Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 23
By Krishna Kripa Das
(Week 23: June 4–June 10, 2025)
New York City
(Sent from New York City on June 14, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

The twenty-third week of 2025, I spent at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn, serving Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam program by chanting Hare Krishna and distributing Ratha-yatra flyers for three or four hours each day. On Sunday I did a walking harinama over the Brooklyn Bridge with Harinamananda and Nitai Pada Kamala and devotees from ISKCON NYC. 

Many passersby participated. People would start to dance, seeing us in the distance. It was one of the more memorable Brooklyn Bridge harinamas.

I share a quote from Srila Prabhupada’s Srimad-Bhagavatam and quotes from several of his letters. I share quotes from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and from Prabhupada Nectar by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Jayadvaita, Radhanath, and Bhakti Sarvajna Gauranga Swamis and from Pancharatna, Hansarupa, and Rama Raya Prabhus. I share a realization about prasadam from a regular attender at our Sunday and Tuesday programs.

Many, many thanks to Bhaktan Deva for the gift of his practically unused iPhone 8. I thank Ahaituka Prema Prabhu and Bhaktan Deva for the videos and photos of NYC Harinam.

Itinerary

May 7–June 16: NYC Harinam
June 17–August 19: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 11: Amsterdam harinama
– July 12: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
– July 13: Holland harinama
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 York City

Hadai Prana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/WltqII8lYjI):

While Hadai Prana Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna passersby began dancing with devotees (https://youtu.be/Mewd4OZdf2c):

At one point a father danced with his kid on his shoulders (https://youtu.be/-0jd-vzmdQo):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Columbus Circle, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/Wq0gdTMZvPY):

Later passersby danced with some devotees (https://youtu.be/-EhHxA3m2uU):

Harinarayana Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square Kirtan Festival, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/1tThYj-RYec):

Passersby also danced with devotees (https://youtu.be/R5rjdYrQmuw):

Braja Sakhi Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Times Square Kirtan Festival, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/Li_ZawgsVUE):

At our Times Square Kirtan Festival George asked the date of our big summer festival, now just one week away, so I gave him the flyer. 

He showed me his cell phone, with a photo from last year’s cart as the background image. 

He also showed me this nice photo of Vraja Mohan Prabhu on the cart, which reminded him of Arjuna on the battlefield. He told me he is friends with Prabhu, who periodically joined us on NYC Harinam before moving to Sarasota.

Lisa of southeastern Florida was happy to encounter our Times Square Kirtan Festival. She attends the kirtans of Laksmi Nrsimha Prabhu, who was our temple president in New York City in 1979. She also organizes kirtans as well. 

She sat on a chair and played the shakers and chanted the response with us for a while.

After playing the shakers I offer them, people often accept the invitations or “On Chanting Hare Krishna” pamphlets, but these young Algerian women were special. 

While playing the shakers, they saw the book table, and rushed over to it, shakers in hand. 

Jagadisa Prabhu, formerly known as Jackson at the Gainesville Krishna House, sold one of them two books and commented on how sincere they were.

Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna at Times Square Kirtan Festival, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/I7SlNIxAZUQ):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Times Square Kirtan Festival, and devotees dance (https://youtu.be/Fg1yT7fVFlA):

Keshava Madhava chants Hare Krishna at ISKCON NYC Jagannath Snana Yatra (https://youtu.be/NF0tYZYvEiA):

Harinamananda Prabhu chants Hare Krishna on the C train and at High St. / Brooklyn Bridge subway station (https://youtube.com/shorts/c1i5yiiuSjg):

Harinamananda Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna on the Brooklyn Bridge, and I took five video clips of all the people dancing with us (https://youtu.be/qdzYJEbVjTo):

(https://youtu.be/_0OiVnwb6YI):

(https://youtube.com/shorts/uENvIzEmF6s):

(https://youtube.com/shorts/gUfUd8-Om1w):

(https://youtube.com/shorts/0Ypx0dtj79Y):

When my phone storage was practically full, I started taking photos of those who danced with the devotees:

After crossing the bridge, we passed a cafe en route to the Chambers Street subway station, and a woman danced with us. A visiting devotee sold two books to her and her friends.

Here I chant Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/q8zDIQaTXl8):

Kissen chants Hare Krishna in Battery Park (https://youtu.be/ag4sYPpWDPk):

Laukik chants Hare Krishna in Battery Park (https://youtu.be/yJTHY5LAzJs):

Bhakti Sarvajna Govinda Swami chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtu.be/1XN8yGeAmug):

Nitai Pada Kamala Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtu.be/1NZVLFu0hzY):

Veda Priya Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtu.be/bu3j6WGJmaY):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtu.be/244TjK8d_Rg):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/2ykUMjtBUT0):

Krishna Kripa Das chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/HuxjbsX5nr8):

Sevika Devi Dasi chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park (https://youtu.be/Op8_PKQU16c):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park, and passersby dance with devotees (https://youtu.be/rdzD555Kktw):

Rama Raya Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Union Square Park by Bhaktan Deva (https://youtube.com/shorts/lt8pkaWP_lo):

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.41, purport:

“Cultivation of the knowledge in the Vedas, performance of sacrifice, and distribution of munificent charities all together cannot form even a part of the immunity from the pangs of material existence that is gained from devotional service.”

From a letter to sons and daughters on August 14, 1976:

“If you feel at all indebted to me, then you should preach vigorously like me. That is the proper way to repay me. Of course, no one can repay the debt to the spiritual master, but the spiritual master is very much pleased by such an attitude by the disciple.”

From a letter to Himavati on December 26, 1971:

“There is no question of using paper or plastic fruits and flowers for worshiping the Deities. If no fresh fruits or flowers are available, then you can decorate with some fresh leaves. You have seen our temples; nowhere do we use such things. . . . Outside the temple, you can use the plastic ornaments. But not for worship. For daily worship there must be fresh fruits, flowers, and leaves.”

From a letter to Satsvarupa on January 19, 1975:

“One who distinguishes a particular type of service as inferior or superior, he does not know the value of devotional service. It is all transcendental. Whatever item is suitable, that is accepted as very elevated. Just like Maharaja Pariksit. He simply listened to Sukadeva Gosvami. That is sravanam… . So any devotee executing any one of the nine items is transcendentally glorious. One devotee may be proud that his process of service is best. That is not inglorious. Everyone should feel proud of his particular type of devotional service. But that does not mean that other types of service are inferior. Everyone should feel proud of becoming a sincere servant of Krsna, but the pure devotee never minimizes the importance of other devotees. Krsna is the enjoyer of varieties of service. It is not stuck up with any particular type of service.”

From a letter to Sukadeva on November 14, 1973:

“Regarding the books from other Maths being circulated there, who is distributing? Who is sending these books? These Maths do not sell our books; why should we sell their books? Who has introduced these books? Let me know. These books should not at all be circulated in our society.”

From a letter to Pancadravida on January 4, 1975:

“Regarding sending men to Bangkok, let us see who is a spare man or who is having visa problems. But our policy as you know is not to import devotees but to make devotees out of the local men there. That is better.”

From a letter to Hridayananda Goswami on June 4, 1974:

“We want to firmly establish centers in South America. I fully agree that the centers should be as far as possible manned by men who are native to the country; that will make our position even stronger, just as in the U.S.A. all you men and women have managed.”

From letter to Bhakta dasa on May 7, 1975:

“Regarding your physical malady, you should do whatever is required to treat it properly—whatever is most practical.”

From a letter to Krishnanandini on April 8, 1975:

“Regarding Bhumata-devi dasi’s affliction, she should simply take the proper treatment. Make the best out of a bad bargain. This material body is a bad bargain because it is always miserable. So to make the best out of this bad bargain means to render devotional service in any circumstance. The dust from the lotus feet of the spiritual master is never to be used for material benefit. That is a great misconception. The best thing is that the girl tries her best to chant sixteen rounds daily and to follow all the rules and regulations even if she is afflicted with something, and in this way she will fully understand the mercy of Krsna and the spiritual master.”

From a letter to Revatinandana on November 14, 1973:

“Regarding the auto accident, just hold a condolence meeting for Raghava dasa Brahmacari and pray for his soul to Krsna for giving him a good chance for advancement in Krsna consciousness. Certainly Krsna will give him a good place to take birth where he can again begin in Krsna consciousness activities. That is sure. But we offer our condolences to a departed soul separated from the Vaiṣnavas. Do you know that there must be prasadam distributed? Three days after the demise of a Vaisnava a function should be held for offering the departed soul and all others prasadam. This is the system.”

[The above letter is especially significant as there is a lot of evidence that Raghava dasa Brahmacari became Ratnavali Devi Dasi of the UK Festival team in his next life. Thus Srila Prabhupada’s prediction of a good birth is right on the mark!]

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.5:

“They were constantly absorbed in love of God and had no external consciousness. They had no engagement other than the performance of sankirtana.”

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 19.4, commentary:

“Sri Mahaprabhu is the source of complete ecstasy for devotees inclined to the service of the Lord. The conditioned souls are subjected to the threefold miseries of material existence. But since the liberated devotees of the Lord are filled with ecstasy in Krishna consciousness, they do not experience any material distress. Wherever the object of happiness is temporary and the living entities’ endeavors are imperfect there is a lack of complete ecstasy in Krishna consciousness. Experiencing the ecstasy of Krishna consciousness everywhere is perception of the living entities’ complete happiness.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

From Prabhupada Nectar:

From Chapter 2, Number 10:

“As Prabhupada replied to one devotee when asked whether the spiritual master was in the heart of the disciple, ‘Yes, if you let me enter.’”

From Chapter 2, Number 16:

“He [Prabhupada] liked the photo of himself on the back of the first Hare Krishna ‘Happening’ album. In that photo his hair seems to be standing on end and his visage is grave, penetrating, mystical. He said of that photo, ‘A swami should look philosophical.’”

“Dancing for Prabhupada always meant upraised arms and extended fingers, like the depiction of Gaura and Nitai. That was how he introduced dancing in his room at 26 Second Avenue, leading us around in a circle, showing how you put your left foot to the right side and how you sway back and forth with the arms always upraised. Kirtanananda called it ‘the Swami step.’ Once in Chicago he admonished boys who were twisting, disco style. Emphatically from the vyasasana he raised up his arms. He did it once, and when the dancers did not heed, he did it again: ‘Like this!’”

From Chapter 2, Number 20:

“The scene was Mayapur and Prabhupada was taking his morning walk on the roof of the residential building. Jayapataka Swami introduced Prabhupada to a prominent businessman who had come to visit from Calcutta.

“Speaking in English, Prabhupada greeted him pleasantly.

“‘I am pleased to see you,’ said Prabhupada. ‘Thank you for coming to Mayapur. So, what is your factory?’

“The businessman from Calcutta, a heavy-set man in an immaculate white dhoti, kurta, and vest, spoke in a loud voice.

“‘I manufacture glass,’ he said.

“‘Hmm,’ Prabhupada reflected. ‘So where does the glass come from?’

“The man was now walking beside Prabhupada, along with other devotees and friends, as they circumambulated the roof, talking and viewing the surrounding flatlands of Mayapur.”

“‘It is from silicon,’ the man replied. ‘It is from sand.’

“‘Yes,’ said Prabhupada, ‘but who owns the sand?’

“The Calcutta man was not only an intelligent businessman, but he was pious and could understand what Bhaktivedanta Swami, as guru, was driving at. He said, ‘Oh, the sand comes from Bhagavan.’

“Prabhupada replied quickly, ‘Oh, you are stealing from Bhagavan?’

“Prabhupada’s retort made everyone laugh—even the industrialist could not help but join in the laughter. After the quick exchange, the Calcutta businessman dropped toward the back of the group, and others came forward to ask Prabhupada their philosophical questions. Prabhupada’s morning walks were often this way, fragmented conversations with different guests and devotees who would come forward and ask Prabhupada some query. He would answer one after another, sometimes developing different themes or going from one theme to another. After walking for about half an hour, the industrialist again moved to the front for another round of questions with Prabhupada. He had been considering what Prabhupada had said and he felt a little guilty.

“‘Swamiji,’ the man offered, ‘although I may be taking from Bhagavan, but I am giving in charity also.’

“Prabhupada smiled and replied, ‘Oh, you are just a little thief.’ Again everyone on the walk laughed at Prabhupada’s last word on the subject.”

From Chapter 2, Number 21:

“A young Californian man, David Shapiro, became attracted to Prabhupada through his books and through the devotees’ association. He then moved to the Los Angeles temple at a time when Prabhupada was visiting, but unfortunately, David’s mother was outraged that her grown-up son had chosen to become a Krishna conscious devotee. A journalist, she went on a letter-writing campaign against the Krishna consciousness movement. She wrote letters to the newspapers and also to government departments, complaining that her son was practicing too much renunciation in Krishna consciousness and she felt this was a mistreatment. David tried to pacify her, but he was not very good at it. Most of the time he was washing pots in the temple kitchen or going out on chanting parties downtown, and he didn’t remember or bother to phone his mother. The devotees in the temple didn’t help much when they sometimes forgot to pass on messages from his mother. As part of her letter-writing campaign, David’s mother also wrote letters to Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada replied to one of her letters, but she was not interested in any dialogue or consideration of her son’s spiritual benefit as described by Prabhupada. She just wanted her son to return.

“Sensing that the Los Angeles temple could get into trouble through this woman, the temple president asked David to leave the temple. Although David was a submissive devotee, he refused to leave and began to cry. He said, ‘I’m not initiated. I’ve been in this movement for a year, but I’m not initiated, so I don’t have a link to my spiritual master. How can I leave the temple without a link? I may never come back!’ Both the temple president and David were bewildered. Prabhupada was then informed how the boy had refused to leave and he called him to his room.

“David came into Prabhupada’s quarters and bowed down before him while Prabhupada was taking prasadam.

“Prabhupada spoke mildly: ‘So you have been having some difficulty with your mother?’

“‘Yes, Srila Prabhupada.’

“‘That’s all right,’ said Prabhupada. ‘I’ve decided to initiate you.’ Right on the spot, without any of the usual, formal ceremony, Prabhupada gave David his new, spiritual name.

“‘Your name is now Nrsimhananda dasa. Is that all right?’

“‘Yeah, that—’ David could hardly speak.

“Prabhupada continued, ‘I’m giving you this name, Nrsimhananda because through this name you will always be protected from your parents.’ Prabhupada then offered some prasadam from his plate to Nrsimhananda and said, ‘Now you can go home and stay there for some time. That will be all right. I think you can make vegetarian prasadam there?’

“‘Yes,’ said Nrsimhananda.

“‘So you can go for some time, and also come back,’ said Prabhupada.

“Nrsimhananda understood Prabhupada’s desire, and he had faith that it would work.

“‘Thank you, Srila Prabhupada,’ he said and left.

“David Shapiro, now Nrsimhananda dasa Brahmacari, returned to his mother’s home. “Ten months later, when both son and mother had gained a more mature outlook about Krishna consciousness, Nrsimhananda rejoined Prabhupada’s movement, this time to stay.”

From Chapter 2, Number 23:

“As he [Prabhupada] passed his old neighborhood, he pointed out the house where he was raised as a child and the spot where he used to purchase kites. At the Govindaji temple, relatives came forward, embracing him and touching his feet. Old and young surrounded him, smiling and chatting in Bengali. Prabhupada then went before the Deity of Govinda, whom he had worshiped from the beginning of his life. ‘Practically everything I have done,’ he explained to his disciples, ‘is by the grace of Radha-Govinda.’ He recalled his original Ratha-yatras up and down Mahatma Gandhi Road and how his father paid for the festival. Prabhupada said that the same spirit he had imbibed here he was now carrying on throughout the world in Ratha-yatras and by establishing many Radha-Govindajis all over the world.”

From Chapter 2, Number 27:

“He was so kind to bring the accessible Krishna murti. What did we know? How could we succeed? But he did it, starting with Lord Jagannatha, then little Radha-Krishna in New York City.”

“Like the brahmana who called the Deity to witness, Prabhupada asked the Lord, and He agreed to come. On Prabhupada’s invitation, along with the sound of kirtana, Krishna was received in simple settings—in converted rooms, puja began for the Lord in rented houses in places such as Boston, St. Louis, Buffalo, and then in grand temples. Great acaryas of the past installed one Deity, their beloved Radha-Krishna, but Prabhupada worshiped dozens of Radha-Krishnas, and he traveled to see Them. He was the champion of Radha-Krishna, installing and distributing Radha-Krishna on every continent, again and again bathing, chanting, dressing, performing the installation.

Srila Prabhupada crouched before the Lord and sometimes he cried joyful tears at the darsana of the glowing Radha-Krishna. He noticed how They were being served and dressed, and he made a stern point, that we should never change things whimsically after he had left. It was transcendental and matter-of-fact to Srila Prabhupada that we must worship the Deity of Krishna. Of course we must do it, or how will we remain purified? And of course He is Krishna, with flute and three-curved form, with Radha beside Him. And of course we have to give Them our devotion! It was a matter of devotional fact: He will come when there are devotees and they will worship Him. Yet, is it not a great miracle? Prabhupada has brought Krishna—Krishna has agreed and the ex-mlecchas have agreed to accept Him, and they pray, ‘O Lord of the universe, by Prabhupada’s grace, kindly be visible unto me.’”

From Chapter 2, Number 29:

“An American disciple, had been causing considerable trouble for the devotee community because of his violent temper and almost all the devotees were apprehensive of his presence. Prabhupada heard different complaints and one day called the devotee before him.

“‘You sing so nicely,’ said Srila Prabhupada. ‘Why don’t you and your wife just travel all over the world, singing to attract people to Krishna consciousness?’

“Greatly encouraged, the devotee soon left Mayapur. On the authority of Srila Prabhupada, he walked off singing with his guitar. Although the sastras say that no one can know the mind of the acarya, and although Prabhupada never said that he had sent away a troublesome devotee by suggesting that he travel and sing, nevertheless most of the devotees in Mayapur could not help but appreciate how Prabhupada was masterfully solving problems.”

Jayadvaita Swami:

Although in the big cities everything is in season because it is in season somewhere and it is imported, although its usually not of the highest quality, it is better we offer what is grown locally, and still better if we grow it ourselves. We have some things growing on the roof. That is first class.

When Bhadra Prabhu was in charge of the kitchen in the New York temple, Srila Prabhupada told him everything should be revolutionary clean. He said, “By cleanliness you can attain bhava.” So if you want to know the secret to attain bhava, now you know! Spread it.

Srila Prabhupada said we just want from Krishna a certificate, “This man has done some service.” So here it appears that Govinda Dasi received such a certificate, being mentioned in this purport by Srila Prabhupada for her successfully growing tulasi in the West.

Why is tulasi so important? Krishna likes her. That’s all.

Tulasi is offered only to Vishnu-tattva, not Radharani and not the guru. You can put tulasi in Radharani’s hand for offering to Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada advised we give people tulasi seeds not tulasi plants.

With the hunter, Narada Muni did not advise establishing a deity, but to grow a tulasi plant and chant his mantra in front of her.

If you were late with Srila Prabhupada’s lunch, you would be chewed out, and if you were late with Tamal Krishna Goswami’s lunch you would be chewed out twice as much.

Being on time with offerings shows Krishna that we are serious.

Srila Prabhupada gave maximum importance to preaching. He said one person can stay back and take care of the deity, and everyone else should go out preaching.

Preaching is the most important part of deity worship. The pujaris can think: How can we get people to come and see the deity? How can we engage people in the service of the deity?

Although Ratha-yatra is all about the deity, still its main focus is preaching.

Ramesvara in a class declared that sankirtana is in the mood of the gopis because it brings people forward to serve Krishna. Devotees questioned Srila Prabhupada about this, and Srila Prabhupada said that he had spoken correctly.

Radhanath Swami:

Bathing the deities is not just a ritual. It can be the highest samadhi.

In Puri they bathe Jagannath with water from special wells.

Whose knows how to please Krishna more than Krishna? Radharani.

Lord Caitanya is Radharani teaching how to love Krishna and a very important part of that is the congregational chanting of the holy names.

Lord Caitanya comes to taste the love Radharani has for Krishna and to share it with the world.

To celebrate these festivals, like snana-yatra and Ratha-yatra, is an important part of Lord Caitanya’s teachings and example.

Just by hearing the glories of Lord Caitanya from Sarvabhauma Bhattacarya, the emperor King Prataparuda surrendered his life to Him.

Srila Prabhupada was saying that when we hear The Nectar of Devotion with faith, we are directly in the presence of Rupa Goswami.

When we are absorbed in the congregational chanting of the holy name even now, we are in the personal associataion of Lord Caitanya and His associates.

Sivananda Sena did not only accommodate devotees. He also arranged Krishna-katha for them.

Lord Caitanya cleaned the Gundica temple meticulously because Lord Jagannatha was to reside there.

We cannot demand Krishna to come. We have to seriously cleanse our hearts.

I lived in Vrindavan in 1971, but I never saw Jagannath there. Radha Krishna and sometimes Gaura Nitai, but not Jagannath. Jagannath is in the mood of separation from Vrindavan, so you do not see Him there.

When I came to Bury Place, I saw Radha Londonisvara. But above them there was a shelf, with three forms on it. As I didn’t know about Jagannatha, I thought the London devotees had invented some deities to appeal to the psychedelic hippies. I was afraid to ask anyone about them. Later I learned about Jagannatha and realized I commit a big offense, which I think I am still suffering from.

The traditional date of snana-yatra is the date that Krishna, Balarama, and Subhadra heard Rohini narrating the Vrindavan pastimes and experienced maha-bhava and originally manifest the forms as you see as the Jagannath deities.

Jagannatha is Krishna crying for Radha, and Lord Caitanya is Radha crying for Krishna.

Pancharatna Prabhu:

The early stages of yoga are meant to put you in a position to meditate.

We should do the meditation on the form of Krishna, which Narada recommends to Dhruva, on the name of Krishna.

Our challenge is to concentrate on the name of the Lord with the same enthusiasm that Dhruva meditated on the form of the Lord.

We can visually appreciate the beauty in nature as the smile of the Lord.

Srila Prabhupada said we should see the flowers as the smiling of Krishna.

Srila Prabhupada advises we practice seeing Krishna in the taste of water.

We should aspire for raganuga-bhakti.

Hansarupa Prabhu:

The Bible rejects graven images, but is not the form of Jesus on a cross a graven image?

Is there anyone who thinks he is not a neophyte? I think we all have that humility.

We should not think we do not need the meditation on the deity form.

In Mayapur, if there is some deviation, one is assigned to washing the pots for a certain length of time. A repentent attitude must be there.

It is said the soul who falls from the spiritual world first takes birth as Lord Brahma. Imagine this devotee or that devotee as Lord Brahma.

In the armed services, in part of the training you have to do your service without sleep for 72 hours.

Kali-yuga is progressing. If you are not progressing, you will be overwhelmed.

Bhakti Sarvajna Gauranga Swami:

We may have some material desires, but we do not want a kingdom greater than the material universe like Dhruva Maharaja did.

We see here the idea of letting non-brahmanas be initiated, which Lord Caitanya promoted, was there back in the time of Dhruva.

The early Christian missionaries would accuse the Hindus they met of worshiping idols. They would put the deities in buckets of water, and when the deities would sink, the Christians would say, “How can this be God? He cannot save Himself from drowning!”

People from India are naturally attracted to different items of bhakti, but if they conclude that only Indians can really practice bhakti and they do not encourage others, then their birth can actually be an impediment.

We have to be careful not to add additional rules and regulations to the practice of bhakti, then it will be harder for people to take it up, and they will be discouraged. We should not imagine that we have a better program than our founder-acarya, Srila Prabhupada.

Although by material calculations, Dhruva’s having material desires and being a non-brahmana were disadvantages, by his attachment to Narada Muni and his strict following of his instructions, these were overcome.

Rama Raya Prabhu:

You could only get close to Srila Prabhupada if you took up the preaching mission and you used your own ingenuity to execute it.

Older Hispanic lady who regularly attends the Sunday and Tuesday programs:

You know how the mother bird feeds the baby birds, with food from its own mouth. Krishna is like that mother bird, and we are like the little birds that He is feeding with food from His own mouth.

-----

Different verses give us clues how to make the practice of devotional service easier for us. I learned this verse when I was trying to blow the conch shell for guru-puja. I was in Philadelphia at the time, and Bhurijana Prabhu, who was present there, taught me this verse:

kathañcana smrte yasmin

duṣkaram sukaram bhavet

vismrte viparitam syat

sri-caitanyam namami tam

“Things that are very difficult to do become easy to execute if one somehow or other simply remembers Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu. But if one does not remember Him, even easy things become very difficult. To this Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu I offer my respectful obeisances.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi 14.1)

May you always remember Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu!

While Vali faced the threat of likely dying, trapped in a cave where he had gone to kill a demon, he found the entrance blocked completely by a large boulder—one that couldn’t have sealed the cave so precisely by natural means. Still, he didn’t have to remain inside the cave for years, as Ram had to in the forest. Of course, for Vali, there was no guarantee he would survive inside the cave or ever be able to come out.

In contrast, Ram had the archery skills and survival expertise to endure 14 years in the forest and return after the prescribed period of exile. Comparing the two situations illustrates how difficult it is to evaluate whose distress was greater—both would have been shocked by their sudden change in fortunes.

Ram went from being a crown prince to suddenly becoming an exiled pauper. Vali went from being a heroic victor—having just killed a terrorizing demon and expecting a hero’s welcome—to being trapped indefinitely, perhaps permanently, in a dark cave that could well become his tomb, just as it had for the demon he had defeated.

Despite the injustice he suffered, Ram tried to offer a positive outlook when speaking with courtiers and citizens who expressed dismay, disbelief, and even disgust at the way he had been treated. He said it was his joy to render a difficult service to his father by honoring his word. He added that he welcomed the chance to grow through the association of sages in the forest while still young, rather than waiting for retirement in his later years. He also saw it as an opportunity to pave the way for his younger brother—whom he considered like a son—to be installed as king.

In Vali’s case, there is no record of him trying to frame his situation positively—understandably so, as he had no one to talk to. Yet the fact that he ultimately survived and escaped the cave demonstrates his resourcefulness and resilience—both admirable qualities.

Equally admirable is the incredible positivity Ram displayed, ensuring that the adverse situation he faced didn’t embitter him. Rather than letting his exile ruin him, he allowed it to refine him, transforming misfortune into a platform for grace.

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When provoked, how do you respond? With rage—or with resolve?

Captured and humiliated by Ravana, Hanuman allowed the enemy to tie his tail and mock him.

But once his tail was set ablaze, he didn’t lash out blindly.

He turned the fire into a message.

He burned Lanka strategically—not as revenge, but as a warning.

Leadership Lesson:

Real power is not in reacting emotionally, but in responding with clarity and purpose.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders:

Leadership requires restraint and precision.

Don’t fight just to vent. Fight to send a message—and make an impact.

The post Hanuman: Burning Lanka with Purpose appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Born as Duhkhi Krishnadasa in Orissa, Shyamananda Prabhu was raised in a humble, pious family. From a young age, he displayed detachment from material pleasures, deep love for the Holy Name, and sincere devotion. 

He was sent by his guru, Hridaya Chaitanya Prabhu, to study under Srila Jiva Goswami in Vrindavan. There, through humble service and intense bhajana, he received the special mercy of Srimati Radharani. 

A pivotal moment in Shyamananda Prabhu’s life occurred while sweeping the groves of Vrindavan. He discovered a golden anklet (nupura) and kept it respectfully. Later, he had a divine vision of Srimati Radharani, who pressed that anklet to his forehead, leaving a unique tilaka mark shaped like a foot ornament. 

From that moment, he became known as Shyamananda—meaning one who received the mercy of Shyama (Krishna) through the grace of Radha.

Empowered by Jiva Goswami’s blessings, Shyamananda Prabhu traveled to Odisha and Bengal, where he preached Gaudiya Vaishnavism with great power and love.

After conquering in all directions Shyamananda returned to Gopi-ballabhpur where he observed a great festival for some days. Then he came to Uddanda Raya Bhui’s house, at Nrsimhapur where he held a great festival. On the first day of the dark fortnight in the month of Asar Sri Shyamananda Prabhu left this world.

Shyamananda Prabhu’s puspa samadhi and the place where he found Srimati Radharani’s ankle bracelet is just across the street from Sri Sri Radha-Shyamsundara’s temple in Vrndavana. Sri Sri Radha-Shyamsundara are his worshippable Deities.

Even mighty heroes sometimes forget their strength.

Before the leap to Lanka, Hanuman stood unsure—doubting whether he could cross the ocean.

It took the calm words of Jambavan to reignite his memory and awaken his power.

“You can do this,” said Jambavan.

And Hanuman soared—not just physically, but mentally and spiritually.

Leadership Lesson:

Self-doubt can paralyze even the best.

True leadership lies in rekindling your strength—and sometimes, letting others help you see it.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders:

Surround yourself with people who remind you of your strength.

Confidence isn’t arrogance—it’s rediscovered ability.

The post Hanuman: Confidence Rekindled at the Shoreline appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

One of the biggest challenges we face is learning to deal with problems critically. What makes difficult situations even more complex is that we rarely look at them objectively — that is, we don’t ask, “What exactly happened?” Instead, we view them subjectively, focusing on two things: how the situation affected us, and what we think motivated the other person to act in a way that harmed us.

Especially when the impact on us is significantly negative, we tend to assume that the other person wanted to hurt us — that their intent was malicious. This assumption makes reconciliation extremely difficult. However, when we’re able to differentiate between these two dimensions — the reality of the impact and the perceived intent — we lay the foundation for meaningful reconciliation.

With this in mind, let’s look at two incidents in the Ramayana where mistakes occurred, and how the other party responded to them.

Consider the case of Vali and Sugriva. Sugriva felt deeply wronged. He believed Vali had deliberately abandoned him to die and even orchestrated his entrapment. This suspicion led him to break ties and go his own way.

But now let’s look at a more extreme case — that of Lord Rama. Rama, who was supposed to become the king of a powerful and prosperous kingdom, was exiled for 14 years. The sentence felt not only unjust but also degrading — as if he were a common criminal, being punished with a penalty just a step below capital punishment. And this life-altering decision was thrust upon him on the very morning he was to be crowned king.

Exile for Rama meant not just the loss of royal comforts, but also a life full of physical hardship, constant uncertainty, and the ever-present risk of danger and injury — and all this for 14 long years.

Compared to this, while Vali’s suffering was also sudden and unpleasant, Rama’s response to his own suffering was far more composed and exemplary.

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Sometimes, the greatest act of leadership… is leaving.

Vibhishana was Ravana’s brother. A trusted advisor. A royal insider.

But when Ravana refused to return Sita, Vibhishana spoke out. He was mocked, insulted, and finally exiled.

And so, he walked away. From power. From comfort. From blood ties. Not because he was disloyal— But because he was loyal to a higher truth.

Leadership Lesson: Leaders must sometimes make hard choices: Choosing principles over popularity. Truth over tradition.

Vibhishana didn’t abandon his people. He stayed loyal to dharma.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders: What are you willing to walk away from… to walk in integrity?

The post Vibhishana: When Walking Away Is the Bravest Choice appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Teachers’ Sanga at Gurukula Monday, 9th June – Gurukula – The Hare Krishna Primary School, located near Bhaktivedanta Manor, hosted a special Teachers’ Sanga (gathering) focused on spiritual growth and insight for educators. The highlight of the event was a talk by His Holiness Svayam Bhagavan Keshav Maharaj, who graciously accepted the invitation to speak
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By Hemo Krsna dd On Sunday, 8th June, Nottingham’s Market Square hosted its second annual Ratha Yatra festival. Around 1,000 people came together to celebrate this joyful occasion, as Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva, and Lady Subhadra once again graced the city with Their presence. The chariot, brought from London by HG Parasuram Prabhu, was beautifully
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Imagine waiting your whole life for someone you’re not even sure will come. That was Shabari.

Every day, she cleaned her hermitage. Every day, she gathered berries. And every day, she waited for Rama.

Years passed. No word. No sign. But she never gave up.

When Rama finally arrived, her joy wasn’t in recognition—it was in readiness.

Leadership Lesson: Shabari teaches us that leadership is often built in obscurity. It’s not in headlines, but in habits. Not in grand events, but quiet devotion.

Preparation isn’t glamorous. But it’s sacred.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders: Success doesn’t always knock with warning. Will you be ready when it does?

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So, how should we present the concept of Varna, and how much should we emphasize it—especially when teaching the Bhagavad Gita or introducing Krishna consciousness to newcomers, particularly in the West?

There is always a tension in understanding which parts of the Gita are descriptive—that is, specific to the social and historical context of the time—and which are prescriptive, meant to be universally applied.

For instance, Krishna instructing Arjuna to fight a physical war is a descriptive part of the Gita. It may have been prescriptive for Arjuna, given his role as a Kshatriya in that context, but it’s not prescriptive for us today.

Now, regarding the Varna system—it does appear in various parts of the Gita: Chapter 2, Chapter 4, Chapter 18, and even indirectly in Chapter 16. So it’s certainly not an insignificant theme. But how central is it to the message of the Gita?

One way to look at it is that Varna is mentioned to emphasize Arjuna’s duty within the social order, as part of his service to Krishna. That would make the Varna system a contextual feature, not the core message.

If we examine the Gita more broadly, the message of Bhakti—devotional service—clearly transcends Varna-ashrama. Krishna states that anyone, regardless of Varna, can engage in Bhakti. Even more, Yoga is arguably the most emphasized concept in the Gita. Words like yoga, yogi, yukta, and yunjan appear far more frequently than karma, dharma, Bhagavan, or Brahman.

So, Krishna’s emphasis is on cultivating a transcendental consciousness while acting in the world. From this lens, we could reasonably argue that the Varna system is not central to the Gita’s core message.

Yet, in many traditional commentaries, and even in our modern-day teachings, we often stress Karma Yoga—especially as it relates to Varna-ashrama. This sometimes gives it more prominence than the Gita itself seems to.

