutifully delivered them to Kamsa, who mercilessly killed them.
Now we shall read from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Two: “Prayers by the Demigods.”
TEXT 7
gaccha devi vrajam bhadre
gopa-gobhir alankrtam
rohini vasudevasya
bharyaste nanda-gokule
anyas ca kamsa-samvigna
vivaresu vasanti hi
TRANSLATION
The Lord ordered Yogamaya: O My potency, who are worshipable for the entire world and whose nature is to bestow good fortune upon all living entities, go to Vraja, where there live many cowherd men and their wives. In that very beautiful land, where many cows reside, Rohini, the wife of Vasudeva, is living at the home of Nanda Maharaja. Other wives of Vasudeva are also living there incognito because of fear of Kamsa. Please go there.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
Nanda-gokula, the residence of King Nanda, was itself very beautiful, but when Yogamaya was ordered to go there and encourage the devotees with fearlessness, it became even more beautiful and safe. Because Yogamaya had the ability to create such an atmosphere, the Lord ordered her to go to Nanda-gokula.
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
King Kamsa was such a demon that he was performing all sorts of atrocities, and Vasudeva was afraid for the safety of his wives. In Vedic culture, the kshatriyas were allowed to have more than one wife. Now that idea seems a bit odd or foreign, but it had its purpose in Vedic civilization. The kshatriyas then were powerful; they could maintain many wives. But, as predicted in Srimad-Bhagavatam, as the present age of Kali progresses, or deteriorates, a husband will have to struggle just to maintain one wife, one family, and if he is somehow able to do so nicely, he is considered a great success in life.
Previously, people were more qualified. They were more opulent. The kshatriyas could have more than one wife, though Lord Ramachandra took eka-patni-vrata, a vow to accept only one wife—Sitadevi. Vasudeva had more than one wife, but he was responsible. He didn’t want any harm to befall any of them, and he arranged for their protection. Vasudeva and Devaki had relatives, who were also family friends, in Gokula—Nanda and Yasoda. And so[,] Vasudeva placed one of his wives, Rohini, under the{ir} care[ of Nanda and Yasoda]. And after Balarama had entered the womb of Devaki, Lord Krishna ordered Yogamaya to transfer Him from the womb of Devaki into the womb of Rohini.
TEXT 8
devakya jathare garbham
sesakhyam dhama mamakam
tat sannikrsya rohinya
udare sannivesaya
TRANSLATION
Within the womb of Devaki is My partial plenary expansion known as Sankarsana or Sesa. Without difficulty, transfer Him into the womb of Rohini.
PURPORT
The first plenary expansion of Krsna is Baladeva, also known as Sesa. The Sesa incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead supports the entire universe, and the eternal mother of this incarnation is Mother Rohini. “Because I am going into the womb of Devaki,” the Lord told Yogamaya, “the Sesa incarnation has already gone there and made suitable arrangements so that I may live there. Now He should enter the womb of Rohini, His eternal mother.”
In this connection, one may ask how the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is always situated transcendentally, could enter the womb of Devaki, which had previously been entered by the six asuras, the sad-garbhas. Does this mean that the sad-garbhasuras were equal to the transcendental body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead? The following answer is given by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.
COMMENT
As promised, Vasudeva delivered Devaki’s first six sons to Kamsa, who killed them one after the other. They were actually the six asuras who, because of events from their past life, had taken birth in Devaki’s womb to be killed by Kamsa. So, the question is, Krishna is going to enter the womb of Devaki—does that mean He is on the same level as these asuras who took birth from her womb and were killed by Kamsa? Visvanatha Cakravarti explains:
PURPORT (continued)
The entire creation, as well as its individual parts, is an expansion of the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Therefore, even though the Lord enters the material world, He does not do so. This is explained by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gita (9.4–5):
maya tatam idam sarvam
jagad avyakta-murtina
mat-sthani sarva-bhutani
na caham tesv avasthitah
na ca mat-sthani bhutani
pasya me yogam aisvaram
bhuta-bhrn na ca bhuta-stho
mamatma bhuta-bhavanah
COMMENT
The idea is that the Lord is everywhere within His creation but at the same time is not there. This appears to be contradictory, but the contradiction is resolved when we understand that the Lord in His original form as Krishna in Goloka Vrindavan is not in the material creation; He remains aloof, in His divine abode, enjoying sublime pastimes with His loving devotees. Still, by His expansion as the Supersoul, the Paramatma, He pervades His creation.
PURPORT (continued)
A pure devotee is always transcendentally situated because of executing nine different processes of bhakti-yoga. Thus situated in devotional service, a devotee, although in the material world, is not in the material world. Yet a devotee always fears, “Because I am associated with the material world, so many contaminations affect me.” Therefore he is always alert in fear, which gradually diminishes his material association.
COMMENT
As stated earlier, Yogamaya appeared in Gokula to create fearlessness—freedom from fear of the attacks of demons. But a pure devotee is always afraid of material contamination. Once, Srila Prabhupada gave a class at Bhaktivedanta Manor in which he told the audience, “The difference between you and me is that you can fall down but I cannot fall down.” After the class, Srila Prabhupada was praying in front of the Deities, and one disciple asked him, “What were you praying?” And Prabhupada replied, “I was praying that I may never fall down.” The disciple responded, “But in your talk you said that you can never fall down.” And Prabhupada replied, “Yes, because I am always praying never to fall down, therefore I can never fall down.” So, we should always be afraid of the material energy (maya), of being deluded by maya and being diverted from the true path of Krishna consciousness.
PURPORT (continued)
Symbolically, Mother Devaki’s constant fear of Kamsa was purifying her. A pure devotee should always fear material association, and in this way all the asuras of material association will be killed, as the sad-garbhasuras were killed by Kamsa.
COMMENT
Especially devotees in the grihastha ashrama may have to associate with the material energy—to earn money to maintain their families. Whether they like it or not, they may have to associate with materialistic people. And there is always a danger that by their associating with materialistic people, their consciousness will be affected. So they should be afraid of material association. Of course, circumstantially we have to interact with such people, and we may do so as people normally interact in the workplace. But internally we should be conscious that if we associate with them too much, in the wrong way, it can affect us, and we can become weakened in our determination to progress in Krishna consciousness. We may start to compromise in different ways, which will weaken us even more.
PURPORT (concluded)
It is said that from the mind, Marici appears. In other words, Marici is an incarnation of the mind. Marici has six sons: Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matsarya (lust, anger, greed, illusion, madness, and envy). The Supreme Personality of Godhead appears in pure devotional service. This is confirmed in the Vedas: bhaktir evainam darsayati. Only bhakti can bring one in contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared from the womb of Devaki, and therefore Devaki symbolically represents bhakti, and Kamsa symbolically represents material fear. When a pure devotee always fears material association, his real position of bhakti is manifested, and he naturally becomes uninterested in material enjoyment. When the six sons of Marici are killed by such fear and one is freed from material contamination, within the womb of bhakti the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears. Thus the seventh pregnancy of Devaki signifies the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After the six sons Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada, and Matsarya are killed, the Sesa incarnation creates a suitable situation for the appearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In other words, when one awakens his natural Krsna consciousness, Lord Krsna appears. This is the explanation given by Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura.
