Planet ISKCON

Today we are observing the disappearance day of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Gadadhara Pandita. I first learned of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura when I visited the Boston temple. At that time there were only two published books in ISKCON: the abridged edition of Bhagavad-gita As It Is, published by Macmillan, and Teachings of Lord Chaitanya, published by ISKCON. And at the front of Teachings of Lord Chaitanya was a series of very dignified black-and-white photographs of Srila Prabhupada, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, Srila Gaurakisora dasa Babaji, and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Under the photograph of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was a caption: “The pioneer of the program for benedicting the entire world with Krishna consciousness by the instructions of Lord Chaitanya.” I understood from the caption that Srila Prabhupada was continuing the work of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and that we were able to come in touch with Krishna consciousness in part because of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

As the years passed and I came to learn more about Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, I began to see more and more how the Krishna consciousness movement brought by Srila Prabhupada to the West and expanded throughout the world was a continuation of the work of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and the result of his desire. So we are all indebted to Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, and we are intimately connected with him through parampara.

Lord Chaitanya predicted, prthivite ache yata nagaradi grama/ sarvatra pracara haibe mora nama: “In every town and village of every country of the world, My name [Krishna’s name] will be preached.” Although Lord Chaitanya made this prediction more than five hundred years ago, even His followers have sometimes been bewildered about how it would be fulfilled. Some of them have even thought the prediction was metaphorical or abstract. But Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had faith in the order and in the desire of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and through his books he began the work of spreading Krishna consciousness and the holy name of Krishna throughout the world. In particular, in 1896, the year of Srila Prabhupada’s birth, he wrote a book called Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: His Life and Precepts and distributed it to libraries worldwide.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura passed on his desire, which was Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s desire, to his son Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura, and Srila Bhaktisiddhanta, though he never left India, passed on the same desire to his disciples. In particular, he gave Srila Prabhupada the order to preach Krishna consciousness in the English language, which even then was the universal language in the Western world, and in the whole world.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura predicted, “Very soon the unparalleled path of hari-nama-sankirtana will be propagated all over the world.” He foresaw the day when Vaishnavas from all over the world would come to Mayapur and chant, “Jaya Sacinandana” together with the Bengali Vaishnavas, Gaudiya Vaishnavas. And Srila Prabhupada was the one who acted to fulfill the desire and prediction of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura:

“Oh, for that day when the fortunate English, French, Russian, German, and American people will take up banners, mridangas, and karatalas and raise kirtan through their streets and towns. When will that day come? Oh, for the day when the fair-skinned men from their side, chanting, ‘Jaya Sacinandana ki jaya,’ will extend their arms and, embracing devotees of our country coming from our side, treat us with brotherly feelings. When will that day be?” (Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, in Sajjana-tosani)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura had a house in Godrumadvipa, across the Jalangi River from Mayapur, and he used to chant on his balcony there. One day he looked across the river and had a vision of an effulgent city with a wonderful temple, an adbhuta mandira, at its center. He desired that this wonderful temple and splendorous city should come into existence, and here too Srila Prabhupada has engaged his followers to fulfill the prediction and desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and Sri Nityananda Prabhu:

eka adbhuta mandira ei haibe prakasa
gaurangera nitya-seva haibe vikasa

“An astounding temple will appear and will engage the entire world in the eternal service of Lord Chaitanya.” (Sri Navadvipa-Mahatmya, Parikrama Khanda, Ch. 4)

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also discovered the actual birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Mayapur. Over centuries of the Ganges flooding and changing course, the location of Mayapur, the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, was lost. Bhaktivinoda Thakura studied old maps and consulted different local people, and ultimately he determined the actual location.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura carried forward the idea of the Vedic city in Mayapur, and he had some of his householder disciples build small houses there. But again, it was really Srila Prabhupada who carried the desire of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura forward to the point where there is now a budding metropolis in Mayapur. He was very enthusiastic about the project, and now his disciples are working to make this magnificent vision a physical reality.

Srila Prabhupada had to struggle to get some land in Mayapur. Eventually it was Tamal Krishna Goswami who was able to secure the purchase of the land. Then Srila Prabhupada designed, or gave the basic idea for, the first building to be constructed and brought the drawings with him from London to Calcutta.

But there had been flooding in Mayapur, and sometimes the flooding there is very severe. Therefore—although Srila Prabhupada was so enthusiastic about the project and had struggled so hard to get the land in Mayapur and had personally brought the plans for the first building there—still, right when we were at the peak of our enthusiasm, he raised the question: “What will happen if the Ganges floods? What will happen to the temple, to the project?”

He suggested that we not build the temple in Mayapur and discussed different arguments for and against his suggestion. Then he presented the idea that we should build the temple at Birnagar, the birthplace of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. We were completely bewildered, and when Srila Prabhupada argued so strongly that we should build the temple at Birnagar because it would be safe from the floods there, we were swayed by His Divine Grace’s argument. But in the end he brought us back to the conclusion that we should go ahead with the project in Mayapur. “If you all build this temple,” he said, “Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura will personally come and take you all back to Godhead.”

So, that is both Srila Prabhupada’s and Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s desire—that we build a wonderful temple and go back to Godhead. And by following in Srila Prabhupada’s footsteps, we are also following in the footsteps of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura.

Another important program of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was nama-hatta. In fact, before Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura built his house in Godrumadvipa, he built a bhajana-kutira near the site of the house, in Surabhi-kunja, which is the original place where the nama-hatta was started by Nityananda Prabhu. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura got his inspiration for the nama-hatta there.

The basic idea of the nama-hatta is that grihastha Vaishnavas, householder devotees, preach. By definition, householders will usually have a spouse, children, work, and a home. But they should still preach; they should use all of their spare time to preach. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura himself was a householder for many years, and he would lead his householder devotees through the streets, performing sankirtana, and then they would hold festivals, large gatherings where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura would preach bhagavata-dharma and the glories of the holy name. He published a book, Sri Godruma Kalpatavi, about his nama-hatta program, which included reports of some of his preaching events. The harinama-sankirtana and bhagavata-dharma discourses were ecstatic, and the nama-hatta was spreading very nicely. During Srila Prabhupada’s presence His Holiness Jayapataka Swami and other ISKCON devotees revived the nama-hatta in Bengal and Orissa, and now it has spread all over the world.

So, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura set a great example for us all. Although he had so many responsibilities—as a magistrate, as superintendent of the Jagannatha temple, as a husband, as the father of ten children—still he did so much service. He was expert at utilizing his time so that he could serve Krishna more. He would generally take rest at eight o’clock at night and get up at midnight to write. He wrote approximately one hundred books. He was expert in many things, including fulfilling his duties as magistrate. He would dispose of his cases very quickly. Judges are also judged—by how quickly they dispose of their cases and by how many of their judgments are overturned and appealed. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura disposed of his cases quickly and expertly.

Somehow, with so many duties and responsibilities and so many children, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura was able to write many, many books and spread Krishna consciousness widely. We can take inspiration from him and keep in our minds and hearts his glorious example: that even in our various, demanding positions, we can do more and more for Krishna and for the disciplic succession, for Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura and for our spiritual master.

One of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books, Sri Harinama-cintamani, has as its subject, as the title suggests, the touchstone of the holy name. The book is a dialogue between Lord Chaitanya and Haridasa Thakura. They begin by discussing the holy name in general. Then they consider the ten offenses against the holy name, because the efficacy of the name depends on the quality of the chanting. In her prayers to Lord Krishna, Queen Kunti says:

janmaisvarya-sruta-sribhir
  edhamana-madah puman
naivarhaty abhidhatum vai
  tvam akincana-gocaram

“My Lord, Your Lordship can easily be approached, but only by those who are materially exhausted. One who is on the path of [material] progress, trying to improve himself with respectable parentage, great opulence, high education and bodily beauty, cannot approach You with sincere feeling.” (SB 1.8.26) In the purport, Srila Prabhupada remarks that the scriptures state that “by once uttering the holy name of the Lord, the sinner gets rid of a quantity of sins that he is unable to commit. Such is the power of uttering the holy name of the Lord. There is not the least exaggeration in this statement. . . . But there is a quality to such utterances also. It depends on the quality of feeling. A helpless man can feelingly utter the holy name of the Lord.”

Ordinary devotees like us have to practice to come to the stage of such chanting, and in particular we must be aware of the ten offenses and try to avoid them. In Harinama-cintamani Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses each of the ten offenses one by one in depth and in detail. First he defines and describes what constitutes each offense; then he explains how to avoid each offense; and then, in case somehow we have fallen into the offense, he discusses how to become free from it and from its damaging effects.

The first offense is sadhu-ninda: blaspheming the devotees who have dedicated their lives to the propagation of the holy name. Ninda means to criticize or to blaspheme. But what is the meaning of sadhu? How do we recognize a sadhu? Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura explains that in essence a sadhu is one who has taken shelter of Krishna, or of the holy name of Krishna, which is non-different from Krishna. He lists twenty-six qualities of a sadhu, as stated in Srimad-Bhagavatam. Then he says that of all the qualities, one is the primary characteristic (svarupa-laksana) and the others are marginal (tatastha). The essential quality of the devotee is that he or she has taken shelter of Krishna (mat-sarana), or the holy name of Krishna. Even if a devotee is lacking in the other qualifications, if he or she has the single qualification of having taken exclusive shelter of Krishna, then that devotee is considered a sadhu. On the other hand, if someone has the other qualifications but lacks the one qualification of complete surrender to Krishna, then the other qualities have no particular value.

Now that we know who a sadhu is, we can avoid criticizing or blaspheming him or her. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses different grounds that people may think are justification for criticizing a sadhu. One is the sadhu’s caste or low birth, but Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that this is not ground for criticizing a sadhu. If one criticizes a sadhu because of his or her low birth or caste, then that critic is involved in sadhu-ninda. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also mentions past sinful activities. If one criticizes a sadhu for past sinful activities, one is involved in sadhu-ninda. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura also mentions present traces of sinful activities. In other words, a sadhu may have engaged in sinful activities before he or she got the association of devotees but even after coming to the association of devotees may maintain some last traces of previous bad habits or by accident may fall down. Even then we do not have grounds to criticize. If we criticize a sadhu for an accidental falldown or for traces of past sinful activities, we are involved in sadhu-ninda.

Then he discusses different categories of asadhus, or nondevotees, so that we can clearly identify them too. In other words, as preachers, do we hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil? Do we not speak the truth if we see something is wrong and we want to correct it or protect others from it? No—as preachers we must be able to recognize nondevotees, especially if they are posing as devotees, and help neophyte devotees avoid them. Thus, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura lists three categories of persons who are not sadhus but who may be mistaken for sadhus. One is the Mayavadi impersonalist, who thinks that Krishna’s eternal form and holy name are illusory, or maya. Another is the pretender, or dharma-dhvaji, who waves the flag of religion; he is not actually a devotee, but he makes a show of being a sadhu for materialistic ends. And one is the atheist. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says that when one preaches one has to criticize nondevotees and advise innocent devotees to avoid their association and influence. Such criticism does not constitute sadhu-ninda. If ignorant or envious people argue that such criticism is sadhu-ninda, Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, we should avoid their association. Because they are wrongly accusing or criticizing the preacher, they themselves are implicated in sadhu-ninda.

