CC daily 127 – M 6.179 – Understand scripture not by coming up with an original interpretation, but by coming to the original intention
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Obituary: His Grace Brahmananda Das
→ Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir, Hare Krishna Temple. ISKCON New York

Brahmananda Das, one of Srila Prabhupada’s very first disciples, passed away at his residence in the holy land of Vrindavana, India, at 3:31pm local time on June 7th, the auspicious day of Vakresvara Pandit’s disappearance. He was 71 years old.

Devotees all over the world are mourning the loss of the ISKCON legend, while at the same time rejoicing that “Prabhupada’s son” is surely back with his father now.

“His love for Srila Prabhupada is almost unparalleled,” said Bhakti Madhurya Govinda Swami, adding, “Brahmananda will go down in history as one of the foundational pillars in the founding of this movement.”

Brahmananda Das was born Bruce Scharf on July 14, 1943 in upper Manhattan. At 20 years old, he visited India while serving as a kitchen assistant on a tramp ship. He saw temples and appreciated the culture there, and upon returning, studied Hindu philosophy at NYU. But it was when he met Prabhupada at 26 2nd Avenue in New York, that his life truly changed.

“I felt as though I was leaving something behind and going to a new place,” says Brahmananda in Satyaraja Dasa’s book Swamiji. “I knew it was the beginning of an important transformation, a major turning point.”

He joined ISKCON in late summer of 1966, and his younger brother Gargamuni followed in mid-September.

Then came a series of firsts. In the fall of 1966, Brahmananda became the first temple president at the first ISKCON temple – 26 2nd Avenue. That October, he was among the first disciples to get up and dance at the very first outdoor kirtan in the Western world in Tompkins Square Park.

Then during the winter of 1966 to 1967, he and Gargamuni acquired ISKCON’s first Deity. As told to ISKCON New York president Ramabhadra Das, they were preaching to Mr. Sarana, the Indian owner of a Manhattan store called The Bells of Sarana, when they noticed a beautiful black Jaipur-style Deity of Lord Krishna. Mr. Sarana donated Him to them, and they took the Lord back to 26 2nd Avenue in a checkered cab. The Deity, whom they first named Govinda, later became ISKCON of Washington D.C.’s Madana-Mohana.

Next, in 1968, Brahmananda helped publish Srila Prabhupada’s first book in the West. As he recalls in Siddhanta Dasa’s Memories of Srila Prabhupada video series, Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is had been rejected by multiple publishers when the devotees got an order for their “Krishna consciousness” album from the major publishing company MacMillan.

Prabhupada told Brahmananda that he should personally bring the record to the company the next day, and tell them that he had a Bhagavad-gita to publish. “Should I bring the manuscript with me?” Brahmananda asked. “No, just tell them,” Prabhupada said. “But I have to say something about you as the author,” Brahmananda said. “Maybe I should bring some of the books you published in India.” “No,” Prabhupada insisted. “Just tell them that you have a Bhagavad-gita to publish.”

The next day, Brahmananda went uptown to the MacMillan Company skyscraper, but the person who bought the record was an accountant who had nothing to do with publishing. Brahmananda was wondering what to do when the door opened and in walked a man whom the accountant introduced as James Wade, MacMillan’s senior editor.

“I shook hands with Mr. Wade, looked him right in the face, and said, ‘I have a Bhagavad-gita to publish,’” Brahmananda recalled. “He said, ‘A Bhagavad-gita? That’s exactly what I am looking for to fill out our religion section. We will publish it.’ I couldn’t believe what had happened. He agreed to publish it without seeing the manuscript. I flew back to Prabhupada and told him the news. I was so excited. Prabhupada nodded as if he had expected it.”

In 1971, Brahmananda was the first to bring Krishna consciousness to Turkey, Pakistan, and Africa, often braving dangerous circumstances, which he described himself in a Back to Godhead magazine article.

In Erzurum, Turkey, when he and one other devotee performed Harinama sankirtana in the town square, they drew a crowd of several hundred curious onlookers but were arrested, had their passports confiscated, and spent several days in jail.