COMMENT
There are different stages of advancement in devotional service, and when one is completely purified, the Supreme Personality of Godhead is revealed within the heart. That purified stage is called vasudeva, or suddha-sattva. It is the same name as that of Krishna’s father, Vasudeva, because Krishna first appeared in the purified mind of Vasudeva and then from the mind of Vasudeva He was transferred into the purified mind—and womb—of Devaki.
So, it is possible that the Lord will manifest Himself to a devotee who is sincere in the practice of devotional service. And before He manifests Himself fully, as He did for Vasudeva and Devaki and for Nanda and Yasoda, He manifests Himself as the holy name (as we all experience when we try to chant offenselessly); as holy scripture—Srimad-Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavad-gita, or Sri Caitanya-caritamrta; as the holy dhama—Sri Vrindavan, Mayapur, or Puri; as the Deity; and in the hearts, and words, of His pure devotees.
TEXT 9
athaham amsa-bhagena
devakyah putratam subhe
prapsyami tvam yasodayam
nanda-patnyam bhavisyasi
TRANSLATION
O all-auspicious Yogamaya, I shall then appear with My full six opulences as the son of Devaki, and you will appear as the daughter of Mother Yasoda, the queen of Maharaja Nanda.
COMMENT
This is the history. Balarama, or Sesa, first entered the womb of Devaki as her seventh son, but by the arrangement of Krishna, through the agency of Yogamaya, He was transferred to the womb of Rohini in Gokula. And thus it appeared that Devaki had a miscarriage. But it is Sesa’s service to arrange for Krishna’s comfort, and so He entered her womb first and created a favorable situation in which Lord Krishna could reside. We often see pictures of Lord Vishnu with Sesa, who acts as the Lord’s umbrella and throne. Sesa expands Himself in so many ways to facilitate the pleasure and comfort of the Lord.
After being transferred to the womb of Rohini, His eternal mother, Balarama took birth in Gokula. His stay within the womb of Devaki was just a temporary arrangement to create a favorable situation for Krishna. Then Krishna Himself entered the womb of Devaki through the mind of Vasudeva and took birth.
For the duration of Their infancy, childhood, and youth, Krishna and Balarama enjoyed together in Gokula, in Vraja. Then, when They were about the age of sixteen, They went to Mathura to participate in a wrestling match arranged by Kamsa. Ultimately Krishna killed Kamsa. Krishna and Balarama did not return to Vrindavan then—They had many pastimes in Mathura and Dvaraka.
Because Krishna and Balarama had not yet received a proper, formal education, Vasudeva and Devaki arranged for Them to study under a guru, Sandipani Muni, from whom They learned sixty-four different arts and sciences. And then They went on to rule Mathura and, finally, Dvaraka.
It is, one could say, a peculiar situation that Krishna was actually the son of Vasudeva and Devaki but was raised by Nanda and Yasoda and never really spent time with His original parents until many years later. And then He was separated from the parents who had raised Him, and He didn’t see them again for many, many years.
After Krishna and Balarama left Vrindavan, the Vraja-vasis were plunged into an ocean of separation. Their only business was crying for Krishna and Balarama. Of course, their crying was not like our material crying. Theirs was transcendental ecstasy. And in that separation, they were experiencing association. Still, they were separated, and many years later, when Krishna was living in royal opulence in Dvaraka, He went to Kurukshetra for a solar eclipse, to perform sacrifices and give in charity, as advised in shastra.
At Kurukshetra there was a great reunion, not only between Krishna and Balarama and Their friends from Vrindavan, but also between Vasudeva and Devaki and Nanda and Yasoda, and between Krishna’s various wives and Draupadi. Their meetings and interactions with each other are very instructive for us—how devotees relate to each other, how they think, and how they feel.
Srimad-Bhagavatam, Canto Ten, Chapter Eighty-Two: “Krsna Meets the Inhabitants of Vrindavan.”
TEXTS 31–32
When Nanda Maharaja learned that the Yadus had arrived, led by Krsna, he immediately went to see them. The cowherds accompanied him, their various possessions loaded on their wagons.
Seeing Nanda, the Vrsnis were delighted and stood up like dead bodies coming back to life. Having felt much distress at not seeing him for so long, they held him in a tight embrace.
COMMENT
The Vrsnis from Dvaraka returned to life when they saw Nanda, and they embraced him affectionately.
TEXTS 33–38
Vasudeva embraced Nanda Maharaja with great joy. Beside himself with ecstatic love, Vasudeva remembered the troubles Kamsa had caused him, forcing him to leave his sons in Gokula for Their safety.
O hero of the Kurus, Krsna and Balarama embraced Their foster parents and bowed down to them, but Their throats were so choked up with tears of love that the two Lords could say nothing.
Raising their two sons onto their laps and holding Them in their arms, Nanda and saintly Mother Yasoda forgot their sorrows.
Then Rohini and Devaki both embraced the Queen of Vraja, remembering the faithful friendship she had shown them. Their throats choking with tears, they addressed her as follows.
[Rohini and Devaki said:] What woman could forget the unceasing friendship you and Nanda have shown us, dear Queen of Vraja? There is no way to repay you in this world, even with the wealth of Indra.
Before these two boys had ever seen Their real parents, you acted as Their parents and gave Them all affectionate care, training, nourishment, and protection. They were never afraid, good lady, because you protected Them just as eyelids protect the eyes. Indeed, saintly persons like you never discriminate between outsiders and their own kin.
PURPORT
As Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti explains, Krsna and Balarama had not seen Their parents for two reasons: because of Their exile in Vraja, and also because They are never actually born and therefore have no parents.
Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti also describes what Devaki thought before speaking this verse: “Alas, because for so long these two sons of mine had you, Yasoda, as Their guardian and mother, and because They were immersed in such a vast ocean of ecstatic loving dealings with you, now that you are once more before Them They are too distracted to even notice me. Also, you are behaving as if insane and blind with love for Them, showing millions of times more maternal affection than I possess. Thus you simply keep staring at us, your friends, without recognizing us. So let me bring you back to reality on the pretext of some affectionate words.”
COMMENT
There are many points here. First is how much Devaki appreciated Mother Yasoda for taking care of her son Krishna. Before Krishna had even seen His real parents, Yasoda and Nanda had acted as His and Balarama’s parents and cared for Them, taught Them, nourished Them, and protected Them. And thus Devaki’s sons never had any fear. She praised Yasoda for being a saintly person who never discriminated between outsiders and her own kin. Of course, on another level Krishna is the Supersoul; He is the most intimate friend and the supreme lovable object for everyone. But in terms of the pastimes, Yasoda did not discriminate that Krishna was not her own son; she and Nanda raised Him as if He were their own.
