Free Will
→ Tattva - See inside out

We may wonder why it isn’t blatantly obvious that God exists. How can so many people miss the most important concept? Why is there even a shadow of doubt? Surely such an astounding divine reality would shine out above and beyond anything else. The Vedic teachings offer an alternative perspective. It’s actually an amazing exhibition of God’s ingenuity to create the possibility of atheism. God designs the world in such a way that people can explain Him out of the equation! He leaves room for explanations which (at least externally) seem to coherently explain the universe in purely mechanistic terms. In other words, He doesn’t make it a completely ludicrous proposition to not believe in Him.

There is an element of force in intellectually cornering someone. If you were obliged to believe in something it would be difficult to simultaneously pour your heart into it. Thus, since God is ultimately interested in pure unalloyed loving relationships, He endows us with independence and offers an array of options. Having said that, He does also present a persistent spiritual philosophy which cements His ontological position as God. Ancient scriptures provide an in-depth analysis of creation, consciousness and the workings of Mother Nature. They clearly establish that belief in a higher reality is a scientifically credible option.

However, while one remains on the intellectual platform there will always be a ping-pong of arguments to consider. There will always be an element of doubt. Hesitancy will remain. To become truly convinced one must progress beyond the intellectual. The higher dimensional methodology involves a transcendental exchange with God. Great teachers have documented a sensible process of devotional practice that culminates in divine love. Scientific, calculated spiritual practices (in Sanskrit, sadhana-bhakti) performed with enthusiasm, patience and determination, usher one towards the spiritual reality. Eventually, we are able to relate to God, just as we would relate to anyone around us. That's the real proof that we're all looking for.

Free Will
→ Tattva - See inside out

We may wonder why it isn’t blatantly obvious that God exists. How can so many people miss the most important concept? Why is there even a shadow of doubt? Surely such an astounding divine reality would shine out above and beyond anything else. The Vedic teachings offer an alternative perspective. It’s actually an amazing exhibition of God’s ingenuity to create the possibility of atheism. God designs the world in such a way that people can explain Him out of the equation! He leaves room for explanations which (at least externally) seem to coherently explain the universe in purely mechanistic terms. In other words, He doesn’t make it a completely ludicrous proposition to not believe in Him.

There is an element of force in intellectually cornering someone. If you were obliged to believe in something it would be difficult to simultaneously pour your heart into it. Thus, since God is ultimately interested in pure unalloyed loving relationships, He endows us with independence and offers an array of options. Having said that, He does also present a persistent spiritual philosophy which cements His ontological position as God. Ancient scriptures provide an in-depth analysis of creation, consciousness and the workings of Mother Nature. They clearly establish that belief in a higher reality is a scientifically credible option.

However, while one remains on the intellectual platform there will always be a ping-pong of arguments to consider. There will always be an element of doubt. Hesitancy will remain. To become truly convinced one must progress beyond the intellectual. The higher dimensional methodology involves a transcendental exchange with God. Great teachers have documented a sensible process of devotional practice that culminates in divine love. Scientific, calculated spiritual practices (in Sanskrit, sadhana-bhakti) performed with enthusiasm, patience and determination, usher one towards the spiritual reality. Eventually, we are able to relate to God, just as we would relate to anyone around us. That's the real proof that we're all looking for.

Please Pray for Yamuna
→ Life With the Cows and Land




Yamuna just a week ago


Just yesterday Yamuna, one of the older cows, went down. Please pray for her and us that we may be blessed to take the best care of her that is possible in her time of need.

 Yamuna is a sweet cow. She loves sweets. Sometimes she is friendly and sometimes she likes to be alone.

Here is an account of what has happened as written to her adopters.

10/24/12
While checking the cows every day, Balabhadra noticed that Yamuna has been having difficulty keeping up with the herd in the last week and a half. She is 17 years old and a lot of our older cows of the same age have this trouble but keep going often for a few years more. But just today, Balabhadra found her down in the pasture. With some help, he was able to get Yamuna to stand, but when she started to walk; her legs would not support her. This is usually the result of severe arthritis and/or some joint degeneration caused by old age.

Balabhadra said Yamuna is weak. She is sitting in a very nice spot that she chose. Balabhadra was finding her sitting in different spots in the pasture away from the other cows. Cows are social animals and usually stay with the herd. Often the cows and other animals will look for an isolated spot to leave their bodies when they feel it is time. So, the spot that she is in is one she has chosen. The weather right now is beautiful, a warm breeze and crisp.

 She drank and ate today and Balabhadra chanted the Maha Mantra to her. However, Balabhadra feels she doesn't have long to live.

10/25/12
Balabhadra went to visit her this morning and she had not moved. It appeared to him that her back legs/hips were paralyzed. We called the vet for his professional  analysis. He was able to come immediately as he was in the area. He examined her and said she had cancer, Lymphoma. He thinks that it has gone to her spine and that is what is immobilizing her. Dr. Moore, the vet, said to give her steroid injections. The hope is that we will be able to get her to stand up and therefore move her to the barns where we have more facility to take care of her. The diagnosis is terminal, it is just a matter of time. She presently looks healthy as you can see in the video. Please pray for her and for us so that we may take care of her in the best way possible and to keep her as comfortable as possible.

10/25/12 evening
We went to visit her and gave her water and hay. We left her with a recorder of Srila Prabhupada chanting.

Please Pray for Yamuna
→ Life With the Cows and Land




Yamuna just a week ago


Just yesterday Yamuna, one of the older cows, went down. Please pray for her and us that we may be blessed to take the best care of her that is possible in her time of need.

 Yamuna is a sweet cow. She loves sweets. Sometimes she is friendly and sometimes she likes to be alone.

Here is an account of what has happened as written to her adopters.

10/24/12
While checking the cows every day, Balabhadra noticed that Yamuna has been having difficulty keeping up with the herd in the last week and a half. She is 17 years old and a lot of our older cows of the same age have this trouble but keep going often for a few years more. But just today, Balabhadra found her down in the pasture. With some help, he was able to get Yamuna to stand, but when she started to walk; her legs would not support her. This is usually the result of severe arthritis and/or some joint degeneration caused by old age.

Balabhadra said Yamuna is weak. She is sitting in a very nice spot that she chose. Balabhadra was finding her sitting in different spots in the pasture away from the other cows. Cows are social animals and usually stay with the herd. Often the cows and other animals will look for an isolated spot to leave their bodies when they feel it is time. So, the spot that she is in is one she has chosen. The weather right now is beautiful, a warm breeze and crisp.

 She drank and ate today and Balabhadra chanted the Maha Mantra to her. However, Balabhadra feels she doesn't have long to live.

10/25/12
Balabhadra went to visit her this morning and she had not moved. It appeared to him that her back legs/hips were paralyzed. We called the vet for his professional  analysis. He was able to come immediately as he was in the area. He examined her and said she had cancer, Lymphoma. He thinks that it has gone to her spine and that is what is immobilizing her. Dr. Moore, the vet, said to give her steroid injections. The hope is that we will be able to get her to stand up and therefore move her to the barns where we have more facility to take care of her. The diagnosis is terminal, it is just a matter of time. She presently looks healthy as you can see in the video. Please pray for her and for us so that we may take care of her in the best way possible and to keep her as comfortable as possible.

10/25/12 evening
We went to visit her and gave her water and hay. We left her with a recorder of Srila Prabhupada chanting.

Time Line of Lord Krishna Supported by Science
→ Stephen Knapp

(An Excerpt from “Advancements of Ancient India’s Vedic Culture”)

By Stephen Knapp

 

As devotees and followers of the Vedic path, we already accept the premise that Lord Krishna appeared 5,000 years ago and spoke the Bhagavad-gita in the Mahabharata war. But it is always nice when scholars, other researchers and science can add support to what we already propose. So let’s take a look at this.

One aspect that can show us the early nature of Vedic society, and with a little more reliability, is highlighting the time when Lord Krishna was present. This is another point that has generated many opinions, but is now much clearer than ever with more recent research and findings.

Astrophysicist Dr. Narahari Achar, a physicist from the University of Memphis, clearly showed with astronomical analysis that the Mahabharata war took place in 3067 BCE. Examining the Mahabharata, books 3, 5, and 18, his sky map software showed that all these descriptions converge in the year 3067. Achar also acknowledged that some 30 years earlier, in 1969, S. Raghavan had arrived at the same date.

In determining the date of the Mahabharata war at Kurukshetra, astronomical references in the epic can be used, of which there are more than one hundred and fifty. Most of these that pertain to the war, though there are many scattered throughout the texts, is in the Udyoga and Bhisma Parvas. Those in the Bhisma Parva are especially systematic and are also in accordance with the astrological omens described in the Atharva Veda and its Parishishtas, referring mostly to comets. When these are put together with the retrograde motion of Mars before reaching Jyestha, this leads to the unique date of 3067 BCE for the date of the war, which was previously proposed by Professor Raghavan. 1

This corroborates with the view that the age of Kali-yuga started in 3102 BCE, according to Dr. Achar. As stated in the Puranas, Kali-yuga had already begun, but its full influence was held back because of the presence of Lord Krishna. Then when Lord Krishna departed from this world, which is said to have occurred 35 years after the war of Kurukshetra in 3067, making it the year of 3032 BCE, then Kali-yuga began to show more of its effects. 2

In the time line for the passing away of Grandfather Bhisma, for example, it is said that Bhisma passed away on the Magha (January-February) shukla ashtami, after the winter solstice, which leads to the date of January 13, 3066 BCE for the winter solstice. 3

So, in considering the chronology according Professor Raghavan, we have:

Lord Krishna’s departure from Upaplavya nagara on the mission for peace–September 26, 3067 BCE

Krishna reaches Hastinapura–September 28, 3067 BCE

Lunar eclipse–September 29, 3067 BCE

Krishna rides with Karna–October 8, 3067 BCE

Solar eclipse–October 14, 3067 BCE

The war begins–November 22, 3067 BCE

Fourteenth day of the war, continued into the wee hours of the morning–December 8, 3067 BCE

Balarama returns–December 12, 3067 BCE

Winter solstice–January 13, 3066 BCE

Bhisma’s passing away–January 17, 3066 BCE 4

Departure of Lord Krishna– 3031 BCE.

About when Vedavyasa composed the main Vedic texts– 3000 BCE

About when the Sarasvati had dried up or disappeared–1900 BCE

The above accounts for 48 days from the time of Bhisma’s fall to the time of his passing. However, it is generally accepted that Grandfather Bhisma had 58 sleepless nights between the time of his fall and the time of his passing. Yet, if you count the 10 days that he lead the armies into war in which he may also have not been able to sleep, that would give the full 58 sleepless nights that are described.5

The famous astronomical text known as the Surya Siddhanta also states that the sun was 54 degrees away from the vernal equinox when Kali-yuga began on a new moon day, which corresponds to February 17/18, 3102 at Ujjain.

From the internal evidence in the Mahabharata text, the coronation of Maharaja Yudhisthir can be determined to be 36 years before the beginning of Kali-yuga, or about 3138 BCE. One scholar, Dr. Patnaik, had calculated the date of the starting of the Mahabharata war to be October 16, 3138 BCE from references available in the epic itself.

Of course, different scholars may arrive at variations in their calculations, and there have been a few different versions of the Mahabharata, and over the many centuries since it was written, additions and accretions are found. For example, verses 2.28.48-9 mention roma and antakhi in Sanskrit, which some scholars interpret to mean Rome and Antioch. This places these mentions not earlier than 300 BCE since Antioch was founded in 301. 6 However, this does not limit the age of the earlier form of the Mahabharata, which is known to have been written shortly after the war of Kurukshetra.

Nonetheless, as B. N. Narahari Achar explains, other scholars have proposed varying years for the Mahabharata war, from 3102 BCE to 3139 BCE. However, none of these dates can produce the astronomical configurations described in the Mahabharata.

Another point of consideration is that it is generally accepted by most Vedic scholars that the age of Kali-yuga began in February 17-18 of 3102 BCE, which also coincides with the astronomical configurations. This also is given credence from the Aryabhatta Tradition in which Aryabhatta, who lived 476-550 CE, explains that when he was 23 years old, 3600 years of Kali-yuga had elapsed. Aryabhatta, one of the great mathematicians and astronomers of India in the 5th century CE, examined the astronomical positions recorded in the Mahabharata. In his work, the Aryabhattiya, he calculated that the approximate date to be 3100 BCE, justifying the date of the Kurukshetra war to have been fought about 5000 years ago, as the tradition itself and most Hindus have always said.

This again identifies the year of 3102 BCE. However, the Mahabharata itself does not describe when Kali-yuga began. All it says is that the war took place some time during the interval of Dvapara and Kali-yugas, and it certainly took place before Lord Krishna left this world. But there is evidence that Kali-yuga had already begun before Lord Krishna disappeared.

In the Bhagavata Purana (1.15.36) it is explained, “When the Personality of Godhead Lord Krishna left this earthly planet in His selfsame form, from that very day Kali, who had appeared partially before, became fully manifest to create inauspicious conditions for those who are endowed with a poor fund of knowledge.”

Therefore, Kali-yuga had already appeared, but it was only due to the presence of Lord Krishna who was holding back its influence. But after He left this world, Kali’s full potency took effect, which is also stated in the Kali-raja Vrittanta. Thus, the war is most likely to have been in 3067 BCE and the beginning of Kali-yuga accepted as 3102 BCE.

Some people, such as Max Muller and others, have had trouble accepting this date as the time of the Mahabharata, because they felt that the descriptions of the planetary positions of the Saptarishis (Ursa Major) were not real. However, a similar description is also given in the second chapter of the twelfth canto of the Bhagavata Purana, which helps verify the time of the Mahabharata.

One particular point to consider is that it has been shown that the positions of the Saptarishis, as explained in the work of Anthony Aveni, noted author of The Empire of Time: Calendars, Clocks and Cultures, that in many cultures, even in Africa and American Indian cultures, it is believed that the entire solar system revolves through the galaxy of the Milky Way, around the brightest star of the Pleiades, in the Taurus constellation. These are known as the Seven Sisters or Krittikas in the Vedic tradition. The brightest star in the Pleiades is Alcyone, and the sun completes one revolution around this star in approximately 3000 years. This has made the Pleiades a sacred object in the sky in many cultures. But the point is that it is this periodic revolution that is why the Saptarishis repeat their positions described in the Bhagavata Purana every 2700 years. Thus, when calculations are based on the position of these stars, we have to realize that the Vedic texts, including the Ramayana and the descriptions therein, could be relating to time periods much earlier than we think.

Additional evidence that can help establish the time of Lord Krishna was in Mohenjodaro, where a tablet dated to 2600 BCE was found which depicts Lord Krishna in His childhood days. This shows that Lord Krishna was popular at least prior to this date. 7

We also have records from Greek travelers who came to India following Alexander’s invasion which have left references to Krishna. Authors like Pliny referred to Krishna as Heracles, based on Hari Krishna. They record that Heracles (Krishna) was held in special honor by the Sourseni tribe (Shuraseni, based on Shura the father of Vasudeva and grandfather of Lord Krishna) in such places as the major city of Methora (Mathura).

The Greek records go on to record that Heracles (Krishna) lived 138 generations before the time of Alexander and Sandrocottas, which was about 330 BCE. This then calculates, based on about 20 years per generation, to roughly 3090 BCE, which is about the right time considering 3102 BCE is the date when Kali-yuga began. Thus, Lord Krishna was a genuinely historical figure who lived about the time of 3200-3100 BCE, having lived to 125 years of age.

 

WHEN LORD KRISHNA LEFT THIS WORLD

The above information leads us to the approximate date when Lord Krishna left this world. As B. N. Narahari Achar again describes: “According to the epic Mahabharata, Krishna first appears [in the epic] at the time of Draupadi’s wedding, and His departure is exactly 36 years after the war. No information about His birth is available in the epic itself, although there is information about His departure. Krishna observes omens (Mahabharata 14.3.17), similar to the ones seen at the time of the war, now indicating the total destruction of the Yadavas. [Astrological] Simulations show that in the year 3031 BCE, thirty-six years later than 3067 BCE, there was an eclipse season with three eclipses. A lunar eclipse on 20 October was followed by an annular solar eclipse on 5 November, followed by a penumbral lunar eclipse on 19 November, within an interval of 14 days and at an aparvani time. Thus the date of departure of Lord Krishna is consistent with the popular tradition that He passed away 36 years after the war. The information about His birth can be gathered from the Harivamsha and the Bhagavata Purana…. It should be understood, however, that the date of His departure from this world is established on the information in the epic and on the basis of [astronomical] simulations, and it turns out to be 3031 BCE.” 8

 

MORE PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF LORD KRISHNA

Sometimes there are comments and even controversies amongst those who are less informed regarding whether Christianity or Vedic culture came first. Some people point out that the devotional elements within the Vedic tradition, especially in regard to the Bhakti movements, must have come from Christianity first and then appeared in the Vedic Vaishnava tradition, the followers of which exhibit much love and devotion to Lord Krishna and Vishnu and His other avataras. But this idea, that Vedic culture came from Christianity, which some Christian preachers in India still try to use in their attempts to convert people, could not be further from the truth. The fact is that there is archeological proof that the Vaishnava tradition of devotion to Lord Vishnu existed many years prior to the appearance of Christianity.

Not far from the Buddhist site of Sanchi in Central India, we take a 45-minute ride on the very bumpy road to Vidisha or Besnagar where we find the Heliodorus column, locally known as the Khamb Baba pillar. This was erected by Heliodorus, the Greek ambassador to India in 113 BCE. Heliodorus was sent to the court of King Bhagabhadra by Antialkidas, the Greek king of Taxila. The kingdom of Taxila was part of the Bactrian region in northwest India, which had been conquered by Alexander the Great in 325 BCE. By the time of Antialkidas, the area under Greek rule included what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Punjab.

Heliodorus writes on the stone pillar the time it was erected and the fact that he had converted to Vaishnavism, or the worship of Lord Vishnu. The inscription on the column, as published in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, says:

“This Garuda column of Vasudeva (Vishnu), the god of gods, was erected here by Heliodorus, a worshiper of Vishnu, the son of Dion, and an inhabitant of Taxila, who came as Greek ambassador from the Great King Antialkidas to King Kasiputra Bhagabhadra, the Savior, then reigning prosperously in the fourteenth year of his kingship. Three important precepts when practiced lead to heaven: self-restraint, charity, conscientiousness.”

This shows that Heliodorus had become a worshiper of Vishnu and was well versed in the texts and ways pertaining to this religion. It can only be guessed how many other Greeks became converted to Vaishnavism if such a notable ambassador did. This conclusively shows the Greek appreciation for India and its philosophy.

It was General Alexander Cunningham who was doing an archeological survey in 1877 who first took notice of the significance of the column. However, he did not attend to the inscription that was on it because it was covered with vermilion. This was because the pilgrims who worshiped had a custom to smear the column with vermilion.

It was only in January of 1901 when a Mr. Lake uncovered the paint from what he thought was some lettering. Once the ancient Brahmi text was translated, the historical significance of the column became ever more apparent.

The British Sanskritists, due to their superior views of themselves, had developed the idea that much of the Vedic traditions and legends of Lord Krishna had to have been incorporated from the Bible and the stories of Jesus. However, this Heliodorus column was the archeological discovery that proved to the disappointed British that knowledge of Krishna and the Vaishnava tradition predated Christianity by at least 200 years. The column indicated that the Indians did not adopt legends of Christ to put in their Puranas to be used for the stories of Krishna as the British had hypothesized since this gave proof that knowledge of Krishna predated Jesus by almost 200 years.

Another point to consider is that if a Greek official was so impressed with the philosophy of Vaishnavism that he converted to it in 200 BCE, then it means that Vaishnavism and the element of spiritual devotion to God, as found in the Bhakti tradition, had to have originated several hundred years if not several thousand years earlier in order for it to have developed to a stage wherein the Greeks were so much impressed by it. So this is a serious historical site to see.

The Heliodorus column also indicates that the Vedic tradition accepted converts at that time. Only after the difficulties between Hindus and Muslims was there a hesitancy on the part of Hindus to accept converts to the Vedic tradition. The Vedic religion saw itself as universal and welcomed all people into its embrace. As Raychaudhari writes: “The Beshnagar record testifies to the proselytizing zeal of the Bhagavatas [Vaishnavas] in the pre-Christian centuries, and shows that their religion was excellent enough to capture the hearts of cultured Greeks, and catholic enough to admit them into its fold.”

This evidence further shows that Greece was but a part of Vedic culture and repeated what it and its philosophers had learned from the Vedic sages rather than being a source of the higher levels of philosophy as some people think. Furthermore, this evidence bears witness to the fact that the Christian tradition and its main element of devotion or bhakti to God was found in Vedic culture long before it appeared within the confines of Christianity. In fact, much of the deeper spiritual philosophy in Christianity is but a repeat of what had been previously established and much more deeply developed in the older Vedic tradition. So to fathom the deeper aspects of the different levels of devotion to God, one can investigate the Vedic and Vaishnava tradition to learn the finer details.

Additional archeological finds include the Mora Well and Ghosundi Inscriptions, which tell us that the rich and complex Vaishnava conception of God and full expansions of the Godhead into the material universes were already well established in the first two centuries before Christ. Seven miles west of Mathura in the small and unimposing village of Mora, General Cunningham made another vital find regarding the historicity of Vaishnavism. In 1882, on the terrace of an ancient well, he discovered a large stone slab filled with inscriptions. Although more than half of the writing had already peeled away on the right side, the remainder was legible. It was transcribed, and a facsimile of the inscription was published in the Archaeological Survey of India’s Annual Report. The message was clear. Not only was Krishna worshiped in the centuries before Christ, but also His expansions or associates, especially “the five heroes of the Vrishni Clan.” Scholarly research makes evident that these five are Krishna (Vasudeva), Balarama (Sankarshana), Pradyumna, Samba, and Aniruddha.

This was the proof that the complex theology, metaphysics, and cosmology of Sanatana-dharma and Vaishnavism definitely existed in an advanced state centuries before Christ. The Mora Well inscription is an important archeological proof of this historical fact.

Furthermore, in the village of Ghosundi in the Chitor district of Rajasthan is found the Ghosundi Inscription, which largely duplicates the message of the Mora Well Inscription. Kaviraja Shyamala Dasa first brought this evidence to light in The Journal of the Bengal Asiatic Society. Today, the inscription can be inspected in the Victoria Hall Museum in Udaipur.

The surviving part of this inscription relevant to this chapter reads as follows: “[this] railing of stone for the purposes of worship is [caused to be made] in the Narayana-compound, [dedicated] to the Blessed Ones [bhagavabhyam] Samkarshana and Vasudeva, the gods…”

The inscription is in a form of Sanskrit script called Northern Brahmi script, which dates the inscription as being from the second century BCE in either the late Maurya or early Sunga periods. An almost identical inscription also was uncovered nearby and is called the Hathi-vada Inscription. According to K. P. Jayaswal of the Archaeological Survey of India, these inscriptions demonstrate that not only the Kshatriyas but also the Brahmanas or priestly and intellectual class worshiped Krishna as the “Lord of all,” and, thus, Vaishnavism was entrenched in the entire Indian society.

The same point is made in the famous Nanaghat Cave Inscription in the state of Maharashtra, where Vasudeva and Sankarshana (or Krishna and Balarama) are included in an invocation of a Brahmana. On epigraphical grounds, this inscription is dated conclusively as coming from the second half of the first century BCE. Additionally, Raychaudhuri reports:

The Nanaghat Inscription shows further that the Bhagavata [Vaishnava] religion was no longer confined to Northern India, but had spread to the south and had captured the hearts of the sturdy people of Maharashtra. From Maharashtra it was destined to spread to the Tamil country and then flow back with renewed vigor to the remotest corners of the Hindu Vedic world.

There is also much numismatic evidence that corroborates the antiquity of Krishna. For instance, excavations at Al-Khanum, along the border of Afghanistan and the Soviet Union, conducted by P. Bernard and a French archeological expedition, unearthed six rectangular bronze coins issued by the Indo-Greek ruler Agathocles (180?-?165 BCE). The coins had script written in both Greek and Brahmi and, most interestingly, show an image of Vishnu, or Vasudeva, carrying a Chakra and a pear-shaped vase, or conchshell, which are two of the four main sacred symbols of God in Vaishnavism.