I will give an example. When I was in Madras on Srila Prabhupada’s behalf, I preached more or less the way I had heard him preach, criticizing demigod worshippers and impersonalists. In Madras there were a lot of impersonalists and demigod worshippers, and when I repeated what the Bhagavad-gita said about them, some people began to criticize me for criticizing others. Some said, “You shouldn’t criticize others; you should just state positively what you want to say about your philosophy and activities, but you shouldn’t criticize others.” The criticism of my criticism reached such a point that I actually began to have doubts. I thought, “So many people are saying the same thing, maybe I am doing something wrong.” They even gave the example of the Gaudiya Matha: “They don’t criticize others like you do; they have a nice temple, and every year they have a big celebration of Janmashtami and thousands of people come. Why can’t you be like them?”

So, I thought about what they said. I wasn’t really convinced that Srila Prabhupada would want us to be like the Gaudiya Matha, but then again, even people who were our friends, who were sympathetic to us, were saying the same thing: “Don’t criticize others. Just say what you want in a positive way about your own philosophy and activities.” So I wrote to Srila Prabhupada, and he wrote back, “The fact is that I am the only one in India who is openly criticizing—not only demigod worship and impersonalism, but everything that falls short of complete surrender to Krishna.” And he continued, “My guru maharaja never compromised in his preaching, nor will I, nor should any of my students. We are firmly convinced that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and all others are His part-and-parcel servants. This we must declare boldly to the whole world, that they should not foolishly dream of world peace unless they are prepared to surrender fully to Krishna as Supreme Lord.”

So, that is the mood of the preacher: he or she has to criticize the nondevotees. In the course of criticizing the nondevotees, a preacher may offend people who have sentiments for such nondevotees because they think that such nondevotees are devotees. But what else can we do? This, as Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura discusses, is not sadhu-ninda; it is in the category of those things that might appear to be offenses but really are not.

There was a vivid example of this once, when Srila Prabhupada was walking one morning with Dr. Patel on Juhu Beach. Dr. Patel was praising someone who was definitely not a devotee but who was revered in India as a spiritual leader and teacher, and Srila Prabhupada began to criticize the person and point out the defects in his philosophy and his procedures. Dr. Patel became very offended and agitated—incensed. He began to argue with Srila Prabhupada and was practically shouting at him. And Srila Prabhupada was shouting at Dr. Patel. Srila Prabhupada roared, “I am not saying; Krishna is saying, na mam duskrtino mudhah prapadyante naradhamah: anyone who does not surrender to Krishna is a mudha [fool], naradhama [lowest of mankind].” It became a fierce argument, and Dr. Patel’s friends tried to restrain him. “Swamiji is an old man,” they said. “He has a heart condition; you shouldn’t excite him.” It was like an explosion. Finally, Dr. Patel’s friends pulled him away and we reached the spot where we would leave the beach for the temple, and the argument ended.

After that, Srila Prabhupada said, “All right. No more discussion. We will just read from the Krsna book on the morning walks.” So we started to read from the Krsna book. Before this, Dr. Patel would come faithfully every morning and walk with Srila Prabhupada. Often, he would drive Srila Prabhupada to the beach in his car and then they would walk and talk on the beach, or they would walk from the temple to the beach and talk. Now, for the first time, Dr. Patel avoided the morning walks with Srila Prabhupada—because of that big argument. But some days later, he was drawn back to Srila Prabhupada. He said to Srila Prabhupada, “We are trained to respect all the accredited saints of India.” And Srila Prabhupada replied, “Our business is to point out who is not a saint.”

So, that is the mood of a preacher. If a preacher criticizes nondevotees who may be revered as saints by many people, he or she is not involved in sadhu-ninda. But if people criticize the preacher for criticizing such nondevotees, those critics may be involved in sadhu-ninda and we should avoid their association—unless we can change them or engage them, like Srila Prabhupada did with Dr. Patel.

Next Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura says, “All right, if one has committed the offense, what does one then do? What is the remedy?” The specific way to counteract the offense of sadhu-ninda, or vaisnava-aparadha, is to go to the person we have offended and beg the person to forgive us. Generally, the Vaishnava is softhearted and will forgive the offender if he has realized his mistake and is sincerely repenting and earnestly trying to improve.

One may also commit an offense that is not directly against another person. To counteract such an offense, one may confess to other Vaishnavas. There is value to opening one’s heart to other Vaishnavas and admitting one’s offenses.

 What Srila Prabhupada criticized about the Christians’ practice of confession was that after they had sinned and confessed, they would often go and commit the same sin again. In other words, the process of confession alone was not sufficient to remove the heart’s desire to sin. But here, if a devotee sincerely repents her or his mistake and confesses and begs for the mercy of the Vaishnavas and then really tries his or her best not to commit the offense again—and continues with the real process of purification, hearing and chanting the holy name—then such confession or admission becomes a part of the process of purification and rectification.

 Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructs us that the best way to avoid offense, which is negative, is to go to the other side and be positive. The best way to protect ourselves from sadhu-ninda, for example—from blaspheming or criticizing devotees—is to glorify the devotees, to appreciate and praise them.

So, we can benefit greatly from reading Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s books. Once, a disciple asked Srila Prabhupada about reading books of the previous acharyas: “Srila Prabhupada, I remember once I heard a tape where you told us that we should not try to read . . . Bhaktivinoda’s books or earlier books of other, all acharyas.” Srila Prabhupada clarified, “No, you should read. . . . We are following previous acharyas.”

Of course, for ISKCON devotees, Srila Prabhupada’s books are the basis. And if we are well versed in Srila Prabhupada’s books and faithful to Srila Prabhupada, then when we read the previous acharyas we will see how Srila Prabhupada is representing them, as we do with Sri Brhad-bhagavatamrta. So much of what Brhad-bhagavatamrta says about the holy name is exactly what Srila Prabhupada taught us. Thus, reading the book strengthens our faith in Srila Prabhupada. It also clarifies for us the philosophy and principles of devotional service so that we can practice better in the line of Srila Prabhupada. At the same time, the reading makes us more knowledgeable in the scriptures so that we are better equipped to preach.

So, we’re gathered here at the feet of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. I believe he is pleased with our efforts to serve him through his representatives, and we can pray to him to bless us with a drop of faith in the holy name and with a fraction of a drop of his enthusiasm for preaching, so that even amidst our heavy duties and responsibilities we can also find time, as he did, to chant the holy name in the association of other devotees and to spread the mission of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura ki jaya! Srila Prabhupada ki jaya! Nitai-Gaura premanande hari-haribol!

I have only touched a few drops of the nectarean ocean of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura. Would any other devotee like to speak something in his glorification?

Kesava Bharati Dasa: One of the prominent characteristics of Bhaktivinoda Thakura was that throughout his life he had recurring diseases. He suffered from rheumatic fever, and he was born in a town that was wiped out by a plague—his whole family. Over time, he underwent many traumas, and so one of the important aspects of his life was how he dealt with difficulties. His life wasn’t laid out on a silver platter. He was born in a very exalted family—descendants of kings, devotional kings—but at the same time, he had to face so many obstacles and difficulties, and in an exemplary way he showed how to take shelter in devotional service, in the holy name, in the lotus feet of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai, Sri Sri Gaura-Gadadhara, and guru. He confronted and overcame many obstacles. For instance, there was a yogi in Jagannatha Puri who was doing all kinds of nonsense and had the power to make people sick and cause problems for their family members—so many things. Bhaktivinoda Thakura confronted him and put him in jail. He himself went and physically arrested the yogi. Then the yogi cursed him, and in fact Bhaktivinoda Thakura and his family members did become sick. In jail the yogi was saying all sorts of blasphemous things—“Everyone’s going to die; you’re going to die; your family is going to die!” At one point, as he was fighting the yogi within the court, the Thakura realized that the man was carrying his power in his hair—he had all these matted locks. As the judge, Bhaktivinoda Thakura instructed the constables to cut the yogi’s hair, so they cut his hair and the yogi lost his power, and soon thereafter he died in jail. And Bhaktivinoda Thakura, along with everyone in his family, got well.

Also, at that time there was a powerful dacoit movement in Vrindavan—there is always a dacoit movement there—but Bhaktivinoda Thakura went there, and just by his tremendous spiritual power and strength, he cleaned up those dacoits. Anybody who has ever been in Vrindavan knows what that means. Cleaning up the dacoits there is practically impossible. His spiritual strength was just extraordinary.

Bhaktivinoda Thakura attained a prominent position under the British rule when the British were systematically and powerfully convincing people in India that their culture and philosophy were inferior to Western culture and philosophies. Indians weren’t appointed to key positions very often, but Bhaktivinoda Thakura was so good—so pious and so popular wherever he went—that they wouldn’t dare pass him over. And they trusted him. He was so honest, so forthright, and such a wonderful servant, that they put him in important positions of authority, and wherever he was posted they wanted him to stay. Throughout, he kept wanting to go to Navadvipa, but his administrative authorities always tried to get him to stay. Even at a time when the ruling government did not favor people like him, Bhaktivinoda Thakura was granted high material status, placed in very responsible positions.

So, we can be in any ashrama—grihastha or any other—any position in life, and still develop devotional qualities if we follow the instructions that Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave in Harinama-cintamani—to stop criticizing one another, playing politics with one another, and backbiting one another, and instead to glorify one another, even if the other person is not present. Then we will get the power to serve the cause of Krishna consciousness to our full capacity.

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura gave us all these different standards and all these priceless examples. Hare Krishna.

Giriraj Swami: Jaya! Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura ki jaya!

[A talk by Giriraj Swami on Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura’s disappearance day, June 29, 2003, Dallas, Texas]

God and Science – Divine Causation and the Laws of Nature

By Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson)

In the world of modern science, traditional religion is often seen as a force of ignorance which attempts to impose outdated ideas on scientific truth. At the same time, many scientists see science giving rise to a materialistic doctrine of scientism that aims to eradicate the spiritual world view of religion. This may seem to be an irreconcilable conflict.

But there is another way to look at it. Science and religion can interact synergistically to generate new and interesting ideas. God & Science is a collection of essays that examine the relationship between modern science and the Vaishnava tradition of India. Although little known in the West, the Vaishnava tradition is based on a monotheistic philosophy having much in common with Judeo-Christian thought. When brought into contact with modern science, Vaishnavism generates some of the same questions that arise from the confrontation of science and Christianity. At the same time, there are significant differences.