Given this, even if we do wish to present the idea of Varna, we need to do so with nuance. There are at least three layers of complexity:

1. Correlation:
   There is the traditional Varna categorization, and then there is a person’s psychophysical nature today. Even in classical Dharma Shastra, there is a recognition of both prakriti (nature) and vikriti (distortion or deviation). A person may have a mix of dispositions—say, predominantly Kshatriya with some Brahminical traits.
2. Genealogy vs Nature:
   Today, we no longer have pure genealogical lines that align neatly with Varna identities. Many people embody blended qualities, and the categories don’t map cleanly anymore.
3. Modern Professions vs Traditional Varnas:
   Professions today rarely correspond directly to ancient Varna roles. I’ve heard strange examples—like calling a doctor a Brahmana because they heal, but a surgeon a Shudra because they work with the body. That’s absurd. Does more study make you fall from Brahmana to Shudra?

This raises a fundamental question: Is Varna determined by one’s nature or by one’s job? Today, many people’s jobs don’t align with their nature at all. It’s a messy picture, and oversimplification only leads to confusion.

So, my take is: don’t overemphasize it. Teach clearly and compassionately, and then move on.

The underlying principle of Varnashrama is to help people engage with the world in a way that is productive materially and supportive spiritually. That’s what matters most. How exactly that plays out today? It will vary case by case.

Therefore, we shouldn’t rigidly label someone as belonging to a particular Varna, or decide if someone is “suitable” for something based solely on this lens.

Ultimately, as Krishna says, everyone is on His path. So let’s focus on nurturing that inclusive, transcendental spirit.

The post So, how should we present the Varna, the idea of Varna, and how much should we emphasize it? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Snana Yatra is one of the most sacred and visually delightful festivals of Lord Jagannatha, celebrated on Purnima (full moon) of the month of Jyestha. On this day, Lord Jagannatha, along with Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, receive a grand ceremonial bathing (abhisheka).

Lord Jagannatha is non-different from Krishna, and His appearance in the wooden form is a divine mystery. The bathing ceremony is not merely symbolic—it’s an act of divine love, purification, and public mercy.

After Snana Yatra, Lord Jagannatha becomes externally unwell and enters a private chamber called Anavasara, during which He is not visible to the public until the Ratha Yatra festival. 

Lord Jagannatha rests in seclusion, attended to with herbal preparations. Devotees meditate on the Lord’s transcendental separation from His devotees. It represents the mood of vipralambha (divine separation) that deepens the bhakti of the devotee. 

I’ve been traveling across the world for the last ten years, speaking to people from diverse traditions, cultural backgrounds, and even religious backgrounds. While there can be many differences of opinion on various issues, there’s one truth everyone can agree on, a truth that can be summarized in three words: Life is tough.

Isn’t it? Whether we are wealthy or poor, popular or unknown, tall or short, fat or thin, educated or not so educated, life isn’t easy for anyone. Most often, when we consider the toughness of life, we tend to think of external troubles: a struggling economy, bad weather, or people causing us problems. These troubles undoubtedly exist.

However, one factor we often overlook is the significant trouble we bring upon ourselves. There’s something inside us that seems to work against us. I learned this lesson early in life. Since childhood, I’ve had a strong interest in language. One of my hobbies was picking up a dictionary and memorizing words, which helped me develop a fairly good vocabulary.

But as I grew up, I also had a bit of a temper. While having a bad temper is a problem, I discovered that having a bad temper and a good vocabulary is a deadly combination. Most people, when they get angry, become incoherent. They may scream, rant, or shriek, and while we can see they’re angry, they often appear to have lost control. We often don’t take seriously what a person says when they’re angry because they become incoherent. But if someone is articulate and well-spoken—not necessarily sweet-spoken, but someone who uses words precisely—those words can become viciously cutting swords. I noticed I was hurting a lot of people, even though I didn’t want to.

It was almost as if my own strength was being used against me. A good vocabulary is a strength, but I realized that instead of using this strength to connect with others, it was being used to alienate them. Our words can either form bridges that bring us closer to others, or they can become barriers, walls that separate us. I recognized that I was alienating people and needed to address this anger.

When I started reading the Bhagavad Gita in my college days, a particular verse spoke directly to me. I could personally relate to it because anger was genuinely hurting me and causing me to hurt others. This realization—that there’s something inside us that seems to work against us—is one everyone comes to sooner or later. Yes, life presents many problems, and while some problems come from outside, quite often, it’s our reaction that worsens them.

For example, someone might forget to get something important we need. Their forgetfulness is annoying and disturbing. But if we fly into a rage and speak something harsh and hurtful, what would have been a minor inconvenience for a few hours could result in words that scar the person for weeks or even years. In that sense, trouble is both external and internal.

Arjuna’s question in the Bhagavad Gita highlights this: “There is some force inside me which is making me act against my best interests. And it seems to be an extremely strong force.” This idea of an internal opposing force exists across history and geography, not just in ancient cultures but also in popular fiction. In modern society, people speak of “inner demons.” Today, people may not believe in literal demons, but they certainly believe in the idea of inner demons.

In one sense, you could say people may not believe in Krishna, but they have to believe in Maya. By Maya, I don’t necessarily mean a force that creates illusion, but rather something that makes us act against our own interests. These “inner demons” are a universal concept. Even in fictional works like Star Wars, there’s the idea of the “dark side.” In Indian movies or Native American traditions, there’s the concept of the “good dog and the bad dog.” This idea is everywhere: there is some force that seems to work against us.

Krishna is now going to equip Arjuna to deal with this inner force. But before we can deal with it, we need to recognize its presence. What I’m about to discuss will be summarized in a four-quadrant diagram. But before we go to the diagram, let’s read the next paragraph. Would you like to read, please?

Yes. So as I said, we may deny the existence of God. We could say that there is the power of Maya, the force of illusion. So we may accept that there is Maya and there is the power of Maya. Or we may reject its guidance, saying there’s no such thing as Maya, no such force of illusion that makes me act this way. Similarly, there is the power of Krishna. We may accept it—meaning we take the power of Krishna seriously—or reject it—meaning we don’t take it seriously, that it doesn’t matter.

Here’s a corrected and more polished version of the text:

So, broadly, our life story can be understood through these four quadrants, especially when we consider accepting the power of Maya. In many ways, our life story is the story of our encounters with temptation. In the West, “encounter” is quite common, but in India, it often implies confronting and destroying. However, in its general sense, “encounter” simply means to face something. How we deal with temptation fundamentally shapes our entire life.

For example, with the abundance of technology and gadgets available to children today, there’s immense potential for distraction and wasted time. This ultimately stems from the force of illusion. One significant impact of social media is that secondhand experience has become more important than firsthand experience, especially among teenagers. What happens is this: suppose someone attends a party, a festival, an outing, a hike, a trek, or any event, and they genuinely have a good time. But then they take photos, post them on social media—Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, whatever—and even if they had a wonderful time, if their photos don’t get enough likes, or if they get fewer likes than their friends’ photos, that whole experience can become worthless. The lived experience might have been wonderful, but if others don’t acknowledge it as wonderful, then it ceases to be wonderful for them. That’s why the acknowledgment of our experiences by others has become so crucial.

This highlights the idea of illusion. Illusion can manifest in how much we are affected by social media. People get caught in constant comparison, leading to depression in many young individuals due to incessant comparisons. Similarly, young men often get caught up in video gaming. I was completely hooked myself. I saw a cartoon once where a man tells his friend, “Yesterday, my broadband Wi-Fi went down, so I spent some time with my family. They seem like nice people.” It’s as if he doesn’t even know who they are!

Our entire lives, whether as students needing to study or professionals needing to work, can be consumed by social media, Browse ads, and endless consumption. There’s alcoholism, and there’s also “shopaholism,” the urge to “shop till you drop.” Historically, this meant physically going to malls and buying so many things that one would drop from exhaustion. Now, we don’t even have to leave our homes; we can just click on our phones and buy as many things as we want.

The point is, temptation is always present. Broadly speaking, our life story is shaped by how we face temptation. This isn’t just for someone who wants to live a life of devotion and understands that Maya will draw us away from Krishna. Maya will not only take us away from Krishna; it won’t even let us live happily on a material level. To whatever degree happiness is possible materially, even that will be taken away.

If we consider Krishna at the top, below that there is Sattva, then Rajas, and finally Tamas. Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas are like the gears of a car; a car in a particular gear functions in a particular way. Similarly, a mind infected by a particular mood functions distinctly. Maya, if we are at a higher level, will pull us downwards. If we are here, Maya will pull us here. So from Krishna, it will pull us to Sattva; from Sattva, it will pull us to Rajas; and from Rajas, it will pull us to Tamas. Even for people with no spiritual interest, the force of temptation is ever-present. Someone might be living a materially responsible life, then perhaps they get fired, can’t find another job, become depressed, and out of depression, start drinking. Losing a job is a problem, but becoming addicted to alcohol is a far bigger problem, isn’t it? So the force of temptation, the force of illusion—this Maya—is there for everyone, constantly dragging us down.

I mentioned that in this particular diagram, if we are to overcome the force of illusion, we need to take Maya seriously, and we need to take Krishna seriously. What does it mean to take Maya seriously? It means recognizing the need to fight against temptation. And if we understand and accept the power of Krishna, there is hope to fight.

Whatever our temptation might be—short temper, excessive shopping, gossiping—we all have different kinds of temptations that ensnare us. What happens with gossiping? We just keep talking, talking, talking. Generally, talking isn’t bad, but what we talk about can be. When does gossip often happen? The word “gossip” itself. Often, gossip happens when we “go for a sip.” We might be in the office, by the water cooler, drinking some water, and then we hear, “Oh, this happened to this person, this person did like this, this person did like that.” Or we visit our homes with friends, neighbors, relatives, and we’re all perhaps sipping chai, as is common in India. While Indian cuisine hasn’t gained as much traction in the West as Chinese cuisine, chai is very well-known. When I do Western outreach and speak to Westerners, I once took a group of about 25-30 Western yoga students on a tour to India for ten or fifteen days. My name is Chaitanya Charan, which is a very difficult name for most people to pronounce. Finally, one of the young women in the group said, “Chaitanya.” I said, “Okay, wonderful! You got my name. How did you get it?” She said, “I thought of ‘Tanya taking chai.'” In Sanskrit, there’s the idea of sandhi vigraha—separating a word into its constituents. I thought, “No acharya would have thought of this sandhi vigraha!” So now, I introduce myself to Western audiences as “Charan”; it’s much more straightforward for people.

Anyway, my point was that often, when we’re just sitting down to have chai, or herbal tea, or whatever, that’s when we might start gossiping. And sometimes, when we gossip, when does it generally happen? Two things have to align for gossiping to occur: first, we hear something we like (information that isn’t likable or interesting generally isn’t gossiped about), and second, we hear it about someone we don’t like. “Oh, wow! Now, in the public interest, I will tell this to everyone!” Sometimes, we gossip about someone, and that person somehow finds out, “Oh, this person spoke like this about me.” And then a good relationship turns cold. Or even when we are gossiping about someone, the other person might seem to enjoy the gossip, but they might be thinking, “Oh, today you are speaking like that about this person; tomorrow you may speak like that about me.”

What happens because of this is that there can be many different kinds of temptations, but the underlying idea is that there’s a part of us that knows this will cause harm, but we overlook it. So, if our life story is a story of dealing with temptation, I’ll discuss these four quadrants. We need to recognize that there is a force of illusion, and that this force works against us, hence the need to fight against it.

Generally speaking, if we consider these four quadrants, let’s start with quadrant two. If we don’t believe there’s a need to fight, nor do we have any hope in fighting—we don’t believe in Maya, and we don’t believe in Krishna—then what happens is we are simply dragged down. It’s like Srila Prabhupada says, “Some people go to hell, others happily go to hell.” This means they are doing things whose consequences they don’t even recognize or realize. So, we are effortlessly dragged down, meaning we aren’t even fighting against it, and we end up becoming degraded.

Now, if we recognize the power of Maya but don’t recognize the power of Krishna, this is where we often become hopeless. Why hopeless? For example, some people get addicted to something, try to give it up, can’t, try again, can’t, and eventually decide, “I give up the attempt to give up.” It’s like the British playwright Oscar Wilde said, “Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I’ve done it over a hundred times. And I can do it today, tomorrow, every day. But I give it up, but it does not give me.” It comes back again. So sometimes people just become hopeless, thinking, “You know, this conditioning is so strong, this attachment is so strong; I will never be able to give it up.” So, if we acknowledge that something is strong, that means we may not use the term Maya, but we are acknowledging the power of Maya. Acknowledging the power of Maya, but not acknowledging the power of Krishna, can lead to hopelessness.

It sounds like you’ve provided a transcript of a spiritual discourse. It’s already quite clear and well-structured, conveying a central message about acknowledging both the power of Krishna (divine grace/strength) and the power of Maya (illusion/temptation).

The speaker uses effective analogies (drinking and driving, cliff edge, Swiss cheese, diabetes, cancer) and examples from scripture (Yudhishthir, Ajamil, Ravan) to illustrate their points. The concept of “quadrants” is introduced to categorize different levels of acknowledgment of Krishna and Maya.

Here’s a slightly refined version that maintains the original meaning and conversational tone while enhancing flow and clarity in a few places:

Now, if we acknowledge Krishna’s power—yes, Krishna is all-powerful. Krishna can elevate me, purify me, liberate me; there’s no problem there. But if we don’t acknowledge the power of Maya, then what happens is we become careless.

Carelessness means thinking, “This is no problem.” In much of the Western world, for example, the idea is “drink, but don’t get drunk.” Is that possible? Yes, it’s part of the culture; people do that. But what happens is they may not get drunk for the majority of their lives. However, when something bad happens, and if drinking is their coping mechanism, then at that time, something might just push them over the edge.

It’s like someone who regularly goes to the edge of a cliff where the ground is slippery and there’s a huge fall. They regularly peer over and look down, and some people even like to take dangerous selfies there. They go, “I’ve done it many times; nothing has happened.” But what happens is sometimes they might be there and not notice that the ground is slippery. Suddenly, a sharp gust of wind comes, and they slip.

So, yes, we may think, “Okay, I’m pure enough. I’m strong enough. Krishna is strong enough.” We think that temptation isn’t a big problem. But then what may happen is we will get overcome. There’s this concept called Swiss cheese, where all the bad things that can happen align at the same time. It’s not just one worst-case scenario, but three or four happening simultaneously. Even a well-laid situation can get devastated.

I have a friend in the Indian army, and they’re still investigating what happened in Pahalgam. He was telling me that, at least right now, the understanding is that, like Swiss cheese, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Sometimes it just happens like that. So, we can become careless to some extent. We may think it’s not going to affect me, but it can affect us.

Now, if we acknowledge the power of Maya AND the power of Krishna, then what happens is that we are careful, but we are also hopeful. There is care and there is hope. And when these two come together, this is where we truly become empowered—empowered to change for the better.

So, from whichever “quadrant” we may be in today, our session will discuss how we can get to this “quadrant four.” Let’s move on to the next paragraph. Who would like to read? Yes, please.

Indeed, almost every day, and sometimes many times within a single day, my own actions serve as evidence of the presence and power of this mighty enemy. Yes. Now, if we are not careful, if we are not alert, then we may not realize the problem.

For example, if somebody has a tendency to get angry, they may get angry several times a day. It might just be one harsh word, a little change of tone in their voice, or one aggressive gesture. When this happens, we may not even remember it at the end of the day, but whoever is affected by it will remember it. However, if we start recognizing that there is this enemy inside me that works against me, then we’ll become more alert. “Okay, what is happening here? How is it happening?”

If we consider there are bad people who do bad things, and there are good people who do good things. But here, what we are talking about is good people who end up doing bad things. So, if we consider Yudhishthir, the question often comes up: “Why did he gamble at all?” Was he so uncontrollable in his senses that he went about and gambled? No, he’s considered Dharma Raj (King of Righteousness). So, what happened to him?

Let’s go back to these four quadrants once again.

• Quadrant 1: Neither acknowledges the power of Maya nor the power of Krishna. That means that person is happily and proudly under the clutches of illusion. The example of this would be someone like Ravan. Ravan was proud of his power. He was not fighting against his lust; he was fighting for his lust. He was traveling the world, conquering not just to gain power but to gain pleasure by dominating and exploiting others. He used all his power, cunning, cleverness, and deceptiveness to try to abduct Sita. Even when people warned him not to go against Ram, telling him he would be destroyed, he did not acknowledge that. So, if we don’t acknowledge the power of Maya nor the power of Krishna, we are proudly in illusion, and we just keep going downwards.
• Quadrant 2: Acknowledges the power of Maya, but doesn’t acknowledge the power of Krishna. In this case, we are so caught in conditioning that we just keep getting dragged lower and lower. When this happens, a person just thinks, “Okay, this is just the way I am. This is the way I’m going to be.” They may acknowledge at times that the way they are is a bad situation, and it’s something they want to get out of. But they feel they just can’t change. So, they accept that, or they passively resign themselves to a life where they’re again and again just succumbing to illusion. They think, “Okay, this is what life is,” or “This is how whatever is controlling me—whether it is lust, or anger, or greed—is dominating and overpowering me.”

The example for this is Ajamil. If you consider Ajamil, he did not go out deliberately to look for some temptation. He just went out on a routine chore. And there, he saw something which completely agitated his mind. At that time, he tried to remember scriptural wisdom; he tried to recall it, but the attack of temptation was so strong, it just stayed in his mind. And that’s how he got dragged down—to a very, very serious degree. We’ll talk about Ajamil and how the power of Maya works, but let’s look at these examples to understand this point.

Now, I was talking about the example of Yudhishthir. Yudhishthir had great faith in Krishna. If you look at the Mahabharata, especially the commentaries, what exactly happened? Why would a virtuous person gamble like this?

There’s a bit of a background to it. After the Rajasuya Yajna was performed, Yudhishthir Maharaj came to Vyasadev, who had presided over the whole ceremony. He said, “I seek your blessings so that I can rule with peace and prosperity and lead all the citizens to their ultimate well-being.” Naturally, if any ceremony happens and goes well, we are happy. But Vyasadev was very grave. He said, “Oh, King, I see dark clouds in the future. I see that there will be a terrible war. And after that terrible war, then you will have a reign of prosperity.”

Yudhishthir became very grave. He thought, “Okay, I don’t want there to be a war.” So, he thought, “Why would this war occur?” Generally, wars occur not just when there are conflicts, but when there are unresolved conflicts. And why are conflicts unresolved? Because whoever is an authority who might resolve the conflict, that authority is not accepted. It’s like two people have a property dispute; they go to court. The court gives a particular verdict. If either or both sides don’t accept the verdict, what happens then? Then they’ll start fighting. It’s like when there’s a conflict and when the talking stops, the conflict doesn’t go away. When the talking stops, the fighting begins, doesn’t it? Talks may not be pleasant, but fighting is even more unpleasant.

So, he thought that wars occur because of unresolved conflicts. And unresolved conflicts, why do they happen? Because of rejected authority figures—those who might resolve the conflict, if they are not accepted, then it leads to conflict. So, he thought that in order to avoid wars, I will always accept whatever my authority figures tell me. And in his case, the authority figure was Dhritarashtra.

So, when Dhritarashtra called him for a gambling match, and Dhritarashtra called him through Vidura—it’s like two elders, two father figures, were involved—Yudhishthir thought, “I can’t say no.” Now, when they came to the gambling arena, he said to Duryodhana, “Why do you want to steal from me through gambling the wealth with which I want to serve society? I want to serve the government; I want to do good for everyone.” Duryodhana responded, “Who talked about stealing anything? We just want to have a friendly match.”

Then, unexpectedly, Duryodhana said, “Shakuni will play on my behalf.” That’s against the rules of gambling; whoever is taking the money is the person who should be playing. “If you are afraid, then don’t play!” Yudhishthir looked at Dhritarashtra. This was clearly unfair. Yudhishthir expected Dhritarashtra to intervene and point out that it was unfair. Like, normally, what happens is if a game is going on—football or cricket—if one player is doing something unfair, you expect the umpire to intervene. But Dhritarashtra did not intervene.

And he started gambling. He lost one thing, then another, and another. As he was losing things, he realized, “This is terrible.” At one particular point, Arjuna gently touched Yudhishthir’s shoulder. Although they were brothers, Yudhishthir was still the eldest brother, and there is a certain hierarchy in traditional cultures where the eldest brother is like a father figure. So Arjuna gently shook his head, indicating, “It’s enough now, stop gambling.”

Yudhishthir thought, “Yes.” But he said, “You know, I have lost so much. With all the wealth that I have lost, I can do so much service to the sages, to society, to people. So,” he thought, “if I can just get some of it back, then I can do so much service.” And then he kept gambling. He started thinking that as he was staking more and more valuable things, “Surely Krishna will not let me lose this.” When he started staking his brothers, he thought, “Arjuna is so dear to Krishna; surely Krishna will not let Arjuna be lost.” Then he said, “Draupadi is so dear to Krishna; surely, whatever happens, Krishna will not let Draupadi be lost.”

It wasn’t exactly that he had forgotten Krishna or not. His state was that you could say he was in Maya. But his Maya was not like our Maya or like mundane Maya, where you just get caught in it. It was not because of any greed over there; it was not because he thought, “I’ll make some quick money,” that he started gambling. But it was even with a desire to serve.

But what happens is, when we say life is tough, the Mahabharata depicts reality in its brutality. And one brutal truth of life is that good intentions are not a substitute for good intelligence. Good intentions mean that he wanted to do dharma, he wanted to do bhakti, he wanted to do seva—that’s a good intention. But it was a bad judgment call.

So, while he had faith in the power of Krishna, what happened is he underestimated the pull of gambling. He underestimated how much it can drag someone down. Just because we are trying to serve Krishna does not mean that the forces of illusion will no longer work on us.

For example, just because we have some service in the temple and we have to do Aarti for Krishna, and because of that, we go at a dangerously high speed in the car, thinking, “Oh, I am going for Krishna’s service; it’s good enough.” But the material world acts upon certain principles. If somebody has severe diabetes and someone brings them a Tirupati Balaji laddoo, and they say, “This is prasad; how can I say no to prasad?” and they take the laddoo. Now, what will happen is they may get spiritually purified, but they will get materially devastated.

So, the power of Maya is something to be seriously acknowledged. For all of us, we may not neglect Krishna. For most of us, what happens is, “Yeah, Krishna is nice, but Maya is also not all that bad.” So, we do not devalue the power of Krishna, but we often devalue the power of Maya. And then what happens? We end up in self-created trouble.

For all of us, it’s important to acknowledge that both Maya is powerful and Krishna is powerful. So now, I thought I said we’d go towards the quadrant. Let’s look at the last paragraph. Who would like to read in the monthly directory? Yes.

The Lord is our protector. So it’s like if we take a medical metaphor. If we consider a disease, if somebody has a disease, then they need to take the disease seriously, isn’t it? And then after they take the disease, then they have to take the treatment seriously. So, if somebody doesn’t take the disease seriously, suppose somebody nowadays gets some disease—let’s say somebody has cancer. The word “cancer” is such that just hearing that word, people get terrified. Now, of course, many forms of cancer are curable now. But normally, if we hear that diagnosis, “cancer,” we will not take it lightly; we will take it seriously. But somebody has just some swelling on the body, some little pain…

So I say, “Okay, no big deal. I don’t have to worry about it.” If they don’t take a disease seriously, if the doctor says, “You know, you have to get this treated,” they think, “There’s no big deal.” So, if they don’t take the disease seriously, things will become problematic.

But if somebody takes the disease seriously but doesn’t take the treatment seriously, then that will also be a problem. So, for us, recognizing that Maya is powerful is like taking the disease seriously. When we take the disease seriously, we recognize that there is a need to fight against this temptation. And then, when we take Krishna seriously, there is hope that I can be cured. So, I’ll talk about this last part: how to feel the need and how to feel the hope.

Broadly speaking, it’s not that all of us have the same “anartha” (unwanted conditioning) troubling us to the same degree. Each of us may have different anarthas. Some of us may have common anarthas, but the principle is there: Maya will attack all of us in some way or another. So, how do we feel the need? Broadly speaking, the need comes from two things.

The Positive We Are Unable to Do

One is the positive things we are unable to do. For example, if I want to read Bhagavad Gita regularly, but I spend a lot of time on my phone—reading this, watching this, looking at that, responding to that, reacting to this—unless we have some positive that we want to do, we may not even realize how much time we are spending. Like, a student might waste a lot of time on social media, but if the exam is six months away, then, yeah, it doesn’t matter. But if the exam is tomorrow, and I spend six hours on social media today, that would be devastating.

So, unless we have something positive that we want to do and are unable to do it… Most of us say, “Oh, I don’t have time.” And it is true that nowadays, people may be fairly wealthy, but there is one kind of poverty that everyone has. Sociologists call this time poverty. Time poverty is where we all have more things to do than what we have time to do. But we will notice that while there are many things which we don’t have time to do, if you look at the time that we do have, we often spend it on less important things.

So, the way we realize the need to fight against temptation is by having something that we want to do, but we are unable to do. When we start looking at that, for example, “I want to be kind and polite and helpful. But as soon as something goes wrong, I start becoming rude and harsh and just being myself.” So then, “Oh, this is not the kind of way I want to be.”

That need can come from a positive side by recognizing that there are some values, some purposes, some things which I want to do, but I’m unable to do. So, we need to have some positive that is our aspiration. By looking at our aspirations—the good things that we want to do and are unable to do—on one side, we can feel the aspiration to do something.

The Negative We End Up Doing

The other thing is the negative that we end up doing. This is where we have our boundaries. Krishna talks about these two in Bhagavad Gita 6.35 as abhyasa and vairagya.

• Abhyasa means repeated practice. Why would we practice something repeatedly? Because you want to learn it; you want to do it. These are aspirations that we have. So, what is it that I want to do that I’m unable to do?
• Vairagya (dispassion/renunciation) represents boundaries. What are certain things which we do not want to do, but we end up doing?

If we don’t have any boundaries at all… Say, if somebody has a lot of money and they keep buying lots of things. Some people have basements filled with things which they have barely opened once. If somebody has a lot of money, they may spend a lot of money and not even realize they are spending so much. But if somebody keeps a boundary, “Okay, every month, I’m not going to shop beyond this amount.” Or if some circumstances come in their life and they don’t have that much money, then they have to budget themselves more carefully.

So, if we have certain boundaries… We all may get angry, but generally, we all keep our anger under limits. Normally, when we get angry, we might just yell at someone; we might raise our voice. But most of us, if we are in a civilized culture or society, we may not use swear words; we may not use obscenities. But if you regularly give in to anger, and one day, suddenly, we find that we have spoken some obscenities… “How could you speak something like that?” And, you know, if we just speak it among some people who are okay with it, who are taken aback, but, you know, maybe it’s just family or relatives. But tomorrow, we speak it against somebody who is much more cultured and important for us. And then, “Hey, this is a boundary that I have crossed!”

So, for each one of us, it’s like, “How do I know that I have a disease?” Say, if somebody’s doing some regular workout, that they have muscular atrophy. How do they know it? They try to lift a weight, and they’re not able to. “Something is wrong here.” So, only when we have some aspirations that we are not able to fulfill do we start recognizing, “Maybe this problem/disease is there.”

And say, you know, we’re just walking along and slip and fall. “What happened? How did I slip and fall?” We just say, “This happened. I didn’t see it was slippery ground.” But people don’t just slip and fall normally.

So, unless we have certain aspirations and certain boundaries, we won’t recognize that there is a need for me to fight against temptation.

Cultivating Aspirations and Boundaries

Now, in many ways, aspirations come by satsang (good association). They come by good association. For us, it might be routine to get angry and yell at someone when they do something wrong. But if we meet with saintly-minded people, those who are devotees, and we see how calm and cool they are even in difficult situations, we might think, “Maybe I should also be like this. I get angry with such small things; I should not get angry.” So, it’s satsang, it’s good association, that often gives us aspirations: “I want to become like this.”

Now, how do the boundaries come? The boundaries come by two things: intelligence and experience. We hear scriptures and we understand how the power of Maya can be so great. See, here I’ll talk about the point of Ajamil. When Ajamil saw that particular sight, he saw a man and a woman publicly engaging in sensuality. He saw that, and it captivated him. And he felt a strong desire to be with her. Now, he could have fought that desire, but he didn’t. It captivated him.

Sometimes conditions are very powerful, and you will be captivated. But, “Okay, this is unbearable. I just have to go.” Go. Sometimes, “I’ll go and be with her.” Okay. When he did that, he thought that this was just one time this desire had come.

“I’ll go and gratify it, and that’s all. It’ll be over.” But he probably never thought where it would lead him. After that, what happened? He thought, “Okay, I don’t just want to be a one-time ‘lover’; I want to be a regular one.” What happens then? “You know, I’ll reject my wife.”

Then his parents were there; his parents opposed him. He said, “I’ll reject my parents also.” Now, he was a Brahmana. A Brahmana is supposed to do priestly activities, come and perform Yajnas in people’s houses. If that person has rejected their wife, rejected their parents, and is living so immorally, nobody will ask that person to come and do priestly activities in their home. So then he lost his profession. And what was he going to do now? Then he started robbing. He started stealing. He started threatening people. He started attacking and injuring people to rob them.

So, that one indulgence—he would not have thought it would lead him all this way down. But what happens is, Maya just keeps creeping in, creeping in. So, when we have boundaries, saying, “No, I cannot do this. I’m never going to do this,” what happens is we cross one boundary? “No big deal.” We cross another boundary. We cross another. And it just goes further and further and further.

We have devotees who are trying to do outreach in many different ways. Some devotees have created a program called a Bhakti Recovery Group for people addicted to something, like alcohol or drugs. How can Bhakti help them recover? For most people who haven’t been addicted, Bhakti simply offers a higher taste, and they don’t look in that direction. But for somebody who’s been addicted, they just get caught in things.

I was talking with one person after giving a talk to this group in the UK; many of them were non-Indians. I asked him what inspired him. You see, for somebody who’s an alcoholic, one of the things is that they often deny they’re alcoholics. “No, no, it’s not a big deal at all. I can give up whenever I want.” And what happens is, “I can give up the desire to give up whenever I want also.” So it’s a denial. So then, how do they overcome the denial? When do they feel the need?

He said that once he had drunk alcohol, and he used to regularly drink and just lie down at home. Then his son came and asked him something—his small four or five-year-old boy. He was drinking, and he just banged his fist against the table he was sitting at. His son got completely scared. And he said, “When I saw my son so scared of me, that was what shook me. What kind of person have I become? As a father, I should be protecting my children. Here, my son is shrinking from fear of me, and not because he has done something wrong, but because I have done something wrong. He’s afraid what more I may do.” That’s when he felt, “I need help. I have to change myself.”

This moment of awakening can come when we meet somebody good and we see, “Oh, I want to become like that good person.” Or that moment of awakening can come when we see, “Okay, how bad have I become? How could I become like this? What have I done?” These are times when we realize the power of Maya.

So, for all our conditionings, we might say, “Oh, I’m not able to give up this conditioning.” But do we really have that desire to give it up? This is a key difference. Sometimes we talk about desire and need. And for us, we may have many desires to improve. But like desires, sometimes we fulfill them, sometimes we don’t. But do we feel a need to improve? If something is a need, then we will do it. So, through these two contemplations, the need can arise.

Cultivating Hope

The last part is hope. So, how do we develop hope? Sometimes we may realize that, “Okay, yes, this is a bad thing. But I’ve tried so many times; I never succeeded.” That hope comes by understanding that while Maya is powerful, Krishna is more powerful. Krishna’s power is greater than Maya’s power.

I’ll conclude with one image. If you consider the Earth, and we are on the Earth, there is the Earth’s gravitational pull—that’s the gravity zone of the Earth. So if we try to go up, or if we are a rocket being projected upwards, then what happens is that it goes up, but gravity pulls it down. For all of us, the things we are attached to have a pull. And when we try to move out of that, we just get pulled down. This gravitational pull may be different for different people based on how much they have indulged in that particular activity, how much they’ve been attached to it. But the gravity pull is there, and it pulls us down.

Sometimes we think that Krishna is somewhere over here, and Krishna is far away, and we think that I have to go all the way up to Krishna. One of the key things is that Krishna is far above. Krishna is far above Maya. Krishna is far above the conditions of this world. If you consider the sun or the moon, they are so high up, they cannot be pulled by the gravitational pull of the Earth. So, Krishna is far above.

However, “Krishna is far above” means He’s above the gravitational pull of material objects. However, Krishna is not far away. Krishna is far above but not far away. What this means is that there are certain places in our lives—if this is a sense object and this is the gravitational pull of the sense objects—there are certain areas in our life where Krishna is so close that Krishna’s gravitational pull comes where we are.

For example, consider if somebody is an alcoholic; they’re completely caught in the gravitational pull of alcohol. But while they’re drinking, if they see devotees doing Harinam Sankirtan and they think, “Let me also dance!” When they dance, they experience some joy there. So even when they are in the tamasic state of intoxication, they can still experience the joy of Krishna.

Like that, wherever we are, Krishna’s gravitational pull can reach us. That does not mean that it will be equally the same all the time. That’s why, although Krishna is in our hearts, we do not perceive His presence all the time. When we come in satsang, when we do some Puja, when we go on some Yatra, when we do some serious Seva—at that time, what are we doing by these activities? We are placing ourselves in the gravitational pull of Krishna. And when we put ourselves in the gravitational pull of Krishna, then we start experiencing that: “Hey, this is so amazing! I didn’t feel any agitation. I didn’t feel any temptation. I didn’t feel any distraction. All that just went away.”

You know, today is Ekadashi. Some of us may be fasting on Ekadashi. Now, what happens is some people, when they fast, they decide to fast, and then they give up the determination to fast. Others may hold fast to the determination to fast. Maybe on Janmashtami, we fast till midnight. “See, I cannot fast till midnight!” But we come in the association, maybe we are doing seva, there’s kirtan going on, there’s darshan going on. And just one hour, then a third hour, it just passes, and we’ve fasted till midnight. And in some ways, “I didn’t know I had this capacity to fast like this!”