 

DATE OF LORD RAMA

Another point we could discuss is the approximate date of Lord Rama. Lord Rama appeared in the Solar Dynasty, but even the time frame of His appearance may shed more light on the antiquity of Vedic culture. Naturally, scholars have different views on when He may have existed. Some say He was here a few thousand years before Lord Krishna. In fact, in an April 2011 edition of the Times of India, Saurabh Kwatra writes that using the zodiac and the recorded tithis, days marked according to the phases of the moon, he calculated that the birth of Lord Rama, as related in the Valmiki Ramayana, was December 4th, 7323 BCE. While using other forms of planetary computer software, others have come up with other dates.

Though these may be some of the more recent calculations, still the tradition places the era of Lord Rama much earlier than that. For example, the Vayu Purana (70.48) says:

tretayuge chaturvinshe ravanastapasah kshayat

I

ramam dasharathim prapya saganah kshayamlyavan

II

This relates that the misbehaving Ravana was killed with his kiths and kins in a war with Rama in the 24th Treta-yuga. We are presently in the 28th chaturyuga (cycle of 1000 yugas) of the Vaivasvat manvantara. Furthermore, this is corroborated by Rupa Goswami in his Laghu Bhagavatamrita that Rama appeared in the Treta-yuga of the 24th yuga cycle. There are 71 cycles of the four yugas in a manvantara period, which would mean the appearance of Lord Rama would be about 18 million years ago.

Another interesting point is that in the Suderkand section of the Valmiki Ramayana (5.4.27)elephants with four tusks are mentioned as standing at the gates of Ravana’s palace. Also in 5.27.12 an ogress named Trijata sees in her dream Lord Rama mounted on a great elephant with four tusks. The fact that they knew of elephants with four tusks is very intriguing since, scientifically speaking, a quick reference to the elephant with four tusks is called a Mastondontoidea, which is calculated to have evolved around 38 million years ago, and is suspected of becoming extinct around 15 million years ago. This would help verify the ancient date of Lord Rama to be around 18 million years ago. Interesting… isn’t it?

The more we look in the right places for the right evidence, the more we see that the Vedic tradition indeed holds the universal spiritual truths.

CHAPTER NOTES

1. B. N. Narahari Achar, Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 203.

2. Nicholas Kazanas, Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 53.

3. B. N. Narahari Achar, Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 225.

4. Ibid., p. 231.

5. Ibid., p. 244.

6. Nicholas Kazanas, Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies, Dartmouth, USA, 2010, p. 53.

7. V. S. Agrawal, India in the Days of Panini, 1953.

8. B. N. Narahari Achar, Origin of Indian Civilization, Edited by Bal Ram Singh, Center for Indic Studies, Dartmought, USA, 2010, p. 246-7.

 


Holy Dham
→ Seed of Devotion

When I first came to Mumbai, all I heard was relentless car-honking, construction hammering, and shouts.

All I saw was trash in gutters, slums, the hollow eyes of beggars.

All I smelled was the sewer, the burn of gasoline.

Over the past month, I have learned to listen to the arati bell, the ocean of voices singing the holy name in unison, the murmur of my own voice chanting on beads.

I have learned to see the gold and brown sheen within the eyes the beggar child, to not let my eyes dart away. I have learned to see the names of God in almost every shop name in this city.

I have learned to smell the richly burning ghee lamps which illuminate the forms of Laxmi Narayan.

I have learned to remember the dozens of names of the people I have met. I have learned to lead a kirtan even when I'm nervous and I don't believe in myself.

I have learned to let go, receive, surrender.

I seem to have found the holy dham within this city of Mumbai. 

Holy Dham
→ Seed of Devotion

When I first came to Mumbai, all I heard was relentless car-honking, construction hammering, and shouts.

All I saw was trash in gutters, slums, the hollow eyes of beggars.

All I smelled was the sewer, the burn of gasoline.

Over the past month, I have learned to listen to the arati bell, the ocean of voices singing the holy name in unison, the murmur of my own voice chanting on beads.

I have learned to see the gold and brown sheen within the eyes the beggar child, to not let my eyes dart away. I have learned to see the names of God in almost every shop name in this city.

I have learned to smell the richly burning ghee lamps which illuminate the forms of Laxmi Narayan.

I have learned to remember the dozens of names of the people I have met. I have learned to lead a kirtan even when I'm nervous and I don't believe in myself.

I have learned to let go, receive, surrender.

I seem to have found the holy dham within this city of Mumbai. 

Kurma’s Spring Garden – ‘Not Hard Being Chard’
→ kurma News

Many people think that these handsome leafy red-stemmed fellows are beet leaves (called beetroot in Australia) but in fact they are rainbow chard, or sometimes called 'silverbeet' in Australia. I have 4 varieties - yellow-, red-, pink- and white-stemmed.

red chard:

I have always found chard very easy to grow, and the more plants I have, the more opportunity I can have for daily picking of outer, large leaves to add some interest, colour and nutrition to whatever I am cooking - whether it be soup, dal, curries, pasta sauce, noodles or in rice. In fact they are fine eating raw in salads as well.

like a rainbow:

The butterflies and snails and caterpillars also enjoy them, so I have to be diligent in keeping my eyes open for the hungry visitors. The parrots are always eyeing-off my fruiting plants like my roma tomatoes, but at least they don't seem to bother about green leaved plants.

my rainbow chard:

Hopefully the parrots won't be eating my broad beans, or else it will be all-out war. I don't feel like surrendering those after waiting 4 months for them to fructify.

Down to Earth
→ Tattva - See inside out

They say a little knowledge is dangerous. We can learn a philosophy, but if we haven’t understood it in a mature, balanced and well-rounded way, we can actually cause more harm to ourselves and others. Recently I was speaking to someone about friendship. They frankly told me that they found more integrity, sensitivity and kindness in their previous relationships with family and friends. They hoped that their camaraderie in spiritual circles would be deeper, warmer and more loving. Regrettably, they never really experienced that. Why would 'material' relationships seem more intimate and close than friendships amongst spiritualists? Surely spiritualists should be the best at connecting with others in a deep way.

A major part of the Bhagavad-gita highlights the temporary nature of the world, the futility of material acts, and the transitory nature of relationships. The ancient traditions outline how real satisfaction is found in the ‘other world.’ As we learn of the spiritual reality it’s easy to fall into the trap of neglecting what we may see as temporary, mundane and inconsequential day-to-day dealings. We may begin to see the things and people around us as unimportant in relation to the ‘bigger picture.’ However, should our spiritual outlook reduce our attention to the human experience? Maybe the human experience is the bridge to reaching the spiritual reality. Maybe we prepare ourselves for the ‘other world’ by becoming attentive to and conscious of our dealings in this world.

Great teachers have shown how to be rooted in eternal truths, while being simultaneously sensitive to the world around us. When a young disciple asked Swami Prabhupada how he could identify an advanced spiritualist, he was taken aback by the reply. Prabhupada told him “a spiritualist is a perfect gentleman”. The spiritual world is not an impersonal place – it’s a place of wonderful exchanges, deep friendships and loving interactions. How can we enter that place if we haven’t learnt to be like that here? It’s an art to be detached without being irresponsible, to embody spiritual gravity without being cold and impersonal, to have a philosophical outlook without losing sight of human emotion. It’s an art to transcend the world and simultaneously remain completely ‘down to earth.’

Down to Earth
→ Tattva - See inside out

They say a little knowledge is dangerous. We can learn a philosophy, but if we haven’t understood it in a mature, balanced and well-rounded way, we can actually cause more harm to ourselves and others. Recently I was speaking to someone about friendship. They frankly told me that they found more integrity, sensitivity and kindness in their previous relationships with family and friends. They hoped that their camaraderie in spiritual circles would be deeper, warmer and more loving. Regrettably, they never really experienced that. Why would 'material' relationships seem more intimate and close than friendships amongst spiritualists? Surely spiritualists should be the best at connecting with others in a deep way.

A major part of the Bhagavad-gita highlights the temporary nature of the world, the futility of material acts, and the transitory nature of relationships. The ancient traditions outline how real satisfaction is found in the ‘other world.’ As we learn of the spiritual reality it’s easy to fall into the trap of neglecting what we may see as temporary, mundane and inconsequential day-to-day dealings. We may begin to see the things and people around us as unimportant in relation to the ‘bigger picture.’ However, should our spiritual outlook reduce our attention to the human experience? Maybe the human experience is the bridge to reaching the spiritual reality. Maybe we prepare ourselves for the ‘other world’ by becoming attentive to and conscious of our dealings in this world.

Great teachers have shown how to be rooted in eternal truths, while being simultaneously sensitive to the world around us. When a young disciple asked Swami Prabhupada how he could identify an advanced spiritualist, he was taken aback by the reply. Prabhupada told him “a spiritualist is a perfect gentleman”. The spiritual world is not an impersonal place – it’s a place of wonderful exchanges, deep friendships and loving interactions. How can we enter that place if we haven’t learnt to be like that here? It’s an art to be detached without being irresponsible, to embody spiritual gravity without being cold and impersonal, to have a philosophical outlook without losing sight of human emotion. It’s an art to transcend the world and simultaneously remain completely ‘down to earth.’

Sankirtan At Garba – Leaving No Stone Un-turned
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures


Submitted by:- Minakshi devi dasi



On Saturday October 13th we had the opportunity to do book distribution at the Ontario Soccer Centre where there was a Garba Event. Imagine on the one hand loud pulsing live music with hundreds of people dancing with dandiya sticks and on the other hand Srila Prabhupada’s books trying to deliver these souls.  The sankirtan warriors included Mayur Prabhu, Vijay Patel Prabhu, Radhapriya and myself.

A quick incident: I had approached a couple of older men and started speaking to them and showing them the Krishna Book in Gujarati; they came closer to the table and we continued to speak.  In the meantime, another man came closer and said there is no need for these books – ‘everything is in your mind – you control your happiness’. Despite this, I showed them a paragraph about suffering and happiness and they ignored the interrupting man and purchased 2 Krishna Books and 1 small Gujarati book!

A lot of people said ‘we already have these books’ or ‘we already know about Krishna’.  Others had been drinking and we could clearly smell it on them. Anyhow we all persevered and by the end of the night we distributed over 60 books including many Krishna Books and Kid’s books and collected over $400.  Thank you to all the devotees who helped in this service! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

Sankirtan At Garba – Leaving No Stone Un-turned
→ Toronto Sankirtan Adventures


Submitted by:- Minakshi devi dasi



On Saturday October 13th we had the opportunity to do book distribution at the Ontario Soccer Centre where there was a Garba Event. Imagine on the one hand loud pulsing live music with hundreds of people dancing with dandiya sticks and on the other hand Srila Prabhupada’s books trying to deliver these souls.  The sankirtan warriors included Mayur Prabhu, Vijay Patel Prabhu, Radhapriya and myself.

A quick incident: I had approached a couple of older men and started speaking to them and showing them the Krishna Book in Gujarati; they came closer to the table and we continued to speak.  In the meantime, another man came closer and said there is no need for these books – ‘everything is in your mind – you control your happiness’. Despite this, I showed them a paragraph about suffering and happiness and they ignored the interrupting man and purchased 2 Krishna Books and 1 small Gujarati book!

A lot of people said ‘we already have these books’ or ‘we already know about Krishna’.  Others had been drinking and we could clearly smell it on them. Anyhow we all persevered and by the end of the night we distributed over 60 books including many Krishna Books and Kid’s books and collected over $400.  Thank you to all the devotees who helped in this service! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!

40th Anniversary Festivities!
→ TKG Academy News

40th Anniversary Festivities!
What makes TKG Academy so successful is its proximity to Radha Kalachandji Dham, a thriving community of more than 500 families, serving Krishna together. The magic of the festivals, the love shared with the Deities and the devotees, the traditions set in a young child's heart - these together determine…

Kurma’s Spring Garden – ‘The Bean Within’
→ kurma News

broad-beans:

My dwarf heirloom variety of Aquadulce broad beans are maturing nicely. Broad beans, sometimes known as fava beans, are enjoyed in many cultures the world over. They are a labour of love to grow, taking at least 120 days from sowing to fruiting. I have 100 plants in various stages of fruition in different spots in my garden, all sown from scratch - literally a couple of large handfuls of dried beans. The flowers are beautiful, and hopefully each will manifest a bean pod after dropping off.

broad beans:

When small, as some of mine are now, you can eat them whole, and they’re sensational. When mature they are big, puffy pods, much bigger than other beans. These large pods – from six to 10 inches long on average - need to be peeled to get to the beans. Apart from the patience in waiting for them to grow, the last labour of love part is that one can (or should) peel the beans again, a second time to reveal the bright green bean within.

Cracking Geodes
→ TKG Academy News

Cracking Geodes
Today, students in Mother Savitri's Lower Elementary class explored the world of rocks. They read about ancient rocks and weapons in the Science Book they were studying.   Students studied the different tools and weapons of the past, made from Carved and Natural Rock formations.

A Right Royal Rollickingly Robust Rajma
→ kurma News

Rajma could be described as the North Indian equivalent of Mexican chili. My version is laced with cubes of protein-rich homemade panir cheese It is robust, nutritious, filling and spicy. Rajma is the name of the bean (red kidney) from which this spicy stew is made, and also the finished product.

rajma:

Ana C from Melbourne writes: "I would like to know if you can give me a good Rajma recipe. I tried it at a friend's place and I totally loved it. Thank you."

Here's my recipe:

Punjabi Red Bean Curry (Rajma)
Although ideal for a winter lunch, Rajma can be served successfully with any bread or rice selection and as a part of almost any menu. Serves 6-8 persons.

For the beans:

2 cups dried red kidney beans,
3 small bay leaves,
1½ teaspoons turmeric,
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.

For the spice paste:

1 tablespoon cumin seeds,
1 teaspoon fennel seeds,
½ teaspoon ajowan seeds,
3 tablespoons shredded fresh ginger,
2 tablespoons coriander powder,
1½ teaspoons garam masala,
1½ teaspoons turmeric,
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper,
2–3 teaspoons salt,
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

The remaining ingredients:

fresh panir cheese, made from 1.5 litres milk, cut into 1.25cm cubes,
5 tablespoons ghee or oil for frying the panir,
4 medium-sized tomatoes, diced into 1.25cm cubes,
2 tablespoons tomato paste,
1 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves.

To prepare the beans:

Soak the beans in ample cold water overnight. Drain.

Place the beans in a large saucepan of ccold water and bring to the boil over high heat. Add the bay leaves, turmeric and cayenne, reduce the heat and simmer the beans, covered, for 1– 1½ hours, or until the beans are soft and tender, but not broken down. Note that bean cooking time varies immensely for different varieties of kidney beans, so check them carefully. Pour the cooked beans through a colander, being careful to collect all the cooking liquid in a bowl underneath — you’ll need it later. Transfer the beans into a bowl.

Separate ½ cup cooked beans, mash them to a puree and set them aside in a small bowl.

To prepare the spice paste:

Combine the cumin, fennel and ajowan seeds in a coffee mill or mortar and grind them to a powder. Transfer the powder to a small bowl. Combine the shredded ginger with ½ cup water in a blender and process to a smooth liquid. Add this ginger liquid to the bowl of powdered spices. Add the coriander powder, garam masala, turmeric, salt and lemon or lime juice, and stir to mix well. The spice paste should have a consistency of thin cream. Add a little water if it is too thick.

To fry the panir cheese:

Place 2 tablespoons ghee or oil in a heavy non-stick frying pan and set it over moderate heat. When the ghee is hot, add the panir cheese and stir-fry for 5–7 minutes, carefully turning the cubes with a spoon to brown them on all sides. Remove the pan from the heat and set the panir cheese aside.

To assemble the dish:

Heat the remaining ghee or oil in a saucepan over moderate heat, and add the spice paste. Fry the paste for 1 or 2 minutes over moderate heat, or until it begins to stick. Stir in the tomatoes and continue to cook the mixture for 5–8 minutes, or until the tomatoes are reduced to a thick paste, and the ghee or oil starts to separate. Add the reserved mashed beans and stir well until they are fully incorporated.

Drop in the cubes of the fried panir cheese, the cooked beans, tomato paste and 1½ cups of the reserved bean cooking liquid, or more if a thinner consistency bean dish is required. Allow the beans to come to the boil, then reduce the heat to low, and simmer for another 10–15 minutes, or until the panir cheese cubes are soft and juicy. Stir in the chopped coriander leaves, and serve hot.

Math Meeting and Multiplication
→ TKG Academy News

Math Meeting and Multiplication
Fourth Through Sixth Grades Saxon Math is an incremental subject where students learn a new concept daily that they practice, along with skills that have been learned earlier.  This method of learning provides students with many problems that they are familiar with and includes at least three or four problems…

Down With Entitlements!
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das


What’s with these politicians signing pledges not to raise taxes? And why do some want to sacrifice Big Bird on the economic altar? If we have to sacrifice someone, why not  the lobbyists?

But nobody wants to touch the lobbyists. Why is entitlement for lobbyists good, but entitlement for seniors bad? Why do we tolerate the lobbyists? Of course, the lobbyists are the one’s really  writing the country’s legislation nowadays (not our elected politicians). That means they have the laws tilted to the advantage of big business. So where is the government “of the people, by the people, for the people?” Does this apply any more or is it just a myth?

In the Vedic culture the leaders had advisors. But the advisors were totally impartial. They didn’t care about Profit for themselves. They cared about upholding the Dharma. That was their contribution to society. So if politicians want to sign pledges, let them sign a pledge to have nothing to do with the lobbyists.  This would be a good start.  Then maybe the lawmakers could really become lawmakers. 

And while they’re at it, the lawmakers  could also sign a pledge not to participate in insider trading.  On Wall Street, insider trading could get you a jail sentence or at least a stiff fine. But not the politicians. Talk about entitlement!!! They can, and do, take advantage of the information that they are privy to in their committee meetings and as they cast influential legislation.  Are they entitled to  think about making extra money for themselves while they’re supposed to be working for us? What would your boss do if he/she caught you working for yourself while you’re on the job?

And the medical plans for politicians? Why should they be entitled to special plans for the rest of their lives even if they only serve on the Hill for five years? When’s the last time you held on to you’re medical plan after you left your job?  Let’s get a comprehensive medical plan for everybody – or for nobody – including the politicians.  Unresolved or ambiguous medical situations take an invisible  toll on the country. Politicians telling people to go to the ER is no  solution.  All of us pay for it in one way or another.

Down with entitlements for politicians. Don’t let politicians 1) be controlled by or morph into lobbyists 2) don’t let them make extra money for themselves while they’re working for us 3) don’t let then walk away with medical plans after they leave the job. 

The Vedic culture shows that governments can work. In this ancient culture, the leaders are beholden to the principles of the Dharma.  They are not immune from the law.  The leaders often made the biggest sacrifices rather than simply asking other take on the burdens.  Unfortunately, the governments of the world have now degenerated into societies of  cheaters and the cheated. If politicians had to scramble like many folks,  they might start working together pretty quickly to find solutions.


Down With Entitlements!
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das


What’s with these politicians signing pledges not to raise taxes? And why do some want to sacrifice Big Bird on the economic altar? If we have to sacrifice someone, why not  the lobbyists?

But nobody wants to touch the lobbyists. Why is entitlement for lobbyists good, but entitlement for seniors bad? Why do we tolerate the lobbyists? Of course, the lobbyists are the one’s really  writing the country’s legislation nowadays (not our elected politicians). That means they have the laws tilted to the advantage of big business. So where is the government “of the people, by the people, for the people?” Does this apply any more or is it just a myth?

In the Vedic culture the leaders had advisors. But the advisors were totally impartial. They didn’t care about Profit for themselves. They cared about upholding the Dharma. That was their contribution to society. So if politicians want to sign pledges, let them sign a pledge to have nothing to do with the lobbyists.  This would be a good start.  Then maybe the lawmakers could really become lawmakers. 

And while they’re at it, the lawmakers  could also sign a pledge not to participate in insider trading.  On Wall Street, insider trading could get you a jail sentence or at least a stiff fine. But not the politicians. Talk about entitlement!!! They can, and do, take advantage of the information that they are privy to in their committee meetings and as they cast influential legislation.  Are they entitled to  think about making extra money for themselves while they’re supposed to be working for us? What would your boss do if he/she caught you working for yourself while you’re on the job?

And the medical plans for politicians? Why should they be entitled to special plans for the rest of their lives even if they only serve on the Hill for five years? When’s the last time you held on to you’re medical plan after you left your job?  Let’s get a comprehensive medical plan for everybody – or for nobody – including the politicians.  Unresolved or ambiguous medical situations take an invisible  toll on the country. Politicians telling people to go to the ER is no  solution.  All of us pay for it in one way or another.

Down with entitlements for politicians. Don’t let politicians 1) be controlled by or morph into lobbyists 2) don’t let them make extra money for themselves while they’re working for us 3) don’t let then walk away with medical plans after they leave the job. 

The Vedic culture shows that governments can work. In this ancient culture, the leaders are beholden to the principles of the Dharma.  They are not immune from the law.  The leaders often made the biggest sacrifices rather than simply asking other take on the burdens.  Unfortunately, the governments of the world have now degenerated into societies of  cheaters and the cheated. If politicians had to scramble like many folks,  they might start working together pretty quickly to find solutions.


DIY Deity Jewellery: Intricate Belts
→ Arcanam: Worship of the Deity...

This tutorial for these intricate belts was put together by Raghunath Prabhu from Alachua. Please check out his blog: Radha Madan Mohan- The all merciful Ones where you can have darshan of his deities and the amazing jewelery he makes. Their jewelery is so well made I'm sure it will be a great source of inspiration and ideas.




The tutorial demonstrates the process for creating the base of these belts, from there you can let your creativity flow and the possibilities are virtually endless!


 Supplies:

  1. Seed beads and matching beads in various shapes and sizes
  2. Beading needle
  3. Beading thread, Raghunath prabhu recommends Beadalon Wildfire (available from Michaels) as it does not fray which is good for when you make errors and have to go back through their beads you've already strung.
  4. Pipe cleaners (optional for tying the belt, ribbon or chord can also be used)

Step 1: Make a knot on your first seed bead. Then string on four blue seed beads followed by two purple seed beads, then come back up through the last two blue beads. Look at the pictures carefully, notice which direction the needle is going. In this pic the needle is going up through the last two blue beads. This will make the two purple beads be next to the two light blue beads.

Step 2: Now string on a gold seed bead (you cant see it in this pic) and come down through three blue seed beads.

Step 3: Now string on your bigger bead on and go up through the two purple seed beads.

Step 4: You have now finished one round of this pattern. Now string on add two blue seed beads and two purple seed beads.


Step 5

Step 6

Step 7: When it is as big as you want it, make a little loop of beads and go into the bottom big beads.

Step 8: Now in this step you can decide how circular you want it.The more space you take up at the bottom the more circular it will be. At this step I go back to the other side sometimes adding seed beads until I get to the other side. I then make a loop on that side.

Step 9: When you get here you can let your creativity free. You can now do whatever you want to make a beautiful belt. I would like to see some your creations for your deities. Good luck. Ask questions if you would like.

The finished product!

Special thanks to Raghunath prabhu for putting this together (originally in the Home Deity Sewing and Jewelry FB Group).

DIY Deity Jewellery: Intricate Belts
→ Arcanam: Worship of the Deity...

This tutorial for these intricate belts was put together by Raghunath Prabhu from Alachua. Please check out his blog: Radha Madan Mohan- The all merciful Ones where you can have darshan of his deities and the amazing jewelery he makes. Their jewelery is so well made I'm sure it will be a great source of inspiration and ideas.




The tutorial demonstrates the process for creating the base of these belts, from there you can let your creativity flow and the possibilities are virtually endless!


 Supplies:

  1. Seed beads and matching beads in various shapes and sizes
  2. Beading needle
  3. Beading thread, Raghunath prabhu recommends Beadalon Wildfire (available from Michaels) as it does not fray which is good for when you make errors and have to go back through their beads you've already strung.
  4. Pipe cleaners (optional for tying the belt, ribbon or chord can also be used)

Step 1: Make a knot on your first seed bead. Then string on four blue seed beads followed by two purple seed beads, then come back up through the last two blue beads. Look at the pictures carefully, notice which direction the needle is going. In this pic the needle is going up through the last two blue beads. This will make the two purple beads be next to the two light blue beads.

Step 2: Now string on a gold seed bead (you cant see it in this pic) and come down through three blue seed beads.

Step 3: Now string on your bigger bead on and go up through the two purple seed beads.

Step 4: You have now finished one round of this pattern. Now string on add two blue seed beads and two purple seed beads.


Step 5

Step 6

Step 7: When it is as big as you want it, make a little loop of beads and go into the bottom big beads.