 
Author: By Sadaputa Dasa (Dr. Richard L. Thompson)
Published: May 21, 2018
Book/File size: 27883 KB / 236 pages
Formats: Kindle, Paperback

 
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  Residents of India will have to search for this book on www.amazon.in

 

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Transcription by: Sriman (Dr) Suresh Gupta Prabhu (Muzaffarnagar)

Question: How is mantra meditation different from other forms of meditation?

Answer: Firstly, any form of meditation is beneficial in terms of deepening our thinking, understanding and appreciation of the nature of things. The word “meditation” is typically used in two different ways – (i) general (ii) technical. In a general sense, often meditation refers to any form of deep thinking, e.g. a person may read a book and may get lost in it. Later he would refer to his experience as, “I was meditating on the book”. However, if we consider spirituality, then meditation does not have a general sense but a technical sense. Just like the word “energy” can have a general sense and a technical sense, e.g. a scientist performs an experiment in the laboratory which requires thermal or chemical energy. If the energy source gets exhausted, the scientist may say, “Oh, I have run out of energy”. Later, after a long day’s work, when the scientist comes back home tired, he may exclaim, “Oh, I have run out of energy”. Here, the same word “energy” is used but in two different senses. In the lab, the scientist uses word “energy” in a technical sense whereas at home it is referred in a general sense.

Similarly, meditation in general sense can refer to any form of deep thinking but in a spiritual context, meditation has a technical meaning which refers to the process by which we shift our consciousness from the changing material to the unchanging spiritual. We draw our mind away from material things and focus on spiritual things. For starting this journey, many different objects may be used. Some people may start meditating on the candle or some natural scenery, some source of light or a spot on the wall. In such forms of meditation, one’s capacity to concentrate depends primarily on one’s own will power. Since the mind is extremely restless, such meditation often becomes a demanding task especially if it needs to be sustained for long period of time.

Meditation is a process which take our consciousness from material to spiritual reality where it elevates our consciousness upwards. The various forms of meditation (other than mantra meditation) are like climbing the stairs to go up in a multi-storey building. The stairs take us up, but it requires effort. On the other hand, mantra meditation is like entering an elevator. When we chant mantras, specifically the mantras that invoke the supreme consciousness, for example, the Hare Krishna mahamantra, this connects us with the Absolute Truth. When we prayerfully, reverentially, attentively utter the sound vibration of holy names then the infinite power of the infinite consciousness is invoked and that power aids us in raising our consciousness upwards. Just as in an elevator there is a power (the electric power) other than ours which raises us up, easily and swiftly, similarly, when we practice mantra meditation then the omnipotence of infinite consciousness raises our consciousness upwards easily and rapidly. That is why, mantra meditation is considered to be the most joyful and efficacious form of meditation among all because it gives us a tool, i.e. spiritual sound, which acts like an elevator enabling the ascent of consciousness. Hence, by chanting mantras we connect with the Absolute Truth, experience joy along with elevation of consciousness and experience it all very quickly and effectively.

Endo of transcription.

Yorkville, Toronto

 

Let’s Get Good at Planning

 

“Perhaps you’re one of the few centres that’s really taking care of older Vaishnava men,” remarked an observer, a friend, the other day. Mind you, we do have younger men as residents in addition to the five who are average 71 years of age. Yes, I am one of those golden boys who joined monkhood in the 70’s. I’m in that age bracket, naturally.

 

Today, we scheduled a meeting in our new seminar room and called it a “Seniors Meeting” to delve into the conditions of our remaining lives for the coming years. We gave out a survey form to fill out, asking the boys what kind of future lies ahead. We are planning to find, or build, a facility for seniors in our community and that includes women.

 

Presenters to initiate this program were dear friend, Krishnadas, Adi Kurma, a younger professional, and myself. The topic of a senior’s home with personal assistants was most welcome by our boys. No one is getting younger. And anything can happen to anyone of us with chances of physical failure rising as we age in our maturing years.

 

Our talk and dialogue amongst each other were progressive because, simply put, we are dealing with a group of people who would like to be spending their later years in a devotional environment with each other; sharing a diet of prasadam and chanting and so forth. Hence, we have begun an effort to do something to make the last years pleasant ones. The fact is that the current facility, the ashram, is not equipped for the aging Vaishnavas, so something needs to be done.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Montreal, Quebec

The Knot is Tied

 

While the US is celebrating its birthday, on this beautiful day and weekend in remote Canada — actually Montreal — the Krishna community and I are seeing to a marriage. Samuel and Nandini Radha, tied the knot as a couple at around noon today at the Pie-IX Boulevard temple.

 

Priest Madan-Mohan conducted the ceremony at which parents from both bride and bride-groom were seated at the corner of the kund, or tiny arena, observing rites that were colourful and new to their eyes and ears.

 

I gave the a with, translation assistance, about commitment, which is what I highlight at these types of events. “Marriage is an event where two imperfect people come to agree to serve each other and make the most of it.”

 

Samuel and Nandini took garlands around and presented them to their parents and elders of the community. Kirtan became a major feature of the program and, of course, all things culminated in eating nice prasadam and socializing. We all do wish the couple well. It appears to be a good match and I’m sure Krishna will bless.

 

For the first time in days the weather was without rain, all the way from Montreal to Toronto. The traffic and accidents – too numerous. What is to be expected when you have a 4-day long weekend, perfect weather, and borders are open with restrictions on COVID now somewhat relaxed?

 

May the Source be with you!

0 km

 

We would like to show you a short video clip illustrating how the fourth five-meter wall relief panel was created.

This panel will be placed on the wall of the ventilation shaft of the TOVP Temple room. Four large panels will be placed in all the four corners of the main Temple room. Two panels show the pastimes of Sri Krishna, and two are dedicated to pastimes of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Three of them are already complete, and this is the last panel showing Rasa Lila dance in Vrindavan.

Hare Krishna!

 

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By Vishakha Devi Dasi

A feeling of insignificance and a humble service attitude come not by astuteness, not by knowing some tricks, but by simple steadfastness in the process of Krishna consciousness. The Srimad-Bhagavatam tells us that Krishna showers all benedictions on those who consider themselves insignificant. Seeing them as significant, by His causeless mercy He shares with them the sweetness of devotional service. Insignificance is so inconceivably ecstatic that the Lord Himself desires it, as Srila Prabhupada describes: "Krishna says in Chaitanya-charitamrita, you will find, 'Everyone worships Me with awe and veneration. But if anyone worships Me without any awe, veneration, and treats Me as insignificant, I like that. I like that.' Continue reading "The Ecstasy of Insignificance: Happiness Through Reality
→ Dandavats"

By Srimati Dasi

Srila Prabhupada gave us so much, so easily. There was no fanfare, for he was graciously unassuming, seeing himself simply as an instrument and messenger of his Guru Maharaja. Our conditioned nature may sometimes have trouble with this, for that nature tends to be a little gross, doubtful and forgetful. Perhaps the preciousness and potency of what Srila Prabhupada gave us has not really impressed upon our hearts. Perhaps our enthusiasm to follow the simple things he taught us has waned with the passing of time, or been butchered by mechanical, mindless habit. And so, let’s take another look at some of the simple things he taught us — this time, through the divine eyes of Srila Sanatana Gosvami. Continue reading "The Simple Things He Taught Us
→ Dandavats"

By Kalakantha Das

During his amazing eleven years of personal worldwide preaching, Śrīla Prabhupāda proved Krishna consciousness could transform everyone into Vaishnavas, regardless of their birth. People today can still be transformed, regardless of how social externals have changed over the years. However, in many parts of the world, today’s ISKCON constituencies have changed. In this chapter we will look at three principal obstacles to local recruiting and a solution for each. Continue reading "Obstacles to Recruiting
→ Dandavats"

 

О, эти дни Кали не волнуют его
который ежедневно воспевает славу сына Яшоды,
каждое слово сладко, как чистый поток нектара,
успокаивающий, как сандалии и прохладный лунный свет. (Падявали, 41)

Oh, these days of Kali do not ruffle him
who daily sings the fame of Yasoda’s son,
each word sweet like a clear stream of nectar,
soothing like sandal and the cool lunar light.

 

(Padyavali, 41)

Answer Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

Transcription by: Sriman (Dr) Suresh Gupta Prabhu (Muzaffarnagar)

Question: When we are in anxiety searching for a new job, how can we maintain our spiritual practices like attending satsang programs, reading books etc.? Is it OK to just reduce my spiritual activities to only chanting the holy names?

Answer: In our material existence, there are going to be phases of high and low and we have to be flexible. We should not consider it to be our spiritual deficiency if we are not able to attend satsang programs on a regular basis. It is more of a practical necessity.

Just like, if we are going on the road and the road is crowded then naturally, we will go slowly and when the road becomes clear, we will move faster. Important is we should be moving in the right direction so that we get to the destination in due course. Similarly, sometimes in the journey of our life, many material things come up and the road becomes crowded because of which our spiritual activities may be reduced. That is fine in principle, as there will be phases like that.
If students have exams, they cannot be expected to come for the satsang programs. Job interviews in one sense are bigger than exams, so naturally there will be bigger anxiety. Having said that, it is also important to note that if we do not hear any Krishna-katha at all, but only do chanting, then our chanting will eventually become mechanical. Sometimes while hearing or reading scriptures something may calm our mind and may give us some strength and solace by which we will be able to prepare for exam or do our job search with more intelligence and better strategy.

We need to deal with emergencies in our life with our best efforts but at the same time we should not always equate maximum time with best efforts. Sometimes we get too much into the passion of doing something and may commit mistakes in haste. Hence, rather than seeing reading scriptures or attending satsang as an interruption while dealing with our material issues, we could see them more as a break which may reorient us. One may not necessarily spend a lot of time but still one can find ten-fifteen minutes to read something from the scriptures specially those sections which deals with the mind or problems created by the mind.
Memorising or reciting verses, singing some Vaishnava songs can also be very helpful. Singing Vaishnava songs can especially be very powerful if we can connect with them. Scriptures are largely intellectual, but Vaishnava songs bring both aspects together, intellectual and musical. Songs are relatively easy to absorb as it gives a very nice connection with Krishna.

It may happen that some days coming for the satsang may not give us as much strength as just taking darshan and praying to the Deities. There is no need to restrict our spiritual life only to chanting, simply because we need to focus on our job search. We can have something going on which gives us strength and which helps us deal with the situation better.

In general, there is no need to feel guilty about decreasing our spiritual activities while dealing with pressures of life. Krishna is always an understanding God. Often when challenges come in life, our mind often eternalises the present. The mind thinks that this problem will go on forever. We are very uncomfortable while travelling in a crowded train, but if we know that in ten minutes our destination will arrive, then we can bear the hardship. However, if we are told that we have to live in the train our entire life, then even half an hour will be intolerable. This is because the mind starts to build up things.

Similarly, we may think, if I do not find a job, I will be jobless my entire life. However, that is very unlikely because surely something will work out. If we look back in the past, the problems that had once caused us a lot of pain, are no longer there now. Similarly, this problem will also disappear. This sort of distancing ourselves from our situation and not letting the mind eternalise the present is what will help us going.