Have any of you experienced this—that when you are in Krishna consciousness, temptation just doesn’t seem to trouble us? Many of you experienced this? Yes. We all have that experience. There are times when the gravitational pull of Krishna comes to where we are, and then we don’t feel the gravitational pull of Maya, of the sense objects.

So for all of us, it is these experiences that can give us hope. Yes, temptations may come back and trouble me, but there are times when I do not feel tempted. There are times when I remain free from temptation. And if we can bring ourselves into the presence of Krishna more and more, then we will find that Krishna’s gravitational pull will pull us upwards. What will happen eventually?

By the power of Krishna, the sense objects will be there, their gravitational pull will be there, but Krishna’s gravity will pull us upwards. And we will go outside the gravitational pull of the sense objects. For some of us, we might have been eating meat before we came to Bhakti. Then, after we start practicing Bhakti, many of us give it up completely. Now, if we go on a plane or a train and the person sitting next to us is eating meat, most devotees will not feel attracted to the meat at all. We may not know whether Krishna is all-attractive, but Krishna Prasadam is all-attractive. In that, we have experienced a higher taste.

So that’s why, when we are daily dealing with distractions and temptations, we might feel, “Is this Bhakti really working? Is the power of Krishna really there? I’m getting the same anger, the same irritation, the same temptation, the same urges I have to fight against every day.” We may feel, “Where is the power of Krishna?” But to recognize this power of Krishna, we need to remember two things:

1. Temptation-free moments: We experience them. They may not be permanent, but we have experienced those temporary times. It may be for a few minutes, a few hours, or even a few days. We have experienced it.
2. Areas of freedom: There are also areas in our life (meaning habits) where we have become free. It might be a minor thing, but we have become free of it.

If we remember these two things, then we will have hope. “Okay, that particular conditioning, that particular unhealthy habit, I was able to give up. This might be more difficult to give up because maybe this conditioning is more deep-rooted. Maybe this will take more time, but I will be able to give it up.” So in this way, when we take the power of Maya seriously and the power of Krishna seriously, then we will experience, sooner or later, a magical transformation in our life.

The Phases of Spiritual Growth

In the journey of Bhakti, quite often what happens is that the spiritual change and growth occur in three phases:

• Revolutionary: Initially, when we come to Bhakti, there’s a rapid change. Our lifestyle changes, our habits change. There is a revolutionary change that happens.
• Evolutionary: That revolutionary change stays for some time. After that, it becomes a “grind.” We may feel as if no dramatic change is happening, but that change is happening; it’s evolutionary. Like a newborn baby: every week, the baby is growing, and you can actually measure and see it. But once the child becomes three or four or five years old, you measure their height every week, and while the height is always going to increase, you don’t see it day-to-day. Yet, every day the child is being fed well, and the child is growing. So, for most of our spiritual journey, our growth is evolutionary.
• Revolutionary (again): But then, at the end, it again becomes a revolution. Towards the end of our life, the example is given: if we are going for a morning walk and it’s still twilight, the sun has not yet risen. We are chanting, maybe, and we are thinking about Krishna. And suddenly, we realize, “Hey, the sun has risen!” Now, the sun didn’t rise at one moment; the sun was rising continuously, but at one particular time, we realized the sun has risen. That is how purification happens.

Every day that we practice Bhakti—we do some Puja, some Japa, some Svadhyaya, some Seva—every single day we are getting purified. Although it may appear, “Oh, this desire is coming, this temptation is coming, I am fighting against it; it’s coming, it’s coming.” But every day we are practicing Bhakti, the sun of Krishna Prema (love for Krishna) is rising in our heart. Prabhupada writes that one day we realize, “Oh, I have become a pure devotee!” What does “pure devotee” mean? That the same temptations that were troubling me earlier—I just don’t feel those temptations. Like the river comes into the ocean, but the ocean is not disturbed. We find that the things that would disturb me earlier no longer disturb me. And that is the stage when our heart becomes fully situated in Krishna. Krishna says that is the stage of Jivan Mukti—even if we are not yet physically liberated, we are essentially liberated. It’s only a matter of time when we’ll be with Him, back with Krishna for a life of eternal love and eternal joy.

Summary of Key Points

So, I’ll summarize what I discussed today. I talked about the broad topic of fighting temptations and fighting the power of Maya. I discussed three main points in this session:

1. Self-Created Problems: When we all face problems in life, there are external problems, but much more than these are self-created problems. I talked about how my “good vocabulary and bad temper” made things worse. So, the bigger problems in our life are often not external but internal. They can be separate, but the internal often makes the external worse. Sooner or later, we recognize that there are these inner demons which need to be dealt with.
2. The Four Quadrants: To deal with these demons, the major topic I discussed was about these four quadrants based on whether we take Maya seriously or not, and whether we take Krishna seriously or not.
   • Don’t take either seriously: We are proudly degraded, happily, blissfully, ignorantly degraded.
   • Take Maya seriously, but not Krishna: We become hopeless. The example here was Ajamil; he tried to fight, but he felt he couldn’t fight and just gave up.
   • Take Krishna seriously, but not Maya: We become careless. The example of this was Yudhishthir Maharaj. He had good intentions when he started, wanting to obey his elders. But if the elders are asking us to do something dangerous like gambling, should we do it? And even if we do it, how far? Can we say that because I’m doing it for Krishna, I won’t get in trouble? No. Good intelligence is necessary even when we have good intentions.
   • Take both seriously (Maya and Krishna): Then we become empowered. We take Krishna seriously and we take Maya seriously. There are many examples of saints and people who got transformed, like Narada Muni, who realized how killing was going to lead to hellish suffering for him in the future, so he took the wrong action seriously. We also have Jagai and Madhai, and the example of Nagari.
3. Need and Hope to Fight: We talked about developing the need and the hope to fight.
   • Need to Fight: This means we understand the power of Maya and take it seriously. How do we feel the need to fight? By two things:
     • Aspirations: Think of things that we want to do in our life, that we would love to do, but we are not able to do. That will make us realize that something inside me is pulling me away from this. It’s our aspirations that we are unable to fulfill.
     • Boundaries: There are things we do not want to cross, but we keep crossing. We are unable to stay within them.
     • Sometimes, by good association (satsang), we may realize, “Oh, this is the kind of person I want to become,” and that can inspire us. And by self-observation—what kind of person am I becoming?—we start recognizing. By our intelligence and by our experience, we begin to recognize. By our satsang, we can develop good aspirations; by our self-observation, we understand that this point of understanding can make us feel the need for change and the need to fight.
   • Hope to Fight: This comes by understanding that there is a gravitational pull of Maya which is keeping us caught, but there is Krishna, and Krishna also has His gravitational pull. And Krishna’s gravitational pull can come where we are, and it can lift us up from where we are. Here, we need to remember two things:
     • Temptation-free times: Remember the temptation-free times that we may have. There are times, like when we fast on Ekadashi or Janmashtami.

Overcoming Temptation and Cultivating Spiritual Growth

We often find ourselves facing temptations that once seemed impossible to resist. Surprisingly, we can experience these temptations three times over, yet through spiritual practice, we can transcend them. Imagine embarking on a pilgrimage, forgetting all worldly concerns – TV programs, movies, politics – everything fades away.

We can also break free from ingrained habits and “anartas” (unwanted material desires). If we remember these two points, we can have hope that Krishna will help us change. Krishna is there for us, and understanding how spiritual change unfolds is key.

Initially, spiritual change can be revolutionary, rapid, and dramatic. It then becomes evolutionary, a more gradual process, before eventually becoming revolutionary again. During this evolutionary phase, it’s crucial to use our buddhi (intellect) to understand the power of Maya (illusion) and the power of Krishna. This understanding empowers us to keep pushing ourselves, continuously growing closer to Krishna.

Let’s conclude by offering this prayer once more. Please repeat after me: “My dear Lord, let awareness of inner danger drive me toward Your shelter.”

Realistic Expectations and Choosing Our Battles

It’s easy to get discouraged, especially when we set unrealistic expectations for ourselves. While Krishna consciousness works in wonderful ways, we can’t always expect magic. Sometimes it comes, but not consistently. This means we must choose our battles wisely.

Consider India’s historical conflicts with Pakistan and China. In recent years, India has taken strong action against Pakistan, but not yet against China because it’s not yet strong enough. This doesn’t mean India is being passive, but it is strategically choosing its battles.

Similarly, we have many aspects of ourselves we want to improve. However, if we try to fight too many battles or tackle overly difficult ones simultaneously, we risk becoming discouraged and believing change is impossible. When fighting a battle, we need a sense of success or at least progress.

Therefore, start with realistic battles and progress gradually, step by step. You may have many areas for improvement or habits you want to stop. Begin with something doable. Decide, “For the next one to three months, I will focus on this,” and stick to it.

I once spoke with a Western therapist in India who explained why February is his busiest month. People make New Year’s resolutions in January, fail by February, and then get depressed. My understanding is that we need to celebrate small wins. Instead of feeling like a complete failure for breaking a resolution, be happy you stuck to it for a month.

While some vows, like initiation vows, are lifelong commitments, many other intentions don’t carry such serious consequences. If we declare, “I’ll never do this again in my life,” it can feel like a goal with no immediate victory. Even if we stick to it for a year or two, a relapse can lead to despair. The mind might even rationalize, “You have the rest of your life to do this, so just indulge now and start the resolution later.”

Instead, try taking small, manageable steps. “I won’t do this for one month.” This is like the resolutions taken during Kartika or Chaturmas. We need a realistic understanding. Krishna can do magic, but a devotee’s mood isn’t to demand it. We must also recognize our own limitations; deeply ingrained conditions won’t disappear overnight. By choosing our battles and celebrating small victories, it becomes easier to sustain our efforts.

Strengthening Our Connection to Krishna

This approach applies not only to fighting Maya but also to focusing on Krishna. Within Krishna bhakti, there’s a range of activities, and not all will be equally nourishing for us at any given moment. Some bhakti activities are sources of strength. When we engage in them, we feel alive, experience great spiritual joy, and sense Krishna’s presence. For some, this might be kirtan; for others, puja, listening to classes, cooking for Krishna, or performing arati.

Then there are activities that require strength. These are the ones where we truly have to push ourselves, such as chanting Japa. While some may naturally enjoy Japa, for most, it demands effort. We need to identify which bhakti activities give us strength. It’s like Krishna’s “gravitational pull” reaching us in some activities (like kirtan or katha), while in others (like Japa), we have to exert effort to reach that pull.

Recognize the activities that empower you and make them a regular part of your routine. Keep them accessible. When moments of weakness arise, these are the activities you should turn to immediately. While all bhakti activities ultimately provide strength, some may not do so instantly.

Consider which manifestations of Krishna you are naturally attracted to. There are many beautiful deities, but some pictures or forms resonate deeply with us, evoking a prayerful mood. Keep these accessible – on your phone, with you. This will make the battle, though still tough, less difficult. Make a list of these strengthening activities and keep them readily available.

Yes, please. Correct. Good question. So, when we say that Krishna will fix all things, yes, Krishna will fix all things. But, more often than not, Krishna will fix all things by fixing us, so that we can fix all things.

It is not that Krishna will magically solve problems. We see many incidents in the Mahabharata where Krishna miraculously intervened. But, if you consider the majority of the Kurukshetra War, wasn’t Arjuna fighting using his archery and his strength? Which moments led to victory? Was it, say, the miraculous moment when Krishna covered the sun and helped Arjuna kill Jayadratha?

That is true. But Arjuna got to that point by fighting through the entire Kaurava army. So, yes, God helps us, no doubt. But, when we look broadly—and this is a big subject, I’ll try to shorten it—in our lives, there are situations.

Situations can be problematic. Now, situations lead to emotions. Something bad happens to us, and we feel disheartened, discouraged, or frustrated. Then, emotions lead to decisions. So, quite often, when we turn to Krishna, when we pray to Krishna, what we expect is that Krishna will fix the situations. But what Krishna often does is that he fixes our emotions. When he fixes our emotions, that enables us to take better decisions. Now, Krishna can fix the situations also, but that is not what he normally does. A devotee does not depend on Krishna intervening all the time.

So, the whole Bhagavad Gita is not about… see, there is a difference between, to some extent, the mood of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In the Ramayana, Lord Ram is the hero. Of course, he is not the only hero; Hanuman is also a hero, all of them are heroes, but Ram is the central hero and he is doing the most action. But in the Mahabharata, it is Krishna not doing the most action; it’s the Pandavas, Arjuna, doing the most action.

In many ways, the Mahabharata is more reflective of real life than the Ramayana. So, the call of the Bhagavad Gita is not just that Krishna is the hero, and if you turn to him, he will solve all your problems. The mood of the Bhagavad Gita is: Krishna is the hero, and if you join him, he will make you a hero. So, he will enable you to do heroic things. Yesterday, I gave a class on the same topic in Columbus.

I talked about how we may think of Krishna as a protector. And that is wonderful. Krishna is the protector means that Krishna is the hero who will protect me when I’m in trouble. And that is good to understand. But Krishna is not just a protector; Krishna is also our commander. We are in an army, and we are in Krishna’s army, and this war that we are fighting is a tough war. But we have Krishna as our commander. And when Krishna is the commander, we fight in the war. And then, here, Krishna is the hero. But in Krishna’s army, we also become the hero. So, Krishna wants us to become heroic. Prabhupada was, you can say, the unlikeliest of heroes. At age 69-70, with nothing to show in his life, he went to America and he tried to serve Krishna. In the last ten years: 108 temples, 70 books, 14 world tours, thousands and thousands of people inspired to take to bhakti. So, Prabhupada also became a hero.

So, yes, Krishna helps us, that’s true. But Krishna will do many things through us. And that’s why devotion is not passivity: “Oh, Krishna will take care of everything.” We can think of that when we are gripped by too much anxiety. “I don’t know, Krishna will take care. But Krishna will take care of other things, let me take care of the thing that I am doing right now.” So, in that sense, it’s the devotee’s part and Krishna’s part. So, it’s like a human-divine partnership, like Krishna and Arjuna had a partnership, that divine-human partnership. So, it is like the human takes care of what I can, that I take care of what I can, and the divine Krishna will take care of what I can’t. Thank you. Good question. Yeah, thank you.

Any last question before we stop? Yes, by “children” do you mean teenagers, or…? Okay. Yes, it is difficult. But I think there are, what I’ve found are probably three steps.

One is how we see our children. Especially in their teenage years, this particular time in human history, as far as recorded history, is a time of unprecedented temptation. So, it is a very difficult time in which to grow up. So, instead of thinking that our children are being difficult—”Why don’t they listen to me? Why don’t they care for me? I want their good!”—instead of seeing them as being difficult, we should see that they are in difficulty. They may not want our help, although they need our help. They may not be ready to take our help, but it is that they are in difficulty. It’s an overwhelming time to live in today’s world. So, we may say, “What is the difficulty? I lived in poverty. I lived in far more difficulty than what you are living in. I have given you so many comforts in life now.” But their difficulty quite often is much more psychological, especially what happens when people come to their teenage years. If you consider childhood, teenage, and adulthood: in childhood, a person’s identity is more or less “I’m the son or daughter of so-and-so.” In adulthood, they develop their identity: “I have this degree, I have this job, I have this family.” We have developed our identity. But in the teen years, it is an identity crisis. They are too old to be satisfied simply with the identity that “I am so-and-so’s son or daughter,” but they have not created their own identity.

So, therefore, here, there’s a lot of peer pressure. Because, for whom do we want an identity? We want an identity so that we will be respected in our social circles. So then there are different kinds of peers. And some peers may say, “Okay, you know, have you watched this movie? Have you tried out this drink? Have you tried out these drugs? Come on, have a life. Enjoy. You’re just being a nerd.” All these kinds of small labels come up, but they jar them quite a bit. So, the thing is that it’s not that we are against our children, or rather, our children are against us. We don’t think we are against our children, but they are in difficulty.

So, one of the… especially when I give talks to completely new people, Western people, one of my prayers I offer—it’s there in this book also—is: “Help me to learn how to help others to learn.” So, it is not that people are dumb when they don’t want to learn. It is that I have to learn how to help others to learn. So, it’s that they are in difficulty. Krishna says, “Don’t disturb others’ minds. Try to elevate them gradually.” So the idea over here is that they are in difficulty. And once we understand that, then try to learn how to help them to learn. What does that mean? That often, they won’t help. But what happens is, most often, teenagers feel that “You just don’t understand me. You don’t understand what situation I’m going through.” So, if at any time they start talking, you know, “Okay, this happened in my school today. This happened in my college today. This happened…” Our tendency is immediately to judge them.

How could you do something like this? How could you let this happen? Why are you such a person? A person who acts like this? But if they are expressing something, and we immediately rush to judgment, then they will close down completely.

So, they said, ‘Okay, try to understand what is going on in their life.’ We may think they are foolish and ignorant, and that we are experienced, but they don’t see it that way. For instance, one of the differences between Indian or Eastern culture and Western culture is that Eastern culture is much more hierarchical. There is authority, and there are subordinates.

For many of us, growing up, if our parents told us ‘don’t do this,’ we obeyed. In hierarchical cultures, authority and respect are assumed. Because I am in a position of authority, respect is assumed. Now, in Western culture, authority isn’t inherent; the culture is more horizontal. A child might even call their parents by their first names sometimes, just as we might call our bosses by their first names. To us, this feels weird; it’s disrespectful. That’s a different culture. So, it’s not that there is no respect, but respect has to be earned. Here, respect can be assumed, but there, it has to be earned. The idea is that you have to show me that what you are telling me has value for me; it works for me.

So, if we try to spend some time understanding them… In childhood, we have to set some boundaries; that’s important. But as they grow up, they will have to decide what boundaries they want to live within. And they may want to explore. Now, we don’t want them to explore to dangerous degrees, but the idea is that respect has to be earned. And earning respect means what? It means we try to understand their situation and give them guidance that makes sense to them. They say that even if one small piece of guidance we give helps them, then they’ll become more open to guidance.

So, try to understand what the kids are going through. It is a very different and difficult world they are in today. The last part is that we often want to discipline them. But, instead of talking about discipline, we can talk about it as ‘self-negotiation.’ What do I mean by self-negotiation? It’s like there’s your present self and your future self. For example, if we are trapped in a storm and we have, say, only seven days of food, we may decide that if I just enjoy a big feast right now, then I may not have any food after three or four days. So, the present self should not enjoy at the cost of the future self. Rather than telling children, ‘Don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this,’ try to help them to see why discipline is important. You want to enjoy right now, but do you want to enjoy in a way that will harm you, harm your future? That will ruin life for your future self? So, it’s not so much that ‘I am telling you to do this,’ but rather, there is a future you who has to live with the consequences of the present you.

And so, he said, ‘The present me is there. Now, if you care only for the present me, we’ll get stagnated or degraded. But on the other hand, if you care only for the future me – you know, ‘this is good for you in the future, this is good for you in the future’ – what about the present me?’ It’s like we want to have food after seven days. So, ‘But what about me?’ ‘Oh, don’t eat anything because we’ll eat food in the future.’ We’ll have food in the future, but we may not be there in the future, isn’t it? So, what happens if we care only for the present me? We can get degraded; we can get into bad habits. But if we care only for the future me, then we can get suffocated. That, ‘Oh, you are saying so many things are good for the future me, but you don’t seem to care for the present me at all.’ And then, ‘Oh, you will have a career, you will have this.’ But there’s no enjoyment for me right now in my life. So, ideally speaking, there has to be both. It is not that the future me has to be at the cost of the present me, or the future you has to be at the cost of the present you. But it’s also that the present you should not be at the cost of the future you. So, if we get that sense of time and help them get that sense of time, it is not just ‘I who am telling you to do this, and you have to do this.’ It is, ‘You have a future to live in.’

There’s a famous American thinker, Mark Twain. He said that when I was 17, my father was a fool. Now I’m 25, and I’m amazed how much the old guy has learned in the last eight years. Now, it is possible that the father has also learned some things. But it’s quite likely that at 17, when the hormones are high, one thinks, ‘I can conquer the whole world.’ But at 25, one has become a little more responsible, and a person starts recognizing that, ‘You know, my parents have some responsibility. They have gone through life. They have something to teach me.’ So, sometimes what happens? I’m talking about this from the present me and the future me from the child’s perspective. But from our perspective also, sometimes we may want the child to do the right thing in the present. And we force them so much. We can force to some extent, but if we force them too much, once they become young adults, they may just go completely off. So, sometimes doing the right thing is important, or getting them to do the right thing is important, but sometimes maintaining the right relationship is also important. If we tell them that, ‘You know what? What I am telling you is right, and if you don’t listen to me, you will regret it in the future, and then you will come crawling back to me.’ Even if they realize they were wrong, they will not come back.

So, it’s like a bird, like a mother bird. When the baby bird is small, the mother bird protects the baby in the nest. But the baby bird has to fly. And while flying, the baby bird will fall down. But then, that’s how the baby bird learns to fly. So, from our side also, we want to ensure they make the present choices properly. But if we force them to make certain choices right now, they may become resentful. And even when there are good choices to be made, they may not make good choices just because we told them to make those choices. So, it’s like, from our side also, we have to carefully negotiate. ‘I want to get my child to do the right thing, but I also want to have a good relationship with my child.’ So, if the only word the child hears from the parent is ‘no, no, no, you cannot do this, you cannot do that, you cannot do that,’ then eventually the child will grow up and will say ‘no’ to the relationship with the parent itself. And that can be very painful. So, all this, this is not easy; it is difficult. But, gradually, we can help them navigate that difficult phase of teenage years to come to adulthood. Thank you very much.

The post When our conditionings seem too strong… Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Hare Krishna. Thank you for coming today. I’m delighted to be here with you. I’ll be speaking on the Bhagavad Gita, drawing from one of my latest books. You’ll receive physical copies of these books as soon as they arrive.

We can read from them then, but until those arrive, I’ll discuss a common problem we all face: the feeling of not being accepted, respected, or appreciated within our social circles. This can happen in any group—whether it’s a devotee circle, a professional setting, our family, or extended relatives.

One of the greatest sources of pain or discontentment in life comes from feeling like we don’t belong where we’re supposed to. For instance, if we live in a distant country, we might feel, “I’m here, but I don’t belong here in America.” This feeling can arise for various reasons, but how do we deal with this sense of not being accepted or connected? That’s what we’ll discuss today, based on a Bhagavad Gita verse. Can everyone see this from wherever you are?

An Affirmation and Prayer

This affirmation is also a prayer. Please repeat after me:

“My dear Lord, help me to learn how to help others to learn.”

Many times, when we feel people aren’t understanding or appreciating us, it’s easy to blame them, thinking “people are terrible” or “these kinds of people are terrible.” While that’s possible, if we immediately jump to that explanation, it becomes very difficult to develop good relationships. As an American comedian once said, “I love humanity; it’s just human beings that I can’t get along with.”

When we try to become spiritual, we might read lofty words like “see equal vision towards everyone.” We might think, “I have an equal vision towards everyone—my vision is that I equally dislike everyone.” No, we don’t want that. Someone once told me, “My life is filled with friends that I do not like. And if I cut off relationships with all the people I do not like, I will have no friends left.” I said, “Oh, that’s an unfortunate and undesirable situation.”

So, how do we communicate with others when there are communication and connection problems? How do we deal with that? That’s what we’ll try to discuss today.

Let’s read this prayer again:

“My dear Lord, help me to learn how to help others to learn.”

If you feel that someone isn’t “getting” you, instead of thinking “they are dumb,” consider: “Maybe I need to learn better how they can understand.” That’s the mindset we’ll discuss today.

Understanding Different Natures

Let’s repeat these words:

“The wise should not disturb the mind of those to worldly work inclined. Let them act while you gently show the path to truth that they may know.”

This is a poetic translation of Bhagavad Gita 3.26. So, let’s look at what’s going on here. I’ll write and draw some things to explain.

The Challenge of Acceptance

Broadly, the challenge we’re discussing is when we don’t feel accepted, connected, appreciated, or respected by others. What do we do in such situations? I’ll discuss this broadly in today’s class based on these words.

What is Krishna broadly saying here? Different people have different natures and are at different levels. Just because someone doesn’t understand you doesn’t mean we have to disturb them by calling them foolish. Rather, we need to consider, “What can I do to help them understand?”

For example, we might be at a particular level—intellectually, culturally, or educationally—and that level may be higher than others. We might expect them to take a high jump and come up to our level. But sometimes, when we expect them to take that high jump, they may try and end up going further down. They are unable to take that leap. Then, our expectations create too much pressure on them, and instead of coming closer, they end up going further away from us.

Navigating Relational Problems

When we face problems in our life, such as relational problems, we generally need a more nuanced approach. When we feel disconnected, our minds can swing to extremes. One extreme is thinking: “People are terrible. People are cold. People don’t care for me.” This feeling can even arise among devotees. Sometimes we’re going through challenges and difficulties, and we expect help and understanding from others, but others don’t seem to understand us.

So, one extreme could be to say, “People are terrible. Nobody cares for me.” An atheistic philosopher was once asked, “Do you believe in hell?” He surprisingly said, “Yes, of course.” When asked how an atheist could believe in hell, he replied, “Hell means other people.” That’s one extreme we can go to.

The Three Glaciers of Life

In life, we broadly experience three kinds of suffering or “glaciers.” As souls, we are situated in three broad circles:

1. The Body: The soul is situated in the circle of the body.
2. Society: The soul is situated in the circle of society.
3. Nature: The soul is situated in the circle of nature.

From each of these, some suffering can come to us.

• What is the suffering that comes from nature called? Adi Daivik. Yes.
• The suffering that comes from society? Adi Bhautik. Yes.
• And the suffering that comes from our own body and mind? Adi Adhyatmik. Yes.

Among these three types of suffering, Adhibhautik (that which comes from other living beings) is often the most difficult to tolerate. If there’s a storm, a tornado, an earthquake, or extremely low temperatures, it’s difficult and can be devastating. But we accept it; we grit our teeth and learn to live with it. In a sense, we see nature as simply “nature”—natural forces that sometimes hurt us. Similarly, with respect to our body, when there’s sickness or disease, it’s extremely troubling, but we accept it. “I’ve got a disease, and as long as it’s there, I have to live with it.”

However, with people, it’s different. We have expectations, and we often think, “How could you do this?” or “Why are you treating me like this?” We see people as conscious agents who make choices, so we wonder, “Why are you being so mean or so cold to me?” This makes social pain the most difficult.

What does pain from other living beings mean? It can range from mosquitoes to Mujahideen (deadly terrorist fanatics), or even a mother-in-law. When this Adhibhautik clash occurs, it becomes very difficult to deal with.

Distress Management

The Gita discusses how distress in this world falls into three categories. We all need to become adept at distress management, much like governments have departments for disaster management. We talk about stress management, but the Gita talks about distress management. Arjuna, for example, is in great distress.

To manage distress, we need to understand its source. We’ll use the acronym IAS. While IAS is a tough exam in India, distress management can also be tough.

Distress broadly falls into three categories:

1. I: Inevitable Some distress is inevitable, as Krishna discusses in Bhagavad Gita 2.14: “Just as the changing seasons bring heat and cold, happiness and distress will come in our lives.” This is simply a fact of existence.
2. A: Avoidable Some distress is avoidable. Krishna talks about this in Bhagavad Gita 5.22. This type of distress arises from our own actions. For example, if we walk down a road and bump into someone, they get angry and push us back, and we then punch them, leading to them stabbing us—this whole chain of events could have been avoided. Perhaps we could have been more careful, or even if pushed, we could have avoided losing our temper or punching them. Many problems are avoidable when we give in to our impulses, such as kama (lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (illusion), mada (madness), and matsarya (envy). Different approaches are required for dealing with different kinds of problems.
3. S: Strengthening These are problems that, by going through them, make us stronger. Krishna talks about this in Bhagavad Gita 18.37, saying, “That which tastes like poison in the beginning will taste like nectar in the end.” These are the kinds of problems that are beneficial to experience. For example, if you want to become healthier, you might need to exercise regularly, go to the gym, or do yoga. Learning anything new or self-disciplining for something demanding isn’t easy; initially, it feels like poison. But by enduring that “poison,” we eventually reach a point of “nectar.” This kind of distress helps us reach a better place.

Approaches to Distress

So, how do we deal with these three kinds of distress? There are completely different approaches:

• Inevitable distress: We need to accept it as a fact of life.
• Avoidable distress: We need to correct our actions and change our behavior to prevent it. We need to counter those kinds of actions.
• Strengthening distress: We need to train ourselves or toughen ourselves so we can endure and grow through these challenges.

It’s important to recognize that not all distress is the same. Broadly, these three kinds of distress have three corresponding approaches. While this framework can be applied to all forms of distress, I’ll now focus on Adhibhautik klesha—the social distress that comes into our lives when dealing with people.

Social Reciprocation

We live in society, and generally, we do something for someone, and they do something for us. This is reciprocation, a natural and fundamental aspect of any interaction. Reciprocation can broadly be of two kinds:

1. Transactional: This means the interaction is a simple exchange. For example, when we go to a shop, we’re polite to the attendant, they’re polite to us, we give money, and they give us a product. This interaction has reciprocation, but it’s transactional. At the end of the day, we might not even remember who that person was.
2. Transformational: In contrast, some reciprocation can be transformational. Through these interactions, you become a better person, or the other person becomes better by interacting with you. While many of our interactions at work or in social life might be largely transactional, most of our casual relationships fall into this category. In transactional relationships, even if someone misbehaves or mistreats us, it’s annoying and irritating, but it doesn’t cause as much emotional turmoil.

Inevitable Social Distress

Consider an example: America is much more inclusive now, but twenty, thirty, fifty, or a hundred years ago, there was significant racial discrimination and segregation. One reason India, post-independence, aligned with the USSR rather than the USA was partly due to both Gandhi and Nehru criticizing America for its segregation. Before the Civil Rights Movement, Black individuals were expected to sit at the back of the bus and weren’t allowed at the front. Indians were often treated similarly and expected to sit at the back as well, as there weren’t many Indians in America at that time.

So, despite America’s Declaration of Rights, segregation existed. If racial discrimination is the norm in a place, then while it’s painful, people would often accept it, thinking, “What can we do about it?” If that’s the norm everywhere, we learn to live with it.

Similarly, if we, as practicing devotees, visit Islamic countries in the Middle East, where many Indians and Hindus go for employment, the public practice of any religion other than Islam is generally not allowed. We accept that. While there are vibrant devotee communities there, they are all private. In general, if the broader society operates in a particular way, we learn to accept it.

There will always be some inevitable distress in every situation that we need to accept. When two people come to work together, or two people get married and want to build a life together, there will be differences. The idea of finding a “perfect partner” happens only in romantic movies, and even there, a dose of realism eventually comes to destroy the idealism.

I know a devotee couple in Canada where I sometimes stay. The husband is a marketing manager for an international company and also a learned priest who performs rituals like thread ceremonies, housewarmings (graha pravesh), and weddings (vivaha). His wife is in family law, which is a polite term for divorce, as that’s one of their main services. They joke that they’re a “complete power couple”: you go to the husband to get married, and to the wife to get separated.

She told me that sometimes, people—mostly women, as she’s female—come to her seeking separation for reasons that seem frivolous to us. There might be deeper, unarticulated reasons, but one Canadian lady came to her wanting to divorce her husband, saying they couldn’t agree on the air conditioning temperature in their house.

While that can be a problem, considering the hierarchy of problems, there are people without air conditioning, or even without a house. The lawyer paused, “Is that really the reason you want to divorce?” The lady insisted it was, explaining, “I actually married quite late…”

“I was waiting for my perfect partner, my ‘Mr. Right.’ I truly believed this person was perfect for me. But,” she said, “if he had been Mr. Right for me, then our body temperatures should have sung together.”

People can have many unrealistic expectations. So, there will always be some differences whenever we work closely with anyone. Sometimes, you might say certain things that the other person just doesn’t understand. Or the other person expects something from you that you don’t understand. That’s just the way life is.

Casual vs. Serious Relationships

I bring up the distinction between casual and serious relationships because while frustrated expectations can occur in both, the pain caused is different. In casual relationships, frustrated expectations cause little pain. But in serious relationships, they can cause a lot of pain.

When we’re experiencing a lot of pain, we need a sense of perspective. It’s important to remember that some of this is inevitable.

Yesterday, I gave a class about how we are not alone in the world; we are a part of God, and God has a plan for us. Whenever I discuss God’s plan, especially with a Western audience, one common question is, “Has God planned a life partner for each of us?” The idea is that in the romantic imagination, God can sometimes be brought in as an element. “Oh, this was a coincidence, and we are meant to be together.” Maybe, maybe not.

But the point is, if there was such a plan—if A was supposed to be with B, C with D, E with F, and G with H—then if one person makes a mistake, like A goes off with D, then one person’s mistake would disrupt everyone else’s life. Is God’s plan so fragile that one person’s mistake can disrupt it? No, it’s not that simple.

God’s plan is that we learn and grow. Our relationships are not just for our material gratification—”being with you gives me a lot of material pleasure.” While that might be a small purpose, a much bigger purpose for our relationships is our spiritual evolution. We are meant to grow through all our relationships. So, a certain level of feeling misunderstood, unaccepted, or undervalued is just a part of life. And what is inevitable needs to be accepted.

The Imperfection of Ideals

We can apply this to any situation. Some people recounted being at an interfaith meeting where different people from various religions discussed the challenges of reaching out to the world today. One pastor shared that he was doing a radio or TV show where people would call in and ask questions. He said he got a question from a caller who identified as Christian but didn’t go to any church. The pastor very cautiously and respectfully asked, “Can I know why you don’t go to any church?” The caller replied, “I have not yet found a church that agrees with my philosophy.”