Step 8: Now in this step you can decide how circular you want it.The more space you take up at the bottom the more circular it will be. At this step I go back to the other side sometimes adding seed beads until I get to the other side. I then make a loop on that side.

Step 9: When you get here you can let your creativity free. You can now do whatever you want to make a beautiful belt. I would like to see some your creations for your deities. Good luck. Ask questions if you would like.

The finished product!

Special thanks to Raghunath prabhu for putting this together (originally in the Home Deity Sewing and Jewelry FB Group).

Bubble Bath
→ Tattva - See inside out

Imagine being tucked up in a cosy bed on a cold winter morning. Your alarm goes off at 6.00am, and after repeated snoozing you eventually resign yourself to waking up. As you struggle out of bed, you head for the bathroom. Turning the shower knob to deep red you expect hot water, but the initial gush of freezing cold water gives you the shock of your life! Now you are well and truly awake. As the water continues flowing, it slowly becomes warmer and much more comfortable. Gradually your body feels cleansed and completely fresh. By now the experience has become so pleasurable, that you don’t want to leave the shower! Five minutes easily turns into fifteen. You could stay there all day!

We don’t think twice about taking our daily bath. It’s just something you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t really feel ready to face the day ahead. Great sages explain that just as we bathe in water everyday to cleanse the body, we should similarly bathe in the words of the wisdom literatures on a daily basis to cleanse our consciousness. That philosophical bath wakes you up to reality, cleans out the negativity and unhealthy qualities, and ultimately becomes a relishable and enlivening activity. It’s absolutely essential for our spiritual health.

We can all make excuses to avoid books like the Bhagavad-gita. It’s not a question of time constraint, rather a question of priority. It’s not a question of intelligence to grasp the knowledge, but simply a question of having the desire. The deep insights help to burst the bubble of mundane existence and give us an eternal perspective. It reminds us not to take the illusion too seriously. As Mahatma Gandhi once said “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me: and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it everyday.” The scriptures are not a spare wheel that we utilise in an emergency, but are actually meant to be the steering wheel of our life.

Bubble Bath
→ Tattva - See inside out

Imagine being tucked up in a cosy bed on a cold winter morning. Your alarm goes off at 6.00am, and after repeated snoozing you eventually resign yourself to waking up. As you struggle out of bed, you head for the bathroom. Turning the shower knob to deep red you expect hot water, but the initial gush of freezing cold water gives you the shock of your life! Now you are well and truly awake. As the water continues flowing, it slowly becomes warmer and much more comfortable. Gradually your body feels cleansed and completely fresh. By now the experience has become so pleasurable, that you don’t want to leave the shower! Five minutes easily turns into fifteen. You could stay there all day!

We don’t think twice about taking our daily bath. It’s just something you do. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t really feel ready to face the day ahead. Great sages explain that just as we bathe in water everyday to cleanse the body, we should similarly bathe in the words of the wisdom literatures on a daily basis to cleanse our consciousness. That philosophical bath wakes you up to reality, cleans out the negativity and unhealthy qualities, and ultimately becomes a relishable and enlivening activity. It’s absolutely essential for our spiritual health.

We can all make excuses to avoid books like the Bhagavad-gita. It’s not a question of time constraint, rather a question of priority. It’s not a question of intelligence to grasp the knowledge, but simply a question of having the desire. The deep insights help to burst the bubble of mundane existence and give us an eternal perspective. It reminds us not to take the illusion too seriously. As Mahatma Gandhi once said “When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to the Bhagavad-gita and find a verse to comfort me: and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it everyday.” The scriptures are not a spare wheel that we utilise in an emergency, but are actually meant to be the steering wheel of our life.

Literature Circles
→ TKG Academy News

Literature Circles
I just walked into the Upper Elementary Classroom and saw Mother Mani Manjari's Literature Circles in Action! Each student has a job with specific responsibilities in the Literature Circle as they are reading the chapter.   One summarizes.  One comes up with discussion questions.  One is the Word Wizard and…

Were There Two Buddhas? by Stephen Knapp
→ Stephen Knapp

I was asked to look into this a few years ago by someone who knew of my research abilities. But I have not been able to until now because of other priorities. But this topic has come up before, that actually there were two different Buddhas that played the part to establish Buddhism and its principles of ahimsa and nonviolence and its monist philosophy.

 

In the following material, we will look at the evidence that seems to indicate that there was first the Avatara Buddha, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu who appeared near 1800 BCE, and then there was another person who became known as Gautama called Buddha, born around 560 BCE.

1. The first Avatara Buddha established the philosophy of Ahimsa, nonviolence, and convinced those followers of Vedic customs who had become bent toward animal sacrifice to give up such rituals and simply follow him, and become kind to animals. Being an avatara of Vishnu, He did not establish any godless or monist philosophy.

2. The Avatara Buddha was also born of his mother Anjana in what became known as Bodhgaya.

3. The second Buddha known as Gautama, Siddhartha, or Shakyamuni – sage of the Shakyas – was born in Lumbini, now in Nepal, with Mayadevi as his mother. He is the one we often hear about, the prince who left home to do austerities to find enlightenment. He went to Bodhgaya to meditate because of its spiritual potency as the birthplace of the avatara Buddha. Then he became enlightened to the reasons for suffering in this world, and developed a godless way of becoming free from suffering. From that point he established the monist and godless philosophy of Buddhism, which became named after him.

Of course, the Theravadin texts refer to six preceding Buddhas (those who have awakened) as Vipasyin, Sikin, Krakuccanda, Konagamara, and Kashyapa, and Maitreya as the Buddha of the future. But we are not talking of any of these.

4. The reason why these two Buddhas became merged into one identity was partly because Adi Sankaracharya, in discussions with others, related them as one person and did not discriminate between the purpose of one or the other. Sankaracharya developed his own sunya philosophy, which was very much like the Buddhist philosophy, replacing the Buddhist nirvana with his Vedic Brahman, to defeat Buddhism and drive it out of India. He succeeded most effectively. At that time many were leaving Vedic culture altogether and converting to Buddhism. But with this new Mayavadha philosophy from Sankaracharya, Buddhism bowed and the conversions stopped, and Buddhism itself started to decline.

However, those important acharyas who followed Sankaracharya defeated his monist or impersonalist Mayavada philosophy and more clearly defined the Vedic view, such as:

Sri Vishnuswami with his Suddha-advaita-vada,

Ramanujacharya with his Vasistadvaita-vada,

Nimbarkacharya with his Dvaita-advaita-vada,

Madhvacharya with the Dvaita-vada,

Sri Chaitanya with his Acintaya-bheda-bheda-vada,

with further commentary and arguments against Sankaracharya’s impersonalist philosophy by Srila Baladevavidyabhushana and others.

Therefore, no matter how much some schools of thought have clung to the Mayavada philosophy of Sankaracharya, it has been defeated and dismissed many times over. Yet, Sankaracharaya played an important part in paving the way for protecting the Vedic culture by using his own imagined philosophy, based on his own interpretation of some of the Vedic stanzas, to defeat Buddhism at the time.

 

Much of the evidence that follows comes from a book called Beyond Nirvana: The Philosophy of Mayavadism: A Life History. This was written by Srila Bhakti Prajnan Keshava Gosvami Maharaja of the Gaudiya Math, the person who gave sannyasa initiation to His Divine Grace Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. The book was later translated and published in English by Sri Srimad Bhaktivedanta Narayana Maharaja, and published in 2003 in Mathura, India.

The whole book gives a lengthy dissertation on the development, history and present situation of the impersonalist point of view. Chapter Two especially focuses on the evidence for two Buddhas that had existed.

First, however, we should point out that there had always been a conflict in the dates of the Buddha’s birth. One birth is around 560 BCE, but when analyzing the records, there is evidence for a much earlier birth of Lord Buddha, of which I have written before as follows:

 

Reestablishing the Date of Lord Buddha

(Excerpt from Proof of Vedic Culture’s Global Existence)

 

Most of us are taught that Buddha was born around 560 to 550 B.C. However, once we start doing some research, we find evidence that this date may be too late. Buddha may have been born much earlier.

For example, in Some Blunders of Indian Historical Research (p. 189), P. N. Oak explains that the Puranas provide a chronology of the Magadha rulers. During the time of the Mahabharata war, Somadhi (Marjari) was the ruler. He started a dynasty that included 22 kings that spread over 1006 years. They were followed by five rulers of the Pradyota dynasty that lasted over 138 years. Then for the next 360 years was the 10 rulers of the Shishunag family. Kshemajit (who ruled from 1892 to 1852 B.C.) was the fourth in the Shishunag dynasty, and was a contemporary of Lord Buddha’s father, Shuddhodana. It was during this period in which Buddha was born. It was during the reign of Bimbisara, the fifth Shishunag ruler (1852-1814 B.C.), when Prince Siddhartha became the enlightened Buddha. Then it was during the reign of King Ajatashatru (1814-1787 B.C.) when Buddha left this world. Thus, he was born in 1887 B.C., renounced the world in 1858 B.C., and died in 1807 B.C. according to this analysis.

Further evidence that helps corroborate this is provided in The Age of Buddha, Milinda and King Amtiyoka and Yuga Purana, by Pandit Kota Venkatachalam. He also describes that it is from the Puranas, especially the Bhagavata Purana and the Kaliyurajavruttanta, that need to be consulted for the description of the Magadha royal dynasties to determine the date of Lord Buddha. Buddha was the 23rd in the Ikshvaku lineage, and was a contemporary of Kshemajita, Bimbisara, and Ajatashatru, as described above. Buddha was 72 years old in 1814 B.C. when the coronation of Ajatashatru took place. Thus, the date of Buddha’s birth must have been near 1887 B.C., and his death in 1807 B.C. if he lived for 80 years.

Professor K. Srinivasaraghavan also relates in his book, Chronology of Ancient Bharat (Part Four, Chapter Two), that the time of Buddha should be about 1259 years after the Mahabharata war, which should make it around 1880 B.C. if the war was in 3138 B.C. Furthermore, astronomical calculations by astronomer Swami Sakhyananda indicates that the time of the Buddha was in the Kruttika period, between 2621-1661 B.C.

Therefore, the fact that Buddha lived much earlier than what modern history teaches us has a number of ramifications. First, the time of the Buddha’s existence is underestimated by about 1300 years. Secondly, this means that Buddhism was in existence in the second millennium B.C. Thirdly, we also know Buddha preached against the misused Vedic rituals of animal sacrifice. Such misuse or misinterpretation of something in a culture generally only happens after a long period of prominence. So the purer aspect of Vedic culture must have been around for many hundreds if not thousands of years before its tradition began to be misused. Therefore, this pushes the Vedic period to a much earlier time from that of Buddha than originally figured, and much earlier than many people have calculated. And lastly, everything else we have figured according to the time frame of the appearance of Buddha now has to be re-calculated. Again we find that history has to be adjusted away from the speculations of modern researchers, and that many of the advancements in society and philosophy, as outlined in the Vedic texts, had taken place much earlier than many people want to admit.

 

* * *

 

However, now with new evidence, we can begin to see that the above information may be quite right for the timing of the Buddha Avatara, but the later birth figure of 560 BCE may also be correct for the second Buddha. The first Buddha avatara established a form of Buddhism by revolting against those rituals that accepted animal sacrifice and emphasized the godly principles of ahimsa, nonviolence based on recognizing the Divine in all beings, and divinity of all souls, arousing compassion for all. The second Buddha styled what became Buddhism that was known for its monist or impersonalistic philosophy (that God, the Absoute Truth, is inert, nonactive, and without any characteristics) and that reaching the same inert and non-active state of nirvana is the goal for attaining freedom from all suffering.

To give further information in this regard, I will now simply include the second chapter of Beyond Nirvana: The Philosophy of Mayavadism: A Life History, as follows, with my own few comments in brackets:

 

Two Buddhas

Shakya Simha Puddha and the Vishnu Avatara Buddha

 

It may be observed in different places in the Puranas that Mayavadism had been referred to as Buddhism [or "covered Buddhism". It is this "covered Buddhism" that is described in the Puranas as being the major religion after 10,000 years of Kali-yuga have passed, and when the world will have forgotten all information about the personal form of God.]. It is therefore necessary in this context to briefly discuss Buddhism. Sri Buddha’s philosophy or views is Buddhism. Hence, it is imperative that readers become acquainted with scriptural facts about Lord Buddha, who is declared by scripture to be one of the ten incarnations (avataras) of the Supreme Lord, Sri Vishnu. This is described in Srila Jayadeva Gosvami’s composition “Gita Govinda“:

 

vedan uddharate jaganti vahate bhugolam udbibhrate

daityam darayate balim chalayate kshatra kshayam kurvate

paulastyam jayate halam kalayate karunyam atanvate

mlecchan murccayate dasaktikrite krishnaya tubhyam namaha

        “O Krishna, He who accept ten incarnations! I offer my obeisances unto You for saving the Vedic scriptures as Matsya-incarnation; You help up the universe as Kurma-incarnation, and lifted up the world as Varaha, the Boar incarnation; as Nrishimha You vanquished Hiranyakashipu; as Vamana You deceived Bali Maharaja; as Parashurama You exterminated the corrupt warrior class; as Rama You slew Ravana; as Balarama You took up the plough; as Buddha You bestowed compassion, and as Kalki You kill the Mlecchas.” 1

 

In his Dasa Avatara Stotram, Srila Jayadeva writes in the ninth verse:

 

nindasi yajna vidherahaha shrutijatam

sadaya hridaya darshita pashughatam

keshava dhrita bhuddha sharira

jaya jagadisha hare jaya jagadisha hare

        “O Lord of the universe, Keshava! You took the form of Lord Buddha Who is full of compassion and stopped the slaughter of animals which is strictly forbidden in the Vedas.”

 

If this Lord Buddha is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, then Sri Sankaracharya’s connection to Him requires further elaboration and analysis. It becomes imperative to research this matter if Sankaracharya’s philosophy is referred to as another presentation of Buddhism. Sri Sankaracharya’s assessment of Buddha seems opaque, for he would have us believe that Shakya Simha Buddha [the human] and the Lord Buddha [the avatara] that the Vaishnavas worship, are one and the same personality. However, this is far from the truth. Our revered gurudeva, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, revealed that Shakya Simha Buddha was simply a highly intelligent mortal, a vastly learned person who had attained some inner realizations [his enlightement]. So by declaring Shakya Simha to be Lord Buddha or by equating him with Lord Vishnu’s incarnation, Sri Sankaracharya gives sufficient proof of the respect and dedication he quietly nurtured within him for Shakya Simha. The berating and admonishment he directed towards Shakya Simha is indeed only an “eye-wash” intended to hoodwink the public.

One may ask at this point, in which context did Sri Sankaracharya opine Shakya Simha Buddha (also known as Gautama Buddha [the human]) and Avatara Buddha to be the same personality? In response, I kindly request the learned readers to scrutinize Sri Sankaracharya’s commentaries. In his commentary to Brahma Sutra that I referred earlier, the word sugatena refers to Gautama Buddha, the son of Shuddhodana and Mayadevi, and not to the original Vishnu incarnation of Buddha [as the Srimad-Bhagavatam describes as the son of Anjana who appeared in the province of Gaya, or more specifically Bodhgaya]. While discussing Buddha’s philosophy, Sri Sankaracharya mentions his name in his commentary: sarvatha api anadarniya ayam sugata-samayah shreyaskamaih iti abhiprayaha. In this statement sugata again refers to Gautama Buddha, the son of Mayadevi [the person who appeared in the town now known as Lumbini in Nepal]. However, it is true that another name for Vishnu Avatara Buddha is Sugata, and thus Sankaracharya falsely interpolated Shakya Simha Buddha as if he were Vishnu Avatara Buddha. The use of the name Sugata-Buddha for Vishnu Avatara Buddha was already existing in Buddhist scriptures [so combing the two into one was not difficult]. This is substantiated in the book Amarakosha, an extremely ancient treatise written by the famous nihilist and atheist Amara Simha. It is believed that Amara Simha was born approximately 150 years prior to Sankaracharya’s birth. Amara Simha was the son of the brahmana Sabara Svami, who fathered a host of children with different mothers of different castes. The ancient verse about Amara Simha was well known in the learned circles of yore:

 

brahmanyam abhavad varaha mihiro jyotirvidam agranihi

raja bhartriharish cha vikramanripah kshatratratmajayam abhut

vaishyayam harichandra vaidya tilako jatash cha shankuh kriti

shudrayam amaraha shadeva shabara svami dvija sya atmajaha

        “Varaha Mihira, foremost among the greatest astrologers, was born from the womb of a brahmana lady. King Vikrama and King Bhartrihari were born from a kshatriya mother. From a vaishya mother were born Harichandra, a vaidya tilaka – an excellent Ayurveda physician and Shanku; and from a maidservant (shudra) mother was born Amara Simha. These six were fathered by the brahmana Shabara Svami.”

 

The Amarakosha Speaks of Two Buddhas

        Amara Simha was the author of many books on Buddhism. By coincidence all these books came into the possession of Sri Sankaracharya, who subsequently preserved only the Amarakosha and burnt all the others. The following verses about Buddha are found in the Amarakosha:

 

sarvajnah sugato buddho dharmarajas tathagataha

samanta bhadro bhagavan marajil lokajij jinaha

shadabhijno dashabalo dvayavadi vinayakaha

munindra shrighanah shasta munihi

        “All knowing, transcendental Buddha, king of righteousness, He who has come, beneficent, all encompassing Lord, conqueror of the god of love Mara, conqueror of worlds, He who controls his senses, protector of the six enemies, possessor of the ten powers, speaker of monism, foremost leader, lord of the ascetics, embodiment of splendour and teacher of the ascetics.”

 

The above verse contains eighteen names of Vishnu Avatara Buddha including the name Sugato, and the verse below contains the seven aliases of Shakya Simha Buddha [the human] without any mention of Sugato.

 

Shakyamunis tu yah sa shakyasimhah sarvarthasiddha shauddhodanish cha

gautamash charkabandhush cha mayadevi sutash cha saha

        “Teacher of the Shakyas, lion of the Shakyas, accomplisher of all goals, son of Shuddhodana, of Gautama’s line, friend of the entrapped ones, the son of Mayadevi.”

 

In these verses, starting with sarvajnah and finishing with munih are eighteen names addressing the original Vishnu incarnation Lord Buddha. The next seven names beginning with Shakya-munistu to Mayadevi-Sutascha refer to Shakya Simha Buddha. The Buddha referred to in the first eighteen names and the Buddha referred to in the later seven names are clearly not the same person. [This clearly indicates that knowledge of the two Buddhas was well known long ago.] In the commentary on Amarakosha by the learned Sri Raghunatha Cakravarti, he also divided the verses into two sections. To the eighteen names of Vishnu Avatara Buddha he writes the words “astadash buddha“, which clearly refers only to the Vishnu avatara. Next, on his commentary for the seven aliases of Shakya Simha he writes: “ete sapta shakya bangshabatirneh buddha muni bishete“, meaning “the next seven names starting from Shakya-munistu are aliases of Buddha-muni [the human] who was born into the Shakya dynasty.”

Thus from the above verses and their commentaries it is indeed transparent that Sugata Buddha [the avatara] and the atheist sage Gautama Buddha are not one and the same person. I take this opportunity to request the learned readers to refer to the Amarakosha published by the respected Mr. H. T. Colebrooke in 1807. 2 On pages 2 & 3 of this book the name ‘Buddha’ has been explained. The ‘Marginal Note’ on page 2 for the first eighteen names, states they are names of Ajina or Buddha and the ‘Marginal Note’ for the later seven states these are aliases of Shakya Simha Buddha. A further footnote is added to clarify the second Buddha, of the latter seven names – Footnote (b) “the founder of the religion named after him.”

Mr. Colebrooke lists in his preface the names of the many commentaries he used as references. Besides Raghunatha Cakravarti’s commentary, he took reference from twenty-five others. It can be said with certainty that the propagator of Bahyatmavada, Jnanatmavada and Sunyamavada, the three pillars of atheism, was Gautama Buddha or Shakya Simha Buddha. There is no evidence whatsoever that Sugata Buddha, Lord Vishnu’s incarnation, was in any way connected with atheism in any form. Shakya Simha or Siddhartha Buddha, received the name Gautama from his spiritual master Gautama Muni, who belonged to the Kapila dynasty. This is confirmed in the ancient Buddhist treatise Sundarananda Charita: “guru gotrad atah kautsaste bhavanti sma gautamah” – meaning “O Kautsa, because his teacher was Gautama, they became known from his family line.”

 

Other Buddhist Literatures Recording Two Buddhas

        Besides the Amarakosha, so highly favored by Sankaracharya, there are other famous Buddhist texts like Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Astasahastrika Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Sata-shastrika Prajna-Paramita Sutra, Lalita Vistara, etc. Proper scrutiny of these texts reveals the existence of three categories of Buddha, namely:

Human Buddhas: like Gautama, who came to be known as Buddha after enlightenment.

Bodhisattva Buddhas: Personalities like Samanta Bhadraka who were born enlightened.

Adi (original) Buddha: the omnipresent Vishnu Avatara incarnation of Lord Buddha.

The Amarakosha states that Lord Buddha, Sri Vishnu’s incarnation, is also known as Samanta Bhadra, whereas Gautama Buddha is a human being. Other than the eighteen names of the Vishnu Avatara Buddha mentioned in Amarakosha, many names of Lord Buddha are recorded in the above mentioned Buddhist texts. In Lalita Vistara, Chapter 21, page 178, it is described how Gautama Buddha meditated on the same spot as the predecessor Buddha:

 

cha dharanimunde purvabuddhasanasthaha

samartha dhanur grihitva shunya nairatmavanaiha

klesharipum nihatva drishtijalancha bhitva

shiva virajamashoham prapsyate bodhim agryam

        “The one seated on the hallowed earth of the previous Buddha’s birthplace is on the path of voidism and renunciation. With his weapon, the powerful bow, he vanquishes the enemies of distress and illusion. Thus with wisdom he will attain the auspicious state of grieflessness and worldly detachment.”

 

It is transparent from this verse that Gautama Buddha, realizing the spiritual potency of the previous Buddha’s birthplace, chose to perform meditation and austerities in that vicinity, under a pipal tree. The ancient and original name of this place was Kikata, but after Gautama attained enlightenment there, it came to be known as Buddha Gaya (Bodhi Gaya) [now Bodhgaya]. Even to the present day, the rituals of worship to the deity of Buddha at Bodhi Gaya are conducted by a sannyasi (renounced monk) of the Giri order, belonging to the Sri Sankaracharya sect. It is commonly accepted amongst those monks that Buddha-Gaya (Vishnu Avatara Buddha) was a predecessor of Gautama Buddha, who came later to the original Buddha’s birthplace to practice meditation. Shakya Simha Buddha chose this place to attain liberation, knowing it to be saturated with immense spiritual power.

        Lankavatara Sutra is a famous and authoritative Buddhist scripture. From the description of the Buddha, which is found in this book, it may be firmly concluded that he is not the more recent Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha. In the beginning of this book we find Ravana, King of Lanka, praying first to the original Vishnu incarnation Buddha and then to the successive [and in this case the] future Buddha. A part of this prayer is reproduced here:

 

lankavatara sutram vai purva buddha anuvarnitam

smarami purvakaih buddhair jina-putra puraskritaihi

sutram etan nigadyante bhagavan api bhashatam

bhavishyatyanagate kale buddha buddha-sutas cha ye

        “Ravana, the king of Lanka, at first recited in the Totaka metre, then sang the following – ‘I invoke in my memory the aphorisms known as Lankavatara-sutra, compiled and propagated by the previous Buddha (Vishnu’s incarnation). The son of Jina (Lord Buddha) presented this book. Lord Buddha and his sons, who will appear in the future, as well as Bhagavan, the Vishnu incarnation, will continue to instruct all from this book.’”

 

Anjana’s Son, Named Buddha, is Different from Shuddhodana’s Son

        Some people may consider that it is not Sankaracharya but the Vaishnavas who demonstrate a greater degree of respect and sincere reverence towards Buddha, therefore, it is they who should also be known as Buddhists. In this regard my personal view is, according to the Linga Purana, Bhavishya Purana, and the ninth of the ten Vishnu incarnations mentioned in the Varaha Purana, the Buddha described there is not the same personality as Gautama Buddha, [the person] who was the son of Shuddhodana. Vaishnavas never worship the nihilist and atheist (sunyavada) Buddha or Gautama Buddha, with this prayer from the Srimad-Bhagavatam 10/40/22:

 

namo buddhaya shuddhaya daitya-danava-mohine

        “O Supreme Lord Buddha! I offer my obeisance unto You, Who is faultless and have appeared to delude the demoniac and atheistic class of men.”