End of transcription.

Answer Podcast

Download by “right-click and save content”

Transcription by: Dr Suresh Gupta (Muzaffarnagar)

Question: When the Gita is spoken to address the problem of one specific person, how can it be universal?

Answer: Gita is a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna about whether to fight the war or not. Although the context is war, but Gita also talks about universal principles that go beyond that context.

Consider an example of a doctor treating a patient along with an apprentice. Although the doctor is treating a specific case and the trainee may eventually face different type of cases in future, however the methodologies – how to examine and diagnose the patient, how to understand the symptoms, how to continue treatment based on the symptoms, how to administer the treatment, how to encourage the patient etc. – will remain the same. These are the principles that transcend the specific case and the apprentice doctor can learn these principles from the experienced doctor.

Similarly, Gita has a specific historical context. By studying Mahabharat, we can understand its context. In the Gita, after the first chapter, there are barely seven-eight references to the war. Gita largely talks about universal principles because Arjuna’s question was also universal. Had Arjuna asked, “Should I fight or not?”, Krishna would have answered, “Yes, you should fight”; then the discussion would have been over. However, Arjuna’s question was different. He asked Krishna, “I am bewildered about what is my dharma and therefore I am asking you, Oh Krishna, to please tell me, what is my dharma?” (BG2.07) Therefore, Arjuna is not asking Krishna, “Should I fight or not?” He asks Krishna, “What is dharma and specially what is my dharma?”. Gita’s discussion is answer to this question of Arjuna, which not specific but universal. Krishna’s answer is also universal and that is how Gita becomes a universal book.

Arjuna, although a warrior, does not restrict his question to a specific context. Here, Arjuna is not just a warrior who is overcome by fear and needs some courage. That is not the situation. Arjuna is actually confused about what exactly is his dharma. Sometimes, people think of dharma as religious duty, but dharma basically refers to the activity that harmonises us with the order of universe. There is orderly universe and when we act in a way by which we can come in harmony with that order, such an activity is dharma. And this principle is universal for everyone. Hence, in that sense, Gita becomes universal.

End of transcription.

Transcription in Hindi

प्रश्न: गीता एक व्यक्ति विशेष की समस्या को संबोधित करने के लिए बोली गई, तो हम यह कैसे कह सकते हैं कि यह हर व्यक्ति के लिए उपयोगी है?

उत्तर: गीता श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन के बीच एक संवाद है जिसका उद्देश्य अर्जुन को युद्ध के लिए प्रेरित करना था। यद्यपि इसका संदर्भ युद्ध है, किन्तु गीता उन सर्वव्यापी सिद्धांतों के बारे में अवगत कराती है जो युद्ध के संदर्भ से परे हैं।

एक ऐसे डॉक्टर के उदाहरण पर विचार करें जो प्रशिक्षण लेने वाले एक नौसिखिया डॉक्टर के साथ एक रोगी की चिकित्सा कर रहा है। यद्यपि चिकित्सक एक विशिष्ट रोग की चिकित्सा कर रहा है और प्रशिक्षु डॉक्टर को भविष्य में विभिन्न प्रकार के रोगियों का उपचार करना पड़ सकता है, किन्तु अनुभवी डॉक्टर की कार्यप्रणाली जैसे – रोगी की जाँच कैसे करें, उसके लक्षणों को कैसे समझें, लक्षणों के आधार पर उपचार कैसे करें, रोगी को प्रोत्साहित कैसे करें इत्यादि – समान ही रहती है। चिकित्सा के ये सर्वव्यापी सिद्धांत किसी रोगी विशेष से परे होते हैं और प्रशिक्षु डॉक्टर इन सिद्धांतों को अनुभवी डॉक्टर के मार्गदर्शन में सीख सकता है।

इसी प्रकार गीता का भी एक विशिष्ट ऐतिहासिक संदर्भ है। महाभारत के अध्ययन से हम इसके प्रसंग को समझ सकते हैं। गीता में पहले अध्याय के बाद युद्ध का उल्लेख कदिचित् सात-आठ स्थानों पर ही दिखाई पड़ता है। किन्तु मुख्यतः गीता सर्वव्यापी सिद्धांतों के बारे में ही चर्चा करती है क्योंकि अर्जुन का प्रश्न भी ऐसा ही था। यदि अर्जुन ने पूछा होता, “क्या मुझे युद्ध करना चाहिए?”, तो श्रीकृष्ण ने उत्तर दिया होता, “हाँ, तुम्हें युद्ध करना चाहिए”; तो गीता की चर्चा यहीं समाप्त हो गई होती। किन्तु अर्जुन का प्रश्न भिन्न था। उसने श्रीकृष्ण से पूछा, “मैं अपने धर्म के बारे में भ्रमित हूँ, कृपया मुझे बताऐं, मेरा धर्म क्या है?” (गीता २.०७)। यहाँ, अर्जुन श्रीकृष्ण से अपनी परिस्थिति सम्बंधित प्रश्न नहीं पूछ रहा है कि “क्या मुझे युद्ध करना चाहिए या नहीं?” वह श्रीकृष्ण से एक सामान्य प्रश्न पूछता है, “धर्म क्या है, और विशेष रूप से मेरा धर्म क्या है?”। गीता की सम्पूर्ण चर्चा अर्जुन के इसी प्रश्न का उत्तर है, जो किसी विशेष परिस्थिति से बंधा नहीं है अपितु हर व्यक्ति पर लागू होता है। अर्जुन की भाँति जीवन में हम सभी यह जानना चाहते हैं कि हमारा कर्तव्य क्या है। गीता में श्रीकृष्ण का उत्तर सभी के लिए है। इस तरह गीता एक ऐसा ग्रंथ है जो हर व्यक्ति के लिए है।

अर्जुन, यद्यपि एक योद्धा है, किन्तु अपने प्रश्न को किसी विशिष्ट संदर्भ तक सीमित नहीं रखता है। गीता में अर्जुन मात्र एक योद्धा नहीं है जो भय से परास्त हो गया है और जिसे थोड़े साहस की आवश्यकता है। वह स्थिति नहीं है। अर्जुन वास्तव में अपने धर्म के बारे में भ्रमित है। कई बार लोग धर्म को रीति रीवाजों से अधिक नहीं समझते, किन्तु वास्तव मेें धर्म मूल रूप से उन गतिविधियों का नाम है जिन्हें करने पर हम समूचे ब्रह्माण्ड के साथ अपना सामंजस्य स्थापित कर सकते हैं। यह समूचा ब्रह्माण्ड एक व्यवस्था पर आधारित है और जब हमारे कार्य इस व्यवस्था के अनुरूप होते हैं तो ऐसी कार्यों को धर्म कहा जाता है। और यह सिद्धांत सभी के लिए सार्वभौमिक, सभी पर समान रूप से लागू होता है। अत: इस अर्थ में गीता हर किसी के लिए उपयोगी हो जाती है।

End of transcription.

• 

• 

From the time that he was a boy, Gadadhara Pandita was always in the association of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Sri Gadadhara Pandita’s father’s name was Sri Madhava Misra; his mother’s name was Sri Ratnavati Devi. They lived close to the house of Jagannatha Misra in Mayapura. Sri Ratnavati Devi looked upon Sacidevi as if Sacidevi were her big sister. The two of them were always spending time with each other.

At the time of His childhood pastimes, Gaurahari used to often play with Gadadhara Pandita. They both went to the village school together to study. Gadadhara Pandita was a year younger than Gaurahari. Gadadhara had so much affection for Gaurahari that he could not leave his company even for a moment. 

In the Gaura-ganodesa-dipika it has been explained by Kavi Karnapura that in Vraja-lila Sri Gadadhara Pandita was the daughter of Vrsabhanu—Srimati Radharani.  This is confirmed in the notebooks of Svarupa Damodara as well as in the songs of Sri Vasudeva Ghosa Thakura.

According to Sri Caitanya Caritamrta: “No one can describe the characteristics and ecstatic love of Gadadhara Pandita. Therefore another name for Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Gadadhara Prananatha, “the life and soul of Gadadhara Pandita.” No one can say how merciful the Lord is to Gadadhara Pandita, but people know the Lord as Gadaira Gaura, “the Lord Gauranga of Gadadhara Pandita.”

Gadadhara Pandit also took the renounced order of life and went to Jagannatha Puri to be with Lord Caitanya. Accepting ksetra sannyasa (a renunciate who never leaves the dhama), he served the Deity of Tota-Gopinatha with full love and devotion. Regularly, Sri Krishna Caitanya came to relish Sri Gadadhara’s rasika reading of Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Caitanya concluded His manifest pastimes “by entering the Deity of Tota-Gopinatha.

Although Gadadhara Pandit was barely forty-eight when the Lord departed, he quickly became old because of the intense anguish he felt in separation from his beloved Lord Gaurasun­dara. He couldn’t stretch his arms to offer a garland to his Deity. Understanding His servant’s difficulty, Sri Tota-Gopinatha sat down to facilitate Gadadhara’s loving service. To this day, Sri Tota- Gopinatha is the only sitting Deity of Krishna.

 According to some authorities, a short time after Lord Caitanya’s disappearance Sri Gadadhara Pandit joined His eternal pastimes by entering his beloved Deity of Tota-Gopinatha. His danta (tooth) samadhi stands near the Vamsi Gopala temple in Vrndavana.

• 

• 

Montreal, Quebec

 

A Kind of Freedom

 

Karuna Sindhu is a safe driver behind the wheel and so I was his passenger, safely seated as we moved along eastward bound. It was momentous because this morning marked my first time beyond the Ontario border in approximately 16 months. We both felt a kind of freedom; enjoying what we could not for all this time. Entering into the city of Montreal was a sweet sensation and being greeted by the community of Vaishnavas I haven’t seen (many of them fairly new to bhakti) for so long was a real breath of fresh air.

 

After some prasad, a shower and a nap, we headed for the Bay on St. Catherine’s St. for kirtan. Residents of Montreal are not foreign to viewing and hearing a group of Krishnas chanting by the side of the street. Kirtan is kept up quite regularly and during the pandemic if kirtanwas not allowed in the metro subway due to COVID, then food disbursement was. Yes, in some of the colder months the city allowed for prasadam to be distributed as it was an essential practice.

 

The public know us, yet tourists know us less. Nevertheless, we were liked. Speaking of “liked,” in the evening, our gathering at “Nandagram” Country Farm attracted the more committed members in addition to some newcomers. It was a campfire experience and liked by all. Once you get started with this type of thing, you just find it hard to finish. Chanting can be an addiction.

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Yorkville, Ontario

 

Looking at People

 

All went fairly smooth, for the day, with indoor services involving services to our resident monks, classes and meetings on the phone as periodical sun rays shafted through windows, broken up by intermittent cloud casting and serious rain. It’s hard to believe that our west coast is so dry and, in Canada, of all places, hearing that there are record breaking hot spells, when in central zones, like here, there are regular downpours.