In war-torn Pakistan, Brahmananda was invited to speak at a philosophy class at the University of Punjab when he told students that the Bhakti Rasamrita Sindhu had been written by a high official in the Muslim Government (Rupa Goswami). But the situation later became hostile.

 “Students accused us of being spies and called us ill names,” Brahmananda wrote. “Some people once rubbed the tilaka off our foreheads and warned us not to walk on the streets or we’d be stabbed.”

Brahmananda escaped to Bombay, where Srila Prabhupada was holding a preaching program. “Although I had been traveling and was dirty and sweaty, Srila Prabhupada was so relieved to see me unharmed that he embraced me again and again,” Brahmananda recalled.

Next, Brahmananda went to Africa. At first, because of his bad experiences in Turkey and Pakistan, he was reluctant to hold public kirtans in Nairobi, and preached to the Indian population instead. But Prabhupada told him, “It is an African country. They are the proprietors. We should be preaching to them.”

Following Prabhupada’s directions, Brahmananda organized an event in a hall in a predominantly African downtown area and held kirtan with the hall doors open onto a busy street. Within five minutes, the hall began to fill up with curious people who joined the kirtan, smiling, clapping and dancing. On another occasion, he organized for Prabhupada to give a lecture at the University of Nairobi auditorium, which became so crowded with African students that people had to stand outside to look through the doors and windows.

In a replication of Tompkins Square Park, Brahmananda also organized Nairobi’s first outdoor kirtan performance under the largest tree in Kamakunji Park. As devotees stood chanting beneath the tree, a large crowd gathered, and many began chanting.

Brahmananda and other devotees then embarked on a series of extensive preaching safaris throughout northern and western Kenya, to neighboring Tanzania and Zambia, and even down to Rhodesia.

Next, Brahmananda had a major role in securing licenses for the Krishna-Balarama temple in Vrindavana. As described in the book Swamiji, he would take a two-hour tanga (donkey cart) ride to the Mathura government offices every day and report back to Prabhupada, who would tell him exactly how to reply.

Big, strong Brahmananda is also remembered as a protective, and rather intimidating presence next to Prabhupada. But he was also jolly, very friendly, affectionate, and had a heart of gold.

“Devotees used to call him ‘The Big B,’” says Ramabhadra Das. “He had a big heart, he had a big body, he had a big vision.”

Later in his life, Brahmananda moved to Vrindavana, India, with his brother Gargamuni. He spent the rest of his days there, making himself available to devotees and inspiring one and all with his talks about Prabhupada.

Battling obesity and diabetes for most of his later years, he suddenly developed a lung infection two years before passing away. On June 7th, when he couldn’t breathe, devotees arranged for an ambulance to take him to a hospital in Delhi. But he collapsed and expired as he sat waiting for it, while listening to Srila Prabhupada singing bhajans. His brother Gargamuni and local devotees Dharmatma Das, Saranga Thakura Das, and Mahadevi Dasi, who had been caring for him, were present.

Brahmananda had previously told several devotees that he didn’t want to go to the hospital in Delhi and wanted to stay in Vrindavana.

“In 1967, Srila Prabhupada didn’t want to go to the hospital,” recalled Gargamuni. “I brought Brahmananda upstairs to Prabhupada’s hospital room and next day Brahmananda took him out. This is Prabhupada’s way of reciprocating with Brahmananda for saving him from the hospital. He is saying, ‘My son will not die in Delhi or in a hospital; he will pass here in Vrindavan.’”

Brahmananda’s body was cleaned and dressed in a fresh dhoti, and tilak was applied on his forehead, along with Prabhupada’s name across his chest in tilak. He was decorated with maha flower garlands, and beside his head was a picture of him with Srila Prabhupada. Devotees streamed in to pay their last respects, and held sweet kirtan throughout the night.

At 7:00am the next morning, Brahmananda was brought on a beautifully decorated bullock cart in a Harinama procession to Srila Prabhupada’s Samadhi, then through Vrindavana town and to the banks of the Yamuna. There his body was sprinkled with Yamuna water and cremated, and the ashes cast into the sacred river.