 

Earlier in the Srimad-Bhagavatam 1/3/24, Lord Buddha’s advent is described in the following manner:

 

tatah kalau sampravritte

sammohaya sura-dvisham

buddho namnanjana-sutaha

kikateshu bhavishyati

        “Then in the beginning of Kali-yuga, the Lord will appear as Buddha, son of Anjana, in the province of Gaya, just for the purpose of deluding those who are envious of the faithful theist.”

 

The Buddha mentioned in this verse is Lord Buddha, son of Anjana; also known by some as Ajina’s son. Sri Sridhara Svami writes in his authoritative commentary to this verse:

 

buddha avartaramaha tata iti anjanasya sutaha

ajina suta it pathe ajino’ pi sa eva kikateshu madhye gaya-pradeshe

        “The words tatah kalau etc., describe Vishnu’s incarnation Buddha as the son of Anjana. Ajina in the word ajina sutaha actually means Anjana. Kikata is the name of the district of Gaya.”

 

The monists, either by mistake or some other reason, regard Sri Sridhara Svami as belonging to their sect and persuasion. Be as it may, his comments however on this matter can easily be accepted by the Mayavadis as true without hesitation. The following quote is from the Nrisimha Purana 36/29:

 

kalau prapte yatha buddho bhavannarayana – prabhuh

        “In Kali-yuga the Supreme Lord Narayana appears as Buddha.”

 

A fair estimate of Lord Buddha’s appearance can be made from this verse; that He lived approximately 3500 years ago, or by accurate astronomical and astrological calculation around 4000 years ago. Regarding the astrological facts at the time of His birth, the treatise Nirnaya-sindhu states in the second chapter:

 

jyaishtha shuka dvitiyayam buddha-janma bhavisyati

        “Lord Buddha will appear on the second day of the waxing moon, in the month of Jyaishtha.”

 

 

Elsewhere in this book is described the procedure for Lord Buddha’s worship:

 

pausha shuklasya saptamyam kuryat buddhasya pujaanam

        “Lord Buddha is especially worshipped in the seventh day of the waxing moon in the month of Pausha.”

The rituals, prayers and procedures for worship mentioned in these scriptures all clearly indicate that they are meant for Lord Vishnu’s ninth avatara incarnation. Lord Buddha also finds repeated mention in many authentic Vedic scriptures like the Vishnu Purana, Agni Purana, Vayu Purana, and Skanda Purana. The Buddha mentioned in the Devi Bhagavat, a more recent text, and in Shakti Pramoda, refers to Shakya Simha Buddha – not the Vishnu Avatara Buddha.

The truth remains that there are many different demigods and demigoddesses who are worshipped by their respective devotees, in the same way that Shakya Simha Buddha (who was an atheist) is worshipped or glorified by his followers. However, this is all completely separate and unrelated to the path of Sanatana-dharma, which is the eternal religion of man enunciated in the Srimad-Bhagavatam.

According to the German scholar Max Mueller, Shakya Simha Buddha was born in 477 BC in the Lumbini gardens, within the city of Kapilavastu. This ancient and at that time well-populated city in the Terai region of Nepal was well known. Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha’s father was known as Shuddhodana, while his mother was called Mayadevi, this is all accepted as historical fact. Although Anjana’s son and Shuddhodana’s son both share the name of Buddha, they are nevertheless two different personalities. One of them was born in Kikata – which is now famous as Bodhi-Gaya, while the second Buddha was born in Kapilavastu, Nepal. Thus, the birthplace, parents, and era of Vishnu Avatara Buddha and the birthplace, parents, era, etc., of Gautama Buddha are totally at variance.

We can therefore now observe that the famous personality generally referred to as Buddha is not the Vishnu incarnation, the original Lord Buddha and, hence, Sankaracharya’s views on this are completely unacceptable. It is not uncommon to find disagreements in matters of tradition and history, but in regards to important and significant issues an unbiased and objective discussion is imperative. Attracted by Buddha’s personality and fame, it is one thing to honor and respect him, but being impressed by his philosophy and teachings and reverentially surrendering to him is wholly another matter. Whatever the case may be, I am sure that the respected readers have grasped the crucial point that Buddha is not a single person, but at least two separate identities – Shakya Simha is not the same as Lord Buddha, Vishnu’s ninth incarnation. It is certainly undeniable that there are some similarities between these two Buddhas, yet it is incontestable that they are two different persons [with two different purposes].

Footnotes

1. Mleccha – derived from the Sanskrit root mlech meaning to utter indistinctly (Sanskrit) – a foreigner; non-Aryan; a man of an outcaste race; any non-Sanskrit speaking person who does not conform to the Vedic social and religious customs.

2. This book was published under the auspices of the Asiatic Society and can be referenced at it library. See www.indev.nic.in/asiatic/

 

END OF CHAPTER TWO – BEYOND NIRVANA

CONCLUSION

        Actually, there is much I like about Buddhism. I like its peaceful and gentle ways, the basis of its connection with all of life, but also its principle of detachment and renunciation as a means to enter higher forms of existence. I like some of the forms of meditation that it uses to gain more understanding and control of the mind. I like its mild form of determination to the principles and its goals.

However, from the above descriptions we can understand that the worship of the first Buddha, which at this point in time has practically been forgotten, is a means of definite spiritual progress through nonviolence, compassion for all and renunciation from the world for one’s self-interest. However, these days most of what is known of Buddhism is based on the monistic path as established by Shakya Simha Buddha, the second Buddha who was but a mortal who, with great intellectual ability, propounded a path that promised the end of suffering, and the eventual entrance into what is called nirvana. This goal of entering nirvana actually requires such a discipline that, in this day and age, it is practically impossible to achieve. This would also mean that, no matter how much one progresses along this path, the most one can attain, besides a more peaceful life which may be good enough for some people, are still future rounds of birth in this world. Praying to Shakya Simha or Gautama Buddha, or any of the other forms of which he may be depicted, still cannot offer any Divine assistance, since he is not really Divine. Nor does Buddhism really acknowledge God, either outside us or within. The soul is also not recognized. So, it is perfect for those who wish to follow a path that is basically atheistic in nature.

In this way, it is very similar to the philosophy that was established by Sankaracharya who proposed, through his own imaginative interpretation of some basic Sanskrit verses, that the Absolute Truth was impotent, inert, and without any characteristics. Like the Buddhist sunya or void, nirvana, or Great White Light, Sankaracharya also propounded a monistic Brahman that is the eternal and timeless void, nondual, an impersonal oneness, and great white light, the Brahman effulgence. You could say that it is merely an adaptation of the core concepts of Buddhism but with a Vedic slant. As Shakya Simha Buddha tried to nullify the sufferings of the world through voidism, Sankaracharya tried to do the same thing with his conception of impersonal Brahman. Sankaracharya says that Brahman is all that is eternal, while Shakya Simha proposed that the void is all that remains.

Students of Sankaracharya will accept him as a scholar of Vedanta and a great theist and will follow what appears to be his apparently theistic teachings, but in this way they actually become atheists by giving up the concept of God and any chance of establishing a relationship with the Supreme Being.

Sri Krishna-Dvaipayana Vyasadeva, who compiled the major Vedic texts, has declared in his writings in the Puranas that the monistic, impersonal Mayavada philosophy is false and non-Vedic. The same would apply to what we presently know as Buddhism. You can find this in the Padma Purana 25/7:

 

mayavadam asacchastram pracchannam bauddham uchyate

        “The theory of Mayavadism is a concocted scripture and is known as a disguised Buddhism.”

 

Therefore, if we accept the traditional and major Vedic view, as found in all Vedic samhitas and original texts, it ultimately leads to the premise that God is personal, with personality and characteristics, active and eternal, though beyond our mental ability to comprehend, but with whom everyone has a relationship that only needs to be reawakened. The real Vedic tradition points to the ways in which we can grow beyond our limitations and realize by direct perception our natural spiritual identity and reawaken our eternal loving relationship with the Supreme Spirit. This is the direction and ultimate goal of all truly Vedic processes of spiritual development.

 


Getting By In The Kaliyuga #2
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das


Human life is all about regulation. Morality means regulation. Children and young people getting an education requires regulation. Married life requires regulation. And driving safely on the road requires regulation. Why shouldn’t this apply to businesses? After all, as some proclaim, “businesses are people too.” So why do some politicians insist that de-regulation, or absolutely no regulation, is the easiest and best way for big business to move forward? It's like a child in the store crying and demanding. It’s a lot like the hippies back in the 60’s clamoring for a lifestyle of “free sex” and “free drugs.” And today’s big business wants a free and easy ride as well.

The Vedic system is one of order and opportunity. Both Narada Muni and Grandfather Bhisma taught Yudhisthira that the fruits of a civilized culture are Justice, Profit, and Happiness – this is echoed in the Declaration of Independence which proclaimed our inalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Narada and Bhisma explained that this system of order and opportunity only works if Justice isn’t abused to generate Profit; and that Profits are never to be used to influence the workings of Justice; and that no amount of Justice (liberty) or Profits can actually bring about Happiness, because real Happiness only comes about by an internal process.

Time and again, like a child, big business is eager to run recklessly after quick profits to secure some immediate happiness, casting good sense to the wind. Imagine the chaos if this unregulated dynamic were allowed to be played out by drivers on our roads. It would be pandemonium, and death.

To govern properly, and to live peacefully, requires training and education. People need to be educated so they understand and identify the qualities of proper leadership. What is the value of uneducated voters electing unqualified leaders. It becomes a case of the blind then leading the blind.

In the “Light of the Bhagavat,” (verse 2) Srila Prabhupada explains that education of the citizens is the most important ingredient if democracy is to thrive. The citizens, he writes “should be honest in the payment of taxes to the state and should have honest representatives to look over the administration. In the modern setup of democratic states the citizens can have no cause for grievances, because the whole administration is conducted by the people themselves. If the people themselves are dishonest, the administrative machinery must be corrupt…. if the people are not good they cannot have good government, regardless of which party governs the administration. Therefore good character in the consciousness of the mass of people is the first principle necessary for a good government….”

Actually, the Vedic approach amalgamates the best of what both the Republicans and the Democrats have to offer: that everyone assume personal responsibility; that the leadership provide a fair playing field so all citizens have the opportunity to thrive; that the leadership assumes the greatest responsibility and makes the greatest personal sacrifice in time of hardship; and that they also offer protection, or a safety net, for the most vulnerable citizens. And if the leadership were remiss in giving proper protection, they would practically be embarrassed out of their posts.

All to often the so-called political and business leaders find ways to exploit their positions for their own personal gain. If they are not brought to task, then everything becomes spoiled. The panacea (and this is what the Vedic system is about) is for citizens to be educated in the principles of self realization, and in what real leadership is, and in what real responsibility is, and how to live a good and honest life.

Getting By In The Kaliyuga #2
→ NY Times & Bhagavad Gita Sanga/ Sankirtana Das


Human life is all about regulation. Morality means regulation. Children and young people getting an education requires regulation. Married life requires regulation. And driving safely on the road requires regulation. Why shouldn’t this apply to businesses? After all, as some proclaim, “businesses are people too.” So why do some politicians insist that de-regulation, or absolutely no regulation, is the easiest and best way for big business to move forward? It's like a child in the store crying and demanding. It’s a lot like the hippies back in the 60’s clamoring for a lifestyle of “free sex” and “free drugs.” And today’s big business wants a free and easy ride as well.

The Vedic system is one of order and opportunity. Both Narada Muni and Grandfather Bhisma taught Yudhisthira that the fruits of a civilized culture are Justice, Profit, and Happiness – this is echoed in the Declaration of Independence which proclaimed our inalienable rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Narada and Bhisma explained that this system of order and opportunity only works if Justice isn’t abused to generate Profit; and that Profits are never to be used to influence the workings of Justice; and that no amount of Justice (liberty) or Profits can actually bring about Happiness, because real Happiness only comes about by an internal process.

Time and again, like a child, big business is eager to run recklessly after quick profits to secure some immediate happiness, casting good sense to the wind. Imagine the chaos if this unregulated dynamic were allowed to be played out by drivers on our roads. It would be pandemonium, and death.

To govern properly, and to live peacefully, requires training and education. People need to be educated so they understand and identify the qualities of proper leadership. What is the value of uneducated voters electing unqualified leaders. It becomes a case of the blind then leading the blind.

In the “Light of the Bhagavat,” (verse 2) Srila Prabhupada explains that education of the citizens is the most important ingredient if democracy is to thrive. The citizens, he writes “should be honest in the payment of taxes to the state and should have honest representatives to look over the administration. In the modern setup of democratic states the citizens can have no cause for grievances, because the whole administration is conducted by the people themselves. If the people themselves are dishonest, the administrative machinery must be corrupt…. if the people are not good they cannot have good government, regardless of which party governs the administration. Therefore good character in the consciousness of the mass of people is the first principle necessary for a good government….”

Actually, the Vedic approach amalgamates the best of what both the Republicans and the Democrats have to offer: that everyone assume personal responsibility; that the leadership provide a fair playing field so all citizens have the opportunity to thrive; that the leadership assumes the greatest responsibility and makes the greatest personal sacrifice in time of hardship; and that they also offer protection, or a safety net, for the most vulnerable citizens. And if the leadership were remiss in giving proper protection, they would practically be embarrassed out of their posts.

All to often the so-called political and business leaders find ways to exploit their positions for their own personal gain. If they are not brought to task, then everything becomes spoiled. The panacea (and this is what the Vedic system is about) is for citizens to be educated in the principles of self realization, and in what real leadership is, and in what real responsibility is, and how to live a good and honest life.

‘The Most Delicious Cauliflower Curry’
→ kurma News

Hello bloggees! Excuse my quietness durung September. A few issues needed addressing on the home front. Here's hoping that October is more productive in Blog Land.

Sarbani Basu of San Francisco, California writes:

"Once I had a cauliflower curry at a friend's home. It was the most delicious cauliflower curry I have ever had. Unfortunately she has not been able to pass me the recipe, but told me that she got it from your book. Would you please email me the recipe. I would really appreciate if you do. Just a hint if you have more than one recipe with cauliflower: this one had tomato and potato, cumin and mustard seeds in it."

My reply: There are more than half a dozen cauliflower dishes in my books. Here's the recipe you tasted, it's from my first cookbook.

potato and cauliflower curry:

North Indian Curried Cauliflower and Potatoes

This is a popular North Indian vegetable dish. Combined with hot Puffed Fried Breads (Pooris) or rice, I could eat this any time of the day and on any occasion.

PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: 15 - 20 minutes YIELD: enough for 4 - 5 persons

1/4 cup ghee or oil
1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
2 hot green chilies, seeded and chopped
3 medium potatoes, cut into 1 1/4 cm (1/2-inch) cubes
1 medium cauliflower, cut into small flowerets
2 medium tomatoes blanched, peeled, and diced
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander or parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Heat the ghee or oil in a large, heavy saucepan over moderate heat. When the ghee is hot, add the mustard seeds. When they crackle, add the cumin and saute them until they darken a few shades. Add the ginger and chilies, saute for a few moments, and then add the potato and cauliflower pieces. Stir-fry the vegetables for 4 or 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Add the tomatoes, turmeric, garam masala, ground coriander, sugar, and salt.

Mix well, reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and, stirring occasionally, cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add water if necessary during this time but don't over-stir the vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked, add the fresh coriander and the lemon juice. Serve hot.

Travel Journal#8.16: Czech Woodstock, Polish Padayatra & Festival, Slovakia
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2012, part two
)
Czech Woodstock, Polish Padayatra & Festival, Slovakia
(Sent from Manchester, England, on September 30, 2012)

Where I Went and What I Did

After the Kirtana Mela in Spain, I took a late night flight to Budapest, spent the night with Uddhava Prabhu, who I knew from America, and then took buses to Prague and then to Trutnov for the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival, also known as the Czech Woodstock. I love sharing kirtana with the people at that event, and I share with you some highlights. Next at the invitation of my Polish devotee friends, I attended their padayatra and nama-hatta festival, both very satisfying experiences. Then I met up with Bhakta Trevor and Dhruva Prabhu and traveled to eastern Slovakia where we joined Janananda Goswami and his followers and did harinamas and programs in Slovakia and one Czech Republic.

I have an extensive “Insights” section this time, and include points from Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and books, realizations by Janananda Goswami, notes from the lectures, books, and online journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, notes on a seminar by Krishna Ksetra Prabhu on yama and niyama, as well as an initiation lecture by him, and notes by lectures by senior devotees in the Polish yatra.

More Polish Woodstock Stories

Since I wrote about the Polish Woodstock, I have heard more nice stories about it from different devotees.

One devotee from Wroclaw told me he saw a girl at the Woodstock who loved dancing in our Ratha-yatra procession. She was so enthusiastic that she induced her boyfriend and another couple to also participate and so they all spend three hours dancing in the Ratha-yatra procession. A month later the devotee telling me the story was standing by the book table after the Ratha-yatra in Wroclaw, and he saw that very same girl, and she inquired from him which of the book he recommended.

For several years, several of my friends and I have done harinama at the train station the day after the Polish Woodstock. Many hundreds of people are camped out around the train station waiting for trains, and those who liked visiting our Krishna's Village of Peace are happy to see us once again before returning home. If you haven’t seen the video for this year, here is a link to it:


Gatida Prabhu, who organizes the questions and answers tent on the Polish tour, has a friendly relationship with the person in charge of organizing all the extra trains needed to take the thousands of people back to their homes after the event. That man told him that there was a lot of tension there at the train station among the people waiting for hours for the trains, but when the devotees came through with their chanting, the tension disappeared. The man requested, or practically ordered, that each year the devotees do harinama at the train station after the Woodstock to keep the peace. The man is also involved in naming the extra trains. One of the trains this year was a Polish phrase that meant warm and sweet, and referred to the halava that the devotees serve 150,000 plates of during the Woodstock event. Gatida said we could have some input into the train names and perhaps next year they could be given names like “Jagannath Express,” one of the trains in India from Howrah to Puri.

Trutnov Open Air Music Festival
(Czech Woodstock)

Our participation in the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (also known as Czech Woodstock) continues for three and a half days. Mostly we do chanting and distribution of spiritual food. Beyond that there is bharat-natyam dance, face painting, a questions and answers booth, and of course, a book table. We are friends with Martin, the organizer, who loves the form of Lord Jagannatha, and includes His face on all the stages, wristbands, and promotional material. 



Thus we have our own stage and camp. There are other stages, and we also got to chant and discuss our philosophy on the stage next to the main stage this year for a change.



I danced with the mantra sign in front of the stage because I could not find a good place to put it on the stage.


Guru Das (center above), disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who joined in San Francisco in 1967, was our guest this year, and he spoke several times at a couple different venues. His theme was that open air music concerts were about more than music and drugs, but a place where people can get to together and share ideas about living a better life and benefiting the world.



He talked about the history of open air music events beginning in the sixties and of his relationship with George Harrison and the Beatles. He was happy doing his own thing in those days, but when he met Srila Prabhupada he became even happier. The high of drugs wore off and became a low, but the swami had a program for staying high forever, and it worked. “Don’t take my word for it,” he said. “Try it yourself. Chant Hare Krishna.” I think anyone with a tendency to seek a higher consciousness would have been moved by his words and his friendly appeal. One young lady in the front row of the audience laughed at the humorous points he made during one talk, so I decided to give her a mantra card and invitation to our programs, which she gave to a friend. That night she returned and sat again in the front row, listening to the kirtana. Then she suddenly jumped up and began chanting and dancing like everyone else in front of her. Then she would sit down for a little bit, but it would become to ecstatic, and again she would get up and chant and dance. The beautiful thing about Trutnov is you can see attendees gradually advance in attraction to Krishna even in the course of a single festival.

Some people in the audience put a lot of feeling in their chanting which was impressive to me. Some even chanted during both the lead and response, and a few would go on for hours. Often you could just look at people and chant, smile, and dance, and they would begin to chant, smile, and dance, too.

One group of five people from Holland told me they have been coming to Trutnov for seven years. Dancing and singing with the Hare Krishnas is a regular daily part of the festival for them. We remembered each other from previous years, and they all wanted their picture taken with me. I told them how we have 200 people singing at Queen’s Day in Amsterdam.

My harinama friend Vishnujana Prabhu said some people told him they have been coming to our Krishna camp at Trutnov for five years.

At our spiritual food booth run by Govinda’s restaurant, two girls came by with trays and a list of food items for a band on the main stage called Anti-Flag. Apparently three of the band members wanted vegan Krishna food for dinner and had sent their staff to get it! According to Wikipedia, Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburg started back in 1988. They also played at the Polish Woodstock.

I would dance a certain step on our stage, and some people in the crowd would faithfully follow it with delight. The next two days some of the people would see me and begin the dance I taught them with smiles on their faces.

I saw Shari and Elishka chanting and dancing in crowd, mutual friends who I have known for three years and who appear my video from 2009. At Trutnov, Shari says, she only eats our food, and the other food makes her sick. Shari wants to get a Ph.D. in ethnology specializing in religion. She is friends with the people who run the devotee restaurant named Baladeva’s in Trutnov. She likes the Trutnov festival because you can count on their being kirtana there whenever you go, whereas kirtana programs at Govinda’s in Prague are rare. I suggested periodically we should do a six-hour kirtana at Govinda’s in Prague, later Punya Palaka Prabhu and I began to make plans for one.

One girl stayed in our tent for over an a hour with her boyfriend, who was often chanting, but although she smiled, she never chanted the whole time. I wondered, “What will it take to get that girl to chant?”



The next day the couple met us on harinama and during the harinama she began to sing along. Later she came to our camp and chanted with us as well.

One lady, who looked to be in her thirties, remembered me from last year. She said she came to our camp the previous night and found the kirtanavery powerful, so much so it brought tears to her eyes.

A brother and sister from Brno both liked the chanting and dancing. I told them I planned to be in Brno the evening of August 27 hoped to do some chanting then, and they gave me they contact details so I could inform them.

One young lady whose mother is Czech and whose father is Italian was singing both during the lead and the response and dancing vigorously, with heart and soul. She seemed so enthusiastic that I thought she must have had previous experience with the devotees, but she said coming to our tent the night before was her first experience. Mostly she lives in Prague, so I gave her an invitation to the our Wednesday program at the Govinda’s restaurant there, which she was happy to receive. Seeing her enthusiasm I was reminded that Krishna promises to reward us as we surrender to Him, and so if someone puts their heart and soul into chanting His names, they will certainly experience some reciprocation from Krishna, who will inspire them to continue.

One person who only knew Czech I referred to Punya Palaka Prabhu who later told me what he said. He had very grave look on his face and he said he experienced the Hare Krishna mantra to be like a powerful drug, not just marijuana but like heroin. Punya could not understand if he felt Hare Krishna was positive or not, so he asked him. The man said gravely that it was neither bad nor good but very powerful. I found that to be an interesting realization because transcendental pleasure is beyond the good and bad of the material world, and the Hare Krishnal mantra is described to be so powerful it can free one from all his karma. Later on in my reading of Caitanya-caritamrita, I found that the author compared the love of God distributed by Lord Caitanya through the medium of the holy name with a great intoxicant: “The fruit of love of Godhead distributed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu is such a great intoxicant that anyone who eats it, filling his belly, immediately becomes maddened by it, and automatically he chants, dances, laughs and enjoys.” So this young Czech man had a little realization of this, although he was worried because he was not aware that the effect is beneficial.

On the last night, I brought my harmonium and sound system in case some of the Trutnov attendees wanted to continue the chanting while other devotees were packing up our camp. One lady and three guys stayed and we chanted another 15 minutes or so, along with Bhaktin Martina (known as TG) from Slovakia, who likes to sing. The lady in the group lives in Trutnov, and Punya Palaka Prabhu explained to her that we have periodic programs in our restaurant there called Baladeva.

Poland Padayatra 2012



Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada were the actual leaders of the Polish Padayatra, whose participants walked for five days, August 19 to 23, between and through villages around New Shantipur farm in southwestern Poland. 


The Polish devotees did padayatra with a small ox cart pulled by one bull. 


Here we passed cows in the field, and they looked like they longed to join our party.


The devotees did a two-hour evening program with sit down bhajans,



Ramayana puppet show, lecture,


a stand up kirtana, 



and prasadam each evening.

During the walk we would chant Hare Krishna the entire time. One or two devotees would distribute books.