 

One village, Lytton, in British Columbia, that I walked through, hit a temperature the other day of 46° C/over 120° F. Two days ago, a train came through and its wheels sparked a fire that took down 90% of the place (population 250). It’s devastated. I recall how normally it is rather barren with sparse coniferous trees growing along mountain-side country while the mighty Thompson River makes its way. Evacuation was inevitable. Much of the now displaced population is indigenous. It is sad. It is the material world with its sukha dukha, glad and sad reality.

 

Now with Toronto’s wetness behind me and rain drained, I could get out, so I made my way five blocks to trendy Yorkville, for fun, to catch a glimpse of sleek-dressed night strollers and slow-moving motorist in the fanciest sports cars. It was with a trite entertainment that I somewhat enjoyed while I sat on a bench. Faces weren’t sad. They also were not happy, but pleasure-seeking they were. “You’re looking in the wrong place,” I wanted to shout out, while I fingered through my mantra beads. “Touch your spirit.”

 

May the Source be with you!

3 km

 

Etobicoke/Scarborough

 

West End, East End

 

Nothing major but I was feeling a bit woozy from the vaccine I received yesterday, nevertheless I wanted to keep busy. In that regard priestly duties were put to motion. It started with a visitation to Nimai Nitai’s home. Among his family friends was someone’s birthday; Jyoti is her name. She’s a young mother. We celebrated with a cheese cake.

Now you may ask what is it with my involvement in a birthday and what does it have to do with priestly duties? Well, my role in a spiritual community may not just be centered on activities of faith and devotion. It is necessary, I find, to stay connected with the community and to address human/social needs. Birthdays are important to people. 

A second obligation came in the form of another visit to a family in the east end. Nitai Gaura, from Guyana, passed away at 80 yesterday morning. He was a peaceful and good soul. Since I can’t make it to the cremation on Sunday (I’ll be at a wedding in Montreal) I felt a deep compulsion to go and give support to the family. Karuna Sindhu kindly drove me to this household, as he did for our morning visit, so that we could chant mantras in his honour. It was sweet being with the family and friends.

Although today was Canada Day, I had fun reconnecting with people. Oh, incidentally, we have restarted our “stairway kirtans” and in our evening sessions passersby get abuzz. Tonight I got specific about how I greeted them. “Happy Canada Day!” They responded with a smile, each one of them.

May the Source be with you!

 

 

Ramsden Park, Toronto

 

Through the Tranquility

 

I’ve known Devananda for many years. He grew up in London, Canada, area. I know little about his Jewish descent, but he adopted to eastern ways like I did. Pursuing life in India; living like a yogi/sadhu of sorts was his calling. He’s been active in China and India and teaches shiatsu and massage therapy.

 

It’s great when he comes around, being about the same age we have something to share about experience in the yoga field, although my chosen approach has been more in the bhakti line. There is, however, more in common than different, despite being taught by different gurus.

 

We had prasad together and our lunch was something he really liked. Devananda has this genuine interest to see a better world (and again we share, in this one, the same attitude); that the forces of materialism are very strong in this part of the world.

 

He actually took a chance on his bike to dodge the wet oncoming storm. The coast was clear for his arrival to meet at a safe place near the temple. Well, rains came, and we had to shelter ourselves from what seemed like a monsoon. Once the rain and wind calmed, he headed for his apartment in the nick of time before a new installment of thunder and rain.

 

Once that cleared, I snuck over to the park. It was great. The storm chased people away, or at least deterred them from coming. I had the green all to myself for minutes – minutes that moved me closer to Krishna, in some way. I saw Him through the tranquility.

 

May the Source be with you!

1 km

 

Today is the day my parents invited me into this world! I am grateful to God for the gift of life. And in gratitude l have composed a short poem with visuals, based on various vicissitudes of my life. Several times l should have died, but somehow God gave me repeatedly another chance.

Read More...

By Krishna dharma das

“In his prayers to the spiritual master, Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Ṭhakura confirms that all the revealed scriptures accept the spiritual master to be identical with the Personality of Godhead because he is a very dear and confidential servant of the Lord. Gaudiya Vaishnavas therefore worship Srila Gurudeva (the spiritual master) in the light of his being the servitor of the Personality of Godhead. In all the ancient literatures of devotional service and in the more recent songs of Srila Narottama dasa Ṭhakura, Srila Bhaktivinoda Ṭhakura and other unalloyed Vaishnavas, the spiritual master is always considered either one of the confidential associates of Srimati Radharani or a manifested representation of Srila Nityananda Prabhu.” Continue reading "The Role of the ‘Second Class’ Guru
→ Dandavats"

By Vijaya Dasa

In June, Melbourne had a very successful month. It became the No. 1 temple in Australasia in the Large Temple category, with 3,390 book points (a 26% increase). It’s been a long time since Melbourne was in first place. Congratulations! In the Medium Temple category, London was No. 1, with 3,018 book points. Once Srila Prabhupada was asked by a reporter in London why he had come. Srila Prabhupada explained that the British rulers and viceroys plundered India and took away whatever they thought was valuable but left behind the most valuable things, so he had come to give these to the British. The reporter wanted to know what they were. Srila Prabhuapda told him that the ancient scriptures and the holy names of Krishna are India’s real treasures. And he’s still giving them to the British. In the Small Temple category, here's a surprise: Siliguri, India (a city I've never heard of) was the No. 4 temple in the world, with 11,134 book points. I hope we’ll see more big results from the devotees there. Mangalore, India, in the Maha-small Temple category, did 4,442 book points, which is pretty good for five or fewer devotees. Continue reading "WSN May 2021 – World Sankirtan Newsletter
→ Dandavats"

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast Hindi

Transcription by: Srimati Tanvi Tayal Mataji (Noida)

प्रश्र: हम अपने भीतर सत्वगुण को कैसे बढ़ाऐं जब हम जानते हैं कि हम तीनों गुणों के हाथों में कठपुतलियाँ हैं?

उत्तर: हम इन गुणों की कठपुतलियाँ हैं, इसका अर्थ यह है कि हम इन गुणों से पूरी तरह स्वतंत्र नहीं हैं। किन्तु हमारे पास थोड़ी बहुत स्वतंत्रता है जिस से हम यह निर्धारित कर सकते हैं कि हमें किस गुण से प्रभावित होना है। इसका अर्थ यह है कि माना कि हम कठपुतली हैं किन्तु हम किस गुण की कठपुतली बनना चाहते हैं इसका निर्णय हमारे हाथ में है।

हमें यह समझना चाहिए कि हमारे पास एक नियमित दायरे में असीमित स्वतंत्रता है। जैसे एक गाय को रस्सी के द्वारा खूँटे से बांध दिया जाए तो उस रस्सी की लम्बाई के अंदर उस गाय के पास चलने फिरने, उठने बैठने की असीमित स्वतंत्रता होती है। किन्तु उस नियमित दायरे के बाहर हमारी स्वतंत्रता असीमित नहीं है। उदाहरणार्थ, जैसे हम पक्षियों की भाँति उड़ नही सकते क्योंकि हमारे पक्षियों की तरह पँख नहीं हैं।

हमें अपने भीतर उन प्रवृत्तियों की ओर ध्यान देना है जिनपर निर्णय लेना हमारे हाथ में है। संभव है कि इन प्रवृत्तियों में से किन्हीं को हम न बदल पाऐं। उदाहरणार्थ, हम किसी प्रख्यात गायक की तरह गाना न गा पाऐं। किन्तु हमारे भीतर कई मनोवैज्ञानिक प्रवृत्तियाँ ऐसी हैं जिनकी मात्रा को कम या अधिक करना हमारे अधिकार क्षेत्र में है। जैसे कुछ लोग अधिक आलसी होते हैं ओर कुछ कम। इस प्रकार की प्रवित्तियों को हम बदल सकते हैं। कैसे? अपने विचारों ओर अपने बाहरी वातावरण को बदल कर। जैसे एक व्यक्ति देर से उठता है और इस कारण वह अपने अध्यात्मिक नियमों का उचित ढंस से पालन नहीं कर पाता। यदि ऐसा व्यक्ति ऐसे वातावरण में रहे जहाँ सभी लोग देर से उठते हों तो इससे तमोगुण और उत्तजित होगा। किन्तु यदि वही व्यक्ति ऐसे लोगों के साथ सोता है जहाँ सब लोग सवेरे जल्दी उठ जाते हों तो इन सभी लोगों के सात्विक गुणों का प्रभाव उस पर भी पड़ेगा। यह एक बड़ा सीधा-सादा उदहारण है जिसको विस्तार कई अन्य परिस्थितियों पर किया जा सकता है। यदि हम ऐसी परिस्थितियों का चुनाव करें जो एक किसी गुण विशेष में स्थित हों तो हम उन गुणों को अपने भीतर बढ़ा सकते हैं।

यदि हम अपने भीतर किसी विशेष प्रकार के विचारों को घुसने की अनुमति देते रहें तो हम उन विचारों से सम्बंधित गुणों का विकास करेंगे। उदाहरणार्थ, अत्यधिक रजोगुणी पुस्तकें पढ़ना, अत्यधिक समाचार पत्र पढ़ना और फिल्में इत्यादि देखना, इन सब से रजोगुण बढ़ेगा। किन्तु इसके विपरीत यदि हम अध्यात्मिक पुस्तकें अथवा सात्विक साहित्य पढ़ते हैं तो उससे हमारे भीतर सत्व गुण बढ़ेगा।
खाली समय में हम किन बातों पर चिन्तन करते हैं उससे भी हम अपने भीतर गुणों को प्रभावित कर सकते हैं। सात्विक विचारों पर चिन्तन से सत्व बढ़ता है किन्तु रजोगुणी विचारों के चुनाव से रजोगुण बढ़ेगा। हमारे चिंतन के चुनाव द्वारा भी हम अपने भीतर के गुण निर्धारित करते हैं।

भूतकाल में हमारी आदतों के कारण कई परिस्थितियों में हमारा चुनाव एक निश्चित ढर्रे पर होता है। इन आदतों को बदलने के लिए संभव है कि हमें एक बड़ा प्रयास करने की आवश्यकता हो किन्तु यह सम्भव है। हमें डटे रहना होगा। अपने लिए बाहरी और भीतरी परिस्थितियों का चुनाव कर हम अपने गुणों को निर्धारित कर सकते हैं।

ये छोटे-छोटे निर्णय होते हैं जो हम अपने दैनिक जीवन में ले सकते हैं किन्तु लम्बे समय में इनका प्रभाव बहुत गहरा हो सकता है। इन निर्णयों के उचित चुनाव द्वारा हम अपने जीवन को एक नई ऊँचाई पर ले जा सकते हैं।

End of transcription.