“He was Prabhupada’s son in every sense of the word,” says Swamiji author Satyaraja, who was close friends with Brahmananda. “His love for Prabhupada was the closest thing to love in this world. In almost every respect — from the early organization of his movement, to overseeing the printing of his books, to pioneering Krishna consciousness in various parts of the world — he was among Prabhupada’s most trusted and loved right hand men.”

And Brahmananda’s legacy will continue on in his absence. “He inspires devotees in their love for Prabhupada by his own contagious love for Prabhupada,” says Satyaraja. “What greater gift can one give the world?”

Enlightened or Blind?
→ The Enquirer

Here is Bhāgavatam’s description of Dhruva’s oldest son (4.13.6~11):

When Dhruva retired finally to the forest, his eldest son Utkala had no interest in the opulence and kingdom granted by the royal throne. From the beginning, Utkala was a detached and desireless person, seeing everything in the world as having the same value, since the Supersoul expands as everything.

He recognized himself as pure spiritual energy, without any wants or needs. The taste of this enlightenment compelled him to cast away all separatism and embrace the continuous bliss of unity. His incessant fire of yoga burned away all traces of his karma. He could then see that the true form of everything was nothing but the soul.

Although he certainly was not retarded, blind, deaf, insane, or stupid, childish people saw him like that. He was like a fire that showed no flame. The family elders and ministers assumed that he was retarded or insane, so they enthroned his younger brother Vatsara, Bhrami’s son.

comments: Everything is divine (“Supersoul expands as everything”), so nothing is better or worse than anything else. To be rich is no better or worse than to be poor. To be pretty is no better or worse than to be ugly. A diamond is no better or worse than a common stone. Knowing this deeply, Utkala had not interest in trying to avoid  or attain anything – he was “detached and desireless.”

“He recognized himself as pure spiritual energy” – he recognized that the essence of all things (including himself – ātmānām) was homogenous spiritual energy (brahman) which has no wants or needs (nirvāṇa). This is a delightful thing to recognize, it has rasa — “avabodha-rasa” (it is an experience included in śāntra-rāsa, and therefore in all spiritual rāsa). So, it gave him a “higher taste.” This inspired him to discard the common prejudices based on wants and needs. He embraced unity, absolute equality, and therefore experienced uninterupted bliss (ānandam anusantata).

Still, he practiced sādhana (yoga) to refine this inspiration and make it a complete, perfect realization. Upon attain that he saw it everywhere constantly – “He could then see that the true form of everything was nothing but the soul.” (nātmano’nyaṁ tadaikṣata).

“A fire without flame” – his consciousness (fire/light) was not active externally, therefore the childish people in the external world (bālānām) could not see much light from his consciousness – he seemed deaf, dumb and blind, etc. “retarded” (jaḍa).

Even the ministers and elders of Dhruva’s earthly kingdom seem to have had this opinion. Or, we might insert the idea that they realized that functionally he was as good as a retarded or insane person.

Vraja Kishor dās

VrajaKishor.com


Tagged: Brahman, equality, Oneness, shanti, unity

Sri Madhavendra Puri’s Instructive Departure: Secrets of Success and Failure in Krishna Consciousness, May 31, Gita Nagari, Port Royal, Pennsylvania
Giriraj Swami

05.31.15_GitaNagariGiriraj Swami read and spoke from Caitanya-caritamrta Antya-lila 8.

“This is an example of how we can serve each other as devotees. We can serve each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually—especially as the devotee approaches the time of death when everything is more critical. Of course we never know when we will die and therefore every moment is important. But, when we know that death is approaching, then everything is critical and we can render very special service to devotees at that time. And they can bless us: Every vaisnava is in a position to give blessings and certainly, if we serve them in this way, we can get their blessings.”