We don’t go to an institution of God to learn philosophy; we expect it to conform to our philosophy. Sometimes we might expect an ideal society, an ideal community, an ideal group of people, or an ideal club. But no ideal club exists in the world. And even if an ideal club existed with all ideal members, we wouldn’t get admission there, because we are not ideal, are we?

So, we all have to learn that there are certain inevitable sufferings we need to tolerate. Someone sent me a joke where a person said that a woman spent her entire life looking for the perfect man. She finally found him, and then it turned out that the perfect man was looking for the perfect woman, and she was not the perfect woman.

Nobody’s perfect in life. So, some distress is inevitable.

Avoidable Distress: Our Present Karma

Having said that, it’s important that we shouldn’t consider all distress to be inevitable.

What were the three kinds of distress we discussed?

• I was inevitable.
• A was what? Avoidable.
• And S was strengthening.

So, for avoidable distress, what do we need to do? We need to correct it. That which is inevitable, we accept it.

The problem with the attitude that “some distress is inevitable, so accept it” is that it does not mean all distress is inevitable. Much distress comes because of our own actions.

I was in the UK, staying at a young devotee’s home. He told me, “Tomorrow is my wife’s wedding anniversary.” I asked, “What do you mean, your wife’s wedding anniversary? Are you talking about your ex-wife, or what are you talking about? Is it not your wedding anniversary?” He said, “All these are sentimental things. I don’t believe in these things.” That was a bit of a signal for me.

Then, as he was driving me, he told me he had been introduced to Bhakti in his youth and wanted to do a lot of service and outreach. He had hoped his wife would support him, but he said, “My wife is not at all cooperative; she’s quite disagreeable.” He then added, “I’ve got a realization that Krishna gave me a disagreeable wife so that I’ll become detached from material life.” He was just beginning his married life, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. I said, “Wait a minute. Don’t jump to that conclusion. Don’t bring Krishna into it where it could be your own problem, isn’t it?”

Later, at their home, while I was taking Prasadam, his wife also spoke with me. She was a very intelligent lady, eager to understand Krishna consciousness, and had some good questions. Then she started talking to me. She said, “I soon realized that as a husband, there are some basic things a wife would expect: to do some work at home, take care of certain things.” This devotee was neglecting that because he thought, “All these are mundane; I want to be transcendental.” Naturally, his wife was dissatisfied.

I told him that you cannot live the life of a brahmachari (celibate student) if you are not a brahmachari. The brahmachari ashram (stage of life) is also a place where you can take shelter of Krishna. So, you need to understand your life partner and learn to work together. Understand what their expectations are. You cannot fulfill all expectations, but sometimes when we completely neglect our role, that ends up creating far greater problems.

Present vs. Past Karma

When we talk about avoidable suffering, it means that some suffering comes from our past karma. In India, people sometimes say, “What karma did I do to get a person like you in my life?” People might say it aloud, or just think it, or even say it to another person. It is possible that some of the problems in our lives are because of our past karma.

But it is just as possible that the problems coming into our lives are because of our present karma. Not all things that happen in our lives are solely because of our past karma. Broadly speaking, as I said, problems are either inevitable or avoidable.

Broadly, inevitable problems can be attributed to past karma. If a child goes to a particular school and there are mean kids or bullies, while bullying should be stopped by authorities and parents, we cannot protect our children from every single unpleasant interaction. Some kids will just be mean, and our children need to learn to develop a little bit of a thick skin. Neither parents nor teachers can protect everyone all the time. So, some suffering is inevitable, and we could say that is due to past karma. Everybody has some suffering that comes from their past.

At the same time, there is also suffering which is avoidable. Avoidable suffering is because of our present karma. This means that there is suffering that… (Copies of the text will be distributed to you. We’ll read from this. When you get the book, you can go to page 120, to Bhagavad Gita 3.26. This is something we can read from and discuss.) Let’s look at this.

The Interplay of Past and Present Karma

Understanding that suffering can stem from both past karma and present karma is quite important. Let’s look at this. Would anyone like to read the paragraph? If you have the book, it’s on pages 120 and 121. Yes, please.

Good Intentions Versus Good Intelligence

“My dear Lord, You emphasize that good intention is not a substitute for good intelligence. Even when I want to do good for others and guide them toward a higher level of consciousness so that they ultimately connect with You, I need to carefully consider whether such instruction might be disruptive for them, even to the point of being destructive.”

Sometimes, we want to help others, believing we’re doing something good with our good intentions. However, the other person may not always accept our good intentions. We try to be kind to someone, and they hurt us or lash back; they might even be rude. This can be very disruptive. But why does it happen?

We might assume, “Oh, it’s my bad karma that I’m surrounded by people like that.” But generally speaking, one of the key principles discussed in Nyaya (Vedic logic) is to understand the cause of something, in this case, distress. It states that you should first look at the Drushta cause, which is the visible cause. Start with the visible cause, and if it doesn’t make sense, then move to the Adrishta cause, the invisible cause.

So, regarding the Adrishta cause, if someone isn’t dealing with us properly, you need to question: “Have I rubbed this person the wrong way in some manner? Have I done something that agitated them or made them rude to me?” Start with that, and try to address it as much as you can.

Of course, sometimes, beyond our capacity or even our comprehension, people may just be harsh with us. There will always be some incompatibility and issues when we work with people. But don’t assume that all the problems we’re facing are inevitable and that we must simply live with them. It is possible to decrease problems through better communication and understanding.

Correcting Ourselves: Aversion to Fault-Finding

In this chapter, Krishna discusses a quality called Anupaśyan (often rendered as “aversion to fault-finding”). Generally, when we face any kind of problem, our mind tends to gravitate towards two things: Raga (seeking quick pleasure) or Dvesha (seeking a villain).

• Raga means we try to forget the problem through pleasure. For instance, if there’s an argument between two people, they might go to separate rooms and watch TV or start surfing on their phones, avoiding talking to each other. The typical image of two disagreeing people is them sitting next to each other, looking away, glued to their phones. So, one approach is to seek complete pleasure, trying to forget the problem.
• If Raga doesn’t work, if the problem is too overwhelming, then we start looking for a villain: “Because of this person, all this problem is coming into my life.” Sometimes we blame the person themselves, or even someone who recommended that person to us. For example, if we enter a business partnership and the person turns out to be unreliable, we might blame the person who recommended them, or the unreliable partner themselves. Our mind tends to look for a villain.

Krishna says that those who possess Daivi Sampada (divine nature) are averse to fault-finding. They are not looking for a villain in their life. Could there be villains in our life? Of course. But if we are constantly looking for villains to blame our problems on, then we give away our sense of agency.

Consider the lives of the Pandavas. They were just small children when they came to the kingdom of Hastinapura. Duryodhana tried to assassinate them, poison Bhima, and even tried to burn their entire family, including their mother. What did the Pandavas do? They were not obsessed with the Kauravas. The Kauravas eventually allowed them to return, offering half the kingdom, but gave them a wild, desolate half called Khandavaprastha. The Pandavas worked hard and converted it into Indraprastha.

They were often treated unfairly, but they made the best of their situation. In effect, the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, were far more obsessed with the Pandavas than the Pandavas were with the Kauravas. It’s ironic that the Pandavas did nothing to intentionally hurt the Kauravas. While the Pandavas’ very existence was a threat, they never demanded the entire kingdom; they were even ready to settle for just five villages. So, there was practically no direct hurt from the Pandavas to the Kauravas, but a lot of hurt from the Kauravas to the Pandavas. Still, it was the Kauravas who saw the Pandavas as villains in their lives. The Pandavas never thought of them as villains; they focused on their own duties: “Okay, we have our own future. Let’s work on it.”

The point is, the extent to which we are hurt by someone does not determine how much we think of someone as a villain. It is often when we are insecure, looking for someone to blame for our problems, that we end up finding a villain in our life. Generally, we want to avoid both of these tendencies. We should move from the visible (drishta) to the invisible (adrishta) cause only when the drishta does not work.

So, what does “correct” mean? It could mean that we learn how to communicate better, or we try to understand the other person instead of judging them. When the other person gets angry, generally speaking, whenever there’s a conflict or a difference of opinion, it’s very easy for us to point out what the other person did wrong. And it’s true; the other person may have done something wrong. But what requires a lot of humility and courage is to consider what I have done wrong.

One of the standard practices in serious mediation—which is also a principle in Tarka (logic or argumentation)—is that before you dismantle or destroy the other person’s argument, you rephrase the other person’s argument in the best possible way you can. If you can just have that patience, you know, “I am angry with you because of this, this, and this. And you are angry with me because of this, this, and this.” So, instead of just proving to the other person why my reasons for being angry with you are valid, what if I could just say, “Okay, you tell me why you’re angry with me, and I will rephrase that”? Not that I accept it, not that I agree that all the points are valid. But if we try to hear the other person to understand what they’re saying, we don’t have to accept their understanding.

But many times, if we just understand, “Oh, you think like this,” then we might realize that if I had been thinking like that about some other person, I would also have been just as angry. What often happens is, when we hear somebody accusing us of something, we immediately get angry: “How could you accuse me of this? How could you think like this about me? What kind of person do you think I am? What kind of relationship do we have if you think like this about me?”

We tend to become very defensive or aggressive when faced with accusations. However, it’s important to consider that even if the accusations feel outrageous to us, the person making them likely believes them to be true. If those accusations were indeed true, anyone would feel equally angry.

Three Degrees of Avoidable Problems

When discussing avoidable problems, there are generally three degrees of conflict that arise:

1. Disagreement in Judgment

This is the least severe form of conflict. For example, if two people are in charge of cooking for an event, and one suggests cooking for 50 people while the other says 70, and we prepare for 50 but 70 people show up, we might blame the other person for the lack of food. This is a judgment issue, and everyone can make mistakes in judgment. While it can be painful to have one’s judgment questioned, it’s not the most damaging type of conflict.

2. Questioning of Ability

This is more painful than a disagreement in judgment. When someone’s ability is questioned—for instance, “You are not competent enough for this position,” or “You are not capable of doing this role”—it goes beyond a one-time mistake. It implies a fundamental lack of skill or aptitude. While a person can learn and improve from a judgment error, questioning their inherent ability can be deeply discouraging and make reconciliation very difficult. Imagine someone saying, “The one thing I’ve learned about you is that you can’t learn anything.” Such an attitude makes resolution nearly impossible.

3. Questioning of Motive or Morality

This is the most damaging and often a point of no return in relationships. When someone’s motive or morality is questioned—for example, “You didn’t want this program to succeed,” or “You deliberately sabotaged this because you disliked the leader”—it attacks their character and integrity.

Consider two parents who disagree on parenting styles; one is lenient, the other strict. It’s often hard to say who is “right,” as the long-term impact unfolds over time. However, as long as both parents believe the other has the child’s welfare at heart, their relationship can endure. But if one parent starts believing the other doesn’t want the good of the child, the foundation of their co-parenting relationship crumbles.

The Role of Likes and Dislikes

Our personal likes and dislikes play a significant and often dangerous role in how we interpret others’ actions. If we like someone, we tend to attribute their mistakes to a simple judgment error. If we dislike them, we often ascribe their mistakes to a character flaw.

For instance, if a person eats half a cake meant for five people:

• If we like them, we might think, “Maybe they were very hungry,” or “Perhaps they didn’t know there was only a small amount of cake.”
• If we dislike them, we might think, “What a glutton!” and attribute the worst possible motive to their action.

This tendency to let our biases distort our perceptions can create unnecessary conflict.

Avoiding Relationship “Traffic Jams”

Just as traffic jams occur on roads, relationships can experience “traffic jams” due to these three levels of conflict. While issues at the judgment level are the easiest to overcome, those at the motive level are exceedingly difficult to resolve.

Many relationship problems and interactions are avoidable. How? By focusing on two key aspects of “correction”:

1. Look Inward Rather Than Outward

Instead of immediately assuming the other person is bad or dislikes you, look inward to consider what you might have done to contribute to the situation or anger.

2. Give the Benefit of the Doubt

When a problem arises, try to start with the least negative explanation or motive. Assume it’s a judgment error first. For example, if someone forgets to bring something you asked for, consider that they might have a lot on their mind or be under stress. Don’t immediately jump to the most negative conclusion.

This is where communication becomes crucial. Often, we harbor resentment over perceived wrongs, letting it build up over time, only to explode disproportionately over a minor incident. Instead of accumulating grievances, address issues with the least negative assumption, and communicate openly.

When we start attributing negative motives to others, it can be devastating for relationships. Many relationship problems are avoidable, and we should strive to prevent them. The last part of what we’re discussing is related to strengthening our relationships.

Strengthening Through Difference

Strengthening implies that growth occurs by engaging with people who hold different perspectives. This is where we need to train ourselves. One aspect of this training, as previously mentioned, is to give others the benefit of the doubt to avoid problems. However, I want to focus on two more points before concluding.

Sometimes, working with people who think differently from us is precisely what allows us to grow and expand our understanding. In Krishna consciousness, we often talk about deepening our connection—going deeper into our relationship with Krishna, being more attentive in chanting, and thoroughly understanding the Shastras. This is undoubtedly important.

However, Srila Prabhupada didn’t just want us to be individually Krishna conscious; he founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He wanted us to be a society. For a society to flourish, we also need to broaden our Krishna consciousness, not just deepen it. Broadening means recognizing that there are many different ways to approach Krishna, and various aspects of Krishna can attract different people. People progress in their lives and spiritual paths in diverse ways.

When we interact with others in a non-judgmental way, genuinely trying to understand their perspectives, it broadens our own understanding. It helps us see why someone might be acting a certain way or how things operate in their context.

For example, when I was first introduced to Bhakti, it was in a very conservative, regimented ashram in India, leading to a rather black-and-white understanding of Krishna consciousness: “This is Krishna conscious; everything else is Maya.” However, over the past ten years, I’ve traveled extensively, meeting diverse devotees worldwide who face different challenges across various cultures and social circumstances. This experience has been invaluable in helping me understand that we cannot simply take one version of Krishna consciousness and superimpose it on everyone. Each individual has a unique relationship with Krishna and will pursue it in their own way.

This broadening of our conceptions helps us become more mature and flexible. It enables us to attract more people, not just to Krishna, but generally fosters greater social harmony in our lives, in addition to spiritual harmony. Many problems, therefore, serve to broaden our understanding. Instead of dismissing someone who thinks differently as “a fool” or “a terrible person,” we can recognize that they might be approaching things from a very different perspective.

Enlightenment: Destination and Journey

Let’s consider an image where Krishna represents ultimate reality, or perhaps even a problem that needs to be understood. One person might approach this reality from one angle, while another approaches it from a different angle. Both perspectives can be valid, especially when considering Krishna as the Supreme Reality.

When we approach reality, we may understand the situation, understand Krishna, connect with Krishna, and experience Krishna—and that’s perfectly true for our perspective. In the Bhagavad Gita, a fascinating series of verses illustrates this. In 10.8, Krishna states that those who know Him are Buddha (enlightened). But in the very next verse, 10.9, He describes what these enlightened people do when they meet others: they enlighten each other.

If they are already enlightened, why would they need to enlighten each other? The understanding here is that enlightenment is both a destination and a journey.

• Enlightenment as a Destination: For all of us, the ultimate understanding is that Krishna is the supreme object of love. After trying to find love in many different objects, we eventually come to the point of loving Krishna, and that is becoming enlightened.
• Enlightenment as a Journey: Even when we know Krishna is the object of love, we continue to learn two things:
  1. How lovable Krishna is: What attracts me to Krishna may be different from what attracts you. By conversing with you, I can come to understand another feature of Krishna, another aspect of His lovability and the attractiveness of Krishna Bhakti.

And how I can love Krishna more deeply. A wonderful example of this is when the queens of Krishna met Draupadi. They asked her, “Draupadi, how do you keep my husband satisfied? We are so many, and we are all trying to satisfy Krishna.” They were focused on their service and eager to learn how to perform it better. The idea is that we can all learn how to love Krishna more perfectly.

Similarly, in life, we can always learn from others. This doesn’t mean we should accept everything everyone does as right. People make mistakes, and we don’t condone what is wrong. However, when we approach interactions with the mindset that “there is always something for me to learn here,” we can continuously grow and broaden our perspectives.

Srila Prabhupada’s example is illuminating. When he first came to America, he stayed at the home of Sally and Gopal Agarwal. Gopal was an Indian man married to a Western woman. They sponsored Prabhupada’s visa out of courtesy for Gopal’s father-in-law, who had requested it; they themselves had no interest in practicing bhakti. After a short time, Prabhupada recognized their lack of spiritual inclination and didn’t pressure them. He stayed at their house for about fifteen days to a month before moving to New York. He had arrived on a two-month visa.

Sally Agarwal later wrote about her experiences, which are recorded in Prabhupada’s biography. She noted several interesting things, including that “Swamiji was so interested in learning everything American.” He wanted to know how the vacuum cleaner worked, how the elevator worked, and how the subway worked. Did Prabhupada travel all the way from India to America just to learn about household appliances? No. By being curious about these things, Prabhupada was trying to understand the American mindset—how people think, how they live. This understanding allowed him to learn how best to communicate Krishna consciousness effectively. Prabhupada’s immense success was undoubtedly due to his spiritual purity, but also, significantly, to his attitude of connecting and learning, which enabled him to attract so many people.

We can all expand our horizons when faced with differences of opinion, or when we feel misunderstood. Through such situations, we can learn to broaden our conceptions and, in turn, connect with more people.

Summary: Dealing with Disconnect

To summarize what I discussed today, our topic was about what to do “when we don’t feel accepted”—when we struggle to connect with people or deal with them effectively. I broadly covered four points:

1. The Nature of Distress: Not all distress is the same.
   • Inevitable Distress (I.A.S.S.): Some distress in life is simply unavoidable. As Krishna mentions in the Bhagavad Gita (e.g., 2.14), certain difficulties are inherent to existence.
   • Avoidable Distress: Krishna discusses this in Bhagavad Gita 5.22. These are problems we can prevent or mitigate.
   • Strengthening Distress: Discussed in Bhagavad Gita 18.37, these are difficulties through which we grow and become stronger.
2. Dealing with Inevitable Distress: What do we do with inevitable distress? We accept it. This means recognizing that differences of opinion will always exist. We don’t live in an ideal world, and there will always be some incompatibility because we are all unique individuals. We cannot wish this away. Sometimes, high-level incompatibility can be attributed to past karma. We accept that dealing with difficult people is a part of life, and no one will have a completely pain-free or problem-free existence. While some distress falls into this category, we cannot assume all distress is inevitable.
3. Dealing with Avoidable Distress: For avoidable distress, what do we do? We correct it. Correcting means looking at the situation not solely as a result of past karma (which can lead to passive tolerance) nor solely as a result of present karma (which can lead to immediate blame). The balanced approach is to start by identifying the Drishta cause—what is visible, the present karma. We try to understand, “Did I do anything wrong that might have made this person angry or upset?” If we immediately jump to blaming past karma or the other person’s inherent flaw, we won’t fix the situation and may create unnecessary suffering. In this context, I discussed two principles for correction:
   • Look Inward: “Have I done something that may have agitated this person?”
   • Give the Benefit of the Doubt: When a problem arises, we tend to ascribe a cause to it. Giving the benefit of the doubt means starting with the least negative explanation. This is usually that it was a judgment error—everyone makes mistakes in judgment, including ourselves. A more negative explanation would be that the person lacks the ability, and the most damaging is that the person’s motive itself is bad. We should avoid jumping to attributing negative motives and instead start with the least negative assumption. This approach helps us navigate “jams” in our relationships.
4. Dealing with Strengthening Distress: For strengthening situations, what do we do? We train ourselves. If we want to grow in our life and in Krishna consciousness, we aim not only to deepen our understanding but also to broaden our Krishna consciousness.

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Especially if you aim to live in a community or build a society, deepening your spiritual understanding is important, but broadening it becomes even more crucial. Broadening means actively seeking to understand why others think the way they do. As we discussed, even the enlightened in the Gita continue to enlighten each other. Why? Because Krishna, or reality itself, is so vast that even those who are enlightened always have more to learn. Even once you understand that Krishna is the supreme object of love, there’s still so much more to learn about how lovable Krishna is and how we can love Him more deeply.

With this understanding, we can better navigate life’s situations, minimize distress, and grow closer to Krishna. Let’s conclude with the prayer we offered at the beginning, which you can also find in your book. Please repeat after me: “My dear Lord, help me to learn how to help others to learn.”

Are there any questions? We have time, right?

Managing Defensive Reactions: Bonds and Boundaries

Student: Hare Krishna, Prabhu. Thank you so much for the class. I had a question about reacting defensively when someone accuses me of something. My emotions get very involved. Do you have any suggestions for creating distance from that emotional reaction and stopping that defensive response when I feel it starting to happen?

Speaker: If you’re looking for a foolproof way, I can only say that when I find out, I’ll tell you! It’s difficult. I can speak all this theory, but sometimes when someone annoys me, I also explode. That’s decreasing as I practice bhakti more, but it’s still a challenge.

Krishna discusses mind management primarily through two principles: Abhyasa and Vairagya. While these terms can be understood in different ways, I’ll use a specific framework.

• Abhyasa (Practice): This refers to building our bonds. The practice is to fix our minds on Krishna, to build a bond with Him, and to hear from and build bonds with our spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, and senior devotees. This forms one aspect.
• Vairagya (Detachment/Boundaries): This can be understood as establishing boundaries.

The way to manage the mind’s urges and impulses is through a combination of bonds and boundaries. Let me give an example of each.

The Power of Bonds: Shatrughna and Manthara

In the Ramayana, when Bharata returns to the kingdom after Rama’s exile, he’s horrified by Kaikeyi’s actions. After performing his father’s last rites, as they walk back to the palace, a courtier approaches Bharata. While they talk, Shatrughna walks ahead. He sees them passing Kaikeyi’s palace, and from there, Manthara emerges. Manthara is the one who instigated Kaikeyi. Shatrughna sees Manthara adorned in opulent clothes and costly ornaments, lavishly gifted by Kaikeyi. She was so proud of these expensive possessions that she had no awareness of the kingdom’s grief—the king had just passed away, and people were returning from the funeral.

Seeing her dressed so ostentatiously, Shatrughna lost control. He charged towards her. Manthara noticed him and tried to flee, calling out to Kaikeyi. But Shatrughna grabbed her and violently shook her, exclaiming, “You are the cause of the ocean of agony and pain that has drowned all of Ayodhya! You are the wretched person who has destroyed our entire kingdom’s and family’s peace!”

Kaikeyi came running out and told Shatrughna to stop, but he paid her no attention. Then Bharata heard the commotion and rushed over. Bharata ran to Shatrughna, pleading, “Stop! Look at what you are doing. I’ve felt that same urge to do this a dozen times over, but we want to go to the forest and bring Rama back. If Rama comes to know that we have attacked either Manthara or Kaikeyi, he will be very unhappy with us. For Rama’s sake, let her go.” Immediately, Shatrughna released her.

For us, especially if our devotion is genuine and not just a ritual, our bond with Krishna becomes paramount in every interaction. It means that while I am here and the other person is here, Krishna is also here. I’m not just reacting to the other person based on their actions towards me. For a devotee, there’s always the consideration: “How can I serve Krishna in this situation? How can I please Krishna? Or, if I cannot please Him, how can I at least not displease Him, or displease Him as little as possible?”

When we have that bond with Krishna, even if someone has done something terrible to us, that bond restrains us from retaliating. It’s similar to how we might restrain ourselves from attacking a close friend’s relative, even if they behave badly, for the sake of our friendship. Having a bond with something higher—whether it’s Krishna, our spiritual master, or our community leaders—helps us control our impulses.

The Wisdom of Boundaries

The other principle is boundaries. Our bond with Krishna is crucial, but what do boundaries mean in this context? Boundaries refer to the lines we commit not to cross, no matter how angry we get. We might raise our voice, but perhaps we won’t use obscenities. Even if we use obscenities, maybe we won’t resort to physical violence. We all have certain boundaries we don’t want to violate.

However, when we allow ourselves to be controlled by impulses, we start violating our own established boundaries. These boundaries can be societal, cultural, or traditional, but also the personal ones we set for ourselves. Once we start crossing one line repeatedly, it becomes a slippery slope, leading us to cross further and further boundaries.

Whatever the other person has done needs to be addressed. But while dealing with them, we must be aware: “I don’t want to become like that.” No matter what happens, we don’t want to behave in a way we know is wrong. If we have these boundaries clearly defined for ourselves, strengthened by scriptural study and positive association, then even if we make mistakes in our behavior, we won’t go too far astray.

Generally speaking, the safest position is when we have both bonds and boundaries. Conversely, if we have neither, we are at our weakest.

If we lack a higher person we wish to please, someone for whom we strive to do good or avoid doing wrong, and we have no bonds guiding us, then our behavior can escalate to any degree. For example, young men might get into violent fights. But if that same person marries, starts a family, and has children, they often think, “I can’t get into these things now.” That sense of bond creates a boundary that helps them guard their behavior.

If we have only boundaries but no bonds, we’ll eventually feel suffocated. We’ll start to resent the restrictions, thinking, “Why can’t I do this?” Rules, like roads, have barriers, but the purpose of a road isn’t just to stay within the barriers; it’s to go somewhere. If we only have barriers and no direction, we’ll wonder why we have to stay within them. We adhere to boundaries so that we can have better relationships—with others, with Krishna, or for our overall well-being. Sometimes, our behavior towards one person might not improve our relationship with them, but it can harm our relationship with everyone else connected to that person. So, having only boundaries without bonds can be problematic.

Conversely, if we have only bonds but no boundaries, we remain vulnerable. We might say, “Yes, I love Krishna, I care for you,” but then when an urge arises, we might act impulsively in any direction. Therefore, to be truly safe and strong, we need both bonds and boundaries.

Speaker: Okay, thank you. Any other questions or comments? It’s a long answer, I’ll try to keep the other answers short. It’s a very important question, actually. Thank you for asking it.

Student’s Testimony and Question: Navigating Difficult Relationships

Student: Hare Krishna, Prabhuji. Thank you so much for this nectar we’ve received for two days. It’s truly Krishna’s blessings that you were here and shared your wisdom. I just want to share a little about how I connected with you, and then I have a follow-up question.

A few months back, I learned about a Bhakti Yoga conference, which was all virtual. I joined, and one session was yours. I was very interested and intrigued by how you connected the Gita’s lessons with science and spirituality. It really resonated with me, and I started following you from there. I then checked your calendar and saw you were coming to our town, so I really wanted to come, see you, and learn more. Thank you for that. I’m truly grateful to Krishna for allowing me to come and listen to you for these two days.

I also learned about your story. From all of us, I want to offer three Haribols for your mother, if you would allow, because I feel she played a significant part in what we have today.

Speaker: Yesterday, I mentioned that when I got polio at one year old, it was from a defective vaccine. I couldn’t walk normally after that. But when I was about two and a half or three, a distant relative visited and was consoling my mother, saying, “So sad that your son got polio.” I remember my mother’s words, spoken very calmly, clearly, and confidently: “Whatever he lacks physically, God will provide him intellectually.”

Audience: Haribol! Haribol! Haribol!

Student: Thank you, Prabhuji. My question is related to the discussion we just had about the question Mataji asked. We live with our boundaries, that’s true. But there are certain people in our lives whom we love deeply—they are either family or very close friends. Even with our boundaries, their behaviors are not acceptable. If I want to react negatively, my Krishna consciousness tells me I’m destroying my karma, which I want to avoid. So I want to walk away. But how many times do I walk away from how many people? And does that mean at some point, I’ll start feeling like it’s my fault—that I’m walking away from everyone and losing every loved one? That’s just my internal struggle.

Speaker: Thank you for your kind words and for mentioning my mother. This is an important question. It would take me an hour to answer fully, but I’ll try to address it in a few minutes.

Broadly speaking, tolerance is an important virtue, but it’s not the only virtue. Tolerance has a purpose. If you look at the Bhagavad Gita, there’s a sequence:

• 2.14 talks about tolerance.
• 2.15 talks about transcendence. What happens when we tolerate? We attain a higher level of consciousness; we grow.

Before this, Krishna discusses intelligence, which fundamentally means differentiating between temporary things (the body) and the eternal (the soul). Intelligence also means understanding the proper perspective: knowing what are the big things in our life and what are the small things. Just as a selfie can distort perspective, making us seem very large while others are small, proper perspective means seeing things as they are.

Tolerance is based on this intelligence. It’s meant to keep small things small so that we can keep big things big. For example, Krishna tells Arjuna to tolerate, but he doesn’t mean “tolerate all the atrocities the Kauravas have committed against you, no need to fight.” Instead, He’s telling Arjuna to tolerate the pain of fighting against Bhishma and Drona because it is his dharma to fight. At that time, fighting against Bhishma and Drona felt like the big thing for Arjuna. But Krishna clarifies, “You are not fighting against them; you are fighting for dharma. Duryodhana embodies adharma, and they have chosen his side.” The big thing was to uphold dharma.

So, for all of us in our relationships, we need to maintain this perspective: What is the big thing? And what does transcendence mean? It means the “big thing” ultimately becomes the biggest thing in our life: Krishna becomes a living, loving reality for us.

Here’s a corrected and more clearly articulated version of the provided text, focusing on improving flow, grammar, and word choice while retaining the original meaning:

Ultimately, we attain Krishna. That is the sequence, the progression. For us, we may need to decide, if someone is repeatedly misbehaving with us, what is the big thing here? If that person’s behavior isn’t a significant issue, and they’re not a very important person in our life—perhaps we interact with them only once in a while at social gatherings—then we can simply forget it and move on.

However, if that person interacts with us regularly and causes us considerable distress, agitating us to the point where we’re unable to function properly, then we may have to take steps to protect ourselves. This isn’t about taking revenge. When I speak of boundaries, it means not only staying within our own ethical limits but also sometimes creating distance from the other person.

It’s crucial that we are able to perform our dharma properly. For example, in a workplace, if a boss, manager, or colleague is exploitative, abusive, or manipulative, and we are constantly agitated, we might come home and take it out on our family, getting angry with our spouse or children. If this prevents us from performing our dharma at home, we must consider solutions. This might involve changing teams, changing jobs, or filing a complaint. The goal is to keep the big thing big.

Often, we talk about our karma. The purpose of life isn’t simply fulfilled by exhausting our past karma. While it’s true that suffering can be a result of past karma, that’s only one part of the picture. The purpose of life is fulfilled not so much by exhausting past karma as by executing our present dharma. We don’t just want to remove negative entries from our past karmic record; we want to do something positive in our lives.

Consider our spirituality: if a relational situation is so severe that we can’t focus at all when we sit down to chant Krishna’s name or pray to Him, then even if we sit for meditation, we won’t be able to fix our minds on Krishna. In such cases, we might need to do something—perhaps create distance from that person.

We need to understand that there are many ways of interacting with people. Sometimes, we have to cooperate because we must work together. But sometimes, cooperation might mean “you operate here, I’ll operate here.” “You take this particular responsibility; I’ll take this one.” This minimizes direct interaction. Just because two people can’t work closely together doesn’t mean they have to constantly criticize each other or ruin each other’s lives. Simply create some space.

We may need to have some hard conversations to explain why that distance is necessary. However, it’s better to create some distance than to maintain closeness with bitterness. If not warmth, at least cultivate cordiality and politeness. I believe we all have to be responsible and resourceful in dealing with these situations.

Student: Thank you, Prabhuji, very, very much. Thank you.

Transactional vs. Transformational Relationships

Speaker: Last question. We’ll start with this.

Student: Prabhu, I have a question. First of all, thank you for a wonderful talk, Prabhu. It’s been enlightening for the last two days. And I hope we continue the Buddha to the Buddha Vanti (enlightened enlighten each other), so we can spread enlightenment amongst us. You made a statement at the beginning, Prabhu, that reciprocation is a basic foundation for any interaction or relationship. And then you categorized it into two: transactional and transformational. My question is if you can explain them a little bit more. And also, if we see that reciprocation is lacking in a relationship, does that mean we should end the relationship, or is that too strong a statement?

Speaker: Okay. What do transactional and transformational mean?

Imagine you go to a takeout place to get some food, perhaps vegetarian food. You just walk in, take the food, maybe pay, and sometimes you don’t even see the person serving; you just see their hand as you exchange money for food. That’s a highly transactional interaction.

However, if you come to a temple regularly, and someone is serving prasadam, you might talk with that person, perhaps sit down and take prasadam with them afterward. There’s more engagement. It’s not just a transaction; it’s a transformational interaction. You come closer to that person, they come closer to you, and perhaps you learn something more. That’s the difference between transactional and transformational.

Now, when I say there is some interaction, some reciprocation, the reciprocation doesn’t always have to be in perfect proportion. For example, parents do much more for a child on a practical level than a child does for parents. But while parents do a lot physically, children fulfill the parents’ emotional need to nurture and care for someone. We all have a deep need to be needed. I saw a very nice quote at your home about your son/daughter, which I think said, “We did not give you the gift of life; life gave you as a gift to us.” It’s a beautiful thought.

So, reciprocation can occur at different levels. In some relationships, we might do a lot for the other person, and they do less for us, and that’s perfectly fine if that’s the nature of the relationship. A teacher might teach much more to the student than the student does for the teacher. The student’s contribution might be to attend the talks or classes (and of course, pay fees to the college or for tuition).

Basically, the closeness or distance in a relationship will naturally correspond to the kind of reciprocation present. For instance, in a teacher-student interaction, if the teacher sees the student is very interested and attentive, perhaps the student asks questions after the talk, and the teacher and student grow closer. But if the student is just waiting for the class to end, and once it’s over, the teacher looks up and all the students have vanished, then it’s just a job. The intimacy or closeness in the relationship will be affected by the nature of the reciprocation.

Should we end a relationship if reciprocation is lacking? Well, it depends. “Ending” is a strong word, as I said. But it depends. For example, if we have a distant relative or a childhood friend whom we wish happy birthday every year or do something for, but they never respond. They were closures. We decide, “Why do I need to keep spending time on this?” That’s fair enough. However, in some relationships, we might feel it’s important to continue as a service.