(Kadamba Kanana Swami, 3 May 2021, Simhachalam, Germany, Srimad Bhagavatam 3.19.27)

One of Prabhupada’s intimate followers after Prabhupada’s departure had a period where it was difficult to connect. For many devotees after Prabhupada left, it was not so easy. Those disciples of Prabhupada who had his association and who were there during his time, were there during the difficult period when Prabhupada left and ISKCON went into the hands of new leaders. As a result, many withdrew. So as they withdrew, the standard of Krsna consciousness also went down a little bit, or externally the practices of Krsna consciousness at least did. But the connection of Krsna within the heart did not disappear so easily. Even if a devotee, after a prolonged practice, is now interrupting his practice, Krsna still remains in his heart. Once that faith that Krsna is the Supreme Lord is there, once the credit of all the service is there, then Srila Prabhupada says in the Srimad Bhagavatam that one is rasa-graha. Rasa-graha means that one has the taste of transcendental mellows. So therefore, one cannot just turn away from Krsna and Krsna does not turn away from that devotee. Neither does the spiritual master. So the devotee in particular that I am speaking about was Upendra. Upendra was such a close servant of Prabhupada in the early days. When Upendra died after having not such a good period, then at the end of his life he sat up in bed and said, “Prabhupada you have come.” He saw Prabhupada in the end! So the amount of mercy that we accrue in this movement is truly extraordinary.

The article " Truly extraordinary! " was published on KKSBlog.

Here we are showing you the final stage of completing the Vijaya murti: painting. You can see how the colors blend in very well with each other.

Ambhoda mataji has refined the blending of colors and already displayed her talents in the painting of the Jaya murti. Our next update report will be the completion of Vijaya.

 

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Krishna says to Arjuna …

“O Partha! In my heart I always chant the names of those who with faith or contempt chant My name.”

[ Adi Purana quoted in Hari-bhakti-vilasa 11.464 ]

sraddhaya helaya nama ratanti mama jantavah
tesam nama sada partha vartate hrdaye mama

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219969482530367&set=a.3707173840886

From Mahadeva:

I am just looking for a single honest soul that can say that he has got this joy and is unaffected by whatsoever happening around him ? What kind of attitude is expected – to be oblivious.

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast Hindi

Transcription by: Sriman Amit and Srimati Nidhi Agrawal (Noida)

प्रश्न – अपने और दूसरों के जीवन के दुखों को देखकर भी क्या आनंदपूर्वक भक्ति की जा सकती है?

उत्तर – यदि भक्त इस जगत के दुखों को अनदेखा करते तो भौतिक जगत से उन्हें कोई लेना देना ही नहीं होता अपितु वे भौतिक संसार से संबंध समाप्त करके वृंदावन या मथुरा में जाकर बसते और केवल अपनी मुक्ति के बारे में सोचते। ऐसा अवसर श्रील प्रभुपाद जी के जीवन में भी आया था लेकिन उन्होने सत्तर वर्ष की अवस्था में भी भक्ति की राजधनी वृंदावन को त्यागकर अधोगति की राजधानी न्यूयार्क को चुना, क्योंकि उनमें दया और करुणा थी। अन्यों के दुख को देखकर उन्हें दुख होता था और वे उन्हें दुख की परिस्थिति से निकालना चाहते थे। अन्यों के दुख से अप्रभावित रहना एक उन्नत भक्त के लक्षण नहीं है। अन्यों के दुख को अनदेखा करने का तो प्रश्न ही नहीं उठता।

अन्यों की सहायता करने की इच्छा प्रशंसनीय है, किन्तु यह सहायता कैसे करनी है, उसका ज्ञान और क्षमता न होने पर इसका परिणाम विपरीत भी हो सकता है। उदाहरण के लिए जैसे कोई व्यक्ति डूब रहा होता है तो वह डूबने वाले की सहायता तब तक नहीं कर सकता जब वह स्वयं तैरना न जानता हो। यदि सहायता करने वाला स्वयं बँधा हो तो वह किसी अन्य बँधे हुए व्यक्ति को बंधनमुक्त कैसे करा सकता है। यदि सहायता करने वाला स्वयं रोगी हो तो वह किसी अन्य रोगी की सहायता नहीं कर सकता। ये तीनों उदाहरण दिखाते हैं कि यदि हमें सही मायनों में अन्यों की सहायता करनी है तो अपने अंदर आध्यात्मिक विकास और विश्वास होना चाहिए। उदाहरणार्थ, यदि मैं रोग से संक्रमित हूँ और उसका उपचार स्वयं नहीं ले रहा हूँ पर अन्यों पर उसे लागू कर रहा हूँ तो मैं स्वयं और सहायता लेने वाले, दोनों को रोग से संक्रमित कर सकता हूँ।
इस भौतिक जगत के दुख अधिकतर स्वप्रेरित हैं। इसका उदाहरण हैं नशीले पदार्थों एंव इन्द्रिय सुखों का व्यसन। इन व्यसनों से उत्पन्न दुख तो हमें स्पष्ट दिखाई देते हैं। वास्तव में हमारे समस्त दुखों का कारण हमारे इस जन्म के या फिर पूर्व जन्म के कर्म होते हैं।

इस भौतिक जगत में सभी जीव दुखी हैं। महारानी कुंती ने श्रीमद्भागवतम् में जीव के दुखी रहने के तीन कारण बताए हैं – अविद्या काम कर्मभिः (भागवतम् 1.8.35)। अविद्या के कारण जीव इस ज्ञान से अनभिज्ञ रहता है कि वास्तविक सुख की प्राप्ति कहाँ से होती है। इससे काम उत्पन्न होता है और भौतिक सुख भोगने की कामना के फलस्वरूप हम जो कर्म करते है उससे कर्मबंधन में फँस जाते हैं और फिर भौतिक जगत में पीड़ा भोगते रहते हैं।

महारानी कुंती समस्त दुखों और पीड़ाओं से बचने का उपाय बताती हैं – श्रवणस्मरणार्हाणि – श्रीकृष्ण के बारे में श्रवण और स्मरण करें। इससे हमें उत्तम रस का अनुभव होगा, हमारा अन्तःकरण शुद्ध होगा तथा हमें भवबंधन से मुक्ति मिलेगी। अध्यात्म के सभी मार्ग श्रीकृष्ण की भक्ति पर जाकर संपन्न होते हैं। भक्ति में हम अपनी साधाना और सेवा साथ-साथ कर सकते हैं। अधिकतर सेवा कृष्णभावना के प्रचार पर आधारित है। साधना द्वारा हमें उत्तम रस की अनुभुति होगी जिसे हम श्रीकृष्ण के संदेश का प्रचार करके हम अन्यों के साथ बाँट सकते हैं। श्रीकृष्ण की भक्ति एक औषधि की भाँति है। कृष्णभक्त अपने अनुभव का प्रचार करके अन्यों के दुख को दूर कर सकते हैं। यदि किसी ने भक्ति का स्वंय अनुभव नहीं किया है, तो वह अन्यों को इसका अनुभव कैसे करा सकता है?

अन्यों के दुखों को दूर करने के लिये पहले स्वयं कृष्णभक्ति के आनंद का अनुभव करना आवश्यक है। जब हम किसी कृष्णभक्त से जुड़ जाते है तब उसके माध्यम से हम श्रीकृष्ण से जुड़ जाते हैं। इससे हम अपने जीवन में एक ऐसे हाथ का अनुभव करते हैं जो हमें भवसागर से खींचकर बाहर निकाल रहा हो। जब कोई हमारा एक हाथ पकड़कर हमें बाहर खींच रहा हो तब हम अपना दूसरा हाथ अन्यों की ओर बढ़ाकर उन्हें भी भवसागर से बाहर निकाल सकते हैं। जब हम किसी उपचार का प्रयोग करके ठीक हो जाऐं या हो रहे हों तभी हम अन्यों को उस उपचार के बारे में बताकर उसकी सहायता कर सकते हैं। जैसे एक व्यक्ति स्वयं बंधनमुक्त हो जाए तभी वह अन्यों को बंधनमुक्त होने में सहायता कर सकता है।

सारांश में यह प्रश्न ही नहीं उठता की हम अन्यों के दुख को अनदेखा करें। लेकिन यदि उस पीड़ा के बारे में हमें कोई ज्ञान नहीं हो तो हम उसका उपचार भी नहीं कर सकते हैं। एक भक्त होने के नाते हमें स्वंय तो भक्ति के मार्ग का अनुसरण करके आनंद का अनुभव करना चाहिए लेकिन साथ ही साथ उस उपचार का प्रचार करके अन्यों की पीड़ा को भी दूर करना चाहिए।

End of transcription.