Sri Madhavendra Puri’s Instructive Departure

Intelligent partnerships
→ KKSBlog

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 24 April 2015, Radhadesh, Belgium, Srimad Bhagavatam 6.18.31-34)

wedding-couple-holding-handsThe situation of worshipping the husband is a Vedic injunction. In this day and age, it certainly just cannot be written off as irrelevant but on the other hand, the relevance of it really depends on the individual positions of the husband and wife. When the husband is truly, properly situated and fixed in spiritual practices, then this will apply more than when the husband is spiritually quite weak. In some cases, it is the lady who is the spiritual engine in the family and drives the spirituality and then it becomes a little bit awkward if this Vedic etiquette (of worshipping the husband) is so strictly enforced. Therefore, Srila Rupa Goswami has said laukiki vaidiki vapi ya kriya kriyate mune hari-sevanukulaiva (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.200). Whatever gives kriya, whether it is Vedic or whether it is practical mundane kind of principles, whatever is hari seva anakula, whatever gives benefit for the service of the Lord, we will accept.

The dharma sastra goes into this kind of injunction in a much more elaborate way than the Srimad Bhagavatam does. We see in this chapter that Kasyapa is certainly speaking principles of dharma when he is pointing out that the husband represents the Lord as the object of worship for a woman. At the same time though, while Kasyapa is speaking these verses, he is deviating from dharma; that is also to be noted. We cannot just look at the text alone. We have to look at the thread of the chapter and basically, Diti and Kasyapa are about to engage in sexual activities at an inappropriate time which is a deviation from dharma. So although Kasyapa is speaking words of dharma, he is using the words of dharma to kind of justify his adharmic activities. So the very proponent of the principle is himself not qualified for the worship, by looking at this verse. That is interesting because that is Kasyapa, what to speak of us!? So therefore, we have to really see if this applies and when it is just demanded,“You have to worship me as God,” then it may not be a proper relationship.

In this day and age, oftentimes partnership works better. However, when women have to overly compete with men, then it is an artificial situation. Of course, our modern society creates that artificial situation but with it, ladies are losing somewhat of the soft, female nature and are developing more the competitive male nature. In our modern society, males and females are educated up to PhD level. It is also not that those ladies who are PhD’s have become PhD’s unnecessarily, but rather that everyone can be engaged in the service of the Lord. So when we are very transcendentally engaged, we can engage all our assets in the service of the Lord and that is the essence. So PhD’s are welcome to use their expertise in the service of the Supreme Lord.

Still, we cannot just ignore the Bhagavatam’s descriptions on male and female natures and therefore we may see that traditional roles, traditional descriptions of conditioned nature, have their significance. In the Bhagavad-gita, we see also that women are described to be less intelligent. Now, the best way to understand that is to first of all understand what the definition of intelligence is. The definition of intelligence means to act according to principles of behaviour which are revealed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of all knowledge, so intelligence basically means that we have access to that knowledge and know how to apply that knowledge. Without application of knowledge, there is no intelligence. That may not be according to modern definition but it is by the Vedic definition. In the Vedic context, intelligence means that one is pursuing the ultimate goal of life in his understanding and in his actions. That is of course a distinction from modern intelligence. So whenever we look at Bhagavatam or at scriptures in terms of intelligence, we always see intelligence in the context of pursuing the ultimate goal of life.

So protection for ladies is recommended in Vedic culture. I remember in two ashrams back, I sometimes had a few disagreements. My former wife, I do not mean to disclose things in negative way, but she sometimes would get into an argument with someone. That happens in life. Then she would say, “You have to protect me,” which means, “You have to support me.” And I would say, “Yes, I have to protect you from yourself.”

Then we would have a major argument (laughter). What to say… this is not meant to be putting anyone down but that is just how it works in the world. It is not so easy to have these kind of Vedic roles. We are coming from a very different culture and the Vedic model does not fully fit us and also, in a transcendental context, it is not fully required. In the transcendental context, it is really anakulyena sankalpa, it is whatever is favourable for the service of the Lord.