Ultimately, it comes down to deciding what’s the big thing and what’s the small thing in that particular situation. If we determine that a relationship or action is a “big thing,” then we can decide to continue investing in it, even if the expected reciprocation isn’t there. Conversely, if we decide it’s not a priority, we might question the need to continue if reciprocation isn’t meeting our expectations. We can make decisions accordingly.

So thank you very much.

The post When people don’t accept us.. Cincinnati Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

भगवद गीता: प्रश्नों और उत्तरों का प्रवाह

कल हमने एक सवाल पर चर्चा की थी, जिसका जवाब 2.50, 422, 0.72 था। हमने यह भी देखा कि भगवद गीता एक व्याख्यान नहीं है, बल्कि प्रश्नोत्तरों का संग्रह है। गीता के प्रवाह को समझने के लिए, हमें यह देखना होगा कि किस प्रकार का प्रश्न पूछा गया है और उसका उत्तर कैसे दिया गया है।

कोई भी सवाल आने पर, हम उसके बारे में तीन मुख्य प्रश्न पूछ सकते हैं:

1. प्रश्न क्या है? (What is the question?) — कभी-कभी लोग ऐसे सवाल पूछते हैं जो स्पष्ट नहीं होते।
2. प्रश्न क्यों पूछा गया? (Why the question?) — अगर चर्चा किसी एक विषय पर है और कोई बिल्कुल अलग सवाल पूछता है, तो यह समझना ज़रूरी है कि वह प्रश्न क्यों प्रासंगिक है।
3. उत्तर क्या है? (What is the answer?) — सवाल का जवाब क्या है?

हम भगवद गीता के प्रवाह को विभिन्न तरीकों से देख सकते हैं, लेकिन यहाँ हम इसे विशेष रूप से प्रश्नों और उत्तरों के माध्यम से समझने का प्रयास करेंगे।

अर्जुन का भ्रम: शांति और युद्ध

दूसरे अध्याय में, जब भगवान ने धर्म का सवाल उठाया, तो उन्होंने अर्जुन को अपने क्षत्रिय धर्म का पालन करने पर ज़ोर दिया। इसे करने के लिए उन्होंने दो रास्ते बताए: एक कर्मकांड के स्तर पर, और दूसरा कर्मयोग के स्तर पर। सार यह था कि अर्जुन को युद्ध करना चाहिए।

जब भगवान ने ऐसा कहा, तो तीसरे अध्याय की शुरुआत में अर्जुन ने सवाल पूछा, “आपके वाक्य मुझे मोहित कर रहे हैं, मुझे मिश्रित लग रहे हैं। कृपया मुझे एक चीज़ स्पष्टता से बताएं।” अर्जुन को कौन से वाक्य मिश्रित लग रहे थे और क्यों उन्हें लगा कि भगवान ने स्पष्ट नहीं बताया है?

धारणाओं का महत्व

जब हम कोई सवाल पूछते हैं, तो हर सवाल कुछ धारणाओं से उत्पन्न होता है (Every question arises from a set of conceptions)। यदि वे धारणाएँ अधूरी या गलत हैं, तो कोई भी जवाब समझ में नहीं आएगा।

अर्जुन की दो मुख्य धारणाएँ थीं: युद्ध करें या युद्ध न करें (Fight or Don’t fight)? यानी, कर्म करें या संन्यास लें? अर्जुन को लगा कि यदि उन्हें शांति चाहिए, तो उन्हें युद्ध नहीं करना चाहिए। स्वाभाविक रूप से, अर्जुन शांति को युद्ध न करने (Peace is associated with not fighting) के साथ जोड़ रहे थे।

भगवान के निर्देश और अर्जुन की दुविधा

भगवान ने स्पष्ट रूप से अर्जुन को युद्ध करने के लिए कहा था। यह उन्होंने 2.37 और 2.38 में कहा, जहाँ उन्होंने स्वर्ग प्राप्ति या पृथ्वी प्राप्ति के लिए युद्ध करने की बात की, या फिर बिना किसी कामना के युद्ध करने को कहा। 2.48 में उन्होंने कर्म करने को कहा, फल की अपेक्षा किए बिना। दोनों ही जगह पर, भगवान युद्ध करने की बात कर रहे थे।

लेकिन, दूसरे अध्याय के अंत में, श्लोक 70 और 71 में, भगवान शांति का उल्लेख करते हैं। वे कहते हैं कि उसे शांति मिलेगी (ना काम कामी)। इससे अर्जुन भ्रमित हो गए। एक तरफ भगवान उन्हें युद्ध करने को कह रहे हैं, और दूसरी तरफ शांति की बात कर रहे हैं। अर्जुन को लगा, “आप मुझे युद्ध करने को कह रहे हैं या युद्ध न करने को?” उनके मन में आया, “युद्ध करने से शांति कैसे मिलेगी?”

वास्तव में, अर्जुन बाह्य शांति (external peace) के बारे में बात कर रहे थे, जबकि भगवान अंतरंग शांति (internal peace) के बारे में।

शब्दों का अर्थ: लक्ष्यार्थ और संदर्भ

अंग्रेजी में इसे ‘denotation’ और ‘connotation’ कहते हैं – शब्द का शाब्दिक अर्थ और उसका प्रासंगिक अर्थ। जैसे मुहावरा “लातों के भूत बातों से नहीं मानते।” इसका शाब्दिक अर्थ लें तो समझ नहीं आएगा। इसका अर्थ उसके संदर्भ में ही समझना होगा।

इसी तरह, शांति का अर्थ संदर्भ के अनुसार बदलता है। युद्धभूमि में कोई शांति की बात कर रहा है, तो अर्जुन को लगा कि वह युद्ध न होने की बात कर रहा है।

दूसरे अध्याय में एक और जटिलता है। भगवान कहते हैं, “दूरेण ह्यवरं कर्म” (2.49) — यानी, जो कर्म अधम है उसे दूर रखो। ‘अवर’ का अर्थ है निम्न या घटिया। भगवान कहते हैं कि ऐसे कार्य से दूर रहो जिससे तुम्हें कोई अच्छी प्राप्ति नहीं होगी। अर्जुन की दृष्टि से, अपने ही रिश्तेदारों को मारना एक ‘अवर’ कर्म था।

शिक्षा के पहलू: सरलता और जटिलता

शिक्षा के दो पहलू होते हैं: सरल चीज़ को जटिल बनाना और जटिल चीज़ को सरल करना। उदाहरण के लिए, एक छोटा बच्चा जानता है कि छोटे नंबर से बड़ा नंबर घटाया नहीं जा सकता (3-5 संभव नहीं)। शिक्षक उसे बताता है कि यह संभव है, पर एक अलग स्तर पर (नकारात्मक संख्याएँ)।

कभी-कभी शिक्षा में, हमें सरल चीज़ को जटिल बनाना पड़ता है (complexify the simple), क्योंकि सत्य उतना सरल नहीं होता जितना लगता है। अगर कोई व्यक्ति किसी चीज़ को बहुत सरल मान रहा है, तो उसे उसकी जटिलता समझानी पड़ती है। जैसे, बच्चों को सिखाते हैं कि “यह काला है, यह सफेद है।” लेकिन दुनिया में काले और सफेद चीज़ें बहुत कम हैं; अधिकांश दुनिया ग्रे या अन्य रंगों की है।

अर्जुन सोच रहे थे कि उनके पास केवल दो ही विकल्प हैं: युद्ध करना या युद्ध न करना। लेकिन भगवान ने वास्तव में बताया कि कर्म के अनेक स्तर होते हैं। सबसे नीचे है विकर्म (जो कर्म नहीं करना चाहिए)। भगवान कहते हैं कि अगर तुम युद्ध नहीं करोगे, तो भी वह एक विकर्म होगा। उसके बाद है कर्मकांड (निश्चित विधि-विधान से किया गया कार्य), और उसके ऊपर है कर्मयोग। अभी तक भगवान ने कर्म के तीन स्तर बताए हैं, और तीनों में ‘कार्य’ (action) शामिल है।

कर्म, वैराग्य और अर्जुन की दुविधा

भगवद्गीता के तीसरे अध्याय में भगवान कृष्ण अर्जुन को कर्म और वैराग्य के बीच की दुविधा से निकालने का प्रयास करते हैं. अर्जुन के मन में केवल दो ही विकल्प हैं: कर्म करना या कर्म न करना. कर्म न करने के संबंध में भगवान स्पष्ट करते हैं कि यह उचित नहीं है, क्योंकि इससे निंदा और पाप लगता है. यह बात विशेषकर 2.33 श्लोक में बताई गई है, जहाँ भगवान कहते हैं कि “तुम्हारी निंदा हो जाएगी और तुम्हें पाप लगेगा.”

इसके अलावा, भगवान उन “पुष्पिताम वाचम्” (यानि लुभावनी बातें) की भी चर्चा करते हैं जो क्षणिक भौतिक फल का वर्णन करती हैं. वे कहते हैं कि ये भी त्यागने योग्य हैं, क्योंकि इनका फल क्षणिक होता है. 4.9 में भगवान अर्जुन को कर्म करने का आदेश देते हैं, और 4.7 से आगे भी इसी बात को दोहराते हैं.

कर्म योग और ज्ञान योग: विभिन्न स्तर

अर्जुन को लगता है कि एक ओर कर्म है और दूसरी ओर वैराग्य है, और उसे समझ नहीं आ रहा कि क्या चुने. भगवान कृष्ण बताते हैं कि कर्म के ही कई स्तर हैं, और इन स्तरों में वैराग्य भी शामिल है. अर्जुन इन विभिन्न स्तरों को समझ नहीं पाता और पूछता है, “मुझे क्या करना चाहिए—कर्म या वैराग्य?”

अगर हम इसे सरल शब्दों में समझें तो, अर्जुन के सामने युद्ध करने (कर्म) और युद्ध न करने (वैराग्य) का विकल्प है. अर्जुन अपनी दृष्टि से देखता है कि युद्ध करने के सकारात्मक और नकारात्मक दोनों पहलू हैं.

• नकारात्मक पहलू (अर्जुन की दृष्टि से): युद्ध करके अपने ही परिवारजनों को मारना (जिसे अंग्रेजी में ‘fratricide’ कहते हैं, यानी भाई-बंधुओं की हत्या). अर्जुन सोचता है कि यह ‘बुरा कर्म’ होगा और इससे पाप लगेगा.
• सकारात्मक पहलू (अर्जुन की दृष्टि से): युद्ध न करने से कोई ‘बुरा कर्म’ नहीं होगा.
• नकारात्मक पहलू (युद्ध न करने का): यह सामाजिक कर्तव्य से विमुख होना है (social irresponsibility). अर्जुन जानता है कि कर्तव्य छोड़ना अच्छी बात नहीं है.

इन दोनों के बीच, भगवान कर्म योग का मार्ग सुझाते हैं. कर्म योग में व्यक्ति अपना सामाजिक कर्तव्य निभाता है, लेकिन अनासक्त भाव से. जैसा कि 2.39 में कहा गया है: “बुद्ध्या युक्तो यया पार्थ कर्मबन्धं प्रहास्यसि.”

प्रवचन की व्याख्या: एक दर्शक का परिप्रेक्ष्य

कभी-कभी प्रवचनकर्ता सोचते हैं कि वे जो समझा रहे हैं, वह श्रोताओं को समझ आ रहा है. लेकिन श्रोता कह सकते हैं, “सर, आपको लगता है कि आप समझा रहे हैं, लेकिन आप वास्तव में समझा नहीं रहे हैं.”

भगवान कृष्ण अर्जुन की इसी दुविधा को समझते हैं और 3.3 में उसकी संकल्पना से ही शुरुआत करते हैं. वे दो प्रकार के मार्गों की बात करते हैं: कर्म योग और ज्ञान योग.

भगवान कहते हैं कि दोनों मार्ग अच्छे हैं, क्योंकि दोनों से आध्यात्मिक प्रगति हो सकती है. अगर हम आध्यात्मिक स्तर को एक छोर पर और भौतिक स्तर को दूसरे छोर पर रखें, तो दोनों मार्गों (कर्म योग और ज्ञान योग) से व्यक्ति भौतिक स्तर से आध्यात्मिक स्तर तक पहुंच सकता है. इसलिए, दोनों अच्छे हैं.

लेकिन इसके बाद भगवान बताते हैं कि अर्जुन के लिए कौन सा मार्ग अच्छा है. अर्जुन का प्रश्न है: “मुझे क्या करना चाहिए? युद्ध करना है या युद्ध नहीं करना है?”

भगवान जवाब देते हैं कि दोनों अच्छे हैं, लेकिन दोनों की पात्रता अलग-अलग है. इस पूरे अध्याय में इसी की चर्चा होने वाली है.

ज्ञान योग की व्यक्तिगत पात्रता

अगर ज्ञान योग को अपनाना है, तो इसका अर्थ है वैराग्य का मार्ग स्वीकार करना. भगवान कहते हैं कि इसके लिए सबसे पहले व्यक्तिगत पात्रता (individual qualification) होनी चाहिए.

• मिथ्याचारी: यदि व्यक्ति में वास्तविक वैराग्य नहीं है, तो वह मिथ्याचारी बन जाएगा. 3.6 में भगवान कहते हैं, “कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्। इन्द्रियार्थान्विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते” (जो व्यक्ति कर्मेन्द्रियों को रोककर मन से विषयों का चिंतन करता है, वह मूढ़ व्यक्ति मिथ्याचारी कहलाता है).
• सामाजिक निर्वाह: भगवान बताते हैं कि यदि सभी वैराग्य ले लेंगे, तो समाज कैसे चलेगा? शरीर का निर्वाह कैसे होगा? 3.8 में भगवान कहते हैं, “शरीरयात्रापि च ते न प्रसिद्ध्येदकर्मणः” (बिना कर्म किए तेरा शरीर का निर्वाह भी संभव नहीं होगा).

अध्याय का प्रवाह: कर्म योग की श्रेष्ठता

इस अध्याय के प्रवाह को देखें तो, नौवें श्लोक तक भगवान यह बता रहे हैं कि कर्म योग ज्ञान योग से बेहतर है, खासकर उन लोगों के लिए जो परिपक्व नहीं हैं. भगवान अर्जुन को हर तरह से उसके कर्तव्य कर्म करने के लिए प्रेरित करना चाहते हैं.

• सामाजिक निर्वाह (यज्ञ): 3.9 से 3.16 श्लोक में भगवान यज्ञ के बारे में बताते हैं. वे कहते हैं कि यदि व्यक्ति अपना कर्म करेगा तो वह यज्ञ करेगा और धर्म का पालन करेगा, जिससे समाज की ज़रूरतें पूरी होंगी. यह एक वैश्विक दृष्टिकोण (cosmic perspective) से बताया गया है.
• मानवीय दृष्टिकोण (नेतृत्व): 3.16 से 3.25 श्लोक में भगवान मानवीय दृष्टिकोण से बात करते हैं. कोई कह सकता है कि संसार तो चलेगा ही, मेरे कर्म करने या न करने से क्या फर्क पड़ेगा? भगवान कहते हैं कि तुम समाज में एक नेता के रूप में हो, और तुम्हें एक आदर्श स्थापित करना चाहिए.

नेता और अनुयायी: वैराग्य का प्रभाव

भगवान आगे बताते हैं कि भले ही तुम वैराग्य के लिए परिपक्व हो, फिर भी तुम्हें समाज के लिए एक उदाहरण स्थापित करना चाहिए. लोग क्या सोचेंगे? यदि कोई व्यक्ति बड़ी मुश्किल में आता है और समस्या के कारण वैराग्य लेता है, तो लोग सोचेंगे कि उसने आध्यात्मिक कारणों से नहीं, बल्कि कठिन समस्याओं से बचने के लिए वैराग्य लिया है. दूसरे लोग भी उसका अनुकरण करेंगे.

• नेता (परिपक्व): यदि नेता वैराग्य के लिए योग्य और परिपक्व है, तो उसके वैराग्य से उसका उद्धार हो सकता है.
• अनुयायी (अपरिपक्व): लेकिन यदि अनुयायी अपरिपक्व हैं और वैराग्य लेते हैं, तो उनका पतन हो सकता है.

इसलिए, भगवान कहते हैं कि तुम्हें अपने कर्मों के दूसरों पर पड़ने वाले परिणामों को भी देखना चाहिए. तुम परिपक्व हो सकते हो, लेकिन दूसरे नहीं हैं.

वैराग्य के प्रकार: परिपक्वता और परिस्थिति

जब हम वैराग्य की बात करते हैं, तो दो संभावनाएं हो सकती हैं:

1. परिपक्व (Mature): जो आध्यात्मिक रूप से तैयार हैं और उन्होंने वैराग्य का निर्णय लिया है क्योंकि उनकी आध्यात्मिक रुचि है.
2. अपरिपक्व (Immature): जो आध्यात्मिक रूप से तैयार नहीं हैं, लेकिन जीवन में कोई बड़ी समस्या आने पर वैराग्य ले लेते हैं.

यह संभव है कि किसी व्यक्ति के जीवन में कोई समस्या आए और तभी उसमें आध्यात्मिक जागृति हो जाए. लेकिन यह भी हो सकता है कि किसी व्यक्ति में आध्यात्मिक प्रवृत्ति न हो, और वह केवल समस्याओं से बचने के लिए वैराग्य ले.

यहां आपका पाठ संशोधित किया गया है, इसे और अधिक सुसंगत, स्पष्ट और प्रभावशाली बनाया गया है:

कर्तव्य का महत्व: स्वभाव और सामाजिक भूमिका का संतुलन

तो ऐसे भी लोग हो सकते हैं, और इसी संदर्भ में भगवान बताते हैं कि मैं भी अपना कर्तव्य करता हूँ. इसलिए, तुम्हें भी अपना कर्तव्य करना ज़रूरी है. इस तरह, भगवान अर्जुन को यह समझा रहे हैं कि उन्हें अपना कर्तव्य निभाना चाहिए. मैं इसे थोड़ा और विस्तार से समझाता हूँ, नहीं तो यह आपके लिए पूरी तरह स्पष्ट नहीं होगा. मैं इस अध्याय को पूरा करने के बाद इसे और सरल बनाऊँगा.

भगवान 35वें श्लोक तक (और अगला सत्र 36वें से शुरू होता है) यह बताते हैं कि हर व्यक्ति को कर्म योग करना चाहिए. कर्म योग वैराग्य से बेहतर है, क्योंकि वैराग्य में ज्ञान योग या ध्यान योग हो सकता है, पर वह क्रियात्मक कर्तव्य से बेहतर है. भगवान यहाँ स्वभाव के परिप्रेक्ष्य से समझाते हैं कि हर व्यक्ति का अपना स्वभाव होता है, और हर किसी को अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करना चाहिए.

जैसे अभी तुम, अर्जुन, एक क्षत्रिय हो. अभी तुम कह रहे हो कि मैं युद्ध नहीं करूँगा, पर क्या होगा? कुछ समय बाद जब तुम्हें कहीं और अत्याचार या कोई बुरा कार्य होता दिखेगा, तो तुम्हारा क्षत्रिय स्वभाव तुरंत जागृत हो जाएगा और तुम युद्ध करने की इच्छा करोगे.

इसे ऐसे समझो, मान लीजिए कोई व्यक्ति पुलिस या सेना में भर्ती हो गया क्योंकि उसमें वास्तव में दूसरों की सुरक्षा करने की इच्छा है. वहाँ कुछ समस्या आती है, कुछ होता है, और वह नौकरी छोड़ देता है. जो व्यक्ति पुलिस में है, वह किसी अपराधी पर आक्रमण कर सकता है, लाठी मार सकता है, गोली चला सकता है, और उसे वास्तव में मेडल मिलेगा. पर बाद में, वही व्यक्ति अभी सेवानिवृत्त हो गया है, नौकरी छोड़ दी है, और बाद में वह देखता है कि कोई गुंडागर्दी कर रहा है. वह जाकर उस गुंडे से लड़ने लगता है.

तब क्या होगा? उसका इरादा अच्छा भी हो सकता है, पर अब उसके पास वह पद नहीं है. तो क्या होगा? जो गुंडागर्दी कर रहा था, तुम भी एक तरह से गुंडा बन गए. तुम अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य कर रहे हो, लेकिन क्या है? एक व्यक्तिगत प्रकृति होती है और एक बाहरी नियम होता है. यदि तुमने अपनी बाहरी भूमिका, अपने बाहरी कर्तव्य को छोड़ दिया, तो तुम्हारा अंदर का स्वभाव तो नहीं जाने वाला है.

लेकिन तब तुम हिंसा करोगे. अभी तुम कह रहे हो कि मैं हिंसा नहीं करना चाहता क्योंकि इससे कर्म बंधन होता है, यह नहीं करना है – तुम बड़ी-बड़ी बातें कर रहे हो. पर जब तुम्हारा स्वभाव जागृत होगा, तो यह सब नहीं चलेगा. तो बेहतर है कि तुम अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार जो भूमिका है, वह भूमिका रखो.

आत्मा, स्वभाव और सामाजिक भूमिका का संबंध

तो क्या हो रहा है कि यह जो है अभी, एक आत्मा है. और फिर आत्मा के बाहर उसका एक स्वभाव है. यह स्वभाव कहाँ आता है? यह मानव शरीर में होता है. और उसके बाहर, उसकी एक सामाजिक भूमिका (social role) है.

अभी अर्जुन कह रहा है कि वह सामाजिक भूमिका छोड़ देगा. वह वैराग्य लेने वाला है. अर्जुन अभी सोच रहा है कि मैं वैराग्य लूँगा, जिसका अर्थ है कि यह भूमिका यहाँ रह जाएगी और मैं यहाँ चला जाऊँगा. वह क्षत्रिय का पद, क्षत्रिय का कर्तव्य छोड़ देगा. अर्जुन कह रहा है कि यह वैराग्य मतलब उसने अपनी सामाजिक भूमिका को छोड़ दिया. पर क्या है? क्षत्रिय की प्रवृत्ति अभी तक उसके अंदर है. तो अभी क्या होगा? व्यक्ति को अपना कर्तव्य तो करना ही पड़ेगा.

कर्तव्य का आंतरिक संतोष

यहाँ भगवान इसलिए समझा रहे हैं क्योंकि क्या होता है, हर व्यक्ति जो अपना कर्तव्य कर रहा होता है, जब वह अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार वह कर्तव्य करता है, तो उसमें एक तरह से उस व्यक्ति को एक आंतरिक संतुष्टि मिलती है.

मान लीजिए कोई डॉक्टर है. अगर उसमें सही में लोगों की देखभाल करने की प्रवृत्ति है, तो हर डॉक्टर को पैसा चाहिए, हर डॉक्टर को पद चाहिए, हर डॉक्टर को समाज में थोड़ा आदर चाहिए – वह सब तो चाहिए, पर आंतरिक रूप से भी सेवा भाव है. तो क्या है? दूसरों को मदद करना है, दूसरों की तबीयत ठीक करना है.

तो वह जो बाहरी परिणाम है, एक तरह से कैसे हैं? हम एक देख रहे हैं कि क्यों, अगर आप दूसरों का कर्म करोगे, दूसरों के स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करोगे तो यह भयावह क्यों है? भगवान बता रहे हैं कि क्यों है इसमें, क्योंकि क्या होता है कि प्रकृति के अनुसार कर्म (action according to nature) जब व्यक्ति अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करता है, तो दो चीज़ें होती हैं:

1. एक आंतरिक संतुष्टि होती है कि मुझे जो अच्छा लगता है, जो मैं अच्छा कर सकता हूँ, वह मुझे मिल रहा है और मैं उसे कर रहा हूँ.
2. कोई लेखक है, उसको लिखने में अच्छा लगता है. कोई संगीतकार है, उसको संगीत में अच्छा लगता है.

कुछ लोग ऐसे होते हैं जिनको इतना अच्छा लगता है कि वे हज़ार लोगों के सामने बहुत सुंदर कीर्तन करेंगे. पर वह सही में उनको कितना अच्छा लगता है? जब उनका मन विचलित हो गया होगा, किसी ने कुछ वैसा बोला होगा, वे कोई मुंडन ले लें, करताल ले लें, हारमोनियम ले लें, और खुद अकेले कीर्तन करेंगे. कोई सुन नहीं रहा है, पर वे कीर्तन करते हैं. क्यों? क्योंकि उसमें उनको आंतरिक संतुष्टि मिल रही है. उनको अंतर से ही भगवान का अनुभव हो रहा है. तो जब हम हमारे स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करते हैं, तो हम यह कह सकते हैं कि यह सही आध्यात्मिक है.

आंतरिक संतुष्टि बनाम बाहरी प्रोत्साहन: कर्म और समाज पर प्रभाव

यह समझना महत्वपूर्ण है कि आंतरिक संतुष्टि और बाहरी प्रोत्साहन (जैसे पैसा या पहचान) दोनों ही व्यक्तियों के लिए आवश्यक हैं। हालाँकि, जब कोई व्यक्ति केवल बाहरी लाभ के लिए कार्य करता है और उसे अपने काम में कोई आंतरिक सुख नहीं मिलता, तो इसके नकारात्मक परिणाम हो सकते हैं।

आंतरिक असंतोष के परिणाम

जब कोई व्यक्ति अपने स्वभाव या रुचि के विरुद्ध कार्य करता है, तो उसे उस काम में कोई आंतरिक खुशी नहीं मिलती। उदाहरण के लिए, एक ऐसे व्यक्ति को लें जिसकी रुचि लोगों की सेवा करने में है, लेकिन उसे किसी कॉर्पोरेट कंपनी में मार्केटिंग या विज्ञापन की भूमिका मिल जाती है। ऐसे में, वह व्यक्ति केवल बाहरी पुरस्कारों के लिए काम करेगा, जिससे समाज में समस्याएँ पैदा हो सकती हैं।

• समाज में उपद्रव: आंतरिक संतुष्टि के बिना काम करने वाला व्यक्ति समाज के लिए हानिकारक हो सकता है। एक डॉक्टर, जिसे लोगों की देखभाल करने में रुचि नहीं है, वह बीमार व्यक्ति की बीमारी को और बढ़ा सकता है, अनावश्यक जाँचें करवा सकता है, या ऐसे कार्य कर सकता है जो लोगों के स्वास्थ्य के लिए हानिकारक हों।
• पफाइज़र का उदाहरण: हाल ही में, पफाइज़र कंपनी के एक कार्यकारी ने एक साक्षात्कार में बताया कि कैसे वे कोरोनावायरस के उत्परिवर्तन को नियंत्रित करने के लिए शोध कर रहे हैं। उनका उद्देश्य वायरस के स्वयं उत्परिवर्तित होने से पहले ही उसे उत्परिवर्तित करना है, ताकि उनकी दवाएँ प्रभावी रहें। लेकिन इसमें एक बड़ा खतरा है: यदि यह परिवर्तित वायरस समाज में फैल जाए, तो इससे बड़े पैमाने पर तबाही मच सकती है।

कॉर्पोरेट व्यवहार और नैतिक चिंताएँ

कुछ कंपनियों का व्यवहार भी चिंता का विषय है। अमेरिका में, सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य प्रणाली में सरकार दवाइयाँ खरीदती है, और लोग सरकार को कर देते हैं। इस तरह, पैसे का लेन-देन सरकार और कंपनियों के बीच होता है। कोविड वैक्सीन के दौरान, कंपनियों ने सरकार से ऐसे कानून पारित करवाए, जिससे उन्हें वैक्सीन से होने वाली किसी भी समस्या के लिए अदालती मामलों से छूट मिल गई। यह एक तरह से उनकी तरफ से सुरक्षा का एक बड़ा कदम था, लेकिन यह नैतिकता पर सवाल उठाता है।

कर्तव्य से विमुख होना

यह केवल कॉर्पोरेट या चिकित्सा क्षेत्र तक सीमित नहीं है। यदि एक राजा को अपने लोगों के कल्याण में सुख नहीं मिलता, तो वह उन्हें नियंत्रित करने और उनका शोषण करने में सुख पा सकता है, अपनी शक्ति का प्रदर्शन कर सकता है। भगवान कृष्ण ने अर्जुन से यही कहा था कि यदि वह अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य नहीं करेगा, तो वह समाज में उपद्रव पैदा करेगा।

आंतरिक संतुष्टि और पूर्व कर्म

हर व्यक्ति को अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करना चाहिए ताकि उसे आंतरिक संतुष्टि मिल सके। यह ज़रूरी नहीं कि सभी को बाहरी पहचान या नाम मिले। बाहरी मान्यता, जैसे कि प्रसिद्धि या धन, व्यक्ति के वर्तमान कर्म के साथ-साथ उसके पूर्व कर्मों से भी निर्धारित होती है।

उदाहरण के लिए, यदि कोई व्यक्ति बहुत अच्छा कीर्तन करता है, लेकिन वह ऐसी जगह पर है जहाँ कोई भक्त नहीं है, तो उसे उतनी पहचान नहीं मिलेगी जितनी किसी ऐसे व्यक्ति को मिलेगी जो हज़ारों भक्तों वाले मंदिर में कीर्तन करता है।

कर्तव्य से विमुख होने का कारण

यदि व्यक्ति को आंतरिक सुख नहीं मिल रहा है और वह केवल बाहरी फल, नाम या ख्याति के लिए कार्य कर रहा है, और यदि उसे वह बाहरी फल नहीं मिलता, तो वह विचलित हो जाता है। ऐसी स्थिति में, व्यक्ति सोच सकता है, “यदि मुझे यह नहीं मिल रहा है, तो मैं यह क्यों करूँ?”