Answer Podcast

Answer Podcast Hindi

Answer: First of all Lord Ram did not banish or abandon Sita. If we have to use the word banish clearly in the sense in which it is used for Lord Ram when He was banished by Kaikeyi’s arrangement, then He had to go into the forest in the jungle where He had to fend for Himself and they had no ready home over there, they had no one to take care of themselves. So first thing that Lord Ram did not banish Sita like that. She was still within His kingdom under the care of Valmiki and Valmiki was under the care of Lord Ram directly he was in His kingdom and Lord Ram is the supersoul in the heart of all living beings and He is the supersoul in the heart of Valmiki also and Valmiki Rishi by his foresight he understood what was happening and he told the female hemits that were there in his hemitage to take care of Sita just like there own daughter. So in that sense Sita was certainly not banished the way Lord Ram was banished. So banish is too harsh a word and it is not proper to use it in this context. Now still the question remains why did Lord Ram send Her out of His palace when there was no fault on His side. So there are three different factors involved over here. There is the principle that this is not just from Vedic culture but this is also in European _________, it was there Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion. Srila Prabhupada would quote that the idea is that actually for a king to be able to effectively rule the people, the king himself has to be exemplary and that exemplariness has to manifest expression all walks of his life. So one of the exemplariness of the king is detachment. Now what kind of detachment is expected from the king. Although the king has the best opulences that anybody else has in the kingdom, but still the king is expected to use these opulences for the sake of dharma and for the sake of dharma he has to be ready to sacrifice those opulences. So for example when there is a sacrifice, the king is supposed to use the wealth that he has for performing sacrifice and while performing sacrifice the king is meant to give profuse charity to the priests who are there and the priests are not just official priests, the sages who are there, they are meant to be devotee to god entirely. So the idea is that the king has to be an ideal exemplar of dharma. So as a part of being exemplar of dharma one is that in the Vedic culture it is understood that family attachments are obstacles on the spiritual path. At a particular stage in a person’s life family attachments are important in the sense that they are also a part of a person’s duty so that the person can make spiritual progress but at the same time those duties if they diverted or diversed from the spiritual perspective then they just become material and taking care of ones family members is to some extent done even in the non human species also. So there is certainly nothing spiritual about that. So Lord Ram when he came to the world, He wanted to exemplify the dharma in the most extraordinary way. So that he did by showing that he had no attachment to His wife. So now if Lord Ram had really any attachment then He would have married some other wife later. He did not do that. It was not that He was personally concerned with His enjoyment. Some people say that for the sake of His own reputation, He gave up His wife. But at best a reputation can give a person only material pleasure so if material pleasure was all that was His interest and if reputation was all that was His interest then He could always have preserved the reputation by having some other wife, but he never did that. So at the time of there marriage, He had promised Sita that He would take a ekapathni vrta, He would not accept any other wives and His fidelity to Sita is seen through His keeping that vrta and further if we see although when yagnas are to be performed, the husband and wife have to sit together. Now although there was no one who could substitute for Sita unless Lord Ram married and there was pressure on Him that if you have to perform the yagna ashwameda kratu dikshita Rama, He had to perform ashwameda and other yagnas, so for that He had to have a queen with Him, so then He made images of Sita, golden image of Sita and that image was what sat with Him. So if we are looking at it, there are two aspects there is attachment and then there is responsibilty. Detachment does not mean irresponsibility and attachment is not necessarily irresponsibility. So if Lord Ram had been irresponsible or as the word here in the question uses immoral, then He would have just not cared for Sita at all, if Sita had just been a means for His reputation and because She was a spot on His reputation, He would have given Her up. Then He could just have abandoned Her entirely. He would not even have told Lakshmana  to take Her to Valimiki’s ashram. He would just have told Her get out of my palace but He carefully arranged for Lakshman to have Her taken to the hermitage of Valmiki and again He did not marry anyone else even when there is obligations required it to some extent. So of course when the sages saw that they just told them that the yagna can be performed with the image also and He did that. The fact that He went to the extreme of doing that indicates that he was not irresponsible or immoral just concerned about worldly pleasure through reputation or enjoyment. Lord Ram himself was very principled. So what He is exhibiting through sending Sita away from His palace is not irresponsibility or immorality but detachment and exemplary conduct. So detachment means that as far as setting up the dharma is concerned one is not ready to compromise at all. One is ready to sacrifice any pleasure that is required for the setting up of dharma. So this is from Lord Ram’s perspective. Now we might argue that actually if Sita had been at fault then all this might have been ok, but Sita was not at fault if there is just a rumour somewhere then why take a rumour so seriously. He could just have confronted those people who where having those rumours and corrected them and infact that was Lakshman’s impulse. He felt that I want to who is saying this, I will go and set them straight but Lord Ram knew that the point here was not to set to silence one voice or to correct one misconception. The point here was to represent a principle and the principle was that the king should be spotless. So spotless that even rumours are not possible about such a person. Now in today’s socio politically _______ what to speak of rumours, even when evidences are there, even at that time the administrators, the politicians, the kings don’t care and they continue to hold on to there post and to do there irreligious, corrupt and immoral activities. So it’s very difficult for us to comprehend this level of morality. None the less this was what Lord Ram exemplified. So Lord Ram had a conflict in between His duty as a family member, as a husband and duty as a king and He did His duty as a king by exemplifying detachment and He did His duty as a husband by ensuring that Sita was cared for although She was not cared for directly in His palace by Him but She was cared in His kingdom through His representatives, sages who were there and elderly hermits that were there in the sage’s hermitage. So now the most agonising and to some extent emotionally difficult to accept this is from Sita’s perspective. So you could say what was Sita’s fault that She had already gone through the agni pariksha and She had already proven Her chastity, first of all She had maintained Her chastity despite all the allurements of Ravana. Both Ravana had threatened Her as well as tempted Her. So She maintained her chastity despite it all and then She proved Her chastity by going through the agni pariksha and then even after that She had undergo the mortification of being rejected by Lord Ram. So certainly this is very heart rending and firstly we have to understand that the whole Ramayan, every scripture there is a story line, there is philosophy and there is a rasa. There is a emotional experience that that scripture suppose to offer and that emotional experience is purifying, uplifting and eventually liberating. So in the Ramayan the primary emotional experience that is offered is called as karuna rasam. Karuna rasam is not exactly compassion but we can’t have compassion for the Lord or His associates but the idea is that normally compassion is invoked when we see somebody else suffering. So seeing the Lord suffering and the Lord gracefully accepting that suffering that inspires attraction to the Lord within us and that emotion which arises is purifying. So the whole purpose of the Ramayan is primarily to give, it is written _____ rishi is called as the adhi kavi and is called as the adhi kavya, the first poetry. So it is meant to promote that feeling and that is actually promoted first through Lord Ram’s exile, although Lord Ram just as Sita when She was sent to the forest She was utterly faultless. Similarly when Lord Ram himself was sent to the forest, He was utterly faultless. Now there was just some circumstance by which Dasharatha was bound and Lord Ram had to be sent to the forest. So similarly there was some circumstance by which Lord Ram was bound and Sita had to be sent to the forest. So we may say that there are differences in the situation that Lord Ram could have rejected the rumours but then we could also say Dasharatha could have rejected His word to Kaikeyi. Dasharath maharaj was king, Lord Ram was king also but the important principle over there is that there is something deeper being communicated over here. The communication is that even the Lord when he descends to the world to perform His pastimes, He has to some extent suffer and the way He accepts suffering with grace is what is meant to be taught for all time to come. So that is the lesson.So if we are going to blame then Lord Ram could have blamed Dasharatha maharaj which he did not do and similarly Sita did not blame Lord Ram. She understood why He had done it and although it pained her immensely just as it pained Lord Ram to go to the forest and not be there in the kingdom with His parents and with the citizens but He accepted it, similarly Sita also accepted it. So now is this meant to become a stereo type or a model for everyone, obviously not. The principle of sacrifice is something which is exemplary but the idea that somebody creates suffering upon somebody else to invoke that spirit of sacrifice is a perverse understanding. So it is not that the Ramayan recommends that step mothers conspire to send their stepsons into exile nor does the Ramayan recommend that, pregnant wives be abandoned. Every scripture if you don’t understand it in it’s proper context and purpose distorted lessons can be taken from it and this may unfortunately happened sometimes but that is not at all the intent of the Ramayan. The intent of the Ramayan is to first of all stimulate within us intense emotional attraction towards the Lord and His consort by seeing how They are suffering and secondly through Their suffering They exemplify to us how we can gracefully accept suffering when it comes in our way. But the idea that we should impose suffering upon others is a complete perversion and if that has happened, that is unfortunate and that is regrettable and the vaishnava acharyas especially in the Sri sampradaya, they have actually taught that Lord Ram’s exiling mother Sita was to invoke this karunya rasa, Jiva goswami also talks about it and from the rasa point of view there is a higher experience also that love in separation is higher than love in union in the sense that the emotions become intensified. They say that “the heart grows fonder in the absence of the beloved”. So Lord Ram wanted to give Sita that highest experience of love in separation and for that purpose this happened. So overall we can understand this at multiple levels, at the first level from the administrative point of view as a king Lord Ram had to set the example of complete detachment so that He could exemplify dharmic detachment for His citizens and He did that but on the other hand Lord Ram as a husband was not irresponsible, He arranged for the care of His pregnant wife, then from the still higher perspective of the Ramayan, it exemplifies to us how even the Lord undergoes suffering with grace and inspires us to accept whatever suffering we undergo in our lives because of our past karma to also accept it gracefully. It also increases emotional attraction towards the Lord in our hearts and lastly it enables Sita and Ram to taste the supreme rasa of love in separation which is the highest emotional experience between lovers.

Thank You.

 
Transcription in hindi

Transcribed by – Niramala Shorewala Mataji (Kaithal)

प्रश्न- क्या भगवान राम का सीतादेवी का त्याग करना अनैतिक नहीं था? क्या किसी अफवाह की कारण किसी पति को अपनी पत्नी का त्याग करना चाहिए? क्या एक पति होने के नाते श्रीराम का यह एक अनुत्तरदायी व दोषपूर्ण कृत्य नहीं है?

उत्तर- श्रीराम ने माता सीता का न तो बहिष्कार किया था और नहीं त्याग। अगर हम देश निकाला का सही अर्थ देखें तो जैसे भगवान राम को चौदह साल के वनवास के लिए भेजा गया था, जहाँ वन में उनके पास न घर था न ही कुछ और साधन, श्रीराम ने माता सीता को इस प्रकार का देश निकाला नहीं किया था। सीतादेवी उनके राज्य में वाल्मीकि आश्रम में उन्हीं की देखरेख में थीं। श्रीराम सभी प्राणियों के हृदय में परमात्मा रूप में स्थित हैं। वे वाल्मीकि मुनि के हृदय में भी स्थित थे। वाल्मीकि मुनि त्रिकालदर्शी थे। वे समझ गए थे कि क्या हो रहा है और उन्होंने अपने आश्रम में रहने वाली स्त्री सन्यासिनों को कह दिया था कि सीता देवी की देखरेख एक पुत्री की तरह होनी चाहिए। इस दृष्टिकोण से श्रीराम ने सीतादेवी को देश निकाला नहीं दिया था।

फिर भी इस संदर्भ में यह प्रश्न रहता है कि श्रीराम ने सीतादेवी को अपने महल से बाहर क्यों किया जबकि सीतादेवी का इसमें कोई दोष नहीं था।

इस विषय के आंकलन में हम तीन पक्षों के दृष्टिकोणों पर विचार करके करेंगे – (i) श्रीराम का दृष्टिकोण (ii) सामाजिक दृष्टिकोण (iii) शास्त्रों का दृष्टिकोण।

श्रीराम का दृष्टिकोण – वैदिक संस्कृति में ही नहीं यूरोपीय संस्कृति में भी ये मान्यता है कि राज्य की पटरानी को पूर्णतया संदेहरहित होना चाहिए। एक राजा को अनुकरणीय होना चाहिए और इस बात का प्रदर्शन उसके जीवन के हर स्तर पर दिखना चाहिए। राजा के अनेक गुणों में से एक है वैराग्य। पूरे राज्य में राजा के पास सर्वश्रेष्ठ ऐश्वर्य होता है किंतु राजा उसका उपयोग धर्म की रक्षा के लिए करता है। उदाहरणार्थ, धार्मिक कार्यों में राजा अपनी संपत्ति का ब्राह्मणों में भरपूर दान करता है।

राजा धर्म का प्रतिनिधि होता है। वैदिक संस्कृति के अनुसार अत्यधिक पारिवारिक आसक्ति आध्यात्मिक जीवन में एक बाधा बन जाता है। गृहस्थ जीवन में पारिवारिक संबंधों का महत्व होता है क्योंकि ये व्यक्ति के कर्तव्य निर्वाह का भाग होते हैं। कर्तव्यों का निर्वाह आध्यात्मिक विकास के लिए आवश्यक है। किन्तु यदि यही पारिवारिक संबंध उसे अध्यात्मिक प्रगति से दूर ले जा रहे हैं तो वे भौतिक हो जाते हैं। देखा जाए तो इस प्रकार परिवार जनों की देखरेख पशु पक्षी भी करते हैं, तो इसमें विशेष रूप से आध्यात्मिक कुछ नहीं। जब श्रीराम धरती पर अवतरित हुए तो उन्हें धर्म पालन का सर्वोच्च आदर्श स्थापित करना था। सीतादेवी का त्याग करके उन्होंने सिद्ध किया कि वे अपनी पत्नी के प्रति अनावश्यक आसक्त नहीं थे। यदि वे आसक्त होते तो बाद में किसी अन्य स्त्री से विवाह अवश्य करते।