Also, Devaki was completely free from envy. She saw that Krishna (with Balarama) was so overwhelmed with love that He forgot everything. He just rushed into the arms of Mother Yasoda. And Devaki not only admitted but actually appreciated that Yasoda had more love for Krishna than even she did.
These are some of the qualities that devotees develop in Krishna consciousness. They appreciate the service of others, and they are not envious. They are happy to acknowledge when others have more love for Krishna than they do, or render better service to Krishna than they do. And they are full of love. It is described here that when the Vrsnis saw Nanda and Yasoda—even though they had the association of Krishna in Dvaraka and were with Him in Kurukshetra—they felt as if their lives had come back to them. They had so much love and affection for them, and they were most grateful to them for their service to Krishna.
PURPORT (concluded)
Then, when Devaki failed to get any response from Yasoda even after addressing her, Rohini said, “My dear Devaki, it’s impossible just now to rouse her out of this ecstatic trance. We are crying in the wilderness, and her two sons are no less bound up in the ropes of affection for her than she is for Them.”
COMMENT
Yasoda had lost consciousness of everything other than her sons, Krishna and Balarama. And again, Yasoda did not discriminate, that “Krishna is my son, but Balarama is Rohini’s.” Nor did Rohini discriminate that “Balarama is my son, but Krishna is Yasoda’s.” Both mothers were mothers to both sons, and both sons saw both as Their mothers.
This type of love develops with Krishna consciousness, but it is also something that we are meant to cultivate. In Srila Prabhupada’s last days, in Vrindavan, His Holiness Tamal Krishna Goswami exclaimed, “Srila Prabhupada, your disciples love you so much.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Your love for me will be shown by how much you cooperate with each other.” Many authorities, both spiritual and mundane, have commented that love is not just a sentiment but is also a process. Srila Prabhupada said that if we really loved him—if we wanted to show our love for him—we would cooperate with each other for his pleasure, which ultimately means for Krishna’s pleasure (yasya prasadad bhagavat-prasado).
By cooperating for the service of Lord Balarama, the family of Vasudeva and Devaki and the family of Nanda and Yasoda were brought together. And that was one of Lord Balarama’s purposes, as foretold by Gargamuni:
garga uvaca
ayam hi rohini-putro
ramayan suhrdo gunaih
akhyasyate rama iti
baladhikyad balam viduh
yadunam aprthag-bhavat
sankarsanam usanty api
“Gargamuni said: This child, the son of Rohini, will give all happiness to His relatives and friends by His transcendental qualities. Therefore He will be known as Rama. And because He will manifest extraordinary bodily strength, He will also be known as Bala. Moreover, because He unites two families—Vasudeva’s family and the family of Nanda Maharaja—He will be known as Sankarsana.” (SB 10.8.12)
In the purport, Srila Prabhupada explains: “Baladeva was actually the son of Devaki, but He was transferred from Devaki’s womb to that of Rohini. This fact was not disclosed. According to a statement in the Hari-vamsa:
pratyuvaca tato ramah
sarvams tan abhitah sthitan
yadavesv api sarvesu
bhavanto mama vallabhah
Gargamuni did disclose to Nanda Maharaja that Balarama would be known as Sankarsana because of uniting two families—the yadu-vamsa and the vamsa of Nanda Maharaja—one of which was known as ksatriya and the other as vaisya. Both families had the same original forefather, the only difference being that Nanda Maharaja was born of a vaisya wife whereas Vasudeva was born of a ksatriya wife. Later, Nanda Maharaja married a vaisya wife, and Vasudeva married a ksatriya wife. So although the families of Nanda Maharaja and Vasudeva both came from the same father, they were divided as ksatriya and vaisya. Now Baladeva united them, and therefore He was known as Sankarsana.”
By Krishna consciousness, by cooperating to serve the spiritual master and the Supreme Personality of Godhead, different individuals, families, castes, and communities can all be united.
Even Balarama considers Himself to be a servant of Lord Krishna. Balarama is the first expansion of Krishna and is the original spiritual master, and He too has the sentiment that He is a servant of Krishna. In fact, every conscious being is imbued with the sentiment of being a servant of Krishna. Balarama, and all of Krishna’s expansions—Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, Karanodakasayi Vishnu, Garbhodakasayi Vishnu, Ksirodakasayi Vishnu—all have the sentiment of being servants of Krishna.
ekale isvara krsna, ara saba bhrtya
yare yaiche nacaya, se taiche kare nrtya
“Lord Krsna alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. They dance as He makes them do so.” (Cc Adi 5.142)
apanake bhrtya kari’ krsne prabhu jane
krsnera kalara kala apanake mane
“[Balarama] considers Himself a servant and knows Krsna to be His master. Thus He regards Himself as a fragment of His plenary portion.” (Cc Adi 5.137)
It was stated in the beginning that Balarama, or Sankarsana, would appear prior to Krishna in order to serve Krishna and please Him in every respect.
vasudeva-kalanantah
sahasra-vadanah svarat
agrato bhavita devo
hareh priya-cikirsaya
“The foremost manifestation of Krsna is Sankarsana, who is known as Ananta. He is the origin of all incarnations within this material world. Previous to the appearance of Lord Krsna, this original Sankarsana will appear as Baladeva, just to please the Supreme Lord Krsna in His transcendental pastimes.” (SB 10.1.24)
That is the duty of the spiritual master—to serve and please the Supreme Lord. Once, Srila Prabhupada asked some disciples, “What is the duty of the spiritual master?” And then he gave the answer: “The duty of the spiritual master is to serve Krishna. And the duty of the disciples is to assist the spiritual master.” Balarama is the original spiritual master because, as Krishna’s first expansion, He is the first servant of Krishna, and He is the first instructor about Krishna. The spiritual master is considered to be the representative of Lord Balarama, or Nityananda Prabhu.
Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate.” In other words, love is not just a sentiment; it is expressed through practical activity. Further, it is evoked by practical activity: loving sentiment is increased by devotional service. The word cooperate consists of co-, which means “together,” “jointly”; and operate, which means to “perform a function,” to “exert power or influence.” Cooperate means that together we perform some function. And we see the perfect example of cooperation in Vrindavan. Nanda and Yasoda and Rohini cooperated to raise Krishna and Balarama. In a broader sense, they cooperated with Vasudeva and Devaki to raise Them. And there was no envy.
Srila Prabhupada gave the example of the different parts of the body, such as the hands and the mouth, which, for the sake of the whole, cooperate to serve the stomach. If the different parts try to enjoy independent of the stomach, they won’t be able to. They will fail—and suffer. If there is a nice rasagulla and the hand thinks, “Why should I give all the food to the stomach? I will enjoy myself,” and then tries to enjoy directly, it won’t be able to. The food is meant to be given to the stomach, and when it goes to the stomach, all the different parts of the body benefit.
Srila Prabhupada elaborated on this analogy by saying that once, the different parts of the body went on strike, thinking, “We do all the work, and the stomach gets all the food. Why should we work for the sake of the stomach?” So they decided to go on strike. As a result, all the parts of the body suffered. They became weak. Then they had another meeting and decided, “We were better off when we were serving the stomach.” So they went back to serving the stomach.