Also a teenage devotee girl named Devaki would distribute prasadam cookies, and she was very successful, getting almost everyone to take one, and friend of hers took pictures. Sometimes during the afternoon one or two devotees would distribute books in the village where the evening program was to be held and invite people to it.

The people in general were happy to see the devotees. One man removed his hat and waved it in salute, speaking words of praise as the cart bearing Gaura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, and followed by their harinama sankirtana party, passed. One man offered a military salute. Many people waved, smiled, and took pictures. Even the drivers of cars passing us slowed down and took pictures.



One car had a sun roof, and a child stood on the seat of the car and took pictures from the opening in the roof as the car drove slowly by. From the same car, an adult took pictures through the opened window on the passenger side of the vehicle. One car passed us and stopped, and a lady got out to take pictures. I thought about Lord Caitanya’s prediction of his name being chanted in every town and village and was filled with ecstatic emotions seeing it gradually happening. I usually focus on chanting in the cities because more people benefit, but Lord Caitanya actually said “nagaradi grama,” every town and village. He is so merciful, He wants to benefit everyone everywhere, in all the teeny little villages, not just the masses in the cities.


The family of Visvakarma Prabhu, a former head cook on the Polish tour, impressed me with their participation in the evening bhajanas. Husband, wife, and children were very much into the kirtana, all happily chanting, and the young twin girls were singing, smiling, clapping, and swaying back and forth with the music the entire time. Usually kids space out after awhile and lose interest, but the twin girls were enthusiastic the whole time, and it was beautiful to see.

Srila Prabhupada says on his popular recording describing the Hare Krishna mantra that “even a dog can take part in the chanting.” I never had so much realization of the truth of this as at one evening program on the padayatra, when four kids from the audience danced to the kirtana, with their pet dog in the middle of them.



Two kids were on each side of the dog, with the two kids next to the dog each holding one of the front paws of the animal, while it danced on its back two legs. It was amazing to see. 

Here is a video with some highlights of the Polish Padayatra:



For those averse to austerities, I recommend the Polish padayatra over the Slovenian and Czech padayatras, which I visited in 2009.In Poland only the bull and one or two devotees camped out where our walk finished each day. The rest of the devotees returned to the temple by minibus and came back early the next afternoon. There was only about two hours of walking each day, compared to the longest padayatraI visited, the one in Slovenia where they do sometimes five or six hours a day. The Polish padayatra included a public program every evening, like the Czech one. The Slovenian padayatra did a public evening program every fourth day or so, but had a more extensive program of prasadam and book distribution during the walk.

When I first saw the cart which was much smaller than the ones in Czech and Slovenia, I was thinking in material way that this was a small time event. I mentioned my surprise at the small cart to a brahmacari friend, Pancatattva Prabhu, who said “Small is beautiful.” And indeed it was a very wonderful padayatra despite its apparent smallness. It was beautiful to see the happiness of the souls in the different towns and villages who from their words and smiles you could see had a spontaneous attraction to the devotees and their chanting. It reminded me of Srila Prabhupada’s statement:

Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived and the process is recommended by authorities for this age. By practical experience also, we can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra,or the great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual stratum.”

The last day of the padayatra was the best. We passed out all the prasadam cookies as we walked. Sometimes some children followed us for ten or fifteen minutes, sometimes half an hour, walking or riding their bicycles. I gave a Polish mantra card to a couple of girls who seemed older and more seriously attracted than the rest, and they chanted a few mantras with us.

At the final kirtana of the program, three moms in the audience, perhaps in their thirties, loudly chanted the Hare Krishna mantra with big smiles on their faces. Several people videoed the parts of the kirtana, and one man videoed the whole thing. We only had a few mantra cards which we gave to the most enthusiastic chanters. As we were packing up, the three ladies amazed us by starting a Hare Krishna kirtana themselves. Some of the girls danced, and some of the devotees joined in and began playing the instruments.

We talk about how Krishna consciousness is universal and meant for everyone. Sometimes we have doubts because few are attracted. This program was a powerful confirmation for me that Krishna consciousness is for everyone and Krishna is all-attractive. Otherwise, how is it that thirty or forty people from a town so small I cannot find its population listed stay interested in the whole two-hour program? And how were these moms, with no prior experience of it, suddenly so happy to chant and so much attracted they wanted to start chanting on their own when we stopped?

Lord Caitanya wanted His name chanted in every town and village, and we can see that He does reciprocate when His followers endeavor in that way. We can only hope that more devotees in more countries, cities, towns, and villages, might endeavor in this way, and Lord Caitanya’s prediction might be realized sooner, rather than later, and many, many people will be benefited.

Poland Nama-Hatta Festival

Each year the Polish devotees have a nama-hatta festival at their farm in south Poland, New Shantipur. This year’s special guest was Krishna Ksetra Prabhu, who did a series of lectures on yama and nivasa, the first two steps of the astanga, or eight-step, yoga system. These two also have relevance in bhakti-yoga, and he talked about that. Lots of devotees like kirtana there, and it was fun to chant with them. I did a little seminar on the meanings of our daily songs and prayers as they are more fulfilling to sing when we know what they mean, and the few people who came were glad they had.A special feature they added this year was a Ratha-yatra on the roads surrounding the farm.


I was given a kerosene torch to hold, and I found it challenging to illuminate Lord Jagannatha while walking along with the cart. You had to avoid stepping on other people’s toes, setting the cart on fire, or stepping in the stinging nettle plants along the side of the road. Still it was great to do another Ratha-yatra, although I recommended they might consider doing it during the daytime next year. Nama Hatta leader, Trisama Prabhu, who I have known from coming to the Polish tour for years, kindly gave me a donation for my travels and invited me back to the festival next year.

Chanting Enroute from Poland to Slovakia

Trevor, who aspires to be initiated by Janananda Goswami, and I traveled together from Wroclaw, Poland, to Bratislava, Slovakia, together, to meet my friend, Dhruva Prabhu, who was flying in from London, and then continued to join Janananda Goswami’s traveling harinama party which was presently based on our farm, New Ekacakra, outside Presov, in eastern Slovakia. While traveling we chanting in Wroclaw before our train began, and in Klodzko, Poland, while waiting for a bus that was meant to replace our train to Miedzylesie, the town on the Polish/Czech border. Two construction workers took a break from their work to investigate us. Having a limited Polish vocabulary, I explained our performance as “spiritual vibrations from India,” which they seemed to understand, accept, and appreciate.

At Ústí n.Orlicí in Czech we met a girl I remembered from the Czech Woodstock this year. She dressed like a hippie, with a long colorful skirt and had come every day to our Krishna camp with her friends, and always seemed happy to be there. I mentioned we had programs in different part of Czech, and she said that she was already in contact with one of the devotee girls about them. She said she had come to the Trutnov festival five times. She was so into it she had the armbands for all five festivals on her arm! I gave her some maha-prasadam, burfi from our Polish farm, and she was very happy to receive it. I was trying to figure out if there was some reason Krishna arranged we miss our train in Poland and had to take a later one, and I came to the conclusion one reason might be He wanted to give that girl some more mercy.

We were too late to chant much at Brno, where I hoped we would do harinama. We did chant some while waiting for a tram, on the way to our place to stay, offered by a Brno student we had met at Trutnov the previous year, who has began regularly attending the weekly programs at our local center. (The book distributors were traveling so we could not stay at the center.) While we were chanting a lady came up to us, smiling happily to encounter the Hare Krishnas, and she began to sing along. She talked to our host, and we learned that the woman apparently lived in Australia from where, she said, she knew about Hare Krishnas and that she is really into eastern philosophy. Both at the train station and on the way to our place several people said, “Hare Krishna” to us. This is probably because each Friday the devotees do harinama around the train station in Brno. We chanted the evening tune with our host, who we helped to learn the standard karatala beat, as Trevor cooked an Ekadasi dinner of potatoes and tomatoes. The next morming we chanted for the commuters waiting for the city bus, and people at the train station who happened to be standing on the same platform as our train toward Bratislava.

We got to Bratislava airport early, and we must have chanted for an hour there, both before and after meeting Dhruva Prabhu. We were pleased that the authorities allowed our chanting to continue unabated. Trevor practiced a few Hare Krishna tunes in the space between the carriages on the train to eastern Slovakia and also was not disturbed by the authorities.

Harinamas in Slovakia

Gypsy village near New Ekacakra:

We chanted for one and half hours at a gypsy village near the Hare Krishna farm in eastern Slovakia, Nova Ekacakra. For an hour we had an audience of 100 people. Some smiled, some clapped, some danced, and some even chanted Hare Krishna in tune. When we left the village 50 gypsy children followed us back to our car. We had one car and nine people so we had to make two trips to back to the temple, and some of us kept chanting while we waited for the car to return for us. When the last car left, there were still twenty kids there to wave good-bye to the chanting party.

Roznava:


We must have had about twelve devotees, led by Janananda Goswami, on harinama in Roznava, a district town in eastern Slovakia.




You could understand Hare Krishnas were a rare sight in Roznava by seeing the reactions of the people, but there are always some who smile approvingly, who give the old thumbs up, or take pictures. We started at Tesco, a traditional harinama meeting point in different cities, only surpassed by Marks and Spencers in the UK. Unfortunately we could not even stay a whole hour as we had to catch a couple buses to Hankova, which Maharaja has a disciple and where we stayed the night.

Stitnik:

It took two buses to Hankova, and so we had twenty minute layover at Stitnik,at a bus stop, surrounded by shops in the middle of that small town, with a bunch of people hanging out. I decided to chant, using our amplifier, as we sat on the bench waiting for the bus. A couple people came up close and took pictures. One lady wanted to have her picture taken with the devotees, and Jivananda Prabhu, the only one of the four of us who knew the Slovak language spoke to her. A boy took five minutes of video, smiling a lot while he was filming. Jivananda Prabhu said book distributors who later came to Stitnik found the residents still remembering favorably our spontaneous kirtana there.

Lucenec:




Lucenec, where a very few devotees live, was another short and sweet harinama. We went up and down the main street once before having to catch our train to Bratislava. Janananda Goswami is very liberal to look after these devotees in small cities in eastern Slovakia by coming there and doing harinamas and programs with them.

Chanting in Czech

Janananda Goswami attended a monthly nama-hatta program just outside the medium-sized city of Pardubice, in northern Czech Republic, just 85 miles from the Polish border, the city where the first Czech temple was started. As our over-priced EC train arrived over an hour before the program, I suggested we do a harinama, and so four of us did. I always feel victorious to chant in a new city. We met two very favorable people. One was a young man who says he already chants Hare Krishna because he had heard a popular recording of the mantra a Czech pop singer had made in the 1960s or 1970s. Jivananda Prabhu talked to him and gave him information about our programs in Czech Republic. Another was a middle-aged gypsy woman who loved music, and imitated all our dance steps, spending over 20 minutes participating in our harinama. She kept trying to get her friends to join in, and one came over to look for a few minutes. It reminded me how attraction to Krishna sound is such an individual thing. Trevor considered the whole 75-minute harinama successful because that one lady was inspired to hear it so much and dance along. We’ chanted another ten minutes later at the Pardubice train station as we waited for our train to Poland for the next day’s Ratha-yatra in Wroclaw, which for us was to be followed by Kirtana-Mela in Germany.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 given in Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Mukti[liberation] means to live without conditions.

To follow the mahajanas means to serve their mission. We are followers of Rupa Goswami. Why? Because he wanted to establish the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He understood that Caitanya was Krishna come as a devotee to demonstrate the process to love Him.

We are bound up, but we are declaring independence. That is our foolishness. If you really want independence you have to surrender to Krishna or His representative.

For one who determined to be happy in the material world, it is impossible to advance in Krishna consciousness.

We are thinking we are purusa, the enjoyer, but we are actually prakrti, that which is enjoyed. When we accept our identity as prakrti and understandthat we are to be enjoyed by Krishna, then we are liberated.

As long as we want something, we cannot be prasanta, peaceful.

from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 in London on September 17, 1969:

Liberation or freedom means you go to the spiritual world and do not come back. Not like the scientists going to the moon planet, collecting some dust, and coming back.

People are like animals. They have two hands and two legs, but they are animals, because they have been trained to be like animals.

If you associate with a mahatma(great soul) you become mahatma, if you associate with debauch, you become debauch.

from his Srimad-Bhagavatam5.7.6 purport:

If we massage a person’s legs, we do not really serve the legs but the person who possesses the legs. All the demigods are different parts of the Lord, and if we offer service to them, we actually serve the Lord Himself.

Janananda Goswami:

The Goswamis are our friends and our primary siksa [instructing] gurus. By serving them all obstacles to devotional service are vanquished and all spiritual desires are fulfilled. This result is obtained in proportion to our degree of surrender.

Taking the shelter of feet of the Six Goswamis can be understood to mean taking shelter of the servants of the Six Goswamis by following their instructions.

Rupa Manjari is in the party of Lalita.

We cannot write songs imitating Narottama Dasa Thakura or Bhaktivinoda Thakura as they are eternal associates of the Lord who have come to reveal a little of the spiritual world to us.

If we do not like serve the immediate predecessor, we will not make it in the spiritual world, because there also the devotees serve their immediate superior in the service of the Lord. They are satisfied to be the servant of the servant.

Raganuga spontaneously arises after the stage of liberation, after all anartas or unwanted things are eliminated. It is not something you can read about in book and practice. The removal of the anarthas happens by the mercy of Krishna who is pleased our practice of following the instructions of the scriptures and the saintly persons.

The barometer of advancement is increase in faith.

One of the biggest reasons we do not advance as that we do not hear attentively.

The guru gives us practical service we can render to remove anarthas. In the beginning we may not be able to understand how the practice Srila Prabhupada gave us is complete, but if we continue acting according to it, we will see how we are purified.

Although the asta-kalika lila is not part of our practice, our acaryas have given us different songs for different times of day, such as udilo aruna for the morning, bhaja bhakata at noon,and kiba jaya jaya gourcander in the evening.

The sankirtana movement is primarily the movement of Lord Nityananda. When He sees someone trying to distribute the holy name, He becomes very merciful.

To have no fear, remember Lord Nityananda and chant the holy name.

Q: What does khoda nitai mean?
A: Lord Nityananda is Himself the Owner and Manager [of the marketplace of the holy name].

Dhruva Maharaja by following the instructions of Narada he got the darsana of the Supreme Lord and offered many prayers from his purified consciousness to Supreme Lord.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabu liked especially the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja. He was not just absorbed in the the madhurya-lila.

When we engage our senses in the service of Krishna, we become free from maya.

Maya is just to see things separately from Krishna. It is not a separate energy competing with Krishna like Satan.

Fire is in paper and a iron rod, but it takes more energy to realize the fire in a iron rod than in paper. But when either paper or a iron is hot, they can ignite something else.

When the senses are purified, one sees this material world as the spiritual world.

In practically every chapter, Krishna is telling Arjuna how he can remember Him.

Srila Prabhupada was asked, “What is Vaikuntha [the spiritual world] like?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “ . . . You cannot see?”

We cannot see electricity but we can see the effect of electricity, and so it is true of the Lord. Electricity can create heat or cold or produce images on a screen and thus we can understand that the electricity is present. Similarly the Supersoul enters the inert material energy and produces effects by which understand His presence.

When we try to enjoy this material energy in different ways we get burned.

Devotional service means learning how to use that which is at our disposal in relationship with Krishna.

Instead of being in the lap of maya, we have to come to the lap of Krishna. In age this is possible through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.

The same material energy becomes the vehicle for our going back to Godhead when we engage it in devotional service.

The Lord delivers one who tries to engage everything in is devotional service.

Duryodhana is said to be an expansion of Kali.

Srila Prabhupada explained that some of the eternal servants of the Lord serve the Lord only in his pastimes in the material world, and he gave the example of Arjuna.

Google Goswami is the siksa-guru for everyone and everyone can approach him to inquire. [jokingly]

Q[by Dhruva Prabhu]: This verse seems to say that we should not be afraid of maya rather, we should welcome her and engage her in Krishna’s service.
A: That depends on our qualification. One who is not so advanced cannot engage the material energy in Krishna’s service in all respects. Prahlada Maharaja has prayers declaring his fear ofmaya and others declaring his fearlessness of maya. In the neophtye state we should be afraid of maya and use fear in Krishna’s service in that way.

On harinama in villages in Africa, and even in India, in the beginning it looks like no one is there and then suddenly people will appear from all directions.

You may have problems with your mind. But at least you have a mind, and as the song indicates, your task is simply to redirect the mind to the lotus feet for the Lord.

This is the way to control the mind. To chant Hare Krishna with others. This is the austerity for this age. It is the essential practice for all of us. It is not the age for solitary bhajanas.

The leaders brought in some German devotees to organize the English devotees to collect money to cover past debts. We bathed wherever we found water, pure or impure. The food was austere. We worked long hours, intimidating people to give money. It was complete contrary to my nature. It was so miserable I could not take it anymore, and I prayed to Krishna. Suddenly I could deal with the whole situation in a jovial way and when we came back to the temple that weekend, I was taken off that service and given just the service I desired.

Draupadi offended both this month of Purusottama Masa and Durvasa Muni in a previous life. She wanted a husband, and Durvasa Muni told her to worship the month of Purusottama, but she did not listen and thus she offended both the muniand the month. Thus she had to suffer very much in her next life. Everyone had rejected this month, but Krishna had accepted it and made it his own, naming it Purusottama masa, and so had become the the best of all holy months. After suffering greatly in her life as Draupadi, Krishna advised that she and the Pandavas worship the month of Purusottama, and their fortune completely changed. They regained everything they had lost.

Sometimes people complain, “Krishna married 16,108 wives. He is simply interested in sex. What a debauchee!” We can ask them where did you get that information that Krishna had so many wives. “From your books.” But did you continue reading how He expanded in 16,108 forms and lived with each wife in her own palace and satisfied them in all respects? You can hardly maintain one wife, and yet he perfectly maintained so many.

Srila Prabhupada made the point that Krishna as the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything and thus all the ladies belong to him. Thus the men who claim women as their wives are claiming Krishna’s women as their own and thus they could be considered debauchees but not Krishna.

Radhanatha Swami’s friend Ghanashyama was a prince in a royal family, but he fell in love with Vrindavana while on pilgrimage with the family, and decided to stay there. When after several attempts to get him to return, his family threatened that they would disinherit him and he would be poverty stricken. He picked up a grain of a dust from Vrindavan, and said this one grain of dust is more valuable than all the opulence of the material world.

Purnima is a holy day, and it is in Purusottama, a holy month. So it is a very, very holy day.

In English we say holiday, which derives from holy day, because most holidays were originally holy days.

Now, of course, holy days are not so holy. They have calculated more illegitimate children are conceived on Christmas and more liquor is drunk on Christmas than any other day. My father would never drink, smoke, or gamble, but on Christmas he would make an exception and do all three. He would eat meat, but on Christmas he would eat more than usual.

We should take advantage of holy days, such as Purnima and Ekadasi, to increase our hearing and chanting about Krishna.

The Six Goswamis wrote books, established temples, excavated the pastimes places of the Lord, and they taught the practical process of deity worship.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s song Suddha-bhakata teaches the value of devotional service.

When we associate with someone we are affected by their qualities. Thus if we associate with people who are attracted to Krishna we are affected by that.

When Krishna sees we are serving His devotees, He is very pleased and cleanses our hearts, and our natural attraction for Krishna arises.

When there is dirt on an electric contact, it will not conduct properly, until we clean it. In the same way, when our heart is cleansed with can connect with Krishna.

Ultimately it is the mercy of Krishna that we become attracted to Him, so we try to live in such a way that we attract Krishna’s mercy.

The material world is mostly upside down, and thus we end up going down.

The material world is very entangling, like a maze. We cannot see where was have come from or where we are going. We do not even know where we supposed to be going.

The seed that produced the tree cannot be seen once the tree has come into being. In the same way, we cannot see our origin.

How this material world works or what causes it to work we cannot understand.

When we stop trying to enjoy, control, and exploit this material world, and we try to surrender to Krishna, He releases us from this material world.

Devotional service is a practical way of living our lives in the consciousness that Krishna is the proprietor.

Some people say we have get rid of our ego, but that is not actually a fact. Ego means identity. So we cannot get rid of our identity, but we can get rid of our false ego, or misconception of our identity. Otherwise it is like getting rid of our head to get rid of a headache. The falsity needs to be removed, not the ego.

Some people thinks that individually is temporary, but in Bg. 15.7 explains that individuality is eternal.

The nature of the expansion of the living entities to serve the supreme.

In the material world we see ourselves in the center, but in the spiritual world we see Krishna in the center. By seeing the things in this center in relationship to Krishna we become qualified to go to the spiritual world.

So people consider if we take parts away from the whole, the whole becomes less, but there are examples that this is not always true. For example, when a mother gives birth to a child, both the mother and child continue to exist. Similarly when Krishna expands as the living entities, He does not lose His identity nor become lessened.

What are manifestations of pride?

  1. Acting without considering the desire of Krishna.
  2. Lessening one’s spiritual practice.
  3. Becoming upset if we are not honored.
  4. Blaming others for our failings.
  5. Becoming upset when advised by others.
  6. We see that Krishna, the material energy, and our guru all meant to serve us.
  7. Showing off.
  8. Faultfinding.
  9. Inappropriately instructing others.
  10. Making no effort to be attentive while chanting japa because you think you have something better to do.
  11. You do not want to serve. You want to be served.
  12. Never forgiving.
  13. Forgetting the misery of being in maya (illusion).
  14. Taking things for granted.

When the deity installation ceremony was being televised in Australia, Srila Prabhupada did not refrain from correcting his disciples, although it may be misunderstood, because he was more concerned that Krishna be served properly than what people taught about him.

One who is not proud never takes offense at all. He sees that Krishna is trying to educate him or purified him.

You lose the benefit of the austerity if you advertise it or show it off.

To counteract pride, give credit to the guru, Krishna, and the other devotees.

Try to chanting the holy name of the Lord together, try to chant attentively, pray as Brahma did to not be affected by pride, try to serve the devotees, and regularly read Srila Prabhupada’s books. These will help conquer pride.

In mental japa there is no japa if the mind wanders, but when japa is audible then even if the mind wanders, there is still benefit.

Krishna reveals Himself to one who He desires, but if we do not follow the directions of the spiritual master, we cannot expect Krishna to reveal Himself to us. Thus we should chant the holy name according to the direction of the spiritual master if we want to advance.

Anyone can chant the holy name, but if we want to attain pure chanting, there are certain rules to follow.

Sankirtana means chanting together or complete glorification of the Lord. If the goal of our activities is complete glorification of the Lord, then that those activities can be considered to be sankirtana.

Even while sleeping or eating we can chant.

By chanting while we perform activities we will not be overwhelmed we that idea that we are the performer of our activities.

Although certain conditions may be helpful for chanting, we do not need to wait for any condition before chanting. By chanting one becomes completely pure.

Lord Caitanya is giving the holy name to both the qualified and the unqualified.

I have heard one million go shopping on Oxford Street, and if they see or hear the harinama, they benefit spiritually.

By performing kirtana, we experience bliss, but by smaranam one may not taste bliss, if the mind is impure.

Bhaktisiddanta Saravati Thakura makes the point that in the Siksastaka Lord Caitanya only talks about kirtana. He says that if our sadhana does not help us in developing attachment to kirtana, it is actually an impediment to sadhana.

Sankirtana is very absorbing, and we feel something changing within the heart.

Our little dose of japa often turns into a doze.

We generally beginning by become attracted to the external features of the kirtana—the happiness of the devotees, etc.

There is no impediment to sankirtana. We should be trying to remove impediments to sankirtana, not increase them.

On World Holy Name Week we should think of ways to increase the chanting of the holy name.

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

from a Rama Navami lecture:

The Lord’s pastimes are not allegories. An allegory is a higher meaning than the literal text, but when the text is about the Lord, the Supreme Truth, there is nothing higher.