Srila PrabhupadaWhen Srila Prabhupada came to the West, he said, “Oh, the ladies are very intelligent. They are very intelligent. They are very capable. They can do many things.” So whoever can produce results ultimately is what is important but the protection element is there. It is natural.

I met the German lady on the plane who was a single mother, working a job and putting two children through school etc. She said, “Maybe sometimes, sometimes I am thinking that the traditional model was actually nice.” You know, having a husband who takes care of everything so that the ladies can take care of the children instead of putting the kids in the day care and working around the clock to pay for everything. It is a very topsy-turvy society.

So when we are looking at these kind of models, of male-female relationships of the Bhagavatam, then we can see them in the context of Rupa Goswami’s writings (Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu 1.2.200), and we cannot just isolate a verse like this from the Bhagavatam, carve it on stone and hang it in the bedroom, as like these are the rules of the house.

Some memories come back from the grhastha ashram and I also noticed that during arguments, people can quote a lot of slokas (laughter). During arguments, they can quote sastra left and right, much more than usual but sastra is not a tool to win an argument. Sastra is offering us, besides pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, a supportive material condition. The essence is pure devotional service and our interest is pure devotional service. Somehow or other, in whatever way we can get the maximum result for Krsna’s service, that is what our desire is.

Convinced Of The Power
→ Japa Group

"Everyone of you should be thoroughly convinced of the power of the Hare Krsna mantra to protect you in all circumstances and chant accordingly at all times without offense. Then advancement will be swift and you will gradually come to see everything clearly so that you may act for the pleasure of the Lord without uncertainty."

Letter to Damodara
January 10, 1971

Hare Krishna! First Visit by Anti-Cult Members to ISKCON It was…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! First Visit by Anti-Cult Members to ISKCON
It was the first time Anti-Cult members have visited an ISKCON temple and did a presentation. It was held during Radhadesh’s hosting of the ISKCON Europe Communications conference. ISKCON is no stranger to the organisation. Over the years Anuttama Das, ISKCON Global Communications Director, has built a relationship with the organisation by attending conferences and speaking openly about ISKCON’s issues.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17841

Hare Krishna! Homage to Brahmananda prabhu Brahmananda prabhu…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! Homage to Brahmananda prabhu
Brahmananda prabhu was virtually the first ISKCON devotee—senior to everyone. Actually, we are all here because of his invaluable service to Srila Prabhupada—especially in the early days when he so selflessly assisted Srila Prabhupada in starting ISKCON. For one example, anyone who has ever read Bhagavad-gita As It Is, owes an eternal debt to Brahmananda prabhu, who first arranged to publish it. He was able and willing to do anything Prabhupada wanted, and his personal dedication both sustained and expanded this movement over many years, and across many continents.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17838

“Prabhupada’s Son” Brahmananda Das Passes Away
→ ISKCON News

Brahmananda Das, one of Srila Prabhupada’s very first disciples, passed away at his residence in the holy land of Vrindavana, India, at 3:31pm local time on June 7th, the auspicious day of Vakresvara Pandit’s disappearance. He was 71 years old. Devotees all over the world are mourning the loss of the ISKCON legend, while at the same time rejoicing that “Prabhupada’s son” is surely back with his father now.

The anger of Srila Prabhupada Srutakirti dasa, April 11, 1975,…
→ Dandavats.com



The anger of Srila Prabhupada
Srutakirti dasa, April 11, 1975, ISKCON Hyderabad, India. I can remember only a few times when it was difficult being in the same room with Srila Prabhupada. Obviously, one could easily imagine yearning to be in His Divine Grace’s presence 24-hours a day. However, the presence of others sometimes changed the atmosphere in S'ri-la Prabhupa-da’s room. One day, Devananda Maharaja came to visit Srila Prabhupada. He had been initiated by S'ri-la Prabhupa-da and was now a sannyasi. He had also been his personal servant for a short while in 1970. He asked to see Srila Prabhupada and was allowed darsana even though he was no longer a member of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada was seated behind his desk and upon entering Srila Prabhupada’s room, Devananda did not offer his obeisances. Brahmananda Maharaja and I were also in the room.
Read the entire article here: https://goo.gl/X0eyOq