Krishna is the focus of all devotional service. That is the meaning of bhakti—to serve and please Krishna. And the medium for that service is the spiritual master, who represents Lord Balarama, or Lord Nityananda. Srila Prabhupada said, “Your love for me will be shown by how you cooperate.” That means we work together, co-operate. We perform the same function, but together, for the pleasure of guru and Krishna. And in that service there is no envy; there is only appreciation and gratitude. Each devotee thinks, “You’ve helped me so much by doing this.” That consciousness develops naturally from bhakti, but at the same time we have to practice; we are in the stage of sadhana-bhakti, devotional service in practice. When we practice cooperation, serving the other devotees and appreciating their service, bhakti develops, and ultimately Krishna manifests Himself. Krishna and all of His associates are revealed to us in that state of pure devotion.
Hare Krishna.
Are there any questions or comments?
Bhakta Adam: What does it mean when you say that Krishna and Balarama took birth from the womb? What is the childbirth process of Krishna? Does He simply appear and His mother thinks that she has gone through childbirth? Because I remember that Mother Yasoda—it says in Krsna book—Mother Yasoda was so tired from the labor of childbirth that she fell asleep and could not remember whether she had given birth to a male or a female child.
Giriraj Swami: Krishna is always everywhere, so He is already in the womb. He is in the heart of every living entity, in every atom, in the space between the atoms. He is everywhere. So He is already in the womb in His Paramatma feature, which is not different from His original feature as Krishna. The Paramatma is an expansion of His original feature. And when the time came, the original Krishna entered the purified mind, or heart, of Vasudeva, and from there He was transferred to the purified heart of Devaki. He was transferred to her womb—took up residence in her womb—where Sankarsana had already made all the arrangements. Then, after a facsimile of labor and childbirth, Krishna emerged.
But there is a difference between Mathura and Vraja. In Mathura, Krishna appeared with four hands, holding the symbols of Vishnu, fully decorated with ornaments. And He explained His divine identity to His parents, who praised and worshipped Him with awe and reverence. And then He transformed Himself into the form of a natural human child—into His original form as Krishna.
In the loving service of Lord Narayana in Vaikuntha, the devotees are always aware of His supreme opulence as God. In Mathura, the mood is mixed. Vasudeva and Devaki had some awareness that Krishna was God—He manifested Himself in His four-armed form to show them that He was God—but they also had a mood of parental affection. Devaki’s motherly affection overtook her awareness of the Lord’s opulence, and she thought, “Oh, if Kamsa finds Krishna, he will kill Him.” So she requested the Lord to withdraw His four-handed form, to become invisible to Kamsa. Then Vasudeva carried the baby Krishna out of Kamsa’s prison, crossed the Yamuna, and came to Gokula, where Yasoda had given birth. She gave birth not only to a baby girl, Yogamaya, but also to a son, who was the original Krishna. But as you said, because she was so exhausted by the labor of childbirth, she was unable to understand what kind of child had been born to her—a boy or a girl or twins. Also, because of her pure affection for Krishna, she did not understand that He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Then, when Vasudeva came with Krishna from Mathura, that Krishna was absorbed into the original Krishna who had been born to Yasoda. And in place of Krishna, Vasudeva took Yogamaya back to Mathura.
In Vrindavan, the pastimes are all humanlike, nara-lila. And the Bhagavatam says that Nanda Maharaja performed the birth (jata-karma) ceremony for Krishna. Srila Prabhupada explains, “The jata-karma ceremony can take place when the umbilical cord, connecting the child and the placenta, is cut. . . . In this regard, Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura desires to prove with evidence from many sastras that Krsna actually took birth as the son of Yasoda before the birth of Yogamaya, who is therefore described as the Lord’s younger sister. Even though there may be doubts about the cutting of the umbilical cord, and even though it is possible that this was not done, when the Supreme Personality of Godhead appears, such events are regarded as factual.” (SB 10.5.1–2 purport) The manifestation of nara-lila is so perfect and complete that even to that detail Krishna appeared to have taken birth like an ordinary child. But He never was an ordinary child, and He never had a material body.
In relation to Krishna’s birth in Mathura, the Bhagavatam describes that when Vasudeva transferred the Supreme Lord to the heart of Devaki, she became beautiful, “just as the east becomes beautiful by carrying the rising moon.” Later, the Bhagavatam states that “the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Visnu, who is situated in the core of everyone’s heart, appeared from the heart of Devaki in the dense darkness of night, like the full moon rising on the eastern horizon.”
The moon, or the sun, always exists. The sun comes above the horizon at a certain point, which we call sunrise, but the sun always exists. It just comes into our vision at a certain time. Similarly, Krishna always exists, but He appeared from the heart, or the womb, of Devaki like the moon appears on the eastern horizon. But Krishna is always there. He always exists.
Urvasi dasi: Maharaja, a devotee should always be aware and careful of maya and contact with the material world, but then again it is said that a devotee is fearless. How do you get to that point where you can count on Krishna’s mercy and be fearless? It is so dangerous in this material world, and maya is so strong. So, how can we actually feel that we have Krishna’s mercy, so we can be fearless?
Giriraj Swami: The only thing a devotee really fears is forgetfulness of Krishna—maya. If we are always conscious of Krishna and our relationship with Him, we will not be afraid of anything else, because we know that we are not this body, that we are part and parcel of Krishna, that our real relationship is with Him, and that we are under His personal care and protection. If Krishna wants us to stay longer in this body, we will, and if Krishna wants us to leave this body, we will. We are not afraid, because we know we are under Krishna’s shelter.
Once, during the war between India and Pakistan in 1971, a reporter asked Srila Prabhupada, “Suppose a hundred pure, saintly, Krishna conscious people are meditating or discussing together, and someone comes and drops a bomb . . .” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Those who are Krishna conscious are not afraid of a bomb. When they see a bomb coming, they think that Krishna desired the bomb to come. A Krishna conscious person is never afraid of anything. Bhayam dvitiyabhinivesatah syat. [SB 11.2.37] One who has the conception that something can exist outside of Krishna is afraid. But one who knows that everything is coming from Krishna has no reason to be afraid. The bomb is coming, and the devotee says, ‘Ah, Krishna is coming.’ That is the vision of the devotee. He thinks, ‘Krishna wants to kill me with a bomb. That’s all right. I will be killed.’ That is Krishna consciousness.”
Still, another time, in a different situation, someone asked Srila Prabhupada, “What if some evil person came to attack you, to kill you. Would you protect yourself?” And Prabhupada replied, “Yes. Why should I let some rascal harm Krishna’s devotee?” But that is different. That is not out of fear. That is in the mood of service, to protect Krishna’s devotee. Srila Prabhupada was not identifying with the body but was seeing himself as Krishna’s devotee who had service to do for Krishna, so he wanted to protect Krishna’s devotee from harm—for Krishna’s service. But personally, he was not afraid. The only thing a devotee fears is forgetting Krishna.