अर्जुन का सवाल यही था: जब भगवान बार-बार कहते हैं कि व्यक्ति को अपना कर्तव्य करना चाहिए, तो फिर लोग अपने कर्तव्य से क्यों विमुख हो जाते हैं? यह इसलिए होता है क्योंकि व्यक्ति स्वार्थी हो जाता है, और यह कर्म योग के मार्ग में एक बाधा है। यह उन लोगों के लिए भी प्रासंगिक है जो जानते हुए भी गलत कार्य करते हैं, हालाँकि उन्हें पाप करने में आनंद नहीं आता।

अर्जुन का भ्रम और कर्तव्य का मार्ग

आपने जो बताया है, उसमें अर्जुन की दुविधा और भगवान कृष्ण द्वारा दिए गए समाधान पर विस्तार से चर्चा की गई है। इसे और स्पष्ट रूप से समझते हैं:

शुरुआत में, अर्जुन अपनी कमजोरी और क्रूरता के बारे में सवाल पूछते हैं। वह कहते हैं कि व्यक्ति न चाहते हुए भी कुछ ऐसे कार्य क्यों करता है जिनकी उसकी इच्छा नहीं होती, जैसे कोई बाहरी शक्ति उसे नियंत्रित कर रही हो। अर्जुन जानना चाहते हैं कि व्यक्ति अपने कर्तव्य से भ्रष्ट क्यों हो जाता है।

यहाँ ‘काम’ शब्द का अर्थ केवल कामवासना से नहीं है, बल्कि उस शक्ति से है जो व्यक्ति को निष्काम कर्म (निस्वार्थ भाव से कार्य करना) से सकाम कर्म (स्वार्थी भाव से कार्य करना) की ओर खींचती है। अर्जुन युद्धभूमि में युद्ध करने आए थे, लेकिन उनकी युद्ध करने की शक्ति और बुद्धि चली गई थी।

अर्जुन के संदर्भ में ‘काम’

भगवान कृष्ण अर्जुन को जो ‘काम’ और ‘क्रोध’ बता रहे हैं, वह अर्जुन के लिए केवल कामुकता से संबंधित नहीं है। अर्जुन आत्म-नियंत्रित थे, जैसा कि उर्वशी के प्रस्ताव को ठुकराने के उदाहरण से स्पष्ट है। अर्जुन के लिए ‘काम’ का अर्थ है स्वार्थपूर्ण या दूरदर्शिता रहित इच्छाएँ (selfish or short-sighted desires)। अर्जुन जानते थे कि युद्ध करना उनका कर्तव्य है, लेकिन वह इसके विपरीत जा रहे थे।

ज्ञान का आवरण और कर्तव्य का पालन

भगवान समझाते हैं कि भीष्म और द्रोण भी आत्मा हैं, और अर्जुन भी आत्मा हैं, लेकिन यह ज्ञान आवृत्त (ढका हुआ) हो गया है। इस आवरण से परे जाने के लिए ज्ञान की आवश्यकता है, जो भगवान भगवद्गीता में दे रहे हैं।

भ्रम दो कारणों से हो सकता है:

1. बौद्धिक भ्रम (Intellectual Confusion): जब व्यक्ति को यह समझ नहीं आता कि क्या सही है और क्या गलत।
2. मानसिक भ्रम (Mental Confusion/Desires): जब व्यक्ति को सही-गलत पता होता है, लेकिन फिर भी गलत करने की प्रबल इच्छा होती है।

गीता के आरंभ में (अध्याय 2, श्लोक 7), अर्जुन का भ्रम बौद्धिक था – उन्हें पता नहीं था कि क्या बेहतर है। लेकिन बाद में (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 36) उन्हें समझ आ गया कि युद्ध करना कर्तव्य है, फिर भी वह सोचते थे कि भीष्म जैसे पूजनीय व्यक्ति पर कैसे तीर चलाएँ।

बुद्धि और मन का महत्व

भगवान बताते हैं कि हमारी बौद्धिक स्तर पर भी इच्छाओं और वासनाओं से आवरण हो सकता है। सही कार्य करने के लिए हमें स्पष्ट बुद्धि और स्पष्ट मन की आवश्यकता है। बुद्धि के स्तर पर हमें पता होना चाहिए कि क्या सही है और क्या गलत, और मन के स्तर पर हमें उस सही कार्य को करने की इच्छा होनी चाहिए।

भगवान कहते हैं कि भले ही मन के स्तर पर वासनाएँ आ जाएँ, हमें बुद्धि के स्तर पर कार्य करना चाहिए। यदि हम बुद्धि के स्तर पर ज़िम्मेदारी से कार्य करेंगे, तो हम आगे बढ़ेंगे।

मिथ्याचारी से कर्मयोगी तक

संक्षेप में, आज की चर्चा इस प्रकार है:

• मिथ्याचारी से कर्मयोगी: भगवान सबसे पहले बताते हैं कि यदि आप वैराग्य के स्तर पर नहीं हैं, तो ढोंग करने (मिथ्याचारी बनने) से समाज का विनाश होगा और आपका पतन होगा। इसलिए कर्म योग करना बेहतर है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 1-8)
• ब्रह्मांडीय व्यवस्था (Cosmic Order): कर्म योग से ब्रह्मांड में व्यवस्था बनी रहती है। यज्ञ करने से देवता संतुष्ट होते हैं, जिससे वर्षा और अन्न की प्राप्ति होती है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 9-16)
• सामाजिक व्यवस्था (Social Order): कर्म योग से समाज में व्यवस्था बनी रहती है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 17-25)
• व्यक्तिगत सामंजस्य (Individual Harmony): कर्म योग से आप अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करते हैं, जिससे आप व्यक्तिगत रूप से अच्छी परिस्थिति में रहते हैं। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 26-35)
• कामवासना से परे (Beyond Kama): अंत में, भगवान बताते हैं कि आप धीरे-धीरे कामवासना से परे जा सकते हैं। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 37-43)

भगवान इन विभिन्न दृष्टिकोणों से यही बता रहे हैं कि आपको अपना कर्तव्य करना चाहिए। अभी तक भगवान ने भक्ति योग का सीधा उल्लेख नहीं किया है, हालांकि अगले अध्याय में इसका अधिक स्पष्टीकरण आएगा।

बुद्धि का उपयोग

जब अर्जुन भीष्म पितामह पर चिंतन करते हैं, तो उनकी युद्ध करने की दृढ़ता चली जाती है। अर्जुन को बौद्धिक स्तर पर यह देखना होगा कि भीष्म भी एक आत्मा हैं और उनका कर्तव्य उनके और समाज के कल्याण के लिए आवश्यक है।

आपकी बात सही है कि बुद्धि की दो भूमिकाएँ हो सकती हैं। कभी-कभी हम अपनी बुद्धि का उपयोग गलत कार्य को सही ठहराने के लिए करते हैं। अर्जुन ने पहले अध्याय में जो तर्क-वितर्क किया, उसमें उन्होंने अगले जन्म, धर्म, पाप और पुण्य की बात की, लेकिन वह पर्याप्त दूरदर्शितापूर्ण नहीं था।

अर्जुन की दृष्टि में, भीष्म पितामह और कौरवों के प्रति उनकी आसक्ति उनके भ्रम का कारण थी। अर्जुन अपनी बुद्धि से इस आसक्ति को सही ठहरा सकते थे, लेकिन वह भौतिक स्तर पर ही रहता। इसलिए भगवान कहते हैं कि हमें उस बुद्धि को त्यागना होगा जो हमें भौतिक सुख की ओर प्रवृत्त करती है, और उस बुद्धि को स्वीकार करना होगा जो हमें आध्यात्मिक मार्ग की ओर ले जाती है।

स्वभाव की पहचान और कलियुग की समस्या

कलियुग में व्यक्ति के लिए अपना स्वभाव समझना मुश्किल हो जाता है। इसके लिए आत्म-अवलोकन महत्वपूर्ण है। हम विभिन्न कार्य कर सकते हैं और देख सकते हैं कि:

1. क्या करना हमें अच्छा लगता है (गुण कर्म विभागशः)।
2. किन कार्यों में हम कुशल हैं (क्षमता)।

यदि इन दोनों का किसी एक कार्य में मिलन होता है, तो वह हमारा स्वभाव हो सकता है। जैसे कि एक व्यक्ति कंप्यूटर पर करताल बजाता है और खुश है, लेकिन शायद उसे ताल-सुर की समझ नहीं है, जिससे बाकी लोग खुश नहीं होते। हमें ऐसे कार्यों को पहचानना चाहिए जिनमें हम सहज भी हों और कुशल भी।

अर्जुन का भ्रम और कर्तव्य का मार्ग

आपने अर्जुन की दुविधा और भगवान कृष्ण द्वारा दिए गए समाधान पर विस्तार से चर्चा की है। इसे और स्पष्ट रूप से समझते हैं:

शुरुआत में, अर्जुन अपनी कमजोरी और क्रूरता के बारे में प्रश्न करते हैं। वह जानना चाहते हैं कि व्यक्ति न चाहते हुए भी ऐसे कार्य क्यों करता है जिनकी उसकी इच्छा नहीं होती, मानो कोई बाहरी शक्ति उसे नियंत्रित कर रही हो। अर्जुन समझना चाहते हैं कि व्यक्ति अपने कर्तव्य से भ्रष्ट क्यों हो जाता है।

यहां ‘काम’ शब्द का अर्थ केवल कामवासना से नहीं है, बल्कि उस शक्ति से है जो व्यक्ति को निष्काम कर्म (निस्वार्थ भाव से कार्य करना) से सकाम कर्म (स्वार्थी भाव से कार्य करना) की ओर खींचती है। अर्जुन युद्धभूमि में युद्ध करने आए थे, लेकिन उनकी युद्ध करने की शक्ति और बुद्धि चली गई थी।

अर्जुन के संदर्भ में ‘काम’

भगवान कृष्ण अर्जुन को जो ‘काम’ और ‘क्रोध’ बता रहे हैं, वह अर्जुन के लिए केवल कामुकता से संबंधित नहीं है। अर्जुन आत्म-नियंत्रित थे, जैसा कि उर्वशी के प्रस्ताव को ठुकराने के उदाहरण से स्पष्ट है। अर्जुन के लिए ‘काम’ का अर्थ है स्वार्थपूर्ण या दूरदर्शिता रहित इच्छाएँ (selfish or short-sighted desires)। अर्जुन जानते थे कि युद्ध करना उनका कर्तव्य है, लेकिन वह इसके विपरीत जा रहे थे।

ज्ञान का आवरण और कर्तव्य का पालन

भगवान समझाते हैं कि भीष्म और द्रोण भी आत्मा हैं, और अर्जुन भी आत्मा हैं, लेकिन यह ज्ञान आवृत्त (ढका हुआ) हो गया है। इस आवरण से परे जाने के लिए ज्ञान की आवश्यकता है, जो भगवान भगवद्गीता में दे रहे हैं।

भ्रम दो कारणों से हो सकता है:

1. बौद्धिक भ्रम (Intellectual Confusion): जब व्यक्ति को यह समझ नहीं आता कि क्या सही है और क्या गलत।
2. मानसिक भ्रम (Mental Confusion/Desires): जब व्यक्ति को सही-गलत पता होता है, लेकिन फिर भी गलत करने की प्रबल इच्छा होती है।

गीता के आरंभ में (अध्याय 2, श्लोक 7), अर्जुन का भ्रम बौद्धिक था—उन्हें पता नहीं था कि क्या बेहतर है। लेकिन बाद में (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 36) उन्हें समझ आ गया कि युद्ध करना कर्तव्य है, फिर भी वह सोचते थे कि भीष्म जैसे पूजनीय व्यक्ति पर कैसे तीर चलाएं।

बुद्धि और मन का महत्व

भगवान बताते हैं कि हमारी बौद्धिक स्तर पर भी इच्छाओं और वासनाओं से आवरण हो सकता है। सही कार्य करने के लिए हमें स्पष्ट बुद्धि और स्पष्ट मन की आवश्यकता है। बुद्धि के स्तर पर हमें पता होना चाहिए कि क्या सही है और क्या गलत, और मन के स्तर पर हमें उस सही कार्य को करने की इच्छा होनी चाहिए।

भगवान कहते हैं कि भले ही मन के स्तर पर वासनाएं आ जाएं, हमें बुद्धि के स्तर पर कार्य करना चाहिए। यदि हम बुद्धि के स्तर पर जिम्मेदारी से कार्य करेंगे, तो हम आगे बढ़ेंगे।

मिथ्याचारी से कर्मयोगी तक

संक्षेप में, आज की चर्चा इस प्रकार है:

• मिथ्याचारी से कर्मयोगी: भगवान सबसे पहले बताते हैं कि यदि आप वैराग्य के स्तर पर नहीं हैं, तो ढोंग करने (मिथ्याचारी बनने) से समाज का विनाश होगा और आपका पतन होगा। इसलिए कर्म योग करना बेहतर है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 1-8)
• ब्रह्मांडीय व्यवस्था (Cosmic Order): कर्म योग से ब्रह्मांड में व्यवस्था बनी रहती है। यज्ञ करने से देवता संतुष्ट होते हैं, जिससे वर्षा और अन्न की प्राप्ति होती है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 9-16)
• सामाजिक व्यवस्था (Social Order): कर्म योग से समाज में व्यवस्था बनी रहती है। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 17-25)
• व्यक्तिगत सामंजस्य (Individual Harmony): कर्म योग से आप अपने स्वभाव के अनुसार कार्य करते हैं, जिससे आप व्यक्तिगत रूप से अच्छी परिस्थिति में रहते हैं। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 26-35)
• कामवासना से परे (Beyond Kama): अंत में, भगवान बताते हैं कि आप धीरे-धीरे कामवासना से परे जा सकते हैं। (अध्याय 3, श्लोक 37-43)

भगवान इन विभिन्न दृष्टिकोणों से यही बता रहे हैं कि आपको अपना कर्तव्य करना चाहिए। अभी तक भगवान ने भक्ति योग का सीधा उल्लेख नहीं किया है, हालांकि अगले अध्याय में इसका अधिक स्पष्टीकरण आएगा।

बुद्धि का उपयोग

जब अर्जुन भीष्म पितामह पर चिंतन करते हैं, तो उनकी युद्ध करने की दृढ़ता चली जाती है। अर्जुन को बौद्धिक स्तर पर यह देखना होगा कि भीष्म भी एक आत्मा हैं और उनका कर्तव्य उनके और समाज के कल्याण के लिए आवश्यक है।

आपकी बात सही है कि बुद्धि की दो भूमिकाएं हो सकती हैं। कभी-कभी हम अपनी बुद्धि का उपयोग गलत कार्य को सही ठहराने के लिए करते हैं। अर्जुन ने पहले अध्याय में जो तर्क-वितर्क किया, उसमें उन्होंने अगले जन्म, धर्म, पाप और पुण्य की बात की, लेकिन वह पर्याप्त दूरदर्शितापूर्ण नहीं था।

अर्जुन की दृष्टि में, भीष्म पितामह और कौरवों के प्रति उनकी आसक्ति उनके भ्रम का कारण थी। अर्जुन अपनी बुद्धि से इस आसक्ति को सही ठहरा सकते थे, लेकिन वह भौतिक स्तर पर ही रहता। इसलिए भगवान कहते हैं कि हमें उस बुद्धि को त्यागना होगा जो हमें भौतिक सुख की ओर प्रवृत्त करती है, और उस बुद्धि को स्वीकार करना होगा जो हमें आध्यात्मिक मार्ग की ओर ले जाती है।

स्वभाव की पहचान और कलियुग की समस्या

कलियुग में व्यक्ति के लिए अपना स्वभाव समझना मुश्किल हो जाता है। इसके लिए आत्म-अवलोकन महत्वपूर्ण है। हम विभिन्न कार्य कर सकते हैं और देख सकते हैं कि:

• क्या करना हमें अच्छा लगता है (गुण कर्म विभागशः)।
• किन कार्यों में हम कुशल हैं (क्षमता)।

यदि इन दोनों का किसी एक कार्य में मिलन होता है, तो वह हमारा स्वभाव हो सकता है। जैसे कि एक व्यक्ति कंप्यूटर पर करताल बजाता है और खुश है, लेकिन शायद उसे ताल-सुर की समझ नहीं है, जिससे बाकी लोग खुश नहीं होते। हमें ऐसे कार्यों को पहचानना चाहिए जिनमें हम सहज भी हों और कुशल भी।

The post Hindi – Chapter 3 Bhagavad Gita And Decision Making Bhagavad Gita Overview Chaitanya Charan appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

This article describes the higher potential for the development of civilization that is offered through Vedic culture, and some of the tools for doing such as found therein. First of all, we should understand that the development of civilization, which means the upliftment of consciousness in society, should not be a fight or competition between
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Thousands of people are expected to join a procession as part of a Hindu festival in Leicester later this month. The Festival of Chariots, known as Rath Yatra, will take place on 22 June. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Leicester – a Hare Krishna branch of Hinduism which organises the event – said
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Śrimad Bhāgavatam 4.8.53 | HG Pancharatna
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The Chida-dadhi Mahotsav, also known as the Chipped Rice Festival of Panihati, is a yearly celebration of the pastimes of Srila Raghunatha dasa Goswami and Lord Nityananda Prabhu. Thisastonishing pastime took place on the banks of the Ganges atPanihati, which is just north of Calcutta. Lord Caitanya and his associates enjoyed many transcendental pastimes here.
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The new temple building will be modern and functional and will be accented with elements of classical Vedic architecture. The following are the key components of the planned temple: • Vedic Temple Architecture • Spacious Darshan Hall (3,500 sqft) • Educational Facilities • Community Hall and Auditorium • Commercial Kitchen • Library • Vedic Books
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Question:
When the Bhagavad Gita appears to be talking about Karma Yoga, why do we suddenly find purports that emphasize Bhakti Yoga? How do we deal with this when trying to teach the Gita systematically?

Answer:
I’ll make three points to address this: Prabhupada’s strategy, his overall vision and purpose, and how we can align our approach accordingly.

1. Prabhupada’s Perspective and Strategy:
Srila Prabhupada approached his translations and purports with a sense of urgency. He was elderly when he began writing, and after surviving a severe heart attack in 1967, there was never any certainty about how much time he had left. Naturally, this sense of urgency shaped his presentation. He was not aiming for a technical commentary but rather a spiritually transformational one that could benefit as many people as quickly and deeply as possible.

Prabhupada was also deeply aware of his audience. He understood that many readers may not have the patience to go through the technical nuances of the Gita, so he emphasized its essential spiritual message on every page. He once mentioned that anyone opening any page of his books should be able to understand the fundamental truths:

• We are souls, not bodies.
• We are eternal servants of Krishna.
• Life’s goal is to serve Krishna and return back to Godhead.
• Chanting the holy names is the means.

This consistent emphasis reflects Prabhupada’s clarity of purpose—making people Krishna conscious.

2. Was Prabhupada Misrepresenting the Gita?
Not at all. Prabhupada was faithful to Krishna’s ultimate conclusion in the Gita, which is Bhakti. In 18.66, Krishna clearly states:
“Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śaraṇaṁ vraja…”
So, what Prabhupada does is present that conclusion throughout the Gita, not just at the end.

Some might argue that this approach disrupts the flow of the Gita, especially in sections that are primarily about Karma Yoga or Jnana Yoga. However, Prabhupada was aware of the flow. For example, at the end of Chapter 2, he notes that Karma Yoga has been discussed with a hint of Bhakti. He quotes 2.61, which Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakur identifies as the first “drop” of Bhakti. Yet, Prabhupada expands on it significantly, describing Ambarisha Maharaj’s full engagement in devotional service. So, he knows both what the Gita is doing and what he is doing.

If Prabhupada had intended to obscure the text, he could have avoided including the Sanskrit verses and word-for-word meanings. But he didn’t. He transparently presented the original text alongside his translations and purports, thus encouraging readers to think critically.

3. What About Our Role as Teachers?
This brings us to our purpose. Are we teaching Krishna consciousness using the Gita? Or are we teaching the Gita itself?

• If our goal is to inspire Krishna consciousness, then Prabhupada’s purports offer a powerful tool.
• If our goal is to teach the Gita as a philosophical text, we might need to trace the unfolding of Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Dhyana Yoga, and Bhakti Yoga as Krishna presents them.

This distinction is important. The Bhagavad Gita contains space for people at various levels—those interested in Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and ultimately, Bhakti Yoga. Krishna doesn’t rush everyone to surrender in the second chapter itself; he allows a gradual evolution.

We can visualize this as two overlapping circles:

• One is the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), rooted in the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition.
• The other is the Bhagavad Gita as a standalone text with its own philosophical flow.

They intersect significantly, but they are not identical. ISKCON is based on the broader Gaudiya Vaishnava canon, including the Bhagavatam and Chaitanya Charitamrita, which many consider more central than the Gita itself in our tradition.

Interestingly, Prabhupada once mentioned that he would like to write another commentary on the Gita, possibly from the perspective of another acharya. This suggests that he saw his own commentary as one valid expression within a larger tradition, and that there was room for complementary approaches.

Conclusion:
If our purpose is to teach Krishna consciousness, then Prabhupada’s purports serve us well. But if our purpose is to teach the Gita systematically, we may let Krishna’s own words guide the reader at their natural pace. Helping people gradually connect with Krishna’s message, allowing the text to speak for itself, is also a valid and potent form of Krishna consciousness.

More and more devotees today are moving toward this second approach—not to replace Prabhupada’s vision, but to complement it and reach broader audiences who may connect more deeply when the Gita is allowed to unfold organically.

The post When the Bhagavad Gita seems to be talking about Karma Yoga, why are there suddenly purports which talk about Bhakti Yoga? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Mandodari: The Power of Unheard Wisdom

Not all leaders wear crowns—and not all dissenters seek rebellion. Mandodari, the queen of Lanka and wife of Ravana, stands out in the Ramayana as one of the most tragically overlooked voices of reason.

When Ravana abducted Sita, Mandodari repeatedly warned him: “Return her. This path will only bring ruin.”

Her words fell on deaf ears. Ravana, intoxicated by power and ego, dismissed her wisdom. She had no army. No ministers. No allies. All she had was moral clarity—and the courage to speak it.

Mandodari didn’t lead a rebellion. She didn’t storm the gates. She simply held her ground and told the truth.

Leadership Lesson: True leadership isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always command the room. Sometimes, it’s the quiet voice of dissent that holds the deepest integrity.

And on the flip side: Ravana failed not only because he acted recklessly—but because he refused to listen. He silenced dissent. And it destroyed him.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders: Are there Mandodaris in your team? Voices that see what others miss—who may not shout, but sense danger long before it arrives?

The question isn’t whether such voices exist. The question is: Are you listening?

The post Leadership Lessons from the Ramayana – Through Lesser-Known Characters appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

We all know Hanuman as the mighty hero who leapt across the ocean. But do you know who reminded him he could?

Before that legendary leap, Hanuman was hesitant. Unsure of himself. It was Jambavan, the wise elder of the Vanaras, who stepped forward—not to fly himself, but to ignite belief in Hanuman.

“You have the strength,” Jambavan said. And just like that, a leap became a legacy.

Jambavan didn’t take center stage. He didn’t lead the mission. But he enabled it—silently, powerfully.

Leadership Lesson: Great leaders don’t just shine. They help others shine. They see dormant potential and give it a voice.

Jambavan reminds us that mentorship is one of leadership’s highest forms. It’s not about being the hero. It’s about making heroes.

Takeaway for Today’s Leaders: Look around you. Who’s your Hanuman? And can you be their Jambavan?

The post Jambavan: The Mentor Who Made a Hero appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

The context

The world has recently been treated to the spectacle of the Elon Musk and Donald Trump spat—which has turned nasty very rapidly. What was initially promised to be a bromance for the ages has withered away and degenerated into a public spat with accusations being hurled at each other in public. Irrespective of the specific political affiliations of the individuals involved, the fact remains. that a confrontation between the politically most powerful person in the world and the financially most powerful person in the world does not occur well for the world at large, not just the United States of America. What can we learn from this? If we apply the lens of the Bhagavad Gita, broadly I will talk about three things, the cause, the conduct and the consequence.

The cause

In terms of the cause of the conflict, there are broadly three factors being considered, the political, the business and the personal. At a political level, Musk was called in to make certain changes but he could not make in the government changes in the same way he would have liked to make based on the way a business operates. And. that just is a basic limitation of politics. As it is often said, politics is the art of the possible, not the ideal. And when he felt. that changes. that he had worked hard to make were being rolled back, he exploded. The financial level, when the spending was being expanded but support. that was given previously to his business of electric cars is now being stopped. Actually, he felt as if he was getting the worst of both worlds. Having lost, having failed to achieve, to bring about the change in the spending by the political establishment and having lost business credibility as well as business capital. And thirdly, at a personal level, people who are financially successful frequently have an ego and do not like to be publicly told. that they are wrong. The result overall when they feel challenged is. that they lash out at each other. So, the Bhagavad Gita talks about in its 18th chapter, perception can be either in the mode of goodness, passion or ignorance. Perception in goodness looks at the commonality and seeks harmony, perception and passion, sees the differences and ensures coexistence, settles for coexistence as long as it does not compromise on one’s own. Surviving and thriving, perception and ignorance sees differences and considers them non-negotiable and leads to confrontations. that can be not just disruptive but even destructive. This is talked about in three successive verses from 18.20 to 22. We see the perceptions here in the mode of ignorance, unfortunately, dominating the public discourse between these two individuals leading to their escalated public spat. Of course, like in most such situations, there may well be more than what meets the eye. But we can make inferences only based on what we know.

The conduct

When it comes to the conduct of the conflict,we see aspersions being cast and even allegations being made not just about the other person’s judgment or ability but even their morality and motives. The Bhagavad Gita 16.2 recommends aversion to fault-finding as a defining quality of those with godly nature. Unfortunately, those who may be driven by or even dominated by an ungodly nature often speak with harshness and anger as outlined in 16.4 to phrase in contemporary terms. Aversion to fault-finding would mean giving the other person the benefit of the doubt and not ascribing the worst possible motive for a particular questionable action but starting with the, in a charitable spirit with the least negative motive for an action. that we do not comprehend or agree with.

In general, when someone does something which we do not like, we could find ourselves in a relational JAM, where JAM is an acronym that refers to three possible causes for the difference of opinion, judgment, ability and motive or morality. So, the least negative ascription to a questionable,  that the other person has the right intentions and also has the right intelligence, that is, the person has both the morality and the ability to be in that particular role, but has arrived at an error of judgment. Though the decision taken is  wrong, there’s still the hope that the person may learn by experience and would thus improve. The more negative ascription would be to assume. that the person lacks the ability to be in. that particular role, wherein we start criticizing not just, what is criticized is not just the particular decision as a judgment error, but the very competence of the person to be in. that particular role. This happened when the accusation was made that not only the particular bill, supposedly called the big beautiful bill, should be opposed by the concerned legislators, but. that the head of state should be impeached. The most damaging ascription, however, is to question the morality of the person involved, where the underlying or even the explicit message is that the person is not operating in good faith and is morally not just challenged but also compromised. This happened when the allegation of the head of state being involved with a convicted child trafficker Epstein was tossed around, and questioning the judgment of a powerful person is itself problematic and for it is painful for that person. Questioning their ability is far more painful, but questioning their morality often wrecks the relationship to a point of no return. That brings us to the last point of our discussion: the consequence.

The consequence The Bhagavad Gita explains. that for speech to be effective, we need to discipline it in two broad ways. Ensuring that it is both sensible and sensitive—sensible in the sense that it is truthful and helpful; and sensitive in the sense that it is non-agitating and pleasing, as stated in 17.15. We all have the power to speak, which is like having a permanently loaded gun with us and we all can hurt each other with the words. that we speak with our tongue, just as the bullets from a gun can hurt severely. In. that context, it becomes even more important for us to have some level of inner mastery, self-mastery. If we have powerful guns, as happens when people have influential positions and correspondingly widely heard social media platforms. which can broadcast their voices and views to millions or even billions.

From perception to provocation

We can only hope that better sense prevails and somehow good counsel helps both these contending parties to arrive at least at a detente, if not at a reconciliation. The Ramayana depicts a sordid saga wherein the brothers Vali and Sugriva end up from being the closest of friends to becoming the harshest of enemies or more precisely it is Vali who is the elder and stronger brother who starts treating his younger brother Sugriva as a traitor and a threat to his life and thereby starts pursuing and persecuting him for the purpose of assassinating him. This starts as an unfortunate circumstance involving a judgment error where Sugriva thinks that Vali has been killed by a demon and who therefore closes the door of the cave in which the fight occurred in order to trap  that mighty demon inside. However, it is mistaken by Vali to be evidence that Sugriva lacks morality and so plotted to have him trapped in the cave so. that Sugriva could usurp the kingdom. By thus ascribing the worst possible motive for his brother’s actions and by refusing to give him any opportunity to clarify the reasoning for his actions, it is primarily Vali’s actions that turn their bromance into enmity. It is only due to Lord Ram’s intervention where his arrow shot unexpectedly and apparently unfairly into the heart of Vali forcefully reminds. that mighty monkey king about how unexpected and unfair his own attack on Sugriva must have felt to that younger brother. It is only through that realization brought about by the seemingly questionable but ultimately beneficial intervention of Lord Ram that there happens to be a deathbed reconciliation between the two alienated brothers. That reconciliation is brought about by three key actions primarily on the part of Vali who firstly acknowledges that he made a serious mistake in his evaluation of Sugriva’s actions, then apologizes for the viciousness of his attacks and finally makes amends by giving to his wronged brother the gift of a life-preserving celestial necklace that he could very easily have passed on to his son and as would be the norm expected from a dying father. Life is quite complex and incidents across history are so nuanced. that generally there are no strict parallels between two incidents. In the spat between Musk and Trump there may well be differences of opinion about who is in the position of Vali and who in the position of Sugriva—that is, who is in the wrong and who has been wronged. Nonetheless, the principles for reconciliation involving acknowledging, apologizing and amending still remain true and hopefully it won’t require an act of nature or God to bring about a deathbed reconciliation and. that there can be some sort of patching up before. that. And more relevantly for all of us, we can learn principles to resolve our conflicts among each other without letting them become a public spectacle, even if our stage may not be as public as this, as in for these two individuals.

The post The Musk–Trump Spat: A Gita-Inspired Reflection on Conflict appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

We have gathered at the lotus feet of the Pancha-tattva on this most auspicious occasion of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami’s cida-dadhi festival, the background to which can be found in his early life. Raghunatha dasa’s uncle and father, Hiranya and Govardhana Majumadara, were wealthy landlords in Bengal—almost like kings—and had a huge, opulent riverside palace, with boats that plied the river. Hiranya and Govardhana were generous and devoted to brahminical culture, and they practically maintained the entire brahman community of Nadia with their charity. Raghunatha was their only son, so naturally they put all their hopes in him to carry on the family dynasty. But from a young age, Raghunatha was attracted to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Majumadaras’ spiritual master was Yadunandana Acharya, a disciple of Advaita Acharya (of the Pancha-tattva) and an intimate student of Vasudeva Datta, and their family’s priest was Balarama Acharya, a dear associate of Haridasa Thakura and close friend of Yadunandana Acharya. Balarama Acharya and Yadunandana Acharya used to host Haridasa Thakura, and when Haridasa stayed in their village, Raghunatha visited him daily and received his mercy. Balarama Acharya also invited Haridasa Thakura to speak in the Majumadaras’ assembly about the glories of the holy name. Thus Raghunatha dasa had the association of these great souls, followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who would tell him about Mahaprabhu and encourage him to chant.

Once, when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, after taking sannyasa, visited Shantipur, Raghunatha dasa went to meet Him. In pure love, he fell at Lord Chaitanya’s lotus feet, and the Lord, out of His mercy, blessed him with the touch of His feet. Raghunatha served the Lord for a week, and after he returned home he was mad with ecstatic love. He wanted to join Mahaprabhu in Puri, but his family would not allow him. Time and again he would run away from home to go to Puri, and every time, his father would catch him and bring him back. His father even kept five watchmen to guard him day and night, four servants to see to his comforts, and two brahmans to cook for him, so eleven people were engaged to serve him and make sure he did not go to Puri. Later, when Mahaprabhu again visited Shantipur, Raghunatha begged his father, “Please allow me to see the lotus feet of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Otherwise, my life will not remain in my body.” So, his father allowed him to go to Shantipur, sending many servants to accompany him. For seven days Raghunatha stayed in the Lord’s association, constantly thinking, “How will I get free from the watchmen? How will I be able to go with Mahaprabhu to Puri?” The Lord, being omniscient, could understand Raghunatha’s mind, and He reassured him with some important statements. These instructions form the background of the Panihati festival, and we shall read them as they are recorded in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila, Chapter Sixteen: “The Lord’s Attempt to go to Vrndavana.”

TEXT 237

“sthira hana ghare yao, na hao vatula
krame krame paya loka bhava-sindhu-kula

TRANSLATION

[Lord Chaitanya told Raghunatha dasa:] “Be patient and return home. Don’t be a crazy fellow. By and by you will be able to cross the ocean of material existence.

TEXT 238

“markata-vairagya na kara loka dekhana
yatha-yogya visaya bhunja’ anasakta hana

TRANSLATION

“You should not make yourself a showbottle devotee and become a false renunciant. For the time being, enjoy the material world in a befitting way and do not become attached to it.”

PURPORT by Srila Prabhupada

The word markata-vairagya, indicating false renunciation, is very important in this verse. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, in commenting on this word, points out that monkeys make an external show of renunciation by not accepting clothing and by living naked in the forest. In this way they consider themselves renunciants, but actually they are very busy enjoying sense gratification with dozens of female monkeys. Such renunciation is called markata-vairagya—the renunciation of a monkey. One cannot become really renounced until one actually becomes disgusted with material activity and sees it as a stumbling block to spiritual advancement. Renunciation should not be phalgu, temporary, but should exist throughout one’s life. Temporary renunciation, or monkey renunciation, is like the renunciation one feels at a cremation ground. When a man takes a dead body to the crematorium, he sometimes thinks, “This is the final end of the body. Why am I working so hard day and night?” Such sentiments naturally arise in the mind of any man who goes to a crematorial ghata. However, as soon as he returns from the cremation grounds, he again engages in material activity for sense enjoyment. This is called smasana-vairagya, or markata-vairagya.

In order to render service to the Lord, one may accept necessary things. If one lives in this way, he may actually become renounced. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.108), it is said:

yavata syat sva-nirvahah
  svi-kuryat tavad artha-vit
adhikye nyunatayam ca
  cyavate paramarthatah

“The bare necessities of life must be accepted, but one should not superfluously increase his necessities. Nor should they be unnecessarily decreased. One should simply accept what is necessary to help one advance spiritually.”

In his Durgama-sangamani, Sri Jiva Gosvami comments that the word sva-nirvahah actually means sva-sva-bhakti-nirvahah. The experienced devotee will accept only those material things that will help him render service to the Lord. In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (1.2.256), markata-vairagya, or phalgu-vairagya, is explained as follows:

prapancikataya buddhya
  hari-sambandhi-vastunah
mumuksubhih parityago
  vairagyam phalgu kathyate

“When persons eager to achieve liberation renounce things related to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, thinking them to be material, their renunciation is called incomplete.” Whatever is favorable for the rendering of service to the Lord should be accepted and should not be rejected as a material thing. Yukta-vairagya, or befitting renunciation, is thus explained:

anasaktasya visayan
   yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
  yuktam vairagyam ucyate

“Things should be accepted for the Lord’s service and not for one’s personal sense gratification. If one accepts something without attachment and accepts it because it is related to Krsna, one’s renunciation is called yukta-vairagya.” Since Krsna is the Absolute Truth, whatever is accepted for His service is also the Absolute Truth. . . .

COMMENT by Giriraj Swami

In the Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu Srila Rupa Gosvami enumerates sixty-four items of devotional service, beginning with guru-padasraya, taking shelter of a spiritual master; krsna-diksadi-siksanam, taking initiation and instruction from him; visrambhena guroh seva, serving him with respect; and sad-dharma-prccha, inquiring about one’s eternal duties. And at the end of the list he discusses certain items that he has not included but which one might think could or should have been included. One such item is the cultivation of vairagya (detachment), and Rupa Gosvami explains why he has not included it. He says that bhakti by nature makes the heart soft. The primary activities of bhakti, hearing and chanting about Krishna and remembering Him, make the heart soft, whereas the cultivation of speculative knowledge and performance of artificial austerities tend to make the heart hard—the exact opposite of bhakti.

The question then arises, “If we do not cultivate detachment from material things, are we meant to be attached to them?” The answer, of course, is no. Shastra says that a person absorbed in material enjoyment is far from being absorbed in Krishna. Then how do we resolve this dilemma—that we do not want to be attached to material things yet do not want to cultivate detachment from them? In reply, Rupa Gosvami says that a taste for devotional service itself will destroy one’s material attachments, without the hardness of heart caused by the practice of vairagya. And in this important verse he explains what kind of vairagya is suitable for bhakti:

anasaktasya visayan
  yatharham upayunjatah
nirbandhah krsna-sambandhe
  yuktam vairagyam ucyate

Anasaktasya means “without being attached,” and visayan means “material sense objects.” Without being attached, when one engages (upayunjatah) material sense objects in appropriate ways (yatharham) in relation to Krishna (krsna-sambandhe)—in devotional service—that is called proper renunciation (yuktam vairagyam ucyate).

Srila Prabhupada used to cite the example of a famous monk in India who was supposed to be so renounced that if anyone offered him money, his hand would curl and turn away. Srila Prabhupada said, “But if anyone offers us money, we will immediately take it and use it in Krishna’s service.”

The impersonalists, who have no idea of Krishna—the beauty of Krishna—or of the actual identity of the living entity as the eternal servant of Krishna, may pose as being renounced, but actually they are not. So, in contrast to yukta-vairagya, Rupa Gosvami composed a verse that describes phalgu-vairagya. The Phalgu is a river in Bihar that has the peculiar quality of appearing like dry land. On the surface is sand, but underneath is water—a real river, with a strong current. The renunciation of impersonalists who reject the world—who reject material things as maya (illusion) even when related to the Lord—is called phalgu. On the surface they appear to be renounced, but underneath is a strong current of material desire.