TOVP Update: Construction of the GRC Concrete Workshop GRC is an…
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TOVP Update: Construction of the GRC Concrete Workshop
GRC is an abbreviation for glass fiber-reinforced concrete, the strongest and most environmentally retardant concrete in the world. The TOVP is being constructed of this material, as well as all the architectural elements and decorative items being used on the temple.
Now underway on the ISKCON property is the construction of a dedicated GRC workshop to create all the architectural and decorative items in-house. It will be situated behind the current temple beside the Prabhupada Garden. Its size is 131 ft. (40 meters) wide, 39 ft. (12 meters) deep, and 26 ft. (8 meters) tall for a total of 5,166 sq. ft. (480 sq. meters). Part of the in-house work will require an overhead crane which is arriving in about two weeks for this purpose.
One of the ingredients in the GRC, which arrived a few days ago, will be white sand from Rajasthan made of snow quartz grains. This will be used for the Jersey Panels, panels using this and other ingredients for the decorative/architectural items. Its pure white color will allow us to create these Jersey Panels in the clearest shade of white.
Read more: http://goo.gl/1wyw4Q

Hare Krishna! My dear Godbrother Brahmananda Prabhu Jayapataka…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! My dear Godbrother Brahmananda Prabhu
Jayapataka Swami: I noticed that in the foreword of the book, professor Thomas J Hopkins who started visiting different ISKCON events since its early days makes a very important observation: “There were many young people at these events and it took me a while to get to know them as individuals. It didn’t take long, however to recognize Brahmananda as the most knowledgable among them. Bhaktivedanta must have felt the same way because he increasingly relied on him. Bhaktivedanta soon chose him to be secretary and he was also appointed president of the temple and thus Bhaktivedanta’s chief assistant. When Bhaktivedanta held a public event Brahmanada stood literally and figuratively at his side ready to do whatever he was asked to do.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17835

Hare Krishna! Farewell Brahmananda Prabhu Kadamba Kanana Swami:…
→ Dandavats.com



Hare Krishna! Farewell Brahmananda Prabhu
Kadamba Kanana Swami: The dreaded day has come, you have left the planet! In 2002, I was together with you in Sridhama Mayapur outside the main gate on the Bhaktisiddhanta road, we stood there for hours waiting for Tamal Krsna Maharaja, who had left his body in a car accident. You told me then that this is not just the end of Tamal Krsna Maharaja, this is the end of an era. It is like that today, there was only one Brahamanda, a giant among the followers of Srila Prabhupapada, who has no equal, because of the greatness of his love for Srila Prabhupada.
Read the entire article here: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=17832

The ISKCON sandwich! This sandwich is what we have had the…
→ Dandavats.com



The ISKCON sandwich!
This sandwich is what we have had the pleasure to honor for the past twelve months: the ISKCON sandwich. During Srila Prabhupada’s time he established a program of spiritual purification by which one can make steady progress in Krishna Consciousness. It was nicknamed the ISKCON sandwich, a Krishna conscious program of bhajan, kirtan, artik, and class every morning and every evening. Many devotees eager to rapidly expand Krishna Consciousness asked Srila Prabhupada if it was ok to miss the evening program in the event of late evening book distribution and other such outreach functions. However, when such late activities were decreased, the habit of returning back to regular programs in the evening also waned. Instead of live chanting during the Gaura Artik, more often it would be found that there was simply a tape playing. This one slice sandwich was not enough to fill up the spiritually starved soul. Therefore, the devotees decided to return to the healthy diet of the double slice, Mangal mustard, Gaura Artik greens, and a class every few days for proper nutrition.
Read the entire article here: http://goo.gl/dBlDaX

Krishna can bring good out of everything – even our mistakes
→ The Spiritual Scientist

Sometimes when we commit mistakes, we may become embarrassed, irritated or enraged with ourselves. If we become excessively disturbed, that often becomes a second mistake. By fretting or seething, we waste the time and energy that could have been used for rectification. Certainly we need to learn from our mistakes, but learning requires calmness, which is lost when we let ourselves over-react.