And a devotee is always satisfied; he does not want anything but devotional service. He is satisfied with devotional service but never complacent—“Now I have done enough service.” He always wants to do more and better service. But he is satisfied in the sense that he wants nothing but devotional service, and he always has service. No one can take devotional service from him, because it is ahaituky apratihata. It has no cause, and it has no impediment. It cannot be interrupted.
sa vai pumsam paro dharmo
yato bhaktir adhoksaje
ahaituky apratihata
yayatma suprasidati
“The supreme occupation [dharma] for all humanity is that by which men can attain to loving devotional service unto the transcendent Lord. Such devotional service must be unmotivated and uninterrupted to completely satisfy the self.” (SB 1.2.6)
A devotee is not afraid of anything material, because he has Krishna—but he is afraid of losing Krishna due to his own weakness. He always feels himself to be weak and dependent on the strength that comes from superior authorities such as Balarama. The Upanishads state, nayam atma bala-hinena labhyah. One cannot attain the platform of self-realization without spiritual strength, which comes from Balarama. Bala means “strength”—spiritual strength, which comes from Lord Balarama, Lord Nityananda, who is represented by the spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada and the parampara. So, we feel dependent on superior authorities, but we are not afraid of anything material, because we know that the only thing that really matters to us is devotional service and that nothing material can take devotional service away from us. We have nothing to lose, because we can’t lose devotional service, and we have nothing to gain, because we don’t want anything but devotional service. So why should we be afraid? We have nothing to lose or to gain from anyone.
The Bhagavad-gita (6.20–23) says that upon achieving Krishna consciousness one thinks that there is no greater gain and even in the midst of the greatest calamity one is not shaken.
yatroparamate cittam
niruddham yoga-sevaya
yatra caivatmanatmanam
pasyann atmani tusyati
sukham atyantikam yat tad
buddhi-grahyam atindriyam
vetti yatra na caivayam
sthitas calati tattvatah
yam labdhva caparam labham
manyate nadhikam tatah
yasmin sthito na duhkhena
gurunapi vicalyate
tam vidyad duhkha-samyoga-
viyogam yoga-samjnitam
“In the stage of perfection called trance, or samadhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This perfection is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness, realized through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contact.”
The pure devotee is fixed in consciousness because he has what he wants—Krishna—and no matter what happens externally, no one can take Krishna from him. Queen Kunti prayed to Lord Krishna for calamities, because in the midst of all her difficulties Krishna was with her and her sons. In terms of lila, Krishna was with them in Hastinapura, but when the calamities were over and Maharaja Yudhisthira was installed on the throne, Krishna was ready to leave. So Kunti prayed, “When we were in difficulty, You were with us, but now that we are happily situated in our kingdom, You are leaving us.” She prayed, “Let the calamities come again and again. I would rather have all the calamities and have You with us than be situated in material opulence and comfort and lose You.” She concluded:
vipadah santu tah sasvat
tatra tatra jagad-guro
bhavato darsanam yat syad
apunar bhava-darsanam
“I wish that all those calamities would happen again and again so that we could see You again and again, for seeing You means that we will no longer see repeated births and deaths.” (SB 1.8.25)
Sometimes, being in material difficulty can serve as an impetus to Krishna consciousness. And a devotee may fear being in too comfortable a position lest he or she forget Krishna, lose his or her Krishna consciousness. That is the only fear.
Urvasi dasi: It is interesting, because in my own life, when I examine it, I feel like I am in constant fear of being distracted from Krishna. It is always check and balance, check and balance. I am afraid of my mind going away and being distracted. And yet then when I think about it, I am really not afraid of anything in the material world, because I know that everything that comes into my life is Krishna. For some reason it is being brought into my life. So it is an interesting thing, being full of fear and having no fear.
Giriraj Swami: Indeed. There is a nice verse by King Rahugana of the Sindh province. He was puffed up because he was the king, and he had forced a great devotee, Jada Bharata, a paramahamsa who had hidden his exalted position, to carry his palanquin. And when he felt that Jada Bharata was not carrying it properly, he abused, reviled, him like anything. But Jada Bharata was unaffected. Jada Bharata didn’t want to step on any insects on the way, and because he was always trying to sidestep the ants, the king was jostled inside the palanquin. So he sarcastically criticized Jada Bharata, who was actually young and strong, by saying, “You seem to be very old and weak. You can’t carry the palanquin properly.” Yet however the king tried to insult him, Jada Bharata, being completely free from bodily identification, remained undisturbed.
Eventually Jada Bharata enlightened the king with transcendental knowledge. He told him, “I am not the body; I am the soul. I am not fat or thin or weak or strong or any of the things that you said about the body, because I am the soul and have nothing to do with the body. And so I remain peaceful.” After receiving sublime spiritual instructions from his carrier, the king realized that Jada Bharata was a great paramahamsa. He descended from his palanquin and fell at Jada Bharata’s feet, desiring to be freed from his offenses against the great saint. And King Rahugana said,
naham visanke sura-raja-vajran
na tryaksa-sulan na yamasya dandat
nagny-arka-somanila-vittapastrac
chanke bhrsam brahma-kulavamanat
“My dear sir, I am not at all afraid of the thunderbolt of King Indra, nor am I afraid of the serpentine, piercing trident of Lord Siva. I do not care about the punishment of Yamaraja, the superintendent of death, nor am I afraid of fire, scorching sun, moon, wind, or the weapons of Kuvera. Yet I am afraid of offending a brahmana. I am very much afraid of this.” (SB 5.10.17)
So, we are not afraid of any external, material force, but we are afraid of losing our Krishna consciousness. And the quickest way to lose it is to offend a devotee. It is that same idea. We are not afraid of any material danger, but we are afraid of maya—afraid of committing offenses, especially vaisnava-aparadha, that will take us away from Krishna, from loving service to Krishna and His devotees.
Sri Sri Krishna-Balarama ki jaya!
Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Lord Balarama’s appearance day, August 22, 2008, Ventura, California]
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When we go on public forums such as podcasts and are asked about other teachers within the Hindu tradition, how should we respond?
Our philosophy is one of bheda-abheda—there is both difference and non-difference. At times, we emphasize the difference, and at other times, the non-difference. For example, Srila Prabhupada once wrote a letter to the Pope suggesting that all religious leaders unite to fight atheism. That was an emphasis on abheda, unity.
In general, Prabhupada emphasized that realization means connecting the message of scripture (one circle) with the interest of the audience (another circle) and speaking at the intersection of the two.
So when we are invited to public forums, it means they have provided a platform, not us. And in such cases, we need to be conscious of the four types of communication:
Historically, ISKCON primarily focused on insider to outsider communication—we are enlightened, others are ignorant, and we are here to enlighten them. Over time, we developed more insider to insider forums like Bhakti Shastri and advanced devotee classes.