कुछ लोग कहते हैं कि श्रीराम ने अपने मान सम्मान को बचाने के लिए सीतादेवी का त्याग किया। यदि ऐसा होता तो वे अश्वमेध यज्ञ में अपना मान बढ़ाने के लिए दूसरा विवाह कर सकते थे। यज्ञ करने के लिए उन्हें एक रानी की आवश्यकता थी और उनपर ऋषि मुनियों द्वारा दूसरे विवाह के लिए दबाव भी था। किन्तु उन्होंने दूसरा विवाह नहीं किया। वे अपने एकपत्नी व्रत पर अडिग रहे और सीतादेवी के प्रति अपनी निष्ठा का परिचय दिया। यहाँ दो पक्ष हैं एक है आसक्ति दूसरा वैराग्य। वैराग्य का अर्थ अनुत्तरदायी और आसक्ति का अर्थ उत्तरदायी नहीं होता है। यदि श्रीराम उत्तरदायी नहीं होते तो सीतादेवी के बारे में बिल्कुल चिंता नहीं करते। यदि सीता देवी केवल एक मान सम्मान का प्रश्न होतीं तो श्रीराम उनका पूर्णतया त्याग कर सकते थे। वे सरलता से उन्हें महल से बाहर निकाल सकते थे। किंतु उन्होंने श्रीलक्ष्मण को आदेश देकर सीतादेवी को वाल्मिकी आश्रम तक पहुंचाया। इन बातों से साफ पता लगता है कि श्रीराम अनुत्तरदायी व अनैतिक नहीं थे। उन्हें अपने मान सम्मान व भौतिक सुख से कोई लगाव न था। वे सिद्धांत के पक्के थे। सीतादेवी को महल से भेजकर उन्होंने वैराग्य और धर्मपालन का सर्वश्रेष्ठ उदाहरण प्रस्तुत किया। धर्म पालन के लिए वे कुछ भी त्याग करने के लिए तैयार थे।

अब हम यह आंकलन कर सकते हैं कि यदि सीतादेवी का दोष होता तब ये त्याग उचित था किंतु किसी अफवाह के कारण ये किया गया। क्या किसी अफवाह को इतनी गंभीरता से लिया जाना चाहिए?
सामाजिक दृष्टिकोण – श्रीराम अफवाह फैलाने वालों से बात करके उनकी शंका दूर कर सकते थे जैसा कि इस अफवाह को सुनकर श्रीलक्ष्मण ने तुरंत कहा था कि ऐसा कौन कह रहा है। श्रीराम जानते थे कि वास्तविक समाधान किसी एक आवाज को दबाना नहीं था। वास्तविक समाधान इस सिद्धांत की स्थापना था कि एक राजा को नितांत निष्कलंक होना चाहिए। निष्कलंक इतना कि उसके बारे में लेषमात्र भी संदेह न हो। वर्तमान समय के नेता अफवाहों की बात तो दूर ठोस सबूत होने पर भी नहीं मानते और पदों पर बने रहते हैं। ऐसी स्थिति में हमें श्रीराम की उच्चकोटि की नैतिकता को समझने में कठिनाई हो सकती है। सीतादेवी का त्याग कर उन्होंने अपने राजधर्म का पालन किया तथा सीतादेवी को वाल्मीकि आश्रम में भेजकर अपने पति धर्म का पालन किया।

शास्त्रों का दृष्टिकोण – सीतादेवी के लिए इस निर्णय को स्वीकार करना अत्यंत दुखदायी था। इसमें सीतादेवी का क्या दोष? सीतादेवी ने अग्नि परीक्षा देकर अपनी पवित्रता का प्रमाण पहले ही दे दिया था। रावण के फुसलाने और धमकाने पर भी उन्होंने अपनी पवित्रता पर आँच नहीं आने दी। इस पर भी श्रीराम ने उनका त्याग किया। यह अत्यंत दुखदायी है। हमें यहाँ समझना चाहिए कि शास्त्रों की कथाओं में तीन पक्ष होते हैं – (i) कथा (ii) दर्शन (iii) रस। शास्त्र की कथाऐं हमें भावनात्मक अनुभव प्रदान करती हैं। यह भावनात्मक अनुभव हमारा शुद्धिकरण करता है, हमारी चेतना को ऊपर उठाता है और अंततः हमें मुक्ति प्रदान करता है।

रामायण हमें मुख्य रूप से करुण रस प्रदान करती है। जब हम श्रीराम को देखते हैं कि वे कैसे समभाव और शालीनता से अपने दुखों को स्वीकार करते हैं तो यह रस हमें भगवान राम के प्रति आकर्षित होने के लिए प्रेरित करता है। इनसे जो भावनाऐं उभरती हैं वे हमें शुद्ध करती हैं। वाल्मीकि ऋषि को आदि कवि कहा जाता है। रामायण का मुख्य उद्देश्य है इन भावनाओं का पाठक में संचार करना। सर्वप्रथम यह भावना श्रीराम के वनवास की कथा से आती हैं। जैसे जब सीतादेवी का त्याग किया गया तब वे निर्दोष थीं, वैसे ही जब श्रीराम को वनवास भेजा गया तब श्रीराम भी दोष रहित थे। परिस्थितियों के कारण महाराज दशरथ वचनबद्ध थे और श्रीराम को फलस्वरूप वनवास जाना पड़ा, ठीक उसी प्रकार परिस्थितियों के कारण श्रीराम बंधे हुए थे और सीतादेवी को वाल्मीकि आश्रम जाना पड़ा।

यहाँ हम कह सकते हैं कि दोनों परिस्थितियों में अंतर था। श्रीराम अफवाहों को सुनकर अनसुना कर सकते थे। तो फिर हम यह भी कह सकते हैं कि महाराज दशरथ कैकेई की मांगों को ठुकरा सकते थे। लेकिन महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि इन दोनों परिस्थितियों में एक महत्वपूर्ण बात यह है कि जब भगवान धरती पर अवतरित होते हैं और लीला करते हैं तो उन्हें भी दुख सहन करना पड़ता है। इन दुखों को वे शालीनता व सहजता से स्वीकार करते हैं। यह सीख देना ही इस कथा का मूल उद्देश्य है। यदि दोष ही देना था तो श्रीराम महाराज दशरथ को दोष दे सकते थे और सीतादेवी श्रीराम को दोष दे सकती थीं। किंतु दोनों ने ही ऐसा नहीं किया। सीतादेवी को अतिशय दुख हुआ कि श्रीराम ने उनका त्याग किया किन्तु वे समझ सकती थीं कि किन परिस्थितियों ने श्रीराम ने ऐसा किया। ऐसे ही श्रीराम को भी वनवास का दुख हुआ किंतु उन्होंने स्वीकार किया क्योंकि वे समझते थे कि किन परिस्थितियों में ऐसा हुआ।

तो क्या हम सभी को ऐसे त्याग का अनुसरण करना चाहिए?

नहीं, ऐसा नहीं कह सकते। त्याग का सिद्धांत अनुकरणीय और कठोर है। किंतु यह विचारधारा कि कोई जानबूझकर किसी को दुखी करे जिससे किसी दूसरे व्यक्ति में त्याग की भावना उत्पन्न हो तो यह एक दोषपूर्ण और आधारहीन समझ है। रामायण इस बात की अनुमोदन नहीं करती कि माँऐं अपने सौतेले पुत्रों को वनवास भेजें। रामायण यह अनुमोदन भी नहीं करती कि गर्भवती पत्नी को त्याग दिया जाए। किंतु यदि हम शास्त्रों को सही ढंग से न समझें तो हम उनकी शिक्षा का त्रुटिपूर्ण अर्थ लगा लेते हैं। रामायण का उद्देश्य है कि करुण रस के माध्यम से हमारे भीतर भगवान के प्रति आकर्षण की भावना उत्पन्न हो। श्री संप्रदाय के आचार्यों और श्रील जीव गोस्वामी ने भी यह बताया है कि श्रीराम का सीतादेवी का त्याग करना करुण रस में है। रस के दृष्टिकोण से यह एक उच्च अनुभव है। मिलन से विरह का प्रेम उच्च स्तर पर है क्योंकि इसमें भावनाएँ और तीव्र हो जाती है। ऐसा कहा जाता है कि विरह में हृदय प्रेमी की स्मृति में मग्न हो जाता है। तो श्रीराम को सीतादेवी को इस उच्च कोटि का अनुभव कराना था, इसी कारण ऐसा हुआ।

सामान्यतः इस घटना को हम अलग-अलग स्तर पर समझ सकते हैं । पहले स्तर पर भगवान राम को धर्मपालन का उद्देश्य स्थापित करना था। फिर चाहे उन्हें अपनी पत्नी का त्याग ही क्यों न करना पड़े। इससे उनके वैराग्य की भावना का पता लगता है। दूसरा वे अनुत्तरदायी नहीं थे। श्रीराम ने सीता देवी का त्याग नहीं किया उन्होंने अपनी पत्नी सीता की वाल्मिकी आश्रम में व्यवस्था की थी। एक ऊंचे स्तर पर भगवान राम हमें अपने उदाहरण से दिखाते हैं कि कैसे उन्होंने स्वयं भी दुख का अनुभव किया और कितनी शालीनता से इन परिस्थितियों का सामना किया। हमें भी अपने जीवन में आए दुखों का सामना इसी प्रकार करना चाहिए। अंततः यह घटना भगवान राम और माता सीता को कारुण्य रस अर्थात विरह में प्रेम का उच्च अनुभव कराती है।

 
End of transcription.

Source: Bhaktivedanta College

Virtual parikramas, story dramas, kirtan, games, quizzes, crafts, and much more! July 12th - 16th 4:00pm-5:30pm IST. Register here: https://iskconchildren.com/2021/07/01/jai-jagannath-camp/

Happiness…. The most sought-after experience that human society is striving to achieve, is still an underestimated and untapped experience beyond the reach of the majority.  Many believe they have reached that state of happiness, but have they? It was a nice sunny tropical afternoon. On my daily commute back home, I was looking out through […]

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The most sought-after experience that human society is striving to achieve, is still an underestimated and untapped experience beyond the reach of the majority.  Many believe they have reached that state of happiness, but have they?

After a successful school year of keeping all students safe during the Covid-19 pandemic, the TKG Academy in Dallas, Texas held a graduation ceremony on May 27^th that felt “triumphant,” according to Vice Principal Gopi Gita Dasi. During the event, three students who had attended TKG Academy since preschool graduated from Twelfth Grade, while the rest of the school’s thirty-three students received end-of-year certificates.