To calm ourselves, we can contemplate how Krishna is always in control and how he is always our benefactor. So he can bring good out of even our mistakes –provided we let him, that is, we keep our calm so that he can give us intelligence to make the best of the situation. Just as an expert musician can produce quality music even with a poor instrument, so too can Krishna produce auspiciousness out of a messy situation.

Krishna restores Arjuna’s vision – and grants the world vision

On the Kurukshetra battlefield, with the war about to start, Arjuna suddenly got an impulsive desire to see his opponents. So, he asked Krishna, who was acting as his charioteer, to take the chariot between the two armies (Bhagavad-gita 01.21). When he looked at the opposing forces, he saw his venerable elders, especially his grandsire and his teacher (01.25). He became overwhelmed, lost his will to fight and broke down.

Arjuna’s decision to see his opponents was imprudent, being an error of judgment. Firstly, he already knew who were arraigned on the opposite side – the alliances formed by both sides had been done openly, not covertly. Secondly, even if the Kauravas were planning to unveil any hidden ace, the Pandavas’ competent spies would have sounded them off. Thirdly, Arjuna was well aware of his opponents’ strengths and weaknesses – that had been discussed just the previous night in the Pandavas’ strategy planning meeting. So there really was nothing for Arjuna to see. Yet he saw and had to reap the consequences when his vision sabotaged his determination. His eyes changed his perception of the opposing forces from dispassionate to sentimental: from “the well-wishers of the wicked-minded son of Dhritarashtra” (01.23) to “my relatives” (01.31).

Of course, both perceptions were true, but every activity requires us to cultivate the appropriate vision for doing it properly. Our letting ourselves see with an alternate vision can be a mistake, especially when it triggers emotions that compromise our performance. For example, if a judge has to adjudicate a case in which his son is the defendant, he needs to adopt the appropriate vision, or in today’s parlance, wear the right cap. He has to see the person standing in the box as a defendant, not as his son.

Such vision adjustment is undoubtedly difficult. Most judges would probably recuse themselves – or would be told by the government to do so. But recusing was not an option for Arjuna; he was the foremost fighter in his army, and he couldn’t let down his comrades who were counting on him to counter the Kauravas’ formidable forces. So knowing the huge stakes and emotional tensions, Arjuna would have been wiser in resisting the urge to see his opponents. Unfortunately, he not only saw his opponents; he also let his eyes and thoughts dwell on his venerable elders, specifically his grandsire and his mentor. And that proved to be emotionally devastating.

Significantly, though Arjuna did commit this mistake, he didn’t compound it. He didn’t let himself get further carried away by his feelings, which were impelling him to give up the fight entirely, even if such pacifism cost him his life (01.45). Instead, he pulled himself together to turn to Krishna for guidance (02.07). He wouldn’t have found it easy to shift from an emotionally wrought state to an intellectually alert state, as was required for hearing the Gita. That he managed such a shift shows that he had already started determinedly on a corrective course.

And Krishna with his trademark expertise brought an immense good out of Arjuna’s mistake. He spoke the timeless wisdom of the Gita – wisdom that not only restored Arjuna’s vision and determination (18.73), but also provided all of humanity for all time to come with a vision of the path to enlightenment.

Saved through a mistake

The Mahabharata contains another story that conveys Krishna’s expertise in bringing good out of a devotee’s mistake. When the Pandavas were living in forest exile, they would feed their guests – sages and mendicants – using a mystical vessel (akshaya-patra). This vessel would provide inexhaustible food till everyone was fed and finally the hostess Draupadi took her meal. After she finished her meal, the vessel would not supply any more food on that day.