Outsider to outsider communication, which relates to our reputation, is now being handled through ISKCON Communications. The purpose here is not direct preaching but creating a favorable public perception so that outreach can happen more effectively. With the rise of social media and ISKCON becoming a recognized brand, this is gaining more importance.
Outsider to insider, i.e., awareness of how the world sees us and what’s happening in the world, is something leaders generally do, but it’s rarely acknowledged. We often respond only after a backlash, realizing only then that maybe we shouldn’t have spoken the way we did.
Understanding these modes of communication is essential. When we go on public platforms outside our usual circles—like college programs, corporate events, or podcasts—we must remember: we are insiders entering outsider forums. Therefore, we should speak more like sympathetic outsiders than strict insiders.
This affects both our language and our content. In such contexts, our primary goal is reputation building, not conversion. If people are inspired to explore devotional life, that’s a wonderful outcome—but it is secondary.
Srila Prabhupada once said the purpose of the Bhaktivedanta Institute was to increase the prestige of ISKCON. He didn’t expect scientists to start chanting 16 rounds, but by engaging respectfully in scientific circles, the intellectual credibility of ISKCON increased.
That same principle applies to other outsider forums. We aim to create positive impressions, not necessarily convey every detail of our theology. Of course, that doesn’t mean we compromise our philosophy—we simply prioritize truths that are non-agitating.
Interestingly, when Krishna describes the discipline of speech in the Gita, He first mentions anudvegakaram—non-agitating speech—even before satyam—truthfulness (Gita 17.15). While that may not necessarily indicate order of priority, it does offer insight: truth should be spoken in a way that avoids unnecessary agitation.
Rather than commenting directly on any one teacher, we can divide our discussion into categories:
The safest and most respectful approach is to appreciate the good work they are doing, especially in humanitarian and cultural domains. For instance, if someone asks about a specific teacher, we could say:
“Through his teachings, many young people are being inspired to explore Indian spirituality. Those who earlier saw spirituality as outdated or irrelevant are now taking interest. That’s certainly a positive contribution.”
We can then transition to a universal principle, such as:
“Sanatana Dharma contains timeless wisdom that can enrich everyone’s lives, and we need many sincere teachers to share this knowledge effectively.”
This approach is modeled beautifully by Radhanath Maharaj in his book The Journey Home. He describes how various teachers he met offered insights into universal spiritual principles like sadhana, satsanga, and seva—without endorsing their specific theological positions, many of which were impersonal.
Even if a teacher claims to be God, or is regarded that way by followers, we need not reject everything they do. We can focus on the aspects that align with universal values and gracefully shift the conversation.
It’s rare on such forums for people to ask about specific doctrines. But if someone asks, for example, “XYZ teacher says that the soul merges into God—do you agree?” we could respond:
“The Indian tradition includes many schools of thought that have historically debated such ideas. These technical discussions are best addressed in philosophical settings. For now, let’s focus on broader spiritual principles that are relevant for everyone.”
This avoids dismissing other schools while steering the conversation toward common ground.
However, if we must respond critically, we can point out logical or scriptural concerns without making it personal:
“This is not an attack on the teacher, but a scriptural analysis of a specific idea. Throughout Indian history, spiritual teachers have debated and refined ideas through respectful dialogue. That tradition of inquiry is what we are continuing.”
When presented this way—as part of a larger intellectual tradition—it doesn’t sound like we’re claiming superiority. We are simply participating in a shared tradition of philosophical discourse
The post If we are asked in a public forum about spiritual teachers whose philosophy is different from ours, how should we respond appropriately? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.
We read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter 19:
TEXT 1
vrndavaniyam rasa-keli-vartam
kalena luptam nija-saktim utkah
sancarya rupe vyatanot punah sa
prabhur vidhau prag iva loka-srstim
TRANSLATION
Before the creation of this cosmic manifestation, the Lord enlightened the heart of Lord Brahma with the details of the creation and manifested the Vedic knowledge. In exactly the same way, the Lord, being anxious to revive the Vrndavana pastimes of Lord Krsna, impregnated the heart of Rupa Gosvami with spiritual potency. By this potency, Srila Rupa Gosvami could revive the activities of Krsna in Vrndavana, activities almost lost to memory. In this way, He spread Krsna consciousness throughout the world.
TEXT 2
jaya jaya sri-caitanya jaya nityananda
jayadvaita-candra jaya gaura-bhakta-vrnda
TRANSLATION
All glories to Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu! All glories to Lord Nityananda! All glories to Advaitacandra! And all glories to all the devotees of the Lord!
TEXT 114
loka-bhida-bhaye prabhu ‘dasasvamedhe’ yana
rupa-gosanire siksa kara’na sakti sancariya
TRANSLATION
Due to the great crowds in Prayaga, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu went to a place called Dasasvamedha-ghata. It was there that the Lord instructed Sri Rupa Gosvami and empowered him in the philosophy of devotional service.
PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada
Parasya saktir vividhaiva sruyate. The Supreme Lord has multipotencies, which the Lord bestows on His fortunate devotees. The Lord has a special potency by which He spreads the Krsna consciousness movement. This is explained in the Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 7.11): kali-kalera dharma—krsna-nama-sankirtana/ krsna-sakti vina nahe tara pravartana. “One cannot spread the holy name of Krsna without being specifically empowered by Lord Krsna.” A devotee who receives this power from the Lord must be considered very fortunate. The Krsna consciousness movement is spreading to enlighten people about their real position, their original relationship with Krsna. One requires Krsna’s special power in order to be able to do this. People forget their relationship with Krsna and work under the spell of maya life after life, transmigrating from one body to another. This is the process of material existence. The Supreme Lord Sri Krsna personally descends to teach people that their position in the material world is a mistaken one. The Lord again comes as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to induce people to take to Krsna consciousness. The Lord also empowers a special devotee to teach people their constitutional position.
COMMENT by Giriraj Swami
Lord Chaitanya met Srila Rupa Gosvami at Prayaga. Because of the great crowds that surrounded Lord Chaitanya, He took Rupa Gosvami to a secluded place called Dasasvamedha-ghata. In 1971, when Srila Prabhupada traveled to Allahabad for the Ardha-kumbha-mela, he also visited Dasasvamedha-ghata with his disciples. Lord Chaitanya empowered Srila Rupa Gosvami with His potency to revive Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan and thus spread Krishna consciousness. Only one who is empowered with the potency of the Lord, by the mercy of the Lord, can actually spread Krishna consciousness all over the world. Although Rupa Gosvami lived simply in Vrindavan, wearing a loincloth and sleeping one night under one tree and the next night under another, he wrote books that for generations have enlightened devotees all over the world. Even now we are reading The Nectar of Devotion, which is a summary study of his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, and The Nectar of Instruction, which is his Upadesamrta. And we are benefiting both from the example Srila Rupa Gosvami set when he lived in Vrindavan and from the books he wrote.