In the beginning of his discussion of bhakti, Rupa Gosvami poses the question of what makes one eligible—what is the adhikara—for bhakti, and he quotes a verse from the Eleventh Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam:

yadrcchaya mat-kathadau
  jata-sraddhas tu yah puman
na nirvinno nati-sakto
  bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-dah

First, one should have faith (adau sraddha)—faith in and attraction to the messages of Krishna (mat-kathadau). And na nirvinno nati-sakto: one should not be too attached or too detached. This too might seem odd, but the Bhagavatam explains that if someone is too attached to material life, they will be unable to take to bhakti but will be inclined to fruitive activities (karma), and if they are too averse, too negative, they will take to jnana, impersonal speculation. For bhakti, one should be neither too attached nor too detached, too disgusted with material life.

yadrcchaya mat-kathadau
  jata-sraddhas tu yah puman
na nirvinno nati-sakto
  bhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-dah

“If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither very disgusted with nor attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me.” (SB 11.20.8) In other words, one should be in the middle. Then the heart will be open to bhakti. Both sense gratification and artificial renunciation make the heart hard.

So, what did Lord Chaitanya tell Raghunatha dasa? First He said, “Don’t be a crazy fellow. Don’t be a monkey renunciant.” That is what Raghunatha should not do. Now, what should he do?

TEXT 239

“antare nistha kara, bahye loka-vyavahara
acirat krsna tomaya karibe uddhara

TRANSLATION

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu continued, “Within your heart you should keep yourself very faithful, but externally you may behave like an ordinary man. Thus Krsna will soon be very pleased and deliver you from the clutches of maya.

TEXT 240

“vrndavana dekhi’ yabe asiba nilacale
tabe tumi ama-pasa asiha kona chale

“You may see Me at Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri, when I return after visiting Vrndavana. By that time you can think of some trick to escape.

TEXT 241

“se chala se-kale krsna sphurabe tomare
krsna-krpa yanre, tare ke rakhite pare”

“What kind of means you will have to use at that time will be revealed by Krsna. If one has Krsna’s mercy, no one can check him.”

TEXTS 242–243

In this way, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu bade farewell to Raghunatha dasa, who returned home and did exactly what the Lord told him.

After returning home, Raghunatha dasa gave up all craziness and external pseudo renunciation and engaged in his household duties without attachment.

COMMENT

For one year Raghunatha remained at home, acting exactly as advised by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXT 15

bhitare vairagya, bahire kare sarva-karma
dekhiya ta’ mata-pitara anandita mana

“Raghunatha dasa was inwardly completely renounced, even in family life, but he did not express his renunciation externally. Instead, he acted just like an ordinary businessman. Seeing this, his father and mother were satisfied.” (Cc Antya 6.15)

COMMENT

Raghunatha expertly handled a serious legal implication that could have led to his uncle’s arrest, thus saving his family from a difficult situation with the Muslim government. And because he was acting like a proper materialist, his family members were happy and relaxed their guard.

As a relatively new devotee, I really liked the image of Raghunatha dasa Gosvami in Vrindavan, although I did not know what his internal consciousness actually was. And I wanted to be like him—a gosvami in Vrindavan, staying one night under one tree and another night under another tree. I never said anything to Srila Prabhupada, but because he was empowered by the Lord, he could understand my mind—just as Lord Chaitanya could understand Raghunatha’s mind. One day I was sitting before Prabhupada in his room in Juhu—I hadn’t said anything—and he just looked at me and said, “First you manage your father’s property like Raghunatha dasa Gosvami, then you go to Vrindavan and be a gosvami.” He was very concerned about the Juhu project.

Finally, although Raghunatha dasa was still being watched by guards, he got the idea to meet Nityananda Prabhu in nearby Panihati. He thought, “Let me see Nityananda Prabhu, even if the guards come with me. At least let me see Lord Nityananda.”

Now we shall read from Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Antya-lila, Chapter Six: “Lord Caitanya Meets Raghunatha dasa Gosvami.”

TEXTS 35–41

In this way Raghunatha dasa passed one year exactly like a first-class business manager, but the next year he again decided to leave home.

He got up alone one night and left, but his father caught him in a distant place and brought him back.

This became almost a daily affair. Raghunatha would run away from home, and his father would again bring him back. Then Raghunatha dasa’s mother spoke to his father as follows.

“Our son has become mad,” she said. “Just keep him by binding him with ropes.” His father, being very unhappy, replied to her as follows.

“Raghunatha dasa, our son, has opulences like Indra, the heavenly king, and his wife is as beautiful as an angel. Yet all this could not tie down his mind.

“How then could we keep this boy home by binding him with ropes? It is not possible even for one’s father to nullify the reactions of one’s past activities.

“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has fully bestowed His mercy on him. Who can keep home such a madman of Caitanyacandra?”

COMMENT

Sometimes the parents of Srila Prabhupada’s disciples also thought that their children had become mad. Once, two brothers, Bruce and Greg Scharf (later initiated as Brahmananda and Gargamuni), joined Srila Prabhupada’s movement and their mother came to Prabhupada and complained that her boys had become crazy. After speaking with her for some time, Prabhupada invited her to join him in the temple room, and there he gave a class: “Who is Crazy?” He said, “What is the definition of ‘crazy’? A crazy person is someone who doesn’t know who he is.” For example, if I think I am Napoleon Bonaparte or Theodore Roosevelt or Mahatma Gandhi—if I don’t know who I am—that means I am crazy. Srila Prabhupada concluded, “So anyone who thinks he is the body is crazy, because he doesn’t know who he is. So, who is crazy? Are these boys crazy—these devotees—or are you crazy?”

TEXTS 42–44

Then Raghunatha dasa considered something in his mind, and the next day he went to Nityananda Gosani.

In the village of Panihati, Raghunatha dasa obtained an interview with Nityananda Prabhu, who was accompanied by many kirtana performers, servants, and others.

Sitting on a rock under a tree on the bank of the Ganges, Lord Nityananda seemed as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.

COMMENT

Narottama dasa Thakura sings, nitai-pada-kamala koti-candra-susitala: “The lotus feet of Lord Nityananda are as cooling as hundreds of thousands of moons.” And here He is described as being “as effulgent as hundreds of thousands of rising suns.” He Himself is like the sun and the moon.

TEXTS 45–47

Many devotees sat on the ground surrounding Him. Seeing the influence of Nityananda Prabhu, Raghunatha dasa was astonished.

Raghunatha dasa offered his obeisances by falling prostrate at a distant place, and the servant of Nityananda Prabhu pointed out, “There is Raghunatha dasa, offering You obeisances.”

Hearing this, Lord Nityananda Prabhu said, “You are a thief. Now you have come to see Me. Come here, come here. Today I shall punish you!”

COMMENT

Out of humility, Raghunatha dasa had offered obeisances from a distance, but Lord Nityananda, in a humorous mood, said that he was like a thief—one who hides in the shadows on the outskirts. At this time Raghunatha dasa was a young man, only about twenty-two years old.

TEXTS 48–51

The Lord called him, but Raghunatha dasa did not go near the Lord. Then the Lord forcibly caught him and placed His lotus feet upon Raghunatha dasa’s head.

Lord Nityananda was by nature very merciful and funny. Being merciful, He spoke to Raghunatha dasa as follows.

“You are just like a thief, for instead of coming near, you stay away at a distant place. Now that I have captured you, I shall punish you.

“Make a festival and feed all My associates yogurt and chipped rice.” Hearing this, Raghunatha dasa was greatly pleased.

COMMENT

This was a humorous request, because Raghunatha dasa was practically a prince and chipped rice is a most simple food. It would be as if Mukesh Ambani, now one of the richest men in the world, came to the temple and said, “I want to do some service” and Tukarama Prabhu, the temple president, replied, “Okay, buy puffed rice for all the devotees.” That would be a joke. Imagine: Raghunatha dasa is living in unlimited opulence, like Indra, the king of heaven, and Nityananda Prabhu says, “Oh, I am going to punish you! You have to serve chipped rice and yogurt to all My associates.”

TEXTS 52–54

Raghunatha dasa immediately sent his own men to the village to purchase all kinds of eatables and bring them back.

Raghunatha dasa brought chipped rice, yogurt, milk, sweetmeats, sugar, bananas, and other eatables and placed them all around.

As soon as they heard that a festival was going to be held, all kinds of brahmanas and other gentlemen began to arrive . . .

COMMENT

Just like here, you all heard that there was a festival, and so you came.

TEXT 54 (continued)

Thus there were innumerable people.

TEXTS 55–60

Seeing the crowd increasing, Raghunatha dasa arranged to get more eatables from other villages. He also brought two to four hundred large, round earthen pots.

He also obtained five or seven especially large earthen pots, and in these pots a brahmana began soaking chipped rice for the satisfaction of Lord Nityananda.

In one place, chipped rice was soaked in hot milk in each of the large pots. Then half the rice was mixed with yogurt, sugar, and bananas.

The other half was mixed with condensed milk and a special type of banana known as canpa-kala. Then sugar, clarified butter, and camphor were added.

After Nityananda Prabhu had changed His cloth for a new one and sat on a raised platform, the brahmana brought before Him the seven huge pots.

On that platform, all the most important associates of Sri Nityananda Prabhu, as well as other important men, sat down in a circle around the Lord.

COMMENT

Next the author lists various great associates of Nityananda Prabhu who were present. Nityananda Prabhu is the incarnation of Balarama, just as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is the incarnation of Krishna, and Balarama is always associated with His cowherd boyfriends. Many of Lord Balarama’s cowherd boyfriends in krsna-lila descended on earth at the time of gaura-lila and took birth in brahman and other families. Many of them became associates of Lord Nityananda, and one of them, Uddharana Datta Thakura, who was also with Him at Panihati, appeared in a family that was related to the family in which Srila Prabhupada later appeared.

TEXTS 64–66

Hearing about the festival, all kinds of learned scholars, brahmanas, and priests went there. Lord Nityananda Prabhu honored them and made them sit on the raised platform with Him.

Everyone was offered two earthen pots. In one was put chipped rice with condensed milk, and in the other chipped rice with yogurt.

All the other people sat in groups around the platform. No one could count how many people there were.

COMMENT

Each person was supplied two pots, one with chipped rice and yogurt and one with chipped rice and condensed milk. Raghunatha dasa kept purchasing more chipped rice, more milk and yogurt, more bananas and other fruits, and more sweets. Not only did brahmans hear about the festival and come to partake, but merchants heard too and came to sell their goods. Raghunatha dasa would buy their chipped rice and yogurt and sweets and bananas, and then he would feed them the very same food. The multitude of people eventually occupied all the space on the land, and when there was no more place to sit, people started to stand on the bank of the Ganges and eat. And when all the space on the bank was taken, people began to stand in the water of the Ganges and eat their chipped rice and yogurt.

Toward the end of the feast, Nityananda Prabhu, in meditation, brought Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu to see the fun. Lord Nityananda stood up and walked with Him amidst all the eaters. As a joke, He took a morsel of rice from each pot and put it in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mouth, and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu took a morsel from each pot and put it in Nityananda Prabhu’s mouth, laughing as He made Him eat it. But nobody could understand what Nityananda Prabhu was doing. Only some rare, fortunate souls could see that Lord Chaitanya was also present.

The entire pastime is very nice, but time does not allow us to read or describe it all in detail. Suffice to say, in the words of Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Antya 6.90, 89, 88):

sri-ramadasadi gopa premavista haila
ganga-tire ‘yamuna-pulina’ jnana kaila

“All the confidential devotees who were cowherd boys, headed by Sri Ramadasa, were absorbed in ecstatic love. They thought the bank of the Ganges to be the bank of the Yamuna.”

nityananda-prabhava-krpa janibe kon jana?
mahaprabhu ani’ karaya pulina-bhojana

“Who can understand the influence and mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu? He is so powerful that He induced Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu to come eat chipped rice on the bank of the Ganges.”

nityananda mahaprabhu-krpalu, udara
raghunathera bhagye eta kaila angikara

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda Prabhu are extremely merciful and liberal. It was Raghunatha dasa’s good fortune that They accepted all these dealings.”

Another great devotee of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu was Raghava Pandita, who lived nearby, in Panihati. During the festival he came and invited Nityananda Prabhu to his house for prasada, and Nityananda replied, “I belong to a community of cowherd boys, and I generally have many cowherd associates with Me. I am happy when we picnic like this by the bank of a river. So let Me eat this food here now, and in the evening I shall eat at your home.”

That evening, as promised, Nityananda Prabhu came to Raghava Pandita’s house. He performed sankirtana in Raghava’s temple and inspired all the devotees to dance. Then He Himself began to dance, thus inundating the world with ecstatic love. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally came to see Nityananda Prabhu’s sweet, ecstatic dancing, but only Lord Nityananda could see Him. Thereafter, Raghava Pandita served Lord Chaitanya, Lord Nityananda, and Their associates a sumptuous feast, and after everyone was satisfied, he gave Raghunatha dasa the remnants of food left by Gaura and Nitai on Their plates.

kahila,—“caitanya gosani kariyachena bhojana
tanra sesa paile, tomara khandila bandhana”

He said to Raghunatha, “Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu has eaten this food. If you take His remnants, you will be released from the bondage of your family.” (Cc Antya 6.123)

As stated in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Raghava Pandita would always prepare a plate for Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and every day Chaitanya Mahaprabhu would come and eat at Raghava Pandita’s house, sometimes allowing Raghava Pandita to see Him. On this occasion, Raghava Pandita was pleased to see that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu had come to honor the prasada at the place he had set for Him next to Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Krishnadasa Kaviraja Gosvami explains:

bhakta-citte bhakta-grhe sada avasthana
kabhu gupta, kabhu vyakta, svatantra bhagavan

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead always resides either in the heart or in the home of a devotee. This fact is sometimes hidden and sometimes manifest, for the Supreme Personality of Godhead is fully independent.

sarvatra ‘vyapaka’ prabhura sada sarvatra vasa
ihate samsaya yara, sei yaya nasa

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead is all-pervasive, and therefore He resides everywhere. Anyone who doubts this will be annihilated.” (Cc Antya 6.124–125)

The next morning, when it was time for Raghunatha dasa to return home, out of humility he did not approach Nityananda Prabhu directly but submitted his appeal through Raghava Pandita. After having taken His bath in the Ganges, Nityananda Prabhu was sitting with His associates beneath the same tree under which they had sat the previous day. Raghunatha approached Him there and worshipped His lotus feet. Then, through Raghava Pandita, he submitted his desire:

TEXT 128

“adhama, pamara mui hina jivadhama!
mora iccha haya—pana caitanya-carana

TRANSLATION

“I am the lowest of men, the most sinful, fallen, and condemned. Nevertheless, I desire to attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

TEXTS 129–133

“Like a dwarf who wants to catch the moon, I have tried my best many times, but I have never been successful.

“Every time I tried to go away and give up my home relationships, my father and mother unfortunately kept me bound.

“No one can attain the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without Your mercy, but if You are merciful, even the lowest of men can attain shelter at His lotus feet.

“Although I am unfit and greatly afraid to submit this plea, I nevertheless request You, Sir, to be especially merciful toward me by granting me shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Placing Your feet on my head, give me the benediction that I may achieve the shelter of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu without difficulty. I pray for this benediction.”

COMMENT

This is an important point: Without the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, no one can attain the shelter of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. And Nityananda Prabhu agreed to be merciful; He placed His lotus feet on Raghunatha dasa’s head, and He praised him to the other devotees, saying that although Raghunatha’s standard of material happiness was equal to that of Indra, the king of heaven, by the mercy of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu he had no attachment to it at all. Then Nityananda asked all the devotees to bless Raghunatha dasa that he would soon attain shelter at Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s lotus feet. And He spoke to Raghunatha:

TEXTS 139–143

“My dear Raghunatha dasa, since you arranged the feast on the bank of the Ganges, Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu came here just to show you His mercy.

“By His causeless mercy He ate the chipped rice and milk. Then, after seeing the dancing of the devotees at night, He took His supper.

“Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Gaurahari, came here personally to deliver you. Now rest assured that all the impediments meant for your bondage are gone.

“Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu will accept you and place you under the charge of His secretary, Svarupa Damodara. You will thus become one of the most confidential internal servants and will attain shelter at the lotus feet of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.

“Being assured of all this, return to your own home. Very soon, without impediments, you will attain shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu.”

COMMENT

After consulting with Raghava Pandita, Raghunatha dasa privately delivered one hundred gold coins and some gold to Nityananda Prabhu’s treasurer, telling him not to mention the presentation to Lord Nityananda until Raghunatha returned home. Then, to honor Lord Nityananda’s associates—great devotees and servants and subservants—Raghunatha left another hundred gold coins and some gold with Raghava Pandita, who, in accordance with Raghunatha’s instructions, prepared a list of how much would be given to each devotee. Then Raghunatha took leave of Raghava Pandita and, filled with gratitude to Lord Nityananda for His mercy, returned home.

At home, Raghunatha no longer went into the interior section of the palace; he slept on the Durga-mandapa outside. Then one night it happened, as Lord Nityananda had predicted, that Raghunatha got an opportunity to escape. The Majumadaras’ and Raghunatha’s guru, Yadunandana Acharya, came at the end of the night and told Raghunatha that one of the other disciples, who had been engaged in worshipping the Deity, had left that service, and Yadunandana wanted Raghunatha to induce that brahman to take up his service again, as there was no other brahman to do it.

All the guards were asleep, and in any case, Yadunandana Acharya was a trusted well-wisher of the family. So, Raghunatha dasa left with Yadunandana Acharya, and after walking some distance he submitted to his spiritual master, “There is no need for you to accompany me. You may proceed to your home, and I will meet that brahman and persuade him to resume his service.” So Yadunandana Acharya went to his place, and Raghunatha dasa, after convincing the brahman to resume his service, left for Nilacala, Jagannatha Puri.

Because he knew that his family would search for him, Raghunatha took the inner route and for twelve days walked through jungles and remote villages, always thinking of the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and Nityananda Prabhu. On most days he did not eat anything, but because he was fixed in his determination, he did not mind. He managed with whatever little he could get, and eventually he attained the lotus feet of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Puri, as Nityananda Prabhu had predicted.

This gives us a clue as to how we can become free from material attachments. All the scriptures say that to achieve Krishna—to achieve love for Krishna—one must be free from material attachments. But cultivating detachment is not the process. So, then, what is the process? The process is service, specifically service that will please Nityananda Prabhu, because if we please Nityananda Prabhu, by His mercy we will become detached from all that is material.

ara kabe nitai-candera karuna haibe
samsara-vasana mora kabe tuccha ha’be

“When will Lord Nityananda bestow His mercy upon me so that my desire for material enjoyment will become very insignificant?” (Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Prarthana)

Becoming free from material attachments does not necessarily mean that one must leave home, like Raghunatha dasa did. He is one example, but there are other examples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s associates who did not leave home. Lord Chaitanya did not ask them to leave home, and in some cases He actually instructed them to remain at home. This is another mystery—how one can serve the Lord in either a position of renunciation or a position of opulence.

Once, Srila Prabhupada asked his guru maharaja about this question. He began by saying that Rupa Gosvami left everything—his lucrative and prestigious position as minister—for the service of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Tyaga. And Ramananda Raya, who was a governor and a householder, lived in great material opulence—bhoga. Both were accepted equally by Lord Chaitanya. “So, what is the difference?” he asked. “Both were devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.” Thus he raised the question of bhoga and tyaga—enjoyment and renunciation.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura gave a striking answer. He invoked the term prosita-bhartrka, which refers to a wife when her husband is away. In Vedic culture, when a woman’s husband was home, she would bathe twice daily, apply oil to her body, wear beautiful clothing, and decorate herself in an attractive way. But when the husband was away, she would wear very plain clothes, she wouldn’t decorate herself or comb her hair, and she would sleep on the floor—she would live in a very austere and renounced way. But in both cases the central point is the husband. When the husband is away she lives in that renounced way, and when the husband is present she acts in that more spirited way, but in both situations the central point is to please the husband, and so there is no difference. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta explained that as devotees, we are interested neither in bhoga nor in tyaga. We are interested only in Krishna and Krishna’s service. For Krishna’s service we can, like the Gosvamis, give up everything. And for the sake of Krishna’s service we can accept any opulent position, like that of Ramananda Raya, who was a governor. And either—or both—will please Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

So, becoming free from material attachments doesn’t necessarily mean that the son will leave the parents or that the husband will leave the wife or that the wife will leave the husband. It means that one is free from material bondage and acts to please the Lord. When Lord Chaitanya was discussing the perfection of life (sadhya) with Ramananda Raya, the first answer Chaitanya Mahaprabhu accepted was that one can remain in one’s position (sthane sthitah) and chant and hear the glories of the Lord in the association of pure devotees. As stated in the Tenth Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, one should completely give up the process of mental speculation and just become submissive. You can remain in your position (sthane sthitah). If you are a grihastha, you can remain a grihastha. If you are a brahmachari, you can remain a brahmachari. Whatever you are, you can remain in your position but hear the messages of Krishna from the mouths of pure devotees. That is the real principle of devotional service, as accepted by Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

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

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

Why, then, should one leave one’s family at all? One may do so only to expand one’s service to the Lord and to humanity. As Srila Prabhupada explains, “A pure devotee cuts off the limited ties of affection for his family and widens his activities of devotional service for all forgotten souls. The typical example is the band of Six Gosvamis, who followed the path of Lord Caitanya. All of them belonged to the most enlightened and cultured rich families of the higher castes, but for the benefit of the mass of population they left their comfortable homes and became mendicants. To cut off all family affection means to broaden the field of activities. Without doing this, no one can be qualified as a brahmana, a king, a public leader, or a devotee of the Lord.” (SB 1.8.41 purport)

Many of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s intimate associates were householders. In the Pancha-tattva Advaita Acharya was the ideal householder. But at a certain stage it may become favorable for a devotee to leave his family and engage fully in the mission of the Lord. Either way, we depend on the mercy of Lord Nityananda. Whether we are with family or not doesn’t really matter. What really matters is increasing our attachment to Krishna and Krishna’s service. When one is attached to Krishna, one naturally becomes detached from maya. At the same time, if one is too preoccupied with maya, it will be hard to develop attachment to Krishna. So, we should keep our lives simple. If our lives are too complicated, we will be distracted. We will have too many things on our minds to really chant and hear properly.

And the main process, as we know, 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 names, chant the holy names, chant the holy names of Hari [Krishna]. There is no other way, no other way, no other way for success in the present age of Kali.” (Brhan-naradiya Purana 38.126) And to get the full benefit, one must chant with attention. If our mind is wandering while we are chanting, we will not really get the full benefit. In fact, it is an offense (nama-aparadha) to be inattentive while chanting. It is said that all the other offenses follow from inattention but that if one chants with attention—if one actually hears the holy names—then all the other offenses will be destroyed. So, it is very important to chant with attention. But if we are too preoccupied with material affairs, then even while we are chanting on our beads, our minds may be thinking of other things—how much money we have in the bank, whether we have enough to pay the bills, or whatever.

So, we want to keep our lives simple. Although it is hard in Kali-yuga, we want to keep our lives as clear as possible. And we should keep our chanting time exclusively for Krishna. That is our time with Krishna, with the holy name. We shouldn’t think about other things. Of course, we do have to consider other matters, but not while we are chanting and hearing about Krishna.

What also pleases Krishna—and especially Lord Nityananda—is sharing Krishna consciousness with others. At the end of the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna says, “Of all of My servants, he who preaches My message is most dear to Me. There will never be one as dear to Me as he, and in the end it is guaranteed that he will come to Me.” He will go back home, back to Godhead.

ya idam paramam guhyam
  mad-bhaktesv abhidhasyati
bhaktim mayi param krtva
  mam evaisyaty asamsayah

“For one who explains this supreme secret to the devotees, pure devotional service is guaranteed, and at the end he will come back to Me.

na ca tasman manusyesu
  kascin me priya-krttamah
bhavita na ca me tasmad
  anyah priyataro bhuvi

“There is no servant in this world more dear to Me than he, nor will there ever be one more dear.” (Gita 18.68–69)

In a talk in Los Angeles Srila Prabhupada paraphrased many of the principles we have just discussed. He said that in order to approach Radha and Krishna, one must get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, and that in order to get the mercy of Lord Chaitanya, one must get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, and that in order to get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, one must approach people like Jagai and Madhai.

Jagai and Madhai were sinful people. Nityananda Prabhu and Haridasa Thakura approached them and requested them to chant the holy names, but they were so fallen that they began to blaspheme Nityananda and Haridasa. Eventually Madhai hurled a pot at Nityananda Prabhu and hit Him on the forehead, causing Him to bleed. When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu heard of this, He rushed to the spot, ready to kill the offenders, but Nityananda Prabhu intervened. He said, “My Lord, we are in Kali-yuga. In previous ages You came to kill the demons, but in Kali-yuga You have come to deliver them. If You kill people like Jagai and Madhai in Kali-yuga, You will have to kill everyone, because everyone will be like Jagai and Madhai—eating meat, drinking wine, and exploiting women.” He said, “In Kali-yuga, We don’t kill the demons physically. We kill their demonic mentalities.” Under the threat of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s Sudarsana chakra, and touched by Nityananda Prabhu’s mercy, Jagai and Madhai accepted Lord Nityananda’s mercy, surrendered to Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and took up the chanting of the holy name.

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

 “Lord Krsna, the son of the king of Vraja, became the son of Saci, and Balarama became Nitai. The holy name delivered all those souls who were lowly and wretched. The two sinners Jagai and Madhai are evidence of this.” (Srila Narottama dasa Thakura, Prarthana) Jagai and Madhai gave up their sinful activities, and thereafter Chaitanya Mahaprabhu never referred to their sinful pasts.

So, Srila Prabhupada instructed, “To get the mercy of Lord Nityananda, we have to approach people like Jagai and Madhai.” That means the people on the street, people everywhere; we have to approach the people. Following Lord Nityananda, who was ordered by Lord Chaitanya, we should beseech people, prabhura ajnay, bhai, magi ei bhiksa/ bolo ‘krsna,’ bhajo krsna, koro krsna-siksa: “By the order of Lord Gauranga, O brothers, I beg this one request: Chant ‘Krishna!’ worship Krishna, and follow Krishna’s instructions.” Very simple. Srila Prabhupada also quoted Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, yare dekha, tare kaha ‘krsna’-upadesa, amara ajnaya guru hana tara’ ei desa: “Wherever you go, whomever you meet, just repeat the instructions of Krishna. In this way, on My order, become a guru and try to deliver everyone in this land.”

So, it is not very difficult. We just repeat. Krishna says, “Surrender to Me,” and the guru says, “Surrender to Krishna.” The guru doesn’t say, “Surrender to me”—he says, “Surrender to Krishna.” It is very easy.

Srila Prabhupada’s secretary Shyamasundar, and Shyamasundar’s wife, Malati, had a little girl, Saraswati, who from the age of three or four would approach people and ask, “Do you know who Krishna is?” Our first temple in Bombay was an apartment on Warden Road, a prestigious place near the sea. Many respectable gentlemen would come, and Saraswati would approach them and ask, “Do you know who Krishna is?” And then she would answer, “Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” And Srila Prabhupada remarked, “She is preaching. What she says is perfect, because she is repeating what she has heard.” We just repeat what we have heard from authorities. Anyone can do it. We don’t have to be very intellectual or imaginative or creative. We just repeat. And in that way we get the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu—through Srila Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada is the representative of Nityananda Prabhu, and everything that we can achieve through the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu can be achieved by the mercy of Srila Prabhupada, who has taken up the mission of Nityananda Prabhu and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the mission of the Pancha-tattva. The spiritual master engages the disciples in such a way that they get the mercy of the Lord. And Srila Prabhupada has done that for us through ISKCON. He has created ISKCON in such a way that by practicing and preaching Krishna consciousness—by holding festivals like we are having today and have every Sunday and holy day—we get the mercy of the Lord.

But to have the potency to preach, we must practice. And the most essential practice is to chant sixteen rounds with attention. One teacher commented that devotees have become very expert with their left hands, because with their right hands in their bead bags, with their left hands they can dust the house or type on the keyboard of the computer. They become very expert with their left hands. But we do not want to chant like that. We want to chant sixteen good, attentive rounds, follow the four principles, and work to spread the sankirtana movement. If we chant sixteen good, offenseless rounds, follow the regulative principles, and work to our capacity to spread the sankirtana movement, Srila Prabhupada has assured us that we will go back home, back to Godhead, and serve Sri Sri Radha and Krishna and Their associates.

Srila Prabhupada has given us everything. We just have to take it. It is so simple. We just have to take it. Sometimes Srila Prabhupada would cite a cartoon in a newspaper, which depicted an old lady sitting across from her husband. The lady was requesting her husband, “Chant. Chant. Chant.” And the husband was replying, “Can’t. Can’t. Can’t.” That is our misfortune in Kali-yuga. With the same effort that it takes to refuse to chant, we could chant. That is our misfortune.

Still, devotees work tirelessly to induce people to chant. And it may be difficult to convince them. Srila Prabhupada raised the question “Who is crazy?” People now are mad with material desires:

nunam pramattah kurute vikarma
  yad indriya-pritaya aprnoti
na sadhu manye yata atmano ’yam
  asann api klesada asa dehah

“People are mad after sense gratification, and they do not know that this present body, which is full of miseries, is a result of one’s fruitive activities in the past. Although this body is temporary, it is always giving one trouble in many ways. Therefore, to act for sense gratification is not good.” (SB 5.5.4)

It is very hard to make a crazy person sane. Srila Prabhupada compared our work to that of a psychiatrist in a madhouse. He is trying to help the patients, but the patients may not appreciate his efforts; in fact, they may turn against him. Still, he continues to endeavor to help them.

Of course, I am very happy with all of you here today. But you are just a small fraction of the population. Most people are out there enjoying—or trying to enjoy—what they call material happiness. And because it is so hard to bring people to Krishna consciousness, the mercy one gets for making that effort is very great. And so we try our best—depending on the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura-Nityananda.

Srila Prabhupada ki jaya!
Sri Nityananda Prabhu ki jaya!
Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami ki jaya!
Nitai-gaura-premanande hari-haribol!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on the Panihati Cida-dadhi festival, June 15, 2008, Laguna Beach, California]

Can lack of time be an impediment to spiritual growth?
Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that one of the factors that impedes bhakti is prayasa (over-endeavor). So we need to consider: What exactly is causing the shortage of time?

At one level, time poverty is something almost everyone experiences. We all need to make the best use of whatever time we have. I look at this issue from three perspectives.

1. The IAS Framework:

I like to analyze the problems we face in life into three categories, using the acronym IAS. Just as many aspire to become an IAS officer, we can aspire to become an IAS in problem-solving.

• I – Inevitable problems
• A – Avoidable problems
• S – Strengthening problems

Inevitable Problems:

These are challenges we all face, like juggling multiple roles—family, work, social duties, etc. No one gets as much time as they would like for everything they want to do. In this sense, time poverty is just a fact of life.

Within that framework, we need to become more conscious of how we use time. Complaining about the lack of time often isn’t helpful—who doesn’t feel they lack time?

More importantly, Krishna knows our situation and doesn’t hold it against us. For instance, if it’s very cold and someone’s body is sensitive to cold, they may not be able to wake up early. When things are beyond our control, Srila Prabhupada says in a purport that “there is nothing to lament.” So we can trust that Krishna is understanding.

After all, Krishna is an understanding God. So we shouldn’t waste too much emotional energy in guilt. If we’re juggling family, a job, and social obligations along with spiritual life, we simply do our best.

Avoidable Problems:

These are often self-created problems. Sometimes, we get entangled in activities that aren’t necessary. How much we want to grow materially—career-wise, financially, socially—is a decision each of us has to make.

This is where prayasa comes in. If we’re over-endeavoring in material pursuits and creating a time shortage for ourselves, that’s something we need to correct.

Some practical steps:

• Cut down on unnecessary social engagements.
• Limit professional ambition to what’s sustainable.
• Set clear boundaries for time and energy.

Of course, there are exceptions. If someone has exceptional talent in a field and feels called to contribute meaningfully, that might be their calling, not just a career or job.

In such cases, if their focus is contribution, not just compensation, then even that activity can be spiritualized—if they remember that their gifts come from Krishna and offer their work to Him.

Strengthening Problems:

These are challenges that actually help us grow.

If we have a shortage of time, it can push us to become more conscious of how we use it. In our tradition, time is also a manifestation of Krishna.

So if we recognize time as Krishna and try to use it consciously in His service, we can come closer to Him. That means:

• Using every moment meaningfully.
• Aligning our life with our values and spiritual purpose.
• Avoiding distractions and unnecessary engagements.

Yes, having more time is a good foundation for rapid spiritual growth. But growth doesn’t come just from more time—it comes from how we use the time we already have.

The Retired Trap:

Sometimes people think, “I’ll retire and just chant, read, and worship.” But merely having more time doesn’t guarantee spiritual growth.

In reality, retirees can sometimes get entangled in gossip, controversies, or institutional politics, especially when the institution has a spiritual purpose but operates in the material world.

The Key: Inspiring Goals

Set clear and inspiring spiritual goals. Try to prioritize time for those goals. When we experience deep engagement, absorption, and fulfillment in pursuing them—even if not fully achieving them—it becomes easier to let go of other engagements.

At that point, cutting down on other activities doesn’t leave us feeling empty—it simply frees up more time for things we’re already eager to do.

So, at a certain stage of life, even if we don’t fully retire, we can take on a less demanding role, giving us more opportunity to connect with and contribute to Krishna’s cause. That’s definitely conducive to rapid spiritual growth.

The post Can lack of time affect spiritual growth? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

In his last days, the disciples in the room with Srila Prabhupada heard him make a statement that beautifully sums up his mission: “Just go on discussing Srimad-Bhagavatam among yourselves and everything will remain clear.” He also enshrined this idea in one of the last purports he dictated: “Thus the more we read Srimad-Bhagavatam, the
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Any statement about a particular gender in Srila Prabhupada’s teachings is not meant to target or diminish any demographic. The overarching focus is on Krishna consciousness and spiritual elevation, and everything needs to be seen in that light.