Duryodhana knew this limitation in the plate’s supply and saw an opportunity to exploit it when the irascible sage Durvasa visited the Kauravas’ palace. The conniving prince personally and attentively served the sage, thereby pleasing him. When offered a benediction, the wily Kaurava beseeched the sage to provide a similar chance for service to his cousins, adding the request that the sage go to them late in the day. Accordingly, Durvasa along with a large contingent of disciples arrived at the Pandavas’ forest hermitage in the afternoon. As Draupadi had already taken her meal, the Pandavas had no way to feed so many guests. They felt alarmed because firstly they would be failing in their duty as householders if they didn’t offer proper hospitality to a guest, especially a sage; secondly Durvasa was no ordinary sage – he was a powerful mystic known to give deadly curses if displeased.

Draupadi’s devotional reflexes sprang into action and she started praying fervently for help to Krishna. He appeared promptly and told her that he was very hungry. Krishna’s request mortified the already distraught princess; she felt that she was failing doubly, being able to serve neither the venerable sage nor her beloved Lord. For Draupadi, praying to Krishna seemed to have made things worse – but only temporarily.

Krishna calmed the distressed princess and told her to check if their mystical vessel had any food remaining. To her surprise, she noticed that a morsel was indeed there. When she brought it to Krishna, he immediately took it and after eating it said that he felt completely satisfied. By his supreme mystic power, Krishna arranged that this morsel also satisfied fully all the guests, who had gone for bathing before their meal. The sage and his disciples found themselves belching and felt no need for any food. Thus, the Pandavas were saved from danger.

While the thrust of this story is that Krishna protects his devotees and that satisfying him satisfies everyone else, it conveys another tertiary message relevant to our discussion: Krishna’s ability to bring good out of a mistake. The fact that the mystical vessel had some food morsel left on it was surprising. Draupadi was a careful housewife who would not have tolerated such neglect in the cleaning of utensils. Moreover, that vessel was no ordinary utensil – it was a celestial gift and was vital for the Pandavas in fulfilling their householder duty of hospitality. So a morsel of food lying on it was odd. And yet Krishna expertly used that anomaly to both advance his pastime and demonstrate immortal lessons for the world’s edification.

Realizing the unfailing nature of Krishna’s shelter is never a mistake

At a transcendental level, the actions of exalted devotees such as Arjuna and Draupadi can be said to be orchestrated by Krishna himself for his pleasure. Still, we can simultaneously study these actions at a practical level to learn how we should or should not act. From that perspective, we can see in these pastimes Krishna’s expertise in bringing out good from apparent mistakes as long as the devotees turned to him for shelter.

So, when we commit mistakes, we can see them as an opportunity, indeed an impetus, for taking shelter of Krishna. Of course, it’s better to be careful and avoid committing mistakes – and it’s better still to take shelter of Krishna proactively without being impelled by fear of consequences.

Nonetheless, if we do commit mistakes, we can take shelter of Krishna instead of ranting or moping – activities that characterize the mode of ignorance (18.28). Even if our mistakes have consequences that can’t be mitigated by taking shelter of Krishna, still we will at least get the realization that Krishna’s inner shelter – the security we feel on remembering him – is always available to us, no matter what goes wrong or even what we do wrong. And that realization is a priceless gain, for it deepens our conviction that Krishna’s love for us is indeed unfailing – he is truly achyuta (unfailing). The Puranas conveys this point through the apt metaphor of the earth.

tvayi vipratipathasya   tvam eva sharanam prabho

bhumau skhalita padanam   bhumir evavalambanam

“O Lord, as the earth is the only shelter for those who slip and fall, You are the only shelter for misguided people.” (Skanda Purana, Kumarika-khanda of the Maheshvara-Khanda, 7.101)

Further, with the calmness coming from finding shelter in Krishna, we can intelligently find ways for damage minimization and course correction. Indeed, one definition of intelligence is said to be to know what to do when we don’t know what to do – take shelter of Krishna and seek his guidance. So even if we have unintelligently made a mistake, we can immediately turn to Krishna and thus start reclaiming our intelligence.

So whenever we get worked up over a mistake, we can remind ourselves that Krishna’s assurance (18.58) – taking shelter of him will enable us to cross over all obstacles – applies also to the obstacle of our human susceptibility to mistakes.