TEXT 115
krsnatattva-bhaktitattva-rasatattva-pranta
saba sikhaila prabhu bhagavata-siddhanta
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Srila Rupa Gosvami the ultimate limit of the truth about Lord Krsna, the truth about devotional service, and the truth about transcendental mellows, culminating in conjugal love between Radha and Krsna. Finally He told Rupa Gosvami about the ultimate conclusions of Srimad-Bhagavatam.
COMMENT
In His talks with Rupa Gosvami, Lord Chaitanya began with the most basic knowledge and proceeded gradually to the highest. Rupa Gosvami begins Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu a little after where Lord Chaitanya began, with pure devotional service, and he ends with the highest perfection of pure devotional service, madhurya-rasa. Although in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu he mentions madhurya-rasa as one of the five principal mellows, he describes it elaborately in another book, Ujjvala-nilamani.
TEXT 116
ramananda-pase yata siddhanta sunila
rupe krpa kari’ taha saba sancarila
TRANSLATION
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu taught Rupa Gosvami all the conclusions He had heard from Ramananda Raya and duly empowered him so that he could understand them.
TEXT 117
sri-rupa-hrdaye prabhu sakti sancarila
sarva-tattva-nirupane ‘pravina’ karila
TRANSLATION
By entering the heart of Rupa Gosvami, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu empowered him to ascertain properly the conclusions of all truths. He made him an experienced devotee whose decisions correctly agreed with the verdicts of the disciplic succession. Thus Sri Rupa Gosvami was personally empowered by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
PURPORT
The principles of devotional service are only apparently under the jurisdiction of material activity. To be rightly guided, one must be personally guided by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. This was the case with Srila Rupa Gosvami, Sanatana Gosvami and other acaryas.
COMMENT
At the beginning of the chapter, Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami compares Lord Chaitanya’s empowering Rupa Gosvami to Lord Krishna’s empowering Lord Brahma with the Vedic knowledge. Because Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, He could start the disciplic succession, and He chose Lord Brahma, the first living entity in the universe, to be His first disciple. Similarly, Lord Chaitanya is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with the authority to begin a disciplic succession, and He chose various disciples, such as Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, to receive knowledge directly from Him. He entered their hearts and empowered them to understand His words and thoughts and to communicate them to others. Even Lord Krishna, to establish the principle of disciplic succession, accepted a spiritual master, Sandipani Muni, and Lord Chaitanya also accepted a spiritual master in the Madhva-sampradaya—Isvara Puri. But Lord Chaitanya’s teaching—acintya-bheda-bheda tattva, “inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference”—is unique. His philosophy goes beyond the other disciplic successions and, as our acharyas explain, includes significant elements from all four.
TEXT 118
sivananda-senera putra ‘kavi-karnapura’
‘rupera milana’ sva-granthe likhiyachena pracura
TRANSLATION
In his book Caitanya-candrodaya, Kavi-karnapura, the son of Sivananda Sena, has elaborately described the meeting between Sri Rupa Gosvami and Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
TEXT 119
kalena vrndavana-keli-varta
lupteti tam khyapayitum visisya
krpamrtenabhisiseca devas
tatraiva rupam ca sanatanam ca
TRANSLATION
“In the course of time, the transcendental news of Krsna’s pastimes in Vrndavana was almost lost. To enunciate explicitly those transcendental pastimes, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu empowered Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami with the nectar of His mercy to carry out this work in Vrndavana.”
PURPORT
This verse and the following two verses are from Act Nine (38, 29, 30) of the Caitanya-candrodaya, by Sri Kavi-karnapura.
COMMENT
Srila Prabhupada says that the transcendental “news” of Krishna’s pastimes in Vrindavan was almost lost. When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura decided to publish a daily newspaper in Bengal and the printer questioned whether he had enough news to publish every day, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta replied that he had enough news from the spiritual world to publish a newspaper every second but that unfortunately there were no customers.
TEXT 120
yah prag eva priya-guna-ganair gadha-baddho ’pi mukto
gehadhyasad rasa iva paro murta evapy amurtah
premalapair drdhatara-parisvanga-rangaih prayage
tam sri-rupam samam anupamenanujagraha devah
TRANSLATION
“From the very beginning, Srila Rupa Gosvami was deeply attracted by the transcendental qualities of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus he was permanently relieved from family life. Srila Rupa Gosvami and his younger brother, Vallabha, were blessed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Although the Lord was transcendentally situated in His transcendental eternal form, at Prayaga He told Rupa Gosvami about transcendental ecstatic love of Krsna. The Lord then embraced him very fondly and bestowed all His mercy upon him.”
TEXT 121
priya-svarupe dayita-svarupe
prema-svarupe sahajabhirupe
nijanurupe prabhur eka-rupe
tatana rupe sva-vilasa-rupe
TRANSLATION
“Indeed, Srila Rupa Gosvami, whose dear friend was Svarupa Damodara, was the exact replica of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, and he was very, very dear to the Lord. Being the embodiment of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s ecstatic love, Rupa Gosvami was naturally very beautiful. He very carefully followed the principles enunciated by the Lord, and he was a competent person to explain properly the pastimes of Lord Krsna. Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu expanded His mercy to Srila Rupa Gosvami just so he could render service by writing transcendental literatures.”
TEXT 122–131
The characteristics of Srila Rupa Gosvami have thus been described in various places by the poet Kavi-karnapura. An account has also been given of how Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bestowed His causeless mercy upon Srila Rupa Gosvami and Srila Sanatana Gosvami.
Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami were the objects of love and honor for all the great stalwart devotees of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
If someone returned to his country after seeing Vrndavana, the associates of the Lord would ask him questions.
They would ask those returning from Vrndavana, “How are Rupa and Sanatana doing in Vrndavana? What are their activities in the renounced order? How do they manage to eat?” These were the questions asked.
The Lord’s associates would also ask, “How is it that Rupa and Sanatana are engaging in devotional service twenty-four hours daily?” At that time the person who had returned from Vrndavana would praise Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis.
“The brothers actually have no fixed residence. They reside beneath trees—one night under one tree and the next night under another.
“Srila Rupa and Sanatana Gosvami beg a little food from the houses of brahmanas. Giving up all kinds of material enjoyment, they take only some dry bread and fried chickpeas.
“They carry only waterpots, and they wear torn quilts. They always chant the holy names of Krsna and discuss His pastimes. In great jubilation, they also dance.
“They engage almost twenty-four hours daily in rendering service to the Lord. They usually sleep only an hour and a half, and some days, when they continuously chant the Lord’s holy name, they do not sleep at all.
“Sometimes they write transcendental literatures about devotional service, and sometimes they hear about Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and spend their time thinking about the Lord.”
TEXT 132
ei-katha suni’ mahantera maha-sukha haya
caitanyera krpa yanhe, tanhe ki vismaya?
TRANSLATION
When the personal associates of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu would hear of the activities of Rupa and Sanatana Gosvamis, they would say, “What is wonderful for a person who has been granted the Lord’s mercy?”