When Lord Rama broke the bow of Janaka Maharaja, the noise was so loud that all but Lord Rama, Laksman, and Visvamita Muni became unconscious.

from a Nrsimha Caturdasi lecture:

Hiranyakasipu, although he ruled the whole universe and had all objects of sense enjoyment, because his senses were not controlled could never be satisfied, Thus he is an example of the ultimate materialist.

fromCalling Out to Srila Prabhupada:

O Prabhupada, whose disciples must find out for themselves the extent of their surrender to you, but who need you always to direct and console them on the path;
O Prabhupada, who offers the absolute way of sabda-brahma,and who defies the predominance of the methods known as pratyaksa(direct perception) and anumana (mental speculation);
O Prabhupada, who leads his followers in the intellectual scholarship of Vyasa, the six Gosvamis, Visvanatha, and Baladeva, and whose own example was that he never was defeated by an opponent or thrown into doubt, and who was never impressed by the vain speculations of Western philosophers, even when he heard their intricate logical constructions on the nature of God and reality; O Prabhupada, whose followers gave up their own allegiances to favorite speculators and writers when you made it clear that the jnaniscan never arrive at perfect knowledge because of their imperfect methods, no matter how powerful they may be in mind or in sincerity;
O Prabhupada, who brought his followers far beyond mental speculation and far beyond voidism and far, far beyond the light of undifferentiated spirit (Brahman); who brought his followers into the presence of Sri Krishna in Krishnaloka, and who did this simply by singing the prayers of the Brahma-samhita and by explaining that we’re all gods, but Krishna is the isvara-parama,the sarva-karana-karanam, the cause of all causes;
O Prabhupada, who in older age stayed mostly in his room or in a temple, or who was seen in the lecture hall, at a festival site, in a brief visit to someone’s home, or who was seen on morning walks in a park or on a beach; who moved two or three times a month thousands of miles to another country, and who thereby showed the places that a sannyasi preacher frequents if he wants to follow Prabhupada’s example;
O Prabhupada, who cannot be imitated in all the little details of life, such as what articles he placed on his desk, or how he gestured with his head and hands or how he thought, because no one can exactly know the mind of a liberated Vaishnava;
O Prabhupada, who should also not be imitated as a guru by accepting daily guru-puja from a big opulent vyasasana,and whom we cannot imitate by attempting to surpass the Bhaktivedanta purports to Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta,and The Nectar of Devotion,but who left an unlimited field for his followers to develop in the literature and arts of Krishna consciousness;
O Prabhupada, who sacrificed everything to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna, but who never lost his own simple devotion to Lord Krishna.”
from Wild Garden:

If we know better who we are, then we will stop clamoring to be heard, and we will be able to chant with attention.”

from Memories:

Prabhupada said that the more sinful and extravagant we were in youth, the more we would suffer in old age.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 25, 2012, poem:

I talked with [Jayadvaita] Maharaja about our
possible destination in the next
life. He said he didn’t mind birth and death,
but dreaded adolescence again.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 27, 2012, poem:

Haridasa Thakura says,
This loud kind of kirtana is
millions of times better
than the silent utterance
of the holy name
which only benefits oneself. Chanting for others is
far superior for clearing the sins
and making one eligible for love of God.
So these sadhus are performing the
greatest welfare by
singing harinama to the people at large.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 28, 2012, poem:

Again they are
performing the topmost yajna
for the age of Kali, congregational
loud chanting. Onlookers are
forced to hear the holy names for
their eternal benefit, “It never
suffers loss or diminution and a little
effort in it can save you from
the greatest fear.” What seems
like casual roadside performance
is the greatest welfare for rescue
of the fallen souls.

Krishna Ksetra Prabhu:

from a seminar on yama and niyama:

Why talk about these two limbs of astanga-yoga?
  1. Because yoga, particularly astanga-yoga, is popular now.
  2. Bhagavad-gita is very much a yoga scripture, and Krishna advises Arjuna to be a yogi. (Bg. 6.46)
  3. The sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita is very much a summary of astanga-yoga.

When Rupa Goswami explains bhakti is not janma-karmady-avrtam [or covered by janma, karma, etc.],the adi [etc.] refers to yoga.

With the mercy of the Lord, it becomes possible to practice bhakti-yoga. So if we are so engaged we can feel fortunate that we have some of the Lord’s mercy.

Although asana comes after yama and niyama, most yoga studios do not teach anything about the preliminaries, yama and niyama. We think that talk of yama and niyama would be of great benefit to them. In America, there is the beginning of an understanding of this idea in the yoga community.

Patanjali defines yoga as nirodha vrtti citta, the winding up of the churning of the consciousness. Traditional yoga means to stop the movement of the mind.

Pratyahara comes from prefix prati, which means the opposite, and ahara which means to consume. So pratyahara means to resist the tendency to consume.

Dharana means to concentrate on concentration.

There is not a distinct border between dhyana (meditation) or samadhi (complete absorption).

Kevala is a “freedom from” the negative, not a “freedom to” do something positive.

Yama and niyama both deal with self-control, and therefore, with ethical behavior.

Sometimes it is said that sankhya is the theory and yoga is the practice.

Although the traditional yoga culminates in oneness, and thus being alone, to get there we have to properly deal with others.

Yama and niyama are equipping oneself to climb the mountain of yoga.

Adhikara means qualification and authorization, or the right or ability to practice yoga.

There are five subdivisions in both yama and niyama.

Yama and niyama are both defined as restraint. The prefix ni can mean a greater depth or an application. Thus niyama can be regulations or practices. Thus yama is more negative and niyama is more positive.

Yamas
  1. ahimsa (nonviolence)
  2. satya (truthfulness)
  3. asteya (not stealing)
  4. brahmacarya (celibacy, continence)
  5. aparigraha (nonpossessiveness)

Niyamas
  1. sauca (cleanliness)
  2. santosa (complete satisfaction)
  3. tapasya (austerity)Tapasya comes from tapas or heat, as austerity creates a kind of internal heat.
Srila Prabhupada says it is the voluntary acceptance of difficulty for a higher purpose.
  1. svadhyaya (study of the Vedas or self-study)
  2. isvara-pranidana (surrender unto the Lord)
    This is one of the few places that Patanjali refers to the Lord.
    Some argue this surrender is only as a means to attain some goal,
    while others say that it reveals Patanjali’s nature as a devotee.

Q: If the astanga system is not practical why does Krishna mention it?
A: Bhagavad-gita is something like a supermarket in which Krishna surveys different known practices.

If we just had Bhagavad-gita we would be confused, and so Lord Caitanya came and told us what to do, chant Hare Krishna. By following the instructions in chapter six of Bhagavad-gitawe can better chant Hare Krishna, and by chanting Hare Krishna, we can better follow the instructions in chapter six.

1. Ahimsa (nonviolence):

We may think because we are vegetarian, we have already got our nonviolence badge, but if we look deeper, we may see we still have work to do.

I see two reasons for violence, biological and psychological, biologically for survival and psychologically from fear, arising from separation from the Lord. Artful, courageous, and balanced action leads to nonviolence. We all have talents we can positively engage. By consciously facing fear and not running from it, we can conquer over fear. Then we will be free to think of others’ welfare.

2. Satya (truthfulness):

Related to ahimsa.

Because truth has power it humbles the speaker of truth.

To be true to the self is the opposite of self-indulgence.

Because Krishna is the Supreme Truth to be conscious of Krishna is to be truthful.

3. Asteya (non stealing):

Rvaindra Svarupa Prabhu would remind us, “Before we becoming superhuman, we must become human.”

4. Aparigraha(nonpossessiveness):

If we feel complete, we will not seek happiness through possessions.

Nonpossessivenessis the practice of letting go of all sorts of things.

Krishna says if you do sacrifice you will get whatever you need. (Bg. 3.10) Otherwise you are a thief. (Bg. 3.12)

Q: What is the fear motivating Vaishnava hatred toward other Vaishnava groups?
A: It is a fear concerning a need for belonging. The fanatics are those who least secure in their beliefs.

Sometimes we read Chapter 16, and we think it is about those terrible demons out there. But in reality, we have to face our our own demons. But we do not have to go looking for temptation.

5. Brahmacarya (celibacy):

Brahmacaryais very much recommended for spiritual life.


Niyamas:

1. Sauca (cleanliness):

Just as we cleanse the temple daily, because the body is also a temple, we bathe every day.

God is supremely pure, yet we give Him a bath every day. Why? Because as we feel good when we are freshly bathed, so does God.

Cleanliness is especially for the grhastha asrama because there is a tendency to engage too much in sex which is impure. Why is sex impure? Yoga means freeing the oneself from the churning of the mind, and nothing churns the mind so much as sexual activity.

What is the beneficial opposite of material madness? Sobriety and spiritual madness are both good for spiritual life.

2. Santosa (satisfaction):

Needs:
Security
Significance
Satisfaction of spiritual, mental, and physical needs
Prabhupada sees varnasrama as the vehicle for this.
Expression
Socialization

How to be satisfied? Make a plan to satisfy real needs. In the face of inevitable dissatisfaction, count your blessings—be grateful.

Acceptence makes it possible to let go of negative emotions, admitting we are not God, just servants of God, and do not have the power to change things.

3. Tapasya (austerity):

Austerity is there in all varnas and asramas. I am sorry. There are no exceptions.

What was the defect of Gandhi’s austerity of fasting for political ends? It had only temporary results.

4. Svadhyaya (study of the scriptures):

It is encouraged that you find the different parts of the scripture that are your favorites, and make them yours. Dhanurdhara Swami taught a course twenty years ago on the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he said at that point he had read it fifty times. He just really liked the Second Canto.

Learning about the self is the second most interesting thing. The most interesting thing is learning about Krishna. The more we know, the more interesting it gets. And the more we know, the less we think we know.

5. Isvara-pranidhana (surrender unto the Lord):

Prayer, meditation.

This brings a religion element to classical yoga.

Five factors:
place: nothing happens no where
person: nothing happens without the doer
senses: nothing happens without instruments for the action
effort: nothing happens without effort
daiva (destiny, fate, or for us, divinity, the will of God): nothing happens without God.

Isvara-pranidhana reminds us there is a final controller.

After one of the classes on yama and niyama, I told Krishna Ksetra Prabhu I thought of a subtitle for it:

Yama andNiyama: If You Don’t Begin at the Beginning, You Won’t End at the End

He smiled liking it.

from an initiation lecture:

Initiation is into the Krishna conscious practice of bhakti-yoga.

I am happy to be taking part in this. I was sitting as a initiate forty years ago in Paris. It was outside, and a rain forced the ceremony to completed the next day.

Initiation” in addition to meaning “beginning” also means “entering” and “connecting.”

We hear a lot about hearing, and it is important to consider it is something that we do for our whole life. The ongoing hearing is the confirmation of the connection made at initiation. At initiation we commit ourselves to hearing from our guru and the previous acaryas. And we affirm what we have heard by repeating it. Not just repeating it like a parrot. We have to consider what we heard and digest it.

The best way to learn something is to teach it to others. This is especially important for the brahmana initiates to understand.

We are pushed from behind and pulled from in front back to Godhead. In a sense, all be have to do is to yield to this pushing and pulling. We have to become malleable to the guru. We must yield to Krishna’s will, and we must hear vigilantly to know what Krishna’s will is.

The aspirations of those in this world are temporary.

The promise is we can go to this spiritual world, where water is like nectar, very easily.

We are praying for the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the support of all the Vaishnavas and Vaishnavas.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says if we can avoid inattention we can avoid all the offenses. I recommend you read his Harinama Cintamani where he elaborates on the offenses and how to overcome them.

Vraja Dhama Ananda Dasa.
Marut-suta Dasa, a name of Hanuman.

I want to thank Trisama Prabhu for the behind the scenes work cultivating all the creepers of these devotees.

Always remember Vishnu and never forget Vishnu can be simplified to always remember Vishnu, because if you remember Him you are not forgetting Him.

Trisama Prabhu:

In New Shantipur farm we have two devotees, the president and the pujari. In Warsaw there are four devotees. In Wroclaw there are six devotees. If all ISKCON was was a confederation of temples, we would have twelve devotees in Poland, but we are not just a confederation temples but a community sharing a lifestyle based on following Srila Prabhupada.

In the spiritual world, what do Krishna’s mother and father do? They take care of cows. They are vaisyas. So there is even varnasrama in the spiritual world.

One feature of daivi-varnasrama is that the people spontaneously want to do the role Krishna has given them for Krishna’s pleasure.

If one wants to be in a certain varna but it is not his nature and he is not trained for it, it will be very difficult.

A king is someone who has the desires to make other people’s lives better, not for profit, but out of duty.

The vaisyas formerly understood the law of karma—the more you give, the more you get.

We have been talking about karma for twenty years, and people are beginning to understand to karma, but they ask where is a community that operates according to these ideas.

If we are understanding that there is one family with Krishna in the center and we are all His children, why can’t we show a community with this value.

Everyone who has faith in Krishna is deserving of respect, and we can create a community with this understanding.

It is a problem that managers do not have the trust of those they manage, but management is required, so somehow this trust must be developed.

Covey did a seminar in Australia attended by 2000 people. One devotee attended. And the end of the seminar, everyone left, and the devotee stayed to ask Covey, who was packing up his papers, a question.
How many people we be able to create a successful business based on what you said?” the devotee asked.
Covey answered, “None of them. Those who are successful businessmen do not have time to come to such seminars. They are busy building up their businesses. They may send some representative to come.”

Dvaraka Acyuta Prabhu:

We meet people who say they love God, but they do not act as if they love God.

It is easier to die for God than to live for God because we have to do many things each day in His service.

Srila Prabhupada equates enthusiasm with seriousness.

There is one devotee who distributed books and prasadam for thirty years. After twenty-five years someone said I have been seeing you do these things for twenty-five years and by seeing you I feel happy.

By remembering devotees of Krishna, we remember Krishna.

Prabhupada transplanted Vedic knowledge to the west. Medically transplantation is a difficult operation. So much care as to be there to prevent rejection of the new organ. No one else could to this transplant, only Srila Prabhupada.

There is a relationship between enthusiasm, conviction, and patience, and the three qualities of the soul, sac-cid-ananda.
enthusiasm—happiness
conviction—knowledge
patience—eternality

Association with devotees increases our enthusiasm for devotional service.

To learn the Absolute Truth we must go to someone who knows the Absolute Truth.

There is a story of the thief who took shelter of a temple to avoid the police. By hearing the Bhagavatam he gave up his thieving business.

On a walk in Mumbai, a girl came up to Srila Prabhupada and said, “Hare Krishna, Swamiji!” Srila Prabhupada said to his associates, “Our mission is successful.”
The devotees were perplexed as to Srila Prabhupada’s conclusion, so he explained that just as by testing a single grain of rice you can tell the whole pot is cooked, similarly by seeing this one person is chanting Hare Krishna as a result of our work, we can understand all of Mumbai is chanting Hare Krishna.

-----

ei pañca-tattva-rupe sri-krishna-caitanya
krishna-nama-prema diya visva kaila dhanya
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Pañca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.163)


Travel Journal#8.16: Czech Woodstock, Polish Padayatra & Festival, Slovakia
→ Travel Adventures of a Krishna Monk

Diary of a Traveling Sadhaka, Vol. 8, No. 16
By Krishna-kripa das
(August 2012, part two
)
Czech Woodstock, Polish Padayatra & Festival, Slovakia
(Sent from Manchester, England, on September 30, 2012)

Where I Went and What I Did

After the Kirtana Mela in Spain, I took a late night flight to Budapest, spent the night with Uddhava Prabhu, who I knew from America, and then took buses to Prague and then to Trutnov for the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival, also known as the Czech Woodstock. I love sharing kirtana with the people at that event, and I share with you some highlights. Next at the invitation of my Polish devotee friends, I attended their padayatra and nama-hatta festival, both very satisfying experiences. Then I met up with Bhakta Trevor and Dhruva Prabhu and traveled to eastern Slovakia where we joined Janananda Goswami and his followers and did harinamas and programs in Slovakia and one Czech Republic.

I have an extensive “Insights” section this time, and include points from Srila Prabhupada’s lectures and books, realizations by Janananda Goswami, notes from the lectures, books, and online journal of Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami, notes on a seminar by Krishna Ksetra Prabhu on yama and niyama, as well as an initiation lecture by him, and notes by lectures by senior devotees in the Polish yatra.

More Polish Woodstock Stories

Since I wrote about the Polish Woodstock, I have heard more nice stories about it from different devotees.

One devotee from Wroclaw told me he saw a girl at the Woodstock who loved dancing in our Ratha-yatra procession. She was so enthusiastic that she induced her boyfriend and another couple to also participate and so they all spend three hours dancing in the Ratha-yatra procession. A month later the devotee telling me the story was standing by the book table after the Ratha-yatra in Wroclaw, and he saw that very same girl, and she inquired from him which of the book he recommended.

For several years, several of my friends and I have done harinama at the train station the day after the Polish Woodstock. Many hundreds of people are camped out around the train station waiting for trains, and those who liked visiting our Krishna's Village of Peace are happy to see us once again before returning home. If you haven’t seen the video for this year, here is a link to it:


Gatida Prabhu, who organizes the questions and answers tent on the Polish tour, has a friendly relationship with the person in charge of organizing all the extra trains needed to take the thousands of people back to their homes after the event. That man told him that there was a lot of tension there at the train station among the people waiting for hours for the trains, but when the devotees came through with their chanting, the tension disappeared. The man requested, or practically ordered, that each year the devotees do harinama at the train station after the Woodstock to keep the peace. The man is also involved in naming the extra trains. One of the trains this year was a Polish phrase that meant warm and sweet, and referred to the halava that the devotees serve 150,000 plates of during the Woodstock event. Gatida said we could have some input into the train names and perhaps next year they could be given names like “Jagannath Express,” one of the trains in India from Howrah to Puri.

Trutnov Open Air Music Festival
(Czech Woodstock)

Our participation in the Trutnov Open Air Music Festival (also known as Czech Woodstock) continues for three and a half days. Mostly we do chanting and distribution of spiritual food. Beyond that there is bharat-natyam dance, face painting, a questions and answers booth, and of course, a book table. We are friends with Martin, the organizer, who loves the form of Lord Jagannatha, and includes His face on all the stages, wristbands, and promotional material. 



Thus we have our own stage and camp. There are other stages, and we also got to chant and discuss our philosophy on the stage next to the main stage this year for a change.



I danced with the mantra sign in front of the stage because I could not find a good place to put it on the stage.


Guru Das (center above), disciple of Srila Prabhupada, who joined in San Francisco in 1967, was our guest this year, and he spoke several times at a couple different venues. His theme was that open air music concerts were about more than music and drugs, but a place where people can get to together and share ideas about living a better life and benefiting the world.



He talked about the history of open air music events beginning in the sixties and of his relationship with George Harrison and the Beatles. He was happy doing his own thing in those days, but when he met Srila Prabhupada he became even happier. The high of drugs wore off and became a low, but the swami had a program for staying high forever, and it worked. “Don’t take my word for it,” he said. “Try it yourself. Chant Hare Krishna.” I think anyone with a tendency to seek a higher consciousness would have been moved by his words and his friendly appeal. One young lady in the front row of the audience laughed at the humorous points he made during one talk, so I decided to give her a mantra card and invitation to our programs, which she gave to a friend. That night she returned and sat again in the front row, listening to the kirtana. Then she suddenly jumped up and began chanting and dancing like everyone else in front of her. Then she would sit down for a little bit, but it would become to ecstatic, and again she would get up and chant and dance. The beautiful thing about Trutnov is you can see attendees gradually advance in attraction to Krishna even in the course of a single festival.

Some people in the audience put a lot of feeling in their chanting which was impressive to me. Some even chanted during both the lead and response, and a few would go on for hours. Often you could just look at people and chant, smile, and dance, and they would begin to chant, smile, and dance, too.

One group of five people from Holland told me they have been coming to Trutnov for seven years. Dancing and singing with the Hare Krishnas is a regular daily part of the festival for them. We remembered each other from previous years, and they all wanted their picture taken with me. I told them how we have 200 people singing at Queen’s Day in Amsterdam.

My harinama friend Vishnujana Prabhu said some people told him they have been coming to our Krishna camp at Trutnov for five years.

At our spiritual food booth run by Govinda’s restaurant, two girls came by with trays and a list of food items for a band on the main stage called Anti-Flag. Apparently three of the band members wanted vegan Krishna food for dinner and had sent their staff to get it! According to Wikipedia, Anti-Flag is an American punk rock band from Pittsburg started back in 1988. They also played at the Polish Woodstock.

I would dance a certain step on our stage, and some people in the crowd would faithfully follow it with delight. The next two days some of the people would see me and begin the dance I taught them with smiles on their faces.

I saw Shari and Elishka chanting and dancing in crowd, mutual friends who I have known for three years and who appear my video from 2009. At Trutnov, Shari says, she only eats our food, and the other food makes her sick. Shari wants to get a Ph.D. in ethnology specializing in religion. She is friends with the people who run the devotee restaurant named Baladeva’s in Trutnov. She likes the Trutnov festival because you can count on their being kirtana there whenever you go, whereas kirtana programs at Govinda’s in Prague are rare. I suggested periodically we should do a six-hour kirtana at Govinda’s in Prague, later Punya Palaka Prabhu and I began to make plans for one.

One girl stayed in our tent for over an a hour with her boyfriend, who was often chanting, but although she smiled, she never chanted the whole time. I wondered, “What will it take to get that girl to chant?”



The next day the couple met us on harinama and during the harinama she began to sing along. Later she came to our camp and chanted with us as well.

One lady, who looked to be in her thirties, remembered me from last year. She said she came to our camp the previous night and found the kirtanavery powerful, so much so it brought tears to her eyes.

A brother and sister from Brno both liked the chanting and dancing. I told them I planned to be in Brno the evening of August 27 hoped to do some chanting then, and they gave me they contact details so I could inform them.

One young lady whose mother is Czech and whose father is Italian was singing both during the lead and the response and dancing vigorously, with heart and soul. She seemed so enthusiastic that I thought she must have had previous experience with the devotees, but she said coming to our tent the night before was her first experience. Mostly she lives in Prague, so I gave her an invitation to the our Wednesday program at the Govinda’s restaurant there, which she was happy to receive. Seeing her enthusiasm I was reminded that Krishna promises to reward us as we surrender to Him, and so if someone puts their heart and soul into chanting His names, they will certainly experience some reciprocation from Krishna, who will inspire them to continue.

One person who only knew Czech I referred to Punya Palaka Prabhu who later told me what he said. He had very grave look on his face and he said he experienced the Hare Krishna mantra to be like a powerful drug, not just marijuana but like heroin. Punya could not understand if he felt Hare Krishna was positive or not, so he asked him. The man said gravely that it was neither bad nor good but very powerful. I found that to be an interesting realization because transcendental pleasure is beyond the good and bad of the material world, and the Hare Krishnal mantra is described to be so powerful it can free one from all his karma. Later on in my reading of Caitanya-caritamrita, I found that the author compared the love of God distributed by Lord Caitanya through the medium of the holy name with a great intoxicant: “The fruit of love of Godhead distributed by Caitanya Mahaprabhu is such a great intoxicant that anyone who eats it, filling his belly, immediately becomes maddened by it, and automatically he chants, dances, laughs and enjoys.” So this young Czech man had a little realization of this, although he was worried because he was not aware that the effect is beneficial.

On the last night, I brought my harmonium and sound system in case some of the Trutnov attendees wanted to continue the chanting while other devotees were packing up our camp. One lady and three guys stayed and we chanted another 15 minutes or so, along with Bhaktin Martina (known as TG) from Slovakia, who likes to sing. The lady in the group lives in Trutnov, and Punya Palaka Prabhu explained to her that we have periodic programs in our restaurant there called Baladeva.

Poland Padayatra 2012



Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada were the actual leaders of the Polish Padayatra, whose participants walked for five days, August 19 to 23, between and through villages around New Shantipur farm in southwestern Poland. 


The Polish devotees did padayatra with a small ox cart pulled by one bull. 


Here we passed cows in the field, and they looked like they longed to join our party.


The devotees did a two-hour evening program with sit down bhajans,



Ramayana puppet show, lecture,


a stand up kirtana, 



and prasadam each evening.

During the walk we would chant Hare Krishna the entire time. One or two devotees would distribute books.



Also a teenage devotee girl named Devaki would distribute prasadam cookies, and she was very successful, getting almost everyone to take one, and friend of hers took pictures. Sometimes during the afternoon one or two devotees would distribute books in the village where the evening program was to be held and invite people to it.

The people in general were happy to see the devotees. One man removed his hat and waved it in salute, speaking words of praise as the cart bearing Gaura-Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, and followed by their harinama sankirtana party, passed. One man offered a military salute. Many people waved, smiled, and took pictures. Even the drivers of cars passing us slowed down and took pictures.



One car had a sun roof, and a child stood on the seat of the car and took pictures from the opening in the roof as the car drove slowly by. From the same car, an adult took pictures through the opened window on the passenger side of the vehicle. One car passed us and stopped, and a lady got out to take pictures. I thought about Lord Caitanya’s prediction of his name being chanted in every town and village and was filled with ecstatic emotions seeing it gradually happening. I usually focus on chanting in the cities because more people benefit, but Lord Caitanya actually said “nagaradi grama,” every town and village. He is so merciful, He wants to benefit everyone everywhere, in all the teeny little villages, not just the masses in the cities.