At times, such statements may appear anti-women or male chauvinistic. However, that was never the intention of Srila Prabhupada. In fact, if we consider his life and legacy from an experiential perspective, we find that he had many female disciples — most of whom were Western women raised during the 1960s and 70s, when the feminist movement was gaining momentum.

Despite this, these women dedicated their lives to serving Srila Prabhupada, which strongly suggests that he was not at all trying to demean or suppress women. None of his female disciples reported that Srila Prabhupada made them feel inferior or devalued due to their gender. On the contrary, he empowered women in extraordinary ways — encouraging them to lead kirtans, give classes, distribute books, manage temples, and take leadership roles in his movement.

From a philosophical perspective, when Srila Prabhupada used the term “less intelligent,” we must consider the context. He often spoke of intelligence in terms of realizing our spiritual identity. All embodied souls — regardless of gender — are conditioned to identify with the body. However, due to their nurturing roles, women may be more likely to develop stronger bodily identification, as their responsibilities involve physically caring for and emotionally connecting with children.

Still, this deeper emotional capacity is not a sign of inferiority. On the contrary, it reflects a different kind of intelligence — an emotional intelligence that is invaluable for nurturing and sustaining human life. When Prabhupada mentioned “less intelligence,” he was referring more to philosophical inclination, not overall ability or value.

In fact, emotional sensitivity, often more prominent in women, enables them to care for infants and others with greater empathy and intuition than most men. That is also a profound form of intelligence, vital to family and society.

From a traditional perspective, among all the religious traditions, the Vedic tradition offers some of the most inclusive depictions of the divine feminine. There are female deities, and God is often represented as a divine couple, where the female is mentioned first — Sita-Rama, Radha-Krishna. The goddess of learning and intelligence, Saraswati Devi, is also a female deity.

Even in the Bhagavad-gita, intelligence (buddhi) is described as a feminine quality. So, philosophically and metaphysically, intelligence is closely associated with feminine energy.

It’s also important to understand the cultural and historical context of Srila Prabhupada’s time. He learned English during the 1910s and 1920s and preached primarily in the 1960s and 70s. At that time, public talks often addressed men more directly. Hence, women and children were sometimes grouped together as those who need protection, not in a demeaning way, but as a call to responsible guardianship from men.

Even today, during wars and crises, the term “women and children” is commonly used to refer to vulnerable groups who should not be harmed. The emphasis in Prabhupada’s talks is not on labeling women as “less intelligent” to justify subjugation, but rather to urge men to take responsibility for protecting and respecting them.

Furthermore, Srila Prabhupada made a clear distinction between principles and details. The core principle was always Krishna consciousness. While he supported traditional gender roles in his writings, he was flexible and pragmatic in practice. He recognized that Western women were quite different from Indian women and engaged them according to their abilities, often saying they were “as good as their male counterparts.”

In conclusion, statements that appear critical of women should not be taken as reflecting a misogynistic mindset, but should be seen within the broader, transcendental purpose of cultivating Krishna consciousness. That was — and always remained — Srila Prabhupada’s ultimate concern.

The post How to understand Shrila Prabhupada statements that women are less intelligent? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Ekadasi is one of the regular celebrations in the Vaishnava calendar. It is observed eleven days after the full moon and eleven days after the new moon of every month. Even in the thirteenth, or leap, month, called adhika-masa, or purusottama-masa, which comes every three years, during which no other festivals are celebrated, Ekadasi is observed. Ekadasi is known as the day of Lord Hari and is said to be the mother of devotion. Keeping the fast on Ekadasi is one of the sixty-four items of devotional service listed in Srila Rupa Gosvami’s Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu. In fact, it is one of the first ten.

The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada’s summary study of Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu, states, “In the Brahma-vaivarta Purana it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekadasi day is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life. The basic principle is not just to fast, but to increase one’s faith and love for Govinda, or Krsna. The real reason for observing fasting on Ekadasi is to minimize the demands of the body and to engage our time in the service of the Lord by chanting or performing similar service. The best thing to do on fasting days is to remember the pastimes of Govinda and to hear His holy name constantly.”

Later in The Nectar of Devotion, Srila Prabhupada cites the observance of Ekadasi as a stimulus (uddipana) for ecstatic love: “Some things which give impetus or stimulation to ecstatic love of Krsna are His transcendental qualities, His uncommon activities, His smiling features, His apparel and garlands, His flute, His buffalo horn, His leg bells, His conchshell, His footprints, His places of pastimes (such as Vrndavana), His favorite plant (tulasi), His devotee and the periodical occasions for remembering Him. One such occasion for remembrance is Ekadasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the moon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remain fasting throughout the night and continuously chant the glories of the Lord.”

The importance of the Ekadasi fast is also seen in the history of King Ambarisa and the sage Durvasa. Maharaja Ambarisa had observed the fast without even drinking water up until the appointed time to break the fast, called the Ekadasi-parana. Durvasa Muni was to have returned before the time of the parana, and because he was playing the part of a brahman and Ambarisa Maharaja the part of a kshatriya, proper etiquette dictated that Durvasa break the fast first. However, because Durvasa did not come in time, Ambarisa was in a dilemma. If he did not break the fast punctually, the whole observance would be spoiled. At the same time, if he did not wait for Durvasa, he would be guilty of an offense, because the etiquette demanded that he wait for the sage to break the fast first. King Ambarisa consulted his advisors, but none could resolve his problem. Finally, the king himself determined the solution: he would take water. Taking water would break the fast and at the same time not break it.

So, Ekadasi is an important observance. Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu personally observed Ekadasi, and He ordered all of His followers to do the same. And of all the Ekadasis, Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi, Bhima Ekadasi, is the most special.

The story behind this special Ekadasi is recounted in the Brahma Vivarta Purana. Five thousand years ago, during the time of the Mahabharata, Arjuna’s elder brother Bhima admitted that he had great difficulty fasting. (In those days everyone would fast completely from all food and water.) So the Vedic authority Vyasadeva gave Bhima permission to observe the full fast (nirjala, “without water”) just once a year, in the early summer, and to derive the same benefit as if he had observed all the other twenty-three Ekadasis. Thus, devotees who are unable to properly observe Ekadasi during the year, or who by chance happen to miss an Ekadasi, can get the benefit of fully observing all the Ekadasis if they properly observe the Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi. Strictly observed, the fast begins before sunset the evening before Ekadasi and continues until the parana, about the time of sunrise, the morning after Ekadasi. Many devotees try to chant at least sixty-four rounds on Ekadasi, especially the Bhima Ekadasi.

Once, when we were with Srila Prabhupada in Amritsar, Yamuna-devi read to him from the newly published Nectar of Devotion: “One such occasion for remembrance is Ekadasi, which comes twice a month on the eleventh day of the moon, both waning and waxing. On that day all the devotees remain fasting throughout the night and continuously chant the glories of the Lord.” Then she asked, “Should we also observe Ekadasi like that?”

“No,” Prabhupada replied. “We have too much service to do for Krishna.”

Still, Srila Prabhupada said, “Ekadasi is most auspicious. And chanting is more effective.” And to a disciple who asked, “Should we chant twenty-five rounds on Ekadasi?” Srila Prabhupada replied, “Why only twenty-five rounds? You should chant as many as possible.”

So, the basic observance of Ekadasi as prescribed by Srila Prabhupada is to refrain from eating grains and beans and to chant as many rounds as possible. Although most devotees in ISKCON do not perform nirjala on every Ekadasi, many do on Pandava-nirjala Ekadasi. They also try to chant at least sixty-four rounds. And by the mercy of Ekadasi, they make great spiritual advancement: they are blessed by spiritual strength and realization and so continue their service to Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s mission with renewed vigor—enthusiasm and inspiration.

Hare Krishna.

Yours in service,
Giriraj Swami

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1973, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), arranged for several of his disciples to go to Mayapura, West Bengal, to study the traditional art of putul (dollmaking). These unfired clay figures are composed of raw materials gathered from the riverbank of the Ganges, traditionally created for holiday
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Once Bhimasena, the younger brother of Maharaja Yudhisthira, asked the great sage Shrila Vyasadeva, the grandfather of the Pandavas, if it is possible to return to the spiritual world without having observed all the rules and regulations of the Ekadasi fasts.

Bhimasena then spoke as follows, “Oh greatly intelligent and learned grandfather, my brother Yudhisthira, my dear mother Kunti, and my beloved wife Draupadi, as well as Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva, fast completely on each Ekadasi and strictly follow all the rules, guidelines and regulative injunctions of that sacred day.

Being very religious, they always tell me that I should also fast on that day too. But, Oh learned grandfather, I tell them that I cannot live without eating, because as the son of Vayudeva – Samanaprana, (the digestive air) hunger is unbearable to me.

I can give widely in charity and worship Lord Keshava properly with all manner of wonderful upacharas (items), but I cannot be asked to fast on Ekadasi. Please tell me how I can obtain the same merits result without fasting.”

Hearing these words, the grandsire of Bhima, Srila Vyasadeva said, “If you want to go to the heavenly planets and avoid the hellish planets, you should indeed observe a fast on both the light and dark Ekadasis.”

Bhima replied, “Oh great saintly intelligent grandfather, please listen to my plea. Oh greatest of munis, since I cannot live if I eat only once in a day, how can I possibly live if I fast completely?
Within my stomach burns a special fire named Vrika, the fire of digestion.

Shrila Vyasadeva replied, Oh king, you have heard from me about the various kinds of occupational duties, such as elaborate Vedic ceremonies and pujas. In the Kali-yuga, however, no one will be able to observe all these occupational & functional duties properly.

I shall therefore tell you how, at practically no expense, one can endure some small austerity and achieve the greatest benefit and resultant happiness.

Vyasadeva replied, “Without drinking even water, you should fast on the Ekadasi that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha (May-June) when the sun travels in the sign of Taurus (Vrishabh) and Gemini (Mithun),

One must certainly not eat anything, for if he does so he breaks his fast. This rigid fast is in effect from sunrise on the Ekadasi day to sunrise on the Dwadashi day. If a person endeavours to observe this great fast very strictly, he easily achieves the result of observing all twenty-four other Ekadasi fasts throughout the entire year.

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 21, No. 22

By Krishna Kripa Das

(Week 22: May 28–June 3, 2025)

Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, New York City

(Sent from New York City on June 7, 2025)

Where I Went and What I Did

For the twenty-second week of 2025, I spent four days in Maryland, one day in Delaware, and two days in New York City. Wednesday it rained, and so I chanted Hare Krishna with Gurudas Prabhu at the Bethesda Metro Station for an hour or so. Thursday I chanted with devotees from ISKCON DC in front of the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., during the middle of the day, and with devotees from ISKCON Baltimore and the Baltimore Krishna House on the Inner Harbor Waterfront in the evening to promote the Baltimore Ratha-yatra. Friday I chanted at Inner Harbor Watherfront for three hours with Bharata Prabhu, of Augusta, Georgia, who is working in Baltimore temporarily, and who I met when he briefly worked in Tallahassee. Saturday was Baltimore Ratha-yatra. Sunday I spoke at the Sunday feast program at ISKCON Delaware, and I chanted with devotees afterward for an hour at Newark, Delaware, a local college town. 

Monday and Tuesday I spent at ISKCON NYC in Brooklyn, serving Rama Raya Prabhu’s NYC Harinam program by chanting Hare Krishna and distributing Ratha-yatra flyers for three or four hours each day, at Battery Park and Union Square, respectively.

I share quotes from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, and Krishna: The Supreme Personality of Godhead. I share quotes from Sri Caitanya-bhagavata by Vrindavana Dasa Thakura and its commentary by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati and from Prabhupada Nectar by Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami. I share notes on classes by Arcita, Nityananda Chandra, Sundarananda, and Nitai-pada-kamala Prabhus.

Many thanks to Nimai Prabhu for his kind donation toward my Delaware visit. Thanks also to Sankarsana Prabhu for his donation toward my visit to ISKCON DC. Thanks to Ryan for picking me up at Baltimore Ratha-yatra and dropping me at the Chinese bus station in Wilmington, DE. Thanks to Ahaituki Prabhu for the photos and videos of NYC Harinam.

Itinerary

May 7–June 16: NYC Harinam
June 17–August 19: Paris
– June 22: Paris Ratha-yatra
– July 11: Amsterdam harinama
– July 12: Amsterdam Ratha-yatra
– July 13: Holland harinama
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 Washington, D.C.

Wednesday it rained the whole day, and because the authorities do not allow Sankarsana Prabhu to have a tent, it was impractical to chant by the Museum of Natural History as usual. Gurudas Prabhu told me that Bethesda Metro Station was protected from the rain, so he and I decided to chant there. There was saxophonist setting up to play between the metro and the buses, so I positioned myself between the buses and the parking lots. We chanted for a little over an hour. One young guy, who was attracted to the music, played the shakers and chanted for five minutes, asking if he could keep the “On Chanting Hare Krishna” he had been reading mantra from when he left. A young Indian woman said “Hare Krishna” to us. She enjoyed attending the Potomac temple as a child with her parents. I told her about our new temple building, and encouraged her to visit. I am glad I decided go on harinama despite the rain.

Thursday Sankarsana and I were back by the Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

I lead the chanting in the beginning, with Sankarsana Prabhu playing the drum (https://youtu.be/UUUNGU60h_E):

After Sankarsana Prabhu chanted for a while, we were joined by devotees we had invited from the Potomac temple, along with two devotees visting from Festival of India.

Here Baldev Prabhu chants Hare Krishna with devotees from ISKCON DC and the Festival of India by the Museum of Natural History (https://youtu.be/xybIr_FCULI):

Later while Baldev Prabhu was chanting Hare Krishna, passersby, encouraged by devotees, played shakers and danced (https://youtu.be/oRU76gJobM8):

Gangadhara Prabhu of Festival of India chants Hare Krishna by the Museum of Natural History, and an Indian man plays shakers (https://youtu.be/oydlA5msHDQ):

Chanting Hare Krishna in Baltimore

I proposed doing harinama two days before Baltimore Ratha-yatra to the Baltimore temple president, Nila Madhava Prabhu, and he scheduled harinama for Thursday, saying that Friday people would be setting up for the Ratha-yatra. Kartikeya Prabhu of Krishna House picked me up at the train, and joined me on harinama at Inner Harbor, near the place where the Ratha-yatra festival is held.

On harinama I was happy to find about 70% or 80% of the passersby would accept invitations to the Ratha-yatra, which is much greater than in New York or Paris, where it is less than 30%.

Here Ajamila Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Inner Harbor in Baltimore (https://youtu.be/IqiGvQi7ps4):

While Ajamila chanted Hare Krishna, two women danced with two devotees and promise to come to Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/rusxdmpQKOk):

At one point, many people danced with the devotees (https://youtu.be/Fme3md1ZyOs):

Later another group of people danced (https://youtu.be/Yxeag-So7xw):

Here a woman dances with Ladali Devi Dasi, the most enthusiastic of the devotee dancers (https://youtu.be/9I2eCq_bRwk):

Here Ladadi dances with three women (https://youtu.be/uKchU9TEQvQ):

Friday I did harinama with the assistance of Bharata Prabhu of Augusta, Georgia, who I met when he was briefly working in Tallahassee but who is now working temporarily in Baltimore. We chanted Hare Krishna for three hours and passed out many invitations.

Ajamila Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at the beginning of the Baltimore Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/6zywJWA6U7M):

Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Baltimore Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/afcjEdx1eAo):

Vishnugada Prabhu chants prayers to Jagannath at Baltimore Ratha-yatra as the rain begins (https://youtu.be/0lKqDFJ4KOk):

Vishnugada Prabhu chants Hare Krishna at Baltimore Ratha-yatra, and devotees dance in the rain (https://youtu.be/lnU80Bnz1iw):

Khushi Ray chants Hare Krishna on the Inner Harbor Wavefront in Baltimore during Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/Dj6Xj-IoNOU):

While Khushi was singing, a vendor and several others filmed the procession (https://youtu.be/de1CuLbmEYY):

Isha Ray chants Hare Krishna on the Inner Harbor Wavefront in Baltimore during Ratha-yatra (https://youtu.be/3fDuW-beupc):

I sat in front of the kirtan tent while I took prasadam. I let people play my shakers while Vishnugada Prabhu was leading the chanting.

After I finished prasadam, Sasthivara Prabhu chanted Hare Krishna at Baltimore Ratha-yatra kirtan tent, and Vishnugada Prabhu played my pink shakers (https://youtu.be/HGqn903kSgs):

Chanting Hare Krishna in Delaware

Nimai Prabhu from Delaware visited our NYC Harinam party for a few days not too long ago. He told me about their temple in Delaware and his love for harinama. It occurred to me that it may be possible for me to attend the Sunday feast program and do a harinama there in Delaware, while returning to New York City, after Baltimore Ratha-yatra. There were about thirty people attending the Sunday feast program in Delaware, which is held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. At least ten were Westerners. Then about six of us did harinama at Newark, DE, a local college town, though the college was on summer break. Several people were clearly happy to encounter the devotees, their kirtan, and their literature.

Chanting Hare Krishna in New York City

I chant Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/yZ1olF4wTY0?feature=share):

Harinarayana Prabhu, visiting from Hungary, chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/HoImQ9i-SEw?feature=share):

Dhrstyadhumna Prabhu, from the Krishna House in Dallas, chants Hare Krishna at Battery Park (https://youtube.com/shorts/AKZLDY1gZTU?feature=share):

Photos

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

From Bhagavad-gita, Introduction:

“There is complete facility for the small complete units, namely the living entities, to realize the complete [Krishna], and all sorts of incompleteness are experienced due to incomplete knowledge of the complete. So Bhagavad-gita contains the complete knowledge of Vedic wisdom.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.1.16, purport:

“A devotee is always in a renounced temperament because the worldly attractions can never satisfy him.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.19:

“By serving the feet of the spiritual master, one is able to develop transcendental ecstasy in the service of the Personality of Godhead, who is the unchangeable enemy of the Madhu demon and whose service vanquishes one’s material distresses.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.19, purport:

“Service to the Lord is rendered in different transcendental mellows (relationships): neutral, active, friendly, parental and nuptial. A living entity in the liberated position of transcendental service to the Lord becomes attracted to one of the above-mentioned mellows, and when one is engaged in transcendental loving service to the Lord, one’s service attachment in the material world is automatically vanquished.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.7.36:

“O best among the brahmanas, those who are spiritual masters are very kind to the needy. They are always kind to their followers, disciples and sons, and without being asked by them, the spiritual master describes all that is knowledge.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 3.25.19:

“Perfection in self-realization cannot be attained by any kind of yogi unless he engages in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for that is the only auspicious path.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.45, purport:

“Impersonal meditation is a bogus invention of modern days. In none of the Vedic literatures is impersonal meditation recommended.”

From Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.8.46, purport:

“Everyone has to surrender to someone superior. That is always the nature of our living condition. At the present moment we are trying to surrender to someone—either to society or to our nation, family, state or government. The surrendering process already exists, but it is never perfect because the person or institution unto whom we surrender is imperfect, and our surrender, having so many ulterior motives, is also imperfect. As such, in the material world no one is worthy to accept anyone’s surrender, nor does anyone fully surrender to anyone else unless obliged to do so. But here the surrendering process is voluntary, and the Lord is worthy to accept the surrender. This surrender by the living entity occurs automatically as soon as he sees the beautiful youthful nature of the Lord.”

From Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Madhya 22.16:

“O my Lord, there is no limit to the unwanted orders of lusty desires. Although I have rendered these desires so much service, they have not shown any mercy to me. I have not been ashamed to serve them, nor have I even desired to give them up. O my Lord, O head of the Yadu dynasty, recently, however, my intelligence has been awakened, and now I am giving them up. Due to transcendental intelligence, I now refuse to obey the unwanted orders of these desires, and I now come to You to surrender myself at Your fearless lotus feet. Kindly engage me in Your personal service and save me.” (Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhi 3.2.25)

From Krishna, Chapter 87:

“‘The conditioned souls can execute pious activities only when You mercifully inspire them to do so. Therefore, without taking shelter at Your lotus feet one cannot surpass the influence of the material energy. Actually, we, as personified Vedic knowledge, are always engaged in Your service by helping the conditioned souls understand You.’”

Vrindavana Dasa Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 18.149:

“Krishna is unhappy when the demigods are offended. If one worships Krishna

along with His associates, He is pleased.”

Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura:

From Caitanya-bhagavata, Madhya 18.149, commentary:

“If one serves Kṛṣṇa with His associates, Kṛṣṇa becomes particularly pleased. By becoming envious of heroes like the demigods and scenes that consist of false ego in the mode of goodness, one denies that they are related to the devotional service of Lord Viṣṇu. When after giving up the desire for material enjoyment one begs all living entities, including the demigods, for the service of Kṛṣṇa, then such natural prayers are devoid of all driving urges for material enjoyment. When living entities freed from the influence of mundane knowledge follow the examples of the Lord’s associates and their characteristics, they become liberated from material concepts. Such maha-bhagavatas are fully capable of pleasing Kṛṣṇa.”

“Faith in Srimad Bhagavatam and freedom from faultfinding in petty matters are symptoms of a pure devotee.”

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami

From Prabhupada Nectar:

From Chapter 1, Number 47:

“‘Yes,’ said Śrīla Prabhupāda, ‘you can decorate the naked dancing club and go to hell, or you can decorate the temple and go back to Vaikuṇṭha.’”

From Chapter 2, Number 5:

“While Prabhupāda was living in Los Angeles in 1969, he got a letter from one of his relatives stating that one of his brothers had died. Prabhupāda received this information in the presence of some of the devotees and he informed them, ‘I have just received this letter saying that my brother died. Previously my other brother died. These two brothers were very nice. They wanted to live long, healthy lives, but they didn’t care so much for Kṛṣṇa consciousness. But my sister and I,’ Prabhupāda laughed softly, ‘we didn’t want to live long, healthy lives. We only wanted to do some service, and when Kṛṣṇa wanted to, He would take us. Now I see that my two brothers are both dead, and my sister and I are living long, happy lives.’”

Arcita Prabhu:

I heard many classes with Srila Prabhupada in person, and he would typically allow fifteen devotees to chant the verse before he spoke on it because he wanted the devotees to remember it.

I personally heard Srila Prabhupada tell the story of the brahmana and the cobbler. That story makes the point that there is nothing that the Lord cannot do.

“We used to think, but now we know!” is a quote from a class given by Sadaputa Prabhu in San Diego. He was referring to the scientific community in general, not a particular scientist! He stated that reality was just the opposite: “They used to KNOW, but now they THINK (differently)!”

Ratha-yatra is so important because it gives persons who have absorbed themselves in matter their whole lives the chance to have darsana of the Lord and to ultimately attain the spiritual world.

In so many places of worship there are people doing business and searching for a mate and very little genuine spiritual life, so people have lost faith in them.

A rtvik is someone who is appointed by someone who cannot be present. You cannot appoint yourself as a rtvik. That is another defect of the rtvik initiation idea.

Srila Prabhupada said that the gardener who grew the rose that is offered to Krishna gets the same benefit as the person who offered it.

Referring to Rukmini Dvarakadhisa, Srila Prabhupada said that the Deity is ready to speak with you. He then suggested that one go before the Deity and say: “Sir, this is my problem!”

We should have halfway houses for those not ready to move in the temple.

Nityananda Chandra Prabhu:

There are three different ways Sanskrit verses are translated:

Mukhya-vrtti is the face (mukhya) value of the words.

Laksana-vrtti is an interpreted meaning when the mukhya-vrtti does not make sense.

Gauna-vrtti is a metaphorical meaning that does not stray far from the mukhya-vrtti.

One of the acaryas explains that the four items mentioned in Bhagavad-gita 9.34 are listed in a progression. (1) Always think of Me. If you cannot do that, then (2) become my devotee. If you cannot do all the items of devotional service, then at least (3) worship Me. If you do not have the means to worship me, then at least (4) bow down to Me.

According to Krishna, Chapter 87, if we want knowledge we should get it from someone like Sanat Kumara, who does not only have knowledge, but who is also austere and who has good character.

Sundarananda Prabhu of Baltimore:

Through the stories of the lives of great souls in Srimad-Bhagavatam, we learn how to see the events in our lives in relation to the Supreme Lord, and thus develop our relationship with Him.

We give advice when people ask for it, otherwise they likely will not take it seriously.

Duryodhana called Vidura a maidservant’s son (dasi-putra) and said he should be thrown out of the palace. Actually according to the culture, dasi-putras, although they cannot inherit the throne, are allow to live in the palace and be maintained.

If we are mistreated we can see that the aggressors are being controlled by the material energy and therefore not have a grudge with them. We can also consider that everything is ultimately sanctioned by Krishna, and if we are upset about an action, we are upset with Krishna.

Devotees continue with their practice of bhakti, no matter what happens to them, and thus they receive the right to attain the kingdom of God.

Svayam Bhagavan Keshava Swami says that obstacles are not the problem but rather our attitude toward obstacles is the problem.

If someone does something nice for us, we feel gratitude both to the person and also Krishna, who inspired and sanctioned the nice act.

Comments by me:

It is offensive to consider the birth of a pure devotee, as Duryodhana does here with Vidura.

From difficulties we can always learn that the material world is a miserable place, and we can become inspired to endeavor to get out of it.

We cannot expect everyone to be nice to us because everyone is not even nice to Krishna, and He is far more qualified than we are.

Comment by Kartikeya Prabhu: We may have a problem with someone in the ashram, but then when we go to the office, we find that we have the same problem with someone else. Thus the problem is in ourselves, and we have to find out what it is and solve it.

Nitai-pada-kamala Prabhu:

Even Vyasa, the author of the Vedic literature, needed a guru to visualize the form of the Lord.

They asked Srila Prabhupada if our pictures of Krishna looked like Krishna, and Srila Prabhupada said they looked close enough that we would recognize Him.

Arjuna said he was unable to concentrate his mind, and yet he was so qualified he was the only one of Dronacarya’s disciples who could fix his mind on the target. How hard then will it be for us to concentrate our minds in the way Krishna recommends.

Acaryas explain Bg. 9.27 as being karma-misra-bhakti.

Dhruva was so enthusiastic in following the instructions of his guru, Narada Muni, he became so powerful within six months that he could influence the whole universe.

Comment by Narada Rsi Prabhu: It is said, yasya deva para bhaktir. I was told by Gopal Krishna Maharaja, Sridhara Swami, and Bhima Prabhu to manage the Mumbai BBT, and I knew nothing about printing of books. I surrendered, and by Krishna’s grace I was able to learn everything required.

Krishna Kripa Das:

From posts to Official Hare Krishna Humor:

I wondered why there was no quiet time in the ashram and why the washers and dryers can be found running at any time of the day or night, and then it came to me. New York is the city that never sleeps for devotees too!

It always disturbs me when they mispronounce rati-keli-siddhyai as ratty-keli-siddhyai. I think of the rats I see in the New York subway stations, instead of the elevated sentiments expressed in the prayer!

-----

Although we may have so much theoretical spiritual knowledge, we may feel a lack in practical realization. How do we get that realization? This important verse from Svetasvatara Upanisad, which was quoted over three hundred times by Srila Prabhupada, gives us a clue:

yasya deve para bhaktir

yatha deve tatha gurau

tasyaite kathita hy arthah

prakasante mahatmanah

“Only unto those great souls who have implicit faith in both the Lord and the spiritual master are all the imports of Vedic knowledge automatically revealed.” (Svetasvatara Upanisad 6.23, quoted in Bhagavad-gita 6.47, purport)

Understanding the Controversy Over Book Changes

Regarding the issue of book changes, somehow that topic has not caught my interest deeply, and I’ve often wondered why people are so fixated on it. Still, I’ll share my quick understanding, based on whatever I’ve studied.

The way Srila Prabhupada’s books have come into existence is quite an unusual process compared to how most books are written. While some spiritual teachers’ books may have evolved in similar ways, most authors usually sit down and write their books themselves—either by hand or by typing—and they carefully review any edits. Prabhupada, however, did not personally check all the edits. But when he noticed any edits that he felt were inappropriate or incorrect, he asked the devotees to correct them.

The Five Stages of Book Preparation

To understand the issue better, we can look at the stages involved in the creation of Prabhupada’s books. I propose a simple model of five stages:

• Stage 0 (0D) – Dictation: Prabhupada would dictate his content. In a few cases, he also typed himself, but he practically never handwrote his works.
• Stage 1 (1T) – Transcription: The dictated content (0D) was transcribed by devotees.
• Stage 2 (2P) – Initial Publication: The transcribed text was edited and then published. This editing involved basic grammar correction and sometimes minor interpretative changes.
• Stage 3 (3P) – Publication during Prabhupada’s lifetime: This included further edited versions that were approved or at least not objected to by Prabhupada during his physical presence.
• Stage 4 (4E) – Edited editions after Prabhupada’s departure: Editors attempted to revise based on listening to original audio recordings and comparing them with transcriptions and printed versions. This stage is where most of the controversy arises.

Types of Editorial Changes

Editing is essential because spoken words are not always suitable for direct publication. Based on my understanding, editorial changes generally fall into five categories:

1. Basic Grammar and Punctuation Fixes – These are universally accepted and necessary.
2. Incorrect Attribution of Words – For example, Prabhupada may refer to something inaccurately, such as confusing a reference point or mislabeling a term.
3. Incorrect Quotation of Verses – E.g., quoting a verse slightly wrong due to memory or dictation error.
4. Improper Wording or Ambiguity – An example is the phrase “O the King,” which can misleadingly suggest a person named “O.” The correct rendering should be “O King.”
5. Content Issues or Problematic Phrasing – For instance, in one lecture, Prabhupada said the blood from a fight reached the sun, to indicate that the sun is closer than the moon. Later, Harikesh Prabhu pointed out that the battle he referred to took place on another planet. When this was brought to Prabhupada’s attention, he admitted the point was more to discredit scientific claims and asked that the line be edited out.

Similarly, Prabhupada used certain analogies—like the one involving a Black man inside a grand car—to illustrate concepts. Today, these examples could be seen as racially insensitive. Such cases fall into the realm of problematic content.

Points of Agreement and Contention

Most devotees agree on the need for grammar corrections (Category 1) and even for addressing obvious misquotes or misattributions (Categories 2 and 3). The real debate arises around the fourth and fifth types of edits—especially when they involve interpretation or what might seem like modifying Prabhupada’s intent.

There have been instances where editors have gone too far, though such cases are a minority—perhaps two to five out of hundreds. Still, these become the basis for significant mistrust.

Some major changes have sparked agitation, but when carefully examined, they often don’t fall under malicious alteration but rather result from correcting earlier transcription errors. For instance, in the early days, devotees sometimes transcribed Prabhupada’s dictations inaccurately. Later publications were based on these faulty transcriptions, leading people to assume that the first published version was the “original.”

However, the real original is Prabhupada’s dictated word (0D), and not necessarily the first printed edition (2P or 3P). So recent changes in the edited editions (4E) are attempts to return to a more accurate rendering of Prabhupada’s spoken words.

Institutional Handling and Divergences

Because of the sensitivity of this issue, the BBT (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust) formed a committee to review and regulate editorial policies. After much deliberation, they finalized new editorial guidelines. These are now being used to systematically review each change, chapter by chapter, starting with the Bhagavad-gita—a process that may take years due to its meticulous nature.

This initiative was undertaken primarily by the North American BBT. However, it has not been accepted by all. For instance, the ritvik groups insist on publishing Prabhupada’s unedited words and claim that some original dictations were deliberately erased. They argue that editing is being used to distort Prabhupada’s teachings and weaken his position, particularly concerning the guru issue.

There is also a historical conflict between the Indian BBT and the North American BBT. The Indian BBT has not accepted the American committee’s guidelines. They prefer to publish what they see as Prabhupada’s “original” words. But the question remains—what exactly is the original? The audio? The transcript? The first publication?

This remains a matter of ongoing discussion and debate.

The post What is your understanding of the editing of Prabhupada books? appeared first on The Spiritual Scientist.

Hare Krishna. This year Jhulan Yatra begins on Friday 5th August & ends on Balarama Jayanti, Saturday 9th August 2025.

All are welcome to participate in this blissful pastime of swinging Their Lordships after the 7am Shringar Darshan & 7PM Gaura (Sandhya) Arati at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple.

Sri Balarama Jayanti - The Divine Appearance of Lord Balaram will begin with the morning Mangala Arati program followed by kirtan and an evening program from 6pm onwards.

Jaya Jagannatha! Join us at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple (ISKCON Auckland) for the wonderful Ratha Yatra of Lord Jagannatha, Baladeva & Subhadra-Devi on Sunday 29th June 2025 from 12:30pm onwards. All are welcome to participate. We are located at 1229 Coatesville Riverhead Hwy, Kumeu. Hare Krishna!

Hare Krishna,

On the auspicious occasion of Yogini Ekadasi be a part of the Divya Garuda installation at Sri Sri Radha Giridhari Temple on Sunday 22nd June 2025 from 11am onwards.

We invite you & your family to participate in the Maha Yajna & Divya Abhishek of Garuda for a donation of $251. All are welcome.

HE LIVES FOREVER IN FRANCE (and wherever he is present — in his books, followers, Deities, temples, and hearts…) The murti of Srila Prabhupada in these photos was lovingly moulded and produced by devoted members of the Russian yatra, offered as free gifts to every initiated disciple of Srila Prabhupada. Thousands have been created so
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Our Radha Kunjavihari temple is in the Klungkung area of Bali about 90 minutes from Denpasar. It is one of the eight regencies of Bali and home to the famous Klungkung palace, which used to house the old kings.

The temple is graced by the beautiful deities of Radha Kunjavihari and Gaura Nitai and worshiped mainly by the grhastha devotees. I regularly lead kirtan and give class here and feel blessed to have darshana of the deities and association of the devotees.