PURPORT
Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami had no fixed residence. They stayed beneath a tree for one day only and wrote huge volumes of transcendental literature. They not only wrote books but chanted, danced, discussed Krsna, and remembered Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s pastimes. Thus they executed devotional service.
In Vrndavana there are prakrta-sahajiyas who say that writing books or even touching books is taboo. For them, devotional service means being relieved from these activities. Whenever they are asked to hear a recitation of Vedic literature, they refuse, saying, “What business do we have reading or hearing transcendental literatures? They are meant for neophytes.”
COMMENT
When Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura went to Radha-kunda, the babajis were expecting that he would speak on rasa-tattva. Instead, he spoke on the Upanishads, because he knew that so many were imitating advanced devotees or pretending to be advanced devotees. And Srila Prabhupada said that in order of advancement, Sri Isopanisad comes first, then Bhagavad-gita, then The Nectar of Devotion, then Srimad-Bhagavatam, and then Sri Caitanya-caritamrta.
PURPORT (concluded)
They pose themselves as too elevated to exert energy for reading, writing, and hearing. However, pure devotees under the guidance of Srila Rupa Gosvami reject this sahajiya philosophy. It is certainly not good to write literature for money or reputation, but to write books and publish them for the enlightenment of the general populace is real service to the Lord. That was Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati’s opinion, and he specifically told his disciples to write books. He actually preferred to publish books rather than establish temples. Temple construction is meant for the general populace and neophyte devotees, but the business of advanced and empowered devotees is to write books, publish them, and distribute them widely. According to Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, distributing literature is like playing on a great mrdanga. Consequently we always request members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness to publish as many books as possible and distribute them widely throughout the world. By thus following in the footsteps of Srila Rupa Gosvami, one can become a rupanuga devotee.
COMMENT
It is the goal of devotees in the line of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Srila Rupa Gosvami to be rupanuga devotees, followers of Rupa Gosvami. In his Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, Rupa Gosvami describes the categories of devotional service: sadhana-bhakti, bhava-bhakti, and prema-bhakti. And within each category, there are two divisions: vaidhi and raganuga. Srila Rupa Gosvami composed three very important verses about the practice of raganuga-bhakti, which are also quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta. One reads,
seva sadhaka-rupena
siddha-rupena catra hi
tad-bhava-lipsuna karya
vraja-lokanusaratah
“The advanced devotee who is inclined to spontaneous loving service should follow the activities of a particular associate of Krsna’s in Vrndavana. He should execute service externally as a regulative devotee as well as internally from his self-realized position. Thus he should perform devotional service both externally and internally.” (Brs 1.2.295, quoted as Cc Madhya 22.158)
Externally, one engages in devotional service as a sadhaka, a practicing devotee, and internally, one engages in service in his perfected spiritual body. Followers of Rupa Gosvami, such as Srila Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, have explained that externally we follow Rupa Gosvami and our spiritual master as they were and that internally we follow Sri Rupa in his eternal spiritual form as Rupa-manjari.
But it is easy to misunderstand and misrepresent the instructions of Srila Rupa Gosvami, and in Vrindavan there are many sahajiyas who do that, though they claim to be Sri Rupa’s followers. They try to follow Rupa-manjari and other associates of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna with their physical bodies. They do not follow the behavior of Rupa Gosvami and the Gaudiya Vaishnava acharyas, but they imitate Rupa-manjari and other internal associates of Radha and Krishna. For example, in krsna-lila the residents of Vrindavan do not observe Ekadasi. But Rupa Gosvami, with reference to authoritative scriptures, has instructed in Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu that we must observe Ekadasi, and Lord Chaitanya Himself personally observed Ekadasi. But sahajiyas consider themselves to be Vraja-vasis like Krishna’s associates in krsna-lila—or they want to imitate the Vraja-vasi associates of Krishna—so they do not observe Ekadasi. But, following the verses of Srila Rupa Gosvami, Srila Prabhupada explains in The Nectar of Devotion that one should continue to follow the regulative principles—just like a neophyte devotee, or any devotee who adheres to the standard Srila Prabhupada gave for ISKCON.
When we were in Allahabad for the Kumbha-mela in 1977, His Holiness Lokanath Swami came to meet Srila Prabhupada. Like all of us, Prabhupada lived in a tent, and though his tent was a little bigger and had a heater, it was cold and austere, and he became sick. Sometimes in the afternoon there was sun, and he used to come outside into a courtyard, and I would often sit there with him.
Prabhupada had been encouraging Lokanath Swami to travel by bullock cart throughout India and preach. But Gopal Krishna Maharaja had instructed Lokanath Swami to stay in Bombay to take care of new bhaktas. Lokanath Swami repeated Gopal Krishna’s arguments to Prabhupada, including Gopal Krishna’s description of Lokanath Swami as a “key devotee.” “What is this ‘key devotee’?” Lokanath wondered. Prabhupada replied, “No, you should travel with bullock cart and preach.” Then Lokanath Swami asked, “What about the program for new devotees?” Prabhupada answered, “Our regular program is for new devotees. Our program is the same for all devotees; we don’t have any different program for new devotees.” Then Lokanath Swami explained that some of the devotees had joined because he had preached to them and that they were attached to him personally and might not be able to continue without him. “Those who are very much attached to you personally may accompany you in the bullock cart,” Prabhupada replied, “and you can have the same program in the bullock cart as you travel.”
So, when we quote Srila Prabhupada’s Nectar of Devotion that externally one continues to act as a neophyte, we mean that one continues to follow the regular program Prabhupada gave for all devotees, beginning with the new ones. And as one adheres to the morning program and other principles, one can feel the results—favorable results. But if a devotee is fortunate enough to have some specific taste for some specific service, he is also encouraged to serve according to his taste, while continuing to observe the regulative principles.
Srila Prabhupada concludes the purport by saying that if a devotee writes and publishes and distributes books, he is actually following Rupa Gosvami, and thus one can become a rupanuga devotee. So, Srila Prabhupada’s blessing is upon us if we write, publish, and distribute transcendental literature.
TEXT 133
caitanyera krpa rupa likhiyachena apane
rasamrta-sindhu-granthera mangalacarane
TRANSLATION
Srila Rupa Gosvami has personally spoken about the mercy of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu in his auspicious introduction to his book Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu [1.1.2].
TEXT 134
hrdi yasya preranaya
pravartito ’ham varaka-rupo ’pi
tasya hareh pada-kamalam
vande caitanya-devasya
TRANSLATION
“Although I am the lowest of men and have no knowledge, the inspiration to write transcendental literatures about devotional service has been mercifully bestowed upon me. Therefore I am offering my obeisances at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has given me the chance to write these books.”
Srila Rupa Gosvami Prabhu ki jaya!
Sri Caitanya-caritamrta ki jaya!
Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Rupa Gosvami’s disappearance day, August 23, 1999, Carpinteria, California]
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Sri Krishna Janmastami commemorates the earthly appearance of Lord Krishna, who is described in the holy scriptures as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Krishna appeared on the 8th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadrapada (August or September) in Mathura. This day is also known as Gokulastami.
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