The family of Visvakarma Prabhu, a former head cook on the Polish tour, impressed me with their participation in the evening bhajanas. Husband, wife, and children were very much into the kirtana, all happily chanting, and the young twin girls were singing, smiling, clapping, and swaying back and forth with the music the entire time. Usually kids space out after awhile and lose interest, but the twin girls were enthusiastic the whole time, and it was beautiful to see.

Srila Prabhupada says on his popular recording describing the Hare Krishna mantra that “even a dog can take part in the chanting.” I never had so much realization of the truth of this as at one evening program on the padayatra, when four kids from the audience danced to the kirtana, with their pet dog in the middle of them.



Two kids were on each side of the dog, with the two kids next to the dog each holding one of the front paws of the animal, while it danced on its back two legs. It was amazing to see. 

Here is a video with some highlights of the Polish Padayatra:



For those averse to austerities, I recommend the Polish padayatra over the Slovenian and Czech padayatras, which I visited in 2009.In Poland only the bull and one or two devotees camped out where our walk finished each day. The rest of the devotees returned to the temple by minibus and came back early the next afternoon. There was only about two hours of walking each day, compared to the longest padayatraI visited, the one in Slovenia where they do sometimes five or six hours a day. The Polish padayatra included a public program every evening, like the Czech one. The Slovenian padayatra did a public evening program every fourth day or so, but had a more extensive program of prasadam and book distribution during the walk.

When I first saw the cart which was much smaller than the ones in Czech and Slovenia, I was thinking in material way that this was a small time event. I mentioned my surprise at the small cart to a brahmacari friend, Pancatattva Prabhu, who said “Small is beautiful.” And indeed it was a very wonderful padayatra despite its apparent smallness. It was beautiful to see the happiness of the souls in the different towns and villages who from their words and smiles you could see had a spontaneous attraction to the devotees and their chanting. It reminded me of Srila Prabhupada’s statement:

Krishna consciousness is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This consciousness is the original energy of the living entity. When we hear the transcendental vibration, this consciousness is revived and the process is recommended by authorities for this age. By practical experience also, we can perceive that by chanting this maha-mantra,or the great chanting for deliverance, one can at once feel transcendental ecstasy from the spiritual stratum.”

The last day of the padayatra was the best. We passed out all the prasadam cookies as we walked. Sometimes some children followed us for ten or fifteen minutes, sometimes half an hour, walking or riding their bicycles. I gave a Polish mantra card to a couple of girls who seemed older and more seriously attracted than the rest, and they chanted a few mantras with us.

At the final kirtana of the program, three moms in the audience, perhaps in their thirties, loudly chanted the Hare Krishna mantra with big smiles on their faces. Several people videoed the parts of the kirtana, and one man videoed the whole thing. We only had a few mantra cards which we gave to the most enthusiastic chanters. As we were packing up, the three ladies amazed us by starting a Hare Krishna kirtana themselves. Some of the girls danced, and some of the devotees joined in and began playing the instruments.

We talk about how Krishna consciousness is universal and meant for everyone. Sometimes we have doubts because few are attracted. This program was a powerful confirmation for me that Krishna consciousness is for everyone and Krishna is all-attractive. Otherwise, how is it that thirty or forty people from a town so small I cannot find its population listed stay interested in the whole two-hour program? And how were these moms, with no prior experience of it, suddenly so happy to chant and so much attracted they wanted to start chanting on their own when we stopped?

Lord Caitanya wanted His name chanted in every town and village, and we can see that He does reciprocate when His followers endeavor in that way. We can only hope that more devotees in more countries, cities, towns, and villages, might endeavor in this way, and Lord Caitanya’s prediction might be realized sooner, rather than later, and many, many people will be benefited.

Poland Nama-Hatta Festival

Each year the Polish devotees have a nama-hatta festival at their farm in south Poland, New Shantipur. This year’s special guest was Krishna Ksetra Prabhu, who did a series of lectures on yama and nivasa, the first two steps of the astanga, or eight-step, yoga system. These two also have relevance in bhakti-yoga, and he talked about that. Lots of devotees like kirtana there, and it was fun to chant with them. I did a little seminar on the meanings of our daily songs and prayers as they are more fulfilling to sing when we know what they mean, and the few people who came were glad they had.A special feature they added this year was a Ratha-yatra on the roads surrounding the farm.


I was given a kerosene torch to hold, and I found it challenging to illuminate Lord Jagannatha while walking along with the cart. You had to avoid stepping on other people’s toes, setting the cart on fire, or stepping in the stinging nettle plants along the side of the road. Still it was great to do another Ratha-yatra, although I recommended they might consider doing it during the daytime next year. Nama Hatta leader, Trisama Prabhu, who I have known from coming to the Polish tour for years, kindly gave me a donation for my travels and invited me back to the festival next year.

Chanting Enroute from Poland to Slovakia

Trevor, who aspires to be initiated by Janananda Goswami, and I traveled together from Wroclaw, Poland, to Bratislava, Slovakia, together, to meet my friend, Dhruva Prabhu, who was flying in from London, and then continued to join Janananda Goswami’s traveling harinama party which was presently based on our farm, New Ekacakra, outside Presov, in eastern Slovakia. While traveling we chanting in Wroclaw before our train began, and in Klodzko, Poland, while waiting for a bus that was meant to replace our train to Miedzylesie, the town on the Polish/Czech border. Two construction workers took a break from their work to investigate us. Having a limited Polish vocabulary, I explained our performance as “spiritual vibrations from India,” which they seemed to understand, accept, and appreciate.

At Ústí n.Orlicí in Czech we met a girl I remembered from the Czech Woodstock this year. She dressed like a hippie, with a long colorful skirt and had come every day to our Krishna camp with her friends, and always seemed happy to be there. I mentioned we had programs in different part of Czech, and she said that she was already in contact with one of the devotee girls about them. She said she had come to the Trutnov festival five times. She was so into it she had the armbands for all five festivals on her arm! I gave her some maha-prasadam, burfi from our Polish farm, and she was very happy to receive it. I was trying to figure out if there was some reason Krishna arranged we miss our train in Poland and had to take a later one, and I came to the conclusion one reason might be He wanted to give that girl some more mercy.

We were too late to chant much at Brno, where I hoped we would do harinama. We did chant some while waiting for a tram, on the way to our place to stay, offered by a Brno student we had met at Trutnov the previous year, who has began regularly attending the weekly programs at our local center. (The book distributors were traveling so we could not stay at the center.) While we were chanting a lady came up to us, smiling happily to encounter the Hare Krishnas, and she began to sing along. She talked to our host, and we learned that the woman apparently lived in Australia from where, she said, she knew about Hare Krishnas and that she is really into eastern philosophy. Both at the train station and on the way to our place several people said, “Hare Krishna” to us. This is probably because each Friday the devotees do harinama around the train station in Brno. We chanted the evening tune with our host, who we helped to learn the standard karatala beat, as Trevor cooked an Ekadasi dinner of potatoes and tomatoes. The next morming we chanted for the commuters waiting for the city bus, and people at the train station who happened to be standing on the same platform as our train toward Bratislava.

We got to Bratislava airport early, and we must have chanted for an hour there, both before and after meeting Dhruva Prabhu. We were pleased that the authorities allowed our chanting to continue unabated. Trevor practiced a few Hare Krishna tunes in the space between the carriages on the train to eastern Slovakia and also was not disturbed by the authorities.

Harinamas in Slovakia

Gypsy village near New Ekacakra:

We chanted for one and half hours at a gypsy village near the Hare Krishna farm in eastern Slovakia, Nova Ekacakra. For an hour we had an audience of 100 people. Some smiled, some clapped, some danced, and some even chanted Hare Krishna in tune. When we left the village 50 gypsy children followed us back to our car. We had one car and nine people so we had to make two trips to back to the temple, and some of us kept chanting while we waited for the car to return for us. When the last car left, there were still twenty kids there to wave good-bye to the chanting party.

Roznava:


We must have had about twelve devotees, led by Janananda Goswami, on harinama in Roznava, a district town in eastern Slovakia.




You could understand Hare Krishnas were a rare sight in Roznava by seeing the reactions of the people, but there are always some who smile approvingly, who give the old thumbs up, or take pictures. We started at Tesco, a traditional harinama meeting point in different cities, only surpassed by Marks and Spencers in the UK. Unfortunately we could not even stay a whole hour as we had to catch a couple buses to Hankova, which Maharaja has a disciple and where we stayed the night.

Stitnik:

It took two buses to Hankova, and so we had twenty minute layover at Stitnik,at a bus stop, surrounded by shops in the middle of that small town, with a bunch of people hanging out. I decided to chant, using our amplifier, as we sat on the bench waiting for the bus. A couple people came up close and took pictures. One lady wanted to have her picture taken with the devotees, and Jivananda Prabhu, the only one of the four of us who knew the Slovak language spoke to her. A boy took five minutes of video, smiling a lot while he was filming. Jivananda Prabhu said book distributors who later came to Stitnik found the residents still remembering favorably our spontaneous kirtana there.

Lucenec:




Lucenec, where a very few devotees live, was another short and sweet harinama. We went up and down the main street once before having to catch our train to Bratislava. Janananda Goswami is very liberal to look after these devotees in small cities in eastern Slovakia by coming there and doing harinamas and programs with them.

Chanting in Czech

Janananda Goswami attended a monthly nama-hatta program just outside the medium-sized city of Pardubice, in northern Czech Republic, just 85 miles from the Polish border, the city where the first Czech temple was started. As our over-priced EC train arrived over an hour before the program, I suggested we do a harinama, and so four of us did. I always feel victorious to chant in a new city. We met two very favorable people. One was a young man who says he already chants Hare Krishna because he had heard a popular recording of the mantra a Czech pop singer had made in the 1960s or 1970s. Jivananda Prabhu talked to him and gave him information about our programs in Czech Republic. Another was a middle-aged gypsy woman who loved music, and imitated all our dance steps, spending over 20 minutes participating in our harinama. She kept trying to get her friends to join in, and one came over to look for a few minutes. It reminded me how attraction to Krishna sound is such an individual thing. Trevor considered the whole 75-minute harinama successful because that one lady was inspired to hear it so much and dance along. We’ chanted another ten minutes later at the Pardubice train station as we waited for our train to Poland for the next day’s Ratha-yatra in Wroclaw, which for us was to be followed by Kirtana-Mela in Germany.

Insights

Srila Prabhupada:

from a lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 given in Hyderabad, April 13, 1975:

Mukti[liberation] means to live without conditions.

To follow the mahajanas means to serve their mission. We are followers of Rupa Goswami. Why? Because he wanted to establish the mission of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. He understood that Caitanya was Krishna come as a devotee to demonstrate the process to love Him.

We are bound up, but we are declaring independence. That is our foolishness. If you really want independence you have to surrender to Krishna or His representative.

For one who determined to be happy in the material world, it is impossible to advance in Krishna consciousness.

We are thinking we are purusa, the enjoyer, but we are actually prakrti, that which is enjoyed. When we accept our identity as prakrti and understandthat we are to be enjoyed by Krishna, then we are liberated.

As long as we want something, we cannot be prasanta, peaceful.

from lecture on Srimad-Bhagavatam 5.5.2 in London on September 17, 1969:

Liberation or freedom means you go to the spiritual world and do not come back. Not like the scientists going to the moon planet, collecting some dust, and coming back.

People are like animals. They have two hands and two legs, but they are animals, because they have been trained to be like animals.

If you associate with a mahatma(great soul) you become mahatma, if you associate with debauch, you become debauch.

from his Srimad-Bhagavatam5.7.6 purport:

If we massage a person’s legs, we do not really serve the legs but the person who possesses the legs. All the demigods are different parts of the Lord, and if we offer service to them, we actually serve the Lord Himself.

Janananda Goswami:

The Goswamis are our friends and our primary siksa [instructing] gurus. By serving them all obstacles to devotional service are vanquished and all spiritual desires are fulfilled. This result is obtained in proportion to our degree of surrender.

Taking the shelter of feet of the Six Goswamis can be understood to mean taking shelter of the servants of the Six Goswamis by following their instructions.

Rupa Manjari is in the party of Lalita.

We cannot write songs imitating Narottama Dasa Thakura or Bhaktivinoda Thakura as they are eternal associates of the Lord who have come to reveal a little of the spiritual world to us.

If we do not like serve the immediate predecessor, we will not make it in the spiritual world, because there also the devotees serve their immediate superior in the service of the Lord. They are satisfied to be the servant of the servant.

Raganuga spontaneously arises after the stage of liberation, after all anartas or unwanted things are eliminated. It is not something you can read about in book and practice. The removal of the anarthas happens by the mercy of Krishna who is pleased our practice of following the instructions of the scriptures and the saintly persons.

The barometer of advancement is increase in faith.

One of the biggest reasons we do not advance as that we do not hear attentively.

The guru gives us practical service we can render to remove anarthas. In the beginning we may not be able to understand how the practice Srila Prabhupada gave us is complete, but if we continue acting according to it, we will see how we are purified.

Although the asta-kalika lila is not part of our practice, our acaryas have given us different songs for different times of day, such as udilo aruna for the morning, bhaja bhakata at noon,and kiba jaya jaya gourcander in the evening.

The sankirtana movement is primarily the movement of Lord Nityananda. When He sees someone trying to distribute the holy name, He becomes very merciful.

To have no fear, remember Lord Nityananda and chant the holy name.

Q: What does khoda nitai mean?
A: Lord Nityananda is Himself the Owner and Manager [of the marketplace of the holy name].

Dhruva Maharaja by following the instructions of Narada he got the darsana of the Supreme Lord and offered many prayers from his purified consciousness to Supreme Lord.

Sri Caitanya Mahaprabu liked especially the pastimes of Dhruva Maharaja and Prahlada Maharaja. He was not just absorbed in the the madhurya-lila.

When we engage our senses in the service of Krishna, we become free from maya.

Maya is just to see things separately from Krishna. It is not a separate energy competing with Krishna like Satan.

Fire is in paper and a iron rod, but it takes more energy to realize the fire in a iron rod than in paper. But when either paper or a iron is hot, they can ignite something else.

When the senses are purified, one sees this material world as the spiritual world.

In practically every chapter, Krishna is telling Arjuna how he can remember Him.

Srila Prabhupada was asked, “What is Vaikuntha [the spiritual world] like?”
Srila Prabhupada replied, “ . . . You cannot see?”

We cannot see electricity but we can see the effect of electricity, and so it is true of the Lord. Electricity can create heat or cold or produce images on a screen and thus we can understand that the electricity is present. Similarly the Supersoul enters the inert material energy and produces effects by which understand His presence.

When we try to enjoy this material energy in different ways we get burned.

Devotional service means learning how to use that which is at our disposal in relationship with Krishna.

Instead of being in the lap of maya, we have to come to the lap of Krishna. In age this is possible through the chanting of the holy name of the Lord.

The same material energy becomes the vehicle for our going back to Godhead when we engage it in devotional service.

The Lord delivers one who tries to engage everything in is devotional service.

Duryodhana is said to be an expansion of Kali.

Srila Prabhupada explained that some of the eternal servants of the Lord serve the Lord only in his pastimes in the material world, and he gave the example of Arjuna.

Google Goswami is the siksa-guru for everyone and everyone can approach him to inquire. [jokingly]

Q[by Dhruva Prabhu]: This verse seems to say that we should not be afraid of maya rather, we should welcome her and engage her in Krishna’s service.
A: That depends on our qualification. One who is not so advanced cannot engage the material energy in Krishna’s service in all respects. Prahlada Maharaja has prayers declaring his fear ofmaya and others declaring his fearlessness of maya. In the neophtye state we should be afraid of maya and use fear in Krishna’s service in that way.

On harinama in villages in Africa, and even in India, in the beginning it looks like no one is there and then suddenly people will appear from all directions.

You may have problems with your mind. But at least you have a mind, and as the song indicates, your task is simply to redirect the mind to the lotus feet for the Lord.

This is the way to control the mind. To chant Hare Krishna with others. This is the austerity for this age. It is the essential practice for all of us. It is not the age for solitary bhajanas.

The leaders brought in some German devotees to organize the English devotees to collect money to cover past debts. We bathed wherever we found water, pure or impure. The food was austere. We worked long hours, intimidating people to give money. It was complete contrary to my nature. It was so miserable I could not take it anymore, and I prayed to Krishna. Suddenly I could deal with the whole situation in a jovial way and when we came back to the temple that weekend, I was taken off that service and given just the service I desired.

Draupadi offended both this month of Purusottama Masa and Durvasa Muni in a previous life. She wanted a husband, and Durvasa Muni told her to worship the month of Purusottama, but she did not listen and thus she offended both the muniand the month. Thus she had to suffer very much in her next life. Everyone had rejected this month, but Krishna had accepted it and made it his own, naming it Purusottama masa, and so had become the the best of all holy months. After suffering greatly in her life as Draupadi, Krishna advised that she and the Pandavas worship the month of Purusottama, and their fortune completely changed. They regained everything they had lost.

Sometimes people complain, “Krishna married 16,108 wives. He is simply interested in sex. What a debauchee!” We can ask them where did you get that information that Krishna had so many wives. “From your books.” But did you continue reading how He expanded in 16,108 forms and lived with each wife in her own palace and satisfied them in all respects? You can hardly maintain one wife, and yet he perfectly maintained so many.

Srila Prabhupada made the point that Krishna as the Supreme Lord is the proprietor of everything and thus all the ladies belong to him. Thus the men who claim women as their wives are claiming Krishna’s women as their own and thus they could be considered debauchees but not Krishna.

Radhanatha Swami’s friend Ghanashyama was a prince in a royal family, but he fell in love with Vrindavana while on pilgrimage with the family, and decided to stay there. When after several attempts to get him to return, his family threatened that they would disinherit him and he would be poverty stricken. He picked up a grain of a dust from Vrindavan, and said this one grain of dust is more valuable than all the opulence of the material world.

Purnima is a holy day, and it is in Purusottama, a holy month. So it is a very, very holy day.

In English we say holiday, which derives from holy day, because most holidays were originally holy days.

Now, of course, holy days are not so holy. They have calculated more illegitimate children are conceived on Christmas and more liquor is drunk on Christmas than any other day. My father would never drink, smoke, or gamble, but on Christmas he would make an exception and do all three. He would eat meat, but on Christmas he would eat more than usual.

We should take advantage of holy days, such as Purnima and Ekadasi, to increase our hearing and chanting about Krishna.

The Six Goswamis wrote books, established temples, excavated the pastimes places of the Lord, and they taught the practical process of deity worship.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s song Suddha-bhakata teaches the value of devotional service.

When we associate with someone we are affected by their qualities. Thus if we associate with people who are attracted to Krishna we are affected by that.

When Krishna sees we are serving His devotees, He is very pleased and cleanses our hearts, and our natural attraction for Krishna arises.

When there is dirt on an electric contact, it will not conduct properly, until we clean it. In the same way, when our heart is cleansed with can connect with Krishna.

Ultimately it is the mercy of Krishna that we become attracted to Him, so we try to live in such a way that we attract Krishna’s mercy.

The material world is mostly upside down, and thus we end up going down.

The material world is very entangling, like a maze. We cannot see where was have come from or where we are going. We do not even know where we supposed to be going.

The seed that produced the tree cannot be seen once the tree has come into being. In the same way, we cannot see our origin.

How this material world works or what causes it to work we cannot understand.

When we stop trying to enjoy, control, and exploit this material world, and we try to surrender to Krishna, He releases us from this material world.

Devotional service is a practical way of living our lives in the consciousness that Krishna is the proprietor.

Some people say we have get rid of our ego, but that is not actually a fact. Ego means identity. So we cannot get rid of our identity, but we can get rid of our false ego, or misconception of our identity. Otherwise it is like getting rid of our head to get rid of a headache. The falsity needs to be removed, not the ego.

Some people thinks that individually is temporary, but in Bg. 15.7 explains that individuality is eternal.

The nature of the expansion of the living entities to serve the supreme.

In the material world we see ourselves in the center, but in the spiritual world we see Krishna in the center. By seeing the things in this center in relationship to Krishna we become qualified to go to the spiritual world.

So people consider if we take parts away from the whole, the whole becomes less, but there are examples that this is not always true. For example, when a mother gives birth to a child, both the mother and child continue to exist. Similarly when Krishna expands as the living entities, He does not lose His identity nor become lessened.

What are manifestations of pride?

  1. Acting without considering the desire of Krishna.
  2. Lessening one’s spiritual practice.
  3. Becoming upset if we are not honored.
  4. Blaming others for our failings.
  5. Becoming upset when advised by others.
  6. We see that Krishna, the material energy, and our guru all meant to serve us.
  7. Showing off.
  8. Faultfinding.
  9. Inappropriately instructing others.
  10. Making no effort to be attentive while chanting japa because you think you have something better to do.
  11. You do not want to serve. You want to be served.
  12. Never forgiving.
  13. Forgetting the misery of being in maya (illusion).
  14. Taking things for granted.

When the deity installation ceremony was being televised in Australia, Srila Prabhupada did not refrain from correcting his disciples, although it may be misunderstood, because he was more concerned that Krishna be served properly than what people taught about him.

One who is not proud never takes offense at all. He sees that Krishna is trying to educate him or purified him.

You lose the benefit of the austerity if you advertise it or show it off.

To counteract pride, give credit to the guru, Krishna, and the other devotees.

Try to chanting the holy name of the Lord together, try to chant attentively, pray as Brahma did to not be affected by pride, try to serve the devotees, and regularly read Srila Prabhupada’s books. These will help conquer pride.

In mental japa there is no japa if the mind wanders, but when japa is audible then even if the mind wanders, there is still benefit.

Krishna reveals Himself to one who He desires, but if we do not follow the directions of the spiritual master, we cannot expect Krishna to reveal Himself to us. Thus we should chant the holy name according to the direction of the spiritual master if we want to advance.

Anyone can chant the holy name, but if we want to attain pure chanting, there are certain rules to follow.

Sankirtana means chanting together or complete glorification of the Lord. If the goal of our activities is complete glorification of the Lord, then that those activities can be considered to be sankirtana.

Even while sleeping or eating we can chant.

By chanting while we perform activities we will not be overwhelmed we that idea that we are the performer of our activities.

Although certain conditions may be helpful for chanting, we do not need to wait for any condition before chanting. By chanting one becomes completely pure.

Lord Caitanya is giving the holy name to both the qualified and the unqualified.

I have heard one million go shopping on Oxford Street, and if they see or hear the harinama, they benefit spiritually.

By performing kirtana, we experience bliss, but by smaranam one may not taste bliss, if the mind is impure.

Bhaktisiddanta Saravati Thakura makes the point that in the Siksastaka Lord Caitanya only talks about kirtana. He says that if our sadhana does not help us in developing attachment to kirtana, it is actually an impediment to sadhana.

Sankirtana is very absorbing, and we feel something changing within the heart.

Our little dose of japa often turns into a doze.

We generally beginning by become attracted to the external features of the kirtana—the happiness of the devotees, etc.

There is no impediment to sankirtana. We should be trying to remove impediments to sankirtana, not increase them.

On World Holy Name Week we should think of ways to increase the chanting of the holy name.

Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami:

from a Rama Navami lecture:

The Lord’s pastimes are not allegories. An allegory is a higher meaning than the literal text, but when the text is about the Lord, the Supreme Truth, there is nothing higher.

When Lord Rama broke the bow of Janaka Maharaja, the noise was so loud that all but Lord Rama, Laksman, and Visvamita Muni became unconscious.

from a Nrsimha Caturdasi lecture:

Hiranyakasipu, although he ruled the whole universe and had all objects of sense enjoyment, because his senses were not controlled could never be satisfied, Thus he is an example of the ultimate materialist.

fromCalling Out to Srila Prabhupada:

O Prabhupada, whose disciples must find out for themselves the extent of their surrender to you, but who need you always to direct and console them on the path;
O Prabhupada, who offers the absolute way of sabda-brahma,and who defies the predominance of the methods known as pratyaksa(direct perception) and anumana (mental speculation);
O Prabhupada, who leads his followers in the intellectual scholarship of Vyasa, the six Gosvamis, Visvanatha, and Baladeva, and whose own example was that he never was defeated by an opponent or thrown into doubt, and who was never impressed by the vain speculations of Western philosophers, even when he heard their intricate logical constructions on the nature of God and reality; O Prabhupada, whose followers gave up their own allegiances to favorite speculators and writers when you made it clear that the jnaniscan never arrive at perfect knowledge because of their imperfect methods, no matter how powerful they may be in mind or in sincerity;
O Prabhupada, who brought his followers far beyond mental speculation and far beyond voidism and far, far beyond the light of undifferentiated spirit (Brahman); who brought his followers into the presence of Sri Krishna in Krishnaloka, and who did this simply by singing the prayers of the Brahma-samhita and by explaining that we’re all gods, but Krishna is the isvara-parama,the sarva-karana-karanam, the cause of all causes;
O Prabhupada, who in older age stayed mostly in his room or in a temple, or who was seen in the lecture hall, at a festival site, in a brief visit to someone’s home, or who was seen on morning walks in a park or on a beach; who moved two or three times a month thousands of miles to another country, and who thereby showed the places that a sannyasi preacher frequents if he wants to follow Prabhupada’s example;
O Prabhupada, who cannot be imitated in all the little details of life, such as what articles he placed on his desk, or how he gestured with his head and hands or how he thought, because no one can exactly know the mind of a liberated Vaishnava;
O Prabhupada, who should also not be imitated as a guru by accepting daily guru-puja from a big opulent vyasasana,and whom we cannot imitate by attempting to surpass the Bhaktivedanta purports to Bhagavad-gita As It Is, Srimad-Bhagavatam, Caitanya-caritamrta,and The Nectar of Devotion,but who left an unlimited field for his followers to develop in the literature and arts of Krishna consciousness;
O Prabhupada, who sacrificed everything to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna, but who never lost his own simple devotion to Lord Krishna.”
from Wild Garden:

If we know better who we are, then we will stop clamoring to be heard, and we will be able to chant with attention.”

from Memories:

Prabhupada said that the more sinful and extravagant we were in youth, the more we would suffer in old age.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 25, 2012, poem:

I talked with [Jayadvaita] Maharaja about our
possible destination in the next
life. He said he didn’t mind birth and death,
but dreaded adolescence again.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 27, 2012, poem:

Haridasa Thakura says,
This loud kind of kirtana is
millions of times better
than the silent utterance
of the holy name
which only benefits oneself. Chanting for others is
far superior for clearing the sins
and making one eligible for love of God.
So these sadhus are performing the
greatest welfare by
singing harinama to the people at large.

from Viraha Bhavan, August 28, 2012, poem:

Again they are
performing the topmost yajna
for the age of Kali, congregational
loud chanting. Onlookers are
forced to hear the holy names for
their eternal benefit, “It never
suffers loss or diminution and a little
effort in it can save you from
the greatest fear.” What seems
like casual roadside performance
is the greatest welfare for rescue
of the fallen souls.

Krishna Ksetra Prabhu:

from a seminar on yama and niyama:

Why talk about these two limbs of astanga-yoga?
  1. Because yoga, particularly astanga-yoga, is popular now.
  2. Bhagavad-gita is very much a yoga scripture, and Krishna advises Arjuna to be a yogi. (Bg. 6.46)
  3. The sixth chapter of Bhagavad-gita is very much a summary of astanga-yoga.

When Rupa Goswami explains bhakti is not janma-karmady-avrtam [or covered by janma, karma, etc.],the adi [etc.] refers to yoga.

With the mercy of the Lord, it becomes possible to practice bhakti-yoga. So if we are so engaged we can feel fortunate that we have some of the Lord’s mercy.

Although asana comes after yama and niyama, most yoga studios do not teach anything about the preliminaries, yama and niyama. We think that talk of yama and niyama would be of great benefit to them. In America, there is the beginning of an understanding of this idea in the yoga community.

Patanjali defines yoga as nirodha vrtti citta, the winding up of the churning of the consciousness. Traditional yoga means to stop the movement of the mind.

Pratyahara comes from prefix prati, which means the opposite, and ahara which means to consume. So pratyahara means to resist the tendency to consume.

Dharana means to concentrate on concentration.

There is not a distinct border between dhyana (meditation) or samadhi (complete absorption).

Kevala is a “freedom from” the negative, not a “freedom to” do something positive.

Yama and niyama both deal with self-control, and therefore, with ethical behavior.

Sometimes it is said that sankhya is the theory and yoga is the practice.

Although the traditional yoga culminates in oneness, and thus being alone, to get there we have to properly deal with others.

Yama and niyama are equipping oneself to climb the mountain of yoga.

Adhikara means qualification and authorization, or the right or ability to practice yoga.

There are five subdivisions in both yama and niyama.

Yama and niyama are both defined as restraint. The prefix ni can mean a greater depth or an application. Thus niyama can be regulations or practices. Thus yama is more negative and niyama is more positive.

Yamas
  1. ahimsa (nonviolence)
  2. satya (truthfulness)
  3. asteya (not stealing)
  4. brahmacarya (celibacy, continence)
  5. aparigraha (nonpossessiveness)

Niyamas
  1. sauca (cleanliness)
  2. santosa (complete satisfaction)
  3. tapasya (austerity)Tapasya comes from tapas or heat, as austerity creates a kind of internal heat.
Srila Prabhupada says it is the voluntary acceptance of difficulty for a higher purpose.
  1. svadhyaya (study of the Vedas or self-study)
  2. isvara-pranidana (surrender unto the Lord)
    This is one of the few places that Patanjali refers to the Lord.
    Some argue this surrender is only as a means to attain some goal,
    while others say that it reveals Patanjali’s nature as a devotee.

Q: If the astanga system is not practical why does Krishna mention it?
A: Bhagavad-gita is something like a supermarket in which Krishna surveys different known practices.

If we just had Bhagavad-gita we would be confused, and so Lord Caitanya came and told us what to do, chant Hare Krishna. By following the instructions in chapter six of Bhagavad-gitawe can better chant Hare Krishna, and by chanting Hare Krishna, we can better follow the instructions in chapter six.

1. Ahimsa (nonviolence):

We may think because we are vegetarian, we have already got our nonviolence badge, but if we look deeper, we may see we still have work to do.

I see two reasons for violence, biological and psychological, biologically for survival and psychologically from fear, arising from separation from the Lord. Artful, courageous, and balanced action leads to nonviolence. We all have talents we can positively engage. By consciously facing fear and not running from it, we can conquer over fear. Then we will be free to think of others’ welfare.

2. Satya (truthfulness):

Related to ahimsa.

Because truth has power it humbles the speaker of truth.

To be true to the self is the opposite of self-indulgence.

Because Krishna is the Supreme Truth to be conscious of Krishna is to be truthful.

3. Asteya (non stealing):

Rvaindra Svarupa Prabhu would remind us, “Before we becoming superhuman, we must become human.”

4. Aparigraha(nonpossessiveness):

If we feel complete, we will not seek happiness through possessions.

Nonpossessivenessis the practice of letting go of all sorts of things.

Krishna says if you do sacrifice you will get whatever you need. (Bg. 3.10) Otherwise you are a thief. (Bg. 3.12)

Q: What is the fear motivating Vaishnava hatred toward other Vaishnava groups?
A: It is a fear concerning a need for belonging. The fanatics are those who least secure in their beliefs.

Sometimes we read Chapter 16, and we think it is about those terrible demons out there. But in reality, we have to face our our own demons. But we do not have to go looking for temptation.

5. Brahmacarya (celibacy):

Brahmacaryais very much recommended for spiritual life.


Niyamas:

1. Sauca (cleanliness):

Just as we cleanse the temple daily, because the body is also a temple, we bathe every day.

God is supremely pure, yet we give Him a bath every day. Why? Because as we feel good when we are freshly bathed, so does God.

Cleanliness is especially for the grhastha asrama because there is a tendency to engage too much in sex which is impure. Why is sex impure? Yoga means freeing the oneself from the churning of the mind, and nothing churns the mind so much as sexual activity.

What is the beneficial opposite of material madness? Sobriety and spiritual madness are both good for spiritual life.

2. Santosa (satisfaction):

Needs:
Security
Significance
Satisfaction of spiritual, mental, and physical needs
Prabhupada sees varnasrama as the vehicle for this.
Expression
Socialization

How to be satisfied? Make a plan to satisfy real needs. In the face of inevitable dissatisfaction, count your blessings—be grateful.

Acceptence makes it possible to let go of negative emotions, admitting we are not God, just servants of God, and do not have the power to change things.

3. Tapasya (austerity):

Austerity is there in all varnas and asramas. I am sorry. There are no exceptions.

What was the defect of Gandhi’s austerity of fasting for political ends? It had only temporary results.

4. Svadhyaya (study of the scriptures):

It is encouraged that you find the different parts of the scripture that are your favorites, and make them yours. Dhanurdhara Swami taught a course twenty years ago on the Second Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he said at that point he had read it fifty times. He just really liked the Second Canto.

Learning about the self is the second most interesting thing. The most interesting thing is learning about Krishna. The more we know, the more interesting it gets. And the more we know, the less we think we know.

5. Isvara-pranidhana (surrender unto the Lord):

Prayer, meditation.

This brings a religion element to classical yoga.

Five factors:
place: nothing happens no where
person: nothing happens without the doer
senses: nothing happens without instruments for the action
effort: nothing happens without effort
daiva (destiny, fate, or for us, divinity, the will of God): nothing happens without God.

Isvara-pranidhana reminds us there is a final controller.

After one of the classes on yama and niyama, I told Krishna Ksetra Prabhu I thought of a subtitle for it:

Yama andNiyama: If You Don’t Begin at the Beginning, You Won’t End at the End

He smiled liking it.

from an initiation lecture:

Initiation is into the Krishna conscious practice of bhakti-yoga.

I am happy to be taking part in this. I was sitting as a initiate forty years ago in Paris. It was outside, and a rain forced the ceremony to completed the next day.

Initiation” in addition to meaning “beginning” also means “entering” and “connecting.”

We hear a lot about hearing, and it is important to consider it is something that we do for our whole life. The ongoing hearing is the confirmation of the connection made at initiation. At initiation we commit ourselves to hearing from our guru and the previous acaryas. And we affirm what we have heard by repeating it. Not just repeating it like a parrot. We have to consider what we heard and digest it.

The best way to learn something is to teach it to others. This is especially important for the brahmana initiates to understand.

We are pushed from behind and pulled from in front back to Godhead. In a sense, all be have to do is to yield to this pushing and pulling. We have to become malleable to the guru. We must yield to Krishna’s will, and we must hear vigilantly to know what Krishna’s will is.

The aspirations of those in this world are temporary.

The promise is we can go to this spiritual world, where water is like nectar, very easily.

We are praying for the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and the support of all the Vaishnavas and Vaishnavas.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura says if we can avoid inattention we can avoid all the offenses. I recommend you read his Harinama Cintamani where he elaborates on the offenses and how to overcome them.

Vraja Dhama Ananda Dasa.
Marut-suta Dasa, a name of Hanuman.

I want to thank Trisama Prabhu for the behind the scenes work cultivating all the creepers of these devotees.

Always remember Vishnu and never forget Vishnu can be simplified to always remember Vishnu, because if you remember Him you are not forgetting Him.

Trisama Prabhu:

In New Shantipur farm we have two devotees, the president and the pujari. In Warsaw there are four devotees. In Wroclaw there are six devotees. If all ISKCON was was a confederation of temples, we would have twelve devotees in Poland, but we are not just a confederation temples but a community sharing a lifestyle based on following Srila Prabhupada.

In the spiritual world, what do Krishna’s mother and father do? They take care of cows. They are vaisyas. So there is even varnasrama in the spiritual world.

One feature of daivi-varnasrama is that the people spontaneously want to do the role Krishna has given them for Krishna’s pleasure.

If one wants to be in a certain varna but it is not his nature and he is not trained for it, it will be very difficult.

A king is someone who has the desires to make other people’s lives better, not for profit, but out of duty.

The vaisyas formerly understood the law of karma—the more you give, the more you get.

We have been talking about karma for twenty years, and people are beginning to understand to karma, but they ask where is a community that operates according to these ideas.

If we are understanding that there is one family with Krishna in the center and we are all His children, why can’t we show a community with this value.

Everyone who has faith in Krishna is deserving of respect, and we can create a community with this understanding.

It is a problem that managers do not have the trust of those they manage, but management is required, so somehow this trust must be developed.

Covey did a seminar in Australia attended by 2000 people. One devotee attended. And the end of the seminar, everyone left, and the devotee stayed to ask Covey, who was packing up his papers, a question.
How many people we be able to create a successful business based on what you said?” the devotee asked.
Covey answered, “None of them. Those who are successful businessmen do not have time to come to such seminars. They are busy building up their businesses. They may send some representative to come.”

Dvaraka Acyuta Prabhu:

We meet people who say they love God, but they do not act as if they love God.

It is easier to die for God than to live for God because we have to do many things each day in His service.

Srila Prabhupada equates enthusiasm with seriousness.

There is one devotee who distributed books and prasadam for thirty years. After twenty-five years someone said I have been seeing you do these things for twenty-five years and by seeing you I feel happy.

By remembering devotees of Krishna, we remember Krishna.

Prabhupada transplanted Vedic knowledge to the west. Medically transplantation is a difficult operation. So much care as to be there to prevent rejection of the new organ. No one else could to this transplant, only Srila Prabhupada.

There is a relationship between enthusiasm, conviction, and patience, and the three qualities of the soul, sac-cid-ananda.
enthusiasm—happiness
conviction—knowledge
patience—eternality

Association with devotees increases our enthusiasm for devotional service.

To learn the Absolute Truth we must go to someone who knows the Absolute Truth.

There is a story of the thief who took shelter of a temple to avoid the police. By hearing the Bhagavatam he gave up his thieving business.

On a walk in Mumbai, a girl came up to Srila Prabhupada and said, “Hare Krishna, Swamiji!” Srila Prabhupada said to his associates, “Our mission is successful.”
The devotees were perplexed as to Srila Prabhupada’s conclusion, so he explained that just as by testing a single grain of rice you can tell the whole pot is cooked, similarly by seeing this one person is chanting Hare Krishna as a result of our work, we can understand all of Mumbai is chanting Hare Krishna.

-----

ei pañca-tattva-rupe sri-krishna-caitanya
krishna-nama-prema diya visva kaila dhanya
Sri Krishna Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates of the Pañca-tattva distributed the holy name of the Lord to invoke love of Godhead throughout the universe, and thus the entire universe was thankful.” (Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, Adi-lila 7.163)


Lighting the Match
→ Seed of Devotion



I've just come back from one of the most intense festival experiences of my life. I still feel the energy buzzing in my hands and feet, I'm still wide-eyed, stunned.

This afternoon I went for lunch here at the Chowpatty temple in Mumbai. Across the aisle, I saw an old acquaintance from South Africa who was visiting the temple for one day.

"Bhava Bhakti, there is this Ganesh Visarjan festival this evening, it's going to be crazy," I said, "Millions of people parade down to Chowpatty Beach to immerse gigantic deities of Ganesh into the Arabian Sea. Tonight is the finale and it's right here outside the temple. You wanna go?"

With such an intense festival, I honestly thought she would shrink away from the invitation. To my delight, though, she replied, "Yes, that sounds awesome!"

"Really? It's intense. Millions of people," I repeated. I almost felt like I was now trying to convince myself not to go.

"No worries," she said.

"And anyways, we'll just stand at the edge, just to see," I said. We both nodded in agreement to just stand on the edge.

Evening fell. Just as we were about to head out, a senior brahmachari (monk) of the temple, Radha Kunda Prabhu, who I also know on friendly terms, called out to me, "Bhakti lata, the Visarjan is going on!"

"Yes, yes! We're going!"

Bhava Bhakti and I headed out onto the packed streets, the energy washing over us in a sudden tidal wave. Oboes and snare drums saturated every molecule of air, the people milling about in rivers. The night seemed to pulse. Bhava and I laughed, catching the excitement in the air, and held onto each other's hands tight, moving further into the streets. We had only a faint idea where we were going.

Suddenly, we caught sight of four brahmacharis from the temple, including Radha Kunda Prabhu, all walking with purpose towards Chowpatty Beach. "Hey," I said to Bhava, "Let's follow them!"

So we followed them secret-agent style through the crowds, stifling our laughter and keeping a distance. Suddenly, a wooden shoe of one of the brahmacharis fell off. He turned around to fetch it and the brahmacharis all saw us and we all laughed. Not-so-secret agents.

In unspoken agreement, we became a part of their crew, following at a respectful distance. They would often look behind to check on us.

We all dove deeper and deeper into the whorls of people. I took deep, deep breaths, imprinting the colors and sights and sounds in my memory.

Trucks brimming with people, bright white lights, parades, calls on the microphone of "Ganapati Bapa - " And everyone in the streets would respond, "MORIYA!"

"Mangal Murti - "

"MORIYA!"

I grabbed Bhava's hand and, following the brahmacharis, we dove right into the thickest part of the crowd of thousands and thousands of people on Chowpatty Beach.

Lo and behold, we could now see the giant deities of Ganesh, slowly sinking into the Arabian Sea. We stopped moving to take it all in. The sight was surreal. The crowd of thousands had an eerie quiet to it, almost muffling out the deafening sounds of the city. Boats glided across the black water, weaving through the deities. Men swimming near the deities were stained with a  red powder all over their bodies. I surveyed the entire Bay, letting my eyes sweep from one end to the other, taking in the glittering skyscrapers and oceans of people.

Suddenly I felt the push of the crowd and I let out a yelp. So did Bhava. Immediately the brahmacharis surrounded us and cleared the way. "Follow," Radha Kunda Prabhu said. We made our way out of the crowd, and whenever the crowd would kind of push in, the brahmacharis behind us held out their arms and glared. They were like tough older warrior brothers.

When at last we emerged from the thickest part of the crowd, I let out my breath, "Holy holy moly," Bhava and I held each other's hands and walked behind the brahmacharis once again, looking at each other wide-eyed and talking about what we had just experienced.

We made our way through the buzzing streets once again to the temple. When we reached the wrought iron gates, we called out to the brahmacharis, "Thank you! Thank you!" And they smiled and folded their palms to us.

Bhava and I talked in the courtyard in exultation, letting the insanity of the experience sink in. There was no way on earth we would have ever dived that deep into the Visarjan festival without having followed the brahmacharis.

And what a sight, what a sight. Possibly once in a lifetime.

I now write this in my room, and even after writing this post I'm still buzzing. In the distance I can hear the music and the drums that saturate the city of Mumbai tonight. I am meditating on the prayers I made on the beach, praying for my enthusiasm for spiritual life to revive.

Well, I think the match just got lit.

(painting by DeviantArt) 

Lighting the Match
→ Seed of Devotion



I've just come back from one of the most intense festival experiences of my life. I still feel the energy buzzing in my hands and feet, I'm still wide-eyed, stunned.

This afternoon I went for lunch here at the Chowpatty temple in Mumbai. Across the aisle, I saw an old acquaintance from South Africa who was visiting the temple for one day.

"Bhava Bhakti, there is this Ganesh Visarjan festival this evening, it's going to be crazy," I said, "Millions of people parade down to Chowpatty Beach to immerse gigantic deities of Ganesh into the Arabian Sea. Tonight is the finale and it's right here outside the temple. You wanna go?"

With such an intense festival, I honestly thought she would shrink away from the invitation. To my delight, though, she replied, "Yes, that sounds awesome!"

"Really? It's intense. Millions of people," I repeated. I almost felt like I was now trying to convince myself not to go.

"No worries," she said.

"And anyways, we'll just stand at the edge, just to see," I said. We both nodded in agreement to just stand on the edge.

Evening fell. Just as we were about to head out, a senior brahmachari (monk) of the temple, Radha Kunda Prabhu, who I also know on friendly terms, called out to me, "Bhakti lata, the Visarjan is going on!"

"Yes, yes! We're going!"

Bhava Bhakti and I headed out onto the packed streets, the energy washing over us in a sudden tidal wave. Oboes and snare drums saturated every molecule of air, the people milling about in rivers. The night seemed to pulse. Bhava and I laughed, catching the excitement in the air, and held onto each other's hands tight, moving further into the streets. We had only a faint idea where we were going.

Suddenly, we caught sight of four brahmacharis from the temple, including Radha Kunda Prabhu, all walking with purpose towards Chowpatty Beach. "Hey," I said to Bhava, "Let's follow them!"

So we followed them secret-agent style through the crowds, stifling our laughter and keeping a distance. Suddenly, a wooden shoe of one of the brahmacharis fell off. He turned around to fetch it and the brahmacharis all saw us and we all laughed. Not-so-secret agents.

In unspoken agreement, we became a part of their crew, following at a respectful distance. They would often look behind to check on us.

We all dove deeper and deeper into the whorls of people. I took deep, deep breaths, imprinting the colors and sights and sounds in my memory.

Trucks brimming with people, bright white lights, parades, calls on the microphone of "Ganapati Bapa - " And everyone in the streets would respond, "MORIYA!"

"Mangal Murti - "

"MORIYA!"

I grabbed Bhava's hand and, following the brahmacharis, we dove right into the thickest part of the crowd of thousands and thousands of people on Chowpatty Beach.

Lo and behold, we could now see the giant deities of Ganesh, slowly sinking into the Arabian Sea. We stopped moving to take it all in. The sight was surreal. The crowd of thousands had an eerie quiet to it, almost muffling out the deafening sounds of the city. Boats glided across the black water, weaving through the deities. Men swimming near the deities were stained with a  red powder all over their bodies. I surveyed the entire Bay, letting my eyes sweep from one end to the other, taking in the glittering skyscrapers and oceans of people.

Suddenly I felt the push of the crowd and I let out a yelp. So did Bhava. Immediately the brahmacharis surrounded us and cleared the way. "Follow," Radha Kunda Prabhu said. We made our way out of the crowd, and whenever the crowd would kind of push in, the brahmacharis behind us held out their arms and glared. They were like tough older warrior brothers.

When at last we emerged from the thickest part of the crowd, I let out my breath, "Holy holy moly," Bhava and I held each other's hands and walked behind the brahmacharis once again, looking at each other wide-eyed and talking about what we had just experienced.

We made our way through the buzzing streets once again to the temple. When we reached the wrought iron gates, we called out to the brahmacharis, "Thank you! Thank you!" And they smiled and folded their palms to us.

Bhava and I talked in the courtyard in exultation, letting the insanity of the experience sink in. There was no way on earth we would have ever dived that deep into the Visarjan festival without having followed the brahmacharis.

And what a sight, what a sight. Possibly once in a lifetime.

I now write this in my room, and even after writing this post I'm still buzzing. In the distance I can hear the music and the drums that saturate the city of Mumbai tonight. I am meditating on the prayers I made on the beach, praying for my enthusiasm for spiritual life to revive.

Well, I think the match just got lit.

(painting by DeviantArt) 

Comparative Religion
→ Tattva - See inside out

It seems a natural instinct to measure success by comparing ourselves to others. Swami Prabhupada once met the Chief Executive of the Dai Nippon printing company based in Japan. He asked him what his goal in life was. Without saying a word, the tycoon reached for a stack of business cards of all his acquaintances. He then carefully removed his own personal card from the bottom of the stack and proceeded to slam it on top of the pile. He smiled at the Swami. The message was loud and clear. Often, this competitive desire to “be the best” can carry over into our divine pursuit. We mentally create a spiritual CV and proceed to judge our success based on the achievements, recognition and respect that we can build up within our spiritual circle. Admittedly, we often find security, reassurance and self-worth in feeling ourselves to be better than others.

Unfortunately, such a mentality actually stifles personal growth, damages relationships and ultimately leaves us feeling empty and dissatisfied. When we measure ourselves as “better” than others we develop pride and complacency. We cement ourselves in an illusory picture of our progress far beyond where we are really at. Furthermore, when we see others excel and surpass us it can feel threatening and discouraging. It dents our ego. A wisdom teacher once said: “more difficult than feeling sorry in someone else’s suffering, is to feel genuinely happy in someone else’s success.”

In actuality, there is no need to compare. Everyone has been divinely endowed with distinctive abilities. As we learn to complement each other’s unique personalities and cooperate to bring out the best in one another, then everyone can simultaneously advance in their spiritual journey. Everyone in an orchestra has an important part to play. The role that each instrumentalist plays, however, is not as important as the final musical composition. In the same way, the measure of our spiritual success is not in the external achievements and the recognition that we gain along the journey, but rather in the internal development of purity and selflessness that we are ultimately striving for. Rather than comparing with others, let us compare with ourselves so that we can constantly improve, develop and refine the content of our character.